#so that I prove that I love this game and gale. I know it's silly but it made me so miserable

[chaoticbardlady99]

I Don't Wanna Be Your Friend (Astarion x GN! Reader)

  This man has a chokehold on me and I have been plagued by this idea for about a week.

Title inspired by the song "i wanna be your girlfriend" by girl in red

CW: Mentions of violence and gore (not descriptive), bit of angst, comfort

(Not my photo. I believe it belongs to Daily Gaming)

Synopsis- You and Astarion are in the middle of a war to prove who can set the best traps. However, a lack of rules seems to have gotten you into a predicament neither one of you had anticipated.

Sometimes you take it a smidge too far. 

 You would love to tell people you are some cunning, daring rogue, but the reality is that you are consistently flying by the seat of your pants. Occasionally it works really well- this was not one of those times.

    You never felt the need to prove anything to anyone.

Well, until you met Astarion. Within the first three days of traveling with him, your confidence and patience began to wear thin. He would make snide comments when watching you attempt to unlock a chest or when you scare off your prey by tripping over a bush. Then he would smirk at you- with that stupid, beautiful smirk.

He enjoys adding salt to the wound by taking on the task you failed at; usually lock picking, sneak attacks, and Gods only knows what else he could make fun of you for. You are very aware that you are not some fancy rogue and it never bothered you until now. You had accepted long ago that you are just a street urchin moving up in the world after teaching yourself the trade.

  The final straw had been when you had placed traps to catch dinner. Your traps had been successful (naturally- traps were your thing) and you brought back three bunnies for Gale’s stew.

Oh, but of course Astarion had something to say. He always has something to say.

  “Oh look at that- how cute. I’m sure sheerluck was on your side,” he quips, “You’ll get better eventually.”

 Thus began the war of all wars.

It started with small traps- nuisances really. Tripwire, a laughing or sleep rune well hidden, and traps that release horrible smells. Then it quickly took a turn for the worst; what were once harmless pranks turned into trip wires that release a swarm of bees, simple pits began to get deeper, and blasting traps that would send either one of you flying into a nearby object. It was never truly life threatening, just questionable.

  Well, except for the bees. The bees were not the greatest thought in hindsight; considering both you and Astarion had to help each other with the bee stings- Shadowheart refusing to be involved. You both laughed and he even complimented you on your cleverness. You swore you could have exploded in that moment.

   You have a massive, childish crush on the man and maybe the competition was your subconscious way of getting closer to him. However, your other companions were getting sick of it pretty quickly. 

  They had all hoped after the Tiefling party that the two of you would put your silly competition to rest so that you could all travel together in peace and they would just have to deal with PDA.

What a silly thing for them to think. PDA hasn't happened, but the pranks did become less risky and less frequent.  You were okay with this change.

   You feel like you and Astarion have become close friends. Even though your tryst didn’t lead to a romantic relationship as you had hoped, you were happy to have Astarion in your life in any capacity. If that was just as a friend- then so be it. 

  Which brings us back to the beginning- when you realize that your ‘trap war’ had paper thin rules and the lack of rules just might be the thing that actually kills you on this journey.

  All you wanted to do was clean yourself off. It had been one last relaxing day before you set off to the Creche, but you had thought you might treat yourself. Baths were rare and far between these days and you want to enjoy it while you have it. However, you were not planning for a simple snare trap to foil your entire evening. 

  You get hoisted up into the air, slammed against the tree, and drop all of your belongings- including the knife you brought ‘just incase’. You glared at the knife and put your hand to your blood fountain of a nose.

 “Traitor,” you whisper with a pout as you look for a way to escape the trap.

  Suddenly, you freeze as instincts kick in. You hear the Gnolls before you see them. Your bloody nose from the impact of the tree had led them to you. They attempt to claw at you- trying to rip you down from the tree. You feel their claws tear into your back, the side of your arms, and one of them even manages to take a swipe at your abdomen as you scramble to escape. The cuts weren't life threatening, but they hurt. A LOT.

  You manage to use the rope to pull yourself up onto one of the tree limbs; allowing you to hide some of your body from the Gnolls, but you now have an arrow protruding out of your right thigh so obviously that isn’t working well either.

  You bite back tears, frozen in fear. You really did not want to die this way and you certainly didn’t want it to be because of Astarion’s trap. You have a feeling he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if you died because of him. 

  You can imagine the blame and anger the rest of your companions would direct at him if the worst happened. You imagine the bloodshed- knowing full well that everyone (minus Karlach) would not forgive him for accidentally killing you. Lae’zel would be the first one to put a stake in his chest- her fondness for you is no secret. 

   Your heart thumps painfully at that thought and your resolve hardens. You will not die because you will not let that happen to Astarion. 

 You look around, your arms and legs shaking still with the residual shock and fear. You look for any sharp branches, a forgotten knife lodged somewhere, or even something you could cast a cantrip on to distract them. You have no such luck. 

 You resign yourself to your fate- the tears making a reappearance. 

 Unless one of your companions finds you first- you are going to either have to wait for the Gnolls to get bored and leave or they are going to kill you.

You pray to every God you can think of that you will survive the night.

_________________________________________________

 Astarion is trying to not look so desperate as he reads the first page for the hundredth time. 

  You had walked off a little over two hours ago- Lae’zel is on watch while the rest of your companions sleep soundly in their bed rolls. 

 The longer your bedroll remains empty, the more the pit grows in his stomach.

He didn’t know how to navigate your relationship after the tiefling party.

His feelings for you are confusing. The sex had felt different, he enjoys your company immensely, and he likes how warm he feels around you.

Instead of talking to you like a normal person or taking a moment to reflect, he decided to find some common ground- something you could laugh and talk about later. Normalcy.

He set up a snare trap close to the river you were all using to clean off and then a laughter rune trap somewhere on the path to the Creche. Hypothetically, they are very safe traps.

Unless he rigged them wrong? What if you ran into one of them and….

  No, I am sure they are just fine.

 He doesn’t even believe his own lie.

After about another five minutes, the anxiety rolling in his stomach becomes unbearable so he grabs his daggers and sets off in the direction you had gone two hours earlier.

  He walks quickly through the forest, checking his surroundings and looking for evidence that you were close by. As the minutes pass, he feels the hope of finding you safe shrink.

The wind hits his nose and he becomes stock-still.

He smells your blood- an alarming amount of it-in the air as he gets closer to the river. He fears the worst as he goes to look at the trap- hoping you will forgive him- that you are alive. Safe.

 He peers through the bushes and his eyes grow wide as the scene before him unfolds. 

  You are stuck up in the tree- his trap is still around your ankle. You are holding onto the branch like your life depends on it. It probably does since there are five Gnolls circling the tree like vultures.

  He can hear your soft broken sobs as arrows fly over you or hit the tree. He notices the arrow in your leg and watches as a second one lodges itself into your calf. You wince and close your eyes tightly- unknown to you that Astarion’s vision is clouded in red and his whole body fills with destructive, hot rage. He also feels fear, but he pushes it away, not ready to explore the why. 

  He lunges forward, slashing at the Gnolls with so much force that they are practically in half by the time they hit the forest floor. He is a man possessed as he carves his way through all five gnolls and then he climbs up the tree to you. 

His chest aches as he looks at you. He will never be able to forgive himself for causing you so much suffering.

  “Darling,” he says softly.

    You whimper in response and when you look at him- he feels all the air leave his lunges. If he needed air, he would have passed out right then. Your eyes were glassy with traces of fear, sadness, and loneliness- all emotions he is all too familiar with. Then you see it’s him and the biggest smile crosses your lips and you look at him with so much affection he almost feels ill. This was not the plan and he almost made you a midnight snack for a group of Gnolls.

  “You found me,” you say in a raspy, raw voice, “I thought I was going to be stuck here all night until Karlach or Gale found me. Or I was going to die.”

 You chuckle, but Astarion can’t get himself to share your same enthusiasm about his rescue mission as he cuts the rope. 

  He helps you down the tree and safely back on the ground. Astarion winces as you pull the arrows out of your leg. You find a healing potion amongst your things and chug it.

He collects your stuff for you. You give him another one of those brilliant smiles and Astarion tries to smile just as brightly back. You furrow your brows, but he turns away before you can keep analyzing him. 

  “We should head back,” Astarion mumbles.

______________________________________________

  The silence hangs in the air as Astarion walks with you back to camp. After about 15 minutes, you are back at camp and the tension in the air is suffocating.

 “Astarion.”

  Astarion freezes, turns on his heels, and looks everywhere but your eyes. He couldn’t bare to see you smile at him again- look at him like that again- not after he almost killed you.

  You maneuver yourself so you are looking in his eyes.

 “It’s not your fault,” he begins to protest when you shush him, “we didn’t set any rules and the trap itself was harmless. We didn't account for Gnolls when we started this whole thing.”

  “I almost got you killed.”

 “But you didn’t. It easily could have been you in that situation and me saving you.”

  “Will you please stop being so Gods damn forgiving,” he huffs with exasperation as he feels tears prick his eyes, “I don’t deserve your forgiveness. I put your life in danger. I almost-”

 Lost you. He chokes on the words. The fear from earlier begins to come back to the front of his mind. Watching you cling to that tree, crying, and in pain had made him realize that you just might be more important to him than he cares to admit. However, that’s a conversation for another time- once he sorts out what that feeling in his chest is whenever he looks at you.

  You look at him sharply, your eyes raw with sadness, “Stop that right now. I am okay. I lived. It was a mistake and I know your intentions were not bad. You don’t have anything to worry about Star.” 

He doesn’t say anything and you hang your head.

“I don’t deserve your forgiveness. I- I should go-“ Astarion pauses as you interrupt him.

“Please don’t leave,” you whisper, “I rather enjoy your company.”

  You look at him with tears welling in your eyes. He stares at you in stunned silence, searching your face for any sign of deception, but he doesn't find it. His body moves before his brain can process what he is doing. 

 Astarion gently cradles your face in his hands and kisses you slowly, softly. He smiles despite himself when a gasp leaves your lips. You're alive and safe. When the warmth in his chest begins to spread throughout the rest of his body, he pulls away and steps back. Your face is flushed, a beautiful blush spreading across your cheeks. You look at him with wide, unblinking eyes before you shyly smile. Astarion could have melted in that moment. He finds himself smiling too.

 “Well I’m assuming that means you are going to stay?” 

  “I suppose I’ll stay,” he says while tapping his chin, “you do need someone to make sure you aren’t getting into trouble like that again.”

 You feign hurt and scoff, “Are you suggesting that this was my fault?”

 “Maybe if you were better with traps that wouldn’t have happened,” Astarion teases.

  You narrow your eyes at Astarion and you try to hold back a smile. You roll your eyes and stick your tongue out at him.

You start towards camp before you pause and turn around. Astarion gives you a confused look.

You run over to him and place a kiss on his cheek. He tenses for a moment before relaxing again. You look at him sweetly, a soft smile on your lips.

 “Good night Astarion.”

  As you saunter towards your respective tents, Astarion takes one last glance at your tent- at you- before he lays down with his book. Except he still can’t get past the first page- he is too anxious for the sun to come up so that he can see your smile again.

[mooreaux]

Silly questions ahoy. Sorry not sorry.

Who fell first, Deirdre or Gale?

Who fell harder?

Were there any things outside of the main romance plot beats that they had to overcome?

Do they have a Big Waterdhavian Wedding?

Well here is a real time pic of them realizing simultaneously that they were already neck deep in a romance without having clocked it up until that very moment

So much more rambling under the cut!

Deirdre and Gale started off as respectful colleagues. He had his little ‘o wow a warlock huh’ and she had her little ‘yeah what of it wizard boy?’ Both incredibly polite about it of course. They gravitated to one another immediately because they are both well read and spoken and kinda looked at the rest of their companions like

So in actuality they buddied up and then got teased relentlessly for being like an old married couple when neither one of them was even in the realm of romantic attraction. Gale because…. Bomb In Chest. And Deirdre having an internal incredibly well hidden behind bardic shenanigans PTSD nightmare from the horrors she witnessed during her imprisonment in Menzoberranzan.

It was only when they started sharing their magic; the weave scene, and the pic above with Dede sharing some fey vibes, that they started to shift from platonic to romantic. I would say Gale fell a little harder and faster because he just seems like that kind of person to me? Like he knows all the reasons he shouldn’t and that kinda unconsciously eggs him on even more. I’d say the crisis with Mystra’s order thru Elminster pushed them both into taking the step of actually admitting feelings tho. Dede couldn’t stand the thought of losing him. Especially to himself.

As for the last two questions… yeah. Gale’s big grand gestures got them into a bit of hot water during and post game. His constant need to prove himself worried Deirdre a lot about his self worth beyond what he could do for her. She had to go through a lot of talks with him to let him know he was enough. Just him. As he was. No magic or pageantry even tho she loves that about him too.

And of course, Dede has a TON of intimacy issues. A lot was done to her without her consent thru her life. Tadpole being the most recent offense. So she doesn’t really like surprises and has a hard time letting people in. Which is funny considering how bright and bombastic her personality is. She uses it mainly to cover the hurt. Not to say she isn’t well adjusted. She spent many many years with her patron working thru the stuff the lolthsworn drow did to her. Tadpole just kinda inflamed the wound again.

So yeah! I think it was actually several years before he even proposed. And several more after that until they got married. But the wedding was HUGE. Her family is gigantic and they have a wide social circle with the folk of Waterdeep, and Baldur’s Gate, and the Druid Grove which they still frequently visited. Gale went above and beyond constructing a castle out of flowers just for the occasion (dedes Patron helped).

Thank u so much for the ask Harding! I love my gnome gal (and i luv urs too)

[lokiina]

I wasn't gonna do it. But I'm gonna do it.

I'm gonna kjhdkfjghdkfjg

If you don't want character spoilers I'm slapping this under a readmore but I need to cry a lil about Gale.

So many people just think he's annoying or Solas 2.0 and that's kdghdfkjgh

if it's not coherent I apologize I need to word vomit.

!! also some mental health related TWs ahead as a warning !!

THIS MAN IS SO DEEPLY DEPRESSED. His self worth is so low and it's so heart wrenching to listen to and the writing is incredible.

(A lot of the characters in this game deal directly with like Gods and the abusive relationships they have with them but this is for Gale specifically. Everyone's got their own mess that's it's own thing. )

Holy fucking shit. I don't know if you get some of the dialog options I have gotten if you don't actively romance him but omfg. Man openly admitted to being suicidal so you talking him out of blowing himself up while everyone else including the last love his life is saying "kill yourself" is such a big big deal. Even if the end result is being framed as help. It's not. It's more manipulation and down right fucking EVIL.

His relationship with Mystra is messed up, the power imbalance is fuckin wild and if anyone out of this is expecting a goddess to be the victim when she was clearly a manipulator is unreal. Their situation he was just trying desperately to prove his worth to her and her essentially stringing him along until he wasn't of any use anymore. He wanted Mystra to see him as equal to her, and nothing he ever did was enough for her. Cuz she did not care about him. If it was a proper relationship and she actually loved him back he wouldn't have had to try to continuously prove himself.

He was taken advantage of through his relationship and his entire self worth has been shattered. Now he's not entirely without fault through some of it and acknowledges where he screwed up himself.

When you offer to find another way for him that doesn't end up in him exploding, you kick a lil spark back into him and as someone who's fuckin struggled with self worth and depression. I feel for him so hard. Sometimes it does take another person simply acknowledging your worth to be that lil spark. It doesn't even have to be in a romantic sense.

This man is high key autistic coded. Everything about the way he loves so purely, misses cues on certain things and misunderstands and needs direct clarification on stuff. Ask him about his special interest, magic. The gloom drops in these moments. It's fuckin precious as hell to see him light up.

The writing in this game is fucking phenomenal and I just. I have a lot of deep feels on this whole thing. Every character has so many lil layers to them and I wanna just smooch the whole dev team.

Anyway. He's my fav character out of this chaotic game and I just. I will protect this silly wizard with my life. He deserves good things. Fuck his haters.

I wanna go get some comfy fluffy art of him and my boy.

[vespaer77]

You just did the impossible. You changed someone’s opinion online. I can see Gale now. Thank you!

Listen, I'd be the first to forgive anyone if they didn't share my feelings. Gale is the worst about filling in the gaps in his story, and I filled a lot of them by suddenly taking an interest... and then going out to the Forbidden Realms wiki pages and doing supplementary reading on Mystra and Blackstaff Academy which made me first go, "Oh." And then, "OH." And then finally, "Oh my god."

It's like the same criticism I have about Star Wars, haha =) In order to know the whole story, one has to have seen x and y shows and read z comic book. Otherwise you wouldn't know that Kylo Ren wasn't actually responsible for the destruction of Luke's temple, which is somewhat critical yet relatively hidden information.

I *hated* Gale in early access. He was my dead last least favorite character. They changed him somewhat in full release (not to mention he was infinitely hotter, lol), but it wasn't until damned near the end of the game when I was like, "Wait... wait a minute." I think that's also why they did to Rolan what they did - in the same place, even. While we were completing Gale's companion quest. Rolan was the clue, the tip off. Another insufferably egotistical wizard. Suffering abuse. They laid the parallel out so plainly and I still walked right past it until Gale read the book and suddenly took a very surprisingly dark turn. And I felt so silly that it surprised me so.

And I was so disinterested in Gale at the time that I saved his companion quest for basically the last. Sort of. I think I did Gortash after him. But I got to watch all the other companions face their abuser and win. I got to help Wyll break his contract AND free his father. I got to help Shadowheart free herself from Shar and return to the open arms of Selune. I got to help Halsin fix his past mistakes and return Moonrise to its former self. I got to help Astarion face his abuser at long, long last and free himself for the first time in his own memory, along with thousands of others. And Sebastian <3 And then I even helped Karlach face her abuser and bring him to justice.

But what did Gale get to do? Where was his freedom? His catharsis? When he faced his abuser, the only thing that happened was her expressing her disappointment that he was still alive, that he didn't choose her above his own self-inflicted demise. And then she subjected him to yet another new pact that still indebted him to her. Because he's a wizard. No matter what he does, as long as he draws breath and casts spells, he'll always be indebted to her. And it just felt so... hollow. Unfair.

it made me FEEEEEEELLLLLLugh things haha! And then I was like, fuck. No, I do. I like this character.

OKAY I LOVE HIM, ALRIGHT? THERE. I SAID IT.

So I unbelievably and totally and with full chest and face understand and respect it. Not every character is going to be to everyone's tastes. If anything? It just proves how well these characters are written. That this team of writers were capable of such subtlety and depth. I'm not sure I could do the same justice to a fictional creation of my own. I'm just in awe of Larian Studios =)

[thgfanfictionlibrary]

E Rated Fics Masterlist (27)

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10 / Part 11 / Part 12 / Part 13 / Part 14 / Part 15 / Part 16 / Part 17 / Part 18 / Part 19 / Part 20 / Part 21/ Part 22 / Part 23 / Part 24 / Part 25 / Part 26

Created: December 17th, 2023

Last Checked:-----

A Change of Heart-WinterWednesday (ao3) Summary: Post-Mockingjay One-Shot. "Now, here I am, watching my beautiful husband with Johanna's precious son, and all I can think of is that it should be our child. Peeta should get to experience this joy every single day. And I should be selfless enough to give it to him…"

Carpe Diem-pippiblondestocking (ao3) Summary: Modern AU. Katniss Everdeen hates being lonely during the holidays, so she joins OKCupid. Little did she know that losing a dear friend and answering a silly message would lead to an unforgettable lesson in love.

Get In, Get Down, Get Gone-authoresskika (ao3) Summary: AU: Peeta Mellark is Coriolanus Snow's deadliest assassin. But nothing can prepare him for the mark that may finally be his perfect match. Dark!Everlark. Written for Prompts in Panem, r5d7. Banner by Ro Nordmann.

Getting There-shesasurvivor (ao3) Summary: Katniss has started being intimate with Peeta, but there are still a few barriers she needs to break through to fully enjoy herself. A suggestion from Dr. Aurelius may be just what she needs. Post-Mockingjay, masturbation/mutual masturbation. Written for Everlarkrecs Dirty December Week 3.

I'll teach you how…-HEA_andallthelike (ao3) Summary: "Oh my God," he grins a little too devilishly and I wrinkle my nose at him. I'm not sure what's going on in his mind, but he looks WAY to happy. "Katniss," he whispers, "please let me show you. There is just too much to teach you."

Let Me Love It Out Of You-authoresskika (ao3) Summary: After a few years of marriage, a hot-headed squabble is practically nothing to Katniss and Peeta. This one, however, stretches on a bit too long, and a bit too far - and they're both tired of it.

Open to Me-WinterWednesday (ao3) Summary: Post-Mockingjay one-shot. When Peeta feels threatened by Katniss and Gale's reconciliation, he sets out to prove that Katniss belongs to him… That they belong to each other. Always. EVERLARK ALL THE WAY!

The Lion's Tooth-Joshs_left_earlobe (ao3) Summary: Overwhelmed by memories of the past, Peeta withdraws from life at home. Katniss thinks she's found a way to revive their relationship, but does it come with a price?

The Mating Games-ktface3 (ao3) Summary: "And so it was decreed that each year, the twelve districts of Panem shall offer up in tribute the men and women aged 18 years who have not pair bonded with a mate, to compete to be deemed worthy enough to procreate." AU, Peeta's POV, note the M rating.

Train Ride-RosaPotentis (ao3) Summary: Set at the beginning of Catching Fire, during the Victory Tour. Katniss has another nightmare and Peeta helps her feel better.

[marshmallow-bg3]

30 QUESTIONS FOR YOUR DARK URGE by @eeldritchblast (most of them I posted before, just want to put them all together)

1. What circumstances led to your Dark Urge becoming their Class/Subclass? Answered here

2. Did your Dark Urge have any romantic and/or sexual relationships prior to their illithid adventure? If yes, who was it with and what was it like? If no, how did they feel about being single? Answered here

3. What would your Dark Urge consider to be their greatest skill? Is this accurate? As a Bard he wants to believe his greatest skill is Performance - he has a lovely singing voice and a decent albeit silly sense of humor. But his real greatest skill is Murder. He knows how to make it quick and painless, slow and agonizing, and everything in between.

4. What would your Dark Urge consider to be their greatest flaw? Is this accurate? He's not smart and he knows it (INT 10 before the lobotomy and 8 after). He'd been called dumb and retarded most of his childhood and it left a mark. He struggles to understand what Gortash or Gale are talking about and feels very self-conscious about it despite the latter being supportive and the former downright flattering about it. But the real flaw is that 8 WIS - the boy is so easily manipulated it's tragic.

5. What opinion does your Dark Urge have about the Gods? Before and during the events of the game - he respects the Gods. Tries not to antagonize them if he can help it. Roux experienced divine intervention in the worst possible ways for years and has no illusions about the Gods' powers. While his companions all want to fight Mystra, Shar etc in the pit, Roux would rather not unless he absolutely must. After the game he wants to distance himself from anything divine. He accepts Jergal's patronage as a given but he doesn't turn it into any kind of religious devotion.

6. How does your Dark Urge react to waking up with memory loss? Answered here

7. Did your Dark Urge recall any childhood memories? If yes, how do they feel about the revelations? If no, was it by choice or lack of options? Answered here

8. How does your Dark Urge feel about the wilderness? He doesn't remember the weeks in the pod and the years in the sewers, but he's happy to be outdoors. Throughout the journey (and with Halsin's help) he discovers he's quite fond of nature and feels at home in the wilderness.

9. How does your Dark Urge feel about the city? He wants to murder people more often there, and it's not the Urge.

10. What motivates your Dark Urge to either embrace or resist the tadpole? It's revealed pretty early that tadpoles are an instrument of control and Roux doesn't want that. Not more of that for certain. Enough tenants in that red head of his as it is.

11. What motivates your Dark Urge to either embrace or resist the Urge? Answered here

12. How does your Dark Urge feel about being a Bhaalspawn? Answered here

13. How does your Dark Urge feel about killing? Answered here

14. How good of a liar is your Dark Urge? How do they feel about lying? Answered here

15. What is your Dark Urge’s greatest fear? Before the redemption - Bhaal. He knows that death is a hard-won mercy (which Father only grants him after Roux kills Orin and thus proves worthy), but the real punishment would be the Urge taking over. He had been punished like that before. After the events of the game - becoming disabled/demented due to all that head trauma.

16. What is your Dark Urge’s greatest desire? To love and be loved: romantically, platonically and in every other way possible.

17. What is your Dark Urge’s greatest regret? Killing Gortash. He has way too many complicated feelings about him, Bane, Karlach and the entire chain of events leading to that. It haunts him.

18. How does your Dark Urge feel about love? Answered here

19. Has your Dark Urge become particularly close to anyone romantically and/or platonically in their journey? If so, who, and what is the relationship like? If no, why not? Answered here

20. Is your Dark Urge open about their Urge or do they try to hide it? Why? Answered here

21. What are 2-3 songs that your Dark Urge would relate to? I'm terrible with songs, not doing this.

22. What first impression does your Dark Urge give off to strangers? Answered here

23. How does your Dark Urge feel about what others think of them? Answered here

24. Does your Dark Urge have a treasured item with them? If yes, what is it and why is it special? If no, how do they feel about item sentimentality in general? After the lobotomy he collects everything - every note, every letter - with his and/or Gortash's name/mantion on it, but it's desperate attempt to reconnect with his past rather than true sentimentality. He used to have a few prized items - mementos from his foster family, gifts from Gortash, murder trophies - but Orin got rid of them as soon as she moved into the Chosen's room.

25. How does your Dark Urge feel about Sceleritas Fel? Answered here

26. How does your Dark Urge feel about Bhaal? Answered here

27. How does your Dark Urge feel about giving and receiving orders? Answered here

28. How well does your Dark Urge function under pressure? Answered here

29. What advice would you give to your Dark Urge? Can't think of anything. Maybe later.

30. What are your Dark Urge’s intentions/goals after the end of the game? He promised Astarion to help him find a way to walk in the sun again. Because they both need a new purpose and an excuse to keep adventuring (and killing). Roux can't quite imagine himself settling down. Just migrating between new friends - BG, Waterdeep, Avernus, Reithwin - and exploring more of Faerûn sounds perfectly fine. Sounds like living.

[thoughtsofanexcitedspacechild]

Writing Tips (Pt. 2): Characters

     Okay, so you kind of have an idea about what you want to write, but you’re having a hard time developing your characters into more than just skeletons. What now? When I’m developing characters, here’s a list of things that I like to keep in mind to have a well rounded and realistic set of characters:

Don’t use those silly character building sheets! If they help you, great, but knowing the exact cereal my characters would have for breakfast doesn’t really help me determine anything else productive. Instead, focus on a few key things:

Body type. Are they short, tall, heavy set, muscular, lean, etc.? This can help you determine how they move, body language, physical activity level, etc. It’s especially important to know when writing stories that involve combat or other forms of physical activity and can help you determine strength level, endurance, and even preferred weapon.

Eye Color. I know that eye colors are heavily romanticized in the literature world, but it’s still important to know and include. 

Hair color and texture: Again, hair is sometimes romanticized, but it can also be a form of expression to show the readers more about the character’s personality. Is their hair well kept? Messy? Shaved close to the scalp? Long luscious locks? Frilly pouf?

Facial Expressions: Your characters should have at least a couple of signature expressions. This helps the reader to (a) differentiate between characters and (b) find out more about the characters. Smirks, crooked grins, bitten lips and scrunched noses are all welcome in the character building world. 

Small list (Five things at the most) of defining character traits that are good. Think of these like this: If your story were to be made into a movie and you were giving advice to the actor playing your character, what would be five things (or less) for them to focus on? Some examples: Creative, sensitive, caring, empathetic, wise, strong, warrior, advocate, regal, smart, funny, witty, innocent, sweet, loving, merciful, brave, etc. 

Weak Spots. Now that you’ve got the character’s strengths written down, what are some of the things that work against them? Keep in mind that some (sometimes even most) traits can be a blessing and a curse. (A sensitive character can sometimes feel too deeply and hurt themselves and a rebel/advocate character could potentially bring that side of them into areas that need compromise and patience.) Some other weaknesses: Cowardly, Shy, Immature, Clingy, Toxic, Spiteful, Revenge seeking, Argumentative, Stubborn, Cocky, Proud, Lazy, Lustful, etc. 

How do they feel about themselves? (Self explanatory)

How do they feel about others? (Who are they drawn to and who are they repelled from?)

How do their actions affect the plot? So you’ve got your character down, now it’s time to throw them into the arena of life to test them. Check their reflexes. How do they react to the stuff you hurtle at them? How strong are they? Do they make stupid decisions that later prove to be a problem? Do they seek help when things go awry?

Romantic Tension. Romance in books can be a completely different topic for another day, but the basics are as such. To write shippable characters, remember a couple of things: 

Opposites attract. Shy and Bold, Sweet and Brooding, etc. Personalities must work for each other and not against. 

Its also okay to share some traits. You also gotta have a common ground and relatability.  

Keep toxicity OUT. No Mr. Darcy action goin on or Reylo Vibes. Instead shoot for Bey (Rey+Ben) Vibes. Yes, Ben Solo and Kylo Ren are completely different people. Rant on that soon to follow.

Love is a CHOICE. There needs to be a scenario where your characters choose to love one and other despite the bad stuff. (Again, not toxicity, but flaws.)

Friends! Keep in mind how friend dynamics work too. Take inspo from other places and even your own friendships! Remember that each friend has a niche in the social group. In this case its ok to categorize characters. Its even better when you can gracefully add a backstory of how they met in there too. It gives way more insight. 

Some friendship combos that I adore and think are perfect to model and add onto: Mare+Kilorn (Red Queen) Han+Chewie (SW) Finn+Rey (SW) Ahsoka+Anakin (SW) Katniss+Prim (Hunger Games) Harry+Ron+Hermione (Harry Potter) 

Some Friendship combos that just don’t work: Gale+Katniss (Hunger Games) (Weird Romantic tension but not really? Wavering Friendzone to say the least) Any relationship where one person is “in charge” like in Mean Girls and in any other teenage hs movie where there’s bitchy girls

Alright Peeps! That’s it for now! I’m gonna do Plot Development next time! 

xoxo hana

[miyoron]

Miyo’s Anime of Note 2018 Rainbow Edition

2018 was some kind of a year wasn't it? It was long and a pain in the ass but there was some anime out this year I really enjoyed. I'm here to write down a bunch of shows I enjoyed in no particular order. I might put them in the order I watched them in, or I might not. I guess we'll see huh?

Also, I think there's WAY more this year than usual which means I either like things easily, there were a lot of good shows, all of the above or some other reason. Hope I don't get too long winded on you! Also I'm using whatever names I feel like for naming things off, translated, still Japanese...whaaatever~

Pop Team Epic

Pop Team Epic was everything I wanted it to be and more. I've been a fan of Bkub's work since the early days so to see these two shitty girls finally show up on the anime screen week to week was a pleasure and a delight. The decision to make two separate half episodes with different voice actors for Popuko and Pipimi was a wonderful decision that let us experience things like Aoi Yuki as Popuko and Norio Wakamoto as Pipimi. It also shot the wonderful team of ACBU into the spotlight. Their Bobunemimimmi segments were so disgustingly perfect and fit the tone of the show perfectly. It also gave us one of the best moments in anime this year:

Needless to say, I really hope they are doing a season 2 like it's been rumored. I'm on board for SO much more.

Yuru Camp

This was a show I actually watched twice this year and have subsequently watched multiple episodes just on my own. It is one of my favorite things this year and maybe it's just because of how unassuming it is. There's honestly nothing deep to the show. Cute girls dress in warm winter clothing and go camping. However, the way everything is paced with nice warm colors and chill ass music nestles its way into your heart and fills you with a nice cozy feeling. It's like a blanket, the anime. Just wrap yourself up in the wonderful friend times and maybe you'll learn a thing or two about camping and friendship along the way.

Mitsuboshi Colors

Are adults letting you down? Sure, they're not up to the challenge pretty much all the time. But that's why you should just stay out of the way and let Colors come in to save the day! This trio of girls are ready to save their town and to let shitty cops know what's up. Seriously, it's a cute show with a cute group of friends getting into big adventures, even if those adventures are often due to their own misconceptions. It's a good show with kids who act like kids and are always either talking about poop or are sucking at video games. It's a nice show and has some good performances, as well as the best sunglasses of 2018 in my book.

Karakai no Jouzu Takagi-san

A series about a boy and a girl who are totally crushing on each other, even if one likes to keep it deeply hidden and the other would never admit it really. Oh, also she owns him every chance she can get with teasing. It's like a reverse Tonari no Seki-kun if Seki was not in his own world and was actively trying to make Rumi blush or stumble over herself. This premise may sound mean but it's honestly all in good fun and there's something really cute about the pair's friendship with each other. The way the manga apparently goes makes me really want to check it out sometime too.

Oh also there's a great side trio of friends with and I love how dumb of a baby one of them is.

Hinamatsuri

What happens when a yakuza becomes the dad of a psychic girl who crashed in an egg in his apartment and broke all his vases? This series! Hinamatsuri was a show that got me really hard this year at a couple points where I know I had to either fight back tears or take a few minutes to sit their with a quivering lip and watery eyes. It's an incredibly funny show from  the premise alone but when you have the put upon character of Nitta having to take care of the force of nature that is Hina it just escalates it. On top of that though, there's a good heart to it as well. Anzu is a wonderful character and I love her story and her many grandpas. Also Hitomi's story actively hit me hard to where I felt bad for a fictional child to please just be a child for a little while. It was powerful stuff and I loved it.

Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online

I hate Sword Art Online. I've only watched the first series with the original and faerie times, but I hated it so much. That being said, hearing that the new one was actually good made me seek it out and...thank God it is. Llenn/Karen is just a much more compelling character than the power fantasy that is Kirito. The story of a woman who does not like herself in the real world, but finds a new home and life in virtual reality is a nice little story. On top of that, ditching the stupid "if you die in the game, you die in real life" really helped the show out in my eyes. This show is not about stop some huge over arcing villainous plot to fuck over the whole world or whatever. GGO is about trying to save someone from hurting themselves and honestly, that's a lot more relatable. A recap episode in this day in age IS silly though for what it's worth.

Let's take a short break shall we? For a little section I'm gonna call, Fuck, You Let me Down Man.

Amanchu Advance

I put Amanchu on my list two years ago of Anime of Note because I really enjoyed the tale of friendship it told. Amanchu Advance continues that story and shows Teko slowly becoming more of her own person thanks to that friendship. She wants to become a stronger person, a better version of herself and it's through her friends she's able to do this. The series is still very good at showing these moments but the last few episodes of the show are bogged down in a weird supernatural plot with a ghost boy that I wish they would have just tossed down the shrine steps. The twist at the end with it was not worth sidetracking the story for three episodes in a 12 episode story and soured my experience as a whole. I've been told the author likes doing these sorts of things and I didn't mind the lucid dreaming episodes, but this bit just did not land for me and it's a big bummer.

Here's Another Side Category Called Old Anime I Watched And Enjoyed. Yes, that's the full title.

G Gundam

I don't know why it took me so long to watch this series, but I am glad I did. Maybe I just needed friends to be there to watch it with, who knows. Either way, I'm thankful I got to join Domon on his journey searching for the man in the photograph and to experience the Undefeated of the East in his most powerful form. G Gundam is a goofy setting with a bunch of weird but fun characters and their even weirder mobile suits. I don't know how much I can really say on it since I'm sure most people have probably checked it out years ago on Toonami. It's still fun and good and it has a Gundam who is a boxer and a football man at the same time. Gundam Fight, Readdddddy....GO!

Back to my normal list, though I have grouped the next couple shows in a block I am calling the "I wish these had a full 24 episodes even though I understand why they didn't but please make more I'd love it, ok thanks" block.

A Place Further Than The Universe

This show had...a lot of moments where I was sitting there and just processing all that was going on. A group of girls become friends and join a civilian expedition to Antarctica, one of whom is going there to basically go where her mother had spoken of years ago and never came back. It's a show that I felt compelled to keep watching even though I knew I should have stopped for the night, telling myself "I can watch one more episode..." . It just gripped me and sank its penguin fangs into me. Shut up, I know what I said. Seriously though, the cast of secondary characters are just as fun as the main ones and I enjoyed every minute of it. It definitely destroyed me in one of the more heavy moments near the end though so keep a box of tissues handy ok?

Wotakoi

Love is hard for otaku. It's in the show's translated title and everything. Let me tell you, I'm very happy seeing so many anime featuring adults in the work place these days. Wotakoi is a show I felt a very personal connection to, especially its humor levels. Not going to lie,  I am a Kabakura through and through when it comes to my anime watching and purchasing habits. It's a cute love story with a couple of characters getting together out of convenience before realizing maybe there's something more than that to it. The interactions are great and it's very relatable if you've ever had a friends' game night or anime watching session. It's a show that just feels like it knows just how to speak to you if you've been a fan of anime for a long time.

Hisone to Masotan

Hey, you into dragon vore? Then have I got the show for you buddy. All joking aside, Hisomaso is a show with one of the more fun protagonists I've run into in a while. Hisone's blunt and to the point to the detriment of anything that comes out of her mouth most of the time, but there's something about her honesty that's very endearing. The show's pilots are a great cast and their dragon friends are just as charismatic even if they spend a lot of the time cosplaying as aircraft. This show has a nice story about trying to find just where you fit in within the world and sometimes that's hard. Sometimes the best thing to do is dive into the gullet of a big scaly F-15 and ride the free skies to your heart's content. I love you Masotan.

Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight

This show I think more than any others in this block I wanted more of, even though I know why I don't have more of it. From episode one, I got Utena vibes with the music, the auditions, Hell, even the prefight wardrobe transformations. Stage girls do battle with all of their shine to prove who is truly the top star. That's the basic premise and the cast of characters really helps to flesh it out with their own motivations of what makes them keep going to be the very best they can be. I loved all of the imagery in the auditions and the music and the big doofy giraffe just watching from the stands and enjoying the whole thing. Revue Starlight is a stylish show with some amazing animation and choreography that puts most of the things I watched this year to shame and I need more things like it.

STOP IT'S PRECURE TIME

Go Princess Precure

This is me and Cheapsteak's "old Precure" of the year and it's wonderful. It's a story about dreams and fighting for them. The Princess Precures are maybe not the most relatable of characters as they attend a very prim and proper high class school. One is a business conglomerate's daughter, one's a super model, one's a Princess from another plane entirely. But there is something wonderful how they all work together as friends and work to save everyone's dreams, I don't know there's something very good and wonderful about that. I love that even when it comes to one of the villains, a character in the show goes out of her way to help him with his self esteem (and make up). I don't know, I've got a few episodes left but I just love it. Haruka is my favorite Pink Precure I've met so far and she is gonna be tough to beat.

Hugtto Precure

Very similar to Go Princess is Hugtto, with its message of hope for the future because you can't just stay in the present. There's a great cast of characters and they all work so hard to cheer each others' dreams on, all while taking care of a baby and a hamster from the future. I think this show also has the best mid-seasons Cures I've met so far and just...everything with how supportive and good everyone is to each other has me smiling the whole time. Also in the episodes leading up to the anniversary movie this year, we got some of the best big moments I've seen in a show in a while. A lot of the episodes have some amazing animation work as well and just...I like this show a lot especially what it did to show Hana's pre-show back story as well. Pink Cures are really good huh?

Back to business!

Asobi Asobase

Along with PTE, this was one of the weirder comedies that I watched this year. It's often crass or just outright weird, but that's one of its strong points I think. The show's opening is a giant fakeout from what seems like your ordinary "cute girls doing club things" chill show because you're soon hit with some of the weirdest faces and shrieks that I've run into in a while. The characters are a troublesome group of weirdoes who try to do activities like a normal club but fail horribly at it, often due to one or more of them sabotaging it with their own dumbness. It really says something that the sweetest and most relatable characters are the witch girls who practice curses all day. They're really the best though but so are all of the fucking weirdoes in this show. Also there's ass lasers so if you're into that...

Cells at Work

Learn about the human body while dangerous viruses and germs get fucking iced like they walked into the wrong anime. Follow a red blood cell make her way through the blood stream and lose her way every single time. Thrill at the amazingly adorable platelet crew as they get to work each day. Cells at Work is a weird science shounen show with some great character designs and interactions. The way the cells just are working hard and doing their jobs as best they can is great and you want to root for them so hard. Those Killer T and White blood cells and Macrophages just love killing SO much. It's a fun show that teaches you about biology and anatomy in a somewhat rudimentary but enjoyable manner.

Plus I will stress again, the platelet design is beyond cute.

Skullface Book Seller Honda-san

Honda-san is a cute little series you could watch in an afternoon due to its episode count and length, but it's one I could see myself watching multiple times easily. It's a fun window into the window of book store retail and the Japanese publishing industry. The characters have fun designs, mostly normal bodies with some kind of weird mask/helmet on but they're very relatable. Honda-san does his best to help out the customers, even when their requests tear at his very sanity some times. But that's retail huh? It's fun though, go check out this good skeleton!

Bloom Into You

I think this was the show that intrigued me the most this year because I was just hooked on the relationship between Yuu and Touko and seeing how it advanced. Yuu is a girl who wants to be able to fall in love like everyone else her age seems to be able to and when she finally meets a girl who she thinks feels similarly...that darn senpai falls in love with her. It's a very relatable tale even if you haven't been in a lot of relationships. Seeing Yuu realize her own feelings slowly grow towards Touko and the issues that come up because of was something that had me wanting to find out more each week. It also was the show that took me the longest to come to my final thoughts on too due to its ending but ultimately, I'm glad I watched it.

Zombieland Saga

Honestly, I'm glad to start and end this list with certifiable bangers. The concept of zombies becoming idols sounds like it could just go so wrong but it doesn't. It's so good and fun and goofy. The characters are all really fun and goofy but still have depth to them, even zombie brained legend Yamada Tae. I love this show and every character in it and if there were Franchouchou concerts done like a Hatsune Miku tour, I'd go so hard. Zombieland Saga is a good and powerful show and it even has a good ending with a sequel hook. Watch these girls and cheer them on, that is an order.

I normally do a "Shows I'll Watch Next Year" section but I realize I never end up doing it so I'm just going to add one of my current ones I know I'll continue watching.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Golden Wind

Come on, you knew this was going to be on here right? I'm curious where this gangster plot line is going and can't wait to continue next year.

So that's my list, I hope you enjoyed it. For a special treat to go into 2019, I leave you with the best moment in anime 2018. Peace!

Ah well I got copyright striked so here’s a mirror

https://streamable.com/87z73

[sweetmemories2606]

8 Colors Why I Love You (fanfic) (chapter 1)

Here I come with yet another story.

It will focus on many Fairy Tail shippings and colors related to them. I'll warn you in advance that this will contain SPOILERS for those who haven't read/don't know what happens in the ALVAREZ ARC since I used it to show the development of the couples.

Here’s a “list” of the pairings that will be included: Gruvia (obviously), Jerza, NaLu, GaLe, Miraxus, ElfEver, AlBis and Stingyu.

Now the link for ff.net in case you prefer to read it there: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13050147/1/8-Colors-Why-I-Love-You

Hopefully the chapters will be as short as I planned. This one is the longest since it's about my favorite ship, Gruvia. (I can't write Gruvia and not go into detail, it's impossible!)

Enjoy! 

                                              Blue

She was blue like the sky she had never seen until she met him or the beautiful hydrangeas that grew around the guild; something else she hadn't known before.

Before he met her, he wouldn't have cared about which color these flowers came in, but she changed everything.

Try as he might, he couldn't forget her. Couldn't resist, couldn't fight her.

Gray had spent months pretending to be unaffected by her presence, but it had backfired. Ignoring her had only served to increase his interest and he hated that. Hated the effect she had on him, even if unintentionally.

After she became a part of his life he started seeing the colors he had never payed attention to before. Blue was one of them. Bright blue; the color of her hair. Dark blue; her clothes. Midnight blue; those huge eyes that seemed unable to divert from him.

After a while, he realized that his own eyes couldn't seem to stop looking at her.

It was annoying, irritating and terrifying. He feared the colors because they reminded him of a simpler time; a happier time.

They reminded him of his parents…and Ur. Things he had tried his best to forget, or at least pretend they had never existed.

Juvia made that impossible; for every time he stared into those big blue eyes he would be reminded of Ur's brown ones for some reason. Her smile reminded him of his master as well and even her hair brought up memories of the scarf him and Lyon had been given to warm them up.

It took a good while for Gray to accept these changes she had brought into his life and realize that he actually liked the bright colors she had introduced.

The first time he ever thought about that was during the Grand Magic Games when Erza told him something that truly changed his view of Juvia and their relationship. You should figure out how you feel before it's too late.

At first he hadn't understood exactly what she had meant by "too late". However, upon reflecting about the recent changes caused by Lyon's interest in her, Gray realized that the possibility of losing Juvia to his somewhat rival could become a reality.

That had terrified him even more, but he hadn't talked to her, unsure what to say. Back then he hadn't been sure of exactly how he felt, so he kept quiet.

Thankfully, Lyon didn't win her heart, so Gray stopped worrying and things resumed the way they used to be.

Until the war against Tartarus began.

That's when things got really complicated because of Silver and the fact that Juvia technically killed him. Even after he forgave her for that, knowing his father had wanted it, their relationship was damaged.

Living together proved that. She became more distant over the six months that followed the war and stopped being as affectionate and irritatingly clingy as before.

When he had left her to go to Avatar, the absence of the familiar shades of blue hurt him more than he'd have expected. It was silly how something so simple could have such an effect on him.

He remembered searching for it in the dark guild's headquarters and analyzing every wall and curtain in hope one of them would be blue. Or scanning the forest that surrounded it for the familiar hydrangeas that overwhelmed Magnolia.

When they were reunited months later, he was more relieved than she would ever know. Scared too, for he was unsure whether she would forgive him for what he had done.

As it turned out, he had nothing to worry about. Juvia was still Juvia and quickly forgave him because she loved him.

He was sure of it then. However, whether he returned those feelings or not remained unclear since it wasn't as if he had had much time to reflect upon it while on the mission.

Still, Juvia deserved an answer and he was finally ready to give it.

So he promised to do so once the war was over. Seeing the way her eyes lit up and a surprised smile took over her face made him wonder if there even was a question.

That was proven true when the worst happened and he was forced to fight her. With every blow delivered as his mind became clouded, the truth somehow became clear. The reason he didn't want to hurt her wasn't because she was his friend, but because he loved her.

He was finally certain, but before he could get his thoughts together and actually tell her, she was gone.

For a few moments, the world went back to colorless as he cradled her lifeless body in his arms.

Gray remembered hoping, pleading, begging for her to come back.

It was the first time in years that he actually wanted to see the colors. As much as it hurt to be reminded of all he had lost, he kept hoping that familiar shade of blue would return.

By some miracle, his wish was granted and Juvia did come back. Despite the bruises covering her body when they met again, she was glowing. Or maybe he was imagining things, but Gray didn't care.

As her arms tightly encircled him while she sobbed, his unfocused eyes stared at the sky and a smile settled on his face.

He could rest now, for everything would be okay. She had come back to him and so had the color blue.

Next chapter will be called Red. Can you guess which couple will be included?

[albionscastle]

We’ll Meet Again. Part 8. (A Collins Fic)

Ok so I FINALLY got another chapter written. Collins was not co-operating with me at all over the holiday season...stubborn bugger.

There’s only a few more chapters to go now, This was never supposed to be as long as it has become and I have to still stick to my end game. Maybe 3 more chapters, 4 at most.

In this chapter a mistake is made, we meet Collins’ parents and yes, there’s a ceremony.

FIC MASTERLIST

WE’LL MEET AGAIN PART 8 THOSE WERE THE DAYS

Almost three days passed in a haze of affection, passion and comfort. Once your initial feelings of trepidation had been unfounded your ease around Jack simply grew. He was amazingly attentive, and caring. He hadn’t taken you again for a full day after the first time, instead helping you soak in a hot bath to ease any residual pain. Then he’d held you in his arms, fingers stroking your arm as you both talked, baring your souls and all your secrets. By the time the sun had set again and Collins had rolled onto his back, pulling you onto him there wasn’t a thing that he didn’t know about you. He had even cried with you when you told him how Margot had died and your guilt in sending her to get help, an action which had spared your life. He hadn’t tried to tell you that you shouldn’t feel guilty, instead he had pulled you closer, cradling your head in the crook of his neck as you bawled. That you both felt such guilt over your actions during that awful day was something that seemed to draw you even closer, no one else could understand as well. You knew without a doubt that Collins would always understand your dark moments, when the memory of Margot would rear its head, just as you knew you would understand his. The death of Hughes and Margot were memories that would never go away and this time with Jack simply helped to prove that it was ok. That everything you felt, good or bad was ok. You both deserved to live, and to grab at happiness for however long you had.On the morning of the fourth day you woke with the sun, watching your love sleep beside you, the light gilding his lashes as they fluttered against his cheeks. Your throat convulsed as you fought back tears, the sight of him sometimes just overwhelming you. He was, simply put, beautiful. That he was, for any amount of time, yours, was something you honestly couldn’t even comprehend. Just as you couldn’t even begin to quantify the love you felt for him.He was, simply, everything.“Are ye watchin me sleep?” One blue eye opened to catch you staring at him. “There’s an ocean out tha window, why bother watchin me?”He chuckled, sliding an arm around your waist and snuggling closer, his hair soft against your skin as he pressed his lips against the bare skin of your shoulders.“I like looking at you.”“Am I abou tae marry a daft woman then?”“Quit it, you silly man.” you laughed, threading your fingers through the silken strands of his hair, loving the way it glinted in the sunlight.“Oh, silly am I?” his fingers found your ribs, tickling you while you squirmed and jerked, gales of giggles escaping your lips. Collins grinned as you struggled, using his body to hold you down while his hands tortured you.“Ok, ok!” you managed to choke out between laughs. “I give, you win, you aren’t silly.”His response was to take your breath away, his lips smashing against yours as his fingers spread over your sides stroking the skin softly.  Lifting his head he shifted, holding himself up on his elbows, fingers tangling in your hair. “I love ye, Y/N whether yer daft or no.” he rubbed his nose against yours, his hair falling forward over your face.“That’s good to know, because I rather think you're stuck with me now Jack Collins.” you giggled, wrapping your arms around his neck.He shifted, lowering his body to cover yours, pressing his lips against yours to swallow your gasp as he entered you with one smooth thrust of his hips. You made love in the sunlight, every inch of his skin now as familar to you as your own and so much more precious to you.  There was a spot, right at the back of his neck where hair met skin that when you ran your hand over it made Collins shiver. Another spot on his scalp that made him purr when you scratched your fingers through the strands of his blond hair. He knew just where to touch you to get the response he wanted, had learned the ins and outs of what gave you pleasure and used the knowledge thoroughly. Lacing his fingers with yours he raised your arms above your head, stretching your body under his as you both moved together. Grunts and pants were met with staccato whispers as you told him you loved him with every slide of his body inside you.Later, the sun fully risen in the sky he lifted his head from your shoulder, lips brushing over your check, pushing damp strands of hair off your face. Easing out of you with a grunt he reached down to grab...his eyes snapping up to yours, startled and nervous.“We forgot summan.”“Hmmmmm?” you stretched leisurely as he rolled over beside you. “Forgot what?”“Condom.” he all but whispered, his voice tight as a jolt of trepidation shot through you.The conversation surrounding the box of them he’d packed had been only slightly less awkward than the use of them. He’d explained that they were issued to every serviceman after you’d teased him about being a ‘'man about town’. His cheeks had been so red when he’d told you that too many soldiers had gotten the clap during World War One and boxes of condoms were now standard military issue. Honestly you had just been thankful he’d known to have them, unsure as you still were about the future.There was no escaping a talk about that now.“I’m sorry, lass, ahm such an idiot.”“Don't, it wasn't just your fault. Besides we don't know, it may be nothing.”“What if it is, summan? How would ye feel about tha?”You didn't even have to think about it. Rolling onto your side you placed your hand against his cheek, thumb brushing the skin as his head nuzzled into your palm. “I would be happy.”“Ye would? Ye mean it?”“I do. I know we've never talked about it but I want children with you. A little boy with your golden hair and blue eyes. Or a little girl who clings to your leg everytime you move.”The look on his face was one of relief as he let loose the breath he'd been holding. Joy filled his eyes as he crushed you to him.“I wan tha too lass, so much its no even funny. But I had thought tae wait till the war was over. I dinna wan ye saddled with a bairn if summan happens tae me.”“Don't say that.” you choked, tears leaking from behind your lids as you held his as tightly as you could. “Darlin, it's summan we have tae talk about. Ye know wha I do out there, ye know how dangerous it is.”“I know, but I just can't bear to think about anything happening to you. I don't want to imagine what it would be like without you. But if, if…..” you couldn't even make the words push past the convulsing in your throat. “Your child wouldn't be a burden on me, it would be a blessing. Nothing could ever make me regret having a child with you.”“God I really am marryin a daft woman.” he laughed, the sound cutting through the dark atmosphere surrounding you.The sun still shone, the radiator kicked out a wave of warmth, wafting over you. He was in your arms now, and that was all that mattered.“What time is the train?”“About 11.” he murmured, fingers tracing patterns over your shoulder as you snuggled your head against his chest, his heartbeat loud and strong in your ear. “Why?”“No reason, it’s just that it's gone 10.”You chuckled as he jumped swiftly out of bed, pulling the sheet around yourself as he dashed to the wardrobe, naked, fishing out clothing.“I’ll never hear the end o it if I’m no there tae meet them. Me da loves tae tease me that the RAF finally made me able tae keep time.” he was shrugging into his shorts and undershirt, chuckling to himself as you watched, enjoying the opportunity to just drink him in.“Are ye goin tae get dressed, lass or were ye plannin tae meet me parents naked?”“I don't think they'd enjoy that too much.” you laughed. “I'm just enjoying the view for a few minutes.”You laughed as his cheeks flushed pink, his fingers fumbling with the buttons on his shirt. He was shit at tying his tie so he came and sat beside you, hand stroking your thigh gently as you did it for him, pecking you on the cheek as you walked past him to gather your own clothing. You washed quickly in the bathroom, feeling a twinge of something in your stomach as you cleaned away the evidence of the mistake made. No, not a mistake, you told yourself as you slipped into your dress, an accident maybe but you could never bring yourself to believe that anything that came from your relationship with Jack Collins was a mistake. Whatever happened you would never regret it, even if it did mean bringing a child into the world during a war.Jack slipped behind you, brushing his teeth as you brushed your hair. He smiled at you in the tiny mirror, reaching out to twirl it around his fingers before you swept it up into a knot. Taking advantage of your bare neck he scattered soft kisses all over the exposed skin, his hands splaying across your lower belly.“I love ye.” he whispered, stepping back out into the bedroom to put on his jacket and coat.He helped you into your coat, buttoning it up for you despite your protests that you could handle the buttons. Jack simply laughed, swatting your hands away and pulling your closer by the lapels, kissing the bridge of your nose. You smoothed his hair off his brow, brushing his shoulders. He hadn't shaved in a few days and you knew he was supposed to, even though you liked the roughness and the ginger of os ingrowing beard. You made a note to help him with that later, much much later.The train was, surprisingly, on time and Collins could barely contain his excitement as he rocked back and forth. You were excited to meet the people who were responsible for his existence, but terrified as well. What if they didn't like you? In their defence they knew nothing about you at all, you could be any opportunistic young woman trying to trap a young man. Would Collins then be convinced of the same? That thought hurt. “Ma!Da!” Jack was jumping next to you, gaining the attention of the older couple disembarking.Their faces lit up at the sight of their son and they rushed toward you, tears streaming unabashedly down their cheeks. You took a step back as they crashed into him, everyone's arms around each other, his mother sobbing as her hands went to his face, checking him over, her baby. Her child who was a good foot taller than her and swooped her up his his arms, spinning her as she scolded him for looking too skinny.His father looked at you with a smile and shrugged as his wife wiped some imaginary dirt of Jack’s face while he pretended to scowl.“They’ll be a tha fer a while, missus has tae make sure he’s all in one piece. I’m his Da, Andrew.”He held out a hand for you to shake, a good strong grip, rough calluses and all. He held your hand as he perused you, taking your measure and despite your trembling legs you met his gaze unflinchingly. Still, you couldn't hide the puff of breath that escaped when he pulled you in for a hug.“M mighty glad tae meet ye, lassie. Mighty glad indeed. Me lad writes o nothin else.”“He’s told me a lot about you both, he loves you very much.”“Aye well he's a fine lad, brave enough tae volunteer fer the RAF, even though we didnae wan him tae. ““He’s a hero.”“Mebe, but he’s still always goin tae be that wee boy chasin chickens in his Sunday best while his Ma scolded him.”That was a vision that warmed you and your hand unconsciously went to your stomach, the possibility of a mini Collins tugging at your heart.“Ma, leave off an come meet Y/N.” he laughed as she lectured him about his beard.Pulling his mother over to where you stood with Andrew, Jack looked down at you both fondly, a huge smile spreading over his face. You barely noticed his Dad take him aside, wrapping him in a hug.He looked like his mother, right down to the huge blue eyes and strawberry hair. You let her look you up and down, her Mum eyes taking in every detail from your head to your toes. “Yer a pretty wee thing. Jacky tells me ye met after tha Dunkirk fiasco.”“I was there when they came off the boats. I drive him back to his base.” you said it quietly, not knowing how much he’d told them. The woman moved so fast you didn't know what had hit you as she enveloped you in a hug so tight you were afraid she might break a bone.“Thank ye. Thank ye fer being someone ma baby could turn tae after that. I’m so happy he's no alone.”It took you all of a second to hug her back, your arms sliding around her as she rocked you in her arms, crying as you now were. When she pulled away finally you felt emotion swell in your chest. Andrew and Jack looked on, tears streaming down the older man's cheeks, the younger fighting back his own. “Me name is Helen, but ye can call me ma.”“Ma.” you tried it on your tongue. It felt right. Looking around you knew with certainty that these were your people, this was your family now and you were theirs. Your family had been gone for 10 years and you'd been alone since you were 16. This was the first time since you were a child that you had felt the warmth of a parent’s love.Jack Collins had brought you home.“So em, wasnae there a special event ye asked us tae come down fer?”Jack looked at his father, a blush spreading over his cheeks.“Yeah, we should go do tha after some lunch, I know Y/N wans tae wear summan nice.”His parents were to be installed in a room downstairs and Jack started to climb the stairs to your room before his Ma stopped him.“Ye can wait wi yer Da, we ladies will get ourselves ready.”Any protest he might have made was stopped dead by the stern look on Helen’s face.“Yes ma’am.” he mumbled, looking at you longingly. This was the longest you had gone without touching in days and it was killing you too, but you desperately wanted to get to know Helen better. She followed you up the stairs chuckling as you reached the door to your room.“Tha boy, lookin at ye like he cannae breathe without ye, he’s his father’s son.” she noticed your hesitation. “Relax dearie, I’ll no be judgin ye fer sharin a room. I did the same wi his Da during the last War. There’s no shame in love.”For an hour you talked, Helen had you take a bath, helped you wash your hair and pulled a lovely blue and white silk frock from her bag.“I didnae know if ye had anythin, I never had a weddin dress but I wore this a few years ago fer our anniversary. I think it will fit.”“Its lovely.” you murmured, letting her slide it on, swiftly closing the delicate buttons up the back. Your hands smoothed the silk against your skin, the dress almost a perfect fit, leaving bare your collarbone. The skirt slithered smoothly to your knees, flaring up when you spun. It was simple and lovely and you had never worn anything so fine.Helen deftly piled your hair, braiding it onto your head, and pinning it.“I always wanted a daughter, but we only ever had Jack. He was our miracle baby. But now we have ye, so it's alright.”“You don't know anything about me though.”“I know ma son loves ye, Jack has always been a good judge o character. Tha’s enough fer me.”You turned, hugging her around the waist, understanding now how Collins had come to be such a good man with parents like these. They had welcomed you without hesitation or judgement, loved you simply because their son did. No matter what happened you would make sure you never let them down.Poor Jack looked like he was chomping at the bit by the time you made it downstairs, you saw him pacing back and forth, his brow furrowed with worry. At your appearance he stopped,gazing up at you with the widest smile you’d ever seen.“I was afraid ye were runnin away ye were gone so long.”“Right, your mum and I were going to abandon you, silly man.” you scoffed softly.“Good thing yer daft then so we're a great pair.” he pulled you close, leaning down to kiss you gently, ignoring the chuckles of his parents. “Shall we go do this?”The registrar's office was a tiny stone building on the town square, sandwiched between a pub and a butcher. The license had been obtained by Jack before you left London and all you’d had to do was sign it in surprise before you went in front of the officiant. The ceremony itself was simple and short. You didn't mind, there was no real need for anything more, you both knew how you felt, that you saw your future together and that was all you needed.You did cry when Helen handed Collins a box containing two rings.“They belonged tae me grandparents.” he explained, sliding a delicate sapphire onto your finger.His grandfather's ring was slid down the length of his finger, sitting beneath your fingers as you twisted it during the rest of the ceremony. He was yours, you were his, for as long as you lived. Your kiss was hurried as you were ushered out to admit a new visitor and you exited the building in a daze. You were married. The gorgeous, tall man in the spotless blue uniform beside you was your husband. Your heart swelled and for a moment you couldn't breathe over the rush of happiness. Helen and Andrew stepped ahead, eyes on the pub for a celebration. Looking up at Jack you grinned before burrowing yourself under his arm to wrap your arms around his waist as you walked.“How do ye feel, Mrs. Collins?”“Like I could fly.”You yelped as he swung you suddenly, hoisting you up in his arms, mouth covering yours. Hot, desperate and hungry his tongue slid over yours, a promise of the night to come. In an instant your body was on fire and you barely resisted the impulse to wrap your legs around his waist and beg him to take you back to the room.A cough brought you back to reality, you slid down to earth and turned to see Collins’ parents grinning at you, Andrew's face as red as his son’s.“Drink first, then ye can get on tae tha business.” he chuckled.“I've seen em, in the kitchen. Me Da still kisses her like it's the first time.”“One day that will be us. You better be kissing me in our kitchen years from now.”“Aye when I’m goin bald and me face is all lined and wrinkled. Ye’ll no wan tae have me all over ye.”“Especially then, Jack Collins. Every day for the rest of our lives.”“I think I can handle tha.” he laughed, taking your hand as you walked into the pub.The shiver that ran down your spine was caused by the cold breeze, you were certain. Snuggling into your new husband for warmth you allowed yourself to simply enjoy him, love him and for the rest of the night you forgot the fact that there was still a war going on.Reality would come soon enough.