#still not over the stupid potion thing and how badly that fucked the plot over

[sixty-silver-wishes]

gah the youtube caligari musical was so weird and was such a mixed bag. and yet I keep getting the songs stuck in my head all the time

[talkbykhalid]

peace and quiet

☆ pairing: mingi x fem reader (ft. wooyoung)

☆ word count: 2.1k words

☆ tags: bullet fic, humour, very little angst (i promise ure not even gonna frown), magic au (not relevant to the plot), uni au, mentions of loona and stayc, hyunjin (skz) gets beaten up (badly)

☆ synopsis: mingi just wants to finish his homework

☆ note: listen, i just wrote this for practice, so please don't expect much.

“and then hyunjin went up to sooyoung with an apple pie but that pie was actually laced with an admiration serum!”

you were sat in front of your boyfriend, mingi, in the courtyard having lunch

mingi trying to finish his potions elective homework

and you rambling about whatever you could think of

with your menbosha forgotten on the table D:

“you know that glittery purple liquid that comes in those teeny tiny bottles?”

you pause and tilt your head, trying to get your boyfriend’s attention

mingi hums and gives you a tiny nod

focused on trying to remember where the fuck did dragon tear hydrangeas come from

you go back to talking, bringing your hands up to wave in the air and emphasize your story

“but, no one actually knew, obviously, so sooyoung took it and ate it and then hyunjin went on his merry way.”

mingi taps his head with his pencil before taking a bite out of his onigiri

yo, this onigiri’s fucking bomb

“mangiiii, are you listening?”

the male looks up at you through his glasses and nods

“okay as i was saying, you know how the admi-se makes you adore whose scent is put into it?”

he nods again

“hyunjin actually put in a spritz of his perfume into it!”

mingi watches as your eyes widen and glitter, your face morphing into one of shock

he smiles softly

you’re so cute…

“and so sooyoung ended up following hyunjin everywhere like a lost puppy!”

mingi only hums and gives a small smile as a reaction before looking back at his scroll

“no seriously! sumin said that she had to physically pull sooyoung back from following hyunjin to the male’s bathroom!”

why are cats whiskers needed for levitating potions?

oh! mingi remembers reading this last night in his textbook.

he picks up his pencil and starts to write

cat whiskers, when mixed with the right ingredients, are what makes an object airy and near weightless–

“oh! did i mention that jiwoo was pissed?”

mingi looks up from his scroll to see you tilting your head at him, expecting an answer

“jiwoo?”

“yeah, you know jiwoo? sooyoung’s girlfriend?”

he makes a face at you and hangs his head back down onto his homework

–near weightless. this is because of their slim and light nature…

you stare at your boyfriend, awaiting a verbal response before going back to talking when you don’t get one

“small, big bright eyes and always smiling?”

mingi’s eyes scan over the next question

how can you tell if cats whiskers are suitable for use?

“oh and her hair is always in these cute pigtails! and like curled into cute coils.”

mingi’s brows furrow

he doesn’t remember reading anything about this

“she looks like an ansherina doll! she’s so cute!”

the boy pokes his cheek with his tongue in annoyance

“also her hair is such a pretty chestnut colour! it suits her so well.”

why would they put in a topic that wasn’t discussed in class???

like?? that’s setting up your students for failure

mingi nods at you once more, attention still on his work.

but then after a few more moments of lingering on the question,, he just decides to give up

because that shit was DEFINITELY not in the textbook!!!

he kNOWS bc like,, he read through the entire chapter a few days back

like literally THE WHOLE THING

even the useless little footnotes

which again is such a stupid move by his professor

because what the fuck bro???

do you not want your students to pass?

“oh mingi!”

he jolts at the sudden call of his name

“do you think i’d look cute with hair like jiwoo’s?”

mingi imagines the hairdo on you and then shakes his head

“i prefer you with your hair right now.” and with that he looks back down again

he just wants to get this stupid work done with

“really? it’s just that jiwoo’s always so cute, i kinda wanna be like her.”

your boyfriend once again gives you a singular nod, his eyes down on his scroll

you pout at the lack of attention and look around

mingi relaxes his shoulders in relief,

finally he can have some silence

onto the next question!!!

how do you harvest cats whiskers?

easy! he learned this years ago from his mum

cats whiskers can only be taken from a wisp cat when it is in shedding season and their whiskers have naturally fallen off.

you try to peek at mingi’s paper and read whatever it was his fingers were quickly scribbling

but it’s no fun //:<

sitting in silence and listening to pencil against paper makes you feel so blegh

you lean back onto the bench and roam your eyes around the campus

look its hyunjin coming out of the infirmary

mingi was about to answer the next question on his homework when you suddenly spoke

“oh yeah, hyunjin!”

he nearly drops his pencil in shock

he looks up at you with unamused eyes

but you’re not even looking at him

“jiwoo practically dragged him to the field and beat him up!!”

mingi can only sigh and rub his face with his palms

“no kidding! his eye was black and blue and i think he lost one of his teeth.”

yet you dont even notice his distress

“he couldn’t even stand after! madame carpe had to have him brought to the clinic on brooms, BROOMS!!”

he’s never gonna finish his homework at this rate

“like madame carpe never uses the broom unless you’re, like, completely bludgeoned!”

his next class is literally potions

“you should’ve seen him! he was probably halfway dead!”

which starts in …

FIVE MINUTES

FUCK

FUCK FUCKK FUCKFUCKFUCK

it takes him like 10 minutes to get from the field to the magick laboratory.

mr schweeps was gonna kill him

“like, you know how there’s a sheet that holds you up like a stretcher?”

…

FUCKING MISTER SCHWEEPS

IT JUST HAD TO BE THE MOST TIME STRICT PROFESSOR EVER

“his legs were lifeless and dangling on the edge!”

one time his friend yunho was late to class by like, 3 minutes and he had to rake the entire field

BY HIMSELF

WITHOUT MAGIC

“he couldn’t even talk properly!”

oh he was fuuuucked.

he started gathering his things and shoving it into his bag

“that must’ve been so embarrassing for him, don’t you thi–”

“Y/N!! CAN YOU SHUT UP FOR JUST A MINUTE?!”

you suddenly quiet down and cower when mingi stands

yoooo he’s so tall, he looks like a giant rn

“i don’t care about jiwon and her stupid ponytail!!! and who even gives a shit about soonyoung eating fucking cherry pies?!”

your eyes follow his movements

angrily slinging his bag over his shoulder

then bringing his legs over the bench

“i don’t, y/n!”

your heart falls ):

not only was he being a loud mean grouch ):<

(and you hate it when people yell at you)

but like

he didn’t even pay attention to anything you talked about earlier )):

“now i’m gonna be fucking late to spell theory because of you!”

you opened your mouth to apologize

but mingi stops u again

“don’t fucking talk! you’re gonna start rambling again and you’ve already taken so much of my time!”

at this point mingi’s already walking away

“you’re always wasting my time with all the stupid stories you tell!”

ouch

“and they’re never even relevant! it’s always some dumbass gossip from other people!”

damn…

that one hurt like a bitch on a stick XD

…

you never knew mingi felt that way about your ramblings

now you’re watching him walk away from you

(actually he was running)

his head practically steaming

leaving you sitting on the bench all sad ):

and your menbosha was now cold and not crunchy

)):

fortunately, for mingi, he wasn’t late

well he was, but like schweeps was 5 minutes later than him due to unforeseen reasons

ngl he felt kinda bad

okay he felt REALLY bad

because he exploded onto you for no reason

you were just telling him about your day!!!

and he just told you off like some asshole

you looked so happy today too ):

aND he just left you sitting on the yard all alone…

goddd he felt awful

…

he’s made up his mind

he was gonna make it up to you

and of course apologize profusely

so when the bell rings, mingi zooms out the room and runs to your class, epm (elements and principles of magic)

your favourite class by the way, mingi remembers you telling him about it one sunny afternoon and you were sharing a tall watermelon shake

wHICH is on the other side of campus, so mingi had to make use of his five feet long legs and run towards the building

when he gets there he’s all sweaty and panting like a dog

he looks into your classroom, trying to weave through the students piling out

and he sees you packing your stuff, back turned to him and talking to someone

he watches when you throw your head back in a laugh and smack the arm of the person in front of you

you’re so pretty, the thought crosses his mind when he sees your hair bounce as you giggle

and the pretty slope of your nose when you turn to his direction

your eyes crinkling into very pretty crescents with how hard your laughing

your pink tinted lips that call out “come on, woo!”

… woo???

huh?

what’s a woo??

who’s a woo???

mingi’s focus goes to the person behind you and his smile falters

jung wooyoung…

hm… damn

he’s dead.

where does he even start with wooyoung…

he was charming, handsome, funny

not saying he was neither of those, but something about wooyoung just made him feel…

insufficient

(definitely not in the height category though)

wooyoung was sociable, he loved making friends and being in a crowd

totally unlike mingi who preferred to sit in his own small circle and observe the people

but,,,

wooyoung was just like you

and watching the two of you interact made him realize that

sharing a laugh at the same topic

“no, cuz i saw that too!” he hears wooyoung’s high pitched laugh echoes across the room

followed by your sweet laugh

“really?! i thought i was the only one!” you giggle, walking to leave the classroom

and that’s where you spot mingi

you stop for a moment when your eyes meet

the words he said to you still fresh in your mind

ngl it hurt you, a lot

but, you did see where he was coming from

he was busy and you were kind of inconsiderate…

AND and, maybe mingi just wasn’t interested in your stories

you can handle not talking that much for him, right?

“hi mingi!” you call and offer him a smile

and he smiles back

“oh, hey mingi!”

then it falters

wooyoung now stands behind you with a matching smile

“i was just telling wooyoung about the–”

you remember what mingi said about your little anecdotes and hold back from rambling again

“...thing from earlier.” your lips stretched in a tight smile

“yeah, it was hilarious honestly.” wooyoung chimes

“his nose was almost smashed into his skull!”

the two of you laugh again in unison and mingi’s stomach churns at the sight

“by the way, what’s your next class after this?” wooyoung asks you

“spell dev.” mingi answers

wooyoung only spares him a glance before bringing his attention back to you

“oh me too! but professor yu cancelled, something about her dog swallowing a jupiter bug.”

“oh no really? that’s awful, jupiter bugs are poisonous right?” your face etched with worry for the poor dog

“only to humans. but if it’s encased in a warm and closed area, like a dog’s stomach, it can grow five times its size and cause swelling.”

wooyoung nods at mingi and the three of you go silent for a moment, standing by the classroom door

“i hope they get the bug out soon.” you sigh and wooyoung nods before changing the topic

“so, if you’re free right now, you wanna hang by the cafeteria? i heard the food’s usually warm at this time”

“really? isn’t that kind of inconvenient? serving warm food right after the scheduled lunch hour.”

wooyoung only laughs and shrugs his shoulders and then walking towards the cafeteria.

mingi follows too!

now walking down the hallway with mingi and wooyoung by your sides, you pass by a certain couple and you turn to wooyoung once you’re out of their earshot

“can you imagine such a tiny girl folding a six foot man in half?”

“i know! it must have been so embarrassing for him!”

“that’s what i said!”

“but that’s what he gets for trying to steal someone’s girl”

“he played dirty too, using her favourite food.” you shook your head before the you and wooyoung broke out into giggles

while mingi just silently walks beside you

he tried to join in on the conversation but he doesn’t even remember the flavour of the stupid cake seyoung ate… or was it a cupcake?

and thank god!!!

wooyoung finally leaves you two alone when he goes to get tater tots

cuz he can finally have a talk with you

“so, how was class?”

you turn to him, ready to tell him all about how you spent the entire time chatting with wooyoung about basically anything

you two saw hyunjin pass by the window and that’s where the conversation started

but then step back and decide against it

“it was fun.” came your short response

it was so unlike you and it made mingi so ): because he knows that his words still affected you

“listen, y/n, i’m really sorry about earlier. i didn’t mean to yell at you like that, or say those things to you.” )):

you two sit in silence for a moment, the sound of wooyoung ordering four servings of tater tots is audible in the background tho

“no, i shouldn’t have been so careless. i lost track of time and distracted you from your homework– oh by the way, did you finish it?”

he nods, he got to finish it during the five minutes schweeps was gone.

“no, but i’m really sorry… you didn’t deserve that.”

“it’s okay mingi, i forgive you.”

you give him such a warm smile and it made him even more guilty for treating you like he did ):

“i didn’t know you and wooyoung were close.”

“we’re seatmates, that’s all.”

yet your words were still short and cautious

even after claiming to have forgiven him

as if afraid it would trigger him and make him blow up again

and it made mingi’s heart hurt

seeing you walking on eggshells around him

god, he was such an asshole

“i got the tots!”

but when wooyoung comes back with the tater tots

he sees you let your guard down

and ramble to him about the process of how tater tots came to be

and mingi physically deflates when it dawns on him

that wooyoung is exactly what you needed in a boyrfriend

someone who pays attention to your ramblings

a responsive partner for all your tales and misadventures

))):

unlike him, who, after a couple months of dating you, still doesn’t respond to your stories the way you deserve

all he does is sit and listen to you talk

without adding his own input or reactions ):

he should have been better

and he just can’t help but feel so defeated when he watches wooyoung sit by your side

talking animatedly about tater tots

stupid fucking tater tots

stupid fucking wooyoung!

but most especially

stupid fucking mingi ):<

for letting his emotions and anger drive you away.

if you enjoyed this, then please consider rebologging! i would appreciate it a lot especially since tumblr isn't as kind to writers, so a little rb would go a long way! thank you!

all rights reserved © talkbykhalid 2022. header and dividers are all drawn by me. please do not plagiarize and/or translate my works!

thank you so much for reading, have a great day <3

[dalekofchaos]

Why Voldemort is a terrible villain and how I’d improve Voldemort as a villain

As much as I like Voldemort, when you look back on the books. Voldemort is a terrible villain. Yes he has the Horcruxes and has loyal followers...but that’s it. In this post I will be examining why Voldemort is a terrible villain in Harry Potter and how I would improve Voldemort as a villain.

Let’s look at Voldemort’s track record

No clear motivations. The movies do absolutely nothing to flesh out Voldemort, but that's understandable, they're the movies. But even in the books, there is no clear reason for Voldemort doing any of the things that he does. During the flashbacks in the Pensive, Tom is a disturbed child who has a tendency to torture animals, lure other children to creepy caves and steal stuff - all of this is bad, yes, but why? Why is Tom Riddle "evil"? I know the explanation that the canon somewhat provides: that Voldemort doesn't know love/friendship/connection because he was conceived under the trickery of a love potion, and his mother was abused But, even if you accept that explanation, that does not justify Tom Riddle being innately evil and monstrous. Why is he racist/supremacist? If he really is a natural genius with a detachment from human emotion, shouldn't he also be detached from things like blood supremacy, ancestry and mortality? Just because he's a sociopath doesn't mean he will automatically turn into Hitler.

Wages a Wizarding war, but couldn’t even conquer his own Wizarding Nation

He couldn’t become Minister Of Magic. Instead he dicked around in Borgins And Burkes and instead wanted to become Defense Against The Dark Arts Professor.....for reasons. He could’ve used his power as Minister Of Magic to gain followers, especially the fanatic pure blood families and the impressionable Slytherins and cover for his Horcrux murders. But nooo.

When Voldemort DOES take power by force during the second Wizarding War, he does barely anything with it. Voldemort owns the government and has an army of evil. Where does he plan to launch his attack on the world? At a god damn highschool. Yes I know he attacked Hogwarts because of the last Horcrux. Didn't need to get that far if he didn't act like the world's worst Bond villain and monologued for enough time to let Harry either escape or for the Deus ex machina to arrive on que. The first two times it happens, yeah I get it. You're a villain who is up himself, shit happens. But by book 5 when he is still doing dumb shit it's unforgivable. How hard is it to issue a kill on sight order to your hordes of evil? I mean FFS you have legit werewolves on your side, who can sniff out a drop of blood miles away and yet you do nothing with them? Not only do you fail to kill a defenseless baby but you can't evil kill the kid when he's locked up in your second in commands basement.

He isn't particularly charismatic or a decent leader. He does have tons of followers, for reasons. Seriously, except for fear and opportunism I can't understand why anybody would want to fight for him. I mean, I get that he is basically magic!Hitler, but actual Hitler could at least hold speeches. Actual Hitler had arguments why his rule would be good for the German people. Voldemort doesn't. Voldemort treats his followers like shit and tortures or kills them if they aren't useful any more.

He didn't do his homework and doesn't knows the magic lore good enough. He manages to kill himself two times because of lore he really should have known about. The first time he fails to see the magic love-charm, the second time he doesn't recognizes the arcane rules of wand ownership. Those are stupid, avoidable mistakes for somebody that is supposed to be the greatest dark mage of his time.

He isn't even a particularly good mage. He manages to get statemaled by Harry and defeated by Dumbledore. He never does anything truly remarkable with magic that we haven't seen other characters do the same or better (the cave in book six is pretty good, but that's already has best showing). All we see is “AVADA KEDAVA.” Cool, I’ve seen every damn villain use that stupid fucking spell and yes it is a terrible spell.

His plans are... well, they are shit. If your plans get permanently foiled by a bunch of meddeling kids, you should think about retirement, not world domination. The plan in "Goblet of fire" only works out because of dumb luck. "Orden of phoenix" works out because of Harrys incompetence. The plan to kill Dumbledore only worked cause Voldemort used logic and had one of his followers do the work for him. The rest of his plans fail gloriously.

Voldemort's goals. He... wants to be immortal, but why? Because he's afraid of death? Why is he afraid of death? He literally spent his childhood cutting open rabbits. He excelled in all fields of academia and is arguably very intelligent; intelligence tends to negate superstition. Okay, fine; let's assume he's afraid of death. But even if we look for another explanation: maybe he wants to live forever in order to stay in power.

Voldemort wants power...Why does he want power? Why does he want to, quite literally, take over the world? It makes no sense. He has no reason to care about any of that. Even if he's prejudiced against Muggles, what exactly gives him the willpower to actually gather followers, build a legion of darkdoom evil squad and kill everyone? His motivations are never explained, and he is introduced to the story as a 2-dimensional "bad guy". Even from the 4th book onward, Voldemort is never actually fleshed out. He simply goes from bad guy to "extremely bad guy/"super fucking evil". It's shallow. It's a bad character. He isn't even a character. He has no depth, nuance, relatability or layers to him. He's just a textbook douchebag who exists simply to give the protagonists something to do, because otherwise the stories would just be about magic school.

Let's look at the closest and most obvious reflection: Adolf Hitler. It's painfully obvious that Voldemort's movement is based on Nazism. But if you read Mein Kampf, Hitler actually believed what he was doing was justified, and provided reasons for it which he thought made sense. Even if it was objectively flawed, he believed it. That's what makes a good character in fiction; even if they're actually batshit fucking insane and critically evil, you can make them relatable if you go inside their head and show the audience why they're doing what they're doing. Even if the audience doesn't agree with the character, the audience understands why the character thinks this way. Unlike Hitler's diary, Voldemort has no level of self-introspection, no actual justifications. He's a walking plot device, and that's ridiculously bad for a 7-book-long story where he's the main antagonist. I don't remember a single interaction, scene or exchange where Voldemort is shown to have any degree of self-awareness. The youngest we ever see him is when Dumbledore visits him in the orphanage, and by that point he's already evil as balls, for seemingly no reason. Even when Harry is talking to him in their final fight, Voldemort only hisses and spits out superficial threats and a shallow understanding of the events around him, and actually has no idea who he is, or why he's doing what he does. . If he were a realistic character, this lack of self-awareness would build up over time, would create self-doubt in him, and he would go through a character arc where he "found himself" and learned what he really wanted. And then, maybe he comes back and does some crazy shit, but this time he does them with glorious conviction, and has no shame in admitting it. The audience knows him now, and he's a great villain. But that's not what we got. Remember the 13-odd years Voldemort spent floating around like a puff of gas, possessing rats and squatting in Quirrel's turban? Why did his character not develop? HE HAD THIRTEEN FUCKING YEARS TO REFLECT ON HIMSELF. He literally had nothing else to do. He could've become such a complex character. Think about it: a bland, textbook villain gets cucked into infinity and now can't actually do anything but bide his time. It would clearly affect his personality, especially if it lasts 13 goddamn years. But when Voldemort is revived in book 4, he's still just "look how evil I am.exe". He had literally no character arc of any kind. That's actually impossible. No sentient human being can have the same personality, goals and motivations after over a decade of exile. He's a badly-written villain, plain and simple.

It seems like a very poor decision to make the antagonist of 7 thick books this unrelatable and bland. It also makes no sense because Rowling has written consistently excellent characters throughout the series. Why not make Voldemort a real character?

So here is how I would improve Voldemort as a villain

Motivation. So since it's universally accepted that Salazar was against Muggleorns because he grew up in a time where Wizards and Witches were being burned at the stake. What if Voldemort had similar intentions cause he grew up in a time during WWII and the Cold War and saw how powerful and dangerous the Muggles were becoming with their nuclear weapons and wanted to protect magic kind from the Muggles and viewed the Muggles invading a possibility. So he became Lord Voldemort and formed the Death Eaters to finish Salazar Slytherin’s work to protect magic kind against Muggles and Muggleborns. It could’ve started out as noble, but turned racist and evil in the end.  

As Tom Riddle, he becomes the Minister Of Magic or given a position of power secondary to the Minister Of Magic. The Lord Of Magic. It’s important that prior to becoming Lord Voldemort, he should hold a position of political power within the Ministry Of Magic. In Hogwarts, it is said as a student Tom was charismatic, charming and a wolf in sheep’s clothing. So why not use all that for politics? He could use his charm and political power to turn the Ministry Of Magic against the Muggleborns and against the Muggles. He would write a book explaining in detail why he believes in what he believes and that gives him the following he needs. The Book in question would be called “Magic Is Might!” The old Pure Blood magical families and impressionable young Slytherins would follow him like moths to a flame.  He could use his newfound political power to research all forms of magic and even the dark arts. He could make Horcruxes in secret. As Voldemort he would gather allies who were rejected by society like Werewolves and Giants. But despite what the Horcruxes do to his face, he could use magic to keep up appearances. He wouldn’t just be seeking to wage war with the muggles and muggleborns. First Voldemort has to take over the Wizarding world. 

Treats his followers like allies. Voldemort does not use fear and the threat of death and torture on his most trusted allies. Tom Riddle’s the Knights of Walpurgis hold key positions in Tom Riddle’s administration and then the Death Eaters are born and Voldemort treats them with respect and admiration. In a sense, he treats the Death Eaters like family.

The First WIzarding War should have been about Voldemort waging war on the other Wizarding nations. This would truly show how terrifying and powerful Voldemort really is. Would also explain why the other nations did not interfere in the second war, cause they were that terrified of Voldemort. The Order Of Phoenix was barely able to win and drive Voldemort from power. 

Voldemort’s fall was because he was desperate. He was ousted from power and Dumbledore, the OOTP and Aurors are on his trail. His body is failing him, so he desperately needs to create a new Horcrux. So he kills The Potters. He fully knew that Lily used the love charm to shield Harry from him. So He saw a way out. Voldemort purposefully destroyed himself so he could gain a new Horcrux. 

Plus, we can have Voldemort hide the Horcruxes in the nations he conquered. So Voldemort can hide them in -Russia -Germany -America -Hogwarts -France Obviously Nagini would be by his side at all times and well Harry is the last one. For context of how Voldemort conquered these nations. Imperio, subterfuge, and mass hysteria. He took out the Wizarding governments and implanted them with his thrawls.

Make Voldemort as hated as Umbridge. Here’s how.

In my hypothetical scenario where Voldemort hides the Horcruxes in different Wizarding Nations, make 8 books. Book 7 ends with everyone graduating from Hogwarts and the fall of the Ministry. 

This way, after graduation, the Ministry has fallen and it ends with the Big Seven on the run. In Book 8 they are all on the hunt for the Horcruxes. Not just for Horcruxes, but international allies to unite the Wizarding world against Voldemort. It ends with the final confrontation being at the Ministry. Voldemort's endgame plan is not just to wipe out the Muggleborns, but wiping out the Muggles. He has the Magic equivalent to a Nuclear bomb. Voldemort wants to destroy the Muggles and recreate the world in his image. Magic Is Might! He plans on using it and Harry has to stop him before it's too late

Voldemort fails because the Horcruxes are failing him. It isn’t immortality, it is only temporarily longevity and every time one of his Horcruxes gets destroyed, his body breaks down and his soul is in an even worse shape.  When Nagini is destroyed, it is over. Voldemort thinks if he can kill Harry, he will live forever as the prophecy states “only one can live forever.” so he believes if he could just kill Harry, he can win. But Harry deflects his curses and sends it right back at him. Voldemort dies as he did in the book. Powerless, alone and human.

[faejilly]

ashes of angels 1/6

so I have a “Fuck Or Die” square on my bingo card, and @michellemisfit​ let me yell at her about how I couldn’t seem to write it until (with her help) my brain decided to go with: Magnus Bane Refuses Your Two Options And Makes A Third One.

Also there’s some plot, for once? Crazy, I know. 

Anyways. For my @shadowhunterbingo​ square: Fuck Or Die. 

Remnants of the Circle try to go after Alec Lightwood... thankfully it doesn’t go according to plan. (Takes place during the time jump in the final episode.) [AO3]

Alec goes unnaturally still next to him, and when Magnus turns to look, to ask, Alec jerks back, just enough to make sure they don't accidentally touch.

He's holding a glass, lifted up as if he was about to take a drink.

Or just had.

Magnus feels his jaw clench, has to close his eyes to think about how to speak, to make sure he keeps his voice down, quiet, controlled. "Your drink?"

"Pixie dust."

His heart stops, and he sees Alec's eyes dilate as his glamour falls.

Shit.

He's not sure he's ever been so angry in his entire fucking life, but he can't lose his temper, not here in the middle of a formal Clave function, not now, not when Alec's got a very short window of time during which an antidote will still be effective.

If Alec hadn't somehow recognized it, if anyone had touched him, if there'd been any skin contact at all...

Magnus knows about five different spells he can use to track the path of the pixie dust; it's a magical poison with a very unique profile, but he doubts he'll be able to do anything quietly or quickly enough for it to help right now.

He manages to focus enough for a stasis spell, wraps it around the glass and sends the whole thing into the safe back at the loft.

Alec blinks, makes a pleased little hum as he flexes the fingers of his now empty hand, and he leans forward, closer to Magnus, like a moth entranced by a flame.

Magnus swallows a snarl, because even knowing it's half the damn aphrodisiac, he wants to lean in too, because it's Alexander. Magnus has to blink his eyes and force a long slow inhale before he starts either crying or swearing.

He summons two sets of gloves, and when Alec just stares at them without moving, his cheeks starting to flush very slightly pink, Magnus magics them on, and carefully wraps his hand around Alec's wrist, his glove-wrapped hand over his sleeve just in case.

"Come on, let's get out of the Hall, and I'll portal us home. I have everything we need in the apothecary."

"Oh." Alec pouts, and Magnus knows he's far enough gone already to want to ride out the side-effects, to have the poison fucked out of him. Pixie dust is notoriously fast acting. Hells, if Magnus had stepped away at just the wrong moment?

Alec keeps talking, stops him from imagining that in any more detail. "But it's you."

Magnus swallows, because Alec's eyes are wide and glassy and he knows that Alec means it, that this is as much Alec as it is the drug, that he doesn't care about the fact that someone's trying to kill him in a particularly vicious and humiliating manner, that they were hoping that even if he didn't die he'd be ruined, that instead he trusts Magnus to take care of him. Magnus' chest aches; it hurts, how little Alec values himself in his own calculations. The fact that he trusts Magnus more than anyone else ever has isn't quite enough to soothe. "You've been drugged. You don't get to make that decision right now."

Alec tries to pull back, as if he wants to cross his arms over his chest to go with the frown deepening on his face, but Magnus doesn't let go. Magnus starts moving instead, his grip as firm as he can get it without it being too obvious that he's dragging Alec out of there. He hears Alec mutter that's dumb, but it's quiet enough Magnus can ignore it.

He foregoes his original plan of taking the proper exit and looking for a quiet hallway. He's not sure they'll make it that far without someone wanting to talk to the Head of the New York Institute, either innocuously or because they're in on it and haven't gotten the reaction from the drug that they want yet, so he side-steps towards the stairs to the musician's gallery instead.

No one's using it, not for this particular reception, and for once he's glad that Alicante is as pretentious and old-fashioned as possible, because most of their larger buildings still have lots of extra hallways and stairs for servants half-hidden all over the place.

They're usually glamoured and locked, of course, but Magnus doesn't give a good god-damn about that.

He gets them through the door, and closes it behind them with a sigh of relief.

Alec's starting to sway, just a little, and Magnus swirls his free hand to snap up a portal a little more viciously than usual. He has to use more power than usual in order to get through Alicante's wards. He's desperately glad that no one besides Alec seems to have figured out that he can do that, now that he's been invited into the country as a Shadowhunter's spouse, even if it's just for events like these.

Stupid Nephilim. They have no idea how half their own magic works... and thank all the angels and demons for that right about now, or they'd be in more trouble than Magnus dares to contemplate. "Alright, step forward, and think of home."

Alec nods, and Magnus pulls them through.

He sits Alec down in the apothecary. "Be a good boy, and hold onto the chair arms for me, will you? I have to see your hands."

Alec's mouth opens, his lips barely parted as he nods, a hint of a whine in his breath as he exhales. Magnus hates himself a little, using the suggestibility of the drug to keep him there, to keep him on edge, but he needs the time, needs Alec to cooperate.

He'd probably like being tied to the chair in this state, but the thought makes Magnus feel a little queasy, so he hopes he can get this done before that becomes necessary.

He does, though by how badly Alec's trembling, and the way the flush has deepened across his whole face, it's a very close call. Magnus has to use magic to hold Alec still enough to get him to drink the potion, and then he needs another boost to get him out of the chair and into pajamas and into bed, but all in all it's been less than an hour since he was dosed by the time he's asleep and recovering.

Magnus collapses into the chair next to the bed and puts his face in his hands. He's shaking, and his eyes are tearing up, but he can't tell if it's still rage or relief or something else entirely.

He gives himself half an hour of quiet hysterics, and by then the anger's steadied into something he can use.

He needs Catarina to come sit with Alec.

He needs Isabelle and Jace for back-up.

He goes to get the glass to start tracking.

They have work to do.

[theangriestpea]

In the Shadows : Six

Summary: Jughead Jones, resident werewolf, just wants to protect his family and his pack from the incoming doom of The Red Circle. Sweet Pea and Lily join him to help keep the Southside safe from human tyranny. Meanwhile a demon princess named Myra and succubus named Lavender had a plan to bring on the apocalypse. <ao3> <masterlist> <playlist>

Rating: Mature // Explicit

Pairings: Jughead Jones x OC, Sweet Pea x OC, Kurtz x OC

Warnings: Smut (now with plot!)

Word Count: 5.5k+

A/N:  Oh dang I'm getting out so much content now that I'm stuck at home its crazy. I wrote this chapter in two days. I haven't updated a fic this quickly since I first started MK last February. This chapter is much more mellow than the last. I know I made SP a bit of a horrible asshole but he will get a redemption later. Top and bottom images were made by @the-gargoyle-queen

Part Six: White Lights

Sweet Pea only felt remnants of his departed soul when he slept. And during his slumber after his last run-in with the sex demon, he felt tremendous guilt for how he had treated her. It ate away at him like millions of ants devouring a ripe piece of fruit that had fallen to the ground. When did he get so cruel? She was going to have his child and he treated her as if she were an old bag of trash. Hell, he treated her worse than if she were trash.

He could feel his soul being tortured in hell. It was distant, like a foggy memory, but it was there. He knew that if he were to ever get it back then he would never be the same as he was before. That kind of darkness carries weight.

He wondered how he could be a good father to Daisy when he was acting the way he was. Also at odds with Lily and now brutally indulging his greatest desires and whims with a demon that he should have no dealings with. A demon which Lily had decided to let into their idiotic alliance so that he can’t be free of her just yet. He wished he had killed her. There was no way he could do that now, soul or no soul, he would not take the life of a woman pregnant by his own seed.

Then came the aching pain of knowing he’d never see his child. It would take a miracle for her to not be taken from him. This is what the cards meant and he was sure of it. They read this situation loud and clear. If only he had done a reading sooner, then perhaps he could have avoided all of this.

But for now, it was too late.

In Sunnyside Trailer park, Lavender was healing her wounds. They were superficial, mostly deep bruises and small muscle tearing. There had been minimal bleeding but she wasn’t surprised due to how rough he had been. Myra was pacing, her energy giving out an obscene amount of pressure. That foul witch had hurt her demon. Worse of all, her demon let him. She could have ended his life as soon as he got rough with her but she didn’t. She didn’t and Myra was beyond reproach.

Myra had to punish her. She knew this and she knew exactly how she would. Hellfire could burn through anything, even the flesh of a demon. She would wait until Lavender had fully healed herself and then she would strike while putting a protection spell on the baby so it would not be harmed in the process.

Lavender was oblivious as she combed through her hair, humming an ancient hymn that allowed her body to heal much faster than it’s already naturally increased speed. She was wearing an oversized t-shirt and underwear but nothing more. Charlie had not come home and she was instantly grateful because she was not sure what Myra would have done to her at a time like this. She knew Myra was angry. What she didn’t know was how angry.

Once she was finished, she stood. Myra had fed her a soul to get her through the night since she didn’t hunt. She had been brought straight home to take care of her shame. Well, Myra called it shame. Lavender called it a good night’s workout.

She made her way to the bed, laying down and stretching out like a starfish. Her bed was big enough for two people but it was nice to not have to worry about hitting someone else during a good stretch.

Myra approached her, fingers crackling with magic. A look of alarm crossed Lav’s face. She knew that sound. She knew it all too well. “What are you doing?”

The princess was on top of her, holding her down by the shoulder with her right hand while her left was over her stomach. Lav could feel a barrier being put up inside her. The bottom of her chest cavity and below were protected with an invisible magical bubble. Her hazel eyes were wide with terror. There were some types of pain even a masochist such as herself didn’t handle well.

Her right hand was suddenly engulfed in a blue flame. Lavender screamed with pain so great that the walls of her trailer vibrated from the sound. Her own magical energy was surging and the pulse of it caused a nearby vase of black dahlias to fall over and shatter on the floor.

The contact only lasted a few seconds, but it was enough to nearly throw her into unconsciousness. When Myra retracted her hand, Lav tried looking at her but her vision was too clouded by tears. “You are to stay away from that stupid warlock, you understand me?” She hissed. “No more sex without taking souls. You need to feed more instead of messing around with mangy wolves and empty husks.”

She took her left hand away, straddling Lav’s thighs now. “I have to go to hell for a few days. I will not be here to protect you. Kurtz will be around but he’s not dependable in his current state. That witch hurt him pretty badly the other night and he needs time to heal. You have to stay out of trouble. Do you get that, you little whore?”

Why Sweet Pea called her a whore it was enticing. When Myra did it, it was degrading. She found herself wanting to scream but the sound was lodged in the muscles of her throat. The only movement she could manage was the involuntary trembling of her body. “Y-yes,” She managed to gasp out with great difficulty.

Myra got off of her fully then, sliding off the large bed. “Good. If you’re lucky, that’ll heal pretty quickly and you won’t starve too much. Don’t worry, the bringer of the end is protected for now. She is safe but you are not. If you die then she will too. The spell will be void. So don’t be a fucking idiot because I will raise your soul from the depths of hell and make you start all over again.”

After one more hiss of a curse, the demon princess was gone.

Back in Fox Forest, in the small cottage that housed a two-witch coven and a baby witch in training, Lily awoke with a start. She was panting heavily, sweat trailing down her brow. The rest of the house was asleep, the eerie quietness of the house settling caused her nerves to rev up even more. Someone was hurt. Someone….

Lily didn’t need to be particularly close to a person to grow an internal connection to them. It was one of her born talents that she could sense others from distances if she had some kind of dealings with them. Some were stronger than others. Sweet Pea she used to feel very strongly however since losing his soul there would be times when there was no connection at all. It left her feeling hollow.

But this was not Sweet Pea, though he was in distress from his dreams as he had been since the night he met Lavender. She would sometimes utter a spell under her breath to calm him, other times she’d go into the living room and pet his hair to try and soothe him. Either of these usually worked for a brief amount of time.

The pain she was feeling was not hers but that didn’t make it any less palpable. It was great, overwhelming, and she knew that the person that was in trouble was the succubus that lived down the street from the Jones trailer. She was in incredible agony and the thought of losing a powerful ally had her jumping out of bed.

She grabbed her cell phone as she dressed, cutting it on speaker. A few moments later a very groggy werewolf answered. “Lily? What’s wrong?”

“Lav is hurt, we need to go to her.” Lily said, buttoning a red flannel shirt over her black tank top. “It’s bad, I’ll have to bring Sweet Pea and Daisy. He’s better at making potions and salves and I have a feeling she’ll need one.”

The wolf was silent before she heard a loud yawn. It brought a small smile to her worried face. “I’ll meet you over there. Don’t go alone. The vargulf has been hanging around the park lately.”

“I will.” She murmured while chewing on her lip. Her anxiety was spiking even more now. “Don’t worry. Just get over there.”

Jughead disconnected the call and got ready to go see what was wrong with his demon neighbor while Lily threw her hair up into a tousled bun before going into the living room and waking Sweet Pea.

“What?” He asked, annoyed that he had been awoken but also happy to no longer be dreaming of hell. The guilt he felt while asleep quickly dissolved into apathy. “The sun’s not even up, Lily, Jesus Christ.”

“Lavender is in danger. We need to go help her.” Lily said, “We have to bring Daisy, I might need your help.” Before he could respond she started throwing the ingredients used for healing remedies into a backpack along with a few tools to mix them with.

Sweet Pea was quiet, an odd feeling in his chest. It was as if he didn’t know if he should care or not. He decided to not. “I don’t care. She’s a demon, she can take care of herself.” Though the thought of her being with his child almost instantly changed his mind. He swung his legs over and stood up, ruffling his hair with his hand. “Whatever, I’ll pack Daisy’s diaper bag.”

While he was collecting things for his little girl, he could sense Lily’s distress growing more. He swallowed the uneasy feeling gathering in the base of his throat. Did this have something to do with what had happened at the Wyrm earlier that night? Would she point a finger at him? Would her little demon master smite him with revenge? His fragile mortality was hanging heavy in the back of his mind. He wouldn’t age without a soul but he could still die.

He picked up the sleeping toddler who stirred minimally in his arms. Once she was secure he met with Lily in the entrance hall. “Ready?” She asked and he simply nodded in return.

They hopped into the beat up saturn that Lily had managed to procure a few years back. Sweet Pea put Daisy in her carseat before getting into the driver’s side. It only took about ten minutes to get to the trailer that Lily pointed out to him. The pain on her left side was growing worse and she had to grab her shoulder to try and keep it in check.

Her state had Sweet Pea even more worried. Lily’s empathetic abilities allowed her to feel what others felt. If she was in this much pain then the demon must be even worse off.

Jughead was standing on the steps outside, ears covered as the demon’s cries were too much for his sensitive ears.

“Why the hell is he here?” Sweet Pea seethed, not wanting to deal with the wolf any more than he had to.

“I called him. He’s going to help us.” Lily said before getting out of the car with the supplies, “Grab Daisy!”

Sweet Pea got his daughter and her diaper bag and carried her inside. The screams weren’t nearly as loud for him as they were for Jughead. He could barely hear them while outside but the sound made his blood run cold.

Jughead broke the door down and ran inside with Lily at his heels. Sweet Pea was a few paces behind them, not nearly as eager to go inside. His heart and his brain were having a fierce battle on whether or not they should even be here in the first place. Currently his heart was winning but who knew how long that would last.

The wolf found Lavender in her bedroom, on her bed, immobilized by pain. The smell of burnt flesh invaded his senses and nearly blinded him. He put a hand over his nose as he moved to her side. “Lavie, hey, we’re here. It’s okay.”

Lavender stopped, hand on her stomach as her eyes opened to see Jughead. She was crying black tears which was only something she did when she was really hurting. The entirety of her eyes were jet black, putting the three back in shock for a solitary second. Jughead could see the singed edges of the shirt she was wearing and in the gaping hole was a handprint, still burning with magical flame. They were low blue licks that caught nothing else on fire and only came up a few millimeters off her flesh.

“Hell fire.” Lily breathed as she moved to the other side of Lavender. She checked the baby first and noticed the protection spell on the lower half of the demon’s body. “Lavender, I’m going to try to heal you but it’s going to take a lot of work, okay?” Lav’s only response was a groan of pain. She didn’t even notice Sweet Pea in the room.

Sweet Pea’s worries dissipated as soon as he knew she wouldn’t die and the child was safe. He no longer cared to help either of them, but knew he’d have to or else Lily might hex him. He wasn’t exactly in the mood for that right now.

“Get to work making a burn salve, Sweet Pea, she’s going to need it.” Lily instructed, “put Daisy down on the chair over there, she’ll be fine.”

There was a plush loveseat along the wall. He gently laid down the little girl, surprised that she hadn’t woken up. He made sure she still had her favorite stuffed black cat in her arms. She couldn’t sleep without it.

He looked through the materials Lily packed and noticed the ingredients he needed were all there. He got to making it as Lily had asked It would take a few hours to finish and she needed it done as soon as possible.

Lily looked at Jughead, “can you rip her shirt more? I need better access. Don’t touch the flames.” Jug nodded and grabbed the edges of the shirt and ripped it so that the hole was much larger. The serpent tattoo on her breast was now visible.

The witch gently grabbed the sides of Lavender’s face. “Lav, I need you to breathe, okay? You need to relax as much as you can. I know it hurts.” She could feel the succubus draining a bit of her energy, most likely on accident. The more pain she was in the less control she’d have.

The succubus struggled to do as Lily was telling her. She was worried if she opened her mouth then she’d start screaming again. She didn’t want to do that. Slowly she began to regulate her breathing, her dark eyes locked with Lily’s.

Lily did not move her hands. She took a deep breath to concentrate, whispered a prayer to her matrons, and began to mouth the lost words of one of the most powerful healing spells she knew. The longer she kept physical contact, the more that was drained from her, but she knew that her energy would be just as healing as the spell.

Jughead watched in awe as the blue flames slowly diminished. It wasn’t instantaneous, rather maybe half an hour of chanting until it was finally all the way gone. The pain ebbed slowly from both Lily and Lav. Lav was close to unconsciousness as her body worked to try and heal itself.

Lily frowned, “your magic is weak otherwise you could probably heal yourself.”

“I had to heal myself earlier.” Lav confessed, her voice raspy with fatigue. She had fed off of Lily involuntarily but she had not taken her soul, just simply her essence. “I used what I had left to keep from passing out.”

The witch’s brow furrowed as Jughead looked perplexed. “Did whoever did this hurt you earlier too?” The wolf asked.

Sweet Pea stiffened. He knew he was the one that had done it. He glared up at the demon from his place on the floor. Their eyes met briefly and Lily’s narrowed in suspicion.

“No,” Lav said truthfully. But the truth stopped there, “something went wrong when I was feeding. I was careless and was injured. I was...punished for being reckless.” And so the truth returned.

As soon as Lily pulled her hands away from the demon, she collapsed onto the bed. Jughead jumped across and caught her before she could fall, awkwardly hovering above Lavender in the process. “I’m sorry,” Lavender murmured, too weak to project her voice, “I took too much, I’m sorry.”

“That’s not it.” Lily said, feeling as if there was a heavy weight on her chest that prevented her from taking deep breaths. “That took a lot of magic that I didn’t really have.”

Sweet Pea frowned as he stood, abandoning his work for the time being. “You need-”

“I know what I need to do, Sweet Pea! And I’m not doing it with you!” Lily snapped at him. “Lav is too weak to do it either.”

Jughead cocked his head to the side, understanding that they were talking about sex. Sex was the quickest way to build up your magic reserves as no magic was as powerful as sex magic. Especially sex between soulmates.

Of course the only one that knew they were soulmates was Lavender, and while she planned on biding her time before mentioning this, it seemed like as good a time as ever. “Lily…” She mumbled and the three others stared at her again. “It has to be Jughead.”

Jughead and Lily’s faces both blossomed a brilliant shade of red. He suddenly pulled away from her and she slowly slid to a sitting position on the floor. “W-what?” The witch managed to sputter.

Sweet Pea was glaring again, “She’s not fucking that lowlife mutt. She’s too good for him.”

“No,” Lav countered, “she’s too good for you.”

The warlock nearly lost himself to his rage but quickly reigned it in. Perhaps the demon had a point. Soulless Sweet Pea wasn’t good enough for anyone but the sex demon that took his life from him. His fists and teeth clenched, his jugular throbbing on the side of his neck. He wanted to say something to refute her claim, but had had nothing clever to say.

“I am amazed how blind you are to your own hearts.” Lav said weakly, fading in and out. “Do you not feel the connection yet? Or are you just hoping it’ll go away? You’re a witch, you should have recognized it by now.”

Lily was frowning. She did feel a connection to the Jones wolf but she didn’t know why. It was a foreign feeling, nothing like what she had once felt for Sweet Pea. “No, I...I don’t know.”

Jughead was looking between them, “what are you talking about? What connection?”

“Your souls are tied together, Jug.” Lavender replied, “you’re soulmates. Lily will be at her most powerful when you two are finally together and I’m afraid I don’t have time to wait on you two to figure it out for yourselves.”

Sweet Pea stormed from the room, slamming the door so loudly that Daisy finally did wake up crying. Lily tried to go to her, but fell as soon as she tried to stand. Jughead smiled and went and picked up the frightened toddler. “It’s okay, flower bud, mommy is right there.”

“Puppy?” She mumbled, looking up at Jug with wide but sleepy green eyes.

He turned so that Daisy could see her mother. The little girl smiled before yawning. “Go back to sleep, baby.” Lily said softly, “Mommy and daddy had an errand to run and we couldn’t leave you by yourself. You’re safe, just go back to sleep.”

Jughead set Daisy down back on the loveseat. The little girl curled up with her stuffed cat and easily drifted back off to sleep.  The wolf looked at Lily with a small smile of triumph, as if he somehow had aided the toddler into going back to sleep.

“You must do it tonight, Lily.” Lav urged before wheezing painfully. “It must be done tonight.”

“I know.” Lily murmured, “Let me talk to Sweet Pea, he will stay here with you while we…” The residual blush that was still on her face darkened considerably. “You know.”

The demon didn’t hear her as she finally had drifted into an uneasy slumber. Lily frowned, worried about her as Jughead helped her to stand. “I’ll be fine, just give me a few minutes to calm him down.”

Jug nodded to her and helped her to the door before stopping and letting her go on her own. She stumbled, leaning against the wall for support as she made her way into the living room of the trailer. “Sweet Pea.” She said tiredly as she looked at him.

He was sitting on the couch, head in both of his hands as he shook with rage and sorrow. How could he think that he still had a chance with her? How could he think that he could have made it work? She was completely lost to him now and he felt as if he was left with nothing. Would she take Daisy with her? Shut him out? He couldn’t lose her too.

“I want my soul back.” He seethed, because somehow that’s when all of this began. His downfall was due to his lack of spirit and he needed it back because he needed something to cling to. “You have to bring it back.”

Lily was quiet. She had brought the soul back to a bird once, but it had just departed. Sweet Pea’s soul has been in hell for weeks. The condition it would be in upon its return was unknown. He might be worse off. “I will do my best. Will you do something for me until then?” She asked softly.

He looked up at her, brown eyes hard and jaw set firm. “What?” He said, sounding more ungrateful than he meant to.

“Finish the salve for Lavender and put it on her wounds. It’s the least you could do for hurting her earlier.” Lily said, making her suspicions known. She watched him carefully to see how he’d react. She’d know for sure if she was right based on that.

Sweet Pea stiffened. He didn’t want to admit to what he had done. Perhaps Lily knew how out of control he could be. How selfish of a lover he was. The look on her face was non judgmental, but he still felt as if she was bearing a weight down on him. Eventually he let out a sigh of defeat. Some things just weren’t worth denying. “Fine, it’ll be done in an hour.”

The white witch nodded, “I’ll be taking Jughead and Daisy back to the cottage. You’ll need to stay here. I’m worried that the other demon will come back and hurt her again. You’re the strongest one of the three of us right now.”

Sweet Pea said nothing as he stood and brushed past her, shoulders bumping. He didn’t apologize as he went back into the bedroom and kissed his daughter on the forehead. “You’re not going to take her away from me.” He whispered darkly to Jughead who was still  present.

“I don’t want to.” Jughead said earnestly. “I wouldn’t dream of it. You’ll always be her father.”

The warlock seemed to relax a small bit at that but he was still on edge with the thought that the wolf and Lily were soulmates. It just didn’t seem fair.

Lily came back in and managed to pick up Daisy. “Jug, can you get her diaper bag? We’ll take the car. I’ll pick up Sweet Pea in the morning.”

Jughead nodded and retrieved the bag while Sweet Pea went back to work on the medicine.

About ten minutes later, after an incredibly awkward car ride, Lily arrived at the cottage with her soulmate and child in tow. She put Daisy back in her own bed before taking Jughead to hers. She nervously shut the door and was unsure on what to do next. She rubbed her upper arm with her opposite hand and shifted awkwardly.

“I know this is a shitty way to have to start a relationship.” Jughead said, “but we have to do this to protect everyone, including  yourself and your family.” He reached out and grasped both her wrists before pulling her to him. “I never had the nerve to tell you how amazing your scent is.”

He leaned down, lips brushing against her neck. Lily shuddered as her shoulders relaxed. “It’s intoxicating, I can’t think straight when you’re close to me.” He slowly moved upwards, planting kisses between phrases. “And you’re so beautiful, I can’t imagine why Sweet Pea would have wanted to hurt you the way he did.”

He progressed to her jawline, trailing closer to her mouth. “I will never harm you.” He kissed her on the lips. He was purposefully being slow and gentle, wanting her to know that he had the utmost respect for her and would only do what she felt comfortable with.

Lily was already melting against him, eyes shut as she kissed him back. Her mouth opened for his tongue and the two collided in a sensual dance. Kissing him was almost the polar opposite of Sweet Pea. She felt fireworks in her fluttering heart and happiness blooming in her veins. She had no idea a kiss could even feel this way.

They only separated when they needed air and only then for a brief moment. Clothes were lost, thrown haphazardly onto the floor. Somehow they made it to the bed. Jughead was on top with Lily splayed out beneath him. His fingers trailed down her body. First they ran along her clavicle before dipping lower to her breast. He gave a tentative squeeze and elicited a mewl of excitement from her.

His thumb glanced over her nipple and another pleased sound came out of her. Jug couldn’t help but smirk into their kiss before breaking it. He had a feeling Sweet Pea wasn’t the most gracious of lovers in the sack, but he sure was. His mouth trailed down and captured her other breast, tongue doing what his thumb just had. Lily gasped out in surprise.

The hand that was on her chest then moved down lower to cup her heat slowly. His palm grinding against her clit as the tip of his finger probed her entrance. Lily tensed for a moment with uncertainty before relaxing again. Her hands were on his shoulders, squeezing gently to reassure him that she was okay.

His middle finger slowly made its way past her entrance and into her core, moving at a languid pace. Lily’s hips were moving slightly to try and feel more, impatience made by her own desires to be loved.

Jughead continued to suck lightly on her breast, nipping at her nipple on occasion. Lily’s hips and spine rolled behind him as she squirmed, moaning softly at his teasings. He increased the speed on his finger before adding a second. Her moans went up a decibel at the new fullness she was feeling, his palm still rubbing on his clit.

She wanted to touch him, to feel him. She reached down and gently touched the tip of his penis, unable to reach much more due to the position he was in. He moved so she could grasp his shaft and lightly pump him.

It was Jughead’s turn to moan. He bit at the swells of her breasts as he held himself back from thrusting into her hand. His fingers were moving much faster now and Lily was making all kinds of delightful sounds. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could wait.

They were lucky they were not too terribly close to the full moon. The closer the time for him to change was, the harder it was for him to control himself. He was fine for tonight but he made a mental note to warn her in the future. His alpha nature would cause him to become much more dominant and aggressive. Some women were into that, of course, but he wasn’t sure if Lily would be.

“Jug, please,” Lily begged, now unsatisfied with just his fingers. She quickly reached over to the side table and pulled a condom out of the drawer. She handed it to him, eyes wide and pleading for him to give her more than just two digits.

He stared at her for a moment, amazed that he even found himself in this situation. He had been dreaming about her since they met and he didn’t think this would ever be happening. He’d have to remember to thank Lavender later when they were alone again…

Jughead grabbed the condom and opened the wrapper before rolling it on. She bit her lower lip in anticipation. The morning after he saved her she had noticed that he was better endowed than Sweet Pea, and she had thought the warlock was big. She hoped this wasn’t going to hurt.

The wolf suddenly rolled over onto his back and pulled her on top of him. Lily looked at him with wide, surprised eyes. Sweet Pea had never let her be on top, despite her asking him if they could try it. A giggle of amusement came out of her as she straddled his hips and grabbed the base of his penis to align his tip with her entrance.

She slowly lowered herself onto him. Jughead remained perfectly still, wanting her to go at her own pace. There was some discomfort as he stretched her out but it didn’t last very long. Unlike with her ex, she was very into this.

Once he was fully inside, Lily was still. Her eyes were closed as she could already feel the empty reservoir inside of her filling with magical energy at an obscenely rapid pace. She hadn’t felt this full in a very long time and she had forgotten how amazing it was. As soon as she was over the initial excitement of regaining her strength, she began to rock her hips.

The two of them moaned. Jughead grabbed the backs of her thighs and gripping them lightly to urge her on. Lily took the hint and increased her speed, bouncing on top of him with ease. She didn’t even need magic to enhance what she was feeling as what she was feeling was already beyond belief.

She had never known sex to be this amazing. It was mostly uncomfortable and when she did actually get off it was subpar. She was able to give herself better orgasms than Sweet Pea ever could. Now she was wondering what kind of high Jughead could give her and she was acutely aware that she was about to get her answer.

Jughead began to move in rhythm with her, his hips bucking up to connect with her so he was going in harder. Lily let out a small cry of pleasure when he first did this, causing him to continue feverishly. Lily matched his speed and wondered how he could be fast and go in deep all at the same time. It was mind blowing.

One of his hands moved to her inner thigh and his thumb found her clit. He motioned small circles around it, keeping in pace with her movements. Lily’s moans went higher and louder. Her head was thrown back as she hit her highest peak yet, vision blinding with light as glowing sparkles manifested around her body and illuminated the dark room.

He watched in amusement at the tiny lights but couldn’t concentrate on them too hard or he’d lose focus. He was moving her hips with his own grip, noticing that she had stopped moving due to the incredible high she was feeling. He helped her ride out the orgasm, her inner muscles fluttering around him and causing him to come himself.

Once he was done spilling himself into the condom, he laid motionless on the bed with her hips still in his hands. They were catching their breaths in unison as Lily slowly came down from the haziness that was orgasmic relief. She laid down, her head on his chest as he pulled out of her. He reached around and took off the condom, tying it off before setting it on the table.

Lily’s eyes were closed again as she inhaled the scent of his sweat and happiness. His fingers were trailing up and down her spine until she drifted off into the most blissful sleep she had ever had.

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[thesffcorner]

Reign of the Fallen

Reign of the Fallen is the first book in a YA fantasy duology written by Sarah Glenn Marsh. It follows Odessa, a master necromancer who lives in the Kingdom of Karthia. The King of Karthia has ruled for centuries, resurrected by his royal necromancers, and the Kingdom has entirely forbidden change. When she and her partner Evander see the corpse of their former master during one of the King’s resurrections, they stumble onto a plot to overthrow the King; and possibly destroy necromancy forever. I went into this book with pretty high expectations, because I had heard people say it was their favorite book of last year and that it’s a really unique fantasy, that happens to center queer characters. I have to say that while that last bit is true, I was more than a little disappointed by the book.

Let’s start with the writing. This is not Marsh’s first book, but in many ways it feels like it is; from what I know she’s primarily a children's author, and despite the copious amounts of sex/making out in the book, this felt very young. Had it not been for the sexual content and rather violent deaths, I would firmly say that this could be a middle-grade book, since it’s so simple in its writing and world-building. Karthia doesn’t feel like a real place; none of the descriptions stood out or made me feel like I had a grasp on the culture, customs or even geography of the place, and for the most part I felt like this could have been set in any generic fantasy Kingdom. I’m not saying I need a Game of Thrones style detailed map and history, but having a bit more creativity in how the land is described, what the people wear, what they eat or drink would have been helpful. It’s not just the physical descriptions of the place that are a problem, it’s also the history and logic of the country. This is a Kingdom that’s stuck in time, since the Elder King is afraid of change and has banned it. And yet, the consequences of this seem to be nonexistent. First, how come there are no people, especially ones who live in the Ash, where the Black Plague is apparently abundant, who have ever rebelled against the King? How come no one is concerned or angry that because he has made no improvements over the centuries he has ruled, his subjects are dying off, and how has the plague not spread further? Moreover what doesn't change exactly? Are people still farming the same way? What about new generations? How are there very few mages if there's more people? If the dead can't reproduce, how are there any living royals left if the King has ruled for centuries? There is some mention of the palace being added more towers and rooms to host the ever expanding royal population, but wouldn't that be change? Or is it only change if it benefits the poor? Even the little things that should build on the world are neglected, like fashion trends and clothes staying the same for centuries. Even villagers in far away provinces have made no secret efforts to make improvements in their lives, or rebel; the most we get is some contraband coffee . There is an interesting set up here for a potentially serious situation if there are new types of mages that exist, or people from the Ash being fed up with being forced to live in squalid conditions with no work, but we never get any pay off. The atmosphere in the book isn't oppressive either; we never get the sense that things are bad or people are unhappy, which would make no sense considering how things are presented to run in this place. For a better example of what being frozen in time would actually look like, and is an inspired take on this same concept, I suggest An Enchantment of Ravens. The biggest issue I had with the book is that everything is very surface level, and even the characters can't escape it. All of the characters suffer from inconsistent characterization and informed traits, but also a specific thing that FPS books do that I hate, which is where characters flat out tell you exactly what they are feeling and thinking. For example: we have Odessa, our lead. She is afraid that if without being a master necromancer, she would be nobody. She has no family and no name, outside of her work. First, this is not true; we are shown from the start that Odessa has a loving relationship and lots of close friends; second do you know how I know this is her central conflict? She flat out spells it out for us, in chapter 1. We don't get any scenes or moments of her being devoted to the job, no points where her being a workaholic meddles with her personal life or threatens something else she cares about, there are no characters who react poorly to her being an orphan (in fact everyone seems to love and care about her). Her being the king's favorite necromancer is mentioned several times, but the King has barely any presence in the store, so we don't really get to see what kind of relationship they have. The most we get are a few moments of her being defensive or bitter that Evander wants to leave Karthia, (which is forbidden), but it doesn't make much sense to me why she wouldn't want to leave if they are so devoted to each-other. He too is a necromancer and if he can find work and travel in the outside world, why couldn't she? He's offering to leave his title behind, so if they were to leave Karthia, they would both be nobodies so I genuinely didn't understand why this was a fight they were having at all. Odessa isn't the only one who suffers from this, though she is hit hardest because we get the story from her PoV. The other characters have this same issue; they spell out their character traits, opinions, feelings and even entire relationships, and there is never any ambiguity about what they are thinking or feeling. The most egregious example was the relationship between Master Cymbre and Odessa. They are supposed to have this really tender mother-daughter bond, and we never see any of it. We are told by Odessa how she was raised and mentored by Cymbre, we are told she considers her a mother and how she always counted on her for guidance and help, but on page, they have 2 conversations, both including other characters, and the few scenes they do have alone, they aren't even communicating. I don't understand how you can fuck up a mentor figure this badly; Master Cymbre was a completely superfluous character and she might as well not have been in the book. Even the conceit of this book was not taken to its full potential. First, the Deadlands were woefully underdeveloped; I liked the idea of the stillness, treachery of the spirits and changing landscape, but the writing didn't convey any atmosphere. The Deadlands weren't creepy, they weren't eerie or sad, they were just there. This is especially sad, because the Shades that lurk there are supposed to be what nightmares are made off. The Shades too were just there. They are supposed to be incredibly powerful and repulsive, but the writing just didn't convince me of either. There was so much potential to describe them as this amalgamation of bile and rotting corpses strung together by dark magic, but they are never written as particularly threatening; most of the time when they kill someone we are just told they screamed and fell dead, which has no bite as something terrifying. The only creativity I could see in the book were the mechanics of the dead. I liked the idea of them being these slowly rotting corpses, being constantly cold and hungry, of having to cover all their skin in case someone lays eyes on them and they become Shades. There is a real sense of dread about these creatures, and if Marsh took the concept to the extreme, we could have had this genuinely deep, interesting exploration of what the price for bringing someone to life would be, and if being alive was worth the misery of such an existence, and the constant peril of turning into a monster. For a book about necromancers, necromancy is a subplot. We go to the Deadlands and we find a spirit, but we never get to see what a raising actually looks like. This happens a lot in the book, where what could be an interesting scene or concept is just skipped over. The plot was very simple, and I immediately guessed who the main culprit would be. Even if I had any doubt, there is a scene in the book that outright tells us who it is, but Odessa is too stupid and naive to notice, which is not a good sign from the supposed best necromancer in the land. The character too is a complete waste of potential; they are not developed beyond a very surface level, we never get any hints that they are secretly planning a coup, they never act like they could be against the way the Kingdom is ruled, and yet it was still so predictable they would be the villain. There could have been a really interesting moral and philosophical debate about the price of what they have done being worth the change that it will inevitably bring about to the Kingdom, and how such sacrifice is necessary for things to change for the better. If it had tied in with the poor and plague victims it would have had some actual bite, but no; they are just a one dimensional villain and the good guys are good, even if they are objectively wrong. One big focus of the book, is interestingly enough, addiction. I was not a fan of this plot point, even though it was one of the few things in the book that were done well, mostly because I find no joy or investment in reading about a self-destructive character spiraling deeper and deeper into lethargy and misery while all their friends watch and do nothing. I would have been more interested if the things Odessa does while being addicted to the potion actually had any consequences, like destroying her friendship with certain characters, leaving someone to die because of her incompetence, or hurting someone in her daze, but no. I also found the rehabilitation part too short and inconsequential; again, we skip over most of the harrowing stuff, and 7 days pass in the span of a few pages so that Odessa can be back in business like usual. It felt like a massive inconsequential detour, and it served more to pad out the page count than actually developing and informing her character. Let’s talk about the characters. I already mentioned how the main villain was a wasted opportunity, but so were their allies. They all had a compelling reason to do what they were doing, and if they had been better developed and we actually got to spend more time with them, we could have seen how the state of the Kingdom had brought them to their point. Instead, what we get is one character standing in the way of Evander and Odessa's romance... right. Ok. Danail, Simon and Jax were fine. Simon was Odessa's brother, in that they were both raised at the same convent as kids. The fact he calls her 'sister' all the time, made me cringe, because it's not a title, it's supposed to be sibling talk (do you call your siblings brother and sister as anything but a joke? Yeah, didn't think so). There is a bit about Simon being from a noble family and having night terrors about being separated from them, but we never follow up on it, so it just seems... irrelevant. Danail is Simon's boyfriend, and he has no personality. He is feminine, which I appreciated, in that he wears eyeliner and cares about clothes and fashion, but he neither does much nor contributes much to the plot, other than when Simon tells us they have been fighting. Jax was probably the best developed of the bunch and I actually liked him best. There are some interesting implications about his relationship to Evander, which if intentional are never followed up on. He and Odessa have a thing which was actually written surprisingly well, and he's the only character that exhibits any nuance, in that he doesn't flat out state what he wants and shows care or anger through his actions. However, what he Odessa do in the guise of comfort and moving on is never really explored fully, and I'm having a hard time believing that their 'friendship' could survive beyond the point that Odessa gets sober. We are presented this volatile angry character, and yet he's completely fine that Odessa uses him as an emotional clutch, and negates any bond they might have developed while grieving? Nah. For the girls, we have Valoria, Mereday and Odessa. Valoria was the least interesting character; she is a princess and an inventor. She wears glasses. She is shy. That’s about it for her character. She loses her entire family in one day and has nothing to say for it. Great. Mereday was more interesting, but again, it's all surface level stuff. There could have been something truly interesting about her nursing this crush on Odessa since childhood, but staying away because she has family problems, and because she doesn't want to get in the way of Odessa and Evander. However, we get very little, if any of this, and instead we focus on a really ill-timed romance. Mereday loses her girlfriend and brother in the span of a month, and yet she's fussing about Odessa and kissing her? People process grief in different ways, but this was just... woefully underdeveloped for it not to be squeaky as a plot point. I already talked about Odessa, but I'd like to point out that she could have been a more interesting character if she had been written consistently. She's mean and selfish, which is fine as a starting point for her character, if the book actually addressed these traits. She uses people left and right, is completely immersed in herself and her own pain and loss, that she is incredibly rude to Evander's mother and sister, and dismisses their feelings. She shrugs off her mentor and her friends, and yet at no point does she experience consequences for her actions, not to mention that she feels jealous and entitled if they are friends with each-other or care about anyone more than they do about her. I'm not saying I want Odessa to be alone, I'm saying I want to see her work to regain the people in her life, and make amends for what she does. There was the opportunity here for a genuinely interesting character arc, and instead we get... kissing. The other problem with the characters was that they all sounded exactly the same. With the exception of Jax who swings between kind of sexist and jokey, to violent and jockey, everyone else is indistinguishable. Simon is supposed to be sarcastic, but his jabs and jokes are indistinguishable from the ones Odessa or Evander make. It’s a fantasy book where the characters sound like they stepped out of high school, and I didn't much care for that. Overall, I did not like this book. It was too short, too superficial and too underdeveloped to be engaging. It read like a first draft of a story that’s in desperate need of some personality and editing, and even the cool concept and possibly interesting world couldn’t save it.

goodreads

[freykugel]

Just been reading a shit ton of random mangos and webtoons and they range from pretty interesting to chuunibyou bullshit. I run into the latter way too often, but what can you do.

A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special

I’m actually surprised at this one? Like, it could have been the same ol’ time travel OP MC bullshit but it’s like a found family with interesting shenanigans. It’s not perfect by any means but I actually like MC, Romantica, Pram, and Adjest. No harem trope (though Pram your crush on Desir is obvious, lmao) and Desir’s abilities mostly come from analysis. I recommend it for a good time.

Dimensional Mercenary

Like this one is............... it has interesting world building. I do like the idea of people in hopeless situations selling their souls to find out if there had been a way out. I just... hate MC? He’s not the worst character I’ve seen but definitely not very compelling. And I have no idea WHY he’s competent enough to get perfect runs in scenarios, but I like the concept itself so I stick around.

Survival Story of a Sword King in a Fantasy World

ONE OF THE BIGGEST SURPRISES. I was ready for some chuunibyou bullshit and what I got is some One Punch Man-esque dumbass humor I live for it. Those gonk faces really breathe life into me. It has the stupid OP MC trope but it punishes him for it (like the refrigerator has a minimum level requirement). No harem here (the cutest character is a male dragon wow). Of course as always not perfect but it’s like a greasy cheeseburger like it hits the stomach so good I know it’s bad for you but damn I’m right at home. The story is a pretty unique take too, considering how all the isekai victims are actively being hunted down in the fantasy world.

Solo Leveling

So so disappointed with this one. The first arc was great! I loved it! The oppressive atmosphere and hopelessness really was eye popping. The art is beautiful and fully colored. I was hooked! And then MC got his cheat powers and it became dull as hell. Over and over he just utilizes the big damn heroes trope and saves everyone via deus ex machina. I actually read the light novel and boy howdy did that piss me off to the point that I didn’t sleep very well. Super chuunibyou (or choding in this case). I’m just sad because THE ART IS SO NICE. I tell myself I keep up with it because of the art. The only time you level grind enough to be god is when you actually play a real vidya gaem. (It’s how I roll, lmao.) Interesting world building though, I cry.

Ranker Who Lives a Second Time

These webtoons sure love them revenge stories. Pretty nice art, but really dull MC. If you remotely like revenge fantasies pick this up, but nothing particularly unique happens. The dwarf blacksmith is a funny tsundere... That’s it. Disappointed that the female... rival I guess? gets a crush on MC. 

Tomb Raider King

Time travel MC, not necessarily OP but does have a lot of knowledge to back him up. A revenge fantasy in which he tries to fuck over a rich asshole. I’m down with that. Please fuck over more rich assholes. If I like anything about this it’s the poor side characters that get wrangled into his bullshit.

Hero? I Quit A Long Time Ago

Please don’t read this one. It’s One Punch Man but with an infinitely more unlikeable MC. And I have no idea if it’s the translators or if they’re actually saying it, but referring to little girls as lolis is disgusting. It lacks all the charm OPM has.

Chainsaw Man

Full on no. Had an interesting concept but the MC is such a disgusting unlikeable piece of shit. What the fuck ass kind of horny kid is this. His dearest wish is to grab some breasts. Wow. Unbelievable.

Marimashita! Iruma-kun

It’s alright! Just a standard shounen schlock, but I’m entertained. I’m super fond of Asmodeus because he’s like a demon version of Gokudera and I’m always here for my boy. Demon grandpa is always doting and bragging about his grandson and I’m having fun. MC becomes more and more childlike though and I have no idea why. Deku in the demon world I guess. I love that everyone’s an idiot at the end of the day.

Kusuriya no Hitorigoto

SUPER SURPRISED AT THIS. I really like it. It’s like a medical mystery drama set in ancient China.  Maomao is such a good protagonist. I like her a lot. She is hyper focused onto medicine and doesn’t even care for the local love interest who is crying into his bowl of cocoa puffs. The only thing that was a cop-out was that her freckles were drawn on and fake. THEY MADE HER CUTE FUCK YOU. 

Kemono Jihen

It’s an ayakashi manga and is pretty fun. And then the writer made Aya act adult and crush on Kabane. Big freaking NO. An entertaining read though, but there are some horrifying things happening in the later arcs, so read at your own discretion.

This Time I Will Definitely Be Happy

So yeah, sometimes I read shoujo. I started to read this because it seemed like a subversion. Reincarnated MC always falls in love with the hero and yet the hero runs off with another woman and she dies miserably. So this time she’s gonna live her own life! I had fun and then it turned the plot back on straight by making it so that the hero loved her the entire time and she was a priestess who was originally isekai’d from Japan. The ending is largely meh and cliche. I largely still think about the beginning though.

Endo and Kobayashi’s Live Commentary on the Villainess

I... Okay? Just the MCs revealing how much of a tsundere Liselotte is is fun, but it’s just alright. Fun read if you’re bored, once again.

Tondemo Skill de Isekai Hourou Meshi

Stock Isekai manga but with a cooking twist. I like it. It’s just MC, a giant wolf, and a slime baby going around eating good food. The giant wolf is your standard OP monster but he’s sticking with MC because GOD DAMN he cooks like a champ.

Otome Game no Hametsu Flag shika nai Akuyaku Reijou ni Tensei shite shimatta...

Isekai shoujo version but I’m so fond of it because of how much of a dumbass MC is. Like at points it’s TOO much of a stretch of how idiotic she is, but it’s a jolly good time. And this is a harem series but all the girls love her too so I’m super forgiving. The drugstore candy bar that you love.

Somali to Mori no Kami-sama

Art is super beautiful and detailed. And how could you not love a series about a golem becoming a dad to a small tiny human daughter. I hear there’s an animu airing this year but I’ve been too lazy to check it out. Plus I dunno how limited budgets would affect the art.

Seijo no Maryoku wa Bannou Desu

Another standard isekai shoujo style (so many of these out there) but this time around MC just wants to live her life making potions. Good on her. This is a secret but sometimes my heart still goes a flutter for handsome men who are devoted. Huhu, that heart clogging granny’s old macaroni and cheese. Delicious but old.

Kono Sekai ga Game da to Ore dake ga Shitteiru

Isekai videogame version (PLEASE SO MANY OF THESE) but the unique aspect of it is that the videogame is glitchy as fuck and unforgiving. MC purposefully played a shitty game to the point of knowing most of the tips and tricks so when he gets shunted into it it’s hilarious how he went about it. Like step-cancels, abusing code-glitches, increasing skills by smashing his face inside the confessional, etc. Female characters are annoying and  one-note, but I appreciate the funny concept of being in a badly coded world.

Kami-sama no Ekohiiki

I... really enjoyed this? All gender-talk aside, I’m super sad that Torii’s love for Kagura (Yashiro) is unrequited, but at least she gets some hastily put together romance in the end. I really liked her. Kenta’s visit in the world where Yashiro doesn’t fall in love with him... right in the heart. 

Sorry For My Familiar

Small demon girl has a human as her familiar. Wacky hijinks ensue. It’s hilarious and light-hearted so read if you want to have a good time. I like me some good ol’ comedy.

Senyuu.

I’m like... going back and forth on reading this. On the one hand, I live for RPG parodies and dumb hijinks. On the other hand, FUCK THAT PEDOPHILE GRANDPA INTO THE DEEPEST PORTION OF HELL AND BACK. So many stupid loli jokes and yet I come back because Alba and Ros and literally everyone else. I dunno. I hear shit gets real, but hnngh. I guess this hinges on how much you can ignore the parts you hate.

I’m sure there are others but these are the ones that showed up in my reading history. Hope you enjoyed me rambling with no substance. Also really shows how much bad taste I have. ;-9