#taz should have been here

[ppeuppeuppeu]

look at these two choosing humor over intelligence for the question LOL

jacob: i feel like i have all the qualities needed to run a ship, so probably would go with humor

mackenyu: humor as well. i dont need intelligence

😂😂😂

[stamplerfag]

i love blurring lines between being character and being obsessed w them

[whereisthedamndaddymanual]

Me giving a speech to morons

I'm the mean one here. Don't be dumb, but even if you are I will save your dumb asses because I am the best.

Today's problem

Look at screen

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Me: is your key sticking?

Her: it's getting hard to make my o's

Me: *sigh*, interrupt my 702 goddamn it

Gimme like 30 minutes

[its-your-mind]

ALWAYS rotating TAZ: Balance around in my brain like microwave but ESPECIALLY with the announcement of The Suffering Game graphic novel

The dope thing they can do (and are doing) with the graphic novel series is sprinkle in moments of foreshadowing and hints to the reader about what REALLY might be going on here, which is so cool and I’m a huge fan of it, especially when you’re telling a story in this form.

But what is REALLY FUCKING TASTY about Balance as a story is that none of the motherfuckers telling it had any clue what they were doing when they started

Gerblins is dick jokes and not knowing how dice work and making fun of each other for voices. LICHRALLY the scene where Taako grabs the Umbrastaff is immediately proceeded by Clint trying different voices for Merle while Justin begs him to stop, as Taako. Merle gets launched across the room cuz he failed his save, and now Taako has an umbrella. The scene moves on.

Griffin brought them up to the BOB, introduced them to the Director, and gave them memories of a war fought over nameless, lost, powerful but mysterious artifacts. The memory that Taako takes from it is the idea of soured cream (ya know, for his taco quest).

And then they’re off, on different adventures, making friends, saving lives, making more dick jokes, and Griffin is in the background, slowly building in the meta-plot, as all DMs do.

But this meta-plot was HUGE. It was ALL-CONSUMING. It completely changes everything we know about this world and these characters. It takes the moments of dick jokes, and arguments about character voices, and flirting with death, and adds a layer of tragedy and complexity that just wasn’t present the first time they told that story.

AND THAT’S WHY THIS STORY KICKS ASS. The vibe of the story changed as Tres Horny Boys grew closer and closer to remembering the lives they had lost, as Griffin upped the stakes, as people started dying. They still don’t know shit for most of The Suffering Game, but you absolutely could not have predicted the tone of that arc after just listening to Gerblins. It sounds like a completely different story. And so when the other shoe drops, when shit breaks bad, when it’s the end of the world… again, and they have to reclaim their Stolen Century…

It makes sense. The tone has shifted enough to accommodate that kind of change. The characters have grown (back) into themselves enough to make this work.

Because TAZ: Balance is a tragedy. But the tragedy happened before the podcast even started, and had been erased. So of course it started off with goofs and dildo jokes. Of course the three of them started being standoff-ish with each other and making light of every situation that should have had a lot more weight. They didn’t know what they had lost, and we, the audience, didn’t either. So it was easy to laugh and joke… until slowly, it wasn’t so much anymore.

Plenty of people have praised Griffin’s storytelling abilities, but I think the thing that was most impressive to me was how he took the disparate threads laid out behind the Boys on their adventures, and followed them backwards, into the story they had lost, and forwards, into the ending they earned. I fucking love that he settled on Istus as the deity to interact with them, because I don’t think there’s a better representation of the story Griffin was weaving behind the scenes of the arcs.

Story and Song wasn’t really an arc driven by dice rolls and role playing - but it wasn’t railroading either. Griffin took every story they had told, every happy ending they had fought for, and twined them around and through each other. The world was saved not because of a lucky nat 20 roll, but because every person they had helped through the story came out in force to fight beside them to save their world.

And so in the end, the Stolen Century was a tragedy. But The Adventure Zone: Balance was a story of hope, of family, of the power that just a few loveable doofuses can have when they move through the world, making friends and saving lives. So when the world was ending and they needed help, there were dozens of people waiting to hear the Story and the Song that would give them the push they needed to fight, and the hope they needed to win.

[liesmyth]

@moscca you're right and you should say it! Here's a really great compilation of Taz quotes I've been keeping in mind

From an interview where she says that Lovecraft was one of her main inspirations, talks about her relationship with horror vs. sff as a genre author, and wanting to find relatable heroines in horror lit.

I didn’t write Gideon the Ninth for the characters—I wrote it entirely for the structure. I wanted to tell a very specific story, and I needed everything to serve that story.

I want people to realise there are no boundaries. I also want to release people from having to take their universe entirely seriously, if they don’t want to. Science fiction and fantasy reflects ourselves, our anxieties, our joys. I’m just writing to amuse myself, as per usual.

I am writing for my younger self and it would be disgusting of me to try to teach her anything.

(& other quotes from that same interview)

Although love and forgiveness aren’t necessarily the same thing either, Gideon’s frankly divine ability to forgive is a huge core of the novel. [...] Forgiveness is almost the electrical current being able to transmit through love.

The way I personally stay true to the story I started down on is to give myself permission to not teach anyone anything. [...] I know that a lot of people do take enormous pleasure and relief in lines or phrases or ideas from stories that ring true to their own lives, but it’s important for me that I tell a story and that I’m not writing Chicken Soup for the Necromantic Soul.

...the God of the Locked Tomb IS a man; he IS the Father and the Teacher; it’s an inherently masc role played by someone who has an uneasy relationship himself to playing a Biblical patriarch. John falls back on hierarchies and roles because they’re familiar even when he’s struggling not to. But the divine in the Locked Tomb is essentially feminine on multiple axes.

It seems to me that most books by anyone female-adjacent have an expectation that they will comfort the uncomfortable and discomfit the comfortable etc., whereas a guy can just tell an adventure story and be done with it. This ties in with an idea that I think nowadays that good art is moral and bad art is immoral: i.e. if a story is good it must somehow be beautiful on the moral scale. We go looking for why the art we love is moral even if the art we love is a donut.

[devilfruitwriter]

falls in love easily {Taz Skylar}

Summary: Life comes at you fast, and often in uncertain ways, at least that's what you find yourself thinking when it's almost five in the morning and you're waiting for the cast of the upcoming Live Action One Piece Netflix show in their makeup trailer, and you realise you might have finally found your people. (And the way you try not to think about how you might genuinely be falling for the actor who you've been joking about being in love with since day one.)

Need to Know: They/Them Reader. Makeup Artist!Reader. Fluff through vignettes. No use of Y/N.

A/N: 3424 words. Unedited and probably a mess but I love him your honor. Now idk if it's good, but I hope you enjoy it. There's mentions of drinking. Let me know what you think, or if you have any prompts for Taz or any of the rest of the cast! <3

Taglist is always open, please comment or message me to be added! xx

Taz has started bringing you coffee, and damn if you don't love him for it.

"Don't let it go to your head; they love everyone," Emily rolls her eyes but her expression is fond. You stick your tongue out at her, still cradling your steaming take away cup with both your hands, looking between them in the makeup trailer they share with you and Emily's makeup artist.

"Yeah but me the most," Taz sits a little higher in his chair, his smug little smile is levelled at his co-star, though you see his gaze flick to you and the grin you're trying to hide behind the rim of your cup, "that's the point of the coffee, isn't it?"

"You have a few other redeeming qualities," you chime in, struggling not to laugh at the whole situation, especially as Taz makes a show of practically preening at your decidedly backhanded praise.

"Told ya," he's outright beaming now, "loves me the most, as they should."

"As I should?" You hear the disbelief in your own voice rise as you lower your cup, crossing your free hand over your chest.

"Obviously," Taz, however, does not seem phased by your indignance, looking at you with wide, bright eyes, like it's the most simple thing in the world, "you're my makeup artist, if you loved one of them more I'd consider that a great betrayal of our bond."

Emily can no longer contain her laughter.

You take a moment to ponder and sip the coffee he'd brought you, mulling over his words.

"I've known Emily longer," you pointed out, though Taz shook his head, managing to keep his composure and keep up with the bit.

"And I've worked with other makeup artists in the past; what matters is the here and now," he says with an almost believable sincerity, "and here and now, I love you the most, and I buy you coffee, and I'm gonna be real sad if you don't say it back." Endeared by his antics, the words tumble from you -

"Of course I love you the mostest -"

"- the mostest! -" he echoes under his breath with a pleased kind of triumph.

"- the mostest? -" Emily, however, has her whole face scrunched up, muttering amid her laughter like she can't quite believe she'd heard you say that.

"Of course I love Taz the mostest -" you doubled down, now outright grinning, "not that it should have to be stated; this is a well established love affair we've got going on here, was that not clear?" Gesturing between yourself and Taz, who's once again looking particularly pleased with the bit, the two of you share an amused look before both turning to Emily in the makeup chair beside you both. She gives you both a thin, amused smile, her laughter having died down.

"Oh it's clear," she smirks at him, "considering that even Kiki won't swap trailers with me -" though there's no real malice behind it.

"You have not asked Kiki to swap with you," Taz rolled his eyes good-naturedly, "you love us."

"And we love you," you assured her, playing up the saccharine quality of your voice once more.

"But not as much as you love each other," she pointed out.

"Obviously," Taz nodded, right as you agreed;

"That goes without saying."

(Later, when you ask him how he takes his coffee, he cracks an eye open where he's relaxing as you're laying his wig for the day, slight smile on his lips, telling you that's not how this works.

Music fills the little trailer in the in-between moments, loud enough that Emily and her own makeup artist can't hear the specifics of your conversation. You give pause, waiting for the spirit gum to dry, echoing his words back to him as a question, amused at his apparent courteousness. He nods, now watching you, as if confused by your question.

"How am I meant to let you know I love you otherwise?" You snickered, playing off the earlier joke. It did the trick, however, as he huffed a quiet laugh of his own. Still, he tells you how he takes his coffee, and you, triumphant, turn to the counter for your next product.

"Or you could just say," he adds after a moment, and you can't help but freeze. You don't even need to be looking at him to hear him grinning - this moment is doing strange things to the affectionate feeling in your chest, but you do your best to ignore it. Turning back, his eyes are closed again, settled back in his seat, waiting as patient as ever.

"That's too easy," you hope he can tell you're smiling too.)

----

"I'm so sorry, love," Taz is leaning against the side of your trailer, cigarette in one hand, and blue, plastic lighter in the other, "my lighter's dead, you don't happen to have one?"

After being called in even earlier than usual to assist with Jeff's Buggy makeup for the shoot today, it takes you a moment to catch up. It takes you a moment, and a yawn, but you reach into one of the side pockets of your backpack.

"Yeah, gimme a sec," you mumble through your yawn.

"Fuckin' love you," Taz mutters gratefully, shoving his own, empty lighter into his back pocket, "I know it's a filthy habit but -"

"I don't judge," you shrug, finally handing over the lighter that had been buried in the bottom of the pocket. Instead of heading in, however, you joined him, leaning against the trailer, tipping your head back to look at the lilac sky as it began to turn gold.

The quiet spark, pop, sizzle of the cigarette isn't an unfamiliar sound given the industry you work in. Taz thanks you quietly as he hands back the lighter, and you give a tired smile in return; you had an energy drink and probably a coffee waiting in your trailer but you would rather take these few moments of peace where you could get them.

"I thought you vaped," you mused after a moment. Taz makes a noncommittal noise as he breathes out a lungful of smoke.

"Left it in the accommodation," he admitted. He offers the cigarette, but you shake your head, "probably smart, like its a bad habit, yeah, but also I don't exactly know where this came from, I found it in the bottom of my bag, it's..." he gives a thin, self deprecating smile, "questionable."

"Sounds like a you-problem, my guy," you tell him, shifting over to lean against his shoulder, closing your eyes for the moment. You hear him laugh and agree, and a comfortable silence stretches out between you.

"It definitely is," he agrees after a moment, "can I ask why you carry a lighter with you if you don't smoke? Not that I'm not grateful -"

"That's why."

"What?"

"In case someone needs a lighter."

"That's sweet, that's very lovely."

"I do try," you hum with a slight smile. After a moment, he wraps an arm around your shoulders, continuing to blow smoke into the wind, away from you.

"You doing alright, love?"

"Always," you sigh, leaning into him in the moment, "I'll be alright, I just need to get some caffeine into me."

"Coffee's waiting for you inside," he told you warmly, giving your shoulder a squeeze.

"Yeah," you mumbled, before admitting, "I like hanging out with you though."

You can't bring yourself to open your eyes and gauge his reaction, but he doesn't let you go.

(He keeps borrowing your lighter. Sometimes it's those early mornings, sometimes it's on set, during the few scenes where Sanji's smoking; before anyone else he'll come to you. You start carrying your lighter in your pocket just in case.

"So you've just given up on having a lighter of your own?" You teased, lighting the herbal cigarette they were using for filming.

"Why would I need one? I've got you," he smirks back, and damn he's just as charming in character as he is out of it. "Thanks, love," he wraps you up in a one-armed hug, pressing a quick kiss to your temple before the cast and crew is called to stand by for the shot.

Taz is the kind of affectionate you could really see yourself getting used to, and he's definitely taken notice.)

----

Between the wig, the makeup, and covering up his tattoos, Taz's spends just over an hour in your makeup chair, depending on how much of Sanji will be seen on any given day.

"Scenes like today might be my favourite," You're working diligently away, already a half hour into your routine and mind on autopilot as you take Taz's hand to keep it still while you added product to your brush. You hadn't even realised you'd said that out loud until he responded.

"Scenes like today?" His voice is gentle but amused; you can hear him smiling but can't bring yourself to meet his gaze, suddenly feeling flustered that you'd voiced that thought at all. "Come on, love, you can't just say that, what d' you mean by that?" And it takes you a moment of deliberation to decide if you want to answer honestly, applying concealer to his tattoos as you feel yourself grow flustered.

"I like all your scenes," you mutter dismissively, "I feel lucky that I get to see so much of the show being filmed." Which isn't a lie, you're on standby on set to touch up makeup throughout the days, and you love the production and what you've seen of the show thus far... but it's also not the whole truth, and you know Taz can tell.

He makes a noise in the back of his throat, and when you look up finally, you can see the way he's smiling, but he's thankfully not looking at you. For a moment, you're glad Emily's not filming until later in the day, her call time not for several hours, so it's just you and Taz, and his playlist to fill the silence. But you make the call to swallow your embarrassment and voice the compliment that had been idling in your mind.

"I like watching you cook on set the most," you say without a hint of hesitation, and he looks to you quickly, almost like he's surprised by your honesty, but you weren't finished, "I know you've really immersed yourself in the role and put in a lot of effort and training; it really shows, especially when you fight and when you cook." There's something in the way he's looking at you that starts to overwhelm you, and you have to break the moment, break eye contact, go back to covering his tattoos or your not sure what you might do. Even your tone shifts, a little flustered, a little awkward, a little jarring after how sure you'd just been, "I, you know, I appreciate you and stuff, but you knew that."

There was a warmth to the silence that followed. When you finally sat back to grab the colour correction pallet, you could see Taz still watching you with genuine affection in his gaze.

"You're very kind," he says softly.

"Nah, it's just true," you huffed an awkward laugh.

"Don't hit me with that 'nah, it's just true' shit," he snorted, shaking his head, "you're being very kind and I appreciate that," he told you with firm honesty, matching the tone you'd addressed him with just moments ago, "lemme cook you dinner some time, 'cos I have been practicing," he agrees with pride, "and I'd take any excuse to show off, 'specially to you."

"Thought we established that I already love you, you don't have to prove anything to me," you ducked your head as you loaded your brush with product, unable to keep the grin from your face.

"Yeah, but this love-bit is a two way street."

"Okay," you said after a pause, finally meeting his gaze once more, and your smile grows wider.

"Okay?" Matching your excited energy, Taz grins widely at you, and you nod.

"Yeah, dinner, eventually," you laughed, "whenever we both are up for it. I'd really like that."

Something is... different now. Something has changed. Taz can't help but mention, as you're securing his wig, that it's going to be hard for him to think of anything but your kind words during filming today. Sheepishly you apologise, but he waves you off quickly - nothing to apologise for, he assured you.

But something is different.

(The silly, little fantasies you've been having on occasion, or more accurately, have been trying to ignore on occasion, have only gotten worse.

And more domestic.

They leave you feeling that kind of giddy-sick and unprofessional, the kind of daydreams that remind you at two in the morning that you should be sleeping and really shouldn't have a crush on your coworker.

Except you can't stop picturing small moments, like a sunlit, mid-morning, music playing on your laptop, the two of you moving around each other to make breakfast together on your day off. Or sharing quiet conversations and laughter while making dinner and -

When you both finally have a night off, he mentions how he's invited some of the other cast members to join you both. You've never been so relieved and disappointed all at once.)

----

Lines and jokes get messy and blurry; late nights on set, Taz almost falling asleep in your makeup chair as you're removing his wig for the day, nights out that both he and Emily invite you to, and a burgeoning friendship with the rest of the cast, and quiet moments spent in the back of Ubers lamenting how early you all have to get up the next day.

Usually you're the first one to bail, considering you're usually getting calling in even earlier than the cast, but some of the more responsible ones, or the other members of crew who have been roped into these various shenanigans, will split the Uber bill with you. The others all seem to understand why you have to leave early, but still, they're sad to see you leave.

What you tell absolutely none of them is that your self restraint is wearing incredibly thin when it comes to Taz already, and you know you're so close to doing something you can't take back.

Because he gets somehow more tactile when you're all out together; his arm around you, kisses your temple, your cheek, elated to see you whenever you meet up again after any amount of time. The way he laughs, the way he just talks to you, making you feel like you're the most important person in the world in the moment he gives you his focus and attention, and your brain gets all giddy and foggy when he calls you 'my love'.

So you need to leave, before you do too much, or say too much... well, too much more.

("My love -" and there it is again, his voice above the music, cutting through the crowd where he's spotted you.

"Yes, my darling Taz," you greet him with a sunny smile and open arms as an invitation to join you. Beside you in the booth, Emily and Inaki are playing slaps, and somehow neither are doing well, but thankfully they're both enjoying themselves.

Taz slides seamlessly into the booth beside you, pressed up to your side. Immediately his focus is stolen by his castmates' various yells and shrieks and slaps, and he half drapes himself across you and the table in front of you to get closer to their game. You don't even really mind, simply enjoying the moment, his proximity, and trying to figure out how long before you should head home. These three have the day off tomorrow, but you've been called in to assist with the hair and makeup for Mihawk.

"You're thinking very hard," Taz muses, as if remembering on whom he was leaning. Giving him a nudge, you grin.

"Just got work tomorrow unfortunately -"

Emily pats you sympathetically on the shoulder, Inaki immediately shouts that she's cheating, his eyes bright and wide. You push Taz back so he's no longer half-leaning over you to instead offer your shoulder to Inaki; he gives a decisive pat and declares he and Emily even, while you lament that you should probably hit the hay.

Emily and Inaki put their game on hold to say goodbye, Emily hugging you tightly and telling you to message when you got back to your accommodation, before they returned their focus to each other, and trying to pick a new game. Taz slides from the booth, giving you room to get out, and walks with you to the door.

"Surely you're not leaving," you grinned, but he's already shaking his head, throwing an arm around your shoulders as you get out onto the street.

"Making sure you make it to your taxi, or Uber, or whatever, okay."

"My hero," you teased, but still pulled out your phone to order your ride back to the hotel. Taz is humming something to himself that you can't quite pick all the while, "should be here in three minutes," you say softly, turning your attention back to him for the moment. The sight of his affectionate, smiling face has something softening in your heart - "you don't need to stay out here, I'll be fine, the bouncer's -"

"I work hard to my top ranking with you," Taz tried to muster up as much seriousness as he could, but it only served to endear you further, "no way I'm letting something happen in these three minutes and you end up liking some fuckin' bouncer more than me."

What you want to say is 'that will never happen'.

What you actually do is kiss him.)

----

It's not nothing.

This thing between you both is something, but you're not quite sure what. Because at first neither of you talk about what happens on those nights out, or how it keeps happening, but it never feels strange when you see each other at work. Still you tease each other endlessly, and there's something about the way he tries not to laugh when you're doing some kind of nonsense bit while doing his makeup, and how you'd fallen asleep against each other when Inaki invited people over to hang out and watch movies together.

Somehow after the wrap party, you, the main cast, and a few other members of the crew all ended up back at your accommodation. Most had left in the wee hours of the morning, but Inaki's passed out on your sofa, and a few of the other makeup artists had decided to squeeze into your bed like sardines, while you and Taz haven't moved from the wicker armchair on your balcony for hours.

The sunrise paints him golden in this moment you never want to end.

He's halfway through telling a story that has you practically wheezing, and you want to tell him that you'll miss him, miss these moments, miss whatever it is the two of you are, that you might actually love him, but instead what comes out is -

"You bastard, you know you've ruined me for other actors," you're beaming from ear to ear, watching the sun rise, and you hear him practically giggling as he leans against you.

"My grand plan has succeeded then."

"Grand plan?"

"Grand plan," he confirmed with a slight nod, "since I met you and you pointed at me," he points out to the horizon for emphasis, "and you said I was going to do great things with this role, even though you'd barely even met me; I've been gone for you ever since," he admitted with a snort of laughter, as if embarrassed by the recollection.

"You what?" You shifted back, eyes wide with surprise, only to be met with Taz's confused smile, like obviously.

"You've been nothing but a support this entire time, how is this a surprise?" He chuckled; seeing how obviously flustered you were becoming, his smile softened to something endeared, "you make yourself very easy to love, you know that, right?"

So much is running through your head at once, a million things you'd like to say, questions you have, what-ifs you could dwell on, but you don't.

"Oh thank god," you breathe, wrapping your arms around him, "I love you too," you're beaming until you're kissing him, this moment golden and absolutely perfect.

----

Taglist: @annssell @deadsnothere @hobbitsnapes @notdaninotfound @uncertainturquoise

[pheonixgrave]

Ignore It (18+)

This is really my first time posting a story to here, I usually only do it to AO3, but this is what I made this account for. Might as well start using it?

WARNINGS: Heavy smut, corruption kink, mild blood kink? (not sure about that one) Fem Tav, hetero relationship, stress fucking, not beta'd, angst, use of cunt

Smut blow the cut, please enjoy!!

Trekking through the wilderness was exhausting as is. But the bickering? That was starting to drive Tav crazy. Vampire this. Shar that. Eating magic this. Demons that. It was always something else. No matter what she did, they were always at each other’s throats. Oh the irony in that. Maybe the Illithid worm wasn’t the worst thing. Maybe this, the arguing, was the worst thing to happen to her. If she had to hear any Githyanki phrases in the next thirty minutes, she might kill Lae’zel herself. Tav was at her wits end, ready to beat her head against the nearest tree just to see if that got rid of the tadpole. It would be a win-win if it also got everyone else to shut up. 

They didn’t even let up at camp. Sure, they all had their respective tents and spaces. But the glaring. Oh, the glaring! Not a moment of peace before bed. She sat near her bedroll, closer to the fire Gale had set up. A tankard in hand, her back to the more vocal members of the party. She could practically hear Lae’zel glaring at Astarion. And Shadowheart wasn't exactly quiet about her distaste for him either. It’s not like there was an Infernal being less than ten yards away from him. Or a Warlock just across the flames. 

She very quickly downed the rest of her drink before tossing the tankard near the flames. Curling up in her bedroll, she tried to block out all of the noise and barbed words. It was currently taking everything in her to not scream at her first three companions. They had all been through something insane and deadly. Why could they not have it in them to simply get along? It felt impossible. 

Fortunately, her sour mood was noticed by her party. Not that she’d realize it at the moment. The biggest point of contention, Astarion, managed to get the courage to walk up to their fearless, albeit grumpy, leader. He nudged her with his foot. Which he immediately realized was a bad decision. Taz shot up to meet his eyes in the blink of an eye. “What do you want?”

The bite in her voice was unmistakable. But he knew how to handle it. “I want-”

“Don’t bother,” she cut him off. She never cut him off. She was more than happy to let him talk at her sometimes. The final glare she gave him was intense as she stalked towards the lake, away from everybody else. Astarion watched her walk away. Did he only watch to see her hips sway? Absolutely. But that didn’t change the fact that the Bard needed to relax. He smiled to himself before following her. “Didn’t I say don’t bother? I’m not in the mood to be your midnight snack tonight.” 

He didn’t fail to match her step. “Why darling! Do you truly think so little of me?” He pouted. 

Tav just sighed, “Take your antics somewhere else for now, Astarion.”

“Will you just sit down?” He pushed on her shoulders, forcing her down.

Much to the rest of the party's dismay, she did trust the vampire. Whether that would lead her to her own doom was yet to be seen.

Her knees crumbled under the pressure as she fell on the ground. She shot another glare in his direction but that didn’t seem to dissuade him from his plan.

“You’ve been far too stressed today, darling.” He purred in her ear, his hands never leaving her shoulders. 

“Astarion?” He continued to move her body until she was on her stomach.

“Shhh, do you trust me?” Gods, that man was always far too much for Tav.

“Should I?”

He chuckled as he readjusted himself so he was sitting on the back of her thighs, straddling her. It took every ounce of self restraint he had to not immediately rub her ass. Gods, it always looked so perfect when she walked. He took a deep breath before applying pressure between her shoulder blades. He felt her body tense before slowly relaxing. 

It wasn’t what she expected. Was he giving her a massage? His hands worked slowly from the base of her neck to her waist. And-oh? Did she just moan? 

“It’s alright, my dear, I love hearing you.” He smirked before continuing his work. He continued like that for a few moments, just enjoying the little sounds she was making. “Let's get you out of these clothes, shall we?”

She pushed him off her, rolling on her back and sitting up. “So that’s what this was? Just an excuse to get me naked?” That fire was coming back.

“Darling, if I was trying to get into your pants, I’d try flattering you more first. Unfortunately, it is difficult to get this right over your clothes.” He sat next to her, staring out at the water, just watching the water crash against the coast. “I was taught how to do this a long, long time ago.”

She stared at the rogue before swallowing. The tips of her ears and the back of her neck were flushed. But she did trust him. He would say if this was untoward. Right? With a shaky breath, she sighed but said “Alright.” 

Astarion watched her shaky hands start to untie the little knots holding her bustier. His mouth started to water, but he had patience. As she shrugged the last of her tunic off, she covered her chest and turned the other way. He did manage to lay down her tunic so she wasn’t just laying on the dirt anymore. She laid herself in front of him. He could feel how shaky her breath still was as he climbed on top of her once more. 

He resumed his previous work, addressing the knots in her lower back. The elf’s skin was so soft, so warm. He found himself just getting lost in the feeling of someone trusting him. It was a strange feeling but a welcome one. 

Tav, on the other hand, was getting lost in his touch. His cold hands worked their way up her back and she liked it far more than she thought she would. What started off as little moans slowly became louder. It didn’t help that he was an expert with his hands. And her mind started to trail off to things that were unbecoming of a lady.

But Astarion could feel her thighs clench. No matter how she tried to move without him noticing too much. Gods, he could almost smell her arousal. Over 200 years old and here he was, still trying to keep himself from getting hard. But then she moaned his name. And what little restraint he had disappeared. He put his hands near her head before leaning down towards her ear. “This wasn’t an excuse to see you naked but you are making it very hard to not act on my…baser impulses, my dear.” He felt the shiver go down her spine. 

“Astarion,” she moaned again before grinding back on him. And she got what she wanted when he flipped her on her back without moving from his spot. And there she was, laid out in front of a vampire spawn with her chest bare. She looked up at him with wide eyes, unsure how to go from there. But him? He had far more experience than most. He moved faster than she thought. He captured her lips as he slotted himself between her thighs. And just like that, his hands were everywhere. 

It was like he couldn’t decide where he liked them best. Her throat? Her breasts? Her hips so he could grind against her? He just couldn’t decide. And she tried so hard to keep herself quiet. But then he moved his lips down her neck, his fangs brushing over the still healing marks from the night before. He thought about feeding for a moment, but something far more filling had his attention right now. He moved until he had her nipple in his mouth. Flicking the nub with his tongue, his hand went to massage the other one. He wasn’t gentle. No one that knew Astarion for who he was thought he was a gentle man. It was rough but Tav didn’t seem to mind. 

In fact, Tav seemed to love it. Her back arched into him. “Astarion!” And then her hands were on his shoulders, urging him downwards.

And he didn’t want to fight it. He kept moving, biting and nipping at her stomach. And then he got to her trousers. He sat up, panting and looking wild. His fangs were bared and he was panting hard. He threw her legs on his shoulders, tossing her loafers somewhere behind him. And then he went to work on the knots holding her trousers up. Which he made very quick work of. He shimmied them off her, making sure to keep her underwear on for a moment. He stripped off his shirt before returning to her mouth. 

He needed her. 

“Astarion, please, touch me.”

He was quick to snake his hand towards her cunt. And even quicker to find the spot that made her gasp into his mouth. Gods, he could do this forever. He made his way back to her neck, lapping over those same marks. Her hand tangled itself into his hair and the other gripped his shoulder with far more strength than he expected. His cold hands were a sharp contrast to the warmth of her. Her head was thrown back against the ground as she gasped for air. She was shaking. 

It was already so much for her. She had been so pent up and so angry. But the way he worked her clit? It was a way no one ever had before. Not even herself. In fact, no one had ever touched her like this before. Nothing past shy kisses or heady glances. If she had known, maybe she would have lived her life a little differently. 

But once her back arched and she cried out his name? She clenched around nothing. She felt so empty now and he hadn’t even gotten close yet. He chuckled as best he could, “Already, darling?” he muttered against her neck.

“I-” she gasped once he slid a finger inside her. “Astarion,” his name rolled off her tongue and he swore he wouldn’t mind hearing her do this forever. He could still feel her cunt clench around his fingers and he groaned. He couldn’t wait much longer but she was enjoying herself. “I’ve never-” he curled his finger before adding a second one. 

“You’ve never felt this good before?”

“Done this before,” she managed to gasp out before he curled his fingers again. 

His hands stalled for a moment and she whined. “I’m to be your first?” She nodded, wriggling her hips, trying to will him to move again. “My dear, why didn’t you say anything?” He removed his fingers and she cried out. “Shhh, I have to make a good first impression, don’t I?”

He practically ripped her underwear off. She was a virgin. He couldn’t lie that it made him even harder to think about being the only one who got to touch her. But he had to take care of her if he wanted to be the only one.

He buried his face in her cunt, holding her thighs open with his hands. Tav covered her mouth to hide her cries of his name. But it was his name on her lips. His fingers going right back inside her, where they belonged. His lips on her clit. He groaned again when she came, this time right on his face and hands. He lapped at her for a moment longer and started pistoning his fingers in and out. He couldn’t help but watch her cum make a mess of his fingers. 

“Astarion!” She cried as she came on his fingers yet again. “Please!”

“Please what, my dear?” He wiped her juices off his chin before closing the distance between them. His lips hovered over hers, those red eyes glazed over with a hunger. Her eyes fluttered open. She smiled at him, all too happy to offer herself to him. She bared her neck. And dive he did. His fangs pierced her neck once again as he drank. He knew better than to drink more than his share but he wanted nothing more than to keep drinking as she wrapped her bare legs around his waist and rubbed her cunt against the fabric of his trousers. He released her neck and practically shredded what was left of his clothing. 

He leaned back for a moment, taking in the sight. This elf, a noble from Waterdeep, was laid out before him. Freckles dotting her skin and her blonde hair spread out like a halo before him. It would be angelic if not for the blood slowly trickling out of her neck. “Astarion,” she whispered. Her voice was full of something he couldn’t quite place. Something he had pushed aside a long time ago. 

All he could do was nod before he lined himself up to her. As he slowly slid in, he swore that this was the closest he could get to heaven. 

Astarion wasn’t small. Tav could feel his cock stretching her cunt out. Why did no one ever tell her it could feel like this? She gripped his shoulders and wrapped her legs around him once more. She sighed as he finally finished. “Gods above, you’re amazing.” She whispered, almost too afraid to say it. Too afraid to say the other things on the tip of her tongue. Her eyes traveled down his body to where they were connected before looking back up at him. 

“Shit,” he panted, withholding every emotion that came flooding through him. Instead, he snaked a hand underneath her thigh, lifting it up before he began to thrust.

She thought just having her inside him felt amazing. But this angle had her barely able to breath. She threw her head back and arched into his body. It was all she could do to hold on to him as he upped his pace. Tav could barely gasp out his name as she tried to look at him. His eyes were shut and his hair was more than perfectly tousled. “Beautiful,” was all she could get out before she tightened around his cock. 

“Shit!” He followed closely behind her, seemingly unexpectedly. They laid there for a moment, just feeling each other before he slipped out of her. She cried, a palpable sense of emptiness. He watched her breath for a few moments longer, secretly enjoying his cum starting to drip out of her cunt. Normally, he’d leave. He’d get up, put his clothes back together and leave. But Tav? Something told him he couldn’t. So he grabbed his tunic and wrapped her in it before carrying her to the water. 

He tried not to notice her nuzzling his neck. He tried to ignore the praises she said. He tried desperately to ignore the draw she had on him. He tried to ignore her moan as he set her in the shallow water, gently taking his tunic off her shoulders. Instead, he sat next to her and let the water wash away the previous activities. 

[multi-fandom-things730]

Singin’ In The Rain

Summary: When Will overhears Don Callis harassing a beautiful woman, he can’t help but stop and help her. But when Callis hears Will call her love, it sets off a chain reaction no one could have anticipated.

Warnings: mob au, talk of violence, angst, threats, fighting, fluff, love at first sight ish?, they’re both smitten, this is not a slow burn

A/N: I’m super excited to share my first Will fic!!!! I hope you all love and enjoy. There will definitely be a part two, but fair warning, it’ll be slow to come out😂 thank you so much to @madhatterbri for helping me out, and getting me obsessed with Will😂💚 and @hotgirlgraps , hopefully this fuels your growing appreciation for Will😂🫶

Y/N pressed play on her playlist, and as Singin' in the Rain filled her cafe she let a comfortable smile rest on her lips.

She walked to the door to flip the open sign on, and couldn't help but laugh as she saw one of her regulars waiting.

She opened the door to greet the old man happily. "Good morning Mr.Emerson"

"Morning Y/N" he smiled back, walking in as she held the door for him.

Y/N bounced back to behind the counter. "Would you like the usual?"

"You know it" the old man nods.

She grabs a bag with two cinnamon rolls she had already packaged and holds them out to him. "Here's these to snack on while I make your tea"

He laughs and reaches into his pocket to retrieve his wallet.

"Mr.Emerson" Y/N chides playfully. "I tell you everyday, that is not necessary. You've been here almost everyday since I opened"

"I don't argue, do I?" He teases.

"No" Y/N laughs. "Because you put it in the tip jar instead"

"You deserve it hon" He replies, putting the bills into the yellow jar.

Y/N smiles, warmth filling her chest from the sweet man. "Well, thank you, Mr.Emerson. Your tea will be right out"

The man nods, and sits down in his usual cushioned seat by the window to people-watch.

Y/N hummed along to the music softly playing as she made his honey tea.

She poured it into a light green cup with a matching saucer before picking it up, and walking around the counter to bring it to him.

"Here you go" she smiles.

"Thank you" he smiles.

She nods before retreating to the counter. Mr.Emerson was always the best part of her day. He started coming as soon as it opened 3 years ago, and had come almost every single morning since.

She had formed relationships with many people from the community since opening, some sweet like Mr.Emerson.

And some are not quite as sweet.

And that rang true when she heard the bell ring, and looked up to see none other than Don Callis parade inside with Hobbs close behind him.

Y/N didn't mind Hobbs, she knew him before he had joined the Callis family and they got along well.

But she knew to steer clear of Callis, she had been told that by Taz Senerchia himself.

She had grown up next door to the Senerchias, and was very close with them.

Taz always made sure to look out for her, even sending men to watch over her when situations got tense.

Everyone knew her association with Taz, he made sure of it. As one of the most powerful mob leaders in the city, he wanted it known that no one should ever put their hands on Y/N or her store.

She was thankful for this, but it made it awkward when members of other mobs came in. Especially other leaders.

"Y/N, dear!" Callis greets, a deceptive smile on his face.

"Good morning" Y/N nods to him. "Mornin' Hobbs"

Hobbs nods and sends a small smile back to her.

She takes their orders, and silently starts making their drinks as Callis stares her down.

Y/N does her best to avoid any eye contact with him, and cringes when he speaks again.

"So Y/N, I heard Taz has been looking to make some expansions in his business"

"I wouldn't know anything about that" Y/N answers stiffly, but worry begins building in her gut.

She kneels down behind the counter like she has to grab something. But she instead quickly pulls her phone out of her apron pocket and sends Hook, Taz's son, a message that Callis is there asking questions.

Callis leans against the counter, watching her like a hawk as she stands back up. "Oh, come on now. We both know that's not true. They must have mentioned something over family dinner"

"I'm not involved with anything Taz has going on. You know that" Y/N insists through gritted teeth.

"I know you’d parents were-" Callis is cut off by the bell on the door ringing, and Y/N couldn't be more thankful.

She looked up, but froze when she saw who waltzed in.

"Ospreay" Callis practically growls at the smiling man.

"Hello" Will grins nonchalantly.

Y/N had never properly met Will. She'd seen him once or twice leaving Taz's after a meeting, or at a gala she accompanied Hook to so he didn't have to bother finding a date, but they'd never spoken.

"Why don't you boys just get your drinks and not bother the pretty lady?" Will asks charmingly, before sending a dazzling smile to Y/N. "Morning love"

"Good morning" she mumbles softly, heat rushing to her cheeks as she finishes up the drinks.

"Thank you, have a nice day" Y/N says. She hands them their coffees and Callis immediately stomps out.

Hobbs sends her a parting smile before following quickly behind.

"Sorry about all the fuss" Will apologizes with a sheepish smile.

But Y/N shakes her head. "No, thank you! I don't think they would have left me alone if it wasn't for you"

That makes Will grin, and puff his chest out a little with pride. "Always happy to help"

"Well" Y/N takes a deep breath, regrouping from the whirlwind of emotions that she just had. "Would you like some breakfast for your troubles?"

"It was no trouble at all" Will insists. "But some breakfast does sound quite nice. What would you suggest darling?"

Y/N blushes again, and Will can't stop the proud and goofy smile that grows on his face at seeing her cheeks turn pink.

"The um, the chai is my favorite. I make mine with oat milk. But the milk tea is another really good one. And there's a lot of different coffees if you're not a tea person" Y/N rambles.

"I'll take a chai love. And a slice of that banana bread too please, it looks amazing" Will orders.

"Coming right up" Y/N happily turns to start his order.

“Lovely song” Will notes after hearing her humming along.

Y/N grins at him over her shoulder. “It’s one of my favorites. The movie too. Singing in the rain is a classic”

“I haven’t seen it. Maybe we could watch it together sometime?”

But then the door busts open, and Will whips around. His friendly posture quickly changes to defensive and strong, but he relaxes when he sees Hook running in.

"Where are they?" Hook asks urgently, rushing behind the counter and over to Y/N.

"They're gone" Y/N immediately answers, placing her hands on his arms as he scans her for any injuries.

He cups her face with his hands and stares into her eyes. "They didn't touch you, did they? I'll kill them" he growls.

"No, I'm completely fine Tyler" Y/N comforts with a soft smile. She brushes some hair out of his eyes as she speaks. "They were just asking questions. And then Mr.Ospreay got them to leave"

"No need for Mr., darling" Will grins. "Just call me Will"

Hook's eyes snap over to Will, and his arms move to be wrapped around Y/N's waist. "Why are you here Ospreay? You starting stuff with Callis in her shop?" His eyes narrow dangerously.

Will raises his hands in surrender. "I didn't mean to cause anything Hook"

"I won't tolerate you bringing issues around her, and neither will my dad" Hook threatens, his grip on Y/N tightening defensively.

"I just saw them bothering her and wanted to help. That's all" Will assures.

"He didn't do anything Tyler, I promise" Y/N insists. "They wouldn't have left if it wasn't for him"

Hook looks down at her, and only to her would he let his hard eyes show a little worry. "But now they may think you're involved with him somehow. They could come around here more often to look for him. They have a personal vendetta against him"

Will wants to object, but he really couldn't. He hadn't thought about that before he interrupted. If Callis thinks he cares for Y/N, he wouldn't be above coming after her. He wouldn't hesitate. "I didn't mean to start any trouble, Hook, honestly. I didn't think about it like that"

"No, you didn't!" He snaps, letting Y/N go and circling the counter. "From what I hear you don't think through much! Callis will go after anyone he thinks is associated with you!"

"Tyler!" Y/N exclaims, making both men look over at her. "Stop causing a scene in my cafe!"

Hook huffs, before doing as told and taking a step back from Will. He crosses his arms and leans against the counter while glaring at Will.

"It was just one interaction" Y/N says. "We don't know that Callis will think anything of it. I'll be fine. I'm a big girl and can take care of myself"

Y/N woke up that night to a crash.

She jumped up and looked around as her basset hound, who was soundly asleep by her feet, growled.

"What is it, Charles?" She nervously asks, before fishing around in her bedside table's drawer for her taser that Taz had gifted her.

She walks out of her room with Charles trailing behind, and peaks around the corner to her living room.

She doesn't see a person, but there's a brick lying on the floor along with shattered class from her window that was now busted.

She approaches the brick, and her eyes widen when she sees a note wrapped around it.

She picks it up, and she can feel her heart practically beating out of her chest at the words.

Your little boyfriend will agree to our terms, or we will be back

Y/N paced back and forth as she stood in her cafe the next morning.

She was terrified that Callis would show up, and at first, she wasn't even going to open today and instead run right to Taz and tell him what happened.

But then she realized it would cause a war between the Senerchias and Callis, and she didn't want to put them through that just for her.

But on the other hand, she didn't know how she could keep this a secret from them.

As all the nerves screamed in her head, there was one person she had no doubt she needed to inform.

So here she was, glancing up anxiously every time someone walked by, hoping Will would show up so she could talk to him.

And at 11 o'clock he finally walked in with that same handsome smile. "Morning love!"

Y/N walked around the counter and practically ran over to him. "I need to talk to you"

"About?" Will asks slowly, watching her turn off the open sign.

"This" She pulls the note out of the pocket on her apron and shoves it into his chest before grabbing his hand and pulling him to the back.

He read the note as she led him up the stairs to her apartment, which was above the cafe.

He felt a cold chill run through his body at the words. He never intended to get her wrapped up in any of this, he simply wanted to flirt with a pretty woman. "I... I am so sorry"

"It's.." Y/N trails off, staring down at her carpet. "It's okay Will.."

"No, it isn't" he insists. "I never meant to put you in any danger"

"I'm used to being in danger" She answers softly.

Will just looks over at the broken window, his frown resembling a kicked puppy.

Y/N felt sadness forming in her chest at his face. "I know you didn't mean to cause any of this Will"

"I'll do whatever it takes to protect you" he pledges. "Anything it takes to keep you safe. Have you told Taz?"

Y/N shakes her head. "I almost did. But I don't want him to start a war with Callis over me. I thought you may know what I should do"

"I do" he nods. "The fewer people who know this the better. Callis must see you as the perfect target. He's been making moves into Taz's territory recently, and he hates me"

Y/N nods softly, as fear takes root throughout her body.

Will sees her stiffen, and her breathing starts picking up as the reality of this situation becomes clearer to her. "Hey, hey, hey, it'll be okay"

"Will it?" She breathes out. "What if he gets to me? I- I've heard what he's capable of. Wh-What he's done to people-"

"Listen to me love" Will coaxes her to sit down on the couch, and he kneels in front of her, placing his hands on her knees and looking her in the eye. "I am going to keep you safe. I caused this, and I'm going to fix it"

Y/N nods silently, looking at Will through the tears in her eyes.

"Why do you care what happens to me?" She asks after a moment. "You don't even know my name"

Will chuckles at that. "That is something we'll have to fix love. Because I'm gonna be around for a while. I wouldn't let anyone get hurt because of my big mouth"

Y/N giggles at that, making Will smile back at her. He was proud to have been able to make her laugh at that moment despite the circumstances.

"Y/N" she softly says. "My name is Y/N"

"Y/N" Will echoes. "That's a beautiful name love"

"Thank you" she replies bashfully.

"I, um" Y/N stumbles over her words as she stands up. "I should go check on Charles"

"Charles?" Will asks. He had just met Y/N, but the thought of her possibly being in a relationship made his stomach drop.

"Yeah, my dog" Y/N answers.

Will let out a breath at her explanation, and watched as she walked to her bedroom door and opened it.

A cute little basset hound came trotting out, ears dragging on the floor as he stared at Will.

Will smiled and kneeled down to hold out his hand. "Hey little guy"

But the dog's eyes narrow, and he lets out a bark before standing in front of Y/N defensively.

"Charles!" Y/N exclaims. She leans down to pick him up, and pets his head. "I'm sorry about that, he's usually very gentle"

"It's alright love" Will waves it off. "He's gotta protect his mama, don't you boy?"

"He wouldn't leave my side for the rest of the night" Y/N sighs. "He hasn't gotten much sleep at all"

"I'm sure he'll get some rest today" Will replies, a sympathetic look on his handsome face.

"Will.." Y/N sighs as she sets Charles down by her feet. "I have to tell Taz. He's like my father, I can't keep this from him"

Will is quiet for a moment, mulling over the circumstances in his head. He understood where she was coming from, and to be honest he didn't see a downside to telling Taz.

It was Hook he was worried about. Judging by his attitude in the cafe, it made him worried that Hook would try to confront Callis.

And admittedly, he was nervous about what Hook would do to him.

"I know it's a lot to consider" Y/N interrupts Will's thoughts. "But they're my family"

Will walks over to her and takes her hands in his before he nods. "I understand love"

Y/N froze for a moment, her heartbeat quickening as he cradled her hands like they were the most fragile thing.

"I've gotta head to the store to grab the stuff to fix your window. Call them over and explain. I'll be back soon" Will says.

"No, Will, I can get the window fixed" Y/N frowns, but her eyes widen as he places a finger against her lips.

Will wasn't one to freeze, but he couldn't deny he had when she stared up at him with curious doe eyes, his finger pressed against her lips. He couldn't help but imagine those lips against his own.

He shook his head quickly, regaining his train of thought. "This whole mess is my fault Y/N, I insist"

"O-Okay" She stutters out, cheeks bright pink as she stares up at him.

"Excuse me?"

Y/N stiffened as those words flew out of Hook's mouth.

She, Hook, and Taz were seated around her dining table, and she had just explained the situation to them.

She saw how tightly Hook was now gripping the fork in his hand, and she could feel his bouncing leg shaking the table.

Meanwhile, Taz was silent. Too silent.

She knew he was angry, she could tell by his tense jaw and clenched fists. She appreciated that he was trying to keep his cool, as he always did. It made her feel more grounded, like if Taz could be calm she could too. But Y/N wasn't oblivious to the fact that he was certainly upset under the surface.

"He didn't do it on purpose Ty" Y/N mumbles nervously. "He was just trying to get Callis to leave me alone"

"Why would he flirt with you like that right in front of Callis?!" Hook demands. "Why was he doing it at all for that matter?!"

"Tyler" Taz says his name sternly. "We are past that now. We have to focus on the situation at hand; which is how to keep Y/N safe"

"I know how" Hook fumes. "We get her as far away from Will as possible. Make it clear she has no connection with him at all"

"We don't know that Callis would believe it" Taz counters. "If Y/N is sent away it may look like Will is pulling out all the stops in order to protect her. It could just solidify his position"

"So we do nothing?!" Hook asks incredulously.

"I didn't say that" Taz immediately snaps, sending his son a warning look. "I would like to discuss how to go forward with Will"

"He'll be back soon" Y/N spoke up. "He went to get the stuff to fix my window"

Taz frowned at her red-tinted eyes; it was clear she was very scared, and he couldn't stand it. He promised her parents long ago that he would protect her. So he stood up, and Y/N followed him to the living room where they both sat on the couch.

"Hey, hon, look at me" Taz places his hand on her shoulder.

She does as told, and Taz gently smiles. "I'm gonna do whatever it takes to keep you safe, you understand me? Anything"

Y/N nodded and leaned over to hug his torso. "Thank you, Taz"

Taz smiled as her head rested against his chest, and rubbed up and down her back. "Of course hon. No one's gonna hurt you, not while we're around"

Hook nodded, and stood up to walk over to them. He sat in the space next to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "We'll do whatever it takes"

"You guys always make me feel safe" Y/N smiles sleepily.

Taz just smiles, and rocks her back and forth like he used to do when she was little.

She dozed off into a peaceful sleep, a soft smile stuck on her face.

But as soon as Taz was sure she was out minutes later, a hard look overtook his features. "We're gonna do whatever is necessary to make this problem go away"

Hook immediately nods. "Want me to reach out to Hobbs?"

"Absolutely" Taz answers. "I don't give a damn about Ospreay. I'll deliver his head to Callis on a platter if that's what it takes"

But what neither man realized was Charles had brushed against her foot. He had woken her up and she heard their words.

Y/N sat awkwardly in her orange beanbag, glancing every so often between the two Senerchia men and Will.

Taz and Hook were whispering to each other in the kitchen. And Charles was also curled up at Hook's feet, glaring at Will too.

Will was doing his best to ignore their nasty looks and focus on the broken window.

"Are you sure you don't want me to call someone to fix that Will? I don't want you getting hurt" Y/N said.

But Will just sends her a charming smile. "Don't worry about me love, I've got it covered. I'm rather good with my hands"

Hook's scoff could be heard from a mile away.

Will ignored Hook's clear disdain, instead reveling in the flustered and blushy look on Y/N's gorgeous face.

"Are we entirely sure Callis is actually wrong in his assumption about those two?" Taz mumbles to Hook with a chuckle.

But Hook just huffs and crosses his arms. "She's not getting involved with him, he's got way too many enemies"

Taz raises an eyebrow. "So do we son"

"But he's different" Hook whispers sharply. "He's so nonchalant about everything. He doesn't think things through. He's dangerous for her. And her dad never would have approved of this"

"On the contrary" Taz laughs. "Will reminds me of her father. And you sound like Y/N's mother's father when she got involved with him"

"Y/N's dad was very level-headed" Hook counters, remembering the man from his childhood.

"Once he settled down with Kimberly, sure" Taz laughs, reminiscing about his friends. "But Max was not always like that. When they first met it was actually because he was running from the cops. He ran into her parent's shop to hide, and she was the only one working at the time. She let him hide out there, against her better judgment as she always said. He wouldn't stop flirting with her until she said she'd give him to the cops herself if he didn't"

"That sounds like Aunt Kim" Hook smiles softly.

"She was always so strong" Taz sadly smiles. "They started sneaking around together, and before they knew it Kim got pregnant. He thought it was just a given they'd get married then, but she said no. She told him, if you're gonna be with me, there's gonna be some stability. She didn't want to raise a child in an environment where he was running from the cops or enemy gangs every day. He thought she wanted him to go legit, but she said no to that too. She was always so clear about what she wanted. Kim didn't want him to stop, it's what he loved. His father did it, and so did his. She just told him to be more cautious, and not pick a fight every time someone rubbed him the wrong way. And he agreed.

"I was the best man at their wedding, you know" Taz grins proudly.

"I know, you have the picture right on the mantle" Hook replies.

Then Y/N walks into the kitchen. "Hey guys, I'm gonna get started on dinner. Any requests?"

"I'm gonna head out hon" Taz answers, leaning down to hug her and kiss her on the forehead. "But Tyler's staying, and I'm sure he'll have an opinion"

Y/N laughs and leans up to kiss his cheek. "Okay, I'll see you soon Taz"

"Have a good night hon. And don't you worry about a thing, I'll handle this" he looks directly into her eyes as he speaks the comforting words.

Y/N nods up at him, but the dark twinge in his eyes does nothing to quell her nerves. She figured Taz must have a plan, and with what she overheard when he thought she was asleep, she had an idea of what it was.

Y/N watched him leave with a frown on her face, her mind running a hundred miles a minute as she thought about what plans Taz was cooking up. And furthermore, how they would affect Will.

She wasn't exactly sure why the thought of something happening to Will made her heart ache so much. She had just met the man, and in less than five minutes he managed to put her in danger. She should despise him.

But as Y/N glances back at the silly man trying to fix her window, guilt was eating her alive as she imagined what could be in store for him.

"Are you okay Y/N?" Hook asked as he waved his hand in front of her face to interrupt her staring.

Y/N blinked before looking up at him. "What is Taz planning on doing?"

Hook raised an eyebrow as he looked down at her. She never wanted to know about the details of their 'business'. "Don't worry about it Y/N, we've got everything covered"

"I just.." Y/N hesitated. What she was considering was wrong, and she shouldn't do it. But with one last glance over at Will, who was trying and failing to get Charles to let him pet him, she decided it had to be done. "I'm scared Tyler... I'm scared and I want to know that you guys have a plan to make this all go away"

Hook bit his lip as he weighed his options. Taz was clear when he told him the plans earlier while they were whispering back and forth; he said not to tell Y/N. But as she let out a sniffle, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug.

She leaned her head against his chest as he whispered into her ear. "Dad is gonna offer to tell Callis where Will is, in exchange for him leaving you alone. If everything goes to plan, Callis will be here by the end of the night"

Y/N did her best to keep her breath steady as she listened. "Tyler, Callis is going to hurt Will. He only didn't do anything in the cafe because of all the people-"

"That's not our problem" Hook huffed. "Whatever Callis does to him is deserved, he should have never put you in this position"

"He was just-"

"This isn't a negotiation Y/N" Hook firmly stated, pulling back to meet her angry eyes. "Do you know what Callis would do to you if he thought you'd lead him to his revenge on Will?"

"I don't care" Y/N hissed, voice raising just enough for Will's eyes to flicker over to them. "It's not right for you to do this to him"

"Y/N-"

"Just leave me alone" Y/N crosses her arms and stomps off into her bedroom.

Both men watched as Charles ran after her, slipping into the room before she slammed the door.

But as soon as the door was closed she locked it and ran to the closet.

She yanked out her suitcase and threw it onto the bed.

Charles watched as Y/N opened it and started shoving her clothes haphazardly into it.

Anxiety was raging through her veins as she packed her things, unsure if this was the best thing to do.

It wasn't, not for herself anyway.

If she just let Taz go through with his plan she'd be safe in a measly couple of hours.

But the thought of sacrificing Will to achieve that was sickening to her.

He didn't do anything wrong, he was just a sweet man who wanted to protect her from Callis despite not even knowing her.

He could have just kept waking when he saw Callis harassing her, but he did what was right. Not what was best for himself.

And Y/N was determined to do the same for him in return.

So with one final deep breath, she zipped the last of her things in the suitcase and walked back out into the living room.

Hook was still in the kitchen, leaning against the counter and looking at his phone.

And Will appeared to be almost finished with repairing the window.

Y/N walked over to him and kneeled beside him. "Do you need any help?"

"No love, I'm almost-" he paused as she leaned close to him, seemingly to get a closer look at his progress.

But her face was right next to his, and he stared at her like a deer caught in the headlights.

He was snapped back to reality when she whispered in his ear. "Say you forgot something at the store and need to go get it"

"But I don't-"

"Shush! And do what I said" she whisper yells, a pointed look in her eyes. "He won't let you leave, he'll go instead"

"Why-"

"Just do it and stop asking questions" Y/N insists sternly, before standing up and walking into the kitchen.

"What would you like for dinner?" Y/N asks softly, looking at Hook with false remorse.

Hook just smiles sympathetically at her. "You're having a tough day, whatever will be easiest for you"

Y/N nods and smiles back. She leans over and pulls him into a hug. "I love you, Ty"

"I love you too" He replies.

"Hey, mate" Will finally speaks up, walking over to them. "I just realized I forgot to get sealer for the window. I'm gonna head to the store really quick and pick some up"

Hook's eyes widen slightly before he returns his face to stoic and sends a look over at Y/N.

She pretends to look nervous as he looks back over at Will.

"Why don't you stay here? Callis probably has his men out looking for you. I'll get it" Hook says.

Will nods. "I appreciate it"

Hook nods back, before looking down at Y/N. "If you need me, call"

"I will" she says, and watches as he walks out.

She trails after him, and looks through the peephole to make sure he's gone.

"What's going on love?" Will confusedly asks, staring as she then runs over to the window to see if Hook's car has pulled out.

"We have to leave. Now" Y/N stresses, running to the bedroom and grabbing her suitcase.

Will furrows his eyebrows, eyes wide as she rolls out her bag. "What are you talking about?"

"Taz has a plan" Y/N explains as she runs to the closet and pulls Charles' cage out. "He's planning on telling Callis you're here in exchange for him leaving me out of this. I don't think we have much time left, it's almost dark out. We have to go"

Will stood silent, watching as she coaxed Charles into the cage.

He couldn't understand why she was telling him this. Why she was willing to run away with him. If she went through with this, she'd be hiding from Callis for months, possibly years. And cutting herself off from everyone she knows and loves. Her business, which she was so clearly passionate about, and the Senerchias.

He was just some guy who showed up and brought world-shattering problems with him.

"Why are you telling me this?" Will mumbled. "Why do you care at all what happens to me?"

"Why do you care what happens to me?" Y/N counters.

"I brought this problem upon you, love" Will answers. "I did this; made the problem, brought it to your doorstep, and put you in danger. You should be happy to get rid of me. You're not thinking this through"

"Maybe not, but I've already told you now" Y/N says. "And you're going to run either way, and if I stay Callis will know I warned you-"

"No" Will cuts her off. "No, I won't run"

"What are you talking about?" Y/N raises to her feet.

Will takes a step towards her, a sad smile on his handsome face. "I won't run" he repeats gently. "I'll stay. I'll stay right here. Whatever plans Callis has awaiting me, that's fine. Because it means you'll be safe. I brought this upon myself and I have to deal with the consequences. I knew what would happen when I left him. And I knew it further when I started a rival group. I accepted the consequences when I chose this life. But you, you didn't. And you don't deserve to be in danger because I can't refrain from flirting with a beautiful girl"

Y/N couldn't help but let out a little laugh, and he did too as tears welled up in both their eyes.

"I know what's coming, love" Will says, placing his hand against her cheek and staring into her eyes. "And it's okay"

"I'm not worth this. Please don't do this Will” Y/N whimpers. "We can hide away together; run away together”

Will smiles. “I must be crazy to deny running away with you”

“Then don’t” Y/N whispers. “Don’t. And run away with me”

“You don’t even know me darling” Will cautions. “I’m not a good person, I’ve done some terrible things”

“So has everyone” Y/N replies.

“Is that right?” He teases. “What have you done?”

“I snuck out once to go to a party” Y/N dramatically proclaims.

“Scandalous” Will laughs. “But I fear you’ll find that my crimes are much more serious”

“Taz is like my father, and I know what he’s done” Y/N insists. “I may not know you yet, but I’ll learn. And if I ever change my mind, I’ll just have to run away for a second time”

“I’d never try to stop you” Will answers seriously.

“Then we have nothing to worry about” Y/N smiles. “Now let’s go, please! We’ve wasted enough time!”

Will stays in place as she runs to grab Charles’ food, shoving it into a backpack.

She runs around the room, grabbing a few last things such as pictures and a couple of things from the kitchen.

Will lets out a loud sigh. “You’re crazy love”

“No more than you are”

“Y/N!” Hook exclaims from outside, knocking loudly on her door.

He’d been outside for 5 minutes and had no response.

He finally has enough, and squares his shoulders before backing up and kicking in the door.

His eyes widen fearfully when he sees some important pictures missing from the walls.

He runs into the bedroom, and yanks open the closet to find many clothes are gone, as well as her suitcase.

As he realizes he doesn’t hear the pitter-patter of Charles’ little paws, he lets out a string of curses.

He never should have told Y/N the damn plan.

[dogs2shouldvote]

during my latest relisten of taz balance, i recorded every line i found even the slightest bit funny with zero context, not even who said it (though some are pretty obvious). here’s all my favorites!!

“i’m probably studying.. my cantrips”

“just say mastrubating, dad”

“don’t come in mom i’m studying my canteips!!”

.

“yeah you’ll do any dumb shit”

.

“it’s like a bag of holding! but for.. ass.”

.

“do we know how much damage we did to him?”

“six damage, you said it out loud with your mouth.”

.

“it should be in the player’s handbook! get your salty snack to enjoy while you play dnd”

.

“my grandpa says it’s rude to whisper. especially on a train!”

.

“i’m not going to go toe to toe with a crab while youre armed with a terrible scottish accent and travis doesn’t even have his sheild. i’m out! … did i say travis? i mean leman kessler.”

“nope! that was wrong all the way around.”

.

“i’m cosplaying taako right now, as a stupid man.”

.

“who’s just rolling dice? who is doing secret checks that i don’t know about?”

.

“i always waste my 20’s on perception checks. like i give a shit.”

.

“it’s completely conceivable he would have a name tag.”

“IN A GANG?”

.

“like a pelt??? like a bramble*pelt*?????”

.

“is there a math check? what are you talking about?”

“yeah it’s your fucking brain. you use your brain to add numbers together”

“16”

“what are you fucking doing??”

.

“griffin i love you youre my brother. but if my skill called history doesn’t literally help me with history trivia questions in a category called history what are we FUCKING doing here??”

.

“can i ask you a question? are you guys mean to everyone?”

.

“fus-ro-over dere”

.

“that one was actually a badass bernie sanders”

.

“hey thug! what’s your name? i’m about to tentacle your dick.”

.

“a d6 is like some dice ass dice. that’s some monopoly shit.”

.

“i thought you were saying merle, it’s his bread and his body, take 2d6 healing points”

.

“you two remind me of something… you remind me of the babe! and then i throw the glass sphere at them.”

.

“make a constitution saving throw to see if you can eat this fucking rock with your mouth.”

.

“dungeons and dragons is a. great game.”

.

“my name is magnus burnsides”

“marchins burchens”

.

“magnus would not say that. however, travis would.”

.

“can we please not talk about chekhov’s bush?”

.

“we’ve got a ball, a sack, and a tool!”

“everything is gross here in dnd.”

.

“only losers smoke, isaac.”

“i give isaac an hour long lecture about the dangers of smoking.”

.

“i’m just gonna put my mouth down there and go buck wild”

.

“there’s a lot of go cart tracks called the adventure zone and i’ve been working with my lawyer to shut them all down forever”

.

“does taako fish?”

“yeah taako fishes.”

.

“a rock hard-“

*justin, clint, and travis laugh*

“come ON, *really*?”

.

“taako rushes in!”

“what! magnus follows him.”

“merle’s good out here!”

“WHAT is going on?”

.

“how do you not have a d6 it comes with every board game”

“my daughter-“

“eats them for power???”

.

“uhhh how much health do you have.”

“im not gonna tell you.”

.

“let’s see… i am going to hurt jenkins. with a magical spell.”

.

“this is about to become the taako show starring taako.”

.

“BLUFF FUCKING BLUFF O’CLOCK?? WHAT IS THIS, HALF PAST PERSUASION TIME??”

.

“i’m not laughing in game” *justin fucking loses it*

.

“she’s the best at burning shit ever.”

.

“traaav griffin got to do his show for so long and now he’s gonna destroy yours.”

.

“fucking lup finds like. a gun.”

.

“for sure, keep it sleazy. we’re out, bye!”

.

“i have to believe…. i’m gonna get those fifteen dollars back from greg fucking grimaldis”

.

“based on the rules of the game, dad… you die.”

.

“dad’s making a jerk off motion at me”

.

“don’t play the pennywise card like you ALWAYS try to”

.

“should i talk slower so that everybody who has been complaining about us not playing dnd has time to nut?”

.

“i am a wizard. my name is taako. and i am pretty well fucked.”

.

“yeah i’ve got cumin who do you think i am?”

.

“hear that, babe? we’re *legends*”

.

“i’m clint mcelroy and i played merle hightower-“

“nope”

[saturninemartial]

Hi I'm back again with more mushy future zosan business. This is post-zosan marriage, about a decade in the future; Loof is the pirate king, but the gang has stayed together to make sure everyone achieves their dreams (and also bc they're family).

They're sailing past a smallish island with no plans to stop, until they see worryingly big plumes of smoke, too big for bonfires or cooking fires, so they divert course for a possible rescue. When they land, they find a village that's just been decimated by some outside force. It's a somber moment as they're surrounded by bodies and crumbled buildings, as whatever invaders laid waste to this mostly-defenseless society.

The gang searches for clues as to who could have done this, any weapons left behind, really anything distinct that Robin could research and help them exact revenge for these helpless people. While digging around, Usopp finds something—or someone: a baby, hidden away for safety, not far from her deceased mother, who was obviously hoping for someone to find the infant. It makes everyone even more angry and sorrowful, wanting revenge for this baby.

They take the baby onboard and let Chopper check her over for injury and general health. Zosan both immediately take to the baby (several nakama point out that they both have a protective/nurturing instinct), and it's pretty much left up to them to figure out what to do with the baby. And, um, here's a little scene about it from the fic I'm gonna write:

(Spoiler alert: they end up keeping the baby as their own.)

In this scene, they then have a conversation about what to name her; and Sanji immediately tosses out naming her after a dead family member (so no Kuina, Sora, or even Tera) bc according to him, that's a lot of weight and expectation put on a child, and she should be able to live free of expectations and do as she pleases. They end up naming her something that Zoro liked from his childhood/from Wano (so basically a Japanese name). The next morning, at breakfast, Sanji announces their decision to keep the baby with, "Introducing the newest member of the Straw Hat Pirates: Roronoa Firstname!" And everyone cheers bc tbh they've all been loving on this baby and love being aunts and uncles (and also still have revenge in their hearts).

The crew has a little "break" planned soon at Syrup, so Usopp can spend some time with the wife, and everyone gets some time to chill: and Dr. Kaya is overjoyed to see the baby and buys all kinds of supplies and clothes and books to help.

(The Straw Hats do end up figuring out the perpetrators of the attack, and exact revenge on them for their youngest member.)

(I don't have much figured out about this baby/child OC except that she has peach-colored hair. I also like Spanish-speaking Sanji bc of Taz and his accent, so Sanji calls her duraznita or duraznaja—little peach—bc of her hair. 🥰)

[grizouille]

Fun facts during the convention about Taz and Jeff (photos, autographs and panel)

- During the photo sessions, Taz would sometimes do a high kick, it was really nice to see that elsewhere than on the show or on his Instagram. Of course, some people asked Jeff stuff about Buggy like poking their clown nose. Someone even brought a pirate flag of Buggy's crew.

-During the panel Jeff talked about Taz's abs, joking about the fact that "he grates cheese directly on them" 😂. I did the photo session with Taz just after the panel. I asked him politely for a hug, as I did with Jeff in the morning. Taz accepted and the photographer took the picture. During the hug I felt his six pack 🥵, so afterwards, I teased him by saying that Jeff was right about his abs. And he bursted out laughing.*

-Taz had taken a small break and came back with grapes, that he had given to the fans later, who were waiting in the very long queue for the autographs.

- Taz was so busy with us for the autograph session that he missed the scheduled panel and it has been rescheduled at 5 pm.

(* this is a comment from my own perception. It may sound weird, but I'm not a creep I promise lol. I remnd you that Taz often posts shirtless pictures of him so I'm not investing anything here. If that offends anyone in any way, I apologize.)

- A third actor came to host the panel, I think it was Sachin Sahel, and he was eating, so Taz sat down on the ground to let him sit in his armchair.

- Both Jeff and Taz are SO funny and nice but they were tired, especially Jeff who was jetlagged and repeated that it was why he looked sick. But he was such a joker during the Q and A session. He's a clown in real life too we could say. 😏

-Jeff said Taz practiced some dishes and they ate them on set. And Jeff went on saying that there was "no need for him to have a cheesegrater cause he grates the cheese directly on his abs" 😂. He said "ladies, he cooks really well". Like, bro acted like he was here to arrange a date or something 🤣

-Two times in a row, the questions were for Taz so Jeff asked "should I leave?" 🤣 and he added "I'm in the cast too" and Taz said he's a sexy clown (AND the entire audience approved). I swear Jeff could be a comic. He said Taz is hot that's why he gets questions, and he played the disappointed guy because the girl had blue hair and though, she asked a question for Taz only lol. Those guys a really good pals.

-At one moment Jeff told that he was still doing "conference call", a comical podcast (you can find it on Spotify.) The third actor said the guys were the hottest guys of the panel. Jeff said "you heard that Superman? " cause Tyler Hoechlin was here and then added" I'm joking don't beat me... 'cause you're Superman"

- I only have a few pictures, unfortunately we were told not to take any while the photo shoots or the autograph sessions. And as a no VIP ticket, I was in the middle row during the panel so my pictures are blurry 😢 But I had a great day anyway.

[vinsmokesangio]

happy anniversary!

pairing: taz skylar x gf!reader (original character)

summary: sky rivera (oc) and taz skylar finally decide to show up on instagram their relationship, posting photos of their trips together to celebrate their date anniversary.

type: instagram au

a/n: hi! long time no see, huh? this is just something that is on my mind because I love to create a whole universe with characters pairing with my obsessions. i have moodboards on pinterest and etc (oh how i love being delulu). this is kinda personal too, but i hope you enjoy anyway! 🤍 my masterlist is here

edit¹: ok, now I'm sad while writing this bc I want to be her.

skysrivera:

and suddenly, it's been 1 year since our adventures. little by little, life shows me how worthy I am of your love and your company. I love you forever, bub. <3

tagged: @/taz_skylar

liked by emilysteaparty, inakigo, bookofjacob and 5.322 others

taz_skylar: life is more comfortable and beautiful with you by my side. happy anniversary, I love you forever, bub - ❤️ liked by author

↳ user: omg you two are so cute together ↳ user: that should be meeeeee ↳ user: girl im so jealous (in a good way)

emilysteaparty: i miss you both so much 🥺 - ❤️ liked by author ↳ user: that should be you, they dont have any chemistry ↳ user: what are you talking about, sky's literally the female version of taz, stop h4ting - ❤️ liked by author ↳ skysrivera: we love you!

user: oh my god you were made for each other ❤️ liked by author user: sky and skylar, this makes the shipp name easier

______________________________________________________________

taz_skylar:

my most incredible partner in any adventures I have had the pleasure of experiencing. you light up my 'sky' 😛 i love you!

tagged: @skysrivera

liked by emilysteaparty, inakigo, mia.goodoy and 148.289 others

user: sanji finally has a gf! user: sagittarius couple be like bookofjacob: couple goals - ❤️ liked by author ↳ user: GO DRINK WATER ↳ user: jacob/usopp this is the perfect opportunity to ask me out on a date, go ahead

user: @skysrivera, what is it like to live our dream?? skysrivera: not the pun 😂 you light up my sky! - ❤️ liked by author

user: i can see the heart eyes of taz <3 ↳ user: MELLORINE ↳ skysrivera: hahahahahah 😂

[hotgirlgraps]

Barely Breathing | Three

The aftermath of Tyler cheating

Warnings: angst, smut

A/N: third and final part to this series with @madhatterbri. y/n gets her revenge but probably not how you would expect

Tyler basically moved back in at his parent’s house after the breakup. He still had his penthouse but he didn’t want to be alone in it.

All of the reminders of you would haunt him if he went back. The dresser drawers that were cleared out of all of your stuff you took when you left and the photos of the two of you decorating the living room was something he just didn’t think he could handle right now.

He sent you text message after text message begging for a chance to explain everything but he assumed you must have blocked his number when days went by without a single reply.

It wasn’t until one night as he was sitting outside with his dad puffing on a cigar and having a glass of whiskey that his phone buzzed in his pocket, and he had to take a double look at the screen when he saw your name floating on it.

“Y/n wants to talk tonight.” He says, looking over at Taz with wide, hopeful eyes.

“I told you to give her some time to blow off steam. Still don’t agree with what you did, but I’m glad she’s giving you a shot to explain your stupid actions.”

Taz had been hard on him about the whole ordeal. He had no idea that Tyler cheated on you until he confessed it the night he showed up drunk at his door.

He didn’t scold him that night, because it was obvious that Tyler wasn’t in his right mind, but the next day and every time you came up in conversation, he made it a point to tell him that he made a big mistake.

“Yeah.” He sighs as he puffs on the cigar, exhaling some smoke above his head. “I’m gonna regret that for the rest of my life, honestly. I’m just glad she’s even talking to me again.”

“You should.” Taz adds, sipping on his glass. “Know what else you should do?”

“What?”

“Take your ass home and put on some new clothes. Shower, shave, fix yourself up. You’ve been moping around in the same clothes for days and I haven’t seen your hair wet since you got here, so I’m pretty sure you ain’t had a shower either.”

“I took one yesterday.” Tyler attested. “But yeah, I need to change. Guess i’m gonna go.”

He put the cigar out and finished the last bit of whiskey in his glass before he got up from the chair. Just before he was about to leave, his dad stopped him.

“Son, listen to me. If she gives you another shot, you better not blow it this time. You got a good girl who loves you and treats you good. Start acting like it.”

What Tyler didn’t know, was that good girl that left his house that night was nothing close to the girl who was stepping back in.

You had been completely broken down by what he did. It haunted you every single night. You went through all stages of mourning it felt like, but landed firmly on one that felt way better than sitting around crying over him.

You were angry. The more you thought about it, the more rage made home inside of you. The years you spent together and all the things you went through being completely disregarded for some girl he couldn’t keep his hands off of made you despise him even more than anything else anymore.

You just wanted him to feel the same pain you had to suffer through, and no matter how many texts he sends saying that he misses you and he’s just so damn sorry, you knew he wasn’t the level of sorry that he should be.

Tyler took his time getting ready. He had butterflies in his stomach for the first time in a long time. He kept glancing at the clock but time was going by so slow, he was just anticipating when you’d be knocking at that door.

He picked up a bouquet of roses on the way back. He didn’t know if you’d accept them but he felt like it was the very least he could do to thank you for giving him a chance to talk to you.

He was nervously messing with his hair when he heard the faint knocks at the door, and had to take a deep breath before he opened it.

Seeing you again was something that made his heart feel like it was getting squeezed by stone hands in his chest. You looked good. You didn’t look like you were going through a breakup by any means. He wondered if you had to take your time getting ready to hide what you really had been feeling like or if you were really just fine like you seem.

“Hey” he breathes out as he opens the door. You send him a barely there smile and step in. You spot the roses on the kitchen island and roll your eyes before he sees it.

“Those for me?” You asked, feigning a smile.

“Yeah, they are.” He walks over to the bouquet and passes them to you, thankful and relieved when you take them from his hand.

“My way of saying thank you for giving me a chance to explain things.” He says.

You set the bouquet down and shake your head.

“I’m not here to talk about what happened.” You tell him.

“You’re not?” I thought you-“

You cut him off with a kiss to his lips and instantly felt his hands on your hips, pulling you into him as close as you could possibly get.

When the initial shock wore off, he kissed you back with a newfound intention that suddenly hit him.

You stepped out of your shoes and made quick work of getting his shirt off, only breaking the kiss to pull it off before you locked your lips with his again.

It was painful to think about another woman kissing him like this, but you had to force those thoughts away before you ruined everything for yourself.

Running your nails down his abs made you wonder if her nails traced the same path. Grabbing fistfuls of his hair didn’t feel as soft between your fingers when you knew another set of hands had been in them too.

It solidified everything for you. You knew you’d never be able to forgive and sure as hell not forget.

Tyler’s lips trailed from your jaw to your neck as he unclasped your bra and slid the straps down your arms. He leaned back to look at you, his eyes filled with pure, undeniable admiration but yours were just dull, the life completely sucked out of them.

He was so caught up in the moment that he wouldn’t have been able to tell that you were just a shell of who you used to be standing before him.

He leaned down and wrapped his arms underneath you, swiftly picking you up and carrying you into the bedroom. Feeling the bed beneath your bare back as he gently laid you down was a strange feeling. You never expected to be in that bed again after that night.

He peppered some kisses to your collarbone as he slid your pants down, along with your underwear, leaving you completely bare and vulnerable underneath him.

“You are so gorgeous.” He whispered in pure awe. It had only been a couple days but he thought he’d never get to see you like this again.

You grabbed his arms and pulled him down to you, his eyes adverting from your body to your eyes in an instant. You could practically read his mind. Every thought he was having and every feeling rushing through him.

You hated that you still loved him, because you could see full well that he was probably falling even harder in love with you in that moment, and maybe if you didn’t love him, it wouldn’t hurt you.

It was just another thing to force out of your mind as you grabbed his length in your hand and guided it to your entrance. He swallowed harshly before he pulled back some.

“Wait” He says, sliding his tongue over his lips. “Are you sure you want to do this like this? I don’t want you still be mad at me after we’re done. I would rather talk about everything first and then, if you want to, we can do this.”

“I’m not mad anymore, just fuck me please.”

You didn’t give him a chance to say anything more when you pulled him down by his chain, locking your lips with his again. He melted into you at that moment, his fingers sifting gently through your hair as his lips moved with yours in perfect harmony.

You felt him push into you and let a soft moan slip out, wrapping your legs around his waist to push him in deeper.

His hand found yours and he intertwined your fingers together, softly holding it above your head as he slowly thrusted into you.

It was too soft and sweet for you, though. The way he was peppering kisses to each inch of your face and the slow, languid movements. That’s not what you needed, so you reversed the roles and ended up on top of him, pinning his hands above his head as you took full control.

His lips lingered over your neck, he wanted to catch your kiss but you didn’t let him.

He was taken back but pleased with the sudden dominance, he didn’t object to it. His eyes stayed trained on you as he watched you take every inch of him, doing your best not to collapse down on top of him when he started arching his hips high off the bed.

You screwed your eyes shut so you didn’t have to watch him. It was a harder task than you expected it to be. Hearing the sounds of his low groans and heavy sighs, the occasional whisper of your name leaving his lips, it was pulling at your heart strings and that was the last thing you needed.

You made the mistake of letting go of one of his hands, and he immediately brought it to the back of your neck to bring you down to his lips. You tasted whiskey and fresh mint on your tongue, the kiss so filled with passion and desire that it made your head spin.

You broke away and straightened up on top of him, letting his other hand go and you allowed it to grab your hip, guiding you.

His lips parted and you felt him twitch inside of you, already knowing what was coming so you picked up the pace to get him there faster. You didn’t care enough about yourself.

He surprised you when he sat up and wrapped his arms around you, holding you close and placing soft, sloppy kisses to your neck as he thrusted up into you.

“I love you so much, yn” He whispers against your skin. Words that didn’t mean anything anymore.

His hips stuttered and you quickly got off of him, not trying to risk anything under the circumstances. He must have expected you to catch his release but you didn’t, and instead let it drench the bedsheets while you slid off the bed and found your clothes scattered on the floor.

He watched you for a moment before he got up and headed into the bathroom. When he came back, you were fully dressed and fixing your hair in the mirror.

“You’re not staying the night?” He asks with a small voice. You caught his expression in the reflection before you turned around to face him.

“Why would I do that?” You asked.

“I mean, I would love it if you did.” He says, starting to walk towards you, but you step closer to the door.

“No, Tyler. I’m not staying the night with you. I’m never coming back here again, either.”

“What?”

“I hope you enjoyed your last time ever fucking me. Hope that girl was worth it.” You forge a taunting smirk before you walked out the bedroom.

He was hot on your heels but you didn’t turn around until you reached the front door.

“Are you seriously doing this right now?” He asks, his eyes filled with pain and despair, just how you wanted to leave him.

“Did you seriously expect anything else? You cheated on me, babe. You deserve everything you’re getting.” You shrug before you open the door and step out, making the man you once planned to marry just a boy from your past.

[liesmyth]

Do you have any Coronabeth Worsetwin thoughts about Abigail's reaction to finding out Ianthe become a Lyctor in HtN ("Blast. It should have been Coronabeth. Ianthe never was quite the thing")? I love Abigail but ngl I am also a Corona Worsetwin truther in part because I would find it much more satisfying for one of the series' designated Rational Moral Adults to be categorically wrong about Corona.

OH I love this! I hadn't really thought out it until now, but my first reaction is that it might have been just the general "Ugh, yuck, Ianthe?" vibe that she seems to evoke, since she's very much unpleasant on main. But when thinking about it more in-depth, I think Abigail's perception of WHY Corona would be more suited to Lyctorhood depends on which qualities Abigail thinks a Lyctor should possess that Ianthe lacks.

One thing about Abigail in HtN is that she is as much of an atheist as you can get in TLT, but also she seems to have a sort of romanticised view of John (calling him "the Kindly Emperor", "I've longed my whole life to give him my findings") and I wonder if this extends to her conception of Lyctorhood as a sort of state of idyllic quest for knowledge — "the beauty of necromantic mysteries" as Harrow puts it. She's also the leader of a House known for its diplomacy, influence, and not-so-subtle expansionistic ambitions.

So, is she thinking about Corona's diplomatic skills? Her political knowledge? Or — because at this point she still believes Coronabeth is also a necromancer — is she thinking that Corona was the better necromancer than Ianthe, as it was widely speculated?

Going wildly off into headcanon land, we know Abigail has anti-Cohort sympathies (as per Judith's files) and I wonder if that plays a part. We know that Corona regards the Houses's expansionistic strategy as inefficient, but I don't think it's something Abigail would know. Maybe she just thinks Corona would be able to assert authority over the Cohort better? (One of my pet speculations is that there's some antagonism between the Cohort and the Lyctors, and if that's actually a thing Abigail could be aware of it.)

I think it's a combination of Corona's people skill, her personal experience with both twins, and the fact that Ianthe actively puts off everyone she meets.

(If anyone has any opinions about Abigail here PLS feel free to add, I too love her but she's one of the hardest characters to figure out for me)

Personally, a solid 40% of why I am a Corona Worsetwin truther is because I think it's hot. The rest is her everything in NtN / AYU from the threatening suicide to statecraft scheming, with a smattering of that one Taz interview <3 I'm excited to see her wreck havoc in AtN.

[jeysmullet]

may i request a part two for the Hook dating Jeff Hardy’s daughter fic, if you feel like writing a second part? it was amazing!!

Atleast they know.

Hook X Female Hardy!Reader

Warnings:fluff, dads being hilarious.

Y/n Hardy.

I swiped the key card against the pad before pushing the handle down and opening the door.

"You staying here tonight?"

I questioned my boyfriend while walking towards the bed.

"Yeah. Darius said he was taking his girlfriend back to our room, so i really don't have a choice."

I heard him laugh.

I shook my head laughing before crouching down to my suitcase and grabbing some shorts and a shirt.

I walked over to the bathroom and cut on the light.

"Y/n."

I heard Tyler say from the bed.

"Hmm?"

I hummed in response to let him know i was listening.

"Do you think we should tell our dads or let them figure it out?"

"I will find it personally hilarious if they find out on their own."

"Yeah, you're right."

I heard him say before seeing him strip down to his boxers in the corner of my eye.

When i was finishing changing and finished washing my face, i left the bathroom turning off the light before walking over to the bed.

I pulled the covers back before getting into bed, and pulling the covers up.

"You nervous for tomorrow?"

I asked Tyler as he laid his head on my chest.

Tomorrow is when Tyler defends the FTW Championship against Jack Perry.

Ever since he found out he's been so nervous about it. He feels like if he loses, he'll let everyone down. Which we all know isn't true.

"Yeah, I mean what if i lose? Will my dad be disappointed? I feel like i'll disappoint everyone even you."

He spoke softly wrapping his arms around my waist, pushing his head deeper onto my chest.

"Ty, you could never disappoint me. You could never disappoint your dad, if you could hear all of the stuff he brags about with you. He's gonna be proud of you no matter what. I'll be proud of you no matter what. I promise you."

I spoke running my hand through his hair, moving it out of his face when it falls in it.

"I love you Y/n."

I heard the boy speak before hearing soft snores.

"I love you too, Ty Ty."

I whispered before leaning over to cut the light off, before letting sleep takeover.

TIME SKIP

Y/n Hardy.

Location: Arena.

I was sat in catering talking to Skye Blue and Renee.

"I'm excited for tonight's matches, they all seem good."

Skye spoke sipping out of a bottle of water.

"Yeah, i'm ready for the FTW Match."

Renee agreed with the girl.

I saw Skye turn and look at me out of the corner of my eye, so i looked up from my phone towards her.

"Speaking of FTW, why was Jeff and Taz so happy yesterday? Did you finally tell them you're dating a certain champion?"

Skye wiggles her eyebrows at me with a smile on her face.

"No, not yet. They know we did go on a date yesterday tho."

I shrugged placing my phone on the table.

"They knew?"

Renee asked shocked.

"Yep, Taz thinks he finally got me to agree to a date with Tyler."

Skye and Renee shook their heads laughing at what they were just told.

The three of us continued talking until i got a text message.

"Can you come to my locker room rq?"

The notification read.

"Hold on y'all, i'll be right back."

I told the girls getting up.

I heard them say okay before i started walking towards the locker rooms.

I was walking until i got to the door that read, "Hook".

I knocked on the door before opening it.

"what's wrong?"

I ask him as soon as i saw his face.

"I'm nervous, i'm scared."

"Baby, i told you it's gonna be okay. Win or lose tonight, we're all gonna be here to support and love you. I promise. Come here."

i said holding my arms out, making him walk into them.

We just hold each other until we heard a knock on the door.

"Hook, you're on in 5."

We heard a producer through the door.

I turned back to him and smiled.

"You got it."

i told him before standing on my tippy toes a bit and kissed him on the cheek.

He smiled before heading over to the door.

"I love you."

i heard him say.

"I love you too, good luck."

I smiled before i saw him disappear behind the door.

Time to go watch my man.

TIME SKIP

Y/n Hardy.

Location: Arena.

I watched the monitor as Jack grabbed the FTW title and hit Tyler across the head.

I gasped watching Tyler fall to the mat before Jack scooted towards him putting his body over his.

1

2

3

"HERES YOUR WINNER AND NEW FTW CHAMPION, JACK PERRY."

I watched as Tyler was laid out on the mat.

Jack finally walked backstage with Tyler following a minute or 2 after.

As soon as Tyler saw me, he walked over to me walking into my arms.

I held him until we heard voices coming from behind him.

He turned around backing away from me seeing our dads standing there.

“Well damn.”

My dad said.

The 4 of us bursted out laughing.

“Wait so all that trouble just for y’all to be together already?”

Taz asked shaking his head smiling.

“Surprise!”

I said laughing.

The 4 of us spent the rest of the night going out to dinner and catching our dads up on our relationship.

While at dinner, Tyler decided he was finally ready for our relationship to be public. So he made sure i was okay with it, and he posted us on instagram.

The picture blew up, people were congratulating us, some fan girls were kinda iffy but most of it was support.

While we were nearing the end dinner, i got a text notification from Skye.

“Girl, check Taz’s twitter.”

The text read.

i furrowed my eyebrows and swiped on my phone until i got to the blue app.

I opened the app and all i saw was retweets of the picture and people talking about it.

I went to the trending and saw the two of us were trending.

I smiled shaking my head before putting my phone down and laying my head on Tyler’s shoulder.

I love my life.

🏷️: @kcloveswrestling @hooks-martin

[thepringlesofblood]

bonus content for those who read the taz: the 11th hour graphic novel and haven’t listened to the podcast arc

disclaimer: so. I lost my book about 1/4 of the way into this post. so the rest of it is just from memory (I did finish reading it several times, I just no longer have it to refer to). I wanted to post this before the next one comes out though, so here we are. If I find my book, I will attempt to finish up the details for the rest of the book. I cover some basic big things from memory, but nowhere near as detailed as the stuff I wrote down when I had the book to refer to. but in the meantime...let’s go!

by god they’ve done it again. 11th hr is a Lot and definitely the most plot-heavy book so far, PLUS they had to include the first lunar interlude where the boys had individual scenes. the result is frankly beautiful. we’re really hitting critical mass now.

as a result a lot more stuff got compressed, cut, changed, or skipped. i’m going to try to at least point out each difference, though there’s no way I could summarize EVERYTHING that got cut in one post. I’m going to be linking relevant episodes (& transcripts thank u tazscripts) instead, for things that are Just Too Much to include.

as always, this post is intended to be Fun and Cool Bonus Content for people who haven’t listened to the podcast, not a manifesto of stuff they “should have” included or a list of flaws. they had 11+ hours of content to squish into one graphic novel, that happened over a period of months. of course stuff got cut. and it’s stuff that was recorded in 2016. that’s eight years ago. of course some things are going to change.

tl;dr - I liked the dang book. you can be sad something wasn’t in the novel while still understanding why it isn’t. here is a list of the stuff that was changed, skipped, compressed, or cut, presented as cool facts & extra info for gn fans who haven’t listened to the podcast.

spoilers ahoy for the 11th hour, but I’ll try to keep spoilers for the rest of the series to a minimum or at least mark them clearly. At the very end I’m going to put a section of series-spoiler theories and observations, very clearly marked

Before getting into the nitty-gritty, there are a few MAJOR changes from the podcast I want to get out of the way first. This list also includes “stuff I remember but don’t have the book to refer back to on”

Several characters and a whole section of the map were cut.

I think this is the first time that any named, plot-relevant characters have been completely cut. The closest we’ve come so far was the bugbears, but they at least had a cameo in the photo in Lucas’ quarters. Luca, Redmond, and Stonefruit Farms fully don’t exist in the GN series.

the boys meet Redmond in ep 46, pt 6 of the 11th hr arc, having met his brother Luca at the end of the previous episode.

long story short, Redmond was the leader of the purple-kerchiefed ruffians and the brains behind the bank robbery, which The Boys had to go through with so that Redmond would help his lowkey-estranged brother Luca raise the temple of Istus from its decrepit state, as they were both devout priests of Istus. The whole key being in the vault thing is GN-only.

Also, Luca is a skeleton bc he was in the temple when it got rapidly old-ified, but dw he’s fine he’s just a skeleton. he gets better.

Redmond’s motivation for robbing the bank is that as a priest of Istus, lady of fate, he follows his gut feelings and intuition, and he had a strong feeling that whatever was in the vault would be the key to taking down the bubble.

they basically took all of the plot-necessary elements from Luca & Redmond and gave them to Ren. In the podcast, Ren actually blasts some of the purple-kerchiefed ruffians out of her bar after they get too rowdy. She isn’t involved with the robbery in the slightest.

Merle’s Temporal Chalice scene

in the podcast, it’s his arm being chopped off. or more specifically, grabbing a crystal that exploded and made him have to get his arm chopped off. 

Him running out on his kids is played kind of for laughs at first in the podcast. Merle is a heel for a lot longer there, bc the funniest improv is usually not the most ethical improv. They do talk about his life and the fact that he has a family, but the offer made by the chalice is for him to have his arm back

frankly, I think they made the right move in the GN. We get very little of Hecuba in the podcast, and I really liked seeing more of that conflict.

Roswell, my beloved

so, in 2016 when they did the podcast, the McElroys were at, let’s say a different place in their journey of learning about the queer community. which is to say that in the podcast Roswell’s pronouns were wildly inconsistent, in part due to them being a clay construct, in part due to them not being introduced with any pronoun in particular [though Griffin clarifies that he intends for Roswell to use they/them a little later on in the arc], and in part bc the boys just weren’t really familiar with the singular they. they tended vacillate between they/them, it/its, and he/him. we all learn and grow. 

in the book, thankfully, Roswell is 100% they/them. fuck yeah. related. The Boys are significantly worse people to Roswell in the podcast. like, significantly. we’ll get into it as it comes up more, I just want to signpost it here. 

e.g. Taako giving Roswell control of themselves and their command word is a GN original, in the podcast The Boys kind of “junebug” them around for large swaths of the last few episodes. also, a significant number of earlier loops involve them basically negging Roswell into believing that Isaak hired outside help (The Boys) with security bc they weren’t cutting it anymore (rude). I much prefer the geologists gambit they go with in the GN.

Diamonds

Paloma’s prophecies cost money in the podcast, so a lot of The Boys’ shenanigans (and a significant number of loops) are in pursuit of getting cash. which, in Refuge, is diamonds. Some examples: 

Before figuring out that you can’t take objects with you, the boys do straight up take some diamonds from the bank post-robbery. 

Taako gets Ren and a patron of her bar, Ash, to sign up and pay for a seminar/magic lesson he’ll be giving tomorrow (one of my all-time fav scenes). This leads to a touching scene at the end when the bubble finally comes down where Taako gives Ren a little certificate that says “first graduate of Taako’s Amazing School of Magic.”

Magnus tries to armwrestle a guy for cash (Merle’s idea), and though he rolls a 27 Strength check, the Goliath barbarian he’s rolling against gets a 28.

Paloma offers 1 diamond for a small prophecy, 10 for a big one. in the GN they aren’t differentiated, and one small prophecy just doesn’t show up as it’s not needed.

the taz fandom wiki has a handy list of all the prophecies she gives in the podcast

ok! let’s go!

Prologue (the bit before ch 1)

this isn’t in the 11th hour podcast.

the information we get about The Visitor in the 11th hour (from The Boys asking various Refuge residents) is that

Jack and June brought them to Refuge

or, they brought Jack and June to Refuge. We hear both things at different times.

they’re depicted in the statue as having a Red Robe and being kinda broad-shouldered.

Roswell never met them. At first they refer to The Visitor with he/him pronouns, but then mention “I say ‘he’, I didn’t know them”

they tended to keep their face hidden (maybe?)

that’s pretty much it

we learn about this interaction much much much much much later in the podcast, not as a scene that is played out, but abstractly as an event that happened, after we find out who The Visitor is. 

that said, I LOVE this scene’s inclusion and expansion. it makes total sense to me.

Jack is never described as having a sketchbook or being an artist. this will come back later. 

the final scene of the arc in the podcast is instead June giving Magnus some previous designs for the statue of Jack, June, & a Red Robe/The Visitor in the middle of town, with a version where the hood of the robe is down and the face of the Red Robe/The Visitor is visible.

Ch. 1

this is where the podcast starts at episode 1 of the 11th hr. 

boyland’s funeral is very accurate. his comically large family of 400 sons (mentioned in CK podcast) is why the Voidfish lights up like that.

the only real differences I could find were:

in the podcast what is erased is basically boyland’s personnel file. like, a report or write-up of who he is and his work for the BoB. johann writing songs about boyland’s life is new.

the only pronouns ever used for the voidfish in the podcast are they/them, it/its, and occasionally he/him. past taz graphic novels have used they/them. on pg 13 of 11th hr, both Johann and Merle use she/her for the voidfish.

I do not like this, but I have a suspicion as to why, and I don’t like that either. see spoiler-y observations at the end for more.

they merged this scene with a scene from the skipped lunar interlude before CK, where The Boys take cpt. cpt. bane’s “file” to the voidfish to be eaten.

 I described this in my other posts, but the two things relevant here are Magnus putting his hand up on the glass and vibing w the voidfish, and this exhange b/w Johann and The Boys:

Johann: When I, um, can I ask you guys a question?

Magnus: Sure.

Taako: Of course, Johann.

Johann: Are you guys really okay with, with this part of the deal?

Magnus: That we get forgot?

Taako: Which part?

Johann: Yeah, are you cool with like, if you beef it down there, the world just forgets about you?

Magnus: Well, I’m not planning on ever dying.

in the podcast, bc Avi isn’t there, Angus operates the cannons (Avi showed him how before he left). he is extremely nervous about it and about killing them on accident. once they’re in the orb taako casts stoneskin on himself “just in case”, but everything works out totally fine, though avi mentions when The Boys land that the stoneskin should’ve thrown off the trajectory.

the gn keeps the spirit of taako trusting no one without the angus psychological damage by having him just cast a better version of the spell angus cast, and I am a fan.

the leveling up stats aren’t right in the book, as I’m sure every dnd 5e nerd has already tweeted about.

they’re all level 10, so magnus should be a level 8 fighter and a level 2 rogue bc 2+8=10, while the other two boys are still just a level 10 cleric and a level 10 wizard bc they didn’t multiclass.

fantasy costco-wise: aside from the stuff they have in the book (all things they do own in the podcast, though hole-thrower and the feather-weight cuirass were from the fantasy gachapon), merle picks up matthias the living grimoire, magnus gets the magnetic charge and the tarantula bracelet, and taako gets the arcane trickster’s glove (no wiki page rip it just gives you some arcane trickster powers) and mockingbird gum.

they beat up the baby worms more before letting them go, it’s a full battle

Ch. 2

in the podcast, when they go through the barrier, they find themselves in an empty white space where they see an old woman holding the cup. she says “It’s you!” with recognition upon seeing them, and then says “find me” before they wake up.

important: every time the boys die in the podcast, they go back to this space briefly before waking up.

sometimes the woman gives a cryptic message, sometimes not, and in their later loops, the woman collapses, breathing heavily.

we find out in the end that this woman is June - she has a whole extended de-aging sequence later that they probably cut so poor Carey didn’t have to do a bajillion character models for June at different ages just for a few panels of dramatic effect.

pg 36 - to head off any dnd 5e nitpickers, Magnus does not have proficiency in rustic hospitality, since that’s not a skill. Magnus does have a character feat called “Rustic Hospitality” that he chose at level 1.

claiming to have proficiency in things you can’t possibly have proficiency in is a longstanding goof both in taz and among people who play dnd 5e in general, because it’s funny.

in the book, they intercut each loop with a scene from lunar interlude 3, and it works really really well. we’ll get to those scenes as they come up.

Is this the first time someone uses he/him for The Red Robe in the gn series? (Roswell says ‘his’)

in the podcast Roswell mentions having never met the visitor, and comments “I say “he”, but I don’t know.”

in the GN, when The Boys tell the director about The Red Robe in CK they use they/them pronouns and so does the director, but after this, even @ the end of the book after Taako guesses that The Red Robe they’ve been talking to isn’t the same Red Robe from Refuge, he and the other boys continue to use he/him for The Red Robe.

“Mystic Analysis”

he just did an arcana check in the podcast, I don’t think Taako had Identify as a spell, which is what the DND equivalent would be. 

they also don’t figure out that Roswell has a command word until much later, during the Diary Of Sheriff Isaak scene.

Griffin basically says “[they’re] an earth elemental, with a bird on [them], and earth elementals don’t generally have birds on them, so maybe it was just nearby when the spell was cast and got caught up in it”

Cassidy

in the podcast, she’s in jail for blowing up the temple of Istus, which she didn’t do.

GN Ren mentions later on that the temple got “un-built” which references how in the podcast the temple suddenly aged a matter of centuries in seconds, so from the outside it looked kind of explode-y. and cassidy is known for blowing shit up, so she was blamed. she also theorizes that it might be racism due to her half-orc heritage.

in the GN, cassidy’s arrested for trespassing on the closed mines, which she absolutely has done. it makes more sense, and eliminates a major plot point they cut from the book

she is otherwise pretty much the same, I love her very much

Paloma pretty much stays in her cottage in the podcast rather than sneaking around.

the fantastic exchange of “you guys have been here 45 minutes, what the fuck did you bring with you?!” “you should see what we can do in an hour!” is 100% verbatim from the podcast.

in the podcast, Ren is dead the first bank fire (and in most subsequent bank fires). she also wasn’t one of the bandits, or involved with the bank robbery at all

in fact, in the loop where The Boys were doing the bank robbery, she unexpectedly came in, recognized Taako, and almost blew their cover.

With so little time left on the clock, Taako cast Banishment on her to keep her safe and out of the way, but she made her saving throw - so it didn’t work, but she knew Taako tried to cast some spell on her, and there was a somber moment of her falling backwards trying to get away from him, tears in her eyes.

look it’s a good lil character moment

I can’t emphasize enough how brutal the first description of the bank fire and subsequent world-ending is. Griffin pulled 0 punches.

Magnus rushes in and he describes the scene like “you see a guy, who looks like this. they’re dead. you see two guards. they’re dead. you see a woman holding a tray of diamonds. she’s dead. you see this person, also dead. you see a dwarven bank teller. she might be alive, but it’s hard to tell, and if she was she is on the brink of death”

I think the boys, brogden, and maybe one of the purple-kerchief ruffians (which is how they are described in the podcast) survived the first one, and everyone else died in that bank. it felt so brutal listening to it the first time because you (and the boys) didn’t know about the loop yet, so it was just. horrifying.

I love how they pulled in off in the GN!!! the clock hands are just *chef kiss*

just before Griffin describes the destruction of Refuge, Travis interjects, “Ditto, did you base this on Majora’s Mask?”

while Griffin does not respond in the moment, he later confirms that Travis is correct.

Griffin’s description of the fiery deaths of The Boys: “And you’re being crushed by the shattered earth as it compresses down into the ground. And you hear an anguished scream come from something massive and furious, and all three of you have died…And there’s something about the dying that feels familiar.”

“and then you wake up.” hardcut to end of episode music. v epic.

Ch. 3 (i s2g they’re not all going to be this detailed the major plot differences are mostly out of the way now)

as mentioned, the scenes between each loop in the gn happen in Lunar Interlude III (transcript) (episode) - each of The Boys got to choose a scene to have in between arcs and Justin chose to have Taako give Angus magic lessons.

they’re all more abstract in the eps (Taako establishes a recurring time and place to give Angus lessons, and we get scenes from earlier vs later lessons, various shenanigans, etc.) but the major points are actually pretty much the same, just condensed into one scene in the book.

also taako giving magic lessons in his quarters makes 100% sense, but in the podcast they did it in the cafeteria, and that’s where the LUP is burned into the wall. significant? potentially.

in the podcast angus had made some macarons for taako but forgot to flavor them (he nailed the texture though which is hard to do in a macaron) so he asked taako to prestidigitate them better and then scorching ray happened and blasted em to shreds.

LUP. dude. I thought it was an acronym when I first heard it, bc in the podcast, Griffin says “So your staff, you lost control of it and you blasted the letters “L-U-P” into the wall.” Seeing it in cursive, all gorgeous and capitalized like a proper noun? knocked me the fuck out.

another dnd 5e tiny detail: in the gn, the description for Angus’ first wand says “wonderful stocking stuffer for the young sorcerer in your life”

i could have a whole conspiracy board about this.

skip this if you’re not super into dnd 5e mechanics

the difference (in dnd 5e) b/w a wizard, a warlock, and a sorcerer is:

wizard: gets magic from study and practice - taako is a wizard bc he studied spellcraft and learned how to do it.

warlock: gets magic from making a deal with something/someone far more magical than themselves - garfield is a warlock, so his magic stems from a deal he made with something (the devil??)

sorcerer: has innate magic within them.

this could come from a myriad of places, but usually from heritage or bloodline - maybe your great-grandfather was a god or a dragon or a demon or a djinn or something, or maybe your mom touched a weird rock as a kid and got magic powers that she passed onto you when she had you.

in the podcast, angus is only ever referred to as a wizard. makes sense - regular boy + magic training from taako = wizard boy.

but if he’s a sorcerer, the magic really was in him all along. is taako teaching him to channel it? does he know?

this also fits with a weirdly popular headcanon the taz community had for a while about angus secretly being a silver dragon (in dnd, color = different abilities, diff personality, etc, and silver ones like to shapeshift and pretend to be humans sometimes).

“draconic bloodline” is one of the most common sorcerer backgrounds - it basically just means ‘a dragon got involved at some point in this family tree, so now you can cast ray of frost’.

hmmmmmmm

end conspiracy theory

It is at this point that I lost my damn book. so. I’m just gonna post this bc the next graphic novel is coming out soon and I want to post it before then. If i find my book I’ll finish it up. If you have post-chapter 3 differences you noticed that aren’t already covered, feel free to reply/reblog with them!

Spoiler-y Observations Below!

CAUTION: contains spoilers for the rest of taz balance!

*voidfish speculation: my suspicion is that they’re using ‘she’ for the voidfish to foreshadow that they have a baby, so that makes them a “mother”? i call bullshit, but i’ve heard it used before as a justification for misgendering an enby who gives birth. obvs the voidfish is not a human being, people can have multiple pronouns, it’s not a 1:1 comparison, but i for one (as an enby myself) really liked the voidfish using they/them and feel oddly betrayed at them suddenly changing the pronouns. fingers crossed that there’s a different reason.

"what am statue” is low-key foreshadowing since magnus says it

merle knowing what relativistic time dilation is

LUP was burnt into the wall in the cafeteria in the podcast - lucretia would’ve seen it for sure. so they put it in taako’s room this time...

aw no ‘sorry about the cookies little man’

In 5 or however many years when gn series ends, someone should do a poll of people who only read the graphic novels and see if any of them pronounce “Lup” weird since they’ve only ever seen it written down.

hero wreathed in flames 0.0 I hope Joaquin is still there in the finale but I like the duality here

BATTLEAXEPROFICIENCYEASTEREGG

SNEAK PEEK AT THE HUNGER SNEAK PEEK AT THE STARBLASTER AAAAAAAA

257 - ‘I know him better than you could ever imagine’ because he created you? Oof ouch ow my bones. also....the magnus that made the cup was a very different person from magnus now. it’s not what Julia would want - the cup never met julia, obvs, and does not know the ways she changed him for the better.

Bottom of 327 - sweet Angus boy are you drawing something on that orb?

Istus is like you’ve been serving me your whole lives without knowing it in the podcast - maybe a bit too much foreshadowing for the GN