#they're ready for the spooky season

[magicalboybasil]

Juuuust as an extra treat, we're gonna post the high res file so you can really enjoy Fray with a knife~

[emberunderscore]

FableSMP EPIC the musical AU

whole thing comes from the perspective of Midas (as Quixis specifically) being Scylla, which means Icarus has to be Odysseus, which is also fitting tbh.

this is only based on the released sagas bc i dont have the vibe of the future characters yet (i dont look at a whole lot of snippets). also dont think about any of the blood family stuff too hard - theres nothing weird dw but it just makes stuff complicated with the gods

Monsters

Scylla - Quixis Midas

The ideas of Scylla being human turned monster, Midas is human turned Quixis, which in this universe could be something of a replacement for monstrous, which also works with 

Spooky bitch Midas propaganda

Look at my edit to be even more convinced

Polyphemus - Leviathan/Vorago

Probably makes most sense with Leviathan

Instead of the parent/child relationship with Poseidon they're siblings (ocie is poseidon)

Humans/Dead people

Odysseus - Icarus

Icarus has to be Ody because of Midas being Scylla

The song Monster

The conflicts within the plot work well with Icarus’ own relationships

Eury and Ody see each other as brothers, even though it isn't’t blood. Maybe they’re not blood related in this AU

Eurylochus: Rae

Brothers!!

Rae is seen as the leader of Lodestar, which works well with Eury’s place as the voice of the crew

Penelope: Centross??

prison duo

but it actually works because Icarus would do anything for him. just look at season 3

he's probably not smart enough to be penelope but the agenda is more important than that

Telemachus: Oscar

Ik Oscar isn't Icarus' kid but he is Centross and theoretically Centross would've been the one to raise him anyway

See Legendary

Polities: Athena

Optimist

Song open arms

"everything's changed since polities"

Perimedes: Caspian

Perimedes is the one who stabs Odysseus in the back to stop him from killing Eurylochus in Mutiny

For Rae? Cas wouldn't hesitate

Tireseas: Haley

Dead prophet

who else

Ody's dead mom: Isla

Isla is Icarus' mom??? In this AU??? /s

Gods

Zeus: Fable

Orignially this was Epros but I was convinced to change it

Massive ego

Yellow

Actual reasons in this post

Athena: Enderian

This could also be fable but I dont think Icarus would defy him like how he does

Goddess of the Mind, need I say more

Aeolus: Aurelius

They have the vibes I think

Aeolus is gender and so is Aurelius

There are a lot of options I think

I like the idea of the Winions(?) being the piglins they had in their bunker

Poseidon: Ocie

Ocean

At the beginning Ocie is so ready to kill people, she does not care for human life. Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves

She would do that for Vorago

Canon compliant beef with Icarus 

Circe: Momboo

My first thought was Ven because I'm a fucking dumbass

It makes so much more sense than Ven

Plant lady, plant witch

badass

girlboss

pretty woman

Hermes: Rakai

They have the vibes

One of the very few gods to tolerate Icarus

gender

Apollo: Malitae

Apollo sounds so fruity in god games

Apollo cares most about music in god games which is a form of expression so i think it fits for Malitae to be him

Hephaestus: Nexus

In god games Hephaestus' thing is trust, he's pissed that Ody betrayed his crew

Nexus is the Goddess of Loyalty so it fits really well that she'd be upset about that

Nexus was also a knight so being a god of blacksmithing isn't too far from that

Aphrodite: Soul

Aphrodite cares about Ody's mom's broken heart

If we thing of it in the context of soulbonds it makes sense that Soul would be upset about that

Ares: Netherum

Ares is the only one in god games to match Athena's power, which checks out - major god to major god

Maybe its a bit ooc for Netherum themself

But god of destruction as the god of war. thats something

Would totally step in for Soul

Hera: Perix

In this AU we ignore family dynamics- Perix is not married

Calls Athena "baby" (kinda gay)

Fits the vibe

can you come up with a better idea? no, nor could I (credit to Sardar106 for this casting lol)

Calypso: Ven

They're so "This could never really happen but let us pretend"

"I wish we could've been something"

Look at this post (person who reblogged has better words than me go read that)

thank you for coming to my au talk. please share your own thoughts and opinions (but also remember that i am objectively correct all of the time /j)

Updated after Wisdom Saga

[starshard17]

Prinxiety Week!!!

Day 4, Halloween ❤️💜

They're decorating and watching Nightmare Before Christmas to get ready for the spooky season 😌

@prinxietyweek

Og doodle below the cut 🤗

[dawndelion-winery]

I Can See You

Warning: suggestive, use of f-word (not the slur)

They get dressed up all nicely for you the spooky season (modern au)

Ft. Alhaitham, Childe, Kaeya, Kaveh, Scaramouche

Alhaitham:

He didn't really see a point in getting in costume just for candy

But you insisted, and who was he to refuse to accompany you?

He honestly wasn't very pleased

Until he found a few costume ideas people were posting about

If his boyfriend-material turtleneck sweaters weren't form fitting enough, the skintight latex suit he was getting definitely was

He had no business dressing up as batman, flaunting his ass and abs like that

Still, he told you not to worry, as he'd cover up

And by that he meant wearing a full on suit and tie over it

Suddenly you're not so keen on leaving the house and it's Alhaitham complaining about how you're not getting ready to go trick or treating

Not that he actually minds, of course, given how the fit that night was picked out with the sole intention of convincing you to forgo the candy raid

Childe:

He's nothing if not extra

Full on SFX make up and everything

He made the side of his mouth seem torn and basically doused himself in fake blood (he assured you it was fake)

Fake burns to top off his already existing scars?? It's like he was dressing up to be the victim of some monster attack

And of course, he had to rip up his clothes to really sell the look

Ajax tearing shirts wasn't something you knew you needed to see

Seeing the fabric pull apart with a shrrrppp sound and loose seams dangling over toned muscles littered with as many scars as freckles

They're all old wounds, but the fake blood reminds you of when some of them were fresh and you were helping him tend to them

As you subconsciously reach out to caress the side of his stomach where a nasty old gash was, you felt his warm hand over yours

Right, well, Ajax always was a touchy person, so he never had any qualms about you feeling him up now and then if anything he wished you would more often

It was a soft moment until he spoke up

"Want me to rip up your clothes too? Though they might not be able to stay on then."

Kaeya:

You only ever get one of two things with this man

He dresses cute, or he dresses slutty

And you not wearing the matching peacock onesie with him meant he was dressing slutty

Hence the Seele cosplay

But without the wig, so he looks mildly cursed

Boi really out here strutting with everything on display like goddamn all this for free???

It was not, in fact, free

If you're not getting handsy on him along the way, he's keeping his hands on you because frankly, how could you not give him any attention when he's dressed all "fancy" for you?

Hi please appreciate his hips or he's going to dislocate his pelvis trying to flaunt himself in front of you /hj

Kaveh:

He's putting way too much into an outfit he's only going to use once

And you know damn well he's going to then use that as an excuse to keep using the costume

I mean, does he really need to recreate a fully functional Iron Man suit???

According to him the answer was an obvious yes

Honestly you were just a teeny but disappointed because you wanted to see his face

Which wasn't as much of a problem as you'd anticipated because it got hot in there, so he'd pop out of the suit every so often

You'd never been more appreciative of white dress shirts

More specifically the white dress shirt he chose to wear into that portable mechanical sauna he'd made himself

Yeah, maybe he really should use that suit at every opportunity

Scaramouche:

If you find him hot in his costume, you are 100% a monster fucker

Like Ajax and Kaveh, he goes all out

Except instead of aiming for visual appeal, he's going straight for trying to traumatise children

I hope you're not scared of zombies because he's painted himself grey and made faux scarred tissue all over

On top of tearing his clothes, he's burnt parts of it, and the shirt was pretty much just a few strips of cloth at this point

Oh, you thought you were going to have your boyfriend shirtless all night?

Well yeah, but somehow with what seems to be massive chunks of flesh missing and ribs poking through

His pants were, unfortunately, intact for the most part, with the hems undone and a little scorched

10/10 decaying zombie, and he makes you go as a zombie hunter equipped with a flamethrower

Taglist:@ryuryuryuyurboat @yinyinggie @mx-kamisato @chaosinanutshell @haliyamori @irethepotato @boundedbyfate @favonius-captain @aqui-soba @tiredsleep @sadlonelybagel @mastering-procrastinating @lemeowade

[hp-hcs]

If the boyos were animals what animals would you think they’d be?

For some reason Tom gives (killer) bird energy for me lol

i disagree, anon, and hear me out on this one, okay?

headcanon: what birds are the slytherin boys?

Draco: Peacock, duh

enough said. no explanation needed.

Mattheo: Northern goshawk

these bad boys are wildly terratorial, and prone to attacking other birds (and the occasional human) during nesting season. since matty boy would gladly jump into a fistfight if someone even looked at his friends, i think he'd be a goshawk.

Theo: Lammergeiers

spooky, right? wrong! these silly lil guys are actually hella cool! they're a type of vulture, but they eat the bones of carcasses, rather than the flesh. they were hunted to near-extinction in the early 20th century due to being misjudged as child- and livestock-snatchers; their name even means "lamb-vulture" in german, due to the misconception of their eating habits. ergo, theo, who's often misjudged and also has a deeply unsettling stare like the pictured bird above, is a lammergeier.

Enzo: Galah

these silly lil guys are very friendly, and are pretty to look at! they're a type of parrot native to australia, and make good house pets. they're also loud, talkative, and high-energy. but enzo's like a galah because even though they both look like loveable idiots with empty heads, both boy and bird are actually wildly intelligent.

Tom: Cuckoo

now here's where we differ, anon. the cuckoo is not a murderous killer bird (...usually), but, it is the mobster of the bird world. you see, tom is often depicted in fanon as being violent, ready to murder at any second, but in the novels, he's wildly crafty, manipulative, and clever. the cuckoo is known for exploiting other birds (especially magpies) by leaving their eggs in a "foster parent" bird's nest. the unwilling foster bird then is obligated to raise the cuckoo chick to adulthood, oft at the threat of the parent cuckoo smashing the foster bird's own eggs (as is often observed when the foster bird neglects or attempts to egg-toss the imposter egg, or if ornithologists tamper with the nest and remove the cuckoo's eggs). so you see, dear anon, that cuckoos are the exploitative dicks of the bird world, just as tom is the utilitarian asshole of his.

Blaise: Swallow-tailed kite

pretty! it's a type of raptor, but actually quite friendly! it's quiet though, and known for its odd gliding way of flying, with little to no wing-flapping at all. blaise is quiet, reserved, (pretty), and little unusual, so i think he'd make a great swallow-tailed kite!

[fandomfluffandfuck]

I must be getting ready for spooky season early because all damn day, all I've been thinking obsessively about Steve with an honest-to-god fetish for vampires.

It's just this fixation that he's had his whole conscious life. It's what he can't get away from. Every time he's alone with his fist around his dick, no matter what started him down that path, whatever brought him there, it always, always ends up with vampires, no matter how unrelated it seems from the original thought.

There's, just, something about vampires. Okay, fine, it's everything about them. The teeth, the danger, the vulnerability, the risk, the reward, and the taboo, yet, also the mystery. E-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. It ignites Steve. He can hardly think about vampires or hear them mentioned in passing without quivering. He can't escape his ever-present wants.

His needs.

So, when he's turns 21, the first thing he does isn't shoot too much fruity alcohol for a few hours, then spend the rest of his night regretting it in a tiny bathroom stall, the whole world spinning, but instead, the his first 21+ act is walking into a blood bar.

He's not had anything alcoholic to drink, rather he's sipping on a drink, leaning against the counter, not even bothering to snag a seat because he doesn't plan on waiting long enough to get comfortable. He's waited this long already. He doesn't want to waste another minute. The first vampire that approaches him, he's gonna say fuck. yes. He's so ready to have his first experience.

Portrying such casual energy with a pose like that, dressed in nothing special, just any old clothes that he wouldn't be out of place wearing in the middle of the street on a regular day, sipping from a glass, Bucky sees him and thinks he might be a regular that he's somehow missed every time he's come in to this establishment before. But... the second Bucky gets near him, drawn to him inexplicably, Bucky understands the ruse.

It's only a skin deep mirage.

Interesting.

And Bucky knows so because even without his enhanced, inhuman senses, Bucky suspects he'd be able to hear the jackrabbit-fast hammering of his heart. Hell, he'd probably be able to feel the nervousness rolling off of him in waves, too. He doesn't need to have so, so many years of life experience and heightened sense to know that--

Oh, he's new.

Bucky can feel his fangs as a delicious pressure in his mouth where they're aching to drop. His stomach rumbles, just as eager. He wants to feed.

And he wants this one.

The newcomer is everything Bucky wants, big and muscular but so clearly sweet, biting his lip, trying and failing to hide how nervous and excited he is, leaning back and hiding behind his drink while his eyes dart around the room, trying to discern who's human and who isn't. He's so laughably, plainly, obviously ready to melt under expert touch.

He's in luck.

Bucky swoops in, settling next to him (on a bar stool, thank you very much), and soon...

Steve is squirming faintly--trying to restrain himself to make this as easy as possible and failing because he's that much of an eager, sweet thing and it feels that good--beneath the teeth of Bucky.

Soon, Steve is going from pink and feverish with want, finally on the cusp of getting what he's desired all his life so badly, to pale and shaking, moaning no less than a man being pleasured by a hot body wrapped tightly around his cock as Bucky feeds from him. His hands started out digging into Bucky's arms, holding him there, not wanting this opportunity to experience this fantasy to slip away, but now his grip is getting a little weaker. His body is slouching down where Bucky has him pressed against the high, sturdy wooden bar. And pure ecstasy bleeds across Steve's face, tainting his expression into a beautiful, fucked up thing that just makes Bucky crave more from him.

Yet, when Bucky pulls away with just a little less than his fill, being careful with this eager, sweet creature, Steve whimpers.

His hands paw uncoordinatedly at Bucky, trying to grab him and pull him back for a second taste. He can't, though, not when his brain has so clearly been drained from his skull, out through his ears and nose, leaving him empty-headed and pathetic, hazily clamoring for more pleasure like a junkie falling from a high. More. Please.

Instantly, in a terribly hot flash, Bucky thinks, oh, this one is gonna be fun. He's asking for trouble. Begging, really, making noises and faces like that.

Bucky already craves more of the way he tastes. There's always a heady, intoxicating undercurrent to those that enjoy the special delight of being prey, and Steve has the sweetest cocktail Bucky's ever tasted. Right there in his veins, thrumming hot and thick. He likes it bad.

And, hmm, it seems like they're both in luck here. Aren't they?

This will be trouble. It already is.

[bumble-the-sun-bee]

im ready for spooky season

so here are some of my Halloween dcas (all made back in September of 2023-)

They're all due for a redraw/ redesign of their ref sheets lol

The fun thing about them is, it started with spooks being based on a Halloween shirt I own and went from there :p

[flightfoot]

i think you rec fics if i'm wrong i'm so sorry. any fluffy fics with all 4 lovesquare sides? - though just ladynoir/adrienette would work too.

Yep I give those recs! This is actually one of the tricker cases, because on the one hand there's a lot of them and on the other hand they're interwoven with a lot of other things and often don't have specific tags to search with, so I'll see what I can do. I'm mostly just looking for fluff fics that have more than one side of the Lovesquare represented.

I Put A Spell On You by dazaimaru

Friday, October 25. 6 days until Halloween. It’s their first high school Halloween dance, and Marinette and Adrien are ready to throw on some non-superhero costumes for once--that is, until an akumatized witch spoils the party and threatens to reveal what lies underneath everyone’s disguise. With Hawkmoth taking full advantage of the spooky season, the days leading up to Halloween are certainly going to be thrilling! Especially considering Marinette’s growing feelings for a certain black cat…

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Fate, Destiny... A Hamster by @mostmagical

After finally moving into his very first apartment per Ladybug’s suggestion, Adrien stumbles upon something no movie or TV show could have ever prepared him for: someone else's hamster. At least now there’s an excuse to talk to the new neighbor. (Adrinette Never Met AU)

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Villainous Matchmaking by @nedjsmlfavs

When Chat Noir is tragically unable to attend an event with Ladybug, the mayor calls in a favor from a designer ‘friend’. Now she’s attending in style, on the arm of the hottest male model in Paris. Which would be fine if it weren’t for one, tiny issue: Paris’ favorite domestic terrorist now knows how Ladybug feels about his son. This leads him to his greatest plan yet, using Ladybug’s extremely obvious crush on Adrien Agreste to akumatize Chat Noir. A Ladrien/“platonic” Ladynoir fic

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Painted Canvas by @wehadabondingmoment

And then, Adrien would send her a selfie, acting as if he was some secret agent trying to not get caught and he was so ridiculous that Marinette’s heart ached at the thought of being away from him. Hushed phone calls, his voice sounding like honey; in moments like these, she wasn’t Ladybug, only a teenage girl drunk on love. Or: Adrien and Marinette are soulmates and it still takes them years until they finally meet. Also fencing.

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Professeure (of your love) by @mostmagical

“We should do it.” Her voice came out in a screech. “What?” “Just a fake wedding at graduation,” he said, like it wasn’t completely crazy. . . After ages of letting Paris believe their beloved superheroes are married and in love, Marinette's superhero partner turned fellow teacher wants to apply the same logic to their civilian lives and put on a fake wedding for their students. Only problem is, for Marinette, the being in love part is very much not an act.

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From School Bells to Wedding Bells by @linnieluna

When the superhero duo takes on another exhausting fight against an akuma, Chat Noir does what he never hesitates to do and takes a hit for his partner. The problem being: neither of them knew what power the akuma possessed. That is... until he is transported into the future. More specifically, to his friend Marinette's wedding.

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The Power of Love by @nedjsmlfavs

In which Ladybug announces that she’s pregnant via her long term boyfriend and Chat Noir is a supportive partner. After all, he can hardly be upset when he’s been dating his Princess for years! A different take on the show’s tagline (“The Power of Love Always so Strong”) written for Valentine’s day 2023.

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The Rules of Engagement by underworkedoverwhelmed

When tragedy sends Adrien Agreste racing back to Paris to run his father’s fashion house, Marinette doesn’t expect much from her very new, very rich boss. At least not until she is set up on a blind date with a very familiar face. Much to her surprise, Adrien Agreste was hiding far more secrets behind his stoic business-like mask of temporary CEO. Maybe as many secrets as she had been trying to hide for years. As they grow closer, Marinette fears her mask isn’t nearly as foolproof. Day after day, it gets harder for her to keep all her secrets well hidden from the surprisingly sweet man who insisted on staying by her side as often as possible. Only she couldn’t afford to fail. Not when her biggest secret could spell the end of the job she’d dreamed about for years.

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Dreams of You by @chocoluckchipz

Dreams had long been his only escape. Dreams of Ladybug, the girl who had always been there for him. If only in his dreams. And only while she was also sleeping. Because with the first rays of sunshine gliding over her skin, with the first fluttering of her eyelashes, from the moment she opened her eyes in the morning, memories of Adrien would vanish from her mind. She would go on living her life. He would always be the only one who remembered. At least until they meet in the real world and fall in love all over again, something that would’ve been easier to do if Adrien wasn't a prisoner in his own home.

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Tell Me Why You Love Me by @linnieluna

“Anyway, that piece of paper contains the name of this texting app. It’s completely anonymous, so you can download it, make your account with no attachments to your personal life, and communicate with me outside our suits. I included my username on the paper, too, so you can add me once you’re done." Her partner skimmed through the words on the paper and nodded his head. “Brilliant as always, M’lady. I’m surprised we didn’t figure this out sooner within our superhero careers.” “Yeah, it would’ve been nice to have this before, but hey, better late than never. Make sure not to have your phone screen on the messages if you’re going to leave it somewhere. We don’t want anyone reading our texts. Also, this is for emergencies only. No jokes or puns. I can only deal with you for so long.” “I don’t know if I can agree to that last one,” he said. Now 22 and working full-time, Marinette and Adrien seem to be getting busier and busier, which means fewer opportunities to keep track of akumas and show up on time. With the idea of using a messaging app to communicate with each other without revealing their identities, their lives immediately grew to be easier... until it wasn't.

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Soul Searching by LiquefiedStars

Marinette was devastated when her soulmate turned out to be Adrien Agreste and not her sweet, loving partner Chat Noir. Despite their misunderstandings, she is willing to give Adrien a chance, even if he doesn’t seem all that interested in her. After all, they are soulmates and the universe says they are meant to be together. A Soulmate AU.

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Love is Blind by @jennagrinsoverml

Tired of all of his potential girlfriends being blinded by his face, his fame and his name, Adrien takes a chance to compete on Love Is Blind: France, where he hopes that dating without seeing each other—or learning each other’s names—will finally help him to be lucky in love. What will he do when he realizes that his Lady is one of the contestants, however? And will he be able to win her heart where he’s never succeeded before? Meanwhile, Marinette is looking to meet the right guy after years of pining away for someone who has only ever seen her as a friend. She’s not entirely sure if she can fall in love with someone without seeing them, but the things that have always mattered to her most are the kinds of things that can’t be seen. What will she do when she realizes her heart is being pulled in two directions? And will she be ready to make a decision in time?

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Over and Over by stcrsquad

Marinette Dupain-Cheng has had the worst day possible. She's failed to confess to Adrien (again), made an embarrassment of herself, and got into a fight with Chat Noir. Adrien Agreste has had the worst day possible. He is tired of being pushed aside by everyone, including his crime-fighting partner Ladybug. Luckily, fate (and Bunnyx) works in mysterious ways because they wake up again on the same day. A do-over. Except it keeps happening. Can the two figure out what they need to fix to break the loop, or will they be stuck forever?

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Graine de toi by MireilleTanaka

Ladybug and Chat Noir think they’re close, until they begin waking up in one another’s skin. AU: Adrien is homeschooled, and he and Marinette have never met. Written for Adrinette April 2020, Day 17: Life Swap. The one prompt snowballed into a multi-chapter fic. Loosely inspired by Your Name (Kimi no na wa), but no need to have watched it to read, since there's no actual plot connection except the premise of swapping lives.

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Knight in Shining Amour by Cakedecorator

Marinette is the daughter of the castle bakers, and she herself is the royal seamstress. She lives her life making clothes, helping her parents, and generally living a simple life. However, she also laments the loss of her childhood friendship with Prince Adrien, and remembers the promise they made when they were five years old. Resigning herself to the reality that she would never be able to marry the prince, and assuming he'd forgotten their promise, Marinette tries to live her life without letting loss get to her. However, her love story begins a new chapter when she's approached by Cat Noir, a debonair new knight in the castle.

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Evergreen by tanyatakaishi

Everything was gone. The entire cityscape had been obliterated, leaving them in a valley of trees. Blue mountains, peaks dressed in snow, stretched tall in the distance and at their foot lay an array of vineyards, miles wide with no civilization in sight. AKA: two heroes lost alone in the woods with no cheese.

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Someone to Watch Over Me by @dfcfanfics

Adrien is used to his father taking him for granted and treating him poorly, especially since his mother's disappearance... but it's never been anywhere _near_ this bad before. Between that and trouble at school, his life is in quite the downward spiral. He's been putting on a brave face, but he's struggling... and his friends are starting to notice. One special friend in particular. Marinette is determined to help him, any way that she can -- with _and_ without her mask. But when Akumas fly towards Adrien, he soon finds himself more deeply entwined in Marinette's life AND Ladybug's private life than he'd ever imagined. Can Adrien possibly decide between the two angels who are making his life worth living again? Can Marinette process Adrien's crush on Ladybug AND his growing feelings for her? And can Gabriel stop laughing long enough to launch his master plan? A fluffy DFC - buggachat Ladrienette jam. 10/15: Our story is now complete with the posting of Chapter 24, the epilogue. Thank you so much for reading, as always.

[enhadelus]

BOLD

pairing: park sunghoon x reader

description: you have always been bold, there’s no other way of describing yourself, not when you have always been direct with your words and actions, never being one to shy out of any situation. but what happens when you meet the most handsome man ever and actually feel shy for the first time?

!THIRTEENTH!

Y/n loves the spooky season, loves watching scary movies, the weird decorations, people that dress up, everything. She knows that it is still September but she can already feel the chilling vibes coming up and obviously every year she meets up with her friends to do a little gathering and enjoy all the terrifying things of the season. It's already saturday; the day that she and her friends agreed to gather together at her place, so she is making sure everything is set up correctly. 

“Okay, lights, check, snacks, check plus the ones Jae is bringing, the drinks that he also is going  to help me with, I have the movies ready… Everything seems ready!” and just in time she heard the bell ring, alerting her that someone was outside, Jake being the one. “Hey! Came in a bit early to help you.” “hi! Perfect, come in boy." He has been in her place multiple times now, so he just went in directly to her kitchen to start preparing the drinks. “if we are actually going to give Riki some, then they're going to be softer than what you drink, you alcoholic.” “yeah yeah, as long as they are good, I don't really care” and not long after that, they finished the few things that needed to be done. 

While waiting for the other three guys to arrived the two best friends started to talked a bit “so y/n, Sunghoon seems to be the first guy to ever make you this shy and actually tidy your place hmmm” her friend started to tease her, while wiggling his eyebrows “shut up” she said while covering her face “i don't know why i feel this way around him, it's embarrassing” he could her mumbling behind her hands “so it is a fact that you are interested in him?” “Well, yes, I mean I would be flattered if he gives me a chance you know? But i don't know if he just wants to be friends or not, and besides we haven't known each other for that long to be saying stuff like this anyways” “well, that's true but you know it when you want something serious or just to be friends with someone, like you know that you are into someone” she bites her lip while thinking for a moment and before she can say anything they hear a scream “hey!! We are here, open up before I throw rocks at your window!!” clearing, indicating that Riki it's here with Jungwon and Sunghoon.

Rolling her eyes, she stands up and walks to the door, opening it to be greeted by the three guys, Riki quickly comes close to her and indulge her in a big hug “thank god you opened, i was actually going to throw rocks” “oh, i believe you, don't worry” the girl says before wrapping her arms around him as well “Jake! You came earlier” the energetic boy says before going towards the boy that is currently sitting on the sofa “Hi y/n, thank you for inviting us” “Hi Won! I'm glad you could make it.” The cat boy and the girl share a quick hug before he also follows Riki’s steps and greets Jake “Hi…” “Hi Hoon! You haven’t met Jake right? Let me introduce you two!” She is quick to grab his hand and pull him inside while she calls out for Jake to officially meet the boy that they were talking about.

After introductions and a quick catch up chit chat, they decided to start the marathon. In the girl's apartment they were two sofas, which to her living alone were too many but she often had visits from the two guys so they were very much needed. On one of the sofas were seated Jake, Riki and Jungwon, leaving you and Sunghoon on the other one. All of them focused on the movie, once in a while some of them making a comment about the movie making everyone laugh or just commenting something else but more than that, all of them enjoyed the movie, while snacking and drinking. It was time for the third movie and around the time they decided to put it on, most of them were pretty much tipsy and getting hungrier and even more chattier than during the first two movies. “I told you we needed to put less shots on Riki’s drink, look at him!” Jake accused the girl while giving her a stern look “You made the drinks bitch! Why are you blaming me!” “I made the first two rounds, you made the third one and… wait, who made the last round?” “I think it was Won! And probably Riki told him to give him more shots! You made my baby drunk Won, how could you??” Now the girl stood up and grabbed Riki’s head in a hugging manner while caressing his face “shhh, it is going to be okay Riks, shhh” “I think she is way more drunk than he is” Jungwon says while watching the situation next to him “you might be right Won, hey y/n how drunk are you right now?” “I’m not drunk, i’m just happy” “she is drunk you guys”.

The guys were laughing at how clingy she got to the boy that she claims its her baby, and Riki seem to be enjoying the attention of her, while wrapping his arms around her too saying “Now i get to say that everything its going to be okay girl” now Jake it's laughing and he proceeds to do the same, grabbing the girl by her shoulders and saying “Shhhh, don’t worry” “Ughhh, leave me alone! You guys know I don’t have a high alcohol tolerance!!” both boys proceed to let her alone, she moves back to where she was seated at the beginning “you guys making fun of Riki but look at the state of you pretty” now even Sunghoon is teasing her but this time she didn’t mind the teasing when she heard him calling her “pretty”.

Looking back to the other three she noticed that they were bickering between them and before she could say anything he asked “but seriously, are you okay?” now looking at him so close she blushes even more before saying “y-yea… it is true i can’t handle alcohol that well” “well that i can see” he smirks playfully at her while watching her look at him with wide eyes, she proceeds to throw her head back while covering it “ugh… it is embarrassing if you see me like this” Sunghoon felt confident enough to grab her hands pulling them out of her face “don’t cover up, I want to see you” “you…” “Y/N!! We are hungry!!!” Both of them straighten up their pose and look at Riki and she just says “What do you want me to do about it? Go grab something from the pantry" "I already looked there, and you don’t have what I want!” the tall boy whines and then Jake proceeds to protest as well “yeah! You don’t have what I want either! You and Sunghoon should go to the convenience store and buy what we want!” Jake grabs her hands and drags her to the door “wa-wait!” She looks behind her and sees that Jungwon is pushing Sunghoon to go with her. Now the two of them are outside her place, she just sighs and grabs his arm “let’s just go and buy something” again Sunghoon feels confident and instead of being dragged by her, he grabs her hand and smiles at her “alright, let’s go”. 

They ended up just grabbing some chips for Jake and Riki, gummies for Jungwon and two ice creams for both of them, walking back hand in hand while also eating their ice cream each, he starts “thank you for inviting me tonight, I have enjoyed it so far” “i’m glad you had, and i am also glad you came” “oh? Wanted me to come so badly?” “Shush, maybe i did” it seemed that the alcohol made them switch personalities. “hmm, i was happy when you invited me” “i was happy that you said yes, I… want to be closer to you Hoon…” “It’s like you read my mind, I want to be closer to you too y/n”.

[samthecookielord]

(Previous) - (Next)

Congratulations! Romeo is alive but gay

That sets the stage for this part! :)

Jesse, just like in Season 2, takes a stroll around Beacontown with Radar. They encounter various citizens who seem on edge.

(continued + next poll under cut. CW for canon-typical suffocation)

Citizen 1: [jumps, rushes away to hide before realizing their mistake and turning back around] Citizen 1: Sorry Jesse, force of habit. How's it going? Jesse: Heh, don't worry about it.

Jesse: [waves excitedly in greeting] Citizen 2: [looks around wildly, terrified, like they're anticipating something awful is about to happen to them] Jesse: Woah, are you okay? Citizen 2: Oh- sorry, haha! Still a little spooky seeing you. Jesse: Yeah, I get that. Luckily I don't plan on actually turning evil ever, so hopefully it gets better. Citizen 2: Right!

Jesse: [literally just chilling] Citizen 3: [walks up, notices them, then looks frightened and runs in the opposite direction] Radar: Yeesh. Jesse: [sighs] It's fine. I know I'm not Romeo, but they probably still don't totally get what happened. Radar: Not fair that they're gonna be scared of you for something you didn’t even do. Jesse: Not really, but they had it way worse than I do. You can't really blame them for their gut reactions. Radar: Then that's what we work on changing! Jesse: Right!

This takes Jesse to the Underneath via the portal hall, which you can see has had a couple makeovers since it was last shown. Romeo has been staying in a dirt hut near Fred's Keep. Looking through the window, it's actually a pretty homey place. He's got like, framed items and books and stuff in there. Jesse manages to catch him right as he's leaving to go help with the farms.

Jesse: [awkwardly clears throat] Romeo: Ah, Jesse! Fancy seeing you here. Jesse: Hey... whatcha up to down here? Romeo: Well, what's it look like? I'm doing my part to fix things. Jesse, flatly: That's awesome. Romeo: I've gotta say, this whole being a good guy thing is a lot more interesting than I thought it would be. Jesse: Cool, cool beans. Actually, um, can I talk to you privately for a second? Romeo: Of course! Anything for a friend. Jesse: Mhm. [pulls him aside] Jesse: Okay, look. I know you're working to redeem yourself and everything, and that's awesome, but... Romeo: ? Jesse: The people of Beacontown, my people, you messed them up really badly. They're still on edge and still get freaked out when they see me, thinking I'm gonna hurt them. Romeo: Yeahhh, in hindsight I wasn't really ready to take on the role of 'Jesse'. Jesse: I was just wondering if, you know, there was a way to put their minds at ease a little more? Romeo: Hmm... Jesse: You could come back up and help rebuild the town, or help with Champion City. Heck, even just explaining everything and letting them know that I'm not secretly a villainous admin in disguise. Romeo: Well, there's still a lot to do down here- Wait, I've got it! Jesse: Yeah? Romeo: If your people are worried about me using admin powers for evil, we can totally get rid of my powers! Jesse: I- wait, I thought we already did that. Romeo: It's true that I can't use them anymore. But it would definitely put their minds at ease knowing admin powers are somewhere else completely! Jesse: I'm not following... Romeo: [scoffs] Obviously, I give you the powers! Finally, the one thing I can still do is being put to good use! Jesse: Woah, woah, wait. That's not what I was getting at. I didn’t even know you could do that! Romeo: It's the simplest solution! The remaining admin powers go to the person who saved the world, nobody has to worry about me being dangerous, and I can stay down here while still fixing stuff up there! [Romeo puts his hand on Jesse's head] Jesse: Romeo, wait! This isn't what- [insert garbled glitchy text] [Jesse falls to their knees, clutching their head.] Romeo: Now, if you'll allow me, I've really got to get back to the whole redemption thing! Man, I'm getting really good at this. Jesse, weakly: Come back! What did you- [Romeo is already gone.]

Upon realizing the power that’s been inflicted upon them, with no idea how to use them, Jesse begins to panic. Instinctively, they teleport into an area they consider to be safer, back in Beacontown. They can now do things just by thinking about it, which leads to muddied thoughts causing unpredictable consequences. 

Desperate for help, the first person they think to call is Radar. Radar gets there as soon as he can, and finds Jesse on the brink of a meltdown. Jesse, in between shaky and rapid breaths, manages to explain that they’ve become the Admin, they don’t know what they’re doing, and this could be really dangerous. Upon realizing his friend, whom he admires deeply, is in the midst of a borderline panic attack, Radar manages to steel his resolve and does his best to help.

He suggests that Jesse, with their new practically limitless power, first and foremost creates a barrier around the two of them. That way, if anything goes awry, it will be limited to a smaller area. Jesse agrees, though they’re still frazzled. After a bit of struggle, Jesse focuses on the creation of a barrier, and manages to create a dome composed of barrier blocks.

However, when they turn around, they realize that Radar is now trapped, suffocating in these blocks. They instantly lose focus in favor of piercing dread, not the least of their concerns being that this isn’t the first time Radar has been suffocated because of them. They try to destroy the block, but it’s unbreakable. They then attempt to delete the block in the same way they spawned it, but the fear and adrenaline make it impossible to focus the same way they did before.

[theknittinggoblin]

🎃Happy Halloween!🎃

If anyone's looking for some spooky day reading, might I suggest:

"Laughter at the Academy"

by Seanan McGuire

"From fairy tale forest to gloomy gothic moor, from gleaming epidemiologist's lab to the sandy shores of Neverland, Seanan McGuire's short fiction has been surprising, delighting, confusing, and transporting her readers since 2009. Now, for the first time, that fiction has been gathered together in one place, ready to be enjoyed one twisting, tangled tale at a time. Her work crosses genres and subverts expectations.

Meet the mad scientists of “Laughter at the Academy” and “The Tolling of Pavlov's Bells.” Glory in the potential of a Halloween that never ends. Follow two very different alphabets in “Frontier ABCs” and “From A to Z in the Book of Changes.” Get “Lost,” dress yourself “In Skeleton Leaves,” and remember how to fly. All this and more is waiting for you within the pages of this decade-spanning collection, including several pieces that have never before been reprinted. Stories about mermaids, robots, dolls, and Deep Ones are all here, ready for you to dive in.

This is a box of strange surprises dredged up from the depths of the sea, each one polished and prepared for your enjoyment. So take a chance, and allow yourself to be surprised.

Enjoy."

(Book description from Subterranean Press)

I absolutely adore this anthology, and dearly wish there was an audiobook version available.

I have a hard time picking a favourite story, but my top few are the title story "Laughter at the Academy", "Lost", "Bring About the Halloween Eternal!!!" (Which is in the format of a Kickstarter, it's fantastic), and "Lady Antheia’s Guide to Horticultural Warfare" (described as "sort of an homage to H.G. Wells, by way of Little Shop of Horrors"). They're all very good but those are my favourites.

Anyway, you can get the eBook from several places, but I'll add a link to the Subterranean Press website at the bottom since it links to other platforms. I unfortunately don't have a physical copy, as it was a limited run, but that's just how it goes.

Happy Spooky Season, y'all! Party safely, or have a nice evening at home, whatever your plans are :)

[bereft-of-frogs]

since it is the last Sunday of Acolyte theorizing and I don't want to go get ready for the work week, here are my collected remaining questions / mysteries, thoughts, and whether I think they're likely to be solved in the finale, left up to interpretation, or saved for next season:

Is Qimir a Sith? Was he really once a Jedi? How old is he? How did he discover the cortosis mine? Who was the master who 'threw him away'? Likely Resolution: Saved for Season 2. I think most of the Sith stuff will be reserved for a season 2, if they get one. Allegedly his character was really only supposed to appear in season 2 but they moved some things up, so I'm comfortable saying most of the Sith stuff will end up being the 4-5 mysteries left on the table for future exploration.

How did Mae survive the fall? What has she been doing for 16 years, aside from training with Qimir? Likely Resolution: Solved in Finale. Confident this one will at least get a sentence or two explanation. Now that we've seen that Sol really does think Mae is dead, I can't imagine he won't ask how tf she survived.

What happened to Koril? What's she been up to? Likely Resolution: Solved in Finale, related to above. Honestly, I'm pretty convinced at this point that Koril survived, saved and raised Mae, until Mae decided to go make a deal with the Sith for additional training. Not sure we're going to get details but I'm pretty sure she'll at least show up.

Why did Mae think Osha was dead? Likely Resolution: Probably left to interpretation. But also I bet she was told Osha was dead either by Koril in the same way that Obi-Wan told Luke Anakin was dead in the OT (dead to them, beyond help), or to keep her focused on her training and her anti-Jedi mission.

How did Aniseya create the girls, and why was Koril so afraid of the Jedi finding out? Likely Resolution: Possibly left vague or for season 2, if it's Sith related. We know it definitely had something to do with the vergence, it was mostly Aniseya's doing, and Koril was very afraid of the Jedi finding out. My theories on this are either 1) it was a deal with the Sith. The Sith want to create life and they collaborate on an experiment with Aniseya. We know from other media and also confirmed by Indara/the Council's insistence on noninterference, that the Jedi don't actually care about other Force sects in the galaxy...with one big exception. Koril might be afraid they're about to uncover something that takes the vibe from 'live and let live' to a much more serious conflict. The Sith presumably would also be pretty pissed if the coven blew a thousand years of secrecy. And 2) the coven might be possessive of the vergence, if it's giving them power, and not want the Order to discover it so they could keep it for themselves. A bit weaker, but the coven might not realize the Jedi already suspect the vergence exists.

What IS the vergence? Likely Resolution: Maybe mentioned? Maybe not? I don't know I just really liked people speculating that the vergence is BOTH the Bunta tree and the spooky dark hole, would fit into the dyadic themes.

What are the origins of the Brendok coven and what did they do to get themselves exiled? Likely Resolution: Unresolved. There's the slightest chance they'd tie this explanation to what Aniseya did to create the girls but I bet they're not going to want to lock themselves into an explanation and will leave it up to interpretation. I'm not sure I even have theories, I could see it going a whole bunch of ways. People are going to come up with their own headcanons probably.

Why is Vernestra so afraid of a Senatorial audit? Likely Resolution: Left for season 2 / Hinted at. I think they might mention it a little bit, but I wouldn't be surprised if they leave it up in the air. Honestly, I sort of hope they do, personally I think it would be wise, because that would allow the books to wrap up and give us a better picture of Vernestra's position at the end of the Nihil crisis. I have my own book-related theories as to why she's so suspicious of the Senate (given where Temptation of the Force left off, I think the Senate is going to sell the Jedi out to work with Marchion Ro for the cure to the blight. This would also dig into her issues with Elzar, since he's the main liaison to the Senate and they've got a lot of unresolved issues. Feeling decent about it ending well though, he still hasn't given her Stellan's lightsaber and that feels like something that would happen at the resolution of their issues). I also would buy that she's starting to see into the future, maybe this is the new topic of her hyperspace visions, and is reluctant to let them be drawn in politically (all her 'something to turn the tide' stuff suggests she's sensing the growing darkness).

Did Indara know Mae was alive / how did Torbin know Mae was alive? Likely Resolution: Left up to interpretation. *Also technically includes 'Did Kelnacca know Mae was alive?' but we just have so little to go off of with that one, we do at least have Indara and Torbin's reactions to Mae. Up until the second flashback, I would have phrased this 'how did they both know Mae was alive' but I am no longer convinced that Indara did. It's possible Indara had no idea until she saw the mark on Mae's forehead and was just doing some very quick panic processing, which could have contributed to turning the tide of the fight. She's no longer focused, Mae can use the dirty trick with the bartender to catch her out. Obviously Torbin knew before Mae actually showed up (he calls her by the correct name, confirmed via CCs ), but they don't specify how long he's known. His 'I've been waiting for you, Mae' could mean he's known from the start and been waiting for 16 years. It could mean the 10 of the Barash Vow, maybe something happens and he finds out which contributes to his decision to take the Vow. But I've always had on my theory list that he'd seen Indara's death in the Force and that's how he knew Mae was alive and probably coming for him next. I think they'll probably leave this one up to us, considering the 3 murdered Jedi's narratives aren't really front and center, I think that ambiguity was just to add to the mystery around the flashback.

How did Torbin make master so quickly? Likely resolution: this is barely a question. This just keeps coming up on Reddit, especially from people who are still convinced 'to become a master you have to graduate an apprentice to knighthood' is hard canon. (Correct me if I'm wrong, I don't even remember where that comes from, but I'm fairly certain you don't need to have had an apprentice to be elevated to master. Or else Anakin's anger at not being elevated in RotS doesn't really make sense, if he knows he hasn't fulfilled an essential requirement, and Elzar's elevation is a big plot point in the books and he doesn't ever mention an apprentice, nor does Avar.) My personal headcanon is 'overcompensation and burnout.' Becomes an overachiever to try to make up for what happens. Given that they lied, the Order sees nothing but a model Jedi, and keeps rewarding that behavior while he tries to hide the cracks, until it all catches up to him. Alternatively, he's not 'really' a master, and it's just parlance, or there's some sort of ceremonial elevation for special circumstances like the Barash Vow. Nonissue, it's just come up a couple times.

Why did Osha leave the Order? + Why did Indara advocate for her to leave? Likely resolution: might be mentioned, might be left on the 'because I failed' line. I made a longer post about this one, but there are a few possibilities. I don't think they're going to explain it, just allow the audience to believe it was about not being able to let go of her anger at Mae, but if it ends up being my weird 'push-pull, when one twin gains power the other loses it' theory, they might address it.

WHAT AM I MISSING? Any final questions left on the table? Send them to me! I have had so much fun theorizing, I only wish this was longer. I keep joking that in a better timeline there's a 12 episode version of this show but it is not actually that much of a joke lol, it would have really been something if it had been allowed to develop the characters a little deeper and let some things breathe over a longer season.

My final prediction still stands: Sol is going down for training Mae, the deaths of the team of Khofar, and at this point probably the Brendok coven as well, since it's going to look like he took out Indara, Torbin, and Kelnacca to keep them quiet. And sorry, I highly doubt he's going to live out the finale. I think he's going to have a final confrontation with the twins, and Osha is going to kill him in an emotionally charged moment. If he was alive to provide testimony, that's problematic for the Sith, but dead he makes an extremely convenient scapegoat. Bazil has also seen a LOT of things out of context on board the ship leaving Khofar, I think his testimony could be damning. Sol's done a bunch of suspicious things, like when he didn't include himself on the list of targets during the meeting, failing to apprehend Mae, (seemingly to Vernestra) lying about Mae's death, Kelnacca didn't seem to put up a fight suggesting he may have known his attacker, turned off his transponder and disobeyed an order to remain, etc etc.

This is the solution to the riddle 'how to kill a Jedi without a weapon', destroying their legacy. Or, the riddle could have multiple solutions, it could also refer to Osha going full Sith. My only issue with the 'Sol is framed' theory is that there seems from leaks to be a formal funeral, which wouldn't necessarily happen if they thought Sol was a rogue Jedi or Sith. But possibly the Order will keep up Sol's good name for outsiders, and this is just what convinces the Council that there still aren't any real Sith out there. Funeral could also possibly be a collective one for everyone else who died.

I think Qimir and Osha are for sure going to live, I'm slightly on the fence about Mae but I'm leaning toward 'also survive'. I am 100% (ok I'll keep it at 90%) sure Koril is alive and shows up at some point. Leaks say there are a couple significant cameos, I'm guessing Sith pulled from Legends books or long-lived High Council members.

Will add on if anything comes to me in the next couple days but it's been nice theorizing with you all! I don't know what I'm going to do after this, wait for Tears of the Nameless to come out. Or, I guess, think about something else? Crazy.

[notapervertjustabugbear]

*gives torbek a lovely autumn themed flower crown consisting of pansies marigolds heleniums and a lot of fall leaves and cobwebs*

getting ready for the spooky season but make it pretty >:]

Don't eat the flowers, please. They're not good for you.

But they taste good...

Still, we don't want to clog another toilet again. Remember last time?

Hnnng... Okay...

[lostinthewoodsomewhere]

tag 9 people you want to know better

tagged by @judyalvqrez and @room-665 😊Thank you so much!!!

last song: 'Devil Dancing' by Brown Bird! It's becoming the autumn spooky season, so I'm back on my indie/folk kick! The full album 'The Devil Dancing' has such perfect autumn spooky indie/folk vibes, I love it!!!

favourite colour: I love colours on the pink to red spectrum, they're just so pretty!!!

currently reading: Annihilation!!! And I am absolutely loving it so far, it's so interesting!!! For some reason, I can't imagine the Psychiatrist as looking/sounding like anyone but Selene Vassos from Returnal...

currently watching: Nothing at the moment, but I'll be rewatching a lot of stuff soon for the spooky season, including Over the Garden Wall on repeat, and Markiplier's playthrough of The Evil Within 2 (I'm ready to stealth serve some soup!!!)

last movie: I haven't watched any movies in absolutely ages, so I think the last one I saw was Shaolin Soccer with my flatmates, and it was so ridiculous, but soooooooo good!!!

sweet, spicy or savoury: I'm all about the sweet things!!

relationship status: Single and content for the moment :)

current obsession: Yeah, it's definitely still Control and Remedy (and if I'm honest, just Jesse/Beth/Courtney Hope in the Remedy verse in general)!!! I adore it so much, and there's still so much to play, and write/draw/think about!! Again though, Halloween is coming up, so I guess just Halloween in general will also be my obsession!!

tea or coffee: Tea is definitely my favourite over all, but I do love fun coffees, especially now with all the new Autumn flavours!!!

the last thing I googled: London Comic Con!! Hoping to go again at the end of October :)

Tagging: @taniushka12, @star-spangled-bastard, @phenanthreneblue, @the3rddenialist, @one-berzerker, @queenofbaws , @jessefadenfbc , @compressednerve , @parasitefun

And anyone else who feels like it!! 😊

[technoturian]

I'll be honest, one of my favorite things about this season was Norm and the vault mysteries, I couldn't wait to get the bottom of the experiment and I was developing wilder and wilder theories as it went on, I was so invested in finally finding out what it all was and... I was a little disappointed.

That's it? That's the horrific truth? Vault 31 is just Vault 111 but filled with business majors?

I thought maybe they were wastelanders being reprogrammed. I thought maybe they were clones who were being ready-made to pair with their matches. I thought maybe they were a west coast version of synths. They're not even genetically engineered as some sort of eugenics program. They're just normal, average people from the past. ~Spooky~!

I'm guessing this isn't the end of it, though. Something CLEARLY happened to 32. And this is VaultTec. There's always a little psychological torture or biological warfare involved.

I had guessed early on that 33 is the control group. Now that we know there are only two real pools test subjects in this three vault experiment, it's very likely a system of extremes. Vault 33 is the gallant, their managers are meant to do everything right. Vault 32 is the goofus, and Steph is going to purposely wreck everyone's lives.

[mercymaker]

so we had a fake wedding episode in the grand bloodstorm adventure, but get ready the new season's about to start and we're opening with some drama

astarion and mal are trying to track down a relic that's rumored to have the power of protecting a vampire from the sun. neat. they find out that its last known location is at some ancient noble house's castle, so they go there but they get caught sneaking around.

fully expecting to have to fight their way out of there, both of them are surprised when the lord of the house instead offers a warm welcome to his house, taking particular interest in mal, showering her with attention and gifts.

he also reveals that the relic has been lost to the surrounding woods after their house was attacked by outsiders, but both astarion and mal are quite suspicious of that version, so they stick around to find out more. while mal focuses on charming her way into the lord's heart so he'd tell her the truth, astarion goes out into the surrounding town to gather information.

turns out, the local legend tells that the relic is, in fact, still somewhere in the woods, as when the invading forces attacked, the lady of the house took all of their most important belongings, shoved them into a bag, strapped that to a horse that she then tried to flee the castle with, but was shot down by archers and fell to the enemy as the horse galloped deep into the woods. it's said that the horse was eaten by a giant demonic bear, but the treasure still remains somewhere. and that leads various parties to venture out into the forest to seek it.

astarion decides to join one such party, if not to find the treasure, then at the very least to get more information. he leaves maleane alone with the lord, who seems to be quite infatuated with her. mal reassures her lover that she can handle herself in case something happens. she's a sorcerer, after all.

the vampire spawn & the gang set a small camp out in the woods after traveling for most of the evening. they drink and tell stories over the fire and astarion starts sneakily peppering in questions to get the information he needs. one of the drunk men decides to go on a bit of a spooky retelling of the most horrific event he had witnessed. the great attack on their town by the most brutal monsters. it happened over three decades ago, when he was just a little boy.

they came in the night, with their intricate armors, their swords and their arrows and their daggers in the dark. some of the commoners fell to poison before any blades could lick their throats. those that didn't flee in time were either massacred or put in chains and dragged back to the underdark to be used and sold as slaves. both the lord and the lady of the house were brutally slaughtered in the ritual known as the blooding, leaving their only son an orphan.

oh, so the guy's entire family was killed by drow? and who is he currently hosting in his massive castle? hmm, yes, another drow.

but not to worry! he dressed mal in the finest of silks and set up the most elaborate dinner for just the two of them. an array of intricate pastries, wild salmon and spit-roasted steak, and, of course, a flagon of his favorite wine to wash it all down.

they talk over the dinner, maleane slowly trying to poke and prod for more information about the relic and what happened to it. the lord, eventually unravels the same story that astarion heard over the campfire, and as the puzzle pieces slowly slide into their places, mal suddenly feels lightheaded. her breathing starts to become erratic as she struggles to catch her breath. and when she rises from the table, in a frantic attempt to flee, her legs feel like they're full of lead. the same petrifying feelings spreads throughout the rest of her body, pulling her to the ground in an instant.

as she gasps for air to fill her failing lungs, the lord walks right to her, watching the paralyzed drow fight the effects of the poison, and tells her how much he hates her kind. how long he's been dreaming of this moment, to get his hands on one of the monsters that took everything from him. how they all are the same. how he's going to peel the skin off her flesh, bit by bit. he chuckles at her panic, at soft wheezing coming from her throat. he wasn't sure how much of the poison to pour in her glass. after all, drow are known to be resistant to most of them. perhaps he gave her a bit too much. but it doesn't matter. by the time it wears off she won't be able to escape.

he then drags her to his personal quarters, a little dark room with chains and cages, a large wooden table stacked with books and scrolls and sketches. everything you need to know about drow and more. he takes the beautiful soft gown off her body and shackles her wrists and ankles to a rack.

a beautiful monster, he calls her, dragging his fingers from her cheek, down to her breast. yet, soon his hand is replaced with a dagger. this is more than just revenge. it's something darker and deeper. the obsession with drow, all that hatred and rage latched on something else entirely. the want to have her, to own her, to break and hurt her again and again and again, for years and years. because that's how long he's been carrying all that venom inside. it's not going to be over soon, maleane realizes.

it's almost a relief when it's his hand touching her again instead of a blade. but she knows that the intent behind the gesture is just as sharp as the bite of a dagger. she can't utter an incantation. she can't move her body to channel her magic. it's been so long that she felt this helpless.

then she feels her mind start to slip, drifting away somewhere. the lord's unhinged ramblings turn into echoes from a distant room. the throbbing pain softens into an almost-numbness. for just a brief moment, maleane is not there.

it's the odd shift in the surroundings that drags her right back into the dark cell. a sudden, violent gurgling sound. when she looks up, all mal sees is red. the blood pouring out of the lord's mouth and throat. the shock still frozen in his eyes before his body collapses just as hers did before. and then, two red irises, framed by a set of worried brows, staring at her. astarion.