#to not say it outright). that being said i really need to locate

[orcelito]

trans wolfwood is the only wolfwood. To Me.

[theinfinitedivides]

ok we're going to try to get through at least the first hour of Jawan before seeing where we'll go from there. it's below freezing outside, i hit my knee on the glass table in the living room half an hour ago coming back from a water trip (cannot ice it, see first condition above. my joints will f*cking kill me if i even attempt to so let's go massages and hot packs!!!), had to block several Zionists who came in my inbox trying to start sh*t (f*ck y'all btw, ig you didn't see the heavy pro-Palestinian blogging being done here), but hey it's Shah Rukh's birthday, maybe he'll lend me some good luck from Mannat after i almost maxed out my mobile internal storage to watch his film sksksksk

[a-b-riddle]

Part Six

Can't stop thinking about reader finally giving the boys a taste of their own medicine. And hurting my own feelings in the process of it all. I wanted to make this a baddie reader chapter, but its just a saddie reader chapter. I played Down Bad by T.S on repeat while writing this. Y'all need to thank @blueladys-world for being my ventor for this part.

None of them came the next day to pick up the box of everything you had collected. By everything, quite literally everything. Birthday cards and gifts. Keepsakes from your time together they had given you. Even going as far as returning lingerie they had given you. You didn't want any trace of them in your home anymore. You were gonna have to work hard in rebuilding it to be your safe space once again.

You were surprised that someone from the expo had DM'd you. Renée was an author who had tried to stop by to your stand, but got too caught up in the day. She was in London, working on her next series installment and wanted to pick your brain. Writer to writer.

The two of you agreed on a time. She had mentioned wanting to try this restaurant the last time she visited and you already knew you would be putting that meal on a credit card. It was a bit of splurge, but after the past week you deserved it. You could even wear that sexy black number that had been collecting dust in your closet.

By the time you were done getting ready and squeezing into your dress, you looked more ready for a date than dinner with a colleague.

A colleague. You had a colleague!!!

The knock on the door pulled you from your girlish glee. You didn't need to guess who it was. Your friends knew to text you before they came over and Renée had agreed just to meet you at the restaurant.

It was one of them.

You didn't even t bother looking through your peephole before you opened the door to find Johnny standing there with a floral arrangement of your favorite flowers.

Johnny began to speak, afraid you were going to shut him down immediately no less. But no words came out. His eyes traveled up and down your body, taking you in.

A vision.

You wanted to snap at him that your eyes weren't located on your hips. But damn if it didn’t feel empowering seeing Johnny’s gaze gloss over.

"Fuck me." He swore, gathering his bearings before realizing you were dressed. In a sexy black dress and heels and makeup and oh, fuck you were going out. "Where are you going?"

"First off, none of your business," you said holding a finger up. "And secondly, what are you doing here?"

"Listen," "Bon-"

"The box is right there." You said pointing to a large cardboard box on the floor. "That's everything."

"If you just let me make it-"

"Up to me?" You cut him off again. "I'm over it. Really."

"Just give me a chance."

"Either you haven't spoken to the other two to know I am well and truly done with this situationship, or you’re hoping some half-ass apology and flowers will let you get a last fuck in and the skedaddle. So hopefully if it was latter, hopefully the former answered that for ya.”

So if that's all you came here for, I've got to get going. My reservation is at seven and it's rude to keep a friend waiting."

"It's been a week and you're already going on a date?" He accused.

"Who said anything about a date?" You didn't outright say it wasn't. Where would be the fun in that? “It's just dinner with a colleague.” You didn’t want to lie. It wasn’t a date. But you didn’t need to say it was a woman. “Hardly a date.”

“Look at the sight of ye!" He said, taking the opportunity to take a quick look at how deliciously your ass filled that dress. “A fookin’ dinner with a colleague. Like one of us would show up to a briefing like that.” You opened your compact. Not needed in the age of cellphones but loving the feminine touch.

There was something so... seductive about using a compact mirror to apply your lipstick.

“Kyle does have the legs for this dress.” You said, applying that lipstick he loves. That same shade that looked beautiful on your lips. The same lipstick you would mark all over Johnny’s body. “Believe what you want. Not my problem anymore.”

You put your compact back in your purse along with the lipstick in case you needed to reapply it after dinner.

Johnny's eyes zeroed in on your lips before his eyes met yours. That's when you felt it again. That undeniably spark of chemistry that you had with him. With all of them. That feeling that sucked the very breath from your lungs and for a moment all you could see was the man in front of you.

"Bonnie," he said placing his hands on your neck. His thumbs stroking your cheeks softly. "Just one more chance." He begged, his voice breaking. "I'm a fucking git, but I won't let you go again. I won't leave." You knew that when it came to promises, Johnny had proven that even if he didn't mean to break them, he had forgotten he made them in the first place.

But in that moment you didn't care. Even after everything, Meredith was right. You had loved them. Everything else had ended so shitty. John had blamed you. Kyle had only shown up until it was too late. And Simon. The last time you would ever hear his voice was after he said such cruel things to you.

No.

If you were done with Johnny, you won't let the last time he fucked you being a quick, rough fuck doggystyle before leaving you naked and alone in your bed.

No. The last time with Johnny needed to be good. It might make it harder to finally leave, but you needed this. You needed to know that he could still make love to you and not just fuck you like an animal in heat.

"Johnny?" You asked. Your mouth dangerously close to his. "I don't want you to fuck me."

"I don't have to," he said, starting to take a step back to give you some space before your hands reached his. Holding him in place.

He can't let you go. You couldn't let him go. Not yet. Just one more. You needed just one more time to get him out of your system. The closure you needed.

"Make love to me." You begged, your eyes pleading. "I need to know that I wasn't just something you wanted to fuck." You don't move as his eyes search yours, looking for reassurance. When you nod, his mouth softly touches your own.

His hands travel along your body, but never fully leave you. Sliding your neck to your back. Pulling your body closer to his. A hand placed on your hip so tightly he's afraid you might disappear.

There's no rush, no haste in his touch. His mouth not eager to devour you.

He's slow. With his hands, his tongue. Even when he picks you up and walks to your bedroom with your legs around his waist.

He doesn't throw you on the bed.

Not this time.

He lays you down. His body laying on top of yours. His hand skimming along your bare thighs, but not daring to travel any higher.

But damn you needed him. You wanted love making, but if he didn't get inside you soon, you weren't sure you could let him go after this. You weren't sure you would be able to leave.

"Johnny," you whimpered, pulling away from his mouth. "Please." You took his hand, putting it between your thigh. Aching for any friction.

He obeyed without hesitation. If you told him to get on his bark, he would in that moment. Anything to make you happy. Anything to keep you.

"Got to get you out of this dress first." He resting on his knees before he began to slide the black satin from your thighs to your stomach. You maneuvered, helping him undress you leaving you in nothing.

"I thought you liked the dress." You couldn't help, but tease. Your hand finding its home on the back of his neck, pulling you to him once more.

In a tone lacking any note of humor and in all seriousness, he looked at you. Really looking at you. Taking in how your smile reached your beautiful eyes before he said, "I want you bare to me when I take you."

You felt your stomach flutter at his words before he began to take off his clothes.

He joined you again. His body relaxing when they got between your legs again. His mouth traveled from your exposed neck to your nipples. Sucking and flicking them with his tongue until your back arched. Pressing harder into his mouth.

Your hands tangled in his soft brown hair before you boldly guided him to your already dripping core. He slid down your body before his hands began to push your knees apart until you were fully expose to him.

With your knees bent, Johnny settled on his stomach, placing soft kisses on your soft inner thighs. God, did he love seeing you squirm. He smiled at your tortured expression before looking down at your sex. "There she is." He said before placing a kiss on your pussy.

It wasn't sloppy. He wasn't diving in and licking at your center like so many times before. He was kissing it just as tenderly as he kissed your mouth. Slowly building it deeper and deeper. Adding tongue. Breaking away to readjust his head.

The delicious ache between your thighs began to become to unbearable. "Need you inside me." You panted. "Johnny-"

"Shhh." He soothed. "Got to warm you up first , Bonnie." He said before slipping his finger inside of you. One was all it took before your head settled against the pillows again. When your body relaxed, he added another. He would need to add three to make sure you were good and ready.

His digits stroked that spongy spot inside of you that made your toes curl. "You're barely fitting around my fingers." Johnny was a good 6 inches in length, but the girth is what always did you in. It hurt to take anything past his head into your mouth. If you fucked him without any preparation, especially after a week of no sex, he would tear you into too.

His tongue caressed your clit, your eyes squeezing shut as you felt your first orgasm creeping up on you.

"Johnny." You moaned, your fingers running through his soft brown hair.

"Give it to me, beauty." He panted. "Come on my face. Squeeze my fingers, Lass." He begged before his mouth went back to you.

It was like lightning. Your body now sensitive after being forsaken for so long. Your vision blurred and before you could process it, Johnny was sitting on his haunches between your legs, stroking his cock.

You could only nod, dazed and barely keeping a grip onto the reality of what this was.

The end.

He leaned forward, his cock nestling against you. You knew this was going to be nothing compared to his fingers. "Tell me if I need to stop."

You smiled, mockingly. Reminding him, "Not our first time together, Johnny." just our last.

"You were wrapped tight around my fingers." He gave a half smile before kissing your forehead. The gesture like a knife twisting in your heart. "I just don't want to hurt you."

"I'm ready." You brought your legs around his waist again. Pulling him to you, your arms wrapping around his neck as your mouths meet.

He presses into you. The head of his cock sliding inside just one or two inches. You body contracting around him in a small spasm. He swallows your moan and lets you adjust. He pulls away before looking down where the two of you meet.

"I could die like this, Lass." He said, his breath coming out unsteady as he tries his best to control himself. So close to just burying himself inside of you to the fucking hilt. "Seeing you like this is this first thing I want to see when I make it to the other side." You let out a choked cry as he pushes deeper inside you. Another inch. And another. And another until you're taking all of him.

He slurs something that sound like "fuck", but you are in too much of a daze to care. You arch into him, trying to get closer.

His thrusts are slow and deep. His pubic bone brushing against your clit making you whine and squirm. Begging for more.

You're not sure how long he had fucked you like that.

You needed it to stop.

You couldn't handle it. The softness. His words.

I could die like this, Lass.

Your lip quivered as you told him you wanted to be on top. You needed a moment. A chance to create a bit of space before he shattered your world yet again.

He pulled out. His absence already making you ache for him again before he settled beside you.

You squatted above his cock. Your feet flat against the mattress as you grabbed his hardness and slipping it inside of you. The sound you let out was pornographic. A high pitched, soft moan slipping from your lips as he buried himself inside of you again.

You placed you hands on his chest. Using the leverage to ride him. Your arms serving as barrier for you to get your bearings.

You used his body just as he had used yours. Throwing your head back, you moved faster and faster. Readjusting so your hands went from his chest to his stomach, giving him a better view of your connecting bodies.

His hand slips between the two of you, thumb pressing against your clit, and you tighten even more around. A needy whimper coming out of your throat. The sound mixing in with the sounds of his labored breathing and slapping skin as he begins to fuck up into you.

Even though he had been doing all the work for the last several minutes, you felt the tension start to creep into your calf.

"Fuck fuck fuck." You screech, barely able to hold yourself up any longer. "Ow." You hissed as the cramp took hold.

"Leg cramp?" He asked, not even faltering in his thrusts. You pathetically nod before he takes it upon himself to flip you on your back again.

"I'm going to do this every chance I can." He promises, pressing a searing kiss onto your exposed neck. "Any chance you'll give me." You can't take it. His words, his mouth, his fucking cock. It's too much. "I'm going to show you how much I want you. How much I want to fucking worship ye. Do anything to make you feel good. Not going to leave you again like that, Bonnie."

You reach for him again, pull him into a searing kiss just to shut him up. You need him to shut up. You couldn't take his false promises. You wouldn't survive it. Couldn't.

"Shit." His thrusts quicken, his thumb returning to your swollen bud. Flicking it in a way he had crafted into an art. He buries his face into your neck and you know he's getting close.

You weren't too far behind.

He didn't want to come, not yet, but this was fully out of his control. It was pathetic. A week without sex and you had him nearly coming in the first ten minutes.

But that's what you want. To see him lost in the idea that you would stay.

"Johnny." You groan out. "Please. Cum inside me."

He draws fast, beautiful circles around your clit that immediately push you over the edge. You shut your eyes tight, squeezing him like a vice as you come in strong waves, continuing to push inside you.

in out in out in out.

Deliciously clenching around him tighter and tighter until he can't take it anymore.

"Fuck," he says again, and you see it in his face, and you see it in his face, the second it's all over for him. You want to sear the image in your head. Keep it there forever. Knowing you'll never see it again. The way those enchanting blue eyes squint nearly shut before closing in complete ecstacy.

His mouth would open. A moan caught in his throat that he isn't ready to let go.

His hand closes around your hip, holding you to him while he presses as far as he can go, and it's only then do you feel his cock twitch in quick, jerky movements. He moans out your name before taking your mouth into a searing kiss.

"I fucking love you." He says. "So fucking much."

He was still under the blanket when you returned from the bathroom. You picked up your clothes up from the floor. Looking at the clock realizing you had less than five minutes to get out the door before you would be late for dinner.

"What are you doing?" he asked. You couldn't look at him. Hearing the panic in his voice almost made you stop. Tell him it really was just dinner with a colleague. A woman. That you would be back. Beg him to wait until you came home.

"I can't cancel on the dinner." You said slipping your feet into your heels. "This was a mistake."

You weren't sure why you said it. You weren't sure if you were trying to convince him or yourself. If you wanted to hurt him or make him think you regretted it when you would truthfully do it again. You would do it again and again. You would never stop.

Like Johnny, you could have died in that moment, but for a completely different. Where he would be content, you would be saved from the pain. The pain currently coursing throughout your very soul.

"Lock the door behind you." You say as you practically sprint out the bedroom. Only slowing in your stride to snatch your purse off the kitchen counter before running out. The door slamming behind you.

The restaurant was nicer than you expected. The wine alone was the price of an entree. You didn't seem to be phased at all and were relieved when Renée insisted on picking up the bill.

Your dinner had been delicious and the conversation even better. Renée wrote fantasy romance and wanted to pick your brain about a Why Choose. You had nearly spent out the over priced wine you weren't even really enjoying. Oh the irony.

"It's like all the rage now, but it's hard to make more than one appealing as the love interest. You should have seen the Goodreads comments on my last book. So many people bitched about my FMC not ending up with a character who was quite literally her adopted brother."

"So," you took a breath trying to find the words. "I'm going to be honest. I only read your latest book and I loved Luka. But I can't compare him to other MMCs you've written about so I don't know if they are similar or different. But what I can say is that I'm seeing like this trend of MMCs where they are all this dark-haired, brooding or mysterious character who dislikes mostly everyone and is only soft for either a select few or only the FMC."

"I think if you are going to write a Why Choose you need to think of guys you wouldn't mind falling in love with." You couldn't help, but think of what drew you to your boys. "One could be the leader. Someone who isn't afraid to have his neck on the line. To make sure everyone else is taken care of and being strong enough to handle the stress of that. He would be big on words of affirmation. Lifting the FMC up. For me, it would be someone that I know will take care of business. He's confident in his decision. That confidence would extend to me." You clear your throat. "If I was the FMC, that is."

"Okay." She nodded, pulling out a pen and notepad. "You don't mind if I-"

"I don't write about polygamy." Crossed that bridge. Currently trying to burn it. "So feel free."

"Another could be the one who it's so easy to fall in love with their charm. The one who falls to his knees. Wanting to worship every inch of her. The one who makes her laugh. That one to make her forget about the sadness that creeps into her bones. The one to hold her whenever he could. He's about quality time and physical touch."

"So different love languages." She said, her pen quickly scribbling.

"Yeah." You said, leaning forward. "Then there is the gift giver." Your mind went to Gaz. Most of the gifts and trinkets in the box sitting by your door had came from him. He had gotten you new earbuds when yours broke. When you were being harassed at your gym, he had bought you and him a membership at a different one. "The one who would give her the world if she asked for it. If you're going with a high fantasy then maybe the one to take note of something at a market that the FMC had been eyeing and he bought it for her. Just someone who takes notice like that."

"So acts of service would fall with all of them then you think?"

No. Simon had been the one who probably spent the least amount of money on you. He didn't praise you like John. He didn't even try to attach himself at your hip like Johnny.

But if you needed something fixed, he would come fix it himself. He'd be damned letting a strange man into your apartment. And alone? Fucking forget about it. The one who hated any sort of cardio activity outside of fucking you, but didn't hesitate in attempting to keep up with you when you wanted to go on a run and get some fresh air. If you needed something done, he didn't pay someone else to do it. He did it. If you wanted to do something, he made it happen. He made you safe.

You couldn't bring yourself to say explain it. Your eyes begin to itch. Warning you to think of something else.

So instead you just told her yeah. That they would all commit acts of service. And even in your hypothetical explanation of characters that haven't even been written yet, Simon was still the ghost among them.

"Lucky fucking girl." Renée said setting down her pen.

"Yeah." You said, downing the rest of your wine.

You walked home. The cool crisp wind feeling like it was whipping your exposed skin. It was soothing as the ghost of Johnny's touch still seemed to burn you.

You had hoped that you would get some closure, but you just felt hollow. You came twice and still manage to leave unsatisfied. Johnny wasn't malicious... he was Johnny. He wasn't like the others. Simon would never apologize and John and Kyle wouldn't try to keep reaching out after you told them know once.

Johnny couldn't stand you being mad at him. He never could. He would beg and beg for your forgiveness. You didn't regret fucking him one last time. He needed to know that you were well and truly done. There was no going back from this.

"Hey, Love!" You were pulled from your thoughts at the sound of a voice coming from a source you couldn't see. You perked up, quickly scanning the dimly lit street before your eyes settled on a cluster of shadows just across the street. "Yeah." The slurring voice said again. "Talking to you gorgeous!"

You resumed your trek home. Now picking up your pace. "Don't be like that! Where ya off to?" The voice followed you. You kept your gaze straight. You were three minutes away. Three minutes and you would be at your building.

Three minutes.

Three minutes.

"What's the rush?" Another voice joined the cacophony. "Just want to have a chat."

You turned. They were maybe twenty feet away. You kept your eyes glued to them as your started to make a run for it.

You had made it about ten feet before your body collided with someone. Firm hands gripped your upper arms, steading you as you threatened to fall back.

You sucked in a breath of air, ready to scream when you looked up. It was too dark to make out the man's facial features. He was tall. His head eclipsing the street lamp just behind him. You shook beneath his hands. The voices behind you now silent.

"Keep walking." You didn't need to see his face. You knew that deep timber voice anywhere. He released you from his grip before letting you pass him.

"Just wanted to have a chat." You heard one of them try to reason. "No harm done."

"No harm done yet." Was the last thing you heard Simon say before you broke out into a full fledged run.

[duckchu]

Gonna do Heartsteel nsfw alphabet

First one up Kayn!

Fem bodied reader (spreading my bi Kayn agenda everywhere I go)

NSFW BELOW

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

Kayn tries his best but he's just...not very good at aftercare. He will bring you a bottle of water but that's the most he'll do, unless you ask him for something. Although he enjoys if you take care of him after sex

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

On him, probably his abs, he likes them and thinks they look good. He doesn't put too much thought into picking a favourite body part. On you, it's your thighs, he loves them. He likes holding onto them when fucking you and he likes having his head crushed by them when eating you out

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

Likes to make a mess out of you, probably has a (consentualy taken) picture of your face covered with his cum. His favourite spot to come on are your breasts and face

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

He has no secrets. But the closest thing would be how he sometimes takes some of your clothes when going on tour since they smell like you and let him feel like he's near you

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

Probably had his way with a fan or 2, maybe even with a member of Heartsteel earlier but did he learn much during any of those? No, he needs time to figur you out

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

Anything where he can see your face, he doesn't care about the specifics

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

Depends on his mood, if he's fucking you to calm down from being mad, he's really serious but other times he can laugh

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

He's pretty well groomed, some hair but not out of control. As much as he seems like the person to dye his pubes, he tried once and never again. He's jet black down there

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

If it's just a quickie, it's on and gone, not really romantic but if he's back from tour after not seeing you for months, even a year? You can feel the pure desperation to fuck you radiate from him as he whispers in your ear how much he missed you and how much he wants you, maybe even decorating the bedroom before hand (rarely)

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

If he has you, why? He used to masturbate frequently but now he just goes out and finds you for a quickie. Now he only pleasures himself if you're away and he doesn't have access to you (if he's touring you can even get a video call of him doing it~)

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Knife play, maybe even drawing a little blood, kinda voyeurism, while not outright fucking in front of someone, he enjoys the possibility of being caught having a quick moment with your backstage right before he goes on stage. Also breathplay

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

Wherever, you've done it practically everywhere, he doesn't care for the place he cares for the feeling of being inside you

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

Wear something with even a little boob window and he'll go crazy. Also if you're bratty to him. While he's not big on taming, he likes when you stutter over insulting him while he pushes his dick in deeper

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

He would do everything ngl

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Like I said earlier, he loves having his head crushed by your thighs when eating you out, although he also enjoys looking at you below him, choking on him, it's probably 50/50 for him, although he isn't very skilled, he's learning

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

If he's fucking out his frustration? Merciless. He will rough to the point of actual tears. But other times, if you want him to, he can go slower, though the prefers it fast and hard

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

Yes. Frequently. He's busy being a star, he can't spend a lot of time with you (though he would like to) so quickies are the next best option, usually in a risky place like backstage, right in the earshot of his band members or on the couch in their apartment while they'll be back any minute

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

Huge risk taker, he's willing to try anything everywhere

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

Not too bad, most of your sessions last 2 rounds, maybe 3, but those rounds are long so it's enough to satisfy you

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

Like I said, willing to try anything, probably has some from before he was with you and willing to buy new ones if you want

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

This fucking brat. He's really a tease, making fun of you for your lewd expressions, edging you for long times...He should be glad you haven't taken your revenge. Yet.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

If it's a risky spot, he can be quiet, but when it's just you two? He's loud as fuck. He moans and pants right into your ear, breathlessly telling you how good you are (or how much of a slut you are, depending on his mood)

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

If he could, he'd like to have a threesome with you and Ezreal or Aphelios

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

Nice and thick, 3,5 inches, has a frenum piercing

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

Usually once a week, sometimes higher sometimes lower, definitely higher when he hasn't seen you for a long time

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Usually will stay up for about an hour and play with your hair or just don't fall asleep and make some music

--------------------------------------------------

Sorry if it's ooc also idk why the length is in inches, I'm not even American lmao also first time writing nsfw please do give feedback

[da-shrimping-station]

Andrealphus with a human!SO who's curious about his scars

gender-neutral reader | slightly suggestive | mentions of sex and nudity | he calls his SO darling as an endearment | nonsexual intimacy (for the most part ig?)

MINORS DNI

i will take your kidneys 🧡

────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───────

He can feel them staring intensely. It doesn't bother him the slightest, given that he's received far more hostile glares, but that doesn't mean he's not curious. It's rare for his darling to look at him like that.

"Is there something wrong?"

Andrealphus turned to where they are, senses acute enough to locate them despite their quiet. There was a rustle of cloth and soon enough a body pressed against his.

"You have a lot of scars..."

"Do they bother you?"

He was never one for vanity, before or after being blind. What only mattered was that he was, at the very least, clothed. Even when he became one of Niflheim's nobles. Black did well with bloodstains and a simple suit was all he needed. A tie was out of the question because no matter how much he practiced, he somehow could never get it right. And the only reason that he bothered to braid his hair was because it could be a liability in battle, what with getting tangled or grabbed if he let it be.

So, appearances were the least of his concerns. So long as his body functioned well enough to fight, that's all that mattered.

"They don't bother me," they reassured. "It's just that, seeing them makes me realise what you went through."

Their fingers gently tapped at his wrist before holding his hand.

"I never really cared for the scars." For the majority of his existence, all Andrealphus did was fight. "The doctors from Paradise Lost can't say no to me when I ask for their assistance."

He's a model patient to them, following orders and recommendations to hasten his recovery. Rushing things would be a detriment in battle.

There had been times when he'd been too zealous with fighting and outright disregarding his physical state in order to fulfill his bloodlust. It cost him and his comrades dearly.

Gusion's rant and Bathin's disapproving comments still ring in his ears to this day. Yet they still helped him, dragging him back to where Marbas was in order to receive proper treatment. He made sure to express his thanks by staying put and actually listening to the doctor.

"Still," his darling insisted, snuggling closer to him. "It makes me sad, I guess? That you had to go experience such pain. I know you can handle it and that you've gone through worse but..."

The pair sat in silence, the mid afternoon sun filtering through the window and the sheets rumpled over their bare lap.

Andrealphus thinks he understands. Humans are delicate after all and Niflheim demons are the hardiest of devils in Hell, followed by those of Tartaros. Not to mention he is a noble to boot. Suffice to say, his body can take a lot before he's down for the count. Yet he also understands their concern, he thinks. They've never interacted with devils before they got to Hell and what knowledge they have of its residents are only surface level.

Maybe he should accept Gusion's offer of tutoring his darling about the norms and cultures in Hell. There was also a suggestion from Bathin to give them basic training for self defense.

Maybe.

Are his scars that unsightly that his darling would go so far as to point it out? It's not that he's unaware of them. They're just a fact of life, given that the entirety of Hell was at war for a century now and he was constantly on the frontline.

"Are they that unsightly?" Enough for them to point it out?

"No. Not the slightest. In fact," they trailed off, sounding a little hesitant. "I find them attractive."

"Oh, I have no doubt towards that," Andrealphus said with a chuckle. "If I remember correctly, you jumped on me the first time you saw me shirtless—oof!"

His darling punched him lightly (to him at least), as they grumbled in embarrassment. He wrapped his arms around them, pulling them in for a kiss. They still haven't cleaned up from earlier activities, thought that's the least of his concerns right now. Not when his darling kisses him back with equal fervor and adoration.

"Andrea–" They gasped, moaning as Andrealphus set his eager mouth to their chest. Such music to his ears. "C-can I touch your– Ah! Your scars–"

Their nails dug into his shoulders, trying to steady themself as he set them on his lap properly. He growled as they yanked at his hair, halting his onslaught so they can catch their breath.

"Can I?" They asked, breath ragged and a face flushed.

"You can touch wherever," he said, giving them one last kiss as reassurance. He let them settle on his lap properly and patiently waited.

Hesitant fingers traced along his right bicep. He knew there was a scar there having touched it when he bathes.

"Where is this from?"

"Sparring with Bathin."

"Oh?"

"He is skilled with his sword. If I were any slower, it would've gone through my arm."

His darling let out a concerned hum but kept quiet nonetheless.

The rest of their afternoon went like that. Tentative touches on scar tissues and hushed voices asking questions as they explored the visible scars on his body. They used to be inconsequential to him. Just another notch on his body as proof of another hard won battle and further proof of him reaching his goals. But with how his darling touches them, even going so far as to give the bigger ones a kiss made him feel proud to have them.

Andrealphus thinks he'd found a slice of paradise, here in his humble home, with his darling in his lap, and the rest of the world so far away.

────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───────

A/N:

hiiii i've had a bit of a drink and when im drunk, i write (because i need me some of that dutch courage to stop being conscious about my writing)

gonna add this to my collection of "drinking drabbles"

this was all done in one sitting and definitely not proofread so,,,,,,,

also typed this all up on mobile so idk what's the word count or if the formatting is okay

eheheheheh 🦐

[sarnai4]

Opening Up

About opening up...Dagur kinda doesn't. (Spoilers ahead)

This is something I've seen some fans talk about where they say Dagur would reveal personal information easily. I see where they're coming from with this. Looking at Dagur, I'd expect that too. He's outspoken, emotional, unrestrained, etc. He seems like someone who could randomly say, "I had a good cry today," and it wouldn't be anything surprising. HOWEVER, that changes for me when I look at the proof from the show. If Dagur was half as open about things as this would imply, then we wouldn't be forced to speculate so much about his past and the things that have happened to him. In another case of me spending too much time studying Dragons (probably. Still worth it), I tried to collect all the examples of Dagur sharing information. They have something in common. Each time, there's a specific reason. I'll go in chronological order.

In "Enemy of My Enemy," Dagur tells Hiccup how revenge can make you do things you didn't think you were capable. This was an interesting moment of really getting to see how the villain we saw Dagur be wasn't who he always was. It even shocked him how extreme his actions became. This has the potential to be some heavy stuff, but he didn't just outright say it for fun. He said it because he saw Hiccup going down that same path. This isn't, "I can't believe the things I've done and really need someone to talk to." It's, "I see you following in my footsteps and they led me in a terrible direction. I don't want that for you."

It takes Dagur F.O.R.E.V.E.R. to admit he didn't kill Oswald. Even as a good guy, he doesn't say it easily. In "Family on the Edge," he implies that something Heather said out of the sent her adrift, killed their dad, and tried to kill them list wasn't true, but he doesn't just say it. He writes it in the letter, admitting that and how he was worried that the other Berserkers wouldn't follow him otherwise. If he wanted to do it for emotional release reasons, he could've just said the first time or even told her way back when he thought they were on the same side. Rather than that, he puts it in a letter so that her final relative won't be quite as bad as she thinks he is.

In "Searching for Oswald...And Chicken," Dagur has two moments. First, he tells Heather how he's spent most of his life in varying stages of existential crisis. (Just wow for that. Wish we had heard more about it because that is quite the emotional load he nonchalantly dropped) Again, this clearly isn't to get something off his chest because it's not even something he brings up again. He just tells her so that she'll have proof he knows what is meaningless, hopefully getting her to stop throwing herself in harm's way to find Oswald. Later, he tells Hiccup he keeps anger, frustration, and rage to himself. This also isn't to share so much as to prove he can keep secrets and deserves to be trusted with the location of Vanaheim.

Then, we have "In Plain Sight." There, we find out he used to get bullied. He waited until as much of the last moment as possible to tell Fishlegs and Snotlout this. They had already flown from the Edge to Berserker Island and were literally walking down to meet Ansson. So, I don't think it's him wanting to share sensitive information. It's him knowing they're about to be there with the bully and since Ansson doesn't care about playing nice, it's going to be obvious that he used to bully him. This is just softening the blow a little by telling them first. Didn't really help, though, since they still laughed at him being called "Dainty." (Not cool even though I get how weird it would be to hear someone call him that)

Unless I'm mistaken, that's everything. I don't think there's another time when Dagur reveals something personal. Each of these had some deeper purpose. This is why I don't believe Dagur would start speaking about his past traumas without a prompt. Now, I'll say I do enjoy having him talk about this in stories and I support other writers who do. I just believe it takes a little nudge. He's not going to sit down next to someone and talk about his time in jail. He has literally never spoken about his time in jail in the entire show except the first RTTE episode to say that he spent 3 years thinking about Hiccup. So, it actually leaves a lot of room to be creative with what his past even has first, then what situation would get him to spill the beans.

[schlatt-love-bot]

Chuckle Diner (Prologue)

so, i've been a little influenced by my current obsession with bistro huddy on tiktok as well as a few ideas i've seen floating around here on tumblr of executive chef!schlatt x hostess!reader, and thus chuckle diner was born. this is simply the prologue—the first chapter i'm hoping to post some time this weekend!! enjoy, and let me know your thoughts below~

Moving to a new city was never easy, especially when you just up and left your old life behind. Fresh starts were exciting to you—you enjoy the thrill of meeting new people, making new connections, and the idea of starting over again—but no one warned you before you left your small town two states over how hard it would be to adjust to life when you had little to no money left in your savings. 

“I don’t know, man. I just thought things would click for me when I left home. I thought the puzzle pieces would start fitting into place, that life would get easier.” You sighed, sipping the last few drops of your drink before putting the empty glass back on the bar and turning to the patron beside you. 

“Well, I think you’re just not putting in the effort to make things better. Have you even considered starting to look for any jobs around here, (Y/N)? I can’t keep supplying you with free drinks forever.” Charlie let out a chuckle before signaling to the bar tender to serve you both one more drink and then to give him his tab. Charlie was one of the first people you met in this small town, at this exact bar where you two sat now. He was one of the only people in the place to go out of his way to talk to you—and not just outright flirt with you like the other fine specimens in the joint had done. Needless to say the two of you hit it off, and you’ve made a pact with him to meet at the bar at least once a week to check in and see how one another is doing. 

“Well…I haven’t exactly started…it’s just hard! I’m not really qualified for much, I just barely graduated high school, and I never went off to college…” Your voice trailed off, while Charlie shook his head. 

“You know, this diner down the way is actually looking to hire, I’m a regular there since a couple of my other friends work there. Maybe you can apply there!” He says, a glimmer of hope in his eyes as you take a moment to consider his proposal. 

“A diner Charlie? Really? I’m not fit to be in the kitchen, and I’m not the most coordinated person in the world so being a server is definitely out.” You said, looking at him with disappointment. 

“Good thing for you the position they're looking to fill is for a hostess, and they’re in desperate need. Swing by tomorrow morning and I can guarantee you’ll be getting yourself a job.” He says, finding a pen and a scrap piece of paper on the edge of the bar to write down the location of this diner before sliding it over to you, finishing his drink, and leaving you to ponder. 

Chuckle Diner, you read in your mind. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to give it a chance in the morning. 

__________________________________________________________

prologue complete! let me know what y'all think!! i'm really excited about the potential this series has!

[directdogman]

why does God Himself stick around in DIALTOWN of all places? im sure he could find some cult somewhere in the world thatd treat all his needs instead of letting him be the filthy hobo he is

there's 2 layers to this question, i think. let's tackle god himself first. You're 100% right in that Dialtown itself isn't the most hospitable place to live and if God really wanted to, he could totally find a cult somewhere else that'd take care of him like a... well, God. But, what's the stop him trying to form a cult like that IN Dialtown? Dialtown, the location, isn't the problem here. God doesn't try to convince anyone of his divinity IN Dialtown itself. Dialtown's residents are so underwhelmed by God not because they're godless heathens but because God is such an underwhelming person. He doesn't lie about his identity, but when people outright rebuke his divinity, the guy dozily replies "cool beans" and walks off, content.

The guy definitely doesn't wanna be worshiped or taken care of, that's for sure. That being said, I 100% think you're correct in questioning why exactly God would hang around Dialtown because it sure as hell isn't a super nice place. He COULD surely just leave town if he wanted, as he isn't stuck wearing an explosive ankle collar that'll go off if he strays outside city limits. Why would God want to wander around Dialtown all day, only stopping to speak to passerbys, day in, day out? Hmmm.

Now, the second layer of the question. Broadly, you could ask this question about any character in DT. It's fair to ask why anyone'd wanna live in Dialtown. I think in a sense, Dialtown's like a river delta, or the pool right below a drain pipe. It's where the sewage flow ends. The trash collects here. Dialtown has a unique ecosystem, and it's home to a lot of unique people, some of whom do truly bizarre things. Realistically, many characters, both in the main and extended cast, would struggle to live day-to-day in more 'normal' places. Imagine Gingi trying to live as a hunter gatherer in downtown Chicago, or Bigfoot hanging out in Florida!

Even Mayor Mingus, Dialtown's most pretentious and sanctimonious resident, someone who feels she is cognitively above almost everyone she has ever met, is truly the same as the rest. She's too self destructive, vindictive and power hungry to sustainably survive anywhere else. She cannot form human relationships and nobody would ever work with her if she went someone desirable.

All of the characters in Dialtown are sliiightly defective and/or majorly troubled in some way. Even the architect of Dialtown, the great Callum Crown, had to physically construct the metallic legs he used to walk with. All of the datable heads are damaged/atypical in some way, with Randy's head being bandaged, Oliver missing an optical sensor, Karen having a printer head, Bigfoot having sticky tape on his head, and Norm's concealed face. Mingus has a cat head, Gingi has a flesh head. NONE of the main cast are 'normal'. But, like Crown's postcard says, Dialtown IS a haven for people who don't fit in elsewhere. It's a place where those who can't survive alone and can't survive anywhere else come and survive together, fundamentally. It's rickety and lousy, but it's home.

[trisockatops]

Okay I lied, one more post about the blatant antisemitism that isn't getting as much as attention as the creator's cissexism.

Thread from Unsidhe, Artist&Vtuber|Illust/Live2D OPEN on Twitter:

cw: antisemitism 1 of the 'goblin artifacts' you can find in That Wizard Game is literally just a shofar, a Jewish musical instrument, described as being 'used to annoy witches and wizards'. In it's description is the year 1612, which was when the Fettmilch uprising took place.

This uprising was followed by an outright massacre of Jewish people. If you STILL think it's just "a coincidence based on unfortunate folklore about goblins" and not literally an antisemitism propaganda simulator, fucking BLOCK ME. I want nothing to do with you.

People are trying to tell me "but it's not a shofar because it's painted" like, you're grasping at straws for excuses at this point.

Learning that they wrote 'stuffed with gorgonzola to silence it' about the horn, and finding out that gorgonzola specifically is not a kosher cheese... when they could have just written 'stuffed with cheese' for the Haha Funney Points really says a lot someone had to think.

/end thread

Thread from Yonah Gerber on twitter:

For those saying Hogwarts Legacy isn’t antisemitic, the game devs made it canon that goblins use shofar

“Generally annoy witches & wizards” literally the text in the game is that Jewish practices are just an annoyance like what the fuck

To address the dumbassery in my responses: assume good intentions must be earned. If this was the first time a Rowling property has been antisemitic, that's a woopsie. But it's not.

Here's the facts as they exist: - The object is a war horn - The artifact in the game is located at a place named after a pig & stuffed with dairy products to stop its music - The year of its most famous use is also the year major antisemitic pogroms happened in Germany

If ONE of these things were true, but Rowling & the franchise otherwise hadn't made any major missteps, that's when we give the benefit of the doubt. But I'm not willing to give said benefit when considering all the in-game context AND ALSO prior antisemitism in the franchise.

At a certain point, "benefit of the doubt" becomes "any plausible deniability is sufficient to ignore all context to the contrary" & to me, & to many Jewish folks, we are way past that point.

Hogwarts Legacy is not the first time the Harry Potter franchise has been accused of antisemitism. If the franchise & its creators wanted to avoid further accusations, they could've done some basic historical research to make sure these alleged coincidences were not included.

Once you have harmed a marginalized demographic, it's on your as a creator to prevent *further harm*. If you're using an IP that another creator once used to harm others, then I'm sorry, you do have the responsibility to undue that harm where you can in your own work.

EVEN IF these are coincidences, had the development team made a point to avoid antisemitic caricatures & educated themselves on that history, this wouldn't have happened. They chose not to care. And that's not much better, really.

Obviously I don't know what the team at Avalanche thinks or believes & frankly that's not my business. What matters to me is the end product & that end product either is purposefully antisemitic or was made by folks who don't care if they're accidentally antisemitic.

However you twist this, there's a tremendous lack of care going on here, & a choice to perpetuate cruelty that didn't need to happen.

Don't yell at folks in my mentions who genuinely don't understand the layers of context here. This is a great education opportunity. Block the obvious trolls, I sure am, but some folks have only seen a piece of the whole, & education is the best solution to ignorance.

Deleting my last tweet because I saw the point on Mastodon, but I can no longer find the post. I don't want to share what I can't currently verify.

To add, though: - The shofar is located at the Hog's Head (aka pig) Inn - The music of the shofar is prevented because a wedge of gorgonzola was used to stop the music, & while many cheeses are kosher, that one is not Take from that what you will.

/end thread

Thread from moby dickgirl on Twitter:

// CW: antisemitism; discussion of Islamophobia Concerning Gorgonzola (expanding on a comment in Yonah's thread) N.B. Once again, I am speaking as a gentile

It's a really common trope in right-wing propagandistic fiction for the "heroes" to desecrate the graves of religious enemies by putting profane items in them. The example I'm most familiar with is endless post-9/11 masturbation about putting pig products in Muslims' graves

I understand that there's a prohibition, deriving from a law given by Moses at Sinai, on seething a kid in its mother's milk, and that this is generally interpreted pretty broadly as meaning having meat and dairy in the same meal, or otherwise combining them, is unkosher

Some cheeses are kosher. Traditionally, Gorgonzola is not. This is because the production of Gorgonzola requires the use of a complex of enzymes called rennet. Using animal-derived rennet to make cheese is unkosher because of the prohibition mentioned above.

Now, this doesn't always apply to Gorgonzola today; you can get Gorgonzola made with non-animal-derived rennet which I understand may be kosher. However, this was unequivocally not the case in 1612. Gorgonzola made then would have been made with animal-derived rennet.

It's also been noted that the year of that goblin rebellion is 1612, the first year of the antisemitic purge called the Fettmilch Rising in Frankfurt. Both the real Fettmilch Rising and the fictional rebellions may have been based partly on allegations of financial misconduct.

There is, however, a shorter path. A distinctive quality of Gorgonzola — unique to it as far as I can tell — is that it's made with unskimmed milk, that is, milk with the milkfat still in it. The German word for "milkfat" is "Milchfett" — "Fettmilch" with the syllables reversed.

(I've heard that "Fettmilch" is literally a dialect German word for "unskimmed milk," which would make the link even more direct, but I don't have a sufficiently comprehensive German–English dictionary on hand to confirm this. German speakers are welcome to chime in.)

/end thread

Not to mention that the basic plot of the game is suppressing the rebellion of a canonically oppressed race that has always been an antisemitic caricature (hooked nose, beady eyes, hoard money, apparently control the wealth, manipulative, sneaky, greedy). We didn't need to look far to find the antisemitism, and yet here it is, ratcheted up times ten.

[nanabansama]

Knowing that Mitsuba’s yorishiro is likely up next, do you have any predictions on how that is going to go down?

I agree, anon! I can't imagine us ending on any yorishiro but Hanako's, especially since Hanako's is an actual main character who's integral to the story. And theres little doubt the story is leading up to all of them being destroyed...

Now... as some may be aware, we already know Mitsuba had the same yorishiro as the former Number 3 during the Hell of Mirrors arc.

That said, we have no way of knowing if this yorishiro being destroyed would have weakened Mitsuba. Maybe his actual yorishiro was located somewhere else.

Still, it's important to remember that consuming a supernatural allows humans to turn into them.

Eating part of the hand allowed the four human characters to travel to the boundary during the Severance. The affects were temporary, so it's not exactly the same scenario as Mitsuba, but he ate the heart of a Mystery which might explain the more radical side effects of his feast.

I think it's even possible that Mitsuba outright became the former Third itself, allowing him to harness his yorishiro.

But it is a bit underwhelming if Mitsuba's yorishiro is something he doesn't even care about, isn't it? And the rules of the yorishiro are not set in stone. It's possible that, over time, Mitsuba's yorishiro could've changed into something else. If his former yorishiro was the former Third's, anyway.

But I do want to point out that Tsukasa is wholly unconcerned about destroying it.

He lumps Mitsuba's yorishiro in with the destroyed ones. He says there are only three left. Mind you, this was BEFORE Number 6's was destroyed. So he's likely talking about the Sixth's, the First's, and the Seventh's here. (Remember, a yorishiro can't just destroy itself. He needs either Hanako or Nene's help with that.)

This makes me think Tsukasa knows what it is, and that whatever it is just isn't a problem.

Still, if it hasn't been made abundantly clear in the recent chapters, Tsukasa is a little more of an... act first, think later type of guy.

He very well could just be underestimating Mitsuba!

Unfortunately, I don't really have predictions for Mitsuba's yorishiro. But I think it would be fun if, leading up to its destruction, he receives an item he comes to care for very dearly? He just doesn't have anything that's really yorishiro material right now... hmm...

But there's really no doubt in my mind that, one way or another, Mitsuba's yorishiro is going to be destroyed. And then the story will have to deal with the fallout of whatever happens after every single one is destroyed, which could either turn into an extremely short or extremely long arc...

Anyway, thank you for the ask! Anyone can feel free to share their own Mitsuba yorishiro theories with me.

[noellevanious]

Alright. This is pissing me off now. More "drama" regarding my friend Avery and DemilyPyro below the cut.

Summary: Avery got harassed, Demily didnt apologize, blamed other things like her autism and memory issues, and other despicable things.

Context:

my friend Moira posted yesterday about local tumblr user Demilypyro being a shithead, after talking about how she had personally experienced her being shitty before. Because of this, she was getting harassed enough by Demily Fans that she relented and posted "Receipts" they were asking for (in quotes because.... she just said she was being shitty, no receipts should be needed)

The screenshots showed Demily clearly being shitty last year, talking rudely about a friend Moira had after the friend had posted a selfie in a channel they were both in.

Moira was told that Demily was apologizing, and considering the hatemail she was getting, I don't blame her for hearing that and going "Alright, awesome, I don't want or need to talk about that anymore! Leave me alone please and stop sending me hatemails/moving goalposts to prove that Demily is literally Worse than The Devil!"

I was looking through my blog, and, out of curiosity, I checked to see, and...

post screencaps above are from

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(no link cause im on mobile and this shit is hard but. the post should be locatable)

(link post above is from)

(link to post screencap is from)

.... blaming her autism, memory issues, and echoing fans levying suspicions about it being about her being trans, among other bad faith shit.

Doing this is despicable. Insulting trans women and mocking how they look and using questionable terms (they may or may not be dogwhistles, thats the nature of dogwhistles, and so I don't hold that against her, but still. questionable) and acknowledging that that actually happened is bad enough, especially when you're also trans. Infighting during a surge of transmisogyny, where straight women are being killed because people think they're trans, is nothing short of catastrophically stupid.

But to then, instead of just outright apologize, let your audience build it up as som witch-hunt and push the blame onto aspects of your life you can't control, is... something else.

I have autism, as do many of my friends. Not only is autism an obscenely variable mental health variable, but it also is not how South Park portrayed it once, where you impulsively shout out insults. Dulling your social senses is not the same as outright insulting trans women.

I also have friends with serious memory issues, as well as close relatives (my grandmother developed alzheimers in 2021 before she passed early this year). It's devastating in both directions.

To use those as scapegoats so you don't have to take responsbility for... being a shithead? Fucking despicable. No better word for it. Disrespectful, insulting to other people that have those issues and don't use them to excuse being shitty, apathetic at best.

Now, what is my point making this post? Besides this genuinely pissing me off an insane amount, I wanted to use it as a teaching opportunity -

You know how easy it would be to have made these "drama" not exist? Two magic words:

Take. Responsibility.

If you're ever in a situation where people are telling you you're being a shithead, and you know in the back of your head "Yeah, this stuff is really shitty, and it did come out of my mouth" - just fucking own up! Take responsibility for your shitty actions! "I'm sorry. I said shitty things. I'm going to strive to do and be better. I take full responsibility."

It's literally that simple - because it shows that - you know you made mistakes, but you have the capacity to learn from those mistakes! Like every fucking human being ever! Don't hide behind other things to avoid that responsbility!Don't passively promote your fans saying shit like "Hmmmm maybe other trans girls are calling you out because youre trans!" or "Hmm maybe they just hate you and want you to suffer!" Just fucking own up!

I don't know where this post is gonna end up. I fully expect more demily fans to harass me, I've already blocked Demily herself (because I don't want to even interact with somebody that badmouths other transgirls because they don't fit their beauty standards).

But, I do want to clarify and stress: I do not want, or care about, any more of this "drama" beyond her apologizing and owning up.

Seeing her fans mock and insult and harass my friend who already constantly deals with shit way more than anybody should, and then going on her blog and seeing her not only play the Woe is Me appeal to ethos bullshit, but also promote fans that are passing the blame around on boogeymen like her being trans, is dangerous, insulting, and made me furious, and I wanted to get it out of my system.

[accidentalslayer]

Word Count: 1,497 (ish)

Warnings: Implied death, violence.

Author's Notes: Health issues continued being a problem and caused this chapter to be late as hell but I finally have it done! While this part of DL feels a little boring, I hope you like it. The next chapter will give us our first peak at Reader so that'll be exciting! Also, health is doing much much better. Let's hope I write chapter five a bit faster than I did this one LOL!

Please feed me comments, hearts, and reblogs if you liked this 🌹You can find me on A03 as: accidentalslayer

Pairing: Yandere!Elijah & Klaus Mikaelson x Fem!Reader (eventually)

Summary: You should never go to second location with William Webb.

Recommended Song: "People I Don't Like" by: UPSAHL

Chapter Four: The Prodigal Son (Part Two)

[October 2nd, 1991

Mystic Falls, Virginia]

"Isn't it just perfect?"

Carol wiggled her ring finger in front of Grace so that the diamonds on her wedding band glittered and shone underneath the dim lamplight. "I told Richard not to break the bank, but the silly man just couldn't help himself!"

"Well, I wasn't about to let my wife run around in a cheap knock-off," Rich chuckled, "What kind of husband would I be then?? My woman deserves only the best. Right, hunny?"

"Oh, Rich..."

Grace and William watched in barely suppressed disgust as the Lockwoods shared a kiss between each other. One that lasted a bit too long for it to be comfortable. At a certain point, Grace cleared her throat, hoping it would interrupt them.

"Ah, where are our manners?" Richard Lockwood asked with a coy smile, finally pulling away from his wife, "We were talking, weren't we?"

He didn't wait for either Grace or William to reply before continuing what was starting to seem like a one-way conversation.

"So, Will. What brings Mystic Falls' prodigal son back into town?? Ready to settle down and start a family with somebody special?"

Mr. Lockwood's gaze trailed (not so subtly) over onto Grace, who glowered back at him, and Will. There was cold fire burning deep within her eyes as she did. Something that was historically never a good sign when it came to Grace. William knew from experience. A shiver ran down his spine. He would need to choose his next words with care...

"Ah, no. I'm happy with being a bachelor," he said solemnly, "In all honesty, I'm too busy these days with work to pursue anything really serious."

Carol scoffed, "Oh, that's what they all say!"

"Is it, Carol?" Grace shot back, her tone brisk and lined with edges, "Is that what they all say?"

"It's how I got my Richard."

"Pretty sure you got "your" Richard another way."

"Ladies, ladies!"

"Uh..."

The tension mounting around the booth could be cut with a knife. William sensed that he'd have to alter the course of their conversation before both women murdered each other, so he began telling everyone about his new job. And the reason why he'd come back to Mystic Falls. It was 50% half truths, 50% outright lies, but either side hooked his audience and temporarily cooled down their anger. Unfortunately, it also inspired Richard to start talking about his (running) candidacy for mayor. A topic that William cared nothing about and knew was going to steal more valuable time away from him. Time he didn't have. He needed another distraction...

"DRINKS!!" William exclaimed, suddenly bolting upright in the booth and slamming his fist down on the table, "We need more drinks! To celebrate the, uh. The-"

"Candidacy!" Grace finished his sentence, giving Will a look that told him she was thinking on the same wavelength, "To celebrate Richard's future as the mayor of Mystic Falls!! In fact, I'm gonna help this dork here order. He doesn't know an IPA from a porter. Isn't that right, Will?"

William glared at her but was forced to agree for the sake of this charade.

"What a wonderful idea!" Carol brightened at the offer, "I'll have a glass of chardonnay. Tell them to use the Grand Cru."

"Just grab me a brandy. Plain. No ice."

Egos sated, the Lockwoods scooted over, giving William and Grace enough room to get out of the booth. Grace mouthed the word 'hurry' to Will as she grabbed her purse and literally speed walked towards the bar. William followed suit, but before he was able to extricate himself completely, Rich asked him an off-handed question...

"Was it really an animal in the woods that night?"

"..."

The only answer William gave Mr. Lockwood was an icy grimace.

"Steve! Code Crimson. I need you to make direct eye contact with me, nod your head a few times, and act like I've just ordered a few drinks," Grace announced to the man behind the counter when she arrived at the bar, "Dick is being a creep."

Steven, the most seasoned mixologist at the Grill, raised a single brow in response while he continued to work. It looked like he was making a Mystic Moon; one of the most popular cocktails on sale this month and a fairly easy drink to put together. Despite this, Steve was taking his time blending in the blueberry juice, grenadine syrup, and gin.

"Stevie, c'mon. Pretty please? For me??"

The bartender sighed, "Grace, I can 86 any other guy who hits on you here, but Mr. Lockwood is a loyal patron-"

"Oh my god, you're seriously taking bribes from Little Dick now?!" Grace hissed, "Traitor."

"I don't see you paying my rent."

"Watch it, now. I'll stop bringing you a plate every Sunday. I know how much you love my lasagna!"

"You drive a hard bargain, Grace, but I was a line cook once upon a time, remember?? You'll have'ta do better than that."

"I'll start playing Fantasy League Football with you."

"Now we're talking!"

"Ugh, I regret this already."

Steve chuckled, then went straight to pretending that she'd ordered something and left Grace with the sneaking suspicion that he'd gotten the best portion of their deal. William joined her at the bar a second afterward, similarly frustrated. The two friends sighed at the same time. Their night was not going the way they'd expected it would...

William ran a hand through his chocolate brown hair. "So, what now?" he asked Grace, "I still owe you an explanation. A real one."

"Knew that whole 'I'm here for work' story was a crock of shit," She replied while glancing back at both Lockwoods to make sure their eyes weren't upon them. Thankfully, however, Rich and Carol seemed to be distracted by another person now.

"It wasn't all untrue. It just...wasn't all true either."

Grace scowled, "Well, it's great to know I can still tell when you're lying. Let's get out of here."

Luck wasn't on their side tonight. For as soon as they exited the Grill, it began to rain. William tore off his jacket and held it over Grace's head like an umbrella while they ran through the downpour to the safety of his truck. But by the time they'd got inside the vehicle, they were both soaking wet. It was a good thing he'd fixed the heater before the trip here. William turned it on, dialing up the heat to high. Blessed warmth filled the air and fogged the windows like blurry curtains. Providing a sort of privacy that he needed to finally tell Grace the truth.

William took a deep, shaky breath in, then out.

"Grace," he started, "I know you don't remember it, but...you made me promise something on the night of the accident. We swore an oath that if I ever got in over my head with anything, I'd come to you for help. And you swore on your mother's lineage that no matter what, you'd help me. You gotta know, I never wanted this day to come. Not ever. Honest to god! But we made an oath."

A laugh came from Grace. She looked at William with snickering disbelief, "What?? Do you need a loan? You know, you can drop the whole act. It's just you and me now. You reeeeally don't have to make up a story to tell me what the fuck is going on. This isn't high school anymore."

"Yeah, I know. Things would be much simpler to explain if they were..."

William reached into the backseat for a package wrapped in deerskin. He placed it on his lap and gingerly peeled back the animal hide to reveal a pair of bracelets hidden inside. Made from pale, wooden beads that were inscribed with strange symbols, they gave off a supernatural vibe. He brushed his fingers over the twin items. That icy grimace revisited Will's face.

"I fucked up, Grace. I'm sorry," he said, turning to stare at the girl he'd once loved, remorse stuck in his eyes, "You seem really at peace with yourself, too. More at peace than I could ever dream of for you, but-"

"You're not making any sense. Just tell me-"

"-but, you're the only witch in the world who can get these shackles to work! The fate of mankind depends on it. I...depend on it."

Grace shook her head, confused as hell, "What're you even talking about? Witches? Have you been getting high again??"

"Ha. I wish," William replied sadly, then grabbed his ex-girlfriend by the throat, "Please, forgive me for what I'm about to do."

Nobody heard Grace Baker screaming that October morning in the parking lot. Nobody had seen her leave the Grill, either. When the Mystic Falls police investigated her disappearance, they'd find nothing conclusive. Not even video footage. Nothing besides two blurry testimonies from Rich and Carol Lockwood that they'd seen her with someone earlier that evening. Although, they couldn't remember (for the life of them) who it was...

Only the rain was a witness to Grace's fate. And it couldn't tell anyone.

[anothermeforcompany]

Riwal x Yan!Leon S Kennedy (RE4 Remake)

Warning: TW! suicide-gore, typical resident evil stuff, MINORS DNI, yandere Leon

Leon looks at the injured teen in front of him, with bare feet and bandaged hands, but clear eyes full of wariness and fear. "You aren't infected ?"Leon asks, his gun lowered but not put away.

Riwal shakes his head, his black hair matted down by the rain. "I'm not 'infected', whatever that means, but if you have a chance, quickly get away from here"his right hand pointed out in the direction of the broken bridge, and Leon noticed a broken nail on one of his fingers. "Go through the bridge, as fast as you can"

That statement reassures Leon that Riwal isn't with those crazy villagers nor he mean anything bad, as he points out towards the known exit. "I can't, I'm here to find a girl, her name is Ashley" he takes out the picture to show to the teen that's as tall as Leon, maybe a few centis taller.

Riwal feels conflicted because he knows this girl and where she is, but if he answers honestly, he will send this man who has survived Raccoon City through another hell. "This is not a good place, you should leave," he said, taking a step back as he didn't want to lie outright to him, not him, not this man.

Leon realizes from the way this boy looks away that he knows something. "You know her, where is she ?"Leon caught his wrist before Riwal could get away. Despite being taller, he is skinny and injured, looking like a homeless person. When compared to Leon, Riwal is nothing.

Riwal looks into his eyes and lets out a stammered breath. "The castle..." he answers lowly. "They keep her there but more than that..."Riwal can't hold his gaze and look away, "There are mercenaries, peoples with guns, you have to be careful, if you need anything, go to the Merchant, he will sell you any medicine you need"

Leon looks at the trembling boy and notices how cold his skin feels. "What's your name? Why are you here ?" he asks pulling Riwal into one of the houses.

Riwal rubbed his palms together once Leon let him go. It's been quite cold lately and he has spent a long time outside to hide from those mercenaries. "I'm here looking for my uncle who went missing, this place is his last known location"he takes off his bag, a bit braver since it's Leon, he knows the man won't hurt him as long as he cooperates. "I'm Riwal, 16th years old"

Leon looks at him, "Do you know what happens around here ?" he ask

Riwal's breath hitches. He knows, but he doesn't want Leon to know that Riwal knows because he has experienced the same in Raccoon City, but worse than that, he is a born B.O.W., the thing that can ruin people, just like those undead turned his mom sick and makes his dad kills himself, leaving Riwal all alone. However, as his uncle said, Riwal is a good boy who just needs to shut up if he has to lie. "I-I..."Riwal feels really nervous, he doesn't want to lie to him, instead, he wants to help him, but Leon will hate him if he ever finds out.

Leon looks at the nervous young man. "Take your time"he patted his shoulder in comfort.

Riwal bites his lips to stifle his whines, flinching away from the touch but catching himself. "S-sorry..it's been some time since I met anyone who doesn't want to kill me at first sight"he tries to smile but it ends up with a grimace.

This reminds Leon of Raccoon City, the difference is that Riwal is a civilian and younger, and he clearly can't survive any longer here. He feels protective of this young man and wants to keep him safe, these feelings will grow into a need, but it's a story for later time. "It's alright, Riwal, I understand"Leon didn't touch him again, but he also didn't step away.

"Thank y-you and sorry..."Riwal feels more at ease.

Leon thought about it for some time and let out a sigh, "You know, I have a gun and you know this place better than I do, what do you say we work together ?" he offers

[artzychic27]

Okay here's an idea I came up with for the favoritism au, I was thinking that maybe two of the science kids (besides Zoé who is probably close to him alright) might be close to Marc, and those are Reshma and Cosette.

For Reshma, I thought she got turned into an outcast because she was seen as a threat to Marinette due to her sewing skills. So she got turned into an outcast thanks to Socqueline and Marinette and had people ruin the clothes and costumes she made because they thought “she stole them from Marinette”. She is known as a lesser version of Marinette.

As for Cosette, they already know this type of behavior since she had to live with it for years (thanks to its siblings) so she isn’t fooled by Marinette that easily and calls her out on it soon when they’re alone. Marinette then made it an outcast because not only of the way they look but also not accepting her offer of “being friends with her”. So Marinette makes sure they’re constantly reminded that they are nothing compared to her more successful siblings.

So what do you think? Hope these ideas aren’t too bad.

Marc: … I’m going to adopt you both.

Zoé: Marc. No.

Marc: And we shall rain down all sorts of hellish terrors on Marinette and make her wish she had never been born.

Reshma/Cosette: …

Cosette: I get a warm, fuzzy feeling from you. So, what do you think of the rest of our classmates?

Marc: *Holds up some rope and chloroform* Help me kidnap and interrogate them?

Reshma: Okay, red flags now!

Zoé: Ixnay on the operay!

Marc: Sorry! I haven’t really interacted with people much. Lemme rephrase that. Help me bind and gag my classmates and then drag them into the school basement where I will subject them to all sorts of horror until they give me the answers I demand regarding their standing on if they worship that demon or not.

Cosette: That is worse!

Marc: Seriously? How about when I tent my fingers?

Cosette: You just look evil like that!

Reshma: We don’t we just invite them to a secluded location away from the eyes of Marinette’s lapdogs-

Marc: And then whack them all on the heads! Good idea, Reshma!

Cosette/Reshma/Zoé: …

Zoé: Okay, it’s obvious you need more help with your social skills. In short, guys, he’s going to help you get revenge on Marinette.

Cosette: Sweet!

Reshma: I’m quite tired of seeing that stupid smug look on her face. I just want to punch her lights out.

Marc: Later. We still need to see where our classmates stand on this whole thing.

Cosette: Trust me and don’t tie them up, they hate her. I hear Simon badmouthing her in Gaelic. I’ve had to translate a couple of times, and it ain’t pretty. And you should hear the stuff Denise has been saying in Spanish. You’d think there wasn’t a word for that, but I stood corrected.

Reshma: They’re just afraid to outright say anything to her face. It’s why all of us leave the school during lunch, so she can’t go after all of us. Sort of a silent alliance, if you will.

Marc: Ooh! So you guys weren’t avoiding me? Then, I take back all of the things I said about you to Lila.

Cosette: What did you-

Marc: Moving on!

[bleepbloo]

In Stars and Time Review/Rant

Spoiler Warning, and full disclosure, I spoiled myself on the ending, and some of the parts, and I gave up on it. Just FYI.

I want to start this off by saying this isn't a bad game.

The core of the gameplay loop, combat, characters, soundtrack, and basic story narrative - all work within the bounds of the game and the narrative.

But I have some (big) issues with it.

But first the basic plot:

(Spoilers and full review under the cut.)

Edited on 1/3/2024 to finish the sentences I missed and correct spelling

The basic plot goes like this. You are Siffer, a rogue in an adventuring party that needs to take down the King that had come out of nowhere to threaten the country, because the King has been freezing people in time to protect the country.

You make a wish, and then - after entering the he dies in the deadly room due to a trap, before resetting back to when you started the game, laying down on the grass. There's a Star that informs you that you are stuck in a timeloop, and that they (the star) informs you that they are there to help and be an ear to you.

Eventually you do beat the king, time resets, and Sif is back where he started; clearly, defeating the King doesn't work by itself, so clearly there must be something else you have to try.

During the entirety of the time loops, not once does Sif communicate with his party about the situation. Eventually, you reach a breaking point, lashing out at your friends in a flawed attempt to rush things along, and go on to take the King down by yourself, because there's nothing else left for you to try.

The party - with help from the star - was able to follow and locate you, and it all culminates in a big moment where the pressure valve is released and it's revealed that Sif wished to be able to spend more time with his friends, his family.

And it's a big moment, because he's finally communicating with the team, and they're with him, he's with them, and the story ends there.

By itself, with the gameplay being as tight as it is, that is not that bad.

The combat is basically rock, paper, scissors, with each member of the four party members have some utility towards that, and it's really good! The fast forward and looping mechanics are also handled well, and it just ties everything together nicely, on a surface level.

What bothers me is the set dressing, it's the extra details thrown in, it's the King's backstory, it's Sif's backstory, and it's an NPC who sometimes does and does not have a sister-

Because a sizable element to the story is that there are things Sif cannot read, there's an NPC who's sister left to go to a foreign country but the NPC can't remember the name of it before the world resets itself to allow the NPC to be an only child, and the King mentioning - when you beat him - that he can't go, because he can't say the name of it yet.

As you go through the game, it's revealed that there is an island that just - straight up and down, unironically, disappeared from the world, within the last eight years in game story, given that Bonnie - youngest member of the party who's about 11 or 12 at most - is able to remember people talking about it for weeks when it happened. What's more, is that no one is able to remember anything from the island. Not the culture, the language can't be read, and - most telling of all - the name of the island cannot be said. It's both implied and then outright confirmed that the King and Sif are both from that island, hence why the King is trying to hard to preserve the closest neighbor and why Sif has no real past to speak of, because they can't say/remember their home; that NPC's sister I mentioned earlier? The NPC's sister was almost certainly on that island when it disappeared.

Additionally, remember when I mentioned earlier

The Head Priestess, she would - after to talking to Sif, thanking him for his help - immediately state that the world was 'breaking apart' that the world was dying prior to Sif resetting back to the grass.

There was also a tiny detail of like the world not having color as it disappeared slowly, day by day, until it was just gone and the world was in black and white.

All this, in my mind, while I was playing it, was building up to us being able to bring back the island, bring back color, and basically fix the world of whatever was wrong with it.

I was in the later half of Act three at this point? And that's when I looked up a video, just to try and find where the secret room was.

It's ten hours long, but it was the only one up at the moment, and beggars couldn't have been choosers.

So I watched it, at the point where Sif and Mirabelle were talking and saw where it ended at like Sif talking to the Head Priestess, at the very end of the game.

And I was hyped! I was like, wow, what an ending, the art direction was sound, the music was nailed, everything was very cool and interesting and I couldn't want to wake up the next day to get to it myself.

But I kept turning, turning, and turning it over in my head, and the more I did that, the more I was realizing - I don't really like how it ended. Maybe I had too high expectations, maybe if I had actually played it through to that point I would have seen the vision, but like.

Why were those extra details in there that didn't amount to much? Because like. The island - everything about it, from it being unable to be named, from it just disappearing one day, from the NPC's sister who was on the island country when it was wiped from existence - didn't actually come back? Like. That's still not fixed? Not to mention the chehov's guns that never fired. I mean, yes, the team was there for Sif, but none of them were ever able to realize something was wrong with Sif, at least not to the point of actually confronting him about it until the last go around (there were hints, but there was never any follow through, again, from the point I played and the point I watched - I fully realize I missed things as a result of my skimming).

The King was unable to say it's name, even as he died/was frozen in time?

Sif still doesn't remember any of his past - and he can't remember the island/old home at all, or his own childhood, because the island is still gone! The block is still there! There's no explanation for why that happened to begin with!

And the NPC's sister is still also gone! The NPC will never fully remember their own sister, because the foreign country she went to was wiped from the world and from memory! The color is still gone! Why include what the Head Priestess said about the world rotting and being corrupted when it was just the wish magic functioning? Shouldn't she have been able to do or say something different when Sif interacted with her?

Like, ok, the color thing about colors fading from the world - cute detail, nothing crazy.

The book series in the world - nice detail, not much to mention.

It's the disappearing island that is the biggest offender of this. That is the one thing that needs to gtfo, that's the one detail that is PLOT RELEVANT and stupid!

(Edit: I failed to mention; it's only not the island disappearing part I have an that much of an issue with, it's more the context I take issue with more. The fact that not only was the island was just gone, but that anything even tangentially related to it were suppressed, from the language, to the culture, to the memory of it, to the extent anyone that was still on the island was forgotten about, except in tangential glimpses and stone hops. And that's not going to the people that actually LIVED on the island, like the King and Sif, where they can't remember their past - their parents, their friends, their loves, the food that comforts them - ANYTHING, it's suppressed and rewritten over by the universe. That is demented - that is dark and heavy sci-fi dystopian level stuff, and for the take away to be 'let it go'? To forget the crumbs that you have of your life before, your family, the life you lived, the decisions you made? I don't know, that feels bad, and that doesn't feel satisfying to me, particularly. I admit bias here. Especially because that one NPC, even after everything, won't be able to remember their sister, whom they clearly really really loved.)

If you've read this far, come take a walk with me down a hypothetical scenario, on another path.

Consider if you will, instead of just - fucking disappearing and being blocked from memory for some reason that is NEVER EXPLAINED - it is instead destroyed by nature (think Earthquake and/or Tsunami). Many people die, the island is just destroyed/gone, and what's left of the people get scattered to the winds because who wants to live by the place where your life was destroyed?

And that way, it be less about this weird block on the memory and more about Sif actively avoiding any mention of his old home or Sif not remembering the name of his old home due to trauma, and the King's motivation would make more sense; he wants to protect the people of his country that still exist, and the majority of them are in the main story's country, as well as preventing any changing nature to affect the country that houses most of the people! ( I don't care enough to look up the name)

It would have been 1) more fulfilling, imo, 2) would have given him more depth and more of a religious crisis, 3) he would have to confront the King, this person from the home he can barely remember, every time, and kill a real part of his past, 4) it would give him more reason to want to not lose the family he currently has because he's already gone through it once, 5) It would actually be relatable to people who have/are currently losing their culture to time and just not being able to practice it, 6) it wouldn't be so fucking bizarre!

And the fact that it didn't is...not bad? The developers were still able to tell the story they wanted to. And on a basic character level and overarching, they did succeed, I won't discredit them that! But like. The setting lore - feels like cardboard, like you poke at the setting hard enough it'll break. Especially with the disappearing island that's just- blocked from people's memories, again, for reasons that the story never explains how or why that even happened. Especially with all the other details in the game it's just. Bad. It tastes like Ash.

TD;LR: This game is not a bad game, but it's not internally strong enough to be considered Indie peaks like Hades, Slay the Princess, Undertale, and I personally would not recommend the game.

[dk-wren]

Buddy Daddies Finale Theory

I can't say what I'm really basing these thoughts on. I also am not sure if this is an actual theory or just my hopes/musings. But here we go:

Kazuki, Rei, and Miri will all make it. Kazuki or Rei might get injured, but nobody in this sweet, little family is dying on me!

However, I do think there is going to be a loss and after the end of Ep. 8, my bet is on Kyutaro (though I hope I am wrong!)

For a variety of reasons, all of which are valid, Rei, and perhaps Kazuki too, are gonna go after Shigeki and Ogino. If not outright killing them (perhaps symbolizing that Rei and Kazuki have changed and are different from them), they will somehow be out of the picture, leaving Rei as the head of the Suwa family/organization

Rei and Kazuki will continue to stay in that world or business, possibly to try and change the practices of the Suwa organization or still feeling too tied to it. So, Rei will step up to become the head of the Suwa organization, except he's doing things a little differently from his father. Rei will be handling that during the day while Miri is at school. During the same time, Kazuki will somewhat retire from missions and instead take over Yadorigi from Kyutaro, maintaining the place as both a cafe and location to exchange/gather intel. (Just let this man cook and be appreciated for his food/drinks)

Like Rei said in Ep. 8, his home is the apartment where he, Kazuki, and Miri live. And that's gonna stay the same. Their apartment will continue to be their home. Nobody is going to move to the Suwa manor and that place will instead become like an office or workspace for Rei. While they may all somewhat spend their day apart from each other, this little family always comes together at night in the apartment for dinner and family time.

.

.

.

Not fully related to the above, but also just wanted to throw my two cents into the conversation about this: I don't think we've crossed over into the present yet (or, we're still in the flashback). I feel it would explicitly be said when the show jumps back to the present or there would be overlapping events that clearly allude to the merging of the two timelines. I haven't watched a whole lot of anime, so I do not know if this is a common story technique or not and if there is like a trope or narrative device used in these situations.

I do agree, given Rei's growth and development in the relationship he has with Miri, going back and rewatching that first scene, Rei's reaction seems a little out of character now (like he still does not really care about Miri). But, and I saw a post about this earlier (sorry I forgot your @), if it's not actually Miss Anna calling, and instead Kyutaro or someone else with the voice changer, this could explain Rei's response. If this call is being made to lure Kazuki and Rei into a trap, and Miri does not actually have a runny nose or fever (I kinda forgot the specifics), then Rei's seemingly unfazed or uncaring reaction could be him simply trying to appease Kazuki's overprotective papa dramatics. Rei's "I guess" could be he truly didn't notice anything wrong with Miri because nothing is, she's just being used as bait. Regardless of the how the organization gets its info on Kazuki and Miri, they will know how much she means to both of them and what they are willing to do for her. That is why calling them and saying Miri is not in outright trouble or danger, but simply needs the love and help of her papas will quickly draw them to wherever the organization wants them.

I could be completely wrong, but just some of my thoughts about how the rest of the season may play out. I think the wait for next week's episode is gonna be a lot harder for me than previous waits.