#[ is as well but lot less willingly but just needs the other in order to stay in check | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

justporo · 7 months

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my queen. ur sfw alphabet for astarion....it was so good. so amazingly good. grrrrrRUFF!!! GRAAAAFPBRRRR!!!!!! anyways.....would you....be able.......to make......an nsfw alphabet 👀

Oh my sweet Anon, how could I say no? And you're not alone in wanting the NSFW version so here you go, hope you enjoy! And thank you so so much <3. You know flattery will most likely get you your way with me. Surely a thing Astarion and me share... This is Fem!Tav/Astarion btw.

I used this wonderful template (although I changed C slightly), thanks again to @the-coldest-goodbye.

Smutty headcanons about Astarion and Tav (in alphabetical order)

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

Astarion is very cuddly and comforting – especially if it was a little rougher. He’s always making sure you’re okay, holding you, kissing you gently, laying around naked afterwards just talking and relaxing. Especially since he’s learnt being comfortable with non-sexual intimacy he also just enjoys being close to you with skin-on-skin contact, feeling your warmth.

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

“Just one, love? Don’t make me choose a favourite?” Let’s face it, he knows he has the body and face of a fallen god. He takes pleasure in looking and being beautiful (rightfully so), he likes that he has a body that’s well built and incredible to look that. But not even in that kind of hollow way but it’s just aesthetically pleasing and that’s a source of joy for him (also he loves his hair a lot). That also goes for you: he’s constantly reminded of every single little beautiful detail about you. The way your neck curves in an elegant line, the way your lips open into a smile, the small lines in your irises that are only visible when he’s like an inch away from you, the little dimple above your butt? Ugh – he could get lost in all those little aspects for they’re all infinite spaces of beauty.

C = Coming (switched that one because I liked this more)

Astarion takes an incredible amount of pleasure in keeping you on edge sometimes. The way it’s so very much in his hands to let you fall or not and the way you’re willingly giving yourself to him in that way. He’d never truly make you suffer though – he only does what makes it more exciting for the both of you.

Sometimes it might even be a little bit of teasing who might be able to push the other beyond the point of no return. (Punishable by law and the other will pay!)

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

It turns Astarion on way too much when you wear his clothing. The way your ass looks when you’re wearing only his shirt, when it’s visible just beyond the hemline. The way your hardened nipples peak through the fabric and the outline of your breasts shows through it – he can never get over that image. Certain way to get him to push you against a wall in three seconds or less.(And it will stay on during the sex, so he can smell you and what the two of you did later on.)

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

Do we even need to answer this? He knows every damn trick in the book and he’s very creative and eager to show off and teach you.

But: Doing all this with someone he really loves? With someone he desires so deeply it threatens to melt him from the inside? That’s a whole new plane of existence he never even though existed.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

“Again, darling, you can’t possibly make me pick just one. Because when you’re under me I can see your face when I’m deep inside you. I can watch your eyes roll back and how your lips soundlessly form my name and your legs wrapped around my hips can slowly drive me insane. But when you’re on top of me I feel like you’re a goddess gracing me with your blessing. And when you’re on all fours and I’m above you, I can feel the tension in your whole body, how you desperately use every inch of space to get more friction and look at your pretty little back arch while I grip onto your thighs.”

Enough said, isn’t it?

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

He’s probably way too used to putting up the perfect performance in the beginning. But he slowly learns that being intimate means so much more: that it means being so deeply comfortable with each other, each other’s body and mentally, emotionally, that’s not about perfection at all. And that it can be so joyful if someone cracks a joke in the middle of the act because somehow the moan Tav let out sounded like a dying squirrel. Or because Astarion butchered his cheesy line because you’re driving way beyond mad with the way your hips roll.

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

Elves have little to no body hair so there’s not much to take care of. The little hair that might exist just stays and is neatly groomed just like the whole man.

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

Astarion opening up in these moments is one of the most beautiful things. Because he slowly learns to experience real intimacy. He’s slowly fully there with you: it’s not an act anymore. His hands linger now on your soft, warm skin, his kisses become more passionate and never ending, his eyes burn with desire but mostly with love. And he makes sure to tell you: tells you how much he loves you, praises every inch of your body. His heart is so wide open when he gets there, he’s so ready to be loved and to give love – being amplified by the fact that he’d never even dared to believe he’d be allowed to feel something like this.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

He doesn’t really – because why when he has you at his fingertips. Although if you had to be away for a little while he might find he’s craving you way more than anything else. And when he’s sitting soaking in the tub and he’s reminded of how you look getting out of the tub, streams of water glistening on your body – he finds himself pleasuring himself thinking about how it will be once you’re back with him.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Hmm yes, the thing with blood. Drinking from you while being in the middle of the act – yeah, you kinda both enjoy that quite a bit.

But also it’s such a massive turn on for him if you give yourself to him completely. The fact that you’re trusting him this much is driving him almost insane.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

Oh, it could happen anywhere at any time.

Your enormous bed is your favourite place by far though. After all this safe space of coziness is just where you can completely intimate with each other in any kind of way. But Astarion for sure has to test every surface in the house with you – at least once. Okay, maybe twice for good measure.

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

Just you literally doing anything. Once he realises he’s in love with you, he’s fallen and can’t get up. You’re angry at him – woah, the look you throw him takes his breath away. The way you bite your lip when you’re concentrating on something – he wants to put his lips on yours immediately.

And let’s not even talk about when you try to deliberately turn him on. You wearing something naughty just for him? You very purposefully letting your hands wander and linger just a little too much for it to be innocent?

“Love, either you keep these naughty little hands to yourself or you’ll put them right there right now and finish the godsdamned job”, Astarion whispers huskily and grabs one of your hands, deliberately placing it on the growing bulge between his legs.

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

If he ever felt used in that way again he’s been put through for way too long – he will NEVER do that again.

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

Astarion very much enjoys giving head, because the way your thighs press around his head while he can feel you shiver and the way the pitch of your moans rise – hmm, delicious.

He hasn’t been receiving quite that often so he’s not particularly fond of it, until – it’s you and he realises how wonderful you look with your lips wrapped around him.

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

It really depends on the mood. There’s certainly not just the one way with Astarion. He can be so incredibly sweet and tender, touches like feathers. But another time it might be he has you up against a wall and it’s all about carnal lust – making it rough and quick. But he certainly always makes sure it’s pleasant for the both of you.

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

As much as Astarion enjoys spending whole nights (or days) with you under his hands (or the other way around), he wouldn’t say no to just quickly bending you over the kitchen table to give you a sweet little reminder why it is that you can’t get enough of him – ever.

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

Experimenting, yes? He likes to show you new things, but he’d never put you in any danger and making sure you’re one hundred percent comfortable with what’s happening is always his top priority.

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

No matter what you can’t possibly keep up with him. And he teases you about it (affectionately): “Aww love, I was just getting started. We didn’t even get to the real fun parts.” You just glared him, being too out of breath to put anything you wanted to verbally hurl at him into words.

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

The only things he needs really is you and himself. Although something like tying you up against the bed sometimes? Covering your eyes? But for the most part he enjoys completely uninterrupted body contact the most – and that by far doesn’t have too mean it’s always sweet and soft. Those long and elegant fingers have much expertise with sleight of hand and they don’t call it silver tongue for nothing.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

Oh, an awful lot. Astarion is the definition of a tease. But in his defence: he also takes delight in being teased back. It’s no fun if you don’t claw back. And bickering and teasing a lot is definitely your specific kind of foreplay.

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

Astarion’s quite verbal – especially since he’s discovering new heights of pleasure with his loved one. Groaning and moaning – especially your name or praises for you. Also he does not care if he’s loud – he’ll proudly let the whole world now how much he desires you (much to the displeasure of you and your party members, oops).

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

It’s Astarion absolute specialty to make you flustered in public. Once he’s found you get these delightful full body blushes he makes it his goals to tease you at the most inappropriate times. You hate him and you love him for it – this smug bastard. He just knows how to push your buttons way too well.

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

He’s hot alright. He most definitely has those muscles for vanity reasons and thankfully vampirism made sure he’s keeping those abs no matter how much of a domestic softie he’s gotten with you.

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

High – especially in the beginning. Once he’s free to enjoy his own desires at his own pace there will most definitely be this high-demand honeymoon phase. You’re both not quite sure it will always really end (and you surely hope not).

But: it’s also important for Astarion that he’s getting more confident to maybe just not be in the mood every single time. Just like you aren’t always, too. And that’s completely fine, you assure him time and time again that you’ll never want him to indulge you just because he feels an obligation.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

You can sleep when you’re dead. There’s way too much stuff to be done after: maybe another round (or more), cuddle, talk, goof around, down a bottle of wine.

Although slowly drifting into sleep after being fully satisfied and full of love and warmth: that’s definitely the best way to end a night.

#astarion #astarion ancunin #baldur's gate 3 #fanfiction #baldur's gate iii #astarion x tav #bg3 spoilers #baldurs gate #astarion x mc #astarion x oc #astarion x reader #astarion headcanon #astarion headcanons #astarion imagine #poro headcanons

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rise-my-angel · 5 months

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Gonna be honest guys it's weird to say Lyanna ran away willingly because she was rebellious who didn't want to marry Robert.

Because either you're saying Lyanna learned Aerys Targaryean horrifically murdered her father and brother, whom were there to save her, and wanted her other brothers head as well. And did not immediately send word or return home, all because she was "wild and a rebel". Which is to say you actually think Lyanna Stark is a fucking psychopath.

Or, you think Lyanna heard what happened and wasn't allowed to leave. Which means Rhaegar was holding her against her will, because he knew she'd immediately return home. Or you think Rhaegar just kept that information from her, which ruins your characterization that he is a good guy because it means he kept the fact that his father murdered her father and brother a total secret in order to keep her there.

Which ruins your image of Rhaegar being this better for her then Robert love interest because you people NEED Lyanna story to be about Robert vs Rhaegar. Because you do not actually respect Lyannas agency as being her own person separate from a romance.

Like just maybe, there's a lot less obvious holes you need to speculate about when you consider the idea that "Rhaegar kidnapped her" might be a valid option too.

#game of thrones #a song of ice and fire #asoiaf #lyanna stark #anti rhaegar targaryen #anti rhaegar x lyanna #anti rhaegar #anti targ stans

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miabrown007 · 9 months

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Adrien Agreste: rich, lonely, freshly aware of the fact that he's expected to take over not a fashion, but a drug empire. Marinette Dupain-Cheng: broke, angry, freshly aware of the fact that bringing down drug empires is a blast. But where would she be without her team, Alya and Nino, and her very good friend, Luka? Not to mention the team’s newest addition, the kind, the funny, the ultra charming Chat Noir. If Marinette likes him, that’s alright, though. It isn’t like she’s dating Adrien Agreste for real. It’s all just part of her ten-step plan to make the Agrestes meet their demise.

with illustration from @art-the-f-up in the chapter!

many many thanks to @ladyofthenoodle and @khanofallorcs for beta-reading! <3

Chapter 1 - Eyes Wide Shut (3,835 words, 1/32 chapters)

Adrien Agreste is at a standstill, perched up way above ground, and he hates every second of it.

Like a marionette waiting for its next command, his arms dangle by his elbows, prim and proper. He has no idea for how long he has to exist like this—because letting him know about decisions affecting his own life feels like a revolutionary concept no one has ever considered—but he knows he is getting tired. If only he knew how to cut his strings; but it's impossible when he barely sees them.

Even if he could, the question remains, what would he do after?

"Raise this arm a little higher, dear." Violet nudges him.

Adrien complies. The more seamlessly he follows the instructions, the sooner he's done with any task. He knows. It doesn't make him hate the process less, though.

He doesn't even know exactly why they are taking his measurements for this particular outfit. The black lounge suit had been an item for the 'dystopian fashion collection', a failure so spectacular in its Gallup poll that the project had been shut down before the first concepts were presented to the wider staff.

But Adrien has gotten over the need to ask questions. He endures the tape-measure’s dance around him silently, and doesn't mention that it's probably overkill to be wearing the black face mask that goes with the suit. Truth be told, it's quite cute with the white whiskers. It's something Adrien can imagine taking a liking to—were it not for the inherent design flaw of making breathing impossible.

All things considered, the collection's downfall isn't such a wonder. It'd have been hard to find any sane person willingly submitting themselves to wearing these masks, bar something devastatingly convincing, like a global pandemic, occurring. Paired with the inbuilt ‘bonus’ of preventing recognition by even your closest friends, Adrien is of the opinion the design never stood a chance.

Of course, haute couture has never been about functionality. Designer items sell by the brand name. This is why the lack of recognition surrounding the purple butterfly used to puzzle Adrien. After all—according to everyone he’s ever talked to—his father is a great and successful businessman. So, he figured, there's a lot he couldn’t know about running a financially successful business, and thus the origins of the Agreste wealth.

Money had never been more than a mere concept to him. His family had always had it. And with money had come the business trips his father had taken twice a month, as well as the myriad of staff around the mansion Adrien had grown up in. It had been just their way of living—cold rooms, deep frowns, and deeper curtsies—and so he’d never stopped to consider: where has all the money been coming from?

In hindsight, it should have been evident.

And Adrien could have seen it— Adrien should have seen it. His only excuse for this blind spot is his very nature: being his father’s son, born more than raised. But even that thin line of defence crumbles under the significance of the issue.

He had tried telling himself that he’d always been trained to drop the questions and follow orders. To look the other way when business papers get signed. To leave banalities be, like the way his mother vanished one day when he was eleven. To turn up the music when the arguments get too loud and pots of cranberry sauce splashed on the tiles. He had tried to convince himself that when he’d started to study the company’s records—instead of studying architecture, like he’d wanted to—they’d all looked oh-so-very-orderly, so really, he couldn’t have known. He had tried, but…

In the end, the argument of ‘how was he supposed to know the family business he’s been preparing to take over is not a fashion empire, but a drug cartel?’ falls flat on its face.

Eyes wide shut don’t turn the lights any less red.

[read the whole chapter on AO3]

#miraculous #miraculous ladybug #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #enemies au #heist au #faoll #felonies and other love languages #marichat #this is a reverse crush ladrien enemies AU we deserve that marichat before things go to shit #miaraculous writing #ml fanfiction

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thepenultimateword · 1 year

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Ok, so since my first response to this post kinda went its own direction, I decided to give this prompt a second try. The prompt is originally by @gingerly-writing (I will write it in purple to separate it from the rest of the text).

"Oh," said the supervillain. Quietly. Too quietly. "I see. Kissing me was just a distraction."

"No! Well, yes, but...it's not like that!"

"Oh? So explain how it is. Quickly."

"Well...you see..." The supervillain's assistant fumbled for the right words. Which proved rather difficult when there seemed to be no right words to come by. How did one even begin to explain this dangerous, messy, swell of feeling expanding in their chest right now? A feeling that they still weren't sure should be encouraged or stamped out.

They'd never thought so much of themselves to imagine a relationship with the city's greatest criminal. They had been perfectly content standing on the sidelines, taking notes and fetching coffee with cream. They probably would have kept doing such, an important but unnoticed cog that kept their superior's life going smoothly. That is if it weren't for their stupid, idiot, ditz of a brother.

Their sibling had never been the brightest, sacrificing their own needs for others and putting silly morals ahead of good sense. Unlike the protagonist, who knew when to bluff and when to sell out, their brother was always so desperate to be right. As if there was even a true right in this crooked world.

And of course, they just had to go into hero work. Just had to go up against their boss of all people and put the protagonist's neck on the line. It wasn't like they were going to let the supervillain see them. Thinking back, there were probably a thousand less compromising things the assistant could have done for a distraction. Maybe that was a sign they'd been interested long before that messy, tooth-clashing first kiss. Could they sell that to the supervillain?

"Well...I did enjoy it."

The supervillain sighed, raising a crooked finger to the ever-present guards against the back wall.

"W-wait!" the protagonist cried. "I lied one time! One! As if you've never done the same!"

"My lies usually don't include so much tongue."

Their assistant blushed. "I was going for alluring. If it helps, the second kiss was more my style."

A sweet, soft thing that tasted of vanilla creamer, so much sweeter because it was alone and after hours. A coffee order that usually wouldn't have happened if the supervillain hadn't been intent on getting them on their own.

"A half-truth meant to appease me," the supervillain said with bitter-tipped nonchalance.

Maybe. The protagonist had walked into that trap willingly to keep up the pretenses of the first kiss, but they'd never planned any further than that. They certainly hadn't planned on the supervillain's clumsy small talk, or the way they held them so gently. Criminal overlords weren't supposed to be like that, were they? They were supposed to beat nobodies like them senseless for their audacity. Or use them up until they were a hollowed husk of their old self. They weren't supposed to be...cute.

"But still true," the protagonist argued. "I didn't know you would actually start to like me."

Not just cute. Soft. It was apparent within the first month that they were far more vulnerable then their villainous persona let on.

Were they hurting a lot right now? Did the protagonist actually mean that much to them? Or was it simply the humiliation of having an employee play their feelings so effortlessly for an advantage? Had to be hard to face up to with the entire organization staring at them. They'd probably have to deal their assistant an especially hard hand to patch all the open wounds in their reputation.

"I was just trying to save someone close to me," the protagonist said, not certain whether the explanation made the situation any better. "After that, I was just trying to survive.''

"The hero."

Ah, so they did know. Probably shouldn't be a surprise seeing how they'd come to the truth in some way or another. The tone was a little strange though. They weren't quite certain whether it was jealousy or general disdain.

"How--"

"Security cameras," Supervillain said coldly. "You might have kept me from seeing them with my own eyes, but you didn't keep them off film. I didn't notice for a while; I was...otherwise diverted, but yesterday... But perhaps that was your plan all along."

The assistant couldn't hold back their scoff. "You really think I'm the type of person who can cling onto someone for literal months to hide a little recording?"

"Well, I think we've established that we don't really know each other. Apparently, you think I'm the type of person who wouldn't have taken a simple, 'I'm not interested' for an answer. You could have done it right at the start. You still would have been caught, but you would have benefited from me not feeling like this."

"How do you feel?"

Stupid. Stupid. Was that really important when the protagonist was simply trying to walk out of here alive? Why should they even care? Like the supervillain said, it wasn't like any of it was real enough to stake feelings on anyway.

They felt the the two suited security guards hovering at their back, looming and dicomfortingly close. They had paused uncertainly as the back-and-forth got started, maybe not quite sure if the signal to take the assistant away still stood. Now, finally, the supervillain gave them an unquestionably clear order.

"Go." Their voice dripped with a venom not intended for them. "I'll call if I need you."

The guards seemed almost relieved to comply, letting out held breaths and moving quickly but crisply toward the exit.

For some reason, as the door clacked gently shut behind them, the assistant felt more nervous. Especially with the criminal's eyes burning into them like hot coals.

“You want to know how I feel?” the supervillain said.

The protagonist shifted uncomfortably. “I mean, you don’t have to tell me…”

"I'm angry.”

"Understandable." The assistant flinched back a step from the furvor, though it proved pointless as the supervillain mirrored their retreat with a stalking step forward.

"And confused."

"Of course."

"I want to tear my heart out of my chest. And yours."

The assistant blinked. That was...a reaction.

They tried shoving down some the sharp regret stabbing up through lungs, making it suddenly painful and hard to breath. So the supervillain had liked them that much. That was sort of a shame. Under other circumstances perhaps...well, it didn't matter now. They'd messed it all up. Actually, they hadn’t even really began. So they really shouldn’tbe worrying about the supervillain, they should just be worrying about themself.

"I don't know if I'm worth all that. We could just end this like two mature adults, starting with you letting me out of the building."

The supervillain narrowed their eyes. "You still haven't said it."

"What?"

"I don't know why I expected any different. You always give me everything but a clear answer."

"I wasn't aware you asked me a question?" the assistant said, glancing over their shoulder and estimating just how quickly they could make a run for the door.

The supervillain stepped forward, bringing their shiny black Derbys toe to toe with the assistant's ragged loafers. Nimble fingers took them by the chin, turning their face from escape to their burning carbon eyes. "Do you like me or not?"

The assistant could only stare.

"You say it was just one lie, and the way you talk doesn't close any doors, but then there's your hero and the infuriating fact that you can't come up with an ardent, overdramatic speech to salvage the relationship. I can't figure you out. Do you want out or not?"

"Wait..." the assistant held up their hands in front of them. "Wait, wait, wait. Are you not trying to kill me?"

The supervillain spluttered incredulously. "Kill you?"

"What?" the assistant cried, thoroughly confused by this point. What were the security guards and the ominous call to their office in the middle of the workday if it wasn't their life on the line?

"We kissed! I still have feelings for you! I can't kill you now. Maybe later up the road, but not anytime soon."

"You’re throwing me in secret prison then?"

"I'm only firing you."

"Oh." The protagonist took that in for a moment. "I suppose that's fair."

"Yes. The question that remains is do we continue seeing each other after I fire you? So please be explicitly clear. You like me. Yes or no?"

The protagonist hesitated, wetting their lips a moment before hesitantly wrapping their arm's around the supervillain's neck. "I thought that much was obvious."

"Clearer."

The protagonist pressed their lips softly to the supervillain's mouth.

"Clearer," the supervillain murmured, breath tickling sweet against their lips.

"I like you an extremely dangerous amount. To a point I'm afraid to say out loud. If you never say it, it never happened, right?"

The supervillain sighed. "You're the most infuriating, noncommittal... Your hero?"

"My brother."

"Your..." A burst of spontaneous laughter escaped the master criminal's previously tight lips. "I think that's the best news I've heard all day. Well, aside from that first bit."

Their hands settled warm and familiar against the small of the assistant's back, holding them firmly, yet carefully in place.

Was it really over that fast? Could ugly, terrifying things like this actually happen and turn out ok? Hero would probably say yes. They believed in forgiveness and conquering love and all that nonsense. That wasn't what the protagonist chose when they joined this side. They chose cold, hard truth.

They pressed their palms against the supervillain's shoulders, pushing slightly back from them. "I hurt you."

It wasn't a real question, but nevertheless, the supervillain seemed to understand.

"And I'm still mad. Doesn't mean I can't enjoy the moment." Their smile faltered and their voice quieted again. "You...are telling the truth, right? Honestly?"

The protagonist's insides twisted uncomfortably, a mixture of guilt and aversion to such unfamiliar openness.

"Yes."

The supervillain nodded, enfolding them back in their arms. "I might check in with you every once in a while. Just to be sure.”

“Yeah,” they agreed, still dazed. They pressed their face into the criminal’s shirt, breathing in the scent of fresh linen to assure themselves this was all real. “You’re really letting this go? How can you do that? How are you ever going to trust me again?”

Supervillain kissed the top of their head, a little more aggressively than normal, but still probably kinder than they deserved. “With time.”

Maybe in time they could learn to trust too.

Master Taglist:

@moss-tombstone @crazytwentythrees @just-1-lonely-person @the-vagabond-nun @willow-trees-are-beautiful @cocoasprite @insanedreamer7905 @valiantlytransparentwhispers @whovian378 @watercolorfreckles @thebluepolarbear @yulanlavender @kitsunesakii @deflated-bouncingball @lem-hhn @office-plant-in-a-trenchcoat @ghostfacepepper @pigeonwhumps @demonictumble @inkbirdie @vuvulia @bouncyartist @lunatic-moss-studio @breilobrealdi @freefallingup13 @i-am-a-story-goblin @ryunniez @rainy-knights-of-villany @distractedlydistracted @saspas-corner @echoednonny @perilous-dreamer @blood-enthusiast @randomfixation @alexkolax @pksnowie @blessupblessup @wolfeyedwitch @thedeepvoidinmyheart @cornflower-cowboy

#villain x villain #supervillain x assistant #supervillain x employee #creative writing #hero x villain #heroes and villains #heroes and villains community #writing snippet #writblr #writeblr #writers of tumblr

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inkpot909 · 1 year

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I loved your one shot with Spike! He was soo pure with his feelings 😭Do you have any HC’s for when Spike realizes got a crush and he’s fallen in love with them?

A/n: Thank you so much for the lovely message; I’m glad you liked the one-shot! Spike Spiegel is one of my absolute favorite characters of all time, so I was more than happy to write this request for you. I hope you enjoy!

Warning(s): Swearing.

Falling in love overall brings out the best in Spike Spiegel.

Having a special someone in his life gives him the extra kick in the ass he often needs to keep motivated. Not long after realizing his feelings, many aspects of his life become something done ‘for you.’

He works hard as a bounty hunter, earning money in order to have the ability to support the both of you and show off his successes (you’re just about the only member on the Bebop he willingly financially assists). Taking a more active role in caring for Ein was born purely from wanting to share the weight with you.

Now, don’t be mistaken, he’s still your lazy yet loveable Spike. But there’s added pride in what he does that wouldn’t be quite the same without you in the picture.

Spike does not shy away from flirting. It comes to him naturally, meaning he’ll flirt with you a good amount even before learning the extent of his feelings. He’s confident, has his fair share of romantic experiences, and is aware he’s the type to turn heads.

What mainly separates his treatment of you and his short-term relationships/hookups, is that he’s very reactionary. Spike deeply cares about you, so he’s going to take his time in studying your body language and responses to his flirts. He’s patient enough to put in the time, and persistent enough to put in the work.

He’ll adjust his actions according to your responses, especially if you’re shy and don’t favor getting teased in front of other people. His usual approach is quite forward, regardless of location or the people around. But if that makes you nervous, he’ll start off much more discrete. Discomforts such as those matter a lot to him, as what’s important to you is important to him. And ultimately, he hopes that you’ll return his interest.

Not only that, but he’s a total showoff. From smoothly beating up a group of assholes, to lying about the amount of times he wins at card games with Jet. Even if you merely blush or smile, that’s good enough incentive for him. Jet once even felt the need to inform you it’s best to take what Spike tells you about his own skills with a grain of salt.

However, humor him and play along with the joke- he thinks it’s adorable. It boosts his ego, sure, but deep down he longs to know your opinion of him. Even if it’s tongue and cheek, it warms his heart to believe that you think so highly of him.

Before long, it’ll turn into a common conversation shared only between the two of you; especially when alone. It’s one of many inside jokes he’ll be sure to form with you.

Spike is also very protective. He wouldn’t ever describe himself as possessive, but he certainly likes keeping you within arms reach.

If you’re not a bounty hunter, he’s going to want to know where you are and how you’re doing quite often. Partially, he loves being your knight in shining armor, but it goes a bit deeper than that. The thought of not being able to keep you safe from his past or present… it eats away at his brain.

But if you're a bounty hunter as well, or generally engage in a dangerous lifestyle like him, he’ll hold back just a bit. He knows you can hold your own in tough situations (undoubtedly a huge reason as to why he fell for you in the first place). He does have his moments, though, where letting you run off towards peril is done begrudgingly. It’s hypocritical of him, but he cannot stand whenever you leave the Bebop without telling him beforehand. Spike could care less if Faye or Jet know about where you rush off to; just be sure to let him know. He’ll grow sick with worry if you’re gone for days on end, and isn’t above lecturing you on your recklessness.

Initially, it will admittedly take some time for him to realize how he feels about you. Especially if you meet after Julia’s unfortunate end, he’ll be closed off from his own emotions.

Regardless of that, he’s going to need a bit of a push. The life of a bounty hunter isn’t exactly a glamorous one, and he finds it difficult to deny his own hesitance over long-term relationships.

Luckily, the step he needs to take isn’t a large one. Just a moment of clarity; a skip of his heart beat. Full understanding of the warmth that builds within his chest every time you’re together practically comes at him with a steel chair. It was on an average afternoon, after having caught a decently-sized bounty:

With his chin held up, a cheeky whistle plays on Spike’s lips. Passers by give him a variety of strange looks, turned off by the tied-up man he’s practically dragging behind him. John Pilgrim was the name; a rowdy criminal with a shiny price tag attached to his person.

He tugs at his binds, letting out an obnoxious curse towards the bounty hunter. A mother walking by gives both him and Spike a disgusted look, covering her small child’s ears. Smiling casually, Spike gives her a nod and a pleasant “Howdy.”

Turning a corner, the Bebop is sitting just yards away. Ein’s excited barks quickly reach his ears; running circles around the ship's landing site. Ed is dancing around the chipper dog, cartwheeling and mimicking Ein’s yips. Jet is tinkering with Faye’s personal ship, a large frown on his face. You’re standing beside him, holding a bright red toolbox and observing his work in silent awe.

Glancing at Ein, Jet raises a brow. Searching for the source of the dog’s glee, Jet is the first to notice Spike’s return. “Oi, Spike!” Jet calls out, immediately removing himself from Faye’s trashed ship. Ed stops cartwheeling, and your head perks up.

“Spike!” you squeak. Your hands both clasp over your heart, dropping the toolbox on top of Jet’s foot.

“Yowch! Fuck!” the older man shouts, inhaling a sharp breath. His knee bends upward, hopping on one foot as he mumbles more curses and profanities underneath his breath. Ed erupts in laughter, pointing at Jet. As always, any mocking tone in Ed’s voice is totally unintentional. “Jet Black! Jet Black! Give him some slack!”

Spike stops walking towards the Bebop, sighing. Home sweet home.

“Spike!” you call again. His eyes search for you, having lost track of you on top of the Bebop. He’s taken aback upon spotting you running towards him on ground-level. “You’re okay!” you pant, slowing to a stop in front of him before long. You clutch your stomach, having rushed yourself off the Bebop in mere seconds.

“Whoa, whoa, of course I’m alright,” he chuckled, nodding towards his annoyed captive. “Got the job all done and everything.”

“Well-...” you pause in order to take a breath, “You’d stopped responding to us. I figure that’s also why you don’t have your racer?”

He nods, “Yeah; I’m sure Jet will be happy to repair it when he’s done cleaning up Faye’s mess.”

You giggle, covering a hand over your mouth. Tilting your head to the side, you tell him earnestly, “I’m really so glad you’re safe… I was damn near ready to head out and look for you myself. Next time, tell us you’re abandoning your vehicle. Don’t get me so concerned! I worry about you, you know.”

Spike’s eyebrows rise in unison, and both his hands release any tension. Now… that’s real interesting. ‘I worry about you…’ your words echo in his mind. Briefly, he recalls past missions. You always are the first to greet him whenever he returns. A bright smile is spread on your lips regardless of whether or not the bounty was caught. Even if the others are annoyed, it never halts your expressed happiness. You’ve even engulfed him in tight hugs before, so thankful that in your joy, you’ve damn near thrown yourself at him.

‘I worry about you…’

Heat rushes to Spike’s cheeks. In slow motion, he watches you race back towards the Bebop. You’re going off about how you’re going to “tell Faye you’re back safe and sound!” but the majority of what you say flies over his head. Your arms spread wide and chin tilts upwards. Inspecting your body language, Spike swallows a gulp of spit.

Why hadn’t you hugged him this time if you were so concerned? He wouldn’t oppose it. No, he wouldn’t. In fact, his heart pounds desperately against his ribcage just imagining you taking the opportunity. Your arms wrapped around him, head buried in the crook of his neck, and the both of you sharing each others’ warmth. Even if it lasts for a moment…

Turning back to him, your smile falls. “Spike!” you exclaim, frantically tripping over your own feet as you stumble into another run.

Chuckling, Spike closes his eyes. In dramatic fashion, he opens his arms for you to rush into. He ignores his flushing cheeks, and pushing through the possibility of Jet or Ed watching him act like some romantic gush. Instead, he braces himself for impact.

Running footsteps blitz right past him, leaving his arms empty, and a tiny gust of wind fanning his face. “Huh?” Spike blurts, turning.

You’re running after John Pilgrim, wiggling away as discreetly as he can muster. He’s still bound up, but while Spike got lost in his thoughts, he’d slipped from the bounty hunter’s grasp with ease. You barely manage to keep up but with a single lunge forward, you tackle the man to the ground. He struggles against your grip, but you keep him pinned down, a feat made easier due to his restraints. “Spike!” you yell, “Why the hell did you let him go!?”

“Shit!” Spike exclaims, jerking his body forward and chasing after you.

After that day, Spike Spiegel no longer can define his feelings for you as anything other than affectionate and loving. It’s so clear to him at that point he’s nearly ashamed to have not understood before.

But being in such a state of mind allows hope to flood his heart, so he doesn’t get hung up on the fact. Instead, he immediately starts making up for lost time.

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detective-and-dreamer · 2 months

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Lenora returns from the world's worst vacation with some papers, a knife, and guilt (1,485 words of mostly h/c with some Nemesis spoilers):

"There!" a zailor calls, leaning over the rail and pointing. Other shouts follow; Emory barely hears them. He's already halfway down the gangplank.

It's been days hours months some time since they saw her off. In that time, he has lost three crew members - more than he had hoped and less than he had imagined. Two have abandoned them for any ship they could find heading back to London. One has willingly gone ashore despite everyone's protests (what madness, he thinks, just as he had when she'd told him of her plans).

But he has not lost her.

Between her staggering and his sprinting, both of them nearly fall from the dock as they meet. She clutches his arms and leans against him while he steadies them both.

"Em'ry," Lenora slurs into their collar, and then her full weight is upon them.

Cursing, they carry her up to the ship, heedless of their stitches. The Meticulous Doctor plucks her from his arms with a glare while the rest of the crew rushes unbidden to their posts. No glass rain falls. None of the deck's boards turn to paper. Nobody suffers any sudden changes of anatomy. The Iron Republic, it seems, is willing to let them leave without a parting shot.

"Just get us out of here," says the Meticulous Doctor when he tries to follow her. A few loose curls frame her face, as much a testament to anxiety as their own disheveled state.

The work, at least, is easy as breathing. Emory runs up their mother's flag to hold off all but the most daring or idiotic pirates; they'll have to remember to take it down again when they leave Shepherd's Wash. Orders and warnings fly back and forth across the deck. He doesn't think they've ever pushed the Aegis this hard, but everyone just wants to be home. They want it so badly that nothing will stand in their way. Corsairs? Zee-monsters? Hardly threats at all. He lets himself get lost in it until the Taciturn Explorer elbows him in the side.

"Doctor's waiting," he mutters, practically ripping the wheel from their hands.

"Change out the flag before the Navy-"

"-spots us, aye. Go."

Lenora's eyelids flutter when they enter the cabin. She murmurs something he can't quite catch, and then she's out again. The Meticulous Doctor rises from her bedside and squeezes Emory's shoulder on her way towards the door.

"Someone apparently patched her up before she left," she says. "She's just exhausted. Come find me if anything changes, or she asks for anything when she wakes up." Emory nods and takes her place in the ornate wooden chair. Joining Lenora in sleep would be better, but he knows he won't be able to relax until they've made it to safer waters.

He starts playing cat's cradle so he isn't just sitting alone with his thoughts. The thin string is worn and will need replacing soon, but it doesn't snap as they lace it back and forth between their fingers. Zailor's bed to calm Zee. He glances at Lenora; she doesn't toss and turn with nightmares or even shift around in her usual manner. He hates that stillness, but she's still breathing and doesn't look ill, so it's not as bad as it could be. They refocus - diamonds to cat's eye to -

A soft rustling of blankets and small hands slipping between his own to take the string. Fish in the net.

"Nora," they breathe. "Are you-"

"I'll be fine," she says flatly. "They...took a lot of the pain somehow, both physical and emotional. I can't remember it very well. How are you and the rest of the crew?"

"...There's three gone. Not dead, far as I know, just left. Hadn't been with us before, aside from the Prim Engineer...'course, there were a lot who never came to begin with." He reaches out to retrieve the string for two crowns before coiling it and shoving it into his pocket. "Everyone else is all right. I think we're damned lucky, to be honest."

"I suppose you're right." Lenora sighs nonetheless as she sits up fully. "I hated the idea of subjecting anyone to this, so if they wanted to return home I can hardly blame them. I'll still pay them, even, just for enduring it." She looks over at him and narrows her eyes suddenly. They have no idea what minute change of expression she's caught, but they know they can't get away with any further omission.

"One of the deckhands didn't go back. They're..." He gestures the way they came. "Tried to convince them otherwise and they just snuck off soon as they could."

"God," Lenora groans, burying her face in her hands. "Why? That place is..."

"Hell?" they offer with a weak smile. It gets her to laugh, at least, even if it sounds half like a sob. "I don't know what they wanted. Not sure they did. I should've tied 'em up, maybe."

"I don't know if they would have thanked you for it or not," she says with a shake of her head. "If it was the doctor, or someone like her, I would have been able to say with some certainty that it was just a temporary madness, but...as you said, we had picked them up not long before our departure. Perhaps it was always their goal."

"Could be." Emory says. Normally the two of them are much more stringent when it comes to evaluating new recruits, but when several of their usual crew members had understandably declined to join this particular voyage, they'd had to take what they could get. It doesn't make things any easier, but there's nothing to be done about it now. There are plenty of pirates in that area; hopefully they'll join up with someone instead of staying in the Iron Republic itself.

A dull thud startles them both. Lenora's leather satchel is laying on the desk, papers threatening to spill out. Something wrapped in rags is already on the floor. She stares at it, taking a long and shaky breath, and when Emory picks it up a bit of fabric falls away to reveal the hilt of a knife.

"Fuck," she says, which is rare enough that they nearly hurt their neck with how quickly they turn to look back at her. "I don't - I don't know why I picked it up, I just - I couldn't leave it, but-"

He wraps it back up and drops it into a desk drawer. They can hide it somewhere later, or throw it into the Zee if she'd prefer. The rest is put away neatly for her to study later.

"...Come here?" Lenora asks in a small voice, worrying a stray thread on her blanket.

Emory doesn't bother to strip to his undergarments, but removes his belt and shoes before slipping into bed and pulling her into his arms. She curls into them immediately, resting her head on their shoulder. They press their cheek to her hair. It's devoid of its usual bergamot scent, instead uncomfortably metallic and smoky. He doesn't turn away.

"...I'm sorry," she says after a minute, tracing a soothing pattern along the side of his neck. "You shouldn't have had to go there. None of you."

"We all agreed," they remind her.

"I know, but..."

"It's over now. Besides," he says in another attempt to lighten the mood, "you did say we'd be well-paid."

"Of course." She doesn't take the bait; he can feel her frown. "In fact, I'll double what I promised, since it was so much worse than I could have imagined. You all deserve it."

"You don't need to, but I'm sure there'll be no complaints," Emory says.

Any response is cut off by a sharp knock on the door. He extricates himself and returns to the chair as a concession to propriety.

"Come in," Lenora says after lying down again. The Meticulous Doctor is hardly fooled, judging by the arch of her eyebrow, but then again their...involvement is an open secret. She's already given him a lecture that still embarrasses him to think about, despite having spent his life around zailors (it's the clinical tone, he thinks).

"How are you feeling?" she asks.

"I'm all right. I wasn't very wounded by the time I left."

"I know that, but it's impossible to tell what might have happened to someone in a place like that. No symptoms of illness, no lingering changes?"

Lenora shakes her head, but still consents to another examination. Emory puts on his discarded pieces of clothing and slips out while the two are occupied.

"All good?" the Taciturn Explorer asks as they return to the helm.

"Good as it can be, I think," he replies. A longer and more painful discussion is in their future, he's sure, but it can wait.

For now, he just needs to get them home.

#my writing #Lenora #Emory #and assorted crewmates #fun fact: the Taciturn Explorer has known Emory since he was a kid and isn't disrespectful exactly but knows when to give him a shove #just “ffs go tend to your.....whatever she is to you”#nemesis spoilers

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andarthas-web · 1 year

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Wakanda Forever? More like Wakanda WTF!

I finally managed to watch Wakanda Forever and....WTF WAS THAT???

Who thought it was a good idea to center the movie on two BIPOC communities, both of which are threatened by neo-colonial and capitalist western ambitions, going to war with each other, because one of them can’t come up with a better solution to the dilemma they’re facing than murdering a black woman? I mean....Namor is several hundreds of years old and apparently an experienced and good ruler. It’s pretty clear Riri didn’t even know what was going on and would never have willingly put Wakanda at risk (which makes it likely she wouldn’t have wanted to put Talocan and its’ people at risk either). Also, if Riri could invent something like this, sooner or later some other scientist will pop up who can do the same, because people who are gifted like that are rare...but by no means a one-time-only-in-all-of-human-existence. So no matter HOW she’s taken out of the picture, that’s only delaying the problem, not solving it. And FFS!!! If he wanted to keep her out of reach of western ambitions, keeping her in Talocan (if he didn’t trust Wakanda enough) would have been perfectly sufficient, no murder needed. Then there’s the bit about firing Okoye. WTF??? First of all, Shuri’s an adult and a princess responsible for her people, fully capable of making executive decisions on her own and EVERYBODY was aware that this was a risky mission beforehand. Hell, it wasn’t the first time Shuri did risky stuff in her life either. So yeah, punishing Okoye for not being all-powerful and not being able to pull an unrealistic Deus Ex Machina move to save Shuri, and especially considering that it is up to Shuri to decide for herself which risks and actions to take? Doesn’t make one lick of sense. It makes even LESS sense, considering that from all the people present, Okoye is the most qualified where it comes to getting Shuri back. And EVEN LESS SENSE that Ramonda’s anger comes from “having lost ALL of her family” when at the end of the movie, we learn that she has a grandson AND that she’s met him. Doesn’t he count at all for her? Btw, fridging characters in order to motivate others to grow and take action they wouldn’t have otherwise? A really tired old trope that robbed Ramonda of her dignity and power. Never mind that we already lost T’Challa in this movie and adding Ramonda on top of that was just adding insult to the injury. Then there’s this bit about “oh, I had the Kimoyo beads bugged” from Valentina Allegra de Fontaine? Please. Since when is western tech and knowledge even remotely on par with the tech of Wakanda / with the tech Shuri built? All within the few couple of minutes it took Ross to get to the scene to boot too. Without any kind of explanation on how the fuck they pulled this highly unrealistic feat off, this bit totally undermined the competence Shuri and Wakanda’s tech are supposed to have and it seems like an utterly unnecessary “ha ha, see, ultimately white people are better than you” gotcha moment.

Also, Namor is supposed to put his people first...but in the end, after sending a LOT of his people to die in the fight against Wakanda, he decides to just call everything off, after stressing how absolutely and utterly NON-negotiable murdering Riri was, just because Shuri decided to spare his life. Yeah, that’s hypocrisy of the highest order. Nevermind that somebody who witnessed / is well aware of the violence of white colonizers against BIPOC women and who is obviously still angry and upset about it, should NOT be willing to murder a black woman that easily and without second thought, let alone without a DAMN good reason and only after much, much soul-searching. Also, what did it get him in the end?

NOTHING HE COULDN’T HAVE EASILY HAD WITHOUT GETTING TONS OF PEOPLE KILLED ON BOTH SIDES. Riri is still alive and free (and not even been kept safe and out of reach in Wakanda, like Shuri suggested at first, but returning to her life in the US, where she will be at a higher risk of being abducted / forcibly conscripted by other powers). (Side-note: is it just me, or did her suit seem very shoddily animated when compared to Tony’s?) And Wakanda is now an ally? HELL, considering how isolated they were becoming on an international stage, they’d have probably been perfectly delighted to consider an alliance well before he started this whole shit-show. Overall, the plot of this movie makes NO sense and violates a lot of the characters’ integrity six ways to sunday, having them act like immature, stupid teenagers instead of the experienced, competent people they’re supposed to be. Somebody (or a lot of somebodies) took lazy shortcuts here in order to drive a plot forward that was all focused on a maximum of flash and bang and Celebrity Big Brother style drama instead of telling a meaningful, consistent story. Among the few bright lights here were Okoye, with Danai Gurira pulling off a small miracle to give the character dignity and depth despite the godawful script, Shuri, whose struggle with the grief over her brother’s death and with trying to find a path forward for herself really hit home hard, as well as Riri, who was fun to watch as she rejoiced in the tech she had created, but who was also willing to take on responsibility and do the right thing. And finally Nakia, whose heartbreak was still palpable and yet it was incredibly admirable and inspiring how she worked through that, nevermind how she was absolutely badass as she came to rescue Shuri and Riri, as well as M’Baku, with Winston Duke adding either a light-hearted or a serious note to the scene as needed. Sadly, overall, it’s not a movie I’m going to watch again and it was a huge disappointment.

#Wakanda Forever #Black Panther #T'Challa #Wakanda #Okoye #Shuri #Namor #Ramonda #M'Baku #Riri Williams #Ironheart

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aetherceuse · 7 months

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I've read your posts about disliking Ultra SM but what are your thoughts on the Aether Foundation and Rainbow Rocket?

Hello anon, you asked a very normal question two months ago, and now I’m going to give a very deranged, not normal, ‘I have been dealing with the horrors of USUM for what feels like my entire life’ answer. / lighthearted.

LET ME START THIS OUT WITH: I love all of the characters involved, I am loudly and obnoxiously a fan of both sides in Pokémon, however:

The amount of criticism I have for the whole RR arc plays directly into the problems I have with the way that Lusamine’s character was assassinated in USUM. Beginning with the way that Lusamine was completely defanged and dethroned from being one of the most compelling antagonists in all of Pokémon, only to become the most mild, unappealing, borderline irritating presence in the entirety of Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. It completely ruined all of the character growth that Lillie and Gladion experienced in the initial two games, and it also made the dynamic between Lusamine and Guzma a lot less compelling.

The fact that they trashed the entire Nihilego arc and ruined the entire Aether family story for the sake of shoehorning Necrozma into the plot, is something I will never, ever be over, and I believe that the decline in Pokémon antagonists began with Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon.

Anyways. They somehow make it worse with the entirety of the Rainbow Rocket plot. They further make Lusamine less remarkable and turn her into a damsel in distress, all for the sake of the nostalgia gauntlet that was the whole RR post-game. Honestly, in my opinion, there was no reason for that to happen at the Aether Foundation. You mean to tell me, that a group of megalomaniac men who all were WINNERS in their respective timelines, all decided that they didn’t have good enough resources for— whatever the fuck they wanted to continue doing, and had to go and storm Aether? And they managed to that simply by— having Faba hand over the keys.

It makes me want to throw my head through an entire wall and eat my own shoe.

I truly refuse to believe that the entirety of Aether would just surrender in a situation like that. It just made all of those characters look ridiculous. I’m so bitter and annoyed by it.

I’m also especially annoyed, because it isn’t as if Sun & Moon Lusamine and Aether as a whole were just standard, run-of-the-mill antagonists, this was a MAJOR organization that rivaled the other science-heavy syndicates in the games. They make it way too abundantly clear that Lusamine is almost like the opposite side of the coin to Giovanni. Aether made contact with Ultra Space. Aether captured Ultra Beasts AND designed the Beast Ball specifically to hold those beasts. Aether had the technology and brilliance to conduct the Type: Full & Beast Killer projects in order to create Type: Null and Silvally. The RKS System is an attempt to replicate ARCEUS. Aether didn’t even need to get Silph Co to work with them in order to accomplish this— Lusamine and Aether funded this on their own. And while the Beast Ball and Silvally aren’t exactly as impressive as the Master Ball and Mewtwo on paper, those are still major accomplishments that the majority of the world cannot claim.

They could had done something far more compelling and given respect to Lusamine’s character if they treated her and Aether as a symbolic competitor to Rocket. It would had spoken volumes to both organizations if there was an actual fight put up in order for Rainbow Rocket’s siege to be successful, because I know damn well my lady here wouldn’t just let a bunch of men roll up to the Aether Paradise and take it. She has UB’s for fuck’s sake.

I also still refuse to believe that somebody like Lysandre would willingly work alongside Giovanni, but, that’s a different rant for a different day. Love all these characters, but that whole entire plot was executed poorly.

And don’t even get me started on how it got even W O R S E in PokeMas. “Oh wow who could had leaked this sensitive information wow nobody in the foundation could had done that—“ Lusamine said as Faba was literally standing right there, the same Faba who had already done the same bullshit.

I hate it here. Lusamine is my OC now.

The TL;DR version: It could’ve been better.

#anonymous #✧˖°.« 𝚂𝚞𝚋𝚓𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝙽𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝙷𝚎𝚛𝚎 » Answered

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the-irrelevant-trumpeter · 5 months

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OKAY PERCY JACKSON SERIES THOUGHTS REAL QUICK not in any particular order just what my brain is spewing

(spoilers obviously)

okay so like. it was so good. screaming crying throwing up like!!!!

walker leah and aryan are all excellent and i'm so excited to see them throughout the rest of the show

special shoutout to leah because in these first two eps she's had a lot less screentime than the other two and yet she has completely stolen the show for me

forgot that jason mantzoukas is in this and got jumpscared lmao

the car and then minotaur scenes would have been really good if i had been able to see them

i feel like i was expecting luke's scar to be bigger. this isn't a complaint or anything, just an observation.

"NO I AM SALLY JACKSON'S SON" slayed so hard like i screameddd

percy praying to his mum <3333 there's one thing percy jackson will do and that is think of his mum as a goddess

also HIM BURNING THE JELLYBEANS 😭😭😭

also also him telling his mum that he really feels like he's made friends when you know he's talking about luke is TRAGIC oh no the final episode is going to be sooo good and so heartbreaking. oof.

i really REALLY liked virginia kull as sally, but a lot of the dialogue in her scenes felt a bit clunky to me. idk i know they need exposition and all that, but some of it felt a bit weird. especially their conversation right before she was killed

okay i know a few people in the tag have already talked about this, but sally and gabe felt a little off to me. i know the posts i've seen have said that they downplayed how completely and utterly awful gabe is, and while i do think it was downplayed a little bit, he was still bad enough that i didn't feel like that was a major issue. the part that didn't feel quite right to me was the way sally argued back at him. i feel like what she says to him is kind of what the audience should WANT her to say (because gabe's a dick), but the point is that she doesn't say that, because sally jackson loves percy so damn much that she willingly endures that until she is able to get out of that situation. i swear i'm not going to be like "tHiS iSnT hOw iT iS iN tHe bOoK" much, because it's an adaptation and it's going to have to make some changes and that's fine! but in the book, percy states that he's "never heard her raise her voice or say an unkind word to anyone, not even me or gabe" and keeps on emphasising how she constantly withstands gabe and doesn't move against him because of her love for percy, and i just feel like that's an important aspect of her character. also i feel like sally arguing back at gabe is going to make her finally killing him less impactful. and i think it probably also plays a part in gabe's assholery being downplayed. because the argument they have there feels much more like "oh we're so dysfunctional ha ha" instead of "this is an abusive household". you know what i mean? idk i get that it was meant to be a #girlboss moment, and a part of me was like "YEAH GET HIS ASS", but i do feel like that moment didn't serve sally's character as well, changed the dynamic of sally and gabe's relationship, and negatively affected the impact the story will have when percy gives her the means to get rid of gabe and she takes it. this is a very long dot point i'm sorry.

mr d pretending to be percy's dad was SO FUNNY

clarisse is too pretty (/pos), like i was barely paying attention in her scenes because i was literally there like "women <3" thank you dior goodjohn

"you fell in love with god... like jesus?" is a top tier line

i'm so sorry but i'm a "tah-lia" pronunciation truther and it will remain this way in my head

the cut to percy flossing in the woods killed me. like straight up killed me dead.

BLACKJACK BEING THE FIRST MAGICAL THING PERCY SEES!!! THEY'RE GOING TO BE BESTIES!!!

these are all of the thoughts i have atm, and despite my more negative thoughts here, my feelings are almost completely positive (my excitement is less coherent than my criticisms, so i didn't write about them as much). i'm really excited to see the rest of the episodes!

#idk whether i should tag this or not #feeling dangerous. i might just.#percy jackson #percy jackson and the olympians #pjo #percy jackson series #pjo series #that'll do. it's been a while since i've posted in a main tag but i am being so brave about this.#feel like i'm forgetting something but idk what so!

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anony-mouse-writer · 2 years

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why hermit archives Joe Hills is less despicable than Jurgen Leitner even though they technically serve the same role in the story:

Simple - he's Joe Hills

okay no but for real. Joe has more of his special brand of charisma in his pinky than Jurgen has in his whole body. that being said, im feeling verbose and needed a half decent excuse to re-read the hermit archives, so spoilers for The Magnus Archives distributed by the Rusty Quill and the crossover fanfic From The Archives by @sixteenth-days

Introduction - Hi there, Joe Hills here, recording as I always do...

so obviously, every narrator in both series is an unreliable narrator to some extent. something about the eldritch influence of fear itself seems to have an adverse affect on the little things, like authorial bias. its whatever.

however, for both of these cases, our primary impressions of the these two characters- whose role I will be referring to as The Curator for the rest of this cuz I'll be referencing it a lot and im lazy- is the same. both are only spoken of in passing reference by the victims of their books. there's usually an understandable lack of curiosity by the victims to dig further into the origins of their books, but for everyone lacking immediate incentive to stop looking (and occasionally, even those who aren't), the pattern is unmistakable: Curator's nameplate = dangerous spooky book.

as the audience (on the first viewing), we're increasingly aware of the nameplates and their ties to the entities and it's clear that the archivists are aware of them to some extent as well, but neither party has any real glimpse into The Curator's motivations or story until:

The Curator's Statement - Call it a desire for narrative presence!

when we finally meet Jurgen in person, he saves Jon lotta J names in this, huh from the Strange clutches of Not!Sasha with a book and a pithy one liner. The entire rest of his screen time is spent with a dawning realization that this man isn't a malicious actor or even a knowledgeable shadow, standing against the forces of fear with wit and skill. instead, he's just a man. a particularly lucky man whose cloying, whining cowardice isn't even enough to tempt the fear entities he's willingly surrounded himself with. For all his attempts to appear otherwise, Jurgen is an underwhelming disappointment - a fail upward bohemian whose eye for 'value' and sense of drama painted him into a much more intimidating figure than reality.

Joe Hills, on the other hand is an enigma wrapped in a riddle wrapped in lime green scene gloves and chains. He is, in many ways, a perfect foil to Jurgen. Obviously, there is the narrative awareness that is endemic to Joe Hills, an advantage which seems to have served him as well as Jurgen's luck. But there's also the little quirks of their personalities. Jurgen's failed attempts at self preservation and heroics contrasted to Joe's blithe acceptance of his mortality the fates of his collection's victims. Jurgen whines impatiently at Jon about wasted time and Joe meanders thoughtfully through his reflections and their little asides until Cleo reminds him of the limited tape.

And then there's the presentation of their statements. Jurgen comes to the archives for aid and gives his statement as a bartering tool. For all his former vanity, he recognizes his tale is not one of a shadowed hero or tragic warden, but a cautionary tale of trying to contain the forces of fear. He hides and waits till a point of dramatic tension to reveal himself, using the bits of knowledge he gained through the blood and sanity of others to keep himself safe. He is alone. Reviled and hunted, with just enough knowledge to be a problem, and not enough to be a threat. And in the end, his last, half-hearted attempt to leave a mark on the narrative is dashed and he becomes a conduit for someone else's bid for power.

Joe sends the institute his statement of his own accord in order to participate in the narrative of the archives. He is introduced in much less tenuous position largely due to his own agency in his life. Joe, as he tells Cleo, lives as though in a fable. He is careful and aware of his surroundings, but he is also clever and willing to exploit the offers given to him. he doesn't wait for the story to come to him, he reaches out to find it.

Outside Looking In - ...gathering the evils of the world and locking them away.

There are, of course, several lists for which roles and entities the hermits best embody- personally, I quite enjoy @magicalmanhattanproject's- but what all of them agree on is that whatever his role in the narrative, JoeHills is Definitely Not Normal. on one hand, he is too aware of himself and his surroundings to be an easy pawn or the catalyst of pandora's box by ignorant hubris; but on the other, his mercurial sense of chaos lends perfectly well to the sorts that become avatars of fear. the question from there is not if, but who's avatar is Joe Hills? regardless of your answer, his participation as an avatar is not in question.

Jurgen longs to be a part of the story. he wants recognition, and even after he realizes the ironic monkey's paw granting of his wish, he still strives to be a hero. but the lesson he seems to have failed to grasp, despite his time in-the-know as it were, is that one cannot have an affect on the story without first being a part of it. Adelard Dekker is perhaps the closest to an exception there is, succumbing in the end to death, but remaining himself throughout. but in every other case, the only thing reliably capable of countering one fear entity is another. Jurgen tries to use the books as a conduit, to harness their power while remaining untouched, and it's not enough. not even close.

(arguably, not surrendering oneself to an eldritch fear entity would be the ethically correct move, but from someone who was self admittedly ruthless and sacrificed several other people to gain the paltry knowledge he can use, it seems to be less for some attempt at an uncorrupted high ground and more because he was a coward too afraid to commit his own skin to the game.)

Joe doesn't seek to harness the entities. he doesn't play his game with death to prolong his life for the sake of living or a fear of the end, but to explore and experience a world that he is very much a part of.

Conclusion - And really, isn’t that the most any of us fragile little humans could ask for?

so in conclusion, Joe is a more likable character than Jurgen because he's more charismatic, more autonomous, and hasn't managed to alienate every affiliated existence on earth. what else is there?

well, the rest from here is more speculation then analysis since we haven't seen Joe's response to pressure since his time as the Curator. but if I had to guess, when confronted by a man with a pipe and good reason to want him out of the picture, Joe would do a bit more than snivel and beg.

and that is the Joe Hills difference.

#joe hills #hermitcraft #the hermit archives #jurgen leitner #tma #character analysis #i am very normal about hermitcraft as evidenced by the 1200 word essay i just wrote about a xover au #i should probably go thru this for typos and such but eughhhhh dont wanna #sighhhhhh #mouse's writing #mouse's soapbox #op

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lisbeth-kk · 1 year

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Taxi!

Thanks for leading on the fun @calaisreno and for the tag @raina-at

It’s all about appearances

John didn’t pay it much attention in the beginning. He was too absorbed and excited being in Sherlock’s orbit, experiencing his brilliance at crime scenes, and chasing after him through London.

When he started noticing, John was in awe over yet another thing Sherlock managed so effortlessly. A thing John himself scarcely had accomplished.

Hailing a cab, was like breathing to Sherlock. He just had to raise his arm, rarely shout “Taxi!” at all. Even when they were stranded in a remote part of the city, a cab magically appeared when Sherlock was ready to leave the crime scene.

Sometimes John had been annoyed. Not at Sherlock, but at the bloody cabbies that never noticed him.

“How do you do it?” he asked Sherlock.

“It’s all about appearances, John,” Sherlock had said dismissively, as if the topic bored him, which it probably did.

“Yeah, that’s easy for you to say, being two metres tall, wearing that ridiculous coat, your curls and…”

“What on earth has my hair to do with anything?” Sherlock asked incredulously.

“Nothing, just forget it,” John sighed.

***

When Sherlock was away, John became totally invisible to the cabbies of London. Not that he had anywhere to be, other than at the clinic and Tesco, but sometimes he went to visit Sherlock’s grave, and it was inconvenient to use the tube for that amount of distance. Never once had a cab stopped for him in those years. He actually had to order one, leave it to wait while he placed flowers at the black tombstone, return to the gate and let the cab drive him back to the empty flat.

***

When Sherlock finally returned, there’d been a fair amount of anger, hurt and lots of yelling from John, while Sherlock had been patient and sad, equally measured. John came to his senses eventually, forgave Sherlock, and some weeks later they pledged their love for each other.

Once Sherlock had recovered from his injuries, they went on cases again. The old magic was still there, although John found Sherlock to be less impatient in his efforts to flag down a cab than before the Fall. The cabbies didn’t notice any difference, though. Sometimes John thought they emerged from thin air, but it didn’t bother him anymore. He’d learned his lesson. What was important now, was the fact that Sherlock was alive. Not only that, but he had become John’s lover, and John felt whole again, after two years of feeling nothing. Nothing that could be called joy at least.

***

And then the call came. John was about to head out of his office, ready to go home when Lestrade rang. John knew that Sherlock was working on a case, but he’d said it was an easy one. No danger involved. Well, even geniuses could get things wrong at times.

“John, it’s Sherlock. He’s hurt, but nothing severe. May need stiches, but he won’t let me call an ambulance. He wants you,” Lestrade said when John answered his phone.

“Right. Text me the location. On my way,” John managed before he hung up.

When the text came, John immediately understood that he needed a cab. Too far to walk and the tube at this hour wasn’t something John willingly wanted to encounter.

He straightened, squared his shoulders and walked outside. After a few seconds a cab came around the corner. It was unoccupied.

Showtime, Watson!

John raised his arm and in a calm, but stern voice called, “Taxi!”

***

Sherlock sat in the back of Lestrade’s car when John arrived. He was bleeding from a cut on his forearm. John nodded at the officers he knew and slid in beside Sherlock.

“Let me have a look, then,” John said after pecking Sherlock’s cheek.

Sherlock looked at John with wonder while he examined the wound on his arm.

“You were right. No need for an ambulance. I don’t think it’ll need stitching at all, just a good rinse and…what?”

John had seen the look in Sherlock’s eyes and didn’t understand why he looked so astounded.

“How did you get here, John?” Sherlock asked, narrowing his eyes.

“What do you think, love?” John laughed.

“Did Sarah drive you? You came sooner than I expected,” Sherlock answered.

“No, you git. I took a cab,” John said and kissed Sherlock’s lips.

“But, how…at this hour,” Sherlock muttered to himself.

“Oh, I just remembered what a brilliant genius once told me about hailing a cab,” John said mischievously.

Sherlock look befuddled and raised a questioning eyebrow at him.

“It’s all about appearances,” John stated in his captain’s voice.

A bit of Sherlock's magic, which has always been a mystery to me as well as John.

@totallysilvergirl @missdeliadili @topsyturvy-turtely @peanitbear @meetinginsamarra

#sherlock fandom #johnlock #sherlock #sherlock fanfic #john watson #ao3 fanfic #may prompts #taxi

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ecoamerica · 2 months

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sorcerous-caress · 5 months

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Sol’s no truly good ending feels a lot like Karlach’s as Karlach also has to give in and go back to avernus in the good ending and even Astarion’s to a lesser extent all three of them sacrifice some degree of power or freedom and being trapped without powers I’m sure feels a lot like being with out sunlight or in avernus for sol. The unfairness even in good ending aligns well with the tome of the game.

Ah this isn't what their good ending was supposed to convey.

Astarion was turned against his will, Karlach had her heart stolen from her. Both were complete people before their life turned around.

Sol was born with this, it's not something that happened to them. It is them, part of themselves. They never lost anything to begin with while the other two did lose something.

Karlach can leave avernus eventually and Astarion can find a cure to walk into the sun maybe. What I'm saying is both of these endings are temporary, they can be changed eventually. Their sacrifice is temporary.

Sol's is permanent. They are cutting off a limb that will never grow back, killing a part of themselves because the world wouldn't accommodate it. Because it was consuming them.

And it is still a happy ending despite it all, because they end up happy. The part of them alive is still happy since how can someone who's died be sad? Astarion can mourn the sun, Karlach can miss the surface.

Sol is the one hurting themselves, they are their own main struggle. There is no cazador for them, no Gortash to blame. Their family was shitty yeah but they did just want to keep them alive, Sol was the person being a danger to themselves and everyone around them.

Karlach and Astarion already lost a part of themselves against their will. While Sol needs to make the choice to do that in order to be happy, to willingly lose a part of themselves.

Because as much as everyone says to always be yourself, what if the person you are isn't loveable? What if you don't have empathy or what if you hurt everyone around you without realising it? What if being yourself was the problem? You were the problem.

I said before that I made them to deal with my struggles with bpd and it still holds true. A lot of their bad traits are exaggerations of my own past ones. I too had to learn not to be myself, to manage my anger, resentment and to develop empathy.

Because the world can't accommodate you sometimes, but the need to belong, the urge to be loved and a part of something will always be stronger than the urge to be yourself.

In a perfect world, Sol wouldn't have had to change or kill a part of themselves. But it isn't a perfect world, and they are still human who craves happiness, a beautiful lie rather than the harsh truth of them truly being a greedy red dragon.

In their bad endings, they grow wings. Actual dragon wings instead of using magic to fly or float. It's to resemble freedom, that they are unloved yes but finally free and their true self no matter how ugly they've become.

In their good ending, they will mourn the ability to fly. They will miss having scales that let them get away with wearing whatever they want and how they need to wear armour now. They are less free, more shackled to the ground.

But they are a part of a community, accepted by humans, not scaring animals and not settling things on fire. They're happy, because loneliness is a much worse fate in their opinion.

Tho the message is definitely not "lol don't be your true self you should just try to fit in" that's just stupid.

The message is "some people can't be their true selves because others will always deem them unsettling or demonize them."

That sometimes being your true self will hurt you, sometimes your own brain and body is your worst enemy and you need outside interference to learn to manage it.

That some people will choose community and love over individuality, even if that choice is wrong.

Sol is chaotic neutral, they only care about their own happiness not what's right and what's wrong.

Their bad ending is technically the morally correct one, but to them it's the bad one for not resulting in their happiness.

Their good ending is the morally wrong one for them choosing to cut parts of themselves in order to live rather than die free. But it made them happy and that's all that matters.

It is unfair yeah like Astarion and Karlach. But for completely different reasons. Their birth itself was unfair rather than their life going in the wrong direction. If anything they had a lucky life for surviving themselves this long.

Their family would've set them free after making sure they're in full control, they had good intentions but took their ways and teachings to the extreme.

Sol's both good and bad ending is opting out of that cycle, refusing to play by the rules, refusing to preform or control themselves.

They either die free or kill the part of them keeping them behind. Evolve or die. No more middle grounds or hiding or treating themselves like a soon erupting volcano.

#♡Sol #♡character study #♡myocs

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intrulogical · 1 year

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Soo!! I just rewatched wtit, youknow, as one does, and founf this in the description- i haven't really seen a lot of us talk about this but I feel like there's a LOT going on here

What do you think? Any thoughts king?

HII THANK YOU FOR THIS ASK!

i wasn't aware that the episode HAD a description before you sent me this, so genuinely, thank you for bringing this into my attention!

and you're right— there ARE some things going around in this desc.

the first one would be the fact that thomas ASKED logan to get his life in order. orb (@/orbmanson7, go follow them too for more meta) shed some light to me about how this fact mostly goes unnoticed within the fandom (even me!). to be fair, it was brushed aside really quickly in the opening, but yes, it is canon that thomas asked logan for help.

orb also informed me how, in an exclusive writer's room discussion with joan, joan mentioned that thomas particularly asked logan to get his life in order. and well, it's a little surprising, isn't it, that thomas would willingly ask logan for help? but it's also not, considering that thomas has been very open with logan's contributions... if and only if he deems them useful.

bottomline for this fact is, thomas only views logan as a utility. what's sad is, i think logan views this more as an opportunity to participate, rather than something backhanded. the end of WTIT shows him insisting that instilling this schedule would be beneficial for thomas. but deep down, we also know that he just feels ignored, because thomas wants logic as a function, not logan as a person.

and now the more interesting aspect of this description would be its last sentences. now, before i get into it, i want to make it clear: the contents of intrusive thoughts has no real substance. most of the time, they prey on our insecurities in order to make us anxious.

but intrusive thoughts may vary in terms of how personal they are. they can be something merely gruesome, but they can also become more specific if you are fixating on a certain situation. in cases like these, the intrusive thoughts STILL have no substance, but they are grounded in the idea that, there is something that is affecting you and you should probably get that checked out.

again, i am NOT saying intrusive thoughts is important. i have heavy compulsions which worsen my intrusive thoughts, and i would rather get rid of it. but the existence of persistent intrusive thoughts can be a warning that, you have some unresolved shit. and in these cases, you can't just stop relying on paying it no mind— you NEED to address the core issue that your intrusive thoughts reap on, or find therapy or a good friend so you can better deal with it.

and, while harsh, the importance of remus as a side is that he serves as an alarm bell or wake-up call for thomas. his methods are incredibly dark, as he uses intrusive thoughts, there's no buts i can provide for that. with how heavily the sides miscommunicate, remus relies on darker methods to make thomas less passive in his struggles, because my god is he struggling. you can read more about this from this post i found a few days ago.

so in a way, remus' contributions are not just Random LOL XD intrusive thoughts he feels thomas should experience. while there is no substance to his threats, i think what remus is trying to prove by using them is that thomas is extremely vulnerable and needs help.

another is, while the threats are empty, we have to acknowledge that the insecurities remus calls attention to are very much real. he does not make thomas' insecurities, just provokes them. another post i saw a few days ago mentions how remus is the beholder of forbidden knowledge. that's why remus is very in tune with not only the insecurities of thomas, but the insecurities of the other sides as well (i made a post talking about this!).

and well, remus isn't necessarily just abusing the fact that he knows what makes the others insecure. his importance, actually, is that he makes this "forbidden knowledge" come to light for others to acknowledge, whether they like it or not. that is remus' purpose, not as intrusive thoughts since i don't wanna give that shit any ounce of a compliment, but as his own side who cares for thomas in his own way. either that, or janus uses him as a tool to deploy his own scheme for thomas to acknowledge his mental health issues.

TLDR; WTIT proves thomas views logan as a convenient utility. another, while intrusive thoughts have no substance, in WTIT, remus specifically deploys them so thomas can acknolwedge his own insecurities about nico. it's harsh, but remus' purpose as a side is to shed light on topics that the sides would usually consider taboo, with taboos usually encompassing suppressed insecurities and concerns.

#sanders sides #sanders sides meta #remus sanders #logan sanders #thomas sanders #analysis

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happyandticklish · 1 year

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ok writing out my thoughts is a lot harder than i expected because there’s just so little scenarios that izzy would Let himself be vulnerable in.

but say there’s been a raid, and izzy’s been injured. nothing huge, but his hand’s a little messed up. he knows he should go to roach for anything like that but that would mean admitting to a weakness, no matter how small, which he just won’t do. he won’t do that! so he makes a bandage out of spare rags and continues with his duties fine enough, but then stupid fucking stede bonnet comes along always caring about people and fussing over something minor like that, and izzy would never willingly accept help from him of all people but apparently everyone is against him today and ed’s ordering him to let stede at least take a look and he can’t just. refuse. he’s a dick but an order is an order and he’s going to follow it. so he agrees (with tons of complaining and rolled eyes), and finds himself hours later in the captains shared cabin, sat on a chair that’s far too soft with a cup of tea on the table that’s far too hot, stede’s on some rant about how “silly” he is for risking an infection for his reputation, and izzy considers leaving, slamming the door in his face and going to bed because 1) they hate each other and 2) he’s FINE. but ed is sat opposite to them, because he knows izzy and stede well enough that there’s no way in hell he’ll leave them alone together or they’ll be duelling in less than 20 seconds, and izzy knows ed well enough to know that upsetting his little boyfriend is a one way ticket back to square one. so he stays, uncharacteristically quiet save for a few complaints here and there. he’s thankful that stede also doesn’t want him there any longer than he has to, because it goes by quite quickly. but somewhere between cleaning and redressing his hand, stede’s being too gentle. he hisses and yanks his hand back, and bonnet looks up at him almost sympathetically, muttering something about knowing it hurts but he needs to get it over and done with, so izzy places it back onto his lap and turns away, biting his gloved knuckle to stop himself making anymore embarrassing noises. and apparently he can’t have any peace today, because ed’s clearly caught on, and the stupid smirk he’s wearing hasn’t been seen since they were younger, before blackbeard and first mate hands, when it was all muffled giggles and late night tickle fights, and for some odd reason his chest aches a little, but he has no time to think about it because it really tickles, and stede’s gotta be stupider than he looks because there’s no way he’s not realised between all the scuffed boots and huffs and slightly red face, but he seems … oblivious? and izzy’s never been so happy for something to finally be over.

“come back tomorrow mate, yeah? just to make sure, can’t risk you being out of duty.” ed says innocently enough, but the shiteating grin he has makes him more nervous than he cares to admit, so he nods and leaves without even a thank you. and when he’s finally out of earshot, the first thing stede says once he stands is “ticklish?”, and ed cackles.

Dude

DUDE

This is such an incredible concept you can't just casually drop this in my inbox!!!

This flustered me a tad more than I'm willing to admit lol. Because as stated before, Izzy absolutely has ticklish hands, and I can completely see this scenario happening. And the bit about Izzy reminiscing on past tickle fights I am going to cry you cannot just bring shit like that up

And Stede's innocent little, "Ticklish?" at the end is so cute too. Because you know Stede would never use it against him but Ed for sure will and absolutely rats out the fact that Izzy doesn't mind it later on. Not that Stede isn't still hesitant for fear of Izzy killing him asjgjhjki

Thank you so, SO much for this, this is actually my new favorite thing in the world <3

#asks #tickle headcannon #steddyhands #our flag means death #izzy hands #stede bonnet #blackstede #edizzy #headcannons #tickling #answered ask #sorry this took so long to respond to btw!!!#ive mean meaning to get to this for forever and kept forgetting it was in my inbox ;-;

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ryttu3k · 4 months

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Given the whole 'Tavias climbs Mount Halsin' thing, doing some Thinking Over how his relationships with Astarion and Halsin work out, and how Astarion and Halsin's relationship works too, because goddamn I am weak for them.

Tavias and Astarion: Not a lot of change here! It's still a soft, healing relationship, made up of mutual trust, the understanding that they're not defined by the awful things in their past, and the hope of working out who they are as people in the future, together. There's still a tremendous amount of guilt over their actions, for both of them - Astarion for the sheer length of time he was following Cazador's orders, Tavias for the fact that he racked up quite a body count over just twenty years, and was doing it... more or less willingly, to boot.

It's not necessarily... something incredibly stable. The relationship itself is close, but both of them are in a very fragile state, even by the end of the game when Tavias has rejected Bhaal and Astarion has killed Cazador. Possibly even moreso, since now they have the major question of, "What now?", something they've never... really had to think about. Pre-game Tavias just assumed he would follow Bhaal's orders until he died, pre-game Astarion likely assumed he would never escape Cazador. Hope for the future? What's that?

So now they have to work out who they are as people and what the future will involve. I do have a (noncanon) plan for them, namely becoming Jergal's Chosen (and Withers using True Resurrection on Astarion to make him mortal again) and working to destroy the remnants of the Dead Three and their followers, but solely choosing in-game options, I think they'd try to find a way to have Astarion walk in the sun again. Either way, travelling together, working on a Task together, and just... working out How To People together.

Tavias and Halsin: So, where Halsin comes in is something these two abject disasters distinctly lack - stability. Safety. Halsin has his traumas and insecurities, yes, and I think that's something he really does need to work through, but he's also in a distinctly more stable place than, well. 'Vampire spawn only just freed from two hundred years stuck in the Torment Nexus', and 'literally the former leader of the Cult of the God of Murder', y'know?

I think Tavias initially accepts Halsin's proposition out of sheer physical attraction, he is Not Immune To Buff Elf XD;; There might be a bit of guilt there too, like he has the feeling that Halsin feels a lot more strongly about him than he does for Halsin. They're very different as people, they're at very different stages of their lives, and even without the whole Dark Urge/Bhaalspawn/cult leader thing, a 31-year-old half-elf sorcerer who's a lifelong Baldurian is going to be in a very different place to a 350-year-old wood elf druid who feels completely out of place in said city.

But that's not actually a bad thing, now. Using the idea that Halsin stays in the vicinity of Reithwin with several wagons full of kids, refugees, and other displaced and homeless people and a menagerie of animals, he becomes someone incredibly valuable to Tavias - someone he can come back to and feel safe with. Things with Astarion are fragile, because they're both fragile, and while his relationship with Astarion is at least in part due to their similarities, his relationship with Halsin is at least in part due to their differences.

Halsin is a nurturing, comforting person by, uh, nature. He's a healer, first and foremost. He's more secure in himself, which I think Tavias would find incredibly comforting, given his own problems with a stable, secure self-image. I think he would do the same thing he did with Astarion - hook up with him based on physical attraction and Vibes(tm), and then gradually realise how well they compliment each other. He can be safe around him. Halsin can look after himself, he's seen and done enough not to be scared off by Tavias' incredibly fucked-up past, and he can just... let Tavias be vulnerable around him, in a way he feels he can't be around Astarion out of concern of triggering Astarion's own issues with guilt and self-image.

What Halsin gets from Tavias... less certain at this point. I think he'd see Tavias as someone who's overcome a lot of darkness, not necessarily in their immediate past because that was largely, uh, due to traumatic brain injury rather than their own actions, but in fighting the Urge, and someone who has the inner drive to act where it's taken Halsin a century to fully confront the Shadow Curse. He'd see him as someone who has that drive and strength to maybe help Halsin fight his own demons, too.

Halsin and Astarion: All those things I just said about how Tavias sees Halsin? They apply to Astarion too. As I mentioned, Astarion and Tavias are very similar, in that they're still trying to work out who they are after a period of time where they... weren't. Halsin would extend that stability to Astarion as well.

My usual hc for Halstarion, granted, goes a different way - Astarion seduces Halsin at the tiefling party because Act 1 Astarion Gonna Act 1 Astarion, and only later realises how safe he feels and starts catching feelings. Here, he did that with Tavias, and by the time they realise that, yeah, they do have actual capital-F Feelings for each other, it's only then that Halsin makes his confession to Tavias. Astarion then basically has to speedrun working out how he feels about Halsin.

How does he feel about Halsin's feelings for Tavias? Not too bad, actually. He knows that druids and wood elves tend towards the polyamorous, and Halsin has explicitly said he's not trying to replace Astarion in the relationship. Does he trust Tavias not to fall for Halsin more than he already feels for Astarion? Probably... not quite as much, but that's not so much a lack of trust in Tavias as it is disbelief anyone would actually choose him.

Astarion's own feelings towards Halsin individually are a little more complicated. He teases, of course - "enjoying the freedom of nature's gifts", joking that he'd be good to hide behind, et cetera - but as a general rule, I think he doesn't quite know what to make of Halsin. I mean, he says so himself - the druid is unique.

Initially, I think things... might be a little tense? Especially on Astarion's part, who's new to the whole... everything to do with relationships. I can see Halsin trying to sort of talk things through relationship-wise, then Astarion feeling like he's being talked down to, then Halsin trying to back off out of respect, then Tavias feeling like Halsin is withdrawing for no reason... it'll take a lot of communication is what I'm saying, and possibly someone taking away all pointy objects and locking them in a room together.

I don't know, I think I have to consider it a bit more, haha. I've thought plenty about how they'd work together just as a pair, but it's a pretty different dynamic with another character in there too. Same sort of relationship, eventually, that Halsin has with Tavias - where Halsin represents safety, security, knowledge, a lack of being judged, and I see Halsin seeing both Tavias and Astarion as people who have a lot of trauma and vulnerabilities but are Getting Shit Done despite it all. It's just working out how, precisely, they get there that I may have to think more on.

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 spoilers #ry plays bg3 #or at least spends many words writing about their oc and his elf bfs #oc: tavias #the dark urge #the pale elf #the first druid #bloodurge #ursa minor #halsin x durge

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