#anti monster hunting

[findafight]

Idk if you’re the person to send this to but like

The whole thing with Murray’s comments and Nancy and Jon getting together…. It is set up in such a way that it can be read as a situation where an ambitious teenage girl was pressured into what she was “supposed” to be. Nancy was told by a man that she respected and who took her seriously (and was the ONLY one to do so, so Murray gained an untold amount of trust from Nancy immediately, and the show just brushing off their relationship is such a loss but ok), that in order to be her real self she must dump Steve. Now Murray was just poking at two teenagers with a metaphorical stick to see what would they do. Understandable position, as a younger sister haver love doing that also (not with romantic feelings though but Murray was never meant to be ethical). I doubt that what the comment meant for him can be easily translated into what it meant for Nancy (let alone Jon, who thinks that he is better than most people and that he is definitely better than Steve, so I imagine he was nodding along). But he did influence her into becoming an investigative journalist. Like Murray with him taking Nancy seriously influenced her into two major life altering decisions (career and significant other). Like wow. And they never interacted again! Fucking hate st continuity.

Like Nancy dumping Steve because Murray told her to do so is a major thing. It’s BAD for jancy. Before s4 I thought that they were not mentioning it because jancy happened and was the endgame. But with them toying with stancy and likely knowing that they might toy with stancy all along??? Why did they not leave it open to interpretation. It’s such a juicy storyline, it shows the magnitude of the influence that you can have on a teenage girl, it’s beautiful, it’s painful, it’s the stuff of a real love-triangle (which is hard to make interesting but that would make it interesting!!!). Why did they write it then??? Whyyyyyy?????

oooooh that's so interesting anon!

I am much more of a murray fan when he is being a weird gay conspiracy uncle guy and isn't matchmaking, it must be said.

He and Nancy have the potential for a really interesting dynamic! It really is a shame we don't get to see more of it tbh. and you are so right in what his comment meaning to him and what it meant to Nancy and Jon separately would be so different! I don't know if Nancy would necessarily feel pressured by it, (though I wouldn't say she wasn't, either) but maybe it would vindicate something of how she was feeling about her relationship with Steve at the time and her feelings for Jonathan? Like a "oh this man I respect and who takes me seriously also thinks Jonathan is better for me, thinks I should go for it. Maybe I will..." kind of thing?

And lol yeah so true Jon just had his own conception of himself and Steve and their relationships with Nancy confirmed by Murray. he just kinda got...permission? I guess? to make a move on Nancy even though he was the one bringing up Steve both times he's mentioned on the road trip.

Totally see where you're coming from of Murray's influence not being mentioned because you figured Jancy was endgame, makes sense (if boring) to not question it if it doesn't need to be addressed as an issue because the pairing is canon for the rest. But now the teen love triangle has been brought back.... you're so right it is bad for Jancy. It brings up stuff about them that a lot of people (especially the Duffers!) don't want to deal with or acknowledge. Though I don't think they were planning the whole time to bring stancy back I think that sort of happened because the duffers unfortunately don't know what to do with Nacy if she doesn't have a boy to look at and Steve when he isn't pining over Nancy.

There's not enough time left to fully and satisfyingly delve into the issues between the original older teens, especially since some of those issues aren't treated as issues. It would be interesting to see, and also so so juicy, the complicated relationship they have with each other because of the UD etc, but I don't think a whole lot of interesting canon material will come from it (though that doesn't mean fan content can't!!) just based on how other romantic relationships and their dynamics with each other have been treated through the show. tbh I think maybe s5 will tease the love triangle but ultimately either end up with them all single (my preference) or with Jancy still together.

#nancy wheeler #murray bauman #jancy #stancy #this isn't really anit either of those but i'll tag them jic #anti jancy #anti stancy #jonathan byers #steve harrington #monster hunting trio #stranger things meta #stranger things #anonasaurus #findaanswers

[lunar-years]

I’m trying not to focus on shipping war nonsense because I have learned that my world is so much more peaceful when I mind my own business and stay in the little corner of fandom that agrees with me. But with that said…I am absolutely about to rehash old season 1 & 2 arguments, because some of y’all can’t seem to let anything GO and I am sick to death of hearing about it! (sorry for the length of this in advance. I really need to get this all out of my system at once so that I can go back to nicely shutting up about it.)

1) As for what inspired this post… I do find it interesting that there are still people trying to insist that Steve didn’t walk out on a blackout drunk Nancy at that party and instead claim “he asked Jonathan to take her home first.” It’s just that…no he didn’t? There is literally a scene of Steve shoving angrily past Jonathan and other partygoers and out the door? In fact, this is presumably what tips Jonathan off to go look for Nancy in the first place. Yes, Jonathan later tells Nancy that Steve asked him to drive her, but it’s pretty clear that he’s lying. He’s saying it because he doesn’t want Nancy to be more upset than she already is re: Steve. He’s just trying to be a good friend and to comfort her.

This misconception alone might not piss me off so much if it wasn’t for many of the same fans then insisting that jancy shippers or even just Nancy fans are delusional for holding true to the belief that Nancy never cheated and that she and Steve were broken up when she and Jonathan got together. Somehow we’re supposed to believe that Steve walking back into the party, seeking out Jonathan, and asking him to take Nancy home is all “implied”—despite a direct scene pointing to the contrary—but: “Well then tell me.” “Tell you what?” “That you love me.” “…Really?” *cue a long moment in which Nancy is unable to say it because it clearly isn’t true, and Steve clearly realizes it.* “I think that you’re bullshit.” *Steve walks away. Nancy says nothing and does not go after him*…is not a ‘clear enough’ breakup? Yeah, because they totally would have come back from that one if only *checks notes* big bad Nancy hadn’t gone off and ~cheated~ on poor Steve with creepy Jonathan. Right.

(It’s the needing to be spoon fed the breakup but then making up ridiculous justifications for Steve’s behavior to try to either absolve him or worse, to demonize Nancy and/or Jonathan, for me….)

2) Comparing Steve and Jonathan’s past mistakes is just dumb to begin with because they have both grown from their season one arcs. Still, if I have to see one more post about how Jonathan is completely irredeemable for taking that photo of Nancy, I might actually lose my mind. “Why have people suddenly forgotten Jonathan being a CREEP and STALKING Nancy in season one!!!” Listen. I can guarantee you that no one has forgotten it because y’all insist on bringing it up every. two. seconds. Please be serious.

•though you’d think otherwise from the way people talk about it, funnily enough I have never seen a single jancy or Jonathan enjoyer claim this was anything less than a horrific violation of privacy and yes, creepy and disrespectful behavior on Jonathan’s part. 

•Jonathan gives a sincere apology, which Nancy then accepts. He never repeats the behavior and he never tries to justify his actions.

•that’s all there is to it. You can like him or not, of course, but it’s ridiculous to go on and ON about this years later, often while, at the same time, jumping through hoops to claim Steve’s myriad of wrongs aren’t ‘nearly as bad’ as Jonathan’s photos. Steve calls Nancy a slut, lets his friends declare it on the theater billboard to the whole town. He pressures her about sex. He insults Jonathan’s family, including his missing kid brother, and calls him a slur. He definitely leaves Nancy alone at that party. I like Steve (though damn, do his stans work hard at getting me not to) and I obviously like Jonathan, but that’s because I can acknowledge that they’ve both grown, and I also don’t selectively pick and choose what parts of their arcs I care to remember.

3) which brings me to…season four. Honestly most of the st*ncy flirtations were pretty harmless (if forced, imo) and I firmly believe that people are allowed to have ‘moments’ with other people even when one or both of those people are in a relationship without either one being immediately crucified for it. Obviously Nancy and Jonathan had some similar moments between them in season one/two when she was still with Steve. I didn’t think she was ~emotionally cheating~ then and believe me, I don’t think she is with Steve now, either. I also don’t think Steve was being like, wildly disrespectful to Nancy and Jonathan’s relationship for most of the season (for instance, his comment about the three of them and Robin hanging out after all this is over felt sincere)

That said…it definitely got a little squirmy there by the end and I have no idea why the writers had to push it so far even if they wanted to resurrect the stupid love triangle for season five. Telling an ex who’s in a relationship that you’re dreaming about having six kids with her is…yeahhh…totally out-of-pocket, lol. Even if she wasn’t in a relationship it’d be totally weird, but it makes it worse that she is, because it means Steve’s not only disrespecting Nancy, he’s also disrespecting Jonathan. (It was a bizarre writing choice, so believe me I’m mad for Steve’s character arc at this point, too.)

Yet, what do st*ncy and Steve fans choose to go on and on about? An off-the-cuff joke from Jonathan about how Steve isn’t much of a leader like Nancy is. It’s so not even that serious, lmao. I mean, what?? Jonathan and Steve haven’t spoken in years, and have cordially spoken pretty much never. I think Jonathan’s allowed to get a small barb in (note: I think this was a weird writing choice too, because why would Jonathan even be thinking about Steve? It’s out of left field. But again. Love triangle drama. Sigh.)

At this point it’s just getting ridiculous. At the end of the day ship whatever you want to ship, but maybe find a way to do so that doesn’t revolve around repeatedly trying to trash the other side using the same stale, nonsensical arguments. Or at least keep it out of the jancy and Jonathan tags, Jesus Christ.

#jancy #stranger things #stranger things spoilers #anti st*ncy #I just want to stop seeing the same bad takes over and OVER #they squirm their way in even though I have ALL THE APPLICABLE TAGS BLOCKED! #Jonathan Byers #Nancy Wheeler #it’s really the year 2022 and I’m writing essays online defending jancy im too old for this #otp: monster hunting

[todderwodders]

My durge and Gortash’s relationship is like. Two horrible little best friends who put an amazing amount of trust in each other despite their positions and generally horrible personalities making it more or less impossible. They’ve known each other carnally and robbed a few supposedly unrobable places. It ain’t true but it is love.

#also my durge is a huge dnd pot head and a deeply capable monster of epic proportions #Aku is like cercei Lannister motivated by love to even more psychotic extents who also thinks hunting people is a delightful pastime #something something volo said all spawn are coins landing on their sides #he swings from being totally okay #even happy #with his occupation as anti christ #only to fall into short lived but deeply tumultuous periods of meloncholy or breaks INTO reality #where he may not regret his choices but he does regret bhaal and knowing he will never see an end to being father dears perpetual servant #no escape no life beyond this tiny little existence he didn’t get a choice in #he fully slides up to my quasi immortal tav multiple times #still brain damaged #and is like the things I could do to your body over and over and over again baby… #tomoko voice are you flirting with me or threatening me? #Aku voice oh baby it’s a prommy #anyhow durge is a funny tyrannical god complexer who says shit like ‘you approached the blunt with a heavy karmic debt’ after eating #an inn keepers face off and doing some very suggestive tongue stuff before he sucked out his eyeballs like other people suck out gogurt #has had like twenty kids tried to give Enver a kid (his? not? does it matter #take the honor you little worm) a kid only to be bitterly disappointed each time #would love to do some laundry and taxes #nic plays bg3 #they show up to the function (post bg3 events where gortash lives) lookin real good only to go hooooow could you cheat on me like this #(they are both fucking or wooing different people now)

[the-badger-mole]

It's the way that that is the only moment that people can point to in order to say that Mai and Zuko were right for each other after all. And it's a moment that doesn't make sense in context. I have never seen anyone explain satisfactorily when Mai ever showed fear towards Azula. When did she EVER fear Azula? The problem with Mai's development is that it all happens off-screen. Her parents (who we've seen) were terrible to her off-screen. She was terrified of Azula off-screen. She loved and understood Zuko off-screen. Meanwhile what we see on-screen is a bored young girl who was annoyed with her clueless parent and who without hesitating joined her friend's quest to hunt down the boy she had a crush on with no regard to what the outcome would be for him. When was she ever scared of anyone, let alone Azula?

If Mai is going to be anything it's inconsistent.

answer to @blogfamousturtlecollector

#atla #anti mai #anti maiko #she was fine with hunting zuko and possibly killing him #until the plot needed her to be desperately in love #her parents were slightly of touch with their teenage daughter #until the plot needed them to be monsters #mai was cool with everything Azula was doing #until...

[scripted-downfall]

Survival of the Fittest

Okay, time out.  I just stumbled across some “anti-hunting” posts and I want to address it.  Before I do, though, I want to make clear my loyalties.  I watch Supernatural and I like the show.  I vastly prefer both Dean and Cas to Sam, while there is very little disparity between my affection for Dean and my affection for Cas.  I recognize that all characters make mistakes, with varying degrees of justifiability.  I recognize that, in some limited ways, hunter-hate can be valid.

But.  I want to address one particular point.  I no longer remember who posted this because I’ve been stewing on it for a while, but I remember that they argued that, “a group of humans going around and killing non-humans for the simple crime of killing a human, even when they were just starving and needed to eat, are the bad guys.”  And just.

No.

And I say no, not because I’m blindly on the side of the hunters — since, as I said, I fully recognize that they’re not always in the right — but because predation exists???  In the natural world???

I mean, put it this way… My family keeps chickens.  Hawks and raccoons eat chickens.  They do not eat chickens because they’re cruel or sadistic; they eat chickens because they’re hungry and chickens taste good.  Shocker of all shockers, the chickens don’t want to be eaten.  If you don’t think the chickens are going to attack any hawk or raccoon that comes into the coop, you’re mistaken.  They will do their very best to attack the predator before it kills them.  Oftentimes, they will fail and they get eaten anyway.

Saying that hunters can’t attack supernatural creatures who are eating humans simply because “the monster is just trying to survive” is like saying that chickens cannot attack the creatures that go to eat them, or that any prey doesn’t have the right to defend itself against its predators.

Also, to rephrase the initial point, it’s basically an argument that hunters have no right to kill supernatural creatures because said Supernaturals are just trying to survive.  In other words, Supernaturals shouldn’t be killed because their mission is survival.  Which… like… sure, I guess I follow the point, but also; the point of hunters is to protect humanity’s survival (albeit on an individual level)?  So the argument is that the Supernaturals’ survival somehow deserves to be inviolable at the cost of human survival?  But that’s deemed illogical by the alleged “logic” of the initial argument; if killing a Supernatural is horrific because they’re just trying to survive, then killing a human is horrific because they’re just trying to survive.

With all due respect… just no.  At this point, the entire human-supernatural conflict should just be a matter of predation and what truly affects the outcome is survival of the fittest.

#supernatural #spn #beast hunters #vampire hunters #monster hunters #idk how to tag this #anti hunter hate #kinda #this idea would get you killed in spn canon #just saying #i'm not trying to say that all monsters are killers or anything #i'm just pointing out the fact that monsters who *do* kill are predators #you can't just wipe that away by saying 'they're just trying to survive' #it's still killing #and in that case #humans killing the monsters would be too #so it's at *least* two wrongs don't make a right #and at best #it's saving people hunting things #i said it

[lionsgane]

Hot Take: None of the Love Triangle teens should be dating in canon.

They aren't good for each other or good for each other anymore. No combination that can be made works: Steve/Nancy, Nancy/Jonathan, Steve/Jonathan, Steve/Nancy/Jonathan. 

A friendship between matured Nancy and Steve? Golden. Lovely. Happy to see it. A romance? Nah, they're both past that. Nancy doesn't want the American Dream family her parents have. Steve wants six little nuggets (although that man is absolutely made to be a stay-at-home dad, he wouldn't be forcing Nancy or anyone into a housewife role). Nancy settling for Jonathan when they've grown apart? Jonathan thinks Nancy will drop her dreams just to be with him. Honestly, it's depressing to keep putting them back into their little ship boxes, and it detracts from their development as individual characters. 

If we want to consider positive romances for these characters with other characters we already know...: 

To take it one step further, if these three were ever in a non-heterosexual relationship in canon, season four actually introduced us to a suitable match for each Love Triangle teen. 

Steve/Eddie

Nancy/Robin

Jonathan/Argyle

And I don't want to detract from the above friendships. I'm much more invested and interested in friendship than romance. But just saying, if. And I'm also not saying that these ships would necessarily be endgame, still together twenty years from now, "true love," perfect matches, etc. (plus, Eddie....). It's just so interesting that we're back in the ship hellhole of seasons one/two when more suitable matches for all three were right there. 

Listen, I never expected canon Stranger Things to be an lgbt+ fest; I'm stunned and thrilled we have Robin and Will. I believe there's a 0% chance of any of those ships being canon. Just saying, the Love Triangle teens shouldn't be forced into straight relationships that don't even work. Just let them be single, then. I think most viewers would support these three being happily single over being forced to date each other again.  

#steve harrington #nancy wheeler #jonathan byers #stranger things #I hope this doesn't read as hate or anti because that's not my intention #absolutely ship and let ship. just saying it doesn't make sense to me. #in canon #lord knows I ship the eff out of steddie. but I knew it was never going to be canon #and it's sad to see the monster hunting trio being reduced back to a love triangle again #the ace in me: why do any of them have to be dating anyway? #with all the supernatural shit going on dating should be the least of any characters' concerns

[jellybracelet]

I'm Dean critical but not for the bad stuff he does but because he's too cringe sometimes and has the stupidest, unfunniest sense of humor as time progresses. He was funny in the beginning like WTF happened.

#anti Dean #<-obviously we all know that's not true kl #i love him mwaaaah kissies #I'm just a miserable woman #Dean critical #spn critical #improv critical. #the physical comedy is the worst #why was he scared to be poked in the finger dude you hunt monsters it's just pathetic #Sam was right to not laugh at his jokes a lot

[futurefind]

//Smth thats v fun for Sa but not smth i can actively do bc its so verse dependent (esp wrt all oc^2 moots i have)— but given sa's line of work, she's absolutely a human bestiary :')

sure she may be able to cu through the red tape of worrying about her own powers/magic system and doesnt really get the theory too well (esp when it's more mercurial a la na.s.u.verse) but?? yeah shes a perfect go-to for info whether bc you want your book or art to be AccurateTM or bc you want advice on how to fight xyz with minimal problems ((you will, however, Never be able to beat sa's efficacy rate))

#mun babbles // #about // sasume #smth smth the hilarity of like . #sb death gripping sa wanting to KNO HER SECRETSSSSSSSS to Be proper competition in monster hunting / get as successful #w her evasiveness you think shes got turbo secret anti-monster gear or spells or smth and she doesnt wanna Share her trade secret bc Obv #but like. no. no. shes just got a choosy magic weapon that breaks the laws of magic building and then some #like its an rpg excalibur

[thecharlesfortcabal]

Demon Celebrity walks the Blood Red Carpet

#anti capitalism #discordianism #eris my beloved #fuck corporations #hail eris #lobotomy corporation #mentally fucked #principia discordia #eat the rich #celebrities #hunt celebrities #the fame monster #fuckfame #famous fools #ldd #elf #all hail Discordian #all hail Eris

[corazondebeskar-reads]

of rage and ruin - chapter one

of rage and ruin series

chapter one

series masterlist | next chapter

werewolf!alpha!Joel Miller x f!omega!reader

word count: 3.1k

summary: Joel Miller made it twelve years into the apocalypse without getting bit. He turns into a much different kind of monster than he expected, though.

chapter warnings: dark, dead dove do not eat, a/b/o, alpha/omega dynamics, omegaverse, captivity, torture, canon-typical violence, genre-typical violence, horror themes, graphic violence, suicidal ideation, gore, abuse by captors (not by either joel or reader), death, murder of innocent people, typical raider/hunter behavior, mention of cordyceps, angst, no y/n, reader is able-bodied and afab with no specific descriptions, viewer discretion is advised

also on ao3

dividers by @saradika-graphics

This is a werewolf omegaverse fic that uses traditional and non-traditional elements of the genres. It largely ignores TLOU canon.

DISCLAIMER: A plotline of this story involves unethical medical care and human experimentation re: vaccines. It may give anti-vax vibes. This is NOT an anti-vax story and I do not want any related discourse please and thank you. This is about FEDRA being the absolute worst, not about the real world in any way.

In a rare moment of lucidity, he thinks he used to be human, once. 

He’s partially transformed more often than not. Almost never fully, unless he’s under the sway of the moon. His real keeper. 

These raiders may think they own him, but he knows the truth. 

But lucidity is rare, and most of the time, Joel Miller is more beast than man. 

Most of the time, he doesn’t even know he’s Joel Miller.

No matter what, though, he’s a nearly uncontrollable force of nature. 

That’s why they keep a shock collar around his neck and tasers at their waists. That’s why they never turn their backs or leave him unrestrained. He fought like hell for a long time until he broke. 

No shame in it, he knows. Everyone breaks eventually. 

As the years have gone on, though, he’s been getting restless and snippy, less cooperative. And the pain doesn’t really matter anymore. 

Nothin’ really does when you’ve given up.

On the last new moon, when the wolf was quiet and the man was loud, he’d tried to refuse. He sat, buck-ass naked, on the gritty wood floor of the house they were raiding. 

He did not sniff out treasure like some fucking metal detector. He did not tear the humans limb from limb. He did not feast. 

He paid for that night and had the receipts to prove it, laid into his back from the silver-tipped whip. 

He should have tried harder to die at the start. 

He hadn’t understood right away, when they took him. It, frankly, didn’t even cross his mind that they’d know. Laura, the woman in the woods, had been so sure it was secret. 

He got it when they shot him in the leg with a BB gun, though, and the silver shrapnel burned. They were prepared. Silver-coated chains and cuffs, silver-tipped batons and whips and knives. Cattle prods and electric collars. 

They’d been hunting him. 

They tried to break him easy, first. They were looking for a wolf; didn’t know they’d find Joel Miller. They left him chained in an abandoned suburb, giving him just the minimum food and water to keep him alive. 

It worked to weaken him, but they didn’t want him weak forever. Not a very good guard dog or weapon if he can’t lift his head. So when that didn’t work, when he didn’t beg and plead or bend the knee, they gave up and bulked him back up slowly. 

So they tried pain next. 

He came to know the healing as a curse. They avoided the silver, at least at first, since it’d leave damage. But when they found out they could break his bones over and over and over?

That’s when he started to wish he was dead. What was the point, anyway? He couldn’t go back to Boston. Couldn’t risk himself around Tommy and Tess. 

Couldn’t kill himself if he tried, but they could, with their arsenal. 

Didn’t matter what he wanted in the end; his brain wouldn’t give in. It overrode his silent pleas, and it fought and fought and fought.

So they took him on a raid. Starving, chained under the full moon, and they waited. He couldn’t go far, but he didn’t have to. 

They brought the food to him.

“You’ve no control over it, huh?” Cheryl said after, leering into his “room.” They send her to play nice, but he knows she’s the worst of them all. They just think he’ll smell pussy and roll over. “We didn’t need you to kill them. You just need to scare them and help us find what we’re lookin’ for.”

They had him. He knows, he knows, he knows. He’d have done anything to stop it from happening again. From devouring tied-up families who dared to say “no” to Jim and his crew. From throwing up blood and bones and bows. 

He can’t kill himself. They won’t kill him. He had no choice. 

He broke.

This new moon, they don’t take him out to scavenge. No, instead, they drag him outside and spray him down with the hose. This, in itself, is not unusual. But when they force the muzzle over his snapping teeth to scrub at his skin with precious lye soap and a rag, he starts to get concerned. 

His suspicions are confirmed when they take him back inside. 

The only time he’s left unbound is here, in his room. Well. It meets the vague requirements for a room, but it’s also reinforced with silver-plated steel and concrete. Cheaply so, but enough to mute his senses and hopes. 

Usually, they wait until the grate is shut to unclip the lead. They wait until he kneels and offers his hands to unlock the shackles. When he’s been good, of course. 

But not today. Today, they chain him tight to the wall at the far end of the room. 

They’ve had this theory that he hates to admit is not without merit. Looking for another way to control him, they’ve tried to find him an omega. 

The first few times, they just forced him on them out wherever they’ve raided. Usually, he’s too out of control, and they don’t survive the encounter. 

The most recent time, they dumped one in his cell. But the poor thing still smelled of his alpha, having only lost them hours earlier. 

Joel didn’t react well. 

They’re trying something new, now. 

That he’s here while they clean his room is deliberate. He knows this. They’re purging all his scent from it, and they want him to watch, want him unsettled.

He growls when they remove his mattress completely. It’s a pathetically small, thin, hole-ridden thing, but it’s his. 

Before they drag in a new one, a flat pack of grated metal is tossed in the corner. Two of his captors go to work on assembling the contraption, and another leaves for a while, only to return with a sawed-off portion of his mattress. 

It fits neatly inside the cage. For that’s what they’ve constructed. It’s silver-coated, of course, but pathetically weak otherwise. If he truly desired, he could snap the bars as easily as bone. 

He’s not keen on having burnt hands, though. 

Just inside the front of the cage, they clip up a bit of cloth. He doesn’t need to be told what it is, knowing immediately after it’s extracted from the airtight glass Tupperware. 

They tell him anyway. “Got a new toy for you to try, if you’re good. For now, this is all you get.”

The heady scent of omega soaked into the panties permeates his room. 

He’s salivating a little by the time they finally release him, but he waits until the heavy footfalls echo from down the hall to give in. 

They smell divine. He can’t resist tasting, lapping at the tiniest hint of musk and omega under his elongated tongue. 

“Told ya he would have shredded her,” Jim says to Cheryl when they come in the morning with his breakfast. Joel’s in his mind enough to feel a little shame, back of his neck burning, when they see the tattered fabric. 

It’s clear they anticipated it because, along with his tray, he’s given a new pair. 

They’re not so appealing this time. The sweet scent is cut by acidic fear like vinegar through molasses. He ignores them in favor of his meal. 

He eats better here than he ever did out there. He’s worth more rations to the raiders than to FEDRA. Robust meals full of meat and eggs and potatoes. 

They need him strong, after all. 

It’s not until a few hours later that he’s drawn back in by the underwear. It’s not so acrid anymore. Or maybe it is, and he’s just in the mood. Either way, he buries his face in them while he strokes his cock and uses them to catch his cum when he finishes. 

There. That’s better. The mix of him with… whoever you are. 

When they bring him lunch, they make him put the panties on his old tray before pushing it out to them. He doesn’t burn with shame this time; no, he almost feels proud. Like a peacock fluffing out its feathers. They know now. They must. 

Whoever you are, you’re his. 

The next day, they bring back the same pair. He wolfs out a little at the fresh layer of you over his cum. It’s all fear and tears and disgust, but it doesn’t matter, doesn’t matter at all, not to him, not to the wolf. 

All that matters is how his head fills with static when he licks across the gusset and howls. 

Cheryl’s looking pretty smug on the other side of the door, but for all that she’s pleased with the results; they still threaten to turn on the collar if he doesn’t eat quickly.  

He’s nearly fully wolf, gobbling down the food and returning to his treasure. He snarls as he strokes his cock, the head angry and purple as he tugs. He doesn’t spill onto the panties this time, not wanting to cover up the perfect combination of your scents. In the end, they’re shredded anyway, as his fingers stretch and break into claws. 

In his full glory, his senses are even sharper. Sharp enough that he can hear a faint sobbing across the building and Cheryl’s sharp laughter. 

“I don’t know,” she’s drawling when he tunes in. “He sounds pretty excited to meet you.”

The soft sobbing turns raw and cracked. He can smell the salt and phlegm, can practically taste it in the air. He’s aware of Cheryl, but nothing is louder than the way your heart is tripping over itself.

When Cheryl’s words sink in, when he realizes he might actually get to have whatever delicious creature they’ve gotten him, he howls again, a long, aching sound that creeps down your bones like frost.

Later, when he’s a little more present, he realizes they didn’t shock him either time he howled. It’s usually a guarantee. 

Whatever game they’re playing, it doesn’t bode well for you.

Joel Miller made it twelve years into the apocalypse without getting bit. He wasn’t even worried when it happened. They’d been heading back to the QZ, him and Tommy and Tess, when a wild dog attacked them. 

Or, well. A wolf. 

Tommy had gotten a bullet in its head, but it had Joel’s arm in its jaw at the time. Its teeth had rent through his jacket like a spoon in a banana split. 

FEDRA would shoot him without a second thought, so they doubled back to the little cabin and hunkered down. Figured they’d lay low long enough for it to be hideable before sneaking back in. 

Tommy went out at daybreak for the carcass—it’d be leagues better than what they had in their bags. When he came back, he was faint and empty-handed. 

“...don’t make any sense,” he kept muttering, pacing the tiny kitchenette. 

Joel and Tess exchanged a glance. 

“Probably a bear took it,” she suggested.

Tommy ran his hand through his hair, shook his head, and did it again. When he looked up at them, it was through wild, unpredictable eyes. “Wasn’t a wolf. It was a man.”

“What’re you talkin�� about?” Joel said.

“C’mon.”

They followed him through the thicket, and sure as shit, in the same place the wolf’s corpse had lain was a man with a bullet through his skull. He was completely nude. 

“Gotta be a coincidence,” Joel muttered.

Tommy turned to him, eyes wide and hands shaking. “What kind of fucking coincidence is this?” 

There was a rustle, and they all turned, guns raised, as a woman peeked from behind a tree. 

She put her hands up and waited. Tess jerked her head to one side, and they lowered but did not stow their weapons. 

The woman was in a ratty cotton dress with no shoes; autumn leaves crunching underfoot. 

“That’s, um. That’s my husband,” she said softly. 

“Apologies, ma’am,” Tommy said, his face soft and sad. “But—I think he attacked us.”

Her green eyes grew wide, pupils dilating and breath catching in her chest. “Did you get bit?” 

Tommy and Tess instinctually looked at Joel. 

“What’s it to ya?” he said.

“Did you get bit?” she repeated.

“Was he Infected?”

“Not with cordyceps, no,” she says. She avoids looking at the body but flinches when she brushes a foot against a blood-soaked leaf. 

“What does that mean?” Tommy said. 

“I think it’s best we go someplace and talk.”

Against better judgment, they follow her through the words to her home. She claims to have two kids alone there, four years and six months. 

It turns out to be true. She gets them both down for a nap and serves hot stew. They try to refuse, but she insists. 

Tommy feels a little sick eating the food of a man he killed. They all listen, rapt, as she begins to speak.

“It happened a year ago. But it wasn’t an accident.”

When the full moon is two days away, Joel is nearing the furthest from himself. Same shit, different month, but his reactions to your scent are getting, well, feral. 

They’re bringing him strips of cloth, now. He gets a new one with each meal. He doesn’t destroy them anymore. Oh, no. When he’s clearer, he wishes he did. 

But no. He smells and licks and then jerks off with them. If only that were the worst of it. He’ll come to be mortified during the waning, but he starts to add them to the cage. It’s fairly saturated with the smell of him from his old mattress, but it pleases the beast within to line it with the sweet mixture soaked into the torn sheets. 

You’ll understand, then, the wolf thinks. You’ll know it’s safe for you. Somewhere he’s made, a den all your own where he can keep you. 

But you won’t know, because what you know is very little. 

When FEDRA started asking for volunteers to test vaccines, you didn’t hesitate. You knew the risks. And the rewards—room and rations for the length of the observation period, anywhere up to a year in length. You knew there would be a catch—probably many, but given that you rarely had a room or rations, it wasn’t a hard choice.

But this was the end of the world, and “informed consent” was not something that survived the outbreak. 

They worked in batches. A truckload of live bodies at a time. Sterilizing showers with the barest trace of privacy, dressed in stiff starchy scrubs, and led into little cubicles where nurses with needles sat in wait. 

A quick jab to the upper arm, and then you were off. The hospital was an old correctional facility, but again, for someone who hadn’t had a bed on a reliable basis, you felt only relief. 

Until the deaths started.

They didn’t even try to hide it. Within 24 hours of arrival, a fourth of your group was gone. Carted out in black bags marked with β and nothing more said. You watched through your window like everyone else. 

Someone came around the next day and drew blood from every remaining subject, and the tagging began after that. You could see the symbols on other’s doors, but not your own. α or Ω. What they meant, you couldn’t begin to guess. 

It started not long after. 

The changes.

At first it was so subtle, you may not have noticed, but a nurse came by each day to ask you a series of increasingly embarrassing questions. 

What do you smell? What do I smell like? What does your sweat smell like? How sensitive are your breasts? Describe your vaginal discharge. How aroused are you on a scale of 1-10? 

They began weekly tests. Blood draws once a week and daily urine samples, of course, but also hearing and vision. They made you run on a treadmill hooked up to wires. 

And then, one day, after six months of intensive observation, they moved you.

Or. They tried to.

You were exhibiting a specific set of side effects, they said. You were to be transferred to another facility for subjects with the same side effects for further observation. 

Raiders took out the truck halfway through the ten-hour journey. It was… it was a bloodbath, actually. For the FEDRA officers, anyway. 

When they had you all lined up, grippy socks soaking in the ankle-deep mud, well, that was when you all learned which symbol was on your door. They couldn’t keep the word out of their mouths. Omega. 

Not that it fucking explained anything.

One by one, a short blonde with a bob went down the line of you and shoved something up to each omega’s face. That’s it. It seemed to have no greater purpose.

But for some reason, when she pressed the cloth against your nose and mouth, she smiled. And they separated you.

Whatever that was had a deep, oaky musk, like the illicit brewery operating out of the warehouse you often slept in before the trials. 

They tell you nothing.

They make you sleep on strips of cloth, so you roll around in the pile as you toss and turn, rubbing your sweat and slick and pheromones all over. 

They don’t bring you anything of his, but you catch faint whiffs of him (him, always him, they never call him by a name), of those aged, liquor-soaked barrels, but all it does is make you nauseous. You don’t understand how you know it’s him; you still don’t understand any of it. 

You learn very quickly not to ask questions. 

They take him out on the night the moon is full and bloated, hanging over him like a searchlight. See, it whispers, I can find you anywhere. Anywhere. It doesn’t matter. If it didn’t, the wolf would find it anyway. 

He is not himself.

He is his truest self.

He is two or one; neither yet both. A monster movie mashup of fur and teeth and roughshod science experiments conducted by a doctor who wasn’t a doctor at all. He’s the monster’s victim. He’s the monsters’ monster. 

He���s the wolf and the wolf is him. 

He’s The Wolf and he’s swallowed Joel down. 

He’s the man, the weak link, buried so deep he can’t see the light of his celestial mistress 

He’s Joel Miller. Sometimes, sometimes. 

Tonight, he is gone. There is only the Wolf. 

And the Wolf knows. As soon as they cross the threshold, he knows. 

Dawn is rising, the hunt is over, but he’ll be the wolf for a while longer. And he knows that fuckin’ smell. 

It’s the saccharine sour mix of you. Heavy on your sweet apple undertones, and oh, he knows. 

You’re in the cage.

next chapter

*title from "Bad Moon Rising" by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

😬 I've been working on this baby for a long, long time, so I will be drinking your likes and comments desperately. thank you for reading and i love you.

#joel miller x reader #joel miller x you #joel miller x f!reader #alpha!joel miller x omega!reader #alpha!joel miller #werewolf joel miller #the last of us fic #joel miller fic #dark fic #dead dove fic #a/b/o verse #fic: of rage and ruin #a/b/o au

[astrolovecosmos]

Aries Haunted House: Devils, hellish landscapes, fast-paced, flames and/or explosions, maybe dragons and slashers, loud and vivid, jump scares galore, made for thrill-seekers and the brave.

Taurus Haunted House: Luxurious hotel or place gone haunted, creepy woods, ancient or earthly monsters and powers, themes around materialism, vanity, lust, and gluttony may exist, pretty, comforting, and attractive enemies, be enticed and disturbed.

Gemini Haunted House: Mazes, mirrors, twins, doublegangers, tricks and pranks, fae-inspired horror, getting lost, haunted libraries or schools, dark vs. light, angel vs. demon, good vs. evil themes, a wild ride.

Cancer Haunted House: Ghostly ships, mansions, lighthouses, specters, chains, doors, winding corridors, family or romantic horrors, vengeful spirits, moonlight, curses, a haunting atmosphere.

Leo Haunted House: Otherworldly theater, haunted palaces or castles, fires, radiation, urgency, dark knights or anti-heroes, massive monsters, gold, crooked royalty, temptation or seduction, blood pumping, filled with warnings and feelings of DANGER, opulent, has appealing mystery or overpowering suspense.

Virgo Haunted House: Haunted hospitals, mad scientists and their labs, possibly gore or filled with body horror, themes of innocence vs. corruption, detailed and drawn out, curious yet upsetting, watch out for cobwebs and surprises from the floors and walls, sights you can't forget.

Libra Haunted House: Unexpected creepiness, whispers and strange voices, haunting melodies, whimsical or romantic settings, beautiful, delicate, and horrifying all in one, masks or many faces, shapeshifting, calming or attractive and then it bites you, deception with lighting, a little flirty, a little playful, a little smart, and a little dreadful.

Scorpio Haunted House: Psychological horror, all about the environment, suspense master, creepy crawlies, you don't even want to enter, howling, power plays, thrills, blood and bone, possibly vampires, the occult, stalking and obsessions, very observant and opportunistic monsters or actors, will push you to the edge.

Sagittarius Haunted House: Circus or amusement park themes, twisted games, traps, feeling trapped, frenzies, unexpected beasts and monsters, bad luck, hope vs. despair themes, lots of storytelling, maybe a little humor or teasing, glowing and dimming, shaking of things, loud bangs, feel like you are being hunted, unbelievable events or ending.

Capricorn Haunted House: Very cold or very hot, likely to make a moral statement, may have themes of torture or punishment, dark, intimidating, insanity, chains, sinister vibes, horns, goats or goat heads, may have an historical inspiration, feelings of disempowerment or being controlled, underground, skulls and skeletons, greed and selfishness themes, cruel and relentless.

Aquarius Haunted House: Spooky and fantastic, space or scifi themes, plays off fears of the unknown, will go to the extremes and/or unusual, may be innovative and trendy, could mess with group dynamics and/or separation, cults or secret organizations, odd monsters, you won't believe your eyes.

Pisces Haunted House: Isolation or imprisonment themes, feel like you are being watched, looming shadow in the corner or under your bed, feel upside down or dizzy, haunted lakes and pools, sirens (both the noise and creature), the undead, graves, sacred or cursed places, sea monster, ill fate or dangerous destiny, con artists characters, this house/experience sticks with you.

#zodiac #astrology #haunted house #haunted houses #aries #taurus #gemini #cancer #leo #virgo #libra #scoprio #sagittarius #capricorn #aquarius #pisces

[lunar-years]

Everything Has Changed // all I know is you said hello / and your eyes looked like coming h o m e.

The Way I Loved You // And you were wild and crazy / just so frustrating, intoxicating, complicated / got away by some m i s t a k e.

Stay Beautiful // If you and I are a story that never gets told / if what you are is a daydream I’ll never get to hold / at least you’ll know…you’re b e a u t i f u l / every little piece, love.

Jonathan & Nancy’s love story, as told through Taylor Swift songs for @jancyweek2022 Day 1: Lyrics

Part l: The Fall • Meeting / Wanting / Waiting

Part II: Endless Summer / Part III: Winter Without You

#jancyweek2022 #is Taylor Swift time period accurate? no #would modern day jonathan byers be a Taylor Swift anti? almost certainly #did either of those things stop me? absolutely not! #i'm a taylor swift stan first and a jancy second #also modern day Nancy is 100% a swiftie so it balances out!! #parts two and three out later today :D #happy jancy week!! #my edits #jancy #otp: monster hunting #stranger things #stranger things moodboard #Jonathan Byers #Nancy Wheeler

[sailorkamino]

sheltered

relatonships: geraskier x magic!reader [tangled au]

word count: 1.8k

summary: your village believed you to be born cursed and would have killed you, if not for stragobor. you've spent your whole life locked away in a tower but now you've got a chance for freedom in the form of a bard, a witcher, and an pretty horse.

warnings: stragobor, emotionally abusive parent, gaslighting, anti witcher prejudice, death/murder, pre relationship, emotional support dogs

a/n: my first time writing for the witcher! what do you think? i might turn this into a series <3

Spring is coming so you’re making new outfits for your beloved hounds. Which isn’t at all depressing no matter what that one judgemental bird thinks. Anyways you’re using golden yellow fabric for Honeysuckle and cool blue for Periwinkle. As is customary.

Then you sense them. Strangers. You become almost dizzy with fear and excitement. A type of desperation only experienced when you live in a forced solitude. You make your way to the window, desperate for a glance. It’s not like they’ll be able to see you. Your entire tower is invisible to outsiders.

“Hey, look at this tower.”

You choke on air. Your dogs leap from your bed to check on you (still in their winter sweaters.) You hold your breath as two people and a horse step into the clearing. Then you meet yellow cat-like eyes and you’re diving to the floor with a startled noise.

“Careful. Magic.”

One of them is mumbling but it’s drowned out by the sound of your rapid heart. Honeysuckle whines in concern, licking your face. Periwinkle takes a protective stance over both of you, growling out the window.

Father has always told you witchers are bloodthirsty savages. They’ll kill any innocent being for a profit. They know no morals, only violence. When you were born under a black sun your religious village wanted you dead. Father hid you away for protection. You’re not looking to relieve the witch hunt experience.

You mentally poke at the witcher, feeling out his aura. He doesn’t seem particularly beastly. Animals tend to be more shallow than people, all instincts and simple emotions. Surprisingly he doesn’t feel that.

A part of you has always questioned your father's prejudice. You stopped voicing it but the concerns remained. Father hates witchers because they kill beasts. If monsters can be good, why can’t witchers? An old argument resurfaces in your memory.

“Have you listened to a word I’ve said, child?” Father asks angrily. “You cry when a rat dies yet defend butchers.” You look away, embarrassed by his mocking tone.

“This is why you stay in this tower. You’re too naïve for the outside world.”

You wonder if that’s the real reason he keeps you locked away. You’re capable of defending yourself now. So is he really protecting you? Or is he protecting the world? All because you were born under a black sun. Why must you be punished for being different? Why must witchers?

You think of the villagers who looked at a crying orphan and saw a threat. Who saw killing an infant as a lesser evil. You don’t want to be like that. Privately you wonder why your mentor sees compassion as a weakness but you’ve learnt it’s better to agree with him. “Yes father. I’m sorry.”

“No need to fear us. I’m Jaskier the bard, master of the seven liberal arts, and this is my companion, Geralt of Rivia! Could you give us directions to the nearest town?” The colorful man calls out.

Your heart races until you feel dizzy. So this is the butcher. The most beastly and cruel of all the witchers. He’s… underwhelming to say the least. Certainly least nightmarish and more dreamy than you imagined. But you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. You take a calming breath, petting your hounds to ground yourself.

The primal fear inside of you is wrestling with your desire for a real life conversation with a stranger. This could be your chance to hear both sides of what happened in Blaviken. Father always says you’re too naïve but only tells you his point of view. You’re almost sick with nerves when you blurt out rather loudly, “I wouldn't know. I’ve never been in the forest before.”

There’s a long pause and you can sense confusion. Have you already messed up? You don't want them to leave. Well the witcher can go, but the colorful one seems nice. You pop your head back into view, “I don’t leave my tower. I’m sorry. I… like your horse.” Compliments make you friends right?

“Don’t leave or can’t?” A much gruffer voice asks. You shiver. (He didn’t even say thank you for the compliment, how rude.)

“I’m safe here.” The words sound unconvincing to your own ears. You tell yourself it's because of fear. Not because you’re beginning to question them.

“Who says?”

“My father.”

They share a concerned look. You bite your lip in embarrassment. It sounds quite childish when you say it out loud. But you’ve been persecuted before, you aren’t about to let your guard down around a hired killer. So… why are you still talking to him?

Then you notice the brunet’s instrument. What a lovely change of subject. “Is that a lute?”

“It is!”

You’re practically jumping now. Honeysuckle, picking up on your excitement, smacks you with her wagging tail. “I’ve never heard a bard before! Play me something?”

Jaskier goes impossibly sad. You frown, hating the kicked puppy expression. What did you do wrong? Maybe you should just stick to socializing with animals. At least the rats find you charming.

“You’ve never heard music, my dear?”

Your face goes hot, both at the endearment and the pity in his voice. “I have lots of instruments but I don’t think I’m very good. Being self taught and all.”

“Why don’t I come up and give you a lesson? Free of charge!”

Your stomach twists in knots. You don’t know what’s more terrifying. Your new friend coming inside or leaving you to loneliness. You avoid eye contact when you answer. “My father wouldn’t like that.”

“What would you like?” The witcher asks sternly. You freeze. No one has ever cared what you wanted before. Is that concern you sense from him? Sympathy? From a so-called beast? Your silence seems like an answer enough. “So can’t leave,” he concludes.

“Can others enter?” Jaskier asks curiously.

You don’t know why you answer but you do. “Only with a portal. There’s no door.”

“But there’s a window.”

You frown. Obviously there’s a window, you’re talking out of it right now. Maybe your new friend is a little slow.

“Rope?” he proposes to the witcher.

Your mouth drops open. A rope? That’s it? Years of isolation by a warlock solved with a fucking rope? It can’t be that simple. It just can’t be. “My father is very powerful,” you warn. “And he hates witchers.”

“Him and most of the continent,” the man grumbles dryly. For some reason you feel guilty. Years of indoctrination to hate his kind, forgotten in mere minutes. Maybe you really are naïve.

“Who’s your father, dear? Maybe we know him?”

You sincerely hope not. “Stregobor.”

Dead silence. Then a very empathetic “fuck.”

Your stomach sinks. That’s the most emotion you’ve heard in the witcher’s voice so far and it doesn't sound good. Will they judge you for your fathers deeds? Wait, why are you assuming your father’s in the wrong? Since when did he become the bad guy? (Maybe he always has been but you’ve ignored it.)

“Let me guess, you were born during a black sun?” He asks flatly.

You feel as if a rug has been pulled out from under you. The comfort that’s been growing disappears, replaced with icy fear. You don’t even know this man yet you still feel betrayed. “Are you here to kill me?” You ask, slightly wobbly.

He sighs tiredly. Maybe he gets asked that a lot. “No. You aren’t fucking cursed. You were born during an eclipse. A completely natural phenomenon. A bunch of old bastards made up that curse for power and control.”

Your jaw drops, conflicting emotions raging inside of you. If he’s right you’re not cursed, which is great. But it also means your father has betrayed you. Your whole life can’t be a lie. It just can’t. A sinking part of you knows he’s making sense, even wants to believe him, but you desperately ignore it.

“I hurt people,” you confess abruptly.

“I thought you never left this tower?” Jaskier asks.

“When I was a baby.”

The witcher raises an unimpressed brow. “Did Stregobor tell you that?”

You growl in frustration as a strong wind rustles the trees. Jaskier looks around in bewilderment but the witcher holds your steady gaze. Not easily frightened by your show of power or glowing eyes.

“I’ve met a lot of monsters. You’re not one.”

The words you’ve always longed to hear. Uttered by the man you’ve been taught to hate. You take a moment to collect your flurry of emotions before answering. “Funny,” you smile weakly, “I was gonna say the same thing about you, witcher.”

You steady yourself before asking the next question. Knowing it won’t be easy but needing answers. The more you talk to Geralt the more you question what you’ve been taught about witchers. Maybe you don’t want him to be a monster. Maybe you’re so lonely you don’t care if he is.

“Tell me about Blaviken.”

“What?” His voice is somehow gruffer. Face horribly blank and posture rigid.

“Every story has two sides, yet I’ve only heard my father’s.”

He sighs deeply. Then begins. He tells you about Renfri. A princess born under the black sun. Her step mother was looking for a way to get rid of her and the curse was convenient. Stregobor agreed the girl was an evil mutant that must be isolated but her step mother wanted her dead. Together they ruined her life.

Renfri evaded them. She spent years being hunted, until she became the hunter. Eventually she formed a gang of sorts and tracked Stregobor to Blaviken but couldn’t enter his tower. (Apparently the idea of living in a tower forever was very distressing to your father. You don't know if you should laugh or vomit.)

Both Renfri and Stregobor asked Geralt to kill the other but he refused, not wanting to get involved. Although he hated Stregobor he tried to talk the princess out of revenge. It was too late. She threatened to kill townspeople until the warlock came out.

Your heart sinks at the ultimatum. Your father has never been a compassionate man. By the grim look on the witcher’s face he knew it too. In the end Geralt did what Stregobor wanted him to do. Instead of payment or thanks he was branded a butcher.

The fear-shame-grief rolling off of the witcher (definitely not emotionless by the way) is enough to make your eyes sting. Your gaze settles on Jaskier, who’s gone into full sad puppy mode. You have a feeling he’s never heard the full story either. You clear your choked throat.

“You mentioned a rope, good sir?”

#the witcher #geralt x jaskier x reader #geraskeir #geraskier x reader #geralt x jaskier #geralt x reader #geralt of rivia #jaskier x reader

[bright-side20]

HOFAS SPOILER (concerning the Cauldron)

_First let's go back to Rhys's explanation of the mating bonds:

“What decides it? Who decides it?” Rhys straightened his lapels before plucking an invisible piece of lint from them. “Fate, the Mother, the Cauldron’s swirling eddies …”

It is clearly stated that the bond can be decided by fate, the mother, or the cauldron.

“There is choice. And sometimes, yes—the bond picks poorly. Sometimes, the bond is nothing more than some … preordained guesswork at who will provide the strongest offspring. At its basest level, it’s perhaps only that. Some natural function, not an indication of true, paired souls.” A smile at me—at the rareness, perhaps, of what we had'.…' Many mated pairs will try to make it work, believing the Cauldron selected them for a reason. Only years later will they realize that perhaps the pairing was not ideal in spirit.”

There are bonds only to provide the strongest offspring, like Rhys's parents or Tamlin's parents bond and there are rare bonds of true paired souls like Feysand and Nessian bond.

HOFAS:

The Cauldron was of our world, our heritage. But upon arriving here, the daglan captured it and used their power to twist it. To turn it into something more lethal. No longer a tool of creation, but of destruction.

An explanation by a Daglan:

We gathered our power and imbued these gifts in the Cauldron, so that it would work our will. With this, the treasures were made. And then we connected the essence of the Cauldron to the soul of this world. Destroy the Cauldron and you destroy this world. One cannot exists without another.

The Cauldron was turned by the Daglan to serve their agenda, and they connected it to Prythian in a way that if anyone tries to destroy it, Prythian will be destroyed as well.

_Now, let's get an idea about the Asteri's aka Daglan breeding system:

Celestina only said, “He departs tomorrow. I shall visit his keep next month if there is not … a change in my situation by then.”If she hadn’t gotten pregnant.

Hunt nodded, even as disgust and rage curled through him. The Asteri had ordered this, done this. They’d make Celestina keep going to Ephraim until she was pregnant with the child they wanted her to bear. Another little Archangel for them to mold into a monster.

Doesn't it sound like 'producing strong' offspring, 'natural function'?

What if the Asteri back in Prythian manipulated the cauldron to create mating bonds, knowing the importance of it for the Fae, so they could benefit from their children and manipulate them?

I don't know why antis kept accusing Elriels of spreading misinformation, considering our conclusions are based on what's written in the books.

The Cauldron literally operates under Daglan's system, so it can't be trusted; indeed, it is not a perfect matching system.

_Let's get back to these important scenes:

"If anyone can sense if something is amiss, it’s a mate.”.... “The mating bond. It is a bridge between souls.”

Madja here is clearly addressing the real meeting bond—the one of paired souls.

Lucien:

“There’s a bond—it’s a real thread,” he said, more to himself than us. .... “And I got to Elain’s end of it when she ran off.” “Did you sense anything?” “No—I didn’t have time. I felt her, but …” A blush stained his cheek. Whatever he’d felt, it wasn’t what we were looking for. Even if we had no idea what, precisely, that was.

Lucien murmured to me, eye still fixed on Elain, “Should we—does she need …?”

Azriel :

“She doesn’t need anything,” Azriel answered without so much as looking at Lucien. Elain was staring at the spymaster now—unblinkingly. “We’re the ones who need …” Azriel trailed off. “A seer,” he said, more to himself than us. “The Cauldron made you a seer.”

I think this was foreshadowing. Even though a bond exists between them, Lucien wasn't able to sense the change in Elain, while Azriel managed to discern it.

What if the Cauldron's bond between Lucien and Elain, described as 'a thread tied to a rib,' is what was considered a 'natural function'? Yet, there exists another bond between her and Azriel, 'a bridge between souls,' and they are the true paired souls by the mother or the fate . What if the Cauldron was wrong?

I know the antis argument of that means Lucien is stronger than Az, which is why the Cauldron chose him for Elain. When the bond snapped between them, Azriel was out of power, literally dying. It's another reason the Cauldron might be wrong.

Also, the argument: if the Cauldron is corrupted and loves Elain, then she's a villain.

Duh? Why not consider that even though it's corrupted, it recognized Elain's pure heart and her power, the different kind of strength concentrated in her kindness? If she influenced it, maybe she has the ability to fix the Cauldron, turning it back to its original purpose, a tool of creation, not destruction.

#hofas spoilers #pro elain #pro elriel #elriel supremacy #elriel #elain archeron

[queerstudiesnatural]

i find it so interesting to look at sam and dean's respective views of society and people vs monsters, especially in early seasons, and then how that shifts and evolves throughout the show. like when we first meet them dean is very anti establishment whereas sam is literally studying law at an ivy league college. dean is very vocally anti police, and you're like wow for someone who was raised by an authoritarian father and is trying his hardest to please him this guy sure hates authority. he is aware of and cares about issues like racism and classism. but then when it comes to anyone non human he pretty much has no grey area, he sees them all as monsters to be put down. they are Things and they all killed his mum. whereas sam is pretty neutral about people, he doesn't even seem to be aware of systemic inequalities, he has a more individualistic approach to society. but this means he also sees monsters as individuals, just as capable of being good or redeemed.

This has everything to do with the way they grew up and the challenges they faced that affected them the most. dean's biggest challenge was putting food on the table. dean grew up poor and hungry. he was arrested for stealing, he had to use his body to get by, and he had to starve to try and feed sammy. and sam also grew up poor, but he was somewhat shielded from the reality of it. he wasn't the one who had to get food and pay for the extra week in a motel john left them in. his issues were much more personal. because sam knew he was a freak by all standards, he felt impure, and he knew in his heart that the monsters they hunted weren't too different from him. so his hope was in believing that anyone could be saved. anyone could choose to be good. where dean saw a system, with people in power and people who suffered because of them, sam saw grey individuals, and he was drawn in particular to the ones that had something "wrong" with them (max, madison, the kid from bugs, etc)

dean grew up so isolated that he couldn't be individualistic. he could only look at people from afar and that's why he sees the systems. and the violence he faced wasn't targeted at him personally, it was targeted at people like him. poor people, drifters, queer (or queer-looking) people. sam grew up trying to make connections. he made friends, he wanted an education. he tried so hard to belong.

and it's interesting to me that dean ended up being the one who formed the most personal bonds with people who were different, or ostracised, or monsters. see crowley, benny, charlie, claire.

sam tried to build communities (see his s14 arc) but every time he tried to get close to someone it ended in disaster so he ended up keeping his distance. and building a system. throughout the show he takes on leadership roles, and as time progresses he keeps his relationships more and more goal-oriented. whereas dean ends up forming personal bonds with a lot of people, and focusing less on helping oppressed people in general, and more on saving the individuals he cares about. i'm not saying they switched roles, they both kept their original views of the world, but they shifted towards a more confused and confusing moral compass that pointed somewhere in the middle and made it harder for them to understand each other. and ain't that just what growing up is like. dean cared about the whole world as a teen and young adult, but then that became too much to bear, and he had to focus his energy on his circle of loved ones. still caring about the world, but he had individual connections now and had to prioritise them. and sam still saw the potential for redemption and goodness in everyone, but he grew weary of people too, afraid of them or afraid of losing them, and he built walls. tried to help by giving himself missions rather than getting personally and emotionally involved.

psychologically speaking this show is so rich, the characters don't feel one dimensional (despite some of the writers' best efforts), and following their journey for 15 years means we saw them change and evolve, they don't remain the same people they were in season 1, but they keep some of that, and they just grow organically. sometimes i just love spn

#rain posts #dean and sam

[dawningfairytale]

🐺haicofalltime Follow

i can't believe that some beings think it's okay for monsters to hide their monster identity. it's 2024. GROW UP.

💋bloodsuckermarkzucker Follow

are you serious? actually? what goes on in your brain? has transforming into a wolf every month made you dumb like an animal? for one, i know witches who remember the witch hunts. so many people in the vampire community have experienced fetishization and expected they'd die by stake and not sun. second, some of us weren't born monsters and live in human families. monsterphobic families. i have, personally, moved in with human roommates thanks to college and lied about who i am so they didn't stake me. and don't even get me started on anti-monster (particularly anti-vampire and anti-succubus/incubus) legislation. what are you on?

🌑mysteriousasacoursingriver Follow

move out then. it's dangerous for humans to live with beings who can kill them.

🧜🏾‍♀️screamsingsaltwater Follow

fucking land, humans aren't alwasy victims of monsters???? not all monsters are dangerous??? loving the demonisation of monsters and infantilization of humans. and some people are alienated from monster communities. stop being an ableist separatist wolfie.

🎟bubblegumbittytitch Follow

and, again, SO many monsterphobic laws. even in the us, vampires can get imprisoned in penitentiaries with forced sun exposure if they're caught as anything other than a model minority. fae in singapore are tested with iron before entering the workplace every day. at best, our human (and some monster) co-workers ignore us and make "subtle" digs. at worst, our employers look for reasons to fire and report us to the law. and those are better countries. have you travelled to germany recently as anything other than human? if you're not a prepared liar, or crossed the border illegally, you can't.

🐺haicofalltime Follow

wow. love the use of an anti-werewolf slur. especially from a moby who doesn't even get hunted.

🧜🏾‍♀️screamsingsaltwater Follow

sorry, didn't know w****** was a slur. that was uncalled for, but you're a hypocrite. don't call any sea-dweller a moby unless that's their name or you have express consent (bewitching doesn't count).

mermaids??? get hunted??? like constantly??? that's been a defining stereotype in human media??? and yeah, stereotypes are bad, but that one is kinda true

🎆shineyourshoeswipeyour-face Follow

a reminder that the block button is free!!! so many people in this thread are not worth it!!! (particularly op, she believes vampires should ("deserve to") die if they can't drink ethically sourced blood)

👗humanminorityontumblr Follow

okay but now i kinda lowkey want a fic about two monsters pretending to be human in front of each other............

#unreality #tw unreality #fake monster discourse #inspired by @whyamionlyabletouse32characters