#but it seems like natural because it's also like this in love and redemption

[euphoric-dramione]

April Dramione fanfic wrap-up *with links*

Amor Vincit Omnia by Twin_Flame_Blues: a cute second-chance healing romance. i’m not usualully very much into these tropes, but i really enjoyed reading this. it was very long, considering that not that much was actually happening, but it was still easy to read and i always wanted to come back to it when i had to put it down.

Rosemary for Remembrance by rubber_soul02: a beatiful healing fic with a found family trope where draco is abit angsty but worthy of redepmtion and hermione is a bit darker because of her trauma that she cannot easily move on from.

Timeless by alexandra_emerson: i liked the idea of this fic, the complexity of time and relationships in that complex time, but the more it went on, the more it just became a bore. it was really repetitive too.

A Season For Setting Fires by mighbewriting: i feel like this fic was the perfect lenght - i didn’t get bored of it and it kept my attention throughout the whole story. i liked the idea very much, the writing was brilliant and the plot really hooked me. i feel like for a wartime fic it was a bit too sappy but i still really enjoyed it. the ending, i feel, was sort of the weakest poitn, otherwise i would’ve given this fic the highest grade.

Soft As It Began by rubber_soul02: i definitely did not read this fic because of the mystery aspect, but i loved that it was actually entertaining and i really wanted to find out what happened to harry. the chemistry between our ship was also really good.

Lumos & Lattes by magicalmolly: i liked this fic and was hooked on from the beginning, but i think it didn’t know what genre it wanted to be: a fluffy coffee shop au, a smutty fic, a healing and redemption fic, a dark murder fic, an angsty fic, a fluffy fic? by the end, i still don’t know. i don’t think the author is entirely sure either.

Love & Other Historical Accidents by PacificRimbaud: i wasn’t impressed by this. found it really dull and boring and repetitive. not that i’m a big fan of regency, but i thought i was a fan of time travel. maybe i’m not?

Break Her by BareWithMeHoney: dark and twisted, ust how i love it, alhtough very much out of character and many of the decisions h and d made really did not make sense. i also feel like thif fic explained more and showed little, but i still really enjoyed it.

Things We Say In The Dark by rubber_soul02: this was such a beautiful academic fic, although i wouldn’t say it was dark acdemia, but it definitely had academic vibes. i loved the characterization of draco and hermione, as well as their interactions and relationship. also, the side pairing of theo and harry hit me hard in the best way possible.

Ten out of Ten by morriganmercy: a fun marriage law smutty fic that i read in one sitting.

On The Nature Of Daylight by ikorous: i ate this fic up in 20 hours because i was obsessed with it. this type of smut and toxic draco was all i ever needed. although i have to admit this fic is not the best written and there are plot holes, but the plot just absolutely doesn’t matter here. this is the type of bad boy x good girl dynamic i’m talking about. the ending though, i have to say, was not very satisfactory, but i also don’t see any other way this could’ve ended.

Things We're All Too Young To Know by eevans: the first half of this fic was absolutely brilliant, but right after draco found out that hermione was preteding to be daphne, it seems like the whole ansgt and chemistry simply evaporated and i was left with nothing. overall, a quite fun fic, although i found the second hafl to be boring.

ONE-SHOTS:

Paris by Twin_Flame_Blues

A Bit of a Mess by slytherindiaries

Amortentia by LadyMidnight87

DNFs:

The Binding by Curly_Kay

Hot for Teacher by MotherofBulls

#dramione #draco malfoy #fanfiction #hermione granger #aesthetic #fanfic #booktok #ao3 #books

[ohbother2]

I read your Lucifer headcanons and OH BOY I'M IN LOVE!! You write him excellently!!

Could I request some more Lulu pieces? :') Maybe a reader who's sad and melancholic by nature being drawn to Lucifer's absolute banger of a personality because he's so showy and fun (while also like. he Gets it, he gets sad too)?

Hi! Aahh thank you!! That's so nice of you to say!

I'm not sure if you meant you wanted this as a head cannon or a fic so I wrote it as a fic? Hope you enjoy! (if it's not what you want you can always request again and I'll be MORE than happy to do another one :) srsly)

Word Count: 6.5K

Lucifer x melancholic reader

You had been in hell for quite a few years, carving out a small life of your own through the decades that had passed, and after many years of working any job you could find, taking up any extra shifts that presented themselves, and spending and living cautiously, you had managed to rent a nice flat for yourself in a rather affluent sector of the Pride ring. That accomplishment, however, did not last long. Good things never did in Hell.

The last extermination had been particularly cruel, and your street had been targeted particularly hard. Thankfully you had been away at a friends place at the time (a little tradition the two of you had formed over the years) but when you returned the next morning the street you used to call home was no more. Barely any citizens of the accompanying streets had survived, and all of the buildings and businesses had been forced to collapse in on themselves as a final fuck you from Heaven.

Life in Hell was hard, and every year the weight across your shoulders and pressing down against your heart seemed to grow. It was endless, and by the time you had managed to scramble the remnants of your life back together the next extermination happened, or the next Overlord turf war, or god-knows what else happened down here. You were not a particularly optimistic person, and this recent upheaval of your life had placed you in a rather dire situation. It had been a steady declination over the years: you barely smiled, the gnawing worry of something about to go wrong always sitting heavy in the pit of your stomach, you couldn't really remember the last time you had felt truly, inexcusably, happy.

That had been three months ago now, and in that time you found yourself a steady job working at Hell's newest establishment: the Hazbin Hotel. The owner, Charlie, was a sweet girl and always bound over ecstatically to tell you about her ideas for the 'redemption of sinners' (you had a hard time believing in her dreams yourself, but you admired her unwavering optimism). She always tried her damnest to drag you into the 'group-activities' the residents of the hotel partook in, and you often found yourself being wilfully dragged along by the wrist, muttering lame excuses about needing to clean, before plopping next to someone and joining in on the fruitless fun.

Charlie's father was an illusive figure, and in the three months you had been here you hadn't seen him, but you often heard Charlie muttering about him to Vaggie. Despite his physical absence, the head honcho of hell himself seemed a rather doting father, constantly ringing Charlie and a gift-basket arriving at the front door whenever she lamented about a particularly bad week.

You had accepted this new style of life, dutifully completing your chores, keeping your head down to avoid trouble in the form of the Radio Demon, and spending your nights drinking at the bar with the other residents. You were secluded, quiet, but a pleasant presence that the others around you slowly grew to appreciate. Everything had finally settled, and after three months, you had mistakenly believed nothing would change until the next extermination came along.

How wrong you were.

You had been abruptly awoken one morning by Niffty of all creatures, picking your lock with the knife Alastor had gifted her and clambering onto your bed, bouncing on her heels excitedly and yanking the quilt from your shoulders.

"Niffty? It's 6- go back to bed." You motion away laconically, trying to burrow into your comfy sheets. You didn't have to be awake for another hour.

"He's coming! He's coming!" She chirps excitedly, brandishing her knife dangerously as she jumps about. "Up! Charlie wants the place spotless before he arrives!"

"We have another guest?" You stifle a yawn as you sit up, one hand rubbing at your eyes as Niffty attempts to drag you by your fingers to your dresser. You let her struggle, not budging and watching tiredly. "Arriving this early?"

"Yes! He'll be here in two hours and we need to clean!"

"Two hours?" You sigh heavily, making a show of laying back down as Niffty squeals at you to get up. The little woman is persistent, and you can feel her shadow looming over you even from behind closed eyelids. "Is he that important? He better be fucking royalty if Charlie expects us to clean for two hours."

"He is!" One eye cracks open, and you stare at Niffty incredulously. "Lucifer is coming! WE-" She grabs a firm hold of your top and yanks. "NEED-" tug "TO-" tug "CLEAN."

"Lucifer?!" You bolt upright, Niffty falling off the bed to the floor with a yelp. You peer over your side-table to look at her. "The Lucifer? Charlie's Dad Lucifer? The King of Hell Lucifer?"

"What other Lucifer would it be?" Niffty sasses, dusting herself down as she springs to her feet. "The baddest bad boy." She grins at you, and you suddenly feel incredibly uncomfortable. "We need to make a good impression! I need to make a good impression! You know he's single?" She bounce on her feet as you clamber from your bed, hurriedly sifting through your drawers. Two hours to sort this mess of a hotel out? You'd have more chance of suddenly coming back to life. "I love bad boys- Sir Pentious was such a let down but Lucifer? Oh My Go-"

"Yes, we all like a bad boy." You nod along, Niffty's eyes brightening as you agree. "Don't tell Sir Pentious that, he considers himself quite a bad boy, you'll hurt his feelings."

"Oh, he already knows." Niffty shrugs nonchalantly, hopping restlessly from foot to foot. "Now come! We have work to do!" and with that, the small woman goes speeding from your room, leaving you standing, disheveled, with a cluster of clothes in your arms. You blink slowly, rolling your shoulders, this was going to be a long day.

---

Two hours had gone by in a blink, and now you stood, slightly out of breath, lined up with the rest of the staff near the bar as Charlie paced in front of the entrance to the Hotel. You hadn't stopped moving all morning and your back and shoulders ached, having to hoist Niffty above your head to reach the hard-to-reach places you usually wouldn't bother cleaning. You were wedged between Angel Dust and Husk.

The door opens with a slam, ricocheting into the wall as a man bundles the princess of hell into a tight embrace with a gleeful yell. "Charlie!" The short-statured man lifts the blonde from the floor, swinging her around as he continues to chirp happily. "It's so good to see you! Have you grown? You feel taller!"

"It's good to see you too Dad!" Charlie tries to respond, and you stifle a chuckle into your hand as she gasps around the vice-like grip Lucifer has around her torso.

"Dad-!" Charlie finally tugs free, and you elbow Angel Dust as he snickers. "Welcome to the Hazbin Hotel. These are our residents, this is-" Charlie begins to introduce everyone, but Keekee takes that moment to appear between Lucifer's legs.

"Keekee!" He all but squeals, and your eyes widen in shock at the pitch his voice takes as he squats down to fuss the happy cat. You share a pointed look with Angel Dust. Lucifer is distracted, again, as Razzle and Dazzle fly into his vision, and he immediately reaches for them with a joyous laugh.

He fusses them even more so than the cat, laughing to himself and twirling his cane between his fingers as he beams at the creatures. Charlie looks embarrassed, you notice with a sly smirk, rubbing her arms and trying to guide her Dad's attention away from the animals fluttering about his head.

You can't help but find this version of Lucifer rather jarring. You had been expecting a rather serious, intimidating, and otherwise authoritative man to come stalking into the Hotel. This version? This white-suited, rosy-cheeked, tall-hatted man with an ear-splitting grin was anything but the image you had been conjuring in your head ever since you had stepped foot in Hell. The brim of his hat flops as his head finally snaps towards your direction, and he straightens it with unfaltering confidence as he swaggers over.

You can't help but notice how much warmer his grin is compared to Alastor's, whose grin seemed to hide a threat behind it in most situations.

"Oh!" He stops short as Niffty barrels through Angel Dust's legs brandishing a pan of freshly baked cookies, with copious dollops of red icing splattered across their surface. A welcoming gift no one had asked for, but she had taken it upon herself to provide them anyway.

"Ah! What kind staff!" Lucifer entertains the woman, bending at the waist and looking at the cookies with raised eyebrows. "Thank you! But I will have to decline my dear, as young and dashing as I look" he wiggles his brows mockingly. "I must be careful with what I eat! When you reach 10,000 you'll understand."

He skilfully breezes past the tray with a bow of his head and a wave of his staff, distracted once again on his journey to greet Sir Pentious.

"Oh my-" He taps his cane against the carpeted floor as he spins, soaking up the main foyer. You had to admit, it didn't look much better from the state it was in before you had woken up. You pick at your sleeve nervously.

"Oh well, would you look at-" He makes a series of sounds as he surveys the inside of the hotel, brows furrowed contemplatively as he nods to himself, gesturing at nothing in particular. "Well- it certainly has character Char-Char!" He turns to his daughter, still beaming, completely unaware of Charlie's growing regret at having invited him over in the first place.

"Now! Time to introduce me to your friends. Who are these fine ladies and gentlemen?"

Charlie is quick to pull Vaggie to her side, holding her hand as she nervously introduces her girlfriend.

Lucifer practically vibrates at the news. "You like girls! Oh- so do I! Look at that, we have so much in common!" He motions between them excitedly, immediately extending a hand out to Vaggie, and yanking her into an equally as crushing hug as he tells her to 'put it there'. You watch as Vaggie struggles to breath over the man's shoulder, the man finally releasing her with an airy laugh and a comment about how pretty she was and how lucky Charlie is.

You smile despite yourself. You rather liked this version of Lucifer.

He finally turns to Sir Pentious, who withers in his skin and salutes, half out of respect, half out of terror.

"Your Majesty." Pentious doesn't move as Lucifer watches him, grin faltering slightly at the snake's lack of movement. He swiftly moves on with a 'thank you' grin brightening as he extends a hand to Angel Dust.

"Look at you! What I wouldn't do for those legs-" Husk splutters from beside you and you have to bring a hand up to hide the way you bit your lip to refrain from laughing. Lucifer only reached halfway up Angel Dusts' torso, and didn't shy away from emphasising the height difference by craning his neck at a near 90 degree angle to look at the others face. "Oh not like that! Forgive me. Though, you do have very nice legs, I meant your height. You could make a man jealous."

Angel Dust takes the opportunity, Lucifer spluttering over his apology, to bend down in some semblance of a bow, sultry smirk permanently etched onto his cheeks. "Heya, short King." For good measure, he places a kiss on the back of Lucifer's hand.

"My, my-" You have to commend him for not yanking his hand out of the spiders grip immediately, and watch tensely as he takes a minimal step back, straightening the lapels of his jacket: you were next. "what charming guests! I see why you insist on staying here Char-Char."

He stops before you, both hands resting atop his cane as he grins widely, a soft energetic thing that you can't help but replicate. "And who might this lovely lady/gentleman be?"

"And this," Charlie rushes to your side, evidently aware of your nerves. "is an incredibly valued member of our staff. Y/N. They've been working here for around 3 months and the place would've fallen to disrepair without them and Niffty."

You smile softly, bowing your head in respect as Lucifer finally stands before you.

"No need for that my dear, a friend of Charlie's is a friend of mine." He extends a hand which you tentatively take, shaking your hand firmly and watching you from beneath the brim of his hat. He was nothing short of charismatic, a perfect image of gentlemanly friendliness and cocksure confidence. Despite this, you couldn't help but feel slightly intimidated, he was the King of Hell after-all. "To say this place is still standing after all these years is nothing short of a miracle! You must truly have a golden touch." He waggles his fingers at you to emphasise his point, tilting his head inquisitively as you lightly blush at the compliment, averting your gaze for a moment. The man before you was truly some sort of magician, a purveyor of witchcraft of some sort: his presence was so large, so demanding, so absolutely enchanting you didn't have the capacity to think about any of your normal worries, nor the way your shoulders and back ached. In that moment, it was just him, and his silly little antics, and that was all.

"Thank you, sir. I'd truly be lost without Niffty-"

"Yes, the baker." He nods, cane nestled in the crook of his arm. You both decide to ignore the way Niffty squeals at the fact he remembered her from not even 10 minutes ago. "And no, absolutely not. Do not call me 'sir' under any circumstances." His voice was light and airy, clearly poking fun, not conveying any of the threat of violence that would usually accompany someone of such stature. He tilts his head again, grinning at you, wafting his hands around aimlessly. "Makes me feel old. I certainly am old, but I like to play into this fantasy that I'm not. Help an old man accomplish his dream won't you?"

"Certainly, Lucifer."

"And how have you been finding working at the hotel? I hope my dear Charlie here hasn't been working you too hard - she does sometimes forget not everyone is as energetic as she can be."

"Dad, stop making fun of me in front of my friends." Charlie goes to loop her arm with his and drag him away, but he remains rooted on the spot. Battering her reaching hands back with a laugh and a spin and a tap of his cane.

"I'm not poking fun at all Char-Char!" The grin he adorns, and the upturn of his voice indicate he very much was, and was very much succeeding in embarrassing her. "and you, Y/N? The hotel?"

"Hard work, but I've loved every moment of it." You lie, thinking back on the many times you had been up to your shoulder in some sewage piping, and the stench that had followed you for days. "The people definitely more so than the actual work: the plumbing." Your pinched expression and open disgust has Lucifer laughing, leaning onto his cane as he listens intently. "I don't know how it's all still standing but it is so we must be doing something right."

"That's it!" He hops excitedly on the spot, cane falling into his hand and tapping against the floor. In a surprising turn of events, he grabs your hand and spins you along with him. "That's the spirit! I see why Char-Char hired you."

He releases you surprisingly delicately, leaving you in the same spot he found you, withdrawing his hand from your elbow and returning it atop his cane. With a nod of his head and another grin he moves on to Husk, before being whisked away by Alastor, the man gripping the tip of Lucifer's cane firmly and practically dragging him to another part of the hotel with Charlie and Vaggie in tow. No one dares move until the chattering of the group fades into the distance, and you release a breath you didn't even know you'd been holding. You go to turn to Husk, about to make fun of him for his reaction over Lucifer's comment about Angel's legs, but four arms gripping your shoulders and biceps has you spinning in the other direction. Angel Dust has a firm grip of you, and drags you close, face mere inches from yours. You stare back with wide eyes.

"What the fuck was that?" He asks, almost giddy, shaking you at the shoulders as Husk and Sir Pentious stand either side of him. "You sly little- our little friend has the King of Hell gagging for it!"

"What." You attempt to pull yourself away, but the spider is surprisingly strong. Your eyes flicker between each of the men: Angel Dust is practically gushing on the spot, shaking you excitedly, Sir Pentious looks rather teary-eyed, and Husk has an infuriating smirk that he was doing a poor job at hiding.

"He asked you to entertain his fantasy! That's foreplay!" Angel lifts you from the floor for a moment, dragging you close to stare deeply into your eyes. "And you played along! Ha! Didn't know you had it in you, toots."

"What? Angel- that is not foreplay!" You just accept the shaking, moving your arms with what little freedom they had to try and calm the ecstatic man. "It's small talk! This is a hotel, not a porn set, not everything leads to sex."

"You liked it!" He ignores you completely.

"You did have a rather besssotted look." Sir Pentious unhelpfully adds, clasping his hands in front of his chest and rocking himself side to side. "It was sssweet-"

"I've never seen you smile so much." Husk pipes up, arms crossed in front of his chest and a smug smirk aimed your way.

"He's very charismatic." You argue, and that was true. The man had come barrelling into the hotel with an entertainers flare and had somehow maintained the thousand-mile-a-minute charisma no matter what had been thrown his way. You could admire that. "And that's rich coming from you." You chirp back, finally untangling yourself from two of Angel's four arms. "You nearly choked when he mentioned Angel's legs."

"I was taken by surprised." Husk remains unflappable, but you don't fail to notice the bristling of his wings. "Stop deflecting. For once, I think Angel's right."

"I'm always right!" Angel Dust argues, finally releasing you and swinging an arm over Husk and Sir Pentious' shoulders. "And I say Lucifer's whipped, and you're gagging for it too."

None of you had noticed Niffty, who had been stood behind Angel Dust's legs for the entire conversation. You do notice her, however, when she starts sobbing on the spot, big fat tears streaming down her cheeks. The three men spring apart at the noise, and you all turn to look down at the distraught woman. This was not going to be easy.

---

Lucifer had stayed at the hotel for quite a while, being shown around by Charlie, Vaggie and Alastor whilst the rest of you returned to your normal duties, except on your best behaviour. Niffty had set to work exterminating the bugs around the hotel, throwing herself into work to avoid thinking too hard about how the 'baddest hottest boy' didn't seem all that interested in her or her biscuits, Husk remaining stationed behind the bar and dutifully serving drinks to Angel and Pentious, and you with a broom sweeping the foyer just to give yourself something to do.

One of Alastor's 'friends' had shown up whilst he and Charlie had been showing Lucifer the bar, and now Mimzy was left in Husk and Angel Dust's faithful hands as Alastor continued the tour. You didn't like her very much, and had been pretending to be incredibly busy to avoid having to talk to her.

Vaggie had joined the bar 10 minutes ago, and you had swept closer and closer to hear the discussion, despite the proximity to Mimzy which you'd rather avoid.

"Alastor's dragged him into some pissing contest." She groans, reaching for the drink Husk slid her way. "The Radio freak really doesn't like him, it's non-stop. I've never seen Alastor this close to going full freak-mode, it's worse than when Angel tried to sit on him."

"Maybe he's jealous." Angel grins, gaze turning towards you. You take this as your sign to leave, but he calls your name before you can. "Y/N here captured the Big Bosses attention earlier. You know Alastor, he doesn't like being upstaged."

"Oooh, you captured Lucifer's attention?" Mimzy swivels in your direction. You grip your broom harder, really wishing you had left the room when you had the chance. "You?" She doesn't hide the way she looks you up and down, and suddenly here voice becomes much more snide. "What did you do to impress him? Care to tell a girl a secret?"

"I didn't." You argue, tapping your broom against the floor. "He said hello to all of us, and that's that. He's just very friendly."

Mimzy opens her mouth, but the building suddenly rocks and the font doors bend under the weight of something. A man's voice yells from outside the hotel, and Mimzy suddenly has other worries on her mind. "Oh, shit."

A portal opens in the foyer, and Charlie and Lucifer hop through, Lucifer closing it with a snap of his fingers.

"What's going on?" Vaggie shouts over another loud slam. Mimzy hides behind the bar, much to Husk's dismay. After revealing the debt she was currently under, and the reason the loan sharks outside were particularly angry, you all stand in silence, every glare aimed in the short blonde's direction.

Suddenly, a flaming ball of something crashes through one of the ornate windows on the face of the hotel, and everyone shrieks as they dive for cover.

"My windows!" Niffty shrieks as Angel hauls her out of the way of falling debris. Sir Pentious off-handedly passes you a plate of biscuits as he slithers past, yelling about being under siege. You don't have time to acknowledge the plate in your hands, dropping it abruptly as you dive out of the way of another piece of ceiling. You were too far from the bar to seek shelter, so you begin sprinting in the other direction, aiming for the stairs. Suddenly, a figure crashes into you, strong hands grasping your arms and tugging you along with them. The staircase you were about to charge up explodes in a shower of wood and cement.

Your head snaps to the right and you make eye-contact with your saviour, Lucifer's bright red eyes staring back at you, and releasing your elbow with a smile and a pat of your shoulders. "This is exactly what I was telling Charlie!" He seems satisfied at his correct predictions, but he frowns at the damage as he pulls you further back from the creaking pile of wood. "You can't have nice things in Hell."

You breath deeply, rattled at how close you had come to being crushed, but Lucifer seems completely unaware of everyone's terror, standing back and commentating to himself, and now you.

"I'm afraid all your hard work, and golden fingers, and whatever else is going to waste." He laments, tugging you away from another falling piece of ceiling. "It's a miracle it stayed up this long- hey!" He pulls you towards him again, side-stepping a piece of rubble elegantly as it crashes into the floor where you just stood. One hand still on your waist, he twist his cane with his other hand, frowning at the big lump of brick and cement.

"We just finished fixing the ceiling." You comment, frowning at the chunk of beam along with him. Your arms cross in front of your chest: this would take weeks to clean up. You could feel how sore your body would be afterward.

"I'm sure I could lend a helping hand, my dear." He grins, swinging his cane in an effort to bat a piece of ceiling tile away from his foot. "In fact, I'd love to. There's nothing better for the soul than some good hard physical work!"

As if suddenly realising where his other hand was, he lurches back, eyes widening as he makes a show of fixing his hat, gloved hands sliding along the brim and collecting the dust that had fallen onto it. "Ah, sorry about that. You just, seem to have a knack for standing right under the debris about to crush you. HA ha." That laugh was the first one of the afternoon that lacked genuity, and you didn't fail to notice the way he corralled you close to him as he kept an eye on the ceiling. "Can't have my daughters favourite employee turned into mulch after only meeting you for an hour."

"I'm not her fav-"

"Oh yes, you are." This time, he uses his cane to playfully guide you towards him, hooking it around the crook of your arm and pulling you along, walking backwards as he chats and surprisingly avoiding all debris in his way. "She won't ever say, but I know. And I can see why, you're mine too." He makes an extravagant shushing movement with his free hand, and pushes the tip of his cane into your side to emphasise his point. "Don't tell the others, they'll be jealous and I'm afraid there's simply nothing they can do to take your pedestal from you."

"Well, I-" You nearly fall over your own feet: what the hell were you supposed to say to that?

"But that's our little secret!" The pair of you finally make it back behind the bar, where Angel Dust, Niffty and Husk squatted, covering their heads. Upon seeing you both, Angel Dust makes a grab for Husk's attention, grinning wickedly. "Now you're all safe, I'm needed elsewhere." Lucifer unhooks his cane from your arm, pushing you with the tip of it towards Angel Dust. "Don't let that one go." Lucifer points at Niffty, who was trapped in Angel's arms as she moaned about the state of the hotel. "Or this one." He points at you now. "Abysmal survival skills, I'm telling you." And then he was gone, disappearing through a portal to some other location in the hotel.

You shuffle in closer to Husk, the feline stretching one of his wings above your head in precaution, the other doing the same for Angel Dust and Niffty. You see Angel Dust lean forward, shit-eating grin on his face. You pretend you can't hear his teasing.

---

Lucifer had frequented the hotel much more often after that, and true to his word had assisted in some of the restructuring despite Alastor being able to fix the majority of the damage with his magic. You had found yourself, despite knowing better, growing closer to Lucifer, finding yourself actually looking forward to his visits. He was so energetic, so absolutely unhinged but in the best kind of way, that you couldn't help but look forward to his presence.

He almost always sought you out during his visits, always checking up and asking about how you had been finding the work. He often jabbed, asking if you felt as though you were being redeemed, and you actually entertained his jokes. They weren't at your expense, unlike Angel Dust and Husk, and they weren't targeted at some deep-rooted insecurity, like Alastor's often were. He was like a caricature come to life, and brought just the right amount to excitement to your life. You called your feelings towards him merely friendly, everyone else said otherwise.

Despite this newfound friendship, or 'this absolutely maddening foreplay' as Angel Dust called it, you still had bad days. Today was one of those bad days. The next extermination was closer than the previous one, and you had been feeling the typical stress around such an event. It didn't help that you had grown to care so deeply for the other inhabitants in the hotel - even Alastor to some degree, despite his aloofness - and your worries only seemed to grow the more you realised you didn't want things to change. You were happier here then when you had had your own flat the year prior, and the realisation that it could all be whisked away just as easily was terrifying.

You needed a day to yourself to sort your mind out, but you didn't want to pressure Charlie with your worries, so here you were, sweeping, hiding a frown and trying not to think about too hard about anything in particular. No one had seemed to pick up on your downtrodden mood in the last few days, but Lucifer always had a way of shaking things up.

Lucifer arrived around midday, greeting everyone with typical pleasantries and whisking Charlie away to discuss something about her meeting with Heaven. You were secretly glad he actually had something to do during this visit, you didn't want to ruin the relationship you had by raining on his parade.

You busied yourself, taking control of the tasks outside of the communal areas in the hopes you wouldn't bump into the blonde man. You would just catch up with him next time he visited. Lucifer however, had began searching for you as soon as he had finished discussing what he needed to with Charlie - he hadn't seen you in nearly a month, having been too busy to stay the last few times he had visited, and he was beginning to miss you.

He had had to school his behaviour massively after the first month of knowing you, finding himself thinking about you a little too often, modelling his ducks with features similar to yours, and just being a rather sappy mess. Charlie had mentioned this newfound behaviour to him, noticing the uplift to his mood around you, and the way he always just so happened to find himself in the same room as you in the hotel. He had denied the allegations at first, and had tried his hardest to remain nothing but friendly. But that had absolutely wrecked his mood, and the amount of space you took up in his mind only grew the more he tried to stay away. He had admitted to Charlie his growing feelings towards you, feeling his daughter had a right to know. Charlie had been ecstatic, and had been his biggest wing-woman.

He had even stopped wearing his wedding ring, and it now sat in the first drawer of his desk wrapped in silk. Charlie had cried when she noticed, hugging him tight and telling him how happy she was that he was finding someone for himself. He had cried too.

He still had yet to tell you, but baby steps.

He eventually found you on the hotel roof. He had searched everywhere, and was about to give up his efforts before he remembered helping you bring some furniture to the ceiling, smiling at your comments about enjoying the peace and quiet and the cool fresh air. He found you where he expected; sat on battered sofa he had helped you carry up here, a book in your lap and head turned towards the skyline.

"Y/N, there you are! I've been looking everywhere for you." He closes the door to the roof behind him, walking over with leisurely steps, tapping a soft rhythm with his cane as he approaches. "My what a beautiful sight! Lugging that god-awful sofa up all those steps was definitely worth it!"

You jolt in your seat, and he frowns as your furiously wipe at something on your face. You think better of turning towards him, bowing your head down as you curse internally. You had thought he had left, fuck.

"Lucifer!" You still don't turn towards him, head held low and trying your best to remain composed. His frown deepens at the shake and crack to your voice. "I- I didn't realise you were still here."

Lucifer hesitates in his steps, approaching much more slowly. "I wouldn't leave without at least saying hello, how rude of me that would be." He comments softly, coming to stand behind the sofa. "My dear, is everything all right?"

You breathe deeply, wishing you would disappear on the spot as he rounds the side of the sofa, hand sliding along the fabric as he does.

"Oh, sweetheart, what's wrong?" He questions, crouching next to you and trying to catch a glimpse of your face. His voice was so soft, so utterly and completely different to anything you had ever heard come from him. You almost sob when you glance at his big round eyes, filled with nothing but concern. You didn't want this, you didn't want him to see you like this.

"I'm sorry." You stutter out, pressing your palms into you eye sockets and leaning on your knees. "I just-" What? You were sad? For reasons completely out of anyone's control? What would be the point in telling him? "I don't know- it was a bad day."

Usually his cane tapped against you to gain your attention, but this time you felt two warm hands - he had taken off his gloves, when had he done that? - grasping delicately at your wrists. He tugs lightly, coaxing them down into your lap and holding them there, a thumb running over your knuckles as he waits, patiently.

Realising you weren't going to say anything else, he takes a deep breath.

"You know, everyone has bad days. But I don't think sitting all by your lonesome will help." He hesitates, and your bloodshot eyes lock with his. For the first time you've seen, a frown tugs at his lips, and his eyes look sad. "I would know."

He slowly sits next to you on the sofa, placing his hat on the floor with one hand still holding one of yours in your lap. "You know, I have a fair few bad days - more than I'd care to admit." He speaks slowly, gently, careful with his words but honest, genuine. "When I fell from Heaven, hell, even once Lilith left- well, I didn't know what to do with myself. I'm man enough to admit."

You huff out a laugh, and he smiles sadly at you. "And sometimes, sometimes people are sad for no particular reason because being here is hard. Life was hard, never mind death." You laugh again at the accuracy of what he was saying. A hand comes to gently rest against the underside of your chin and jaw, gently lifting your face to his. You follow his movements, and your lip quivers at the look of complete concern he sends your way.

"But you're- you're you." You stress, and he laughs at the absurdity of it. "You're amazing, and so good at cheering others up, and you make the people you're around so happy." You sigh deeply, completely unaware of the way his heart flutters a the compliment - he made you happy? A watery smile makes its way to his face. "And I- I don't. I'm just-"

"You make me so happy." He interrupts abruptly, not caring for his dearest secret that he was letting slip. "and the others in the hotel, even Alastor, who you know I despise, and it infuriates me that he gets to spend so much time with you, because he is so lucky." His hand falls from your chin, playing absentmindedly with a strand of your hair. "So lucky that they get to spend so much time with you. And they know, Alastor wouldn't stop bragging about you when we first me, it drove me nuts. And Angel Dust? He practically never stops talking about you."

Heat rises to your cheeks, and you feel your chest swell with something, not pride, not confidence, but something far more fond.

"But, that doesn't always fix our problems. You can be sad regardless of all that. Sometimes there is nothing you can do, but it always helps, and I mean always, when you talk to someone." He scoots minimally closer on the sofa, knee pressed against your own. "You don't even have to say what's wrong, but company is so much better than one's own thoughts."

He sends a pointed look towards the book you were attempting to read, and now lay against the floor. "And for one I think I'm much better company than some book."

You laugh properly this time, wiping at your puffy eyes. "Thank you."

Lucifer seems to gain some confidence back at hearing your laugh, and he puffs his chest in pride. "Having said all that, I hate seeing you cry. Can I please stay?"

You smile, agreeing.

"I have just the remedy for days like this." He grins, his usual cheerfully personality returning. "Now, come here." He extends his arms, beckoning joyfully. You stare, uncertain. "I may be the Big Boss but I don't bite, all the time." He winks, and he pulls you towards him without further question, dragging you in close to his chest as he rests back against the plush armrest. You freeze for a moment, unsure where to place your hands, where to rest your head, and he seems to pick up on your dilemma. A hand comes to cradle the back of your head, pulling you in close to rest your cheek against his chest, right above his heart, and he tucks you tightly under his chin, arms snaking their way tightly around your waist.

You sigh, relaxing into his warm embrace, and your heart rate picks up as you feel warm lips press against your temple, a soft murmur of "There, much better." breathed against your skin in a low voice.

He rests his chin back over the top of your hair, watching the skyline and trying his best not to combust on the spot. He hopes you can't feel his heartbeat through his jacket, but he would much rather you be pressed against him than not at all.

"Fuck that book, next time something happens, or there's a bad day, you come and find me. Yes?" A hand runs up your bicep absentmindedly, and you can feel the rumble of his chest beneath you.

Your worries were not gone completely, and that familiar sadness still clung to the pit of your stomach, but you could get used to this. This was definitely better than some book.

Perhaps Angel Dust was right, for once - perhaps you did feel a little more than friendship for Lucifer, if the thrumming of your heart and the fluttering of your stomach was anything to go by.

"Of course, Lucifer. And the same if you have 'one of those days'. Deal?"

He grins. "Deal."

Charlie screams when Lucifer tells her about what he did, and Angel Dust screams even louder when she lets him know.

#hazbin hotel #alastor #hazbin hotel alastor #hazbin hotel charlie #hazbin hotel husk #angel dust #hazbin hotel angel dust #hazbinhotel niffty #niffty #husk #charlie morningstar #Lucifer morningstar #hazbin hotel lucifer #hazbin hotel Lucifer x reader #Lucifer x reader #hazbin hotel x reader

[sleepingdeath-light]

relationship hcs ; adam

requested by ; mod / self indulgent

fandom(s) ; hazbin hotel

fandom masterlist(s) ; here

character(s) ; adam

outline ; “dating headcanons for adam”

note ; this may be a smidge out of character as i have never written for him before, but hopefully you’re able to enjoy these headcanons regardless ^^

warning(s) ; some canon-typical douchbag behaviour, but mostly fluff!

for as much of an asshole as adam can be, once he’s committed to someone he’s loyal as hell — granted it’s difficult to get a playboy like him to agree to complete monogamy, but it’s not a complete impossibility if you’re willing to put in the time and effort to get to that point with him

hes got an extremely prominent (and, frankly, nasty) possessive streak that he makes pretty much no effort to hide — like the moment he gets jealous of someone, no matter how irrational that feeling, he’s not above going as far as just grabbing you and making out with you in front of them just to prove that you’re taken and adam is not someone who likes to share what’s his

this possessiveness is in good part because of how his past relationships ended (with the two women that were literally made for him either leaving him outright or cheating on him with the same man) and the insecurities that naturally spawned from those experiences — yes he may be the cockiest bastard in all of heaven, and he talks big game about being ‘the dickmaster’ or ‘the original dick’ and all of that nonsense, but once the two of you become an item he is terrified of losing you and seems to make it his mission to ward off any outside threats to your relationship and warn you away from anyone who he can’t scare off

(e.g. openly and frequently shit talking lucifer, hell, and the sinners he kills — portraying them as unequivocally monstrous and cruel without the chance for redemption / being unworthy of your empathy or time in an effort to keep you as disinterested and far from him as possible)

reassurance and praise goes a long way with adam, even if he does tend to outwardly either brush it off or turn it into something more sexual, even more so if you give him something concrete to show that love and praise — e.g. he’s the type of guy to keep every single card you get him for your anniversaries, his birthday (well… creation day would be a better name in his case), or valentine’s day, in a locked box or drawer for him to look through whenever he feels a bit low whilst also outwardly denying being so ‘sappy’ and sentimental

it takes a while for him to feel comfortable taking off his mask around you, but once that you’ve gotten over that particular hurdle and made your attraction and appreciation for his appearance as clear as possible, you’ll pretty much never see him wear it again — well, at least not in the privacy of your home… outside is a very different story

not at all shy about physical affection in private or in public — like from the moment the two of you confess your feelings you’ll have a hard time getting his hands off of you for more than a few minutes at a time (unless you make it clear that you’re not a touchy person, of course… he’s not a complete asshole when it comes to you and he certainly doesn’t want to make the best thing to happen to him since eden go running for the hills)

his favourite place to kiss you is on the lips (he’s the first man, as he oh so loves reminding everyone in earshot, forgive him for the basic choice) and his kisses are all so passionate that it almost feels like he’s worried you’ll vanish the moment he lets go — they’re wet and messy and steal the breath straight from your lungs, yes, and by the end of it you’ll get to see him with his cheeks all flushed and golden eyes gleaming with mischief, passion, and overwhelming affection, but there’s also the smallest hint of something else in his kisses that you can’t quite place (and that you rarely have the chance to linger on before you’re dragged somewhere more private by him to let things get a bit less ‘pg’, or he’s hurrying away to take part in an extermination or to fulfil some other such heavenly duty that sera probably asked him to do weeks ago)

loves having his hair played with and will fall asleep in minutes if you start slowly and gently carding your fingers through his hair and lightly scratching his scalp when he’s laying on your lap — would never admit it though and will go straight as a board and almost shout-talk over you to try and preserve his reputation if you try and bring it up around anyone else (especially lute because she would never let him live that down)

mainly just calls you ‘babe’ or your first name, and maybe the occasional ‘baby’ — though he’s responsive to any and every pet name you give him over the course of your relationship, even the more ridiculous/humourous ones

he keeps an eye out for you at every gig he plays with his band, visibly brightening when he catches sight of you and even pointing you out as his ‘smoking hot partner’ to the crowd before playing one of the dozens of songs he’s dedicated to you — none of them are explicitly love songs, but he thought of you when writing them and that’s enough to gain a dedication in his eyes

isn’t above using his position as the first man to benefit you and your relationship — that can mean anything from rearranging his and your schedules to make sure that you always get to spend some time together each day, or threatening anyone with banishment or some other punishment for making you uncomfortable (it may be heaven but nowhere is completely safe from assholes… adam himself is proof of that)

you’re absolutely spoiled rotten but he always runs any major gifts past lute (who you’re basically guaranteed to have as a close companion after getting with adam) before he gives them to you because he doesn’t want to risk giving you something you hate and pushing you away from him — of course he never tells you this and brags very openly about being so good at picking gifts for you (and, thus, being the most awesome boyfriend in the history of all boyfriends ever)

he rarely ever actually says the words ‘i love you’ and will affectionately tease you whenever you say them to him, but he makes every effort to ensure that you don’t doubt his feelings for even a second despite that

when he’s too busy to accompany you out and about, he always makes sure that there’s at least one of his girls with you just to ensure your safety at all times — especially after one of his exorcists got killed, which made him particularly jumpy and overprotective (yes he knows that heaven is just about the safest place you can be, but he refuses to take any chances when it comes to you)

#sleepingdeath #gender neutral reader #fluff #fluff hcs #hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin hotel fluff #hazbin hotel adam x reader #hazbin hotel adam fluff

[schrodinger-swriter]

Heyoo!! I was wondering if I could request A, D, F, K, L, P, Q, T and X for Angel Dust x reader for the Hazbin fluff alphabet? Thank you!!!💕

A, D, F, K, L, P, Q, T, and X for Angel Dust

I hope this one is okay, I feel Angel may be another character I'll have difficulty catching right, but nonetheless I hope you enjoy, Anon!

Apologies for such a short note, I'm getting another headache coming on.. I think I will write out this post and rest.

For the Tunes segment I would like to apologize for having a trash taste in music, I naturally gravitate to songs I already know with these kinds of questions..

ATTRACTION:

This one is very tricky, given that Angel throws himself at any guy he sees. Though, that's because he feels it's what is expected of him, is it not? At least gathering from his wiki as well as his actions within the series... Pinpointing his type is a little difficult and what he knows he's attracted to. But what about subconscious attraction? He needs someone who's willing to deal with his sarcasm and meanness, but won't totally blow him off. But he also needs someone he can just unwind with, you know? Very hard to say, and comparing how he acts with the rest of the cast is offering little idea.. Definitely going to need to be patient with this one, too, but that's not exactly an attraction thing.. hmm..

DATES:

A club may be his first go to, especially if this before he starts taking the redemption thing seriously. Though, that's not exactly the best date idea now is it? You go there to get drunk or take enough substances to not think straight for the next week; or to fuck. Sure, you can bond with someone over a shot, but is it really.. genuine? Add in he might be stressing over you like he did with Niffty if this is within the second half of the show's current timeline, and you get drunk before he can.. No, my mind keeps wandering to the two of you simply having an at home date. Together, at your place or yours. If it takes place at the hotel he takes you to his room. Less of a date as it is a hangout session, and he might try to initiate sex.. More experienced with intercourse than the romance side of things, so that's going to take time too.

FAMILY:

Sinners can't have biological children of his own, but Angel Dust is fine by that. Perhaps he feels responsible for a moment and admits (likely internally) that he can hardly keep an eye on himself, how can he keep an eye on a child? There's also some level of fear that the kid would follow in his foot steps and end up in a nasty situation, Angel knows he's not exactly the best.. role model. He's more likely to ascend than be a father.

KISSES:

Oh he loves physical affection. Sure, a lot of it is going to be sexually charged. Diving into the romance vs sex side of things, it may take him a while to fully get a grasp on the difference between lustful feelings and romantic ones and how to act them out. Not all kisses and cuddle sessions need to end in intercourse. He loves giving you quick kisses, long kisses, kisses with tongue, kisses without tongue. He's not picky at all. His favorite place to kiss you is really anywhere on your face... but if you give him the chance he'll say his favorite place is more... down south

As for receiving, I think he stands at around the same.. point.. Yeah, point! Not picky when it comes to him getting affection!

PETNAMES:

He calls you everything under the sun. From schnookums to Honey, you've heard it all. He defaults to Baby and Babe, though. Tends to replace your name with something endearing unless there's something serious going on or he's trying to get your attention. Similar to the above segment he's not picky about what you call him, but he does seem to get this look in his eye if you call him something rather sweet and innocent.

QUESTION:

Oooo this ones tough....

He asks what your favorite position is/j

No, but real talk, I think if you two were alone and you're in his room... perhaps in one of your hangouts... he might let his walls slip a bit, ask you some real.. personal stuff, perhaps seeking some sort of validation or even reassurance. This is more likely after a rough day and after a drink or two.

TUNES:

Perhaps I'm biased because I've been getting back into Maneskin but I can imagine you two absolutely BELTING it to this song! Not exactly a "couple song" per say, but definitely a song that you two vibe with together!

As well as this song, for the same reasons above

Though I'm also picturing the Reader and Angel drunkingly singing Tally Hall's version of Just A Friend (while the pair are giggling and getting way into it, you know just having a good time!)

XRAY:

It depends on how long you two have known each other. Are you guys a quick fling that fell together fast, or were you both a slow burn? If your relationship formed quickly, he may be a little stumped on reading you.. which can sometimes lead to him being a little insensitive to your feelings and vibe. Or awkwardly standing there unsure of how to approach you, likely slinking away to let you handle it on your own. But in something that had left more time for the two of you to get to know one another, he's going to let you vent and complain to him. He can tell somethings off with just the tone of your voice or if your wording is a little off. You two aren't totally in sync, but he's not as clueless as the former.

#hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin hotel x you #hazbin x reader #hazbin imagine #hazbin hotel imagine #angel dust x reader #angel dust x you #angel dust imagine

[yumeka-sxf]

Today's new chapter was so intriguing 👀

First off, nice to see the Authens again. Guess we're sure now that Endo will make them reoccurring characters! Yor's embarrassment about being called "Mom" ("okaa-san" in the JP version) was really cute.

They managed to translate this joke very well; in the JP version, the word "ebento"(event) makes Sigmund think of "obento"(lunchbox). Using the word "function" for "luncheon" was clever!

But the main highlight of this chapter for me was seeing the ever enigmatic Melinda again after so long!

She's a really a tough one to figure out, and this chapter only brought up more questions than answers. She seems extremely nice here, being very forgiving of Millie despite her harsh accusations against her husband. She also mentions that she'd be very resentful if anything were to happen to her family...which is kind of contrasting to her thoughts about Damian from the end of the bus hijacking arc.

I also loved the scene of Yor sticking up for Millie. Her expression was so blank yet so deep at the same time. It actually reminded me of Anya's expression when she punched Damian - in both cases, their blank expression doesn't match their action, but it makes sense because they're still unsure of how to act and what emotion to portray in many seemingly "normal" situations. Anger and annoyance aren't feelings that come naturally to them.

In Yor's case here, having to defend someone against such accusations isn't something she's had much experience doing (at least not for someone who isn't family), and at the same time she can't just outright kill the hostile party like she would on an assassination mission. So despite being in such an awkward situation, especially for someone like her who struggles with social interactions, she managed to remain remarkably calm. As usual, Yor gets easily flustered when it comes to her own feelings, but if she sees someone else being threatened, her capabilities shoot up to maximum! That unpredictable expression should be feared from both her and Twilight!

We also learn that Yor lost her parents in the war, which is something I always suspected. Her words in the below panel reminded me a lot of the thoughts she had during the end of the cruise arc. As I've mentioned before, despite her naivety about many things, she understands the tragedies that go on in the world, especially in terms of war - that it's not just soldiers who suffer, but the children and everyone else left behind. It makes sense that someone who understands that kind of loss and hardship has such outpouring empathy to others the way Yor does...

...which is actually contrasting to the way Millie deals with her loss, by lashing out at others. It's said that those who have suffered can become either very sympathetic or very resentful. It was interesting to see that subtle contrast between Yor and Millie here.

Speaking of Millie, it was nice to see her get some redemption and backstory. Like Camilla, I still don't think this makes up for all the mean things she's said to Yor before, but it's something!

Good to see McMahon again after so long. Don't think he's made an appearance since the cruise arc 👀

As usual, it's hard to say if this chapter is leading to a new arc or not. I'm sure things mentioned here, especially about Melinda, will come back later, but who knows if it will be right away or several chapters from now. I know we were all expecting something relating to Anya's backstory based on the previous short mission, but I still think there's a chance that what happened here could tie into that. We'll see! We're close to chapter 100 so I wonder if Endo is planning something special for that 🤔

#spy family #spy x family #sxf #spyxfamily #yor forger #sxf manga #sxf manga spoilers #sxf spoilers #melinda desmond

[adoreeenina]

I wanna be yours - Ch. 11

(Recom! Miles Quaritch x Sully! Reader x Recom! Lyle Wainfleet)

(Warning: Polyamorous relationship. Angst. Enemies to Lovers. Slow burn. Falling in love. Redemption arc. Canon deaths (but not really). Romance. Smut. Jealousy. Threesome. Anal(both F & M receiving). Mention of suicide, self harm, depression, anxiety. PTSD. Feelings being revealed. Jake and Neytiri not being good parents to reader. Reader being a motherly figure to Spider.)

I know I told @zzedah I’ll post on Monday but I finished early. I apologize I took longer than I normally do. Please give me feedback, it’s very much appreciated. I love reading your comments.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•

“You just gave back my tweng and you expect me to change back into your ugly sky people clothing?” You pinch the sweatshirt between your thumb and forefinger, holding it aloft like it was a dead animal. Sadly this one you can’t rip it to your liking since it belongs to Quaritch.

Ardmore begrudgingly allowed the recoms have 3 days off since arriving back from their trip to the Hallelujah Mountains, it took some convincing from Quaritch of course.

Since this whole ordeal, they’ve been at the forest for almost four months, trying to adjust to their Na’vi natural elements, and wanted time to relax even if it’s only for a while before they go back to work.

You’re standing in the middle of their room, Quaritch standing in front of you holding a pair of black spandex shorts out to you. Lyle is sitting on his bed with elbows on his knees, and Spider next to him, watching TV, wearing sweatpants and a shirt. You still don’t know how they convinced him to change. They most likely bribed him, you just can’t prove it.

“They’re aren’t ugly” Lyle mumbles quietly next to you, obviously took offense.

“To me they are” Lyle stands up from the bed to walk to your side.

“Watch it” Lyle reach his hand out and tickles your sides. You slap his hand away with a giggle.

“Stop it” you pout up at him, he smirks down at you.

“Listen darlin” Quaritch interrupts to catch your attention, “we’ll be here for 3 days, it gets cold in here at times. I know for sure you’ll freeze with that on” he gestures a hand to your half exposed figure.

Quaritch been trying to convince you to get dressed. It’s true what he says when it gets cold at Bridgehead but it’s only the half truth. It’s also because he caught the others from the unit undressing you with their eyes, basically eye fucking you, even the humans. And he’s no better than them, he even caught Lyle standing behind you to catch a glimpse, claiming it’s to make sure you don’t make a run for it. But Lyle forgets Quaritch knows him as much he does him.

“No, I won’t” you say defensively, almost like you jinxed it, your body shiver and you wrapped your arms around yourself, trying to obtain warmth. “Maybe.”

Quaritch smirks as he tosses the shorts and sports bra at you. “Change”

“Fine” you reluctantly agreed, “but I won’t like it and I’ll complain the entire time” you pout. The two recoms couldn’t hold back a smile, finding your reaction adorable.

“We’ll be in the gym, baby. It’s the door at the end of the hall on your left” you nod at Lyle.

“Spider, let’s go” Quaritch calls for Spider. Spider wanted to watch TV a little longer but also wanted to see the recoms train.

“I’m coming” Spider slides off the bed. Quaritch opens the door and lets Spider out first, he follows right behind him, Lyle stays behind and looks at you.

“You okay, baby?” He questions. The question took you by surprise. Lyle’s been worried about you, he hates seeing you with that damn collar around your neck, it’s just reminds him what you’re supposed to be.

“Yeah, I’m okay” you smile reassuringly at him. Lyle nods but he doesn’t seem convinced.

“Okay” he echoes with a sigh, “I’ll leave you to it” with that, he leaves the room for you to change, the the door ajar.

You sigh as you tug on the collar. You untie your loincloth and place it on Lyle’s bed along with your top. You slide the shorts on, already hating it, feeling the shirts a little tight around your thighs and hips. You groan as you aggressively grab the sports bra and put it on, also feeling a little tight around your breast but not it’s not uncomfortable, grabbing the sweatshirt from the bed, you tug it on, it’s practically drowning you in Quaritch strong scent filling up your nostrils. The sweater covers your hands and reaches to your mid thighs, hiding your shorts. Almost giving the illusion you’re not wearing any unless you reach your arms up over your head.

You untie your songcord from your loincloth, and gather your braids back and tie your songcord to tie your braids into a ponytail. The songcord drapes down your back, longer than your hair.

After changing, you leave the room and close the door behind you. You wander down the hall. It's really quiet here with everyone out, so it's not hard to trace the sounds coming from one of the rooms. You take a look in and find Quaritch and Lyle fighting with each other. Training obviously but, given the fact that they both have the same strength and agility, they are able to go hard without fear of hurting each other. You watch from the doorway as they maneuver around each other, taking swings and dodging with impressive speed. It's actually cute to watch them, because despite the fact that they are literally fighting each other, they're laughing and smiling the entire time.

The others are surrounding the makeshift ring, making bets. Spider cheering them both on.

"Baby?” Lyle says, finally noticing you leaning against the door frame.

You don't get a chance to respond before Quaritch kicks Lyle’s legs from under him and then places a hand on his chest, slamming him down onto the ground. Even you flinch at the impact.

Quaritch then turns to you with a victorious smile. "Hey sweetheart”

Half of the unit groans seeing Lyle lose as the other half cheers as they take the money that they earned.

You bring your hand up to your mouth to try and hide the smile. "Hey guys." You say as you look at Lyle still trying to recover from the hit.

Lyle looks over at Quaritch, clear annoyance on his face. "I hate you."

You laugh as you shake your head at them.

“No you don’t” Quaritch says as he reaches his hand out to him, pulls him up and gives him a clap on the shoulder, “we both know this isn’t the first time I push you on your back” Quaritch whispers into Lyle’s ear. Lyle eyes widen feeling his breath tickle his ear.

“Y/n!” Spider excitably runs up to you. “Check it out. I won this thing”

“What is it?” You look at the small blue device in his hands.

“It’s an IPod” Lopez walks next to Spider, “you could listen to music and watch movies on it”

“You hear that? I could watch movies without the computer” you smile at Spider obvious excitement.

“I’m guessing it was yours” you turn to look at Lopez. Who sheepishly rubs the back of his neck.

“Yeah he bet on Lyle” Spider teases with a victorious smirk. It looks so similar to Quaritch, there’s no mistake who his father is.

“Want next match, mami?” Lopez looks down at you with the cockiest of grins.

“Kicking your ass once wasn’t enough for you” Lyle walks towards you with his hands in his shorts pockets.

“I don’t know” you shake your head. You’re not really in a mood to spar with anyone.

“C’mon darlin. Scared?” Quaritch stands next Lyle with arms crossed. He’s obviously trying to tease you to take up the challenge. And it’s working. One thing you’re known for back at High Camp is you don’t like being lookes down on.

You shrug. "Actually I think it's only fair that I go against the winner...which was Quaritch." You challenge. Quaritch licks his bottom lip with a smirk hearing his name coming from your lips.

"That's fine with me, darlin” Quaritch responds. "I could use more of a challenge." he says as he passes by Lyle and gives him a teasing smack on the arm.

What have you gotten yourself into?

"Ready?" Quaritch asks as he positions himself in the middle of the room.

"Almost." You say as you head over to a nearby bench. You tug the sweatshirt over your head. Exposing you once again half exposed but having a bit more coverage. The shorts are a little short on you, showing more than they’re supposed to, practically looks like underwear on you. The sports bra leaves nothing to the imagination, you’re breast are picked up and almost looks like it wants to spill over from the top.

Everyone’s eyes immediately gaze down at your body. Lyle sits down on a near by bench, grabs his hoodie and place it on his lap.

As soon as you get into a fighting stance Quaritch swings once and you quickly block it. He smiles, before swinging two more times and watching you block those as well. He takes one more swing with his right hand and this time you grab onto it, turn yourself around and use the momentum to throw Quaritch over your shoulder and slam him onto the ground.

“Impressive” Quaritch says recovering from the impact.

Standing back up, he makes his way back to you. He does another double punch combo, which you easily block, however that was only a distraction. Right after you block the second hit Quaritch swings his leg under you, attempting to drop you the way he did Lyle. As soon as you feel the hit you grab onto Quaritch’s neck and swing yourself up and around until you’re behind Quaritch, using that same force to push him down and press him into the mat, chest down. You put your knee on his back to keep him immobile.

“You really do love having me in the position, don’t you, mama”

While his body is pressed down, his arms are at his side. He reaches one up and pushes the leg that is on the mat, making you slightly lose balance and loosen your hold on him. He uses this momentary distraction to turn his body around and grab your arm, pulling you down on the ground onto your back. In one swift motion he throws his leg over, stradling your hips and pinning you down, as well as grabbing both your wrist and pinning them above your head.

You thought you had him and you were so ready to celebrate it, and just like that, you lost. The entire moment makes you burst out into laughter.

"Fuck! Take the 'L' Quaritch!" You tease.

Given the fact that he's keeping your wrist pinned, his body is completely pressed down on you. "Are you kidding? You want to beat me, you have to earn it”

“Alright! You win. Now get off of her” Spider grumbles making Quaritch laugh as he lets go of your wrist. With a groan he stands up and reach his arm up, intending to help you up from the ground.

You take it and he hoist you up. He turns to his unit with his hand still grasping yours. Taking his distraction to your advantage. You twist his arm then flip yourself around so you can lock your legs around his head, flipping him over and slamming him down again.

"Shit." You hear him whisper after you release him.

“I win” you chuckle out as you get up. You dust yourself off and walks to the bench that you left your sweatshirt and put it back on. Much to two recoms dismay.

Thirty minutes later the recoms, spider and you are sitting in their living room. The conversation is pretty light as Ja and Prager talks about their time in the military back on earth.

"What that string of rocks that you have on your hair?” Zdinarsk ask as she points at your tied up hair. You gently pull on your songcord from your braids, letting your braids drape over your back and shoulders. You hold your songcord between your fingers and caress at a specific stone.

“It’s a songcord” Spider says as he plays with his.

“A what?”

“Songcord. The Na’vi songcord is a symbol of our culture used for recounting information and stories. Individuals Na’vi creates a songcord that is used as a tactical representation of their own personal or clan history. The design behind each of our songcord is inspired by our personal journeys” you look down at the string in your hand, weaved with dozens of different kinds of beads.

All of the beads are made of natural materials, from stones to gems to bones to wood to nuts to shells and everything in between. The first bead is a rounded, shining blue river stone. 

“So it’s a diary,” Miles replies. You turn your head, shooting him a grin.

“Each bead and item on a Na'vi's songcord is only known by them and their closest friends and family”, Spider continues to explain, “When a Na'vi dies, their friends and family sing their songcord during their funeral in mourning and remembrance. The individual is then buried alongside their cord”

“That’s deep” Lopez whispers to Prager who sits next to him. Prager elbows Lopez to shut up, making Lopez glare at him.

“I like your necklace” Zee points at her own neck. You absentmindedly reach for the necklace that’s above the collar. You’ve forgotten all about it.

“You made it?” Question Ja.

“Isn’t that the courting gift Tarsem gave you?” Spider ask. Your eyes widen and you snap to glare at him. He blinks at you not knowing what he did wrong.

“Courting gift?” Quaritch mumbles under his breath.

“W-who’s Tarsem?” Lyle ask.

“Boyfriend?” Lopez ask, obviously seeing his two superiors irritated about the thought of you with someone else.

“He’s not-“

“They’re mates” Spidee interrupts you. You gasp at his words and glare hard at him, the look in your eye gives it away on what you really want to do to Spider.

“He’s not my mate” you say through clench teeth, Spider smirks, seeing your reaction gives him a thrill. He knows how much you hate being wedded to Tarsem.

“Not yet he isn’t” you growl, ready pounce on him when arms wraps around your waist and pulls you back.

“Okay, calm down kitty” Ja chuckles as he puts you down once you submit.

“How about we play some football to let out all the steam?” Suggest Prager.

“Yes! Just like old times! Eyy Colonel?” Lopez shouts.

So that's how you found yourself outside with the Recoms. It was refreshing - they weren't Marines or Recoms anymore. They were just a group of young adults messing around and getting pumped up on competition.

"You understand the rules, mami?”Lopez asked you, you nod your head "Here, Chiquita, tie this around your waist. Put the hanging parts at your hips. Here, like this." Lopez helps you adjust the fabric to replicate what was on Lopez waist

You’ve already been assigned into teams. You were with Lopez, Lyle, and Zee while the other team was Quaritch, Mansk, Prager, and Ja. Spider would be your referee for the day, a suggestion Quaritch made to keep the teenager involved. He couldn't use a normal whistle because of the mask, but the screeching buzzer Lopez found made up for it.

"Hey Lopez!" Zee calls a few yards away as she stretches her legs, "we playin' full tackle or what?”

“Full tackle!” Lopez shouts. Lyle eyes widen before looking down at your small stature. You’re small compared to them.

“Lopez, are you sure, man?” Lyle leans closer to Lopez, Lopez looks at him confused till Lyle points his head at you.

You frown defensively. Just cause you’re small doesn’t mean you can’t take on a simple hit.

“I want to play how you normally do. Don’t you dare change cause of me”

Zee laughs at Lyle’s astonishment, popping a bubble with her gum before spitting it out, “alright baby, let get it on. Whose shirts and skins?”

“We volunteer!” Lopez raises his hand.

“We do?” Zee raise a brow at Lopez quickness. However, It doesn’t surprise her, Lopez just wants to see you take the sweater off again and catch a glimpse.

Lyle was about to object but you were already reaching for the hem of your sweatshirt and pull it over your head. You already had your braids tied back with your songcord.

Quaritch was close by, his eyes trail down your figure, missing your bioluminescence freckles.

Lopez follows your lead and takes off his shirt, waving it above his head. He was getting a little too enthralled at today's game.

The teams lined up in the middle of the clearing, Spider placed in between them as he held an avatar-sized football in his hands. You still don’t know they even have one that size. “Everyone ready?"

Every single Recom had dangerous smirks and ravenous glints in their eyes. This was their favorite time of the day, evident in how they bounced on their feet when Spider moved to toss the ball into the air.

Right before the ball left Spiders fingers, you and Quaritch glance at each other at the same time. His facial expressions were more exaggerated than the rest of his unit, a devilish grin and gleaming eyes, "you ready?"

His eyes flicked down to your chest for one moment before looking back at you. Noticing this you smirk, “are you?” You turn the question onto him, “I hope you could handle being beaten twice by little old me, Colonel” you taunt.

Quaritch winks at you, clearly trying to distract you momentarily as Spider tossed the ball into the air, giving Quaritch a chance to grab it before throwing it towards Prager who was already running towards the water-bottle-marked end zone.

Lyle and Lopez chases after him, feet sending dirt and grass into the air as Lyle reach to grab Lopez's flags, but it was Lopez who throws himself at Prager and tackles him to the ground, hard.

“You got knocked the fuck out, man” Lopez shouts down at a dazed Prager.

“Lopez!” You shout and push him off poor Prager.

“Prager, you alright?” You look at him.

“Yeah, Sully, I’m fine” he waves you off.

“You sure, man? That was a pretty hard tackle” Lyle stands next to you.

“Please. That’s nothing” he laughs, Lyle laughs as he reach his arm out to Prager and pull him and claps his shoulder before you jog back to your teams.

“Alright! this is what we’re going to do” you all huddle in a circle, Lyle being the teams captain of course, “Lopez! You go after Mansk and Ja while Zee runs down. Baby, you’ll-“

“How about you two distract the Colonel? So we could catch the ball?” Zee cuts Lyle off.

You raise an eyebrow at the suggestion in confusion. Why would you and Lyle distract Quaritch? What could you possibly do to distract him?

“Why us?” Lyle ask next to you. Your team smirks as if they know something that you don’t.

“Trust me. I think you know why, Wainfleet!” Smirks Lopez.

“How do you expect us to do that?” You place your hands on your hips.

Zee smirks, "I'm sure you two can figure something out out. Alright, break."

As Spider pressed his ear-shattering buzzer, everyone moved instantaneously. Lyle threw the ball to Zee as planned and Quaritch moves to cut you off. He stood there, arms outstretched and ready to grab you but you dodge and move to run the opposite direction but Quaritch quickly caught on and moves his arms in rapid speed and wraps his arms around you.

In a split second, you felt his arms wrap around your waist as you twist in the air, making sure he would take the brunt of the impact.

As Quaritch rotates your bodies in the air, he managed to spin you around to face him. When he hit the ground, you landed right on his waist. Your mouth drops open in shock, not able to comprehend how Quaritch managed all that in a matter of seconds. Quaritch smirks from below, reveling in your expression before pushing up on his hands. The movement made her slip down from his waist to press against his hips. He tried to ignore the weight of her body as it pressed into his groin before reaching down and pulling on the flag around your hips.

"Flag down," he smirks. Given your current situation, you were at eye-level for once. With a snarl, you try to stand up, but Quaritch flips you over so you were pinned to the ground. Your braids spread out against the grass, braid falling over your bare shoulder.

“I think I like this position way more, sweetheart!”

Your body heats up feeling Quaritch so close to you, it was your body's natural response to having him on top of you, large hands on either side of your head. He straddles your waist as powerful thighs encased your softer body, muscles not even strained as he supported his massive body weight.

Quaritch could get used to this image of you under him like this. You felt the same, heat rushing to your core as he eyes follow a single bead of sweat travel down the expanse of your breast. You almost threw all your morals out the window right then and there when he bent over and buries his face into the crook of your neck. You squeal at the intrusion.

Your scent permeated his very soul and he found himself wanting more of it, to drown in it.

A puff of air leaves his nose as he buried his face into your shoulder. You bite back a moan as he continues to smell every inch of you, his mouth opening wide enough to allow his fangs to ghost over your shoulder.

“Miles!” You squeal your body tensing, and it's only when you do that you realize, this was the first he's ever heard you say it.

When he retracted his mouth, you relaxed your tensed spine.

Quaritch sighs as he pulled back, realizing what he just did. He doesn’t understand why he did it. It was like an instinct to claim you. He reluctantly push himself off her before jumping to his feet. You ignore his outstretched hand, brushing the dirt off your legs as yoi bent over to pick up your flag. Quaritch had to look away.

"I could've helped you, you know." He tries to banter with you, but you only shot him a playful glare before jogging off. He couldn't help the way his tail swished and his ears pushed forward to full attention as exhilaration took over.

Mansk and Ja snickers as Quaritch rejoined his team, "nice tackle, Colonel. A little much don't you think?" Teases Ja.

"Ja, mind your business." Quaritch challenges, eyes trained on you as you laugh with Lyle and Spider. Mansk and Ja hums, obviously not believing a word the Colonel said.

In the end, your team reigned victorious. The dirty tricks Lopez managed to do paid off. Lopez was slick enough to hide his tactics from Spider's watchful eye, so there was no way of getting caught. The final score was eleven-ten as Lyle managed to intercept a ball meant for Quaritch and dashed for the endzone just as the clock ran out.

The sun was beginning to set as the recoms stand next each other and chat. You sat down on the grass, watching as the sky blurred into rich reds and oranges. Spider approaches you, handing you a water bottle, "can I sit?"

“You don’t have to ask” you nod the empty space next to you. Spider sits down next to you.

“I’m sorry about mentioning Tarsem” Spider apologizes. Turning your gaze away from the sky to look down at Spider who nervously play with the label of his own water bottle.

“Don’t be. I wasn’t really mad” you say. That catches Spiders attention, “to be honest, I completely forgot about him. I know I should feel something but I don’t”

“You never wanted to be mated to him in the first place” Spider grumbles obviously irritated at your father for forcing you to mate with someone you clearly don’t want to be with.

“Yeah. I should be the one apologizing to you for the way I acted. I guess I just didn’t want them to know” you shrug as you absentmindedly tug on the grass.

“Who?”

Shit. Why did you say that? Why didn’t you want them to know of Tarsem?

“Lyle and Miles” you answer before you could shut yourself up.

“Oh my God! You’re falling for them!” Spider gasp a little to loud. You shush him and glance towards the recoms to see they haven’t looked your way, thanking the great mother.

“I am not” you shake your head as you take a sip of your water.

You deny it. But the truth is, you really are falling for them.

——

Warm water runs over your shoulders and down your back. You relish the feeling, but wait to actually start for several minutes, so you begin your actual shower routine.

Once done, you turn the knob off and swing the curtain aside. Toweling yourself dry, you change into a long sleeve shirt that belongs to Lyle.

Leaving the bathroom you walked down the to your room. Seeing the door ajar, you swing the door open and enter, closing the door behind you. A gasp leave your lips as you cover your mouth when you see a naked Lyle.

Oops, wrong room.

“Baby!” Lyle shouts as he quickly covers himself up by wrapping a towel around his waist.

“I’m so sorry” you let out a shaky breath. You were completely mortified on what you just walked into. “I-I’m just gonna go” you arkwardly point behind you and turn around and head for the door.

“Baby!” You hear Lyle say behind you, but you don’t turn around, you just head for the door.

"Y/n!" he calls out again, saying your name this time. But you keep going, feeling like you’re about to collapse and you’d rather not do that in his room. You’re so embarrassed.

You reach for the door knob and go to pull it open but you don't get very far when a hand presses against it, slamming it back closed.

You turn around completely startled and find Lyle’s face only inches from yours. With a gasp you try pulling back but you’re met with resistance when you hit the door behind you.

Lyle’s other hand comes up and he places it against the door as well, essentially caging you in. His body is extremely close to yours, yet you’re still not touching.your breathing is hard and ragged. Your chest is rising and falling and now so is his. You look up at him, your height difference giving you no choice. His eyes bore into you and you’d give anything to know what he's thinking at this moment.

You’re once again feel conflicted, you’ve never been in this situation before. What are you supposed to do in a situation like this? Are you supposed to push him away? Or let him be near you like this?

You should leave. You should push him away. But if you’re being honest with yourself, you know damn well that's not going to happen.

You nervously run your bottom lip through your teeth, a bad habit of yours. But it does draw Lyle’s gaze down to your lips as he lets out a raspy breath.

"Lyle” you gasp out.

"Shit." he whispers, right before bringing both of his hands to your neck, tilting your head back, and pressing his lips against yours.

And all of your thoughts go out the fucking window. Any strength you had left in your legs completely goes when he gently starts moving his lips against yours and you have to reach up and grip his arms to stop yourself from falling.

Lyle feels your struggle and he brings his hands from you neck to your hips as he pulls your body closer to his, helping you stay up.

You don't exactly know what's going on, but right now, with his lips pressed against yours, his hands gripping your hips, pulling your towards him as if he can't have you close enough, you don't care about anything else but him.

You slide your hands up from his arms to his neck and throw yourself more into him. Once he notices your enthusiasm he starts moving his lips harder against yours. He pushes himself against you and you stumble back and hit the door again, but this time Lyle’s body is pushing you against it. You can feel him growing behind his towel as he presses his hips against you and you can't help the moan that escapes your mouth. Once he hears you, Lyle gladly returns it, moaning into your mouth and it's definitely a sound you could get used to.

You don't know how far this is going to go, and honestly, you really don't care. All you know if you could stay here, being consumed by Lyle Wainfleet’s lips forever and be completely content.

*knock knock*

Fucking shit.

“Lyle, you done?” You both hear Quaritch on the other side of the door.

Immediately you push away from Lyle. And turn away from him as you wipe your lips with sleeve of your burrowed shirt.

“Wai-“ the door opens before Lyle could continue his sentence.

Quaritch walks into the room wearing only a pair of joggers and his chest bare.

Quaritch looks between Lyle’s who seems slightly out of breath to you who has your back to him.

“Everything alright?” Quaritch brow raise questionably, having an idea on what he just walked into.

“I-“

“Excuse me” without making eye contact with either of them, you quickly walk around Quaritch to the door and leave, closing the door behind you.

You immediately bend over and put your hands on your knees as you take in gulps of air, feeling like you can finally breathe now that you’re out of the room. Ideally you want to sit on the floor for a while but you know you need to get out of here.

So you speed walk into your room, hoping you could get there before anyone sees you.

What the fuck have you gotten yourself into?

Taglist: @alexandra-001 @commanderrivercc-3628 @henhouse-horrors @certainkittenpeach @multi-fandom-rando @zzedah @mrstargayen09 @loaksulluyswife

#recom lyle wainfleet #recom miles quaritch #miles quaritch x reader #lyle wainfleet x reader #polyamarous #spider x reader #sully reader #polyamory #throuple #miles quaritch x lyle wainfleet #miles Quaritch x reader x lyle Wainfleet

[ashensgrotto]

Never Had a Friend (like Me) - Part 1

Original art piece by pfbatakopd on twitter (Used only for Header. Do NOT REPOST ORIGINAL ART)

Part 1 (You Are Here) Part 2 Part 3

YandereSoulmate! AU:

Part 1 (Am I Feeling Love?)

Part 2 (Protective)

Part 3A & Part 3B (Poor Unfortunate Souls)

Characters: Azul Ashengrotto X F!Reader

Word Count: 9,105

Synopsis: A chance for redemption comes in the form of a wish…

Author’s Notes: Ok, here we go. I received an anonymous message in my inbox for the next part of the Yandere!Soulmate series and I was actually going to work on it - but with the arrival of GloMas, working on the next part of ‘Raison D’être,’ wanting to finish “Weren’t You Aware, Angelfish?”, AND the holidays, time got away from me and I forgot about Scarabia’s segment for a short while. 

However, because you all seem to enjoy this and want to know if the tako has redeemed himself - I figured I would work to get this part done. Now, warning - Pompefiore’s part is going to take a bit of time to complete because I will have to wiggle my way through my memory bank and replay a few parts of it (which is approx 76 chapters in length for those players who haven’t made it that far into the game yet) since I’m working so deep into Ignihyde’s chapter right now (which is a doozy - I’m still in chapter 67-tower 1, oof help).

This one is also going to be split into three parts - I promise it will not be a long wait for the second & third parts as this is my Christmas gift to all of my readers <3

Thank you all for your continued support!

Warnings are as follows: yandere behaviors, manipulation, imprisonment, & hypnosis

***

I’m in the mood, to help you dude

You ain’t never had a friend like me.

***

It had been weeks since the last overblot incident… and just as long since Azul last saw you.

He sat in his office, looking over paperwork for the last quarter and rubbing his brow with worry.

The profits had started to steadily decrease following his overblot, causing the Monstro Lounge to slowly suffer the loss, like an infection slowly eating away a mer’s life. He had no one really to blame but himself for that… Azul had lost control, let his obsession get out of hand and had hurt the people closest to him.

Jade… Floyd… you.

Azul let out another large sigh and set the report down, taking his glasses off and rubbing his face. He had considered going back to the Coral Sea for holiday, but was unable to due to two reasons; one, the ice floes would’ve made the journey too dangerous to travel alone - especially since Jade and Floyd had already prepared to stay at NRC for the holidays, and two… you were still here.

Not in Octavinelle where Azul had wanted you to be, but in a rundown shack on the school property.

The building had been a dorm, once upon a time, but ghosts had moved in and scared the students to the point that the building was deemed ‘unsafe.’ However, with your charms and personality, the ghosts were easily persuaded and welcomed you in with open arms - though Azul had a sneaky suspicion that both the headwardens of Savanaclaw and Heartslabyul had likely persuaded the otherworldly spirits in exchange for access to both of their dorms. Regardless, with you no longer in Octavinelle and now at the mercy of the headmage’s “generous” nature, Azul could only watch from the shadows as you now tended to the school property in a janitorial role.

Azul leaned back in his chair, his thoughts plagued by you before an obnoxious ringing noise filled the office.

He grumbled, picking the phone up, “Monstor Lounge, this is Azul speaking.”

“Hello baby, how are you?” the familiar voice of his mother on the other end made Azul jump in surprise.

“Mother,” Azul coughed, “Hello - I apologize I hadn’t had a chance to call you. We’ve been busy lately.”

“Oh, I know, sweetheart,” his mother answered, “It’s been busy here too… but everything’s been calming down since the ice floes came - though I was surprised to see your letter that you were considering coming home for the holidays.”

‘Shit…’ Azul had completely forgotten about that - when (Y/N) had lived in the Octavinelle at the beginning of the year, Azul had entertained the idea of potentially inviting her to his home for the holiday, slowly and suringly getting her accustomed to the idea of staying with him - although it would prove to be a difficult task, especially now.

“However, I’m assuming that you changed plans at the last minute,” his mother continued.

“Y-yes, I was indeed planning on coming… however, Jade and Floyd both decided to stay behind so I chose to stay as well,” Azul answered, the lie slipping easily off his silver tongue, “Someone has to keep those two in line, after all.”

His mother snickered, “Don’t be saying that in front of their father though. Sevens knows what the moray will do if you say anything like that.”

Azul nodded, clearing his throat, “Um, well… What's going on with you, then? The restaurant still alright? How’s Finn?”

“Finn’s well - busy as always,” his mother answered, “Business has been getting better - hired several new staff members as well… a few sweet mers around your age, Zully.”

Azul rolled his eyes, “Mother… we’ve had this talk. I’m… not interested.”

“You might not be, but it will happen one day,” his mother’s voice was calm and soothing before she sighed on the end of the phone, “However… I have a sneaky feeling that you’re still upset about what I told you all those years ago.”

Azul bit his lip, answering, “Of course not… Soulmates? That’s ridiculous.”

“Azul…” his mother’s voice turned into a scolding tone, “There are plenty of fish out there - I know you’re still pretty young to be thinking about it, considering a mer’s life is longer than most, but shorter than a fae’s… but I only want you to be happy.”

“I am, mother,” Azul tried to smile, “I’m content where I am - I’ve gotten stronger, my business is growing, and… I’ve learned so much.”

“Perhaps, but allow me to give you a little insight - it’s something I learned long ago,” his mother prompted, “Happiness, though may be defined as ‘the state of joy or contentment,’ is typically filled by three main parts of life; success, dedication, and personal. Dedication and success go hand in hand with each other - if you work hard and are dedicated, you achieve success - even if the tasks prove to be difficult to the point that you might fail over and over again. Personal can mean time for yourself - spending time with your hobbies or doing what you love… spending time with those you care about even.”

Azul listened to his mother’s words, thinking.

“I know that you are successful and you’re dedicated,” his mother continued, “But you won’t achieve happiness if you just focus on those two things - take time for yourself now and again, look for stronger connections within your friendships… and look for someone that will want to support you and you support them.”

“I… I think I understand…” Azul answered, “I’ll… take your words into consideration.”

“I hope so - your grandmother taught me that when I was still a little octo fry many years ago,” his mother answered, a teasing tone caught in her voice.

Azul couldn’t help but smile, “Yes… Nanna always did know what was best.”

“Yes, she did, still does even… Well, I should probably let you go, then - you have a lot of stuff going on there,” his mother let out a sigh, “Just remember… I love you, baby. Merry Christmas.”

“I love you too… momma. Merry Christmas and I’ll see you at the end of the year.”

“I’ll hold you to that, Zully. Stay safe.”

Azul smiled and hung the phone up, sitting back in his chair and looking up at the ceiling. 

“Finding that so-called ‘other half’ is like - well - like the story of the mermaid princess and her longing to be with a human. It’s a rare occurrence that only happens once in a millennium if not longer. Anyone can be happy with or without their soulmate, Azul. There’s no reason you should go to such lengths to be with someone who may not even exist…”

Azul shook his head at the memory of that day years ago - he wanted to forget… but sevens knows he couldn’t forget you.

A sudden loud crash had Azul bolting upright, his features twisting in annoyance. As far as he knew, the only ones in the lounge were Jade and Floyd… which could only mean one thing. 

Trouble.

“Those two morons…” Azul gritted his teeth, standing from his chair, “If I catch the lounge in a disarray again…”

He grabbed his jacket, tossing it over his shoulders, before placing his hat upon his head, the magestone pen morphing into the headwarden’s silver octopus topped cane. He hurried from his office and headed into the lounge.

Entering the lounge, Azul’s eyes widened at the sight.

The lounge was damaged - several tables and chairs were overturned, marred by huge cracks and scratches while lamps lay in pieces on the floor, the glass orbs scattered into a thousand fragments on the carpeted flooring and the magestones cracked and shattered as well. Azul’s eyes narrowed on Jade and Floyd’s figures, but realized they weren’t alone after all. Several students from the Scarabia dorm were there as well, their wands out and at the ready - pointing them at Jade and Floyd, who seemed to be guarding something on the floor.

Azul’s eyes widened in surprise at seeing Kalim’s magic carpet as well as Grim hiding behind the remaining two members of Octavinelle - and they weren’t alone.

You were there as well, cowering behind Jade and Floyd’s intimidating heights as the Scarabia students glared daggers at you.

“There’s no escape for you now, thieves!” 

“Surrender quietly!”

“Mrow?!” Grim held his paws up, “You chased us all the way here?! You guys are seriously stubborn, you know that?”

Azul remained quiet for a moment, his eyes shifting to look you over - noticing how you had one arm close to your body. Were you hurt?

Azul’s eyes narrowed as he approached, his shoes echoing in the lounge as his stern voice addressed the situation, “What is all the commotion at this late hour?”

The students turned to look at Azul, one of them speaking quietly, “Y-you’re… Azul Ashengrotto, the housewarden of Octavinelle!”

“Would you care to explain what is going on?” Azul asked calmly, moving to stand in front of you with Jade and Floyd behind him.

“It’s none of Octavinelle’s business,” another student tsked, “Just hand over the two of them quietly.”

Azul crossed his arms over his chest, tilting his head as he eyed you and Grim out of the corner of his eye, “Now that I’m looking closer at it - it appears to be (Y/N) and Grim sprawled out on our floor, quivering and covered in dust. Heh - I almost thought they were a pair of dust cloths.”

“Azul, please,” Azul met your gaze, “save us with your spirit of benevolence.”

“Hmm…” Azul turned back to the group of Scarabia before him.

“If you refuse to hand them over, you’ll be blamed for their wrongdoings as well,” the student warned.

“Hey - are ya yankin’ my tail here?!” Floyd’s eyes widened dangerously, his teeth peering out from behind his lips, “Who do ya think yer talkin’ to?!”

“No fighting of any kind is permitted in the Monstro Lounge,” Azul kept his arms crossed over his chest, his focus reshifting to address the situation at hand, “This is a place for gentlemen.”

“What was that? Are you interfering?” one of the students asked, “Fine, we’ll just do this the hard way.”

“Hmph, I think it’s time we asked these ill-mannered patrons to leave,” Azul growled, clicking his tongue in annoyance, “Jade. Floyd. Show them the door.”

The eel twins grinned as they moved quickly, going after the Scarabia students like the set of predators that they were. Azul was quick to move and cover (Y/N), his overcoat covering your form to protect you from the fighting, “Don’t look, my dear, I do not wish for you to see such behavior.”

“Azul - I’ve seen worse,” your voice rattled him to the core as he huffed.

“I... don’t need the reminder.”

It didn’t take long for the Scarabia students to fall back, Jade and Floyd repocketing their pens.

“Go on an’ scatter, ya bunch of minnows!” Floyd laughed eagerly.

“We’ll be eagerly awaiting your next visit to our lounge,” Jade smiled.

As the last of the students disappeared, Grim jumped for joy, “Mya-haha! We did it! You see that?! That’s what you get, you bunch of jerks!”

“We, Grim? I think you mean they - Floyd and Jade - did it,” you ask before shaking your head and turning toward the trio, “Thank you, all three of you - I don’t want to think what they would’ve done if you hadn’t stepped in.”

“Thanks are unneeded, my dear,” Azul answered, standing and offering his hand, “However, I’m afraid we’ll have to bill you for repair fees for the tables and chairs - not to mention the lamps and assorted dishwear that was damaged in that fight. Not to mention our own labor rates, since we were dragged into this affair.”

“WHAT?! You’re charging us for that?!” Grim asked, throwing his paws up in the air.

“Surely it’s a small price to pay for us rescuing the both of you from the inky depths of peril? After all, (Y/N) did ask for my spirit of benevolence.”

“Azul, please,” you asked quietly, “There’s a reason that the Scarabia students were after us.”

“I’m assuming it has something to do with Kalim’s magic carpet.”

“... Not really,” you answer, “We were being held hostage.”

Azul frowned, not liking the word one bit, “Explain, (Y/N).”

***

Azul muddled over what you had just told him, Grim piping up every so often to include details about the Scarabia situation to add more information as the cunning octopus thought deeply. As Azul thought, his eyes kept shifting to you, his thoughts going deeper into self-loathing; if you had remained in Octavinelle, none of this would have happened - you would’ve been safe, not having to walk to an oasis down and back again every morning before even eating, or sleeping in a closet under lock and key, or even doing battles with other students of magic when you couldn’t even cast a spell yourself.

His poor little angelfish…

Azul’s eyes widened, an idea appearing in his mind… a chance of a lifetime had just been given to him and he would be damned to let it go to waste.

A knowning smile spread across his features, “...It sounds like we should go to their aid.”

“Myra?! Did you hit your head or something when I wasn’t looking?!” Grim asked.

“Of course not!” Azul feigned harm, lifting his gloved hand to his chest, “I’ll have you know, my dear Grimmy, that the last incident forced me to reflect on my greed. I came out a changed man!”

“Oh, really?” You asked, folding your arms across your chest, “Care to explain?”

“I decided to contribute to the school as a whole, in honor of the Sea Witch’s spirit of benevolence,” Azul explained, his features turning coy, “It’s common knowledge that the housewardens are typically the ones their students go to in times of need or struggle - even the vice wardens are responsible for that as well. However, the power has to be shared equally between both the house and vice wardens - and Scarabia’s all over the place. It’s faced with a crisis now and my own classmate is in need of help - I can hardly ignore them in their time of need.”

You watched Jade and Floyd give each other knowing smiles before the twins looked at Azul, Jade asking, “What is the plan?”

“Here’s my idea,” Azul proposed, “The five of us head to Scarabia tomorrow - we’ll go under the guise that we are returning Kalim’s carpet as well as offering assistance with the dorm’s studies, this will ensure our stay especially since Octavinelle did overwhelmingly well on their finals before break…”

“No thanks to your study guides,” Grim huffed.

“Grim,” You warned.

Azul coughed and continued, “Once we’ve secured our spot within Scarabia, we’ll be able to do a bit of sneaking around to figure out what’s really going on.”

“And I’m assuming you have an idea on how to do so?” Jade asked.

“Let’s get to that point before we make any rash decisions,” Azul answered.

“I think that is a wonderful idea,” you agreed.

“(Y/N)?! Are you crazy?!” Grim asked, “We can’t go back there!”

“Grim, we really have no other options,” you turned to the feline demon, “We’ve tried contacting the Headmage, the other students can’t get into the school because the dark mirror is closed off, we have no way of contacting Riddle or Leona either… Azul’s plan is the best we have right now. Personally, I’d rather not go back, but with the way things are looking for Kalim…”

“You’re afraid there’s going to be another overblot, aren’t you, pearl?” Jade asked.

Azul blinked, the thought hadn’t even crossed his mind. Yes, Kalim’s behavior was erratic, but it couldn’t be enough for the headwarden to go into an overblot… would it?

“I’m afraid so,” you admit, looking over at Azul, “I noticed that… when things got a little out of control, someone overblotted. I can’t bare to see another student go through that, much less a housewarden again. I’d like to try and prevent it from happening again, if possible.”

Azul nodded, “No worries, angelfish - I’ll make sure mine was the last one you saw.”

You give the housewarden a small smile of relief - thankful that he seemed to understand.

Azul remembered during his blot how the memories of his childhood came forward; the root cause of his pain and suffering that eventually became his thirst for power that festered and grew until it snapped - and you had seen it all. Whatever this strange magical gift was and how you received it, Azul was certain that it was your own form of unique magic - one that was so powerful that it may even make Malleus Draconia afraid if he knew about it; the power to look into one’s past and see everything that shaped them into who they eventually became was strong powerful magic indeed - but, of course, Azul didn’t want anyone else to know about it, considering he was victim number three to the overblot crisis that appeared to be happening this year.

Azul reaches out, offering his hand to you, “(Y/N), as headwarden of Octavinelle - allow myself and Jade and Floyd to help you and Grim solve the mystery of Kalim’s strange behavior. I’m certain the five of us plus Jamil will be able to ease Kalim’s troubles and bring back the peace Scarabia so desperately needs. Do we have a deal?”

You look at his hand, the memory of the first day you met him and the day you lost your legs both playing in your mind - but what choice did you have? You look at him and take his hand, squeezing it.

“Promise - this will make us even?”

“Indeed. I promise.”

#twisted wonderland #twst wonderland #yandere azul ashengrotto #yandere x y/n #yandere x reader #tw yandere #yandere azul x reader #yandere azul ashengrotto x reader #yandere azul #azul ashengrotto x reader #azul ashengrotto #floyd leech #twst floyd #twst azul #jade leech #twst jade #twst grim #yandere #kalim al asim #jamil viper #twst jamil #twst kalim #tw manipulation #tw imprisonment #tw hypnosis #twst soulmate au #tw: yandere #yandere soulmate au

[viridianevergarden]

This again. I just want to break down my thoughts here so bear with me.

(I did the math and calculated ~ 7.9k people voted that 55%) 💀

First of all,

Elain doesn’t just enjoy gardening for the aesthetic, but rather for the fruits of her labor through hard work. Spring Court’s flowers and nature are only in bloom by magic (The High Lord’s). Not work. Not labor. But rather for convenience and aesthetics (to embody the very domain that one, being Tamlin, High Lord of the SC, resides in). That, to me, goes against Elain’s very enjoyment of the craft of her gardening.

Couple that with the fact that she has completely neglected using those gloves that Lucien gave her. She put them down after they were gifted to her, not even bothering to look at them as if she didn’t care for them. She doesn’t seek protection from the labor of her craft. She doesn’t want to make it easier. She enjoys the challenge. I think Feyre’s perspective on that made it clear.

And again, why would Elain in her right mind willingly go to be with her younger sister’s abusive ex? Why would she? I’m pretty sure she is well aware of what transpired between the two. That she is aware of Tamlin’s actions. Especially when he is partially, if not entirely, responsible for her life quite literally being turned upside down. Having her mortality stripped from her and her love and happiness (or simply content) gone along with it. If she is so visibly uncomfortable with Lucien, who was an accomplice, I’d imagine she would also hold animosity or discomfort for Tamlin tenfold.

Secondly,

Regarding mating bonds being rare: This is a story that encompasses a main group of protagonists. 3’s are SJM’s specialty. Just because 3 brothers may get with 3 sisters does not automatically mean that mating bonds aren’t rare. As a fae romance series with mating bonds clearly being a significant staple throughout, we will encounter mating bonds. Especially with our protagonists. That just seems like logic to me. Even then, it’s been stated and shown time and again that not every mating bond works or is positive. That just because two individuals have a bond doesn’t mean they’ll have good chemistry.

Also take into account that our dear Inner Circle is not the entire continent of Prythian. The Inner Circle does not equal the entire population. So therefore, a small group of mated individuals ≠ a common occurrence.

What’s wrong with the storyline matching up to have a 3:3? Is the perfectionism so wrong? I think that the phrase “too perfect” should be replaced with “complete/completion”. One last brother to one last sister is the remaining piece of the puzzle. Yes, you can argue that the cliche of 3:3 is boring or too simple but this is SJM’s world. She is a cliche author. She always has been.

Lastly,

I believe that Tamlin has had his redemption arc. If you want to call it that at least. In my opinion, he doesn’t need one. His prime arc is over. The series is way bigger than just Tamlin now. I simply see no reason as to why SJM should take more time for Tamlin , who arguably has done more than enough, rather than anything else. I feel like it’d be a backward progression.

Not every character has to be redeemed.

Not every character should be able to find peace or become good after selfish or morally questionable acts.

Not every character calls for major development.

To me, it’s just bad writing to redeem and develop every single character.

Even then, Tamlin is a well written character. He doesn’t need more depth. (I think this post alone proves that people don’t understand him already). He doesn’t need Elain to come in and “fix him”. No one can. No one but Tamlin himself. And we see that if anything, he’s wasting away rather than trying to help himself. He’s wallowing in his grief, anger, and hatred. Be it for others -like Rhys- or himself. It’s on him. Hell, even Rhys tried to help him. Yet he remains unmoving. That is Tamlin’s choice. Elain shouldn’t need to be his catalyst for change. He should.

To Conclude,

I see no logical reason again as to why people think this is a possibility. It just seems like a terrible writing choice for the story of ACOTAR. Of course, SJM can indeed surprise us. She wields the mighty pen after all. But then again, why would she turn around and completely dismiss 4 books of chemistry with a certain shadowsinger just to pitch our third sister with someone like Tamlin or Lucien? If she had planned to do so before, why would there be 4 books worth of obvious chemistry? It’d be a waste. If she has planned or plans to have Elain go with Lucien or Tamlin, why hasn’t she written any semblance of true chemistry between them? If Elain should allegedly have a balance with Tamlin or Lucien, why isn’t there any chemistry? All I’ve seen from Elain is obvious discomfort.

“I thought it was obvious…” - SJM

I could write more about Lucien and Elain’s dynamic but I think that is a whole different matter that doesn’t pertain to the current topic so I’ll leave this here. Thanks for coming to my ted talk.

#acotar #elain archeron #pro elain #tamlin #elriel #pro elriel #The math ain’t mathing here man #Let Elain stay in the NC where she WANTS to be #She owes Tamlin nothing #no one does #Let Elain garden in peace with Azriel by her side #a court of thorns and roses

[inbarfink]

The thing that I’ve been thinking of is… so one of Dib’s most defining traits and flaws is supposed to be his desire for fame and emotional validation. You know he is fighting to protect the earth, but he’s also fighting for the sake of his own ego

It’s got a lot of fun potential because it’s both extremely understandable - he’s been bullied and emotionally neglected for his entire life, it’s no wonder his biggest fantasy is just to be loved - but it can also motivate some really selfish acts. Not to mention how much it acts as a mirror to Zim’s own desire for respect and prestige among his own people.

And because of that, I guess it actually kinda surprises me that they never tried to have Dib pull a… reverse Planet Jackers moment? Like, just as Zim will protect the Earth from outside threats because he wants the credit for destroying it - will Dib help Zim if his ability to get credit for defeating him is threatened?

Like, I imagine a story where maybe Dib meets a rival paranormal investigator, and the guy’s like a Super Mega Asshole to Dib and also thinks he’s crazy. And then this guy manages to capture Zim and it seems like he’s going to be the one to expose him to the world and get all the credit for foiling his infiltration scheme. The credit that Dib feels he rightly deserves. Or he simply get a chance to defeat Zim, but there are no witnesses and no evidence and no chance anyone will ever believe him. 

For Dib, stopping Zim and proving to the world that he’s been right all along have always been interwoven goals. He has always taken it for granted that doing the former will naturally lead to the latter… So how will he deal with a situation where Zim can be stopped for good, but his situation will not change. No one will know or believe what he just did, he would just be the same ridiculed social pariah - the only thing he actually accomplished is that he has gotten rid of his best chance to change that permanently.

And you know, he doesn’t necessarily have to take that chance to help Zim or let him go - even just having Dib struggle with the idea momentarily could be a very strong character moment for him. I think it’s a shamefully underutilized aspect of his canon characterization and I do hope we’d get to see it played with more one of these days. 

But you know which piece of canon really came closest to tackling this aspect?

Dib’s little plan for Zim in ETF is not quite exactly what I was talking about above - but there are some similarities.

I’ve seen some people talk about Dib’s ETF plan like it was meant to be a favor to Zim or some sort of attempt at redemption for him or like… a thing that Zim benefit from in any sort of way? Like, I've seen some people describe the plot of ETF like Zim's manipulation of Dib’s plan was him using Dib’s kindness and empathy against him? And that’s not exactly what’s happening here.

To recap, Dib tries to stage yet another confrontation between himself and Zim (to let off steam from his Daddy Issues) only to find Zim a total emotional wreck, depressed to the point of total apathy. His first instinct is to drag him away to ‘lock him up’ but... he’s not really feeling it.

Something’s not quite right about winning like this. And then, he shifts to empathy 

But then, he shifts again, when he realizes the ‘real’ thing he’s been missing - a crowd.

The real reason this victory was feeling hollow is because he hasn’t made it public enough! If he's going to use Zim's emotional rock-bottom as a way to finally defeat him and condemn him into a life of painful experiments.... he wants to do it in front of a cheering crowd!

And while Zim’s scheme seems to have started once he first laid eyes on the Membracelet 

That plan couldn’t have worked without Dib’s own scheme to exploit Zim’s suicidal depression to get him in front as many people as possible so that Dib can get worldwide fame and Daddy’s approval and Zim can get... experimented on for the rest of his life.��

There was no kindness here to exploit, only a desperate desire for emotional validation.

The big mistake Dib did that allowed Zim the window of opportunity he needed to take over Membrane Labs was not doing the Kind Thing when he should’ve done the Practical Thing - and it was not doing the Cruel Thing when he should’ve done the Kind Thing. Dib had his chance to do the Practical Thing right there and then - kill or capture Zim while he’s not fighting back. He considered doing the Kind Thing (empathizing with Zim) and he decided to abandon both of them in favor of… the thing that will get him the most fame and attention.

And that’s the weakness of Dib that Zim exploited in his scheme. And that’s the thing that almost doomed planet Earth. Quite ironically, it’s literally a flaw Zim himself possesses quite strongly.

If Dib was willing to think purely in terms of what’s safest for Earth he would’ve taken out Zim right there and then and Earth would be safe forever - but for the sake of his own ego he took a risk that the planet almost paid very dearly for. 

(And if he was willing to resist the temptation of fame and continue with the thread of empathy he showed Zim? Well, we can only speculate of what would've happened then...)

It’s not quite what I was talking about above; Dib would’ve probably gotten some of the fame and validation he wanted if he just stomped Zim’s head right there and dragged his corpse out - he just wanted as much attention as possible. And he didn’t knowingly help Zim or even seriously considered it as much as he was just tricked into a situation of Mutually Assured Bastardness. But I think it is the closest we’ve come so far, and I think it’s interesting.

#invader zim #iz #iz analysis #dib membrane #iz dib #zim #dib iz #dib invader zim #iz dib membrane #invader zim dib #zim iz #iz zim #zim invader zim #invader zim zim #invader zim iz #enter the florpus #etf #invader zim etf #iz etf #invader zim enter the florpus

[yfere]

Going to obsess over Husk and Alastor for a second

ok. ok. OK. so. more on why alastor and husk's dynamic makes my head spin. is because, on paper, I have. NO idea,,, how they work??? they have the absolute most clashing personalities I have ever seen, and yet alastor chose husk and continues to choose him as a confidant and a co-conspirator and workhorse, even though he has much more obviously like-minded people around him in Rosie, Mimzy, and Niffty. And Husk -- I'm a little more forgiving on Husk's end because a) he has zero choice in his involvement here and b) he's kind of a bleeding heart himself, so I can kind of understand the moments where he looks out for Alastor or shows care outside of the bounds of his contract. But still. I look at them, and I'm just... why????? I'm so intrigued by it.

Because.... listen. What I understand about Husk is this. That he's a very compassionate person at heart, and cares about other people, even though he tries desperately not to. Hell, from the way he acts he seems like more of a true believer in Charlie's ideas for redemption than even Vaggie at times. He has a high degree of empathy and can easily see through people's bullshit (probably part of what makes him a terror at cards). I think at core he's a very sincere person, and this is part of why it is absolutely not in his nature to sugarcoat things, or refrain from speaking his mind. Husk is also a person who demands two things from the people around him - one is to treat him and his boundaries with respect, and this is why he snaps so much at Angel to begin with, and also what made him so furious with Alastor in episode 5. The second thing that Husk demands is honesty and vulnerability from the people around him, and he's openly disdainful of "fake" people. He tells Angel outright that he would treat him better if he were "real" -- his respect and affection for Angel was contingent to an extent on Angel being willing to drop his mask.

So you take this person, and stick him with Alastor, the fakest of fake motherfuckers in Hell, who can't stand the concept of being vulnerable and whose basic operating philosophy is "wear a mask smile so that you can hide your true feelings and always seem in control." Alastor, a person who is so desperately hungry for respect and power that he goes ballistic over what he sees as disrespect (even if it's just plain honesty), who pathologically needs the upper hand, who is casually and constantly disrespectful, who showboats relentlessly, who spits out one liners and strikes a pose even when he's a hair's breadth from death and fleeing the scene. THIS guy.

...who hand selected as one of his closest companions a person whose philosophy and personality is diametrically opposed to his own. I think... that says something about alastor, though it's hard to say what exactly that is, yet. maybe he likes watching husk "I lost the ability to love years ago sike I'm falling in love again" care and then suffer for caring and start the cycle all over again, similarly to how he said that he wanted to watch charlie try her hardest with the hotel and fail. on the other hand, as much as Alastor tries to stay aloof from the hotel's residents (not him looking over them all from a proverbial theater box in episode 8 as they prepare to face execution day), I don't think he's lying about his affection for them. maybe there's a small part of him that's looking to be surprised, or even proven wrong. maybe he thinks he'll be happy either way, and that's part of why he doesn't act the saboteur. or maybe there's even another element to it... alastor doesn't only court respect and fear, he courts adoration, and deliberately looks for and soaks up the affection thrown his way by charlie and the rest. maybe alastor is attracted to people who can't help but genuinely care for him, even against their better judgment.

#and I guess husk DOES like magic and showboating so maybe alastor has what... one good point in his favor? the mind boggles #hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel spoilers #alastor #husk #I think maybe alastor and husk's relationship is like a microcosm of alastor's relationship to the hotel at large #certainly husk seems more closely aligned with the hotel itself than with alastor #ahem. anyway

[blackcatsnstrawberries]

Iron Flame Thoughts! (Spoilers)

I finally finished Iron Flame (IF) and I definetly have some thoughts about it. I've seperated my thoughts into Liked, Disliked, Predictions BELOW THE BREAK LINE so people don't have to see spoilers. Also it's not in any particular order, just how it popped into my head.

Liked:

Tarin and Andarna's bickering. Her sassiness with his grumpiness was just the bees knees of adorable.

Cat, this may surprise some people but I really liked her development as she and Violet got to know each other

Gryphon Riders in general were a nice addition, I want to know more about their school/lifestyle/countr(ies)

Violets development was really good. It was great to see her know her own strength more and stand up for herself/dragons/loved ones. Huge contrast from Fourth Wing (FW)

The relationship between Violet, Mira and Brennan. Loved the way Mira punched B when she saw him but ultimately loved having her brother back. Can't wait to see more

Mamma Sorrengail's sacrifice for her kids/everyone. Heartbreaking but only way she could redeem herself

Dain's return to the "good" side. It was great development to have him see the error of his ways, say no to Varrish (which is huge for him) and then prove himself again during the hike with the Riders and then again in the final battle.

Aaric/Cam, I love me a rogue Prince so this hit all the right spots (more on him later)

Andarna being a seventh dragon. Excellent. Amazing. Can't f*cking wait to know more

The reveal of Xaden's second signet. Shook, but obviously bb knew how to control it

The relationship between the main four in Iron Squad (Vi, Rhi, Ridoc and Sawyer.) I love a good platonic friendship (more than romance stories) because I think having found family in your friends is just friggin beautiful

Sawyer and Jesinina (I know that's spelled wrong)

Varrish, bare with me I hated him but props to RY for writing and awful character. I clapped when he died.

The battle at the end

HALLUCINATION LIAM!!!

Disliked:

XADEN AND VIOLETS CONSTANT BICKERING. It gave miscommunication trope over and over.

Xaden and Violet fighting and then being like you are my gravity, I love you so f*cking much etc. This seemed very Twilight-y (and toxic TBH)

Xaden with holding everything from Violet because she wasn't asking the right questions. Frustrating.

Having Vi tortured/injured over and over again (and I say this as a whump fan) I think she does it to show Violet's strength/resilience, but it's not necessary we know she's strong.

Markham being an asshole =(

Jack Barelow coming back- I understand why I just don't like him and wanted him to stay dead

Honestly, don't like Xaden turning Venin. Obvs as of right now we don't know why she made that choice, but I don't like it.

What I think will Happen Next

Next book Xaden is going to be fighting his Venin nature for the whole book but will ultimately choose to leave at the end- fourth book he will be barely there and fifth he will either come back still fighting his Venin self OR be full Venin.

Navarre/Basgiath/Aretia will fall to the Venin

Aaric/Cam will ultimately become important because I think the King will die and Aaric will have to step up as next in line.

Andarna will be the most badass dragon in the world

I do think Violet and Xaden will be endgame IF he lives. Here are my thoughts on that:

1) Violet and the others will find a cure for the venin and save Xaden

2) Xaden will become a full Venin but when it comes time to kill Violet he will unalive himself instead (Ben Solo redemption arc) in a moment of regaining his former self. I don't want this to happen at all.

I think Xaden's mom is the Queen/Lord of the Venin, which is why they want him so badly.

This is everything that came to mind, I am sure I will find other things that fit into these lists. Let me know what you thought, or we can compare lists!

#iron flame #iron flame spoilers #iron flame predictions #rebecca yarros #dain aetos #violet sorrengail #the empyrean #violet and xaden #tarin #andarna #sgaeyl #fourth wing #xaden riorson #rhiannon matthias #iron squad #venin #wyvern #ridoc #sawyer #imogen temult #mira sorrengail #brennan sorrengail #dragons #random thoughts

[that-ari-blogger]

The Aftermath

The Beacon is a very... disjointed episode. It has the unfortunate placement of between two episodes that are, in my opinion, the two best that the show has to offer, and it doesn't matter how good this episode is, it suffers in the contrast.

The Beacon is trying to set up The Promise and still recovering from No Princess Left Behind, which means that it struggles to tie both together without feeling like a ton of disconnected events.

So, for the sake of analysis, let's look at those events on their own, and see what they do for the story as a whole. Because some of them are really well written.

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Catra's moments in this episode are genuinely some of the best little moments for her in the series. We see her kind nature start to show, ever so slightly. She is not kind, I want to stress this, a few actions do not make a redemption (yet), but we start to plant the seeds of that here.

In Entrapta's interrogation scene, we see Catra being manipulative, that much is obvious. But it's interesting how she does it. Catra doesn't belittle, or lie, or even seem disingenuous with her compliments, she is just aware that compliments lead to allegiances, and she is trying desperately to befriend the single smartest person on Etheria.

"You're not mad? People usually get mad." "Are you kidding?"

There is an empathy here with Catra. I mentioned in the previous post that everyone's greatest strength is their greatest weakness. And the same is true for Catra. She is exceedingly emotionally attuned. She sees herself in Entrapta, as the person left behind. The side effect of this is that she falls on her sword a bit when Adora leaves, but also in a weird, other way.

"Don't worry about that thing with Hordack. I've got plenty of experience getting yelled at... you get used to it."

Catra is talking to Shadow Weaver here, of all people. Why? Because she sees a person feeling low, and offers some condolences. Without concern for who she is, or what she has done. Catra offers a hand of peace. I want to stress that empathy isn't a weakness, that's not how this works, but it makes her easy prey for Shadow Weaver, because Catra is a child, a teenager, who is naive, and Shadow Weaver is evil.

But how does Shadow Weaver return the openness that Catra has displayed?

"I will not get used to mediocrity like you"

She returns kindness with an insult, and through her touch. Shadow Weaver desires power above all else, so when she is at her weakest, she tries to grab it from the one person she thinks she can mentally overpower.

This is why Catra is the way she is, any attempt at kindness is met with animosity for reasons she has no command in. But that little influence of Adora, and now Scorpia and even Entrapta, has kept the instinct alive. The empathy is there, just buried deep under the surface.

"I just wanted to prepare you for the world"

I love that Shadow Weaver has worked out her tactics are failing on Catra, so she tries giving the Adora treatment to her, and even that fails. I think that's rather satisfying. I pity her, but it is definitely gratifying to see her this low.

Shadow Weaver fits the same bill as everyone else in the series (strengths and weaknesses being the same), but she forms a weird parallel with Bow of all people. Shadow Weaver thinks big picture, she is the strategist, and she gets undermined time and again by the tiny things, such as personal determination, and unconditional love. This parallel isn't dwelled upon, but it's a neat thing to point out that Shadow Weaver's opposite isn't Catra or Adora, but Bow.

Speaking of Bow. The man is supportive of everyone, similarly to Sea Hawk. Bow still thinks big picture, but the difference between him and Shadow Weaver is that when Bow meets a wall, instead of thinking of a way to break it down, he finds another route. Bow is a strategist of the heart, making sure everyone is at their best and ready to step in to keep people's moral up, should they need it.

I also really like Glimmer's line:

"Your sorry is wrong and mine is right."

I think this is extremely revelatory about Glimmer, but that won't come up for a while.

Finally, there is Adora.

Under stress, she reverts. This is what Shadow Weaver did to her, she gave her a few set behaviours in response to certain stimuli. Notably, when scared, punch what I tell you. Shadow Weaver isn't here to give a target, so Adora decks the first thing she can get her hands on. Namely, this light.

There are other sections in the episode when she is in the background of other shots. And instead of just standing there, and looking apathetic, she shadow boxes. Adora cannot focus when she's directionless.

So naturally, she jumps at the opportunity to heal Glimmer, including possibly stabbing her, just to feel useful. Again, preprogrammed responses. She needs to feel useful, so she will run towards whomever is offering her that purpose.

"You want me to be weak? Well (Throws Sword), I am"

This leads into the above line. Adora believes she needs to be weak, and the first thing she does to achieve that is return to her original form and throw away her sword. Adora has associated strength with ability to achieve a given task. In this case, heal.

But the fascinating thing is how she goes about the accountability of failing. She has a weird internalisation of good things being She-Ra's fault, and bad things being Adora's fault. It's awful.

I'm going to finish this on a mildly happy note, because Glimmer and Angella have a really sweet interaction in this episode. Its the reassurance that a parent figure can offer. She offers support, and affirmation that this may not have worked, but it wasn't because of Glimmer's ideals, but her methods, which can be worked on.

Compare the following two lines.

"I will not get used to mediocrity like you" "We'll figure it out, together."

I have boldened a few words, because they reveal character quite nicely. One tries to separate the speaker from its subject, complete with an insult and a comparison, the other is supportive and constructive, and strives to make the listener understand this fact. Angella is a great mum.

Final Thoughts

This episode isn't particularly memorable. Which isn't its own fault. It is sandwiched by The Promise and No Princess Left Behind, which both render it rather uninspiring.

But this episode is actually quite decent. Its moments string together cohesively enough, and Marcus Scribner (Bow's Voice Actor) kills every line.

However, that opening sequence steals the show for me, as everyone leaves on their own way. That was why Entrapta's fake out death doesn't feel cheap. It actually hurts these people, and they don't get over it. This is a death that has its cake and eats it too, and that's a difficult thing to pull off. I think the thing that sells it is this is the only scene so far in the show (I think) in which Sea Hawk stays quiet, the events of the previous episode have managed to make the bard stop singing.

Previous - Next

#rants #literary analysis #literature analysis #what's so special about...? #character analysis #she ra and the princesses of power #she ra catra #she ra adora #she ra spop #adora #catra #spop #shadow weaver #she ra #she ra princess of power #she ra bow

[dododan]

Alastor is a character I really like. Not only for the mystery we see in the series, but also for his design <3

Alastor resembles a deer, and I think deer have something dark and disturbing about them which is perfect for Alastor's character.

Certainly, the deer antlers that hang at my grandmother's house did not contribute to this….

I'm a horror fan and I listen to creepypastas or other scary stories to sleep, so it's no wonder I like Alastor so much.

And here are some small thoughts on the Hazbin Hotel finale! So much has been going on that I'm having trouble getting my emotions and thoughts together! It came out really great!

And if you're curious then beware because there are spoilers below!!!

So many things to think about and analyse after the Hazbin Hotel final!

Lilith - and her lounging on the beach in (presumably) heaven. She didn't seem happy to be interrupted by Lute. But how? What is she doing there? From Lute's words, it seems that Lilith had some sort of deal with Adam, who, through his death and Charlie's antics, their deal lost its power. It's hard to say what that might be about, because I find it hard to believe that Lilith would just lie back and have a go at everything. She loved The Hell and from the pictures you can see in the series she cared about her family. Maybe she made a deal with Adam to walk away from her family and go back to Adam and he wouldn't touch Charlie and Lucifer?

Sir Pentious - just excellent character development. Vivzie did a nice number with his story. Death. He dead in the name of friendship and his values. He experienced redemption! And everyone was betting that Angel Dust would be first XD But Sir Pentious deserved it. I'm sure the rest of the hotel team will find out very soon that Pentious is alive. Emily I'm counting on you! Sera's face was priceless!

Vaggie and Carmila's song was beautiful and wonderful. And I like how Charlie and Vaggie's love is so pure. They have something really special and strong.

Rosie was great too! I didn't expect her to be so charming and supportive. I'm not surprised that Alastor likes her.

Alastor… My favourite deserves a separate post to analyse his behaviour. But there we have it! Alastor is on a leash! He's got a deal that scares him and he's trying to get away from it. But I am increasingly doubting that he is relying on Charlie's help…. Al seemed terrified, although it's hard for me to tell at the moment in these emotions whether he was terrified by the very deal he'd made, or that the deal was taking away his freedom. It seems to me that Alastor craves power and authority, but rather not because he is narcissistic. It's more because more power might give him the ability to break this deal.

Just who did he make it with that it scares him so much? My theory was Lilith, but it's hard to tell now…. We just don't know what Lilith is like and we don't know her motivations, so it's hard to say if she was the one who made the deal with Alastor. If so, what is the true nature of this deal? I think the favour Charlie has with Alastor will be related to his deal. Maybe he will ask her to help him break it? After all, Charlie is a princess of hell, maybe she has the power to break such a deal?

Alastor also seems to be attached to the other residents of the hotel. He is changing! Perhaps he is mellowing through Charlie and becoming slowly good, or at least less cruel?

And his relationship with Niffty is just adorable!

The next season promises to be really exciting. There will definitely be more of Vox, Valentino and Velvette battling for power. Lilith will be back, there will be a new hotel…. There's so much going on!

I can't wait for the next season! As for Alastor, when the excitement subsides and I calm down a bit I'll be sure to analyse our radio demon in detail.

#dododanart #hazbin hotel #hazbin alastor #hazbin hotel alastor #alastor #alastor the radio demon #radio demon #hazbin #hazbin hotel fanart #hazbin art #the radio demon #hazbin hotel art #alastor hazbin hotel #charlie morningstar #lucifer morningstar #lucifer #lilith #hazbin adam #vaggie #vaggie hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel charlie #hazbin hotel spoilers #hazbin hotel theory #vivziepop #hazbin spoilers #hellaverse #hazbinhotel

[yanyanderes]

ok here me out; yandere rottmnt reverse isekai au where (y/n) is the villain of the show/game/movie.

raph constantly tries to defend (y/n)’s actions like, yeah, he knows they do bad things, but that doesn’t mean they’re a bad person! i mean, yeah, they killed off half of the cast, but like… people can change! he’s just silently begging that the writers will give (y/n) a redemption arc, because he really doesn’t wanna see them locked away, wants them to be happy, wants them to change, and he’ll defend them ‘till the day he dies.

you know where this is going; mikey coming in with his fanfiction, slow burn enemies to lovers. (y/n) could be the most cruel malicious creature imaginable, mikey doesn’t care. he’ll give them a tragic backstory that totally justifies the multiple genocides they committed, also rewrites them so they’re not as heinous as they canonically are (ex.: if (y/n) slaughtered a whole village, that village was actually evil and was secretly plotting to rob and kill the main heroes all along), makes it seems like they’re just misunderstood and has his self insert oc be the only one willing to hear (y/n) out, littered with angst, fluff, bro practically writes a completely different story.

while raph and mikey see (y/n) and go “i can fix them” leo and donnie look at them and go “i can make them worse”.

leo loves how fun of a character (y/n) is, how they’re so unapologetically evil and relish in it, not sorry, doesn’t take any bs from anyone, they’re an absolute inspiration. (if they have a catchphrase, you can bet he’s gonna be using it no matter the context-) he loves it when (y/n) pulls off a stunt that annoys the fans. he loves it when the fans hate them but they can’t do anything about them. loves seeing them get pissed off and just going “lmao cry louder”

donnie’s the same when it comes to seeing (y/n) as an absolute inspiration. loves himself a crazy villain who relishes in their insanity and malice and is the biggest fanboy. makes inventions based on (y/n)’s deadly weapons (which have to be confiscated due to their deadly nature) but unlike leo, donnie doesn’t like it when people get annoyed with (y/n), going on rants about how they don’t understand the complexity of their motivations and personality, but of course someone so simple-minded wouldn’t be able to handle the sheer greatness of their character.

#yandere tmnt #yandere rottmnt #yandere teenage mutant ninja turtles #yandere rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #yandere tmnt 2018 #yandere raph #yandere mikey #yandere leo #yandere donnie #yandere rottmnt raph #yandere rottmnt mikey #yandere rottmnt leo #yandere rottmnt donnie #yandere #yandere reverse isekai au

[artist-issues]

What are the best stories you've seen that have a theme of forgiveness? If not strictly about forgiveness, then any themes along the lines of retribution, redemption arcs, or even "seeing through another's eyes" (I may or may not have rewatched Brother Bear recently lol)

Well, we’ve got all my old standbys. Cinderella, of course, is a story that really has forgiveness in it, because Cinderella wholeheartedly forgives her stepfamily for mistreating her. (Actually, she might be “forbearance,” not forgiveness.) But they’re completely off her hook. I think there’s a really great moment of forgiveness between Nick and Judy in Zootopia that gets overlooked. Frozen, with Anna and Elsa. Brother Bear is a really great example, truly! I love that movie.

I think some of my other favorites include the original A Star is Born, or even the Judy Garland remake. (Those also might be more “forbearance.”) I think one of the best examples I ever saw of forgiveness was in Avatar: the Last Airbender, which everybody knows:

And of course, ‘Til We Have Faces and The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis have some of the best-distilled forgiveness moments in any stories, ever. There are sweet ones in The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald, too, though they’re not as dramatic. In Anne’s House of Dreams, by L.M. Montgomery, Anne’s repeated forgiveness of Leslie’s coldheartedness or rudeness is a really simple but awesome example of day-to-day forgiveness.

I don’t easily think of a lot of good examples of it in stories. Brother Bear definitely has it, because without it, the story doesn’t work—Sitka wouldn’t help Kenai to learn from his wrongs, Kenai would’ve been killed by Denahi, Koda would’ve been left alone—but I don’t think forgiveness is the main focus of the movie. I think it’s a load-bearing component, but not the focus.

You’re making me want to see a movie that really homes in on that!

The thing is, I guess, for forgiveness to be the focus of a movie, there has to be a character that 100% definitely does the complete wrong, inexcusable thing to another character. Something that he deserves to be on the hook for. Then he has to acknowledge that he did the wrong thing and want forgiveness. And then the other character, the one who was wronged, has to willingly acknowledge that wrong and then let the offender off the hook. It’s not just “we’ll pretend this didn’t happen.” It’s both parties acknowledging that wrong was done, and having an exchange that ends in reconciliation. It’s got grace and mercy wrapped up in it.

Not many movies have true moments like this. Usually, one character is super sorry and the other character just seems to brush off whatever they did with like, a callback to an inside joke or something. (I’m thinking if Treasure Planet, to be honest.) Or, the situation necessitates that they put their conflict aside and work together, and then after the day is saved they sort of “get over” all that and swagger off into the sunset together.

As far as “redemption” goes—gee, all the old standbys! All the ones I mentioned above, plus Star Wars, plus East of Eden (the movie, not the book) plus, of course, my all-time favorite movie, Lilo & Stitch.

In Lilo & Stitch, you have the ugly little creature who belongs absolutely nowhere, is by definition a blight on nature and an abomination of existence, who was actively created to ruin everything. And he does it, and he takes delight in it. But there’s this little girl who gets pushed down, gets her doll chewed on, gets rejected when she’s most in need of his companionship—and she just keeps on loving him anyway. Because she’s chosen to, not because he did anything to deserve it. And then that infects him. That idea of family—of someone choosing to love you, no matter how ugly you are inside and out, and by choosing to love you, they create a place where you belong. No matter what. And that changes him. A germ from outside of him changes him from a literal world-destroying, home-shattering selfish monster into something new, something adopted, something loved.

I’d call it a story about committed love and grace, not necessarily redemption—because the focus of the story isn’t really “Stitch does something wrong but then through a process of pain and transformative struggle, redeems that wrong.” That’s not the focus of the story. But it’s still “bad character becomes good.” And I can’t help but talk about Lilo & Stitch once you get me started on it, sorry!

I think the best redemption stories are some of the ones I’ve listed above, plus East of Eden, Beauty & the Beast, and really, truly Sydney Carton from Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities.

And I think Kylo Ren was well on his way to being one of the best redemption stories of all time, if TROS hadn’t fumbled the ending so clumsily—but that’s another post for another time! I don’t know if this satisfactorily answered your question, but it was fun to ramble about and I’ll tag you if I make another post as more come to mind.

#thanks Buddy #asked #answered #Kylo Ren #beauty & the beast #forgiveness #redemption arcs #Zuko #the beast #Lilo & stitch #writing #character development

[regulusrules]

Hi! Okay so you seem like a very well-read person and I’d love to know if you have a list of your favorite Merlin fics. I just bookmarked all the ones you recommended in relation to the 10 best episodes and now I need more! I’m going on a training camp and would love to have something fairly long to download to my kindle so I can read on flights and when I don’t have data 🥰

Thanks so much in advance!

(Also, I LOVE your writing, I’m so glad to be part of this fandom with talented people like you!)

Hey! Thank you so much for your kind words! OF COURSEE I'd love to recommend you some fics! Likewise— the creativity of this fandom never ceases to amaze me :)

*cracks knuckles and pretends my eyes aren't lighting up rn because my time has finally come*

Long fic recs (50K-100K+)

1. to the world that never let you be by ImperialMint. Look. I'll hand out my own throat so willingly to any scar reveal fic. The trope is just so dear to my heart, and this one in particular was something else. It broadly covered every single feeling you might be looking for in a Merlin fic, and its characterization of both Arthur and Merlin was top tier. I basically sell my soul to any fic that does justice to their characterization, and this one did so much more than that.

2. What I'd Have Done by @flight-of-fantasy. I solemnly swear you will never read something like this fic. I read it in one day from how on edge I was all the time. I had to recount it to my friends in the timespan of three hours because of how much screaming and dramatic pauses there was. Simply, the brilliance of plot here is unmatched. Arthur's characterization as a strategist shook my innards, and Merlin's unapologetic nature was chef's kiss. It's so hard not to give away the plot while recommending this so just.. just read it.

3. Redemption by flakedice, Zerda. Soon, you will find a parallel post to the best 10 episodes with the worst 10, featuring first and foremost The Disir. Honest to God, I could literally go on ages ranting about how much agony this episode brought me. It was the blow that awoke my eyes to the possibility of fuck, this show isn't going to end well. I once thought about shitting on that episode like I did with 5×13 in My heart is readily yours, but fics like these hold me back because they already gave us everything. It gave us the ending we deserved. Gold. Everything in this was gold. The world building, the character development, the fact that Arthur has been given time. Truly a fix-it that fix-ed my heart.

4. Talking about deviations from The Fucking Disir, The World I Built for You by Fulgance is a must. It was the first fic I've read from the How They Didn't Find Out (magic reveal one-shots) series, and from then on I was * s o l d *. Whichever fic you decide to read from this, I guarantee you, you will have the time of your life. Fulgance is the one author I will always recommend without a shadow of a doubt. There is not a single work of theirs that will disappoint you. They will only break you.

5. Deep In My Heart I'm Concealing by @citharaposts. True story about this fic, I squealed when I read its summary. “I'm not standing here as a king, Merlin!” was the quickest catalyst to ever make me start a fic. I specifically wrote a spoiler-free comment for the author and left it in the first chapter so that anyone who's thinking about whether or not to go into yet another 100K fic will rest assured that it's an amazing ride. Have real fun with this one.

6. It Was One Kingdom, Once by queerofthedagger. Two things, if they happen, you leave everything behind and go thank your God for blessing you with it: @queerofthedagger posting a new Merlin fic, and it being a Royal Hanahaki AU. Like so many other tropes the author has nailed, this was the best Hanahaki I've ever read (across fandoms). It's so intricate and detailed and the world building is on another level. If our world was burning and I had only one thing to save, it'll be the works of this author.

Hope I helped, and hope you have so much fun in your camp!◕⁠ᴗ⁠◕

[Short fic recs]

#merlin fic recs #the one thing I know how to do #this fandom is sustained by the brilliance of fic writers #we redo bbc writers' shitty work #and we ask nothing but kudos and maybe a fanart every once in a while #merlin #arthur pendragon #bbc merlin #merlin bbc #merthur #ao3 #merlin x arthur #merlin fic #fic recs #king arthur #archiveofourown #bbcm #LJ recs #regulusrules answers #regulusrules recs