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obsessivevoidkitten · 10 months

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Anjinth Comes

Yandere Male Eldritch Abomination Deity x Gender Neutral Reader (CW: Violent noncon, blood, major character death, heartbreak, broken reader, religious themes, cult, paralysis, venom, oviposition, mild choking, breeding, tentacles, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat.) Word Count 2.2k (So sorry that this took me so long. So sorry that this is so fucked up, more fucked up than the eel one tbh. Reeeallly need something fluffier to balance these last two out.)

The psychic scream for help released by Anjinth the Shadowed was not heard by many. It was only possible due to the thinning in the barriers separating the planes of existence and only a very few gifted in magic could perceive his call.

Of the handful of people who could, almost all of them discounted it as either a hallucination or a demon trying to lure them in with pleas of help and promises of power.

In fact on all of planet Earth you, and you alone, could both hear his call and were willing to assist him.

Anjinth told you all about himself. That he had originally come from the same realm of man, from deep within space, and had molded Earth to his will. But he had been bound and sealed into a realm of shadow and despair from which he could barely even talk into our world. He could only manage to do so now because the walls between the worlds had thinned ever so slightly.

He told you everything that you would need to do to release him from his prison, and he promised you power, immortality, and land that you would be able to rule under him. How could you resist?

So for years you made it your unyielding mission to bring him back to your world.

Luckily you slowly amassed a small cult to assist you. You had convinced enough people of your cause, getting them to see that the current world needed to be united under one unquestionable ruler.

The first thing you had to do was either find the pieces of magic crystal that summoned the portal that he was kicked through or to make a replacement that was tuned to the same frequency.

Since the pieces of the old one were crushed and scattered you had to make a new one. This was easier said than done.

But eventually you and those working under you managed to collect enough lapis lazuli to build the structure. It was high quality.

You were not a particularly gifted mage though, so enchanting the lapis gate and attuning it to the reverberations of the void realm where Anjinth lay waiting was beyond your capabilities.

But you were not alone in this and many of the Anjinth cult members had abilities and specializations that surpassed your own.

Your boyfriend, Zereff, was one such cultist. He was perfect, he was just as dedicated to the overthrow of the current world's corruption and disorder as you were and magical enchantments and attunements just happened to be his strong suits.

With the help of your beloved everything was almost ready for the day of reckoning when Anjinth would finally be released from his prison.

All that was required now was the summer solstice and it wasn't a long wait.

When the solstice came the entire congregation joined hands around the portal and began chanting a spell in unison, the runes etched into the crystal glew with a strange purple light, and eventually the portal opened, twirling and dark.

A gleeful laugh could be heard from the other side, you recognized it as the laugh of Anjinth, you had heard it a few times when he saw fit to speak to you.

You and your boyfriend, as leaders of his cult, stepped forward and knelt before the portal.

You did not know exactly what you had expected this ancient and powerful being to look like, but it certainly wasn't what you saw clamber out of the void to stand before you.

He was humanoid, but the proportions were off. He was easily over 9 feet tall, but his arms were strangely long. And there were four of them. You were too in awe to count but you could tell each of his hands had more than five fingers. His nails were black and pointed.

He was clothed in black robes that sparkled like a clear dark night.

Anjinth had long dark black hair that seemed to be in constant motion as if from a very slight breeze.

Sharp horns sprang from his head, but instead of curving upwards they curved downwards.

Tendrils made of shadow extended from his back and constantly writhed.

The being's legs were human enough, but he had a strange scorpion-like tail that looked like it was tipped with a scythe made from obsidian.

But the most striking features were that he seemed to have no mouth or eyes at all. Where his mouth should have been there was nothing and where his eyes should have been there were bandages.

At least they seemed like bandages, but they must have been part of his body as they appeared to be like his pearl white skin, not fabric, and tiny little malformed hands grew from them in random spots, and they moved and grasped, as if seeking something unknown.

Despite a lack of eyes he looked down, regarding you and your partner.

"Thank you, esteemed acolyte. I had been locked up for countless years, and now I shall bring the world to order under my command!!"

A lack of a mouth did nothing to stop him from communicating verbally.

His voice was like several men speaking all at once in near perfect unison, it came from everywhere and nowhere all at once.

Anjinth gestured for you to approach him and spoke as he did so.

"Come now, we shall consummate our union, you shall be my mate and forever be at my side!"

You looked at your partner and then back at Anjinth with confusion. He knew you had a partner already. And that wasn't the deal.

You were supposed to rule under him, not be at his side.

"What? No, I was supposed to just rule under you… l-like a general or something! I am already with Zereff!"

The words tumbled from your mouth and were filled with obvious fear. Disobeying such a powerful cosmic horror was not something many would do.

He regarded you silently for a moment before stating angrily, "You WILL rule under me, as my mate. It is your reward for being so wonderful and dedicated, it was how I intended our deal to work from the moment you answered my contact!"

His arm elongated to an impossible length as you trembled at his wrathful words. He lashed his elongated arm right into the chest of your love and ripped out his heart.

Zereff fell to the floor lifelessly before he tossed the body aside like useless trash. The other members of the cult kneeled and looked away, not daring to defy their lord.

You ran to wear the crumpled lifeless corpse of your beloved had landed but were intercepted by the shadowy tentacles on Anjinth's back.

Though they seemed forged of shade they felt fleshy and were stronger than any iron, they pulled you close to the one you had worshipped for years, though you were unable to meet his eyeless gaze as tears dripped down your face.

"There, I fixed your problem for you. Now you no longer have any other mate to take your loyalty for me. Only minutes in your realm and I am already solving problems for you, how lucky you are to have me here!"

Your sorrow turned to fury at those words and you lashed out at him, punching and kicking wherever you could make contact. You did not care if you died, at least if you did you would be back with your only love.

Instead he just chuckled as if what you were doing was utterly adorable.

"So cute, but really we need to make our union official and seal it in sex and I might hurt you if you keep moving like that. So stop."

Words were not enough to deter you, if anything you lashed out only more fervently.

Suddenly there was a great, though brief, pain in your side. He had stabbed you with the tip of his obsidian bladed tail and injected you with something.

Your entire body tensed painfully before going completely limp. You were nothing more than a rag doll held in his tentacles.

Anjinth held you in front of him and began using his claws to tear your pants and underwear away, you certainly wouldn't be needing them for a long while.

He disrobed and, still in full view of all of the frightened cultists present, spread your ass cheeks with two of his hands and began to prod and knead your hole with his free tentacles.

His cock was strange, it protruded from a genital slit, all thick and slimy with a hint of a knot at the base.

He took you in his arms and turned you around so that your hole was presented to him like a bitch in heat.

Anjinth rubbed the tip of his cock on your entrance teasingly, as if mocking you for being able to do anything about it.

Under the effects of his venom you were unable to form words, managing only to produce a garbled whimper in protest.

"Oh, what am I thinking, you are too small and fragile! I better use lube!"

Once more his arm stretched out and went for the corpse of your lover. He covered his hand in his thick dripping blood and covered his cock and your hole in it, massaging it into you.

Wetting your cheeks with fresh tears was all you could manage to do. He wasn't sadistic, but he was angry you had defied him and he knew he had to thoroughly put you in your place as his mate.

This would be both a lesson and punishment.

You could feel his slimy tip lined up with your hole before he plunged down to the base in one smooth motion, causing your stomach to bulge with the outline of his cock.

You braced yourself for the pain that would come with being impaled by a cock that was at least 16 inches, as thick as your arm, and lubed only by sticky blood, but no amount of anticipation could prepare you for how excruciating the pain was.

It was otherworldly, far beyond just the physical sensation of having your hole stretched to its limit. It was like he was willing the pain into you, like you could feel his anger in every movement of his cock.

Cries of pain caught in your throat as he violently rage-fucked you, one set of arms moving you up and down his length like a living cock sleeve and his other free arms.

His tendrils snaked all over your body, feeling every part of you, slithering under your shirt and teasing your nipples before making their way to your neck and choking you. This wasn’t supposed to happen, none of this was supposed to happen. He was supposed to come into the world and unite humans with order. Some of his tentacles began entering your pained hole along with his cock, stretching you even wider. But just when you thought you could not possibly be opened up any wider the base of his cock began thickening, he pulled his tentacles out as his dick tied you to him. A few moments later he was pumping you full of what you thought was semen but was actually just lubricating fluid for eggs. You could feel large round masses being deposited deep within you as he moaned. Anjinth sent the other cultists away, commanding them to do various tasks, and they scampered away quickly. They were eager to no longer see what had become of their former leader. Once alone Anjinth sat down on the throne you all had made him with you in his lap facing towards him. The paralytic he had drugged you with had worn off but all you could manage to do was sob and babble incoherently as your new lover rubbed your back and pressed your face into his warm muscular chest. You were still firmly knotted to him and the tip of his cock twirled about gently inside you, as if trying to comfort your pain, even as a mix of Zereff’s blood and his own inky black lubricant leaked out of you and all over his thighs. “Shhh, it’s okay. Now that you are without that bothersome inferior and know your place I won’t have to be violent with you again~ You can just sit back and be by my side as I breed you full of my spawn everyday for the rest of eternity.” Just as he promised from the very beginning you would rule under him, it would just be a bit more literal than you had anticipated.

#yandere terato #yandere teratophilia #yandere boyfriend #yandere monster #yandere deity #male yandere #yandere monster x reader #gender neutral reader #male yandere x gender neutral reader #My OCs #My OC Anjinth #yandere eldritch abomination #yandere cosmic horror #yandere exo #yandere exophilia

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sp0o0kylights · 10 months

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Part Five Part Two / Part Six YOU ARE HERE. / Part Seven

A03

"No come back here and hug me dammit!"

"I told you it'd be funny." Gareth stage whispered to Steve the following Monday, as Eddie proceeded to cause his usual amount of chaos in the lunchroom.

Tiff just shook her head.

"Come on, just do it and then tell everyone I'm better!" Eddie shrieked again, loud enough to be heard across the school. Possibly into the parking lot, given the winces and glares their peers tossed Eddie's way.

Jeff had his own head in his hands having been Eddie's prior cuddle victim and still suffering the consequences from it.

"I hate you." He groaned, and every single person knew he was talking to Gareth. "I cannot believe you told him his stupid hugs didn't even compare to Steve's. He almost broke my back this morning!"

Which wasn't an understatement--Gareth himself had dodged his best friend's aggressive hugs only by bolting to his first class, then acting like a ninja as he snuck about all day.

He'd even dropped to the floor and army-crawled at one point.

Now he stayed close to Steve, blatantly using the jock as a meat shield.

"Anyone have any ideas on how we can get him to chill out?" Stewart asked, from where he'd taken refuge under the lunch table.

Their second eldest member put up with many things, but drew the line at bodily injury by overly affectionate metalhead.

"Same as always." Jeff grumbled, making sure Gareth saw his glare. "We wait him out."

"Tiff!" Eddie whined, whirling around, hands reaching out for her.

"You touch me Munson and I'll burn the trigonometry notes I promised you." Tiffany threatened without looking up from her book.

"Fine." Eddie wheeled right back around. "Graaaaant-!"

"This could take days!" Stewart complained, acting like a man caged. "I can't wait much longer!"

'Dramatic, the whole lot of them.' Gareth thought fondly, knowing he was just as bad.

"Okay. Seriously, how are we fixing this?" Jeff said sourly, as Grant once again picked Eddie up by his jacket and bodily threw him as far away as he could.

Like an eldritch being from a B horror movie, Eddie simply bounced back up and came for him again.

"His issue is that he thinks I'm the better cuddler, right? Nothing else?" Steve said thoughtfully.

"Yes." Groaned the other four in unison, as Grant laid a hand on Eddie's forehead, the latter pinwheeling his arms like a cartoon character.

Steve nodded once, before his face morphed into something devastatingly smug. "Yeah we're screwed."

Jeff switched targets from Gareth to glare at Steve instead. "Really Harrington?"

"I'm back to Harrington now? Jeff, man, you wound me." Steve faked a gasp, putting a hand over his heart.

It made Gareth grin, if only because Steve wouldn't have done that a month ago. "God I love when you're a bitch."

Steve looked over at him and winked.

"Just for that, we should make you cuddle with him." Stewart grumbled. "Tell him he can decide for himself who's better!"

Which of course killed the playful look on Steve's face.

Two pairs of shoes proceeded to kick at Stewart (who dodged Jeff's only to be nailed by Tiffany's far more tactical aim.)

Except when Gareth though about it, it actually wasn't a half-bad idea.

If one pitched it right.

"You know," Gareth said slowly, a plan forming. It was half-baked, but it'd work. "--you could end this pretty easily if you did. You have the power."

"Are we being serious right now?" Jeff grumped. "This does not feel like we're being serious."

Gareth ignore him.

"You up for one last cuddle, Sir Carrington?" He asked, playfully.

He got a flat look in return. "You've got to be kidding me. You're seriously suggesting the solution here is for me and Eddie to cuddle."

"I am indeed." Gareth said with a grin. "So long as it's an absolutely terrible cuddle."

That got an interesting reaction.

"Good luck, I'm an amazing cuddler." Steve huffed, offended--and it looked like he actually believed it.

A curiosity, considering even with everyone announcing themselves before touching him he still got jumpy.

"Then pretend." Gareth wheedled. "You don't even have to do it for that long. Sneeze in his ear and he'll be done for."

He got a few grossed out looks for that, but it was worth it all to see Steve growing more comfortable with the idea.

"If I were to do anything of the sort I wouldn't sneeze in his ear." The jock retorted, but he looked contemplative.

"I'm sure you could come up with something else. " Gareth suggested, and gave his best, award winning smile as he said it. "You're creative when cornered."

No ulterior motives here, no sir!

"I know what you're doing, Gareth." Steve said, calling him out immediately. "But I might be convinced to take a hit for the team--for a price. My reputation would be on the line."

"What do you want?" Stewart asked immediately, more than a little desperate as Eddie carried on in the background.

"Well..." Steve trailed off, slowly meeting each and every one of them in the eye. "what are you offering?"

"You know what?" Jeff said, putting his head back in his hands. " Just for that, you and Gareth both are on my shit list."

"I'll bake you those marble brownies you wanted and get right back off it." Steve said, the smug air only growing as Jeff sighed loudly.

"Name your price, Harrington." Stewart said, talking over Jeff's second, overly dramatic sigh. "You want some D&D treasure, or an item for your character? You got it. You want a fucking," He paused, eyes scrunching up in thought. "--new basketball? Or whatever sport ball you're into right now?"

"Not even close." Steve told him.

Jeff sighed a third time, loud and obnoxious.

"Why does this always fall down to me?" Tiff asked the ceiling, as though God himself might respond back with the answer. She tilted her head back down, aiming to make eye contact with Steve. "You're in Rucker's class right? I'll write your poly-sci paper. Highest grade I will guarantee is a B, and that is because it would be suspicious if you looked like you suddenly had strong, A-grade opinions on current, geopolitical policies."

Steve snapped and pointed towards her. "Sold!" He called, mimicking an auctioneer.

Smooth as butter, he turned towards Hurricane Eddie. "Hey Munson!"

In two seconds the jock had summoned that cocky persona of his, wearing a smarmy smile like a cloak. It was getting easier and easier to tell which "bitchy Steve" was the real one and which one was a total front.

(Tiffany had decided the man was a mean girl at his core and honestly, the label stuck.

But Mean Girl Steve was a hell of a lot different than King Steve--or any of the other overly confident swaggering personas Steve adopted like a second skin.)

For for all the preparation he'd had, was still rigid most of the time Gareth had occupied his lap, only relaxing when the younger boy had gotten Eddie so wound up their eldest friend couldn't form coherent sentences.

Now, as Steve strode over and issued the challenge of a cuddle off during the next Hellfire game, he was already less stiff.

Eddie had that effect on people. Particularly ones who had crushes on him.

"This is the stupidest thing I've ever been involved in." Tiffany complained.

"Is it Tiff? Is it really?" Jeff challenged as he finally sat up.

"She's definitely forgetting the purple griffin incident." Grant said, completely ignoring what was going down on the other end of the table as he took advantage of Eddie being distracted to make his escape.

"Fine." Tiff conceded before anyone could list anything else off, "But it's at least in the top five."

"This Friday, Harrington." Eddie announced loudly then, fire in his eyes and a finger in Steve's face. "Me and you. It is on."

"Hope you're ready to lose." Steve taunted.

It was hilarious as it was ridiculous.

Which meant of course, that dumb shit had to get in the way of it.

xXx

Steve backslid the next morning.

Worse, he kept backsliding, growing worse throughout the week until the person left looked a whole lot like the guy they’d dragged to their table all those months ago.

He sat silently next to Eddie during lunch, only speaking if asked a direct question, all banter and playful bitchiness gone.

He avoided Hellfire’s members in the hallway, Stewart reporting he had been uncharacteristically silent during their one shared class.

Most damning?

He’d flinched when Eddie had done their dumb little “shoulder bumping” routine.

Which officially meant that ghost Steve was back.

(“I didn’t realize how Steve was our little ray of sunshine and positivity until he stopped being it.” Tiff complained, idly spinning a pencil in the library. “Worse, I didn’t think I’d miss it.”

Gareth, who definitely wasn’t skipping again, agreed wholeheartedly.)

Not even Eddie's antics got a smile out of Steve. He really tried too, to the point where Gareth was starting to worry his best friend was going to do something dramatic just to get a little chuckle.

Steve at least, picked up on the fact he was freaking out all of Hellfire when Grant started to get blunt with his questions.

A part of Gareth (the part that appreciated Grant’s bluntness, instead of the rest of him, that wanted to duck and cover in case it made things worse) was curious if this would finally get Steve to open up; but instead it just made things worse.

Within two direct “No really dude, what's wrong?” ’s, Steve retired the haunted act and instead brought the downright freaky return of one Hawkins' jock's doing a real good job at pretending he was okay.

Pity for him this wasn't Tommy H or the rest of the public Steve was trying to fool.

This was a group of people who tended to be hyper aware of things, ranging from their surroundings to their people. (And then went on to play, as Steve regularly teased them, “one giant math game about it.”)

Not a single one of them was fooled by the act, or the evasive answers Steve pulled out of his ass when the rest of them all, individually, in their own way, tried to figure out if their newest member was okay or just having a few bad days.

"He told me he wasn't feeling good." Jeff said, worrying his lip with his teeth when they all finally convened together after school to discuss it.

"Are we choosing to buy that?" Tiffany asked, one eyebrow raised in a challenge. "He's been off since Tuesday. It's Thursday."

Grant huffed an agreement, arms crossed over his chest.

"Devils advocate, people are typically sick for more than one day." Stewart pointed out. "Dudes probably got allergies or something, it is the end of May."

"It's not allergies." Gareth said flatly.

Allergies usually came with symptoms like coughing and sneezing.

They did not come with vacant stares and falling over one's feet when their friends said hello in the hallway.

"Well clearly he doesn't want to talk about it so maybe he'll just…work himself out of whatever it is." Jeff reasoned. "I don't know if we should really push him about it."

"And miss out on another week's worth of baking?" Stewart bemoaned, as if Steve's lack of treats was the sole reason they were concerned.

Tiff swiped at him with her paperback.

Interestingly, Eddie had yet to say much on the matter. Everyone knew he was just as worried. The guy was a secret teddy bear, and they all still knew to warn him if a dog so much as got hurt in a movie. Worse, Steve was one of his "sheepies" as he so lovingly called them all, and was notoriously defensive of Hellfire as a whole.

Gareth had been eyeing him throughout their little gathering, watching as his best friend tapped his foot anxiously.

The guy seemed lost in his own head and while it wasn't completely unusual, it too, was odd behavior.

Gareth squinted at him, making eye contact and asking if he was alright with the kind of subtle facial expressions only best friends could pull.

Eddie didn't respond, but instead, looked away.

'That's a no.' Gareth thought, as the conversation around them wound down, without anyone coming up with any solid plans on what they were going to do about the Steve situation.

This is exactly how he ended up following Eddie home.

"Inviting ourselves over I see." The elder teen muttered out of the corner of his mouth as Gareth chased him to his van, hopping into the passenger seat instead of heading for his bicycle.

"It's a good night for a smoke sess." Gareth responded casually.

"You hate smoking weed." Eddie returned with a snort. "You prefer edibles."

"Just think of what we could do with Harrington's baking skills." Gareth replied wistfully--but made sure to watch his friend.

There it was. The slightest of weird expressions, flitting over Eddie's face like a shadow before he hid it back into whatever cage it escaped from.

"You're worried." Gareth guessed. Not like that was a hard one.

"Aren't we all, Gare-Bear?" Eddie returned, eyes never leaving the road.

He pretended like he couldn't feel Gareth scanning him, taking in the too tense shoulders and the shuttered, guarded look on his face.

"You know something." Gareth guessed after a moment.

The declaration made his best friend flinch, hands squeezing tight on the wheel.

'Got you.'

"Are you going to spill or do I have to blackmail it out of you?"

"Please Gary you have nothing you could blackmail me with." Eddie challenged with a snort. "I am shameless."

A challenge that could not be ignored, if only because Gareth wanted to remind him who had had the upper hand since Steve had crashed into Hellfire.

"Really? So you wouldn't mind if I show Steve those photos of the time we dressed up as a Barbie “ken doll” band for Jeff’s sister’s birthday? You know, the one were you were wearing that pink boa and the star glasses--”

A hand shot out, clapping Gareth over the mouth.

"Thank you, I got it!" Eddie said, voice an octave higher than normal. "Why do you still even have that!?"

"My mom." Gareth managed to get out, even if it was horribly muffled between Eddie's bony fingers.

"Curse that woman's thirst for nostalgia and scrapbooks." Eddie hissed, as if his mom was some grand villain.

"You love her crafts, you ass." Gareth rolled his eyes, wiping his mouth when Eddie finally removed his hand. "Now spill."

"I'm not sure this is what's causing it." The elder cautioned after a pause just long enough to be dramatic. "But rumor has it his parents are home."

"You think they're why he's acting all…" Gareth trailed off, unsure of what to compare Steve to and not wanting to say a kicked dog.

Eddie hummed in agreement. "Every time I walk into Steve's house, the place starts off feeling like a living tomb. There’s got to be a reason for that, and the only one I can think of is that his parents want that. The tomby-ness."

Gareth leaned back in his seat, contemplating. Turned the idea of Steve's mysterious parents over in his head, comparing it to how the guy's house did have a sort of museum quietness to it.

It wasn't that the place was huge, or even that Steve was typically its solo occupant beyond the occasional weekends one or both of his parents "popped in."

It was the perfectness of it.

How on any given day a photographer could show up to take pictures and the place would be camera ready.

A sort of--trophy house.

He went on to tell his best friend this.

"It’s like a shrine to their success." Eddie added an hour later, when they'd resettled onto his couch, trying to break down just what exactly about Steve's house made it so weird.

They'd shared a beer each--some gross kind that a cat couldn't have gotten buzzed off of, and Gareth had just finished helping Eddie select their chosen flower to roll when an awkward sound erupted throughout the trailer.

If Gareth knew any better, he'd say it almost sounded like someone was knocking on the shitty aluminum door.

Couldn't be though, because he'd never in his life heard someone knock--Eddie's uncle Wayne had a key, and every member of Hellfire was aware that the window in Eddie's room had a broken lock.

To get it open you just had to push at it from a specific angle, and with a few tugs it'd come right up for you.

The noise came again, this time a little louder.

Gareth looked to Eddie, and found his friend holding all the weed.

Understanding flashed between them, and Gareth stood up to answer the door as Eddie magically made the drugs disappear.

Thankfully, it wasn't the cops.

"Hey." Steve said, standing awkwardly on Eddie's porch, looking like he desperately wanted inside but wasn't sure he'd be allowed in. "Eddie said I could just come over if I needed to…?"

He trailed off, awkwardly miming smoking with his fingers.

Gareth couldn't hold in the snort.

"You're in luck man, because I just finished rolling a few." He said, stepping back to let their wayward jock in.

"Hey Stevie." Eddie drawled, now in the process of making the weed reappear. "Come in, have a seat, take a puff."

Rather than sit on the admittedly small couch, Steve chose instead to drop his ass to the floor, leaving the open spot above him to Gareth. He waited until the younger was seated before he leaned back, broad shoulders brushing both his friends legs as he relaxed.

Eddie’s hand twitched, as though he wanted to run it through Steve’s hair and thought better of it.

(Knowing him as Gareth did, that was very likely exactly what the weird little movement of his was.)

“You wanna tell us what’s goin’ on?” Eddie said softly, long after all three of them had an inhale of the joint Eddie had lit, sitting in relaxed silence. "Cause you've been pretty down, Stevie."

"Yeah." Steve agreed hollowly. "Sorry."

Eddie nudged his leg with a foot, then offered him the blunt again. "Don't apologize man, we can't all be sunshine and rainbows."

“You’d be surprised at how many people expect an apology for just that.” Steve muttered.

Gareth traded careful looks over Steve’s head, Eddie turning back and resolutely plowing on.

“You don’t have to, but talking tends to make people feel better.”

“Does it?” Steve asked, before taking a slow, measured inhale of the joint.

Idly he added; "Gareth you can't roll for shit."

"Fuck you dude!" The younger teen exclaimed, instantly offended, but knew a redirect when he saw one. "You try rolling them then!" He snatched the joint out of Steve's hands, huffing audibly.

It was an offer. If Steve didn't want to take the opening Eddie had given him, he could instead take the out Gareth had given.

The option reminded him of Alice in Wonderland (Gareth’s actual favorite movie, even if he tells everyone else it's The Empire Strikes Back)

Specifically when Alice was lost, standing before a split path and asking advice from the Cheshire Cat.

Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?" Alice asks.

The Cheshire Cat spins its head, smiling its smile as it answers;“ That depends a good deal on where you want to get to."

Steve proved himself to be a stronger man that Gareth had given him credit for, and took the harder path.

"My parents are home." He said, eyes glued to the TV in front of him, as if that would make the conversation easier.

Perhaps it did.

Eddie to his credit, didn't treat the declaration as anything important. "Yeah? They bring you something nice back from New York?"

"Florida this time and no."

Steve fussed with a thread on his sweater for a moment, a single yellow thread unspooling from the end. It looked like he’d been tugging at it a lot, a small imperfection on an otherwise expensive looking piece of clothing.

"Apparently I've been such a disappointment they're demanding I get a job." He began again. "They want me to learn the realities of hard work."

Gareth traded puzzled glances with Eddie.

Steve had never shied from hard work.

Everyone had heard the story of how he’d won over every coach in Hawkins' High’s favor. It was practically school legend, since he was the first freshmen to take up and finish some bullshit exercise challenge they hosted every year.

The guy even had a herd of some of the most obnoxious children he looked after, without pay.

There was no way the source of whatever was eating at him was a summer job.

Or perhaps, not just a summer job.

"Summer jobs fucking suck, but I hear that new mall’s finally finished.” Gareth said hesitantly. “You could probably get in somewhere there before you head off to college.”

"I'm not going to college. Didn't get into any." Steve said flatly.

Ah-ha.

"I only applied to the one Nancy made me." He added, still refusing to look at either of them. "Couldn't bring myself to apply to any of the others."

Which--odd, but it wasn't the oddest thing ever. Some people just didn't like school, or traditional learning methods.

No matter how much Gareth's counselor insisted otherwise.

"My dad found that out too." Steve said after a moment.

"College isn't the fucking answer to life." Gareth continued. "There's plenty of other things you can do."

Eddie’s head cocked, like a dog who’d been presented with a puzzle.

Steve shrugged. "That's not my issue with it, but the old man thinks it is. He keeps insisting that the free rides are over now." His voice kicked into a deep mockery of his fathers at the end, the condescending tone coming through loud and clear. “Thinks I'm here to screw my girlfriend and party my life away. Wouldn't hear me about not wanting to go to college, at all. Definitely didn't care that I broke up with Nancy." The last part was muttered, almost said more to himself and for himself than it was for them.

Eddie’s head tilted the other way.

"Did you have an idea of what you wanted to do?" Gareth asked. He figured it they knew, they might be at least able to help.

He got a shrug in response.

Gareth was about to open his mouth--probably to put his foot in it, but hell if Steve wanted help brainstorming what he did want to do with his life, or at least get positive support from someone who wasn't a rich asshole, it might as well start here.

Eddie beat him to the punch though, because as usual, Eddie was able to track the weird unspoken thing that no one else could pick up on.

"It's the kids, isn't it?" Eddie asked softly. Reverently. "You don't want to leave Hawkins, because of the kids."

Steve took another sip of beer, waving off the joint Gareth offered him. For someone who'd come to smoke he'd barely touched it or the beer, but then no one here would push.

It was pretty obvious, (to Gareth anyway) that the weed had been a flimsy excuse to begin with.

"When those damn kids started trying to trap the--dogs." Steve started, correcting his slip so smoothly Gareth almost didn't pick up that he'd intended to say something else. “I was the only damn adult they could find.”

Steve gave up fiddling with his sweater to tug angrily at his beer tab, twisting and pulling at it.

"They had figured out where the dogs would be. Had an entire meat bucket they wanted to use as bait and but I was the only damn person to try and at least wrangle the little shits. You wanna know how they found me?" He picked up steam now, and Eddie couldn't even be satisfied that he'd managed to hit the nail on the head because clearly whatever was happening here was the actual thing Steve needed to get off his chest.

"Football practice?" Gareth asked mostly to fill in the tension-filled pause, and then ducked from the swat Eddie aimed his way.

Steve blew out a harsh, mocking breath.

"Dustin found me on the way to Nancy's house, where I was planning on apologizing. Had flowers and everything."

Oh.

Steve's tone said a hell of a lot more than that, the raw emotion making Gareth's own stomach roll.

A careful glance showed an equally punched-out expression on Eddie's face, the metalhead having physically reared back like Steve's words had struck him.

"What were you apologizing for?" He asked, recovering faster than Gareth could.

"Honestly man? I don't know." Steve laughed then, a harsh little disbelieving noise. "I just knew Nancy had said--well she said some shit while drunk, and wasn't able to say some shit sober, and I realized after that maybe I--I rushed her or something you know?"

He ran a hand through his hair, a self soothing behavior. "Or that I did, fuck I don't know. She's Nancy Wheeler, she's smarter than me by a longshot, so if she was mad, than I figured I must be at fault." Steve shrugged, like that was a fact of life.

Eddie interrupted immediately. "She's not smarter than you."

"I--what?"

"Nancy isn't smarter than you.' Eddie repeated firmly. "She's booksmart, Stevie. School smart. Nancy Wheeler absolutely owns tests and papers and things you need to study for, and she’s a hell of a researcher--but she's not people smart."

"What?" Steve repeated incredulously and there Gareth caught a flash of bitchy Steve.

The real one, who'd been shoved aside by the apathetic version.

"Have you ever seen that girl get fixated on something? She's tenacious, gets her teeth in and won't let go.” Eddie snapped his teeth, shaking his head while growling like a dog.

Gareth rolled his eyes, but a ghost of a smile graced Steve’s face.

“But she hasn't figured out how that hurts people yet. She's caught up in getting the results. She's not intentionally unkind, she's just--a little out of touch." Eddie flopped back against the couch, making a grabby gesture for the joint Gareth now held. “People like you--”

Here, he poked Steve in the chest, before reaching past him to wave his hand obnoxiously in Gareth’s face for the joint (and get smacked at for the effort) “are people smart.”

"That's not--no." Steve protested head jerking from Eddie's fingers to Eddie's face, but it was weak, his eyes wide as saucers.

"Yes.” Eddie mocked, but it was in jest, proven by the easy, soft smile he gave Steve. “You said it yourself. The kids go to you, man. They go to you even now, when Nancy or Jonathan could be driving them all over town. You get people; how they work, how they tick, what makes them happy or sad, and people are drawn to you because of that.”

“Jonathan drives.” Steve muttered in disagreement.

“And yet we all witnessed the clown car act when all those kids came out of your backseat two weekends ago.” Eddie refuted. “You’re just as smart as Nancy is, Steve. Just in a different way.”

Steve frowned.

“My parents don’t see it like that.”

“Your parents can get fucked, Sweetheart.”

That was pushing it, but Steve didn't comment on the nickname. Never commented on any nicknames Eddie came up with, beyond the occasional eye roll.

Which is right about when the phone rang.

They all glanced towards it, then down at their respective watches.

It was well past midnight.

"Think that's Wayne?" Gareth asked, eyebrows raising as Eddie stood to answer the phone.

His friend just shrugged, before picking up.

"Munson Mortuary, you stab em we slab em." He chirped as he pressed the phone to his ear.

"Tiffy-Taffy isn't it kinda late for--whoa." Eddies easy smile flipped, back going ramrod straight. "Slow down, what happened?" And oh, shit, that was Eddie's "somethings wrong and I'm going to fix it" voice.

Gareth sat up, making sure the joint Eddie had put down was out as he stared worriedly at Eddie.

"Okay. Gareth and Steve are with me, we're all coming." Eddie finished, prompting Steve to also sit up. "Stay there and for the love of God, tell Stewart not to touch anything else."

"What happened." Steve and Gareth demanded as one.

It'd be funny if the look on Eddie's face wasn't so serious.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to break my promise about not going to the lab, Steve." He said, a hand going to tug anxiously at his hair.

"What?" Steve said, immediately on the defensive.

Then; "Why?"

"Because all our darling friends went to the Hawkin's lab without us. Apparently they ran into some kids on the way and now Stewart's stuck in a hole."

“All of them?” Gareth questioned, because sure, yeah he could see Stewart doing it. Could see Grant and even Jeff really, but Tiffany? Out exploring an abandoned lab that had killed people?

On a school night?

"She's gonna give us the full story when we get there, she called from the nearest payphone. Had some kid who kept interrupting her so she just gave me the basics, but apparently Stewart is really stuck, and for some reason the damn kids won't let anyone try to get him from some other door. They keep saying it's not safe or some shit." Eddie's anxious tugging grew as he moved to snatch up his wallet and keys, walking and talking as it were.

Gareth had expected a reaction out of Steve then, but what he hadn't expected was Steve to surge to his feet in a near panic.

"Kids!?" He shouted, eyes wide and frantic.

Eddie flinched, but Gareth knew immediately what the jock was thinking.

"You don't think they're your feral pack of kids--do you?" He asked.

"It's always them so yes, yes I do." Steve snarled and for the first time that week, the guy looked alive.

Gareth just wished it was under better circumstances.

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weebsinstash · 4 months

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Ok so I kept procrastinating but I finally finished Masquerade earlier today and just. Oh my fucking god, kicking my feet, twirling my hair around a finger, giggling ,rewinding, smiling like a GOON, I have THOUGHTS

--Val's red coat is his WINGS and they're glorious. And not to mention he wears that like, slutty open chested black v neck underneath where he's lowkey showing off his nipples too, the slut. The gold heart belt buckle and the matching gold accented accessories too. Ugh. You can't say he doesn't dress up, and I really liked getting to see the full reveal of his body so to speak, the way his violet arms become black fingers, also is he, is he wearing like gold manicured claw cap things sometimes, why is he such a diva, he's so extra

--the Addict music video WASN'T just being artistic, Valentino's smoke CAN become physical actual chains and bondage and oh my gooddddddd I'm using this knowledge for EVIL purposes.

Boom! Sudden third eye opening moment, but remember that post I made about "Val who starts dragging you around on a leash because he's too much taller than you to keep leading you by the hand" ? His lower set of arms could totally hold onto you BUT I can totally see him using these chains all the time now, to drag you around and just restrain you and shit. Ugh. Just. Him having you completely immobilized and helpless and shaking like a chihuahua as he can run his fingers along you and whatever else he wants, listening to you gadp and squirm

-- ok I know the whole point of the poison music video was showing the horrible shit Angel is made to do and how he's dehumanized but like.... obviously, from.. a fetish perspective... you know what I think 😩❤️

Like you can't just show me a shot of Valentino having Angel in his arms and he's got all four arms wrapped around him in like almost an embrace, kissing, KISSING while they fuck. maybe I'm so shy but that's so... intimate, like, ok fuck my ass i guess, that's like sex, whatever, but kissing me on the MOUTH, let alone with tongue? you might as well be looking into my soul or something dofnofjfjg, not to mention Val biting his neck while they do it like you CAN'T me all of that and expect me to be normal!!!

--platonic yandere Husker with an alcoholic Reader though. He forces you into these weird little therapy sessions when yeah he still serves you drinks but he cuts you off when you're fucking plastered, like he enables you until you're having TOO much, amd by that point you're yammering with your loose lips and answering ALL His questions. Siiiiigh I can see him seeing how you're down on your luck and burying your worries and sorrows at the bottom of a bottle , getting so drunk you can barely sit up straight, and he starts getting protective of you, secretly following you to bars when you won't just get drunk at the hotel, making sure your drink doesn't get spiked, having to kick some ass to protect you and drag you home more than once

--i was such a fool. If Valentino is such a, quite frankly, perverted fucking idiot that he LICKS CHARLIE, fucking CHARLIE MORNINGSTAR upon first meeting her, he ABSOLUTELY does creepy shit to his darling day ONE. He CLEARLY has ZERO impulse control: he drinks, he smokes, he forces himself onto other people, he throws things when he loses his temper. He uses his power to be a bully and seeking unrestrained self gratification

--this is completely unrelated to everything else here but Zestial is hot in that like, antiquated charming eldritch evil kind of way. He seems like the sort of creature you could encounter deep within an enchanted woods, you're freshly dead and wind up in a bad part of Pentagram City and this TOWERING gentleman says some shit like "turn back child, there is no safety for you here". He's. He's sexy in that Neflix Castlevania Dracula way where there's an appeal in his age and his wisdom and his composure and just his full-on aesthetic and such. Like bro it's so easy to miss it but he's the oldest of the Overlords and he bowed in respect to Carmilla for what she did. He's chivalrous and loyal and just 👀 got my eye on him...

--bro watching Val manipulate Angel to get Charlie to leave fucking HURT and I've thought about Reader being in that exact scenario SO many times! Valentino is manipulating Angel to control you, and he's manipulating YOU to control Angel. Sure, he'll have Angel make you cry and chase you off so you don't get emotional and interfere with a shoot, or so that you don't sabotage whatever manipulated state he has Angel under at the time, but when you're off on your own drinking and crying and sobbing and feeling oh so horrible and pitiful, then Val is sibling up to you, cooing about, oh how MEAN Angel was to you, he didn't have to be so harsh to someone so sweet--

Could you imagine the fucking. Tiered angst and manipulation of Angel hurting Reader because Val pressured him to, and then Reader going off and getting drunk and being self destructive, and then at your emotional weakest Val is popping in to strike some kind of deal with you or fuck you or whatever, and then Angel blames himself, and here's Valentino, "that wouldn't have happened if you just did what you were told :3c" and Angel is even further under his control because now he's terrified he might "fuck up" and get you really hurt

--siiiiiiiigh imagine like drinking with Angel and you've been down there for like two months and you're idly chit chatting and, something something, you offhandedly mention something like "god fuck Val had me so fucking wasted I could barely sign my employee contract" CUE ANGEL IMMEDIATELY DROPPING WHATEVERS IN HIS HAND AND SHAKING YOU, "what do you MEAN you signed something??? You're just waiting tables, what did you SIGN???" And it turns out Val whipped out like ONE OF THE B I G "types" of contracts for you. God I really want some elaboration on how those contracts work and how Val or any Overlord strikes deals and even gains powers because it's very clear not everyone had the same level of abilities, and also lowkey the power scaling in Hazbin is kinda busted like not to be a dweeb but you've got people running around basically having Quirks

--ALSO THIS IS SO DUMB BUT I HAVE A COMPLAINT SIR. Valentino straight up says "no one watches porn for the dialogue" EXTREMELY INCORRECT BUZZER NOISE. When you've watched enough porn or at the very least you're hunting for a specific fetish, dialogue can be Duper important. You can see 20 different actors do the same scene BUT have a specific pair who, maybe used a specific line that stood out to you and made it unique and made it worth watching. You know for a long while there I was writing smut and feeling like I was doing the same descriptions over and over again and it kind of burnt me out and turned me off and that's when I tried to shift towards more emotional and environmental and thematic sorts of stuff

Listen all I'm saying is I have been ENAMORED like straight up with the idea of Reader becoming the fourth V because you become close to all the Vs and you have your own talents and they all like you and shit. You're able to pitch product ideas to Vox, even help him if you're a programmer or a coder or something, Valentino.... maybe you have magic hammer space pockets and can run him errands or you cook drugs or you're like a sexy bodyguard for him or, he just likes getting drunk and doing drugs with you, and Velvette is that #Bitch who you gossip with who likes to design new shit for you and bounce ideas off of you from time to time. Like the gradual slide of "oh we're all hanging out and they think I'm actually kind of cool," to "oh they keep inviting me to hang out. I feel special. I'm one of the cool kids. Maybe I even have fun powers and they encourage me to be mean and evil and its fun" to then "oh you're straight up shoving new clothes in my face and you keep using this one specific V nickname for me instead of my real name and I stg I don't have personal space anymore and I'm always being crowded by at least one of you literally 24/7"

God just. God. Just. GOD I AM SO WELL FED. I saw what Viv was selling and I got in line and I've finally gotten my food and it is FILLING, my craving for controlling obsessive possessive douchebags is sooooo sated right now 😩❤️

#yandere stuff #sinprompts #yandere hellaverse

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absolutely-esme · 6 months

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Monster!Tim Coraline AU Idea

This idea would not leave me alone.

It’s a cross between a meta!/magic!Tim au and a Coraline au.

Before I get into it, I feel like I should explain. I was on a bit of an Eldritch!Batfamily and Cryptid!Batfamily kick. Then I found a collection of supernatural Tim aus. Then I stumbled across a Coraline au. There’s probably also some inspiration in there from vampire au fics.

It didn’t really jell until the idea occurred to me of a scene where some frightened villain asks Tim “What kind of monster are you?” and Tim says “The hungry kind.”

...

The idea is that somewhere back along the way, Tim’s family tree includes some kind of supernatural creature which may or may not have been an eldritch entity.

The supernatural heritage allows Tim to acquire abilities from other entities he has defeated, and Gotham is absolutely full of the supernatural if you pay attention.

Of course, Tim’s power isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. It actually comes packaged with some pretty nasty side effects.

One of those side effects is perpetual Hunger. Tim is always Hungry. There is no way to stop it. He eats enough to stay healthy, but he still feels Hunger at all times. Increasing his food intake will not help and will screw up his metabolism and cause him to need more for normal function. If this was allowed to spiral out of control it could eventually reach a point where he was physically unable to eat the amount of food he needed to function and starved to death on a full stomach.

Fixing it is stupid hard because this particular sort of magical inheritance is really fucking inconvenient. And, of course, whatever is up with his biology also makes him insanely susceptible to addiction, so no coffee for him unless he wants caffeine withdrawal symptoms all the time for however long it takes to fix that. The constant Hunger also makes it difficult to get enough sleep. Have you ever tried to go to sleep on an empty stomach? Not easy, was it? Imagine that every night.

The Hunger is fairly central to the nature of the magic. Whatever supernatural entity he’s descended from, it is the Hungry kind. The ritual of defeating another supernatural entity, taking a bit of the defeated entity’s power, and incorporating it into himself serves as a sort of metaphorical devouring, (and metaphors matter more to magic than they do to normal biology). That’s why he’s able to gain power and abilities from defeated foes.

...

Tim’s relationship with his parents is complicated. His supernatural heritage comes from his mother’s side of the family. She did her best to teach him about it and how to cope with it, but a lot of knowledge was lost over the generations due to persecution forcing those like them into hiding more than once. There may have been a few individuals who spiraled out of control and caused small-scale famines before losing their lives. It only takes a few cases for people to decide that a specific category of people is simply not worth the risk of having around. Janet always referred to herself and Tim (as well as anyone else sharing the condition) as “those afflicted with Gluttony.” This is the closest they have to a name for the condition.

One of the important things Janet Drake teaches her son is to pursue his passions. It is incredibly important for individuals like them to have things outside the self that they can draw satisfaction and fulfilment from, things that keep them going in the face of the relentless Hunger. This is what leads Tim to his night-time photography of Gotham, and eventually to his fascination with the Bats.

Janet’s passions are archeology and travel. Unfortunately, traveling from dig site to dig site is not a particularly stable or safe environment to raise a child in. She needs to do these things to remain in good health. Without her external coping mechanisms, she could start spiraling. If she starts spiraling, it might trigger her son to start spiraling too because children in their developmental years are delicate, and this type of hereditary magic is fucking inconvenient (there might be ways of managing things that make it easier to live with, but between the knowledge lost and the risks that come with experimentation, they don’t have much info on how anything works). She comes home as much as she can without the risk of compromising both their health.

She also taught Tim how to calculate appropriate portion sizes based on nutritional data so as not to screw up his metabolism, and how to fix it if he does mess up. She also stayed and managed the process the first time it happened because the process of returning the metabolism of one afflicted with Gluttony to normal after it’s gotten out of hand is difficult and unpleasant and Tim wasn’t old enough to handle it by himself. The nanny that had overfed him hadn’t been malicious or unreasonable, she’d just been operating on the assumption that he had standard human biology. It took months to get Tim healthy again. It took several hefty bribes to keep things under wraps. Janet doesn’t know if there are still people out there hunting their kind, but she’s not willing to risk it.

Janet may not know about the aspect of the family magic that lets them gain powers from defeating other entities. It’s possible that she was holding off on explaining this until he was older and more ready for the responsibility of multiple superpowers. It’s also possible that the knowledge got lost somewhere along the way and Janet didn’t discover it herself because she didn’t spend her childhood running around Gotham at night and was more the sort of person who would stay home and read when she had trouble sleeping.

...

Tim discovers his ability to gain abilities from defeating other supernatural things fairly early on. The type of defeat can vary, but it has to be something of significance. A fight will work for most, but there are other particular challenges that will work for specific cases.

The first things a young Tim is able to beat are these small things, invisible to most, that gain power from learning secrets. What that power is used for, I couldn’t tell you. They don’t seem to do much other than sneak around and learn secrets. Tim doesn’t know if there’s a proper name for these things or not, but he calls them Secret Hunters. They are absolutely everywhere in Gotham.

Secret Hunters are invisible to most, but Tim is able to see them. It might be because of his own supernatural nature, or it might be something else entirely. If it’s hereditary it must have skipped his parents’ generation. Neither of them seem to be able to see them. Tim gains improved stealth and a sense for when something is hidden from catching Secret Hunters until they wise up and start avoiding him. (Catching them works in place of a fight because secret hunters primarily operate on stealth and evasion.)

He can’t just magically know secrets, but he can tell when there is a secret. (He still figured out Batman’s and Robin’s secret identities on his own merit. The most this ability would have done is alert him to the fact that they had secret identities if that hadn’t already been obvious from the fact that they were wearing masks.)

He also gets various other abilities from other things he encounters while scrambling all over Gotham at night. Nearly doesn’t get out of some of the scrapes he gets himself into. He gains the ability to cut with his fingernails as if they were razors from something that nearly killed him. He gains the ability to climb like a goat from a Jersey Devil. Etc.

...

At some point, Tim is targeted by a beldam. He doesn’t get the kind of warnings that Coraline does, but his ability to sense secrets lets him know that the Beldam is hiding something, and any child raised in any part of Gotham knows to be suspicious of things that seem too good to be true. Tim doesn’t have a convenient seeing stone from the neighbor, but he does have the advantage of his own supernatural nature which the Beldam doesn’t know about.

Tim finds a button-eyed doll that looks like him after his parents leave on yet another trip, and thinks it’s a gift they meant to give him before leaving. They do often bring interesting souvenirs. It wouldn’t be at all unusual for them to find an artist who sews dolls to look like people and have one made based on pictures of him. Later on, he discovers the key.

This Beldam is older and more powerful than the one from Coraline. She has more power and more past victims to work with, so she’s able to make a larger, more populated world.

Oh by the way, I head-canon that the Other versions of people in the Other world are actually past victims of the Other Mother, remade and dressed up for whatever role she has them play. The three ghosts were just the three most recent and not fully processed for use yet. That’s why the Others are able to act against her sometimes (Other Wybie saving Coraline from the mirror, Other Father tossing the eye to Coraline) or say things she doesn’t want them too (Other Father says “so sharp you won’t feel a thing” and Other Mother kicks him under the table).

The Other Mother doesn’t know all that Tim knows, so the Other World has inconsistencies like Other Batman and Other Robin sitting across the table from Other Bruce and Other Jason. She doesn’t know they’re the same people. She just knows that they’re all important to Tim. She also tries to tell him to “eat as much as he wants” when his real mother was the one to explain the dangers of attempting to eat to fullness for people with their condition.

There isn’t a cat to warn Tim but he doesn’t need it. He can sense hidden intentions in everything, and he’s fully capable of uncovering the hidden secrets himself.

Tim doesn’t have a cat, but he does have Other Robin, who might have been made from whatever remained of someone close to one of the people mirrored in the Other World made for Tim. He doesn’t remember his life, but somehow he feels incredibly motivated to help a boy who cares dearly for whoever and is willing to let him know that they're living a good life out there in the real world.

Tim discovers the nature of the other world and sets out to free the souls trapped there. He fights the Beldam will all the viciousness and desperation of someone who knows they’ve only got one shot. He takes everything he can from this fight as he makes sure she won’t ever hurt anyone again. He doesn’t stop until the beldam is well and truly dead. Then he unravels Other Gotham and spills all of the souls out into the world where they can move on and rest.

This is how Tim learns to Sew. He can’t make entire populated worlds like the beldam, but that’s mostly because he refuses to do what she did. He can control things he’s made (though there’s limits on how much) and even see through buttons he’s sewn (onto cushions and such, he's not the Other Mother). He also gets some minor illusory powers that let him make things look a bit brighter/nicer/cheerier than they are. It takes quite some time before he’s comfortable with using these powers. Trauma is a bitch like that.

Part of the reason this version of Tim was so desperate to do something about Batman losing it out of grief is because he already has Evil Batman trauma from Other Batman, and he doesn’t need that shit happening in real Gotham.

By this point Tim has a collection of powers that allow him to navigate the more dangerous parts of Gotham largely without fear. Now he has to learn how to manage without using any that he isn’t one hundred percent certain he can sneak past Batman, which means he’ll have to divide his attention between learning from the training and not letting himself do things the supernatural way. This is going to suck.

It does, in fact, suck.

Oh, it turns out some of the rogues are a bit supernatural. He gains a bit of an intuitive understanding of the health of plants from Ivy. He gains the ability to taste emotions from Scarecrow. (Also, Johnathan Crane is a freaking weirdo, fear tastes like spoiled milk!) The rogues with supernatural tendencies are freaking terrified of the new Robin because he always seems like he wants to freaking eat them. The non-supernatural types don’t get it.

Eventually, Red hood breaks into Titan’s tower. Tim, by this point, is very good at deciphering how supernatural entities work and is packing an extensive inventory of powers. He realizes quickly that this is some kind of manipulative entity that feeds on rage and pain attached to an unwitting host. When he realizes that the unknowing (and therefore unconsenting) host is Jason Todd, he tells the Lazarus Entity in no uncertain terms to give Jason back or perish.

Jason, who does not realize he has a malicious, mind-warping, supernatural parasite and believes there to be no one other than himself and Tim present, is understandably confused.

Tim decides that the Lazarus entity has had its chance and springs into action.

Jason is treated to the terrifying sight of just what Tim Drake is like when he’s not expending conscious effort on not being something out of a horror movie. Suddenly he’s in the middle of a spider’s web and no matter how hard he tries to fight back everything around him is under the control of his opponent. Furniture flies around on puppet strings. Getting too close puts him in range of the freaking claws this kid apparently has!? Trying to get away just leaves him caught in strings and the more he struggles the more entangled he becomes! The new Robin is skittering and gliding around in a decidedly inhuman way.

Jason honestly thinks he's going to die when he finds himself bound with Tim standing over him. He passes out when Tim rips the Lazarus entity away from him and destroys it.

Tim gains the ability to heal from defeating the Lazarus entity.

Jason is surprised and confused when he wakes up bundled in a handmade quilt with his head in Tim’s lap and a cool compress on his forehead, feeling sore but more well and whole than he has since before he died.

Jason later decides that his memories of the fight at Titans Tower must be some kind of weird fever dream caused by his body purging the last of the Lazarus Water from his system. It goes along with Tim's account of things.

According to Tim, Jason entered the tower, initiated a lock-down, and then collapsed on the floor. Then, Tim moved him closer to a wall where he was less likely to get stepped on than in the middle of the walkway and did his best to take care of him there because Jason was simply too large and heavy for him to carry all the way to the med bay by himself.

This is far more believable and less of a mind screw than what Jason remembers. Obviously this tiny, baby-faced kiddo who played nursemaid for a stranger who broke into the tower and now looks up at him with wide, starry eyes couldn't actually be the terrifying, predatory creature from the nightmare. It was all just a bad dream.

He's honestly glad he collapsed before he had time to do any harm. The poor kid will never have to know what Jason went there to do. Jason knows, though, and he'll do his damned best to make up for it. He may have flubbed first impressions, but he is going to be the best damn big brother that ever big brothered.

...

Tim might or might not go full on feral cryptid when Bruce is lost in the Timestream. I haven't decided. He will probably pick a fight with the Lazarus Pit much to the confusion and alarm of everyone around.

That’s all I’ve got so far.

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cringefailvox · 2 months

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when it comes to alastor as a character how do you typically approach him ? i’ve seen many interpretations like pilot!alastor dialed to the max (transatlantic old timey friendlyshebang all the way) and eldritch!alastor where the funky deer imagery is played around w and he’s like a cosmic freak lmao anyway tldr; what’s your interpretation of him ?

thank you for the question, it's really interesting!!

i tend to steer pretty clear of the pilot in terms of characterization, if only because i REALLY like the cleaned-up version of him we get in the actual series way more—a little more reserved, a lot less touchy, proud and very careful about maintaining his own ego. he's creepy enough to set people on edge, but his affable manner is easy to mistake for genuine generosity, especially when he's dialing it up to manipulate someone, like when lucifer shows up at the hotel.

in my own writing, i like to characterize him as insecure but deeply resentful of it, to the point of totally deluding himself into believing he's not. alastor's a character who lies to himself so much that even he loses the plot sometimes. i do enjoy exploring a very genuine array of [shudder] feelings at the core of him, what manages to hit him where it hurts before he twists everything sideways into violent fury, but very few people, if any, get a glimpse into that complicated interior. i also believe the smile is an active choice he makes and uses as a shield; it would be a weakness to react in any other way, and in moments of especially high stress, he smiles even harder to convince himself that he's fine.

another thing is, i do interpret him as being a weird and freakish little guy whose polite affect is also equally real. much in the same way i think rosie is genuinely very compassionate and empathetic, she's just also a freak who eats people. he's deeply human in that way. he'll call charlie "my dear" and laughingly chide someone for having poor manners and then, in the same breath, say something insanely sinister that serves the same purpose as dropping everyone into an ice bath—oh yeah, he's not just our quirky uncle with a weird sense of a humor, he's a sadistic serial killer. i actually think a lot about these tags from this excellent radioapple fic strange appetites by gotllphi:

i think alastor probably looks back on being human, and having to fit into human society, as his like depressed cringefail era, sure he's put together for a serial killer, but serial killers are so disorganized and unwell as a class

he has power, respect, and fear in hell, but he's still a human soul who killed lots of other humans before he went to an eternal world where that's the status quo. he is very psychologically unwell, startlingly normal at turns, and nightmarishly terrifying all at once. the opaqueness of his own motivations, even to himself, on top of this makes his little fucked up mind very delicious to try and capture in my work

#thanks for asking im so normal abt him <- lying #alastor #hazbin hotel

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y2kbugs · 7 months

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Why Rincewind deserves your love

Tumblr loves characters like Rincewind right now. The sad, weary one who really doesn't want to be here but does it anyway cause no one else bothered, and is often vulnerable, cowardly, and a weakling compared to everyone else. In other words, the pathetic wet cat, the poor little meow meow.

Vimes is also a perfect example of this archetype, he's there and he's great, but Rincewind to me is a sort of hidden gem bogged down by the author's early writing and the struggle to live up to those later, more deep characters. It doesn't really help that Pratchett also got bored of writing him, and only felt obligated because he had fans (which in a way sounds like Rincewind himself), but...

The first two books aren't even bad. The only thing I'd say is that TCOM has some confusing writing going on and feels more like a collection of stories but it's good and could be better if rewritten. Rincewind is a wonderful character and Twoflower is a delight. TLF is a definite improvement writing and character wise and gives development to Rincewind.

He's not "a weak character who doesn't do anything but run". He is not badly written. He is a character who does not want to be the hero but does it anyway. He has deep empathy and believes that throwing your life away for a good cause is inherently selfish rather than selfless (and! he does this himself, kind of. He does make a sacrifice to help somebody, but he lives).

He isn't stupid. He might be the smartest character in his books, but that's more because the other characters are relatively kind of dumb. The only thing he's really bad at is being a wizard, that's it. He's not a good wizard, but he's a great strategist, he knows a lot about magic, knows almost every language on Discworld and this was how he got to know Twoflower in the first place. I would call him an average intelligence and very high wisdom character in DnD. He's intensely rational and will point out gaps in reasoning and logic. He might be a pessimist, but he has experience and he's going to use that.

That's not to say he doesn't make mistakes. He absolutely does, but making dumb mistakes is much different from willful and sheer ignorance which he does not display.

His hat says "Wizzard" because it's supposed to be a pun on "he can't spell", and it's highly unlikely that he actually misspelled it not knowing the actual spelling considering he reads a lot.

He is very, very defensive and adamant about his identity as a wizard. It's pretty much everything to him and he has a crisis whenever other characters mock and have general distrust of wizards.

He's done the following:

Beat the shit out of an eldritch horror until it ran away from him (TLF),

forced an extremely powerful spell out of his head with sheer will (TLF),

Defeated the most powerful deceased wizard possessing a magical staff with only a brick in a sock, and took both himself and the wizard's son into the Dungeon Dimensions, where he fought back creatures to allow the boy to escape. (Sourcery)

Gave the boy a speech about how it's important to not let anyone define who you are as a person and no one should have to tell you what to do (Sourcery)

Used a whole terracotta army to beat an entire army, and succesffully intimidated them via psychological tricks. (Interesting Times)

Brought rain back to Fantasy Australia and talked back against Death who convinced him to give up. (TLC)

Maybe he's not the most sympathetic character, because he's not chivalrous or manly. He has no bravery and freely admits to being a coward, he's kind of a jerk who cools down as time goes on, and he's selfish enough that he thinks being selfless is a total waste of time and is selfish in itself. He's a cynic and a pessimist with a worldview shaped by his terrible experiences on Discworld, but he's very well-traveled even against his own will, and from this experience he knows precisely how to get out of danger, how to outsmart an individual (or a whole army) and more.

He's shown empathy. Being tired at the world at large and not liking the other wizards very much but going out of his way to save the world from a wizard gone rogue anyway because nobody else bothered to and he's angry, saving a boy from his abusive father's power and diving headfirst into the Dungeon Dimensions, trying to convince an "army" of mostly children why trying to fight against a legitimate army of warriors is a horrible idea and will only get them killed, Helping some thirsty sheep out to get access to water despite not needing to, bringing rain back to Fantasy Australia even though he could have given up and gone home at any moment, being made a "test subject" for the wizard's project in creating Roundworld/Earth, learning aabout the life on there over millions of years and talking about how hard it is for life to grow on there in its earliest millions of years, teaching Roundworld inhabitats the importance of art and creativity not only to outsmart the elves but because he wanted to (while the other wizards considered him stupid for this idea).

And he doesn't want to be a hero, he has no obligation to and is perfectly happy just being alone in the library and reading old books. He wants a life of peace and quiet and nothing life-threatening, but unfortunately he's pushed into these situations. Often though instead of simply resigning himself and giving up altogether, he sucks it up and goes and does it anyway with the expectation that he can go home in the end. That, and by now he's already expected this is his role: to fix shit and go home, even though he'd love to have someone else do his job.

It rubs me the wrong way to see people call him one-dimensional or just "the guy that is scared and runs away"...That to me is like simply calling Vimes "the depressed cop who drinks a lot" or Granny Weatherwax "the old witch who kicks ass". Of course the character will seem one dimensional if you describe them that way. Vimes is better written overall and gets better development for sure, which is also what his character is built for, as well as a more serious story that doesn't lend itself as well to basically slapstick. Rincewind isn't built for overcoming his fears, but rather his selfish attitude and to finally find peace with himself, and he works as a comedic character while also balancing out the fact he can be anything other than a clown or coward.

He gets what he always wanted in the end too. Pratchett might not have wanted to write him anymore, but instead of simply putting him on a bus, he gave Rincewind a position at Unseen University, only dampened by the fact the other wizards clearly don't respect him, therefore he can't really be a professor as a job, but he doesn't mind. In fact, he loves that. He gets free food, a quiet place to stay, and has zero obligations. He's happy, and the last thing we know of him is that he's studying the effects of plants on the nervous system (Raising Steam), and he's very important in the Science Of Discworld series, initially being a test subject and later being the "to go" for information about Roundworld/Earth, even getting to keep the globe in his room.

#discworld #rincewind #this initially started out all casual but then it got long and essay-like as i am prone to writing #i probably got things wrong...correct me

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flonautilus · 17 days

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Thinking about the way vox positions his brand and his own image -- his company stands for perfection, for innovation, for trustworthiness and progress; how hard he probably works to maintain a respectable image while wangling Val's whims. This is a man who, in a hell that respects pure brute power over anything else, created an empire based in consumer trust and playing on the human instinct to follow the herd, don't fall behind, keep up.

We know that alastor made a name for himself by almost deliberately playing a provocateur, upturning the status quo, framing himself as an unpredictable threat, and it's fairly consistent in behaviour patterns as well -- Alastor relishes in disturbing other people's sense of comfort; he turns to fear and intimidation as his first weapon.

Both of them use reputation as a tool but in completely opposite ways, and even in their personal relationships as well (another interesting point -- Alastor is much more genuine with people he does consider friends, like Mimzy and Rosie, but Vox never seems to fully let down his persona even with Velvette and Valentino? He has that big fake smile on with Velvette in ep2, and with Val he drops the smile but still plays the charming, reasonable, logical business partner -- at least until Valentino gets under his skin by mentioning Alastor. There's technically ep8 but I'm almost certain that's an exceptional case?) And both of them know very well how to play to their audiences

Well there isn't really a conclusion here but I find it really funny that in one season we're sorta already seen both of them break their own image to an extent? Vox obviously showing a total lack of composure on live tv, but also, Alastor's loss to Adam. Like I've seen some people say it's not a big deal because Adam is so strong, but the problem is that Alastor's reputation relied on the mystery of his power ("no one knows where he came from; he just started toppling overlords one day, and not small ones either"), and losing to Adam puts a definite upper limit to his power.

Basically he went from unknowable eldritch monster to like, powerful overlord sinner, but still a sinner.

Thoughts about recent leaks under the cut

You know what else is interesting? Vox's biggest asset is not his personal power (though it's almost certainly not small either) but rather the trust the people of hell invests in his brand. It makes me think that actually the primary conflict of season 2 will not be a physical battle (Adam) but a battle over the narrative. And who's the people of hell going to trust more, the overlord that's been providing them with technology and protection(?) for decades, or the princess of hell who's not here visible in public eye for ages, and heaven, who's been trying to kill them since who knows when? (obviously charlie stopped the exterminations which is a big plus on her record but that wasn't exactly a show of redemptive power was it? The strength to resist and unite yes but also the power of having hell's big daddy on your side)

And okay I'm not super sure still what vox is planning to do with hypnotizing the whole of hell, but I wager rather than any aggressive action (not his style) it'll have to do with convincing people that they really are irredeemable, that hell is the status quo and come on, do you really think those angels believe in redemption? Do you really think you can be redeemed after everything you've done? Pentious was an exception; he wasn't all that bad to begin with, and you don't think the princess' silly hotel can actually help you, do you?

And y'know what putting it this way it's suddenly clear to me why the vees are designed that way (because obviously they were planned to be one of the main villains way ahead of time) -- they represent respectively mass entertainment/social media/porn and drugs, all possible means of addiction and soft control and getting people to basically surrender to their own vices (more than hell already does of course) (gambling is another addictive means and I'm hopeful but sceptical that they'll explore it through husk)

But anyway. The Vees have much to lose if redemption succeeds (technically all the overlords do but eh). It's why I'm sorta hopeful that S2 and maybe S3 will feature a much more in-depth discussion of the topic of redemption? Who can be redeemed, what does redemption involve (beyond literally sacrificing yourself?), are there any limits to redemption?

Though putting it this way makes me think none of the vees aren't going to meet good endings ahshdd or at least they'll have to fall very very far to even get a chance at it bc why tf would you even consider redemption if so much of your power depends on people just giving into hopelessness and dependency? Not that any of them would ever want to be redeemed but...idk. and really that's a huge conflict in the show right? Charlie doesn't fundamentally understand why some people wouldn't want to be redeemed not just bc of addiction or other reasons, but the ones who benefit from the status quo (Alastor, vees, the overlords to some extent or another). And heck like Rosie and cannibal town helped stop the extermination but how much do they actually care for redemption vs getting a chance to eat angel meat? The show makes it pretty clear it's the latter. Charlie struggles to understand even Angel and it's why it's husk who gets through to him, cuz they can understand each other (but it doesn't mean Charlie's efforts are insignificant, they created the space for redemption in the first place)

And that's I think the central conflict of the show? That heaven (at least the side represented by Emilie) and Charlie believes everyone will to some extent want to be redeemed, it's just the lack of opportunities; Adam and lute and sera's side, who disdain and fear that if provided any opportunity, hell will always rise up and overturn heaven (ngl heaven and hell in Hazbin always reminded me of gated communities?); the vees who want hell under their control and in extension to convince that redemption is too far out of reach to bother; and maybe like Lilith too who I sorta suspect doesn't actually care for redemption as much as overturning heaven's authority? (But all we know of her is like a few minutes/seconds so like...)

Final thoughts but I was admittedly disappointed in the presentation of episode 6; for redemption to be worthwhile you need to show why heaven is so good, not just why hell really sucks, and imo the welcome to heaven song isn't really that convincing? It's a clever mirror to like a happy day in hell, but you can't just tell me everyone is happy every day in heaven and call it a day, like what's life actually like in heaven, rlly it just looks like a metropolitan city but in pastels?? Do people in heaven ever have personal conflicts; how are those settled; what does social life look like; happiness isn't just the lack of like addiction, poverty, pain, etc tho that goes a long way.

#inane ramblings #hazbin hotel #vox #alastor #might delete and rewrite later #it's a mess but i just wanna throw it out first #also inspired by like that really good post about alastors and voxs portrayal of power

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erose-this-name · 1 month

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Every Time a Bell Rings

Cult of the Lamb Ficlet

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It had been a long night serving at the drinkhouse for the yellow-furred cat follower (of varying name). He is behind on getting everything cleaned and shut down for the day.

Then the Lamb happens to walk by, yawns, and picks up a mop. Their favorite, eldritch mop.

The yellow cat says, “Leader, it’s fine, really, I can handle this on my own.”

“And yet, you have my help.” The Lamb smiles.

If the yellow cat has learned anything about his leader, it’s that they’re not the kind to delegate. If they see something that needs doing, they just do it. No matter how dirty. This is starkly contrast to every other crown bearer he’s ever heard of.

The bell around the Lamb’s neck rings with each push of their mop.

“Leader, I hope you don’t mind my asking, but why are you always wearing that bell?” The yellow cat asks.

“Huh? Oh, I’m sorry, it’s not annoying, is it? I suppose I could change into another fleece…” Lamb says.

Yellow cat says, “No, no! Not at all. Actually, it's nice to hear you’re near, makes me feel safe. It’s just, I mean, a lot of us have been wondering why you wear it? Isn’t it annoying for you?”

“Oh, baahaahaa! Yeah, I guess it’s not a very ‘fashionable’ accessory, is it?” The Lamb laughs.

Somehow the thought people would question the bell has never crossed the sheep's mind. They goes back to mopping, their brow furrowing slightly.

“Um, so when I was very young, I used to crawl all over the place. You know how babies do that. And, my parents were afraid I’d wander too far and, uh… attract the Bishops to our hidden refuge. So they put the bell on me. So they’d always know where I was. Even when I got old enough to not need it, when I understood… it just kind of felt wrong if a bell doesn’t ring with every step, you know? I was so used to it.” They say.

The cult leader has been absentmindedly moping and mopping the same patch of floor well past the point of spotless.

The Lamb holds the base of the bell and rings it in their hand. Its tinkling sound rings clearly. “I find it calming.”

Yellow Cat sees that several other faint children’s names had been crudely engraved into the base of that old, dinged up bell, then scratched out. Each name’s marks are increasingly worn down and filled with tarnish. The last name has had every letter except L-A-M-B scratched off, in their place are marks fresh enough to still expose raw shiny brass beneath the layers of patina.

SHEPHERD RAMSES BOPEEP COSSETTE LAMBERT

The feline follower’s expression had been steadily falling through the whole story. “Oh, right. Of course… I’m sorry I asked, Leader.”

The Lamb puts on a half smile and coquettishly tilts their head to the side. “Don’t worry about it. Also, the collar keeps my head from falling off.”

"Huh?"

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One day, many days later, Leshy and that same yellow furred cat he hangs around barge into the Lamb’s office.

The yellow cat stutters, face turning more red than yellow. “Hey, Leader, so… um…”

Leshy cuts off yellow cat, “I have utilized this lowly cat’s perfect genes to mother a demigod heir to rival your tyranny, foul Lamb.”

Leshy holds up an egg. It is the cult’s first birth.

The Lamb stares, at a loss for words, “What?… an *egg*? I thought you’re both male? Didn’t you just… HOW?”

“Do not underestimate the power of my clitellum, small-minded mammal!” Says the green earthworm.

The yellow cat mumbles, traumatized, “I didn’t even realize we were having sex that way, worms are so weird…”

⋅∴∵∴∵∴∵⁂∵∴∵∴∵∴⋅

The egg is about to hatch. Yellow Cat, Leshy, Lamb, Shamura, Kallamar, Narinder, and Heket have gathered around to watch.

Kallamar delivers the baby and, despite being a potent source of slime himself, he recoils at the albumin and viscera.

Yellow Cat and Lamb are the only one’s to greet the new life with smiles, everyone else grimaces at the hideous abomination of nature. Except for Leshy and Shamura, who have no idea what’s happening.

Leshy asks, “Well? Is it mighty? DOES IT HAVE MY TEETH?”

Kallamar wrinkles his lack of a nose, “It’s… uh, I mean, I guess it is healthy, but…”

Narinder says, “It’s an ‘it’, alright. Aym and Baal were much cuter kits.”

“SACRILEGIOUS BEAST, GIVE ME THE RED CROWN, SO I MAY SEE MY CHILD THROUGH IT!” The horned worm leaps at the Lamb, trying to wrestle the Red Crown away from them.

“NEVER! IT’S MINE! MY PRECIOUS!” The woolly God of Death roars as they push the ex-god off them. Narinder rolls his eyes.

Yellow cat says, nervously, “They’re… I mean, I love them, and they’re a perfect ball of joy… but…”

“WON’T SOMEONE TELL ME HOW OUR CHILD LOOKS?!” Leshy cries.

“… ugly…” Heket croaks.

Leshy falls to his knees, “NOOOOOOO!”

Yellow cat turns to the Lamb and gently hands the baby to them.

“Leader, we talked it over, and we thought it’d be best if you name it.” Yellow cat says.

The Lamb smiles, “I’d be honored to-”

“Wait, no, what were you thinking, cat? GET AWAY FROM MY DEMIGOD, GOD-MURDERER! Shamura, you shall name it!” Leshy commands.

The ex-chaos bishop rips the infant away from the Lamb and thrusts it into Shamura’s arms, who is about as surprised as everyone else.

The concussed spider looks down at their new niece/nephew, cradling it in two of their arms while gently wrapping it in a silk swaddle with another two. Tiny malformed fingers wrap around a thin chitinous thumb.

Shamura mumbles, “Hmm… Yes. I see you, lowliest worm, just begun. Becoming our moon, yet you reached for the sun. One becomes zero becomes two. You are named ‘Metztli’, aren’t you? She has your eyes, Leshy. And my thumb.”

The yellow cat smiles, “‘Metztli’, what a beautiful name. Leshy, your eye looked like that? They’re so pretty!”

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Several days later, after returning from an impromptu crusade, Lamb knocks on Leshy and the yellow cat’s door. They are greeted by the cat.

The Lamb says, “Hello! I have a gift for Meztli… uh, Metzi? Mets-klee-”

“Metztli?” The cat corrects.

Lamb nods, “Yes, that. I can speak in tongues, how do you do that?”

The Lamb gives the yellow cat a small box. The feline follower opens it to find a single fine golden bell on a soft ribbon necklace. It is expertly engraved with the name Metztli.

Lamb says, their own bell jingling, “I’ve been worrying about her… I just wanted to keep her safe.”

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#cult of the lamb #writing #fanfic #leshycat #cotl leshy #that’s why followers born in the cult all have bell pendants.#its pronounced mets-tl-i #it’s all about the mets #(tli)

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gabessquishytum · 10 months

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I have been binge-watching SCP Foundation videos on youtube, and it got my noggin a’workin on an Eldritch Euclid-type SCP monster known simply as “Dream”, a being that is capable of making and controlling dreams. He is sometimes referred to as Morpheus but it’s unclear whether this is simply a reference to the Greek god of the same name, or perhaps a name from a time when he was still human.

Okay, so I’m going to stop there, as I am actually incapable of writing the really scientific prose that is prevalent in SCP videos LOL But essentially, SCP Dream still has all the powers of our Dream, and is also capable of traversing to the waking world.

I’m torn between 2 possible aus here. One, an au where Hob meets Dream when he’s still a kid and befriends the eldritch being unknowingly in his dreams. There actually exists a fic with this same concept, only friendlier cause Dream was Hob’s imaginary friend, but I’d like to go a darker route where Dream becomes possessive of Hob, which is funny because he thought of the kid as a nuisance at first, amusing but annoying, so Dream doesn’t break Hob’s mind immediately. Yay. Instead he allows the child to visit him at night when he’s asleep. I’m imagining Dream making up dreams to keep Hob occupied, finding Hob’s reactions to be really entertaining. Oh and a possible scene where Hob laments to his dream friend about his trouble with bullies at school, and Dream acts dismissive to his plight as always, but miraculously his bullies all had mysterious medical emergencies and won’t be coming to school for awhile. And as the years go by, Dream grows more and more attached to Hob, to the point where he refuses to let Hob wake up, and he starts tempting Hob with sweeter dreams. Maybe some sexy dreams too, cause Hob is such a beautiful young man now, and Dream can't help but notice the way Hob has grown in certain places. COUGH HOBOOOBIES COUGH. I like to think Hob will refuse, maybe he bulk orders coffee or something, which will anger Dream and cue the dubcon/noncon scene huehuehueheuhuehue

The other au is where Hob is a SCP foundation researcher assigned to Dream, and of course our favorite eldritch being grows scarily attached and the same dubcon/noncon shenanigans occur.

I’d love to your thoughts and prayers (lol) on this.

-Love Yan Anon <3

Oh hot!!! Very hot!!! I'm gonna expand on that second option since you filled out the first one so wonderfully!!!

So Hob is a young researcher who's been assigned one of his first SCPs, and he's super excited. Only he just wishes that Dream wasn't quite as excited about him, too... he's being held onsite in a containment chamber, and he always insists that Hob come inside to do his research "properly". Dream is classed as Euclid, so he's complex to contain but not impossible, and he honestly just lets Hob come and go as he pleases. In containment he has plenty of things to keep him entertained, because the Foundation isn't cruel, but he's just so much more interested in Hob. His vivid daydreams and nightmares, his wandering thoughts. Dream eats it all up hungrily. He's relying on Hob to give his contact with dreaming, and Hob does that so wonderfully. How can Dream help but adore him? He's a perfect vessel for Dream’s love.

He wants to be inside Hob, like he's been inside his subconscious. Wants to explore his body and see what reactions he can elicit. He will inspire new dreams, new nightmares. The dream of being worshipped, the horror of being consumed. Dream wants to see it played out in the flesh of Hob’s body. The sweet little human thinks that he has Dream contained but oh no, Dream can't be contained. Not really, not while he has access to Hob’s mind. It's Dream who's doing the research and the sweet man doesn't even know it.

It's not until Hob finds himself face down on the floor with dreamstuff keeping him bound at his wrists and ankles that he realises that perhaps Dream is a little more complicated than he might have initially appeared. Hard to deny it now when Dream is fucking him joyously into the concrete, nuzzling into the back of Hob’s head and moaning like he's having the time of his life. The more Hob whines and shivers, the more his mind spirals, the more Dream seems to like it.

But then. This is going to be a truly amazing addition to his report. So Hob should maybe just keep trying to make it as good as possible for Dream. The more data the better, right?

#yan anon #the sandman #dreamling #nsft #cw dubcon #cw monsterfucking

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steviestits · 19 days

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WIP Wednesday - Fic Naming

So, this was supposed to be posted last Wednesday, but well, you guys saw the anon. Anyway, I know it's usually you give me a title and I make up a story to go with it, but I suck at thinking up cool titles, so I thought I'd do a reverse of that game. I'll describe my fics, and you guys send in a title that you think will fit it. Or you can just send words of encouragement if you're as stumped as me.

All of these are ones that have their first chapters finished or are close to being finished. I thought I'd maybe attempt to post a bunch after my birthday. I think I might be slightly less busy then? Though, i feel like I'm jinxing myself by saying that.

And before I forget, WARNING! Dark shit is listed below! Expand the post only if you're into that sort of thing!

Addams Family Values AU - Everything that happened in the Addams Family Values movie happened exactly the same way except that Debbie/Steve lives and it's set in the omegaverse. Argyle is Eddie's adoptive brother and is married to Jonathan. El and Will are Wednesday and Pugsley. The Party are a combination of Joel. While Hopper and Joyce are Lurch and Granny. Eddie is a bit worried that his relationship with his mate will go stale if Steve keeps up these passionate murder attempts, so Argyle helps him think of a way to get him to settle down, which is to get Steve pregnant.

Canon Real DnD - Basically, anything that Eddie makes happen in his campaign happens in real life. It takes place pre-s4 then moves on through s4, but instead of Vecna, Eddie is using his author stand-in as the main villain and in turn grows more powerful. He, of course, abuses this power to make Steve into a blushing virgin who wants Eddie to fuck him and at one point, Eddie proceeds to feminize Steve. I want Steve to get pregnant at some point because of the campaign, I think, but right now, it's just something that's in the planning stages of the later chapters.

Cyberpunk Bitching Drugs - This one is one of the fantasy prompts that I'm expanding on. The cyber network in it isn't science-based and instead runs on magitech (my favorite kind of tech). In this, Eddie runs a pharmaceutical company that produces drugs/potions to help with omega and alpha medical problems. Eddie tricks his intern Dustin into giving Steve something that is supposed to help with his worsening ruts but in reality bitches Steve then Eddie gets him pregnant. There's also some light brainwashing as Eddie uses subliminal messages to manipulate Steve into thinking that he needs help with his ruts in the first place. Going try to get this to go through Steve's pregnancy, so it won't be a one-shot like System Hacked was.

Dark God Cult AU - When he was a kid, Steve was kidnapped and brought up in a cult where he was to be with Eddie (the reincarnation of a dark forest god) before the cops found him and brought him back to this parents. Years later, Steve goes on a camping trip with a couple of friends near where the cult compound used to be and one by one those on the camping trip start being ritualistically murdered. While the murders are happening, Steve begins having visions of himself as a pregnant goddess who makes love with an eldritch abomination aka Eddie. Heavily inspired by the Blair Witch Project, though there are some other horror movies in the mix, too. This one will definitely have a murder husbands vibe by the end of it.

Lost Boys Mermaid AU - The movie Lost Boys, except with mermaids. Steve is brought with his parents when they go out of town for business then they promptly ignore him and go to do their work. As he's wandering around, Steve comes across a supposed metal band, Corroded Coffin, and their lead singer, Eddie, becomes particularly enthralled with Steve, so much so that he begins turning Steve into a mer and his mate. Though, it does branch off from the movie in that, unlike David, Eddie succeeds in making Steve his mermaid bride and bringing him into his murderous pod.

Mummy (1999) AU - Based on the movie The Mummy (obviously) and has Steve as a former archeologist, who tanked his career after returning scarred from the horrors he saw when he was drafted into the Great War (WWI) and now more focuses on drowning himself to forget while attempting to help boost Robin's, his adoptive sister's, career. Nicknamed "King Steve" by some of the bars he frequently visits. Eddie is a Medjai warrior, who let a French Foreign Legion soldier go, not expecting her to survive the harsh desert. Nancy defied his expectations, and now Eddie must fix his mistake before the mummy that his people have guarded for centuries is released. There's also a small soulmates au plotline buried in it between Eddie and Steve due to me working the events of the Mummy Returns into the plot.

Omega Transmigration - Loosely, and I mean LOOSELY based on the show Outlander (which I've never seen). Omega Steve gets sent back through time and space to a medieval world where magic is real and elves are rebelling against their human oppressors. After helping an Elven boy with his modern day medical techniques, due to him being an EMT, Steve is brought directly into the stronghold of the elves. The leader there, Wayne, doesn't believe that Steve's intentions were altruistic and wants to have Steve hanged as a spy regardless. Eddie steps in and claims Steve is his true mate. Steve then goes through a process that turns him into a beautiful Elven omega and directly ties his fate to that of the Elven clan's. This one probably won't be that dark and will more follow Steve's struggle to fit in with the clan along with the war with the humans itself.

Omega Rehab - Uses a Victorian Clockwork Punk setting where Steve's parents are traditionalists. After getting into a few fights with alpha and running out of etiquette schools, Steve's parents convince him to try one last place before they leave him alone for the rest of his life, which is the Munson Omega Rehabilitation Center. Steve goes, believing that it will be more of the same, but the Munson Center has a different, more "scientific" way of rehabilitating the omegas that are sent to them. Eddie, of course, personally takes charge of Steve's training to turn him into the perfect little omega, who will happily carry the pups of his alpha without complaint. This one includes Steve training with mechanical sex dolls like in HoLN.

Pet Succubus AU - Steve comes from a family of witches who used demons to power their way of life. The higher up demons finally caught onto their schemes and slaughtered most of the family. Eddie took Steve as a pet, transforming him to have a woman's body before training him by way of fucking machine to become a sex addict. Once Steve is trained, Eddie turns Steve into a succubus and shows off his pretty little pet every chance he gets, keeping the new demoness stuffed full and satisfied. There isn't a lot of plot to this one, just more of an excuse to write extended scenes of Steve being trained by a machine as Eddie watches.

Royal Hypnotism AU - Someone called me a sick fuck over the original prompt, so I decided to make this one worthy of the name-calling. Set in a futuristic magitech society, King Eddie comes across Steve's small village and falls for him. He secretly buys Steve from his family and takes him with him to the summit where he's meeting his friends and fellow kings to discuss what's going on in their kingdoms. In Gareth's kingdom, where they're meeting, there's been some small rebellions, but Gareth stopped them by kidnapping the leaders and putting them through a feminization facility/factory and hypnotizing them in order to rewrite their memories. He proposes to send Steve through with the next batch and turn him into Grant's sister. Eddie agrees, and Steve is turned into a princess.

Time Travel AU - Redoing this one slightly, but I'm going to put it on the list anyway. What's different from when I first posted the snippet is that Steve is going to be feminized due to the portal that sends him back to the 80's. One, to make it more understandable why Steve doesn't recognize himself before he goes to the past. Then two, so that Eddie can get him pregnant, because I like getting Steve pregnant. Plot is the same though, Dustin sends Steve back in time to be the big sibling he always wanted and Eddie seduces Steve so that he marries him and stays in the past as a woman to become his wife and the mother of his children. Eddie might go a little darker than simply seducing Steve, but we'll see how it goes as I get through more chapters of the story.

Upside Down Transformation - In this one, everything that happened in s4 happened, only difference is that Eddie survived and Vecna is perma dead. They all return to their normal lives when Eddie notices that he's slowly changing, getting taller and stronger. His dick is getting bigger and thicker, too. He notices, also, that Steve is changing, too, but doesn't realize that it's to a different extent. Steve is humiliated to find out that he's going through the opposite kind of transformation, becoming more feminized. He tries to isolate himself, but Eddie barges in on him and catches Steve masturbating with his new pussy. The two fuck. They're basically the equivalent of alphas and omegas because of their bat bites and are the only ones in the world. I kind of plan to make it just a porny one-shot, but then because it's set in canon, my brain wants the government to capture them and experiment on them. So, it'll probably be a series, maybe, if this one receives positive feedback once it's posted.

#show: stranger things #steddie #my fics #dead dove do not eat #wip wednesday #see! i do know the days of the week!

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avelera · 1 year

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Giving Sanctuary Behind-the-Scenes: Destiny

Who is Destiny in Giving Sanctuary, how does he differ from his canon counterpart, and what lesson was he trying to teach his siblings in Ch. 18 of Giving Sanctuary?

So I've answered this in a few places, but I thought I'd post somewhere more publicly about what lessons Destiny had for his siblings during the events of Ch. 18 of Giving Sanctuary.

First of all I will note, readers are not expected to agree with Destiny's methods. He is an eldritch being and I try to do him justice at such. It was an interesting thought exercise to try to operate as someone with absolute knowledge but who lacks absolute power. Which is to say, Destiny can see all the choices his siblings have made and and branching paths of varying probability of choices they will make, but he can't compel their actions, he can only guide them by inserting himself into the process, which he does sparingly.

Below the cut, I will go into an exploration of Destiny's personality, goals, and lessons as I wrote them in "Giving Sanctuary", which is a deliberate canon divergence AU that originates from a choice Destiny made long before the events of the story begin.

There will be spoilers up to Ch. 18 of the fic, so be warned if you're not caught up:

To begin, a quick disclaimer: the Destiny of Giving Sanctuary is not meant to be 1-to-1 exactly the Destiny of the comic canon, though I do my best to cleave to his overall vibe while also engaging in the Butterfly Effect - one choice made long ago has impacted all of the Endless, which I use as blanket cover in the fic for why some actions by characters in the story might be mildly OOC or not agree perfectly with comic canon. However, it is a privilege I claim as a transformative works author. That said, having characters be in-character is very important to me, so by and large, points of divergence are carefully considered when they occur.

The Background - where Giving Sanctuary diverges from canon

The original point of divergence in this story began at least around the time of Orpheus's death (though its first stirrings may have been earlier) when Destiny made the calculated decision to save Dream's life 2,500+ years into the future by advising Death not to grant Orpheus's request for "super immortality".

(Side note: Orpheus in Giving Sanctuary is already "immortal" in the same way Calliope and Dream are, ie, immortal but they can be killed if extreme measures are taken to destroy them by beings of equal or greater power, because I find the comic canon idea of him being purely mortal when having an Endless father and a Muse as a mother to be completely baffling, and I believe it's more emotionally resonant if Dream expected his son to live for many thousands of years. It also better and more sympathetically explains why Dream was so cruel and detached at his son's wedding in the comic: he saw the entire Eurydice episode as a phase, a spat of youthful rebellion that would fade as his then 18 year old (of potentially thousands) son matured and lived beyond a single mortal lifetime to see just how painful it would be to love a mortal woman.)

To get back to Destiny: the Giving Sanctuary Destiny saw that Orpheus's fate was inevitable, that he was doomed from the moment he fell in love with Eurydice because as a child of the Endless, he too was bound by the restriction that loving mortals only brought doom, and Destiny did his best to make sure Dream would not be destroyed by his son's desire to die and that Orpheus would be granted the mercy of a quick death that returned his soul to the cycle of living and dying without spending 2,500+ years in a fate worse than death as a living severed head, largely abandoned by his friends and family, until Dream is forced to kill him in Brief Lives, and thus seals his own fate due to the restriction against the Endless spilling family blood.

Dream learned from Death after that Destiny had advised her against granting Orpheus his wish (the wish she, by the way, granted to Hob). While Dream eventually forgave Death because she is his favorite sibling (currently) and because she too was grief-stricken and apologized to him after she saw the results of following that advice, ie, Orpheus's death, however there are still some traces of bitterness and lost trust by Dream towards Death, Destruction, and Destiny, because Destruction sent Orpheus to Death for help (just as he did in the comic), she denied it based on Destiny's advice, and Destiny gave the advice, and none of them warned Dream that his son was taking on a suicide mission to save Eurydice.

Now, the mission itself did not kill Orpheus, but when he failed, according to the myth and canon, he played a song so sorrowful that the maenads (divine servants of Dionysus) descended upon him to tear him limb from limb, and his dismembered body washed up upon the shores of Naxos and was collected by Calliope and Dream (once found) and buried there. Unlike in canon, his severed head did not live on. Is Dream hypocritical to blame his siblings? Yes, absolutely, he missed the signs that Orpheus was in danger because he was deliberately giving Orpheus the silent treatment and had stopped listening to his dreams or checking in on him. He is also grieving and looking for others to blame, irrationally if realistically.

Ultimately, Destiny's choice set us upon a timeline where Dream fully lost his son that day, there is no lingering sense of guilt because the severed head of Orpheus is still dubiously alive somewhere. However, this on the one hand deepened a rift between Dream and his siblings but on the other, allowed him to fully open up to Hob in 1689 in this 'verse because Orpheus was fully dead and he could without reservation open up about his grief to Hob, as he could not/did not in canon, which allowed both of them to find healing with each other.

Who is Destiny in Giving Sanctuary?

All of this is to say: we are starting from a 'verse where Destiny is A-OK with allowing short-term grief in order to allow long-term healing and more importantly, the survival of Dream and his other siblings.

Destiny's siblings are stubborn, competitive, and infinitely powerful beings. This means in order to guide their actions, Destiny when he does intervene in this 'verse, often relies on reverse psychology and "spite as motivation". He also has his own personality, so while other methods might work, like being a nicer person, Destiny is his own entity and operates through that lens. He is not, as I view and write him, a very touchy-feely person.

Destiny's task requires him to keep a certain emotional distance, one might say he loves his siblings but he does not necessarily like them or feel particularly bothered if he sees less of them from day to day. He is an introvert and a workaholic, think Dream but on steroids. He is also the eldest and therefore the most powerful of the seven.

Given the emotional absence and cruelty of their father, Time, and their mother, Night, Destiny has taken on some of what he sees to be the responsibility to look after his siblings as a second father. However, like his siblings, he too is the victim of Time and Night's cruelty and neglect, so his vision of what a good father would do is limited by his experiences. Unlike Death, who interacts regularly with mortals and therefore has developed a more sophisticated view of what a caring relationship looks like, Destiny is emotionally underdeveloped and direct. As he sees it, simply being less cruel than Time is an improvement. He sees himself as a protector on the macro level of his siblings, but not responsible or overly concerned with their short term happiness. Keeping them alive is his priority, though that does include making sure they're not suicidally miserable.

Destiny's Lessons for His Siblings

Destruction: As I mentioned, Destiny's goal is to keep his siblings alive and if the point of divergence was his awareness of how Orpheus's death would lead to Dream's self-destruction one day. As such, "Why didn't he stop Destruction from leaving?" is a question that has arisen and it's a good place to clarify: letting Destruction go was saving him, and so Destiny "allowed it" or rather, did not prevent it by intervening sooner. With 6 strong personalities to balance, he does not have the omnipotence of simply aiming for a universe where all the siblings are mentally stable, happy, and industriously working at their designated roles. There's no universe where all of those are possible at once. While Destiny personally disapproves of Destruction leaving, he prefers that his brother is alive. When Destiny said reality would be wounded by the loss of an Endless, he was in his own, indirect way, talking about his own heart. That's about as close as Destiny ever gets to saying, "I would be sad if any of you died." Yeah, he's that repressed.

Dream: Many readers were struck by how Destiny's actions seemed designed to drive Dream away from the family, to which I answered: yeah, isn't that interesting?

Destiny is, as mentioned, by necessity a master of reverse psychology and spite-as-motivation, because of how stubborn his siblings are, particularly Dream. So let's walk through the takeaway from this dinner arc, starting from Ch. 15, and what Dream has learned, because we are dealing with Destiny having complete knowledge of how to nudge branching paths, which means everything that has happened since Jessamy showed up, including Jessamy showing up, is guided by his choices of when and how to intervene for maximum benefit.

1 ) If Destiny had called a conclave, Dream would have gone immediately, resentfully, and returned to the status quo in which he and Hob were dancing around each other, refusing to use their words, for who knows how long.

2 ) Sending Jessamy instead means a messenger Dream will listen to, it also inserts Jessamy's 3rd person perspective into the relationship between Dream and Hob, breaking the logjam of miscommunication. Dream learned that Jessamy approves of Hob, Hob learned that Dream isn't keeping him a secret from the other people in his life and indeed, values him. Hob was slowly introduced to the how the Dreaming works, even if he didn't totally get it right away, the fact he doesn't get it was introduced to Dream and to Jessamy. (Ch. 15)

3 ) Jessamy was there to interrupt the morning of panic following Dream and Hob's first, *ahem*, "tryst* shall we say. Without a friendly 3rd party to interrupt the panic they were both experiencing, Dream would have done anything to make Hob happy, including answering Hob's request to use the boon to "go back to the way things were". Dream interpreted that as, "Go back to being friends" which would have effectively mind-wiped Hob as badly as Dream did Ric Madoc years later. Dream having a healing relationship like the one that was blooming between him and Hob end after a week because he permanently lobotomized his lover by trying to return them to a state of "friendship" that never existed because Hob never saw Dream as just a friend, totally uncolored by romantic or sexual interest, would have broken Dream, undone all the healing he'd done and worse, confirming all his worst views of himself as incapable of being loved or loving others without destroying them. I cannot express just how dark Dream would have gotten if that had happened. This was averted by the dinner.

4 ) Dream (thanks to his interactions with Hob) learned how to stand up for himself without blowing up at the Endless family dinner, so it was important he attend. He learned through his siblings that Hob does desire him, and always will, that Hob has been literally haunted by Despair these past 80 years and more, and he had a valuable heart-to-heart with Death, who added her voice to the loved ones in his life like Jessamy who pointed out that the misunderstanding might not be what it appears and Hob doesn't really understand the Dreaming yet. Dream was able to calm down and was in a good place to gain perspective. He is now armed with this knowledge and resolved to do better, communicate better, and has been talked out of some of his worst instincts (such as abandoning Hob out of guilt) and learned the truth about why he and Hob were introduced at the time he needed it most: after that first disastrous tryst nearly ended the relationship before it started.

5 ) Dream made an overture of peace to Desire. Granted, it was framed as something he should do not something he would when he said he should ask for mercy and for them to knock it off with the grudge match, but it was a step in the right direction of voicing his weariness with the fight, even if Desire wasn't ready to hear it in the moment.

6 ) Dream saw Destruction's note, something that never would have happened if Destiny did not collect it for him, because Dream was never going to go to Destruction's realm before the note dissolved. Thus, the idea was introduced to him before the Brief Lives canonical arc that he could retire instead of destroying himself, something that in this universe he also would never learn because it took talking to Orpheus's severed oracular head for Dream and Delirium to find Destruction, which is no longer possible now because he's dead.

7 ) Dream swore off his family, or at least, all family except Death and possibly Delirium. This is not necessarily counter to Destiny's intentions. Every interaction Dream was having with Desire was only driving their feud deeper, and Destiny is at peace with not seeing his siblings as often. He sees them all the time anyway since he Knows All and he's an introvert who thinks in terms of eons. If anything, it's a relief. But more importantly, Dream finally makes the break from his sense of family duty that he must subject his mental health to the battering it takes mostly from Desire. He is now more purposeful in who he chooses to interact with, his found family of loved ones like Hob, Jessamy, and Lucienne, and his favorite sister Death (with an exception made for Delirium).

8 ) Dream is now returning to Hob, restored with hope that the relationship between them is possible and indeed, desired, with the revelation that he has not told Hob enough about his existence, and most importantly, resolved to do better and make his feelings known clearly rather than dancing around them forever. He returns to seeing just how badly a month without him left Hob, unequivocal proof of Hob's love and devotion towards him, his fidelity that he stayed during that absence (just like being at the New Inn in 2022), and without any possibility of lingering illusions that he means anything less than the world to Hob.

Whew, that was a long one, I'm amazed if you're still reading but, ONWARD!

Death:

Death began the dinner by saying she was nervous about leaving her job for four (4) hours after presumably not taking any other break. I know "Sound of Her Wings" doesn't make this point explicitly, but that is deeply messed up and unhealthy. Destiny made the point that as Endless, they are shaped by their forms in return and thus certain allowances must be made for the fact that they are not emotionally impervious concepts. They are people-shaped so they have people-shaped needs. Including the need for rest and some sort of work/life balance. (Destiny is being a hypocrite in this respect, but he is trying to get his siblings to have work/life balance even if he does not.)

The assumption from most readers was that a month away from her task was meant to show Death she can't take a break but as Desire pointed out, Destruction's realm is still there years later. If Death delegated more, perhaps to other psychopomps of other religions, the personal touch would be maintained and she could take a break on occasion.

This might be the most obscure of the lessons taught by Destiny, since canon doesn't show us Death breaking down, per se, when her duties get to be too much. But this is something that could/would happen in a few eons, and Destiny is taking steps to avert it now by showing her that hey, actually, a month away wasn't as catastrophic as you feared! Life (and death) goes on without you! You need to reevaluate how you approach your task before you break and then existence is super screwed because you leaving or self-destructing totally is catastrophically worse than you learning to take occasional breaks before that.

Desire:

Desire's is a bit more of a slow-roll, but as mentioned above, Dream finally used his words to say he's tired of this fight with Desire, setting into motion the possibility of it drawing to a close at some point in the distant future, or at least reaching a mutually agreed cease-fire.

Also worth noting that Desire was introduced to the idea that maybe some of the things they blamed Dream for were not entirely his fault like Destiny slowing time to punish Dream but punishing all the rest of them too is Destiny's fault, not Dream's and Destiny is A-OK with Desire blaming him if it stops the destructive bickering with Dream, because Desire would never dare take him on.

This will have a long-term impact of not necessarily stopping but perhaps reducing the severity of some of Desire's later plans for revenge against Dream.

Despair:

Despair had an absolutely fabulous time throughout the dinner and did not need convincing to be there. Family time on its own, dinner and a show, was more than enough. ;)

Delirium:

Delirium also got family time with Death and received the message she would have received at the end of Brief Lives from Destruction that he loves her, but he will not return.

#giving sanctuary #1689 fic #giving sanctuary bts #LONG post #destiny of the endless

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deludedfantasy · 10 months

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Trimax Vol 5 Ch 4-6

Ok, it's incredibly late and I have a flight to catch tomorrow but I desperately need to get these thoughts out before I leave. AKA I continue being emotionally devastated by Trigun.

Ch 4

I didn’t catch on my first read through that Meryl is also witnessing Vash’s memories! But she seems to be getting more than just July. She’s also seeing little Vash. I wonder how much of his past she ends up seeing. Does it include his time on the ship before the Big Fall? How much does she learn about him here?

Also lil baby Vash!!

Did Hoppred rig the whole building to blow so he could take Vash down with him as a last resort?

Wolfwood needs to stop pointing his gun at Milly right now. He’s trying so hard to protect her and keep her alive, but I hate that his first thought is to go for physical threats. The thing is, I think Milly knows he would never actually pull the trigger on her. She’s still so brave for how she faces up to him though and never breaks eye contact with him, even with a gun in her face.

Me, trying to make myself feel better by telling myself that at least Vash used his angel powers to save his friends rather than accidentally kill them this time.

I hate how Midvalley talks about Vash, calling him “it” and “a thing.” He’s spent so much time around Knives that he can’t comprehend Independent Plants as anything other than destructive monsters. There’s a certain significance to the fact that he’s saying this to Wolfwood, who up until recently might have held a similar view. But he doesn’t agree with Midvalley anymore and it serves as an interesting mirror moment for Wolfwood’s character.

A wild Legato appears! On the world’s weirdest motorcycle with his assistant. Once again I ask, who are they??

Actually, why is he even here? Is he mad that he’s been kept away from the action?

I gotta give Nightow a lot of credit here. It fucking hurts that Legato manipulates Hoppred into shooting Midvalley. I have a lot of sympathy for both these characters and they shared an interesting camaraderie. Midvalley might be the closest thing Hoppred’s had to a friend in a long time and Legato just made him kill him! They might be villains and they may be after our main character but I don’t hate them or want them to die or suffer like this.

Ch 5

Eldritch Vash! Eldritch Vash! I know it’s horrifying for him, but man, do I love me some uncanny, eldritch character transformations. Give me more of that cosmic horror, baby!

Legato crying because he’s horrified that anyone would betray Knives…he’s just sooooo. He truly is a character of all time. The toxic loyalty and devotion is truly something to witness.

Again, I ask, where does Wolfwood keep pulling handguns from??? His tits???

Oh Vash, is losing it. His eyes are completely white and devoid of anything but rage.

This is just like that scene from Pirates of the Caribbean.

Oh!! Is this the panel that inspired creature Vash? Love that it’s from such an intense scene. He’s just so shaped.

Damn, Meryl!! Breaking the Mexican standoff.

What I can’t tell is if Vash pushed her up, encouraging her to do it because he knew it would be a surprise or if she popped up herself. There’s something in the way this panel is drawn that suggests she’s shocked at being pushed out of feathers.

Oh shit, did Legato just get half his face blasted off???

Manipulating Midvalley’s dead body is…a lot, Legato. That’s a lot.

Oh no, not the Angel Arm again!

Interrupted by random giant nail? Looks like someone’s coming to join the party…

Ch 6

I’M STRESSED OUT. Meryl is stuck and Vash is stuck in a meltdown he can’t control. Things ain’t looking good here.

Oh Vash, oh no. He’s in so, so much pain almost constantly from what he’s done. This is what he’s been hiding behind all those sad smiles and goofy jokes. It’s a wonder he manages to keep himself going.

Vash’s imaginary (I think) conversation with Knives as he gains control of himself is gonna make me cry. All that pain and all that guilt, he could easily disappear into it and never find his way out. But he pulls himself back because he’s not done yet, he still has things to do and people he cares about and things he believes in above all else.

And he’s so unsure of his mission! He’s been proven wrong so many times and he’s fucked up beyond measure. But he knows people are kind, and just for that little kindness that was shown to him, he wants to give people a second chance, he wants to give humanity a chance to be saved. Oh God, it’s too late at night for me to be reading this.

Soooo, Legato was not supposed to be there and Elendira has just killed his handy-dandy transport assistant. I always find it interesting when the heroes of a story don’t technically win. In this case, one of their own opponents gets rid of a threat for them, mostly because Knives doesn’t want Vash dead just yet. Or ever, probably. He just wants that man to suffer.

I will give Elendira, she is very cool and I might be a little in love with her.

Vash has so much compassion, that even as Hoppred wishes uncountable suffering on him, he still holds his hand, so he doesn’t die alone. He caused Hoppred’s pain. He understands it. He can’t fix it, but he does what he can.

Ah, Milly is ok!!! I was wondering where she went.

Again, so much compassion. He buries the people who were trying to kill them and gives them grave markers, a final resting place. Wolfwood would’ve just left them where they fell. But he is contemplating his existence, as usual when he’s confronted by Vash’s immensely caring heart. We love to see it.

#trigun #trigunbookclub

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blackjackkent · 6 months

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I like to think that Hector and co. put on a rather nice dinner for Elminster. They've certainly collected enough camp supplies at this point to be able to do so, and it's nice to have a guest who is not a skeleton or Volo.

Elminster seems to have enjoyed himself as well.

"Mmm, yes, what a delightful wedge of Old Elturian that was. Doesn't do to parley on an empty stomach, you know. Makes one's words frivolous when they should be grave." He grins brightly. "Plenty to digest, after all. A good deal to stew over, if you will. Words ladled with import should be savored so as to better absorb their meaning, wouldn't you agree?"

"Elminster!"

"Right. Ahem. You see..."

He hesitates, fidgets a little with the arm of his robes. In contrast to the flow of words from a moment ago, he is now visibly reticent. "I, er...ahem. That is to say..."

He breathes in slowly, exhales heavily, and then looks up to meet Gale's eyes. "Gale, m'boy, I've come to address a most pressing matter. I'll speak as plainly as I can, forswearing the accustomed frills that decorate my speech. I'm here on behalf of Mystra. The message and the charge I bring you are hers."

"It must be a great honor to be so entrusted by your god," Hector says, visibly impressed. There are tales, of course, of Selune speaking to the most esteemed of her followers, but it is certainly nothing any of the monks at the monastery could have even hoped for.

Gale grunts sardonically. "I could debate you on that."

"You know where you went wrong, Gale," Elminster says gravely. "We needn't dwell on that here and now. But even so, you're to be given a chance of redemption."

That catches Gale's attention; his head snaps up and his eyes focus in on Elminster keenly. "Mystra would consider...forgiveness?" he asks, his tone suddenly soft, hesitant.

Elminster sighs ruefully. "She would consider...what she considers to be forgiveness," he says gently. His eyes flick to Hector, then back to Gale. "Mystra is aware of the misadventures that have befallen you both. She knows of your strife with the Absolute, that most insidious of evils."

Hector's eyes widen slightly. In a way, it's no surprise that Mystra has been following their struggles, given her history with Gale, but on the other hand...if the gods know about the Absolute, about the threat it poses...why have they not intervened? But the training drilled into him, not to question the gods, is still too strong for those words to quite emerge. "If the goddess herself is aware, I wouldn't say no to some divine intervention," he says instead, raising an eyebrow at Elminster.

"The very purpose of my presence," Elminster says, "in a roundabout sort of way." His expression is very serious now, no hint of the earlier jests. "You must know that the Absolute is more dangerous than you can possibly conceive. It threatens all who live - even those who are undying. It threatens the gods, the Weave, the very fabric of the universe itself."

Hector swallows nervously. In truth - though he fears the Absolute deeply, he had assumed it was a mortal power with mortal weaknesses. What Elminster describes is something else altogether, something even beyond the eldritch terror of the mind flayers and the Astral Plane.

"That is why I have come here to charge you, Gale," the old wizard continues soberly, "with its destruction. It is Mystra's belief that only you can."

"Gale alone?" Hector asks, startled. Certainly their whole party seems caught up in this war and is doing their best to fight it, but why would Gale specifically--

Oh.

"The orb," Gale says, and though he has paled slightly, his voice is steady.

Elminster nods solemnly. "Precisely. Mystra has granted me the power to stop the clock, as it were, on the orb's rush to overpower you. Instead, you will be able to unleash its lethal combustion at will. You must find the Heart of the Absolute, whatever that may be, and use yourself as the catalyst that will burn it from this world."

Hector's jaw has dropped, his hands lifting in a mute objection. In the back of his mind, he hears the dream guardian's soft, pensive voice. "Interesting," she murmurs. "This could be help or hindrance - we shall have to see."

Hector ignores her, shakes away the distraction, and snaps out, "That's monstrous! You're tasking him to kill himself!" He can't keep himself from objecting, goddess's will though this might be. Gale is his friend, one of his closest in this mad mess of a situation. He can't just let him be forced into this...

Gale reaches out, puts a hand gently on Hector's arm, shakes his head. "He is not. But it seems that Mystra is," he says softly.

"It brings me no pleasure saying this, my friend," Elminster says wearily. "But such is Mystra's will. Yours must be the sacrifice that will undo the Absolute. And for your sacrifice, you will be redeemed. Such is Mystra's promise." He shakes his head, lifts one hand in the air. "With that, I've said my sorry piece, and need only bestow unto thee the charm I was bid."

He traces a few symbols in the air, murmuring a soft chant along with them. A pale purple light passes from his fingertips into Gale's chest.

Hector watches in silence, his normally steady bearing fidgety and uncertain. This can't be right. Surely there is some other way to take on the Absolute and destroy it. Surely there is another way for Gale to be redeemed besides destroying himself.

Elminster's arm falls back to his side and his eyes clear. "It is done. Both charge and charm have been committed into your care." He pauses, then looks towards Hector, and there is a muted appeal in his aged gaze. "To you, I commit into care Gale himself. I count on you to shepherd him well on this strangest of journeys."

"There's still a long road ahead," Hector says firmly. "We'll find another way."

"Or some other fortune altogether," Gale mutters, somewhat bitterly.

Elminster smiles enigmatically. "Like moons make swell and wane the nescient seas, so too the sky-strewn gods ordain the tidal fates of mortal days. And yet - a notion born in lonely hours - come ebb, come flow, come all that is beyond the breadth of our dominion: be a moon unto yourself. Even the waves of fate can break upon the shores of will. Farewell, my friend."

And he is gone, vanishing in a shivering burst of light and leaving the two men grim and fearful behind him.

#bjk plays baldur's gate 3 #hector carlisle #well shit #this is an upsetting development #gale i'm not sure your relationship with mystra was a healthy one #just saying

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