Aerixae - Jackie

…just. give me some time to process.

One thing I absolutely love about Astarion’s redemption arc is the complexity of his relationship with the figure of the hero.

Astarion is a vampire, a monster, and also a victim (as well as, in a way, a perpetrator, due to his forced obedience to Cazador). He is the first person in desperate need of a hero to save him and the last person suited for the role of a hero.

He prayed to every god for salvation, even for death, and even that was denied to him. He resents heroes and the powerful, and when confronted with the idea that both have a duty to protect the weak, he scornfully responds that no, they’ve done a terrible job—that in 200 years, no one saved him from torture, and that it was the mind flayers, other monsters, who finally freed him. And that, in reality, the powerful only use their strength to bend others to their will and serve their own selfish interests. It’s in this same conversation that Astarion declares his desire to be better than Cazador—stronger, more powerful—though the player likely meant kinder, more noble.

Yet, despite everything he says, despite his disapproval of every heroic action taken in Act 1, Astarion is irreversibly drawn to the figure of the hero. First and foremost, he seeks their protection, though still through the warped lens of his past under Cazador’s cruel talons. Secondly, he is extremely sensitive to kindness, understanding, acceptance—to being treated like a person, just as a true hero would treat him.

And then, this is something I particularly noticed while playing as Karlach—Astarion is fascinated by Wyll, who is, in many ways, the quintessential hero of the party. He even admits that if he had to choose one of them to feed on, it would be Wyll, because he is sweet and righteous, just. Which is a contradiction, because the very traits that draw Astarion to him are the same ones that make him want to drain him dry. Love and hate, all in one.

With this in mind, even the conversation after meeting Aurelia and Leon takes on a deeper meaning. The player sees something in Astarion, but he still refuses to recognize it, to admit it, and rightfully says he can’t be what we see in him—a good person, a righteous, understanding, even heroic figure. And yet, the player sees through him…

And it’s breathtaking when, during the ritual, just before stabbing Cazador, Astarion says those very same words: "You're right. I can be better than him." But this time, he doesn’t mean stronger or more powerful. No, this time, he means it exactly as it was first presented to him and so bitterly rejected. And he means it with all his heart.

And in doing so, in freeing all his siblings and all the poor souls imprisoned there, Astarion commits a truly heroic act. He does for others what he once desperately hoped for himself, what he prayed for—becoming the hero he needed. Because at the same time, he is freeing himself—from his chains, from his narrow worldview that saw everything in terms of power and dominance. For the first time, he is free to live outside of the path that someone else forced upon him.

And that’s exactly why, in my opinion, the next morning, it’s right to tell him that yes, we were the heroes who stood by his side, but we only gave him a push. Because, in the end, he saved himself.

He is the hero he had been waiting for centuries!

And that thought makes my heart race! ❤️

The Harry Potter That I Need.

I want so much more from Harry Potter but like… not what I’m getting.

Give me the happy things, but also the sad things.

Give me how Molly has a mental break down after she realised oh god she killed someone, but the reason she was crying was not the fact she murdered someone… it was the fact that she didn’t feel guilty. Because they attacked her baby, and she’ll be damned if she loses another child.

Give me George lashing out at everyone after Fred died, but when he does it to Ginny, she blinks back tears and just hugs him. And they stay there for hours.

Give me what happened to Umbridge. All the funerals from the war.

Give me Minerva yelling at Albus’s portrait when she finds out what he did.

Give me Harry Potter having a panic attack now and then, whenever he gets a headache or when lightning clashes. What about when he makes bacon and it gets burnt. But tell me that the biggest one he had was the first time Ginny was pregnant. Because no, what if they turn out like him? What if he dies and they’re given away to someone like the Dursley’s?

And speaking of, tell me, did Harry go see them again? Did Dudley have a magical child and apologise? Did Alice and Frank’s mind come back?

Don’t tell me Hermione didn’t bring muggle things into the magical world. Like (sorry) maths and other important subjects. Like therapists for people with PTSD, and medical wings for people who’ve been obliviated. Don’t forget the pens.

Don’t tell me Hermione didn’t find her parents.

And I know this is spoken about a lot, but I wish Harry hadn’t become an Auror. Especially after he had kids, because he couldn’t put himself in the position his parents were in, and leave his children fatherless.

Did he do Quidditch in his spare time? Did his kids play Quidditch?

What about Ron and Hermione readying The Deathly Hallows to their kids someday, but they don’t make it through the story because they’re fighting about midnight and twilight.

Did Hermione ever see Krum again? Did Luna yell at her Father, even being the amazing person she is?

Give me Teddy Lupin starting a Werewolves Rights campaign, and all the previous Hogwarts students getting so involved, that werewolves were treated as if they were normal, and special sanctuary’s with animals for the full moon. Give me Harry having a special connection with him, and constantly reassuring him his parents would be proud.

Give me Ron having special connections to people who are often overlooked, to the ones who aren’t hat smart but have specialties in places no one would suspect.

Give me Ginny starting a kids Quidditch league, and her keeping in a special case the broomstick she stole from Fred all those years ago.

When Molly can’t knit the jumpers anymore, please tell me Ginny, although reluctantly, but with a sense of duty, continues it. Secretly giving George two, one with the letter F. And them two arranging the kids into swear words to give out as Christmas cards.

Give me Draco apologising, although sincerely, very nervous. Hermione just smiles, pointing to both their scars, and saying she knows what it’s like to be pressured into something. That it’s not his fault he was brought up that way, that kids naturally follow the actions of their superiors.

Although some might disagree, I’d like to see him bring down the remains of Godric’s Hollow, and place something like a proper orphanage that he visits, or a psychologists building built for both Muggles and Magical beings.

Gove me a whole book on the Marauders, and when Peter was good.

Give me Charlie fighting for dragons rights, all animal right, alongside a very old Newt Scamander.

Don’t reiterate what you already gave me, tell me what I missed.

Oh to be jayvik with their four beautiful adopted kids at that stream by their cottage 🌿

Younger

Pairing: Eddie Munson x (gender neutral) Reader

Summary: stressing about the future is no fun, so Eddie takes you on an impulse trip to remind you to live in the moment, to remind you of just how alive the two of you are

Warnings: pure unadulterated fluff

A/N: consider this an apology for my Save a Prayer fic lmao!! this was inspired by Younger by Imagine Dragons, I highly highly recommend listening to this song whilst you read, or just listening to the song in general, bc honestly it’s just amazing!! I was also rushing to finish this and post it asap so sorry if it’s not my best work, but anyways I hope this fic brings you some comfort and I hope you guys enjoy <33

!! vol. 2 spoiler in the a/n at the end !!

“What’s up, baby?” Eddie asks you softly, nudging your shoulder with his own gently.

You’d lost interest in whatever movie was playing a long time ago, drifting into a complete world of your own as your thoughts took over the entirety of your attention.

“Hmm?” You hum, still not even fully comprehending what Eddie had said.

He sits up next to you, turning the tv volume down a bit and then twisting so that he could face you. He brings his hand to rest on your thigh, his thumb moving back and forth in a small comforting gesture.

“I said, what’s up?” He repeats gently.

You blink a few times as you pull yourself out of your reverie. You rub your eyes with your fists as you try to get the real world back into focus. You were also trying to hide the tears that had been threatening to spill for nearly half an hour now.

But there was no hiding from Eddie; he just knew you too well.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” You looks at you earnestly, dipping his head down so he could meet your eyes. “Was the movie really that bad?” He jokes lightly, bringing a tiny smile to your face.

You sniff as the tears finally break through. You shake your head.

“No. Honestly I wasn’t even watching it” you admit in a small voice. “I’m sorry, I just have so much other stuff on my mind” you can hear the sadness in your own voice, it was laced with something like defeat.

“So tell me” Eddie shrugs.

You let out a huff of air, shaking your head slightly.

“It’s all stupid anyway, mostly overthinking things I guess, it’s dumb” you ramble quietly, trying your best to look and sound casual.

“Tell me anyway” he pushes gently.

He looks at you so earnestly, with such softness and tenderness in those big dark eyes of his. You feel your heart swell and the tears brim in your eyes. You shrug and shake your head again as you speak softly.

“It’s just stuff about the future. Like what am I actually gonna do with my life once I finish school? Like where do I want to go next, what do I want to do, who do I want to be. I also have my parents’ expectations to try and live up to, and… I don’t know. It all just feels so big, so overwhelming. I feel like I need to have my entire life planned out already or something. Like there’s just no time, no room to breathe” you ramble quickly, the words leaving your mouth faster than your brain had time to make sense of them.

Eddie just nods and says nothing for a second as he takes in all your words.

“Wow, that’s a lot” he finally agrees after a moment.

“Yeah I told you it was dumb” you wring your hands in your lap awkwardly.

Eddie takes his hand and places it over yours, stopping you from fidgeting with them. He squeezes your hands gently.

“That’s not what I said, I just mean it’s a lot. It’s heavy stuff” he shrugs lightly, his thumb stroking the back of your hand reassuringly.

“Honestly it feels like a massive weight sitting on my chest. Like it’s only a minute away from crushing me all together. Like the stress of it all is literally taking over my body” you feel your lower lip start to quiver, a waiver in your voice.

“Being an adult, or I guess nearly being an adult, sucks huh” he chuckles softly, gaining the smallest of smiles from you.

“Hmm, take me be back to when I was younger” you muse quietly.

“Oh if I could, I would, my love” he lifts a hand to stroke your face gently. “But, if you think about it, we’ll never be younger than we are right now,” he raises an eyebrow at you, “so let’s go live like it, even if it's just for tonight”

You shake your head questioningly at him.

You suddenly see a mischievous gleam in his eyes, his lips tugging with a smirk. He’d just had an idea, you could see it plainly in his face.

“Come on, let's go” he wiggles his eyebrows at you before getting off the couch to stand in front of you.

“Uh, go where?” You half laugh in confusion.

“Nowhere. Anywhere. Everywhere” he whispers dramatically.

“It’s already past midnight you know...” you hesitate meekly.

But Eddie just extends his arm, holding out his hand to you.

“Do you trust me?” He continues with his melodramatic tone.

Despite your uncertainty at what he was up to you you nod, and place your hand in his. His fingers wrap around yours as he gently pulls you up off the couch.

“Good, then let’s go!” He winks, dragging you out the trailer.

---

Eddie grins practically the entire drive. His hand rests on your thigh as he drives, his thumb still keeping up the small reassuring stroking motion.

“Eddie, where are we going?”

You’d tried to work out where you were but dark country roads mad pit difficult to tell The only things you could see being fields, bushes, and the night sky. It was as if there was no one that existed right now but the two of you.

Eddie just grins even wider but keeps his eyes on the road.

“I told you baby, nowhere and everywhere” the dramatic tone returning to his voice. “Just trust me,” he adds a bit more seriously, “we’re almost there.”

You sigh but still can’t help the smile that plasters your face.

True to his word, not five minutes later Eddie is slowing down and pulling off to the side of the road. He drives through a small gap in the bushes that lined sides of the road. Eddie parks his van and quickly jumps out. A second later he’s round your side, opening the door for you. He bows and holds his hand out for you as if you were a princess stepping out of a carriage. You giggle and roll your eyes as he helps you down from the van.

You step round to the front of the car and can’t help the gasp of awe that leaves your mouth when you take in the view in front of you. You keep hold of Eddie’s hand, feeling him give you a light squeeze, as you stare wide eyed at where he’d taken you.

You were in a wide and open field that seemed to run on for miles. Just off to the left was a lake, with the most beautiful willow tree leaning just on the bank. Above you the night sky was alive. The stars shone so bright they almost didn’t look real. The complete lack of light pollution meaning they were free to burn in their full glory. The full moon shone just as brightly, letting you have just enough light to appreciate the scene in front of you. You look over to see Eddie grinning at you like a proud child.

“Eddie” you breathe, almost speechless. “This place, i- it’s...”

“Pretty cool right?”

You shake your head in slight disbelief. “I don’t think there’s a word magnificent enough to describe it.”

“Mhmm” he nods his agreement enthusiastically.

He goes to to walk further into the field, tugging on your hand. But you hesitate and pull back.

“But what exactly are we doing here Eddie?” You ask sadly.

“We,” Eddie starts as he comes to stand in front of you, his hands on your upper arms. “We are here to just get away. To live in the moment, to be free. No worries, no stresses, no future. Just here, just now. Just you and me.”

You look at him doubtfully.

“Come on” Eddie winks at you and tugs at your hand again..

“W-what?” You stare at him confused. “Where are we going now?”

“Just trust me” he winks again, pulling on your hand again until he gets you to move with him.

He starts to walk quickly, pulling you along with him, heading in the direction of the lake. But before you know it he’s running, dragging you along with him. The two of you were suddenly racing towards the lake, sprinting at full speed. You can’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. You and Eddie running at full speed, hand in hand, in the middle of some field in the middle of the night.

You feel the night air whipping against your face, surging through your lungs, the air so cold it almost burned. All of it contrasting with the warmth of Eddie's hand in yours. The air fills with the sounds of the two of you giggling like giddy school children during recess. The only accompanying sound was the stomping of your feet as you continued to race into the night.

Eddie lets go of your hand just as you reach the edge of the lake, leaning over to rest his hands on his knees as he pants to catch his breath. You do the same, both of you still laughing even through your breathlessness. Eddie’s face is split with the biggest smile you think you’d ever seen as he looks back to you.

After a second, Eddie takes one long stride over to you and cups the back of your head with his hand. He’s then crashing his lips against your own. He kisses you breathlessly, messily, intensely. Your mind spins, both from the run and from the brisk air swirling around you. His hands wrapping around your body feel almost feverishly warm, and you keen into his touch. You can still feel the smile in his lips, his warm breathy laughter washing over your face even as he tries to keep kissing you.

When he pulls away he’s got that grin on his face again, but this time it’s laced with an edge of mischief.

“I have another idea on what might help with all those troubling thoughts running through your perfect little head,” he kisses your forehead quickly, "but you’ll have to trust me again, ‘kay?”

“Okay...?” You look at him quizzically.

“Okay” he nods, placing a kiss to the tip of your nose before letting you go and moving to take a few steps away from you

He then turns to face the lake, rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck, as if he was preparing for some kind of physical altercation. You narrow your eyebrows at him, completely lost on whatever the hell he was getting up to.

Eddie takes a deep breath before he suddenly just screams into the dark of the night.

His voice bellows into the quiet of the night, echoing across the lake. His scream fades as he runs out of breath and soon the only noise is Eddie laughing like a child.

“Jesus, what the hell was that?” You balk at him.

He turns his head, that ridiculously big smile still adorning his ridiculously beautiful face.

“That was cathartic as fuck! That’s what that was” he laughs. “Come on, your turn.”

“Oh, n-no, no I don’t think so” you shake your head at him, hugging your arms around yourself.

Eddie just nods rhythmically at you as he walks back over to you, hugging you from behind and wrapping his entire body around you.

“Mhm yes I think so, come on” he kisses your cheek. “Just let it all out.”

"Don't worry, no one can hear us from here, I promise” he continues when you don’t respond for a second. "You’re all good, just let out all those worries and stresses, baby. Shout them into the night sky, let them be gone!”

He steps away from you again, giving you space. He opens his arms in a ‘go ahead’ gesture. You look at him, unsure, but he just smiles and nods encouragingly.

You take a deep breath, rolling your head to crack your neck; “fuck it” you exhale.

You give Eddie one final glance. His enthusiastic nodding gives you the final push of confidence you needed.

And so you scream.

You scream with everything you have. You let all your fears and worries be expelled from your mind, from your body, hurling them into the night with your voice. Your head starts to feel clearer, nothing mattering other than the cold night air and the burn in your chest.

Eddie was right, it was cathartic.

Eddie quickly joins in from behind you, screaming and whooping into the air. You both scream until your lungs just can’t take it anymore, until your body had no sounds left to give, save for your laughter.

“Yeah that’s it baby!!” Eddie whoops proudly, clapping like an idiot.

You squeal when he suddenly picks you up from behind, holding you against him and lifting your feet off the floor. He spins you about half a turn before the two of you fall into the soft grass together, both of you practically dying from giggles.

You’re both still laughing a minute later when you finally roll over to face him. You bury your head in his chest as you slowly start to calm down from the all the giggling, finally starting to catch your breath. Eddie still chuckles softly even as he brings his hand up to rub your back, holding you against his body. For a second you forgot you were the middle of a field; it was just as if he was holding you like usual when you were in bed together.

You place a soft kiss to his throat before you roll to lay just beside him, nuzzling into his side. You rest your head on his shoulder as his hand still runs up and down your side gently.

You look up at the glittery night sky, at the awe-inspiring beauty of the full moon. Everything you were stressing about seemed suddenly small and insignificant. How could anything possibly worry you when you had this perfect view and Eddie beside you?

You feel a tear prick your eye, but this time it’s of happiness. A tear of gratefulness for this idiot you called your boyfriend at your side. Your idiot who knew exactly how to cheer you up, even if his methods were somewhat ‘out there’. Eddie knew there was no point giving you some big speech about how everything was gonna be okay, to not stress about it, etc. He knew it would do you no good. Your brain would continue to linger on it regardless of what he said. No, Eddie knew that what you needed was distraction. And that’s exactly what he’d provided.

“Thank you for this” you mumble softly.

Eddie shakes his head and rubs your back a lil harder.

“Don’t even mention it sweetheart” he places a kiss to your forehead.

The future didn’t seem so daunting now. Didn’t seem so immediate. Because for now all you cared about was here and now.

All that existed was this infinite moment with Eddie.

Masterlist

A/N: tagging my darlings @siempre-bucky and @chaoticvigilantes bc I know they're in need of the Eddie comfort right now :’) this was 100% a self-indulgent comfort fic bc I am also stressing about my future and also I needed the comfort of Eddie still being alive lmao! I hope you guys liked this <3

Taglist // Join My Nightmare Realm // Ko-fi

#clock him again maria #you shoulda sat there n ate ur food

currently imagining Elain coming back home after a long day and seeing Lucien passed out on the couch, wearing a “kiss the fox” apron, covered in flour, his hair in a messy bun, and his clothes disheveled.

when she looks in the kitchen she sees her favourite pastries and treats laying on the table (looking a little wonky, as if unsure fingers had been shaping and molding them) and softly smiles at the welcome surprise

hell's greatest dad but reversed 😈

source

people watching the new season of MHA entirely in sub are missing out on mirko calling bakugou a “cocky piece of tnt” and him returning the insult with calling her a “bunny wabbit” 💀