#"D" Coy

[car-on-the-stairs]

The Last Hours character's as quotes from my D&D campaign

James

Matthew

Cordelia

Lucie

Jesse

Grace

Thomas

Alastair

Anna

[love-belle]

modern day romeo and juliet !!!

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ in which their love was the modern day romeo and juliet, with a happy ending.

or 

for when you find your forever. ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚

social media au // charles leclerc x fem!reader

warnings - language, alludes to sex, mentions of sex, whatever.

author’s note - hello!! i REALLY hope u all like this one bc it was so fun to write like it was so chuckle worthy so i really hope u enjoy it!! thank u so much for reading, i love u <3 i will try to post once more tonight bc i have 10+ drafts rn with almost 20 requests and i'm trying to do them all one by one, thank u so much for being patient <3

≡;- ꒰ °instagram ꒱

liked by charles_leclerc, lilymhe, carlossainz55 and 873,268 others

yourusername got railed and he walked out and came back with cherries and roses for me??? is this true love???

8,628 comments

username Y/N OH MY GOD

username THIS GIRL HAS NO FILTER HELP

username THE CAPTION OMG

lewishamilton boss man is on his way to confiscate your phone

-> yourusername thank u for the heads up 🙏

username MOMMY??????

username IM SCREAMING WHY IS SHE SO BEAUTIFUL

username the caption has my jaw slacked

lilymhe girl it's the truest love

*liked by yourusername*

username no bc i would happily d!e if someone did that for me like CHERRIES AND ROSES AFTER SEX WOAH

username me pretending like i can relate to this knowing damn well my single ass is getting none

username don't be scared gf drop his @

carmenmmundt i'm going to ignore the caption and just say that you look gorgeous baby

-> yourusername as if u weren't the first to message the gc BUT THANK U MY LOVE

-> username not y/n exposing carmen 😭😭😭😭

username god when will i have this ?

landonorris gross we don't need to know that

-> yourusername look away child

username we really lost mother this time huh?

username i can only imagine the look of horror on toto's face

charles_leclerc idk to me it sounds like it's TRUE true love

-> yourusername RIGHT??? that's what i was thinking

username charles what r u doing here

-> username thoughts are being thunk rn

username to have someone who would bring me cherries and roses after getting railed :///

username oh she's GLOWING

≡;- ꒰ °instagram ꒱ 

liked by yourusername, maxverstappen1, danielricciardo and 874,926 others

charles_leclerc the water's getting colder let me in your ocean

8,627 comments

username CHARLES???????

username GOODBYE

username NOT HIM QUOTING CHASE ATLANTIC OMG

username i just wanna know who got him quoting this song I SWEAR

username NAH MY MAN'S DOWN BAD

carlossainz55 my eyes.

-> charles_leclerc why do you think i texted the gc before posting???

username WHO IS SHE OMG

username SWIM OMFG

username girlies we officially lost him

username y/n soft (hard) launched her man too and now charles.............are we seeing this shit

-> username i have made the connection

-> username u didn't make shit

-> username i have made it

maxverstappen1 please there are kids on this app

-> charles_leclerc look away landonorris

-> landonorris ur both just as bad as each other

-> username not to alarm anyone but that's EXACTLY what y/n said on her post

-> username oh.

yourusername swim 🌊

-> charles_leclerc swim 🌊

-> username WHAT DOES THIS MEAN.

≡;- ꒰ °instagram ꒱ 

liked by paddockgirlies, y/nwolff44, f1wags and 62,628 others

paddock.club charles leclerc and y/n wolff spark dating rumours after they were spotted out on a date, only adding into them as they shared a kiss. leclerc and wolff have been having coy interactions on social media for a while now but they were barely seen interacting outside the paddock. both of them, separately, have been hinting at a relationship for a few weeks now although we had no reason to believe that they were together, until these photos resurfaced. click on the link in our bio for more details about the new potential f1 couple.

3,527 comments

username OH MY GOD

username WHATCTHEBFUCK

username pretty people (charles) ruining it again for the poor (me)

username i will be taking months to recover from this thank u.

username charles is really on his path to get y/n disowned huh

username THOSE THIRSTY ASS POSTS MAKE SM SENSE NOW

username they're MY romeo and juliet

username this information is life altering like ACTUALLY

username y/n this isn't u babe come home the kids and the cats miss u ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ u can bring him too ig

username charles leclerc i am under ur bed

username not a vroom vroom guy stealing my wife the fuck

username i would do anything to be at the mercedes garage rn

username i had already made the connection

-> username u didn't make shit

-> username i had already made it

username they'd be such a power couple like WOAHHH

username BOTH of my parasocial relationships are in shambles rn

username off topic but she's so barbie coded and he's just ken

username MOTHER and then it's just some silly guy

username HOW'D HE PULL HER 😭😭😭

username charles leclerc teach me ur ways

username if he can pull someone like y/n then i have hope for myself

username no bc i don't know who to be more jealous of

username not the entire comment section bullying charles and thirsting over y/n 💀💀💀

≡;- ꒰ °twitter ꒱

≡;- ꒰ °instagram ꒱ 

liked by charles_leclerc, susie_wolff, francisca.cgomes and 898,724 others

yourusername his swagless looks and cringe fail personality have captivated me

tagged charles_leclerc

11,628 comments

username PLEASE

username OH MY GOD

username SIS REALLY CAME FOR CHARLES LIKE THAT

lewishamilton finally someone addressed the swagless looks

-> yourusername listen i love him but it had to be said

-> charles_leclerc both of you are dead to me.

username SHE'S SO UNSERIOUS I LOVE HER

username she really secured the rival team's driver for future use for her dad and roasted him on the internet while announcing their relationship

-> username this is the most y/n thing y/n has ever done

-> username i know who my 🐐 is

-> username that's what i call iconic.

francisca.cgomes this is the equivalent of u saying "where the hoes at" im heartbroken

-> yourusername babe i just said that so i could avoid that area

-> username fuck charles and pierre it's kika and y/n ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

username bf who is so babygirl and gf who is just a silly little guy

-> yourusername im getting this comment framed and hanging it above the mantle

username i apsire to be her

charles_leclerc can't believe i got violated by my girlfriend like that

charles_leclerc mom amour why

charles_leclerc this is unbelievable

-> yourusername relax i'll fuck u let me be funny first

-> charles_leclerc ........yeah okay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-> username CHARLES 😭😭😭😭

-> username Y/N OMG

-> username i fucking love this girl sm

susie_wolff please answer my calls. - toto wolff

-> yourusername give susie her phone back

-> susie_wolff call me. and have charles call me too. - toto wolff

-> yourusername who's that question mark

-> susie_wolff y/n y/m/m wolff. - toto wolff

-> yourusername goodbue ou mu god

username toto is throwing another set of headphones i can FEEL it

username parents 🙏🙏🙏

≡;- ꒰ °instagram ꒱

liked by yourusername, carlossainz55, georgerussell63 and 899,724 others

charles_leclerc ma belle looked so pretty today i almost cried

tagged yourusername

12,728 comments

username GOD WHY CAN'T SOMEONE LOVE ME LIKE THIS

username OH MY GOD???????

username need a man to be obsessed with like RIGHT now

username i cried leclerc get on my level

*liked by yourusername*

carlossainz55 almost?

-> charles_leclerc haha don't make me block you.

-> landonorris is he wrong tho?

-> charles_leclerc no comment.

username HE'S SO OBSESSED WITH HER AHSJSJKAK

-> username can't blame him bc SAME

-> username if my girl was y/n i would be too tf

georgerussell63 you are toto's number 1 enemy!

-> charles_leclerc i have been living life in fear since the day we started dating

-> yourusername i kinda like u too much ur sticking around

-> charles_leclerc ahahahahahahhahaah!!! okay!!!!!!! ahahahahhaha!!!!!!

-> lewishamilton y/n he's doing that thing again

-> yourusername he'll be back to normal i swear just give him a min

-> username same charles SAME

susie_wolff so happy for you both 🤍

-> susie_wolff i will be seeing you at tonight's dinner, leclerc. - toto wolff

-> charles_leclerc thank you so much susie 🤍

-> charles_leclerc babe your dad is being mean again yourusername

-> yourusername dad.

-> susie_wolff can't wait to see you, charles. - toto wolff

-> charles_leclerc why was that more threatening than the previous one.

yourusername good. need a man on his knees crying and screaming and throwing up bc im too hot

-> charles_leclerc you can have me like that anytime of the day just saying

-> yourusername BOY MY DAD'S ON THIS APP

-> charles_leclerc YOU ACT LIKE YOU HAVEN'T SAID WORSE

-> yourusername catch these hands

-> charles_leclerc we're now holding hands haha! this is nice!

-> yourusername u dumbfuck i adore u so much what.

username im SICK rn like OH MY GOD

username i see u on street and it's on SIGHT for destroying my carefully curated parasocial relationship

≡;- ꒰ °twitter ꒱

≡;- ꒰ °instagram ꒱

liked by lewishamilton, carmenmmundt, danielricciardo and 798,626 others

yourusername he got jack's approval and that's all that really matters

tagged charles_leclerc susie_wolff

7,816 comments

username HE MET THE FAMILY OFFICIALLY OMG

username what would i do to be an atom during this whole vacation

username JACK AND Y/N MY BABIES ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

username JACK APPROVES WE WON

landonorris does toto like him?

-> yourusername we're making progress.

-> danielricciardo does it look promising?

-> yourusername uncertain but hoping for the best.

-> carlossainz55 copy. keep us updated.

-> charles_leclerc why are you like this

username JACK MY FAV WOLFF FRRRRR

username i think charles is traumatized by now

username SHE LOOKS SO ETHEREAL IN THE THIRD SLIDE LIKE OH MY GOD?????? A LITERAL ANGEL???????? IM SPEECHLESS

-> username charles it's ok u can comment from ur main acc

*liked by yourusername*

username THIS WHOLE FAMILY HAS MY HEART

username susie and wolff the ultimate power couple 🔥🔥🔥

username baby brother agreed everything is ok now

carmenmmundt missing my love

-> yourusername i miss u so bad

-> carmenmmundt i was talking about jack but i miss you too ig

-> yourusername fuck u actually

username well he got 3/4 wolffs on his side that's something ‼️‼️‼️

susie_wolff had the most amazing time, y/n!! even toto said "it was okay." ❤️

-> yourusername i love u guys sm ❤️

-> susie_wolff he still not getting within 6ft radius of you. - toto wolff

-> yourusername dad u do realise that everything that had to happen has happened?????

-> susie_wolff i suddenly need to talk to him. very urgent. - toto wolff

-> charles_leclerc WHY DO U NOT WANT ME TO HAVE A GOOD TIME

-> yourusername oh shit sorry dw u will be fine!!!!!!!!

username i missed the whole wolffs content sm :///

username BABY JACK AND Y/N

charles_leclerc little dude loves me

-> yourusername after u brought him 26281927 toys

-> charles_leclerc a win is a win

-> yourusername ok babe.

charles_leclerc your dad is looking at him like he wants to break my every bone while counting i am scared

-> yourusername just say that i would be upset if he did that

-> charles_leclerc he left me alone thank you my love ❤️

-> yourusername anything for u ❤️

-> username is toaster waterproof???? let's find out!!!!!!!

-> username they make me feel single in 262828 languages it's not funny anymore

username to have what charles and y/n have :///

username if my relationship isn't exactly like this i don't want it.

username they're my parents ur honour

[slimthicksonnett]

89 with Lucy Bronze

“YOU SENT ME PICTURES OF YOU NAKED WHILE I WAS IN A WORK MEETING!” // Lucy Bronze (1,000 words)

“Y/NN, truth or dare.”

Truthfully, Y/N wasn’t sure how she ended up here. Though, she probably should’ve expected that this is what having girls' night with the kids would result in. 

“Dare. But please do remember that I am in a happy, committed relationship with a woman that two of you have to play against in less than a month so I suggest you don’t piss her off.” You answered, pointing between Sanchez and Rodman who suddenly went wide eyed.

When the United Spirits were all together, it was easy to lose track of international allegiances. You were just Y/N and Lucy was just your silly girlfriend who sometimes sent little gifts to the girls. But with the England game rapidly approaching, there was the looming reminder that you were also the Y/N and Lucy England’s lethal outsideback duo. 

“Fine, let's make her happy then. We dare you to send a picture to Lucy.” Trinity grinned, looking pleased with herself. Meanwhile you cocked your head to the side in confusion.

“A picture? That’s it?” You questioned, staring at the younger girls skeptically. 

“Not just a picture, a picture picture.” Ashley elaborated, emphasizing the word significantly.

“You know you’re allowed to say a nude, yes?” You laughed, watching every one of the younger players in the room squirm uncomfortably. It was a funny sight honestly considering the conversations these girls normally had. You had heard more conversations about nail lengths and bruise covering techniques since you’d been hanging around the younger Spirit players than you think you’d heard since the World Cup.

Pulling out your phone, you leaned back so the screen wasn’t in the direct view of everyone in your living room. Carefully, you put in a few passwords and unlocked your private folder. After a few moments of consideration between two sets, you made your selection and pressed send without any other context.

Some small part of you was aware that while it was a late night for you, it was well into the next day for Lucy. If you knew her schedule as well as you thought you did, she was probably already up for morning training at this point. 

“Alright, done.” Setting your phone back down, you picked up your drink and looked up at the surprised faces of your teammates. 

“You’re done? You jus- you just had something on your phone ready to send?” Anna asked, befuddled by this concept as your head fell back in laughter.

“Love, my girlfriend lives over 4,000 miles away. Of course I have nudes saved in my phone.” The answer was casual and made the room dissolved into chaos. A combination of gagging and wolf whistles filled the space while you just sipped your wine innocently.  

–

You had just finished ushering all the young Spirits out and back down the hall to their own apartments when your phone rang.

“Hello?” Your voice was raspy and soft, an effect of both the wine and the late hour.

“YOU SENT ME PICTURES OF YOU NAKED WHILE I WAS IN A WORK MEETING!” Lucy’s voice came loudly through the phone, forcing you to remove the device from your ear and blink in surprise at the loud sound.

“What happened to hello, how are you…” You quoted, fighting back a tired laugh at the sound of her frustrated exhalation.

“Right. That was rude of me. Hello babe, how are you? And also, why are you sending me naked photos while I’m in a work meeting?” There was an air of impatience in her tone, and you could feel the other woman rolling her eyes at you over the phone.

“Oh, hi baby! I’m so good. I just finished a night in with the girls! It was so much fun, they always make me feel young again. Do you remember when we were their age?”

You were being coy. You very much know Lucy remembers playing with you as a young Lioness and everything you got up to together. 

“So, you sent me that while you were with the children?” Lucy responded, skillfully avoiding your question in a way that made you laugh. 

“I’m sorry, do you not want to hear about how the future of the US women's national team picked my set out for me?” You teased, knowing full and well that the picture you had sent her had been from days ago when the lingerie you’d ordered specifically for that purpose had finally come in. 

“Y/N!” Your girlfriend scolded, making you laugh loudly. 

“I’m only kidding.” Still laughing, you threw the phone on speaker and started preparing yourself for bed. 

“You’re such a shit.” Lucy muttered, earning a playful hum in response.

“Yes but you love it, just like you loved my picture. Soooooo I don’t see why it sounds like you’re complaining?” You continued to tease, enjoying the groan that came from the other side of the line.

“I opened that during film! Anyone could’ve seen that. Hell, I think Frido did!” Lucy hissed, making your eyes shoot up at the admission at the end.

“Fridolina, hm?” You mused, pausing momentarily in thought of the blonde woman.

“Y/N Y/LN!” Lucy shouted this time, sending you into another fit of laughter as you grabbed your phone and slipped into bed.

“Only teasing, only teasing! Besides, who cares? It’s not like the majority of them haven’t seen naked women before. Hell, they’ve probably even seen me in less than that!” And it was the truth. 

After the World Cup, Sports Illustrated had reached out to you about doing the Body Issue. You were in the peak form of your career and your body had never looked better, why would you say no? So, it wasn’t like there weren’t a plethora of tastefully nude photographs of you in public media.

“Those were meant to be seen, this wasn’t. And they can see all the naked women they want, but not mine.” Lucy answered, voice gruffer than it had been previously.

“Someone sounds jealous.” Your voice singsongy and teasing.

“I prefer protective.” Lucy firedback, and you couldn’t help but agree.

Lucy Bronze was nothing if not the most protective (and passionate) person you’d ever met.

[ducktracy]

Obsessed with "Milkman Keep Those Bottles Quiet" thanks to you! Also showed KITTY KORNERED (1946) at my recent holiday party and my guests had such a blast with it, it's so insane :D

really showing my tardiness with these asks!! i apologize!! SO GLAD TO HEAR IT THOUGH, that’s a really fun song! the songs that actually play in LT shorts are great (duh), but i have a lot of love for the songs that get referenced in quotes but don’t actually play. like this one! Beat Me Daddy Eight to the Bar is another one of my favorites that fills this niche (as immortalized by our favorite duck in A Coy Decoy)

AND YAAAAAAY!! oh my goodness i’m so happy to hear this!! that sounds like so much fun to watch in a group setting :’) it’s one of my Immortal Three in the Piggy Bank-Bottleneck-Kitty trifecta and so i only try to watch it on special occasions so the novelty stays fresh and that my love for it is as powerful as ever… it can be hard to abstain from such a good cartoon but DANG is it worth it! i’m so happy to hear this!!

[1000punks]

okay, so i think i've cracked the code

on why the girls, gays and theys all really like BG3

the short answer is the subversion of toxic gender stereotypes and the more or less relateable themes that each character has come up in game, or are implied, long answer under the cut

lots of people have been posting about individual (main and supporting) character motivations, yes but i haven't really seen any analyses based on gender and/or romance situations quite yet (please feel free to point me to them, i love discourse) as well, i am well aware that the romanceable characters are scare quotes "player-sexual" for the most part, but some elements of the gendered experience may feel more relateable to certain groups of players than others. i'm going to refrain as much as i can from making moral judgements (in terms of motivations and alignments) because all of these characters are morally complex. let's take it on a case by case basis, starting with the women in the game (minthara isn't included since i haven't done a playthrough with her as a companion yet :'D): Karlach

Karlach seems like this huge butch imo, but from what i can see she has to battle with the touch starved-ness. i guess you could make the argument here that that feeds into a stereotype about stone butches, but i think it presents a very relatable (and honest) representation of how a LOT of queer folks, especially queer non-men, deal with being touch starved. i think one thing that potentially a lot of queer women and femme-identifying folks can relate to is the fear of being "imposing" in wlw relationships. for example, i would say the fear of coming off as "creepy" or "dangerous." and inversely, the feeling of relief when you're assured that that isn't the case. the other thing that comes up, i think, with Karlach is that there's this stigma surrounding masculine women. for one, she towers over everyone else, and she's a barbarian. on the surface level, that can be extremely intimidating, obviously. but playing through her romance, understanding that she is capable of and honestly, exudes tenderness -- and the majority of which being without touching/sexuality, is just... it's really important y'all okay? Shadowheart

my personal favourite thing about Shadowheart and her storyline is that even if she appears very feminine, there is no part of the game that i can see (thus far) that has railroaded her into that stereotype. not even with the armour choices. in my file, the armour i've picked for her "end-game" level 12 armour is the shar justiciar armour she gets in the gauntlet. it's not stereotypically feminine at all. historically in video games, armour that covers everything on a woman's body (i will bring this up re: Lae'zel as well) is uhh.. really fuckin hard to find.

the other thing is while she may be very femme-coded, she doesn't necessarily use "stereotypical" seduction methods in her romance scenes. her first one is sharing wine with you and kissing, that's pretty much it, right? and if you call her beautiful, instead of acting coy, she says "i know." and thanks you for noticing. she doesn't need someone to simper over her and tell her that. she's also never shy about telling you exactly what she wants, whether in a romantic or platonic situation. picasso, i like it. Lae'zel

jesus, what can i start with here? this woman is an extremely skilled fighter, wears heavy armour, wields a fucking greatsword that's bigger than she is, all while being like, 5 feet tall. her first romance scene shows me that she is interested in sex but is primarily concerned with her own pleasure (this can be read in a positive or negative way of course: positive being she is getting hers, and negative being not concerned with her partner's pleasure). not only that but she is not interested in having kids at all, based on in-game dialogue. and like i mentioned with shadowheart, her armour (most of the gith armour options you can put her in, i would guess) are full sets of armour - minus the admittedly a little weird lack of butt coverage on most of the gith plate and half-plate that i've seen her in. uhh, yeah- wow. in a romance, it seems like she fits the "shrew" stereotype, but i argue that for lae'zel, it's more about respecting Tav than it is about swooning over them (and knowing that they're passionate). if she doesn't respect Tav, there's no way she's going to share a bed with them, never mind anything else. that to me, shows a woman who has self-respect, which isn't often something shown so strongly in a video game/media in general especially when it's written by men (which is fucking unfortunate!! i hate it!!) i think this is beaten over our heads as players most blatantly when she challenges you to a fucking duel in act 2 and then if Tav wins she boinks them right in the middle of camp. Jaheira

Jaheira is old enough to have adult children, for one. i know she's an elf, and there's some in-game dialogue that alludes to her having extended her lifespan, etc. but for argument's sake, let's say she's middle aged - she is in friggin' top physical condition. and while during the events of bg3 she is a widow, you think that's gonna stop her from meeting her goals? not only that, but her adventures didn't suddenly stop when she became a mother. there's not much of a romance element to her storyline, but she's definitely biffing off a lot of stereotypes about older women and mothers here.

the men - most of my arguments here are going to come back to the utter lack of hypermasculinity/toxic masculinity:

Wyll

he talks about dancing with you in his first romance scene, not seducing you - in fact, he shares a really chaste kiss and then is like "but now isn't the time to jump into bed, actually." he friggin blushes, because thinking about a romance with you gets him all giddy. the man dances for you. then he goddamn proposes to you like a proper gentleman. he is concerned with family. he's concerned with Karlach's well-being. he's concerned with other people's emotions, and is extremely considerate of them. he's pacted with Mizora, not some unseen super masc devil. Mizora the friggin danger femme. lastly, and i think this is really important: Wyll, regardless of a high-fantasy setting, is a black man. i am well aware that eschewing the many stereotypes of hypermasculinity in regards to black men specifically, cannot be undone with one video game, but i think it does a lot. it could do more, of course - but i feel that Larian made a wholehearted attempt with this specifically.

Minsc

the man is large and very visually "stereotypically masculine," yes, but all of his actions are either influenced by Jaheira or Boo. case closed, your honor. i'm joking. but really, Minsc respects and admires Jaheira intensely as a comrade. and what she thinks seems to matter more to him than his own motivations. that's what made it so easy for the Bhaalist assassins to manipulate him - they just had one person pose as Jaheira. boom.

Halsin

another very visually "stereotypically masculine" man, yes- but i have three things: he's open to polyamory that is represented in the game more or less in a healthy way he's very concerned with consent, both in a monogamous romance or a polyamorous one - this includes the bear scene, he does ask about it before like, barrelling into it (and no i'm not poking that bear any more than i have to in this post) uhh, have you heard him talk to/about Tav? my my. not only that but this man is quite literally built like a bear, yet he is a druid, literally about all things nature. you could make the argument that this subverts the nature/culture; emotion/reason debate as it relates to gendered roles.

Gale

okay so, not only has it been confirmed/alluded to by in-game dialogue that Gale does the cooking for the camp- (specifically by Wyll if i recall correctly), he's also just a fairly forthcoming person with his feelings and insecurities. i know a lot of people have deemed that a bit annoying, but i do think there is some value in it. for example, he is a little self-deprecating about being a bad kisser, but it's his way (especially if you read him as autistic) of saying "hey, i'm insecure about this and i usually spend a lot of time alone in a mother fucking tower in waterdeep." i.e. i don't exactly know how to do this. he's an honest, giving, and kind man, and is just as likely to show you as he is to tell you how his heart and mind function. he wants you to understand him. he's also very idealistic- that of course can be a double edged sword, but i think he comes by it honestly as well. given his background with Mystra. i shouldn't even need to mention it but the way the "with you i forget my goddess" and the "you would really prefer me as i am?" lines wrench my heart- like, okay that's very romantic but he's also (imo) accepting that he, a human man, cannot be perfect. that to me is like anti-toxic masculinity in the sense of accepting that a real relationship is where two people are equals and that it's founded in mutual respect and adoration. not unrequited love and service (especially service).

Astarion

get at me if you want, but this man is in touch with his feminine side. i would personally call him high femme, but that's a little besides the point, he sews, appreciates fashion, yada yada. the next part about him i want to discuss as delicately as possible- he's very forthcoming (once he feels relatively safe and in control of the situation at hand) with his experiences as an ab-se/SA survivor. most men do not have the space to do this, nor are they actively encouraged to share their experiences. and with that, depending on dialogue choices, he wants to cease all intimate contact and go at his own pace. not expecting men to be sexual is kind of big on its own, but given his background, i think it's especially important in his storyline. furthermore, in the spawn!romance stream, he is very explicit about moving forward with Tav as equals.

Raphael

you.. y'all. you already know what i'm going to say regarding the dialogue with Haarlep. i don't really know if i have anything to add besides reiterating that men do not have to be these perfect, virile sexual machines.

Extra Stuff

the emphasis on consent: whether it's in a romance dialogue or if it's the game warning you "you're about to do xyz, are you sure?!"

specifically consent in the romance dialogues though: there are usually 3-4 chances for you as the player to be like "actually, i don't want to do that"

queer couples (npc + npc or pc + companion) are just.. normal. once you get to the lower city you'll hear a ton of ambient dialogue where it will be like "my husband blah blah blah" and you look and it's a gnome and his dragonborn husband standing in the street

uhh, hi larian jumping on the character creator with gender neutral and gender-mixed/mixable options, way to make the player base feel seen. hearing my Tav (Festé) be referred to as "they" in dialogue without issue (especially glaring grammatical ones like i've seen in other games) was really big for me, personally.

openly trans npcs. the defense rests, your honor. okay but imagine my surprise when i hear abigail fucking thorn in a completely missable dialogue scene, where she (the character) talks openly about the fact that she is a fucking trans woman. like.

[crossroad1960]

Contraddizioni

[bemtevis]

yes I publicly humiliated someone twice, no I'm not going to apologize for that. I don't hate him not because I believe he has changed, but because I am so so so kind you know 🤪

you want me to show that kindness instead of being told about it??? look, I don't hate a victim of abuse for something he did years ago. and I feel bad that his dad died! isn't that enough proof?!?

I am a living saint and Sometimes I Wish I Wasn't 😩😩

[yutasbimil]

Impatient

kenma x fem!oc | haikyuu ff. (time-skip!older kenma) ✦ (1/~) [series fic] !!! also posted on my ao3 acc! { here } tags: fluff, smut, comfort cw: nsfw minors dni, minor plot, fingering, oral, teasing, established relationship, unprotected sex, kinda public(?) *thrill that someone might hear/walk-in, kinky; light choking and hair pulling, slight breeding kink?, FLUFF!!! D; note: not that comfy w/ 2nd POV, tho no specific characteristics are mentioned on the fem!oc so pls feel free to imagine as y/n or YOU ♡ word count: 4.8k

part 2 | part 3

do not repost © yutasbimil (2021)

It’s one of the few rarest sights for Mai, to see her boyfriend, Kenma, stressed out. Well, besides his aggravation to struggling in-game, it’s a different case to see him close to slightly unhinged on his stray hair on the way of his beautiful face shoved over his notes app to get through listing his tasks.

She does the favor to tie it up, though a bit of hesitance stopped her as she heard his teammates following over as they head out of the gym. Kuroo pulls Kenma close to him in a headlock, only to be pushed away by the blond. “Don’t tell me, I know we’ve got practice tomorrow. I finished as soon as possible today to get through practice.”

His point is practically in circles; redundant. The taller can't help but step back with his arms up in defense. “Ohh-kay, I didn’t say a thing, Kenma. But yes, tomorrow it is.”

Kuroo took that as a sign to back off, he kept his usual nonchalant expression, signaling Mai a glance to come over to her boyfriend. To which she did. It’s not that recent that they started dating, however as lowkey as the two seem, most know about something going on between them since Day 1. It’s not that hard to decipher Kenma, who is someone as a geek to games, he can be figured out when he’s starting to take interest in his friend, Amamiya Mai. As much as she’s not much into games, they do share the same interest in being indulgent in all things imagination-wise. So, it wasn’t much of a surprise to break the news about how they got together. With Kuroo betting how the girl would be the one confessing to the quiet boy ("obviously," as Fuku added), and how much Kenma would be a mess getting through the uncharted territory of love, other than his love for games.

Though, like games and stories, she does find it interesting to unlock different parts of Kenma as she gets closer to him.

This being, seeing him out of his usual “cool-headed” self. Mai had to reach out his hand as he messed up his hair with a big huff. The obvious creases on his forehead signal him being stressed.

“Aren’t you guys practicing till night?” She peeks over the gym door though, by the looks of it, even the net and volleyballs are neatly arranged back to their places. She usually waits for him till sun-down for them to finish.

“We’re done for today,” he says. “Coach isn’t much serious since we got to work our butts off the last tournament. We don’t have anything scheduled yet but it isn’t a reason to slack off. As he says… Urghh, so much to do… I have to go home. Midterms coming up… I can’t even focus well earlier in practice—”

Too many words in one speaking, this isn’t the usual Kenma.

This is one of the assets Mai has, likewise to Kenma; being observant.

“What are the things you’re supposed to do?” She peers over his phone screen, by the looks of it he does have a lot on his plate.

He takes another huff, playing by his white hoodie strings. “I won’t be able to play games with all this due work…”

Mai laughs. “You really do get emotional when you’re tired huh?” she quotes, as she heard it once from Tora and others. She pats him, but his response is much different from the black-haired male trying to leer him over.

Kenma pouts. “Is it really that obvious?”

Now that’s Kenma-kun. She holds back another laugh while she pats his head. She also saw his game’s daily tasks as one of the piled-up tasks he needs to get done.

She managed to respond with a coy smile on her face, nodding. Kenma proceeds to walk as he slings Mai’s bag by his shoulder, carrying it for her. She walks beside him, tugging on his white sleeve. “Do you want me to help you?”

Kenma is now a touch of pink, shy just by looking at her. He had been staring at her overtly as she greets her by the gym, but he really had to take a look at Mai wearing his jacket.

In what seems to be minutes, the blond male responds with a small nod, quite opposite to the raging emotions he feels in his covert expression.

Slightly past their school grounds, they reached the narrower streets, which made the male break off his calm state when she suddenly clings to him.

He jolted, a bit taken aback as he felt something... soft by his shoulder.

Kenma looks at his girlfriend but with an obvious depth and glare... she's wearing his jacket. A bit too snugged and warm around tightly around her figure, as much as it’s bigger than her stature. He wasn’t able to break off the speed of his thoughts.

He’s quiet but Mai gets him out of his trance as she leads them to the convenience store.

“Come on, it would give you motivation if we buy snacks!” she beams, pulling his hand inside the store, the delight on her face totally put his mind out of the gutter.

“That’s more on you, Mai-chan.”

“Hehe…” She scratches her head sheepishly, obviously caught in the act. Kenma knows his foodie best friend all too well, already putting the mushroom chocolate biscuit pack on their basket.

Mai takes in some pretzels and gummy snacks for him. “You do know, so… it would also be a sweet treat while you play your games after.”

Now that's music to his ears. That urges him more to get this over with.

The two took off their shoes by the doorstep, Kenma turned in her direction as she peeks over the living room. “They’ll be coming home later if you’re looking for them,” he says, Mai always greets his family whenever she comes over.

As they head upstairs, she sets up her notes on the table as Kenma hangs his jacket by the hook. He’s stealing glances at her though he makes sure she just catches him looking at his phone. I’m more worked up over this to get astray. He mentally notes.

Not even glancing at her, he says. “Isn't it better for you to lighten up your load? You can change if you want.”

It’s different indoors even as winter just started. There's already a heater by their house, and the kotatsu would surely keep them comfortable and warm already. She may also be uncomfortable in the clothes she’s been wearing the whole day. Kenma gestures where the restroom is located however, she declines.

“Actually, I’ve changed since it’s our gym class today,” she replies, though he had to make sure once more. He also suggested a change of shirt she could borrow but she insists she’s fine just wearing her stockings and jacket.

Wait... just 'jacket'?

He thought he’s been observant all this time, but not quite enough as he didn’t even notice. Since when did she remove her set of clothing?

He might’ve been too distracted with his phone.

What a loss.

“Now, isn’t that comfier?” he inquired, Mai just beams, moving her arms on the long sleeves that it just peeks ever so slightly.

He just remembered the girl usually does this during gym class, just bringing down half of her uniform, only wearing her bra underneath the jacket. Or was it by accident that she’s forced to only change to a jacket? She might’ve made her top wet due to swim class, was it?

There goes Kenma with his trail of thoughts again.

As much as she’s used to his quiet state, this is quite different, especially in his line of vision.

The girl almost hisses at him, widening her eyes as he’s been blatantly just staring at her way down her eye level. “Du-dummy! Of course, I got panties on!” She stretches a bit of her lower leg up to remind him of her wearing stockings but she immediately regrets how bare she feels at his stares.

“My eyes are up here, y’kno.” She huffs, covering her chest with the notebook. She feels her cheeks burning up more as the fabric of her thin stockings feels picked on the more that he continues to stare at her. “Kenma-kun, please focus.”

He’s already on it, being the first to divert his obvious distraction onto his phone, trying to appear focused. Emphasis on the trying. “Wait, in a bit.”

“Geez, really?”

Mai pulls his phone away. He doesn’t know if his grip is kind of tight when he’s holding onto his phone, or is she just too loose to hold her grip?

It happened in an instant.

Supposedly she’s reaching for his phone but she ended up with Kenma on top of her.

Too close!

“Wait, wait! G-get off…” She pulls her body as close to the floor as possible, away from him— turning herself anywhere else at the close scent of his skin.

Kenma easily hovers over her, appearing as enigmatic to his eyes from lips, it’s transient even for Mai to decipher as moments later, he moves.

She almost lost her breath there.

The girl almost comes back to reality as her feet meet the warmed-up carpet. “Chapter 7,” she harrumphs, fixing herself up, to her relief, the boy adjacent to her follows.

-

The studying went smoothly, she was able to teach him as they got through two chapters of reading.

“Wait… we're done already for the most part?” Kenma prompts, almost eyes wide.

“Yep, two-thirds down already, Ken-ken.” She beams as he moves close to peer over her notes and their books. “See? That wasn't so bad, I was assuring you earlier you could do it! And rather quickly.” She winks.

“You were.” he gingerly glided his hand over his nape, confessing what seemed to be obvious to the girl even earlier. “I was just panicking.”

She can see right through his straight face but jittery legs at a glance.

“Yes.”

Her simple response made Kenma turn to her, it looked like she was deep in thought but that’s the only thing she managed to muster out. Between the two of them, of course, Kenma still holds the one who has more stamina than her since he plays sports on a daily. As much as they’re both on the ‘feeble’ side. It’s the introverted side of them winning over this time.

He had noticed she’d been sluggish for the past minutes, although by the looks of her scanning through the next set of notes, she was about to start the next chapter.

Kenma hovers his hand over the notebook.

“How about we stop for a bit?”

That made Mai blink, looking at him now that he’s covered the notebook that was just on her face moments ago. She vaguely purses her lips upward, brushing off her drowsiness. “You're tired already? Well, we could use a break—"

He almost stops her on her feet. He knows she’s up to get drinks and snacks but he firmly holds her back.

“No. I mean for you. You've been talking the most for the past hour.”

Just as he says that she felt her throat dry up with her eyelids drooping heavily. She can’t help but feel defeated even as she scratches her eyes.

It took her aback, surprised as Kenma inched closer, patting his legs for her as support.

He’s insisting that I take a nap on his lap?

Mai smiles wide and scooches closer to snuggling with Kenma, laying her head on top of his lap, she chuckles meekly as he pulls out his phone. He laid it on the tabletop.

“You’re just taking this as an excuse to play a bit.”

Kenma chuckled, but didn't say anything, his eyes the one to tell. As the tiredness caught over her eyes, he took this time to look at her.

She had been the most helpful for him in breaking down the notes so it’s easier to digest. It appeared less stress on his part as well. As it’s not always that he’s panicked, he also gets stressed of course, but he only shows it to a few.

Her being one of the people who calms him down.

Though at these instances he feels some warmth rising up his body in the presence of her.

He looks at her solemnly. She’s a bit of a light sleeper, so, any slight movement of his feet made her eyes flutter, more so as she felt warm fingers brushing through her hair… and something soft dampening by her forehead.

Mai knows the softness of his lips by print, but every time she gets roused up by its contact. The added softness of his voice reckons her heart speeding up.

“I love you,” he whispers, faintly heard by the girl comfortable with his warmth.

-

She stirs in her not-so-deep sleep twice then stands up a bit more energized. Stretching with her stomach laid flat on the floor, she taps her fingers absentmindedly by the boy’s leg as if it’s piano keys.

“Let’s start again?” Kenma asks, though clearly still not ready to start since he’s in the middle of a game.

She just shook her head amused, checking the time on her phone screen. “In five minutes.”

He'll get a free pass since he had been answering her right where they left off earlier.

They switched it up a bit, rather, Kenma decided to position himself close to her, with him wrapping his arms around her. His chin is on top of her head. She recites a few of her notes, though she’s slightly limited to movement as he looks over, rather too closely at her notebook at hand.

As much as he’s listening intently, his hands have a mind of their own as it roams around her body… Making him distracted midway, in turn affecting the shorter girl as she feels his hand creep upwards by her waist.

“Hmmm?” She pauses, turning to give him a look. He just implies for her to just continue.

His touches also continue.

Though at the back of her mind, she thought… Well, he’s just hugging me. Mai wanted this as well, she brought it up with him about wanting to be more intimate with him. And this may be Kenma’s way to make it up to her. So, these little displays of affection from the male are still quite new to both of them.

She held back her thoughts on the smile of recognition.

On Kenma’s side, actually, he had been holding back for the past hours. It just manifests through the use of his fingers as a distraction. And as usual, tapping as if he's holding his controller.

Though, his body wandered more than he could venture.

Acting on its own, tapping her by the legs, he can't help but think of the happenings earlier. How he’s not the type to get worked up over something. How there’s a tinge of regret on his tongue when he raised his voice at her. Although unrelated to what he’s supposed to say earlier. No, he wasn’t stressed ‘bout his game. It’s about her. 'I just wanted to hold her close like this just now.' But his lips don’t dare to let it slip off.

He rationalizes it, subconsciously, was he just triggered by being around her and aroused by the thought of her in his clothes? How could she be surrounded by others while he’s aware she could be unclothed underneath? What set of cute underwear did she put on? And, and... Only wearing my jacket. How was he able to put that into words? It’s infuriating. Though, he came to the conclusion of just letting it be. Confusion is all that could be determined by the male. And the added rising up of the tight area by his pants.

His imagination ran wild on this one.

All the more that he got it close to his touch at this very moment.

“Did you understand..th-that?” Her voice turns shaky, leaning more onto a normal acting tone since his voice still is stable; asking her to explain as if he’s not doing anything sketchy with his veiny hands.

“I-it tickles there, Kenma.” She rasped as he pressed the side of her legs. It’s only recently that she discovered that ticklish spot of hers at their last laughing session.

But she’s anything but laughing at this moment.

“Let’s proceed to the next, po-portion-hnghhh…” Her grip on her notebook at hand slips off a bit, Kenma just supports it, humming a bit. “Can you repeat? The last two.”

She said the previous portions again, but her voice falters more with each item… crumbling along with her concentration with the male’s touch. She’s holding onto her bit of focus, but it goes dim as he caresses between her legs.

“It’s…” she looks at him again for any signals, and he urges her more to continue.

She is able to read through more and explain bulky portions. But continuing on, she’s losing the strength to be able to put up with his request.

Mai lost it in the state he’s persistent to his touch.

She gasps as he reaches up to her chest. Only to be cut off by his voice.

“Next chapter, babe.” He flips through her pink notebook; she didn’t even notice it off her hands just now. Kenma looks at her. “We're done already.”

Mai is confused. She faintly nods as she turns squeamish.

Babe? That took her by surprise. With the sudden pet name, she can't help but comply. Though her boyfriend’s surprises didn’t stop there.

“I’m, I’m sensitive there… Ken.” He plays with her breasts, the visibly erect nipples by the red fabric.

“Here?” The softness of his voice contrasts more with his cheeky faint smile. She wants to knock it off his pretty face.

“Kenma, please focus.”

“Back to you.” He says. She doesn’t like his brazen smirk. “Continue, Mai-chan.”

“Geez…” She almost swallowed up the air as he cups over her chest suddenly. “You’re a tease… hmm…can't we at least finish this first?”

“Then finish it.”

He's obviously a tease.

This is the side she’s still new to, yet gets her weak to her knees every time.

And that's in the literal sense.

She wants to get to know it more.

Mai doesn't know if she can breathe now more freely as he stands up and removes their skin contact momentarily. Watching over him, he’s visibly taking a bit of a moment, his hair is a bit astray. He insists on fixing hers as well, asking her to reach for the hair tie nearby when a pencil rolled out the table underneath.

She innocently reaches for it, but her butt sticks out as she leans down. Her dragging herself by her weak knees is adding more to his attention.

It’s already been present since earlier that the “playful” cuddling caused the tent on Kenma’s shorts, though now more visible.

He can't take his eyes off the sight. Much like a cat preying on a chick. Though she had been stuck in his clutches for some time now… but-but she has to bear it!

“We're about…done!” She glides over the last page of her midterm notes, getting an ounce of her enthusiasm back as if a few moments ago, she wasn’t a mess to his touch.

But he isn't quite done yet.

Man, on how adorable she is right now, he wants to get this over with.

She skims through her notebook as she gazes at him, beckoning if he wants her to start reading.

He motioned her to do so, but it didn’t quite occur to her overtly that he also wants to start on something other than run his fingers through pages.

She saw it advancing when he reached up to her legs, but the ardent touches by her crotch made her shriek out an obvious moan she had been holding back.

Having to hear that.

Now, he’s at his limit.

The male’s gentle caresses over her skin grow rather eager, pushier against her stockings. She lightened up pink as she feels herself leak, red now as he prods his finger at her evident moist spot between her legs. She’s out of breath and a mess in a matter of seconds.

“Come on, continue.” His hoarse voice mirrors his rough touches on her lower region.

She’s now just reading her notes, when she hears a rip by her crotch area, feeling the air now brushing her bare skin.

Kenma rips her stocking more for an opening as she has herself leaning by the table, her chest pressing against the surface while he’s behind.

She’s a bit fuzzy in the head up to even comprehend, what on earth is her boyfriend even doing. She holds back another whine and tries to stabilize her voice. But an obvious strain slips out as she speaks… Mai shakes her head, foggy. “You read ta-that part I- uhhh…”

Same with the notes tossed to the side, the desire takes over the table.

"Wha… what?...are you? d-doi…" she stifles. She tries to read through the sound of lips sucking and dripping saliva down her ass. But she had to pause and squint at the different hotness brushing against her clit. "Babe?…"

"Damn, you're already this wet." He spreads out her folds more openly, only earning desperate whimpers from her.

She had been a slippery mess since he was playing with her nipples, simultaneously as he pushed in more digits into her soaked core. Taking a good lick or more, he spreads his tongue flat on her vagina, sucking and playing at her now swollen, protruding core. In and out, hitting certain sweet spots, and taking control from sucking to licking as if he's doing a combo fitted to reach her peak. By the time he finishes up eating her out, she's a dripping hot mess. So it was easy for him to slip his dick inside her.

“W-wait, it’s not a safe day—” she hums through her pleasure, his dick sits perfectly as he aligns and pumps it more into her. As reluctant as she is, she also wants to continue. I’m weak for you… It is her hips that moved on their own and took initiative before she thought it through, him also waiting for signals of her rejecting, or if they would stop, but she only turns to putty as he stimulates her folds. Her sticking her tongue out and her pretty mouth emitting him praises of 'yes's, and 'there, right there, ooh. '.

Mai glances back at her boyfriend, eyes pleading for him to support her… “Is someone downstairs?” she asks almost incoherently. It made her eyes wide as he leaned close by her ear. “Yes, I heard the door earlier. It’s Dad.”

At the cue, they hear muffled footsteps downstairs, though he hushes her first, taking the lead to be the one on guard with his ear open.

“Kenma, you idio—” She has her mouth agape, so Kenma took this as a sign to put his fingers in her mouth, managing to stifle back her louder, more intent moans as he pushed into her.

She sucks onto his drenched fingers a bit before continuing. They try to act out more casually, reading but she hangs her head in defeat. Her eyes pleading again as she sticks her lips out for a kiss. “K-Kenma-kun… ha… please.”

She holds back her whines as he takes her by the back. Mai wishes the walls could transform ten more layers thick, channeling more of her self-control as she chokes back cries. "I… hmmm… can't keep quiet, haa…"

Kenma’s quietness carries over in lovemaking as he’s able to hold back his groans more impeccably than she could ever do. To Mai’s lack of awareness, his fastened paces and him ramming his dick harder, deeper into her tight hole is collapsing his concentration further as moments pass by. The idea of him satisfying her bundle of nerves can put him over the edge. Adding to the sound of skin slapping against his, and the feeling of her thick skin as he holds her waist delicately is enough to inebriate him.

“You holding back your moans… is so cute.” he huffs, nibbling her ear. He holds onto her neck slightly, making her gasp for air. She had mentioned she likes it. Along with light pulling of her hair. A plethora of sensations meet her body; she cannot keep up. She yelps as he brushes his lips by the side of her chest, pulling the fabric a bit over the armpits. "Tickles… hnghh, y-you… Ken…"

"Me?"

“It’s your fault… ahh-that, you cannot wait.” She gasps for air, more as Kenma’s making her suffer as he reaches by the bud of her clit. Much to his smugness, his voice sounded like candy. Too aching by the cheeks. "Why me?"

She squirms, unable to moan as he stimulates her more. Too much! Just too much…

“You’re impatient as well… when you stuck your butt up facing me.”

“That wasn't my intention earlier.”

“Just now? How about, I’m talking right now.” he clarifies, removing himself inside her for a moment, she whines. She quickly shakes her head. “Now is… is different.” she mewls. She’s chasing her breath, along for his dick back into her as he pulls it out again.

She’s got to know how this is also some type of stress relief for him, the same goes for her. And what more is satisfying to be intimate this way?

“Ple-please?” she says, waving her butt back and forth. It didn’t take that long for him to give in.

He bottoms up his erection deep into her, feeling it swell up more to fill her up. She tightens, letting out a yelp. “Ah-ughhh… yeeesss…”

She is stun muted at his fervent movements at this point. He thrusts faster as she zips down the jacket, begging more for his touch on her bare chest. He plays by her nipples, pinching them as he marks her neck and back.

Not stopping his strokes, he positions her so she’s lying on her back. “I love you.” She is happier this way, face-to-face with him. This way, she can kiss him and get to see his lovely face, bonus more on the satisfying view of how he’s fucking her senseless. “Me too…” He leans down to run his lips on her skin, all over. "I-I love you too…"

He pushes her down, his chest against hers as he kisses her more passionately, she tugs on his hair. She desperately calls his name in quiet whimpers. “I’m close…. ahhh— Kenma…Kenma, please.”

“I’m, urgh, coming as well…” He pulls out, letting the hot white fluid spray out as she turns to her back. It stains his jacket as she feels something hot on her nape and shoulder. Their vehement exchanges of kisses turn more languid as they ride out their orgasm.

Both of them catch their breath, with Kenma helping her lay down more comfortably by his lap. It took her a while to relax, so he strokes her hair, brushing the obvious stray hairs from the act. 

Mai had been staring at the ceiling for quite some time now. When she suddenly sticks out her pinky finger, to which Kenma takes no question asked.

“Promise me not to do that again when you know it’s not my safe day.” she rasps, Kenma blinks, getting her concern in an instant. He helps her clean up, patting her by the arm. “Don’t worry, I'll take care of the baby no matter what.”

“Idiot! That’s not!” As much as her legs are jelly right now, her hands can still hit hard. Though she wouldn’t dream of his volleyball player hand slapping her skin back.

She just clings to him all worried. "Kenmaaaa…" 

“No worries, baby, I pulled out, didn’t I?” he strokes her, assuring down to the softness of his deep voice. He knows too that she’s just telling and communicating her thoughts. “And you’ll get your period in two weeks? It’s just a bit, I made sure to be safe and not to cum inside. You trust my self-control, right?”

They have gone through this multiple times, though of course, the fear is still there.

“B-but still…” She hugs onto his waist tighter. “You know how anxious I get for a month whenever this happens. You know how today you’re really stressed out and how about me who'll get to experience this every day? I—”

He kisses her cheek, lowering his head.

“Yes, I’m sorry…” his tone gets softer, averting his gaze. “I didn't know what came over me.”

“You know how I don't have self-control with you, Kenma.” She tugs by his sleeve caressing his stomach.

“Same goes here.” Just repeating what he said previously, though contradicting it too.

“I thought you said you have a strong sense of self-control.” She looks up at him, catching a glimpse of his reddened cheeks as he strokes her head. Letting his honesty get away just this time, he feebly grins at her. 

“Yes, but I also have a side that lets loose whenever I’m with you.”

Be it at games, or getting to spot a new set of in-game collections… His eyes towards her really do spark a different kind of keenness. Of course, this is far different… and she is reminded every day more about this sense of attention from the male handling her.

Though another side would be his rawness.

This is a side of Kenma she’s got to know, and she’s expecting it to appear more in her presence. It’s nice that it’s not only her that has that urge of impatience in getting their way.

She’s glad that she’s solely the one who gets to activate that side of his.

※ my masterlist | #enjeiwrites ※

[holylulusworld]

Boy hates girl?

Title: Boy hates girl?

Square Filled: Stanford AU

Ship: AU!Dean x fem!Reader

Characters: Lisa Breaden

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: angst, language, arguments, kinda cheating, smut, protected sex, enemies to lovers, and they were roommates, mentions of cheating/post shitty relationships, implied smut, implied oral sex

Summary: Dean crashes into your life and won’t stop bugging you.

Word Count: 2,2 k

Written/Created for: @spnaubingo​​​​

2020 SPN AU BINGO Masterlist

Divider by @firefly-graphics​

“Are you fucking serious, psycho?” hands-on your hips you growl at the guy standing in front of your door. “Did you follow me home? I already told you the pie is mine.”

“Wait—what?” the guy cocks his head, looks you up and down before he gets a piece of paper out. “No, no! Not you again. Crazy chick,” he retorts, eyes a little narrowed now. “Did you hurt my girlfriend?”

“Girlfriend? What the fuck are you talking about? I came home,” now you lean in the doorframe, grinning like a winner, “ate a slice of the pie you wanted, and had a shower. I didn’t have the time to kill anyone.”

“This is my girl’s place,” you snatch the piece of paper out of the guy’s hand, frowning when you read your former roommate’s name. “She said I shall pick her up at seven.”

“Dude, that’s my former roommate and she doesn’t live here for like seven or eight weeks. I kicked her bitchy ass out,” handing the guy the piece of paper you snicker. “She liked to do this, ya know. Once in a while a guy came around and left heartbroken. Bitch doesn’t even have the guts to break up with a guy.”

“She wants to break up with me?” the guy sighs now and you pity him for a moment until you remember you hate him. “Fuck, here I am, trying to not be a one and done for once. Great job, Dean.”

“Wait…you are Dean Winchester!” you snicker, eyes roaming his body. “You must be last on her bucket list to fuck!”

“What the fuck!” Dean grunts, stepping closer to look over your shoulder. “Is this a sick game? Do you want to make fun of me, Lisa?”

“Dude, relax,” patting his shoulder you sigh. “Lisa, she had a bucket list of guys she wants to fuck during her time at Stanford. You were the last one,” licking your lips you look Dean all over again. “Don’t know why she broke up with you before you did the nasty.”

“I wanted to wait this time,” Dean hands you a single red rose, shaking his head. “I didn’t even like her that much. It’s just, my brother and his girlfriend called me a heartbreaker, and no one believes I can be faithful.”

“Only as you like to have sex and not commit doesn’t mean you are a bad person!” 

“Exactly,” nodding eagerly Dean licks his lips. “I never cheated on a girl. I’m young and want to live my life to the fullest. I do not promise a girl marriage or crap. If you go out with me,” he shamelessly drinks your body in, eyes stopping to your cleavage, “you’ll get dirty soon enough.”

“Ahem,” dipping your head you look past Dean to see your nosy neighbor watch you and the cocky guy. “You better come inside or Mrs. Nosy over there will talk trash about me again.”

“You wanna invite me in, sweetheart,” smirk on his plump lips Dean follows you inside your apartment, eyes immediately drifting toward your ass. “I like the view.”

“Asshole,” you know without looking that Dean was staring at your ass in your sleep shorts. “I wanted to have a nap after studying non-stop. How about coffee?”

“Can I have a slice of the pie too?” he asks, eyes drifting toward your legs when you stop in your tracks to turn around. 

“If you answer me one question, you’ll get a slice, Winchester,” he grins, eyes glued to your lips now. 

“Shoot me, sweetheart.”

“It’s Y/N and I want to know,” fisting his jacket you look up at Dean, lips pressed into a thin line, “if you fucked my former roommate.”

“Nope,” he purrs, leaning closer to inhale your shampoo. “I told you about my problems.”

“You mean the problems other people have with your lifestyle, Dean,” you pat his cheek before you turn back around to walk toward the kitchen. “I don’t do relationships either.”

“Why? I’m simply curious,” he asks, following you toward the kitchen.

“I like sex, not heartbreak,” you shrug, turning your attention toward the coffee machine. “How do you like it?”

“Rough, wet, a lot of kissing and I love to do it in the kitchen,” you laugh nervously when Dean steps closer to grip your waistline. “Sweetheart, I could show it to you right now.”

“I meant your coffee, Winchester but,” your hands are in his hair seconds later, “give me some sugar first.” He kisses you greedily, forces his tongue into your mouth, making you moan.

“I’m on it,” he picks you up to hold you against the wall, hastily tugging at your top while you try to shove his jacket down his shoulders. “Okay, let me get you out of the top and I’ll show you the goods.”

“Deal.”

Your top and his jacket end up splattered on the floor. You are impatient, just like Dean when you grasp for each other.

“Fuck, Y/N,” he whines when you take the lead, hand down his pants to get his dick out. “I need a condom.”

“The cookie jar with the naughty girl on it,” you grin when Dean looks at the jar with a naked guy. “Yeah, that one is the naughty cookie jar.”

“That’s a guy but fuck it—” while you stand on wobbling legs, Dean fetches a condom to roll it over his length, his pants still on. “You’ve got some naughty stuff in your kitchen, sweetheart.”

Dean grins when he ushers back toward you. His member stands tall and proud, reminds you of your favorite toy. But Dean’s cock looks much better than any toy you ever saw.

“Come here, lover boy-“ you crook your finger to lure Dean in. “Give it to me good.”

“That is the worst quote you could bring up,” either way, Dean grips you roughly, slams your back against the wall, smirking when you wrap your legs around his waist. 

“You love it, asshole. Now, how do you like it?” wrapping your arms around his shoulders you smirk. “Come on, fuck me, Dean!”

“I’m on it,” Dean groans against you, fighting to shove your sleep shorts aside. “Fucking with clothes on is difficult.”

“Don’t act all coy now,” you dig your fingertips into his shoulders when he finally slips inside, thrusting forward to fill you in on go. “That’s much better.”

“Yeah?” he laughs against you, ignores you fought over apple pie this morning. “Worth a slice of apple pie?”

“Fuck me and we can talk about your pie,” how he manages to hold you against the wall and move at the pace he sets is a mystery to you. Dean groans with every thrust, loves the slick sound of your coupling fills the kitchen. “Fuck, that’s good.”

“Better than fighting?” he grips your ass, squeezes your flesh roughly while you try to hold tight onto his shoulders. “Damn me, I should’ve taken you right there, in the parking lot of the fucking store.”

“Hmmm…” you dip your head, try anything to capture his plump lips. “You promised a lot of kissing.” panting you try to focus on the man move inside of you, not your ringing phone. “Fuck, call me later.”

“Shit—fuck—sweetheart I need you to cum for me,” if you ever heard a man make an erotic noise it's right at the moment when Dean moans against your lips. “Y/N—”

“D-Dean,” a choked-out moan leaves your lips as your body trembles violently. “I love fucking in clothes.”

“I knew you are a dirty little slut the moment you stole my pie,” Dean speeds up, chases his release while you tug at his hair, and crash your lips onto his mouth to swallow his deep groans. Seconds later Dean comes with a loud grunt, and a violent jerk of his hips.

“That wasn’t bad, Winchester—”

“It was a B, Y/N,” he sighs against you, tongue licking into your mouth. “Sorry, I was on the edge for months. I tried to be a good boy and not fuck on the first date.”

“Well, congrats and thank you for the orgasm,” you tug harder at his hair, grinning when he growls low in his throat. “If you want some pie, I want round two in my bedroom.”

“Already addicted?”

“Maybe…”

“There is nothing better than postcoital pie,” you laugh at Dean’s words, even pat his chest. It’s been a long time since you felt comfortable around a guy. “So, will you tell me why you don’t do relationships?”

“I thought you were about to leave,” you roll to your side, eyes closing for a moment to not watch Dean go.

“I could stay a little longer,” Dean offers. “I like your bed, it’s comfortable and I’m a little tired after round three. Hell, my jaw still hurts.”

“I had two serious relationships,” oddly Dean spoons you to bury his face in your neck. “My first boyfriend and the dude popping my cherry dropped me shortly after we arrived at Stanford. He wanted parties, random girls and I, well I believed in monogamy.”

“A cheater?”

“Nah, he broke up with me before he fucked the first chick. At least he had better manners than my second boyfriend,” you turn around to face Dean. It’s an odd feeling to have him so close. 

“I only had one real relationship. Her name was Cassie and she kinda was the one breaking my heart back then. She wasn’t my first girl, but the first I fell in love with.”

“Anyways,” concentrating on the freckles on Dean’s face you try to swallow the lump in your throat, “my second boyfriend, I caught him in the act, on our bed. After that, I decided to never let anyone in again.”

“Sorry,” mumbling the word Dean slides his hand over your hair. “I’m the last guy telling you they were douches. I’m no better.”

“Did you ever cheat?”

“Nope.”

“In that case, you are a better man, Dean,” somehow Dean feels his chest swell at your words. No one ever cared about his side of the story. Everyone believes he’s a heartbreaker, a cheater even.

“WHAT THE FUCK DEAN!” Lisa drops her keys, furiously waving her hands while you whip your head toward her, grinning like the devil.

“Ah, hey, Lis’,” you give her a wink. “As you decided to steal my favorite dress when I asked you to move out and told everyone I kicked you out, I just snatched your boyfriend out of your hands.”

“WAIT—WHAT?” Dean gapes at Lisa, huffing when she throws insults at him. “Uh-you said she wanted to break up with me.”

“Lisa only sent her lovers to my apartment when she wanted to break up with them. She wasn’t here to meet up with you hours ago,” you shrug. 

“I gave him the wrong address,” while you move your hand toward Dean’s thigh to grip it tightly Lisa throws a tantrum. “I called!”

“Ah, yeah,” laughing you look at your phone on the ground. “We were kinda busy fucking. Sorry, Lisa. The joke is on you this time.”

“Good thing I wanted to fuck him once and dump him too,” storming out of your bedroom Lisa kicks things out of her way, even smashes a lamp against the wall. “I bet he’s a loser and can’t get it up. I tried to get in his pants for weeks.”

“Yeah about that, he’s a bomb, Lis’!”

“Did you know she didn’t want to dump me?” brows furrowed Dean looks at you. 

“No,” covering your eyes with one arm you sigh. “I told you she likes to do this. Anytime she wanted to dump a guy she left the apartment and only came back after I called her. I honestly believed it’s the same with you.”

“She wanted to dump me either way,” rolling onto his back Dean looks at the ceiling. “Guess I am luckless when it comes to relationships and crap.”

“Same, dude—”

“Why are you here again?” looking at the pie in Dean’s hands you eye the gift warily. “Dean, what do you want?”

“You see—” placing the pie onto the kitchen counter Dean sighs deeply. “I know you don’t do relationships, but I think we clicked. I know you must’ve felt it too.”

“I felt orgasms,” you like to play it cool, and not give away you thought about Dean the whole weekend. “Dean, this won’t work out.”

“How can you be sure if you don’t even want to try? I’m not perfect, but I promise to be honest and never cheat on you, Y/N,” shuffling on his feet Dean looks at you. “We could go for a date. If you don’t like me, we can stay friends.”

“Friends with benefits?” sliding your hand over Dean’s chest you look up at him. 

“Deal…”

“Okay, the benefits ain’t that bad, Winchester,” this time you barely made it out of your apartment before he had you in the backseat of his car and later at the room he shares with his classmate.

“I heard you are looking for a roommate,” Dean smirks when you look up at him. “Well, we can’t always fuck at my room. The sock over the doorknob doesn’t always work out.”

“You want to move in with me?”

“Yeah, uh—erm,” stammering Dean tries to convince you to let him move in with you. “I mean, we could have sex anytime. I’m a great roommate. My burgers are the best and we can study together.”

“You will pay half of the rent and help me clean too. Only as I let you see me naked doesn’t mean I will treat you differently.”

“Deal, sweetheart…”

“Deal, Mr. Winchester.”

And then, they were roommates…and lovers…and best friends…and much later…they grew old and grey together…

Tags in reblog.

[immortal-enemies]

What we know about Chain of Iron so Far: A Masterlist.

(Part 1! Here's Part 2!!)

Hey guys! With Chain of Iron coming out in less then two weeks (currently) I decided to make a Masterlist type-thing with- hopefully- all of the asks CC answered that relate to CoI!! (And the snippets!!) So here they are!

The snippets and quotes are at the bottom!!

This is very messy, but I hope at least one of you finds this useful!!

Okay! Good luck!!! ♥️

Asks

A little something about how the bracelet works.

Important Q&A round, regarding Wayland the Smith, some Jesse things, and more bracelet things.

Jordelia emojis.

MORE important bracelet stuff.

Some more things that may come up in CoI, though they were answered before ChoG was released!

From CHoG, but kinda relevant (talks about the JB+LH engraving).

We will learn what happened to Eugenia in CoI.

Cortana in CoI.

Will and Tessa regarding the fake engagement.

Chess is significant in COI.

Christopher knows Lucie is up to somethin, we are getting a scene from Christopher's POV.

Chain of Iron Spotify playlist.

KISSES, PEOPLE!! WE EVEN GET SOME SECOND ONES!!

Something to make theories based off of this picture.

Hinted some other Warlocks interacting with Grace.

Thomastair emojis!

Cordelia will know of Matthew's feelings.

We find out Cordelia and Alastair's Persian names.

Lucie and Cordelia: the parabatai ceremony.

Kill count.

Some people find out about Jesse and Lucie!

Cordelia and Matthew!

Friendships!

James and Grace 😬

Christopher's inventions!

Matthew (regarding fandom worry)

Thomas does something dangerous...

Grace things.

Matthew and Cordelia snippet!!

The Cover of CoI and how it relates to the content of the book :)

Alastair and Elias 😥

I SWEAR IF JAMES ISN'T ON THIS COVER-

Alastair stuffs 😋

James and Matthew parabatai stuff

Alastair and Jem interactions!

Italian Shadowhunter

Grace, James and Cordelia.

Random Q&A!

Alastair, Cordelia, and The Merry Thieves!

Time that passes throughout Chain of Iron!

Matthew and Cordelia Q&A!

Alastair and Friends.

Charles and Matthew!

Jesse ghosty thing :D

The Fairchilds. (About the engagement)

Thule and The Last Hours!

Several Character Asks!

James, Matthew and Cordelia love triangle!

Jesse and Tatiana!

Grace making Matthew kiss her 🤢

More James, Matthew and Cordelia love triangle things!

Alastair at the beginning of CoI

James and the bracelet!

Christopher things!

James's personality and how the bracelet affects him.

James and Matthew parabatai things!

Bracelet.

Blackthorn Sword!

Grace and Christopher in CoI!

Lucie Resurrection things!

Matthew in the love triangle!

Bracelet regarding gender!

More on the kill count.

Parabatai bonds and Secrets.

Cordelia may try to get over James

More bracelet stuff!

HERONCHILD SUPREMACY!

The Beautiful Cordelia 😂

POV's

Matthew's alcoholism.

More Matthew- relationship wise.

At least one wedding.

AHHHHH!! 😂😂😂😂 (Something funny for those who read the first two chapters of CoI!)

We see Charles and Matthew 👀

MORE bracelet details!

Magnus' love interest?

Relates to the engraving again 🙈

It's important for Matthew to save himself.

*In a sing-song voice* Grace was actually interested!

Do not trust the family tree, it's already betrayed you. (Does this imply James and Cordelia may NOT get together?)

Snippets/Quotes!

THE FIRST TWO CHAPTERS OF CHAIN OF IRON!! (Keep scrolling until you find it! As long as it's before March 31, 2021!!)

A table read of Chain of Iron!

Some Grace Backstory!

Ariadne and Anna snippet (I think from Ariadne's POV)

JAMES AND ALASTAIR INTERACTING!?

Snippet

Jordelia snippet.

Thomastair "Hate me on your own behalf" snippet!

Lucie and Cordelia snippet.

Jordelia snippet!

Magnus and Matthew!

James, Matthew and Christopher!

Lucie and Jesse quote.

Lucie, Matthew and Thomas Snippet!!

Matthew and Cordelia, along with a snippet.

Jesse and Lucie quote!!

A very old snippet!! (Also- Matthew, unbuttoning James's coat? Uh-huh)

Another old snippet...

[tsuumu]

hii! i really like your blog so far, you’re writing is really good! this idea just popped up in my head so idk if it’ll actually make sense but i’ll try lmao. so could you write some headcanons of sugawara, tendou, and kuroo w/ a shy s/o who gets jealous of some girls that come up to them, and she tries to tell them that shes jealous, and how they would react to that? thank you so much, and i’m sorry if this doesn’t make sense lmaoo :)

kuroo, tendou and sugawara with a jealous s/o.

good evening anon! this req is written in a school setting with various s/o personalities. i really hope you like it. <3

(the kuroo section is CONSIDERABLY longer than the other two and i apologise for that!! D: )

• nekoma’s volleyball team had become quite popular after the nationals tournament, where they had fought tirelessly and with extreme talent for everybody to see. people knew of the members and especially of their handsome captain. kuroo was prideful of his position and liked to flaunt his team’s successes to those who were interested, unknowing that they were probably more interested in him.

• he’s been talked about a lot lately. your friends always want updates on your ‘volleyball prince’, to which you promptly swat them away. he’s not a famous person. he’s just a high-school boy. a really cute, out-going, intelligent high-school boy.

• kuroo spends his free time in classes with girls on, around and at his desk, happily answering all the questions they gave him.

• unfortunately, you’re not so pleased. since tetsu had chemistry exam prep, his class has moved just a few doors down from yours. usually you wouldn’t get to see him during class because the lab work was done on the other side of the school, however he cheerily mentioned the change to you this morning whilst you were walking together.

• it happens as you’re on your way to your next room, stopping abruptly at the thought of the walk and peering in to see what was going on. after a short few seconds of scanning, you catch sight your boyfriend’s signature, dark hair. he’s chattering away to his female classmates.

• you really can’t help but feel a slight pang in your chest.

• you’ve never been overly protective or possessive of kuroo, at least, there had never been circumstances that lead you to feeling that way. you just stand there momentarily, staring at the varying expressions of the girls. tetsu is so oblivious. they’re totally hitting on him. you can’t help but sigh out. yes. he’s the talk of the town right now but wouldn’t you stop to ask him if he’s even single? you’re not angry, just a little bitter that you couldn’t sit with him like that and let them know of your existence.

• one of the girls closest to kuroo punches his arm lightly and you focus your attention back on them. you can’t figure out what on earth the actual conversation is about but she keeps placing her hands on his arms when she’s laughing or speaking enthusiastically.

• you’re not a fan of that at all, it makes the jab at your ribs heavier. you decide, ‘fuck it’ and push on the door to open it. it’s entirely on impulse and the nervousness sets in when the classroom quitens and -give or take- twenty eyes are set onto you.

• the second kuroo turns his head, he stands up at once, that shit-eating grin you know and love dearly plastered all over this face. it’s like the conversation with anybody else ended the second he saw you.

“woah. i didn’t know the next teacher was gonna be the love of my life! no, but seriously, what have you done to him, babe?”

you push on his chest lightly and tell him to quit it, cheeks burning at how loud he is, before embracing him tightly and wrapping your arms around him. you feel much safer.

• yaku chucks a piece of balled paper at you two from another area of the classroom.

“hey, you two. i know we signed up for chemistry but not your chemistry!”

• kuroo just throws it back, before kissing you on the forehead. you mumble into the fabric of his button-up that you’re just on your way to your next lesson and you’ll probably be late now. you just wanted to see him and tell those girls you’re uninterested. he chuckles out, moving back slightly to tuck a strand of your hair behind your ear.

“well i’m glad you did. this was the best surprise ever.”

• he leans closer, pressing his lips to your ear in a coy whisper.

“what girls? there’s girls? i thought they only made one in this entire world just for me. if it’s not another you, i’ll pass.” the corners of your mouth tug into a smile, burying your nose more into him.

“hey, kitty. as much as i’d like to keep you in here forever, like a cat that very obviously has another owner, i’ll just have to see you after class. i’ll be right outside your door. okay? now scram.”

• he flicks your forehead and walks with you to your next class. you grumble playfully. on your way, you meet eyes with the girls earlier. they’re shell-shocked, previously unbeknownst of your existence, you give them a small wave before holding his arm tightly and smiling to yourself.

• tendou is the life of the party wherever he goes. everybody seems to know him and it’s not always because of volleyball. he just seems to be friends with everyone. he’s the type to be chatting with teachers, students, the old, the young. he’s a mood setter and everybody loves him.

• you fell for him. hard.

• before dating him, it made you a little agitated that everybody got along with him so well. you never knew if his smooth words and instantaneous charm were factors of all his conversations. you could never approach him, since you’d never been good at displaying romantic intentions through actions. unfortunately, these small thoughts persisted even after he himself approached you and asked you out for coffee after school one day, despite not knowing you at all. even after he kissed you on the step of your door months later. even after he eventually begged you to be his.

• you aren’t too big on publicly displaying your relationship. initiating PDA was never your thing. you weren’t embarrassed of him at all, you just preferred to stay completely professional and education-orientated when in school. he’ll tease you, once even told you you remind him of a female ushijima... before staring at the ground to reflect on his own comment and taking it back vehemently (he doesn’t want to imagine dating his best friend in front of you).

• whenever you ask him if girls talk to him, he hushes you copiously, assuring you that every man and woman that’s entered his life after you as resembled humanoid blobs in purple uniform. he has eyes for only you.

• you’re a little cold, you tend to be when jealousy sets in. like that one day your friend told you that this notoriously pretty second year had approached him, handing him a blank lined sheet and asking for his help with her english work. you found out later that she’d thanked him with fluttering eyelashes and big smiles, before frowning down at the paper.

• he’d ended up practicing his signature over and over on the page because -and you quote- “i suck at english too but this paper was good document-signing practice, so thanks!”

• a relief washes over you. you and tendou are stark opposites, in fact, the only time you ever feel obliged to lose your cool is over him. however, you know he’s loyal. he loves you very much and hopes that you’ll come to trust him with your entire heart one day.

• you vow to work on it, hard.

if sugawara was my s/o i’d just accept that everyone else would probably fall in love with him too

• this boy is made of honey. the first time you laid eyes on him was during first year, noir jacket slung over his shoulder, beautiful, silver hair rustling as he tried to shut the class window as you walked in, you were hooked.

• you felt utterly helpless at how infatuated with him you were. your friends all felt the same way. picture: sighing together and staring whenever he did ANYTHING. he was so sweet to absolutely everybody. nobody could ever bring them selves to defy, ignore or be aggressive with koushi. from the start it felt like you had competition.

• you’re a happy-go-lucky, loud-mouth shithead with an abudance of enthusiasm and energy but this third year makes your knees shake. walking up to him on a summer’s evening to ask him out, you could barely even talk. luckily, he did all the talking for you. your time together has been nothing but loving history.

• sugawara likes to spend his free time with you, often lunches, where he’s adamant on feeding you lots and lots of his own cooking to ensure you’re well-fed.

• imagine your surprise, when you’re walking, hop in your step, over to your usual meeting place and see your boyfriend sitting with another girl, feeding them. your heart practically falls out of your ass. steps slowing, you don’t even try to hide your alarm as you approach him. koushi’s face is to you, smiling and laughing. he catches sight of you and waves happily.

• your expression doesn’t change. you’re confused, hurt, unsure of how to act. should you just pretend like everything is fine? you feel like criticising them but they’re just eating. god, you’re overthinking this.

• “(y/n)! say hi to hinata!”

huh?

the girl turns around.

oh god.

• hinata’s blowing unattractively on strands of hair that are stuck to his face, before leaping up to greet you. he’s wearing a god damn wig.

“ah! (y/n), hi! i took totally weird, don’t i. it’s for this stupid drama class. i seriously thought i’d get to act and do fight scenes and look super cool to girls but instead, they made me dress up as a high-school girl! it’s ‘cause i’m short, they said!”

• you’re not even listening, just wallowing in your shame at how panicked you were.

“—i ran into sugawara and he let me try some lunch, have you eaten?” you shake your head, before grinning and suddenly grabbing the younger boy, trapping him in a playful headlock and making him squirm.

“oi, hinata. you gave me a scare, makin’ me think some doe-eyed lowerclassman was chatting up my boyfriend!”

• he whines and apologises profusely. koushi just sits and laughs, munching on his lunch and watching you give the poor boy hell. he’d never dream of that, he know you’d do worse to him if that were ever the case.

[corkcitylibraries]

Mairéad Ní Ghráda and An Triail

by Deirdre Swain

2021 marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Mairéad Ní Ghráda, playwright, broadcaster, teacher and Irish language advocate. She is best known for her Irish-language play, An Triail. Mairéad was born in Knockadangan, Kilmaley in Co. Clare on 23 December 1896. She was surrounded by Irish growing up. Her father, a farmer, was a native speaker of Irish, and her love of Irish and her life-long commitment to the revival of the language stemmed from his influence. He was immersed in the oral tradition, and he would often recite the poem, The Midnight Court by Brian Merriman. Mairéad was in despair about the state of the Irish language. She once said that she was happy that she was not in the generation that would lose the Irish language forever.

Her parents wanted her to terminate her education at the end of primary school so that she could work on the farm. This did not happen; instead, she went to secondary school in Ennis. She won several prizes as a student, and she was also awarded a County Council scholarship to University College Dublin (UCD), where she did a BA in Irish, French and English and an MA in Irish. While there, she was in Cumann na mBan and Conradh na Gaeilge. She was once put in prison for selling republican flags on Grafton Street, and she used to joke about this fifty years later. She worked as a teacher and then as private secretary to Ernest Blythe, who was a Cumann na nGael TD in the first Dáil of the new Irish Free State, and she continued to work for him during the Civil War when he was Minister for Finance. She married Richard Kissane, a senior Garda, in 1923, and they had two sons, Séamas and Brian. In 1926, Ireland’s first radio station, 2RN, which later became Radio Éireann, went on air. Ní Ghráda was employed as women’s organiser, compiling programmes for women and children. She became the station’s principal announcer in 1929. She was the first female radio announcer in Ireland, Britain and possibly in Europe, working as a broadcaster for nine years.

Ní Ghráda collaborated with Pádraig Ó Siochrú (better known as An Seabhac) at the Educational Council of Ireland school book section. She wrote many educational texts, including Progress in Irish. She became editor for the school textbooks publisher Brown and Nolan. She reviewed De Bhaldraithe’s Irish dictionary for the benefit of teachers. Such was her dedication that she continued to record work for school books when she was sick in hospital.

She took a great interest in children’s educational needs and had a great understanding of the minds of young people, as is evident from her plays. She wrote school drama texts based on mythology, the Bible, Aesop’s fables and the stories of the Fianna. She translated Peter Pan into Irish (Tír na Deo). She also wrote beautiful Irish versions of Ladybird fairytale stories including Goldilocks and the Three Bears (Na trí Bhéar), Sleeping Beauty (Codladh Céad Bliain), Cinderella (Luaithríona), Beauty and the Beast (Áille agus Brúid), Rapunzel (Rápúnzell) and Jack and the Beanstalk (Seán agus an Gas Pónaire), thereby promoting literacy in the Irish language.

Ní Ghráda’s great passion was theatre. Irish language theatre was in decline when she started producing plays, but she transformed this; her work generated an interest from people who did not even speak much Irish. She was bringing the language to people in an enjoyable way through the theatre. Her enormous contribution to Irish language theatre includes eleven original plays, which is more than that of any other playwright in Irish. Her play, Mícheál, based on Tolstoy’s story, Michael, won an Abbey Theatre award in 1933. She wrote her first original play Uacht for her students while working as a teacher in Kilmacud Cookery College. She never intended for this to be performed in a theatre, but when Mícheál MacLiammóir discovered it, he decided to produce it in the Gate Theatre.

Ní Ghráda wrote powerful plays that spoke the truth about Irish society at the time, discussing modern problems through the medium of Irish. She was very skilled at giving women, particularly young women, main character roles, something which very few playwrights did, apart from Seán O’Casey. Her plays made many people uncomfortable, because they discussed taboo subjects and contained themes that people were afraid to face, such as corrupt politicians and the cruel treatment of unmarried mothers in Ireland. She was completely ahead of her time in this regard.

 Ní Ghráda’s best-known play is An Triail. It ranks with Brendan Behan’s An Giall as one of the most successful plays in the Irish language. This play is very relevant in the year that the Final Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes was published and at a time when the injustices against and rights of adopted people and their natural mothers are being discussed. It is thought to have been based on an incident which happened during Ní Ghráda’s childhood, when a girl who became pregnant was victimised while the father of her child escaped condemnation. Ní Ghráda rewrote part of An Triail, including the ending, under the guidance of Tomás MacAnna, the play’s director.

An Triail chronicles the treatment of a young girl, Máire, who has an affair with a married man, resulting in pregnancy. She is rejected by her mother and her two brothers. Her mother cares more about what the neighbours will think than she does for the welfare of her daughter and grandchild-to-be. Máire is rejected by society at large, and the only two characters who are sympathetic towards her are Mailí, who offers her and her baby refuge, and one of the lawyers at her trial. Everyone else judges and condemns her, and the father of the baby does not even want to meet his newborn daughter. In the end, she kills herself and her baby, whom it is clear she loves dearly. Máire claims that she killed her child because she was a girl; that by releasing her from life, she had freed her from the misery of being a female. The play revolves around this theme; Máire is heard voicing it at the very start of the play and again at the end. The question posed throughout is, “Why do things like this happen in Ireland?” Tomás MacAnna, the play’s director, praised An Triail as the precursor of women’s liberation. In a way, Ní Ghráda was putting Ireland on trial. Harold Hobson from the London Times newspaper gave it a very positive review, even though he did not speak Irish.

An Triail premiered at the Damer Theatre during the 1964 Dublin Theatre Festival. Shortly after this, Ní Ghráda translated it into English, and in 1965, the English version, On Trial, was performed in the Eblana Theatre. An Triail was adapted for TV, and it was entered in the 1965 Berlin TV festival. It was very rare for Irish-language plays to be made into TV programmes. The English version was published in 1966.  

The play received favourable reviews, but it was very controversial when it was first performed. The idea that everyone was guilty of what happened to Máire and her baby because of a lack of Christianity and compassion upset people. Many were shocked by what they saw as an “immoral” play. The first performance of An Triail took place on 22 September 1964, just three days after the final instalment of Michael Viney’s series of articles in the Irish Times, collectively titled “No birthright”. This series was a critical investigation of the treatment of unmarried mothers in Ireland. In one article, Viney quotes an Irish mother who said “Tell my daughter never to set foot in Ireland again and that she has disgraced her family and her country”. In a second article, he mentions another unmarried girl who says that, on telling her mother that she’s pregnant, “it didn’t take long, I’m afraid, to think of what the neighbours would say”. Although it is difficult to imagine in today’s society, these quotes demonstrate that An Triail accurately reflected the prejudiced and cruel attitudes towards unmarried mothers at that time, and people’s preoccupation with neighbours’ opinions.

Mairéad Ní Ghráda spent the last two years of her life in hospital. She died on 13 June 1971.

The Reference Library holds a copy of the English-language version of the play, On Trial. It also houses a book about Mairéad Ní Ghráda and other Irish-language playwrights entitled An underground theatre: major playwrights in the Irish language, 1930-80 by Philip O’Leary. These can be viewed once the Reference Library re-opens.

References

Books

-Breathnach, D. and Ní Mhurchú, M. (1986). 1882-1982: Beathaisnéis a haon. Baile Átha Cliath: An Clóchomhar Tta.

-Ní, Ghráda, M. (c1978). An Triail/Breithiúnas: Dhá Dhráma. Baile Átha Cliath: Oifig an tSoláthair.

-Ní Mhurchú, M. and Breathnach, D. (1999). 1782-1881: Beathaisnéis [Maille le Forlíonadh le 1882-1982 Beathaisnéis agus le hInnéacs (1782-1999)]. Baile Átha Cliath: An Clóchomhar Tta.

-Titley, A. (2010). Scríbhneoirí faoi chaibidil. Baile Átha Cliath: Cois Life Teoranta.

Website articles

-Clare County Library (2021). Mairéad Ní Ghráda (1896-1971). 5 March. Available at: https://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/people/nighrada.htm (Accessed: 5 March 2021).

-Irish Theatre Institute (2021). Ócáid Chomórtha: A Celebration of Máiréad Ní Ghráda: Mairéad Ní Ghráda – Biography. 5 March. Available at: https://www.irishtheatreinstitute.ie/event.aspx?t=mir%C3%A9ad_n%C3%AD_ghrda&contentid=9289&subpagecontentid=9297 (Accessed: 5 March 2021).

-Irish Theatre Institute (2021). Ócáid Chomórtha: A Celebration of Máiréad Ní Ghráda: Production History. 5 March. Available at: https://www.irishtheatreinstitute.ie/event.aspx?t=an_triail_|_on_trial___production_history&contentid=9289&subpagecontentid=9302 (Accessed: 5 March 2021).

-Irish Theatre Institute (2021). Ócáid Chomórtha: A Celebration of Máiréad Ní Ghráda: Social Context. 5 March. Available at: https://www.irishtheatreinstitute.ie/event.aspx?t=social_context&contentid=9289&subpagecontentid=9303 (Accessed: 5 March 2021).

[heyjude19-writing]

Im the list anon again and boy do I have more for you but this time I also have some questions as well if your time allows and you are willing to answer of course. First with the other things I loved:

1) the fact that Ron warmed up to Draco so quickly! I genuinely think thats so much in character. Ron is not a distrustful person and as a middle child as they come is very easygoing and would for sure make stupid jokes at Draco

2) The patronus. My god the Patronus. I seriously put the phone down and made a small slow clap during that chapter. At first I was like hmmmm *insert unsure kombucha girl face* because almost all fanfics have him with a dragon patronus and leave it at that (and lets be honest at this point my expectations of you were quite high dont blame me blame your bloody brilliant writing) but then, and I dont know if you did this on purpose or not (I have a feeling you did) but the fact that the dragon was the same (pale white) wounded but still feral dragon that Hermione FREEED (!) from a bank (£££) dungeon, malnourished and used for its nature, surrounded by darkness, wealth and misery!! And it was Hermione who broke its chains!!!!! Is just *chefs fucking kiss* slow clap*

3) the way you describe sex scenes are so natural! Ive never read a fanfic or book that doesnt make me gag a little bit (I am not a fan of smut at all but ill go with it because of a good story) until I read yours. Its so simple but yet intricate and you make the entire act so intriguing and normal and intimate. Bravo.

4) I LOVE SASHA. I love that Theo fell for her head over heels and the way you portrayd her reminded me of a friend of mine who works as a sous-chef in London so I always pictured her when reading it!

5) Dracos inner voice is ON POINT. Like I genuinely think you shoud own the rights to that character now.

6) Ill say it again. I love Ginny. You should also own the rights to her character too.

7) my interest for Quiddich (even when reading the books/wathcing the movies) was on par, if not lower than Hermiones. You managed to get me interested in that too so yes another slow clap to you

7.1) Also such a clever career for Draco!! Made si much sense!

Now to some questions

A) What was the deal with Malfoy referring to Ginny as Weasly and refusing to aknowledge her Potter surname. And why did everyone kept correcting him? It was hilarious granted but I wanted to know whether the reason you included this time and time again had to do wih something deeper? Or was this included as just a funny recurring joke?

B) Why did you choose for Draco to have a “fantasy” to produce a patronus and not for example for him to have had to do that after theyd exchanged “i love yous”. Very interesting angle and i liked that it was sort of a loophole to all the ‘death eaters cant have patronuses’ but quite curious on the thought process

C) Why did you opt for Draco to remove his mark? Do you think that stands as reward for him more or for Hermione? Very smart solution by the way

D) if you have the time- Could you please elaborate a tad more on what the soul-bonding means? Why was it so taboo? At furst hand it seems like a very romantic/amazing thing to do with your partner right?

Lastly- Do you ever itch to make a second part to this? And in the most acceptable case that you dont, I always wondered what you had in mind for them in the future- because of the soul bonding thing, you mentioned that the generational curses will be erased, which means I guess that the Malfoys can have more than one child now, and girls as well. (I cannot believe im asking for this as I am the one to avoid any pregnancy fanfics but) do you imagine them with children and if yes, how many? How do they integrate muggle devices(I know youd agree wit me that Hermione would definitively bring some muggle stuff over!) and which devices would Draco really secretly like?

Pleasewriteasecondpartwhereyouelaborateyourthoughtsonthisthankyou.

Ok rant done. :D

List anon! You’re back with another amazing ask. I’ll do my best!

1.) I like to think Ron matured a lot post-war (not enough to stop making terrible jokes, though.)

2.) Regarding your beautiful analysis of my specific dragon breed for Draco’s patronus: How many points would you like for your Hogwarts house of choice? I will add that according to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the Ironbelly’s scales are normally a metallic grey. I will also add that I subscribe more to book canon than movie canon. In the book version of events of the Gringotts escape, Harry breaks the chains and Hermione (with eventual help once the boys catch on) destroys the ceiling so it can have a way out. The partially blind dragon does the rest of the work on its own.

3.) Thank you, that’s very flattering.

4.) Does your friend also get you into fancy restaurants and can they make salted caramel bread pudding???

5.) Thank you, it was one of my favorite aspects of writing this story.

6.) Thank you, she’s so fun to write and flesh out from her book portrayal.

7.) Haha, I felt so validated by that line of dialogue in Cursed Child when Draco tells Harry he wanted to play quidditch professionally, but wasn’t good enough.

Now to some answers:

A.) It’s definitely a recurring joke. It’s up to the reader to interpret Draco’s actions here: is he doing it to be a massive troll? Or is he genuinely not retaining the information of her married name because he considers this fact so unimportant that he does not bother to keep it in his brain? Troll, snob, or both, you can decide!

B.) I’ll address the second part of this first, because it was not intended as a loophole. I 1000% do not understand the “death eaters can’t have patronuses” thing. It makes absolutely no sense. Snape has a Patronus. But beyond that… Umbridge has a Patronus (a cat). If we’re letting that woman have a Patronus, then yeah, I think Draco can cast one. As for the vision that Draco used to conjure it… up to you whether that’s a fantasy or a glimpse of a certain ritual actually working. Draco’s thoughts on the matter: “An image of such striking tangibility that he might have already lived it, or perhaps experienced time in such a way that he lived it now.”

C.) I wanted Draco to have a choice, obviously a recurring theme for him in RN. For my characterization of him, that symbol on his arm causes him nothing but shame and self-loathing (see the end of chapter 36 during his heart-to-heart with Hermione). He’d already exercised almost every known avenue to rid himself of it before Hermione entered his life (he lists these in chapter 44). Hermione already loved him (and has told him so) by the time she’s figured out how to remove it: “I love the man you are today and I will love that man tomorrow, bare forearm or not. I simply wanted you, for once, to have the choice. It’s your body.”

D.) Ooh anon, you are tempting me here. I really hate to be coy, but you might see some future writing on this very topic.

I can at least answer the taboo part: I think soul magic in general (horcruxes, the use of unicorn blood) is quite taboo in the HP universe. As no one knows what happens after death (not even ghosts, Nearly Headless Nick says as much when Harry asks him point-blank in OoTP) I think most magical folk would think the intense ritual (blending magical cores) an unnecessary thing anyway. As Draco explains in chapter 48, since no one actually knows the effects or if it works, it’s considered a bit over-the-top since it’s probably futile anyway. It is also not a Vow with a death component; Narcissa is obviously alive in this story even though Lucius is already dead. I wrote the generational curse protection theory in as a dig at Cursed Child for the way they handled Astoria’s character.

The idea of it I think is romantic, but I will stress it is very dependent upon the intent of the two participants. To quote Draco in chapter 48 again: “To twine one’s soul to another showed a willingness to not only physically tether one’s self during your time here on earth, but to commit to a blending of your magical cores, putting faith in your magic to recognize its bonded counterpart in another life. Should other lives even exist.”

If you re-read Draco’s experience during the bonding ceremony in chapter 51 (starting from this bit: “The cognizance of his own powers never felt sharper, more familiar, but suddenly another power pulsed within to join with his.”) you might find it bears a resemblance to the trajectory of their relationship.

Lastly- I’ve left Draco and Hermione to their wedded bliss. I’ve got nothing planned for them beyond where they are in the final lines of chapter 51. I don’t have that itch to write more into their future because it would feel forced. Draco laid out his two envisioned futures with Hermione in chapter 48 when they discuss having or not having children. They are happy and content in the life they chose together. That’s all I ever wanted for them.

You will see more from this story though. I have an entire series of one-shots and outtakes from the published Remain Nameless timeline that I’ll start posting soon.

Thank you so much list anon! These were fun to answer!

[plush-rabbit]

SFW Alphabet - Kaminari

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

Denki is a very touchy friend. He constantly has an arm wrapped you, nudging you constantly, leaning against you and anything else you can think of. If he’s unable touch you- mainly because of distance- then he’s calling you nicknames.

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

As an extrovert, friendship started with him coming up to you and flirting, giving you sly grins, winks and anything else that he has up his sleeve. As a best friend, he’s constantly flirting but it’s a bit more toned down or flirts more but it’s much more teasing like- marriage proposals when you’re both forty and single, putting his face close to yours until you shove him away- it all depends on the mood he’s in.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

He loves to cuddle. If you ask him for a cuddle, he is already dragging you to the nearest soft surface and pulling you close to him. He loves being the little spoon and nuzzling into your neck. Alternatively, as long as you’re able to play with his hair, he’s happy.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

He eventually wants to settle down. He would like a partner but he doesn’t see himself having an actual committed one until he’s older. He’s fairly okay at both cooking and cleaning. It’s enough where he can make simple dishes and where his room is cluttered but it does have a few empty bottles and pants where they’re not supposed to be.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

Face to face. He’ll go to your place and just explain that you two aren’t a good fit for whatever reasons. He tries to be sensitive with your feelings but no breakups ever end on a good note. If he’s left clothes or any of his possessions at your place, they’re already gone. He doesn’t want to have to come back and face you once the breakup has happened.

F = Fiancé(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

He’s not interested in commitment when he’s young. He enjoys his youth, the freedom and fun that comes with it. He only decides to settle down when he’s older, wanting the domestic life that comes with it. Once the relationship does start, he will know fairly early that you’re the one but it’s still a wait until he’s on his knee.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

He’s good at reading your emotions and knowing if you need space or comfort. He enjoys being near you and kissing your wrists and just sitting in silence with you if that’s what you need. He doesn’t need to be popular with you, he doesn’t have to put up a front because you’re there.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

He loves hugs. He’s wrapping his arms around you and pulling you tight into his chest with a huge smile on his face. It’s a type of hug where you’re left breathless and giggling at how much he’s into it. You can expect a hug from him at least once a day but will gladly hug you if you ask for it or even hint that you want one.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

Despite not being too interested in commitment he says the l-word fairly often. He means it, he does love you but with how often he’s said it, you don’t really believe that it’s the actual meaning. It’s until he’s serious and holding your hands in his and the words leave his mouth that they actually mean something.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

Denki is a fairly positive person, always happy and making friends with other but when you’re being hit on, he gets possessive. His arm is around you and he’s planting a kiss on your cheek and talking to you like the other person doesn’t even exist. If you scold him and continue to talk to the person, he’s bound to sulk in a corner until you hold his hand.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

All types of kisses. Quick, little ones. Deep, passionate ones. Ones where it’s a mix and he’s holding onto your face or hands that dip to your hips. He loves to kiss you on your lips, he loves how personal and intimate it all is and how he can feel your smile against his lips. If you kiss him on his jaw, he’s putty in your hands.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

Children love him. He’s just so energetic and friendly that kids feel safe around him. He loves being around little kids, they’re so easy to impress and they usually love his quirk because it reminds them of a certain mascot.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

A morning with him is usually where you both lay in bed awake for a few minutes and just sort of wait until you can both move without feeling as if you’re going to fall over. Usually you both are still curled into each other or even just holding hands.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

Nights are spent with him giggling in bed to a joke or memory of the day, with him nuzzled into your chest of you into his neck. It’s late nights where you to watch a Vine compilation and quote them, convulsing into a fit of giggles where once it’s quiet, laughter fills the room all over again until your stomach hurts.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

He’s not secretive about his life in the slightest except it’s more like he won’t say anything unless asked or mentions it nonchalantly. He’ll be cleaning and then mention some memory as if he were asking you what you wanted for lunch. Usually if you do ask him to reveal some personal stuff, he’ll just ask what you really want to hear and he’ll tell you. He trusts you enough to allow his form of secrecy to go down.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

He usually isn’t angered quite easily until he’s pushed. He has a surprising amount of patience where he can tolerate most things. It’s until he’s jealous that he’s actually a bit more annoyed. However, once he’s angered, he becomes very agitated and sometimes will shoot out little sparks. He’s a lot more bratty during these situations, complaining, making pouty faces and the works.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

Denki tries to remember more of the everyday stuff. Like your medication, favorite food, specific things that come up more often than like little ticks of yours. He knows if you dislike the taste of something but he won’t be able to remember why.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

One of his favorite moments in the relationship is when he came home from patrol, ragged and weary, and you’re still awake, waiting up for him, you whisper, opening your arms for him to rest. He’s stressed and hands are limp and you’re playing with his hair, singing him a song and with closed eyes, you whisper that you love him and little sparks jostle you awake and he’s asleep with a smile on his face.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

He’s fairly protective of you. Always wants to be your knight in shining armor and proudly wrapping an arm around you and pulling you away from a situation that you’re in. If you’re being physically threatened, he’s pushing you behind him and puffing out his chest. If you were to protect him, he likes it when you snap at the offender, insults spewing and fists balled up. He likes to be held afterwards.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

It’s the cliché things, chocolates, flowers, balloons, and what not where you scoff and roll your eyes. You have a collection of different themed plush animals hiding somewhere in a closet.  Usually for bigger dates like anniversaries and birthdays, things are a bit more lowkey, dinners and handwritten poems that aren’t usually good but it’s sweet and the thought that counts. You keep the collection safe in a binder decorated in pictures of both of you.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

Old habits die hard. He can’t help flirting with others, a coy smile on his face, eyes that shine and an attitude that won’t quit. He’s still very committed to you and he doesn’t even realize that he’s flirting until you give him a look.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

He takes care of himself. He has a whole night routine that that he follows regularly. He always makes sure that he looks groomed and well taken care of.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

Yes. Once he loves you, an actual love where he just sees you and mind goes blank and he can’t stop the smile that’s growing, he would feel incomplete if you were gone. He likes to joke you’re the better half but ever joke holds some truth to it. Losing you would leave him feeling empty and a constant what-if.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

If you start singing, he’s bound to join in. If he doesn’t know the lyrics, he’s mumbling and belting out the words he can make out. He’s holding your hands and pulling you into a dance. If you’re driving, he’s bouncing in your seat and looking at you and doing all sort of motions.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

He doesn’t like people who badmouth others. He finds it distasteful and will become a bit more aggressive and dismissive. He doesn’t mind the occasional rant because that’s what it is, a rant to just vent off your feelings but when you make a snide comment about someone’s appearance, he isn’t taking that lightly.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

He sleep talks. Often times the sentences are barley coherent, just little whispers about the toaster. There have been times where he’ll say sentences out loud and they’re a bit alarming; always “Who’s that?” or “Check the closet.” Sometimes you wonder if he’s just messing with you and he promises he’s not but he has been known to be cheeky. You’ll either get a good night sleep or a night full of paranoia.

[crossroad1960]

Sorpresa! Altro che caccia alle streghe e accuse di inciucio, ci sono dentro tutti nel compromesso, a slogan intransigenti, ma nella pratica compiacenti🤡

[poirott]

Hello! Do you know if Kenneth has concrete plans to adapt other books from Agatha? I can't wait to see DOTN.

Hello and thank you for your ask! No, Ken hasn’t said anything concrete about another Poirot film, only that he’s interested in doing more films. In a past video interview he mentioned several Christie books he likes best, including Murder in Mesopotamia and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, which could be possible candidates for a 3rd film, if we’re getting one. My gut feeling is that behind the scenes, Ken and the screenwriter Michael Green have already expressed their desire to do one and that they 100% know which Christie book it would be (if they’re mirroring MOTOE, maybe the 3rd film is teased at the end of DOTN), but we won’t get any concrete answers from them before the studio makes an official announcement to the media.

I think Ken will know of the studio’s decision about a 3rd movie way before the media is notified about it, and even if he’s been told by the execs the movie is happening, he still won’t be able to say anything to journalists after the DOTN promo. He’ll be told to wait for the announcement first, otherwise his comments could cause pre-mature headlines before the studio is ready to go to print with the story.

The same thing must have happened after Murder on the Orient Express. He couldn’t exactly divulge in interviews that he’s been “in talks” with the studio execs and Agatha Christie Limited about a sequel. Instead directors are asked by the studio to give a more standard response to journalists along the lines of, “Of course, I’m interested in doing a sequel and working with the studio again”, etc etc. In other words, play coy because they either don’t have the confirmation and everything is up in the air, or they know what’s going on but they’ve been told to wait.    

We should hear more about Ken’s plans and wishes once the box office results for DOTN are out, and those are very tricky to analyse during a pandemic. Lower ticket sales and movies going straight to streaming are part of the new norm. Studios can’t gauge a film’s success the same way they did in the past. It’s gonna be an interesting few months!

Before the Disney/20th Century Fox merger, Fox greenlit DOTN because MOTOE was a surprise and stealthy success, overperforming according to estimates in Europe and the US. Even though a Nile murder was teased at the end of MOTOE, and Ken and the screenwriter Michael Green really wanted to adapt that story next, a sequel wasn’t guaranteed. I think they put the tease just in case MOTOE did well in theatres.

But then MOTOE exceeded studio’s expectations, and pleased Agatha Christie Limited and its CEO, Agatha Christie’s grandson Mathew Prichard, and his son James (who is now the CEO, taking over from Mathew), and the studio went ahead with a 2nd movie. DOTN is also James Prichard’s first Christie book he got to enjoy. Recently he talked about Christie tv adaptations doing well internationally, but that movies have an even bigger reach worldwide, and a bigger impact on book sales.

From the quote I gather it’s in their interest to continue making Christie movies, and indeed, his father Mathew confirmed this in the Agatha Christie International Festival livestream a couple days ago, when he spoke very highly of Ken’s MOTOE and its worldwide success, and praised the way the 1974 version and similarly the 2017 version of MOTOE "restored Agatha Christie as a media property" after the 1960s MGM films about Miss Marple (which he wasn’t pleased with), and restored the confidence of studios and the professionals spending money on the property, “which was colossally important, far more important than the money we make on the film. It was the reputational thing that really was transformative.”

He said of Ken’s MOTOE: “Even 20th Century Fox was quite amazed by its performance.” You can listen to the full quote here at 1:10:01 when he is asked about his fave Christie books. He also said his son has seen Ken’s DOTN and that it’s better than MOTOE. :)

Fox and the Agatha Christie property are very happy with Ken’s Poirot movies, and I’m hoping the studio will be just as pleased with DOTN’s box office results, and greenlight another movie. Before we get any confirmation, I know I’ll be watching Ken’s reaction in interviews like a hawk whenever he’s asked about the topic! ;D

Sorry for the length and take care!