#//muse and desire are there motivation is the problem

[korzionarchive]

I need to write and I've proved today that I can force myself to write work things, so I should be able to make myself to do fun things.

[bugsbia]

Roommate Scaramouche x Reader smut

ʚ maybe your roommate has hidden motives behind his constant annoyances

ʚ BEFORE READING: Established. Dom scara with fem sub reader. Tired reader after a day of shitty classes. Scara is a bit of a brat. Usage of slut, fingering. mating press (although not specified to be such). Overstim. Orgasm Denial.

You just got home from a long day of classes, feeling tired and utterly annoyed at how irritating some of your classmates are, but only did your annoyance get worse upon seeing your roommate.

Scaramouche, your tease of a roomate. Always trying to get under your skin, trying every way he can to just get on your nerves for some sort of sick kick. The smirk across his face as he sat on the couch told you everything, he wasn't going to be any nicer today just because you were tired.

"hah... tired already? That'll make this fun." He mused as he stood up, slinking towards you and wrapping an arm around your shoulder, all so he could get on your nerves.

A groan fell from your lips as you pushed him off, grumbling like an old lady who can't figure out how to use the tv remote "quit touching me jackass, you're so annoying."

He feigned heartache "so rude to me, and yet here I am just trying to comfort my tired roomie!" he turned away, shrugging and going back to his own thing. He relented for now, but that would only last so long.

You quickly went into your room, wanting nothing more but to finally get out of these stupid clothes and relax in bed. You stripped down and put on a simple nightgown before settling down in your cozy little bed, scrolling through random tiktoks and tweets to satiate your boredom.

Your peace didn't last long as Scaramouche walked into your room without knocking, as if he owned the damn place. He let out a small chuckle upon seeing the way you're cuddled up beneath your blankets. "Hiding from me, are you?"

"God, no. Just go away, I'm tired." you retort, the annoyance in your voice evident to Scara, but that didn't stop him from pulling the covers off of you in one foul swoop.

Gasping in response you quickly tried to cover yourself a bit more, your nightgown not leaving a whole lot to the imagination. "Scaramouche! what is your god damn problem?!" you squealed. 

His eyes widened slightly upon noticing your clothing, but that wide-eye shock quickly turned to a mix of arousal at how much he liked the way your body looked, and amusement at how he caught you so off guard.

"You seem stressed and so worn out, How about I help you... relieve some stress, so to speak." he said as he winked, making his intentions obvious. It made your angry that he'd even dare to ask that... but the growing arousal between your thighs was undeniable.

The two of you had always had a sort of attraction to one another, but your annoyance towards his teasing attitude and his reluctance to open up meant neither of you brought it up, until now that is.

"Are you serious?" You question, surely he was just teasing? Just another one of his stupid games to get under your skin... right? That's what you thought till he moved on top of you, his knee pressed up against you wettening pussy as he grabbed your wrists and held them above your head.

"Dead serious" he responded, and without even giving you a moment to respond his lips crashed down onto yours. His tongue prodding at your lips, asking, almost begging for your permission to enter your mouth, to taste you.

You relented, giving in to months worth of bottled up desire, kissing him back and parting your lips. Your tongues mingled, the kiss growing sloppy and desperate as you subconsciously began grinding against his knee.

He pulled back, the kiss leaving you both a little out of breath as he looked down at you, your cheeks flushed and brows furrowed ever so slightly. "You're getting so worked up... it's almost pathetic." 

Moving swiftly he let go of your wrists and grabbed your thighs, spreading them apart so he could have a full view of your panties slowly becoming dampened by your wetness.

"Scara-'' you attempted to scold him for the embarrassing position he'd put you in, but you were quickly cut off when you felt two of his fingers drag down your clothed cunt. Gasping quietly as your hips automatically bucked up into his fingers, trying to chase the hint of pleasure he'd given.

He hushed you "Just be quiet, this'll get rid of your stress." He pulled your panties off, smirking as he gazed down at your wet and needy pussy, just begging for his touch.

Without waiting he got to work, rubbing your clit with one hand and using his other hand to slide two digits inside you, massaging your g-spot as he watched your reaction.

God did he love your reactions, the way your face contorted with pleasure as you tried to fight back a moan by biting your lip. Oh he adored how you so badly tried to fight your desire for him, it just made him want to break you down even more.

You grew closer to your release as he plunged his fingers in and out of you with fervor, teasing your sensitive clit to push you closer and closer, but as you neared your orgasm he pulled away.  "don't stop! please!" you whined, being denied your release leaving you needy and so painfully desperate.

Exactly how he wanted you to be, he shoved his fingers into your mouth "Clean your filth off of them" he demanded harshly as he used his free hand to unzip his pants and release his throbbing cock. 

As you sucked and licked his fingers clean of your own juices he positioned himself between your legs, his eager cock twitching while he admired the sight of you. Below him, so wet and so ready to be utterly devoured by him.

Pulling his fingers out of your mouth he wiped any remaining saliva on the blanket beneath you as he then held onto your hips tightly. "I'm gonna make you scream my name." he said in a husky tone.

He slowly entered you earning a small exhale from you as your walls stretched to accommodate his more than average size. "Fuck, you feel so good." he groaned as he began moving, slow strokes at first.

Soft moans began spilling from your lips as he moved inside of you, your pussy so sensitive from you previously denied orgasm. "Scara, more, need more." you cried out, just desperate for your sweet release as the tensenion inside you grew worse by the second, his slow movements almost tortuous.

"Want more? Fine, but you asked for this." He picked up his pace, ramming his cock hard and deep into you, your desperate pleas for release sending him absolutely reeling.

You let out an almost pornographic moan as he picked up the pace, feeling the way he slammed into you and reached the deepest parts of your pussy. At a loss for words from the overwhelming pressure you simply moaned and writhed beneath him, your impending orgasm closer than ever.

Scaramouche began feverishly rubbing at your clit, making the coil in your stomach snap. Your orgasm quickly washed over you, your thighs trembling as you moaned his name loudly, a ring of white forming at the base of his cock as your wetness combined with his precum.

Oh but he wasn't done, he hadn't gotten to cum yet and so his relentless thrusts didn't stop. "wait! is too much!" you whined at the oversensitivity you felt from his thrusts. 

"Take it, we're not done till I say so." he chuckled darkly as pushed your thighs up against your chest, his cock only reaching deeper in this position which earnt whined high pitched moans from you.

He held you there, fucking into your overstimulated little cunt with desperation as he neared his own release. The sound of his groans, your moans and skin slapping echoing through the room as you both lose all semblances of care.

His thrusts grew sloppy, his cock twitching inside you due to his nearing orgasm. "Take it, take my cum you slut." he said darkly with a deep and hard thrust, shooting ropes of hot cum deep inside you. He chased out his orgasm, sloppy little thrusts as he emptied himself inside you.

You looked up at him through dazed eyes as he stopped his thrusts and slowly pulled out. "you're such a fucking mess" he said as he looked at your current state, hair all messy, cheeks flushed and eyes teary as his cum leaked out of your swollen and abused pussy. "so fucking perfect" he murmured as he got up off the bed and brushed his hair out of his face.

"Come on, we both need a shower." he said in a sweeter tone, offering to help you clean up from your messy little encounter. 

[twelvemonkeyswere]

Brienne and Femininity (and Masculinity)

I’ve been musing how one of the most important topics in Brienne's storyline is femininity, and even though her story isn't finished, we can fairly see what some of her major themes are around this—particularly, how performing or failing at performing femininity affects her both internally and externally.

Often I see people pointing out that, in spite of all of Brienne’s traditionally masculine ways—her clothes, her skill set, her body shape, to name a few—she does not fully reject femininity. That she likes little cute animals and fairy tales and wears dresses, and is shy and blushes frequently. This is an important point because, very often, fantasy settings made the assumption that a woman can only be taken seriously if she goes beyond “her womanhood” and acts and thinks “like a man,” as opposed to other girls who are too busy mending or wanting romance. Brienne challenges those tendencies that GRRM saw in his contemporaries. Things have changed a lot since (hello The Locked Tomb, for example), but you can still see where he is working from, and how many of the aspects of Brienne's story still resonate with more modern audiences because, well, sexism hasn't stopped existing. It's also important because the larger asoiaf and got fandoms often refuse to see this side of her, reducing her to a walking sword or a cardboard cut out of a pushover.

Now, my main issue here is that I feel several interpretations of Brienne have now gone on the other direction, and focus so much on Brienne PERFORMING traditional femininity—wearing luxurious dresses, using make up, accepting lavishing gifts, or wondering if she can be desired, for example—that we've gone sometimes on the opposite direction. I feel like many times we’re afraid or do not know how to approach characterizing her as someone who rejects aspects of femininity without making her into another “not like other girls” stereotype.

My two cents on the matter is that if we focus too much in what Brienne can't but "wants" to perform, we forget that she is, in fact, gladly rejecting some common impositions of femininity in her society.

Beginning with swordplay at a young age, for example, she was very glad to ditch a more traditional education in order to learn how to fight the way we know men are taught in asoiaf/got. She is also explicitly more comfortable in men's clothes. We all like the scene where Jaime makes an effort to give her a dress and she appreciates it, but we don't even find out what happened to the dress, because, presumably, the dress itself is not THAT important, at least not as much as the fact Jaime gave her gifts as a form of appreciation. Dresses have been used in Brienne's past to mock her (the event with the bear being the most recent one), and the important part is that Jaime is the only one who has given her one without that ulterior motive. The point of the scene is that where everyone undermines and underestimates her, he is acting the opposite way. We’re seeing how the relationship between them has evolved and that he is doing his best to mend what has happened and what he has done. She is given a dress and a sword as symbols that someone else in the story is beginning to appreciate her for all she is.

Beyond that, we even get details on the old shield Brienne got at Harrenhal, but not a word about the dress. Brienne explicitly doesn't really like being in dresses, she prefers mail and breeches, and feels more at ease in them than anything else. This is not her hating dresses because she is above them. I can’t remember well but as far as we know it’s just her preference: I don’t recall her saying she hates dresses, just that she prefers trousers. She must have been wearing dresses her whole life! It’s not likely she is unused to them. But we do know the act of being given a dress is important in Brienne’s story. The problem is not that they can’t make dresses for her, the problem is that everyone who forces her to wear a dress wants to signal how lacking she is as a woman, trying to fit her in a box too small for her real shape and then mocking her because she doesn’t meet their standard. The problem is they want to make her uncomfortable and they want to humiliate her, because she dares to exist in a way that doesn’t conform to patriarchal ideals. And the problem is that she likes to wear trousers and mail. She likes to wear masculine clothes, and they want her to be very aware of how much they disapprove.

And we also hear a great deal about marrying and having children out of duty. There's a certain loss she feels there because she believes that, at that point, all those missed opportunities will never present themselves again. All her life, she grew up with a dichotomy that dictated that the chance of having a family or children was through duty or none at all, because she is her father’s heir and—they kept telling her—nobody would want an ugly, masculine, temperamental girl as a wife. They could only want her for the money she brought. The point of the story is that, once again, failing the standards of femininity has forced her into a mentality where she thinks she can’t be loved because nobody would like who and what she is. But even then, even with that thorn in her mind, she still feels relieved she didn't have to perform these particular duties. The only thing she’s sad about is that she thinks she's missed any chance at having a family at all and will never know what that might be like. She doesn’t actively want babies or even to be married. She is still young, and at least to me, she seems to view these things in hypothetical rather than explicit goals or wants. She thinks that, at 20, there is no opportunity for her to experience these things because of how her society works. It’s the lack of choice that she mourns, down the line. But she rejects that particularly role that femininity imposes on her now. She didn’t want it, and she is happy it didn’t go through. She literally fought an old man to prove how much she didn’t want those impositions.

All this is interesting to me because Brienne also sort of thinks of herself as her father's son as well as her father's daughter. It almost slips her mouth once or twice. She is aware, I think, that many times the differences between a son and a daughter boil down not really to gender but to the sort of duty they perform. And she wants to do the sorts of things sons do, too. Men regularly learned to fight and wore the clothes she liked best and used hard-earned skills in a way she wanted to use them. There are layers to this (we’ll get to that in a bit) but she is, I think, very aware of her masculinity, and, if left to her own devices, she seems comfortable in it. The problem is she is NOT left to her own devices.

Most of Brienne's self doubt comes from outside forces. As a woman, they underestimate her. As a woman, they think she is stupid. As a gender non-conforming woman, every jape uttered goes directly to her womanhood. As a woman, if she looks the way she does and dresses the way she does and fights the way she does, when she expresses any vulnerable emotion, any shred of “femininity,” she is mocked for it. She likes dancing and beautiful things and pretty boys but a woman as masculine as she is is not the sort of person who gets to express those preferences without judgment from those around her.

The point is Brienne’s world wants her miserable either way: being unable to be a woman the way they demand of her, because she is too much “like a man” for it, or being unable to be a man, because she is too much a woman for that. The point is she can’t win regardless of what she does. Because that’s how sexism works.

But Brienne’s story is, I think, one about choices. The thing is that the world makes it harder for her, but she shouldn't have to be one thing or the other. She shouldn’t have to be defined by one or the other. If she wants to fight in the mud and smell roses and wear chain-mail and talk to charming men, she should be able to choose all of those things. I think it’s easy to focus too much in what aspects of femininity Brienne likes or dislikes instead of looking at what the story is proposing, which is to look at what Brienne,as a person, likes or dislikes. What she wants. Her parallel story to Jaime is about how the world will always try to put folks in boxes, especially those who, for some reason or another, do not easily fit in those boxes. The question is not “what feminine/masculine parts of Brienne is she happy performing” but rather “what does Brienne want, and why does she feel like she cannot get it and doesn't dare ask.”

This is also what drives her to servitude. There’s a phrase out there that says that if you don’t think you can be liked, you try to become useful, so at least there’s a reason to keep you around. It’s heartbreaking to see how Brienne’s vision of herself has been so skewed by the emotional abuse, parental neglect, and bullying she’s experienced since a young age. She doesn’t think anyone will grow close to her, so at least she can be close to people by serving them. She wants to put her skills to use, she wants to find a place where she fits, where she can be more herself, but she isn’t sure what that looks like or how to find it. She’s still searching, and learning many things on the way.

And Brienne is still very young. We can see her confidence growing and her worldview challenged and she is beginning to see the realities of herself and of the world around her through various trials by fire. Misogyny makes her feel incomplete, but we know the things she trusts about herself while simultaneously seeing the way she constantly doubts others. How she can't never express all of herself without constant judgment or mockery.

I feel like yes, the fact Brienne doesn't reject all traditional femininity is really important to her themes, but by extension, it's as important that shedoes reject some of those traditional expressions of femininity. What she is truly rejecting is imposition, not femininity. What she truly needs to embrace is freedom, not masculinity. She's making her own vows, breaking her own promises, going through her own mistakes. She is learning the hard way. Agency in a world of limited choices is one of Brienne's main themes too. There are moral issues that go deep within her story as well as examinations of the effects of war and the struggle to find authenticity and connection in a community that refuses to acknowledge yours, a community drenched in pretense and lost in performance.

And I think it’s easy to get too caught up in her wanting to be a girlfriend or a mother or wearing a dress that we bypass the whole conversation around why that matters at all. I feel like Brienne's success isn't going to come from her fully embracing all her feminine traits or fully accepting all her masculine traits but from being able, down the line, to be exactly who she is.

[eipkyt61066666]

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒑𝒉𝒂𝒃𝒆𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑹𝒆𝒐 𝑴𝒊𝒌𝒂𝒈𝒆❤︎

Note: I hope you enjoy the fanfic and love our boy Reo. Please don't repost!!!!!!

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!!!!!!

A - adoration

Reo loves you soo much. He always looks at his phone waiting for the next text from you and connects every little thing to you.

B - beauty

Every morning you wake up next to him you see his beautiful face. Reo has always been popular with the girls. It makes you appreciate the faces he making only for you and the way every peice of clothing suits his body perfectly.

C - cursing

You will never hear Reo curse with him growing up in a classy, rich family. Though that all changes when you are on your knees for him with your throat spread wide open by his shaft. The little hisses of curse words slipping from his lips while using your throat are only for you to see.

D - dedication

Reo has always been a hard worker. He never put work to the side. The man follows his dreams and tries his best in anything and. The same goes for his treatment of you. You are the thing he is most dedicated to, other then school and football. He dedicates his football plays to you and you are his top motivation to try hard.

E - eyes

Reo loves eye contact. It's intimate to him. The warm smile on your face and the way your eyes batter at him make his heart beat dance. Not only that but the gift of sight that allows him to cherish and look at your body when you are being pleasured from him. The way his marks, be it bites or hickeys paint your skin makes him go crazy.

F - fingers

Reo bought you a promise ring until the day he can give you a wedding one. He loves the way the beautiful gemstone matches your soft skin. But as you might have already guessed from this obsession with you, he likes coating his with your slik and the way they can make your body beg for him until you lose the power in your voice to do soo

G - gentle

Reo will always be gentle with you. You are his muse. A godess he worships every chance he gets. A strong men that opens up his heart only for you and is always considerate of you, like a real gentleman.

H - happiness

Even though Reo had everything he could dream of, he could never buy happiness with all that money from the silver spoon he was born with.  You filled in that hollow feeling in his heart and made him yours.

I - idealist

He is an idealist at heart. He dresses you in pretty dresses and jewelry like his doll.  It's only right for him to fo this for you. The way you make him feel can only be rewarded with the most expensive treasures on this world.

J - jealousy

Has loving as Reo is, he also has a jealous side that shows everytime you interact with men that are not your family or him. Although he knows it's wrong it still hurts his heart seeing his precious angel with other males.

K - key

You know that only you have the key to his heart. He only let's his guard down around you. Be it kissing your chest and begging for headpats, Reo is obsessed with you and doesn't shy away from acting like this.

L - leading(his position in the relationship)

Reo is a switch. He enjoys shifting you into his desires as much as letting himself get affection from you. Though Reo does tend to be more on the leading side, not being able to hold back at the sight of your figure.

M - money

Obviously money is never a problem for Reo. Your boyfriend has always lived a luxurious life that he is definitely willing to share with you. Be it either taking on expensive dates or buying you clothes to fit your beautiful figure.

N - needs

Reo is definitely needy. He's always trying to find time for you even with his busy schedule. Your boyfriend is super clingy. Always has an arm around you and loves to rub his chin on top of your head.

O - ownership

He owns you and shows it through Always keeping you close and protecting you from other men. Honestly you own him just as much as he does. He's always at your feet even at the numerous amounts of woman ready to date him.

P - pleasure

You always get tops amounts of pleasure from him. Be it through cuddling and the warm feeling in your heart or during love-making. He's always trying to please you. The way his ego rises seeing you panting beneath him......

Q - queen

You are his queen. Someone Reo shall please and serve. He devotes all his love to you and spoils you even if you don't want his money. Loves to worship your body during cuddling and love-making by carefully touching you all over your body and being thankful for your presence.

R - readiness

He doesn't oblige at anything. If you are ready soo is he. One call asking him to come for you and he is at your door at the needed time.

S - seeking

Reo has a cute side to him. Kind of odd for a 185 cm men but you don't mind it, in fact it's the opposite. You love how your boyfriend is hinting at you that he wants attention with his words and actions. Be it walking around the house with only a towel on or purposely asking you about romantic movies insinuating what he wants.

T - taking advantage

Reo isn't the type of guy to get tired of you and leave you sobbing afterwards. He always shows you his caring side and respects you. Can't say the same about the opportunities to get his hands on you.

U - understanding

Like I sead he is ready when you are. If you feel uncomfortable with anything, he will stop and reasure you. Never pushes you to do things you don't want and always there to listen when you need to vent.

V - voice

Reo's voice is very classy. The way he speaks can magnetise you, be it with words or his little whimpers. You love making him squel and the sloppy sounds his miuth makes when you kiss. Reo seriously can't control himself around you and lets his beautiful voice out.

W - writing

He always writes you little good morning texts at dawn. It makes your heart flutter and fill up with even more love for him. Also when his trips take a little longer he will send you the occasional nude out of desperation for your reactions. Seriously he's making you blush and turn around screaming in your bed like a teenager.

X - xoxo

Reo loves giving you kisses and hugs.

He will wrap his arms around you in the presence of other men letting them know tha you are his. He always finds excuses to kiss you. Be it either taking your gum from your mouth or saying you have something on your face just to kiss you.

Y - young

Reo has always been taught to be mature and serious torwards his work, soo he grew up that way. His parents pushed him to be respectful and to take advantage of situations with people but of course your boyfriend still has a childish personality he lets out around you cause he just loves you that much. You love fooling around and having fun together doing couple stuff that making you both happy.

Z - zaging

Reo always changes moods really fast. He is insecure about you leaving him and it keeps your boyfriend up at night.  With him on work trips his fear got worse. Knowing that you are such a beautiful woman made Reo worried but then he'd get reminded by the realisation that you arent like that and actually love him very much. Then that anxiety would turn into love.

[tragedynoir]

��� introducing 008: COFFEE TALK + [ link ]

a cozy cottagecore google doc template inspired by fairytales and old books. this has a wonderfully comforting feeling to it from its warm colours and collage-like elements around the page, and is perfect for all sorts of muses — from bookworms, to forest lovers. it would also be perfect for fantasy and fairytale rps! this premium template can be found in the link above or in the source link.

features:

5 unique 14" x 8.5" pages with 4 carefully crafted full-page background images, featuring spaces for quotes or small notes, short sections, and one space for an extra long section

a connections/muses page that can be easily duplicated for more

3 PSD templates for you to edit your images into beautiful, public domain illustrated frames that give a fairytale-esque aesthetic

terms of use:

you may edit to your heart’s desire. Change the colours, replace, add or remove elements and images etc.

you may remix pages with pages from my other templates.

you may not remove the credit from the templates.

you may not copy, sell or redistribute my templates whether wholesale, in part (i.e. taking out certain pages) or remixed (i.e. modified).

you will also receive an additional guide with images on how to use and edit google doc templates! if you have any problems or issues, feel free to leave an ask or join our discord server.

this theme was immensely difficult to work with for me — I had to scrap a few initial drafts and attempts at this before I finally found my momentum when working on this rendition. I absolutely adore the public domain illustrations all over this design which heavily lean into (what I think) are stereotypical fairytale elements, and I hope you do too!

once again, thank you for your likes + reblogs, every little interaction helps me out and motivates me to do more. ♡

[codenamesazanka]

musings

Tenko saying ‘I chose to do this, I destroyed this house and my family out of my own volition’ is clearly a cope, evidenced by the following rationale ‘Otherwise, why would I even have these hands? Who would be able to explain why I was born this way?’

→ The neat easy solution is then, of course, to have it revealed that AFO gave Tenko Decay. He wasn’t supposed to have those hands. He wasn’t born this way. He didn’t actually want to destroy the house or the family (was just a kid feeling the emotions of a valid temper tantrum). 

→ Therefore, he is not evil, he does not hold malice, he is not meant to destroy. He had wrongly believed his purpose was to destroy things. Therefore he is not supposed to be a Villain trying to destroy Japan. And he should stop.

→ This fits with what AFO said about Shigaraki/Tenko ‘To this day, you’ve never made a single decision on your own’.

For a Trump Card reveal though (assuming that 'AFO Gave Tenko Decay' is the trump card reveal) that’s supposed to give AFO more control over Shigaraki…

→ Tenko wasn’t supposed to be born this way… therefore he has no reason to listen to AFO, and every reason to fight back. Doesn't quite work.

→ If you take what Deku has done as Shigaraki finally receiving the blessing of ‘even if you were born with these hands, a Hero should still come and hold your hand’ (acceptance of himself, what he’s done, acceptance from Society Rep) then it's also a bit too late - he was rescued despite having these hands; but now that those hands aren’t actually his, he gets… Rescued+? Also doesn't quite work.

→ What it most likely has to be is: the shock and damning amount of tragedy of the reveal - beyond just being given Decay, but that AFO engineered his whole life - could render Shigaraki docile. For Shigaraki who tried so hard to assert himself and to lead with the creed ‘Do whatever we want’, it would undo all his efforts.

→ It's the fact that Deku has now symbolically rescued Shimura Tenko from the Shimura tragedy. That's more or less done. He's symbolically 1) stopped the massacre, 2) fixed the fact that no one reached out a hand, and 3) assured Tenko that even if he was born with destructive hands and feelings, a hero should still be there for him.

But even after all that, Shigaraki still insist on being a Hero for the Villains. Even after all that, Shigaraki believes he needs to keep being a Villain in order to give his friends what they want. He's intending to still rampage, in a way that's hard to counter because it's such a pure motivation... so it's the perfect time for the reveal that AFO was behind even this desire. Indirectly.

→ Previously, the symbolism of the Shimura House was that it was the accumulation point of social forces that had/will always reject Tenko and what he values (his outcast friends). That AFO might have built the house means those social forces don't actually exist, or don't exist in a capacity that would've given Shigaraki such hatred; it was AFO all along, and Shigaraki has been deluded about rejection. Essentially - Shigaraki's Jaku speech? Proven completely false. No relevance to reality.

And if he's deluded about this, then Shigaraki has no reason to feel rejected, to see himself as being rejected - he has no reason to want or have to be a Villain. Similarly, then, the grudges the League has with the world are also misguided. Shigaraki has no reason to want to continue being a Hero for the villains. Shigaraki must step down.

→ While this does stop the problem of Shigaraki's rampage, I feel like it also obliterates all remaining shreds of Shigaraki/Tenko's character. Even if his hatred fades, even if he's empty, he needs to be a Hero for the villains... So when you take away even that, what's left? He's emptier than empty, and thus will be easily dominated by AFO.

→ Perhaps it's time for Deku to rescue Shigaraki from AFO. However, not quite from AFO's construction of the reality - not when AFO revealed it himself and shattered it. No, it's time for Deku to rescue Shigaraki from his lack of agency...

…So it would be so funny if Deku has to sorta change course to convince Shigaraki that Decay is his power now and what matters is how he uses it and he should get angry and that he’s right for wanting to be a Hero for the villains and so he should help destroy AFO. Sorta the lessons from Todoroki + Eri + Gentle/Nagant combined.

[rosesradio]

The post you just reblogged made me wanna ask

If the seven were slashers (seprately)

What would be their motives?

hm, okay, this is interesting...pretty much just the dark!version of each character

jason is the easiest to me. he was born of the lust of zues & a mortal woman chasing fame & glory. he was raised by wolves & primed to be an errand boy, a tool for the gods with no feelings of his own. i could see a path of him being driven to madness, urging for revenge. he would resent his friends, who reluctantly follow the orders of the gods. he would resent them, yet want to protect them from a more violent death. when he delivers death to his friends, it's like he's delivering a gift: salvation, relief, and a silk-dressed pillow pressed gently to one's nose & lips.

leo is driven by jealousy. he stews in his insecurity, unable to help but notice what everyone else has. unable to help but notice what he is missing. he doesn't want to rise to the level of everyone else because he was never given the chance to. he had everything taken from him at every turn—so he would take everything from everyone else. tracking how death follows the son of hephaestus would drive the best detective over the edge; each incident & accident is different, each hand-crafted with desire to own the lives he takes.

annabeth, i've always said, would join luke if not for her loyality to percy & thalia. her hubris would be her downfall. she would believe herself to be more intelligent, more cunning than any serial killer that ever lived, constantly learning from their mistakes instead of making her own. she would ensure that she would not be a footnote in history, no matter which side whe would be on. her death method of choice is a slash to the throat with her dagger, though she also changes things up to avoid suspicion.

percy would be the victim of his own abilities. the sea does not like to be restrained, and the sea lives within every cell of percy's body. much like how he reveled in the darkness of seeing how much misery Misery could take, he would revel in the ways he could eliminate all of his problems. riptide, sure, but why bother? drowning and blood-bending are more fun. the ocean would hunger for more victims, more food for its inhabitants, as it muses in percy's mind that he was only ever meant to be a vessel.

frank knows of the fragility of life more than anyone. his extreme powers were "evened out" by his curse, the threat of fire to burn his life force weighing on him. he would become reckless with his strength, stirred on by the voices of ares & mars in his head. he would unintentionally be one of the most diverse killers of the seven—being his victim could mean anything from a poisonous bug sting to a dragon attack.

piper would be used to getting what she wanted. she learned long ago that life would be hard for her, so why not use her abilities to her advantage? there's a certain hollowness to her life—she's been charmspeaking people into loving her for so long, there's an absense of real love that can never be filled. when she kills, she's covering her tracks, reasoning with herself that it was best for everyone involved. if she can't have someone, and they don't want her...they're better off with a knife in the heart, matching how she feels.

hazel would tip the scales of life & death, as she's always done. her second life would be all about repaying debt to her brother, who brought her back as a consolation prize. she, like jason, would be used in service to the gods, always & forever. she would take on a vigilante role, calling the shots on her own for who deserves to live & die. by breaking the natural order, she would ensure her curse would never be broken, but no matter; she loves anonymously gifting pretty jewels to whoever she sees fit, some so small that her next victim can't even tell if it's been slipped in their pocket.

[mischiefmanaged71]

In This Moment (4)

Summary: A single moment can spark a magnificent change in a person’s life.

A/N: Peaky Blinders AU, Ewan Mitchell OC x fem!reader

Y/N got out of the shower, wrapping the towel around herself tightly. She moved into her bedroom, gathering her outfit to change as she hummed softly to herself. Several thoughts on her to-do list were prominent at the front of her mind as she dressed, hanging the towel over the screen. She put on her slip dress when she remembered her forgotten earrings on the bathroom counter just as her bedroom door opened. 

Her eyes widened as she saw Will. “What are you doing?”

He quickly recovered, lowering his gaze. “I knocked, but there was no answer.”

“I-I was in the shower.” she quickly replied, coughing. “It's fine. What is it?"

“At least your being non-chalant about it.” Will crossed his arms against his chest.

“I can shout at you to get out if that’d be more suitable?"

He grinned, leaning against the doorway, “I’m perfectly fine where I’m standing.” Her face flushed at the comment, moving to slip her gown on. She turned back around, seeing Will’s gaze fixed.

"It's far from appropriate."

"What is?"

"Standing in my doorway."

"You're dressed now, aren't you?"

She tilted her head, "I suppose. Most men wouldn't even bother looking away."

"I'm not like most men."

She hummed, nodding. He certainly wasn't.

"Part of my job is understanding people's motivations. Their way of thinking. There's still things I don't know about you. That's what makes you different."

"I like having that bit of mystery. Draws in all kinds of people." He stepped in front of her.

"And what type are those?"

Her breath picked up as Will leaned down, "The interested parties... the desired kind."

"And women actually buy into it?" She raised her eyebrows.

He wore a smirk, tilting his head. "You did."

Y/N bit her lip to hold back the remark waiting on her tongue. Her hands perched on the bed post, not noticing how Will had pushed her backward with his steps. Her heart thundered in her chest as he grew closer.

"Why did you come in here?"

Will relented, blinking at her. “Arthur called. Said he’ll bring the car round in a half hour.”

“Okay.” she nodded, "I'll need to change." confirmed as Will stood still, holding her gaze. “Are you gonna shut the door?”

Will paused before he finally responded. “Course. I’ll leave you to it.” 

The breath trapped in her throat finally left. The matter of her flustered state became an apparent problem as she raised a hand to her warm face. She just needed to get through today without any further stress. 

***

People filed in and around her, the sounds of conversation and cheer bustling around with the thrill of the races. She stood close to Arthur, Will practically glued to her side as they navigate the crowd.

"Seems busier than usual today."

"A new record, I'd say." Walking into a stand with seats.

"When's Tommy expecting us?"

"Dunno, but there's Finn and Isaiah." Arthur pointed out.

"Lads look like trouble, that's for sure." Will murmured, his words reaching her ears as he walked beside her.

"And you don't?"

"I used to." He replied, "Then I grew out of it."

"What'd you used to do?"

"Wander round at night. Grab a drink with mates. We'd get up to some crazy things."

"Assuming you're not going to elaborate." She mused.

"Oh, it wouldn't be a proper conversation here."

Her eyes followed his gesture below to the group, wide grins on their faces as they nudged each other. "Best they stay there. Let 'em have their fun."

"They're on the job." Arthur grumbled.

"I thought you'd agree with me." She smiled, settling in her seat, Will scanning their proximity.

"Normally, but I suppose there are other priorities today. Boys'll need their heads screwed on for it."

"What kind of priorities are we talking about?" She whispered, staring at the crowd. “Where's Tommy?”

Arthur paused, "He’s got some other business to deal with today. I can guarantee it's not gonna be pretty."

She pursed her lips. "And he didn't think to mention it?"

"It was a need to know basis. Not everyone needs to know."

"I'm not everyone, am I?" She narrowed her eyes.

"No. But we need you safe. The fewer people that know, the better."

"When it comes to me, you and Tommy love to pick and choose. I thought you trusted me with things as part of this family-"

"Come on, Y/n/n. Enough with that. We trust you with plenty, but this-not when it puts you in danger." Arthur cut her off."

She hummed with a tight smile. "I get it. I get all the special treatment, and you blokes get to know everything."

"You know that we do things to protect you. It's the reason we entrusted Adler to take care of you. I think he'd agree." Arthur noted pointedly, glancing at the man as he watched but remained silent on the matter.

"I think I need the lady's room." She stood up, wandering off. It was on her way back from the lavatory that she bumped into a man. An apology fell from her mouth as she skirted around them before a hand gripped her wrist.

"You've got to watch where you're goin', sweetheart."

"I said sorry. It was an accident." Tugging on her wrist as his grip tightened.

He chuckled, "I reckon I can think of other ways you can make it up to me."

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen." She deadpanned, wrenching her wrist from his grip. A gasp escaped her as he forcefully pulled on her arm, wrenching her closely.

"That won't do at all." he sneered.

"Let go!" She yelled, but it was swallowed by the crowd noise. A pair of hands pushed at the man's chest, forcing them apart.

"Hands off, mate." Will stood in front of her, his figure cloaking her.

"Come on. Just havin' a bit of fun."

From her chest heaving to the feeling stirring in her stomach, it was certainly not.

"Don't think so. She clearly told you to get lost." Will stated, a mask of calm beneath his furious stare.

"And who are you?" The man stalked closer, "What? Not enough to share round?"

"I'll say this once. Walk away." He stared the man down.

"Or what? You gonna fight me?" He got into Will's space.

"I don't think it'd be much of a fight. You won't like that part." Will's voice was low.

"I don't know, I'd like to see that." The man touched Will's shoulder, but he twisted his hand, forcing the man to bend the knee.

"I don't think you do." Will leaned down, "Touch her or any woman again, and I'll make sure you can't use this hand. For anything. Got that?"

The man winced, staring Will down who smirked. He twisted, receiving another yelp before the man conceded. "Alright! Alright!"

"Apologise." 

"I'm sorry." The man croaked as Will shoved him.

"Now, piss off." 

Will turned around, quickly ushering her into a private space between the stands.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" He placed a hand on her back, another on her shoulder to mould her body against him.

She shook her head. "I'm okay. Irritated, more than anything."

"I'm sorry." He whispered.

"What for?" She met his eyes, rubbing her sore wrist.

"I shouldn’t have left you alone."

"You can't be everywhere." She retorted, "I can take care of myself."

"I know you can, but my job is to keep you safe. If I can't do that, then I've failed."

"You did keep me safe. He didn't get a chance to do anything." Her hand grasped his shoulder, bringing his gaze down. "I'm okay because of you."

Will unclenched his jaw, nodding his head. "This isn't even the most dangerous job I've had."

"Do you think you'll stay?"

"Indefinitely." He stated, "Mr Shelby never specified an end period."

"If I'm being honest, I wouldn't know what to do with myself. It is nice- having the company."

"Yeah?" His voice with a teasing edge, “In what ways?”

"I mean," Y/N darted away from his smile, "I do feel a lot safer-with you, that is."

His face softened, "I'm glad."

She smiled, "You're good at your job, Will."

"I hope to keep it that way." His hand found the small of her back, "You sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine." She squeezed his hand, her smile easing the heaviness weighing over him. “Trust me.”

TAGS

@pearlstiare @dothrckis @aemonds-sapphire @xcharlottemikaelsonx @filipinamultifandom @padfooteyes @batsyforyou @yentroucnagol @cl-0-vr @viviartsy @h3k3t @arcana-greenleaf  @yummycastiel @lauraneedstochill @sasikanleesworld @theliterarybeldam @actualhawkesworld @ohitsthemaster @aemonds-wifey @stillinracooncity

[dragonkeeper19600]

How I Would Fix Houseki no Kuni

By now, you guys are probably more familiar than you’d like to be with the numerous posts I’ve made about what I see as the many narrative failings of Houseki no Kuni.

I’ve already written extensively about my gripes with this train wreck of a manga, and as much as I’ve said already, I could keep going. However, over the past few days, I’ve found myself wondering what I would change to make the story stronger. After all, it’s easy enough to identify a problem with a story, but it’s a great deal more challenging to come up with a solution. I’ve already suggested some potential changes in other posts, but I thought I’d assemble all of my brilliant ideas in one convenient location.

So, without further ado, here’s how I would fix the garbage fire that is Houseki no Kuni:

First, I’d have Phos keep the encyclopedia job longer. It always seemed weird to me that this story mechanic was dropped so soon after being introduced, and I don’t think that was to the story’s benefit. Phos becoming more devoted to and more competent at the encyclopedia job would showcase his growing maturity, plus it would lead to a growing curiosity. A big part of what sets Phos apart in the original story is how willing he is to question things that the other gems don’t, such as Sensei’s possible connection to the Lunarians or whether there’s another job for Cinnabar. You could have his desire to learn more come from his desire to get the encyclopedia job right because he’s already fucked up everything else he’s ever attempted, so this is his last chance to be good at something.

Similarly, I would not make Phos a fighter, or, at least, I would wait until later in the series to make him a fighter. Manga and anime is already oversaturated with stories about people who learn how to fight. Having a protagonist who’s strong suit is not fighting would make Houseki no Kuni stand out from other seinen series. Instead, Phos’s usefulness to the war against the Lunarians would be as a tactician, using the information he’s collected from other gems (such as Alexandrite’s obsessive knowledge of the Lunarians) and his own observations to help the other gems fight more efficiently. Phos accepting that he isn't cut out to be a fighter would be yet another sign of his maturity. In my version, after he gets his new agate legs, he decides he can ditch the encyclopedia job and become a fighter like he’s always wanted, just like in the original story. However, after he sees the Amethyst twins shattered by the Lunarian weapon made from Sapphire, he realizes battle isn’t cool and badass like he thought but scary and really tough, and he decides the encyclopedia thing is where he’s needed.

Of course, Phos would be forced to take up arms and finally fight later in the series as the war with the Lunarians is ramping up. Phos would have a moment to muse on the irony of finally getting to be a fighter just like he always wanted after already deciding he didn’t want it anymore.

One more thing about combat is that the gems would wear actual armor into battle. Red Beryl’s job wouldn’t be just to make cute moe moe outfits for the gems to strut their stuff in but to forge armor to protect the gems from the Lunarians’ weapons. The Lunarians would find ways to get through the armor, of course, but it would be better and more believable than sending these rocks into a war zone wearing but ties and shorts too tiny to pass a public school dress code. The gems can still wear their uniforms when they’re just hanging out at the school, that’s fine, but when they go on patrol, they suit up in fucking armor. The fact that they don’t wear their armor around the school could actually lead to some tense scenes where the Lunarians attack the school directly and the gems there are caught unprepared and underdressed.

Phos’s motive for not hibernating during the Winter Arc would be, again, to observe Antarcticite and the winter season for the encyclopedia. However, and this is big, by the time winter ends, Phos would come to blame Sensei for Antarcticite’s shattering. This is a change I suggested in a previous post. The exact scene I described back then is that Phos sees Sensei shatter Antarcticite himself, but I don’t think you need to go that far. Phos’s blaming of Sensei doesn’t even need to be justified; he could just be lashing out at Sensei out of misplaced grief. But something needs to happen during the Winter Arc, while everyone else is asleep, to make Phos suspicious of Sensei. Perhaps Phos actually sees the Lunarians surround Sensei and tug pleadingly at his clothes, like they did in the actual manga, and comes to realize that the Lunarians and Sensei are connected. Perhaps Sensei hesitates to strike back against the Lunarians, because he’s guilty about not being able to help them or whatever, and that hesitation leads to Antarcticite being shattered.

At any rate, by the time winter ends, Phos is the only witness to this suspicious side of Sensei, and he finds that nobody will believe him about what he saw because the others are all refusing to accept that Sensei is less than perfect. The only one who’s willing to listen to Phos at all is Cinnabar because Cinnabar is grateful to Phos for listening to him. Plus, since Cinnabar is already isolated from everyone else, he’s less willing to keep so strictly to the party line. While he still loves Sensei, he’s less complacent than the others. I suggest these changes to the Winter Arc and its fallout because I always thought the chain of events that led to Phos being suspicious of Sensei in the latter half of the anime was pretty week, plus Phos being able to turn to Cinnabar for support would make Cinnabar a more prominent part of the story instead of getting shunted aside like he is in the manga.

Speaking of the Lunarians, I would change basically everything about the Moon. The Moon is not a high tech, utopian society full of karaoke bars, ramen joints, labor unions, advanced laboratories, and all that other stuff, but a surreal, Lovecraftian landscape that looks as beautiful as an ink painting of the Pure Land but is actually nightmarish and hostile. The Lunarians are supposed to be the tormented souls of human sinners unable to pass on to the afterlife, and their world should reflect that. In my version, the Lunarians have been driven insane by their long perdition, and while they look like divine figures from a Buddhist scroll, their behavior is so weird and alien to the gems that they find it hard to believe that these creatures were ever human. They can’t even communicate with the gems because their minds have deteriorated to the point that they can’t even understand language. The only Lunarian who’s coherent and rational is Aechmea, and even he’s starting to lose his sanity after running the asylum by himself for so long. 

Aechmea himself would also need to be radically changed. Somewhere along the way, the manga kind of forgot that Aechmea was supposed to be the villain. They try for this reveal that Aechmea was actually benevolent all along, and it 100% doesn’t work because A. a lot of his wicked acts are just gratuitously cruel and don’t further his supposedly well-meaning goals at all and B. the Lunarians aren’t really suffering anyway. To fix Aechmea, his sympathetic qualities and his villainous qualities both need to be enhanced.

So, my version of Aechmea is a well-intentioned extremist who chose the path of the bodhisattva but doesn’t have the supernatural patience and wisdom necessary to handle it. His backstory would be the same, but because my version of the Moon is a hellscape where he’s the only sane person around, his desperation to get Sensei to pray to free both the other Lunarians and himself is way more understandable. At the same time, the story would condemn the cruel things he’s doing by pointing out that he’s got no right to make the other races suffer just to save his own people. Aechmea would be portrayed as a lost soul, pitiful, yet misguided. And, above all, the Lunarians’ salvation cannot come about because of Aechmea’s manipulations. The story needs to show that the path Aechmea is choosing to try and save them is the wrong one.

On a similar note, Aechmea can’t make Phos into a human. I’ve already made a separate post about this note, and the reception to it was pretty positive. If Phos becomes a human/enlightened/bodhisattva/whatever, it needs to be in spite of Aechmea, not because of him. Phos needs to become human through his growing experience and his own choices, not Aechmea’s. 

Instead, in my version of the story, Aechmea chooses Cairngorm as Sensei’s replacement. Aechmea chooses Cairngorm because Cairngorm has been sealed inside of Ghost Quartz for most of his life, and thus, has never had any real agency. Hell, maybe Ghost Quartz is shattered specifically so Aechmea can then swoop in and claim Cairngorm, all so he can groom him into becoming a new prayer machine. It’s a sad fact that abuse victims are often abused multiple times in their lives by different people, and oftentimes, their current abuser is someone who “rescued” them from a previous abuser. When Aechmea “frees” Cairngorm from Ghost Quartz’s influence, he portrays himself as a savior who will show Cairngorm what he’s “really meant to be.” Aechmea and Cairngorm’s relationship in the manga already comes across as super predatory and sus, so I think the story would be better if it actually acknowledged that Aechmea grooming Cairngorm is bad instead of portraying their wildly unequal marriage as the “happily ever after” that it does.

Phos, on the other hand, would become a foil to Cairngorm because their growth and change happens because of their own choices and not because of Aechmea’s (you know, like the opposite of how it is in the manga). Phos would also choose to replace his body parts, instead of his body parts being lost through circumstance or being swapped out for him by other people. Him losing his legs can still be an accident, but it has the effect of showing Phos that his inclusions are special because they can assimilate basically any other material while still leaving Phos’s consciousness in control. However, after he gets his agate legs, every other new body part has to be a deliberate acquisition. For example, when he finally decides that he has to fight, he intentionally seeks out the gold alloy to replace his arms, whereas in the manga and anime, his arms were taken away by the ice floes, and replacing them with gold alloy was Antarticite’s idea.

Finally, the ending. In the manga, Phos is essentially tricked into enduring 10,000 years of mind rape to become the new prayer machine. In my version, Phos chooses to undergo the 10,000 year transformation, knowing that it’ll be tortuous and awful, because he’s willing to make that sacrifice to bring the Lunarians peace and finally end the conflict. The gems don’t become Lunarians in this version. My version of Lunarian society isn’t idyllic the way it is in the manga, so the gems wouldn’t want to join them, plus my Lunarians don’t have that kind of technology anyway. The sacrifice in this case is that Phos praying will also cause the gems that have been shattered to pass on as well, meaning Phos will never see Antarcticite again, and all the other shattered gems will be dead for good. But Phos is okay with that because 1. They realize from their interactions with the Lunarians and Yellow Diamond’s declining mental state that immortality is a curse and 2. They’ll still be around, and they’ll still remember Antarcticite, which is specially poignant because Phos has lost so many of their memories by now. 

There’s also some tension because when Phos makes this choice, no one is sure that he’ll be able to handle the nightmarish transformation without going insane the way the Lunarians did, and there’s a chance he’ll emerge after the 10,000 years as some kind of monstrous eldritch abomination. And because he looks so weird and alien after the transformation is complete, the surviving gems aren’t sure if he’ll actually be able to pray the Lunarians away or if he’ll become a new threat.

But, ultimately, he shows that the transformation was a success, and he prays all of the Lunarians away. Yes, even Aechmea, because for all the evil he’s done, he also lived every day in pure agony, so there’s no point in punishing him any further.

The surviving gems would still be alive, as would the Admirabilis. (Yeah, the plot point about the living races descended from humanity also being wiped out in the prayer is really contrived and makes no sense, so I’m chucking it entirely.) Phos, however, would no longer live among the other gems because he’s become so enlightened that the other gems can’t relate to them anymore. So, Phos remains aloof. But the other gems know where he is. When a gem is finally ready to die, they seek out Phos, who will ensure that they pass on. Phos vows not to pass on himself until the last gem has been shattered. Phos, the little gem everyone called worthless, has become the benevolent bodhisattva that both Aechmea and Sensei failed to be. End.

[yanderes-galore]

Fandom: Bioshock

Character: Dr J.S. Steinman

Pairing: Romantic

Type of Fic: scenario/short story. Plot being, Darling is trying to escape the dying city of Rapture (unrelated to Jack's quest entirely) but gets caught by Steinman because Steinman sees darling as the pinnacle of beauty and tries to replicate their looks on other Splicers.

Sorry if this kinda sound specific I tried to make it as open as possible.

Oooo! Yeah! I can do a short for this >:)

Replication

Yandere! Dr J.S. Steinman Short

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Stalking, Violence, Unwanted plastic surgery, Unwanted picture taking, Death, Blood, Kidnapping, Forced relationship, Drugging.

It was never perfect! They were never perfect! Nothing he did could replicate the beauty he saw that one fateful day!

These Splicers are such an eyesore to him. Their looks never matched what he preferred. None of them were beautiful. Steinman has seen beauty.

He's fallen for beauty.

Steinman remembered seeing the pinnacle of beauty in this city. As though Aphrodite herself had blessed him, he caught sight of the most beautiful thing in his life. You... someone attempting to leave this dying city.

Ever since he saw you, a magnificent specimen, he's tried to replicate how he's felt ever since. Day after day Steinman takes in Splicers. They aren't the most willing subjects but he must do Aphrodite's work.

As if to fill an ever growing void in his chest, Steinman chased his desires. He makes surgery his art, he tries to make the ugly into something beautiful.

Every attempt to replicate his muse ends in failure.

The idea of this drives the perfectionist insane. In an exasperated noise of rage every Splicer ends the same. They die on his table due to the blood loss and he tosses them aside before trying anew.

Nothing could match your perfection and he was beginning to wonder if he'd ever get rid of the void in his chest.

Replicating your beauty did not placate him in the slightest. Every attempt was wrong. The image in his mind wasn't enough.

Steinman decided to borrow a camera from Cohen to solve his issue. Cohen is a man who understands art, which convinced him to allow Steinman to take such a tool. Steinman then decides he'll follow you.

Even when he feels he may never see you again, he manages to catch sight of you at times. Whenever you came into view he'd click the camera and hide out of sight.

With new inspiration he feels his work get better and better. The Splicers soon begin to resemble your beauty more and more. He's excited, chasing the high as he cuts into their flesh. Yet then he cuts too deep...

And the work is ruined.

Pictures do wonders for inspiration. However, he can't help but feel that the inspiration isn't the problem. Perhaps it is the canvas, the Splicers aren't enough.

How could they even compare to the original anyways?

With new motives, Steinman is back on the hunt. He traverses Rapture in search of his muse once again. This time, picture's won't do.

All he needs is a needle and some drugs.

It isn't hard to sneak up and wrangle you when he finds you again. You panic when he inserts the needle, the drugs seeping into your blood to slowly reduce your movement. By the time you fall victim to his anesthesia... you're being dragged back to his territory.

Steinman is a delighted man when he straps you to a chair. The room is still coated in the blood of his past attempts. Now... he won't have to worry about those eyesore Splicers.

Steinman has you, a gift from his Goddess.

There's no need to use pictures to replicate you... there's no need for replication at all!

He has the real thing right in front of him now.

[rachelsshowerthoughts]

So you know how some fics have like "Andre Sugar" in the tags to indicate he'll not be portrayed as the bastard he is in S1/3?

I came up with an alternative type of tag, "Character X Cinnamon" with it basically being:

If this character is so good you are giving them some sin to spice things up. But if they are too evil you are adding a little bit of 'sweetness' without forgetting what they are.

In this context, an Audrey cinnamon fic would be like... she stumbles on a conversation Chloe is having with Andre trying to get comfort & advice on impressing Audrey & the mix of how that interaction looks and what Andre says.

IE stuff that makes it quite clear he's done nothing to disabuse Chloe of the notion Audrey just needs to be impressed to love her when frankly Audrey just does not fucking 'want' to parent & made that clear many times over.

Well it leaves her a little... Off, it feels a little too familiar, and a little too scummy for her to just write it off as Andre's usual neediness and simpering explanations and excuses for anything that creating problems in his life.

Cue, this is just an idea it could go many way, pulling Sabine aside at the fashion show either day 1 or 2 and being like.

"Your family's mundane. Tell me, does Andre's relationship with Chloe seem normal to you?" "...." "That silence does not fill me with confidence, unless you misunderstood." "I understood you fine, I was just thinking. But no, it does come off a little unseemly." "Dammit all." "Why are you bringing this up so suddenly, did you just notice?" "Obviously, why else would I be bringing it up this moment, use your head." "I can see where Chloe got her charming personality from." "I didn't raise her, if she's like me its... Ugh, because Andre probably wanted her that way, or is that assuming things? I don't know when children start thinking for themselves." ".... You should speak to Madame Bustier, her teacher, she might be of more help." Audrey's head tipped back in a beleaguered groan.

Basically Audrey's still fucking awful but she has like a handful of barely coherent & even contradictory standards for what she deems acceptable. Andre being a raising his daughter to be Audrey's carbon copy but one that 'needs' him & encouraging her to appeal to a woman he knows will reject her happens to tick such a box.

So she's going to have to do something about it, but she A, has zero idea what she's doing, B, fucking HATES doing it and C, is still by and large otherwise the worst (tm)

Like such a story would not end in Audrey being all, "Oh I actually want to be a mother & make up for lost time."

But more like, "I made a stupid decision having a child when I didn't want one & have neither the heart nor capabilities to parent. But I will do the right thing here; I am gonna be real bitter about it though."

This spin on Audrey would sort of rely on taking her abuse as mostly just her being indifferent to Chloe in a "I did not want to be a parent" way and so she treats her like everyone else. IE like shit.

As opposed to her having any other kind of motive or reasons for said behavior or there being more to said abusive behavior than what was seen. Which is very easy to conclude by just watching and musing but isn't like, overtly canon.

I feel like I am making this come off as more lighthearted than intended, but that's more a reflection of Audrey's like... Vibe? Sort of like how everything's more somber and clinical from Gabriel's perspective even if its a crack comedy story.

Audrey's perpetually proud, unsatisfied and irritable with little desire to empathize or wallow in any negative emotions that aren't anger or satisfaction born or breaking something. She might be better-ish at the end of such a story but she'd not do a 180 like Andre's shown to do in such fics.

Part of what would be good for Chloe in it is getting that sense of why her mothers like that, that Audrey being shitty isn't on her, and eventually kind of untethering Audrey from "mom" to just, "A woman". So she can seek out connections with people who can and will actually give her what she needs in a paternal relationship.

So, first, sorry this one took me so long to respond to, I've been sick for a few days, and swinging between "coherent" and "what time is it? Sleep, I guess"!

I do like the idea, and think it’s fairly funny, but . . . I'll be honest, I tried to imagine Audrey doing this and just. My brain was like "Error 404, File not found". I COULD NOT imagine Audrey Bourgeois doing this, or being like this. Like, at all. It would not compute in my head. The only way I could think about this idea working was to try and apply it to a different character, then smack it Audrey's name on it.

(Which, again, I'm currently kind of sick, so it could be that - though my friend Mimi started cackling at the fact someone suggested Audrey being in anyway even REMOTELY decent and I basically bluescreened)

If I was doing this, I think I would have some definite character growth for Audrey. Like you say, she still doesn’t become a "good" person. She doesn’t miraculously want to be a mom, or realize that she really DOES love Chloé. But I'd have her grow a bit as a character, to at the very least, treat everyone a little less shitty. Like, she's still blunt, and kind of a bitch, but she becomes a less toxic person overall. She learns how to communicate with other people, figures out how to . . . . I was going to say, "stop insulting everyone", but maybe "be less insulting" is more believable. She isn’t ever going to be "mom" or even "mom-adjacent", but she learns to stop penalizing Chloé for not living up to her impossible standards. She figures out how to interact at least neutrally with Chloé, who, whether she likes it or not, she's responsible for.

Chloé, meanwhile, yeah, should learn to disconnect "Audrey Bourgeois" from the idea of "Mom", which, I'm not sure about how easy that would be. It's definitely going to suck. But, and I'm not sure about this, I feel like Audrey and Chloé should at least develop a rapport. A comfortable way to interact with each other. Cause, at least until Chloé is eighteen, Audrey is partially responsible for her. I'm not saying Audrey has to be loving mom, or that Chloé needs to be "mini-Audrey", but they do need a healthy way to communicate. I think the end result should be something like "distant aunt". Like, you're family, you'll help each other out if you need it, you'll send a wedding invite, and occasionally update each other, but you aren’t super close, and you don’t talk much.

Though, for any of this, I think Audrey would need to divorce André and take custody of Chloé. Like, she doesn’t particularly CARE about being married to André - it’s a status thing, security, and Audrey can deal with him. But Cholé can't (that's the point of all this) so Audrey would need to get Chloé away from him, make sure he doesn’t have any legal say in Chloé at all. And that would be a hell of a headache for all involved.

(Somehow, during this, Hawk Moth's identity comes out. Audrey is left to question how SHE is somehow being a better parent than Gabriel, because my god, the bar is SO LOW, it is literally an INCH off the ground, yet somehow he isn’t clearing it.)

though, afterward, I can see Audrey setting Chloé up with her own place in Paris, with either a paid live-in bodyguard, or regular check-ins or something. Hell, have her move in with Marinette or something, and Audrey sends an allowance. Like, I don’t see Chloé actually wanting to permanently leave Paris, Audrey doesn’t want to stay (she has work), so they figure out some arrangement that lets her stay in Paris.

[gothmiqote]

odds for the ship game -- for WoL/Estinien or your Azem ship!

gonna do wolstinien for this one & delegate the other one for hythazemet ~

under a cut because length lol & also ig heads up for spoilers of like. the whole plot kinda fhgjj idk things get mentioned that happen up to EW & also some not-safe content lmao

Is your muse a romantic? Do they dream of love and marriage?

Yes? Maybe? Kind of? Varha has this weirdly domestic side that she's actually pretty comfortable with (likely wouldn't appreciate having this pointed out, though), so there's potential for her to wander down this route of thoughts. Realistically though I think her attachment issues would end up freaking her out too badly to seriously consider anything legally permanent. That's not to say it's off the table in the future or anything, but it's a very distant notion & she's not going to come to the conclusion that she's also able to be the one who initiates.

(Another thing to factor in here is that neither of them are the type of people to would even be thinking of the 'let's sign this for tax purposes'-type scenarios. Varha is considerably better about money & related bureaucratic life things than Estinien 'lost his company credit card privileges in record time' Varlineau, but she still lacks any foresight around planning for her future beyond next week.)

She will react favourably to the type of romantic gestures he does do, though. Like he's not subjecting her to the objective torture of having someone go 'hey I wrote this song about you :)' before they publicly serenade you acapella style, thank the fucking Twelve for that, there's not a version of her that has a strong enough poker face to take it. She melts when he remembers small likes/dislikes or takes note of something she never even bothered to verbalize in the first place. She's not a shy person, she can flick the switch into an affectionate mood pretty damn quick with the right incentive, she's just maybe not the most in-touch with her emotions all the time & sometimes needs to be coaxed.

At the end of the day, she's pretty sure that Estinien is her person. When she says she feels content with him, it's the farthest thing from 'settling' despite the connotations of the phrase. She's perfected the art of putting up a more secure & confident front, but in truth, she's gone through the bulk of her life feeling transient in her own and temporary in the lives of people around her. As the Warrior of Light, she's not only good enough--she's capable of exceeding external expectations. As herself? Not as much. She hasn't quite outgrown the deep feeling of never being anyone's favourite, of constantly being the tag along with her siblings growing up. She tries too hard to be something loud & useful & fundamentally unforgettable, and it's a knife to her side every time she falls back into acting with that desire in mind.

Estinien has been one of an exceptionally small number of people who have never added to the feeling, intentionally or not. She's not sure if it's right to be attracted to someone for the way they make you feel, if it's something that feels that selfish (in her mind). But he's obstinate enough that she knows he wouldn't have bothered to even take the chance with her if he didn't want to be there. She thinks, oddly, that part of the reason she's able to believe his motivations is the fact that he spent so long with a deliberate distance between them. It left her with less time to perform, and less time to ruminate on her hidden self-worth problems. Whatever the reason, she knows that she's never felt this way with anyone else, and no one else has cared enough to even give her that time to explore that internally. The wariness she held towards herself was more or less melted away when she was faced with how good she actually felt for once. There's a reason she didn't mind when the verbalized declarations of love started slipping out after a few months.

Is your muse good at kissing? Are they experienced?

Very good kisser.

Most people tend to assume Varha's far more experienced than she actually is for this reason--in reality, she's had a relatively small number of sexual partners, she just thinks kissing is fun & generally won't take much convincing for making out. She's particularly prone to this after a couple drinks, and sharing is caring when she's not in a serious relationship. It's hot and intimate without the full commitment of getting naked with someone & cleaning off afterwards, and it helps that she's bringing a public + outdoor sex kink to the table--even if things don't escalate to that point, the need for privacy is pretty small.

The side of her brain that makes her give in to her more mischievous bastard impulses makes kissing her #1 type of foreplay. She's able to keep herself at a pretty consistent level of arousal for a prolonged period of time while watching her partner completely come undone when she slides her tongue into their mouth in all the right ways. This is a dangerous game to play with Estinien, who is well fucking aware she's being an insufferable tease & will happily delay her own gratification at his expense. Unless he decides to haul her off to escalate things properly, she's about to spend her immediate future doing everything she possibly can to wind him up with her lips & indulgently wandering hands.

Thancred is the only other Scion to have been on the receiving end of one of her infamously white-hot kisses. It was a one-time thing, fuelled by an unholy amount of wine but was nonetheless an enjoyable encounter. (She thinks she may or may not have also done the same with Y'shtola, but that one's a far foggier memory, and she's not 100% sure it actually happened. Y'shtola doesn't help in solving the mystery, but Varha suspects this is more about Y'shtola possessing the same bastard instincts she has, and she also doesn't remember much of anything.)

Overall, she's pretty lax as long as she clicks well with someone & they're willing.

Is your muse comfortable with public displays of affection? 

To a point.

She likes touching a lot. Before now, she actually spent a fair bit of time alone. Post-Calamity, pre-Scion Varha spent her time as a travelling mercenary of sorts, taking on a string of what was essentially risky contract work and never establishing roots anywhere. She's competent when it comes to working a room, which often gives the illusion that she has more friends than she actually does. In reality, she really didn't have anyone, and predictably this led to (unconscious) touch starvation. If she's got the green light from someone she considers a friend, she's content to lean against them or sit close. One might count the physical contact from fighting as some sort of mitigation here (and as far as I remember, it actually can release some of the same chemicals in your brain as positive touch so this probably isn't too far off), but even if that was the case, it wasn't anywhere near enough. While she occasionally did engage in casual sex, the potential emotional intimacy it could lead to (or even a facsimile of the feelings) made her too uncomfortable to take care of her lack of physicality that way, which unfortunately compounded her predicament.

After spending so much time living this way, it's something she unconsciously seeks now that she's got access to it. And while his own personal history doesn't exactly match her own, there are enough similarities in the isolation to put them on fairly even ground.

Varha's caveat for pda is that it has to feel natural. She's extremely averse to anything that reads as 'fake' or trying too hard to win her attention. Something can be very obviously demonstrative, but it can't feel forced, whether the act is platonic or romantic. For most of ARR, she was actually seen as someone who could be pretty distant & cool (not an incorrect read. The walls were very, very real at the time.), and it's unfortunate that it took something drastic like the Waking Sands massacre for them to start coming down ("Wait, these people actively like me? And were concerned?"-style revelations). Over time though, it became apparent that she was actually open to hugs and kind touches, she simply wasn't a) aware that this was a something available to her and b) aware that she wanted or even needed them. She's still pretty quick to fire off a witty remark before baring her heart to anyone (talking honestly is... another beast entirely, but she readily accepts hugs & finds herself willingly sharing too-small seating areas just for the novelty of body contact.

Romantic contact operates pretty similarly. Not that she'd subject herself to seeing someone who felt the need to do a whole song & dance about how in love with her they were, she's still damn glad that's not Estinien's style in the slightest. She likes easy things--holding hands, or leaning against him if they're standing (or he's sitting; that height difference forces creativity on occasion). Hell, she's even more than happy to make herself at home on his lap in casual settings without caring who might be around. They're both incredibly blasé about this sort of thing; any attempts at friendly teasing from the Scions when they became an official 'item' fell comically flat. You definitely won't be hearing any sappy confessions of affection, but it's so obvious that they automatically gravitate toward each other regardless of most social situations.

For his part, Estinien usually likes to have his hand at least resting on her in come capacity. He's got a few draconic quirks leftover from Nidhogg, and this can manifest in some slightly possessive tendencies. Honestly, she likes it. It's nowhere near a level where it would impede her freedoms, but enough to make her feel like he's actually proud of outwardly signalling how he feels about her. She loves how casually he does it; of course she can expect him to automatically draw an arm around her shoulders if she joins him on a seat, why would he think twice about drawing attention to the fact that they're together?

It's not that he needs to be on her at all times or anything, he just... deeply prefers it, that's all. It helps that she's pretty tactile. He's been known to just sort of appear at her side at social gatherings, especially if there's any sort of crowd around her. He's not really trying to be menacing about it, and if she was irritated by it, he is capable of loosening up & finding something else to do (it doesn't happen often, but there have been times when she's needed some breathing room for whatever reason). He definitely doesn't consider himself the clingy type, and if he occasionally orchestrates it so that the Scions somehow end up short a sofa cushion & she simply has to get comfortable in his lap for a casual evening gathering with friends, no one says a word.

He's also got a habit of making small adjustments to her person if she's close enough--fixing a slightly off-center necklace, moving a piece of loose hair, that sort of thing & it's almost always done without him really realizing. This one comes with more exclusivity; she doesn't typically tolerate fussing from anyone else. She'd find it annoying if it were someone else's hand, but when he does it, it has a borderline meditative quality. Once again, pointing this out will lead to an interaction that features both of them shrugging & looking at you like you've grown a second head. They're comfortable with each other and know where the boundaries are, no, they're not concerned about holding up any type of reputation, what an odd thing to say.

They've got no problem kissing in public either, but she finds that as her name & face start becoming more recognizable, people start to get more annoying about her personal life. Plus, while she loves outdoor sex & the risk of being caught, it sort of loses the excitement when the risk factor essentially morphs into a guarantee.

This falls apart when you get liquor involved. They know how to pace themselves, but they also both like to indulge, especially among friends. After a certain amount of wine, it's not uncommon to see his arm tighten around her waist as he starts to press his face into the crook of her neck, leaving kisses that steadily amp up in intensity while she tries to carry on a conversation. Sometimes she'll play the same game, but it's more likely that she simply gets more touchy, draping herself on him in increasingly suggestive ways until one of them finally decides it's time to bid everyone a good night.

Is your muse the big spoon or the little spoon?

Small spoon, which has more to do with how ridiculous she would feel in the opposite role.

Estinien is nearly two feet taller than Varha, despite the fact that she's actually considered relatively tall herself for a Miqo'te woman & usually wears some sort of heel, even if she's dressing for combat. She's tried to be the big spoon before, and it lasted maybe a solid ten minutes before she had to re-adjust. Also, twelve forbid he rolls on her arm in the middle of the night; waking up with pins & needles would be an understatement. He's not bulky, but he's still significantly larger (& by extension, heavier) than she is. So she typically ends up the little spoon--she's an excellent size for holding. He's pretty partial to using her thighs as a pillow during the occasional afternoon nap, dozing off while she runs her fingers through his hair.

In bed, they usually prefer some variation of him on his back and she just sort of figures herself out around him, or facing each other. She likes being able to tuck into his chest, facing away from the world with their arms around each other & legs tangled up under the sheets. He's a cuddler (no surprise there), and definitely sleeps significantly better when they share a bed.

On the other hand, she finds that the quality of her sleep dropped pretty drastically during SHB. Partly because of the cold empty bed, yes (they might not have actually openly laid out what they were to each other before her trip to the First, but they'd spent the night together "by accident" enough times before that to start developing habits), but because of the events she was experiencing. She was always prone to having some vivid dreams, and they got dialled up to eleven after, morphing into something legitimately terrifying. She's at least moderately grateful that she doesn't wake up screaming, but she does jolt awake pretty violently & getting back to sleep after can be a task. It's made significantly easier if she's got a warm, solid body to curl back into & someone who wakes up to make sure she's alright.

Is your muse attracted to any features in particular?

They're both on Team Ass in the ongoing ass vs. tits debate. Varha is pretty shameless about it too. Zero effort to hide any appreciation for the way his thighs flex in his leathers. She's less inclined towards giving verbal compliments, but her thoughts read pretty clearly on her face. Estinien has more decorum by a margin, and by that I mean he doesn't really do the frequent appreciative staring she does (though, there is a certain look he gets in his eye that signals a long night is on the horizon for her), but he will dole out some lightning-quick "compliments" in her ear, sometimes paired with a sneaky ass-grab.

Outside of that, he (of course) loves the entire expanse of her body, but he's consistently drawn to the general area of her neck/collarbones/breasts, the latter becoming more of a focal point after an impulsive decision to get both nipples pierced sometime after EW. It was a more than welcome surprise after being apart for a few months. She's got a (predictable but understandable) weakness for his hands. Skilled, strong instruments calloused & scarred from years of using a lance, she's memorized every crease & scar. Speaking of scars, it's probably another obvious choice, but she can't help wanting to run her fingers, lips & tongue over his. Estinien's collection is more impressive than hers, sporting reminders of Nidhogg on each arm, and they've become natural resting places in her explorations of him.

Have their partners been mostly male, mostly female, or evenly split? 

Varha can count her partners on both hands with fingers to spare at the end of her list. She's not unfamiliar with women, but her past encounters tend to skew male. It's less to do with any real preference and more just a reflection on who was willing & who had her attention at the time. Estinien's history is likely an inverse slant with a similar ratio.

Where is your muse most sensitive? 

Feel like most Miqo'te can probably count the base of the tail as an erogenous zone. She's not super complicated beyond that, though. Biting down on her trapezius will net a pretty intense reaction, but you can probably evoke something similar just by leaving the same type of marks elsewhere on her neck.

Would your muse ever tempt their partner, e.g. flirting, wearing tight/sexy clothing?

Yes, yes & yes. She typically likes to wear things that are short & show plenty of leg even if she's not trying to be a menace. Upping the ante & hiking up her skirt a bit more isn't a problem. She knows her body well, and knows that she's objectively attractive. She's aware of all the best angles for her backside (but likes to pretend she isn't posing whatsoever). She's surprisingly pretty good about not "borrowing" clothes that don't belong to her, but loves how she looks in lingerie & one of his button-ups. But nothing really beats the pure simplicity of entering a room fresh out of the bath & dropping her towel in his line of sight. She's comfortable being nude, so the nonchalance of the act is honestly more what gets him than anything else.

Flirting, in Varha's opinion, is probably one of the most entertaining pastimes known to civilization. She's quick with double-entendres & some pretty loaded implications. She's also fond of suggestive touches or 'conveniently' brushing up against him. Basically, if she sees an opening to make it known that she's angling for something, she'll take it.

Does your muse leave hickies? Do they ask for them?

She loves to be bitten. Which is fantastic, given that he very much likes to bite. It's never really been something she's asked for with words, and the first time he suck his teeth into the side of her neck was a chance taken without asking, but there was no question that it was something that really did it for her. It's also a good thing she enjoys seeing the bruising afterwards too; Estinien isn't particularly gentle about it (surprisingly this actually doesn't have anything to do with the Dragon-like qualities he still possesses--he's just always been that way).

She can definitely get a bit bitey herself, but it's not as much of a need for her like it is for him. She's more likely to leave nail marks behind instead of hickies, though this may be at least partially a product of their positioning from the size difference.

There's definitely a part of her that likes it when you can see the marks on her neck past her shirt collar. Her favourites are always in a spot where they just peek out enough to be spotted, but she's not going to complain if they're higher or lower. She also loves it when he marks up her hips and thighs in similar ways, although those usually stay entirely hidden from public view. It's more or less a given that she's going to have some visual evidence of him on her body any time they hook up.

Has your muse reached first/second/third base? Home run? 

Well. Based on the rest of the questions. Yes.

Would your muse ever send a sexual text message? Would they send pictures?

(I have no idea if this is even possible in-universe but let's pretend it is for the sake of speculation.)

Probably. Maybe nothing in writing--she would do a passable job if she tried, but it's not really her thing. Pictures, though? I can definitely see her taking the time to set up the timer on the phone & have a mini-boudoir shoot with herself for this exact reason. Like I said, she's aware of what she looks like and knows what parts of her body he enjoys. & everyone knows a picture is worth 1000 words. To be honest, it would probably get the message across faster than any written words. I do feel like this would definitely be a 'use with caution' move, though; it's not so much a tease as it would be considered an immediate invitation.

Is your muse the type to discuss their sex life or sexual prowess with others?

If it came up, she has no problems participating in a conversation. She's also comfortable answering select questions, but there's a limit. Varha won't be sitting there offering up intense details of her latest sexual encounter without notice. She's fine if people know she has sex & know who she's with, but doesn't really want to get into it past that. Basically yes, but also, it's literally no one's business.

How interested is your muse in sex and sexual activity?

Part of the reason she was fine with not having a ton of casual sex over the years comes from being content with just getting herself off between encounters. She's got maybe a slightly above-average sex drive, but that can be taken care of solo. She's responsive, though. Estinien has a significantly higher sex drive, & it doesn't take much for her to match that

asks.

[postalninja]

Fic Author Q&A

Tagged by @cicaklah - thanks babe! (sorry if my answers end up vague or unsatisfying, it's past midnight and i would be in bed if there wasn't a music festival currently happening outside my window - I"m not exactly at my best lol)

1. Why do you write fanfic?

It started from the desire to make fictional characters kiss, which is still a large part of why I do it, so let's go with that.

2. Which of your posted stories do you think about the most, even though the story is “finished”?

I don't really know - I tend to think about a lot of my stories pretty often after they're finished, I'm not sure that there is a specific one I fixate on. They all get a bit of time in my brain, and i tend to go and re-read stuff too.

3. If you could give yourself fic advice from when you first started writing fic, what would that advice be?

S l o w d o w n. Don't be afraid of big word counts, it'll take as many words as it takes, and rushing toward the finish line will just make the pacing suffer. Make room for the moments in between, let the story breathe.

4. What’s your relationship to fic stats?

Lately I've found that not looking at them in too much detail is better. Over the summer I found myself looking at my stats for validation, and of course, not finding it there. But the problem is in my head, not on the stats page. So they are just numbers that are there, and if I need to check something specific, then that's a useful thing to have.

5. Is there a pairing or scenario or friendship you miss writing? If so, why? If not, why not?

I've really fallen off of writing for Hitman over the past couple of years, with only one short ficlet as a recent offering. It's one of the fandoms were my muse has been fleeting, but the fandom is so wonderful that I miss being a more active participant in it.

6. What motivates you to write?

Lately I have a pretty hard time writing without having clear inspiration, so that's the most surefire motivation is just being struck by an idea that grabs me and won't let go until I get it down on the page. But that sort of inspiration is hard to come by, so I haven't been writing very much in its absence.

7. Why do you write for the fandom(s) that you write for?

In most cases it's because I have a ship I'm obsessed with, and if not that than just general love for the game (it's almost always a game, let's not kid ourselves) and the characters. It's hard for me to write for a fandom unless I'm at least a little bit unhealthily obsessed with it.

8. If you’re stuck writing a WIP, what do you do?

Normally I will take a break, and some of those breaks have turned out longer than others... I have a few unfinished wips that are an albatross around my neck, and I'm not sure how to go about finishing them.

9. What do you wish people knew about comments?

They are all an author wants! We want to hear about what you liked and why, and given the chance we would talk your ear off about our fics, so don't ever feel like you're bothering an author by commenting something nice on their fic, we are looking for that engagement and validation.

10. Maybe there’s a question you wish had been on here. What’s that question (and answer)?

What's something you've been excited about/feeling good about recently with your writing? One thing I will mention is that a few days ago I went back and read a bunch of free writing exercises I did for a class last semester that i hadn't looked at since - I had completely forgotten about most of them, but when I read them again the majority of them were so good! It kind of bolstered my confidence that I had that kind of quality output from 10-minute warmups where I wasn't thinking too hard. Like, even though I haven't written much lately, I still know how to write!!

Not tagging anyone specific, just whoever want to do it because I am too tired to think and decide :)

[sangoqueenkoko]

beautiful day to you, i come here with a writing request if you so wish to take on it :] i was thinking about kaeya training a recent-vision-user reader to be part of the knights of favonius but they have an inexplicable rivalry, cue annoying kaeya making smug remarks about being reader's boss despite the fact that reader could probably beat him up with enough training. ( also if you're okay writing gendered readers, i think male reader could be very neat ^_^ ) ty !

Ouuuuuu great idea, and good evening/morning/day/afternoon to you! And I have no problem with gendered readers :D

Hope you like it, I’m a little rusty after motivation block.

:)

KAEYA

oh, ho, this should be interesting

Fluff, or something like that

MAIN MASTERLIST | CRYO MASTERLIST

.

Summary: So you recently got a vision! Hooray! But... Kaeya, the reader's boss, teaches you how to use the newly founded power for your Knights of Favonius training. Snarky remarks ensue.

Warnings? Male reader! (L/N) - Last Name. He may be OOC, but I don't use him enough to know what he's like. apologise.

[here is the information I used about vision personalities!]

Contains a mention of Jean, and Kaeya of course!

I AM SO SO SO SO SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT. mental slump and no motivation 🙃 And it is shorter than I had originally planned for it to be. again.

SO SORRY.

You got your vision! Yippee!

And the gods have granted you a vision of Pyro!

Fire personalities are the most passionate people you could find, they do every single thing with huge amounts of willpower, energy, and love, amongst other things. They are very optimistic and will usually see the good side of things. Pyro vision holders are most extroverted, but they dislike being alone. They are very VERY easy to read as well, in contrast to Cryo for instance. Opposites attract.

Such as Kaeya, whom since you gaining your vision, promised to teach you how to use it. But him being your boss.. he sort of has to help.

They share being hard to read, with electro and hydro. Why? Because many of them are pretty much immune to emotions, being unaffected by them, or totally ignorant of what they are, and so on.

Ahem!

“Okay, so you finally got your vision. Hope it’s what you wanted” Kaeya smirked as you both walked out of the city gates to start training. Because neither of you would want to damage anything in the city. You’ll have to withstand Jean’s wrath.

“Pyro, right? It matches that fiery attitude of yours”

“Uh-huh sure” you mused, “at least I can melt your hatred with my desires. I can’t believe Jean made you train me.”

He walked in front of you, and stood still, stopping you from walking. You looked up at him. There was a notable height difference between you both. He lifted your chin up with his index finger, a cocky smirk on his face, “now listen here, Mister (L/N), we’re out here to train, not give each other snide remarks, got it?”

You only hummed in reaponse, “got it?” He repeated.

“Yeah, I gue-” he cut you off with a clearing of the throat, you knew what that meant, “yes, Captain Kaeya.”

Kaeya chose your training for today to be in Starfell Valley, seeing as it has different types of terrains to work on, and you wanted to show him what you can really do, without his speculation clouding reality. You have a vision of Pyro after all, you like to be active in fights and show people what you can really do.

Time to shine.

Your first experience with fighting with Kaeya felt like a warm-up, but to you, it also felt... childish. No adrenaline pumping, no nearly losing breath while running after the target, and no obstacle avoidance. Just.. some light touches. And this went on for a little while, which you didn't like.

"Ugh!" you sighed, "This is so haphazard! Please Kaeya, can we do something that's more entertaining? Like, I don't know, actual training?" You hated standing still, not being able to burn some energy. You always noticed when you're around Kaeya that he likes to be slow and take his time, and you assumed that he did this just to annoy you. And it did annoy you.

"Oh-ho" Kaeya mused with a light chuckle as he strode to your side, it was like he teleported to your side, you didn't realise straight away that he was so close to you because you may or may not have been mindlessly gazing at him, "dearest (Y/N), does one not realise that good things come to those that wait? Trust me when I say I know what I am doing, and you will get there eventually."

You grumbled to yourself before saying confidently, "I bet with enough training, I could easily beat you up. Maybe even to a pulp!"

He lightly scoffed at the thought, "Oh-ho, this should be interesting. Dearest (Y/N), I would love to see you try."

Let's just say you did manage to get to the point where you could easily fight him and beat him a few times, and when Jean came to review how the training was going, she picked up on the sly remarks between the both of you. Even a certain type of tension.

And that also went on for such a while longer.

...

Jean eventually had to split you both up for a while so you could calm down and cool off.

[redwineconversation]

Vanessa Gilles Le Progrès Article (May 14, 2024)

Lyon's favorite chaotic wine aunt muses on the upcoming games and, for once, doesn't out details about a player's private life. Some would call that progress.

Blah blah standard disclaimers apply; @OL Comms Dept pls chip in for Starbucks or my AC bill I am begging you; maybe if some of you put in as much focus into getting a job as you do stalking players you might be able to break said parasocial relationship; banning stans from stadiums would solve a lot of problems real quick; y'all know the speech by now.

VANESSA GILLES LE PROGRES ARTICLE

Vanessa Gilles before Olympique Lyonnais Féminin - PSG: "Give everything we have and recover"

It's no longer games but finals that Lyon is playing one after the other. For Vanessa Gilles, it would be a mistake to focus on the UWCL Final on May 25 before playing the play-off league final on Friday.

Getting past [Stade de] Reims in such a manner was important, even a relief with these playoffs which put everything back in play?

It's good to score lots of goals and especially, as a defender, to not concede any. It gives us a lot of confidence going forward, be it against Paris [Saint-Germain] and later. But it wasn't just a relief. We are conscious of everything we have done this season in terms of performance and regularity. And if we managed to recreate that, we knew we had the best chances against Reims, and now we are capable of winning against PSG.

The risk of another mishap such as the loss against Fleury in the Coupe de France doesn't linger in your heads?

We talk a lot about that game against Fleury but we didn't have an easy season with time zones and scheduling. That game was a Friday night, Lindsey and I had just come back from the Gold Cup and a long trip, we had injured players. It's difficult when you can't put up the team that you want. It wasn't catastrophic [debatable...] but we knew how to learn from that experience for the future because you know that that kind of game, with a draw and the lottery of penalties, can happen. We don't want that scenario against PSG.

It will be the sixth match-up of the season against PSG. Aren't you fed up?

It's a bit hard playing them again and again, but you have to deal with it. It's like if I compared the game to a derby. Other than having won the Trophee [des Championnes], which was really motivating, it's always a question of pride against PSG, with a desire to give everything for the club, the fans, the staff.

Since you know each other by heart, is it complicated to surprise each other?

Obviously, we know each other really well tactically. But the beauty of football is there can be surprises and we can always expect something different. It's never the same game against Paris [Saint-Germain]. With these playoffs, everything starts from scratch. We have to tell ourselves that it's the first time of the season that we are playing them.

Paris [Saint-Germain] doesn't have anything left to play whereas they're in the final of the UWCL for Lyon. Does that context change anything?

It would be a mistake for us to focus on the Champions League. Before [Stade de] Reims, the idea was to take one game at a time without thinking of the next one. Reims helped prepare us for Paris. Paris can now help us prepare for Barcelona.

In the 5 match-ups this season, there are 4 wins for Lyon and a draw. Does that matter?

It gives us a sort of psychological advantage. Even more so because we are playing at home at Groupama [Stadium], with I hope an identical amount of fans who have us the energy to overturn the situation in the UWCL semi-final [note: not going to happen, last numbers had attendance circa 13,000. More on that later]. The energy they gave us was enormous and that also plays a part on the mental aspect because you have almost 40,000 people who are pushing you until the last minute.

Was that game a turning point in the season?

I don't think so. We have shown solidarity throughout the whole season, like at Brann, in Norway, where we played 10 against 11 on artificial turf with particular weather conditions. We were also behind in the league against Reims, Fleury or PSG. Lyon's strengths are solidarity and mentality. We are really a team who love each other, who like being together. Despite such a long and difficult season, there is never any drama, no fighting. [emphasis added] No matter who is on the field, there is always that continuity and same mentality. That's why this club wins trophy after trophy. Because you can't think it is going to be easy. But to have now lived it, the mentality and team spirit really make a difference, even if of course there is a lot of quality with the players.

In hindsight, how did Lyon not fall apart in that semifinal against Paris [Saint-Germain]?

The substitutes, like Amel Majri and Danielle van de Donk, helped the team and brought energy which did a lot of good. That game proved once more that we aren't an 11-player team and that everyone is involved. And the support from the public, like I said. Lyon is a team that never gives up and fights until the end. Even in the league, when we're winning 5-0, we always want more and want to score more.

Paris [Saint-Germain] struggled in the semifinals of the playoffs whereas Lyon was almost flamboyant. Does that reflect the Lyon dynamic?

When you play a competition, and the playoffs are one, it's always difficult to draw conclusions from the previous game. From the moment the game starts it's 0-0. You have to approach it with a lot of concentration and be in competition mode, which means 90 minutes without extra time, and therefore without the hope of being able to make up in case there is there is a draw at the end of regular time. Anything can happen in that type of formula.

Tabitha Chawinga has caused you a lot of problems. Do you have to stop her to stop Paris [Saint-Germain]?

She has done a fantastic season and her stats prove that. She has been consistent and impressive for her first season in France. Now, there isn't just Chawinga. PSG has a lot of talent with Baltimore, Geyoro, Katoto, Karchaoui... But we have players who can cause problems as well and there is no doubt it will be a very close game. We will need to concentrate on what we did well, especially the return game against PSG.

Is she the forward who has personally caused you the most difficulty?

It's difficult to go that far because I have played with a lot of teams and the context isn't always the same. With Lyon, we play with a pretty high block, so there is a lot of space behind and that's Chawinga's strength. When she can accelerate ... she accelerates! But I've always played against Ada Hegerberg, Kadidiatou Diani, Sam Kerr, or even Sophia Smith with the National Team, and those aren't walks in the park either! As a defender, those are the duels you want to be up against and which motivate you. Those are the types of games where you can measure yourself against. It brings different types of emotions to play against the best, with different styles. Because Katoto is also amongst the best players in the world and her too, we will need to stop.

Would you have preferred to quietly prepare for Barcelona rather than play another final 8 days beforehand?

That's a good question but since I have never experienced a UWCL final, it's difficult to answer. Now, those have experienced UWCL finals haven't experienced playoffs either... Ill said it again: it would be a mistake to focus on May 25. This final against Paris {Saint-Germain], we have to give it our all, leave it all out there, and then recover and focus on a different final. For the moment, we aren't even thinking about Barcelona.

At Lyon, like a fish takes to the water Having arrived in September 2022 with a 9-month contract following the injury to Griedge MBock, Vanessa Gilles is now linked to Lyon through June 2025 after having extended twice: "I've always said it. Lyon is a club where you are integrated easily and where you feel at home. The former president, the directors, the players, the staff members who have come in have built a culture that I haven't experienced anywhere else: we feel respected, valued, which gives you an enormous amount of confidence. Everyone feels very involved, even when you are on the bench. That explains why the players who come rarely want to leave."

[bananonbinary]

regarding 'dehumanizing' etc, i think the confusion is coming from thinking about tasks/abilities/actions on the part of the person being dehumanized (i.e. your example about watching children.) when people talk about being dehumanized, they're talking about being denied things like autonomy and compassion and dignity. things most of us would call essential human rights. so a slave isn't 'treated like an animal' in the sense that they're necessarily given the same tasks as livestock, but that they can't decide when to eat or sleep or have children. somebody else is making those decisions and then forcing them to comply.

similarly, objectification isn't about literally treating someone like an inanimate object. rather it refers to a relationship between a 'subject' and an 'object', or an active party and a passive party. if you studied subject/object grammar rules in school, that's more along the lines of what people are referring to. it's a complicated topic, but the short version is that objectifying someone is denying their 'subjectivity', or their inner desires, motivations, etc. treating them as if they're fundamentally 'acted upon' vs 'acting'. we see it a lot in discussions of sex in media because historically (white) women were expected to take a passive role in sex, and this is reflected in movies etc when the love interest is a passive 'object' to be acted upon and denied her own desires & autonomy. in slavery, the slave is objectified in the sense that their own desires and motivations are given little to no consideration, and they're treated on the assumption that they have none - or that those desires are somehow 'lesser' than the master's desire for free labor.

as for how this all relates to peta, is somewhat outside of my wheelhouse. that said, i hope this ask clarified a bit.

okay i'll accept the objectifying clarification here, i hadn't considered subject/object. that's a very good point.

but as for the first bit, i KNOW that's what people mean when they say it. i'm saying that i don't like that these are the words used to refer to that concept. which might be the autism (lack of clarity makes my brain feel bad), but i suspect it's not just that, because there are two routes of people (perhaps intentionally) misusing these ideas that inspired these musings:

fiction, especially sci-fi, which tends to portray "like an animal" treatment of non-human races as an allegory for real world racism. this often has the problem of passivity that i brought up in the original post, where the slaveholder seems to genuinely believe their slaves are animals, as if this is all just a big misunderstanding. (specifically i was thinking about how the unas are treated in stargate sg1, but its hardly a problem unique to them).

the aforementioned PETA issue. PETA very frequently compares real world animal abuse (and also...not real world abuse that they made up) to slavery with very disturbing graphics and slogans, and occasionally actual court cases. this is...extremely offensive for i think obvious reasons, but that's sort of the point of the original post, trying to reason out why these comparisons don't actually fit at all.