#I’m noting that for the Converted tower post
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largemandrill · 7 months ago
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Turns out that the Troll knight outside the fringe converted tower does NOT in fact respawn. Good thing i got a good pic of the guy
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thelordofgifs · 7 months ago
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Friday Fic Recs: Long WIP edition
I’ve been thinking a little bit about the (very arduous) process of writing longfic, and how much of a difference support and cheerleading can make on that particular journey; so, although it’s been a while since I’ve made a Friday rec list, I thought I’d put one together celebrating all the incredible in-progress longfics in the Tolkien fandom I’m keeping up with at the moment!
Atandil series by @eilinelsghost. Such a gorgeous graceful moving exploration of Finrod and his relationship with Men, and the slowest and most sensual of slow burns in his romance with Bëor. The amount this series has made me THINK – about love, and hope, and memory, and Taliska grammar – is off the charts, and to top it off it’s written in the loveliest most Tolkienesque prose.
we will make this place our home by @leucisticpuffin. Ohh this AU is just like a warm gentle hug after a long day. The “kidnap fam but make it a classic children’s novel” concept is so so inspired, all the characterisations are so nuanced and moving (Maglor my beloved!!) and the OCs will steal your heart.
And Love Grew by @polutrope. On the other end of the kidnap fam spectrum, this complex and careful examination of the time after the Third Kinslaying is SO brilliant. Incredible characterisations of all the key players, some truly fascinating OCs (Dornil!!) and of course beautiful graceful prose.
tongues of the sky series by @welcomingdisaster. The first fic in this series, seabird, was written for me and I can be SO obnoxious about this :) but also it’s a wonderful moving ultimately hopeful fix-it AU with note-perfect russingon and m&m dynamics. The sequel, sparrowhawk, is currently in progress and soooo good.
ashes, ashes, dust to dust — the devil’s after both of us by @that-angry-noldo. This is SUCH an original and fascinating take on an AU where Maedhros and Maglor take Finarfin captive to bargain for the Silmarils, featuring incredible character dynamics and a terrifyingly eldritch Eönwë.
and all his towers cast down by @actual-bill-potts. What if Finrod survived the events of the Leithian? Well, angst and trauma, to start off with. And also beautiful beautiful writing, impeccable characterisation and a Maglor-Lúthien teamup!! I adore this AU.
All That Glitters Gold Rush AU series by @allthatglittersisnotgoldrush. This one is LONG LONG LONG, but also SO worth it. Ever wanted to see the entire Silmarillion retold as a western, complete with a terribly tragic and complicated Maedhros, Morgoth the terrifying slave-owner, and a beautifully multicultural Doriath? The authors have you covered.
And the Stars Shine the Same series by @runawaymun. OC-centric fic is such a rare delight and this series set in early Third Age Rivendell is just wonderful, tender and complicated and with a truly incredible Elrond.
Retelling the Hobbit comic by @retellingthehobbit. Something a little different, but I binged all of this comic retelling of The Hobbit on a plane recently and GOD it’s so so beautiful. A truly gorgeous art style, and slowly converting me from a Bilbo/Thorin sceptic into an enjoyer!
In Heart by @tanoraqui. An AU where Fëanor takes the Doom of the Noldor as a what-not-to-do manual and ends up making better choices! Featuring incredible worldbuilding and fantastic characterisation.
Please add on the longfics you love in the reblogs! Let’s get some love going for these difficult beasts!
(Couple of incest recs under the cut.)
naught green upon the oak series by @welcomingdisaster. A CoH-inspired Maedhros/Maglor AU in which Maglor winds up with amnesia after his encounter with Glaurung. I’m SO insane about this series that I can’t be coherent but it is fantastic and chilling and devastating with the most beautiful prose aahhh.
Strange Currencies by @jouissants. Maedhros is re-embodied at last only to learn that he is married to Maglor: a touching and painful post-canon fic interleaved with incredible flashbacks to the First Age.
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statustemporary · 1 month ago
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free fallin' - Chapter 2
STORY SUMMARY: On a dark and stormy Halloween night 27 years ago, five people stepped onto an elevator. They never stepped off.
Now 28, Emma Swan and her son Henry work together to discover what caused her parents and the other inhabitants to suddenly disappear.
//rewrite of previous work, expanded to a multi-chapter.
RATING: Teen+
WORD COUNT: 3,564
TAGS: Captain Swan, Tower of Terror AU, CSSNS 2022, Graphic Depictions Of Terrifying Sights in Chapter 1, no beta we die like killian jones,
AO3
AUTHOR'S NOTE: ha ha... oops. it's been two years since i updated this. life's crazy and my passion for ouat has faded but i'm determined to finish all my posts WIPs and maybe get my WIP folder on my laptop emptied onto here. i'm trying.
this has changed drastically from the film, mainly because i messed things up in the first chapter but oh well lol. similar premise but obviously things are a free-for-all now in my story. wish me luck trying to finish this lol.
not really sure how i'm feeling about this chapter so i'm sorry in advance if it doesn't live up to expectations! here's to the next one eventually!
enjoy!
***
Uncle James lives in a swanky townhouse just a few blocks from the heart of Storybrooke. The front windows of the place have a magnificent view of the hills in the distance while the back windows peered out at the Hollywood Tower Hotel like a taunt.
Emma hated growing up there.
The entire place felt too modern and unlived. Uncle James refused to have any sentimentality in his living space. No art projects on the fridge, no souvenirs from trips, and definitely no family photos. The farthest he went with décor was a floating shelf of ratty books in Latin. She wondered if what happened that Halloween night 27 years ago haunted him and that’s why he refused any reminder of his twin. Did the mirror play just as cruel of a joke?
Oddly enough, she did stumble upon a picture of her mother in his bedside drawer when she was eight. Mary Margaret looked stunning, her degree placard from Harvard held tightly in her hand with a bouquet of flowers cradled in her opposite elbow. Her graduation gown was flowing in the wind and her smile was positively radiant.
Uncle James caught her looking at the photo and he ripped it from her grasp. She never saw it again.
Not much about the townhouse has changed over the years, including the man residing inside of it. Uncle James remains aloof and standoffish to the point Emma wouldn’t be surprised if he forgot he had a niece at all.
His car, a sleek black sports convertible, is parked out front and it feels promising, even if she dreads the upcoming conversation. It takes a great effort to place one foot in front of the other as she approaches the entrance, her feet feeling as heavy as lead. The sickening weight in her heels is the only thing to prevent her from running back to her car after pressing the doorbell.
Uncle James looks surprised and disappointed to see her on his doorstep. His shoulders visibly drop and his mouth ticks down in a frown. “Emma?”
She flashes a quick smile at him.
“Uncle James, hi. How are you?”
He cuts straight to the point, narrowing the opening of the door so that only a sliver of his body is visible. “What are you doing here?”
The sigh that leaves her lips makes him close the door another inch. “Can we talk inside?”
“Actually Emma, I’m about to leave for – ”
He’s wearing pajamas. And a bathrobe. She swallows down the anger that’s brewing, the almost two decades of resentment towards his willful absence, and steels her shoulders. “I need to talk to you about my parents.” That catches his attention.
Paranoia, or maybe it’s PTSD, seems to take over her uncle as he pales and ushers her inside his townhome, head ducking out the door and swiveling around before he slams it shut and locks it. He brings her to the kitchen and offers her some alcohol as he makes his own drink. She remembers being thirteen and him offering her some of his rum and coke when he realized they had no orange juice in the fridge. The drink disgusted her and he got angry when she spit it in the sink. They never ran out of orange juice after that.
“So…” he begins. His hands are tense where they’re splayed on the kitchen island’s marble countertop. There’s a wild gleam in his eyes that unsettles Emma but she doesn’t know where to place it. She knows reporters, both professional and amateur, have hunted her down and pressured her for a statement, an interview, anything. Had they done the same to her uncle? “What were you saying about your parents?”
“Do you remember that night?” she asks. Uncle James sighs and drops his head.
“I could never forget it.” Defeat thickens his voice as his shoulders grow rigid. He shudders and takes a deep breath before looking up at her. “What about it?”
Emma shifts in her seat. “Can you tell me about it? From your perspective?” He looks ready to deny her so she pulls out the card up her sleeve. “It’s for Henry. He’s doing a project in school.”
“Ah,” he murmurs. A shadow crosses over his face as he collects his thoughts. “There’s not much to say from what I saw, really. I arrived early because my polo club cancelled our game. I saw Mayor Mills, exchanged a few words about the party at the Tip Top Club. I was on the stairs with some fancy drink from the patio bar when I saw your parents head into the elevator. David and I hadn’t talked in a few months but Mary Margaret invited me to the party.” Emma feels herself soften as her uncle smiles absently as he remembers her parents. “Obviously she didn’t tell him I was coming and he was glaring at me. He still hadn’t moved on from our fight. I raised my glass to them, a peace offering. Then the elevator doors closed and that was it… That was the last time I saw them.”
“Did you see anything else that night?” she asks, leaning her elbows atop the island. “Anything strange or… unusual?”
He shakes his head as he looks down at his drink. Silence follows for a beat and then another and Emma’s afraid she’s lost her uncle to his memories of the past. “The lights went out not long after I saw them get on the elevator.” She nods. “Honestly, I thought people were crazy when they said all of them were cursed. I mean, magic?!” He huffs out a laugh of disbelief. A pause and then his face darkens. “If there’s any inkling to that notion, I’d wager on Regina.”
Huh. Emma’s brows pinch together as she mulls that sentence over in her head. The sudden drop of formality with the former mayor was odd. For all the time she lived with Uncle James, he never mentioned Regina before today, much less by name. He never mentioned any of the others either but the way he spoke now hinted at a history. A nasty one at that.
Her mouth opens to ask another question but Uncle James shakes his head and downs the remainder of his drink in one go. “I think it’s time you left, Emma. It was nice seeing you.”
He disappears around the corner to his bedroom at the back of the townhouse before Emma has a chance to say any departing words. Resigned, she gently places her cup in the dishwasher and sees herself out.
***
The late morning air hangs heavy around the hotel. Emma stands outside on the sidewalk, head tilted back as she takes in the massive structure. In reality, she never thought she’d come here, let alone twice in as many days. She checks her watch to confirm she has a few hours before Henry gets out of school. The last thing she wants is for him to be back here.
“Uh…” a voice sounds to her left and Emma turns just in time to see her son stop short, eyes widen, and his body swivel back the way he came.
“Henry!” she calls out in frustration. She watches his small body freeze and tense up as she comes upon him.
He grins small but innocently up at her. “Ha ha… Hi, Mom.”
“What are you doing here?! You’re supposed to be in school today!”
“Well about that…” he laughs nervously. She says his name in warning and he winces, opening his mouth ready to spew an inventive explanation when they hear a creaking behind them.
The metal gate to the hotel opens slowly and the chain-link keeping it closed snakes down to the ground in an exhausted heap. She blinks rapidly at the scene before her, her mouth dropping open in shock. That… shouldn’t happen.
Maybe the chains were just rusted and finally gave way, she tried to reason with herself. Maybe LJ forgot to lock back up after everything yesterday.
So lost in her thoughts, Emma didn’t realize Henry had moved away until she saw his small figure squeezing through the open fence and running up the hill to the hotel. “Henry!” she yells out. Running is her thing – running away from emotions, commitment, the whole shebang. Apparently, her son inherited that from her, just literally.
The bottles of holy water in the pocket of her leather jacket are justled by her running up the driveway. Sage in her bag bumps against her hip. Her gun rests heavily in her holster.
Emma’s eyes scan the landscape furiously.
“Henry!” she calls out. She evens her breathing and rests one hand on her hip where her firearm rests in case some crazy person is behind all this and has Henry.
“Hurry up, Mom!”
Emma turns the last bend of the driveway and lets out a deep sigh. Henry stands in front of the entrance to the hotel bouncing on the balls of his feet. He impatiently waves her over, eyeing the locked front doors.
“You know,” she starts, “I think I should bring you to Granny’s right now. Let her watch over you and see if you try to skip school again.”
Henry whines, head thrown back in exasperation. “But Moooooom! These are your parents!”
“Henry, come on. You can’t really believe that.” Emma bends down in front of him and takes hold of his arms, her thumbs rubbing soothing circles even as her heart bleeds. “My parents disappeared so long ago… This can’t be them.”
“But it is!”
“Henry…”
“What about yesterday?! You believed it was their ghosts when they scared us out of here!”
“Ghosts don’t exist, Henry. How do you explain that, huh? Magic?” She deflates as her son mumbles to himself and looks to the ground. Softening her tone, she continues, “It would be really cool if magic was real but it’s not. Those are probably just projections some twisted loser made to scare people. Okay?”
“Are you calling us Jem and the Holograms?”
They jump at the sudden appearance of a third voice, their heads turning to see Killian Jones leaning halfway through the closed front door.
Emma’s breath stutters while Henry starts, “What the –”
“Tsk, tsk,” Killian taunts. “Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?”
She panics. Her hand flies to her bag and she pulls out the holy water, uncapping the bottle and surging the water towards the door.
It seemingly goes through his body, the blessed water streaming down the front door, but he jerks at the sensation.
Then Killian starts to groan, writhing in pain. The half of his body positioned through the door begins to curl in on itself as gurgling from his throat becomes audible. Emma stares – watching and waiting for smoke to sizzle from his frame or for him to disappear but nothing happens.
Until the gurgling changes sound and it becomes clear it’s transitioned into laughter.
Killian raises his head, smirking in glee. “Holy water? Really? I know I’m devilishly handsome but you didn’t really think that’d work.”
The photos never did his smirk justice, she realizes. And all she wants to do is smack it right off his face. With a growl, she stands up straight and marches right through Killian to the front door, pulling the spare key LJ gave her from her pocket.
“Chills, darling,” Killian whispers in her ear. The air shifts around her. Despite the absence of any breath ghosting over her skin, she can feel the way a smirk dances across his lips and the whole thing makes her angrier.
Click. The key sits just perfectly in the lock and the door swings open. She strides inside, Henry following excitedly behind her.
Her back straight as a rod, she places her hands on her hips and stares down the… beings in the hotel lobby.
“Not the friendliest lady, huh?” Killian drawls from behind her.
Henry takes immediate offense. “Hey, that’s my mom!”
“Apologies, lad,” Killian tosses carelessly over his shoulder as he heads towards the bar.
“Enough!” Emma calls out roughly. She narrows her gaze, her voice dropping an octave. “Who the hell is behind this?”
Regina sighs, sitting regally on a cobweb infested armchair in the center of the lobby. She examines her nails with more interest than her voice provides in an answer. “If she weren’t dead, I’d say my sister.”
“Regina!” Mary Margaret quietly admonishes from David’s side near the luggage cart.
“What?” Regina asks, her eyes thinning to slits and lips turning downward. “You’ve met the witch. A house should’ve fell on her sooner.”
“She was really a witch?!” Henry asks, practically bouncing in place from excitement.
Regina scoffs. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she actually was.”
“Magic isn’t real,” Emma grits out. She moves just slightly in front of Henry, eyes flicking between the Jones brothers and Regina. “Now explain who is putting on this sick joke because they’ve got a nice harassment charge waiting for when I bring them down to the sheriff’s office. It’d be a pity to add evading arrest to that as well.”
“Well,” states Liam from where he’s reviewing a check-in book. “Once you find out, let us know. I’d like to have a chat with the lad as well.”
“Seriously,” she continues. She puts her hands on her hips to further assert her authority and presses hard enough that she’s sure the skin under her jeans is colorless. “This isn’t funny. Tell me.”
Killian tsks. The sound is quickly growing to be her most hated. “As pretty as you are to look at, lass, I think the peace and quiet was better. I’d have told you if I knew.”
David scoffs, crossing his arms. “Leave the girl alone, Jones. You’re nothing but a drunk – she wouldn’t waste the time with you anyway.”
There’s a shout of indignation from the other side of the room and then the entire lobby erupts into chaos. The Jones brothers jump to the other’s defense as David tosses insults back and forth. Regina adds her own one-liners to the disappointment of Mary Margaret. Their own disagreement drags David into it as well, and he manages to fight off both Regina and the Jones brothers as if a skilled swordsman against multiple enemies.
Words no longer decipherable, Emma subtly steps to the side, one eye on the group and the other searching, investigating. Caution rolls deep within her and she keeps one hand resting on her holstered firearm. Ghosts aren’t real. There’s no such thing. Holy water didn’t do a damn thing.
Sophisticated projector is what she’s looking for, then. They have to be holograms or AI or something that digitally recreated five tragically unsolved missing people, for the pure enjoyment of scaring others. She bets that there’s some YouTube channel that showcases Hollywood Tower Hotel scares, run by whoever is doing this.
Emma’s gaze scans the walls of the outdated hotel.
It didn’t hit her last time, too busy scared for their lives to really pay attention, but the floral wallpaper pulls from the moldings. The green background has faded and the white flowers accenting it yellowed. Burnt out lamps with golden shades sit atop wooden tables covered in layers of dust.
The sound of something rustling wafts through the air but the group of beings either don’t hear it or don’t care. If she follows the sound, though, she might find the ‘genius’ behind it all. Her eyes narrow on a closed oak door near the hallway to the main floor ballroom.
A once golden sign looks like a beat-up bronze, the fake bright finishing having flaked off over the years. Coat Closet. Likely place for someone to setup their gadgets.
The vinyl flooring crackles under her feet as she moves towards the it.
Her head turns at an echoing pair of footsteps and a quick glance back confirms Henry treads closely behind.
The wooden door swings open with a creak. Emma splays her hand against the rough wallpaper and feels around until she hits the light switch. Flickering yellow light fills the cramped space. Pink wool carpet stained from age and buckling wood paneling buried behind huge swaths of clothing greet them first before the smell of must hits their noses.
Henry shrieks and jumps back at the sight of a large rat scurrying over fraying paper and escaping through the lobby.
Great. Nothing in the closet except a rat and leftover coats from that night…
Emma was only a baby when her parents disappeared on Halloween night at the Hollywood Tower Hotel. Grandma Ruth, overwhelmed in her grief, packed up all of their things and tucked them away in a storage unit out of town. Out of sight didn’t mean out of mind, though, and Emma served as a reminder of her broken heart every day, until she couldn’t handle it anymore and went into an eternal sleep.
By the time Emma was old enough to know and inquire about her parents’ things, Grandma Ruth’s storage unit had been auctioned off due to lack of payments.
Aside from a small box of things brought to her Uncle James’ place alongside her diaper bag, everything her parents owned was gone.
Being at the hotel, at the place where she lost them before she could even know them, Emma wants something to hold of theirs. The only thing she has of her mother’s is a pink cardigan, left at Granny’s apartment during a dinner once. Soft, powdery fragrance once enveloped the fabric but has long since faded. Now the small cardigan hangs on her coat rack as a reminder of what is so far from her grasp.
But maybe… maybe in this place seemingly suspended in time… she could have something.
Her eyes have studied the photographs of the night well enough that, once she looks towards the coats, she immediately recognizes the red scarf.
Tucked around the neck of a shimmering floor-length dark coat, the red scarf sticks out in a sea of navy and black. It calls to her and Emma’s fingers slowly reach out. The coat ticket says 191, the black jacket kept close stating 192 most likely belonging to her father.
The fabric is cool to the touch and though spiders and moths have left their mark elsewhere in the hotel, the state of the coat closet is pristine. Could it hold the smell? The perfume Emma has spent half her life looking for? The only thing that reminds her of her mother’s embrace. Of comfort and security and love.
She pulls both coats off the hanger and holds her mother’s up, her nose nearly to the scarf –
“Hey!” Henry calls from behind her.
Emma turns swiftly, her eyes locking in on the beings crowding their way towards them. Her hand shoots out and grabs Henry’s arm, pulling him swiftly behind her.
“Hey,” Mary Margaret echoes quietly. Her brows furrow together as she takes in the sight before her. “That’s my coat.”
Mary Margaret’s hand reaches towards the coat but Emma jerks it back towards her, feeling oddly protective of the thing. The smell of the scarf hits her nose and she rustles the coats in her arms for a better grip, suddenly feeling vulnerable.
“Hey,” her watery voice sounding loud in the tight closet as the others look at her in wide-eyed shock. “Don’t crowd us in here. I’m – ”
“Emma,” David breaths out, her entire body deflating.
Emma blinks, hesitating for a moment. “David?” she asks. “You… remember?”
Tears flood his eyes as he gives her a soft smile. “Of course.”
A fluttering lightness fills Emma’s chest as he steps forward, smile still on his face.
It’s incredible, she thinks to herself. How her father could just know it was her despite all the time that had passed. Maybe this is his ghost and this is her closure.
Emma nearly drops the coats as her father takes another step…
Until he bends down onto one knee and picks something up from the floor. A polaroid.
“We’ve never been able to get in here,” David whispers, more to himself than to her and Henry. He stares at the polaroid as tears roll down his cheeks and a shaky hand comes up to cover his mouth. Mary Margaret leans in close, her own eyes filling, and she rests her head on his arm.
Acting every part the proud father, David shows the others what the polaroid is. “This is our daughter,” he begins, looking up with a wide, watery grin and turning the polaroid towards her and Henry.
The film is slightly overexposed and a person stands in the background more a blur than a defining figure. In the center stands, with help of the mystery figure, a small Emma barely a year old with a spattering of light hair atop her head and a gummy grin directed right at the camera.
“Her name is – ”
“Emma,” she finishes in a rushed, exhausted breath. Looked over by her own baby photo. Damn.
She clutches the coats tighter to her center and Henry looks up at her, confused. “But – ”
“We’re leaving.” Emma frees one hand to grab Henry’s arm and pulls him through the closet, through the ghastly chill of the projected beings in the hotel, and out the front door.
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elspethdixon · 1 year ago
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Fucking tumblr won’t let me go to individual posts via a post’s notes anymore, so I’m forced to reply to this person’s homophobia and towering heaps of unchecked privilege via screenshotting their homophobic privileged commentary:
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Tell me you know absolutely nothing about either Evangelical Protestantism or Catholicism without telling me, etc. In addition to gay-otlc’s valid points about sex negativity in general, several major branches of Christianity actively teach that it is better to feel no attraction than to feel same-sex/gender attraction. A huge number of allosexual gay/lesbian/bi/pan people know for a fact that many people would prefer them to be ace and that being ace or aroace would be more acceptable than being gay because they have been explicitly told this by people in positions of moral authority.
Among other things, “if you can’t be straight then please live as if you’re asexual or better yet aroace” is the official position of the Catholic Church, which teaches that gay people are “called to celibacy.” Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict both doubled down on this repeatedly when asked about it (back when he was still Cardinal Ratzinger, Pope Benedict wrote an entire statement about how disordered and morally evil homosexuality is and how being eternally chaste is the only way gay people can achieve salvation that is still considered official catholic doctrine).
“Converting” from gayness or lesbian-ness to aro-aceness is also held up as a partial success by the majority of people involved with abusive evangelical conversion therapies. Full success as an “ex-gay” is being able to force yourself to have hetero relationships, but successfully suppressing your same gender/sex desires and living as if you were aroace is considered partial success and still a good outcome and a lot of so-called “ex-gays” are held up as conversion therapy/pray-the-gay-away success stories for doing exactly that.
I can't find the post but it said something like "biphobia will have bi women believe that society wants them to be lesbians, and lesbophobia will have lesbians believe that society wants them to be bi, but the truth is society doesn't want you to be bi or lesbian. they want you to be straight" or something like that. I saw it for the first time years ago and it's stuck with me because this mindset will genuinely resolve so much of queer infighting.
Allosexual queer people will believe that society wants them to be ace and aces will believe that society wants them to be allosexual queers, and the truth is society wants you to be allosexual but only sexually attracted to the right gender in the right way.
Trans men will believe that society wants them to be nonbinary, and nonbinary people will believe that society wants them to be binary trans, and the truth is society wants you to be cis.
And the thing is, there's some truth to "I would be more accepted if I was [this queer identity] instead of [that queer identity]," because there are groups of people who will want you to be a different queer identity. There are people who want their lesbian daughters to be bi because then they have a chance of marrying a man. There are allosexual gays who want to be ace because at least then they wouldn't be sexually attracted to their own gender, which is dirty and gross and wrong. There are people who want their trans male friends to be nonbinary because they think men are all evil.
Except there are also people who would rather bi women be lesbians because dating men makes them a traitor to the queer community, or aces who want to be allosexual and gay because if they can't be attracted to the opposite gender at least they'll be attracted to someone, and people who want their nonbinary friends to be binary trans because nonbinary people are made up and stealing resources.
Society at large doesn't want you to be any queer identity. They have a very narrow idea of what you should be, and so many ideas and rules telling you what you shouldn't be. And sometimes, people unlearn some of those rules but not others, depending on who they're around while forming these opinions. Some people will unlearn exorsexism but still drink the "men are evil" juice. Some people will unlearn homophobia but not amatonormativity.
So, sometimes queer people say things like "People would accept me more if I was [different queer identity]." And sure, some people would accept you more if you were that other identity. Except some people would accept you less. Maybe your parents would accept you more if you were bi instead of lesbian, but your friends would say being bi makes you a traitor.
And in the end, it doesn't matter, because there's way to win. "More accepted" is a very relative term. More accepted by some people, sure, but you won't be really be accepted unless you're not queer.
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syninplays · 2 years ago
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Medieval Camp Dump - conversion set from Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla.
My previews suck but I promise everything looks great in game / Also this is quite a long post so please read under the cut for more information about each object like polycount and other relevant info (:
Credits to Ubisoft/Assassin’s Creed Valhalla for the meshes and the chest texture. // Btw this is a friendly reminder that 1) no I’m not done converting stuff from this game and 2) I take requests 👀
>DOWNLOAD<
General info: walls, scaffold and tower base have two versions aka short (one story) and tall (2 stories tall), but keep in mind the tall version is bigger in height but also in width (except the tower). / most things have 5k verts count or lower (read below for exceptions..) // names are in order with the pics, aka left to right and top to bottom.
> Scaffold - 4,7k poly, might have some transparency issues but I didn’t actually see any while testing; also both versions are longer than pictured aka a part of the mesh is hidden in the floor making it perfect for cliffs! 
> Fort Wall - 5,7k poly, I made these to be the same height as ts3 walls so you can have your sims walking on top (though you do need to place floor tiles).
> Fort Wall 2 - 3,9k poly, does not align perfectly with walls but you can always count on moveobjects and alt-key (;
> Fence V1 (short) & Fence V2 (long) - 684 poly and 1,2k poly, part of the mesh goes under the floor/base so keep that in mind if you were looking for a clean look :s
> Spiked Wall - 1,4k poly.
> Camp Tower (3 pieces) - Tower (8k poly, 8k verts), Roof (10,9k poly, 9k verts), Railing (4,7k poly, 6k verts) // the actual tower is slightly taller than the floor line so if you feel like making it functional or want to finish it by applying floor on top of the base you will need to use OMSP Resizer(s?) or make walls taller than default. Note: I did not give it a floor on the preview but you should cover both the actual tower (5x5) and the beams to avoid the railing looking off.
> Unique Chest - 4,7k poly, 7k verts. Includes decor version (BG compatible) and functional version(requires WA)! // shoutout to @aroundthesims​ for telling me how to make it functional♥ // not recolorable, sorry!
+BONUS: Clan Flags! (preview is here)  Did this recolor for personal use, but you can't have a proper medieval camp without flags (even if they're a bit too fancy). Anyway, all mesh credits belong to Luna (you know, THAT Luna from lunasimslulamai) as I only replaced part of the texture with clan banners from ACV and slightly edited the mesh to avoid said banners looking mirrored.
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diamond-coral · 4 years ago
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Bargaining Chip
Hello! This is my first time posting on Tumblr ever:) I pulled this one-shot from a fic I posted on AO3 a few months ago but the plot is irrelavent and I changed it from first person to second as well as some details so it can be read as a stand alone. There’s some plot from the actual story but you really don’t need to know it at all.
There might be a few errors, especially because I changed the entire point of view and converted it to present tense from past tense so sorry:) 
Loki manages to get his hands on you and exchanges you and your body for his ticket to independence from the Avengers. Bucky gets to go first.
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Dark!Bucky Barnes x Reader
Characters included: Loki, and a little bit of Tony, Steve, and Thor
WARNINGS: 18+ ONLY!!! SMUT (NON-CON TOUCHING, FORCED ORAL SEX (m receiving), KNIFE THREATS, DARK! AVENGERS, BUCKY’S AN ASSHOLE IN THIS, DEGRADATION, BASICALLY FORCED PROSTITUTION) READ AT YOUR OWN RISK
You awake in the passenger seat of your own car with only foggy memories of you and your partner before everything had gone dark. Your mission from the CIA...breaking and entering the motherfucking Avenger’s facility and managing to escape...you were so close. If it weren’t for him. In your haze, you look to see who could possibly have the audacity to be driving your car, and there sits Loki, the God of Mischief, who you had only scene on the news, driving one hand and inspecting something in his other.
“Good evening my lady. Sleep well?” he mocks without taking his eyes off the item in his hand which upon further inspection from you looks to be... a red leash?
What the hell?
“I do hope you like your outfit,” he continues. “I think I assembled quite the get up for you.”
Looking down, you let out a muffled scream that was cut off by a strip of duct tape. Your hands are bound in your lap, but that isn’t what horrifies you. It’s what’s underneath them. You take into account your bare legs, fully on display, with a black dress leaving little to the imagination. The top half is just as horrifying with it’s plunging neckline. Your legs end with a pair of strappy gold heels that ensures any chances of running away to be futile while your upper arms are adorned in golden bracelets accented with emeralds. Whether the emeralds were real or fake, you could care less. You have bigger problems to worry about.
“What the fuck?!”
Is what you try to say, but the gag only makes it come out as a mangled ball of muffled murmurs. Though the chuckle Loki lets out implies he understands your enraged speaking attempt.
“You, my dear, are going to be a bargaining chip. I heard about your little escapade at the Avenger’s facility last night. Impressive, I must say, but my brother and his little hero posse had been looking for you relentlessly after that. They are practically obsessed with catching the women that managed to break into their high security building.”
Loki takes a sharp turn into a parking garage, narrowly missing the wall. You squeal as your precious car runs over the curb.
“I forgot how much I hate mortal transportation devices. But Stark had to build this tower in the middle of New York to feed his ever-growing ego and now I’m the one that has to rely on a car to get me there,” he grumbles while pulling into a parking space. He takes a deep breath once the car is parked. “Now, I’m going to remove that gag out of your mouth, and if you scream, I will peel your skin off of your body in the slowest, most painful way imaginable. Understood?”
You nod frantically and he rips the tape off, extracting a whimper from your now stinging mouth. You open your mouth for him to take the wad of cloth out that was under the duct tape. As he extracts it, you snap your mouth shut in an attempt to bite him, but he’s quick to evade and grabs your jaw harshly.
“What did I say before?” he seethes. 
“You said not to scream. I didn’t scream. Now let go of my face.”
Loki roughly throughs your face to the side, letting go, and looks around the surroundings of the car, probably checking for any unwanted onlookers.
“Out of the car. Now,” he orders and you hastily oblige using your bound hands to open the door.
As you shut the door, you catch a glimpse of your own reflection and grimace. You look like a hooker. Aside from the skimpy outfit, your hair was pinned up and intertwined with gold strands. Your makeup is done as well. Sultry eye shadow and dark red lipstick.
“I didn’t know the God of Mischief was a makeup guru,” you jab.
He ignores you and harshly pushes you forward. “Walk.”
“Where’s my partner?”
“Doesn’t matter,” Loki replies. “She has other uses than the one I currently need you for.”
“And what use am I needed for?”
“I already told you. By the gods, you mortals are stupid. You are to be a bargaining chip, (Y/N).”
Your blood runs cold. “How do you know my name?” you ask.
“I know everything about you. Including your peculiar abilities.”
You stop dead in your tracks.
“Now, don’t worry,” he adds. “As amusing to me as it would be, I have no interest in enlightening the Avengers to your secret identity. As far as they will know, I am simply giving them the criminal that broke into their compound.”
“And what’s in it for you?” you ask as he guidesyou into an elevator.
After pushing a button, he goes to fix his dark green tie. “Clever girl now aren’t you?”
“Answer the question.”
“How about-no?” he muses and a soft ding resonates through the elevator.
The doors opened and, for a moment, you forget the predicament your in. Inside was the most beautiful penthouse you had ever seen. The opposite wall was made entirely out of glass allowing a view of the New York City night skyline. Everything little piece of furniture each looks as expensive as your car, but your focus becomes drawn to the minibar. The Avengers were all sitting there, laughing, and most were obviously drunk.
“Here James, try some of this,” Thor booms.
Bucky makes a face. “Why would I drink something from another planet meant for Gods?”
“Jeez Buck it’s the only thing that can get you and I drunk,” Steve slurs and claps Bucky on the shoulder. “It’s your birthday. Live it up a little.”
Bucky hesitates before grabbing the flask Thor offers him and throwing his head back, downing the flask in one go.
Loki seems to have enough of the party scene as he clears his throat to interrupt them.
“Gentlemen-”
Before Loki uttered another word all the Avengers clambered from their seats to grab their weapons, but their intoxicated state just makes it a comical sight. Captain America falls over in an attempt to reach for his shield below the table. Tony Stark’s iron man mask smacks him over the head as he fails to turn in time to catch it on his face. Sam Wilson chokes on his drink and falls backwards off his barstool in shock.
“I come bearing no ill tidings.” Loki spread his arms.
“Then why bother coming at all?” Thor growls, shifting his hammer to his right hand.
“I’ve come to make an offer.”
With that, Loki snatches your wrist and throws you towards him and the other men. You stumbled in you stilettos and let out a yelp as you land on the floor looking up at the 5 present Avengers: Thor, the Winter Soldier, Captain America, Iron Man, and the Falcon. They all look down on you with perplexed looks etched onto their faces.
“You guys have been so caught up and stressed about finding your security breaches that I was generous enough to do some finding myself,” Loki explains.
“And how do we know you didn’t just pluck some prostitute off the street?” Caps eyes rake up and down your body.
Loki scoffs. “Always the skeptic captain. Does this answer your question?” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a flash-drive.
Tony snatches it from his hands. “Jarvis, what’s on this drive?” he asks, holding the drive up to a scanner in the glasses he’s wearing.
“It appears to be the files you have been collecting the 2 vigilantes you have been tracking and-.”
“Okay thanks J!” Tony interrupts quickly before Jarvis could spill any more information. He proceeds to storm up to your cowering and kneeling form that hadn’t dared move and harshly grabs your jaw.
Jesus, what was with these men and your poor, bruised jaw?
“Why would you possibly need this information?” he asks calmly, but his eyes are feral. He studies you and his brows furrow. Did he manage to piece it all together that you were the alleged vigilante they had been hunting? He lets go of your jaw and throws you back on the floor. “What business do you have looking for them?”
Looking for them? You let out a sigh of relief.
“None of your business,” you spit.
“Anyways,” Loki continues, and the drive suddenly disintegrated in Tony’s hand while reappearing in Loki’s. “I will happily hand over this seemingly important information along with the girl for you to do with her as you please, but…” He pauses. “Only if you stop tracking my current whereabouts.”
“And why would we do that, Loki? You’re dangerous,” Steve notes.
“I was dangerous,” Loki interjects. “I have been a good boy haven’t I? I would like to lead a normal life without you imbeciles tailing my every move. If I slip, Thor here will know within the second if I’m involved with anyone wrong doings, won’t you brother dear?”
Thor grunts at that statement.
“Besides, Stark’s satellite can track any magical energy if I use it. Which I won’t.”
“Fine. Now hand over the drive,” Tony snaps and holds his hand out.
After Loki drops the small gadget into Tony’s hand, he hauls you up and spins you around to face him.
His voice is quiet and low. “Be glad I didn’t tell them about my plans for you friend. It would be a shame if they found out about her abilities...and yours.”
He spins you back around to face the 5 men whose eyes were now raking up and down your body. “Easy on the eyes isn’t she?” Loki mentions, hands falling on your waist making you squirm. “You know, I almost considered keeping her for myself. Her exotic beauty is that of a pleasure maiden on Asgard.” Your struggles are invigorated at his implications. “Enjoy your whore.” And with that, he gives you one final shove before vanishing.
It’s silent for half a minute before one of the men speak up.
“Alright who wants to take her for a spin?” Tony asks, clapping his hands together. “I vote the birthday boy gets first dibs. Huh, Buckaroo?”
You blanch at the idea. Were they really going to go through with what Loki wanted? What happened to the valiant heroes you saw on your screen?
“Wait Tony, you can’t be seriously considering Loki’s suggestion?” Sam Wilson sounds surprised.
Tony shrugs. “Why not, Birdie? It’s either this or high security prison and I don’t think she wants to rot in a cell.”
“She is standing right here and would rather rot in hell than do what Loki had in mind,” you hiss.
“Well it’s a good thing we weren’t asking for her opinion,” Tony says.
“Tony’s right, Sam,” Steve adds slowly. “We bust our asses out there. We deserve something nice.”
“Day after day we save this pathetic world, and no thanks are given. Just everyone saying what we did wrong. We should’ve left the world to fend for itself after they tried shoving those ridiculous accords down our throats,” Thor murmurs
Sam raises both of his hands up in defense. “Fine. Do what you want with her. I’m gonna head out.” And with that he leaves. Your heart sinks, watching the only glimmer of hope, your knight in shining armor, walk out the door. Your self-pity party is cut short by an arm snaking around your waist.
Bucky Barnes, trained assassin, mass murderer, and now current Avenger, puts his face in the crook of your neck and inhales deeply, sending shivers down your spine while you stand frozen like a deer in headlights. “What do you say, doll? Wanna finish what we started the other night?” His hand on your waist slowly drifts down to your ass.
You stomp your heel down on his foot eliciting a groan of pain. “Last time I checked, you were in the dirt, and I was driving away that night after a successful robbery. There’s nothing to finish.”
He moves quickly as he rips your hair out of what’s securing it up, using the opportunity to tangle his hand into the roots and drag you away to a separate room. He wrenches open and throws you in, leaving you to stumble and trip. A searing pain on your forehead signaled that you hit your head.
“How about we use that snarky mouth of yours for something better hmm?” His voice is ice cold with malice as he grips your hair and yanks you up.
You cry out in pain, tears pooling in your eyes.
“Not so tough now, are you?” he sneers down at you. Hearing the sound of a belt unbuckling and pants unzipping, you shut your eyes.
A tear escapes, cascading down your face, but his thumb gently wipes it away.
“Open your eyes, doll,” he coos.
You shake your head and screw them shut even tighter.
“I said...OPEN YOUR FUCKING EYES!” he roars and your eyes fly open only to see his member sticking out of his slacks right in front of your face. He’s almost fully hard as precum dribbles out of the tip. “Good girl,” he praises. “Now, since you can’t seem to keep your snarky mouth shut, let’s put it to better use. How bout that?”
You don’t move, and he sighed as you look down to the floor. You hear some shuffling, a small click, and suddenly something cold and sharp is pressing under your chin, tilting your gaze to his steel blue eyes.
“Let’s try this again.” He pushes the knife harder, digging it a little deeper, but not enough to draw blood. A knife. This dirty bastard has a knife. “Suck. My. Cock.”
Pushing all your pride aside, you direct your gaze to the task in front of you. Bucky lets out an approving hum and the knife is removed from your throat. You swallow before opening your mouth and dragging your tongue from his base to the tip before wrapping your lips around him and sucking lightly.
Bucky was no slacker down there, you had to give him that. You ease your mouth down his shaft and his head tilts back.
“Oh fuck that’s it,” he moans. “Take my dick down your throat.” He grunts. His metal hand fists your hair to push your head down, sliding a few more inches into your throat. “Oh-that’s a good whore,” he breathes.
A gag is torn from you and you slap your hands against his thighs to imply you couldn’t take much more. Bucky’s only response is another grunt as he jams the rest of his length down your throat leaving your only intake of oxygen to come from your nose which was now mashed right above the base of his thick cock. As quickly as he pushed you down before, he pulls you back off by your hair, letting you go to wretch, gasping for air and freedom. A strand of saliva still connects from his tip to my lips.
“I’m not done with you yet.” He snags your hair again. “Open wide, slut.”
You do just that and he begins to fuck your throat at his own pace, sliding his entire length down every time. Tears brim at your eyes, not just from the lack of oxygen, but the humiliation of the moment as well. The time passes much too slowly for your liking, minutes dragging on for eternity, before he begins to reach his climax.
“Fuck, I’m gonna cum.” His cock twitches in your mouth.He holds your head with both hands as he releases straight into your mouth, warm thick strands of his release coating the back of your throat. He pulls out  with a pop and smirks down at you. “Good little sluts swallow” he orders.
You glare up at him, making a show of not doing anything.
“Well?” he demands and raises a dark brow.
You spit his own climax onto his expensive shoes.
“Why you-!” He raises his hand, getting ready to send a smack to your face.
“Barnes!” A female voice comes from the doorway as the door flies open. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”
There stood none other than the Black Widow.
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itonje · 4 years ago
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people of color in arthurian legend masterpost
hi! some people said it would be cool if i did this, and this is something i find interesting so. yeah! are you interested in king arthur and the knights of the round table? do you like to read about characters of color, especially in older lit? well, i hope this can be a good resource for people to get into stuff like that, especially poc/ethnic minorities who might feel uncomfortable or lonely getting into older media like arthuriana. this post is friendly to both those who prefer medieval lit and those who prefer modern stuff!
disclaimers: i am not a medievalist nor a race theorist! very much not so. i am just a 17 year old asian creature on the internet who wants to have an easy-to-reference post, if i’m not comprehensive enough please inform me. i’m going to stay closely to the matter of britain, as well, not all medieval european literature as a. this is what i’m more familiar with and b. there’s so much content and information and context to go along with it that it would really be impossible to put it all into one tumblr post. (however there’s always going to be overlap!) also, please do not treat me or any other person of color/ethnic minority as a singular all-knowing authority on anything! we’re all trying to have fun here and being made into an information machine on things, especially what is and isn’t offensive isn’t fun. with that out of the way, let’s get into it! (under cut for length!) 
part i: some historical context (tw for racism and antisemitism discussion)
fair warning, i’m going to start off with some discussions of more heavier history before we talk about more fun stuff. while pre colonial racism was far more different than how it is today, there still...was racism. and it’s important to understand the social mien around nonwhite people in europe at the time these works were written. 
to understand how marginalized ethnicities were written in medieval european literature, you have to understand the fact that religion, specifically catholicism, was a very important part of medieval european life. already, catholicism has violent tenets (ie, conversion as an inherent part of the church, as well as many antisemitic theologies and beliefs), but this violence worsened when an event known as the crusades happened.
the crusades were a series of religious wars started by the catholic church to ‘reclaim’ the holy land from islamic rule and to aid the byzantine empire. while i won’t go into the full history of the crusades, (some basic info here and here and here) its important to understand that they had strengthened the european view of the ’pagan’ (ie: not european christian) world as an ‘other’, a threat to christiandom that needed to be conquered and converted, for the spiritual benefit of both the convertee and the converter. these ideas of ethnoreligious superiority and conversion would permeate into the literature of the time written by european christians. 
even today, the crusades are very much associated with white supremacy and modern islamophobic sentiment, with words such as ‘deus vult’ as a dogwhistle, and worship of and willingness to emulate the violence the crusaders used against the inhabitants of the holy land in tradcath spaces, so this isn’t stuff that’s all dead and in the past. crusader propaganda and the ignorance on the violence of the catholic church and the crusaders on muslim and jewish populations (as well as nonwhite christians ofc) is very harmful. arthuriana itself has a lot of links to white supremacy too-thanks to @/to-many-towered-camelot for this informative post. none of this stuff exists in a bubble. 
here’s a book on catholic antisemitism, here’s a book on orientalism, here’s a book about racism in history that touches on the crusades. (to any catholic, i highly reccommend you read the first.)
with that out of the way, we can talk about the various not european groups that typically show up in arthurian literature and some historical background irt to that. the terms ‘moor’ and ‘saracen’ will typically pop up. both terms are exonyms and are very, very broad, eventually used as both a general term for muslims and as a general term for african and (western + central) asian people. they’re very vague, but when you encounter them the typical understanding you’re supposed to take away is ‘(western asian/african) foreigner’ and typically muslim/not christian as well. t
generally, african and asian lands will typically be referred to as pagan or ‘eastern/foreign’ lands, with little regard for understanding the actual religions of that area. they will also typically refer to saracens as pagans although islam is not a pagan religion. this is just a bit of a disclaimer. the term saracen itself is considered to be rather offensive-thank you to @/lesbianlanval for sending me a paper on this subject. 
while i typically refer to the content on this post as having to pertain to african and asian people (ie, not european) european jewish arthurian traditions are included on this post too. but, i know more about poc and they’ll feature more prominently in this post because of that, lol. 
part ii: so, are there any medieval texts involving characters of color?
i’m glad you asked! of course there are! to be clear, european medieval authors were very much aware that people of color and african + asian nations existed, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. even the vita merlini mentions sri lanka and a set of islands that might (?) be the philippines!! for the sake of brevity though, on this list i’m not going to list every single one of these small and frequent references, so i’m just going to focus on texts that primarily (or notably) feature characters of color. 
first of all, it’s important to know was the influence of cultures of color and marginalized ethnicities that helped shape arthurian legend. the cultural exchange between europe and the islamic world during the crusades, as well as the long history of arab presence in southern europe, led to the influence of arabic love poetry and concepts of love on european literature, helping to form what we consider the archetypal romance. there are also arthurian traditions in hebrew, and yiddish too, adding new cultural ideas and introducing new story elements to their literature-all of these are just as crucial to the matter of britain as any other traditions!
when it comes to nonwhite presence in the works themselves, many knights of color in arthurian legend tend to be characters that, after defeated by a knight of arthur’s court join the court themselves. though some are side characters, there are others with their own romances and stories devoted to them! many of them are portrayed as capable + good as, if not better than their counterparts. (this, however, usually only comes through conversion to christianity if the knight is not christian...yeah.) though groups of color as a general monolith created by european christians tended to be orientalized in literature (see: mystical and strange ~eastern~ lands), many individual knights were written to be seen by their medieval audience as positive heroes. i’m going to try to stick to mostly individual character portrayals such as these. 
with that all said though, these characters can still be taken as offensive (i would consider most to be) in their writing, so take everything with a grain of salt here. i will also include links to as many english translations of texts as i can, as well as note which ones i think are beginner friendly to those on the fence about medieval literature!
he shows up in too many texts so let’s make this into two bullet notes and start with one of, if not the most ubiquitous knight of color of the round table (at least in medieval lit),-palamedes! palamedes/palomides is a ‘’saracen knight’’ who (typically) hails from babylon or palestine and shows up in a good amount of texts. his first appearance is in the prose tristan, and he plays a major role there as a knight who fights with tristan for the hand of iseult-while he uh. loses, him and tristan later become companions + friends with a rivalry, and palamedes later goes off to hunt the questing beast, a re-occurring trend in his story. 
palamedes even got his own romance named after him (which was very popular!) and details the adventures of the fathers of the knights of the round table, pre arthur, as well as later parts of the story detailing the adventures of their sons. it was included in rustichello da pisa’s compilation of arthurian romances, which i unfortunately have not seen floating around online (or...anywhere), so i can’t attest to the quality of it or anything. he appears in le morte darthur as well, slaying the questing beast but only after his conversion to christianity (...yeah.) in the texts in which he appears, palamedes is considered to be one of the top knights of the round table, alongside tristan and lancelot, fully living up to chivalric and courtly ideals and then some. i love him dearly and i’ve read the prose tristan five times just for him. (also the prose tristan in general is good, please give it a try, especially if you’re a romance fan.)
speaking of le morte d’arthur, an egyptian knight named priamus shows up in the lucius v arthur episode on lucius’ side first, later joining arthur’s after some interactions with gawaine. palamedes has brothers here as well-safir and segwarides. safir was relatively popular, and shows up in many medieval texts, mostly alongside his older brother. i wouldn’t recommend reading le morte of all things for the characters of color though-if you really want to see what it’s all about, just skip to the parts they’re mentioned with ctrl + f, haha. 
the romance of moriaen is a 12th century dutch romance from the lancelot compilation, named for its main character morien. morien, who is a black moor, is the son of sir aglovale, the brother of perceval. whilst gawaine and lancelot are searching for said perceval, they encounter morien, who is in turn searching for aglovale as he had abandoned morien’s mother way back when. i wholeheartedly recommend this text for people who might feel uncomfy with medieval lit. though the translation i’ve linked can be a bit tricky, the story is short, sweet, and easy to follow, and morien and his relationships (esp with gariet, gawaine’s brother) are all wonderful. 
king artus (original hebrew text here) is a northern italian jewish arthurian text written in hebrew- it retells a bit of the typical conception of arthur story, as well as some parts from the death of arthur as well. i really can’t recommend this text enough-it’s quite short, with an easy-to-read english translation, going over episodes that are pretty familiar to any average reader while adding a lot of fun details and it’s VERY interesting to me from a cultural standpoint. i find the way how they adapt the holy grail (one of the most archetypal christian motifs ever) in particular pretty amazing. this is also a very beginner friendly text! 
wolfram von eschenbach’s parzival (link to volume 1 and volume 2-this translation rhymes!) is a medieval high german romance from the early 13th century, based off de troyes’ le conte du graal while greatly expanding on the original story. it concerns parzival and his quest for the grail (with a rather unique take on it-he fails at first!), and also takes like one million detours to talk about gawaine as all arthurian lit does. the prominent character of color here is a noble mixed race knight called feirefiz, parzival’s half brother by his father, who after dueling with parzival, and figures out their familial connection, joins him on his grail quest. he eventually converts to christianity (..yeah.) to see the grail and all ends happily for him. however, this text is notable to me as it contains two named women of color-belacane, feirefiz’s black african mother, and secundilla, feirefiz’s indian wife. though unfortunately, both are pretty screwed over by the text and their respective husbands. though parzival is maybe my favorite medieval text i’ve read so far i don’t necessarily know if i’d recommend this one, because it is long, and can be confusing at times. however, i do think that when it comes to the portrayal of people of color, while quite poor by today’s standards, von eschenbach was trying his best?-of course, in reason for. a 13th century medival german christian but he treats them with respect and all these characters are actually characters. if you’re really interested in grail stories (and are aware of the more uncomfortably christian aspects of the grail story), and you like gawaine and perceval, i’d say go for it. 
in the turk and sir gawain, an english poem from the early 16th century, gawaine and the titular turkish man play a game of tennis ball. i’m shitting you not. this text is pretty short, funnily absurd, and with most of the hallmarks of a typical quest (various challenges culminating in some castle being freed), so it’s an easier read. it’s unclear to me, but at the end of the story the turkish man turns into sir gromer, a noble knight, who may or may not be white which uh. consider my ‘....yeah’ typical at this point, but i don’t personally read it that way for my own sanity. also he throws the sultan (??) of the isle of man (????) into a cauldron for not being a christian so when it comes to respectful representation of poc this one doesn’t make it, but it does make this list. 
the revenge of ragisel, or at least the version i’ve read (the eng translation of the dutch version from the lancelot compilation), die wrake van ragisel, starts off being about the mysterious murder of a knight, but eventually, as most stories do, becomes a varying series of adventures about gawaine and co. one of gawaine’s friends (see: a knight who he combated with for a hot sec and then became friends and allies with, as you do) is a black knight named maurus! he’s not really an mc, but he features prominently and he’s pretty entertaining, as all the characters in this are. i also recommend this highly, i was laughing the whole time reading it! it’s not too long and pretty wild, you’ll have a good romp. this is a good starter text for anyone in general!
i’ve not read the roman van walewein, which, as it says on the tin, is a 12th century dutch romance concerning some deeds of gawaine (if only gawaine was a canon poc, i wouldn’t need to make this list because he’s so popular...). i’m putting it on the list for in this, gawaine goes to the far eastern land of endi (india) and romances a princess named ysabele. i can’t speak to ysabele’s character or the respectfulness of her kingdom or representation, but i know she’s a major character and her story ends pretty well, so that’s encouraging. women of color, especially fleshed out woc, are pretty rare in arthurian lit. i’ve also heard the story itself is pretty wild, and includes a fox, which sounds pretty exciting to me!
now the next two things i’m going to mention aren’t really? texts that feature characters of color or jewish characters, but are rather more notable for being translations of existing texts into certain languages. wigalois is a german 13th century romances featuring the titular character (the son of, you guessed it, gawaine!) and his deeds. the second, jaufre, is the only arthurian romance written in occitan, and is a quite long work about the adventures of the knight jaufre, based on the knight griflet. what’s notable about these two works is that wigalois has a yiddish translation, and jaufre has a tagalog translation. wigalois’ yiddish translation in particular changed the original german text into something more fitting of the arthurian romance format as well as adding elements to make it more appealing for a jewish audience. the tagalog translation of jaufre on the other hand was not medieval, only coming about in 1900, but the philippines has had a long history of romantic tradition and verse writing, so i’m curious to see if it too adds or changes elements when it comes to the arthurian story, but i can’t find a lot on the tagalog version of jaufre unfortunately-i hope i can eventually!
this list of texts is also non-exhaustive! i’m just listing a couple of notoriety, and some to start with. 
part iii: papers and academic analysis
so here’s just a dump of various papers i’ve read and collected on topics such as these-this is an inexhaustive and non-comprehensive list! if you have any papers you think are good and would like to be added here, shoot me an ask. i’ll try to include a link when i can, but if it’s unavailable to you just message me. * starred are the ones i really think people, especially white people, should at least try to read. 
Swank, Kris. ‘Black in Camelot: Race and Ethnicity in Arthurian Legend’ *
Harrill, Claire. ‘Saracens and racial Otherness in Middle English * Romance’
Keita, Maghan. ‘Saracens and Black Knights’ 
Hoffman, Donald L. ‘Assimilating Saracens: The Aliens in Malory's ‘Morte Darthur’
Goodrich, Peter H. ‘Saracens and Islamic Alterity in Malory's ‘Le Morte Darthur’
Schultz, Annie. ‘Forbidden Love: The Arabic Influence on the Courtly Love Poetry of Medieval Europe’ *
Hardman, Philipa. ‘Dear Enemies: the Motif of the Converted Saracen and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’
Knowles, Annie. ‘Encounters of the Arabian Kind: Cultural Exchange and Identity the Tristans of Medieval France, England, and Spain’ *
Hermes, Nizar F. ‘King Arthur in the Lands of the Saracens’ *
Ayed, Wajih. ‘Somatic Figurations of the Saracen in Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte Darthur’
Herde, Christopher M. ‘A new fantasy of crusade: Sarras in the vulgate cycle.’ *
Rovang, Paul R. ‘Hebraizing Arthurian Romance: The Originality of ‘Melech Artus.’’
Rajabzdeh, Shokoofeh. ‘The Depoliticized Saracen and Muslim erasure’ *
Holbrook, Sue Ellen. ‘To the Well: Malory's Sir Palomides on Ideals of Chivalric Reputation, Male Friendship, Romantic Love, Religious Conversion—and Loyalty.’ *
Lumbley, Coral. ‘Geoffrey of Monmouth and Race’ *
Oehme, Annegret. ‘Adapting Arthur. The Transformations and Adaptations of Wirnt von Grafenberg’s Wigalois’ *
Hendrix, Erik. ‘An Unlikely Hero: The Romance of Moriaen and Racial Discursivity in the Middle Ages’ *
Darrup, Cathy C. ‘Gender, Skin Color, and the Power of Place in the Medieval Dutch Romance of Moriaen’ *
Armstrong, Dorsey. ‘Postcolonial Palomides: Malory's Saracen Knight and the Unmaking of Arthurian Community’ (note this is the only one i can’t access in its entirety)
part iv: supplemental material
here’s some other stuff i find useful to getting to know knights of color in arthurian legend, especially if papers/academic stuff/medieval literature is daunting! i’d really recommend you go through all of these if you can’t go through anything else-most are quick reads. 
a magazine article on knights of color here, and this article about the yiddish translation of wigalois. 
this video about characters of color in arthurian legend!
the performance of the translation of arabic in Libro del Caballero Zifar, and how it pertains to the matter of britain 
a post by yours truly about women of color in parzival
this info sheet about palamedes, and this info sheet about ysabele-thanks to @/pendraegon and @/reynier for letting me use these!
this page on palamedes as well
this post with various resources on race and ethnicity in arthuriana-another thank you to @/reynier! 
part v: how about modern day stories and adaptations?
there’s a lot of em out there! i’m not as familiar with modern stuff, but i will try to recommend medias i know where characters of color (including racebends!) are prominent. since i haven’t read/watched all (or truly most) of these, i can’t really speak on the quality of the representation though, so that’s your warning. 
first of all, when it comes to the victorian arthurian revival, i know that william morris really liked palamedes! (don’t we all.) he features frequently in morris’ arthurian poetry, (in this beautiful book, he primarily features in ‘sir galahad, a christmas mystery’ and ‘king arthur’s tomb’. he has his own poem by morris here.)
and some other poems about palamedes, which i’d all recommend. 
for movies, i know a knight in camelot (1998) stars whoopi goldberg as an original character, the green knight (2021) will star dev patel as gawaine. 
some shows include camelot high, bbc merlin, disney’s once upon a time, and netflix’s cursed, all featuring both original characters of color and people of color cast as known arthurian figures. 
for any music people, in ‘high noon over camelot’, an album by the mechanisms, mordred is played by ashes o’reilley, who in turn is performed by frank voss, and arthur is played by marius von raum who is perfomed by kofi young. 
i’ve also heard the pendragon and the squire’s tales have palamedes as a relevant character if you’re looking for novels, as well as legendborn and the forgotten knight: a chinese warrior in king arthur’s court starring original protagonists of color! 
part vi: going on from here
so, you’ve read some medieval lit, read some papers, watched some shows, and done all that. what now? well, there’s still so much out there! 
if you have fanfiction, analysis, metaposts, fun content etc etc about arthurian poc, feel free to plug your content on this post! i’d be happy to boost it. 
in general, if you’re a person of color or a jewish person and you’re into arthurian legend, feel free to promote your blog on this post as well! i would love to know more people active on arthurian tumblr who are nonwhite. 
this is really just me asking for extra content, especially content made by poc, but that’s okay! arthurian legend is a living, breathing set of canons and i would love love love to see more fresh diversity within them right alongside the older stuff. 
a very gracious thank you to the tumblr users whom i linked posts to on here, and thanks to y’all for saying you want to see this! i hope this post helped people learn some new things! 
297 notes · View notes
shoutogepi · 5 years ago
Text
Pull of the Moon
Kirishima Eijirou
word count : 7.8k
[ ✘ (nsfw!), werewolf!au ]  
themes : masturbation, licking/biting, dom!Kiri, rough sex, dirty talk, slight choking, friends to lovers, confession
bio : Eijirou makes sure he’s far away from you for when the heat cycle strikes, but just when he thinks your friendship is safe from his monstrous hormones, there you are at his doorstep.
author’s note : so this is a fic that i wrote years ago for my kpop blog, linked in my bio. i wanted to repost it here for bnha, just bc i like the way i wrote it and i think it’s pretty fitting character-wise for Kiri! plus im a slut for werewolf fics. and also i wanted to post something while work is keeping me from writing something 100% new rn :3 pls note this is NOT plagiarized as I am the original author of the original fic.
side note : if there are any places where it says Jae, Jaebum, etc. lemme know bc it was a quick job i did converting this to a Kiri fic lol like even the title is the same oops
also available on AO3 here
   ─── ・°* ゚✧:* • 。゚:*・☽・*: 。゚•*:✧ ゚*°・ ───
“🅂o you’re sure you have to leave for tonight, Y/N?” Kirishima inquires, tilting his head in his open palm to crane his bright gaze up toward your face.  
“Yeah, I don’t think I can get out of visiting my parents for dinner this time,” you reply, tucking a piece of hair behind your ear as you cuddle your chin into the warmth of Kirishima’s oversized scarf. The soft fabric grazes under your nose, and your eyes close blissfully as you inhale Kirishima’s strong, spicy aroma mingled with his cologne.
Kirishima watches you through slitted eyes, secretly pleased at your actions. Not that he would ever tell you, because that would be weird. He shuts his eyes tightly, telling himself in his head not to overthink it. Of course you like how he smells, he’s your friend. Friends like how each other smell… right? His body shivers as your fingers naturally slide into his thick, red hair. His face slides down as his body turns to jello, leaning completely on top of the table in complete euphoria at the feeling of your touch. If there was a price to have your hands on him for every hour of the day, he would pay it a thousand times over. His lips part as his jaw instinctively unhinges at your undivided attention like a newborn puppy, chin angling when your fingers slide down to the side of his jaw you brush just underneath it before pulling away.  
“Eiji, I really do have to go,” you murmur, fingers retreating from his form as he lets out a low whine. One of his warm eyes opens, scowling at you playfully.
“Okay,” he sighs when you push out your chair and begin to gather your things. He places some money on the table before following you out of the coffee shop. “I’m jealous, please bring me some of your mom’s noodles. You know how much I like them, and her.“
“I will Eiji. But you’re lucky you’re not coming, because all they ever do is gush about what a cute couple we’d be and it always ends up being weird,” you trail off, nodding to yourself.
Kirishima nods too but his heart jumps at you thinking of him as an intimate partner.
“By the way, thanks for the latte. And tell Mina hello for me when you see her tonight,” you laugh with a suggestive wink.
Kirishima rolls his eyes. “You know I’m only spending the night with her to help her with her… issues."
You smack his arm and scoff. “As if that’s a burden to you! At least you’re spending the night having fun. I’m just gonna be answering the million questions my parents will be asking about you the whole time and falling asleep in my bed by myself."
“It’s not my fault I’m so lovable,” he banters, a cheeky grin splicing between his lips, trying to shake the image of you alone in bed out of his imaginative mind.
“Say that to you baku-squad,” you retort, the two of you now standing in front of the cafe as you linger before your journey to the bus station.
“Hey— wait, is that my scarf?” Kirishima asks, pretending to notice just now when he really did the moment you walked in two hours ago. But you looked so cute all bundled up in his scarf that he decided not to say anything, content to see you warm and happy in his own clothing.
“Huh? Oh, yeah,” you unwrap it from your neck and Kirishima gazes at the newly-revealed skin there with longing, forgetting about the scarf. “Eiji?"
He snaps out of it. “What? Oh— the scarf.. Keep it, I was just teasing,” he mumbles as you hook the material around the back of his neck. He’s considerably tall, massive frame towering over you so much that you have to strain your arms to fling the material onto his shoulders.
“That’s okay Eiji... you look cute in it, so wear it for Mina,” you smile half-heartedly, tugging the fabric at the ends to coil around his throat snugly. “Don’t worry about me."
“I always worry about you, Y/N,” Kirishima gazes into your eyes with a passionate longing undetectable to you. Not Mina, he wants to add.
“Well, don’t, Red, I’ll be okay. I always am,” you trace his jaw slowly with a finger before your hands fall at your sides, brushing off your coat.  
Kirishima nods hesitantly, falling into a quiet, comfortable pace beside you.  
Your boots quickly become cold as the two of you trudge through the slush from leftover snow, the bitter winter breeze chilling your nose and ears. Sooner than either of you would like, you’ve reached the bus station. Kirishima shuffles from foot to foot, arguing with himself as to if he should ask you to stay and have dinner with him instead of going on the hour-long ride to your parents’.  
“Are you sure this is okay? You don’t want me to come with you? Or I can drive you. The roads aren’t that great tonight… Mina will understand. She doesn’t— We’re not dating, you know— me and her, I mean, I only… help her as a friend.. So I can cancel, and she won’t have any issues. She has lots of other guy friends,” Kirishima reasons.
“Eiji,” you chuckle, taking your duffel bag from his hand that he’d carried for the journey here, “Mina needs you.”
But I need you, Kirishima thinks as he bites his lip. “Okay… have a safe ride then. And text me when you get there.”  
“Yes, Dad,” you laugh. You slip into his arms easily, almost naturally, and press your face against his chest beneath his wool jacket.  
Kirishima’s arms encircle you immediately, instinctively pulling you to him as his chin falls atop the crown of your head. “I’ll miss you,” he breathes.
“Don’t be weird, Eiji,” you giggle, pulling away from him much too soon for his liking. “See you tomorrow.”  
Kirishima watches you walk into the bus terminal, duffel bag in your hand with his heart unknowingly tucked deep inside of it.
Kirishima paces back and forth between the couch and the dining table. His nerves are shaky and his body uncharacteristically twitchy. He’d been smelling female wolves around the city all day while he was out with you, but he managed to ward them off with icy glares and his steel-strong self-control. It also helped that you were there to distract him, seeing as when he wasn’t with you, you were the only thing on his mind. But now that he was alone— Mina had cancelled on him to spend the night with an “old friend” that had come back to town— and he was all by himself, he was feeling the full effects of the female wolf hormones he’d breathed in for the past twelve hours.
He closes his eyes as his mind wanders to the image of you wrapped up in his scarf in the cafe; the warm scent of coffee; the condensation on the windows; your light-filled eyes on him; the scent of your freshly-washed hair… He opens his eyes, tongue running over his front teeth as he feels the evident, sharp prod of his elongated cuspids as a result of his piqued interest. He groans, feeling his eyes dilate just the slightest of fractions. He sits on the floor, sliding down the wall with a frown on his plump lips.
Kirishima watches the hands of the clock tick on the wall in front of him for a moment before he shuts his eyes and smacks his head back against the drywall, a loud whine releasing from his throat. The apartment lacks of things that could possibly captivate his attention at the moment; all he can do is think about you— your pretty face, your gentle caress on his skin just hours before. There are no messages from you and his sensitive ears long to hear the chime notification that signifies your safe arrival.  
“Just friends,” he murmurs, “just friends, just friends, just friends."
He tries to breathe in deeply to relax himself, but success quickly slips through his grasp as the scent of you lingers on the scarf casually thrown over the back of the sofa. His jaw clenches as his teeth gnash, taking in your alluring aroma. He tries to think of something— anything else, but he eventually gives up, slamming his palms flat on the hardwood floor as he pushes himself up. He lunges toward the couch, throwing himself onto the open cushions as his hands immediately find the soft cotton. He brings the material to his nose, a low moan falling from his open mouth as the intense smell floods his senses.
“Fuck,” he murmurs, readjusting his hips as he feels his body reacting swiftly to the pull of your scent. He hisses lightly as he feels the blood rush to his pants, wiggling his hips around to feel the delicious friction against his hardening erection. He rubs the inside of his thigh gently with his palm, imagining your small hand instead of his on his jean-clad length. “God, this is so fucked,” he gasps, grip strengthening on himself through his jeans. Originally his plan for the evening consisted of fucking Mina senseless and imagining it was you, but seeing as she had cancelled, this was the next best option.  
Kirishima fumbles with his belt and shimmies out of his jeans, ripping his constrictive t-shirt over his head and whipping it elsewhere into the living room. He kicks the denim off from around his ankles next, one hand holding the soft fabric of the scarf close to his nose and the other trailing toward his throbbing hard-on from the bend of his knee; how he imagines your hand would do.
A feral grunt dislodges from the back of his throat as he pictures your hair falling around your perfectly cherubic face that leans down toward his own, one hand pressing his chest down against the couch cushion and the other hand on his thigh tracing the outline of his cock straining against his briefs. His hips jerk as his forefinger runs from tip to base, his thumb sliding backwards over the previous route to caress the head of his dick gently in circular swipes. He seals his lips together by sucking in the bottom one, his canines lengthened by arousal piercing the soft flesh of the lower lip so that a metal taste floods his mouth, but he only closes his eyes and continues his ministrations.
Kirishima continues to skim the pads of his fingertips over the prominent erection that pushes against his underwear in defiance, face pressed into the back of the sofa so the cushions catch his heavy moans instead of his neighbors. He halts for a moment so he can find a throw pillow to sink his fangs into, positioning the scarf above his lip and against the pillow so it presses right against his hypersensitive nose. A strangled moan tears from him, his hand immediately returning to his leaking hard-on. It dips underneath the band of his boxers before it wraps around his width, squeezing tight. His body shakes and he sucks in a breath, squirming to lay flat against the leather of the sofa. Slowly he moves his hand up to encompass the head, a heavy snarl being lost into the throw pillow. He strokes himself teasingly, thumb trailing behind to caress the aching tip. His hips push into the cushion as his body moves to a natural rhythm, thrusting them up slightly as his fist falls back down toward his abdomen. The thick precum dribbling from his tip lathers his palm so his cock slides into it easily. His eyelashes tickle his high cheekbones as his eyes shut tighter, fingertips tracing the prominent vein on the underside of his shaft.
The sofa wheezes as he shifts, impatiently pushing his briefs down in one tug to rest on his mid-thighs. He scoots off of the sofa and onto the hardwood floor, kneeling as he places his fist onto the tabletop, lining his hips delicately before sliding his length into his firm grasp. He whimpers into the pillow, now damp with his saliva, and hunches over the table, his free arm curled underneath his broad torso. The fabric of the scarf tickles his nose but he inhales deeper, hips pushing in and out of his fist quickly. He imagines you beneath him instead of the table and his fist, moaning with him as his canines sink into your neck to mark you as his and only his. His destitute wails are swallowed by the soft pillow and the scarf as he keeps thrusting steadily, imagination running so wildly he can almost feel your legs on either side of him, pushing him further inside of you.
“Oh, Y/N,” he grunts, cuspids fully lengthened and sharpened now in desire, piercing the soft fabric of the pillow almost enough so his bottom and top teeth could touch through the plush object,” Y/N, I’m gonna—“
Knock knock knock.
Kirishima’s body stills as he opens his eyes, disappointment rushing through him at the sight of the coffee table underneath him. He wants to scream, but he just shuts his eyes, taking a breath in before sliding his hard cock out of his fist and tucking the slick inconvenience back into his boxers. His breath is labored and heavy, but he manages to find his jeans and slip them on anyway. “One sec,” he says loudly, fastening the button before hesitantly wiping his hand on the side of the denim. He can’t help but sulk as he walks over and picks his shirt up from the floor, breathing deeply and hoping his canines aren’t too obvious of an indicator as to what he was just doing… not to mention the angrily-pulsing dick resting against the inside of his thigh.  
He strides toward the door, opening it ready to tell Mina he thought she’d cancel when he’s greeted with your sweet face and the scent of Italian food. His jaw almost hits the floor as he gapes at you, dick pressing longingly against his jeans at your familiar smell, but in person it radiates off of you so strong he almost lunges at you. You’re looking up at him with those bright cheerful eyes he loves, a timid smile on your lips as you swing the takeout bag back and forth behind your back in anticipation.  
“Hi, Eiji,” you smile and set the bag on the ground next to the door before you turn around and take his tense body into your arms, throwing yourself onto him.  
A gasp rips from his throat but quickly turns into a cough, body trembling at your singeing touch. His jaw quivers as he conceals his pointed teeth, angling his thigh away from you strategically. “Y-Y/N, w-what are you doing here?” He manages to ask, lips sealing immediately once the words are pushed out.   His hands remain clenched at his sides; he’s scared that if he touches you now he won’t be able to stop.  
“There was a freak accident on the highway ahead of my bus… We had to turn back. My parents don’t mind though, they said we can reschedule. Maybe you won’t need to miss my mom’s noodles this time; you can come if you want. By the way, I brought Italian!” You smile as you pick up the bag and brush past him, leaving him standing there, looking at the door with a glare.
You move around the sofa and sit on one of the leather cushions, setting the bag onto the coffee table. “Ew Eiji,” he sits next to you stiffly, eyes widening as you reach over to the table and poke a finger into the slick trail of precum that had dribbled out of his fist just moments ago. “What is this? Do you ever clean this apartment?” You giggle, unfolding the paper bag the food had come in and wiping your finger on your skirt. “Anyway, I got food from your favorite place and made sure I got the breadsticks with the extra sauce ‘cause I know you lov—“
A quiet groan escapes Kirishima’s mouth as he puts his head in his hands— your scent, your alluring body, your heart-swelling gaze, just you, being here—it’s too much for his raging hormones.  
“Ei? Are you okay?” You ask, scooting closer and pressing the back of your hand to his forehead. He’s shaking and you don’t know why, so you bring his head to rest against your collar, just above your fluttering heart. “Eiji, you’re burning up…”  
He stays pressed against you, the desperation and torture he felt earlier suddenly fleeting and gone from his body as your own erases them completely. He swallows. It feels so good, but he knows it’s wrong. This is wrong when you’re just his friend and his dick is leaking into his underwear for you as you hold him like this.
“Get out,” Kirishima murmurs, eyes set on the paper bag.  
You still, slowly pulling him. “W-What Eiji?”  
“You need to leave,” he says through his teeth, jaw set tight.  
“Eijirou.. I don’t understand— is this how you treat someone when they bring you your favorite food?” You spit, hands curling into frustrated fists.
Kirishima ignores you, knowing he can apologize tomorrow when he’s in the right mindset but you being here with him at the moment could jeopardize your entire relationship.
“I… Is it… her? Is it Mina?” You murmur, and Kirishima’s gaze turns to you sharply at the drop in your tone. His lips part to say something to soothe your confidence as he sees it shatter. “I didn’t realize— I thought—” you breathe in sharply and shake your head, shooting up from your spot and rushing around the sofa.  
Kirishima beats you to the door, palm reaching over your shoulder to slam it just as you can get it open a sliver. He grabs your biceps, spinning you around and pressing you against the door with his hand as a cushion to break your impact.
“It’s never been Mina,” he snarls, knee splitting your legs and sliding up the gap between your thighs to press against your core; your panties and his jeans the only thing separating your center from his skin.
Your eyes widen and you gasp as his hands cup your face with care, scarlet eyes searing into your own with an intensity you’d never seen before. His pupils are dilating with every second, a black coal seemingly swallowed up by the burning fire of his irises.
“It’s you, Y/N,” he murmurs, eyes shutting into a long blink, and when they open again the red you’re used to is flooded with tendrils of electric amber and yellow. “It’s always been you, and it’ll always be you.”
You gape at him as he holds you there, against his front door, professing his love to you.
“I need you Y/N, I need you so bad it fucking hurts not being able to touch you,” he growls lowly. “If you can’t love me back, you have to leave, now. I don’t want your lust, I can smell it from here,” his honeyed eyes roll back as he takes in a whiff of the wanton-perfumed air around you, mouth parting and you watch his pink tongue slide over his elongated canines, feeling a tremor between your legs. His eyes open and they set straight on yours with a certain determination. 
“I can’t wake up next to you tomorrow and have tonight be just for friends with benefits. I love only you, Y/N,” Kirishima delivers, voice never quivering,“now tell me you feel the same, or go.”
There’s a slight fragility in his gaze that begs you not to break his heart. He peers into you at such a small distance that you can see every brilliant fleck of gold in his sinful eyes, warm ginger bursting around the outer ridges of his irises that focus solely on you. The dim lighting casts stretched shadows from his long, dark lashes; his bronzed skin glowing subtly to intensify his passionate gaze.
“Kirishima,” you place a hand on his clenched but trembling jaw, tilting your face to look him in the eye better. “You’ve been hurting all this time for no reason.”  
His scarlet gaze lights with hope and happiness. “Say it then,” he whispers, words soft and nearly begging, as if he fears if his voice is too loud he’ll wake from a dream.
“Kirishima Eijirou, I love you, too. God, I have beein in love with you for so long,” you reply, and he wastes no time as his mouth descends upon yours. He presses your lips to his passionately, hands resting on your hips and rubbing the smooth skin there underneath your blouse. You gasp as they guide your hips gently in circles against his kneecap, your mouth falling open at his forward actions. He takes advantage of your open mouth and darts his tongue in, tangling it with yours in a powerful embrace.  
His steady clutch on your waist drags your body up his clothed thigh, and a soft, unabashed moan falls from your lips at the action. The taut muscle of his leg between his jeans and your panties rubs graciously against your flustered center, making your head loll back to rest against the door.  
“Don’t do that,” Kirishima groans, a hand leaving your warm hip and tilting your head forward once again to look at him directly. His fingers trail against your smooth neck, feeling the rapid pulse beneath the tender skin. His palm curls softly around the back of your neck, pressing you closer to him as his other arm hooks underneath your bottom. You squeak in surprise and cling to him, legs wrapping around his midsection and core pressing upon his rigid erection.  
You look at him with wide eyes as he throws his head back, sucking in air harshly between his clenched jaw. “Fuck, yes,” he hisses, holding you tighter and stalking over to the sofa. He places you in between the two cushions, standing in front of you and looking down, breathing laboriously before he tilts his head back again, willing for some kind of miraculous strength to get him through the night without sealing you to him forever.
“How come you get to do that and I don’t?” You frown as he looks down at you before he crouches, his face dropping just below your own to gaze up at you.  
“Because you don’t have the urge to sink your three-centimeter canines into my throat,” his upper lip curls back as he shows you the result of his attraction to you.  
You look at him with unintentionally pouted lips, batting your eyelashes as you take in his words. Isn’t that how werewolves marry or something? You think. Kirishima had explained it all once before, one night when you were both wasted at three in the morning at some bar on the outskirts of the city.  
“God, can you look unattractive for one second while I try to pull myself together?” Kirishima groans, a hand running through his disheveled hair.
“Who said I want you to pull yourself together?” You inquire, scooting toward the lip of the cushion.  
Kirishima looks at you warily with an underlying, longing hunger before you place your hands on either side of his sharp jaw and bring his lips to yours. Your eyes close immediately and his blissfully, your hands gliding down his neck to his broad chest. You grapple onto his wide shoulders, one hand burying into the hair at the base of his neck to push him into the kiss even more.  
His throat vibrates gently with an almost-inaudible growl, and you part his tender lips with a swipe of your tongue, the pink muscle coasting in and gently feeling the warm, smooth hardness of his cuspids.
Kirishima untucks your blouse in one pull, fingers nimbly undoing each button before sliding the clothing off your shoulders and tossing it away. His hands lay strategically on your ribs, fingertips brushing the underwire of your bra just barely.  
He pulls you forward into his arms, hands splaying onto your back with delight, fingers undoing the fastening between your shoulder blades with glee. You lean into him as he flings the bra in the direction of the blouse, mouth instantly latching to your breast and tongue twirling around the swollen bud. You wail, pushing him closer as his teeth bump against your nipple and his lips grow taut with a warm smirk, depraved gaze intense as ever.
You want more than ever to throw your head back onto the top of the sofa, but you know you’re forbidden to do so. Instead, you slide your body further down onto the cushions, hips brushing against Kirishima’s torso as his mouth leaves your nipples, your face coming to a stop directly in front of his. Your hands cup his angular jaw again, coaxing his lips onto yours into an ardent kiss. His long eyelashes flutter against your blushed cheeks, his coarse hair drifting softly through your digits.  
His hands land on your rolling hips, scuttling closer on his knees so his crotch feels the steady rhythm. He hums, a primitive trembling in his throat that sounds more like a soft growl. Your hands fall to the hem of his snug t-shirt, which he gladly expels into the corner toward your blouse and bra. You lean back a bit and admire his toned form. His broad chest, pectorals curving dramatically to his wide shoulders seamlessly; the v shape tapering down to the top of his jeans; the faint trail of dark hair waning below the brass button to his jeans; the way his abdominal muscles flex with each heavy breath; the salient outline against his thigh that both he and you know aches for your attention.  
You can’t help yourself. You reach between his strong thighs, fingers skimming along the bulge mockingly. Kirishima’s head rolls full circle, hand clutching your wrist tightly as he stares into you, lips parting and hot pink tongue gliding along his white, sharp teeth. “That was very naughty of you,” he murmurs, honeyed eyes darkening to a burnt orange. Trepidation ignites in your heart, but also desire floods your senses as well as your panties.  
“Eijirou,” you breathe and his lip curls back into a snarl, a loud growl releasing from his throat. His nostrils flare and he swallows harshly.  
“Say it again,” he orders, leaning into your face.
“E-Eijirou,” it comes out as a whisper, but his sensitive ears hear the slight whine to your tone, and his cock jumps at the sound against your eager fingertips. “You like it when I say your name, Eiji?”  
His tongue runs swiftly over his lip, his eyeing your chest hips hungrily. His hand reached forward on its own accord, sliding effortlessly under the soft material of your skirt to press against your warmed, wet panties. His lips curve into a devious smirk, fangs poking out slightly as his dark, copper-tainted eyes set on yours. “Mmm, and you like it when I growl for you, baby girl?”  
“God, yes Eiji,” you answer and gulp at his overwhelming intensity. He trains his gaze to the movement of your fragile throat, tongue flicking around one canine subconsciously. A deep purr of sorts emanates from him in approval, making your legs tremble and press together around his intruding forearm.  
He smiles devilishly, white teeth glinting in the dim lighting. His other hand circles round your back, pushing your tailbone so your body slides forward on the couch, to the very edge of the cushion. His fingers nudge your thong aside, immediately met with your poignant arousal. The tips of his middle and ring finger separate your folds facilely, gliding over your entrance and clit making you bite your lip to hold in an impatient moan. “Oh baby, you’re so wet for me,” he chuckles. “If only we’d figured this out sooner.”
“Eiji, fuck,” you cry when he rubs your clit gently, your jaw trembling as you sag against his arm’s firm hold and the back of the sofa. You can’t throw your head back so you lean forward, elbows falling on Kirishima’s generous shoulders, the side of your face against his soft hair as his tongue guides a pebbled nipple into his mouth, caressing it slowly and pressing it against his teeth. You whimper pathetically, his thumb replacing his fingers as they slide down and glide half-way right into your awaiting entrance.  
He hooks the two fingers and presses repeatedly, making you shove his face closer to your breasts in pleasure. He slides them deeper, knuckles lapping against your slick entrance as his tongue works diligently on your nipple. You clench around him and moan loudly at the depth his fingers achieve, the feeling of total ecstasy near. It had been a long time since a man had touched you, and it was no where near as incredible as having Kirishima’s thick fingers rubbing inside you.
“Eijirou, that feels so—” you warn but he only picks up the pace. He leans down, tongue replacing his thumb smoothly and you almost scream. He strokes your clit fervently, tongue lapping persistently up and down as his long canines brush on either side, his fingers curling and straightening at the same pace. “Fuck Eiji— I’m seriously gonna cum,” you pant, falling back against the back of the sofa.  
He looks up at you mischievously, dark eyes alight with arousal and a touch of humor. You feel his full lips in a smirk as he wraps them around your clit, tongue lavishing it faster. One hand falls to his hair, gripping it tight as the other curls against your mouth, your eyes shutting tight as your orgasm smashes against you like a wave crashing down upon you. You moan, body quivering in Kirishima’s strong grip, wiggling pointlessly against the sofa cushions.  
Kirishima doesn’t cease until you’ve returned from your high, standing up and unfastening his jeans quickly, pushing them down and kicking them off when they reach his ankles. You sit up from your slumped position, hands landing on his thighs and traveling around to rub the backs of them in anticipation. Kirishima watches you hungrily, his thick cock longing for your attention. You lean forward, almost touching where he wants you most, before you look up at him and give him your most innocent doe eyes you can muster after having his sinful session on you just moments before. You bat your lashes and he growls loudly, fists clenching at his sides.  
“Y/N,” he advises, tone a little menacing. You tilt your head and press your lips against his erection through his briefs, a low groan sounding from above you. You kiss down toward the tip and back up to the base of his shaft before you reach up and untuck him, briefs sliding to the hardwood floor. You smirk as you look at what you’ve done to him. His dick is throbbing gently as you rest it against a palm, beads of translucent-white precum adorning the tip of the red, swollen tip. You repeat your kiss trail on his bare skin, his cock twitching at the action as you feel the vein underneath contract harshly. When you reach the base your tongue pokes out, tracing up and down the prominent vein on the underside.  
Kirishima watches you with a dark, maleficent gaze, throat tightening and a growl tumbling out when you take the head into your mouth, sucking teasingly as your tongue dances around the leaking tip. “Fuck yes, baby girl. Just like that."
You retreat with a loud pop, smiling up at him and his heart flutters in his chest at the pureness of it. With an open mouth you glide your tongue along the sides of him to slicken his entire length before your lips encompass the tip and suddenly his dick is touching the back of your throat and you don’t even seem to mind. Kirishima lets out a strangled moan of shock, watching your head bob energetically up and down his hot length. He watches you in awe for a few minutes, just dazed this is really happening and he’s not waking up abruptly like when he’d dreamt this scenario so many nights before.  
He snaps out of it suddenly, aware his cock is tensing the way it does when he’s about to cum. You’d noticed, too, at the feel of the harsh, bulging vein on the under-shaft, slowing down to a halt and leaning back to catch your breath.
“Baby you did so good,” he praises, hands cupping your face and you beam at him proudly. “Now take off your skirt for me.”  
You comply eagerly, shimmying out of the cotton garment, your thong following close behind. Kirishima smugly watches the stings of your arousal snap as your panties are thrown onto the floor, fist stroking his length slowly to keep himself at bay.
“Turn,” he instructs, other hand guiding you to face away from him,” knees on the couch, now.”  
You do as told, looking back at him over your shoulder expectantly. He smiles and steps forward, and your back arches as you feel his length glide against your dripping entrance.  
“Be a good girl for me, okay? Do not let me get anywhere near your throat, got it? If I do, I’ll sink my teeth into you so fast you won’t know what’s happening. And then you’re stuck with me for life. So watch out for yourself, baby. This is your only warning,” he murmurs, lips brushing the shell of your ear before a hand lands on your hip and suddenly he’s pushing into you, a gasp tearing from your throat as he stretches you to your capacity. When his hips bump against your ass your eyes have already rolled back in delirium, your lip falling open in shock.  
He pulls out half-way before sheathing back inside slowly, a whine releasing from your mouth. His hand remains on your hip while the other grabs a fistful of your hair, trailing out again before snapping in. The tip of his cock nestles so deep in you that tears dot along your bottom lashes; the feeling is so blissful and fulfilling that your emotions skyrocket.  
“Eijirou— oh, yes,” you whimper as he repeats the action, movements still paced and measured to help you adjust to his size.
“Feel good, baby? ‘Cuz this feels amazing for me— you feel amazing on me, Y/N,” he grunts, fingers gripping the skin of your hip tighter as he angles your face so he can see it with his other hand.  
“Yes, fuck yes, you feels so good,” you commend as the pace intensifies, making a moan spill out of you. He groans from behind you, letting go of your hair and placing his hand on your other hip to keep you steady. You clutch onto the top of the sofa tightly as he pounds into you, and you gasp as a hand leaves your hip for a moment and delivers a sharp smack to your ass, making your back arch into Kirishima’s grasp. You’re babbling now, your entire body thrumming with pleasure. “Oh god—ohgodohgodohgodohgod.”
Kirishima hisses as he watches the bright pink mark on your ass cheek tremble as his hips slam against yours, bottom lip tucked under his offending cuspids. He licks his lip to keep from drooling onto you, eyes trained on your perfect figure that he’s fucking into the sofa. Pleasure courses through his body, intensified at the sound and obvious proof of your own satisfaction as he thrusts into you quickly.  
“Again,” you lament softly, and if he hadn’t been a werewolf with keen hearing he wouldn’t have heard your request over the assaulting sound of your skin slapping against his. He delivers and slaps your other cheek sharply, a lustful mix between a gasp and a moan escaping you.  
“Fuck, you’re so sexy, baby,” Kirishima admires, smirking as you turn slightly to look at him. He grabs your shoulder and pulls your torso back, slamming it against his as his other hand wraps around your throat snugly to stop his innate temptation to leave his mark there. The other hand leaves your arm and instead bands around your waist, pressing you flush against him. His hips retreat and pound into you in the new position, and you rest your head back onto his shoulder since your neck is safe from his view with his large hand covering it.
You stare into each other as he continues, and you move your hips back as he moves his in, making each thrust more powerful. His lips find yours and they mould easily, your hand coming up to caress his jaw and press his face closer to yours.
“Eiji, your cock feels so good,” you pant between his kisses and potent strokes, “God, you’re so big.”
“Mmm, I love when you talk dirty to me,” Kirishima murmurs against your mouth, a bead of sweat trickling down the side of his face.  
It’s fucked up but his tight hold on your throat is only turning you on more, making your eyes close as each thrust feels better than the last.
“Fuck, Ei,” you groan, slouching back against his toned form as the pleasure is too great.  
“Here, baby,” he says, cock slipping out of you before picking you up, walking briskly out of the common space and into a hallway, then finally into his bedroom. He shuts the door with his foot, laying you gently onto his messy bedsheets and blankets. He rolls you over onto your stomach before he climbs on top of you, hovering above you before he slips back in with ease.  
You moan and tuck your face into the sheets that smell like him, his arms bracing on either side of your head as his forearms rest next to yours, elbows bent and fists clenched. His hips swing effortlessly into yours, making a loud, crude slapping sound echo around the room. You moan almost pathetically into the sheets, turning to lay your face to the side so Kirishima can hear your noises of pleasure. He kisses your cheek sweetly before moving to your jaw and nibbling there gently, his tempo still quick and lethal. His tip, nestled deep inside, assaults your g-spot and you purr in content at the sensation, a gasp escaping you as he plunges in a little more forcefully. His hand wraps around your throat again, lifting your head up as his lips meet yours tenderly. His tongue plays with yours gently, a stark contrast to your hips. The hold on your throat is firm but also soft, and his thumb brushes along your jawline as his fingertips push into your racing pulse.
His hand leaves you and suddenly you’re on your back, Kirishima dragging your body up the bed so your head lays on the pillows. He smiles widely before he swoops in and his lips take yours again. His cock glides right back in, and you moan loudly into the kiss as the tip brushes your g-spot at a different angle than before. Your pussy quivers around him as he picks up the pace again, one arm folding under and around your waist and the other holding your chin, elbow digging into the mattress to keep himself propped up. His kisses trail from your lips to your chin and jaw, tongue sliding out and lathering your skin gently. Your eyes open as it slides down your throat, and the slight point of his canines poke against your skin. You quickly take his head in your hands, guiding his lips back to yours.  
“Baby, I’m gonna cum,” he murmurs against your lips, eyebrows scrunched in concentration, breath heavy as his exhausted hips keep up the erratic pace against yours. He whimpers as your walls constrict around him firmly.  
“I’m close, too, Eiji,” you mumble, legs folding around his waist, your arms tangling around his torso with your hands on each shoulder blade, fingernails gripping his slick skin. One of his hands is pressed into the sheets by your shoulder, propping him up, and the other is going white on your hip from his tight hold.  
“God, you feel so fucking good,” he snarls, voice low and resonating with a growl. You watch his abdomen accordion as he flexes in and out of you with apparent effort, drops of sweat gliding down his broad chest. He throws his head back and whines as your nails dig into his strong shoulder muscles, chasing his imminent ecstasy.  
Watching his body tremble and exert itself to bring you to your euphoria pushes you toward your own climax, and the feeling of his hand on your hip and the way his lip pinches between his teeth makes your eyes roll back and your body tense as you fall off the cliff, hurtling down into the thrashing waves of your orgasm. You call his name in a strangled cry, limbs clutching onto him for dear life as the pleasure shakes through you. His hips don’t stop; plunging further into you and pushing you harder under the tides of your climax. Your body shivers and you’re so out of it you don’t notice Kirishima’s thrusts becoming volatile, his arm that had once propped his torso above yours curling beneath your back to press your torso against his.  
A growl of victory splits from deep in his throat as he approaches his own high, muscles tense in anticipation for the long-awaited prize. He shudders and suddenly his cuspids are lodged deep in your throat, and it feels like he’s just been run over by an eighteen-wheeler of ecstasy. His jaw shakes as his eyes close, abdomen convulsing as he spills deep into you in long, relentless spurts. The combination of his orgasm and his marking you almost make him pass out in an exhaustive pleasure.
Just as you’d come to from your orgasm, searing pain splices through you as Kirishima’s fangs split your skin and neck tissue, your jaw opening but no sound releasing. And just as fast as the pain had arrived, it’s replaced and you’re submerged back into the tidal waves of a new climax, making you clench and flex around Kirishima’s throbbing member that pulses into you.  
His fingers clasp the skin of your hips so strongly the skin turns white, but your own nails lodge into his shoulders to grapple him to you; the both of you holding each other as if your lives depend on it. The sheets around you are twisted and damp from your sweat, but the two of you only seem to care about each other; drifting numbly and blissfully in your shared euphoria.
After a moment Kirishima’s body sags, sliding slightly to the side of yours as his muscles stop tensing and he stops physically releasing into you. His teeth still woven deep into your neck, he doesn’t dare move his face.  
As the tides form your orgasm slowly recede, your body hums in a warm satisfaction and a certain numbness. Your hands rove over Kirishima’s expansive back soothingly, and he exhales with a content but tired moan in response.  
Very timidly, Kirishima stretches his jaw to the maximum before he pulls away from your neck, leaving your head buzzing lightly. He licks the puncture wounds instantly, enzymes in his saliva helping to start the healing process while he cleans away the scarlet blood that beads there. He ghosts a kiss over your jaw before he pulls away, smiling warily as his eyes meet yours.  
The primal amber and yellow shades are gone, leaving behind the warm red you’d fallen in love with. They cast over your face in total adoration, with a hint of fear.  
He looks away as he slides out of you, his release immediately following and forming a wet puddle on his sheets. Your cheeks flush even though it isn’t your fault, but he just smiles and presses a kiss to one of them as if silencing your unnecessary embarrassment.  
Kirishima reclines next to you, pulling the blanket at the foot of the mattress up to rest on top of the two of you. He collects you into his arms, your body weak and unprotesting. His legs entwine with yours, pressing every piece of skin he can to yours. He makes sure to be careful with your neck, kissing it gently once more before settling his face next to yours. The kiss makes the skin tingle and heat, a fuzzy warmth flooding your body as you smile shyly.  
“I told you not to let me get near your neck,” Kirishima says softly as your eyes close, eyelashes brushing over his collarbone. “Do you know what this means, Y/N?” He tries again at your silence, thinking you don’t understand the severity of the situation. His fingertips run up and down your naked spine relaxingly.  
“It means you need to work on your self-control,” you murmur, giggling quietly into his chest.
“Y/N, this isn’t a joke,” he says lowly, “I don’t kno-“
You cut him off. “It isn’t a joke, I know, Eijirou. It means we’re tied together, forever— meaning we, this, us— we’re permanent. We’re wolf-married or whatever the term is now, I know. You can never love another person again, and neither can I,” your hand rests on his pectoral, a finger tracing along his nipple so you have something to look at instead of his face. “If you can’t deal with that, I’m sorry, but I can. I’m yours, Kirishima, always have been, always will be. If you don’t want that, then I’m sorry but you just sealed your fate with mine and there’s nothing I can do about that.”
“Oh,” Kirishima exhales, blinking. The only light in the room is from the window above the desk, moonlight casting the bed in a dim white light. He shuffles, pulling your body closer to his, smiling into your hair with a stupidly happy grin. “I just wanted to make sure that’s what you want. I.. uh, I feel the same,” he murmurs against the shell of your ear giddily.  
“Good,” you reply, eyes closing as you nuzzle your face closer to his warm heart.
It’s silent for a moment before Kirishima clears his throat gently. You peek one eye open, awaiting his words.
“Um… I love you, Y/N… a lot,” he says rather nervously, gulping softly as he pauses for a response.
“I love you too, Eiji,” you kiss his chest gently, sighing contently.
“And, uh, Y/N?”  
“What, Eiji?”
“I’m glad it’s you who I’m wolf-married to.”
   ─── ・°* ゚✧:* • 。゚:*・☽・*: 。゚•*:✧ ゚*°・ ───
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when he go from wolf to puppy 🥺 thank you for reading babies <3 & pls don’t be shy to let me know if you enjoyed!! 
➥ masterlist 
𝐂𝐨𝐩𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 © 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐩𝐢 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎. 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐝.
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thegreatlibraryfangirl · 3 years ago
Text
Paper & Fire Readthrough - Chapter 12
Holy FUCK it’s been A YEAR AND A HALF since I did one of these. Wow. Ouch. Ok. The things that slip when your life goes through changes, omfg.
For the doubtless many of you who’ve never seen one of these before, this is me re-reading the series and recording feelings and theories and impressions, with a focus on my OTP Khalila/Dario.
In theory the #paper and fire readthrough tag should take you to all the preceding ones in this book, but since tumblr is tumblr, I’ll probably reblog this later with links.
I’m going to be antisocial and see how many of us have turned on Tumblr’s “shorten long posts” feature. Mainly because I get so sad when tumblrs delete and their ReadMores become impenetrable. I have no intention of disappearing lol but this is the internet and you never know.
And with all that bullshit out of the way, let’s go.
--
So, while Jess, Thomas Morgan and Glain have been struggling with converting an automaton (and Thomas’ trauma), Khalila, Dario, Santi and Wolfe have been having a nice lunch of cold meats and cheeses. LOL.
Dario is, as per usual, the person to pessimistically and pragmatically point out that Morgan’s escape plan of Translating them all out of Rome is flawed because it’s really fucking obvious. He asks Jess if his cousins could help, but that’s not an option.
“Our code is: Get caught, count yourself dead.”
Please remember that Callum Brightwell drilled that so firmly into Jess’ head that he took him to watch his own brother be executed. And then join me in wishing Wolfe had done worse to Callum than publicly shame and punch him.
Khalila asks all the good questions next, which boil down to: Where can we go? and What chance do we have of the Library not catching us?
“None,” Dario said. “Not unless we find allies, quickly. Jess isn’t willing to put his neck on the block, so someone has to.”
Pausing to SCREAM at this choice of words from Dario. Again, Jess has literally watched his brother die, though I doubt Dario knows this. Jess is the one who genuinely understands what’s at stake here, whereas Dario has just seen his chance to provide something that Jess couldn’t. Which is all he wants, really, at this point in the series.
“Dario!” Khalila grabbed for him, but he was quick, the arrogant Spaniard. He grabbed her hand instead, raised it to his lips and then pressed the back of it to his forehand as he bowed. “Don’t go!”
Adorable, help.
Dario’s only response to her is to talk about Jess. Child. Boy. Please stop being SO homoerotic and desperate about this.
Then he doesn’t come back. The group give him the full hour, where he only asked for half, and Glain, of all people, suggests stunning their captives again, but no. They’ve got to go.
On a quick side note, it’s nice to see Santi just being absolutely undeniably in charge here.
Now the good stuff. I’m not going to quote it because dear god I’d have to type out about four pages. But let’s look at some bits.
“No, I’m not going to leave Dario behind. Jess-” She tried to get him to look at her, but he couldn’t. Wouldn’t. “Jess!”
Going directly against my above point - Khalila doesn’t appeal to Santi, who’s just announced the decision, and to whom both Jess and Glain are deferring. She goes straight for Jess. That’s interesting. I think it might  be because she’s already tried to appeal to Santi and Wolfe; she tried to get them to stop Dario leaving or to chase after him, and they didn’t. So she thinks it’s Dario-and-Santi’s plan, and so she looks to the person who she knows breaks rules and devises plans all the time instead. But he doesn’t help her either.
Jess points out that Dario didn’t say where he was going. He refused to, in fact. Bearing in mind what’s coming up in the Iron Tower, it’s a nice little question mark. Is that because he didn’t want them to waste time chasing after him, or risk capture by the embassy security ... or was it because he didn’t want them to find him? Mwahahaha. Very nice.
Then Jess makes the mistake of physically restraining Khalila from running, and, oh dear Jess, why are you so constantly surprised by any time Khalila shows she’s stronger than you think?
And here we get Khalila just POURING out Dario’s inner demons here lol. The two of them must have talked about this a lot, which makes it all the more fascinating at the times elsewhere when Khalila compares them directly.
“He’s not like you! He wants to show you that he can be just as clever, just as fast, just as ...” She hit him again, this time a knee square to his family jewels, and he did let go. “Just as ruthless! And if you ever lay hands on me again, I will kill you, Jess Brightwell!”
Ok, so what’s interesting here, distracting me from talking about Jess/Khalila/Dario viibes AGAIN (the first 3 books all have hints that make me convinced that at some point in the history of her planning this was intended as a love triangle) is that Khalila is letting herself be held, here. I doubt she truly believed she would be able to get away. Outrun Jess? No.
She’s not even fighting to make him let go. Jess thinks she is, look:
He wrapped her in his arms and she fought surprisingly hard, with sharp precise blows that almost made him let go. Almost.
He looks at Glain for help and she just folds her arms. Why? She doesn’t want Khalila to put herself in danger either. If there was any real danger of Khalila breaking free, Glain would help, yes, but why is Glain just watching this too?
When Khalila WANTS to be freed, as we’ve just seen, she just knees him in the balls. And on the word “ruthless”, at that. And then she threatens to kill him if he does it again.
She doesn’t attack Wolfe, and she doesn’t attack Santi. So what’s going on here? This is essentially Khalila losing her temper. No-one will help her save Dario, which she takes as a moral failing, and then Jess tries to physically stop her. Jess, who is a postulant not a teacher so less intimidating, Jess who she surely knows has a soft spot for her a mile wide and yet still won’t help her, Jess, the very reason that Dario ran off like that. So she hits him and she shouts that it’s all HIS fault, and then once she’s finished with that she shrugs him off with one well-placed knee. And a death threat.
She doesn’t lose her temper much, but oh when she does it explodes!
And the Glain thing? GLAIN AGREES. Poor, poor Jess. he’s not superhuman and it’s not actually his fault that Dario imprinted on him as a role model in Ink and Bone. But his friends think he can make a difference, or at least that he should try.
And here we see Khalila’s rage, verbalised at last:
“Her face was set and terrible, her eyes like dark pits, and she met no-one else’s gaze as she nodded. “Then let us run,” she said, in a voice drained of anything but anger. “Run and hide, like frightened rabbits.”
Jess is already wondering whether Dario just ran off to save his own skin. Whether he’s actually selling them out to the Library. Nice seeds laid for the betrayal later.
Ah, forgive me an off-topic moment:
Morgan walked next to Wolfe, like a favoured student or a fond daughter.
I live for Dad Wolfe& daughter Morgan vibes okay????
Obviously there is no Dario for the rest of this chapter lol, while they fight their way into the Basilica to try and Translate away to London.
Worldbuilding note: Jess notices that the Translation Chamber and the torture room in the prison underneath are the same shape.
Second worldbuilding note: Jess and Glain Translated into Rome from a Serapeum in Darnah. In our world, that’s in Libya. We see Libya mentioned once more in the series, in Sword and Pen, so I think we can assume Libya is allied to Alexandria.
And oh! The heartbreaking moment when Morgan realises Keria has utterly outplayed her, and that the only place they have left to go is the Iron Tower.
--
Okay, those sure are some words! Maybe I’ll get to the end of this book eventually??
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ynscrazylife · 4 years ago
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i’m really interested with what you expressed about wanda/elizabeth olsen! could i make a small lil blurb request to see the faceclaim and differences in writing? like idk maybe wanda being teased over crushing on reader? 🥰
Yes of course!
Happy Chanukah!
Summary: Wanda teaches Y/N about Chanukah and they celebrate the first night. It leads to Wanda admitting her crush on Y/N. (This is just some soft fluff)
Note: I am Jewish so I really enjoyed writing this request! I have written Wanda and Natasha as being Jewish so Natasha can tease Wanda on her crush on Y/N.
Please read this announcement to learn about my MCU Wanda Maximoff portrayal! I will also be making another small post about that portrayal which should come out soon.
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Y/N bounced around the Avengers tower, thinking to herself. It was the first day of Chanukah and while Y/N didn’t celebrate, she knew her friends and teammates Wanda Maximoff and Natasha Romanoff did. Y/N couldn’t help but let her curiosities fly for the holiday and the Jewish religion. She had learned and educated herself when she was in school and researching online, but she wanted to know and see more, which was why she was looking for Wanda and Natasha. They were both Jewish and Y/N knew they’d be celebrating Chanukah. 
“FRIDAY,” Y/N finally said with a huff. The tower was far too big and she had been searching for awhile now. “Where’s Natasha and Wanda?” 
“Ms. Romanoff and Ms. Maximoff are currently in the dining room, Ms. Y/L/N,” The A.I replied.
Y/N facepalmed. Why didn't she check there? The Avenger spun around on her heels and made her way to the dining room.
Walking in, she saw her friends at the table with a Menorah. They both looked up, seeing her enter. 
Y/N gave them a sheepish smile. “Uh, hi,” she said meekly. “I know tonight is the first night of Chanukah and I’ve always wanted to learn more about other religions so I wondered if I could, I dunno-”
The two seemed to catch on to what Y/N was struggling to phrase. “Yes, of course, I’d love for you to celebrate with us,” Wanda cut in, a large grin shining on her face. 
Y/N smiled happily and sat down. 
“Let’s begin with the story of Chanukah,” Natasha said, and then nodded to Wanda to tell it. 
Wanda gave both women smiles and began. “The Chanukah holiday lasts for 8 days. The short version of the story is that the Jews were given two options by the Syrian King: convert or die. They renamed a Jewish temple after the Greek God Zeus. The Jews, led by Judah Maccabee, had a resistance and started fighting against the Syrians. When they entered the temple to reclaim it, they found an oil jar which was expected to last for only one day. They needed more oil and someone was sent to get it. That person was gone for eight days and, by a miracle, the oil jar lasted for eight days, giving us Chanukah,” she said. 
Y/N smiled fondly, leaning back in her seat. She had heard of the story of Chanukah before, and despite that was captivated by Wanda’s retelling. Not only was the redhead Y/N’s close friend, but she was her crush. I mean, how could she not have a crush on the all-powerful Scarlet Witch?
“Now we’ll say the prayer and then light the candle for the first night,” Natasha said. 
Y/N nodded. She knew of the prayers to but thought she’d listen to Natasha and Wanda say it and then recite it herself, not wanting to butcher the pronunciation. 
“Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tsivanu l’hadlik ner shel Hanukkah,” Wanda said, and then Y/N, Natasha, and Wanda all said it together. 
Natasha then rose from her seat and grabbed the candle sitting in the middle of the Menorah, the Shamash, and lit it, and then used it to light the first candle and put it back in its proper place. 
“Wanda, can I speak to you for a moment?” Natasha then asked, turning to the younger woman who nodded and followed her. Y/N smiled at them both and decided to busy herself by watching the flickering flames.
“What’s up?” Wanda asked as they walked into the kitchen, right next to the dining room. 
Natasha shut the door and turned to Wanda, smirk. “I think you have a crush on Y/N,” she teased in a sing-song voice.
Wanda’s eyes widened and she was quick to shush the spy. “I do not,” she argued, putting empathizes on the ‘not’.
Natasha raised her eyebrow. “Oh? Then why are you shh’ing me?” She pointed out, casually crossing her arms. 
Wanda huffed, looking anywhere but at Natasha, clearly flustered. After a couple moments of struggling to find the right words, she made up her mind. “I’m going to go talk to Y/N,” she said matter-of-factly, before marching back into the dining room, finding Y/N sitting in the same exact spot. 
“Hey,” Wanda greeted, her voice quieter, coming up behind Y/N and sinking into the chair next to her. 
Y/N looked over at her, snapping out of her thoughts, and smiled. “Hi,” she said. 
“I have something I want to tell you,” Wanda said after a moment of thinking, sitting forward and propping her elbows up on her knees. 
Y/N raised her eyebrows, intrigued, and nodded for Wanda to continue. 
Wanda let out a breath, closing her eyes and giving her a pep talk in her mind, and decided to just spit it out. “I like you, Y/N. As in, I have a crush on you.”
Y/N blinked, stunned into momentary silence. This was the last thing she expected Wanda to say, but as the shock disintegrated, happiness set in. She returned Wanda’s feelings and covered her lips with her hand to hide her smile. 
“Wanda,” Y/N said, forcing her excited self to calm down. The redhead’s head snapped up to look at her, hope in her eyes. “I like you, too.”
Natasha smirked, watching from the doorway, like a proud momma. Her ship has sailed. 
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maeve-writes · 3 years ago
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Little Red Corvette
Pairing: TFATWS!Bucky x Reader
Rating: 18+; Minors DNI
Warnings: Fluff, some angst, public sex, slight praise and daddy kink.
Summary: Bucky finds happiness in fixing up classic cars. He has his sights set on one in particular. When he can’t find it, you make it your mission to do whatever it takes to get it.
a/n: This is written for @buckyblues 4k Follower Challenge. (Congrats again!) I chose Little Red Corvette by Prince. Normally I’m inspired by lyrics, but the idea of Bucky in a sexy red two seater with a pretty lil’ thing next to him made me weak. I wanted this to be straight up smut but feelings got in the way.
This is not beta’d. Forgive any mistakes!
-
When Bucky came to terms with his new life, found some peace in a world without Soldat looming over his shoulder, he found solace in his tinkering. He would often take apart whatever technology he could find to see how it worked only to put it together again. It was therapeutic, a constant reminder that things were never broken for long, someone would always be there to fix it.
You were the one to piece him back together. Sam helped, too, of course, tightening any loose screws you may have missed, but you did all of the heavy lifting. You found out what made Bucky work, what parts needed replacing and you fixed him. He would never be the original James Barnes, but no one ever stayed the same, and you didn’t want him to be. You liked the man you woke up next to every morning, who blinked at you with sleep hazed eyes and pressed lazy kisses across your face. You loved the man that ravaged you at night, on any surface, buried as deep as he could go so he could become a part of you, to feel you against his soul.
While you found his tinkering irksome at times, especially when he would steal the coffee maker or microwave when you were in a rush to get to work and just need to zap fry breakfast and fill up your thermos, it was mostly endearing to see his nose scrunched up in concentration as he disassembled things with childlike fascination. 
What broke you was when you flopped down on the couch with controller in hand and no console to receive its signal. 
Storming into the garage, you slammed open the door to find him hunched over his work bench. “James,” you hissed through clenched teeth. You could see his muscle tense underneath the grey henley he had on, his breathing stilled. Only two women ever used that tone with him, one was his mother, the other was you, and he wasn’t sure which he was more afraid of. When he didn’t answer, you leaned against the door frame and glared at the large frame of his back. “Care to tell me where my PS5 is?” 
His shoulder dropped slightly and he dared to look over it at you. Bucky had seen death, had seen war, had seen the near end of the universe itself and nothing made his blood run colder than the receiving end of your icy stare. “I’ll put it back together,” he offered. The grinding of your teeth made him flinch and he dropped his tools to cross the room and make things right.
It took two months to find a replacement for your beloved PlayStation. How could he have known how hard it was to find one in stock? Even when it came in and he hooked it back up for you, you still held out one more day before you finally caved and forgave him with a two day fuckfest that ended with a proposal that Bucky moved on from electronics to cars.
He took the suggestion and ran with it. The next day he and Sam went to the junkyard to find a good frame with potential and towed it back with that bright, genuine smile of his and an eagerness to get started. He spent days on the internet ordering parts, looking up facts on what modern modifications worked best, and watched video after video of reviews on classic sports cars.
You found him in the garage most nights when his dreams became too much and he didn’t want to wake you. Some nights you would bring him snacks with a kiss and leave him to his work. Other nights you would climb behind him on his bench, wrap your arms around his waist and sleep against his back. Either way, you allowed him to work because that’s what Bucky needed.
When he wasn’t off on a mission or wrapped up in you, he was researching cars or fixing them. After one was finished from the base up, he’d give it away or offer it to a charity auction, then start all over. He had his favorites, every “car guy” did, and he also had his white whale.
One night you felt him crawl up your body impressively hidden behind the spread of your book. You lifted a curious brow but before you could lower your novel, he shoved his tablet in your face as he took a seat on your thighs. “Every time I try to find one, someone snatches it away,” he told you, voice a little huffy as if he was seconds away from a tantrum. 
“It can’t be that hard,” you tutted, tucking your book away to help him with his search. It turned out that it was incredibly hard to find any sort of form of his new obsession. Every post that either of you found had been sold or had a sale pending. Even body frames were hard to come by, much to your luck. “I’m sorry, babe, but we’ll find one soon.”
Bucky resigned himself to finding a filler car. While he was still enthusiastic about fixing up something new, you could tell his heart was set on it - the 1965 Corvette Convertible, specifically, Rally Red in color. There wasn’t much that your man asked for in life, even though it owed him so much, so for him to yearn for one thing so much and not be able to obtain it, it upset you.
So, you were going to make it happen. 
You spent your days working as usual and your nights searching for his coveted car. Your browser was filled with tabs, each watching car auctions, only to be outbid on all of them. Frustrated, you flipped on your VPN, opened up your TOR browser and dipped into the dark web to dig deeper. It wasn’t your first time going through back channels to get what you wanted and it wouldn’t be your last. If it would make Bucky happy, it would be worth the risk.
Two weeks later you told Bucky you would be working later than usual. You had been playing up a huge project at work and the deadline was coming closer. He, of course, hated when you were out past dark without him, but he never vocalized his concerns because he knew the bite he would receive in return. You could take care of yourself, he knew that, but he would still worry because that was his job.
You took an Uber from work to meet the seller at the small airport on the edge of the city. The man was from Germany and specialized in vintage cars; if he didn’t have one you wanted, he’d find one for a hefty price, of course. But any amount was worth your man’s happiness, at least that’s what you tell yourself as you held the small bag of cash in your hand as you crossed the airfield.
Sitting outside what you assumed to be a private jet was the cherry red two seater, top already down and looking as beautiful as the picture you saw online. Yeah, it was going to be worth every penny. “Jonas,” you asked as you approached the man standing cross armed next to the car. He towered over you by at least a full foot and a half and was just as wide. His dark eyes watched you approach, a curious flint sparked in them.
“Yes. You are early,” he noted. He held out a beefy hand and you placed the money in it. “Not one for pleasantries, hmm?” His laughter echoed across the runway and you offered him an amused smile. “Your man is a lucky one.” His other hand was held out, this time with the keys to the car. “For you to meet a complete stranger in the middle of the night, it is dangerous, no?”
You narrowed your gaze and lifted a brow. It seemed your look was enough of an answer because Jonas gave you another laugh. “A woman of very little words, I like you. We will do business again, yes?” It was a statement rather than a question. “Enjoy.”
He swept an arm toward the driver seat and you slid inside. With a turn of the key, the car purred to life and a smile grew on your face. You revved the engine twice, nodded to the man a few feet away before you sped towards your house to give Bucky his gift. 
When you got home, he wasn’t there. You found a note left on the kitchen counter: Beers with Sam. -B
Normally you wouldn’t mind him going out because you were happy that he would be even willing to leave the house, but to only leave a note and not text you seemed worrisome.
You pushed any more negative thoughts out of your mind and headed to take a shower. By the time you got out and headed back to the kitchen to make yourself a quick sandwich, Bucky was home, sitting on the counter and watching you. “Hey, handsome, how’s Sam?” You leaned up to kiss him, but it wasn’t returned. “Something wrong?”
“You weren’t at work,” Bucky said evenly. “We stopped by to grab you dinner and you weren’t there.”
Your skin heated and you sighed. “Bucky, I can explain-“
He cut you off with a dismissive wave of his metal hand. “Don’t bother. If you’re seein’ someone else, you can just tell me.”
You recoiled like he slapped you across the face. “James,” you snapped, which caused him to tense up, “I would never, ever even dream of being with anyone but you.” You forced your way between his legs and cupped his face in your hands to make him look at you. “You are all that I want and no one will ever compare to you. Don’t ever say that again, okay? You’ll break my heart.”
He didn’t say anything, not for a few minutes, and neither did you. All he could do was stare into your eyes and see the truth in them. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“It’s okay, I know why you did,” you assured him and pressed another kiss to his lips, this time you received one in response. “Now, can I tell you why I wasn’t at work?” He nodded once, a tiny glint of worry still lingering in his eyes. “Well, I’d rather show you.”
You stepped away from the counter and pulled him along with you. With his hand in yours, you led him to the garage and flipped on the light with a, “Ta-da!”
“Oh, darlin’,” he breathed as he let go of you and stumbled into the room towards the car, all of the fear, worry and angst melting away instantly. “How did you-“ You pinched your forefinger and thumb together and twisted them in front of your pursed lips. He rolled his eyes but smiled and gestured to the driver seat.
“All yours, handsome,” you winked and hit the button to open the garage door.
He shook his head and patted the seat next to him, “You’re comin’ with me.” When you protested saying you were in your night clothes, he waved it off. “We’re just goin’ for a drive, sweetheart, nothin’ to dress up for.” You joined him with a reluctant sigh and flopped into the passenger seat. 
When the key turned and the engine purred, Bucky let out a pornographic moan. You turned to him, brow perked. “Sweetheart,” he rasped, “you have no idea what this car does to me.” Your eyes flickered to the quickly growing bulge in his jeans before his deep chuckle caught your attention, “Or maybe you do.”
He reached over to pinch your chin between two metal fingers before crashing his lips against your own. His tongue fought its way inside of your mouth and licked sinfully against the roof of it. “Buckle up,” he whispered against the gasp you released as he sat back.
Lightheaded, you did as instructed and watched him adjust the mirrors and lights before he pulled out of the garage and sped down the driveway and through the neighborhood. His face was bright in the evening light, his smile outshone the moon. “You’re gorgeous,” you told him breathlessly, and you would have most likely not been heard over the wind whipping around you by any other person, but your super soldier caught every syllable and flushed at the compliment.
He took your hand into his and brought it to his lips, kissing each knuckle before it came to rest on his thigh. You could feel the happiness radiating off of him, seeping into your own pores and filling you up until your lips turned up into a matching smile. “What’re you thinkin’ about,” he asked you, flicking his attention from the road to you and back again.
“You,” you replied, “always you.”
The smile on his face grew and he squeezed your hand once more. He found a new happy place, one outside of your shared home, one not between your legs. It was there, in that car, racing free down the open road with his best girl in the seat next to him. “I’m thinkin’ about you, too,” he said as his hand guided yours towards his lap.
“Mr. Barnes,” you gasped playfully but allowed him to rest your hand against his tented jeans, “we can’t do this, it’s sinful.”
“Live a little, darlin’,” he played along, forcing you to squeeze him which caused him to groan.
You pinned your bottom lip between your teeth and rubbed at him over his clothes, feeling the heat of his arousal coming off him in burning waves. Your fingers worked open the button of his pants and with a little maneuvering, you were able to fish out his cock, hard and thick, violently red and dripping with need. His hiss as it hit the cool air caused you to jump back for a moment, but his needy whimper drew you back again. “I swear to god, Bucky, if you crash and kill me, I’m going to haunt you,” you warned him.
He blinked, taken aback by the rather brash statement, about to ask what you meant by that but you were already unbuckled, bent forward and taking him into your mouth. “Oh fuck,” he groaned, metal hand gripping the steering wheel tight enough to pop the stitching on the leather coating. 
Your tongue swirled around his tip, gathering what leaked out before you flattened your tongue and took more of him in. He was thick and long, hard to take all at once, but you had learned from many hours of practice just how to get all of his glorious cock down your throat. Your hands worked what wasn’t wet with your tongue yet as you bobbed up to suck on his head and relax your jaw. “Feels like heaven, sweetheart,” he cooed above you, his free hand bundling up your hair to keep it out of the way. “Fuck, your mouth works my cock so good.”
Delighted at his praise, you hummed in return that sent sparks to his core. You took more of him in, nearly all of him, with your cheeks hallowed and your tongue dancing along his skin. More praise fell from his lips, encouraging words and filthy promises, you almost forgot you’re in the car until the tires started to hit the bumps along the white line - an indication that Bucky was veering off of the road.
You pulled off of him much to his disappointment and saw that he parked along the side of the road. “What’re you doing,” you asked, wiping your spit away with the back of your hand. 
“You told me not to crash,” he shrugged and undid his seatbelt. “Now get over here and ride Daddy’s cock.”
The words hit you dead center and you nearly collapsed from how weak and needy they made you. “We seriously can’t do this, Buck, anyone can come by and see.”
“That’s livin’, darlin,” he replied. His flesh hand wrapped around his cock and started to pull on it, staring at you with half lidded eyes and a groan rumbled in his throat. “Are you gonna just sit there and stare or are you gonna enjoy the ride?”
Absently, you licked your lips and watched his hand work himself and honestly felt a little jealous of it. That was your cock, it was your responsibility to make it feel good. Thoughts of getting caught and thrown in jail over public indecency were thrown out of the window and you crawled over to him, losing your sleep shorts on your way over.
“No panties? That’s my good girl,” Bucky grinned, his hand moved from himself to your hips as you climbed into his lap. “Been thinkin’ about this pretty pussy all day.” He hungrily licked his lips and reached between your bodies to run his fingers through your folds, drawing a gasp from you. “Absolutely soakin’, hm? Been thinkin’ about me, too?”
You nodded, your pussy clenching around nothing as Bucky’s fingers teasingly danced around your hole. “Daddy,” you whined, desperate for any sort of attention, “please?”
“What do you need, sweetheart,” he purred, his thumb ghosting over your clit as your slick began to run down your thighs. 
“You, Daddy,” you answered, hoping that was enough. “All of you. Only you.”
Bucky seemed to be happy with that and slid two thick fingers inside of you. “Such a greedy little pussy,” he hummed, slowly pulling them out again as you whined above him. “You need to be filled, don’t you, baby? My fingers won’t be enough.”
Your teeth dug into your bottom lip once more, threatening to draw blood, when you shook your head in response. “Need your cock,” you told him. “Please.”
“Always askin’ so nicely, sweetness, how could I deny you?” He twisted his fingers inside you one last time before he held himself steady so you could line up. “Sink down on Daddy’s cock like a good girl.”
You steadied yourself with one hand on the headrest of his seat and the other was used to guide his tip towards your core. Once he slipped inside, your hand shot up to grip at his shirt as you lowered yourself with satisfied moan which was nearly drowned out by Bucky’s. “Too big,” you sighed, seated and feeling stretched and full.
“But you’re takin’ it, darlin’,” he smiled up at you, his skin flushed and covered in a thin layer of sweat. “You’re doing so good.” You preened at his compliment and returned his smile. “You move when you’re ready.”
You took the time to adjust to angle and his size, leaning down to exchange a lazy kiss. When you parted for air, you shifted your weight to wrap your arms around his neck and raised your hips to slide up his cock only to slam back down with a moan.
“Is that how you’re gonna to play it, sweetheart,” he asked breathlessly. When you replied with the same harsh roll of your hips, Bucky growled and his hands found your hips. You could feel the bite of his grip against your bone, you knew the bruises it would bring in the morning, but it would be worth it. “Can’t have a nice, slow fuck in the car, can we? My girl needs it hard and rough.”
He shifted his legs to plant his feet firmly on the floor of the car and started to meet your hips with a harsh snap of his own. Delighted at the feral snarl that curled his lips, you increased your speed, bouncing on his thick thighs as he fucked up into you, a growl erupting from him with each meeting of your hips. “Yes,” you gasped, “that’s it, Daddy. Just like that.”
“Yeah, I know how my dirty little girl likes it,” he grunted over the sound of your skin slapping and your slick sex sucking him in. “I can hear how much she likes it.”
Your head fell forward as he pounded up into you, the lewd squeak of the seat joined the chorus of your moans. “So close,” you told him.
But he already knew by the way you fluttered around him, coaxing him toward his own end. His metal hand left your hip and moved between you to seek out your swollen bud. “Gonna cum for me, good girl,” he asked. You tried to answer, tried to nod, but the way his hips shoved up into you and the cool metal against your heated sex that rubbed desperately at your clit was far too much.
A delicious snap came from within you and spread a white hot fire throughout your body. You came with his name on your lips, a desperate, holy cry. And he wasn’t far behind, a few hard thrusts and he spilled into you, whispering praise and adoration.
You stayed joined until the mess between your legs became itchy and the bugs started to swarm from the sweat on your bodies. “Best mill and half I’ve ever spent,” you sighed happily, lifting off of his lap.
“Wait, how much?!”
28 notes · View notes
birdsong-18 · 3 years ago
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i’m bored so i’m going to be playing a game called:
“reading my old badly-written fanfictions off of wattpad and reacting in real time on tumblr”
percy jackson and harry potter crossover
we’re going to have fun here (lol jk)
i'll be updating the post so my dash isn't clogged with reblogs lol.
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good start, remember disclaimers?
also, no it's not edited you LIE
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mmmmmm spelling errors
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wow, i wonder if that's a reference to something, wowowowow
alright, headcount of how many time's i've misspelt McGonagall in this fic: McGonnagle
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I JUST DID THAT TO NICO, HUH? also peek the comments yelling at me
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my description of harry from percy’s perspective is genius, thank you 12 year old me for giving me a chuckle
(also nico just called the train a “choo choo” thought that line deserved a special mention)
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this whole page has me in tears, i'm not sure if i want to laugh or cry probably both.
McGonigal
McGonnagle
McGonagal
hermione’s now sus of the pjo crew, and the sorting hat just fucking cried because of their traumatizing past, i did that huh
“Le talking hat” was also the name of the chapter
Thalia vs. Percy vs. Ron eating contest with Hermione looking on in dismay? i have only created the most quality of content in my life.
McGonagle
I made the DADA teacher a fucking... daugher of Athena.... i’m going to murder myself this is so stupid whyyyyyy
and she’s teaching sword fighting instead of magic i HATE MYSELF
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NOT THE GOOGLE TRANSLATE GREEK
haha the golden trio was spying on them having demigod talk and then Nico could see through the invisibility cloak and they’re just like :o
i love how wattpad commenters are trying to correct my spelling. honey, this is wattpad if you want good fanfiction read on ao3
HA there’s a book about pjo crew in the restricted section of the library (why?)
Percy started a food fight, good for him honestly
McGonagle
McGonigall (this is honestly a joke at this point I don’t think I’ve spelt her name correctly once)
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Annadesiese
McGonagle
McGonigall
Percy, Thalia, and Annabeth are passing a note in Transfiguration challenging eachother to spell onomatopoeia and Percy spelt it wrong even though it was literally spelled for him. That is a good comedic moment.
MCGONAGALL FINALLY!
and we’re back to McGonagle
Mcgonagall just gave Percy and Harry detention as well
Percy wrote in ancient greek accidentally and they had to go to Dumbledore (who is a legacy for some reason?) to make sure that the secret of them being demigods was safe. This plot is so dumb, why do they need to be kept a secret??? To be fair there is no plot
obligatory Thalia is a tree joke was made
Annabeth made perfect Felix Felicis first try: girlboss
Jesus fucking christ I made Athena a teacher. Time to smash my head into a wall.
and i made the text book A Demigod’s Guide to the Greek Gods FUCK. ME.
Nico just straight up told Dumbledore that he’s going to die, as he should
Percy converted Ron into a Blue Cookie stan.
NoT PERcY KNoWinG a CONstELLaTION foR aRITHmaCY
HA Percy just fell off the fucking arithmacy tower into the lake
him surviving that fall is the way the wizards found out no i hate this
they’re so chill about it as well and there are no consequences for finding out they’re demigods why were them being demigods a secret in the first place WHY DID THEY STAY A SECRET?????
they dressed up for halloween fuck mamahhmnkahhh
Dumbledore gets stabbed by the manticore, good good
ANNABETH GOT FUCKING OWL POWERS FROM A WEAPON SHE BORROWED FROM HER MOM TO FIGHT THE MANTICORE. WHY. I. HUH?
oh, of course they SUMMONED APOLLO TO HEAL DUMBLEDORE because i just had to have the gods show up in this book. huh? yeah? did ya like that middle school me?
HA he’s still going to die with Apollo’s help lololol even the gods can’t save him now
Mr. D showed up and is dragging, and I quote “Annabelle Cheese, Peter Johnson, Temmy Germs, Nick DiAmon, Henry Petter, Ronil Waslib, and Hemyone Gramcracker” back to CHB with him.
Camp’s being attacked by monsters, wow there’s suddenly plot.
The last few chapters I wrote when I was slightly older, so they’re not as bad as the first few (still cringe though). 
I FORGOT I FROZE TIME PHHHT
Last chapter before I just abandoned the fic.
I FORGOT I ADDED MY OC AND MADE HER EVIL HA GIRLBOSS MOMENT
well, the last chapter i left with my oc bringing Kronos back from the dead and there’s actually a kind of cool concept, too bad the rest of the fic is trash and i was never motivated to finish.
fin
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crusherthedoctor · 4 years ago
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Crusher Elaborations #1: Thoughts on the Aesthetic of Sonic’s World
If someone came up to me and asked “Which do you prefer, Classic Sonic or Modern Sonic?”, my answer would start off with “Well, technically Classic Sonic because...”, and then I'd get cut off by the other person immediately lecturing me on why I'm wrong and why I'm the worst kind of fan imaginable. Should they finish their rant, I would then explain to them in the midst of them basking in their flock of easy Twitter likes that I didn't necessarily mean it in the way they predicted.
If we were talking about the games, the characters, or the character design, I'd be fairly neutral, since I like both halves equally for the most part. In fact, when it comes to characters, Modern might actually have the edge believe it or not, since the sheer number of characters introduced from SA1 onwards naturally means a lot of my favourites were introduced from that point on, such as Tikal, Rouge, Gamma, Omega, Blaze... But then again, Classic introduced Eggman and Tails, and the Hard-Boiled Heavies are technically Classic as well despite being relatively new...
Anyway, the point is, I'm not talking about any of that today. I'm talking about the world that Sonic and his multicolored chums live in. Or rather, the aesthetic of it.
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NOTE: This is purely about the game universe. While I do have my thoughts on Sonic’s world as presented in other continuities, that won’t be the focus here.
If you're familiar with my blog, you'll know that as a general rule of thumb, I much prefer colorful and creative worlds in my Sonic universe, and that rings true for my reasoning here. And I know what you're gonna say: “But Crusher, isn't there plenty of that in the Modern games as well?” Yes, there is, and I appreciate them very much. But this is why I feel the need to make a post of this sort to begin with, because I'm NOT saying “Classic cool, Modern boring” and calling it a day. There's a little more nuance to my tastes here.
When I say I prefer the Classic aesthetic for Sonic's world, I don't mean it in the literal sense of disregarding everything about the Modern aesthetic. Let's put it like this: when you're asked to paint a picture of these two sides of Sonic's universe in your head, a specific image will likely come to mind. When you think of Classic, you'll probably think of Green Hill first and foremost, whereas with Modern, you'll probably think of something like City Escape or Rooftop Run before anything else. In other words, when you think Modern Sonic, you're probably imagining the more realistic kind of locations first. And between the two mental images that come to mind, I personally prefer the Classic image. Shock, horror.
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I wish I could swim in a sea that’s probably radioactive.
Now keep in mind, I'm not saying that City Escape, Rooftop Run, and all similar environments in the series look bad, because they don't. Unless they're painted with the '06 brush, they generally look fine, and the locations in Unleashed in particular are undeniably beautiful from an graphical standpoint. The problem is that although I can picture this as a world that Sonic could be in, I can't necessarily picture it as Sonic's world specifically. Because when it comes to the more realistic environments, I feel there's not much of an attempt to let it branch out as its own thing.
I know that might seem harsh, especially for Unleashed, since the real world angle was the deliberate theme of that game. And Sonic taking cues from real places is a fine concept, there's no issue there. I'm not gonna complain if there's a France Zone with an Eiffel Tower in the background. In fact, Sandopolis Act 1 has one of my favourite aesthetics in a Classic zone (mainly because the background is really pleasant to look at), and that zone is essentially Egypt Zone. But if you're making a Real World Zone, there needs to be more to it than that, otherwise you don't truly get a Sonic interpretation of our world... you instead have our world as it is with Sonic characters awkwardly stapled on.
When I look at City Escape, it may not be completely unfitting for Sonic (the posters and billboards in particular are actually a really nice touch), but when I look at it, I don't see Sonic's interpretation of San Francisco. I see San Francisco with Sonic shoved in. When they morph these places to Sonic's liking, they'll add rings, loops... and that's it. They rarely take the concept any further, which is a huge shame, particularly in the case of Rooftop Run, where I otherwise do like its visuals a lot, but it just doesn't go far enough with the concept for my liking.
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At least you get to murder car owners, and give G.U.N. a legitimate reason to arrest you.
So which Modern games do I feel did the best job at making Sonic's world... er, Sonic's world? Well the truth is, most of them actually do a decent job in this area, regardless of the level design quality or the game’s quality period. SA2 has Pumpkin Hill, Eggman's Pyramid Base, and... SOME levels aboard the A.R.K (mainly the “outside” ones, like Final Rush). Shadow the Hedgehog, a game that reveled in how brown and gritty it was, still had highlights like Circus Park and Digital Circuit. Even '06 of all games had Aquatic Base, which was pretty cool from a conceptual standpoint. And although Unleashed as a whole might be a touch too vanilla in the creativity scale, it still had the glorious Eggmanland at the very end. But if I had to say which of the Modern installments did the best job overall...
- For starters, I'm gonna give a shoutout to SA1, because even though it was the first Modern game, and thus it was technically responsible for the more focused angle of realism in Sonic's world in the first place, it didn't take it quite as far as later games would, and although it may not be a perfect 1-to-1 representation of the world we saw in the Classic games, it does well enough with what it brings to the table that I can still accept it without any issue at all. Some of that has to do with the fact that you still have wilder areas like Windy Valley and Red Mountain to balance things out, but even with the other half, the game's use of colour is enough for it to go a long way, oddly enough. Take the At Dawn section of Speed Highway for instance:
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From innocent times, when the radar wasn’t a piece of shit.
Technically, it's really not that different to the urban environments you see in SA2 or Unleashed. But something about the sleepy morning approach gives it a subtle, almost dream-like edge to it that I really dig, and despite it being pretty similar to the likes of City Escape, somehow I have an easier time buying into the idea of this place being part of the same world as zones like Sky Sanctuary.
And seeing how I already mentioned Red Mountain, let me compare it to Flame Core:
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Yes, I know bringing '06 into this discussion at all is inherently and hilariously unfair, but let's put aside the game that Flame Core comes from for a moment. Aside from maybe the purple crystal caves indoors (and that's assuming you can even see where the fuck you're going in there), Flame Core is pretty boring to look at as far as Sonic levels go. Red Mountain is vastly more interesting, even though it's basically the exact same concept, and a lot of that has to do with - you guessed it - colour. Sure, it's day time, that's one thing, but you'll also notice that for a lava/mountain stage, it surprisingly has a few grassier sections, sort of like Hill Top in that regard. A little bit of green among the brown and red, and a great contrast to the volcanic nightmare you'll experience when you head inside.
Now this might seem like a fairly minor detail... and yeah, it is, but the thing that SA1 does so well is that it combines so many of those small details to make a complete, well-rounded package. This is why SA1 meshes well with the Classic style despite not being an exact replica, because just as the Classics excelled at, it wasn't afraid to use colour in interesting ways. It understood that a fire level could have more than just red and orange, in the same way that a grassy level could have more than just green and blue.
But of course, as I mentioned, SA1 is not an exception. There are other Modern games that did a great job on the whole...
- Heroes is an obvious answer, since it's translation of Genesis-style environments to 3D is probably one of the most recurring praises the game receives, and rightly so. Not much to say here, except that Hang Castle is still cool as hell.
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And plenty of opportunity to admire the not-broken-in-half moon.
- Colours is another obvious one, though something of an ironic one given that the premise of the game involved going to other worlds, and those worlds were all converted against their will by Eggman. Yet, they did an equally superb job at creating fun, unique locales, and Aquarium Park in particular remains a favourite of mine.
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Gotta love that red/blue contrast.
- The Riders series has a more futuristic bend compared to the rest of the series, but even when it's not all high-tech, it's got some pretty cool environments of its own, and I feel they even do well at mixing the real world side of things on top of that. Gigan Rocks comes to mind, as does Aquatic Capital.
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Reminds me of when Perfect Chaos peacefully protested against Station Square.
- Regardless of my thoughts on the game itself, Secret Rings had some undeniable winners in this depertment. You tell me with a straight face that Night Palace doesn't look amazing.
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A wonderful palace for a domestic abuser.
- And lastly, they might have had an early advantage since they're already 2D, but the Advance trilogy and Rush duology deserve a mention. They had some fantastic ideas for zones, like Planet Sonata Music Plant, and they did great with the colours as well. Hell, throughout these five games, the sky was practically every shade of the rainbow at one point or another.
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Oh look, another completely whole moon.
Also, quick shoutout to another minor detail akin to the grassy sections of Red Mountain: these pink tunnel sections in Ice Mountain. No elaborate point to make here, just another perfect example of how much I adore these games' use of colour and contrast.
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Seriously, I could go on for hours about good contrast.
Although I do bring up these small details for another reason, and in turn, another layer to my more nuanced take on Sonic aesthetics. By this point, we get the basic jist: Crusher likey when Sonic levels unique and pretty. But this can - and has - lead to a couple of misconceptions, so I'd like to address those and then laugh at them.
“So you want Sonic's world to be exactly like Mario?”
A common complaint that Lost World received was that it was too much like Mario, in more ways than one, and part of this was to do with the game's visual style. The zones may have been upbeat, but they often consisted of a bunch of things floating in the air and not much else, ala 2D Mario. While I didn't outright hate it, it’s definitely not what I have in mind for Sonic.
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Of course, all complaints about being too much like Mario suddenly turn into praise when Eggette gets brought up...
And why is that? Because yes, I like my Sonic locations to be fun and lively... but I also want them to be firmly established within the context of this universe. The Lost World approach is fine with Special Stages and the sort, but outside of that... well, Studiopolis is a perfect example of what I'm talking about:
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On one hand, it's very unique when compared to other cities in this franchise, and it's full of quirkiness, great use of colour, and all that good stuff I've went on about. But at the same time, it's grounded just enough so that it still feels like an actual city that the people of Sonic's world could feasibly live in, rather than a basic and empty video game level with a tacked on city background. Studiopolis may be a level from a video game, but you can totally believe it's a fully fleshed out place from its own perspective.
Naturally, this praise also rings true with the Modern games I listed earlier, and is yet another reason for why I approve of their settings.
“So you think Sonic can't have darker locations?”
It might be easy to take my compliments at face value, and assume that I'm immediately opposed to a zone that's not brightly colored. This is... very obviously false, as even the Classic games have their share of less-than-cheery areas, such as Scrap Brain and the Bad Futures in Sonic CD.
However, when you're making a grittier location in Sonic's world, regardless of the context, it still needs to be interesting. The problem with a lot of them in Modern installments is that they're boring. Crisis City is a generic city on fire. Westopolis is a generic city with aliens firing lasers from above. The prison levels in SA2 - and the indoor ARK levels not named Cannon's Core - are just grey hallways for the most part. That shit isn't exciting, and it doesn't get my mind speculating. It just makes me want to move on.
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Let the eggsperts take care of this.
By contrast, Eggmanland is a prime example of how to do it right. Eggmanland is a magnificent theme park as envisioned by the good doctor, but it's also, at its core, a giant metal hellscape fueled by the energy of a dark entity, and it only gets more ominous the further you go through it or try to before you give up because it’s too fucking long and you died at the end. So it sets the mood to be sure, but it's still visually compelling to look at, and interesting to think about.
And since Eggman is apparently the only one who can show us how it's done, here's a shoutout to Titanic Monarch as well:
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Like Heavy King, but Heavier and Kingier.
When comparing the final zones in Sonic games, I especially love this zone's visual approach, because it manages to be dark and colorful at the same time, and in a strangly organic way. It's got a spooky atmosphere, with a moody moonlight backdrop to match, and the titular robot is foreboding as hell as you climb up it and traverse through it... all the while having red floors, green and yellow wires, blue and pink buildings, and stained glass windows of Eggman and the Heavies for you to marvel at. So even putting aside the unique scenario of climbing up and then through a Kaiju-sized mech, the mood of the zone alone manages to be extremely memorable.
So what have we learned from all this? Aside from the fact that I’m way too interested in this subject? We now know that when I say I prefer the Classic “style” over Modern when it comes to the way that Sonic's world is presented:
- I don't mean that literally.
- There are certain qualities that although both of them possess, they tend to be more immediately associated with Classic in the collective consciousness, even within the fandom.
- The environments that I love the most in Modern games are often the ones that would also fit perfectly in the Classic style.
So whenever I express the basic nature of this opinion in the future... just imagine a small asterisk at the end of my sentence.
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botwstoriesandsuch · 5 years ago
Note
So, I love your headcanons. Something I'd like a headcanon for, and hear me out on this, is how the Guardians work. I'm really sorry if this is odd. I love your blog so much!
Odd? Oh dear anon, you underestimate me. You have no idea how much world building stuff is trapped inside of my head, just waiting to spill over and drown every unfortunate mortal that made the mistake of following me. Prepare yourself for
HOW SHEIKAH TECHNOLOGY WORKS (Headcanon....thing?)
Long post warning, also spoilers for the end of the DLC
You cannot create something from nothing, energy cannot be created or destroyed, that’s the law of the conservation of energy. [insert that quote from Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood or something idk I’ve never watched it] 
So how, you ask, are you able to do all that cool stuff in botw? From summoning bombs out of your pocket, to Guardians who somehow never need a power bank or charging station?
I shall tell you how, it's the Ancient Sheikah’s perfection of teleportation and the ability to convert energy
Observe, Exhibit A: Teleportation
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Teleporting with Sheikah technology converts Link and his belongings into a pure, blue energy which disassembles and reassembles across Hyrule. 
But the main thing to focus on here is the energy part of this. 
[We know that it’s energy because it emits light, which you can’t do without some sort of energy, so it’s not just disassembling and reassembling atoms]
See, I’ve tested the timing on this and Link’s teleportation is instantaneous. Despite the loading screen, nearly no time passes whether he teleports from the Eldin mountains to the Gerudo Desert. 
So, the Sheikah have the ability to convert things into energy and transport it instantaneously, no lag, no time wasted, you want it? You got it
I mean the pads literally say “calling” on them. So yeah, they can call upon this energy anywhere. Even note how when dealing with an actual Sheikah monk in the DLC, they don’t even need the Sheikah slate or pad things.
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“Why does this matter?” you ask? Well, if the Sheikah are able to transfer and convert energy like this, who’s to say they couldn’t also apply this for offensive purposes?
Exhibit B: Bombs and Arrows
This same technology used to instantly transport and emit energy is used in the Sheikah’s offensive technology 
The bombs and arrows have no battery, and no electricity, no way to store that kind of power used when actually fighting. How is this possible? 
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See that? The energy used to form the bombs is the same particles for when you teleport. The energy is coming from somewhere else, not from the Sheikah Slate itself
I mean when you even set off the bomb
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You can even see the lines for a few frames of energy being summoned towards the bomb, and then expelled outwards in the blast.
Same story goes for the Ancient Arrow
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So why do these Sheikah technologies not need an apparent “source of power?” Simply put, that energy is being stored somewhere else, and being transferred instantaneously to these devices.
Now, “where is this energy being stored?” So glad you asked, because insert segue into
Exhibit C: Blue Flames and other azure features
One might assume that the blue flame is what powers all this technology
And one would be wrong
See, I believe Sheikah technology is powered by some other kind of generator stored deep within the earth. We already see from the Divine Beasts that they can generate power from within the ground, so I’m thinking the actually source of all this blue energy is something deep in the heart of Hyrule
Ok ok, first as to why the blue flames don’t actually power everything
First off, the source of the blue flames? Babam, here they are rising out of the ground. You can even see how the pipes on them connect to the ground
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The only pedestals that can house the blue flames are made with specific Sheikah technology. When you use a blue flame on wood or grass or anything, the flames don’t turn blue, they just become regular fire. 
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This suggests that the “blue flame” is just a way that energy could be transferred in a fire-like form, but isn’t actually fire itself
The furnaces Purah and Robbie use to power their Sheikah stones? That ain’t no coal furnace, no coal, turbines, steam, or wood to be found. Instead, it’s rigged directly to the ground, sooo again, the blue flame is just a means of transporting energy but isn’t a source in of itself.
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Further supporting my belief that the actual source of energy comes somewhere deep below the earth are the towers
That blue rod that lights up when Link activates them? Safe to assume it’s the source of their power, OH and look it connects deep below the ground look at that
The Sheikah are so obsessed with underground stuff. Shrines and towers ruse out of the ground, you take those elevators deep underground, the DLC is deep underground, the Divine Beasts and guardians were underground, the blue flame’s source was from underground, the—
Therefore...the source of the energy, the energy that is being transported to all other Sheikah technology and powering stuff is from underground
And now, I actually address the original request of how Guardians work. Well class, if you have been paying attention and taking notes, this will all make sense
So, please observe Exhibit D: Guardians in the form of this gif
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Now, if this laser worked like an actual energy beam and was being formed directly from some power source within this Guardian, would it really be stopped with one measly wooden arrow? The answer is no
See those blue rings forming around it just before it attempts to release a blast? That’s that Sheikah energy, the same stuff that teleports you, the bombs, and the energy on your bombs and ancient swords.
Why are guardians so light that a few swings with a sword can knock them over? Because they have no need for extra energy storage or large batteries, all the energy they need to function is just teleported at a constant rate
When opening them up, you can even see this energy moving through the air
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And these things? These cores that are the source of their power?
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The blue ring surrounding the larger one is similar to that of the blue rings on the teleportation pads. The smaller one has a small blue node which has the trademark Sheikah blue energy connection. These puppies are simply gateways for energy to be teleported within the guardians, and released to power them and their lasers.
TL;DR Guardians are powered from an external energy source probably stored deep below Hyrule, which is instantaneously teleported to their cores in which they can expel said energy without the need for charging or batteries. 
Quick side note: Also all Guardians are connected through a central information system that is most likely based on the information gathered by the Sheikah Towers [as seen in the photo where guardian locations can be tracked when engaged with one] so the reason why they’re weak to electricity and can’t be submerged in water is probably because they still have individual computer like systems in order to analyze their surroundings and aim and such and is why they are able to sense Link’s presence even when shut off for several years.
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And ALSO the guidance stones that drip the water-like substances is just another form in which the Sheikah’s blue energy is transferred and teleported as seen when Purah uses them, canonically moving it from Hyrule Castle to her lab in Hateno. So, location isn’t a problem when you can just teleport energy whenever you want and the only reason she needs the blue flame is because these guidance stones weren’t connected to the typical shrines or towers which as previously stated already have built in power systems underground
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Ok I’m done 
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babyflossy · 5 years ago
Text
club coartada | m.l
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gif credits to owner
in the daytime part 2! you can read part one here!
pairing: mark x reader
summary: you meet a kind boy named mark who seems to be the only source of comfort in your drug-fueled pity party.
genre: gang au
warnings: swearing, unedited (i’m gonna edit it in the morning)
word count: 2.9k
a few weeks later and the pencilled list hidden under your floorboards was now finished. every name had been scribbled out, leaving you over half a million dollars richer but bored. originally you had planned to leave the city as soon as the list was finished, but the dark alleys and neon lights had made you strangely sad to leave. so, you stayed; finding that beyond the city's carefully structured facade, gang crime and paid killings were rampant, perfect for you. it took no longer than a day for your next client to get in touch with you, a disgustingly rich businessman who needed someone to deal with a mole in his company. you didn't think twice before accepting the job, arranging a meeting.
club coartadawas hidden away in the city centre, nothing but a small sign and a steep flight of stairs separating it from curious onlookers. with a cautious state of mind, you slowly made your way into the club. meeting with new clients was always tense, neither side fully trusting the other. the stairs led to a heavy metal door home to a tall muscular security guard that stared you down as you tried to enter.
"id?" he demanded as a darkly clothed arm reached out to barricade you in the stairwell. you jumped slightly, the sudden movement startling you. the ghoulish smirk that settled on his face made your stomach drop and you avoided his eyes as you pulled out your work id card. lia kim was written clearly next to your photo on the id, claiming you were from london. in reality, you had never even visited london before, but you doubted anyone believed what they read on id cards at places like this. the bouncer nodded at you and handed it back, pulling open the door for you, his greedy eyes following you as you moved beneath his arm.
the club was grander than you had expected. a large circular room with shimmering gold walls greeted you, the metallic smell of money mixing with what you thought was champagne. a wine-red bar covered the circumference of nearly a third of the room, bartenders busily mixing drinks for the customers lounging around. dark suited men stood periodically around the room; eyes focused on the people loitering around, discreetly listening. the one closest to the door nodded at you in acknowledgment, reading through a leather book on the table next to him. he seemed to be trying to figure out who you were from the list, you spied small descriptions next to the names. seo younghowas written at the top, the accompanying description read tall, dark hair... the book slammed shut before you could read anything more, the worker's eyes boring into yours.
"miss kim lia?" you nodded once at him, watching the way his eyes skirted around the room, surveying the atmosphere before he left his post and started walking towards the only other door in the room. "right this way." a white gloved hand pushed a combination into the keypad too quickly for you to remember and you sighed in disappointment. the hand pushed the door open for you and you didn't bother to thank him as you walked through.
beyond the door was a simple corridor, identical metal doors lining the walls. out of the dozen doors only four of them were open, the chatter spilling into the hallway. you were led to the furthest door from the entrance, your shoes clicking noisily on the stone floor. halfway to your destination, a door to your right swung open violently and you jumped back to avoid being hit. you smiled politely at the men exiting. a tall man with dark hair – you wondered if this was the seo young ho from the book but dismissed it as you realised many people here would be described as such – walked quickly out the room, a slightly shorter man with lighter hair following swiftly behind, a smug expression over his face. you froze as you saw the last man exit. smaller than his predecessors but still towering over you, you met mark's eyes before looking away immediately.
praying that he hadn't recognised you, you tried to slip past the door, but mark's voice stopped you. "y/n?" his voice was hushed, and you looked back to see the men he was with had left already, not waiting for him. "what are you doing here?" he looked unbelievably confused and you wanted nothing more than to evaporate on the spot.
possible outcomes shot through your mind. he had used your real name, you couldn't admit to being y/n, you had to pretend to not know who he was. you schooled your expression into one of impatience before you replied. "sorry, do i know you? you must have me mistaken. i'm lia, not y/n." the doubt that flashed across mark's face was reassuring. deep down, you knew he understood what you were doing, and you were thankful when he apologised politely and started down the hallway again.
letting out the breath you didn't realise you had been holding, you were led into the meeting room with your client. the room was more lavishly furnished than the bar you had passed through earlier, deep purple couches surrounded a modern glass coffee table. a glittering crystal chandelier hung low over the table, casting reflections onto the walls creating an almost magical effect. the man on the farthest sofa stood when you entered, an impish smile on his aged face. his hair was shining grey in the warm glow of the chandelier. he waved off the workers in the room, his watery eyes never leaving you. he gestured to the couch in front of him, holding a glass of what looked like champagne out to after you had seated yourself. the velvet was soft under your hands and you toyed with the edge of the fabric as the man introduced himself.
"my name is dr. kil si'u, but you can call me simon," his voice was gravelly but not unkind. he watched you take a sip of what you were now sure was champagne before continuing, "and i already know who you are." he spoke with a gentle pleasantry unexpected from someone ordering a hit on an employee.
"i assume you have the file i requested?" you prompted, reaching your hand out when he produced a brown paper envelope from his jacket pocket. you slid your thumb under the seal and pulled out its contents. photos of the man in question adorned the glossy paper. in the office, on his commute home, an up-close photo of him on a phone call. flicking through the pages until you found his personal information, you displayed the rest on the coffee table in front.
the victim's birth name, age and workplace were written in clear black ink at the top of the page, followed by more personal information, like his home address, the name of his wife, the location of his local golf club. hwang seojun stared back at you from the pristine papers. you eyed the man in front of you carefully. he had given you all the information you required and more, you wondered if he either really wanted this man dead, or this was his first-time ordering a hit on someone.
"why?"
he looked almost surprised by the question and waited until he had sipped his own champagne flute a few times before answering. "he's been leaking information to the authorities, important information that could be detrimental to our welfare."
"what type of information?" you disguised your curiosity by claiming this was necessary information for the case. truthfully, anything other than the victim's name was to satisfy your inquisitive nature. simon's eye narrowed marginally and he took a moment to ponder over what to reply, you watching his reaction carefully.
"you're in this line of work," he started, index finger dancing lightly around the rim of the glass he was still holding. leaning back into the couch you waited with his response. a knock at the door distracted him and he waved the server away distractedly. "we work closely with people who do horrible; however immoralthey may seem to outsiders, they're necessary, they happen all the time. you of all people should understand how dangerous the police meddling can be."
"if you're asking me to kill someone working with the police, i'll have to raise the price," simon's eyebrows raised slightly in shock, but you continued. "these jobs are dangerous; the police often offer protection to people who give them information. it means i'm more likely to be caught, therefore i'll have to raise the price."
"by how much? name the price and i'll pay." that little sentence reminded you so fully of why you loved working with businessmen. they really had no idea what they were agreeing to.
"115,000 dollars," he whistled lowly in appreciation. were you overcharging? yes, massively so. but why wouldn't you if they always pay. "i operate on a half now, half later basis." you raised your eyebrows expectantly.
he seemed to think about it for a moment, weighing up the pros and cons. "will i get photo confirmation?"
"certainly."
"very well, let's do it," you shook the hand outstretched and watched in glee as he called for his assistant, a heavy black leather brief case appearing on the table between you. once clicked open, you saw it was completely brimmed with green paper notes. the assistant pulled on a pair of white gloves and offered you an identical pair. you pulled them on in delight. carefully the man pulled out twelve blocks of notes, taking the rubber band off each one and expertly counted them in front of you. 120,000 dollars sat in front of you and you looked up in question. "i'll add an extra 5,000 for a rush on this, yes?"
"it's been a pleasure doing business with you."
down the scope of a psgi sniper rifle, hwang seojun was getting out of his car. a sleek black convertible, showing off his status to the deserted suburban street. he raked a bare hand through his bleached hair, pushing his sunglasses on top of his head. you watched him pause in front of a parking metre, resting his hand on top, giving you an unobstructed view of his torso. perfect, you thought, steading your hands and aiming the gun directly at his head.
it was a warm night, the absence of a breeze making your job just that little bit easier. the only thought crossing your mind as you pulled the trigger was the second instalment of the payment, thinking in elation of the things you could buy now. after hwang seojun's lifeless body hit the pavement, you lowered the gun, instead picking up the camera next to you on the rooftop. you zoomed in until the features of the body were visible, ensuring to get his car's registration plate in the background for extra measure. the photo would be sent by midnight, the rest of your money hopefully following shortly.
you weren't sure if it was the hefty sum of money you had received, or the ease of accepting that made you meet dr. kil si'u again, but you found yourself reclined in the same luxurious room less than a week after your first meeting with him. dressed in a dark blue suit that aged him unforgivingly, he handed you an envelope almost identical to the first. "after seeing how affective you were with our last deal, i'd like to offer you a similar price for another hit."
inside the envelope glossy paper showed you a woman, dark eyes but light hair with a dazzling smile. she didn't look ten years older than you, some of the photos were her latched on the arm of the man who had been on the other end of your sniper rifle. you assumed it was his wife, the matching wedding rings glinting under silver lights. your suspicions were confirmed when you saw the information page. hwang yeri was beautiful in every outward way. white teeth and a perfect nose made you unsurprised she was married to such a rich man.
it wasn't a question of whether you would accept or not. it would be an easy hit, dr. kil si'u having already proved to be a reliable client. the meeting was short and sweet, leaving the room with 50,000 dollars in cash stuffed into bag. the doors were held open for you as you walked back down the corridor to the entrance. you flickered your eyes around the circular bar one last time, admiring the gold encrusted tables and marble bar top. watching the customers as you opened the door to the street, your heart dropped into your stomach when you saw the man sat at the end of the bar, talking to the bartender. his eyes crinkled at the corners as he laughed at whatever the bartender had said. even in the crowded room, his laughter was as clear as the crystal champagne flutes. you thought you could make it outside unnoticed, but as if the universe was laughing at you, the familiar eyes locked on you. you took the stairs two at a time, darting across the street and into an alleyway, scared of him following you.
you knew your luck had run out when you heard fast footsteps behind you. scared to look back, you kept your head firmly forwards until a warm hand clasped around your shoulder. mark spun you around to face him, breathing heavily from running after you. "y/n." it wasn't a question.
"hey, mark," you avoided his eyes as you spoke.
he tried to meet your eyes, but you resisted, instead focusing on a point behind him, surveying the street. "what were you doing in there? who were you meeting?"
taking a gamble, you opted for telling him the truth, slightly. you weren't sure of the other meetings that went on in that club, but you prayed to any higher being it wasn't just illegal mis happenings. "i was meeting with a client." your voice was quiet, and mark had to strain to hear it.
"a client? for what?" you finally looked at him and you were taken straight back to the night on the balcony, thinking about how soft his lips looked.
"for work, mark. why are you asking so many questions?" running away crossed your mind and you weighed up the chance you could outrun him. he looked quite athletic, however, and you knew your chances were slim.
"are you a hitman? or a drug dealer, then? those are the only meetings that happen there." well, shit. so much for being covert. he seemed to notice your panic and his jaw slackened. "you're a fucking hitman–"
"don't say it so loudly, jesus christ!" his voice was muffled as you slapped your hand over his mouth desperately, eyes flitting around you to see if anyone had heard. mark wrapped his hand around your wrist and pulled you into an empty alleyway, safe from prying ears.
"i didn't peg you for a hitman, to be honest," he didn't look as disturbed as you would expect, and you fought the urge to roll your eyes.
"stop trying to peg me, then." the words slipped out before you realised the double meaning and you felt your cheeks blaze. mark sputtered out a laugh, checking again to see if anyone else was in the alleyway. there was a lonely restaurant at the far end, all the tables outside empty and rusted. it looked like they hadn't been used in decades.
"i'm not gonna sell you out to the cops or anything, don't worry." you resisted the urge to laugh at him. if you had even a shadow of doubt in him, he would be dead by now.
"what were you doing in there anyway?" the question made the smile dissipate from his face, his voice careful when he spoke.
"meeting with a dealer, there's a big order coming in soon, i needed the final details."
after finding out what mark did for a living, you spent an unhealthy amount of time scoring the internet for any trail of him. he had mentioned others he worked with, and you suspected the two men you had seen him with would be part of that. you weren't a computer expert, but you had managed to access the security cameras pointing at the club. playing it in reverse and speeding it up, you watched yourself walk backwards into the club, the door swinging open on its own.
it took a while, but you finally found mark's face, accompanied by three other boys. they looked slightly younger than mark, only seeing glimpses of their faces on the screen. caramel hair falling over honey skin, the shortest one made direct eye contact with the camera, as if he knew you were watching. your heart stopped momentarily. the tallest boy had dark brown hair with sharp eyes and harsh jawline. he was whispering into the last boy's ear as they walked out of the club. the last boy looked the happiest, an easy-going smile accompanied and perfectly coiffed blonde hair, two strands of blue framing his face. you committed their faces to memory, determined to find out more about the boy you met at the party.
a/n: i wanna do some nct one-shots but i’m not really sure what about, so send in requests! as always, thank you so much for reading!
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wixelt · 4 years ago
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Stargate: “Hoag” - Mass X’over Idea
About this time last year, I started watching Stargate with my dad. We watched the original movie and SG-1. And Atlantis. And the SG-1 movies. And Universe. And Origins.
We finished the franchise somewhere about a third of the way through 2020, though with how this year’s been it feels like that was years ago, now. And for a lot of the time we were watching it and for at least a little while after it, I had a thought that wouldn’t go away and that I kind of liked.
Namely that I wanted to write a Stargate fanfic of some kind, possibly even a crossover. A mass crossover, in fact. As with most of my fan-fiction thoughts, no matter the work, they eventually fell onto my pile of half-started ideas. I’m awful at keeping to things and not getting distracted by “new shiny” ideas like some kind of fanfic magpie, even when I like the idea.
That said, this was a concept I really liked, so i’m going to share the basics of it now, as far as I got with it. Maybe it will inspire someone else, or maybe i’ll come back to this someday.
Regardless, though here’s the notes:
- Post-Universe, the war with the Lucian Alliance is still going, and despite the slightly dire situation things were headed toward last we saw, the SGC’s winning. The LA are on the back foot, and is starting to break into smaller factions. One of the larger LA factions decides to cut their losses and make a run for it, their space fleet making a beeline for the Supergate the Ori Army built to link the Milky Way and Alteran Home galaxies, having either deciphered or stolen the codes required to dial it. The SGC puts together an attack force to intercept the faction at the gate and stop their escape. The fleet is accompanied by several characters from existing series.
- The battle’s one sided, but the LA faction continues to make a run for the gate. And then it happens. I’m undecided on the details, but a mix of weapons fire on the ships trying to pass through and other circumstances - in much the same way as that classic episode of SG-1 - causes the open Supergate to “jump tracks”, the destination shifting to somewhere not in the Alteran Galaxy. A side effect of energy on this scale causes all ships in the vicinity to be pulled through.
- Emerging on the far side, the surviving ships exit through what seems to be another Supergate, albeit of less refined design. Later study will show it to be Ancient, instead of Ori. This lesser design proves unstable, leading to the SGC fleet being forced to destroy both it and their crippled ships to force a ceasefire with the LA ships, stranding a cast of both old and new faces wherever they’ve ended up.
- As for where they’ve found themselves, it’s the Hoag’s Object galaxy, they eventually discover. For those unaware, this is a real ring galaxy more than 600 million light-years from the Milky Way (~200 times further from Earth than the Pegasus Galaxy). It’s a galaxy for which we have a low understanding of the mechanics behind its formation - which sparked my interest as the ideal location for a Stargate series with an underlying mystery beyond just “get home”, in the tradition of Atlantis and Universe. It’s a fun place to read and speculate about.
- The base of operations for the “Hoag Expedition” as they try to contact Earth (a challenge when their arrival method and much of their equipment has been destroyed), is the “Spire”, an automated Ancient outpost which is, as the name implies, a massive pointed tower in space. The story behind it, as the cast discover, is that the Ancients were very interested in what was causing Hoag’s Object’s structure, and sent a large automated seeding ship to the galaxy, with the intent that it would automatically drop Stargates on various interesting worlds and other locales - similar to the Destiny - also seed a few worlds with human life, as was their MO to an extent, then take up a preset location and convert itself into a stationary... station, that would serve as the Ancient’s home once they were ready to arrive - a local Supergate also being constructed as one of the projects they were intending to test alongside their studies in Hoag. Like Destiny, though, they never arrived. The Spire was dispatched late in the Ancient’s time, likely around about when they were fighting the Wraith in the Pegasus Galaxy. After that, they focused on ascension, and the Spire lay forgotten, its systems waiting for a crew that wasn’t coming.
- Some of the first things the expedition discover on arrival are tied to the local gates. Firstly, they can’t dial home. Even when they work out where they are relative to Earth, they can’t calculate what the 8 symbol address required to dial would be (for reasons made harder by the second point). There’s no indication what the address would even consist of, given there’s no “dial Earth” address in the Spire’s database - presumably the Ancients didn’t know where they’d end up dialing from, and no-one ever arrived to clarify. Secondly, while the local gates are Pegasus-era 3rd generation Stargates, they have a different color palette - being purple rather than blue, because I like purple - as well as a completely different set of symbols. These symbols are determined to be a very symbol numeric system set up in 5s, presumably because the gate seeding was automated and chose a structured visual system. I actually created a guide for this system. As might be obvious, this gate network has more symbols them any other - to account for Hoag’s Object being a larger galaxy - featuring 41 non-Point of Origin options:
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- As I mentioned before, however, I wanted this to be a mass crossover, which is where the Ancients’ MO of seeding human life comes in. Like the Pegasus Galaxy, you can still have those human cultures, but how far out Hoag’s Object is - as with Stargate Universe - allows for more alien cultures as well. Which naturally lets you drop pretty much any non-Earth (or otherwise, in some cases) setting into this concept amid other, more original planets and have it turn up as the expedition does what Stargate does best: explore new worlds. RWBY? No problem. Avatar? Eeyup. Fairy Tail? Definitely. Madoka Magica? Trickier, but even with that being set on Earth the Incubators have to come from somewhere, right? MLP? Simple, if the Equestria Girls world is considered the local side of the mirror and Equestria another reality. Heck, you could even throw in something as out there as Hermitcraft and probably make it fit.
- And yes, I did briefly play around with gate addresses for a few of the above places, too, but didn’t get very far due to waning inspiration (the above symbol system itself was already my 5th or 6th attempt to make something workable). I did include my meta-logic for choosing the symbols, though:
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- There were other ideas I had for this whole thing, too. I played around with the idea of writing this on a forum thread on somewhere like SpaceBattles or Sufficient Velocity, and maybe I still could one day, where other people could write in the setting too if I got enough traction (always been a big fan of interactive and/or collab ventures). Also played with the concept of a story-line of two Goa’uld “brothers” who had left the Milky Way in centuries past in search of new pickings, finding Hoag’s Object and setting themselves up as gods over multiple worlds (one of which may have been RWBY, if that gives you an idea of where that was probably going), but that fell apart once I started questioning how they got to Hoag’s Object when the Spire and its gate hadn’t been touched before the SGC arrived.
All that aside, though, this idea is out in the open now. If someone wants to play around with it, they can. Or if people want to ask what i’d do with various settings or features, i’m happy to give it some more thought to get the creative juices pumping again.
For now, though, enjoy! :)
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