#One of my potential fanfic ideas involves these two

[ladysouthpaw1213]

Something I noticed while watching a play though of the game is that save for the First level, Match seems to get along with Probie the most out of his three teammates. He rarely snarks/looks down at Probie like he does to Cameron and Izzy. When he does snark around Probie, it’s done more in a playful manner. Like their friendship/relationship evolves into like a mentor/protege or even best friends(or maybe more if you see it like that).

which does kinda make sense since the two tend to be partnered up in missions and Probie did saved his dumbass atleast 2 times in the game

[pinkrosealice]

I really like crossover fanfics and fan art, I really do. However I sometimes feel like some of the most popular fandom crossovers are also ones that perpetually fall into boring and predictable patterns while simultaneously and consistently ignoring/forgetting the most obvious and easy ways two or more fictional properties could be combined or crossed over.

And I think this is nowhere more apparent than the absolute proliferation of Danny Phantom and DC comics content here on this site.

Because you know what, I think there are some really cool and interesting things you could do with placing Danny and company in the world of DC or vice versa. The problem is that overwhelmingly I don't see any of those interesting ideas being done.

It's all the same variation of like three different plot points, all of which are exacerbated in their boring unoriginality and fandom cringiness by the fact that they also almost entirely revolve around the same flanderizations of DC characters that originate from people whose understanding of these comic book characters is entirely based off of watching the Teen Titans and Young Justice cartoons.

I am so so so so tired of seeing the same premise of Danny getting involved with Batman because he's a dark-haired light colored eyed superhero "twink" just like the rest of the male Robins. I'm tired of him getting adopted by Bruce, I'm tired of him being secretly Dick Grayson's long lost relative.

What's even worse is this crossovers frequent demonstration of what I think is the inexcusable sin of unoriginally using John Constantine, a character that I by and large think the vast majority of this website and it's user base just doesn't understand and probably never will. (this is a whole separate rant but the website that at one point had the majority of its user-base obsessed with an imaginary queer interpretation of one of the most aggressively mediocre and dude bro heterosexual paranormal TV shows to have ever existed is one that I think is fundamentally incapable of actually understanding or appreciating a legitimately compelling queer paranormal/urban fantasy character. The website that thinks Cas and & Dean were anything, whether that be a compelling romance, compelling characters or even in a good or enjoyable show, I think are forever incapable of actually understanding John.)

Do I think you could write an interesting story with John Constantine interacting with Danny? Yeah sure but I think that that would be entirely predicated on one's ability to actually write John compellingly, which is a dubious ask in the first place AND regardless it's still the most uninspired and boring interpretation of what you could do with "Danny interacting with one of the supernatural characters of DC"

Here are some actual recommendations for interesting crossovers and universe fusions :

*The fact that people want to have Danny Fenton interact with DC characters and Deadman and Secret are not the characters that immediately come to mind for fic ideas shows I think either the fundamental lack of creativity on the part of people who like this crossover, or just that they really don't know shit about DC comics....... Danny and Boston Brand would play off each other so well both comedically and as potential mentor and mentee. Greta and Danny would be ADORABLE together whether it is just friends or in a shippy dynamic.

* We need stories where Danny is interacting with The Spector, and the lack of them is just plain criminal in my opinion. I really could see a bunch of really cool stories where GhostKing Danny is put into conflict with the Vengeance of God. Or make him team up with The Specter have and have him fight Eclipso.

*we know the DC afterlife is incredibly complicated and interconnected with other mystical realms such as The Dreaming and Hell, maybe explore how that would relate to DP's conception of the Ghost Zone. Danny, Zachary Zatara and Kid Devil's bizarre interdimensional odyssey would be a great fic!

* if one has to put Danny in Gotham for some reason or another have him fight against the Gentleman Ghost, play around with the relationship with the glowing green ectoplasm and the green glowing liquid of the Lazarus Pits, and if you do that you have an excuse to make him interact with Jason Todd if you absolutely can't resist bringing in a member of the Bat family. Remember, Jason has the ability to summon forth magical blades under certain circumstances and as a character who has repeatedly died and come back to life he's the only bat that I think would actually have interesting interactions with Danny.

* but above all if you have to have Danny Phantom and company goes to Gotham as your story premise, I cannot emphasize this enough, HAVE HIM TEAM UP WITH RAGMAN!!!!!! I swear to God, have the snarky Ghost Boy interact with the character whose costume is literally filled with ghosts!!!!!!

*going back to the ectoplasm and Lazarus Pit idea, make Danny an avatar of The Black/ Rot. I would absolutely love to see him have to contend with the likes of Anton Arcane or come into conflict with Swamp Thing and Animal Man. Also having Swamp Thing present in the story would give a far more organic reason as to why John Constantine would be interested in this teenager with ghost powers.

So yeah I would kindly ask the people who are so insistent on producing crossover content of these two fandoms to actually do some interesting ideas.

And incidentally while we're on the subject matter, the fact that so much of Danny Phantom is directly inspired by Spider-Man and yet there's not really a lot of crossover between DP and Marvel properties is really really bizarre to me, especially because this website's user base purports to be such huge appreciators of the Spider-Verse films........

[aiscapades]

thinking out loud abt recent discussions in the touchstarved/obscura fandoms :) literally just my own personal opinion !!!!!

i can't stop thinking abt cirrus bc he's honestly what i want so badly for the touchstarved LIs. it's what i wanted for count lucio.

i was reading y'all's opinions abt the touchstarved marketing and your concerns abt how the game is gonna turn out, and while i was understanding, i also was so confused abt .. where this sudden concern was coming from. and then i played obscura and i was like oh! i didn't know a game could be like this! i didn't know a demo could be like this! i had entirely different reactions to the obscura demo than i did the touchstarved demo

—and yeah that's comparing two totally different games, different studios, different projects. the touchstarved demo served to introduce the characters and the world and it did that wonderfully. it's satisfactory. it's not that they did anything wrong?? but i cannot deny they gave me two insanely different reactions. i was YELLING when cirrus was doing his shit. it was like what i imagine watching trashy reality tv is like. or like watching one of those poorly-made TV movies and just enjoying the ride. i was hollering and jumping out of my chair and GAWKING at the screen. like cirrus was real and he was really saying this insane shit and i was SO ON BOARD and selecting every insane option the game gave me. it was just so wild. and it was so, so fun.

so i thought abt it more and i was like yeah. i actually see where this concern is coming from. rss keeps their stuff so close to their chest that it's hard to tell what routes they're taking, how they're dealing with certain issues, how deep the character arcs go, etc. i have no idea how fucked up their version of monstrosity gets, and for a game that is ENTIRELY about monsters and monstrosity, that definitely gives me pause. we don't know anything. they drop hints and we guess and theorize, but we don't know anything. we know leander is fucked up. we know they're all fucked up. in what way? who knows. does mhin murder people as a giant crow beast every night? we don't definitively know. we kinda assume that based on lore drops, but we don't know. but then other studios are doing semi-regular q&as and dropping information into the laps of their fans on a daily basis (lost in limbo??? hello? every day i get a notif that they've told us something new, either abt ALL the characters or about the world). idk how early obscura devs have been answering questions but they're also doing something similar. but for rss you can send in questions and you're probably never gonna hear back. you can't just ask them what song the m5 LIs would sing on karaoke night and get a response 🧍🏼 they don't do that. which isn't to say it's WRONG of them—i'm not saying they're being bad game devs by any means—but it's definitely a different way to handle game development compared to these other studios we follow.

that lack of fan involvement and information sharing is where the concern comes from, i think. at least on my part!

i mentioned count lucio earlier and i want to elaborate why. firstly, he's my favorite character of all time. i've been writing a fanfic for him for 2 years, and it's nearly 200k words (i'm taking a break from it rn). like i love lucio as a character so, so deeply. is it because of the arcana game? no, actually. it's because of the POTENTIAL his character has. it's because of what the FANS have pulled from him and shaped him into.

the arcana was on the app store. it had such strict rules about what it could and couldn't be. and yeah i can rant about how dumb nix hydra is for taking the mico-transaction phone app route, but my point in all of it is that the devs failed lucio. i think they fumbled a lot, with the other characters as well, but lucio was their watch mojo top 10 biggest anime fails of all time #1 spot.

his bad ending shows him as the new DEVIL and dictator of the world??? and we got to see none of that. his whole route woobified him to pieces. he's just a lil meow meow. he's Baby. he didn't know better. he just made some Oopsies 👉🏻👈🏻 uh oh!!

like he was the main VILLAIN of the story and they turned him into a manchild. the wasted potential of this guy is insane. and i guess i saw that and thought "i can make this motherfucker so much worse" and i did that and will continue to do that. so have his other fans. people have rewritten his route altogether because it was so unsatisfactory.

there's overlap from the arcana in the rss dev team. do i think touchstarved will be the new arcana? nope!!!! but am i also worried they'll play it safe because they think the fanbase wants conventionally loveable love interests? yeah. i absolutely see the concern. it's very real and very there. does red spring studio KNOW we want truly monstrous characters? do they? we're just hoping they do.

leander doesn't have to be just like cirrus. none of them have to be anything. but i do want them to be monstrous. i want to FEEL something the same way i feel something when cirrus orders me onto my knees. like not even in a kinky sexual way. i want to be shocked. i want to hesitate and think "what is this character doing right now? what will i do right now?" i want to be confused and shocked and pleasantly surprised and also horrified. i want the adrenaline high i got while playing cirrus's first chapter. it was like my cptsd was triggered in the best possible way (lmao).

and it's not even about that.

lost in limbo is more fantasy romance than it is horror (save for the goddamn voidbound holy fuck!) but i know that i'll enjoy the game anyhow because i love all the characters. why do i love all the characters? because the devs tell us about them. they don't even have to spoil the game. i know amon smells like chocolate and has a fake southern accent (HELLO?) and that ara can't sing. lost in limbo could be the corniest fucking game and i would still love it because i'm already so attached to the characters.

the reason i turned to lost in limbo and obscura is because my excitement for touchstarved waned. because there's just a once in a blue moon post and it's likely it'll just be a "backers have new updates!" post. which isn't said to shame rss or backers !!!! that's normal and fine and valid!!!! do that!!!! i just mean rss is BARELY giving us what we want. we're stranded in the desert dying and rss is trickling water droplets one by one to each of us. lost in limbo devs are pissing fresh spring water into our mouths at firehose speed. is rss bad for this? no. they're not doing anything wrong. but a natural consequence of their marketing strategy is that fans will move on. i still love touchstarved. i'm going to play it. i'm reblogging fanart and fanfics. i'm posing the mormon leander theory. like i'm still here and still very much active but touchstarved isn't on my mind the way lost in limbo & obscura are.

ravenstar games tells me gael would fail the trial in the tale of orpheus and eurydice and i'm like holy fuck??? holy fuck!!!!!!

would ais? would mhin? i don't fucking know.

and what about elyon and sen? i know they're DLC bonus LIs and they don't need to be fleshed-out as soon as the main LIs. they can be on the back burner until touchstarved comes out. this is fair. but what about them? we know nothing other than 1. elyon is rich because of brothel money and 2. sen is an undead warden? (like a prison guard? like the ppl who watch over vere? i don't even know that for sure) (we also know their flowers but that's barely anything). meanwhile lost in limbo is sharing info about cécile and lázaro as often as their main love interests. they're not forgotten about. i can't even make a mc for sen's route because i know nothing about her!!!!!! which hurts my heart because i love sen. i love the idea of sen. it's the first time a female love interest in one of these games is 1. my type but also 2. not exactly like me (ara i love you but we are twins).

they're impersonal. they are 2D concepts we try to fill out.

maybe rss will tell us the LIs go-to karaoke song after the game releases. or maybe they won't. but there are just so many benefits to sharing that kinda thing and bonding with your fans in that way. that's my whole point. it's not "i need a steady stream of touchstarved content pumped directly into my veins 24/7 or i lose all interest" it's not that!!!!! obviously not because rss doesn't do that and i'm still here. this is my most active blog! i'm having a blast here because the fandom is sick as hell. we're vibing, doing our own thing, and it's great. but rss feels very distant. they are the senobium and we are residents of lowtown wondering when or if things will ever be different. if we're going to have a good day (lore drop or new art) or if things will just continue on as expected.

to reiterate: this post isn't about how rss is doing something wrong or bad or that ravenstar games/rotten raccoons are sososososo much better than rss. rss doesn't have to do everything other studios are doing. that's not what i'm saying. this is just the reality of what rss is doing vs other devs and how i PERSONALLY feel about it. i love them i would literally strap a bomb to my chest and demand my loved ones' credit card info to disarm it for any of these studios/games. i am a fan and i'm hopeful and i want to trust in rss so so so so badly. i want the very best for them. i want them to create a great game and be successful. i want them to be creatively fulfilled and proud of their game. on their own time, their own way. really and truly!

[fandoms-are-my-friends-1321]

Clueless is an Understatement

This may not be the original idea for Rayne that I had, but at the same time, it is an extremely adorable request that I could not refuse! Plus it allows me to try and write a character that is similar to Mash (I love his brainless antics). I hope that you enjoy this fanfic @jennapancake! Thank you again for the request! Gifs are not mine.

Summary: Y/N Burnedead, Mash's older sibling, followed him to Easton Magic Academy to help protect him on his quest to become a divine visionary. Along the way, they caught the attention of Rayne Ames, who is absolutely smitten by Y/N. The only problem: Y/N does not know how to take a hint.

Warnings: reader has some small injuries, mentions of blood, otherwise none (but if I miss something let me know!)

In a world where magic users dominate the population, there were two non-magic users who were hoping to change their fates and prove that magic was not the only thing that made a person worthy in the eyes of higher powers. The first one was Mash Burnedead: a boy who relied only on his powerful muscles in order to become the divine visionary and allow his family to live in peace. The other is Y/N Burnedead, Mash's older sibling who is also a non-magic user and just as strong as their younger brother. Y/N knew that Mash would face a lot of dangerous challenges and potentially evil foes during his time at Easton Magic Academy, so they took it upon themselves to take the entrance exam as well and help Mash on his quest.

At first, many of the other students wondered why a person as old as Y/N waited so long to join the academy, but they made up the excuse that they were simply too nervous to participate in the entrance exam until now. Of course this was far from the case due to Y/N's trust in their own muscular strength, but it was a necessary lie to keep people off of their backs. Y/N and Mash only allowed trusted friends to know their non-magic status, or the more accurate truth, they all found out after the battle with the Magia Lupis.

"Dude, I still can't believe you have no magic power at all! That is total side character ener-," Y/N smacked Dot across the face before he could finish his sentence.

"And yet you let a side character show you up," Y/N said as they dusted off their uniform. Y/N walked over to Mash and ruffled his hair, causing him to mumble as he tried to fix it. "Come on, you know I don't like my hair being messed with, Y/N."

"I couldn't help it, little brother. You are just too precious sometimes," Y/N said in a monotone and yet excited voice. "Don't forget we have our workout scheduled for 3 today after my classes are finished, and I can't wait to out rep you today."

Mash shook his head from side to side. "Only in your dreams, sibling."

Despite being a first year, Y/N managed to be placed in some upper level courses at Easton, one of which being the Study of Magical Creatures. Rayne Ames, a current divine visionary and the older sibling of Y/N and Mash's friend Finn, also helped to pull some strings for the older Burnedead. It's not that he doubted their prowess, and if anything, it was their power that Rayne admired along with their beauty and talents. However, some of the professors were still skeptical of Y/N and Mash when it came to their "magic" abilities, so he offered his support in their favor.

Today's class would be taking place outside in one of the open pastures by the school, with today's lesson involving herding and calming wild Wrivian's, horse-dragon hybrids that were the size of a small cottage. Rayne was waiting patiently for Y/N to arrive for class, and he caught himself checking his robe for any stray crumbs from lunch. He never used to worry about his appearance since he is usually well-kept, and yet ever since he met Y/N, he felt the need to look even more pristine when he knew they would be around.

Not that Y/N would notice the small details to begin with...

Y/N arrived a few minutes before class began, and Rayne waved at them as they approached. "Good afternoon, Y/N. Are you ready for today's class?" Rayne stated with a slight smile.

Y/N clenched their fist as they took on a fighting pose. "I was born ready, Rayne. Any challenge that these Wrivian's bring, I will take each one down with my fist."

Rayne let out a chuckle as he moved to stand beside them. "I thought you would say something along those lines."

The professor explained the task to the students, making sure to reiterate that no harm should be brought to any of the Wrivian's or they would fail the assignment. All the students broke off into pairs, which would make wrangling the beasts an easy task, but Y/N and Rayne faced more difficulties. Rayne used frontal attacks with Partisan to deflect the fiery breath from the Wrivian, the creature's emerald scales flexing as it weaved expertly through the air. Y/N took more of a distraction approach as they waited for the right time to strike.

"Y/N, they have a blind spot if you move to the right! Now is the time to tame this beast! Remember, avoid harm at all costs!" Rayne instructed as he launched the silvery swords of Partisan one last time.

"Kay', taming magic activate!" Y/N shouted the fake spell as they squatted and leaped into the air, easily reaching the Wrivian hovering in the sky. Y/N grabbed the Wrivian around it's broad neck, the rough texture of the scales cutting into their hands as their weight brought them and the creature back down to the ground. The cloud of dust and the immense crash had Rayne worried, not so much about failing the assignment but for Y/N's safety. I really have fallen for them, Rayne thought as he dashed to the scene. He expected to see the Wrivian knocked out from Y/N's brute strength, but Rayne was shocked to see that the creature did not have a scratch on it. If anything, it seemed quite happy as it expertly stole a cream puff from Y/N's cloak.

"Hey, that's my afternoon cream puff," Y/N whined at first as they looked up at the beast with a minor frown, but as the Wrivian let out a whinny at the sweet treat, Y/N sighed in defeat as their head drooped. "Then again, it seems to be making you pretty happy too."

Rayne gasped as he knelt down by Y/N, who was too distracted by the loss of their cream puff to notice the crimson liquid dripping from their hands. Rayne placed his hands on Y/N's forearms and lifted them up, his cheeks dusting with pink as he felt the muscles under their cloak. "You're hurt, Y/N. Please, let me take you to the infirmary and help bandage your wounds."

Y/N looked down at their hands and blinked. "Oh, looks like I am bleeding, huh? Oopsies." Rayne playfully rolled his eyes at Y/N's unawareness as he helped them to their feet, an arm wrapping protectively around their waist despite Y/N's ability to walk. Y/N's brows furrowed as they looked at Rayne. "Why is your arm around my waist if I can walk?"

"Just a precaution to make sure that you have no underlying injuries," Rayne replied.

"But you can see me walking, Rayne? Are you sure I need assistance?"

The two students finally arrived at the infirmary, and Y/N sat on one of the medical beds while Rayne treated their wounds. He started by cleaning the cuts and applying alcohol to the wounds, causing Y/N to flinch. "Ouchie, that burns a little." Rayne only smiled as his golden eyes remained filled with adoration. Once Y/N was all bandaged up, Rayne laid a kiss on each of their hands. "There, you should be fully healed in a few days."

Y/N tilted their head. "Was that a magic healing spell? Can you teach it to me?"

Rayne smirked as he ruffled his blonde streaked hair. "I could probably teach you the spell over dinner. Would you care to join me?"

"Well I would, but Mash and the others always go to dinner with me on this day of the week. I am making cream puff this evening, if you wanted to join, and the others would be happy to see you." Y/N rambled as they tapped their chin.

"We can bring the cream puff to them when we are finished, but I need your full attention to teach you this spell," Rayne said as he tried to find a way to spend time alone with Y/N. He adored the others yes, especially his brother Finn, but he had longed to ask Y/N on a date for some time now. There was something about them that was charming and adorable, and Rayne could not resist them. Y/N's eyes widened as they absorbed Rayne's words. "Ohh that makes more sense. I will see you then, Rayne." With that, Y/N hopped off the medical bed and left with a brief wave as Rayne started to devise a game plan for tonight.

............................................................................................................................

Rayne arrived at the dorm kitchens around the time Y/N had specified, a bouquet of their favorite flowers in hand. He entered the kitchen and was greeted by Y/N wearing a frilly apron that matched the one that Mash typically wore. They were currently whisking the eggs for the cream puffs with calculated precision. Rayne smiled as he leaned over the counter and presented the flowers to Y/N. "I brought these for you, Y/N, and I hope that you will enjoy them."

Y/N halted their whisking and took the flowers from Rayne, eagerly sniffing the fresh blooms. "These smell like the flowers back home, but I don't know if they will taste good in the cream puffs."

"They won't be going in the cream puffs, you dork. They are for you to look at and admire from afar." Rayne explained as he conjured up a glass vase. Y/N let out an exclamation of excitement as they tapped the vase to see if it was real before going back to whisking. Rayne rested his head in his hand as he watched Y/N make the cream puffs from memory. While the cream puffs were baking, Rayne took this as a sign to make his feelings known. "I am excited to try these delicious cream puffs, but I have no doubt that they will not be as sweet as you are."

"I always put four cups of sugar into the dough, and along with this custard cream, they will be the perfect amount of sweetness." Y/N assured as they plopped down in the seat next to Rayne. They perked up as they remembered the conversation they had with Rayne earlier. "Oh, you said you would teach me that healing spell? Unlike my brother, I can learn things pretty quickly."

An idea materialized in Rayne's head as he pretended to pop his knuckles. "Luckily, this spell does not require a wand like most spells, and I believe that you have the abilities and strength to master this spell in no time. Firstly, you take the hands of the person that you want to heal." Rayne turned to face Y/N as they took their hands in his, the bandages from earlier soft to the touch, but Rayne wished he could feel Y/N's actual hands instead. Y/N continued to absorb the instructions like a sponge as they replied with a "got it".

"Next, you approach the subject closer so you can determine the state of their injuries." Rayne closed the gap between him and Y/N until their face's were inches apart, allowing him to admire all of the amazing features of Y/N's face. He swore that no deity could be more gorgeous than them. Y/N nodded as they maintained eye contact with Rayne and made sure to process each step clearly. "Finally," Rayne started as he placed a hand on Y/N's cheek, "You perform the healing spell." Before Rayne could complete his plan, the loud ding of the oven interrupted him, and Y/N shot up from their seat faster than a lightning strike. "Cream puffs are done!" They shouted excitedly.

Y/N finalized the delicious treats and handed the first ones to Rayne. He bit into the pastry and hummed with delight as Y/N ate their portion of the cream puffs in a few gulps. "These are perfect, Y/N, and I must admit that this would make for a perfect date," Rayne said as he smiled more than he had in months. Y/N was once again confused.

"Isn't that a type of fruit?"

"Yes, you are correct, but it is also the time spent between two individuals that care about each other as a way to show affection for one another. Y/N Burnedead, I care about you more and more each and every day, and I would destroy every evil force in this magical realm if it means that you are safe by my side. I would be yours if that is what you wish, but if you need more time, I understand completely." Rayne blushed as he rubbed the back of his neck, but Y/N still could not see the full picture.

"I could help you beat up the villains instead, but I would need to focus on more bicep training first. Maybe Mash would know-," Y/N's sentence was cut short as Rayne gently pressed his lips against theirs as his hand returned to caress their cheek once again. Y/N did not fully understand what to do, but they did enjoy the feeling of Rayne being so close to them. When Rayne pulled away, the realization of his words and actions finally set in, and Y/N turned as red as the strawberries they used in the cream puffs. Y/N's brain started to short circuit as the affection became to much. "I-I-I guess that t-t-this makes us a, makes us a..."

Rayne kissed Y/N's cheek as a genuine laugh rumbled in his chest. "Yes, this makes us a couple, if that is what you desire. There is no one in all of Easton that would make a better match for a divine visionary."

Y/N could not help but smile as they fiddled with their hands. "I-I would like that very much."

Bonus:

"Did you save some cream puffs for me?"

"Of course, I always save the perfect ones for my favorite little sibling." Y/N handed over the cream puffs to Mash as he excitedly munched on the pastries. Lemon and Finn had just entered the room, and Lemon could not help but squeal as she nudged Y/N with her elbow. "And I heard that Y/N made cream puffs with the Rayne Ames last night!!! So, did anything exciting happen?! I must know!!"

Y/N shrugged as they took a bite from their own cream puff. "Rayne taught me a new spell while I made the cream puffs. We also kissed, and now we are dating. Nothing too exciting though."

Lemon screamed with joy as she nearly fainted at the news, but it was Finn whose jaw dropped as he flailed his arms in the air. "YOU'RE DATING MY BROTHER?! AND YOU KISSED?! I did not need to know that!!" Finn dashed from the room as his face flushed with embarrassment, but Lemon wanted to hear more.

"So, do you want to go over wedding plans with me?"

Tag list: @mayurin17, @thebasicbword, @kemis-world, @sereniteav

[alastor-simp-page]

CHARLASTOR WEEK 2024 COMING UP!

HELL YEAH! I'M SO EXCITED! Day 1 looks like its gonna be hilarious. I've got an idea cooking up. Well for all of them.

Day 3 with Charlie owning Alastor's soul or vice versa GAHHHH!

Also Day 4....ehehehe (Daddy Issues?) 👀👀👀

I love how much potential fluff, angst, and kink can be in this week.

Really my OTP! BUT ITS STILL CHARLASTOR! RAHHHH! (I looked for this gif for a solid twenty minutes. Worth it tho)

Anyways, yes, a fangirling post. BUT CHARLASTOR WEEK! THE HYPE GOES HARD! Starts in SIX DAYS! I'm about to hop on some ideas (I'm not forgetting The Soulmate Curse and the WIP: Til Murder Do Us Part | Human AU. WORKING ON IT I PROMISE!)

I'M SO GODDAMN EXCITED! YAYAYAYAYYAYA!

Charlastor Gif dump:

The way he looks at her like he's making sure she's looking at him protecting the hotel. GAHHHHH! He's doing it for her! God, I could yap about these two for the rest of my life.

"Because you're one of a kind / a charming demon belle!"

“Dad! Stop! He's defending this hotel! It may be a bit more sadistic than I'd hoped, but he's doing it for me! How come he can have faith in me but my own father can't?”

"There too hath been Rumour of thy involvement with The Princess and her recent flight of fancy."

I love their foil. I love that they are both made for the stage. I love that they are such a red and black couple. I love that they both love their little red suits. I love their interesting dynamic...their push and pull. Its endlessly fasinating.

Also shoutout to Penace by @/kinkydents on ao3. It lives rent free in my head everyday. I LOVE THAT DAMN FIC SO MUCH! If there's one charlastor fanfic I can recommend that is absolutely stunning its that one. The writing and the dynamic is just GAHHHH!!! The party chapter went hard with Lucifer. I couldn't stop reading it.

All in all...CHARLASTOR WEEK 2024 August 4th to August 10th. Spread the word my fellow charlastors!

[polarisblitzwing]

WELCOME TO THE FRI3NDSFOR3VER AU

Ford's World - Dimension Fri3nds46/’

◇ Alternative Earth Variant ◇

● Humans have wings and feathered tails

● Alternative Pines family decisions timeline

◇ Stanford Pines ◇

● Ford is a minor god of dreams and a self-proclaimed god of anomalies

● 30 years old here (Young Immortal)

● Met Bill when he was 5 due to him attempting an interdimensional dreamwalk link, with Bill trying the same thing by chance, something that wouldn't work at their age without each other

◇ Gods Among Them ◇

● Most gods were mortals whose power was drawn to them like a magnet due to their personality in some way

● Fairly secretive and prefer to hide their works

● Rely on their believers to notice their efforts, resulting in an increase in power

● Can reveal themselves to the public, but building up power from faith alone is more sustainable for less powerful gods

● Stop aging between 25 and 100 (depending on what age someone wants to live forever)

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

Bill's World - For3verEuclydia

◇ Alternative Euclydia Variant ◇

● 360 years is the average lifespan of a Euclydian in this au

● No massacre

◇ Bill Cipher ◇

● Bill is a minor god of dreams and a self-proclaimed god of weirdness

● 30 years old here (Young Immortal)

● Met Ford and Stan when he was 5

◇ Gods Among Them ◇

● Only gods have wings and tails as a power symbol

● Their wings and tails are invisible to anyone that doesn't believe in them specifically

● “Omnipotent” Euclydian gods only know everything about their own world. Bill's knowledge of the third dimension is seen as false teachings to even them.

◇ Bill’s Family ◇

● Scalene is a goddess of Truth and Euclid is a god of Reality

● No one believes Bill is a god except his parents, as godhood is a power grant at birth to someone who the power is drawn to here. It can skip generations.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

NOW, ON TO THE ACTUAL DIALOGUE FOR THIS DRAWING! FANFIC TIME ~

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

Bill: So here's my problem - I need to show them the stars. It gets real flat to hear “you're delusional, Bill” and “stop talking about a third dimension!” “Shh, you're gonna get arrested!” “It's not real!” Over and over again. It's time to change up the law and their perspectives.

Ford: Hmm.. that'll be quite the endeavor. You might need more power for that.

Bill: Ohh-ho-oh, definitely. Some of my ideas get real difficult along the way. The kind of stuff only a god with twice my power could pull off. 

[ Pulls up a holographic board with his first idea. ] 

Bill: If I could turn their eyes towards the stars and give them the same vision as I do, that'd be ideal. 

[ Ford manifests a danger sign over Bill's board; a buzzer sounds in warning. ]

Ford: Doing that to the entirety of Euclydia could potentially be devastating. Even if you get that newfound power, without centuries of diligent practice, you could end up permanently mutilating thousands of people in the process. Too risky. 

Bill: Uuugh… even if the people I wanted to show the most were immortal too, I don't think I could put up with more of their talk for that long. It has to be this century.

Ford: I get where you're coming from. I’ll do my best to make sure it happens when we figure out a plan that won’t have too many risks involved.

Bill: I could probably have the world dream of stars if you help, but that isn’t real enough to me. It drives me crazy that I can’t see you in real life. 

Ford: We’ll meet one day, I promise it. 

Bill: I sure hope so, Sixer. 

[ Pulls up two more holographic charts. ] 

Now.. back to my list of extremely great ideas.. what if I put really tiny stars in the world and contained the heat? Or flipped the world on the y-axis just to prove a third dimension exists first?

[ Ford manifests two more warnings in succession. ]

Ford: Could easily start a fire if anything went wrong, and for all we know, flipping the world vertically could cause everything to fall bottom to top infinitely until it’s fixed. Also runs the risk of killing a lot of Euclydians. Not to mention there could be other forces in your space that could affect the world.

Bill: Yeesh. Alright then, you got any ideas?

Ford: Actually, come to think of it.. 

[ Ford summons a hologram with a vision of his own forming. ]

Maybe instead of dreams, we tried something just a step up from multi-dimensional dream-walking, something like astral projection. We bring them out of their bodies, but tethered to their world, into space. Without the limitations of their physical forms, their eyes should be able to see more than what they could before.

Bill: SIXER, YOU'RE A GENIUS!!!

Ford: Hah, well, I try.  

Bill: NOW THAT'S SOMETHING I COULD ACTUALLY PULL OFF RISK FREE! It might take splitting up the days people get to see it, but, they’ll finally see.

Ford: Well, hold on, splitting up the days could be risky for the groups who see versus who don’t on the first day, so, here's what I'll do. I'll give you my powers for as long as you need them for this. I would like to help personally, but I’d need to physically be there. This will be my contribution to your paradigm shift for Euclydia.

Bill: ..you really trust me that much? 

Ford: (smiles and nods) Of course. You're my best friend, my muse, the sun in my galaxy, Bill. I want you to be happy.

[ Ford offers his hand and godly powers out to his partner. ]

Bill: (chuckles, smiling) You’re the best, Fordsy.

[ They shake on it. ]

[pookasluagh]

Fanfic Writer Interview

I got tagged by @curiouspupsicle for this little AO3 author interview thingy, and I’m avoiding writing the next hard chapter in one of my WIPs, so here goes!

What fandoms do you write in? Good Omens! I’d never written fanfic before S2 took over my brain, so this is my sole (soul!) fandom. How many words have you published in 2024? So far I’ve published 337,617 words this year but have several chapters of two WIPs still left to post before the year’s end.

What is your greatest achievement this year? In writing? Well, my fic This Phantom Life was a really important one for me. I call it a trauma-dump fic, but essentially, this was a story that allowed me to process a decade’s worth of grief to emerge lighter on the other side. That’s not the only reason it was an achievement, though. Through this fic, I connected with so many other members of the community in a deep and rich way: I entered a beta-partnership with fellow GO author @ineffablerainstorm, rejoined tumblr to become more connected with people in the fandom, formed multiple long-lasting friendships, and had deep, enriching conversations about many hard topics with readers on AO3. While Phantom is not the easiest story to read as it deals with dark topics, it’s probably the best novel I’ve ever written, fanfic or original.

What are your favorite top three fics you wrote this year? If I include one-shots and my two WIPs that won’t finish until next year, I have six fics out from 2024. My favorites are:

This Phantom Life (AU focused on heavy topics such as self-harm, DV, and transphobia)

Rapture on the Seas (AU crack fic about mistaken identities set on a cruise ship)

Dead Right (AU pure fluff pining-while-married fic with a dash of neurospicy/SPD)

What was your biggest pit of despair moment? When I began writing fanfic in September 2023, it was the first time I’d written anything in many years due to trauma/grief. During those years, I believed I’d never write again, when I’d been writing since childhood. Once I began with fanfic, I wrote so much so quickly, and after six novel-length fics in ten months, I burnt out. I was so scared that I was losing the spark and would stop writing altogether that I kept trying, forcing out words that were wrong in stories that went nowhere. It was devastating. Really, I just needed some time off, and after I gave that to myself, the words flowed again.

What have you learned? Do not have two novel-length fics in progress at the same time, no matter how many buffer chapters you think you have. Buffer chapters get eaten fast! Also, take time to recoup between stories. Burnout is real.

What three fics have you read this year that you love? Yeah, no can do on the whole “three” thing. Here are my top ten fics NOT written by my GO-besties (who will get tagged below to fill this out instead!). In the order that I read them:

thought we saw true in the bright youth by @eidetictelekinetic

Slow Show by @mia-ugly

Pray for Us, Icarus by @brightwanderer

Or Be Nice by @charlottemadison42

Rearrangements by SheenDav

Free by @maaikeatthefullmoon

But, Soft! by @on1occasionfork

Crowley Family Values by @ezomind-the-other-one

The Painted Veil by @createserenity

You’re the Bad Guys by @alphacentaurinebula (technically this is still in progress but the author literally yanked fantasies out of my brain so it’s going here!)

What ideas are percolating for next year? I have three things potentially on the docket for 2025. The first is a post-S2 canon fic that involves a reversal of fates for Crowley (now the new Supreme Archangel that he never wanted to be) and Aziraphale (a new demon who doesn’t quite fit, the way Crowley never did). The second is a collaboration AU with @ineffablerainstorm, based on Pride & Prejudice where Aziraphale is a photographer and Crowley a journalist. The third is that I want to go back and illustrate a few of my former fics. I’d love to write the sequel to Tender Morsels as well, but I’m trying to go a bit easier on myself in 2025!

Alright friends – I’d love to see you fill this out even if you didn’t write 3+ fics in 2024! @ineffablerainstorm @beerok23 @somewhere-in-wales

[mrcowboydeanwinchester]

🌸 Sapphicnatural Statistics Spreadsheet 🌸

link for the spreadsheet here!

hello hello! in may 2024 i completed a university essay studying the subversive shipping conventions of sapphicnatural fanfic in the Sapphicnatural Collection over on AO3, with the thesis that sapphicnatural ships are often rarepairs with little-to-no grounds in canon (e.g: a guest character/one-off character who have never met on screen), conversely to standard fanfic practice. as part of this, i gathered some statistics about the fics in the collection, got slightly carried away with the scope, and made a giant spreadsheet with 6 sheets of various data. with the project over, i thought it would be nice to share it with tumblr in case anyone else finds it helpful or just interesting!! i'm likely going to post the essay that i wrote alongside this in the next few weeks, so give me a shout too if that's something you'd like to see

to pique your interest, the spreadsheet includes:

Notes on methodology and the vocabulary used

Statistics on the popularity of each sapphicnatural ship in the collection and the frequency of characters featured

Analysis on some significiant ship factors: whether the characters have met in canon and how frequently characters re-occured in the show

'Ship potency', a new framework i'm workshopping to quantify how 'viable/strong' a ship is, specifically when measuring the makeup of femslash ships against mlm ships

i've written up some of the key points i found and some extra analysis about them under the cut, so read more if you're interested! <3

Contextual note: there are 129 fanfics in the Sapphicnatural collection.

Top 5 most popular Sapphicnatural ships:

donna/jody (10 fics)

anna/mary (7 fics)

jo/cassie (6 fics)

anna/ruby (5 fics)

kaia/claire (4 fics)

21 unique ships have 3 fics per ship. 24 unique ships have 2 fics per ship, and 52 unique ships have 1 fic per ship. So, only a quarter (25.3% of ships) have more than 3 fics written about them.

Rarepairs (and thus multishipping) are much more frequent in Sapphicnatural fanfiction than across most fandom fanfic collections which often centre around a specific ship

Have the characters met in canon?

Only 34.2% of ships involve two or more characters who have met on-screen in the show, with 59.6% of ships featuring two or more characters who have never met

4 out of the 5 top ships are between characters who met in the show's canon

BUT the most common dynamic is between two characters who could potentially meet in canon (are alive through the same seasons/at the same location (hell/heaven) at the same time) but who never meet in the show

This idea of 'canon potential' is the most exciting space for a lot of sapphicnatural writers, where finding gaps in the existing narrative and placing two similar women together to explore what their relationship could look often seems to be more inviting than those established on-screen

What is the spread of side/guest/one-off characters in ships?

A third (32.9%) of ships are made-up side/guest character

None of the characters featured are main characters (as none of the women spn characters can be realistically classed as 'main characters' lolol)

17 ships feature at least one one-off character, with 3 being one-off/one-off

Sapphicnatural fanfiction has a unique appreciation for reinforcing attention to minor characters, often as part of a feminist agenda to restore their agency

How frequently are individual characters featured?

Jo Harvelle is the most popular character in the sapphicnatural collection, involved in 15 unique ships across 34 fics. So, over a quarter (26.4%) of the fanfics in the collection feature Jo

Author's note: honestly this could be my individual impact on the collection as a jogirl oops

Mary Winchester is involved in 14 unique ships across 25 ships, so both Jo and Mary are significantly multi-shipped. Mary features twice across the top 5 ships

Sapphicnatural writers often write in service of a particular character rather than a ship - ie. exploring Jo's sapphic identity is more important than who her relationship is with

Charlie, Anna, Ruby, Claire, and Bela are the other characters involved in more than 10 fics each across the collection

Ship potency:

I explain this concept more on the sheet itself, but I essentially assign numerical values to whether a ship is (possible in) canon or not, how frequently characters re-occur in the show, and how popular a ship is respective to the fandom (as sapphicnatural is small, donna/jody is popular with 10 fics, for example)

This is to gain a measure of how 'strong' a ship is, assuming that a standard mlm ship will rank highly in most of these criteria (control variable of destiel ranks 29.5/30, whereas the average potency sum for a sapphicnatural ship is 11.8)

Across the top 5 ships, the average potency sum is 20.9

4/5 of the most popular sapphicnatural ships are in the top 5 for ship potency, with donna/jody, anna/mary, kaia/claire and anna/ruby having strong canon foundations and so high potency ratings.

jo/cassie is irregular as the third most popular ship because they only rank 14th for ship potency, as the pairing have not met on-screen in canon, and features a one-off character

Ships with higher potency sums do tend to be slightly more popular, but there isn't a clear pattern among any of the ships. I'd like to do some more work with this to fine-tune the system

Wordcount, kudos, and hits:

Average wordcount of a fic is 3,511 words. This fits with my other working theory (links to my post about my history essay on women's fiction through the feminist waves) that sapphicnatural writers utilise short stories and one-shots to most succesfully explore sapphic identities

Average kudos is 48, with a median of 13

Average hits is 353, with a median of 122

So: sapphicnatural fanfics receive a fairly low level of interaction, especially when compared to the mlm ships in the Supernatural fandom (destiel, etc). This is in-line with most fandoms and femslash as a whole - a small, dedicated community are reading and writing sapphicnatural

I didn't explore much here, but it would be interesting to go into further depth anout how many fics in the collection are written by different authors, etc

and that's it from me! if you've made it down here, you're an absolute gem and thank you for sticking with me! hope you foundd it as interesting to read through as i did to write up - and that you give the spreadsheet a nosey too if you fancy <3

[autistic-ben-tennyson]

Benlie: Why I love these two

A lot of people in the Ben 10 fandom don’t really like this ship these days. Even back when UAF was airing, most were gushing over Gwevin and there was very little Benlie content like AMVs, fanfics or fanart. Many view Julie as a bland character and while she could have been fleshed out more, I think that’s a bit unfair as well as the idea of her being controlling, toxic or abusive. On the flip side are those that view Ben as a misogynistic incel who only saved Jennifer, Elena and Eunice to get in their pants, when he did care a lot more about Julie than some say. I am aware that there are overzealous stans who treat Benlie like the greatest romance in history and usually do it to drag down Omniverse, but many of us who still ship or enjoy it do so because we wish it could have been done better.

I like these two as a couple, partially because they’re a nice contrast to Gwen and Kevin. Gwevin was the “bad boy and smart girl” opposites attract, angst filled romance people loved. Ben and Julie by contrast are people with similar interests and personalities like Sumo Slammers, horror movies, sports and can be pretty headstrong while having a more compassionate side. Both also used “you’re not a monster, you’re better than this” to get the Dragon/Ship to come to their senses, ironically both incidents involved the Forever Knights. Friends to lovers can be overused or cliche but it can also be wholesome.

One other thing I love about these two is how they bounce off each other. Julie is someone besides Gwen who can remind Ben that there’s more to life besides being a hero, something the original Ben 10,000 struggled with and who pushes him to reign in his jerkass tendencies. Sort of like Robin and Starfire in Teen Titans. She brings out the best in him and he is aware that he’s not a great boyfriend, but he does better than most give him credit for. No hate to Benkai fans but they really brought out the worst in each other while Julie got the short end of the stick from the writers.

I also really like how she’s the one that saved him from being corrupted by the power of Dagon, keeping him from letting the power go to his head which is a nice parallel to Azmuth and Zenith. She was kind of the fourth member of the team before Rook, having helped Ben during Big Chill’s pregnancy, and helping stop the Highbreed war, Ultimate Kevin’s rampage and Ben from abusing the power of Ascalon. She also saved him twice from Elena and as well as when he got his hand cut off and was trapped in the Null Void and reassured him when his identity was leaked.

As stated above, many of us Benlie fans ship it because of its missed potential. The show should have really fleshed out their parents more as we never see them interact and Julie’s dad was shown to hate Ben in his only appearance. Julie could have staged an intervention with Carl and Sandra after the Ultimate Kevin incident and over their concerns about Ben’s fame as that arc needed more consequences. I think Julie would also have been fun to see interacting with Rook as well as the other characters Omniverse introduced.

One other reason I really like Benlie is it has a similar vibe to some of my other favorite ships like Hodaka x Hina or Connverse and it feels very animesque, which makes since as the series is quite similar to a magical girl anime. They genuinely care about each other despite their ups and downs and have a very cute vibe. I headcanon both as bisexual or biromantic given Ben’s “crush” on Nemesis and his interactions with Rook, Rex and Kevin. Julie also seems a bit queer, coming from a strict family, keeping secrets like Ship and slowly breaking out of her shell, realizing what she wants out of life.

People use them arguing or Ben screwing up as a reason it was toxic but I like seeing characters work out their issues and succeeding. They got together in AF and were fairly stable. Then conflicts arose in UA when Ben became famous and Julie began her own career in tennis, but they appear to have reconciled by the finale. Then OV could have had them as partners with Rook, having worked out their issues. Regardless of whether you like them as a couple, fans can all agree that Julie deserved better from the writers and isn’t as bad as the fandom makes her out to be. I’m aware that they were not a perfect romance but they don’t need to be for people to like them.

[eluxcastar]

Writing here because the type limit for comment in that one anon is FEOLSEKFMSEF.

NAUR, NOT THE FINAL LESSON NUH UH. If Arlecchino canonically doesn't die next patch, Brighella shouldn't too… BET. I do love the idea of a match between Cap and Brig! (wait, tf do we name her if she ain't "brighella" the fatui harbinger like it is the name she only knows) I mean, I did think about about her dying too… so tempting. I kinda ride that Acheron idea, some intense danceeee ehe… Her ult kinda has the Arle schemed and vice versa.

Angst material… hmmm, I did have an idea but it was only IF Arlecchino was centuries old but due to her taking over recently by canon that is scrapped because it is too inaccurate by the possibility lol. (It involved lowkey dying, and giving her heart to Arle then did get resurrected by the abyss order for them to use but she went rebellious and just lingers around Teyvat and the Abyss). A dance between the two, YES. I've always thought of Arlecchino being incapable of being romantic with Brighella beyond obsession. But, with all those fanfics I am consumed by sweet Arle with acts of service... Hahaha! We shall wait for the next patch on her potential emotional stance ykyk... Maybe she does care, despite having the reputation of discarding anything that does not benefit her. For me, Arlecchino is more of "You belong to me" kind of person not "You belong with me" Hold up gotta reread the lore stuff, after doing an assignment

Hehe Final Lesson inspiration I knew it was evil ALRIGHT it's on if Arle doesn't die I won't kill Brig either but if she does not only will I cry but I'll make it worse

I still call her Brighella, but she was also briefly called Matilda in my notes after the folksong Waltzing Matilda (what is she but a jolly swagman camped by a billabong (￣▽￣) wait I just realised she lives in Wangshuu Inn next to a body of water—she IS a jolly swagman camped by a billabong (°ロ°) !)

I also struggled so bad with the fact Arle is young because like, the timeline was screwing me over in my original plans (；￣Д￣) I was like WHY CAN'T YOU JUST BE OLD (to my friend if you're reading this GO AWAY it's NOT because of the accusations I like old people) it would've made my life easier, but alas miHoYo can never do such things. I would have loved that idea because it's so edible— SACRIFICING herself for Arle??? Then Arle having to grapple with potentially being responsible for Brig becoming an unwilling pawn of the abyss??? delicious (*/▽＼*)

I LOVE the dance between Acheron and Black Swan sm something about those vibes just fits them so well

Yk I agree with that philosophy that Arle is a "you belong to me" not a "you belong with me" kinda person. I also like the idea Arle is lowkey obsessed with her (and though it's subtle in OoR it's sprinkled in there ( ´ ꒳ ` ) ) I wish that it didn't get so long it lagged every word program I put it through because I think when I rewrite it, I'll lean into that more and draw out the time it takes for them to come to an agreement ( ◡‿◡ *) Possibly a mix of the two where her 'love' for Brighella is born of obsession, their relationship is probably in some manner unhealthy, but she may be able to learn to love her normally as well (I doubt either of these people are capable of a healthy or normal relationship LMAO)

Random fun fact to throw into this one: the differences in thinking about their relationship are also what prompted me to have her completely unable to understand why Brighella gave up so easily and generally have there be a disconnect between what Brig wants and what Arle wants for her (ノ*°▽°*) because those are two very different things

Second song idea for the two of them I had five seconds ago: Fire and the Flood by Vance Joy ♡( ◡‿◡ )

[imthepunchlord]

Just a random question, but do you like adrien and marinette being the main duo, or do you think two other people would've been better?

Yes and no.

It's kinda complicated.

So, with my long break from Miraculous, clearing out my salt mines, and doing a gradual rewatch of the show with fresh eyes and enjoying the nostalgia of what used to be, I can say I am reminded on why, we as a fandom, enjoyed them as leads and as a pair.

There was some yin-yang potential in their dynamic, specifically playing off Lady Wifi introducing the Head vs Heart idea.

Marinette's an Empathetic Head. She's observant and perceptive, the planner and quick thinker, typically, she responds logically to what's presented to her. But she does feel deeply for others, and that empathy and kindness drives her to step up and help others.

Adrien in turn is a Reasonable Heart, at least, meant to be. He works off his feelings, goes with his gut, his wants; but he's also meant to be the emotional reason, knowing what to say to ground those that are getting caught up in themselves, offer support and direction, one they didn't consider or see before.

It nicely places off that theme that there's a little bit of the other in the counterparts, which is why the two halves have those dots, a little bit of yang resides in yin and vice versa.

And between the fluff and the snark and the support/loyalty they do offer each other, that potential for them as partners and users for the Cat and Ladybug is there.

Unfortunately, the writers' bias and stubbornness ruined that dynamic. What's meant to be a partnership of equals never becomes equals. Adrien never steps up as a leader and shares the weight of responsibility, and Marinette never feels like she can ease back and trust others to handle things, making her feel like she has to solve everything and be THE solution.

There's also the factor that they decided to prioritize the romance over the friendship, which did not really help Adrien as a hero as he focused more on his romantic pursuits than being a hero, flirting at the wrong time, not taking anything seriously... it was a bad look. And then Adrien and Marinette as civilians, despite being stated to be friends, I kinda question if they truly are. Adrien never actively goes to hang out with Marinette on his own, most of the time, there's a social expectation for them to hang out as civilians, or a favor is involved.

One of the aspects that has a romance work is having a good friendship to be that foundation. But the writers don't value friendship, not between actual friends and not between the love interests.

And the third issue is their means of growth.

Thomas, unfortunately, echoed the idea that girls grow through suffering. So Marinette's growth is just having the narrative against and giving her a hard time and she just can't win no matter what she does. Damned if she do, and damned if she don't. And I got to see that she developed anxiety and has an Atlas Complex and is very stress and just...

And with Adrien, he's just stagnant. He doesn't get involved in his own plot. He doesn't step up to the responsibility of being a hero, nor does he seek to share the weight of leadership. He's handed things on a silver platter, is allowed to be upset and petty and recklessly use his power.

And all of these factors just throws a big wrench into the potential of their partnership and them as leads and as the Cat and Ladybug heroes.

Better writers can make them work. And I bet there are a lot of good fanfics out there that have made them work.

I can see that potential and promise there. It's just really poor execution that ruined it.

I also will say, personally, I do think narrative wise things would flow better if they had a kwami swap at the start. Though, this is largely working the direction canon did go and I can see how a kwami swap could've combated that.

Plagg is set up to be the ideal foil to Marinette and have her grow, as she's too much of a giver, overthinks, piles too much on her plate, and struggles to put herself first. Extra bonus that they could've been a hilarious duo to see.

Tikki's big appeal with Adrien is that she would've gotten him involved in his own plot. Would've pushed for him to figure out who he is, what he wants to do, to be more involved if not be the leader, and to think more before he acts. And there could've been some good fluff as Tikki fills the void his mom left, as she can be very affectionate and supportive.

There's also the factor that Adrien needs someone to straight up tell him when he did something wrong or uncool. Anything that's a vague hint that Plagg occasionally gives just goes over Adrien's head or is ignored.

And there is that big appeal of shifting up the dynamics. Canon's issue is that Marinette and Tikki are initiators, while Adrien and Plagg are reactors. Mixing up these dynamics would've done wonders for their characters and interactions.

So, yeah over all, they can and could've worked as leads and holders of the Ladybug and Cat. The writing just really screwed them over. Though, I will say, doing different leads for Ladybug and Cat isn't an impossibility either.

[necer0s]

So I just played and loved Jedi Fallen Order, and I’m now moving on to Survivor. Great games, lots of fun, it felt a lot like I was playing KotOR if admittedly different and a bit shorter. But as I begin looking at the fanfiction and the tags, it’s interesting to me that so much of the fanfic is based around Cal time-traveling back to the Clone Wars when to me the most interesting part of his narrative was the ways he learned to move on from and accept the fall of the Jedi Order.

I know that Clone Wars is one of the setting’s best sandboxes to play in fic-wise, but the fic I keep imagining in my head is one where Cal survives till the end of the Empire and reaches out to Luke to work with him on what the future of Force-sensitives in the galaxy should look like. I’ll have to get through Jedi Survivor to see how that idea plays with canon, but I feel like his (spoilers) relationship with Merrin and access to the Zeffo vault gives him a really interesting opportunity to build a new organization— not a repeat of the Jedi Order as it fell, but a blending of multiple different traditions of Force users who find a new path together.

I don’t know enough about all the canon these days to write that fic (I don’t have any idea what’s going on with Ahsoka and whether she should be involved, for example) but the bones of it in my head are really interesting. Not least because I think the Cal in my head might disagree with Luke? I think Luke, at the end of the original trilogy, has a really idealized view of the Jedi in his head— which is fine when he’s the only Jedi around, because he is the ideal Jedi! But I think it might blind him to the potential flaws involved in rebuilding the Jedi order (which is supported by the sequel trilogy, although that’s barely canon to me).

Cal, on the other hand, has learned the major lesson of “failure is part of the journey”, and seen how it applies to structures as well as people. He’s seen the fall of the Jedi, and learned about the similar fall of two other Force-using societies. He understands that it’s important to build new things, but also that you have to learn and change from the lessons of the past. I think if he rebuilt something, it would be a very different organization than the Jedi Order. And it would be interesting to explore what that looked like.

[ride-thedragon]

At this point I think as a fandom, we've lost some of the crackship charm we once had. I can look up Ashara Dayne and Ser Davos and find results, But Nettles and Helaena have nothing. It's time to rectify that for my favourite girl and try to inspire some fanfics. Feel free to add more.

1. Daeron and Nettles

Think Enemies to Lovers, Captive of War drama like Jaime and Brienne or just some good old Gwen and Arthur-inspired love. Ivy by Taylor Swift coded, a She's all that inspired affair. I genuinely think that he's just trying to be there for her with this one. It happens and neither of them realise until You're in Love starts playing.

2. Baela and Nettles.

They would give the pot calling the kettle black in every argument. The Princess Bride-esque dynamic between them. Very Graham and Megan from but I'm a Cheerleader. Sapphic Pinning and Resentment should be its own genre. Sir Chloe's Michelle is my vision. We can even make a throuple with them and Jace or Alyn. Truly, I think they but heads until they kiss, building on resentment. I also think they would be the coolest couple.

3. Addam and Nettles

Kaz and Inej core.

But in all seriousness, I think Addam being loyal and Duty bound and Nettles challenging that idea is delicious. Solider of Duty x Solider for the People. A modern-day Persuasion story but gender-flipped if we put our minds to it. See you Again Kali Uchis and Tyler the Creator, that's all.

4. Nettles and Helaena

They just deserve better. That's all. Give me cottagecore sapphic romance with my best girls involves. Like the young lesbians from Barbie and the Diamond Castle. Lesbians raising kids together. Sheepstealer and Dreamfyre hatching eggs for the nieces and nephews. I just-

It would be so cool, I will by Mitski sentiment is already attached.

5. Alyn and Nettles

Now that we are here obviously she apologized for Sheepstealer, she doesn't need to but she did, He tries not to like her but can't help it. She wins him over and they hatch him an egg or something idk. Think The Princess Diaries: Royal Engagement, Mia and Nicholas, Flipped the movie if you will. Jealously plots would slay. For the song choice think Shameless Camila Cabello. Please remember that Alyn is younger than Netty by 3/4 years though.

6. Rhaena and Nettles

See now this is classic Friends to Lovers, Emma and Harriet if gay, perhaps, Bend it Like Beckham core definitely. Sofia by Clario inspired. Nettles doesn't leave Rhaena out because she's without a dragon and the same happens inverse. Sapphic confusion however, like Rhaena doesn't understand at first why she feels that way.

7. Nettles and Jace.

Now for the Mr Knightley and Emma Woodhouse of our time, the Kate and Anthony of Westeros. The potential for her just not listening to him when he tries to tell her how to ride a dragon. Or when she talks to him about the people he'll rule over eventually, Ygritte and Jon style. She's also the only bastard who doesn't look Targaryen, he can relate to that a bit. I think she's Fierce and he's Stubborn. Ungodly Hour by Chloe x Halle for them.

8. Nettles and Alys.

The Fire Witches of Westeros. I think they will be perfect as a ship. American Horror Story-esque characters. The two Witches in the story are obviously my favourites. It would be Jennifer's Body meets, the craft meets, and Suspiria. Willow by Taylor Swift becomes them.

This one was also a bonus more or less.

Anyways I just need to start to get a baseline story for my girl by the time the show gives her to us. So we have a general sense of direction, I'm tired of the mischaracterization of my baby. She's smart, resourceful, Cunning, Fearless, and not entirely loyal. She also curses, enough for it to be a character trait. Please remember this for her, I'm tired. I also know that Daemon loved her but she's too much fun as a character to limit her to him romantically in all her fanfictions, it is an interesting narrative to explore while we don't have exact answers but he gets romantic ships with anyone. She deserves more.

[the-ninja-legacy-whip]

has there ever been a fan suggestion that you ended up adding in to your lore?

The Eye Colors being dual-toned was a suggestion by my friend Bunn a super-long time ago, and it's stuck ever since! <3

The final looks of the Tawhiri and Ruamoko were inspired by a combo of this artwork and this artwork! I mentally had Vulcanell and Eirlys down, but those two I was struggling with until that fanart came along!

Harumi being a trashy fanfic writer and Sally's last name being muse came from my other friend King!

I think Jesse (eventually) getting earrings came from an ask from another friend, but I can't remember WHICH friend but it's been a while it might've been Chaos and/or King

...Same with him eventually getting a tattoo that I can't believe no one has asked me about yet/still

A couple things from Indirect Action and Learning To Love (again) I plan to implement eventually

Literally 80% of the fankids were born from peer pressure gentle persuasion I couldn't resist

Jamie, Nici, and Lucy, but adjacently. Olivia gets a potential partner, Sunni gets a cousin, and Aftershock gets another cheerleader through this hgfdfgd. I especially have to mention Jamie cuz he's made it into a few significant sidestories

One day I'm gonna write a oneshot about this

If I ever write a DR!fic, I owe this for Zane vs Jay battle (even if the og idea was technically mine more or less kjhgfgfd)

Less of a fan suggestion, more of an effect of fan reaction, but Kai and Olivia's dynamic was never supposed to be as...involved as it is, and also indirectly led to the further development of Bridget's character as a result

Also I guess everything beyond S10 getting added can count too cuz I really wasn't going to tackle any of that either until ideas and questions started coming at me from left to right and I was cursed with What Ifs as usual...and now the story truly wouldn't be complete unless I go up to Crystalized T-T)9

(and yes the whole thing with [REDACTED] would also technically fall under this because that DEFINITELY wasn't part of the og plan, and now here we are ._. )

[writingquestionsanswered]

Hello! So I'm righting a fanfic and I'm having trouble with my MC, he is generally a fairly apathetic person towards anything that doesn't directly involve him

And this is where in having trouble, I'm unsure how I should go about getting him involved in the main events and actually interact with the characters, I have one or two ideas based on canon but any and all advice would be appreciated<3

Anyways I hope you have a good night or day whenever you read this!!

Fan-Fiction: Finding Role for an OC

There are two ways you can go about this...

Depending on the format of the canon story (movie, book, TV show, graphic novel, video game, etc. -- and whether or not it's a series), there are potentially many conflicts to choose from. You might have conflicts for individual stories... each movie in a series, each book in a series, each episode in a series, each game in a series. And you also might have series arcs--conflicts that span the series from beginning to end. In a TV series, you often have season arcs as well as whole series arcs.

One way to find a role for your fan-fiction OC is to choose a particular conflict featured in canon and see how your character might get involved via that conflict. For example, if canon is a TV show, you might choose a favorite episode and see if there's some way your OC might get involved via the conflict. For example, maybe they're brought in because they're an expert in something the canon characters are dealing with as a result of the episode conflict. Or, maybe the OC is impacted by the conflict in some way.

Another way to find a role for your fan-fiction character is to look at the roles the canon characters fulfill... can you see any roles that can be duplicated? For example, let's say the canon story revolves around a news network and the canon characters are news anchors, reporters, weather people, and a producer. Could your OC be another news anchor? Another weather person or reporter? Or, are there any roles that could be supportive to these characters that your OC could play? A hair and makeup person? An intern? An assistant to the producer? Look at the recurring background characters... what roles do they fill? Random studio staff like camera people, sound people, lighting people, craft services people... can your OC fill one of these roles? And finally, do some research into the canon situation. What other staff might you find at a news network, for example? Different kinds of writers, producers, directors, editors, technical staff, researchers... lots and lots of opportunities to look for roles your character might fulfill.

Happy writing!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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[breezybangtanbebe]

The Unseen: Hyungwon & Hyunwoo (Killas teaser)

A/N: Soooooo...Killas is taking some time to come together lol i have like fiddyleven ongoing projects (fanfics and originals) so yea. Its a labor of love. But I wanted to share a little something thats more than likely a deleted scene from the book that has potential to become its own thing🌚 meaning theres more than one part and this is just the first one🌚 anywho.

Tags: Contracted killer HyungwonxSexy, Two-timingOC( featuring Hyunwoo) all with similar occupations. John Wick vibes with flashbacks of steamy smut, raw sex, oral sex, high tension and some flirty banter❤️

4.8k words

"Good Evening Sir...Welcome to The Continental."

Emerson's posh and cheery disposition was never something Hyungwon would tire of. He couldn't say as much for the setting he'd stepped into since arriving.

Droplets of the sky cascade over the smooth leather of his coat as he walked with the grace of a Vogue model, his expression sharp and focused as he closed the distance between the entrance and the concierge desk.

"Emerson. Always a pleasure.." he greets the older gentleman informally as he crossed the glazed marble flooring, shaking the rain from his dripping hair. Its not a matter to the old confidante though, merely responding to the younger with a polite smile.

"Mr. Chae...its been years it seams. Are you well these days?" He asks and Hyungwon smirks. Mainly at the irony of the question.

When was he ever well?

"Oh you know. Same old. Id like a room please.."

"Very good sir. And how long will you be staying with us?" He goes on to ask and Hyungwon shakes his head as he shrugged the strap of his bag from his shoulder.

"Just for tonight. Im only passing through."

"Oh? You wont be attending the Academy reunion later on this evening then?" Emerson lifts his brows expectedly, never taking his eyes off the computer and Hyungwon chuckles at the idea.

The annual Brighton Academy reunion was something he always avoided, deeming it would be an evening he'd much rather spend fighting tooth and nail with some thug standing between him and access to some place he didn't belong, or staking out across the street from a residence for days , living off of stale water and protein bars to gather intel on a target.

Hell he felt he got enough of a reunion when he was assembled with 5 of his former classmates to handle the devil's busywork for a fee time and time again outside of his solo endeavors. That was just about as much reuniting he could tolerate.

No. A night of smoozing amongst people he'd forgotten shortly after the graduation ceremony was the last thing on his mind.

Besides, he had plans of his own tonight.

"I think I'll pass. Group activities are only my thing when a check is involved. Otherwise i prefer to avoid any social engagement if at all possible." He huffs as he lifted his bag to be checked routinely. Emerson's lips curl up in amusement as he turned the duffle to unzip it for a quick thumb through.

"Understood, sir. I assume youre well aware of hotel policy.." he begins and Hyungwon nods as he is already unholstering every firearm and blade he had on his person. The concierge waits calmly while an arsenal of weapons pile on the marble countertop one by one.

The two Glock 26's on either hip.

The smaller Ruger slotted behind his back.

The array of daggers and switch blades he had hidden only God knows where underneath that inconspicuous trench.

Silence falls over the grand foyer as Emerson waits patiently for Hyungwon to finish surrendering his weapons before gathering them delicately to be stowed in a designated locker.

He resumes his place in front of a computer and begins typing. As Emerson set out on getting him sorted in an available suite, Hyungwon takes a moment to observe the grand interior and occupancy of the infamous Continental.

Suited men in expensive dress shoes stepped briskly over the shining quarts floors, some of them chatting amongst each other as they either entered the hotel or exit into the rain. Others were accompanied by women adorned in rare furs and dripping in diamonds, their expressions as empty and inviting as the gothic ceilings several meters above their heads.

In the distance, a band was assembling on the club's stage, tuning instruments and preparing for another evening of entertaining while an array of round tables were set with crisp white table cloths and gold plaited cutlery.

To anyone else, the high end hotel appeared as just that. A place only the elite could afford to enter on rooms running nearly £800 a night at the cheapest rate.

No one would think to suspect it serving as a neutral space of communion amongst the world's most notorious spies and killers for hire. 

With a few more taps and a swift reach for something out of Hyungwon's sight, Emerson clears his throat to summon the young man's attention.

"Much obliged Mr.Chae. Here is your key card and your valet ticket sir. Do enjoy your stay." He bows his head slightly as he offered the aforementioned items as well as his bag to Hyungwon, who takes them gladly with a returned bow.

"Thank you."

Amber sways and ripples with the spin of his glass. The malt's deep and slightly effervescent scent dancing on the air as it did on Hyungwon's tongue with every savoring sip.

He adjusts his lean in the chair, running his tongue along his bottom row of teeth as he glances at his watch.

She was late.

Or perhaps he was just impatient.

Meeting with her tonight had been the only thing on his mind since he opened his eyes that morning and every second he wasn't in her presence, his mind swam.

The local bar he'd selected was tucked away in a part of the city they once shared. Memories of seeing her here several times cloud his vision and the haze of reminiscing colors the scene in warm sepia and scents it with cognac.

Her favorite.

Some time ago...

"Favorite color?"

The conviction in Hyungwon's voice made it known that his question wasnt thoughtless, despite it being so cliche it was laughable.

"My favorite color? Seriously?" she giggles as the tip of her finger coasted the rim of her cocktail and Hyungwon's challenging gaze never wavers from hers.

Well, they do drop from her eyes to catch the way her tongue glosses her lips before returning with a lifted brow.

"Of course." he assures her cooly. His date just stares back at him for a moment, reading the depth of the galaxy in his eyes.

"Of all the things you could ask me though? Arent we too old for that?" she tilts her head.

"Too old for a favorite color?" Hyungwon pouts softly and she shakes her head.

"Too old for something like that to matter..." she mused. Now Hyungwon was intrigued.

"Is it a secret?"

Secrets.

The irony isnt lost on her at all considering what they were to eachother versus what they were to the world.

"Of course not...but you know me..better and more than most can say. Why does knowing my favorite color matter?" She challenges, earning a one shouldered shrug from the man sitting across from her.

"Just does. So just tell me." Hyungwon tosses back with just as much defiance.

She smiles...

"Guess."

The word barely provokes her lips to move but Hyungwon's gaze fall to them anyway, mimicking her coy smile in a way only he could.

He narrows his eyes and tucks his lips before leaning back in his seat, tugging casually at the collar of his shirt as he examines her with scrutiny for a moment. It's long enough to make a nervous lump form in her throat that she conceals with another sip from her drink.

Between the sheets.

White rum, Hennessy, and triple sec. Spritzed and zested with lemon.

The perfect balance of sweet and sour.

Sophisticated and audacious.

Sexy.

Watching her plush and rose tinted lips kiss the rim of her glass made Hyungwon wonder if she tasted just as sweet on his tongue as her beverage of choice.

Hyungwon glances down at her neck, following the line of the single thin gold chain carresing the dip of her collar bones, falling into curve of her cleavage to the plunging neckline of her dark plum blouse.

Peaks of lace frames her cleavage, her skin almost shimmering like satin under the low lighting, casting a shadow between her breasts that Hyungwon yearned to dive into.

He sensed a warmth there, lower beneath the expensive threads and the bend of her hips, a place he knew he'd soon be.

A place he knew she wanted him to be just as much.

Without a word, a look of revelation flashes in his eyes as he looked back up to her expectant face.

"Red." he says after subjecting her to his intangible torture for long enough, lifting his highball to his lips with a cocky glint in his eyes.

She stills, blinking slowly and Hyungwon knew immediately that he had her.

"Interesting guess..." she muses nonchalantly.

Her eyes shift over Hyungwon's relaxed lean in his seat, pausing to watch his Adam's apple lift as he tilted his head.

"Im right arent I?" He smiles sexily and its so disarming that the woman across from him forgets to breathe.

She huffs out a half felt chuckle to cover her body's reaction to Hyungwon's effortless charm.

"I'll tell you after you tell me why you chose that color. And please don't say it's because I complemented your shirt.." She decides to say, leaning in to rest her forearms on the table, her pointed stiletto nails tapping her skin rhythmically.

It wouldn't be gentleman-like for him to admit, but he wanted nothing more than to feel those claws digging lines over his back before the night was up.

Good thing he never claimed to be one in the first place.

"Of course not. Its your aura. My shirt's merely a coincidence."

"My aura..." she smirks and Hyungwon simply nods.

"Mmhm...You exude confidence from everything you do, from the way you enter a room...down to the way you order your drink." He responds casually as he reached for his own, gesturing his glass towards her in silent cheers before taking a quick sip.

She remains invested as he swallowed and Hyungwon sets the glass back down.

"I can tell youre a woman who always knows what she wants and exactly how to obtain it. I can tell you like control, which is why you always prefer to sit at the back of the bar, putting everything in your vantage point. Youre alert and very self aware. Youre assertve. Fearless. Bold. Partiality to extremes, passion and danger..."

"Danger? You think Im dangerous?" She speaks for the first time in minutes,lifting her brow with deep interest. Hyungwon nods slowly.

"Most women are..." he shrugs that shoulder again and its a gesture that reminds her eye to marvel in the broadness of them. Especially in that tailored Paul Smith dress shirt.

Why hadnt she noticed them before?

"Go on." She tips her chin after resuming her attention to his face, the real reason she hadnt noticed the rest of him.

Hyungwon smiles.

"Well....apart from what I picked up on via first impressions, the bezel of your watch is red. Matching the ruby stone on your ring. Which I assume is your birthstone meaning you were born in July. A warm month. Warmth. Red...you get my gist."

With another shrug of indifference, Hyungwon takes another sip from his whiskey. This time he savors the burn as it warmed his tongue. He awaits her response as he enjoys his drink but only soft sound of Sade crooning in the background fills the silence settling between them.

If you were mine....

Her expression idles between bewildered and impressed but only for a moment. It then resumes its usual demureness, a skill achieved when existing in world donning many faces.

As she reached for her glass, her smirk betrayed her as Hyungwon knew it would.

He had her.

"Hmm.." is all she says, picking it up.

Hyungwon's satisfied chuckle warmed his glass as he joined her in a shared sip.

Their eyes never leaving each other as they swallowed.

Present day...

Rain sizzled over the concrete, the summer nights steam hazing the night view through the windows. Its thick humid scent mixes with the essence of cognac and leather in the pub.

It was one of the few places in Hyungwon could go to unwind after countless hours of wearing his mask.

His day job was taxing.

But as lately, his nights were even worse.

As if he were attuned to her, Hyungwon's eyes shift from the bottom of his glass to the chiming front door as it opened slowly.

And there she was.

Legs that led to heaven and hips that sent men straight to hell, Lilith entered the bar with her black cashmere coat over her shoulders and her umbrella in hand.

She shakes it before closing it to stow in a designated basin near the door.

Her curves are accentuated by her blood red dress that leaves little to the imagination.

Hyungwon's eyes follows the shine of her smooth legs down to her heels, fond memories of those ankles over his shoulders flash over his disctracted gaze.

He shifts in his seat as he dispelled the thought, clearing his throat and glancing up just as Lilith lifts her head.

Her mane of mahogany spirals toss back from her face, the flecks of honey in her coal lined eyes pinning Hyungwon from the entrance.

Her lips perk up at one corner in a fond smile, but Hyungwon keeps his expression neutral despite his heart thudding pathetically in his chest, lifting his glass to his lips for an encouraging swig.

"Hey baby.." she purrs as if she she meant it and Hyungwon has to stifle his chuckle of disdain before rising from his seat.

"Hey.." he says lowly, his height almost doubling as he towers over her by several inches. She smiles as if nothing were amiss as she approached him for a breif embrace that he doesn't reject.

He couldn't resist a chance to touch her, even if his feelings had taken a complicated turn.

Her body just felt too good against his.

Out of habit, Hyungwon's hands snaked around her waist and her perfume encompassed him in an amalgam of emotions.

They flood him as he recalls smelling her in places she'd been the most.

Places he'd felt her the most.

His car.

His sheets.

His clothes.

Under his skin, as if it were possible..

Lilith had a way of layering her body oils and butters beneath a particular perfume that created a signature scent.

One he'd recognize anywhere.

Per their normal greeting, Lilith tips her head back in preparation to peck Hyungwon's lips as they always did.

Instead, he pressed his plushy pout to her temple and lingers there for a moment before pulling back.

The large hands at her waist were now pushing her coat back from her shoulders and Lilith assists by shrugging it free from her body. Hyungwon takes it to drape it over the back of the chair nearest to her.

He then pulls it out for her.

"Sit.." he states softly, saying nothing more and his expression gives nothing away as he waits for her to comply. A frown pulls at Lilith's ruby lips at Hyungwon's icyness but she doesnt hesitate to ease down into the proffered chair beside her.

Hyungwon then calmly steps back to his side of the table and joins her to sit, picking up his glass to swirl its contents casually.

Lilith's brow pinches at the tension rolling off of Hyungwon's shoulders, scooting into her chair comfortably before resting her forarms on the table.

"So..I hear your alma mater is in town tonight for some sort of reunion. I'm surprised you hadn't made plans to meet up with the boys tonight.."

"Im just gonna cut straight to it.."Hyungwon interupts her, the blanching of her expression damn near comical at his curtness.

"Um......ok..."she stammers, leaning away from the table slightly.

Hyungwon's eyes darken as they drop to the watch adorning her thin wrist. Similar to the one she'd worn the night they met but different. More expensive.

New.

The red bezel winks back at him ironically before he regards her soft expectant features.

"I know everything." He adds ominously with a hardened expression and cold tone. The warmth in Lillith's face drains a shade but she doesnt show any traces of guilt as her brows creased deeper in confusion.

"You know..what ,exactly?" She asks.

What did he know?

More than he wished.

Less than he hoped.

Hyungwon knew the woman he was dangerously in love with was a stone-faced liar.

Among other things.

"You really wanna play dumb with me?" he goes on to ask and the hostility in his voice has his lover's lips curling up into an unexpected smile.

"Wonnie.." she begins and her chest touches the table as she leaned foward, extending her touch to grace Hyungwon's hand that laid flat over the polished wood.

"Don't.." he exhales tiredly, pulling his hand away to fall in his lap. This has Lilith's smile fading immediately.

"Im sorry...Did you not ask me to be here? You said you wanted to see me.."

Her tone and expression imply that her feelings were hurt by his rejection, but Hyungwon knew better than to believe it.

"Yeah. I wanted to see you tonight.....because I needed to see if you would look me in the eyes and lie the same way you've been lying to me this whole time."

Lilith's brows shoot up in surprise and an incredulous chuckle just sharply from her lungs. Hyungwon's brows crease as her posture changed from anxious to at ease, despite the atmosphere shift.

He frowns as he watched the guilt and confusion trade for what he could guess was amusement at his expense.

Could this woman have any more nerve?

"Did I say something funny?" he asks and Lilith only shakes her head with a sigh.

"No.Just laughing at the fact that I just traveled all the way downtown in the rain, in this dress.. without any panties underneath it.."

Hyungwon blinks at her unsubtle pause, pushing the thought of what she was hiding between her luscious thighs.

"...expecting a much warmer greeting from you..and a drink. At least..." she trails off all too casual.

Lilith reaches across the table comfortably for Hyungwon's drink and their fingers touch as she takes it from him. He surprisingly allows it, opting to keep his cool as she lifts it to her red-tinted lips with her eyes trained on him over the rim.

As she pulls away from the glass, her tongue darts out to lick over her stained top lip and the image of her lips at his throat flash through his mind.

Fuck this was impossible.

How could a woman as devious as she is so captivating with even just the curl of her tongue and bat of her eye?

The memory of it has him swelling with want beneath the table and for a moment he wonders if he should even be doing this.

Only for a moment though.

Leather creaks against his nails as they dug troughs into the seat of his car.

Hyungwon groans in ecstasy towards the sunroof, his heavy panting accumlating in the steam fogging his windows.

The backseat was surprisingly spacious once the front seats were pushed up, giving just enough room for him to sit with his long legs spread wide with her slotted between them.

"Oh..shit.." he exhales , cutting his bottom lip with his teeth as his fingers tangled in Lillith's silken curls. Her head bobs over him slowly, her velvety smooth lips and tongue shining with saliva as they worked magic over his shaft.

Night had barely fallen over the city, the buzz of office employees and other tenants echoeing through the concrete walls of the enclosed parking garage.

Hyungwon's blacked out Genesis is parked in the furthest and darkest corner on the top floor. The keys still dangled from the ignition up front by the time their bodies teleported to the back seat with the symphony of the city life instrumenting their tryst.

"You feel...so..fucking good....."

The words were as tender as his touch against the back of her head and he guided her just as gently to take him as deep as her throat would allow without her choking.

They knew they weren't alone in the parking garage despite the quiet surrounding them but neither of them cared. Something about the fact heightens the arousal that was sparked by the tension between them from the bar. Which was far too potent to resist any longer than they had to.

His most recent assignment put him in a place where Lilith was coming off a job of her own. The two never discussed work when they were together, nor did they care to know the causes of certain bruises or scrapes marring each other's skin. They only had an unspoken agreement, to leave everything, clothes and weapons included, at the door.

After fighting off the inevitable gag caused by Hyungwon's length, Lilith's eyes lift to steal a look of his gorgeously pleasured expression. She pulls off of him with a low gasp, and a devilish smirk curls at her smudged lips as she stroked his shellacked dick with her free hand.

The other was slotted between her legs, rubbing soothingly at her dripping folds.

Hyungwon's brow cinched as the warmth of her skilled hand brought him closer to the precipice of pleasure. His jaw goes slack and his lust drunk eyes rolled back as the sizzling fuse crept closer and closer to its source.

"Im..Im gonna.." he shudders, his hand closing into a fist over Lilith's scalp as she continues to take him deep in her throat.

Before he could stop her, Hyungwon erupted into her mouth with a deep sigh of relief and frustration at not being able to hold on a minute longer. Lilith swallowed him down greedily, a weak but sinister chuckle vibrating her throat as she did.

"Fuckfuckfuck..ah..stop.." he groans unabashedly, his hips lifting his from the seat as his overstimulation takes hold. Lilith giggles at his shameless squirming but shows him mercy by pulling off of his throbbing member and sensitive tip with a 'pop' of her lips.

Coming up from her knees for the first time in the few minutes it took to get Hyungwon off, she smiled as she mounted him, opening her thighs to accommodate his wide legged spread.

Hyungwon's neck and the slice of his chest that was visible between loosened buttons glistened under a sheen of sweat that smelled divine. The feminine and inner feline urge to rub it all over herself compels Lilith to finish unbuttoning the black silk expertky with one hand.

She used her other to reach down between their bodies to stroke Hyungwon's unwavering erection slowly, using the slickness of her own arousal that lingered on her fingers.

"Think you were loud enough?" she teased him just above a raspy whisper and Hyungwon grunted as her grip rolled over his tip.

"Think your pussy's wet enough?" he boomeranged her sarcasm, earning a stiff squeeze at the base of his dick. Hyungwon hissed at the pressure, his eyes fluttering pitifully.

"Careful...you just might find out." Lilith leans in to whisper in his ear, taking a lobe between her teeth sensually.

She pulls back just enough for them to share a kiss that's soaked by their tongues and remnants of Hyungwons cum still on Lilith's lips.

"Mmm..." he moans, savoring the flavor of himself combined with her kiss and whimpering at the way it made his weeping tip twitch in her grasp.

"You liked that?" Lilith murmured and Hyungwon's groan in response has her chuckling darkly. Hyungwon nods wordlessly, his jaw dropping and his head tilting to deepen their kiss. He licks at her mouth desperately while she pushed his silk shirt completely open, exposing his sculpted chest and taut abdomen.

Hyungwon didn't have the mind nor the patience to attempt to get Lilith naked. With how her dress was already bunched and gathering at the curve of her hips, there wasn't much standing between him and where he needed to be.

His wet kisses trailed hot and heavy from her lips to the hills of her cleavage, his greedy hands squeezing her ass to guide her closer.

"Stay with me..." he says suddenly in a hurried breath, lifting his hooded gaze to find hers in the darkness.

Lilith hovers over her him motionless, blinking with resistance at his unexpected proposal. Before she could deny him, as if she could, Hyungwon continued.

"Please...I need you tonight. I need you every night. I want to bury myself inside of you until you paint the walls with my name. I want you in my bed, naked and sore when I wake up. Then I want to fuck you again so that you'll think of me with every step you take. Until we meet again.."

Had he always been this poetic? The rawness and passion of his intentions made tiny rivers of need drizzle down her inner thighs, surely coating his thighs.

She wanted that too. More than she could put into words. Realistically, everything about his proposition was dangerous. They weren't even supposed to be seen together, let alone sharing a room in the Continental.

Or a bed.

It complicated everything.

But nonetheless, her heart and her core called to Hyungwon like a lost lover, praying for solace and sanctuary.

Even if it were for one night.

"Hyun.." she begins, but lips as soft as satin punctate her sentence for her.

"Dont think, just say you will. And we can figure out the rest later.." Hyungwon says against her lips, running his hands over her wide straddling hips to squeeze her again. The motion causes the his shaft to nudge through her senstive folds, making them both sigh into each other's mouths at the warmth and friction.

She wanted to say no. (no she didnt.)

She needed to say no. (no the FUCK she didnt.)

But with a mumbled 'yes' and a sly smile, her response trailed over his jawline and down to his neck while Hyungeon hurriedly slipped his length inside of her.

As expected, the fondness of the memory exists for only a moment. Although his gaze lingered on her lips, recalling the things she accomplished over and over with them, there would now be a bitter aftertaste in his mind.

Images of them pressed against his throat douses his arrousal immediately.

"I know all about him, Lilith. So theres no point in lying now.." Hyungwon responds as Lilith helps herself to what remains of his whiskey.

He catches the corner of her mouth lifting into a smile as she drank but it vanished the moment she placed the glass back in the center of the table.

"Him?" She exhales the question, almost as if she were getting bored or mildly irritated at Hyungwon's pointless line of obtuse questions.

Typical.

She was rarely the type to hold herself accountable for anything, even when she knew she was dead wrong.

Hyungwon sniffs a chuckle as he steals a look around the empty bar. He needed a reason to look away from her anyway.

She was still just as beautiful when he wanted to hate her.

"Please don't keep playing dumb or innocent about this. Im not in the mood. I know everything, ok? And so does he. We've spoken."

Lilith's gaze drops to Hyungwon's mouth before it drags back up to his stare.

"Have you now?" She asks, the arch of her brow lifting ever so slightly.

"I have. And in our conversations, I've come to know more about you than I ever thought was possible. Things I wish I never had to hear."

He and Lilith weren't exclusive but she'd insisted that no one had her the way he did. Heart, mind and body.

But Hyungwon should have known better than to take the word of a spy.

A professional liar.

The two stare each other down intensely for what feels like minutes, frozen by distrust and indifference with a touch of sexual tension dense enough to coat the air.

Lilith is the first to yield, shifting in her chair but maintaining her disinterested expression. Feigning annoyance, she sighs loudly.

"Ok,So...what now? Did you call me here to break up with me or something? Want me to cry and say I'm sorry? What is it you expect from me?" She asks audaciously.

Before Hyungwon could respond, the chiming door pulled his attention from Lilith's challenging scowl to the door she'd walked through only minutes ago.

Except this time, donning a shirt and slacks the color of night, a regretfully familiar gentleman crosses over the threshold with his sharp brow hardening at the sight of the only woman he expected to see sitting across from his cohort.

Lilith's head turns curiously to see who had stolen Hyungwon's gaze from her so suddenly and just as she'd gone ghostly before, her eyes widen at the sight of Hyunwoo sauntering towards them.

Smirking devilishly in a way only he could...

"Lilith...."

To be continued...