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burnednotburied · 6 days

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Chapter 7: Lost Haven

AO3 Link | Masterlist

Pairing: Abby Anderson x fem!reader

Fic Synopsis: Abby goes looking for Owen and ends up on the wrong end of your knife.

Tags/CWs: angst; slowburn; mutual pining; enemies to friends to lovers; talks of purity culture/ideals and “sin”; internalized homophobia and some comp-het feelings (they’re both so gay but so dumb about it); animosity between WLF and Seraphites; blood/gore; descriptions of being hanged; religious/cult-like ideas; character deaths (canon AND non-canon)

Note: The last chapter was short and (mostly) sweet. This one... not so much.

Enjoy!

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This was your fault.

You knew Lev was upset. You knew Yara was having trouble getting through to him. But instead of talking to him – making sure he understood exactly why none of you could go back to the island, handling the situation that was yours to handle – you’d been too busy worrying about your clothes and almost kissing Wolves.

As you raced after Yara through the dimly lit hallways of the aquarium, you silently berated yourself for getting so distracted. For losing sight of what was important. For failing to predict that Lev would do something reckless if you didn’t keep him in your sight.

If anything happened to him, you would never forgive yourself.

A strong gust of wind hit your face as you made it into open air, looking out on the makeshift dock where Owen’s boat floated idly. He was already out there, standing near Mel as the two of them looked out at the open water.

Ominous dark clouds and another punishing current of air told you a storm was coming.

“Are we sure he’s heading to the island? Maybe he’s just blowing off steam,” Abby offered, attempting a comforting tone.

“No,” Yara said. The three of you joined the two others, and Yara pointed out in the same direction Owen and Mel had been looking. “That’s him. He’s definitely going to the island.”

You could just barely make out a small boat in the distance.

“Shit,” Abby breathed out.

“What’s he doing?” Mel asked.

“He’s going after her.” Yara’s hand grasped onto the metal fence in front of her desperately.

“After who?”

“His mom,” Abby supplied.

“She’s going to kill him, Prophet! You know that,” Yara turned to you, looking devastated. Your fingers curled into tight fists, nails digging into your palms. It was true. You would have to go after him.

“Woah, wait. What? Prophet?” And then it occurred to you that that was something Owen and Mel were not aware of.

But that didn’t matter right now.

“Your boat.” You turned to meet Owen’s wide eyes. “Does it work?”

There was a brief moment where he seemed to battle with whether or not to push about the Prophet thing, but he chose to let it go. He shook his head. “Not yet.”

“How much time do you need?” Abby asked.

“Uhhh,” he looked away, thinking. “A few hours. At least.”

“Fuck.” Abby turned to you. You were about to ask if there was somewhere else you could get a boat – and you had begun to wonder if you shouldn’t just run off by yourself and hope you came across one quickly by chance – but Abby was already thinking the same thing, already moving, already prepared to jump back into danger for you and your friends. “We’ll head him off. We’ll grab a boat from the marina–”

“Hey! She just had surgery.” Mel threw an arm out in front of Yara, who had begun to follow you, Abby, and Owen.

“I’m fine,” Yara insisted, pushing past the woman.

You paused, reaching blindly behind you to pull Abby back.

“No, she’s right,” you said. You needed to stop and think about this before you went forward. There was no good way to go about this, but one option was definitely better than the rest. You found Abby’s eyes and realized that you had somehow gone from pulling her by her wrist to holding her hand.

You didn’t let go.

“I could use your help to find a boat, but then I need to do the rest by myself.”

Abby pulled away in shock, and her and Yara’s responses came immediately and simultaneously.

“Fuck that!”

“What? No! You can’t!”

You nodded, doubling down. This was the right thing to do. You were sure of it. “Going to the island would be deadly for anyone here except me.” Again they both tried to protest as you went on. “I know the island better than almost anyone else. On my own, there’s a good chance I could stay undetected. And even if they were to catch me, it would be fine. They don’t know that I deserted. And even if they suspected as much, I’m confident that I can convince them otherwise. Worst case scenario, they won’t kill me immediately like they would the rest of you.”

“You’re not going by yourself,” Abby said, and it was your turn to protest, but she cut you off. “Yara should stay here, but I’m going with you.”

“I’m coming too,” Owen stated matter-of-factly, just as Yara said, “I am going!”

Mel and Abby both jumped to argue with Owen. You left them to figure that out and pulled your friend to the side to talk privately.

“Yara,” you began, “stay here. Please. Help them get ready to leave for Santa Barabara. I promise I’ll bring Lev back.”

“I just–”

“Lev wouldn’t want you to get hurt. Especially not because of him.”

Yara’s eyes went back out to the water, as if she could make him come back through sheer force of will. You wished the same. You didn’t want to go back to the island, and you really didn’t want Lev to be in danger.

“I’ll get him. I won’t let anything happen to him.”

Yara was silent for a moment as the first rolls of thunder rumbled loudly.

“I’ll stay,” she said. “But you have to agree to take Abby with you.”

“You already trust her more than me, don’t you?” Your words took on a lightly teasing tone.

“Of course not.” She gave you a small smile as, you assumed, her eyes found Abby somewhere behind you. “But you need someone to watch your back. Lev wouldn’t want you to get hurt either. And neither do I.” She stepped forward and hugged you. It was a bit awkward on your end – with you having to be careful to avoid her healing wound – but it was the first time anyone had embraced you in years. In fact, you were pretty sure the last time had been when Yara hugged you on the morning of your scarring ceremony.

You cleared your throat. Even if emotions hadn’t already been running high, you would’ve had to swallow down some tears in that moment.

“Yara?” you said, still holding her.

“Yes?”

“When we get back, I’m really going to need you and Lev to stop calling me Prophet.”

She let out a little laugh at that as you parted. “Deal.”

When you looked back at the other three, you found them standing in the same place you’d left them, watching you and Yara, apparently having already come to an agreement themselves. By the look on Owen’s face, it hadn’t gone the way he wanted it to.

So it would be just the two of you then.

You looked to Abby.

“Ready?”

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The process of getting a boat wasn’t nearly as straightforward as Abby thought it would be. And it had taken a lot longer than she would’ve liked.

At the marina, the two of you were greeted by the sound of gunshots. She asked you to stay there, hidden near the dock, while she grabbed a boat.

If there were WLF soldiers nearby, being spotted with you would be a problem. Your lack of facial scars meant you weren’t recognizable as a Seraphite at a glance, but you were still a stranger. She didn’t know how to explain you being with her in a way that wouldn’t bring up too many questions. All in all, it would be easier and faster for her to go alone.

You surprisingly didn’t argue with her, willing to hang back for a bit if it meant getting to the island – getting to Lev – quicker.

Abby almost immediately ran into Manny and found that the gunshots were coming from one of the trespassers who’d come out of nowhere and been hitting WLF hard the last few days.

She didn’t get the chance to ask Manny what he meant by that.

The trespasser shot him in the head.

But she got close enough to see him. Close enough to fight with him hand-to-hand.

It was Tommy Miller, Joel’s brother – a realization that made her worry about what these trespassers were here for and what they meant to do.

But Abby was great at setting things aside for later for the sake of focusing on one problem at a time.

And right now, she needed to get you and get to Lev.

By that point, you’d already caught up to her – because of course you hadn’t actually stayed very far behind at all – but you still needed a boat.

Abby found a small motorboat tied to one of the docks that proved to be in working order. She got it going, sat behind the wheel, and headed out toward the island, quickly reaching the boat’s top speed, trying to make up for lost time.

You had been silent since you got on the boat, looking out at the water. She cleared her throat, speaking loudly over the combined roar of the motor, the wind, and the water. “So how do we get to that village in one piece?”

Your eyes remained focused ahead. “There are blind spots along the coast we can boat into. From there, we’ll follow back roads.”

“They’re safe?”

“It’s the safest option we have.”

You wore the same expression you’d had since you found out Lev had run off, eyebrows drawn together, a storm in your eyes just as strong as the one in the sky. You were worried, but it was more than that.

Abby had to call your name twice before you turned to her, reluctant to meet her eyes. “This isn’t your fault, you know.”

You shook your head once and looked back out towards the island, pointing as you began to direct her to the best entrypoint.

The island was weirdly exactly what Abby expected, given what she knew about the Seraphites, and yet seeing it with her own eyes was still shocking.

The Washington Liberation Front used existing buildings from the Old World. SoundView Stadium and the Lakehill Seattle Hospital. Schools and office buildings. They didn’t build so much as clean, repair, and repurpose.

The Seraphites had built a whole new world on the island. Wooden structures, villages, homes, farmlands.

It was honestly impressive.

As promised, you had been leading the way through the woods, using backroads. You had yet to run into any other people, but Lev and Yara’s village was further inland, and it was only a matter of time before it became unavoidable.

Abby wondered if you were prepared to kill your own people. And if you would hold it against her when she did, to keep you safe and to get to Lev.

You had been quiet for a while, deftly navigating through a thick stretch of forest with her following close behind. If you didn’t want to talk, she wasn’t going to force the issue.

It had begun raining a while ago, although the worst of the storm hadn’t hit yet. The outfit Mel gave you hadn’t included a jacket, and you’d left your cloak behind with the dress.

Would you be offended if she offered you her jacket? Abby wasn’t sure, but you didn’t seem to be bothered by the rain or the cold.

At a point of higher elevation, you came to a stop, looking out onto a huge settlement in the distance along the western coast.

“Woah. Is that the village?” she asked, using one hand to shield her eyes from the rain to get a better look.

“No,” you said. “That’s Haven, our capital. And that–” You stepped closer to Abby, placing a hand on her shoulder as you shifted your weight to the tips of your toes so your eyelines were level. She leaned into the touch, bringing your faces even closer, cheeks nearly brushing. You pointed to a specific building just north of the large town. It was bigger than the rest and even from that distance, Abby could tell that it was nicer. More carefully and intentionally made and maintained. “–That is Sanctuary. It was the first Prophet’s home and a sacred place of worship. And it’s where I lived after my scarring ceremony.”

You let several moments pass before your hand fell and you dropped back down to your heels, taking a step to the side.

Sometimes it seemed that you touched her without realizing, without meaning to. And then there’d be a moment when you’d become aware of your actions and pull away.

She wished you wouldn’t. But now wasn’t the time for that conversation.

“The village is further east.” You turned to go, continuing back into the forest. Abby stood there for a second longer, looking out at the place you’d spent much of your life, being literally worshiped and yet entirely controlled, and she wondered how strange it must feel for you to come back now.

“Don’t linger,” you said, turning back to find that she hadn’t moved. “They have scouts. They might see you.”

She glanced back one more time before following.

“Are you sure the Wolves are attacking tonight?” you asked, breaking several minutes of silence, both of you having been lost in thought.

She cleared her throat. “Yeah, that’s what my friend told me. They’ll use this storm as a cover for the attack. Unless Isaac changes his mind.”

“Will he change his mind?”

Abby’s gaze was locked onto the ground in front of her. “...I doubt it.”

You stopped abruptly, a gasp leaving your throat. Her eyes shot up, hand flying to her gun at her side.

“Fuck,” she breathed.

Two WLF soldiers were dead, disemboweled in typical Seraphite fashion, one hanging from an old road sign and the other discarded on the ground like trash. They had clearly been dead for several days, but Abby pulled the gun from the holster on her right thigh anyway. Just in case.

“Did you know them?” you asked, turning to her.

“I’ve seen them around.” Abby brushed it off and kept walking, taking the lead.

“I’m sorry,” you said, running to catch up, voice sincere despite the fact that you hadn’t been the one to do it.

It’s not your fault, she wanted to say.

“It is what it is,” she said instead. And then, because she was curious, “Have you ever–?”

“No,” you said quickly and definitively. “You were supposed to be my first.” Abby felt her cheeks warm. You hadn’t meant it that way at all of course, but that’s where her mind went. She let out a weird, strangled, kind-of-coughing noise that only aided in deepening her blush.

You went on, unaware, “It was supposed to be a big deal. They were calling it my first kill.” You sounded put off by the whole thing, like very nearly killing Abby had been so beneath you. “That’s why they were letting me off the island for the first time. Things… obviously didn’t go as the Elders planned.”

“Well I feel… weirdly honored,” she said, an attempt at lightening the mood.

“Honored that you were chosen to be my first kill? Or honored that I didn’t actually kill you?” you asked, brows slightly raised but playing along.

“Both I guess.” She shrugged as you sped up a bit so you could walk side-by-side instead of one after the other.

“Yeah well.” You bumped her gently with your shoulder. “I’m glad I didn’t kill you.”

Abby scoffed. “You were never actually going to do it.”

“Yes I was!”

She scoffed again. “Sure. If you say so, princess.”

“I absolutely was going to kill you,” you said, feigning offense. “Abby, if Lev and Yara hadn’t shown up exactly when they did, you would be so dead right now.”

She laughed lightly, shaking her head. To anyone else, this might’ve been a weird thing to joke about, but between the two of you it worked.

“You really don’t think I could’ve done it.” Your eyes were wide in realization, and now you looked like maybe you were truly offended.

“All I’m saying is,” Abby said, smiling to herself, “there seemed to be a whole lot of hesitation on your end of things.”

“Well I’m not saying that I wanted to do it,” you insisted, watching her as you walked. “I’m just saying that I could’ve.”

“Uh huh. Whatever you say.” She knew she was goading you, but it was the first time she’d seen you get anywhere close to a smile since you left the aquarium.

“Shut up,” you mumbled harshly, whipping your head back around to face forward.

That made Abby really laugh. She’d never heard you say anything like that before.

You were biting your tongue, trying to suppress a smile of your own.

A loud, low groaning alarm sounded out over the island, and your face instantly fell.

“What is that?”

“It’s our warning signal,” you said, pulling Lev’s bow over your shoulder and grabbing an arrow. “Your people are here. The whole island will be on alert now.”

“God damn it, Isaac,” Abby muttered to herself.

“We’ll cut through the logging camp. This way,” you took a left, leaving the path you’d been on. “We no longer have the luxury of taking the long way to stay hidden. We need to hurry.”

Abby nodded, even though you weren’t looking at her. “How many people live here?”

“Around a thousand.”

“How many soldiers?”

“More than half are trained in combat.”

“What are the other half going to do when my people get here?”

“Some will hide. Most will fight,” you said, leading the way into the nearest village.

It was empty. No one around, ready to attack.

“Where is everyone?”

“The children will have been taken to shelters as soon as the signal went off. Everyone else is probably moving towards the coast to face the Wolves.”

The second small village you passed through was still being evacuated. As expected, when they caught sight of Abby, they attacked. In the chaos, no one seemed to get a close enough look at you to recognize who you were.

Abby fought. And killed.

You fired more than a few arrows.

And then you moved on to the next village, making a near-straight shot to where you knew Lev would be.

Abby paused just within the treeline.

In the trunk of a tree, someone had painstakingly sculpted a life-sized, hyper-realistic statue of you. Just above your head, the words “May Her light guide us” were carved.

You stopped next to Abby, regarding the figure in your likeness for a moment.

“‘When you’re lost in the darkness, look for the light,’” she said quietly.

“What’s that?”

“Just… something my dad used to say.”

You hummed in acknowledgment, glancing down to where the trunk met the earth.

“Those are new,” you said, referring to the mass of flowers that were carefully placed around the tree.

It reminded Abby of the flowers people put near the graves and memorials of their dead loved ones.

“It’s like they’re mourning you,” she said.

“They think I’m dead?” you asked, knowing she couldn’t have an answer.

Abby pulled her eyes away from the intricate carving to look at the real, living, breathing version of you beside her. “Where are we going?”

Without looking away from the flowers, you said, “See that tall tower?”

“The Space Needle?”

“The what?”

“The – never mind. Yeah. I see it.”

“Head towards it.”

You knelt down, letting the fingers of your left hand graze over some of the flowers. When they landed on a daisy, you picked it up, stood, and carefully pushed it into your pocket.

She waited patiently before following you onward.

You had to get through a few more villages – and the few Scars who had been left behind to defend them – before you got to the right one.

At least Abby thought it must be the right one. Because you had come to a full stop and were staring at one specific house.

“Is that it?” she asked, putting a hand on your shoulder to bring you back down to earth.

“No,” you whispered absentmindedly. “It’s this one.” You walked towards the house across from the one you’d been staring at, bow drawn, arrow nocked.

Abby moved ahead of you and slid the door open.

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A lit fire pit in the center of the large, open room illuminated the space in an orange glow. You stepped inside, letting your weapon fall when you saw the lifeless body in front of the fire.

It was Lev and Yara’s mother.

Blood ran from a wound in her skull, pooling on the floor beneath her.

You let out a shaky breath.

And whipped around when you heard your name uttered from an even shakier voice coming from the corner of the room.

“Lev!” He was sitting, knees up, arms wrapped around them, curled in on himself, eyes locked on his mom. “Oh thank god,” you breathed out, rushing over. You were on your knees in front of him before you saw the damage that had been done. Cuts all across his face and arms. Your heart sank even deeper. “Did she do this to you?”

Lev let out a few hiccupping breaths, still staring past you at the body. “I just tried talking to her. I tried to make her understand, but she… she just kept yelling. She started chasing me. I tried to make her stop. I was just pushing her off of me…” His volume grew, voice becoming more desperate as he tried to explain.

“Hey hey hey,” you whispered, trying to soothe, wanting to fix.

“–Then she hit the table,” he sobbed.

“Listen to me.” Your hand was on his elbow, thumb gently circling. “You were defending yourself. You did nothing wrong.” When he finally met your eyes, you wrapped your arms around him and held him as he cried, grasping onto you so tightly it took your breath away. “It’s going to be okay. I promise.”

You stayed there for several minutes, holding him against you, rubbing his back as he kept his face buried where your shoulder met your neck. You held him until his sobbing subsided and his breathing slowed. You remembered how Yara used to hug you when you were kids, never being the first to let go, and you hugged her little brother – your little brother – in just the same way.

You pressed a kiss to the side of his head and squeezed a little tighter.

“I wanna leave,” he said, voice muffled against you.

“Yeah, me too.” When he lifted his head, you stood, offering him a hand up. He took it and kept holding on, even once he was standing too. “Come on,” you said, motioning to the door.

Abby was there – she had been there the whole time – and her eyes looked soft and sad when they met yours.

“Hey, kid,” she said to Lev, offering him one of her handguns. You squeezed his hand one last time before letting it go so he could grab it, glad that Abby had the forethought to make sure he was armed.

He wiped his face with his shirt sleeve before taking the weapon from her. “I’m sorry. I never should’ve–”

“It’s okay,” she said. “I’m just glad we found you. Let’s go.”

He nodded as she turned to push the door back open. The three of you stepped back out into the rain.

“What’s happening? Wolves?” Lev asked.

“Yeah,” you said, taking the lead. “All over the island.” Your eyes caught again on the house across the way, making you pause.

Lev stopped next to you, immediately understanding. “She’s not there.”

“I figured.”

“Do you want to go in?” he asked.

“We don’t have time,” you said, but you couldn’t turn away.

“We’re never coming back here, right?”

“God, I hope not.”

“Then let’s make time,” he said, making the decision for you as he walked over and opened the door. You followed behind him, and Abby followed behind you, not asking any questions.

The inside of your mother’s house was much the same as Lev’s and Yara’s. One large, open room on the first floor. Fire pit in the center. A ladder leading up to a loft.

It looked nearly the same as you remembered it, though you hadn’t stepped foot in there in eight years. There was the stool in front of the mirror where you’d tried not to cry while your mom fixed your hair over and over again until she deemed it ‘as close to perfect as imperfect people can be’ on your last morning here. There was the table where you did your lessons and learned to read the scripture, and where you’d sit and have meals as a family, back before your dad died. The little wooden animals your dad used to carve in his rare, precious spare time. The bed where your mother slept.

Everything was the same. Except for the far wall.

Where there was once a painting of the first Prophet, your own face now stared back at you. And next to the painting, in neat lettering:

“The world is not in balance,

But I have done my part to right it.

You have led me through the storm.

May the current be calm.

May you guide me home.”

“What’s that?” Abby asked, speaking for the first time since you entered the house.

“The Prophet’s prayer,” you said quietly, turning away from the wall entirely.

“She prays to it,” Lev said matter-of-factly. “The painting,” he clarified.

“I could’ve gone without knowing that, Lev,” you said, sounding cross despite your efforts not to.

“Your mom?” Abby asked. “This is her house, right?”

“Yep,” Lev answered for you.

You felt sick to your stomach.

“It’s like the Elders decided you were the new Prophet and then everyone lost their minds,” he went on as you made your way over to the ladder and climbed up to the loft. “Your mom stopped calling you her daughter. Suddenly your face was everywhere, but we weren’t allowed to go see you or talk to you. We weren’t even supposed to talk about you, you know, before. Someone overheard Yara using your real name, and they… The punishment was severe.”

You listened as you stood alone in the loft, looking around at what used to be your bedroom. This, your mother had left completely untouched. It seemed like no one had even been up here in the eight years you’d been gone. “I’m listening,” you reassured Lev as you began searching for something. The one thing you wanted to take with you before you left forever.

“After that, it was hard to even think of you as the same person we knew. The girl who used to braid little flowers into crowns for us. Who came up with the best games and told the wildest stories and broke the rules but only in ways that didn’t really matter and only when you knew you wouldn’t get caught… The girl who carried me back home, all the way across the island, when I fell and broke my foot, singing the whole way because you knew it would make me feel better.” He paused for a second before continuing, “You were the first person who I told I didn’t like my name – I didn’t like the way it made me feel – so, without asking me a single question, without asking me to explain myself or justify anything, you just… never called me that name again.” Lev’s voice broke just a little, and you wiped away a few of your own tears as you continued looking. You knew this was everything he’d needed to get off his chest, probably since long before you were reunited a few days ago, and you didn’t want to interrupt. “You were our sister and then one day they took you away from us. And no one but me and Yara seemed upset about it. Our mom was weird. Your mom was even weirder. Everyone acted like you were a god. The God. Not even a person. And like everything else, everything before, didn’t matter. Like it wasn’t real. They made us believe it.”

You finally found what you’d been looking for, and you could sense that Lev had run out of things to say, at least for the time being, so you shoved it in your pocket with the daisy, climbed back down the ladder, walked over to him, and hugged him tightly again.

“They’re good at that,” you said quietly. “At making us forget… But it’s okay. We’re together now. Let’s get out of here.” He sniffled and nodded as you pulled away. “I’m surprised you remember all of that. You were so young.”

He said your name, eyebrows drawing together like he shouldn’t have to say this, “You were my favorite person. Of course I remember.”

“Really?” you asked, smiling. “Not Yara?”

“Don’t feel bad for her,” he said, heading to the door. “You were her favorite too.”

Abby brushed past you as she followed Lev out, letting her hand brush against yours as she went. You met her eyes and smiled apologetically, grateful to her for being here. For helping with this.

You took up the back of the line, taking one final look around before shutting that door behind you forever.

Outside, the rain had picked up and daylight was slipping away. By the sounds of it, the fighting had grown closer on all sides, although it hadn’t yet reached the village you were in.

“This way,” you said, taking the lead again.

“Shouldn’t we head back for our boat?” Abby asked when you didn’t start going back the way you’d come.

“No, I hear fighting back there.”

“I hear fighting everywhere,” Abby argued.

Lev stopped next to you. “There are lots of boats in Haven.”

“That’s what I was thinking,” you said. “We’re closer to Haven now than to where we came from anyway. We can cut through Old Town. Avoid the main roads.”

Abby looked unsure, but relented to the two who knew the island. “Alright, princess. Lead the way.”

Your group managed to avoid conflict for a while, from both the Wolves and the Seraphites, staying hidden in the trees and avoiding areas where the fighting was the loudest.

You moved in near silence, keeping the talking to a minimum.

Old Town referred to an area of old buildings, left completely unused by the anti-Old World Seraphites. The thing that had surprised you the most about the mainland was that it looked like Old Town, only much much bigger. The Wolves hadn’t carved out their own place in the world in the same way the Seraphites did.

You wondered if the rest of the world was like that. Just people making the best of what already was instead of building something new.

The three of you moved carefully and quickly through the streets of Old Town, cutting through alleyways and relying mostly on side streets.

“We’re leaving so many people behind,” Lev said as you passed by a few dead Seraphites on the road.

“We can’t help them,” you said. That’s what you had to tell yourself.

“I know.”

“Stay close to me,” you whispered.

“Okay.”

“We need to get off the street,” Abby said, leading you into one of the nearby buildings as the sound of gunshots grew closer.

You lost count of how many buildings you passed through, each of them equally derelict and damp. It took longer, traveling that way, but it meant you were much less likely to be seen.

“This way,” Lev said, pulling himself up and out of a large window that appeared to lead out to a side road. His feet hit the street before either you or Abby had even made it to the window. She was the first to follow after him.

From inside, you couldn’t see what was happening, but you heard a struggle. Someone yelled, “I got one!” And then there was a gunshot.

Your heart lurched.

Abby yelled – no, screamed – Lev’s name.

You pulled yourself up as fast as you could.

But you were too late.

Lev was already on the ground.

He was already gone.

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“Abby?” The WLF soldier gasped as she knocked him out with his own gun.

The one he’d used to kill Lev.

By the time she had taken the man out, you were out the window and on your knees next to Lev. Silent. Staring. Your hands frozen, shaking, hovering just above his body like you wanted to touch him but didn’t know if you should.

Your whole body shook with a sob.

“Gunshots! Over here!” More Wolves were just down the street. You were seconds away from being within their sights.

Abby rushed to you, grabbing your arm. “Hey, we need to move.” She wished more than anything that this wasn’t happening right now. She wanted to give you time, wanted to sit beside you and cry too, but that wasn’t an option right now.

“No!” You pushed her away. Abby didn’t have a choice. If you didn’t move now, you’d be dead too. She hooked her arms under yours and lifted you, trying to carry you away. “No!” you cried out, grabbing for Lev, fighting against her. “I can’t leave him here!”

“We have to!” she insisted, not letting you go.

The Wolves were closing in. “I see someone!”

There was no point. You wouldn’t be able to get away in time. Abby put you down and pushed you behind her, raising her gun. “Stay back!” she shouted as the soldiers came into view.

“Drop it! Now!” one of them demanded while two others said, “Holy shit!” and “It’s Abby!”

“I said stay back!” She held firm, ready to fire at any one of them at a moment's notice.

“Stand down,” came another voice. One Abby recognized.

The man stepped out of the treeline and into view.

“Isaac,” she said.

When he came upon Lev’s body on the ground, he regarded it for a moment before shaking his head and slowly stepping over it.

Abby held her gun to the side, not putting it away but showing that she wasn’t aiming at him. She was, like he’d instructed, standing down.

“What the hell are you doing?” he asked.

She slowly bent down, fingers raised away from the trigger, as she dropped her gun on the ground a few feet in front of her. “I need you to hear me out.”

Isaac took a beat before he responded. “What’s that behind you?”

Abby held a hand up and kept her voice calm, like she was trying to reason with a wild animal instead of a man and a handful of his soldiers. She took a couple steps back, bumping into you, making sure you were close without ever looking away from him. “She saved my life, Isaac.”

“Move out of the way. We’ll deal with you back home.”

He wasn’t listening.

“She’s not one of them. Please,” Abby said, desperation in her voice.

“Abby, move.” He was firm and expected to be obeyed, just as he always did.

But she couldn’t obey this time. She knew what would happen to you if she did. “No. She’s–”

“–The Prophet,” he finished. And then his gaze slid from hers to yours. “Yeah. I recognize you. They’ve got your face plastered all over this island.”

You said nothing, and Abby wanted his attention back on her, away from you. She tried again. “Isaac–”

He cut her off again, this time with a sudden laugh. “I tried to warn you, Abby. Didn’t I?” And then he turned dramatically, to the surrounding Wolves, gesticulating theatrically in her direction. “BEHOLD the power of the Great Scar Prophet!” His eyes landed back on her. “Able to pull my best soldier right out from under me. Make her turn her back on everything she believes in. And everyone she cares about.”

“That’s not– She’s not–” Abby didn’t know how to make him understand. “She’s not part of this.”

“That is correct. She’s not a part of this,” Isaac seethed. “She. Is. This.”

“What–”

“Every time they attack us – every time they slaughter one of our people – it is done in her name. Every new martyr of theirs dies with her face at the forefront of their mind. Every life lost here today is because of her, along with every life that has been lost in the last decade of this war. All of this death and destruction – all of the blood — is on her hands.”

“Isaac, you can’t seriously think–”

And then, for the first time, Isaac pointed his gun directly at Abby, leveling it at her face. “You have three seconds to get away from that Scar,” he said. “One.”

“You’re really gonna shoot me?” Abby reached a hand out behind her, finding you, making sure you were still behind her, still shielded.

“Two.”

“I’m not fucking moving.”

Isaac paused. And Abby thought, for just a second, that he might’ve changed his mind. That he might back down.

And then there was a gunshot.

She flinched, but it wasn’t her who had been shot.

It was Isaac. Shot by–

“Lev!” you shouted, surging forward.

“No!” “What the fuck?” “Shoot him!” The soldiers all turned their guns on Lev and fired.

You screamed.

Abby grabbed your hand and booked it to the nearest building, taking advantage of the chaos. You were too shocked to fight her this time, so you allowed yourself to be pulled away.

“Shit!” “Stop them!” “Don’t let them get away!”

Abby slammed the door closed behind you and pushed a filing cabinet in front of it, grabbing your hand and dragging you further into the building, through another door. Once that one was secure, she reached for you again. If she had to drag you all the way back to the aquarium, she would.

But this time, you ripped your hand away. That’s when you seemed to notice the blood on your hands.

Lev’s blood.

“We need to move.” She wanted you to have time, for you to be able to fully react and process this, but it needed to be later. When you were safe.

You didn’t hear her. Or didn’t care. “He’s gone. Oh my god. He’s gone.”

She said your name, forcefully, trying to draw your eyes to her. “Come on.” She reached for you again, but you yanked your whole body in the opposite direction.

“Those were your fucking people!” you lashed out, much angrier than she’d ever seen you, and for good reason.

“Hey! You’re my people!” she said, matching your volume and intensity. Abby didn’t know where that came from, but she knew that it was true. She took a breath, stepped closer, and tried to touch you again, this time putting her hands on your shoulders. You let her, looking up at her with wide eyes. “Listen to me. We’re gonna have to fight to get out of this, okay? And then I need you to show us to those boats.” You nodded, and she moved her hands from your shoulders to either side of your face, holding your gaze. “We won’t let anybody stop us, yeah?”

“Okay,” you said, barely a whisper.

“Okay.” She stepped back, letting her hands fall to her sides. “Follow me.”

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Haven was burning.

You were on a boat, floating off to safety, while your whole island went up in flames.

Lev was there. Your mother was there. Everything and everyone you knew was there.

But you were here.

In a rowboat.

And you weren’t even helping to row it.

You hadn’t even thought to offer.

The phantom heat of the now distant fires that consumed Haven seemed to lick at the back of your skull as you finally pulled your eyes away, turning to face Abby.

She was rowing slowly, now that you weren’t in imminent danger, her strong arms engaged, face focused. She had to be tired. She’d done so much.

You were only alive because of her.

“I can row,” you said, voice weaker than you meant for it to be.

Abby slowed a bit more, looking you over. “You’re shaking.”

You hadn’t noticed. You clenched your fists tightly, trying to stop the tremors. But it wasn’t just your hands that were shaking. It was your whole body.

Were you cold?

For how long?

You steeled yourself. “I can help.”

She stopped rowing entirely and started to shift. You prepared yourself to switch seats with her, but she wasn’t actually moving. She was only taking off her jacket.

You felt like you should protest, that you should insist you were fine and that she should keep her jacket, but you didn’t have it in you.

When she went to drape it over your shoulders, you let her.

The jacket was soaked, just like everything else in Seattle, but it helped.

You put your arms in the sleeves properly and pulled it tighter around yourself, staring at the floor of the boat.

What you wanted was for your mind to go blank. Thinking about anything was dangerous. You didn’t want to spiral, not right now. You couldn’t create more problems for Abby to deal with. You needed to just get back to the aquarium, get dry, and then–

Yara.

You had to tell Yara what happened.

How could you tell Yara about this? You promised her you’d bring Lev back safe.

Lev.

Images came rushing back to you. You tried to blink them away, but they were stubborn. They lingered.

You swallowed back tears and let your head fall into your hands, trying desperately to focus on your breathing and nothing else. Nothing else. Nothing. Else.

Abby brought the boat right up to a small dock right next to the aquarium. She got out first and tied it off with deft fingers. Then she offered you a hand and pulled you out, stabilizing you as you found balance on embarrassingly shaky legs.

“Got it?” she asked, a hand pressed to your mid-back.

“Yeah.”

She stepped away. “Let’s get out of the rain.”

Someone had barricaded the aquarium door from the inside.

That was the first indication that something was wrong.

The second came soon after, when you found the dog – Alice – dead.

You and Abby were both on high alert, moving through the dark hallways with your weapons drawn.

Then there was the blood. So much of it that there was a pool of it gathering on the other side of the door. Whatever happened – whatever went so terribly wrong here in the time that you were gone today – was through that doorway.

You forgot to breathe.

Abby pressed on.

You really didn’t want to, but you followed.

Into the room with whales on the ceiling and Mel, Owen, and Yara lifeless and bleeding on the floor.

You went numb in a way that had nothing at all to do with the cold. You felt the switch flipping inside of you, the failsafe going into effect. You detached. Walls went up in your mind.

This was good. It meant that maybe, just maybe, you’d make it through this day.

You were somewhat aware of Abby, to your left, as she let out a terrible sound. You thought she was saying “oh,” but no. That didn’t make sense. She was saying “no.” Over and over again as she crumpled to her knees near Owen.

Your eyes locked onto something on the floor by your feet. To get it, you had to step through a pool of blood that had certainly come from one of the three bodies.

But it was just blood, you told yourself. And these were just bodies. Nothing to be done. Nothing to worry about.

Numbly, you bent to pick up what you now realized was a map of Seattle. Someone had written on it, covering it in notes and shapes and names.

After studying it for a minute, your eyes went to Abby. She was on her hands and knees, heaving after having been sick.

You’d give her a moment more if you thought it would help, but you knew it wouldn’t.

This. This map. That would help.

“Abby…” You approached her slowly, letting her make an attempt at pulling herself together. When you were close enough, you held out the map.

She took it, and then she stood slowly, examining it.

When she turned to you, you could tell. She knew the same thing you did.

Someone had been tracking Abby – hunting her – for a while.

----------------------------------------------------------------

“The trespassers,” she said.

They killed Manny.

They killed Owen and Mel.

And, according to the map, they’d gotten to Nora, Jordan, Leah, and Nick too.

All in pursuit of Abby.

Because of something she had done.

But they fucked up.

They left the map.

And now she knew exactly where to find them.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Note: As always, thank you for reading! I'm not the best at responding to comments, but I want you to know that I love and cherish them more than words can say! So if you're leaving them, thank you <3

I'm really excited about the turn the story takes in the next chapter, and I think it'll be really enjoyable to read for anyone who's rooting for Abby and the Prophet! (which is, I assume, everyone who reads this fic lol)

Taglist: @4-atsu @h0meb0dyi @lmaoo-spiderman @quinnsadilla @rew1nds @sapphicontherun @stickynachomaker

#the wolf and the prophet #my writing #abby anderson #abby anderson x fem!reader #abby anderson x reader #abby x fem!reader #abby x reader #abby tlou #tlou2 #abby anderson fanfic #abby anderson fic

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likehephaestionwhodied · 1 year

Note

Hi! I saw your comment on leatherdaddies/leather/kink at pride and you mentioned how this type of masculinity isn't meant to be performed for a het audience, and removing that framework is essentially hollowing out this type of masculinity. (?) I've been looking into modern media portrayals of non hegemonic masculinity and I was wondering if you had some good intro sources for leather culture? Based on the info in that post I'm wondering if there's some bleed through with pop culture/TV and the modern pop cowboy/space western but I could just be jumping to conclusions. At any rate would sill love and appreciate any recs you would be able to give--if not, totally understand! Either way I love the info that you added to that post a lot!!

It's like you knew I didn't want to be working on my thesis and have come to save me.

Okay so, it really depends on what you want for like "sources for leather culture" because if it's leather culture as it exists today put on your tightest Levis, and your heaviest leather boots and go to the local gay bar on leather night and make friends (easier said than done I know I've always lived in rural America, also pls don't go gawk leathermen we can tell) But if you want historic sources that I can help you with better.

The two books I cite the most in my thesis when it comes to leather masculinity are 1. Urban Aboriginals: A Celebration of Leathersexuality by Geoff Mains and 2. The Leatherman's Handbook by Larry Townsend.

The first is much easier to get your hands on than the second. You can just by Urban Aboriginals on Amazon or Thriftbooks or bookshops, probably even your local gay bookstore if you have one, it's still in print. I have the third edition I love that book SO MUCH it was originally published in the early 80s, and I use it as a reflection of the "golden" age of Leather in the 1970s.

Unfortunately, The Leatherman's Handbook and The Leatherman's Handbook II are out of print. That is not to say you can't get your hands on them. I spent an obscene amount of money to buy the pair on ebay. But also, I once found a Lesbian SM reader in my school's library, so you might beable to get it though an interlibrary loan? or maybe a pdf exists?

Another useful text that I cite quite a bit is Leather Folk: Radical Sex, People, Politics, and Practice, edited by Mark Thompson. This is an anthology of essays written by, you guessed it, leatherfolk both gay men and others. (I am assuming because of the post that you are most interested in gay leathermen)

Regarding the rest of your post on pop-culture portrayals of non-hegemonic masculinity (I am assuming you are using that term in an academic "I've read R.W. Connell" way, if not RIP, sorry again I'm working my thesis the first chapter of which is very "I'm Read R.W. Connell") I have one thing to say:

I am 90% sure only three of these men are gay, that only three of these men are intimately aware of the costumes they are wearing. David Hodo, the construction worker, Randy Jones the Cowboy, and Glenn Hughes. I wish I could find the photo of the three of them in their costumes with one very important detail, a single button of their 501s is undone. If you are a gay man crusing in the 1970s you own a pair of levi 501s that are so tight you have to shimmy into them, and you leave one of the buttons undone to make your dick bigger. You can also just tell when they're dancing who understood the assaignment.

I give all this information because the village people have such a weird relationship with the gay community. I haven't done a lot of work with them specifically so I'm sure someone is gonna read this and know xyz. But these guys are named after the west village, where gay men lived in new york, and got their start preforming for gay men. the costumes they wear are of course different types of masculinity idealized in the gay community. Their songs (at least the first iteration of the village people) are usually about gay things. YMCA is of course about crusing, but "San Francisco" from their debut is even more overt along side "Go West," "In the Navy," and "macho man"

youtube

I've inserted this video as a visual so when I say, "the three gay ones understand the assignment," you know what I mean, their performance is campy where, where the other two are missing that.

But deconstructing the Village people, or at least the three queerest ones takes an understanding of queer history. In the same way that the Leatherman is a "biker," the construction worker is not really a construction worker (this is not to say that Leathermen are not often bikers, they are) The construction worker is a "Clone" the promiscuous gay men of the 70s who wore Levi jeans, work boots, tight t-shirts, and flannel and solicited sex from other clones in public. Similarly, the cowboy might be a cowboy, but he might also be one of the hundreds of men who hung out at western-themed bars (closely related to leather) and are the prototype of the bear. All three of these particular queer masculinities resist the feminine archetype of queer men HOWEVER, when produced for mass conception, they are camped up.

I think that this would be an instructive place for you to start, I don't know that I can help with more modern pop-culture though.

#leather history #queer history

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spntoxicfemslashevent · 9 months

Text

full prompt list

hey everyone! this is the full february prompt list for this event. we're going to have six prompts every day, so it's big! smaller versions containing only some of the prompts are forthcoming. ideally a piece submitted for a certain day should be inspired by at least one of the prompts for that day.

[conceptual prompts only] [pairing prompts only] [format/style prompts only] [prompts by date] [submission guidelines] [intro post]

conceptual prompts:

feb 1: manipulation || rot || political play

feb 2: tied up || burning flesh || jealousy

feb 3: suburbia || betrayal/judas kiss || doll

feb 4: blackmail || cannibalism || age gap

feb 5: blasphemy || executioner || genderless

feb 6: “...and it felt like a kiss” || on the rack || handmaiden-feudal lord

feb 7: sainthood || blood || isolation

feb 8: poison/drugging || barefoot and pregnant || murder suicide

feb 9: scars || heaven and/or hell || voyeurism

feb 10: shallow grave/midnight gardening || exes || serial killer(s)

feb 11: crossdressing || corpse || brat

feb 12: war/opposite sides || soulmates || guts/gore

feb 13: demonization || immortality || "forgive me father"

feb 14: unrequited || butch || imprisonment

feb 15: high school sweethearts || justifications || resurrection

feb 16: stabbing || masturbation || somnophilia

feb 17: turn the straight girl || kidnapping || ritual sacrifice

feb 18: stalking || substance use/abuse || comp het

feb 19: amnesia/mindwipe/lobotomy || flogging || forcefem

feb 20: vessel || make each other worse || gothic

feb 21: mistress || forced marriage || petplay

feb 22: demon deal || power imbalance || state of mind/dreams/confusion

feb 23: experiment || bastard child || what happened to her first husband/wife?

feb 24: curses || possession || infidelity

feb 25: controlling || temptation || "i ran into a door"

feb 26: victim || right hand || true crime

feb 27: humiliation || dubious consent || brainwashing

feb 28: family || true form || obsession

feb 29: closeted || sins of the father || not passing the bechdel test

pairing prompts:

feb 1: rowena mcleod/billie

feb 2: linda tran/ofc

feb 3: hannah/naomi

feb 4: rowena mcleod/alicia banes

feb 5: raphael/billie

feb 6: amelia novak/naomi

feb 7: abaddon/colette mullen

feb 8: ruby/astaroth

feb 9: cassie robinson/fem!dean winchester

feb 10: linda tran/mary winchester

feb 11: cassie robinson/meg masters

feb 12: linda tran/abaddon

feb 13: risa (endverse)/meg masters

feb 14: kelly kline/dagon

feb 15: linda tran/tasha banes

feb 16: billie/amara/the empty (meg)

feb 17: meg masters/jo harvelle

feb 18: patience turner/claire novak

feb 19: mary winchester/antonia bevell

feb 20: lily sunder/claire novak

feb 21: bela talbot/ruby

feb 22: patience turner/magda peterson

feb 23: fem!castiel/fem!crowley

feb 24: missouri moseley/ellen harvelle

feb 25: jody mills/donna hanscum

feb 26: lily baker/lilith

feb 27: hannah/caroline johnson

feb 28: raphael/naomi

feb 29: eileen leahy/mary winchester

format/style prompts:

day 1: canon divergent || drabble (exactly 100 words)

day 2: canon character/oc || traditional art

day 3: scifi au || non-traditional art medium

day 4: post-canon || gifset

day 5: canon compliant || metered poetry

day 6: reverse!verse/roleswap || sketch

day 7: epistolary || flash fiction

day 8: episode rewrite || fanmix

day 9: gender changes - het to femslash || script format

day 10: canon a little to the left || headcanon

day 11: outsider pov || fancam

day 12: 5 + 1 || exquisite corpse/round robin

day 13: for want of a nail || sequel

day 14: dark fluff || webweave

day 15: vignettes/fragments || fansong

day 16: polyamory || abstract

day 17: unreliable narrator || screencap edit

day 18: meta plot/metafandom/carver edlund novels || non-song based fanvid

day 19: crossover/fusion || multimedia

day 20: trans headcanon || podfic

day 21: humor || amv

day 22: au || fiber arts

day 23: gender changes - slash to femslash || comic

day 24: pre-canon || digital art

day 25: omegaverse || sentence fics

day 26: mundane au || photography

day 27: selfcest || freeverse poetry

feb 28: character study || fanwork-of-a-fanwork

feb 29: rashomon style || fic rec list

#housekeeping #spntoxicfemslash #prompt #long post

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aficionadoenthusiast · 2 years

Text

I absolutely hate these kinds of posts so I thought I'd do it to see first hand how many people actually like it and care about other people's opinions on their ships so...

my arbitrary ratings of non canon pjoverse relationships and why I think they would never work (or would) (scroll down for canon)

perachel: 3/10 nothing but platonic vibes, their brief stint felt more like an experiment than genuine romantic feelings or attraction; they both deserved better

percico: 1/10 a reiteration of an earlier post: their relationship would get bogged down by unshared feelings and grief, plus nico's crush was just a crush, and percy never had feelings in the first place

perlypso: 0/10 their whole interaction was percy being half dead and calypso being manipulated, not to mention she cursed him

pereyna: 2/10 any het relationship with reyna feels icky to me, she just seems so queer coded (which makes sense cause she literally joined an ace club), and percy was so focused on annabeth when they first met it just doesn't seem fair to either of them

pipercy: 4/10 this is a FRIENDSHIP I wanna see them figuring out they're bi together so much platonic potential

jercy: 7/10 honestly if I had to put these two with anyone else, I would choose this ship solely for the tension in mark of athena and that an alternate ship name is person

percypollo: 0/10 icky, pedophilic, and honestly kinda homophobic. percy would never enter a relationship with a god anyway

percy/literally any god: 0/10 see percypollo

lukercy: -1/10 imo there is no way to write this in a way that's not abusive, predatory, and just bad in general. i will not take the "enemies to lovers" storyline for this one either because there are some things that just aren't redeemable, and i consider luke's actions irredeemable. plus both their histories with annabeth make this ship very, very icky

pipabeth: 9/10 favorite non canon pairing, I can totally see a threesome with Percy, these two have such a great dynamic, only minus a point because I love percabeth too much

lukabeth: 0/10 sexist, icky, just all around a red flag

jasabeth: 2/10 nothing but platonic vibes

reynabeth: 4/10 they would be so powerful together, but feelings and emotional skills would be their undoing

jeyna: 0/10 see pereyna

leyna: 2/10 sibling vibes and see pereyna

theyna: 8/10 see reynabeth, but also I would love to see their similarities come to a head when they actually have to confront their feelings

apollo/reyna: 0/10 this is a thing?? ew???? reyna has such a huge issue with authority and the gods in general, it would never work, and see pereyna and percypollo

pipeyna: 7/10 would be good, but I need more info, though I think it would bring piper's jealousies to a nice full circle, especially if it was used in a way that helps piper figure out her sexuality

liper: 3/10 sibling vibes, I do not like

jiper: 5/10 that's right y'all, this isn't canon anymore! cute while it lasted, but they were completely made up and forced together by hera. that does not make a good, trusting relationship where one party is missing crucial details and the other remembers things that didn't happen, honestly i would have much rather they just ended it in lost hero when they realized hera was manipulating them

thaluke: 3/10 so much complicated history, I see them as ross and rachel from friends only worse

valgrace: 6/10 platonic mostly, but I can see it turning into something; I think they could definitely be good for each other; would love to see some healing centered stuff for them

valdangelo: 0/10 they barely interact, and their personalities are not the cute "opposites attract" it is straight up "we are both intensely traumatized, but in different, incredibly clashing ways"

haleo: 4/10 I can see it, but with sammy, it's just too complicated

fraleo: 5/10 I like the tension, but ultimately their personalities would clash too much

frazeleo: 10/10 this might be the only non canon ship I really wish was canon. separate, they are boring and clash with each other so much, but I think having the three of them together would provide a buffer when necessary while also keeping things fun and interesting

jasico: 3/10 very much a sibling relationship, seems to me like they were just shoved together because they were there

tratie: 10/10 floors me that they aren't canon

sally/poseidon: 2/10 sure it would work but she is an independent woman who wants less a man and more someone to love her and be there for her that isn't her son

ruegard: 8/10 would 100% ship it if i didn't love beckengard so much, plus i love the patrochilles parallels here

canon ships in order from least favorite to favorite:

zeus/hera: -10/10 sucks ass, their relationship is built on mistrust and a forced marriage, hera is quite literally shackled while zeus does whatever the hell he feels like while hera takes her anger out on anyone but him

god's/any of their affairs: 0/10 there's a reason none of them lasted

piper/shel: 4/10 another reiteration: ig it could be something, but it was literally a few paragraphs, and we know piper is experimenting with her sexuality, so it could be anything, not just a permanent romantic ship

caleo: 4/10 calypso needs some time to figure herself out and not be chained to a person or place; maybe they can try again after they both have some more life experience

frazel: 6/10 cute, but they're still pretty young, even by pjo standards, and compared to the other canon ships they're kinda dull imo, but i do love the awkwardness

beckengard: 9/10 absolutely love it, wartime romance, tension, dying for each other, trying for elysium for each other, only minus a point because one of them was a spy

sally/paul: 9/10 i love it, i'm so glad sally finally found a decent man, only minus a point because...adults

gruniper: 9/10 very cute, would be 10/10 but the start of their relationship felt kinda wonky to me like rick just wanted to pair grover with someone

solangelo: 10/10 adorable, checks all my boxes - opposites attract, healing from trauma, one extrovert one introvert, there is absolutely no downside

percabeth: 11/10 the OGs, the ship i use as a standard for all of my other ships no matter the fandom, still my absolute favorite ship, there was not a single bad track, they are so good for each other

#old

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jrdn-777 · 3 months

Text

Long Day

Long Week

—————————————————

Korra x airbender!reader

No pronouns/non binary reader

—————————————————

Word count: 1123

—————————————————

Readers pov

I sigh as I finally get to lay down in my bed. Having to do so many preparations and task throughout the week has made me extremely exhausted. I've barely seen my girlfriend, Korra. I've only got to see her in team meetings or when its time for us to go to sleep.

With her avatar duties and me having to teach the children air benders AND having to plan our attack on Kuvira, I really needed a break, but theres not time to take one. Any downtime can be bad. I sigh again not wanting to get up, just wanting to fall asleep right then and there. I get up from the bed and head to mine and korra's shared bathroom. A nice shower is what i need, i think to myself.

As im stripping from my clothes I look at myself in the reflection of the mirror. I stair for a while just in my own thoughts. I laughed lowly and i look away. I turned the shower all the way to hot and i step in. I sigh again as i feel the tickling of water touch the top of my head and run quickly down my forehead. Down my back, on my chest, down my legs, to my feet and to the drain. I stand for a good moment just taking in the feeling.

I grab my rag and my soap and start to wash myself, as i do i hear my girlfriend calling me, notifying me that shes home. "Baby? I'm home, are you in the shower?" She asks. "Yeah love, Ill out soon!" I replied. I dont get a reply back so I continue to wash my body. As i get near done i hear the door to the bathroom open a little more, as before it was cracked open just to where you can see a little ways through, now opened but then closed again. All the way this time.

I hear little shuffling as im still washing my body. I know its korra so i do not have any reason to check. I go back to standing under the water, closing my eyes as i feel the water run over them and down my body. I hear the shower curtain being moved, and after 5 seconds i feel hands around my waist, hugging me. "Hi baby, You look exhausted." She says with a slight frown. Seeing the bags that had formed over time. "Hi my love, i missed you so much" i say, turning to face her and skipping over her statement. We both embrace in a hug, a long needed one. "I missed you even more, you have no idea..." she says lowly. "Long day?" She asked, "No, long week." I replied. I smile softly, happy to hear and voice and smell her sweet scent.

We depart for our hug as she reaches for her rag and soap. "Wash my hair for me?" She asks. "Of course beautiful" I say, making her blush lightly. I take the soap and squeeze some in my hand as she turns around. I slowly rub it in her hear making sure to get it everywhere. I gently scratch her scalp as she sighs lightly and leans into my touch. " That feels really good baby" she says. I replied with a light 'mhm' as I finish up her hair. "Let the water rinse it out love" i tell her. She turns around letting the water run in her hair. The water stoping at her eye brows, only running down her hair, back, and the back of her legs.

She starts quickly washing her body and I exit the shower. "Ill have some clothes out for you when your done love." I tell her. "Ok baby. Thank you." She says. I walk out the bathroom to our room in a towel, slightly shivering due to the temperature change. I walk over to my drawer and pull out a simple white top with boxers/panties. I pull out another shirt out my drawer knowing she likes to wear mine to sleep. I go over to het drawer and pull out a pair of underwear for her. I walk back to the bathroom, leaving her clothes in the sink then going back out to put my own clothes on. When im done i walk back to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth.

(Do yall brush yall teeth then wash ur face or the other way around? 🤔I do teeth then face🤷🏽‍♀️anyway)

As im brushing my teeth I hear the water go off and the shower curtain open. I dont turn around, wanting to not look and respect her. I continue to brush my teeth as i feel hands around my waist and a face against my back. My shirt slightly getting wet from her hair and mine still being damp. "Im so tired" She says yawning. "I am to baby" i say after i spit the toothpaste out my mouth. Grabbing my face rag and my face soap, i turn to her and say "brush your teeth and was your face. After, let me dry and comb you hair then we can go to sleep." I say in a soft voice. "Mm, ok baby" she responds even softer.

I wet my rag and put a bit of soap on. I start to wash my face as she brushes her teeth. When im done with my face i use a bit of air bending to dry my hair and comb it out. As i finish she finishes her face. "Im done baby." She says to me. "Ok come here love" i say to her, lightly grabbing her hand. Turning her around in front of me. I use air bending to dry her hair the rest if the way and i comb out her hair. "Ok love, im done" i tell her softly. "Mhm" she responds "lets go to bed now" she says. Agreeing with her I turn out the light walking into the bedroom with her.

She lays on the bed waiting for to get in with her. Rushing me in her mind. As i lay down she immediately cuddles into me. I kiss her forehead "I love you so much korra" " I love you even more baby, goodnight love." She tells me " goodnight baby, sweet dreams" i say. Both of us falling slowly....into a deep sleep.......

—————————————————

AHHHHHH WTH THAT WAS ACTUALLY GOOD. Tht was my first imagine. I didn't check over it yet but i will soon so uhhhh yeahhhhhhh.

#korra x reader #legend of korra #Spotify #katara x reader #kuvira x fem!reader #kuvira x reader #reader x the legend of korra #the legend of korra x reader #reader x korra

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sitp-recs · 1 year

Note

Hi! I recently read Here’s Looking At You Kid by MesserMoon and loved it. It was a rarepair I’ve never heard of (George/Blaise), and I wanted to ask: do you have any fav fics featuring rarepairs that are practically unknown/no one talks about them? Thank you!

Hi anon! I’ve heard great things about this fic, was even thinking about reading it on my trip but I ended up taking a break from fandom too 🤣 I’m a bit hesitant to declare this or that ship as popular/non-popular bc perception is often deceiving - my Tumblr bubble talks a lot about some rare pairs that are not necessarily popular on AO3 (like Harry/Teddy, here’s a specific list if anyone’s interested) while other ships are not as popular here but have over 1k fics (like Harry/Pansy). In the end I didn’t want to overthink this so I just went for my favorite fics — there are quite a few het ships and they are not generally long; I like my rare pairs short & smutty like the doctor ordered 👍🏼 lastly, I wanna mention two authors who write a variety of excellent rare pairs: pauraque and AU champion provocative_envy. You can’t go wrong with any of their fics!

Harry's Pots by HenryMercury (G, 1.8k) - Harry/Dean

Dean goes to art school in the States for four years and when he comes back Harry bloody Potter has become a maker and merchant of ceramics.

Between the Houses by @thesleepiesthufflepuff (E, 2k) - Dean/Charlie

He paused on the doormat, taking out the ring that he’d stowed away several hours ago. Its white golden band caught on the amber light coming from the torches that lined the road of houses, and nestled in the middle of the ring was a circular moonstone that had belonged to his great-great-grandmother.

They Bought A Sports Bar by @fw00shy (T, 2.2k) - Ginny/Cho

Ginny buys a sports bar (run-down biker pub, really) and ropes Cho into helping out. They're just business partners, so why does everyone else think they're more?

lace and scars by tryslora (E, 2.2k) - Lavender/Hermione

No one can wear lace like Lavender can.

Up the Road by @ruinsplume (T, 2.6k) - Tonks/Charlie

The best way, Tonks thinks, would be to take the initiative herself. But it has to be a boy she can stand to ask, one who won’t laugh at her, one who might actually agree to what Tonks knows is a preposterous situation, even if she can’t say exactly why.

Hand Check by provocative_envy (T, 2.7k) - Theo/Blaise

“I’m just . . .” Blaise trails off, realizing he probably doesn’t need to explain to Nott why he’s buying lube. Except—he wants to. He wants to explain to Nott why he’s buying lube. In detail. Graphic detail. Exceptional detail. He wants to demonstrate, wants to show off, wants to outline all the ways he’s uniquely qualified to take care of Nott, all the reasons he’s uniquely capable of taking care of Nott. How he can do it better. Do it best. “Yeah.”

Drip, Honey, Drip by tamlane (E, 3k) - Lily Luna/Michael Corner

Lily's boss catches her daydreaming on a Friday afternoon. He thinks there could be a business opportunity in it, and he wants to hear more. Sequel here.

Seasonal by provocative_envy (M, 3.4k) - Narcissa/Charlie

Charlie’s balls-to-the-wall stupid gap year finally sputters to a grinding, inauspicious halt somewhere in the rural Tuscan countryside.

Mothering Sunday by pauraque (T, 3.6k) - Astoria/Narcissa

Narcissa always wanted a little girl of her own, and Astoria never really had a proper Mum. Together they build something that neither of them ever knew was possible.

Boyfriend Dick by fw00shy (E, 3.8k) - Pansy/Percy

Percy was the Parkinson accountant. He had no business babysitting Pansy on her birthday yacht. Pansy was turning twenty-one. She was a bloody adult, and she was going to prove it to everyone by fucking the Weasley nerd.

Her Life in Dreams and Wakefulness by rillalicious (M, 4.2k) - Luna/Gabrielle

The first time she has the dream, Gabrielle is sixteen years old.

Life During Wartime by ruinsplume (E, 4.6k) - Sirius/Charlie

Between worrying about whether his father will recover from the snake bite and being jam-packed into Grimmauld Place with a family that doesn't understand him, Charlie's having a rough time of it. Fortunately for him, Sirius is going to smooth things out.

The Secret Incantation by pauraque (E, 5k) - Sirius/Hermione

This is what she wants. This is what he needs.

Puddlemere’s New Man by mindabbles (E, 6k) - Teddy/Oliver

Teddy is willing to put in the work. He’s willing to practice twice as hard as anyone else, except that no one can out-work Oliver — a fact that Teddy finds he doesn’t mind in the least.

Postscript by provocative_envy (T, 6.5k) - Harry/Pansy

Pansy is getting married for all the wrong reasons, and then she meets Harry.

On the Same Side by rillalicious (M, 7.5k) - Teddy/Charlie

Teddy is heading to Romania to protest a proposed anti-dragon law. He finds an interesting ally there.

testosterone (sounds like a spell) by pauraque (E, 8k) - Justin/Hannah 🏳️‍⚧️

Justin never returned to Hogwarts after the Death Eaters came. He's found that the Muggle world offers other kinds of transfiguration — a body alchemy far more powerful than any magic spell. Sometimes he wonders if anyone even remembers that once, years ago, he was a novice wizard.

Of The Race That Knows Joseph by scoradh (E, 8.4k) - Remus/Regulus

When dead men walk and badgers give you sarcastic looks, it's time to re-evaluate what it means to be a werewolf.

Hopelessly Devoted To You by @writcraft (E, 10k) - Harry/George

Harry and George watch a lot of musicals and accidentally fall in love.

like the lost lyrics of a song suddenly remembered by @lqtraintracks (E, 11k) - Teddy/Bill, Teddy/James

Teddy Lupin, aging rockstar, is making a comeback after his life and career were nearly ruined by an illegal potions habit. Everyone's out to support him tonight. Including the man he's always tried so hard not to love -- as well as the man he's always turned to instead.

Burned Silk, Buckled Leather by ruinsplume (E, 12k) - Draco/Sirius

When Sirius discovers a down-and-out Draco Malfoy lurking around the edges of a Muggle kink club, he thinks he knows just what Draco needs. He isn't expecting to run into some long-buried needs of his own.

The Hollow by @wolfpants (E, 12k) - Draco/Remus

They both drink, and Remus wonders how much longer he can stay here. His eyes are already moving around slowly, looking for an escape. Anything to get away from the eerily familiar slope of Draco’s cheekbones, from the richness of the voice that sounds so much like the ghost inside his own head.

Still the pine-woods scent the moon by @fluxweeed (E, 15k) - Harry/Remus

You’ve learned to ignore the stench of perpetual horniness that Harry—twenty years old and finally free—exudes. That is, until you walk into the kitchen of Grimmauld Place and find him naked, spread over the table, with Draco Malfoy pounding into him from behind.

Rebirth (Coming Home) by @onbeinganangel (T, 16k) - Harry/Regulus

Harry’s decrepit House Elf is dying. If things were normal, that would be a sad but ultimately natural thing. However, he’s Harry Potter and — of bloody course — nothing can ever be normal. Why shouldn’t Kreacher’s death have to involve Draco Malfoy, who Harry hasn’t seen in two years, and Regulus Black, who Harry has thought was dead for over twenty years?

The Werewolf Handbook, Page 147 by Snegurochka (E, 20k) - Teddy/Bill

Everyone knows that when a person with any werewolf blood reaches 21, untamed sexual urges will manifest themselves and require an outlet. It's a fact. No question about it. The Werewolf Handbook says so, right there on page 147.

Mirror, Mirror by @orange-peony (E, 23k) - George/Lee

George feels a wave of relief washing over him at the thought that he still has time, that he can still get his shit together and stop feeling so utterly broken every single moment of the day, and then maybe he will be good enough for Lee.

Within These Walls by sara_holmes (E, 24k) - Draco/Seamus

Torture, rebellion, war and Draco Malfoy. Seamus won't even know where to start telling this story if they all make it out the other side.

Spring Street by rillalicious (T, 25k) - Harry/Pansy

Harry's been undercover for eight years, on a case that's going nowhere fast. Then Pansy Parkinson is kidnapped, and everything changes.

The Sketchbook by Snegurochka (E, 30k) - Teddy/Sirius

Sketching portraits of Sirius Black had been Teddy's way of avoiding life in the present for years. He never expected one of them would come to life, but then, he might have known that interacting with any kind of magical parchment invented by a Marauder would only open up one epic can of worms.

you will burn right now but then you won't regret it by @thistlecatfics (M, 32k) - Tonks/Fleur

Eight years after Voldemort’s defeat, as the illegal potions trade ravages England and the government intensifies lycanthropic restrictions in response, Fleur and Tonks join forces to uncover corruption in the Ministry.

The NottPott Chronicles by @amarillis39 and @missmrah (E, 33k) - Harry/Theo

A series of moments from Theo and Harry’s lives as they learn to navigate their relationship, deal with their demons or just simply revel in each other’s company.

May Contain Nuts by scoradh (E, 32k) - Harry/George

After Voldemort is defeated, the script for Harry's life comes to an end. Unsure of what to do with his life, he does nothing. Only one person is on hand to show Harry that a hero is not the sum of his vanquished enemies, but he's got problems of his own.

The Secretary by PacificRimbaud (E, 46k) - Percy/Pansy

Threatened with the loss of her trust fund allowance, wild child Pansy Parkinson takes her mother up on an offer she can't refuse: a job at the Ministry of Magic as personal secretary to tightly wound bureaucrat Percy Weasley.

Play Me Like A Love Song by writcraft (E, 67k) - Minerva/Will

Minerva McGonagall doesn’t believe in love at first sight, which is why her instant attraction to drag king Wilhelmina ("Will") Grubbly-Plank is so unexpected. War tears apart the wizarding world and as one battle ends Minerva and Will must fight once more, this time for the lives of their friends on Little Compton Street.

#asks #anon #reclist #hp rare pairs

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selfship-vent-confessions · 3 months

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Sometimes, I feel bad about the size difference between me and my bae. I won't ever share art of us because I'm pretty sure anyone seeing us together would get the wrong idea, regardless of the fact that both of us would be consenting, non-problematic adults and, honestly, pretty chill compared to the stuff I see around (yes, that means I've also seen people mistreating my partner in horrible ways and it's so gross, upsetting and exhausting 😮‍💨).

I'm saying this as someone who's seen the exact negative reaction I'm talking about when it comes to canon x canon pairings from other sources who share a similar size difference. Like, there's no in-between. It's either people making it weird for kink's sake or making it more awful in a proship way (extra yuck). The block list just keeps growing every time I look those pairings as inspiration for "imagines" with my f/o, and I'm just so done.

What happened to wholesome smol and tol? Picking stuff from the highest shelf? Opening pickle jars? Resting an elbow on the shortest one's head for fun? Neither myself nor the character had a hand in choosing our bodies, and I didn't choose to fall for them based on their height either (I don't even have a canon number, and their source sucks at maintaining their own story). It's already a pain to be judged for being a ficto nerd irl. Why does the community have to make me feel judged by liking someone who looks different from me, too? Not to mention the whole ordeal with non-sharers, which I'm also a part of... How dare people set boundaries for their romantic relationships and block content creators for the sake of their mental health! /s 💀

Speaking of differences, judgmental people are also especially hateful ones towards allo/cis/het-passing couples. It's like they forget about ace, aro, bi, and trans people as soon as they see fem x masc presenting couples (the aro and ace erasure makes me ???? cause a good chunk of us fictos are also in that spectrum, and I'm positive my vent alone shows that so am I). We're queer, too, y'all. We're all struggling with others thinking we're the oddballs. We don't need to argue between ourselves about who seems to be "more prone to prejudice" because having to conceal who you are for the sake of safety or decent treatment is also a kind of violence, and we're all in this together 💀

#self shipping #selfship community #self ship #self ship community #selfship #selfshipping #selfship confessions #selfshipper #self shipper #self ships #selfship vent confessions #selfship vent #selfshipping vent confessions #community vent #multi vent confession #confession 540

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talkingbl · 5 months

Text

GMMTV 2024 pt. 2 (Mostly) BL Prediction Thread

Predictions

JimmySea. And they DESERVE it. Listen, I was not a JimmySea truther until I saw them in Last Twilight. And while the series went downhill from me, and both Jimmy and Sea have some improvements they can make, it is clear is day they have talent and SPARK together. Their chemistry is different from any other pair I've seen. They give a very soft/comfortable vibe that's not really romantic but more like enduring and domestic. It's like two people who really trust each other come together in their pairing instead of a fleeting but passionate trounce. I really enjoyed them in the Last Twilight and I think the series did so well GMMTV won't hesitate to put them in something new.

PondPhuwin. They've been lying about going on hiatus for quite a while now and I'm no longer inclined to believe them. I haven't been too tapped in to them lately but it's clear by how much stuff they keep getting casted in and how overexposed they are that GMMTV sees something in them. I think they will either have another series as a couple or both star in the same series but not as a couple. But, at the very least, they'll continue to promote as a shipped couple with fanmeets/concerts/etc.

On that same note, one of them will definitely have a het series.

FirstKhao. Don't see a world where GMMTV's not looking at the success of SandRay and saying "yeah, run that shit back." They just have way too much fan support and forward momentum that it'd be weirder if GMMTV didn't have something for them.

Lead role for Tay in a non-BL. For every BL TayNew does, they do 20 non-BLs to offset it 😂. I think the success of Cherry Magic, even in spite of all the production woes, proves that there's still a demand for TayNew together, and Tay and New individually. And while I would not be shocked to see a TayNew BL, I feel like GMMTV has set a precedent of giving Tay and New a lot of variety in between their BL roles.

Het series for Joong/Dunk. At this point their overexposure seems like it'll continue, for better or for worse. But I do see a world where Joong gets a het series. I can see it slightly for Dunk too just from a novelty standpoint, but at the same time no competent showrunner is going to cast Dunk with no promise of the JoongDunk-stan gravy train. He just doesn't have the chops for that IMO.

KristSingto. Obvious to everyone in the room lmao. If they don't get a series I'll be genuinely shocked. The way the pillars are moving these days it's like the girlies saw what TayNew did and said "Lord (P'THa), what you did for them, I want that for me!" That said, I can just as easily see them in separate BL series...

GL featuring Jan or Ciize. I don't know how well 23.5 is doing altogether (can only go based on the YT views), but it doesn't really matter IMO. I think GMMTV will do one or two GLs a year just to keep their portfolio diverse until GLs take off like BLs did. And for that, I see them casting either Jan or Ciize (or both?) since they are the most exposed female actors in GMMTV's queer media.

Lead role for Mark Jiruntanin in a BL (though I don't think Junior will be his partner?). This is more of a dark horse preduction. I'm not going to pretend like his story was one of my favorite parts of Cherry Magic, but the way GMMTV has moved with him, I can totally see them re-pairing him with someone younger/newer and seeing how that goes. Purely from a visual standpoint, I almost want to see him with Sky Wongravee but that feels like a pipe dream...

MarkOhm. surely I don't need to explain this one lmao.

Gem to take a break from acting to focus on music, otherwise his first non-BL role. Weirdly, Gem and Fourth seem to be at a point where they can pretty much dictate what roles they will and won't take. I have a feeling Gem is going to try his hand at being a full-time singer since that seems to more so be his dream anyway.

Soft launch of SeaKing as a GemFourth replacement. The mere fact the Only Boo! exists tells me all that I need to know. Sadly, the trailer for Only Boo! left me (and others) completely disengaged. Like I do not care to watch that show AT ALL. It's a poor concept with acting that seemed severely unpolished. It COULD pull an MSP and actually be good, but I just don't see that being the case (especially since the main reason why MSP was so good was because of P'Au and its unique cast...).

WinnySatang*. Asterisk here because I'm not sure GMMTV sees it for them to have a lead couple role just yet. I wouldn't be shocked if they get the recent Marc Pahun and [REDACTED] treatment until they can prove their acting skills in We Are (in fact, I suspect GMMTV has been doing this with many of their couples since the flop of My Gear Your Gown). They're not a super popular ship so, like FirstKhao, they'll need to break out on talent alone (can't believe this is a real sentence I just wrote...like what is wrong with this industry).

EarthMix. Now THIS is a bold prediction lmao. I heard Earth and Mix were in their divorce era? Not sure if that's true but these two honestly deserve so much better. Mix has been hard carrying GMMTV's BL talent (along with Gun and Fourth) and I would hate to see him not have more of these stories to his name. The hype for Moonlight Chicken was through the roof, but, unfortunately, Aof did what Aof does best and ruined the viewing experience like halfway through. I know they have that Ossan's Love remake allegedly happening within the next 2 years, but GMMTV is known for fucking up distribution of Japanese remakes, so I just don't think that's the best use of these two.

Only Friends 2: Electric Boogaloo. This was actually teased in the finale of Only Friends. But if they do this, I pray they don't bring back TopMew and minimize SandRay to focus on Nick and the new characters. Still, the status of this show could be up in the air given all the bs going on behind the scenes while the show was airing and months after...

We pray for:

An actually good series that's good from Episode 1 all the way to Episode 12/14. This would likely require some highly specific combination of story selection (something original with strong themes and consistently interesting plot), spectacular directing (P'Au or P'Nuchy only ATP), BUDGET (GMMTV, give this what you'd give Bright/Win in a het role), and acting (always love Gun but he stays casted, so would love to see some more for Fourth, Inn, First, some of the other newer folks, etc.). This is asking a lot because, honestly, no BLs have delivered this since...Linger?...but if GMMTV is smart, they'll see what some of the fan favorites did and recreate that.

On that same note, a period piece. I'm not sure how it'll work on a GMMTV budget, but I need Ayutthaya-era Thailand, with a deep and complex story.

Perth getting another screen partner. I THOUGHT PerthChimon was going to be very interesting since Perth is a good actor and Chimon is not too shabby as well. I neglected to consider that Chimon would so abhor kissing anyone that Kanghan looked like he was trying to violate a corpse in any of their kissing scenes. I demand that Perth gets re-paired with someone who actually wants to star in a romance.

(Not because of anything having to do with Gemini), I just want to see Fourth try another pairing, particularly with someone whose acting is out of this world. Unfortunately, I just cannot think of someone from the new crop who is not Gem who will be able to match Fourth's talent. Like, we haven't seen Chokun or Java actually act yet so it can't be either of them. As for Mark J., I don't think his acting is at Fourth's level. And I don't think Fourth would match First's energy well... It's just difficult to see who would complement Fourth in a role when so few people are at his level.

#gmmtv 2024 part 2 predictions thai bl boys love topmew forcebook #jimmysea morkday last twilight pondphuwin palmneung we are never let me go nlmg firstkhao sandray only friends my gear your gown mgyg #taynew karanachi cherry magic tay tawan new thitipoom joongdunk kristsingto krist perawat singto prachaya marc pahun neomark bostonnick #gl girls love jan ployshompoo ciize rutricha 23.5 milklove mark jiruntanin markohm mark pakin ohm thipakorn geminifourth my love mix up msp #my school president seaking only boo winnysatang earthmix ossan's love perthchimon danverous romance sky wongravee high school frenemy

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hussyknee · 1 year

Text

I'll be honest. I didn't expect Red, White and Royal Blue to be this good. I know it was always the number one rec in the gay romance rec lists but I kinda carried a grudge that Boyfriend Material was relegated to number two. I also thought it would be a typical romcom about "yay rich white cis gays" representing the most devastatingly colonizing nations on the planet. I didn't realise one of them would be the biracial grandson of Mexican immigrants. Or that it would be a legitimately beautifully written book with characters that didn't feel like token minorities.

It's an real queer story about identity and politics and tapestries of unacknowledged, suppressed loves reaching across time. Blended families and ambition and duty and authenticity. A moderate and rather thrilling dive into US politics, although a little bit more work into the institutional nature of Buckingham Palace would have been nice, instead of simply making the Queen a stock bigot. The royal family exists in a very precarious yet entrenched power balance with Westminster and the Church, and the queen is herself a sovereign entity managed by a rigid power matrix.

However, while the first half of the book was very funny and lively, I was pretty lukewarm about the pairing itself until the second half. I only felt invested in them after the stakes escalated into an emotional precipice and spiralled into angst and pining and yelling in the rain and "don't you tell me I don't love you bc I can't be with you" "then tell me to leave" and nearly being outed and having state-mandated beards and being miserable and desperate. And I only got gooey because Henry writes emails like the kind of anguished, repressed Victorian poet halfway to manic depression and a laudanum habit. I have to say, the second half of this book really delivers. The actual climax of the book being the 2020 election rather than a dramatic romantic denouement was somehow both unexpected and inevitable. Nothing could ever have come close to the historic experience that was Destiel Putin Total Landscaping 2020 (also it was pretty funny what happened to Nevada in the book vs real life), but the fictional election was still exhilarating. It makes the characters earn their stripes, no pun intended.

This book is first to last a political wish fulfillment fantasy, where the characters openly say, "aren't we glad we're not in some darkest timeline where the USAmerican people betrayed each other right after Obama's term was up?" (Apparently the idea for the book came to the author in mid-2016. Ouch.) Its primary conceit: What if Washington doesn't completely ruin or reject everyone who starts out with good intentions? What if a non-traditionalist union in the '80s turned out a couple of Royal kids who ended up decent people who interrogated their privileges? That most fantastical of premises – that at least a handful of people who attain power and privilege could hold onto their values and compassion. It is, achingly, sorrowingly, the ultimate wish of the disillusioned in the last few years: that just enough people had stepped up where it counted and turned the tide of history. And that they might continue to do so, more often than not.

Overall, a very good, solid, compelling read, far, far better than Love, Simon or whatever else the white cis het mainstream inexplicably latches onto. I won't say better than Boyfriend Material. Alexis Hall is still the better writer. But it's such a completely different book, speaking to a different demographic with different expectations, that it's a chalk and cheese comparison. The London Calling series (Boyfriend Material, Husband Material and the upcoming Father Material) is a quintessentially British romantic comedy with a deeply queer beating heart for an older Millennial audience, interrogating the UK's systemic class and colonial issues, delving into the universalism and diversity of the human condition with richness and complexity. Red, White & Royal Blue is an extremely USAmerican Zillennial fantasy, caught somewhere between YA and US West Wing intrigue with a dash of British glamour— pure escapist pop culture. I might be biased towards LC because I'm its target audience; but the exponentially greater popularity of RW&RB is definitely due to the power of the USAmerican cultural hegemony. I was complaining about fandom refusing to engage with actual queer art and literature before; all of Alexis Hall's work merits only a handful of pages on AO3. RW&RB alone has 154 pages on AO3 no I am not bitter that y'all are tasteless and disgraceful and if that doesn't speak to the power of having a USAmerican base then nothing does.

Edit: THERE'S A BONUS CHAPTER????

#queer lit #red white and royal blue #casey mcquiston #lgbtqia #mlm romance #alexis hall #london calling #pop culture #usamerican imperialism #us politics #YA #lgbt representation #queer media #review #red white and royal blue spoilers #book recommendations #knee of huss

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neonscandal · 8 months

Note

Can I ask, why do you love MLM romance better than Het romance? What makes them better? I did not mean anything negative, and I know everyone have their own like and dislike but I want to know your thoughts....

Also what do you think that made Asian MLM (Danmei, BL manga/manhwa/manhua/tv series) romances different than western MLM romances?

Out the gate with the fujoshi allegations!

Hahaha I joke. I feel like, from my blog, it's very reasonable to make that assumption. I think I watch and recommend mostly het-romance but, there are a number of reasons why MLM ships cause some serious brainrot and frequently appear on my page (this is a SatoSugu, BakuDeku and AshEiji specific call out).

I won't say that the ships are better but as to why they're more pervasive?

From a shonen standpoint, the protagonist and deuteragonist tend to be the the most developed and nuanced characters with more chemistry due to the complexity of their relationship typically driving the plot forward.

Additionally, the development of the relationship will generally have more texture than the flat afterthought of the MC with the FMC they are canonically paired with.

Typically, because these characters are both men, while you'll see some toxic stereotypes (specific to actual BL and yaoi which are usually ick inducing), both characters will generally have the same amount of agency which isn't always given to prop female characters. Remember, kids, the fridge trope is harmful for everyone.

Because these ships aren't always intended, there's that delulu element of "will they, won't they?" like Ross and Rachel from Friends. The DRAMA. Also, they are generally more tragic and, what lingers more: happiness or pain? It's pain. Pain by a long shot. And the fodder to rectify that pain is endless (thank you, fix-it fic authors). There are of course, also ways to twist the knife, too (thank you, sadists).

Subsequently, the resonance of these ships stems from the much stronger emotions you have when things are gut-wrenching. But, also, I am actively reading the ongoing series' of JJK and MHA so of course that part of my brain gets poked more frequently than series' that have long since been completed.

Let's not forget that there's a disproportionate number of shonen and seinen series' that ultimately get full anime adaptations. Off the top of my head, the Ouran High School Host Club fandom is still waiting for a second season. ⌚️👀 HoriMiya and Sasaki to Miyano were heavily abbreviated before getting second seasons, a refreshing shock to the system.

Specifically, of the three main ships that litter my blog (see above), I happen to viscerally relate to one or both of the characters in question. Again, we can chalk that up to the depth of character and my own flaws.

Stylistically, there's a big difference between Western and East Asian media across other genres too. For instance, after only being exposed to the dramatic musical scores in Western horror, there is something truly unsettling with the absence of build up or sound in East Asian horror right before something big catches you unawares.

When it comes to romance (if we're focusing on MLM, it still applies), I think the big difference is the intimacy. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely some series that have a similar level of physical engagement as a Western romance. But, with a lot of stories, you'll go a whole series holding your breath for a hand hold or a hug and it's delectable. The absence of the physical creates so much more depth in those telltale looks characters exchange or the moments of silence when they're alone in each others' presence (awkwardly as hell, might I add).

By comparison, in Western media, you're going through the whole gamut without as much nuance for the layers of non-physical intimacy. Or it's something that gets developed post hookup which is realistic to an extent. But, considering real life hook up culture these days, I think it makes the before stand out as a lot more endearing so maybe that informs the preference.

All that to say, this isn't an endorsement of modesty politics, at all. Life is a healthy mix of both and I'm all about comprehensive experiences. People will gravitate toward whatever speaks to them at whatever point they are in their life. Do you have a preference and, if so, what do you think informs it? Respectfully, I appreciate your curiosity in reaching out.

#neon asks #anon asks #anime #manga #fujoshi

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aprofessionalwithoutstandards · 2 years

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We need to discuss the vagueposting. Ranting about medicpauling is valid and not the issue, however. It's miss p x merc, an older man/young woman, and there's been/are fans into heteronormative and straight up predatory dynamics. Hating it and wanting to avoid it is understandable.

But publicly gossiping on your blog to your followers about shippers' orientations based on the pairing and how they draw Medic, where its active creators on Tumblr cannot be counted on one hand, is not on. There's a difference between describing what demographics are attracted to a ship vs stating the few fanwork creators belong to it.

There were only two people in the tags last year you could be referring to. Assigning people straight vibes or trans vibes or gay vibes assigns stereotypes. It erases identities, and potentially ends with someone having to justify depicting non-het relationships and experiences by outing themselves or proving they're LGBT+ enough. I don't want to go through that, and neither should anyone else.

Literally what the hell are you talking about

#i can't even remember the post ur talking about it must be so old #also if you literally knew anything about me you would know that i talk all the time about m/f ships and have no issue with them lmao #i am VERY open about having had to 'prove i'm lgbt enough' because i am bisexual #the reason i make JOKES abt them is not bc i have some secret plan to call all bi people straight #it is honestly offensive and extremely presumptuous to say something like that about me. you clearly know nothing about me #anyway medicpauling fans give me more shit than literally any other group i have ever interacted with on here #so when i 'vaguepost' next time know it's not bc i hate gay people but because you people send me essays over shit i never said #ask #gee-wozz

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spn-masquerade · 2 years

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SPN Masquerade Rules and Guidelines

All kinks are a-okay, but we still all need to play by a few rules, so we can all have a good time.

A few quick details …

Kink = sexual practices, concepts, or fantasies; something that excites you

OP = original poster/prompter

Prompts = your kinky ideas to prompt a fic or art fill

Fill = fic or art posted to the prompt

Feedback = comments and kudos to the fill, sharing all the love and joy for what you love about it

What is the Masquerade?

A quick-fire comment meme where you can anonymously prompt, fill, and provide feedback on any and all varieties of kink. There are a variety of other kink-related events out there; the emphasis on ours is the anonymity (hiding behind our masks) and a short timeframe.

What’s in a Kink?

Anything and everything is welcome from extreme kinks of non-con, bondage, D/s, non-con and so on … all the way to soft, schmoopy fluff, like Castiel gets a cat and feels super smooshy when petting it, or J2 domesticity with cuddling and holding hands. All pairings are welcome, including het, slash, threesomes, moresomes, etc.

No Real Kids Allowed.

Using the real-life names/identities of any of the actors' children is forbidden. We'd prefer this particular fourth wall to remain intact. Any comments (prompts or fills) related to the real children will be deleted. Mentions/use of original character children are allowed.

No Judgment Allowed.

The primary purpose of this meme is to create an environment where writers, artists, readers, etc., are comfortable to indulge in any kinks they may otherwise avoid in their own namespace/LJ/tumblr/etc. For this to work, we must operate under the philosophy that anything is a kink and all kinks are welcome. Any comments judging/criticizing a kink in any way will be deleted.

User Discretion is Advised.

As this is a free-for-all, there may be content that some find discomforting or triggering. Use your discretion when reading prompts and fills. There is sure to be something here for everybody.

Anonymity is Key.

Prompts and fills are to remain anonymous – why else do we have all these beautiful masks at the masquerade? When providing feedback to fills, you may use your username or remain anonymous

Keep it in the Family.

Each prompt and fill must include at least one character from Supernatural canon or the cast. For example, Dean/Hannibal Lector is a-okay. Felicia Day/Jason Momoa is also fine. Hannibal Lecter/Jason Momoa is not. As the actors move on to new projects and characters, we understand the excitement, however, this is still a Supernatural prompt fest. So Soldier Boy/Jeffrey Dean Morgan or Cordell Walker/Rowena are okay, Soldier Boy/Cordell Walker doesn't fit into this particular sandbox.

This is a Spoiler-Free Zone.

All prompts and fills must include spoiler warnings for any unaired episodes. As Supernatural is now complete, this rule now applies to Walker and The Boys.

One Prompt Per Comment.

We get it: you’re excited (!!!) and you have a zillion prompts to share. We do, too! But each prompt must be posted in its own separate comment.

Fill to Your Heart’s Content.

There is no limit on the number (or length) of fills a person can make, nor is there a limit on the number of fills per prompt. The more kink the better! To this end, please do not claim prompts before posting the fill, as it might deter others from filling them. Also, we realize that there may often be similar themes or subjects in multiple prompts. Please refrain from posting the same fill to multiple prompts.

Subject Lines are Your Friends.

When prompting … Use the subject lines to list characters/pairings and kinks/warnings in your request.

When filling … include “FILLED” at the start of the subject line along with characters/pairings and kinks/warning (whether stated in original prompt or not). You can also call out specific warnings at the beginning of your fill.

How Specific is Your Prompt?

When prompting with your super excellent subject line after reading the above guideline, you can be as specific as you like in your prompt. Add in your preferred kinks, squicks, details of themes, and plot pieces. However, also understand that if you write a novel-length prompt then you may very well have just written the whole thing yourself and will scare away any fillers who fear they will not meet the excess of detail you ask for. So, we suggest, give enough to get your point across with boundaries if you are not comfortable with certain kinky situations, while also leaving room for the fillers to have fun.

Making Your Fill.

When leaving a written fill:

As noted above, post your fill in reply to the prompt and include “FILLED” at the start of the subject line.

As a kink free-for-all, we must also honor the tradition of warnings. We entrust the fillers to exercise proper judgment to warn of extreme or trigger kinks. This should include extreme kinks/traditionally unconventional sexual practices that are A) not included in the prompt and/or B) can be considered triggering to some readers (for example, but not limited to: D/s, abuse, suicide, non-con, etc.).

DW allows approximately 16,000 characters per comment. If you are worried about the length of your comment, DW will warn you if you are over and by how many characters, without posting the comment. This can help you fraction out your fill into the right number of comments.

If your fill is longer than one comment, it is encouraged to thread the comments – reply to the original prompt with the first part, then reply to your first part with the second part, third part reply to the second comment, and so on. It is also encouraged to use “Part 1, Part 2, Part 3” or “1/4, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4” or some other counting structure to inform readers and the OP that the story continues in multiple comments. Threading also helps readers to follow the complete fill/links.

When leaving a an art fill:

As noted above, post your fill in reply to the prompt and include “FILLED” at the start of the subject line.

Do not directly embed art fills in comments. In the interest of keeping the meme relatively safe for work/wandering eyes, host any artwork on a third-party site such as http://postimage.org/ or http://imgur.com and comment with a link in your fill. Any art posted directly into/embedded into comments will be deleted.

As with written fills, list of all kinks/warnings of concern in your fill comment.

Following the Fills.

We know it becomes overwhelming with the number of comments and pages full of prompts and fills, so we do our best to track and list all fills on the SPN_Masquerade Pinboard. This is also why we ask that fillers include FILLED in their subject line, so it is easier for the mods to find your fills and add them to the pinboard. Fills will be tagged with all appropriate pairings, kinks, media type, etc., including a tag for the round so you can easily follow what is new this round.

Leaving Feedback.

Replying to fills … be sure to share your excitement and appreciation for the fills and the creators’ hard work – without them, the masquerade couldn’t continue! You can remain anonymous in feedback comments at any time, or you can be open and obvious about who you are. (Anonymity only applies to prompts and fills.) Also keep in mind that this is not an exchange event; the prompts are there to get creators’ juices flowing and trying to fit their ideas to the prompts. If someone fills your prompt, be respectful and appreciative even if it’s not catered to your precise preferences.

Regarding replies to prompts … Keep ‘seconding’ comments to a minimum. This is when someone loves the prompt so much they reply ‘yes, seconding!’ or even thirding, fourthing, fifthing … you get the idea. We love the enthusiasm, but it also creates far too many comments on the meme and we want to be sure folks can find the prompts and fills as easily as possible.

We Read Everything.

Seriously. We do. There are three of us mods and we will be scanning the prompts, fills, and comments to ensure this is a safe place for all to play (as well as tagging for the pinboard!). Any harmful, shaming, or otherwise derogatory comments will be deleted. We’re here to have fun, so play nice! As a general rule, if you see a prompt or fill you don’t like, scroll on by until you find something you love! If you spot something rude and harmful in comments that we have not yet addressed, please contact us on the mod account so we can handle it (or here on tumblr via anon ask if you don’t have DM account).

Keep it on the Meme.

DO NOT repost any anonymous fic OR artwork from the meme anywhere on the web and do not unmask any creators AT ANY TIME. This includes posting to tumblr, Twitter, or LiveJournal during or after this round (or any past round). It is the right of the artist or author to decide whether or not to claim their fanworks after the prompt fest ends and repost elsewhere themselves. However, you may still feel free to share/rec prompts or fills you love by linking back to the specific comments. We just ask that you maintain the anonymity of the participants in the event that you know/figured out who prompted or filled.

In short: sharing links and maintaining anonymity is cool! Reposting fills in their entirety to another platform/space is BAD.

Most Importantly ...

HAVE FUN!! Jump in and out of prompts and fills, play as much or as little as you can, and all around bask in the colorful glory of the Masquerade!

#spn masquerade #rules&guidelines #mod post

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