#and i was held back by my weakness in writing characters being mean to each other fdlkjshfkj

[hopefulqueer]

rewriting early Distant Melody may never come to anything--i doubt i'm going to rewrite all ~100k plus the Part 3 i've been thinking about adding for a year, certainly not quickly, and i can't even begin to think of how i might publish it, not to mention the fact that it's 6 seasons out of date so it's not going to have any audience even if anyone is still in that fandom--but if nothing else, it's serving as an extremely good way for me to convince myself that i'm an astronomically better writer now than i was in 2016-2018

[ymechi]

Who is the real Creator?

Hello! I have a bit of an announcement to make I don't think everyone has seen the previous post but an anon asked me if I will continue the series and to be honest I don't think I will. This series was made on a whim and was really fun to write except I hit a roadblock. I am unsure where to continue with this I feel like I have written enough and not sure where to go from here story wise, that is why I decided to discontinue the story. Thank you everyone who commented and liked I enjoyed seeing your guys reactions. For now this is the last chapter. If I ever decide to continue this or make a new series I look forward to seeing you guys there!

-TW: cult au, yandere, impostor au, mentions of being hunted down, mentions of trauma, self harm (nothing major), OOC character

-Gn reader and darling (please tell me if I mess this up message me and I will fix it)

part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, this is part 6

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The beat of their heart was as loud as a drum. Reader could even feel their head vibrate in tandem with the marching drums they had heard before when they were younger. Their vision felt blurry and their head was light. The fading sun outside the windows caught their eye. Reader felt nauseous.

They were such a coward they had left Nahida and Wanderer to clean up after them as they ran away. Reader wanted to help her not add more trouble yet here they were weak and unable to speak.

Distantly they heard a gasp.

"Reader! Are you okay? Oh no- Traveller come quick!"

Two blurry figures came closer to Reader. They idly noted one of the figures was floating. . . Ohh, it was Paimon and Aether.

Seeing the two somehow calmed them down and they tried to take deep breaths. With a calmer and clearer mind, they noticed that both stared at Reader with worried expressions.

Reader gave a wry smile.

"Hi Paimon, hi Traveller."

The two said nothing staring at Reader and then at each other coming to an agreement of some sort.

"Paimon thinks you should sit down first," she said, trailing off and looking down.

Reader also noticed Aether was looking down as well to the side, it was then it dawned on Reader they were looking at their sliced palm. They subconsciously tried to hide it but stopped midway bringing it forward towards the duo.

"I guess you two were also summoned but were late haha," they said with a flat laugh.

Traveler continued to look at them with a worried frown and Paimon who usually had a positive expression looked even more worried. Reader's wry smile seemed not to work sadly.

"P-Paimon is still not sure what is going on but Paimon thinks you should sit down first. . ."

"I agree let's get you somewhere to rest first."

Aether reached his hand out as an invite and Reader felt too weak to reject him. He took their hand and guided them further down the hall towards a seating area where guests could sit. There Reader was able to sit down and calm down.

"Thanks, I do feel better."

Aether smiled and nodded while Paimon's eyes sifted from looking at them and then at a wall.

"Uhm- so Paimon has been wondering. . ."

It was obvious what she was referring to. They held the sliced palm with the other hand almost cradling it.

"Sorry, I did not mean to keep it from you guys. . . I just found out recently as well, I-I hope you are not mad."

"What! Why would we be mad? You are the creator- Oh no should we bow?" Paimon said looking at Reader then around as if someone would pop up and admonish her.

Traveler shook his head at his companion's antics and gave Reader a sad smile.

"I hope you can forgive out-"

"Oh no stop there!"

Reader jumped out quickly from their seat causing the duo to step back (the other to float back) in shock. Reader stepped forward and looked at them with a serious expression.

"I don't care if I am some creator or whatever and I don't care about that formal shit, especially when you two are my friends!"

Reader was not sure where this outburst came from. Was it because of the stressful day? Was it having to see people you did not like or was it because of having to watch Wanderer act subservient for so long?

"So no your grace or bowing!"

The two still looked aback. Suddenly Reader felt embarrassed shouting at them when they were concerned about her.

"W-well uhm, sorry, yeah I should not have shouted. . ."

Reader wrung their hands together but stopped when they noticed the sliced palm. They looked down at their shoes.

"Paimon. . . Paimon thinks of you as a friend too," she said and her cheeks turned red.

Reader smiled at her and Traveller sighed but gave the floating girl a smile.

"If that is what you wish for then who are we to say no?"

He sounded a tad bit too formal for Reader but it would have to do for now.

"None of that now, how have the two of you been?"

Paimon opened her mouth about to answer Reader's question but she was interrupted unexpectedly.

"Your Grace-"

Reader's heart skipped a beat and not the good kind. The calm they experienced before was gone and their body froze again. The one who spoke was unmistakably the retired geo Archon. He looked frazzled and looked at Reader in a way they could not decipher.

"Your grace I. . ."

"That is enough I had already told you they were not ready to talk to you yet."

Nahida came afterward it looks like she rushed over to where they were. Her face was stern and it looked so out of place compared to her more relaxed and curious features. Reader's stomach clenched. Zhongli looked as if he wanted to argue with her. His face took on a harsher stance as he looked at her.

No.

They would not let him.

"Whatever it is you want to say it's with me leave her out of this."

Their hands were shaking but they held them together. Nahida looked surprised at them and Reader wanted to reassure her it was going to be alright. Aether from his side approached them and stood between the Archon and Reader. The implication that he was willing to defend them from one of the strongest beings in Teyvat was not lost on Reader. They did feel safer by having him on their side and Paimon as well.

"Your grace I," Zhongli paused his gaze on Reader with a guilty look that made them feel uncomfortable, "If I had known if only. . ."

"That does not matter anymore," Reader interrupted him.

He looked at them and flinched.

"Save your what 'ifs’, you did what you did and I won't forget it."

The unexpected venom that came out of Reader surprised even them. Zhongli had taken to look down he looked ashamed, how dare he? Now he wants to act all guilty. Reader scoffed.

"You have done enough damage for today, I suggest you leave neither me or the Dendro Archon are in a mood to deal with you," Reader said and crossed their arms.

They idly wondered if the meeting had gone awry for her to come here. Nahida looked thoroughly surprised.

Zhongli opened his mouth to speak but Reader beat him to it.

"That is all I have nothing more to say."

"I think I will take it over here with Mr. Zhongli and the rest."

They nodded at Nahida. Reader tugged at Aether's scarf for him to follow them.

.

.

.

They entered Reader's new room and their muscles went lax. It felt though as if they had carried a heavy boulder. They threw decorum away and sat on their desk stool.

"Sorry, I think I need a bit of rest."

"It's okay Paimon doesn't think anyone would handle talking to a guy that tried to kill as well as you did."

Aether glared at Paimon and she jumped up in the air while still floating.

"Maybe Paimon should not have said that. . ."

Reader looked at her and shook their head with a smile.

"It's okay, you sort of reminded me I did something pretty cool huh?"

Paimon's expression eased and she nodded.

"While Zhongli is our friend what he did to you was unforgivable so Paimon thinks he ought to get kicked around for what he did."

"Heh, it seems like you can speak some sense from time to time."

It was Wanderer who had entered when the door was still unopened. Paimon did look angry at his remark.

"You! What do you mean Paimon always says things that make sense!"

"Yeah sure," he said with a mocking smile and crossed his arms.

"You came early did something happen?" Reader spoke.

Wanderer uncrossed his arms and shook his head.

"No Lesser Lord Kusanali came back with the funeral consultant and told me to look out for you."

Ohh, Reader's heart melted a bit. They really had a good friend, next time they should make her something as thanks.

"Paimon has a question are you planning to announce it to everyone that you are the creator?"

Aether looked at Reader more intently as well. It seemed he was interested in the topic.

"No, I rather not, we decided to let the acolytes know for now their words hold some sway if they could calm the public down after the 'fake' left."

Aether had a thoughtful expression and nodded at Reader's answer. Perhaps he guessed Reader was not in the mood to talk about this particular topic and left it a that. Reader was once again thankful for their friend's thoughtfulness.

"Sorry for all the drama today take a seat what have you two been up to?"

Aether smiled and sat down while Wanderer ever the polite one bought fruits and left to get some tea. The Traveler and his companion told them of the many new adventures they had and the people they met. After Wanderer came back with the tea all of them sat down and listened as Paimon did a dramatic retelling of a recent commission they took on.

"I see everyone is having a fun time."

"Nahida!" Reader went out of their seat to check on the Archon.

"I hope there was not too much trouble are all right? Did something happen?"

"No worries I am fine and nothing happened it took a while to convince some to leave, there were acolytes who wanted to meet you."

Reader grimaced.

"Yeah sorry, next time I won't run away like that."

Nahida shook her head.

"No, it is part of my duty, there is no need for you to do it if you don't feel like it."

"You shouldn't have to shoulder this," Reader argued.

"Lesser Lord Kusanali is right if you are not ready it might do more damage to your health," Wandered interjected.

At that Reader could only be silent. They felt so helpless.

"For now let Nahida handle it you can be there and see how much you can handle," Wanderer said after sighing.

Reader wrung their hands together and looked at Nahida with a guilty look.

"If it's okay with you could I?"

"Only if you think you can handle it."

For now that would be their solution.

Reader ushered Nahida to take a seat and poured her some tea. Paimon took it upon herself to start over her tale once again since Nahida was there and the Wanderer scoffed at her which caused them to bicker for a few seconds. Reader could only laugh behind their hand. The rest of the day was spent comfortably talking.

"It is getting late Paimon doesn't want to intrude any longer."

The Traveller nodded as well.

"Wait you both could stay in my room?"

Traveller and Paimon looked surprised.

"We don't want to interrupt your resting time there is also only one bed."

"The bed is big enough for all of us we can have a sleepover?"

Reader wrung their hands together. It was just, they did not want to sleep alone today.

Traveller and Paimon looked at each other they must have had a silent conversation.

"If you are okay with it Reader."

"Yeah it would be nice I haven't had a sleepover in a long while Nahida and Wanderer you could join in if you want to." They said with a smile.

"I've never had one before but I would love to try it out."

Wanderer was silent for a while before he quietly answered.

"I will join then. . ."

Reader smiled it almost hurt their face. They gathered a lot of pillows and extra blankets just in case. Reader took the middle while Nahida was to the right and Paimon to the left. Respectievly Aether took Paimon's side and Wanderer slept next to Nahida. It really did feel like a huge sleepover. Reader slept soundly that night sourrended in warmth.

Extra:

Reader felt warm and fuzzy images of Christmas lights surrounding their vision. the lights were blurry and smudged. Gentle snow started to fall blanketing the ground in white. The blanket that surrounded them kept them warm and they snuggled closer to it.

The stars above twinkled and They watched with interest as they changed shape and colour. Then a star started to fall, no it was a snowflake. A huge giant snowflake was falling towards Reader and they tried to struggle but it was in vain as the blanket held them in place. With horror they watched as the snowflake landed on their head.

It was rather soft and it did not hurt but the snowflake was beginning to limit their breathing. Reader tried to open their mouth to breathe in more air.

With a gasp, they woke up.

The thing smothering their face was not a snowflake or anything nefarious but rather Paimon herself. Somehow she had ended up on their face. They struggled to shake her off and after a few seconds of prying she rolled off to the side.

She was still asleep her mouth open and she mumbled something about food no doubt.

Reader sighed.

They blinked a few times as they looked out to the window where the sun was shining. It was already morning.

Reader was rather in a bind, literally. Nahida had curled up in her chest, she looked so small and cute Reader’s heart melted and they wanted to pat her head. Their feet somehow got tangled up with Wanderer’s and to the side Aether was hugging their arm.

They could not get up.

”If I was in a different room I would still be able to hear your squirms.”

It was wanderer who woke up. His voice was hoarse. Now that they thought about it Reader had no idea if he could sleep or if he even needed to.

”Sorry,” they said whispering.

Wanderer sighed and came closer towards Reader shutting his eyes.

Wait, was he not going to get up at all?

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Taglist: @resident-cryptid @probablynoposts @esthelily @mitsukashi @charming-mage @chaoticfivesworld @irisxiel @dulcedelechenginamo @yu-ulda @samohxt2-0 @pinkpainc @vianitry @dreamlessnight @kurayamioterasu @fantasyhopperhea @victoria1676 @liansh3ng @game-savvy @uchihaeirin @awelygirl @klemen-time @synthe4u @deadgirldreaming @quacking-simp

[cozage]

I hope you enjoy the beach and Legend of Zelda. Can I request a Koby x reader who is Garp’s granddaughter (same age as Koby) who wants to be a marine but Garp is overprotective and won’t let her. She and Koby train together and become friends then boyfriend/girlfriend. In the end, she is allowed to join and Garp is a proud grandfather. Just way too much fluff. Please and thank you. 😊

Hiiii! I really did enjoy both so much, thank you :) I’m happy to be writing again though! A break was much needed but I have missed it. 

Characters: female reader x Koby Word Count: 2.3k

To Be a Marine

“You wanted Luffy and Ace to be in the Navy!” you yelled. “Why can’t I?!”

“I already told you!” your grandfather yelled back. “A woman being a marine is much different than a man being a marine!”

“Sexist old man,” you grumbled under your breath. “Ace was right about you.”

“What did you say!?!”

A knock at the door saved you, and two young men entered your grandfather’s office. 

“Ah, my new recruits!” he cheered. 

“You’re joking,” you said, looking at them. “You’ll take them but reject me?”

“Garp-san.” The pink-haired boy bowed to your grandfather. “It would be an honor to train under you.”

“Koby! Helmeppo! Are you ready to go through hell?!”

They both stood and saluted. “Yes sir!”

You scoffed and stormed out the door. 

You saw the two recruits around the base often, but neither of them talked to you much. You were just a civilian on a Marine base, and you held much less stature than even the lowliest of Marines. 

After about a week of ignoring each other, something changed. Koby walked into the room, looking around. You glanced up to see him enter, but returned to your book quickly.

“Your Garp-san’s granddaughter, right?” he asked, startling you. You hadn’t expected him to speak to you. 

“Unfortunately,” you grumbled.

“What do you mean!?” he demanded. “I bet he’s a great grandfather!”

You scoffed. “He won’t let me be a Marine, but he won’t let me be a pirate like my brothers. He just keeps me locked up on this base. Great grandfather he is.”

Koby’s eyes widened. “You’re Luffy’s sister?!”

“Mmmhmm,” you nodded. “I don’t want to be a pirate though. I want to be a Marine.”

Koby laughed. “Yeah, you’re way different than Luffy! All that talk about King of the Pirates-”

“He’ll do it.”

Koby paused, looking at you. “But if you’re a Marine, won’t you have to stop him from achieving his dream?”

You shrugged. “If it comes down to it, I suppose so. But that’s a nonstarter, because I can’t even join.”

Koby hummed for a moment, thinking. 

“Oh!” he finally exclaimed. “What if you get stronger?”

“What do you mean?”

“Let’s train! I can teach you what Garp-san is teaching me!” he offered. “And then he has no reason to say no!”

You laughed dryly. “I’m sure he’ll find a reason.”

“You have to fight for your dream!” Koby encouraged. “You have to do everything you can possibly do to make it a reality.”

“You sound like Luffy,” you groaned. “But fine. Teach me. I promise I’ll do my best.”

You could beat him in a fight. You had been able to from the very first day. Growing up with three brothers, you knew how to fight scrappy and dirty. But that kind of fighting didn’t really work in the Navy, and Koby helped you create your own fight style that was mixed between your past and your future. 

For weeks you spent the evenings with Koby, learning about haki and how to use it in an observational and armament sense. You refined your battle abilities, and worked to strengthen your weaknesses. The two of you didn’t associate outside of your normal training, but you still felt a strange tingling sensation whenever his hands touched your skin to correct your form. 

He was handsome, you couldn’t deny that. Even after hours of training when he was drenched in sweat and ready to collapse, you still found yourself admiring his physique. 

“Do you want to go get ice cream?” Koby asked, wiping the sweat off his forehead. “You certainly earned it.”

You looked at him curiously. “What do you mean?”

“I didn’t have to correct your form once today,” he said. “You did good.”

You blushed, pleased to be complimented by him after such hard work. “Thanks,” you muttered. 

“So, ice cream?” Koby grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder, starting for the door. 

You shrugged, trying to play it casual. “Sure.”

You walked side by side down the street towards the ice cream shop. Neither of you said much during your journey. You still weren’t entirely sure why Koby was helping you. He didn’t really have anything to gain from helping you, and it’s not like you all were friends beforehand. You almost asked him, but he turned into the ice cream shop, and you lost your courage. 

“Whatever she wants and two scoops of butterscotch in a waffle cone, please,” he asked, handing money to the cashier. 

“Butterscotch?” you asked, a smirk appearing on your face. “You sound like my grandpa.”

“Don’t knock it till you try it!” he said, grabbing his ice cream. “They have the best butterscotch you’ll ever taste.”

You frowned, looking at his cone. “I’ll just do a double-double chocolate in a waffle cone.”

You grabbed your order and the two of you strolled outside and down the sidewalk, still silent. 

“Wanna try it?” he asked, holding out his cone to you. 

Your face scrunched in disapproval, and you shook your head.  

“Come on,” Koby goaded, waving the ice cream in front of your face. 

You had to admit, just the smell was enticing. You grabbed the cone and took a lick. Koby was right, it was probably some of the best ice cream you had tried. It tasted different from the candy your grandfather used to hand you as a child; this was much creamier and lighter, with hints of vanilla and sea salt. 

“Delicious, right?” Koby asked, watching your face light up. “I told you!”

“It puts my double-double chocolate to shame,” you laughed. “I regret not getting that now.”

“We’ll come back,” Koby promised. 

And Koby kept his promise. The days grew hotter, and your trips to the ice cream shop became more frequent. You fell into a pleasant pattern of studying in the mornings, training in the afternoons, and going off on some kind of adventure with Koby in the evenings. Sometimes it was an ice cream shop visit, but he also liked to plan other activities like hikes, picnics, and walks on the beach. 

He taught you how to use and hone your haki abilities, and he held you when you cried out of frustration of failure. He bought your ice cream and held your hand when you walked around town. He picked flowers for you and spent every moment he wasn’t on duty with you. 

You never stopped to consider that friends don’t typically treat friends like the way Koby treated you. It was Koby, after all. The only person you really felt safe with besides your brothers. He was always reliable and he was always there. 

You realized he was more than a friend when you stood alone in the courtyard, waiting for him to show up. Sometimes he was a few minutes late, but it had been almost an hour, and he still hadn’t shown up. If he ever had to cancel, he always sent someone. But it had been radio silence. 

After two hours you finally left the courtyard, trying not to cry. As you entered your grandfather’s apartment, you saw Koby sitting on the couch across from your grandfather. His eyes found yours, and you could see the devastation in his eyes. 

“Y/N.” He stood, reaching out to you. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there. I-”

“Koby.” Your grandfather's voice was curt and authoritative, and Koby cut his eyes from you and sat back down on the couch. 

You opened your mouth to speak up for Koby, but your grandfather cut you off before you had a chance to get a word out. 

“Do you want to tell me why I had one of my subordinates inform me of your relationship?” he growled at the two of you. 

You felt your cheeks flush. You had just come to the realization that you had feelings for the man sitting on the couch. You weren’t sure how news traveled so fast when you hadn’t even told Koby yet, but your grandfather had to be the first to find out. 

“Me and Koby aren’t in a relationship,” you said.

Koby squinted his eyes at you from across the room. He opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it. 

Your grandfather laughed a hearty laugh at your response. “Denial isn’t gonna work, kid. Koby already told me.”

“Told you what?” you asked. Your head whipped to Koby with fear in your eyes. “You didn’t tell him about-”

“No!” Koby rushed to say, looking at you. He gave Garp a quick side glance. “I mean, yes! I told him about how we’re dating and that’s why we’ve been spending so much time together.”

You could feel your grandfather’s watchful eyes on you. He knew you were hiding something, but he couldn’t quite tell what it was about. 

Koby walked over and grabbed your hand. It was something he had done hundreds of times before, but now it gave you butterflies. He gave you a reassuring squeeze and a small smile before turning back to your grandfather. 

“We didn’t tell you because we were afraid of the predicament it would put you in, Garp-san.” Koby lied. “We apologize.”

“You know you could get kicked out of the Navy for hiding a relationship with an on-base civilian, Koby,” Garp said, looking at him. “You sure this is the story you want to go with?”

“Yes,” Koby said confidently. 

You stared at him. This isn’t how you wanted it to go down. You couldn’t ask him to give up his dream just so you could have yours. 

“No,” you said, looking at your grandfather. “He’s lying.”

“Stop,” Koby hissed. “It’s okay.”

“It’s not!”

“Quiet!” Garp yelled, silencing you both and cutting off your argument. “Tell me, Y/N. What have you been doing with Koby all this time then?”

You swallowed, mustering up the courage to finally ask- no, demand a place in the Navy. 

“We’ve been training,” you said. You could feel Koby squeezing your hand to get you to stop, but you refused to back down from this fight. “He’s helping me become a Marine.”

Your grandfather stared at you for a few moments, and then burst out into his booming, room-filling laugh. He laughed for a long time, and when he finally settled down, he wiped tears from his eyes and looked at you. 

“A Marine, huh?” he asked.

You took a breath, deciding how to respond. As you were thinking, you sensed it. You jumped back, pulling Koby with you. The two of you got out of the way just before your grandfather’s fist slammed into the ground, creating light cracks in the floor from the source of impact. 

“Grandpa!” you screamed. You looked in horror at the ground, but your grandfather only began laughing again. 

“You taught her haki, I see,” he said, looking at Koby. 

“Yes sir,” Koby said. “She’s a fast learner.”

“I bet she is.” Your grandfather looked at you and gave you a sad smile. He put his hand on top of your head, ruffling your hair. 

“Alright. You can be a Marine.”

Your eyes widened and a smile spread across your face. “Really?!”

“Just answer one thing,” he said. 

“Anything!” you cried. 

“Do you really just see Koby here as your trainer?” he asked, looking back and forth between the two of you.

“I-'' you paused, exchanging glances with the boy whose hand you were still holding. Suddenly you felt dizzy and very aware of how clammy your hand was in his. 

“You too, Koby,” your grandfather said, walking out the door. “Is she just some girl you trained?”

The door slammed shut, and you two stared at each other in silence. 

“No,” Koby whispered. “No, you-I-We could-”

You smiled at him. You wanted to say something too, but you knew you’d be stammering as much as him. 

So instead you changed the subject. “Should we go get ice cream?”

Koby’s eyes glanced down at your lips, and then back up to your eyes. 

“Ice cream sounds good,” he said softly, looking a little disappointed. 

“Okay.” You gave his hand a squeeze, settling for an ice cream date instead of a confession. Words didn’t matter that much in the big picture. 

You all walked to the ice cream shop, hand in hand. Your hands still felt clammy, but the air felt lighter. You were going to be a Marine. You had Koby by your side. 

The cashier saw you two, and had your two scoops of butterscotch ice cream in waffle cones before you even stepped up to the register. 

Neither of you said much on your walk back. You talked a bit about what life would be like once you were officially in the Marines, but you already knew it all. Koby had spent the past few months answering all of your questions to help keep you motivated. 

You arrived at your apartment door, and you finally pulled your hand away from his. 

“See you tomorrow?” you asked, opening the door to your apartment. 

“See you tomorrow,” he promised, giving you a tense smile. 

You nodded and walked inside, closing the door behind you. 

It was only a moment later when there was a knock at the door. Thinking Koby must’ve forgotten something, you turned and opened it again. 

“Ye-” Koby cut off your question with his lips, lunging forward to meet your own.  

His lips smashed into yours, and you embraced every second of it. You hung there suspended in time, the two of you existing in the moment. Funnily enough, only one thought came to mind: Butterscotch tasted even better on his lips than on ice cream.

[pinkjoy-cons]

𝘈𝘭 𝘏𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘮 𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘣 #1

My friend was feeling feral for Al Haitham so I wrote something for her. :)

Word Count: 1132

Warnings: sub character, dom reader, fem. bodied reader but no pronouns used, no descriptive characteristics (skin tone, hair type), power bottom?, slight breeding kink, praise (giving), maybe controled orgasm, exageration of sexual activity, Al Haitham begs, semi-edited, probably horrible writing, I don't write dom readers so this is probably really really bad but let me know. Minors please don't interact. brief handjob, Al Haitham says "no" once but everything is consensual. Let me know if I missed anything

Grand Sage, can you assist me with this?

Grand Sage I need you to get this done by tonight.

Al Haitham! Are you purposely ignoring my proposal? Hey! Stop walking away, I'm not done talking!

Every day it was the same: People would come into his office and give him loads of work he didn't want and he was forced to work ungodly hours. Not only that but he felt like he was neglecting you. Gods you. You were truly a blessing to him. Not once did you complain about his hectic adjusting to the new position. You yourself had a troublesome job with demanding hours so when all this came to be you simply smiled and gave him a kiss good luck.

But now finally, finally get had you. 

He was desperate as he thrusted his aching cock into your warm walls. 

"Fuck." He moaned into your neck as he stilled. He relished in the way your nails felt on his back as he pushed further in. He pushed until his balls were flushed against you. Al Haitham bit and sucked your skin and you laughed into a moan. Despite you being pinned against him, you were the one in control. The small praises that you whispered in his ear.

"That's my big boy."

"Come on deeper, I wanna feel you." 

A particularly hard thrust caused you to gasp and breathe deeply, "Fuck Al Haitham just like that. Keep going!" You held him closer as he picked up the speed. 

He growled into your ear. "That's it! Good boy keep going! Harder!"

You both were beginning to feel that familiar knots in your cores. That feeling of spiraling out of control, desperate for more pleasure.

"I missed you Gods I missed you. " He sucked your breast, licking your nipple before releasing with a pop. He felt your walls clamp down on his cock and it was almost too much for him. You came with a choked sob and harsh tug on his hair that made him choke on his own breath. 

"Baby, please…inside. Let me come inside." You had a wicked smirk on your face as he begged. 

"No pretty boy, not yet. Keep going. Make me come again." He could almost sob at your request but he listened. He continued to pound your pussy. He could feel his balls slap against the curve of your ass with each pump of his cock. They were practically swollen as he held back the need to come. 

Your walls clamped down on him again but he didn't hear that satisfaction of you coming. Which means that you were holding off for him. Prolonging your own climax to halt his. 

He bottomed out and held it there nearly wanting to cry at how sensitive his dick had become. He buried his face in your chest and breathed deeply. You could feel his dick pulse inside you begging for release, so it gave you an idea.

You lifted his head with one hand and held his cheek. He leaned into your touch as you made him look you in the eyes.

"Beg."

It was a command not a suggestion.

"Please," He started, "Please let me come inside you. I- I need it. I need to breed you so badly. I want to see it leak out of you. I missed you so much, let me come inside you."

Honestly not bad. He could have done better but you'll accept it for now. 

"Stay still." You whispered in his ear and while he was still inside of you, you began to lift your hips to slide his dick in and out of your cunt. You moaned loudly as you fucked yourself self and all Al Haitham could do was hold himself up as you used him. 

In a moment of weakness, he tried moving his hips to match yours but you shut that down with a harsh pinch to his nipple. 

"I said stay still." You breathed through moans and words that made his dick twitch within you.

Finally you came for a second time. You laid back and could see sweat beading at his forehead. Out of curiosity, you pushed Al Haitham back just enough to separate you two and the sight made you huff a small laugh. His cock was so swollen and ready to burst. The tip an angry red; it twitched and pulsed without being touched. 

You began rubbing the tip with your hand and Al Haitham choked out a sob.

"No. Please. I wanna….inside."

Having played with him enough you laid back and helped him put himself back in you. And you wrapped your legs tightly around his hips so he couldn't break out. That was all Al Haitham needed to fuck you desperately. A string of Thank yous and I love you, I missed you fell from his lips as his cock rubbed every nerve of your walls. You held him tighter and bit his neck.

He moaned into your ear and came. It felt like it wouldn't stop as he came. He continued to do small pumps before going deep to make sure his seed would be planted within you. 

You both laid there for a minute, basking in the moment. You rubbed his hair as his breathing returned to normal. He finally pulled out and stared in between your legs. You spread them further for him and put two fingers in. You played with yourself and finally spread your pussy lips apart for him to see his cum leaking out. You felt it, and scooped it up before it could get too far.

With your cum-soaked fingers, you gave him a come here motion and said "Clean me up." 

He got to work on eating you out, not caring that it was his own cum or that he wanted it to stay in you. 

You forced Al Haitham's head down as you praised him Good boy, so excited to clean me up real good huh?

Al Haitham moaned against your spent pussy and pushed his tongue into your cunt to scoop it all out. Sucking and licking until it's all gone. 

Finally, when it was, you laid him on your chest. You wiped down his face and chest with a prepared washcloth and he did the same to you. As he laid, he focused on your heartbeat; he found great comfort in it and wrapped his arms around you tightly to never let you go.

After a few minutes you spoke.

"Thank you for that baby. I know you wanted to breed me and I made you clean it up but," you pulled his face up just enough for you to see his eyes, "That just means we get to have more rounds until I'm full, huh."

[tamayakii]

Tourney of Blood

warnings: canon-typical violence, OOC-ish Otto but i mean, they're all OOC cause they're yanderes, yanderes but it's not super explicit as u can read this as a stand-alone piece. pairings: all platonic, though i wrote this heavily biased towards Otto x reader and because of that, has been tagged as such. notes: this has been in drafts for awhile, please i beg of ALL my readers i want to hear feedback, i want to actually hear that you enjoyed it(if you did), whether in comments or inbox. Notes are no longer what they were before. Series: This is officially a part of my "Their Angel" series which is a yandere hotd AU series which can be categorized as a y/nbowl (where all characters go after one), but don't worry i can write individual x readers for this au upon request <3

The day of the first Tourney was here, Queen Aemma has started her labours, and King Viserys happily watched the jousting match for his soon-to-be son.

You sat beside Otto, and beside him is Viserys. You’re white clothing stuck out like a thumb, almost reflecting the neighbouring colours around you. Your crown sits upon your head, Targaryen gems decorating it, your veil tucked back for better viewing.

Anxiously you spin the ring upon your left thumb, Aemma’s labour left you worried but you held it in, for Viserys and Rhaenrya, they relied upon you with their personal worries. Sliding your own fingers across your lip as you chew, flinching when the knight flies off of his horse, jousting stick sent through his shield.

“Stop it.” Otto demands, quietly as he leans towards you, taking your hand from your mouth. Before he could pull it away, you grip it, rubbing your thumb across his aged fingers.

“I do not see the point of beating each other senseless, Ser Otto.” Turning your body closer to the man, sneering as two knights begin to fight. “We could be doing better things. I could be doing better things.” Huffing as you look at Otto, he gives a weak smile.

“It’s all for your soon-to-be brother, my princess.” He answers, he brings your hand to his lips and kisses it, something that doesn’t go unnoticed by the king. The Targaryens, Hightowers and Velaryons have fought over you since your first step into the red keep.

“blood shed for a babe? odd.” you shoot back, “i could be with the queen now. Helping her.” It is no secret in the castle of Queen Aemmas decade-long past with pregnancies, only having one living child. Princess Rhaenrya.

“That is something you shouldn’t worry yourself over.” Otto grips your hand tighter, making you look at him. Worry. Something that has driven you to near madness, has made you starve and harm yourself. Maesters have told you many things, some losing their tongues for such words that the king did not like being used when addressing you.

“How can I not.” you lean closer to him, “it is my own mother who lay in bed, in pain, she might as well have pushed me out of her own womb. I feel her pain as if it is my own.” You quickly turn back to the jousting, still holding Otto's hand. Who has now signed leaning back in his chair, looking over and giving Viserys a tense look.

Daemon is up, he scans the knights one by one, before landing on Otto's eldest son. Otto instinctively straightens his bad, puffing his chest out, knowing Daemon did this to offend him. You place your other hand on top of your intertwined ones, as extra comfort.

Daemon, your crass and violent uncle, would do anything to piss Ser Otto Hightower off, This- just about everyone knew. You could only pray for the eldest Hightower son, for now, his life is within the prince's hand.

Horses run at each other, green and black, they point their jousting sticks. Suddenly, Daemon dips his own down, tripping Ser Gwayne’s horse. You quickly turn your head away whilst Gwaynes body was in the air, and Otto's hand tightens around yours.

You are deafened by the roar of the crowd, your only anchor being the old man’s hand. Seconds pass by, and Gwaynes unconscious body is dragged away.

“At least he lives.” You whisper, patting Otto's hand, optimistic that Gwayne shall pull through such a brutal defeat and bruised ego. The sound of hurried steps catches your attention, looking back you’re met with one of the maesters leaning over to your father's ear.

Viserys nods, gets up quickly and walks off, but not without soothing your worries as you watch him. Caressing your chin with a finger as he lets out a soothing “do not fret, dragonling” before he’s gone.

You turn back to the jousting matches, the surrounding sound drowned out by a hum. A low dragon's song, fish swim in your head, at some point, Otto’s hand left yours and he was gone. You do not know if what you saw before you was a painting in motion or from your own vision. Bile rises in your throat as worries stir in your head, the maesters face seemed ashen. With no hand to hold, you begin to chew on your fingernails. 

The hum stops as the crowd erupts once more, like the tide washing away blood, it is like your vision came back. You see your uncle on dirt, the opponent stepping on his chest and holding a weapon, your eyes widen as you almost leap out of your seat.

Daemon yields and lives, you feel your heart palpate, gripping your seat arm. Perhaps you should have stayed with Mother, you think, unaware of Otto's return. You see the council around you begin to leave, Rhaenys leans forward and whispers in her children's ears. 

Otto approaches you, with a melancholy expression, your chest tightens as you realize what is happening. You can only mouth the words no, shaking your head. He refuses to meet your eye, before his hand meets your shoulder you stand up from your seat. Picking up your skirt and running out of the balcony, tears blurring your vision as you run through the keep.

The day has changed for all within the red-keep. 

[seraphiism]

❀ ﾟ. ༄ ┊ 𝐂𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐔𝐒 𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 ! ( 𝐩𝐭. 𝐢𝐯 ) ;

characters : cyno / alhaitham / kaveh a/n : hiii welcome back campus encounters where everyone is a clown pt. i / ii / iii

↬ cyno ࿐ ࿔

you don't know what to expect in law school. you really don't. you expect high stakes, tension in the air. you expect competition, harsh professors who purposely try to weed out the "weak" and make the class excruciatingly difficult. you're not entirely wrong, you suppose, but the last thing you would imagine is-- well, cyno.

your first impression is entirely wrong. however, you have also known him for-- you glance at the clock-- two minutes.

a sharp gaze, head held high. he radiates an intimidating aura, holds himself to something more grand. you don't have intentions to make small talk; you're too tired for an 8:30am class, anyway, and you hate to admit that he almost frightens you. the professor runs out for a moment. brief technical issue-- something like that. you're already zoning out.

in that small frame of time, the lecture hall comes to life, fills with a thousand conversations at once. you ignore them all, absentmindedly skimming the syllabus. you fail to see cyno's eyes trained on you. intent. focused.

"i guess there's been a...law-l in this class."

you freeze. something in your fight or flight instinct activates. the voice came from your right. cyno is also on your right. surely that wasn't him, right?

right?

you swallow hard, slowly turn your head to look at him.

god. you hope that wasn't him. 8:32 am and you are subjected to inhumane crimes in your introduction to law class. red eyes bore into your soul. his face is blank. you don't know what to make of this.

"you know. like lull. law-l."

it doesn't work that way, you think, and the exasperation almost meets your visage, but you keep it at bay. can't hurt this stranger's feelings, after all. there's something akin to hope in those crimson hues, barely on the surface, but ever so present.

you purse your lips, unable to figure out this delicate situation. you could change this man's life forever. what if you make this future lawyer feel like a clown? what if he dropped out? you are not being dramatic, by the way.

you purse your lips, tight, utterly amused and defeated by the ridiculous predicament. you stare at each other, dead silent.

you laugh. you don't know why, but you do, and maybe it's because of the way he comes off so serious, maybe it's the way you can practically see the hope that his pun will get a reaction.

you may also be delirious. maybe.

"oh, you are hilarious."

cyno smiles. somewhere, he feels tighnari's soul shrivel in the depths of despair.

"no, i'm cyno."

↬ alhaitham ࿐ ࿔

"oh my god." you do not know how many times you have said this in the past ten seconds. twice? three times? a hundred? ( that wouldn't be logically possible, alhaitham says, so you say it again ). "i'm dying. it's coming. i feel it in my bones."

"what is?"

"death."

alhaitham stares at you, deadpan.

"you are being dramatic."

"i'm sorry. i will do it again."

you don't mind literature analysis, not really. it's fascinating-- the way you piece concepts together, discover hidden meaning in seemingly superficial words. it's much easier when you enjoy said literature itself, but when you don't? you may as well throw yourself into the void. suddenly you cannot read.

metaphor to metaphor, symbolism in the strangest of things ( okay, so the kitchen cupboards were pastel yellow and not white in this house, so what? ), you grow frustrated as a nearing deadline approaches, brain absolutely fried from finals. you have ten pages to write. you have two done ( those two are the title page and reference page. so no, they do not count ).

you're not sure how it came to this-- 4am and you're huddled up with alhaitham in the corner of the library, your forehead against the desk, your fellow classmate casually drinking his fifth coffee as if caffeine has no impact on him. he's much better at writing papers than you are, and in all his glory, decided to help you. kind of.

it's been about two hours since you've been working together, and while you appreciate the help, the lack of sleep is finally getting to you. you're burned out, tired, and truthfully, you know this is worth 30% of your grade, but you're about to calculate what your grade would drop to if you simply did not turn it in.

you close your eyes. wooden desk or not, red imprint on your forehead or not, you're about to pass out, right here and right now, except--

the feeling of his hand against your back, gentle. he leans forward, just the slightest bit, speaks in that quiet yet firm tone.

"if you finish this, i'll ask you out on a date."

you sit up at an alarmingly fast rate, throw alhaitham the most horrified look you can fathom. his expression doesn't change much, but you see that slight curl of the lips.

"disgusting. i can't believe you would pull such things on me."

"because it'll work."

you roll your eyes, pinch his cheek before redirecting your attention to the laptop before you.

what an arrogant fool. absolute annoyance. menace. idiot. you hate him, truly.

"i didn't say it wouldn't work."

( fine. it works. funny how you're suddenly awake and how everything suddenly seems to make sense after he proposes that offer. )

↬ kaveh ࿐ ࿔

there are three things you first notice about kaveh.

one. he is pretty. very pretty.

two. oh my god. look at his back. hello.

three. he's sleeping in the library. he's also drooling on his ... sketches?

four. wait. too many things to notice. whatever. maybe you should wake him?

you consider the thought, unsure. you'd hate to be woken by a stranger in the campus library-- it'd be off-putting, you think. you glance at the sketches, take in the sights of the blueprints. intricate designs. gorgeous, really, even if you don't have the slightest clue about anything related to said field.

you'd hate to work so hard on such a thing and have it ruined by...well, drool. you place your hand on his shoulder, touch light and hesitant, and shake him gently. once. twice. five times?

he's not waking. surely you're not going to shake the life out of this stranger, right? it's about another ten seconds before you almost give up, letting out a long sigh of defeat before leaning down the slightest bit.

you're gonna speak to him, speak in very soft tones-- slowly ease him from slumber. he's gonna wake up, you'll back away, smile in hopes of establishing your friendly intentions, and that'll be it. done. boom.

that's the plan, anyway, but when your face gets a little closer to his, his eyes open suddenly. two seconds of eye contact. shock twists into utmost fear.

kaveh screams, shoots right out of his seat. you also scream. your life flashes before your eyes when you see him instinctively grab his suitcase.

"before you get the wrong idea-- you were drooling all over your sketches, so--"

you don't think this really helps. he's blushing furiously, from embarrassment or anger, you don't know, but now he's glancing at his sketches, mostly unharmed, and oh, the panic sets in so much more. you watch, baffled, as kaveh throws caution to the wind, frantically cleans the desk and recovers what he can.

it's about five minutes of this. you keep silent, watch in awe and more-so of shock at how this all played out until he turns towards you. he takes a deep breath. you can tell he's tired, weariness on his features. you almost feel bad.

"did you manage to salvage it?"

there's a flicker of curiosity at your words, though the fatigue almost swallows it entirely.

"it'll be okay, i think." his shoulders drop. he smiles, slightly forced. "thank you for waking me-- uh, even if it happened that way."

you'd normally say sorry ( as much as you can say it in this situation, anyway ) and go your separate ways, but there's something almost bittersweet about him that brings a heaviness to the heart.

"sorry. i really didn't mean to scare you like that." you swallow your courage, offer a hopeful smile. "do you want to go get coffee? i'll buy. consider it another apology."

and there is something-- a shift, a lightening, an ease, and kaveh's expression seems to relax at your offer.

( yes, you do go out for coffee. it's one of many future caffeine runs, you both call it, and it's the beginning of a chaotic friendship of sorts. )

taglist : @oshitgirlie ╰ ♡ ;; taglist form !!

[sabo-has-my-heart]

Hiii can I request for sabo, ace and law(you can add more characters if you'd like because I mainly wanted these three<3) where you are sparring and they accidentally touch you inappropriately? With a female!reader please

Thank you so much if you're doing this :D

Your writing is amazing and I've been checking your tumblr daily tbh, keep up the work you're doing great ^^

You check my stuff daily? Thank you so much!

Warnings: inappropriate touching, mentions of male arousal (Ace), scientific explination of breasts

Word Count: 1165

     Facing each other, you couldn’t help but smirk. You both knew each other’s fighting styles, both knew how the other’s body moved, how they typically reacted, how they worked. It meant that you could both push each other, but help each other. Knowing each other’s fighting styles meant that neither of you could use your typical style, you had to improvise, mix things up, and think on your feet. How their body moved, their reach, their strengths and weaknesses, meant that they had to fix the points you’d take advantage of, how to reach further or use their reach against them. It all meant that with each match, you got better, you could do better, that when you met a real enemy, you could be better.

     It had honestly been an accident. He’d been going for an attack when you moved, he’d simply been trying to move with you, to hit you while you attempted to dodge. Now, laying on the ground, unmoving, eyes wide, he wished he hadn’t. The young man quickly scrambled off of you, immediately standing up and looking away.

Sabo

     His cheeks were bright red as he looked away.

     “S-Sorry, Y/n. I didn’t mean to. I uh, here, let me help you up.” he said, looking away as he held out his hand. You couldn’t help but cover your breasts as you took his hand, the blond quickly and easily hoisting you up. Neither of you could look at each other, your faces bright red as you stood there awkwardly. 

     “I uh, th-thanks for sparring with me, I… I always learn a lot from you.” you muttered, still covering your chest. You swore you could still feel his gloved hand over your breast, the way he touched you as you both fell to the ground. His strong arms pinning you to the ground as you both tried to process what had just happened. You both fidgetted nervously as you stood there, not sure what to do or say. It wasn’t like either of you were innocent to the ways of the world. You knew this kind of stuff happened and you’d had passionate make out sessions where his hands had groped your ass. You knew it had been an accident, that he hadn’t meant for any of it, but that being said, this was in public and had been a little more than just his hands on your butt. 

     “So uh, let’s um… end early today, I uh… could use some lunch.” Sabo muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

     “Yeah, that… that sounds great.” you said, the both of you heading inside awkwardly. You hesitantly took his hand, giving a light squeeze as you looked away. You wanted him to know that, no matter what happened, you weren’t upset.

Ace

     The two of you stood there, as if frozen in place. You stood in front of him, his arms wrapped around you, one wrapped around your arms and stomach, the other still placed on your breast, the both of you redder than tomatoes. He’d just been practicing his hand to hand combat. He used his devil fruit powers so often that he wanted to work on his basic abilities. Nothing more, nothing less. Feeling the soft plush of your breast hadn’t been his intention. All he’d wanted was to put you in a hold, one arm around your stomach, pinning your arms to your side and another around your shoulder. Held tightly to him as he whispered in your ear, enjoying feeling you in his arms while still training. Ace slowly let go of you, as if he wasn’t certain if he should let you go or not. To be honest, he was still fairly stunned, his brain having short circuited the moment his hand had grabbed the soft, squishy orb. Being a healthy 20 year old, he’d seen bare ones before in magazines, heard how soft and squishy they could feel, had felt them pressing against his bare chest as he held you close in a passionate kiss. But none of it could have prepared him for actually feeling it in his hand, for the way it felt under his fingers, how it felt so perfect, it was so…. You eyes widened as your head whipped around to face him, unable to do much more than stare at him.

     “S-sorry, I… I didn’t mean to… I just…” Ace mumbled, unsure what to say as he looked away from you.

     “I-I understand… it was an accident… you um… I’ll see you at lunch?” you asked, looking away from him. Ace just nodded quietly, heading towards his room, hands stuffed in his pants, hoping nobody noticed how his loose shorts bulged.

Law

     The young doctor cleared his throat as he moved away from you, pulling his hat down to cover his blush. As a doctor, the female anatomy was nothing new. Subcutaneous fat filled orbs containing mammary glands necessary for feeding infants until said child was ready to eat solid foods. The glands all lead to the nipple, a sensitive bud that an infant suckled from, often an errogenous zone that brought women pleasure or could be so sensitive as to cause pain. These orbs would often swell when a woman lactated, the mammary glands filling and flowing with milk that would nourish the newborn. That being said, while such things were simple bodily functions, basic anatomy that every doctor knew and ‘nothing to be ashamed of’, he still found himself extremely embaressed and bright red at what had happened. You took a few steps back, trying to calm your racing heart and bright red cheeks down. It was an accident, he hadn’t meant to, you kept repeating this in your head in an attempt to calm yourself, only succeeding in fidgetting nervously. 

     “It was a simple accident. Nothing to be ashamed of. As a doctor, I’ve studied the human anatomy and seen plenty of bodies.” Law said in an attempt to shake off the embarressment. Not that it actually worked as you both continued to stand there silently, not really sure what to do next. You just nodded, staring down at your feet.

     “W-why don’t I go make us a snack? W-we trained pretty hard today, we deserve a small snack.” you said before hurrying towards the kitchen, anything to escape the moment and the embarressment. Law sighed, taking off his hat and running his hand through his hair. He was pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to look at you for a week after what just happened and the moment would probably replay itself in his mind over and over again. Looking down at his hand, he swore he could still feel your breast in his hand, how it felt against his tattooed fingers. He was pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to look you in the eye without turning bright red for a while, no matter what he told himself in an attempt to calm himself down.

[blorbologist]

“I know you” with Vex and Scanlan?

[Getting to these late oop, busy last couple of days; Send me three words + a pairing/character and I'll write up a scene! Not Perc'ahlia please <3 ]

--

Their usual table looks a lot bigger with only a handful of Vox Machina present. Actually, it looks positively huge thanks to Scanlan being here, which… Scanlan, yeah.

Someone - Percival, probably, given how neatly even each glass is lined up - got them too many drinks before most of the party left. Vex’ahlia works on the last one now. It might be Direheart, though she can’t quite identify all of Whitestone’s liquors yet. Not for lack of trying, especially with how today is going. 

The Meat Man, who is Scanlan, who looks about as un-Scanlan-ish as Scanlan could probably tolerate for this long, is rubbing his sternum. Like he’s having chest pains - which means Scanlan is rubbing his forehead through the illusion? 

Yeah, she’s nursing quite the headache herself. Thank you very much.

“So - tell me,” he’s saying, and he sounds nothing like Scanlan. Except for the moments where he almost does in the same way Kaylie sometimes resembles him. “How could you see it was me?”

Scanlan taps a little rhythm into his glass with a nail. Scanlan, but taking up too much space and yet just as much as he should. Tap-taptap-tap. 

A few more tap-taptap-taps as Vex thinks. Or doesn’t - her mind feels willfully blank, an empty shot glass. Everything meaningful in her gut where it churns, happy and sick at once.

He elaborates: “I mean - this thing has held up to a lot of scrutiny! Including from mages, because they really like their antiques apparently. And I had an audience with J’mon and they didn’t say anything either, and they’re a dragon!” (tap-taptap-tap) “Is the hair not realistic enough? Or the clothes? I really practiced. If there are any weak points to my disguise, you really should let me know.”

The pace of his fingers finally falters. Tap. Tap. Almost like he’s worried. “How could you tell?”

There were so many little tells, which is part of what is making this post-reunion drink so unsettling. How he talked about himself, and the fake-grandiose talk, just all the talking. The gait of a gnome in legs far too long for him. That big grin made just Scanlan’s size that fit this face just right, but not right enough. 

She does not say any of that. Maybe because, who fucking knows, he might do this again. And she might need to use these tricks again.

“Well, darling.” Vex’ahlia drowns her drink (her own nails go tink) and throws it back with deliberate nonchalance. Scanlan surely sees through it just as she saw through him. “I know you. So.”

“We all do,” Vax’ildan interjects at her shoulder. 

Fuck! When did he vanish? How long has he been back? She realizes she’s decently tipsy when she actually gives him the satisfaction of jumping. 

“You fuck!”

Vax grins, clapping her on the shoulder. “Barkeep gave me a bottle so we’d leave and stop freaking out her waitstaff with all the day drinking.” His eyes flit towards Scanlan, who was regarding them warmly. Like he missed this. The gnome-but-not deflates as Vax says, “Oy, Scanlan. Mind if Stubby and I just have a drink, us two?”

“Of course not. The hugging was getting a bit much.” Like he could make them stay, in her city.

Which reminds her -

“I’m glad he’s back,” Vax says quietly as the door swings shut behind them. “So glad. But - gods, what’s with all the fucking lies?”

Vex’ahlia smiles weakly. “I know, right?”

Tap-taptap-tap go her nails on her finger, where a ring would rest.

[colorfullyminded]

Omg I LOVE your pinescone stories they give me life :3 I have a few questions is you don’t mind

What is your favorite pinescone head cannon?

What is your favorite au?

Which one’s your least?

I saw that you used to write parapines is that still a ship that you write about or will is forever be in your heart?

In a zombie apocalypse how do you think the Pines family including Wendy and Soos etc (+ Wirt & Greg) would go about it? Who would survive?

That’s all the questions I have for now :3

((Thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoy my writing! It means the world to me. And yes, please feel free to ask any question you have.))

1. My number 1 headcanon is that they are equals-- that even with their strengths and weaknesses, their differences, they both value each other so dearly; to the point you almost forget that they're a crossover ship because of how much these two complete each other. And by that I mean, the two look at each other like the other is the moon and the stars. If these two aren't hopelessly in love and amazed by their partner, I don't want it! I hate when Wirt is forced to be in the back, or is made weaker and more cowardly by the narrative; I hate the concept of Wirt being just a pretty face for Dipper to save, or that anything Wirt can do-- Dipper does better. I don't mind Dipper saving Wirt, I don't mind Wirt being cautious or uncertain, or even afraid-- but I love when Wirt gets to be heroic too (because he is). I love seeing him excel at the things he's good at, and I think he brings strategy to the team dynamic that is not utilized enough; Wirt is the guy who's going to notice Dipper's blindspots and point them out to better strengthen the plan. I love when they both get to be sassy; their personalities would give them such good banter to bounce off each other. They are both adorable, dorky, emotional, but also very hotheaded and stubborn characters. There are few ships where I feel like any direction you go is canonical because of how multifaceted they are as characters (that's not to say I agree or like all of directions, but I can at least acknowledge why that decision was made). Wirt doesn't always have to be the one held up by sticky tape! Out of all the bad end friends-- Wirt is the only one I've see that canonically did not fall for a demon's trick. He never got posessed, he never made a deal, he wasn't tricked--if anything, he actually called the bluff of said Demon (something that Dipper failed the first time) when he was like 14 years old. I want to see more of that in my pinescone. The idea that Wirt would be so easily tricked by Bill just doesn't sit right with me. It never has.

Another headcanon I'm more in favor of: Dipper can cook (I know a lot of people have headcanoned him as the bad cook between him and Mabel, and between him and Wirt-- but he's literally the guy who follows steps and checklist-- what do you mean he doesn't know how to use a cookbook?

If anything, Mabel is the wildcard who can either make something really delicious....or put you in the hospital for food poisoning. You'll notice in my more recent fics the...monstrosities Mabel has loving created in the kitchen, and that she's even been banned from one kitchen before.

So yeah, Dipper can cook, Wirt can cook--and I love the idea of these two cooking together. I have others, but some are a little more risque, and this is already going to be a long ask, so I won't write everything down-- but here are two of my big headcanons (One was more a rant, apologies). 2. My favorite au, I don't wanna sound pretentious, but most Pinescone Au's I enjoy are the ones I've made for myself-- I have a lot of ideas, and so I think up a lot of situations with these dorks, though most are just free floating in my brain right now. Eventually I want to write them all down, but that may take some time. The closest Pinescone au that I enjoy that isn't mine is a mix of monsterfalls/Musume. Basically where Wirt is a human and he falls in love with Deerper-- and the two have to navigate that kind of relationship while certain laws and societal norms want to dissaude them from forming an interspecial relationship (even though in monsterfalls, most people became monsters from other means, rather than just being born monsters) Either way, the idea of Deerper snuggling up to a human Wirt and flirting through Cervitaur mating rituals is so fucking cute-- and I have wanted to write a small series story for that au. Also, just a shout out, but I enjoy @clubsheartsspades Pinescone meet-weirds! Those are such fun aus-- they've made for some of my personal favorite oneshots!

Also, even though they just started, I'm really enjoying that Au where the two start off on the wrong foot in "Horrible First Impressions" by Philia. I want those two to fuck nasty make out in their creative writing class! The tension is so good, and I can't wait to see the turning point where frustration becomes affection. 3. My least favorite au might be more clear-- as you'll notice a lack of two specific....villains in most of my fiction. Basically, Dead Ends Friends, but specifically Murder Husbands is on my low list of au's. To me, Bill and Beast are defeated; I rather the story revolve around Dipper and Wirt facing new challenges and deadly foes-- not the same one's they took care of as children. I don't mind if people like using Bill or Beast (they're great, entertaining villains, I get why people love them). I even love a lot of the art that involves Bipper and Weast; it's amazing art as usual. But I don't consider either aus to be Pinescone-- as it's just Bill and The Beast inhabiting their bodies. I'd enjoy it more if I could see glimpses of Dipper and Wirt in some moments, where they're allowed to take comfort and fall in love before their bodies are once more puppeted by the demons. If the story is just beast and bill doing fucked up things in their host-- with no shift to the real people underneath-- then It's not really what I want to read. I don't mind possession stories, or one being controlled-- I don't mind some darker content (Proxxy is an old Pinescone fic that is still very sexy and fucked-- and it involves Bill possessing Wirt... but the thing is, Wirt doesn't just take a back seat; his thoughts are still being shown to the audience. We still get to know what he's thinking and feeling, even when he has no control over his body). That kind of shit, now that I love. But again, Bill and Beast are NOT Dipper and Wirt to me.

4. Parapines has a soft spot in my heart, but I have moved on from the ship entirely. I made a joke about it once:

(Which again, it's just a joke but it does feel like thousands of years have passed). In all seriousness, I don't think I'll be coming back to the Parapines fandom. I think I once wanted to do a fic where Dipper and Wirt broke up, and for the summer, Dipper started dating Norman, before making up with Wirt again, as a kind of farewell, final sendoff to my old ship. I never finished it, but who knows, I still have the rough draft. I have a lot of WIPS I keep just in case I wanna come back and finish (you'd be surprised how many of my fics were wips for years before I posted them to ao3). 5. In a zombie apocalypse? They all would. We saw the pines family + Wendy and Soos survive a demon apocolypse, I think they can take on a zombie apocalypse as well. Wirt and Greg would be more beat up and worse for wear, but I imagine they could hold their own, until they met up with the Pines Family (though I had one zombie au but that's a different story). Now if they were all separated, or at least how would they stand on their own? Here's what I think (I'll try not to get too graphic): Dipper- Either survives/ Holds out for a long time, but would likely sacrifice himself to save someone he loves--Zombied Mabel- Either Survives/ (If Dipper dies) she would lose hope and probably fall prey to a bite--Zombied Soos- Zombied Stan- Survives / (If both twins Zombied) he would lose hope and be zombied next Ford- Survives Wendy- Survives Pacifica- Zombied Wirt- Would try to hold out if protecting Greg, though may also take his and Greg's life to spare them both. (Self Inflicted). Greg- (If he's young) Zombied without Wirt/ possibly mercy killed by Wirt (if he's an adult): Survives, though heavily traumatized. Maybe having lost a limb to stop a bite from spreading. ((Thank you so much for the ask, I appreciated this so much! Wow this was a lot and I'm so happy <3 I love receiving asks about these two!))

[swearyshera]

This scene in canon legit made my blood boil cuz I was very much NOT aboard the "everyone welcomes Catra on the team" train yet, so this bit was... less than endearing. The writing team and target audience had obviously been in agreement with Catra being cute for a long time but... I had yet to be persuaded and wouldn't be for a good while.

I know its to show how out of her depth Catra is dealing with actual friendship and how much of a ball of sunshine Bow is, but 'specially with the lack of Angella resolution this cutesy shit felt like they were jangling keys in my face to distract me from the past. Bow here showing he hasn't forgotten what Catra did even in a minor way lifted the fug off this scene for me. Amazing how I can get SO angry yet be appeased by the smallest changes. This series is like emotional/narrative aikido. Or maybe I just take shit in media way too personally and need my little hand held thru every scene that isn't immediately solving my foremost issue. Regardless, great job.

I think this episode, and to some extent the two either side of it, creates a lot of tension in the audience because of how uncertain everything is with Catra and Adora. And I don't mean tension between people who think Catra's all fine and forgiven now and those who don't, it's a tension where we see the characters going on as if everything is normal when we, the audience, know it's not. I've been thinking about this from two points:

Firstly, it's from a story structure point of view. This part is where Catra, and Adora to a degree, have what they want (each other), but not what they need. The entire story so far, on a personal level to them, has been about wanting each other back with them - and now they've got it, so everything is fine, right? They want to believe it is, so they act like it is. But they haven't learnt what they needed to (now what that is is open to interpretation, but for this, I'll say they needed to open themselves to love), and so you have this really uncomfortably awkward situation where they're both forcing themselves to accept that this is it. This is all they needed. And it's not.

If I refer once again to John Yorke's excellent Into the Woods, this puts us firmly into Act 4 territory: Your character will have changed in some way, but not enough to achieve their goal and overcome their flaw. The weakness is revealed in a low moment of the story (for Catra and Adora, this moment is the end of Failsafe). These few episodes are, by design, supposed to evoke the same sort of response you've had. In regards to Catra getting angry about being called cute, that's a perfect example of her not having overcome a flaw.

The other way I've been looking at it is from another, more realistic, and how people with BPD (if you're playing Sweary bingo, cross that one off!) would react to being reunited with their Favourite Person(TM). It's an innate ability to many of us with Brain Please Don't to suddenly forget the shit that happened when that one person graces us with a tiny amount of love (or, at least, something that isn't outright hostility). And I think for Catra here, that's exactly what's going on. Adora saved her, welcomed her back, waited for Catra to stop being angry, and now everything is FINE. Catra doesn't want to think about the past, she doesn't want to think about her flaws (or Adora's) that led to them splitting apart and fighting each other for so long.

You can see throughout this episode, the stress of forcing herself to be fine just so it doesn't rock the boat with Adora, coming out in these moments where she gets intensely angry for just a moment. I think, ultimately, they've moved from the unstable 'we're apart' relationship to the unstable 'we're together' relationship, and both need to learn a little more about how they fix that.

So yeah, this scene and this episode aren't really about 'Catra's suddenly been forgiven by everyone', but more 'everyone thinks Catra's been forgiven but they haven't sorted out the real problems', and that drives the conflict for the latter half of the season.

[alterchaos]

“School”

ALTER CHAOS: The Alter Earth Saga

created by Eve

inspired by: Sonic X Episode 6

A quick foreword from the author:

Hi, everyone. I want to start out this chapter in particular with a few words. This is one of two chapters in this series that will openly depict the act of bullying, including things that may be distressing to read. Reader discretion is advised; however, the scene itself is short and isolated from the rest of the content and towards the beginning. If you wish to skip this scene, stop reading when you see a row of ♡♡♡ and pick back up when you see the same row later down the page.

I also want to make clear that while the issue of bullying is central to Eve’s character, and she has been through it countless times, it is not a place I want to actively sit in more than necessary. One scene is enough to get the point across (more on the other chapter when we get to it). Alter Chaos is supposed to be a story about hope and how we can heal through love. This is only a starting point for the long journey and development that lies ahead for her, and while we need to take the time to acknowledge that it happened, we also need to be willing to let it go and keep moving forward.

Beyond the story purpose of this scene, I am a passionate advocate against bullying. It is real. It does happen and it is a horrible thing I would never wish on anyone. While I adjusted a few parts and phrases to be less intense, these are all real things that were said and done to me in school, starting at her age (7), by both faculty and students alike. I don’t say that to ask for pity. I’m over it. I’ve made my peace. I say it to offer a level of groundedness and nuance that may otherwise be missed, especially in the Sonic and shonen-ness of it all.

I write to all of you to look inside yourselves and to believe that you can be brave, even in the smallest of ways. We all have that choice deep within ourselves to be who we want to be. Nobody can ever truly take it away from us.

All we have to do is take that first step.

—----------------------------------------------------

riiiiiiiing

The children of Station Square walked into the school, ready to begin another day full of learning. None though, were as excited as the blonde girl whose hair ribbons blew wild and free in the warm spring wind. She smiled with confidence. After having stood up to that Eggman villain the other day, she was ready to face whatever lay ahead.

She was cool now.

No bullies could bring her down.

“Evelyn!!”

The girl in question held her head high and kept on walking.

“Hey, Evelyn!! Wait up!!”

However nice he’d been to her that day, it still didn’t change a thing.

“Slow down!!”

Besides, even if she did want to believe it, he’d never change that easily, right? As soon as he’d see his friends, he would join them, just as quiet as always even when they were mean to her. She knew that. He knew that.

So why was he still being so persistent?

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

“Hey look, it’s the complete waste of space.”

“Right on schedule, freak.”

Eve didn’t need to look to know who was there. Her heart skipped a beat in a moment of fear, their words cutting deep like a blade. This time, however, she wasn’t alone nor defenseless.

This time, she had Sonic.

She took a deep breath, continuing her walk into the school building with each courageous stride.

“Huh? Too good for us all of a sudden?”

Keep walking. Keep walking.

She heard footsteps closing in.

“Say something, you fat, ugly freak!”

Don’t cry. Don’t cry.

In less than a moment, she felt a powerful grip on her tiny wrist.

“Ow! L-Let go!”

“Or what? You think you’re so much better than us just because your precious mommy and daddy are so rich and famous?”

Eve looked around for help with pleading eyes, though all that saw simply turned away. Whispers and laughter filled the air as she attempted to struggle her way free to no avail…

Weak…

Helpless…

She looked back to her brother with the same plea, all hope leaving her as she watched him stand there, frozen in place. She’d been a fool.

Nothing had changed.

One of the bullies smirked while the other chuckled to himself, “At least your pathetic, pushover brother gets it.”

The girl’s face grew red as she quickly turned away from him. She struggled to get her wrist free a bit more, but was stopped by a sudden jerk, bringing her face close to the rotten duo’s. There was no escaping the words that came next.

It was always the worst part.

“You’re worthless. Nobody wants to be your friend. Not even your own mommy and daddy want to be around you. So do us all a small favor and throw yourself off the school roof.”

Her eyes flew wide.

“Just go and die already.”

With that, they loosened their grip just enough for Eve to yank her arm free. She ran into the school building in a panic without looking back.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

—----------------------------------------------------

As his sister disappeared down the school hall in a hurry, Chris wrestled with himself. He’d been so ready to stand up for her, to tell those two off the moment he’d seen them and yet, he hesitated, and that hesitation cost her so much more than simply a good day at school. They were right: he was a pushover, pathetic, unable to live up to the courage and heroism of his new friend. He felt disheartened at the new and loving bond he’d no doubt just lost with her, clinging tightly instead to one built on malice and harm, and he had no one to blame this time but himself.

However…

Chris clenched his fists.

Even if she’d never forgive him for abandoning her for so long…

He looked at the two laughing children with a newfound determination.

That also meant he had all the power he needed to make this right.

Terrified yet ready, Chris took the first steps forward towards creating the future he wanted.

—----------------------------------------------------

sniff hic

Eve wasn’t aware of where she’d ended up, just that she knew it was quiet. Quiet meant that there was no one around to hurt her. Quiet meant safe. She didn’t care to look at which hallway she’d ended up in, opting instead to stay curled up with her face buried in her knees. She just needed to cry herself dry before heading to class. That way, no one would bother her with the details of what happened or get roped in on her behalf. She didn’t want anyone else to suffer the way she did.

She just wanted to be left alone.

“Excuse me?”

No. She just wanted to be left alone.

“Evelyn, right? I saw you running through the city the other day.”

The voice did sound kind though, almost like Sonic’s. Wet, aqua eyes peeked up from the comfort of her knees.

She sniffed, wiping a tear away, “W-Who are you?”

The similarly blonde girl smiled at her, “My name is Helen.”

“H-Hi, Helen…”

“I saw you running through the halls crying just like you were back in the city. Are you okay?”

Eve began fidgeting nervously with a small strand of her hair, “S-Sorry for worrying you…”

“Why are you apologizing?”

“I-I…I don’t w-want you to feel hurt b-because of me too…”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

Eve slowly began unraveling herself from her knees as she told Helen everything, all the things the bullies were saying to her as well as everyone’s reluctance to help despite her pleas. She didn’t know why but, despite the knot in her stomach, she felt she could trust her. She expressed not just the day’s incident, but prior incidents as well, feeling a bit of weight release from her chest as she acknowledged each out loud. Helen watched without judgment, listening intently until the small girl was finished.

Helen grabbed a few tissues from her backpack hanging off the handlebars of her wheelchair, handing a few to Eve to help clear her nose and wipe her tears.

“Thank you for sharing that with me. That must have been so hard and I’m so sorry you had to go through that alone. If I’d known…nevermind. Do you feel any better?”

Eve nodded, too embarrassed and nervous to look the older girl in the eyes.

“Hey, there’s no shame in feeling the way you do. Believe me…” Helen paused a moment before continuing, “Would you like to join me and my friends for lunch today? You aren’t allergic to anything are you?”

Eve shook her head, “A-Are you sure? I-I don’t want them to go after you too…”

“Hmph!” Helen flashed a confident smile, pumping up one of her muscular arms in a display of strength, “Then I guess they’ll just have to deal with me too!”

Eve giggled, wiping away her remaining tears, “Y-Yeah! I’ll see you at lunch then, Helen!”

—----------------------------------------------------

After receiving her tray of food and searching nervously for her new friend, Eve found Helen at a table with two other kids around her age. She waved, beckoning the fidgeting girl over with a free hand. Eve made her way over to the trio, sitting next to Helen before releasing a small, sheepish smile.

“H-H-Hi…”

“This is Evelyn, guys. She’s my new friend I told you all about earlier.”

“A-Actually…u-um…E-E-Eve is f-fine…”

A dark hand was the first to reach out, “Hey there, Eve. I’m Danny!”

Eve shook it back, “H-Hi, Danny…”

“And I’m Francis!” The redhead with freckles followed suit with a fair hand.

“H-Hi, Francis…N-Nice to meet you b-both…” She didn’t even realize the small knot she was making in the strand of hair she was twirling around her finger.

Helen placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, offering her reassurance, “Don’t worry, Eve. You can be yourself around us.”

Danny picked up, “Yeah! None of us really had anyone to hang out with for one reason or another, so when we realized that we each had that in common, well…”

Francis jumped in, “Boom! Instant friendship!”

Eve smiled a bit more, a bit of tension leaving her even though her voice remained soft, “That’s really sweet. Th-Thank you for inviting me in to be a part of this.”

“Of course!”

Her smile fell as she noticed the pair of bullies storming to a table off to the side. They seemed to have a hard time sitting down, as if they were sore or in pain. Eve’s curiosity piqued though when they turned their heads, locking eyes with her. If looks could kill, she would have been dead seven times over. Even more curious, however, were their faces: one donned a swollen black eye while the other had a couple large bruises lining his cheek and jaw.

Francis was the first to comment, “What happened to those jerks?”

“I don’t know,” Helen stared them down just as intensely, “But I don’t like the way they’re looking at our friend here.”

Danny pounded a fist into his free hand, “Yeah, well, they’ll just have to deal with us first.”

Before Eve had a chance to try and calm them down, her gaze shifted to that of the door where a beaten, bruised boy slowly made his way into the cafeteria holding an ice pack to his eye. She recognized the auburn, spiky hair immediately, her eyes flying wide in surprise. No attempts at logic explained the phenomenon before her, nor could it have prepared her for what she saw next. Despite the state he was in and the embarrassment he should be feeling as all eyes fell on him in shock, he stood tall, smiling to himself without a care in the world.

There was no regret in his eyes.

Had he…

Had he really…

“Chris-?”

CRASH!!!

Time slowed in that instant as the glass panels of the cafeteria windows shattered. Screams filled the large room as everyone ducked under their tables, avoiding the debris. Rumbling could be heard throughout the halls as part of the infrastructure crumbled along the outer edge of the now-shattered wall. Everyone began to run for the exit doors in a desperate attempt for escape, yet their paths were blocked in mere moments by a set of large and imposing robots. Looking back to the shattered windows, a massive robot with spider-like limbs now blocked the way, locking in all of the students and teachers for whatever awaited them next. The cockpit of the massive robot descended, revealing a large, mustached man inside.

“Eggman…”

“Who?”

“W-We have to run!”

“Ah. Ah. Ah. Not so fast, pipsqueaks.” Eggman’s voice boomed over the hijacked loudspeaker.

“Who are you!?!?”

“What do you want with us!?!?”

The man twirled his mustache just like the villains in Eve’s favorite cartoons, “Me? Why I’m only the greatest scientist in the known universe! The wonderful, the ingenous, Dr. Ivo Robotnik! My purpose at your fine establishment today is to recruit all of you young and bright minds to join my glorious empire, the Eggman Empire!! NYAHAHAHHAHAAA!!!”

“Like we would ever join you!!”

“Yeah!!”

“I thought that might be the general consensus, which is why I stayed up all night preparing your new curriculum. Anyone who refuses to comply will not be allowed to leave. HO HO HO HO!!!”

Eve stood tall, throwing a small piece of debris at the cockpit, cracking it in one hit, “We aren’t scared of you!! Sonic will come to save us before we know it!!” She wasn’t about to let the villainous Eggman hurt her new friends. Even if she couldn’t do much, she would stand and fight.

“Who’s Sonic?”

“Dunno.”

“Sonic?”

Whispers of this mysterious hero began floating around the cafeteria, instilling hope.

Eggman looked to the source of the outburst in a fit of rage, his eyes instead going wide with recognition over the small, frail girl before him. He smiled sinisterly, “My, my, my…I remember you. You’re that insignificant speck that ruined my plans last time with your ridiculous plane stunt.”

“Evelyn? Ruined plans?”

“Plane stunt? Did she really?”

“No way…”

Eve paid no mind to their whispers, continuing to stare down the villain before her in a bold act of rebellion.

Sonic would save her.

She had no doubt.

She had nothing to fear.

“Hmmm…very well. I guess I could do with one less minion.”

“-!!?”

One of the robotic arms swiftly lunged at her, claws stretched wide and ready to steal her away. Eve didn’t have time to run by the time she noticed. Just as it was about to grab her though, she felt a push and her back hitting the ground beneath her. Her eyes flew wide as she witnessed her savior, in the grip of the robotic claw.

“CHRISTOPHER!!!”

Time slowed as Eve watched her brother, his eyes wide in fear, be ripped away from her. The robotic arm jerked him slightly as it prepared itself. Then, in one swift motion, it flung itself to the side of the robot’s body, releasing it’s clawed grip from behind. Chris screamed as his body launched into the air, away from the school. Eve ran to the shattered window panes of the second-story building, trying to reach out to him when he was already miles away, fading from sight as he fell into the city skyline nearby.

And then, he was gone.

“NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!”

Eve collapsed to her knees in horror, her tears and rapid, shallow breaths overtaking her as the full weight of what just happened sunk in. Chris, her brother, was gone and it was all her fault. If only she hadn’t tried to be brave, to act cool in the face of danger, to be some kind of hero. She put everyone in danger again, and now he was gone without her ever having the chance to acknowledge that he cared, to give him the chance that he wanted to be there for her. She was right.

They were all right.

“Hmmm…I was going to get rid of you too but I’ve changed my mind. I think we all learned a valuable lesson here today. Isn’t that right, class?”

“Wrong, Eggman!”

Everyone turned their faces to the sight of the hero standing tall atop the robot’s shoulder piece. His figure was silhouetted by the light of the sun, and his emerald gaze glowed fierce and unforgiving. In his arms rested the semi-conscious figure of a boy with spiky hair.

Eve began sobbing joyfully at the scene. He was alive! Her brother was alive!

Chris was alive!

“RRRRRRRRRGHHHH!!!!!! YOU BLASTED HEDGEHOG!!! FINE!!! I’LL TAKE YOU OUT MYSE-!!!”

He didn’t have a chance to finish that statement before the blue figure grabbed one of the robotic arms with his free hand, pulled it close, and stomped it down hard into the cockpit. Eggman ducked, barely avoiding the claw as his latest creation began to fail him. One by one, each of the robotic arms began to lose their grip on the side of the building, causing the machine to begin to tumble. The large hedgehog jumped down without a word, Chris still in his arms. He tapped the struggling robot with his foot, giving it just the push it needed to fully lose its grip and tumble to the ground below. He watched just as quietly as Eggman broke free from the cockpit, calling upon a smaller robot to take him away up into the sky.

The mysterious hero bent down close to Eve, his vengeful gaze still fixed upon the robots at the door, “Hold him for me for a sec, will ya?”

Eve complied, hugging Chris tightly as he disappeared. In a simple gust of wind, all the robots were wiped completely out, their shells lining the floor in a metallic massacre. The swift hero then reappeared at her side as if he’d never left.

The fight was over before it ever began.

“...”

“...”

“YEEEEAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!”

Roaring cheers from students and teachers alike filled the cafeteria. Everyone was saved and chanting the name of their mysterious new hero, Sonic the Hedgehog.

Everyone that is…except Eve.

The small girl simply sat there in complete shock, trembling like a leaf between the horror of nearly losing her brother and the awe of witnessing Sonic’s raw power. It was all too much to take in and her mind simply couldn’t process it. Sonic, noticing this, immediately knelt down to her level. All signs of the frightening, vengeful warrior were gone, replaced by the kind and gentle friend she coveted so much.

“You okay?”

“Y-Y-Yeah…”

“Are you sure about that, sis?”

Eve’s eyes met her brother’s. While he was busy smiling in his beaten state, her face grew hot with tears. She didn’t know what she felt more in that moment: anger, joy, it didn’t matter. It was simply all too much for her to hold in.

“Y-YOU IDIOT!! YOU’RE SERIOUSLY ASKING ME THAT!! FIRST YOU GET BEAT UP FOR ME AND TH-THEN-!! I-IF YOU HAD REALLY-!! I-I NEVER WOULD HAVE FORGIVEN MYSELF!!” She began sobbing and shaking harder, “Y-YOU SCARED ME!! I-I-I THOUGHT YOU WERE-!!”

Chris pushed past his pain and hugged his little sister with a slight wince, “Sorry, Evelyn…”

She hugged back, “Eve is fine. It’s what my friends call me.”

Sonic smiled at the display, his heart overflowing with happiness seeing the growing bond between these two siblings. While at their side for support, he took care not to disturb such a special moment for them.

Eve was the first to pull back, looking over his injuries with concern, “Y-You’re really hurt because of me. I’m so…I’m so sorry.”

Chris winced again as he shifted his position slightly, “Y-Yeah…they got me pretty good, huh?” He laughed before smiling, “I finally did it though! I stood up to them! From now on, nobody bullies my little sister and gets away with it!” He ruffled Eve’s messy hair slightly in his own, unique way, getting a small laugh from her.

“Wait, so Eggman wasn’t the one who beat you up?”

“Nah. He barely even left a scratch…apart from throwing me halfway across the city of course hehehe…”

Sonic breathed a sigh of relief. His rage and thirst for vengeance quelled knowing that Eggman hadn’t gone that far.

“Wow!! Sonic, right!?”

“You’re so awesome!! Can we have an autograph!!”

Eve shuddered, turning away with panicked eyes from the two bruised kids excitedly rushing Sonic for attention.

Chris decided to follow up Sonic’s question with a devious smirk, “Actually, I got beat up by the two bullies that have been harrassing my little sister for so long. When I confronted them, they called me all sorts of names before one of them punched me square in the face. I didn’t just take it though. I fought back. I even made sure to give that jerk a black eye. The other one only got away with a few bruises on the side of his face.”

Both kids’ eyes went wide in terror as the cool, blue hero paused, his ear twitching in response, “You know something, Chris…” He remained smiling, a more crazed look crossing his face as he cracked a few knuckles threateningly, “I never liked bullies.”

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH WE’RESORRYWE’RESORRYWE’RESORRY…” The two of them bowed at the girl profusely while Sonic folded his arms with a satisfying huff. After a few moments of zany awkwardness and confusion between both parties, they ran off, promising to change their ways.

“And that takes care of that.” Sonic brushed his hands together as if to clear the dust from them.

“Eve!!”

“Oh my gosh!! Are you okay!!?”

“We were so worried!!”

Her new friends rushed her, Helen checking her over for any injuries while Danny and Francis sat down next to her for support.

Eve smiled, “I’m fine, everyone. Really.” She looked to her brother, “Thanks to Chris, that is.”

“Woah, Chris? Really?”

“Hmmm…I guess he’s alright now in my book. What do you think, Helen?”

The girl in question folded her arms, “...”

Eve smiled, her eyes sparkling expectantly.

Helen sighed, “Fine. If he’s really left those jerks behind, then I’ll accept him.”

“Yeah, good riddance to those-Wait, what am I getting accepted for?”

Eve hugged him excitedly, “To join our friend group, silly!”

“Welcome to the cool club, Chris!”

“One of us! One of us!”

While everyone was laughing and celebrating their new friend, Eve noticed Sonic had slipped away quietly from the scene, off on some other grand adventure to save the day. She smiled, her heart filled with warmth from the love and light he’d brought into her life in such a brief time. With her whole life ahead of her, she couldn’t even begin to imagine what other joys and changes he would bring into her world. All she knew was that she was happy, finally on her way to belonging in a world she’d never known.

Life never felt so free.

CHAPTER END

[marciabrady]

Idk if it's a generation thing with zoomers being clueless about what the Disney fandom was like before they got into it but I've seen so many people deny that anyone was ever presenting faux feminist critiques of the princesses, esp Walt's girls. But I don't even understand why they deny it, it's become a huge phenomenon you still see today and it takes only 5 seconds to use Google and find thousands of articles, memes, videos, comments, etc calling the girls weak and sexist. I feel it stems from these fans just not caring about the particular princesses who tend to be hated on and don't notice the unfair hate because their focus has always been on the popular, safe princesses (ie Mulan or Moana or whoever). If any of that makes sense lol. Just wondering your thoughts!

There's a very apt characterization of what occurred and it definitely comes down to a few things. The first being that a lot of these people didn't really have a strength of sentiment, one way or the other, for the original girls and just kind of assumed and inherited a lot of the misogynistic undercurrents in those contemporary, popular social criticisms that were parading around as feminism. I think a lot of those people pretended to have that passionate, spirited outlook on why Walt's girls were reductive somehow, while never really having had that opinion themselves. Most of those people didn't really spend much time consuming or thinking about their films, but did so because they felt it aligned themselves with being progressive or having a good social image.

There are some people that genuinely did seem to have seen those movies at least once and continued to carry that outlook, but it never really seems to be rooted in anything we see in the films themselves. Those people tend to just view every woman that was prominent prior to the 1960s with the same reductive paint-stroke and feel they were all victims of being socialized in a different time (which is so stupid lol if it weren't for the women that lived in that era, we never would have gotten the social movements we have today, nor the progress we have in each of them; but many people have told me "all woman born before the 1950s are inherently sexist because they're victims of what the system was like" which...). Then, there are people who- again- have seen these movies, but tend to condemn Walt's girls and pin them as a symbol of everything that was anti-feminist of that time, as opposed to actually judging them for the contents of their character. I'll never forget a book I bought at a used store called "Where the Girls Are," because it talked about female representation in the media and harked back to one of my favorite film titles. I was shocked when I read the book and it talked about how Cinderella in such shallow, mean-spirited terms. It brought up so many questions...the author writes that Cinderella had to be attractive, but wasn't allowed to be vain or spend a good deal of her film primping in front of mirrors- and I uploaded a good deal of screencaps to the contrary, but then it ran through my mind...if the author had been aware of that side of Cinderella, she probably would've condemned that too and called her materialistic or looks-obsessed. So it isn't really about what Cinderella herself did or was, but ultimately the author must've just held her up as an unfair expectation of what she, as a woman, was meant to live up to and made Cinderella a figure of all of her childhood frustration. That tends to be the case with a lot of boomers that grew up with Cinderella, and even kids today that write sympathetic backstories for blatantly abusive characters, like Anastasia; they emphasizing with her, despite all of her privilege and the atrocities she's committed, because she would be conventionally unattractive in our world and they project onto her what she must feel and what her lived experience would be, while discounting Cinderella- because she's conventionally attractive in our world- as being shallow or having privilege. It really is a fascinating study of how people view the world, which can be surmised through their view of the characters and how they react to them.

Which, and I have to make this note, but I'll truly never understand how Cinderella, the story about a female orphan who suffered abuse her entire life and continues to build a community and resources for herself so that she can escape and transcend her circumstances, has been painted through history to be a story about women being meek and staying in their place and being complacent and perpetuating so many patriarchal ideals about marrying rich and feminine beauty??? Especially when that wasn't Cinderella's goal, but the goal of the stepsisters who are always putting themselves in competition with Cinderella and are actively wanting to marry money and take a much greater delight in material riches.

[creativepawsworld]

Silence - Chapter 38

Pairing = Thomas Shelby x Reader

Summary = Tommy figures out who the Adler's were really indebted to, the realisation scaring Ana. 

Warnings = Language, Grammar, Violence mentioned, Gang Activity. 

Word Count = 1994

Note = Sorry its late :( I was a lot under the weather as they say and my head just wasn’t in writing...Anyway here it is a little update, Tommy knows so we will probably see a much more protective side of him I guess you could say? Plus for you fluff lovers, it is coming over the next few chapters, I have made notes of all your comments and hope to incorapte  them. 

Thank you all so much for the continuous support it means so much love you all, I love reading your thoughts and talking with you about my take on the characters...Especially Ana she is like my sister now lol. Much love 

Tommy had left the flat rather early this morning for work. Something I was grateful for as it meant I could avoid the inevitable question of why I wasn’t going into work for that little bit longer. 

Being in Tommy’s arms last night was enough to ease my racing emotions. I had relaxed in his embrace, not wanting to drag up what I learned throughout the day to ruin it. 

Nothing was said between us, we just held each other and it continued throughout the night and to this morning before he left for work.  It had felt completely natural, like the outside world didn’t exist. It was complete bliss.

But it quickly ended by mid afternoon when Tommy returned home with an unreadable expression on his face. Stopping just behind the couch, he removed the peaked cap from his head, his eyes watching me fix the hem on a pair of his trousers.

“Would you like some lunch Tommy?” I asked placing the garment on the table, resting the needle and thread on top, glancing at the small clock on the mantle piece. 

“No, what happened yesterday Stace, eh?” He asked shrugging off his coat, folding it over his fore arm before resting it over the back of the sofa.

“Nothing.” I inform him with a sigh, standing to my feet I turned my back to him, walking into the open planned kitchen to fill the teapot with water.

“Then how come your not at work eh?”

“Why aren’t you?” I countered back, turning the hob up full, sparing the man a glance over my shoulder, a perfectly raised eyebrow of my own thrown at him. 

“Your father came into my office, wanted me to deliver this to you.” He spoke, holding up a white envelope in his hand.

Squinting my eyes at the paper between his fingers, I brushed off the invisible lint off my dress before turning towards him, reaching out to take the envelope from his hands only for him to pull it away at the last second.

“What’s going on love?” He asked, a surprising softness to his voice.

“It’s between me and them Tommy now give me the letter.” I tell him with a huff, stretching my smaller frame against his. One hand rested on his chest for support while the other reached into the air, reaching for the letter.

“That’s not how this works Stace, especially when your father comes into my work place during office hours.”

“Why? You afraid he walks in on you and Lizzie?” I huffed in frustration.

Just as I went to step back from his space, his free hand wrapped around my hip pulling me tighter into him, keeping me in place.

“There would be nothing for him to walk in on Stace” He scoffed with a roll of his blue eyes, the arm with the letter faltering slightly. “This jealous is getting out of control love.”

“Oh please Tommy every time I go into that office she is throwing herself at you and you say nothing to her, nothing. You just let her away with it. What if I did that to another man?” I challenged, glancing up at the letter before glaring at the slightly taller man in front of me.

“He wouldn’t have his eyes to enjoy it.” 

“Maybe I’ll take her eyes so she doesn’t get to enjoy you.” I threaten, using this moment of weakness within him to snatch the letter from his grip.

Smiling triumphantly I was about to rub the letter in his face but stopped myself when he looked at me, with nothing but pure adoration in his eyes, a small smile of his own working on his own lips.

“What?” I asked unsure at his change of expression. Instead of answering his hand came up, resting on the side of my face, stroking along my cheekbone with his thumb.

Leaning into his touch, my eyes fluttered shut as he held me close. His natural scent of smoke and wood invading my nostrils as I fell into his embrace, tingles rushing through my body at his love.

“What happened love? Talk to me” He whispered against my lips pressing a loving, yet possessive kiss to them once he finished speaking.

Moaning against his mouth, my hands wandered up his chest linking together behind his neck, the letter dropping to the floor as I surrendered to him. 

“You can’t do that Tommy.” I breathed pulling away from him, resting my forehead against his. “You can’t act all sweet and kiss me like that and expect to get answers.”

“No?” He chuckled, blue eyes lightening up with mischief. Reaching forward he placed short, sweet kisses against my cheeks and lips causing a laugh to fall from my lips. “Talk to me, please. I just want to help.” He pleaded, giving me his best puppy dog eyes. 

Just as I was about to respond, the teapot in the kitchen began to scream, spewing hot water all over the place. I turned to deal with it only Tommy had rushed around me, grabbing the drying cloth from the side to move the spewing pot onto a back ring, out of harms way.

“Tommy, it’s nothing I will deal with it. You have enough going on with Churchill, Campbell, the pub and whatever else you don’t tell me about.”  I tell him bending over to lift the letter he had brought home off the ground to place on the table.

“Right now I’m here for you Stace. The other stuff can wait eh.” He explained, shrugging the suit jacket from his shoulders, resting the clothing around the edge of the chair.

“What does he want you to do Tommy?” I asked, picking at the edges of the letter, avoiding all eye contact with him, but I could feel it. I felt his graze, burning through me as I finished my sentence.

“Nothing…”

“I need to worry about, yeah I got that part” I nodded with a tight smile, it was the same thing he always said whenever I asked about his business.. “Do you see us working Tommy? Honestly?” I asked catching the man in front of me completely off guard.

“Wha? Why would you ask me that?” He breathed, eyebrows furrowed down over his eyes as he thought about what I had just said.

“All we do is keep secrets from each other, you especially. Would I have even known about Campbell’s secret mission if I hadn’t of been in that office last night?”

“Stace…”

“No seriously Tommy, you trust every other woman in your life but me with information.”

“Because I am trying to keep you safe.” He defended, careful not to raise his voice but I could see the tension building in his neck. “I want to protect you, I don’t care about them, they are a means to an end.” 

“You are putting me in more danger keeping things from me, why can’t you see that?.” I questioned, the words leaving my mouth before I could even think about them.

“I am not stupid Tommy, I know what you have done, what you are capable of doing and yet I am still here, choosing you, loving you. Bearing a child with you. I don’t want them growing up in a world of lies, of secrets and betrayal.” I trailed off in a whisper, tears spilling from my eyes. 

“Stace, knowing that kind of information, there is no coming back from that.” Tommy tried to reason, reaching forward placing a supportive hand on my arm. “I just want to protect you.”

“And I appreciate that Tommy but I can’t handle anymore secrets, anymore lies. I need you to be upfront and honest with me, about everything.” I explained to him, turning my body into his, resting my hands on his chest, staring up into his eyes which were swirling with so many emotions it was hard to pinpoint just one.

“What happened at the shop Stace?” He asked knowing this emotional response was caused by more than his line of work. 

“They sold me Tommy, sold me off like I was some kind of garment or piece of meat” I cried, burying my head into his chest, not wanting to see the look on his face at my words. 

I felt Tommy’s body stiffen against me, his hands squeezed at my hips, holding me against him, allowing me to cry and soak his waistcoat with my tears. Nothing was said between us but I could feel the cogs turning in Tommy’s mind as he held me close.

“I knew they didn’t really care for me, not really but to sell me off to settle a debt. Did I really mean so little? Do I really mean so little?” I asked not anticipating a response but the words caught his full attention. 

His hands wrapped around my upper arms pulling me from his body so he could look directly into my red, puffy eyes as he spoke.

“You mean the world and more to the people who actually care about you Stace. Polly, Arthur, John, Finn, even fucking Esme and all your nieces and nephews, care for you. Your brother James, god rest his soul loved you more than this world and then there is me, words are not enough to describe what you mean to me, eh.” His voice was forceful, but loving as he spoke.

“But why aren’t I good enough for them?”

“You don’t want my answer Anastasia but they are not worth shit if they can’t see your true worth, yeah.” His voice determined, his hands now squeezing the side of my cheeks, smooshing my face slightly to try and emphasise the points he was making.

“You sound like Polly.” I chuckled, reaching up and wiping the wetness as best I could on my dress sleeve but the tears were still coming. 

“I was raised by the woman, she speaks nothing but the truth.” He smiled, both thumbs brushing the tears from the apple of my cheeks towards my hairline. “Who did they owe a debt to eh?”

“To you” I answered catching him by surprise.

It was like a penny had dropped inside his mind, letting go of my face he stepped away from me, running a hand over his mouth, his eyes trained on the ceiling above him as his mind raced. Two simple words adding to the already never ending work load he chose to carry alone. 

“Tommy” I asked cautiously stepping towards him, placing a hand on his forearm, gently pushing his hand down away from his mouth.

“We were focused on the wrong Italians Stace, the wrong fucking Italians.” He laughed out bitterly. Pouting his lips,  I could see the outline of his tongue running along his top teeth in deep thought. 

“What do you mean?” I asked how many Italians where there around Birmingham? 

Tommy just glanced down at me, a small smile on his face taking my hands in his once more. There was a sincere look on his face as he looked into my eyes, his grip on my hands tightening.

“You are mine Anastasia Adler, never forget that.” He spoke without so much of a blink of his eyes. “I will protect you, nothing will happen to you or to our baby.”

“Tommy your scaring me.” I whispered, feeling a little intimidated under his intense stare.

“The people your parents are mixed up with Stace belong to the Italian Mafia, a much bigger problem than Sabini and the fact you were promised to one of them…means they won’t give you up so easily.”

“Tommy, Tommy no. No, I don’t want them, I don’t…” I panicked, trying to pull myself away from his grip but he wouldn’t allow it. Pulling me closer in his body, sshing me.

“I know, I know. They won’t get you, they won’t lay a single finger on you I promise.”

 Taglist 

@shelbyteller @seleneshelby @forgottenpeakywriter @babayaga67 @sweetmilkshakeluminary @slutforcoffein @sydneyyyya @happysparklingshadows @margew76   @midnightmagpiemama​ 

[man-down-in-hatchet-town]

Ani: A Parody and the Radical Act of Recovery

Okay, so let’s talk about Ani, and why I love it. It’s not my favorite Starkid show (look, they can’t all be), but the older I get the more precious it becomes to me. And I think that's because of the way it handles failure, damage, and healing.

Ani is of course about the villains, but in some cases it's specifically about those who are the villains of their own story. It's about the losers, the characters maligned for years for being too cringe or pathetic, the ones who self-sabotaged their way out of all success and potential they once held. Even Tarkin, who in A New Hope was a pretty cool and collected guy, is an awkward mess in this version of the story. In different ways and to different degrees, Ani, JJ, and Jeffrey (looking purely at his relationship with Emily here) all start from a place of hopelessness, a nest of despair they each built for themselves despite having once been at the top of the world (for Jeffrey, that would be holding a position of power inside the Empire that could easily impress Emily).

And they're also founding members of the Empire. The creation of the Empire went hand-in-hand with Ani's worst moments and JJ's worst instincts. Really, if you want to get symbolic about it, the whole damn system is a representation of those two characters' failures and traumas. Without even really realizing it, Ani's cast spend their entire lives drowning in a manifestation of their worst selves and mistakes. And whether they are able to put it into words or not, it's clearly not working out for them.

To borrow from Black Friday, the characters' psyches are riddled by holes caused by the decisions they made within the lives they lead. The idea of these "holes" is of course not unique to Ani. Characters having unmet wants and needs is a vital component to storytelling. But Ani stands apart from other Starkid shows because its protagonists start in a place of dreamless failure, where they have already fallen so completely from grace, and dare to dream anyway. Despite all reason and learned helplessness, Ani gets back in that podracer. He chooses to believe that the holes can still be patched.

Obviously, we aren't villains like Ani Skywalker (I mean, I guess I can't speak for you guys, but I hope that's the case). But Ani is nonetheless a show about potential that has already been lost, an adult life that has already and irrevocably become something different and worse than dreamed of years ago. And that's... what life is. At least when you're like me (and at the time of writing Ani, that's what the Langs and Brian were), and just trying to survive your late twenties in an unsteady industry fueled by latent dreams but swamped by late-stage capitalism (hahahaha the arts). And I think it's probably true for people in other paths as well. Unless you're very lucky, growing up contains that moment where your life turns from something you will get to live into something that you are currently enduring until it can be fixed, if such a thing is even possible. Can you recover from this fall? Are you your hero or your nemesis? Did you make the wrong choices? Are your weaknesses and failures going to be what defines you in the end, drowning out all that promise and hope you felt in your youth?

Black Friday says "Probably. All you can do under this system is learn to see the holes, accept them, and stop them from making you worse."

Ani says "No. It doesn't matter how fiercely you burned out. It's never too late to heal." More than lost potential, it is a show about recovery as a radical but ever-possible action, about re-learning to get Back of Top once more no matter the obstacles.

And I think both answers are important.

[wildwren]

79 Years // Arondir Character Study // Rated T

!!! Spoilers for Episode 3 !!!

Summary: While captive in the orc pit, Arondir reflects.

Warnings: Forced Labor, Heavy Angst, Grief, Fear, Pining

Read on AO3 or below the cut

Happy new Rings of Power night! And thanks so much to all the folks who've said sweet things about my first ROP fic. I warned y'all I was gonna write a lot of tragic Arodir POV and it turns out that was not an idle threat! Angst is my (fic) love language, and ohhh, is Arondir's arc giving me some fodder. Do I feel a little silly about being THIS invested in the original characters after *checks notes* three episodes? Maybe. Do I ultimately care? not really, no.

Arondir had never loved the sun. He bore no specific allegiance to the fruit of Laurelin or to Arien, its keeper. He never made rites at the roots of that blessed tree.

Still, he didn’t loathe the sun, for it had its own ferocious beauty when unmasked — the kind of beauty that demanded respect. And moreover, he couldn’t loathe its works — the way its light scattered itself across the earth, the warmth by which it tended seed and leaf and living flesh. 

But Arondir had grown in the shade of a great forest. He loved the sun best when filtered through a hundred hundred layers of greenery. He could never love it as he loved the moon, for he could never fully gaze upon its face. Perhaps that’s why his people had not made the passage, could never submit themselves to that bright Western land: they loved light best when held by night.

But Arondir loved the sun now. He tracked its every motion. When it became shrouded in cloud, he felt his spirit sink into dread and uncertainty, when once he might have taken comfort in the pleasure of a moment of shade. The sun was his ally, his savior, his keeper, and he swore never to forget this fact for the rest of his life, no matter how long that might be. 

It was currently looking to be rather short. 

“Ey!” called an orc, his form swallowed by the shade. There was a scuffle at the mouth of the hooded passage, two orcs jostling with each other for the chance to point their blades at Arondir’s chest. 

“Quit idling,” said the closest. Arondir could see fresh blood licking the edges of his teeth. 

Arondir stiffened and drew his attention back to the dusty earth. He had been watching the sun too closely, pulled in by its whispered promises.

The earth gave him less heart, but it was worthy of observation, too. It held its own beaten beauty. The way the shelves of clay wrinkled and crumbled beneath his bone-pick. The twisted shape of a root clawing out from the soil. The sound of cracking and bleeding as he broke into it. The smell of sap dissolving quickly in the parched air. 

Such was his routine: a rotational observation. Before long, this vigil would sink his spirits even lower. He could not bear to give such attention to his own act of destruction, and he knew this was an inherent weakness of his soul, an enduring failure of his craft. 

All things should be loved, even in their loss. 

He would then turn his work to the orcs — to their faces, the shapes of their bodies, the way they moved and spoke to each other, the small trophies and punishments they passed amongst themselves. He knew them all, individually, to a sharp level of clarity, but he did not give the power of words and meaning to these observations. He let them live in his body instead. This, too, was a failing, for surely even orcs must hold some magic of the earth within themselves, some memory of elven beauty deep behind their eyes. But Arondir could find no evidence of this.  

When every piece of the physical world around him had been exhausted of beauty and meaning, deadened into a veil of gray nothingness from which he could draw no life, he turned to the inner world within his mind. This was always the final resort, allowed only for fleeting moments, for it held too much pleasure and too much pain. Like the sun, he could not allow himself to gaze overlong. 

He could not dwell there without meeting her. 

It was not that he did not wish to think of her — of Bronwyn. He gave himself the pleasure of her name with the same forbearance he was granted water ration. He would drink until his throat swelled with the effort of swallowing, if they would allow him to, and he would do the same with thoughts of her, if he did not control his mind. 

It was always pleasant at first, pleasant as an ache was pleasant in reminding his body of its own being. It was pleasant to remember how it felt when she touched him — how it felt when she looked at him — how it felt the first time he had realized his feelings were not unmatched, but were returned, and the precious, intense forbidden-ness that came with this fact, like an overripe fruit he had to carry everywhere without bruising or breaking its skin. 

But soon the sensation would become overwrought, too intense. He had felt it before — this driving need, this compulsion — a desire to be joined with her that consumed his entire body, so he could do nothing but stand still, like a tree, until it passed. 

But they would not let him stand still, not here, not for more than a moment at a time, and so his blood was forced to churn endlessly, hot and unyielding, until even his skin felt scorched and ashen from its heat. When it had burned clean through him, he became momentarily empty, like a vessel, like a hole in the earth awaiting water, like a silent mouth waiting for words. 

That’s when the fear came. Like the enemy, it took root where all else had been leveled to its most naked form. She was dead, Bronwyn was dead. She was dead or in torment. He had sent her to her death, unthinking, unfeeling, his own intuition failing him at last. She was dead before she ever made it home, and it was his doing, for in 79 years he had done nothing, nothing, not one single thing to protect her. She was dead — 

This feeling — finally — forced him out of his own mind. He emerged in the sunlight, covered in dust, wilting in his own sweat, alive. The world around him became resonant again, almost calming in its cruel reality. From its presence, he could draw some will to live, for it was not fully dead, not like Bronwyn, not yet. 

And the cycle would begin again. 

-------

Arondir’s history was not universally accessible even to his own memory. Through the passage of centuries, time necessarily stretched and turned thin, becoming for long periods like the glassy surface of an untouched sea. 

The great moments of his life seemed instead like islands scattered across this silent ocean. He could visit them in turn, landscapes fixed by some specific point of grief or joy or longing. But between them lay a watery haze, the feeling of wakeful sleep. 

Perhaps this was different for the Eldar. Perhaps they could access their own lives as if they were lore halls, plucking from memory any single moment, reliving whole ages through their resting dreams. It was not so for Arondir. 

He had once asked Médhor how the other elf viewed the passage of his own life. 

“The passage of my life?” retorted Médhor, moving through his ration of food in a matter of breaths, as was his common custom.

Arondir stifled a smile. “Yes. How does it feel to you? To look back upon your own life?”

Médhor chewed thoughtfully for a moment, then spoke as if divulging a deep and secret truth. “Well, I’d say there’ve been a lot of bits that have been just…fine. And then there were a lot of bits that were rather shit.” He looked into the middle distance, watching some invisible world. “But it’s mostly been…fine.” 

Arondir took this as confirmation of his own experience and drew comfort from that knowledge. 

But Médhor was gone now, snuffed out with a single slice of an orc blade, his spirit treading halls where Arondir could not follow. 

He felt stranded, the islands of his past disappearing far, far over the horizon, no longer reachable in his memory. 

The only island that felt accessible anymore was the one that held the last 79 years. 79 years, in this place, at that tower, with those people. He was barricaded in a fortress of his own present and the ships had been burnt, and there was only Ostirith and Médhor and Bronwyn and Tirharad and Devion and Bronwyn, and Bronwyn, and Bronwyn. Was this what it felt like to be human? Perhaps their souls were of greater size than they realized, all their days forgotten but for the short breath of one current life. 79 years, it might last, if they were lucky. 

Perhaps he had already given himself to her. 

Perhaps he had come here to die, like a man. 

[conradrasputin]

zacchioverse masterpost for my reference, descriptions via wonderful @zappedbyzabka

Greg Tolan: Total bitch. Thinks he’s a queen and owns the world. Likes muscle but likes big cocks more. His ass gets just a little fatter than the others because he’s a gym bunny. He’s a bitch but a bitch that doesn’t feel like he’s being one. He’s a power bottom and likes getting called mommy and kicking balls. But he also likes getting shoved down and fucked hard, be made to beg. I have a whole world written for him (which includes Maz, whom we’ll get to)

Scott McCall: He’s very baby. Very squeaky and soft but still a brat. He’s a brat but even then it’s very mild—like he’s trying to be but is just too sweet. Especially with his Daddy.

He loves criminals and “bad” guys and rough men. He’s the type to wear pigtails and a sundress hoping to get fucked up in an alley and leave dripping cum. But in reality he needs a good Daddy to take care of him

Ruben: Gangbang whore. Gets gangbanged nightly and his boypussy is always red. Crazy, crazy ass sweetheart. Femme fatale potential. He’s clearly in love with his buddy Nick in the movie (lays out on a hotel bed with his arms above his head and smiling at him. Some point out one shot of Nick with his lame ass ponytail looks like Silver from behind, which fed my silverlaw brainrot) but was in a het relationship at the start. He’s a locker room fleshlight and likes getting thrown around.

Jeffery: Similar to Greg, could be a twin. He’s a thief and wears tight, tight jeans (Oh I gotta add that to my Billy ass comp) and lies. His father even snitches on him. Working on him in my brain—he’s a lot softer for the men in bed and almost exclusively gets in bed with older men. Some married.

Greg Larsen: Slutty milf cop that practically gets fucked on a playground. He’s plump and whorish. The movie he’s in is called PYTHON for gods sake. He turns coo coo for cocoa puffs in the second.

Randy: Southern belle debutante. I have a soft spot for him and his cute accent. He gets tugged around like a doll by C Thomas in it and gives off bar slut vibes👌 I need to write him oml. I need to build

Kimmy Fischer: Girl boy. Official boypussy wet cunt haver. Official “i would let my daddy fuck me” thinker. Gets fucked by crewmen and brothers. Gets fucked by dockworkers and fishermen. He’s a complete honey and pouts a lot. He needs to be held then have his guts knocked out of place by a big cock.

Chas Osborne: Itsy bitsy teeny weeny red bikini wearer. Multiple sugar daddies that don’t know about each other. He tries to be a “nice” mean girl but it just doesn’t work. He has good control over his temper for the most part. His feelings get hurt easily but he gets revenge via getting bigger men to target who hurt him and sitting back with a smile (then rewarding them by fluttering his lashes and offering up his holes for use.) He’s straight up gay💀 Boy could have a girl kissing him and he’d just pull back and ask how her dad and brother are doing. Has given teachers and judges handjobs for a better grade. His relationship with his parents hasn’t been decided on yet. Likes pink and red a lot. Would wear leopard print lingerie. Has a fuzzy rug in his bedroom and lays on it while he twirls his hair and thinks about being on tv.

Haddix: Usually paired with Scott. You’ve seen him, he’s hot. He’s got a sailor mouth. Not afraid to call people whores and 100% was a strip club goer, though he gets drained socially easily. Big ole dick like all his characters, especially girthy though.

Chris NINY: He’s a theater boy. Does plays and such. Likes art galleries and wine. He kissed his loser best friend and was rejected. He’s a soft but firm top. His slapping is weak and his wording is kind until he really gets into the mood and knows someone can take it. He’s just an over all kind and classy guy that doesn’t get enough pussy. Hair is amazing. Usually paired with Ruben, who’s a handful but so is that ass, so it’s okay.

Maz: personal fave. CONFIRMED big cock (one of the lines was “Boy, Maz has a big cock!”) Service top. mommy lover. He’s Greg’s puppy with a giant dick and balls. Cries and gets his meat and face used as a seat often but has no complaints besides the cock ring Greg likes to make him wear until he has his forehead pressed to the floor begging for mommy to let him cum inside—to let him cum at all. He’s very exasperated but always ends up doing what pleases the wifeu and not regretting it (mostly). He’s also a daddy. not nearly as often as he’s a beloved human dildo, but frequently because Greg likes getting overpowered by him and fucked brainless. He knows how to pound a cunt good and CAN make someone shout Daddy so loud the neighbors get concerned. Baseball nuts drive me nuts yada yada.

Billy Gambini: I like to make him Daniel’s twin sometimes because I like them both just accepting that they’ll have to share the blond because the cali coochie is THAT good. Does not give a shit that Johnny bullied Daniel because he also bullied Daniel (a little more kindly though.)

Expressive and purposely tries to make his voice deeper. Little bit of hair above his lip that needs to get wet with pussy juice. Coiled hair that need to get tugged on. After all he’s been through, he just wants to drive around in his car and get his dick sucked. Usually paired with Older Johnny and Scott.

Frank: I LOVE HIM. He’s a horny pervert and might just do anything for a piece of ass. Thirsts after escorts and tries to get one multiple times. He’s got a greasy curly mullet and strong accent. Would buy worn thongs and panties and steal them. He’s just really fucking horny💀Usually paired with Greg because they go at it like rabbits. Would enjoy getting stepped on by someone in heels.

Honorable mention: KK3 Ralph is a little pudgy and it made me think of him gaining weight from Johnny’s breast milk🙈 His dick gets fatter too. But in general his puffy, cute face needs to get squeezed by Johnny’s thighs. He deserves boycunt especially after what he went though lol