#and its like idk.. would have felt a lot more in character and earned if she actually hated or at least resented him similarly to her famil

[vonkarma2]

this book Im reading has a deuteragonist that’s a god of death gradually becoming more human but hes the one major character with no pov chapters and the conflict is exclusively examined through the lens of the worlds shittiest and most annoying romance and he is constantly condescending to the moral girl but its feels more like surface level bickering than a serious flaw she does not give him nearly enough shit for this. she at one point notices hes constantly comparing her to animals + she interprets it as flirting even though he is barely changed from his immortal timeless state. girl he is not flirting you are like an ant to this man. makes 0 sense for her character arc either if you ask me like she’s supposed to learn to want things for herself. even though she’s been standing up for herself from the beginning according to her cousin. while also having her main flaw be that she’s passively resigned to a miserable fate? and the main plot doesn’t challenge that in any way.. what a shame. idec about the original point of this post anymore I actually just don’t like this book mostly

[genericpuff]

Omg hiiii, I absolutely love Rekindled! You're so talented, and the story you're making for Persephone is so intriguing! A lot more than whatever trashfire Lore Olympus has become.

That being said, what was the moment you stopped liking LO Persephone? Have you always disliked her, or was it gradual? Or just a specific moment that made you go "yeaaaaah.. she's not it ;-;"

(And bonus question if I can ask, but how do you draw hands?? I hate them with a passion, but unfortunately hands are pretty necessary T^T)

aahhh thank you so much!!!

honestly, I was a pretty big fan of LO up until the trial arc. Like, you've all seen me hate this comic with a fiery passion, but the only reason I'm able to do that is because before I hated this comic, I loooved this comic. I'd literally be counting down the hours until new updates, I loved the art, and I was too smitten by the appeal of the series to notice its writing problems, I just loved the romantic drama and the H x P ship, and yes, I loved Persephone, I loved her design, her personality, and I felt so 'seen' by her struggles, both with her trying to pave a path for herself and the SA plotline. I was even (regrettably) one of those people who would lurk in the antiLO tags and think "wow, these people are dumb, can't they see how brilliantly written this is ?? they're nitpicking!"

But then the trial arc happened which involved writing a plot that didn't put the romance front and center anymore - now that Rachel had to actually write something complex and logic-driven, the blinders started to fall off and I went wait... maybe Rachel doesn't know what she's doing. Persephone choosing her own lawyer? And it's Hades, one of the judges? Why are they suddenly establishing Thanatos as Hades' adoptive son? I'm not a lawyer, but I know that's not how any of this works and it really tipped me off that something was amiss, that Persephone was having all of her solutions conveniently handed to her on a platter and all of the other characters were suddenly being made to look like assholes just to make Hades and Persephone the heroes.

And then... Eris happened.

See, one of the things I loved most in the story was Persephone's character arc concerning the Act of Wrath. I write stories about characters with dark "personas" all of the time. So it was something I had frame of reference for, I really loved the premise of Persephone earning her name through this act of violence and while it was dashed with the opening of S2 revealing it was "all an accident", I was excited to see how the trial arc would bring about new information and confirm who was telling the truth about what "really happened" with the Act of Wrath. If the courtroom drama wasn't gonna be realistic, I could at least hope for some good 'OBJECTION!' reveal that would finally put to rest once and for all what really happened, and maybe Kore would finally embrace this 'dark side' she had.

So for the actual twist to suddenly reveal itself as... 'actually, this one goddess we've never mentioned before blessed you with wrath. why? idk she just did. anyways she's the reason you have wrath and that's what made you commit the act of wrath. problem solved.'

And that was where the twisting of 'faith' happened. When I went through the subconscious realization of , "Oh no, Rachel doesn't know what she's doing and it took me this long to notice. Oh no, maybe those antiLO freaks had a point-"

That said, there was a glimmer of hope in the midseason finale. Persephone was sentenced to remain in the Mortal Realm to carry out her mother's duties and I thought, "great! This will be Persephone's Rocky moment! She'll have to prove herself without the help of Demeter or Hades! This is gonna be awesome!!" During the hiatus, I was VERY excited to see where the story was going, I still had so much hope and I figured the mishandling of the trial arc was just a bump in the road. The series was still good, it was just going through a rough patch, these things happen.

And then it came back and it all went downhill from there. There was a 10 year time skip with very little insight as to what happened. Minthe and Daphne were just suddenly back to normal. They were referencing some food shortage or terrible event that happened during Persephone's reign that they never explained in explicit detail. And now, all of a sudden, Persephone was just returning to the Underworld, where Kronos had suddenly taken over. I had cautious optimism but throughout it, I was really seeing the cracks that were already forming opening wide. A lot of what I had to say wasn't positive anymore, I literally couldn't understand what the reasoning was behind these writing decisions and I couldn't find myself rooting for Persephone anymore, everything just seemed to convenient and easy for her to make her seem like the "strong and confident" character the comic claimed her to be.

The S2 finale was my breaking point and I think it was for a lot of other people too. That was pretty much where my 'transformation' from passionate stan to passionate critic happened, and it happened alongside the creation of the UnpopularLoreOlympus subreddit which would become my new 'home' within the community. After seeing how much the story had gone downhill, it made me realize in hindsight just how awful and one-note Persephone is, how she really never cared about anyone but herself and Hades, how her mother did, actually, have a point about her being practically groomed into a relationship with a billionaire slave driver, how she was very intentionally drawn to look like a child in ways I couldn't believe I had never noticed before, the list of "awakenings" goes on. And it sucked! It sucked to have that realization that the thing I loved wasn't just imperfect, but incredibly problematic in its writing and art choices. And just like when I loved the comic, I couldn't just let go of it, I had to understand to some degree why this happened.

It happened because Persephone was always being written as a one-note, easy to project onto self-insert character. A Wattpad protagonist. Not an actual representation of the Goddess of Spring, but a blank slate for the creator and the fans to imagine themselves as purely for the power fantasy of hooking up with a rich and abusive guy.

That was when I made my first piece of LO art intended to be an 'edit' - a redraw of Persephone's rebirth as the Dread Queen from the S2 finale, an ode to the Persephone I was hoping to see but never got. The rest from there is history.

I know I'm being SUPER dramatic about it but this was literally how it felt to go through the realization that this comic - and its characters - wasn't as good as I thought it was, and I think that's a sentiment that's shared by a lot of the 'haters' in this community. LO was a big part of my life and even some of my friendships with people, so when it went downhill, it felt like such a hit to the gut. It's still a big part of my life, albeit in the opposite direction, but I still wonder sometimes over the "what ifs", what if the series hadn't turned out this way? What if I had never realized its flaws? Rekindled is basically a love letter to those what ifs, satisfying the feelings I never got to keep with LO, and giving me a reason to count down the hours on Saturday nights again. I'm glad it's made that same impact for others, too <3

[vegalocity]

It’s honestly a crime that the writing just brushed Syntax’s becoming a Spider under the rug. No, he’s fine with it, don’t worry about it. No we’re not gonna explore this, they’re bad guys and we’re killing them off anyway, don’t worry about it.

There was so much room to explore, especially with how Goliath and Huntsman might’ve felt, but no.

I MEAN RIGHT?

Admittedly it's a running thing with LMK to IMPLY a lot and then look at the audience and say 'no followup questions' with their full chests, (like all of the implications of Red Son's home life being kinda fucked but it barely gets touched upon again after season one despite clear evidence that things aren't all fixed in S3 and we're just supposed to believe everything's aces by S4) And the Spiders i think are probably the most egregious example

the deleted character (rip Spindrax regulated to the shadow relm), one of the characters never gets a dedicated episode to see how he acts as an independent agent and that spider doesn't even have a real NAME (which im sure drives you crazy in particular Twinkle) there are IMPLICATIONS of character arcs and backstories and overall POTENTIAL that just got thrown away to show everyone how cool and dangerous LBD was and gave NO hope of rescue.

Back when s2 was airing i thought LMK was sort of like- Building a rogue's gallery- a sort of batman rogues are we type cabal that could keep the adventures fresh and fun and... nope. I would have KILLED for a sort of 'Harley and Ivy' type episode that was focused entirelhy around the spiders, and possibly run it like essentially an Ed Edd N Eddy episode as the spider boys tried running a heist or smth without SQ there to keep them from feeding off of eachother's vibes too hard and it all turning to complete chaos.

LMK has a lot of stylistic influence to Adveture Time, and you can tell they WANT MK to be a Finn type (I mean his place in the mythological system seems to be essentially Finn's Catalyst Comet arc truncated significantly) but you kinda can't make an adventure time style world without understanding that the world belongs just as much to the semi-reformed wizard kidnapping princesses as it does to the hero that kicks him in the boingloins, you know?

and LMK very much belongs ONLY to the Monkie Kid Krew (I mean ive gone on record to say that Tang's arc would have been MUCH more interesting if he WASN'T actually the Monk in a past life and really was Just Some Guy and fully earned his own magic, but that would mean the world was bigger than just the characters designated as important so that couldn't be) and the villains are just pins to set up and knock over in a season and a special's time (if they even get that, sorry Nine Heads)

But as for Huntsman and Goliath's perspectives on Syntax- man i WISH i knew those... I think the ones i like the best are Goliath being... nice but distant to the new guy in like a 'whatever the queen clearly thinks its fine' type way and Hutnsman being like- INSTANTLY thinking Syntax is gunning for his 'position' (whatever it is) and is HYPER aware of him, Syntax is living RENT free in this spider's head because he's CONVINCED that he's after his position in the 'loyalty to the queen' social ladder or smth and meanwhile Syntax, genre savvy as he is is like "oh we're gonna do that thing where we start out as rivals but grow closer to respect eachother and eventually become very close friends and playfully compete with eachother sometimes to keep the spice in the banter! this is fun! ^.^"

Idk sounds like more fun than a pile of dead bodies that don't even get the dignity of being brought back in flashbacks

[spookky-aint-spooky]

So I saw this and my mind started spit-baling. The thought of Sir Pentious taking up the role of an overlord has crossed my mind before but I've never really delved into it, until now. So here's my take on an overlord Pentious, and more (I spent a lot more time writing this then I thought I would).

In most concepts I see of others depicting our precious snake as a prominent figure in the pride ring he usually takes Vox's place but with a steampunk edge to it opposed to the futuristic tech. And while that fits his character I went a bit out of left field with my iteration of him, so hear me out.

Throughout the series Pen is treated as a joke, often the but of the joke, but what if this was intentional. A way to taunt his opponent in battle making them more frustrated and clumsy, because how could they lose to someone like him. This often leaves him wiping the floor with the fool naive enough to challenge him in a one on one battle, making them the but of his joke.

I also imagine that he kinda takes the place of Alastor and Carmilla in a sense, in that he's this absolute powerhouse who's not to be messed with but also kind of a goofball with a sinister streak. Always looking for a fight he frequently challenges the angels when they ascend, earning him a mirage of scars from his little adventures that he presents like victory medals. His most proudest being his mechanical arm he had to create after his actual arm got ripped off.

Similar to Carmilla I imagine that someone from the hotel has to convince Pentious to fight alongside them against the angels because he refuses, maby it's something to do with the 7 year time gap where he was dormant. Either he had some “important” matters to attend to… Or his sparring partner Zestial left him on read for YEARS and it put him in such a bad funk he had to have a reinvigoration, a recharge, a… sparring match with hell's favorite fallen overlord poster child, Husker. (idk what im doing with puting Husker in this situation but uhhh… Something something, Vaggie got her wings back while training with Carmilla, what if Husker lost his when he lost his position as an overlord and gained them back when he realized things weren't so bleak. That he's more than the failure Alastor promotes him as… Basically Alastor and Husker switches places with Valentino and Angel, and Val's “humble sex dungeon” is now a high class jazz club with Husker as the main entertainer. Alright, I'm having fun with this).

During the 7 years his absence felt strange and unnerving, like he could appear at any point with his airship. The anticipation only makes it worse though past the 5 year mark sinners have calmed down enough to focus on other existential horrors, like the newly moved up extermination date. And Alastor is having a field day reminding everyone of the inevitable and raking in the views. His radio channel hits its peak the day heaven declares war on the hotel. Announcing the fight as if it was a football match, chastising the cast in subtle ways as he commentates the onslaught. And the FUCKING JAW DROP HE EXPERIENSES AS HE WATCHES THE LONG AWAITED DEATH BLIMP SUBMURGH THROUGH THE SMOKEFILD HELL SKY, BRO DOSE NOT KNOW HOW TO EXPLAIN THAT TO HIS ADIENC. It's very much a “AND HERE COMES PENTIOUS WITH THE STEEL CHAIR” moment, he's full on wojak pointing at the scene in front of his studio.

Though unbeknownst to Adam and everyone else, the blimp was a diversion, the real threat was lurking, ready to strike. The battle was vicious, at multiple points Adam had the opportunity to end Pentious and his rain for good but he was just too fast. And while the snake survived he was displeased with the outcome, not because he was close to dying, but because he didn't die, graciously in battle no less. UGHH, his whole YEAR is ruined, again. While he's sulking, all of hell is spireling, what do you mean he's alive.

Moving on, he gains respect for Husker during their little heart to heart sparing, them both gaining the confidence to get back into the game. He can't say the same for Alastor however, the man (in this au) is a certified PUSY, it took one glare from Pentious to reduce him to a deer in headlights. And we can't forget about his little egg boys, or more like egg bots, he made them himself… they are the sons he never got to have (can you tell im tired?). Id imagen that his power had something to do with metal manipulation. Maby he could manifest it out of thin air, or something, however his prowess and raw ability in a fight is all him (he used to be a general), he's just a freak like that.

i literally can't add anything that'd make this better EVERYONE COME BEHOLD THIS ABSOLUTE GENIUS IN MY ASK BOX!!!!!!!

[pynkhues]

Hi! I just read an extremely popular Brio fic and it was wonderfully well written but I found I kept losing interest. I realized it’s bc while Rio felt somewhat authentic for the AU, Beth seemed like a completely different character. There wasn’t really much background information on her so the changes didn’t really make sense to me, even in an AU setting.

How do you approach AU settings to make sure the characters feel connected to the originals? Like in your pornstars AU I can still see Beth in there, even if it’s not something I would have ever expected of her! So I’m curious as to how you approach that.

Also why do you think this seems to happen more to Beth versus Rio? Are people just projecting themselves onto her you think? Idk I just feel like she has such a strong personality that I’m curious why I seem to feel that way in some fics.

Anyways, love your work 🩷🩷🩷

Hi! Thanks for your lovely words, although I'm sorry for your experience with that other fic. It can be such a bummer when we're overall enjoying a story - whether fic, or books, or shows - but for whatever reason it's just not quite landing. I know the feeling pretty well, haha.

For me, I find that capturing a character in all writing is basically about distilling two things:

What they want

What they need

These two factors in so many ways embody the main narrative arc of a story. In fact, many author talks I've been to suggest that plot in its entirety is a matter of asking three questions - what does a character want? What's standing in their way stopping them from getting what they want? And how will they overcome this obstacle? I don't entirely agree with this, and it's not a method of plotting that I personally subscribe to these days (although I have used it in the past and still sometimes find it helpful when I'm stuck), but I do think it can be useful to think about in terms of the role character motivation contributes to story overall.

More to the point though, I find dividing a character's wants and needs to be super useful, both in terms of analysis and writing, as to me, it's those wants and needs that really feed into everything when it comes to characterisation.

Beth's actually a great example of this as her want vs need are both complimentary and frequently in conflict with each other:

What Beth wants is to earn enough to save her house, provide for her children and get herself, her sister and her best friend to a point of financial security that doesn't leave them in a state of constant free fall.

What Beth needs is to feel real self worth, to connect with the woman inside of herself beyond wifehood, motherhood and even sisterhood, and to be seen and acknowledged as that woman by people she respects (i.e. Rio, but not just him). She needs to be seen as capable, and to feel autonomous and in control of her future.

Both of these wants and needs have greater implications when filling in the details of a character. In Beth's case, her adultification as a child in raising her sister feeds her lack of identity as an adult at the start of the series and her need to find herself (she's been raising children her whole life!), Dean's cheating compounds those feelings of self-worth, and him losing the family house is what becomes the catalyst for Beth to act. Her wants are created due to the situation Dean forces her into, her needs have been there for a lot longer than that.

When writing fic in general, but especially AUs, I try not to change the wants or needs of the characters. Like I said, I tend to view them as pretty crucial to the character overall, but I also think those wants and needs are what makes me feel connected to them as opposed to other characters or other shows. Those are the things I like! Why would I want to change them?

And anyway, I tend to find it super fun figuring out how those wants and needs might guide characters in a different setting. In both the porn star AU and the pirate AU, I really wanted to use the time period, the industry and the context of those story worlds to see how Beth might navigate her needs and wants, and to see how those factors might influence the shape of her story arc. It was pretty interesting to realise that I didn't think much changed, even in the pirate AU which is set so far in the past. I hope that means I understand her as a character, or at least, I guess, my interpretation of her, haha.

As for other writers - - yeah! I mean, in some ways I do think Rio's probably easier to write because his own wants and needs are more ambiguous on the show and he's therefore a little more malleable in fic. A lot about him can be true when we ultimately saw so little of him, whereas Beth, as you said, has such a strong personality and defined character that to change elements of her voice or her background, or to make certain decisions for her, can leave us with the age old feeling of: 'she wouldn't do / say that'.

I do think that, especially by the end of the series, there was a not insignificant portion of the fandom who didn't like her so ultimately wrote her differently (I personally had issues with the fact that so many people wrote Rio as punishing and Beth as both taking and deserving that punishment, which is why some high profile fics in the fandom aren't of particular interest to me), but I think there are other factors as well.

Yes, some projection, yes, some who mostly wrote her to be able to write about Rio, yes, some who were simply disinterested in her interiority, but I also think GG was a lot of people's first fandom, and a lot of people's first time writing fic, and that ultimately, Beth was a complicated character who only got more complicated over the four seasons of the show. She's not easy to write, and I do think the fandom was chockfull of talented writers, but a lot of talented writers who were still ultimately pretty new to writing.

I've been writing for a long time (man, I think I worked out that I posted my first fic when I was about 13 which was like, twenty years ago now, haha, and I had my first short story published in a journal at 19 too), and ultimately writing is a skill like anything else - you get better the longer you do it. :-)

[cuteniarose]

oooh cruel and painful hair cutting scene?

Okay, so this one requires some context (actually, all of them do, because everything I write is very far removed from canon and is OC-centric. Not my fault LoK canon sucks for the most part and my own characters are much more fun to play around with). In my main AU, Seeds of the Red Lotus, my Mingzan child OCs were left with Haya, Ghazan's older sister, when their parents left for the South Pole to kidnap Korra 13 years prior to the show's events. But what they didn't account for is that Haya was still fucking pissed at Ghazan for leaving her when he ran away as a teenager, so she began seeing his kids as proof of him abandoning her for the RL and for that swamp rat (a.k.a Ming-Hua), and started taking out that unprocessed anger, grief and prejudice on these poor innocent children :(

Suiren, Mingzan's eldest, was generally extremely sensitive to a lot of things even before due to her autism, but obviously it was only exacerbated by Haya's abuse. One of Haya's methods to get Suiren to maintain eye contact was to pull at her hair, which led to her realising hair pulling got Suiren to behave, and eventually it was done so much that it developed into a full on trigger and a foolproof way to get Suiren to dissociate as a defence mechanism :/ And that's bad enough on its own, but a side effect is that now even the smallest tug at Suiren's hair triggers her, even the ones that occur during hair brushing, so now she neglects it which only makes Haya even more mad at her for her hair being all messy and tangled. She said that if Suiren didn't pull herself together and sort it out, she'd just chop all her hair off, which Suiren can't allow because it's one of the last connections she has to her mother.

Now, in actual canon, said haircut never happened, but almost a year ago now I was feeling particularly evil and decided to write a small AU about what would happen if it did (yep. A whole separate AU to torture an 8 year old child more than I already do. Idk what that says about me as a person but it can't be good). I then never finished it because my mental health is a little bitch that won't let me write, but I really want to delve into the aftermath of said event so hopefully sharing a part now will give me the push I need to continue once things stabilise a little. So now, after that obnoxiously long explanation, a snippet of the fic itself (under the cut, because this is already long enough):

(TW for child abuse, dissociation and general awfulness)

Suiren kept fighting even as Haya pinned her in place. She didn’t care if it would result in more punishment later on, nothing could be as bad as what Haya was about to do if Suiren didn’t manage to get away. At one point, she almost managed to bite at Haya’s hand, which earned her a slap to the face.

“It’s like you’re trying to make this harder for yourself, Girl. We could have been done already if you just stayed fucking still!”

She moved her hand from Suiren’s shoulder to grab a strand of hair next to her face, pulling slightly. Suiren despised the involuntary freeze of her entire body. Haya brought up the scissors, slowly, and measured out the length, stopping at just above Suiren’s chin.

Suiren forced herself to meet Haya’s eyes, trying one last time to get through to her, get her to show mercy just this once. She wanted to say something but her tongue wouldn’t obey.

For just a moment, it almost seemed like it worked. Haya’s eyes widened, she stared down at Suiren with an almost horrified expression, her hand, the one holding the scissors, shook.

Then, she blinked and it was gone.

She drew her eyebrows together in focus as she made the first cut.

Suiren watched the hair fall onto her chest in what felt like slow motion. She didn’t want to look at it, to be reminded that this was all real and not yet another nightmare, but couldn’t force herself to turn away,

Haya grabbed another strand.

‘Please,’ Suiren wanted to scream, ‘You’ve made your point. I’ll behave now, I’ll be good, you don’t need to do this. Please let me go.’

But Haya would never listen to her, she’d only be wasting her breath. Tears burned at her eyes and she struggled to breathe around the lump in her throat as Haya kept cutting, more and more of her hair falling to the floor. Having gained confidence in her actions, Haya increased her speed.

Something inside Suiren, some persistent sense of spite that somehow hadn’t died off yet, urged her to keep fighting. Haya had her securely pinned down, ensuring the wouldn’t move, but when had that even been enough to stop her?

As Haya, with her guard seemingly down, moved to the hair on the other side of Suiren’s face, Suiren gathered all her strength to try and push her off again.

All she succeeded at was getting her right cheekbone nicked by the blade, a result of turning her head too suddenly at precisely the wrong time.

However small, the spot where the scissors broke her skin hurt more than most bruises. A single drop of blood tickled her cheek as it rolled down it. Haya stopped and grabbed her by the chin to inspect the damage. 

“Now look what you’ve done,” she hissed, then forcibly turned Suiren’s face to grab more of her hair and pull harder than she ever had before.

The last thing Suiren registered was Haya struggling to cut through a thick, knotted, matted clump. 

She faintly heard the non-stop snipping, too quick to ensure the cuts would be even, felt the fallen strands against her skin, but the welcoming blankness of her mind pushed it all away. She shut her eyes tight and tried with everything left in her to imagine a place far away from Haya’s house, where she would be safe, where no one would ever touch her again. 

She didn’t know how much time passed, but eventually, Haya let her go.

[fortune-maiden]

20, 21, & 22 for choose violence (mxtx stuff is cool but can i poke you for falcom?)

Of course! I've got plenty of Falcom Salt to go around :D

Thank you <3

20. part of canon you found tedious or boring

Side Quests in Sky & Crossbell never felt particularly bad (although the cracks were there in Crossbell too) but in Cold Steel they were an absolute chore to get through, and I especially hated how the game became very formulaic with its designated TIME TO DO SIDE QUESTS and always warning you that you're about to advance the plot.

For Story related things, I just did not really care that much for all of the Thors academy plots. They were more enjoyable in new Thors II but not still not enough to get me invested.

(Also while I do love Gagharv, I don't particularly like White Witch all that much, except this is The One Game that seems to be extremely beloved by everyone who played it ^^")

21. part of canon you think is overhyped

This is going to be a bit of a hot take because the game is generally pretty well liked (by me included) but I have a lot of frustrations about Lacrimosa of Dana's big reset button plot because WE LITERALLY HAD THAT IN YS SEVEN ONE GAME AGO! (and I mean the exact same kind of plot - not just the island being reset which would have made more sense imo... finding out we're literally rehashing Ys SEVEN's plot actually killed all my momentum for this game ^^")

And for Cold Steel.... OH BOY DO I HAVE A BONE TO PICK WITH MISTER CROW AMBRUST!

I just really feel like nothing with this character was earned. I never felt like Rean was closer to him than everyone else in Class VII that his betrayal would hit THAT HARD. Or that we can set aside all of his actual terrorist activities because HE'S ONE OF US (Rean aside, rest of Class VII why are you like this too??)

I just feel he's way too easily forgiven and I can't help feeling a chill knowing that he (and Rean) are back for Kai >.>

22. your favorite part of canon that everyone else ignores

GAGHARV TRILOGY MY BELOVED! CAGESONG OF THE OCEAN ESPECIALLY MY BELOVED!

I really wish these games were more accessible or at least had better translations because their stories are actually really good!! A Tear of Vermillion is very much as Trails in the Sky prototype in terms of structure and character archetypes and gives a lot of really great character moments and relationships!

And Cagesong feels like playing through a really fun shonen adventure, and its Ch 2 in particular has such a fun mystery island plot! Also music is great!

I also really love Ys Ark of Naphistim but I feel like that's one of the least popular Ys games nowadays (excluding Kefin) xD

Meanwhile for Trails, I feel like I just don't know what people focus on nowadays and especially with all the wasted potential of Cold Steel, but I'll go with Rean's status as the empire's hero and propaganda figure had so much potential and nothing was done with it. Idk if fic explores it much either ^^"

Oh also! I love the two bickering ambassadors in Sky and wish more was done with them! If there was ever a plot line to copy/paste from Gagharv into Trails it was one that could have involved them! :D

[strangetorpedos]

Sleepover Saturday nva finale opinions. I want to hear them so bad.

I so agree the happy endings really took the teeth out of the story!!!! It threw me that it seemed like brennan was implying the party wouldn't remember one another or their adventures at all but in the epilogue that seemed tacitly ignored by the players? Which meant the final goodbyes felt kinda hollow when otherwise the final battle and character send-offs felt appropriately dramatic and emotional even in a kinda dragging second half of the season. Idk would love to hear more of your thoughts

oh i would LOVE to talk about the nva finale. i agree with everything you said basically!!

1) this season was NOT horror really. it did have horror elements!! but i feel like it didn't really live up to the "horror" moniker and i think it's bc a) d&d as a medium doesn't really allow for extended horror b) long form horror is REALLY HARD TO DO c) the cast is comedians first, so it was really easy for them to turn otherwise-suspenseful/horrifying/etc moments into jokes and bits

2) yeah, the ending did not match with the tone of the season. i think in general d20 has a last-episode problem where they try to wrap things up in the last like. 30 minutes and it just doesn't ever go well!! but this season was especially egregious, and i think part of it is that the happily ever after doesn't feel entirely. earned? at least for the genre. like it felt TOO saccharine and TOO neatly wrapped up to feel real to what the characters actually went through. i think comparing it to a similarly-toned season like a crown of candy, whose ending (spoilers) WAS overall a happy ending but not without its grief and its loss and it's horrors, this just felt. so off tone. i don't think i'm opposed to a happy ending for never after esp bc it's clear that that's what this cast likes to go for but there should have been SOMETHING to reflect everything that happened in the season previously

3) never after had a FANTASTIC set up that it just. never delivered on really afterwards? like that first encounter was SO tense but none of the combats after ever really had that tension? and the whole reincarnation reveal seemed like it was going to be more of a looming threat than it was i don't know. i just felt like there were so many cool threads that just kind of got. lost.

tldr; neverafter wasn't horror enough, it flip flopped tonally so much that it became hard to follow and ultimately unrewarding to watch, and had a lot of potential that it just didn't meet

[ash-isnt-writing]

“You know what they do to angels like you.” — The Hell Strip, Part 1

Character’s mentioned/used: Vanté (OC), Zuriel ( @p-3-t-r-1-ch-0-r ), Kore (collaborative OC)

A/N: This is (probably) not proofread, and written off the cuff. I don’t actually know what I’m doing with this. I was originally going to write it on Wattpad but idk mental block the moment I even try and create a new work on that app.

DISCLAIMER: THE CONTENT UNDER THE CUT MAY BE DISTRESSING FOR SOME INDIVIDUALS! I will try my best to tag as much as I can, but in case I miss anything, proceed with caution. Reader discretion is advised. I will not take credit for neglecting this warning.

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Zuriel was perfect. Gorgeous in all it’s glory. Holy and flawless, able to light up any room with just a smile. Dazzling eyes and a voice of the holy choir. It had anything and everything and it earned all of it through blood sweat and tears, forged in fire and steel.

And that was the way it should have always remained.

Yet, Kore was the one that tainted that image. Kore, a foul, sadistic demon, with a silver fork tongue and a mind just as slick. A charisma unmatched and a sickness just as dark. Corruption incarnate, beautiful in a twisted and evil way that Zuriel was not.

He took what was pure, and pressured it until it shattered into millions of tiny little shards. He wore down that perfect angel, until it was nothing more than a pathetic, bloodied mess, then wore it down some more, until it couldn’t be called an angel anymore.

The fall was painful. It always was. Wings torn apart and replaced with ones that weren’t its own. Halo twisted and bent and broken, losing its glow. Having its spine grow and mutate into a shape it didn’t know. Of course, a lot of people would claim it was freedom.

But it wasn’t for Zuriel. It never could be and it never would be. That beauty, that holiness, it was who it was. It was who it had been brought up to be, all it knew how to be.

It was just a child, if not physically then mentally. Scared and afraid and in every right to be. Everything felt wrong, everything felt foreign. It wasn’t like his “Father” had made it out to be. Sure, it was a place of sin, and as such, a place of freedom - but it was new, and big, and scary.

Not a lawless land, but not a lawful one either. Everyone knew what they were doing, where they were going, how to love and how to live. Nobody was as confused and as scared as little Zuriel was in that moment.

Zuriel tried to find its own way, but its mind and its voice drowned in a sea of light and sound and activity, and other voices fighting to be louder than its own in a realm of filthy money and shameless fame.

For a while, it was certain that its voice had been stolen from its throat in the fall. That it was just another wrongful punishment for something that wasn’t its fault. Finding out that it was still there, however, wasn’t the voice that brought it relief.

It was its Father’s.

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[all-timepanic]

I watched shazam fury of the gods yesterday and I have thoughts. It has bothered me all day so I need to leave this somewhere. So I guess here is my sort of review. But it is kinda rambly. Or something. Idk I just need to get it out. It also got a lot longer than I planned it to, sorry in advance.

Of course it wouldn't be as good as the first one. Sequels, especially from superhero movies, rarely are. (but maybe I'm just too much of an origin story fan for this as well) This sounds kinda negative, I know, but believe me, I liked this film. A lot, actually. But I'll probably leave out quite a few of the things I actually liked. The main focus is the "bad" stuff. Maybe someone agrees with some of these things. Maybe I'm just overthinking a fun, hero movie. Who knows.

It felt kind of... generic? I liked the first one for its humor. The characters were great, the villain seemed fun and they had fun with some superhero tropes. (+ i loved a lot of the way it was made, from the different shots, to the sets etc.,).

This one fell a little flat for me. Of course, it might be funnier once I get to watch it in english (I can only watch it in my native language here, sadly) but a lot of the jokes just felt like they are forcefully trying to reach the first one in levels of fun. (And don't get me wrong, I was laughing quite a bit as well, there were some HILARIOUS bits in there, but they didn't stick with me as much as some of the firsts ones, y'know?)

The plot kind of felt a bit more boring as well. Yeah, the entire "figuring out the new superpowers" isn't something you can repeat in a second movie, obviously. Instead it went with the kinda family/trust/fear of rejection angle which is nice. It is obviously something that effects Billy. I was excited to see this storyline followed through. But it kind of felt like the movie was just going through the motions? The movie obviously needed to go from point A to B to C but Billy's progression just felt very quick and forced. The speech from the wizard before the showdown didn't feel earned enough for me.

Like, plot angle they were going for was great. Of course everything Billy went through would change him and his behaviour. There is quite a lot of trauma there. And I know with the tone this movie has that is not something that will be unpacked completely. I just wish it was handled slightly differently? (I would have to think more about what bothered me about this, but it isn't handled the way I wish it would be considering it was the very first thing we heard about Billy in this film)

I also disliked how little we actually saw Billy as a teenager? I enjoy Zachary Levi's acting as much as the next person but let Asher Angel get at least some screentime? I don't know if it was because of scheduling or whatever but there were a lot of scenes where the characters didn't need to be in superhero form but they just sort of hung out in adult form.

And it is just a small moment but I still wanted to call it out, because stuff like this annoys me. When Pedro came out everyone answered that they already knew. I hate that. Yes, it was supposed to be a funny moment so of course it wasn't going to be a big, emotional thing and it doesn't need to be. But it always irks me when people "knew" beforehand. bc it always feels like they are saying "people always know before" or "don't feel proud of yourself for opening up, it's old news" (am I explaining this okay? It just diminishes it and if everyone already knows, why add this moment? Especially in this scene where no one would realistically bring the topic up?). Maybe it's not a big deal but imo it was not a good moment.

The biggest thing I hate though is the big, emotional death of a main character with a long scene of the character accepting their fate, grieving friends and family and a funeral (!) just for them to be revived without consequence? Not saying that this is the movie that needs to pull off such a dark twist but... why? It was a very nice emotional part of the movie but it ended up feeling cheap? Especially bc it felt like an excuse to push in a cameo last minute. (It was a nice callback to the fist ww scene, a sort of gotcha we actually have the actress here, but at what cost).

Like I said, I never expected Billy to die, he is THE title character after all and DC would never have the balls to do that. Especially in the 2. film. + they did push Freddy into a more active role, which I love, but especially Adam Brody wasn't built up in a way to take over the franchise, so I knew this would't happen. I was still disappointed. It always cheats the audience out of their emotions. We just wasted 10 minutes of emotional stakes just to be cheated out of the satisfying conclusion?

anyway, I also wanna mention a few things I liked before I leave:

Like I said, the humor was still nice. It felt familiar in a way. And the immaturity was what I expected and hoped for. It makes sense in this film + for the characters. I love the design of the lair. Of course they would bring a bunch of stupid stuff in there. It fit their personalities. (And making the wall in the back a climbing wall was fun, idk why but it was)

I loved Freddy. I liked his character in the first movie as well but I liked him even more here. He got a lot more stuff to do on his own, more screentime and more own struggles to deal with (there are a few things that aren't great but they aren't that big a problem for me)

The monster design was great. I am a sucker for greek mythology and for twists on well known creatures so this one kind of hit a soft spot for me. I liked the way the monsters looked, from the minotaurs to the harpies, and the unicorns were great. I like that they were the fearsome predator type animal in the bunch. and the dragon. I loved it so much. Yes, being made of wood IS sort of a design flaw but you cannot tell me that it didn't look epic. And the way the fear was incorporated into its abilities? Amazing (wish we could have seen more uses of it)

On a similar note the fight scenes were really fun. they played with a few nice ideas and incorporated the superpowers well. ( I especially thought Ana's power were nice to watch, although they weren't often used in direct conflict)

....so I guess that's it? Like I said in the beginning, I really enjoyed this movie but there were quite a few things that felt off, in a way? Maybe I'll feel differently after a rewatch but it just doesn't feel as comfortable as the first one, if that makes sense. It doesn't feel as tightly knit or as satisfying. It is still a fun movie to watch but idk. If anyone wants to discuss this feel free to reblog it and add on or whatever.

[nanjokei]

finished willdress s1. i think it was pretty decent, the last few episodes were a solid 9 but the first half was like... a strong 7 at best. the anime needed an extra 13 episodes that's for sure, but i think the semifinal fights were so awesome, and the new characters were resoundingly great.

the post got a little long so my thoughts under the cut. i spoil obviously.

the episode where it was raika v tohya was pretty great cause it was all the new characters (the ones with actual presence) commentating. i do think -dress's greatest weakness is how blackout are a set piece and its refusing to break them up even a little, but by the third season its like, eh? they definitely contributed to how "okay" the first half of the series felt... i don't care about yuyu, zakusa's aight, i love tomari, tohya is better for leaving, megumi isn't suddenly gonna matter to me but i think it's funny they're driving the jobber angle so hard with her, at least it's honest.

and down in the nitty gritty that's what i enjoyed about willdress the most so far, even if it was very rushed it didn't really force a lot of conventions— raika and yuyu hate each other's guts by the end still but raika acknowledges blackout nonetheless. i do think it is in character for him to concede that much i guess, given he lost. i guess what i'm saying is "things made sense"— i think a big issue with not only vanguard but a lot of anime in general is that it seems like in an effort to resolve things, characters are bent in ways that are kind of irksome. like, i'll never get why anyone got along with kai in the original series aside from idk, miwa and aichi. getting along is kind of pushing it,

but speaking of kai, i find raika quite refreshing because he's a born hater. there's no real excuse for his behavior: he grew up to be an unpleasant person. i think there's a lot of people like that in hobby spaces, people who develop superiority inferiorty complexes because they're chronic tryhards first and foremost. as mentioned before i like that he is still a hater. come s2 i hope he keeps being a stupid bitch boy.

i do think my favorite characters however were urara and michiru. i don't think there is anyone who watched the show who would disagree with my assessment. urara was the beating heart of this season no questions asked. i don't think there was a single moment that had me going "what the fuck is she doing?!" because she was solid. it's quite easy to mess up shrinking violet blorbo characters imo. i would have loved more episodes to flesh out her troubles, but out of everyone, her arc was the most strongly realized and it is satisfactory enough as it is. she achieves both being cute and being a well constructed character all at once, despite the limited runtime alotted to each character. as the beginner character this season, i really do wish she had been the protagonist instead of yuyu... i don't have much to say about him in particular except that i was just going "lol idc" for most of his screentime. for some reason he became a really cool guy for the last few episodes of the season... but i don't consider it. it doesn't feel thoroughly earned. definitely an issue of the anime being one cour. but yeah, she kind of reminds me of naoki from the original in a way, except she avoids the pitfalls naoki had... i do think it was quite cool that naoki SUCKED ASS at vanguard but i loved that urara had a strong win record. the fight that ended her streak was quite good, she didn't feel cheated out of it at all like it usually feels like when a female character loses in vanguard. L O L.

i thought i wouldn't have much to say about michiru, but what a tour de force of a character. THIS is how you do GAR, not whatever the fuck they were doing with danji in season 1. it's not enough to say "this character is well liked and awesome". that's a lot of tell, no show. not to mention danji's actions were rather aggravating and got in the way of the plot constantly to the point where i remember the first season was more than halfway and it was nothing but danji dicking around performing clamp brand cringe. none of that with michiru: he looks like he just got out of bed constantly... and has looked this way for at least a decade. it's kind of amazing. he might as well be 40 years old and i'm subscribing to that idea personally. i was worried that they'd write the character voiced by a famous johnny's idol(!) to be a lame overpowered Thing, but he was incredibly charming. he really is overwhelmingly strong after all, but they made the right call of pushing him to the background and making him a moeblob who does funny funnies and can't read the room sometimes. infinitely charismatic character. he is everyone's ideal, and no one seems to be able to reach him, even though he's so down to earth... i truly do love the contrast. raika being a huge fanboy adds to it because when he finally lost me and fabio kept hooting and hollering and that was probably the only way i think most people were gonna root for yuyu at all— if raika's entire raison d'etre crumpled up and collapsed before his eyes (it happened quite literally too....hehehehe. iykyk.)

small bit for taizo— the only character who feels a little robbed, but i do think it was a little brave of them to kill him off and not let him advance to the semis out of courtesy of him not being one of the non-characters. but i guess that's how the bracket works given he lost two or three times in a row? (i forgot, but he missed his chance thoroughly). i hope his promise to not give up on his dream of capitalism means he'll be in s2 cause i quite liked him, i wasn't as invested in him as urara but it really is a case of feeling bad for the loser, you know.

dunno when we'll catch up to s2 but i hope it's while it's still airing. i like the designs of the new characters :)

[dragonspine-jpg]

Helllooo! Im here to request for nsfw headcannons pls cause im starting work tomorrow and i need to bully some boys to feel better 😭

I was thinking of the reader(gn pls!) where theyve asked the boys to wear a red rope, shibari style, underneath their clothes and whenever no ones looking theyd softly carress the bindings through their clothes 🥺 But when they cost is clear, the reader would have them sit on their lap and theyd just shower them with praise while they over stim them 🙏

I hope this isnt too confusing YwY and if its still avail, id wanna be slime anon pls! >wo ~☆ anyways no rush! and thanks for taking your time to read this!

convincing them to wear shibari under their clothes (diluc, childe, kaeya)

when you tie up your boyfriend in red ropes and tease them in public, it leads to some rather enjoyable situations. who knew that them being such a good boy would earn them so much praise?

# * . & | characters: diluc, kaeya, childe.

# * . & | content: nsfw 18+ only, kaeya x reader, childe x reader, diluc x reader, smut, gn reader, dom! reader, sub! kaeya, sub! childe, established relationship, praise kink, overstim, shibari, bondage, semi-public, pegging, male receiving, soft sex, teasing, a bit of corruption kink, light choking, thigh riding, spitting into mouth, handjobs, you're a fatui harbinger in the childe one, a bit of possessiveness, mention of exhibitionism, slight mention of breeding kink, slight dumbification, story quest spoiler for childe’s real name. for childe’s section the reader is described as having a cock, i wrote this interpreting a strap/dildo but you can imagine it however you want (i tried to keep it as gn as possible)! honestly just teasing and bullying men ♡

# * . & | type: headcanons (i think, idk how to classify this tbh).

# * . & | word count: 7,768.

omg you're not stupid at all !! pls i've sent asks where i've forgotten to do the exact same thing hekjhsdkjfhd, you're fine! good luck with work! hopefully this lifts your spirits a little ♡ sorry that this took so long to get out! this request was so good and it took me like a week to complete  ( ᵘ ᵕ ᵘ ⁎)  i hope the pegging for this ask is okay! my account will involve a LOT of pegging bc i like writing dom! reader and sub! male — so unless it’s specified in the ask to not involve male receiving then that’s probably what i’ll go for, for a sub male ♡

also this turned out so long? i have a major issue with chronically overwriting, but i don't think that's really a problem with smut. i mean, the more horny content the better, right?? diluc's is the longest because of this, 'cause i wrote his first and then realised i should make sure the others don't go for so many words 😩 anyway, i hope everyone enjoys this !!! thank you so much for the request ૮₍ ⸝⸝´ ꒳ `⸝⸝ ₎ა ♡

♡.

# * . & | DILUC

with diluc, it takes a bit of convincing

i imagine he's not super experienced in the sexual department, especially in terms of stuff outside of vanilla. like, yes, he gets railed and he's an expert at being your slut, but he's still being introduced to new kinks all the time. he's still not very used to relinquishing all his control

when you first introduced him to shibari in the bedroom, diluc was hesitant. as a warrior and a former knight, being tied up seemed a bit compromising for him. the two of you had done basic bondage before, but in those instances, it was still relatively easy to break free should he need to. shibari meant giving all control, and his entire body, over to you.

he fucking loved it.

he loved how prettied up it made him look, loved how much time you spent lovingly fussing over his body as you tied the knots of red rope, and he loved how it felt to give up all his control—his stress, his responsibilities as both the master of the dawn winery and the darknight hero—in favour of your careful caresses.

seeing as he liked it so much, and you were still insistent in showing diluc all kinds of new things as his partner, you came up with a brilliant plan.

it was a stroke of genius, really. that you'll tie shibari bindings around his chest, his abdomen, his thighs, and everywhere else sensual that will be hidden by diluc's clothing while he works his shift at the angel's share.

it does take a bit of convincing, because diluc is a firm believer in professionality (which is funny, considering you've railed him over the bar afterhours on at least two occasions, and once on the floor). most of all, he's just nervous—though he tries his best to hide that. but after an honest talk, he comes to you admitting that yes that would be something he would like to try, and yes he can do it while bartending if that's what you really want.

it's a delight to hear.

so, after some time and preparation, off to angel's share it is.

it's only really when you start touching him that diluc realises this was probably a mistake.

he's just tending the bar like normal when it happens, with you sitting across from him on a counter stool as per usual—nothing out of the ordinary for shifts like this. he doesn't even really think about the bindings aside from when they rub against his fair skin whenever he stretches just too far to reach an item. plus, you're sitting there so innocently, smiling and drinking apple cider.

no one would suspect you of having such filthy motives.

when your hand slips across the counter during his conversation with you—the rest of the tavern paying you no mind—it dips up the subtle curve of his waist and grazes where you know you left a knot beneath the shirt. a sweet, tantalising caress. your boyfriend jolts like you've just burned him with a pyro vision.

he instantly shuts up.

diluc looks scandalised. he gives you a wide-eyed expression of mild horror that silently says, 'what the fuck?' as you can't help but giggle a little, a smirk fitting itself across your face. he's so sweet. what did he think was going to happen?

his cheeks and ears are flushed a pretty red, and he coughs to clear his throat when a customer approaches the counter to order a dandelion wine. it's honestly adorable.

he'd be so nervous about anyone realising what's going on.

you know that he's now hyperaware of the ropes laced across his body, even as no one touches him. he's most definitely thinking about it, based on how he shivers every now and then and squirms a little under your gaze. cute, cute.

you don't stop the touching, of course.

that evening, it becomes second nature that anytime no one is looking, you're discreetly sliding your hand across the bar counter and pressing your fingers against spots in his clothes where you know the ropes are crossed.

to his waist, chest, thigh.

at some point, the tavern gets particularly busy, and with him being the only one tending to the bar tonight, he begins to become overrun by patrons ordering drinks.

like you do on some nights when angel's share gets this bad, you stand up from your stool and offer diluc a smile, rounding the bar. "it's alright, love. i'll help you free of charge."

you're quick to hop around the counter and start conjuring up drinks like the way that diluc has taught you, handing him a few ingredients.

of course, you have ulterior motives.

now you're pressed side-to-side with diluc. he's trapped in the same proximity as you, with both of your bodies hidden from the waist down by the grace of the bar's tall counter.

cyrus—who was in the middle of ordering a drink—chuckles at your enthusiasm to help your boyfriend bartend, even on what's clearly a night off for you, "such a generous partner you have, diluc."

diluc represses a shiver as your finger traces a rope at his thigh, running from his skin to the rope to his skin again, and pressing it in. there's no way he's going to survive this night.

smiling sweetly, you share a soft laugh with cyrus. "oh, it's nothing. luc loves the help." diluc manages to finish mixing the drink without dropping anything, and when cyrus is heading back to his seat again your fingers caress the rope down at his pelvic bone.

diluc's red eyes dart to meet your face. "stop that," he mutters, trying to be some sense of firm. he's flustered, and his ears are red.

you want to coo to him, to tease him and offer him some praise if he does good. you don't, because the two of you are still in public. and letting his desires simmer while going untouched is a wondrous thing.

you watch all night as he begins to unravel little by little. he starts to anticipate your touches at any time, shivering prematurely before you can even caress the hard work that you tied him up with earlier: that no one knows is there except for you. you watch as he resists the urge to become pliant beneath your touches, the both of you mixing drinks as your hand—hidden behind the cover of the bar—grazes the ropes on the small of his back, the curve of his ass.

it's delicious.

just imagine how silently desperate he'd be? having to act normal at his job when there's nothing more that he wants than to let you have your way with him.

to let your fingers dance between sweaty bare skin and red ropes.

unfortunately, that's not an option. he's left to suffer in silence, much to your arousal and enjoyment.

there's one point—as everyone in the tavern is preoccupied with something else—when you steal a chaste kiss to his lips, and your finger raises to swipe across the ropes surrounding his nipple. the sound of his sharp, whiney, inhale of a gasp is smothered in your cheek as he abruptly turns his head to hide the sound. diluc stumbles back so quickly you almost fear he's going to fall over. luckily, everyone in angel's share seems too preoccupied with a bawdy bard in the tavern's corner to notice what just occurred.

no one seems to pick up on the way that diluc has gotten increasingly shifty on his feet during the night, nor the fact that he can't seem to shake his heavy breathing or dilated pupils.

he's also incredibly hard behind the bar, but you're the only one privy to that.

when it's finally closing time, and all of the patrons are gone, you can't help but be smug as you take a seat in one of the empty chairs. the night had gone exactly how you'd planned. now all that's left is diluc, as he locks up the front door and puts items behind the bar away—not managing to go a few seconds without shooting a glance towards you. you can tell his gaze lingers on the way you're sat on the chair, spread a little. the perfect seat for him.

and the poor thing really needs it. he's stiff while he's packing things away, his breathing a little tight. it's been a long night at work, and he's been suffering so well this entire time. he's done everything to be good, well and truly. and he's managed to hold out so well... there was nothing that made you happier than diluc doing his very best to please you.

"come, diluc." you beckon to him, crooking a finger. when he glances over to you, his red eyes are a little glassy with delectable lust.

slightly disgruntled, diluc walks towards where you're perched on the seat. when he reaches you, your fingers latch in his belt loops and tug him closer—so he now stands in front of your knees, arms crossed. he tries to hide his obvious flustered state with a miffed expression, "i can't believe you did that when there were customers around." it does nothing to hide the fact that you can see how full-blown his pupils are, or the fact that his breathing is a little staggered with a mixture of arousal and anticipation.

once again, you laugh a little. teasing him is too fun. you tug again at his belt loop with a finger, but he refuses to budge this time. stubborn thing. he wants so bad to please you, but tries to hide it. "you were such a good boy, though," you hummed, the praise causing a shiver to wrack through him. his eyes are averted, arms still crossed tightly in a nonchalant manner to feign disinterest. "come on, i told you to sit." you spread your legs a little so that diluc can straddle your lap when he relents. your bodies are pressed flushed together. he's already hard—probably painfully so, at this point, from the way you'd been casually edging him all night. now free to do whatever you like, both of your hands trail up his clothed chest, bumping over the different bindings of rope beneath his shirt, until you can thumb at his nipples. "already so worked up for me, huh?"

he lets out a low groan, still somewhat resisting the urge to succumb entirely. he probably is a little annoyed at how well you'd played him behind the bar while he was working. "what if someone had noticed what we were doing?" he mutters, still set on chastising you.

his weight on your lap is a heavy comfort as you begin to peel off his clothes—first his jacket, then his shirt. he lets you without a complaint. you make sure to caress your fingers over every exposed rope as you go. "would you have liked that, diluc? would you have liked people knowing you were my perfect slut?"

the sound that diluc lets out then is suffering. something trapped between a low moan and a hitch of breath. "stop that," he murmurs, as you lick up his throat. his skin is hot with a flush, and he shivers bodily when you peel off his undershirt, leaving him exposed to the air of the empty tavern.

you hum, "tell me, baby." when diluc finally moans, you pull back and get a good look at him. your handiwork has paid off. the red bindings—which perfectly matches the colour of his hair, and is rivalled almost by the hot pink blush creeping across his face and chest—lace around his figure in the most delicate way possible. they diamond over his chest, curving around his nipples with barely any space. they're knotted at his torso and arch out with graceful wings of crimson. each segment is made to show off an aspect of your boyfriend: his abs, the curve of his abdomen, his pecs. it's a notably more feminine design. it fits his chest and absurdly slim waist perfectly. beneath his pants, the pretty red bands of rope constricting his thighs are revealed. delectable strips of pale skin between lacing red.

he looks delicious. all wrapped up in a testament of your care for him, and his trust of you.

they've rubbed a little into his skin, particularly around his mouth-watering thighs. "ah," you sigh contently, clearly pleased with him, and he squirms a little under your unspoken pride. your thumb strokes over his thigh, caressing teasingly. the darknight hero... succumbing so easily to you. "look at you—you've done such a good job, baby."

he preens a little, tilting his head back as you knead the muscles of his thighs. "you only did this to be cruel to me." still complaining... his voice is throaty and breathless.

"you've got it all wrong, diluc," you murmur, and lower your mouth to press your tongue against his stiff nipple. he makes a surprised sound and grips his hand into your hair. "i did this because i knew how pretty you'd look. and i knew you'd do amazing." his breath stutters at your words. there goes that composure... looking up at him, you watch his eyes flutter shut as your mouth moves to lick and suck at his other nipple—sensitive from the binds rubbing against them beneath his shirt. your fingers splay across his waist, tugging at the ropes. he sucks in breath through his teeth.

"i don't—"

"you did so fucking well, baby. don't you think you deserve a reward?" your nail trails down the curve of his spine. his whole body quakes.

your tongue glides across a line of the binding ropes before you lean back up, holding onto his ponytail and looking him in the face. you get the perfect view of his right eyebrow twitching—wanting to stay strong and proud, to not submit. it's a losing battle. he's obviously excruciatingly turned on, to the point where his neglected cock is practically begging for attention in your lap. "you can't— we can't do this type of thing in this establishment—"

a giggle escapes you as you spread your legs wider and press your fingers to his dick, effectively cutting off his stammering attempt at composure. "but you're so gorgeous, luc. i can't wait to take you apart. so beautiful all for me." the praise and touch clearly goes to his head, his lips parting. his cheeks are a constant shade of delicate pink. "that feels good, right?"

yeah, it definitely does something to him, because then all he can murmur is a weak, "fuck," as he desperately grinds his hip against the air. his hands carefully clutch your waist as to not fall off of your lap.

"you do love being tied up like this," the muse leaves your mouth. with one hand, you take hold of his leaking cock and stroke it leisurely. your slick fingers twist and caress down the pretty veins as diluc groans and grinds deeply into the wet hole of your hand. the ropes look beautiful as he stretches his body. "you've gotten yourself so riled up for me. tell me what you wanted to do at the bar, sweetheart."

the soft pet name makes him choke out a gentle sound, face screwing up. so sweet... you line his face with kisses and continue to stroke him as he gets out a stammering, "want— wanted you to touch me."

you messily press your lips to his—he opens instantly, obediently, only to have you pull away before he can totally lose himself in the sensation of your wet mouth and tongue. "is that the best you can come up with, baby?"

he groans as you twist your hand. "hah—! i wanted your hands all over me—to show me, shit, how much you needed me." his blush glows red in the dim tavern lights. "wanted you to fuck me over the bar."

"really?" you hum, smiling with amusement. "with all of those other people there? how precious, luc."

his pretty eyelashes flutter. "i—"

"so that's what you want, huh? i was worried that this plan was all for me, but no. you really are my sweet thing—you loved getting all hot and bothered while you were at work. loved me touching you behind the counter. you couldn't stop thinking about it, huh? oh, diluc, you were so good for holding back." you continue working his cock.

"f-fuck..."

"or is it just that you love being mine, hmm?" your fingers press into his mouth to wet them with drool before you slick his dick up. his mouth stays open, now. diluc's eyes are lidded with need. "you liked knowing you belonged just to me. you like knowing that i was thinking about your pretty self under your clothes all night. huh?"

his hips are stuttering, the tip of his pretty dick red. "yes."

"yes?" you hum, pleased, picking up the pace of your hand. "who would've thought."

diluc's breath hitches. his face is so relaxed, throat swallowing as his adam's apple bobs. you lick off the perspiration beaded there. "can i—?" he pants on a moan. "can i cum? please?"

that sends a hot flush throughout your body, stomach coiling. you've given him no orders that he can't hit his orgasm, but he's holding back and asking for permission anyway. he wants to be good.

ignoring the way arousal rushes hot through you, your fingers card through his hair. "yes, baby, you can cum for me."

it only takes a few more strokes after your words to have his thighs shaking and breaths stuttering, cumming with a loud cry all over your hand. some of it splashes onto his defined torso, painting his abs white. it's such a pretty view, especially with the way his entire body stutters. a warrior, so big and strong, undoing like putty on your lap. whimpers of your name, and, "yes, yes," spill from his lips.

one of your hands cards through his pretty hair as you continue to stroke his oversensitive cock lightly. it makes him whine torturedly, rutting up. "think you can keep going?" you ask diluc.

"shit," he whispers, tilting his head back with his pretty eyes shut. "al— already? i— i can't—" his whole body rocks in your lap as he writhes from the overstimulation. diluc's soft moans and pants fill the air around you.

"you can," you murmur, egging him on as he continues to fuck into your hand despite his complaints. "you're doing so well for me, luc. you've been so fucking pretty all day. do you know how hard it was to keep my hands off of you?" his fingers on either of your hips will no doubt leave bruises tomorrow, as he grips you excruciatingly tight. the hold gives him the leverage he needs to perfectly rut into your curled fingers.

"n-n— ahhh..."

"you've been so lovely today, all prettied up." the praises spill easily from your lips. he deserves to be filled with pleasure until he can't walk anymore. you lean in, murmuring gently in his ear, "was so hard for me to keep my hands to myself. i wanted to get you into the backroom so i could have choked on your dick. you'd have been good and quiet for me, wouldn't you?" diluc's eyes roll back as he moans in agreement, fucking faster into the sticky mess of your hand. it's filthy. "i thought about tying you up the rest of the way and leaving you spread out on the bar. i think you'd have stayed there all night for me. and, of course, i considered pushing you down and fucking you in front of everyone. showing off my ropes, showing how my pretty little slut gets bred so good, so eagerly. i think you'd have let me, too." his poor cock twitches.

"Y/N—..."

"that wouldn't do, though. these ropes are for me only." you tugged at the ones at the curve of his spine. they bit a little into his skin. "if anyone else saw them, our little secret would be up. and i know you like being my secret little slut."

when he finally cums once more, it's with a long whine. the empty interior of angel's share is filled with heavy breaths, squelching, your filthy words, and diluc's obscene vocalisations. despite his recent orgasm, you keep milking him for all he has.

"fuck, Y/N, i can't do it..." he looks to be in pain, somewhere between an overwhelming amount of pleasure and suffering. cheeks pink, glassy eyes watery, drooling a little. to shut him up, you shove your mouth against his. he kisses back messily, tongue dragging over your teeth. diluc whimpers into your mouth as he arches back, naked body gleaming with sweat and cum and laced with such pretty red ropes. his hair falls around him, damp.

your strokes don't cease.

"oh, gods— ah— ngh— Y/N, no more. please. i can't— there's no way i can—" he's a debauched mess. sweat runs down his pecs and shines over his hard nipples.

"wanna use your safeword, baby?"

desperately, he shakes his head. his long, unruly hair tumbles over his shoulders, so voluminous even tucked back into its ponytail. a pitiful sound nearing a whimper leaves his lips as his fingers clutch at your shoulder. head tilted back, eyes shut, mouth open. he looks so goddamn pretty. pretty, pretty, pretty.

"you're doing such a good job. i can't wait to fuck you stupid when we get home."

his head lolls on his shoulders at that. tossed back so his throat is exposed while he lets out a long, hoarse groan. he fluctuates between deep sounds and breathless whines. with his strong legs straddling you, delicious thighs clenching like a vice around your hips and laced with shibari ropes, diluc has never looked so beautiful. he's a dream.

"yeah, just like that luc. i love you so much, you know?"

it's clear that he wants to say it back but can't manage the three words between his scrambled brain and the overwhelming amount of pleasure frying his senses. instead, he makes a broken sound. it sounds a little bit like a keen, a little bit like a sob.

"mmm, i know," you murmur, very softly. "good boy."

♡.

# * . & | CHILDE

it wasn't even much of a question for childe.

this man is a whore, he's down for anything—just name the time and place. shibari is never something he's taken outside of the bedroom but you can bet he's laughing and nodding along when you suggest such a thing. he'd practically jump at the opportunity.

the morning you choose to tie him up happens to be a harbinger meeting.

with you at his left side, there's not much he can do to escape you or your touches. not that he tries, though. he's a total slut for being teased. he just finds so much amusement and arousal in you working him up. the fact that it usually ends with him as a boneless mess is a bonus too.

so, the two of you are halfway through the fatui harbinger meeting before your touches begin.

they start light, with you grazing your pinky finger across the outside of his thigh, and him trying to mask his smirk. the closer you get to his crotch as you move your hand over his inner thigh has him squirming in his seat to try to stay discreet.

it's pretty difficult for him to pay attention to the important meeting, though he pretends.

at one point, your finger grazes down the ropes and caresses rather firmly at his hard-on. childe jolts and his knee hits the table, rocking the entire thing. several harbingers shoot him exasperated looks, but it ultimately returns to normal. covering his mouth to feign a cough, you catch a peek of childe's smile—amused and devilish—behind his fingers. clearly, he's having fun too.

oh, this is good.

your touches for the rest of the meeting consist of: grazing the ropes at the base of his spine; tracing his pelvic line; grabbing his ass; tracing his waste; pulling one of the ropes at his torso so it grazes over his nipple; and caressing his thighs.

he's too gorgeous and smug not to touch all over.

by the time it's over, childe is aptly pink in the face from lust and his breathing is notably uneven. not to mention, he's incredibly hard. each time you press your palm over his boner he resists the urge to buck up into your hand, and instead grips the edge of the table with his fingers. he still seems smug, though.

pierro calls the meeting to a close. the harbingers evacuate at a rapid pace—several shooting you looks, such as signora's clear judgemental distaste, and scaramouche's halfway between disgusted and amused expression—until the only ones remaining in the enclosed room are you and childe.

he's instantly insufferable, turning his head towards you with a sly grin. "what now, sweetheart?" he knows he won't get far with his teasing, but it's still fun on his part. of course, nothing can hide how hard he is—now free to lean back in his chair, spread his legs, and raise his knee. it reveals how aroused he really is in his tight pants.

you smirk and pat your thighs. "why don't you come find out, hmm?"

he's quick to clamber into your lap, straddling you with his ankles hooked around the back of the chair. one of his hands steadies itself on your shoulder.

the first thing you do is get a hand down his pants. he breathes out a moan and grins lazily down at you when you wrap a hand around him, your thumb swiping over the leaking tip that's left a wet spot on the front of his clothes. such a whore, even if he tries to act like it doesn't affect him.

"so, did you enjoy your little experiment?" he asks, pressing your lips together. he instantly opens his mouth, licking into yours without shame. he bites lightly on your tongue. by the time you pull him back with your fingers on his chin, he's grinding into your lap and there's a string of saliva connecting the two of you.

"you did so well," you murmur, mouthing at the pale expanse of his throat. he always bruises so nicely. "if i were mean i'd ask you to wear these all of tomorrow too. i bet you look so pretty in them."

he rolls his hips a little desperately and runs his tongue over his teeth. "ha. you think so?"

it's hard to tell if he's going to be a brat, or if he'll submit the moment you show any signs of extending control, so you decide to test it out. your free hand creeps up and intertwines in locks of his orange hair. then, sharply, you pull.

he whines.

"there you are," you whisper, leaving a line of hickeys over his adam's apple while you keep his head wrenched back. "gonna keep being good for me?"

"fuck yes," childe breathes, and hurries to pull off his upper clothes while you coat his bared throat in spit and red marks that will remain for days. licking at his collarbones has him trembling and he leans back a little, using his legs around the chair and the edge of the table pressing against the curve of his spine as leverage. it spreads his legs even wider. a desperate mess.

"hmm, good boy," you can't help but praise, stroking his drooling cock a little harder. his hips roll. "let me get a good look at you." smiling, he stretches back to show himself off. the red ropes stretch horizontally across his chest, then up on either side of his neck and down to frame his abs. they loop around each other at his torso—an exquisite design of knots and bindings running along each muscle. the final ropes stretch down to follow the 'v' of his waist into his crotch. it makes you want to finish the job: bind his arms back and leave him helpless.

instead, you can't help but smile at the way he shows himself off when you finger him open, prepping him while he makes loud, desperate noises. it's impossible to ignore the way his muscles twitch and stretch with each movement you make. so pretty. when you finally enter him, he's clenching around you with desperation, groaning as you sheathe yourself inside him. he's clearly enjoying himself, trapping you in with his thighs.

"so obedient, ajax," you muse, and he whimpers at the secret name shared only between the two of you. your fingers graze down the ropes on his shoulders. he groans lewdly, leaning back, the curve of his spine braced against the edge of the table as he arches dramatically. leave it to childe to put on a show.

he makes a submissive, desperate sound when you start to move, holding his hips still and rocking up into him achingly slow. "please," he begs. there's the ghost of a breathy smile on his face, a little blissed out already. "don't stop."

oh, is he in for a ride.

the speed that you end up fucking him at has your hips slamming against his pelvis as he bounces on your cock. he's leaning back, still tucked in your lap with his back arched and his spine pressed against the side of the meeting table. the muscles in his torso twitch and strain. childe's entire body jolts with each sharp thrust, and he's moaning uncontrollably. there's sweat that's beading on his forehead, a red tinge around his nipples from how much they've been toyed with, and his poor untouched cock is leaking. all in all, he looks pornographic.

"archons," you murmur in awe, trailing your fingers down the bindings that lead to his hard cock, as he lets out a loud, strangled cry. that's the other thing about fucking childe. you can always count on him to be loud enough for everyone in the building to hear. you still aren't entirely sure if it's exhibitionism, or if he's doing it solely to show how good you make him feel, or if he's simply just that uncontrollably noisy. it's no wonder the other harbingers had evacuated the room as fast as they did. "what did i do to deserve something as pretty and slutty as you?"

"Y/N," he whines theatrically, legs tucked around your back in an attempt to get you deeper. "fuck me."

a laugh leaves your mouth as you trail your nails across his chest and end up teasing with his nipples. "what do you think i'm doing? look how well you're taking me." you take that moment to fully admire him. slowing down a little, leaning back so you can see the way he arches to accommodate your girth, how he fits around you. his strong thighs are tensed, hole messy and lubed. he whines pitifully in agreement, writhing and bucking—unable to stay still even for a second.

you force his hips up higher to get a better angle, drilling the tip of your cock into his prostate with each mean thrust.

"oh, god!" he stumbles over his words, blush spread across his face and down his pale chest. he's drooling a little. it's obscene.

you could laugh at the way his eyes roll back and his hands slide desperately along the fatui meeting table for anything to hold—to clutch onto while you fuck him hard, fast and mean. your thumb rubs along his hipbone, other hand braced on his toned stomach as your deep thrusts continue. "look how fucking pretty you are, ajax. wish i had my kamera here. you'd look so sweet captured like this for me." your words make him arch his back further, because this man is insanely flexible, and he shudders at the thought of himself at this moment being immortalised on a roll of film. "you're so adorable, spread out like this." his thighs twitch with your words. who other than you would ever think that the infamous eleventh harbinger would be such a pure whore for praise? "i bet there's not a thought going on inside your pretty head, is there?"

"please," he begs in a choked reply, lashes fluttering while you ram him repeatedly into your cock.

"mmm," you hum in confirmation, pulling a finger at some of the bright red bindings laced across his chest. "that's what i thought."

childe can go for a long time. he can take a lot. he'll just clutch at you and beg for more while you give him orgasm after orgasm, greedy and well-fucked. sometimes he'll beg for it until he passes out. (and then he'll complain later, when he's awake, that you stopped to let him rest—greedy thing). childe is insatiable. especially today, after all your caresses and teases while in a very important debrief meeting. even more so with the fact that he's all prettied up with red rope and feeling extra fuckable.

you make him cum, and cum, and cum, until he's a pliant, boneless mess—now, just laid with his back fully pressed against the table. he still grips onto your hip as you fuck him. desperate as ever. even if the only sounds filling from his mouth at this point are breathless pleas and noises of pleasure.

he's a sight to behold.

a murmur leaves your mouth, "ajax." he opens his eyes obediently, looking at you with a glassy, blissed-out gaze. it's both adoring and lust-filled. smiling at his compliance, you lean over him and grab his cheeks with your fingers, puckering his lips a little. your hips continue to slam against his. smiling in a daze, childe opens his mouth obediently. like always. even sticks out his tongue to let a line of spit leave your mouth and roll past his waiting lips. childe's lidded, fucked-out eyes look up at you contently. he moans in enjoyment. greedy slut.

with possessive adoration, you squeeze the sides of his throat. your fingers dig in. it's not enough to really deprive him of any oxygen, but it's the feeling of you having total control that he craves. you feel the sound vibrate in his throat as he whines, letting his head fall back again. it makes a sound as it hits the table—you make a mental note to ice his skull later. fortunately, he doesn't seem to notice. he's much too focused on moaning and shaking through whatever number orgasm of the night this is, mouth shaped into an 'o' but tilting upwards with a blissful half-conscious smile at the corners.

"just like that. you feel so amazing for me, ajax."

♡.

# * . & | KAEYA

you've done shibari on kaeya before. very little beats seeing him all tied up and breathless and begging, bound prettily without a single chance of escape. the different designs, the different colours... the utterly debauched way he looks with his hair loose and his eyepatch gone as he just begs you to touch him, to do anything.

yeah.

from that, spawns this idea, which he flirtily agrees to (of course) with his large hands around your waist.

now, one thing kaeya loves is taking you out on the town. date nights, shopping, browsing for clothes, even running mondstadt errands for the knights. with your arm linking through his, or your hands clasping together, he basically parades you around anywhere.

this is one of those evenings.

the streets of mondstadt are relatively busy when the both of you go out—ropes hidden beneath his clothing, as his hand guides you by resting on the small of your back. the bindings aren't as uncomfortable as he imagined they would be, as you flit from shop to shop, buying some flowers and sitting down for a brief bite at good hunter.

he would have almost forgotten entirely about them if it wasn't for your goddamn wandering hands.

of course, this is what you had planned for the whole time. when you walk through an underpass and your finger grazes over his ass (he can't help but to smirk at that), and ends up lightly caressing the criss-cross pattern of ropes over the backs of his thighs. or when you make a point of touching his chest before you point for something to do, or while leaning in to speak to him. your palm presses right over the different knots.

you can't help but slide your hand inside the gap in the breast of his shirt, too. to hook a finger around one of the pretty, hidden strings and tug. it shifts the bindings that are pressed tightly over his nipples. he actually stiffens at that, composure breaking for a moment. it's beautifully hot. especially when he turns his head to look at you, starry eye flashing and a grin gracing his face, and says, "so this is the game, huh?"

by the time you get home hours later, pretty much no one but you would be able to tell the difference. he still has an arm around your waist, is still joking with you. but there's something desperate in his gaze, and his breathing is hot and heavy.

you instantly go to fall back on the couch—dragging him in by the metal link on his collar. you coax kaeya's form right into your lap. he's grinning cockily, even as you smooth your hands over his shoulders and drag them across his biceps.

"you've been perfect for me today," you breathe against the shell of his ear, biting softly at his lobe in that way he loves. your fingers coax his long hair out of its ponytail, until it spills down his back and over his shoulders in waves. he always looks so pretty like this.

"does this mean i deserve a reward?" he teases back, and kisses softly at the inside of your wrist when you remove his eyepatch. his inky eye underneath glimmers, singular star pupil amongst all that black night shining. this is how you like him best. all his guards let down, just yours. your hands cup kaeya's face.

humming gently, you smile. "of course. you've been so good." experimentally, you push the pad of your thumb against his soft lower lip, tugging it down ever so slightly. kaeya can't help but grin when his tongue darts out to lick the finger, only to have you push your thumb further past his waiting lips. he sucks on it obediently.

with your other hand—and his help—you undress him, until he's bare except for the red ropes lacing prettily across his body. it's a sight. the bindings that run right across his nipples have made them puffy and stiff, practically begging to be played with, and the muscles of his thighs strain adorably against the ropes. at his chest is the prettiest addition of all: a lovely diamond right between his pecs.

your eyes are lidded when you murmur, "you're so delightful like this, kaeya." with a coy smile, your thumb rubs over one of his sore-looking nipples, and he jolts a little at the sensation. the flirty grin still hasn't slipped from his face—he's a master at that—but it's clear he's almost far gone already.

"i try," is the tease that leaves his mouth, though his confidence fades a little when you trail your fingers from his nipples, down the curve of his waist, and finally settle your hands on his hips. you shift him so that he's straddling a thigh, one of your legs pressed between his own.

you lean in. "ride my thigh, baby," you tell him lowly, layering kiss after kiss over his neck. "you deserve it."

kaeya is quick to comply, holding back a moan as he lowers himself fully and begins to rut. it feels dirty, undignified, as he humps down on the soft flesh of your thigh, rocking back and forth and moaning at the friction. it feels incredible against his hard cock.

"archons," he hisses, putting a hand on your shoulder and another one on your knee so he can get the best possible angle. from there, you guide his hips and ass—pushing him down further, harder. every now and then, his knee presses against your own crotch, shooting fleeting waves of pleasure right through you. your hands remain on him. helping him, encouraging him, manhandling him as his arms loop around the back of your neck, elbows resting just on your shoulders, and his head falling against your chest. the noises that leave his mouth as he grinds desperately on your thigh—soft swears of "fuck" and "shit, shit"—tumble out of his parted lips in broken whimpers. all his composure is draining.

it feels too good for him to stop. kaeya keeps going, harder and harder, faster and faster, letting out lewd sounds as he grinds down onto your leg filthily. precum smears over your thigh.

"that's it." your fingers tease through his loose, pretty hair. his head lolls forward on your shoulder in response, hips stuttering. "mmm. you've been so good for me. did so well for me earlier, i could barely keep my hands off of you. you just know how pretty you are, don't you?"

"all for you," kaeya tries to tease smugly into the skin of your throat, but it comes out as more of a breathless grunt. any praise about his appearance always goes right to the foggy part of his head.

your hands gripping his ass guide him as he gets off on your thigh, his pretty, long cock drooling over you. "that's right, for me," you hum appreciatively, fingers kneading at his cheeks. he makes a low keening noise. "can't wait to mess you up. you're gorgeous like this, but you're even prettier all fucked out and helpless."

"heh, shit," he half-chuckles, half-moans. "you're so fuckin' hot." his tone is stretched a little thin.

he supresses a full-blown mewl when you spread his cheeks and press a fingertip against his hole. "you close? yeah?"

"mmm," he groans, burying his head momentarily in the crook of your neck as his hips stutter, pausing his long thrusts to grind down hard in a single spot. his mouth is wet and parted against your skin. kaeya's breath comes out hot and staggered. then, he tosses his head back with a blissful expression. "Y/N!" he cums like that, moaning out your name, shoots white ropes over your thigh and stomach and making a mess.

encouragingly, your hands slip down from where you'd been assisting him in his ministrations. your nails graze the bare skin of his spread thighs. at the sensual, tickling feeling, kaeya shivers. from there, you grab the backs of his knees and haul him closer. lift your thigh and continue rubbing it over his sensitive cock while he grunts—encouraging him to continue. obediently, he does. "there you go, pretty thing. you're doing so well." kaeya gasps, face darkened with blush, refusing to break eye contact with you no matter how much his lashes want to flutter shut. soft, desperate sounds leave his parted, plush lips. his mouth is lined with spit. "how many more can you do for me?"

he tries to pull one of his crooked grins at that, but it's dampened a bit by how much he's panting. "want to find out?"

yes. you most definitely do.

you work him up more, fisting his cock in your hands, relishing in the way he grins and moans. you kiss around the skin of his right eye when he gets so whiney that he almost forgets how to breathe. "just relax, baby," the coo leaves your mouth. you bite at the shell of his ear again. "relax."

"you— you're—" his far-gone eyes stare at you adoringly, struggling to focus his gaze. kaeya's lips are puffy, well-bitten, and his throat is lined with dark love bites. not to mention the way his loose hair drapes around him. so pretty...

"shhh," you murmur, giving him your all, as both of your slick hands slide up and down his hard length. "that's it."

you give him... everything.

from thigh-fucking, to blowing him, to having bounce on your fingers—you can't stop overdosing him on pleasure. watching him write within the confines of the pretty, pretty ropes that he'd worn hidden all day just for you, while he whines your name and is reduced to a whimpering, begging mess is too enticing.

it ends with him face-down on the couch, ass up, moaning like a whore after whatever number of orgasms he is on now. the red still decorates his skin deliciously.

"so good," you coo. "my precious boy. wish you could see how well you can take my fingers. how pretty you look." kaeya groans again, hiccupping a little, legs spreading wider. his hair pools around him like starry strands of the sea. still, it's a shame you can't see the blissed-out expression on his face. your hand taps firmly at his hip. "look at me, baby."

obediently, he turns his head to the side. his single black eye stares desperately at you, lined with overwhelmed tears of pleasure. his mouth can no longer seem to close. it remains parted, hitched with small breaths and moans with each movement that you make. he loves being overstimulated, but he can never take it that well.

"there you go. good boy." the both of you are such a mess, ropes digging into his flesh. if he'd known wearing shibari under his clothes would have you like this, he'd have done it earlier. your mouth leaves more marks up the expanse of his back—from the strong muscles, to the curve of his spine, to his pretty shoulders. you sink your teeth into a particularly sensitive spot that has him grinding down into the couch. "gorgeous," you murmur. "so beautiful, kaeya. that's good. so pretty. can't believe i'm the only one who has you like this."

it's those words that sets him over. he wails, and cums for the nth time that night.

♡.

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teasing these boys is my favourite thing !!! thank you so much for this ask ♡ my requests are currently open!

[starlightshore]

In your DP AU, is Vlad a 5ever antag or is there room for him to have an arc that's becoming less of a shitbag

i'm hardly the first to say the show butchered Vlad's character. Vlad WORKS fantastically as Danny's foil. I feel he works best when we don't know if he's going to be outright evil or not -one day he's your ally, the next your worst nightmare...

Vlad represents a lot of the character flaw's Danny has. Fiercely loyal and bonded to his friends -except when that trust is broken, Vlad is vengeful. Vlad uses his powers for wealth, cheating the system because he feels deserves more than what was handed to him life. "I'm a victim, oh woe is me, I deserve the world for what I've suffered!"

Danny is young and has a strong moral compass -but it's not perfect. He's a teenager, a kid! he's got a lot of perspective to earn -be it the worth of money, other people's feelings, what to do in morally grey situations etc. Danny, like Vlad, was hurt by his parents. Danny wants to love them and forgive them but... their negligence killed him. That's not something one should forgive so easily. And worst yet, they continue to hurt him as a ghost. Danny can reason "but they don't know, they didn't mean to hurt me with the portal, they're still my parents."

Danny forcing himself to ignore that pain, and when his ignorant parents continue to push... that's going to build into resentment.

My Vlad went through that. He suffered greatly -in my AU ectoplasm is corrosive. Losing his face, Vlad felt he lost any chance to a normal "human" life at the hands of those he loved the most. "But they didn't mean to hurt me with the portal -but does it matter? The damage has been done."

Danny is tempted by his power to abuse it for self gain. Before his Character Development as the town hero, Danny would try (emphasis on try, this would make for a good subplot) to steal from a local store and almost get caught. Vlad, unlike Danny, didn't have friends who'd push him to his best and go through that positive development.

And worse yet, Vlad would have to steal, because of the expensive hospital bills and his disfigurement.

Portal ghosts reflect the one who created them. Vlad's portal, while small, still runs. Big ghosts couldn't come out, so there's no ghost crisis to force Vlad to learn to protect people. It's his secret, and with so much going against him... well, 20 years is a long time to fester alone.

None of this tragedy justifies Vlad btw. Vlad's wealth is ill-gotten (i can't imagine stealing from banks helps the low/middle class who hold their money there.) and he hoards his wealth, he doesn't try to make the world better but rather selfishly acts to keep the system in place. He's a vampire, is what I'm saying.

Also, probably a little more literal as well. Danny's ghost is based on an inverted photograph (and thus has light/electric powers) while Vlad's is based on a gorey accident of betrayal. (not sure how this would translate in ability, maybe something like blood bending? does he NEED literal blood to sustain himself? Idk. I've thought about this for a while and I still don't know what direction to take it yet.)

Vlad is more subtle and has everything "going for him" except for what matters most in life -love. (be it from family, friends, community) All the money in the world can't make Vlad fulfilled. He'll tempt Danny with money and power but he's played his hands too loosely (cocky) and showed his true colors before Danny could be swept in.

What separates them is not that Danny has friends and family -its that he makes the effort to keep them, to better himself for them. That's why and how Danny holds onto his morality while Vlad rots.

I like to imagine having Ellie (and his cat) eventually warms him up -now if that's enough for him to change his ways or worsen each other... that's up for Vlad to decide.

[comfyswitcherblanketfort]

Grunge-Metal Geralt

Hi, im fucking trash for the idea of Geralt being the front man for a Five Finger Death Punch type band and my brain wouldn’t shut the fuck up about it. This music genre is my bread and butter and I think Geralt’s repressed but highly emotional ass would fit right in. Yes im using another Hozier song, no i dont wanna hear anything about it. I’m a basic bitch and ive made my peace with it

Warnings: i honestly have no idea, its a little horny, little emotional, but theres no actual character interaction?, its at a concert venue? idk yall.

_________________________

Jaskier was… out of his comfort zone.

It’s not that he didn’t like the grunge-metal music, he just hadn’t listened to much and he was not used to the energy. People were yelling and screaming and the opener hadn’t even come on yet. He didn’t feel unsafe, far from it. Several people had checked to see if he was okay, seeing as he was the only person in the entire arena wearing a sweater that wasn't ripped or faded to hell. It was just a far cry from the shows he was used to. 

He played folky-blues. This was nothing like his shows. 

When the lights went down the crowd was deafening, all moving as one to rush the front of the floor, not giving a single fuck about tickets. 

The openers were exciting, and Jaskier was surprised by some of the concepts and messages behind the music. It wasn’t what he’d expected at all and he found himself searching them up on Spotify to listen later. 

Then came The Witchers. 

Eskel and Lambert made their energetic entrance, followed by Aiden calmly walking to his drums and sitting as if he were walking into a college class. But Geralt was nowhere in sight. The one person Jaskier had actually come to see. 

He’d seen a video clip from a previous concert where they covered one of his songs, and he was praying they’d do it again. It was lovely in a haunting-almost-threatening way, and the expression in Geralt’s posture alone was enthralling. He had to see it live. 

But Geralt was still absent as the band started to build a song. First Aiden with the beat, then Eskel’s bass, then Lambert with a melody on his electric guitar. It built and built and built to a fever pitch, taking the crowd with it. People were already jumping and screeching. Jaskier had to stand on his seat to see the stage clearly. 

Geralt’s voice echoed through the venue, low and closer to a growl than singing, but he was still nowhere to be seen.

Jaskier thought he’d been prepared, but his whole body was covered in goosebumps. He briefly wondered if this was what his friends were feeling when they listened to ASMR.

Geralt remained hidden for the whole first verse, getting the crowd even more excited than Jaskier thought possible, only for the band to go completely silent for a whole measure. When the crowd's screams reached their absolute loudest, Geralt dropped from on top of one of the jumbotrons, landing on one of the horse-sized speakers before launching into the chorus. 

Oh fuck, he was even more beautiful in person. 

He was… well he was a beast of a man. Jaskier really didn’t have another word for the way his muscles bulged and how lithe and powerful he looked springing from the speaker to join his bandmates on the main stage. His thighs filled out his black, tattered jeans and there were clear faded spots where his muscles strained the fabric too often. The thin black tank he wore did nothing but pretend the man was semi-modest. It was so tight, the only thing left up to the imagination was tan lines and the color of his nipple piercings. 

Jaskier was most entranced by his long, white, wavy hair falling past his shoulders. As the show continued and he started to sweat, a lot, it got curlier and curlier at the root. Jaskier wanted to give him a mask and some curl cream, but only after a, uhm, rough night of getting to know each other. He’d heard rumors about Geralt from hitting arenas not long after they’d left. He was quite sure they’d have a great time.

As he focused on the lyrics more and more, he was more inclined to want to wrap Geralt up in a hug and worship every part of him until he felt whole again. 

Either he’d been shown the shitty side of the genre, or The Witchers were exceptions to the rule of content. Jaskier was almost moved to tears a few different times.

Finally, about an hour into Jaskier mindlessly feasting his eyes on the front man, Geralt leapt onto another speaker and sat down, breathing hard and grinning from ear to ear. 

“You still with us?”

The unholy screech from the crowd left no doubt they were just as excited, if not more so, than when they’d arrived. 

“Good! Good..” he trailed off, chuckling as he lowered the mic to take a breath, “We’re gonna slow it down for a minute,” he leaned forward and held the mic away as Eskel shouted something up at him to which he laughed and flipped him off. 

“As I was saying, we’re gonna yearn for a minute or two and do a cover. Song by Jaskier called ‘Talk’.”

The crowd lost their shit again, various pride flags popping up throughout the stands. 

Geralt chuckled and raised his combat boot, showing off the bi flag colored treads, earning another round of screams. If this is what the grunge-metal scene was like, Jaskier had been missing out his entire life. Sure his fans were sweet and supportive and loving when he’d come out. But this was electric and feral and completely addictive.

Lambert struck the opening chord to Jaskier’s song and the crowd settled to a gentle hum, setting the tone immediately, as if they all knew exactly what was coming. 

Geralt closed his eyes as he tapped his thigh with one finger, keeping time before his rumbling baritone hit Jaskier like a freight train. 

“I’d be the voice that urged Orpheus when her body was found…”

Jaskier could have collapsed right there. He knew he was staring like a lovesick idiot, but hell, everyone around him was too. When the chorus hit and Eskel came in with a heavy bass line he nearly fell off his chair. Geralt’s intensity raised with the addition of the backup but he didn’t move. He stayed seated, swaying slightly, with his eyes closed as he crooned out the words Jaskier had sobbed as he wrote, broken hearted and miserable. 

It was surreal. 

Sure he’d seen other covers. Sure they’d been lovely. But he wanted to listen to this and only this as he fell asleep for the rest of his life. He’d never play it again if he could only hear it one more time. 

After the last verse Lambert launched into a guitar solo while Geralt jumped off the speaker and meandered to the center of the stage to slot his mic back in it’s stand. He gripped it like a lifeline when Lambert held one last note for as long as his instrument would allow and only started singing the last chorus when it was almost silent. 

“I won't deny I've got in my mind now all the things I would do

So I'll try to talk refined for fear that you find out how I'm imaginin' you

I won't deny I've got in my mind now all the things we could do

So I'll try to talk refined for fear that you find out how I'm imaginin' you”

His expression looked hopeless and utterly desperate as he crooned out the last two lines. He let his hair fall to cover his face and Jaskier could just barely hear his panting breath over the sound system as the crowd exploded. Geralt tipped his head back and took two deep breaths before straightening up and getting on with the show but Jaskier was stuck. 

He was vaguely aware of someone taking a picture of him, but he really couldn’t care less. The fact that Geralt moved right on to a song called ‘Burn Motherfucker Burn’ didn’t matter either. 

Jaskier jumped down from his arena seat, whipping out his phone and sending the band a tweet, because apparently that’s what musicians did now?

“Record it. Please. It’s either that or sing me to sleep every night. You choose.”

He stayed for the rest of the show and walked to his car in a haze. Before he backed out of his spot he checked his phone like always and his heart nearly stopped at the two top notifications. 

One public reply: “Both? -G”

And one direct message: “If you’re still here and want to grab a drink, I’m just backstage.” 

[gredandforgesmischief]

long story short - f.w

title: long story short

pairing: fred x female slytherin reader

summary: fred has been in love with y/n since they were fifteen, but the universe was never really on their side. (idk i'm bad at writing summaries but basically best friends to lovers. this takes place during gof in the spring.) this is also vaguely inspired by "long story short" by taylor swift bc i'm obsessed w her (see if you can find the lyrics)

other characters/pairings mentioned: adrian pucey/y/n, fred/angelina, george weasley, harry potter, ron weasley, neville longbottom

content warnings: its all fluff, some parts can be construed as angsty?? maybe probably not. sad fred at some point. sad y/n at some point. fred and y/n are both clueless all the time for no reason.

a/n: i wrote this with my Head Empty, but I hope you enjoy (feedback welcomed) also this wasn't proof read so ignore any grammatical errors

“... right Fred?”

“Yeah that’s cool, whatever,” Fred grumbled as a very irritated George hit his side.

The pair were having breakfast at the Gryffindor table, and the two were supposed to be brainstorming shop ideas, but it was apparent that Fred’s mind was off somewhere else.

Regardless of how hard he tried, Fred’s mind was often clouded with his feelings about Y/N. The two had been best friends since third year, and it took him a long time to realize that he wanted to be much more than just her best friend. But just as expected, right as Fred realized, Y/N had gotten into a relationship.

“Dude, Y/N is with Adrian now, you need to get over it,” George said. While he did feel bad for his twin, there wasn’t much that either of them could do about it.

Fred nodded, but just as he was about to respond to his brother, he noticed a flustered Y/N get up from the Slytherin table. In all honesty, if Fred hadn’t been staring at her he wouldn’t have noticed how distraught she was. Without another thought, the ginger boy got up from his seat and followed her into the corridor.

“Y/N, wait up!” Fred called out, not quite sure what he was going to say to her. The Slytherin girl slowed down, waiting for her friend to catch up.

When it came to his and Y/N’s relationship, there wasn’t a lot they wouldn’t talk about, but Y/N’s relationship with Adrian was a conversation that was often avoided. Y/N knew how Fred felt about Adrian, so she made an effort to keep the two as separate portions of her life.

“Hi, Fred,” Y/N’s cheeks were flushed, her eyes glossy.

Fred winced. Up until she had started dating Adrian, Y/N always called Fred by his nickname. When Y/N started dating Adrian she pulled away from Fred quickly. He could tell she tried to make everything seem normal, but it wasn’t.

“Is everything alright? You walked out of the Great Hall a bit fast.” Fred said. The pair were now sitting on a bench in the courtyard.

“Just… some stuff with Adrian.” Y/N said, knowing that there was no way that Fred would allow her to leave it at that. There was an ever growing vendetta that Fred had against Adrian, and him hurting Y/N would probably be the worst thing that the Slytherin could do.

“Listen, I know I’m not Adrian’s number one fan, but I’m still your best friend.” Fred said, hoping that Y/N would talk to him. It had been months since the two had chatted about anything of substance and he feared their friendship would fall apart if they kept avoiding each other.

Y/N went silent for a moment, weighing her options in her head. After a short while she looked at Fred and started, “Have you ever been in love?”

The question completely caught Fred off guard. He wasn’t exactly sure what he expected Y/N to say, but that wasn’t a question he was prepared to think about.

Sure, Fred had dated around during his time at Hogwarts, but the only person he had ever really loved was Y/N. It wasn’t something he had ever wanted to talk about with her, particularly because he didn’t know how great he would be at concealing his emotions. How terrible would it be for him to confess it to her while she was in a relationship?

Fred nodded, “Yeah, I’ve been in love before.”

“How did you know? What did it feel like?” Y/N asked, looking genuinely curious. Was Y/N truly asking him about this?

Fred looked at her incredulously, speaking once more, “Honestly, love, I think it's different for everyone,” The look on Y/N’s face was unreadable as Fred continued, “for me, I just knew.”

Y/N let out a deep sigh, “I feel like it’s all moving too fast.” There she goes again without any elaboration.

As Fred continued to give her terse answers, Y/N decided she had to describe what she meant. She had never really been great at putting her feelings into words, but she’d try.

“Adrian told me he loved me last night,” Fred’s face faltered, “and I didn’t say a word back.”

Fred wasn’t shocked by the idea that Adrian loved Y/N. The pair had been together for nearly five months, and Fred knew from experience how easy it was to fall in love with Y/N. If anything, it was more of a shock to him that Y/N didn’t say it back.

“But you do love him, right?” Once again, Fred hoped that Y/N would say what he wanted to hear. It was cruel of him to wish that Adrian and Y/N wouldn’t work out, but he couldn’t help it.

“I do,” Dammit. Y/N continued, “but I don’t think I’m in love with him. You know?”

Fred understood completely. He had loved a few of the girls he had dated, but he never felt in love. There was always some sort of hesitation that he had.

“I... just feel like I’m trying to force something that isn’t there,” The frustration was evident in Y/N’s voice. “And I thought that maybe I just needed more time, maybe we were moving too fast, but honestly I just can’t feel the way that I want to about Adrian.”

“Do you think there’s a reason why you can’t love him? You wouldn’t stop talking about him during Christmas break.” Fred said, recalling Y/N’s happiness after Adrian had asked her to the Yule Ball.

“What do you mean? I don’t think I acted any differently about Adrian during break.” Y/N was confused. If anything, Fred was the one who had acted strangely during Christmas break.

“No, I definitely recall you acting funny,” Fred said as Y/N shot him a glare.”You ignored me for two weeks Y/N.” Y/N frowned, shaking her head.

Fred remembered the two weeks in vivid detail. Up until six months ago, Fred and Y/N were attached at the hip. That’s why Y/N’s sudden absence in his life stung. In some way it felt like Y/N had picked Adrian over Fred, but he didn’t know why.

“Fred, I did ignore you, but do you really not know why?” Y/N said.

Once more, Fred tried to remember the events leading up to Y/N and Adrian’s relationship, but everything seemed normal. Adrian and Y/N had always been friends. It wasn’t strange for friends to date.

Fred shook his head, prompting Y/N to tell him what had happened.

-

It was a week before the Yule Ball, and the cheeriness around the castle was gleaming. The Great Hall was decked out with garlands of tinsel. Mistletoe was hanging in all of the corridors. It was nearly impossible to be unhappy with how much light was around., but as Y/N had watched what felt like the fiftieth person get asked to the Yule Ball, she was feeling less than cheerful.

“Y/N!” Fred greeted, earning an adoring smile from the girl in front of him. She was sitting in the Gryffindor common room, as she had just been working on an herbology project with Neville.

“Hiya, Freddie, what’s up?” Y/N was excited. She and Fred had been spending a lot more time together recently, and she was convinced that he was going to finally ask her out.

Fred smiled, “I need advice. ” Y/N nodded, encouraging the ginger boy to continue, “if you were to get asked to say, a ball, how would you want to be asked?”

Y/N was practically exploding with joy at this point, but alas, Fred still needed an answer.

“Well, for me personally, I’m not fond of the huge gestures. I feel like if you really like someone then you should just… ask? I know that’s a bit boring, but I wouldn’t want everyone to be involved in my business, so public gestures aren’t for me.” Y/N was getting rambly, a clear sign of her nerves.

Before Y/N could ramble anymore, Fred was marching up the dormitory stairs, calling out a short, “Thanks, Y/N!” over his shoulder.

Although Fred’s behavior was strange, Y/N brushed it off as Fred being, well, Fred. The boy often did things that were unexplainable. It wasn’t until dinner that day that Y/N had realized why Fred had asked her about the ball.

-

“Y/N, c’mon what’s on your mind?” Adrian asked, poking his friend in the side. Y/N was staring down her plate, pushing around peas with her fork. After her encounter with Fred earlier in the day, she had been on edge. The ball was coming up quick, and at this point it was now or never.

“It’s nothing important, don’t worry about me.” Y/N had finally put her fork down, flashing a sad smile at the boy. Adrian looked suspicious, but as he opened his mouth to talk, the pair noticed commotion at the Gryffindor table.

George was ruffling Fred’s hair, and Ron and Harry were laughing. Fred had a smirk on his face, his cheeks tinged a pink color. Just as Y/N was about to approach Fred to ask what the deal was, Fred walked out of the dining hall.

“I’ll be right back,” Y/N told Adrian, before walking to the Gryffindor table to ask George about what was up.

“Hey, George, what was that all about?” Y/N asked as she sat.

“Oh, Freddie boy just asked Angelina to the Yule Ball!” George replied, causing the two other boys to start to laugh again.

Y/N muttered a “thanks” to George before heading out of the Great Hall. She nearly sprinted to the Slytherin common room, not wanting to have a meltdown in the middle of the hall. Y/N was convinced that Fred would ask her to the ball, and it stung like hell to know that he had asked someone that wasn’t her.

When she arrived outside the common room, Adrian was waiting outside for her. Without any question, Adrian outstretched his arms, embracing the teary-eyed girl.

-

“You wanted me to ask you to the ball!?” Fred asked, mentally slapping himself for being so clueless.

Y/N nodded her head yes, clasping her hands together. She thought she had been very obvious about how she felt about Fred, but it was clear he truly didn’t know.

“I’m sorry, Y/N, I never meant to make you upset. Angie and I went as friends anyway.” Fred apologized. He hated seeing Y/N cry, and to think that he was the reason made his insides churn.

While Y/N had cleared up her pre-Yule Ball behavior, there were still a few questions that Fred had.

“Okay, but what does any of that have to do with Adrian? If you wanted me to ask you out, why did you start dating Adrian?” Fred asked, despite knowing how forward all of those questions were.

Y/N sighed, this wasn’t the part of the story that she was particularly proud of.

“Other than you and George, Adrian is probably my closest guy friend. After I heard about you and Angie, Adrian was the person who comforted me while I was crying. I think somewhere along the lines I got my feelings for him all confused…” Y/N trailed off.

“Adrian was sort of an escape from everything. I thought that if you were dating Angie it would stop whatever friendship we had going. It felt like I got knocked off of some weird pedestal.” Y/N’s explanation made some sense, but it didn’t explain why she wouldn’t just talk to him.

“Why didn’t you just talk to me, Y/N? We’re best friends.”

Y/N let out a soft laugh, “I sort of went down a rabbit hole when I stopped talking to you. I was embarrassed, and Adrian was sweet. But after it all, I think I was trying to emulate whatever feelings I had for you with him. I thought clinging to another person would stop my feelings. Clearly it didn’t work. It was just a bad time.”

From what Y/N was saying, Fred was hoping that this meant something for the two of them. But right now, Y/N was still with Adrian, and neither of them would ever do that to them.

“Y/N, you need to tell Adrian how you feel.” If the two were going to date, it had to be proper. Fred didn’t want to be some sort of secret.

“I did, that’s why I ran off actually. We broke it off yesterday, it was just a lot for me to be sitting with him today…” Y/N was slightly embarrassed.

“There goes your excellent communication skills again, why didn’t you start with that?” Fred teased, earning a groan from Y/N.

“Hey, the knife cuts both ways. If you had just said that you were asking Angie to the ball I would have never gotten my hopes up!” Y/N quipped back, intertwining her hands with Fred’s.

Fred sighed happily, “Is there any chance that you still feel the same way about me?” Fred was sure he knew what she’d say, but this situation had proved the two needed to talk more.

Y/N laughed, pressing a soft kiss to his lips, “I’m all about you, Freddie.”

[ot3]

i find it wild that so many people say they like amphibia better than the owl house when i've struggled so hard to make it through amphibia season 1 (i'm up to episode 17 i think). maybe it gets a lot better after S1 but i wish i didn't have to slog through so many episodes in a row of "anne does something inconsiderate and irresponsible because she is a Flawed Teen™, consequences happen, friendships are deepened" just to get a hint of plot, and then immediately go back to the same thing. i wouldn't even mind the slow pacing of the overarching plot thus far if each individual episode was just more interesting! whereas with the owl house, i've been excited to watch the latest episode from the show's start, i love the worldbuilding and characters and seeing what they get up to and how they interact every week. i know it's not perfect, and maybe i feel differently because i actually started watching TOH as it was airing, while i'm watching amphibia after the fact, so maybe i'm just less patient with it? but idk i just find the whole experience less enjoyable, overly predictable, and feeling like it was written for an audience too young for me to enjoy. idk idk am i watching the show wrong or something? do i just need to get past season 1 and then i'll like it?

this might just be a taste thing because 'feeling like it was written for an audience too young for me to enjoy' is pretty much exactly how i feel about the owl house! amphibia definitely has a slow first season but i found the characters enjoyable enough and the jokes funny enough that i was still able to have fun watching those episodes. i expect a little bit of formula in childrens tv so im not too put off by it. a formula, to me, shows that you understand what the Intent of your writing is. by contrast, i found the owl house to be very disjointed. it didnt seem to be entirely sure what kind of vibe it was trying to cultivate and in my opinion it introduced a bunch of different premises: girl who is a witch's apprentice, girl who goes to magic school, and girl who is looking for a quest, and just sort of flip-flopped between them while failing to deliver on the true appeal of any one of these topics.

the fact that ann does a bunch of dumbass Flawed Teen things in the beginning is also part of what endeared me to her because it's made the character growth she's gone through feel really earned! in fact one of my biggest complaints about luz as a protagonist was that she doesn't have any meaningful flaws. her victories don't feel particularly deserved either. whereas amphibia genuinely feels like it builds towards its heavier plot beats, the owl house, to me, felt like it was just sort of arriving there as part of a predetermined course and the stuff that happened in the middle didn't even really have all that much of an effect on that.

you're correct to say that early amphibia is 'consequences happen, friendships deepen, shreds of plot are revealed' and i would also not like it if that's how things stayed, but there is genuinely a ton of payoff for all of that and it's really good. as the final season builds further towards the show's conclusion, the relationships that these characters forged while they were just fucking around in frogtown are proving to be genuinely meaningful and it's impactful in a way it wouldn't be if we didn't get the chance to watch these bonds grow naturally. i can safely say that amphibia is not dragging you around with a breadcrumb trail for no reason; everything is coming together really nicely in the end here.

i definitely find the worldbuilding to be the most interesting thing about the owl house, which is why i'm pretty disappointed in the fact that it seems to be kind of underbaked in some ways. something that's been particularly bothering me is that in the covention episode they introduced all of the non-main covens that people in this world could join, but now as the coven system becomes the main plot point of the show there has literally been nothing to recontextualize that (im a couple episodes behind, though, so i might be wrong!) and it just seems like this huge hole that's undercutting the story to me. it's something id be more than willing to overlook if they werent asking me to take it so seriously, yknow?

im really sad i Dont like the owl house because i really really wanted to, everything about it looks RIGHT up my alley. but it just hasnt been able to deliver on the potential of its premise or characters (edas the only one i really care about) whereas amphibia is something that has way less appeal to me on principle but i feel like is really well executed. id recommend giving it another chance!