#and skipped them upon reread

[sorchasolas]

Have i never rlly connected with Venli on any level and really only like her because she brings a level of variety to the narrative + Timbre<3 ? Yes.

Will i hate everyone forever if anything bad ever happens to her? Yea.

[turon-na-saging]

Fixation at Strength

sung jinwoo with a short older female reader older that has herculean strength like Do Bong Soon.

a/n: hello everyone, this is my first contribution to this fandom 🙆‍♀️. my writing skills has definitely rusted from years of inactive writing but hope you like this. i was working on the isekai corporate slave reader, but this kept occupying my mind so now this was born lol.

update a/n: had to edit a few things after rereading as it mostly comes off as a self-insert instead of a reader insert. apologies for that. 🙇‍♀️

EDITED WARNING: this is my first time attempting writing a yandere/dark fic. if such trope makes you uncomfortable, please continue scrolling and ignore this post.

EDITED TAGS: mentions of blackmailing, cliché plot/trope, probably the brewing beginning of dark jinwoo(?)

[you are here] [2]

Sung Jinwoo was brooding.

He was on his way home after clearing a gate an hour earlier when the system screen popped up in his face. On the screen, an alert was issued to look out for a potential threat. With a loud ring, the amount of distance was shown to him.

His eyes narrow at the distance drastically went shorter. Was this a hunter? Possibly a monster? He hasn't heard or receive any news of a dungeon break near this neighborhood. His body was tense as he ready himself at the upcoming threat. His eyes shook as he looked at the number closely. It was coming closer to him. Glancing at every road corner of the neighborhood around him, he waited.

The tension he felt was immediately broken once he heard a light-hearted humming. A short young woman appears from the corner of the neighborhood staring down at her phone.

Jinwoo nearly tripped at the sight. Was the system broken? Jinwoo thought as he stared at the short woman before him who walked passed by glancing at him for a second before minding back your own business. He double checked at the screen and indeed it really was you that the system considered a potential threat, seeing the number of distance growing again after he passed by you. Not to mention, he could not see or sense a single mana around you yet why did the system deemed you a threat? Unless you were like him?

A notification appeared as it now identified you not a threat and the alert was closed.

Something didn't felt right. The fact the system reacted to you like that. Using his stealth skill, he followed behind you hidden from sight. He could hear you hum as you wonder what to get for tonight's dinner. With raised eyebrows, he can tell you are quite harmless and . But then again, you are a civilian and not an awakened hunter like him.

Deep laughter broke him from his thoughts as he saw an approaching group of 3 guys. Based from their clothes, the few armors they had and the aura they're emitting, they are definitely hunters. D-rank to be exact. He looked at you, who was still happily skipping as you scroll down your phone.

As he predicted, you accidentally bumped your shoulder into one of the hunters in the group. You immediately offer an apology to the man, but he didn't liked it as he grabbed your arm and tore off the phone from your hand, slamming it down the ground.

"The hell was that woman! Not a proper apology? You just bumped into a fucking hunter, show some respect!" The burly guy, who could tell was the leader, shouted.

"That's right boss! Tell 'em!" His buddies cackled beside him as if they found a new entertainment.

Jinwoo was about to show and finish those guys himself when he froze upon seeing you push the man like nothing making him fly hard to the nearby trashdump. His buddies took a step back out of shock before you expressed your frustration at them holding your now broken phone.

Jinwoo was in disbelief as he quietly watched you singlehandedly beat them up and dragged each of the guys by pulling up by their top, lining them up against the wall to kneel near the garbage dump. They were cowering as they sobbed snots pouring out of their nose.

He could hear you ask their ages with each of them obediently answering. After their answer, you made sure to lightly smack each of their heads yet the men cried harder as if it was painful, after learning they were younger than you. Judging from the state those men were in as they bow down apologizing to you in tears and swearing not to be bunch of assholes anymore, you have certainly already taught them enough lesson.

A noona? You sure didn't look like it. Jinwoo just felt something light inside him despite his human emotions slowly died out from the near death experience he had after he received the system. If one were to look closely, there was redness on his ears.

Upon finally noticing him standing a few feet away from where you were, you froze as there was a witness. But there was something unsettling for you, his eyes were glowing purple and small wisps of shadows surrounded him. That definitely screamed danger to you. This man is a hunter and far more dangerous than the usual ones you encountered. You may have your superstrength, but you remain cautious as your jinx may backfire.

Seeing you were distracted, the men scrambled off running away in fear. You didn't pay them any mind as your attention was on the hooded man a few feet away from you.

"Who are you...?" You warily asked, fists clenched watching him with caution.

Jinwoo couldn't hold back his chuckle. He may have seen your strength and knew not to underestimate you. The height difference was big with him towering over you. But you were too adorable for him despite being older than him. This unknown feeling was growing rapidly at the sight of you, high alert looking up at him with wariness. Like a cat ready to bare her claws and fangs, he mused.

You have certainly caught his interest. Was this a good thing? With the smirk present on Jinwoo's face and the glint in his glowing eyes? Well, who knows.

At the sudden shift in the mood, you could only feel dread and the urge to run away. Like a predator laying its eyes on its prey, waiting for its move.

You gasped when he was infront of you, leaning down close to your face the instant you blinked. His eyes lingered at the company ID which displayed your name for a few seconds before a smirk graced his lips.

"Sung Jinwoo. Nice to meet you, noona~"

Upon hearing that name, your blood ran cold. Korea's 10th S-Class Hunter, the one people especially the media have been going crazy about lately. His display of strength during the Jeju Island Raid has certainly earned him a reputation and admirers. With growing popularity, there will be no doubt people who see him in a negative light.

With your instincts of danger sent shivers down your spine, you held his arm as you plan on throwing him down the ground as a warning to stepping into someone's personal space. Instead of that happening, the ground under your feet crumbled as you realized Jinwoo was not budging an inch. Your eyes went wide in shock and perhaps fear. It didn't work.

Seeing as you didn't stand a chance, you are about to step away but he immediately held you by your waist pulling you close to him. The shadows around him made you freeze, like you'll be swallowed whole in any moment. You are shaking without realizing it.

Jinwoo felt bad that he found this sight of you cute. He easily towered and covered you as you only reached until his chest. He didn't know why he felt the need to pull you close to him. This was an entirely knew feeling for him.

"It is curious as to why you're not a hunter with that strength, noona? Does the Association know there's an unregistered awakened?" He whispered in your ear. It was a teasing tone yet it was laced also with threat.

"I-I'm not an awakened! I swear!" You hastily answered. "Please don't report me! I really am not!"

Your thoughts were running out of control as you try to come up with excuses regarding your power. Meanwhile Jinwoo remained silent as he continue staring at you, contemplating. Indeed you are speaking the truth as he couldn't sense even a speck of mana on your body, even at this close contact. Unless you have tremendous skill of cloaking it to the point of being thought as a normal person. After a minute, he finally let go despite not fully satisfied with what he got.

"I'll believe you for now." Jinwoo released his grip from your waist as you sighed in relief before glancing up at him again with those wary eyes.

"But in exchange, I wanna see noona more often." His eyes narrowed as it glowed, yet he has a smile that you couldn't describe. "Wouldn't want the Association learn of your power right?"

The confidence he held by holding the knowledge of your deepest secret, Jinwoo knew you would've give in. Seeing you glanced down at your broken phone, he knew what you were insinuating.

"I have my ways of finding you. Seoul is a smaller than you might think." He simply answered with a shrug. With a sour look you nodded, he knew he already won.

His phone rang making you both broke eye contact as he check who was calling. Seeing it was his younger sister, Jin-Ha, he had no choice but to part ways with you for now. "Sadly, I would have to cut our meeting short. I'll see you soon, noona."

To your surprise, his whole body slowly disappeared like mist leaving you alone in the middle of the neighborhood street. You definitely have sealed your fate.

Without a second thought, you ran away in haste as to make sure you've gained distance away from that place. Once you were home, your family noticed your pale complexion and thought it was due to a long day of work. Although bad news for you, he already planted some of his shadows to yours without you knowing.

Anyways, thank you for reading y'all! Thoughts are appreciated! Don't mind me going feral for this as I'll be making more parts for this pairing. owo/

[hongcherry]

pretty please (stain me red) || c.sc [1]

It's the night of your boyfriend's company award banquet and all you want to do is support him, but slurs from an attendee and your self-doubts begin to taint the night. Seungcheol offers to distract your mind in a way he's been wanting to do ever since he saw you getting ready earlier.

🍒 Pairing: businessWorker!Seungcheol x fashionDesigner!Reader (f) [Pretty Please couple] 🍒 Rating/Genres/AUs: M(18+)/Fluff, angst/Established relationship 🍒 Word Count: 5.3k 🍒 Warnings: Pronouns and nicknames (she/her, Cherry, babe/baby), poor horny cheol, suggestive dialogue and actions, outfit descriptors, reader is cheol's #1 defender 🍒 Timeline: This takes place after “love me,” but you don’t need to read that prior to this. 🍒 Author's Note: Goodness, I've been sitting on this story for MONTHS, but then life happens ofc 😭 I'm so excited to share more of this couple! And big thanks to @lovetaroandtaemin for beta'ing this!!! I've reread it too many times and desperately needed extra eyes ♥️

pretty please masterpost | seventeen masterlist | main masterlist

part two

this blog is 18+. minors do not interact. plz & ty! (ageless/minors/blanks blogs will be blocked)

“Babe, can you help me with—oh, fuck.”

Seungcheol halts at the doorway of the bathroom, barely breaching a toe inside.

The red lipstick in your hand is a few centimeters from your mouth, but you pause upon hearing Seungcheol. You meet your boyfriend’s gaze in the mirror.

“What’s wrong?” you ask and straighten your posture.

Seungcheol’s eyes scan your body, mouth slightly agape and eyes wide. Finally, he snaps out of his daze and moves closer.

“You’re going in that?” he questions.

“Is something wrong with it?” You frown, eyes drifting down to your outfit. It’s a dark maroon dress with a semi-deep v-neck and a high slit over one of the thighs.

Seungcheol notices your sad expression and is quick to shake his head.

“No, not at all, baby,” he reassures hurriedly and steps up behind you. He places his hands on your hips, giving them a comforting squeeze.

“Then…?” you trail off, shifting your gaze to him in the mirror again.

He goes to nuzzle his face in your neck, but you move away. His eyebrows furrow in puzzlement.

“You’re going to ruin my hair,” you explain.

Seungcheol sighs half-heartedly. He’s not surprised but still disappointed. He just wants to give you affection; especially when you look as breathtaking as you do now.

“Now, what’s up with my outfit?” you repeat, then briefly check the time on your phone that’s resting on the counter. You don’t have much time left until you have to leave.

“Nothing,” Seungcheol replies. “You just look really pretty.”

You smile and turn slightly in his hands.

“Thank you, Cheol.” You give him a quick kiss on his lips and try to rotate back, but Seungcheol reaches out before you completely face forward.

His hand gently guides your face back to his, connecting your lips once more. Though this time, he makes sure the kiss lasts longer. His lips feel sweet against yours; it’s an addicting taste that you can’t get enough of. Despite this, you force yourself away. You’ll be late if you don’t leave in a few minutes. Though, you have a feeling Seungcheol wouldn’t mind.

Seungcheol bites his lower lip and tries to readjust your body so your front is facing him; however, you nudge him and turn to the mirror.

You finally begin applying the lipstick. You’ve finished your lower lip when you feel Seungcheol press a hand down on your lower back, bending you further over the counter.

You narrow your eyes at his reflection.

“Cheol,” you warn and try to stand up. Seungcheol just presses his hand harder. He leans over you, lower half flush against yours. You can feel his growing bulge pressing into you, which makes your breath catch. 

“What if we just skip tonight, hm?” he murmurs.

“We can’t. You’re supposed to be winning an award,” you reply firmly. 

Seungcheol trails a hand up your back as you speak, eyes dropping down to your chest.

“You can give me plenty of awards here,” he says and slowly tugs one of your dress straps down. The act exposes more of your cleavage.

Seungcheol leans in to press soft kisses along your shoulder blade and downward.

“T-That doesn’t even make sense,” you respond, trying to push down the need that’s growing.

“I don’t care.”

Seungcheol’s other hand moves to the remaining strap, prepared to pull it down too, but you reach up to stop his hand.

“Cheol,” you repeat. “We can do this when we get back.”

“You’re really trying to kill me, aren’t you, Cherry?” he groans and retracts himself from you.

You give him a soft smile as you adjust your dress.

“I would never,” you reply teasingly before finishing your lipstick.

Seungcheol leans against the wall as he watches you. He’s seen you apply makeup plenty of times, yet he still loves watching you work. However, he’s tempted to walk away this time. The way you’re leaning over the sink causes your dress to hug your ass more and your breasts to be more prominent. It’s taking a lot of self-control to keep his hands off you.

And that damn lipstick.

He just wants to smear it across your face as he—

“You really gotta start thinking of something else,” you say, shattering his daydreaming. You’ve moved away from the mirror now, lipstick applied perfectly.

“What?” he asks.

You laugh and drop your gaze down. Seungcheol follows your eyes and sees a noticeable tent in his pants.

“Fuck, Yn,” he sighs while leaning his head back on the wall.

You bite your lip at the way he said that.

“You know,” you murmur and flatten out his tie. “You make it hard not to stay, too. You look really sexy right now.”

“Then let’s just stay,” he whines, placing a hand over yours on his chest. He starts pushing it down, but you pull away before you can get close to his belt.

“No can do. You deserve this award, so you’ll be there to get it. Now, did you need something from earlier?” you ask and step out of the bathroom.

Seungcheol thinks hard to remember why he came to you in the first place.

“I just needed help with the cufflinks.”

Your eyebrows raise suspiciously. You know he’s fully capable of putting them on himself since he’s done it in the past. Regardless, you nod as you retrieve your shoes.

“Okay, give me a second,” you instruct as you slip on your heels. 

“Dammit, babe,” Seungcheol exasperates.

You raise your eyebrows while you reach out for his wrists. “What now?”

“You’re wearing those heels, too?”

��You prefer I wear my slippers?”

“I prefer if you wore noth—”

“You’re acting like a horny teenager.” You laugh.

Seungcheol frowns. “It’s all your fault.”

You laugh again and pat his chest. “Well, start thinking about dead puppies. It’s time to go.”

Before he can protest once more, you snatch your purse off the dresser and make your way to the door. Seungcheol reluctantly follows you a moment later.

“Seungcheol!” an unknown woman greets as soon as you both enter the ballroom. She appears to be around the same age. She smiles brightly at him, and you wonder just how close they are.

“Hi, Eunji,” Seungcheol grins.

“I would say you clean up nice, but I guess you always look this way… At least at work,” she laughs, and he follows along.

“Nothing’s changed,” he replies kindly.

You try not to make a disgusted face at the interaction. You know jealousy isn’t a good look, but the green monster doesn’t want to stay in hiding.

You know Seungcheol would never cheat on you, but that doesn’t mean he won’t leave you for someone else. You’re not oblivious to your unfriendly attitude. You’ve been working on it, but there’s only so much you can change until you lose who you are. Seungcheol has always seemed to be the type to find someone less… you.

“Is this Yn?” Eunji suddenly asks.

You blink, thoughts skidding to a stop at her question.

Seungcheol pulls you closer and nods. “The one and only. Yn, this is Eunji. We’re usually on the same team for projects. Eunji, this is Yn. My girlfriend.”

“Yeah, yeah.” She waves him off. “I know plenty about her. You can’t go a day without bringing her up.”

Seungcheol coughs awkwardly at being tattled on.

She then turns to you and offers a hand. “It’s lovely to finally meet you. You’re more gorgeous in person.”

“O-Oh. Thank you,” you stammer and shake her hand. Does that mean she’s seen photos of you? You wonder when that happened.

“Where’s Dee?” Seungcheol asks.

“Oh, she went to go get—”

“Sodas are here!” Another woman arrives.

“Here she is!” Eunji beams. “Thanks, babe.”

They exchange a kiss that makes you feel guilty.

Seungcheol gives you a squeeze, probably reading your mind, as you watch them exchange sweet greetings.

“Yn, this is Diana or Dee. My girlfriend.” She smiles.

You both shake hands.

“Nice to meet you,” you say.

“Likewise!”

“Seungcheol?” A man comes up behind him.

Seungcheol turns to see who called his name. “Oh, Mr. Cheon. I’m glad you came.”

Mr. Cheon is an older man with grey streaks in his hair and glasses.

He nods, then drifts his attention toward you. “And who’s your beautiful guest?”

“My girlfriend, Yn,” Seungcheol responds with a smile.

“Pleased to meet you,” Mr. Cheon says.

You exchange another handshake. “You as well.”

“Do you mind if I steal your boyfriend? I’d like to introduce him to some friends of mine,” he says.

“Oh, that’s no problem at all,” you lie through a smile. Despite your reputation in college, you’ve never been the one for parties. The idea of being left alone in a big room filled with business people sets you on edge. You had hoped you could leech onto Seungcheol the entire night.

Seungcheol senses your worry and whispers in your ear, “You sure, Cherry? You can stay with me.”

You shake your head. “Go have fun. I’ll find myself a quiet corner.”

He narrows his eyes. He pulls back and makes eye contact with Eunji.

“Hey, Eunji. Do you mind keeping Yn company for a bit?” he asks.

“Not at all!” Eunji smiles. “We’ll have fun.”

“I don’t need babysitting!” you huff lowly, so only he can hear.

Seungcheol chuckles. “You’re not being babysat. I prefer you not to be alone anyway.”

“I’m sure I’ll be safe here.”

“It’ll ease my mind to know you’re with others.”

Sighing, you nod.

Seungcheol leans in for a kiss but you pull away.

“Lipstick,” you explain. He sighs inwardly at having forgotten. 

“Cheek?” he wonders.

You shake your head. You had put a full face of makeup on and are sure Seungcheol doesn’t want to taste the products—even if he says they smell good. Seungcheol takes your hand in the end and kisses the back of it instead. Before letting go, he tugs you a little closer.

“Your makeup will be ruined later tonight anyway,” he whispers in your ear. “I would’ve just gotten a head start.”

You try not to show surprise on your face. You give his hand a warning squeeze, which he just smirks in response. 

He lets go of your hand and leaves to join the conversation Mr. Cheon got dragged into while waiting for Seungcheol.

You feel a tap on your shoulder and glance to see who it is.

Eunji smiles and nods to somewhere in the ballroom. “We’re going to go clear out the snack table. Want to come?”

You chuckle, nodding.

You follow Eunji and Diana to the snack bar that’s filled with an assortment of finger food. It looks delicious, but you don’t feel hungry. Despite this, you put a tiny amount on your plate to appease Eunji and Diana.

Once they both have a plate full of goodies, they lead you to an empty table. They make casual conversation, asking about your job and hobbies. They’re easy to get along with, and they don’t seem too judgmental. You’re glad Seungcheol befriended them. 

“Don’t eat that! You already had three,” a voice rings out two tables away.

Curious, you peer behind Dee’s shoulder. A woman with a fancy updo hairstyle and a sparkly dress sits beside a man. She must sense your stare because she averts her focus to you. She gives you one quick once-over before rolling her eyes and looking back to her company.

She leans in and whispers something in his ear. They both turn to look at someone. You follow their gazes in Seungcheol’s direction. Are they looking at him or at someone nearby?

“That’s Leanne Lane. Her boyfriend’s been wanting the award Seungcheol’s getting since he first joined the company,” Eunji whispers when she sees you studying the woman. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she tried to get cozy with the committee members who chose the award.”

Although you try not to judge people on their appearances since you’ve been on the receiving end, you can’t help but think there’s some truth to Eunji’s words.

You narrow your gaze at them knowing they’re probably shit-talking Seungcheol. Jealousy never did good for anyone.

“Seems like she wants that award more for herself,” you observe.

Eunji laughs. “Probably. I heard she only got with Hwan because she thought he’d climb the ranks fast.”

“Where’d they meet?” you question.

“I think at one of these events?” Dee chimes in. She glances at Eunji for confirmation.

Eunji nods. “He didn’t get that award, but he got something else. Granted, he’s a good worker, but not as good as someone you know.”

She wiggles her brows; it’s clear she means Seungcheol. Pride fills your chest knowing people are recognizing his efforts so soon. So much so that he’s getting an award for it.

Not wanting Leanne to sour your mood, you divert your attention back to Seungcheol’s friends. They converse amongst themselves, asking you questions here and there. Your gaze frequently drifts to where Seungcheol is across the room. He stands amongst a small group, smiling and nodding at what’s being said. He looks almost at home surrounded by fancy-suited business people.

You can’t help but wonder if he secretly wishes you were more like them too. If maybe he had made a mistake in giving you a chance. Should he have chosen a certain someone instead?

Seungcheol’s gaze suddenly meets yours. The smile on his face grows, and his eyes soften. Your lips raise involuntarily. 

He looks so handsome tonight in his dark pinstripe suit. Although Seungcheol was gawking at you at home, you can’t deny you were silently doing the same. Maybe if it wasn’t such an important event, you would’ve caved and been late. 

You get so lost in his brown eyes that you don’t realize his friends are asking you a question. Though, when someone taps Seungcheol to get his attention, you finally register the giggles at your table. 

Your gaze shifts to Eunji and Dee, who are both looking at you with teasing smiles. 

Biting your lip, you tuck your chin and take a drink to distract yourself. 

For tonight, you’ll try not to focus on your worries. It’s Seungcheol’s night after all. You don’t want to spoil it. 

By the time Seungcheol’s award category is announced, you’re exhausted.

You’re sat at a table with Seungcheol, Eunji, Dee, Mr. Cheon, and their date. Seungcheol has his hand laced with yours under the table, resting on his thigh. All you want to do is lean against him and close your eyes.

“Next award is the Emerging Leader Award,” the host announces.

You perk up and glance at Seungcheol with knowing eyes. He keeps his gaze forward but gives your joined hands a little shake to acknowledge you. 

“This award is dedicated to a person who has shown great communication and teamwork skills early in their career,” the host continues.

You squeeze Seungcheol’s hand as they speak, eager for him to be recognized. Seungcheol reciprocates the gesture.

“This year, this person has demonstrated leadership abilities among colleagues and has been a great asset with collaborative work. We are grateful to have him join us this year.

The recipient of the Emerging Leader Award goes to Mr. Choi Seungcheol.”

Applause erupts in the room.

Seungcheol smiles, turns to you, presses a quick peck to your temple, and makes his way to the stage. He bows every once in a while when someone congratulates him on the way.

Amongst the applause, you hear a scoff from the table next to you. You know it’s Leanne from earlier.

“Thank you, everyone,” Seungcheol says with a dimpled grin; the claps settle down. “Throughout my time here, I’ve worked with many talented and intelligent coworkers—many of whom—”

“What a kiss up. I bet that’s the reason he got that award,” Leanne mutters under her breath.

Your hands curl into fists in front of you, trying to focus on Seungcheol’s words. He deserves the award without someone spewing insults at him.

“—honor to be the recipient of this award. Thank you to—” Seungcheol continues.

“How unoriginal. I bet he made AI write his speech,” Leanne, now the Bitchy Yapper in your books, huffs.

Applause erupts once more when Seungcheol ends his speech, but you can’t bask in his glory because you missed the majority of it.

You force your feet to stay planted as you turn your head and glare at her. She catches your gaze but doesn’t try to hide her annoyance. She simply tilts her head as if to challenge you. Your lips twitch in an almost snarl, but stop when a hand touches your shoulder.

You snap your gaze away and meet Seungcheol’s smiling face. He takes his seat, placing his glass award on the table. You force a similar grin and rest a hand on his bicep affectionately.

“Congratulations, Cheol,” you whisper.

He leans in to peck your cheek despite your earlier protest. “Thank you, baby.”

The host moves on to announce more awards. The rest of the ceremony lasts twenty minutes. When it’s over, the crowd disperses again. People you don’t recognize come and congratulate Seungcheol.

In the distance, you can see Leanne scolding Hwan quietly in the corner. He looks guilty and slightly annoyed. You almost feel bad for him.

Although you told yourself not to get involved, you have to fight the desire harder as the seconds tick by. You know she’s talking down on Seungcheol. Probably calling him names and making more excuses as to why he shouldn’t have won. 

“I’ll be right back,” Seungcheol tells you after Eunji and Dee give their congrats and exchange hugs before bidding you both a goodnight. “Bathroom.”

You wait for Seungcheol to go out of view then sneak off to confront Leanne. You can’t sit silent any longer.

“I’m sure your potty mouth is really favored around here.”

The woman spins. Her eyes immediately turn into slits when she meets your gaze. She looks disgusted, and you wonder if that’s her natural resting expression. Hwan takes a few steps back, obviously not wanting to be in the middle of a catfight. 

“And who the hell are you? Oh—wait—you’re that kiss-ass’ date.”

“Kiss ass? Is that not you, though?” you ask, pretending to think.

She scoffs. “I’m not kissing anyone’s ass.”

“Oh, sorry. I thought that’s what you called people who suck up to others to gain something.”

Her face tightens with anger.

“As if you’re not whoring around that man for his money,” she growls.

“You know,” you begin with a smile, “usually when people get this defensive, it’s because they’re guilty.”

Leanne stares at you, nostrils flaring as she tries to control herself.

“I’m not guilty of anything. I love Hwan.”

You raise your brows. “Love him for who he is, or what he can do for you?”

If Hwan can hear you, he doesn’t make it known. He stares off into the distance with a cold drink in his hand. 

“What are you trying to say?” Leanne grits out.

You take a slight step closer so no one will hear.

“How badly did you wish it was your boyfriend up there tonight?” you wonder.

“Please,” she scoffs. “If it weren’t for your suck-up boy toy, Hwan would’ve won.”

Your eyes narrow slightly.

“I think you just need to accept Seungcheol’s a natural leader and a team player.”

“And you should accept he didn’t deserve it,” she replies.

You try to push down the growing anger. Out of all the things she’s said so far, this one really yanks your strings. Even though you’ve never witnessed Seungcheol in action, you know he’s a diligent worker. He earned this award organically, and it infuriates you to hear Leanne say otherwise.

“Team player my ass,” she adds under her breath. “He’s just got those idiots wrapped around his finger.”

“Maybe if you didn’t talk so much shit, you wouldn’t be reeking of it,” you argue.

“You little fucking bitch,” she seethes.

You force a chuckle. There’s a lot more you want to say, but you’ve said enough already. You don’t want to cause a scene on Seungcheol’s big day.

“Have a nice night,” you reply with a bright smile.

You waltz around her and see Seungcheol looking at you suspiciously. You just continue to smile.

“What were you up to, Cherry?” he asks, amused.

You shrug and glance at the award in his hand. It’s made of glass with his name and award title etched on it.

“I can’t talk to other guests?” you ask.

Seungcheol gives you a look. “You can, but the way that woman is glaring at your back says you weren’t just talking.”

You hum and rub your lips together to mask your smile.

“You need pictures with your award,” you demand to change topics.

Seungcheol begins to protest, but you grab his hand and lead him to an area that’s nicely decorated.

“Cherry,” he huffs behind you.

You ignore him and find an empty spot. You nudge him towards the wall then step back and pull out your phone from your purse.

“Smile, Cheol,” you instruct.

Seungcheol ducks his chin down, covering his face with one hand in embarrassment.

You shift to one hip and frown.

“The sooner I can get a picture, the sooner you can stop,” you say.

Seungcheol takes a deep breath, slowly lowering his hand and forcing his eyes to stay on yours. He grins timidly.

“A real smile,” you say.

Seungcheol relaxes his face and shifts his grin to appear more genuine, showing off his dimples. You raise the camera, taking a few photos from different angles before you release him from the spotlight.

Seungcheol wastes no time to move from the wall. You can tell he wants to hide his face in your neck—something he normally does when he’s embarrassed. However, he’s still at a work event.

“Excuse me,” someone says beside you. You turn to see an older woman. “Would you like a picture together?”

Your face lights up. “That would be lovely.”

The woman smiles and holds out her hand. After quickly opening your camera app and handing the device over, you stand near the wall with Seungcheol. He stands next to you, wrapping one arm around your waist while the other holds up his award. You lean into him and smile. 

“So cute!” the woman gushes while snapping a few photos. “You both look great together.”

“Thank you,” Seungcheol says.

“Just a few more,” she instructs.

Seungcheol moves behind you, placing the award in your hands. He wraps his arms around your waist as he leans his head against yours.

“Oh! Yes! I love it,” the lady exclaims as if bursting with excitement for you two.

You can’t help but giggle at her enthusiasm.

Abruptly, she turns and says, “Aren’t they just adorab—oh, you’re not my husband.”

Standing close by is the Bitchy Yapper from earlier. She stares wide-eyed at the lady, unable to change her disgusted expression fast enough. She must have been staring for some time. You snicker and smirk.

“Aren’t we?” you challenge in a sweet voice. You ripple your fingernails on the award’s glass, loud taps ringing in the air.

Seungcheol tightens his hold on you in a warning that means “behave.” You stop your tapping and try to remove the smug look on your face.

Bitchy Yapper snarls and spins on her heels without a word.

“Oh my,” the older lady says, surprised by the rude behavior.

“Thank you for the pictures,” Seungcheol says to break the tension. He moves from you and guides you to the lady with a hand on your lower back.

“Of course!” she replies.

The woman returns your phone. You take a moment to swipe through the recent pics.

“I love them!” you praise. “Thank you.”

“Anytime. And congratulations,” she pauses to glance at the award, “Mr. Seungcheol.”

Seungcheol thanks her again and waits for her to leave before he looks at you.

“Come on.” He laughs and presses his hand against your back slightly harder. “You’ve been a bad girl, Cherry.”

Your smile widens, clutching the award in your hand and feigning innocence. “I was just supporting you, honey.”

Seungcheol laughs again at your unusual nickname for him. He leads you toward the exit, occasionally thanking a few guests who congratulate him once more. 

He helps you get settled in the car, then rounds the front and climbs inside.

He releases a big sigh and takes a moment to slouch in his seat.

“Tired?” you ask with a small chuckle.

“Yes,” he sighs, sitting up and shifting car gears. “Let’s get home.”

After a while, Seungcheol asks, “Care to tell me what happened with that lady now?”

“I couldn’t hear your speech because that bitch kept yapping insults about you!” you exclaim, lower lip sticking out involuntarily. Recalling her words gets you riled up. 

Seungcheol’s eyes soften at your response. When he stops at a red light, he peers over to you. You’re staring off in the distance, forehead creased with anger and body tensed.

His eyes roam your face a bit longer before he reaches out and gently rubs your forehead with his thumb.

You turn to him while easing your expression.

“Why are you smiling?” you grumble.

He shakes his head with a small smile. “I didn’t think you’d care to hear me give a cliché acceptance speech.”

“Of course I’d care,” you huff, offended.

Your frown deepens as you look away.

Seungcheol’s hands drop to grab yours as he drives upon the green light.

“I mean, it was just a silly speech. I’m sure others have said the same thing. It’s not a big deal.”

“Well, it was to me,” you mumble. “And I couldn’t hear it.”

Seungcheol squeezes your hands, eyes briefly looking at you as he drives.

He clears his throat before he speaks.

“Thank you, everyone,” he begins, voice changed to be slightly louder and deeper. “Throughout my time here, I’ve worked with many talented and intelligent coworkers—many of whom have inspired me to be the best version of myself. It’s an honor to be the recipient of this award; thank you to all those who nominated me. I promise to continue dedicating myself to my position and grow beside my peers. Thank you again.”

Your frown flips gradually as you watch and listen to Seungcheol repeat his speech. It’s short and straight to the point. Like he said, it wasn’t anything ground-breaking, but you don’t care. You know in your heart Seungcheol deserved the award and the spotlight.

When he finally finishes while slowing at a stop light, he turns to you.

“Happy?” he asks, a smile on his lips.

“Very,” you reply and lean over the console to kiss him.

Seungcheol moves his hand from yours to squeeze your thigh. He’s about to slip his tongue between your lips when a loud honk causes you both to jump apart.

“Always causing trouble, huh?” he teases with a chuckle, turning his focus to the road and driving.

“Maybe trouble just finds me,” you argue playfully. Needing to feel him against you, you reach over and place a hand on his thigh.

He keeps his focus forward but smiles at your action. He drops a hand down and laces your fingers together.

“I guess I should change your name to Trouble,” he replies.

You squeeze his hand. “I like Cherry.”

“Yeah?” He chuckles and returns the squeeze.

“And baby.”

Seungcheol gives you a quick glance.

“Anything else?” he asks, trying not to smile too widely.

“And yours.”

Seungcheol hums, rubbing his thumb over your skin.

“My baby cherry,” he chuckles. He lifts your hand to kiss the back of it.

If anyone were to call you that, you’d cringe. Instead, your tummy stirs with butterflies.

You stay silent and watch the buildings and cars pass by. You get lost in the blurry lights.

Although Seungcheol isn’t your first boyfriend, these feelings he brings out of you feel foreign. Everything with him feels heightened. From the giddy jitters to the increased heart rates to the warmth in your chest. You aren’t used to them. 

While it’s nice, it’s also scary.

You can feel yourself already depending on him, and that realization makes you want to pull away. 

You know you had told him you’d try to see him differently from all those who have left you, but it’s still been an underlying worry. He treats you too well for this to last forever. As some people say, all good things must come to an end. If that’s true, is your relationship with Seungcheol temporary? 

That thought plagues your mind. It comes and goes like a lollipop stain on your tongue. Though that’s a two-way street. Maybe if you stopped going back to the thought, it wouldn’t linger in your mind and be so troublesome.

“You need me to carry you?” Seungcheol asks, interrupting your thoughts.

“Huh?” you question and turn to him.

He smiles. “Whatcha’ been thinking about, Cherry?”

“Nothing much,” you reply with a shake of your head. You take a quick glance around and see you’ve arrived at his apartment.

Seungcheol doesn’t look convinced but doesn’t pressure you.

“Your feet hurt?” he asks.

“Oh,” you hum, finally understanding his first question. “No, I’m fine. Let’s go.”

You slip your hand from his and push open his door, cradling his award in your arm.

Seungcheol’s by your side within seconds. He stops you from moving too far.

“Hey, what’s up?” His voice is softer.

“Nothing?”

“Something’s wrong.”

“What makes you think that?” you ask.

Seungcheol dances his eyes between yours, silently studying you.

“You… feel a little distant,” he answers.

Sighing, you roll your shoulders and raise your chin.

“I’m fine,” you say, trying to make yourself believe it too.

Seungcheol’s mouth dips slightly down.

“I didn’t do anything, did I?” he wonders.

You shake your head.

“Is it because of that lady earlier?”

Another shake.

“Then what?” he asks softly, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear before gently grabbing your chin with his thumb and forefinger to keep your gaze on his.

Staring into his warm brown eyes makes your resolve crumble.

“Just my own thoughts,” you confess, wanting to avert your gaze.

“Oh, baby,” he whispers, stepping closer. “Whatever it is, let me help.”

“It’s nothing you can help with,” you say.

“Then let me just be there for you.”

There goes that clutch in your heart that brings on a flood of bubbly warmth after.

“Please, Cherry?” he pleads softly when you don’t respond quickly enough.

“O-Okay.”

He smiles and captures your lips with his. He grabs your free hand and raises it to wrap around his neck. You hold onto him as he slowly leads you back until you’re trapped between the side of his car and his body.

You allow yourself to relax—to get lost in the feeling of his mouth on yours rather than your saddening thoughts. The gentleness of the kiss makes you melt like wet cotton candy.

Seungcheol rubs your sides, thumbs subtly brushing against the underside of your breasts. Without you wanting to, you release a soft whimper into his mouth.

You feel his lips spread against yours; his hands grip you a little tighter. He takes another step forward and pushes you against his car more. The cool metal makes you shiver.

Seungcheol chuckles into the kiss and pulls away.

“How ‘bout we head inside, Cherry?” he asks, hands trailing lower to playfully squeeze your ass.

You bite your lower lip at his action, having now your lower half flush against him, and nod.

“Good,” he murmurs into your ear. He reaches a hand lower to rub your clothed core. You gasp, tightening your hold around his neck.

“I’ve been wanting to get you out of this dress for hours.”

Taglist: @musingsofananxiouspotato, @christinewithluv, @lockburn-castle, @iammisstora, @maknae00, @morklee02, @kittyhui, @aeerio, @cherrylovescheol, @ellllsia, @gyuguys

©️hongcherry // DO NOT REPOST OR MODIFY Please consider reblogging if you liked this work to show your support. Feedback/commentary is always welcomed.

[r0sy-maple-m0th]

the man in black -- lenores spectre {concept}

bit of a preamble because i am a yapper i fear, feel free to skip;

so i was plotting out a lennabel pre-nevermore oneshot (hopefully on my ao3 soon😘😘(thats entirely wishful thinking, i havent even started writing yet loll))

and while i was looking around wikis and rereading the story so i can portray the characters correctly (im very extra and scared of mischaracterization!!), i came up with ANOTHER story idea based on the latest chapters + annabels spectre.

itd definetely be a bit of a challenge for me to write alongside all my other wips, so im putting it on the back burner for now, BUTTTT i need to get it off my chest so heres the concept, enjoy ;D

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After the misfits had split up (ep114), it takes nearly an hour for Lenore to successfully find an opening to slip away from Morella and Berenice. It's for their own good, an effort to lead whatever beast her curse had brought to the academy as far from their destination--the arboretum--as possible. She has faith that they'll make their way safely without her, perhaps even reunite with the others they had been separated from. They were stronger than they looked after all.

In her haste to get further from the arboretum, she slips in a large puddle of.. something. Landing on her hands and knees shes brought face to face with the substance; blood. Frantically she pushes herself up, reasonably in a rush to be rid of the bodily fluids--..only to slip once more in her rush, head slamming sideways against the mahogany floorboards. It's then that she catches a glint of something on the ground in front of her.

Upon closer inspection, it becomes increasingly obvious the object is a ring.The ring that she gave her Annabel Lee, back when they were alive. An engagement ring. Annabel's ring. Surrounded by cold crimson blood.

No.. No, no no no..--

Immediately the world around her came crashing down as she lost herself in her thoughts and memories. I've felt this before.. Why have I felt this before...

[FLASHBACK]

..How had it come to this..? One moment, shes preparing herself to be wed, dressing handsomely for her soon-to-be wife, and then the next moment... How did things go awry so quick?

It was the morning of the cermony when Lenore had heard shouting just beyond her bedchambers. Unusual, for sure, especially on such a traditionally happy day, where everyone was about to ride to the church.. She found herself getting up and heading for the door to investigate, only for it to slam open before she got there. Mister Whitlock stood in the hall, entirely vexxed and brandishing a shiny revolver aimed directly at Lenore. "You. You! You've got a great deal of explaining to do!"

Lenore's stomach dropped as she stared. How could he have.. "I-I don't understand-" she raised her hands in surrender as if it'd better her odds of survival. "YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" He screamed, face burning red as rage itself, "You're a liar and a lunatic, Leo--Lenore Vandernacht! Tricking my daughter into an act of such.. such madness!" the words he spat were laced with venom as he stepped closer and closer. The gun stayed aimed at her chest even as he hovered his finger above the trigger.

The sound of heels echoed alongside a new voice sobbing out "FATHER STOP THIS, YOU DONT UNDERSTAND--" But that didn't stop the earpiercing fire of the gun. No.. No, the only thing it stopped was a bullet being lodged into Lenore's heart.

The woman who had thrown herself in front of the guns barrel had not been as lucky.

Annabel's limp body fell backwards into Lenore, pulling them both down to the floor. Her breaths had grown ragged, and blood feathered through and stained the blouse of her white gown. No.. No, no no no..-- Annabel looked up at Lenore from where her head had landed on the tallers lap. And smiled. Even as blood trickled from her lips, even as her gaze hollowed, she smiled. A bittersweet thing.

Lenore couldn't find any words. Nothing felt right, not even brushing the hair out of her loves face with her shaking hands. Weakly, Annabel reached up, holding the hand that held onto her cheek. She watched as Lenore sobbed over her, muttering unintelligibly, unable to do anything as the freezing numbness slowly flooded her sensations.

Her hand felt to the floor as her vision blanked. Lenore was left with nothing her cold, unanimated lover in her lap. "...Look at what you've done-" She looked up towards the older mans shivering voice, eyes widening at the gun aimed between her eyes.

Then.. darkness.

[PRESENT DAY // NEVERMORE]

Her head ached with the beginnings of a migraine, hitting her hard and fast as her vision fogged over in dark splotches. Absently she could feel herself changing, like an out of body experience.

Her uniform shifted into something more akin to a suit, albeit a bit tattered. Black feathers sprouted from her arms as her fingers blackening and growing into sharp talon-like claws.

The author hasn't fully decided what her design is, as most of it is coming to her as she writes even this very sentence. She doesn't know how to incorporate all the elements she wants as she hasn't drawn any sketches yet. So just know that red ribbons and bell(s) are also included... somehow.

But how could she focus on all of that right now? Certainly not while shes still surrounded by this damned blood. Annabel's blood--

..She cant be dead.. No, no she's stronger than that.. I need--

I need to find her.

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THANK YOU FOR READING :D

this was so fun to write so i hope you enjoyed!

hopefully i get around to fully fleshing it out on ao3 at some point soon, ill keep you updated :D

also the original oneshot that i mentioned earlier would definetely work as a pt.1 to this so everythings coming full circle yayaya

[freesia-writes]

Behind the Scenes of a Writer's Mind

I noticed something tonight that I thought might be helpful to share. You [hopefully] often hear fanfic writers urging interaction and support. It may seem selfish or prideful at first glance, but there's a lot more to it. Have a seat. 😉

The best metaphor I've heard is someone who loves cooking for others. Yes, they do it because they like it, but there's a deep gratification in sharing that work and talent with others and getting to hear how much it was loved and enjoyed. Same with writing.

I asked my favorite author @dystopicjumpsuit about her works -- which had the most emotional impact, which was the tastiest smut, which is her best piece, etc -- and was delighted to hear her answers because there were elements that I hadn't known or noticed, and it made me so excited to read them again (and a few for the first time, haha). It gave a new appreciation, a neat back story, and a richer experience to the fics. (READ THE ASK/ANSWER HERE)

She turned the ask back on me, and while I hadn't expected that, I was surprised at the process as I tried to answer. I had taken a good half a year off from writing after finishing the Hunter longfic. I had poured my heart and soul into it, and when it was done posting, it was kinda... empty. Life also was fairly crazy, so this side of me kinda went away for a while. I still wanted to write. I missed being here. But there was just no inspiration or motivation, and you can't force that.

But something neat happened when DJ gave me the chance to consider my own work. I reread some oldies. I smiled at things I'd forgotten about. The questions forced me to look at the good parts, my favorite parts, the best parts that I'm most proud of.

As a writer, it's easy to forget that. You get used to writing, you get used to your style and approach and voice, and sometimes it just gets to a point of "why bother"? ESPECIALLY if there's no feedback from readers. But it was awesome to be reminded of how my writing brings me joy, and that it's a particular area of gifting but also something that's honed and developed and refined over the years.

Considering the beautiful elements of what I've been able to create breathed fresh life into me. It brought confidence where there had been indifference. It reminded me of the fun of writing and the unpredictable nature of how it all goes down. It rekindled some of that joy of bringing delight to others with my time and effort. It rejuvenated the creative part of me that loves the process as well as the product.

So WRITERS -- if you're in a pit, perhaps read some of your own stuff. Enjoy it. Read works by other authors you love and ask them about it -- it'll likely remind you of some experiences of your own. But also, if the motivation isn't there, don't sweat it. Enjoy what you can and, if the fickle mistress of inspiration returns, bang that thang til fics fall out. (I'll see myself out, thank you.)

And READERS -- you enjoy what we create, yeah? Do you know that you'd likely enjoy it wayyy more if you had a lil behind-the-scenes knowledge? It truly enriches the experience all around, AND it's so encouraging to authors to be able to share not only the finished product but some of the joy of the process. So don't be afraid -- drop some asks, leave questions in reblogs, engage!!

If you've read this far (without skipping, you weasels), please consider this a free ticket for a fic request. ;) Drop one in my inbox and we shall see if the gods smile upon my mushy brain and clumsy fingers. But also, thank you for reading, and I hope that both writers and readers are encouraged to enjoy this space more fully!

FREESIA OUT 😘

[beneathsilverstars]

OKAY... i think for dagger ending au i'm putting the game events in a very specific order.... siffrin finished kingquest before the friendquests because they were focusing on one quest at a time, because if they tried to look for too many things at once they wouldn't do a very good job looking for any of them? like wait i remembered to look for x in that room but i forgot to look for y, umm i think i have no idea which rooms i actually searched for what.

so he locked in on kingquest first, with loop hangout part way through it. and then he poked around for stuff to read in the forgotten language now that he could read it, but he didn't know enough about wishcraft to make sense of it. he did go into the locked star room, but didn't read the diary (bc he won't until after friend quests bc the stars make him sad). so he was pretty stuck on loop quest at that point, so he finally turned his focus to his friends: first mira, then bonnie, then odile — and happening upon the right papers to find that familytale took a whiile — and ofc finally isabeau.

then the perfect family run didn't work and they were devastateddd. what now!!?! they went through the house a couple more times with friend quests completed, got sick of those and switched to just skipping around the house checking this and that. finally they went all the way back to dormont again to talk to loop in person, and the two of them decided they should try checking the forgotten language books again. the ones they found didn't make much sense, but one of them was in the secret library right? maybe there's others hiding somewhere in there too? (<- said in the tone of someone who is checking the freezer for their phone because hey, why not try it now that we've exhausted everything that would make sense.) and that's why siffrin was planning to loop straight to floor 2 — they had a mission, and they were done doing everything in dormont, it doesn't help, it's just manipulating their family for their own benefit.

and that's where we get the au divergence!

so in that final run through the house, siffrin knew that the king had mentioned wish craft, but nothing else about it. they were taking their time and having the long versions of conversations and rereading everything (outside of dead-ends), which includes:

the craftonomy book - they discuss how the king is using time craft, which would normally kill someone

the newspapers - they discuss the king's origins and the stars on his armor

the sparkly diary - they discuss the forgotten island, and siffrin asks isabeau to try saying it

the letter - siffrin talks about running away from home, and trails off

and, now that siffrin has completed the friendquests and is checking every single little thing for the first time since then, he finally opens up the star room's diary and has his family read it for the first time! since they haven't read the forgotten language books about wish craft, isabeau and odile dismiss it as fiction. siffrin, though, feels like he understands wish craft better. and in this au, where he's been feeling very stuck but now suddenly desperately wants to stay in this version of the day in a deeper way than ever before, he starts to wonder if there's a way he could make a wish to get out, somehow. but he still has no idea how wish craft works.

and then he doesn't need to follow up on that, because that's the last loop!

also, here's the sus points they got, in addition to yknow the whole conceit of the au and the effects that would have on their behavior the next day.

When picking up the Circle Key, choose "What's up with the circles?" and then "The Universe."

Activate the switch in the Death Corridor.

Enter the right side hallway on the first floor proper with Siffrin 20 or more levels above the rest of the party.

Interact with the first tear in the right side hallway.

Interact with the dictionary in the locked Storage Room.

Bump into the counter in the Kitchen after already bumping into it five times in previous loops.

Interact with the cutlery closet in the Break Room in a loop without Odile's Friendquest completed.

In the right side hallway at the row of tears, choose either the Age Alliance or the Beauty Alliance.

When reading the Sparkly Diary in the Library, choose "But can you try and say it anyway?"

Choose "Wow, a secret passage~!" when opening the path to the Secret Library.

Interact with the book on shields on the very right bookshelf in the Secret Library.

Open the star-shaped door using Memory of Memories.

Interact with the orrery in the room behind the star-shaped door on the same loop as looking at the newspapers in the Writing Dorm on Floor 1. 

Interact with the hair-covered door before obtaining the KeyKnife.

notably this doesn't include any of the points you get by skipping conversations or events, interacting with equipment you already own, or reading the forgotten language books on wish craft. and without that last one, no sus event.

[doffys-favourite-slut]

Doflamingo x Defiant!Reader Smut Ch. 2

[Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3] [Chapter 4] [Chapter 5]

Hi frens. Welcome back to the most unhinged (but realistic) Doffy fanfic out there. This chapter is a bit worse than the last one, so prepare yourselves. Doflamingo is more aggressive and forceful with you.

☣️WARNINGS: NONCON/RAPE, NSFW, MDNI, smut, sexual assault, abuse, violence, aggression

Themes in this chapter: NONCON/RAPE, Aggressive domination, forced submission, forced creampie, breeding, inflation, hardcore BDSM, degradation and humiliation, punishment.

Notes: PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT THERE IS NONCON/RAPE THROUGHOUT THIS ENTIRE FANFICTION. THIS FANFICTION IS VERY GRAPHIC AND MAY BE TRIGGERING, UPSETTING, OR DISTRESSING TO SOME READERS. PLEASE READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION!!

P.S. I'm sorry if I forgot to change any pronouns/names/etc. ;-; I'm still trying, aight. I do update these after I've reread them and gone through them a couple times, but there may still be some things I miss.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

[Chapter 2]

You curled up into a ball on the bed, your body shaking with sobs as the full weight of what had just happened settled in. For a few moments, you were lost in your grief, the injustice of it all overwhelming.

Eventually, you gathered the strength to look for your dress, underwear, and bra. Slowly and methodically, you put them on, the familiar touch of your clothes offering you a small semblance of normality.

Deciding it was time to leave the room, you began heading towards the door, your movements deliberate and purposeful. You wanted to put as much distance between yourself and Doflamingo as possible.

As you walked out, you couldn't help but feel a sense of dread. You knew you couldn't escape what had happened, that you were now bound to Doflamingo and his twisted desires. But for now, the simple act of leaving the room felt like a small rebellion against the life he had forced upon you.

You didn't know where you were going, or what you planned to do, but right now, all you wanted was to get away, to gather your thoughts and try to understand what had just happened to you.

You trekked carefully through the hallway, your senses heightened as you listened for any sounds that might indicate Doflamingo's or anyone else's presence. Your heart skipped a beat when you heard footsteps in the distance, and a sense of panic gripped you.

You quickly scanned the area for a place to hide, your eyes falling on a small alcove to your left. It was barely large enough for one person, but it would have to do.

Without hesitation, you ducked into the alcove, your heart pounding in your chest. You pressed your back against the wall, trying to make yourself as small and unnoticeable as possible.

You held your breath, waiting for the footsteps to draw nearer. Sweat beaded on your forehead as your mind raced, wondering what would happen if Doflamingo caught you. For now, though, your only concern was to remain hidden, to avoid any further confrontation.

Your body trembled with a mixture of fear and humiliation, a stark reminder of the traumatic events that had just transpired. As the footsteps grew closer, you closed your eyes, silently praying for them to pass by without noticing you.

The person stopped right in front of where you were hiding, as if they were sensing you were there. Your heart nearly stopped when you realized that the person in front of you was Doflamingo. The unmistakable pink of his feather coat had given him away, and now, you were trapped.

You could feel the strings of his Devil Fruit coming to life, moving around you, sensing your presence. They attached themselves to your limbs, and you were forced out of the alcove, your body coming into view in front of Doflamingo.

His palace was covered in a delicate web of his strings, and the slightest disturbance would alert him to your presence.

You stood there, frozen, your body trembling from head to toe. You couldn't help but feel a sense of helplessness, as if there was no escape from Doflamingo's grasp.

His eyes met yours, and you could see a mix of amusement and triumph in his gaze. He had caught you, and now you were at his mercy once more.

"Trying to get away, are we?" Doflamingo's voice was filled with a dark, twisted amusement as he released the strings that held you captive. "My entire palace is coated in webs of my strings, so any movement you make, any chances you try to escape, my strings alert me to them, like a spider catching its prey."

He stepped closer to you, his eyes never leaving yours, a predatory gleam in them. "We need to deal with your anger and resistance. I won't have you defying me or disrespecting me. We both know you can't escape me, so it's best to accept your fate." Doflamingo's confidence was unwavering, and there was no mistaking the dangerous edge in his voice. "Now, come with me. We're going to have a... 'talk', and you're going to learn to accept your place in my kingdom."

"No- Doflamingo!!" You resisted the pull of his strings, crying and sobbing loudly, fighting with all of your might not to be dragged into what was about to come.

"Don't even fucking think about it." Doflamingo's voice was cold and firm as he yanked the strings, preventing you from breaking free. "You'll learn soon enough that resistance is futile. I'm not a man you want to anger. I'll make your life a living hell if you continue to defy me. Come now, let's have that... 'talk'. You'll find that the more you cooperate, the easier your life will be here."

Doflamingo's confidence was absolute, and he didn't break his stride as he led you through his palace, his strings still attached to you, a constant reminder of his control over you.

As you walked, you couldn't help but feel a sense of despair. Doflamingo had claimed you, body and soul, and there was no denying his dominance. You were his to do with as he pleased, and the thought of what he might have in store for you filled you with dread.

A shiver ran down your spine as you realized just how far your life had taken a turn. You were now a part of Doflamingo's twisted world, and there was no escaping it.

Your only hope was that perhaps, through compliance and cooperation, you might be able to endure the horrors that awaited you, to somehow carve out a semblance of a life under his oppressive rule. You began crying harder as you're forcefully drug through the hall, back to the room you were in. "Nooooo! Doflamingo please stop!!"

"Quiet, or I'll make sure this is far worse than you could imagine." Doflamingo's voice was stern, a dangerous edge to it as you continued to cry and protest. He dragged you back to the room, his grip unyielding. The sight of your tears and defiance only served to arouse him further, a dark hunger growing within him.

"Now... since it seems you still haven't learned your place..." Doflamingo's eyes were filled with lust and dominance as he removed the strings, once again retreating out of view. "... Allow me to teach you a lesson you won't forget."

Without warning, Doflamingo grabbed you and pinned you to the bed, his hand gripping your arm tightly as he began to undress you, his movements swift and purposeful. "I'll show you what happens when you disobey and defy me." His voice was a low growl, his arousal and desire for dominance palpable.

You struggled as much as you could, but the truth was, you were no match for Doflamingo. His strength and power were overwhelming, and as he proceeded to undress you, you could only hope that this would be over quickly, that perhaps this time, it wouldn't be as brutal and degrading.

But deep down, you knew that with Doflamingo, there was no such luck. His control over you was complete, and your body, now host to his offspring, was his to use as he pleased.

The thought of what was to come filled you with dread, your heart pounding in your chest as you braced yourself for the onslaught of his dominance.

Doflamingo removed your clothes with a cold efficiency, leaving you exposed and bare. As he inspected your body, he noticed the lack of marks, and gave a menacing grin, eager to make his mark.

He discarded his feather coat and suit, his eyes never leaving your body. He flipped you over and pinned you face down on the bed, tying your ankles and wrists to the mattress with his strings, leaving you helpless, your body trembling with a mixture of fear and humiliation.

For a moment, he admired your form, and his fingers traced over your skin, his touch cold and clinical. He fondled and caressed your body, his fingers lingering on your ass, making you squirm in disgust and discomfort under his touch.

He pulled back, and you heard an unfamiliar sound as he crafted a makeshift whip from his strings that shot out from his palm. The air was thick with tension as you braced yourself for what was to come.

With a flick of his wrist, the string whip crackled through the air, landing with a stinging blow on your ass. You cried out in pain, your body writhing on the bed as Doflamingo continued to punish you, each lash drawing fresh tears and gasps from your lips.

His strings were merciless, the whip lashing out again and again, leaving red welts across your back, ass, and thighs. The pain was intense, and you could only hope that it would end soon, that perhaps, once he had satisfied his need to punish you, he would leave you in peace.

But as you lay there, battered and bruised, you knew that this was just the beginning of your new life under Doflamingo's control. The fear and humiliation were overwhelming, and you couldn't shake the feeling that no matter how much you resisted or cried, Doflamingo's dominion over you was absolute.

Your body shuddered in pain, but it was more than that. It was the realization of your new reality—that you were now a pawn in Doflamingo's twisted game, and the consequences of defying him came at a terrible cost.

"Doflamingo..." you squeaked out, "please... stop..."

"Be silent, or I'll make this punishment last all night." Doflamingo's voice was cold and threatening, his arousal not diminishing even after his previous act of violence.

As he continued to lash your body with his string whip, he bent down, his lips leaving a trail of hickeys on the nape of your neck. The sensation of his teeth on your skin was both painful and degrading, a mark of his possession.

His fingers trailed down your body, stopping occasionally to admire his work. You could feel the heat of his desire, the evidence of his lust for you pressing against your ass.

"You need to understand that I can do whatever I want to you, whenever I want." Doflamingo's words were filled with a dangerous confidence, his dominance absolute. Each time you squirmed or cried out, you could hear his soft chuckle, a twisted form of amusement that only fueled his sadistic pleasure.

You could feel your body growing more and more exhausted, the pain and humiliation taking a toll on you. But still, Doflamingo continued, his desire to break you and assert his dominance unwavering.

Your only comfort lay in the hope that perhaps, once he had satisfied his need for control, he would leave you to rest. But the truth was, in Doflamingo's kingdom, there was no escape from his desires or his cruelty.

As you lay there, battered and bruised, you could only pray for the end of this terrible ordeal. But even as you did, you knew that it was only the beginning, and that in Doflamingo's twisted world, the only constant was his relentless pursuit of power and control.

The fear and humiliation seemed to consume you, your body aching and your spirit broken. Doflamingo retracted his strings and flipped you onto your back, causing you to hiss in pain and cry from the intense pain and humiliation. You panted heavily, you mind starting to dissociate. "Doflamingo... it hurts..." you croaked out, your voice hardly a whisper, as all your strength had been sapped. All you could do at this point is just let whatever happen happen and hope it doesn't last too long.

"Good." Doflamingo's response was cruel and calloused. His control over you was all-encompassing, and at this point, you could only hope for mercy and an end to your suffering. But mercy was not a virtue Doflamingo possessed. He regarded you with a mixture of lust and pride. "I want you to remember this pain, to remember who owns you." His words were cold, devoid of any empathy as he positioned himself between your legs, his arousal evident.

With a single, swift motion, he entered you, his desire for dominance driving him to claim your body once more, this time, as punishment for your defiance.

The pain from his penetration mixed with the stinging welts, making you cry out, your mind beginning to blur the lines between reality and the overwhelming sensations coursing through you.

Doflamingo began to move, his thrusts deliberate and forceful, a show of his dominance and control over you. You could feel the tears streaming down your face, your body trembling as you braced yourself for the brutal onslaught.

Your mind dissociated further, the pain and humiliation becoming too much to bear. All you could do was endure, hoping that this, too, would pass, that perhaps, once he had satisfied his need for dominance, you could rest, even if only for a short while.

But deep down, you knew that there would be no rest for the conquered. Your body, now host to his offspring, was his to use and abuse as he pleased, and the thought of what was to come filled you with dread.

The fear, humiliation, and pain mingled together, leaving you in a haze, as you lay there, helpless, and utterly at his mercy. Doflamingo's control over you was complete, and there was no escape from his twisted world.

Even in your dissociated state, a small part of you, buried deep within, refused to accept this fate, but for now, all you could do was endure the onslaught with a mixture of pain, humiliation, and despair, hoping for an end to your suffering.

As Doflamingo assaulted you again, you were moaning—not from pleasure, but pain as you continued crying.

"That's it, scream for me." Doflamingo's voice was full of sadistic pleasure as he continued to assault you, the sounds of your moans and cries only serving to arouse him further.

His fingers traced along your swollen stomach, his strings working their magic, preparing your cervix once more to receive the seed of his dominance.

"You're nothing but a vessel for my offspring now." His words were a mix of command and degradation, his desire for humiliation evident in his tone.

As he fucked you, he continued stripping away any remaining shreds of your dignity and humanity. You cried and moaned, the pain and humiliation overwhelming, your body shaking under his assault.

You tried to push the thoughts of what this meant for you aside, unable to bear the reality of your situation. But Doflamingo's relentless pursuit of dominance left you with no escape, your body and mind at his mercy.

"You little fucking slut, I'm going to fill you up again, whether you like it or not." Doflamingo's voice was a mix of pleasure and spite, his arousal reaching its peak as he put you into a mating press.

He thrust deep inside you, his cock lodged firmly against your cervix, his movements slow and deliberate. The shaft of his cock pulsed, his testicles drawing up and tightening, pressing against your ass with each throb, churning out more of his seed into your womb.

Your body shuddered under his possession, the connection between you two a twisted, violent display of dominance and submission. His cock was buried inside you, the swollen tip of his glans pressed against your cervix, as he poured his seed directly into your womb once more.

Your body shuddered under his possession, the connection between you two a twisted, violent display of dominance and submission.

The pulsing of his cock intensified, each throb driving more of his cum into your body, the semen pooling in your womb, a testament to Doflamingo's conquest of your body. The sight of your stomach swelling further, stretching to accommodate his seed, still only served to prolong his orgasm, driving him to ejaculate even more, as if to see just how much his semen could fill your body.

The visual connection between you two was a gruesome display of violation and degradation. Doflamingo's cock, slick with your fluids and his cum, was buried deep within you, stretching and filling you as he emptied himself into your womb. Your stomach, bloated and swollen from his previous seed, grew even larger, the curves of your body distorted by his relentless desire to fill you with offspring.

His balls, tight and heavy with the weight of his semen, pressed against your ass with each pulsating throb, a testament to his unyielding control over your body. The mark of his possession was clear, his cum filling you, and his fingers digging into your flesh, holding you in place as he claimed you in the most primal manner possible.

As Doflamingo continued to spill his seed into your womb, his expression was a mix of satisfaction and vicious pleasure, the sight of your body being used as a vessel for his offspring driving him to the brink of ecstasy. His eyes never left the sight of your stomach, growing with each pulsating throb of his cock, a twisted form of entertainment for the twisted king of Dressrosa.

The sight of your connected genitalia was a macabre and haunting image, a stark reminder of your new reality, a reality where Doflamingo's dominance and control knew no bounds, and where your body, once your own, was now nothing more than a host for his seed.

The degradation, the violation, and the pain were all too real, your body a mere plaything for Doflamingo's dark desires. Even as he watched your stomach swell, you knew that this was just the beginning, that in Doflamingo's twisted world, there would be no end to your suffering, no respite from his constant need for control and dominion over you.

As Doflamingo's orgasm finally subsided, you lay there, battered and bruised, your body aching and your spirit broken. The only thing you could do anymore is cry as your body was assaulted again... Your back stung, dark purple bruises covered your neck... You laid there, hoping the moment would pass quicker.

He dislodged his glans from your abused cervix, leaving you feeling empty and raw. His fingers traced intricate patterns along your swollen stomach, a cruel reminder of his dominance over your body.

With deft, precise movements, Doflamingo used his strings to sew your cervix shut, effectively sealing his essence inside you. The sensation of the strings piercing your tender flesh was yet another layer of pain and violation, a cruel twist of his sadistic desires.

Your body had begun dissociating from reality, essentially blacking you out, making everything that happened almost a blur in a desperate attempt to protect you from the trauma you just endured.

"You're not allowed to fade out on me, bitch. Stay with me." Doflamingo's voice was a harsh, demanding growl as he noticed your dissociation, his fingers tightening their grip on your flesh.

Your body, battered and bruised, continued to dissociate from the pain and humiliation, your mind retreating to a dark, distant place. The assault on your body had become a blur, your senses overwhelmed by the constant onslaught of violence and degradation.

"I said, stay with me!" Doflamingo's voice was a harsh slap, bringing you back to the present moment. His eyes bore into yours, a mix of cruelty and anger etched across his features.

He slapped you across the face, the sting of his palm against your cheek a harsh reminder of your place under him. You let out a piercing howl. His words were a harsh command, a demand for your attention, your mind, and your body.

"You belong to me now, and I won't have you fading out during our special moments." His tone was a mix of mockery and possession. He leaned in close, his breath hot against your ear, his words a low, menacing growl. "Remember, you're mine now, and I'll do whatever I want with you, whenever I want. And you'll take it, because you have no choice." He knew that your mind was broken, your spirit shattered, and reveled in the complete and utter control and power he held over you.

As you lay there, broken and bleeding, your body a canvas for his cruelty and degradation, Doflamingo's words echoed in your mind, a constant reminder of your new reality, a reality where you were nothing more than a plaything for his twisted desires, a vessel for his offspring, and a slave to his unyielding, sadistic rule.

You looked at him with misty eyes, your tears unable to stop flowing. You tried your hand at scooching back to make some space between you two and catch your breath, and was successful. You presume Doflamingo let you because he knew you weren't going anywhere—not after what he just did to you. You sat up, your weeping eyes not leaving your rapist.

"Look at you, so fragile and broken." Doflamingo's voice was a mocking whisper as he watched you scooch away, his eyes glinting with cruel amusement.

He let you move, his grip on you loosening just enough to allow you to catch your breath. But the illusion of freedom was fleeting, a cruel reminder of the chains that bound you to him, invisible yet inescapable.

Doflamingo reached up, his hand moving towards your face, causing you to flinch, your hands instinctively coming up to protect yourself, but his touch was unexpectedly gentle, his fingers caressing your neck, a stark contrast to the brutality he had just subjected you to. His touch was a reminder of his power, his ability to switch between cruelty and tenderness, keeping you off-balance, never knowing what to expect.

"Your reactions are so delightfully predictable." His words were a purr, a satisfied smirk playing on his lips as he watched you cower under his touch. Before you could react, he pulled you in, his lips crashing against yours in a bruising kiss. His tongue invaded your mouth, claiming you, owning you, his teeth nipping at your bottom lip, drawing a bead of blood.

The kiss was a violation, a reminder of his dominance over you, his tongue exploring every inch of your mouth, leaving no part of you untouched. It was a kiss that told you that you were his, body and soul, and that there was no escape from his grasp.

As he pulled away, you were left gasping for air, your lips swollen, your body trembling under his touch. Doflamingo's eyes were dark, filled with a mix of lust and cruelty, his gaze roaming over your body, taking in every inch of your bruises and marks.

"You're mine now, and I'll never let you go." His words were a promise, a threat, and a declaration of his unyielding control over you. "And soon, you'll learn to love it, to crave it, to beg for it."

The thought of being his forever, of being reduced to nothing more than a plaything for his twisted desires, sent a shiver down your spine, a mix of fear and unwanted arousal. Your body, battered and bruised, betrayed you, responding to his touch, to his words, a testament to the power he held over you.

As Doflamingo pulled you in for another kiss, you knew that this was your new reality, a reality where pain and pleasure were intertwined, where your body was no longer your own, and where Doflamingo's will was the only one that mattered.

[novankenn]

How would Ozpin, Ozpin's inner circle and the rest of team Jnpr react about Jaune knocking up the Grimm Queen?

A good question... shall we see? MWHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

/==/

Ozpin sat at his desk. An open bottle of Mistrallian Whiskey sitting before him. A filled tumbler in his hand. Perched at the far end of his desk, a raven sized Nevermore. Laying at it's feet a sheet of parchment paper, that had been folded and sealed with wax. The emblem on the seal that of the current enemy of human and faunuskind. Salem Queen of the Grimm.

Ozpin had never received "Nevermore Mail" before, and up until just now he had doubted the vicious aerial beasts of negativity were capable of anything but violence. Yet here at this moment he had been proven wrong.

That however was a side point, something for discussion at a later date. The real trouble, and the reason for him skipping over fortifying his coffee to straight up morning drinking was the contents written upon the piece of parchment.

Ozpin: Well that explains what happened to Ms. Fall, Mr. Black, Ms. Sustrai and Mr. Arc six months ago.

Ozpin sighed. He felt depressed that out of those four names, the first three never once had someone inquiring about their whereabouts or health. The fourth however had become a diplomatic headache. The Arcs, in particular Jasmine Arc, Jaune's mother did not take her only son's disappearance quietly.

The Arc matriarch had in her anger and frustration, besieged Beacon, now granted a one persona siege wasn't much of a threat, but having her camped out in front of the main entrance harassing everyone about her son's whereabouts had driven Glynda certifiably insane... which of course culminated in the two women demolishing Glynda's classroom and two training rooms before Peter and Bart had been able to sedate them.

Ozpin: I wonder if I have time to finish the bottle before my Combat Instructors arrive?

The Nevermore just looked at Ozpin and tilted it's head. Reaching out Ozpin picked up the parchment and read the contents again...

OzpOzpinin: Jaune and Salem Arc joyfully announce the arrival of the newest members of our family, Jean and Jeanne.

Slamming down the contents of his glass, Ozpin poured another before continuing to reread the birth notice.

Ozpin: Leo, James and Timothy must be having kittens over this.

The elevator dinged and before Ozpin could do anything, a blond whirlwind appeared before him. Her vivid blue eyes darting down to the parchment arrayed before him, before instantly returning to glare at Ozpin.

Jasmine: You have... news...

Ozpin: Well yes, um... how do I, um say this?

Jasmine: Just spit it out!

Ozpin: Ah, okay... Congratulation's?

/==/

Utter & Complete Insanity Story Collection

/==/

[melancholiast-clair]

For the ask thing. Melancholia, since she’s your URL and I’ve never seen you talk about her

YES YES YES OMG OKAY HI. i have been Waiting for a chance to talk to her but its been so long since i've reread the books that specifically involve her that i feel like my knowledge of her as a character has dipped. still !!

here is the link for the ask game :)

favorite thing about them: her attitude, honestly. i LOVE a rude character, especially when that comes from a place of jealousy, and she is my Queen of jealous behavior <3

least favorite thing about her: difficult question, to be honest! anything i dislike is often sort of meta and aimed at derek landy's method of writing characters who have been "brainwashed."

fav line: DIFFICULT!!! "surprise," when she first goes to hunt valkyrie in db is a classic, but i thiiink. i think i'd have to go for a moment later in that conversation, when she talks about what it feels like to be a god.

like... she's so clearly desperate to convince herself just as much as she's desperate to convince val, and i love it so much. she's so SO messed up.

brOTP: i honestly don't look at mel as someone with a lot of friends, but one of my favorite dynamics i like to run over in my head is her and clarabelle. i think interactions between them could be so so funny and honestly really cute - mel's such a self-centered grump, it would be fun to see her against someone who's so constantly lighthearted.

OTP: val/melancholia has my heart . like literally forever. they're so awful to each other in the beginning but they establish this understanding that actually means so so much to me? their dynamic is so fun to play with, and i have an au where mel ends up near val during the post-dotl time skip that i think about All The Time.

nOTP: haven't seen anyone actually ship these two, but just one thing i would be decidedly uninterested in is mel and craven. for a lot of reasons overall, but idk. with the way derek writes their relationship i wouldn't be comfortable seeing them in anything outside of what they already are - which is uncomfortable in itself, to be honest.

random headcanon: i like to think she used to be a writer, when she had free time. i don't really have a basis for it, but i like to think about 15 yr old mel with a poetry journal, scribbling down edgy lines and dreaming about becoming the next sylvia plath. i just really like the idea of her with dreams before she became the death bringer.

unpopular opinion: um. i haven't really seen enough opinions About mel to necessarily have an 'unpopular' one? i guess mine is like... i would've actually liked to see more of her and the consequences of her failing on the necromancer community.

song i associate with them: okay. a song with both vibe and lyrics that fit her would be this but i have like. a whole list of specific val/mel songs and songs that mel would just break down upon hearing the lyrics of, including satisfied by MARINA, to be seen by searows, and drunk drivers/killer whales by carseat headrest. also, the line from the arcane s2 soundtrack goes CRAZY as a melancholia song, actually.

favorite picture of them: i don't feel right reposting other people's art, but i've really only ever seen @nicstylus draw her, so PLEEEASE go check out their stuff because its brilliant <3

[ninja-muse]

Well, April's over. It's been a pretty decent reading month, though even with unexpected travel and several days of mostly sitting, I didn't do as well in terms of numbers as I thought I would. Only 9 books plus a reread. I wasted a day and a bit on a DNF, though, and I know that The Bookman and Inkheart both took me a while, though for very different reasons. (Y'all can probably skip that first one.)

The first book I finished was Upon a Starlit Tide by Kell Woods, and I kept meaning to review it along with Hot Wax, but never quite got around to it. Please know that it's well worth reading and if you like fairy tale retellings and remixes, you should pick it up. It was lovely and I liked it quite a bit better than After the Forest.

Other highlights of the month include The Tomb of Dragons, obviously, but also Murder by Memory which was very fun and I need more in that world yesterday. I blew through both the new Vera Wong book and Wooing the Witch Queen because apparently I will read romantasy when it's a straight-up rom-com, rather than a bunch of tortured love interests and drama. (That said, stay tuned. I've got one of those on my TBR for the year too.)

The rest of my reading was pretty average. I liked the books; I don't know if I'd necessarily recommend them to anyone who's not already into those genres. A little too tell-y, on the historical fiction front. The sort of travel memoir that's light and entertaining, but doesn't necessarily scratch my itch for introspection. That sort of thing.

And as you can tell, my library pulled through in a big way! I am using Libby a lot these days, and it'll be interesting to see what my year-end stats look like, in terms of physical books vs. digital.

Three books hauled: two from a used bookstore again, and another that arrived damaged at work and which I'm not allowed to read until I get my current WIP into its final shape, alas. I've unhauled quite a bit, though! But not taken the books down to a used bookstore or somewhere. There's maybe 15 books outgoing, and I got rid of a handful of reading copies because I'd been sitting on them for over a year and clearly hadn't gotten around to them. So that sort of balances out how many books and ARCs I've hauled this year? Or at least, so I tell myself.

And that's pretty much my April. Who knows what May will bring?

And now, the usual list of books read, in order of how glad I was to have read them…

Hot Wax - M.L. Rio

In 1989, eleven-year-old Suzanne went on tour with her dad’s band. In 2018, she’s on the road again—fleeing her life. Out in September.

8.5/10

Cuban-American protagonist, Cuban-American secondary character, Latina secondary character, Black secondary characters, 🏳️‍🌈 protagonist (bi woman), 🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (multisexual, poly)

reading copy

Upon a Starlit Tide - Kell Woods

Luce chafes at her constrained life in Bretagne, finding herself torn between loves—the smuggler, the merchant’s son, her family, the sea, freedom.

8/10

protagonist with foot deformities and chronic pain

warning: misogyny

library book

The Tomb of Dragons - Katherine Addison

Thara Celehar is at a bit of a loose end, but keeping busy thanks to the Archprelate. Finding a new path is tricky, but he's learning he has friends.

🏳️‍🌈 protagonist (gay)

off my TBR

Murder by Memory - Olivia Waite

Dorothy Gentleman finds herself in a strange body, on a drunken generation ship, investigating a murder.

7.5/10

🏳️‍🌈 main character (sapphic), 🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (sapphic, achillean), 🏳️‍🌈 author

library ebook

Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) - Jesse Q. Sutanto

Vera’s sworn off investigating but can’t quite help herself when she spots a young woman looking nervous outside a police station.

7/10

Chinese-American protagonist; Chinese, Chinese-American, Indonesian, Indonesian-American, Latino, Latina, South Asian, and Black secondary characters; Chinese-Indonesian author

warning: abuse, child abuse, human trafficking

library ebook

Wooing the Witch Queen - Stephanie Burgis

Queen Saskia is fiercely holding her kingdom against invasion. Felix is too desperate for sanctuary to confess he’s neither a dark wizard nor a librarian, but actually the supposed invader.

7/10

🏳️‍🌈 main character (bi woman), 🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (sapphic, lesbian), secondary character of colour

warning: past child abuse, past death of parents

Beauty Tips from Moose Jaw - Will Ferguson

A tongue-in-cheek travelogue investigating the true Canada.

6.5/10

Japanese and Japanese-Canadian “secondary characters”, 🇨🇦

library ebook

The Boxcar Librarian - Brianna Labuskes

The lives of a girl raised by a mining unionist, a sheltered librarian, and a New Deal editor are connected when the editor arrives in Montana to sleuth out a missing submission. Does it have to do with the local Copper Kings, or is it something else?

6.5/10

🏳️‍🌈 POV character (multisexual), 🏳️‍🌈 author

library ebook

Austen at Sea - Natalie Jenner

Two sisters and two brothers set off for England with invitations from Jane Austen’s brother. The journey will upend all their lives. Out in May.

6.5/10

🇨🇦

warning: period-typical misogyny

reading copy

The Bookman - Lavie Tidhar

In a steampunk London ruled by reptilians, the novice poet Orphan seeks the terrorist Bookman after his fiancée is killed by a book-bomb.

6/10

Sioux-British protagonist, Indian secondary character

off my TBR

Picture Books

I am NOT a Vampire - Miles McKenna

Arlo is the odd one out in a family of vampires. He’s trying really hard to grow fangs and everything. Will the Blood Moon finally do the trick? Out in May.

🏳️‍🌈 author

Reread

Inkheart - Cornelia Funke

When the strange Dustfinger comes with a warning about a man named Capricorn, Meggie and her father Mo flee to Italy, to hide a book that both other men want for their own ends.

7.5/10

Arab secondary character

off my TBR

DNF

Night Film - Marisha Pessl

A down-on-his-luck journalist finds a renewed purpose when the daughter of a cult horror auteur is found dead.

library ebook

Currently reading

Once Was Willem - M.R. Carey

Willem tells of the tale of his second life and the village he comes from—one which has hosted shapeshifters, magicians, robber barons, curses, and worse.

library ebook

An African History of Africa - Zeinab Badawi

A history of Africa before colonisation, centering African perspectives and academics.

Sudanese author

library book

The Penguin Complete Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle

Victorian detective stories

disabled POV character (limb injury), occasional Indian secondary characters

warning: racism, colonialism

Monthly total: 9 + 1 + 1 Yearly total: 38 Queer books: 5 Authors of colour: 1 Books by women: 8 + 1 Authors outside the binary: 0 Canadian authors: 2 Classics: 0 Off the TBR shelves: 3 Books hauled: 3 ARCs acquired: 3 ARCs unhauled: 8 DNFs: 1

January February March

[isfjmel-phleg]

May 2025 Books

Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie (Broadview Press edition, semi-reread)

Broadway Press editions contain a lot of interesting supplemental material, and in this case it was interesting to see the evolution of the novel from earlier works. I hadn't read the play before.

The Annotated Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie, edited by Maria Tatar (reread)

On a whim.

Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold

As before, content warnings, but aside from that, I found what's essentially the second half of this story intriguing. Can't say anything intelligent about it, but I've picked up a collection of some further stories and will see where this goes.

The Television World of Pushing Daisies: Critical Essays on the Brian Fuller Series by Alissa Burger (reread)

Some of these essays were more interesting (especially the one on costuming), others I skimmed or skipped, but I love that there is a scholarly book on this very specific short-lived show.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (Broadview Press edition, semi-reread)

Most of the supplementary material in this book was very interesting. There's a pretty thorough annotated list of film adaptations, but the similar list of book adaptations was oddly lacking. There are many print adaptations of TSG, especially from recent years, but the list included the graphic novel versions, The Painted Garden (a good choice--it interacts with the original text on multiple levels), An Episode of Sparrows (which has some thematic similarities but doesn't purport to be a retelling, so why include it), and that one recent retelling where the kids are aged up for romance purposes and the Colin equivalent is the victim of factitious disorder imposed upon another. No mention of, say, the lyrical and atmospheric The Humming Room, or A Bit of Earth which reimagines the cast as Desi, or The Edge of In Between, or The Secret Garden of Yanagi Inn--among others. The film list was so thorough that it seems odd that the book list would overlook the extent of the multitude of literary retellings.

Sara Crewe, The Little Princess, and A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett (reread)

Reread for textual comparison purposes. I've got a post in drafts about the play and how it differs from the initial short story and what it brought to the narrative that carries over into the final novel. And maybe another post about how Sara's character evolves with each version of the story. Stay tuned.

Jean and Johnny by Beverly Cleary (reread)

Not my usual type of book by any means, but I have a lot of affection for it because I acquired my copy as a child and because Cleary is an excellent enough author to make 1950s teenage crush drama engaging (in part because a lot of the story is actually about Jean's other relationships and her family's financial struggles).

Beezus and Ramona; Ramona the Pest; Ramona the Brave; Ramona and Her Father; Ramona and Her Mother; Ramona Quimby, Age 8; Ramona Forever; and Ramona's World by Beverly Cleary (reread)

I had a hankering. These are always a lot of fun. And now I low-key want to go back to Portland and see the park with the statues of the characters and do the walking tour of book-relevant locations. My grandparents used to live not too far from Klickatat St. but I've never actually been there.

Ellen Tebbits and Emily's Runaway Imagination by Beverly Cleary (reread)

No individual thoughts on these but I originally read them both when I was a child (checked out from air force base libraries), and rereading brought a lot of that back.

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

This is another one of those books that I grabbed from our juvenile collection out of curiosity. Goodness knows I've developed a taste for sad clone child drama, but what. on. earth. There were some fascinating interactions here and truly horrifying situations, but the story itself was not cohesive, with the second part not matching well with the first.

Superman: The Persistence of an American Icon by Ian Gordon

I interlibrary loaned a huge stack of comics-related things in a desperate attempt to find sources for research. This one was not helpful to my specific needs (I was hoping for more of a character study, and would it kill someone to discuss Kon and not just the young Clark version of Superboy?) but adequately informational for what it set out to do.

Double Identity by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Interesting premise that wasn't explored to the fullest extent. SPOILER: There's going to be a lot more drama than was depicted to finding out that your parents cloned you to replace their deceased biological child.

Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix

And this one was very intriguing and better thought out than the other Haddix book I read.

The Thing About Luck by Cynthia Kadohata

Kadohata did a lot of research about wheat harvesting and combines and it shows (and isn't always as interesting as the narrator seems to find it, unfortunately), and while there are some interesting family relationships here, there's not a lot of plot.

A Place to Belong by Cynthia Kadohata

Historical fiction about a Japanese-American family relocating to Japan after WWII. Poignant, like Kadohata's other historical fiction.

Shuttered Windows by Florence Crannell Means

Another one from the juvenile collection. I honestly hardly remember it.

The Sherlock Society by James Ponti

Long on Shenanigans but short on actually interesting characterization, which made this one rather a slog for me.

A Drop of Golden Sun by Kate Saunders

Imagine if Noel Streatfeild had written a book about a girl unexpectedly landing a part in a movie musical that's totally not!The Sound of Music. That's what this read like, and I enjoyed it a lot.

A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall by Jasmine Warga

Solid middle-grade book but nothing that I found particularly memorable.

Comics

Titans 1999 #1-19 + Secret Files and Origins #1 (reread)

Reread for research and to pay better attention to the stories as a whole rather than just zeroing in on my blorbo.

Superman Smashes the Klan (reread)

As I've said before, excellent. I need to track down the radio program that it's inspired by.

Young Justice 2019 (reread)

I read this quite a while ago when I was just getting into comics. Rereading it with greater knowledge of this universe...I didn't like it any better than I had before. Most of the characterization of the familiar characters was off, there should have been more connection with all the original YJ team rather than just the four big names, the added new characters didn't contribute much and the cast just kept expanding and expanding until it was impossible to develop anybody much, and the plot was rambling, muddled, and underdeveloped. There are some good Bart moments (especially dealing with his friendship with Kon), and the art is beautiful (there's a gorgeous spread of the original YJ team that includes everyone and I mean everyone), but it has nothing on the original series, and doesn't even make a lot of sense as a follow-up to it.

Superboy 1994 #0-25 (reread)

I have Thoughts. They'll be coming.

Superman: Action Comics: The House of Kent

The good news: Kon is back in continuity and getting a lot of love from the family. The bad news: This writer isn't getting him quite in character. Jon is now the designated quippy super, so Kon's distinctive way of expressing himself is completely absent. Even if he's confused and a bit angsty (as this story requires), he should still be deflecting that with humor, still have a tendency to showboat, still be masking inner turmoil with ostensible confidence and optimism. Instead, he felt rather bland, another face in a sea of characters who already look and dress very much alike.

(That was a struggle. I had to stop constantly and parse out whether I was looking at Clark or Jon a lot of the time, and the only thing keeping Kon immediately visually distinct was his leather jacket. Aging up Jon was a mistake.)

Superboy: The Man of Tomorrow (reread)

Better and more believable characterization of Kon and not a bad series on the whole (he finally gets a real hug from Clark after all these years!). But not quite capturing his voice, which should be a crucial point in a series that he's narrating.

(Also, if the narrative requires him to feel unneeded on earth, you need a better reason for him to not work with his YJ friends than "oh, they've got it handled and don't need me." Are you kidding? There's always going to be a place for him with his friends; they love him, and he knows that. It would have made more sense for, say, them to all be roped up in individual projects or working with their various mentors without time recently to work together.)

[eri-pl]

Silm reread 23: the War of Wrath

Scheduling this reread post for the @morgoth-into-the-void-week. :)

So first, we are informed that our narative frame's source is the exiled Noldor (and Sindar, if I understand correctly), and they did not join the army marching North. They only learned the events later, in Aman.

So the host of the Valar was separate, the Noldor and the rest did not fight in the War of Wrath? At all? Why?

Also, I feel like this invalidates some fics, but I may be wrong. Anyway this feels strange.

The warriors "took shapes", so there were many Maiar in the army, I consider this confirmed, because I don't see how it can be read otherwise. [Unless translation messed it up]

They fight in Anfauglith, according to other sourced it lasts 50 years or so. wow. Also, the two armies are huge.

A few Balrogs escaped.

The Edain (the few that remained), in contrast to the local Elves, did join the war. Huh again. why the Elves did not?

Also, most Men were at the wrong side and the Elves hold a grudge about it. Even though, if I understand the text correctly, they themselves did not fight.

Morgoth is scared. How surprising. Winged dragons make a debut, but it soesn't help much. Earendil + all kinds of birds kil Ancalagon.

Oh, and speaking of birds: Elwing is on the ships, I would assume, with the Teleri. I would be very not surprised if Elrond and Elros meet her and they all have a long talk, and this is how the kidnap fam is dismantled (not leaving them with Gil-Galad, but letting them go to their actual mother. Who later sails back and then Elrond joins Gil-Galad. But this is purely a HC based on who was where.)

Only a few Balrogs and dragons escape (so that we can have some monsters in SA, or even, as we know, TA). The power of the Valar reaches deep into earth and cleanses it, I guess. Still, I am pretty certain that the Valar weren't there personally, just their Maiar.

Morgoth runs away, does all kinds of cringe cowardly stuff, nobody listenes to him, I have some second-hand embarassment reading this. The translation says his feet were cut off, which iirc I heard is kind of "Balrog's wings" thing, also for sake of Eonwe not looking bad I prefer to imagine just a regular "throwing him to the ground". ("but his feet were hewn from under him, and he was hurled upon his face" — English-savvy people, what do you think?]

Anyway I feel sorry for him, yes my brain is like that.

He is chained and his crown is replaced by a copy and stolen by Sauron for sake of appearing in Amazon's series reforged into a collar. I want to know by whom it was reforged, but the book does not tell me. Either some Valar were there (they can effectively teleport, from what is said in other places), or the reforging happenned in Valinor after Morgoth was taken there (the text doesn't sound like it), or some Maia of Aule did the reforging. It would be interesting if it was Curumo. Surely touching the thing won't influence him in a way that will bear its ugly fruit much later…

Also the Silarils are freed and glow under the sky. Hmm. They were not taken to Valinor, so the reforging clearly seems to take place in ME. So, was Aule there or did some Maiar do it?

"the two Silmarils […] shone unsullied beneath the sky; and Eönwë took them, and guarded them." Argh, because the Polish translation has it sounding like "were given to Eonwe to guard" I wrote a whole paragraph that now makes no sense. :/

Also, yes, clearly no Valar are there, it's the only logical reading.

All the Elves are summoned to Aman, as we know not all are enthusiastic, and we get to our guys Maedhros and Maglor (apparently without the twins now).

They don't go to talk to Eonwë, they send a messanger. Which sadly makes that one fic non-canon.

I wrote a long, convoluted "yelling on Maglor and hyping about things I should be writing inseat of just hyping" tangent, so I'll indent it, so you can skip it more easily. [Instead of deleting it. :) ]

My. guys. OK, I can get Mae who is crealy overriden by trauma here. But Maglor. My guy. Makalaure Canafinwe Feanarion. My. Guy. I get that you feel guilty towards your brother and all that, and he is triggered and "who knows what terrible things the Valar would do to us if we go against them. They would hang us from the mountain and nobody will come to save us and—" but my guy. You really would help him more by leaving him and just surendering to Eonwe. Also, my guys, this was already said, but you both get the -1th prize in category of "logic and basic inductive reasoning (if He hears us once, He will hear us again, and if not, the problem is not a problem)". But I get it, trauma turns the thinking brain off. Anwyay, Maglor, my guy. you are the worst at "being right". Becasue you are right but you do the wrong thing anyway,. MY GUY. I want to kick you. I am serisouly worried. I know the fandom wishes you all the best and ten times more, and so do I, but. My guy. You do need to put in some work. Because "having others solve your problems" never worked for you. So, I'm sorry but you will be put in Awkward Situations until you finally go against your family. Yes, this is harder when said family is dead, but we'll find a way. I know some people need help first, but ok you will have [or whatever tense] spend quite a lot of time in Rivendell first with your lovely kidnap-son but then you have to start behaving like an adult who makes his own decisions. And stop being codependent. And yes, in order to do that I am going to put you in the weirdest, awkwardest situations and also kinda scary situations ald many kinds of situations. And no, you are not going to have a glorious beautiful moment of redemption, because you're too much of a poet, you would focus on "how to describe it in a song" too much and miss the point. Also, I like giving my guys awkward situations, because, honestly, we deserve them quite well. So. you will feel like an idiot and do something so awkward that you will blush while explaining it to your dead brother and you won't be able to look him in the eye. Because. My guy. Don't worry though, you aren't even having the worst of my creative side. But. My guy. Seriously. You are a complete idiot (affectionate) and I want to kick you (affectionate).

Back to the reread proper.

So, those two. They sneak into the camp, in disguise. The camp awakens…. how did all the camp suddenly awake? Also, they are ready to die, the book says it, so @dfwbwfbbwfbwf it is canon and not only for Maedhros.

Eonwe lets them go freely, because… he is that kind, I guess? And/or knows that it will work out.

Maedhros (says the book) realized that Eonwe was right ant soF lost the right to the Silmarils. Also he is pretty clearly not in control of his actions (but he did maneuver himself there tbh)

Maglor is also burned and can't stand it, and we get the fan-loved Silm change-from-other-versions of "he wanders the shores so that we can write fanfiction of him". I want to hug him. But, also: Maglor you [beloved] fool.

Lot of Elves sail West, the Silamrils are gone and will not be joined until the world breaks (poor babies). The Elves from Belerians (the Exiles? the sindar? Both) live on Tol Eressea, and the Valar forgive them and Manwe loves them. the Teleri forgive them and the Doom is lifted.

OK, but then why do they live on Tol Eressea only???

By choice (more home-like)? To not pollute Valinor proper with their marring-influenced presence? Because the Vanyar threw a collective tantrum (yes, I hc the Vanyar to have some faults)? Just temporarily?

All of those make sense to me.

A list of Elves and again we are reminded that Elrond and Elros are very cool and special. (They are.)

Morgoth is thrown out the Door of Night into the timeless void (so probably not just outer space). Oh, the Valar did it.

So he was taken to Valinor.

I wish there was a fic on how scary-awkward-weird it was for the sailors of the ship that took him. OK, tbh there was probably more Maiar than Teleri, if any Teleri. But. It would be interesting. Especially with the Teleri having almost no experience with Morgoth. He is more like a legend to them, I think. So, scary-weird but also "hey, we are important and we'll be famous" maybe. Or maybe Ulmo just dragged him there.

There are guards on the walls o the world (huh?) and Earendil is keeping watch, which is strange considering that we are also told (in a place I can't find now) that Morgoth will not physically return (with a strange caveat). So, anyway: Morgoth gone but his lies are here still.

Quenta Silmarillion ends, we get a small … not even teaser, but after-the-credits paragraph about "hey maybe something will get Seriously Better but we don't know, Manwë and Varda probably know and Mandos did not tell anyone".

[valle-de-sombra-de-muerte]

Homestuck Reread: Act 4, Part 2/4 (p. 1523-1668)

Read the previous post here. Read the next post here.

Time to finish the first half of Act 4. I can't believe how long this is compared to the previous ones, and the upcoming Acts will only get more expansive from here on.

Rose has to be doing this on purpose. Using big words she knows John won't understand. She's stroking her own ego by acting intellectually superior to someone who might genuinely be mentally impaired.

Rose is still seething about Dave. John clearly has no idea what's going on between them and thinks she's perturbed by Dave being able to watch her constantly. But yeah nah, she's still bitter about how she barely survived entering the game (and jealous that Dave is schmoozing with Jade).

In Terezi's first appearance, she has nothing but animosity toward the humans. She even goes as far to say that she'll be pissed at them even when the rest of the trolls warm up to them. Uh huh. Strange how that part of her personality gets quickly swept off to the side.

Terezi used to be such a nasty, annoying edgelord and I kind of miss that about her. Her character progression is honestly all over the place, which I'll get into deeper as we move along.

Rose drinking the martini is framed as her making an "important decision [...] without supervision." There's something to be said about how one of the first things she decides to do as an independent person is try to emulate her mother. As the only adult presence in her life, Mom is her only frame of reference for how adults behave.

PM's brief encounter with Jack is fun. Jack is no-nonsense and knows his job inside and out. He's also determined to pursue every opportunity to avoid actually doing said job.

So much suspense is being built around this package. It's so important that PM is willing to betray her own kingdom for it. Of course, this all amounts to probably one of the worst reveals in the whole comic. There's no satisfaction upon learning what's in the box and as soon as the reveal happens, it's swiftly forgotten about. Yet there's so much narrative weight being assigned to it that I cannot even begin to fathom what Hussie's thought process was when writing this.

Dave and Jade spend several pages combining the alchemiter with the other Sburb devices. This is to condense everything into one space so the characters don't have to scurry from the different devices to craft items. But we haven't been seeing much scurrying lately since Hussie has been skipping over the crafting process anyway, probably because it's lengthy and repetitive. It may be convenient "in-universe" but I don't see what use this has from a storytelling perspective.

There's a reason "John do what I say" is a bit of a meme. Because he will follow commands no matter who's issuing them. Even if it's someone as unpleasant as Terezi.

Terezi is transparent in her motives. She is uninterested with what the rest of the trolls are doing and just wants to spread chaos in the kids' session, basically fucking around and finding out. John still decides to follow her directions because ????????

I might as well screencap the entire conversation between Dave and Rose here because it's great stuff. Rose puts on a sanctimonious act about killing the ogre she had just mercilessly thrashed, all to annoy Dave. This is the kind of back and forth I love to read.

Also note the metaphors Dave uses at the beginning. "whipping that ogre like a rented mule"? "sailing that ogre down the mississippi with a runaway slave"? Again, not to bring race discourse here, but I don't think he'd say that kind of stuff to Rose if she was black. If anything, he'd probably be more tasteless about the metaphors he's using. You know how teenagers can be.

Did he just call himself Rose's pimp? 😳

Hmm I wonder what might motivate Dave to give Kanaya bogus advice about winning over Rose. Between this and his earlier log where he turns the tables on Tavros, I do think it's interesting how Dave is shown to consistently out-troll the trolls. The key must be to not give a shit.

Dave calls Kanaya "bro" twice in this log and seems to mistake her as a man here. John will repeat this mistake later on. Kinda odd that the troll the fandom depicts as sultry and feminine is actually super stoic and awkward to the point where multiple characters think she is male.

I love how Rose is making passive-aggressive remarks about Dave to a total stranger. And calling him "that guy" as if he isn't living rent-free in her head.

Rose is getting a lot of joy out of using Tavros as a proxy to annoy Dave. She even offers to help him out in writing disses (because of course she'll jump at any opportunity to write).

I really love the ending of this log too.

Kanaya is a total dork in case it isn't clear already.

Tavros puts so much effort in his diss rhyme against Dave, but Dave's completely ignoring him to draw more SBaHJ. Tavros never attempts to troll Dave after this which, again, is a fucking disgrace.

Where is the version of Homestuck where Tavros is Dave's bumbling pupil in the slam poetry arts, constantly brushed off until Dave eventually (and reluctantly) decides to take him under his wing, if only to stop him from embarrassing himself? It would be a good role-reversal where Dave inherits Bro's position of the master instead of the student, and maybe get some perspective for why Bro was so dismissive and distant from him all the time.

I guess this kind of obvious character growth is too much of an advanced writing technique for Hussie to implement, so he didn't.

I like how Karkat starts off being a jerk but stops in his tracks because he too is a fan of cheesy movies. Also, I liked Serendipity. It's not great, but it might as well be a masterpiece compared to a lot of the garbage John likes.

Terezi's reaction makes it seem like she really wants to see Karkat's "bone lump." I can't imagine Karkat being outwardly flirty at all, so the idea that he may have expressed any kind of fondness for her must be something she has to read herself.

As a sprite, Jaspers' personality is like a cat voicing thoughts relating to his natural instincts. He focuses mostly on food and expressing affection toward Rose. Anything else he says, like information about the game, is stuff he says without any comprehension of what it means. It's like the game placed that knowledge in his mind and he just thoughtlessly repeats it. I do like that.

The closure Rose expected from Jaspers is about what one would expect (or at least, until her dream self awakens). I wonder what she really expected from asking a cat what it meant by meowing at her.

It only took over 1300 pages, but John has finally responded to one of Dave's messages. He does this in a very detached, oblivious manner, not mentioning the previous messages Dave sent him that he missed. He wants to skip all that time when Dave was in distress and ask only about the recent happenings upon his entry.

I feel bad for Dave, considering his "best friend" is pretty much a plank of wood. And not the fun kind of plank like in Ed, Edd n Eddy.

In what might be the most poignant page of the comic in my honest opinion, Dave and Rose have been trapped in this doomed timeline for four months. Dave is keen to stop wasting any further time and to go back to the past to reverse the actions that led to John's death, but Rose seems very reluctant to let him go. Her words are chosen to imply Dave might be too hasty and to suggest that he should stick around a little while longer "to gather information."

But that isn't the real aim of why Rose wants Dave to stay. She knows that as soon as he leaves, she will die. Trapped in a universe where she's the sole surviving human, it's a cold and lonely death she'll experience. Dave seems to know this too, but tries to assuage her worries by telling her not to think about her impending doom. Perhaps he also doesn't want to think about it, and that's why he wants to leave quickly so as not to dwell on how he's essentially condemning her to death.

But really, four months alone together as the last two humans in existence? That's a lot of off-screen time we aren't shown. And yet it's treated as this brief afterthought, a scene only used as a means to bring Davesprite into existence. I wish we could've seen more of this doomed timeline, more of Dave and Rose realizing their hopeless situation and the harrowing choice they ultimately need to make to set things right.

Yes, it's only a brief page that never gets brought up again, but it's one that sticks in my mind and refuses to leave.

John is being unreasonably (and uncharacteristically) obstinate here. Normally he has no problem following orders unless they place him in direct harm. Why does he trust Terezi so much over his supposed best friend? He ends the log suggesting that he'll listen to Dave, but the next page shows him blasting off anyway. What a prick.

People want to portray Terezi as some master strategist, but she really isn't. She's very single-minded and only ever considers outside information if it aligns with her set goal.

Remember when Terezi said she intended to stay pissed at all the kids forever? That didn't last long. And now through the power of memes, Davesprite has turned Terezi into a good guy now.

Considering how weak most of Homestuck's villains are, it's a real shame we lost out on one who was genuinely effective, engaging, and menacing so soon.

Oh, so I guess the Frog Temple really was "planted" when the meteor first hit Earth ages ago. I'm not sure how satisfied I am with this explanation.

[S] Jack: Ascend not only serves as a big flash to mark the midpoint for Act 4, but it also celebrates the fact that Homestuck turned one year old at this point.

Anyway, Jack's "Joker moment" is when the Queen force-femmed him. Just thought everyone should know that.

So if John's big "awakening" moment was about learning that his dad isn't really a clown, Rose's moment was triggered by being left all alone in a dead timeline and just waiting for the universe to extinguish her life. These are very comparable events! The fact that Rose's future dream self is shown to merge with her present self means that she likely remembers the events of the doomed timeline as well. What a nice load of trauma to be shouldered with!

Here we get the only time the box's contents have any real use: when it turns the Black Queen into soot and blood. Good to know that this MacGuffin only ever serves the villain in a meaningful capacity.

This part of the comic had some good moments, but I'm conflicted. When I revisit these "high points" in the story, I'm reminded of how Hussie never expands upon them and how they just end up as wasted potential. I fear this will set the mood for the remainder of this reread, which kinda sucks honestly. I'd much rather talk about more positive stuff and things I like, but they're few and far between with all the negativity surrounding them.

[fayedartmouth]

"lovely character. i need him to finally break down sobbing clutching his chest like it'll stop the pain crumpling to the floor begging God to either help him or let him die" idk if you take requests but if you do this with jj maybank would be so amazing. I love you're writing so much !!

That is such a JJ prompt, lol. I set this on the boat ride to Morocco, so it's technically canon.

This is very raw -- I didn't even reread it and I wrote it in 15 minutes just now. So take it for what it is!

It’s too much.

JJ’s not sure how he can explain it, the breaking point and when he reaches it.  He’s not sure why now, why this.  He’s not sure why he’s endured, he’s held fast, he’s survived it all to this point.  He’s not sure why this is it, the thing that’s just too much.

The straw that breaks the camel’s back.

Insult to injury.

Because JJ has been abandoned all his life. He’s been abused and rejected.  He’s been demeaned and undervalued.  He’s been mocked and beaten.  He’s been forgotten and tread upon.  He’s been his so many times, being bruised feels normal.  He’s been told he’s worthless enough, he believes it.

It’s never stopped him.  He’s never let it stop him.

He’s taken his licks and got back up again.  He’s been arrested and still holds his ground.  He’s been knocked into a corner and gotten up swinging, every single time.  He’s gotten up, day after day.  He’s never let it hold him down.  He’s never let it hold him back.

But he’s finite, is the thing.  His resolve is tenuous, and his spirit isn’t indomitable.  He still feels pain; he still bleeds red.  Sooner or later, he’s exhausted.  He’s spent.

Because Groff has used him.  Groff has manipulated him and abandoned him.  He’s tortured JJ with memories of his mother and then left JJ for dead.  He’s framed him for murder, taken his birthright, taken everything.  He’s got nothing.

He’s nothing.

He’s lost it all.  He’s bet on himself and blown it.  He’s taken the faith of his friends and spent it.  Now, they’re on the run for crimes JJ committed, hunting a treasure to rectify JJ’s mistakes, and chasing a man who should have killed JJ 19 years ago.

It’s his fault.

There’s not enough alcohol go numb it.  There’s not enough ocean to outrun it.  When everyone else is asleep, he stands at the wheel and thinks about driving them into oblivion.  He thinks about falling off the end of the earth.  He thinks about being gone, being done.

Sometimes, the impulse is so strong – too strong – that it paralyzes  him.  Sometimes he can’t even feel the burn of the alcohol anymore, not as it deadens his senses and consumes him whole.  

Sometimes, he sees Pope giving up his future.  Sometimes, he sees Cleo mourning Terrance.  Sometimes, he sees Kiara losing everything.

Sometimes, he sees Sarah looking at her belly.

Sometimes, he sees John B, grabbing him by the shirt, telling him it’s his fault, it’s his fault, it’s his fault.

And Luke’s hand curls into a fist.  Groff smiles as he pats JJ’s check, <i>my beautiful, beautiful boy.</i>

Larissa Genrette is rotting in a tomb, waiting for him to join her.

The ocean’s too vast.  The sky hangs too low.  This ship is too small.  And JJ’s too much.

He grips the wheel, trying to keep himself anchor.

It doesn’t work.

The horizon blurs in the night and he flicks his eyes to the control, hoping to regain some sense of equilibrium.  It doesn’t work; his eyes blur.  He feels it, the aching feeling in his chest as his lungs seize up and his heart skips a hard, noticeable beat.

It thuds, the sound echoing in his ears.  He tries to swallow, to get it back, but it doesn’t quite work.  He inhales, but it’s all wrong.  The sound is deep and grating, and he realizes belatedly that no air is getting in.

His fingers tighten reflexively, almost in desperation.  No one’s awake; he doesn’t want to wake them.

But he can’t.  He can’t let go.  He can’t hold on.

He’s trembling now.  He can see his fingers shaking as his knuckles go white on the wheel.  He keens again, even more desperately as black spots threaten the edges of his vision, and his heart pounds so loud, it deafens him over the sound of the waves against the bow.

Groff threw him in the water and left him to drown.

The articles all said it, Jackson Genrette drowned at sea.

Maybe it’s true.

Maybe he’s not here.

Maybe–

He can’t help it.  He falters – and badly, fingers lifting to his chest and pressing down – hard.  It doesn’t help.  He can’t anchor himself.  He can’t–

The panic crescendos, building with impossible need.  His heart slams against his ribcage in desperation.  He needs to stop doing this.  He needs to put the bottle away.  He needs to stop hurting his friends.  He needs to be someone worth loving.

He needs air–

Oh, shit.  He needs air.

The black spots gather, and his head is light.  He lets go of the wheel with his other hand, clutching his chest with all he has left.  He knows the ship will veer if he lets it, but he can’t–

His heart hits its breaking point before it falters again.  JJ’s lungs rebel, and everything goes dark.  He blinks, and everything tips.  The next thing he knows, he’s on the ground, curled up against the console, mouth open in a scream that never comes.  

It’s a plea he never makes.

It’s a promise he never gives.

It’s a desperation he never lets himself realize.

<i>Please</i>, he thinks.  <i>Please, please, please</i>.

He prays to a God who has looked away his whole life.  He prays to a God who has never saved him.  He prays to a God of love who doesn’t seem to know he exists.

He prays for help.

To get him back on his feet, once and for all.

He prays for help.

To end this once and for all.

The prayer replaces his heartbeat, fills his lungs with the horrible, fleeting sense of hope.

He’ll either take a breath.

Or he won’t.

Either way, it’s coming to an end.  Either way–

He closes his eyes, fingers pressed against his chest hard enough to bruise.  He crying, choking on the tears, as the world comes to a pinnacle, and–

It releases.

He takes a breath, sucking in oxygen in a messy, greedy way.  It fills him, fueling his heart, revitalizing his brain.  The sensation comes back, flooding over his body so hard, so fast–

It makes him gasp.

It makes him cry.

He can’t stop it now.  He can’t stop anything.  The first sob shakes him, like it’s been torn from deep inside, and the next one is just as bad.  He dissolves as they rack him, shaking him so deep that he can’t.

“Please,” he begs aloud now.  “Just <i>anything</i>.”

He’ll take redemption.  He’ll use his second chance.

Or he’ll take death.

He doesn’t care which.

He just doesn’t care.

There’s no answer, though.  The cries taper off, and JJ lays there, limp against the console as he tries to gather himself.  It could be minutes; it could be hours.  Before he accepts the idea that he’s alive.  That he’s endured this, too.

He’s survived, against all odds.

Shakily, he gets to his feet.  He has to brace himself on the wheel, blinking hard to get his bearings.  He makes the corrections to his course, getting them back on track.  When he looks back out over the horizon, the sun has started to break, peeking out across the water with something that looks like hope.

He can’t stand it.

He can’t face it.

He reaches for the bottle and dries his eyes.  He takes a drink and prepares himself to do it again.

Someday, he knows it’ll be too much.

Someday, he knows.

But not today.

[opbackgrounds]

You didn't really answer my qustion though. What can you name that should be edited out? For example: which warlord do you cut out? Which arc they brought do you feel is unneeded and should be taken out? I promise I'm not being mean or snarky, it's just I've heard the 'too many randoms' all over, but nobody can actualy point to an actual character they find should be cut out so it kinda sound like 'just make it better'. And unless wiki is wrong, Tama is Koruzumi, not Kozumi - the fact you mixed it up kinda shows it didn't really matter, though I would argue it is important from narrative perspective of showing Koruzumi were not 'evil by blood' despite all names one being villains. Also: Zoro's lineage was also released trough SBS and I don't see people break up about it? Again, I'm just honestly curious about what you think.

my point is not invalidated because I misremembered a name, and Zoro’s lineage is another thing that either should have been in the manga or not been a thing at all. If Oda wasn’t going to do anything with it, he should have kept the connection between he and Wano be through Kuina. The Zoro lookalike characters during Yamato’s flashback only set up expectation in the audience that wasn’t followed through with. I understand that Zoro doesn’t give a fuck, but if that’s the case then don’t make it a thing in the first place.

But to answer your question let’s look just at Wano. The Nine Scabbards should have been reduced down to a more reasonable number. I love them both dearly, but you could easily combine Dogstorm and Cat Viper into one character. Raizo doesn’t do much after Zou, so replace him there with someone else—I’d say Izo, since that’s the character who could have used some time with the main cast to make their ridiculous death more impactful. You could say after Marineford they were trying to get back to Wano and stumbled upon Momo and the rest while traveling. Shinobu can handle being the main ninja character, and no Raizo means you don’t have to have earlobe guy so now there’s no meaningless 25 chapter fight.

With Izo reintroduced thusly, there’s no reason for Marco to show up at all. In fact, he has a built-in reason for not showing up by protecting Whitebeard’s homeland. This will require some rewriting of the arc, but imo he ended up taking away too much valuable hype from more important characters to really justify his presence, so get him out of there.

It was clear Oda was having a hard time finding a purpose for Drake, and Hawkins, and Apoo. Of those three, you could easily get rid of Apoo and not lose anything. Have a quick flashback of him dying epically in the Kidd Pirate Alliance battle against Kaido. It would have been a better showing than he gave in the arc itself.

And that’s just off the top of my head. I haven’t done any rereading of Wano since that chapters were released. If someone went over the arc more carefully there would be more (like, does Carrot really need to be there? Do any of the other Zou characters?) I really think you could get the Scabbards down to 5 characters if you tried, but I’d have to figure out how that would fit with the rest of the story.

My problem with One Piece isn’t the number of arcs, it’s that the arcs themselves are too long. Enies Lobby was epic in scale and had a lot of different factions to account for, but it didn’t take three years to get through. Theres going to be some ballooning in size as the crew has gotten bigger, but even that could be worked around. Have more tag team fights like on Thriller Bark, for example, so the enemy crews don’t have to have so many people. Reduce the roll of side characters and give their feats to the Straw Hats who haven’t gotten enough love after the time skip. There’s lots of things Oda could have done, but he hasn’t.

[thenamesblurrito]

assorted Transformers fics to rec (part two!)

first list here! have more fics i missed the first time or discovered since then or were recommended to me by others! if you decide to read these, i recommend leaving a comment if you can to encourage the writers and show some love! 🥰 note: the ones marked with * were ones i read a long time ago and did not reread before adding them to this list, so i am going off the good vibes in my memory

An Act of Revenge for Crimes Uncommitted

canon soup, incomplete, AO3. young Orion Pax wakes up mutilated, empurata'd, and his assailants punished him for the crimes of one Optimus Prime. ooooo this is kind of heartwrenching, truly intriguing and unjust and mmmmm drama. time travel, gore, mind the tags here, a fascinating look at a bad timeline! some of the functionism stuff in here actually helped inspire my own functionist setup in SNAP

Blackout and Reboot

canon soup, complete multichap, AO3. amnesia was not on the table when Thundercracker agreed to go undercover as a human. giant robot aliens weren't on the table when Marissa took it upon herself to help the weirdest guy she'd ever met. it's a match made in heaven. i love this fic okay it's got some fantastic wth moments and TC being TC and Marissa being awesome and just. i like it. the writing could use some technical polish but the action and plot concept are good, and the fun alien/human interactions are my jam. has a sequel i haven't read

Canonfodder*

TFP, incomplete, Spacebattles. a series of harrowing updates from a poor hapless nobody isekai'd into the body of a Vehicon on dead Cybertron, and all the nonsense that spirals from there. i like this one, the pacing can get a lil jagged and the technical skill of the writing is a bit off but that's often the nature of these forum fics, i didn't mind it. definitely love the inclusion of Kup, and space video games, and the limited but interesting choices the protag can make when presented with such a dismal situation makes for a very compelling, journal-style story. if you don't know how to navigate forum fics like this, just use the links in the first post to skip to each snippet

Catching Feelings

TFA, oneshot with sequel, AO3. Bumblebee and Charlie are clearly a Thing, so what's Optimus doing thinking about her so much? honestly i just like this ship concept especially in a TFA context, it's very cute and awwwww poor Op, sorry you're experiencing emotions!

Commonality and Misunderstandings

canon soup, incomplete, AO3. a collection of scenes showing just how humans and mecha can figure each other out, no matter how wide the cross-cultural divide. this is cute! i like the human OCs and the shenanigans. talks about gender perceptions, has some mech-preg mentions, and hits some good emotional moments

the consequences of being a vehicle on Earth - even if only as a part-timer

TFA, oneshot, AO3. out of everyone who has to deal with the legality of autonomous sentient vehicles, it's Fanzone. dear god, save him. a very funny little read that honestly addresses some things i constantly wonder about re: driving laws and the bots. nothing more tortuous than the DMV!

Curious Thing, Isn't It?

vaguely G1, oneshot, AO3. the Ark crew, freshly crashed on Earth and uncomprehending of English, discover one of the tiny squishy native inhabitants. a very cute little scene, i love the variety of reactions and how they treat the kid they found

A Fourth to Remember

G1, oneshot, AO3. it's the 4th of July, and Wheeljack has taken it upon himself to make a fireworks show. lovely little story of his typical nonsense taken large-scale, and some interesting culture collision too!

The Great Space Opera

IDW/TFP crossover, incomplete, AO3. Brainstorm does a whoopsie and uh oh, is that Team Prime in the Lost Light? only a little bit written but VERY fun and i love the mindbending reactions of Ratchet meeting Ratchet. the whole premise is just. mwah

Introduction to Cybertronian Biomechanics

canon soup, incomplete, AO3. a small collection of medical essays and articles detailing a breakdown of anatomy. really fascinating, very coherent explanation that manages to condense canon and fanon into something understandable, perhaps even plausible!

Liberty Island's Decisive Battle: Godzilla vs Trypticon!

Aligned/Godzilla crossover, oneshot, AO3. when Trypticon is resurrected by dark energon and heads towards New York, Fowler remembers a certain other giant lizard monster that might be able to help. Rescue Bots cameo, Miko gets to speak Japanese, Godzilla is awesome, this is just the fic ever

Malto Family Search & Rescue

ES, oneshot, AO3. a Decepticon named Thundercracker shows up at the Malto home in the middle of the night to beg a vital favor: help find his lost dog! SUCH a cute and good and wonderful little fic that fits right in to canon!! i love TC and i love the Malto family interactions and just. oogh lovely little fic. has sequels that i am saving for a rainy day pick me up

marriages of convenience (and the inconvenience of explaining them)

IDW, oneshot, AO3. Minimus is a widower. this fun fact is dropped rather unceremoniously. the painful awkwardness is marvelously in character, there are feelings and funnies and an uncomfortably heartfelt discussion about this matter-of-fact revelation that manages to characterize each of them so well, especially Minimus

Murder Mystery Night

IDW, oneshot, AO3. it's NIGHTBEAT'S NIGHT, BABY! lovely little mystery following around the Lost Light's greatest detective when a fun game night is abruptly shut down by a real actual murder! can Nightbeat find the killer in time?

nothing is more sacred than any other thing

vaguely G1, oneshot, AO3. Skyfire is a nerdy scientist with nerdy friends, which means most shenanigans surrounding him are nerdy. very cute and fun little fic about friends and mushrooms and Starscream being duped! first in a series of oneshots that i haven't gotten around to reading yet but look equally lovely

Objectification

G1, oneshot, AO3. a human and a Cybertronian have very different opinions on who exactly the victim is in an oversexualized music video. stupid funny and good, just the way i like it! last line kills me

Optimus Prime is Destined to Die!!

canon soup AU, incomplete, AO3. poor little Orion is isekai'd into a Cybertronian fantasy light novel as one of the soon-to-die forgettable side characters: the cold prince Optimus Prime. supposed to be MegOp but that hasn't really shown up yet. fantastic premise i leapt at immediately, with interesting royal politics and classic isekai tropey vibes. it's a little slow in places from a lot of (warranted!) purple prose introspection, but i find it cool enough to read through and follow poor Orion adjusting to his new existence!

Return Me to the Stars

TFA AU, incomplete, AO3. when a near-dead little Prime is picked up by the Nemesis, it sparks a lot of shenanigans, mysteries, and interesting political developments, all thanks to Optimus being Optimus. i really love the way this fic is developing, with a terrified Autobot in enemy territory doing the best he can, an expanded cast of Decepticons, a lot of fun worldbuilding, and very engaging and dynamic interactions. features a good bit of whump for our tough lil Prime. tagged as MegOP which is still slowly developing, pretty realistically taking their time to find some kind of even footing without breaking their characterization which i greatly appreciate! the writing itself could use some spellchecking but the plot and pacing are very engaging nonetheless

Scaredy-Car

G1, oneshot, AO3. i love a good comedic misunderstanding and boy the assumptions people are making about Breakdown are WHOOF. kinda cracky, a smidgeon dirty, and just the right amount of loserness that is the entirety of the Decepticon army

The Season of the Smallest Stars

sorta IDW/Stardew Valley crossover?, incomplete, AO3. you weren't expecting a small troop of adorable little robots to help you with your farmwork. a very soft cute little fic, i love it!!! never played SV but it's easy enough to follow along anyway, and i love the cute beeping Lost Light bots helping out our farmer

Second Star From Morning

technically IDW, incomplete, AO3. only a little bit written but SELF INSERT BABYYYYYYYYY gotta love it when your protagonists are aware that this is in fact a fictional character! the panic, the questions, the wahuh?? captivating premise, i hope the author comes back to it someday

Skywarp And The Wonders Of The Unnatural World

G1, oneshot, AO3. their summary sums it up best: "The Elite Trine have a very serious and mature debate on the existence of mythical creatures." extremely funny to me, i LOVE when they're stupid and petty and catty and silly!! Skywarp is so dumb i love him so much

Small Problems*

G1, ongoing series, AO3. average human Crystal finds some shrunken Autobots lost in the big city, and her life only gets weirder from there. an OC-centric series that--spoilers for later in the series--may have been one of the original "human turned into Transformer" fics! the whole series goes from sweet and funny to heartwrenching and angsty, with a lot of in between. i love the OC and sympathize with the horrible things she ends up going through, and also the heights to which she rises! slowburn Prowl/OC, with a bit of love triangle with Jazz in there too (funfact this was the second ever piece of media in which i encountered Blurr)

Sparkless

TFP, incomplete, AO3. a Vehicon left behind finds itself fixed up by a human, and might just gain some personhood along the way. a VERY sweet little story oogh i love this Vehicon!! poor thing i want to give them hot chocolate and a blankie. it's a lovely story with an intriguing premise

Stop Me*

TFP, incomplete (but with over 200 chapters), FFN. Starscream nearly dies at the claws of the Predacons... and then he's alive again, in the past, as if none of that ever happened. a rather (in?)famous fic in the fandom, i've found, although when i first read it i didn't know that. a very interesting take on a Starscream redemption AU, paired with some fascinating outlier power moments! a little bit wooby about Screamer (maybe a lot wooby?), a lot of whump, a lot of emotion, maybe some hints of StarOP idk if that's become an actual ship since i last checked. ymmv on this one depending on your Starscream opinions but i was hooked for the whole time for sure! i need to catch up, it's technically still updating. also the author has another, shorter, complete Starscream redemption fic which i also enjoyed, check that out too

A Streetcar Named Traitor

G1, oneshot, AO3. Megatron doesn't take Starscream's defection well and Optimus has had enough. very stupid, very funny, makes me cackle as Megsy gets dunked on

Sudden Active Development... I certainly feel SAD at the moment*

TFP, incomplete, Spacebattles. another isekai forum fic, this time somebody gets dropped into the body of Nemesis Prime and has to deal with running around as an Optimus lookalike! i like the misunderstandings and the process of adapting to a strange new body. some stilted dialogue, and it gets a little weird about gender perception but i can gloss over that. ramps up with more canon characters, a sprinkling of OCs, and completely taking canon off the rails within the last few posts! this one has threadmarks for easy navigation

Turning Points*

vaguely G1 AU, incomplete, FFN. Prowl was one of the most brilliant tacticians among the Decepticons, and then they destroyed his home. it's gonna be a long climb into the good graces of the Autobots for this defector. an absolutely fantastic character driven piece with a brilliant premise, i love how Prowl is written. and the politics of defecting and dealing with a security hazard, mmmmm good!

An Uneasy Partnership*

sorta G1/Armada/canon soup?, ongoing series, FFN. Alexis keeps an unruly Starscream in her barn. this can only go well. this series is WILD, it escalates and gets worse and then better and then worse again, you root for Screamer and then you hate him, poor Alexis is on a constant horrid rollercoaster but hey, (spoilers), she gets a cool robot body and also a tyrant king boyfriend out of it??? but man is it a long, manipulative, whumpy road to get there. the powerplays and emotional turmoil in their dynamic just keep going and it's fascinating, although probably not for you if you don't like bad power imbalances. it's the end of the world as we know it and whatever comes on the other end is going to be only as good as you make of it. i think this series may also be sort of (in)famous in the fandom? idk i don't pay attention that well

Untitled

IDW, drabble, tumblr. in an unexpected meetcute, Minimus finds himself rescuing Rung. honestly it's just a quick little concept of a conversation but it has captivated me and i'm obsessed with it