#but she will be conflicted over her actions

[lemmesayimyourbiggestfan]

frontman x reader whos a player but not because of debt but because she was investigating with gi-hun and ju-hon and got in the limousine and then in-ho falls in love with her and gets her out of the game with him like at the end of the season

can u also like not write it like a hate love relationship? like readers conflicted but still likes in-ho

Keeping you safe

Hwang In-ho x reader

hiii, pleasure writing your request! hope it’s the way you imagined :)

Word count: 3,3k

Warnings: violence, murder,…

Requests are open! i would also like to write something about Jun-ho or the salesman, so hmu

When you jumped into the limousine after Gi-hun you didn’t consider its consequences. Jun-ho trusted you to keep your eyes on Gi-hun at all costs and you were going to keep your word, even when it meant making yourself vulnerable.

The gas was sweet on your tongue and Gi-hun already slumped down on the plush leather of the limo seats. But you were wide awake, somehow defying sleep’s influence, shaking, still processing what the deep voice implied and Gi-hun demanded. “Put me in the game. But leave her out of it.”

Those words were followed by a dry laugh. You knew that meant there was no way out of it now. You started whispering into the intercom to Jun-ho, saying how sorry you were. His panicked voice was cut off by you turning off the device while you prepared yourself for the Frontman’s reaction, closing your eyes and taking shallow breaths.

“No. Those are my games and my rules. Might make them more interesting, don’t you agree, player 456?”

Then the gas started rising up from the floor. Gi-hun grabbed your hand, rumbling about how sorry he was. You smiled wearily, pressing his hand. “It’s okay, Gi-hun.” You both knew it wasn’t. It was as far from ‘okay’ as possible.

His fingers went limp and you resigned, waiting for the inevitable. With muted senses you watched the tinted protection shield go down. Behind it was the man in the mask himself, looking at you over his shoulder. Just when his gloved hand hovered over his mask, shrugging it off, you were engulfed in darkness.

***

After the first game, you thought that nothing could surprise you anymore. As much as Gi-hun tried to keep you from all the bloodshed, even he couldn’t cover your eyes and ears every time there was a gunshot. Still pale and shaken, digging dirt and blood from beneath your nails, you sat on your bed with the provided food in your lap, watching your surroundings. At least Gi-hun could be happy he found here his long lost friend, with whom he was now talking. You still didn’t speak to anyone else. You were scared that if you did, they would be dead by tomorrow.

You barely noticed there was any commotion until the sudden silence peaked your interest. There was a skirmish between three guys, two of them working together, which made the outcome of the fight quite obvious. There was another player stalking towards the group, trying to break up the fight.

“I said save the lecture for your own damn kids.” one of the guys shouted at him. That’s when you noticed the player’s still frame, like a cat before launching at its prey. And you were right; within a blink of an eye, he put both of the guys on their backs, not even breaking a sweat. You looked closer at him, reading the number 001 on his back. Even from afar you could see how deadly calm he was while choking one of them. After a moment the rage left his body and he released his grip. You didn’t expect the applause that followed his actions. You exchanged a look with Gi-hun. Were you the only one who sensed something foreboding?

You turned your attention back to the food in your lap and decided that even though you weren’t hungry, you desperately needed the energy. But in your mind, all you could think about was the player 001. Was he a police detective like Jun-ho or a former marine like Jung-bae or Dae-ho? Or something else entirely?

It took you a while to get out of your head and notice that his bed was right next to yours. With a sigh, player 001 sat down, grabbing his unfinished food. Just then he noticed your searching look and gave you a tentative smile.

“Hello, sir,” you began, looking down at your hands. A sudden wave of nervousness came over you. “I’m Y/N. Do you mind telling me your name?”

“No bother, Y/N,” he replied and you stared at his lips, at how perfectly they formed your name. “I’m Young-il. Nice to meet you.”

“You too,” you grinned at him in response, holding out your hand that he tentatively shook.

“Nice moves there,” you pointed your chin to the middle of the dormitory where the fight took place. “You could teach me if you had time, I’m terrible in combat.” A lie. Jun-ho himself taught you how to hold yourself and how to hold a gun. You were just trying to find out who Young-il was.

“If we have time, yes.” he nodded absentmindedly, scooping up a mouthful of rice.

“Do you mind me asking? I was just wondering if you have any children.” you said carefully.

“No, I don't.” Young-il replied, suddenly his gaze sharp.

“Well, I just thought that, based on your reaction to what that other player told you-“ you searched for the answer in his closely guarded expression. “You lost your child, didn’t you?”

Young-il didn’t say anything to that, his cutlery going limp in his hand.

“I just- I’d know that look anywhere. I know it’s not something to bond over,” you gave a startled laugh, fidgeting under his everlasting gaze, “but if you’d like to talk about it-“

“Thank you.” He reached out and squeezed your hand. His touch was calloused and warm. “I mean it.”

You smiled softly, squeezing his fingers in response. “I know.”

Preparing yourself for lights out, you couldn’t ignore his lingering gaze following your movements. Thankfully Gi-hun approached you and sat next to you on the bed, guilt visible in his expression.

“I’m so sorry, Y/N. I never wanted to drag you into this. And I’ll do everything in my power to keep you safe-“

“Don’t worry about that, sir. I can take care of myself. Anyways, I was only following Jun-ho’s orders. It had nothing to do with you.”

Unconvinced, Gi-hun sighed and moved to his own bed, not having the energy at the moment to argue with you. You finally lay down, moving the thin blanket over your body, curling up on your side.

“I overheard you talking about Jun-ho, and I couldn’t help but notice how familiar that name sounds to me,” Young-il broke the silence, looking at you with curiosity in his eyes.

“Well, he used to work as a police detective so that’s why you might know him.”

“Oh, yes, that might be possible,” Young-il gave you a restrained smile. “And he is to you-?”

“A friend. I used to work as a secretary in his department, that’s all.” you smiled back.

“Oh, sorry to pry.” he looked at his hands.

“Not at all.” He looked into your eyes and your eyes crinkled with another smile. Only when he looked away did you turn around in your bed. A few minutes later you heard Gi-hun and Young-il talking and even though you didn’t want to, it was impossible to not overhear. Young-il was explaining the story of why he’s in the games and why he chose to continue playing - how his pregnant wife was gravely ill and he needed the money due to her medical bills. Somehow, this answer shocked you, even though you shouldn't have been thrown off by it. Of course he was married.

Only after the whole dormitory fell silent did you finally fall into a fitful sleep.

***

“Thank you, Young-il.” you whispered to him, gratefully touching his shoulder. Young-il turned his gaze your way and the corners of his eyes crinkled under the influence of a smile. Only his supportive words during the six legged pentathlon could calm you down, which resulted in you successfully completing your mini game. The memory flashed through your mind - tears welling in your eyes, hands shaking as you reached again and again for the gong-gi pebbles. You could sense your teammates’ growing unease but that even worsened your situation. After the third attempt, Young-il grabbed you by the elbow, leaning closer as he said: “Ignore everything else okay? Just listen to me and focus.”

You nodded, bewildered eyes setting again on the pebbles. You were kneeling in a puddle of blood, which didn’t exactly help calm your nerves.

“Just concentrate. I know you can do it. Look at you, all flushed red and focused. This look suits you.” The pebbles balanced on the knuckles of your hand, just one more throw. You looked up at Young-il, lips slightly parted. Were you hearing correctly? Maintaining eye contact, you threw the pebbles op with a sudden surge of confidence and caught them flawlessly. Everyone cheered and you were hoisted up by your team, but all you could hear were Young-il’s last words whispered in your ear: “Good girl.”

Now he was looking at you, this new tension between you two palpable.

“Anytime.”

***

While you tried to act nonchalant, it was just impossible. The way Young-il now watched you at all times drove you crazy, feeling his gaze like a branding on your body. You were grateful for keeping a watch during the lights off, thinking that it could distract you from your own dirty thoughts. But it was quite the contrary.

Overlooking the silent dark room, those words echoed in you even more soundly. Good girl. With a sigh you stretched out your legs, trying to ignore the tightness in your underbelly. You were annoyed with yourself. Why did the words of a stranger make you feel this way? Words of a married stranger, more like it.

“You seem distracted.”

You jumped at that impassive raspy voice. Thankfully, once Young-ho sat down next to you, he couldn’t notice your flushed cheeks due to the impassable darkness. Your shoulders touched and to your surprise he didn’t immediately move away.

“Oh, it’s nothing, really.” you smiled with your head bowed, nearly chuckling at how clueless he must be.

There was an awkward silence following your reply, so, without thinking about it, you said: “Thank you again for today, truly. You helped me a lot.”

Young-il looked at you, searching for something in your expression. Apparently he found it. “You think about that a lot, don’t you?”

“Sorry?” you stumbled over your words, not knowing how to react, what to say.

“My words alone made you quiver. Now imagine what my tongue could do.” he whispered, teasing you, a spark in his eyes.

“Young-il-“ you breathed out, suddenly aware of how close his face was to yours. You felt your underwear getting wetter by the minute. But you put that all in the back of your mind as you said: “I know you are married. Expecting a child, even. You shouldn’t say things like that.”

He blinked, taken aback. “Does that bother you? Or are you bothered by the effect I have on you?”

You sighed, looking away from his handsome face. Was he sent here just to test your boundaries?

“I still have enough self control to know right from wrong.” But your body wasn’t in line with your thoughts.

Young-il stared at you for a moment, then sighed, irritated. “My wife and my child are gone. I just don’t enjoy talking about them in past tense. I joined the games out of misery, nothing more. Are you happy now?”

You froze, looking at the way his arms formed into fists at his sides. It was like having ice cold water poured all over you.

“Young-il, I’m so-“

“Don’t be. It’s been a long time.” Eyes meeting, he smiled at you tentatively. You squeezed his warm hand and he relaxed, loosening his fist.

“Right now, I don’t care about anything but you.” He caressed your cheek with the back of his hand, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. Moving closer, he kissed the bruise already blossoming on your jaw. And you let him.

“I don’t want to scare you away with my… infatuation. But right now, I’m so desperately weak for you.” Your breathing hitched as he moved his lips to your ear.

Just when you thought he would kiss you, he suddenly pulled away.

“I’ll take over the watch. You should sleep, muster some energy for tomorrow.” You nodded as if in a trance. He helped you stand up and led you to your bed. Young-il left you standing there, leaving only the whisper of his lips branding your cheek.

***

The third game was a whirlwind of movement. Only thanks to Young-il were you still alive and breathing. Every time a number was announced, he firmly grasped your wrist and dragged you with him wherever he went. Not that you were complaining - you were so overstimulated by all the commotion that you were glad you could keep up with him.

When one player tried to separate you from him, Young-il bared his teeth and kicked him square in the chest. “She’s mine,” There it was, the cold expression and clenched jaw. Even though you were on the brink of dying, a shiver ran down your spine.

You made it safe with your group into one of the rooms and soon were walking out to play the last round. You knew exactly what the woman’s voice was going to announce and you were right: “Two.”

Young-il was already moving, pushing people out of your way. Everything seemed to go smoothly, until you reached the room; a player was already inside.

“Get out.” Young-il growled and reached the man, trying to get him on his legs and out of the room.

“We were here first,” the player whimpered. You noticed other players running to the door you were standing next to and panicking, you closed it, pushing your whole body against it.

You looked over your shoulder at Young-il, wanting to see if he was any closer to pushing the player out through the doors. But you froze when you saw he was holding the man in a headlock, choking him. All you could do was stare.

Young-il was looking straight back at you. And with one smooth motion of his arms he broke the man’s spine, leaving him staring at the ceiling, going limp in Young-il’s grip.

“I’d do anything for you, Y/N.” Young-il said, slowly getting up. You couldn’t tear your gaze from the lifeless body on the ground.

Only when he knelt in front of you did your eyes meet his. He grabbed your cold, shaking hands, kissing the knuckles while staring into your eyes.

“You’re scaring me,” you whispered, a tear rolling down your cheek.

“You poor thing,” Young-il said absentmindedly, wiping your tears away. “I can keep you safe, Y/N. I promise. All I’ve done was to prove that to you.”

“It’s scaring me how far you’re willing to go for me,” you sobbed, fighting the urge to flinch when he caressed your cheek. Still, you couldn’t find a reason to hate him. All the things he was saying were true, he did all of this for you, he killed a man for you, for your own safety.

The lock on the doors clicked and you closed your eyes, letting yourself be guided by Young-il out of the room. You knew that if you looked once more at the corpse, you would never let Young-il touch you again.

So you kept your eyes closed, choosing the easier path.

***

When the lights went out, all you could do was hold Young-il as hard as possible and count the minutes until the slaughter was over. Head against his chest, you concentrated on the sound of his heartbeat, every other sound pushed into the background. His hand was on your lower back, holding you as close as possible.

“I want to go home.” you whispered, clutching the front of his T-shirt like a small child. It was all a mistake. You shouldn’t be here.

“Okay, you will, okay? When we disarm the guards, you stay hidden, but once we take control of the rest, you have to come to my side, you understand?”

You nodded into his chest. Young-il kissed the crown of your head before leaving you under the bed as the guards tried to take control of the situation.

After many gunshots fired, you were crawling to the group of players formed in front of the main doors. Without hesitation you claimed one of the smaller guns for yourself. Somehow, the familiar weight of it calmed you down a bit. Young-il looked at you with tenseness.

“Keeping secrets, I see.” In reply you just loaded the gun, staring back.

Gi-hun looked your way over his shoulder, sending you a quick nod. The group exited the room, moving quickly down the corridor. Young-il stayed back, moving slower than the rest. Once the first guards got in your way, he pushed you to the side, saying: “This way!” Looking over your shoulder, everyone was shooting at the enemy, moving the other way. You looked back at him, unsure.

“You wanted to go home, didn’t you? Well, this is it.” seeing how indecisive you were, he sighed, “You trust me, don’t you?”

Hesitant, you followed his lead. You took the side stairs up and you got a bad feeling in your stomach. Young-il didn’t bother to check the corners, nor the other stories as you climbed the stairs. He walked like someone who knew this place, someone who wasn’t scared that he might be shot.

You stopped in your tracks, aiming your gun with a trembling hand. Young-il, upon noticing you were not following him, turned around. There was something like betrayal shining through his demeanour.

“You’re going to explain.” you said, trying to keep your voice and hand steady.

“Oh, Y/N, I think you already know.” Young-il pointed out, a corner of his lips curling up. He took one step towards you.

“What. Is. Your. Real. Name.” you said through gritted teeth, cocking your gun.

“Hwang In-ho.”

All this time, he was the long lost brother Jun-ho was trying to find. You felt the sting of betrayal in your bones.

“Was any of this real?” Tears stung in your eyes and you hated yourself for being so vulnerable.

“Oh, baby,” In-ho sighed, walking to you, kneeling in front of you again. The muzzle of the gun touched his forehead, which he seemed unbothered by.

“Everything.” he said, looking up at you.

“I keep trying to hate you,” you whispered, trying to muster at least some hatred that would make you pull the trigger. “It would be so much easier if I did.”

In-ho reached out and gently took the gun from your trembling hand. He threw in on the ground, making it slide on the floor.

“I know,” he whispered, grabbing your hips with his hands. He stared at you yearningly. There was a burning ache in your chest clawing its way into your throat.

“Stop looking at me like that.”

“I can’t. And I don’t think you want me to either.”

The worst part was that he was right.

“I know I should stay away from you, but I can’t. It’s not that simple.” A sob tore out of your throat, making it hard for you to breathe. There were so many emotions in you that your head was spinning. All you knew was the fact that you couldn’t hate the one person who deserved it the most.

“Stay with me, love. I beg you,” In-ho said hoarsely, gripping you harder, trying to make you understand. “You will be safe with me. I will not break that promise.” His eyes were filled with hope. “You felt it too, I know.”

You closed your eyes, composing yourself and your thoughts. You knew it was wrong. But you always had a weakness for the forbidden.

In-ho stood up, taking your face in his hands. He kissed your forehead, your temples, your jaw. And when he kissed you on the lips, you let yourself melt into the touch, forgetting everything else.

“You’ll be the death of me.” you whispered against his lips and he smiled into the kiss, knowing you were his.

[inthefoxholes]

1000% yes. It just not only makes the characters one-dimensional, it also completely takes me out of the story. How often do Rook and their romance reassure each other that they’ll make it out alive in the last two quests?? Why? What kind of assumption is that, going against gods? Why is everyone so upbeat about this? I guess it was supposed to be romantic/touching, but when Rook promised Lucanis that they‘d definitely see each other again when all was over I was so angry, that is such a disingenuous thing to say before something that is for all intents and purposes a suicide mission. (But it wasn’t, and again the emotional response fell flat and it all felt goofy rather than epic)

And I would also add to the very valid points made above, that this emotional flatness is a corollary to the sanitized world of datv. Conflicts in previous games arose because something was terribly wrong, and this wrongness could often enough not be talked away - action was required. Alastair‘s conflict arose from the fact that he was a bastard and given away for political reasons, and now called upon to take responsibility by the same system that had discarded him before. Just listening to him is not enough. As a player you have to actually support him through this by your actions (or not, and potentially lose him). (And that’s just one example, let’s not even talk about your crew from da 2, where everyone was so traumatized that any help you could offer was first and foremost damage control.)

There is nothing like this in veilguard? Lucanis is possessed by an actual fucking demon, and it’s kinda unproblematic? Because there are no Templars anymore and people are suddenly super chill with abominations? Harding manages to pacify (?) an actual fucking titan, a being of unfathomable age and scope by… I don’t even know, have someone tell her feelings are ok, a truth she not only integrates into herself in a matter of seconds but then manages to instill in a being that should be beyond her horizon of understanding? And this is not something we should ruminate on? The titans, the monstrous thing that was done to them? It’s just ok now? I don’t even know what Neve is supposed to represent or solve. There are lichs in this world and we‘re not gonna ask about them?? They’re not gonna help us, have never helped anyone, are super fine with slavery and exalted marches, no explanation given? But they are still the good guys, kinda? I could go on. (Don’t get me started on Illario - what the fuck do you mean I can’t kill him?? He betrayed Lucanis, kept him in a torture-prison for a YEAR, and my choices are reconciliation or prison? How insulting is this to what Lucanis went through?)

It’s like there’s no conflict allowed in the world, apart from the big one (and how very fortunate that every companion quest ties neatly into this), and that gets resolved far too easily, without any messiness, any damage, any depth.

The thing is, it's not about the Therapy Speak. It's not that everyone who disliked DAV hates healthy communication as a dynamic in fiction. It's not even about only being allowed to be a good guy, really, because most of us did do that anyways (though the option not being there is a loss I grieve even if I never chose it myself, but that's another rant for another day).

It's that DAV does all that stuff at the expense of being believable. At the expense of characters being permitted to have personalities. At the expense of emotions behaving the way emotions actually work for people. At the expense of letting the plot build tension through the stakes we're forced to grapple with.

Half the fics out there take the conflicts between the characters in the previous games and resolve them. I do it myself ALL THE TIME because I like to find a path to resolution through just about any conflict, that's what fascinates me about telling these stories. But the higher the stakes, the harder a conflict is to resolve. You CAN resolve any conflict, you CAN communicate healthily through any emotion, but you can't skip the time it takes to process it all to even be able to communicate it. As someone whose got CPTSD and recovered from many Traumas, I can tell you that the TIME it takes to work through it is not something you can fast track, and the ups and downs of your emotions on that journey can't be skipped. It doesn't matter if you know exactly how to do it, exactly how it's going to feel, or exactly what the end state will be, you CAN'T speedrun it.

DAV has stakes that are astronomical, but nobody treats them that way. Nobody experiences denial - a common psychological reaction to being presented with information that shatters your worldview. Nobody expresses any distrust in the establishments handing out this information - something common among cultures that have at times been at war, even if those wars are "resolved" in the present. Nobody really ever breaks down - something that any person is capable of under extreme circumstances, especially when facing multiple crises of faith that challenge everything they thought they knew about themselves. Nobody blows their lid because they've been repressing the hell out of everything. Nobody grieves for southern Thedas, the entire thing dying off screen and giving you, the player, NO way to engage with it in any way.

Not to mention there are barely any inter-party conflicts, when there should be a lot more. Why is everyone (except Spite) fine with it if Emmrich sacrifices Manfred to become a lich? Why is everyone fine with Illario potentially being set free if he was working with the venatori and Elgar'nan, two sources that have actively attacked everyone in the party? Why doesn't Neve resent Lucanis if Treviso is picked? Why doesn't Harding get pissed off at Nevarra for having a secret society of liches that never helped during the Inquisition's war against the breach and corypheus? Why doesn't Harding feel ANYTHING about Ferelden and the rest of the south? Shouldn't Harding resent the fact that she's stuck in the north while her home dies?

All of these conflicts ARE resolvable, but not easily. And it's not believable that they're never brought up. It's not believable that these characters skip through everything that happens with like, barely a frowny face most of the time. In DAO, Alistair leaves if you don't treat his conflicts with respect. In DA2, your party members try to kill each other if you don't pay attention to their conflicts/emotional needs. In DAI, people can leave or betray you, Cassandra throws a chair at Varric and tries to body him out a window. ALL of these can be resolved but it takes effort, and the characters get to SHOW that they're bothered by them and struggling the way a person would when faced with those emotions.

The problem isn't the therapy speak, or that everyone is loyal and won't leave, or that they aren't mean to each other enough. It's that it's toxic positivity. It's toxic as fuck to imply that anger or grief should be smiled over or else you're giving up, and it's damaging to people to avoid engaging with their own negative emotional responses to extremely negative stimuli. It's pasting optimism over very real, very weighty issues, sweeping it all under the rug, and you keep waiting for the lid to blow off the pressure cooker that creates, but it never does. It never becomes anything that emulates real emotions, which is why the whole damn thing feels hollow. Everything's dying and nobody cares, not even about themselves, and that's NOT healthy communication.

It's bullshit, half-assed storytelling that didn't tell us the actual story, just the vague idea of what it could have been.

[lovemyromance]

Sometimes I get kinda sad when I think about the hatred people have toward Elain. Every single character in these books is flawed, and yet we have people defending Tamlin & freaking Eris Vanserra, but hating on Elain Archeron.

What has she done to earn such vehement hatred from a large majority of the fandom?

Whether people hate her because she didn't help Feyre hunt, or she was rude to Nesta, or she likes one male and not another... whether she's "boring" or "dull" or a "crybaby"....

I just can't get over the way this fandom is so polarized about her. Quite frankly, she hasn't been in the forefront of the action enough to warrant such a strong reaction, even.

She is not perfect. But she is trying to make amends. She has apologized to Feyre, has tried her best to make Velaris her home despite everything that was taken away from her.

She has not "led Lucien on" despite what anyone tries to claim. She is not doing anything wrong by pursuing someone else she has feelings for.

She tried with Nesta. She tried with Feyre. She has stepped up and even saved everyone's ass in ACOWAR - and still people hate her.

People call her all sorts of names day in and day out. They claim she's a coward, weak, feeble, not worthy of Azriel or Lucien.

I just want to remind people that this is a fantasy series. Elain - despite the conflicting opinions - is an Archeron sister, and therefore a main character. In a fantasy series, the FMC can be many things - but she is never weak. She is never a coward.

Elain Archeron has the beauty to bring even Kings to their knees. She cares about her friends and family, and isn't afraid to get her hands dirty to protect them. She is a dreamer, she is a SEER, and a soul so lovely, even the Cauldron purrs in her presence. She is many things - but weak?

Never.

[mastermatoyas]

Isekai/Isekai Adjacent Recommendations Post - Female Protagonist Version

So since a few people are sharing their own isekai recommendations, I figured I'd make a post of my own. Most of these are Korean manhwa, most of them lean more towards romance fantasy than action, and all of them have female protagonists.

The reason for this is that, after noping out of Mushoku Tensei like half an episode in, I now refuse to read/watch any isekai with a male protagonist unless it is recommended to me by like three people that I actually trust.

Anyway, recommendations!

All Time Favourite: Ascendance of a Bookworm

Summary: after dying in an earthquake, a book-loving young woman finds herself reborn in the body of Myne, a sickly peasant girl in a world where books are luxury items reserved mostly for the nobility. Horrified by her circumstances, she resolves to make her own books... and everything snowballs from there.

Why I like it: The worldbuilding in this story is absolutely fantastic. The protagonist is an extremely fun character, and plays really well off the supporting cast. The series is called "Ascendance" of a Bookworm because, in the process of trying to bring books to the masses, Myne brings massive changes to both her own life and the world around her.

Sometimes it's funny. Sometimes it's heartbreakingly sad. Sometimes you get lovingly detailed descriptions of printing presses, medieval economics, and soup.

A lot of these recommendations are romance-focused, but Ascendance of a Bookworm contains very little romance (arguably none for the protagonist, depending on how you interpret Myne's relationship with a certain character). Because of that, this is the one I would most recommend to people who are not interested in romance.

There is a manga for this one (and an anime), but it isn't finished. The light novel, however, is finished and has a complete official translation. Unlike a lot of light novels, the prose is actually pretty good, too! I would highly recommend the light novel if you're looking to get into this series.

Possible Second Favourite: Concubine Walkthrough

Summary: High school student Yona gets quite literally sucked into the world of the VR game Concubine Walkthrough. Now stuck in the body of the villainess, she has to beat the game and escape this virtual world in time to take her college entrance exams.

Why I like it: The premise seems fairly cliche at first, but unlike a lot of romance fantasy isekai that stay strictly within the realm of fantasy, Concubine Walkthrough is actually science fiction. It's also a tale of palace intrigue, the cruelty of the modern (well, near-future) world, and - yes - it is a love story.

It's hard to fully explain why Concubine Walkthrough is so good without spoiling it, so I won't say any more than that. Just that this is a journey worth undertaking.

Other Recommendations, in no particular order except maybe alphabetical

How to Win my Husband Over:

The protagonist wakes up in the body of Rudbeckia de Borgia, a novel villainess destined to die at the hands of her husband, Iske van Omerta. In order to survive, she begins a campaign to suck up to those around her and convince them that she is not a threat.

Rudbeckia ("Ruby") is a complex and troubled protagonist - a heart-rendingly realistic portrait of a woman who has never felt truly safe in her life. This story comes with massive content warnings for family violence, eating disorders, and self-harm/suicide. Some people find Ruby to be a really frustrating character, since her inability to trust others causes a lot of conflict in the story. I personally really like her, because her inability to trust others causes a lot of conflict in the story.

I'll Save this Damned Family:

The protagonist wakes up in the body of Tara Elias, who is - you guessed it, a minor villainess whose entire family is doomed to face execution. In order to save her entire household, despite the fact that most of them suck as human beings, Tara must use her wits to enter the arena of fantasy politics, throwing her support behind the illegitimate Prince Kyle. (Yes, for some reason most of the people in this one have normal-ass modern names).

The political intrigue in this one is incredibly complex. Tara is incredibly clever, but she doesn't always succeed - she is often outmanouevred, which adds a real sense of tension and urgency.

There's kind of a sideplot early on about Tara losing weight, which some people might find inherently distasteful. However, she goes about it in a normal and realistic way, and the story makes it clear that her worth as a human being isn't tied to her weight, which is actually kind of a big deal for a Korean manhwa.

Mother's Contract Marriage:

Lyrica is a normal eight-year old girl. No, really, she's completely normal - she has no memories of any past life, nor has she gone back in time after facing any sort of grisly fate.

Her mother, on the other hand, suddenly changes one day. Formerly a neglectful drunk living in the slums, she finesses her way into the imperial ball and secures a contract marriage to the Emperor, catapulting Lyrica into the glamorous life of a princess overnight.

Of course, as the audience, we figure out pretty quickly that Lyrica's mother has gone back in time, and is using her knowledge of the future to save both of them from a terrible fate. The story isn't actually about that, though - it's about Lyrica charming everyone around her, finding out about her own magical powers, and unknowingly fighting back against the darker side of the nobility.

The art style is absolutely gorgeous, and really sells the fact that this entire story is being filtered through the perspective of an actual child.

Not-Sew-Wicked Stepmom:

Children's fashion designer Lily Lee wakes up in the body of Abigail, the evil stepmother from Snow White. She resolves to shower her eleven-year-old stepdaughter, Princess Blanche, with affection, and to browbeat her distant and cold-hearted husband into doing the same.

This one is extremely sweet and heartwarming, while also dealing with some seriously heavy topics including body image and pretty much every kind of child abuse. Both Abigail and her husband, King Sabrian, are fundamentally good people dealing with some extremely difficult circumstances. Blanche is a sweet kid who has been forced to become mature beyond her years, and who wants nothing more than a loving family.

The Crimson Lady:

Karen Heyer woke up as the heroine of a romance novel. Since then, she has lived through the same year one hundred times. No matter what she does, she is destined to die a painful death at the end of each year - no sooner, and no later.

Having been hollowed out into a broken husk of a person, she resolves to become a serial killer, hoping that death - rather than love - might bring an end to the cycle.

This one seems to be getting close to its conclusion, and every chapter is a massive goddamn cliffhanger. It's one of those stories where every time a mystery is solved, it just brings up more questions, and I WANT TO KNOW UGH.

The Fantasie of a Stepmother:

Shuri was brought into the Neuschwanstein family as a child herself, raised by the ailing Marquess for the sole purpose of protecting his four children after his death. Despite being despised by her four step-children, Shuri nevertheless managed to shield them from harm, and looks forward to finally having a chance to live her own life after the marriage of her eldest step-child.

Instead, however, Shuri wakes up seven years in the past, right after the death of her husband. She must now relive her entire experience of raising the Neuschwanstein children - but is this an opportunity to repair her bond with them?

(Note: yes, Shuri was a child when she was married to Marquess Neuschwanstein. That marriage was not, uh, consummated. I would not call her husband a good man, for a number of reasons, but CSA isn't an element of this story. Important to note because that could obviously be a deal-breaker for a lot of people.)

This is one of the most popular romance fantasy manhwa around, and with good reason. The art is beautiful, the story is intricate, and the characters are vibrant and likeable. Also, the original web novel was written by the same author as How to Win my Husband Over.

The Glamorous Life of a Fake Mistress:

This one isn't super popular from what I can tell, but I'm recommending it because it's actually one of my favourites.

Sally, a common dancer, was taken in as the mistress of Duke Casis Estaban, who desperately wants to divorce his wife, Elysee. Although Sally falls in love with Casis, he remains cold and professional towards her, treating her as a mistress in name only. Elysee torments Sally behind the Duke's back, eventually torturing her and killing her.

After finding herself sent back in time, Sally initially attempts to avoid getting involved with Duke Esteban. However, after realising that this would simply transfer her fate to another person, she makes a deal with Casis - she will be his fake mistress and help him secure his divorce. With the knowledge she gained in her first life, both of the future and of noble etiquette, Sally sets out to achieve her goal.

Along the way, she gives a lot of very modern advice to noblewomen about sex, relationships, and self-esteem. I honestly just like this one because it's a breath of fresh air - Sally is a genuinely kind person, and I think it's easier to root for her in a way because she is a real underdog, as a commoner in a world of nobles and a mistress in a world of "respectable" women. Also, we love a girls' girl.

Villains are Destined to Die:

Probably the most popular isekai romance fantasy out there at the moment. The protagonist wakes up in the body of Penelope Eckhart, who is both the villainess of an otome game and the protagonist of that game's hard mode. The protagonist never actually managed to beat the game, having instead witnessed Penelope's constant deaths at every wrong turn.

Terrified of her fate, and deeply resentful of everyone within the game world, Penelope resolves to survive and beat the game.

In a pattern you may have identified, I like this one because of its protagonist. Penelope is cold, paranoid, and views the people around her as game NPCs. She tries to manipulate others without developing any attachments to them, focusing solely on her own survival. She isn't an inherently cruel person, but caring for others is a luxury she cannot afford.

[fandomfablesunleashed]

The snap

Ace x reader (she/her)

Chapter 17 of And they were roommates - Modern AU series

🤭🤭🤭

🫶@captainportgasdace 🫶

Even after both of you apologized that night, the tension didn’t ease. The next morning, you both offered more apologies, but they felt hollow, as if they were just words to fill the space where something much deeper was missing. You’d tried to brush it off, to act like everything was fine, but neither of you were good at pretending anymore.

The summer heat didn’t help. Sweat stuck to your clothes, making every movement feel sluggish and uncomfortable. Even the smallest actions—reaching for a glass of water, watching movies, or trying to focus on anything—felt like a chore. The heat in the apartment was only matched by the one that seemed to radiate between the two of you—quiet, simmering, and neither of you had the courage to do anything about it.

Ace, as if to escape the oppressive warmth, wandered around shirtless, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts. Sweat glistened on his toned body, highlighting the ripple of his muscles as he shifted to find a cooler spot in the apartment. By now that wasn't such an unusual sight for your eyes, you've seen him without a shirt here and there, joking even that he had a weird aversion to wearing one. But after recent charged moments between you two, it felt different. 

You, too, had dressed as lightly as possible and every time he glanced at you, even briefly, you could feel the weight of his gaze like a physical touch. Your pulse quickened, and for a moment, you couldn’t tell if it was the stifling air in the room or the intensity building between the two of you.

The days stretched on, and each one felt like an eternity as the two of you danced around each other, trying to avoid the unspoken tension that thickened the air. The playful banter that had once defined your friendship had become something sharper, more brittle, fueled by frustration and longing.

The pressure was building, and every attempt to ignore the tension only seemed to worsen it. Small annoyances grew into full-blown arguments.  But no matter how many words were exchanged, none of them ever seemed to address the real issue—the thing neither of you was brave enough to confront.

Then, one day, it happened. The pressure finally cracked. A trivial disagreement over a misplaced remote spiraled out of control, escalating into something neither of you had expected or prepared for.

“You could at least wear a goddamn shirt!” you snapped, your eyes involuntarily raking over Ace’s exposed torso. His bare chest—toned, sun-kissed, and unapologetically on display—only seemed to fuel your frustration.  You couldn’t decide if you were more angry about the sight itself or the fact that it was making it so damn hard to focus on hiding your feelings.

Ace’s jaw clenched, his eyes flashing with irritation as they met yours. “You're one to talk!” he shot back, his gaze now sweeping over the revealing fabric of your clothes. “You’re barely covered yourself.”

Anger flared, but so did a sudden wave of embarrassment. Hypocrite, your mind screamed at you. “Oh, so now you’re judging me, huh?” you bit out, trying to mask the vulnerability creeping in.

“Not judging,” he replied immediately. But there was something in the way his eyes lingered a little too long on your body that made the room feel ten times hotter. “Just pointing out the obvious.”

The tension between you thickened, so palpable it was almost suffocating. It crackled in the air like electricity, sparking at the slightest shift, and neither of you knew how to turn it off anymore. Or maybe you just didn't want to. You shifted uncomfortably, your fingers curling into the fabric of your shirt. “You’re not making this any easier, you know,” you muttered, the words barely more than a whisper.

Ace didn’t back down. He took a step forward, closing the gap between you, his eyes never leaving yours.  They were filled with a tangle of conflicting emotions you wished so much to decipher. “You think it’s easy for me?” he snapped. “You parading around the apartment like that?”

“Like what?” you challenged, an eyebrow arched defiantly. “It’s hot! What do you want me to do, walk around in a snowsuit?”

Then, as though something in him finally broke, Ace let out a low murmur, his gaze flicking down to your lips. “You're making it damn impossible,” he said, the words almost too soft, too raw to ignore. “Walking around like that… looking so beautiful… and expecting me not to react?”

Beautiful. It was such a simple word, yet it made everything inside you tremble. Your breath hitched, your heart stuttering in your chest as the weight of his words landed. There was no hiding from the intensity of the moment. You opened your mouth to respond, but the words caught in your throat.

Before you could say a thing, Ace surged forward, closing the remaining space between you. His hands found your hips, his grip firm yet trembling ever so slightly, as though he couldn’t bear to let you slip away. He pressed you against him, your bodies colliding in a way that felt inevitable, like two magnets finally surrendering to their pull.

And then his lips crashed against yours in a deep, desperate kiss. 

You gasped against his mouth, the shock of the moment quickly melting into something more intense. Your arms instinctively wrapped around his neck, pulling him even closer, as if you needed to feel the full heat of him against you. Your fingers threaded through his unruly hair, tugging him toward you with a quiet, desperate urgency, as if you couldn’t get enough.

The world around you faded into oblivion. Heat rushed through you both, the kiss igniting a fire that had been smoldering for far too long. Ace’s lips were demanding, and your body responded naturally, melting against him as you kissed him back with equal fervor. Every ounce of frustration, desire, and longing poured into that moment, the tension that had built now exploding in a release so overwhelming it left your head spinning.

When the need for air finally forced you to break the kiss, both of you gasped, breaths mingling in the charged air, hearts pounding in unison. His forehead rested against yours, both of you still trying to regain some semblance of control, but there was a softness there too, a vulnerability that had never been there before.

But just as the weight of the kiss and the moment began to settle, a sharp knock at the front door shattered everything, jolting you both out of your daze. You stumbled apart, your heart still racing, skin flushed with heat, lips still tingling with the remnants of the kiss. Before either of you could process the significance of what had just unfolded, a familiar voice rang out.

“Yo! Anybody home?”

Ace groaned, running a hand through his hair in frustration. Great timing, Luffy.

“Yeah, we’re here, idiot!” he yelled back, stealing a glance at you. Your eyes were wide, your lips slightly swollen, a testament to the intensity of your kiss. You looked dazed, a mix of shock and exhilaration dancing across your features, and it took every ounce of Ace’s willpower not to pull you back into his arms and lose himself once again.

“Hey! Who are you calling an idiot?” Luffy called from the hallway. “Open the door!”

Ace rolled his eyes but made his way to the door anyway. He could feel the heat from the kiss lingering on his skin, his senses overwhelmed by the memory of you—how you felt in his arms, how your breath had mingled with his. With a sharp shake of his head, he pulled open the door. “What the hell do you want?”

Luffy stood there, grinning from ear to ear, completely oblivious to the storm of emotions that had just exploded inside the apartment. “Dinner!” he announced, holding up pizza boxes. “I brought pizzas!”

“Uh, great,” Ace muttered, trying to force some normalcy into his voice, though it came out clipped. Usually, he was more than happy to spend time with his little brother, but today, after what had just transpired, he wanted nothing more than to shut the door in his face. Yet, looking at that ridiculous grin of his brother’s, he knew there was no way of getting rid of him that easily. “Come on in.”

Luffy bounced into the apartment, his usual cheerful self completely unaware of the charged silence hanging between Ace and you. He set the pizzas down on the kitchen counter and began rummaging through the drawers for plates, whistling cheerfully.

Ace leaned against the counter. His mind raced, his body still tense with hunger, but it wasn’t for the pizza Luffy had brought. It was you. The taste of you, the feel of your body against his, the way everything had changed in a single moment.

Luffy was still whistling as he put the plates on the table, but his expression faltered as he took in the uneasy silence between the two of you. His eyes moved between you and Ace, narrowing in suspicion. “So, what have you guys been up to?”

“Nothing,” you both said at the same time, your voices tight, almost too synchronized.

“You guys are acting weird,” he pointed out.

“No, we're not,” Ace replied a little too quickly, grabbing a plate and a slice of pizza, desperate for something to occupy his hands.

You followed his lead, picking up a plate and sliding into a seat at the far end of the table, putting as much space as possible between you and Ace. You kept your eyes fixed on your pizza, pretending it was the most fascinating thing in the world.

“You guys fighting or something?” Luffy asked again, taking a big bite of his pizza.

That made you finally meet Ace's eyes. You exchanged a quick glance, the silent communication revealing more than either of you would have wanted to admit. And as quickly as your eyes met, they darted away.

“No, we're not fighting,” Ace said, forcing a casual tone. He took an exaggerated bite of pizza, chewing as if it were the solution to all his problems. You were studiously avoiding looking at him again, your attention laser-focused on your food this time.

Luffy wasn't fooled. “Then what's with the weird atmosphere?” he asked bluntly.

Ace’s patience began to wear thin. He appreciated Luffy’s bluntness most days, but right now, it was more of a curse than anything. “Nothing,” he repeated, stuffing more pizza into his mouth. “Everything's perfectly normal.”

Luffy looked skeptical, his eyes darting between you and Ace as he tried to piece together the tension hanging in the air. He opened his mouth to say something, but just then, your cell phone rang.

You nearly jumped out of your skin at the sound. You quickly fumbled for your phone, your heart racing. “I—I have to take this,” you stammered and in a flurry of nerves, you practically fled the room, slipping into the sanctuary of your bedroom.

Feeling Luffy’s gaze piercing through him, Ace finally looked up, trying to mask his unease with a weak grin. “What?”

“You sure everything’s normal?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“I don’t know,” Luffy said, taking another big bite of pizza. He leaned against the counter, arms crossed, eyes locked onto his brother. “But you guys are acting really weird.”

“We aren’t acting weird,” Ace raised his voice and then immediately sighed, composing himself. “Just drop it.”

“Alright, alright,” Luffy relented, raising his hands in a mock gesture of surrender. “Just making an observation, geez.”

After a few minutes, you emerged from your bedroom, looking more put together. 

 “Nami just called. She wants me to meet her somewhere,” you said, your voice steady but devoid of its usual warmth. It came out flat, almost too controlled.

“Where are you going?” Luffy looked up from his fifth slice of pizza.

You shrugged slightly, your voice lacking enthusiasm. “Um… a café or something.”

Ace’s eyes hadn’t left you since you walked back into the kitchen, tracking the way you stood stiffly, the way you were deliberately avoiding his gaze. You looked perfect, and yet he felt a gnawing ache in his chest, a deep frustration that you were slipping away from him—emotionally and physically.

“Alright, have fun,” Luffy said, resuming eating, his attention diverted to the pizza.

Ace’s gaze, however, stayed locked on you. The urge to grab you, pull you close, and recapture the magic of that kiss was overwhelming. He clenched his fists, fighting to keep it together. “Yeah, have fun,” he echoed, though the words felt strained.

You gave a stiff nod, still not looking at him, and moved toward the door, your purse clutched tightly in your hand.

As you passed by Ace, you hesitated, a flicker of uncertainty crossing your features. For a brief moment, your eyes finally met his—just for a moment. And in that fleeting exchange, the weight of all the things left unsaid hung heavily in the air. The shared memories, the kiss—everything rushed in at once. But before Ace could even process it, you quickly tore your gaze away and stepped out the door, leaving him standing there, heart pounding in his chest.

Ace stared at the door as it clicked shut behind you. His mind raced, the memory of the kiss playing on a loop. He wanted to run after you, pull you back into his arms, and make everything right. But something held him back, leaving him there, frozen and unsure.

Luffy finished another slice of pizza, wiped his mouth, and glanced casually at the door. “She looked nice all dressed up,” he commented, as if remarking on the weather.

“Yeah, she did,” he said, his voice tight with frustration. Luffy’s casual attitude was starting to grate on him. Deep down, Ace knew Luffy wasn’t as clueless as he seemed. Luffy was watching him, studying him, and he suspected his brother was purposely trying to provoke him.

Luffy tilted his head, narrowing his eyes at Ace with an intensity that caught him off guard. “You seem bothered,” he stated, matter-of-factly.

Ace rolled his eyes, struggling to play it cool. “I’m not bothered,” he insisted, but his tone conveyed his true feelings.

“Sure, you’re not,” Luffy shot back, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. “And I believe the sky is green.”

Ace shot him a sharp look, irritation flaring. “What’s your point, Luffy?”

Luffy lowered the slice of pizza, his expression growing serious. “You should just tell her that you love her,” he said bluntly, pizza sauce still smeared across his lips.

Ace nearly choked on his saliva. “What?” he croaked, eyes wide with shock.

Luffy nonchalantly picked up another slice of pizza, completely unfazed by the bombshell he’d just dropped. He took a large bite and, with his mouth stuffed, simply stated, “You love her, right? So, tell her.”

He was used to Luffy’s straightforward manner, but this time it left him reeling. He opened his mouth to protest, but the words died on his tongue. Deep down, he knew it was true. He loved you. Had been in love with you for a while now. And living together, sharing those quiet moments, those subtle touches, and that damn kiss only made his feelings more intense, more impossible to ignore.

[sapphiresaphics]

To the ppl to hated Arcane season 2, is the knee jerk denial over yet?

Can we agree that S1 and S2 are both part of an amazing show?

That the themes of the show carried over, you just don’t have the ability to process pattern recognition?

That Piltover asking for Zaun’s help is meant to be lopsided in its request?

That Viktor’s “cure all weakness” has been an issue with Viktor since season 1 and was the whole reason he attempted to use the hexcore on his body?

That Jayce’s actions make perfect sense because it’s not about the destination, it’s the journey to get there?

That Viktor saving baby Jayce isn’t ambiguous at all, and that you should look up what that word means because I don’t think you meant that word?

That VI’s internal struggle since season 1 was which of the two people she cared about would she choose?

That Vander’s will to live is one of the most important catalysts in the series?

That Isha’s purpose in the show is to be a character foil for Jinx and that despite being there for character development she still had her own personality and intentions and you’re just sad she died?

That Jinx was always a jokester, you just hate people recovering and healing mental health issues. You also probably don’t understand what a resolution of a conflict means?

That Caitlyn was never a dictator and you should blame Ambessa for that and that she was always a good person pushed down a dark path because of trauma just like every other character in this show? And that she also lost an eye?

That Viktor never told Ambessa what his plans were and that she doesn’t care because her goal is to take on the Red Rose and she’ll use whatever magical power she wants and that this is intentionally supposed to be hypocritical of her beliefs?

That Silco knowing Vi and Powder’s mom actually strengthens the reason for why he would take Powder in once he saw her have a falling out with Vi just like he had a falling out with Vander? Also that he always knew who the kids were from the start and if you re-watch season 1 you’ll notice this if you actually pay attention so this isn’t a retcon you’re just stupid?

That Mel’s arc is actually about how she was trying very hard to be of the Merdada bloodline to get the approval of her mother only to find out that her heritage has been that of a Mage this entire time so her ambitions and desire to fit in were misguided and that she should be focused on who she is and what she wants and not what other people want her to be?

That Ekko convincing Jinx offscreen to join the fight doesn’t need to be shown because we’ve already seen Ekko teaming up with and falling back in love with Powder for an entire episode and that it would be redundant? And that just because you really wanted to see something doesn’t make it “bad writing?”

Is your knee-jerk reactionary idiocy over yet? CAN YOU USE A SECOND BRAIN CELL YET???

For ppl who liked Arcane season 2, is the honeymoon over yet?

Can we agree that S1 and S2 are completely different shows?

That none of the themes carried over between them?

That Piltover did nothing to earn Zaun coming to their rescue in the final battle?

That Viktor's "cure all weakness" shit came out of nowhere?

That understanding any of Jayce's actions post-talking to mageViktor requires a PhD in eyebrow twitches and nonsense?

That Viktor saving baby Jayce was an unambiguous retcon?

That Vi was just a cardboard cutout that Jinx and Caitlyn wrestled over?

That Vander lived and died at least 2 times too many?

That Isha was just a cute pet for Jinx to monologue at?

That Jinx turned from unhinged terrorist to a defanged, quirky jokester?

That Caitlyn's blink and you'll miss it dictator arc changed nothing and there were zero repercussions for it?

That Ambessa became a hypocritical moron whose anti-mage sentiment ate shit and died when she teamed up with robot mage Viktor, who didn't even PRETEND he wasnt going to hivemind her along with everyone else?

That Silco being close to Powder and Vi's mom, knowing them since they were born, only serves to weaken his relationship with Jinx?

That Mel went from a morally complex, savvy politician into a heroic battle mage, (in like 5 mins of screentime) while all other kinds of magic + Hextech were evil and corrupting and had to be destroyed?

That Ekko convinces Jinx that he went to an alternate reality and fell in love with her and she shouldnt kill herself and to become a revolutionary hero(?) OFF SCREEN?

IS THE HONEYMOON OVER YET?

[bekkarific]

Playing with Fire

Chapter Nine: Ablaze

Chapter Masterlist

Pairing: Frontman/in Ho x fem oc

Ji Ah woke to the soft hum of fluorescent lights and the suffocating stillness of her quarters. The silk sheets beneath her felt damp, clinging to her skin as though trying to anchor her in place. Her body ached faintly, and her head throbbed with a dull, persistent pulse.

She groaned, turning her head slightly. Her eyes fluttered open, unfocused, before settling on the ceiling above her. The events of the night before bled into her mind like ink spilled on paper, blurring the edges of memory and reality.

The room swayed for a moment as she sat up, her silk tank top clinging to her damp skin. Her fingers brushed against her arm, and for a fleeting second, she swore she could feel it again—the firm grip of his leather glove, the heat of his hand beneath the cold, unyielding surface.

Ji Ah shivered, her hands instinctively moving to her face, where the faintest trace of pressure seemed to linger. Her breathing quickened as fragments of memory returned, flashing in disjointed bursts.

The sound of gunfire. The weight of his presence as he loomed next to her. His voice—calm, unyielding, dripping with authority—whispering in her ear, "I did warn you about tests."

And then, the fall.

Her mind reeled, struggling to piece together the moments that followed. She remembered collapsing, her legs refusing to hold her weight. The world had spun violently before fading to black. But there was something else—a sensation that made her stomach twist.

Someone caught me.

Her lips parted as the faintest flicker of a memory surfaced: the feel of strong arms beneath her, cradling her. The sharp scent of leather mingled with the warmth of his presence, steady and unwavering.

Her pulse quickened. Him.

Ji Ah swung her legs over the side of the bed, her bare feet touching the cool floor. Her gaze wandered to the door—locked. She clenched her fists, frustration and confusion warring within her. Why had he brought her back here? Why hadn’t he left her to wake in the hallway like a discarded piece of furniture, as she might have expected? Or worse executed her?

Her eyes narrowed, the weight of the Frontman’s actions pressing down on her. He had pulled the trigger without hesitation, executed Number 4 as though she were no more than a pawn in his twisted game. Yet, he had carried Ji Ah back here himself, his touch somehow both impersonal and uncomfortably intimate.

She ran her hands down her arms, trying to shake the phantom sensation of his gloves on her skin. It clung to her like a second layer, a memory she couldn’t scrub away no matter how hard she tried.

Why? Why was he doing this?

Ji Ah rose to her feet, her legs shaky but determined. She paced the small space, her mind racing. He had said she was being tested, but what kind of test left her with this storm of conflicting emotions?

Her fingers curled into fists. If he thinks I’ll break, he’s wrong. Yet even as she thought it, her resolve wavered, the weight of his actions and her own uncertainty threatening to crush her. She turned to the mirror on the wall, catching her reflection—disheveled, vulnerable, and haunted.

But there, through the mask’s narrow eyeholes, her gaze burned with something new: a determination to understand, to survive, and to unmask the man who held her fate in his hands.

—————————————

She dressed without incident, the ache in her head settling down to a dull throb. Glancing at the options, she was limited. Each dress designed to show off an indecent amount of skin, for her it was deciding what pound of flesh to sacrifice.

Settling on a black velvet number that covered her front her neck to mid thigh in the front, but had a large swooping back that ended just above her bottom, exposing her spine. The sleeves covered down to her wrists, but did little to disguise the discomfort she felt.

Scooping her hair into a simple ponytail, Ji Ah secured her mask and set about adding her lipstick, a reminder of her place.

Slipping her heels Ji Ah sat and waited. Whilst no clock was offered in this cold, steel prison, she was sure it would not be long now till she was summoned.

Taking a deep breath, rolling her shoulders to lessen the tension Ji Ah let her mind drift back over the events of the last few days. She was not sure when it happened, how she became so complicit, she needed to fight back, to escape and find Jun Ho.

Gi Hun’s face flashed before her, guilt rising in her throat. What she be condemning him to if she left?

The banging on the steel door pulled her from her thoughts, “number 13, prepare yourself” he ordered shoving a tray of food through the hatch, “your duties will begin shortly”

Ji Ah stared at the food, no appetite, her gut twisting at the thought of what laid ahead.

———————————————

The cacophony of laughter grated against Ji Ah’s nerves as she entered the VIP lounge, her heels clicking softly against the polished floor. The air was thick with smoke and the pungent aroma of expensive liquor, their opulence a grotesque contrast to the grim spectacle unfolding below.

Her mask felt stifling, the velvet dress an unwanted reminder of her role in this charade. She moved with practiced grace, her chin held high, but her every step felt like a calculated risk.

The Frontman stood at the far end of the room, his imposing figure framed by the massive viewing window. His posture was rigid, hands clasped behind his back, the black leather of his gloves catching the light. For a moment, Ji Ah dared to hope he wouldn’t notice her presence, but that hope evaporated as his masked head turned ever so slightly in her direction.

“Gentleman, we apologise for the minor disturbance last night. It has been addressed” he started, looking straight ahead “your money for any bets placed on player 111 will be refunded”

Ji Ah felt sick, is that all that man’s life was worth, the cost of a bet?

“The games will continue on time, in line with the schedule” he continued, the happy murmurs of the VIP’s filled the room.

“Allow me to introduce the next game” he flicked a switch and the screen behind him opened, displaying a small area designed to look like an old town.

“The game will be marbles, each player be asked to form pairs, those pairs will be given 10 marbles each. Which ever member of the pair had collected all 20 marbles from the opponent within the timeframe will be the winner” he explained simply, like he was talking about the weather.

The loud Texan spoke up “oh wee that is a sweet game, those sorry bastards have will more than likely pair up with someone they trust. Only to be stabbed in the back!” He ended laughing, the room full of VIP’s joining in on the sick joke.

Ji Ah tried to keep her eyes forward, not letting any weakness show. She would not break.

The VIPs began placing their bets, their animated discussions punctuated with crude laughter. Ji Ah glanced briefly at the Frontman who was milling around the room, pretending she wasn’t there. She was not sure if that was a good or bad thing.

“Gentlemen,” his voice cut through the noise like a blade, commanding instant silence. “The next game is about to begin”

Ji Ah’s stomach churned as VIPs drew their attention the large screen, revealing players being herded into the arena. The sight of the bags of marbles in their hands made her blood run cold.

Pairs. Trust. Betrayal.

The words reverberated in her mind, unbidden, as she watched the players exchange uneasy glances as the game was announced to them. Her chest tightened at the memory of Gi Hun’s face, the desperation she knew he would feel in this moment.

Ji Ah stood silently at her assigned post, trying to keep her breathing steady, her eyes transfixed on the screen.

And then, she felt it.

A ghosting touch, so faint it might have been imagined, brushing against the exposed curve of her spine. Ji Ah stiffened, her breath hitching as the warmth of his gloved hand hovered just above her skin.

He didn’t speak, didn’t even look her way, but the message was clear: I see you.

Ji Ah forced herself to remain still, her heart pounding in her chest. She could almost feel his amusement, as though he were testing her resolve in plain sight of the oblivious VIPs.

Below, a contestant dropped to their knees, pleading with their partner for mercy. The first marble clattered against the floor, a sound that reverberated through Ji Ah’s very soul.

The Frontman’s voice cut through the tension once more. “This game will reveal the true nature of human bonds. Will loyalty prevail? Or will desperation triumph?” He still lingered, making sure Ji Ah could see him.

Ji Ah bit the inside of her cheek, the phantom sensation of his touch lingering like. Her mind raced with questions she couldn’t afford to ask, not here, not now.

She swallowed hard, her hands curling into fists at her sides. If he was trying to break her, to make her falter in this sick game of control, he would have to try harder.

But as the screams and sobs from below echoed in the room, Ji Ah wasn’t sure who was truly winning this battle of wills—or if she could afford to lose.

—————————————-

As the marble game wrapped up, there were only 17 players remaining. The number seared into Ji Ah’s soul, she failed them.

Ji Ah was rooted to her spot, watching as the number of players slowly ticked down during the course of the game, a game she was powerless to stop. ‘Is that how they felt?’ She wondered ‘the players’. The images of the surviving players being shown on screen, Gi Hun’s smiling face staring back at her.

Lost in her own world she nearly missed the call of “number 13” and the clinking of ice against glass. Following the sound Ji Ah saw the glittering mask of the Texan staring back at her. Drink held up in the air.

Ji Ah quickly rushed over, all too aware of the eyes on her. The Texan’s booming laughter cut through the lounge like an unwelcome melody as Ji Ah moved quietly along the edge of the room.

“Ah, there she is,” he drawled, gesturing toward Ji Ah with his cigar. “Our little goddess of fortune, lucky number 13. Come, sit with me, sweetheart.” He finished, tapping the seat next to him.

Ji Ah’s stomach turned at the saccharine tone he used, hesitating only a moment before making her way over. Refusal wasn’t an option—not in this place.

As she perched carefully on the edge of the luxurious leather couch, his hand was on her before she had a chance to settle. Thick fingers wrapped around her arm, pulling her closer, his breath reeking of whiskey as he leaned in.

“Don’t be shy now,” he cooed, his fingers grazing the exposed curve of her back. “You’re my little good luck charm. What’s the secret, huh?”

Ji Ah stiffened, her spine rigid under his touch. She forced a polite smile behind her mask, carefully disentangling her arm from his grip. “I’m just here to ensure you’re all well taken care of.”

“Taken care of, huh?” The Texan chuckled darkly, his hand now brushing her thigh. “Well, I can think of a few ways you could—”

“Number 13.”

The Frontman’s voice, cold and precise, cut through the Texan’s lewd comment. Ji Ah’s head snapped toward him, her heart racing as she stood abruptly, almost knocking over the drink table in her haste to escape the Texan’s grasp.

The room fell silent for a moment, the weight of the Frontman’s authority pressing down on everyone present. Even the Texan, for all his bravado, withdrew his hand, though not without a muttered curse under his breath.

“Yes, sir?” Ji Ah answered, keeping her voice steady as she approached him.

He didn’t look at her, his attention fixed on the monitors displaying the game stats. “There’s an issue with the observation reports. Retrieve them and bring them to me immediately. You will find them in my lounge”

Ji Ah blinked, confused. Observation reports? She’d never been asked to handle anything of the sort before. Still, she nodded. “Understood.”

As the door hissed shut behind her, the Frontman allowed himself a moment to glance toward the Texan.

Though his mask betrayed no emotion, his stance was unyielding, his jaw tightened, and his hands curled tightening on the controls.

[unknown-cold]

Omg that's true!!

I'm so tired of these people saying Vi and Caitlyn's relationship is toxic, I mean literally the same thing she said Jinx and her relationship with Ekko wasn't good either and Jayce and Viktor too.

It is natural for problems and disagreements to occur in relationships, but it is not natural to think that a relationship will be peaceful and good all the time. These things only exist in Disney movies.

But apart from all that. Seriously guys hating on Vi or Caitlyn or both is way over the top. Like let's just imagine JUST IMAGINE, if Vi were male, the narrative surrounding her actions and character would change dramatically. She would likely be hailed as a "brother hero," a model of loyalty and kindness despite impossible circumstances. Her trauma, in prison, losing Vander, failing to save Jinx, and so on, would be sympathized with as a testament to her strength and determination.

Her status as the “bad sister” is undoubtedly tied to gender expectations. Women, especially older sisters, are often burdened with the role of caregiver, and are expected to be endlessly compassionate and self-sacrificing. Vi’s moments of anger, guilt, and mistakes, however, conflict with societal stereotypes of women as the natural “fixers” of emotional and familial conflicts. The fact that Vi is pigeonholed as the “bad sister” while Jinx is often seen as the tragic victim reflects deeper gender biases. Vi’s traumas and emotional wounds are ignored or minimized because she is expected to be the “strong one,” while Jinx is given sympathy and a more nuanced lens because her messiness and vulnerability fit into certain stereotypes of women who are broken or in need of saving.

It’s a frustrating double standard, and it underscores just how progressive Arcane is by refusing to fully give into those tropes. Vi’s character still shines as someone strong, flawed, and deeply human, but the criticisms she faces highlight how society treats female characters with such biases.

The misogyny is REAL and don’t think for a second that other women aren’t fully participating in that also. The amount of shit Vi gets for temporarily joining the Enforcers with Caitlyn to stop Jinx is insane. A male Vi would have been seen as a TORTURED HERO for joining up with the EVIL FORCES that took his parents away all so he could do HERO THINGS. But Vi does it? “Wah wah she joined the COPS she’s A TRAITOR THE REAL VI WOULD NEVER”. Like. Watch the show, my friends, and you will see she did what she thought was best and it was a very complex and very emotional decision for her; she hated every second of that uniform. But no, people shit on Vi and then complain like any of them could write a better show. Ugh.

And nobody would have hated a male Vi for having his love scene. Nobody. In fact, it would have been EXPECTED, but because Vi’s a woman, and a lesbian expressing her big gay love for her gorgeous gay lover, some people refuse to see her humanity and her growth as a person in that moment. I'm so tired

And the argument that we hate them because they did bad things is not true, I have seen people hate Caitlyn just because she is lesbian and one of them said if she was a straight woman I would have accepted her character on the show. Seriously this is someone who takes his criticism seriously, he forgot the story and everything in the show and focused on whether the characters are gay or straight or worse when I saw a comment from someone saying why are the main characters on the show female characters? Like is this an idiot or is he drug or what exactly? I think we should also ask, why do men always take the lead roles and when they are evil they are better, and if they are good they are also better, but if a woman comes along who is evil or wants to be evil or does just one mistake everyone hates her and she is the worst person in the world, but men are the only ones who deserve to play the role of evil and do bad things and we will sympathize with them and love them. THIS IS CRAZY!!

To understand what I'm saying more, compare Viktor's character and Caitlyn's character and you will see that Caitlyn was the character who was criticized the most even though she didn't kill anyone innocent and in the end she tried to fix things, while Viktor tried to kill all the people of Piltover and Zaun and didn't care about anyone, even his friend's pleas, he didn't care about them and Viktor thought that this was the solution but to end the conflicts between the two cities. But is there anyone who criticizes this, is there anyone who says that this is a bad act, of course not, yes you will see some people justifying it, as they did with Silco, the person who killed an entire family for control and drowned all of Zaun with shimmer and made the children work in dangerous factories, and there is not a single criticism, and people defend him even after Jinx's condition worsened, no they say that he is better than Caitlyn, my god like what the fuck!?

Then they tell you we don't hate women we don't hate gays or lesbians, just shut the fuck up, everything is clear, Arcane revealed to us that there are still people who are fanatic and traditional to the extreme who still want to see a man as the hero of the story and that all people and women should respect him even if he is evil and cruel he is always better than this bullshit, Arcane proved to us that it is possible for both sexes to appear in an excellent, strong and realistic way without insulting or belittling the other because these things are not useful and will not help in telling the story in any way.

Quick note I don't hate Jinx or Viktor and many of you who follow me know that I love Viktor very much but I will not deny the bad things he did and I am also really tired of the hypocrisy of some people and their constant criticism of other characters and characters. Just bc they say like these characters

Like I don't like Silco but have you ever seen me post every day criticizing Silco and Silco fans all the time or go to Silco fans and tell them if you like Silco then you support child labor and the drug trade and blah blah. Like they do with Caitlyn fans when one of them says he likes Caitlyn they accuse him of supporting collective punishment and corrupt governments and police brutality just because he likes a fictional character. I've never seen such stupidity and backwardness and bullshit in my life, just because I like a fictional character you think I will act like her in real life?? These people need to grow up seriously or find a job

[rexxdjarin]

Unwritten

The Captain’s Log Prequel

A Captain Rex x OC: Mari Vontas Origin Story

Chapter 4: Discoveries in Uncharted Space

Series Summary: Mari Vontas has spent nearly twenty years of her life rising to the surface of the bustling ecumenopolis of the Republic Capital planet of Coruscant. Now, about a year into the conflict known galaxy-wide as the Clone Wars, Mari finds herself on a Civilian Rights Committee serving closely under none other than Senator Padmé Amidala. Though her passion for justice fuels her professionally, her personal life has yet to catch up. That is, until a night at the clone bar 79s changes her passion for her job, her historically rocky love life and the trajectory of her destiny forever.

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Pairing: Captain Rex x OC Mari Vontas Word Count: 10k Series Rating: Explicit (18+ only, Minors DO NOT INTERACT) Chapter Summary: Mari and Rex's profound indulgence in each other has its roots in an unexpected place, from a near-death experience, with thoughts of a once unimaginable future on their horizon. Chapter Warnings: 18+ Explicit, NSFW, P in V Sex, Oral Sex (F Receiving), Language, Political References, References to Canon Plot, References to Canon, Mentions of the Ethics of War, Cloning and Clone Independence, References to Violence and Injuries

There was nothing about Mari’s surface-level life that she could ever fully grow accustomed to; not the sunlight shining on her face as it rose over the skyline and through her window, not the fact that her apartment was thousands of credits a month instead of government-supplied, and certainly not the fact that she had Republic senate transport readily available for her use whenever she wanted.

She was fully content to take the tram or local hovercabs everywhere. She had been an average citizen for most of her life so far–maybe less than average if she was honest with herself. A lift through the lower levels from a droid didn’t bother her the same way it would most of her coworkers, so when she suggested they hail a hovercab or take the tram home from the biggest senate event on the planet, Rex looked at her in disbelief.

They spent the entire ride to her apartment letting their hands wander just enough to explore each others’ bodies without disturbing the driver. Not that Mari cared particularly. She wasn’t the first girl to spend her late-night hours fooling around with a clone, and she certainly wasn’t going to be the last–especially not when he happened to be hands down the hottest hook-up she’d ever had.

His massive, armor-covered bicep slung over her shoulders as he pulled her tightly into his side, keeping her warm enough to stave off the chill of the cool night air. She normally loved watching the illuminated windows of Coruscant’s sky-level buildings pass by her as she made her way through traffic, but tonight her sights were focused elsewhere. 

Rex’s beautifully rounded jawline tensed as he focused on their surroundings. Now and then he glanced down at her, flashing her his cute little side smile and turning back to watch their commute to hide the blush on his cheeks. His deep brown eyes flitted over the changing landscape as they sped through the air like he was carefully watching for any danger that could pull him away from this moment and into action. 

More than anything, Mari wanted to throw herself into his lap again and steal all his attention away. Yet, watching him scan the world around them was equally as fascinating, and she would’ve paid as many credits as she had to watch him in action. He was a captain after all, so he must’ve been quite the intimidating man in battle. The Separatists wouldn’t stand a chance and she was sure his battle records probably reflected that.

By the time they arrived at her district, Mari was so turned on from watching him all focused and protective that she wasn’t even sure she could walk out of the cab. Well, that and the fact that she was understandably sore from taking him in that empty office only an hour earlier. She mustered up every ounce of strength she had left and followed him out of the transport, letting him take her hand to help her steady herself.

Rex tangled his fingers with hers and stepped forward, starting a leisurely pace to accommodate her. “So,” he started, looking around at the gilded, shimmering buildings that made up her block and laughed softly, “this is home huh? Fancy. Beats the hell out of our barracks.”

“It’s a lot more private if that’s what you mean.” she joked, pulling her dress up to allow her to move more easily. Rex looked at her knowingly and stopped, holding out his hand expectantly.

“Let me help you with that. Don’t want you to trip.”

“No no, it’s fine, really. I got it. I think I can handle holding some fabric.”

“I made it hard enough for you to walk as it is, c’mon let me help.” he chuckled, a twinkle of innuendo-laced mischief sparking in his pretty brown eyes.

Mari dropped her gaze to the street below, her messy curls falling lazily over her shoulder. Now she was the one blushing. “Fine, Captain. I will let you help me, but only because you owe me for ruining this in the first place.” She lifted the satin fabric high enough off the ground to expose her feet and handed him whatever excess he could hold.

He watched her carefully, his gaze roving over her curvy frame all over again. “Oh, I will make it up to you. I promise.” His eyes crinkled into little half moons when he smiled and Mari felt her belly tighten in response to what was clearly a more than suggestive promise. “But I think it might not end well for that dress, Mari. Not with how crazy good you look in it.”

“Oh, that’s ok. I have other things you might like seeing me in,” she replied, biting her bottom lip and blinking up at him innocently. “Or you know… not in.”

Rex’s brows raised and he shook his head in disbelief at his luck tonight. “Come on then, mesh’la. Take me home. You can show me around later.” He took a handful of her dress and urged her forward, ready to follow her lead toward her building only a few blocks up the path. She obliged and started on her way, practically skipping with excitement and swaying her backside more than necessary just to tease him.

They approached her skyscraper and snuck in the backdoor on the speeder platform, preferring to use the more private entrance set aside for the famous and wealthy to use unbothered by the public. It was perfect for sneaking someone out or, in their case, sneaking someone in. It took everything in Mari not to smother him in kisses in the lift up to her floor and by the time they got to her door, she was sure her desire for him must’ve been radiating off her in waves.

She jammed in her chaincode and her apartment doors slid open, the whole place illuminated by the neon signs that dotted the speeder lane her apartment overlooked. She stepped inside and Rex followed, the tamping of his plastoid boots on her solid marble floors filling the air. She flicked the lights on and set her stuff on the shelf, removing her heels and shrinking down another few inches. Rex ran his hand down her arm, reminding her of just how much she had wanted him to get her out of this dress again. Instead, he slowly walked past her, looking around at the size of her place and taking it all in.

Her hallway was dotted with her favorite flimsis of herself and her friends. A large circular portal door marked entry into the main room, a living room with a deep purple flat cushioned sofa and floating white caf table in front of a holoscreen she watched all her favorite shows on. A small white island divided the living room and the kitchen, where an unopened box of groceries sat waiting to be organized into place. Her bedroom door was just beyond the living space off the hallway on the other side and though she was itching to pull him in there, he clearly enjoyed looking around.

“Welcome to my place.” she declared awkwardly, never quite feeling or even believing that it was hers sometimes. “Sorry, I didn’t clean up much. It was a rough week.”

He stopped in the center of her living room to look out the massive circular window onto her small balcony and turned back at her in amazement. “This whole place is just yours? It’s amazing.”

“Thanks. I love it, but it can feel a little too big sometimes. It’s much more than I’ve ever had before.”

“Yeah…a lot more than I’m used to.” he chuckled, “I mean I’ve got my own quarters. But most of the time I’m just on a cot. Don’t have time to make it feel like a home, you know?”

Oddly enough, she did know. She knew all too well.

After her parents died and she was put up in her republic sanctioned boarding house, she didn’t bother to decorate anything. It wasn’t home to her. A single bed in a single corner of a cold, stale building on the lower third of Coruscant wasn’t anything worth getting used to. Wherever else she and Siviee could find to hold up in always felt cooler than republic housing.

This was the first place that truly belonged to her and though she loved decorating it, it still didn’t feel real sometimes. As if she was inevitably going to be taken back underground to one of her secret hideouts any day now. Never staying in the same place long enough to call it home.

Yeah, she understood exactly what Rex meant, but she didn’t need to tell him that. Not yet.

“Makes sense.” She shrugged off the subject and made her way to the kitchen to put away the groceries that her building's protocol droid routinely dropped off at the end of every week. “At least you’ve got all your brothers around. Though having met your men, it seems like you’ve got your hands full,” she smirked, remembering how his men razzed him at the bar the first night they met.

Rex cocked his head in agreement, “And that wasn’t even close to all of them.” He stepped closer, looking nervously at her as if he needed to ask for permission to sit. She had to remind herself she was dealing with a soldier, he would probably do that a lot.

She smiled at him, pulling out a stool and nodding him toward it. “You don’t have to ask me to sit, Rex. You can do whatever you want with me. There are no rules here.” She didn’t mean that to come out as suggestively as it did, but she didn’t feel too inclined to take it back either.

“Uh- right. Just being polite.” he sputtered out with a sheepish grin, taking a seat and making Mari’s insides flutter at his endearing awkwardness. He was so out of his element here it was almost funny. He may not have ever stepped foot inside a civilian residence off the clock. He was like a deer in speeder glowbeams.

“So how many men do you lead then, Captain?” Mari asked as she shut the last of her groceries in her cabinets. “I’m supposed to know this, being a member of the Senate and all, but the details of the Grand Army of the Republic are still fuzzy to me.”

Rex set his helmet on the counter and crossed his arms, the plastoid clattering as he settled into the stool. “Well that depends. Technically, I am in charge of the entire 501st Battalion which is really a Regiment of 2,304 men. Most Battalions are 576 men. You only met some of the boys from Torrent Company , which is 144 men.”

Mari blinked at him dramatically in confusion. “How is anyone supposed to follow that ?” she laughed and leaned on the counter, letting her breasts spill out of the top of her dress just enough to keep things interesting.

He tried very hard to pretend not to notice, but his much slower response told Mari that her teasing was working. Just like before, she wanted to see how far she could push him before he’d make a move. She couldn’t always be the one doing all the work. She wanted to be reminded again of what he was made of.

“Well, as is the case with my General, we don’t. Technically a group our size requires a Clone Commander .” Rex pointed out, his focused stare beginning to wander other places as the lust expanded the dark depths of his pupils.

Mari’s not-so-innocent glare met his as her hands began to wander up the length of his arm while he spoke. She traced the scratches and deep gouge marks on the plastoid, her mind just as fascinated by the stories his armor told. “And you’re not a Commander? Certainly seemed like you could’ve been to me.”

She stepped closer, walking her fingers up his biceps and giggling softly. She unclasped the buckles of his armor, unceremoniously letting his shoulder pauldrons and his chest plate fall to the floor beneath them. He turned toward her instinctively and allowed her body to slot between his knees. “Our…our Commander is the General’s Padawan. I was with her earlier. Besides, I prefer being a Captain…more-more hands-on.”

“That’s the idea.” Mari quipped, sliding herself now chest to chest with him and practically eliciting a whine out of him. “I seem to recall you being very…very good with those hands.” she carefully ran her hands down the length of his arms, removing the last of the armor on his upper body. The standard black issue body glove clung to him in all the right places and highlighted the dips and curves of his muscles beautifully.

Rex exhaled to calm himself, unclasping the armor on his lower half to remove it as well, and grinning at her as she groomed his ego. “I am. They…uhm…the boys count on me. The General trusts me to lead them all, even as a Captain. It’s more work than most Captains ever get, but I’m good at it. I love a challenge.”

“That’s a lot of weight to carry, blondie,” Mari joked, running her fingers along the pale blond fuzz at the nape of his neck. She traced her touch along knots formed along the broad line of his shoulders over a brutal year of war. “on these big, gorgeous shoulders. I don’t know how you manage it all.”

His eyes explored her face, darting between the depth in her brown eyes to the part of her kiss-flushed lips. He chuffed as he smiled half-heartedly, “That’s what my training was for. Besides, all that helps me do this.” Suddenly, his broad hands slid behind her back, hoisting her up onto her counter with ease and sliding her waist flush with his.

Mari giggled in both nervousness and anticipation, watching the familiar lust return to his pretty face. He rested his forehead on hers, pure passion simmering within him waiting for a spark to start the fire again. She could practically feel the blood pumping him full against her center and she slowly exhaled to let the tension build. His focus on her was so powerful it was almost intimidating, but his dominance over her gave her a rush she couldn’t help craving more of.

After a few tantalizing heartbeats and Rex’s battle-worn hands caressing the dip of her waist over her dress, she steadied herself on an elbow and cupped his cheek with her hand. “Well, if there’s anything I can do to relieve your stress-” Mari licked her lower lip and smirked up at him devilishly.

“I’ve got a few ideas.” He muttered, his other hand sliding further up her thigh underneath the blue satin hem. Mari’s chest heaved as her pulse raced faster and Rex stole a pretty obvious glance down at her breasts threatening to pop out of her dress. “If you’ll have me, of course.”

“You can have anything you want, Captain.” She trailed her fingertips down the thick corded vein in his neck, his pulse pounding beneath her touch. The tension in him was wound far tighter than his soldier’s composure would ever betray. She gripped the duraweave fabric clinging to his broad back and tugged upward, motioning for him to remove it. He smirked up at her and followed her unspoken orders, removing his top and tossing it into a heap on her floor. As Mari’s touch ghosted down the tight muscles of his chest and rippled over his abdominals, his weighted palm hooked into the crease of her upper thigh.

“I know what I want...” he muttered as if to declare it to the galaxy for maybe the first time. His fingertips traced across her hip bone and he dragged them tantalizing slowly down her soft skin. “To return the favor, mesh’la.” He smiled, tipping her chin in his other hand and drawing her attention to the passion in his eyes.

Mari let out a surprised sigh as the tension snapped and Rex closed the tantalizing space between them. She let her lips part and his tongue slipped inside, sliding over hers with calculated reverence. His lips were smooth, the faintest hint of champagne still lingering from the gala earlier. He took silent breaths each time he broke for air, goading her into chasing after him for more.

His hands worked twice as hard as his tongue, meticulously working to move her dress out of his way and sliding the delicate straps off her shoulders. His bare fingertips ghosted up her inner thighs, making her shudder the closer he ventured to her center. Mari couldn’t help the way her hips bucked closer to him, desperate for him to feel the heat he was already coaxing out of her.

“You always so needy?” he whispered between kisses, letting his other hand tangle in the hair at the nape of her neck as he held her.

“Oh you have no idea.” she giggled, letting her head drop back to give him easier access to her neck. He took the hint, breaking from her lips to lave his hot tongue along her jaw. She gasped, breaking into a delighted smile as his hand slid further down her back. “Especially looking like you do.”

“Is that so?” he teased, his tongue tracing down the corded vein in her neck. “I could have a lot of fun with you…” His lips closed in on the hollow of her neck, sucking what would no doubt turn into a massive purple mark on her skin. “Could tease you and make you wait hours.” he chuckled, his fingers catching the latch of her bra and snapping it open easily.

Mari whined pathetically, her free hand rushing to grip his bicep. “Please don’t.” she pleaded, catching his eye as he backed up to slip the bra off her chest. He smirked, gently twirling one of her fallen curls around his finger. He moved it aside slowly, brushing it off the curve of her breast so he could cup it in his hand.

He smiled at her appreciatively and ran the pad of his thumb over her pebbled nipple. Dipping back down into the crook of her neck, he traced down to meet where his hand cupped her breast, leaving hot kisses in his wake. “Don’t worry, mesh’la, I couldn’t even if I wanted to.” he muttered, popping off the plush of her breast so hard it was sure to break the blood vessels underneath. “No man could be that strong, trust me.”

“Good because I don’t want to waste another second without feeling you.” Mari said, her free hand scratching along the hair on the back of his neck. She gasped as he suckled her nipple between his lips, his tongue swirling around and sending shivers up her back. “ Oh Rex .”

He hummed with amusement, letting his strong hand massage her other breast lewdly. “You like that hmm?” He looked up at her with a smirk, his breath across her spit-slick skin making her nipples harden at the sudden cold. “Can’t help but worship ‘em. Your tits are fucking perfect.”

“Just like the rest of me?” she quipped, not quite ready to let him win yet. Her back arched as he turned his attention to the other breast, leaving another purple mark to match the first. He hummed in confirmation, his wandering hands now bunching up the fabric at her waist in a decisive effort to remove it.

“Exactly. I see why you’ve got all that confidence I like so much.” he smiled up at her, fiddling with the side zipper on her dress and finally sliding it open. “Those stuffy idiots you work with should appreciate you more. We certainly would.” With a firm tug he motioned for her to wriggle her hips and he slid the dress right off of her. “Bold, outspoken, funny, smart…we clones always take notice of someone like you.”

His palms ran gingerly down her bare sides like he was carving the shape of her from his own imagination. Trailing kisses down her stomach, he let each one linger the closer he got to her core. His warm breath coaxed the flames of the burning desire now swirling in her belly just like they had before. He could work her into a frenzy just like this, so tenderly and so easily. It was a nice change of pace from men in her past who spent practically no time prepping her this intimately before sex.

“You always talk so much? I bet you say such nice things to every girl who likes you.” Mari challenged, biting her lower lip while his hands massaged at the curve of her backside. She could feel his smirk against her skin as he gripped her ass harder.

“Only if it’s someone who deserves to hear it,” he muttered sweetly, kissing just below her navel and turning his grip inward to run over her inner thigh cautiously. “You act like I do this often.” Rex giggled, shaking his head at her in disbelief. She was always someone who took a lot of convincing, especially after all that men had done to her.

“I know what most clones get up to on shore leave. It’s my job to know.” Mari laughed, her breasts bouncing as her chest heaved. Rex couldn’t look away, losing his train of thought as he stared longingly. “Who do you think makes sure the Republic pays the subsidies so 79s can stay open?”

Rex’s brows raised in surprise. “On behalf of my men, you have our eternal thanks, but I lost interest in that kinda thing the second I was made captain. Don’t usually have the time for fun like that…or other things.” He glared at her, almost as if he was trying to reassure her through eye contact alone.

From Mari’s point of view, she had a gorgeous, half-naked, decorated clone captain situating himself between her legs and touching exactly the right places to drive her crazy. Either he had done this loads of times before or this was the fate of the universe bringing exactly the right person to her. After being given absolutely no favors in life and never being graced with the force’s mystical abilities, Mari was far more inclined to believe the former. She could never be that lucky.

They stared at each other for a few tantalizing heartbeats until slowly Rex gripped her inner thigh, his kisses following his hands into the crease. “Don’t worry, mesh’la. I know a guy doesn’t come across someone like you every day.”

Mari shivered as she watched Rex inch ever closer to where she wanted his attention. He slowed down, dragging things out to let the tension build, but keeping his movements slow and his eyes on her. Her heart was pounding, making her cunt gently throb to the rhythm of her pulse. She wanted him to have her all over again and the look in his eyes gave her no indication that he planned on stopping.

Rex backed up, maintaining his mesmerizing gaze as he exhaled a long pent-up hiss. His warm roughened palms slid up the insides of her thighs to just graze the bare skin of her core. “Mari-” Mari’s breath hitched in her throat as he looked down at where his hands rested. He drew little soothing circles against her skin with his thumb and waited for her attention again. “Do you trust me?”

What he was suggesting was a thousand times more intimate than most of the things she’d done with men she had actually dated . She’d only known him a week, give or take a few rotations. Yet, he waited for her approval. He checked in with her and went at a pace she was comfortable with. The haze of lust darkening his brown eyes was as enticing as it was honest and endearing. Suddenly, she was never more sure of anything in her life.

“Yes.” she whined, reaching for something to hold on to and finding his hand already there to receive hers. He kissed each knuckle softly before settling to his knees. Mari parted her thighs and trembled as she exposed her bare core to him. He inhaled sharply, his eyes glazing over with want as she showed him what he had been longing for.

He settled her hand down onto the smooth counter surface and stroked his palm along the inside of her thigh, dangerously close to her heat. Turning his attention toward the delicate exposed skin, he placed painfully light kisses closer and closer to her center.

“My pretty girl…” he muttered, kissing just along the outer folds and making goosebumps erupt across the expanse of her satiny smooth skin. “I want to make you feel as good as you deserve.” The pad of his thumb gingerly traced patterns just above her clit, letting her anticipation build even more. “Like you’re the only person in the galaxy who gets to know pleasure like this.”

His gaze locked with hers, his tongue darting out to wet his lips and just barely grazing the node. Mari let out a shaky exhale, her lower half trembling as excitement and adrenaline overtook her. His eyes blazed with determination and he didn’t look away for a second as he calculated his next move. With a deep exhale that sent his heated breaths of anticipation along her wet lips, he leaned in, pressing a solid kiss to her clit.

“Oh Rex…more kisses… please ,” Mari whined impatiently, feeling the prickling heat of desire rushing into her lower belly all at once. He hummed in satisfaction, the sensation only adding to the tingling at her core. Slowly, he dotted kiss after kiss on her sensitive clit, each one lasting a little longer than the last.

Unsurprisingly, he was just as good with his tongue as he was with his fingers a few hours ago. He held her eager hips down with one hand and parted her folds with the other. His lips wrapped around her clit, earning a high-pitched mewl as it made tingles spread outward from her core. He suckled gently, his fingers circling her wet entrance to tease her more. “That’s it, mesh’la. Taste so good. You want me in that pretty pussy again, don’t you?”

“Mhm. I’m ready, Rex. Take whatever you want. I’m yours.” she whined, rolling her hips toward him for more. His palms slid outward along her inner thighs, holding her steady to prevent her from picking up the pace.

“I know you are, Mari. And you’re such a good girl for me, but we have time and I want to give you the attention you deserve.” Rex cooed, leaning in to kiss her clit again and pressing his tongue firmly against the swollen node. She shook with anticipation, the heat swirling in her lower belly rapidly pooling at her entrance. She tried to writhe for more, but his hands held her steady.

His tongue lapped over the bud with increasing speed, strands of saliva dripping down between her folds illicitly. Mari moaned as the tension carried her higher, her back arching off the cool stone of her countertop. She laid out before him, fully naked, dripping with want, and totally at his command. It was filthy and forbidden and she loved it.

One of her hands gripped at the frictionless stone behind her, the other scratching along the rippling muscles of his bare shoulder. His tongue delved lower with each pass, parting her folds and tasting the wetness coating them. He groaned, his eyes rolling back in ecstasy as he enjoyed more of her.

“You’re…so good at that… Rex .” Mari whined, her thighs beginning to shake as the tension in her belly tightened even more. Her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath, but the racing of her pulse only made her cunt throb harder.

Rex’s gaze flicked up to watch her tits shifting lewdly with every movement. “I know,” he said as he chuckled with satisfaction. “I can tell.”

He was eating her out like he’d been starved for years and in his defense he probably had been. Clones didn’t often have time for foreplay at all, much less like this. Mari watched him through her lustful gaze. His brows screwed together in determined concentration, his pupils blown wide with desire and that signature grin on his face combined to make him so irresistibly attractive it made her body overheat.

Her opening fluttered around his tongue, just beginning to dip down inside her. White hot desire flared down her spine and she moaned so loudly she was grateful they were alone this time. Rex chuckled in smug satisfaction, the vibrations making Mari shudder with delight all over again. “You’ve been dripping for me since we left the gala, haven’t you? All over that cab too?”

Mari couldn’t vocalize a response anymore. She could barely do more than nod at him. He was overwhelming her much more quickly than before and she was sure one of those wide, strong fingers of his entering her would be her undoing. Just as she thought it, one finger replaced his tongue, slipping inside her opening with ease. Her walls received him eagerly, siphoning him deeper within her and making her whimper at the intrusion. “R-rex…I can’t-can’t take much more.”

He was too lost in her to register her words and he swore under his breath at the feeling of her slick now coating his fingers. “Say that again ,” he asked, licking another stripe over her clit. “My name. Say my name like that again. Sounds so good when you say it.” He pulled back and let a second finger enter with the first, his thumb gently padding her clit to keep the steady burn rising.

The familiar haze of climax was beginning to form inside her and she was barely conscious enough to remember her own name. But she wanted to please him and to let him know that if he kept treating her this well, she’d give him anything he asked. “Rex,” she moaned loudly, the sound making him chuckle with dark satisfaction, “Rex I’m so close.”

He curled his fingers inside her, massaging the spot that she had only ever been able to find on her own. Mari cried out in pleasure, droves of curses following as he prodded at the same spot in perfect rhythm with his circles on her clit. “Right there… fuck ..r-right there.”

Rex's brow furrowed with determination and he let out a few curses of his own as he kept at his mind-melting pace. “See? I know exactly how to take care of you, don’t I? Want to make you cum the way only I can. Can you do that for me, mesh’la?”

His fingertips fluttered against the spot inside her that made her see stars and she could feel the heat inside starting to overwhelm her. Everything about him was making her hot and she wanted nothing more than to give him what he so clearly desired. She whimpered, meeting his gaze as he let his tongue swirl over her clit again. “Cum for me, Mari. All over my fingers so I can taste you, pretty girl.”

Mari’s heart was pounding in her chest, the thumping rhythm of her pulse reaching a crescendo as she locked eyes with him. The passion in his eyes as he devoured her was such a stark contrast to the gentle, complimentary, polite nature he had always shown her. This side of him was maddeningly sexy and more seductive than any soldier-any man -she had ever known. His eyelids hooded in overwhelming desire as he suckled at her clit one final time, watching carefully for her reaction as he pressed his fingers up into her spot again, hard.

Her high collided with her at blinding speed, making her vision go white and a fantastic wave of sizzling tension melt down the entire length of her body. Her opening fluttered around his fingers, her walls clamping down on them inside and flooding her molten heat into his waiting palm. She sang out moans that would’ve made lewd holovid actors jealous and that she was absolutely positive she had never made for any other man before in her life. Mari’s fingers desperately scraped the smooth marbled countertop for something, anything to hold onto as her entire body convulsed with pleasure.

Instead, she was met with the warmth of his free hand again, his fingers tangling with hers and his thumb caressing the soft skin as she rode out her climax. “Easy, cyar’ika. I’ve got you. So fucking pretty watching you cum. Breathe and enjoy it. I want you to remember this the same way I always will.” He muttered, his fingers inside her still very slowly stimulating her as the spasming in her walls slowed.

All the heat in her body was replaced with the pleasant feeling of floating and finality she always experienced after any encounter she’d ever had. Yet none of them ever felt quite as all-consuming as this. If there was ever a way to know what floating in uncharted space felt like, Mari imagined it was something like this.

She giggled with delight, letting her every nerve ending feel the spark of pleasure he had brought her to. There was nothing else in her atmosphere but him. He surrounded her in every way and would keep her in this state of blissful balance for as long as he could.

“Wow…Rex.” she smiled at him, “get up here and kiss me.” Both of her hands grabbed for him this time and he slowly rose to his feet. His chin glistened with her wet release and he lifted her still boneless body into his arms to hold her steady.

“That good huh?” he shot her a cocky smirk, reaching up to wipe his chin with the back of his palm. Before he could, Mari grabbed both his cheeks in her hands and planted a sloppy kiss on him, licking the taste of her off of his lips. He tangled his hands in her hair, his tongue twisting with hers and savoring the taste of her pussy on both their tongues.

Mari broke from the kiss gasping and cleaned off the rest of his face with the pad of her thumb. “So, so unbelievably good.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tight. “So good…that I don’t think I want it to end just yet. If that’s ok with you, Sir.”

Rex chuckled mischievously, “oh you want more , my filthy mesh’la?” he growled playfully, kneading her bottom in his hands. He turned them both around, looking for her bedroom door and finding its location with relative ease. “That can be arranged.”

Her thighs tightened their hold on his waist and she leaned back in his grasp to look at him eye to eye. “Ah ah…but this time I call the shots. I still have to put you in your place for earlier. My poor dress, what a shame,” she playfully tutted, scolding him softly.

His brows raised in surprise, “Yes ma’am. Whatever you say.” He smirked, a twinkle of mischief and excitement sparking in his eyes. He moved to her room faster than his perfectly engineered body could carry him, Mari continuing to dot his neck with little kisses.

She could feel his growing thickness against her bare center, the familiar warmth making her body ache for more of him all over again. Dragging her kisses to just below his jawline, she shifted her weight to pull him further into her room. He stopped in the doorway, grabbing her cheek and turning to lock her into another kiss.

He wanted her, she could feel it in the strength behind his kisses and the urgency in his steps. Faster and faster his heartbeats pounded against where her chest met his. Between broken kisses, he muttered the directive he needed, “Where…do you…want me?”

Mari pulled away, glancing at the state of her room behind her. She didn’t have much time to clean before she left for the gala earlier, but it wasn’t untidy. She couldn’t stand a messy bed, so naturally, that was their best option, thankfully. Rex suckled at the juncture where her jaw met her neckline, making her gasp out loud right before she could answer him. “B-bed,” she smiled, her hands dropping to grip his bicep. “Lay down for me.”

His dark eyes flitted around the unfamiliar room, finding her bed toward the back right wall. Humming in satisfaction he rasped, “Hmm, like it when you give me orders.” Mari giggled in response, unable to hide the blushed heat rising in her cheeks. He made his way toward her bed, spinning to seat himself down on the side of it.

Slowly, she slid her palms down his arms, working to get hold of his hands as she rolled her hips against his lap. “Well then tonight I can be in charge of you, Captain,” she whispered, her voice husky with lust. Her fingers wrapped around his wrists and she threw him down beneath her, pinning his arms above his head. “Understand?”

He exhaled shakily, his cock twitching against her heat and his eyes hooding with want. “Perfectly.” He rolled his hips up into her, the straining cloth of his bottoms catching her clit cruelly. “I’m all yours, gorgeous.”

She sat herself up, flattening her palms onto his lower torso. Her fingertips traced the cushioned muscles, following the subtle dips and curves of his abs until she reached his bottoms. “Since you love teasing me with these, better get them off you.”

Rex snorted, “you act like that’s a punishment for me.” He lifted his hips allowing her wiggle room to slide his black duraweave bottoms down his thighs. He shuddered as she palmed him over his briefs. Her hands stroked the length of him, eager to make him feel as good as he had her.

“Be careful, soldier. I can make it one if you really want me to.” She dipped her head down to where her hands were, eager to leave her faint lipstick stains on the strained fabric of his briefs. Rex nodded at her, following her intention to its logical conclusion and swallowing thickly as he waited in anticipation. She smirked, leaning forward to press a heavy kiss on his still-clothed tip. His head tipped back onto her mattress, sighing in delight as she let the trail of kisses travel down his shaft.

“Fuck…really like that. Such a little tease, aren’t ya.” He groaned, his deep voice gravelly and low as primal desire took over. His thighs shifted uncomfortably, desperate to have her touch him more.

Mari curled her fingers beneath the hem of his briefs and tugged them down slowly, her lips dragging kisses back up his length to meet his now bare tip. Grazing his sensitive head with her tongue, he gasped and bucked his hips into her. His hands flew to her head on instinct, slipping into her hair and holding on as her touch lingered.

She had absolutely no intention of making him wait any longer or prepping him any more than he already was. She needed his perfect, throbbing cock filling her now. But he didn’t know that. His hands cupped her cheek and slipped falling strands of hair out of her face, thinking that more delightful torture was imminent.

Instead, Mari sat up, sliding his bottoms fully off him and letting his cock slap up against his torso. “Oh normally I can be. But I can’t wait anymore to have you.” She slung her leg over his waist, straddling him fully and grabbing his sides for balance. He looked up at her in very thankful awe, resting his hands on her widened thighs.

He stared up at her, his gaze unbreakable and focused and his endearing smile growing on his handsome face. “Me neither,” he muttered, sliding his palms along the curves of her hips to grip her waist. Those beautiful brown eyes of his were never more honest than when they were looking at her and her heart jumped into her throat as the moment froze them both in time for a few breaths.

She broke first to line her entrance up with him, hovering above him torturously and jerking her hips along his length to slick him with the wetness coating her folds from her previous climax. Mari inhaled sharply, her body so desperate to feel him again it was making her shake. His reassuring hands on her waist and hip bone kept her grounded in the moment.

“Easy, my mesh’la, easy. I’ve got you. Take as much time as you need. Look so fucking good like this. Like a perfect dream for me.” His deep voice was as soothing as it was arousing and it gave her the strength she needed to settle herself down on top of him.

A garbled groaning sound cut off his words as she slipped his cock past her entrance. She carefully bobbed her hips up and down, easing him further and further into her heat with each shift of her hips. Her brows knitted together and her lips dropped open in a silent moan as she absorbed the delightfully painful stretch of him inside her again.

Mari could barely find the strength to move. He was huge , somehow feeling even bigger than earlier in this current position. With her every breath he shifted deeper into her and she whimpered as she finally felt him bottom out, her thighs splayed apart on either side of his toned waist. “S-so…big.” Her eyes rolled back and she bit her lower lip as her walls involuntarily contracted around him.

She was so much more sensitive this time. He speared into her so deep it was like he was rooted to her very core. She’d taken her fair share of sizes in her life. Nothing, nothing , felt like he did. The blood pumping him thick made him throb against her walls so strongly she could practically feel his pulse. His cock’s slight curve upward reached everywhere inside her that no other man ever had. He was perfect. He was made that way and he was hers. Right now, he was all hers.

Rex was desperately trying to pull himself together. Words weren’t finding his normally perfectly slick tongue and he looked wrecked with overcoming lust. His hands gripped her waist so hard she was sure she was already bruising and she didn’t care. She wanted to wear the way he held her for the rest of time if she could.

All of this overwhelming pleasure and she hadn’t even shifted a single bit yet. As she rose up and arched her back, the absence of him in the deepest depths of her cunt made tears prick in her eyes instantly. Almost immediately, she sat back down on him fully again. She moaned this time, loudly. The fullness making the heat in her belly feel so good she couldn’t help herself.

She lifted up again, this time finding a rhythm aided by his arms holding her up gingerly. The downright divine friction of his cock splitting her walls open repeatedly had her ravenous. The coiling in her belly furiously ignited the passionate flames of molten desire she’d only known since him. Over and over she rose and fell on top of him, riding his perfect, pounding cock as fast as she could handle.

Rex found his composure far sooner than she could, remembering his strength as her ever-tightening walls pushed his all too human instincts to kick in. He held her with both hands now, guiding her up and down the way he liked and carrying some of the weight to ensure she never tired. She was grateful for that because with how much strength it took her not to collapse immediately onto his chest, she needed the help.

“Rex. I…can’t stop…” she gasped, the rising heat making a sheen of sweat break out over her tan skin. The sounds of skin slapping skin filled her apartment, only broken by the groans and high-pitched whimpers leaving them both. “So deep. I love it just like this.” She reached for his hand and placed it on her breasts, begging him to touch her all over just to add to the pleasure.

“You’re fucking beautiful riding my cock. Such a good girl. Telling me how you like it, taking whatever you want from me. Use my cock. I want you to feel so good.” he urged, rolling her nipple between his fingers and groaning as her walls tightened around him in response.

“I feel…amazing. You’re so good, Rex. So…so good. Love how you fill me.” Mari cried out, grinding her hips down on top of him and watching his strength falter as he bottomed out inside her again. “Fill me better than anyone else, Rex. You’re perfect for me,” she admitted, throwing her head back and moaning loudly as he spanked her cheek playfully.

“I know I do. Want you to feel it all, mesh’la. I wanted to fuck you like this the second I met you. Fuck you so deep you forget everyone else. I wanted to make you mine.” he groaned, sitting up suddenly and wrapping his arm around her waist. Mari bucked her hips into him, the hairs around the base of him catching her clit perfectly and making her whine desperately in pleasure.

“I…I am yours. Fuck me like I’m yours, Rex. Only yours.” she begged, speeding up her hips and grabbing his face in her hands. She wanted to look him in the eye this time. She wanted to see his eyes as he took her away to bliss. The heat between them made their sweaty bodies frictionless and all Mari could do was chase her high against his lap.

Rex met her gaze with fiery determination, holding the hair at the nape of her neck and sharing his every breath with her as their thrusts met in unison. Asking him to make her his was all it took to blast his remaining composure to oblivion. His hips rocketed to life, snapping up to meet her bucking hips. Their volcanic climaxes rocketed toward each other with cataclysmic impact.

“Fuck, I’m…I’m cumming, Rex .” she moaned, looking into his eyes as her climax began to spread through her. She completely lost herself, resting forehead to forehead as the drag of his cock inside of fluttering walls made her vision white and overheated chills roll down her body from the top of her head to the tip of her toes. Her every nerve was set alight with a powerful tingle that dissolved into stardust every time his cock buried into her core. Hot, thick, and tearing her apart, she felt the tension burst, her walls collapsing around him in torturous delight.

He growled, low and so resonant it vibrated in her chest, “You’re all mine, mesh’la. Only mine.” He pressed into her one final time, pausing there as his cock spasmed inside her grip and emptied full ribbons of himself inside her more times than she could count. With an outpouring of curses and the softest whimper of her name, he shuddered a few more times and collapsed on the bed behind them.

Mari pulled off him slowly and gently, sitting back on her palms and spreading her thighs open to let his spend drip out of her fluttering opening obscenely. She panted, moaning softly and smiling up at him as she watched the mess he made of her. “All yours.” she repeated, watching as he smirked up at her with tired satisfaction at his handiwork.

She fell back into bed, laying on her back as she enjoyed coming down from one of her best climaxes ever and by far the best sex she’d ever had. After finally catching her breath, she rolled over on her side, resting her head on Rex’s pillow and drowning herself in the growing comfort of his scent. His arm snaked around her waist, pulling her by the small of her back into his side tightly. His chest rose and fell steadily, the exertion barely making him winded at all.

His dark skin was covered in a sheen of sweat that somehow made him look more gorgeous than before. She rested her hand on his chest and traced patterns over his scars with her fingertips. It was hard for her to avoid the obvious question of how he’d gotten the newest one. Her gentle motions on his skin stopped as she wondered and Rex looked down at her quizzically.

“You ok?” he pondered, the back of his forefinger stroking the dip of her bare waist.

“How did it happen?” she muttered, gesturing to the scarred edges of the now-healed wound with her fingers.

He sighed, “Oh this? Well since it kept me from this for a week, I should tell you the story.” He chuckled dismissively, but stopped when he saw the look of concern on Mari’s face.

“Right. We were chasing General Grievous, he’s one of the leaders of the Separatist Droid Army,” he started explaining when Mari interrupted him.

“Oh I am well aware of who he is,” she said with disgust, rolling her eyes and nodding at him to continue.

“Yeah, so we had ‘em on the run. Their ship was crashing and we were so close to finding him on the planet Saleucami. Just as we were close to tracking them down on speeders, I took a hit to the chest. Probably a Commando droid. Knocked me off my speeder.” he shuddered just slightly enough for Mari to notice and she tightened her grip on his bicep protectively.

He looked down at the scar, breathing deeply once or twice to compose himself again. “Kix and Jesse found me. Took care of me. I wanted to keep going. But the blaster wound was pretty bad. I had to stay behind. Jesse and I came across a farm a few cliks west of us and decided we could ask for some rations, water, shelter or something. And uh well-” he blinked, his brows knitting together in confusion.

“Well what? You found something?” Mari asked, unable to hide her intrigue. He was actually a pretty good storyteller.

“The Farmer. He was a brother. A clone . Had his own land, crops, a home, a wife…kids..everything. All because he deserted the war. You know, clones can get brought in and court-martialed for that.” Rex explained, looking at Mari with an expression she couldn’t quite read this time.

“You can’t be serious. The GAR’s not going to imprison someone because they chose a different life for themselves. That’s insane.” Mari scoffed, sensing Rex himself may not have realized the lunacy of that being labeled a crime until recently.

“That’s the law, Mari. It’s what we’re taught to do in the event one of us runs away from duty. Report them and let the Kaminoans or someone do the rest. I was pretty close to doing so, until the droids came and attacked us.” he sighed, his hand on her waist balling into a fist instinctually.

“Separatist droids attacked a civilian homestead?” she asked in disbelief, thinking of at least seven republic treaties that kind of action violated. Not that the Separatists cared about any Republic laws.

“Yeah, guess the clankers figured we were a threat to Grievous. They saw two clones and just went for us. I didn’t have much range of motion, but I was healed enough to at least protect the family. I owed that to him for harboring me until I healed.” he stopped and looked out the window at the dark sky illuminated with artificial light. Mari watched his expression harden, his jaw tightening as he reminisced.

“So what happened?” Mari asked, gently squeezing his bicep to bring him back to her. He closed his eyes and tipped his head to rest on the top of hers.

“The droids stood no chance against a man and his family. Especially not two clones. His family was fine and I healed up enough to leave the atmosphere again. But after what he, Cut–his name was Cut–showed me…the loyalty to his family, that unending ferocity in battle, it was exactly like what we were raised to do. He was still doing his duty, but for him it was personal. In a way that it isn’t for the rest of us.” He drifted off, as if the action he didn’t take was still weighing on him in some way.

“You didn’t tell anyone about him…did you?” Mari figured, holding her breath as she pieced together what had been bothering him. The secret he kept for his brother could get them both in trouble and it was against everything he claimed he stood for. He didn’t follow protocol and it was haunting him.

“No. I couldn’t.” he muttered, the admittance so quiet she could practically feel his shame. “Everything I have ever been taught tells me I should have. And yet, in the moment, it didn’t feel right. Working under General Skywalker, I am no stranger to breaking rules. We do it all the time. But this time I’m been struggling with it and I don’t know why.”

Mari thought about it from Rex’s perspective. As a commanding officer, he had to show an unwavering commitment to the cause in order to lead his men. If he, or any clones in his position, began to show too much deviation from the rules that made their duty so effective then the consequences must be severe. Possibly even deadly.

In Mari’s political world, the first thing Padme and Bail ever taught her is that just because something is a rule or a law, doesn’t mean it’s morally or ethically correct. The clones' existence as a whole was riddled with moral ambiguity and to keep them in line it seemed that the structure of their entire military relied on denying them basic ethics for life forms.

Cut somehow had come to realize that as a life form with independent thought and will, he was deserving of the same basic freedoms that all other natborns in the galaxy are inherently given. Most clones might never come to that same conclusion and she could see that, for Rex, this realization was hitting him pretty hard.

“Because in this case, the right thing to do is to break that rule.” Mari answered after a long period of silence. “Just because the GAR has rules to keep its structure doesn’t mean they’re always right. Cut made a decision to give himself a choice in the life he decides to live. The same choice you all should have as sentient life forms.”

“And it bothers me because following the rules means denying him his independence. I know we’re supposed to be committed to the war, but I can’t in good conscience betray my brother’s wishes like that. I have a loyalty to them above everything else.” he shook his head, his heartbeat now pounding under Mari’s cheek.

“Is this the first time you’ve met a brother who felt he didn’t want to live a life of war?” Mari reached for his hand and laced her fingers between his. He kissed the back of her hand and rested their joined hands on his chest.

“No. I knew another. A brother who felt that joining the separatists would help free us, but that was more of a betrayal. This is different. Cut wants a life of peace with a wife and a family. I can’t say I disagree. We all want that deep down.” he stopped, his eyes locking with hers immediately as she turned to look at him.

Mari wanted to say something more, a funny little quip about that being the reason he’s in bed with her. But all the words died in her throat as she saw the way he looked at her. He explored her face, his eyes darting back and forth as he focused on one feature and the next. Almost like he was trying his hardest to draw her face into his memory. Speeder light and neon floating signs outside her window reflected in the enticing depth of his deep brown irises, sparking them with the same fire she lit his heart with.

There were no words to explain this feeling. She couldn’t come up with them if she tried. Neither could he. His actions tonight, his presence in her apartment, in her bed with her right now, said it all. Whatever he and Cut had discussed on Seelos, it made him think of her.

On some level, if all clones were thinking about their individual lives beyond war, he was imagining what a life might be like with her . Maybe he was thinking about being something besides a soldier for the first time ever. He certainly deserved to find something to hope for after all he’d fought for already. Yet, never in a million lightyears did Mari think that something would be her. It was too huge. It made her feel too important.

She should be terrified by that much expectation, even if it wasn’t being explicitly stated to her. She should be getting up and asking him to leave since the physical part of their night was over. She should be backing away from yet another hopeless romance with nothing but probable disappointment on their horizon.

Yet, she didn’t move from his hold on her. She didn’t even want to.

“Well I’m glad you have something to look forward to.” Mari managed to whisper softly, tightening her hold on his hand and closing her eyes to nuzzle into his chest.

As she drifted off to sleep surrounded by the comfort of him, she heard one last low, satisfied mumble from deep in his broad chest. “Me too, mesh’la. Me too.”

--

notes: hi :) I know it's been a while since I've updated any writing. 2024 was a very hard year for me, but finally with all that past me I hope to get back to writing again. thanks for being patient with me. it means so much to me. I hope you like it :)

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[cursed-spectre]

"Alright. Ai, leave. I don't want you hearing this."

Ai looks conflicted at leaving, but a nod from Cassidy is all it takes, and the young drone closes the door, leaving.

(Content Warning: Murder and Self Mutilation mentioned)

"I'll be blunt. The murder drones landed on my planet when I was 8. The next two years of my life were spent cowering in fear as they gradually picked off large chunks of our colony. By the end, I was the only one left, after my mother forced our copy of N to shoot and kill his crewmates and himself, but she died as a result."

She sighs.

"I had enough, and nothing to go back to. So I took the corpse of that N and ripped the limbs from it. Next, I tricked their systems into thinking I was a murder drone, and the limbs were grafted to my body after the originals were... removed. I wasn't thinking, and I was sloppy when performing the actions. As a result, the code from my core, I suppose you could say it awakened the limited solver program that still resided in the systems of those limbs. I created a new strain, one that was limited to the limbs I had made my own."

"After days of struggling for control, the strain and I made a deal. I would have full control over my limbs and all their functions, and in return, I would eat the cores of drones, keeping the strain satiated."

She looked at her hand.

"The next two years were dedicated to me flying from planet to planet, killing any and all drones with traces of the solver, so that there would be no more killing. No more of what happened to me. Eventually, my ship's systems began to glitch, and I was knocked out."

She looks at her room. "When I woke up, I was in here, being greeted by Spectre."

She looks firmly at Jyx. "Is that enough for you?"

Jyx pops out of nowhere.

“Hello, uh… miss…spectre?”

Jyx refers to a note.

She's taken aback. "M-miss?"

[eruden-writes]

Scent Match - Part 9 (Augustine & Amber)

lycan x human celebrity x non-celebrity

Summary: When Amber Dyer decided to attend a Creator Con, she never expected to run into Of Wolf and Blood lycan heartthrob, Augustine Prime.

But, there he was, stooping over her table, asking to buy the unflattering drawing of his character. Valuing integrity over taking money from a celebrity and running (though she was sorely tempted,) Amber finishes the sketch and delivers it to Augustine.

However, he continues to doggedly pursue her and entwine their lives.

All because of her scent.

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Given Augustine’s consent, Amber hummed and closed her eyes to focus on her task. For a time, she focused on him. It was easier to focus on pleasuring him than to combat the simmering embarrassment at the edges of her thoughts. As her mouth worked up and down his length, her fingers toyed with his knot with light touches. The heat emanating from him, the graze of his fur against her, the way his breath caught when her tongue traversed over a particularly good spot.

Yeah, this was simpler than her own deep-brewing emotions. It also distracted her from the memories with prior partners, their mean laughter or-

Amber shoved the recollections from her head. No. She was focusing on this, focusing on Augustine. All other thoughts dissipated as her focus zeroed in on him.

Unaware of the emotional minutiae plaguing Amber’s thoughts, Augustine relished in the circumstance. The hot, soft feel of her paired with her steady pace agonized and thrilled him. He wanted more. His fingers flexed briefly, tempted to grab her by the head, but he dug his claws into the sheets. Keeping his hips from bucking into her warm mouth was harder, but he managed.

The last thing he wanted to do was risk startling her or scaring her off. He didn’t want to see her disappointed or affronted expression if he reciprocated. This was entirely about her getting comfortable with him.

Besides, Amber’s mouth and hands were plenty enough to focus on without him touching her.

But, gods, he wanted to touch her.

Augustine bit down on the desire, sinking back onto the bed to just feel Amber’s mouth work or her hands caress him. Warmth and wetness and the little, absentminded sounds she made while on his cock razed through him.

She hadn’t taken him fully into her mouth again. While her head bobbed, one of her hands stroked his neglected length as her other hand stroked his knot. As soon as her pace increased, as soon as she took a little more of him with every pass, heat tightened in his center. In small ways, Augustine tried to shift for fuller friction, more sensation, as he pressed his head back and panted, deep rumbles echoing in his chest.

It was only after a particular squeeze of her hand and a dip of her head that Augustine realized the pressure building in him was cresting. A sudden throb through his cock, drawing a grunt from him, made him all the more aware of his oncoming orgasm. “A-Amber, I’m gonna come if you don’t st– Fuck.”

Augustine jerked forward, off the bed, as she took him fully in her mouth again, both hands squeezing at his knot. He curled over Amber’s head with his hands crooked and twitching. He just barely kept from grabbing her, from pushing her further down as his hips finished her job. His chest heaved as she stared at her, lips pressed to his knot and expression one of calm.

“Mhm?” She hummed, staring up at Augustine innocently as her fingers alternated in squeezing touches.

Amber couldn’t hide the slight curl of her lips as Augustine stared down at her. He looked quite the sight. Fur mussed and golden eyes wide, ears pricked forward. The movement of his hands hadn’t been missed, either. He was close to just grabbing her, but was holding back. Part of her appreciated that.

“I’m gonna come in your mouth if you don’t stop,” he explained, tone tinged with desperation and concern. Augustine could feel Amber’s amusement as her smile twitched around him. He had to swallow down his nerves before he managed to press further, “Are you okay with that?”

She gave a positive hum, but when his concern didn’t soften, she gave him a nod. Well, as good of a nod as she could give with her mouth being full of him.

Still, Augustine didn’t jump on her consent. He wasn’t sure how well his restraint would hold out and, given the moment’s pause, he had to ask, “Can I thrust and touch you?”

Amber lazily bobbed her head up and down his cock, feeling how his member twitched against her tongue as she thought. On the second pass, she pulled off him, swiping the back of her palm against her mouth to wipe away any stray spittle. “Don’t choke me or force me down, alright?”

A bright expression lit up his face as he nodded excitedly. His reaction made something in Amber twist, delighted and a little uncertain. Augustine’s hand landing softly on her head dissipated any potential concerns. At his gentle guidance, Amber neared his dick again, taking him in her mouth in a languid fashion.

With one hand braced on the bed, the other holding the back of her head, Augustine half-stood from the bed. The return of her hot, moist mouth ignited heat down his spine. He thanked his stars for the foresight in asking for more control. If he hadn’t, he wasn’t sure how well he would have held out.

His pace began slowly, feeling Amber’s reactions out until he dared to pump his hips faster, a little harder. Augustine was still cognizant of her reactions, her body language. He adjusted his pace, the power of his thrusts, based on Amber’s sounds and the way she tensed or relaxed. Soon, he found a satisfactory pace, though with every whimper or gasp from her, he had to fight the urge to bare down harder.

Not in charge of the pace any longer, Amber closed her eyes and let her hands drift up and down his tense thighs, feeling the muscles strain beneath his fur. Despite not being in full charge, she still rocked on her knees to meet his thrusts, pushing him further down her throat that he would have otherwise gone.

He was being careful, she knew. Complicated feelings swirled inside her, though mostly carnal heat pounded at her center. She forced those complicated feelings further from thought by focusing on the situation. The way Augustine’s hips jerked, his fur dragging across her cheeks, his claws curving a little further against her scalp as his hips moved, his breaths escaping as panting half-groans.

As his pace increased, Amber rocked faster and harder against him. His pulse throbbed against her tongue, cock twitching with every thrust. Led by instinct, her hands drifted back to his knot and squeezed tight with his every thrust. By the third squeeze, his cock bounced wildly just before thick heat exploded in her mouth. Augustine snarled - the sound scraping deliciously down Amber’s spine - and jerked forward, curling over her.

His body wracked with trembles, Amber once again took over. Pulling back enough so she could milk his length, she swallowed down mouthfuls of his slight salty-sweetness while Augustine continued to groan and twitch.

Only when she was sure he was done did Amber lean back, again wiping at her mouth with the back of her hand as she stared up at him. He wasn’t entirely terrible to get naughty with, she decided. Of course, a blowjob didn’t say much, but at least she enjoyed his taste, his sounds, the way he tensed and moved.

Above all else, Augustine had been attentive and accommodating.

Her stare hadn’t been lost on Augustine. As much as he relished in her attention, he couldn’t help but feel there had to be more. Maybe she expected more. He waited for her to say something, sensing the pensive nature of her thoughts, before he decided to break the silence. “Do you want me to return the favor?”

“What do you mean?” Amber cocked her head to the side, his question interrupting her own thoughts on their encounter.

“I could eat you out.” His orgasm must have burned his own caution to a crisp, Augustine realized as Amber’s eyes widened. He couldn’t tear his intent gaze from Amber as his nose twitched. Sweet lust still stained the air, tugging at his instincts. “I know you’re wet and aroused. I can smell it on you.”

Amber’s eyes dropped to his maw. A thrill sliced down her spine as Augustine licked his chops, flashing one of those wolfish smiles at her. Unable to meet his gaze with the flush burning her cheeks, she focused on a patch of Augustine’s thigh.

Just when he thought she was going to reject his offer, Amber mumbled, “Yeah, sure.”

In no time, Augustine had her tossed to the bed, back to the mattress. He’d managed to haul her up farther on the bed so he could kneel between her legs. The sensation of his warm hands, rough pads grazing her thighs, made Amber yelp and half-raise up on her elbows.

His actions froze, gold eyes darting to her. Amber’s heart skipped in her chest, feeling equal parts shameful and disconcerted. “I-I don’t want to get fully naked.”

A gentle smile crossed Augustine’s lips as he tilted his head to the side a little. “I have to take your panties off at least.”

Under his soft look, Amber clamped her mouth shut as heat burned hotly across her cheeks. He was going to find out. She was commando under her dress and sopping wet with excitement. Amber couldn’t bring herself to tell him verbally, though.

Augustine soon found the reason for her sudden silence. As his hands edged further up, nudging the hem of her dress higher and higher, there was no further fabric separating him from Amber. He stared down at her bared pussy, eyes roving as his nose twitched. Between the sight and her unhindered heady scent, his mouth watered obscenely. She must have felt his hungry eyes on her naked form, since she fell back and covered her face with her arms. Her self-conscious little whine only stoked lurid feelings within Augustine.

He wanted her to know how wonderful, how beautiful she was to him.

Amber swallowed a whimper as she sensed his mouth close in on her, feeling his breaths puff along her naked flesh. Anticipation and arousal coiled through her nerves, refusing any self-conscious inclination to pull away. The sensation of his tongue - hot and broad and wet - tentatively tracing her slit made Amber’s whole body jerk. Delight blossomed out along her nerves, replacing uncertainty with need.

Her reaction stoked excitement in Augustine as her scent, fuller and heady between her thighs, dizzied him. Or maybe it was her taste on his tongue, so sweet it pulled a moan from him. Before he had even let his mouth touch her, she was wet and glistening and so, so beautiful. He needed to hear more, feel her tense and shudder, come undone under his mouth. Moving faster, more intent, his tongue swirled around Amber's clit, feeling her curve off the bed with a keening whimper.

It was embarrassing to Amber how quickly she devolved into a trembling mess under his eager licking. She wasn't even sure when she lifted her hips to meet his hot wet maw or when her hand had migrated to the back of his head, fingers buried in his fur. Her other hand fisted into the sheets, bunching fabric under crooked digits. A creeping sense of heat crawled over Amber's body as her open-mouthed gasps tangled with her moans.

Augustine's growl and the way he bore down harder, his tongue delving into her and curving to nudge against her little erogenous spot, made a thrill twang through Amber. Even the graze of his teeth made her nerves burn with excitement. She wanted more, wanted to really feel everything Augustine had to offer, take it all.

Again her body jerked, her knees rising to squeeze against Augustine's head.

She wasn’t sure how long his eager lapping went on, how long she was a writhing and moaning mess under his tongue. Pleasure seared through her body and rebounded to simmer through her as a fresh wave crashed over her. Maddening and delirious. The carnal joy almost hurt as her body tightly clenched and tensed, twisting under preparation.

When the pressure crested and slammed through her, Amber lurched forward. “Augustine!”

Her thighs clamped tight to the sides of his face, pressing him closer to her center. Not that he needed goading. Her cry coupled with her orgasm sent a possessive pulse through him and he continued to tongue her.

Amber’s head lolled back, breathy moans escaping her even as Augustine happily licked up her taste. A few languorous moments passed as he licked her clean, before he finally pulled away.

A delightful singe crept over her body even as he pulled away. The shift of his fur against her bare thighs tickled, making her arch and sigh. Then Augustine’s words crashed through her afterglow, “Made you scream my name.”

Amber’s eyes snapped open, renewed heat staining her cheeks as her head jerked to glare at him. “You–!”

She was about ready to push him away, thinking this had all gone according to some convoluted plan of his, before Augustine’s soft chuckle stopped her. “I prefer this to what I meant earlier.”

Unable to ignore her curiosity, Amber narrowed her eyes. “What did you mean earlier?”

His face fell, his eyes rolling toward the ceiling as a dour expression creased his features. Heaving a heavy sigh, he mimicked the put-out bemoan he’d heard many a-time before, “Augustine.”

Oh, that’s what he meant. Easing from her paranoia, she combed her fingers through his fur. There was a thread of pain beneath Augustine’s reenactment, something Amber didn’t quite know how to address.

“Well, you are exasperating,” she mused, teasing as gently as her touches felt.

“Yeah, I know,” he sighed as he closed his eyes, resigned to the thought. Between Amber’s touch and the cushion of her thigh, Augustine could have happily fallen asleep. Well, he could if his turgid erection wasn’t digging into the bed.

“I mean, you’ve asked me to marry you barely knowing me,” Amber went on, rolling her eyes. Part of her still needled for that more realistic outcome. Something where he’d laugh and pull away, say it was all a joke. On the other hand, part of her sympathized with the more sensible people in Augustine’s life. “I can’t imagine your manager or anyone else on your team is thrilled with that.”

Augustine’s head shifted as his eyes opened. “Speaking of that, do you think we’re compatible?”

“Stop that,” Amber hissed, fighting down the burst of adrenaline his glowing gold eyes and wolfish smile had on her heart. She also had to fight off a shameful delight as his arms slid under her thighs and his hands absentmindedly stroked her.

“I’m not doing anything,” he protested, his canine maw somehow curling into a pout as his eyes widened innocently.

Warmth clawed hotly over her cheeks as she glared down at him. “You were grinning at me.”

Her reaction only broke his pout apart into a broad grin. “So?”

“You’re embarrassing me.” Unable to get him to stop looking at her, Amber pressed her hands to her face to gain some reprieve. It only served to remind her how warm her blush burned.

"That's something you'll have to get used to,” Augustine laughed, pushing himself to his hands and knees before leaning over her. Instinct burned at his core to touch Amber more, to get closer, to get as close as he could. He knew he couldn’t exactly do what his instincts wanted, but that didn’t keep Augustine from wanting more contact. A hug, a cuddle, a touch. He’d take what he could get if Amber offered it.

He hadn’t realized just how close the move would place them or that his raging boner would brush against Amber’s still cocked leg until she jolted. Regardless of his momentary lapse in judgment, he poised his features into innocence as she stared up at him. She hadn’t jerked her leg away, so that had to be a good sign. Right?

Amber’s knee angled toward Augustine’s erection, the heat and firmness a beacon against her skin. Incredulity mingled with amusement as she laughed, “Are you hard again?”

“Yeah.” His head dipped and his ears drooped in a half-apologetic movement, before his eyes locked to hers. Even his ears rebounded, pricking forward with intent. “Want to do more?”

Amber knew he meant fucking, but a different kind of heat blossomed in the scant air between them. Her eyes flickered to his, trailed over his snout-esque features. How would it feel to kiss a lycan, she wondered? How could they match up a flat human mouth to that somewhat elongated maw?

Those curious thoughts crept through her head and, before she knew it, she was moving. One leg raised, hooking around his hip and drawing him closer.

Augustine held his breath, following Amber’s lead as he lowered himself slowly at her beckoning. Her other leg eased between his, knee propped up to rub her thigh against his hard-on. Involuntarily, his hips thrust into the friction, a deep moan vibrating through his chest.

It was her hands reaching up, softly grasping onto the sides of his head, that surprised Augustine. His eyes widened, ears pricking forward as Amber guided his face closer to hers. It was when her eyes fluttered shut, her lips puckered, his own heart stalled in his chest.

A flare of uncharacteristic self-consciousness made Augustine feel large and bumbling, even as he eagerly leaned in, his own eyes closing and lips parting for a sloppy - awkward - kiss.

Contact never game as a jarring sound blared through the air. Augustine’s eyes widened as he jerked from Amber’s grip, head swiveling to the source of the sound. It was a ringtone he had been taught to never ignore. “Shit, I need to take that."

He bounded from the bed, from Amber, before she registered the change in atmosphere. She blinked after him, watching as his tail disappeared through the bedroom door.

[mobius-m-mobius]

#a man who DESERVES A SLICE OF PIE

[natasha-in-space]

So I'm replaying Ray's After ending rn, and it got me thinking that what I adore so much about Rika as an antagonist is just how damn scary she can be. I always found those who cause harm with good intentions (at least in their point of view) much scarier than those who hurt you with pure intention on hurting you. I think the best example of it is this CG in particular:

Look at that. Such a loving, gentle expression on her face. Probably kissing his forehead. Because she loves him. Heck, without any context, this CG looks even sweet, if you think about it. And yet, all that is while Saeyoung is forcefully sedated on a powerful concoction of drugs even a trained agent like him can't do anything about (and Saeyoung WAS definitely trained to deal with this sort of thing, hence it's mentioned that this is a 'special' kind of drugs). He looks miserable. Bags under his eyes, his expression pained and troubled, even his hair is paler than usual. All that as a direct result of her actions. But she's utterly blind to it. What's scarier, is that she knowingly shuts off her understanding of what's really happening. She's not oblivious to it at all. She just chooses not to see it that way. Simply because she doesn't want to.

Rika is the type of antagonist that will cup your cheek into her warm hand with the most loving of smiles on her face, all while you are getting elixir poured down your throat. Even whispering to you that you're doing great, that the pain will soon pass, and that she can't wait to see you reach the happiness she knows you deserve. I won't be surprised if she even cried genuine tears of compassion during some ceremonies for her believers. All while being the sole reason behind their suffering.

And that's... God, that's terrifying to me. I love that about her.

Rika Kim, they could never make me hate you

[agalychnisspranneusroseus]

Imagine you're Mr. Wu and your weird gay daughter runs away in tears after destroying some unespecified object while yelling about you ruining her life. Because you told her you'd be moving to another state. This is the last time you see your daughter in half a year, and when she comes back, she comes back... wrong. She's wearing a light leather armor, a fur-lined cape, and a green flower crown. She has two long scars, one alongside her spine and the other along her chest, the tissue around them covered in burn scars. Doctors say she shouldn't have survived. Doctors say she didn't. Yet she's right here, in front of you, hospital gown clinging to her small, fragile, trembling frame. She fidgets with her hands. Getting her to stay still has always been difficult, but now it seems impossible. She won't let go of her phone. She's always texting her two friends. When you take it away, she gets anxious. You always knew those damn phones cause kids to act weird, but your kid having a panic attack seems too extreme, even for her. Then again, she's always been odd. Nowadays, she wakes up crying and screaming almost every night, and you realize she's been stealing her phone from your bedside drawer every night to text her friends, returning it before you wake up. You catch her once and decide to give her that damn phone back. It's the only thing that calms her down, as if she were a baby with a pacifier. She spends her last weeks in LA clinging to her friends, having sleepovers and playing her weird board games with them. Everytime they drop her back at her house, there's an excessive amount of hugs and tears. But the moments when they call her, or when she leaves to meet with them, or when they show up at their door to pick her up... those are the only moments in which you see her happy. One of her friends, the rude and disobedient one, came back with a big scar on her face. She's been acting a lot nicer, though. The other one too. She acts a great deal more adult now. You doesn't know what happened or where your daughter went. She won't tell you. But you can tell this friendship is the only thing keeping her afloat right now. Maybe you know, deep down, that no one else would understand.

And then you decide to move anyway because fuck her amirite

[lovesickeros]

in the meantime come to horrifying realization there's like zero yan clorinde content so everyone sit down and listen to my ted talk (this is a requirement I have locked the doors and blocked the fire exits)

personally don't think Clorinde leans towards threats to be honest. she'd feel horrible and guilty if she did and I don't think she could handle you hating her or being afraid of her (maybe if you pushed her far enough then maybe she could justify it because she's trying to protect you but you'd really have to push it).

imo? leans more towards following you around with a hint of subtle manipulation behinf the scenes0. even if it's within the confines of the Court of Fontaine and the place is swarming with Gardemeks you can never be too sure. absolutely fumbles the excuse if you catch her though (if)

the epitome of gentleman, too. she "bumps" into you a lot and always offers to help– even if it's just a few small bags she takes them from you to help ease your burden, basically following you around like a lost puppy. it's a lot easier to trust the nice, polite woman who helped you then the stilted, awkward woman desperate for your attention.

her reluctance to threaten you or force you to do anything doesn't extend to people you know, though. she can cook up any manner of crime that'd get them stuck fighting a duel with her or dealing with a trial that'd get them sent straight to the fortress.

of course, the first thing she'd do is make sure you're okay. she still cares about you (and she really doesn't mean to manipulate you, but really, don't you find it odd that everyone around you is so sketchy? you should be more careful about who you trust. you trust her though, dont you?).

clorinde is very much in for the long game, in the end. she'd only kidnap you as a last resort. she'd much prefer slowly getting closer to you and having you come with her of your own free will (even if it's because she's been planting ideas in your head that you really aren't safe all alone like this. all your friends turned out to be criminals, after all, and what if they start to blame you and try to hurt you? it's best that you stay with her for a while)

if you had a lover, though? oh, she's livid. she makes sure to pin an absolutely heinous crime on them– one that would involve you. after all, she could swoop in and play savior after killing that wretched pest. she did save you from their alleged plan, after all.

a bit awkward with physical affection to be honest, but she tries in her own way. she does what she can to make your life easier– protects you, makes sure you have a roof over your head and nice clothes, a bed and warm baths, expensive foods..anything you want, she would get you without even asking.

why would you ever want to leave? don't you know how dangerous it is outside? who would take care of you if not her? she provides you with all you need, and with only the best (please don't leave)

basically your personal guard dog. she won't bite if you just listen to her and stay put.

and she's just absolutely smitten. careful if you actually use her gifts, because she'll think you're reciprocating her affection whether you are or not. you'll be drowning in new clothes, always trying need food..and she'll always be hovering over your shoulder, watching.

[genericpuff]

And with that, 2000 years of history and 10+ years of an animated adaption later, Attack on Titan is over.

I wasn't planning on making an essay post about this but like all of my essay posts, it got crazy out of hand, so here we are. I have a lot to say on it and the more I wrote, the more I realized exactly what the Attack on Titan finale was about. It's cathartic. It's also kind of a big shitpost but not for the reasons you might think.

Spoilers for the Attack on Titan finale ahead! CW: DISCUSSION OF WAR AND GENOCIDE AHEAD!

Now for anyone who knows what I'm about to talk about (and anyone who follows my stuff here), I'm sure you're wondering , what side do I fall on in regards to Attack on Titan's ending? Am I about to talk shit about it? It's very divisive and somewhat inconclusive. It followed the exact ending in the manga which, while expected, was still disappointing to many who had hoped the anime would take some other path.

But I have to ask, could there have been any other way?

Eren committed mass genocide, bordering on extinction of the entire human race. There was no way that he was gonna come out of it redeemed or as a hero, and he knew it. He went straight up Walter White core here and like Walter White, he is not a hero.

The fact that the Marlayans have been constantly going to war with other countries using Eldians as their personal soldiers goes to show that for countries that seek out conquest, there's no target too small or insignificant that can't be marked as an "enemy", and we see that reflected in Eren as well, in his pursuing of "freedom", an ever-moving goalpost that can never truly be satisfied.

The Jaegerists were hellbent on creating a new empire on the bloodshed of Marley - 'an eye for an eye', so to speak.

Nothing was ever going to truly satisfy either 'side' in the conflict of humanity vs. Eldians because such conflicts' origins have been obfuscated in hundreds of years of history, propaganda, and generational trauma that has repeated itself for so long that many don't even know what they're fighting for anymore, aside from one thing - that they don't want to suffer, that they shouldn't have to suffer for the actions of their ancestors, that they want peace and happiness but don't know where to start with taking the first step.

I think people are disappointed in this ending because, let's face it, it's anime, and it's an anime adaption that took years to finish. We always want to see some kind of vindication from stories like these, but I think in having vindication, it ultimately removes the point altogether of what's being said.

As much as we may try to fight it, try to deny it, the course of human history travels in a circle. Conflict will always arise. History is written by the victors, and those victors will be seen as heroes by whichever side they're fighting for regardless of what heinous acts they may have committed to justify their salvation. And after all of that conflict, regardless of the result - time goes on, and new conflicts arise.

But I don't think that means we have to succumb to grief and suffering and that's a point that I'm seeing missed in a lot of the discussion around the finale. There's a very powerful scene between Armin and Zeke, in which Armin talks about how he was born to run up the hill with Mikasa and Eren. He recognizes fully that if his life isn't meant to be long, he can still cherish those small moments that he thinks back on fondly, the moments that defined his life with the people he cared about.

And that's really all life is. Small moments and experiences that stick with us until the end. The very act of being born in and of itself is a cosmic miracle that gives us the chance to experience things that bring us joy and stay with us forever - however short or long that 'forever' may be. We take these small moments for granted when we're comfortable, but we look for them the most when we're suffering.

If I can relate all this to another piece of media that says the same thing - albeit with a much brighter ending - FF XIV: Endwalker also asks a similar question to Attack on Titan - is the only meaning in life to suffer and die? Of course, by its end, we learn that while death and suffering is an inevitable part of life - not something that should be avoided - it shouldn't persuade us to give in to fear and despair as a constant state of being. And I think Attack on Titan goes for a very similar approach, albeit slightly more as a cautionary tale - a nihilistic reminder that ultimately, the losses and victories we find in our current point of history are still just that, a single point, a blip that will be forgotten until it's ultimately repeated, and there's no escaping that.

It cautions us that freedom cannot exist without constant vigilance for war and conflict. It cautions us that our values and core beliefs for attaining freedom, love and happiness can be twisted into a weapon to cause harm, vindication gained at the cost of another. It cautions us that when left in the wrong hands, power can and will be abused by the ignorant while propagandizing itself as "the greater good".

So why not just find the joy that we can? The friendships, the little moments, the things that bring us happiness even if only temporary. Conflict is inevitable, suffering is inevitable, but that doesn't mean life isn't worth living. "Happiness" is not a tangible end point - it's the side effect of living a meaningful life that's true to yourself.

Attack on Titan is over. Some will argue the ending was the only way, others will argue that there could have been another way and that the anime adaption had the chance to change it but still didn't for reasons beyond their comprehension.

But isn't that the whole point? We'll argue. We'll bargain. Many of the arguments made will reinforce our own beliefs further rather than sway us. Many of us will insist there had to be another way, just as Armin insisted that this couldn't have been the only way, that humanity must have had another option. Meanwhile, many of us will acknowledge that at the end of the day, this is the story Isayama wanted to tell, and regardless of whether or not it makes him an idiot toying with his audience and admitting defeat by lampshading it in the penultimate scene of Eren admitting to his own idiocy, this was the power given to him and he used it in the best way he knew how.

Much like in any conflict, there's one thing that unites both sides - the human need for joy, connection, and freedom.

We might not agree on how Attack on Titan ended, but we can agree that it was a hell of a ride, and I hope we can all agree that it was worth riding, even if it wasn't satisfying for everyone in the end. It brought many people together regardless of their backgrounds, experiences, and differences, and connected them through something they all loved for over ten years. And despite how big a part of our lives it was, life will still go on, and we'll move on to other things to watch, enjoy, and argue over. Isayama will move on to whatever awaits him next, knowing fully well that his choice was his own, that he created the series he wanted to create regardless of how people feel about it. We'll all look for our own forms of joy and happiness as life moves on around us, as conflicts come and go.

Isn't that really what freedom is at the end of the day?