#but small nitpick aside!!!

[cheswirls]

i am not immune to sousou no frieren manga propaganda

[dollfacefantasy]

do you get deja vu? ♡

toji fushiguro x fem!reader x shiu kong

your ex-boyfriend shows up one night at you and your current boyfriend's home. the two of you decide to let him stay for the night, but the proximity causes old feelings to rise to the surface.

cw: nsfw (18+), smut, p in v, masturbation, threesome, voyeurism/exhibitionism, past infidelity, light angst

kinktober slot: day 9 - voyeurism/exhibitionism

"I don't understand how you watch this shit," Shiu says, glancing down at where you're pressed against his side on the couch.

Your head tilts in his direction, eyes narrowing in defense of your film choices. "Um, excuse you. You've seen nastier stuff in real life, which is way worse."

"You're right. That's why I can't believe you watch it for fun," he teases and presses a kiss to your forehead.

You roll your eyes and sink back into the warmth of his body on the couch. You'd known from the moment he'd asked to join your marathon that Shiu wouldn't like slasher movies. He'd proposed the idea to you earlier, and of course you said yes, not wanting him to feel rejected. But you knew before he even sat down that he wouldn't enjoy this.

The gore wouldn't entertain him. He wouldn't see the appeal of the bad acting or campy effects. And while nitpicking would annoy you with anyone else, you were much more lenient with your lover.

You snuggle closer to him and pull the blanket up. It wasn't often you got moments like this with him. He was so controlled by his dedication to his work, sometimes you felt like you never just got to relax with him.

That's why the knock that sounds through your living room moments later spikes your irritation way higher than appropriate.

You scoff and sit up, expecting him to make an excuse about how it'd only take five minutes and then be gone for the next hour. But he doesn't do that. Instead he looks to you, just as unsuspecting.

Furrowing your brows, you rise to your feet. You'd been so sure it was related to his work that you had absolutely no idea who else it could be. You pad over to the door, assuming it's just a delivery you forgot about or something else equally as innocuous. Closing one eye, you press the other to the wooden surface to peer through the small lookout.

Unfortunately, the person on the other side is anything but innocuous.

Toji.

For a second, you consider turning around and plopping down next to Shiu again. When he asked who it was, you could shrug it off and say 'Nobody, sweetheart.' He'd never have to know your ex-boyfriend had stopped by.

But you know getting rid of Toji is never that easy. Plus, he could be here to see Shiu. In fact, you reassure yourself that is probably the reason why he's standing outside your door. It most likely has nothing to do with you or your shared tumultuous past.

As much as you'd begged him to cut him off, Shiu kept in contact with Toji over the last year. You didn't understand it. If you stole one of your friend's boyfriends, you'd never speak to or work with them again out of shame. But maybe it wasn't the same for guys who swiped their buddies' girlfriends.

You open the door, maintaining a neutral expression. "Hi, Toji."

He looks down at you, lips spreading into a small smile. "Hey. How're you doing?" he says, as if this is a completely normal conversation and he hadn't just shown up at random on your doorstep.

"Fine. What are you doing here?" you say, not wasting time.

"Is Shiu home?" he asks. Despite your uncaring tone, he doesn't seem bothered.

You nod and step aside, making room for his large frame to move past you. When he crosses the entryway, you catch the scent of cologne. It smells much nicer than the cheap shit he used to wear when you were together. You couldn't get that odor off your pillows for months after he left. You'd remember it anywhere. If the police put it in a lineup, it would be just as much of an identifier as the scar on his lip.

Rolling your eyes, you figure he got this new one from some woman he slept with. Since you'd split, you'd heard through Shiu he had a talent for finding a myriad of well-off, lonely women to mooch off of.

You follow behind him into the living room. Shiu pauses the movie and sits up to look at the visitor. He stands upon realizing who it is.

"Toji?" he prompts, his tone not unkind.

"In the flesh," Toji responds in the same manner, "You know, a real man doesn't make his lady answer the door."

Shiu cracks a smile at that.

On the contrary, you purse your lips and cross your arms. As if Toji would know anything about being a real man. He wasn't even home most nights when you lived together. It's how Shiu slipped into his place so easily. Maybe if he'd been there to answer the door instead, things never would have changed.

You skulk off to the kitchen to give them some privacy. Through the hall, you can hear the muffled sounds of their voices going back and forth. The conversation stays calm, so you figure it's not too serious.

After a few minutes, Shiu joins you. You can tell from the smile on his face, you're not going to like what he's about to say.

He drifts over to you across the smooth tile floor, his hands finding your waist first and his lips landing on your forehead second. Soft blows of his breath fan over your hairline. The sensation brings a temporary reprieve to you like the gentle blow of a fan when the air conditioner's broken.

You know that's why he does it. Softens you up so you're more malleable to whatever he's about to tell you.

"What is it?" you sigh. Your pupils gaze upward upon his face, the dark circles gleaming with worry.

He chuckles at your trepidation. His thumb swipes at your cheek, pinching the skin between his fingertips for a moment as he gauges your features.

"Toji needs a place to crash for the night," he reveals.

Your expression that he'd been studying morphs into one of distaste. You pull back from his touch and try to untangle the mess of words rising in your throat to protest.

"No way!" you begin simply, "No. I don't want him here overnight. He can go stay with someone else."

He brings you back in by wrapping his arms around you in a tighter circle.

"C'mon, baby. It's getting late. He'll sleep out on the couch. Won't bother you at all," he says.

You frown, still not liking the idea. Obviously. you didn't think Toji would be sharing your bed. That wasn't the issue. The truth of the matter is that you don't want him here at all. You don't want to feel his presence under the same roof. He's a part of your life you'd rather forget.

But Shiu is the part of your life you hold closest to your heart now. He makes it hard to shoot the idea down without hesitating first.

Looking up at him, your lip juts into a subtle pout while your eyes gleam like that of a puppy's. You suspect he feels some sort of obligation towards Toji, some sense of guilt that alleviates through letting him do things like this. You didn't really understand it.

"Why?" you ask, your voice soft and begging, "Can't we just give him money for a hotel?"

The bow of his index finger sweeps down your cheek. His pupils cast over the sweet sight of your face, but you can tell from looking back at them that his mind isn't swayed.

"Money for a hotel, hm? You know that's money I could spend on you instead," he purrs. His head ducks down to kiss along your jawline. "That's a new handbag... A pair of shoes you've been eyeing... your nails and hair..."

Your eyes flutter shut for a moment as you enjoy the low vibration of his voice combined with the tender pecks on your face. Of course, he'd tried bribery before true explanation. But unfortunately for you, it works. God, why does he have such a hold on you? It's ridiculous, but as you imagine yourself all dolled up for him, putting up with Toji seems a lot more tolerable.

Maintaining your displeased look, you stare him in the eyes. "Fine. But we're finishing the movie in our room. I'm not watching it with him," you say.

"Deal," he agrees, sealing the covenant with a kiss.

After your mini conversation, Shiu set Toji up on the sofa while you awaited him in the bedroom. You took the time to properly prepare yourself for bed during this period. You shed your clothes for the one of the luxurious silken sleep sets Shiu had bought for you.

Fluffing up your pillows, you stretch out across the plush array of blankets and cushions. You can hear a bit of muffled talking, but it seems small and irrelevant. Chatter to fill the lull of silence.

Minutes later, your boyfriend finally joins you. He smirks at your sprawled out position, his mind likening the sight of you to that of a model in a seductive perfume or lingerie advertisement. His eyes rake over the smoothness of your legs and the soft curve of your hip. Nudging the door shut, he comes over to the edge of the bed and climbs up.

His frame hovers above your own. You stare back up at him and cup his cheek. He grins at the touch and turns his head to kiss the center of your palm.

"You sure you wanna keep watching that movie?" he breathes, leaning down to kiss the area between your jaw and your neck, "I think I could give you a greater thrill."

A soft giggle comes from you. Your legs squirm and rise to wrap around him. He takes the move as an invitation and kisses your throat with more dedication. His teeth scrape gently at your sensitive skin while his lips apply light suction to make a few marks.

You sigh, the tension you felt from earlier melting away. His hands roam your figure and massage any that remains right out. You tilt your head back to give him more room to work. One of your hands slides around the curve of his head to thread your fingers within his hair.

In no time, he has you whimpering for him. Your hips twitch with desire as your chest rises and falls from your increasingly shallow breaths. His fingers slot between your legs to rub at your pussy through the thin sleep fabric.

"Shiu," you whine, your nails scratching at the tender skin of his scalp.

"I'm here, sweetheart," he murmurs, "You were such a good girl for me. Let me return the favor."

He grinds his growing bulge against your thigh, letting you feel just how he intends to repay you. Both of your quiet noises begin filling the room. Wanting grunts and delicate moans echo about as you two undress and shift into a more accessible position.

Unfortunately, all of these sounds could be heard by the third party in your home as well.

When Shiu came into the bedroom, he hadn't shut the door all the way. It appeared as if he did to your eyes, but upon closer inspection, you would find it was still ajar the smallest amount. No matter how tiny the sliver was though, it was enough for your carnal noises to travel down the hall and out into the living room.

Toji lies there in silence, eyes locked on the ceiling overhead.

Normally, this situation wouldn't bother him. He'd laugh quietly to himself or maybe even jerk off if he was feeling it. But he can't do that right now because this is different. This is you.

He recognizes every little squeak that hits his ears. All of them, you use to make for him. It's as if he can see every action replaying in his mind.

The broken whimper always came out when he pulled down your panties. The needy gasp when he'd kiss your puffy clit and lap at your folds a few times. Finally, the long, whiny mewl makes itself known, and he knows that's the sound of you getting filled up. Only the difference between his memories and reality is the name you're crying out.

He sighs and rubs his face. Down below, his cock begins to involuntarily swell. It makes him feel fucking pathetic, but he can't help it. Like a dog trained to the sound of a clicker, Toji's brain had been conditioned by those sweet little moans.

They don't let up either. They only grow higher in pitch and mixed with the low groans coming from Shiu. You always were vocal in bed. He loved that about you, thought it made everything so much more fun. But now he can't stand it, knowing it wasn't just him who had the ability to make you lose control.

He reaches up and adjusts the throw pillow under his head, as if finding a better position would allow him to ignore the symphony of pleasure filling his ears. He huffs and rotates onto his side, rolls his shoulders a few times to try and manually work some tension out. But nothing works. There was no pose that would drown out those sounds.

A burning ache settles in his sternum. He's not sure what it is. Maybe irritation. Maybe jealousy. Maybe regret. Could even be a mix of all three.

He turns onto his back again. The ceiling is blank enough to provide no distraction, allowing his thoughts to come to the forefront of his mind.

How did he let this happen? He didn't want to sound like some cliche rom com or something, but he couldn't wrap his head around how he let you slip away.

The natural instinct of most men would probably be to blame you for being a slut and Shiu for being a traitorous asshole, but Toji couldn't really find it in himself to point at anything but the mirror when looking for the cause.

He knew he hadn't treated you right. In his defense, he never expected things with you to go so far. He hadn't presented you with some image of a stand-up guy and then taken the mask off later. The first time you saw him was at a seedy bar you were way too sweet to be in. He was in a bad mood already since the target he'd been waiting to intercept was seemingly a no-show.

You'd bumped into him when walking by, and while he rolled his eyes at you for that, upon looking closer he found himself more interested. The two of you ended up talking for a few hours before you went back to your place.

What he'd meant to be one night at most, a small fling to pass the time and have a place to sleep for a while, stuck with him. Maybe it was the pretty sounds he could hear right now that sunk your hooks in and prevented him from just leaving.

He stayed with you a while. You were the first real thing he'd had since losing his wife. Things between the two of you were never perfect or close to some romance out of a movie, but they could be really good at times.

Thinking about it now did get him angry at Shiu. He knew you got frustrated with Toji over his bad habits. He also knew that Toji left you alone for stretches of time when he was away on jobs.

When he caught the two of you, he'd been coming home from the race tracks. He knew you'd be pissed because that's how you always were when he went out gambling. But when he walked through the cramped entryway of your shared apartment, all he'd heard was those sweet whines of yours.

He'd preferred you being pissed to that.

He wonders if he walked into your bedroom right now if it'd look the same. Him standing in the doorway silent while Shiu pounds into you from behind, the both of you jolting to a stop when you notice his presence.

Getting up from the couch, he walks towards the hallway in your direction. He knows he shouldn't. It's not worth it and it won't change anything. But something gnaws at him, giving the urge to see you like that. It could be the last time.

Through the darkness, he pads down to your bedroom door. The small crack of light splits the double doors in half. He comes right up to it and leans a little closer. It's enough space for him to get a glimpse of what's going on inside.

You're in the same position as the day he found you and Shiu together for the first time.

Your face is squished under Shiu's palm against the mattress while your ass is raised up in the air. He can see the way your knuckles tighten as you clutch the blanket beneath you. Shiu kneels behind, hips bucking into you in a nice, firm rhythm.

Each stroke rocks your body forward and back. The noises are louder and clearer now that he's closer. He watches your facial features contort as you make them. The bulge between his legs throbs, aching for his hand to provide some relief.

Reluctantly, he meets his body's desire. One of his arms slithers South, letting his fingers caress his hardness through his pants. He lets out a deep sigh at the dull feeling.

Shiu's hand releases your head and slides up to rest between your shoulder blades. He presses down, pushing your body into a steeper arch. Your legs tense at the feeling. Toji can see how your thighs quiver at the deeper angle.

The heel of his palm grinds against his tip harder while the rest of his hand rubs his shaft. He lets out a sigh, taking in every little movement with half-lidded eyes.

You're starting to get close. He can tell from the way your fingers flex around the material between them and how your noises become more drawn out.

That feeling in his sternum grows uglier, and he hates it. This was fucking pathetic. Jerking off outside your room to the sight of you getting your brains screwed out by another man. He grits his teeth and rubs himself harder. A small moan works its way from between his lips. He can tell you heard something by the way your eyes flutter and try to focus on the door.

Before you can call him out, he decides to insert himself into the situation.

He pushes the door open and leans against the edge frame. His eyes hold disapproval as they fixate upon your figures in clear view.

"You know if you two are gonna be so loud, you should really try shutting the door," he says.

You startle at his sudden appearance and try to jerk upright. "Toji!" you practically shriek.

That feels right to him. That should be what you're crying out while full of cock.

"You fucking perv!" you continue, "Get the fuck out!"

You try to gain your bearings, but he can see Shiu's not letting you up. He hasn't quit thrusting either. His hips keep rolling against the plush of your ass as his head turns in Toji's direction.

"You get lost on the way to the bathroom or something?" Shiu says casually, "You know it's not nice to interrupt."

"Shiu!" you whine, still trying to squirm away. Your cheeks are full of heat. The idea of being so openly used had you feeling more worked up than you would've thought.

"Shhh, princess. You're alright," he says, giving you a soothing pat on the ass. He grabs each side of your hip for further leverage to plow into you with.

Shiu's lips pull into a teasing smile as he looks at Toji. "C'mon. It's not like you're not enjoying listening," he says, eyes flickering down to the obvious strain at the front of his pants.

Toji shrugs, unbothered by the callout. "If you're putting on the show, why should I ignore it?" he says.

"You're a fucking creep," you say. You try to keep your voice steady, but the words come out almost whimpered, to your humiliation. 

Your shame went further than being seen in this compromising position though. You couldn't deny what this scene reminded you of - the most disgraceful moment of your life. That night when he came home, walking in on you and Shiu unintentionally. You remember the way he stood there, not saying a thing. He didn't get angry like you expected him to. It was as if something just faded in his eyes. The way he looked at you dimmed.

It feels ugly thinking back on it now, sharp contrast to the bliss Shiu's cock is battering into you. You'd tried to justify it for so long, but you can't think through it at this moment. All you're left with is the guilt and thrill of doing something that feels forbidden.

"Just get out, Toji," you whimper, not even putting up a front this time. You turn your head against the blanket further and shut your eyes.

"Don't be rude, sweetheart," Shiu chides from above. 

His eyes are still on the other man in your room. He finally pulls out, giving you a moment to breathe and pull a blanket over your lower half. He leans back and sits against some pillows, body on full display.

"You know, if you want to join, all you have to do is ask," Shiu says.

Your head pops up when you hear that. You stare it at him in pouty confusion, but he's not put off by it.

"Don't act like you wouldn't like the idea, baby. I felt how tight she squeezed me when you saw him," he teases.

More burning embarrassment stings your cheeks. You try to come up with some way to dispute what he said, but nothing comes to mind. Instead, you opt to lower your face against the sheets again. Your boyfriend chuckles, sweeping his hand over your head before looking back at the other man.

Toji stands slightly closer to the bed now, but there's no indication on his face as to whether he plans on taking the offer or not.

"It's not like we haven't shared before," Shiu says. You can hear the knowing look in his eyes.

This statement causes you to look at him again with a raised brow. Before you can ask about it, Toji speaks.

"You know it's not the same," he says.

You look over at him for a moment, taking in the look on his face. A strange concoction of frustration and lust. Your eyes can't help but catch on the familiar swell in his pants as you go to look at Shiu again.

"You two have shared before?" you ask, unsure of how you feel about the idea.

"Mhm," he answers bluntly, "A few different times. But he never wanted to share you."

The concept takes a few moments to register in your mind. At first you feel warmth blossom in your abdomen. But as the unspoken part of the sentence seeps into you, shame extinguishes the pleasant feeling.

Your chest feels hollowed out as you stare at him now. While each of your positions are the same as the day everything fell apart, it's as if you're seeing him from a new angle.

You never thought of Toji as attached to you in that way. You always assumed you were the one pining after him for most of your relationship, longing for feelings that would never be returned with a matching intensity.

God, you felt so stupid now. Stupid and selfish. A horrible combination.

The silence in the bedroom is painful. You'd honestly prefer he just blow up on you and Shiu. Explode in the way he should have when it first happened. But he doesn't.

"If you're not in the mood to join, maybe you'd prefer to watch," Shiu offers, a touch of softness to his words this time around.

He reaches over and grabs you by the waist, tugging you on top of him. You're facing away from him, sitting nude atop his body while staring into your ex-boyfriend's eyes. He starts to lift you up while lining himself up at your entrance below. It makes you squirm, being handled and moved while under observation like this.

You manage to hold in the moan that wants to burst out when he slides you down. Keeping your hands firmly planted on his thighs, you take a second to focus on keeping your composure. His dick feels so good inside you, but the negative emotions you felt before haven't gone away. They're swirling together inside your torso. You feel the need to confirm Shiu's idea to alleviate them somewhat.

"It would be nice, Toji," you say as tenderly as you can in this situation, "It would be better if you stayed."

That gets his lip to quirk upward on the unscarred side. He runs a hand through his inky black hair, pushing it back out of his face.

"Thought you said I was a fuckin' creep who should get the fuck out," he mocks.

Shiu chuckles from behind you while his hands lock around your hips, rolling you down and grinding his cock against your insides without moving much. Your eyes flutter and you bite your lip, but besides that you keep control of your reaction.

"I changed my mind. I wasn't thinking clearly before," you correct.

"You sure you're thinking clearly now?" he asks, eyes glancing down at the point of connection between you and Shiu.

Heat rushes to your cheeks again, but you nod. "I'm sure," you confirm.

You want to tell him that you'd feel even worse if he left and went back out there to be all alone. The guilt would probably ruin whatever release Shiu was working you towards before too. But more important than that, you want to say that you didn't mind his presence right now. That you don't mind it ever because of anything he did. That it bothers you because ever since that day, his figure has transformed into a great, big, flashing reminder of your selfish disloyalty.

But none of it comes out because you sense it would probably feel cheap. Too little, too late to sound sincere.

Instead you just extend an arm to wave him over and pat the bed. You wouldn't even make him sit in the chair in the corner. He could be as close to you as possible without being involved himself.

He pauses for a moment. Coming from you, this invitation seems much more appealing. He tentatively closes the distance between himself and the bed and takes a seat on the end of the mattress, leaning against the bottom board.

Your heart slams against your ribcage in erratic pulses. Both your body and your mind don't know how to comprehend this situation. You know innately you like it. You can feel somewhere deep down the satisfaction from having the two of them here at the same time. But on a more controlled, conscious level, it's strange.

You can feel Toji's eyes scanning over your body, taking in every small detail. From behind, Shiu continues to bounce you up and down. He's growing more bold now that you and Toji have seemed to have settled into this idea.

Shiu's hand reaches up to grab the back of your neck. He pulls a little, forcing your spine to arch and your tits to puff out. You know he wants you to contribute more, so you respond by swiveling your hips.

"There you go," he hums from where he lays against the pillows, "You gotta do your best for Toji, doll. I'm sure he's been missing this."

For Toji. The words bring a rush of unanticipated arousal through you. You whine softly and continue to work yourself up and down on Shiu's shaft, your walls squeezing him with every rise to the tip.

The mention of his name has an effect on Toji too. He feels his cock kick in his sweats. Now that he's been accepted by the two of you, he feels comfortable shimmying his sweatpants down a bit so he can grab his length. He wraps his thick fingers around the heavy appendage and strokes. His eyes train on your bouncing breasts. When the two of you were together, he loved them, practically always had a hand on one. The fact that Shiu doesn't take advantage of those assets and instead focused on groping your ass drives him fucking crazy. But right now, that's a good thing.

He spits down onto his palm to make his tugs more slick. The noise draws your attention. He can see the lust that overcomes your pupils when your mind registers what he's doing.

"Toji..." you whimper.

A shuddery breath rattles from his chest. That wasn't a dream or a memory. It wasn't tainted in hate or drenched in confusion. That beautiful, heavenly sound had been meant for him as nothing but an act of passion. He almost loses it right there, but he manages to hold himself together.

You ride a little faster, subconsciously matching the rhythm of Toji's hand. Leaning forward, more of your weight presses onto your boyfriend's thighs. You use the increased balance to drive him deeper each time and hit all the special spots inside you.

Your vision stays on Toji's cock. You can't help it. It's beautiful. Stunning, entrancing, divine. All appropriate descriptors for the piece of anatomy only a few feet from you. It's long and thick, perfectly proportioned. Bulging veins sprawl from the base to the flushed head that oozes precum above. The pearly beads slide downward and mix with his spit to create a shiny lather over the surface.

He knows you're watching, and that's why he puts extra effort into his performance. He makes his movements much more fluid and exaggerated than they would be if he was doing it at home to a memory.

"Missed me?" he teases.

Your eyes dart away from his dick and up to his face. There you meet his piercing eyes. You stare into each other for a few moments. Communication without words. The message flowing between the two of you transcends even beyond thoughts. All that's left is pure emotion.

Everything feels so much more intense while looking at him. Shiu's fingers dig into your ass cheeks harder, his palm claps against the flesh louder, and his cock ruts deeper. The only thing that's muted in any way are the sounds of his grunts and groans.

You pant while continuing to split yourself open on his length. Your eyes droop with lust as you stare at him. Finally a response to his statement makes its way to your mouth.

"Of course I did," you say. The words come out breathy and full of longing because of course you did. Of course you missed him.

Your head falls back so that you're no longer making eye contact with him, but you can feel that you're still the center of his vision.

He jerks his cock harder. His fingers tighten around it, bringing a brighter red to the surface of his skin. He actually moans too, unable to feel shame for it in the heat of the moment.

In a matter of minutes, all three of you are closing in on release. Shiu's hips buck up to meet yours while Toji thrusts into his own fist. Three voices sound throughout the room now instead of just two. While only you and Shiu are touching, it feels as though you're all moving together, rolling with the same impulse.

"Shiu," you whimper sharply, an alert that you're about to lose it.

He recognizes the tone in an instant, the sound bringing a smirk to his face. "You ready to cum, princess?" he taunts.

You nod wildly, your head bobbing just like your hips are.

"I can tell. But before you do, I want you to ask Toji," he says.

Your hips sputter in their rhythm, the command shooting through you like a bullet. You hesitate but only for a moment. You wanted to cum bad. The need clawed at you more than the embarrassment of asking him for permission did.

He's already looking at you when your gaze returns to him.

"T-Toji," you whimper out. Your lip quivers a little as you will the words to come out, "C-can I cum?"

He continues to stare at you for a moment before wordlessly nodding. Your ex-boyfriend who'd always been able to keep his head under pressure seems dazed in this moment. A rush of conflicting feelings cloud his mind and make him feel some sort of flustered.

You feel release approaching fast in the heat of the moment, you lift your hands from Shiu's legs and reach out to him. Waving desperately, you beckon him into your arms. He's not sure what you're going for at first, but he indulges you and leans forward.

Your hands land on either side of his head and pull him in for a searing kiss. The moan that comes from him against your lips burns you in the best way. You let out a harsh breath and slide your tongue into his mouth, deepening the kiss as you cum. Your body shudders while he bucks into his fist with feverish jerks.

In the split second that you had made that decision, you hadn't considered how Shiu would feel. The only thing on your mind was your craving for Toji. But based on the moan Shiu lets out and the way his load fires into your cunt, you're pretty sure he's not too upset about it.

Toji finishes moments later, spurting milky ropes of cum out into his palm. He pants against your lips as the two of you continue to make out. Without physically grabbing you, he keeps you in place. He wasn't going to let you pull back yet. This would last as long as he could stretch it.

That turns out to be only about twenty more seconds. It's then that you start to lean back, slipping Shiu's cock out of you and collapsing against your luxurious sheets.

Toji sighs as he comes down from the high and takes in the sight of the two of you. Shiu rubs your shoulder while you glance at him with a gentle look in your eyes. He sits there, wondering if it would be awkward to leave so soon after or if there's something he should say.

You turn to look at him before he can bolt. He can't help but notice that your lips are still a little love-swollen from your exchange. It hurts more than anything else. You stretch out your fingers subtly, silently offering for him to come closer, potentially to stay.

But he can't.

This was already probably a mistake. It wasn't gonna help him get over you any faster, and it wasn't going to get you back from Shiu. Not that he should even want that. This didn't erase your initial betrayal.

He grabs your hand and gives it a brief squeeze before standing up and pulling his sweats back into place.

"I'll try to be out of your hair as soon as possible tomorrow. Thanks for letting me crash," he says, keeping it simple.

The look in your eyes says you want to say more. You want him to stay so you can talk. But you don't say anything. Partially because Shiu's here and you wanted the conversation to be private, partially because you don't think you deserve the last word.

So you just watch him go. Shiu nuzzles into your neck from the side, pressing a few more kisses to the heated skin. You lazily return the affection, exchanging tender gestures until he pulls you close and starts to drift off.

Now it's your turn to lie there in silence and stare at the ceiling. The burning ache has migrated from Toji's sternum to your own. It keeps you locked in place on the bed, stiff as a board with Shiu's relaxed one draped half on top of you. The feeling of his soft skin and warm limbs isn't enough to push out the guilt and regret.

You turn your head to the side, looking through the darkness of your room. The only thing that really manages to draw your attention is that the bedroom door is now fully closed.

[tizeline]

Hello ooohs! I just wanted to say that I adore your AU and just can't get enough of the change in dynamics for Rise!!

Your designs are incredible (( especially Leo's!! He is so adorable <3 )) and I get so excited each time you post!

So I have a question I want to ask: I have a huge soft spot a mile wide for Leo/Splinter family bond dynamic. I just turn to mush every time their familial bond is portrayed in comics/fanart/ and fanfiction.

Anyway! My question is: do Leo and Splinter develop a close relationship with each other later in the AU after meeting for the first time? I mean it has been shown how much of a fan boy Leo is for Splinter XD. Can your provide more insight into it and what Splinter thinks of the other three kids?

I also wanted to bring up a small error in The Cell part 3 that I noticed

For Donnie: "that's " was it supposed to be "that" ?

If not then I'm sorry for nitpicking your work. I just figured I'd help but my apologies <3 I still want to stress that I adore this AU so much and in extension; platonically adore you!! Keep being the best that you can be and take care!

Love,

🌹

Thank you!

And skfskbdwlskdisj yessss I love Splinter's and Leo's dynamic you're so real for that. And yeah, out of the of the Drax Bros, Leo is the one who ends up growing the closest to Splinter, both because he's been a secret Lou Jitsu fanboy for years at this point, but also because Leo was the first to change his mind on the evil world domination plan. Leo freed Donnie from imprisonment and tried to help him stop The Foot and The Shredder in the season 1 finale, and I imagine Splinter would be quite appreciative of that.

Not to mention, after Leo technically betrayed his family (even if it was for good reasons) Leo's and Draxum's relationship is a bit tense to say the least. And we see in the show that Leo has a tendency to seek out extra father figures, so in the AU Leo would be quite enthusiastic to recieve any positive attention from Splinter.

Splinter I imagine would feel rather guilty about not being able to rescue any of the turtles aside from Donnie when he fled Draxum's lair. He'd wanted to prevent Draxum from raising them as soldiers, so in failing to do that Splinter would continue to worry about how they were doing even years after the incident. After encountering the Drax Trio again years later, he'd be relieved that they don't seem to be TOO traumatized or anything, but they ARE still child soldiers, so that's a yikes.

That being said, while Splinter would've liked to find a way to get the other turtles away from Draxum, his priorities very much lie with Donnie. Considering how powerful Draxum is, and how Big Mama would also be looking for him, Splinter couldn't risk going back to the Hidden City to try to get Donnie's brothers without risking both his own and Donnie's safety. So he decided to cut his losses and play it safe by laying low in NYC and putting as much effort as he could into only protecting Donnie. This stays the same even after Donnie runs into his brothers as a teen, Splinter feels no ill will towards the other three turtles, but they WERE raised by Draxum so he does not trust them. Leo gains his trust after helping Donnie in the season 1 finale, but it takes some more time for him to start fully trusting Raph and Mikey because he wants to be sure that they're not gonna switch back to being evil or something and try to kidnap Donnie again.

Splinter's relationship with Draxum is the same as in the show, Splinter hates Draxum, Draxum hates Splinter, and there is NO underlying homoerotic tension between the two of them WHATSOEVER!

... Anyway, with that concluded, that IS a typo goddamit. I do appreciate people pointing out spelling and grammar mistakes in the comics I make, so thanks for that. But also it's a small enough mistake that I'm probably just gonna leave it be, I'm to lazy to fix it XD

[niki-phoria]

hello! i’m not sure if you’ll write this but , i would like to request enhypen x older+taller male reader! whereby, enhypen had ended a toxic rs and are now dating m!reader. the fic could be based on comparisons between the two relationship? thank you :)

⋆｡°✩ enha reaction - helping them heal after a toxic relationship

includes: established relationship, use of hyung, implied taller reader, mix of angst and fluff, changed my theme so the line breaks are green now :))

a/n: thank you for requesting !! i hope you like it <33

warnings: previous toxic relationships, mentions of body image/weight, insecurities

male reader (he/him pronouns)

⋆｡°✩ heeseung

(word count 209)

— heeseung has a lot of responsibilities as the oldest member

— he fell into a cycle of constantly trying to help his ex while ignoring his own needs in the process

— so when you go out of your way to pamper him it makes him feel so loved

you stir awake at the noise of ceramic plates clinking against each other and the noise of running water. you sit up from the couch before a dim light catches your eye. heeseung stands in front of the sink; his shoulders are hunched over as he scrubs the dishes you had used a few hours ago for your shared dinner. 

you rub the sleepiness out of your eyes as you stand up, wandering over to stand behind him. “hee,” you whisper, leaning your weight against him. 

“hyung,” he replies.

“what are you still doing up?”

heeseung pauses, glancing back at you. “i thought… you would’ve wanted me to do the dishes. it’s my fault there’s so many dirty ones.”

“no, it’s not,” you murmur, setting the dirty plate back down in the sink. “i want you to rest. you’ve been working all day.” 

you wrap your arm around his waist, guiding him back to the couch. “get some sleep. you deserve it.”

⋆｡°✩ jay

(word count 210)

— jay is a very patient person

— but even he has his limits

— after spending so long with someone who constantly nitpicked his every move, he slowly grew to be immediately defensive

— he admires how calm and levelheaded you are

— it makes him feel secure that you can talk through your issues

“hey,” you say, moving to sit beside jay on the couch. “you forgot to do the dishes last night.”

“i was busy. i didn’t mean to forget.” his answer is quick. the words are sharp as they leave his lips, though you can see his immediate remorse when his shoulders fall. “sorry,” he mumbles.

“it’s okay,” you say, shifting slightly closer to him. you reach over, tilting his chin to look up at you. “this isn’t an argument. we’re just talking.”

deep brown eyes stare into your own, almost searching for reassurance before he lets out a soft sigh. “i know. i’m sorry.” he takes a deep breath before reaching up to take your hand into his own. he intertwines your fingers together, stroking his thumb against your knuckles. “i was exhausted. i’ll do them tonight if you want.”

“why don’t we do them together?” you ask. “we can make dinner too.”

jay smiles at you. “i’d like that.”

⋆｡°✩ jake

(word count 208)

— jake is very excitable

— he’s sunshine wrapped into a person

— so when his ex began shaming him about his “childishness” he started to close himself off

— he loves to share his interests with you

— couple time mainly consists of cuddling and building new lego sets together

you tuck the box behind your back as you enter jake’s bedroom, closing the door behind you. he momentarily glances up at you from behind his phone with a small smile. “hey hyung.”

“i got you something,” you smile. 

jake perks up immediately, sitting up on his bed as he sets his phone aside. “what is it?” 

you hold out the box in lieu of replying, exposing the new lego box set. jake gasps; his eyes widen as he excitedly takes the box from you. “no way…” he mumbles. you smile as his eyes read the words decorating the box before he jumps up to all but tackles you into a hug. “thank you!”

you laugh excitedly as he peppers small kisses against your face and neck. you wrap your arms around his waist to support his body weight as you twirl him. jake leans back to pull you into a sweet kiss before brightly smiling at you. “thank you,” he repeats.

⋆｡°✩ sunghoon

(word count 208)

— sunghoon puts a lot of pressure on himself

— he’s an idol and the visual of his group, so he worries about constantly looking good

— his ex only encouraged his more unhealthy behaviours, putting down his self-esteem and expecting perfection

— so when you praise him when he’s barefaced and has bed hair he immediately becomes flustered

— your reassurance means the world to him

sunghoon stirs awake when you reach up to carefully brushing a stray strand of hair away from his eyes. his eyes flutter open; his lips quirk upwards into a soft smile. your hand falls to rest against his cheek, rubbing your thumb against his cheek. 

a small stream of sunlight illuminates your room, casting a beautiful golden glow across sunghoon. his disheveled hair frames his sharp features. all of his moles are visible without the layer of foundation that usually conceals them.

“you’re so handsome,” you whisper, finally interrupting the tranquil silence. 

“no i’m not,” sunghoon laughs. he playfully swats at your shoulder, shaking his head. 

“i’m serious,” you chuckle. your arm wraps around his waist, pulling his body against your chest. sunghoon shifts so his head rests against your chest; his ear just above your heartbeat. “you’re the most beautiful person i’ve ever seen, hoon.”

⋆｡°✩ sunoo

(word count 208)

— sunoo didn’t realize how much his ex had affected his self esteem until he wasn’t surrounded by their negativity anymore

— he loves when you compliment him

— it makes him so incredibly happy to know you love him

— he tries to pay you back with an equal amount of love and support

“jagi,” you nearly sing the word as you approach, wrapping your arms around sunoo’s waist from behind. you pull him backwards so your chin rests on top of his head, leaning over his shoulder. you smile as you lean down to press a chaste kiss against his cheek. 

sunoo laughs as you twirl him around to face you. your hands rest on his hips just barely beginning to slip underneath the fabric of his gray sweater. the faux leather jacket he had pulled over it lays carefully spread across the side of your couch along with a small, over-the-shoulder bag. his blue jeans fit perfectly; the bottom just barely reaches the top of his shoes.

“you look nice today,” you smile, dramatically looking him over. “those jeans really suit you.”

“you think so?” sunoo smiles, looking down at his own outfit.

you hum, leaning in to pull him into a quick kiss. “you always look amazing, love.”

⋆｡°✩ jungwon

(word count 204)

— jungwon is used to being strong

— he’s the leader and takes on a lot of responsibilities by himself

— his ex had pushed even more pressure onto his shoulders

— so when he finally breaks down, he tries to push you away at first

— cuddle him and let him know everything is alright 

— this moment strengthens your relationship

“jungwon?” he startles at the sudden sound of your voice. he sniffles as you approach, quickly wiping away any evidence of tears on his cheeks. 

“hyung.” his voice cracks slightly as he quickly adjusts his posture.

“hey,” you whisper, bringing a hand up to cup jungwon’s face. you brush your thumb against his soft skin, wiping away a stray tear he missed. his breath hitches as you tilt his face up to look at you. freshly teary eyes meet your own as you pull him into a hug. “it’s okay to cry, wonie. i love you.”

jungwon takes a shaky breath. he buries his face into the crook of your neck as he clings to you. his tears sting against the exposed skin of your neck as your arms wrap around his waist, pulling him even closer to you. “it’s okay,” you whisper. “it’s all gonna be okay.”

⋆｡°✩ niki

(word count 206)

— niki is still very young

— he needs a lot of encouragement and support

— sometimes hate from netizens gets to him

— he internalized his ex telling him to get over it so it shocks him when you’re supportive

— with time and your love he slowly learns to accept himself

niki lets out a small sigh of content as he nuzzles himself even closer to you. his head rests against your chest, just over your heartbeat. his hand slips underneath your shirt, making you jolt slightly at the feeling of his cool skin pressed against your own. niki chuckles, whispering a small “sorry.” 

you simply shake your head, wrapping your own arm around him to rest against his waist. “you were incredible today,” you murmur, raising your other hand up to rake your fingers through his hair. “your dancing was amazing and your vocals are incredible. your improvement is really showing.”

“really?” he asks, shifting slightly to look up at you. you gently scratch your nails against his scalp as you twist the strands between your fingers. “you think so?”

“of course.” 

niki softly smiles up at you before leaning in to press a quick peck against your lips before he relaxes against your chest once again.

[nellie-elizabeth]

The Legend of Vox Machina: Thordak's Throne (3x09)

Oh shit, I can't believe they did that. And by that I mean... well, I'll talk about it in a bit.

Cons:

I have one small and one kind of medium-large complaint to lodge here before we go into how much I really did adore this episode.

Okay, obviously Travis broke my heart with his line delivery on "can you fix him? Please, you gotta fix him." But I do kind of miss his original improvised version that had more heat to it. The bellowed "FIX HIM" lives in my head rent free and we didn't get that here. Small nitpick, this version also tore out my heart, but thought I'd mention that. The thing about Grog is that he's our big lovable dummy, but the other thing about Grog is that he can be scary sometimes, even to the people he loves most.

Then there's the bigger thing. Pike's big moment was like... well, I'm not like, super angry, really, it's more of a "let's see where they're going with this thing", I guess. I have thoughts. Honestly, the stuff with Pike and the Everlight in this show has always been kind of muddy to me, and a plot progression where Pike finds strength in herself instead of in her goddess is totally fine with me in theory. But I thought in the past seasons the setup was more like... her faith as an anchor to her own strength. Or believing that she is deserving of the Everlight's favor and that thus the power she wields is her own, but the goddess is her supporter as much as Pike is a follower of her goddess? Like, does that make any sense? Pike having a complicated but ultimately loving relationship with her deity is what I was looking for here. That image of her actually throwing aside the Everlight's symbol was kind of... Not It, for me. I wish it had been more like "It's not just the Everlight's magic, and it's not just the Dawnfather's armor. It's me, who I am, being worthy to wield the powers they offer." That's the nuance I would have wanted here.

Maybe they're setting shit up, I don't know. There's clearly something going on with Pike here that I don't fully understand, since it's new material added to the show! But her big triumphant moment of using the armor to deal a devastating blow to Thordak left me a little uncertain, if I'm being honest. Pike does love her goddess, it's part of her strength. I don't want the story to take that away from her. Maybe whatever Zerxus was on about, that whole thing about her being "special," will shed further light on this, and what seemed like a triumphant moment in this episode will ultimately turn back on itself? That's kind of what I'm hoping for, in a way. I want Pike's final resolution as a character to be her reconciled and comfortable with the Everlight's place in her life, even if it's a relationship that has evolved, somewhat.

Pros:

But okay. Enough of that. This episode kicked ass.

Let's get back to the "oh shit, I can't believe they did that." I can't believe they killed Kash!!! Like, okay, there are so many things to talk about in this episode but I have to start with how fucking shocked I was by this. Totally out of left field, did not see it coming, completely crushed my soul. Because that's not just Kash, character who has been in like... two episodes of this show and cracks wise and flirts with Keyleth and how he's dead. That's who the character is to animated series watchers, and I'm sure his death is very sad from that perspective, but... but that's... fan favorite guest PC, played by Will Friedle, that's a character who gets to live happily ever after in the world of Exandria as far as the campaign story is concerned, and they killed him dead! And like... he's dead dead, we all know it, don't we? Yikes, this was so depressing! They did that very effective thing of having him and Zahra being all cutesy and kissing and then engaging in banter and doing cool battle combos together and then... SQUISH.

It was an enormously effective change, I can't even be mad at it. This show is not beholden to the streaming canon, they've told us that a thousand times. And let's be honest, we know what's coming up for certain other beloved characters. It makes a lot of sense to me that some named characters needed to be casualties of these big bad dragons before the end. This was... a fucking heartbreaking choice but I found it enormously impactful in exactly the right way. Zahra's despair was so moving, and I love how she got to give Pike that final angry pep talk to push her into her final moment of figuring out how to use her vestige. I also loved the imagery, of Kash standing up and looking down on his own mangled corpse, looking over at the group, and... seeing Vax, seeing him? Then the Matron imagery behind him as he turns and walks into shadow. Just... masterfully done, a super emotionally devastating death for a character who didn't need a lot of screen time to make a huge impact on my heart. Also, just, it was so MEAN! Ouch!

So much else to say. I don't know how to go in a linear order just talking about all the moments that I loved, so get ready for me to jump around just listing things that totally destroyed me and/or I totally cheered at.

All of the cool NPCs and side characters getting shown in small moments, kicking ass! Allura and Gilmore with their spells, and Kima and Groon as always being cool as shit, and Vex and Vax's dad being just kind of... shell-shocked by the mass destruction but then bickering with Cassandra about how to evacuate the troops. It just makes the world feel so full and like we've been to all of these places and met all of these cool different people.

Grog really got a lot of shining moments in this episode! I loved how when their original plan went to shit, Grog is the one who steps up and comes up with an alt. That was such a clever way to adapt one of my favorite aspects of the campaign, which is that Travis often had interesting strategic ideas at the table, but Grog wasn't allowed to be smart enough to think of them. So Grog would occasionally have these tactical insights, but Travis had to hold back a lot of the time. This was a fun way for Travis to possess Grog's body and come up with a good idea and get the ball rolling!

Seeing Grog and Scanlan teaming up was such a joy, you get this sense that theirs is a friendship full of wacky shenanigans and so much heart and love, that Grog has some of his best fun times with Scanlan Shorthalt and really enjoys his company. I loved Scanlan getting him into the rage mindset to defeat the eggs, and I loved Scanlan acting as bait with Thordak. And then... man, this show knows how to turn your emotional reality on its head. I was waiting for how the Scanlan death stuff would translate here, and despite wishing for the more angry version of "FIX HIM," I still was emotionally crushed by Grog's realization that Scanlan wasn't moving! Noooooo. He's gotta wake up, if only because Grog couldn't live with it otherwise!

We get a Keyleth moment where she turns into her fire elemental self, but it doesn't seem to work, which I thought was a cool moment - it makes sense within the mechanical logic of D&D that a big powerful fire thing wouldn't work that well against a big powerful fire thing, but it was also such a cool subversion of expectations to hear that amazing musical theme and see Vax and Keyleth do such a bad-ass combo and then have it not play out the way you would expect it to!

The final beats of everyone circling up around Thordak, then Pike getting that moment to really take him out and get rid of the soul anchor, was visually very cool even if (see above) I'm a little worried about the implications for Pike's character journey.

And then. Man. I knew I'd cry about Vex and Vax's mother, and this is one of those things I think is really enhanced by having watched the stream, and knowing how much this story became healing for Liam in particular. The visual of Thordak getting away, and Vax holding Vex's hand before launching himself into the air, the way he himself became the final weapon, punching through Thordak's body... so fucking beautiful and intense and cathartic. And then we get the twins holding each other in relief. They can't do anything to bring their mother back, or Percy, but at least they've stopped this dragon from doing any further harm.

Tracking Keyleth's mistrust of Raishan through the season has been so interesting, because here she turns up, seems like she might be about to turn on our heroes, and then she plays her part and attacks Thordak in a vulnerable moment instead, forcing him to fly off to lick his wounds, and setting Vax up for that final kill shot. Then you have Keyleth being the bigger person and going to tell Raishan she knows she was wrong, and thanking her for the allyship. But of course... Keyleth was fucking right, y'all, she was right all along, don't mess with my GIRL lol. Raishan is doing something with runes, and then before Vox Machina can stop her, she's vanished with Thordak's corpse in tow. Dun dun dunnnn.

I'm really curious about how we're fitting in the events I think we still have to hit in the next three episodes. Obviously things are so topsy turvey and out of order here. Percy didn't get to do the Thordak fight in this version! Keyleth doesn't have her vestige! Scanlan is unconscious and out for the count and I have to assume that's dealt with... before the Raishan combat? Or maybe Scanlan sits that one out? I don't fucking know, man, everything is so out of order that I'm on the edge of my seat as much as the just-animated-show viewers!

I'm not going to dock too many points for my big Pike question in this episode. I still want to see where they're going with this in the final three episodes. Other than that aspect, I really really loved this episode. RIP Kash, you really caught a stray by showing up in this episode and getting squished so bad. Gonna miss that guy.

9/10

[bichambered-reservoir]

Happy v,ore day!!

The anatomically inaccurate sequel to last year's overly anatomically accurate 8/8! Featuring a color palette that isn't blue and orange for once, and Comet actually spreading out her dewlap. Happy 1 year to my suspicious squares!

Hoo Boy that fictional anatomy. That bichambered reservoir is basically just a unichambered reservoir, and that thing is just SHOVING ASIDE the complex, vital-to-lore digestive system supposed to be there. Not even mentioning how small Comet is here! It's okay for me to nitpick about biology when i made up the biology lol. Besides, this one wasn't supposed to be an anatomical diagram, that was last year's job - this was based off of the Memória Armorial, which, click/tap on there on your own discretion, because artistic nudity be abound

3 posts across this and my main. maybe there'll be more. we live we love we lock in for the joyous multianniversary that is 8/8

[sapphic-agent]

I realize this is a little bit of a mixed bag, so let me explain my choices a little. I tried to use characters who had a) a solid backstory/justification for their actions/ideals, b) clear goals/aspirations, c) substantial and visible development, and/or d) a clear role in the story that was well-executed.

Lady Nagant was an easy option here; her backstory perfectly explains why she ended up the way she did and her goals aligned with that backstory. The only thing I would say holds her back is her lack of influence on the overall narrative, as well as her development not holding up as well as it should have. This was in no small part due to lack of exposure

Some nitpicking aside, I do believe Toshi is a well-written character with a great backstory and solid development. But he does lose points for the Bakugou pandering. Not because I hate Bakugou, but because it compromises his role in the narrative as Izuku's mentor. His failure to address how detrimental Bakugou is to Izuku's progress undermines his development as Izuku's mentor. There were also a lot of chances for his development to be even better that just weren't taken

Iida might be an odd choice, but honestly? He has one of my favorite arcs. Where the narrative fails to address Izuku's ideals about heroism, it perfectly corrects Iida's. And unlike with most characters, Horikoshi is actually consistent about it. Iida had the second lowest rescue points in the Entrance Exam. But we see his preconceived motions about heroism challenged in the Stain arc, his only saving grace being that his friends were determined to save him first and foremost. Then in the PLA War, he's the one who runs to aid Izuku and Shoto first. He's also the one to reach out and get through to Izuku during the Dark Hero Arc (yes, I know this scene is controversial but ignoring Bakugou's involvement, Iida comes off looking the best in terms of saving Izuku). The only thing holding his development back is lack of exposure and attention. I'm being so serious when I say he could have been the best character in MHA if Horikoshi had put a little more effort into him

Monoma is probably my oddest choice. But for what he is, he fills his role pretty damn well. He's an antagonistic jerk whose role in the story was primarily to give 1A a hard time. This wasn't changed about him either, but we also saw other facets to him. Instead of negating how "awful" he was, we saw other sides of him in addition to it. One thing I do have an issue with is that it feels like Horikoshi's insistence on making him overtly antagonistic had to do with how he criticized Bakugou. It seems like he made him overly spiteful, as Horikoshi tends to do with people who don't kiss Bakugou's ass

Anyway, those are the four I can think of off the top of my head. I'm not snubbing anyone who isn't on this poll, I probably just couldn't think of them at the time

[frazzledsoul]

One of the most ridiculous criticisms I have seen around the Gilmore Girls subreddit was claiming that Jess hadn't really grown up by his reappearance in S6 because he supposedly still lived at his place of work and didn't have an apartment of his own.

Let's leave aside the reality that Rory is living with her very wealthy boyfriend and that neither of them are paying the bills, and it's never truly clarified who's paying for what when she lives with Paris (Paris seems to have a lot of short-term jobs but Rory doesn't, unless the Yale Daily News pays them). It's perfectly okay for Lorelai and Rory to live off of Mia's generosity for years and for Lorelai to still be considered a completely independent adult. Luke lives almost his entire adult life above the diner and helps rear two children there: this does not seem to conflict with his status as a responsible adult.

But when Jess does it at the age of 21, it's proof that he hasn't really embraced adult responsibilities? He wrote and published a book, seems to have moved up pretty quickly to co-running a small company, he actually has progressed to being someone who's social enough to schmooze people and be an accepted member of his hipster community and is much more patient and gracious with Rory than she actually deserves (waiting around for her to agree to plans, not engaging in a fight with Logan even though Logan's begging for it, not lashing out at Rory for trying to make him the sidepiece again and still making it clear that she was in the wrong for even attempting it but not remaining angry, either)...but none of it matters because he doesn't have a separate apartment yet? Why is this good enough for other characters, but not for Jess?

It just seems to be extreme nitpicking, especially given that we don't know what kind of bills he pays there in the first place.

[lunarflux]

I've seen people saying that a relationship with Aemond would only turn out to be toxic because of one reason or another... Do you agree with that? Because idk I feel like if he loves someone who treats him well, he'd treat them well and respect and be mindful of them too, right?

He doesn't strike me as someone immoral/abusive with his loved ones, he always turns out to be gentle in the end, he craves love after all, and I think it'd be the same with a romantic partner.

No, I don't think it would end up toxic. Would there be explosive moments? Sure. Given the circumstances of his entire life, it'd be impossible for him to maintain his composure all the time. Especially when his pride is hurt, he wouldn't be able to reel it in so easily even with an emotionally compatible partner. However, I think that with the right partner, they'd be the only one who can calm him down in the most efficient way with little to no damage and with the most positive impact on him.

Both Aemond and Aegon are emotionally immature, but it shows in different ways. Aegon lacks the understanding of how his emotions can affect others while Aemond has learned to swallow everything he feels so that nothing can hurt him anymore. That being said, someone like Aemond might be the type to love too hard and be unable to show it in a way that lets his partner know the depth of his feelings. Again, in the case that this is the right partner, that wouldn't really matter, and they'd be able to understand him in other ways.

If we go through the multitude of toxic behaviors (let's start with a handful): jealousy/possessiveness, carelessness/ignorance/blaming, inequality/inferiority, a disregard for boundaries, lying/gaslighting/toxic communication/constant criticism:

(working all under the assumption that this is the right partner)

Jealousy/Possessiveness: Aemond envies what his brother has because he feels Aegon doesn't deserve it but it was handed to him anyway. For Aemond's partner, he already has her. She already "belongs" to him. He would only ever feel jealous if he felt there was someone more worthy of her than he is.

Carelessness/Ignorance/Blame: The right partner would know what they're signing up for. He's a Targaryen Prince for fuck's sake. Any person who would believe they could have all of him shouldn't have him at all, and Aemond would easily cast aside or ignore someone who's so in need of him that it would hinder his day-to-day concerns that go beyond a relationship. This part goes both ways. They would need to be absolutely independent and understand their role as well as his. That being said, because they are separated, Aemond would know they have no hand in anything he does other than what conversations are had after he's done what he's had to outside of his responsibilities. Everything he does is for the sake of the crown and his family, so he wouldn't blame his partner for something like a decision to burn Sharp Point. He would rather own up to it than shift the blame because then he's lost control.

Inequality/Inferiority: Not much to say about this. Aemond is a Targaryen. His partner would be more likely to feel inferior, and the toxicity would come from their end. If it was on Aemond's end, it would more likely be that his partner is seeing his frustration due to him feeling inferior to someone else outside of the relationship.

A disregard for boundaries: Aemond doesn't seem like the type to intrude on his partner's privacy. Nor would he force himself upon them, and that's just as a result of his sexual history.

Lying/Gaslighting/Toxic Communication/Constant Criticism: Of this list, he would be most likely guilty of constant criticism, but I only see it happening as the result of him having a bad day. And anything he would say would be hyperbolic but it would only be a small fraction of the truth. He might nitpick and criticize, but should his partner have the confidence to know that this is what he does when he's angry, they'd take it as a nonsensical momentary occurrence. His partner would be able to find the right moment, sit him down, and ask him what happened. I don't think he'd apologize, but they'd know he didn't mean it.

Aemond's partner would unfortunately(?) need to be someone who helps him grow and understand how to speak to others on an intimate level. He keeps things formal until he can't control his emotions, so he would need to learn how to open up the floodgates and really speak his mind in a place where he feels safe and with a person he knows he can trust above all. His partner would be able to see passed empty words and choose not to fight back, but instead, they'd mirror him with the face of serenity and ease. Fear and anger disrupt logic, so they'd have to stand in front of him and throw logic in his face when his anger is directed to the wrong person. He wouldn't be able to be with someone who's weak, and in a sense, his partner would need to be mentally stronger than him in order to keep him standing.

[jjkamochoso]

The Perfect Fit

Story Overview: Levi Ackerman begrudgingly finds himself falling in love with the Survey Corps’ seamstress. Will they be able to own up to their feelings for each other? Or is their love doomed to fail before they discover the truths of each other’s hearts? This slow burn reader insert story will be filled with angst, yearning, and a bit of mystery as we slowly unravel the truths behind Y/N’s past… and explore her and Levi’s future!

Chapter 7

Series Masterlist

Chapter 6 linked here

Chapter 8 linked here

Levi Ackerman x female reader

Warnings: none

The snow had melted and left behind strikingly green grass and blooming flowers. Spring had sprung for the Scouts and with the warmer weather came a new expedition into titan territory. You and Levi had a good thing going in your office, both working and chatting keeping you busy, so you knew what the squads had been up to. You felt your heart skip a beat at the mention of everyone you had been growing fond of venturing into dangerous territory. Of course that was literally the whole point of this military branch, but you still didn’t want to see any of your friends come back hurt or not at all. The days leading up to the expedition were quiet for you but you knew your workspace would most likely be overflowing the minute the soldiers come back to the castle, tears and rips galore in every article of clothing. You took the time of the calm before the storm to work on some of your own personal projects. You were finishing up a few blankets and some children’s clothes made of fabric scraps that you were going to hand out on your trip to the interior coming up. You worked diligently, your mind wandering.

Maybe Levi could accompany me? I know Erwin usually goes but it might do Levi some good away from work for a few days. Does he even believe in charity? I’ll just have to ask him next time I see him… after the expedition of course.

You were thrown out of your thoughts by a knock at your door.

“Come in!” you said.

Sasha entered your office, handing you her jacket with a sheepish smile. “Hi, Ms. L/n. I know this is last minute but my jacket has a tear on the sleeve and Captain Levi said he’d personally feed me to the titans if I wore it on our trip so…” She trailed off, her cheeks showing a hint of red.

You lightly laughed, taking the jacket from her and inspecting the damage. “Of course he’d say that. This rip is pretty small so I don’t know why he’s nitpicking it but rest assured I’ll have it ready for you in about an hour.”

You saw her light up and she jumped up and down. “Oh, thank you, thank you! You’re the best!”

“It’s no problem, really, it’s my job. Now, head back to training. I want to make sure I keep seeing your face around here.”

Sasha saluted and ran out of the room. You pushed aside your previous projects and got right to work. The hole was ridiculously easy to repair and barely took any time. As you laid it on your table for her to pick up, an idea struck you. Getting out your tried and true pocket pattern, you executed your plan.

“Ms. L/n? I’m here for my jacket!”

Sasha showed up a little over an hour later and you had finished your work in the perfect amount of time.

“Oh good! I added a little something extra for you as well. Wanna see?”

She nodded her head eagerly as you flipped the jacket inside out. “It’s nothing major but I thought you would get good use out of an inside pocket. I know you’re always, well, hoarding food, and this way you can place it somewhere nice instead of having it fall out of your hands. I hope you like it.”

You awaited her reaction with bated breath. She was quiet for a moment and you were nervous she didn’t like it. All of a sudden a loud squeal left her mouth and she wrapped her arms around you in a bone crushing hug.

“You are the most wonderful woman I’ve ever known! We don’t deserve you!”

Was she… crying? You didn’t have time to figure it out before she left, jacket in tow, presumably to the dining hall to test it out. You shook your head, a smile resting easily on your lips. You had such a soft spot for all these kids and it broke you that they had to fight so hard while losing so much. Their resolve amazed you and inspired you to stay positive and strong as well. If they didn’t falter in the face of danger and death, you wouldn’t falter in supporting them however you could.

A few days later, Levi came by your office. You weren’t expecting him since it was the night before he was leaving but you welcomed him in as always.

“I’m surprised you’re here since you’re leaving so early in the morning,” you said, taking a sip of the drink you brought in earlier.

Levi lingered by the door. “Do you want me to leave?”

“I said I was surprised, not upset. Please, sit wherever you’d like.” You gestured with a sweeping hand, the biscuit in your grip dropping crumbs onto the floor.

As he sat down near your work table, the captain looked at you with disgust. “It’s like you live in a pig sty, dumping crumbs like that. That’s disgusting.”

You feigned sadness, putting a hand over your heart. “To think I was going to offer you some! Instead you disrespect me.”

Walking over to the bed where you were, Levi took the piece that was laid in your outstretched palm. “If I collected all the pieces off the floor I would’ve had my own full one you filthy woman.”

You couldn’t contain the laughter that bubbled out of you. Levi’s eyes softened at your relaxed demeanor. The truth was, he was here because he was stressed to the max about the expedition. They always came with a degree of uncertainty and a little bit of fear, but this trip seemed like it was going to be different—worse. He didn’t know why he felt the trepidation that he did, he just knew he couldn’t bear getting stuck in his head for the next 10 hours. He already couldn’t sleep on normal nights and overthinking by himself was certainly not what he needed at the moment. Finding refuge in your room hadn’t failed him before and it seemed to be working in present time, too.

“What have you worked on lately?” he asked, eyes taking in the projects left out.

“Not a lot. Sasha came in because you chewed her out for her jacket.”

“I did,” he hummed softly, “since she was being careless and tore it on an ODM hook. Besides, nobody’s ever up here before we leave. She prevented you from becoming a hermit so you’re welcome.”

“My savior rescues me again. When am I ever going to repay the favor?”

“That’s stupid. You do plenty enough around here, stop acting like you don’t.”

You knew that was his way of giving a compliment so you said nothing, appreciating his words silently. It was quiet in your room, the slightest touch of tension running between you. It was strange because you wanted to say something, anything, before he left for what might be the last time ever, but you couldn’t find the words. What do you say to someone who continually puts their life on the line and doesn’t (more like can’t) think twice about it? You wished you could encourage him or send him off with sage advice, but nothing came to mind. “Please don’t die, I need you here for our comfortable talks and childish banter” seemed too desperate. “Good luck on your trip” was much too informal. You decided sitting in silence was probably preferable for the both of you, so that’s what you did. You didn’t know how long you two sat on your bed together, legs dangling over the edge and hands dangerously close to each other. When Levi shifted to pull his pocket watch out, his free hand slid next to your own, his cold skin melting into yours. Though the touch was small and completely accidental, it still left you reeling. The part that really had your heart thumping was the fact that he didn’t pull away. His eyes were fixed on the ticking clock while yours flitted between his ethereal side profile and the floor. When he put the timepiece away, you knew your time was up with him.

“It’s getting late. I won’t keep you up,” Levi said, but making no move to pull away from you yet.

“I’d stay up with you all night if you wanted me to. You know that.”

“I’d never want you to do that.”

“And I know that.” You took in a breath. “I can’t pretend to know how you’re feeling right now but I’m here for you. I believe in you and your squad. I won’t mention it anymore but I have faith that tomorrow is going to be okay.”

Levi found it impossible to look at you in fear of him taking one glance in your e/c eyes and canceling the whole damn expedition. Instead, he got up and ignored the situation, opting for the tried and true distraction of talking about your work.

“What’s these blankets for? And are these… baby clothes?” His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “One of you is enough, I can’t handle baby y/n’s running around here-”

You cut him off in your shock. “No, no, it’s not like that! They’re definitely not for me. I was going to wait to ask you until after you came back because I don’t want you to have anything else to think about.”

He looked at you expectantly, so you continued. “I’m taking the blankets and baby clothes to poverty stricken people in the interior. Erwin and I usually go and hand them out every few months but I was going to see if you wanted to come instead. If you’re into that kind of thing. No pressure of course, I know you’re super busy and it’s a silly thing I like to do but-”

“That’s the furthest thing from silly. We all have a duty to protect humanity and you’re doing it in the way you know how. Tell me when and I’ll be there.”

“Oh! Thank you! I’ll figure out the details and fill you in. Now you have to come back in decent shape because we’ve got things to do. You hear me?”

“Loud and clear, Sergeant brat,” Levi answered with a tiny smirk. “Now go to bed. You get irritating when you don’t sleep enough and I won’t be here to save everyone from the pain of dealing with you.”

You stuck you tongue out at him. “Goodnight Levi.”

“Night, y/n.”

When he left your room, you stood in the doorway and watched him walk down the hall to his own room, your heart aching for him. After feeling bliss from mere fingers grazing, you selfishly wanted to feel more of him. You didn’t want him to leave to help save humanity. You wanted to hold him in your arms and never let go. You settled for giving him a small wave as he looked back at you before entering his own doorway. He returned the wave and you both went to bed, sleep evading both parties.

The next morning was a blur. Running on a lack of sleep was tough but you absolutely weren’t going to miss the Survey Corp’s send off. You got ready in a hurry and ran down to the stables where preparations were finishing up. Erwin had allowed you to take a horse to follow them to the gate and you were grateful you didn’t have to stay behind. Petting your horse, you heard the clip clop of another one coming up behind you.

“You don’t look like shit so I’m assuming you slept alright?”

“You have such a way with words, Captain. Your charm is how you capture hearts, right?”

You and Levi loved teasing each other and you tried to make today as normal as possible, ignoring the fact that he was heading into titan territory in an hour. You fed your horse one last snack before climbing on, gathering with the rest of the Scouts. When you started your march toward the gate, Levi was still riding next to you in the back instead of in his position next to Hange.

“Is it okay for you to be back here? I don’t want you to screw up positioning because of me,” you argued, but he blew you off.

“Hange is too loud in the morning. Back here is fine.”

As per usual a silence fell between you. If you could overlook the fact that some of the people around you were about to die horrifically, it was a beautiful morning for a horse ride. You found yourself stealing glances at Levi, doing your best to memorize details of his face. He tried his best to keep his eyes forward but couldn’t resist the chance to admire you either. He wanted to burn the image of you, sleepy demeanor and hastily thrown on cape, sitting regally on a horse, into his mind because you radiated beauty. He hoped he wouldn’t die today but if he did, he would be content if you were the last thing he ever saw. The gate entered your view and the townspeople were cheering on the Survey Corps. You knew it was time to let Levi go.

“Levi,” you said quietly, but he miraculously heard it over the crowd. “Just… whatever you do, come back to me. Please.”

He nodded in understanding. You reached over the best you could while on your horse and placed a fist over his heart that was now beating so fast it was ready to explode. “See you soon, Captain,” you said, fighting back tears that threatened to fall.

“See you soon, y/n.”

Chapter 8

[crepes-suzette-373]

You know, I previously mentioned that the Germa hats kind of looks like the moon robots. And looking at the moon mural again, there's also that off symbol that somewhat look like two number 6s (though arranged differently).

I suddenly have questions about lobsters again.

Ages ago I wrote this theory that the Sea Stone might be some kind of fossilised lobster or tortoise/turtle. The TL;DR of it is that my reasoning is based on how the name of the Sea Stone in Japanese, kairou, is also an alternative reading for the kanji of ebi 海老. Ebi written as 海老 means lobster, not the small shrimp.

The turtle part is not important here, but you can read it in the link.

Anyway, because of it, I checked the characters' favourite food list to see if there's significance in who likes to eat lobster.

Of the 4 people who likes lobster, 3 of them use ロブスター katakana. Only one person has lobster written with "ebi", and that's Judge, whose favourite food is Homard lobster tomato pasta. Homard lobster is written as "Homard ebi" オマール海老 in Japanese.

"Homard ebi" オマール海老 and lobster ロブスター are actually just different words to mean the exact same thing. So now I'm just asking why it's different. Is it because sensei didn't know? Or is there a special reason for it? Like maybe it's just to make it sound all French and fancy?

It's like how Ichiji likes whiskey and Niji likes scotch, but scotch is a type of whiskey, so does this mean Ichiji just like any and all types of whiskey?

Anyway, language nitpick aside, the other 3 who also likes lobster are Shanks, Doffy, and Pagaya. I also vaguely recall in one of the scenes with the Tenryuubito someone mentioning that they eat lobster as well. So one (ex)-Tenryuubito, one Skypiean, and one person with very questionable origins. Not conclusive, but it still really makes me wonder if there's something important about the lobster.

[yuyan]

The art of love pt. 2

Fluff, hurt/comfort

Kaveh x gn!reader

Tags: academic rivals to lovers, cliche confession during arguing in the rain scene don't look at me, mild cussing (not at each other), highschool au

A/n: the comfort part of this. I hope it doesn't dissapoint, I tried to do this as fast as possible so I wouldn't keep anyone waiting!

Part 1 || Master list || Requests: open

Half an hour after school and you were stuck cleaning the art room on the last day of school with Kaveh. Honestly, the only reason why it was only the two of you were cleaning the art room because the art teacher was still mad at the time you two made a huge disruption in class. It was 3 weeks ago though. Who would even hold a grudge for that long? For something they weren't even really involved in or affected by it too. At least you were almost done.

"Ok what's wrong with you?" Kaveh asked, his voice laced with concern.

"Whats wrong with me?" you asked back, the anger in your tone contrasting his.

"Yes what's wrong with you, anger is practically seeping out of you!" Kaveh said, raising his voice. "Does my prescence annoy you that much!"

"Well, apparently mine does!" you shouted, "especially when I'm trying to help you apparently!" Throwing your broom, you grabbed your bag and stormed out, slamming the door behind you.

"W-what? Huh?" Kaveh stuttered out, watching you leave.

~

The sweet final week that Kaveh had been waiting for what seemed like an eternity didn't have that usual sugar coat. Now it was just a bitter pile of food that Kaveh pushed aside. No one could ignore it forever though.

"They're just so frustrating and annoying and nitpicking everything I do and oh my gosh, do I hate them so much!" Kaveh ranted while Alhaithem was seriously contemplating why he walks home with Kaveh.

"Don't you like them though?" Alhaithem asked, "they gave you a note, just go talk to them."

"Whatever, Its fine!" Kaveh shouted. "It's not like I love them anyways!" Kaveh shouted, again but his shoulder shook slightly and it felt like a piece of him died when he said that. "...Plus! They're always..."

~

"Ah, please don't go," Kaveh whispered and took of running.

You approached the entrace of your school. The sounds of heavy rain rang through your ears, making you furrow your eyebrows and your frown etch deeper into your face. "Fuck! I can't think!" you screamed. Hot, angry tears blurred your vision and made small wet patches on your uniform. Teachers and students alike had long left due to the heavy rain and it being the last day.

Silently, you pulled out your umbrella and hovered it over your head before step out into the rain. Rain slightly flooded the area and each step was like stepping into a puddle. Your emotions were a mess and the rain did nothing but anger you further as your tried so desperately to sort them out. The rain could've been calming if it wasnt for your violent urge to kick and scream to your heart's content. Until you had no energy left but to cry silently in your cold, empty bed.

"Wait!" a voice called out. It felt more like a delusion though considering how drowned out by the rain it was.

It wasn't until a tall blonde boy in the same uniform as you, umbrella in hand appeared Infront of you that you registered it as not a figment of your imagination.

"I-...So what if I said that!" Kaveh started and immediately you knew you didn't have the time nor energy for this. You side-stepped him and started to walk away before he turned to you and yelled, "What does it mean to you!?" It came out a little desperate and was followed by heavy breathing.

Turning around, you said,"what does it mean to me? I helped you because I wanted to yet afterwards you ignore me even though I said I wanted to talk and then decide to rant about me to your friend when I hadn't done anything for weeks!"

"Well, what an I supposed to believe when every classmate of ours tells me and gossips about how you must hate me so much that you don't even want to argued with me anymore!"

"I left a note!"

"Your friends are notoriuous for meddling in your business! How am I supposed to know if it was truly from you!"

"But-"

"And if you really cared you would've I don't know, say something along the lines of 'you don't have to promise me that, asking for help is enough' or I don't know!"

"Well, I didn't expect to fall in love with you!" you shouted. Kaveh had to stop himself from dropping his umbrella in shock. "Plus, if I didn't want to help, nothing you offered would've been enough," you mumbled.

Despite the pouring rain making it harder for the two of you to speak he heard and clinger to every word you said.

"Wait, I, did I say?" you fumbled, pink invading your cheeks as you backed away from him.

You could've turned and ran, if it wasn't for his hand. That damn hand that secured tightly around your wrist. That hand that kept you in place as he stumbled forward. That hand that pulled you in as his lips met yours. Your umbrellas had knocked against each other as he leaned forward to kiss you. His lips were soft but slightly chapped despite the humid weather, kissing you slowly, like any wrong move would hurt you.

Backing away, he saw your half lidded lips open up a bit more, your cheeks glowing a brighter red.

"I-um, we're far from perfect but I think we'd be a good couple so I'm be my lover?" Kaveh asked, sounding a little unsure but you just smiled and nodded, giggling a little at his flustered expression. "Ah! Well ok Let's meet up on the holidays, you have my number!" Kaveh shouted over the rain, running off.

You waved with your free hand, watching him run off into the distance. Touching your lips, it contorted into a soft smile. He tasted like strawberries.

A/n: I've never written a kiss scene so um getting out of my comfort zone today. 😀👍

Also I headcanon that Kaveh loves strawberries cause he just such a cute pretty boy who'd probably like strawberries ok I'm not weird ok goodbye! (^o^)／

[kiddbegins]

Usually a Wilson girl but I had an idea for Chase lol.

What if he and reader went on like a date or something and the reader baked/cooked something....or had like some lotion/chapstick/lipgloss/idk on and it had strawberries in it and the reader obviously didn't know and yeah.

Strawberries - Robert Chase

Robert Chase x fem!reader Word count: idk I wrote this right here A/n: idk if I got the hospital stuff right but shhh ignore.

Baking is your love language. You have always loved to make some sort of sweet for the people around you. Birthday? Here’s a homemade cake for you. Graduation? Here’s some cookies.

Part of that meant remembering everyone’s favorites. Your sister would die for a white cake with lemon frosting. Your boss had a soft spot for red velvet with cream cheese icing.

The one person you haven’t gotten that information on was the man of your eye, Robert Chase. You’ve been on one single date, a nice restaurant that he insisted he pay on. But tonight you asked him to come over.

You planned on making dinner and of course you had to make a dessert. Strawberry cupcakes were your personal favorite and since you were already anxious it seemed like a win-win. Robert would be able to feel the attraction you felt towards him and you’d be able to breathe while you ate.

Win-win.

As you waited for him to show up you nitpicked at everything. Just slightly adjusting the two plates on the table at least three times in an attempt to not over think. He was just running late, he wasn’t ghosting you and he’d be here any second.

Which was true. Just as you started to think maybe you should give up (which is dramatic, it’s only been ten minutes), there was a couple gentle knocks on your front door. “Coming.”

You weren’t dressed up to the nines but still, the dress you wore was fancy enough that it was fitting for a nice dinner. His outfit was similar. Dark but well fitting jeans but a nice buttoned up shirt that was rolled up to his elbows.

“Wow you look… amazing,” his accented voice made you blush as it always did, ducking your head down slightly.

“Thanks, so do you. Come in. I made spaghetti bolognese, hope that’s good,” you stepped aside, rubbing your thumb nail against your index finger nervously as he stepped into your apartment.

Sure you’d been talking for a couple weeks but you didn’t exactly reach the ‘visiting one another’s places’ stage yet. Or, at least not until now. So his intense curiosity at your decor felt a bit overwhelming.

“That’s fine, I like that statue by the tv,” he pointed towards the small Greek statue right next to your television, a small smile spreading on your face.

“Thanks, it’s a uh, Medusa. I won’t bore you with the lore and stuff,” you chuckled, motioning for him to follow you into the dining room.

He was quiet for a moment behind you before sighing, “I doubt it’s boring. But it’ll be a story for next time right?” A warm smile growing on his face as he saw the set up table. “Wow, this looks great.”

Once more you blushed, unable to stop the way his face and accent made your heart nearly leap into your throat.

“Thanks, uh, thank you. I’ve always liked cooking and baking, that’s why I offered to make you dinner. I hope it’s okay,” you said nervously, putting the bowl of food onto the table and sitting across from Chase.

Of course as soon as it was set and the food dispersed you ate, going on about work and just, getting to know one another. What life was like in Australia for him, how life was for you back in your hometown.

Simple things, casual dinner talk. “You said you like baking? How’d you get into that?” He asked, wiping his mouth with a napkin as you stood to clear the dishes.

“My grandma insisted that I learn how she made her snickerdoodle cookies and chocolate cake. That snowballed into messing with recipes when I was bored. Took home ec and culinary in high school.” You explained as you rinsed the plates off.

“What’s your favorite thing to make?”

“Oh god, probably cakes? I’ve gotten pretty damn good at decorating them so it’s fun. You can tweak any little thing to put your own spin on the flavor. It’s amazing.”

You couldn’t help but get a bit excited talking about it. It was the one major connection between you and your grandmother that felt strong enough to last centuries. Generations.

Chase stood, walking up next to you, “That’s really cool, you’ll have to show me sometime.” He grinned, leaning up against the counter and looking down at you.

“I uh, I actually made some cupcakes for tonight. So if you wanted to try some of my baking,” you offered, turning slightly to him.

“Yes please,” he answered immediately, “I’d love to.”

His response made your stomach flutter, reaching over for the container you kept the cupcakes in. “Here, have one,” you held it out to him, waiting for him to take it before you took your own.

“Thanks,” his voice soft as he unwrapped the treat and took a bite.

You paused in anticipation before seeing his face drop. “What? What’s wrong?” You asked quickly, putting your own down.

“Is this strawberry?” He questioned, you nodding, confusion very clear on your face.

Before he could reply again he fell to the floor, the cupcake rolling away from him slightly. “Shit,” you went to kneel next to him before stopping yourself.

911, call 911. You ran to grab your phone and called before going to kneel next to him. You were just a baker, you didn’t know the first thing about medical crap.

All you could do was loosen the buttons by his neck and check that he was still getting air in. Not too long after you called there was a knock on the door and the first responders were giving him epinephrine and taking him away to the hospital.

Of course you were right behind, driving as quickly (and safely) as you could, to get there when he did.

“Hi im uh, Robert chase just got brought in for a uh, well I’m assuming an allergic reaction, could I go see him?” You talked to the lady in the emergency room, being told to wait as she checked someone was even here.

When she came back she nodded, “follow me.” The lady guided you to a curtain, pushing it aside to show the blonde laying on the bed with an iv in his hand and a pulsometer on his finger.

“God, I am so sorry-“

“Hey, don’t be, you didn’t know.” He cut you off before you could even get the apology out. “I should have said something about the strawberry thing if anything. I knew you were cooking and baking.”

You shook your head, “I should’ve asked. But you’ll be okay right?” You questioned, moving a chair to sit beside him.

“Yeah, not the first time it’s happened. Definitely won’t be the last.” He sighed, shaking his head. “Life right?”

A soft chuckle came from you before you nodded, “Yeah I guess so. I’ll be sure to avoid strawberries from now on.” You offered.

“Probably a good idea.” He replied with a laugh, no hard feelings at all.

“I think this is the first time I’ve almost killed my date.”

“For my sake please make it your last too,” he joked, shifting slightly on the hospital bed.

You fake thought about it with a hum before nodding. “I’ll see what I can do.”

JOIN CHASE'S TAGLIST HERE!

tags: @nerdypyrowolf

[theerurishipper]

It’s so hard being an Adrien stan in this fandom. People are constantly nitpicking every little thing he does. He can never do right by them. It’s so frustrating. And that’s not even mentioning how he was treated in canon

I feel you anon. I wasn't actively posting for the fandom during the major salt periods, like right after the airing of Syren and then Chameleon, but I was around to see the ridiculous salt fests that would go on. People love to pick on Adrien for every single little thing that involves him making a decision that doesn't cater perfectly to Marinette's whims and needs, but woe be upon you if you say anything about Marinette that isn't praising her. It's not even like I have a problem with Marinette as a character. Some of her writing in Season 4 and 5? Yes. But in Seasons 1-3, I really loved her. She was such a breath of fresh air for me as a character. She was so full of charm and life and energy. But she got ruined for me by her stans who jumped to salt on every other character for not exactly agreeing with her every decision and for having minds of their own and having desires that weren't about her.

And another annoying part is their insistence that Marinette is treated oh so cruelly by the narrative and poor Marinette is always suffering and everyone is treating her so cruelly and she deserves better than people who aren't willing to be her faithful slaves. Then Seasons 4 and 5 brought this into canon, and then you saw people who were salting on Adrien for being upset about being neglected by his partner, and they were blaming him for "feeling entitled to her" despite never calling her out for her treatment of him. Lemme tell you, the chimney discourse was wild. And all that bullshit ass "discourse" about him harassing Ladybug, while ignoring all the stalking Marinette did and pretending it was nothing. I generally ignore anyone who says either of these things because they are clearly meant to be jokes, and I think calling Adrien a harasser is just as ludicrous as calling Marinette a stalker, but the double standard of taking the joke seriously for Adrien but not for Marinette is annoying, to say the least.

And ultimately they just want Adrien and everyone else to be Marinette's sidekicks/yes-men who will never disagree with her and will always do whatever she wants and will never think for themselves. And you unfortunately can see this attitude seeping into canon too, with how Adrien isn't allowed to have independent thoughts outside of how he can be of service to Marinette. Nothing matters for him, the only thing that matters is her and what he can do for her. She's allowed to yell at him and throw him into trashcans, but fuck him if he disagrees with her on something and isn't happy to just sit by and accept being replaced and ignored. And canon Adrienette is such a good example of this phenomenon.

But the salters will whine and rage about how Marinette is such a victim of the narrative and how she suffers so much that we should all excuse her less than perfect actions, while also raging at Adrien for any small slight and denying that he also suffers. I guess Marinette can be excused for being traumatized and stressed, but being a victim of horrific abuse is too less of a reason for Adrien to be excused, and I guess it means he isn't suffering. To them, only Marinette's feelings and suffering matters. And this has also become true for the show, because Adrien's feelings don't matter, only Marinette's feelings about him matter.

And the worst fucking thing I've seen from this fandom is the occasional post about how Adrien is "spineless" and "cowardly" and "doesn't have a backbone" because he is non-confrontational and doesn't get up in arms about everything. And, aside from the fact that there is absolutely nothing wrong with not flying into a righteous rage about everything, this is some fucking heavy victim blaming bullshit. Like, y'all know that Adrien is like that because he's a victim of abuse, right? That his actions are a trauma response, right? It's called fawning. How awful of Adrien to have been conditioned into being non-confrontational by an abusive father who wants him to be subservient to his every whim! How useless is he for being traumatized because of the abuse he suffers! What a loser!

Honestly, the deranged Marinette stans are the worst. If someone says that shit about Adrien, they can go fuck themselves honestly. The gall to accuse a character who is an abuse victim of being "a spineless worm who can't grow a backbone" (someone legit wrote this word for word). Acting like he's the scum of the earth for not agreeing with Marinette 24/7 and victim blaming him for not rising swords drawn the moment someone does something mean to her.

So yeah, I understand you anon. It's really annoying to see all these "hot takes" going around. But there are still many Marinette fans who are nice and don't say all this goofy shit about Adrien, and there are plenty of Adrien stans who love and defend our boy. My advice is to block the salt tags, follow the right blogs and curate your experience the best you can. Trust me, it took a while for me to learn to stop putting myself through the agony of looking through these salt posts and to start blocking tags and salters' blogs. But I'm better off for it now. It won't stop some of these posts from popping up here and there, but it'll massively improve your fandom experience.

Thank you for your ask!

[busterswritehand]

You're Timeless To Me

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Roughly 180 years after the events of ACOSF, Lucien looks up to find that he is surrounded by strangers. Meanwhile, Nesta realizes she has stayed still while the world around her keeps moving. Misery loves company, but these two can hardly make small talk.

-

Part 11

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The past few days since Calanmai had been spent in a repetitive cycle of eating, treaty reevaluations, drinking, eating, and more talk of a centuries-old agreement. Lucien, Tamlin, and Nesta had practically been locked away in the Highlord's study for most of that time. While that might have sounded excruciating for most people, it was like a rush of energy for Lucien. Tamlin made it a tricky start to a nearly impossible puzzle.

When the treaty was first forged, Tamlin was a shell of himself - and so was the Spring Court. Lucien hadn't made it easy for him, keeping Elain at arm's length for both their sakes. Though he could still recall the anger and pain of betrayal in Tamlin's sunken face, Lucien did not regret his decision for a second. After all, how could he?

The male that stood before him was stronger and more lively than Lucien ever recalled his friend being. While Tamlin nitpicked and argued with the concessions he had previously made, the anger that he used to lock away was replaced with a sense of comfort in his emotions. Lucien couldn't help but smile. It almost made him miss his old life at the Spring Court.

"What are you smiling at?" Tamlin placed a document full of notes and half scribbles before Lucien. "I'm serious when I say I'm not agreeing to this yet."

"It's just good to see you like this is all," Lucien said. He was surprised at his own frankness, and so was Tamlin. The male blinked, taken aback.

"Don't get all soft on me now," Tamlin laughed. "Has three days in already made you go mad?"

"No, but four might," Lucien joked. He stood from his chair. "Nesta and I will have a final draft for you tomorrow morning, and you will sign it."

The female's head popped up at the mention of her name. Nesta gathered the papers sprawled around her as she stood to meet Lucien.

"We'll see about that." Tamlin leaned back into his chair.

Lucien picked up the document Tamlin had nearly ruined with pen and ink. He nodded to his friend and left the room with Nesta close behind.

The two walked down the hall to the drawing room like they did almost every night to work around Tamlin's demands. It was the only time the two ever really talked since Calanmai. When they weren't working on the treaty, Nesta would completely disappear. It was odd, if not a little hurtful. He thought they had made a breakthrough after the Rite, but the next morning Nesta barely cared to acknowledge him. He tried to give her space at first, but after a while it became maddening.

They sat across from each other. Nesta sat on a chaise couch, with all the drafts they had written beside her. Lucien took the chair across from her. Behind them, a fireplace lit the room. He read through all of Tamlin's notes, relaying the important ones back to Nesta. She made quick work finding ways to match Tamlin's demands and refusals with quid-pro-quos or plausible deniability. In all honesty, Lucien was impressed. Nesta took to these dealings like a general to battle.

"You have good ideas, you know," Lucien said. "Why don't you talk more when we're negotiating with Tamlin?"

"I figured I'd let you take the lead," Nesta responded, not looking up from the papers on her lap. "I'm supposed to be learning from you, right?"

"Where's the fun in that?"

Lucien waited for a quick-witted retort, but Nesta remained silent. It was odd for Nesta to not at least respond with a glare. It wasn't like her. He knew something had to be wrong, whether it was something he did or another thing entirely. Setting the documents aside, Lucien leaned forward in his chair with arms resting on his knees.

"Nesta."

Nesta's eyes darted over to Lucien. He waited for her to speak up, but it seemed that she was waiting as well.

"Did you need something?"

Lucien sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Nesta returned his sour expression with her own.

'What?" She sat up straight in her seat.

"Will you just tell me what's wrong?"

Nesta stared at him, shocked. It somehow surprised at offended him that she would be taken aback. They both knew something was going on, but only one was being kept in the dark.

"By the cauldron," he blurted out, "you've barely been able to look at me much less talk to me since Fire Night."

Nesta's face grew flustered, her cheeks turning rosy. Still, she refused to dignify him with a response.

"Did I do something wrong or are you just choosing to be difficult?"

Lucien stared at Nesta's wide-eyed expression. Frustration started to build up inside him. His hands felt like they might ignite at any moment.

He shot up, "I didn't have to come here or bring you with me. I'm doing this because you asked - no, begged - me too."

He noticed that her fists were balled up, her knuckles white. Lucien could see icy flames dancing in Nesta's eyes, yet she still wouldn't respond. He never thought someone's silence could be so infuriating.

"Do you remember the first winter solstice I spent in Velaris?" Nesta broke her silence.

Lucien felt his body tense. He turned to her. Out of all the things she would choose to say, why that? He knew she could be cruel when pushed, but this? Nesta had managed to disarm him completely with a single question.

Of course, he remembered.

Nesta didn't look at Lucien. instead, she stared at his empty chair.

"I had nearly forgotten," she continued, "until Calanmai."

He wasn't sure what to say. All Lucien could do was stand still. He would feel the fire beside him heating up his legs.

"I felt a lot of guilt about that night for a long time," Nesta picked at the arm of the chaise, "for sleeping with my sister's mate."

After three excruciating days, Nesta finally met Lucien's eyes. He was not sure that he wanted her to. They burned hotter than the fire behind him.

"Except I wasn't Elain's mate," Lucien finished her sentence.

Nesta nodded. She looked around the room. Still, he was frozen in place.

At that moment, it was hard to pretend that wasn't the real reason Lucien decided to help her. That night they were both lost in their own darkness and acting on their worst impulses. Neither tried to mask it behind feigning infatuation. Lucien was angry at himself - at Tamlin, Elain, Feyre, and practically everyone else. He was furious with the mother and the cauldron itself. Nesta was angry too - he could see it in her eyes that night. So, he let her believe whatever she wanted to for their own self-destructive desires.

"That's what has been on my mind," Nesta's frank tone pulled Lucien out of his thoughts.

Despite wanting to respond, Lucien thought over his next words. He hadn't ever really thought about how something like that could have eaten away at her even after everything. It might have still been misdirected anger, but not without cause.

"I would understand if you don't want to continue learning from me," Lucien said quietly.

"Oh please," she snapped. "You're not getting rid of me that easily."

Nesta picked up one of the treaty drafts and began to flip through the papers. Lucien carefully approached his chair and sat back down. He picked up the document.

He was only left more confused than at the beginning of the conversation. If Nesta did not want to lash out, then why did she bring it up? Unless this was her way of making amends. There was only one way to find out.

"Did that night," Lucien let himself find the right words. "Did it ever cause tension between you and Cassian?"

"No," Nesta replied. "I never told him."

"Oh," Lucien said.

He wasn't sure why he was so surprised.

"It was before the mating bond snapped into place."

He also wasn't sure why she was justifying it to him.

Lucien picked up his pen and went back to work. Quiet filled the room for what felt like hours but must have only been minutes. Now he understood why Nesta had been so silent the past few days. It was an uncomfortable truth they had dug up. One that they never quite laid to rest.

Nesta's breath caught his ear as she tried to speak but stopped herself. From the corner of his eye, Lucien noticed her fidgeting with the documents. He waited for her.

"How were you able to lie so well," Nesta eventually asked. "I get the rest of us, but Feyre and Rhysand are daemati."

Lucien set down his pen and looked over at Nesta. Her attention was solely on him.

"I offered them truths to hide the lie," he said.

"And that worked?" Her words were laced with suspicion.

"Against any other daemati it wouldn't have, but they respected me enough not to push further."

"But not enough to trust your word."

Lucien shrugged, "Would you?"

"No," she said. "Not back then at least."

Lucien blinked. It wasn't so much the beginning of her answer that surprised him, but the end of it.

"And now?"

He could not help but to pry. Nesta met his eyes. In them was a sense of clarity.

"I would."

Looking down at his paper, Lucien smiled to himself. They worked for the rest of the night with the roar of the fire being the only sound to fill the room. Every so often, he would glance over to check in on her. And every now and then he caught Nesta doing the same. Any of the coldness that remained was thawed between them. Knowing Nesta it might not last past the sunrise, but he hoped it would.

After a few hours, they finished their final draft. Lucien was exhausted. The fire had burned low, threatening to die out. He closed the documents and looked over at Nesta. She had dosed off in the last moments of Lucien writing any final clauses.

Standing up, he approached the couch. Lucien collected the old drafts surrounding her. He placed them in one arm. With his free hand, he pulled a blanket off the back of the couch and placed it over Nesta.

Watching Nesta's sleeping figure. Somehow, despite her resting state, there was still an icy edge to her. He chuckled to himself. While it might have been concerning for someone else, it was authentically and unapologetically Nesta. His chest grew warm. It was like the first embers of a flame. He shook his head. There was no reason to dwell on it. Lucien took the papers and left for his bedroom.

[garakcore]

Afterimage is one of my favorite DS9 episodes ever and, in my opinion, the most underrated episode featuring Garak. But I have A LOT of problems with it, and they can pretty much be summed up by this reply to someone’s post on the episode. I screenshotted this because I don't want to derail that person's post more than I have already whoops.

But I have a lot of thoughts so here's a rant! below the read more, please mind content warnings for discussions of abuse, substance use, and suicide.

[also, @ettaberrytea , please let me know if you want me to remove the screenshot]

The promotion thing I can live with because it seemed like an inevitable part of her remaining on the station. That seemed like the only likely conclusion of her character for this episode even on my first watch.

But Garak's anxiety and claustrophobia being 'fixed' at the end actually upsets me. There's the obvious 'it's not that easy!'. But also, she did not provide any kind of actual therapeutic technique that would help him here. Which I KNOW is nitpicking but I think given the context, less so.

The big problem for me is a bit more complicated. It's obviously not just 'He doesn't like small spaces'. Even with Afterimage having the most explicit mentions of this part of Tain's abuse, the focus is on claustrophobia. And it just really irks me how Ezri presses him and presses him about it and doesn't try to delve into what seems to be a huge reason behind it. That is, besides 'you blame yourself for this just like how I blame myself for getting space sick', which... I'm gonna be honest felt like a really unfair comparison.

To me, a lot of this doesn't feel on purpose/like she's supposed to be learning still. I will say that her delivery in this reminds me so much of myself in social work classes! I've been there! But especially as the episode continues, it feels more and more like this is supposed to be a huge breakthrough and she's cracked the code and this all makes sense psychologically.

Also, that scene with Garak trying to open the airlock just. Hurts so, so bad for me. It's one of my favorite moments of Garak's character and it hits me really hard.

But the fact that the scene after it is a nice little 'sitting in the holosuite' scene staring at the sunset off a cliff... I just kinda hate that! But I really liked their conversation and Garak saying that it's not really such a large space and none of it is real -- that's one of my favorite moments in Afterimage, actually.

Also I have to say this somewhere, and this is absolutely based on my interpretation only. But that airlock scene felt like Garak being the most explicitly close to suicide we've seen since The Wire. To have him just sitting in a holosuite [on a cliffside no less] isn't a great followup to that, even setting aside my interpretation. And to kinda respond to the reply I screenshotted above, I feel like it's not such a stretch that he relapsed.

I think Ezri is a great character and like I said, this is one of my favorite DS9 episodes! But I've never talked about this in detail and wanted to put it out there.

Reminder that this is just my opinion, and if you have a different take on this episode, I'd love to hear it!