#but the rest of this doesn't particularly surprise me actually it makes perfect sense

[aberooski]

Exposing myself with my Spotify wrapped aksksk

[allthesethingswillendsoon]

Long, long time

CHAPTER ONE: Welcome to Oakridge

NOTE: This is so nerve-wracking as this is the first like fanfiction thing I've ever written let alone published. I don't think this chapter is very good but that doesn't really matter because it's the first one and I just wanted to get it done with. For reference they are both born in 2001 just to make it easier with grades and stuff, also this story doesn't involve them playing basketball (so no UConn or anything like that) as I felt I didn't know enough for it to actually make any sense. The series doesn't have a name, and I don't know how long that will be the case for. Also I really don't understand how to use tumblr so it might take a while for me to make the posts aesthetic and whatever so yeah. I plan for this series to span like years and years of their lives with ups and downs.

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Warnings: Parent leaving. 2k words Pairing: Paige Bueckers x Azzi Fudd

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28th OF AUGUST 2008

OAKRIDGE, VIRGINIA

The crisp morning air of Oakridge came as a pleasant surprise to Bob and Paige Bueckers. It was six AM, and after hours and hours the father-daughter duo had finally found their way to Virginia. Their worldly possessions were being held in the U-Haul rental truck they had driven there with. Amongst those possessions were a variety of important things, Paige’s kindergarten graduation cap, the remnants of her first haircut, and her mother’s last note to them before leaving.

To say Bob was happy for a fresh start would be a complete understatement, Minnesota had just been too much for him. Around every corner was a reminder of what they had lost, and what they could never ever get back. The stress had nearly cracked him, and on one particularly low-spirited evening, once Paige was tucked soundly in her bed, Bob had started the process of selling their house and buying a new one. The day after Paige’s kindergarten graduation, the final boxes were packed and the duo set off across the country to their new home, to their new start.

There it was, the start of the rest of their lives right there in front of them. 

He had been able to find their house for a lovely, reasonable price. It was the perfect size, three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a spacious backyard; perfect for the dog Bob had promised Paige. The outside of the house was painted a soft blue, complemented by the white picket fence and flower beds bordering the perimeter of their block.

“Dad! Can we go inside?! I wanna look around! Please!” Paige begged, tugging her dad towards the front door. 

“Yeah, sure thing honey, give me a second.” He responded, glad to have been snapped out of his reminiscing.

Paige ran up the front porch steps, her dad in tow behind her. As Bob stood at the door fumbling around with the keys he had a moment to realise the severity of the situation. They were in a brand new state, in a tiny town, away from everything either of them had ever known without any kind of support system whatsoever. 

He couldn’t say he wasn’t ashamed, and angry, and depressed, the love of his life and mother of his child had just packed up and left, for no apparent reason and without even saying a proper goodbye to their daughter. That’s what really got him, Paige loved her parents more than anything, and explaining to Paige that mommy’s just not here anymore led to more tears than he’d like to admit. The fact that she would one day think it was her fault that Amy left, that it was because Amy didn’t love her enough killed Bob, and he wasn’t sure what he was going to do when that day came.

Perfect. Just perfect. 

What was he going to do? What if something went wrong? What if Paige needed a babysitter? 

They had left their family behind in Edina, Minnesota, and not a second had passed since leaving them that they were not missed. But it was necessary, in every conversation he had with his family and Amy’s family, there was always a massive, gaping, all-consuming hole in the conversation. Without fail, every time, Bob fell in.

But that was what made Virginia so perfect though, it was away from everything and everyone they used to know. And as far as Paige had shown, she didn’t mind the change much, her happy-go-lucky nature was sure to make her friends no matter the area.

With a click the door swung open. 

As they walk inside, the smile that falls over Paige’s face makes all the pain and struggle worth it.

“I love it Dad! I love it!” She squeals, her face scrunched in happiness as she skipped around the bottom floor of the house, trailing her grubby little hands over every surface she could reach.

“I’m so glad honey.” He grins, her excitement contagious.

“I love it! I love it! I love it! I looooove it!” 

“You wanna go upstairs and see your room?” Bob questions.

“Yes, yes, yes!” With that she’s off, her little legs struggling as she takes the stairs two steps at a time. Bob follows suit, walking into Paige’s room to find her lying on the floor starfished.

“Do you remember what I said P?” He starts.

Almost faster than the speed of light she’s standing in front of him, big blue eyes piercing into his soul.

“Do you mean it really? Any colour?” 

He chuckles lightly. “Yeah honey, any colour you want.”

“Purple! Purple! Purple! I want purple!”

“Yeah honey. I think I can get you some purple paint.”

She throws herself into his arms at those words.

“Yay Dad, I love it here!”

The way she says those words, and the way her face is lit up with her smile makes Bob think that it might all be okay.

29th OF AUGUST, 2008

OAKRIDGE, VIRGINIA

After a long week in the Fudd household it was finally Saturday, and that meant family fun day!

This week it was Azzi’s choice of activity. Much to her brother’s dismay she had chosen to plant flowers in the front garden. On Thursday, when her dad had gotten off work they had hopped in the car and driven to the plant nursery, where Azzi had selected delicate pink flowers to decorate the front yard, ‘Carnations’ the plant lady had said. 

Azzi had left the nursery, struggling slightly under the weight of the flower pot, yet still not allowing Tim Fudd to help her, despite incessant offers to.

She had picked her special spot in the front yard and was ready to depot the flowers. But when she woke up on Saturday and shovelled her breakfast in her mouth in the hopes of getting to family fun day faster she had come to the realisation that she was without a shovel, and effectively without a way to plant the flowers.

After a few (a lot) of tears, Katie and Tim packed their kids into the minivan and were off to Home Depot in search of a small pink shovel for Azzi.

As they scoured the aisles, their search was proving to be hopeless and the family’s hope was quickly dwindling.

After a second and third lap of the store, Azzi’s bottom lip began shaking, her eyes welling with tears, and before long she was planted on the floor, tears pooling out of her big brown eyes.

“I want the shovel! I neeeeeeeed the shovel!” She wailed.

“I know honey, but they just don’t have it. I’m sorry, we’ll try again next week.” Katie soothed, trying to deescalate the situation.

“But mom, I need it! How can I plant my flowers without it?” Azzi shrieked, now hitting her hands and legs against the hard concrete floor.

Before Katie could respond a little body with a big voice appeared in front of Azzi.

“What do you need? I bet I could find it for you, I’m really good at finding things!”

Azzi sniffled, wiping her nose before lifting her head to look at the girl before her.

She had bright blue eyes, a pale complexion and light blonde hair. She was taller than Azzi and a little gangly. Most notably, she had a slightly nervous smile and an inviting hand outstretched to her.

“I need a shovel. So I can plant my flowers.” She mumbled, still staring up at the other girl with her watery eyes.

“I like flowers, I’ll help you!” The girl responded, her face now empty of nerves and lit up with excitement.

Azzi grabbed onto her hand and before she could say anything to her parents she was being dragged through the store by the other girl.

“No, not here.” 

“Not here either.”

“Hmmm where could they be?”

The random girl’s remarks could be heard from across the store as they made their way through aisle after aisle, hand in hand.

“Where are they? Why can’t we find them?” Azzi huffed, coming to an abrupt stop, yanking her hand from the other girl’s.

“I’m not sure. I’m sorry. I’m really trying to find them.” The girl rambled, nerves creeping back onto her face as she watched Azzi’s eyes well with tears once again.

“It’s okay, it’s not your fault.” Azzi said, sadness momentarily forgotten as she looked at her new friend.

“What’s your name?” She continued.

“Paige. What’s yours?” Paige replied.

“Azzi”

“Nice to meet you Azzi, I’m Paige” With that Paige stuck out her hand, “Want to be friends?”

A split second of silence falls over them.

“Yeah Paige, let’s be friends!” Azzi takes her hand, both girls shaking with enthusiasm.

“Y’know I think my dad might have a shovel. We should go ask if we can borrow it!” Paige suggested, voice high-pitched with excitement.

“Is it pink?” Azzi questioned, her brows furrowed in anticipation.

“Ummmm. I don’t think so.” Paige replied.

“Hmmm. That's alright.” Azzi decided.

“Yay! Let’s go ask.”

—-

Paige and Azzi’s laughter reverberated off the walls of the Home Depot as they skipped back to their parents.

They had been standing together, making small talk and introductions. As they did so they realised that they lived on the same street a few houses apart. 

“Dad! Dad! We need to get our shovel so Azzi can plant her flowers!” Paige huffed as the pair came to stand in front of their parents.

“Slow down honey, start over.” Bob responded, unable to comprehend his daughter’s mumbling.

“Can-we-get-our-shovel-so-Azzi-can-plant-her-flowers. Please?” Paige says, leaving a comically large gap between each word.

“Yeah, sure, we can lend the shovel to our new neighbours.” Bob shrugs.

“NEIGHBOURS?!” The girls squeal in sync.

“Yeah, Az they moved into Mrs Mckinlay’s house, y’know the blue one?” Tim explained.

“That’s so close, yay Paige!” Azzi exclaimed.

“Dad, since we live so close, could I pleeeeease help Azzi with her flowers?” Paige begged, putting on her puppy dog eyes and pouting.

“Well I don’t see any issue with it if you guys don’t mind.” Bob says.

“That’s fine with us, the more the merrier.” Katie responds, smiling at the blossoming friendship between the two girls.

“Then it’s settled, time to go and plant some flowers!”

“But it's a family fun day!” Azzi’s brother’s chime in.

“Shut up sillies! I want to be with my best friend Paige!” Azzi flicked the two boys.

“AZZI! That is no way to behave.” Her dad scolded.

“Okay I’m sorry, can we go now?” She apologised.

“Yeah we can go.” 

“Me and Paige just need to check out, gotta buy our paint.” Bob explained, holding up the bucket of purple paint.

“I’m painting my room purple! Wanna come see it when it’s done Azzi?”

“Yes! Yes! Yes!”

—--

The Bueckers and the Fudds met up in the street, and after ten minutes of Bob scavenging through their shed boxes, he was able to procure the elusive shovel.

“Here we go.” He said as the pair walked into the Fudd’s front lawn, passing the shovel to Azzi.

“Yay! Thanks Mr. Paige’s dad! C’mon Paige let’s go plant the flowers!”

They worked hard, light sheens of sweat covering their little foreheads from the late summer heat. Planting carnations was taxing work they discovered.

Once they placed the final flower down in the ditch, Azzi turned to Paige.

“Paige, I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“Will you officially be my best friend please? Cause I know I said you were before but I wanted to ask if you wanted to be.” Azzi mumbled, slightly nervous for the girl’s response.

“Yeah Azzi, I’m your best friend, and you’re mine, now and forever and ever and ever!”

“Pinky promise?”

“Double pinky promise.”

Their parents watch from the front porch as their daughters interlink pinkies and giggle together over everything and nothing.

It was clear Paige and Azzi were going to be in each other’s lives for a long time.

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Okay I hope that was alright and set up the story well enough. Thanks for reading :)

[casuallyanidiot]

Cowboy Bebop Rant Ig

Side tangent completely unrelated to the rest of my normal stuff, but oh my god I just watched cowboy bebop and the ending like actually pissed me off so much. Like I think that there was so much wasted potential in the ending that could have been saved if like, they didn't write off the comic relief characters in the episode before the finale.

So, Spoiler warning for the end of cowboy bebop I guess.

Like, I completely understand that the writers of the show probably wanted to shift the tone to something far more serious for the ending, but I think that by writing out Edward and Ein, you kind of take away a lot of the heart of the show. Like Fae, Jet, Spike, Ed, and Ein all kind of make up a found family of sorts. They're all kind of strange and it's not perfect, but they return to each other and rely on each other a lot of the time.

Fae is always searching for a place where she belongs because she doesn't know who she's supposed to be. She's lost all of her memories and has to become a completely new person all on her own with no past. I think that because she is a person without a past to fixate on, her and Spike are often foils of each other. They're both brash, egotistical, and highly focused on trying to make sense of what happened to them in the past. While Spike is running from the past, Fae tries to find it in order to make sense of who she is. She also disappears frequently from the crew without telling them where she's going, but she usually returns or tries to find out where the rest of the Bebop members are. Like in the episode where they're finding the memory tape, she seems genuinely hurt and surprised when they left without her, and I believe that it's because on some level she's kind of identified them as her people. They accept her even with all her flaws and despite the fact that she often even steals from them. Albeit Jet and Spike often butt heads with her, they do try to find her and worry about Fae when she's in genuine trouble (like when she gets hypnotized in the weird TV cult episode). I think Fae's character arc is supposed to be finding where she belongs and not running away anymore. She even explicitly says to Edward that "the best place you can be is one where you belong", and I think that having her return to the Bebop in the finale was a good move because its like, yeah, that's where she's supposed to be. I think the tragedy in the finale with her is that she realizes where she belongs, and then Spike just kinda ruins it all with his stubbornness.

But also, I feel as if Fae shouldn't have had the episode where she realizes there's no where else to go be divided with Edward's departure.

Edward doesn't have a character arc because they're a kid without a real past, and they're fine with that. For the whole series, Edward is primarily concerned with living in the moment and moving on to the next fun thing. I think that when they introduced their father, it provided an interesting opportunity to have Edward display some more serious thought about where they want to end up. But Edward doesn't seem like, very interested in being with their dad? They kind of just have one interaction, and it's implied (?) that Ed and Ein go off to find their father? But I think that it's particularly lazy writing because Fae plants this idea of belonging into Edward's mind, and it's stated throughout the episode that Edward just kind of wanders like most of the other people in the cast. I think the difference with Edward in comparison to most of the cast is that they have never really expressed discontent with wandering up until this point. In fact, they literally hack into the Bebop so that they can go explore the galaxy. Edward's character doesn't change by the end of the episode. They don't really express any desire to stay when their father presents them the option, and it feels like a very spur of the moment decision on Ed's part. This normally wouldn't be out of character for Edward, but that's the thing. There's no change to Edward whether they stay on Earth or are exploring with the rest of the crew. I feel like they just wanted to get rid of Edward and Ein before the finale because they weren't sure how to fit more one dimensional silly characters in the serious, tragic ending.

But I honestly think it would've been more interesting if they had stayed because it would present Spike with a more difficult choice. I think Spike was upset by Edward and Ein suddenly leaving based on the way he stared out at their goodbye message since he usually tends to shut down emotionally. So if they were still part of the crew, it raises a more interesting dilemma. Do you stay with your found family where people care about you, or do you go and try to face your past?

I feel like having Spike choose to go and die after Julia is killed with EVERYONE in the crew, not just Fae and Jet, warning him not to or giving him a reason not to, I think serves as a better lesson and ties into the themes better. I feel like with that with their little family having already fallen apart, the reasons that Spike has to not throw his life away are already a bit lessened narrative wise.

Idk, I just think that by getting rid of characters your protagonist is shown to get along with and care about before you show him making the foolish decision to forsake everything good in his life for a shot at revenge and settling old wounds, you kind of water down the tragedy of his decision.

Idk if this makes sense I'm just having a lot of thoughts.

[very-uncorrect]

funny how i never thought of poly/polyam people and aroacespec people (respectively) as anything but another sexuality equal to all the rest until i found out that there was actual discourse over it. as someone whose sexuality has fluctuated during different periods of my life and has experienced both aroacespec and poly/polyam relationships/tendencies, it’s just disheartening to see that there are genuinely people out there who think they don’t count or that they’re not valid as a sexuality, or part of the LGBTQ+ community, or any sort of discourse that’s been started over it. i stand by my decision that everyone, and i do mean EVERYONE, is included in the LGBTQ+ community, except for homophobes. (on that note, i do believe people who are by definition LGBTQ+ but choose to discriminate against other forms of sexuality do not count as part of the community, as the community in itself is about acceptance.)

grow up, people.

REAL, I agree with all of this basically

Aspec people have been shat on for yeaars and it seemed to cool down for awhile before there was like some Tumblr poll about it and a bunch of aphobes came out of the woodwork. The poly bigotry has been real strong for the last few weeks and that seems to be a bigger thing on Twitter than on here from what I've seen, which doesn't particularly surprise me because Twitter is the closest thing we have to a real-life actual Hell

I was also surprised when I saw people starting to make fun of them everywhere online because I'd always just viewed them as identities that made perfect sense. No romantic and/or sexual attraction? Yuh that's an identity 👍🏳️‍🌈. Wanting multiple partners? Yeye that too 👍🏳️‍🌈. But some people insist that they're not valid for any of their dozens of shitty reasons and it's mad, like some people insisting being aspec is the same as straight which is?? Huh??? How do you reach that conclusion???? At all??????

I also do agree that there's a difference between being LGBTQ+ and being part of the LGBTQ+ community, because the word "community" implies, just like you said, acceptance, getting along, not participating in dumbass infighting wars that don't at all matter when bigots will hate all of us which is why we need to stand together as a community in the first place, and is why pride exists in the first place

Seeing any identity that isn't genuinely bad (aka those times when pedos and zoophiles tried to become identities, kicking out those bozos is common sense, MAPs and zoos fuck off and die obvi) being excluded is horrible,

I'll reiterate what you said happily

Grow up, people

[thesinglesjukebox]

MANDY, INDIANA - "PINKING SHEARS"

Ian brings us some British-French post-punk with no Indiana involvement...

[7.40]

Ian Mathers: I don't remember what the song was, but I still remember the feeling the first time I encountered music that didn't immediately make sense to me. This isn't quite the same thing as music I find disappointing or lacklustre at first but grow to love -- a category that contains an awful lot of my favourite music, and is an endlessly renewable resource. But up until that point everything I had run into was something I immediately either liked or disliked (yr boy was a big fan of "Never Gonna Give You Up" when it was originally a hit, if that helps date me), and to hear something that was somehow neither was profoundly disturbing. As I got older and more into music, finding something that truly doesn't make sense at first has become rarer and rarer. More things get adopted into your repertoire, you have more context, and often you realize that stuff that bent your brain in your own history had plenty of antecedents that make them less singular. And that feeling... that little shock of non-recognition when you're used to recognizing so much, that little moment of "why or how did someone come up with this?" that sparks across your brain... it's like hearing about a new country when you thought you knew all of them. It's a reminder that life never settles into a comfortable box. None of the elements that Mandy, Indiana use to make their music are particularly confusing to me (hell, I even took French all through high school). But the first time I played i've seen a way, I had that feeling. These didn't feel like songs. They had elements of songs. Some like "Pinking Shears" even had choruses, relatable sentiments (who isn't tired?). They had sounds and structures I was broadly familiar with. But something about the way each track, and the album as a whole, was put together made me feel like my brain was degaussed. I spent maybe my first four listens in a rapturous quasi-panic, for the first time in years not being able to respond to a piece of music in the ways I was used to responding. I'm sure when that happens to anyone, it's not 100% inherent to the music itself. There may have been other bands who could have done this to me if the phase of the moon or my choice of lunch that day had been just right. But it felt rare and precious when I got that experience from Mandy, Indiana. And then, a second miracle: as I kept listening, "Pinking Shears" and the rest of i've seen a way resolved in my ears into just songs, the way these things always do (since it's hard to repeatedly experience the shock of the new from the same thing). And it turned out those songs were really really great. [10]

Vikram Joseph: This is so strange and addictive - a righteous French diatribe about racist border policies over a rhythmic racket and stomach-churning synths that sound like a cow in distress. From Brooklyn Vegan's English translation: "Those we bombard are told to fuck off / and then we elect bankers / and posh assholes and rentiers / and we are surprised to get fucked." I mean, yeah. Imagine how fatigué we are. Imagine how fatigué we are of it. [8]

Tim de Reuse: What's it take to go industrial in an age of digital purity? Chase the feeling of a grimy, misanthropic without actually getting any dirt under your fingernails. Meticulously ugly, to distract you from how it's actually neat and tidy. Check out the perfect knife's edge of that snare drum; check out the huge, reflective metallic object that passes for a bassline; check out the clean, papery reverb. I'd criticize it for being inauthentic if it wasn't so much more fun than the things it's ripping off. [8]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: Nestling its way into a sound between Filth-era Swans and the EBM of the same decade (Severed Heads, Front 242, Nitzer Ebb), "Pinking Shears" aims for a raw, cavernous sound that's more hollow than all-consuming. The playful French vocals provide an amusing contrast to all the whirring, but that's sort of it. Big synth bass, big crunch, big yawn. [5]

Micha Cavaseno: Vaguely answering a question nobody asked, which is "What if Liars were signed to Amphetamine Reptile or Skin Graft?". It's got one point, and it delivers it in perhaps the most cast-off gag and splutter of a way, before hurrying along with its day and avoiding trying to remember what color and texture of its release it was, but never quite getting rid of the taste for the next couple days. Love the clutter of the percussion sounding like a rude joke at a dance's expense, pushed aside by a belch of bullying rock. How rude. [7]

Taylor Alatorre: I always sorta felt that the world needed a Kidz Bop version of Einstürzende Neubauten. [7]

Hannah Jocelyn: I'm sorry, that percussion riff sounds like "Crack a Bottle," the vocals sound like The Google Translate Song, I can't take this seriously. That said, [6]

Oliver Maier: This is my "just say you hate fun". [8]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: Genuinely a bad and unpleasant time in the way that most latter-generation "post punk" can only feint at. Feels much longer than 2.5 minutes, but not tediously so -- each moment of this drags you down into itself, each metallic hi-hat snap and guitar scratch a barb into exposed skin. [8]

Nortey Dowuona: Simon Catling's humming bassline shows up halfway through the song over Isaac Jones' drums, with jagged shards of guitar by Scott Fair slunk in at each interval at the end of Valentina Caulfield's chorus, punctuating them with a phlegmy shriek. Caulfield's vocals at first feel like a representation of politesse but gain an edge of menace over the crashing of the percussion. The bass presses the guitar into the margins allowing Caulfield to fill up the middle of the mix, repeating the refrain. [6]

Michael Hong: I like when that beefy fart of a bassline arrives, a really nice rejoinder for the rattling voices in your head. [6]

Brad Shoup: I love when post-punkers stomp, when they strip it down to a megalithic groove. All kinds of stuff on the ground can stick to it. The first half feels like a (bear with me) minimal, metallic go-go take on Cop Shoot Cop's "$10 Bill". To reach the more trad second half, they catapult in some streaks of noise. (This transitional part, and I take far more pleasure in hearing than saying this, sounds like "Come With Me" from the 1998 Godzilla soundtrack.) But that recedes, and Valentine Caulfield reveals the song's final form: protest rap. A [7] for the journey. [7]

Wayne Weizhen Zhang: You don't need to be francophone in order to understand Mandy, Indiana's vitriol and rage. But the lyrics are worth dissecting: "Nothing makes me want to continue in the filth of our society/I don't have have any desire to wake up when we let humans die in the Mediterranean." This is a tirade about how we treat refugees, and the existential exhaustion that comes from living in a world where this feels normal. [7]

Katherine St Asaph: For months I assumed based on the name that Mandy, Indiana was an emo band. If I had known they would instead be spoken-word French over a harsh but oddly unchaotic post-punk dervish, I might have listened to the album earlier than Q4. Assumptions foil me again! [9]

Aaron Bergstrom: I did not expect the revolution to be this much fun. Embrace the chaos. Build a new world from the ashes of the old. Dance on the barricades. [9]

Claire Biddles: My face is just gasping_pikachu.jpeg the whole way through this -- yes!!! [9]

Michelle Myers: Mandy, Indiana's music makes me feel like I'm wearing a perfectly worn-in leather jacket and red lipstick that never smears, waiting in line to get into a club that I already know I'm not cool enough to get into. [6]

Kat Stevens: I'm glad there'll always be people making music that sitcom teenagers can slam their bedroom doors and stick on at high volume, to the despair of their parents. "Where did we go wrong, Adam?" "I don't know Helen, our sweet girl... it's like I don't even know her anymore. Were we too indulgent? Too strict?" "Well Adam, in retrospect maybe constantly playing The Downward Spiral to get her off to sleep while she was a baby wasn't the best idea." [7]

Alfred Soto: To play loudly and indiscriminately when holiday twaddle begins to choke you. [7]

Anna Katrina Lockwood: I am so tired, yet I cannot sleep. [8]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox ]

[ponreviews]

Super Mario Bros Movie - Letsa Go!!

Categories: Action, Adventure, Comedy

Rating: 9/10

Synopsis:

Mario and Luigi are just your average plumbers starting their own business in Brooklyn. The brothers find themselves investigating some strange happenings within the sewers beneath the city. The next thing they knew they were warped into a strange universe. Separated, Mario desperately does all he can to get his brother back, teaming up with a princess and a.... mushroom?? to do it all while protecting the Mushroom Kingdom in the process.

Review:

For the first time, I'm going to make this review spoiler free! I think this is a perfect opportunity to get you to watch the movie if you haven't already. I'm still going to attach stills throughout the review like I normally do, but in this case, the stills shouldn't be huge spoilers (especially if you have seen the trailer).

I'll start a bit negative because let's face it, this movie is an obvious cash grab. It primarily feeds off of the nostalgia of older generations while also appealing to younger generations who enjoy Super Mario games. Because of this, there's not a lot of substance to the movie. Unlike other critics, however, I don't believe that makes this movie bad. I went into the theater with little expectations other than "the references should be there."

I was pleasantly surprised by the flow of the movie. Not one part felt like it was slowing down. I liked how animated and exaggerated the movements were. It's very fast paced and for Super Mario, that's perfect. I was surprised to find out how deep the references went. Like that rival plumber (Foreman Spike) does actually exist in the Super Mario lore. It was fun to learn a little bit about the references I didn't know about. I do wish they gave Charles Martinet a bigger role than just a cameo.

I had my concerns about Chris Pratt being cast as Mario, and I hate to admit it, but he was right when he said no one is gonna care about the accent. It's explained pretty well early on in the movie too. An exaggerated Italian accent for a commercial for their plumbing brand? Makes sense. I still don't like Chris Pratt as Mario, but that's just because I don't like him in general. I will note that my bias against him does not affect the rating would've been docked a whole point if it did. He plays the role well, but it's forgettable compared to the rest of the star-studded cast.

Jack Black as Bowser was PERFECT!! His personality fit the character they were trying to go for with Bowser. Same with Charlie Day as Luigi. We all know that meme. The conspiracy theorist Charlie Day meme. Need I say more? Also Seth Rogan?? As Donkey Kong??? That laugh solidified the casting for me. Anya Taylor Joy works as Peach. It would be wrong for me to say it was the perfect casting, but she does make it work. Overall, great performances by the actors.

Illumination should be proud of the animation. They were able to maintain integrity of the games' original designs while sticking to their signature style. It's hard to pull that off and have overwhelming praise. I particularly liked how bouncy (for the lack of a better word) everything was. It really was enjoyable. Going back to the "cash grab" complaint I had, I do respect them for it. It's smart to market the movie for kids while building on the nostalgia of the adults who grew up on the games. I see you Nintendo and Illumination marketing teams. Geniuses all of you. The best part about it is that it wasn't that weird mesh of animation and live action. It was all animated and all wonderful.

Overall, I definitely think this movie is worth the hype it's getting. You could tell everyone involved was just having fun, and that's where you find the best projects. The movie doesn't take itself too seriously, and it's even more amazing when the cast has fun in that project (and the premieres - shoutout Anya Taylor Joy and Jack Black for those wonderful outfits). All in all, if you haven't watched it yet, go! Watch with friends, family, or even alone! If you have watched it already, watch again if/when the movie hits streaming sites with others. I feel like it's a nice comfort movie, and we haven't had one like this in ages.

[theowritesfiction]

'The Painted Lady'

Ah, I always look forward to the Katara centric episodes of the show. :) Even if this one is wrapped up in a bit of environmental messaging that's a little cliché when it comes to kid's shows. Still a great episode.

I find the conflict between Katara and the rest of the group, and particularly Sokka, about staying and helping the people of the fishing village a little frustrating. Sokka's tight schedule and refusing to help would make sense if it had been supported by the other episodes of Book 3. But in the next episode, Sokka doesn't mind taking a few days out of the schedule to train with Piandao and get himself a shiny new sword. So this doesn't make much sense. It just gives Sokka 30 Jerk Points for appearing heartless. Also, I'm going to give Sokka 30 more points for his obnoxious lecturing after finding out that Katara has been lying in order to help the people in need. See, the thing is - Katara wouldn't even have to lie, if you all shaped up and did the actual right thing instead of hiding behind this nonsensical schedule that made no sense.

I'm not kidding, but some Katara antis actually give her a lot of shit for sabotaging the overall mission (stupid argument, when the following episodes clearly establish that it DID NOT MATTER) and for 'poisoning' Appa. I love that Katara is willing to go to such lengths for what she believes is right. <3  I'm actually surprised that Aang was so willing to move on from the village, even if in the previous episode he was determined to waste time on arguably a less important thing like a school dance...

I love Katara's commitment to the role.  She's not messing around with that disguise, is she? She's so perfect in this role of a mysterious benefactor, because she really is the one character who strongly believes that doing good is its own reward. Can you tell that I love this character or what?

I did not love Aang interfering with Katara's mission and obsessively following the Painted Lady around even if she repeatedly expressed her wish to be left alone. What the hell, Aang, that's 60 Jerk Points for giving me bad vibes here. Learning to take no for an answer seems to be a problem for Book 3 Aang.

Katara finally snapping and shouting at Sokka about never turning her back on people in need is one of those moments that encapsulate the essence of her character. <3 It's a beautiful moment. As is Toph punching Aang. <3

Katara and the Gaang scaring off the Fire Nation troops was another great moment. And sure, even if I gave Sokka a handful of Jerk Points earlier, I do love his passionate defense of his sister. I still love you, Sokka. <3 Also, another awesome little moment was Toph peeking out from the crowd and throwing her voice to suggest that the villagers clean up the river. Toph cares too! <3

(also it's funny to me how after taking care of the Fire Nation troops, Sokka doesn't even seem to mind staying there for an extra day to clean up the river. Don't you dare bring up that schedule again, Sokka...)

Jerk Points for Book 3:

Zuko - 290 Aang, Hide - 80 Sokka, King Kuei - 60

[goldendivinewrath]

@full-of-mercy

The pause, the stillness after the bolt of pleasure is-- He wants more, he wants to move, to continue, every physical part of him that can grasp and rock and encourage absolutely and enthusiastically in use, but also...

Breathing. And looking. Looking back. It's not lacking, there's no impatience to get back to what they'd been doing; it's a pause, a hold, a savoring moment. (It might also be a headache later, given the look of concern that he registers on Wolfwood's face, but at that moment, there is no bad pain and he does not care.)

Muscles tremble, clench and relax, without permission. Petals reach almost lazily in the stillness, as if there's any further they can stretch, any more they can grasp, but Vash's mind feels the same for the temporary break its allowed. Every part of him that he's come to define as unpleasant, ugly, horrifying, monstrous-- Every part of him is held here, more than physically. More than just tolerated, and more than with familiarity and fondness. He knows that; doesn't just wish it, or think it. He. Knows. Can interpret it somehow, can hear it like Plantsong, feel it like the resonance working its way through him.

Acceptance rather than realization.

Breathing. Right. He doesn't notice his own scent, or maybe he's simply not capable of it, but he certainly notices the way Wolfwood smells as they continue. The heat, the motion, the nature of it; it's an intoxicating mix that has him inhaling long and deep, leaning in for more with a blissfully open-mouthed moan and-- The kiss is messy. The kiss is perfect, the scent mixing with the flavor and he doesn't mean for his fangs to get in the way except that there's more scent and flavor and neediness as Vash tries to answer every motion with his own limited range.

He whines, and it's very human. He almost -- almost, or maybe just slightly -- growls, but it's not a warning and it's not a negative thing, it's just--

Right. It's right. "Mine." He agrees, and that name is easy. Title? Role? Truth. It's been the truth, unspoken. Since at least the moment the man crashed into his life again, but he didn't let himself... couldn't let himself...

It's tentative and gentle; not exactly in opposition of what they're doing, or the electric pleasure building and building inside him like a storm, but still a surprise. "Nick." He tries, and it's-- Weird. Good-weird, new-good-weird, like the rest of this. Like this thing shared between them, and right now he can't fathom reaching further. He's sure the man's full name had been in the mouths of too many undeserving people, though that was an actual full thought requires more energy, and another time.

There's a particularly tight squeeze of his thighs as everything builds toward an inevitable crescendo, sense still greedy, and the small part of Vash that wants to slow down and savor again is immediately out-voted by the vast majority of his body. He's making a mess all on his own, but there will most assuredly be a bigger one soon. "Wolfwood." He settles on the old standard again, breathless with pleasure and laughter and knowing. "F-feel you-- Wanna feel you. Inside, with me. Please, Wolfwood..."

He knows he doesn't have to beg, hardly has to ask. But he knows too that he wants to say it, he wants the words on his lips and the buzzing resonance caressing its way through his spine as they share this, as the loveyouloveyouloveyou reverberates through everything. Everything.

It is sudden and unceremonious and yet it isn't. It isn't, because it couldn't be, because it can't be, because neither of them want it to be, even in this animal urgency, this drive.

This need to connect. To connect and to intertwine.

The more Vash tangles around him, the more Wolfwood plants his feet and adjusts, broad hands grip-squeezing and holding fast. He breathes, paces, half-lidded eyes blown dark to the gold of his limbal rings. There is so much and his senses demand more, so much more, desperate to hold on to every scrap of experience.

This is what it means to feel after the numbness abates. The something after nothingness.

Every touch is electric, spiraling sensation from points of contact to his nerves. Racing, like his heartbeat, like the vibration he can feel under his skin, like the resonance that tinges every sound Vash makes with a polyphonic character, a tuning fork struck and left to ring clarion in the air.

Struck. Like lightning. Like the back of one spiky noggin against a wall that isn't nearly so hard, and isn't that funny? It's funny, it would be laughable, if its force mingled with the concerning clatter of plaster did not briefly stun him. It stuns him more than it stuns Vash. Not painful, no, but jarring.

Jarring enough to still him flush pelvis to pelvis. Buried. Searing. Still, just for a little, just for a few seconds, so that he can look, so that he can see.

Not jarring enough to shake him from the firestorm encircling him, cinching down with every flutter of muscle, every preternatural twinge of appendages come-hither-stay-stay-stay, with every ripple of texture. Gloss suffuses the air with a scent he can barely describe, paints their juncture with a glistening heat he cannot ignore.

"Yeah," he rasps, and maybe it's a question, maybe it's an answer. It's soft, and if it were at any other time he might be chagrined for its tenor, awed at the shape of his name in Vash's mouth.

Short-lived.

Nails flash to flesh and Nicholas groans, gut-punched and corded, dipping his chin down only to raise his head and crash his mouth into Vash's fanged maw. It is inarticulate, needy, needful, hungry without any remorse or fear or hesitation; his tongue intrudes on the barest part of lips, curling to slide slick and hot on inner-skin and then again, further, questing for the taste of his own blood on sharp teeth.

More might join it.

More does. Press-pull. Just as he presses them against the wall, abdomen bunching and hips rocking to the demand of instinct, to the magnetism running riot through his veins.

More.

More, slow, firm, audible with the way petals cling to him, with the way thighs tighten around his hips. Spurring, more. More. Steadier.

The rhythm lets him hear just what it is that Vash has to say, though it takes a moment - fucked stupid, fucking stupid, heady with it, buzzing with it - for the words to connect with the brain cells still blessed with some semblance of sense.

Names. Which. Which names. What to call him.

"Yours."

It doesn't make sense. It doesn't have to. It's a promise. An offer. A plea. A demand. An affirmation. Kiss broken, he presses in brow to brow, breath hitched and stuttering already (already, because it has never been like this, not even back then, not even with their ridiculous grasp at something-anything at all before everything came to an abrupt and horrifying end).

"Any-"

A shaky gasp, he loses touch with rationale just for a moment, reasserting focus with a change of angle. Movement is vital. Movement churns. Seeking. Seeking in a way that might make his own legs jelly long before they even reach the showers.

"-Fuck. Vash. Anything."

Anything, any name. Just call it.

That's all that matters here.

They are alive. Not unchanged, because time is not that kind, but they are here. They are here now.

"Lemme hear you."

Please. God, please.

[witch-hazels-musings]

I WOKE UP JUST IN TIME AAAAA

Can I request the tall boys (Childe, Zhongli, Diluc, Kaeya + anyone else you think you wanna add or change (except maybe Childe because I love him)) reacting to you having animal-like features (like ears and tail)

Or

What they would do if by some accident they themselves end up getting animal features (like fox ears and tail for Childe, cat ears and tail for Kaeya or Diluc, dragon features for Zhongli, etc) do they become clingy and display cat behavior of rubbing themselves on you? Something like that aaaa I'm so sorry if this doesn't make sense it's my first time requesting

experiments gone wrong

(eehe these men *cough* zhongli *cough* will be the death of me) 

Warning -> sfw, fluff (kissing, character suddenly acquiring animal like features) 

Character X GN Reader | anthology 

Includes: Childe, Kaeya, Zhongli 

As an alchemist, you really should have remembered the most important rule -> don’t leave unmarked bottles out where people can drink them …

So you couldn’t be too surprised by the turn of events that followed

Childe 

He went to bed earlier than normal, but you didn’t think anything of it. Perhaps he had a terrible day and just wanted to sleep it off, there wasn’t any reason to pester him about it anyway. 

The next morning, you felt him slip out of bed, a yawn falling from his mouth as he made his way toward the bathroom. Turning, you claimed more of the bed and attempted to sleep just a little bit longer. That was until you heard a wild cry and shot up in an instant. You were already partially out of the bed when Childe burst into the room. 

He looked at you, you looked at him, and as your eyes drifted from his ears to his tail, you understood his reaction. 

“WHAT?” He shouted into the bedroom. 

Oh archons, to see him like this … you wished it was easier for you not to think about how adorable he was, but it was impossible. The soft ears that peeked from underneath his hair, the fluffy tail that didn’t know how to stop moving, and the frantic face he gave you were all just perfect 

“What happened??” He asked, running back to the mirror before returning his attention to you. Quickly, you made your way to his aid and did your best to calm him.

“I’m not sure, did you do anything strange yesterday?” You pulled his face toward you, cupping your hands against his cheek and running your fingers through his hair. 

“Not that I know of … uh, oh! I found this …” He reached for a small bottle on the bathroom counter and handed it to you. Shit.

“Did you drink this??”

“ … yes.” 

“CHILDE!” You burst into laughter, knowing it wasn’t the right time but also unable to control yourself. His expression was distressed and worried and, as best as you could, you tried to bring yourself back to calm. “This wasn’t supposed to be consumed …” 

“A-am I going to die?” 

“No, you’re just going to be, well, this it seems.” 

“How long??” 

“I don’t know, a few days maybe.” He dropped his head into his hands, his ears drooped and his active tail dropped toward the ground. Wrapping him in your arms, you offered him reassurance while trying not to laugh. “You’re very cute though.” 

You caught sight of his tail moving slowly back and forth and added more pressure to your hug. 

He found that it wasn’t as bad as he thought, in addition to the extra features, he also was able to gain other advantages - his eyesight was much better in the dark, his sense of smell more keen, his agility top notch 

You were sure he had grown attached to them in the short time he had them - so when the option came for him to revert, you were sure it would be a tough decision 

Still - to keep him trapped like this, with features that weren’t his own - you didn’t want to be cruel 

“Here,” You put the bottle down in front of him. His ears perking up at the item and his fingers reaching to grab it. “All you have to do is drink that and everything should go back to normal.” You said with a slightly wistful tone to your voice. It was somehow sad to think these adorable additions leave would be gone soon. 

“What if it doesn’t work?” 

“I’m not sure. We will just try again if it doesn’t though.” Quickly, he took the cork from the lid and moved the vial to his lips. His ear twitched as he smelled the concoction. “I’ll miss this.” Resting your head in your hands you watched as he downed the liquid in one go. 

“It’s hard for people to take me seriously like this …”

“Did people take you seriously before?” You joked, winking at him. 

The next morning, he stirred in bed next to you, his hair brushing against your face and making you wake up before you wanted to. As your eyes adjusted, you instantly recognized what you thought was hair was actually ears and the giddiness of your heart jump-started you awake. It didn’t work -- oh no, guess you’d have to keep trying. 

Kaeya 

Waking up next to Kaeya was your favorite thing. It was an opportunity for you to be close to him, to witness his relaxed expression, and know that in these moments he trusted you over anyone else. 

So, when you woke and found him pressed against you, your hands absentmindedly began to run through his hair, over his shoulders, as you meandered your way into the waking world. There was something soft that flicked against your hand, but you pushed it away. It happened again, confused, mouth turning into a scowl and eyes rudely being pried open, you looked down to see what was making you irritated. 

You were wide awake when you saw the cat ears sticking out from Kaeya’s blue hair. They were richly shaded, deep blues with tips of white and perfectly placed on his head. Shifting, you tried to get a better view and the action made him stir. 

“Mmm, stop moving.” He mumbled, wrapping his arms around you and holding you steady. Tapping his arm, you tried to get his attention. 

“K-Kaeya …” 

“What is it?” 

“Do you feel okay?” You asked, your voice shaking and hands hovering over his ears. 

“I feel perfectly fine, why do you ask?” He kissed your chest before nuzzling back into his place. 

“You … you’ve got cat ears.”

He laughed and pushed your comment away. His legs moved under the sheets and you swore you saw something poke out from the bed. “You’re pulling my leg, I didn’t know you could be this funny so early in the morning.” 

“I’m not, see.” Stealing his hand you placed it on his head and watched as his fingers ran over the ears which were sticking straight up. When his eyes shot open and his hand began to move faster, pulling, tugging, examining the feature, you tried not to laugh as his confused expression turned into a slight panic. He shot up, his legs moving so he could sit on the bed but winced when he did so. That’s when the both of you saw the tail. 

“Hold on, let me get ready, just … don’t freak out.” 

You rushed around the room to gather up your items, your gaze continuously falling on the incredibly still, unmoving frame that was Kaeya. 

After calling on Albedo to come and offer assistance, only to find that the features would be around for a few days … Kaeya started to get more accustomed to them 

He was for sure rattled but bounced back rather quickly - in fact, the features seemed to get him even more attention than he had before and he found that the added bonuses were helpful when he needed them for his knightly tasks 

Not to mention it seemed he was more affectionate than normal, and not in the way he normally was, it was more in a … cuddly, interested, curious manner 

One evening, you found yourself reading over several books that Albedo had recommended and became rudely distracted when Kaeya pushed his way under your arms and nestled into your lap

“Hey there.” You called down to him, hand dropping to his shoulder as he nuzzled against you. 

“Give me attention.” 

You laughed at his pouting expression, his lips turned downward and ears twisting to show he could be trusted. “I’m currently trying to figure out how to fix this, I can’t do that if I’m giving you all my attention.” His eye squinted for just a moment before he moved more into your lap and nearly pushed the book in your hands onto the floor. “Kaeya!” The playful laughter that filled his ears was as tantalizing as the drinks he let touch his lips. 

“You can figure that out later. How can you possibly resist me right now anyway?” He asked, pushing against you until your back pressed into the couch and his hands weaved their way around your body. His hair tickled your face as he nuzzled into your chest and, even though his hips dug into yours, you didn’t seem to mind the closeness he was trying to find. 

“Okay. Fine, I’ll look into it more later.” 

“What excellent news.” He practically purred as he slid his way to your neck and let his body rest against you.

 Zhongli 

It’s been so long since he saw himself with such features - and, to be honest, he didn’t notice them for some time. It wasn’t until you returned and the items in your hands fell to the floor upon seeing him that his attention was captured

“Zh - Zhongli!?” You babbled, making your way to him and not knowing what to rest your eyes on first. Was it the pair of elegantly shaped horns that sprouted between his brown locks of hair? Was it the golden slits in his eyes that reminded you of the reptiles roaming around the rocky paths of Liyue? Or did you look at the scales that decorated his face in such perfect placement? 

“Has something transpired?” His expression was one of concern, but also one of disillusionment. Did - did he not notice? 

“Are you feeling nostalgic today?” 

“Not particularly, what makes you ask?” 

“Well … you look kinda like … I mean hold on.” You quickly disappeared down the hallway before returning with a small handheld mirror, one that Zhongli had purchased for you some time ago. Handing it to him, you waited until it started to register on his face the changes to his appearance, and that’s when you noticed the long claws which jutted out from his nail beds.  

“Huh, this is peculiar …” 

Sitting down across from him, you placed your hands on the table and watched as he examined the reflection of his face. “So you didn’t do this?”

“I must say that I did not, though It is rather pleasant to see …” His voice trailed off and you watched as he fussed with his hair, touched the horns on his head, and opened his mouth to check and see if - yup, he had canines much like a dragon too. That’s when it hit you. 

“Did you … drink anything strange?” 

The mirror found its place upside down on the table, his glowing eyes shifted to you as he took in your question. You let him think and finally, he gave you his answer. “I do recall there was a strange vial on the counter when I awoke. Ah - my dear, are you unwell?” He asked as your head dropped onto the table. 

The strangest thing about Zhongli holding these features was that he seemed … perfect for them and it was becoming quite the problem to hide

You were much too cautious that someone may discover who he really was with these pretty telling additions to his wardrobe, so you asked him to stay home for a while until you could get some answers

He didn’t seem to mind, and when you were finally able to gather up all the items needed to prepare an antidote for his condition, you were finding it very distracting to make the concoction at home 

The bubbling liquid warned you it was much too hot and so, with adept fingers, you turned the nobs and burners down so as to not overheat or scald the liquid inside. The aroma that filled your nose was … unpleasant to say the least, and so you finally succumbed to the need to wrap your nose in a clean cloth. 

Turning your back to the equipment, you made your way toward the drawer where the rags were kept but when your eyes caught sight of Zhongli standing by the window, you nearly fainted. 

He was wearing a robe, the material had slid down one of his arms and rested in the crook of his elbow. It gave you pause and allowed you to see the toned torso which was normally hidden by the layers of clothing he wore on a regular day. 

Since he found no need to properly get dressed, he had reserved himself to lounge about in clothes that felt ‘more suitable’ to him, as he explained. 

The light from the sun flashed across his chest, laid softly against his face, and illuminated the golden speckles in his hair - you wondered if it was because of the horns, perhaps they were reflecting the light and making him look ethereal in the warmth of the sun. He crossed his arms and shifted his weight as he looked beyond the window, almost as if he was yearning for something far beyond his reach. 

“I think I’m nearly done.” You explain, tying the towel around your face and returning, reluctantly, to the concoction behind you. 

As you began to spoon out the unnecessary ingredients until you were only left with the pure grade potion, you didn’t notice how he had moved to your side until the small vial was filled. 

“Here you -- oh!.” He stood right in front of you. His eyes were dangerous, burning, focused. “I didn’t see … you …” He reached around to the back of your head and skillfully undid the makeshift mask you had created moments ago. When it was off, he took the vial in his hands and placed it onto the counter before returning his attention to you. “Are you … okay?” You asked, tracking the movements of his face as he leaned down toward you. 

His lips hovered barely over yours and the closeness of him made your heart flutter. “You are mine, are you not?” His voice rattled your bones from the intensity, it was oppressive and supportive all at the same time. 

“Y-yes?” 

His lips pressed against the corner of your mouth, “You belong to no one else?” 

“No …”

“Good.” 

It’s a good thing the instructions never said anything about, ‘consume immediately’ because you were very distracted for some time. 

-- 

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[cappymightwrite]

Hi! While reading your latest post on Romanticism, I was wondering about Jonsa acceptance. Do you think other characters especially their siblings would be disgusted by them or would gradually accept them? It's interesting that Ned, Cat and Robb are already dead and Rickon is too young to understand the relationship. Most we would get Ary@ and Bran reaction to it.

(Post being referenced, I think)

Hello!

Apologies to you and to all the ASOIAF asks I've yet to answer! I am very much aware of them and will get to them all eventually 😅 But anyway, your question...

I wouldn't be surprised, no, if there's some uncomfy feelings towards Jon and Sansa's relationship, once the truth of everything is revealed. Plus, in the linked Romanticism post, I talk about how people's adverse reaction to these relationships is part of the trope itself. So, for sure, I definitely expect some backlash. Would be weird if not.

But one of the strengths of Jonsa is that, setting aside the romantic element, they do make a lot of sense politically as a duo who can unite and maintain House Stark & the north. Also, they have this foundation, or lack of it, that sets them up to be easier to accept:

No evidence, whatsoever, of a particularly close bond growing up

Raised in such a way as to have kept them separate anyway — the bastard half-brother and the perfect lady, daughter to Lady Stark

Further distanced from each other since then — Jon at the Wall, Sansa in KL and then in the Vale.

And most significantly:

The reality that they are actually cousins, i.e. acceptable to marry

So, if I was a vassal of the Starks, for instance, personally I might raise an eyebrow about the circumstances, privately it'd likely serve as some fireside gossip, but publically... the necessity for peace and importantly STABLE Stark rulership would to take priority here.

The remaining Starklings are more interesting to consider...

I think you're right that Rickon might perhaps be the least adverse, so really it's Arya and Bran who could express some opposition. Certainly Arya, due to her close bond with Jon... I could see her struggling with even just Sansa and Jon spending more time together, before a romance between them is revealed, her feeling displaced in his affections etc. Emphasis on feeling and on her own perception. Narratively, that could be well worth exploring and could tie into there being a teasing of the Stark faction showing cracks, particularly between the sisters, when actually they'll come together, overcome their differences, and be stronger as a pack for it.

Bran, though? Hmm, I think it really depends on what kind of person he is by this point in the story. How far along in his magical training is he? Is he going to have an emotional response to it like his sister, or will he take a 'wider picture' type approach? Personality-wise, Bran doesn't have as fiery a character as Arya... so I can see the latter being the most obviously opposed, e.g. verbally voicing her disgust, since she's more expressive that way.

Ultimately, though, I think the way to resolve the likely issue of Jonsa for the rest of the Starklings is to emphasise the importance of the pack and how Jonsa being together actually strengthens that:

"Let me tell you something about wolves, child. When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives. Summer is the time for squabbles. In winter, we must protect one another, keep each other warm, share our strengths. So if you must hate, Arya, hate those who would truly do us harm." – AGOT, Arya II

We have to keep coming back to the above when it comes to the remaining Starks, I think. Jonsa will test them as a pack, for sure, but overall I think Arya and Bran will be able to rationalise it through the mentality of the above... that importance concerning the pack, and in particular, the pack in Winter, in times of crisis and uncertainty. So, by all means, fight with those who would truly do you harm... but know that Jon and Sansa being together romantically isn't a threat to the Starks, really, they're the packs' salvation... and its future.

Thanks for the ask! 😊🐺

[dumbikawa]

Taking Care of the HQ Boys

GN!Reader | Fluff | Warnings: None

Characters: Suna, Kuroo, Iwaizumi

A/n: I’m such a simp for these boys it’s insane

SUNA

It took Suna a while to get used to the way you never held back when it came to taking care of him. One night, after a particularly rough practice, he’d sluggishly entered the apartment and practically collapsed on top of where you were laying on the couch. Wordlessly, you positioned yourself so that he was resting on your lap with both his arms wrapped tightly around your waist. It was comfortably silent as you ran your fingers through his hair that was still slightly damp from showering at the gym and in no time at all he was softly snoring.

He'd never admit it aloud, but he loved when you took care of him in little ways like that. From the start, he had always insisted on being the big spoon, obsessed with the way your body perfectly molded against his and the satisfaction of knowing you felt safe in his arms. Ever since that night, though, it became a regular thing for you to see him standing, looking at you like a pouty child, from the corner of your eye waiting for you to take the hint that he wanted you to cuddle him. You'd simply open your arms for him to crawl into without even having to look up from your phone.

Today was no exception.

Suna can feel the physical exhaustion down to his bones as he allows the cool water to wash away the sweat and grime he collected over the course of practice. Mentally he feels the same; completely drained in every sense of the word. He can’t even find the energy to thoroughly dry his hair, opting to quickly rub it with a towel before making his way to the bedroom and collapsing on the bed.

“Rin!” you gently scold, placing the book you’d been reading beside you on the bed. “You’re going to ruin your pillow.”

“I don’t care,” he mumbles, eyes remaining shut as he lets out a content sigh. He did care, actually, but his decision was already made and now that he was in bed there was no way he was getting up. He truly meant that, but when he feels you tugging at his hand for him to get up he begrudgingly obliges.

You’re holding your hair dryer and gesturing for him to sit on the floor. It doesn’t seem wise to disobey when you look so determined, so he slides off the bed, giving you full access to his sopping mess of hair.

His eyes flutter closed as the warmth from the hairdryer and the way your fingers are skillfully brushing through his hair begins to pull him towards sleep. Not to mention, in this position he has the perfect opportunity to use your thigh as a pillow and he makes a mental note to have you dry his hair more often. But, sadly, the flow of warm air shuts off and your voice pulls him back to the present.

“C’mon you big baby,” you laugh, watching him groan and throw himself back up on the bed. He shimmies under the covers, but refuses to place his head back on the damp pillow. Instead, he stares at you with sleepy eyes until you’ve positioned yourself so that you can sit comfortably and open your arms for him.

His arms automatically snake around your waist as he buries his head in your side.

“Do I do enough to take care of you?” he asks softly, turning to look up at you with a vulnerability that he doesn't often display so openly.

“Of course, Rin,” you hum, tracing your fingers down his exposed back. He still seems unsure as he pushes his face against your shirt, but his shoulders relax slightly. “I mean it. I like taking care of you, okay? There’s nothing to repay if that’s what you’re worried about.” 

Your reassurance falls on deaf ears, though, as you feel his breathing even out and his grip on you loosening.

“I love you, baby,” you whisper, grabbing your book from where you’d set it earlier and relishing in the quiet as you continued to absentmindedly draw designs against Suna's warm skin. 

KUROO

Kuroo closes the apartment door quietly, finally letting his shoulders droop with exhaustion now that he's inside. He slips his bag noiselessly onto the ground and flicks his watch up to check the time. It was well past midnight by the time he actually clocked out of work and, although he wants nothing more than a dual welcome home/goodnight kiss from you, he hopes you’re sound asleep by now.

However, much to his surprise, you’re curled up on the couch with a book and a warm cup of tea, so enthralled in whatever you’re reading that you don't hear him approach. There’s a strong possibility you aren’t even aware of what time it is, completely lost in another world. He tests this theory by walking behind the couch and wrapping his arms around you, chuckling at the way you jump at the sudden contact.

“Welcome home!” you beam once you recover from the small scare. You press a quick kiss to his upturned lips before he walks around to the front so that he can relieve a proper hug.

“Thank you, babe,” he murmurs against your lips, not wanting to pull away from your warmth just yet. “Why aren’t you asleep?”

“I wanted to wait for you and then I got to this really good part in my book and just...lost track of what time it was.” The way your eyes light up sends a wave of admiration shooting straight through Kuroo’s heart. “How was work? Why did you have to stay so late?”

Kuroo begins walking you through his hectic day, quickly turning the discussion into an irritated rant about having to fix other people’s mistakes and figuring out schedules for upcoming projects. You listen thoughtfully as you migrate towards the kitchen, your boyfriend trailing closely behind.

Soon, there was a cup of hot tea in his hands and the two of you are positioned on the couch with your legs thrown over his lap as he gently massages your calves.

Your eyes never leave his as he talks, nodding along and asking questions every now and then. He didn’t need nor want any sort of advice or words of wisdom. Simply having you listen to him was enough to have him feeling ten times lighter by the time he reached the bottom of his cup.

“Do you want more?” you ask, beginning to stand up. Kuroo doesn’t answer, instead leaning forward and hooking his arm around your waist so that you fall back into his arms.

“More of you, yes,” he says, smiling into your hair. He can practically feel the way your eyes roll as you let out an exasperated groan at his cheesy comment, but the hint of a blush making its way to your cheeks betrays you.

You make the first move to get up, offering a hand out to him. His hand engulfs yours as you pull him towards the bedroom. The bed has new sheets and the laundry is sitting in a basket freshly washed and ready to be folded. A wave of guilt crashes into him, knowing that you also worked today and must’ve come home afterwards and cleaned up.

“Baby, you should’ve gotten some rest,” Kuroo sighs, gesturing to the laundry and neatly made  bed. "I'm certain it was my turn to do the laundry.”

“Yeah, but when you told me you had to work late I figured I’d knock out some chores since I had the time. It’s not like it’s a big deal, Tetsu.” 

“What did I ever do to deserve you?” The words have barely left his lips before he's throwing the covers over the two of you and shutting off the lights. His arms wrap around your middle as he pulls you close to him, relishing in your small giggles. It doesn't take long for you to drift to sleep while Kuroo places soft kisses against your exposed shoulders. He soon follows, matching his breathing with yours and immediately winding down, but until his brain finally shuts off from exhaustion he's thinking of all the ways he's going to show you just how much he appreciates everything you do.

IWAIZUMI

Iwaizumi watches as you begin cooking dinner for the two of you as a quiet pop song plays off your phone. His work day was less than stellar, to put it simply, but watching you dance around the kitchen has already earned the frown from his face and has him smiling like a damn fool.

“Haji!” you exclaim, suddenly noticing the lurking figure from the corner of your eye. He steps out from his hiding place, an amused yet sheepish look on his face as he notices your flustered expression. “Why were you just standing there? Come here and give me a kiss, idiot.” He raises his hands in surrender as he does what you say, letting his lips linger on yours for a moment longer than usual and wrapping his arms around your waist to draw you closer to him.

“Hey, doll,” he murmurs against your skin, resting his face into the crook of your neck. You pull back slightly, ignoring his childlike protests as you do so.

“Are you okay?” you question, eyeing him up and down. Iwaizumi is sure he could get lost in your beautiful eyes that are currently filled with concern. You know him too well, he thinks, as you give him a knowing look. It was still difficult for him to open up about things, especially small things that had bothered him throughout the day. There wasn't a real reason to talk about all the irritating parts of the day because he knows he can handle them himself, or so he claims.

“Y/n, it’s nothing,” he reassures, kissing your nose in an attempt to further prove he’s not bothered. “It was just a very long day, but now I’m back here with you and I couldn’t be happier.” His smooth talking makes it impossible for you to stay mad, but you surely try.

“Alright, well, you know you can talk about it even if it’s ‘nothing.’ In the meantime, stay here and watch the food for a moment while I run you a bath.” Iwaizumi is quick to object, but you’ve already sauntered out of the room and he can hear the faint sound of running water.

It truly did feel nice to be taken care of, he thinks fleetingly as he sinks into the warm water, but it's difficult for him to fully relax when he can hear you bustling around the kitchen. He waits in the bath for a little longer so that you won't bite his head off for how quick he was before changing  into a pair of sweatpants and a comfortable shirt. The sounds of you beginning to set the table echoes down the hallway and he finds himself hoping you'll at least let him help with that.

“You lasted longer in there than I thought," you tease as your boyfriend appears back at your side. "Now go sit down." He opens his mouth to argue, but one look and he finds himself moving towards the table, wondering why you were so intent on doing everything.

“At least let me do the dishes,” he practically pleads, watching you with an overwhelming sense of love and gratitude as you bring the warm food over to the table.

“Or, hear me out, we leave the dishes to deal with tomorrow and spend the rest of the night watching movies cuddled up on the couch." He narrows his eyes as he searches through his brain, trying to remember if he'd forgotten an anniversary or birthday because he surely didn't feel as if he deserved this.

As if reading his mind once again you reach out and hold his hand, gently rubbing your thumb in circles against his skin.

"Can't you just let me take care of you? You're constantly going above and beyond for me, so I just thought I'd try and return the favor." Iwaizumi feels his face heat up as you place a kiss against his knuckles like he always does to you. It did feel nice, but he enjoys taking care of you. He never even thinks twice about it. 

"Alright, alright. In that case, you can do the dishes tonight and maybe also get some desert." He can feel your eyes boring into him as if to say, 'Don't push it.' A smile breaks out on his face as he begins digging into the meal you prepared, peppering you with compliments until his plate is clean.

[wondereads]

Personal Review (07/24/22)

Malice by Heather Walter

Why am I reviewing this book?

I started following this author on social media ages ago, so I was really excited to read this book. I was scared my expectations would be too high, but it was very good!

Plot 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

In the Grace Houses, women blessed with golden blood use their power to enhance people's beauty, help them make decisions, and give them special talents. Alyce works in a Grace House, but her blood is green instead of gold and brings misfortune instead of happiness. Shunned by everyone, Alyce dreams of far-off lands as she trains her powers to aid in her escape, but she finds solace and an unlikely reason to stay in Aurora, the princess of the people who hate her.

I won't lie, this book moves a little slowly. It is very interwoven with the politics of the Graces and Briar, the kingdom. Most of this book is Alyce carefully side-stepping the expectations laid upon her and societal norms in order to do what is necessary. If you're looking for something with heavy conflict or fast-paced action, this would probably bore you pretty quickly. However, if you are a political fantasy person like me, it's all very interesting.

I really liked the worldbuilding, which gave tons of attention to Briar and the neighboring fae kingdom while allowing the rest of the world to be up to the reader. I also liked how the history of the area was warped by both personal biases and the passage of time. Everyone who told the story had a personal stake in it, thus it's impossible to parse the truth from the lies, very similar to how real history plays out.

On one hand, it was intriguing how most of the issues come from Alyce's own actions. It's always better to have a mess of a protagonist that the readers can root for rather than someone perfect who just happens to get drawn into bad things. On the other, this resulted in a lot of miscommunication and jumping to conclusions, which was very frustrating. Finally, if you couldn't tell, this is a Sleeping Beauty retelling. It did it very well, but I couldn't help but notice that certain aspects of the story were altered to make it work out better for the romance.

Characters 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

Does Alyce make a lot of mistakes? Yes. Will I ever blame her for those mistakes? No. Alyce is a very flawed character that drives the story forward through her own vices, but she is also incredibly easy to root for and very compelling. While she did have moments where I was banging my head against a wall at her stupidity (she is very easily manipulated), I never found myself in a place where I didn't want her to succeed. Also, I do like that it is made abundantly clear that Alyce is not attractive. In fact, she is incredibly unattractive (with no room for 'oh she just doesn't realize she's pretty), which is rare for a main character.

Aurora is the love interest in this one, and as a character she was alright. I did like her as a person, she seems to have strong morals and a kind heart, but I hope she gets some more depth in the sequel. To be fair, Alyce really only starts actually spending time with her halfway through the book, but compared to a character as complex and nuanced as Alyce she does pale in comparison. However, I adored their relationship. It developed very slowly, with lots of pining included, and I'm very interested to see how it'll play out.

I think there was surprising amount of depth in the side characters. People presented as wholly good and tormented at the beginning are revealed to be cruel or selfish and people that would normally be unapologetically evil are given reasoning for their behavior and perhaps a chance for redemption. It makes sense with the theme of the story considering Alyce is universally hated and yet is just a woman who craves freedom. Unfortunately, the main villain is pretty one-dimensional with predictable goals and behaviors.

Writing Style 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

The writing style didn't particularly stand out to me, but I didn't find any issues with it either. The descriptions are detailed, I liked how Alyce's feelings came across, and there were no anachronistic phrases or concepts. However, nothing caught my eye either.

In my opinion, the pacing could use a little work. It starts off very slow. The last third or so of the book is so intense and attention-grabbing, so I wish there had been some more of that earlier on. Whether that would be higher stakes or just more going on, I just wish there was more tension considering how slowly the plot moves in the first half.

Meaning 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

Alyce's ostracization can be a metaphor for a lot of forms of discrimination, but I think the most obvious and most related to this story is the struggle of queer people. Being gay is often something that is demonized and when someone realizes that they're queer, they can also see themselves as a monster. Alyce is also a great example of how even though she is discriminated against, she isn't free of fault. She still makes bad decisions and must deal with the consequences, she just shouldn't have to suffer from prejudice on top of it.

Overall 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

My expectations were thoroughly met by this book. While it did have its issues, mostly with pacing, the plot was solid, I loved the characters, and it had a good message. Be warned: there's a pretty horrendous cliffhanger, which is why I plan to buy the sequel before the end of the summer. I'm excited to see how Alyce's story plays out. If fairytale retellings or political fantasy are your thing, I'd definitely recommend this book for you.

The Author

Heather Walter: American, librarian, Malice is her debut novel

The Reviewer

My name is Wonderose; I try to post a review every week, and I do themed recommendations every once in a while. I take suggestions! Check out my about me post for more!

[mistaeq]

Hope u don't mind me requesting again but I was wondering if u could do headcanons for the crusaders with a reader who likes to quote memes or vines like when she's got an idea of some sort she's just like "oh yeah, big brain time" or they're in a fight with an enemy she's like "I'ma bad b*tch you can't kill me", I just wanna see their reaction to someone with that chaotic energy (sorry if this doesn't make sense ':>)

Stardust Crusaders: With a s/o who Quotes Memes and Vines

TW // none

Thank you for your request! I genuinely had a lot of fun writing this idea for these five dorky men <3 enjoy!

Stardust Crusaders with a s/o who's often quoting memes and Vines, had to be fem!s/o, but I didn't need to point out reader's gender while writing, so it turned out kinda neutral.

WORD COUNT: 1.3k

KUJO JOTARO

He's annoyed by your habit most of the time, but he can't deny that sometimes the result is pretty hilarious, above all when you happen to do it when fighting against enemy stand users.

Jotaro was trying to figure out a way to attack without being noticed, to make sure it could be effective and quick, when he heard you whisper "Big brain time", and the second after, you suddenly screamed at the top of your lungs, yeeting your stand against the enemy stand user.

"YOU'RE TRYING TO FUCK WITH MY HOMIES RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY SALAD?" screeching more or less the same way Stroheim would have done years ago, you guide your attack, your stand successfully making the enemy retire.

He tries to look annoyed and pissed, but you still managed to win, and he must admit he's a proud boyfriend. Jotaro is silently complimenting you, in his mind. Still, he scolds you. You acted in an irresponsible way and you could get really hurt.

When you see him so pissed over your behavior, all you manage to do is trying to ignore him. "Y/n, I'm not done with you." you usually shrug. "...Hi Not Done With You, I'm y/n."

Sometimes you both wonder how did such different people like you two end up together. But to be honest, Jotaro getting worried over you is something you enjoy, and seeing you so confident in your fighting skills makes Jotaro feel all proud and relieved you're not breaking down.

JOSEPH JOESTAR

He doesn't really know what these hilarious sentences are, but hearing you quoting them always gives him a reason to say he's in a good mood despite the pressure DIO puts on your lives.

The six of you were on your way to Pakistan, just before your fight with Wheel Of Fortune, and you were sitting right next to Joseph. Out of boredom, you both were reading the road signs, and you took the occasion to be yourself.

"Road Work Ahead..." Joseph read out loud. You snorted, and rested your head on your hand, smiling at him, and answering, whispering to not to annoy your fellow crusaders. "Uh, yeah, I sure hope it does." The man loudly laughed, scaring Polnareff who was driving.

Unfortunately, after that hilarious moment, you got really hurt in the fight against Wheel Of Fortune, and before even thinking of driving a kilometer more, they had to be sure you were okay. You really looked dead.

Much to Joseph's relief, after he pulled you up from the ground, holding you tight in his arms and caressing your hair a couple of times, you opened your eyes. And noticed his ones were almost teary. Did he get that much scared?

You immediately smiled, not wanting to see him like that. You pulled a thumb up, a smug grin on your face. "I'm a bad bitch, he can't kill me." the man laughed, tenderly kissing your forehead and letting you back in the car.

MUHAMMAD AVDOL

He knows what those quotes are. Avdol doesn't really mind them, he finds those genuinely funny. But he minds them when you fuck up your protection just because you want to quote those.

He particularly remembers that time you were with Polnareff, when a clone of Avdol himself and a clone of Jean's sister, Sherry, were created by an enemy stand user. He was watching the two of you from afar, just before joining you and saving you. As soon as you saw the clone of your boyfriend, you eyed at Polnareff.

"Are you telling me you asked for THIS thing, Jean? This is not Avdol, this is some flesh without his feelings! This bitch's EMPTY!" your strong stand picked up the clone, and threw him violently on the ground, over Polnareff's head. "YEET!"

When you did that, it took no time for the clone to rip off a bite of your leg, and you couldn't express how much it hurt. When you learnt that the actual Avdol was there too, much to Polnareff's surprise since he didn't know anything, you immediately scolded your boyfriend.

"You could come and help a little sooner... mother trucker, dude. That bite hurt like a buttcheek on a stick." Avdol stayed silent for a couple of seconds, before bursting into a laughter with you, kissing your lips. "I missed you so much, babe."

Avdol spent the following twenty minutes in checking on you and making sure you had no more severe wounds that could interfere with your trip to Egypt. He's pretty apprehensive, when it comes to you.

KAKYOIN NORIAKI

He totally knows what those quotes are and laughs with you on those. It's likely for you and Noriaki to understand each other and communicate through memes and Vine quotes. It happens to be useful to talk without enemies understanding you.

The crusaders have plenty of war flashbacks of you and Kakyoin acting weird because of those. For example, the time you were walking with your boyfriend, along with Jotaro and Anne. You genuinely tried to hold back from quoting vines around Jotaro, but as soon as a man threw a paper on the ground and not in the bin, you two screamed.

"WHOEVER THREW THAT PAPER, YOUR MOM'S A HOE!" that's one of the reasons that pushed Jotaro and Anne to isolate themselves from the actual Kakyoin and the actual you, being attacked by Rubber Soul afterwards.

Rubber Soul and his fellow enemy stand users were an infuriating thing for you and Kakyoin. Last time you had a talk together, understanding they were only serving DIO for money, you found yourselves pissed off. Like for real.

"We here not having the money for some chicken nuggets and still helping Jotaro and Mr. Joestar for FREE and y'all want a hundred thousand dollars from a naked vampire? Not gonna happen, Karen!"

You're able to bring out the loudest part of Noriaki, since none of the crusaders like the same stuff of this type the way he does. You often call each other "dude" or "bitch" - regardless of your genders, in fact you called him a bitch several times -, even if you're an actual couple.

JEAN PIERRE POLNAREFF

He doesn't really know what those quotes are, but he finds it hilarious when you say them, and gets interested in it, so that he can get the reference when you repeat those. He starts saying those too, afterwards.

It happened when you met Hol Horse, a fast, precise bullet coming towards you, as you and Polnareff moved a little, but enough for the bullet to get in the little space between you, leaving you safe and sound. It had scared you, you weren't gonna lie, and in both your minds, a perfect vine quote appeared.

"Ah, stooop. We coulda dropped our croissant." if that quote wasn't perfect to be said with your boyfriend... nothing else could ever be. You both laughed, as Hol Horse realized he was alone against two people, and before you could say anything more, he was running away.

Teaching vine and memes quotes to Polnareff is the cutest thing ever, because you know he's gonna use them sometime, with your fellow crusaders or with enemies. But he doesn't have a great memory, and will need your help.

"Next time you put your fuckin' hands on me, imma fucking... babe help." no wonder Enyaba was staring at you two with a scared and confused look on her face. "...rip your face off..." you helped him. "...rip your face off." Polnareff repeated. "...bitch." you added, whispering. "Putain." you choked on your breath, did Jean fucking say bitch in french?

Polnareff has no chill, if you're willing to risk it all for a vine quote, he'll fucking do it with you, no matter what. Jotaro wants you two dead.

[nsfsprince]

Let Me Escape In Your Arms

-title from 'Be Together' by Major Lazer

-NSFS Fic! Minors DNI!-

Pairing: Anxceit (soft dom!Virgil, sub!Janus)

Word count: 2653

Fic warnings(Let me know if I missed anything!): Fae!Virgil, Human!Janus, Trans!Janus. Mixed terms used to describe Janus's genetalia(I.e. cunt and little cock, primarily), overstimulation, multiple orgasms, fingering, oral sex, p in v penetrative sex, orgasm denial, and uhh... Marathon sex?(sorta kinda? More like Virgil fucks Janus in a fairy circle for hours and Janus is completely on board w/ it)

Extra lore notes: This fic is actually using the concept from (This Fic Idea) I had a while ago, and while i have yet to write a full story fic for it, i ended up writing this smut fic first. Theres more info about them on that short idea blurb that i recommend you read first just so things make a little more sense? Both to understand their backstory and to understand why Janus is human but is described as having scales.

Niether are elaborated on as this is mostly just a p*rn no plot fic. like they get right into it from the first sentence, you've been warned. xD

~~~~~~~~~~

One of the first times they had ever gotten intimate before, Virgil had sat his perfect little human in his lap, back to his chest, and fingered Jan's cunt slowly till he came apart. He worked his fingers skillfully till Janus was coming over and over again, squirming and keening in overstimulation but never tapping out.

 Janus had immediately become sort of addicted to the feeling, being practically pulled apart at the seams with all the pleasure he could possibly take and more. Virgil seemed to adore taking his time in gently pulling Janus's mind apart with pleasure, piece by loving piece.

His deep raspy voice had cooed over how wet Janus was, how cute it was that his slick had soaked their laps and coated Virgil's fingers, how good Janus was doing by taking his fingers so well.

Janus had remained squirmy for days afterward, as even the memory of Virgil's fingers pressing deep into his cunt while keeping his legs spread wide got him hot and bothered.

Virgil was content to let him squirm; Eager, even, to whisper naughty things in Janus's ears to make him even more hot and bothered. Just to see how long it would take for Janus to break and finally ask for another night of pleasure.

Janus lasted a whole week before Virgil caught him trying to finger himself, wet and frustrated beyond belief that he couldn't quite reach the same spots Virgil had to drive himself wild. Feeling generous at seeing his love frustrated to tears, he ends up dragging Janus back into his lap and beginning the slow process of pulling Janus apart once more.

The tears of relief after Jan's first orgasm are utterly worth skipping over any real punishment for having been caught trying to orgasm without permission. Virgil figures instead that the next few slow-building and torturously drawn out orgasms that leave overstimulated tears in Janus's eyes is punishment enough.

~~~~~~~~~~

Not long after, they grew curious enough to explore penetrative sex.

It starts out as a makeout session that progressively gets hotter and hansier than normal, Virgil unable to help his subconscious need to hold and caress his scaled love. He has one hand gently pinning Jan's hips as he slots himself between Janus' legs, his other hand gently cradling his loves head as they trade heated kisses.

Janus's soft gasps turn into sharp whines and tiny moans as Virgil bears his weight down on the other, his shorter legs locking around the fae's hips instinctually as they slowly grind against one another. 

Virgil groans at the feeling, his pitch dropping so unnaturally deep that Janus feels it in his own chest. The kiss breaks only for Virgil to lick his way back into Janus's mouth, purring lowly with the way that Janus moans into the kiss.

He finally breaks the kiss to trail sharp kisses downward to cover his love's neck and shoulders with hickeys and bite marks, and his eyes go dark at the way Janus outright squirms and moans.

"Please, oh fuck, Virge, Vee, please? Need you, ah!-" with their mental link from Virgil's claim on Janus, Virgil understands roughly what Janus actually wants and is more than happy to give it to him. He's quick to lay the other back onto his cloak, tugging at his loves clothes with care as not to rip the fabric in his eagerness.

Once Janus is stripped bare from the chest down, Virgil doesn't hesitate to press his head between Janus's thighs to suck on Janus's clit. Immediately, Janus's eyes roll a bit at the feeling, moaning and squirming uselessly against the hands gripping his thighs to keep them open.

Virgil's eyes remain open yet lidded as he watches Janus's reactions, his wide pupils darkening his eyes even further at Janus's rambling pleas of "please," and "more!"

One hand's long lithe fingers reach down to stoke between Jan's folds, slicking them up before slowly pressing the first into the other's slick twitching cunt.

Janus moans at the feeling, his eyes skittering downward before whimpering loudly when he locks his gaze with the dark heated one of his supernatural lover staring right back at him as the fae continues to lap and suck at his little cock. 

It takes a few moments before Virgil starts pumping his finger in time with his mouth, leisurely stoking the others walls in an effort to make Janus slowly lose his mind to pleasure.

The second finger is more noticeable than the first, but Virgil is quick to distract with the hard relentless way that he sucks at Jan's cock. Jan's hips quiver and buck against Virgil's ceaseless onslaught, gasping and moaning as two fingers turn to three.

"Please, Virge, ah! Need you! Want you inside of me, please?" Janus begs, his legs falling open as his eyes roll at a particularly deep press from the three long fingers stretching open his cunt.

Virgil's eyes get impossibly darker with arousal, using his free hand to easily hold up Janus's hips as he changes angles a bit. Janus barely has time to be confused before Virgil's tongue starts prodding at his cunt where his fingers disappear into, hooking past the rim and tonguing his way inside, much to Jan's surprise. This wasn't exactly what he'd meant, but it feels heavenly all the same, especially with the immediate way that Virgil seems to enjoy it.

Virgil is practically darkeyed with bliss, getting direct feedback from how good he's making Janus feel and absolutely adoring using his mouth to please his lover. He can't even seem to help the way his eyes flutter closed, continuing to stretch and fuck open his love with his fingers so his tongue can fuck itself deeper at every pass and taste his love intimately. 

Janus is losing his mind, rapidly approaching his orgasm with the way that Virgil is touching him, gasping and moaning a warning. All Virgil does is remove his fingers, pressing his tongue deep to fill the space and using his slick fingers to stroke Janus's cock.

It doesn't take more than a few seconds more for Janus to come, gasping and whining at the way Virgil groans into his cunt. 

Infact, Virgil doesn't even seem to care to stop, licking and sucking on Janus's slick as he pleasures Janus through his orgasm and right into overstimulation. Janus trembles, eyes shut as he focuses on the hot overstimulated feeling of Virgil's tongue in his twitching cunt, keening at the way Virgil occasionally sucks on the rim of his entrance.

When his shaking hands finally listen to his frazzled mind, Jan manages to gently tug at Virgil's hair, panting at the way Virgil is easily working him up again. Virgil barely breaks away with a slightly petulant hum, making a slick noise as he stops long enough to listen, though he looks utterly blissed out to have Janus' slick dripping down his chin.

"Virge, Please, fuck. Made me feel so good, want you inside, want your cock, want you to fuck me with it, please?" Janus pants, trying to be a little clearer this time but not regretting the first misunderstanding even a little bit, especially since it seemed to be something Virge had been enjoying thoroughly.

Virgil growled lowly and sat up, licking his lips as his eyes flickered headily over the wrecked way his lover looked, absentmindedly pleased to be able to see just how skilled he had been at pleasuring his love.

His dark eyes gazed reverently at his beautiful human, his clean hand reaching up to cradle his love's scaled cheek to check in. Janus just nuzzled against Virgil's hand, a soft muttering of 'Green' further soothing Virgil's anxieties. 

Slowly he reached down to free himself of his pants, stroking his half hard cock to full attention with little trouble as he gazed down at his wrecked love, the blissful taste of slick still fresh on his tongue.

He watched as Janus's attention narrowed down to his large cock, whimpering flusteredly as Virgil reached out and stroked between Jan's folds to gather enough slick to lube up his cock. Once he was assured he was slick enough, he slotted himself back fully between Janus' legs, groaning as his cock prodded at Janus' cunt.

He reached out and pressed his love's knees to their chest, keeping a firm but gentle grip on Jan's thighs as he lined up and slowly pressed inside.

He kept his gaze firmly on Janus's expression, watching and feeling alertly for any discomfort from his love as he slowly and carefully sank to the hilt. Janus's eyes had fluttered shut, his jaw slack and eyebrows furrowed in an overwhelmed but not pained or uncomfortable manner.

Once fully resting inside, Virgil made to pause for Janus, giving the other time to adjust to his size and waiting for the okay to move.

For a long moment Janus stayed still and quiet, his eyes scrunching a bit before fluttering open slightly with a soft whine that fizzled into a moan. Virgil was almost worried until Jan started shifting his hips slightly, only to suddenly be clenching hard around the other's cock, apparently so worked up that he ended up orgasming just from finally having his lover's cock inside him.

"My sweet serpent, Do I really feel that good inside you, hm? I hadn't even started moving yet.~" Virgil teased softly, leaning down to nuzzle his love's cheek, cooing lovingly at the embarrassed expression.

He could feel his love try to clench around him in retaliation, only for Jan to moan when his cunt throbbed in overstimulation. He cooed again, reaching down to stroke his love's sensitive chest scales in a comforting motion, pressing reassuring kisses to the others' flushed face. 

When asking if he should continue, he received a flustered yes, and that was really all he needed to actually start fucking his human lover.

He was slow at first, easing himself in and out of his trembling love to really make sure he wouldn't hurt him. Given that Janus's cunt was already dripping with slick again, his cock had no trouble easing in and out of his love's entrance, every thrust feeling smoother than the last.

He'd been waiting for ages to feel this, the way Janus flutters around his cock, the deep hot and tight heat of someone yet to be claimed before. It made a deep part of Virgil's fae instincts flare happily, getting to claim Janus as his and only his, completely and utterly. No one else could have Janus if Virgil's instincts had any say in the matter. 

(They usually didn't, to be fair. Janus was still his own person and capable of making his own decisions, even if he was Virgil's by the rules of the fairfolk. Virgil would never trap Janus if he didn't want to be confined. So it was perhaps the best case-scenario that Janus was actually intent on being Virgil's and only Virgils.)

At this point Janus was gasping and moaning, hands threaded tightly into Virgil's cloak as the other picked up the pace a little. He couldn't help it, fucking Janus felt good. 

Janus was taking his cock with ease, even as Virgil changed his angle a bit and ended up constantly ramming over Janus' g-spot with every thrust which just made Janus moan even louder. It was heavenly, the way that his lover's tight cunt clenched around Virgil's cock at every pass, the way that he just barely fit all the way inside and the fact that that was driving Janus's mind crazy.

Still, Virgil had to be careful as he was trying not to overdo it, knowing he didn't exactly have a refractory period like Janus did. Through their connection he could feel Janus getting close again, and he had an idea.

"You may not cum yet, Janus." He purred lowly, reaching within his grasp of control over Janus, as Janus was his, and made a command the human's body would be forced to follow.

Janus keened, his mind naturally losing some coherency from his lover's command as it always does when being Told by Virgil, shaking as the pleasure instead just kept building, and building, and building.

He couldn't think about anything except the large cock repeatedly stretching him open and the fact that he wasn't physically capable of falling over the edge until Virgil told him he could. 

Virgil kept him that way for hours, blissed out on pure unparalelled pleasure as Virgil kept relentlessly fucking his cunt, the command keeping his mortal body indefinitely on the cusp of orgasm. 

(Janus had agreed to a session like this long before this scene anyway, knowing his answer to spending countless hours being absolutely railed by Virgil in a fairy circle was always going to be a yes. Virgil had just wanted his spoken affirmation first.)

At some point Janus was flipped onto his hands and knees, not that he stayed in that position for very long. His arms were quick to give out, leaving Virgil to hold up his hips and drape over his back to keep going. Not that Virgil minded, oh no, he was in bliss watching his love press his chest to the ground and hips up into his thrusts, fisting at the now ruined cloak they'd been fucking over in near-mindless pleasure.

Occasionally Virgil would slow into deep heady thrusts, pressing as deeply as he could to practically breed the back of his cunt to make Janus mewl, other times he would speed up his thrusts and thumb roughly at Jan's little cock till the poor thing was screaming with pleasure. 

One minute melded into the next, one hour feeling like three and three hours feeling like one. 

Not that Janus was even currently capable of being aware of time, oh no. Virgil's commanding hold over Janus created a heady mind fog like nothing else Jan's ever experienced, making him utterly pliant to Virgil's wishes and following commands. 

Better yet, Virgil makes one single more command soon after the first to really drive home the 'pleasured to incoherently' goal:

"When I cum inside you, Janus, it will feel like liquid pleasure. As long as my cum is inside of you, you will feel pure pleasure from it."

Combined with the relentless accumulative and constant pleasure of being on orgasms edge for literally hours on end, there's little to no room for any thought that's not centered around the hard cock pounding his cunt, the cum that fills him, and the deep warm voice praising him for taking it all so well. 

When hours have passed, and Virgil has completely sated his need to pleasure his love to incoherency, when he's filled Janus's cunt over and over with so much cum that his love's poor twitching cunt and thighs are dripping with it and pooling onto the floor under him, does Virgil finally, finally give the command to "Cum for me, Janus."

And he gets to watch Janus's eyes roll and his body jolt as his orgasm finally crashes down around him. It lasts at least a few minutes, Janus silently screaming with pleasure as his body rides out the hours long orgasm denial.

 Pulse after dizzying pulse disorients him, as if every orgasm he would have had had lined up to be individually processed(probably Virgil's magical doing, if he's being honest), one after the other with no end in sight for the longest time. 

His cunt milks Virgil's cock for all he's got left, pulling one last peak from Virgil that makes Janus jolt and finally break the silence with a strangled mewl.

More cum leaks from Janus's twitching cunt as Virgil finally pulls out, taking a long moment to gaze at the mess he's made of his thoroughly wrecked lover. 

Yes, they'd absolutely have to do this again sometime, and hopefully soon.

----

Bc u wanted to be tagged: @creative-lampd-liberties

[rosetintedgunman]

In the same way that Wilford doesn't fit into the gloomy atmosphere of Murderville, Murdock sticks out like a sore thumb in the Moonlight Roller, squinting as he tries to make sense of why he's here to begin with. Oh, well, it's not like anything in his life made any logical sense anymore. Why should he question this? He makes his way to the bar, squinting at the sight of a familiar pink moustache.

"Wilford? What're you- actually, I don't know why I'm so surprised." Of course he'd be inside some weird reality-warping place. He hesitates for a second before taking a seat at the bar, still a bit bewildered. "So... what is this place?" — @alwayshorrible

@alwayshorrible

-

Murdock might stand out, but he wasn't the first to grace the Moonlight Roller with a black-heavy outfit choice. It was bright and gaudy, like it belonged in a time long passed, yet it didn't feel particularly misplaced. If anything, the quirkiness made it almost feel like a themed bar. Some musicians were setting up on the stage that was framed with colourful bunting to the left, while a bar was nestled against the far wall straight in front of Murdock. And there, moving some stock under the counter, was none other than Wilford.

Unlike other times, the pink-moustached nuisance was genuinely unaware of the new arrival until he heard his name. "Hey there, welcome ta - Murdy!!" Whatever was being arranged behind the counter was abandoned to he could hop onto his feet and rest both hands on the table. "I didn't think y'd actually come. Oh! Did that mean my invite arrived?"

(An invite was never sent. Or maybe it would arrive in the future. Who knows?)

"This place is my pride an' joy - th' Moonlight Roller! Downstairs is a rollerskatin' rink, an' up here is a bar an' little nightclub. It's cute, isn't it? Th' perfect step away fer any story!" Arms were raised overhead as he gestured to their surroundings, before resting back on the wooden surface. "So, what drink are ya havin'? It's on me."

[akarinittalovers]

•Nanaba Part I: Confessions

It was quite a boring day in the Survey Corps, there is nothing to do. No, saying that there is nothing to do is not correct, there are still many tasks to finish especially this early in the day. This was just all you do after being promoted as a squad commander. There was just a lot and a lot of paperwork especially in between expeditions like right now.

You let out a sigh as you finish another stack of paper for today. But still, your work here is far from over. You peek at other stacks of paper on your desk waiting to be done. You will be here for a while.

You place your head on the desk taking a short break. Honestly, you wanted to cry and just run away from all this, you would prefer to fight a titan than doing this. Suddenly you straighten up your back and slap both of your cheeks.

'No, we are fighting Titan so that we could live peacefully like this.' you thought to yourself.

With Your spirit renewed and you prepare to fulfill your duty to completion. But as you grabbed on the next paper to fill there are knocking on the door of your office. You are honestly a little pissed off by it but then again it might be something important or at least something that elevated your boredom and hopefully not an additional task.

You calmed and tidy yourself up before permitting whoever was outside of the door by saying "please come in."

After you say that the handle on the door moved downward and it's slowly open revealing a figure of the person who knocked. A short hair blonde woman, not very tall and she has a somewhat petite body.

"Excuse me." That person said before entering and closing the door behind her back.

You silently thank the heavens. The person who just enters your office is someone you actually want to see.

"Oh, Turn out its Nanaba." You said

"Is it a bad time, sir?."

You shook your head gently before the answer her. "Not really, I just finished part of my work though I still got some left."

"I see, hope I am not bothering you too much, sir." She said as she walks towards your desk. You are almost mesmerized by how gracefully she walked - Well, we are being honest here she just walked like a normal person but for you, she was as graceful as a butterfly. -

"Not at all, I'm glad you can come here, and could you stop calling me sir, please. Call me by my name."

"Eh?... Why not it sounds nice on you." She said as she moved aside your stack of paper and then she sits on your desk. "You deserve it, after all, Squad leader." She said teasingly.

You sighed tiredly as she let out a small laugh.

"I think you're the one who deserves to be promoted. Your skills are far better than mine after all." You said to her.

"Well, that is true. I am skilled and talented moreover I am cooler than you." She said in a teasing manner. But then her tone changes into something more serious. "Still, I think you will be a better leader than me. You are smart, courageous, and reliable. You've saved my life many times before, thank you for that." Nanaba said to you with a sweet and gentle smile.

As both of your eyes meet each other gaze your heart skipped a beat and you couldn't help but get flustered to her. It seems that Nanaba also experienced the same thing as you are since you could see a blush forming on her cheeks. To everyone surprised she was the first to avert her gaze.

That doesn't mean that your situation was any better though. Your heartbeat is very chaotic and it perfectly reflects your emotions right now. You cough at your fist as a way to calming yourself down.

"Well, we are comrades after all, and besides you also save mine countless, times before," you said. "Then tell me why are you came here?."

"Why?... No reason I just wanted to see you that all. You have been working all day and don't even come out of this room at all."

"All day?." You asked her.

"Yeah, it's already 8 pm. You haven't come out all day."

"What!? 8 pm?." You shouted at her. You then practically jump out of your work chair and run towards the window and open its thicks blind. The scenery you see outside of your window is shocking. Beautiful sunlight that illuminates the world is long gone and the recruit who is training in the field is nowhere to be seen. "Just how long have I been working here anyway?."

Seeing your shocked face Nanaba let out a laughed.

"Poor thing too focused on doing the task to forget the time. You shouldn't do that you know. Please take care of your health." She said while gently bonked your head. "Just take a rest, I'll make you some tea."

"Yeah, you are right thank you."

You return to your seat and resting your back on it. Your eyes followed Nanaba, seeing her made a hot tea for you. Just by seeing her like this was honestly enough to restore your energy.

Not long after that, she finished

making you tea and gave it to you.

"Here it is." She gave the teacup to you.

"Thanks." You take a teacup from her hand.

You relaxed your whole body as you began to take a sip from the teacup. The fragrant taste of the expensive tea began to fill your mouth. It was quite expensive tea that only rich merchants could buy. You only got your hand on this because you got a particularly generous discount and you got some money saved. Honestly, You rather saved this tea for special occasions but again since Nanaba was the one who made the tea its should be count as a special occasion right?.

You close your eyes trying to savor as much tea flavor as possible. Your mouth then let out an "Ahhh," as the tea wash down your throat filling it with a warm delight. Still, despite you being drowned out by pleasure, you couldn't help but notice a pair of eyes surveying your every movement.

You decide to see what's up with that and you saw it. Nanaba sitting at your desk, one of her hands holding her head in her hand. Her face is filled with a gentle yet beaming smile and Her gaze is fixated on you.

"Wha-." Before you could finish your word Nanaba hands already reached both sides of your cheeks, holding them quite tightly.

"You know, I lied to you," Nanaba said.

You who were still left speechless by her previous action started to wonder what does she meant by 'lied to you'. Just as your mind wonders about what going on, Nanaba pulls your face closer to her and places her lips into yours.

At that moment your wondering mind went blank and your body froze unable to move. All of your brainpower to focus on the tender feeling of her lips on yours. The sweet and gentle sensation flooded your senses.

The kiss lasted for a few seconds that felt like an eternity. Though you would love it to last forever there are important that needed to be addressed first.

After Nanaba pulled away from your face and get her hands off your face, you placed your hands on her shoulders. The expression on your face was hideous, it was a combination of scared, disbelief, and panic. But as hideous as it was your expression right now perfectly mirrors your heart.

"Wh- Wh- What are you doing Nanaba?."

"I got tired," Nanaba said.

"Tired?." You tilt your head slightly in confusion.

"Well, the thing is I knew that you had a crush on me, and I also kind of liked you. So I decided to if you confessed to me I would accept it. But I am stupid thinking that way. We are members of the survey corps we don't know when we are gonna die. I couldn't just sit around waiting for you to come to me."

Nanaba breaks eye contact with you. You could notice a blush start to forming on her cheeks. The usual confident Nanaba now is nowhere to be seen and what replaces her was the vulnerable Nanaba. Honestly, you feel honored to have her showing that side of herself to you.

After taking a few deep breaths she looks you deep in your eyes, her face filled with conviction that she gonna do it right here, right now but still, it was quite evident that holding back her blush a lot.

"So that why I am betting everything on this," she said. while she was not screaming her tone was definitely louder than she usually was.  "I will live for you so please live on for me. I love you Y/N."

After hearing that you pulled Nanaba closer to you into a tight embrace. In response to your hug, Nanaba also wrapped her hand around your body and rested her head on your shoulder. Surprisingly but expectedly your shoulder where she places her head feels damp. She just let out all of the feelings to you and knowing her personality it was possibly her first time doing it, so it makes sense if she was overwhelmed by it.

"As expected your body is warm." She whispered to you. You also could feel her hands move around your back and petting your head.

"How did you know that I like you?." You asked her.

"I don't know, I lied. I just hope that you do like me. I- I am sorry if I am assuming your feelings, I am okay if- if you don't like me back but just don't hate me." She began to hold you even more tightly while holding back her tear.

You went and gently stroke her short blonde hair as a way to comfort her. "I never gonna hate you Nanaba. You were right I have had a crush on you ever since the first time we meet I want nothing more but to spend the rest of my life with you, to protect you. That is why I am joining the Survey Corps in the first place to be with you."

"So that why you join the Survey Corps, it is because of me." Nanaba looks you in the eyes once more. "Y/N, You dummy I don't need your protection." She bonked your head again "Well since you joined the Survey Corps because of me it's become my responsibility to protect you. Nanaba said teasingly and with a big smile.

"I look forward to being protected by you, Nanaba. I knew you are strong but still, I want to protect you as well."

"Let's promise we look for each other back. Like I said we live for each other." She said smiling.

"That a promise."

Both of you giggle at each other and then that giggle grew into a laugh but not long after that both of you went silent with eyes inspecting each other bodies. She is just perfect in your eyes from her short blonde hair, her majestic blue eyes, and her whole body and You are also as equally perfect in her eyes.

Both of your heads get closer once more. Nanaba could smell the sweet fragrant of the tea you had been drinking as she feels your breath and you also sense a fruity sense from her as her shadow began to cover your eyes. A what felt like an eternity later both of your mouths finally meet again as you went on a passionate kiss with your lover.

Your knees got weaker as you experience something that you always dream of but never actually believe you could do it. You hold on to her for balance while keeping both of your eyes closed so you could focus on one thing, your mouth.

Both of you pulled away from each other faces but both of your arms still squeezing one another bodies tightly. Both of you giggle at each other as your forehead touch against her's. The warm feeling of her breath and her very existence there bring you a sense of euphoria.

"Your mouth still has a sweet tea taste on it," Nanaba said as she released her hold over you and turn away walking towards the exit.

Feeling quite disappointed and confused you grabbed her hand holding her in place before asking. "Nanaba where are you going?."

She then turns her head towards you and answered. "Well, I would love to stay and spend a night here but we can't do it right now."

"Why is that." You asked her.

"Take a guess."

You do as she said and after a short deliberation later you came to a conclusion. Knowing her you are about 90% sure you came to the right conclusion.

"You came here to inform me that Erwin has summoned me to join the meeting at his office along with every high-ranking officer of the Survey Corps but instead of doing that you got carried away teasing me and somehow ended up confessing your love to me. Is that correct, Nanaba-san?." You said with a tired expression on your face.

"Oh wow, your guess is spot on. That amazing Y/N, I always knew you are smart but damn."

You let go of Nanaba hand and walked to your desk and fondle around the papers on it scanning it before choosing to be placed on the paper folder that you'll bring to Erwin.

"Guessing you was easy enough. Well, you go there first, I'll meet you there. I need to prepare the paperwork for the meeting first."

"I see, then see you there."

Nanaba waves her hand at you first before she began to walk away towards the door of your office. She then opens the door and steps outside of it but before she closed the door, she called out your name.

"Y/N..." You look at her. Her head peeks inside a half-closed door to your office, her hand is still on the handle. "I'll look forward to our next hand-to-hand combat training session." She said before closing the door with a wink.

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