#choosing 3 of anything is always so difficult lol | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

astrologylunadream · 10 months ago

Text

What They're Missing With You! 💅🎀✨️ (Pick a card/Tarot love reading)

Hii it's Lunadream💋💋💋 We're gonna see exactly what that person on your mind is missing out on with you!😎💖 Let me hype you all up right now🙌 hope you find your message🎀

(Some piles may contain 18+⚠️)

Notice: Only take what resonates because the most important thing is your own judgement!♡ If anything doesn't resonate, don't worry! It's not your message right now <3 (Entertainment purpose only. All rights reserved)

Now, shall we begin~? ^w^ Think of the person on your mind, and pick whichever pile that fits the energy you're feeling~😘💖

Pile 1💥

Pile 2🛍

Pile 3💄

Pile 4💸

Take your time and choose carefully with the heart~♡

On to the readings —> 💕

Pile 1💥

Sign energy: Shoulders, Leader, Ring, Drive, Year, Sagittarius, Neptune, South node, 6th house, Uranus,👠📞📆🧚‍♂️

🎀Your person's energy: Wow this is some off the wall energy for your person, there is a LOT going on for you both right now.😵‍💫 Could be a connection that is very confusing, unusual or seemingly unstable! This is someone you're not quite sure about, like they're giving mixed signals. They have a lot of green flags yet also many red flags🤨🚩 Signs are Sagittarius, Pisces, Virgo and Aquarius. There is some neptune or uranus aspecting their chart, may have neptune-uranus conjunct for some. This person is very driven by their work, they take a lot of weight on their shoulders that's what I'm hearing.🤯 They appear reliable and detail oriented to others. Time is very important to them, I think they tend to prioritize their work more than other things. But there is a spontaneous spark in this person, could be for better or for worse. Because I'm seeing, they give intense focus to their responsibilities, but they also fail to give their attention to the other things they don't realize will affect them. Like seriously this person is responsible with some things, and completely irresponsible with other things.😫✋️ 17 may be significant, also I'm hearing this person "calls the shots". They radiate energy of a leader in their environment, people may rely on this person a lot. There is a very busy vibe here, like this person is always making work for themselves somehow.💬🤳💼 They tend to hyperfocus and tendency to be perfectionist. They might be on their phone a lot, getting calls or always checking the time.⌚️👀 You may feel like this person is brushing you off in a way, not giving you time or overlooking you completely😭 They seem very unaware of you or the way this connection is going, because they're so absorbed in their own tasks. Some of my pile 1's are not in contact with them, contacting them may be difficult.📵😳 Yeah this person is just caught up with a lot, they may even have a lot of stress about everything. I'm hearing "tight schedule" and I feel like this person isn't able to fully listening to you right now, like anything you say just goes into one ear and out the other👂🙄🔇 Their energy is just so chaotic and disorganized but they think they can handle anything that gets thrown at them, which is admirable yet also very difficult to manage them😔

💋What they're missing with you: Heart, Endless, Perfect, 6th house, Skin, Cancer, Water, Scorpio, 6th house, 2nd house,🫱🍳🤫💛 Omg okay alright Pile 1 you are so perfect!!! It's in the cards lmao seriously you are beautiful like you are such perfection idk how else to describe it haha🙈💖 Also with the 6th house coming out twice which is virgo energy and that just screams PERFECTION!! Lol I love that because I said your person was a perfectionist and like, yeah, you're literally that. Mkay💋💞💅✨️ Your skin is so beautiful and it's like one of your best features, and like your person could be touching that beautiful amazing skin but nooo yeah THEYRE MISSING OUT📣🙌 Also my pile 1's you have the biggest heart, so sweet and gentle anyone would wish to feel your love❤️ When you get emotional and show that side of you, It's honestly so hot😭 Like your person has gotta know that, you are so cute and attractive. Also this is spicy like, they're totally missing out on your sensual side😉❤️‍🔥 Like you're a complete hottie for real please don't doubt that pile 1, you are hot, you are sensually attractive, you are gorgeous.✨️ Your body is perfect, that is what the cards are yelling in my face😂 Your person is missing out on your kind genuine love and magnetic beauty🌹💕 You may be good at cooking or your person is really missing out on you two cooking together like they WISH😩🙏 Honestly your person is missing out on devouring you like please this isn't a spicy pac but it's getting pretty spicy in here🥵 I love love love this pile's energy, because this is just letting pile 1 know they are so amazing. If that person is an ex or you two were intimate, they miss it so much with you. Like they can't get it out of their head obsessively and dwell about how they can't have that again.🙈🖤 You make others secretly obsessed and crave you. You're so pretty omg and you are like a ray of sunshine☀️ Some of my pile 1's have that chest your person wish they could have their hands all over tbh😏❤️‍🔥 Seriously, pile 1 you are so hot never forget it. Your person hates themselves for not realizing exactly HOW much of an sensual god/godess you are. Also you don't have to say anything at all and still be irresistible🔥 Everyone would want a piece of you, I think your person's got to know that~😉 Your person is missing out on that real true love they could experience with you, like you are the only one who is so loving and caring like they will never find that like they can in you. They won't find another sweet loving angel😇 with the body of a devil😈❤️‍🔥 hehe pile 1 you are so lucky, you have the ability to make others secretly fall for you. Your person would get SO jealous thinking of others getting to touch you and have you🫣❤️‍🔥 You are beauty in it's purest form, so lovely and charming. My pile 1's are intensely attractive and also your voice gives that person chills because yeah you are hot af💋

📞Messages from your person: Trust me, You make me jealous, I want to kiss you against the wall, You make me feel special, Believe in us, Don't underestimate me, Things aren't going well, It's a sign. Extra cards: Pessimist, Top, Honest, Energy, Ankles, Leo, Sun, Uranus, 11th house, Eros (Yeah your person has low self esteem because you turn them on so much😭 Because you're so hot and emotionally fulfilling. You seem so special to them, they know you shine pile 1🥺💖)

Thank you my pile 1's! If you feel this resonated, you may tap the heart to claim this message!💌

I hope you enjoyed your reading! ʚ(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )ɞ If you did be sure to let me know pile 1 with the boom! emoji~💥 Pile 1 you are gorgeous😍 Thanks for scrolling through, Hugs hugs hugs!! See you in the next reading👠💕✨️

Pile 2🩷

Sign energy: Artist, True, Sunshine, Need, Competition, Earth, 7th house, Pluto, 11th house, 5th house,🛬🤪🔫🎱

🎀Your person's energy: Alright so for my pile 2's person, we have a very creative bright energy here. This person appears very kind, attractive and lovely, signs are Libra, Scorpio, Aquarius, Leo vibes, there may be specific 7th/5th/11th house placements, earth signs. There is charming energy to them. This person may be an extrovert/social butterfly type, outgoing and kind. I think this person has people pleasing tendencies, relationships with other people matter a lot to them. I am getting a sort of psychic vampire energy oml like, this person may feed off other people's positive energy👀🧠🔋 I don't think they necessarily steal others good energy but it's more like being around other people makes them feel better. They thrive on compliments I'm hearing. They have a strong need to connect with others in order to feel okay.💬🥲 It's possible that some of you are in the same friend group with this person or friends of friends situation for some. You may be jealous of who all they hang out with, because there is a little bit of envy in this pile for whatever reason. Maybe you feel like they're happy without you or having fun with other people.😢💔 For some of you this person's friends might be jealous or bad perception of you, omg I'm getting toxic friends for some in this pile. Your person is artistic and entertaining, they can be very funny sometimes😋💫 Some of you are obsessed with them, and want to date this person. Others may be jealous or slightly competitive with this person. I'm hearing "who does he/she think they are?" Lol like mean girls energy😝👑🎀✨️ Your person may have creative hobbies and many talents, I'm hearing they drive you crazy🫣 There is definitely some hate/love going on for some of my pile 2's. You may feel like they single you out low-key or might hate you secretly😭 There is a huge enemies or lovers vibe here, like "what do they think of me?? Do they want me gone or are they into me?" Kinda thing🫣‼️ I feel like this person has the sweetest smile but it's kinda off putting to my pile 2's. They are like a ray of sunshine but you're wondering why you're the only person getting sun burnt by them.😂 A lot of people like this person, maybe you hate that everyone loves them and wants to be around them 24/7🙄 Like they are everyones bestie/person and it kinda hurts!

💋What they're missing with you: Endurance, Devience, Enemy, Name, Scars, Mars, Capricorn, Vertex, 5th house, 2nd house,☯️🆚️🦉⛵️ Okay I can't seem to calm down with this pile LOL like my blood pressure is high for some reason, I think that's how some of you feel from this person😫🌋 Anyway this is interesting so enemy did come out which I think is significant here since it's kinda your part of the reading. OMG and the VS emoji, there is some tensionnn💢 Now seriously your person is missing out on my pile 2's hard passion right now, like you guys are on fire.🔥🥵 You've got some abilities that your person would beg for lmaooo like I mean 🔞... WOW okay it's not this type of pac but like for those of you who are into that, your person is honestly missing out on the best s❤️‍🔥x of their life that's what it's telling me.😭 Take what resonates! They're missing out on such a hot spicy romance with pile 2!!! You radiate passion and dominance in all the right ways that can turn anyone on instantly👌🫣 It's giving boss b*tch energy 100% your person is missing out on all the fun they could be having with you😈❤️‍🔥👅 Your deviant side is so attractive and irresistible! Your energy is giving a gorgeous hot villain that can make anyone fall on their knees for you pile 2😍 Just know that person would date you if they could get away with it😭 And it's your call, not theirs! You are in total control of your life and that is so hot!!💋❤️ Also any scars you have look GOOD on you pile 2, like you literally own them. Your body is magnetic, sensual and desirable, also your strength makes you incredibly attractive.👏 That person is missing out on ALL THAT pile 2! You make it look like they're lacking widsom from not noticing just how worth it you are.✨️ The cards are screaming out about how hot you are lmao. Your person is really missing out on your romantic attention, because that is limited they better know😘💅🌹 My pile 2's are so fierce and independent, your person is missing that with you!! If you are working you come off like a complete boss woman/man and like you could step on every little person beneath you. You got it together all while looking like a complete baddie🔥 Some of my pile 2's got that luxury vibe, like you are your own millionare😩💸💲✨️ You're expensive and they know it! They gotta be missing out on the greatest deal of their life if they can't be mature about you.🙌 My pile 2's are classy god/godesses worth billions!👑❤️

📞Messages from your person: You betrayed my trust, Over and over, Everyone wants you, You never learn, You're mine forever, I've heard about you, I know it's hard, I'm losing you (They it it!!! They know you aren't for free like they better work for it☝️😎❤️‍🔥 But they're kinda obsessed ngl) Extra cards: Screen, Enemy, Allow, Pretty, Offer, South node, Lilith, Aquarius, Uranus, Jupiter (OMG But like enemy came out again?!🤯 This is crazyy it's possible your person feels like they did you wrong in some way, maybe they feel like they solicited or allowed friends or other people to torment you or turn them against you. This could be because of your beauty, I think your person may want to offer you better opportunities or you will just get that yourself like the independent boss you are.👑 Pile 2 you are blessed!🙏✨️)

Thank you my pile 2's! If you feel this resonated, you may tap the heart to claim this message!💌

I hope you enjoyed your reading! ʚ(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )ɞ If you did be sure to let me know pile 2 with the shopping bags emoji~🛍 You are so sweet pile 2🩷 Thanks for scrolling through, Hugs hugs hugs!! See you in the next reading👠💕✨️

Pile 3💄

Sign energy: Clue, Creativity, Mine, Clingy, Bite, 8th house, South node, Sun, 4th house, Uranus,🆕️🧜‍♀️🙆‍♀️💀

🎀Your person's energy: Ahh so this person is hot😳 Some of you are very emotionally attached to this person, like they are YOUR person and you feel that in your heart.🥺💓 This may be a new person or someone from your past, it honestly depends since both messages came out. Your person is very creative and somewhat eccentric, but they have great ideas!💡 You may feel a deep magnetic attraction to them, omg they pull you in like a siren😭🖤 There is a very mysterious energy to them, possible signs are Scorpio, Leo, Cancer and Aquarius. They may have Sun in 4th house, Uranus in 8th, or Scorpio/Pluto energy in 4th house for some. On the other side of this, some of my pile 3's could have neptunian influence.🔱💕 This person is just so magnetically attractive, their gaze is like a black hole that sucks you in🫣 It is hard to resist this person!! You might really miss this person if you two are apart. Now don't get me wrong, your person is very emotional too, they have deep feelings they keep inside😢🌧 For some of you this person may feel a little too intense, there are themes of possessiveness or over attachment from you or them in their energy. This may be a connection one or both of you are not willing to let go, or the relationship has changed in some way. This could be a phase that ended between you two, maybe you thought they were yours, like they belonged to you, but then came a tower moment. It feels like you two are heavily connected, like there is a psychological binding going on here🔗 Something interesting, their bites🫣 Idk if you've ever experienced it from them but that might be something they're really into if that resonates🦷💭 Yeah this person is very attractive like they come off intimate and deep to you. Also so so intimidating like they may scare you in some way, just by how their energy pulls you in😭 I think they are also quite a caring and protective individual. Might be great at guessing, that's something I heard. They are unique for sure, you may feel as if you can't find anyone like them🙏💘 There may be an unhealthy obsession or attachment to your person here, just be careful my lovely pile 3's. You could feel like you can't live without them, like they were your person.💔

💋What they're missing with you: Proper, Therapy, Friends, Learning, Stability, Sun, 8th house, Scorpio, Pluto, Lilith,🐉🪧🩷🧬 Okayyy so this is interesting, it's gonna weigh down on this person just how much they're missing from you😭💖 You are so lovely and charming, my pile 3's are such sweethearts! You seem so genuine and pure and honestly that drives your person crazy🤯💟🖤 You've got such a big heart and everyone knows it!🫵😍 I'm getting a gorgeous preppy vibe from this pile, like you just come off so cute and pretty. You are like free therapy, especially to your person.🫂💞 You are the object of their obsession I'm hearing, seriously they might not feel stable or okay without you. I feel like you just radiate an energy that makes any person fall deeply madly in love with you, pile 3.😌💕 Also your person may feel really jealous because of your relationship with your friends, those who can be closest to you. I think your person is a little envious of that, like I'm kind of picking up on them really wanting you for themselves like they're a little selfish about you because yeah they're pretty obsessive.😳 Honestly you have so much power to you pile 3 and they know this, you are so smart, sweet and classy. They are really missing out on the strong bond you share with your chosen loved ones, which you can be very selective of who you choose to let in which is so attractive.👏😭💞 Like just you sharing your energy with someone is worth so much, that is something your person can't obtain easily. You guys they are missing out on the most loving relationship they could be experiencing with someone!🎀🩷 You both have such a deep connection too and they won't find that in any other like they can with you.💋🔗 Here I'm seeing your person specifically, finds you very very hot🤒🔥 Like even if you act innocent they see you as something of their darkest fantasies. You just appear physically and sensually hot af to this person like what😂🥵 They're kinda missing out on the spicy romance or unforgettable intimacy they could experience with you because you're most likely their physical ideal❤️‍🔥 So like straight up, they're not gonna find anyone who can turn them on as much as you would be able to, pile 3.👏 You unleash their most hidden wild self unlike anyone else can, you may look really good in pink and I think they're missing out you cuz you shine so bright, your femininity is so magnetic and lovely🌟💕 You most likely leave a lasting impression on your person and it's gonna be really hard for them to resist or repress their intense desire for you.😩

📞Messages from your person: It's hard to explain, I wish I could read your mind, I hate it when you cry, Don't look so down, I wanna make your wishes come true, You don't know how much it hurts, Your voice is so pretty, Forget it. (AHH this got so emotional pile 3 lol just like pouring their heart out but then it's like whateverrr It's weighing down on them😭💋💞) Extra cards: Connection, Roots, Sight, September, North node, 11th house, Air, Cancer, Fire, Sagittarius (This connection is heading in a new direction for sure, someone may be manifesting in this connection. There might be a meeting or closure in the future, traveling to a home country or hometown may be significant. September may be a significant month here, something hugely positive is manifesting for my pile 3's regarding this situation!!🙏💕 Stay strong and love yourself 🤗)

Thank you my pile 3's! If you feel this resonated, you may tap the heart to claim this message!💌

I hope you enjoyed your reading! ʚ(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )ɞ If you did be sure to let me know pile 3 with the lipstick emoji~💄 Love you pile 3 mwah💋 Thanks for scrolling through, Hugs hugs hugs!! See you in the next reading👠💕✨️

Pile 4💸

Sign energy: Technology, Swim, Mutable, Grey, Relax, Neptune, Jupiter, 11th house, Capricorn, 9th house,🦥🗣⛩️⛲️

🎀Your person's energy: So this is someone that some of you are viewing online/through social media, this connection appears to be lacking much physical energy🔇😥 I think you guys are kind of unseen to your person, like they are not aware of your connection like you would want them to be. This person could be from a different country or they are at a distance from you guys right now.🌏💔 They have a very strong presence about them, some signs are Pisces, Sagittarius, Aquarius or Capricorn may be significant. Mutable signs too so like Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces are signs that may resonate. They may have Neptune in 9th house, Jupiter in Sagittarius or 9th/11th house, Capricorn could be over their 9th aswell so that is some possible placements for some.✨️ This person may have close friends that are mutable signs, they are easy-going and calm type of person. For some of my pile 4's this person may not know you exist or treating you that way I'm also hearing "silent treatment" for a select few of my pile 4's there may be some blocking going on aswell. They aren't paying attention to you like you are with them. Your person are very admirable and inspiring and you may really want to hold onto them.😫✊️ I'm hearing "they're a keeper" lol like spouse material! I think this person is blessed in many areas of their life, I'm also hearing "open doors" they may get a lot of opportunities.🚪😎💫 They might enjoy swimming or that is a hobby of theirs, also they probably look good in grey or gravitate to that color.🩶 Some of you might be manifesting this person! It feels like they are someone important, they could have a following on social media or have many online acquaintances.📱💬 I am getting a more mature and cultured vibe about your person.🍷🎓 They may have traveled the world at some point already or they have a bucket list, they're pretty laid back. May seem tired or lack emotion at times, likely they spend too much time on their phone/electronic devices. There is signs of gambling addiction for some in this pile, but your person could just be very lucky.🪙✨️ Overall they're pretty snazzy but I think they aren't very involved with my pile 4's all that much. There could be distance, or emotional blockage within this connection. It feels like your person doesn't show interest in you or that they appear like they are on a different level😫😢

💋What they're missing with you: Letter, Pain, Crown, Lost in translation, Drop, Mercury, Virgo, South node, 10th house, 12th house,🪰😟🟫🆙️ Yeah okay so first of all, pile 4 deserves to be given special treatment!👏👑💖 And your person is missing out of everything they could be offering you right now, like my pile 4's should be lavished and have all their dreams made into reality☝️🙄✨️ I think your person has caused you a lot of pain and you feel unheard or ignored. Just letting you know your person should be insecure not you my beautiful pile 4😭💞 You are royalty, you are a queen/king whatever you wanna be. You are perfect!👌 That person is gonna regret losing you or if they've already lost you, they're a speck just watching you slip away out of their reach lmao they're just so worried. I'm hearing that song by miley cyrus "fly on the wall" because it's THEM, the lyrics may resonate with you if you wanna look it up. Honestly you are jaw dropping gorgeous and you deserve respect and you get it👏🙌😍❤️ Your person is simply missing out on all the incredible conversations you could be having with them, and how intelligent and charming you are. They might really miss your helpful nature, like you just fix everything and make things better.🙏 You are the only person who can truly improve them I'm hearing. Your mind is so attractive and your person is missing out on being in it😘🤪💭 You may look really good in brown and like your person is missing out on just how good you look😫🫶 The cards are saying you are 🔛🔝 you are boss, you own your world. Also my pile 4's are so well put together and admirable! Like you should just look down on those who judge you, because they are beneath you and you know it!😘💅 You deserve appreciation and approval, congratulations on everything you've accomplished you are amazing. Your person is really missing out on how much work you put into yourself and them, they're missing how much effort you give that is unmatched by anyone they'll ever meet.💞 You are high quality pile 4, never forget it!🥰👑 Someone better meet your standards because you won't be settling for anything less. Your person is not even on your level, even if it seemed that way. You're in another league, I can see this person crawling back to you haha it's your choice pile 4 if you're open to giving them your time at all💅⏳️ You are LIMITED EDITION okay? Stand proud, my cards are saying you gotta regain your strength and confidence! Take back that independence and you don't "need" anyone because you are IT🏆

📞Messages from your person: It's obvious we're perfect for eachother, Let's talk more, Don't be so negative, It's true, Your standards are high, I found the one, As expected, Think of things that make you happy, We need boundaries. (Yeah I'm seeing that person actually deeply respects your standards and how you want to be treated✨️ And that is how we find the right person when we set clear intentions and they gotta step up to meet our needs or else so of course you deserve that pile 4!❤️‍🔥) Extra cards: Clothes, Entertainment, Queen of hearts, Bones, Above, Moon, Eros, Sagittarius, Saturn, 1st house (You are just so incredibly top tier, it's just confirming this now. You are a total boss pile 4, strong willed and inspiring!🙌🤗)

Thank you my pile 4's! If you feel this resonated, you may tap the heart to claim this message!💌

I hope you enjoyed your reading! ʚ(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )ɞ If you did be sure to let me know pile 4 with the cash emoji~💸 My pile 4's I love you👏 Thanks for scrolling through, Hugs hugs hugs!! See you in the next reading👠💕✨️

Wanna see more readings like this? Check out my tumblr for accurate readings for you!💗🌊🌸

Thanks for reading! \(*^w^)/💌 -Lunadream <3

415 notes · View notes

shepherds-of-haven · 20 days ago

Note

were you expecting the fact that the swap to Twine would apparently come with a hike in the perceived difficulty of the game (even if the actual stat checks stayed the same) It just feels harder now, and thats really interesting to me

I both expected and didn't expect, for different reasons! Here's the breakdown of my thought process:

Stat checks and requirements stayed the same. Ergo, difficulty should not inherently change.

We switched from fairmath to straight numbers. (In actuality, this change took place a few years ago, at least in the ChoiceScript alpha version.) So instead of doing things in percentages, it's now just +1 or +2 or +3 intelligence.

This change theoretically makes the game far easier in some senses, at least overall. In fairmath, stat increases are extremely generous the farther away you are from 100, but become minimal or nonexistent the stronger you become. So people could be racking up 3% increases to Trouble's relationship or to Silver Tongue with every single response, but if they were already at a high value in these stats, they might not actually be seeing any changes at all, because the percentages were too small to change anything! By the time people got to Chapter 7, they'd be training in magic on their days off and would be "wasting" that time because they'd see, like, a +1 increase instead of a steady, consistent number like +10 across the board each time. This was particularly noticeable in companion relationships, because you could choose to spend time with Blade at 90%, and for the whole interlude, your relationship might not change at all (because a choice would have to give you +10% to Blade to net you even a single point, if your relationship was already at 90%)! This also played hell on playtesting in general, because a Blademancer could be noticing this difficulty while someone who made different choices and had a more neutral relationship to Blade wouldn't notice or report it at all.

Therefore, making the stat increases straight integers should make hitting the unchanged stat checks and requirements much easier, more predictable, and more straightforward. In fact, I had to implement some caps in order to prevent people from getting like 55 Nerves of Steel from the Prologue alone, lol.

Caveat #1: I wasn't aware of a bug in the previous alpha version that allowed people to train in magic or physique twice on one day off. This led to a phenomenon that I'm always wary of when dealing with the alpha build: in implementing too many cheats, shortcuts, or easy ways to achieve certain paths for the sake of playtesting or bug hunting--methods which aren't supposed to be in the final version of the game--people may become used to certain alpha-only gameplay experiences and will find the final product more difficult than they remembered. Confusion then ensues. In the case of this double-magic-training, that was an unintentional bug and not something I deliberately implemented (that I remember), but it essentially led to the same scenario, where people were effectively doubling their magic from the get-go in the old version and can't now. I think this is largely why the Twine build feels more "difficult."

Caveat #2: The Twine build also probably feels more difficult because code-diving is less transparent and straightforward. Also, new things always have a different feel, which I think contributes to the perceived difficulty!

Caveat #3: In switching to straight integers instead of fairmath, which favors players in the beginning and increases difficulty at the end, the beginning of the game may then feel harder for people who are used to the old way. This should really only apply to people who played the public demo, since again, we wiped out fairmath from the alpha build in--2022? But it's still a consideration. I consider Shepherds of Haven an interesting maverick when it comes to this, as for story reasons, it actually makes the most sense for MC to face more difficulty in the beginning of the game, because they haven't been able to use their magic openly for essentially their entire lives and have been stymied and limited by the Autarchy's laws. The more they settle into being a Shepherd, the more their power and experience exponentially increases, and they start to get a taste of how easy things would have been for them if they'd been allowed to develop their abilities freely from a young age. This is part of the tragedy of the state of their world at the current moment and an intended part and feeling of the plot. Someone who was allowed to swim every day after school, get a membership to a diving gym, compete openly in swimming tournaments and marathons, and take summer vacations to the sea is going to fare far better in even a casual race than someone who either had to secretly learn about swimming through reading stolen books about it, had a non-athlete tutor who could only teach them secretly in a backyard pond, or even attended a secret swimming school in a decommissioned high school auditorium where getting caught swimming meant getting shot for trespassing. Also, they have to face the Faceless Lords right away--canonically some of the strong demons in existence--so it is intended for fledgling MC to find the beginning phase of their Shepherd journey to be rather difficult and trying rather than forgiving. The Words are there to ease that experience--they are the game's "Get out of Jail" card--but I do acknowledge it's an unconventional, inverse experience for players who are used to the beginning part of games going from easy -> difficult rather than the other way around!

Hope that all makes sense!

#Shepherds of Haven #game mechanics #stats #Twine #alpha build #alpha preview

64 notes · View notes

channieschocco · 25 days ago

Text

Lovesick ~ Felix

Word count: 1.3k

Synopsis: You and your best friend Felix were hanging out together one night, when Felix confessed something that would change everything.

Warnings: Kissing

A little writer's note: I was writing this as I listened to music, and I was really surprised how well this fic went with Moonlight by Ariana Grande! So, in other words, I guess this fic's inspo was Moolight?? Lol, have a good day everyone<3

The dim lighting of your apartment was the perfect ambiance for the night. You had just finished setting up some snacks on the living room table (crackers, pretzels, cookies, a fruit tray and popcorn) and placing cozy blankets on the couch. You lit some sweet-smelling candles around the TV and on the table to make the room not only look aesthetic, but smell excellent.

It had been ages since you last saw your best friend Felix since he had been working so hard at the company and performing so often. The two of you used to hang out every weekend but since his group was becoming more and more popular by the day, he was usually at the studio or somewhere halfway across the world.

You tried not to mention how much you missed seeing him, since you didn’t want to make him “choose” between you or the company and because you knew that his work was important to him and you loved to see his success. It was difficult to pull off since you had been in love with your best friend for as long as you can remember. You didn’t want to say anything at all since you knew that he only saw you as a friend but it didn’t stop you from just doing a little more to try and show him how much you care. For example, always hosting the hang outs at your place, making everything just a bit more perfect.

You were just finishing putting up an aesthetic and relaxing ambiance video on your TV when two knocks came from your door. You rushed to the door and threw it open, revealing your best friend.

Felix’s shoulder length blonde hair looked better than you’ve ever seen it and his face instantly lit up the second he saw you. “Y/N!” He called and you rushed forward into his arms, tears blurring your eyes,

“Felix—” Your voice broke as he scooped you up in his arms and held you close. You knew you missed him, but you didn’t think you would cry at all. You thought that this hangout would be like any other one you’ve had.

“Hey, don’t cry.” Felix pulled back from the embrace and smiled, gently brushing his fingers over the tears that had slid down your cheeks, wiping them away. This was, of course, a happy occasion after all. “You’re gonna make me cry too!”

“I’m sorry,” You sniffed as Felix shut the door behind him. “It’s just that I missed you so much.” It slightly embarrassed you to say this, knowing that you wished you were more than just friends, but what does Felix know? From his point of view, it probably seemed like you were just pointing out the fact that you haven’t seen your best friend in ages and putting it simply, you missed him.

“I- I missed you too.” His deep voice made your heart melt and you forgot all about crying as Felix’s eyes lit up with adoration.

You smiled. “We have so much to talk about!” You exclaimed excitedly. “I can’t wait to hear all about the concerts and photo shoots you’ve been doing!” It was one thing to watch them on TV, but hearing about these events from the very person who experienced them is so much better in every way.

“Do we ever!” Felix raced into your living room and flopped onto the couch full of blankets and pillows. You couldn’t help but giggle, the action was so adorable. You loved when Felix made himself at home in your apartment.

The two of you got comfortable on the couch and selected a romcom to watch. The snacks that you had previously set out on the table were slowly disappearing and the candles you had lit were getting shorter and shorter as the time went by. Another occurrence was you, slowly inching closer to Felix on the couch and by the end of the movie, you two were pressed up against each other, your head leaning on his shoulder and his arm wrapped around you.

You missed this. You. Him. Just relaxing together. Felix loved it too. He loved being able to get away from the idol life for a few hours and spend time with his favorite person in the world.

Once the movie ended, neither of you moved, nor did you say a word. This moment was one you would forever keep close in your heart and would replay in your head repeatedly. You shut your eyes and laid your head on Felix’s chest, making him freeze. You missed the small action, but you could feel his heart pounding.

“Lix?” You mumbled.

“Yeah?” He answered.

“Your heart’s beating really fast.”

He hummed in acknowledgement, the deep sound calming and began twirling your hair through his fingers. He didn’t move after you got into this position, only his fingers. Neither of you needed to speak since everything that needed to be said didn’t need to be spoken aloud. Except for one thing…

“Y/N, there’s something I need to tell you.” Felix sounded shy, nervous even. It was a contrast to the calming words he spoke earlier.

“Okay.” You replied, slightly confused. “Go ahead.”

“I’ve been hiding something from you for years and I’ve never had the guts to admit it until I realized I needed to.” He took a shaky breath. “I only noticed this when I was away from you for so long and I missed you. No, that’s not the word…” He paused. “I longed for you.”

Your breath caught in your throat. “Felix—”

“Wait, let me finish. I want to spend every moment with you Y/N. I want to spend my life by your side. I want you to feel the same way that I do…Because I really really like you. And I’m so sorry if this just destroyed everything.” His voice broke on his final word.

You shot up from your position on Felix’s chest and plopped yourself down right across from him. “Lee Felix, you have no idea how long I’ve waited to hear those words.” You looked into his beautiful brown eyes, unshed tears glistening inside and grabbed his hand. “I like you too. I always have and I’m a fool for never telling you how I felt. I’m sorry too.”

He looked up at you, a small grin blossoming on his lips. “Really? So then it would be okay if I did this?” Felix leaned closer, cupping your chin in his hand and brushing the hair out of your face. You nodded and that was all he needed before he began to kiss you gently.

His lips were soft and moved against your own with such adoration. His hand on your face was warm and comforting. You had a hand on his chest, his heart was pounding even faster than before and your heart? Your heart felt as if it would burst.

Every time one of you would pull back, the other would return, kissing again. This went on for a while, the two of you giggling and kissing, for you both had been waiting for this forever. When you finally ended your last kiss, Felix looked a little bereft so you kissed his cheek, making him smile. “I love you.” You whispered. Because it was true. You loved Lee Felix with your whole heart and nothing would ever come between you again. Except maybe his idol career…

“I love you too.” He murmured, his beautiful, deep voice making you melt. There was a soft blush on his cheeks, and you assumed your cheeks were slightly pink as well. He pulled you close to him, your head on his chest once again and you fell asleep right there, in the comfort of Felix’s arms.

#kpop imagines #kpop x reader #kpop fanfic #stray kids #skz #stray kids fluff #felix lee #felix #skz felix #stray kids felix #felix x reader

71 notes · View notes

monayen · 1 year ago

Note

huge fan !!!

i made an ao3 account just to give you more kudos lol

if its okay, can i request for some headcanons for Luther? dating him/being his pet specifically, but i go so feral for how you write him that im sure anything you write will be amazing

have an amazing day 😭🙏💞

Pet/Girlfriend headcannons | Luther Von Ivory

➷ Paring - Luther Von Ivory x Fem!Reader [Randal's Friends / Ranfren]

➷ CWs - master/pet play, use of 'sir', unsafe sex, clothed sex, fingering, possessive/controlling tendencies, praise, overstimulation, isolation as a form of punishment, domestication kink (?), breeding kink, use of German words (translations provided) he is ur boyfinrd

a/n - AH cheesing that you like my work, thank you for supporting me :3 !! Luther is definitely my sweetheart... so cute... i love writing for him... as always requests are open friends !

Luther Von Ivory… such a nice guy!

Whether you consider yourself his pet or girlfriend, (why not both?) he will always make sure to take care of you

✽ Trust that he will spoil you.

New clothes, new gifts, new everything!

Makes really good use of his everything catalog subscription

He won't willingly say that you are spoiled, that's favoritism! He cares for all his family, you're just a very good pet/girlfriend! (despite everybody knowing it)

✽ Every morning, he chooses your outfit

He makes sure to lay it all out for you out on his vintage dresser, showing multiple options before he ultimately decides on one

Luther’s favorite thing to dress you in?

Skirts, skirts, skirts! A couple cute dresses here and there – but wow does he go crazy for skirts!

There's just something so lovely about them; how the waistband perfectly hugs the curve of your waist, how it exposes your sweet thighs for him whenever you do chores around the house, how easy it is to slide his large hands under…

Luther also really likes clothed sex. He appreciates skin to skin but scheiße (language!) is it a sight to see you all messy in the clothes he got just for you

✽ Tracks EVERYTHING

Have you eaten? Brushed your teeth? Did you do your chores? What room are you going to? What did Sebastian just say to you?

He wants to know it ALL

Your business is basically his business. When you're a couple, it's important there are no secrets!

Even has a little notebook consisting of your daily doings and schedule

Trust that it's to keep you safe and healthy, he truly does care about you a lot. More than you’ll ever think

✽ He's very big on discipline

He expects you to behave and listen… like a good pet!

It’s easy to imagine Luther as a brat tamer, which he can be, though the novelty wears off for him if you continue to be difficult

So, it's much preferred if you just listen to him

✽ It goes hand in hand with domestication

Girlfriend or pet, he still holds you to that standard of taking care of yourself and the house

Wifey behavior – if you must

Luther just loves to see you on your hands and knees… scrubbing the floor, of course!

✽ Adores using pet names and honorifics.

He likes to call you pet, but he finds calling you dear and geliebte (beloved) much more endearing

Call him Sir or Master and he loses it! It's so cute coming from you, he’ll make you say it hundreds of times and cause you to lose your voice

Don’t worry, he always has tea ready to soothe you with later :)

✽ You guys are attached at the hip

Moreso, he keeps you there

You both share his room, sleep in the same bed, wake up at the same times, do everything together!

It's impossible to do anything without him hovering around you

Isn't sneaky at all... it's easy to spot him staring at you through a tiny sliver of an opened door

"Don't worry, dear. Just checking up on you. Keep doing what you're doing."

It’s exactly how he wants it. Bonding is very important, don't go thinking otherwise

✽ It's safe to say that he gets very possessive

He knows you won't ever leave, he's made sure of it by convincing you of how lost you’d be without him

He’s had Randal tell you terrible stories of monsters and freaks, just so you can run into his arms

“Outside pets don't last long,” he tells you. “You're much safer staying by my side, okay?”

Luther makes you nod and promise that you won't ever leave him

He gives you everything a good little human pet needs, so why would you?

So unlike his catmen or even Randal, he rarely ever lets you outside the house

The world can be dangerous, and he’d much prefer to keep you in the “controlled” environment that is the Ivory house

Right where he can keep his eyes on you.

✽ Dates tend to consistently be on the Ivory property

Again, he loves spending time with you!

Luther totally does make that effort to plan dates with you, he'll dress up in his nicest dress shirt and help you pick out a cute dress and do your hair<3

Then, he'll hold your hand and give you your favorite flowers, complimenting you like he didn't help you get ready

He plans out nice activities for you two, something you can spend hours doing... he wants you by his side for all of it

Favorites are: reading books in the study room, cooking dinner together, watching tv for hours as you lay your head in his lap (with petting, obviously), and gardening

Can anything be considered a date if you are constantly together in the same space?

On the rare occasions Luther lets you out with him, he likes to take you shopping! Just don't be greedy and ask for too much…

Either that or drive in movie theaters. Simpler the better.

He has you home by 10 pm (what a gentleman!)

✽ Like I said in my last post about Luther, he is very intimate

Everything is a process when it comes to sex with him

He usually prefers to lie you down on his king bed, thin lips trailing down your collarbone

Let him hold you just a little closer, hands slipping underneath the cute panties he bought you

His long fingers always tease – even if he doesn't intend to

Luther just wants to hear your soft moans, urging him to do more

He’ll shush you, but he doesn't actually want you to be quiet. It's more to comfort you – to say that it's okay, Luther will take care of you now, dear<3

He likes to tell you what to do, as if you don't already know

Luther tends to almost treat you like a lost baby animal, petting at your hair and whispering sweet nothings as he unbuckles his dress pants above you

Once you envelop his lengthy cock, he always makes sure to kiss at your forehead as he pushes in inch by inch. You poor thing, he is quite big… you take it so well for him

Luther doesn't tend to moan or grunt, but he makes sure to let you know how great it is with praises of good girl and so perfect, meine süße (my sweet)

His pace stays slow and deep, hips thrusting rhythmically as he listens to your pleasure and reactions

It's maybe a little crazy how he knows exactly all the spots to have you blushing and squirming under him

Luther isn’t a fan of mess, considering how neat of a person he is

So expect him coming inside a lot, totally not because he has a breeding kink…

Either way, It always ends with him matching your orgasm with his, how cute is it to finish together!

There's purpose and intention behind his every movement, it shows just how much he loves and cares about you. How you are his<3

✽ Though, he could always be a lot rougher if he deems it necessary… i.e, you misbehaving

He's trained you properly that it rarely happens but when it does…

His strong grip will pin your shoulders back, Luther then wedges between your spread legs as his (surprisingly) skilled fingers rub at your clit

You writhe, gasps loudly escape you as he soon ten folds the overwhelming sensation by filling you with his cock.

He purposely tries to overstimulate you, hips snapping roughly against your soft thighs as his thumb rubs at your swollen clit, drawing out shaky moans from you

“It’s too much… isn't it, pet?” Luther says lowly, the contrast is clear as day to his typical sensual doings

“Ah– please, slow down! I can't–!” He hums at your cries, shaking his head and choosing to angle himself to hit your g-spot

“You know better, haustiere (pet). Will you behave for me?”

He’ll make certain that you understand that there is no disobeying him, if it takes plowing you into his silky bed sheets over and over again… so be it

“Yes, sir! I’m sorry– I’ll behave. I promise!”

Ah, such music to his ears to hear you proclaim your compliance.

He’ll lead you to repeat yourself a few more times, each time going faster and faster as the words draw shaker and shaker from your mouth. Just so you really understand :)

✽ A good thing is that he won't ever harm you

Unless… you actually try to escape. You’d never do that to him though! You guys love each other too much!

Besides overstimulating you until you cry and pass out, his other punishments can include isolation

He’ll lock you in his room for days to a couple weeks (depending on the crime), making sure you get no contact with anyone else. Not even the rest of the family

If you don't lose your mind like that, you are sure to when he takes away your privileges of using the internet/watching tv, reading books, drawing.... basically anything that could take your mind off of what you have done

By the end of it, he wants you on your knees begging for forgiveness

And the ever kind humanoid he is, he’ll wipe the cute tears off your red face and pet your hair to comfort you

“It’s okay, geliebte. I hope you have learned your lesson.”

He knows it's harsh, but training is important for pets. How else do you learn?

If you're going to be the future bearer of his children… he needs you to be on your best behavior :)

#luther von ivory x reader #luther ranfren #luther von ivory #x reader #ranfren #dark blog #tw possessive behavior

368 notes · View notes

moonbeamastrology · 4 months ago

Text

Healing Messages

Heyyyy I’m back…. with another pac, the focus for this reading is as the title states: healing messages. i really hope that you find something that brings you some peace in these messages. so take a few deep breaths, center your energy, and pick the image that you feel drawn to. as always these readings are timeless, don’t try to force the message take what resonates and leave the rest! these readings are for entertainment purposes only <3 ok bye love you

Pile 1: Ladybug

I’m seeing you could be in a bit of a self isolating or closed off energy right now. Going within yourself. You’re grounded and practical at this time (you could also be an earth sign, specifically virgo). You’re focused on what you have going on for yourself right now. Almost so focused that you’re not open to anything new coming in. I was really drawn to the way the figures of the queen of pents and 4 of pents were so focused on the one pentacle they had in their hands. There are blessings that are coming in for you but either you’re unaware of it or you are not focusing on that at all. Your spirit team is trying to communicate with you at this time. They have messages and guidance for you and want to intervene in some way. You are safe and protected. You’re so focused on the 3d/physical that you’re not seeing the spiritual messages, signs, and synchronicities. Both the blessing and purity card speak to healing that is coming in. I’m seeing that this is a healing regarding your love life. You may have had an encounter or relationship that caused you to feel like you lost your purity or your innocence (inner child) in some way. Maybe it has caused you many sleepless nights/intense anxiety in the past. So you closed yourself off, became defensive and guarded when it came to love but there is an offer of love coming in to you sooner than you realize. You can heal alone, yes, but some of the most profound healing can be done with another person. They will help to heal these old wounds, reignite your faith in love, and drive you to your most abundant self. Their energy is the Strength card (Leo). I’m getting that this is a new person either you have just recently met or you have not met yet. They are confident and well respected and they’ll “like your wild side” lol. Stay positive about these new experiences. Don’t hold them to the same expectations of your previous partners (don’t expect them to cheat if a past partner had, things like this). They are a totally new human that you have not experienced yet. Both the falcon and woodpecker have similar messages of perception and discernment. The falcon speaks to being incredibly focused on your goal and taking a leap of faith. The woodpecker asks you to tap into your discernment and find a new rhythm in the world. You don’t have to tell yourself the same stories anymore. You can choose new and better for yourself. Be open to new ways of operating, it’s time. Those are the messages I have for you my love, I hope they brought you a little hope during this time. Stay blessed out there <3

Current Energy: Queen of Pentacles, The Hermit, 4 of Pentacles

Healing Message: Knight of Cups, Knight of Swords, The Lovers, Purity, Blessings

Extra: Falcon, Woodpecker, Vulture

Pile 2: Blue Sky

You’re really focused on yourself at this time (or lowkey self isolating). Either searching within yourself for something from a space of contentment, fulfillment, and peace with what and who you are. Or you are searching for this 9 of pentacles energy within yourself. Recognizing that you have everything you need within yourself but you’re looking for something more. Some deeper meaning or purpose. Looking for the key that will unlock abundance within you. You are in a space of great spiritual development at this time. Maybe the searching or the abundance of questions is starting to weigh on you. If you’re going through a difficult time right now, you are so so loved and supported by your spiritual team. Now is not the time to push down or deny your emotions when they arise. Feel through them without identifying with them. You could be just sort of waiting for the difficulties to pass right now. You will get through this and move into a period of grace and thriving, just be gentle with yourself right now. A caterpillar turns to mush in the cocoon before it transforms to the beautiful butterfly. I know that’s cliche but it’s a message for a reason. It’s dark right now but you will find the light you seek within you. There is a larger plan unfolding for you so stay patient. Some of you know there is a bigger plan for you. You’re tired I know but it is always darkest before the dawn. The good you are about to receive is going to rocket you into your thriving era. There could have been something you asked the universe for, it’s coming in there’s just a little bit of a wait right now (I know, I know). A divine new beginning is coming in, you will feel hopeful with your cup overflowing with joy. Don’t lose sight of this, no matter how your reality looks on the outside. Maybe you need to ask for help from others, it is not weak to ask for help, you are strong because you are putting yourself into a vulnerable position (which can be uncomfortable and scary if you’re not used to it). Asking for help can also help to connect you with your community. You’re going through a spiritual awakening right now. Take the time to connect with your inner sense of peace and tranquility to navigate your reality right now. Use the new perspectives you are gaining to infiltrate how you see your own life, not just the world. You are protected during this time. Those are all of the messages for you my love, I hope they brought you some peace. I love you <3

Current Energy: The Hermit, 9 of Pentacles

Healing Message: 3 of Wands, Ace of Cups, Embracing, Enlightenment, Thriving

Extra: Eagle, Dove

Pile 3: Begonia

There’s something new you have discovered that has reignited your passion and energy, A new idea or creative project. You could be trying to figure out how to fit it into your schedule. Some of you may be trying to fit it (I almost wrote ‘fight’ instead of ‘fit’ when taking notes) into your life. This idea will bring you so much happiness, joy, and fulfillment. You could be fighting it by not accepting it or something in your life has to end for you to move toward and you’re having some trouble letting go. Or there’s indecision or self doubt involved here. Your creativity and ability to create is being heightened right now. There’s a need for some serious self care right now. I don’t just mean face masks and bubble baths (but those are so fun) I mean eating delicious and nutritious foods, creating prime conditions for 8+ hrs of sleep, and being mindful of what you are spending your energy on. Indulge in all of your senses, bring pleasure and softness to the forefront. You don’t have to be one version of productive all the time. Resting is productive as well. You are inherently beautiful, worthy, and abundant. You don’t have to do anything to achieve this because it is innately who you are at your core. Taking time to rest recharges your energy so you can pursue your goals to your fullest extent. This new goal/idea is incredible and it is aligned with your highest expression of self. It is possible it will require a lot of energy as well (which is why you’re being guided to rest). It could be a unique skill (spell? lol) you have discovered. Rest to clear your head and realign with your priorities because it’s about to be time to jump. Spend time alone as well to clear out outside influences from trying to tell you how to live your life. These are all the messages I have for you my love. I love you, you deserve time to rest <3

Current Energy: Ace of Wands, 2 of Pentacles, Knight of Swords, Death

Healing Message: Ace of Swords, The Empress, 2 of Cups, Pleasure, Solitude

Extra: Osprey

#pick a card #tarot #tarot reading #messages #healing messages

83 notes · View notes

koolades-world · 1 year ago

Note

Hello, I hope this is not a bother, but can you make the brothers react to a Mc that is half demon and half human? Or that Mc is like Michael's child and the brothers react to that?I know they are strange ideas (especially the last one) but I hope you like them.

But the way english is not my fiesta language so i'm sorry for any mistakes.

Have a nice day/night ♥️

hi!! omg both of those concepts are so interesting so I had a hard time choosing which one to write ahhhh

your english is pretty good so no worries! I'm always so impressed by non-native english speakers because english is such a difficult language to learn

if you want, I can write both just in separate posts. hope you didn't mind that I picked just one, so just let me know

please enjoy :)

Half demon half human Mc

Lucifer

quick to ask who your demon parent is so he could find out more about you and them to better accommodate you

he's a little relieved because he knows he'll be able to meet your needs better since he didn't know shit about humans before the exchange program

he would never say anything about it, but was pondered your mortality a few times

do you have the demon lifespan, a human lifespan, or somewhere between? does which parent is which affect that in any way? he doesn't like to dwell on that

Mammon

thinks that you're so cool since you can have the best of both worlds

you know all the human stuff AND you can do cool demon stuff?? AWESOME

asks all sorts of questions, even dumb ones that he should know the answer to

smack him with your tail or wings if he ever asks how you were born or something like that

Levi

unironically refers to you as the main character

both of you giggle over the fact that you're just like the gacha life youtube protagonists

henry? more like the half demon half human alpha wolf abandoned genius princess

but in all seriousness, he thinks you're so cool but he would never admit that because he would keel over and die afterwards

Satan

since he's the only true demon, the two of you can bond a little over that

finds it very interesting to see where your demonic heritage comes in

helps you out with learning to control and maintain whatever power you inherited

tries to find other half demon half humans to set you up on "playdate" lol

Asmo

asks all sorts of questions to see if he's ever gotten down with your parent (lol)

loves to talk with you about wing/tail and horn care

exchange all sorts of tips for party tricks that both of you love

since he knows you're a little stronger than a full human would be, he's willing to take you out to more places and do more fun stuff

Beel

one of the only brothers who's also interested in your human side

while wanting to meet your demon parent, he also wants to get to know your human parent

your human parent loves him <3

however, he does take this chance to introduce you to some demon exclusive foods or experiences that he's like 75% sure won't kill you

Belphie

he doesn't care too much but he knows he doesn't have to be as careful with his antics around you

your strength always amazes him since sometimes you pick him up with one hand since sometimes he forgets

often has you help out with his anti-lucifer league pranks since he's not as afraid of you getting strung up

less afraid of you being alone in the devildom since he knows you can protect yourself <3

#obey me #obey me!#obey me satan #obey me x reader #obey me asmo #obey me beel #obey me mammon #obey me levi #obey me lucifer #obey me belphie #obey me shall we date #omswd #obey me mc #headcanons #gn reader

240 notes · View notes

imaginespazzi · 1 year ago

Text

Part 3: Shades of Grey

Masterlist - Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7

That's the thing about illicit affairs (they lie and they lie and they lie)

(In which a masochistic writer makes things difficult for herself and makes things even messier than they were before)

Pairing: Paige Bueckers X Azzi Fudd

Themes: Angst, Pining, a little bit of Hurt/Comfort and Fluff as always

Words: 7.2K (nice and short as always)

TW: Explicit Sexual Content (MINORS DNI), Swearing, Cheating

A/N: Hello my lovelies <3 I feel like I'm doing a pretty good job of sticking to my deadlines, who woulda thunk it? Fun fact, I'm at ~ 50 google-doc pages with this fic and despite my constant "trying to write less" rants, I'm actually lowkey proud of that. Anyways, there's a pretty clear hint (I am not a subtle person) as to why what happens at the end happens and if you pick up on it, I promise it'll save you from losing your minds till I write part 4. Also a couple of logistical details about the Cayman Islands are probably off but it's what worked so it's what I did, just pretend lol. Per usual, I did edit, there's probably still typos any way, feel free to point them out. And as always, let me know what you liked, what you didn't and what you'd like to see in the future. Happy reading and have a wonderful rest of your week lovelies!

August 2021

The fight was inevitable but neither of them can tell you what really lit the flame. One second they had been fine (well as fine as two girls who knew tonight was their last night in a while could be), the next they were hurling bullets at each other. There’s a subconscious part of Azzi’s brain that tells her to grab Paige and duck for cover, to preserve whatever little bit of friendship they can. But her whole body vibrates with anger as Paige’s words crash around her like a tsunami, drowning out the good angel on her shoulder that’s pleading with her to stop.

“It’s a good thing really. You and your non-existent nerves would have never survived playing for UConn,” Paige sneers, and that mean smirk on her face just doesn’t quite fit right, “I don’t know what I was thinking with that honestly. You’re not built like that.”

Azzi flinches, eyes blazing, “some of us want to be more than just another good UConn player.”

“That’s what all the people not good enough to play for UConn say,” Paige retorts bitterly and Azzi doesn’t think she knows this girl standing in front of her, one whose words are aimed to make her cry instead of laugh.

“Not good enough and yet you still wanted me on your team.”

“Nah you know what, my bad, I didn’t realise you’d fucking stab me in the back like that, ” Paige hisses, “you’re a fake as fuck friend and you’d probably make a shit teammate.”

Azzi’s never had a heart attack. She doesn’t even fully think she knows what a heart attack really is. But she’s certain this pain in her chest can’t possibly be anything less than one. It starts at her heart and then spreads to her lungs and then floods through her body, until she can’t move, she can’t breathe.

“You don’t mean that,” she whispers.

Paige hesitates, as if suddenly aware of the fragility of the moment, her voice considerably softer when she speaks but she doesn’t take it back, “ real friends choose each other.”

“Oh my god,” Azzi laughs, it’s the worst thing she could do in the moment and Paige’s eyes flash with anger, “you’re so fucking full of yourself.”

“Watch your fucking mouth-”

“Don’t you even dare. You say all that shit to me and now you can’t hear some of it back? Contrary to what you might think Paige, my whole life doesn’t revolve around you. My decision for where to spend the next four fucking years, does not revolve around you,” Azzi’s voice rises with each word.

Fighting is cathartic in a way. They’ve spent almost a year delicately tip-toeing around the subject, growing further and further apart and yet still holding on for dear life. And Azzi doesn’t want to let go, but everything feels burning hot, and her hands are starting to blister.

“Oh you’ve made that very clear,” Paige bites back, “you’ve made it very clear just how little I mean to you.”

“Because I chose a different school? That’s all it took Paige, seriously? That’s all it took for you to call our friendship fake?”

“No what it took Azzi was you being a fucking liar.”

“I didn’t lie about anything.”

Paige scoffs, her voice taking on a pitchy mocking tone, “ ‘I’d love to play with you Paige’, ‘being on the same team would be nice P’, all of that fucking bullshit when you didn’t mean any of it.”

“Oh we’re playing that game,” Azzi seethes, “how about ‘Az I’d support you no matter what’ huh? Where did all of that go?”

“Maybe if you didn’t make stupid decisions then.”

“No, actually choosing not to play with you might have been my smartest decision yet,” as soon as the words are out, there’s a part of Azzi that wishes she could wrench them back in.

“Right,” Paige’s voice is eerily quiet now, “well I hope that works out well for you then. Go to UCLA Azzi, have a great fucking life and stay the fuck away from mine.”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Azzi takes a cautious step towards the blonde and almost immediately, Paige steps backwards, her expression suddenly blank. The change to indifference is somehow worse than the previous malice, “Paige-”

“Fuck this, I’m going home,” Paige says resolutely, her fingers fidgeting with themselves as she reaches for her phone and wallet.

“We need to talk this out, we need to try and fix this,” Azzi all but pleads, trying to position herself in front of the persistent older girl who’s trying to make her way to the door.

“I don’t know if I want to fucking fix this,” Paige yells, shaking away Azzi’s hand on her shoulder, “I don’t know if it’s worth it,” her voice breaks as she says the next words, “I don’t even think I wanna be friends.”

When Azzi’s 14, Paige Bueckers dribbles through a USA basketball camp court straight into her life and teaches her all about how one person can come into your life and carve out a permanent shelf. When Azzi’s 16, Paige’s casual smiles and not-so-insignificant touches teach her all about the complicated space in-between just friends and something more. When Azzi’s 18, Paige says those words, ones that sound a lot like giving up, and teaches Azzi that sometimes in life, even the people you thought would never make you feel this way, are the ones who'll break you the most. And that’s the day Azzi makes a promise to herself that she’ll never give someone that part of herself again, unaware that when she’s 20, Paige will teach her that some promises are meant to be broken.

***

July 2023

Azzi doesn’t know what god she pissed off to get herself into this position, stuck in a booth with Zoe on one side and Paige on the other. Her girlfriend’s left hand is placed firmly on her thigh and Azzi has to fight the vehement urge to shake it away because Zoe’s normally soft, sweet touch feels itchy and heavy. But the way Paige’s biceps are pressed against hers might be even worse. Every time the blonde moves a little, the sliding of her smooth skin against Azzi’s arms, sends a jolt of electricity through her veins. And Azzi doesn’t know when she became that girl, the girl who already has someone to hold her but is desperately craving somebody else’s touch.

When people’s girlfriends surprise them with an unexpected visit, the appropriate reaction is to be overwhelmed with happiness. Except since she’d met her, Azzi’s summers have always belonged to Paige. With them having lived in separate states most of their lives, it was the one time they got to be with each other for an extended period of time. It was an unspoken rule really, one that they had subconsciously still followed the year before when Azzi had shown up at Paige’s door, even if they’d only gotten the last couple of weeks of the season; summer was theirs. So, when Zoe had shown up that afternoon with a bright smile and shining eyes, all Azzi had been able to register was a sense of loss as Paige pulled her hand out of Azzi’s.

Introductions had been somewhat awkward. Her parents knew of Zoe, but hadn’t met her yet. They were nice of course, her dad pulling the shorter girl into one of his bear hugs and her mom giving her a warm smile. Jon and José were more awkward, nodding their greetings but making no move to actually welcome her. Paige had managed to muster up a smile, one that didn’t quite reach her eyes, and shake the other girl’s outstretched hand. And then there was Drew, whose normally goofy smile seemed to have disappeared.

“Who are you?” the young boy had asked quizzically, his eyebrows crinkling together.

“Oh umm, I’m uh- Azzi’s girlfriend,” Zoe had replied, the last word causing Paige to involuntarily flinch.

Drew had looked over to Azzi then, his eyes wide and accusing, “you can’t be Azzi’s girlfriend.”

“Is that so?” Zoe hummed, clearly not taking him seriously.

“It is,” Drew had said petulantly, ignoring Paige’s warning squeeze, “she’s Paige’s.”

The silence after had been deafening, as Azzi tried to stop herself from choking on air. Eventually Paige had regained her senses first, apologising for her younger brother’s lack of filter (“he says stupid things all the time”) and then Azzi’s dad had swooped in before things could possibly get any more awkward, proposing that they all go out to dinner. And that’s how Azzi has ended up here, shuffled in a booth, opposite her parents, with Paige on one side and Zoe on the other. Life really and truly isn’t on her side these days.

“So girls, what are y’all pizza orders?” Tim asks jovially. Azzi’s brothers and Drew, desperate to go enjoy the sun (and avoid Zoe), had already told them their orders before zooming to the park right outside the restaurant.

“Oh uh- Az you wanna share a Margherita pizza?”

“Azzi and I’ll just have our usual.”

It’s as if the world wants Azzi to suffer as both Zoe and Paige immediately look at her expectantly. The girl in question keeps her eyes focused on the menu in front of her, unsure how to best handle this predicament by doing anything other than maybe just running out of the restaurant.

“What’s your usual?” Zoe asks, her voice all curiosity and no ill-intent.

“Grilled chicken and bacon with spinach and onions.”

“But Azzi doesn’t like onions, she says they make-”

“They make her breath smell I know,” there’s a hard edge to Paige’s voice, “but she-”

“She can’t pick them off. She can’t pick anything off of her pizza because it takes-”

“It takes the cheese off, I know that too. That’s not what I was going to say. She doesn’t eat them because she thinks they make her breath smell but she does like them. It’s just-,” Paige’s eyes flare with mischief, “she only eats them around people who are close to her. Guess you’re not quite there yet.”

Since Azzi had mustered up the courage to finally tell Paige about Zoe, right before summer break started, Paige had been nothing but respectful, supportive even. Until tonight apparently and Azzi doesn’t even know to react to the fact that her best friend has started a pissing contest over fucking onions.

“Right,” Zoe bites her lips, her ever-present smile slipping slightly as she slowly pries the menu out of Azzi’s hands and looks at her with hopefully eyes, “but we’ll get the Margherita tonight babe?”

“I-” and Azzi really should say yes, side with Zoe like the good girlfriend she is, except, well, all she can think about is that Paige hasn’t smiled since the California girl had arrived in D.C., “I think um- I’ll stick to my usual Zo, I’m sorry.”

She’s a terrible girlfriend, because immediately Zoe’s smile fades, and Azzi barely notices it, too busy watching Paige’s grin light up her face. Her baby blue eyes sparkle as if she’s won some important battle and it’s not even dark yet, but Azzi swears it feels like the stars have come out.

“Okay,” Tim says slowly, looking between the three younger girls, as he waives over the waitress, “if that’s decided then.”

The issue with Paige being pretty, is that nobody’s really immune to it, including the cheerful waitress that practically skips over to serve them. Her eyes glaze over a little bit as they roam across the blonde’s face and then to her arms before drifting down to her torso. Paige’s tank top doesn’t leave much to the imagination, exposing both her muscled biceps and toned torso and Azzi doesn’t need an x-ray to know the widely appropriate thoughts going through the waitress’s head. The feral roar of mine takes birth in her stomach and the quieting whisper of she’s not does little to subdue it.

“I’m Libby,” the waitress says, tongue darting across her lips, eyes solely focused on Paige, “and I’ll be your server today.”

Libby collects orders dutifully, polite and agreeable, but doesn’t once fully look away from the blonde, practically drooling once she finally gets to her, “and what can I get for you to drink babe?”

Azzi’s not sure whether it’s the sultry tone or the nickname that gets Paige’s attention, but all of a sudden her best friend is staring up at the waitress with her own flirty smile. She likes to think she’s not a particularly violent person, but Azzi thinks she might end up in jail for homicide tonight.

“Well babe,” Paige winks, Azzi wants to die, “what would you recommend?”

Libby smirks, clearly feeling triumphant as she leans on the table, one hand reaching out to brush Paige’s forearm, “sex on the beach.”

Several things happen at once. Tim chokes on a breadstick. Katie immediately thumps him on the back. Zoe lets out a laugh. Azzi’s nails break the skin of her palm, drawing blood as she fists both of hands. And then-

“She has a girlfriend,” it’s a blatantly untrue but all Azzi can think about is stopping this random girl from eye-fucking her Paige. It does the trick, Libby’s eyes go comically wide, as she steps back from the table, from Paige.

“She does?” Tim asks. Next to him, Katie, shoots her daughter a knowing look that veers on the edge of disappointment.

Azzi stutters under the heat of Paige’s glare, the blonde clearly unamused by her lie, “I uh- I mean um- it’s not official but um yeah,” she doesn’t even sound convincing to herself, “I’m uh- I’m gonna go to the bathroom.”

She practically shoves Paige out of the booth so she can climb out of it herself, adrenaline pumping through her veins. Her heart hammers in her chest and she tries to block out the sound of Paige’s being questioned by her dad, as she rushes into the restroom.

There’s no amount of water she could splash on her face to make this heat go away, but she tries anyway, unsure of when the tap water starts to blend in with the tears streaming down her face. The unsettling anger of how dare she flirt with another girl beating in her heart is replaced by the guilt of i’m not allowed to feel this way thrashing around her rib cage. It hurts all the same, as Azzi clutches her chest, trying to even out her breathing.

She doesn’t hear the door open or close until, “What the fuck was that?”

“Get out,” Azzi whispers, closing her eyes and leaning her head on the mirror, “just give me a second okay?”

“Oh no, no, no, you owe me a huge fucking explanation right now,” Paige hisses, “what the fuck was that bullshit? I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“It was a joke-” before Azzi can even finish the sentence, there’s a hand on her biceps, forcing her to turn around. When she opens her eyes, Paige’s face is far too close to her own and when she tries to move back, she’s trapped with the cool edge of the sink. It’s too much, the proximity, the tension, the lingering touch of Paige’s fingers curled around her arm.

“Stop lying,” Paige bites out.

“It just slipped out babe,” and fuck, Azzi absolutely hadn’t meant to add that last part, hadn’t meant to make it so obvious what exactly had triggered her little outburst. Realisation flashes across Paige’s face, as she takes a step back, letting go of Azzi, and the distance should be freeing, but instead it just makes her feel lost.

“That’s what this is about?” the blonde asks in disbelief.

“Yes- no- I don’t know, okay,” Azzi’s voice is high-pitched, “I’m sorry okay. I’ll tell the waitress it was a joke,” she lets out a humourless laugh, “I didn’t mean to fucking cockblock you.”

“Cockblock me? Dude I wasn’t trying to fuck the waitress what the fuck?”

“Could’ve fooled me babe,” Azzi sneers.

Something menacing flashes in Paige’s eyes, “stop calling me that.”

“What? You don’t like me calling you babe. You didn’t seem to have a problem when it was her.”

“Oh my fucking god Azzi,” Paige throws her hands up, “you don’t get to do this. Not when your girlfriend is sitting right there.”

The reminder of Zoe is like being splashed with cold water and Azzi feels everything inside of her freeze. She grips the edge of the sink, trying to find some semblance of balance as Paige continues to glare at her.

“For the past few hours, I have had to hear your girlfriend call you every fucking nickname in the book. I have had to watch her kiss you and move your hair back and grip your fucking knee under the table,” with every sentence, Paige inches closer and closer, until she’s accentuating every word by pushing her index finger into Azzi’s chest, “and you can’t even fucking deal with me calling some other girl babe?”

“Paige,” Azzi whispers when Paige’s voice breaks on the last word. Their faces are so close, she can feel the other girl’s uneven breathing all over her skin. And it takes everything in her to not cave in and reach a hand out to caress away the tear that's threatening to fall from the blonde’s tearline.

“It’s been hell Azzi,” Paige spits out, “so you don’t get to be upset if I want to fuck someone-”

Something snaps and before Paige can complete the offending sentence, before she can imprint an image that will forever haunt Azzi’s mind, Azzi silences all the warning bells of why she really shouldn’t, and pulls her best friend into a searing kiss. Immediately, Paige’s hands come to rest against Azzi’s hips, pressing her firmly against the edge of the sink. It’s as if they’re trying to meld their bodies together, both of them gripping each other as close as possible. Outside, it’s a summer evening of clear blue skies, but here in this random restaurant restroom, lightning strikes.

Paige bites at Azzi’s bottom lip and then traces her tongue over the bruise she’s created, smirking when it elicits a gasp from the younger girl. Lips still firmly moving against Azzi’s, her hands work expertly on the buttons of Azzi’s tight shorts. The sensation of everything Paige is all-consuming and Azzi feels like she’s drunk on the taste of her best friend’s skin, as she moves away from Paige’s lips, to pepper kisses on her neck, before moving down to suck a mark into her collarbone. Mine, mine, mine.

“Fuck Az,” Paige moans when Azzi’s teeth grate against her skin and it’s the brunette’s turn to smirk. But her cockiness is short-lived when Paige’s fingers finally find their way into her now unbuttoned shorts. They press down on her clit through her underwear, making her whine.

A cry of “Paige,” escapes her lips when the blonde slides Azzi’s panties to the side, her middle and index finger beginning to rub circles around the younger girl’s clit in a tantalisingly slow rhythm.

“So wet, so fucking wet for me,” Paige’s voice is wrecked with want, as she brings her free hand to cup Azzi’s jaw, forcing her best friend to look her in the eyes. It scares Azzi, the sheer amount of emotion she can see swirling in the blonde’s eyes. There’s lust and then there’s something else, another l-word that she can’t bring herself to acknowledge, knowing it’ll ruin her, ruin them.

“Please,” Azzi whispers against Paige’s mouth, as the older girl’s fingers slip from her clit to tease against her soaking entrance, dipping into her folds but not giving her what she wants.

“If you want something baby,” Paige traces Azzi’s lips with her thumb, “you have to ask for it.”

Azzi's hands moved away from where they had been firmly gripping Paige’s waist, to wrap around her neck. She bites softly against Paige’s left earlobe, eliciting a low groan, before bringing her lips as close to the blonde’s ears as she can, “I want you to fuck me.”

It’s all it takes, Paige finally gives Azzi what her body’s so desperately craving, for far longer than she’s willing to admit, pumping two fingers into her pussy, while her thumb stimulates her clit. And fuck, Paige knows exactly what she’s doing, fingers curling in the exact right spots and Azzi feels like she’s floating or flying or falling, maybe all of the above.

“Please, please, please,” Azzi babbles incoherently, burying her face in the crevice of Paige’s neck, tears beginning to blur her vision. Because, it’s too much, the ecstasy, the fact that it’s Paige behind the ecstasy, the fact that this is better than her wildest fantasies.

“Doing so good for me baby,” Paige praises, fingers starting to move faster, “taking my fingers so fucking well Az, think you can handle one more?”

Azzi whines in response. Paige pushes in a third finger, both of them letting out identical sighs of pleasure. She’s slow for a second, giving Azzi time to adjust but-

“Fuck, Paige, faster, please,” the younger girls moans, grinding fervently, desperately, against Paige’s fingers, trying to create more fiction.

“Anything for you Az,” Paige whispers, and even in the high of the moment, Azzi knows those words are about more than sex, “whatever you want.”

As Paige’s fingers begin to move at a rapid pace, curling around her g-spot, over and over and over, Azzi can feel that familiar pressure building in her stomach. Her fingers claw at Paige’s neck in warning, too worked up for words. Paige nudge’s Azzi’s face out of her neck, free hand cupping the younger girl's jaw.

“Come apart for me baby,” she whispers before pressing their lips together.

Azzi’s hips stutter as her orgasm rolls all over her, pussy clenching around Paige’s fingers, as she moans into the older girl's mouth. Spent, her body goes limp, her best friend’s firm grip pressing her against the edge of the sink, the only thing anchoring her and keeping her uprights. Paige slowly pulls her fingers out of Azzi’s pants and the loss of contact feels wrong. It’s instinct really, as Azzi reaches for Paige’s hand and brings it up to her mouth, sucking each of the older girl’s fingers clean one by one, and it’s worth it for the way Paige looks wrecked.

“Az-” she begins softly, eyes filled with questions but before Azzi can even think about any answers-

“Azzi,” reality crashes and burns around the two girls as Zoe’s voice calls out for her girlfriend. The sound of footsteps gets closer and closer. Panic takes the place of pleasure as Paige and Azzi jump apart from each other and the realisation of their surroundings hits both of them at the same time. Sweat sheens against Paige’s collarbone and Azzi’s lips are bruised, her eyes still glazy. Their identical dishevelled demeanour gives away far too much. Just as the restroom door creaks open a little, Azzi dives into one of the stalls.

“Oh, hey Paige,” guilt pools in Azzi’s stomach at the sound of Zoe’s innocent voice, as she presses her ear against the stall door, “is Azzi in here? She’s been gone for like 20 minutes.”

“She- she was,” Paige stutters, and Azzi hates herself even more for putting her best friend in this position, “I-uh I think she um- she wanted some fresh air.”

“Ah okay, I’ll go try and find her,” Zoe pauses, “are you okay? You look a little flustered.”

“Me? Oh yeah, I’m fine,” Paige assures in a high-pitched voice, “just uh miss my girlfriend you know.”

Azzi flinches at the lie. She’d made such a fucking mess today. The lying, the cheating, all of it was so out of character and all of a sudden, she feels dirty. Tears brim in her eyes as she begins to process the gravity of what she’d done. And perhaps the worst part of it, is that she can’t find it in herself to fully regret it. If she could turn back time, she doesn’t know if she’d do anything different. Because when it comes to Paige, Azzi’s fine living in shades of grey.

“Yeah, I didn’t know you had a girlfriend,” Zoe says slowly.

There’s a pause and Azzi knows the words neither did I are floating in Paige's mind before she answers, “yeah, it’s uh- it’s new.”

“That’s good. I’m happy for you,” the sincerity in Zoe’s words hit like stones, rupturing whatever built up image of i am a good person Azzi had ever had of herself

“Thank you,” Paige replies quietly.

“It just-,” Zoe draws in a breath, “Azzi she- she worries about you a lot you know. Even before- you know- when you guys weren’t- you know? Like I think she thinks about you a lot,” there’s an unmistakable wistfulness in Zoe’s voice, “ like- if you’re doing okay and all that. And I don’t- I don’t even know you but I know she wants you to be happy- and- and I want whatever Azzi wants- so- so if you’re happy- that’s good.”

“That’s- that’s really sweet of you,” Paige sounds as guilty as Azzi feels.

There’s quiet for a minute until, “do you think I make her happy? Does she- does she talk about me?”

Zoe’s voice is laced in insecurity and hopefulness and Azzi wishes she’d never brought this girl into her mess in the first place. The sun-kissed Californian had been a classmate who had accidentally stumbled upon Azzi mid-breakdown on a random Thursday. One second she was hesitant, the next she was spilling her woes to a stranger, tired of holding it in. And from then on Zoe had been on a mission to just be there. She’d never hidden her intention, always clear that she wanted more than friendship and Azzi, despite knowing that her heart didn’t really have space for anyone else, had let her loneliness be her guide and given in to the urge to just let someone hold her. But the truth is that while every other second spent with Zoe was filled with mentions of Paige’s name, every moment spent with Paige was never about anything else other than her.

“She- she does, she seems happy,” Paige can’t bring herself to say the with you. The blonde sounds defeated, as if the admission that Azzi could possibly be happy with someone else has taken everything out of her.

“Good, it means a lot,” Zoe’s voice is lighter now, like there’s a smile hidden in it, “especially from you. Thank you. I’ll uh- I’ll go see if I can find her.”

Azzi waits for the sound of footsteps shuffling and then the sound of the door clicking behind Zoe, before prying herself out of the stall. Paige is hunched over the sink, face buried in her hands. And the words my fault, my fault, my fault imprint themselves all over Azzi’s heart.

“Your girlfriend’s looking for you,” Paige says, not bothering to look up.

“Paige I-”

“Just go Azzi, we’ll just” Paige scoffs, “we’ll just play pretend again,” the walls are up again and Paige is unreachable in her castle built from the ashes of the purity in their friendship that they’d just sacrified for a fucking quickie in a barely-lit restroom. And maybe Azzi should say something, maybe she should stay and see if she can fight her way into Paige’s castle. But Azzi’s no knight in shining armour, not Paige’s, not Zoe’s, not anybody else’s because knights don’t cheat and they don’t lie and they don’t break people’s hearts. So she listens to what her best friend says, she walks out, and she pretends she doesn’t hear the sob that’s let out behind her.

***

November 2023

UCLA is up on UConn, it should be a pretty momentous occasion and it is. Azzi’s had one of the best games of her career to get her team mere seconds away from getting their first win over the powerhouse. For UConn, so has Paige, except there’s nothing but frustration gleaming in the blonde’s face. The game had been bad for UConn, the cracks created by injuries on full display. And the competitor in Azzi was more than happy to take advantage of that. But the part of her that was Paige’s best friend was stuck on how tired Paige looked. Someone fucking help her, Azzi had thought throughout the game, she literally just came back from injury.

The outcome of the game is clear and Azzi’s already on the bench getting rest, cheering for her own team of course, but keeping a subtle eye on what’s happening with Paige. Azzi’s eyes follow Paige as she’s finally subbed out. The older girl walks to the end of her own bench, hands coming to rest on her thighs as she hangs her head, face scrunched up in irritation. Paige does that thing where it's like she’s trying to bite of all the skin on her lips and Azzi has the familiar urge to march over and make her stop, preferably by kissing her, not that that’s a thought she’s allowed to have.

It’s ironic really, the 2,943 miles that had once been the reason they’d fallen apart, is the only thing holding them together. Being out of each other’s reach makes it easier to ignore what had happened over the summer, makes it easier to not give into that same vice all over again. And it makes sense, Azzi thinks, because since she’s met her, whenever Paige had just been a blurry goofy face on her screen, they’d been good at the just friends thing. The moment they could touch though, that’s when lines got blurry. As much as Azzi’s not sure how she survived a year without Paige, she’s even less sure about how she’d survived that one year where they’d practically lived in each other’s skins.

Things in the handshake line are somewhat icy with both teams being overprotective of their star players. Muhl’s eyes are full of disdain once she reaches Azzi and Arnold barely shakes her hand, only doing as much as she has to, to keep up appearance. Azzi’s teammates aren’t any better, Angelica smiles at everyone until she reaches Paige, and Kiki rolls her eyes at the point guard. But it doesn’t matter what anybody else does, not when Paige practically falls into Azzi’s arms, her tense body finally beginning to relax a little.

“You did good,” Azzi whispers into the blonde’s hair, tightening her hold on the other girl as she soothingly strokes her back.

Paige scoffs, burying her face further into Azzi’s neck, “you did good, I did what I had to.”

They break apart reluctantly, the shutter of cameras ruining the intimacy of the moment. Their hands hold on a touch longer but the minute they finally slip away from each other, the familiar feeling of i’m tired of missing you that seems to always be lingering within Azzi, prickles against her heart.

***

UConn and UCLA don’t have a rivalry but if you were sat at the hotel restaurant in the Cayman Islands on a lovely November evening, you wouldn’t know that. There’s multiple women’s basketball teams present at the restaurant and everyone’s mingling with each other but the Bruins and Huskies seem determined to avoid each other at all costs. At one point, Angelica and Muhl, of course it would be them, accidentally bump into each other and Azzi holds her breath at the icy glare shared between them. She’s not sure how she and Paige ended up with something akin to the women’s basketball version of the Montagues and the Capulets, but it seems fitting with the way her life’s been going, that it would eventually start to take the shape of a tragedy.

It’s around 10pm when Azzi notices Paige moving in the direction of the door, towards the beach. Azzi hesitates for a moment, knowing her need to go after the blonde isn't just one born out of a best friend’s concern, but it’s Paige. It doesn’t matter if there’s inevitable destruction on the other side, it’s Paige and when it’s Paige, Azzi will follow.

Paige’s silhouette on the beach, glowing underneath the moonlight, with waves crashing onto the shore beyond her, is straight out of a dream. Azzi’s not an artist by any means, but she thinks if she were, this moment would be her muse. The sea wind causes Paige’s hair to flutter with it. Her eyes are closed in concentration, knees pressed against her heaving chest as she takes in deep breaths of salty air. Azzi traipses across the sand, sandals in hand, before falling to the ground next to the other girl. A whisper of a smile is the only acknowledgement Paige offers her as they let a comfortable silence glide over them.

“It would be nice to live here,” Paige says after a moment, “it’s peaceful.”

“Except when it storms,” Azzi surmises.

“It’s not peaceful anywhere when it storms,” Paige counters matter-of-factly, “can you just let me have my moment?

“Right, right, continue.”

“Well now I don’t want to.”

Azzi laughs. Paige grins. It’s so easy. It’s so fucking scary.

“Why’d you leave the restaurant?” Azzi asks cautiously.

“Fresh air.”

“And?”

Paige sighs, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt, “it’s gonna be a long season.”

“It always feels like that at the beginning.”

“I know- it’s just- after last year- I just thought it would be different. We’d show the world this time. Be like the other UConn teams of the past. Maybe I just wanted something easier.”

“No you didn’t,” Azzi nudges Paige’s shoulder, “you’ve never wanted easy in your goddamn life Paige. If it’s not a challenge, then it’s not for you. Because you’re God’s strongest soldier, and He’ll give you his hardest battles, right?”

“Right, but sometimes I just don’t feel so strong.”

“Remember what I said in LA? It’s okay to feel that way P. It’s okay to feel however you feel. Let yourself breathe sometimes, it’s good for you. Fall down, let things go, just- remember to get back up and hold on again. It’ll get better, I promise.”

“You always say the right things,” Paige says quietly, and then even quieter, she whispers under her breath, “you make it so hard Az.”

Azzi’s not fully sure what that means. She’s not sure she wants to. Instead she tangles her and Paige’s fingers together, ignoring the way it feels a little too right, and lets them fall back into a peaceful quiet.

“So,” Paige begins again, after a couple of minutes, “Zoe didn’t make the trip here?”

I’m holding your hand and you’re thinking about my girlfriend. Maybe you’re a better person than me.

“She can’t just leave all her schoolwork and follow me wherever,” Azzi says, trying to keep the defensiveness out of her voice. It’s true except the part where Zoe had asked if she wanted her there and Azzi hadn’t been able to give her the enthusiastic yes she wanted, starting an unspoken argument that quashed any chance of a nice romantic island getaway for the two of them.

“She did for the Elite 8 last-” Paige bites her tongue.

“How did you-,” Azzi’s brain feels dizzy with confusion, “how could you know that? You left- after the Sweet 16, you- how did you know Zoe was there?”

“I didn’t leave,” Paige keeps her eyes adamantly on the ocean, “the team wanted to stay longer,” that’s a lie, Azzi knows her too well, “and so I stayed and you know me, I love watching hoops so I uh- I watched your game.”

“You were there,” Azzi whispers more to herself than Paige at this point. She’d been so sure she was just hallucinating, her heart trying to trick itself into seeing what it wanted to see, “why didn’t you tell me you were there? Why didn’t you come see me after the game?”

“I did- fuck Azzi- I did-”

“Where? I would’ve seen- I didn’t see-”

“I saw you,” Paige cuts through Azzi’s frantic questioning, her voice heavy with unspoken emotions as she continues to refuse to look at the younger girl, “you and Zoe. Together.”

“Paige-”

“After the game, you were looking for someone in the stands and I- I thought maybe you were looking for your parents but then I saw you- with her- outside the locker room and- it hit me that- that you were looking for her,” Paige spits the last word out as it feels like lava on her tongue.

In the grand scheme of things, maybe Azzi should let Paige keep this misconception, maybe it would make things simpler if she let Paige believe in the idea that there was someone else Azzi sought out when she was struggling. But-

“I thought I saw you,” Azzi breathes out, “I should have been looking for Zoe but-” she has to draw in a breath when Paige whips around, piercing blue eyes that feel like they can see straight into Azzi’s soul, “Paige, I was looking for you-”

The last bit of sound is stolen away from Azzi as Paige’s lips crash onto hers. And it’s so different from summer and that wretched bathroom. Something softer, more gentle, but still desperate and passionate. Time slows down, as Azzi pulls Paige into her lap, hands caressing her waist, mouths still moving against each other with perfect rhythm. They only pull away when air becomes a necessity, resting their forehead against each other, as they breathe in sync.

“You’re so beautiful,” Azzi whispers, moving a strand of hair out the blonde’s face.

The way Paige blushes is everything, “stop.”

“You are,” Azzi insists, pressing a kiss against the corner against the edge of her lips, “you’re perfect P.”

If she goes blind tomorrow, in the next second even, Azzi thinks that would be okay. As long as this, Paige with her soft Azzi smile, looking at her with that sparkle in her eyes, face illuminated by the shine of the stars, is the last thing Azzi sees.

Slowly Paige climbs off of her, stretching out a hand to pull Azzi up.

“You don’t have a roommate right?,” she asks with a soft smirk that transforms into a shy grin when Azzi nods. And this isn’t a version of Paige that Azzi's ever met before, so different from her cocky loud best friend, but she’d like to learn her all the same.

The hotel staff probably think they’re a little drunk as they giggle their way to Azzi’s hotel room. Azzi barely manages to get the door open, before Paige’s lips are all over her again, drifting everywhere from her lips to her neck to her collarbone.

“Off, off, off,” Paige urges, hands pulling away Azzi’s shirt and she can’t help but giggle at the older girl’s impatience. She keeps her eyes firmly on Paige as she unhooks her bra, smirking as her best friend’s eyes glaze over. Paige moves to touch her, and Azzi moves back immediately.

“Nuh huh. I show you mine, you show me yours.”

“You’re so fucking annoying,” Paige groans but does as she’s told, discarding her shirt and Azzi’s smirk widens. She moves towards Paige, slowly tracing her tongue down the older girl’s neck.

“Am I?” Azzi whispers, as she backs her best friend onto the bed. Paige’s eyes follow her every movement as Azzi slowly slides down Paige’s pants, and then her underwear. She runs a finger down Paige’s soaked folds, causing the other girl’s body to shiver, “so wet already, for someone so annoying?”

“Fuck y-” Paige cuts herself off with a groan, when Azzi’s fingers find her sensitive clit.

Settling herself in between the older girl's legs, Azzi grazes her teeth against Paige’s left thigh, satisfied when it makes the other girl’s breath hitch, “if I’m so annoying maybe I should go?”

“Don’t you fucking dare,” Paige warns breathlessly, head propped up against Azzi’s pillows.

“That’s what I thought,” Azzi smirks, as she peppers kisses up Paige’s thighs, her right thumb lazily flickering against Paige’s clit.

“You’re such a fucking tease,” Paige lets out a frustrated whine, “just fuck me already.”

Azzi bites down hard against Paige’s thigh, wanting to leave a mark in the one place no one would ever see it, before looking up at Paige, “whatever you want.”

Paige’s entire body writhes as Azzi fucks her tongue into Paige’s pussy, building pace with every thrust. One hand fists around the sheets, as the other moves to grab at Azzi’s head, trying to guide her in deeper.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck shit Azzi please,” Paige curses, eyes rolling into her skull, “just like that fuck.”

She’s so close, words becoming incoherent noises, thighs beginning to shake, when Azzi pulls her tongue off.

“What the fuck-” Paige almost yells but it turns into a groan when Azzi replaces her tongue with two fingers instead, “shit- FUCK.”

Azzi attaches her now-free lips to Paige’s clit and she can tell it’s too much. Paige’s back arches off the bed as her eyes go hazy. And then Azzi’s above her, fingers still rapidly pumping into Paige, as she places a delicate kiss against her lips.

“Let go baby, I’ve got you,” Azzi whispers into Paige’s ear as the blonde closes her eyes, letting her orgasm wash all over her, “I’ve got you.”

Paige is still for a second, as Azzi slips her fingers out, continuing to press lazy open-mouthed kisses against her best friend’s neck. She squeals when she feels herself being flipped over, back hitting the mattress.

“What was it you said?” Paige asks cheekily, as starts to unbutton Azzi’s jeans, “I showed you mine, now you have to show me yours.”

Azzi rolls her eyes, a laugh escaping her throat. Trust them to be dorks even in a moment like this. And then Paige attaches her lips to Azzi’s clit and the giggles turn into loud desperate moans. When she slips her fingers in, it’s clear Paige remembers exactly how to push Azzi over the edge.

“So fucking perfect,” Paige whispers from between her legs, eyes looking up at a blissed-out Azzi with awe, “you’re so fucking perfect.”

“That’s you,” Azzi manages to get out in between bated breaths, before her own orgasm hits her, and Paige’s name waterfalls out of her lips like a prayer.

There’s no more words after that, only shared looks and soft grins as they make their way into the en-suite bathroom, lazily washing each other between stolen kisses. They fall asleep, wrapped in each other's arms with matching content smiles.

***

Azzi wakes up alone the next morning. There’s no scribbled note, or even a text. In fact there’s really no proof that Paige was ever there to begin with, except for the ghost of Paige’s touch written all over Azzi’s skin. For a second, Azzi sits in bed and stares out her window. There's a thunderstorm brewing outside (it's not peaceful anywhere when it storms). She watches the raindrops slide down one by one and decides that, that’s the only water that’ll fall today because she won’t shed a single tear and she won’t cry and she most definitely won’t sob.

She replies to Zoe’s i miss you text with a me too she doesn’t mean.

And then she gets up and goes on with her day.

#pazzi #paige bueckers #azzi fudd #wcbb

191 notes · View notes

kuroshioi · 8 months ago

Note

Hi hi mootie! ❤️ I originally had an small idea I wanted to write on Jing Yuan with an assassin reader, but gave up lol. Okay so: She was assigned to assassinate Jing Yuan, but found it difficult to even meet him; getting her chance to complete her task at hand it backfires on her! Inspo

Your writtig is so yummy! Also do you ever plan on writing Aventurine? i can provide you basic info on Aventurine for writing <3

cw: nsfw, mdni, fem!reader !!

Jing Yuan x reader nfsw !!

wc: 460+ !!

note: aawwh tysm for showing love and appreciation for my writings and I do plan on writing Aventurine so you're always welcome on my inbox or dms for providing info abt him !!

. Originally you were meant to be a skilled and strong assassin that was supposed to assasinate the cloud knights general so how did you end up in this situation..?

it wasn't rare that Jing Yuan would have people chasing after him because of his position, skills and what not.

and because of such matters he wasn't that concerned when he first realized your presence in the countryard while he was drinking tea but of course he did keep his guard

one time you took a slight glance out of your hiding spot to see his face and he decided to test the waters by making direct eye contact with you and how you immediately hid back in your place made him chuckle under his breath.

He tried doing anything and everything to tease and annoy you without making you realize that he knew about you.

Why? Because it was fun :)

there was no reason for him to tease you like that but for him it was so fun to see you frustrated, a blushing mess for embarrasing yourself for the huge mistakes because..

because...?

why?

it didn't make sense but it did something to him nevertheless.

Three weeks already passed, the organization that hired you was now demanding that you find a way to kill him or atleast try to hurt him as much as possible and you didn't know how and..

another thing was that

you felt like slowly falling for him

you didn't know what caused you to have such feelings for a person who was supposed to be assassinated by you so you tried to ignore such feelings

and unfortunately you had to choose the last resort and threw your feelings to the side..

or did you?

you decided to assassinate Jing Yuan while he was sleeping in his room midnight

of course... It was hard to pass around the guards, some even put to eternal sleep by you because of how annoying they were but the end you finally reached your destination

his room.

you gently opened the door to see the man sleeping shirtless in a king sized bed

"wow...I didn't know the general needed such a large bed just for one person"

you thought to yourself as you took silent steps near him and pulled out your dagger

you felt bad like really bad..

you didn't want to kill him you didn't want to do this but you had to.. you already signed the contract and took the money

so you closed your eyes and just as you were about to kill him you felt a hand grip your wrist tightly

your eyes opened up and widened in shock

"wait- what?"

just as you were about to come to your senses the general immediately threw your body to the other side of the bed by the hand he was griping (don't ask if it even makes sense idk bruh)

and sits up and cages you in his arms

"Now tell me my dear, who you might be and what you are doing in my own chambers hm?"

He said with a smirk looking at you

now the rest is for you to imagine <3

#honkai star rail #hsr smut #hsr x reader #smut scenarios #jing yuan smut #honkai star rail jing yuan #hsr jing yuan

101 notes · View notes

wings-of-ink · 28 days ago

Text

Ask with some light spoiler content for chapter 5 below!

@blook88

hi lunan. i really liked your game/story. i especially love the characters and their interactions with eachother and with MC. i have some questions: 1.) i felt that after the nathan camp scene (i think in chapter 2) the flirt options with oswin slowed down a bit/there was less screentime for oswin. i understand this, since the following chapters where the introductions of duri & runes respectively. will future chapters always have their focus on different characters or will there be a choice like "choose with whom you want to spend time with"? 2.) relatively at the end of the demo we met a character named aster. i assumed that he would be one of the flirtable, non-romance option characters. but since he nows travels with the group, i have to ask: is/will he be an official romance option? im mainly asking, because while my MC dont have a problem with having one night stands, she (and i as the player) prefer to flirt with only one RO. 3.) will the relationships at some point get locked in? if so, will this happen around the same time or will some RO take longer? andwhat about their frst naughty time? e.g. oswin hints, that there are things he cannot say now and he doesnt want a relationship til then. does this mean his relationship lock in/first time will happen way later in the story? 4.) your ask button says: "reaction asks paused". does this mean we shouldnt send those in OR that we can, but you will only answer these at a later point in time? 5.) during the whole demo, the relationship tab was always empty, meaning there were only the names of the RO, but no description of their relationship towards MC. im not sure if this is a bug or not. thank you for your answers.

Hello dear! I'm glad you are liking the IF and characters! I will answer your questions as much as I can without giving too much away.

Now that all our our ROs have been introduced, time between them will be split up as evenly as I can engineer it. The MC will be given choices here and there for more particular interactions/events featuring just one chosen RO (and these can be either out of romance or friendship). For example, during the intro to chapter 6, one of the ROs will speak up in defense of MC if needed. But during the entire chapter, each RO gets a private event with MC which can be tailored with flirtatious or just friendly moments. And you aren't required to flirt at all with any of the ROs to romance them. As long as you are choosing that your MC has warm feelings toward them (romance or friendship), that is what spurs the reciprocation of those feelings.

Eventually, you will get a lock-in moment. I can't say with certainty when this will take place and it could be different for each RO. My thinking here is that you/MC should make their choice when some of the RO's "dirt" comes to the surface. Their secrets and/or the troubles they carry will be revealed to help the characters bond. For a couple of the ROs, this is also so MC can make a choice they can live with. Some secrets might be difficult for them to digest or it might change their heart completely.

Any of the one night stands will be clearly indicated as such even from any of the ROs. Duri has an option for a casual hook-up in Ch 6, but this does not lock you out of romance or anything nor is it required to romance them. Zahn will have more moments as well like in Ch 5. They are the only two ROs that the MC can get that physical with before being locked-in.

My reaction asks are currently (technically) still paused. I had intended to unpause those a while back, but I simply lack the energy these days. Historically, I have spent many hours answering them and it takes away time for the IF. Some have still sent them in, and I basically just sit on them, lol. When I do officially unpause reaction asks, I will have some guidelines for myself and others to follow. Here is a link to the Inbox Rules. I think I would prefer that you hold on to any reaction asks you have for now.

And yes, the relationship tab is actually empty. I am wanting to revamp the menus and codex so I haven't bothered to put much into them in the last couple updates. Eventually there will be some character data in there and it will track your MC's feelings. As with all things, time to do this is a precious commodity

Thank you for stopping by and sending in question, my friend! I hope I've helped clear some things up for you. ^_^

#god cursed if #asks #gc if ch 5 spoilers and content

46 notes · View notes

snorkelborg · 8 days ago

Note

Any gender!reader with temperature problems in that one scene where they hide in the deer from the weather?! maybe some heartfelt words or something from ogata!! That may be out of character, but I’d like to see where it goessss :3

-☎️ 🍒

"Something Warmer.."

⋆｡°✩ Ogata x GN!Reader ❄️ WC - 2,002 I couldn't find a pic that matched the fic so bear with me lol. Anyway, this is Gender Neutral reader x Ogata! It's a little reader-centric :3 I tried to make it as in-character as possible while giving some meaningful dialogue? I hope it came across as such! Anyway, enjoyyy!! Sorry if it's bad, this is my 2nd attempt at writing a fanfic ever haha, I'm still stealing Tumblr formatting from my friend 😭

You've always had trouble keeping warm. This itself wasn’t anything new to the team. Once on a particularly cold night, you’d convinced Sugimoto and Asirpa to dogpile on you so that your fingers literally wouldn’t freeze off.

This was the sort of “agreement” you three had. You and Sugimoto had been longtime friends so it wasn’t exactly difficult to persuade him to agree to this, and Asirpa enjoyed the warmth of the two of you.

Long before those two, you’d keep warm with animals instead. Every night you’d slink into your parent's farm with a blanket and pillow, squeeze yourself between the herding dogs and sheep and pray that you’d wake up the following day without a ball of fur in your mouth. It wasn’t often that your prayers were met. Sugimoto often teased you about this, remarking that it made you smell like a barn. Your parents weren’t particularly proud of this quirk either.

Rarely did you get a good night's rest without something extra to keep you warm. Blankets weren’t enough- something else always had to fill in that creeping emptiness that you’d begin to feel as your fingers blued and your heartbeat slowed.

When the group began to expand, not only with the addition of Shiraishi but Tanigaki, Ogata, and the others, you stopped sharing a sleeping place and began freezing yourself once again.

Even though you got to stay somewhere nicer every now and then with Hijikata taking charge, you still felt cold. Nothing in the world could quell it.

The cold wasn’t just a lack of warmth. It was the kind that crept into your ribs and made you feel like a ghost among the living. Like you didn’t deserve to feel their warmth anymore.

Having to share a space with other people meant that you couldn’t request extra blankets without looking greedy, and while you did care about your own well-being a tad bit more than your reputation, getting on people's good side seemed to be something you should keep in mind.

Speaking of which, you never could tell which side you were on with Ogata.

You’d known Sugimoto well enough to practically finish his sentences for him- it wasn’t hard to work with him. Asirpa, despite her stubborn nature, had taken quite a liking to you as well. Shiraishi was simple enough to cohabitate with. Though he was a definite oddball he had a somewhat functioning brain on his shoulders and you two could get along just fine.

The difference between Ogata and those three is that they know how to express themselves while Ogata does not. Or rather, he chooses not to.

You’d first met him during his fight with Sugimoto, of which you’d witnessed the entirety of. He didn’t greet you then, of course- too busy fighting. He was striking; his figure haunted you ever since. You’d thought that was the end of it, till he showed up again and proved you wrong.

The sound of sniper rifles had pleased your ears since. In a sort of sick way, you wanted to see him again- even if it meant another fight. You thought about it at night in your tent, dogpiled with the others.

You thought about it during fights, getting disappointed when the soldier's faces didn’t match his.

It’s the kind of delusion that somebody has and doesn’t expect to be entertained. The saying ‘be careful what you wish for’ rang in your ears every time your thoughts made their way back to him.

Your wish was granted when you saw him again after the fiasco with Edogai’s skins, where he decided it was a great time to greet you.

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Ogata Hyakunosuke,” he said, stretching his hand out in greeting.

You stared at him incredulously.

“I know who you are,” you stated flatly, struggling to keep your composure.

“Is that so?” He replied, keeping his hand outstretched.

“You fell into a river with my best friend and broke your chin. You don’t remember that? I feel like that was pretty significant.”

At this he frowned, his hand finally reeling back as he understood you weren’t going to greet him.

“Holding a grudge? Over that?” His tone was light, almost amused. But his eyes didn’t match.

You shrugged him off and continued what you were doing, ignoring his uncomfortable lingering presence. A poor attempt at ignoring the deafening beating of your heart. Since then, he’d made it a point to linger behind you no matter what you did. You weren’t sure if he was guarding your back out of some sort of misplaced affection or aiming for it.

You told yourself you didn’t care. That the only reason he lived in your head was because he was dangerous- something to be feared. But the truth was harder to swallow- it wasn’t the fear that kept you up at night.

It was the memory of his voice. The way he looked at you like you were prey. Or maybe a puzzle to be taken apart and solved.

Once, while talking to Sugimoto, you looked away for just a second. There Ogata was, watching. Not just watching- studying. The way someone reads a sniper scope. You froze. He didn’t look away.

A cold prickle danced down your neck.

You turned back to Sugimoto and pretended not to feel the heat blooming in your cheeks. You pretended not to miss the weight of his stare when it was finally gone.

If Sugimoto noticed, he certainly didn’t speak on it, though you could feel his palpable disapproval.

After the chaotic invasion on the Asahikawa 7th Division and the rescue of Shiraishi a fierce windstorm swept through the plains you had escaped to, dropping the temperature lower than anyone had anticipated.

Your hands become numb within just a few minutes. Asirpa's quick thinking gave you hope for a moment as you prepared to hide inside the deer that had just been taken down.

"Will you be alright alone in there?" Sugimoto asked. "You know, I’d be fine taking my own deer. You could share one with Asirpa."

Only four deer had been downed, and there wasn’t enough space for everyone to have one. It was clear that Asirpa would be the one who needed to share her space with someone else, taking into account her size.

"I d-don’t want to be a burden," you mumbled, your teeth chattering. "I’ll be fine. You and Asirpa should share one."

Sugimoto opened his mouth to argue, clearly aware that you were not fine, but Shiraishi had run off with Asirpa chasing after him to catch up.

He quickly returned on his own though and with Asirpa absence Sugimoto quickly set off to find her, leaving you shivering in the cold with no hope but to crawl inside of the deer and pray that wouldn’t be the last thing you did.

The deer stunk of blood and guts, and it was already losing heat. You couldn’t stop yourself from trembling. Your breath came in ragged huffs, puffing white in the air like smoke from a dying fire.

Your fingers had long since lost their color- it looked as though you were a corpse. You huddled, knees pressed to your chest, but it did nothing to keep the chill from climbing up your spine. The hide barely shielded you from the wind anymore.

You curled into yourself tighter, pressing your face into your sleeve. You told yourself you could make it till morning, that you weren’t going to die.

You began to feel like that was a lie.

Your body wouldn’t stop shaking. Your jaw ached from being clenched so hard and yet still the cold crept in deeper. It felt personal- malicious. Like it knew what it was doing. It wanted to pull you under and take you out of this world so quickly that no one would even notice you were gone. Not in this storm- not in the body of another creature who was too weak to keep even itself from dying, and who you expected to stop you from dying as well.

How dare you demand warmth from something that had long since gone cold.

You bit your lip hard enough to taste iron.

It wasn’t supposed to be this cold. You weren’t supposed to be alone.

For a long time you sat there in silence. Thinking. Weighing. Not just the decision– but what it would look like. What it would mean. What it said about you if you came crawling to him.

And what it said about you that you wanted to.

There were other options- you could go to Shiraishi. You could resign yourself to your fate and sink into the cold grip of death. But Shiraishi wasn’t warm- he wasn’t Ogata either. And you weren’t going to let yourself die. Not like this. Your breath shuddered out of you in a small, broken sound. And then, you began to move.

You pushed the hide aside and staggered out into the cold, barely keeping your balance on half-frozen legs. You weren’t sure what guided you- instinct, desperation, or something far uglier. You just knew where you were going. Knew exactly where he was.

You didn’t have to question if you arrived at the correct deer- you knew you had. It was like your mind remembered him better than it did warmth.

Thankfully, his deer was much larger than the others. Large enough to fit two, perhaps.

Your stomach twisted in anticipation. Had he meant for this to happen?

And still, you called for him. “Ogata.”

The flap of the hide shifted slightly. Not enough to invite you in- just enough for you to catch the glint of one sharp, catlike eye.

“What happened to your deer?” came his voice, low and unreadable. But you heard it. The edge of amusement underneath.

“It’s cold,” you bit out.

“Mm,” he hummed. “And you want something warmer.”

You said nothing.

The pause dragged, long and deliberate. You felt yourself sinking into the earth.

Then, he shifted again- just a slight shuffle to the side. Enough room for you.

But no invitation.

You hated how you moved anyway. You hated how slow your limbs felt as you lowered yourself into the space beside him, how your breath shook when the flap sealed shut behind you.

Inside, the air was still. Stale, almost- but warm.

Your body moved on instinct, curling in on itself, trying to steal whatever heat you could from the space. You didn’t dare look at him. But you felt him. Right there beside you- quiet and unflinching.

“You should’ve come sooner,” he said eventually, as quiet as a whisper.

You turned your face toward him. “What?”

He didn’t repeat himself. Didn’t look at you either.

But his meaning lingered, heavy in the silence between you.

You should’ve come to me sooner.

You shivered again, this time not just from the cold.

A long stretch of silence followed. You could hear his breath, feel the humidity against the back of your neck, slow and steady. The faint brush of his cloak against your side.

Then- his hand. Not on yours. Not comforting. Just there. Resting near your hip. Close enough to make you tense. Close enough to feel deliberate.

“You came here because you needed something,” he said.

“I came here so I wouldn’t freeze to death,” you shot back.

He made a soft sound- half laugh, half scoff. “Not the same thing?”

You clenched your jaw.

Still, when you didn’t pull away, his hand didn’t move.

It didn’t wander. Didn’t grab.

Just stayed. Heavy and certain. Like he was staking his claim.

“You don’t like me,” he said quietly, almost lazily. “But you still came.”

He was watching you. You could feel it- like a weight.

“I didn’t have a choice,” you muttered.

“Mm. That’s what you tell yourself,” he said, then turned his head, the words brushing so close you could feel his breath on your ear:

“But you chose me.”

Credits to @hermes-obsessed for being my editor on this!

#ogata hyakunosuke #golden kamuy ogata #Ogata x reader #gk ogata #golden kamuy #gk #fanfiction #fanfic #x reader #reader insert #2nd person pov

23 notes · View notes

grazhdanintovarisch · 3 months ago

Text

OK, i've rewritten the English description for the OP-OCs, enjoy!

i'm planning on making an artbook instead of a comic about my story with these characters, because it's scope is way too ambitious for me... down below you'll find the rough synopsis and basic decription for each character

(i think i'd tweak their some of them a tiny bit nowadays, but i've decided to leave them as they'd been made in July of 2024, in order to preserve artistic history of the project. lol)

SYNOPSIS: Straw Hat pirates accidentally come upon a new island at low tide and run aground. The locals welcome them warmly, while a certain gang of bounty hunters watch their every move. Their goal is to kidnap Usopp, in order to receive a good (in their eyes) payout from the Navy. The right hand of the gang leader threatens Usopp with the info they have on Nico Robin and lets him "choose for himself": to either surrender without a fight or to give his friend up to the Navy…

(if you haven't read \ watched post-timeskip One Piece, then i'd advise against googling everything with a star next to it - these are spoilers!)

in the first picture, you can see:

1) Munlee R. - the right hand of the gang leader

has a charismatic personality;

other gang members obey her more willingly than their leader;

has dirt on plenty of infamous wanted men;

never tells a lie and constantly reminds everyone of that;

has no powers, but mysteriously has a knack for instantly striking her enemies down;

a crook, a sniper, and a thief - she's not someone you'd want to trust.

in the second picture going from left to right, you can see:

2) Matricaria:

has a hypersexual personality;

tends to spill the beans of what her gang is up to;

laughs at any mention of taboo topics;

has the ability of “random stain effects”: if a person steps on a stain that Matricaria has planted, they can be paralyzed/blown up/etc. depending on what color the stain is;

she's kind but overly chatty.

3) Chasseu:

is a hot-headed character;

hunts pirates to rid the world of “universal” evil;

is eager to help anyone who asks for it;

has Zoan ability to turn into a big vulture.

4) Gespenst:

has a melancholic personality;

spends more time on land than in the water, in order to be filled with the “pain of being”;

often follows other members of the gang, since she doesn't want to go anywhere alone, but is also bored of sitting still;

has the fish karate* ability, also wields a kopis.

5) Lotus:

has a cordial personality;

half her body is burnt, hence she covers herself from the sun with a shawl and protective sleeves;

like many of the island's inhabitants, she was banished here, but thanks to the kindness and care of her crew she was able to mentally recover;

is the most normal member of the gang;

has observation haku*, wears poison spiked bracelets on her arms and legs, always engages in hand-to-hand combat with enemies.

in the third picture going from left to right, you can see:

6) Mikitch:

is a bit uncooperative:

can't neither emote nor read the room well, so he prefers to constantly frown;

lost his hand a long time ago and replaced it with a magnet - it makes him sad sometimes, as it is difficult to go through his many collections with only one hand;

loves adventures and traveling, and with a team like this, he gets plenty of both;

has Logia ability to mold his clay body into an appearance of anything/anyone he wants.

7) Taraxacum - the gang leader:

is a careless person;

likes to gain without the pain;

is in a state of mild intoxication constantly, and he tends to blame his inability to control the gang on it;

has the ability of acupuncture: with the help of needles he puts his opponents into an illusory dream and turns them into helpless white sausages;

a rascal, a lazyass and a blockhead - he's not someone you'd want to deal with either.

8) Craspedia:

is a perceptive and mysterious individual;

is a native of the island, along with Taraxacum and Matricaria;

is a monk, and they repent the sins of their brethren in a cave, where they go every night and build up salt crystals on their head;

is fully dedicated to teaching and helping all the island inhabitants;

has the ability to absorb other people's pain (who'd want such a strange ability anyway?…);

why this man is in the gang of bounty hunters is unknown.

9) Johnny Red-Wine:

has an easygoing personality;

goes to the gym every day, & after the gym he learns to do something new - at the moment he is learning how to tie knots;

believes that anyone who becomes a pirate is a bad person, and that beating them up does a service to the world;

foolishly ate Devil Fruit (tm) once, and now he can only reach his underwater home with the help of Gespenst;

has the ability of magnetism: he can shoot electrical charges, imbue metal objects with a magnetic field, and attract metal to himself;

gave Mikitch a magnet, which he would stick on his prosthesis.

+ a few illustrationz

#ванписсур #i wish I WISH!!! i could make this story happen after wano...#i desperately want jimbei to be in the straw hat team...#but the story just doesn't make sense power-scale wise.#it wont make sense either way; but it would make even less sense after wano...#i really want a lot of interesting interactions to happen #but im also thinking about my idea as a 'movie'#so these interactions have to be concise but also awesome(sauce)#sigh. i had a similar idea with dragonballz but i lost interest too soon to make any progress on it #i think im gonna do Something here though. the story is too vivid in my mind to let it go that easily

24 notes · View notes

tuckboroughdays · 2 months ago

Text

──★˙ 🕺lotr hdc !! THE HOBBITS LOVE INTERESTS before and after the war of the ring

GIF publié par faeree-layne

before all, lets talk about how old they are. hobbits years are different, the majority is at 33. then if ours is at 18, we do some maths and we have their age in human years.

but its difficult to know exactly if its true bc the majority isnt the same according to some countries and through the years.

but i think that what i found is quite plausible so lets go ! I know it's not very reliable, but these are headcanons and it's approximate. feel free to give your opinion about this age thing, Im interested :3

the informations are mostly based on the books, not the movies !

ꪆৎ

frodo :: ft. @willaminabaggins who helped me and gave me some ideas :3

he's 50 when he leaves the Shire, so he's approximately 27 in human years.

im sure he was THE guy (at least, one of them) that all lasses (and lads) of Hobbiton wanted to marry, bc he's handsome and has a great fortune due to Bilbo.

before, he maybe dated some people but he's not the type to do it with anyone and have had lot of relationships.

then it was probably rare and only when there was love, not like drunk kisses during a party. he's a kinda romantic guy

fell in love with Sam during the war.

after, when they came back and Sam married Rosie, he was sad (yeah no shit). and anyway he didn't probably had any relationships after it, because he was so traumatized and all

(but i like the fanfics/headcanons when he dates an oc who helps him after the war and take care of him)

sam ::

before the war, he was 38 so 20 or 21 for us

he had a crush on Rosie Cotton since few years.

they always used to be close, i remember that in the books Sam tells that he used to hang out with her brothers.

and one of Rosie's brothers, Tolman, married one of Sam's sisters.

so this means that the Gamgees and Cottons were quite close, and probably childhood friends

i think he didn't fell in love with Frodo before the war, it only began during it.

maybe after the war, he knew that his love interest on Frodo would come to nothing then he married Rosie.

(+ im sure Rosie knew about Samfro)

pippin ::

before the war, he was 28, he didn't reach his majority yet. he's probably 15/16 yo in human years. he was the youngest of the four hobbits and the only one who was below 33.

i think that, before the war, he was at the beggining of the period when hobbits have more serious relationships, etc

then he probably did not experienced anything at this time

this means that it only began when he came back after the war.

Merry and Pippin were sooo popular when they came back. they were so tall and badass with their knight's attire (this is canon)

i think its really at this time that Pippin got into this whole period of dating people and everything, yk what i mean

so probably, before the war he was such a cutie innocent guy and when after he came back, all the lasses and lads jumped on him and he was such a libertine lol

+ i don't think he really knew Diamond (ugh) before he married her

maybe he met her few times when he was kid for families parties but that's all

and when he grew up and reached his majority, becoming in age to settle down, he choosed to marry her

maybe it was for practical interests and not love.. maybe his parents forced him- SORRY BUT IM SO JEALOUS IM IN DENIAL RHFBHRHRGHJHJ

merry ::

he's 36, so 19 in our years

him and Estella Bolger (who is 33 at this time) are dating since few months before the war, but they're not married yet

its likely that he has already had a lot of experiences (+ maybe not virgin) before dating her, a real libertine like Pippin after him

Estella always had a huge crush on Merry, and Merry too, even among their other relationships w/ other lasses and lads before they confess their feelings

he married her after he came back. maybe not RIGHT after. but at least their relationship kept going, they didn't break up and they ended up married.

#frodo baggins #samwise gamgee #merry brandybuck #pippin took #peregrin took #lotr #lord of the rings headcanons #lord of the rings #hobbits #hobbits headcanons #shire

21 notes · View notes

fauville · 1 month ago

Note

For Esme!! (For 25: I know it was a poll lol but curious how Esme became an option!!!)

3) When is your OC’s birthday or what is their zodiac sign if you haven’t picked a date yet? Answer both if you wish.

15) Has your OC ever fallen in love before who their intended love interest is, or is the intended love interest their first love?

24) What kind of sleeper is your OC? Light or heavy? What side do they sleep on? Do they like to sleep over or under the covers?

25) The name you chose for your OC, why did you chose it?

thank you for asking. 🩷 mwah

3. when is your oc's birthday or what is their zodiac sign if you haven't picked a date yet?

i'm leaning towards esme being a january baby! early janury, i think, so she'd always be the youngest of her class. other people are turning 9 that year and she's still 8 for a whole year. i think that would drive her absolutely crazy, which is funny to me personally. that would make her a capricorn which is, according to the internet, persistent (✅️), realistic (❌️) and touchy (✅️).

15. has your oc ever fallen in love before or is their intended love interest their first love?

she dated mr marks for a little bit, but she was never in love with him. she generally dates/hooks up a lot through dating apps, she likes to meet new people! but in love? i don't think so. which is why the whole deal with mason takes a bit to sink in, lol. (for both of them).

24. what kind of sleeper your oc is? light or heavy? what side to they sleep on? do they like to sleep over or under the covers?

giving esme my heavy sleeper trait. she doesn't wake up for anything. she sleeps and wakes up when her body wants to, lol. luckily she has a pretty solid daily rhythmn, so she seldom sleeps in. she sleeps on her back like a starfish in the middle of the bed, which makes cuddling difficult. who sleeps over the covers, whattttt. definitely under a heavy blanket and a ton of brightly coloured pillows.

25. why did you choose the name for your oc?

lmaoooo so sorry for this, but esme cullen from twilight. 😩 her surname is adler after irene adler, too, lol. charlie is also named after charlie swan from twilight. 🙊

#oc: esme #thank you!! <3

11 notes · View notes

bam-bi-buck · 6 months ago

Text

As much as I would love for 9-1-1 to continue on and on, at some point the show will end (😭)

I wonder if we’ll see each one of the 118’s career trajectory before it ends

We know at some point Bobby will retire and we know that Hen is on track to become Captain

What about the others?

I do think Chim, Buck, & Eddie could end up staying at the 118 under Hen’s captaincy if they chose for her to remain at the 118 as Captain as they could do a storyline where’s she’s offered a captaincy somewhere else

If she were to remain at 118 as Captain after Bobby I do believe the others would be happy under her captaincy just as they are Bobby’s

That is one way 9-1-1 could end with Bobby’s retirement and Hen taking over (if Peter stays on the entire duration of 9-1-1)

However that isn’t the only way they could end the story

Chim has acted as Captain before but he did have a difficult time figuring out his captaincy style and dealt with two major tragedies regarding his crew - Shannon’s Death & Freddie targeting the 118

This could have impacted his overall view of captaincy and make it so he’d rather just stay in his current position, I believe when Bobby was choosing an interim captain in S6(?) Chim even said absolutely not or something to that effect

He could also be Hen’s lieutenant (Just realized, unlike in Lonestar we don’t see anything about Lieutenants - so I looked up the rankings, apparently LAFD doesn’t have them and have Firefighter ranks 1, 2, & 3 instead? Interesting… so never mind on that idea lol)

Anyways, he’s shown no problems working under Hen, but he has shown discontent at the idea of Hen not being his partner (when Hen was starting her journey to become a Doctor) so while he may have no problems working for interim Captain Hen, it might be hard for him to lose her as a partner completely

Would that inspire him to become a captain himself? It would be a really good storyline for him to overcome any doubts he may have due to his previous experience as Captain

Or would be ultimately decide that he’d rather continue working with Hen even if they aren’t partners, that would also make a good storyline

I think one problem if they go that route is who becomes his partner? More on that later

For Buck, I do think he could continue as a firefighter and be happy but we have seen them start to sow the seeds for him also to pursue captaincy, such as him trying to be a good candidate when Bobby was looking for a interim captain as referenced above and at the end of season six we saw him take charge of an entire scene and save everyone

And even in this current season we’ve seen him use his smarts to solve a lot of problems

He would make an amazing captain- however he would then have to lose part of his 118 family - not entirely but partially if they’re no longer working together (if they are in fact continuing with Hen becoming a captain trajectory which I’m pretty sure they will)

So if Buck also goes down the captaincy route himself there’s several options

1) Hen becomes Captain of the 118 and he later becomes Captain of another house

2) Hen is offered Captaincy elsewhere and Chim becomes Captain of 118 and Buck becomes captain of another house

3) Both Hen and Chim become captains elsewhere and Buck becomes the 118 captain

That could be a good storyline for Buck, having to accept his family going down different career paths and choosing a career path that’s good for him and helps him grow as a person, not based on trying to keep everyone under the 118 roof and realizing they’ll always be a family even if they’re no longer working together

Eddie though, I don’t think he’s shown any interest in becoming a Captain

When Chim was searching for Maddie Eddie was partnered more with Hen, (and I believe we’ve seen Hen as interim Captain and Eddie helping Chim? might be misremembering that) and this season we’ve seen Eddie work with Hen and Chim

They have been emphasizing his skills as a medic this season as well

We could see Hen become Captain and Eddie become a paramedic and Chim’s partner

I think that would be hard for everyone involved, Chim not having Hen as a partner, and Eddie and Buck not working as partners anymore

If he doesn’t become a full time paramedic, he’d probably remain Buck’s partner as long as Buck remains a firefighter (if Buck does go the captaincy route)

Eddie has also stated the he enjoys the camaraderie of firefighting, not that the Captain can’t be apart of that, but they are held a bit apart from the rest, that’s just one of the effects of being a leader

He’s also shrugged off the idea of being even interim captain, like when he talked about it with Buck when Buck was frustrated to not being in the running

Unless they start sowing the seeds for him to be interested in captaincy as well, I just don’t see it happening based off his current trajectory/attitude

If he does become a captain then it’s a similar situation as Buck above

If Buck becomes captain and he doesn’t, I imagine he’d want to go with him or be a full time paramedic on his team unless #buddiecanon happens and and then they may have to be separated (as this is a show and not real life they may decide they can remain in the same house if one of them becomes Captain even if I’m not sure that would happen irl, idk)

But then if they are separated by the brass and Chim doesn’t become captain I’d imagine he’d stay with Hen & Chim and if both Hen and Chim become Captain then he’d stay with one of them if he couldn’t stay with Buck for any reason

There is another possibility of them all who become a captain remaining at the 118 and ending up as captains of different 118 shifts but I can’t really see any of them wanting to give up A shift or wanting to go have alternative shifts as the others as that would make spending time together as a family outside of the firehouse even harder and losing both firehouse time together and outside of firehouse time together would wreck all of them

I have no idea if the show will end with us knowing what future paths they follow career wise but I think it’s interesting to think about where they may take them if they do

#911 abc #911 fox #bobby nash #hen wilson #chimney han #evan buckley #eddie diaz #chim & hen #buck & eddie #buddie #captaincy #captain hen wilson #captian chimney han #captain evan buckley #paramedic #paramedic eddie diaz

20 notes · View notes

velvet-waltz · 2 months ago

Text

Character Study: Sylvia Leventhal-Landa (in Velvet Waltz)

This one is about my OC, my main gal, my number one baddest bitch in at least 3 major cities, Sylvia Leventhal-Landa. This is part one, in which I only talk about her in Velvet Waltz; after Stranger in Paradise finishes, I'll write a part two about her arc in that fic.

So who exactly is this ballsy dame who joined the French resistance as an undercover agent, survived an explosion, and got captured by the SS, only to turn their star Standartenführer's entire life and being inside out and change the course of the war??

(spoilers for Velvet Waltz throughout, obviously)

[Just a note that I don't do face claims or anything like that; the pics I chose are just vintage photos that remind me of her. I personally feel however you imagine her is valid!]

OCs are always so two-dimensional and boring.

I'm truly sorry you feel that way!

Does this one have a personality at least???

I think so! Sylvia has a lot of flaws: she's a bit too tough for her own good, a little neurotic, can be emotionally volatile (especially if she's let it build up for awhile), stubborn, and tends to catastrophize. It drives her crazy to *not know.* But she's also thoughtful, extremely loyal, driven by her ideals, and always, always tries to do the right thing, no matter the consequences. Her superpower as an agent is her strong emotional intelligence; she's very good at getting someone on her side, with a controlled opennness. She lets you in but only so far.

She loves the ocean, NY bagels (high standards), crossword puzzles, strong coffee, and sleeping in. She hates hot weather, overripe bananas, wearing heels, and every form of injustice.

Again, however you imagine her is valid! But physically, she's average height, on the heavier/curvy side (what midwesterners call "sturdy"), has greenish-hazel eyes, and dark blonde hair (although she dyes it repeatedly for her cover identities) which she wears in low-maintenance styles. She usually goes for a natural look in both hair and makeup. For clothes, she likes cardigans, collared shirts, simple dresses with pockets, or jeans, with oxfords or loafers.

So who is she, anyway?

Sylvia Leventhal was born in Chicago but mainly grew up on a small farm west of the city, which her father bought when she was small. Her family was lower middle class; the farm, unfortunately, never turned a reliable profit. Her sister Nora is 6 years older, enough of an age difference that she generally had no one to play with, and spent long hours alone in the cornfield. She came to love books, puzzles, and quiet pondering alone in nature.

The most significant thing about her upbringing, though? Her father is Jewish. Her mother is Catholic. In an attempt to blend in with their small Illinois town, her parents raised Sylvia and Nora "vaguely Protestant." She grows up with a sense that whatever they are is wrong and should be hidden.

That sounds...complicated, especially during WWII.

It is. Having grown up so detached from her Jewish heritage, and not particularly believing in anything, the question of identity becomes more and more difficult for her as she grows up. After finishing her linguistics degree at Northwestern, and a very painful breakup, Sylvia heads east to NY, where she lives on the Lower East Side. She befriends practicing Jews there who encourage her to connect with that part of herself. By the time the US enters the war, she's choosing to identify herself as Jewish, while also unsure if she'll ever be "Jewish enough." (a common conundrum, lol)

(Identity is a theme among the agents in her SOE unit; like Alain, the young gay man who uses his cover identity to play with other, less masked versions of himself. Having "pretended" to blend in for so much of her life, it's not a stretch for Sylvia to take on new identities.)

What's her relationship like with her sister and parents?

Nora's the "good sister," always the better student, had the cleaner bedroom, and as an adult, fully embraced her Jewishness by joining a Reform temple and marrying an observant man. As a housewife with children, she looks down on Sylvia, even more when she comes home from Europe with Hans. Sylvia tries over the years to mend their relationship, but with each visit, it feels more and more that Nora only comes to New York to condescend to her.

Ironically, Sylvia's father warms to Hans more than her mother, who finds the whole thing distasteful. They attend the wedding but leave the reception early and become more distant after. As a result, Sylvia rarely visits. She has a lot of guilt about it - as does Hans - but her mother seems unwilling to budge.

How does she end up in Occupied Paris?

I touch on this in VW but officially: She initially signs up to be a WAC (Women's Army Corps, doing non-combat work for the military), through WAC training meets someone connected to recruitment for overseas intelligence work. Captain Peter Blackwell of the British Special Operations Executive sees that she's studied languages and screens her. He's impressed by her emotional intelligence, and willingness to engage in risky missions and combat, and recruits her for a special team: young people gathering intelligence from Nazis, in the guise of service workers, in occupied Paris.

Her first cover identity is "Greta Van Horn," a Swiss art student who works shifts at the Soldatenkaffee (a coffee shop exclusively for German soldiers.)

Sylvia and Hans are an ideal match for each other.

There's intense physical chemistry between them right away, which Sylvia tries to ignore for as long as she possibly can. But as their individual walls come down and they begin to trust one another, all bets are off. In his willingness to sacrifice his own safety for her, she sees a softer, more human side of Hans, and despite her own reservations, falls hard.

For Hans, it's initially a fun diversion: can I get this ferocious resistance fighter to willingly come to my bed? By the time he realizes how hard he's fallen for her, it's much too late to turn back.

The seeming disharmony between the people they are, and what they stand for, is a huge obstacle, of course. But as they work together on sabotage - especially alongside the Basterds - she understands Hans is capable of change, and suddenly a future together seems possible.

Where Sylvia tends towards anxious brooding, Hans is calm and extremely rational. Where Hans is cold and detached, Sylvia feels deeply and reads the feelings of others easily.

Hans deeply respects her intelligence and intensity. He knows she's a true equal and for the first time in his life, he doesn't prefer to be alone. Whereas Sylvia, after her previous engagement fell apart, was prepared to spend the rest of her life alone. Hans coming along absolutely blindsides her, but she realizes this is the husband she never knew she wanted: stimulating, adventurous, and utterly adores her. She never thought anyone could see her so clearly and love her that much.

But what about all the killing...

Yeah, about that. In Velvet Waltz, she wrestles constantly with whether can she spend the rest of her life with a man who's done so much evil, even as it's plain to her how much he's changed. Hans tries to shield her from the specifics of his past, and for about a decade, he's successful.

But crimes like his will never go away. And as much as Sylvia tries to move past it, the question never leaves the back of her mind.

In Stranger in Paradise, the extent of Hans' violence comes bubbling to the surface in a big way, and Sylvia has to rethink her commitment to the love of her life.

The fact is, no matter how much he seems to have changed or how many lives he may have saved in those last 6 months or so of the war, he's still the same man who killed hundreds of innocents, some with his own hands. It will always be a struggle for someone as justice-minded as Sylvia to deal with that.

Sylvia's the best thing that ever happened to him...and also the worst.

Sylvia cracks Hans open. As I said in Hans' character analysis, the 'Landa machine' falls apart as soon as he wants something he can only have by putting himself second. And to have Sylvia, he must behave in ways that jeopardize his position, his reputation, and his own safety.

In cracking him open, she awakens his guilt, which sentences him to a lifetime of misery and self-loathing. Without her? He would've likely gotten away with everything and never felt an ounce of remorse. Now? He has a life with her, and the horrors of his own doing plague him day and night. This is the price he pays for loving Sylvia.

How does Sylvia get along with each of the Basterds?

Aldo - Sylvia's first impression of Aldo is that he's a hell of a character. Almost a cartoon. She's also alarmed by his quickness to resort to violence (like when he 'interrogates' Hans by tying him to a tree and beating the shit out of him.) He's stubborn, and butts heads constantly with Hans, which is a headache for her as well. But she quickly respects his down-home directness and commitment to his mission. For Aldo, he naturally has his suspicions about an American agent in a romantic situation with an SS officer, and wonders if she isn't just naive. But over time, and especially after the 84 Foch raid, he comes to truly respect her, and develops a real fondness. He isolates himself after the war and rarely writes back, which pains Sylvia a great deal. She never stops reaching out.

Donny: Much like Aldo, Donny initially sees Sylvia as a Nazi's whore, full stop, and he's horrified that a Jewish woman would stoop to that. When Aldo sends Donny back to Paris to keep an eye on the two of them, he's prepared to dispatch her as violently as he would any Nazi, should she betray them. But of course, she doesn't, and as they spend more time together in the house, he comes to really genuinely like her, even finding her attractive. His little speech about a "nice Jewish boy" is less about trying to steal her away from Hans, and more just an expression of admiration, and not fully understanding how she and Hans came to be. He's saying, 'I really deeply admire you, and under any other circumstances, I would try to marry you.' For Sylvia, she finds Donny very unnverving, for a long time. Partly his intensity and partly a physical attraction she's afraid to acknowledge. By the time Donny admits he's attracted to her, she's warmed to him quite a bit, and that scene gives her a nice fork in the road moment. She knows Hans is her person, she's already chosen her path; but she pauses to consider what her life would be if she chose Donny instead. It would be easier for sure. But Hans is the one. Donny may not fully understand why she's chosen Hans, but he starts to see what they have, and respects it. Of all the comrades lost in Operation Kino, Donny and Bunny are the two she grieves the most. She and Hans become acquainted with the Donowitzes, and make a point of visiting them in Boston when they go to their house on Nantucket, as well as visiting Donny's marker in the Jewish cemetery.

Wicki, as an Austrian Jew, has a particular distaste for Hans and never fully warms to him. But he likes Sylvia almost immediately. He's impressed by an American who can speak multiple languages and by her straightforwardness. Of all the Basterds, he's the quickest to trust her intentions.

Stiglitz, honestly, barely notices she exists. lol. She's a little freaked out by him but of course, he's useful, especially at 84 Foch. He has exactly one thing on his mind at all times - killing Nazis - so her presence is neither here nor there. But like Wicki, he also quickly decides she's trustworthy.

Omar and Sylvia don't interact much. Omar is pretty weirded out by the entire concept of a Jewish american spy hooking up with a Nazi officer but comes around once he sees her intentions are true.

Hirschberg, however, openly dislikes her and expects her to sell them out. Even during the 84 Foch raid, when she and Hans are a bit late, he assumes they've been set up. It's Donny who snaps at him to shut up.

And what about her bestie Alain??

Of course. "Alain Fournier" (legal name Robert Dixon) trained alongside Sylvia for their mission and they quickly became close friends. Alain is quippy and sees a joke in everything, but he's also very intelligent, and loves discussing ideas as well as gossip. They have their own secret code to reassure the other that they're safe: leaving a toffee wrapper (Sylvia) or a gum wrapper (Alain) at a drop point. When Hans begins investigating Sylvia, Alain is the first agent in her circuit he approaches, and immediately ropes him in. Their mutual adoration of Sylvia bonds them, although Alain never fully gets over his fear of him, lol.

Without spoilering Stranger, let's just say a Basterd's work is never done...and when Hans and Sylvia are asked to hunt down a missing Nazi scientist in Los Angeles, they end up reuniting with some old friends...

So if you enjoyed this analysis, and Velvet Waltz, I do hope you'll continue on to Stranger in Paradise where I am having TOO much fun, probably!!!!

#inglourious basterds #hans landa #fanfic #velvet waltz #inglorious basterds #ao3 #nerd shit #sylvia leventhal #this turned out so long omg will anyone read the whole thing

11 notes · View notes