#don't mind me cleaning out my drafts

[wyattsaugis]

[tarabyte3]

Ahhhh thank you! So sorry this notification got lost during my crazy October! But I appreciate it so much! 🥹😭

This was one of my favorite chapters to write because I LOVED the conversation at the table! The boys are so fun and their overall dynamic makes me happy. Like, their constant back and forth is some of the easiest writing I've ever done. Then Kino's interruption?? I also loved this chapter for how funny it is because I about died imagining the faces Kino would make as I was writing. 😂 Plus, the "good dad, sad dad routine" lmao

And yes!! The private conversation between Threl and Kino felt so important to include for that exact reason! We've only seen Kino with her, so I wanted to show him less "on guard" so to speak and hint at what's going on in his mind. And it gave us a glimpse of the friendship that's developed between Threl and Kino over the years. The way they talk to each other and respect each other.

I'm truly so glad you're enjoying this not so little story of mine! It makes me happy because this is my baby in so many ways. Thank you again for this! You're the best! 💖

I Want You to Show Me Weak

Fandom: Andor

Pairing: Kino Loy/F!Reader

Chapter 3/27 (2.7k words)

->start at chapter 1<-

<- Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 ->

Summary: You're pretty sure Kino Loy hates you. He screams at you, grabs you, and shoves you against the wall, and it's becoming a problem because, well...it shouldn't fluster you as much as it does.

Warnings: Explicit rating, Smut, Prison, Prison sex, minor non-graphic injuries, Dom/Sub, sexual tension, dirty talk, praise, hair-pulling, light choking, unprotected sex, oral, angst

A/N: If you wanted Dom Kino on top of dirty talk Kino, boy do I have some good news for you 😌 Work title is from "Poison" by Vaults. Chapter title is from "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak.

AO3 Link

Chapter 3 - What a wicked thing to do, to make me dream of you

During your shift the next day, your hand hurts, but it's functional. It does slow you down, though, because you can't move it as well as you usually do. Alis is kind enough to help you out since he was already faster than you before you injured yourself. Now he's doing his job and nearly half of yours. You owe him big time.

But Kino's "not officially" comment is still rattling around in your skull. You're new enough that maybe you've missed something. So you ask your table if there are any unofficial rules you should know about. If anyone has more context for whatever the fuck yesterday was, outside of the whole…incident, it will be them. Because so far, the only actual rules you've been given are to do your work, keep up, don't get fried, and don't cause problems. If you do cause problems, take them to Kino. "Problems" appears to be the key word there. Covers all manner of sins.

Threl seems relieved that it sounds like you're trying to make an effort to stay out of trouble, bless his heart. He gives you a whole list of shower and tool etiquette, a lecture on respecting communal and private spaces like the cells, and what not to do during quiet hours. Which all seem like basic common sense to you because you know all of that already. You do all of it. But he says nothing about sex, possibly because he doesn't want to bring up sex to the only woman in the unit. Or the rules don't exist.

"What about fooling around?"

Jevid leans forward so he can be heard over the noise on the floor and his large belly presses against the table. "You really think Kino lets people get away with rough housing at all? You should know that better than anyone with how often you get your ass chewed."

"Once for rough housing, if I recall." Alis grins.

"Oh my god, you've all been in here far too long. No, I mean what about sex?"

They all stop, hands hovering over tools and parts, and turn almost as a group to look at you. There's an equal mix of confusion from the three younger men and concern from the three older men staring at you from around the table.

"What?? Why are you all staring at me?"

"What about it?" Alis asks with a furrowed brow, as if your question doesn't make any sense. "Sex is a pretty big topic, you're gonna want to narrow that down for us."

"Are there any rules about sex?"

They all glance around at each other, as though someone in the pod has the answers and will explain what is happening to the rest of them. Jevid clicks his tongue thoughtfully in the empty space where a tooth should be.

"Jeez, you guys are acting like I just mentioned the rancor in the room."

"That's because no one talks about it, duh." Taybus rolls his eyes at you. "You think we all walk around talking about how much we're getting laid? Or that we're getting laid at all?"

"Okay fine, how about this. Are there any rules forbidding sex? Because I'm one woman in here with forty nine men. I think my chances are a little better than yours."

"Oh my god." Sorrek sounds like someone is strangling him.

"Fine, forty eight. Happy?"

"No," Sorrek whimpers.

"Forty seven, sorry kid. Don't swing that way," Threl laughs.

You look at him in pleasant surprise. "Yeah? Well damn, Threl. Then you and I both have forty seven more chances than these fools."

"Forty six," Jevid grumbles. "I'm way too old for this bullshit."

"Fair enough, Jev." You glance at Taybus and grimace. "Let's just cut it down to forty five."

"Oh, fuck you!" He attempts to look angry, but he's trying not to laugh.

Alis, however, is fully shaking with laughter as he slides a part into place. "Woman, if you can find a way to have sex in here or get any privacy, then be my guest. Good for you, in fact. I got your high-five right here." He holds up his hand. "Most of us just…take care of it ourselves." He then waves his still raised hand around. Sorrek protests next to him. His face and ears have been turning dangerously red the entire conversation.

"Oh, and I don't?" You smirk. There is a mixture of groans and snorts in response, except Sorrek, who finally puts his head into his hands.

"But no," Alis adds, "there's no rules or anything. Just be respectful and don't get caught, you know?"

"Why, you see someone you fancy?" Taybus wags his eyebrows at you suggestively.

You have to fight not to glance over and look for Kino, and you tell yourself it's just because that weird interaction in the locker room is what led to this conversation. Not because you're attracted to him. Definitely not that.

"In this lot?" You snort. "Hardly."

"Why else would you be asking?" Taybus is grinning at you now, like he's caught on to something interesting. "You totally do. Who is it?!"

"That's enough," Threl sighs. "Did we not learn any lessons from yesterday? Let's focus."

Taybus ignores him. "It's Vage at table 1, isn't it? I saw him checking you out once."

"Nope. Don't worry, I won't steal your boyfriend." You wink at him.

Taybus flips you off from across the table. You go to return the rude gesture, when there's a hand on your shoulder. You jump and turn to see Kino standing next to you. He has a fake smile on his face. The kind he gets when he's pissed, but he wants to make a point first.

"I see we're all taking our jobs very seriously over here at table 7 today. So seriously that you're in," he pauses to check his data pad and several men at the table wince, "last place! Which puts our shift in fifth. So I have to wonder what is more fascinating than work?"

You start to say "nothing," but to your horror, Taybus butts in with, "She's got a boyfriend."

The panic washes over you and you sputter, "No I don't!' You glance at Kino in fear, but he just gives you an intrigued stare. If you didn't know any better, you'd think he's amused, even. "He's just kidding." And you don't know why you feel it's so important Kino knows that. The man could probably not care less. He does hate you, after all.

"But you asked about sex." Taybus continues, knowing damn well he should shut his mouth, but is unable to resist the opportunity to distress you further. Probably as payback for excluding him from the list. You feel your face burning with embarrassment. You suddenly wish the ground would open up, swallow you whole, and spit you out into the ocean.

"No! I didn't!" Even though you absolutely did. You just don't want Kino to know you're sniffing around after what he said to you. What will he think? Probably that you're trying to find a new way to piss him off. But he's been standing there the entire time, watching your face. Intently taking in every flash of horror and mortification.

Threl uncomfortably clears his throat.

"Enough," Kino finally growls out to the table. "Your numbers better be up by the time I come back around, got it?"

There is an off beat chorus of "Yes, Kino." He turns to look directly at you, waiting expectantly.

You squirm, and give a belated, low, "Yes, Kino."

"Good." There's a slight, pleased twitch in his eyebrow as he stares you down. He looks back around the table. "Unless you're looking forward to frying in ten hours, get to work!"

He finally removes his hand from your shoulder and stalks off. You hadn't realized it had been there the whole time. You glance at the spot he touched you without thinking about what you're doing because, now that it's gone, you can feel his absence and the thought makes your chest flutter.

"Way to go, you pissed him off again."

You quickly look up at the table, like you've been caught doing something you aren't supposed to. "Shut the fuck up, Taybus, and hand me the wrench or I swear to every god that will listen that I will smother you in the shower."

"And you'd deserve it, too." Alis says next to you. "Man, what's wrong with you? Bringing up her sex life to Kino? No wonder you aren't getting laid." The two begin to bicker as you all get back to work.

Jevid gives an annoyed grunt and checks his panel. However, you notice Threl and Sorrek eyeing you suspiciously. And you really hope they aren't going to corner you and bring this up again later.

They absolutely corner you and bring it up again later.

"You wanna tell me what that was about?" Threl crosses his arms and Sorrek looks apologetic next to him, but doesn't move. You're blocked in by the dads.

"Not really." You huff. "It's not your business and I'm far too old for the talk, guys! Come on." You give them a pleading look, hoping they'll drop it.

"It's my business if you get yourself in trouble again! They're gonna kick your ass out to some place worse than this if you keep it up." Threl sounds angry, and you feel bad that you somehow managed to stress him out this much.

"We're just worried about you. That's all this is." Sorrek gives you a kind smile. Aha, you think, the good dad, bad dad routine. You're annoyed that it's working.

"I know you are." You can't help but smile back at him, damnit. "Honestly, guys, there's nothing to worry about. Yesterday when he was patching me up, Kino asked about how I was doing and if…and if anyone had been…inappropriate to me." You wince a little because you didn't want Kino's name to be connected to this conversation at all, just in case one of them was too perceptive for their own good. "It just got me thinking. I wasn't sure what the expectations are about that stuff. Figured I may as well find out. Just in case…you know." Sorrek suddenly finds the ceiling very interesting because he can no longer meet your eyes. "That's all there is to it. Promise."

"So there isn't anyone…?" Threl trails off, letting the question hang between you.

"No. I have no prospects. There's no one throwing themselves at the pariah."

Threl's posture relaxes and he shakes his head. "Okay. Fair enough. Just be careful." Then he surprises you by giving you a mischievous grin. "I think you'd be surprised if you actually paid attention. But good luck, I've been trying to get some in here for years."

At that, Sorrek finally excuses himself with a scandalized look. You let him go and quickly turn on Threl for more details because you haven't gotten the chance to talk about it yet. The two of you gossip about who is hot or not in the corner until it's time to line up. You specifically don't mention how weird things with Kino are getting because you don't think he can handle that yet. And you aren't even sure what the fuck is going on or if you can handle it yet.

When you catch Threl and Kino talking the next day after shift, you swear it isn't on purpose. You're heading out from the showers and you overhear Threl's unmistakable deep voice from around the corner, which catches your attention. The voice that answers him is gruff and low. You'd also recognize that voice anywhere. Especially when it's saying your name. So you stop by the doorway and listen.

"Just promise me you didn't chew her ass out afterwards," Threl pleads. He sounds tired, like they've had this conversation before.

"I promise I didn't yell at her," Kino sighs, and you can feel his irritation from there. "Not that she didn't deserve it."

"You don't have to tell me. I don't know how she keeps shoving her foot in her mouth, but she's a good kid—"

"She's an adult, Threl. You're not that much older than her—"

"—and she's good at the job." Threl ignores him and pushes on. "You and I know it's more than just the work, too. It's how you work. She keeps up with Taybus and keeps him in line, and you know how hard that used to be." Kino grunts in response and you smirk at the floor. Because you'd really love to rub Taybus's face in that. "Edii loves having her there." Okay, at that you're a little surprised because you didn't think Edii has ever expressed a like or dislike for anything other than Taybus. "He's almost relaxed, Kino. He smiles now. Not often, but I know you can see the difference—"

"Yeah, I see it," Kino growls.

"—Hell, I really like her, she gets along great with Alis and Jevid, and Sorrek adores her."

There's a pause in their conversation where you begin to reflect on everything Threl just said because you hadn't thought of yourself as good for your table at all. You can be obnoxious and disruptive, and you keep getting in trouble. You don't know how any of them manage to like you despite that. Then Kino's voice pulls you from your thoughts.

"You're not telling me anything I don't already know. She could get by in here just fine if she would just think before she speaks. Or acts, apparently." You can tell he's annoyed. Which annoys you, even though you can't really blame him.

"I know she's a lot. But she isn't going to learn just because you yell at her."

"I've already figured that out, too," he huffs.

"You have, huh?" You can hear the smile in Threl's tone.

"I know what she needs." There's a confidence to that simple statement that sends a rush through you. Because what the fuck does that mean?

"What does that mean?" Threl warily echoes your unvoiced question.

"Nothing. Look, I just need you to trust me." That is the closest to begging you've ever heard Kino Loy get. "Especially when it comes to her."

You really wish you could see their faces right now. Especially Kino's because your brain is in overdrive trying to work through his words like it's a code or puzzle. Why does he have to be so mysterious and unreadable all of the time?

"Alright. I trust you, Kino. You know I do."

"Good. Now I have to go do a sweep of the showers. I'll see you later."

You jump up in panic and scramble to get away from the doorway. You can't imagine how pissed Kino will be if he catches you eavesdropping. It isn't until you're trying to act natural, and Kino is turning the corner, that you realize you were so focused on not getting caught that you forgot you're only in a towel. He stops the second he sees you and stares at you in surprise. You stare back at him.

"Hi!" You wince because there was way too much enthusiasm in your voice. So much for acting natural.

He doesn't respond. But his eyes drop away from your face and slowly glance over your towel wrapped body. It's slow enough that it's obvious what he's doing. It's slow enough that you feel like he's absorbing every inch of you. Memorizing you. And you let him because it never occurs to you that you can stop him or leave. That you have any other choice but to let him.

Because maybe you want him to.

Because maybe, if you were a braver woman, you would remove your towel and let him look even more and see if you can crack his stony expression. Or beckon him to you and let him remove it himself.

"Are you done in here?" His indifferent voice snaps you out of your thoughts. You're disturbed because where the fuck did that come from? Also, how is he so unaffected? He checked you out and now he's just, what, standing there like nothing happened?

Maybe he didn't see anything he likes, you think. And why does that thought bother you so much?

"Yeah, sorry." You hunch in on yourself, holding your towel to your chest, and you run out, giving him a wide berth. You know with absolute certainty that you're not actually leaving, but are, in fact, running away.

NEXT CHAPTER->

[scoobydoodean]

More dean images.

[manderleyfire]

Such a waste of a girl, such rumination. I am obsessive. I contain nothing but the replay.

house of the dragon // katherine angel 'daddy issues: love and hate in the time of patriarchy' // lisa marie basile 'i put the coffin out to sea'

[seventh-district]

7am, eating cold leftover teriyaki stir-fry for breakfast and crying over blorbos

[beevean]

The more I think about S4 and how much of a rushjob the Styria plotline was, the more amazed I am at the utter failure that the ring is. When you really, really think in detail about how it works, it's so easy to see the gaps in logic in it.

What were the issues of using Hector to create an army for the Styrian council?

He would be able to create an army for himself that he could sic against the sisters. The ring allows them to assume control of the Night Creatures. We only see this as a short flash when Hector forges a creature, but he has to cut his own finger to force his army to stop attacking Isaac, so the ring solved this. One point!

Striga wants to strike the iron while it's hot and take advantage of the chaos in the region, and Lenore is taking too much time in "domesticating" him with good ol' fashioned gaslighting and manipulation. The ring brutally speeds things up: this could have been a nice plot point to show how prideful and eager to prove herself Lenore is, but in S4's quest to woobiefy her, it goes nowhere. Still, it can be seen as an answer to Striga's issue, so two points.

However, in the same scene, Striga also points out the paradox of relying on dead bodies to make an army when they need living humans to feed. This is straight up an issue with Hector himself, not the way he would be made to work. While we see mercenaries in the castle when Isaac assaults it, this problem never comes up again, and Hector is delivered as many bodies as he needs.

He doesn't want to be there. The ring binds him to the castle. However, considering Hector's plan apparently involved creating an escape channel that would connect his forge to Carmilla's quarters at the top, which he apparently planned to use to run away ("I had to assume I might be running from the top of the castle one day"), it seems that his own magic would have been strong enough to break the spell.

He doesn't want to work for people who hurt him. Lenore was actually doing a good job at convincing him to work for them with solid reasons, such as the fact that they shared the same plan and Lenore was willing to improve his life conditions and, by the time the idea of mercenaries comes up, she liked him enough that she was his only chance of being kept alive... then she raped him to put the ring on him, and as the beginning of S4 shows, Hector can stall for time as much as he wants. He still doesn't want to work, as we see later he's actually doing things behind everyone's backs, and nothing forces him to obey any orders. Lenore, his own mistress, has to plead to get him to move on!

That's two out of five, by the way, and one point only lead to bad consequences.

Lenore really did the exact same thing Carmilla was chastized for, breaking Hector's trust before securing his cooperation, and the story... is odd from now on. If you lay down the events, it seems that the ring's failure was an intentional plot beat: of course Hector would refuse to work for the woman who betrayed him. It looks like an honest mistake on Lenore's part, much like Carmilla beating him and then expecting him to do her bidding. But Hector actually doesn't display any anger like he did for Carmilla, and the two are on good terms... even though he planned to run away and bring back Dracula... even though he also waited for Isaac to kill him... even though he spares Lenore's life because she doesn't deserve to be hurt... even though he completely destroyed her life by causing Carmilla's death...? I honestly don't understand if it's a writing failure or not... which makes it inherently a writing failure lol. At least Carmilla got thoroughly called out for her idiocy.

The more I think about it, the more this mess seems to be caused by two ideas badly meshed together: it's possible that in the first draft, Hector was meant to betray Lenore and the others (remember the foreshadowing with the fireplace), which would explain his plotting behind the scenes, his little "thanks again for that", and the way he caused Styria's downfall... but then someone in the team decided to ship Hector and Lenore together, so the ring got completely nullified to remove as many reminders of her past cruelty as possible and he displays zero emotions other than vague fondness for her. With this in mind, it becomes effectively impossible to determine if the ring's ineffectualness was planned to facilitate Hector's revenge or was a result of rushed writing to facilitate Lenector.

A very, very simple solution to this entire mess would have been revealing that Lenore... never wanted Hector to work in the first place. She didn't like Carmilla's plan, but she wanted to save his life because she found him cute and wanted a sex slave pet, and she knew that the others were waiting for a good reason to get rid of him. So it was for her sake, and in her mind Hector's, but not for the council, who was planning to do something she didn't approve of and doesn't respect her anyway. That would have been nice, fit Lenore's established moral code (to be fair, she does look a little miffed at the idea of keeping humans in pens, and while she tells Hector that it's their plan, it's obvious she's only trying to manipulate him and has no feelings on the matter), and very selfish personality. Who cares about the livestock? She wants this new puppy! And she'll save it from mean Carmilla, because despite all the gaslighting and sexual coercion and trickery, she is a good person and likes feeling good! And if she can stick it to Striga who underestimated her, even better!

In short: no, the ring wasn't meant to work, only keep Hector docile!

I like this idea of Lenore having her own agenda and being with the council only out of mutual convenience: they don't like her but use her, and same goes for her. As long as they live nicely without causing issues, she cooperates, but Carmilla's plan is idiotic, so she snatches the pet for herself: from there, it's easier to have an arc where she grows to care for Hector as a person, without the pressure of the council who she doesn't care for in the first place, being fully aware of being nothing more than a tool to them (hint hint). And Hector can be as torn as he is supposed to be, but ultimately choosing to make Styria fall and only keep Lenore alive, but in a way that crushes her heart.

And since it's common to whitewash Lenore in S3 and assume she was a better person than what she actually was, no, I don't believe this was the intention:

Lenore wouldn't have pitched her deal to Carmilla, which was "he'll work for us in exchange for the castle". She wouldn't have even set up the expectations, because then no shit Carmilla would get "very cross". She could have kept it for herself and agreed with Striga's suggestion to hire mercenaries.

In fact, the very first perk of the ring she mentions is that now Hector's Night Creatures would obey the council as well, eliminating the danger of him using them to attack them. This is literally the only function of the ring that is shown in S4. Lenore expected Hector to work for them and was happy to reassure the sisters that he was no longer a threat.

In the dick jokes scene, Lenore sounds worried that she can't keep Carmilla at bay, but her solution is pleading pretty please for Hector to work, in a tone that implies that it's what she expects from him as well. The complete lack of apology for any morally questionable action she has taken doesn't help assuage the impression - as I have stated multiple times, the show is not subtle, and if Lenore meant to go behind Carmilla's back and was deliberately being twofaced, she would have admitted it.

Related to what above, Lenore keeps insisting that she's loyal to the sisters, and her whole angst is that she feels out of place among them in a way that implies that it's not just about her pride, but because she genuinely cares. Sure, she still comes off as a selfish brat who ragequits life because she lost all her power, but it's safe to say that we weren't meant to interpret her like that lol.

So yes, Lenore really expected Hector to work for her after breaking his heart, and pulled the mother of all shockedpikachufaces.jpg when he didn't. Although he still fell in love with her. Although he still planned to betray all of them. Although he still cared to save her life letting everyone else die.

It's just amazing to me. The more I try to meet the writing from different angles, the more issues I find. true peak.

I guess I can chalk this up to yet another way I could fix the plotline: have Lenore be a wild card in the council, and have her using everyone around her, to the point that no one can trust her, and she's only a Queen because someone like her is best to have as an ally and not as an enemy. Only after Hector betrays her, she starts to regret her actions: because for the first time in her existence, she had grown to care about someone other than herself, but by then, the damage was irreparable.

[byanyan]

finally going through my likes to collect all the asks i've wanted to reply to since fucking april to add them into my drafts

i'm. i'm trying to at least start getting my shit together here. i've felt the strong urge to give writing a shot since yesterday, so. i'm gonna see about potentially doing some tonight? maybe?? still teetering on the edge of falling into Bad Thoughts when i let my mind wander too far, so idk how long the attempt will last or if it'll be successful, but.

[sattelite-of-love]

💞 jennifer tilly 💞

[silenthillmutual]

it's faggot friday

[psychewritesbs]

一目ぼれ / 初恋

Except this isn’t the first time their souls meet across time and space...

[kiss0fstyx]

Dutch: but oh, Arthur needs to rest. (sarcastically)

Arthur, visibly dying:

[tenemos-que-hablar]

"Maybe that's my problem. I'm nobody's b!tch." Grey's Anatomy || 6x10 "Holidaze"

[bettyiwontmakeassumptions]

by the way maybe ppl have already said this but william bowery = taylor swift because:

1. RIGHT before she "revealed" it was joe in the folklore long pond sessions, her interview with paul mccartney/rolling stones was released, where she talked about how she LOVED pseudonyms 👀

2. bowery the surname means bower or bowmaker and taylor is a sagittarius. the sagittarius sign is ~the archer~ ("i've been the archer, i've been the prey" anyone??)

[yourfavsinbg3]

Your Favs in BG3: Harry Du Bois, From Disco Elysium

That's right, good ol' Tequila Sunset himself! He'll be the first of three Disco Elysium builds, because it's one of my favorite games ever and I have a lot to say about the game, its symbolism, and the characters.

I'll preface this by saying that Mr. Du Bois is the least 'solid' of all the builds. Since Disco Elysium focuses so much on player choice and how those choices impact who Harry is at his core, I wanted to stay as true to that as I could. So this isn't one build, it's as many possibilities as you can think of!

That said, let's welcome the overall base we'll be working from! Say hello to Harry Du Bois, the dwarf warlock!

Reasons and the multitude of possible builds under the cut!

Okay, so first, the elephant in the room. Why is this bitch a dwarf? Harry's canonically and notably Tall. I thought a dwarf was best to represent his sturdy build. Even if you play with negative physical skills in DE, Harry will still be built like a tank. I personally felt dwarf to be the best representation of that.

Second: warlock. This is almost entirely because of the skill systems in DE. Harry is constantly being informed and pushed by his different skills, and bad things might happen if he doesn't listen to them. That felt like a Warlock to me! Warlock is also one of the most versatile in terms of deciding what you want to do with it. Want to be a frontliner? Pact of the Blade. More of a support class? Pact of the Tome. Midliner with good damage? Pact of the Chain.

In terms for subclass, Great Old One feels like the most accurate. What's an older force of the universe than your own reptilian brain whispering what the world is to you? So. Builds. There are three preset builds in DE; Logician (intellect based skills), Sensitive (charisma based skills), and Brute(physical based skills). Some suggested BG3 builds could be a War Wizard (warlock/wizard) for Logician, a Hexadin for Brute, and bardlock for Sensitive. Like I said earlier, warlock is very versatile and pretty much any build can be shoved them. It mostly depends on your opinion of the character and your playstyle.

[httpsgfg]

thank you legend @merry-the-cookie 🥰

[cantfightmoonlight]