#especially comparing it to my own attempts to take up space that feel like some weird torture

[the-girl-wh0-cries-w0lf]

Could I request a House fic with the general prompt being a Doctor/Patient pairing? Like House is attracted to (reader) patient. Your choice of fluff or smut

So sorry it's late but this is my first House fic so I wanted it to be good! Hope you like it!

********************************************************************

Dying's Easy

House x reader

description - you don't want to do the surgery and House is determined to change your mind.

word count - 781

warnings - talks of death, illness, terminal illness, hospitals, surgery, being put under.

a/n - my first House pairing fic so let me know what you think!

Masterlist

REQUESTS OPEN - request here

Your whole body ached and felt like your blood had been drained and replaced twice over. You tried to curl up onto your side, in search of the comfort you received from such a childlike pose. But the wires and your fragile bones screamed for you to stop. You fell back onto the bed as tears of frustration poured down your cheeks.

A knock from a distinctly wooden object halted your crying. Upon seeing the face of your doctor you quickly wiped away your tears. But he had already seen.

He limped forward and place a chocolate pudding cup and spoon in the space between your hands. Before moving away he squeezed one of your bony hands, a little part of him sunk at the feel of your fragility.

“I got you a present.” He gestured to the dessert with his cane.

You looked at him suspiciously. “They’re free for patients.”

“I never said I paid for the present. Does our love mean so little that you must attach monetary value to it.” He dramatically placed his hand to his heart in faux hurt.

You giggled. “Thank you.” He smiled at the flicker of joy but his frown returned when he saw your hands uselessly attempt to open the cup in spite of their shaking. He rose and took the cup and opened it for you.

You gave him the sweetest smile you could muster but sunk down in the realisation of your inability to complete the task.

He went back and dragged his chair closer to your bed as you slowly tucked in to the delicious treat. Only taking small bites.

You had come to enjoy the frequent visits with your doctor. It seemed he only needed to be with you to soothe his own worries which you saw furrowed on his face. His team had often remarked how unusual his behaviour was, comparing him to manic genius with no sense of empathy. You found their quips funny especially because of how anachronistic they were to the man who helped you fix your pillows any time you so much as squirmed.

“I heard you’re refusing the surgery.” You halted your eating, your face fell. Of course it was this.

“I just don’t want to.”

“You realise you aren’t choosing between some cosmetic alteration, this is the choice between living and dying.”

“Well maybe I don’t want to live.”

“That’s ridiculous everyone wants to live.” He rolled his eyes.

“Living’s tiring.” Your voice became childlike in your admittance. This shocked him as his focus was no solely on you. “I’m tired, Greg.” Your words shook and were on the precipice of falling. He took your shaking hand in his and they lay linked on your bed.

“I know.” He cooed. “I know I’ve been wrong before, but I know I’m right about this. I won for you, now just let me fight it. For you.”

You still couldn’t bring yourself to look into his eyes, afraid you’d crumble.

“Being alive is the worst.” You giggled at his dark quip. “But dying is the easy way out.” He used a finger to gently poke your cheek as you tried to contain your smile. “And I never took you for a coward.”

He sat there with you for a full hour. You dropped in and out of sleep but he couldn’t bring himself to let go of your hand.

Eventually Cameron came to prep you for surgery. House still did not let go.

You lay on the table and the surgeons bustled around you, the anaesthetist approached with the gas. House stood next your head and softly stroked your eyelids to offer some comfort.

“Just one thing.” You managed out. “If I don’t wake up, there’s something I’d regret not doing. Can you kiss me?”

House was stunned for a moment and looked around at the surgeons managing one ear on  the interesting turn of events. He carefully leaned down and planted the softest kiss onto your cracked dry lips. As soon as you connected he felt the stress leave your body and you welcomed whatever was to come. The gas mask was placed over your nose and mouth.

“See you in a bit.” House teased.

********************************************************************

Your heavy lids fought open and your blurry vision focused on the outline of your hospital room. Despite the post surgey pain, you could sense that everything else was gone. You were going to be okay. You strained your neck to turn to the side where your eyes landed on House, who’s bedraggled clothes indicated where he had slept waiting for you.

“Welcome back.”

You reached out a weak arm and cupped his cheek.

“Thank you.”

[enbyscript]

18+ MDNI nsfw. pope cody x nonbinary/trans reader. this is what i was thinking of that needed some sort of background enjoy 👌 not beta’d we are dying our little deaths here

your relationship with pope cody remained relatively slow since you first kissed him on the old couch in your apartment. now, it was most nights he would end up with you, whether in the living room or your bedroom, simply sharing space. what really changed was the connection that was now mutually understood, and welcomed.

your displays of affection remained private, for now. as much as you wanted to move as quickly as your infatuated little heart wanted, you knew that to do right by pope was to keep things steady. this was all new to him, the relationship, the idea of being wanted, and a partner like you.

so it became routine to alternate laying your heads in each others’ laps while running your hands through both your hair. soft touches, lingering kisses that didn’t go too far, but the want was there. god, was it there.

pope admitted one night as he lay in your arms, head tucked under your chin with his whole body nearly on top of you, that he found it easier sleeping in your apartment than at his mother’s house. a part of you must have known that, the dark circles under his eyes having lessened since he began staying longer and longer and eventually passing out. you felt contradicting feelings at this knowledge, your heart both broken and fluttering with life at the same time.

your heart felt a similar flutter as you laid on your side parallel to pope, lips languidly moving against his own on your bed. one of your hands stayed fisted in his black tshirt while the other alternated from his bicep, cupping his neck, or running through the auburn curls at the back of his head.

kissing pope was indescribable. you don’t think you’ve ever felt anything like it before, so how was one to compare? you could do it forever and never tire. the feeling of him relaxing under your touch was addicting, and the small noises he made heated something akin to syrup in your veins.

pope pulled away from your lips, one hand holding your cheek with the other resting on your last row of ribs; respectful, but heavy handed. you let yourself get lost in the picture he painted before you: lips swollen and wet, hair mussed and wild from your wandering hand. his attempts at gaining your eye contact pulled you from memorizing his image, your eyes now reflecting his.

“i wanna do something,” he sounded breathless, rightly so after what felt like an eternity but all to short of a kissing session. “wanna get my mouth on you. can i?” pope rarely admitted to wanting anything. almost as if he wasn’t used to being heard, and especially unused to actually getting what he wanted.

if your face wasn’t already heated it surely would be at this point. and that heat quickly went southward. pope had yet to push farther than the over the clothes touching and lip locking until now. you refused to be the one to take that step, explicitly letting him know it wasn’t for lack of wanting him— god, it was the complete opposite. you could get lost in pope so easily, but he had to be ready and wanting, not just willing to appease.

“yeah, anything you want.” his eyes fluttered shut at your words, lips ghosting a smile against yours as he slowly maneuvered you onto your back. your hands splayed by your sides as he inched his way down the bed to settle on his knees. calloused fingers traced up the outside of your legs, over the hem of your boxers and landing on the waistband.

pope’s forefingers teased at the waistband for a moment, eyeing the sliver of skin above it thanks to your sleep shirt riding up just so. the wispy smattering of body hair catching his attention before getting back to his task. the entire time you followed his touch, consistently flitting between his actions and his face. you were braced for any sign of his discomfort, at worst possible disgust.

all you could see was wonder.

finally he hooked his fingers into the waistband and pulled your boxers down. pope didn’t even look to where he tossed them, too focused on you before him.

your heart began racing with anxiety and anticipation. you were already wet from his kiss and modest groping, but looking at him looking at you made you keenly aware of the feeling. pope’s hands settled onto your knees, gently pulling them apart to get a good look at your center.

he couldn’t believe he had you here, like this, right in front of him. and it was real. your center glistening and wet because of him— for him. the thought alone had him aching, pants suddenly much tighter than before. pope’s fingertips caressed your lips before making their way higher.

“it’s big, your,” his voice trailed off as he studied your swollen clit with his eyes, your breath hitching as he prodded with his touch.

“t-the hormones. makes it grow at first, but it’s still the same,” he’s asked questions before about what changes someone would experience, like you. his genuine curiosity made it feel less like teaching, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, into more like sharing parts of yourself.

he continued like that for a bit, taking his time studying your flesh beneath his touch. mapping out your anatomy as well as figuring out where he could touch and with how much pressure to make you react. your eyes closed when he applied more pressure around your clit.

“ha-ah,” steady exhales let him know he was doing it right. well, he already knew what he was doing in general, but this with you was new.

you felt it before you saw, eyes snapping open when pope finally put his mouth on you. he licked from hole to top without rush, savoring the burgeoning taste on his tongue.

“oh, you feel good,” you moaned, tightening your hold on the bedding. your praise ignited something in pope, then. his eyes darting up to your face, zeroing in on your clit before he wrapped his lips around it and sucked.

the air was knocked out of you, one hand shooting to ensnare itself in his curled hair. you whimpered as he continued his assault, alternating between bobbing his lips and licking along your bundle of nerves. each change in movement amplified the pressure building in your core.

pope lost himself in the moment, allowing himself enjoy having you splayed out under his tongue, hands holding your thighs apart to provide space to get as close as he possibly could just short of crawling into your skin. the twitch of your muscles under his touch, his mouth, and the positively debauched sounds had his cock aching so terribly that he sought relief in the form of grinding against your mattress. each roll of his hips downward had him breathing heavier into you.

the cycle of repetitive licking and sucking continued as your core tightened impossibly, moans and praises increasing concurrently.

“m’close, oh, keep going, andrew,” his name fell from your lips as you reached your peak, white hot pleasure shooting up and through you.

andrew couldn’t stop—wouldn’t. his vigor renewed at the feeling of your orgasm, but his name registering in his ears slammed him like a fucking freight train. he pressed his face further against your sex to smother the wanton moan that slipped from his lips, hips stuttering against the bed as his cock painted the inside of his underwear with his unexpected peak.

once the aftershocks subsided, andrew eased himself up to collapse by your side. you took a couple of minutes to catch your breath before deciding how to follow such an earth shattering experience.

“i’m gonna go to the bathroom, then i’ll grab you some clean underwear,” you both locked eyes as you detailed what you were about to do. any sudden movement or absence without due warning was unlikely to comfort pope. he nodded understanding, easing your worry before following true to your words.

you found your underwear on the floor on the way out and slipped them on, and upon your return acquiring a clean pair from your drawer. he slipped off his jeans and let you help him out of his soiled boxers and into the fresh pair.

you kissed him before you resumed your prior positioning on the bed. hands cupping his stubbled cheeks while you poured all the overflowing affection from your heart into your lips. you felt his own raise to a smile, eyes closed as you pulled away and remaining when his eyes reopened. you maneuvered yourself flat on your back while andrew wrapped himself around your frame and rested his head against your chest, relaxing his body to the sound of your heartbeat.

“i can’t believe i fuckin’ came in my pants like a teenager,” andrew’s soft laughter was buried against your shirt, nosing against the soft cotton of your shirt. you smiled and let out a laugh of your own with him, fingernails lightly scratching against his scalp.

“i loved it, might make you do it again sometime,” he snorted at your teasing. the room grew quiet save for each other’s steady breaths.

peace settled in your bones as your brain began to shut down for sleep. andrew gingerly pulled the covers over you both, returning his arm to its rightful place hugging your waist. you could feel the last shred of tension ease from his muscles as he slipped into slumber.

[incense-and-nonsense]

Finished watching Arcane last night and I have some thoughts about Ambessa Medara that I need to get out of my system.

What I find fascinating about Ambessa as a character is the fanbase's reception of her: she's a big muscle mommy with a hidden soft side. However, I don't think the show's writers want us to like her and especially don't intend to portray her as an attractive person. The reason I think this is because (aside from her gender) she's a textbook example of a toxic, hypermasculine, alpha-male power fantasy.

Let's elaborate. Only a few minutes after we're introduced to her (having invited herself into her estranged daughter's world in a display of Emotionally-Healthy Parenting TM), she announces that she's off to "sample the local cuisine," gesturing towards a male consort/companion who awaits her.

And then there's this scene:

Here we are shown Ambessa naked in a bath being massaged by the same comparatively small companion we met earlier. The power dynamic in the relationship is clearly one of domination and submission. She's indulgent in her consumption and luxury and lobs criticism after criticism at a visibly uncomfortable Jayce, all while the artwork behind the two reinforces how this exchange will play out: Ambessa holds all the power, while Jayce is on the defensive.

In short, everything about the way Ambessa talks and carries herself is meant to convey one simple message: I am powerful. She never needs to insist on her power--it's self-evident.

On the surface, this seems like an extremely well-written feminist icon. Ambessa is strong and confident, bending to no-one and self-assured. In flashbacks and in her own dialogue, she's presented as someone who is willing to take ruthless and decisive action regardless of other's feelings. She exudes confidence and charisma and never apologizes for the space she takes up in other's lives. Other people exist largely to fulfill her goals and desires. Further, later she reveals that she exiled her daughter Mel because her daughter's more merciful and diplomatic nature weakened Ambessa and her resolve.

In short, Ambessa is the textbook icon of hypermasculine power fantasies enfleshed in a woman.

Thing is though, these traits don't become less toxic when they happen to belong to a woman. Imagine the two scenes above if the character's genders were swapped. Then what we see is a confident, muscled warmonger who establishes his place in the social hierarchy through displays of sexual dominance and belittling those around him. Imagine Caitlyn attempting to discuss the situation in Piltover as a nude, muscled man insults her competence and strides naked over to her in a clear display of power. That's not a character we celebrate; it's a character who makes us feel violated by their very presence. Moreover, it's a character we've all probably seen before a hundred times.

Toxic behavior doesn't stop being toxic when done by a woman instead of a man.

Ambessa is not intended to be a likable character. She manipulates and dehumanizes others (especially sexually), refuses to show mercy, and pushes away those closest to her out of her fear of weakness. She's not an icon of female empowerment. Her character is a commentary on how easy it is to think that feminism means adopting the toxic ways in which men have often exercised power over others. Dehumanization and exploitation aren't behaviors that we should celebrate just because they make a women look strong. Rather, we should re-evaluate what we think strength looks like.

[rinski]

SH2R Review

I don't usually do this, but we live in extraordinary times and I have Opinions.

So here is my review of the new Silent Hill 2 Remake. (tl;dr: when it's not bad it's... good? kinda?)

If you go into this game holding up the original and looking for all the ways the remake falls short, like that Bobvids reaction video, you will have no shortage of material to work with. The remake is inconsistent and I legitimately do not understand what they were attempting to achieve with some of the changes they made. This game is incredibly easy to make into something profoundly disappointing if that’s what you want to do. Like Bobvids points out, almost all of the most iconic or emotionally-powerful scenes from the original were fumbled. Not like “they tried to do something different and it didn’t quite work,” no no, no: They were fumbled. They dropped the ball and it shattered like glass upon impact. It's ironic: The game has what it calls "Glimpses of the Past," which are little shrines to iconic scenes and objects from the original game, with their own bespoke camera angle and a little jingle, but then they somehow manage to fail at preserving the scenes people care about most.

If you're reading this, we have both probably been passionate about this game and franchise for a huge chunk (if not the majority) of our lives on this dumb planet, and seeing someone botch something we’ve managed to hold precious for so long can be very painful to watch. 

But there’s also a lot to legitimately like about this game that using that lens will obfuscate. And I’m generally of the mind that we should try to scavenge for whatever joy we can find, wherever and whenever we can, because the world fucking sucks in general. And besides, it’s not like we haven’t had to endure other SH games over the years that ran the gamut from “aggressively mid” to “well at least it’s funny in a bad b-movie kinda way.” I think the best way to enjoy this game is to go in with the assumption that basically everything you care deeply about is going to be butchered in some way, so that you won't be hyper-focusing on those mistakes when the game actually manages to do something good. By all means jeer and throw popcorn at the screen whenever they mess something up—that's a lot of fun too!—but don't let the bad completely shadow the good, especially if it's only bumming you out.

To be clear: I'm not arguing that anyone should buy the game. Other people already have, and their playthroughs are free to watch.

The game is overly long, which leads to some pacing problems. They fill up some of the extra space with places and story beats that feel on point, but a lot of it is filler with only the faintest, somewhat-sour Silent Hill flavor. They do some interesting new things with the combat and enemy AI, but that also gets old quickly because combat is more mandatory, more frequent, and there's only like 3 different enemies in total.

The characters are all different enough that I think comparing them to the originals is just going to make everyone sad. I do not love most of the new takes on the characters. But I also do not hate most of them. At times, they’re even surprisingly good. 

I like the new James most of the time. He's different, sure, but he feels more like a pathetic worm man hiding behind a facade that he's only barely able to maintain. His voice cracks with exertion and desperation as he kicks downed enemies, and after he hears a spooky noise he asks a wavering, "hello?" There are times where his facial acting is incredibly well done and there are times where he basically doesn't react at all, like his "k bye" exit from Angela's final scene that's worse than if they'd just teleported you to the next room with no transition.

The first two Eddie encounters made me roll my eyes, because he feels like a caricature of the original. They made him look and act a lot grosser in the remake, like they imported the original into a character creator and pushed all the middle sliders to one extreme or another. But despite nothing about his design or initial characterization saying “this was made by someone who appreciates subtlety and nuance” he still managed to have some legitimately subtle and nuanced character moments that are their own thing, separate from the original version. When James asks him, "You're gonna go out there alone?" and he gives that slight smile and a distant, barely audible "yeh"? That's good shit.

I think my hottest take is that the new Angela is Good, Actually. I love the original Angela. I think she was perfect. This is not her. Trying to draw any comparisons between the two is a shortcut to feeling depressed and disappointed. There are several interactions with her that actually hewed too close to the original version, which didn’t work *specifically* due to these changes. And her finale is nowhere near as good. Despite all that, I like the new take. She stands on her own as a different (but obviously similar) character. I like her new VA, I like her new scenes, and the new Abstract Daddy boss fight is, I think, the absolute highest point the remake manages to hit. 

Maria is the one character where I legitimately don’t understand what they were going for. Even putting the original aside and letting the new Maria be her own thing… what… *is* that thing, exactly? To start, she’s barely in the game at all—she's absent during many of the scenes she was present for in the original. When she does interact with James, she’s so inconsistent that I can’t get a sense of what they intended her character to be. Hot, cold, charming, socially awkward—in any case it definitely doesn’t seem like they intended her to be “the Mary James fantasized about,” so then… what *is* she? James and new Maria’s overall vibe is “people who only barely tolerate each other because they have a shared friend group." In fact, one of the better interactions between Maria and James is the lead ring scene, where instead of being flirtatious, James dejectedly accepts the ring with a flat, “Oh… thanks...” like she just spat in his hand. So ok fine, they don't like each other this time around. But in the finale she still claims to be able to provide James with everything Mary couldn't, which... no? I don't get what she's attempting to provide, but whatever it is, James certainly doesn't seem into it.

Overall, the environments and music were amazing and on-point, but there were also times where neither was true. The non-otherworld hospital in particular struck me as generic to the point where I’d believe it was made from asset store prefabs. And the newer version of Promise (Reprise) that plays after the video tape is… weirdly up-tempo? Like, to the point where it undermines the tone of the scene (don't worry, it wasn't great anyway). 

Look: being a SH fan has been tough for *multiple decades* now. And I have no love for Bloober Team. They most certainly did not stick the landing here, and even if they did, I would be reluctant to give them credit for it.

I understand feeling passionate about the original. *I* feel passionate about the original. I understand how someone could experience this remake while hating every second of it. I believe I understand how Bobvids feels too, because he’s objectively correct: The remake does not treat any of your most precious memories with care.

And that’s why I wanted to write this. Because it’s very easy to view this game through a lens where it sucks shit, is disappointing, ruins your enjoyment of the original, and spells doom for the future. This game provides a scenic vista full of eye-catching trash fires where all the famous landmarks should be. But if you choose to look elsewhere, away from all the hot garbage, there’s a lot to see that’s perfectly fine or even beautiful. And it makes me sad to imagine all that going ignored because the trash fires burn too brightly.

And also: trash fires can be fun too, right? When they're not bumming you out, at least. Given the choice between "mid" and "trash fire," I'd choose the latter every time.

Silent Hill 2 came out in 2001. Since then we’ve had SH3 in 2003, SH4 in 2004, Origins in 2007, Homecoming in 2008, Shattered Memories in 2009, Downpour in 2012, PT in 2014, and, most recently, Short Message and Ascension. 

We have been scrounging for food and sustaining ourselves on dumpster crumbs for a very, very long time. So let’s not throw away this opportunity to eat a bite or two just because the chef is a piece of shit and the food is partially spoiled: A lot of what’s on offer is perfectly edible. It’s not the best food, no, but we're already used to picking through garbage for a few savory morsels. And within that context, SH2R is a smorgasbord for anyone willing to eat around the moldy bits. 

I recommend we eat what we can, while we can, because we're not likely to get a better meal any time soon.

[riderofblackdragons]

The Red Means I'm A Fool

Day 28: Denial | CCTV | exposure | "they caught me red-handed"

Ok so I haven't posted anything in a few days, which is my bad. I haven't managed to write the other days, but I did manage to do this one, and I figured it'd be better if I just posted this one I've written instead of trying to wait until I've written the days I've missed.

Hope you enjoy!

The blood tripped from his hands, pooling onto the rugs on the floor. It covered his hands, staining them that deep awful red. It felt like he should be concerned about, but he didn’t feel anything. It was as though he was just floating along through space, with nothing to bother him.

Distantly, Fox heard voices. Their meeting must be over, then, and the next one coming in. How long had he stood there, blood on his hands, his mind a thousand years from where his body stood? The chancellor liked to have at least a half hour between their meetings and any others, even if it was just so he could ensure no one caught Fox limping back to his office.

It’d be such a fuss if the wrong person caught him, after all. And when even the senators under Palpatine’s thumb would use it against him in some way, every Senator was the wrong person. Even though Fox was just a clone.

People were getting closer, he distantly registered. He still hadn’t moved. Fox didn’t know why the chancellor was dead, what had been his breaking point, but he knew that it didn’t matter. He was a clone, and clones were to be used and thrown away.

He’d killed the chancellor, and if he didn’t move, he was going to be heading to his own death shortly afterwards.

He couldn’t bring himself to move, though. Fox’s hands wouldn’t even shake, nor would his legs even attempt to move from where he was standing. Kneeling. He couldn’t tell the difference, really. His limbs just wouldn’t move.

If he was lucky, he was just going to be decomissioned. Fox would still be dead, but at least his body wouldn’t still be walking around. He’d prefer to be decomissioned, instead of having his mind and personality taken from him, replaced by some meatdroid who wouldn’t even know his own name.

Fox was the head of the Coruscant Guard. They got the brunt of the reconditioned clones. He knew what they were like, especially compared to the reports of what they were like before it. He didn’t want the same for him, nor to put his men through the pain of seeing him like that.

Living, by itself, wasn’t on the table, though. Fox was here, the evidence of the crime still drying on his fingers, and the victim dead on the floor before him. And it didn’t look like he was going to be moving on his own power any time soon.

Especially not when his mind was fifty miles away, and he could hear the Red Guard outside arguing with someone about letting them in. He wondered if they thought something was wrong. The chancellor didn’t usually take this long to punish him, after all.

Later, Fox would realise the one thing he hadn’t taken into consideration: the Jedi. The Jedi had found him, mind far from home, standing over the chancellor, covered in evidence, and put him in their special jail. Left him there, whilst their healers and leaders tried to figure out what had gone wrong with him.

But they didn’t kill. The Jedi, as Fox had quickly learned, genuinely thought that both decommissionings and reconditionings were things of the past, as did their allies in the Senate. So they kept Fox locked away, instead, and claimed it was more humane.

It didn’t feel humane. Fox felt like he was back on Kamino, back to poking and prodding and waiting to see how he’d screwed up this time. Except that this time he knew what he’d done: he’d killed the chancellor, and they just wanted to know why.

Just the one thing that he didn’t know how to answer. It would be funny, Fox thought, if it wasn’t so annoying. The Jedi were asking all the wrong questions, the ones Fox didn’t quite know the answer too, but refused to ask him any of the right ones.

Fox wished that just once, they’d be able to ask him the right ones. But as he felt himself being pushed under, for the Jedi to have a look in his head, and try to remove any potential mind control in there, he knew they wouldn’t.

Besides, they’d explained what would happen to him if ther wasn’t any mind control in there. Fox didn’t know how to feel, really, about the Jedi having their own form of reconditioning.

He didn't think he liked it, though.

Tag List: @captain-effy @what-the-fuckis-happening @robininthelabyrinth

If anyone wants to be added lmk!

[daily-tangotek-doodles]

hello hi the rancher gods have shown me another vision /j

pokemon AU. Jimmy works at a nursery taking care of mons, making sure they're all in good health and all that!! he does have his own team but he doesn't use them to fight — if he somehow ends up in a double battle (haha double battle double life) he'll be a support for his teammate!!

Tango, meanwhile, is a gym leader who trusts Jimmy's nursery with all the mons in his gym, including his own team. they don't interact much due to their different occupations and the fact they're both incredibly busy UNTIL one of Tango's team mons gets seriously injured.

after Jimmy helps Tango's mon back to a healthy state, Tango gets more interested in Jimmy's work. he starts hanging around the nursery more often in an attempt to pick up some skills. at first. later he stuck around more for Jimmy upon realising just how nice he was, and how pleasantly different the calm nursery was in general compared to the constantly fired up gym, where people wanted spectacular battles, without thinking about the consequences said battles would have.

the nursery was like a comfortable, safe space, away from the gym, away from the expectations placed on Tango upon becoming a gym leader.

alright that's enough yapping from me I CAN TOTALLY COME UP W TEAMS FOR BOTH OF THEM!! :3 okay anyways hi that's todays vision I could probably talk about it more maybe. but I won't. for now.

-🐚

POKEMON?! FOR ME?! ABOUT TEAM RANCHER?!?!

that's so cute! i can just imagine him being so at peace there. not necessarily because it's quiet and not chaotic, but because it's a more calm and different type of chaos. i especially imagine that one pokemon kinda getting really excited whenever it's around jimmy, purely because of "you helped me feel better!!!i like you!!!!" kinda thinking

also, i'd love to compare thoughts about pokemon teams! cause i have a few ideas of my own, but i'd love to hear yours too!!

[jazzythursday]

Last Line Tag Game

Hi! I was tagged by @aphroditestummyrolls to share the last few lines I wrote with you all. To be honest I meant to get to this a while ago, but there's one scene in Heart Of The Country that has been giving me trouble and I was hoping to salvage enough of it for a snippet eventually… which I haven’t quite yet. Taking a break from it for a moment to share some of my Wylan torture/whump wip that I haven't talked much about on here. This scene is part of a Jesper pov chapter about half way through the story:

“Jesper.” The way she says his name gives him pause, and he turns back to her wearily, feeling the weight of every day of this week catching up to him all at once. He sags against the countertop, trying to pass it off as a lean—though she knows him well enough to tell the difference—and sighs. "Talk to me."

"This is talking, we're talking right now." He taps restlessly at the granite of the countertops, attempting a smile even though his face feels like a rubber band about to snap. “You’ve been gone for a long time, Nej, you’ll forgive a man for wanting to catch up. Maybe I’m just curious about all your exciting adventures at sea.”

“My adventures at sea involve a lot of waste management and trying to keep my knives from rusting from saltwater. It isn’t particularly glamorous.” She smiles kindly at him, sympathetic but without pity. “I’ve missed you too, Jes, but you know that’s not why I came.”

How could I forget? Jesper could no sooner do so than he could lick his own boots while they were still laced. No, it’s no use putting this off, filling the silence where an empty space sits loudly where another person should be, but he’d tried. He’d missed Inej terribly while she’d been away, as he always does, and it had been easy to slip into friendly conversation and banter just as they would, were this simply another one of her usual visits—like they really are just catching up. It is wonderful to see her, in any case, and it had been nice to pretend, selfishly, that things were normal, if only for a minute. 

“Tea?” he offers dully, though the jig is long up by now, and feels a pang at how the word sits wrong in his mouth. Wylan is the one who usually offers tea, who always has their friend's favourite biscuits and herbal blends on hand, slipping into the practised role of hosting like a well worn coat while Jesper chatters away—but they’ve only got Jesper for a poor replacement now, little good he is at it.

“What happened, Jes?”

“It didn’t seem like anything at the time,” Jesper says, after a long beat. “You know we still do work for Kaz, when it suits. It was just—it was like any other job.” 

Inej nods, she perches opposite him on the kitchen table, sweeping her long braid over her shoulder to wrap around her hand, combing through the ends as she listens. 

There had been nothing especially interesting or dangerous about the job at all. Thinking back on it, it was comparatively boring, a surefire win—and it had been—a veritable success, until it wasn’t.

Tagging @oneofthewednesdays @sparrowmoth @sunfl8wer @waterloou and @sixofcrowdaydreams (but no pressure! 💖)

[madwomanwithawarehouse]

Unthinkable 10 Years Day 3: Favorite Episode of Season 2 - "Time of Death"

Okay this is one of my all-time favorite episodes for so many reasons and definitely the one I've rewatched the most ( I'm pretty sure I can quote all of the Felicity/Sara scenes by heart)

This episode explores so many dynamics in so little time, but somehow doesn't come off feeling rushed or overloaded (at least in my opinion). Laurel being angry at everyone, but trying to help her parents get back together, her fight with Oliver in the hallway that feels like the first honest moment they've had in years, and her reconciliation with Sara finally leading to her first AA meeting.

We also get to learn about why Sara looks after Sin (side note: still pissed we got no elaboration on them after s3) and Thea beginning to notice the cracks in Oliver and Moira's relationship

The biggest focus, however, is the changing dynamic in Team Arrow now that Sara has joined full time (and has gotten back together with Oliver), and specifically, how it's affecting Felicity.

We quickly see how well Sara can hold her own against Oliver and Dig at the same time, inter cut with shots of Felicity looking worried, relegated to the sidelines. In the overhead shots you can even see that her computer chair has been moved from its usual spot, showing how displaced she is from her normal routine

They pause and compare scars, but when Felicity offers up her own story, it further reinforces how different she is from her teammates. The same (mildly flirtatious) "You're [still] cute" from Sara that was sweet during their introduction, now feels condescending when Felicity is feeling insecure. Her later attempts to train where she gets her form corrected by Sara brings out her bitter side in a way we haven't seen directed at anyone other than Oliver before, and Sara picks up on something being wrong

Her insecurities about her place on Team Arrow get further compounded with the arrival of the Clock King.

One of my favorite villains mostly due to the fact that his whole timing is everything/clock shtick does not really match his hacking capabilities thematically. He times everything, kills people with clock parts, quotes "tempus fugit", but yeah his thing is that he's a good hacker who robs banks. 10/10 no notes.

This is the first time we've seen Felicity go up against another hacker and well, he bests her, badly. I think what's almost worse is Oliver's complete belief in her abilities to beat him, which just makes her feel even more worthless when she can't and Sara comes up with a lead instead (using her computers). She's been sinking lower and lower into her self doubt and then Tockman blows up [her part of] the lair.

And it's the final straw. She was part of a trio, she was "the girl", (she was even kind of Oliver's "girl"), she had a place, a specialty, she felt like she mattered for the first time in a long time. This also comes only an episode after she reveals that her father abandoned her and her greatest fear is experiencing that again and Moira threatening that she's going to lose Oliver if she reveals Thea's paternity. So it's especially fragile, this state she's in now. Oliver's attention has shifted, 3 becomes 4, her space is not really hers anymore. In her mind, she's no longer special, now she just doesn't fit in. Dig's pep talk comes too late. How can she be irreplaceable if she's already been replaced?

So is it any wonder that she does something reckless to try to regain some control?

Felicity proves her technical prowess by tracking Tockman down and her badassery by taking a bullet for Sara and giving Tockman a taste of his own virus, knocking him out.

Now that she has proven her worth to the team (entirely to herself, as no one else doubted her), the combined efforts of Sara, Oliver, and some "aspirins" are able to raise her spirits the way Dig had earlier. Sara knows just how to compliment her and Oliver reaffirms her place in his life/the team and all is right again with their resident genius.

(And bonus, Sara and Felicity are now forever bonded by the homoerotic nature of life saving and nursing back to health)

All in all, such a good episode with solid character building, real consequences, and a quirky villain that is extra for no discernible reason. Iconic.

[dusty-daydreams]

Hii! Fic Anon here! I saw your post and I feel so flattered seeing that 🥺 I did send a lot of asks didn't I? Sorry about that. Wow Tumblr just loves being silly sometimes doesn't it. How have you been btw?

It's sort of funny because I was just thinking about Bridgerton, I was debating whether I should watch s3 or not. And then I started thinking if Anthony and Benedict learned about how Colin treated Eloise (like saying that she should consider herself lucky that she has never been in love) how would they have reacted? What do you think they would have done?

I was wondering how do you view s3, now that almost a year has passed?

Also loved your heartstopper fic!

Have a nice day!

Hi Fic Anon!!

No don't worry about the asks! Like I said I loved seeing them, I have been good - coming off a long holiday now so feeling less overwhelmed. How are you fic anon?

As for season 3, I think now that almost a year has passed was that it was extremely poorly written and rushed. A lot of the choices were illogical and undermined the first two seasons and the stakes of those seasons by downplaying the impact of scandals in the character's lives in order to turn Penelope from the engaging antagonist of the piece into an endearing love interest (and by my measure failed to do so in the attempt.)

Honestly I would be inclined to say wait until season 4 comes out to see how much of season 3 is required watching for Benedict's season. After all the seasons are semi-stand alone stories - but the ending of season 2 was crucial context for season 3 so it could go one way or the other.

That said there were things I loved about season 3 - Francesca's arc was wonderful happening in the background, and I liked Benedict exploring his queerness even if it was done clumsily in my opinion, and I think Cressida and Eloise had an interesting friendship/relationship in the first part at least. It is just those are all subplots that don't take up much screen time at all compared to the travesty of the rest of the season.

On to how Anthony and Benedict would react too Colin's mistreatment of Eloise (if the such was written with more realistic sibling dynamics).

Well first I think this would all depend on Benedict and Anthony noticing something is amiss. Eloise seeks to be independent and to manage her own affairs, she is unlikely to seek help, especially help from the patriarchal figures in her life, even if she needs unless she can avoid it.

In the extreme world of my fic Eloise seeks help from Benedict but only to confirm the information that she has already gathered herself, and the violence that has been committed against her is both so extreme and has potentially impacted her sisters and so she has no realistic way to refuse her brother's help and management of the situation, especially as the trauma of the information makes it's impact on her.

In the less extreme world of the show, where the hurt Colin causes is continually bringing a woman that Eloise has clearly had some sort of falling out with continually into her space, explicitly against her wishes and thoughtless harmful remarks like saying she is lucky to have never been in love, is not so extreme that Eloise would seek help from brothers for it, so it would be down to Anthony and Benedict too notice, and while I think they would both marvelously rise to the occasion of helping their siblings if called upon, neither of them are particularly observant of their younger siblings.

So if Anthony notices the way Colin's actions have been hurting Eloise, I think he would make a token effort to take his brother to task for being thoughtless of Eloise in his pursuit of Penelope and would probably be disapproving rather than supportive of Colin and Penelope's surprise engagement.

If Benedict notices, I think he would try to talk to Eloise directly to try and get her to express rather than repress her pain about Colin's thoughtless relationship with Penelope and thoughtless words too her. Which depending on what Eloise would reveal with her guard down, would probably lead to Benedict attempting to call Colin to task. A wasted effort because I don't think Colin respects Benedict like that.

The other issue is, I don't think Eloise has told anyone about what happened with Theo, with the exception of what she revealed to Penelope. Eloise isn't the type to reveal her underbelly like that and she would think of the fact that she was attracted to a man when she has been refusing the idea of marriage vehemently as an underbelly to be exploited. Because if Eloise could be attracted to a 'rough working class boy' then surely she could be attracted to someone more suitable if they had common interests and in the end no matter who she is attracted too Eloise is uninterested in marriage.

Which means that no one - not Colin, not Anthony, not Benedict, not even Penelope who knows the most, is aware of how cruel the "lucky she has never been in love" comment is except Eloise and the audience and Eloise isn't going to tell anyone.

(Especially considering the tactic the Bridgerton's seem to have employed to get past the "cavorting with radicals" scandal is to pretend that it was all nonsense and something that never happened, something that becomes difficult if Eloise starts talking about Theo.)

Basically I think this like a lot of things is something that Eloise represses behind her "Don't want to get married, men exploit women" crusade, which while I think is truly sincere is also a tool Eloise uses to avoid vulnerability.

[rosehippiefield]

Shin AI's words can't be taken at face value considering the only cg we have of Shin and Midori under an objective light is of Shin looking incredibly relaxed, on top of all the pictures Midori seemed to take of him being of him smiling in a way that Kanna is mournful of. Regarding his behavior in the death game, Shin says that he looked up to Midori specifically as an anti-hero, and when he took on his Sou Hiyori persona, he used that to justify treating others the way he did. But comparing the words Midori gave him in the past, of not putting himself down and relying on his own power, to how Shin treated Kanna at present, undermining her perception of her own capabilities and attempting to distance her from the group, all so she could keep working with him under the excuse of him protecting her, it's much more apparent that the persona Shin used embodied his anti-hero ideal of Midori rather than any actual traits that could be observed from Midori during their time together. Also it seems like a far reach to consider Shin keeping things like his mecha builds- extremely delicate items that would take an immense amount of trust to keep in somebody else's space- in Midori's house to be a result of Midori pressuring him into it. Especially since, again, the only interaction we see between them was of Midori encouraging Shin to become the kind of person who can meet his younger sibling proudly,

As per usual, long post, and I repeat myself on some occasions

First of all, I wouldn't dismiss AI's experiences so easily. While it's true he could differ from real Shin, in theory he has same memories of events so his feelings about the matter could be taken into consideration.

As to that CG and how peaceful Shin looked, I admit he could feel some level of comfort, he did consider Midori a friend after all. But while we have one flashback with them and happy photos, I think it's not right to base everything on it. Moreover, at that moment Midori was likely exploiting Shin's feeling to get him sign consent form, which lessens level of wholesomeness. If we are talking exclusively about how Shin himself viewed that scene, yes, he could appreciate having such brother figure at that point of life. But upon reconcideration and reflection he could change his mind. The fact that his photos show him genuinely smiling and not sweating bullets are primary because:

Midori was the one deciding when to take a photo. He only took photos of what he liked, that doesn't strictly mean Shin only was happy and comfortable even if physical evidence doesn't cover it.

Shin indeed felt comfortable at times, because he did trust Midori after all.

Nevertheless, I still think that during their relationship Shin had double impression of Midori. While liking support, he disliked other sides of their friendship, for example being caught on camera or being afraid in general. It is something Shin tells Sara, so I take this into account, I believe his reactions display what he thought all that time ago. If their relationship could be summarised by that one lone flashback, I don't see how Midori could be considered anti-hero and not hero by Shin. Yes, his actions came from his perception of what Sou-Midori would do. But as far as I can tell, it is not that different from reality. That fleeting moment of kindness is not the only thing that happened. Even in toxic or abusive relationship there are moments of peace, they are the reason why victims give another chance, they still see the best, trying to disregard all red flags. Perhaps that's what happened to Shin. He still cherished his friend despite being uncomfortable (I think he did feel uneasy due to his memories where he says he was afraid of Midori and, once again, his AI. Not to mention his reactions now, but it is also due to Midori being with kidnapppers). But, as I mentioned in previous posts, then he potentially learned more about how suspicious it all was and grew distrustful.

Also, about toy robot, I admit my assumption is far-fetched, though we know quite little about their actual relationship, so I could picture Midori telling something along the lines "Come on, aren't we best buds, let's put your mega-robot in my house". Not the highest probability, but still. Or Shin indeed could do it of his own volution, but it doesn't cancel out all red flags.

In conclusion, I still stand by my opinion that Midori had negative impact on Shin, and I am not persuaded by Midori supporting Shin as I don't believe it was truly genuine or that Midori was exclusively kind and caring.

It seems we keep discarding evidence of one another as unreliable enough, so I suggest to stop this discussion altogether. I liked reflecting on their friendship with you, but I think there's no point of continuing as we just end up in a stalemate.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the matter though!

[sheltershock]

Sashamilla version of Rewrite the Stars.

This is my thought today. (Actually not really I’ve had it for months, today is the day I finally write it down.)

However, Milla is in Zac Efron’s role and Sasha’s is in Zendaya’s. It just fits their personalities and worldviews way better. Milla is the idealistic dreamer who’s accomplished and overcome so much she’s convinced she can do pretty much everything. Because she can but that’s besides the point. She’s also in tune with her own and other’s emotions to be able to actually call out the present feelings(“you know I want you / it’s not a secret I try to hide / I know you want me”).

Meanwhile Sasha is the more negative centered side of the argument voiced by Zendaya. Both the negativity charged powers and literally being down to earth compared to Milla play into it. Also crucially is that this is the side of the argument that fate is real and cannot be changed(“no one can rewrite the stars / how can you say that you’ll be mine?”). While there’s no definitive proof in the games that Sasha thinks fate is absolute, he does have a line in RoR that might believe in destiny, but also would not actively attempt to change it, “Who am I to stand in the way of our destiny, even if that destiny is our destruction?” Plus there’s the stars/galaxy/space/aliens special interest so yeah Stars. Sasha stands pretty firmly on the side of order to the point that chaos is hard to function for him so the idea of rewriting the stars/constellations, even if possible, could also get some derision from him.

And then there’s the idea of the song to begin with, that our leads are separated by something insurmountable. The in text scenario from the musical can apply to sashamilla since they’re also an interracial couple. But racism is depressing, so there’s some alternative factors that can be used. There’s the idea that because they’re opposites that they’re simply too different from each other. They’re “doomed to break” if you will. Or a more psychological reason could be played that the reason they can’t be together is because their past trauma of suddenly losing a loved one prevents them from truly loving another person again. Of course with this context, it would mean that Milla is ready to try to love someone else again, and Sasha isn’t, which is believable. I personally think that although romantic relationships shouldn’t really define characters, I do think that Sasha/Milla is the other’s happy ending by being able to love another person again especially when they’re both in such a dangerous field. They’re both likely to die suddenly, but they both decide that love/being loved is worth the possible reoccurring pain and that’s their happy ending by choosing to be happy with each other.

Additionally the verses “because we’re able to be / just you and me within these walls / but when we go outside / you’re gonna wake up and see / that it was hopeless after all” can be whatever you interpreted above. “Within these walls” can refer to their own minds/privacy where they can be fine by themselves but not in public aka “outside.” Or it can refer to the Psychonauts as a sanctuary that they can be psychics or basically share parts that can’t be comfortably shown to the rest of the world “outside.” I really like these verses in relation to the ship, good opportunity for storytelling.

Now if this was an animatic, I’d suggest that the visuals take place inside their minds. With Milla’s levitation a similar thing can be done with the trapeze art(?) from the original musical. But the entire time it’s abundantly clear visually how the other sticks out in the opposing mind. I think it would be cool if they were chasing each other. So it starts out in Milla’s mind, and she’s just singing her heart out but she’s just too good at levitating and Sasha cannot keep up with her. They both have points of just barely being close enough but momentum is just a bit stronger, fate’s just a little bit stronger.

And then during the transition where it would be Sasha’s turn to sing, he’s given up on trying to keep up and just leaves back to his own mind. Milla obviously follows after, she’s chasing now. But despite his mind being a large cube with tons of empty space the entire time it’s unfolding and refolding back as both for Sasha to move around and Milla to stumble over her own obstacles. I also want the idea of the appearing/disappearing trapdoor from PN1 to be an element during where Sasha keeps suddenly disappearing through spaces that you wouldn’t immediately identify as doors. It would also coincide with the verse “and there are some doors that we can’t walk through” emphasis on the we specifically(because I like literalism). Milla’s good with levitation but with what’s effectively teleportation she’s struggling to keep up.

Of course the repeated line of “(what if we/no one can) rewrite the stars” is accompanied but different but similar visuals depending on the mind. Milla’s has spinning lights from the disco balls, and the geometric/math like designs in the sky in Sasha’s that I interpreted as constellations is of course, the stars.

Also the line “I want to fly with you / I want to fall with you.” I have no thoughts. It’s just them, I don’t really have to explain that. I’m just pointing it out.

The final part of the song where both voices come in for an overlapping duet would be cool if the aesthetics of both of their minds somehow combined. I don’t know how. It might even be a nightmare to design, but it would be interesting and like a blending of their ideas and persons into this new destiny they’ve created. But nonetheless it should look beautiful. They’re finally in sync, being able to fly and fall together.

I just think the song fits them and their personalities. And there’s the irony that I’m pretty sure they were, in reality, designed for each other. That they “were the one they were might to find” so, cute, obviously. So, yeah, my thoughts on a song and a ship.

[wordsandrobots]

You mentioned a while ago a Gundam Eligos. I’d love to hear about your… process I suppose (how did you go about thinking it up, what influenced you decision to make it the Eligos, to arm it as you did etc.).

I mention it because I suddenly remembered a little while ago the existence of these two fake Ibo Gundam’s (I think that became popular around the second season) and I got curious on what your perspective would be on them, if any.

I apologise if you already mention this in one of your fanfics. I’m afraid Iron Blooded Orphans just isn’t really the sort of series I seek out fan fiction of (though if that ever changes, your stuff’ll be top of the list).

Oh, yeah, I quite like that fan-art (original links are these, I believe https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/60410296, https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/58286615?), though I feel the aesthetic skews away from IBO's baseline. Halphas in particular doesn't look right to me and I think that's because it's aping UC or 00 style 'suits too closely.

Anyway - no need to apologise; I get having things you don't seek fan fic out for, I'm the same. I'll note for the record that what I'm going to say contains spoilers but with one (highlighted) exception, they're broadly unimportant.

In total, I made up two Gundams, four pseudo-Gundams, and one adjacent 'new' mobile suit for Wishing on Space Hardware. If you'll indulge me, I'll go through the logic behind each of them in order of appearance.

The first Gundam is little more than a placeholder. I literally needed something to fit between Barbatos and Gusion in a line-up of frames for two characters to walk past. Due to misreading a wiki page, I originally labelled this Seere, which obviously is a Gundam that already exists, at the other end of the number sequence. But then I found this list which is easier to follow and renamed it Paimon (ASW-G-09). I described it as a scout model, slender and winged, which doesn't quite fit with the description of Paimon the demon. However, since that demon's rank is King, like Bael, describing it as similar sort of works. Clearly, my thought process on this one wasn't especially deep! The background I gave Paimon was that it had been in a private collector's war museum in a non-operational state. Some rich guy bought it from salvagers and put it on display. This seemed like a reasonable fate for a Gundam frame to have suffered and I used it later to bulk-out a list of extant frames.

The psuedo-Gundams are all copies of Flauros. Very easy! The idea behind them is that following The Incident, Gjallarhorn authorised an attempt to reproduce the Gundam frame with a view to better controlling the technology. A recovered Flauros was used as the template owing to the transformation mechanism, the Dainsleifs, and the fact that Shino very nearly killed Rustal Elion with it, which created a lot of shock-waves (it's a thread in my fics that this has as many long-term consequences as Barbatos' final rampage, while everyone kind of forgets about Gusion).

I hand-waved the difficulty of building new Gundam frames on the notion that 1) nobody ever tried before, 2) the problem of running two reactors in parallel gets solved over the course of the fics, and 3) the resulting 'Flauri' are technically inferior anyway, being less powerful and less resilient compared to a real Gundam frame (a fact that, as of writing, is about to become extremely important). All this said, the chief reason for making them Flauros-copies is thematic: this is a story where Shino narrowly survives and is taken prisoner. It's a big part of his arc that Gjallarhon takes everything uniquely 'his' and twists it for their own ends.

The Flauri start out as unpainted copies of Flauros' short cannon form, using Gjallarhorn railguns. F-4 remains more or less in this configuration throughout; F-3 switches out its guns for a laser cannon and an electro-harpoon weapon designed to disable enemy 'suits; F-2 is given the full original Flauros weaponry; and F-1 is refitted for melee combat with a set chainsaw/claw weapons in place of the stabiliser feet on the arms. Then, as the story progresses, F-2 gets outfitted the same as F-1, which in turn...well, that actually is a spoiler I don't want to share just yet! Point is, Gundam Flauros has a nicely 'neutral' design compared to a lot of the IBO 'suits, so it was very easy to picture how different weaponry would be bolted on. (Also, while Flauros becomes the template for the completed 'suits, development of the frame was based on an impounded Dantalion, so the idea of switchable equipment is there from the start.)

The long and short of this segment: I started with the thematic idea and thought about how far I could stretch it, following the logic I'd established in the story.

The 'new' mobile suit is another output of the above project: a Reginlaze-like frame that incorporates Flauros' transformation gimmick. The Leopard (named for Flauros the demon's common form) is basically an IBO equivalent of a Guncannon and sort of a joke that swings around to being serious. They were rolled out quickly as a way to shore up Gjallarhorn's relationships with the Earth blocs and Mars when there was a risk that the above Gundam-replication might be publicly exposed. As such, they've got a massively sub-par performance compared to actual Reginlazes. However, this doesn't stop a couple being stolen by terrorists and used for long-range sniping operations, or Gjallarhorn deploying their own, higher-spec models as fusiliers. The high-brow justification for this is as an illustration of more consequences of Tekkadan's actions, but honestly? I just thought mashing Flauros' design elements into a Reginlaze would work nicely.

And finally - to address your actual question! - Gundam Eligos.

OK, so, context: Eligos is not actually called Eligos for the majority of the story. It goes under the pseudonym 'Skoll', as in 'Hati and Skoll', the wolves who chase the sun and moon in Norse mythology. Being a 'moon-chaser' is a loaded double-meaning given that its pilot is one of the Tekkadan survivors. Likewise, due to who it is fighting for (a different terrorist group, apparently headed by a new 'Montag'), its modern appearance is patterned on the Grimgerde: red armour, swept-back fins, shields on its arms. That is principally why it has the armaments it does: shorter versions of the rare-metal blades built into the shields (which themselves flip around to reveal guns are the other end, because seriously, how many of those rifles did Mackie throw away?). It's also fitted with a booster pack for the majority of its appearances: big, triangular wings loaded with additional reactors to allow it to move incredibly fast compared even to normal Gundams. This thing is built for hit-and-run, designed to cut through enemy lines as swiftly as possible, because for a long time it's functionally the only mobile weapon this group has at their disposal. While it is later joined by 'Hati' (a Schwalbe Graze variant), that 'suit serves a very different purpose.

[To whit: Hati is equipped with the combination of a Dainsleif launcher with a beam-weapon, intended to negate the resistance effects of nano-laminate. The javelins it fires are hollow and filled with reflectors, creating a path for the beam. As you might imagine, this is a precision weapon to a frankly ridiculous degree, so Hati is functionally static while in operation. Ergo, Skoll has to handle any mobile suits in play while Hati targets enemy ships.]

The reason I'm starting with all this is because it's what came first. I made Skoll up before I picked which Gundam frame it was built around. I wanted a Grimgerde/Gundam hybrid that ran with Tekkadan's 'one man commando unit' concept. I decided it had been recovered with very little of its original armour intact, so its original identity was irrelevant in terms of what it could actually do.

However, obviously I couldn't leave it there! So: which to use?

I wanted a relatively low number, because the backstory I settled on was that this Gundam had been involved in the battle that left Barbatos (ASW-G-08) abandoned on Mars. Strictly, there was no reason to focus on the low-end of the sequence since I roped Flauros (ASW-G-64) into the same scenario, but it was a way to narrow things down. Another thing I used was association with the colour red (because Skoll is very much the 'rival' machine for these fics).

This led me to the page on that same roleplaying wiki I linked above for Eligos. Which is absolutely not an academically rigorous source. I spent a good fifteen minutes just now tracing the source for describing this demon as wearing a red coat (apparently it's from 'The Red Book of Appin' though I don't have the energy this morning to confirm the exact quote). Fortunately, it doesn't really matter because Crowley's edition of the Ars Goetia is sufficient to explain my final reasoning:

ELIGOS — The Fifteenth Spirit in Order is Eligos, a Great Duke, and appeareth in the form of a goodly Knight, carrying a Lance, an Ensign, and a Serpent. He discovereth hidden things, and knoweth things to come; and of Wars, and how the Soldiers will or shall meet. He causeth the Love of Lords and Great Persons. He governeth 60 Legions of Spirits. His Seal is this, etc.

I'm not wedded to the idea that the demonic descriptions need to be a one-to-one match for the machines or the pilots, but there's some fitting stuff here. First, it's 'goodly' as in 'handsome', which is beautifully ironic for a variety of reasons. Second, the lance. As I fleshed out what had happened to this frame, I realised I needed to have it use a spear or lance, because while I'd decided the katana was Barbatos's original weapon, the circumstances I was inventing required it to wield a longer weapon at a dramatic juncture. Therefore, that needed to come from another Gundam. And third, there were the references to knowing the future and matters pertaining to wars.

(Due diligence note: slightly more major spoilers for the fic follow)

.

.

.

This is what solidified the pick. You see, something I omitted from my description of Gjallarhorn's Gundam replication project is that the frames are only part of it. They also wanted the means to reproduce the piloting abilities Tekkadan showed. This led to the creation of the 'Alaya-Vijnana Type Zero', an AI model fed on battle data from people (Shino) who used the A-V. This enables the creation of new Type E systems sans the necessity of wiring dead people's brains into a mobile suit. As a concept, this met with mixed success but it's relevant here because the group operating Skoll got their hands on a copy of the specs and incorporated it into their Gundam alongside a standard A-V. This ramps up the information processing capacities of the system so it can very precisely identify incoming threats and respond accordingly, allowing someone with only a single whisker to operate at the level of someone with two or three. It becomes a 'sixth sense' for the pilot, which fits Eligos' realm of knowledge perfectly.

(And to confirm the obvious: yes, it's a Gundam Wing reference.)

With this established, I back-filled what Gundam Eligos (ASW-G-15) had been like. In appearance, it takes cues from 00's Gundam Zabanya, having an articulated 'cloak' of shield panels used to deflect incoming attacks and let it muscle in close to its target. Its primary weapon was designed for skewering and it would probably have had beefed-up thrusters to enable this mode of combat. For its original incarnation, the connection to 'knowledge of wars' is that its pilot was strategist for Gjallarhorn's Mars contingent.

To summarise the finalised backstory: Barbatos, Eligos and Flauros were deployed to the Chryse Planitia to combat a squadron of Hashmals, but the mobile armours split up, forcing the Gundams to do the same. Flauros ended up using its Dainsleifs at very close range, burying itself along with the Hashmal that would later reactivate thanks to Iok. Barbatos and Eligos fought the remainder but were overwhelmed. In a last-ditch effort, Barbatos used Eligos' abandoned lance to puncture the Ahab reactors on one of the Hashmals. The resulting gravitational upset blew Barbatos into the middle of the desert and ripped the armours to bits. Eligos was caught in the blast and crushed by the wreckage, the frame left repairable but its equipment written off.

And to summarise the answer to your question: there you have it. A mix of ideas that I then matched to the entry in the Ars Goetia I felt fitted best with where I was going. I'm both a 'what would be cool' or a 'what serves the plot best' writer when it comes to creating stuff for fanfic/fanart, but I do like to work through a justification for whatever I invent, even if it doesn't get much focus.

Thanks for asking! I know I've rambled on a lot, but that's simply because it was fun to collate my reasoning in one place.

[Addendum: There is one additional 'new; 'suit I included (past obvious things like Shidens using the two-horned alternate mask from the options set and that one random Hloekk with forklifts for arms), which is the J-class Reginlaze, a high-mobility variant that's basically a normal Reginlaze with Julia-style wing-thrusters on its shoulders. This is mainly by 'rule of cool' logic: overall, I have been trying to resist throwing in new 'suits at every opportunity because I really enjoy IBO not doing that. But sometimes, the urge to be self-indulgent is hard to fight!]

[whatudottu]

You know I’m starting to fixate on something where I actually care enough about it to ramble something something- so let’s give it up for NSR! *tiny applause of me doing whatever the hell i want to do on this blog*

An odd thing for me though is that I’m specifically doing a whole character ramble and practically ONLY a character ramble so no biology stuff here (only slight astronomy). Please welcome to the stage, my scrimblo bimblo: DJ Subatomic Supernova!

As I once again shove aside my not only in-progress work but the ‘actually read to post’ work too, I’m here to spew words about my favourite egotistical space orb and not only am I going to do that, but also compare them to someone else of a unique mind. Because of both of their particular quirks about identity, self-importance, and ultimately expression of art, I like to think DJSS may share some grounds with Eve, perhaps enough to decently get along with each other if not even form a friendship.

If you’re one of my typical followers interested enough in reading this to get to here - the second paragraph UNDER the readmore - I will give a summary of the DJ and the Diva. DJ Subatomic Supernova, a space themed NSRtist with an ego so dense it can cause a singularity (which may or may not be an actual literal thing that has or did happen) and underappreciated ex-professor of university grade astronomy, strives to preserve their name and music to extend not only beyond their own time but for the future beyond humanity’s own existence in order to stave away fading into obscurity and truly becoming everlasting. In this battle of existential dread and their entire ‘Avatar of Earth’ schtick, we have a character who’s ego comes with a twist of not being selfish even though it is significantly self-centered, their motivations though using the medium of themselves being to create a legacy for humanity that will spread to the furthest reaches of the galaxy and back.

Eve meanwhile - real name Nadia - views the world in ways that seems only she can, seeing herself as the only one to understand the way she thinks and feeling so incredibly lonely in that fact - a realm of existentialism in of itself - especially since the one person that had begun the attempt had ended up losing thanks to his hair being set on fire. Expressing herself not only through her psy-dub music, Eve is an artist of multiple mediums from sound to visual, of sculpture, fashion, and paintings, many themes of her work centering on her personal experiences and insecurities, of eyes staring at her peculiarities and of turning those eyes against the viewer.

And what do you get when you cross an egotistical existentialist with a suffering surrealist? Maybe you get a little common ground to stand on. Perhaps not enough to satiate Eve’s personal desire to find like-minded brothers and sisters, perhaps not enough to bring Nova back down to Earth to appreciate the present for what it is. But perhaps enough that at least among coworkers, there’s even remotely enough broken ice to hold a conversation, perhaps enough that if in friendship, Eve may look towards the stars and Nova may look at the self of another.

Of course, this is not simply a character analysis based solely on canonical information, as it is now that I will elaborate (at least from the perspective of DJSS) with some headcanons of my own.

I’ve always been particularly an NSR lurker, not really doing much of actual engagement with the fandom but certainly sitting by the wayside and looking in. A thing that I have seen for folk’s take on a younger Nova is that they weren’t always a supernova one Bunkbed Junction away from going singularity- instead, they were a star. It’s always been one of the larger blue stars, but here I’d like to just go out and make it an O-Class main sequence star and be essentially a miniaturised equivalent; and when I say equivalent, I mean EQUIVALENT!

If you were an object head of maybe a G-Class main sequence star (the star itself significantly smaller than what it would actually be), you’d have on your head a miniature sun that would be a little portable and ultimately dimmer version of our very own Sol (or specifically if you had a G2-Class star which is more accurately our own sun). But if you had the misfortune of having an O-Class (O2-Class in this case for reference) star, with 800000 times the luminosity of the sun you’ve got a very VERY significant issue about just existing if you don’t wear something for the protection of literally anyone and anyTHING with eyes or cameras.

The ‘not yet named Nova’ Nova had to grow up early on wearing a super shaded helmet for the entire time they were star - already a thing one might be self-conscious about - up to and including the very moment they went supernova, another thing I must touch on. Depending on the size and general energy output of a particular celestial object - such as; a star - the point in time in which it collapses in on itself and, in the sake of stars, supernovas changes. And this particular case, let’s change a rather heard of saying for the sake of elaboration; the bigger you are, the faster you fall-

Not only was most of Nova’s early life spent hiding their star for the sake of other’s, anyone from astronomers themselves to any old star object head would say it was simply an inevitability that their star would collapse in on itself and become someone completely different, not a matter of if but when... and most certainly ‘young’ while it’s at it. Insecurities from being beheld a wonder to being seen as weird to even having adults already mourning their existence as a star, Nova may in fact turn to the stars above and retreat from the stars below in order to even begin to attempt to cope with their inevitable demise, embracing the existentialism and relying on their inherent knowledge of the astral sea to pursue a career in education. To teach people not to fear the end, the whatever theorised death of the universe, the collapsing of stars. To say that they shouldn’t be feared and shouldn’t be mourned just because they will change - and they will - and that the supernova that has been the subject of so much misplaced misery is in fact a dispersal of resources that can build to something much greater than the some of its parts.

And they are left unheard in the vast emptiness of space, of the classroom, of the home.

The inevitable happens, sparked early (far too early even for an O-Class) by a numeral amount of factors that would cause their world to spin, the light to bend, and an insurmountable level of stress and pain and misery and insecurity influenced supernova.

Too many lights and sounds and senses, DJ Subatomic Supernova particularly hates the design of Akusuka and Metro Division. Cast Tech, the district they hold Charter to, is low lit for a reason. Natura does not induce the swirling of senses, but DJSS has no particular interest in the gardens, for all the worth they put into Earth as a whole. And Dream Fever, something about the eyes that stare and the oddities that twist and turn.

Perhaps it is not their first choice to take in the work of Eve - of Nadia; the artist behind it all - it is not a reflection of their own story, nor does it reflect where they stand now. But there is meaning, meaning they can take in, take pieces of and relate them back to the past. The past that no longer exists, not if they have anything to say about it, not that they had any say in the first place. The artist Nadia, the diva Eve, the balance of the insecure and the expression. Reveling in the dual tones a much younger Nadia tried to hide (concealer rubbing off to reveal a hot pinkish red), the criticism of the viewer, to make the audience feel what had been felt constantly not entirely that long ago. A desperate plea to find someone that will listen, someone that will understand, someone that will hold their memory and share their story ad nauseam.

Perhaps there is something to share solace in, knowing that back on Earth there was another like Nova themselves seeking to engage to the world beyond them.

Though for different reasons, perhaps the two find even a slight solidarity with each other, whether friends or simple coworkers.

[cypress-punk]

What if 'Gundam SEED' was told from Flay's point of view? How would they approach it? Would it have been better?

Gundam SEED would be very hard to watch if it were from Flay's POV. I find the limited time spent with her quite uncomfortable, she's miserable and lost and stuck in a terrible place while playing the girlfriend for a guy with Kira's personality essentially as survival strategy and bizarre, roundabout revenge. It would be an interesting show but it would be fundamentally different from what most mecha shows, especially gundam, aim for so its irrelevant whether it would be better or not.

That said i havent finished SEED yet and as such have not seen how Flay's arc is concluded, though I am aware that she dies by the end. In general Gundam as a franchise has a shaky track record with women, as while some of my favorite women in fiction (Sayla Mass, Mirai Yashima, Fa Yuiry, to name a few) are from Gundam, the franchise has a tendency to under write women, a bad habit of putting them on buses, and a worse habit of fridging them (see the sheer number of women who die for male characters in Zeta Gundam or the way that specifically the newtype ghosts of women tend to be summoned to support and power up male newtypes in UC shows) and I fear Flay will fall victim to the under writing issue. Already, at about episode 30, she's walking the tightrope between being written in a way that i like and in a way that i think sucks and now that Kira has essentially spurned her i worry itll get worse.

I also really dislike the fact that the show has no problem leering at her. I'm not opposed to fan service and obviously, given the way she is leveraging her own body and sexuality to gain some kind of control and security it makes sense to have scenes where she is dressed a certain way or shown in a certain light, to sell that she is attempting to be sexy for Kira. But the way its pulled off is, as i said, leering. I get the feeling I'm expected to feel some kind of titillation from a lot of scenes featuring her and I dont because i know why she's shoving her tits in Kira's face and its not fun or sexy, its desperate. It creates an awful dissonance between the way she is written and acts in most scenes and the way the show looks at her through the camera. If we were to make a hypothetical Flay-centric SEED this would be the one thing that would absolutely have to change. its too much of a have your cake and eat it too thing to write a character who's whole arc is choosing to be a sexual object as a survival strategy and then frame her visually in ways that are meant to be cheesecake. it doesnt work. SEED has a problem with this in general, see the infamous Archangel Bridge titty bouncing for just one example.

The other angle about Flay's arc that irks me stems from a general problem i have with SEED's world building. The whole Natural/Coordinator dichotomy is dogshit. its eugenic dogshit. and having Flay abandon her boyfriend, a Natural, for Kira, a Coordinator, carries a bizarre racial cuckolding vibe. There's just something about it that is extremely gross in the way that the "Chad vs Virgin" memes are gross in their original, quite explicitly fascist form and context. And there's sort of a Madonna/Whore thing going on with Flay and Lacus and their respective relationships to Kira that is also extremely gross. Like i dont think SEED is worse than any other given Gundam show from a very zoomed out view, but making Coordinators genetically superior space warriors is taking the absolute worse possible angle on the concept of Newtype. Its just making Ghiren Zabi, the guy whos own dad compared him to Hitler in First Gundam, right. and just taking that explicitly fascist worldview and making it a hard fact in that universe. it sucks shit and its the real reason people should hate on SEED instead of Kira crying too much or whatever the fuck they usually complain about. (If you want what i consider the best approach to Newtypes in the franchise, watch Gundam X)

I dont know if this rambling near essay actually answers your question, but I dont think I can really answer your question directly as its very broad and requires more info than I have.

[sol-consort]

So Liam was my first ever andromeda romance (listen, he was cute and friendly and passionate about what he did, I couldn't resist), and I think what a lot of people dislike about him is he usually takes risks first and only tells others about them when they either blow up in his face or work out. Which isn't ideal in the current situation where communication is key to survival. He is used to making quick, potentially risky decisions on his own due to his background in crisis response and rescue, which, as i mentioned, doesn't really work on a crisis this big. Also, he clashes with Vetra, but given their different upbringing and views on life, it can be understandable, but a lot of people dislike him for it. I do feel like he is a little stuck in the way he handles the world around him, but he isn't as bad as some of the fandom makes him out to be, since he does show willingness to grow. So, overall, not my favourite character, but he isn't as bad as some of the fandom makes him out to be. In my opinion. I am a little iffy on Cora's general personnality, but that's because I don't know her very well and never really take her anywhere since I feel like our personalities wouldn't mesh well. The way she handles some things irritates me (same with Liam), but she has more nuance than she is usually given credit for, from what i can tell. -blue anon

I think it's Andromeda writing and pacing that's not giving him justice.

Mass effect writting was always corny in a way, campy more accurately. Cliche but fondly so and the pacing was just right. Most importantly, it was self aware. The writers knew the tropes they were leaning into and it clearly showed. That's why it hits so hard when a twist comes since you get used to expecting to know what comes next.

In Andromeda the pacing is thrown out the window since it's an open world game. Making scenes with Liam either feel too rushed or too spaced out depending on your playstyle and how many times you talk to him. Sometimes it felt like he's moving too fast, other times like he's giving me the cold shoulder.

Even his speech feels...rushed? It's bite sized scenes. Not giving him enough time to fully talk and express his thoughts. Compare any of his scenes at the start with that one scene with Kaidan where he awkwardly explains his backstory at jump zero.

Was it convoluted and painstakingly long? Yes but it gave him time to shine. Players who cared about him enjoyed the exposition a lot, especially with how much he was opening up. He spoke in details and stuttered a lot because it is true to his character.

Meanwhile when liam talks about himself, it feels chopped and out of place because of his writing. Like I know chopped, and the way his speech jumps from point A to Z immediately without any letter in between just makes it feel like a fever dream. It's like you're speaking with someone who's trying to say many things at once and you end up leaving not sure what the fuck the two of you were even talking about.

A lot of Andromeda writting suffers from trying to be hip and cool while being corny? Like you can't be camp if you desperately attempt to be genuinely cool and modern, these things contrast. Liam is a character that was clearly ment to represent a casual chill guy with a chaotic side and modern tones. Not too wild like Peebee but not too non-human like Cora, he's new but not new new.

So he ends up being written like what a kid imagines a cool guy to be and it doesn't work in his favour at all.

You have to look past a lot of bad writing to see his genuine traits and core ideas shine through is what I'm saying. There this muddy fog between you and the character he was meant to be.

Because he's exactly like you described! But only after you have all the pieces to his personality and be able to filter him from the horrible game writing.

Liamn was very interesting to me at the start. Like you immediately focus on him after creating your character because he is directly opposite from you during the scene and you can't help but stare at him. It was organic and so beautifully done how he was seamlessly introduced, catching your attention.

But man it is downhill after that. There is just....nothing below the surface, a thousand yards empty stare. Kaidan and Ashley felt like actual people most of the time while Liam and Cora always felt like characters in a videogame.

Like of course you'll say that, you're a character in a videogame. They were never immersive and never gave their tropes any rest. Delivering their roles of being characters perfectly and making you aware you're playing a game.

I am giving him more chances, since your ask, I've started taking him with Vetra along on missions just to hear their dialogue because nothing makes characters shine like conflict.

And it's...tame. fine. Okay.

Mild.

Boring.

Delivered like a first time stand up comedian on a stage who keeps shuffling their cards loudly before reading from them.

I wish they actually made them hate each other like Ashley used to do with other companions. I wish they gave him some claws or gave Vetra a spine. I wish they revealed anything interesting besides vague comments about vague past events with vague characters we never mention by name because fuck making commitment and actually developing character backstories huh?

They never commit, never reveal much. Just vagueness.

I love Jaal but he too is becoming very boring. I mean fumbling an interesting character like him that's basically the curent closest thing to an actual alien ingame is almost impressive for Andromeda.

I liked Jaal and Liam interactions but it never went anywhere. Liam is supposed to be this risktaker, act now think later and the personification of the phrase "curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back" and yet he can't actually do any risk taking with the game constantly holding him back.

A fucking movie night is the biggest thing he can manage? I expected strip poker with alcohol energy drinks potion mixing from this guy and we just get movie night??? That gets delayed back????

I love the guy but I am disappointed.

So I get you. The way you see him is for who his character was supposed to be, the way I wish he was given justice in his portrayal. But not what he currently is ingame.

Because this is the Liam we have ingame

[cimmeriana]

❛ table . to hoist my muse onto a table .

@lordgortrash

There was something about today that was absolutely vexing, as if all the lowerlings of the Flaming Fists lived to just piss her off. Be it them just being too abundant within Wyrm's Rock than she felt was usual to give them impression they were constantly underfoot, or maybe just because Melinoe was simply tired of the same faces every day saying the same pointless things. Truthfully, she wasn't sure how Gortash was able to stand looking at them all so frequently.

Maybe this was all just her headache affecting her mood. She hadn't felt an ache this badly since she'd fallen out of the nautiloid she'd be abducted in and had to swim to shore. Gods, it had been months since then hadn't it? Perhaps she was getting too comfortable and cushy in the city. Gortash definitely made sure of it that she would want for nothing.

The real truth of the matter then... the reason for the ache in her temples. She craved bloodshed. She craved the sweat of a hunt and the feel of flesh in her teeth. It had been a while since she was required to enter into any form of battle. Of course, the Melinoe was sure to keep up her skills by carving out time to train. But practicing didn't come with the same adrenaline rush.

To put it plainly, the Bhaalspawn was bored.

And, of course, today of all days, her most favorite companion to pastime with had fixated himself on his work. She hadn't seen him for most of the day, only when she'd awoken and gone to check up on him before doing her own little morning ritual of meditation and pampering herself.

Perhaps another visit was in order. Perhaps this time she could break his attention enough that he could help cure her boredom. But, more so than that, she did very much crave his touch and his taste.

To say Lina was unsurprised by the fact that he was entirely consumed by whatever scrolls of information laid out upon his desk would have been an understatement. She said nothing when she stepped in, sauntering her way within his personal space and slowly beginning to circle the archduke like a vulture.

He wasn't so consumed in his work not to notice her presence, nor to not notice her circling. And when he actually spoke to inquire in what manner she intended to try and steal away his attention this time, she couldn't help the mischievous grin that tugged at the corners of her lips. This was just a little game to her that they played. He so nobly focused on his work and his plans and his plotting and his fixing until he'd tired himself out furrowing his brow, but refusing to take himself for much needed rest, while she came in like a siren song on a gust of wind to tempt him astray.

❝ You've reclused yourself for quite some time now, my lord, ❞ she began with a purr, ❝ the wine is all but flat vinegar now and I see you hardly touched the plate I had the lowlings bring you. ❞ He remained unaffected, of course, studying a book now and comparing it to the scroll that previously had his attention.

—— ❝ Would you not consider a little break? I can provide a way for you to clear you head. And I do very, very much miss you. ❞ she laced a little whine to her tone, her head tilting as she leaned forward, bending at her waist to try and catch his gaze. Even so, he remained unaffected and visibly neutral the the softer feminine wiles she was attempting to utilize. Something about this struck a nerve in her, to have her presence balanced and managed secondary to something else.

He wasn't even fully paying attention to her flirtations and seductions, only half seeing her as his mind was full of the Flaming Fists and whatever complaints and suggestions are weak attempts of gaining his favor the nobles shoveled at him daily. This wouldn't do at all, especially not when her body was itching from untapped energy.

Her little temper the hidden sense of entitlement that came with it flared out as one of her hands quickly extended to give Gortash a firm shove backwards towards his chair. It was clear that this sudden outburst had taken him by surprise, but it also seemed to serve to clear away some of the enchantment his work held over him. She bent down at her waist once more, leaning towards him as an arm extended to set a palm against his chest to block him from standing again. ❝ Do I have your full attention now? Now that I've stopped asking so sweetly? ❞

Something about him seemed to change. Perhaps a mix of annoyance that she had put her hands on him how she had and by all rights forced him to sit down - her certainly wouldn't have allowed it if she had been one of the underlings - but maybe... something else. She honestly wasn't sure what, but the look in his eyes changed into something dark and the way he looked over her body made a shiver erupt in her spin. Then, his own smirk and beneath his breath she sword she heard him give an amused, "So very like you." Had she done this to him before? Waltzed into this very office and so rudely and selfishly demanded his attention?

Melinoe hardly had time to ponder before she felt his hands on her thighs as he so roughly flung her upon his desk. She landed with a small yelp of surprise, her heartbeat quickening as now it was he that loomed over her.

She had wanted his attention, hadn't she? Well, it seemed now she would most certainly be getting it. He pushed his way between her legs and immediately his lips claimed hers, her instinct to grab at him and pull him closer taking over her as she grazed her teeth upon his bottom lip.

❝ There you are... Are you going to punish me for being so insolent, Lord Enver? ❞