#god this one was really shoehorned into one (ONE) of the prompts I know

[cuchufletapl]

it's tradition!

Triple drabble for Edling Week 2024. Day 6: blossom / counterpart / regret / roots.

@edling-week

AO3

“I have been told something about your culture,” Ling exclaims as he bursts into the living room, “from which I can’t believe I have been excluded.”

“What thing?” asks Ed from where he sits next to Winry.

Ling collapses onto a chair and then flops his upper body onto the table. “Ms Pinako told me that in this region’s tradition, when someone dates a person from out of their hometown, their partner is thrown into the sheep’s drinking pool.” He makes a dismayed face. “So?”

Ed blinks once, twice.

“You’re saying you want to be thrown into the watering trough?”

“Ms Pinako said they did it to Winry’s girlfriend—“

“They tried,” corrects she, amused.

“—and I’ve been here for two weeks and they won’t do it to me?”

“Well, okay,” Ed begins, turning to look at Lan Fan, who is standing by the door, fretful and struck silent by the horror that she feels at the very idea of her lord partaking in this indignity, “that’s natural. I think they know if they try, Lan Fan will kill them.”

She looks like she wants to nod, but Ling waves the notion away. “I already told her not to interfere.”

“Ling, you’re the heir to the Xingese throne, they probably don’t want to disrespect you,” Winry points out. “Y’know, as an alternative to the trough, you can also invite the bachelors and bachelorettes out to drink.”

Ed snorts. “Yeah, that’s not his thing.”

Ling nods. “I’d like to see them try throwing me into the trough.”

Ed leans back on his chair. He muses out, “If Mustang got wind of this, he’d have a heart-attack.” An evil grin stretches across his face. “Alright, I’ll see if I can convince the guys.”

Ling cheers and hugs Ed’s neck to kiss his cheek.

[lifes-pinata]

Duck and Mytho, A Relationship Analysis

BY POPULAR DEMAND (10 notes and 1 prompt by a blog I follow and admire)

Duck and Mytho are obviously so very important to each others stories. Without Duck, Mytho would have remained a heartless doll forever. And without Mytho, Duck would have remained a simple bird. The story cannot exist without Duck, and up until the last few episodes, Mytho remains her primary motivation.

Which is why is was so surprising to me that the way their relationship resolved was so..... Unsatisfying.

Now when I say that, I am not talking about Siegfried and Tutu's resolution, which remains one of the most touching scenes of the show. I am specifically talking about the relationship between Mytho and Duck.

For the first 14 episodes, Duck and Mytho's friendship was a slow but steady burn. Duck is an anomaly in Mytho's small world. Even heartless, he doesn't quite know what to make of her. "Fakir and Rue don't say things like that" he says in episode 3, when Duck reacts to his hurt hand.

Duck, as a person, represents something Mytho never encountered even when he was Siegfried. Her simple, straightforward kindness is so different from Rue's desperate, grasping love. Fakir's poisonous protection, and even the blushing, tittering classmates that never dare to speak to him.

And even though Mytho can't express it, I think it's really valuable to him. Early on, Duck is the only person capable of making his loneliness disappear. Not Rue or Fakir, who he's known for years (which he says to their faces oh my GOD) but Duck. The first request he makes is that she stays a little longer.

The entire first arc Duck continually proves herself to be trustworthy. Once Mytho returned to school after receiving the feeling of fear, Duck tackle hugs him, saying she looked for him everywhere. She knows about Princess Tutu, and is the only one who listens to him. Who doesn't talk over him. She brought him an umbrella when he was waiting for Tutu. He values her opinion enough that he asked her opinion on gifts to get someone. And yeah maybe he could have asked anyone, but we never see him seek someone out until the Raven's Blood kicks in.

In episode 14, Mytho says to Duck, straight out "You're the only friend whom I can tell everything." And then? They never interact again? Huh???

Well. That's not entirely true. There is one more scene where Duck and Mytho interact, if you believe that Mytho was lucid enough to truly count it. Episode 24, where Mytho has fully succumbed to the Raven's blood, and as a result has turned into a raven himself. He runs outside, after being hidden away by Rue, and finds Duck. And what does he do? He asks her to dance, just as he did on the day of the fire festival. But this time, Duck doesn't answer. She backs away from the monster he's become, just like everyone else.

To its credit, that is a resolution, but it still doesn't sit right with me. It feels too bleak in a story where hope overcomes everything else. A spot where Drosselmeyer's tragedy wins.

The thing is, I understand why they did it this way. One thing I have always appreciated about Princess Tutu is that there is no wasted time. Even at the beginning of the show, when it seemed lighter and sillier, every episode contained important information. From the very beginning, they were building to the finale.

The second arc of the show is even more this way, there is no wasted space. Where would they even put Duck and Mytho interactions? Duck is reckless but she knows better then to approach Mytho when he's actively trying to rip out the hearts of their classmates. If anything, trying to shoehorn interactions would come across as forced, and could even cheapen their interactions in the finale.

But as much as I love the scene where Mytho realizes that Princess Tutu was a duck. I also wish he had a moment to realize that the duck was Duck.

Because Princess Tutu performed magic and returned heart shards with her beautiful dancing.

But Duck did the hard work of being human. Of living and loving and trying and failing and getting back up.

It was Duck who saved the town in the end.

And it was Duck, who was ultimately forgotten.

[mizukagami-takamagahara]

Annon-Guy: In terms of the options for the XBLAZE Remake/Remaster Poll, have any thoughts besides the Thrid Game (which you and I voted for)?

Let's see...

An English Dub of the XBlaze games would be great. As a native English speaker, I'm much better able to understand the tones of lines in English, and that can add another layer to character or scene analysis.

More animated scenes might be fun, but I always felt that the animated scenes in the BB franchise were a little weak or off-model. They just don't have a big enough budget to make those feel great, for me, so they instead feel sort of distracting. I guess it would depend on how they were done!

Similarly, I'm just not personally too interested in mini games or stuff like the BlazyBloo game. They just don't add anything to the experience for me! Changes to the Phantom Field of Lost Memories could be interesting, but I worry they wouldn't be super impactful. More obstacles could just be frustrating. I could see something fun with a little RPG mechanic of some kind, but that might be too much of a shift and also just feel out of place. I'm not sure- I just think it might be cute.

On the other hand I would absolutely LOVE an Expanded Story. I don't exactly think it's necessary for the XBlaze games, but it would be a WELCOME expansion. I'm constantly hungry for more of lore from the BB universe, so any additional look at the world would make me happy. I desperately want to see the rest of the Ten Sages, and learn more about how the XB world overlaps with or deviates from the BB world. But even outside of big plot stuff, just getting to learn more about the characters would be fun too.

It's hard for me to form an opinion on the idea of a simplified TOi system, as I can't conceptualize it. I kind of like the idea of dialogue options, and the intractability they bring, but I don't know if I'd want it at the expense of the TOi. I like the unique way it gave us some glimpses into the characters interests and online personas.

I think a lot of people would love a remixed soundtrack! It would probably be fun! But it wouldn't do much for me. I have a hard time processing multiple things at once, so I generally either play my games on mute so I can focus, or if I do listen to the soundtrack, I really don't digest it. To really appreciate the music, I have to sit down with it alone and consciously focus my attention on it, and I haven't done that with this series yet. I probably should!

I'm conflicted on an Elise route. On one hand I would love to see more about Ishana, and more of Elise in general, and it would be good for her to bond with people outside of Kuon. On the other hand, I worry a romance with Touya would feel forced (the Mei end felt sort of shoehorned for me in some ways already, though I've found an interpretation I like since) and even more than that, I worry it would do harm to her writing as a sapphic woman. She's already in dicey waters as a gag character who's status as the only openly queer member of the cast is kind of played as a punchline, so if she were to have a straight relationship that was written with a serious tone, while her wlw relationship with Kuon was still left as mostly a gag, it would leave a bad taste in my mouth. I don't think it would do her justice. On that subject though, although they would feel just as out of place in a lot of ways, this does have me wondering about an Acht route or a Yuki route...

And lastly, I would kill a man for a Bloodedge Experience adaptation of some kind. We desperately need a reliable way to experience SOME of that story in the English speaking fandom, or even just get a taste of the characters in their own environment (as opposed to their CF cameos.) It could even get more attention on the series, and perhaps prompt the release of the next god damn volume.

[thegeminisage]

star trek update time. tuesday we did voy's "night" and ds9's "afterimage."

night (voy):

i REALLY liked this one...a rare w for neelix, whose fear of nothingness is relatable and totally understandable considering he just converted to atheism

it also makes me understand why people hc janeway as bipolar...she's up she's down i kind of get it. not sure if i 10% agree but i do at least get it. deeply enjoyed chakotay's attempts to bring her back into the rest of the ship also

also, chakotay asking tuvok for advice <3 and then later janeway is like chakotay i trust you more than anyone on this ship and you just KNOOOW he is like damn take THAT tuvok! worsties <3

MUTINY AS A TREAT!!!! we can have a little mutiny as a treat.

i love that she was like chakotay i trust you saaaur much and he was like got it i will go behind your back to do mutiny

although, is it really mutiny if they're stoping what is more or less a suicide attempt...no. ALSO, it makes me well up how much they love her. not a single one of them wanted to stay behind on that paradise planet and the last time they almost mutinied it was curing 2.25 resolutions in which she did have to be left behind and like...damn. she's kicking herself for what she did to them but they love and trust her so much. wah. excellent episode

oh and before i forget i loved the aliens in this one also. she was like fuck the prime directive we are in fact taking sides <3

afterimage (ds9):

i miss deanna troi.

it's that bad! it's that dire! at least when deanna was being a therapist on a ship she knew what the FUCK she was doing. exri dax is like hee hee we will figure our problems out together at the same time! we will do it without warning in the middle of your tailor's shop! im a junior counselor i am such a good little girl scout! girl...please

i did really like ezri's scenes with sisko. firstly it's hard to fail when you're acting alongside him (although eddington or whoever did manage) and secondly it's when exri feels the most like "just dax" instead of teehee quirky cute junior counselor wannabe manic pixie dream girl. christ

also, it really riles me that garak is talking about this deeply personal stuff with a STRANGER. even jadzia was nearly a stranger to him - they knew each other but they weren't super close. it was a BIG DEAL when garak even allowed julian to know who his father was, and now with no prompting he's talking about that same father locking him in a closet isaac lahey style in the middle of his shop with zero prompting?? get FUCKED. it was so horribly manufactured. garak should have been working through this shit with JULIAN or at least someone who actually knows him. the betrayal of cardassians is such a juicy bit of acting and character development and we fucking wasted it on this shit!

speaking of julian, i'm also extremely put off by julian/exri...quark/exri actually feels so much more natural and respectful at this point whereas "oh she used to love when you flirted with her julian it would have been you if it wasn't worf" was so fucking excruciating and shoehorned in

finally...the worf stuff is bogus. he has no right to be like this isnt the same lady and then threaten people who talk to her. he also has a right to want nothing to do with her since he's grieving. she doesn't have to like make peace or whatever with him. he's not an obstacle she has to overcome in order to feel like one of the gang~! like she literally could leave :/ too bad she won't.

LIKE THEY DIDN'T HAVE TIME. TO DO A NEW CHARACTER. JUST BE LESS SHITTY TO TERRY FARREL. GOD.

maybe it will get better. i hope it does. but this JUNIOR~ counselor stuff is fucking killing me

TONIGHT: voy's "drone" and ds9's "take me out to the holosuite" - FINALLY. i'm still mad that jadzia never got to play baseball :(

[slusheeduck]

I wanted to do Fictober again because it really was SUCH a great jumpstart for my creativity and writing. Since Casual Banter has become its own special kind of monster, I figure I'd move to a different fandom and focus on my ESO OCs that I absolutely adore and yet have not been able to shoehorn anywhere but RP circles.

So enjoy little snippets of Aelanne and Taranil, my two darling Daedra worshipping, married-for-insurance-purposes besties this October.

Fictober 2024 - Day 1

Prompt: "That was good work"

Fandom: Elder Scrolls Online

“Taran?”

“No.”

“Taranil, please.”

“I said no.”

Silence followed, and Taranil looked up, only to be met with absolutely massive blue eyes. He frowned at them. “You know that doesn’t work with me. The answer is still no, Aelanne.”

Aelanne threw her head back with a loud groan, long black braid swinging from the force of it. “Taran, come on! You literally can open locks without trying.”

“I can open one lock without trying, per day. Your line of work has significantly more.” As Aelanne leaned in, he buried his nose deeper into the book he was trying to read. “Fuck off.”

She did not, instead leaning against the Altmer like an insistent cat. “So I’ll take care of the rest of the locks. The fact is, you’re strong, and fast, and the last job we did went so well…”

“You bullied me into it, and I practically had a panic attack the entire time. It was terrible.”

“That was good work!”

 Taranil peeked over his book, red eyes glowering at her. “I’d like to take this time to remind you, dearheart, that our arrangement means you don’t need to resort to thievery anymore.” He gestured around them. “At least six centuries of Caemorin wealth, all at your disposal.”

Aelanne puffed at her bangs, crossing her arms as she continued leaning against Taranil. “It’s not about the money…”

“Oh, bullshit! You care more about money than anyone I’ve ever met.”

She shushed him. “It’s about the craft, Taran. The art of thievery. That’s what she wants from me, same as Mephala wants…I dunno, causing problems for no reason from you.” She slid her eyes over to him, expression sly. “And you wouldn’t want to jeopardize my position with my Prince, would you?”

Taranil’s pose had become very stiff, and she could practically hear the gears in his head whirring as he tried to find a way out of it.

“God! Fine!” he suddenly said, snapping his book closed. “But you owe me.”

“Of course,” Aelanne said, in the exact tone of someone who knew she wasn’t going to do anything of the sort. She pat Taranil’s thin chest, giving him a big grin that split her gray face in half. “Go on, get your leathers on. We’re going to have so much fun in Wayrest.”

[summerwritesfics]

⛓️We Can Get Down Like There’s No One Around

Pairing: Hanzo Hasashi/Kuai Liang Length: 3502 Words Rating: Explicit 🔞 Warnings: Public Sex/Semi-Public Sex, Glove Kink, Nipple Clamps, Gay Bar, Drinking, Possessive Behaviour, Jealousy, Condoms, Hand Gag, Anal Sex, Quickies, Hand Jobs, Nipple Play, Standing Sex/Against a Wall, Clothed Sex Kinktober Day 4: Public Scenes + Nipple Clamps + Glove Kink

Kinktober Masterlist

Notes: You will notice in this one that the nipple clamps are a little shoehorned in. This is because after I rolled this prompt I started writing and got to the bit where they were about to fuck and went “Wait… Why the fuck would they have nipple clamps in this situation???” You will understand what I mean when you get to that bit lol.Title is from “Gimmie More” by Britney Spears.

Going out into the world beyond the Lin Kuei and Kombat was always strange to Kuai Liang. While most people found the idea of magical ninjas who protect the world from vicious outer world dictators and fallen gods to be completely out of the norm, to Kuai it was the mundane that was unusual. Going down to the grocery store to buy lunch, having a day job, having a drivers licence. None of it had ever been part of Kuai’s world. The kids seemed to like “kidnapping” him to take him to do something normal, like going to an amusement park or a burger restaurant.

So when they bundled him and Hanzo into Cassie’s car and told them they were going for a night out at a gay bar, he didn’t really think much of it.

He was at the bar, ordering everyone’s drink’s while the rest of the group went to find a table. He was concentrating on the order and getting it right, only just about taking notice of two men coming to stand by his side.

Until…

“Hey there,” one of the men greeted, and Kuai turned his head. Clearly the guy was talking to him, rather than anyone else. “Can you settle a debate me and my friend are having?”

“Um…” Kuai stared at them, not really sure what to say. “I can try?”

“Great,” the man exclaimed, clapping his hands as he did. “Are you a top or a bottom?”

“W-What?” Kuai stuttered, hating how hot his face was feeling. He wasn’t a blushing virgin or particularly shy about sex, so why was someone bold face asking him so embarrassing?

“Cause I was thinking you’re a top, but my friend is insisting your trousers are way too tight for you to be anything but a bottom.”

“I- uh- I.” Kuai couldn’t see himself, but he had absolutely no doubt his face was bright red. He gripped the bar counter as if he was about to fall over.

The second man began to laugh and elbowed his friend before loudly declaring “See! Told you he was a bottom!”

Kuai had no idea how that had been deciphered from his embarrassment, but he had a feeling the spluttering sound he made after just confirmed it.

“Alright, alright. Damn, you’re cute though,” the guy claimed and Kuai glanced across the room trying to find Hanzo and the kids. They were sat at a table the other side, only just visible through the crowds, and none of them seemed that interested in what he was doing. “So, you here alone? Cause we’d be more than happy to keep you company.”

“I-I’m with my boyfriend,” Kuai managed to get out, before he covered his mouth with his palm. He had to resist biting down on his flesh.

“Oh really?” The guy was grinning. Kuai glanced across to where Hanzo was, the man followed his gaze. “That him?” Kuai made a short noise. “Damn. Well, I wouldn’t be against him joining us too.”

“Oi, you two, leave him alone,” the bartender interrupted while putting down Kuai’s drinks. “I’m sure if he and his boyfriend wanted a foursome, you’d know about it.”

“Okay, shit, sorry.” Both men held their hands up in surrender. “If you change your mind though, come find us.”

This seemed to be enough to make the two men back down and walk away. Kuai turned back to the bartender and whispered “Thank you.”

“No problem,” the bartender said, putting the last of the drinks on a tray for Kuai to take. “Just outta curiosity though, is that really your boyfriend?”

“Yes,” Kaui slowly replied, confused why he’d lie about something like that.

“Shame,” the bartender said shaking his head.

“What exactly is that supposed to mean?” He asked, reaching for the tray regardless.

“Nothing,” the bartender replied with a small smile. “Just I get the feeling you’ll be using the “I have a boyfriend” line a lot tonight.”

Kuai simply nodded at that, not sure what he was supposed to say. He got the implication, even if he didn’t really understand the whys. Even with Hanzo’s assurances that Kuai was handsome, he didn’t really see it himself.

He made his way over to the others with the drinks, trying to ignore the way a few other men’s gaze followed him. He might have felt flattered if he wasn’t feeling so flustered.

As he set the drinks down, everyone looked at him with mostly concerned looks on their faces. He guessed he must have still looked red.

“Are you okay, Grandmaster?” Cassie asked as he took a seat next to Hanzo.

“I’m fine,” he said in such an unconvincing tone he winced and clenched his fists at how awful he sounded.

“What did those two guys want anyway?” Jin asked. Strange, Kuai was sure no one was paying any attention to him. The question seemed to catch Hanzo’s attention, as he immediately straightened. Kuai could see the look on his face, the possessive “do I need to kill someone for you” look.

“Uh, a threesome I think,” Kuai quietly admitted. This was followed by a loud splutter from Jacqui as she spat her drink back into her glass.

“Grandmaster!” She exclaimed between coughs, “You can’t say something like that when I’m drinking something!”

“My apologies,” Kuai offered with a sheepish smile and slight nod of his head. He looked to Hanzo, and oh man, he was pissed. “It turned into an offer of a foursome when I said I had a boyfriend.”

Somehow this did not have the desired effect of calming Hanzo down. He was shaking from how much he was holding back.

“The bartender told them to leave us alone,” Kuai assured, deciding it was probably best to leave the other comments to himself. And the fact they weren’t the only men to have been checking him out.

Hanzo did seem to back down a little, although Kuai could see him surveying the crowd, like a Cyber Lin Kuei searching for their target. Kuai sighed and placed his hand on Hanzo’s thigh. Hanzo looked back at him.

“Relax, nothing happened, you don’t need to murder anyone.” Kuai patted the thigh a little.

“Yeah, if anything you should take it as a sign you have a smokin’ hot boyfriend,” Jin claimed, and this time it was Takeda’s turn to choke on his drink.

“Oh god, you people are trying to kill us,” Takeda wheezed, hitting his fist against his chest.

Cassie and Jin both began laughing and Takeda’s misfortune, while Jacqui just pat his back. Kuai rolled his eyes slightly, before placing his head on Hanzo’s shoulder.

“You know I only have eyes for you, right?” Kuai whispered, and Hanzo let out a tense breath.

“I know.” He turned his head enough to give Kuai a kiss on the forehead. “As long as they weren’t pressuring you, or tried to hurt you.”

“I’m fine,” Kuai assured him, before sitting up. “Let’s enjoy, our drinks.”

It seemed Hanzo agreed, as the conversation turned to something else. Kuai listened and talked, but couldn’t help but notice Hanzo was so tense. Every so often, he would look out across the crowd, or glare at someone passing by. Kuai didn’t say anything, in his opinion Hanzo was looking for something that wasn’t going to happen.

Kuai at some point decided to take a walk to stretch his legs, figured maybe going to the toilet would let him do that. As he went to stand up, he noticed Hanzo’s head snap around as if to question where he was going.

“I’m just going to the bathroom,” he explained, jumping slightly when Hanzo got to his feet too.

“I’ll come with you.”

Kuai paused, a little unsure why Hanzo wanted to, but still managed to say “okay then.”

Kuai made his way though the crowds again, Hanzo hot on his heel. The bathroom was fairly roomy, and the stalls looked a fairly good size, but he wasn’t actually in here to use anything. Maybe the taps to just splash some water in his face. Still the room was empty aside for him and Hanzo so it might be a good time to figure out just where Hanzo’s jealousy was coming from.

“Why did you want to come with me to the bathroom?” Kuai asked as he approached the sinks. As weird as it was to notice in this situation, but they were extremely clean for a public bathroom.

“Why do you think?” Hanzo gruffly hissed as Kuai turned on the tap. He shot him a oblivious look before cupping his hands under the current of water. “Have you really not seen the way some of these men are looking at you?” Kuai splashed himself with the water, and looked over again as he gather more water. “And with those men you mentioned eariler, I don’t trust anyone not to try something.”

“You know I’m capable of self defence right?” Kuai said before splashing water again. He knew he should feel good that he had such an attentive and protective lover, but sometimes it felt like Hanzo forgot that Kuai wasn’t a delicate flower and was a full fledged warrior in his own right.

“I am aware,” hanzo grumbled with a roll of his eyes. Kuai turned the tap back off in time for Hanzo to walk over to him. “But like I said, you’ve gotten a lot of attention tonight.”

“Okay, can I get something straight here?” Kuai couldn’t help but snort under his breath at the idea of doing something straight in the bathroom of a gay bar. “Are you jealous of other men finding me attractive or are you jealous you havn’t been getting that attention yourself?”

“The former,” Hanzo growled behind his teeth. “Why would I care if people find me attractive?”

“I don’t know, I was just curious.” Kuai sauntered over to him, wrapping his arms around Hanzo’s shoulders. “So you’re just worried one of these men is gonna get a bit too bold and try to steal me away from you?” Hanzo just grunted in reply, and Kuai took it to mean a yes. “Aw, poor Hanzo.” Kuai kissed the corner of Hanzo’s mouth, causing him to give yet another huff. “Is there anything I can do to convince you no other man in this world stands a chance with me?”

Hanzo raised an eyebrow as he questioned, “Really? Here? Right now?”

“Hanzo don’t even pretend this is the weirdest place we’ve ever fucked,” Kuai gently chastised. They’d fucked in the Netherrealm for the Elder God’s sake, in comparison this was positively mundane.

“We should at least go into a stall,” Hanzo muttered and Kuai giggled.

“Aw, what? You don’t want to fuck me on the counter and make sure everyone sees I’m your’s?” Kuai teased as Hanzo gently began to manhandle him and usher him towards the stall furthest into the bathroom.

“If it were just us here, I might be tempted by that offer,” Hanzo stated, as he pushed Kuai into the stall, shutting and locking the door behind them. “I don’t really want the potential of the team walking in and seeing us.”

“Admit it, you just don’t want Takeda seeing us,” Kuai commented and when Hanzo glared at him, Kuai knew he was right.

“Maybe so.” Hanzo began to root through the pockets of his jacket, grumbling under his breath. “I swear I have a condom somewhere.”

A few seconds later, Hanzo pulled out a pair of leather gloves. He frowned at them, before going to put them back, but Kuai grabbed his wrist.

“Wait, keep them out,” Kuai requested and Hanzo looked at him like he’d just suggested they jump off a cliff together. “Wear them when you fuck me.”

“Why?” Hanzo questioned, but he still kept the gloves out as he went back to searching for his condoms.

“Well, let’s face it, I’m not exactly quiet, if you don’t want an audience, you’ll have to keep my mouth shut,” Kuai replied, with a grin on his face. “And imagine how I’ll look with leather gloves pushed over my mouth.”

Hanzo’s eye twitched as he muttered, “Dammit Kuai Liang, I didn’t need anymore kinks.”

Kuai just laughed, maybe a bit too loud, but he couldn’t help it. He wanted to tell Hanzo that they could never have too many kinks until he noticed a shiny metal being pulled out of Hanzo’s pocket. Anything about kinks died on his tongue as a new more pressing question came to mind.

“Are those nipple clamps?” Kuai asked, as Hanzo held them out and revealed they were indeed nipple clamps. Hanzo stared at them like he was trying to figure out a really difficult equation. “Why- Why do you just have a pair of nipple clamps in your jacket pocket?”

“I… Don’t know,” Hanzo slowly drawled, all his other movements had come to a halt as he just stared at them. “I might have accidentally left them somewhere, and ended up putting them in my pocket to take them home.”

“Sure, let’s go with that.” Kuai went to take them from Hanzo’s hand and he went back to trying to search for his condom.

Kuai observed the nipple clamps. They were silver, attached together by a thin chain. Kuai bit his lip. Well, since we have them. He reached for the buttons of his shirt, slowly undoing it button by button. Hanzo looked up just enough to try and see what Kuai was doing. The little inhale he made as Kuai went to attach one of the clamps to his own nipple was heavenly. As was the way the metal pinched at his sensitive skin.

“Fuck I love you,” Hanzo groaned as he finally pulled out the condom he was looking for.

“Love you too,” Kuai claimed as he clipped the other to his chest with a moan. Hanzo was undoing his belt and fly, and pulling his pants down. Kuai giggled, “no foreplay?”

“We can always do that later, in the privacy of our room,” Hanzo claimed, ripping open the condom packet and rolling it over his cock. Kuai decided to begin undoing his own pants, as Hanzo slipped the gloves onto his hands.

Kuai reached for his own pants, undoing his belt and fly and pushing them down and off. As soon as they were discarded, Hanzo grabbed his hips, turning them until Kuai’s back was against the wall. Warm hands grasped his thighs and slowly pushed up until Kuai’s feet were off the ground. He wrapped his legs around Hanzo’s waist and arms around his shoulders. Confident Kuai was safe from falling, Hanzo let go, reaching one hand to Kuai’s face. He pushed his leather clad hand to Kuai’s mouth.

“Ready?” Hanzo questioned as he reached down for his cock. Kuai made an agreeable hum from under the hand.

He felt Hanzo guide his cock towards his entrance. Kuai could feel the pressure against his rim as Hanzo began to insert himself. The stretch was more than usual, but nothing Kuai couldn’t handle. He moaned, muffled more than usual thanks to the thick glove. Hanzo thrust in and out shallowly, clearly experimenting to make sure Kuai was not hurting.

When he seemed convinced he moved his free hand to Kuai’s cock, and Kuai shuddered at the unusual texture engulfing him. Definitely not bad, in fact when Hanzo gave him a stroke Kuai felt his entire body tremble at the feeling. He couldn’t describe why it was so good, it just was.

“That feel good?” Hanzo asked, being more bold with the thrusts of his hips as he began to caress Kuai’s cock. “Maybe I should wear gloves more often.” God yes! Kuai wanted to scream it out. Instead all he could do was gurgle incoherently. Hanzo laughed, “Yeah, seems you’d love that wouldn’t you?”

Much to Kuai’s dismay, Hanzo let go of his cock, bringing his hand up until his fingers twisted in the chain and he gently tug. Kuai arched his back as the clamps began to pull at his nipples. As Hanzo thrust, it jostled Kuai a little, making the stretch go up and down and he couldn’t escape it, even if he really wanted to. He whimpered again behind the hand gag.

“Even if I’m not sure how these got in my pocket,” Hanzo whispered, stilling inside Kuai as he lent in to mouth at Kuai’s abused nipple, “I’m so glad they were. You always look so cute with red marks on your pecs.”

Kuai gave a satisfied sign, trying to use his position to push himself against Hanzo’s torso, trying to get some friction on his cock. Hanzo changed position slightly, putting the chain in his mouth, before returning his hand down to Kuai’s cock. With the metal in his mouth he smirked, and then began to thrust yet again.

Somehow everything about this was setting Kuai’s body on fire, a layer of sweat covering his skin. The one glove lovingly pumping his cock while the other smothered him and stopping him from screaming out. The way his nipples were being tugged on from the repetitive motion, and how Hanzo kept it that way with just his teeth. Not to mention Hanzo’s cock driving in and out of him, brushing against his prostate in time to the touches of his cock.

And then there was the situation, the fact someone could walk in and find them. Something that should scare the shit out of him yet at the same time excited him.

Shit this was so much, he was going to cum.

He didn’t have the ability to warn Hanzo, just close his fists and cling to his jacket as he felt himself cum. He felt himself tighten around Hanzo’s cock, but unlike normal, Hanzo didn’t follow suit, he just stilled inside Kuai as he continued to stroke him.

Even though Kuai was spent, Hanzo didn’t let him down, he pulled up his gloved hand, Kuai’s white cum standing out against the dark brown.

“You got my glove dirty,” Hanzo claimed as he finally removed his hand from Kuai’s mouth, only to push the other to his lips. “Be a good boy and clean up your mess while I finish.”

Kuai felt himself shudder again, before opening his lips. His tongue darted out, surprised by how he found neither the taste of leather or his own cum that objectionable. Seeing Kuai obeying his order so throughly seemed to spur Hanzo on, his hips thrusting at speeds usually only reserved for their bedroom. Kuai tried to be quiet, he really did, but between his licks he couldn’t help the lewd sounds that came from his mouth. God if anyone walked in it would be so obvious what they were doing.

He could hear Hanzo muttered to himself, and as Kuai cleaned off the last bit of cum from the glove, he felt Hanzo bottom out. Seconds later, heat was filling him inside, and he groaned at the wonderful feeling.

They stayed like that for a few seconds, panting in each others arms. Their eyes met, and soon after dissolved into a fit of giggles.

“We should probably clean up,” Hanzo started, “And come up with a lie to tell the kids.”

“Hanzo, they’re young, not stupid, they probably already have an idea why we’ve been here so long.” Kuai finally unwrapped his legs from around Hanzo, letting his feet finally set down on the floor. “I think the best thing to do is not acknowledge how long we’ve been gone, and if they ask, awkwardly change the subject.”

Hanzo opened his mouth as if to argue, but seemed to concede that this was indeed the best way to deal with the situation. They made quick work of regathering their clothes and putting everything back to place. Not wanting to waste anymore time, they opened the door and…

Stood at the sink, washing his hands, was the bartender.

He turned to look at them both, the three of them making eye contact for an uncomfortably long stretch of time.

“Uh, sorry,” Kuai clumsily whispered, feeling his face heating up yet again.

“No worries,” The bartender claimed, finishing with the sink and reaching for a towel. “Trust me, you two aren’t the first people to fuck in this bathroom, and you certainly won’t be the last.” Despite everything the bartender flashed them a strange smile. “Glad you guys had fun, feel free to come back anytime. I get the feeling you two would be very popular around here.”

And with that he was gone through the door.

Yet another awkward silence between them.

“Well. I wouldn’t object to coming back,” Kuai claimed, pushing some hair behind his ears.

“Maybe next time we should come alone,” Hanzo said lowly, and Kuai felt the man lightly slap his ass.

Kuai just grinned slightly as he took Hanzo’s hand and dragged him toward the bathroom door.

“Maybe we should.”

[thegoodomensdumpster]

I WATCHED GOOD OMENS IN FRENCH SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO

and it wasn’t that bad. Here are my thoughts, barely edited as I wrote most of them while watching the show.

EP 1

OK i like god’s voice so far

possibilité d’embarras gastrique is a good formulation, I wonder if it’s the same in the book ( I think I kinda need to read it in french now...)

aghghdhgs « primo-délinquants »

of course subtitles don’t match the audio for a variety of technical reasons but when you get things that have very different underlying meanings i find it… not good This one about Crowley being evil / a demon : subtitles : « c’est ton travail » - « it’s your job » audio : « c’est dans ta nature » - « it’s in your nature » i mean dang

crowley sounds like a little shit asking az about his sword

« T’AS FAIT QUOUA » - he just loses his shit (kinda giving me some le coeur a ses raisons vibe)

ok crowley sounds very nerdy when he tries to explain that he took down the phone network, i think i actually like this voice acting

ligur sounds… very suave (im a little ill at ease)

crowley getting called mon chou by satan freddie mercury is a thumb up from me

i see the part where aziraphale speaks japanese wasn’t dubbed over and we can still hear michael sheen. it’s a bit disturbing considering french aziraphale has a higher pitched voice (and he sounds soooo much more anxious than sheen, give this angel a xanax )

“sandwich bœuf cresson” ( beef and cress sandwich ) deirdre really who makes this kind of sandwiches

im being reminded that the chattering nuns prepared little cut outs for their explanation about the antichrist switch… such dedication to useless crafts (it made me laugh on my first viewing and it’s still funny to imagine that some of them either ordered or built these things themselves just so they could make this two minutes long presentation for the most important act of their satanic nun careers)

retire-toi vil démon infernal, créature des abysses XD i swear az doesn’t sound even remotely convinced when he is saying the « get thee behind me foul fiend » line in french, it’s just too over the top for credibility, it sounds like it’s straight out of some super intense dnd session

they still can’t say bouillabaisse (which, like, weird because french, but still valid). nice touch is crowley couldn’t say soupe de poisson (fish stew) either and said poupe de soisson (sish ftew)

warlock mah boy how can you be a teenager and not like dinosaurs

c’est un dinosaure un nullosaure plutôt - apply burn heal

La façon dont warlock s’est exclamé « C’EST NUL » m’a fait penser au nain de naheulbeuk

the english version has nothing on french speaking aziraphale for the second hand embarrassement during the magic tour. it’s over 9000 i literally hid my head in my jumper when he was presenting harry the bunny. Horrible experience, 0/20, would not recommend

EP 2

oooh agnes has a lovely voice !

why is young newton having such a quality dub for the three sentences he has to say

dick turpin’s name is jesse james (tbf dick turpin is not known AT ALL in france, i discovered him reading good omens)

shadwell is pure chaos (as expected). No particular accent for him though, the chaotic energy was probably enough. Would have made me laugh if he had like, a chti or a marseilles accent.

aziraphale is so fucking stressed out by crowley’s driving i thought he was gonna explode

« tu es un gentil garçon » => « you’re a nice boy » said az to crowley DANG THAT’S SO INFANTILIZING AZIRAPHALE YOU’RE TALKING TO A DEMON FROM HELL NOT TO PINOCCHIO

ARGH FIRST MON ANGE OF THE SERIES i’m hit straight in the heart

anathema’s mom doesn’t have a spanish / latino accent at all when talking in spanish…. why...

dog being called toutou is definitely adorable (it’s basically « doggy » but way cuter imo)

tickety-boo has become ça gaze. that’s valid. it’s corny but i still use it unironically from time to time so ... i stan

EP 3

« je répands la fomentation » « i’m here spreading foment » « quoi tu fais des crêpes au froment ?????? »  « what you’re making crêpes with wheat ??? » love the fact that we shoehorned in one more ref to crêpes

az called crowley mon cher camarade, unintentionnal communist propaganda ftw

« pas de repos pour les… bah, pour les bons » « no rest for the… good »  – az was so deflated about the ineptitude he realized he was saying, he felt zero percent commited to his sentence

i was wondering how they would play aziraphale not being able to speak french in the bastille and they opted to have him stutter a bit and say to his executionner « excuse me i’m anxious » XD

« vous êtes le 999e aristo à mourir par mes soins. Mais vous êtes le premier en costume beige » « you’re the 999th aristocrat I’m going to kill, but the first one in beige attire » yeah i guess now that az isn’t english anymore his most noticeable feature is his cream aesthetic

« c’est au cas où ça tournerait en eau de boudin » « j’ADORE le boudin » => « in case it all goes pear shape » - the literal translation featuring food in french is « turning into black sausage water ». I don’t know what pear shaped inspires to english native speakers but the mere mention of boudin always make me giggle, it’s such a funny word and such a funny food

OH !!! no terrence rampa for the tv series, we’ve got anthony J. rampa. Rip terrence petit démon parti trop tôt :’(

« tu roules trop vite pour moi rampa » SERIOUSLY i know we can still infer « rouler » (here as in driving, but literally rolling) as a metaphor for their relationship but you could have said TU VAS TROP VITE that would have been so much better argh

has anathema got an emergency stock of potteries to break in case of emotionnal crisis ?

« Rampa, un démon très futé, il m’oblige à redoubler d’effort » « crowley, a very clever demon, he forces me to make double the amount of effort » oh so admitting you’re making an effort there aziraphale ? :))))))

dang i really want to know how shadwell said that major milk bottle died because not only did he die in combat but aziraphale’s reaction is a bit intense, it must have been quite a tale (this could be a crack fic prompt : «The Epic Tale of the Death Of Major Witchfinder Milk Bottle, by Sargent Witchfinder Shadwell» )

des sorcières et des phénomènes sorciéreux x)

CROWLEY CALLED AZIRAPHALE DUCON ?????? EXCUSE ME ????? #NotMyCrowley #CrowleyWouldNeverDoThat  #CancelAnthonyJRampa2K20  => ducon would be an insult, the gathering of du and con, con being a very nasty but common swear word, and associating it with du- makes it extremely patronizing. it’s like « absolute pathetic digraceful moron +++ ». thanks i hate it *frowny face *

EP 4

l’apocalypse c’est pour aujourd’hui juste après le goûter : it could be translated as « apocalypse is scheduled for today right after tea time » except that « goûter » is not quite tea time but rather the little sugary snack kids take when they come back from school and that most adults drop out of (i haven’t and i’m sure az hasn’t either). thanks aziraphale for having exclusively food related notion of the time because tbh same

ligur has no right to be this sexy between ariyon bakare and his french voice actor that’s just not allowed

radio crowley’s voice vs french ligur’s voice, who has the sexiest voice : FIGHT

(jk french agnes nutter’s voice is by far the sexiest)

gender neutral doesn’t ‘quite’ exist in french but pollution has been assigned a female voice actress and masculine pronouns (i’m saying it doesn’t quite exist because officially we have no gender neutral, but it’s a serious wip among lgbt+ circles to the point where it’s started being used in a few medias)

hastur « en attendant qu’un plombier vienne » / « while waiting for a plumber to come » does hell have a special plumber unit or do demons have to call on human plumbers for their pipes damages ? Dang hastur having to call a human plumber for hell’s plumbery is another damn good writing prompt for a crack fic

Michael is called Michel in the subtitles but Michael in the audio *shrug emoji*

EP 5 

to get a wiggle on has become « il faut qu’on se remue les fesses », literally « we need to shake our butts » like, yes, se remuer les fesses is a common expression to say « we need to act in order to get things done » but it really casts the image of people shaking their booty to some music and obviously crowley thinks the same Weirdly enough I have almost nothing to say for that episode. Sorry. But we’ve discovered most voice actors and actresses so far and no bit of dialogue really struck me as worth discussing or pointing fingers to mock it.

EP 6 

« on va BROUTER quelques derrières » - « we’re gonna lick some butts » OK THIS IS UNQUESTIONNABLY FAR SUPERIOR IN FRENCH THAN IN ENGLISH you thought LICKING butts was good ??? you really thought that ???? AZIRAPHALE HERE SUGGESTS TO GRAZE BUTTS. TO NIBBLE THEM. TO EAT THEM. TO. MUNCH. ON. THOSE. BUTTS!!!! not just licking, guys. This is as serious step beyond licking. (oh yeah he should have said « botter » instead of brouter btw, which is really just kicking, fyi)

« moi je crois en la paix, pétasse ! » wow, language, pepper (fyi i think « pétasse » is far far worse than « bitch » even if it means roughly the same, pétasse is almost never used while bitch is rather common, so it’s a swear word +++)

Dagon sounds like she’s got a nasty cold. #GetDagonIbuprofen2K20

I can confirm that Crowley offers Aziraphale to not just stay at his place, but to move in with him. « tu peux t’installer chez moi si tu veux ». omg they were roommates.

Bad translation strikes again : i don’t know why, but the french dub doesn’t have the « tickety-boo » / « ça gaze » being referenced as Rampa / Aziraphale is being knocked down, which is… a real mistep. It was narratively significant and I’m quite mad the translators missed it.

The Jesse James explanation from Newt has become very nonsensical, instead of the neat and to the point pun « wherever I go I hold up trafic » we’re getting a circonvoluted « because it’s a crime to mechanic’s diligence ». I’m not judging that one too hard, I have no idea how to make it better, and that’s probably how it was translated in the book as well thirty years ago, but it definitely doesn’t have the same impact. On the other hand, it definitely IS a very bad joke that doesn’t even deserve a chuckle, so Anathema’s embarassement really matches the audience’s (aka mine).

OVERALL :

I wasn’t convinced by Crowley… I mean, Rampa’s voice at first, but as the nerdiness showed up it really grew on me. I still think that french dubs have often problems with some voice inflexions every here and there, and for instance in Rampa’s case it was when he was annoyed or frustrated ( at the Globe when complaining about horses and Shakespeare’s plays that aren’t comedies, and also when discussing Azirphale’s magic tricks, it’s like… there is a step between having the right amount of grumpy complaining and overdoing it that is overlooked. It’s overacted, it should have been a bit quieter imo. I don’t mean to criticize voice actors too hard either but as an audience watching french dubs this is a very recurring problem and it always feels off to me. It’s actually one of the main reasons I avoid french dubs whenever possible.)

I have a hard time judging Aziraphale’s voice dub because it clashes so much with both the idea I had formed with it when I read the book and Sheen’s delivery that I just… kinda filtered it. It was too high pitched for me, and too anxious (though for this last point I must admit it could be funny at times, but I’m not fond of this character portrayal). The rest of the cast was rather good, nothing to complain about. There wasn’t anything stellar either, but everything that needed to be conveyed was and it was professionnal. It was also very homogeneous, no voice really struck me as being way too bad or way too good compared to the others, so it was really consistant.

So I don’t have much to complain about overall despite a few wonky translations here and there, BUT there is one thing I felt very robbed of : Crowley calling Aziraphale « mon ange » happens only once, when giving a lift to Anathema, and I’m almost certain they translated it that way because otherwise the joke about Anathama mistaking them for a couple wouldn’t work. So, they were forced to make it that way. The rest of the time Crowley calls Aziraphale « l’angelot », and despite being literally translated by « little angel », it feels sarcastic more than anything else ( the « L’ » in front of « angelot » is part of the reason why, it creates some distance, the other reason being that this word in itself has a very corny vibe and people being affectionnate to each other wouldn’t use it as a term of endearment). So, that’s a shame.

I like the English dub much much MUCH better than the French, but the french wasn’t nearly as bad as I was expecting it to be. The voice actors and actresses were quite good, the dialogues mostly faithful and endearing despite a few really missed steps. It really had its moments. Props to brouter des derrières, that one was fantastic.

[sweetrupturedlight]

This week on Sen Çal Kapımı

We pick up exactly where we left off and there’s copious hand-holding, cuddles, kisses (see: cheek, lips and eskimo), giggles, a coffee date, breakfast date, dinner date, adorable banter, shameless flirting and no concept of personal space. Oh, and Serkan’s heart eyes continuously devour Eda with expert precision.

Before we jump right into it, let’s review last week’s bulleted list of things I expected was coming. 

From the fragman, Serkan names a star or something after her #squee

Selin finally getting it

Aydan not getting it

Seyfi being over the moon - along with Melo no doubt

I’m 3.5/4. But come on, we know Melo loves her bro-in-law right?

Now, onto this week. Seeing Serkan clearly in love - and embracing it - is delightful to watch. The natural chemistry between Hande and Kerem have the room to shine brightly as the script allows them to dial the romance setting to ‘roast’. Serkan’s growth as a character is never more evident. The surly, stern taskmaster of old is replaced by a smiling (spontaneously), belly laughing, and downright playful young man in love. And its just squee inducing to watch. When he confesses to Eda that she is addictive, I thought his mood (and how Kerem plays Serkan) clearly demonstrates the effect that the emotion has on him - of being unable to focus, feeling light, happy, carefree and confident. 

Throughout the romantic comedy, there is an underlying ripple of vulnerability. I love that the show doesn’t take for granted that Serkan has never been in love - and that being in love and confessing it - especially to a woman he didn’t believe could love him back - is also scary. Numerous times throughout the episode he asks for confirmation that she returns his affection. While its played as lighthearted banter - and provides ample opportunity for us to smile like idiots as they flirt outrageously - it’s also a reminder that he is a loner by nature and putting himself at the mercy of someone else cannot be easy. His concern that she will tire of him was adorable but also tinged with anxiety. She is a fairy to him - whimsical and carefree - and he must worry a little that someday, she will fly away without him. That said, he’s jumped all in. For a man who’s never really cared for romantic entanglements, he sure learns fast… as Eda says, he is a romantic robot, with a fierce beating heart.

Finally, I love that Eda’s education is important to her - but its also something Serkan recognises and supports. Their two-month deal is a postponement, not a cancellation of her plans. It’s not her putting him first and disadvantaging herself. Its an opportunity for them to get to know each other, spend time together, for him to wrap up pressing business matters and organise himself around a move to Italy to support the woman he loves as she pursues her interests and education. That’s fantastic! I love that its not an issue. He didn’t try and convince her to study in Turkey. Her dream is Italy. So he will rearrange his life in order to support her. That’s a partnership and I love to see it.

Things I loved about this episode:

All he handholding. Listen, I’m a simple shipper. Give me the basics, and I’m in hog heaven

The lack of personal space. They literally breathe the same air 99% of the time. It’s romantic, endearing and also more than a little blush-inducing??? Or is it just me? The breakfast scene was one of my favourites for this very reason.

Despite prompting Eda to confess her feelings, Serkan’s confessions kept escalating. He goes from I love you, to all I see is you, to I want to hug you, hold you, kiss you, I’m addicted to you, I can’t think/work with you around. Adorable.

Eda fixing Serkan’s collar. A small moment, but reminded me of her unbuttoning his shirt in the stairwell during the first episode. How far they’ve come.

The simplicity of framing them in each other’s arms on a couch was a fantastic way of showcasing their domesticity as well as highlighting their chemistry. I also loved Serkan in that brown shirt? It was a great wardrobe choice to highlight his downtime.

Things that confused me:

Ayfer’s continued “anti-Serkan” agenda. It remains puzzling. It’s completely incongruent with her previous assessment of him. So this plot point continues to feel a little shoehorned and forced in order to move us towards a storytelling arc.

Hiding their romance was fun this episode. But hopefully, everything is out in the open next week. They deserve a little normal after all the crazy of the weeks that came before. Sneaking around now just feels too over the top for a sustained plot point.

Alptekin and Aydan truly annoy me. Serkan’s father is apparently a man who built a successful company. Yet everything about him screams inept to me. Both his wife and son are unhappy with his conduct, his business decisions don’t seem very sound (at least from Serkan’s perspective) and the elephant in the room - his previous undesirable business practices. Aydan continues the “Choose Selin” crusade when doing that would hurt a myriad of people - including Ferit and Eda. It’s selfish and lacks any awareness of what is going on around her. Perhaps that is the meta-commentary on her character, seeing as she is unable to leave her self imposed prison. Get them both out of here. Please and thank you.

Engin’s romance? Honestly, I don’t care at all. He has no chemistry with Piril and call me salty, but did the camera linger on their kiss longer than any other on the show? Maybe I am just being salty. Moving along.

Low key confused about how sad I felt for Selin? She isn’t my fave, and yes, Ferit deserves more than a woman who literally planned to dump him 0.5 seconds before their wedding day, but I guess she realised that the love of a man who adores her is a better choice than chasing a pipedream. Plus, the humiliation of being dumped at the alter… how does one recover. Not sure what her character brings to the show now seeing as her connection was through Ferit. So we’ll see...

Urm… who else is low key rooting for Ferit and Ceren? Didn’t see that one coming, but at least it’s an exciting development.

Things I know is coming:

Some third-party, potential romantic interest for Eda? Don’t see how this will work because she only has eyes for Serkan. So perhaps “romance” isn’t the direction it will take… one can only hope.

The Bolat’s trying to break up Eda and Serkan? Not sure why that’s necessary. Serkan certainly had nothing to do with - nor any knowledge of - his fathers aforementioned undesirable business practices. While I have no doubt this will create tension, I hope to God they don’t tell Serkan and have him wrestle with how to tell Eda and in doing so, create secrets and distance between them.

Eda tells either Ayfer or her besties that she and Serkan are in love. #HereForIt

“I can’t breathe when you’re not here” !!! #CallTheParamedic

And most importantly:

Seyfi remains my absolute fave.

Do they have an overnight stay next week? Because… it sure looked like it. 

#FlingsSelfIntoTheEverLovingSun #NotPrepared

[m00nlitknight]

Hello. I really like your previous works. Can I make request, please? Reader's been in relationship with whole gang for a couple of months. Everything was ok but Henry got jealous and started to ruin her relationship with rest of the gang distancing her from them.

ofc!! ✨  i don’t know if im really happy where i left off with this, so if you’re interested i could potentially make a part two?  i’m pretty happy with some parts of it ngl, but that might be my 4am brain talking lol;;

warnings:  usages of slurs / degrading terms ( light, but still present ).  mentions of frick fracking.  possessive behavior.  none else to really talk about. pairing:  poly!bowers gang x reader / henry bowers x reader extra ( edit ):  feel free to look through my masterlist for other bower’s gang/reader works, and have a fantastic day!

vindictive.

The relationship with the infamous Bowers’ Gang began in what you could only describe as a fictional scenario.  You’d always been known as one of the kindest individuals in your classes, a large soul and absolutely heart-warming and dazzling smile.  The reputation, though humbling on the darkest of evenings, felt strenuous to keep up.  It was suffocating, sometimes, when you wanted nothing more than to fade in the scenery, or to say no to a request from someone.  Being the school doormat gave you an easy pass to adoration, but a hard road to doing whatever anyone wanted.

That’s what confused you about the sudden interest of the gang.  Sure, you had been paired up once or twice with them for class projects, shouldered the entirety of the workload; but everytime they hardly batted an eye your way.  Except for Vic, but he always seemed to be a bit more socially adept then the other three.  So it was only fitting that the initial interest came from him, one day after your shared class he approached you, and asked if you’d ever want to hang out.

Obviously, you said yes, and reaped the immediate consequences.  Practically the next day after his query, people began to look at and treat you differently.  No longer was there an affectionate warmth in their gaze, reserved exclusively for you, instead replaced with a brief flash of fear before morphing into a bout of confusion for how to tread the situation.  You didn’t mind it, or at least on the surface you didn’t.  The validation found in your peers suddenly being ripped from your grasp was a bit whiplash inducing, not that you could really do anything about it.

The initial hangout, which you look back at fondly as your first actual date, was a casually dressed affair.  He took you to get milkshakes, which you indulged in the city’s center and poked fun at the Paul Bunyan statue, then took you to go thrift shopping.  It was that day you’d found your new favorite sweater, called ‘hideous’ on many occasions by the likes of your mother and peers, and a cute denim skirt.

It didn’t take long for Henry himself to nearly shoehorn himself into your relationship with Vic, apparently prompting Belch to ambush the two of you on your second date.  The Trans-Am’s engine was unbearably loud, coming up behind the two of you holding hands as Henry hollered something you couldn’t quite make out.

Five months down the line, and half-way through Junior year, a heartfelt outpour from the entire gang; and suddenly you’d become the apple of all of their eyes, so to speak.  Most of the time, your interactions were soft with all the boys, cuddled up with them all -- your personal favorite being Belch, he knew just the position for you to be putty in your hands; Patrick on the other hand did everything in his power to make you squirm while in his grasp.  He’d simply cackle at your protests of his wandering hands, then proceed to mock the tone of your voice.

Though, from the sidelines, you were mostly able to ignore the fiery glares thrown by Henry.  No matter how much attention you gave him, how many times you’d let him leave unsolicited hickies on your neck in plain sight to be hidden from your mother, or held him after a rough night.

He’d never said thank you or praised you for anything, which left you devoid of where you stood with him.  If he hated you, would you even be around the other three?  Wouldn’t he have been completely blunt and outright with it?  The creeping worry manifesting itself in your gut grew with time, and with time you began to give him more of your attention to try and sedate it.

Inside the labyrinth of his mind, Henry’s opinion of you began as negative -- the ambushing of your and Vic’s date was a stunt to try and drive you away from the gang in entirety.  But you just came the fuck back.  Loyalty was written all over your features, as was inexperience.  With time, the faint flame of interest that licked the recesses of his mind fanned themselves into a stronger blaze, and suddenly the shared attention you had been giving the gang was like gasoline.

He played himself off as distant, instead replying to the work you put in with brief hand holds or an arm thrown around your shoulders to show possessiveness around school.  Being calculating obviously wasn’t his thing, nor was being patient.

He took your first kiss, and one of his first, one night while alone with you, the second month into the relationship.  Pussyfooting around the more carnal aspects of a relationship wasn’t something he typically found himself doing, but he knew that Vic or Belch would have his head if he rushed things too fast.  In the end, though, it drove him to wanting more.

Physical affection was kept behind closed doors, and he couldn’t be sure that your intimacy was only reserved for him, considering you never sported any other markings or called out the name of any of the other members while you were with him.  It inflated his ego to astronomical levels, and it killed him that he couldn’t flaunt it in his friend’s faces.

Regardless, he wanted you to himself and himself alone.

-----------

“Good morning!” your voice cut through the mid-morning drowsiness of the boys sitting in the parked Trans-Am on the curb in front of your home with steely sharpness, but a welcome smile finds its way onto Belch’s face.

“Morning, gorgeous,” he says from the driver’s seat.  “Hop in.”

“Can do!”  your morning pep leads to a foot on the tire and hauling yourself into the car by means of the roof, and plopping directly in Patrick’s lap - eliciting a hearty grunt and smirk from the boy.

“You’re awfully full of life this morning, feels shameful to waste this energy on something so innocent as breakfast,” he all but purrs as he tugs you further into his grasp while the car lurches forward and en route to the typical Saturday-morning hangout spot.

“Ew, Pat,” Vic cringes over to his friend and you, true malicious intent absent.  “It’s fucking brunch time, let ‘em wake up first, will you?”

His question is answered by a cheeky nip to your neck, causing you to squeal.

In the front seat, Henry broods silently.  On the radio plays one of Belch’s cassettes which goes unlistened, and a favorite of his; ...And Justice for All by Metallica.  The playful tone of your voice and Patrick’s advancements manage to leave a sour taste in his mouth, even though he made the extra effort to brush his teeth this morning.

The meal goes relatively uneventful, though your wandering eyes, half-lidded and vixen-esque, irritate him further.  Vic has an arm around your waist, and Belch holding an unoccupied hand under the table.  If he’d thought any better, Patrick was all but devouring you from across the table.  It was an affection-filled scene, which made the poor diner waitress visibly uncomfortable.

After breakfast, Belch drops both you and Henry off at your home, currently unoccupied by your mother who has work.  “Bye, we’ll be seeing you guys later!”

“Henry, be nice to ‘em, will ya?”  Belch booms from the window, around Patrick climbing into the front seat like an animal.

His request is met with a smirk from Henry, who pulls you into a passionate but short kiss in front of the trio.  “As nice as I can be.”

It leaves you immediately flustered and giggling as you’re pulled into your own home and leaving the other three in a vague state of confusion.  The engine faded away in the distance as you moved toward your house, a mess of giggles, flushed cheeks, and a downcasted gaze.  Henry’s smirk is short-lived as his expression shifts back to neutrality.  He watches you walk through the door and shift to the side to take off your shoes, opting to keep his own on.  The brief and blissful silence is broken by his voice, laced with the undeniable edge of his ire.  “Who’s your favorite?”

The question hangs in the air, souring the atmosphere directly as it leaves his mouth.  You freeze at the words, mid finangling your shoe off as you turn to look at him with a confused, and slightly hurt, expression.  “Huh?”

“Don’t play fuckin’ stupid.  Who’s your favorite?”  He takes a step towards you, which you subconsciously shrink back from.

“I-I don’t have one?”

“God, maybe y’are fuckin’ stupid.  There’s four of us and y’mean t’tell me not ‘a one of us sticks out more than the others?”

A blush spreads across your features, an involuntary testament to your unease and outright lie.  Your eyes dart to look anywhere but him as your body betrays you, petrified in intimidation.  “You,” murmur with a gentle voice and laced with a lack of thinking.

He leans down to your mouth, quickly overtaking your personal space and invading your nostrils with his scent -- cheap body spray and masculinity.  It’s nearly intoxicating.  “What was that?”

“You,” an utterance with little more force, the action of taking a lungful of air simply too strenuous.

“Mind tellin’ me why I feel the least love then?”

You almost want to deflate at it, even if the hands wrapping around your shoulder feel like nothing short of a tender moment.  All the time you’d spent with him, all that you’d given to him, and he still felt overshadowed?

“I…”

“Or, is it jus’ that you’re an attention-seeking slut?”  The words cut deeper then he’s capable of understanding, and the sick smile curling onto his lips and the whispered tone feel vastly different then what he’s actually saying.

You’re rendered speechless as he takes you closer to the couch, dragging you into a straddling position on him.  “Show me what I was missin’ at brunchfast then, huh?”

Wide-eyed and bashful you stare.  What are you even supposed to do?  He leans into you, peppering your throat with kisses while his hands wander up and down your sides.  Instinctively, your hands move to run through his hair and he nearly purrs at the contact and looks up at you with an intense, baby-blue gaze.

“Who’s your favorite?”

“You,” sighed out as he starts sucking on your neck and rubbing at your hips.

“Say it,”  a rough voice reverbs through him from his chest, and he relishes in the affection of your gentle hands.  You’re his.  His.

“You’re my favorite, Henry,” your voice tightens when he starts to suck on your collarbone.

---------

He’d managed to cut your afterglow short in the early evening, badgering you to call Belch and tell him not to drive you to school for the next week.  You did it, albeit with a bit of confusion, and feeling vague sadness when Belch’s tone took a nose-dive into disappointment when the subject of the call was revealed. For the next week, you couldn’t look any of the gang in the eye, instead taking to marinate in your own shame and blatantly avoid them.

[ma-sulevin]

author interview

I was tagged by @princessvicky01!

Name: ma-sulevin on Tumblr (obviously) and masulevin on AO3. Real name, Kate.

Fandoms: In order, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Fallout 4, Far Cry 5, and I’m dipping my toes into The Last of Us.

Where You Post: My writing tag needs to be updated, but it’s “my writing.” My AO3 link is here.

Most Popular One-Shot: If we’re sorting by kudos, it’s a cute little mRyder/Jaal fake dating thing that I assume has to have been part of a prompt? I don’t know why I would have written it otherwise. I had to use a top post finder to get this, but my top Tumblr one-shot is a smut prompt for Cullen/Trevelyan.

Most Popular Multi-Chapter Story: Again, sorting by kudos, we’re looking at Into the Valley of Dreams, aka the sex dream au (Cullen/Trevelyan). Dissonance has the most comments though.

Favorite Story You Wrote: I have soft spots for both Dissonance and rise from the ashes. I really loved both storylines and worked hard to write them. They were also both my first attempts at writing in new fandoms with new OCs and I was so nervous, but the friends I made were so incredibly supportive that the experiences were just amazing.

Story You Were Nervous to Post: All of them, honestly. I think I was the most freaked out about Dissonance though. I wrote five chapters of it before I worked up the courage to start posting.

How You Choose Your Titles: By making sacrifices to the gods of writing. Sometimes it’s song titles and sometimes it’s a place name and sometimes it’s just a random word that I then have to shoehorn into dialogue.

Complete: Oh is this a count? I have 91 individual fics on AO3 and 87 of them are marked as complete.

Incomplete: Four, apparently, plus an uncounted number of WIPs in my google drive.

Do You Outline?: I started outlining longer fics with Dissonance. I do it by hand in a notebook and then when I have to make changes I use post-its.

Coming Soon/Not Yet Started: I’m working on a smut fic for a pal, and then after that I hope to finish something for Emma and Joel, and then after that I have a fic outlined for Staci and Chelsea.

Do You Accept Prompts?: I accept prompts whenever, but I don’t promise to fill them. I have a couple of soulmate prompts still waiting for me, and one prompt for something for Alistair, but I work on them when I’m hit with inspiration. I don’t put them in my schedule like my longer stuff.

Upcoming Story You Are Most Excited to Write: Honestly I’ve been thinking a lot about a no-outbreak AU story for Joel and Emma, how they would meet if things never went to shit. I might write that. It’s definitely fun to think about at least.

[commander-yinello]

Identity

My entry for @saeyoungweek! I really wanted to write for the prompt identity because it speaks to me a lot. 

I hope you enjoy reading! <3

----------------------

Who are you?

He grinned when he saw the curt message on his phone. They had a new member in the RFA, practically shoehorned in by V, and she was asking everyone who they were to get to know them. No doubt the others have held an entire essay describing themselves, Zen more than the others.

Leaning back on his chair, fingers hovering over the screen, he wondered what to say. A man who does shady things for money. It was better if she didn’t know that. Someone who has to work day and night to meet crappy deadlines. He shook his head. Too negative. A new member should have positive experiences while in the RFA. With fervor he typed out his preferred title.

I am the defender of justice, 7! 0! 7! When people cry out for help, I am there! The world has no fear, for 707 is here! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ And who are you? ^_~

Perfect. Short and powerful, just the way he liked it.

She followed up with a short description of herself. Nowhere as cool as the defender of justice, she joked. Luciel wants to reply that wasn’t true, but an e-mail on his computer screen sent from an unknown source told him to get to work.

“Work work,” he muttered, turning to his keyboard and putting his phone away. Mary would chastise him if he didn’t finish the current request today.

***

His phone chimed, interrupting Luciel’s twenty-hour session of lying down flat on his stomach. He turned his head away from burying it into the mattress to check his phone, the rest of his body refusing to be move.

Who are you?

Odd. Didn’t she ask this yesterday? With a bit more effort, he took the glasses off his nightstand and put them on.

How are you?

Ah. That made more sense.

God 707 is doing amazing! The lie was written so easily with one hand. He added a whole arsenal of emojis that didn’t match the empty feeling inside of him. Do you have need of the defender of justice?!

Please God 707, save me from procrastination! I’ve got chores I don’t want to do! T_T she replied with the same amount of radiant happiness, and it gave him some energy that he thought to be lost for the entire day.

Quick!! つ ◕_◕ ༽つ Take my energy! つ ◕_◕ ༽つ

It’s not working! What shall I do, defender of justice??

Luciel chuckled and willed himself to roll on his side so he could properly reply. He spent the entire afternoon messaging her, unwilling to think of the workload that lay beyond his bedroom door.

***

I also want to be the world’s best hacker!

He grinned. He was so far behind with the client’s latest project, but he couldn’t care less. For the past few days he had been more active on his phone, talking to her, pranking Yoosung, joking about the lives of the other RFA members. His maid berated him for looking at the security cameras too often.

You don’t want to be the world’s best hacker. You will be staring for days at your screen, never sleeping and forever eating Dr. Pepper and drinking Honey Buddha Chips. ◉_◉

Oh no! Are you alright? Do I need to tell your maid off to give you a break? You must get your rest!

Oops. Had he gone too far with his joke? Time for some deflection.

I’m kidding! It’s fine. I wouldn’t do anything else!

Really?

I can handle it! What’s more important is that you’re happy. (ღ˘⌣˘ღ) I will be whoever you need me to be~

There was a pause, longer than normal. Luciel was starting to wonder if she had to run off to do something when he saw the icon of a reply being typed.

I don’t want that.

His stomach sank.

I want you to be yourself. I want you to be happy too.

She didn’t understand. No, she couldn’t understand. He sighed and gave her an honest reply.

I’m just a 2D guy designed to make you happy. There isn’t more to it.

:( That’s not true, Seven.

Something about her insistency made him want to slam his fist on the table. He bit his lip until it stung in pain, tasting iron. Why were her words getting to him? Happiness was not meant for him. It was already a blessing that he could talk to someone like her regularly. He was fine living a fabricated life on the chatroom.

So why did this conversation make him so irrationally angry?

He decided not to reply.

Tossing his phone as far as possible on his computer table, he dove back into his code, drowned himself in it and worked on as long as he could until he passed out from fatigue. The continuous buzzing of incoming messages reminded him of his failure to keep himself in place.

***

The sound of his phone startled him awake. He got up, feeling the dent of the mousepad in his face, wiping away the drool from his mouth. 1 AM on the computer clock. When his phone rang for the sixth time, he answered.

“Why did you call me?” he asked, instantly regretting how harsh he sounded.

“You didn’t reply to my messages. I… I got worried.”

She would be worried. She was still full of hope. Luciel ran his tongue over the wound on his bottom lip, wondering what to say.

“I’m sorry. I’m tired and behind schedule. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

“That’s okay. I know you’re working hard, but please rest too! I mean it!”

She reminded him of Mary. Except sweeter, and less taser threats. “Why are you up so late? Can’t sleep? Want me to sing you a lullaby~?”

A sound that was a combination of a squeal and a gasp came through his speaker, making him quiet his laughter so she wouldn’t be offended. “Y-you should go to sleep! Next time!” she demanded.

“Next time,” he promised. He was about to say goodbye and work on when suddenly he heard her voice again.

“Hey, Seven? Remember when I asked you who you were?”

Luciel blinked. “Yes?”

Did she know, he wondered. That the defender of justice was just a smokescreen he could hide himself in, so that everyone, but himself most of all, didn’t see who he truly was?

Now he realized why he had gotten angry earlier. It was because he couldn’t tell her why. He couldn’t show her his true self, the Luciel that was always tired of work, of himself. He had no past to be proud of, no future to look forward to. All that matter was his work for the agency. He wasn’t who she wanted him to be. He wasn’t who he should be for her. Even his own name was a lie. A fake identity so no one else would need to look out for him. He wasn’t carefree, or safe. She shouldn’t be around him.

He was the happy-go-lucky online prankster devil, and he would wear the mask until the end. He had already accepted it. Mentally he prepared himself to change the subject.

“I wanted to properly introduce myself first, but I was so nervous I sent everyone that. I felt so dumb, but I’m glad you gave me a normal response.”

A silent sigh of relief left him. “That’s so adorable! No worries, I’m sure the RFA likes you for it!”

“Maybe, but I like you.”

“Wh-“ he stuttered. His heartrate sped up and he clutched his shirt. “Ah, you shouldn’t say such things! That’s dangerous for my heart! Dangerous!”

He heard her giggle on the other end. “Go to sleep! I won’t go to sleep if you won’t!” he demanded, so flustered it was hard to say the words.

Finally she gave in and hung up, leaving him to calm down from the sudden attack. It would be a lie to say he didn’t like her too, but… he also knew that he would only end up hurting her like this.

So why couldn’t he push her away?

***

I’ve been thinking.

Of all messages he expected, it wasn’t this.

Of?

You.

He choked and his face started to flush once more. The half-eaten sandwich now sat forgotten in his other hand. She continued as he sat frozen in his kitchen chair.

I was thinking that I don’t really know you. I know a part of you, but I want to know all of you. There is more to 707 than just jokes and clever hacking tricks.

Oh. So she did suspect something. A hundred jokes ran through his head, but in a moment of madness he decided to reply seriously.

What if the parts of 707 you don’t know make you unhappy? Isn’t it better if you don’t know?

The Seven I got to know cares so much, he tries everything to keep everyone around him happy. I cannot imagine someone like that being horrible. As I said before, I want you to be happy too. I won’t stop, no matter what.

She was incredibly stubborn. Luciel’s face felt hot watching her type on and on about how she wasn’t going to quit. He wasn’t  convinced she would stick around once she truly saw him.

You will see.

But the feelings he got reading her promises lit up a tiny spark of hope, and foolishly he thought, who knew? 

Perhaps… perhaps she could be the one to convince him to take off the mask.

[reconditarmonia]

Dear Rule 63 Author

Hi! Thank you for writing for me! I’m reconditarmonia here and on AO3. I have anon messaging off, but, er, I can answer any questions you might have about my requests in my mod capacity if you contact the exchange email ;).

Fullmetal Alchemist | Machineries of Empire | Moby Dick | Spinning Silver | Wolf 359

General likes:

– Relationships that aren’t built on romance or attraction. They can be romantic or sexual as well, but my favorite ships are all ones where it would still be interesting or compelling if the romantic component never materialized.

– Loyalty kink! Trust, affectionate or loving use of titles, gestures of loyalty, replacing one’s situational or ethical judgment with someone else’s, risking oneself (physically or otherwise) for someone else, not doing so on their orders. Can be commander-subordinate or comrades-in-arms.

– Heists, or other stories where there’s a lot of planning and then we see how the plan goes.

– Femslash, complicated or intense relationships between women, and female-centric gen. Women doing “male” stuff (possibly while crossdressing).

– Stories whose emotional climax or resolution isn’t the sex scene, if there is one.

– Uniforms/costumes/clothing.

– Stories, history, and performance. What gets told and how, what doesn’t get told or written down, behavior in a society where everyone’s consuming media and aware of its tropes, how people create their personas and script their own lines.

Smut Likes: clothing, uniforms, sexual tension, breasts, manual sex, cunnilingus, grinding, informal d/s elements, intensity.

General DNW: rape/dubcon, torture, other creative gore; unrequested AUs, including “same setting, different rules” AUs such as soulmates/soulbonds; PWP; food sex; embarrassment; focus on pregnancy; Christmas/Christian themes; infidelity; unrequested polyamory; focus on unrequested canon or non-canon ships; unrequested trans versions of characters; swapping female characters to male; unequal levels of investment in the relationship (including concerns about same that turn out to be unwarranted), or the idea of a character accepting something they're unhappy with as the most they're going to get.

A note: if we matched on an / ship, I generally don't require you to include a kiss, sex, or overt romantic language if you feel that you'd have to shoehorn it in. I'll trust that you wrote it with shippy intent.

About Rule 63 Exchange specifically: I have no strong preference for character names, with a slight preference for sticking with their canon names; it’s up to you whether you want to justify any resulting names that would be unusual for women or just gloss over it. As far as characters’ personalities and gender expression are concerned, I tend to want to see them as similar to their canon selves, just female. I’m probably fine with unrequested characters also being swapped to female, but feel free to check if you’re not sure. I don't expect, nor particularly want, a big deal made over characters' strong gender identity qua identity as female or whatnot.

It's a little confusing to tell with the AO3 interface, but I've requested General Audiences on everything, and additionally Explicit on FMA, Machineries, and Wolf 359.

—

Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist

Ship(s): F!Roy Mustang/Riza Hawkeye

I love Roy and Riza's loyalty kink in canon so very much, so...what if they were lesbians

There are definitely some worldbuilding-y places this could go - the Amestrian military obviously has female soldiers in it, but not as many as male, especially at the higher echelons, apparently, and we don't see any female State Alchemists; does Roy's status as a powerful alchemist also vault her into a position of command and influence that most women, barring Olivier, don't get to? With regard specifically to how their relationship is different worldbuilding-wise, some kind of document or documents (newspaper, history book) or other outsider perspective on President Mustang and her decades-long professional relationship with Riza Hawkeye, so close they even live together/travel together/entertain guests together, neither of them ever married, that sort of thing? Is Roy's obfuscating public image in this AU still about going with a lot of women, or are they men? (butch or otherwise known lesbian Roy is great, but also not necessary)

But I'd be equally happy to see a fic that didn't deal with that, and that was just canon dynamics but more so and with lesbians. I love their trust and competence and stoically hidden but very very intense feelings, the willingness to risk oneself or the other person, or to stake a lot on the other person’s competence (and willingness to hurt or sacrifice the other person because their shared cause says it’s right, too, all the times that comes up), the fighting together in tandem. Is there a dangerous mission (or intelligence-collecting situation) where their deep familiarity/trust/awareness of each other’s presence and fighting style and communication come into play (god, that bit in canon where Hawkeye shoots two guys right over Mustang’s shoulder), or where they worry about each other’s safety? I love the "protect my back" exchange so, so much (I'm particularly interested in fics set during a time when that is already part of their relationship history, rather than fics set in Ishval or shortly after, and I am not really interested in fics set when they were children or young adults at all) and the way that, eventually, ends up playing out with regard to Envy. I love the intimacy of their work relationship and personal history, on levels from casual to very intense, and would love it with sexual tension in how they notice and appreciate each other’s physicality and presence and competence (hands??? muscles?) Pining up to 11, or resolved sexual tension? (I would prefer Riza as dom if you write a d/s take on this.)

Fandom-Specific DNW: framing of the Ishvalan genocide as a bad situation that happened to the Amestrian characters; canon-typical loss of body parts.

—

Fandom: Machineries of Empire

Ship(s): F!Shuos Jedao/Ajewen Cheris; F!Shuos Jedao & Ajewen Cheris

I know sound like a broken record throughout this signup, but I love Cheris and Jedao’s friendship and loyalty kink (“Now and forever, I’m your gun” and the kneeling! aaahhh!) and, you know, what if that, but also Jedao were a hot woman.

I don’t have a lot of specific plot prompts - just a general interest in intense feelings, “codependency” as understood by fandom, loyalty and trust holding up under strain, deferring to someone’s competence or sense of ethics even though you don’t know how it will turn out, making difficult choices, verbal or nonverbal displays of loyalty like the kneeling and swearing and the WHOLE KEL GLOVE THING. I’d be excited to read something set during the Ninefox timeframe when Jedao is in Cheris’s head, but I think I would be most interested in something set post-Glass Cannon when oh my god, they were roommates telepathically bonded, after all the plot events that create that strong Jedao->Cheris loyalty. Jedao’s canonical kinks are *thumbs up* (I’ve requested general audiences fic as well as explicit, so it’s also fine if they don’t come up or if they’re referred to but not, er, acted out onscreen).

Fandom-Specific DNW: I’m aware that there’s a lot of torture and dubcon in canon. I don’t mind if you mention that they exist but I’d like to reiterate that I absolutely do not want any onscreen, or any details of torture even mentioned. DNW (explicitly) male Kujen or Ruo in this AU; if you don’t feel like swapping them to women I would rather they not be mentioned.

—

Fandom: Moby Dick

Ship(s): F!Captain Ahab & None; F!Captain Ahab & F!Pequod Crew; F!Ishmael/F!Queequeg

I'd love to know more about these female sailor(s) and what drives them. A female Ishmael might still decide to sign on to a ship whenever she gets the blues, but it'd be socially fairly different, mightn't it? (Worldbuilding-wise, I'd be more interested in a world where sailing and whaling are still typically male things as in our world, even if you make them a little less exclusively male, than an egalitarian or matriarchal world; something that women might do, without necessarily disguising themselves as men, but a GNC thing to do.) Would her already diverging from the "expected" female path in this regard affect her reception of Queequeg as someone who's an outsider to Nantucket society, and the intimacy she offers? What does she still find outlandish? As for Queequeg herself, is her life a typical female life for her home culture, or not?

As for Ahab - just imagine this fanatic, tragic, vengeful character as a woman - with the willpower not only to do all the things canonical male Ahab does but also in a society where women aren't really supposed to sail or kill or lead! Is she the odd one out in an otherwise male crew, or are there more women in the crew by the time she's captain? Was she already a whaler when she lost the leg or, in this AU, did this drive her to become one?

—

Fandom: Spinning Silver

Ship(s): Miryem Mandelstam/F!Staryk Lord

I love Miryem, and I’m so interested in the ways that making the Staryk Lord a woman would change Miryem’s entry into the Staryk world and the romance that eventually develops between them. Maybe same-sex marriage is common among the Staryk, and that’s one of the customs that are new and unfamiliar to Miryem in this new world. Would this be a Miryem who had never imagined being attracted to a woman before but comes to fall for the Staryk Lady, or one who simply couldn’t have imagined being able to marry one and have that be a normal life? (For values of “normal” that include ice lands and gold magic!) How does the fact of the marriage being same-sex affect Miryem’s initial understanding of it as a business arrangement, or for that matter, affect her understanding of the offer of queenship as a marriage at all? What makes them fall for each other?

Canon Miryem wonders what her role as queen is, thinking that she’d know about managing a household and having children and sewing if she were married to a human lord - is it the same if she has a fairy wife instead of a fairy husband, more so because there’s not even the hope of a gendered complementarian aspect to fall back on, less so because the Staryk Lady is there as an example of what a female monarch in the Staryk lands does? Does Miryem try to be more like her, or to find her own accounting-powers-and-personal-bonds niche?

It’s so important to canon Miryem to have a Jewish wedding with the Staryk Lord - what would that look like here? What happens when she comes back to the human world not only the queen of a magic country, but married to a woman (and in love with her, depending on when you set it)?

—

Fandom: Wolf 359

Ship(s): F!Daniel Jacobi/F!Warren Kepler, F!Daniel Jacobi/F!Warren Kepler/Alana Maxwell

My new fandom this year! The SI-5 trio are my favorites, and I'm absolutely wild about the way they openly value and prioritize and trust each other over everyone else who's nominally on the same side. So much of the Kepler/Jacobi dynamic goes directly to my id almost from their first introduction (of Jacobi as Kepler's "good right hand"!) to Jacobi trusting Kepler with his life and following whatever orders Kepler gives and getting angry about Kepler treating him like one of them, not to mention the weird d/s vibes. But I also love their dynamic with Maxwell, not only Jacobi's devoted friendship for her but also the trust and respect Kepler has for her and vice versa (I love the conversation they have about fixing Hera, and the whole episode where Kepler has Jacobi blow up the door to save Maxwell, at the risk of the whole ship because Maxwell is that valuable and Jacobi is that good, and "maybe you were my friend but the Colonel and Daniel were family"). So...f/f? I'd love to see them on some sort of mission or in the aftermath of some sort of mission where that mutual loyalty, even as fucked-up as it can get, comes into play, with Jacobi, Kepler, and Maxwell deferring to one another's judgment and/or orders, protecting each other or deciding when they can risk each other for the sake of the mission, sorting themselves out after... Or just some d/s-y sex, possessiveness etc. Anything really about how they're the only people to each other.

I suppose I envision Jacobi and Kepler fairly similar to their canon versions presentation-wise, which would make them somewhat gender non-conforming as women - there's possibly something interesting there with whatever flavor of performative masculinity canon Kepler has going on - but honestly I haven't particularly given much thought to how they might be different as women, other than that I would find it hot and enjoy a three-way relationship with Maxwell (if that is what we matched on/what you're interested in - I'd be just as happy with Kepler/Jacobi and Maxwell just a friend) more than I would with their canon versions.

Fandom-Specific DNW: role reversal or "subbing to let go/relax" Kepler

—

[nestofstraightlines]

That's not being a bad listener! I mean, there's no firm line, but while you MIGHT be just turning conversations back to yourself it doesn't sound like that. It sounds like you are being an active and empathetic communicator.

A therapist is there to listen and simply prompt and nudge the speaker donwn particular lines (and even then, therapists will often bring in their own experiences and anecdotes to help explain ideas). And sometimes that's the appropriate way to listen to a freind, but rarely. If they are in a really emotional state, crying or ranting and just need someone to vent to and occassionally made soothing noises.

But much more commonly the job of a friend - partner, family member etc - is to engage empathethically with the person's talking. Our friends are telling us things because of our particular relationship with them. When we relate a problem or upsetting experience or quandary to a friend it's because we know and value that particular person/relationship and are reaching out for a sense of understanding, empathy, shared experience, validation (and possibly a bit of working the problem out together, advice etc).

Responding with 'that reminds me of this thing that happened to me' isn't self-absorbed, it's a sign you are taking in and processing what the other person is saying, caring about it and engaging with it, searching your own feelings and memories to relate to the feeling or even the direct experience!

How many times have you said or heard: "God I'm so glad it's not just me! Well not glad you're going through that, obviously, but it's nice to know I'm not alone..." because I've heard and said it a lot.

Of course bringing your own experiences to bear can tip over into just turning the conversation on yourself, and I definitely try and keep that check. Sometimes I get too excited to hear someone describe an experience I relate to hard and have to bite back the urge to talk

too

much about it because the other person needs space to articulate their particular experience.

But that happens when you are being disingenuous, when you're not actually listening and connecting the feeling they are describing to a time you've felt that. It's when you're just sifting through what they say for a chance to shoehorn in what you want to talk about.

That's bad listening, but so is just listening and adding the occassional 'oh poor you' and nothing else. That doesn't make anyone feel heard or understood. Friendship is all about empathy

rather than sympathy, and empathy is a two-way stream. You both need to be in that place of vulnerability, seeing each other's humanity. One person laying it all out and the other nodding is a different thing, something we only really trust to professionals because it's an unequal and risky act of one-sided vulnerability.

Being a good listener requires climbing into the vulnerability along with your friend. If they're in a really bad spot you can't risk getting all the way into that pit - that helps no one. That's the time for 'this sounds awful, we need to concentrate on getting you to a more stable emotional state before we can even get into this'. But far more commonly our friends need empathy from us. Listening is no good unless they can hear the evidence of being heard! Otherwise they might as well be talking to a brick wall

'Me too' is not bad listening, it's the exact opposite.

i didnt know im a bad listener till i saw this

[sly2o]

What's in a(n episode) name? (Season 4)

It’s fun to play the guessing game of what all these episode titles for season 5 we’re seeing mean. I thought it might be worth looking back at season 4′s episode names to help form a base for our guessing for season 5.

Each episode has lots of reasons for a possible name so I bolded what was the stand out item to me that most obviously pointed to the episode name.

Also - I have knowledge gaps! Especially literary ones. I’ll update if some of you have edits/suggestions on things I missed. 

“Echoes”

A nod to the character echo

An echo is “a close parallel or repetition of an idea, feeling, style, or event.” In this episode we see echoes of numerous past villains and fights, but also the beginning of the conflicts that will frame this season. 

“Heavy Lies the Crown”

From The 100 wikia: The episode title is a common misquote of the line “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown”, from Shakespeare’s play Henry IV, Part 2. It was picked because it sounds better.

Likely applies to multiple characters. Particularly:

Bellamy Blake. His tie-breaking decision on whether to destroy the hydrogenerator.

Roan. New in his position as king in Polis, dealing with an uncertain group of ambassadors including one who plans to challenge him to a duel.

Clarke. Learning how to motivate people to get to work repairing the ship, burdened by the knowledge it won’t save everyone.

“The Four Horsemen”

A reference to “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” a concept from the Christian Bible. 

I ended up on a really interesting dig through lots of stuff on this topic. But the piece that stood out to me was this: The Four Horsemen are released when four of seven “seals” are broken. This is interesting in how the show departed from this to make it 12 seals - aligning it with the 12 stations on the Ark and the 12 grounder clans. 

From The 100 wikia: The cult also used the hashtag “#fourhorsemen”, from which this episode derives its title.

It's unclear if this was the set designers/prop makers making a nod to the episode name or instruction from the writers. (Perhaps someone else knows more about which is most likely?)

The Four Horseman are typically portrayed as Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death. All of these are portrayed in this episode.

Pestilence - Luna and her sick kru showing up at Arkadia

War - Ilian and company’s war on technology. The seeds of war between Arkadia and Azegeda are also sewn in this episode due to the decision to not tell Azegeda about Alpha Station only being able to support 100 people.

Famine - Only 100 people can survive with severe rationing, prompting the demand that Clarke make The List.

Death - the skeletons found in the fake Second Dawn Bunker. The Floukru members who died. The person Octavia murdered. Lots of people.

“A Lie Guarded”

From The 100 Wikia:

The title has two meanings:

It’s from the quote, “An excuse is worse and more terrible than a lie, for an excuse is a lie guarded.”[7]This might be a reference to Clarke hiding the truth about Alpha Station only being able to support 100 people out of the 500 Sky People.

It is also a visual pun: “A Lie Guarded” → “ALIE Guarded”, referencing the drones guarding A.L.I.E.’s Island.[8]

As the Wikia says - is very likely a reference to the cap on how many people can live in Arkadia. Particularly it seems like a reference to when Monty berates Clarke saying “you’re the one going too far and using the same old justification, it’s all for my people”. 

May also reference

the excuses Clarke is seen giving to the crowd of people for why certain people were and were not picked for the list

Jasper roasting Clarke for lying to everyone.

“The Tinder Box”

This quote about Arkadians the Azegeda: “This is a tinder box. One shot, and we’ll be at war.” - Monty.  

Arkadia going down in flames.

“We Will Rise”

note: apparently was supposed to be called “Fight or Flight”. But we’re going to stick with the final name they chose.

Self-referencing to their own quote “from the ashes we will rise”. In the last episode what seemed like their only hope for survival went up in flames. 

The focus of this episode is the need to bring hydrazene to Becca’s lab so that they can get to space to create nightblood syrum. In this case “rise” is to rise up through the atmosphere into outer space. 

“Gimme Shelter”

A reference to the Rolling Stones song of the same name. The lyrics of Gimmie Shelter are about the Vietnam war and the the horrors that came with that war. 

This is the first episode where black rain comes down, causing a stampede towards the current source of shelter. We see the horrors of what happens when shelter isn’t found.

“God Complex”

Reminder: a God Complex references someone who believe they are above the rules of society and should be given special consideration.

Many people. Particularly:

Abby for experimenting on humans. 

Clarke for ignoring the group and injecting herself with the experimental nightblood serum.

Abby again for ignoring the group and breaking the machine they would have used to test Clarke. 

Emori, for being discovered for having lied to the group about the identity of the grounder that was killed.

The connection between Second Dawn Bunker and the Grounder culture being revealed through a Grounder Prayer. (Niylah saying “From the ashes, we will rise” at the funeral for the people who died in the black rain). This is another visual pun: the Second Dawn Bunker is revealed to be an underground complex under a place of worship.

“DNR”

“DNR” stands for “Do Not Resuscitate”, which is used in the medical field to indicate that a patient does not want CPR or any advanced cardiac life support if their heart stops.

This episode features multiple characters in one form or another saying they don’t intend to live past praimfire. They include Jasper, Raven, and Harper and a few others.  

“Die All, Die Merrily”

A second reference to Shakespeare. This time it's King Henry the Fourth Part 1. The full line is: “Doomsday is near; die all, die merrily.” 

A reference to the conclave that dominates this episode where multiple reoccurring guest stars and one main cast member die.

Numerous pieces of the play appear in a variety of forms in this episode. 

Scenes from the climatic battle of this play are also similar to the fight in the show.

Apparently a reference to Octavia being Henry IV? but I don’t know enough about the play to pick that out.

“The Other Side”

This episodes name refers to the saying “See you on the other side” which is said by numerous characters throughout the series, but especially Jasper - including before he was supposed to die in the pilot.

This quote is said by Jasper to Monty before he dies.

Another visual pun: different factions are trying to get to the other side of the second dawn bunker doorway.

“The Chosen”

Skaikru must choose who will stay in the second dawn bunker.

Possibly a reference to Judaism and the “chosen people”. However I do not know enough about this religion to speak to any quotes or finer points on this.

“Praimfaya”

The villain of the season arrives.

Some quick thoughts on the name versus episode content

1. I know we are drawn to point to an episode name and say “it’s about that individual” in the case of Season 4 when I look at all the things I bolded... they seem to really speak about the delinquent's relationship with the villain for the season.

The names are about how the strife incurred on the delinquents by the villain (”DNR”, “The Other Side”, “Gimmie Shelter”), how our heroes are planning to defeat the villain ( “A Lie Guarded”, ”God Complex”, “We Will Rise”), how their plans failed (“Heavy Lies the Crown”, “The Four Horseman”, “The Tinder Box”) and then at the very end the name of the villain (”Praimfire”). 

I might be shoehorning some of those in.

2. The writers like their visual puns (”God Complex”, “A Lie Guarded”, “The Other Side”)

3. Interesting that they did two Shakespeare quotes from plays that bookend each other. 

Anyways that’s it. Let me know if I missed anything. 

[anarchistettin]

[c&vd from behind the paywall]: The lockdown has produced a disparity between the old script of grievance and a sickness that can wreak destruction on anyone.

By

MATTHEW SITMAN

May 21, 2020

Last week, First Things editor R.R. Reno, a prominent Catholic intellectual who backed Donald Trump for president, let the world know he’d had enough of the effete conformists following public-health guidelines in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Sharing a photo on Twitter of Trump saluting World War II veterans, none of them wearing masks, he declared, “They’re men, not cowards. Masks=enforced cowardice.”

The reaction from critics was swift and punishing, as they noted the emerging wisdom that masks may be one of the most effective measures in preventing the spread of Covid-19. But Reno decided to tweet through it in a typo-laden tirade. “The mask culture if fear driven. Masks+cowardice,” he wrote. “It’s a regime dominate by fear of infection and fear of causing of infection. Both are species of cowardice.” Other, similarly garbled tweets followed, but one of them serves as an especially telling summary of his position: “Now we know who want to cower in place. By all means rage against those who want to live.”

The outburst was no aberration. Since March, he’s produced a string of commentary doubting the severity of the pandemic and lamenting the measures taken to combat it—particularly the temporary closures of churches. It’s not as deadly as we feared, he’s said, and for those under 35, perhaps little more worrisome than the flu—a statement that blithely ignores all that we still don’t know about Covid-19, from the long-term effects it might cause in even healthy young adults to the sudden spike in a Kawasaki-like disease in children. No matter. Reno renders his verdict: “The science increasingly shows that the measures we have taken in the last few weeks have been both harmful—with freedoms lost, money spent, livelihoods destroyed—and pointless,” he wrote.

It’s not just that Reno can sound at times like a coronavirus truther. He is also convinced that our pandemic response stems from a deeper civilizational malaise, one that prioritizes the fleeting material world over the everlasting life that awaits our souls after death. In a missive published in March, Reno declared, “There are many things more precious than life,” and castigated political leaders, especially New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, for leading “an ill-conceived crusade against human finitude and the dolorous reality of death.”

Reno is not alone on the Christian intellectual right in framing the shutdown as part of a grand narrative of spiritual decay. His colleague Matthew Schmitz wrote that, in valuing “health above all, we subordinate the spiritual to the temporal,” adding, “Unless religious leaders reopen the churches, they will appear to value earthly above eternal life.” National Review writer Alexandra DeSanctis caught flak on Twitter for writing, “It’s fascinating to see how the cultural loss of belief in God and eternity so often manifests in an outsized fear of death as the ultimate evil. Human life is beautiful and precious and good, but life on earth isn’t our ultimate end.”

The latter prompted a lot of jokes about the literal death cults forming on the right, but there is something more at work here. Writing in Providence magazine, Jason E. Vickers described this death-embracing cohort as possessing a “bitter remnant mindset,” and acting “as though they are the last Christians in America.” It’s a worldview shot through with grievances against the corrupt, decadent societies of the West, and it’s shared by otherwise very different factions on the right. Followers of Rod Dreher’s Benedict Option might seek to build intentional communities and withdraw from modern society, while Christian nationalists long for the political power to defeat it—but they have the same enemies.

For all Reno’s paeans to courage, the pandemic has shown us, in starker terms than before, the extent to which modern conservatism is driven by resentment of a seemingly hostile, terrifying world. Not all conservatives have succumbed to this impulse during the pandemic, of course. But those who have reveal the ways in which the pandemic is being shoehorned into a familiar culture war.

Let’s return to the example of Reno, since he manages to encompass both the raging id of the anti-lockdown protesters and the philosophical justifications of their actions that have appeared in the conservative press. One of his “Coronavirus Diary” entries begins with him visiting an emergency room in an outer-borough hospital. He can’t say more, though, because “the present conditions of public health hysteria” mean his host “might lose his job if higher-ups found out I penetrated the ‘no visitors’ cordon sanitaire.” Reno notes that, after cases of COVID-19 flooded the hospital in late March and early April, the doctor says they had since plummeted—a development Reno passes over as a happy mystery, never connecting it to the stay-at-home orders and economic shutdown that he has called “pointless” and “cowering.”

Reno also mentions that he’s been worshipping at an “underground” church, borrowing the language Christians have used for those persecuted by Communist regimes in China or, during the Cold War, behind the Iron Curtain. A sense of persecution hangs heavy over the article, as does the characterization of himself as a righteous dissenter.

Then the diary entry becomes surreal. Reno describes a long bike ride on a recent weekend, during which a Dunkin Donuts worker refuses to serve him because he isn’t wearing a mask. He ends up on Staten Island, and needs to take the ferry back—which also requires a mask. “Providentially,” he writes, “I found a mask in a gutter just before reaching the Staten Island Ferry, allowing me to board and steam back to Manhattan.”

What comes next comes as no surprise: Reno takes an antibody test, and the results show he had contracted the virus. Like the ending of certain novels, it transforms all that came before it. Was he wearing a mask in the hospital, or at his “underground” church? He doesn’t say. Reno doesn’t seem troubled that, even if he never had significant symptoms, he could have been spreading the virus to others. He doesn’t realize that wearing a mask is not a commentary on his own courage or virility, but a simple way to show concern and care for others who might be especially vulnerable to the ravages of Covid-19.

There’s little point in looking for sense or reason in Reno’s ramblings. The language of courage and cowardice can’t really be debated—it is pure emotion. The point is not to grapple with the reality of a complex, overwhelming situation that changes every day, about which there can be genuine debates, but to reinscribe it in affective terms. What becomes decisive is not the cogency or persuasiveness of a policy response to a public-health crisis, but whether or not you’re cowering in fear or bravely resisting the conformity imposed by dreaded, elite experts. Wearing a mask, or not, floats up to the realm of the purely symbolic. It is a way of brushing aside difficult questions for dramatic rhetoric about civilizational decline.

If Reno and others make this sort of argument in a religious key, others on the right render it in supposedly class terms. Patrick Deneen took to Twitter last month to say that the divide over the shutdown did not simply reflect your position on Trump, but might reveal “more fundamental differences between elites and masses,” sharing Christopher Lasch’s observation in Revolt of the Elites that “young professionals” are health-obsessed exercisers and dieters attempting to attain eternal beauty and live forever, while “ordinary people” just “accept the body’s decay.”

More recently, The Wall Street Journal’s Peggy Noonan, citing no evidence, regretted the “class divide between those who are hard-line on lockdowns and those who are pushing back.” The former consist of the professionals who make up the “overclass,” with the latter are “normal people” who are fatalistic about life, and therefore itching to open up the economy—a “generalization” she offers “based on a lifetime of experience and observation.”

Once again, all this only serves to twist debates over when and how to reopen the economy into a battle between supposed elites and ordinary folks who have not only been ignored and left behind, but also ridiculed. This just hasn’t been the case so far, and Reno, Deneen, and Noonan are making it up as they go along. The latest polling continues to find, as described in a recent Washington Post article, “that there just aren’t meaningful divisions along class or education lines on these questions.” There certainly isn’t a rugged, death-defying, God-fearing working class straining against the complacency of prissy white-collar overlords. Imagining that’s the case, however, is less challenging than talking about what actually will help workers: hazard pay, paycheck protections, paid medical leave, proper safety equipment, and robust testing. It’s grievance-mongering all the way down.

The writer Sam Adler-Bell has described the “mutable dynamism” of conservative politics, a term that captures the way the search for fresh enemies can stoke these passions. It explains why conservatives respond to novel situations with a tried-and-true mash-up of elite bashing and performative victimhood. But Americans’ reserve of patience and good will so far shows the glaring mismatch between the old script of grievance and a sickness that can wreak destruction on anyone.

Reno’s embarrassing pandemic punditry is finally the predictable consequence of the way he compromised himself by endorsing Trump, then taking up the mantle of “national conservatism.” G.K. Chesterton, a writer well-known to First Things editors, once wrote, “When a man concludes that any stick is good enough to beat his foe with—that is when he picks up a boomerang.” To view Trump as a useful wrecking ball, or a flawed vessel for an otherwise sound nationalism, with his critics being the real problem, is to be set adrift morally and intellectually. You take your bearings less from what you believe than what you oppose; if it provokes cosmopolitan elites, then there must be some value to it.

On Monday, after having deleted both his tweets about masks and his Twitter account, Reno published an apology at First Things. “I used over-heated rhetoric and false analogies,” he wrote. “It was wrong for me to impugn the intentions and motives of others, for which I apologize.” He should be taken at his word—but what the episode reveals about the intellectual right isn’t limited to a few late-night tweets.

Matthew Sitman is an editor at Commonweal.

@MatthewSitman 

[ifonlyrhona]

Crazy Love

Can I just take this opportunity to say how much I have enjoyed writing these prompts. I’ve never took part in anything like this before, It’s been fun.

Day 7 (10th September) - Write a scene, from a storyline, you wish would be given to Robert:

Again I'm not sure this fits the prompt but I wanted to shoehorn it in anyway. Basically Rebecca is Nell, in other words crazy. We can but hope can't we?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Robert sat at the bar staring into his pint. He kept shooting sly glances at where Aaron was sat with Adam. But Adam had made it very clear when the two of them walked in that he was not welcome to join them. He kind of wanted to just get up and go but he was determined to finish his pint first, he didn't want to look like a coward.

Victoria walked past him with some food, she looked at him before looking over at Aaron and back at him again. When she'd delivered the food she stopped next to him on her way back to the kitchen.

"Just go and talk to him" she hissed in his ear.

"No, I can't, he doesn't want me to" he shook his head at her.

"Oh really" she said a little louder. "Is that why he keeps shooting heart eyes at you every time your back is turned".

"Heart eyes? What are you, fifteen?. And no he doesn't" he rolled his eyes at her.

"I know what I'm talking about, and yes he does" she rolled her eyes back at him.

"Well if you're so good at recognising it how come you haven't seen the ones Adam keeps shooting at you?"

"Who says I haven't" she smirked, turning her head slightly to look at the two men. "But that's different anyway".

"Why is it?" Robert was genuinely curious as to why she was still resisiting getting back with Adam when it was obvious that was what they both wanted.

"Fine, you know what I'll go over there and talk to Adam if you come and talk to Aaron".

"Okay" Robert said surprising his sister. It was actually a pretty good idea, with Vic distracting Aaron's bodyguard he might actually get a chance to talk to him for once.

Just as he got off his stool to head over there the door to the pub opened and Pete walked in supporting a shaken looking Rebecca. Robert resisted the urge to roll his eyes, typical she would show up now. It was like she had some kind of sixth sense whenever it came to him and Aaron.

"Oh my god, what happened?" Vic said racing over to them, that was when Robert noticed that Rebecca had a small cut on her eyebrow, blood trickling down the side of her face.

"Pete" Emma had been sitting at the other end of the bar, deep in conversation with Finn about something but now she hurried over to see what was happening.

"I swear I didn't see her" Pete said looking worried. "I was looking at my phone and I just walked straight into her, I knocked her flying".

"I told you it's fine" Rebecca smiled at him weakly. "I'm fine".

"But what about the baby?" Vic sounded a little frantic, Robert walked over to join the small crowd gathered around her, feeling a little bit of concern.

"That's just it, she landed right on her stomach" Pete looked stricken at the fact that he had just knocked a heavily pregnant woman over.

"Maybe I should have a look" Emma said.

"No" Rebecca snapped causing most of them to frown. "I've told you I'm okay".

"Better safe than sorry" Emma said pushing her to sit down in one of the chairs.

Rebecca looked panicked for a minute but when Emma picked her wrist up to check her pulse she relaxed a little bit.

"When is it that your due?" Emma asked her, looking at the cut on her eyebrow as she spoke. From what Robert could tell it looked pretty superficial.

"Erm I.... erm, end of next month" Rebecca looked flustered. Robert frowned again. He wasn't sure why it had never occurred to him before but up until now he had no idea when this baby was due. Now that could mainly be down to how little interest he had in it, but the fact that Rebecca didn't just come out with a specific date seemed really odd. Didn't woman normally have an exact date?

"Well I'm just going to have a little feel of your tummy, make sure everything seems okay?"

"But your not even a midwife" Rebecca said starting to stand up.

"No, but I am a trained medical professional" Emma said pushing her back down gently.

"Just let her check you out Rebecca please" Victoria said from where she was hovering over her. Robert had backed up slightly, his mind in overdrive.

Rebecca sighed and sagged back into the seat, Robert didn't miss the worried look she shot him or the fact that she even looked over at where Aaron and Adam were sat watching what was happening.

Emma reached a hand out and gently prodded Rebecca's distended bump. As she prodded and poked gently her face gradually started to change, her eyes narrowing in confusion.

"What is it?" Vic asked picking up on the other woman's confused expression.

"I think I need to have a look" Emma said, her eyes wide, her mouth a thin tight line.

"You don't need to" Rebecca looked frantic.

"No I really think I do" Emma insisted.

"You don't have to be embarrassed" Vic put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I know you don't like showing your belly off, but I think a pregnant belly is beautiful".

"I'm not embarrassed" Rebecca snapped at her. "I just don't want this nosy cow poking about anymore" Vic took a step back, Rebecca's reaction catching her off guard.

"What's going on?" Robert finally spoke up, this whole thing was weird.

"Do you want to tell him or should I?" Emma asked.

"Tell me what?" Robert asked.

"Nothing, she doesn't know what she's talking about" Rebecca hissed. She stood up, swaying slightly and raising a hand to her bloodied head.

"Hey, take it easy" Pete said putting his hand out to steady her.

"Don't touch me" Rebecca cried out trying to back away. Emma wouldn't let her though. She moved closer to her and in a move Robert wasn't expecting in the slightest she pulled her top up, exposing her stomach to everyone in the pub.

Except that's not what they were seeing, instead of a rounded belly all they could see was more material.

At first Robert just figured that she was wearing a t shirt or something underneath her other top, that was until Vic gasped. She lunged at the other woman and before anyone could stop her she had grabbed hold of her belly and pulled. There was a disturbing ripping sound, which made Robert wince until he saw his sister stood there holding a weird shaped cushion, velcro straps hung from it, obviously the source of the noise.

Rebecca stood there, her flat toned belly on full view for everyone to see.

"You stupid bitch" she screeched, flying at Victoria, before anyone could react, everyone had just been stood there in stunned silence, unable to get their heads round what they were seeing. She slapped Victoria, hard, round the face, bringing everyone back to their senses. Pete who was standing closest to her grabbed her and pinned her arms to her side before she could do anymore damage.

Aaron and Adam had got out of their seats when they saw what was happening. Adam quickly at Victoria's side checking to see if she was okay. Robert was vaguely aware of the fact that he should probably be checking on his sister but he was in shock. He just kept looking between the cushion that Vic still held and Rebecca's flat stomach.

"I don't...I don't understand" he stammered out.

"She's not pregnant Rob, there is no baby" Vic said crying into Adam's shoulder. She threw the cushion at Rebecca, who made no move to catch it.

"What the hell?" Pete said, he'd let go of Rebecca but he still stood watching her, his eyes wary.

"I'm sorry Robert" Rebecca made as if to move towards him, but he took a step back, almost bumping into Aaron who was standing beside him now, his eyes wide open and shocked.

"Why?" was all Robert could get out.

"Because I love you" Rebecca wailed, her eyes wet with tears.

"What?" Araon said.

"I love him, he's supposed to be with me" Rebecca snarled at him.

"So I was right, this was a trap" Aaron's jaw was tight as he glared at her, but Robert could see the tears in his eyes.

"When will you get it through your thick skull" Robert shouted at her. "I don't love you, I never will, it's Aaron that I love, nothing can change that. But now, wow, I don't even know what to say, this is beyond crazy".

"I went with you to the scan" Victoria frowned.

"I paid the woman to fake it" Rebecca shrugged, like it was no big deal.

"Was there....was there ever a baby?" Vic asked, she looked more heartbroken than anyone.

Rebecca shook her head.

"How could you do this?" Vic sobbed and Adam hugged her to him, all the while glaring at Rebecca.

"Did we even sleep together?" Robert asked and Rebecca actually laughed at the question. He felt like punching her.

"God no, you were so wasted, you just cried and then passed out. You wanted to though, I know you did, you've always wanted me" she blinked rapidly at him as she spoke, it was unsettling.

Robert just shook his head at her, he didn't trust himself to speak right now.

"You really are insane aren't you"? Aaron said sadly.

"Takes one to know one doesn't it? Why do you think he came to me in the first place. Because he was sick of having to deal with you and you're pathetic daddy issues" Robert took a step towards her then, the only thing stopping him was Aaron's hand on his arm pulling him back.

"She's not worth it" Aaron told him, but he could hear the hurt in his voice.

"I'm not worth it, I'm not worth it?" Rebecca screeched. "You think you're so special don't you? But he doesn't love you, he can't, not properly, because you're a man. I can give him what he really wants. I can give him the only thing you can't. A family".

"Except there is no baby" Robert shouted at her. "Even if there was I wouldn't want you, you're nothing to me. Aaron is everything".

"No" Rebecca sank to the floor sobbing. "Don't say that, we can still do this. I need you. We can really have a baby, we'll be the perfect family".

Robert looked at her, there on the floor, so pathetic and some of his anger fizzled out. She needed help, there was something seriously wrong with her. He looked around at the people stood there with him.

"Rebecca" Emma said getting down on the floor next to her. "Why don't you come with me?"

"What, where?" Rebecca looked up at her, she looked scared.

"You don't have to be scared, I think we should get that cut checked out, and then maybe we could talk to some people"/

"I'm not mad" Rebecca said.

"No, no of course not. It's just these people, they're friends of mine. They're really good to talk too".

Rebecca reached a hand up and touched her still slightly bleeding eyebrow.

"Um okay, I guess" she seemed totally out of it. Robert could see how unhinged she was, it was actually kind of scary, seeing her like this, all over the place.

"Will you come with me?" she asked him.

"What?" he couldn't believe she was asking him that, after everything. Emma caught his eye over her head and he read the expression there. She was warning him not to set her off again. Who knows what she was capable off in this state. "Um I can't right now, but I'll come and see you later, okay". He felt Aaron squeeze his am and he knew he'd said the right thing.

"Oh okay" Rebecca said sadly, but she let Emma lead her gently from the pub, Pete following behind, looked totally lost as to what was happening.

As soon as the door shut behind them Robert felt his knees buckle, the only thing keeping him from hitting the floor was Aaron holding him up.

"Oh my god" Vic said. "I can't believe that just happened".

"No me neither" Adam said. "I think I need drink".

"I think everyone does" Charity spoke up from behind the bar, Robert couldn't believe she hadn't spoken up sooner. "Wow I thought I could be twisted" she said before turning to pour some drinks.

"You all right?" Aaron asked him as he helped him to a stool and stood next to him, his hand still on his arm.

"I've no idea" Robert told him truthfully. He looked at Aaron then, could see the tears in his eyes and the look of concern on his face, concern for him. "What about you?"

Aaron shrugged picking up the glass that Charity had put down in front of him and drinking it in one gulp. He winced as it went down, he's always hated the taste of hard liquor. Robert picked his own drink up, noticing his hand was shaking as he did so.

"What now?" he said downing his own drink in one go just like Aaron had a moment earlier.

"No idea" Aaron said, copying his own words from only moments ago. "I think I'll start with having another drink though" he said holding it up to show Charity it was empty.

Robert felt numb, he'd barely felt the burn of the alcohol going down. All he could feel was Aaron's hand on his arm, warm and steady, it felt good, like it belonged.