#i will not abandon it partway through

[rebuke-me]

wasteland, baby chapter five fuckers!!

[yukipri]

I've seen a few asks and repost of the take flight all brothers au and it got me wondering if you think you might work on it again, I find the idea really cool and I love all of the art you did for it as well

I think the recent asks are a result of me reblogging my old Cody Take Flight art for Cody Day (2/2/24), along with a bunch of my other Cody-centric arts! So it wasn't due to me pushing just that art to hint at something upcoming, unfortunately.

While I don't consider that AU abandoned, I don't see myself working on it in the immediate future. I'm very, VERY bad at working on multiple story projects at the same time, and right now I'm still going full steam ahead on the Prime Override. And while I won't say Take Flight is directionless, and it does have a more serious underlying plot that I was hoping to eventually steer it towards (fully aware that folks who prefer fluffy crack may not like it much), Override is much more focussed, with many goals I'm trying to reach.

Other projects include two Valentine's Day arts that I'm cramming to try to finish before V-Day, a number of other standalone sketches/arts, and of course wary preparation for TBB S3 (all of which u can see WIPs for on my Patreon!). I unfortunately can't do all of these at once!

If there's ever a lull in my inspiration for Override, or I need to take a break, or I suddenly get a spark of inspo, maybe I'll do something then. But for now, i can't promise anything for it at the moment.

Thanks for your understanding!

❀ ❀ Send YukiPri an Ask! ❀ ❀

[inimitablereel]

@thelaithlyworm tagged me in a last line game. Choosing to interpret this as the last clip I added in a vid, which is only relatively stand alone because the last one I added was kinda left long to fill space. (Avidemux really didn't want to start at the beginning of the last clip I added so you get a bonus Pangzi at the beginning)

only 20 seconds of this vid exist right now and I'm not sure the footage I'd need for it to turn into something real exists....

Anyways not tagging anyone because there's 0 words (but as per all tag games feel free to play if you want)

[kenaserenity]

Me being a silly goofy person: *reads the monologue from Taken in Mickey Mouse's voice*

My friends: D:

[ao3commentoftheday]

ao3 skins faq

Just a few answers to questions I've seen in the notes on this poll

What is a site skin? A site skin is CSS code that changes the way AO3 looks. This could be anything from changing the page colour to the font to the way tags look to hiding parts of the site - and more.

Where do I find site skins? There are a few places. The easiest one is in the site footer (that red band at the bottom of the page). There are four skins linked there under the word Customize, and you can click on them to see what they do. Another place to find skins is https://archiveofourown.org/skins?skin_type=Site Those skins were created years ago and loaded into AO3 for easy applicaiton. Just hit the Use button and they'll be applied to your account. Lastly, you can find skins created by other AO3 users. Some people post their code on AO3 itself, some use github or other code repositories. A lot of folks share their skins here on tumblr with images and then a link to the code itself.

How do I save them to my account? If you're using the ones in the footer or the ones linked on the Public Skins page, you don't need to save them. Those are built into AO3. If you want to create your own (or use one created by another user), that's when you save them to your account. Tap on your name at the top of the Ao3 page. Then select Dashboard, then select Skins. Tap the button labelled Create Site Skin and give your skin a unique name. Write or paste the CSS code into the big box, then hit the Submit button to save it. If you want to use it right away, hit the Use button on the next page.

What's the difference between a Work Skin and a Site Skin? A work skin changes the appearance of an individual AO3 work, and it changes it for everyone who looks at that work. This lets you turn your fic into something that looks like an email or a text chain or a newspaper, etc etc without having to use images. Work skins can also be turned off by other users, so if they just want to read the plain text of your work they still can. A site skin changes how the entire site looks - but only for you.

How do you have 100+ site skins?? I start a lot of skins that I abandon partway through. I also create skins for certain specific purposes - for example, changing the look of all of the buttons on the site - and then I can just grab that chunk of code and add it to any "full" site skins I create for the purposes of sharing. I have a lot of experiments that fail, but I keep the code around because maybe I'll learn how to fix it someday.

Can I create my own site skin if I don't know how to code? You can! AO3 has a site skin Wizard that will help you change the colours, fonts, and font sizes on the site. Go to your Dashboard > Skins > Create Site Skin and then tap on Use Wizard. Give your skin a unique title. Click on the ? bubbles to get examples of how to enter information into each box. If there's anything you don't want to change, you can just leave that box empty. When you add in colours, they must be hex colour codes, and they must include the # at the start. Any font you add need to exist on your device (so it might work on your computer but not on your phone because your phone doesn't have that font installed). You can add parent skins to Wizard skins, too. See below!

I wish I could have [X functionality] in [Y aesthetic skin] You can! If you create one site skin in order to block certain works or tags, you can add that skin on top of an aesthetic skin. To do so, edit your aesthetic skin, scroll down and tap on the Advanced button (lower left of the CSS box), tap on Parent Skin, type in the name of your blocking skin and Add Parent Skin. Then save your aesthetic skin, and the two are combined! You can also do this with those skins that are native to AO3. So for example, you want a Reversi (dark mode) skin that Shortens Long Tags and also hides the "you have muted some users" banner. Create a site skin with the muted users code:

p.muted.notice { display: none; } And add Reversi and Shortening Long Tag Fields to it as parents. (you can also copy/paste all of the code into a single site skin, if you'd prefer)

For more FAQs, you can check out the Skins & Archive Interface section on AO3's FAQ page. Or you can drop questions in the notes, too.

[spockandawe]

I don't have any abandoned hobbies, just hobbies that go dormant for a while! Speaking of which, straw marquetry. Originally, I was planning to finish the aircee project first and then tackle evangelion, but then I ignored the hobby altogether for like three months, and the aircee project is for me while evangelion has a deadline!

So we start with an iconic screenshot, and then with me working out the outlines for a straw version of this, and contemplating how to lay out the straw and piecing.

From there, i ended up improvising and working out some new and different approaches! I originally meant to cut out all the paper and get it strawed up and piece it together like the aircee piece. And i originally intended for the whole piece to have a single off-center radiating point. Neither of those stuck!

I finished the figure first and then started contemplating the background. A radiating sun-type figure seemed so perfect for the kind of straw marquetry you work straight onto the board that it seemed like maybe i should just... do that! And i realized that the hazy outline of the sun was never going to feel QUITE like a crisp straw circle, so I decided to play into the strengths of straw, and did rays that transitioned color at irregular points partway through. And i mirrored the radiating point for the body. I really like the effect!!

So here it is! The whole piece is 11x17, which felt like it might be excessive at first, but it was really testing the detail I could pin down reliably for those fingers and eyes. The subject for this one was EXTREMELY fun, and it felt great to be nailing new skills as it progressed! That stage of crafting where you feel like every project is a huge improvement is fun, but the stage where uou feel confident you can reliably generate the results you expect feels a lot more secure. So this was great! And if all goes according to plan, there may be another eva in my near future 😆

[ddejavvu]

okay but mei, touchy bestie anakin with no boundaries??

like pls that man just brush against me and i’d become goo on the spot

we've expanded a lot on bff!james with no boundaries but I'd love more on anakin :)

--

It's not uncommon to see pairs of padawans looking as though their brief sparring session has resulted in the destruction of all of their bones. It's so common, in fact, that salles have a cooldown area, separated from the main floor and paved with tile so that the floors produce a chilling effect when exhausted padawans flop down onto them.

It's an odd hour of the evening and classes resume tomorrow, so you and Anakin had the salles to yourselves. You're sprawled out over the tile emitting intermittent groans here and there- perhaps Anakin is brushing up on his Shyriiwook.

When the sun no longer stretches to the door, now receding over the windowsill, you know you'll need to be back in your respective quarters soon to avoid 2 nagging masters lecturing on school nights and proper nighttime conduct which, apparently, does not include sparring.

You nudge your hand against the back of Anakin's own, "Let's go."

Another groan that speaks deeply to the exhaustion inside of you.

You peel yourself off of the tile first, but Anakin's quick to catch your arm, and a flick of his forearm means you're falling back against the floor once more. The angle that he pulls you at, however, lands you more on him.

You fall halfway on top of his chest, and your elbow hits his stomach. He lets out yet another grunt, this time of sharp pain instead of a dull ache, "Oh- kriff."

"Sorry!" You press your palm flat against him to get up, and it hits his chest, rock-hard and damp beneath his sweat-soaked tunic. You try pushing up and off of him but he catches your wrists, weakening your grip and holding you semi-upright above him.

"Easy," He soothes, folding upright himself with a heavy sigh and righting you in the process. He blinks languidly, and one his hands lingers on your own, "I don't think I can walk back to my quarters."

"I can't carry you," You try wriggling your wrist out of his grip, but he tightens his hold and pulls you in to smear his sweaty brow against your shoulder- too close to your chest for your stomach not to twist.

You feel a huff of his breath leak beneath the outer layer of your tunics and he draws back having left a stain on your clothes, eyes narrowed at it in sadistic pride.

"There," He nods once, using a great deal of effort to rise to his feet, "I think you should carry me. I won, after all."

"You always win," You grumble, taking the hand that he offers you and letting him haul you off of the ground, "Besides, I can barely walk myself."

Quite contrary to his beleaguered complaints, he merely rolls his eyes, stepping in front of you and offering you his back, his legs bending partway to lower him into a squat.

You stand frozen, half-indignant at being cut off, and half bewildered by the offer you think he might be making.

And he is making it, though his patience is waning as he urges you forwards with his hands, "Come on! If I keep squatting like this my knees are gonna give out."

You rush to scramble up into his grip, his hands winding around your thighs, fingers squeezing places you weren't aware were integral to your support.

"You're lugging me through the Temple on your back," You point out, but your arms tighten around his shoulders just in case he decides to rescind his offer, "Your knees are gonna give out no matter what."

His jaw tightens as you murmur in his ear- you know it by the way a muscle beneath his cheek jumps. You wonder if he can feel it- if he can sense it when you swallow the little saliva that's pooled in your mouth upon such close contact with Anakin, and he calls his abandoned lightsaber to his hand after that uncharacteristic moment of hesitation with a flick of his fingers.

"Hold this," He orders, stuffing the cold hilt into your hands that are crossed over his chest, dangling there over his broad shoulders. You don't ask why he can't just clip it to his belt- you're too busy focusing on the way that his hand comes back to grip awfully close to your core when he braces it back on your thigh.

Hand warmed by your skin, fingers inches away from your now-aching core, the muscle of his back pressed to your chest, Anakin marches through the halls of the Temple, palming your thighs to readjust your position on his back far too often.

[unsolicited-opinions]

If you'd told me ten years ago that I'd one day recommend reading something from a member of the Wall Street Journal editorial board, I would probably have laughed at you.

----

Haviv Rettig Gur quotes from a Wall Street Journal opinion piece by Elliot Kaufman on the preliminary ruling by U.S. District Judge Mark C. Scarsi in Frankel v. Regents of the University of California. 

Scarsi's Aug. 13 preliminary injunction means UCLA "can’t allow a rerun of the spring, when protest encampments denied 'Zionists' access to a main quad and thoroughfare, a library and even some classrooms."

I agree with Kaufman that the religious arguments Scarsi embraces aren't the strongest available and that there are better arguments for the courts to take action. Kaufman and Gur are more concerned as proponents of liberal values and the rule of law than as Jews fearing an attack on religious freedom.

Haviv, a student of history, notes the familiar pattern from Jewish history in his screen capture, but it is better understood in context:

First, understand what the protesters did. They set up barriers and checkpoints, forcibly blocking students from parts of campus unless they deemed Israel guilty of the vilest crimes; rejected Zionism, or Israel’s right to exist; and endorsed the protesters’ political program. These are Red Guard tactics, anathema to the academic spirit. They call academia’s bluff. What university that still believed in its mission would tolerate them?

Second, the anti-Israel fanatics demand that Jews relinquish not so much the tenets of their religion as their dignity and the solidarity that sustains Jewish peoplehood.

Around half the world’s Jews live in Israel, which has become the center of Jewish cultural creativity. The Jewish future, in every sphere, increasingly is built there. To seek to destroy or dissolve the state of Israel, as anti-Zionists do, and leave those seven million Jews and that Jewish future in the hands of an Arab majority that cheers the Oct. 7 massacre, is beyond reckless. For Jews, it betrays a cruel indifference to or contempt for one’s fellows. To demand that Jews take such a position, or else be vilified and shut out, is extortionate.

Fit for our age, the extortion isn’t religious in form. A baptism is no longer the Jewish “ticket of admission to European culture,” as Heinrich Heine (1797-1856) put it. This ticket carried a price, but in Heine’s time the religious part had already become secondary for many Jews who had ceased to believe. It was the sacrifice of dignity—the abandonment of one’s people, the payment of ransom for basic rights of inclusion—that rankled. Many Jews converted anyway. Others, such as those German Reform congregations that dropped circumcision and hope for a restoration to Zion and moved the Sabbath to Sunday, tried to meet Europe partway. Persecution intensified. “The moral spine of the Jews was in danger of being broken,” Leo Strauss wrote. Zionism emerged from this maelstrom to raise an alternative, and dignified, survival strategy, loyal to Jewish fate. Today, campus protesters and their allies in the intelligentsia and activist corps are trying to make the anti-Zionist loyalty oath the new ticket of admission to enlightened, or progressive, culture. They, too, demand to be paid in dignity, and facing the brutal bargain, Jews contort themselves in as many ways as in centuries past. Cast aside your fellow Jews, and you will be waved through the checkpoint—at least until the demands rise again.

In support of Jewish emancipation in 1789, the Comte de Clermont-Tonnerre told France’s National Assembly: “The Jews should be denied everything as a nation but granted everything as individuals.” On a growing part of the American left, the offer stands. To debate whether this violates one Jew or another’s freedom of religion is to miss the point. A UCLA faculty member, the plaintiffs’ complaint notes, saw the message “Free Palestine, F— Jews” scrawled on a bathroom wall in the Schoenberg music building. Janitors washed away the graffiti, only for it to be replaced with new graffiti: “F— Zionists.” What can one say to the naïf who looks at that sequence and sees moral progress in the avoidance of religious discrimination? An old-new politics is being organized against the Jews, and its thuggish tactics more often than not are met with cowardice or sympathy from responsible parties. In need of another spine transfusion, Jews can turn again to Zionism. To what will everyone else turn?

[kittenintheden]

Before Morning's Light

surprise early morning Oristarion bang because I felt like it, enjoy.

Rating: E Pairing: Astarion/Orianna (female OC) Word Count: 750 Content: 18+, wake up from dual nightmares and then bang the demons away

***

They wake in their shared bed in the Elfsong at nearly the same moment, both panting and fighting against their nightmares’ pull. Instinctively they find one another for comfort, hands entwining and bodies pressed tight until the shakes stop, until her heartbeat slows. They rest on their sides, embracing as best they can.

It’s very early morning, judging from the way the only light in the room comes from the yellowed and washed-out streetlamps on the street below, and as they catch their breath, they meet one another’s eyes. Bleary with sleep, steeped in the terror of a receding nightmare. An understanding sort of mirror.

Ori tilts her chin forward and kisses him, softly.

The thrum of fear and anger still pulses with nowhere to go, twining along their nerves and preventing them from settling back to rest.

Their eyes flick back to one another and a current passes between them.

Ori’s hands go to his waistband as his fingers reach up underneath the hem of her sleep shirt, their movements frantic and hurried as though this can’t happen fast enough, both uncharacteristically fumbling. She makes an annoyed hiss as she grabs hold of his shirt and yanks it up to give herself more room to work.

“Who tucks their bloody shirt in when they sleep?” she grouses in a whisper as she looks down. She can see the hard ridge of his arousal straining against his thin breeches and she needs it free immediately.

Astarion’s hand is fully under her clothing now, hooking his fingers beneath the waistband of her smallclothes and already pulling them down her hips with no mind whatsoever to whether he might tear the fabric. “Who doesn’t wear breeches to sleep at all?” he grumble-whispers back, bending her knee up to make it easier to get this stupid thing all the way down and over her ankle.

“Someone who plans for this exact eventuality. What in the hells is this fucking drawstring-” She pulls at it, trying to dig out the knot and prying a subdued groan from him as her nails scrape against the skin over his pubic bone.

“Get, would you get out of the-” He lifts her freed leg up over his hip and reaches between them to knock her hands out of the way so he can take over. It takes a few seconds for him to work the knot apart, and then he and she both shove them down, breeches and smallclothes together, over his arse and hips to free him. His cock springs up toward her, eager, and he thrusts between her legs without thinking, seeking her warmth.

He misses the first time, his desperation making him sloppy, and they both snipe quietly at one another until she puts a firm palm on his hip to hold him in place and rolls herself up to catch the tip of him, adjusting for angle, and gets him partway in. Then he thrusts up once, twice, and he’s inside.

They don’t even communicate the need before they each get a hand over the other’s mouth to muffle the debauched whimpering noises they make as they begin rutting with total abandon, her leg tight over his upper thigh and gripping for leverage.

Their bodies are teeming with adrenaline and nerves and need. It’s like they were already on the edge, their arousal hypersensitive and ready to burst. It’s pure, needy, unadulterated fucking, no artistry or thought behind it, only the base desire to rock and ride straight to the top.

Astarion comes first, his eyes slamming shut and his back curving with it, his moan trapped behind Ori’s fingers. His shaking free hand goes up under her clothes, flat on the small of her back as he pulses and continues to fuck into her as long as his body will let him. Close, close, close-

She cries through gritted teeth and behind her own barrier, shivering through her climax before she slows and they melt back down into the mattress beneath them. Hands drop away from mouths, chests heave for breath.

“Ohfuckohfuckohfuck,” Astarion whispers, eyes still shut, limbs going heavy.

Ori presses her mouth to his forehead, huffing out her breath. “That’s one way to exorcize our demons, I guess,” she breathes.

From somewhere beyond their privacy screen, they hear Gale groan, “By Mystra’s holy tits, would you two shut the nine hells up, you aren’t as quiet as you think you are. It’s not even daylight. Gods.”

 Astarion collapses into silent giggles against Ori.

“Sorry, Gale,” she whisper-yells.

[mc-lukanette]

Luka was still a child, far too young to worry about much of anything, yet he worried anyway because Marinette seemed worried. While she still engaged with him during their usual playtime and listened eagerly when he showed her the new toy he'd gotten, she felt distant and was more quiet than usual. It was a problem, not only because she was his friend and he cared, but he liked hearing her talk and ramble to him.

She wasn't doing any of that while she was so distracted.

He didn't ask about it - Juleka had told him once that girls were allowed to have their secrets, and he didn't know if this might be one of them - so he tried to find other things for them to do, hoping it might interest her more. They took a break to eat, went for a walk around the Liberty to see if the flowers needed watering, then searched for something to watch together.

He was starting to lose hope that he could cheer her up when she suddenly spoke partway through their movie search.

"Magic's not real."

He looked, seeing her hunched over with a movie in her hands. Not knowing why she'd say such a thing, he asked in reply, "Why?"

She pouted, fidgeting with the movie as she explained, "I had to write stuff for school about the story of someone we look up to. I was gonna do the tooth fairy, because Santa has a hard job too but the tooth fairy's tiny and works all year."

He nodded along silently to her story, agreeing with the logic. "Then what?"

"I wanted to know where they got all the money for kids' teeth, like a job, so I sneaked onto the computer when no one was around and..." She let out a groan, slumping and falling back onto the floor. "They're not real."

It was a shock to him too, though Marinette had been through it first without any support, so he can't imagine how it was for her. "But magic can still be real, right? Just not the tooth fairy."

"Santa's not real either!" she shouted to the empty space in the room.

Luka slowly realized how much she'd kept inside the whole time.

"I just wanted to give him the cookies I made last Christmas," she said, rubbing her face tiredly, "but then I caught Papa dressed up like Santa!"

"How'd you know it was him?" he asked with a tilt of his head.

"It's Papa! No one else looks like him."

That was fair.

"I thought maybe Santa was sick from the North Pole cold and sent Papa clothes so no one knew, but... the clothes were so cheap!" She threw her hands up, nearly sending the movie across the room in the process. "They just did it to trick me if I tried to meet 'Santa'!"

Marinette knew her fashion, so he believed her. He imagined that she'd let the Santa clothes go for all that time and it was only after yet another disappointment with the tooth fairy that she gave in.

For his own part, Luka had believed in Santa, but not that he was the one delivering gifts. According to his mom, Santa abandoned his wife, leaving her to do all the gifting, and she'd "throw him overboard" if he ever came back. He'd always wondered why the other kids told different versions, but if it was just a story, then it made sense.

A sympathetic, "Oh," was all he could say. It wasn't easy for him to grasp that magic wasn't real as, while he'd never seen people fly or cast spells, he always thought it was pretty magical that he and Marinette met and became best friends.

"And if magic's not real, fairytales aren't too," Marinette concluded, gently tossing the movie aside.

It landed in front of Luka and he finally got to see what she'd been holding that started all this: a typical princess movie with a prince, a fairy godmother, and a witch-y villainess. He frowned, picking it up and turning it around to look at the back as well.

He trusted Marinette, so it must've been true that magic and fairytales weren't real. He was torn, because while it was sad that he wouldn't be seeing "real" magic in his life, it was weirdly comforting that life didn't work out the way it did in fairytales.

He'd always thought that Marinette was cute enough to be a princess, or at least the girls in the movies who became princesses. At the same time, the only boys the princesses and those girls tended to be around were princes, and Luka wasn't a prince; he wasn't even close. He wasn't rich, he wasn't royalty, he couldn't do a ballroom dance, and he hadn't defeated any evil dragons.

But if fairytales weren't real, then he could stay with her. That was one good thing.

Marinette sat up, defeated, but not enough to ignore fixing her bangs and checking the tightness of the hairties holding her pigtails in place. Luka blinked, briefly distracted by the trail of freckles underneath her sad, half-lidded eyes.

He was sure they hadn't done any art or crafts that day, but she must've before she'd gotten there, as her freckles were sparkling like they'd gotten glitter onto them. His nose scrunched in thought, wondering how he could've missed that when she'd gotten there.

"I wanted to be the knitting fairy when I grew up. I wanted to make clothes for everyone that was super comfy and didn't go out of style," she mumbled, her hands tightened into fists against her chest. "A-and make it so bullies would have clothes that never fit and were always really itchy!"

Her eyes flashed with frustration, looking more blue than usual. Luka went closer to sit down next to her, wanting to comfort her but not sure how.

"You can still make clothes," he pointed out. "You'll be good at it."

"But—!" she began to protest, turning fully to him. "I had other stuff I wanted to do with my magic! Like—ah... nnn..."

"Marinette?" he called, alarmed as she started to shake. He knew intuitively that it wasn't from rage.

She shut her eyes tight like she had a headache, squeezing herself in a hug. She opened her mouth to respond to him—

Only to disappear spontaneously in a cloud of thick, pink mist. Luka recoiled, staring at what looked almost looked like cotton candy in cloud form that Marinette had been lost in.

Without a thought as to if it might hurt him or not, he thrust his hand inside desperately, hoping to pull her out. He tried to grasp at where her shoulder had been before, but couldn't feel anything except for the bizarre, almost fuzzy feeling mist. Still, he noticed that the movement had cleared some of it, so he waved his arm about rapidly to try and clear as much of it as he could.

A very Marinette-like cough sounded from below, her voice filling him with relief as she called out, "L-Luka?"

His arm pulled back, the mist separating and fading away into nothingness. He looked down towards the source of her voice, thinking that she might have collapsed despite him having not heard it, but that's not at all what he ended up seeing.

Sitting on the floor just as she'd been before was a wide-eyed Marinette, but small; small enough for him to carry around in both hands. Her pigtails had rounded and gained little hair accessories that reminded him of tiny pincushions, while her outfit had changed to a pink, fluffy minidress.

Most notable, however, were the glowing white fairy wings that were coming out of her back. He covered his mouth with both hands in shock.

"You're magic," he said, though it was muffled behind his palms. Even if Santa and the tooth fairy weren't real, at least his inclinations about their magical meeting still made sense.

"W-what?!"

She jumped to her feet, noticing how little she rose up, then turned and twisted every way possible to look at herself, which was when he noticed that she also had pointed ears. Even as tiny as she was, Luka was observant enough to catch the tidal waves of emotion passing over her face one after another. She was surprised by the change, but the wings and new clothes made her giddy, then she swapped to being horrified.

"Ah, but—but there's no tooth fairy!" She put her hands to her cheeks in distress, so fast that they made a slapping sound. "If I was gonna be a fairy, I wanted someone to teach me! Does that—" She gasped. "—Does that mean I'm the only real tooth fairy? All by myself?! I don't have any money to give to other kids!"

Luka fretted as she paced in a tiny circle on the floor, two children entirely lost without direction.

"Or do I have to be a fairy godmother? Do I have to go find a girl to godmother to? What if I pick the wrong girl?!" She whined, the pacing picking up as she threw her arms about. "And I don't know anything about being a god, or a mother!"

He didn't know anything about what was going on, but he didn't want her to worry so much. Perhaps impulsively, he put a hand out to block the path she'd been pacing.

Marinette nearly bumped into it, but stopped just in time. She stared up at him with her wide eyes pleading and confused.

"Maybe you don't have to be anything?" He shrugged helplessly with one arm, hoping for the same as her. "Did it come with rules? Like a board game or a toy you build?"

She perked, realizing that he meant an instruction manual, and immediately started patting herself down. There weren't many places for a guide to be put on her, though he noticed that pockets seemed to magically form when Marinette tried to search for some.

"...No," she concluded when she'd run out of spots to check. "I-I don't think so?"

"Then it's gotta be okay," he said; more decided, really. He might not have fought off dragons, but he would hide and defend her if any sort of fairy police came to scold her for rules they didn't know about. His mom had always been a rule breaker and encouraged him to break them in cases like these.

Well, she didn't describe a situation like his best friend transforming into a fairy, but it fell within the category, he was sure.

As Luka tilted his head to fully take in Marinette, he saw her glancing over her shoulder at her wings. She arched her back, shoulders tensing as she closed her eyes, but the wings only fluttered briefly before she gave up.

"You wanna fly?" he wondered aloud.

"Yeah? No—yeah?" She blushed, getting up on her tip toes to try and make herself seem taller. "You'll hurt your neck if you keep looking down."

He unconsciously touched the back of his neck, having not given an ounce of thought to that. She was the one who suddenly changed, so why was she thinking about him? He looked around, trying to get a gauge on how the room must've looked to her, then suggested, "I can pick you up?"

"Mm?" She hadn't considered the possibility.

He laid his hands on the floor, palms facing up, and raised a brow as if to ask, 'is this okay?' Marinette stared at his hands, taking a few steps closer and looking them over like they were a puzzle, then slowly raised a leg and started to get on. He kept perfectly still, not wanting to jostle her, though she still fell forward due to his hands being a more uneven surface than the floor.

He would've helped had his hands not been preoccupied for obvious reasons. He was vaguely upset at them for being uneven in the first place, as if he'd had any control over that.

He waited for her to sit up and get her bearings, then started to stand up. He kept his eyes on her all the way to the coffee table, walking carefully so as to not trip or bump into anything. When they did reach it, he lowered his hands and she jumped off a couple inches away from the table, falling down slowly like a feather to both of their surprise.

"Oh." Marinette glanced at her wings again, as if she could belatedly check if they had fluttered automatically during the fall. Luka had been watching, so he knew it was just how her new body worked.

He sat himself down on the floor, his arms on the table for support so he could lean towards her. "Do you wanna change back?"

She pursed her lips at him, rubbing her chin, then cheek, and finally the back of her neck. "...I dunno? How?"

He racked his brain, tilting his head from side to side like it might help the thoughts move around more quickly. He recalled their conversation and tried to piece together any connection to her changing. "You were thinking about being a fairy? And magic?"

He didn't know how saying that helped, but she picked it up from there. "So... I have to think about being a not fairy? A not fairy without magic?"

He shrugged.

Since they didn't have any other alternatives, she went with it. Putting her teeny tiny hands on her teeny tiny hips, she shut her eyes and tried to focus. It did feel like a shame to try and change her back when she'd just turned into a fairy, but it was just as important to know what she could and couldn't do.

Nothing was happening though. Her brow twitched, her feet shifting in place impatiently. She swayed from side to side, not unlike he'd done earlier while thinking, then she opened her eyes to look up at him. Letting out a whine from her throat, she turned her back to him and tried again. He didn't know how that was supposed to make it easier on her.

Nothing again. She was still a fairy, still just as tiny, and she turned back to him with the same gleaming blue eyes, pointy ears, and glittery freckles.

"I can't," she said. "Not yet."

Yet? "What's wrong?"

"I'm still thinking about magic." She hesitated, then stepped closer and reached both of her hands up. "Come down."

The words alone were a demand, but the tone made it a shy request. He obeyed, bending over and letting his chin rest on his forearms.

Going close enough to his face that he had to cross his eyes to watch her, she stepped off to the side next to his head, putting a knee on his forearm as she leaned forward. While he couldn't see where she was reaching, he felt her fingertips against his cheek, at the hair in front of his ear.

"If I just have to think about it hard..." she murmured to herself.

He was really curious, but resisted asking in case it broke her focus. Was she performing magic on him? Was that why it felt so warm where she touched?

"Ah!" she yelped, startled, but what came out as shock quickly turned to delight. "It...it works! It works!"

"Marinette," he protested with a whine of his own, unable to stand the suspense.

"Sorry! Here, here..."

She was excited now, a far cry from the anxiety she'd shown when she first transformed. She moved back to where he could see her better, and this time he could watch as she slipped her fingertips through his bangs.

Like, well, magic, his hair changed from black to blue where she touched. He sucked in a breath, watching it spread further until she was satisfied, then she moved onto another lock of his hair. He had to grip his arms, forcing herself to stay still and not spring upwards from her contagious excitement.

She continued until his hair was dyed blue at the tips all along the front, then stepped back and jumped, limps spread in joy as she fell slowly back down. "Ta-dah! I'll do the back later too!"

He popped back up immediately, running his hand through his bangs to feel her work. Mesmerized by how simple the process had been and how perfect the magic dye job was, he let out a long, quiet, "ohhh."

She bounced up and down, then pointed at one of his hands. "Those next, those next!"

He followed the pointing to stare at it, not sure what she meant, but he wanted to know with action, not words. He leaned over once more to watch as close as he could, resting his hand flat on the table.

Marinette knelt down in front of it, placing her hands under his. With a small, "huph," she pulled it atop her lap as much as she could, then reached out towards his fingertips.

He realized what was happening before she'd started, based on where she'd touched: one of his black fingernails. She traced her hand around the outline of his nail, fixing the tiny mistakes and spreading the nail polish further in places he'd missed when he'd done it himself.

She tried to move over to reach the next fingernail when she was done with the first, but he moved his hand for her, offering her each finger at a time and then his thumb. She was elated, which he could understand for the sheer coolness factor of it all, but something in the back of his mind reminded him of everything she'd been saying, as well as what she was cut off from saying due to the transformation.

When she was done with his hand, he swapped it out for the other and asked, "What was it?"

"Mmm~?" she hummed, half of her attention on his nail polish.

"The other stuff? The magic that wasn't for the clothes," he clarified.

She stopped tending to his nails for a moment, beaming at him and answering with her full chest, "Stuff for you!" She waved her whole arm to gesture at his hand, then up at his bangs. "You kept talking about dyeing your hair, and how long it took to do your nails. I knew if I had magic, then I could do it for you!"

And that's exactly what she was doing: she couldn't have even thought about being human again until she knew that she could use magic to cure him of what was essentially a mild inconvenience. He could only stare at her, speechless, at how a big part of her wanting to be a fairy involved him.

She was amazing. The best possible friend he could've asked for. Human or fairy, she was just as magical.

"Done!" she declared as she finished the nails on his other hand, standing up to look it over one more time. "And it'll be our little secret!"

She didn't even want credit for it, another shock to his system.

"Thanks," he managed, finding his voice again. He admired his nails and bangs one last time, reminding himself to look in a mirror later to see the latter in full. "It's so cool. Really cool."

Her smile would put the sun to shame; him being happy never failed to make her happy too, which only heightened the effect this was having on him.

It occurred to him then that, if magic being real meant that fairytales might still be real too, he didn't have to worry anymore. Marinette was a fairy, not a princess, so the rules he'd imagined didn't apply to them, and she'd made it clear that he was important to her.

He might not've been a prince, but he felt like a king.

[seellove]

Counterfeit Shrines // sukuna x female reader

Masterlist

Chapter 7 - The Devil in my Bloodstream // (3.0k words) // 18+

\|/ AO3 - Chapter 7 | << Chapter 6 | Chapter 8 >>

You're a late bloomer when it comes to cursed energy, entering Tokyo Jujutsu High partway through the 4th year on the support student track. Because of this, you get paired with the only combat track sorcerer without a partner for obvious reasons, Ryomen Sukuna. He's had a tragic upbringing as a human that is part curse with dark expectations for how to live his life. However, after meeting you, he slowly starts to see the possibility of a different path with someone he might love.

Content Tags/Warnings Throughout Work: Reader and Sukuna are Jujutsu Sorcerers in a JJK AU, explicit smut, violence/blood/injury, dubious consent, dubious morality, drug and alcohol use, falling in love, angst, comfort, fluff, happy ending

A/N: I apologize to any readers on here for the delay in posting! I really want to catch up to the AO3 version of this on here but updating all my links is always daunting. for some reason

Light streams through the window the next morning causing you to awaken abruptly, squinting your eyes at the unwelcome brightness. You go to stretch but realize your body is caged in, the weight of Sukuna wrapped around you tightly.

Oh yeah. About last night. You’d been so tired that you hadn’t really processed everything or talked about what happened. He hadn’t brought up anything either though, so maybe you just let it go.

One thing’s for sure though, your bladder is about to burst with the crushing force of his arms locked around your waist so tightly. 

“Let go, I need to pee,” you say sleepily, pushing against him.

He grunts wordlessly but ultimately relaxes his grip on you. A dull ache is present within you as you walk, a stark reminder of the night before. 

Closing the door, you turn and your reflection shocks you. Two marks are visible on your neck, but what is more alarming is when you pull the shirt collar down, your collarbone and upper chest are littered with the evidence of Sukuna’s passionate assault. 

Embarrassment washes over you, it’ll be obvious who they came from given everyone knows you two went on a mission together! You figure at least most of the damage could be hidden, but still. You finish up in the bathroom and return to the bedroom. 

As you approach the bed you can’t help but notice Sukuna looking relaxed and at peace. His often furrowed brow rests in a neutral state and his mouth is parted slightly instead of in his trademark scowl. Normally he’s so intense and aggressive and when he’s not that, he’s sharp tongued and always seeming to want to pick a fight. 

When you two are alone he will joke around and banter with you, abandoning the grouchy demeanor at times. You wonder how he is with the other girls he sleeps with, he always seems rude when you’ve seen them interact around others, maybe he’s nicer in private with them too.

“Stop staring at me and get back in the bed,” he says grumpily, breaking the silence and patting the spot next to him. It startles you given you’d thought he was still asleep. He’s such a keen sorcerer though so he must have sensed you there all along.

“I’m sorry you just look so relaxed for once,” you chuckle as you bury yourself back under the covers, leaving space between you.

“I’m always chill what the fuck are you going on about,” he grumbles, reaching for his phone to turn it back on, quickly stashing it under his pillow.

“You are the opposite of chill,” you joke back.

He huffs in response staring at the ceiling, “I have a lot going on at all times. It’s hard to relax.”

Was he hinting at something more? He’s very secretive so it’s possible. You feel bad egging him on now, “it’s ok I didn’t mean anything bad by it, it was just a joke.”

Sukuna rolls back closer to you, adjusting you both so he’s on his back with his arm around you pulling you to rest your head on his chest. His heavy eyes look down at you, “it’s fine, it’s just nice being around you, someone with no expectations. I can just…be.”

You barely hear him, more focused on the fact that you were drowning in nerves all of a sudden laying on him in what you considered to be an intimate way. Cuddling, you were cuddling Sukuna, someone you didn’t think had a bone in his body that was interested in such things. Then again, he had held you all night long, so maybe he’s a cuddler at heart.

You turn your attention back to his comment from moments ago, having no idea what he means by that, but you don’t press it. “Well I hope I can continue to be that place for you. To be fair, I had zero expectations for you or our partnership, I literally came here knowing nothing,” you laugh.

He smirks in response, “true, you really were useless when we first started this. But you did well yesterday. Hopefully as we continue missions you’ll get more and more confident.”

His phone vibrates under his pillow but he ignores it, opting to keep his arms wrapped around you, resting the side of his head against yours.

As you lay with him, your nervousness dissolves, replaced with contentment. You become more aware of your senses again. He smells good, a mix of his natural scent and the soap from last night. His sturdy chest supports you where your head and arm rests while he rubs his fingertips absentmindedly along your shoulder, aiding in soothing you.

You feel your eyes getting heavy when his phone vibrates again. Annoyance washes over you, feeling like this moment is slipping away. 

Sukuna sighs with irritation, releasing you so he can fish his phone out. 

You sneak a peek at his screen, messages from Dad, Kiko, Toji, and Yorozu. Mr popular. You decide to retrieve your own phone and see messages from Shoko and your dad.

Shoko: so how was your first mission??

You: it was good, scary though, curses are super creepy. I was able to take some out though

Shoko: yeah I feel that. I was terrified the first time I saw them. How was spending 24 hours with Sukuna?

Damn you had really spent a whole day and night together. Oddly enough, you didn’t have a strong desire to be separated from him right now. 

You: he’s been fine. He obliterated the “strong curse” in like one second though. Wild.

Shoko: well he claims to be the strongest all the time so I’d hope he could handle himself. 

You: something did happen. You can’t say anything to anyone. 

Shoko: oh? What do you mean??

You: we hooked up 

Shoko: huh? Who?

You: sukuna and I 

Shoko: WHAT?? no shot

You: yes

Shoko: explain!! 

Shoko: is he huge?

You: STOP! I’ll tell you more when I get back hahaha

You lock your phone and put it under your pillow. “We should get ready to go.” 

Sukuna is texting next to you, “Ok I’ll get up after I finish this.”

“Who are you texting?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“So mysterious,” you joke.

“Yeah yeah that’s one way to put it.”

He locks his phone and stands up. You just can’t not stare at him, his rugged body on full display in his tight boxers. He stretches gracefully, his muscles rippling under his tattoos, the same muscles your hands were exploring last night. You are so weak for his body and you’d never be able to deny it.

He holds his hand out to you as an invitation to pull you up from the bed. Lacing your hand in his, you let him, but just as you go to put your foot on the ground, he lets go, causing you to fall backwards. He snorts with laughter as you pout at his antics.

“Really Sukuna?” you cross your arms and glare at him. It was kinda cute though, seeing him joke around and have fun. Better than his violent side.

“You’ve got something there,” he smirks as he points at your neck.

“Yeah wonder where that came from,” you roll your eyes. “I don’t see that on any of your other girls, doing me dirty I see.”

He shrugs wordlessly in response, giving you a boyish grin as he pulls you up for real this time. “I like it. Guess I just got a little carried away.” He leans down to plant a chaste kiss on your cheek as you roll your eyes again. He leans over to lace up his shoes.

“Is this going to be weird now?” you blurt out.

“Why would it be weird?” Sukuna looks up at you curiously, amusement in his eyes.

“Ummm, because we hooked up last night?” you state the obvious. Is he being deliberately obtuse? Probably, he seems to take pleasure in making you uncomfortable.

“Yeah and?” he looks at you expectantly with a smirk as he stands up straight again.

You clam up, unsure of what to say as he now towers over you. 

“Brat, you are far from my first. I won’t make it weird, if you make it weird that’s on you,” he chuckles as he continues, trying to tidy up his messy hair. 

You stare back at him, his non-answers are irritating sometimes, now being one of those times.

“Look, if you’re concerned about me somehow tarnishing your reputation, I’m not going to do that. You’re someone I like being around and I’m not interested in making you look bad.” He looks down at you with a hint of softness you’ve not seen from him yet. 

The weight of concern washes off your shoulders as you breathe a sigh of relief. 

“Thank you.” 

Sukuna nods wordlessly in response.

“Let me know when your stuff is packed up and I’ll come carry it to the car.”

“Oh your shirt, here I can change real quick,” you start to move towards the bathroom.

“Keep it,” he responds, making his way towards the door. “See you in a bit.” 

As he shuts the door, you pull the collar of his shirt to your nose and inhale, the scent of him sending a tingle through your body, more evidence of your intimate night together. 

You didn’t sense any negativity or bad intentions from Sukuna. If anything he seemed very unbothered about it all and business as usual. He’s probably done this so many times that he isn’t even phased anymore. Just another notch in his belt. 

You quickly change and pull your bags together. You were going to just carry your own stuff, you don’t need his help. 

Making your way down the hall, you drop your key off at reception. You turn around and find Sukuna behind you with his arms crossed, staring at your bag. 

“I can carry my stuff Sukuna,” you huff at him.

“Give me the damn bag brat,” he jerks the bag away from you anyways, you were no match for his strength and didn’t feel like fighting over luggage.

The ride back is uneventful save for taking turns showing each other funny tiktoks. Shoko had called dibs on having dinner with you but you made it clear you couldn’t stay out late so you could hit the books to make up for being out for two days. Thankfully teachers were very forgiving when students needed to go on missions, but you still didn’t want to get behind.

Sukuna doesn’t relinquish control of your bag until he’s walked it back to your room. 

“Thanks for carrying that I guess?” you joke because you hadn’t asked for this in the first place.

“Of course anything for my dear partner,” he says in a mocking voice, seeming to be trying to imitate your voice.

“Ok I think we have exceeded the maximum amount of time we can spend together,” you slap his bicep, eliciting a snicker from him.

“I have another mission tomorrow so don’t worry you’ll be free of me for a little while,” he responds in a smug tone.

“Oh wow, back to back missions.”

“Yours wasn’t exactly challenging, more akin to a walk in the park. A warm up for tomorrow”

You shrug in response and Sukuna finally bids you farewell for the evening. Thank god because pangs of hunger rip through your stomach, so you rush to Shoko’s room to drag her to the dining hall. You both take a seat at a table in the corner against the wall so you can tell her about your mission and post mission extracurriculars away from prying classmates. As you tell her about last night, you constantly bark at her to tone down her animated responses, but in the end you both end up in a fit of laughter. 

After filling her in, you pull your hoodie down slightly to reveal the marks on your neck, proof of your story.

“Well I’m happy for you, might as well use him for what he’s worth,” she says as she plays with a toothpick. “As long as you liked it and you wanted to partake, who am I to judge you hooking up with a hot guy. You don’t like him more than that do you?”

You scoop out some ice cream from the cup you grabbed for dessert. There certainly was attraction there, but he was an emotionally unavailable person in your eyes, and didn’t seem like the relationship type. Not a good idea to let feelings lead you down that road.

“Nah, not really. I see him as a close friend. I’m sure he’ll be off having sex with someone else tonight since he didn’t get that far with me.”

Shoko snorts in response. “His girls no doubt would freak if they found out he hooked up with you.”

“Oh I’m sure, I really don’t want to get dragged into that though so hopefully he just shuts his mouth.” 

“He’s coming over here,” Shoko whisper-warns and you look up to see Toji and Sukuna next to you. They are both so tall, towering over you both. 

“So how was the first mission?” Toji asks in a deep voice. You’d never really talked to him before so you were a little caught off guard.

“Pretty good, I did actually exorcise some curses after freaking out the first 10 minutes or so,” you respond, causing everyone to laugh in response. “Thank god he was there or I’d have been in trouble at first,” you nod in Sukuna’s direction.

“Would have been tragic to meet your end by the hands of ungraded curses,” Sukuna quips. 

“Next one will be easier,” Toji grins. “She’s a stone cold killer now, but in the beginning she was a royal spaz,” he points at Shoko.

“Oh shut up,” Shoko smacks him in the arm. “I’ll think twice next time I need to heal your ass.” 

Sukuna lingers next to you while the other two banter back and forth.

“How are you feeling? From the curses’ energy?” he says quietly, squatting down so his bright red eyes were level with yours.

“Actually I feel totally fine. Felt it going away last night and then when I woke up I felt like nothing ever happened,” you recall. “Why?”

“Just curious,” he clicks his tongue. 

He leans in closer to you. “I hope you didn’t wake up feeling like nothing happened last night,” he utters with a low voice, his breath hot in your ear.

You feel the flush on your face erupt with embarrassment as he stands back up. Him and Toji dismiss themselves and you immediately see Kiko and her friends beeline it to Sukuna and Tojis table. 

“What’s your deal?” Shoko turns back to you.

“Nothing! He just said something really suggestive,” you force out.

“Give it to me straight, is his dick game that good to have these girls throwing themselves at him? And making you blush like this?” Shoko giggles.

You burst out laughing, lightening the mood, “I mean I didn’t experience his dick game technically, so I can’t comment on that. But, he definitely seems like he knows what he’s doing in other ways.” 

“Hmph,” she hums in response. “Do you think you would do it if he offered?”

You’d pondered this often since yesterday, of course you’d wanted to have sex before. In fact your body was screaming for it when he’d given you your first orgasm. You were intimidated though, and it needed to be with someone you trusted, and you just didn’t know if you trusted him enough to be caring and gentle for something like that. 

“Probably not,” you shrug simply. 

You both finish eating and you retreat back to your room to begin to tackle the work you missed. It’s late into the night when you finally get into bed, pulling your phone out to wind down with some mindless scrolling.

Before you put your phone on the nightstand, you send a text to Sukuna.

You: good luck on your mission tomorrow! Stay safe and see you when you get back. 

You lock your phone and go to put it down when you see he responds almost instantly.

Sukuna: yeah it’ll be more interesting now that I’m not babysitting your ass

You: Dude it’s 2AM, calm the pissiness

Sukuna: Dude it’s 2AM. There’s very few reasons why people send texts at that time

You blush at his words, feeling a faint shiver from your throat down to your groin as you know what he’s alluding to. You decide to get bold and flirt back, safe behind the keyboard after all.

You: oh yeah? And what might that be?

Sukuna: I think you know

You don’t respond for a moment, losing your nerve at how this was progressing, nervously trying to decide what to say back. The hole you were digging yourself into was slowly becoming too deep to get out of. Suddenly you look down to see him typing again.

Sukuna: I can show you if you are confused

Fuck. Your underwear sticking to you is evidence of biology betraying you, wet already just at the thought. Why why why did it have to be so enjoyable with him? 

You almost wished he had been an asshole about it all, at least then it would be easier to refuse and you wouldn’t be having this debate. But the devil was already in your bloodstream, coursing throughout your body since last night.

It’s so late, but it would be a few days until you saw him again, so you could avoid any awkward exchanges. The more you rationalize, the more you are leaning yes. 

If you do, things wouldn’t be the same. One time is an accident, two times is a choice. As if you were dangling a piece of meat over the tank of a piranha, your fingers hover the send button.

You: my door’s unlocked

<< Chapter 6 | Chapter 8 >>

Masterlist

[holyrunawaychild]

Wolf King Character Details I love (part 5)

All gifs featured were created by @soranatus

Will contain Book Spoilers, Read at your own Risk

If you read the books you probably love him. If you’re Wolf King only, you probably hate him — trust us he gets better.

Trent Ferran, Brother of the Wolf.

So, the first thing book readers noticed with Trent, and what non-book readers likely heard, is that he isn't blonde.

Throughout the books he is referenced to having a blonde mop of hair. Wolf King opts to give him Mack's brown hair. I wonder if this is due to Tilly's changed ethnicity.

In Wolf King, Tilly is noticeably indigenous coded (I will go into that more thoroughly with Queen Amelie). Giving Trent a darker hair color likely fit better with his new mixed ancestry.

And while one could imagine book Trent inherited book Tilly's blonde hair, if he inherited show Tilly's black hair, he would be too close to resembling Drew. While the brothers do have a passing resemblance, for readability sake they need enough distinguishing features to be readily identified.

Trent has a noticeably, if only by a little, bigger physique than Drew. His variation on Cold Coast attire even accentuates his arms by going sleeveless., and overall being lighter than most anyone in Motley.

Considering later in the series he's able to keep up with Werelords in a fight, it's a smart choice to make his character design express his athleticism. One of the first scenes of the series has him and Drew race to their homestead for supper.

Trent handily beats Drew without breaking a sweat (in comparison, Drew seems to get a stitch). Even with Drew having a good head start on him after chucking a sack of feed at him.

They want you to know he's physically capable.

Appearance aside, Trent's story has been changed fairly drastically for the show.

For Wolf King only fans, after Drew flees the Ferran homestead, Trent doesn't appear again in Rise of the Wolf. He doesn't appear again until the very end of Rage of Lions (book 2). When he joins the lionguard to hunt Drew.

But in the show he's already a trooper when him and Drew meet again in Highcliff in the show. What gives?

A big piece of behind the scenes context I think will explain this.

Wereworld was originally meant to be a two book series. Rise of the Wolf was written with that in mind, while it seems Jobling getting a deal to make it a six book saga happened partway through Rage of Lions.

I think in the original two book saga that RotW was written for, Trent simply wasn't intended to be a major character. That changed when the series was reworked to be six books. Hence his sudden appearance at the end of RoL, only for him to get fast tracked for going turncoat in SotH (Shadow of the Hawk).

So, with the ability to know what's to come, Wolf King keeps Trent relevant for the entire season. Having him join the Lions a whole season early and even being the one Leopold sends to Bast to get aid from the Catlords.

This already sets up his eventual face turn in SotH, as he'll likely be racked with guilt over what the Catlords do to the Longstridings after they arrive. He would be the one that brought them there.

And this line right here.

Once again, thank you @soranatus for this gif.

"I'm his brother"

Even in the scene after Drew seemingly kills their mother and Trent himself having his world shattered. Questioning everything he knew about his family. Even after all of that, he still calls himself Drew's brother. Before somberly 'correcting' himself.

This instinctual reflex is exactly what Baron Ewan will call Trent out on in SotH that ultimately makes Trent abandon the Catlords.

Trent is one of four characters (I believe) that appear in every book. Alongside Drew, Hector and Lucas.

And much like Hector and Lucas, Wolf King is intentionally setting up Trent's character arc in a way that couldn't have been done when RotW was originally published.

Nest of Serpents can't come soon enough.

I need to see these two together.

[stonegearstudios]

Game Progress and Life Update

Well, my players have actually made it into the mega-dungeon that the whole game is based around, so that's good

-It started with them entering a dark and silent hall from a breach in the wall, after over half an hour of very claustrophobic caving -The area seemed to be a long abandoned market, with prebuilt stalls... and also some hungry Vurmoles prowling the area. -Along the back wall was a strange art piece, a massive carving that seemed to lionize a sun headed figure

-Moving further in they discovered several mysteries. A odd geometric sculpture, a grotesque face of a sun made of bronze and set into a wall, a elevator shaft(?) that vanished into the darkness -To the west was only a immovable vault like door, so they went east. Out of the darkness loomed a defaced statue of a sun headed man, surrounded by lumpy piles of rags... till some began moving. -While frail, the not quite human lurkers in darkness were still a danger with their stone sickles, and beyond them was another locked door. -After more than a few throws of the grappling hook, they managed to squeeze through the guard windows above the gate and open them from within -Beyond was a more lively, and dangerous place. Two more of the strange people sparing, a fish faced master of a decaying armoury, a warehouse with a operating lift, and a great bronze gate with no handles

Exploring the first floor is going faster than I thought, but the dungeon has yet to come to life to.

On to life stuff

January was shit!

Was sick all month essentially, only found out with what partway through, walking pneumonia, so I got basically nothing done on the personal work side. On the Ruins of Giants has languished all the while.

Applied to several jobs and got an interview, the first one all search! And then a week later I got told no thanks. So again, zero progress.

February is soon and this is looking a lot like last year, but we must endure and keep moving. Hopefully back to working on personal stuff.

[vvivacious101]

Abandon 'Ships

I wanted to make a post that led me to rewatch parts of season 7 and partway through, I decided to just rewatch the entire season. So, here I am rewatching 7x01 and I can't keep my commentary to myself. So, let's go.

First of all, I want to direct your attention to the name of this episode - Abandon 'Ships. Yes, it is actually written like that. Basically, "'Ships" is serving two purposes. Firstly and most obviously, it is about the cruise ship disaster headlining this season. Secondly, 'Ships = Relationships.

This entire episode is about relationships so they are not being subtle in the least but it was only on this rewatch that I noticed that that apostrophe even existed.

Abe & Edna - A couple of 35 years who could not hate each other more.

Buck & Natalia - Broken up.

Eddie & Marisol - Somehow still together but given the hints this episode is doling out, not for long. Also, they do break up at the end of this season.

Maddie & Chimney - Shaken but still going strong.

Athena & Bobby - Athena thinks that Bobby & she can't survive without the chaos that is inherent to their lives and surprisingly, this episode, or any future episode aired as on date, doesn't do anything to absolve her of the notion.

Lola & Norman - Lola & Norman and their relationship are going through the wringer in this three-part premiere. In fact, the episode titles are a really good indicator of what is going on in their relationship. This episode was all about abandonment, Norman being forced to abandon Lola as she gets kidnapped but it is also an instruction to Norman to abandon his relationship with Lola because as we will learn in subsequent episodes she is cheating on him.

Christopher & Penny - Definitely getting broken up!

I need to talk about Buck & Eddie in this episode. [But, before I do I need to give out a special shoutout to Maddie, Eddie & Buck all getting increasingly panicked and adamant as they concur, that he infact said red. That was a good moment.]

Anyhow, so Buck & Eddie are putting out a car on fire and as they do, they discuss Christopher's date and this happens -

Eddie: Well, it wasn't too much different than when he hangs out with one of his guy friends, to be honest.

Buck: Except only in one case is there underlying sexual tension.

This episode is really coming for Eddie's sexuality. I like how Eddie thinks it's no different (hanging out with boys as compared to girls) but Buck says there is only underlying sexual tension in one case but which one...?

Buck: Christopher is a player.

Eddie: I don't know where he gets it from. Not from me.

What is the implication here exactly? If it isn't obvious Eddie is going to clarify in a minute. Basically, Eddie has no idea where Christopher gets his player tendencies from and then requests Buck to talk to Christopher about said tendencies considering he was also a player. This is an insane assertion to make!

Christopher is Shannon and Eddie's son, he isn't getting characteristics from anyone else but the implication is that there must be someone influencing Christopher's upbringing enough to impact him. The only person that fills this bill who also was a bit of a player is Buck. Eddie is literally implying that Buck is where Chris gets it from and then he makes him fix it.

Buck actually does talk to Christopher about it and I loved how much thought he seems to have put into how to approach this conversation. But, unfortunately, Buck & Christopher's relationship seems a little strained this season, I feel most of it is because Chris is a teenager now and sullenness is a teenage rite of passage. So, that could be one reason but I kind of miss how these two used be.

Anyhow, back to the car scene.

Eddie: I married the first girl I dated.

Buck: Think you might mean slept with.

The implications make me insane. I have postulated that Eddie has never fallen in love because he certainly didn't love Ana or Marisol for that matter but it's harder to say the same for Shannon. Mostly, because if for nothing else he did love her for being Christopher's mother. There is a scene in season 2 where Shannon asks Eddie what he thinks about their relationship besides her being Christopher's mother and he doesn't give her a satisfactory answer which leads him to propose that they reconcile fully and for her to say that she thinks they should get a divorce which basically encompasses their relationship in a nutshell. Chris is literally the only reason this relationship has lasted as long as it has. Eddie got Shannon pregnant that's why they are here, love has nothing to do with it. There is this great Reddit post about Eddie not being queer coding but rather queer screaming and I quite agree.

Heading into season 7 after finishing season 6 was an insane experience because literally season 6A backtracked Buck & Eddie's relationship to the point that it took the entirety of 6B to get them to where they were when season 6 started but season 7 was open throttle on Buddie. It was refreshing.

Man whose car was on fire: Is it a total loss? Or is it...

Buck: Uh... Not Total.

As Buck points out all these failed relationships are not a total loss because they are all teaching you something and in Eddie's case it's high time.

Buck: You know, I don't think I have ever seen a man turn a woman off with such skill.

Eddie: It's a gift.

It surely is.

This is one of the weirdest things about Eddie, forget the fact that he is played by Ryan Guzman who looks like that and let's focus on the fact that this show has gone out of its way since Eddie's introduction to focus on how hot this guy is - to the point that Hen even agrees despite being a lesbian. He is hit on constantly. Pray tell then, why the hell is he so good at turning women off?

[aprillikesthings]

hello, and welcome to a catradora rec list

These fics all have three things in common (besides being catradora):

They're all canon-divergent/canon-verse

Catra and Adora have their first kiss at some point before the Heart

There's angst

Past that they all vary a great deal in length, rating, etc.

You will notice some other themes in common. I know what I like. (If you know of fics that are similar to these, drop a link in a reblog or reply!)

These two specifically include "They kissed in the Horde, and Shadow Weaver erased Adora's memory of it"

carry our bodies safe to shore by themoonsneverseenmebefore rated T, 9507 words

This one killed me.

They only get caught kissing the once, but Shadow Weaver makes damn sure Catra will never tell Adora what happened. Years later, Adora is going through old Horde files and finds a confusing incident report, and Catra reacts to it really oddly--

I really like the way the story is structured. It jumps around in time a bit, including quite a bit post-canon, but it's just really well-done. Also starring Glimmer as a supportive friend to Catra, which I really liked.

Give Up the Throne by n7punk Three of the fics in the series are T but there's an unrated fic at the end that would be mature or explicit, 67,162 words total across four fics

Yeah I know this series is technically unfinished/on hiatus but tbh I really enjoyed it anyway. It's a "Princess of the Horde" AU, aka Adora brings the sword back to the Horde instead of going to Bright Moon.

The kissing isn't the emphasis of the plot until that last fic in the series, but even in the first fic, you find out they've kissed multiple times, and Shadow Weaver erased Adora's memory of it every time she found out. The problem is, Shadow Weaver didn't erase Catra herself from Adora's mind, and so Adora kept doing it, and Catra is incapable of turning her down, even knowing the inevitable result.

AND NOW for one of my fave categories of fics ever: "they were totally having angsty, guilt-ridden hookups during the war," aka "enemies with benefits," because let's be honest, my number one thing in fics is "we absolutely should not be doing this....but we're gonna."

My Name on Her Lips by n7punk (lol yes another one) rated M, 17,924 words

This fic is mostly about "What if She-Ra's identity was a secret" (inspired by the 1980's cartoon), but the problem is that Catra knows that She-Ra is Adora--and worse, that Adora is a former Horde officer.

Also, Catra and Adora have been getting it on since before Adora found the sword....and they don't stop just because they're on opposite sides.

And you know how sometimes a line from a fic will gut-punch you and it'll just go around and around in your head for several days? Yeah. "An entire war and its casualties are between them but Adora still falls into Catra’s arms like it is nothing." ;_;

Anyway the plot otherwise is pretty much canon-compliant and covers events up to the end of the show and a little after.

Don't ask me how many times I've reread parts of this one oh my god.

falling feels like flying (till the bone crush) by ehj rated E, 72,316 words

Mmmmostly follows the plot of the show, except, y'know, they're banging the whole time--well, not the whole time. They hook up for the first time partway through the events of Promise, right there in the Crystal Castle.

The fic was abandoned right after it wildly diverged from canon around the end of s3/beginning of s4. Alas!!! (Still worth reading, imho.)

Author does have the fic marked as a series--there's a couple of explicit scenes in the series that didn't work with the main plot/threw off the pacing. They're both short.

Somewhat chronological Catradora one-shots (Post S1) by teaandsmut rated E, 14,439 words across four fics

Let me admit my bias here: the author is a friend and I read at least one of these before I even watched the damn show lol. The fics themselves can each be read as a one-shot if you want.

The first one takes place during Promise (they relive a memory of almost doing something from only weeks before--and once they're out of the memory, they keep going.) The second one has Catra sneaking into Adora's room in Bright Moon. The third one has them chasing each other into the woods when they're supposed to be fighting--this one has voyeurism and Catra's mean. If those are things you're into. (I am.) The fourth one, Adora sneaks into the Fright Zone. This one's probably my fave in the series--they do a little light bondage (and Catra's a brat, at least at first) but it ends on a sweeter note.

(Author has also written some glitra if that's a ship you like!)

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for how i played DnD?

I will try to keep this short but give enough info. At the time of the incident this past year, I was 19. I had made a few friends at uni. Someone brought up Dungeons and Dragons and as a group we decided to try it. There were 5 people playing as characters, including me, and one Dungeon Master (DM). The DM is 24, and the other people ranged 19-22.

Maybe it is just who I played with before, but it had always been stressed to me to do actions my character would do. Follow the actions the character would follow. For example, I played in a campaign with someone who in real life is the sweetest, kindest person, but their character was very mean and vengeful. It was fun! They would want to heal someone, but knew it was out of character so decided to NOT do that, and it was realistic for the campaign.

THAT is how I was taught. That is how I've always played. So it comes time for the first session with the uni group. It was a one-shot to learn how to play for the two people who hadn't played before. It was stated that this was solely to learn mechanics, the characters we were would not be used for the actual campaign. Cool!

Well, in this one-shot I had a character who was very self centered. The type to put themselves over the health of the rest of the group. I had never played that before and wanted to try it. It came to a fight and I was wounded and so was another player. This player hadn't played before and chose to run away and abandon the group. I chose to do the same thing because it was in Character. However, I happened to have the one item that could have stopped the cult from taking over and essentially starting the apocalypse. Thus, because I ran, it doomed everyone else.

It didn't seem anyone minded at the time, it was to learn after all. The DM mentioned then that it is a shitty move to choose to run, and you should fight regardless of if you die. I thought that was a stupid thought, why fight a losing battle, but whatever.

We ran through our first campaign that was over a month long. We all died but had a lot of fun. I then turned 20 and had a flare up (I have a chronic illness), I told them they could do a campaign and I would join in once better. The DM didn't want that because I would be joining partway and ruin the integrity. So they decided to postpone.

I got better, all good. I was sick and hospitalized for a week, then a week after I recovered. So it was 2 weeks. We met weekly, so it was only 2 weeks that we were out. Prior to this time we all met on Mondays, but after this i would have to go to therapy on Mondays so DM decided to switch the days to Thursdays which everyone could also do.

We started a new campaign and me and another player decided our characters would be intertwined. They played a character who had been royal and after the usurpation of their throne, they were on the run. I played the loyal knight who would defend them til my death. We made it VERY evident that I would protect them til my death, with no hesitation, and would defend them from any action that could cause them harm.

A fight broke out in our party and the hothead started coming after the exroyal. In character, I put myself in between the two and verbally told them to stop or else I would make them stop. Hothead character escalated and pushed mine and then threw something at the exroyal. Of course, irl we all were laughing and having fun, except the DM. The DM was trying to get everyone back on course.

Now, I could have decided to ignore this and go towards the obvious direction the DM was trying to steer us. But my character would NEVER have let a slight like that occur. So I didnt. My goal was to simply slash at the hothead, but got a nat 20. The DM CHOSE that I killed the hothead. That isnt what I wanted but I went with it and had the great one line of "take this as a warning for the rest of you".

The person who played the hothead was dying of laughter and didn't seem upset, they had a second character ready. Well, at the end of the session the DM asked me to stay behind. They told me that I was a terrible player and that every session thus far, I played the character instead of doing things that would help the newbies. I was also apparently annoying and "you shouldn't turn against those in your party". I told the DM I'm sorry they felt that way, but in my mind it wasn't intentional to kill the dude I simply wanted to like give him a warning. The DM said I was teaching the others bad morale and cooperation, and brought up me running during the oneshot and how I doomed everyone else and it was shitty. I felt bad apologized and said I would think about what they said and then thanked them (that's the customer service representative in me lol).

Well the next week was the week prior to our break. I asked what time we were meeting and was told we weren't meeting this week by the DM. Okay that works. Well, turns out they DID meet. I found out after exroyal messaged me and asked if I felt better and what they can do for me. Apparently, DM told everyone I was having a flare up, when I wasnt. I am not a confrontational person, but I texted DM saying I didn't appreciate that they lied and DM replied saying that it was my fault for playing DND the way I did.

As a few of them messaged me individually, so I texted all the members individually and told them I was not sick and stated that DM had told me there wasn't a session.

Well, we decided to meet at my place and not tell DM. We didn't play DND but a board game. DM found out and started calling me an asshole and how they've been accommodating for me with my illness and the sessions, which they have. DM says they made one mistake and am punishing them for it. I have a lot of anxiety and do feel bad now... AITA?

What are these acronyms?