#i think there's also something to be said about the positioning

[fae-of-prey]

STOP I’M ACTUALLY SO OBSESSED WITH EVERY PART OF THIS!!!

i think this actually might be the first i’ve read of sensitive reader but i love her sm the way she’s kinda the giggly sunshine to rafe’s grumpy dad energy (also the way i react the exact same way as her whenever anyone does something nice for me + my cuteness aggression comes out as “this is so cute wtf” energy😭)

“you deserve the fuckin’ world, it was nothin’ alright?” UGHHH MY HEARTTT ໒꒰ྀི >⸝⸝⸝< ꒱ྀི১

i literally squealed at the locket with his initials on it though bc ik that a really popular headcanon is that rafe gets his girl an R pendant necklace but i’ve always preferred to headcanon a locket with his name on it instead like i’ve literally always said thattt 🙂‍↕️ it’s so damn cute here too w the way he’s so begrudgingly sentimental about it ugh<3

“think you need me to fuck a baby in you, s’that it? wanna make me a real daddy?” “i know, sweetheart. don’t want anyone but you carryin’ m’kids — think about knockin’ you up so fuckin’ often, you know?” every word of this actually has me truly so genuinely fucking sick, feral, & clawing at the walls i can’t even comprehend it

+ i love the little detail that he tracks her menstrual cycles bc that’s also another thing i often headcanon bc it’s soo casual dominance core + kinda has potential for controlling bf energy &/or dubcon 😵‍💫

“know you’d be such a good mom” “i think you’d be the best dad, sometimes wish you were my dad” “shit, such an angel face ‘n then there’s this rotten mind inside, huh?” as if he doesn’t get even harder in response to her words — something raw, primitive stirring in the pit of his stomach whenever she says things like that. i talked about this in your ask box but this is exactly what i love sm about fauxcest like the aspect of ‘my bio dad sucks so my boyfriend is my positive father figure’ you literally explore so mf well with the way he also loves being your father figure just ughhh<333 something raw, primitive stirring in the pit of my stomach is literally how my attraction to rafe feels😞

“hm? want it inside? wha’s the magic word?” “please. dad, it hurts” “hurts? think you bein’ a little dramatic, no?” “shh, s’okay. dad’s bein’ mean again, isn’t he? m’sorry, baby, i’ll give you what you want, yeah?” “yeah? that what you wanted? always such a tight fuckin’ fit, huh?” so are my ovaries just a joke to you???

i forgot how much i absolutely adore your writing (the narration is so poetic + your dialogue is literally unmatched) + how i’ve missed it on my obx break but i remain obsessed 😵‍💫

older!rafe and sensitive!reader spending the holidays together

18+ mdni! 

c/w: fluff, her ovulating and being horny, smut: p-in-v, slight breeding kink, use of dad

wc: 1.5k

ugh i’ve missed this man

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“Why is he doin’ that shit?”  

“Rafe, it’s a rom-com,” she reasons, practically glued to him on their couch with the way she keeps shifting closer and closer, almost unconsciously at this point.   

“Yeah, a shitty one. Why was it necessary to do a whole fuckin’ speech at the mall? He couldn’t jus’ I dunno, tell her how he felt?” he scoffs, clearly fed up with the entire film already. 

She can’t stop the bubbly laughter from escaping her when she looks over to his scowling face. “I mean, this is actually getting kinda weird…why’s everyone watching them?” 

“Yeah, ‘n why are they still on that fuckin’ stage?” he grumbles while the couple is now fully making out on the TV screen. 

“Please don’t ever do anything like that to me.”

“Yeah, was actually gonna ask, you, uh, you wanna go shoppin’ tomorrow?” 

“No!” she giggles before taking a sip of the hot chocolate she’d made for herself (because Rafe deliberately told her he didn’t want any) but the minute she’d sat down with the mug in hand, he’d wanted to try it, which ended up with him drinking nearly half of it.  

“Oh shit, forgot to give you this earlier, look what I got you today,” he suddenly murmurs. 

“Hm?” her eyes flit over to his face; momentarily distracted by his pretty features as he searches for something from the back pocket of his pants. Then, he’s pulling a golden necklace from a velvety box.    

“That looks really expensive,” she nervously mumbles, pausing the TV in order to concentrate on the heart-shaped locket he’s holding out to her.   

“You deserve the fuckin’ world, it was nothin’ alright? Can think of it as an early Christmas present if it makes you feel better,” he rolls his eyes, almost exasperated that she still can’t seem to comprehend the fact that he enjoys spending his money on her.    

“It’s so beautiful,” she croons as she inspects the piece of jewelry with careful fingertips, heart swelling in her chest at the sentiment— recalling how she’d mentioned something about thinking pendants like these were adorable maybe once.    

“Yeah? You like it?”    

“I love it. Wait, you had your initials carved into it too? That’s so cute, Ray, what the hell?” she feels her eyes grow watery because her boyfriend really is her favorite person in the whole wide world for a reason.    

“Yeah, know you’re into sappy shit like that, ‘n you can put m’picture inside too ‘n you’ll always have me with you or whatever the fuck.”    

“Shut up, you’re so sweet! I love you,” she exclaims before she’s wrapping her arms around his neck— climbing into his lap in the process while he murmurs into her hair how he apparently ‘loves her more’, which she thinks is not possible.    

“Let me put it on you?” he says before he’s swiping away some strands in order to clasp the locket around her neck. “Look so pretty with m’name on you.”

“Wait, you should have my name on you too,” she jokingly utters out next.  

“Been thinkin’ about gettin’ it tattooed actually,” he admits, completely serious, which makes her face scrunch up.  

“You’re not getting my name tattooed on you— you’re crazy,” she softly hits his chest. However, he can barely even feel it because she really doesn’t have a single violent bone in her body.   

“Yeah, crazy ‘bout you,” he grins, eliciting an airy giggle from her.    

Knowing she’s about to complain about him being weird again, he shuts her up with a press of his mouth against hers— a surprised noise leaving her when she’s momentarily taken aback by the sudden cushion of his lips. 

And it’s sloppy, the way they slot together like puzzle pieces when she opens up for him, but both of them prefer it that way. 

His kiss was meant to be something sweet but soon enough she’s rutting against him— whimpering into his mouth as if it’s been years since the last time they did this. And all too soon for her liking, he’s pulling away.

“Somethin’ you want?”  

“…no,” she lies through her teeth.    

“No? Jus’ uh, humpin’ me like a bitch in heat for no reason then, hm?” he raises his brows; eyes fixed on her frustrated features.    

“Ray...” she huffs out; a frown already forming on her spit-slicked lips.    

“Yeah?” he asks, giving her a soft peck as encouragement.    

“Want you…” she pants against his mouth.    

“But m’right here?” the furrow of his brows displays faux confusion.  

“You know what I mean,” she whines; shifting around in his lap some more.    

“M’afraid I don’t. If there’s somethin’ you want, you gonna have to tell me,” the edge of his mouth curls annoyingly when he decides to toy with her, always finding so much entertainment from her struggle.     

However, she merely grants him another whine.   

“Wha’s up with you today, hm? So fuckin’ needy, actin’ like you haven’t been fucked in a month when you were literally cryin’ on m’cock last night?” he murmurs while thumbing at her pouty bottom lip.   

“I don’t know…jus’ need you so bad,” her eyes begin to gloss over when he’s still not giving her what she so desperately craves.    

“Baby, there’s no need to cry, yeah?” he sticks his thumb past her lips; an attempt to placate her, even if he thinks she never looks prettier than with her eyes all wet and forlorn.   

“You’re ovulatin’ right now, aren’t ya?” his brain finally fits together the very telltale signs as he plucks his phone from the coffee table— opening the app that tracks her period cycle.  

“Think so, yeah,” she mumbles, mindlessly sucking on the digit resting on her tongue as she sniffles.  

It’s no surprise to either of them when his assumption proves to be right.    

“Think you need me to fuck a baby in you, s’that it? Wanna make me a real daddy?” he croons.    

“Mhm…want you,” her words are muffled around his thumb.    

“I know, sweetheart. Don’t want anyone but you carryin’ m’kids— think about knockin’ you up so fuckin’ often, you know?”    

“You do?”    

“Yeah, know you’d be such a good mom.”    

“You think? I think you’d be the best dad, sometimes wish you were my dad,” she rambles mindlessly, the conversation suddenly teetering on the edge of something else entirely.    

“Shit, such an angel face ‘n then there’s this rotten mind inside, huh?” he tuts in disapproval, appearing disgusted as if he doesn’t get even harder in response to her words— something raw, primitive stirring in the pit of his stomach whenever she says things like that.    

“M’sorry dad,” she offers him an impish smile.  

“Someone’s in a mood today?” he chuckles, narrowing his eyes in a playful manner.    

“Can you take off your pants?” she complains while attempting to loosen his belt but with her mind buzzing like a honeybee it’s proving to be a rather demanding.   

“Can’t do anythin’ without dad’s help, can you? Go on, let’s see if you can take me out by yourself, yeah?” he rasps out, tone challenging.    

“No, need your help, daddy, I can’t—”  

“Shit, you’re fuckin’ pathetic,” he murmurs, somehow managing to turn something so patronizing into something affectionate as he swats away her helpless hands and yanks the belt open himself.    

“See? Not that fuckin’ hard, was it?” he mutters out as his thumb slips out of her mouth before he’s pulling himself out. And even if he’s not even fully hard yet, and she’s seen it more times than she can count, she’s still mesmerized by the sight— eyes rounding out while she simply stares as if she’s under some spell.    

“You’re so pretty,” she blinks at him, eyes moony.    

“Still not tired of seein’ it, huh?”   

She shakes her head.   

And since she’s not wearing any pants (as usual), he only has to tug the fabric of her underwear to the side in order to reveal her messy cunt.    

“Ray…” she whines when he merely smears the drippy head over her folds; thudding it against her clit to get her to whimper some more.  

“Hm? Want it inside? Wha’s the magic word?” he looks at her with something amused twinkling in his eyes.   

“Please. Dad, it hurts,” she sniffles, desperately trying to rub against him in an attempt to alleviate the ache.    

“Hurts? Think you bein’ a little dramatic, no?” he lets out a breathy chuckle, making her huff out in frustration.   

“M’not, Ray, please, need you so bad,” wet droplets stain her cheeks while she tries to uselessly blink them away.    

“Shh, s’okay. Dad’s bein’ mean again, isn’t he? M’sorry, baby, I’ll give you what you want, yeah?” his voice is a deep rumble before he’s finally tucking the tip into her weepy cunt, causing both of them to moan in tandem when she practically sucks him in— his fingerprints denting the skin of her thighs when he aids her movements to his liking.   

“Yeah? That what you wanted? Always such a tight fuckin’ fit, huh?” he grunts against her mouth; hips meeting hers halfway as he stuffs himself deeper.  

“Mm, I love you,” she whimpers— practically feeling him in her guts as his cock pokes at the spongy spot inside her while his big hands help situate her on top of him, and she thinks this might just be heaven on earth.

[covenofagatha]

hiiii <33

Could you write something about Agatha being a little insecure about being older than the reader?

Maybe they're at a party and someone the reader's age is going to talk to her and Agatha feels jealous and a little insecure, but pretend not to feel anything?

Then they go home and the reader shows Agatha that she loves her more than anything :)

If it's not too much to ask, the reader could have an obsession with Agatha's breasts and... really like eating her out? (like, a *really* big obsession) (sorry, Mrs Fletcher is on my mind a lot lately)

sorry for the details, lol, this came to me in the middle of the night

and by the way, I love your writing <33 you write very well

and I'm looking forward to the but you are my stepmother update :D

kisseess <3

I may have changed the setting a little bit (I've been watching Succession and was influenced lol) but hopefully you like! Also, Mrs. Fletcher literally changed my life so I completely understand

I combined this one with another request for being obsessed with Agatha’s breasts

Happy New Year to everyone!

Glitter on the floor

When Agatha gets jealous at the company New Year's Eve party, you remind her that she has nothing to worry about

Word count: 4300

Warnings: oral sex, oral fixation, breast fixation, marking

“Do you think anyone would notice if we just leave before the party even starts?” You ask, throwing a stress ball up in the air and catching it without even looking. 

You’re laying on your back on the couch in Agatha’s office and she snorts from her seat at her desk. 

Unlike you, when Agatha said she was going up to her office to quickly read over a contract before the company New Year’s Eve party, she meant it. You had just followed her up here to see if she was willing to get up to any funny business. 

“You don’t think they would notice that the CEO and General Counsel of the company aren’t at the company party?” Agatha asks amusedly, sarcasm dripping from her tone. 

Spellbound Network is a multi-billion dollar news conglomerate that Agatha Harkness is the Chief Executive Officer of. She’s absolutely ruthless and doesn’t hesitate before tearing anybody and everybody down. Nothing will stand in her way of world domination. 

As General Counsel, you’re a little less important, but you know that Agatha is right. The last thing you need is people speculating. 

The two of you have been involved in a more than professional relationship for seven months now. It all started when you offered to stay late to help her finish up with some end-of-quarterly reviews before the deadline and the two of you had ended up going out for drinks when you had finally finished. Agatha had let her hair down and told you just how stressed she was, and you had stupidly told her that you could help her relieve some of that stress. 

She had raised an eyebrow and you had taken it as a challenge. The next thing you knew, she was calling a car and the two of you were making out in the backseat on the way to her penthouse. 

It had grown into a relationship, a relationship that no one else in the office knew about. Things were getting pretty serious, and Agatha had even brought up you moving in with her. 

But you roll your eyes anyway. “It’ll be boring,” you drag out the last word slowly, sitting up to face her. “Wouldn’t you rather go back to your place, or even just stay up here?” You give her an impish grin and a wink. 

It’s a lost cause. Agatha has never let you touch her nor has she touched you in the office. 

She fixes you with a glare. “If you’re not going to behave, you can go downstairs and help set up for the party.” 

You hum in acquiescence and you’re about to resume your position on your back when Agatha leans forward and props herself up on her elbows, pushing her visible cleavage together. 

Your mouth runs dry. She’s wearing a long black dress with a low neckline that puts her breasts — that you may or may not be obsessed with — very much on display. You wouldn’t be surprised if she did it to tease you. 

“Agatha,” you whine, trying to sound pathetic so she’ll take pity on you. You can practically taste her skin with how badly you want her. 

She knows what you’re thinking, as always. “Stop,” she says without even looking up from her desk. “You aren’t going to goad me into touching you. Hasn’t worked any other time, isn’t going to work now.” 

You pout. “What are you talking about? I’ve never tried to.” It’s a bold-faced lie and you both know it. 

“Oh yeah?” She asks, at last looking up at you. “So when you got me that vibrator for the Secret Santa at the Christmas party, ‘not realizing that it was a public gift swap’; that wasn’t an attempt to work me up? Or when you just happen to come in here almost every day and knock over my pens so you have to bend down and shake your ass in my face?” 

You can’t help but chuckle at the reminders of your brazenness. To be fair, you had genuinely thought that the Secret Santa swap would be done in a group but then the gifts would be opened alone. And much to your surprise, you were wrong and when Rio Vidal, the head of Human Resources, had announced that it was time for everyone to open their gifts, you had quickly dragged Agatha upstairs, making some excuse about a phone call about a breaking news story. 

She had been furious at almost having to open your gift in front of the entire staff, and instead of having a very Merry Christmas Eve, courtesy of your generous gift and a well-placed bribe to the person who had actually drawn Agatha in the swap, she hadn’t touched you at all that night. 

But Christmas Day was much better, when she had put you on your knees for almost an hour and you made her cum four times with just your mouth. 

“You’re not letting those go anytime soon, are you?” You mutter. 

She throws a paper clip at you. “Go downstairs and stop bothering me,” she orders, fondness still in her voice. 

You huff a big sigh, one that tells her that just because you’re obeying doesn’t mean you’re happy about it, and walk over to place the paper clip and stress ball back on her desk. You straighten out your own dress, a long maroon one, and lean over to press a chaste kiss to her lips. 

To your surprise, she lets you do it and she even deepens it, flicking her tongue against the entrance to your mouth. When she pulls away, her eyes are dark and you’re about to ask her to reconsider, but she ushers you away with her hand and turns back to the contract. 

There’s not very many people in the lobby where the party is taking place, so you stand alone at a table and accept a glass of champagne from a waitress. It’s only ten pm and you know most of the staff won’t get here until closer to midnight, which would’ve been smart. 

If only Agatha hadn’t insisted that you and her come in for the entire day and get ahead of all the stuff that’s coming up in the new year. She didn’t even let you go back to your apartment once you both had finished, instead letting you shower in her private adjoining bathroom. 

And she wonders why you’re already so bored; you’ve been at the office for fourteen hours. 

Still at least two more to go. 

You take another glass of champagne and set it down next to your already half-empty glass. You’re going to need it once more people start showing up. 

It’s not that you don’t like them, it’s just that…if the building was on fire, you’d only really think or care about saving Agatha. 

“Hey there, General Counsel,” Rio says, slinking up to you. 

You smile. She’s an oddball, but her wry sense of humor sometimes is the only thing that gets you through business trips. Besides Agatha, of course. 

And it’s not exactly a secret that she has a bit of a crush on you. On paper, it would make more sense than you and Agatha. Rio is your age, and for all intents and purposes, doesn’t have any power over you, nor you her. 

But you’re in love with Agatha, and older women have always been more your type anyway. You’re perfectly happy with being friends with Rio, and it seems that Rio is content with your relationship now too. 

“Hey, Rio,” you greet, lifting your glass in a silent toast to her. She lifts up the other one and smoothly downs it in one gulp. 

And then the elevator dings and Agatha steps out and you forget all about Rio and everyone else. Your eyes follow her as she glides through the lobby, not even looking at you once, and she picks up a plate of caviar while the Chief Financial Officer, Jimmy, goes to talk to her. 

Rio taps her fingers to the rim of the empty glass. “So, I heard Harkness is thinking about acquiring Hex Industries for better tech.” 

“Water cooler gossip,” you say dismissively, not wanting to talk anymore business for the day. You’ve done enough with that with Agatha. And then you lower your voice conspiratorially. “But I did hear that Jimmy got divorced again?” 

It sends Rio into a fit of giggles and the two of you swap the details you’ve heard from various people and try to piece together what really happened. It does make the party go by faster and before you know it, there’s only about an hour before midnight. 

You cannot wait to go home with Agatha and forget all about work and this party and just focus on her. Ever since she changed into the dress she’s wearing tonight, you haven’t been able to focus with how delicious her breasts look in it. 

Some might call it an oral fixation, some might call it mommy issues, but there’s no denying how much you love to suck on her nipples. And to eat her out. 

Fuck. You can’t be thinking about that. Rio is saying something, something now about Tony, the Chief Operating Officer, and you’re shifting your weight thinking about the sounds Agatha makes when you get your mouth on her. 

You look around the room and you find her, standing alone, nursing her own glass of champagne. But what startles you is that she’s already watching you with a strange look on her face. You give her a small smile, your heart filling with adoration for the older woman, but she looks away. 

“Will you excuse me for a second?” You say to Rio, who nods. You walk over to Agatha and slide up next to her, your hand brushing against her lower back. “You okay?” You murmur into her ear. 

Agatha clears her throat and rolls her shoulders back and you have to make a pointed effort not to stare at her boobs that get pushed forward. “Just ready for this party to be over,” she says, voice clipped. 

“Oh yeah?” You whisper, cocking an eyebrow. “What do you have planned for when we get home?” 

She looks at you, finally looks at you, and you can see a guarded look in her eye. “We’ve had a long day, and this party won’t be done until after midnight. I’ll probably turn in.” 

“Oh, Mommy, your age is showing,” you tease mockingly in a hush, wearing a dramatic pout, another joke about how much older she is that she usually rolls her eyes at and then makes a comment about how much you like it.  

But she stiffens today. “Well, you’re more than welcome to go home with Rio if you want someone your own age.” The retort hits you like a punch in the gut and you’re left dumbfounded as she walks away, heels clacking on the floor. 

Is she…jealous? Surely Agatha can’t be, she knows how much you want her and love her. She knows how willing you are to show her. 

And maybe, just maybe, she’ll let you remind her right now. 

You check your watch. Forty-five minutes until midnight. You can feel her gaze from across the room, but when you try to make eye contact, she pretends like she isn’t looking at you, and you make the executive decision to try something that will probably backfire. 

Pulling out your phone, you pretend to take a call. You can feel her air shift; she knows that if someone’s calling you this late, it must be something urgent. You nod like you’re listening and then after a minute or two, you put your phone down. 

You meet her eyes and tilt your head toward the elevator, your heart beating rapidly in your chest. This could backfire. She could get so mad at you. 

But you have to try. 

Agatha excuses herself from the small group of people that have congregated around her table and she follows you into the elevator. 

“Who was that? What’s wrong?” She demands, and you almost feel bad for making her this panicked. 

You shake your head. “Just wait until we get to your office.” You think it should be a hint, but she doesn’t pick up on it. Instead, Agatha chews on her bottom lip and tosses her hair back over her shoulders. 

The doors ding open on the sixtieth floor and Agatha trails behind you, hot on your heels, as you take her to her office. You tell her to get on the couch while you draw the blinds to the glass windows facing the interior of the building, just in case anyone should happen to walk by. The television is on outside in the hallway and you can faintly hear the sounds of the New York Ball Drop show. A little over thirty minutes left. 

“What is going on?” Agatha asks again, clearly exasperated by you dragging this out. 

You turn around and almost moan at the sight of her sitting with her knees pulled up under her and her elbow propped up on the couch. This time, you really can’t help your gaze from darting down to her breasts and she snaps her fingers to get you to focus. “Rio’s just a friend,” you say bluntly, and Agatha scoffs. 

“What does this have to do with anything?” 

You slowly walk over and kneel down in front of her, pulling her legs out so that her feet are on the floor and you rest your chin on her knee and look up at her through your eyelashes. “There wasn’t a call,” you confess, already wincing on the inside at how she’s going to react. Her face remains stoic. “You were bothered by Rio and I talking.” It’s a statement, not a question. 

But Agatha jeers. “Is this your excellent counsel that I pay you so much for? That I’m bothered? Don’t think I don’t know about the little crush she has on you.” 

“So what if she has a crush? I don’t like her like that. You know I only have eyes for you,” you say, slowly inching the hem of her dress up her legs, waiting to be rejected. 

Her hand slides up your head and fastens into your hair, tilting you back so you can look straight at her. “Oh yeah?” She asks, daring, challenging you to go further. 

 You swallow hard. “Let me show you?” You offer timidly, praying it’s the right answer and you’re not reading this wrong. 

Agatha growls, a guttural noise deep in her throat, and she yanks you up and kisses you, nipping at your bottom lip. Her tongue forces its way into your mouth and you moan at the feeling, settling into her lap with your legs on either side of hers. She tugs at your hair and the sting makes you keen, only making you need her more. 

You can’t even wait, you’ve been on edge for too long, and you trail your lips down her neck, scrape your teeth against her collarbone, and then she helps you take the straps of her dress off. 

The second her breasts are free, you’re on them like you’re starving and they’re your salvation. You cup both of them with your hands, feeling the sturdy weight of them, and you knead softly, running your thumbs over both nipples. The dusky rose color stands out against her pale skin and you watch with fascination as her nipples harden under your gentle touch. Part of you still can’t believe she’s letting you touch her in the office. 

Not that you’re complaining. 

You swoop down and take one into your mouth, swirling your tongue around the little bud, and Agatha’s back arches off the couch as her fingers dig into your hair to keep you there. You’ve never felt more content in your life than like this, and you happily suck on her as the most delicious sounding noises fall out of her mouth. 

Her free hand finds your hip just as your fingers tug at her nipple that isn’t being occupied by your mouth and you can make out what she wants. Without moving away from her, you shift and place a leg in-between hers, able to feel the heat radiating from her pussy through her underwear and dress. 

“Fuck,” you mutter brokenly when she grinds up against your knee and you can feel just how wet she is. 

Agatha huffs out a chuckle. “You love sucking on Mommy’s tits so much, don’t you?” She asks and you switch sides and hum against her skin. “Mommy loves it, too.” 

You groan and take a break from directly stimulating her, instead, opting to lightly bite at the skin around her nipples, taking extra care to mark the curvature under them. She’s especially sensitive there, and her little gasps only spur you on. 

After you’ve left sufficient proof that you were there, you pull back and admire your work and you sharply inhale. Her breasts are absolutely painted with red marks that will surely fade into bruises by tomorrow and her chest heaves, a ragged look in her eyes. Agatha is still undulating against your leg and you can visibly tell how turned on she is. 

“Am I convincing you yet?” You ask, your voice coming out a little hoarse, and Agatha barks out a laugh. 

Her wicked grin has a thrill running inside you and she shifts underneath you until you figure out what she is trying to do. It’s a bit awkward, but she manages to turn her body so that her legs are on the couch horizontally but you’re still on top of her. 

She hums thoughtfully. “Think I might need a little more. If you’re willing, that is.” 

Only too willing. You can’t help yourself from leaning down and giving her a hard kiss, pulling away and sucking one nipple and then the other roughly until she moans, and then you move down her body and bunch up her dress at her hips. You put your hands on her shins and guide her legs up so they’re bent, her heels on the couch. 

And then you settle between her open legs and mouth at her sopping cunt through her underwear. A groan tears out of you before you can stop it at tasting the wet fabric, thick with her scent which you’ve become addicted to. You suck on her underwear, pulling the moisture out of it, and Agatha jerks underneath you. 

“We don’t have all day, pet,” she says tightly and you can hear the television outside saying there’s fifteen minutes left until New Year’s Day. 

You chuckle at her impatience and finally pull down her underwear. You wish your dress had pockets so you could store it for later, but you made do for just throwing it somewhere in her office. 

And then you drag your tongue up her slit and absolutely lose yourself in the taste. There’s something so indistinguishable and indescribable about it, and you lazily explore her pussy, getting as much of her wetness as you can into your mouth. You vaguely realize that she’s wrapped a leg over your shoulder and her heel is digging in, the sting only turning you on more. 

Small gasps are pulled out of Agatha’s mouth and her hips buck, trying to get more stimulation, but to no avail as you are completely focused on just licking her slowly. You moan into her and the vibrations make her whimper, but you almost don’t even hear it. This is your favorite place on earth, between her legs, and you don’t want to ever leave. She’s so warm and wet and responsive against your tongue and you fucking love it. Love getting her wetness all over your face, love feeling her clench around your tongue, love the taste and smell and how she reacts when you lap at her clit. 

You do that now, and her thighs tighten around your head and she sighs like she’s finally getting some of the relief that she needs. 

“I love your pussy,” you say, but the words are garbled. She lets out a muffled sound and you look up through hooded eyes to see her head strewn back in pleasure, dark hair fanned out beneath her, bottom lip between her teeth, and her fingers tweaking her raw nipples. The sight makes you moan against her again and her hips jump. 

She looks down to meet your gaze and you feel the fire inside you only being stoked more when you realize that almost all the blue in her eyes is gone, entirely swallowed up by dark desire. “Please,” she begs, sounding more needy than she ever has since you’ve started sleeping with her. “Mommy needs this so bad.” 

And the only thing you love more than tasting her with your mouth is making her cum with your mouth. 

So you oblige, thrusting your tongue inside her and almost losing all composure when her walls flutter around it. She lets out a loud whine when your nose brushes against her clit and you keep doing that, curling your tongue inside her and moving your head up and down so she can get some desperately needed stimulation to her clit. 

“Fuck, baby, your mouth is so good,” she practically sobs, and you can feel her throb. She never takes long, which is almost a shame because you’d stay between her legs forever if you could. Building her up, feeling her legs tremble around you, that’s half the fun right there. 

But she needs it, and you can hear that it’s getting closer to midnight. Only a few minutes left. 

You double the intensity, dragging your tongue over her clit again and again, feeling it pulse. You slip a hand between your own legs and groan at the wetness you find, fingers strumming at your own clit through your dress and soaked panties. Nothing gets you more turned on than Agatha’s pussy in your mouth, absolutely coating your face. 

She’s pinching her nipples now and you almost lose your rhythm from wishing you were the one doing that to her, but you don’t falter. Wetness is dripping out of her cunt onto the couch below and you almost smirk at the thought of seeing the stain tomorrow.  

Agatha better let you fuck her in her office more often. You clench at the thought of being under her desk, eating her out while she’s going through contracts or in a meeting or having lunch. Anytime you can. 

“Fuck, fuck, baby,” she chants and you can hear the minute countdown start. You lick and suck and nip and her hips are moving furiously, grinding on your face and you can’t breathe but you don’t even care because she tastes so fucking good. 

“Five…four…” You shove your tongue inside her and curl it up, stroking against the spongy spot that makes her gasp. “Three..two…” You scrape your teeth against her clit and she keens. “One…Happy New Year!” 

You suck her clit into your mouth hard and that does it. She goes flying over the edge, wetness gushing out onto your face, and you blissfully lick her through her orgasm, not even realizing that she’s too sensitive until she’s tugging at your hair, pulling you away from her. 

She brings you in for a kiss, a tradition when the clock strikes midnight on January First, but also something she always does when you eat her out, moaning at the taste of herself on your lips, and you don’t even care that you haven’t cum yet. You clasp her cheeks and your tongue sweeps into her mouth until you finally have to break apart to breathe. 

“What a way to start the new year,” you joke and she laughs and fluffs her hair. She looks like a thoroughly-fucked mess, but also the hottest you’ve ever seen. You soften and press a gentle kiss to her lips. “You know I love you, right? I don’t care about how old you are, you know I fucking love that. You don’t have to worry about Rio, or anyone else, no matter if they’re my age or not. I want you and only you.” 

Agatha smiles and kisses you again, and then kisses your nose. “I want all your midnight kisses, baby. I love you too.” It’s the most romantic thing she’s ever said. 

And of course you immediately have to ruin it with a joke. “Office sex isn’t that bad, hm?” She pokes your side and you giggle. 

“Let’s get back downstairs before anyone notices that we’ve been gone for so long,” she says. 

You whine but reluctantly get off her when she pats your hips and she finds her underwear that was thrown to the ground. You both fix your make-up in the mirror and then you’re back in the elevator, descending the sixty floors. If anyone asks, you’ll say it was an emergency with an acquisition. But you doubt anyone will. The champagne is flowing and it’s a party. 

Before the doors open, Agatha takes your hand, squeezes it three times as if to say I love you and then there’s a ding and it’s back to reality. 

But she gives you a wink meant only for you when she toasts to the company and all the good things yet to come and a warm feeling fills you. 

What a way to start the new year, indeed. 

[ms-demeanor]

Is hypnotherapy on your psudomedicine shitlist or do you think it has validity? (To be clear, I'm not talking about 'hypnotic memory recovery' which is proven to be false)

It's worked for me and some other people I know, but I've also heard some people say it doesn't work.

I very badly want it to be on my shitlist but it gets slotted in next to meditation on the shelf labeled "infuriatingly, sometimes believing something hard enough makes it work." Some kinds of hypnosis seem to reliably create altered mental states that allow people who enter those states to internalize and process things that they might otherwise struggle with; I see this as somewhat analogous to, like, using mushrooms to feel a deeper connection to a shared sense of humanity or something along those lines. It does seem to have some reliably measurable effects but how well it works varies wildly from person to person is basically my take, which makes sense to me because I'm pretty sure hypnosis is just, like, extremely focused guided meditation.

Yesterday someone brought up an example saying that they had heard that a relatively recent study from a trustworthy scientific organization had proved the existence of one of the primary acupuncture meridians; searches for the name of the meridian, the name of the institution, searches for studies with those terms, searches for those terms and "proof", searches for only the meridian and scientific study only turned up low-quality studies that were exclusively from either acupuncture or alternative medicine journals.

A search for "hypnosis study" immediately turns up recent articles on the effectiveness of hypnosis from the American Psychological Association, Stanford University, mainstream behavioral journals, and discussion of at least one experiment that has been replicated by multiple people testing the validity of hypnosis (in multiple experiments on different groups of hypnotizable people, the stroop effect is noticeably mitigated by hypnotic suggestion). None of that is evidence that hypnosis "works" but it is evidence that something is actually happening there that *could* prove to be effective.

I'm still pretty skeptical, but there's enough evidence of an effect to say that it's not pure bullshit. Like I'll say that chiropractic is bullshit (subluxations don't cause asthma even if none of the chiros involved believe in ghosts; it's unscientific and wrong regardless of the origins) but note that I never said herbalism was bullshit - just that it's on my shit list and it's dangerous - many many many herbal treatments DO have effects and that's why it can be dangerous, doses and interactions are unpredictable.

I think that hypnosis is probably not inherently dangerous, and it seems like there may be some measurable positive effects, and even though it SEEMS really fake to me enough serious people have done enough serious looking into it that I don't feel comfortable calling it fake-like-souls-are-fake; it doesn't appear to be exclusively based on magical thinking and it has a lot in common with other altered states that people are capable of putting themselves into voluntarily through a variety of means.

So I guess tick the box for "I'm suspicious and skeptical but could be convinced if presented with enough high quality evidence, which I think it is likely possible to produce."

So it's not on my shit list but if I found out that someone I loved was using hypnosis as a treatment I'd be doing a deep dive on the person providing the hypnosis to figure out if they were a charlatan.

[mythicmanuscripts]

I can't remember where you said it, but I remember you saying how Aemond likes the deep pressure feeling of you lying on top of him. I was wondering if you could write smth about that?? Like, I personally LOVE having someone lie on me, too. It's like the ultimate weighted blanket! I'd love to hear more thoughts on this, and maybe even with the roles reversed and him lying on you

Absolutely anon!! Absolutely!!

This is mostly just soft and SFW but since it mentions nakedness and some suggestive themes then I'll hide it under a cut just to be safe. Enjoy lads!

This is something I think Aemond would always have liked and sought out even before he fully knew what it was. When he was younger he used to wrap his blanket as tightly around himself as possible. Often that was the only way he could fall asleep.

That's also one of the reasons why he loves traveling with Vhagar so much. She always opens her wing out and stretches it over him while he sleeps, never moving until he wakes up. He always used to sleep so much better while traveling with her, and often he would willingly take longer routes home just to spend an extra night or two like that.

It's not really a desire he fully understood back then. He just knew that the feeling of something heavy or tight around him made him feel so much better, so much safer.

You first discover this a few weeks after you finally start cuddling regularly. One of Aemond's favourite cuddling positions is to lay cuddled up against you, resting his cheek on your chest and bending his legs to rest on top of yours. He especially loves it when you wrap an arm around his shoulder.

But sometimes it seemed like Aemond couldnt relax? He'd constantly be shuffling and nuzzling against you, pulling your arm tighter around him. You ask what he wants and honestly he's not even sure? He just knows he could be closer somehow, and he wants it.

The next time you're laying together, you come to bed after him and he's laying on his back. So you switch places with him and this time it's you cuddled against his chest. He pulls you closer, tighter and buries his nose into your hair, like he can't get you close enough.

You try to change positions and in doing so you accidentally end up nearly on top of him. Before you can even apologise he is already pulling you closer so your weight it on him. You try to get off, telling him that you must be squashing him but he won't hear it. He falls asleep so easily and in the morning when you bring it up all he can say is that he felt secure.

Of course now that you're armed with this information you lay on him much more often, sometimes he even asks for it. Maybe, since we all know how much he loves to be of service, you ask him if he would like to try reading to you while you lay like that?

He sits up against the headboard with you curled up in his lap. You let your body rest over his legs rather than try to avoid it. He loves it, always keeping a hand on your back.

At first he would only read you whatever you had suggested, and never suggested anything himself. But over time as he grows more comfortable with you and begins to show you all the different sides of himself, then he starts to read you history books? It becomes one of his favourite things to do.

I also think he would love that sort of pressure when not in the bedroom as well? Obviously far more toned down.

If you two are watching Aegon hold court then you tend to stand off to the side with Aemond. He leans against the wall and then pulls you closer, holding you against him and letting him hold up some of your weight. He wraps one of his arms around your waist and will often rest his head on your shoulder (especially because he can whisper things to you about how boring this is and how Aegon made the wrong decision and all his other complaints.)

[thekitsandthekats]

i wonder if people understand that to hate haley is to really really misunderstand aaron.

like, im not trying to make this about him but i think stories are so intertwined because obviously they are.

haley and aaron were highshool sweethearts! he said he fell in love with her after watching her rehearse. haley must've felt something too for them to be together, then to be together that long! she's been with him through law school, through being a prosecutor, through being on S.W.A.T, through FBI training and all the years working up to being the Unit Chief of the BAU. she's been right there with him!

they have jack and there is her happy family, the peaceful idyllic life dreams are made of, but of course aaron keeps working, he's always traveling to situations where he could die at any moment. that's hard, guys. to know that your husband could go to work and not come back, every single day. haley is an incredibly strong and loyal person and determined to keep her family together. but all of that is difficult in the face of aarons job. she knows that he loves her and jack, she knows that he's a good father but she also knows he's bound to duty, to his job, to saving eveyone he can. when she leaves its not because the love wasn't there but because she couldn't do it anymore. and there's strength in that too.

to leave the love of your life, the father of your children, someone you've been with through so much, since you were a teenager. do yall understand how difficult that must've been.

and even after she leaves, she still sends aaron videos of jack and little updates on his life. i always think of the end scene in seven seconds when aaron asks to see jack even though he's sleeping. haley stares at him for a beat before she says yes and ive always thought that she must see something on his face. a kind of look that means he's just come back from a difficult case and needs the reassurance of his family. so, of course she says yes.

the reason i say to hate haley is to misunderstand aaron is because her death broke him in unimaginable ways. the guilt must eat at him, killing him everyday. do you understand how important family is to aaron. he tells rossi once that he did everything for his family, that before the divorce he tried his hardest in everything. and to have haley be murdered because of her connection to him, because foyet used her as a tool to get to him.

he loved her with everything in him, and haley loved him just the same. to not respect her position in his life, is you doing a disservice to yourself. theirq story is heartbreaking gold.

im honestly tired of all the criminal minds fans dismissing haleys death. like that woman is strong. she knew damn well in that moment she was going to die but her kid was right there so she held herself together until her last final moments, so idc if “she cheated” or whatever bullshit yall try and use to hate on her — she was such an understanding wife and an amazing mother and im tired of yall shitting on her when you wouldn’t be able to handle half the shit she went through.

and i can now breathe!

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Who do you think is the most popular dorm leader amongst their students. Like Leona's obviously kind of a dick but people love him and respect him, while Riddle is more controversial amongst the students. Like rank them based on popularity if you'd be so kind!

I think it really depends??? Like, it's obviously very different within a dorm versus outside of it. Then there's also the question of passion and how far the students that admire said dorm leader will go for them. For example, Diasomnia students are incredibly passionate and form literal angry mobs to defend Malleus's honor; this cannot be said for most of the other dorms. However, the love and admiration for Malleus stretches thin outside of his own dormitory.

Instead of ranking them overall, I think I would instead categorize them like this (note: Yuu is excluded because Ramshackle has fallen from its status as a dorm):

Popular, few to no strings attached:

Kalim is popular both in his dorm and outside of it. He is one of the few cheerful and friendly students on campus and is shown to be well-liked in Scarabia for his empathy and willingness to accept others as they are. Kalim is also generous, throwing parties that include guests from other dorms and often trying to buy expensive gifts like diamonds for his dorm members (until he is stopped by others). His naivety also means he’s easily fooled and taken advantage of, which… sounds like a bad thing, but would be seen as a positive by some of the less savory characters at NRC.

Vil is generally liked and respected. Pre-book 5 Epel is an exception to this. However, students from other dorms, particularly Savanaclaw, sometimes mock Vil and underestimate him until he proves himself to them (for example, in Beans Fest). In both cases, his doubters change their minds and come around to him one way or another. I'd also imagine that Vil being a celebrity and all gives him a HUGE boost in appeal among the general student body.

Popular-ish, terms and conditions apply:

Leona is decently popular, especially among first years, his club, and within his own dormitory. He tends to attract younger students seeking a cool and dependable older brother or mentor figure. Most others—especially in his own grade level—have beef with Leona and/or take issue with his attitude, which is fair and valid.

Known but… infamous:

Riddle seems to be seen in a relatively neutral light by most students. Some admire him for his diligence but more often than not, he’s deemed annoying or unreasonable for enforcing the rules, especially Heartslabyul’s ridiculous ones. His penchant for blowing up at people and being anal about adhering to rules in a very literal and absolutist way probably does not earn him brownie points.

Azul is technically well-known but not necessarily adored. The twins go around advertising his services and luring in potential clients. If you need something, you know he can help you out… for the right price. Azul also has notoriety thanks to running the Mostro Lounge. I don't think people like him very much though, considering that mob students complain about how he’s a scumbag, fellow dorm leaders like Vil express an inherent distrust of him, and Azul himself has zero qualms about using dirty tactics like blackmail to get his own dorm members under his thumb. It feels like people are polite to him out of obligation and fear or what would happen if they aren’t. So in a weird way, Azul is liked for what he can provide people, but isn’t genuinely liked as an individual.

Malleus is playing a game of emotional extremes. While he has fervent, die-hard Draconians like Sebek backing him, the majority of the NRC population holds the opposite opinion and is deathly afraid of him. If he so much as smiles at a mob student or attempts to approach them, most would scream and/or run away. There are certainly exceptions (Kalim, Rook, Yuu, etc.), but they’re in the minority. He’s overing near the bottom, if only because of the overwhelming terror his name evokes, even if the Draconians attempt to balance it out. Their pushes to make others recognize the glory of their dorm leader only serves to further exacerbate existing tensions.

Not known and/or not popular:

Idia, well… Does bro touch grass and see the light of day enough to even be known by most of the students??? The students we do see Idia interact with tend to either ignore him (partly because he lurks in corners, away from people) or think of him as unpleasant to deal with. It’s hard for him to socialize, and when he does sometimes his Gamer ego gets the better of him and he mouths off an insult that catches him heat. Idia may get some street cred in his own dorm for his skills, but this largely doesn’t extend beyond Ignihyde. I wouldn’t even know if it would be right to say that the other Ignihyde students like Idia; everyone just stays in their own rooms way too much for me to properly gauge their relationship and so I’m left to take the opinions of the larger student body into account.

[allastoredeer]

Controversial opinion but I think Lucifer gets babied too much by the fandom. Like I get that he has mental health issues but seeing all this fanmedia of women and men of color nannying this white-adjacent man who has been shown to be an incompetent and absent husband, father and leader. Just. Grinds my gears.

Not saying I hate Lucifer but... when people frame past radiostatic with current radioapple as a huge upgrade, it reeks of a woman leaving her abusive ex for a neglectful husband. While I'm glad Lucifer is a step up from Adam, I need to see actual improvements if I don't want to get the ick.

Agreed.

I massively agree.

Lucifer gets babied a lot. And like you said, yes, he has mental health issues and that's valid, but a lot of the time, it feels like his mental health issues become a scapegoat for his flaws and bad behavior.

Depression is a legit reason for Lucifer to struggle to maintain relationships and reach out to those he cares about. As someone who has suffered from depression, I understand pulling away from people, feeling like you need a reason to reach out to someone, having a negative opinion of oneself, getting overwhelmed with anxiety, even ignoring other people's attempts at reaching out to me because it's just...too hard and it's too much and you're stuck in this cycle that you can't break out of.

HOWEVER

Lucifer's depression doesn't take away from the fact that he's neglected Charlie as a parent. It doesn't negate the fact that he has acted condescendingly towards her and her ambitions. It doesn't counteract the fact that Charlie felt uncomfortable and awkward for a majority of their interactions in "Dad Beat Dad."

I sympathize with Lucifer having depression, but unfortunately, mental illness doesn't just effect you, it also effects the people around you, and i can't fault Charlie for her feelings too.

Because at the end of the day, Lucifer is Charlie's father.

Charlie is his child.

And as a parent, he has responsibilities. Ones that he failed to meet, which would have an effect on Charlie as children are meant to rely on their parents.

It's very telling that Charlie calls Lilith (who's been MIA for 7 years) more than she calls Lucifer (who's probably just a few Circles away). And no, I don't think this is because Lilith kept them separated and all that bullshit. I think Lucifer 100% had a hand in his and Charlie's estranged relationship and I hate it when he's passed off as nothing but a victim in all of it.

I hate it when he's boiled down to sad depressed man who's done nothing wrong. He has done plenty wrong.

And that's okay.

Because that's what makes his character good. He is multi-faceted. He is flawed. You can be depressed and still treat the people around you bad. I don't think Lucifer ever meant to be an absent parent, he obviously loves Charlie with all his heart, but that doesn't mean Charlie wasn't affected by his actions.

She very obviously was. Charlie is one of the most positive people in the show (to an extent that it becomes one of her flaws too), but the minute she called Lucifer it was a complete flip of how we normally see her. She was immediately annoyed. Her patience was already wire-thin. She was close to snapping so many times.

And I can see why. He only calls when he's bored/wants/needs something. He forgot about where she was and what she was doing despite her already telling him. He told her that he'd do anything to help her, and then said "no" the minute she asked.

Also, let's not forget how he answered the phone in the first place.

"Heeey, bitch!"

And look, it was funny. I laughed too. I still think it's funny.

But, imagine you called your dad for the first time in years (a dad you have a very strained relationship with) and the first thing you hear is a peppy, "Heeeeey, bitch!"

Like??? I can't blame Charlie for being annoyed as all hell, okay? I get the sense that she's been putting up with this bullshit for a VERY long time ad she's lost all patience for it. She's done. She's sick of it. She's been disappointed one too many times.

Also, yes, it's not just that Lucifer has been an absent father but he's been a neglectful ruler too. I wouldn't be surprised if Pentagram City has as much respect for him as they do for Charlie. I mean

HE SIGNED OFF ON THE EXTERMINATIONS

Lucifer gave the go-ahead for a yearly genocide of the people he rules over. Can we get some repercussions for that? Do you know how many people lost their friends? Family? Lovers? Vaggie literally spared a child--a CHILD. And I doubt that was the first kid ever confronted by an Exorcist.

Imagine that Cherri died during an Extermination and here we have Angel Dust meeting the person who stepped aside and let it happen. Do you think he wouldn't be mad?

Imagine Carmilla did lose her daughters during that Extermination. Do you really think she'd meet Lucifer and feel nothing but anger and contempt?

Personally, I think Lucifer agreeing to the Exterminations is what fractured his and Charlie's relationship. Like, fully fractured it. That was the last nail in the coffin.

And honestly, I WANT Lucifer to see the consequences of the Exterminations. I want him to have repercussions because that was an INCREDIBLY SHITTY THING TO DO. I imagine he didn't think there was any other option, but we also know that he didn't hold the sinners in high regard anyway. He had the lowest of low opinions of them. I doubt it took much convincing for him to agree.

Lucifer is the oldest being in the Pride Ring--he may be the oldest being in Hell. He's the most powerful person there. He is the embodiment of Pride. And he ACTS LIKE IT IN THE SHOW.

He has acted that way towards Charlie too. He didn't go to her hotel with an open mind. He wasn't actually listening to her plan or taking it into consideration. He played stupid when she asked him what he thought about it. And when the hotel was under attack, instead of stopping it (which he could easily done with a snap of his fingers), he was smirking and acting self-satisfied as he gloated about being "right" about Sinners.

And if you think I'm exaggerating then go rewatch that entire scene.

Look at him

He is acting so smug and he is rubbing it in Charlie's face.

LOOK AT CHARLIE! She is in distress. She is angry. And she is hurting. Her hotel is falling to pieces around her, her friends are in danger, and the whole time she had her dad gloating in her ear about why her dream is, essentially, a waste of time.

And the only thing that snapped him out of it was Charlie asking why Alastor (the one actually protecting the hotel) has more faith in her than her own father. It took Charlie bringing up Alastor again for Lucifer to knock his shit off.

Look at how hurt and closed off Charlie is in the last screenshot. I can't imagine that this is the first time Lucifer has acted towards her in this way. Do I think Lucifer meant to hurt Charlie?

No.

But did he?

Hell-to-the-fucking-YES!

Lucifer is an asshole. He acted like an asshole towards Alastor. He's acted like an asshole towards Charlie. And he kind of acted like an asshole towards the rest of the Hazbin crew considering he didn't exchange a single line of dialogue with them. They introduced themselves to him and that was it. Lucifer spent the rest of the time dissing on Alastor and talking exclusively to Charlie and Vaggie.

Lucifer suffers from depression, yes, but that doesn't take away that he is as much of an asshole as any other character in the show. And I hate that being stripped away and getting turned into this sad, babied little man who's awkward and shy and everyone else is just being mean to him. It's so dull and it's such a disservice to his character.

I don't want sweet, shy little UwU Lucifer that needs to be coddled.

I want mean, condescending, ass-hole Lucifer who reaps the consequences of his actions and grows from them.

[ask-the-rag-dolly]

Oh also (if it's alright to ask more) do you have anything you would like to ramble about regarding the Zooble and Ragatha dynamic? Or tbh just Zooble in general? Your blog has made me very much attached to them

OKAY . impromptu essay on the toybox dynamic + zooble it is . forgive me for the wall of text

i got into the dynamic because i went ' oh ! zooble's the second newest member of the circus (: i wonder how it went when ragatha was trying to help them ' and it snowballed from there

i've already said this but zooble and ragatha are Very much opposites in a traditional way . jax is commonly seen as ragatha's opposite , but he's her narrative foil — they're two sides of the same coin and are a lot more similar than you think . zooble and ragatha ? these two are like magnets repelling each other . they're just so Different from each other that it hurts . the only similarities they have is that they're both toys and care for the people in the circus .

like , something to note with zooble is that compared to everyone but pomni , they're Grounded and Real . they're not tolerant to the madness and chaos of the circus and prefers to do their own thing , which is most of the time upholding the community of the circus ! they set up kaufmo's funeral , they were hanging out with everyone at the start of episode 3 , showed concern over ragatha and gangle , and the conversation at the end of episode 4 ! even though they are blunt and can come off as rude , they Really care a lot for the people in the circus .

and them being able to switch out their parts and find their identity can also be seen as an act of rejection ! they can change how they look unlike the other circus members , and they try to find Themself instead of losing it to the circus . because ... well , i'm pretty sure ragatha lost her identity during the process of trying to adjust to the circus .

you can really tell that she's been here for such a long time that she's more a part of the circus . her coping mechanism is to not Reject the circus but rather to Assimilate with it . she shows enthusiasm over the adventures and crafted a fake , positive facade that is fitting of her avatar as a ragdoll . despite being outwardly nice and kind unlike zooble , she is a lot less Sincere . i very much think that ragatha genuinely cares for everyone in the circus , but she's unintentionally pushing them away by putting up two million emotional walls between her and everyone else .

which is why i like thinking about their dynamic so much . like push one of the most genuine people in the circus to possibly the fakest one and you get the weirdest platonic slow burn ever . they would Argue they would Disagree they would be Annoyed by each other ... but they both also care a lot for the other . because they're both fucking Wrecks and they know it . and also ragatha's such a sweetheart that zooble can't really hate her -

i have a lot more thoughts that i can't put into words atm and honestly i think i was pretty incomprehensible but Yeah i love them (:

[13leaguestories]

2025 Forecast

Do you hear that along the wind? It's saying "you copied and pasted this from Patreon"

looks back at 2024 Yea, naw. I don't really have much to say about it besides it gave birth to some really good ideas that got me psyched about some stories. But mostly it just felt like a really long mile with covered holes that I kept falling into. If any of you watch Neebs Gaming on YouTube, I was Simon this year. If you know, you know.

Like one of the good things is I realized Superstition needed a rewrite that has me so excited, it also gave birth to All That Comes Before (which more on that below) and that my gosh. Like I don't think I can actually explain to you how well that has helped me understand Roe's character.

Sea of Stars came up and I love that story to death, sue me.

It was not the year for shorter stories and prompts though. Like my brain just pretty much died with anything on a smaller level and I hate that. I don't know why! That's the worse part. I don't know why. It also failed on the NSFW parts. That part needs to change pronto but writing them just became ... meh.

But I'll try to stay positive. So this forecast will be a mix of what to expect in January as well as what I hope to accomplish for the year.

Superstition

January: I'm nearly done with AtCB. There's one story left for me to write and that is sitting at 60% and I'll be working on today and tomorrow in hopes of finishing it.

So, I'll repeat this again on the itch.io page as well as maybe somewhere on Tumblr. This add-on will cost $3 and each edition will just add more backstory to what already exists. For example, one of the stories is about Roe's mother's funeral. These stories will also include variables that can be be moved over and will further shape Roe & Company personality. Another example of one of the variables introduced is $fear_romance. This variable gives Roe a clingy, jealous, fear of being cheat on, never having a relationship, or nothing. This will obviously work with the characters with Zillah liking clingy but not so much Sydero.

So, with all that said. IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO GET. If you 1. just don't want to buy it or 2. know that the device you use hates exporting/importing then don't get it. It's not needed and is more so something you got cos you just want to read it and "hey, look, you get to bring over some cool variables too!"

Alright, moving on.

Yearly: I really don't know what to expect for yearly besides maybe saying I'll get all of S1 rewritten, out and ready. And will be deep into working on S2 and S2's AtCB. I feel like that can easily be reached. But saying "oh yea, S3 will be finished" when I have the other stories to do as well, yea. Can't just spout that lie.

Throne of Ashes

January: So I said that I had some news on Nour. I won't get too deep into it as I think I've said a lot about why Nour is weird for me. Long story short: I wrote Nour with the same build as I did Ruben whereas every other story ended up changing to be something totally different. Nour didn't go through that and so their story always felt like it was over much faster and wasn't hitting right in the end. Well, guess what! I found out what to do. No, I don't have an ETA.

Yearly: Obviously wanting Nour to come out. I'm aiming for Q1 and if I dedicate the early months to them then that should be easy. After that, the next character will be Ozara. No. She will not be done in 2025. (I say that so maybe my brain proves me wrong, it won't).

Sea of Stars

Obviously won't be out this year but man do I really want to put a big dent in it. Like this story gets me so excited. Look, forgive me but this story gets me so pumped to do.

Riders of Abauruth

I want to do at least something with it here. Probably after I finish Nour's route, I'll slot RoA in for a bit of fun. I miss the dragons. I tried to do a bit of it in November but it was obviously going to take all of my attention and not the "spare a day" attention I was giving it because I have to iron out some plots, brainstorm, reread the old one, etc. But I'm hyped for this.

So, uh. Here's to 2025. A year that I'm not looking forward to at all if I must be honest.

[zorosangell]

I’ll request for Cora then! I don’t really know what to request tho 🤔 but I love all your writing so I’m sure I’ll love whatever you write. how about just general headcanons? thank you! ❤️

⛥ﾟ・。corazon general and specific headcanons

synopsis: just some headcanons for the nine-foot tall blonde of my dreams

cw: none

a/n: this was so fun to write! thanks anon for the ask. i think i'm gonna open up my inbox for headcanons on other characters like kid or law or whatever

a/n 2: stay safe and rive carefully y'all. happy new year <3

general headcanons (you both are in a relationship)

— while i've seen others view cora as an overall shy, introverted person, i actually think the opposite, at least in some cases

— granted, he's not shouting from the mountain tops or actively going out of his way to talk to others, he is very extroverted with the people he knows and trusts

— like you, queen <3

— he likes to tell jokes and use his clumsiness to make you laugh, even if it isn't on purpose most of the time

— and when you do, he feels like he's on top of the world

— he's also very protective of you

— certain things in your relationship he likes to take a back seat on, but your safety is not one of them

— he's seen some things, and he'll be damned if something happens to you because of his negligence

— in a crowded room, he'll position himself behind you, acting as a guard dog as he keeps tabs on all possible threats

— in a bar, he'll keep a watchful eye on your drink and make sure an arm is around your waist at all times

— on the sidewalk, he will always, always make sure he's on the street side

— but that ties in with him being a perfect gentleman

— that being said... YOU NEVER HAVE TO PAY FOR ANYTHING

— actually gets offended if you try

— you're his lady; when you're with him, you don't lift a finger

— he may be on a marine's salary but when it comes to you he acts as if he has all the money in the world

— loves to splurge on you

"aw, baby, look! that necklace would look great on you, wouldn't it!"

"cora, honey, it's 90,000 berries... and you just got me a 70,000 berry bracelet last week"

"and?"

— honestly not very opinionated, doesn't really have many preferences when it comes to material things

— often has you order for him at restaurants, or pick out his clothes for the day

— hates arguing and fighting in general (though arguments are few and far between for you both anyway)

— if you don't like kids, that might be a bit of a deal breaker, seeing as law is a large part of his life

— not only that, but if you just are not a kind or decent person, this is not the man for you

— but trust, if you hit it off with law, you will have this man's heart forever (easier said than done tho)

specific headcanon (story-ish i guess)

— for the sake of whatever, let's say you're the nurse of doflamingo's crew (by circumstance, you're still a good person)

— when you first joined, cora was floored by your beauty; like actually, he fell flat on his face when doflamingo introduced you to the crew

— he was baffled that someone like you was a pirate, and even more so when you opened your mouth to reveal that you were incredibly kind and warm hearted

— (he would later learn that you had been blackmailed by his brother into joining the crew—the warlord promised no harm would come to your family if you joined him)

— initially, he was both enamored and suspicious, seeing as only those with cruel intentions joined his brother's crew

— but as time went by, he was quick to learn that it was quite the opposite, and quick to grow a certain fondness for you

— i imagine cora as a slow burner, so of course all of this happens over a decent amount of time

— but within that time you manage to weasel your way into his heart

— being the ship's nurse, you are always tasked with patching him up after his mishaps

— even though you do slip up and let out a chuckle or two, it never comes from a place of malice, unlike the others

— and even still, you scold and warn him about being careful around fires and hot liquids

— though, most of the time, it goes in one ear and out the other

— sometimes he's too preoccupied with your soft hands on him, or your pretty eyes locked with his

— sidebar: he blushes like a school girl because of his fair skin, i'm talking full on tomato

— anyway, it isn't long before you two become incredibly close

— communicating is a bit of a hassle given his silence, but he appreciates your constant effort

— he makes a point to keep you as far away from doflamingo as possible, often sending you on "errands" to avoid the two of you from interacting

— and when he can't do that, he floats around, not straying too far away as his brother pulls you aside for a chat or asks you to check a pain on his abdomen (barf)

— that doesn't just apply for his brother, btw

— he does that for everyone on the crew, executive or not

— no one gets you on your own without him knowing about it

— on the outside looking in it might sound stalker-ish, but in his mind he justified it as performing his duty as a marine

— all he was doing was protecting a helpless... sweet-smelling... adorably-laughing... angel-looking... young woman

— but in actuality, he was protecting his dream girl

— his dream girl who absolutely loves kids! (if you don't, then, once again, cora might not be the one for you)

— you always treat baby 5 and buffalo with such kindness, even when they act like little monsters; making sure they take their baths, making sure they eat, giving them their monthly check-ups

— it's one of the many things cora loves about your personality

— as well as nurse, you play the role of nanny to the kids onboard

— and your mothering only expands when law and dellinger join the crew

— fast forward to when cora is about to take law away, he comes to you first, severely surprising you by reciting a passionate dissertation as to why you should join him

— he couldn't imagine leaving you behind in the clutches of his brother; no protection, no one to shield you from the horrors of the family

— so it was only natural that his heart fell to his ass when you declined, but your reasoning was that doflamingo still had your family hostage

— though, on one particular night, when you had happened to walk past the door to his study, you overheard him talking to the other executives about how gullible you were, as he had killed your family years ago

— distraught, you ran away with cora and law that night

— and it was bbq chicken from there...

[aishangotome]

Azel Radwan: Chapter 16

Chapter 15

Thank you @passthechloroform for providing the video for this chapter!

♡———♡

The next day - two visitors walked through the bustling Tanzanite market with familiar steps.

Luke: Hey, are you really going?

Clavis: They said they wanted to meet us. There's no reason to refuse, is there?

Luke: But, you know, their intentions are pretty obvious...

The building in front of the two men, who had stopped walking, was the headquarters of the trading company that controls Tanzanite's tourism industry...

Luke: Aren't we going to get scolded?

Clavis: Haha, don't be so scared. We just entered the building without permission the other day, right?

Luke: After kicking down the "no entry for non-personnel" sign.

Clavis: Don't worry, just relax. I'm a professional at apologizing.

Luke: That's not something to be proud of.

Sighing at his brother's boisterous laughter, he heads towards the entrance where people are coming and going.

As they enter the lobby, crowded with tourists, the person they are looking for immediately comes running over.

Kumush: Thank you for coming. My name is Kumush, and I am the president of the Tourism Association.

Kumush: Please, come this way.

-- At the same time.

Silvio: You...

Emma: It's a misunderstanding!

Silvio: What is?

In the middle of the pure white hallway of the royal court, filled with a sacred and solemn atmosphere, Silvio, whom I happened to pass by, stopped in his tracks instead of walking on.

The people passing by were also glancing at us, and cold sweat trickled down my cheeks.

(How did this happen?)

Silvio: You're the one who made them kneel and cry, aren't ya?

Emma: As I said, it's a misunderstanding!

Aisha: Lady Emma, I will serve you with all my heart and soul, so please give me another chance!

Nadia: We will devote our lives to you, Lady Emma!

(...This is troubling.)

Prostrating themselves before me, foreheads pressed to the floor, were the two maids who were previously punished by Azel.

They seem to have regained their sanity more than back then, but the moment they pass me in the castle, they assume this position faster than a gust of wind and repeatedly apologize.

Emma: I really don't mind, so please raise your heads.

No matter how many times I say it, my words don't reach them.

I'm at my wit's end, feeling like crying.

Silvio: Jokes aside...

(It was a joke...)

Silvio: Look at how frightened they are. God must have done somethin', right?

Emma: That's true, but I don't know what he did...

Silvio: You know, don't ya? As you can see, they were threatened.

Silvio: Imagine this. If God told ya, "You'll die if you don't do good deeds tomorrow," what would you do?

Emma: ...Even if I was doubtful, I might try to do good deeds.

(Because God's prophecies are a "guaranteed reality.")

Silvio: They were subjected to the same thing. The prophecy of a tragic future turns reality into a nightmare.

Silvio: I don't know what the condition is to wake up from the nightmare...

Silvio: But the fact that they're eager to serve you with all their heart and soul... doesn't that mean something?

(Now that you mention it...)

Silvio: Ha, you're really favored by that greedy bastard, aren't ya?

Silvio's words made my heart leap for some reason.

Emma: Why do you say that?

Silvio: I don't know what these two did, but it means he's set them up to be your absolute allies, right?

Silvio: Even if he does this, it ain't worth a penny to him.

Silvio: The fact that he's doing somethin' that doesn't make him money clearly shows how he values you.

(...)

*flashback*

Azel: I remembered I had an urgent matter. It's extremely troublesome, but...

(...I still don't know the true meaning of that urgent matter.)

(But, if in fact he was just doing everything he could so I wouldn't be humiliated again...)

When my perception changes, my heart also sounds the alarm.

Emma: --Perhaps, that's not it.

Emma: I think it's not for my sake, but for revenge and to protect himself.

Silvio: What's that about?

Emma: I can't tell you the details, but...

(To prevent me from going crazy with the aphrodisiac and attacking Azel.)

(There must be no other meaning.)

*flashback*

Emma: Is it wrong to fall in love with the Living God?

Azel: It's absolutely forbidden.

Azel: Because it's troublesome.

*flashback over*

I let out a small breath and turned to the trembling maids.

Emma: If you have time, there's one thing I'd like to ask of you...

Silvio's guess seemed to be correct, and the two, raising their heads, had their eyes shining as if they had found hope.

Emma: I wonder if you could request an audience with His Majesty the King?

Nadia & Aisha: "We'll call His Majesty right away!"

The two regained their energy like fish in water and disappeared in an instant.

It's normally impossible for a mere book merchant to take the king's time, but they made an immediate decision.

Silvio: They might grant ya any wish, if it's yours.

Emma: I've learned to be careful with my words.

Silvio: If it's bestowed by God, use it without hesitation.

Silvio: By the way, are you goin' to do business with the king?

Emma: No, there's something I want to ask him.

-

Enis: I apologize for the wait.

Before long, I was ushered into the throne room, and His Majesty Ennis welcomed me warmly.

(...The fact that I can summon even the king immediately is scary.)

Enis: Prince Silvio, it's good to see you too.

Silvio: Sorry to interrupt. I'm just an escort.

Silvio: I was curious about what this woman wants to ask the king.

Enis: Oh? I'll answer anything I can.

The silver-haired king smiles cheerfully, not seeming offended by the sudden summons.

Emma: I apologize for taking your time during your busy schedule.

(This might not be something I should ask for an audience and take your time, but...)

Emma: About the prophecy of the end left by the first Living God...

Emma: Prince Azel said it would be good to ask Your Majesty Enis, so I came here.

Enis: ......

Enis: ...I see, the Living God...

(His face changed color...?)

Just like the diviner woman I met in the alley before, it was a reaction as if he wanted to avoid "touching the end."

Enis: Any diviner or member of the royal court knows the prophecy of the end...

Enis: The fact that you specifically named me must be a divine order to give you information that only I know.

Enis sits deeply in his throne and looks up at the ceiling.

His appearance, as if he is thinking of a distant place, is filled with anguish, and I exchange glances with Silvio.

Enis: Of course, I will answer your question.

Enis: But before that, would you listen to one request of mine?

Enis, his gaze back on me, gives me a sincere look.

I don't know what the "request" is, but I don't feel any malice in it.

Emma: I'll be happy to accept if it's something I can do.

Enis: Thank you. Actually--.

-

Azel: I refuse.

Back at the temple, Azel's first words as he was repairing the outer wall were not "welcome back."

Emma: I haven't said anything yet.

Azel: The fact that you came back in a hurry at this hour speaks for itself.

Azel: You have two choices: give up, or have the wealthy gentleman next to you pay me.

Silvio: Why the hell should I pay ya when there's no profit in it for me?

Azel: Prince Silvio, I hear there's a custom of offering coins in Kougyoku.

Azel: It's a wonderful system of faith where you offer money as a thank you for God's blessings...

Silvio: That's what he says, woman.

Emma: I don't want to be squeezed dry anymore.

Azel: Then there's no room for discussion. I'm busy, so...

Azel skillfully applies a glue-like substance made by adding water to lime, as if filling the gaps in the crumbling stone wall.

Emma: It's a request from Enis.

Azel: Why should I listen to the words of a mere king?

Emma: Please, just this once... You just need to show your face at the evening party for a little while.

Tonight, an impromptu evening party hosted by the king will be held at Tanzanite Castle.

The party, which will be attended by influential people from the Land of Illusions, seems to have the intention of gathering information on the unstable situation following the recent riot and showing that God's protection is still in place to build peace of mind for the people.

Emma: I heard that you don't really like parties, Prince Azel...

Azel: Yes. The reason I don't want to attend gatherings of people... Surely you understand, intelligent as you are?

Emma: It's because the participants get restless, right?

Azel: ...What kind of reason is that?

Emma: If you were to attend the party, Prince Azel, the people around you would surely be distracted.

Emma: They wouldn't be able to enjoy chatting, and the party meant for enjoyment would turn into a gathering to worship God...

Emma: I thought that you wouldn't want that to happen.

(I've noticed while spending time with you that despite your mean personality, your kindness shows through here and there.)

I felt that my guess that he was intentionally not participating out of consideration for others was accurate.

Azel: The me in your mind is quite compassionate, isn't he?

Azel: Unfortunately, I have no such noble purpose. It's just bothersome.

Azel: However, it was unexpected that Enis would ask you to do an errand.

Azel: The fact that he's resorting to such a poor way to buy time means that he still hasn't come to terms with the prophecy in his heart...

Azel: It's pathetic that he still can't let go of his emotions even though he's become a puppet.

(Puppet...?)

As if to say the conversation was over, Azel continued his repair work silently.

It seemed he had no intention of listening even if I brought up the king's name, but this was within my expectations.

(When asking Azel for a favor, payment is an absolute condition...)

(However, I don't have an endless supply of wealth like Silvio.)

(I'm glad I prepared a secret weapon before coming here.)

Emma: Prince Azel.

I take out what I had in my pocket and hold it out in front of his mystical eyes.

His work stops.

Azel: ..."Special Service Ticket that grants any wish"...

Silvio: ...!

Ignoring Silvio, who suddenly burst out laughing, I offer the ticket to Azel with both hands.

Emma: This has a monetary value equivalent to repaying all the debt I owe you.

Azel: ...Are you stupid?

Emma: But as a special offer! If you grant my wish, I will give you this ticket for free.

Azel: ...

Emma: Please don't look at me with pity.

Silvio: My stomach hurts... A "do anything you want" ticket for a God... I'm impressed... Haha...!

Emma: You're laughing too much, Prince Silvio!

(I knew it... I knew the chances were slim... but I'm starting to feel embarrassed.)

Azel: ...It's embarrassing, isn't it? Trying to bribe a God with a cheap, childish ticket like this.

Emma: It's a... luxury ticket...

Azel: It has no value to me. In the first place, you still have a huge debt.

Azel: Above all, I am a God who grants people's wishes--aren't you giving it to the wrong person?

(...I want to rewind time right now.)

I cover my flushed face with my hands, but peek at the God's face through the gaps in my fingers--

Azel: Only a fool like you would think of such a ridiculous thing.

(...)

For just a moment--in a fleeting instant that I almost mistook for an illusion, a soft, moon-like smile appeared on his face.

(No, I... I seem to be weak to this face.)

I quickly averted my eyes, feeling as if I had touched something forbidden.

Silvio: Woman, you couldn't seduce the God?

Emma: ...He was too tough.

It seems Silvio didn't see it, so I pretend nothing happened.

Silvio: Well, the king also said "it would be difficult," right? There's no point in givin' up.

Silvio: If you have time to deal with the God, why don't ya go back and prepare for the evenin' party?

Emma: You're right. I think the maids are waiting for me--

As I try to give up and leave Azel, he grabs my hand.

Azel: Why are you attending the evening party?

Emma: His Majesty the King invited me.

Silvio: You wannna gather information for the Rhodolite guys, right?

Emma: That's part of it.

Azel: You, who are drowning in debt, should have the important task of making my dinner.

Emma: There are leftovers from yesterday, so you won't have any trouble with your meal, Prince Azel.

Azel: ...

Emma: Is it... not okay?

(I was invited to the evening party and ended up replying, but maybe that was too hasty.)

Although he doesn't have his usual frown in front of Silvio, I feel pressure from his gentle smile.

Azel: Have you forgotten that you are a debtor? You must prioritize God above all else.

Emma: Prince Azel, could it be that...

Emma: ...are you lonely?

Silvio: ...!

In contrast to Silvio, who burst out laughing again, Azel's smile stiffened.

Azel: You... you have some nerve to insult a God?

Emma: It wasn't an insult, it was an observation.

Azel: That's not something to be proud of. I'm actually relieved that you won't be here.

Emma: Well then, I'll be off to the evening party.

Azel: ...

Emma: Ah, I finally understand. Actually, you're worried-- Ow!

In the end, as always, he pulled my cheek and forcibly silenced me.

Azel: Maybe it's time to consider imprisonment for blasphemy. After paying the fine, of course.

(Not good, not good!)

Silvio: Ha, don't worry so much. I'll accompany you.

Silvio: An escort is essential for Tanzanite evening parties, right?

Silvio: If God isn't coming, I have no choice but to be your partner.

Silvio was grinning broadly, and it was clear that it wasn't just out of goodwill.

(But I'd feel uneasy going alone, so I'll take advantage of his offer this time.)

Azel: ...You're quite the curious one, Prince Silvio.

Silvio: I don't want to hear that from ya, the one who's lettin' an unknown woman live here.

Silvio: If you ain't happy about it, you can come along. You love free meals, don't ya?

Azel: A God cannot easily be involved in worldly affairs.

Silvio: What's that, you money-hungry bastard?

Azel: In the first place, Emma, do you really intend to go?

Azel: Your little head seems to have already forgotten what happened at the royal court.

(He might actually be worried about me.)

(...This is awkward.)

Emma: I'll be careful.

Silvio: I don't know what happened, but I'll be there, so it'll be fine. You owe me one.

As if to rescue me from Azel's clutches, Silvio puts his hand on my shoulder and casually pulls me closer.

Azel: ...Well, fine.

Azel: I don't care at all, not even a little bit, where you go or what you do.

Azel maintains the smile of a merciful God.

But his eyebrows were faintly furrowed.

As if he had seen something unpleasant.

-

Clavis: --Now then, Kumushu. What is this matter that we must discuss away from prying eyes?

Unlike the bustling lobby, the reception room upstairs was filled with silence.

Kumush: I don't like beating around the bush, so let me ask you directly.

Kumush: Are you familiar with the world's calamity, the beast of ruin, the renowned figure known as the ever-victorious general?

Clavis & Luke: "................."

Clavis: ...Of course, we are.

Luke: Why is his name coming up?

Kumush: Actually, there's something I'd like to consult with you about.

The lump that was taken out of the wooden box placed under the table changed the atmosphere of the room.

Clavis: ...This isn't a funny joke, is it?

.

.

.

Chapter 16 Letter

If you’d like to support my translations, feel free to buy me a coffee here! :)

I just wanna say, I love Silvio in this route. I love that he's kind of an acquaintance and not just a full-on jerk to Emma. And I love that he's making Azel jealous LOL.

[alexa-fika]

Sponge Cake (Thatch x child!lunarian!reader)

A/N okay I ‘m not sure how I feel about doing three for one, im both sure I paid attention to both ideas enough so please let me know what you think! Please note that since this is a lunarian they are brown skinned. I tried not to mention the hair since there is so much variety there but I did mention the skin. Also I decided gn since the requests were both female and male.

Reader here is replaced by Dokucha which stands for reader in japanese for the enjoyment of both reader and oc character readers!

Dividers by @/firefly-graphics

“What’s the occasion, Dokucha?” Ace questioned as he watched the tween pull out a pan from the oven, wings flapping in what he guessed was excitement

“I just wanted to make something for you guys!” They exclaimed as they took hold of the pan, flying their way over to the table that their brothers sat at

“Watcha make pumkin’?” Thatch asked as he took a peek at the pan. 

“I made cake!” They called as they attempted to cut said pastry 

“Ah, darlin’, please lemme me cut it,” Thatch called as he gingerly took the knife in his hand.

“I -I can do it, Thatch-nii! I’m nine!” They fussed, trying to get the knife back

“I know, but I don’ wanna risk you gettin’ hurt,” they called, waving them off as cut the cake with ease, pulling one of the pieces into a nearby plate.

“I’m a Lunarian Thatch-nii,” they scoffed, finding it outrageous that a mere knife could even nick their bronze skin, much less go through it.

“Here, ya can have tha first pie…ce?” 

“What’s wrong-yoi?” Marco asked as he noticed Thatch’s frozen position

“Thatch-nii! I couldn’t reach the sprinkles. Can you help me get them?” They begged, pulling at his white uniform

He glanced at them, a knowing smile on his face as he straightened himself and nodded.

“Of couse,” he drawled, placing the utensil down and following after the child. The flame behind them moving brazenly, giving away the kid’s nervousness.

“You have to keep quiet about it, Thatch-nii,” they hissed when they determined they were out of earshot.

“Sponge Cake? Really?” He teased 

“Shut up! None of them noticed! You’re the head of the cooking Division, so obviously, you would have noticed the difference. I didn’t know you were joining them,” they frowned, stomping their feet. Their wings mirror their mood as they angrily flapped behind them.

“So whatcha ya put in it?” He questions, Browsing through the upper cabinets for their excuse.

“H-How did you know?” They gaped

“Cause you, pumkin’, are an absolute menace to everyone on this ship, ain’t no way you would have stopped with the sponge,” he mused, pulling out the container of sprinkles and handing it to a Shellshocked dokucha

“Wasabi… I put wasabi over the sponge to make it look like mochi,” they mumbled.

“Ya not gonna prank me for the rest of the year.”

“Why would I agree to that?” 

“Because if ya don’, imma go tell ’em, and then YOU are goin’ to be grounded for the rest of the year for nothin’.”

“Ung”

“Checkmate pumkin’ remember you learned to be a menace from even bigger menaces,” he stated smugly.

“Fine!” They pouted 

“Pleasure doin’ business with ya, darlin’,” he grinned, his attention being drawn by the loud sound of gagging, gasping, and spitting.

“Ya better go before the wasabi hits,” he laughed, watching as the Lunarian opened their wings and hightailed out of the Kitchen and to the Deck, letting out a squeal as they avoided a sudden Flash of blue

“Hi Marco-nii! You look a little red!” They cackled, taking in the very red and pained face the first mate wore on his face

“Come here.” He called launching themselves at them with a flap of his own wings letting a groan as they simply ducked under him

“Bye Marco-nii!” They laughed as they closed their wings, allowing gravity to take them closer to the only man who would save them right now

“Hi Papaw! Love you, Papaw!” They hurriedly called as they ducked behind the man, popping out of them to let one final goodbye to the commander as they pulled at their eye and stuck his tongue out at him.

What do you think? I’m kinda effy about this one, idk feel like I should have included the rest of the characters more and much more lunarian ish ? ahhh im overthinking!

Taglist:

@Imaginarydreams

@amethystviolin

@h0n3y-l3m0n05

@hannahbarberra162

@epochal-oracle

[brucebocchi]

Ranking 2024 anime, Pt. 2: #40-31

hey, this post is also available on my ko-fi, so please check it out and consider tipping/donating as i do this for free and am currently between jobs. you can find part 1 of the list here. thanks!

Alright, on we go to the list proper. The first post was probably whiplash-inducing, going from a bunch of shorter stuff I loved to whole seasons I hated, but we can only go up from here. I watched a lot of anime this year, as the numbers indicate, so there's a little positivity to be found even in the lower rankings.

As always, OPs are linked in the series titles. Watch them, they're almost all great.

40. Metallic Rouge

One of the biggest disappointments of the year, one which I didn’t think could be outdone (and I’ll get to that one shortly). Metallic Rouge had so much going for it as a Studio Bones original for its anniversary, and managed to fumble all of its promise and goodwill in slow, agonizing fashion. 

It’s a shame, too. Metallic Rouge still looks awesome; the character and mech designs are excellent, the space-cyberpunk aesthetic is undeniable, and the animation can be terrific when it counts. The story, on the other hand, is so completely asinine that I was sick of this show before it ended. I’ve mostly forgotten what even happens, partly because it was that infuriating to keep up with, and partly because I feel like the writers forgot too; the bulk of any actual story felt backloaded into the last two or three episodes because they focused too hard on vibes for a while. I think they were trying to go for some “G-Witch by way of Detroit: Become Human” something or other, but all of it rang hollow. I’m still not sure whether it needed more runtime or better writers. Probably both.

Not worth your time. Just watch the OP and imagine a better show than what we got.

39. Mysterious Disappearances

I’ve thought so little about this show since it went off the air that I don’t really have anything new to say. Looks pretty lousy most of the time, not that interesting, oddly horny, and the plot structure gets kind of cloying after a while.

I know I harped on that last point when I reviewed it at the end of the spring season, but something funny happened after I did. Back in July, I mentioned that I took issue with the formula of “we encounter a paranormal anomaly, it’s identified as a yokai or urban legend, we learn its tragic backstory, our protagonists give it closure, and we move on” because it felt manipulative after I realized that it happened with every arc, and then I went ahead and read DanDaDan, which basically does exactly the same thing but a hell of a lot better. Comparing a middling work like this to DanDaDan of all things feels unfair, but they cover pretty similar ground. Maybe it’s sharper writing, or maybe it’s just a more engaging work. Who’s to say?

I’d also said in my review that Mysterious Disappearances unintentionally gives off the vibe of a poorly-archived mid-2000s series, but I hadn’t realized just how right I was: It turns out that studio Zero-G just went ahead and made up its own ending even though the source material is still ongoing. Better shows did the same this year, but the studio and I seem to have the same level of faith that this anime’s ever coming back.

38. My Deer Friend Nokotan

Honestly? Fuck this show.

I’ve already gone into what I did and didn’t like about Nokotan after it went off air a few months ago and I don’t care to revisit that while it’s still relatively fresh. Not nearly as funny as it pretended to be, yet still not even confident in its own sense of humor. The OP's still a bop (calling it "Shikairo Days" was a genuinely great joke), and a small handful of gags do land, but not enough to prevent this from being a massive disappointment.  At the same time, Nokotan was still somehow not the biggest letdown of the year.

37. Uzumaki

This was the biggest letdown of the year.

When an anime adaptation of the legendary Junji Ito horror manga was first announced in 2019, it was hard not to get excited. Even when I’d mostly fallen out of anime fandom, I knew damn well who Junji Ito was and I knew Uzumaki. Adult Swim was funding the project, a prestige studio in Production I.G. was handling the animation, and they even nabbed Hereditary composer Colin Stetson for the score. Ito’s manga is famously very difficult to adapt well, and it looked like we finally had a project being taken seriously. Delays and radio silence in the ensuing years were disappointing, but I was willing to be patient if it meant everything was being handled right. When the trailer dropped this summer, it looked like it would be worth the wait.

And for one glorious episode, it seemed like everyone’s patience paid off. Uzumaki’s debut episode was one of the most visually arresting pieces of animation I’ve ever seen: The entire look and feel was faithful to Ito’s inimitable style, from the meticulously detailed linework to the stark black-and-white color grading of his manga’s pages. On top of that, the animation itself was absurdly good; the process of rotoscoping 3D motion capture seemed arduous, but the end result was beautifully lifelike for a story where that quality could only serve to instill further terror. Several of the most iconic images from the early chapters looked incredible in hi-def motion. Sure, the pacing was a little fast, but this was a four-episode miniseries. We could deal. This was just too good.

And then came the second episode.

I’m not going to over-elaborate or relitigate every single thing that went wrong here, because it’s a lot. Uzumaki was in development for a long time, and that five year gap between announcement and release included several detriments to the production process, not the least of which being COVID, animation production changing hands between several studios, and new leadership for Adult Swim’s parent company that now favors profit over product, especially when it comes to animation that doesn’t involve DC characters. Plenty of us figured that all of these delays and a run of only four episodes meant that they had the time to hammer out all the issues and give us the best possible product. That, unfortunately, was not the case.

Responding to complaints about the decline in animation in the second episode, executive producer Jason DeMarco (who, to be blunt, has overseen several mediocre-to-awful anime products released under the Adult Swim brand, including my bottom-ranked anime of 2023) claimed in a quickly-deleted Bluesky thread that there is indeed a higher-up to blame and that they were left with an ultimatum to either drop Uzumaki after just one episode, let it go the way of so many other Warner Bros non-releases under David Zaslav’s disastrous leadership, or release the whole miniseries in its half-baked state. They went with the third.

So, what we got was an uneven, often sloppy work; another mediocrity to throw on the pile of failed Junji Ito adaptations. All goodwill established in the first episode is soon undone by wonky character models, uncanny walk cycles, and movement that looks like PNGs being dragged across a background at the most inopportune times. Plenty of viewers, myself included, were willing to overlook the accelerated pacing after the first episode, but that issue was thrown into stark relief by the second when entire chapters of the manga began playing out simultaneously, and one was even reduced to an afterthought for a cheap “scare” at the end of episode three. 

Not that I thought Uzumaki necessarily needed a full 12-episode season for a proper adaptation or anything; Ito’s output can often be light on story, and dragging it out too far risks losing interest. What makes Ito’s stories actually work, though, is a proper sense of setting and space to let tensions rise. That didn’t entirely happen here; while the atmosphere of Kurozu-cho does plenty resemble what we’ve seen from Ito’s pages, and Stetson’s atonal saxophone does a lot of work to raise the level of unease, things just kind of happen. Few things really get the chance to land as intended, in part due to the production quality cheaping out at climactic moments.

This was the last anime I finished this year even though I’d watched the first two episodes after they aired and it went off the air in October. I was looking forward to the last two episodes that little. There are still bits and pieces of great animation and faithful adaptation here and there, but not enough to regain any goodwill from the second episode’s wheels visibly falling off. Maybe it’s finally time to declare Junji Ito’s works unadaptable once and for all. 

Definitely watch that first episode, though. At this point I kind of wish that’s all we’d gotten.

36. Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable!

Straitlaced Nice Guy moves to a new town, laid-back gyaru from his class immediately takes a liking to him, a couple other girls enter the picture, shenanigans ensue, and a slow-burn romance begins in parallel. Nothing special on paper and nothing much more special than that in execution. The setting is lovely, though, and it really made me want to visit Hokkaido one day. Nicely done, tourism board.

If you watched this and were put off by it, I don’t blame you; I probably would’ve been too if I hadn’t decided to read ahead in the manga. I will say this, though: If you liked Hokkaido Gals even a little, read the manga. It’s a minor investment, but if you can get over the halfway mark, it gets surprisingly good and has a really lovely ending. 

The anime, on the other hand? Meh. Doesn’t look super great and didn’t have enough time in 12 episodes to overcome most of the issues the source material had to move past to get to what made it worthwhile. It would take another season or two to get there, and that probably isn’t gonna happen. Great OP, though (I'm starting to repeat myself, I know). Just read the manga.

35. No Longer Allowed in Another World

Boasting one of the most audacious premises for an isekai I’ve ever seen, No Longer Allowed in Another World doesn’t shy away from the implications of an Osamu Dazai isekai, has the dark humor to match, and provides some fascinating commentary on the type of person who tends to consume wish-fulfillment isekai. Unfortunately, the presentation was a little lacking and threatened to lose my attention several times. I think the idea is much better on paper, to the point where I might test that theory and go read the manga.

34. The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic

The next dozen or so anime in the rankings fall into a category of either “well-made anime that I found kind of frustrating” or “middling anime that I kind of enjoyed.” The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic is very much the latter. It’s a standard isekai on paper; demon king, special powers, what have you, but it has a likable cast and laid-back vibe for much of its runtime that made it pleasant enough to watch.

As I said after the winter season, I really liked that Wrong Way spends a lot of its early story ensuring that the protagonist expends the time and effort necessary for him to become the hero he’s meant to be instead of the narrative just handing it to him from the start, which instantly sets it apart from most other wish-fulfillment isekai. It’s far from the best-looking anime I watched this year, but it has a mid-00s throwback look and feel to it that works more to its benefit than in Mysterious Disappearances. Nothing groundbreaking and a little too backloaded, but an enjoyable enough experience and one I’m looking forward to seeing come back. 

The only really upsetting thing about this show is that Atsuko Tanaka (Major Kusanagi, Bayonetta, Kainé), who was tremendous as the intimidating Captain Rose, is no longer with us. She was an exceptional talent with an iconic voice who will be sorely missed, and future seasons of this show won’t be the same without her.

33. Go! Go! Loser Ranger

Though not a bad anime by most metrics, I still consider Loser Ranger a minor disappointment. It mostly looks great, and “what if The Boys was a sentai series” is a killer premise, but the story so far is extremely frontloaded. Almost too much happens in the first four episodes, and then the bulk of the last arc of the season takes place in a goddamn parking garage. I’m still annoyed by that. Still looking forward to season 2, but I wish the debut season had been 24 episodes to avoid the sour taste in my mouth.

Did you hear that echo? Yep, that's me telling you to watch yet another OP. Easily the best part of the show and one of the best of the year. Tatsuya Kitani can't keep getting away with it.

32. Astro Note

2024 turned out to be a banner year for Rumiko Takahashi’s older works making their way back to modern screens, and one of those entries wasn’t even hers.

Astro Note is an overt homage to Takahashi’s less-famous romcom Maison Ikkoku, which ran parallel to Urusei Yatsura for most of the latter’s run. Like Ikkoku, Astro Note follows a down-on-his-luck young man living in a boarding house full of bizarre miscreants who only stays because the manager is super pretty. Unlike Ikkoku, and unbeknownst to our protagonist, said manager is actually an alien who is practically turning the house over to find a secret alien MacGuffin.

This show looks lovely and has a delightful cast and some surprisingly moving subplots, but it’s nothing too special otherwise. There are some fun creative flourishes here and there, like the alien stuff shown in flashback being made to look like an older space opera anime, but aside from a very fun turn near the end of the season, Astro Note rarely rises above the level of simply “pleasant.” And that’s fine, but it doesn’t quite live up to the material it’s aping, and what we’ve ended up with is just a nice distraction. 

I’m so glad I finally decided to read Maison Ikkoku though.

31. Shangri-La Frontier, second cour

It’s been a running joke for me that the more I watch Shangri-La Frontier, the less I’m sure whether I like it or not, and now with 25 episodes in the tank, I’m less sure than ever. The back half of the debut season improved on a few of the things that annoyed me about its first cour by focusing more on the high-quality action and introducing minor stakes to the proceedings, and then everything else surrounding it made it feel no less like I’m just watching a guy playing a goddamn video game, and the stakes still mostly seem to amount to "he wants to be good at it."

You may notice that I didn’t include the second season in this review, and that’s because I flat-out didn’t care to pick it back up. I’d been busy during the fall season and continuing a show I didn’t enjoy that much just wasn’t a high priority. It’s continuing into January, so there’s time to catch it while it airs, but I’m still not in any hurry.

[thelampisaflashlight]

Something, something Dew going up against Ifrit in a fight, ya know, a bit of friendly competition for funsies, resulting in a pack division and some serious trust issues for Dew after he hears members of his pack cheering for Ifrit to really give it to him, and hearing basically no one rooting for him.

Like, he expects Alpha to cheer for Ifrit, it is what it is, but then it's, like, Omega and Mist telling him to wallop Dew/"put him in his place", and when all is said and done and Dew manages to win, they go to congratulate him but he pushes them away, because seriously what the fuck?

Dew just fully ices them out after that, because he didn't expect to win, but the fact that they were actively calling for him to get his ass kicked and mocking him, even as a "joke", has him tense and really at odds with himself and his position in the group.

Even Ifrit has to take a step back and think about how things went down, because he was having fun and didn't really notice what was being said and he's just dumbfounded that they got so verbally vicious towards Dew while funneling so much support into him.

Really knocks him and his ego through a loop, and HE goes to apologize to Dew for the others' actions, but, like, the damage has already been done.

Totally fucks up whatever bond they all had in a too little too late kind of way.

It gets to a point that even if he won, Dew feels like he lost so much and has to wonder if his packmates even liked him to begin with or even believed in him at all, and he wants to leave then and there.

And maybe he does leave for a while, goes back to the "outside world" and tries to just live the way he used to, it doesn't last that long before he comes back, but when he does, he's not as open and friendly as he used to be when he first arrived.

Dew's trust was fragile from day one, and now it's just completely gone, so even when the others approach him genuinely, he thinks they're secretly thinking ill of him, so he sticks to hanging around the siblings of sin and really devotes his free time to diving into his work for the church and ignore the other ghouls unless given no other choice.

Just, something, something, Dew still, despite putting up this cold exterior, still caring about his packmates enough to forge bonds with his new ones, showing the old ones that, "It wasn't me, it was you." not even out of spite at this point.

That their underestimating him and poor handling of the situation lost them a friend who they still see basically every day, and, man, doesn't that sting?

Dew, who moves on independently of the rest, not even caring after, like, a year, but not making an effort to mend that bond or facilitate a new one.

Just, an irreparably broken bond over something that was all meant to be fun and games.

But also; Dew never repeating the same mistake of walking away and not talking things through, further hammering in the idea that he grew and moved on and has repaired his ability to trust... just not them.

I dunno, I was sitting here and went, "Yeah, that'd be neat." and here we are.

[ohnoproblems]

ok i know youre probably done with these kinds of asks, but i have a question that probably wont make sense

i am apart of the precure community, and one of our jokes is calling toei animation, the creators of precure, john toei. the term came from the kamen rider community from what i know, but i wanna know the first instance of the term "john videogame/company"

i searched 4chan since i thought that would be to most likely place for the term "john toei" would come up, which, it did in 2016

another lead i got was john backflip, but due to the undocumented nature of it, i am unsure it came from that since as far as i know, the joke as we know it originated in 2013

i also got clues from people asking the same question as me on reddit, which lead me to you. i cannot contact op since they deactivated and i dont know if youll even respond but always shoot yo shot ig

my question is

before you made the john darksouls reblog post, have you, by any chance, seen that term be used even before the john darksouls post? has there been an earlier instant of something similar to john darksouls?

oh fuck it's no trouble at all and this question delights me. the thing is we HAVE done a cursory historical analysis of the term "john darksoul" before. but i do mean cursory - the mesh of influences grows diffuse almost immediately, but nonetheless i and others have attempted to weave them. the one i was thinking about was here, though some of the links to @3liza's blog in the post itself might have exploded:

(for those of you saying "huh? john darksoul?" well, here. he's had a hard life.)

one thing i always remember is that one time i had a phone interview for a writing position at gearbox with some Names there while they were still working on battleborn. and over the course of the interview i said the words "john darksoul" with my mouth to them. they didn't know what i meant in the slightest. i realized this gulf of understanding and my own mistake immediately. i didn't get that job

[eddiemunson-reader-shame]

Good Morning Hawkins, I Am Tormented™️ By Eddie Munson x Hopper’s Kid!Reader

A/N: This is gonna be a little headcanon list that will probably evolve into more, not sure. Let’s see how it goes? I really loved the idea of Eddie and Hopper's eldest falling for one another. Especially considering the fact that we can have some genuinely funny and contradictory character attributes for the kid of an authority figure.

I’m also going to try something new with my banners. I want to make more inclusive banners for folks because I’ve had the conversation many times that a lot of aesthetic banners for inserts often don’t account for the fact that not all readers are cisgender white women.

So, I want to include more variations of women to represent reader in my banners. There will be quite a lot of different ones as well. I also had to include some for myself because I’m in that weird category where depending on the city I’m in I often am considered white passing, but I don’t relate to a blonde coded reader.

Also, we’re going full Rogers and Hammerstein Cinderella rules at all times in these inserts just so you know. If Whoopi Goldberg and Victor Garber can have Paolo Montalban as their biological child and no one ever questioned it, then Jim and Diane Hopper can have a child with some melanin in them. There’s whole ass aliens that eat people’s faces and psychic powers. We’ll be alright.

These headcanons will be more fluff than nasty. So, enjoy.

Tag List: (Please DM to be added) @writhingg @melodymunson @ali-r3n @amandahobblepot @twihard28 @hiimjulie @jozstankovich @eddiemunsonmash @mothmans-left-buttcheek @i-trash-about-things

Credits: banner by @strangergraphics

Well, good morning Hawkins. I have an idea as to how a relationship between Eddie the freak and Little Hopper got into a funny ass relationship.

These two are star crossed lovers and Hawkins’ own Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting, I am so serious rn. (RIP To my forever scream queen ❤️)

You and Eddie were always aware of one another, having grown up in such a small town and going to the same goddamn schools when there isn’t much of a choice in districts to attend.

As a kid, everyone didn’t really know what to make of you. All they knew was that your dad was a cop, and that he’d put the fear of god into one of the boys on the playground who kept trying to look under the skirt of your Gunne Sax dress.

Because of scary Hopper, everyone mostly left you alone during your early elementary school years.

Everyone except nosey ass Eddie Munson.

That little mop of curls followed you everywhere on the playground. Talking your ear off about music, dragons, knights in shining armor and princesses with hair long enough to climb.

One day he just saw you eating a spam sandwich alone, and decided you were going to be his.

He saw you reading a book about horses and just began info dumping about knights and the kind of horse armor they had during the medieval times and “did you know that Peter S. Beagle said that unicorns are more beautiful than horses because horses can only pathetically attempt to mimic the grace of a unicorn?”

Thems was fightin’ words.

Especially to you, Little Hopper, who grew up obsessed with Black Beauty, National Velvet, and any other horse media you could get your hands on.

“Excuse me?! Have you never even seen a horse when it’s at full gallop? You’re really stupid if you think a horse isn’t graceful!”

After you socked little Eddie Munson in the stomach for saying unicorns were better than horses, you two became inseparable.

When you were younger, everyone mostly felt sorry for Eddie rather than starting off outright hating him. His momma just died, and he was often the one kid in class who was poorly taken care of. Usually people felt sorry for him.

But Eddie was the class clown. He tried so hard to get any kind of attention, be it negative or positive, and he was just so damn clumsy that eventually the pity turned into anger.

No one ever quite got why he didn’t just “get it together” or “get over it” after his momma died.

They told him the same thing your parents often told you at six years old: Grow up. Pick yourself up by the bootstraps.

Jim and Diane weren’t the best parents when you were growing up. They say the first baby after a marriage can come at any time, and the second one always comes nine months after. You weren’t stupid. You knew you were the “oops” baby after their brief encounter when dad came back to Hawkins on leave in ‘65.

It was something you and Eddie could relate to— kids who were the result of dads wanting free love in the 60’s, now suffering the consequences in a red state with parents who hated each other.

When Sara was born, you spent a lot of time hiding out at Al Munson’s janky two bedroom home.

Things often got overwhelming with a new baby sister adding to the mix. Mom quit her job at the utility office to raise the baby and become Julia Child, dad kept on getting promotions at the precinct, and you were left confused and angry at the fact that only now had they decided to get it together.

So when the baby got overwhelming, you’d bike to Eddie’s house while Al took off on a bender elsewhere, often states away. You two spent hours in his bedroom taking every mismatched kitchen chair and blanket to make forts by the bed, playing cards or with old toys that had seen better days.

Everyone thinks you and Eddie are polar opposites: you’re the one on track for the really good academic scholarships and you still wear your cute prairie and medieval style dresses from the 70’s.

Meanwhile Eddie’s cutting up old blanket lined denim jackets and getting into harder metal.

Yet both of you are still the two nerds who will escape into music, and into the good old pages of a fantasy novel or the world of Greyhawk.

Of course you play D&D with Eddie, and you always have to specify exactly what kind of horse your elf fighter has. I think you spend more time describing the goddamn horse than you do the character.

Eddie always lobs a d4 at your head when you spend too much time talking about how your character’s horse is a dapple gray, not a flea-bitten gray.

In your older years, your dad is ready to tear his hair out because you absolutely refuse to stop going around with the town fuckup.

I think you would most likely be the one to stay in Hawkins living in the trailer park with Eddie and Wayne, married at eighteen, expecting at nineteen.

You also have that Older Sibling™️ rage built up, so any time you get a screaming lecture from your dad, you match his energy.

He’s basically given up on trying to make the two of you stop seeing each other because you always circle back to ignoring him for a week because you “don’t talk to pigs”.

Eddie secretly loves the audacity you have.

Eddie also loves to tease you because you and your dad have the same shitty, grumpy attitude.

He calls you Little Hop, and you always threaten to throw a brick at his head.

One thing Eddie also likes to do is tease you like every old woman in Hawkins does, with the “aww you look so much like your daddy!”

It always makes you feel like this: