#i've not written something like this in a while but it was surprisingly kind of a struggle

[joshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh]

Can you ramble about gochi usa for a few paragraphs?

I think Gochiusa exists in kind of an interesting place within the meta of cute girls doing cute things anime, right. Cause a lot of cute girl anime have some sort of gimmick apparent within the very premise in order to stand out from the crowd, which can feel like a necessity given just how many cute girl anime there are. Sometimes it's a band, sometimes it's a sport, sometimes it's a hobby of some sort, hell sometimes it's that they're an isekai. You don't really get cute girl anime that just are cute girls doing cute things these days quite as often, it's always fairly specialised.

It shouldn't be said that Gochiusa doesn't have anything like this - your main hook in the synopsis is that it's primarily set within a coffee shop, and the two main characters' names are puns on hot drinks to lean into that. But that's kinda nothing, right? They're not fishing, they're not rifle shooting, they're not writing manga, they're not dedicated to one particularly complicated board game, they just kinda have part-time jobs. And the show is very much aware of that. So despite the coffee shop being part of the premise, the series as a whole rarely leans into it. It's mostly just cute girls doing whatever. Part of this is cause of its age - the manga started in 2011, even that long ago there was less competition and less need to set yourself apart from the premise alone. But it's still kinda noteworthy that it's a relatively modern cute girl anime without a core thing to set itself apart.

And that's where we get to the fun part. Without needing to be dedicated to one specific thing, Gochiusa kinda gets to do anything it wants without any real disconnect. They'll go to the pool, to the festival, to the halloween party, to the christmas party, to work, to just regular old school. There's no strings attached. It's just kind of normal. And since it doesn't need to justify anything it does, it can focus on just being really entertaining the entire time. The characters are adorable, the jokes are consistently funny, the slice of life is ultra-relaxing, the fuckin town it's set in looks like this

(stole these screenshots from here)

And while Gochiusa does all these normal things as pleasantly as other cute girl anime could only dream of, there's still a little bit of magic in the setting, of all things. Main character Chino's grandfather is currently in the body of a small fluffy rabbit. It's implied that other main character Cocoa accidentally did this when she was joking about casting spells as a child. It's not assumed that this is normal or anything, but for how supernatural that actually is it feels fairly incidental when you're watching the show because hey, who cares about the mechanics of this background magic when Cocoa and Chiya have got English homework to do?

It also needs to be said that a particular area Gochiusa excels in is that really every core character has a well defined relationship with one another, or in other words, there's no dynamic that goes unexplored. This is something that more cute girl shows struggle with than you'd think, but it goes a long way to sell you on group friendships and making the characters believable and shit. How differently does Syaro interact with childhood friend Chiya than she does with her crush Rize, or newly met friends Cocoa and Chino, you know? This even holds true for a good amount of the supporting cast too, whom happen to also be fun enough to carry scenes on their own without making me miss the main characters at all.

I'll say very briefly that the show does have a particularly rough aspect to it early on by way of some rather tasteless fanservice. It is thankfully only of the oldest character, but it's still far from necessary and pretty early on the series realises it doesn't need to operate like that in order to be enjoyable for the audience. So that gets phased out quick.

Past this point I start running into the issue of struggling to convey why I think something is especially good, because fuck me is it easier to talk about obviously bad stuff than obviously good stuff. And that's even harder with Gochiusa because nothing about it screams "yeah no I'm obviously good in an easy-to-describe way". It's a cute girls doing cute things anime without much of a gimmick, in written text format there are few ways I can come up with to actually sell that. And yet, the show's just really really good lol. On my most recent rewatch which was followed by season 3's airing, my face muscles started to get tired from smiling ear-to-ear every episode. Saying that out loud by the way makes me realise season 3 was almost 4 years ago - maybe I'm due for a rewatch lol.

Also as one last brief thing, Chino is just one of my favourite characters in any anime I've seen. Cute as hell design and I especially love her hair, that helps, but she also just has a nice simple character arc that happens across the series, without ever being overstated or anything since hey, Gochiusa is chill like that. Said arc is mainly one of a quiet introvert girl opening up and becoming more confident. She still enjoys her alone time and has solo hobbies the series respects, but she's also capable of taking initiative and making more of her own friends and such. It's nice. Also Gochiusa isn't immune to the passage of time so a lot of this stuff takes place over the course of Chino graduating from middle school and going into high school, which is something the anime hasn't fully gotten into yet but which a season 4 would cover, I imagine. Hopefully that can come soon - the series always does well enough to where I assume it'll happen one day.

Actual last thing just for fun

The dads look like this lol

[witchywcmans]

PLEASE, EAT. | LAIOS TOUDEN

synopsis ━━ after you've been bitten by a sea serpent, you know the consequences are either death or the possibility of turning into one yourself. thankfully for you, laios touden is the devourer of all things monster and he is dedicated to getting that venom out of you. (laios x f!reader.)

content warnings ━━ sex pollen-adjacent, cunnilingus + fingering, praise, breath play (kinda, if you squint), semi-public sex, multiple orgasms. nsfw (minors + ageless blogs dni).

word count ━━ 3k

song inspiration ━━ too sweet, hozier / more than friends, isabel larosa

author's note ━━ this is the first time I've ever written and posted an x reader one-shot on here, so please be gentle with me lol. I usually only write x oc fics bc I'm a yapper and I love creating characters. but alas...I was perusing the laios x reader tag and wanted to read something with this plot, couldn't find it, so I figured I'd just do it myself 🫡

🪽 part i: PLEASE, EAT. / part ii: FORBIDDEN FRUIT. / part iii: TOO SWEET.

This was definitely one of the worst situations you’d been in.

You had joined Laios’ adventuring party just a few months prior. They had found you on floor 3 of the dungeon, shivering and mourning the loss of your father. His body, dead in your arms, and beside him lay the lifeless body of a ghoul you had killed. At first, the party’s leader, Laios Touden, had only been interested in taking the ghoul's body so they could use its bones for utensils after the flesh rotted off. But it was Marcille who noticed the tears in your eyes, how you trembled from the cold, and suggested they take you in. You almost declined, not wanting to leave your father’s body, but knowing he’d soon turned into a monster left you with only one option. Your father had been with you for the past twenty-five years of your life, and now, you were leaving his dead body in a dungeon to travel with a group of strangers.

You soon came to appreciate your new party, though, and you felt your father’s spirit within each of them. Marcille had his kindness, Chilchuck had a comparable wit, Senshi was gifted with excellent cooking skills, and Laios … well, you were still figuring that out. And surprisingly, it was Laios who you began to connect with the most. His knowledge of monsters was unmatched, and he had a passion for learning how to prepare them while they traveled deeper into the dungeon. He was overtly blunt, much like you, and possessed similar advanced fighting skills due to both your fathers' teachings.

Sometimes … sometimes though, you found yourself staring at him more than you should have. His face was abnormally perfect, as if he’d been carved by an artist. His tousled ash-blonde hair reminded you of a lion, and his eyes … sometimes you could’ve sworn they were made out of gold, shimmering like molten lava. Each time you thought this way, you smacked yourself when no one else was looking. I mean, Laios was your friend, your party leader. Having a crush, especially in circumstances like these, was unethical. You had always been focused on one thing: helping your party and making it out of this dungeon alive, for your father. You wouldn’t let a little crush deter you.

Everything had been all well and good until today, when you and your party reached the end of floor 4. When Laios had struggled to fight off a sea serpent, you joined him in the lukewarm water, using your crossbow to shoot the creature in the head. Finally, Laios was able to step in to slice the serpent’s head off … but not before the creature could snap its jaw, tearing one fang down your hip. You jumped back, screaming as you felt the venom seep into you instantly. Some said sea serpent venom would kill you immediately, others said it turned you into one of them, cursing you to haunt the waters with them as penance. As soon as the head was cut, Laios carried you away from the water, and the last thing you heard was Marcille cursing him out before you were rendered unconscious. 

You were woken up – hours, maybe days later – by a drop of water hitting your face every few seconds. Lifting your head from the makeshift tunic pillow, you took in your surroundings. You were at the entrance of floor 5, in a damp corner of cobblestone, while water dripped down onto the floor every so often. There was a moist bandage covering your side where the serpent’s fang had cut into you, part of your tunic ripped to shreds. Hunger boiled in your stomach, making you groan and rub your head. Laios was sitting just a few feet away, a small fire in front of him to keep warm. Marcille had to have helped him with that; there was no way to craft a fire in an area this damp.

“Am I dead?” You asked softly. 

Laios immediately turned in your direction, his mouth lifting in a smile. “Of course not.”

Your stomach did flip flops as you took in his smile, hunger consuming you. You needed something to eat – bad. Your body felt hot and sweaty, and you wondered if it was just from the humidity, even though Laios didn’t look affected. Sitting up, you informed him, “Well, that was one of two options my father said would happen from a sea serpent bite. Which means …” You lifted the bandage up, noticing the gills that started to form on the healing wound. A turquoise hue surrounded the gills, almost like a bruise. “Oh, fuck,” you muttered.

Laios stood, looming over you while asking, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s the other option,” you replied, too hungry to cry. “The bite is –”

“– Turning you into a sea serpent,” Laios finished. “Honestly, I thought that was just a myth. But when the bite didn’t kill you …” His mouth twitched, tongue darting out to wet the corners of his lips. “We have to suck the venom out. That has to stop the mutation.”

Your head snapped up. “Huh?” 

But as soon as your eyes met his, you started to wondered if what you were experiencing was hunger after all. Perhaps … a different kind of hunger. Laios stared down at you, the sparkling gold replaced by a dark hazel. It was just you two in this little corner of the dungeon, but you suddenly felt exposed, so naked, under his gaze. Your body was hot all over, sweat sticking to uncomfortable places. And your thighs … a burning need emerged between them, soaking the thin linen of your undergarments. This had to be a symptom of the bite, but it suddenly didn’t matter anymore. Your worry had been replaced by an ache that only he could fix.

No – absolutely not. You couldn’t. You shouldn’t. You were turning into a sea serpent.

But the need between your legs still throbbed.

“It’s like when a snake bites you on the surface,” Laios said, crouching down to your eye level. His closeness made your heart rate pick up. You realized then that he had shed his armor, kneeling in front of you in just his gambeson, which clung to his muscles and wide frame. “A sea serpent is part snake. Sucking out the venom should stop the mutation. You’ll probably experience symptoms from the bite for a few more hours, but they’ll stop eventually.” 

He started to peel back the bandage, taking a look at the gills forming on your hip when you gripped his wrist. Immediately, his skin burned, making you even more hot. You ripped your hand away from him, and with sweat trickling down the side of your face, you said, “Don’t you think this is … weird? Maybe Marcille should do it.”

“Marcille and the others just went back to another part of the level to find dinner. They won’t return for an hour, at least. This can’t wait.” He inspected the turquoise gills with concern, before his eyes snapped back to yours, noticing the way your black pupils filled almost the entire iris. “Do you not trust me?”

“Of course, I trust you. It’s just …” What exactly was the reason again? Oh, yes, it was pulsating hunger dripping between your legs from the bite, and you were terrified how you’d react the second his lips wrapped around your wound. The symptoms would just get worse. But he was right – this was the only way. Fuck, this had to be the most embarrassing thing you’d ever experienced. 

“Fine,” you finally relented, lying back down on the cobblestone. You did your best to get comfortable, but the makeshift pillow hardly provided much cushion between you and the floor.  “What should I do?”

“Nothing, just lay back and let me take care of it.” Laios lifted your tunic a smidge, and just the tenor of his voice made your ache even worse. “We’re just gonna … get this out of the way. And then …” His fingers hooked on the waistband of your pants, and you immediately clutched his collar. If you touched his skin again, you were sure to moan.

Laios looked from where your hand was gripping him and back to your eyes. “Your pants need to be off so I can have better access to the mutation. It’s on your hip.” You swallowed hard, knowing he was right, and your hand started to slip off his collar. “We’re friends, right?” He asked.

You nodded weakly.

“Good,” he smiled again, and you struggled to hold back a plea for him to touch you. He pulled down your pants, tossing them to the side. For a moment, he paused, taking in your soaked underwear and running his fingers over the mutation on your hip. He licked his lips again, and then said in a rather blunt tone, “You’re so –”

“Don’t say it,” you cut in, snapping your eyes shut to prevent further embarrassment.  Though you had never minded Laois’ occasional lack of social cues, this was one of those moments you needed anything but. “Just get the venom out.”

Laios tugged your underwear down a little to see if the mutation had spread. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” he informed you, lowering his head to your hip. “I’ve read that these bites can have a multitude of internal symptoms. Nightmares ... sweating … fever …” He ran his tongue over the gills, making your breath hitch instantly. “… And especially, arousal. Neat, huh?” He chuckled, and just his warm breath on the gills made you even more wet. “Don’t worry, I got you,” he assured before finally wrapping his mouth on the wound.

Your body burned even hotter than before as soon as his lips touched your skin. He sucked the venom out of you, spitting out blue globs every other second. His hands gripped your side, digging into your flesh and leaving crescent shapes from his nails. As you felt the gills start to close up, you couldn’t help but moan and arch into nothing. This felt better than any time you masturbated … any time you imagined your party leader above you … Fuck, who would’ve thought sucking sea serpent venom out of you would feel this good? Thank the gods the rest of their party was off catching dinner. You couldn’t deal with them possibly hearing this.

It surprised you when your orgasm flooded through you like a crashing wave. As Laios finished sucking out the last of the venom and the mutation closed, your arousal came to a definite peak and you let out a whine. You grabbed his arm, cumming from absolutely no stimulation.

Laios didn’t seem to mind though. In fact, he was mostly preoccupied with inspecting the area. You opened your eyes, your cheeks tinged pink, and saw the globs of venom to the left dissipate to nothing but water. You pinched the bridge of your nose, “I’m sorry, I –”

“The mutation closed. I was right!” Laios looked down at you, a big grin covering his face. “How do you feel?”

“Well, I definitely don’t feel a second set of lungs on my hip anymore.” You lifted your hand when you noticed a trickle of blue staining his lip, wiping it away with your thumb. “But I … my body is still …” The ache inside you had simmered slightly, but it was still there, lingering underneath the surface. 

This was genuinely humiliating. Maybe you should’ve just decided to turn into a sea serpent after all.

Laios grabbed your wrist before you could pull away from his face. He leaned into your palm, running his long nose down to your inner wrist. “Your skin is so warm. I can still smell how aroused you are from the serpent bite.” His eyes burned into yours, keeping your hand close to his face. “I can help. Do you need another release?”

Your cheeks got even more red when he acknowledged your orgasm. Shaking your head, you said, “I couldn’t ask you to do that. I can just –”

“I’d be honored to,” he replied, quite gruffly and persistent. His fingers tugged your underwear down with precision and ease, despite the damp fabric clinging to you. He spread your legs wide and placed them on his shoulders. Lowering himself down, he inhaled the scent of your climax and hooked his arms around your inner thighs. He smiled up at you – your pretty face red with embarrassment – all dopey-eyed and grateful. “You lot like to call me the devourer of monsters. Perhaps I should devour the last bit of monster out of you.”

He inhaled again, groaning like he typically did when he was hungry. His hot breath against your achingly wet pussy made you whimper with desperation. “You smell so good down here,” he whispered. “I’d wager you taste even better.”

You gasped as soon as he dove between your legs, licking a stripe through your folds, tasting your recent orgasm. He flicked his tongue over your clit before sucking on it with feverish excitement. Slick gathered on his tongue and he whined, needing more. So much more. You were the most delicious meal he’d ever tasted. Better than any monster, better than anything on the surface. 

“So good,” he muttered into your pussy, lapping against your clit, doing anything that would get him more of your arousal. “You taste so, so good.”

You whimpered out his name and attempted to close your legs, but he held them opened with all his strength. His arms wrapped around your thighs went tight, bruising the sensitive flesh. Your jaw went slack while your own hands scrambled for purchase, eventually landing in his cropped hair. You tugged, hips bucking against his face, making him groan even more. This allowed him to hold your hips a little higher, and his tongue finally dipped into your leaking entrance. You heard him grunt the second he plunged his tongue deeper, his nose nuzzling your clit. 

He devoured you like a starved man. He devoured you like you were a boiled scorpion, or roast basilisk, or – even better – like sweet, delicious homemade cheesecake. 

“Laios,” you whined, feeling your fever dissolve with each lap of his tongue. “Laios, it’s … fuck – it’s okay, I feel –”

“Need more,” he muttered, his voice low and laced with need. He was practically humping the stone floor as he buried his tongue as far as it could go inside you. Your hips couldn’t stop bucking forward, riding his face as you felt your orgasm building at the base of your stomach. Laios was completely transfixed. He wanted to be here, nestled between your thighs, for every meal. He’d take you away from the rest of the group before dinner, lapping away to the sounds of your pleas and whimpers, so help him gods. He’d do this every day, every night, whenever you wanted, for as long as he was alive. Fuck monsters. He could survive off the taste of you for the rest of his life.

Slipping his tongue out of your hole, he went back to sucking on your throbbing clit and feeling your legs start to tremble. You had to be close to another release, and he was desperate to taste it. He paid all his attention on your clit, snaking one hand up and sinking two fingers knuckle-deep into your entrance in tandem. “Fuck,” you moaned, tugging on his hair once again, “fuck – gods, Laios. I – I’m s-so close –”

“Please,” he begged, smearing your slick all over his mouth. “Please, you’re so good. Need to see how you taste when you release on my tongue.” His own hips continued to buck against the floor.

You choked on a cry when you finally came all over his tongue. He groaned, loud and drawn out, when he finally got a taste of your sweet climax, knowing that it was him that brought you to this point. The orgasm felt long, like the ocean bringing you in and out, and your whole body trembled. He continued lapping at your clit as it pulsed under his tongue, his fingers curling inside you through your orgasm. When you finally breathed out and started to come down from the high of it all, Laios stayed between your thighs, allowing his tongue to gently swirl your clit. Maybe if he continued, he could taste a little more of you …

You found your voice, hoarse from overstimulation. “Laios, please, you have to stop,” you begged, yanking his head up from between your legs. His mouth was covered in your slick, and then he was giving you that dopey expression again, making your heart clench. Your body was no longer hot and sweaty. Laios had completely cured you of the sea serpent bite with that expert mouth of his. He unwound his arms from your thighs, bringing his fingers that were still covered with your wetness to his mouth, tasting the last of your orgasm. You watched him, eyes wide and cheeks blushing, until he was looking at you again with those golden doe eyes.

“That was amazing,” he said, like he was in a haze. When your eyes flickered down, you realized he was hard in his pants, but it wasn’t like he even noticed himself with the way he was staring at you. “We should do that again sometime.”

He stood up, and you scrambled to pull your clothes back on before the group came back. You stammered, “It’s okay, uh – we don’t have to. Especially if you don’t want to. We could just –”

“I want to,” he cut in, a determined look in his eyes. “What are friends for, right?” 

[princessmaybank]

Ride The Cowboy

Pairings: JJ x BestFriend!Fem!reader

Warnings: MDNI, riding, creampie

Summary: JJ got a new cowboy hat and reader has no idea about the rule.

Authors Note: I had a smut written for a request. It was JJ and reader with the cowboy hat rule but it got deleted! It was anonymous so I hope whoever requested this sees it and enjoys!!!

(Edit: I changed the gif bc he's got a cowboy hat on 🤭 idk who these belong to but they aren't mine so credit to whoever made these!)

JJ found this random black cowboy hat at one of our shops in town. I didn't think he was serious when he said he wanted to buy it because it's not even his style.

Anyway he's been wearing it for a fucking week, trying to act all country and it's so fucking annoying. He has started using a country accent trying to be funny, but it was just so, so lame.

We were at the boneyard having the time of our lives. JJ and I were dancing together, giggling and having some normal fun, until he started talking like he was from Texas.

I was so fed up. I reached for his hat and threw it onto my head. "Look at me, I'm JJ, all I ever do is talk with an accent and twirl around in my cowboy hat!!" I said, very annoyed with a terrible attempt at a country accent.

JJ was staring at me in awe, which got the attention of our friend Pope, whose jaw went slack as well. Pope walked over and rested his arm on JJ's shoulder. "She doesn't know does she?" Pope looked at JJ with the most dead serious look I've ever seen. What the hell was he talking about???

"I don't think she does." He grinned and started laughing. His cheeks flushed red as he looked at his feet then back to Pope. "What are you talking about?!" I asked frantically. "Have fun cowboy." Pope said patting JJ's back while walking away. I give JJ a questioning look.

He got extremely close to my body, yet he was still towering over me. Damn this boy was tall. JJ took my hands in his. "You don't know the cowboy hat rule?" He asked smirking down at me. "These things have fucking rules too???" He giggled. "Yes but this one is probably the most important." Somehow he got closer, which was surprisingly not as uncomfortable as I thought. "What is it??" I asked getting annoyed because he was playing games at this point.

"Wear the hat, ride the cowboy."

His face never changed from that smug little smirk, but my eyes got wide. I hit his chest, he was my best friend. "No way Maybank, that's probably something you made up to get you laid." He grinned. "It's not I swear, if you don't believe me look it up."

Unfortunately I did, and he was right. It was some kind of sick joke. "Well I didn't know so it doesn't count!" I crossed my arms. "Hey, rules are rules baby." He was holding my hips now. Why were butterflies filling my stomach? I've never thought of JJ this way. It would be so wrong. "So is no pogue on pogue macking!" I say trying my hardest to find a way out of this, but of course he's ready for whatever I say. "First of all, John B and Sarah are right over there, basically eating each other's faces. Second of all, it's not macking, it's riding baby." He smiled to himself because he knew he won.

JJ walked us to the Twinkie, where we wouldn't be bothered. "You just want an excuse to fuck your best friend!" I say fighting the best I could. "I could say the same about you! I didn't tell you to steal my hat! And you're still wearing it!" He laughs so hard after he gets his sentence out. I was blushing when I quickly took his hat off and threw it at him.

I was hovering over him, very anxious. He had a huge grip on my hips. "We do not have to do this if you don't want to." He says while holding me up. "JJ, I'm already naked. Plus you said it, rules are rules." Before I could change his mind or my own, I started easing myself down onto his dick. JJ let out a slight hissing sound as I went lower. Not gonna lie, I did need to get fucked. It was probably why I found him so annoying this week.

JJ helped me move at a pace that made us both feel good. "Come here." He pulled me in with a motion of his finger. "Might as well break a rule while we're at it." He smirked before attaching his lips to mine. JJ sat up and put his back against the seat, never pulling out. I pulled his hands away from my hips and to my tits, making him squeeze them as I bounced on his dick all by myself. I couldn't believe I was riding my best friend.

"Fuck Y/N/N don't stop." Woah. JJ called me by my nickname while I was bouncing on his huge cock. How fucking hot. Can't believe I'm saying this but I think I'm catching feelings in the middle of all of this. "Fuck I'm cumming!" I yell as my body starts spasming, I feel his dick shoot his hot liquid into me after I was done. JJ pushed my hips up and down, helping us ride out our orgasms.

He started spooning me after I put my clothes back on and laid down. "JJ I don't wan-" Before I could finish he interrupted me. "Y/N, I can't handle it anymore. I need to be with you, especially now. Now that I've had a little taste of you, I don't think I could let you go and just continue being just your best friend." He was hovering over me now. "I was thinking the same thing." That made us both smile.

We popped up when we heard the side door slam open. "I'm assuming she followed the rules?" Pope giggled staring at JJ, making him giggle as well. They high fived as I rolled over to hide in JJ's chest.

[hiskillingjar]

What kind of reactions do you think Btd characters might have to a period, crying Mc who is writhing in pain?

Today I got my period unprepared and without pills and pads I suffered indescribable pain for a long hour… (Man I don't want to go through this again 😢)

and it made me think about it. Would they be surprisingly kind and help, or would they take advantage of it for their own benefit?

urghhh i hate being unprepared for my period, i'm so sorry to hear that :( hope this cheers you up!

ren 🦊

ren would definitely panic if he found you in a lot of pain

he'd ask a lot of questions to try to understand what was up before you just told him you were on your period

"oh...OH! okay! okayokay, i'll go get you what you need! do you want pads, tampons, painkillers...um, something else?"

he'd be a good boyfriend for like ten minutes and get you everything you need and then some

any sorts of pads or tampons, chocolate, your favourite food, a heat pad, all sorts. he'd be very well stocked so you weren't caught off guard again

as soon as you were slightly more comfortable, though, he'd be hovering at your side like "so...um...i've heard some things are really good to settle period pain...heh..."

he was horny the second you told him lol

he'd be DESPERATE to fuck you and, especially, to eat you out while you were on your period

he'd bug you every single day, just full on pathetic begging

"please please please please can i eat you out please it'll make you feel better pleaseeeeeee"

and of course he'd asking to be nice. if you said no, he'd just do it anyway...and spill a little more blood if he needed to

he's a fox. what do you expect <3

(i've also written this (for fox) if you wanna see it in action lol)

lawrence 🥀

law would probably be pretty shocked too

like they come back from work and you're hunched up on their bed moaning in pain. it's not like you can get out to sort out the issue yourself after all :(

you tell them and they get sort of flustered

"um...alright, i guess i'll get something for you. what do you need?"

if you give them a list, they'll do what they can. but they need a list. they would NOT know what to get otherwise

they'd also be pretty nice about it though

maybe run you a bath and make a batch of tea to settle your stomach. it would work a little too well lol

they wouldn't be too desperate to fuck you (they never really are lol) but if you asked, they might do it in the shower or something

they rent the place and don't want to do more laundry than they need to

strade 🔨

*knowing look*

what do you expect from strade, the sole boyfriend who's exclusively horny for violence?

yeah he'd be all over you the second he figured it out lmao

your discomfort and pain is like. His Thing so he would not care at all about you bleeding

he might even like that a little more, and the opportunity to make fun of you as you bled all over his lap and stained his trousers and thighs, and see you even more uncomfortable and put off by how much he wants you

"aw look at you, you're so embarrassed! why, you're never usually this flushed when you're bleeding for me <3"

i read a fanfic once where strade ate the mc out while they were on their period and like. pulled their tampon out lmaoooo he'd totally do that too xux

lay you down in the basement, or even soak his bed sheets, and take you even when you tried to shy away or pull back

that's more in just taking advantage of you when you're in pain

barring the horny stuff, strade kind of doesn't care about getting you tampons or pads or anything. ask him and he'll do it

that doesn't mean he wouldn't tease you a little first cus he totally would

that's just cus he likes to see you squirm though :)

[hiraya-rawr]

— to pass the kamisato standards .

synopsis !! kamisato reader introduces their lover to their siblings, ayato and ayaka! just hcs and brainrotting

characters !! thoma, diluc, childe, al haitham, gorou, kazuha

contains !! gn reader, written while sleep deprived please don't judge if it doesn't make sense huhuh, a bit of a character study on how the kamisatos perceive other characters!

note !! been posting more lately! im in a good mood and would like to share more content ☺️ i also have drafts saved up. also, have you checked out the @/yaepublishinghouse ? i've joined the writing team!

T H O M A

Ah, Thoma? You don't even need to ask. he's already part of the family!

the safest option, really. they already considered him family long before your heart started fluttering around the househelper.

"well, it's honestly about time. ayaka and i have long noticed your affections for thoma," ayato smirks as you two turn red, "don't think i don't know what's going on in my own household, do you?"

not much would change after having your relationship official; thoma might be the only one to experience the change in people's treatment of him as the three kamisatos encourage him to be more proud in his status!

"we're going to get married, don't let people trample over you like that!" you pout. surprisingly enough, thoma is quick to adjust to a "noble behavior" while still keeping his friendly boyish charms.

D I L U C

foreign nobility? for real? your siblings would worry, do you want to live away from them?

thoma might be the only one a little more open to the idea. sure, he's sad but he respects your choice and who you love.

"Mondstadt is a great place. I'm sure it'll be a home for you, just like how Inazuma became a home for me."

ayato is more or less suspicious. "I've heard... rumors," he says carefully, "That man is suspicious to say the least. I'm not sure I trust him."

all in all, with how closed off inazuma seems to be, the kamisatos would be most reluctant to send you off to another nation for some solitary man with a questionable schedule.

C H I L D E

A fatui harbinger? Are you out of your mind!

no. no no no. you are not going all the way to snezhnaya for a fatui harbinger. love is fleeting, your affections will pass.

you really don't need him -your siblings would try to convince you- he has money? the kamisatos have money too. he's someone of rank? so does your siblings. what do you mean you love him so much?

"He's a family kind of guy! He's really sweet!" you'll plead and they'll still shake their heads no.

In fact, Ayato would go on a thorough investigation about exactly what the harbinger has been up to. From the incident in liyue to the homicidal tendencies.

unless you decide to elope, there's no way your siblings would give their blessing.

A L H A I T H A M

the scribe of the academia is a fine man, but some call him a... lunatic.

this one is a 50/50.

admittedly, your siblings are content with his status and background. he works under sumeru's government, just like the kamisatos, and was nominated for the highest ranking position only second to an archon.

he works rationally too! smart and efficient. that's great— but why is he such a blunt smartass?

Throughout the meeting with him, Ayato has a plastered smile on his face. Each conversation seems like a landmine, waiting to explode, trying to best the other with words.

Ayaka is more or less nervously sweating beside them, but you suppose you're glad that they're getting along!

G O R O U

oh? the general of watatsumi? an interesting choice!

ayato considers it a political win. with the kamisato name tied together with the general of watatsumi island, this could lead to better peace relations! and the kamisatos would be the head of it all.

being a general is no easy task, thats something ayato could greatly respect. meanwhile, ayaka and gorou are already familiar friends!

it's a little sad that watatsumi is on another island, but at least you get to stay in inazuma! you're also happy that you get to contribute to inazumas progressive politics as part of the kamisato household, living up to your duty.

K A Z U H A

the wandering samurai. . . ? are you sure?

while a good friend of the kamisato household, kazuha has already left the noble lifestyle of the kaedeharas.

it's not that your siblings want you to marry into nobility, it's just that they'll feel more comfortable if you were in a familiar environment.

meanwhile, kazuha is constantly on the move, never staying at one place. they trust him immensely but are you sure you're up for that change?

kazuha is a good choice, but a worrisome one nonetheless.

commissions || general m.list || ko-fi

taglist !! @absolut-wildflower @boundedbyfate @sadlonelybagel @eissaaaa @ladycoleigh @nejibot @milkypompon @bloodreaper08 @irethepotato @x-zho @mich-cola @mxsomn @ackrylik @nicebonescomrade @starforecasts @stygianoir @yuminako @eccedentesiast-sapphic @nebulaera @nuttytani @klutzkat @shizunxie @bluriie @aestellia @abyislan08

[iiwaijime]

06. meet me at the 7-11

"y/n?"

he sends the text before thinking it through, and by the time he realises that it was probably a mistake — he's basically told her everything about herself — the tiny delivered under his message has turned into seen.

you see him before he sees you. you wrap your jacket tighter around yourself, walking towards him. you walk faster, until you can see the mist of his breaths, and the wire of his headphones, illuminated by neon light — a beacon in the darkness, beckoning you home.

"suna," you call. "rin."

he turns around, face lighting up when your eyes meet. "hey."

"hi." you laugh awkwardly as he comes closer to you, and a heavy silence falls over the scene.

"let's go inside, i'll buy you something."

"no, you won't," you reply.

"yes i will," he argues.

"no you won't."

he hums in reply, flexing his cold fingers before pushing the door open for you. "don't you want to know how i found out you were catliker?"

"oh, yeah, how?"

he only talks again when the two of you reach the drinks aisle. "i saw your texts. on the TV. well, my texts, but you get the idea."

oh. oh. your fingers brush together when he passes you your drink, the cap already unscrewed. "thanks," you murmur, staring into your bottle.

rintarou isn't the type to start serious conversations. however, he also despises suspense. not that this can be called suspense, exactly, but he needs the confirmation — he needs to know. "we're avoiding the most important part of this."

"i know," you respond. and then: "i like you, like a lot."

"i gathered," he replies quietly. "let's go outside?"

just like in the car, your knees are touching — this time, though, it's much more obvious that he's chosen to sit this close to you. his shoulder nudges yours every time he moves, and the motions of your leg as you tap your foot nervously make his leg shake too, but the intimacy of the situation is surprisingly comfortable. he drains his bottle, chucking it into the trashcan on the other side of the parking lot with practiced ease, before doing the same with yours. and then he turns to you.

"i never really imagined telling you that i liked you, so i didn't really have an image of what'd happen in my brain. i didn't expect it to be in the parking lot of a 7-11, either, but here we are." he snickers mirthlessly; more from nerves than humour. "i've liked you a while now — a few years — and you're just perfect in every way, inside and out, and i really like you — fuck, did i say that already? either way, this is it, y/n."

silence.

"oh, and i don't like anyone else, and i did look at you so many times earlier today — or yesterday night, whatever — you just didn't see."

you laugh, and it's beautiful and wonderful and perfect and he might just die. you cover your mouth with one hand. "really? i thought you didn't like me."

"what? you looked absolutely gorgeous, i thought i mentioned it over text already."

"oh, you did!"

he half reaches out to you before he stops himself. "why do you do that?"

"do what?"

"cover your mouth. i mean, if you keep at it, you— never mind."

"i think it's kind of obvious why," you respond lightly. "but finish your sentence?"

"it's nothing that important," he confesses. "i just want to kiss you really badly right now."

"really?"

"yeah, and i can't do it if your hands are in front of your face."

"so if i move them, will you...?"

"only if you're okay with kissing me in a shitty 7-11 parking lot."

"i am," you assure him.

he angles your head up gently, leaning closer until his breath ghosts over your lips. "may i?"

"yes, please," you whisper, and rintarou suna carefully, carefully presses his lips to yours.

series masterlist

authors note(s) !

FINALLY GODDAMN

notice any changes in the cat banner?😈😈😈😈

long ass written part my apologies

they hate to see a pretty girl winning (im constipwted)

i hope theres no school tmr

i have an oikawa series up now plz go checm out <- shameless self plug

thanx for 1k on atsumu + 469 pookies

taglist is open ! (43/50)

@wooasecret @yuminako @dawnisatotalqueen @thechaosoflonging @boogiemansbitch @chloiyoomi @mikauraurr @just-coreee @chemiru @twiishaa @imcheshire @zozodahobo @fallenisded @nyxlai @sp1ng @sunsribn @sellomaybe @savemebrazilhinata @semieita24rockstargf @marsoverthestars @bellsoftheball @renardiererin @akaakeis @dazqa @piopioo @theepitomeofswag @smellysluna @theycallmenanamisgirl @strxbxrrylover @whydoyoucare866 @jiawji @toges-cough-syrup @harmonia-dread @dailyakira @staymoarmyzen @loverlunaire @akaashislovee @lovelymuffin @wtfdudewhydidyoutakemyusername @kazuubaby @giocriedpower @anqelkoz @ayistrying98 @bae-ashlynn

comment or send an ask to be tagged <33

likes n rbs r appreciated <3 thank you !

© iiwaijime 2024

[lo-fi-charming]

so i've been keeping up with TMP as it's airing, which has been fun, it's actually really nice to experience this kind of story weekly since i came into TMA late and listened up to the s4 finale in like, a month or two. i've been enjoying the new characters and statements, and while i was worried i'd have trouble actively listening (my attention span/executive functioning can be really variable when it comes to podcasts), it's been surprisingly easy for me to actually listen to each new ep the day it drops publicly

all this to say im enjoying the show! but i've found myself feeling increasingly frustrated with a couple things i keep seeing when it comes to discussions of it

to me, it seems... there's been a pervasive reluctance to take TMP as what it is. and i do understand that. it'd be stupid to pretend TMP doesn't exist exclusively because of TMA and that show's success, that it's a successor that was pitched as being similar. it's a story being written by the same people (plus guests), in the same universe (roughly), going for about the same tone and maybe themes.

i just feel like it's a bit of a shame, though, that so many folks seem unwilling not to carry TMA with them when they're engaging with TMP

i don't know where or when it was said, but i swear there was a comment made by jonny and/or alex about how TMP will have some commonality with TMA in terms of world-building, but also, people who listened to TMA first may find themselves theorizing in the wrong direction because we're judging things based off what is no longer concrete, reliable information; things are going to work differently in the world of TMP, and since we have preconceived notions on what is relevant or how things work, that's going to influence how we engage with information presented in TMP if we let it. and that's not even considering the fact that they've been explicit in conveying the idea that TMP was written so you can experience it fully without having listened to any of TMA at all!

i'm very much someone who tries to engage with media on its own terms, largely taking things at face value until i'm given reason to suspect otherwise. that's something i'm trying my best to still do with TMP, even though obviously, i've also listened to TMA and am basing some of my thoughts and personal theories on what we know from that

but that's what i mean to say i guess, it's something you have to actively choose to do. and it feels like, just based on what i've been seeing in fandom spaces, that a lot of people are having a bit of an odd time with TMP because of a reluctance to do that?

i think the easiest way to explain what i mean is to point to a general acceptance, already on the level of fanon it seems, to interpret the computer voices as Our Jon and Martin (+ Jonah/Elias, maybe). now obviously we have the actual real world reason why their voices are present in TMP, because of course jonny and alex were going to come back as voices in the show in some way. and i 100% agree it's a perfectly logical conclusion to then interpret their inclusion as being related to Jon and Martin somehow. i'm personally very into the theory that it is in no way them - not in any way that matters - but specifically their voices that have been stolen (by the Web?) as a means to help spread fears in other realities. but that's really not how i've been seeing people play with the concept? it seems largely 1:1. and again, i totally understand where people are coming from with that - especially when you consider how it can be a super fun concept for horror and angst, or even just the fact that folks want an excuse to carry their favorite characters into this new show and still play around with them. i promise i don't mean to bring this up as a means of making anyone feel bad or like, chastised for interpreting things a certain way and playing in the space!

it's the biggest example of what i mean though, and was a huge point of frustration for me when we were first being presented with TMP. it's not just that i don't want the voices to be Jon and Martin proper (i am very into their Ambiguous End, i believe it's best to leave that as a space for fans to play in); in all honesty, i think it's kind of a shame and maybe even a bit boring (im sorry!) to be engaging with TMP this way

and it's not just stuff like that - i've been seeing a fair amount of people expressing frustration and feeling disappointed with how TMP is hitting, but i mean, i feel like that's inevitable when you're going into it expecting More TMA? i saw at least one person basically say "ive been waiting for it to make me feel the way TMA made me feel, and it hasn't yet", and i really just feel like that's setting yourself up to be dissatisfied! beyond the fact that we're only 5 episodes in and the story has barely gotten a chance to happen yet, a huge element of this new show is that it's being approached as a largely collaborative effort, it seems, with lots of guests coming in to help shape the story and more writing and plotting influence that isn't jonny

obviously it's fine to not be super into that! undoubtedly it's a question of taste. but you do have to acknowledge that that's the case and adjust your expectations accordingly, or else you're not going to have a great time

i really like TMA, i had a great time with it, but even if TMP is a sequel to its parent podcast, it's not the same thing - and personally, i don't want it to be! i do hope that's a sentiment that is able to be more widely felt by some fans as we gain more distance from TMA while TMP is airing. i just think more people would be able to enjoy it that way, and come up with more interesting theories and interpretations of things! but those are really just my own personal thoughts

[yuri-is-online]

i’ve got this picture of Yutu being kind of artsy from your description. besides, being an outcast probably means a lot of solo hobbies from no friends. maybe a bonding method for Yutus with a father that is more artistic 👉👈

You have such a good point about being an outcast driving people towards solo hobbies σ(￣、￣=) certain Yutus are more outgoing than others but that does only get you so far.  Of the ones I have written about, Floyd! and Cater! Yutu both had friend circles before coming to Twisted Wonderland, while Ace!, Azul!, and Riddle! Yutu were certifiably friendless.  Bonding between Yutu and a more artistic dad hmmmmm let's see...

notes: they/them used for Yuu, this is part of my fyuuture kid au, you can find an explanation of it here and here, or look at my masterlist for all of the posts.

Vil! Yutu

... really likes to paint and draw, when I first wrote about him his unique magic involved temporarily bringing his paintings to life.  My brother used to dig through old fashion mags when he was teaching himself to draw and I can see Yutu doing the same.  So when he finally gets to see a not tortured version of his father and finds out he is a model on top of being an actor?  He's so eager to learn about all of it, and Vil has got to be thrilled to share.  You know between him and his own dad Vil has got to have a nice collection of vintage designer items he's willing to let Yutu have a look at.  Yutu has drawn his dad a lot, receiving a drawing someone has made for you is already beyond flattering, but when it's from a family member?  Forget the fridge, Vil is getting this framed.  I can also see him maybe commissioning Yutu because he wants to make sure he never under sells his work.  He is a member of the Schoenheit family, he is allowed, nay required to have a great deal of pride in himself.

Cater! Yutu

... likes playing guitar and he loves playing with his dad.  He's not really interested in playing with the other pop music club members, Yutu is a bit shy around his dad's friends.  When he's stressed he likes to play a few songs and sing, something I could see working for Cater too.  While I'm talking about Cater, I don't think he'd make a bunch of magicam posts about his family, just in general.  He uses magicam as a way of maintaining his false happy facade, his want to date Vil comes at least partially from his presence on magicam, some of his real self is on display there sure but a lot of it is exaggerated and fake.  When he has something real he wants to keep it away from the rest of the world, so while his followers absolutely are told he's #taken #blessed they don't know about the details of his relationship.  At least not if it's a healthy one.

Jade! Yutu

... is someone I haven't written about before but he is also very into music, just not jazz music.  Not that he hates jazz, he's just stuck in that teenage phase of refusing to admit the things his dad likes are cool, something Jade reasonably “sniffles” about but that's not to say music isn't a bonding point for them.  He also plays bass, just an electric not an upright one, and Jade enjoys listening to Yutu play.  He's very supportive and surprisingly soft in his praise for someone who just got done listening to his kid scream out a punk rock song.  As long as Yutu is willing to do some hiking with him (which he is) then he has no real problem with what his kid likes, if anything I can see Jade enjoying their differences.  Life is boring if everyone is the same.

Rook! Yutu

I've been thinking about Rook, just as a character recently and one of those things that's been stuck in my mind is that he was very shy as a child.  To keep this from becoming just general information about Rook! Yutu, unlike his father Yutu never got over his shyness, so a lot of their bonding revolves around Rook encouraging Yutu to see the beauty in himself.  He books tickets to shows, symphonies, and ballets in advance so he can make sure Yutu knows when they are going out and can prepare himself to be seen in public.  They plan their outfits together in advance, look up information about the company and what they are going to see so they can appreciate the art just that much more.  On the day of Rook makes sure to kiss Yuu goodbye,  and promises to come home safe.  But not to worry, he always has Yutu help him pick out a bouquet of flowers to bring back for you.  (Unless you're allergic to pollen in which case he'll bring home something else.)

[doumadono]

Hello. Your comforting stories have been incredibly helpful to me and they are so well-written. I'm wondering if it would be possible to request a piece (emergency request) that deals with anxiety and panic attacks. If this topic isn't suitable for you, please feel free to ignore this request. I'm looking for a scenario involving either Midoriya or Kirishima or Bakugou or Hawks providing support to their significant other during a panic attack caused by a triggering friend. Lately, there have been numerous triggers around me, especially from people I care about, which has led me to have anxious breakdowns. I'm really in need of some support. Could you write a piece that's heartwarmingly sweet and focuses on distracting the significant other from negative thoughts? Thank you in advance. You dedicate so much of your time to us readers, always displaying incredible kindness. I'd love to be your friend

A/N: I'm truly sorry to hear that you've been facing such challenging times lately. Dealing with triggers, especially from people you care about, can be incredibly tough and overwhelming. Remember that you're not alone in this. Be kind to yourself and take things one step at a time. You're resilient, and brighter days are ahead. Also, feel free to reach out to me - I'm so willing to make new friends!

MASTERLIST

Kirishima

You were having a panic attack triggered by an encounter with a friend who reminded you of a traumatic event. Amidst the turmoil of your panic attack, a strong yet gentle arm slipped around your shoulders. Kirishima's familiar presence was comforting, and his voice held a reassuring warmth. "Hey, you're not alone in this struggle. I've got your back, just like we've always had each other's. Don't pay too much attention to that encounter." His words carried a sense of camaraderie that only someone like Kirishima could provide.

"I-I can't do this, Eijiro…" You whispered, tears streaming down your cheeks.

As you clung to him, he squeezed your shoulder gently. "Remember that time we pushed through during training? We took on tough challenges, faced our fears, and came out even stronger. This is no different. We'll face it together." His eyes locked onto yours, a mixture of determination and empathy shining within them. "Instead of letting those negative thoughts control you, let's focus on something positive. How about we plan our next fun outing? Maybe ice cream and a movie marathon?"

His suggestion was genuine, and you couldn't help but smile through the residual unease. His unwavering support was a lifeline, grounding you in the midst of your turmoil. With Kirishima by your side, you felt stronger, just like when you faced challenges together as friends and partners.

Bakugo

You experienced a panic attack due to a triggering encounter with an old friend who was very unkind to you, saying a lot of wry words. In the midst of your anxious breakdown, a fiery presence seemed to engulf you. Bakugo, surprisingly, knelt down in front of you. His usually intense gaze softened, revealing a concern you hadn't expected.

"I-I can't breathe, Katsuki…" You whined, choking on your own tears.

"Tch, don't let that damn idiot mess with your head. You're stronger than that crap." His hand cupped your cheek, his touch both unexpected and oddly comforting. "Think of a time when you kicked ass. Remind yourself who you are — someone who won't back down."

His voice, though still intense, held an unexpected gentleness. "I've seen you push through tough situations. You're resilient as hell." He leaned in slightly, his brows furrowed. "Now, let's do something to distract your mind. How about watching some sweet, stupid videos online? You like them. They won't be as spectacular as my explosions, obviously, but they might help get your mind off those thoughts for a while, nerd. Oh, and say just a word and I'll fucking blow them up. Understood?"

It wasn't the comfort you were used to, but it was genuine and uniquely Bakugo. He might not show it like others, but he cared. And in his own way, he was trying to help you weather this storm of anxiety.

Hawks

You were in the middle of a panic attack triggered by an unsettling conversation with an old friend of yours. As your panic attack gripped you, a calming presence settled beside you. Hawks knelt down, his wings spreading slightly as if to shield you from the outside world. His eyes held an empathetic understanding, a silent assurance that he was here for you.

"I can't think straight, Hawks…" You admitted.

"You know, you've got wings too," he said suddenly, his fingers brushing your hair back gently. "Not the literal ones, but the strength to rise above this situation."

His soothing voice carried a sense of calm, and his touch was comforting in its gentleness. "Let's focus on something else. Imagine we're soaring above the clouds, leaving those negative thoughts far behind." Hawks' wings unfurled gently, their red feathers cascading like a protective cocoon. With a tender and understanding expression, he moved closer, his wings slowly enveloping you in their warmth. The soft rustling of feathers created a soothing rhythm, and the delicate touch of his feathers against your skin brought a sense of comfort.

Amidst the chaos, he offered a moment of serenity, reminding you that you were not alone in this battle.

Midoriya

You were caught in a panic attack after a distressing interaction with a triggering friend that hurt you previously. While you were enveloped by your anxious breakdown, a gentle smile greeted you as Midoriya sat down in front of you. His kind eyes held an understanding that only someone who had battled their inner demons could offer.

"I-I feel so useless, Izuku," you whispered.

"I know how it feels to battle your own mind and unpleasant situations," he said softly, his voice holding the same compassion he showed during his hero acts. "But remember, you're not alone."

His hand found yours, his touch warm and reassuring. "Instead of letting those negative thoughts consume you, let's reminisce about the times we've laughed till our sides hurt. Those are the moments worth fighting for, right?"

He wasn't just offering comfort; he was sharing a piece of his own resilience and reminding you that you possessed the strength to overcome these challenges.

[blueberrypancakesworld]

New luck and feelings

warning : fluff, some comfort, developing feelings, no use of Y/n, drinking alcohol

Summary : Everyone's luck runs out at some point. Husk, who hadn't held the dice in his claws for a long time, knew that too. But when the door to the hotel opened and a lost demoness came in…maybe he would find happiness and love in hell?

Info : Third work for sweet Husk, again thank you for all the support on my lasts posts to HH. I hope you all like it and have fun reading ;)

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

He had once had everything. He was an Overlord a powerful demon had heard of him, he knew he was no Alastor or Carmilla but he was an Overlord with respect. At least for the beginning, at least for the time when the dice rolled, when he shook the objects in the cup and the rolling could be heard on the table.

The beginnings, the pasche, the cards, the balls - everything was pure luck, luck that lasted at first. Until it all came to an end one soul after another, one influence after another he lost everything bet after bet, bet after bet and dice roll after dice roll.

Until the once mighty Overlord was nothing more than a demon with debts, a demon with influence. Someone who clung to the stately sound of the radio, seeking out the smiling demon and the power that emanated from it only when not even a fraction of his own was awake.

He had put his signature on the parchment that he had written the last sheet for his name. He knew it was a mistake but he realized it too late as he hoped that his luck would return one day.

Before he was here in the hotel, bartending with his...friends. Yes, even if the demon hadn't thought it possible, it was possible that he had found friends, maybe even a family. But he had a place and in this place he surprisingly found something...an encounter. An encounter of infinity. 

His gaze lifted from the glasses he was drying when he saw the door of the hotel open and a demoness peeked in with a curious look. ,,Is this the hotel where you can rehabilitate yourself?" she asked, coming in slowly as she heard the bartender's reply, ,,Except for the porn star and a little mass murderer, yes".

The suitcase in her hand had seen better days as she approached the bar and he couldn't help smiling slightly when he saw her interested and almost curious look as she wandered through the building and the bar.

She pulled herself up onto the bar stool and placed the suitcase next to it, hitting the floor with a soft thud. ,,You don't seem to have been here yet," he noted casually as he turned his back to her to organize the bottles and sort the glasses. He could have blinked, but maybe it was because he was avoiding her gaze, because he felt like everything was at stake again.

Because her smile was like a double that made him happy, aroused his own curiosity for more. ,,No...I've kind of been here since, well, today or something," she mumbled and he turned to her in surprise. It wasn't often that he saw people so freshly fallen from the earth, they were inexperienced, had no idea what was going on and yet.

,,I haven't seen this every day but how about a drink first and you tell me everything while we wait for the owner to bring you the room," he suggested and gave her a small upright smile, a smile he didn't give everyone but it was a smile that filled her with hope, something that made his heart beat faster.

She was cute, similar to him, she was a hybrid creature with two small curled horns on her head and two small wings on her back as far as he could tell.

Pretty he thought as he searched for the matching bottles and ordered himself a drink as he pulled the cork from the green bottle. The cheap brownish golden alcohol was poured into his glass as he sipped it in the cocktail glass, which felt like the only one here.

,,Smells sweet...and oh wow that's delicious," she said after she sipped the reddish drink before taking a small sip, her eyes seeming to light up as the sweetness of the drink calmed her nerves. ,,Always a pleasure," he replied and was slightly shaken when she grabbed his hand and shook it lightly.

Husk felt the uncertainty leave her voice as her eyes widened and Husk felt him let go of her hand later than necessary.

He felt something like a duty inside him, he knew he had committed too many sins to ever be likely to go to heaven.

But maybe he could at least help her, because maybe he saw himself in her a little. To give her the happiness that he only had for a while. ,,And you're Husk the bar manager?" she asked, tapping his glass, which was already empty, while she took her time to take her drink.

,,Yup, your certifiable, friendly bar manager and well, surrogate father to a few of the characters here," she admitted and looked surprised when he heard her laugh, hearty and cute as he thought, feeling his beating heart reacting to her.

Maybe it was like a double, like two dice showing the same thing. Maybe two demons could do well together after one encounter.

As she pushed her empty glass over to him, his fingers touched hers again and he saw her slightly embarrassed smile. ,,Maybe...maybe you can help me instead of the owner...I find our conversations very encouraging," she confessed and looked away furtively Husk realized what she meant, what they had achieved.

Before he could open his mouth, the main door opened and Charlie came in with a grin. ,,Gladly again and again...there's our ticket up ahead," he pointed at the blonde and walked out of the bar to take the suitcase from her.

They both walked next to each other and she suddenly cut in on him with a ,,Thank you Husk" and he just nodded knowingly but her touch as she held onto him, the loving look.

Perhaps in the end she would bring him the happiness of having something like a relationship and trust in this hotel of redemption and love.

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

[goatcheesecak3]

Dating Adam headcanons

Context: this takes place after he escapes the bathroom (which definitely happened and is 1000% canon)

I've never written for Adam before, so I hope I did our bbygirl justice

He really doesn't like bathrooms anymore, for obvious reasons. He'll only shower if you sit outside talking or singing to him the whole time. When he gets out, you dry his hair for him all while telling him how proud you are and how brave he is.

He doesn't really keep on top of general chores, so you regularly do his laundry for him or come by to help clean his apartment. With any other guy you might find this irritating, but Adam's got enough on his plate, you're just glad he's letting you take care of him.

This man is CLINGY, if you're not with him he's constantly texting and calling you to make sure nothing bad has happened. When you are with him, he's pretty much always touching you in some way, it could be cuddling, having his arm over your shoulder or just resting his hand on your leg. He says he just finds physical touch comforting, and after all he's been through, you can see why.

Absolutely no one makes you laugh like Adam does, it's what attracted you to him in the first place. He's got such a clever dry wit, it seems as though he's been blessed with the ability to speak in perfect one liners 24/7. He constantly has you either cracking up, or rolling your eyes playfully.

He's incredibly cheeky, even though he's been your boyfriend for a while, he still flirts with you as if he's trying to pick you up at a bar or something. You find the amount of effort he puts into wooing you very cute.

He has a lot of trouble with sleeping. Sometimes his nightmares get so bad that he gets too scared to go to sleep, other times he wakes up in a panic, thinking he's waking up back in that awful room. You've discovered that sleeping with a small lamp on helps with this, so that when he wakes up he can immediately tell where he is, and playing gentle music while he goes to bed seems to calm him. But the most effective thing you've found, is warmth. Back in the bathroom it was freezing cold and damp, so to give him the opposite effect, you buy him a hot water bottle to cuddle at night (as well as cuddling him yourself).

He's pretty broke, so he can't really afford to take you out on fancy dates, but you don't care about that at all. Sometimes he'll take you for an evening walk in the park, which the two of you really enjoy. For special occasions though, he scrapes together whatever money he can to give you a nice night. He'll usually splurge on a steak and some wine and cook you a fancy meal from home, which you eat in his little apartment by candlelight.

Adam has a real sweet tooth, when you come to stay with him you always make a stop in a corner store on the way and pick him up some chocolate or a bag of skittles or something (and a pack of smokes ofc), and every time without fail it surprises him.

Surprisingly, arguments aren't actually that common between the two of you. Don't get me wrong, sometimes Adam can be a bit of an ass, he can be snippy and quick to anger, but you never let it escalate. You understand that he's got good reason to be a little unpredictable emotionally, so you're patient and kind to him, even when he's out of line. You manage to calm him enough to talk through whatever the issue is, and resolve things fairly quickly.

When he talks about you to other people he doesn't ever say "my girlfriend/boyfriend," it's always "my girl/ my boy". Hearing him introduce you to others like "this is my girl/boy, y/n" just makes your heart flutter.

A/n I've never written for Adam before, so pls let me know if you want more!

Check my pinned post for request details and my masterlist!

Replies and reblogs are very much appreciated <3

[not-poignant]

Sorry this is so long I literally cannot help myself:

I’ve been a reader on ao3 for a long time. This year, for the sake of giving my brain something new and in order to be a mysterious hottie on the metro, I’ve challenged myself to read some published books. It has been a really fun and very interesting experience. I could write essays of personal and literary reflections.

But, favorite author mine, one difference I did not expect, and in hindsight it should have been obvious, was the vast, essentially ideological difference in what is called smut.

I started reading the Court of Thorns and Roses series and it’s good, I’m having a good time. But the thing is, everyone calls it faerie smut. And I guess it must be. When I heard faerie smut and decided to give the series a try, my faerie smut background came from ao3, namely fae tales and the ice plague.

“With each thrust I felt his love and saw the stars” really has nothing on “my entire family burnt and now my lover has his hands in my mouth and up my ass while he heats me up so thoroughly I’m basically delirious and then our sex mentor wine aunt was hungry and told me I was doing good while he drank my blood and his lover who is also the king casually reads nearby likely with bits of flesh stripped off him as an act of sacrificial love.”

The thing is, the sex scenes I’ve read in Sarah J. Maas’s series don’t really… do much. Regardless of crazy scenario, essentially every of the many erotic scenes in the fae tales verse either moves the plot forward, is essential to character development, or showcases emotional intimacy. (Which, tangent, is why you’re more recent works that generally showcase way less sexual content still feel so similar because the plot is still moving forward, characters are still developing, and the emotional intimacy is still so delectable.)

So anyway, reading book books has been really nice and a surprisingly reflective experience. I kinda forgot how little is considered scandalous by so many.

(And also, compared to ao3 which I usually read on my phone, it’s very difficult to read physical books while horizontal. Another plus for ebooks?)

Hi hi anon!

I'm glad you're enjoying the experience of reading 'book' books! :D I've heard many good things, and while I'm not likely to read it (I don't read cishet m/f if I'm not being forced to), I think it's awesome that it's going so viral and getting lots of folks into fantasy :D

As for the ACOTAR sex scenes, I haven't read them, but I feel like they fall into a certain kind of spicy sex scene being written right now that falls under 'explicit' for readers not used to seeing this stuff in fantasy, but absolutely kind of doesn't for people used to reading smut on AO3.

I find for myself, I can't handle these kinds of sex scenes because they're often over in like one or two pages and they feel very empty to me. They're not empty to many readers and I'm not trying to say they're empty overall, I just need a lot more emotionality, meatiness, and often character-based stakes.

Or I think about it this way: I've written sex scenes that are easily 6,000-9,000 words long. That's a tenth of a written standard-length novel. That's too long for novels. This is why you never see these kinds of sex scenes published anywhere except for erotica, and in erotica there's pressure to make the sex scenes shorter anyway. The only place where I know I can safely write sex to the length and breadth I want to is in serials, on AO3.

Authors in the mainstream book-writing world are kind of forced into a shape that fits the length of the book they're writing. If they write three very deep/lengthy sex scenes of the length that I write at, firstly they'd be thrown into the erotica dungeon (can no longer be searched for on most distribution websites), and secondly, that means they lose a lot of space for writing story, which for many of these writers does not happen during or because of sex scenes.

Authors can still sometimes write very hot sex scenes in a few hundred words, or one or two pages, don't get me wrong! But the vibe is different. I've never really liked sex scenes in anything published except for erotica, because it often feels... idk, like for example this line:

"“With each thrust I felt his love and saw the stars”"

Idk if this is canon to the book, but for me this means nothing. Why is the character feeling this way? What is it about the thrusts? What is it about the pose? Is it about eye contact? (And is this innately comfortable? How neurotypical is this character?) Undulation? Does he linger at the end? Is it because he circles his hips a certain way? Because that's not love, that's just talent.

I suppose for me, as a reader, I need explanations that let me understand why emotional shifts are happening in a sex scene. In the same way that I would need them in any other character change.

Other people I think can suspend their disbelief better and think 'wow that sounds amazing and hot.' I'm like 'I don't get it.'

And that's very much a me-problem! It's just a me-problem that I think I share with quite a lot of other readers, which is why we're all out here enjoying much longer sex scenes and then realise we can't really find them anywhere except for like... AO3, and some manhwa and manga and published erotica lmao. (I do think you're actually also more likely to find it in like f/f and m/m of any genre).

Anyway, on the flipside, some people find my sex scenes way too long and don't see the point. So all this stuff needs to exist for everyone! I just yeah, really like sex scenes where character stuff is happening. I can't write them otherwise, likely because I'm ace, and don't really find 'look at hot body = want to have sex' a thing that's relatable.

[wannaeatramyeon]

You hit the nail on the head! I‘ll ask for more professional assessment: honest opinion on Crystal?

Following on from my ramblings about Sally Park. Oops! Edited to add in Zoe too.

Well written female characters in Lookism? Uhh...

When the bar is at an all time low, it's really not hard to step over it.

At this point, I've been pavloved to think that any female character that expresses a personality trait other than 'simp' is pretty good. Simp is fun when it's part of a list of characteristics (Zack, Ryuhei). Not so much when it's the only thing.

Long live PTJ, the greatest feminist. Anyway.

Female characters I like

Mary Kim

Love her. Empress of 2 seconds. Queen of my heart.

Surprisingly kept a platonic relationship with Vin Jin, showing quite a healthy mixed gender friendship. Sassy and smart. Loyal. Good taste in men (Jace). Is shown having a life and interests outside of a man.

On my hands and knees praying that PTJ doesn't ruin her. Kinda glad she hasn't appeared in a while so she is kept away from his incessant need to turn everyone into a love interest.

Lua Im

Once we got over the odd Johan panels, which I heard the Korean audience didn't like and I'm quite happy about, she's fine. And it's not that I care that much about Johan staying a single dog-dad, I just needed a coherent reasoning/build up why they would be interested in one another.

Lua has potential.

Sourcing intel, even impressing the likes of Gun? A little Muay Thai knowledge? Jake and Jerry scared of her? Lol. Ok. Good. Let's build on this.

Just please don't white knight her.

Crystal Choi (meh)

And Ms. Choi, because anon specifically asked. I really don't mind her? I know she's meant to be anti-Lookism but still judges people based on their looks eh. That's fine. Pretty realistic actually. Whatever.

She can be a bit bitchy for no reason. So can I. Handwaving all that.

What I do take issue with though, is her so called title of Business Genius. Please show me the chapter where she actually does something to earn that title besides the one where other people ooh-ed and aah-ed over her in the meeting with DG.

Wow she's sooooo gorgeous. Ok good for her. If that's the route they're taking her character then at least OWN. THAT. SHIT. Use her beauty and looks to sign deals and get what she wants. GOOD. DO IT.

Zoe Park (also meh... Wait)

Sorry anon, I think 'really well written' is a bit of a reach... She does have some decent character development, starting as quite a flighty, shallow girl and then showing that she has a heart of gold, liking both Daniels and. Huh.

Wait. You're right. She is pretty well written. She's selfless and kind and loyal to her friends, putting up with Logan's bullshit. There's enough of a character arc for her from the Zoe we're introduced to at first.

And I do like that she's good at maths too.

Wasted potential

Minseong Kang (Jake's momma)

Appreciate this is the older generation and from a much more conservative culture. Saying that, I am so over the slighted and bitter housewife rotting at home while her big powerful husband cheats on her.

And then some sort of marriage redemption cos they pop out a kid. Whatever. (Sorry Jake bb, I love you).

If you were going to do that, give me the most toxic red flag shit where they are constantly at each other's THROATS. Show me how they are equals. Can't live with or without one another. That's the good kinda shit.

Leonn Lee

I just. What the fuck was this.

A girl in Burn Knuckles? A group that reeks of testerone and (positive) masculinity? Show us why she joined! Show us why she stays. SURPRISE. Main character trait?? Having a crush on Vasco.

She could have been SO interesting. And she obviously trains, why not get her to fight?

Hate for irrational reasons

Joy Hong

Listen, she's not really in enough or significant enough for me to really feel one way or another about her. BUT. The reason I HATE her is because I was trying to write a headcanon involving everyone and then I got to Joy and I was STUMPED.

Sub in a plank of wood, and it would have the same depth of personality.

Truly. Who is she apart from Jay's sister and a Daniel simp? At least everyone else has something.

Others

I don't really think about them. Sera Shin has potential I guess.

And of course a special mention to Daniel's momma. She's not exactly a unique character, but who doesn't love her?

LET. THEM. FIGHT.

Lastly. Why can't we see women fight? Like the men's fights are realistic LOL. Ultra instinct? Smashing through walls? So why are women fighting men outside the realms of this.

And yes yes. Men are SoOoOoOo strong. But can they take a kick to the balls?

Are you saying Gun Park has been training his dick and balls and would be able to eat a hit there? He wouldn't go down like a heap of shit??

HUH. TELL ME THAT.

In Summary

Mary by and large is pretty well written. Lua has improved.

I don't care much about anyone else.

And I wanna see Gun, Goo, Sammy, Vin etc. get kicked in the balls in a fight.

[spacebarbarianweird]

The Dhampirs of the Sword Coast - Chapter 4

It's been a while but I've finally written the 4th chapter! Upon receiving a quest to find an ancient spellbook, the dhampirs form an unlikely party of adventurers. Also we learn some gruesome details about vampires and dhampirs in the Underdark and meet a mysterious stranger in the woods.

Read on AO3

Link for Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Thanks @themadlu for beta-reading!

The List of Chapters

Masterlist

Headcanons

Ulsha (Half-Orc/Paladin) - age 26. Lawful Good.

Alethaine (High Elf/Necromancer) - age 25. Astarion's daughter. Lawful Neutral.

Theris (Tiefling/Bard) - age 27. Chaotic Neutral.

Mierni (Human/Wizard)- age 14, Gale's foster son. Suffers with selective muteness. True neutral.

“So,” Theris the Bard stops and puts away his viola. ‘We are positively lost.”

“You are observant,” Ulsha shrugs.

“Oh, Ulsha, perception checks are my specialty!” Theris places his clawed hand to his undead heart. 

“When you aren’t high.”

Alethaine shivers.

Autumn has gone from “warm and tolerant” to “disgusting and cold” within two weeks. Rain is pouring down on the four dhampirs and Alethaine feels like a wet, sad, lost cat. Besides, Ulsha and Theris— her two-meter-tall half-orc and tiefling companions – constantly quarrel.

As for Mierni, the little wizard raised by Gale Dekarios, he has been surprisingly quiet ever since their little group left Waterdeep behind. 

“Shut up,” Alethaine mutters walking forward. For the last two weeks, the party of dhampirs had been following the Trade Route south to reach Dragonspear Castle where, according to Gale, Bowgentle of Silverymoon’s spell book was hidden. 

But as time goes she wonders if she should have inquired more  about the location of the book and the dangers that lie ahead.

But patience has never been her strong side.

The storm wind starts howling and the trees creek as if about to break.

“We need to set up a camp,” Ulsha says leaving Theris behind. 

“On the open road?” Alethaine cringes. “I don’t know about your folk, Ulsha, but I am not a fan of sleeping in the dirt.”

“We belong to the same kind, last time I checked.”

“But neither of us is waterproof! We need at least somewhere dry!”

Ulsha makes a weird sound similar to a hushed roar and Alethaine takes a step back. Well, you can’t overcome genetics. After all, Alethaine Ancunin is a Moon Elf and Ulsha is a Half  Orc.

And elves are afraid of orcs.

“Mierni! Are you alright? Could you cast something that can protect us from the wind and rain?” Ulsha suddenly speaks very softly like a nanny or a mother. She very well could be both considering the tiny dark-skinned wizard is even shorter than Alethaine.

The boy shakes his head. He opens his mouth as if trying to say something before turning his head away and grasping the magic staff.

“Great! And the wizard is mute again!” Theris hisses.

“It’s not his fault!” 

“Of course it’s not, but it doesn’t change the fact that we are in the middle of nowhere,” Theris bares his fangs.”We have a paladin who gave an oath to never use her very useful dhampiric skills, a sorceress whose spells and skills are a mess and a wizard who is mute! At least you have me, so I can play some tunes at your funeral. Is this spell book even that valuable?”

“It probably is,” Alethaine looks around. 

“Very well Alethaine, what do your elven eyes see?” Theris asks.

Alethaine is too tired to have an argument about “not all elves have great eyesight, not all elves are good archers, and not all elves are delicate, elegant creatures”.

“I see a lot of dirt. One of you was supposed to be smart enough to get a map.”

“This is the wilderness, it won’t be mapped,” Ulsha notices.

Alethaine takes a step forward. Then another. The rutted road makes it difficult to move even for a dhampir and she feels her boots getting disgustingly wet 

She would sell a soul for a warm bed at an inn if only there were one.

The woods are alive, they are alive in a grotesque, decaying sense, with leaves turning into rot, dirt, and mold. But still – alive.

Alethaine feels an eerie presence. She stops and turns her head slightly  to better catch a strange sensation.

“Do you see something?” Theris asks. Ulsha stops him with her strong green hand. “I just wanted to ask!”

Alethaine closes her eyes. Her mind is filled with shadows, marks of decay. 

Here.

She drops her traveling bag on the ground and picks up a shovel. 

“Theris! Would you be a kind tiefling and help a maiden dig a grave?” Alethaine calls to him.

“No. Dig it yourself!” Ulsha nods in agreement and closes Mierni’s eyes.

“Pen-channas!”  Alethaine mutters piercing the ground with the shovel. It’s difficult to dig, the ground feels like Mire.

“Does anyone speak Elvish here?” Theris protests. “I am not comfortable with her speaking Elvish when she can speak Infernal perfectly!” 

“Samit olme ulundova,” Alethaine says out loud. “Caretya lusta ná.”

Digging graves is a pleasant thing. It’s like submerging into water after a long day. 

Finally, the shovel touches a half-rotten corpse. It looks like a halfling, but it could be a very thin dwarf. 

Alethaine hears steps behind her. Ulsha mutters something between a prayer and a curse and Theris is more curious than disgusted. 

“Speak!” Alethaine orders. Green runes appear in the air and a small, unnatural flame ignites on the palm of her pale hand. A pleasant sensation runs through her body – it’s like a caress, fresh water after a fever, a pain after wound debridement. 

The corpse levitates a few feet above the ground, its mouth and eyes glowing with the same unnatural green light as Alethaine’s hand.

“Where are we?” Alethaine asks.

“On the Sword Coast.”

“Fuck, I know this already. How far is Dragonspear castle?”

“I don’t know.”

“Are there inns around?”

“There was one… But it was burnt to the ground.”

The body levitates in the air. Two more questions before it shuts up for good. But Alethaine can’t think of anything useful to ask considering the corpse had the same level of geographical cretinism as the dhampirs.

“Oh, I know! Let’s ask how it died!” Theris gets enthusiastic.

“What for?” Ulsha protests. The corpse turns its head to her. 

“Because it’s always interesting to know how someone died,” the corpse replies.

Ulsha takes a step back.

“Oh no no no, I’ve broken my oath by speaking to it? Did I? Did I break my oath? Lathander forgive me.” Ulsha looks absolutely helpless.

“No, it doesn't count,” the corpse says, and promptly returns to its grave.

“Alethaine, I forbid you from digging any more graves!” Ulsha says after the dhampirs give up and decide to set up camp hoping their tents will protect them from the rain.

“Who are you to forbid me to do anything?” Alethaie glares at the half-orc. It’s a difficult task given the stark height difference.

“I am in charge of our party. I don't want you to attract unnecessary attention”

“Ulsha, our party is made up of a paladin of Lathander, a constantly high tiefling, a mute kid, and an elf. We are attracting attention by default.”

Ulsha moves closer using her size for intimidation.

“Alethaine, no grave digging while I am in charge.” 

“Don't you dare use your intimidation skills on me!” Alethaien suddenly gets angry. 

“You want to question my authority?” The half-orc bellows. 

“No, I am fine with you being the one at fault.” Alethane lies on her bedroll. “But I am going to dig as many graves and talk to as many corpses as I want!”

Ulsha gives up and goes to check on Mierni and Theris. Mierni still refuses to talk and Theris has already drunk half a bottle of fire whiskey he’s found somewhere.

Suddenly, Ulsha drops toher knees, raises her face to the west, and prays

Farewell, Illuminated one until we meet again

We carry the sun in our hearts until then

Give us the strength to carry on

Until the next dawn

The moment she ends the prayer, Alethaine feels how the night starts.

Even though she is not a vampire, she always knows when it’s night and when it’s day. Sun isn't an enemy, but not a friend either. 

Why is Ulsha so adamant in her faith?

“Ulsha.” Alethaine approaches her. “You were raised in the Underdark right?”

The half-orc nods.

Alethaine scoots closer.

"How bad was it there?"

"You really wanna know?"

"I do."

The Half-Orc chuckles.

"It was bad. When the spawns were released from the dungeons, they rushed to the Underdark, murdering, raping, and feeding. It was a bloodthirsty horde worse than then the abyssal demons. Some of them disappeared to return to their homes, to their past lives, mostly dwarves and drows. But I am afraid many returned to the surface to be vampires, the hunters of the innocent. Among those who remained underground, only 1,000 were still sane. The others… They are more like animals than sentient beings. They live in small colonies, like stray cats, and constantly travel looking for prey. As for the sane’ 1,000…"

Ulsha paused, collecting the thoughts.

"Dalyria, one of the ‘leaders’ tried to be their queen or chieftain, whatever. She called them a Coven. But soon, 1,000 divided into 10-15 clans in a never-ending war with each other. It's a feud. A fight for food, resources, and territory. All the clans were more or less equal until … dhampirs started growing older. Dhampirs became the ultimate weapon – we can sense the presence of vampires, we can stalk them in running water, in sunlight, we can starve them…”

Alethaine catches a glance of Theris who has made himself comfortable in his tents and started playing a viola. 

"My clan never pretended they ‘got’ me for any other purpose than to make me their champion, to fight their wars for them. Dalyria was in a rage when she learned about me and she called upon her sons, the twins Eben and Eren, who lived on the surface. They massacred every vampire in my home. It was a bloodshed I had never seen before and I wish to never witness it again. I thought they would kill me, but they showed me the way up to the surface and told me to never come back. The Underdark is no place for dhampirs, it will be our demise should we return there.” Ulsha exhales loudly before turning to Alethaine. “What about you? You don’t look like an orphan or an outcast”

Alethaine sits beside the half-orc.

“I am neither. I was raised by my vampire father and mortal mother.”

“So your father just kept a mortal on a leash?” Ulsha suggests.

“What? No! They aren’t slave and master,” Alethaine protests. 

Childhood memories pass before her eyes. Her father, Astarion, angry because Tiriel left for some dangerous quest without heeding his advice. Her mother, joking about something plain stupid. 

And often – cries. Alethaine knows that her father’s past tortures him and he often can do nothing about it. 

“They are married,” Alethaine finishes. “And they treat each other well.”

Ulsha shrugs.

“It’s not uncommon. After all, all vampires were once mortals. My clan was led by Sebastian. He was a noble from Baldur’s Gate and spent seventeen decades locked in a cell starving and tortured. He met a mortal man in the Underdark and left with him. Sometimes, I am happy for him. Sometimes, I am angry because, once he left, the new leaders started a shitshow. You know, there is a difference between a vampire who comes from a distinguished family and a psycho-pedophile who used to own slaves. Vampirism just makes you more aware of everyone’s flaws.”

“You probably think I am some spoiled girl,” Alethaine chuckles.

“I don’t. Lathander teaches us not to be jealous. I am happy for you and I wish I had the same upbringing.”

Theris suddenly jumps to his feet.

“Finally! I caught that stupid, dumb bitch!”

“Who?”

“Inspiration.”

Ulsha groans. “Spare me”

Alethaine stands up to leave Ulsha’s little tent, the half orc grabs her wrist.

“Be careful, Alethaine. Here on the surface dhampirs are still rare but in the Underdark, we are juggernauts who change the game for vampires. Be careful of whoever asks you for help.”

Alethaine nods and crawls inside her tent. It’s more or less warm and she soon starts slipping into oblivion. 

… Only to be woken up by a ruthless sun and a scared wizard.

“Mierni, what’s the…” Alethaine mutters, quickly stopping herself before saying a “bad word” in front of a fourteen-year-old boy.

Mierni points at the campsite. The fire has been extinguished. Ulsha grabs her ax in a fighting stance while Theris is hiding in the bushes.

“What’s wrong?” Alethaine asks.

Ulsha groans something incomprehensible.

Theris points in front of them.

Now, in the dusk of the morning, Alethaine sees that either she and her cousins are blind idiots or there is some dark magic at play. 

Dragonspear Castle, or at least what is left of it, towers above the forest in all its ancient and macabre beauty.

“So we could have spent the night under a roof?” Alethaine mutters and immediately gets kicked in her ribs by the little wizard. “Oh… I see.”

At least a dozen ogres are wandering around the castle at a very close proximity to the dhampir camp.

“Anyone implying they are my kin,” Ulsha warns, “Will lose their limbs.”

Mierni opens his mouth, but the words are stuck in his throat as if he was under the Silence spell. Definitely embarrassed by this, he tries to hide behind Alethaine.

"Here is the plan, short and simple,” Theris says. “We go to the chief ogre, double dog dares him to help us, he goes to the closest town, folks there come to kill him, poor fella, the ogres start a fight for the throne, we chose the one we like, support his claims, he becomes the new chief and we gaslight him to let us in the castle. Voila, problem solved!"

"Theris, are you ever sober?" Alethaine asks

Theris looks at her with his red hell touched eyes and Alethaine suspects that the answer is “no”.

The Black Death, an albino rat, squeaks.

“Alright, simple plan,” Alethaine says. “Theris and I sneak there to find the spellbook and then we leave before they notice us.”

“You are an elf, they will catch your scent the moment you are close,” Ulsha groans.

“Then only Theris?” Alethaine suggests. “No, he won't find the book, he can’t identify magic.”

“I’d love to disagree but I won’t. Maybe Ulsha can … talk to them?”

Ulsha collapses the two-handed ax on the ground. “What did I tell you, Theris?”

“But you do speak Black Speech!” Theris hides behind Alethaine and the elf realizes she doesn’t really enjoy being on the first line between the half-orc paladin and her enemies.

“So what? No, if we are to complete the quest and bring that book to the distinguished wizard,” the last part of the sentence doesn’t sound mocking at all. “We need to get inside together.”

“Or we can pretend we didn’t find it,” Alethaine suggests. “What, it’s just a spellbook?”

Theris surges forward.

“It’s an expensive book! I am not losing a fortune because you are all so stupid.”

“Theris!” Ulsha bellows but it’s already too late.

An ogre grabs the tiefling’s collar and lifts him up like a vermin.

“Smells dead,” the ogre comments. 

“At least I don't reek of piss and rot.” Theris says, offended.

“You,” the ogre says. “You are also dead.”

“Aka’magosh,” Ulsha puts her hand to her chest, hiding the symbol of Lathander. “What is your tribe doing here?”

“Power. Abyss. They have called. We have come,” the ogre says somewhat proudly. “Dirma. Abyss. The red eye in the skies.”

Alethaine puts a hand on Mierni’s shoulder. The little wizard is so scared thatshe is afraid he will run away (and will definitely be eaten by ogres).

Well, there are always stories that mimic your every step, Alethaine thinks.

Forty-five years ago the cult of Absolute took hold on the southern areas of the Sword Coast, infecting ogres, goblins, and drows, literally making no exception, with parasites who would turn them all into mind flayers. All pawns in the hands of the Bhalists and the rogue Illithid who’d decided it was his chance to seize control.

An attack on Baldur’s Gate. Random passengers. 

A vampire who’d decided the painful death from the hands of mind flayers was definitely better than his life as a spawn.

A lonely traveler from the East who was looking for a job.

In two months, the cult was destroyed. All glory was received by Duke Ravengard and the archmage of Waterdeep. The half-elven warrior and the vampire disappeared in the vast wastelands hoping to forget the horrors they both had endured.

Scholars say the cosmogonic myths are the most important of all because they explain how things came to be. Other scholars note that, since family and home are the whole universe for children, they need to know their own myth of creation.

Alethaine knows everything about the cult of Absolute starting from “and that’s when we awoke in the pods” to “and then we fall into the Chiontar river after killing the brain.”

Can the Absolute come back? Just like in those fucking neverending stories when problems just pass from one generation to another!

“You,” The ogre points at Alethaine. “Abyss.”

“Yes,” Alethaine exclaims. “I accept the Abyss and whatever lives there as my only lord!”

Ogre cringes but it seems like Alethaine’s words persuaded him because he finally releases Theris, causing him to fall on the dirty ground.

“The abyss. Will eat. The land. Be only wasteland. Nothing lives. The great old one shall come back.”

“Can we,” Alethaine suggests. “See the castle? I mean we’ve made a long path to pay respects to… the great old one?”

The ogre contemplates. Alethaine thinks she can physically feel how thought crawls in the ogre’s mind.

“Yes. You can. But not her. She prays to the sun.”

Ulsha nods, hardly hiding her joy when hearing that she won’t have to come closer.

“No!” Theris protests. “She is coming with us. I am not going anywhere close to them without a proper warrior in our ranks! She is… she is about to betray her false god and she wishes to pay her respect to the Abyss!”

The ogre takes a sniff.

“I SEE. I WILL SHOW YOU.”

“Oh, Latander please forgive me,” the half-orc mutters but doesn’t try to run.

“I am expecting some gratitude for my amazing deception skills,” Theris nags.

“It’s not your deception skills, it’s him who has bad perception.” Ulsha doesn't give Theris a chance.

Alethaine moves forward. The ogres camp stinks - not of the pleasant smell of death and decay, but  of dirt, blood, and gore.

Even Ulsha feels uncomfortable, especially since she has to hide the symbol on the chest.

The chieftain (the string of fresh halfling heads on his belt indicates that he is indeed the leader) proudly announces something in Black Speech. Ulsha refuses to translate.

“ABYSS, ABYSS, ABYSS!” The ogres chant. 

And then Alethaine notices a pit.

The pit that appears to be the primary source of the stench is placed by the gates of the castle. Alethaine approaches it, quietly wishing to be too small for the ogres to notice her.

The pit is made of flesh.

“What the…” Alethaine mutters in common. “Rhaich!”

The flesh pulses as if alive and it’s probably deep enough to reach the Underdark. The pit whispers and Alethaine concentrates to try to understand something.

The unnatural darkness holds a grip on her half-undead mind. It lurks in her memories, her fears, her insecurities.

A dead kitten resurrected by necromancy.

An old grave that smells like home.

Loneliness. Fear. Where do dhampirs go when they die?

Then she sees woods and fields dying, becoming a twisted version of themselves. The maw of the Abyss devours the world, leaving nothing but the undead, who starve to death.

“Alethaine!” Theris drags her away from the pit. “What in hell's wrong with you?!”

“What… I am fine!”

“You’ve almost jumped there!” The tiefling hisses. 

Suddenly the chieftain bumps his staff and the ogres start throwing stuff into the pit.

Parts of victims' bodies. Stolen gems. Pieces of clothes.

“I think they mistake it for the garbage pit,” Alethaine mutters.

“No,” Ulsha answers. “Those are offerings.”

The chieftain keeps sputtering words in Black Speech and Ulsha cringes at every syllable. 

Alethaine decides not to ask for a translation.

She keeps watching as things drop down into the bottomless pit.

And then she feels a tickling sensation in her fingers.

Magic.

Not the twisted and unnatural one she just experienced, but the real Feywild magic.

And it’s somewhere close.

Mierni starts tugging at Alethaine’s sleeve while making incoherent sounds. 

“What?” She follows his finger.

The chieftain grabs an intricately decorated book with runes that start shining the moment the dirty hands of the ogre touch it.

“The Silvermoony Spellbook,” Alethaine whispers.

Mierni starts nodding.

“Well,” Theris leans on him. “Cast magic hand or something!”

He shakes his head. 

“Someone, turn his speech on,” Theris spits. “Maybe we should scare him?”

“Touch Mierni and I will drag you to Gale as a test subject for his magic experiments,” Ulsha warns.

Alethaine tries to squeeze through the ogres, but their thick bodies keep pushing the dhampir back.

The chieftain opens the book, almost ripping the cover, and throws the expensive item into the pit.

“MAGE HAND!!!!” Mierni screams at the top of his lungs. A hand weaved of blue light floats towards the book and grabs it by the cover before the greedy pit devours it.

The ogres fall silent and Alethaine has this uneasy feeling of being watched by rather unfriendly creatures.

The mage's hand rises into the air so high the ogres can’t touch it. 

“Now we run?” Theris asks.

“Yes,” Alethaine agrees. “No, we run.”

The mage's hand dissolves and the book starts falling. Ulsha lifts Alethaine up and the elf manages to catch the book before it falls into the ogres’ hands.

“Run!” Ulsha puts Mierni on her wide shoulders. “Zigzag and spread in different directions!”

Alethaine rushes to the right while Ulsha and Mirni take the left.

“Oh, so you’ve left me! Of course, no one ever feels sorry for the bard!” Theris curses as he sprints towards the castle’s walls.

Alethaine sometimes doesn’t like being a dhampir.

Sometimes she wishes she could breathe, and didn't have fangs that constantly hurt her lips and gums.

But not in a moment like this. 

She easily leaves the angry ogres behind. The woods welcome her as if she were a real elf, not an undead. Her darkvision helps her see better and soon the crass voices fade away.

Alethaine stops and opens the book.

The unknown symbols dance on the page but she can’t grasp the meaning of the words.

The heavy presence of magic returns.

Strong, potent. And wild.

Alethaine freezes trying to identify its source.

Someone grabs the book from her pale hands.

“I think this belongs to us,” a red-haired half-elven woman appears out of the shadows. She wears leather trousers and a shirt and her only weapon is a dagger. “Oh, Fuckface says I should thank you for doing the dirty job. She is in a surprisingly good mood today!” --

Quenya and Neo-Sindarin vocabulary

Pen-channas! (Sindarin) -  Idiot! (Literal Translation: intelligence-less)

Samit olme ulundova (Quenya) - You smell like a monster

Caretya lusta ná (Quenya) - Your head is empty Rhaich! (Sindarin) - Curses! -- Tag list

@tugoslovenka  

@herstxrgirl 

@herdarkestnightelegance  

@vixstarria 

@not-so-lost-after-all  

@marcynomercy  

@theearthsfinalconfession 

@starlight-ipomoea    

@micropoe10 

@astarion-imagine-archive  

@veillsar

@elora-the-slutty-songstress  

@fayeriess  

@lumienyx  

@tallymonster    

@caitlincat-95  

@tragedybunny  

@valeprati  

@lynnlovesthestars   

@marina-and-the-memes  

@waking-eyes   

@ayselluna  

@connorsui  

@asterordinary  

@darkarchangel96  

@locallegume  

@brainfullofhotsauce   

@coffeeanddonutscafe  

@my-queen-rhaenyra-targaryen 

@queenofthespacesquids  

@ednaaa-04  

@dajeong

@wilteddreamsofbaldursgate

@nyx-knox

@jessaryss

@sillybillylia

[mysticstarlightduck]

WIP Questionnaire Tag

Thanks for the tag @diabolical-blue (here)!

I'll go with Supernova Initiative for this one!

1. What’s the first part of your WIP that you created?

I had wanted to write a science fiction/space opera story for years now! I've always been a huge fan of Star Wars and similar series, and I've always wanted to write something similar! I guess that the actual first part of this WIP I've ever created was the setting - it has remained the same/similar from the first iteration of an idea of this story, while the main characters, title, and plot underwent many, many changes until it all got to the version I'm currently writing!

2. If your story was a TV show, what would the theme song/intro be?

Curiously enough, the Supernova Initiative book series is going to be more akin to a "TV Show" format - like Clone Wars, The Last of Us, or Game of Thrones - than a traditional novel format. That's a bit complicated to explain further, but the gist of it is - the chapters are going to be the "episodes", which in turn will be divided into acts/seasons that take place in specific time frames, with the first (5 episode/chapter) taking place 10 years before the main story!

If I had to choose, I would say that the theme song would be a rather energetic rock/pop song! With a similar vibe to these:

(Check out the full WIP playlist)

I'm Dangerous - The Everlove

Shame! Shame! Shame! - Reinaeiry

Let's Do This - Outskrts

El Dorado - Stellar

Anti-Gravity - Runaground

I think that the song would need to have this rebellious/badass energy, mixed with a generally fun beat and good lyrics that touch on the overall theme/plot of the series! Plus a generally youthful vibe!

3. What are your favorite characters that you made? Why?

I really love most of the main cast from this WIP!!!! But my Top 3 definitely are Jack Tithus, Gabi Ophyria, and Deimos Soll!

Jack is a really sweet, kind, and slightly reckless guy, who is at the same time outgoing, extroverted, and funny when he wants to be. He is defiant towards authority and fiercely protective of those he loves, to a dangerously selfless degree, all of which are tropes/traits I really enjoy in characters.

(Plus, in a way, Jack is one of the characters that kind of holds a condensation of some of my own personality traits, in good and bad ways - which was something accidental at first, but which I then embraced. )

Gabi Ophyria was one of the characters that came to me a bit later during the plotting of this book, which was surprisingly clear to me from the get-go. She's a brash, loud, fierce girl who lets no one talk her down and who believes in fighting for what she believes in. She also has anger issues - which is something she struggles with and eventually overcomes as her arc progresses, especially as she learns to let herself be vulnerable and trust others rather than try to be unbreakable all the time.

Deimos Soll is one of the most badass characters in this WIP and I just adore him. In a superficial, bad summarization, lol he's basically a young adult, alien version of John Wick and honestly is one of my all-time favorite characters I've ever written. He starts out in the backstory chapters as an awkward, fearful teenager lost in a moon he knew nothing about, but eventually grows into the deadliest and most efficient sniper this galaxy has ever seen, and one of the biggest threats to the Junction. I just adore writing introverted badass/morally grey characters who have a heart of gold. One of my favorite tropes!

4. What other pieces of media do you think your fanbase would share?

Definitely other space opera/sci-fi adventures like Star Wars, Star Trek, or Voltron! Those stories introduced me to the space opera science fiction genre which I love so dearly, so I think that pretty much anyone who likes that genre will probably like one of those movies lol. I also think that my future fanbase might also like Six of Crows or the Bad Guys (the DreamWorks movie), as the "found family of misfits working on a heist" trope is a pretty big trope in the first acts of this WIP as well!

5. What has been your biggest struggle with your WIP?

I think the hardest part about this WIP is that its structure is something I haven't seen before - as in, it's essentially a "TV Show but make it a Book Series" at its core. That means I have to improvise a lot with how I structure the story's chapters and how I structure all the events of the story. One good thing about this format I'm trying to recreate is that it is really visual, and I'm a really visual writer/person, so that means I get to make a really vivid world and characters!

6. Are there any animals in your story? Talk about them!

There are! A lot of them actually. Since this is a science fiction/spare opera adventure, a lot of the story involves the main characters traveling from planet to planet, especially during their heist mission and after the plot progresses.

They visit all kinds of planets and thus all kinds of biomes - the dusty mining moons like Cethea III, giant winter desert planets like Ivion, or flourishing forest dwarf planets like Stryxus. Cethea III - the homeworld of the MCs in the backstory chapters - is known for giant elk-like oxen that roams the dusty wasteland, as well as smaller lizard creatures and a few strange, venomous mammals. They also have giant birds, known as Harpies, which have a powerful screech capable of blowing out one's eardrums when too close.

Ivion is a gigantic winter desert, home to equally gigantic winter creatures, ranging from two-headed mountain lynx to absolutely enormous dragon-like creatures that burrow underneath the blanket of ice. It is also known for famously adorable, three-eyed, surprisingly big rodents similar to lemmings, which live in packs.

Stryxus has a biome akin to that of a tropical rainforest, which means the wildlife within it is incredibly varied despite the planet's small size, and that it has a vast variety of insects, mammals, lizards, and all kinds of animals you would expect from that environment. And even some you wouldn't expect.

The oceanic depths of Thallassen, in the heart of the Khosmonian galaxies, host especially gargantuan creatures, from pacific whale-like creatures with four, giant glowing eyes, to monstrous predatory lamprey-like creatures that lurk in the water.

7. How do your characters travel/get around?

The main form of transportation between planets, settlements and galaxies are starships/spaceships of varying shapes, sizes and fuel capabilities. Each planet has its own varied form of in-land transportation, but ranging from different animal mounts, hoverbikes, bullet trains, specialized boats/ships, submarines, and/or especially flying cars in the big cities.

8. What part of your WIP are you working on right now?

I'm currently writing the first draft of this WIP, and am around the third or fourth chapter of the Prologue Act (which consists of five chapters, or episodes). I already have an alpha reader (@sarandipitywrites) who is helping me a lot with ironing out the details of this story! I'm really happy about the progress I'm finally being able to make!

9. What aspects (tropes, maybe?) You think will draw your audience in?

General tropes: Found Family, Heists, Space Exploration, Whump (especially Lab Whump), rebelling against the system, Dystopian Utopia, Secret bioengineering scheme (as the main threat from the villains), loveable cyborgs/robots, etc!

For romance: Friends to Lovers, Rivals/Enemies to Lovers, Grumpy/Sunshine, etc

Familial/Friendship Tropes: Wholesome father-daughter duo (who are a former assassin and his feisty adoptive daughter), Protective Older Brother & Willful Younger Sister, Adoptive Siblings, general group of misfits fighting against an oppressive government, etc.

For more tropes & details, check out the WIP Intro!

10. What are your hopes for your WIP?

I hope I'll be able to finally finish the first draft of this story this year and that I'll publish it (probably self-publishing or something similar!) in the near future! I generally also hope to have a lot of fun writing it, and that other people will have fun reading this too (especially my friends)!

Tagging (gently) @your-absent-father @ray-writes-n-shit @drchenquill, @saltysupercomputer @agirlandherquill

@sleepy-night-child, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @smol-feralgremlin, @oh-no-another-idea, @littleladymab,

@winterandwords, @cowboybrunch, @eccaiia, @sarahlizziewrites, @illarian-rambling

@agirlandherquill, @anoelleart @sm-writes-chaos

@leave-her-a-tome, @writernopal, @anyablackwood, @unstablewifiaccess, @forthesanityofstorytellers

@i-can-even-burn-salad, @cakeinthevoid

@lassiesandiego, @thepeculiarbird, @clairelsonao3, @memento-morri-writes, @starlit-hopes-and-dreams

@the-golden-comet, @elshells

And OPEN TAG

[jesncin]

Part of me thinks that under WarnerMedia while My Adventures with Superman got greenlit in 2021, some of these decisions could either feel self-insert like with Mindy Kaling’s Velma or a mandated checkbox fulfillment to suit corporate desires. It can explain why they wanted Lois Lane to be a more prominent character to fit current narratives and trends. I’m all in for well written characters, but it needs to be done in a way where it makes sense. Here’s too hope James Gunn handles her well with the same craft as with Richard Donner and Bruce Timm’s iterations.

so I heavily disagree with this and I'm spider-sensing some uncomfortable dogwhistles here. What do Kaling's Velma and MAWS even have in common? MAWS' marketing didn't push a titular celebrity to the extent Velma did. Any reason you've decided to compare two shows on the basis that both have prominent women of color in the lead? Velma's an adult comedy mystery while MAWS is an action adventure with a heavy focus on romance (it may be on Adult Swim, but it was never intended for an adult audience. That was corporate shenanigans). Saying they're catching some sort of trend to follow Velma is pretty ignorant of how difficult it is to pitch an action animated kids show with a woman in the lead. Entirely different markets and genres. And from what I've heard, the MAWS crew mention they had surprisingly little executive restraints which allowed them to go out of the box with their takes.

Also Lois being prominent or the lead of a Superman adaptation is not new or a trend. "Lois & Clark", "Superman & Lois", even one off animated movies like Reign of Supermen had Lois as the POV lead or heavily involved. She has led many comics on her own. I don't love this insinuation that her being racebent is a "trend"- especially when the MAWS crew mention American Alien as their source of reference for their version of Lois and Jimmy.

"I'm all for well written characters, but it needs to be done in a way where it makes sense". I don't know what you mean by this. 1. there are no well written characters in the entirety of MAWS, and 2. What needs justifying to you? Aren't well written characters self justified by being well written? Is there something about a WOC in the lead that is threatening your suspension of disbelief? Because boy have I heard that tons of times before.

I get that film and tv adaptation heavily influences popular perception of a character, but why do we place our hopes on these white guys to do justice on a character like Lois of all people. This dismisses the many women and other talented creatives who got to work on Lois in the comics. Like why zero in on MAWS Lois being a "self insert"? I don't like to auteur-ify a collaborative medium like an animated series, but MAWS was pitched by Jake Wyatt. He's the showrunner. Lois is Asian in his pitch packet. How is that a self insert? If anything, I wish an Asian creative put more of their life experiences onto Lois because then she wouldn't feel like someone so interchangeable with a white woman. And misogynisticly written.

Just kind of weird to ask this to us, the chindo authors who made a fancomic about Lois being chindo, informed by our lived experiences as chindos. That's arguably as self insert as it gets. While I'm interested in James Gunn's take on the Superman mythos, I'm not getting my hopes up on a pre-dominantly white cast and no current narrative emphasis on committing to Superman as an immigrant. Also I didn't suffer through Guardians 2's take on Mantis just to hold this white guy up as the pinnacle on writing women.