#joining the fandom is going to make in unbearable

[maaaxx]

dont get me wrong i am more excited for this atla remake and the inevitable renaissance part 2 than i have ever been for anything in my life. however im also terrified of what changes this is going to bring to the fandom. Obviously the 2020 renaissance brought a lot of new and good things (zukka, a ton of amazing fics, etc). But more people joining the fandom means new people joining ao3 and interacting with fics and authors and artists too. Even in the few years that i've been active in fandom i've noticed a dramatic shift in how people interact with artists and authors especially. And I can't see this not getting worse as more people whose main social media experiences include tik tok and instagram coming to ao3 and tumblr. Like these people are used to content creators who revolve their content around what their audience wants because its their job, and I know this isnt going to translate well to the culture around ao3 writers especially when unconsolidated comments and 'advise' is already a problem for a ton of authors. And for people who dont understand that fics and fanart are supposed be transactional in the sense that you need to leave comments and kudos and reblog stuff when they're used to simply liking something *maybe* being enough. Idk whats going on with other fandoms, but I do know that these things have been an ongoing issue for the atla fandom and like I said, I can't imagine having another 'renaissance' and this stuff not getting worse.

[nyoomerr]

Normally, the community of Proud Immortal Demon Way can hardly be called as such. To call PIDW readers a ‘fandom’ would be akin to calling everyone who visited the same porn site a family. PeerlessCucumber is a loud exception, but in the end he’s still only an exception - by and large, people reading PIDW know exactly what they’re there for, and it certainly isn’t for any sense of shared enjoyment or community.

The community of people following PeerlessCucumber himself, however, is a whole different story.

PeerlessCucumber is the asshole single handedly responsible for at least seven different copypastas, the rich bastard that will pay an artist’s rent for a single picture of Luo Binghe if only the artist can tolerate his demands for constant revisions, the dictionary definition of an anti-fan.

He is also blissfully unaware of the absolute glee in which people take in riling him up. And in the age of the modern internet, nothing brings a group of strangers together like the opportunity to poke fun of a guy like that.

“How do I look?” HualingsWife whispers to her companions. They take a moment to scrutinize her, gaze lingering around her chest.

“I don’t know,” SwordsOfCultivators says, “I think the guy ahead of you let his robes drape open further.”

HualingsWife rolls her eyes. “If I let my robes drape open that far, I’d be disqualified - you know the rules are different for men.”

“It’s not like you’re looking to win, though,” XuanyuMeat says. “And the open chest is clearly effective.”

The three of them pause, turning to look at the stage from their spot in the wings. The competitor that came before HualingsWife is running through a series of poses that are slowly but surely allowing his robes to slip ever wider. 

Two of the judges are watching with thinly veiled amusement - after several years of this tradition, they’ve gotten used to the chaos that PeerlessCucumber’s fans bring to these cosplay competitions. 

The third judge is PeerlessCucumber himself, and he looks like he might be experiencing a serious health condition. A serious mental health condition, to be clear.

“- robes of inferior make! Binghe’s exposure is always purposeful, and artful, and it wouldn’t be because he was wearing robes that didn’t fit him! If you don’t care about dressing true to his character -!”

“Hm,” SwordsOfCultivators hums. “Is it just me, or is Peerless not being as harsh as he usually is? Do you think he’s finally losing some of his obsession with Luo Binghe?”

“He better not!” HualingsWife cries. “I’ve put way too much time and money into working on a cosplay for that awful porn book for him to lose interest right when I get my chance to join the torturing-Peerless-fun!”

“No, no,” XuanyuMeat says, shaking their head. “You heard his rants for the Luo Binghe cosplayers one through four - he was especially cruel to them! Look at his face now, that isn’t the face of someone losing interest!”

They turn back to the stage. Luo Binghe cosplayer number five - likely DickBiggerThanBinghe, if HualingsWife were to guess based on her limited interactions with him in the PeerlessWatchers discord chat - looks unbearably smug. His robes have fallen completely off his shoulders by now.

PeerlessCucumber, on the other hand, looks so red HualingsWife wouldn’t be surprised if she started seeing steam pouring out of his ears.

“Ah,” she says, understanding. “You think he’s recently finally realized his obsession with Luo Binghe isn’t that of a straight man’s?”

“I wouldn’t put it past him to get this flustered over a man’s exposed chest and still think it was caused purely by the outrage of seeing one of our ‘poorly done’ cosplays,” XuanyuMeat says wryly. They send HaulingsWife a pointed side eye. “So…”

“Oh yeah, I’m on it,” HualingsWife says, already loosening her robes further. “Just make sure to have the cameras ready to get the direct comparison of his reaction to a woman’s nip-slip versus the absolute conniption he’s going through now.”

“Please, he probably won’t even see it - he’ll probably get all awkward and look away like he does with any female cosplayer dressed in anything but a full body suit.”

“I think he’ll peek through his fingers anyway,” SwordsOfCultivators says gleefully. “He wouldn’t dare miss the chance to oggle another Luo Binghe cosplayer.”

On stage, DickBiggerThanBinghe finally waltzes off, having received his scoring from all three judges and a score from the back of the room where the group of PeerlessWatchers are sitting. 

After all, none of them are really here for the actual cosplay competition. They only care about one thing: whoever can get the highest scoring Peerless rant about their cosplay will pay for dinner for everyone that night. 

“Ohh, seven out of ten!” HualingsWife says, as the group PeerlessWatchers wave their scorecard around with glee. “The last time someone got scored that highly was when TofuBuns dared to cosplay as a half-dead Luo Binghe covered in wounds!”

“TofuBuns still has their display name set to ‘faithless mongrel undeserving of witnessing Binghes success’ in the discord server,” SwordsOfCultivators sighs. “I can only hope to one day trigger a Peerless rant so iconic.”

On stage, one of the judges glances down at the score sheet, sees that another Luo Binghe cosplayer is scheduled to come out next, and stifles a laugh before gesturing for HualingsWife to come on.

“No way I’m getting something that iconic my first try,” HualingsWife says, “but if I can get Peerless to make that hilarious choking noise he made the last time he saw a female-presenting Luo Binghe, I’ll count it as a win.”

[7s3ven]

UNBEARABLE. connor stoll (pjo)

( master list )

IN WHICH… Connor Stoll finds enjoyment on pulling all sorts of pranks on Y/N L/N, the charming daughter of Aphrodite. It isn't until he catches her in a moment of weakness that he begins to sympathize with her.

A/N : I kinda feel like I’m carrying the PJO fandom on my back with all these fics lol. Also, people said I could be cast as Drew from PJO. Y’all should ask for my insta so you can confirm me as Drew 😽

Warnings : not following plot, luke is still here bc I adore him, mentions of luke x y/n here and there (Y/N’s an Aphrodite kid, ofc she’s kissed multiple people 😭)

—

A shrill scream pierced the peaceful silence of Camp Half-Blood, waking up most of its campers. Connor Stoll creeped around the corner with a cheeky grin, holding an empty bucket of pink paint. A moment later, Y/N L/N and Silena Beauregard stormed out of the Aphrodite cabin, covered from head to toe in paint.

"I'm going to kill him!" Y/N shouted, eyebrows furrowed in fury. The paint dripped off her body, staining the green grass below. She scoffed.

The Stoll brothers, more specifically Connor, were at it again with their never-ending pranks. Ever since Y/N arrived at camp, she had been the main victim of Connor's tricks. And she hated it.

"Are you okay?" Y/N asked Silena, all of her anger suddenly simmering away once she looked at her sister. Silena nodded, combing the dried paint out of her black hair. Y/N looked over her shoulder, locking eyes with Travis Stoll. She fumed as she quickly strutted towards the elder brother.

"You," She sternly pointed at Travis and poked his chest, "Get your brother under control before I do it myself!"

Travis lifted his arms in surrender, teasingly grinning. “I think he’d like that.”

"Just make him stop! I am sick and tired of being covered in paint when I wake up! Honestly!" Y/N groaned as she stormed back towards her cabin, ushering Silena inside so they could wash up.

Y/N clicked her tongue as she scrubbed the drying paint off her face. Silena was beside her, drying her now clean face with a warm towel. "I can't stand this any longer." She mumbled, running a brush through her hair. She peeled a patch of paint off, scowling in disgust. "Do you think the paint will harm my skin barrier?"

"Oh, absolutely." Silena quickly nodded her head, "We need to do face masks tonight."

Y/N was getting sick of all the pranks that seemed to target her and only her. "Hey, Y/N, we're gonna get breakfast. You wanna come with?" One of her other siblings poked her head around the corner, in the process of changing into a pink shirt.

"Oh, yeah. I'm coming." Y/N flashed Silena a bright smile before joining the other Aphrodite kids.

"Hey, Y/N, don't you think that Connor is kinda cute?" One of the girls nudged her as Y/N tucked herself between Momona and Jacob. Y/N glanced at Connor, frowning.

"No." She scoffed, something she did often whenever Connor was around. "He keeps pulling pranks on me. I can't even see him half of the time because my eyes are always covered in paint."

“She has a point.” Vivviene said, causing Y/N to frown.

“Of course I do. I’m always right.”

Her siblings laughed, throwing their heads back. “Yeah, right!” Jacob exclaimed, “What about that time you said Luke wasn’t guarding the flag and you were wrong? Because he was and he whooped your ass badly!”

Y/N pushed Jacob, playfully scoffing. “It was one mistake! And I landed a few good shots! He got stuck in the infirmary for a week."

“Yeah. And you were with him because of his beating! The Apollo kids found you making out a few times!” Jacob slung an arm around her shoulder, bellowing out another laugh.

Y/N accidently caught Connor's eye from across the room and her smile faltered. She quickly turned her head, the image of her reflection covered in paint engraved in her mind.

She still had paint stuck under her nails and she picked at it. "I'm getting fed up with him." She mumbled, causing her siblings to groan. Y/N scoffed, rolling her eyes. "What?"

"You always talk about him at meals." Jacob said.

"In fact, you're always talking about him. Period." Momona added.

“What if I’m not talking about Connor?” Y/N asked, unknowingly falling into her siblings trap.

"We never mentioned a name.” Vivviene pointed out. Y/N groaned, running a hand through her soft hair. “Maybe he keeps pulling these pranks because he likes you." Vivviene shrugged before eating another spoonful of her food, not noticing how everybody turned their heads to stare wildly at her.

"Excuse me?" Y/N almost choked. "He does not like me. If he did, I don't think he'd be annoying me so much. But I guess boys are naturally annoying." Jacob pursed his lips but nodded in agreement. "Anyway, I have to help some kids with archery practice. I will see all of you later." Y/N grinned at her siblings, teasingly tapping Momona on the nose.

"Oh, great. Tell them to duck when you shoot." Jacob teased.

Y/N rolled her eyes but she still smiled. "Well, I'm off. Bye!" She stood up, gracefully walking away. The kids in the arena seemed to light up as she made her presence known. "Hey kids, great to see you all again! Y'all ready to learn some archery?" The young demigods cheered, excited for their next lesson with the Aphrodite cabin leader instead of the harsh Clarisse.

"So, you just pull the arrow back. As far as you can," Y/N uttered, showing the kids a demonstration. "And once you've got it as far as you can, you just shoot." She let the arrow go, watching as it spiraled through the air and hit bullseye. With that sort of aim, she may as well be an Apollo kid.

The kids clapped while she outstretched her arms, enjoying the applause. "Thank you!" She playfully bowed. "Okay, bows out, arrows ready, and shoot your shot! Quite literally. Aim for the targets over there, not at each other."

The children excitedly grabbed a bow and arrow, trying their best to impress to Y/N. Even if they missed completely, she still clapped and gave them an encouraging pat on the back.

"Great training session guys! I'll see y'all tomorrow!" Y/N waved goodbye to the small group. She was cheerful until she spotted Connor in the distance, conversing with Travis and holding yet another can of paint. She clenched her jaw.

"Connor Stoll, don't you dare use that paint for anything relating to my cabin!" She stormed towards him, sternly pointing at him.

"We weren't planning to but now that you say it, we might." Connor cheekily grinned while Y/N glared at him.

"Stoll, you know I adore everybody in this world... but you are an exception. I loathe you." She poked his chest, "Now, please get rid of the paint in that can."

Connor shrugged. "Okay." He, without a second thought, poured it all over Y/N. For the second time today. She gasped, glowering at Connor.

"You are dead." She said through clenched teeth. "Dead, you nitwit!" She threw a lump of paint at him, hitting him directly in the face. “Honestly.” She scoffed, shaking the paint off. “My skin is going to break out soon and you’ll be to blame!”

She slapped a paint-covered hand on his shoulder before walking off, muttering to herself as she glared at any camper who dared to laugh at her.

“Well, that went smoothly.” Travis said, taking a peek at Connor. “Maybe covering a girl in paint isn’t the best way to woo her.”

“Luke told me it was.”

Travis clicked his tongue, resting a heavy hand on his brother’s back. “… He was messing with you.”

Connor wasn’t a complicated boy. He loved playing pranks but lately Y/N’s reactions had been getting less rewarding. She looked at him like he was the bane of her existence, which he probably was. But how else was he supposed to get her attention?

Without the constant tricks, Y/N would have only ever seen him as another Hermes boy, not worth remembering because her eyes were always on another.

Luke, with his brown-curled hair and a faint scar that ran down his pretty face yet it only elevated his beauty. Connor was pretty sure whatever chemistry and romance between them was done but Luke still snuck glances at Y/N from time to time.

If he was being honest, Connor was a little jealous of his brother. What was his secret to getting Y/N to notice him? Sure, Luke was good-looking but Connor wasn’t lacking in that department either.

"You'll think of something to grab her attention." Travis reassured his brother, nudging him in the ribs, "My advice... plan a picnic. Who knows, it might get you somewhere." The elder Stoll brother tilted his head back, letting out an amused laugh, as he walked away.

Connor clicked his tongue, thinking for a moment. His eyes lit up with mischief as an idea popped into his head. He couldn't guarantee that it was a good one but it's Connor Stoll we're talking about. Y/N woke up with a surprised look on her face. Paint wasn't splattering around her cabin and everybody was sleeping peacefully, not awoken by shrill screams. Y/N furrowed her eyebrows as she sat up, rubbing her eyes. It seemed Connor had finally decided to leave her alone.

She stood up, shivering slightly when her bare feet hit the cold tiles below. She sleepily staggered over to her vanity mirror, peering into it to check her skin as she did everyday. Her appearance was spot on, as usual, except for one thing that made Y/N lose her mind.

Her hair... was pink. It wasn't an ugly type of neon pink but gone were her H/C locks. Y/N tried to hold back a sharp screech but the panic was beginning to set in.

Her half-siblings woke up in alarm.

"My hair..." Y/N seethed to them, barely able to contain her fury, "That little..." She couldn't even find an appropriate insult as her body trembled in anger.

"I'm sure we can wash it out." Silena rushed to Y/N's aid. "It's still early. I'll draw you a bath and we can scrub it out."

Silena was wrong. Two bottles of shampoo later, the color was still vivid.

"I can't go out like this." Y/N said, tugging at the ends of her hair. "They'll laugh at me... and mother, oh gods... she's going to hate me for changing my hair."

"It’s not your fault." Silena comforted her. “I’ll talk to Connor. I’ll make him tell me how to get rid of it. Then we can fix it. Okay?”

Y/N slowly nodded. “This is fine.” She muttered to herself when Silena was long gone. She applied a thin layer of gloss to her lips, soothing herself. “Mother won’t hate you because it was all his doing…” She took a deep breath, closing her eyes. When she looked at her reflection for a second time, she felt her anger flare up again.

As an Aphrodite kid, her appearance was everything. It was her identity and more. "What about personality?" Other campers would ask her and she'd simply laugh. What about beauty? The first thing people will see is how you carry yourself, how you walk, how you look. Personality had nothing to do with first impressions.

Y/N was a beauty among the Aphrodite girls, standing out more than she should. She had always been her mother's favorite. Without her carefully styled H/C hair, who was she? Her hair was an important detail to her and she didn't know what to do now. Would people still love her as they did before? Without her outstanding looks, she was nothing.

Y/N slipped out of her cabin via the window. Everybody was at breakfast so it wasn't hard to avoid people from seeing her hair. Y/N was supposed to be teaching archery again today but she'd rather battle a hellhound than show up with pink hair.

She wandered around the forest, eventually finding herself in front of a small river. A few nymphs sat near the water, giggling together. They spotted Y/N and all gasped in unison, scrambling away except for one who was brave enough to stay.

"I like your hair." She shyly said, coyly kicking her leg into the water. She charmingly smiled before hurrying off after her friends, who laughed at timid behavior.

Y/N fell to her knees in front of the river, staring mindlessly at the cool liquid. She wondered what it found feel like to dunk her head beneath the water, an action she saw the nymphs do quite often.

She didn't know how much time had passed. Maybe it was minutes or hours but Y/N found herself sprawled on a warm rock, basking in the sun. She heard footsteps approach her and she hoped it was Silena. It wasn't. It was Connor instead.

"Oh." Y/N deadpanned, displeased to see him. "It's you." She deeply scowled, turning away.

"You, uh, weren't at breakfast." Connor kicked a nearby rock as he cleared his throat, "And the archery kids were wondering where you were too. Luke had to take over and he may be the best swordsman but he's far from the best archer. He kept missing the target."

Y/N let out a small huff of amusement. "What are you doing here, Connor?" That was the first time she had called him by his first name. She often referred to him as Stoll.

"I wanted to check up on you. Are you... okay?"

"No, Connor, I am not okay!" Y/N suddenly snapped, "Why can't you ever leave me alone? Did I do something to hurt you? I could deal fine with the paint and water buckets but my hair? You dyed my hair pink! My mother loved my H/C hair and now you've ruined it!"

"It won't last forever." Connor retorted, taking a step towards Y/N.

"That doesn't matter!” She screamed, standing up. “My looks are important to me, Connor! I can't pull off pink hair, it doesn't match my skin undertone! I need to be perfect otherwise my mother won’t love me!”

"You can pull anything off, Y/N. You're pretty."

Y/N's eyes momentarily softened as she gazed at him, her cheeks flushing a light hue of pink. "You think I'm pretty? Even... even with messy pink hair, smudged mascara, and fading eyeliner?"

"I think you're always pretty." He answered, “Even when you do those heatless curls that make you look silly. And I think you’re the prettiest when you aren’t trying.”

“Don’t think your compliments will get you off the hook.” Y/N warned, glaring at him.

“Will a star-gazing date at seven get me off the hook?” Connor asked, mischievously grinning.

In turn, Y/N narrowed her eyes. “Maybe.” She uttered before turning around and walking back to camp, concealing her pink hair once more.

PJO TAG LIST : @lostinhisworld @julielightwood @outerbanks-stuff @jennapancake @csifandom @evrybodydies1 @kkrenae @s0ulsniper @annispamz @justanotherkpopstanlol @soraya-09 @simpforeveyone @papichulo120627 @corpsebridenightamare @lilacspider @prettylilsimp @urmomsbananabread @ur-lacol-dsylexic @hottiewifeyyyy @kamiliora @be-bap @finnickodaddy @th0tblckgrl @shoyofroyoyoyo @uniquely-her @imafrkinsimp @syraxesrevenge @ahh-chickens @dracoslovergirl @midnightstar-90 @8812-342 @liv1104 @krkiiz @arialikestea @ch16rles @lizziesliz @maryclx01 @lukecastellandefender @yuminako @coryoskywalker @julielightwood @crybabysbakery @jsbabyyy @liviessun @p3pperm1nttea @angie-esc @purplerose291 @prettylilsimp @10ava01 @froggiesstalks @happy-jj @czennieszn @gisellesprettylies @loveyava @csifandom @luvvfromme @mashiromochi @kamiliora @yorksyree @mqg125 @jamesmackreideswife @niktwazny303 @2hiigh2cry @user021099 @living-in-my-imagination88 @xx-all-purpose-nerd-xx @randomgurl2326 @niktwazny303 @connorstollfanpage

[possessionisamyth]

Not to kick a dead horse, but there is a way to make Pier's death genuinely very loaded and tragic that fandom consensus just seems to continue to miss! I've never seen a take about Piers's death being about PIERS, but all about "ooohh chris lost a good one" and how the two are not able to fuck anymore. But I am going to free you from these shackles while I zero in on Chris' comment of

"I wanted him to replace me."

Surely Piers was being trained to take Chris' job ideally after a decent retirement party, but neither of them get that luxury because Edonia happens, and Chris is gone. The beloved captain has vanished, and the person who's supposed to take his job is right there, so they give it to him. It's Piers responsibility to not only be a face of what the BSAA represents, but also the heavy shackles of expectations are slapped onto him.

Everyone wants Chris, which means Piers can't be himself nor figure out how to run the same jobs his way. No, it has to be Chris' way. There's no time for anyone to adjust and shift gears either with the C-Virus outbreaks, the terrorist attacks from Ada*(Carla), and the search party he shambled together to locate the missing Redfield. So he tries his damnedest to fill Chris' shoes and suddenly realizes just how out of his depth he is. There were so many reasons people called Chris for certain tasks, even tasks Piers hadn't known about and definitely hadn't been trained on, that Piers never saw. There's no mentor to dial. No reference other than fellow soldiers saying things like, "We don't know how, he just got it done," which is the least helpful thing in the world. Hell, there's barely any notes to go through when he searches Chris' office for a semblance of a hint as to how he should do this job.

Maybe it turns out Chris was doing his best to gently ease that heavy mantle into Piers' hands. It's why his scheduled retirement seemed so far away at the time. Perhaps, after one comment too many where he'd been accidentally addressed by the name of his captain for the 50th time, Piers breaks. He can't do this. He's not ready for this. He needs the one person who did all this back by any means necessary, so he drops all the work and joins the search party. He verbally harasses an amnesiac Chris into coming back because maybe it isn't that bad. Maybe Chris just needs a reminder of what he's been doing everyday for literal years and things would be back to normal again.

But it's not. It's messier. It's uglier. This isn't the Chris he worked so hard to fight alongside. There are glimpses of him in there, but most of the time in China, Piers feels like he's working with a stranger. People die, and Chris keeps pushing forward no matter how much he's shouted at, and Piers feels like this is all his fault. The deaths are his fault because he couldn't buckle down and do what Chris originally wanted him to do. Take Chris' place. Replace him. Be better than him.

So when they go to that underwater facility, and their backs are against the wall, there's the looming sense of failure and a terrifying amount of pressure. If they get out of this alive, who knows when Chris would be back in shape to work again if that ever happens. Piers would have to be responsible. He was already responsible for the squad he gathered to take up this job, and they were skewed into pieces around downtown Lanshiang. Take Chris' place. Replace him. Be better than him, and Piers failed on all accounts. He couldn't get Chris back the way he was supposed to be. His squad was dead. The responsibility he'd have to take up if they made it out alive would be nigh unbearable, and then he gets infected.

He gets infected and suddenly the decision is so easy. To let go. To hope for the best. To be the one left behind when he was supposed to be the one moving towards the future. Another glimpse of the Chris that Piers knew is seen, a more confident glimpse wherein Chris does everything he can to try and save him. And Piers smiles when Chris fails. When he saves Chris. When he seems to finally do one thing right after things never seemed to stop falling apart.

It's the last thing Chris sees. That smile and the ever encroaching weight of immeasurable responsibility that'll grasp him tight as soon as he breaks the surface. The weight Piers couldn't take from him, and maybe never wanted in the first place.

[bunny-extract]

Tell us more about cocky könig we really need a refresh in the fandom

He named himself King, your honor. Of course i'm obsessed with him.

— The Growth Spurt (tm) came on early, and ostracized him from his peers. His social pools leaned much older than him, which meant the resulting traumatic themes associated came to him pretty young. Fully adopt the party boy König hc, and firmly believe he entered the forces with his screws already stripped.

— Was bullied into joining a rugby team when he was in school. Hated it, hated it, hated it, and then one day he smacked into a kid that was several grades ahead, knocked him on his ass and was like wow. Haha. Oh.

— As soon as König learned his anxieties could be overshadowed by aptitude, that became a pretty big crutch. If you're not the best then you're being laughed at. solution: Be the fucking best?

— In his eyes, his military career was a failure. The blow to his ego when he was rejected as a sniper really left him sore, and being reduced to a battering ram seemed like a waste of his his assets. When KorTac contacted him he left the services as soon as he could. The switch was not for any noble reasons (Not that he joined with any in mind, either)

— Insufferable ego driven by crippling anxiety means he comes off as really hot and cold. Sometimes when he’s avoiding eye contact it’s shy, disarming, and then other times it’s curt, uninterested

— That makes his attention kind of covetous, because when he is interested in someone, if he respects them, he has this boyish 'look at me, look at what I can do for you' that makes him seem soft and charming, but it can quickly turn into ‘did you see what I did? Did you like it? I can do more.’

— He is as attentive and loyal as a dog, but mean and jealous as one too.

NSFW

— The natural second step to this is an unbearable praise kink. Adoration, worship, acts of service, he falls for any of the above... This is literally the only normal turn on he has, I'm afraid.

— Plenty to go unsaid about his sexuality. Took the kink test curiously once, but half of what really gets him going wasn't listed in the prompts.

If he weren't so fucked up this would be fine, but he is, and so it isn't.

— Scared of sex because of this. He isn't sure what he's capable of, and when you've taken someone's life before and know that's nowhere near your cap it complicates things for you! Just smack a big old 'CONFIDENTIAL' over what actually comes up.

— (Out in the field, the air taste like adrenaline and testosterone and whatever other chemicals that creep up when your head is a bullseye. They all coalesce into a raging, disgusting hard on that he doesn't even try to hide anymore. Tucks himself into his waistband and uses that pent up energy to beat into people like he's fucking them. Nobody talks about it, not because they don't all notice it, but because könig has always deserved the title 'freak'. They can just be grateful they're on the same side of him.)

[echoes-of-mia]

okay this is a long ramble and kinda personal, so bear with me, but i want to talk about being aspec in the joker out fandom bc I'm full of emotions and i need to share them somewhere

(just a short warning for internalised aphobia before i go on)

for context, i identify as aspec, more specifically asexual and some flavour of aromantic. I've known about the ace part for about 3-4 years now, the aro part is more recent and I'd say that before, lets say, a couple of months ago, I'd always seen that as something negative, something that makes me miserable, a deficit that will always be there and that others will never understand

and then i joined the (tumblr) joker out fandom around... june of last year, probably? and at first i thought "theres no way there are many queer people in this fandom, its essentially a boyband, and other aspec people? no way"

well, oh boy was i wrong

because not only is this fandom, like what, 90% queer? (i know someone made a poll at some point but i dont remember the percentages) but it's also around 50% aspec. and there's just this general positivity and support surrounding the a-spectrum in the fandom. like, some days ago there was an aphobic comment somewhere and before i even saw it my dash was FLOODED with people defending aspec people and i was just sitting in the kitchen reading through the posts and crying.

and yes, this is tumblr, i could have seen this coming and it's probably different on other platforms, but so many aspec people in one place, in one fandom, is still something that I've never experienced before.

so why are so many aspec people drawn to a slovenian indie/shagadelic rock band that, at first glance, is just 5 very good-looking probably-straight guys making music? that doesnt really make sense, right?

and then you see how much more they are. how they interact with each other. how comfortable they are in their sexualities, in their masculinity, in being themselves. you see a group of friends that love each other so unashamedly it's a bit unbearable to watch sometimes. you don't see them holding back because "thats not their partner!" or "that's reserved for romantic relationships!", you just see love. you see them supporting each other, being physically affectionate, looking out for each other, laughing together, even living together. vse kar vem could easily be a romantic song, but it's about their friendship!!

and what is all of that, if not THE dream of many aspec people? to be okay with not feeling sexual or romantic attraction because you have your group of friends that you love the same amount as allosexual/-romantic people love their partner(s) and to show it, and to know that they love you the same (and won't replace you with romantic partners) because they also show it, without thinking twice about it, without thinking about how others might interpret your relationship because it just doesn't matter as long as you love each other.

so of course aspec people see themselves in joker out. we see hope for ourselves in them, we are probably a little (or in my case very) jealous of their friendship, we want what they have or we just love to finally see real people live with the sort of affection we would like to have. (just to clarify, this is based mostly on what i feel, so other aspecs might feel completely different about this, idk why I'm trying to generalise this)

and this is about all five of them, but to take jan and nace as an obvious example: they love each other so much that the fans start to speculate, and they know about it. but instead of hiding their affection, they just keep on doing what they're doing. because they know how they feel for each other, and it's no one else's business, and they won't be stopping their love just because of "conspiracy theories". and to me it doesn't matter how they love each other (platonic, romantic, whatever), it matters that they do and that you can't help but notice it, because they show it in every interaction we see of them. the damon baker photoshoot just confirmed that, they look at each other and the amount of love makes me cry, it's so incredibly beautiful.

(just some other things i want to mention: them probably cooking mostly potatoes because nace is glutenfree. nace calming down bojan after his panic attack in summer. jan and bojan casually kissing on the lips during a concert. the jure and bojan getting married photoshoot. bojan touching kris's hair during concerts. kris being carried around during a photoshooting. jure and jan drawing a heart together. them gathering around jure's drumset during concerts. i could go on but for my sanity and yours i won't, there are so many moments that just make me soft)

I'd love to be more physically affectionate with my friends, but every time there's this voice in the back of my head saying what society has conditioned it to say, which is that that kind of affection is reserved for romantic relationships, and this voice stops me every time. i feel like bojan, jan, jure, kris and nace either don't have that voice (anymore?) or they've just managed to ignore it, they don't hold back and i admire that as much as i wish i could be like that.

and while i still have a long way to go until i can be affectionate with my friends without worrying about it or holding myself back, joker out have shown me that it's possible, because of them i finally have days on which i think that i can be aspec and actually happy about it. being aspec finally feels as freeing as it should feel and I'm just grateful

joker out has allowed so much queer joy into my life without intending to and although i don't think anyone i know irl will ever understand this, i hope that some of you can relate to this in some way.

I've said this a lot during the past two weeks but i can never say it enough: all the love to my fellow aspecs, and also to all the non-aspec people who support us <3

feel free to add to this if you want to; my dms are always open if you want to talk about it without posting about it, i love hearing other people's thoughts about stuff like this ^^

[morethansky]

***TBB FINALE SPOILERS***

"The Cavalry Has Arrived" aka MY OTP IS CANON NOW

A truly absurd amount of meta and thoughts and screaming under the cut:

Overall

• I...loved it????? This is the biggest plot twist of all for me. Like I've said incessantly, I've had so many issues with the writing choices for this show, and I'm so grateful the brainrot set in so I could start watching it through a fandom lens and have way more fun with it than through a media critic lens and being a hater. But like...that was actually really satisfying to me within the parameters of where the show had led to in the last four episodes??

• As everyone on the planet probably knows by now, I would've been much happier if this show had led to the Batch choosing to do the right thing and joining the clone resistance, and if we never get another clone series, I will continue to be unbearable and salty about the lost potential of telling that story. But after Echo left and we stopped following his story, I gave that hope up. And ofc nothing about my criticism of this season is invalidated. But given the pieces on the board, I'd pretty wholeheartedly give the finale my stamp of approval!

• I'm ultimately glad that this show ended on a "We don't leave our own behind" note, because that's the clone energy and general Star Wars energy I'm looking for, and they did a great job of applying that theme to every non-villain in this episode, minor and unnamed characters included—but it's still so darkly funny for them to have continued to push this idea even though the first season is literally about them leaving their own behind and moving on. And then Crosshair calls them out on it. And then he just...leaves himself behind. Even in their first appearance in TCW, the Batch's entire vibe is that they keep trying to convince Rex to leave his own behind lmao. I just feel like the show wanted this adage to tie everything together, but then forgot to keep applying it somewhere along the way. But hurrah for this abundant use of it!

• My overall biggest criticism was that even within this one episode we got back on the rescue/captured/rescue/captured treadmill. It's the biggest plot crutch of the show. It's so goofy that Omega and Echo rescued both the children and the imprisoned clones by themselves. The setup made it so that by going to rescue Omega, Hunter, Wrecker, and Crosshair actually put her in more danger. And because they were there, more clones died, wtf!! But I do like the narrative flip—Echo and Omega were both saved by the Batch in their introductions in this era, and here are they are being the ones to save them in return. Omega and Echo also are the characters in the main cast who deserve the rescuer plotline the most, since they have been consistently portrayed as helping those in need no matter what.

• Hilariously, one of the most pivotal roles that the Forest Trio plays in regards to the GFFA at large is that they were essentially Rampart's rideshare drivers, thus enabling him to be there and force Nala Se not to hesitate to destroy Project Necromancer.

Rampart and Nala Se

• Hemlock saying his work makes him indispensable is fantastic dialogue; it just seems like some dickish thing he would say to shit on Rampart, but it ends up giving Rampart the idea to try to leverage his work to become indispensable himself, and in saying that line, Hemlock ushers his own ruin!!! This is the kind of script work I've been begging for.

• Also I was so right about Rampart being like a Kallus foil! That infamous shot of him in his sad, sterile room after Bahryn is mirrored here with Rampart sitting in pretty much the same position, except his path is the opposite from Kallus's.

• They did an EXCELLENT job with Rampart's fate. I was worried they were neutering him these last couple eps, even if the comedy was gold, but this was very well done. Everything that happens leading up to his death makes complete sense for his character, and it accomplishes the very key plot point of destroying Tantiss. At the start of the season I couldn't figure out how and why the Batch was going to end up delaying Project Necromancer for like thirty years, so I feel validated that they pretty much don't. Very typical of this show to not have the protagonists do the heroic work, but fuck it, I like this instance.

• The humanizing of Nala Se in this show has always been a bit of an interesting choice given that this is feels like such a direct successor to TCW and she was so clearly a villain there. But although they don't quite redeem her, her motivations and her fate were also artfully executed here. Her conversation with Omega pretty much takes into account every Nala Se scene in this show, which is a great way to wrap her character up. And I really like the mirror of Nala Se giving Omega her datapad in the season premiere, and Omega giving Nala Se a datapad here. Both times, Nala Se is determined to set Omega free.

• And I'm so glad there was a follow-up to the destruction of Kamino as well! Nala Se getting a bit of revenge against one of the beings responsible for the genocide of her people and destruction of her homeworld is not something I expected at all, and I love it. And the setup of Nala Se picking up the detonator and Rampart picking up the blaster is just fantastic, because you know from just those two shots that Rampart is willing to kill to gain Palpatine's favor for himself, and Nala Se is willing to die to make sure the being she loves will be free.

Echo and Omega supremacy

• Give me an Echo-led rebel show where he convinces all sorts of people in the Empire and the underworld to defect/help them, please!!! He's so good at it, completing Emerie's turn so efficiently! We have to assume Rex is also good at it given his cell and that he has clone spies and even undercover agents, but every time he sees Hunter he has tried and failed to recruit him lmao. Also REX'S NAMEDROP but him not showing up surely means...we'll see a continuation of his story soon after this...right??? Also this means Howzer still lives, oh, thank god.

• "Because it's exactly what I would do." Strategist Echo comeback yessss!! A nice little callback to the Techno Union arc that kicked this story off as well. And HELL YEAH Omega's relationship with Echo is my favorite out of all of her connections, and I'm living for their spotlight together this ep. I'm extremely invested in found family stories not relying on nuclear family narratives, and I love that you see throughout the show that Echo doesn't "raise" Omega like a kid—he trains her like a cadet. Like someone who he intends to be his equal, which is a nice and very appreciated contrast to others treating her like a precious sheltered baby.

• Their goodbye scene in "Truth and Consequences" is one of my favorites in the show, and I just adore that when Omega is upset, Echo doesn't coddle her—he reminds her of her duty to watch over the others, giving her a purpose and a reason to stand tall. When he conveys that he was worried about her and thinking of her while she was captured, he gifts her a weapon he designed and made for her during that time, so that she won't have to be defenseless after being defenseless for so long in captivity. It's so clone trooper, and I love it and the glimpses these details give us about clone culture and how the older clones cared for the shinies and the cadets and showed their love for each other.

• I also liked that Omega couldn't have escaped without Tech's training, since slicing was so vital. And all her stealthy stabbing is of course reminiscent of Hunter. And finally some emotional payoff for the ongoing bit about Wrecker being afraid of heights! I'm weak for inspirational Star Wars quotes, and this show hasn't had many, but "Just stay focused on what's ahead, not what's below," is a lovely one.

Forest conversations, my beloved

• The Kiners scored the fuck out of this episode!!! So many clever, thoughtful reprises. This is the first reappearance of Crosshair's theme that's played on the synths since he began healing! And then it segues into a soft violin tremolo version that makes me cry, and then it intertwines with "The Sacrifice" from Tech's death, ouchhhh. I have a lot of meta I need to write out about the tracks "The Reunion" and "They Always Work It Out" and how they say so much about Hunter and Crosshair, but I can't believe how well my analysis paid off in the cues in this scene! More on that in another post.

• Gosh, Wrecker's injury scared the shit out of me. But I love him so much and I'm glad he got at least a little moment, even if he didn't really have a story arc here. Or you know, in the entire damn show. And I ultimately liked that the purpose of it wasn't just to freak us out but to give them a plausible disadvantage and to give Crosshair someone to fuss over the whole time and act more recklessly because of it, thus reiterating this key character trait of his.

• I love Crosshair being worried about Wrecker and Hunter and them being worried about Crosshair. That's the squad content I crave and have been missing!! Unfortunate that it specifically has been happening when Omega is out of the picture. Writers, I swear to you, you can do both.

• Can't believe it took another half season for someone to say something about Tech's death, and it was Crosshair, who wasn't even there?? Cool line and sentiment, but man, so frustrating. I like this callback to his conversation with Rampart, though. "Depends on who's giving them" and in this first act he keeps trying to give those orders himself. Thinking of Rex on Umbara: "We're not programmed. You have to learn to make your own decisions."

• God the forest conversations in this ep and the previous one fed me so much. Hunter saying, "And so do those clones" had me literally jumping out of my seat and cheering. Baby boy, it took you so goddamn long, but thank you for finally actually giving a shit before the conclusion of your story. And "It's what I deserve," hnghhh that's the good shit, and it hearkens back perfectly to "I belong in here." And Hunter immediately telling Crosshair hell no made me very happy. And then later Hunter saying "Crosshair—" when he's worried Crosshair is still going to sacrifice himself, but Crosshair reassures him that he'll be right behind them... My heart! What a Crosshunt feast we got in this ep!!!

• Can't believe we also got so many Crosswrecker moments from the get-go and they kept coming! And my three precious little Techwrecker crumbs: the way Crosshair specifically chooses Wrecker to say the cutting remark about Tech to; the way Wrecker bows his head because that was right on target; and Wrecker being the one to watch Tech fall and to scream, "Don't do it, Tech!" in "Plan 99" yet the one to say with such conviction here, "We've always known the risks. And so did Tech." That's just so...finally accepting your beloved is gone ;_; Not really deserved by the text, which kept all but a total of like maybe one total minute of mourning off screen for some fucking reason, but.

Clone X, more like Clone Sexy

• There aren't nearly as many Clone X dudes as I expected?? I guess Crosshair's situation wasn't that rare after all? Or do they just run through them super quickly because Rex's team keeps taking them down?? Regardless, god, THEY ARE ALL SO SEXY. The way they animated their movements was so creepy and hot. And them not speaking was so eerie, I loved it. And then the moment that CX-2 did was so effective and terrifying!!! But remembering that those were clones in there is so, so heartbreaking.

• I really like that Echo really felt like both a clone trooper AND the resistance agent he is now this whole episode, and Hunter, Wrecker, and Crosshair actually briefly got to feel like commandos. The slick stealth and silent communication was also very sexy.

• MY GOD, I loved these action scenes. They were lit and choreographed so cool, they were super intense and had real consequences and close brushes with death, and the logic of the fight flow was really good, too. A character being incapacitated because they went to try to help an ally is always a wonderful driving force for action and gives it that crucial character-driven element that raises the stakes, and is great for making sure the main characters aren't too OP, and there was a ton of that here.

• Hunter and Wrecker getting shot by laser cannons and Hunter pushing Wrecker away from the blast made me shriek in terror AND THEN CROSSHAIR SHOOTING THE PILOT DEAD ON NO HESITATION NO ANXIETY NO TREMOR BECAUSE HOW DARE YOU HURT MY HUSBAND I'M FUCKING LIVINGGG. And then Wrecker stumbling over to Hunter and lifting the debris like he does in TCW. Boom, three pivotal character-driven action scenes in a row that divulge a key characteristic of each character! Excellently written and directed.

• Also I am SO SO SO HAPPY that we're getting to see this protective Crosshair come out in full force!!! This is the Crosshair who risked his life to try to save Mayday, who shouted hysterically when Hunter fell into the ice and was so desperate to get him out, who worried over Omega on Teth. I also really like this contrast with how he was about Echo—"Echo's on it." He knows Echo will get the job done and be safe and that's despite his former prejudice against regs. He's worried about Hunter and Wrecker and that's despite previously spending time trying to hunt them down. And when he suffers consequences, it's because of him worrying about them, and that's so delicious.

• Finally got to hear Crosshair screaming! And Hunter was already the screamer in this show, but goddamn does he get to scream in this episode. Thank you, directors, for this whump material! My man Steward Lee never lets me down.

• THE WAY THAT WHEN CROSSHAIR IS TRYING TO SAVE WRECKER HE REACHES FOR A DC-17 OMG!!!! I feel so validated! And just like with Mayday, he's incapacitated afterward...

• God the way CX-2 waits to be tossed the vibrosword and then leans down with it while Crosshair is already incapacitated is SO brutal, like this is not a battle injury. It's straight up what Anakin fucking Skywalker does to Count Dooku just before he becomes a Sith Lord, like holy shit, dude. This scene is so cool and I've watched it 10,000 times over the past 24 hours, but also why did he do that lol, is he just supposed to be particularly cruel?? Obsessed with tormenting Crosshair for some reason?? Also, these vibroswords are exactly how I've pictured Ahsoka's being in A Future for Us :D

• At this point I was like, uhhh, the messaging of Crosshair struggling with this psychomatic hand tremor since the first episode of the season and then the symptom literally being taken out of his........hands sure is a Choice, especially coupled with how they've treated Echo (or you know, not). When they showed him still with the symptoms later, I was very relieved, AND THEN HUNTER LITERALLY CURES CROSSHAIR THROUGH THE POWER OF THE LOVE AND FAITH AND TRUST HE HAS FOR HIM IS THERE ANYTHING MORE BEAUTIFUL IN THE WORLD???? But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Echo is the GOAT

• "You were helping us, Dr. Karr?" / "I am." I love this subtle line and how Emerie acknowledges that she wasn't sure of her loyalties before but is certain now. And I love that she says such a clone trooper thing, "You have my word," and then doing the clone shoulder pat, especially in direct contrast to the natborn kids hugging Omega just before.

• "Hey, kids. ...And other kids." is just so fucking 501st, I can't explain it. I'm just so ecstatic that they did Echo such justice in the end, giving a nod to everything about his character, even his dorkass cadet personality. And it wasn't just so he could die, thank god!!!

• Like Echo even got a DARTH VADER homage??? That's his mass-murdering general (affectionate). More on this here!

• Also is there anything more Big Dick Energy in the world than Echo eviscerating Rampart—who either the clones would recognize as a former vice admiral or at least see his captain rank plaque—with what may not be a theme this show really earned but is ABSOLUTELY a theme that Echo deserves and has shouldered for over two seasons...and then just straight up shoving him out of the way so that he can talk to his brothers???? And with his stormtrooper helmet—which is like Echo refusing to dirty his hands (including his new, long-awaited one) by touching Rampart oh my god??? Sexiest man alive.

• So the answer is no, there isn't. Fives is hollering from the afterlife. Half those clones immediately developed a crush on him in that moment. That one clone later placing a blaster in Echo's arms so gently confirmed this for me (remember the symbolism of Echo making the energy crossbow for Omega? He even gives her his borrowed blaster in this scene), but it's so sad that he died because of it, whyyy.

• Also I love the "Clones don't leave our brothers behind" riff on the "We don't leave our own behind" adage. It's very fitting that Hunter would put it that way because he only means his squad (+/-1), whereas Echo would see it as meaning his people.

• And I love how when Rampart first shoves Echo, the clone in front that Echo's been talking to prickles and makes brief eye contact with him, to be like, "Should we take him? I've got your back." I felt that girls (gender neutral) in the bathroom energy so hard.

• The clones helping each other out of their cells made me so emotional. And it's the same way that Hunter and Crosshair do later...

• Echo asking for volunteers, just like Rex did on Umbara..................

• I think this post is breaking and I'm still only two-thirds of the way through my rewatch, oops. And yesterday I stayed up until 8 a.m. after I put it on again after watching it for the first time... I'm so normal about this show. More tomorrow!

• Part 2!

[cuddlepilefics]

Better out than in

Fandom: Ateez

Sickie: Seonghwa

Caregiver: Hongjoong

Prompts: Vomiting / “I got your hair, it’s fine.”

@whumperless-whump-event

No one’s POV.:

Seonghwa always loved visiting new places and making memories with his friends, so he was ecstatic to learn that they’d get some time to explore the cities while on tour in America. The weather too seemed to be on their side, blessing their outings with sunshine. A little too sunny from time to time, maybe. With the comfortable air-conditioning in their hotel, it was hard to convince anyone to go out and explore but Hongjoong didn’t want to disappoint his hyung, who had been looking forward to spending his free time outside. Exploring was always more fun together and going alone could get overwhelming, so it was understandable that Seonghwa was so desperate to convince someone to accompany him. With a sigh, Hongjoong reapplied his sun protection before joining the eldest and humming: “Let’s go. Anywhere specific you wanted to see?”

The leader already regretted his decision a couple of blocks down, as he was drenched in sweat despite not having gone very far yet. Seonghwa was in high spirits though, only tugging on his shirt occasionally to get it unstuck from his sweaty skin. Long hair could really make one’s neck sweat, he discovered, running his fingers through his hair. This was the hottest he had been since growing out his hair and he couldn’t help but fantasize about a short hair cut, despite usually liking his longer hair. Hongjoong swiped his wrist across his forehead, brushing off droplets of sweat before fanning himself with his snapback. “That looks like a mini-market ahead”, the leader panted, “Let’s grab something to drink there. Pretty sure, I already lost all my fluids through my pores.”Seonghwa chuckled at that but no matter the whining, he was still glad that the younger had agreed to accompany him.

While Hongjoong bought a bottle of cold soda, Seonghwa decided to wait and only buy a drink once he felt thirsty. He didn’t want to carry a bottle around and he also didn’t want to force himself to finish it quickly, so he wouldn’t need to look for a restroom while they were out. “You sure you don’t want anything?”, Hongjoong asked after drinking a few sips, “The cold feels amazing.” – “I’m sure. Maybe we can get some ice cream somewhere. That would be the perfect refreshment for a hot summer’s day like this”, Seonghwa laughed, wiping the sweat off his neck. It still took a while of touring the crowded streets for the two of them to come across an ice cream truck. Having just finished the last sips of his soda, Hongjoong frowned: “I just had a fizzy drink. There’s no way I could eat right now.” – “More for me, I guess”, the older beamed, getting multiple scoops.

After accidentally dripping some melted ice cream onto his shirt, Seonghwa proposed taking a break and the two of them found a shaded bench in a small park, where they could sit and rest for a bit. They probably wouldn’t be out for very long anymore anyway because it was simply too hot but there were a few sights, the eldest still wanted to visit and who was Hongjoong to deny him? As they resumed their walk though, Seonghwa was slower than before. It took a while for the leader to notice because he himself felt his energy zapped by the unbearable heat but when his friend slowly developed a limp, he couldn’t help but get concerned.

“It’s probably just because I ate something cold but my stomach kinda hurts”, Seonghwa admitted quietly. As if to prove his point, the organ grumbled noisily, making him blush. Shooting the older a crooked smile, Hongjoong reminded: “You know, we can head back if you want to. Maybe you’ll feel better if you lay down for a while and we can see if we get a chance to come out here once it cooled down a little.” – “You just wanna go back to the hotel, don’t you?”, Seonghwa chuckled weakly but agreed, “Since the heat probably isn’t helping, I guess, we can go back now, though I don’t think we’ll have another opportunity.” He grew quiet after that and they slowly strolled in the direction of their hotel. Seonghwa’s stomach was definitely churning now and he winced as every step jostled it.

Despite the sun beating down on them, Seonghwa suddenly felt cold and goosebumps covered his arms. Hongjoong seemed none the wiser and was mostly glad that the older finally decided to head back. This was no weather the leader enjoyed being out in and he couldn’t wait to stretch out on his hotel bed and let the air-conditioning blast cold air down on his overheated body. Deep in his fantasy, Hongjoong startled when Seonghwa gripped his shoulder hard.

It had become increasingly difficult for Seonghwa to place one foot in front of the other. Partly due to the pain in his abdomen and partly because the heat seemed to affect his circulation and he found himself growing a little lightheaded. The pain slowly morphed into nausea and he broke into a cold sweat, hands trembling as he tried to keep himself upright. This wasn’t good. Their hotel was still a couple of blocks away and Seonghwa could only hope they’d make it back there before he collapsed, or even worse, ended up puking in public.

Seonghwa’s prayers went unanswered and he stumbled, catching himself on Hongjoong’s shoulder as his stomach lurched. Shocked, the leader spun around and rushed to grip Seonghwa’s arm, steadying the older while muttering a curse under his breath. Strands of Seonghwa’s long hair fell into his face as he doubled over retching and Hongjoong quickly gathered them in one hand. “I got your hair, it’s fine”, the leader hummed, using his free hand to pat the other’s back. Unsteady on his feet, Seonghwa only tightened his grip on his friend’s shoulder as another wave splattered onto the pavement, the tips of his ears burning with humiliation. When his stomach finally stopped throwing a fit and he managed to straighten up, he was pale as a sheet, except for his ears. Tugging the older away from the puddle, Hongjoong frowned: “What’s going on? I expected your stomach to hurt, yeah, but that’s a little worse than you mentioned.” – “Don’t feel so good anymore”, Seonghwa mumbled, rubbing his face. “I can see that”, Hongjoong nodded but couldn’t get anything else from the older.

Linking their arms, Hongjoong guided Seonghwa back to the hotel, their pace slow. The eldest still felt incredibly dizzy though he couldn’t tell if it was the heat or anything else. Hongjoong too was confused. Seonghwa wouldn’t have gone on their nerves begging to explore the city if he had already been feeling low earlier, so what could’ve happened in the short time span they had been out? “The more I think about it, the more I suspect it was the ice cream”, Seonghwa groaned, slipping a clammy hand under his shirt to palm at his bloated middle, “Felt fine before that but now…” He muffled a queasy burp against his fist, which left a sour taste on his tongue. “Better out than in then, I guess”, Hongjoong sighed. Trying to speed up, Seonghwa stumbled into Hongjoong and the leader frowned: “Are you going to be sick again?” He crossed his fingers that the answer would be no because the hotel wasn’t even in sight yet but he wasn’t so lucky, Seonghwa giving an urgent nod.

By some strike of luck, Hongjoong managed to pull the older between some trashcans at the back of a building before gathering the sweaty strands of his long hair at the back of his head. Swallowing back bile, Seonghwa braced both of his hands against the bricks to steady himself against the wave of dizziness that washed over him but could only fight hack the nausea for so long. With Hongjoong reassuring him that he was perfectly concealed where they stood and that his hair was out of the line of fire, the eldest took a shaky breath and gave up fighting. A harsh retch tore at Seonghwa’s throat and made him shudder. He couldn’t even see the puddle at his feet as sweat had run from his brow into his eyes, blurring his vision. Was it still so hot? He had no sense of temperature but the air was still humid and hard to breathe, making him lightheaded.

Seonghwa stumbled, knees almost buckling before Hongjoong caught him around the waist and steadied him. “Breathe”, the leader shushed, pulling the older back and guiding him a few steps away. Slumping against the wall, Seonghwa winced. The warm bricks against his back reminded him of his damp shirt, completely drenched with sweat. It was definitely hot. He could feel it now. Lifting the hem of his shirt, he wiped his face and sniffled: “Gosh, I really wanna take a shower.” – “We’re almost there”, Hongjoong comforted, rummaging through his bag, “You want some gum? It’s your call when you’re ready to continue.” Gulping miserably, Seonghwa accepted the gum and pushed away from the wall. He swayed for a moment but groaned: “Let’s go. I really want that shower and I’d prefer the privacy of a bathroom next time.” Though Hongjoong had expected it, hearing Seonghwa confirm that he probably wasn’t done throwing up for long did stress him out a bit.

The peace lasted long enough for them to reach the hotel though and Seonghwa even managed to take his shoes and shirt off before finding himself draped over the toilet, heaving uselessly. Hongjoong had quickly pinned his hair back with cute, little clips and out of his face before running a towel under cold water and draping it across the back of his neck. “Let me get you some water and a fresh change of clothes”, the leader whispered, patting his hyung’s bare back before getting up. He hurried and also adjusted the air-conditioning. The water bottle he pulled from the mini fridge had condensation on it when he placed it onto the sink. Panting, Seonghwa pulled the wet towel off his neck and wiped his face on it. Only when he lowered it again did Hongjoong see the tears in his eyes. Gently removing the hairclips, the leader ran his fingers through Seonghwa’s hair and whispered: “You’ll be okay. Do you wanna take that shower now? Might help you feel a little better. If you’re not too dizzy, that is?”

Seonghwa decided to take a quick shower, though he opted for sitting down and he took Hongjoong up on his offer to wash his hair because his stomach cramped painfully when he tried to lift his arms above his head. Still, it took a lot out of him to wash up, especially after he spent another five minutes dry heaving over the drain. It was absolutely worth it though. Being clean made him feel more like himself, allowing him to relax after stretching out on the bed. Hongjoong set the trashcan next to the bed and draped a cold towel across Seonghwa’s forehead, humming: “Should I set the temperature a little warmer? You still got goosebumps.” – “Nah, it feels nice”, the eldest breathed, keeping his eyes shut, “Thanks Joong. And thanks for going out with me in the first place.” – “You’re welcome. Get some rest now”, the leader smiled, “I’ll be here.”

[alex31624]

Duck Comic Reading Club Week 14: Quacklight: Bewitching Vampires in Duckburg

Ok, this was hilarious. All the story was ridiculous and silly in all the right ways. This is also my first experience with the Twilight franchise.

We start the comic with our protagonists leaving the movie theater. They saw the last of Scrooge's productions.

They even paid for Scrooge's ticket. Cheap bastard.

Also, hey is Brigitta. First time reading something with her on it.

The girls were captivated by the movie and dreamed to have their own vampire love story. And they do what everybody does when joining a fandom, create their own content. From now on, everything comes from Daisy's fantasies.

In the story inside story we meet Duckella Splash who has just arrived at Duckburg.

The most unpleasant city, five years in a row.

Have to tell you, that made me laugh hard.

Duckella is moving in with is poor uncle Scrooge who has no idea how is going to take care of his niece.

Poor, poor uncle Scrooge.

Duckella enrolls in the local high school and she has problems fitting in. But then, she saw them.

The weirdos. What the hell is wrong with Dickieye? What's she seeing with those dead eyes? And what's wrong with Fethryle? Why is he using a trench coat for high school? Donward has an awful haircut. Gusmet looks ok tho.

Duckella wants nothing more than meet the mysterious youngster. After some funny segments, she finally gets her wish. Donald tells Duckella his secrets, he's a vampire. Oh my God.

But, as always, love win.

Duckella goes to Donward's house and meet the rest of the family, and we have the best joke in the comic.

The lovely evening was ruined when the villains appeared. Magica and Gladstone as the bad guys make so much sense.

The Duck-pire family blamed Duckella for guide the villain duo into their home and threw her out. Duckella ran through the night, to her uncle's Bin. But the horror strikes again, Magica and Gladstone wants the miserly's riches.

Everything seems lost, but, by mere coincidence (Daisy dixit), Donward and his family show up to have the final fight against Magica and the other guy.

The violence of this fight is almost unbearable. Between this one and PK vs Trauma, this week has been non-stop full of action.

The good guys win, of course, and Daisy and Brigitta ask for Donald and Scrooge's opinion.

Fair.

But who's not laughing is an agent who thinks the story is a massive hit and gave the girls one million dollars in advance for it. This guys just casually walks around with a millon dollars in a bag.

Maybe he works for Glomgold.

Daisy and Brigitta them tell the ending, and we learn that Duckella is imnune to vampire bites and she and Donward live happily ever after. I guess.

This one was so much fun, totally recommended.

[cavennmalore]

tagging @myfairkatiecat because it is only fair after you requested this word vomit lol

The thing about Keefe not being a good person is a little complicated. Full disclaimer, I don’t really believe in the whole good/bad person dichotomy, and definitely not for KIDS. Nevertheless, I don’t disagree with the people who say that Keefe isn’t the awesome person Sophie’s (biased) opinion makes him out to be. Not for the manipulative reasons -- which, Keefe is a teenage boy and I don't know about anyone else but that is like THE demographic for being a little messy in relationships lmao -- but for a lot of his planning. Joining the Neverseen without telling anyone what his plan was? Proposing himself as Mercadir without giving anyone a chance to refute him? Lying at the end of Legacy and showing up to the confrontation even though it was explicitly agreed he'd stay back? Basically, everything he did in Lodestar? Not great.

It's not Certified Good Guy Behavior. But that's his role. Keefe was literally designed to occupy this grey, questionable space, both in the narrative and outside of it. He's Sophie's character foil. Lady Gisela's plan revolves around pushing Keefe to become a worse and worse person; that involves raising him in a way that cultivates bad behavior and forcing him into increasingly extreme situations that are designed to make Keefe "ready" when the time comes. That is a huge part of the plots of Nightfall and Legacy.

Admittedly, I don't think Shannon has made him evil/grey enough, which I know isn't a popular take. There was real potential to make Keefe a wild card in Lodestar and make it so that the question isn't what stupid scheme is he planning? but to what extent have Lady Gisela's machinations worked? It's an interesting plotline to me. It's why I'm so excited for Unraveled; it's a chance to see this push-pull in action without Keefe's "north star" (AKA Sophie) guiding his decisions.

But a lot of people don't feel this way. A ton of the complaints I see around the book have to do with Keefe getting too much page time, the plotline taking up too much space in the story, etc. Which is fair! If you don't like Keefe, I'm sure a lot of this is grueling. However, a point I see connected to this line of thought is a wish for the books to return to a more ensemble vibe. That there should be more Dex, more Biana, more Stina, more Tam, etc. the way that it used to be.

That version of the books, though? It only really exists in the first book. Keefe is a prominent character in Exile and a huge driver of its plot. It's only in Book One where he only exists on the margins and isn't super involved. The ensemble cast has grown exponentially since then, to the point where there are frankly too many characters to keep track of in a scene without straight-up listing them all (which did happen but I'm forgetting which book). The decreased page time of supporting characters isn't solely because Keefe is eating the narrative, but because there are way too many characters for everyone to get a subplot; rather than have pre-existing characters solve issues, Shannon tends to just pull new ones in, and then leave them to hang out for the following books. If the series was for a more adult audience, I would say that it was time to start killing people off (like the popular critique of The Boys) but because this is a kids series, they're going to just hang around and not do much.

A lot of the nostalgia for this old version of KOTLC presents itself in fandom discussions of Dex. Full transparency: I didn't really like Dex that much in the early books when I did my reread. I found him unbearably rude to Fitz and Biana. His crush on Sophie felt invasive at times as if she was catering to a boy that was projecting his feelings and making her accommodate him. It's very similar stuff to the current criticism of Keefe! But I have yet to see any discussions around Dex that don't characterize him as kind, goofy, or sweet. Maybe there is some discussion of him being snarky or sarcastic. The most criticism I've seen of him is about how he treated Stina in his introduction, which was taken largely in isolation.

But that sweet, goofy version of Dex that people talk about missing? He doesn't exist. Sure, Dex mellowed out a ton in the later books, but he didn't become a whole new character. And I don't believe that he disappeared from the books in the way that some people claim. He just... doesn't have a subplot anymore. His crush on Sophie was resolved. It was a sticking point in his and Sophie's friendship which made him part of her character arc, and that arc is done. If that went on for any longer, it would be a drag on the pace of the series. Like I said before, the presence of so many side characters, each with their own needs and motivations, makes it difficult to introduce him into new stuff. It's why he gets so much more page time in Unlocked. With the presence of so many other characters, Shannon tends to handwave a lot of the background group dynamics. Dex ended up becoming close to Keefe and was able to shine there, away from Sophie's perspective and their finished arc.

All of this is to say, it's not wrong to dislike Keefe or like Dex. But I think a lot of the conversations surrounding these guys can get muddled in nostalgia and what people think the books should be rather than what they are. I'm (severely) guilty of it too. It's part of a broader trend in fandoms as "fandom" as a concept becomes more popular. That is a whole other post, though, and frankly, this one is long enough lol

[imwall-e]

Until we meet again : Chapter 1

Pairing : TB!Arthur Morgan x Reader

Warning : MAJOR SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T PLAY THE GAME, major character dea•th, tuberculosis, angst, (tell me if I forgot some), reader but external POV

A/N : I wrote this a few months ago and finally decided to post it. I'm really proud of this chapter, my best work so far (imo). I first wrote it in French and mostly used Deepl to translate the text, and even if I re-read it, they may be some mistake so don't hesitate to tell me! This is not beta read. This is my first work for the Red Dead fandom and I hope it's good. Consider liking, rebloging or commenting if you like my work (and feel comfortable with that of course).

The atmosphere of Beaver Hollow was already being felt long before we arrived at the new camp. The area was dark, damp, stinking. It was as if it were haunted. Cursed. As for the cave, it was a concentration of all that, only worse. Once home to a local gang nicknamed The Rejects of Murfree, it bore indelible traces of the horrors it had harbored. The smell outside was unbearable, but inside was a vision of dread. Blood was visible from floor to ceiling, pieces of decomposing corpses smeared all the way down to its entrails. Impossible to settle inside.

Where just a few weeks earlier the gang had been celebrating their exit from the snowy mountains, and everyone was ready to give their all to make a new place a comfortable place to live, now there was no laughter to be heard. Not a smile was to be seen on any of the faces. Only whispers, distrust, fear and death reigned.

And Arthur… his coughing fits were becoming more violent, and more frequent. His skin was pale, contrasting with the blue of his eyes, which betrayed his illness and fatigue.

Outlawed, hunted by the Pinkertons or opposing gangs like the O'Driscolls, he'd been shot at many times. And yet, he was dying of tuberculosis. A fucking disease. After all, he'd probably earned it with the life he was leading… had led. His punishment for beating up Mr Downes. A good man, always ready to help others even though he didn't have much.

Arthur, who'd never done anything right. Or so he thought, but she was always there to remind him otherwise. After Mary, after Eliza, he never thought he'd fall in love again. Then she'd come along, and offered him more than he thought he deserved.

Arthur had met her while hunting. She was wearing a long white dress. At first, he thought he saw an angel. Then their eyes met. He saw the fear in her eyes and decided to put down his bow. He introduced himself and she gradually seemed to calm down. After a few minutes' silence, she finally told him her name. Her voice trembled, but she'd asked for his help: she was supposed to be getting married that very day to a man she'd never met. But what she was looking for was freedom.

She wanted to travel. To discover. To live. And Arthur had offered her all that. For five years, they'd been happy together. Arthur had even proposed to her while they were still in Blackwater. But they'd kept it a secret until things got better.

Unfortunately, the moment never arrived.

Micah was a traitor. And Dutch had blindly followed him, going so far as to question the words of John and Arthur. He'd rather believe a dangerous madman than those he considered his own sons.

Arthur should have left after the Blackwater massacre. Hosea had tried to warn him when they'd all fled to Colter. Or he should have let Micah hang at Strawberry. If only he'd been willing to open his eyes to what Dutch had become. To his true nature. If only.

But it was too late now, and there was no point in dwelling on the past. Now he had t o protect those who remained. Tilly had already taken Jack to safety. Abigail was safe thanks to him and Sadie, and the two women had left to join Tilly. Mary-Beth and Karen had probably escaped too. She was the only one left. And he knew exactly where she'd be safe.

He helped his young fiancée onto her mare, then settled down behind her. He wanted to smell her hair while he still could. He wanted to hold her close. However, time was running out and lingering was a luxury they couldn't afford. The person he was looking for was passing through the Annesburg area, but they'd better get moving fast. He nudged the horse's flank to move it forward, and whistled for the stallion carrying the young woman's belongings to follow.

The journey wasn't long, but it went by faster than he would have liked. A dilapidated house appeared in the distance. Arthur had exchanged a few letters with the man who had taken an interest in his bleak landscape, a man he had helped not long ago. He was standing outside, setting up his camera. His gaze wandered to them, and he soon recognized Arthur.

"Mr. Morgan! I'm so happy to see you again! As you may have noticed, I've given up taking pictures of wildlife. I'm now content with the magnificent landscapes" exclaimed Albert, warmly greeting the man who had helped and saved him on numerous occasions. But his familiar enthusiasm soon disappeared when he saw the young woman's tears and Arthur's sickly pallor. "What's the matter?" he asked worriedly, abandoning his camera.

"Mr. Mason, I need you to…" but Arthur was interrupted by a coughing fit causing him to cough up blood as he stepped to the ground. "I'm dying and I'd like you to take care of my fiancée."

The young woman tried to smile at Albert, but knowing that the man she loved would soon be leaving her was too much to bear. It dashed all memories, all hopes of a better life with her cowboy.

"I'm sorry I haven't written to inform you, but recent events haven't given me the opportunity," Arthur resumed after helping his beloved off his horse.

The tears continued to roll silently down the cheeks of the woman who was to become Mrs Morgan. She was silent now, staring into space.

"Mr Morgan…", Albert didn't know what to say. This kind man, who had come to his aid so many times, was going to die. He could see the sadness in the lovers' eyes. And Albert saw only one way he could do something for them: "Don't worry, I'll take care of mademoiselle."

Arthur was relieved: she would be safe. She would live. He turned to her: she seemed no more than a ghost. But she had to fight. For him. For her. For them.

"I love you, Princess," he began, taking her in his arms. "More than you can imagine. I wish I'd said it more often. I regret so many things. But I promise we'll meet again. Not in this life, unfortunately, but in another. I'll find you again."

"We… we… we didn't even have time to get married," she managed to articulate between sobs, the crying resuming in earnest following Arthur's words.

"It wasn't our time. Now you must stay with Albert. Live, princess. Do it for me. I'll always watch over you, but promise me you won't let yourself die."

"I… I promise, Arthur."

That was all he needed to hear. He had to go now. He had unfinished business with Micah, but also with Dutch.

The sun was setting as he rested his forehead against hers. His way of kissing her for the last time, wanting to avoid her contracting tuberculosis too. He squeezed her hands and heard her whisper "I love you, Arthur".

He gently let go of her hands and she kept her eyes closed, not wishing to watch him go. To tell the truth, she was so focused on remembering his scent, his laugh, his voice, that she didn't even hear him mount his mare and gallop away.

When she opened her eyes again, the sky had darkened. A storm was approaching. Arthur was gone. Only Albert remained, looking after the stallion carrying the young woman's belongings. He knew she wouldn't move immediately, but it was time to go. He'd better get back to the cabin he'd rented before nightfall.

"Mademoiselle, I'm sorry but we must leave now. Tomorrow we'll go to Rhodes, my house is close to the city."

"Of course," was all she could reply, her gaze fixed on the mountains.

The journey to the cabin Albert had reserved was silent. The storm was roaring in the distance. She held back from joining Arthur. But she had to keep her promise.

Without Arthur, life would be difficult. Her heart would be broken forever, but she had to try. And one day, they would be reunited. She had to believe that.

The rain finally came, falling on her cheeks and mingling with her tears. She couldn't stop thinking about all those mornings she'd wake up alone. She couldn't accept that he wasn't coming back. Ever.

"Mademoiselle?" Albert's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "We've arrived. You should try to eat something and get some sleep." He didn't know what to do or say.

She followed him silently. Inside, she sat by the window, where she could see the mountains near Beaver Hollow. Soon, she closed her eyes, tears still flowing.

Her mind took her to a river in the middle of the woods. The light wind gently moved the leaves on the trees. She was wearing a long white dress. A branch cracked, startling her. But it was only Arthur, wearing the hat he always wore and the blue shirt she loved so much.

"You're beautiful," he said, and she threw her arms around his neck. "Dance with me?" Was there an answer other than "yes"?

And, each immersed in the other's gaze, they danced. Without stopping, they talked about their future: having a ranch, raising horses, starting a family. A quiet life away from traitors and the Pinkertons. Just them.

"I love you, Arthur."

"I love you too, princesses," he replied, kissing her tenderly. A deer passed by them. Then nothing.

When she opened her eyes again, she knew Arthur was gone.

It was nearly nine o'clock when Albert and the young woman began their journey to Rhodes.

"I think you'll like Rhodes very much, mademoiselle. It's much quieter and warmer since the Gray and Braithwaite families, two rival families, entered… well, since they left."

The young woman smiled at the mention. It brought back memories that were certainly recent, but seemed so long ago. But her smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared as she recalled Sean's death.

Then came Kieran's turn. Hosea. Lenny. Eagle Flies. John. And Arthur.

Sensing that she wouldn't talk any more than she had the day before, Albert decided to talk to her about anything and everything, in the hope of distracting her from the sadness that overwhelmed her, even if only for a few minutes.

"The landscape is also much brighter. Annesburg offers beautiful scenery, but it's a very dark, eerie area. Rhodes is nicer, warmer."

Albert was right: the further they got from Annesburg, the fresher the air seemed, the more colorful and welcoming the surroundings.

She glanced back one last time, to where Arthur had remained. Her heart sank. She felt she was abandoning him. But she had to stay strong.

Finally, Rhodes appeared before them as the sun tinted the sky orange, ready to give way to the moon.

"Miss, look!"

A majestic deer had stopped in the middle of the road, staring at them with its big dark eyes.

"It's the first time I've seen one approach like that. They're usually very frightened," Albert continued.

The deer approached the young woman and rested its muzzle against her leg. She gently touched its large antlers, then the animal moved away, disappearing among the trees.

"Goodbye, Arthur."

I hope you liked this first chapter!

[dewedup]

shallows beneath me (raindrop!reader)

The ripples that surround her feel like they are brushing her skin purposefully, rubbing and lingering instead of hitting and breaking away. Little rivulets dance across her stomach, gliding effortlessly from one side of her body to the other. She watches, mesmerized, as the water curls along her skin in a way that shouldn’t be physically possible.

Or

A beach day with the ghouls goes exactly how you think it would, thank Satan the band's assistant was gifted multiple holes.

Lightly inspired by the sunbathing sweaty ghouls origin story Hot Ghoul Summer by @high-imperatrix

18+ ONLY

Pairing: Raindrop x reader / Rain x reader / Dewdrop x reader

Fandom: The Band Ghost

Words: 4,033 (can we just take a second to commemorate this as my longest fic to date, i broke 4k words!)

Tags: Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Oral Sex, Water Sex, Double Penetration, Gillplay, Threesome F/M/M, Nipple Play, Smut, Explicit Sexual Content, no beta we die like Nihil, Dewdrop Is A Little Shit (Ghost Sweden Band)

Read below the cut or AO3 link

She was a little surprised by the invite from the ghouls. It was unbearably hot out, this whole week being a heatwave from Hell itself, and they’d asked her to join them for an afternoon out by the lake. The entire band was currently enjoying a well-deserved two-week break from tour, and sure she’s seen the ghouls around but it’s not the same as being forced into close proximity during the touring process. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t miss their company. 

Apparently, the feeling was mutual, considering Swiss almost beat down the door to her room to extend an invitation to join them. 

She took another glance at the mirror, observing the risqué bathing suit she had ordered online at the start of the summer, not having a reason to wear it since purchasing it. It exposed a little more than she was comfortable with, but she’d wanted to venture outside of her comfort zone with the yellow polka-dot bikini that had screamed her name on the website. She knew the ghouls wouldn’t judge her or poke fun, but her self-confidence was ebbing away with every second she spent in the mirror. With a sigh of distaste, she reached to the back of her closet door, grabbing the black sarong, and covering herself up as best she could. 

She made her way down the path to the lake, towel in one hand and a wide-brimmed sun hat protecting her face from UV rays. She perked up as the sound of music and laughter drifted to her ears, rounding the shrubbery to see the ghouls sprawled along the beach. Phantom had a speaker set up beside him, pop music blasting at an unholy level as the ghouls tried to shout over the 80’s pop song. Phantom waved as he saw her make her way to the group, reaching over to turn the music down slightly. 

“Look who decided to show up!” Dew yells, the beer bottle in his hand glistening with condensation. She squints through her sunglasses as she notices all the ghouls in their silver, day-to-day masks, instantly regretting agreeing to join them. 

“Guys, I forgot you’d have to keep your masks on with me around. It’s way too hot for that, I’m going to head back in-” she was cut off as Dew sprints to her, tackling her into the soft sand and wrapping a clawed hand over her mouth, hissing playfully. 

“We knew what we were getting into when we invited you, sugar.” Cirrus calls from her position underneath an umbrella, Cumulus’ head resting in her lap as she runs her fingers through the blonde curls. The rest of the ghouls all made sounds of agreement. Dew uses his grip on her to lift them both back to their feet, dusting some sand off her back. 

“Beer?” Swiss asks, already reaching into the cooler beside him. She barely finishes nodding her head before he’s tossing a bottle at her. Luckily Dew’s reflexes are lightening quick, snatching the bottle out of mid-air, raising it to his face and using his fangs to pop the top. He offers the beverage with a little bow, some of the ghouls cheering at the display. 

“Why thank you!” She replies with an overdramatic curtsey, accepting the drink, and taking a seat in an unoccupied lounge chair that Dew brings her over to. He sits in the one beside her, leaning back and stretching his long body. She’s never seen the ghouls lacking so much clothing. Their on-stage costumes or Abbey-regulated outfits are a staple. Sometimes catching them in loungewear during tours, but never in bathing suits.

Dew sits beside her, shirtless skin catching the sun’s rays with the glistening sweat on his body. His hair is piled into a lazy knot atop his head. He tosses a wink at her as she runs her eyes over his body, a flush staining her cheeks watching his lips pull into a smirk. 

The same lips that opened and serviced her in the sky a week ago. 

Her body temperature rises slightly, and it’s not due to the sun beating down on her. 

“Where’s Rain?” She questions, seeing every other ghoul present and accounted for on the beach. She assumes she’s taken his chair, noticing a discarded t-shirt and mask on the ground beside her. The thought of his bare face being somewhere within her vicinity starts a yearning in the pit of her stomach. It tastes slightly of desperation. 

“Somewhere out there,” Mountain gestures vaguely to the water with his head, not bothering to elaborate. Her eyes graze the surface of the water, seeing no sign of the ghoul in the blue abyss. 

Water ghouls, she thinks fondly as she smiles and returns to look at the group. 

The music beats comfortably around them as everyone relaxes. At one point Phantom and Aurora challenge each other to see who can go lower in the splits and she watches intently as they both show impressive feats of flexibility, the ghoulette taking the win as she starts bouncing lightly using her toes and heels. 

The sun is showing no signs of stopping. She’s almost uncomfortably hot at this point, wondering how the ghouls are still standing having come outside before her. She lifts a hand and fans at herself to no avail. Aether’s eyes catch the movement of her hand, and she grins back in acknowledgement.

“We’re from Hell.” He stresses the answer to her unasked question. She supposes it makes sense, this is probably just unseasonably hot for them and not boiling their blood from the inside like for her. “Why don’t you go take a dip in the water and cool off a little? I’m not going to break it to Papa if you turn into a puddle and can’t make it to the next leg of the tour.” 

She sticks her tongue out playfully at him but concedes that the water would do her some good. 

She raises up, undoing the cover she’d hastily put on last minute, instantly hearing catcalls come from Swiss and Dew who are shamelessly watching her make her way to the edge of the water. She can’t turn around, the blush covering her entire face, chest, and body burns. If she puts a little extra swing in her step, it’s solely for the eyes she can feel tracing her every move. 

The water splashes against her feet as she steps up to the shore, taking a few slow steps to acclimate to the chill of the liquid in contrast to the sun rays still beating down on her. When she gets up to her thighs, she raises her hands above her head and jumps forward, breaking the surface as she dives into the cool depths. The water surrounds her like a cool hug, brushing against her skin in a way not many other things can. 

She takes her time, swimming further out to a depth where she can no longer graze the floor of the lake with the tips of her toes. The sound of the music still reaches her ears, but she feels worlds away as she lifts her body to float weightlessly, the sun warming her front while the water cushions her like a soft bed. 

Something about the water changes around her. The ripples that surround her feel like they are brushing her skin purposefully, rubbing and lingering instead of hitting and breaking away. Little rivulets dance across her stomach, gliding effortlessly from one side of her body to the other. She watches, mesmerized, as the water curls along her skin in a way that shouldn’t be physically possible. 

“Look what Leviathan has brought me.” The whisper touches the shell of her ear, taunting lightly as she shivers under his attention. The statement, and their current positioning, with Rain’s head floating beside her shoulder, is reminiscent of their first encounter. She feels heat stirring between her legs as he nudges his way along her neck, lips brushing across the skin, chilled from the water he’s been scouring the whole time she’s been at the lake. 

“I was wondering what you had gotten up to.” She offers back, acutely aware of the fact that he is maskless and right there. In any other circumstance she wouldn’t hesitate to turn her head, to catch a glimpse of the unknown face that haunts her dreams. But he’s here, trusting her to play by the rules, showing his cards so plainly she can’t help but adhere to expectations. 

So even though she’d give anything to look at him, she remains painfully still, staring up at the sky. 

Rain’s presence clouds her mind. She forgets how to hold her body up and her legs slowly drop, treading water as the ghoul of its kind pushes up against her back, pressing his skin against hers. 

“I’ve got you,” he says so casually. She instantly follows his lead, letting her body relax even though she’s almost positive she’s about to sink below the surface. But Rain’s there, leaving little room between their bodies as something thin, yet strong, wraps around her waist. Her fingers travel below into the water, finding the place where she’s being anchored. Is that his tail?

Rain lets out a soft gasp as her fingers come in contact with the extremity, and she smiles wickedly as she clocks the reaction, moving her fingers along his tail to see if she can hit that spot again. Bingo, she thinks as Rain shudders behind her. No verbal cues this time, but she can feel the way his body reacts to her touch. 

“Close your eyes,” Rain commands, already moving her body around to face him as she slips them shut instantly at his words. She can’t see it coming, but his lips are on hers, pressing in with an urgency she gladly returns. She lets him devour her whole, trying her damndest to keep up with the way his tongue battles hers for dominance. They kiss for so long she starts to feel lightheaded; her brain being deprived of the oxygen it needs causing black spots to form beneath her closed eyes. She pulls back, gasping for air as she throws her arms around Rain’s neck, holding him while still keeping her distance to breathe in. Something flutters along her inner forearm, and she squirms at the feeling, eyes squinting hard with how much effort she exerts to fight the need to open them and see what’s brushing against her. 

Curiosity burns deep within her as she pushes closer again, finding Rain’s lips and kissing them fiercely while her hands come closer, moving to rest on the water ghoul’s neck. Her fingers graze the skin there, feeling the strong muscle underneath, until they run over something that doesn’t belong in her mental image. A gasp leaves her lips as she feels the soft tissue flutter beneath her fingers, air pushing out of the space she’s exploring. 

“Gills,” Rain interrupts her train of thought, pulling back so that he can assess the look on her face. She tries hard to school her surprise, knowing that while she can’t see it, she’s very much under scrutiny right now. It’s eerily quiet for a minute. She can feel Rain’s eyes burning into her, but she can’t look back, can’t do anything but wait to see what he does next. She starts to wonder if maybe he’s waiting on her to say something, and she blurts out the first thing that comes to mind.

“Cool.”

The cringe is instant. She can feel her face scrunch up as she wishes Rain would loosen his grip on her with his tail and let her float to the bottom of the lake. She hears a chuckle from behind her and she whips her head around, cursing the fact that she doesn’t know if it’s safe to open her eyes. She wouldn’t betray Rain’s trust like that. 

“He told you he has gills and all you say is cool?” She’d recognize that voice anywhere, can picture the smirk on his lips as his hands come to rest on her hips from behind. 

“Dew,” Rain drawls. The warning is clear, but she can also detect the smile he’s wearing in his tone. “They are… cool.” Rain forces out. She’d like to think he’s trying to smile around the words, instead of scrunching his face, which is more likely. The chuckling fire ghoul behind her blows hot puffs of air on her neck as he tries to reign in his laughter. 

“How cool are they?” Dew fires back, his tongue meeting the back of her neck and running a trail up it. Rain’s tail flicks at her stomach, the sensations doubled by the fact that she can’t see anything. The word cool is starting to lose all meaning. She feels equal parts shame and turned on, the wandering hands trailing along her body helping push her to be a little bolder.

Her hands brush against the silky membrane of the gills, enjoying the feeling of it underneath her fingertips. She runs along the seams, feeling the water ghoul stiffen beneath her hands. The reaction gives her all the permission she needs to venture further, pushing in so very slightly, letting the gills encompass the tips of her fingers.

“Enough,” Rain commands, his hands suddenly wrapping around her wrists, gripping firmly but not too tightly, a warning. “They’re sensitive, I wouldn’t want to spoil the fun I have planned.” He elaborates, leaving her hands to rest on his shoulders as he plunges forward, lips meeting her neck in small nips and licks. 

“You wanna see a trick, doll?” Dew’s voice is in her ear, both ghouls worshipping her body as she floats, gripping onto Rain for dear life. She’s humming confirmation and nodding, not trusting her voice as fangs scrape the delicate skin of her throat, dragging lightly along it. She doesn’t even know who the fangs belong to anymore, Rain and Dew working her skin like it’s a choreographed dance, picking up where the other left off and never leaving her wanting more. 

Claws ghost down her sides as she feels lips pressing against her skin under the cover of the water. Her hands follow the movement from where she still has them on Rain’s shoulders, feeling him sink deeper until he’s at her waist. The claws come up and carefully tug at the strings on either side of her bathing suit bottoms, soon leaving her bare to the chilly water of the lake. 

Dew must feel the shiver down her spine at the cold, for suddenly a warmth is spreading around the surrounding water. At least, she hopes it’s his fire ghoul magick and not the other thing she can think of. A gasp leaves her lips as the claws underwater grip her thighs, spreading them wide and letting them rest on his shoulders, her hands traveling higher and digging into Rain’s hair. There’s a pause, a second where she feels like he’s waiting for some kind of green light, unable to voice his question under the water as he is. She makes her needs loud and clear, using the grip on his hair to pull him flush against her, moaning as he doesn’t hesitate to start licking into her folds with a barely concealed hunger. 

“Yeah, I thought you’d like that one.” Dew remarks cockily, his own hands slipping underneath her top and fondling her breasts as he bites down hard where her neck meets her shoulder. Another strangled moan pushes its way past her lips, her hips bucking into Rain’s mouth as Dew continues to tease her. Fuck, she thinks. This is the hottest thing I’ve ever been a part of. Even if she could see, it would simply be too much all at once. Maybe keeping her eyes closed is the only thing tethering her to the last shred of sanity in her mind. 

“Fuck!” She shouts, Dew’s hand shooting up to cover her mouth as more unintelligible garble comes out as Rain bites down lightly on her clit. Her grip on his hair tightens to what must be a painful level, pushing him further into her as she rubs her hips up and down along his tongue, fucking his face like it’s the only thing she was put on this earth to do. 

“Yes, take what you need baby.” Dew hisses encouragingly, using the hand not covering her mouth to flick viciously at her hard nipple. The scream she lets out dies on Dew’s hand as she clenches around nothing, the slick of her release disappearing into the water surrounding her as Rain continues to coax her through her orgasm with his tongue. 

Her thoughts are in shambles, the exhilaration of coming so hard in such close vicinity to the other ghouls, the idea of them hearing her cries of pleasure… She clenches again, overstimulation causing her entire body to shake with how insanely turned on she is. The sound of Rain breaking the water in front of her grounds her slightly, pulling her head from the clouds she had floated to upon her release. 

“You taste even better straight from the source,” Rain growls, his lips encompassing hers again as she tastes herself on his tongue. The flashback of Rain licking her juices from Dew’s fingers on their most recent flight hits like a train, her eyes rolling into the back of her head beneath her closed lids. 

“Need you.” She breaks apart from Rain to breathe out in a whiney tone, one hand reaching back to cradle Dew’s head while the other stays firmly tangled in Rain’s hair. “Both. Need you both.” She adds, in case her words were interpreted in any other, incorrect way. 

“Thought you’d never ask,” Dew groans, pushing his erection into the plump skin of her ass as he rubs himself against her. She doesn’t know how to voice what she wants, knows exactly what she’s after but is unsure how to ask for it. She sinks her teeth into her bottom lip, worrying it as she reaches for the right words. 

“At the same time?” It comes out more as a question, unlike the demand she was hoping to make. The second of silence, and the fact that she can’t see their expressions, lingers too long to be comfortable. Her cheeks flush in shame, the need to escape for her own self-preservation. 

“Unholy shit,” Rain breathes. The growl in his words strikes a chord deep within her, pulling the strings in her stomach taunt. She has to swallow back a groan at the sound. 

“Are you sure, doll?” Dew asks from behind, but she can tell he likes the idea from the way his hips stutter in their attempt to rub a home into her ass cheek. Both ghouls shuffle slightly, pulling her back toward the shore, where her toes can brush the floor of the lake. “We can go slow, but it might be a lot to handle.” 

“I’m sure.” She confirms sternly, already knowing she won’t know peace until she has them both where she wants them, pushing her to the limit and then spilling over the edge. 

“Fuck, Rain you’ve got to go- shit you’ve gotta go first, I’m not going to last long in there.” Dew acknowledges, his cock running up the cleft of her ass, rubbing without applying any pressure. It’s been ages since she’s had someone visit through the backdoor, but there isn’t a single bone in her body that isn’t down for what’s about to happen. 

“Yeah, fuck-alright.” Rain bites out, wrapping his hands around her thighs once again and lifting her so that she can settle comfortably wrapped around his hips. She feels his cock pressing against her and angles her hips, trying to trap him in her soft, warm heat. She hits the mark, and he sinks deep into her cunt, filling her so completely she can’t help the sigh that tumbles from her lips. He rocks gently, giving her time to adjust to his size as he starts to build a pace, the water rippling from the bouncing movements as Rain guides her up and down on his stiff cock. 

“Last chance to back out,” Dew taunts behind her, the head of his dick pushing experimentally at her tight hole. She clenches unintentionally, a strangled moan coming from the water ghoul in front of her. 

“If it’s too much for you, you can still crawl back to shore with your tail between your legs.” She doesn’t know what comes over her, probably the adrenaline from their current predicament. The fire ghoul snarls lightly, rising to the challenge as he pushes in slowly, but surely. Rain pauses his own movements as he waits for the other ghoul to find his place. She doesn’t know what to do, impaled on the two of them, her body locking as she feels Dew break into a long-forgotten entrance. 

“Relax,” Dew hisses, his breathing heavy as he fights the urge to fuck her into the next year, simultaneously being squeezed within an inch of his life. She keens forward, clenching Rain’s shoulders as she tries desperately to loosen her muscles and allow the intrusion. Dew lets out a hollowed-out groan as he finally slams home, his body vibrating with the need to move but allowing her a chance to ground herself. 

Everyone’s frozen, no one moving as they wait with bated breath to see who dives in first. She’s fucked out and filled the most she’s ever been, but she needs more, craves more.

“I swear to Satan, if one of you doesn’t start moving right fucking now.” She spits, her hips moving just the slightest bit, and it seems to spark them both into action. They alternate pumps, her eyes crossing at the foreign sensation. She feels helpless, letting the ghouls take over the work as she becomes boneless, flopping her head down onto Rain’s shoulders as her body slumps. 

Dew picks up the pace, fucking into her like it’s the last thing he’ll do. His own thrusts bounce her up and down Rain’s cock, though the water ghoul doesn’t sit idle by, rotating his hips and trying to bury himself as deep inside her pussy as he can get. 

She knows it’d be impossible to take both their knots like this, that it would quite literally split her in two, but she can’t help but fantasize about it. Think about the way they’d be locked together for quite some time, stuck between the two ghouls who followed her into this murky water with the sole purpose of fucking her. 

Another thought of their knots has her bearing down, pulling moans from both ghouls as their hips stutter through her muscles tightening. 

“Tell me you’re close,” Rain begs, his hips moving erratically as he tries to move back into a rhythm. She’s unsure if he’s talking to her or Dew, but she groans in agreement either way. 

“C’mere,” Dew’s voice is in her ear. She tries hard to focus on the sound, the way it trembles slightly along the word. She feels Rain lean forward and listens to the sound of the ghouls kissing sloppily beside her. She lets out a high-pitched whine, wishing desperately she could crack an eye, just to catch a glimpse of what she’s sure would be a frequent thought during her highlight reel. 

A hand touches her chin, pushing her face to the side and suddenly she’s in the middle of the kiss, both ghouls pressing against her lips enticingly until she lets out her tongue. It’s unbearably hot, the way all three of them caress each other. 

And that’s how they come, groaning into each other’s mouths as they both fill her with their seed. Stars sparkle beneath her eyelids as she comes so hard. She can feel a tingle from her head down to her toes. The moan she lets out is filthy, sinful, and loud. If there was any doubt about what they were getting up to prior to this, she’s sure the other ghouls are now painfully aware of how depraved she is. 

[bigasswritingmagnet]

But I Don't WANT to be a General

Fandom: Girl Genius Rating: G Summary: The town is unfrozen, and the rest of the generals are back. Dimo would like this to mean HE does not have to be a general any more.

It does not.

[Inspired by adiduk's very excellent fic, The General. They were not involved in the writing of this fic, which is not intended as a sequel.]

AO3 link!

Dimo had been summoned to the Jӓgerbüro.

People were always surprised to hear the generals did not meet in the Jӓgerhall, as if it wasn’t incredibly obvious what it would be like trying to have a serious discussion and sign paperwork while the Jӓger pack was drinking and carousing a floor below you.

The temptation to join in would be unbearable.  

Instead, the generals did their business in the Jӓgerbüro: a small, heavily-reinforced building directly at the foot of the road up to the castle. While the Jӓgers were gone, it had been turned into a souvenir shop. Currently, it was in the process of being very rapidly un-turned into a souvenir shop. The expeditiousness of the project was assisted by General Goomblast, who had hurled all the shelves of knickknacks out of the windows the second he set foot inside.

With the desperate, delusional hope of a man heading to the gallows telling himself there will be a last-minute pardon, Dimo considered the generals perhaps wanted a debrief of the last two years before releasing him back into the relatively worry-free status of a low-level officer.  

Oh, to let the words “supply lines” go back to being something that happened to someone else.

The shattered windows had been boarded up, which made the front room seem gloomy and oppressive. The büro’s former tenants were packing up their merchandice with speed, if not efficiency.  They barely spared Dimo a glance before pointing towards the large, black, metal door that led to the meeting room proper.

Dimo took a breath and knocked on the door, waited for the call of Vut hyu vant?, braced himself, and went inside.

Dimo had actually been in here a handful of times, back when he was new in the ranks and ran messages for the generals. It was more or less as he remembered it—decorations and furniture selected for the ability to survive both the ravages of time and being thrown at a wall, the heavy curtains to muffle sound, the safety lanterns that would put themselves out if they were knocked over during a discussion.

The generals were arranged around the long, dark table, watching him intently.

Dimo was somewhat surprised to see that Higgs had joined them. His position being what it was, it was rare for him to risk attracting attention by appearing in the company of the other generals. But here he was, tipping his chair back on two legs and puffing on his pipe, leaving only three chairs empty instead of the usual—

Wait.

Wait, wait, wait—

Three empty chairs, one for Øsk, out of respect; one for Zadipok, still missing; and one for--

Higgs raised an eyebrow at him.

Oh no.

Oh no.

“But Hy vasn’t even trying to be de general!” he burst out, practically wailing. “Hy vus just making sure tings happened!”  

“Ho yus,” Goomblast said, gravely. “Dots how it gets hyu. Vun minute, hyu is just doing vut needs to be done, and den suddenly, boom, hyu has a chair und everyvun is saluting hyu.”

Gkika shook her head.

“Terrible ting, de forst time dey salutes hyu.”

Khrizhan rose and put a friendly hand on Dimo’s shoulder. Gently but firmly, he began to steer Dimo towards one of the chairs. Dimo tried to dig his heels in, but Khrizhan was twice his size in nearly every direction, and so he simply slid along the floor towards the chair and its aura of inescapable responsibility.

“But—!”

Khrizhan picked Dimo up by the shoulders, lifted him up, and sat him down on the chair next to Koppelslav.

“But—!”

“Dots vut being a general is,” Zog said, not unkindly. “Hyu see vut has to be done, and hyu feel hyu has to do it.”  

“Hy didn’t heff to do it,” Dimo insisted, fighting the urge to whine. “Hy vus just de vun who got dere forst! Could heff been anybody!” 

“So why didn’t you wait for one them to do it?” Higgs asked.

Dimo opened his mouth to answer, and then abruptly closed it again. Why hadn’t he waited? There were plenty of other officers who’d made it out of Mechanicsburg—hell, Maxim had made it out. But Dimo hadn’t left it to one of them, because…because…

Because it hadn’t even occurred to him not to do it. It needed to be done. He could do it. So he had.

Dimo's shoulders slumped and he glared at Higgs. Instead of bursting into flames, the man's mouth quirked up at the corner ever so slightly. Koppelslav slapped Dimo on the back so genially it nearly knocked him right back out of the chair.

“Velcome aboard, brudder,” he said, grinning. “Dun vurry, hyu vill get over it in a few decades.”

Dimo groaned.

“Hokay,” Zog said, growing more serious. “Now ve gotta actually do tings. Forst thing forst, ve need to get an inventory of de veapons und supplies—”

Dimo rifled through his stack of papers and handed a few to him.

“Oh,” Zog said. “Den Hy guess ve gotta get a list of who ken still fight—”

Dimo passed him another sheaf of papers.

“List of de repairs ve still gotta make?” Gkika suggested. The papers made a thwap sound as Dimo tossed them onto the center of the table. Everyone stared at it.

“Vut supplies ve got in de caves and who’s moving it to de town,” Dimo said, and threw down the next report.

Thwap.

 “List of de dead.”

Thwap.

“List of all de guys who surrendered,”

Thwap.

“Vut shtuff ve took off of dem,”

Thwap.

“And vere ve keepink dem and vy hyu all looking at me like dat?” Dimo demanded, his voice rising dangerously close to hysterics. “Dis is vut ve vas talking about! Generals do de tings dat need to be done and Hy did dem! Dis isn’t even evryting Hy got, dis is just vut Hy could put togedder before de meeting!”

They stared at him. Even Higgs was surprised, his pipe drooping in shock.

Gkika burst out laughing.

“Vot?” Dimo demanded, anger starting to rise. “Vot’s so funny?”

“Hyu poor ting,” she cried, wiping at her eyes. “No vunder hyu dun vanna be a general!”

Koppelslav snatched the still very thick stack of papers from Dimo’s hand and began to flip through them, eyes going wider and wider.

“Look at dis, he efen got de damn budget balanced; ve haffen’t managed dot since Øsk died—expense reports? Hyu got dem to do expense reports? For two years?” He stared at Dimo in disbelief. “Red fire, boy, how hyu still got hyu brains between hyu ears?” 

“Wh—Hy—It…vus vot needed to be done?” Dimo said, hesitantly. He was not entirely sure what everyone was so worked up about. He looked to Higgs on his left, desperate for some kind of hint.

Higgs had relaxed back in his chair again. He took the pipe out of his mouth and said, quite calmly:

“You’ve been doing the work of seven generals for two and a half years.”

The table had gone quiet again. Dimo looked at the stack of reports. He looked at Higgs.

“So…Hy von’t haff to do all of dot by myself?”

Koppelslav threw his hands in the air, waving the reports wildly.

“Ve don’t even do all of dis!” he shouted.

“Yah, ve gon haff to teach hyu how to delegate,” Goomblast said.

Dimo stared at them. Then, with a sound that was somewhere between a sigh and a sob of relief, he slumped forward onto the table and threw his arms over his head.

“Vut did hyu tink ve vas going to be doink all day?” Gkika asked. She’d stopped laughing, but she sounded like she’d start up again any moment.

“Hy don’t know!” Dimo shouted, waving his hands without lifting his suddenly very heavy head. “Hy didn’t know vut I vas supposed to be doink! Dere vusn’t anyvun for me to ask!”

Silence.

A faint rustle of clothing and creaking of chairs.

Dimo cautiously raised his head and saw the other generals had all turned to glare at Higgs. The man shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

“I was undercover,” he said, defensively.

To Dimo’s shock, Khrizhan slapped Higgs on the back of the head. Higgs only just managed to catch his hat before it fell off, and scowled at Khrizhan, who scowled back.

“Hyu could haff at least told him how to do it!”  

“Ya,” Goomblast said, gesturing with some of the papers. “All dot going tru de reports for de important shtoff, dots officer vurk. Hyu tell dem vut hyu need to know, and dots vut dey give hyu.”

Dimo turned in his seat, one arm on the table and the other hand on his hip, and glared at Higgs.

“I was undercover!” Higgs insisted again, although this time guilt was beginning to leak in around the edges.

“Hokay,” Gkika said. “New plan. How about hyu just vatch us do de generaling ting for a vile, and ve give hyu a break from de paperverk?”

“He vill vatch us?” Koppelslav exclaimed. “Ve should be vatching him! He got dem to fill out expense reports!”

“Vot is vit hyu and de expense reports?” Zog demanded.

Koppelslav slammed his fist down on the table.  

“Øsk hyused to stand offer dem vit a brandink iron und he couldn’t get dem to fill doze in on time! How in de hell did hyu do it?”

Dimo rubbed his face. He was starting to feel light-headed.

“Um…Effry time dey vuz late I vent and said tank hyu for understanding dot de money is tight and Hy appreciated dem being villing to pay for tings demselves.”

Gkika grinned.

“Ho, dots mean,” she said, with great approval.

Khrizhan had not allowed himself to be distracted by the turn in conversation. His eyes were still fixed on Higgs.

“Hyu could heff at least—” Khrizhan began.

“I didn’t. Have. Time.”

“Vut time hyu need? Hyu write a letter, hallo Dimo, by der vay, hyu dun need to be trackink de petty cash durink a crisis.”

“Hy don’t?” Dimo said, weakly.

Khrizhan gestured angrily, silently, and emphatically at Dimo.

“Ve supposed to be verking togedder,” Goomblast said. “Hyu supposed to help de new guy!”

Revenge unfolded in front of Dimo’s eyes like a beautiful, beautiful flower.

“Hyu know who gots a lot off opinions about teaching people tings properly,” he said sternly, “is dat Miss Zeetha of hyors.”

Five heads snapped around, fixing on their fellow general—sharks smelling blood in the water.

“Hyor Miss Zeetha?” Khrizhan said, oozing evil delight.

Higgs had gone very still. His eyes were very wide. His face was very slowly turning very, very red.  

“Oh-ho-ho!” Goomblast crowed. If his smile got any wider, the corners of his mouth would meet at the back of his head.

“Shuddup,” Higgs said, now blushing so hard Dimo could practically feel the heat radiating off of him.

“Dot’s de green haired gorl who fights vit Mizz Agatha,” Gkika said, her eyes shining. “Ooh, und he vus so vorried ven she got hurt in de kestle!” She lowered her voice, conspiratorially, her eyes not leaving Higg’s face. “He dun take her to de hospital, hyu know; he brought her shtraight to me.”

“She was dying,” Higgs said, slouching in his chair, arms crossed defensively over his chest.

“Is dot de vun vit de two svords?” Zog asked. “Verr nice, soch a pretty young ting—”

“Shuddup,” Higgs said as he sank even further in his chair. He shot Dimo a murderous look. Dimo grinned, tipping his chair back on two legs and settling in to watch the show. 

Maybe being a general wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

[nekoannie-chan]

No where to go

No where to go

Title: No where to go.

Fandom: Marvel, Captain America.

Ship: Steve Rogers X Reader.

Word count: 421 words.

Rating: Teen.

Summary: None wanna deal with you, except Steve.

Major Tags: The reader is an ex-HYDRA agent.

Additional tags: This is my entry for the @lives-in-midgard 1K Follower Celebration Challenge with the prompt:

1.- “I didn’t know where else to go.”

Links: Wattpad, Ao3, Spanish version.

@saiyanprincessswanie

My native language is Spanish so I wanna improve my writing skills in English if you notice any mistakes, please let me know and I will correct them.

I don’t give any permission for my fics to be posted on other platforms or languages (I translate my work myself) or the use of my graphics (my dividers are included in this), I did them exclusively for my fics, please respect my work and don't steal it. There are some people here who make dividers that anyone can use, mine is not this type, please look for the other people. The only exception is the ones I gifted 'cuz now belong to someone else. Please let me know if you find any of my works on a different platform and are not one of my accounts. Reblogs and comments are always welcome.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's characters (unfortunately), except for the original characters and the story.

Add yourself to my taglist here.

My other media where I publish:  Ao3, Wattpad, ffnet, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter. 

If you like it, please vote, comment, and give me feedback to improve my skills and reblog.

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It had been weeks since the HYDRA uprising, weeks since you had made the hardest decision of your life: to come clean. You had been a HYDRA agent, not by choice, but by obligation, so when you saw the time, you cooperated with S.H.I.E.L.D., sharing everything you knew.

However, your cooperation seemed like it wasn't enough, you could notice the whispers in the hallways, the looks of distrust, the outright rejection, all of it was now part of your daily life. There was no place in S.H.I.E.L.D. where you felt safe, no person you could trust, or so you thought.

Until the situation was so unbearable that you ended up in front of Steve Rogers' door. You didn't know if he would receive you or if he would reject you like the others. But you had nowhere else to go.

You took a deep breath, trying to calm the trembling in your hands, and knocked on the door. The door opened slowly, revealing to Steve the surprised expression on his face.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“I didn't know where else to go... I don't have anyone.” You felt your eyes fill with tears.

“Come in,” he said after looking at you for a moment that seemed like forever.

You sat down on the couch, and Steve closed the door behind you. He stood for a moment, watching you before sitting down in a chair across from you.

“What happened?” he finally asked.

 You told him everything, how HYDRA had forced you to join, how you had lived all those years, how you finally decided to cooperate with S.H.I.E.L.D., hoping it would redeem you, but found rejection instead. Steve listened quietly, his eyes never leaving you. He didn't interrupt, didn't ask questions.

“I'm sorry,” you whispered, lowering your gaze, unable to bear if he led you to look disappointed.

“You did the right thing.”

“But the others don't see it that way,” you muttered. “They don't see me as someone who did the right thing... They see me as a traitor.”

“People often judge what they don't understand. S.H.I.E.L.D. is full of people who have seen terrible things, who have been betrayed before. It's hard for them to trust. But that doesn't mean you should give up.”

“Thank you,” you whispered.

“You can stay here tonight,” he said.

“Thank you, Steve...for everything. But why are you being so nice to me? After all that's happened...you could have kicked me out like the others.”

“Because I believe in second chances.”

[pianapplez]

Hello there 👋👀,

So I just found your blog and had a lot of fun scrolling through all the pjo show crit😂 I couldn't help but notice that one tag you left on a post where you said you had some beef with Annabeth's portrayal in the books 👀 Would you mind elaborating on that if you're comfortable with it🙈? Because I absolutely share that sentiment, but it's sooo veeeery rare that I see other people express anything like it... I've found that trying to be a part of the fandom can be pretty alienating most of the time, if you're not exactly the biggest most devoted Percabeth shipper...😅 And often any criticism leveled at Annabeth just gets you a smack with the "internalized-misogyny" hammer... it's even worse in the tv show now due to... obvious reasons...

Again just if you're comfortable with answering of course🙈 There is a reason I stayed on anon after all...😅😂

Really glad you asked because i finally get to ramble about this heheheh (going forward, know that i skimmed over The Last Olympian to have a clearer sense of what I meant because that's the book where Rick fumbles her character more than the others)

i'm gonna try to make as much sense as possible but short answer would be, she's underdeveloped. Long answer:

She really got on my nerves in the last two books, with the whole Rachel debacle and then the Battle of New York. I can't really remember a single moment in those books where she and Percy aren't bickering or having heated discussions, which really made me question their friendship status. Of course, it's not like friends can't fight and it obviously builds up the (romantic) tension between them, but it got unbearable at one point.

I understand she's a teenager in an incredibly stressful situation that didn't even get to have a normal upbringing- she grew up way too fast (run away at 7, head counselor at 12) while also not really maturing, which is not a problem for a character, if it is handled properly. Given the fact that I am writing this, Riordan did not.

On the surface, my biggest beef is that Annabeth is not exactly held accountable for her actions (ie. treating Rachel a bit like shit and going off on Percy for a bunch of stuff.) I know Percy is to blame a bit here: as far as we know, in TLO he basically cuts the greek world out of his life as much as he can as a coping mechanism. And while yes, he never apologizes either, he doesn't give her nearly half the hard time she gives him: always either giving him the cold shoulder (there must be at least one example of this in the entire series but i cant be bothered to look it up sorry) or starting an argument only to then storm off (see the "you're a coward, Percy Jackson!" scene, which is not the fairest example since she was confronting Percy about ignoring camp but also was a bit too harsh about it) (especially after finally reading the prophecy and being under the impression that he was absolutely going to die when he turned 16 lmao) or just straight up storming off (see, Annabeth reacting when Rachel shows up for the first time during the battle of new york). While most of these feel, at least to some degree, fairly justified given how the entire situation does an absolute number on her emotions, she comes off a bit brattish and like she's trying to rile Percy up, especially when it comes to Rachel, which in the context of a battle that could mean the destruction of the world.... Well, it reads as a bit childish to me, and i wouldn't exactly have that much of a problem with it if it was dealt with in some way (a two-way apology would be nice).

After that first impression, i realized that Annabeth is barely ever anything else other than a plot device (when relating to Luke) or a love interest (when relating to Percy). This might be because the books are on Percy's POV. Hell, on the third book he's even conflicted when Annabeth is considering joining the Hunters of Artemis, aka, when making a choice for herself would mean he loses her (which is fine and dandy but it feels like Percy is more upset about her choosing her own path rather than being sad about not seeing her as often); we really only get a few glimpses of her, as in, actually her when she's on her own.

Obviously it's impossible to talk about Annabeth without touching on percabeth, which also is, in my opinion, what hinders Annabeth's character the most. On paper they sound great. The guy whose fatal flaw is loyalty falls in love with a girl whose been let down by people over and over, and she decides to never give up on the boy whose always had people give up on him (can't find one of the million posts that talks about this right now but it always goes something like that) And yeah, the bickering is really well written! But that's literally as far as it ever goes: they don't ever seem to have fun together, because 8 times out of 10 the bickering ends up being passive aggressive, and mostly done by Annabeth. My biggest gripe about percabeth is that their friendship seems to be based off... shared trauma. Literally. Other than going on quests together we are given no examples of them hanging out, nor a reason why they would want to spend time together in the first place, not even a shared hobby. Yes, in the fourth book they had a movie "date" planned but of course they didn't even get to it, and surprise surprise, they had a minor discussion, and surprise surprise, Annabeth was passive aggressive again. It's hard to picture them having fun together when even the author doesn't write in any scenes in which they get along smoothly (and before you say anything, a scene in which they get along where neither of them is about to die, and they're not talking about previous adventures. Gets a bit hard then, doesn't it?) It's even harder to picture them as a couple when the moment she gets upset about something, she starts coming off as emotionally manipulative (see, again, literally any conversation with Rachel or about Rachel)

To be fair, the books are relatively short and don't allow many "filler" chapters, if you will; there's always something happening to keep the main plot or a minor plot point moving forward, but it's not like there is no room to develop the characters' relationships, especially when we're talking about the main char and what is essentially his endgame. As an example we have Percy and Clarisse, or Percy and Beckendorf. Their interactions are brief but still hold so much weight.

Worst of all, Annabeth could be one hell of a character; what's most interesting of all is how being a daughter of Athena she is still incredibly emotionally driven, which is displayed very clearly with her fatal flaw being pride: her telling the Sphynx that her questions were too easy was not smart nor strategic: it was completely impulsive. I seriously think she wasn't far from being the best character in the series had she been given more time.

I guess i have as much beef with Annabeth as i have with Rick for doing her dirty. I really could sum this up with: while her emotions are justified, she acts upon them quite poorly. And this is what i mean when i say she's underdeveloped, because it would've been nice to see her come to her senses a bit.

Would love to read anyone's opinions on her character though, feel free to comment, even (or especially) if you don't agree with me!

[shipmistress9]

How To Make It Fit

No picture today because there's none that would capture this chapter that tumblr would allow me to post. 🤣

Fandom: Fourth Wing - The Empyrean

Pairing: Violet/Liam/Xaden - Violiaden

Rating: Explicit

Summary: Continuation of Part of our "Us". Liam followed Xaden's and Violet's invitation to join them for a threesome. He's not so sure Violet can actually take both his and Xaden's cock at the same time, but if it's what she wants... He surely won't go and tell her what she can or can't do.

AN: This picks exactly up where the previous short about them ended. The feedback I got after the first part about these three was amazing, thank you all so much! I was nervous about how people would react to this ship, and I'm so happy to see I'm not the only one who thinks they'd make a lovely triad. 🥰

Also, I'll leave it to you what this title means. 😌

@kinktober2023 and on AO3

. o O o .

Violet

Xaden always complains that I’ll be the death of him one day, but I actually think it’s the other way around. One day, I’ll die from the pleasure he lets my body endure. And it’ll be a very happy death. 

Relentlessly, he swipes his tongue along my slit, pushing inside me, and the unbearably sweet pleasure makes me moan. Even though I just came two times, on Liam’s cock and tongue, I can already feel my next orgasm building, my muscles tensing in anticipation. Sometimes, my ability to come so many times in a row feels more like a curse than a blessing, especially with how perfectly Xaden can push all my buttons. Beneath his hands—and mouth and cock and just about every fucking part of his body—I’m helpless, can’t do anything but give in to the inevitable pleasure. 

I’m going to be so sore tomorrow…

But maybe, I can repay him at least a bit tonight. The position I’m in, sitting on his face and with my head resting on his pelvis, is perfect. Grinning to myself, I reach for his cock, hot and flushed resting right next to my face, and lick away the white pearl of pre-come at its tip. Xaden moans when I take him into my mouth, the sound vibrating against my clit, and maybe this is going to turn on me pretty quickly, given how much I enjoy sucking him off. But at least I can take him with me then. Hopefully.

 “Oh, shit,” a deep voice growls next to me. 

My entire body tenses with another wave of arousal as I remember. We’re having an audience. More than that, actually. From the corner of my eye, I glance at Liam, his lips glistening wet and parted where he’s watching me. His hand is around his cock, already hardening too after fucking me not so long ago, and that sight makes me feel a bit better. Apparently, I’m not the only one with an insatiable desire here. 

Well, we’d meant to give him a show, didn’t we? So maybe, it’s time to get started with that. 

Keeping my gaze on Liam, I wrap my lips around Xaden’s girth more firmly and sink down a bit further, taking him deeper. His eyes widen, and he gasps, just as Xaden groans when I whirl my tongue around his tip. Oh, this is brilliant. 

I never enjoyed being the centre of attention, always tried to blend in with the background at any larger gathering my mother dragged me to. But this is different. Here, with both Liam’s and Xaden’s attention fully focused on me alone, I feel a rush I’ve never known before. What I do affects them, proven by the wanton groans they both let out as I keep working Xaden’s cock, and it gives me a heady sense of power.

However, I soon realise it’s just an illusion, and it cracks quickly. No matter how hard I suck Xaden, how deeply I let him slide down my throat, it’s not that easy to break his control, to make him come when he doesn’t want to yet. Especially not when I can feel Liam’s gaze on me like a physical touch, when Xaden twitching in my throat turns me on just as much as him fucking me with his tongue. 

But I won’t give up that easily. Even though I can feel my next orgasm building at the base of my spine, my legs tensing around Xaden’s head, I sink deeper down his cock, let him slide down my throat until my nose is pressing against his balls. Trying to keep my gag reflex in check and warding off the rising tide of pleasure in my guts, I swallow around him, determined to make him come with me. My head is empty of all thoughts, filled only by sensations; the pulsing heat against my tongue, Xaden’s lips closing around my clit, pleasure zapping through every part of my body.

“Oh, shit,” Liam curses, shifting to get a closer look. “H-how… how can you take all of him? That’s…”

I can’t hear what else Liam says, not when Xaden mercilessly flings me over the edge with his too-skilled mouth. My scream is muffled around Xaden’s cock, the world around me blinking out of existence as pleasure consumes me. Relentlessly, it races up my spine and explods in my head, wrecking my entire body with wave after wave of tremors even though I can hardly move an inch. Xaden still holds my hips tight to his face, his mouth ruthlessly continuing to ravish me, and I cling to his legs, his cock, as if I’ll lose myself should I dare to let go. 

Fuck, this is insane. How can every new orgasm be more intense than the last? How am I supposed to survive this? 

But I can’t think about that, not when my mind is still buzzing with bliss, my body riding out the aftershocks of my climax—and Xaden’s mouth still working between my thighs. 

Oh, no… I whimper, begging for mercy, but I know I won’t get any. (Not unless I were to use my safe word, that is, but I don’t feel like I’ll be needing it tonight.) Xaden loves eating me out until I can’t take anymore, and he knows too well that one orgasm is far from my limit. Trembling with the slight pain of overstimulation, my traitorous body even grinds itself harder against his tongue, begging for more, and who am I kidding? I want more. Need it like the air to breathe. 

Moaning around Xaden’s cock, I give in to the inevitable, rolling my hips harder against his mouth in search of more stimulation. Xaden chuckles, doubling his efforts as his cock twitches and I’m forced to pull back a little. I know he’s already won with how pleasure is gathering on top of my previous orgasm again, but I’m too proud to give up. Moving in time with my hips, I bob up and down his cock, drool slicking up his entire length and balls. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll be able to break through his iron stamina, at least once. Maybe having Liam watching us, groaning and fisting his cock in time with my movements, will affect Xaden as much as it affects me, turning him on and pushing him faster towards the edge. 

I cling to this hope, my mouth working his cock with desperate intensity even as the pleasure crests once more and breaks, flooding my body, drowning me. I clutch at the bedcovers as I’m shaking all over, spasming, out of control, and my muscles are clenching hard, nearly painfully. It’s too much, so good, I can’t bear it, never want it to end. I’m dimly aware of shrieking, Xaden’s length still halfway down my throat, but can’t process anything, only that my body is burning with pleasure, falling apart, shattering, and my vision momentarily turns black as everything becomes too much. 

I come to to lying on my back, my chest heaving as I try to catch my breath. Xaden is leaning over me, a smug smirk on his face as he brushes sweaty hair out of my face. “Nice try,” he purrs. “But you should know better by now. Although, if you’re this hungry for cock, I’m sure Liam would be more than happy to provide.”

I’m too blissed out to turn my head, but I can hear Liam groan somewhere nearby, cursing low under his breath. And the crazy thing is, even though I can hardly move after these two orgasms in a row… my guts are clenching deliciously just thinking about sucking Liam off. Fuck, I’m so screwed. 

It doesn’t take much, only a few minutes of Xaden massaging my trembling muscles, before I have my lips around Liam’s cock, moaning at the taste of both him and me on my tongue. I can barely think, only act, licking over every inch of him and relishing in how he gently rocks into my mouth, his hands on my head to guide me. 

I am on my hands and knees at the edge of the bed, with Liam standing before me while Xaden kneels somewhere behind me. I don’t know what he’s doing, don’t care, my mind slipping into no-thought-only-feel territory. I don’t need to know what he’s doing because I already know it’ll be okay. I don’t need to care because he cares for me. I can let myself fall because I know he’ll catch me, guide me, hold me. 

“So hot,” he murmurs, leaning over my back. “Do you like Liam’s cock? It certainly looks like it. Fuck, I think he might come again soon. You’re too good at this for your own good.” 

Liam groans, but I beam at his praise, my chest swelling with warmth. My tongue works even harder against Liam’s length, against the sensitive part below the tip and the pulsing veins, and I relish in his increasingly needy sounds, in the way his hands in my hair tighten almost against his will. 

“I need to stretch you for later, Violence. Try not to break Liam completely over there until I’m done here.”

“Haha,” Liam gasps, but the movements of his hips slow down a bit. “Very funny. As if I—fuck!—as if I’d let this chance slip away.”

Something inside my mind perks up at his words, but I’m too far gone to care. All I know is that he’s too careful. I want him deeper down my throat, want him to fill me completely. So I’m actually grateful for Xaden grabbing my cheeks and letting his thumb brush over my rim, my body jerking forward on instinct.

“Shit!” Liam curses as I take him completely all the way to his base, his legs trembling. “Don’t you have a gag reflex?”

Xaden huffs a laugh, his fingers persistently massaging around my hole. “She does,” he answers in my stead, knowing I’m in no position to reply. “She’s just very good at ignoring it when it’s in the way of what she wants.” He leans over me and places a row of gentle kisses down my spine, comforting and reassuring. Full of love. 

They stop talking for a while, for which I’m grateful. It means I can focus solely on what I feel, Liam gliding in and out of my mouth, across my tongue, his weight and girth oddly comforting, grounding, and Xaden working me open. His motions are slow and careful but intense, never going so far as to hurt me but clearly skirting the edges of what I can take. One finger, then a second and a third, moving in and out of me to get my muscles to relax. With almost surprising gentleness, he rubs his oiled fingers against my sensitive inner walls, and I can’t help but moan at the sublime sensation. Fuck, I love it when Xaden plays with my ass, it’s so good. It’s not that I can come from this, and even with him working my clit in addition, it would take far longer, but still. It’s a different kind of pleasure, softer, not as demanding. Comfortable. Or maybe, that’s it, that it gives me a break from the burning pleasure and instead fills me with warm delight, with anticipation. 

Even as he shifts behind me and pushes his cock into me—drawing a deep guttural groan from my chest with how full I feel that in return makes Liam curse at the vibrations around his cock—I feel more like floating in a sea of pleasure than drowning in it. There is no burning fire, nothing pushing me toward my next climax, only white pleasure pooling in my body as he stretches me wide open, tame and content to wait.

I could stay forever like this, suckling on Liam’s cock and relishing every drop of pre-come he releases as Xaden slowly rocks into my ass. And with him nearly just using me to warm him instead of actual stimulation, I know Xaden could hold out for quite a while, too. However, Liam is another matter. I don’t know his signs yet and I’m not in the right mind space to be observant, but even I notice that he’s close, his finger in my hair twitching, his breathing harsh. 

Smiling to myself, I redouble my efforts, taking him deeper, sucking harder, my tongue stroking the underside of his shaft. And I get why Xaden enjoys eating me out so much; witnessing Liam fall apart is quite the spectacle. The way his fingers tighten around my head in anticipation, how the muscles in his abdomen clench, his legs trembling. 

I swallow him down as he comes in my mouth, humming at his taste, at the garbled cry that drops off his lips. Behind me, Xaden groans, his cock resting deeply in my ass, his hands gliding up and down my back, my sides. “Fuck, you two are so hot.”

I deliberately clench my muscles around him and chuckle at his grunt once Liam pulls out and sinks back onto the bed next to me. 

“Shit,” he gasps, catching his breath. He drops a hand onto my shoulder where I’m lying on the bed now, smiling happily. “That was… fucking perfect.”

“Anytime,” I wink.

Xaden, returning from cleaning himself up, snorts. “She means that. You can probably feed her your cock whenever you like, and she’d even be grateful for it.”

“Only because you so rarely let me suck you to completion,” I pout.

Smirking, Xaden crawls on top of me, my body singing at all the places his skin brushes against mine. “Because I prefer feeling you come on my cock when I do. Is that such a bad thing?”

Humming, I brush my lips against the corner of his mouth. “No, not really.” My lips part easily when he kisses me, his tongue stroking along mine like an invitation to dance, and I can’t help but smile against his lips. He barely holds himself up above me, his weight pressing me down into the mattress, and I wrap my arms around his back, longing to feel as much of his skin as possible.

“Gods, you two are so cute, I might get sick,” Liam comments, but there’s no bite in his voice, only humour and something soft I can’t quite name. 

Chuckling, Xaden rolls halfway off me, and I’m momentarily mesmerised by how… how unguarded he is. It’s not new to me, seeing him like this, especially not in bed. But it’s the first time I see this side of him around someone else, the hard Wingleader front entirely discarded for now. Liam truly must be special to him. 

“I meant what I said earlier, you can always join in,” Xaden smirks, but then turns a little more serious again. “How much of a break do you need?”

Liam huffs a laugh. “Around you two? Not long. Give me a few minutes, then I’ll be good to go again.”

“Good,” Xaden beckons Liam closer, then pulls him into another kiss, giving me the perfect view of them making out practically on top of me. “Because I’m not sure how many more orgasms Violet can take tonight.” 

My eyes widen as they both turn on me as if on some secret code word, both men grinning deviously. I know they shared partners before, Xaden told me about that, but—fuck!—I didn’t expect it to be like this. 

They descend on me like two hungry lions, their hands and mouths everywhere. Liam kisses me, but I can barely focus on it, can only let him ravage my mouth as Xaden claims my nipple between his teeth, his fingers playing with the other one, biting and sucking and pinching until my back arches and I press myself closer against him, needing more. 

What follows is a wild mess, from my point of view at least. There’s no pattern I can discern in how they switch around between kissing my lips and my body, their hands on my breasts, between my legs, caressing over every inch of my skin. I quickly get drunk on how both their bodies are wrapped around me, losing the orientation in an ocean of heated skin and hard muscles, soft lips regularly stealing my breath. Every time I try to reach for one of them, try to control a kiss or lean into one sensation specifically, they turn me around again, changing the playing field until I can’t tell up from down anymore, the only small spec of orientation I get the different shades of their skin. 

The first time, I come on Liam’s fingers, unexpected with how they keep me on a constant high, and my shriek gets muffled by Xaden’s tongue in my throat. The second time, I’m grinding against someone’s cock against my clit, coating whoever it is in my slik as two mouths nibble and suck on my neck, my head thrown back in ecstasy. After that, I lose count, lose myself completely between them, between their kisses, their touches, between whispered words and sounds of pleasure, between these two men who’re closer to me than anyone else ever was. And I’ve never felt so good, so safe, so cherished. So loved.

I don’t know when they stopped, only register that they must have as I lie cradled in Xaden’s arms, his lips soothingly brushing along my jaw as I slowly register my surroundings again. 

“Oh, fuck,” I mewl, leaning closer to Xaden’s comforting warmth. “Wh-what… what was… that?” 

Xaden chuckles and brushes a kiss against my forehead. “Are you okay?” 

I laugh. “Okay? Yeah, I think so. But, fuck, that was just… holy shit.”

On my other side, Liam snorts. “So much for not breaking me. Are you sure you can take more?”

I turn my head to look at him. He’s hard again, I notice, but from the true concern in his eyes, I know he wouldn’t hold it against me if I said no now, just like Xaden, who’s hardness I can feel pushing against my thigh. “Yeah. Just give me a moment to feel my legs again, then I’m good.”

Xaden snorts, mischief in his eyes. “I mean, it’s not as if you’ll need your legs for what’s next. In fact, I expect you won’t be able to use them as usual for a couple of days after this. But sure, you can have a few minutes.” He turns to Liam, who’s unashamedly grinning at his words. “So, do you want her ass or her pussy? Your pick for tonight.”

My breath hitches as I’m reminded of tonight’s plan. Of what I asked for. Taking two cocks at once already sounded intense when I was merely picturing it. Now having a better idea of the two cocks in question, though… Despite the wringer Xaden and Liam put me through just now, my inner muscles already clench again, eager to finally feel them inside me.

Liam smirks, raking his eyes down my body. “I think, I’d like her ass. I already had her pussy and mouth tonight, and there’s just something about filling every single one of her holes, you know?” He winks at me. 

Oh, shit. There he is, the shamelessly flirty side of Liam I’ve come to like, except ramped up to a level of confident cockiness that makes heat pool in my belly once again. If this is how Liam behaves once he puts aside all insecurities… then I’ll be so fucked between these two, not just tonight but in the future as well. 

Gods, I can’t wait. 

Xaden huffs a laugh, shaking his head. “I’ll take your word for it.” He gets off the bed and holds a hand out for me. “Can you stand, for a moment at least? Or should Liam carry you?”

I throw Liam a glance, and judging by the smirk playing around his lips, he’d do just that. “I’m good,” I say, and scramble off the bed, curious about how they’re planning to go about this. Xaden wouldn’t tell me and aside from the few details Rhiannon mentioned the other day, I have no idea what positions might work.

“Come here.” Xaden guides me a couple of steps away from the bed, then stands directly in front of me. He takes my head between his hands, then lets them glide down to the base of my neck, his thumps brushing along my jaw. “You know you can call for an end at any moment, remember? If it gets too much or doesn’t feel good, you don’t have to go through with anything, especially not for our sake.”

I nod, smiling. “I know.” 

Xaden takes a deep breath and nods as well. “Alright.” he reaches for my hands and guides them up around his neck. “Hold on,” he says, just as Liam appears behind me, and I feel dwarfed between these two men. It should be intimidating, being at their mercy when reminded of just how small I am against them, but instead, I feel comforted. Safe. 

I expected more kisses, but instead, I yelp as Liam grabs me by the back of my knees and lifts me up, my thighs pressed against my ribs on either side of my breasts. Xaden steps between my spread legs and takes over one of them, my knee over his left arm as his cock nudges against my slick entrance. “Ready?” he asks, his voice gravelly. 

I nod, eagerly, and try in vain to buck my hips to take him in faster. But I can’t move, not even an inch, held tight between them. I might as well weigh nothing at all given the ease with which they hold me in place. 

“Hush,” Xaden breathes into my ear, his lips twitching. “You don’t have to do anything right now.”

I mewl but comply, understanding the underlying order. Clinging harder to Xaden’s neck and shoulders, I hold as still as I can as he penetrates me in one long slide.

“Fuck, yes,” he groans, his breathing hitching a bit. “You feel so fucking perfect.”

Hidden against his neck, I allow myself a grin. With his iron-hard self-control and stamina of steel, I just love that my pussy, being inside me, is one of the few things that can actually break him. “You, too,” I gasp, my muscles tightening around him, around the comforting heat of his cock. No matter how many times I already came tonight, this will always be my undoing. 

He gives me a few moments to adjust, only minimally rocking back and forth to ease my body into taking more. But I’m acutely aware of Liam behind me, still holding my other leg. His lips are on my shoulder, mouthing distractedly at my skin as his other arm moves against my back, clearly stroking himself. 

“I’m good,” I gasp, leaning forward against Xaden as best I can to give Liam better access. 

They both chuckle. “So eager,” Liam teases, his slick tip pressing against my rim without pushing in yet. “Are you sure you can really take both of us? You look like you might split in half instead.”

From anyone else and in any other situation, such a comment probably would have made me angry. But I get it, his concern. I am small, especially when compared to them, so I appreciate him checking in on me. Kind of.

“Just fuck me, Mairi,” I growl.

Xaden snorts. “You heard the lady.”

Liam takes an audible breath, and then finally moves closer. His free hand is on my waist, holding me in place as he positions himself and slowly pushes in. 

Yep, I might die from this. I was prepared for the intense stretch and fullness from when Xaden used multiple of his toys on me. But this is so much more than anything I imagined. It’s a lot to take, physically but also emotionally and mentally, the closeness and intimacy of having them both inside me, it’s overwhelming and I have difficulties breathing freely. 

“Violet? You okay?” Xaden groans, noticeably fighting to hold still, to give me time. 

I force my lungs to take a few shallow breaths; there’s not enough space inside me for more. “Yeah,” I breathe, forcing my eyes to flutter open. “‘s just… just a lot.” I mewl as Liam works himself deeper into me with slow and gentle thrusts, his breathing harsh and damp against my back.

“I know.” Xaden’s mouth is on my neck, tickling me. “But you’re doing so well. Just relax for us.” 

I try to, I really do. But it still takes a couple more minutes before Liam bottoms out inside me, a low curse dropping off his lips.

“Fuck, yeah. Gods, you’re so tight, Vi. Shit, your body is amazing.”

I preen at the compliment and awkwardly turn to wrap one arm around Liam’s shoulders, pulling him closer and seeking his lips with my own. My body is an annoying mess on a good day, but at least it’s good at taking cock, amazing even, to the delight of everyone involved.

They give me another short break to adjust to their cocks, to being so full and stretched that I, indeed, feel like splitting in half. But with every heartbeat, it gets more bearable, better, intoxicating. Gods, I hope Liam will accept our offer; I want to do this again. 

When they start moving, it takes every ounce of my self-control not to scream. I thought just having them inside me was intense, but having them move is even worse. Better. I don’t know, don’t care. When one pushes in, the other pulls out, perfectly coordinated, and the constant slide and switch of pressure is positively driving me insane. I lose track of all the noises I make and can only clutch at them for just any anchor against the overwhelming sensations flooding my mind. In and out, push and pull, the pressure of being so impossibly full, but also the pleasure of all those sensitive spots being stimulated, sweetening the experience into something addictive. More. I need more.

“More…” I mewl, caught not only between their cocks but their entire bodies, again kissing and touching every spot they can reach. 

“Fuck, Violet!” Xaden growls, and his next thrust comes harder, making me cry out and tighten around them on reflex. Liam bites into my shoulder to muffle his shout. And as if they’d only been waiting for my sign, they both move faster, harder, fucking into me at an unforgiving pace. Fucking every coherent thought right out of my head.

. o O o .

Liam

Shit, this is better than anything I could have imagined. 

Being inside Violet’s tight little ass, Xaden’s cock sliding against my own through the thin membrane, her incoherent sobs and cries and his low but urgent groans, the way she clutches at us and Xaden’s hand over mine where we hold her—it’s all mixing into a frenzy of pleasure and sensations, and I can’t get enough. Even if this turns out to only be a one-off… it’s worth it! And I’m actually glad I already came two times tonight because I’m not sure how long I might last as is it, everything’s just too fucking perfect. But at least Xaden is fighting to hold back now just like I am—how he managed to last this long is beyond me anyway. 

By now, our quicker coordinated thrusts turned more erratic, and Violet is practically bouncing on our cocks with how much force we fuck up into her pliant body. Gods, she’s gorgeous, perfect, amazing. I’m already in love with her for her wit and her kindness, but this might be enough to make me fall completely. 

Shit, I’m so screwed.

“Fuck, yes,” she sobs, her fingers digging into my arm as if it’s the only thing keeping her grounded. “Yes, yes, yes, please. Oh, please, yes. Yes!”

“Fuck, yes,” Xaden grunts against her neck where he sucked a harsh bruise into her skin. His movements are as urgent as mine, even his famous control hanging by a thread by now. “Come, Violet. Come for us.” 

I don’t know what he does, if he again sends his shadows to play with her clit, but within seconds, Violet’s cries turn into full-on screams as she comes, shattering between our bodies. It’s gorgeous to watch, how her body grows tense and then erupts, shaking all over, how she throws her head back against my shoulder and screams out her pleasure, her eyes all but rolled back into her head. 

I last a few more seconds, thrusting into her to prolong her climax and just long enough to see lightning flash outside before I break as well. My shout of ecstasy muffled against her shoulder, I press as deeply into her ass as I can before I spurt into her, that tight coil in my guts once more bursting and sending dart of pleasure through my entire body. 

Darkness flares around us as Xaden’s control breaks and he shouts, then his cock shudders against my own as he comes, too, his face pressed against Violet’s neck, her hair, his hand clutching at mine. 

My knees are wobbly as we all catch our breaths, but I can’t break, not with Violet’s limp body still supported between us. I catch Xaden’s eyes, dazed like I’ve not seen them in ages, and he gives me a small nod. With a low groan, he pulls out of her, his come dripping along my balls, and steps back, leaving Violet in my arms. 

Carefully, as if she’s the most precious thing in the world, I carry her back to the bed and once again marvel at just how small she is. Even weakened as I am, I have no problem carrying her; it’s as if she weighs nothing. And yet, she took both our cocks at the same time, with hardly any difficulties. Absolutely amazing indeed. 

I can’t take my eyes off her where she lies on the bed in front of me, not unconscious, but something close, too blissed out to take in her surroundings and at least half asleep already. So beautiful. Unable to help it, I crawl onto the bed next to her and brush her hair out of her face, my fingers tracing along her brow, her nose, her lips. 

“Are you going to tell her?” Xaden asks from where he fell onto the bed on her other side. “How you feel about her?”

My lips tighten at the irony of him asking me this question. He said he’s not blind, having noticed how I look at her. But does he know I feel the same for him? 

“Do you think I should?” I skirt the question. 

He rolls onto his side, watching us. “I think that depends on how you decide.”

Swallowing, I nod. Not just sex, he’d said. An invitation for more. A three-way relationship, a triad. It’s daunting, but…

“I think, I’d like to try?” I admit, glancing up at him. “I’m not sure how something like that works, though.”

“Me neither,” Xaden admits. “Violet said she’d met some triads during her time living in various war camps. Obviously, she didn’t ask for details about their relationship, but it seemed to work out for them? We’ll just have to figure out how it can work for us.”

I nod, though I’m still hesitant. I’m well aware that I am the experiment here. What Xaden and Violet have, it’s something else. Something more. I can’t compete with that, only try to tug along as best I can. 

“Hey.” Xaden reaches for my hand. “We want this to work, okay?” 

I snort. Can he read minds now, too? “Yeah,” I say. “Me, too.” 

I can’t help it, though. Even as Xaden and I cuddle around Violet’s already sleeping form, with her head on my shoulder and Xaden curled around her back, his hand resting next to hers on my chest, I feel torn. I want this work, I really do. 

But is that even possible?

. o O o .

AN: Looks like Liam is still not entirely convinced they really want him there with them... Poor baby. 😌

I have this headcanon about them. We've covered that Violet is multiorgasmic, and her boys clearly enjoy taking advantage of this fact. Liam is multiorgasmic, too, but for him, that usually means he'll only need a little time (~10-15 min) before he can go another round. Xaden, however, is not. When he comes, it would take hours before he can go again, and even that only under special circumstances. However, he makes up for that with a stamina of steel, being able to hold out and fuck for hours without coming.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this second part of their story. There's more to come. 🥰

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