#literally cannot explain how much I want this

[slimepuparibaba]

Chaos in Linkon: AU where each of the LADS guys have an MC and also they all know each other

I want to make something like Chibi Linkon Report except it's with me and my friends and sisters MCs alongside the Love Interests and they all know each other

The MCs are like this:

Xavier's MC is one of the best sword wielders and an overall kind and caring hunter who helps people and is just as much a Disney Princess as Xavier who loves to garden and loves animals... but also she's a chronic insomniac and cannot sleep for her life, appears at Xavier's bedroom door like a sleep paralysis demon at 3AM, standing there silently, not wanting to wake him up so she just stands there. Her average amount of sleep is 1 hour. It's bad. It's really bad. Please help her. It's not even nightmares, it's just she literally cannot sleep.

Zayne's MC is seen as a role model in the workplace for her maturity, her poise, a reliable older sister figure to everyone... also she cannot taste anything, her taste buds don't work, so she likes the most extreme kind of food, accidentally gave Zayne the food she prepared for herself, it was way too fucking spicy to actual inhumane standards. Also, has a slight fear of doctors, just does not like visiting the hospital, going to checkups, etc. Zayne literally has to coax her for any of her check-ups with a date or a movie night after the fact. Her visits would be less frequent if she just stopped overworking herself so much (workaholic).

Rafayel's MC is beauty and grace, always wearing a smile and it's rare to see her upset about anything, a very cheerful person! She loves music, loves the ocean, perfect compliment to Rafayel! ...but also she is actually very scary, loves tragedy and horror and thrillers and slashers, and one time Rafayel walked in on her in the kitchen as she was holding a knife and there was red on her face (it was from some ketchup, but she looked terrifying). The moment she stops smiling is the day Linkon will be destroyed. Also, she cannot draw.

Sylus' MC is a temperamental girl that's sharp-tongued and strong-willed, as well as very headstrong. Sylus of Onychinus is her mortal enemy... until they're in a private space, then she's constantly seeking out his attention and getting pampered by him. Jumpy, actually a cat, and only fights Sylus because that's her love language apparently. She also has a corkboard in Onychinus' base solely for her insane ramblings about any conspiracies about Ever or the Aether Core and has lost sleep explaining it to him (and he just watches before putting her to bed).

Caleb's MC is the sweet, adorable little sister figure everyone loves, and is relatively shy at first glance but very friendly and a bit of a nerd! She also makes plushies for her friends! ...but also touch Caleb and you're dead. No, seriously, touch him and you're dead. She knows everything about Caleb, she has known him since they were kids, if anyone even thinks of hurting him or taking him away from her, they are dead. Touch him and you're dead. Did you know she made a plushie of him to keep her company while he was away, and that she stole one of his hoodies? And by one, we mean multiple? Do not touch her gege. Touch her gege and you're dead. That is her gege, her gege is hers, he is literally hers, she is just as much his as he is hers, do not fucking TOUCH HER GEGE—

Basically, all the girls are the same but also slightly different from their love interest. They compliment each other well.

Also the boys regularly hang out with the girls and it's funny because of how much of a found family all of them seem to be.

The girls all already see each other as sisters, so they're very close and like to spend time with one another. They give each other advice, drop by each other's apartments... they were all with each other during the initial days of the shelter due to being experimented on for the Aether Core (Yes, all of them have Aether Core fragments and are deemed Experiments 001-a, 001-b, 001-c, 001-d, and 001-e. They're part of the same Experiment Line due to their aether cores being so similar to each other.) Each girl has a super strong resonation with their partner. They can only exist in a universe where their partner is. This timeline is unique because all of them are now existing at once in one place at the same time, which is an abnormality and why Ever wants them so bad.

The boys "hate" each other with every fiber of their being, typically finding ways to insult each other or poke fun of someone. But also they all are definitely brothers in arms and do care for each other (somewhat, they would never admit it). Despite not knowing all the details, they know of each others' circumstances. All agree that if the time comes, they'd put aside their differences for the sake of their loved ones and try to reach a conclusion all of them would be satisfied with.

They're a mixed friend group that do hang out pretty often, and one of them somehow named themselves the "Aether Core Investigation Team".

I wanna post more about this AU and maybe make small drawings or comics of them cuz I just think it's fun.

Also Caleb mentioning there was an Experiment 001-f off-handedly to the guys and the guys immediately questioning who the fuck it is, where she went, as well as who their soul resonates with and why no one heard anything about them, only to say he was the only one who remembered they existed because all the others in the Experiment 001 line died and forgot. 001-f just randomly disappeared after that, so he does not know who they are or where they are anymore or if they even exist. AKA 001-f will be made once the 6th LI comes out and we finally coax one of our friends into finally playing the game.

ALSO FUN FACT: ALL MCS ARE NAMED AND HAVE BEEN MENTIONED SOMEWHERE ON AO3 BEFORE, BUT I WAS NOT THE ONE WHO WROTE ABOUT THEM! IT WAS MY SISTER! LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANNA FIND OUT WHERE, IT'S A FIC FROM CALEB'S MC'S PERSPECTIVE :D

[midnight-bay-if]

hi! I’d just like to say I REALLY FUCKING LOVE THIS IF AAAAAAA!!! I love all the characters and their personalities and hints at their past/what they’re hiding, the way you write, the plot of the story and the MC themself too!

Rain is soo adorable and I can’t wait to learn more about them and Umbra!!! I want to give ‘em a hug and smother them in kisses and soft touches oughhhh but like taj! S! literally everyone!!!!! I love them all, honestly I don’t know how I’ll choose lol

anyways two little questions:

how would rain react to MC giving them a bouquet of flowers that were handpicked for them on a human holiday like maybe Valentine’s Day? platonic, crushing or dating is up to you (or all three if you’re up to it, no pressure though)

and if umbra isn’t quiet forthcoming with letting the MC make skin contact, would a nice in between compromise be letting the MC braid their hair? I just think the tender carefulness of a moment like that could convey the closeness and affection an MC might want to show without triggering umbra’s fear

btw I think there’s a bug when meeting umbra at the library? when Harriet leaves, they’re described as a woman, but then the pronouns change from he to she, and then any pronouns referring to umbra drop out entirely for the rest of the interaction. I don’t think that’s intentional?

anyways love the story and can’t wait for more! Thank you for writing it!!

Ahhh, this was so nice, haha. I'm really glad you like all the characters, and thank you so much for the bug report. I recently changed how picking pronouns works, so the code ended up a little jumbled. Coding is still a little new to me, so I'm grateful when people take the time to report the bugs they find. It's really helpful.

As for your questions:

Rain understands the practice well enough. Their home was filled with flowers; everywhere you looked, new blooms danced next to water, and it was not unusual to gift the brightest flowers as tokens of affection. They weaved flowers into bracelets, crowns, and necklaces; people used their gifts to keep them alive forever.

Flowers here do not live as long, but in Rain's mind, their fragility only makes them more beautiful. So when you present them with a perfectly woven wreath of flowers, words fail. They trace their fingers lightly over the bright petals, tears in their eyes. They haven't been here long enough to learn all the names, so eventually, they interrogate you ardently to give an explanation of each.

They do not know if they can keep them alive forever; their magic can only do so much, but they will try. "Thank you, MC; it's a little piece of home that I will cherish."

Umbra doesn't understand why you would spend time doing something so pretty to them, but it feels nice. At first, they cannot even explain what it is about it that makes them feel so warm, or even if it is warmth they feel in the first place; only that when you sit beside them, reaching out to carefully intertwine the sections of hair, they feel more themself than they ever have.

You make them feel seen.

"Will you do it again tomorrow?"

[meraki-yao]

RWRB Full-Cast Audiobook Imaginations

So with the sequel on the horizon, we’re not that far from a full-cast re-recording of the audiobook, right?

I listen to the audiobook more than I read the book, mostly because I can listen to it while doing other stuff, and no offence to the original narrator, but while it’s good, it’s not the best. I kind of cringe at his British accent for Henry.

So I have a lot of thoughts.

The thing is with an audiobook, we can get both the wonderful vocal performance of the movie cast, and the iconic book lines, the ones that didn’t, and frankly, could never have made it into the movie due to format restrictions:

Sexy explicit sex scenes

Sexy explicit sex lines “For fuck’s sake, man, you just had my dick in your mouth, you can kiss me good-night”, “I want you to fuck me”, “I’ve been thinking about your mouth on me all well”

Emails in their entirety

Email openings and endings “Huge Raging Heache Prince Henry of Who Cares”, “First Son of Shirking Responsibilities”, “Horrible Revolting Heir”, “First Son of Founding Father Sacrilege”, “Haplessly Romantic Heretic Prince Henry the Utterly Daft”

Email historical quotes “The whole is a mass of fools and knaves; I could almost except you”, “I meet you in every dream”

Swearing and explicit language “fucking shit” “I fucking love you, okay?”

Internal Struggle

Iconic lines that didn’t make it into the movie for adaptation and story purposes “I’m never gonna love anybody in the world like I love you” “I love him on purpose”, “America, he is my choice”

Like, imagine hearing all of this in Taylor, in Nick, in Sarah and Uma and Ellie and Rachel and Thomas and Aneesh and Cfiton etc etc 's voice. Just imagine it!!!

Another thing to add is that to put it in simple terms, the current version of the audiobook does the dialogue lines closer to theatre acting: more enunciated, more inflection, and slower. Which is fine in its own right (I’m a theatre kid). But with the cast audiobook, hopefully, we can get them to do something closer to film acting, i.e. closer to reality, reading the lines as they would if they were to shoot those scenes.

Which is gonna make big moments like sexy times and confrontations a lot of fun :D

And something really entertaining to think about is now that we also know the cast and their dynamic is thinking about how much fun they would have while recording the book, especially when they have scenes together. And it’s not necessarily just Taynick, it’s group scenes with the whole Super Six, like the karaoke scene in chapter seven, or the Texas Holiday Scenes with Firstprince and Junora.

Like, Imagine it, the actors in the same recording studio, maybe even on the same couch:

Taylor and Nick laughing while reading off the insults from the earlier frienemies days of their relationship

Taylor and Nick squirming and playfully hitting each other when recording lines for sexy scenes like the first night, or the tack room, or Wimbledon

The cast shouting and booing (playfully) whenever someone messes up a line in their group scenes

The chaotic fun that is the LA karaoke scene, everybody’s laughing, Ellie gets to be the singular sober person while everyone else acts drunk, Nick singing Don’t Stop Me Now shittier (Nick has the voice of an angel but book Henry can’t sing for shit),

Taylor and Nick giving each other hugs after screaming at each other for the Kensington confrontation

Nick grinning smugly at every book height difference mention (:<

More of Taylor speaking Spanish!!!

Thomas gets to be a proper asshole villain who later turns into awkward older brother who's trying

Ellie gets to do the pie metaphor grief monologue  

Taylor gets to do another speech (he’s really good at delivering speeches)

 I want to quickly reiterate that I am in no way unhappy with what we got in the end for the movie; I love it to pieces. However, as Matthew and Casey said, there are two “canonical” versions of the story now, and since audiobooks are an option, it would be really nice to connect this aspect of the movie verse with the book verse in some sort of middle ground.

So yeah Audible? Amazon? Get on with it!!!

@almightaylor this was the long post I mentioned, I literally started this in July lol

[unriding]

a … a gift from the talented @kruinka 🥹 thank you so much!! ദ്ദി ༎ຶ‿༎ຶ)

[rpfisfine]

whatever I don’t care abt my stupid grandma anymore we have kittens

[thenonbinarydetective]

Gotham War is shit and all, but I'm starting to get tired of people complaining that Bruce was OOC that was like literally one of the main points

complain about literally anyone else being OOC because they don't have an excuse

[miloticaquarium]

If you don’t care about what makes art literally art, why are you even on Tumblr? Y’know, the website that was made for artists to post THEIR art. Tumblr began selling posts to AI training in February of last year, that was never a default setting before people began to get lazy and pathetic. Just say you’re pissy that you lack any ability to create and now you have to defend yourself online.

“I don’t post ‘my’ AI ‘art’ here because I don’t have enough time to achieve great quality with ‘my’ AI ‘art’!!!!” Because that doesn’t exist. AI ‘art’ isn’t good quality and it never will be. You think it can be good because you have no clue what actually makes art good.

“Neural networks is another name for AI.” Let’s dive into that since you didn’t want to expand. We’ll be using this MIT article!

AI was modeled loosely after our neuron structure, which creates new neural pathways after learning something and strengthen after repetition, to create a process called “deep learning.” This resulted in “neural networks,” a series of layered node clusters leading into other node clusters that sends data to the next layer, most often only in one direction.

AI learns by taking in data and spitting it back out again in recognition. AI can learn how to generate a car after being fed thousands of images of a car, but it cannot properly generate a bird after only being fed images of a car. AI is only as good as how many images it’s been fed. AI analyzes images that have been compressed into data, stores data required to reproduce said image, and generates from that.

Also, there are AI bots created to specifically copy an artist’s style! So, yes! AI does literally steal from actual artists, but spits out a version of mangled data that’s unrefined. It quite literally steals from human art and generates an attempt at recreating it. Some of you talentless fucks are so envious of people who worked hard for their skills that you have to ask an AI to generate a shitty version of their art.

The different here is humans actually create their own unique piece using everything they’ve learned because humans have complex thoughts! AI can only take from what it has seen. AI has no imagination or creativity, just like the people who use it.

You continually bring up caveats but don’t even attempt to explain them. What a pathetic attempt at trying to justify your lack of talent and empathy.

“Insults don’t make your position better 🤓.” Buddy, I’m insulting you because you fit the bill of the insult, not because I want it to make my position better. It doesn’t take that much effort to understand that an insult is meant to be an insult, not support for an argument.

i need tumblr (and every other site ever) to have a “report ai” feature bc i’m sick of this shit. i don’t care if it’s writing or art, ai has no place on sites like tumblr that are supposedly for artists.

if you’re an ai “artist” go get a fucking hobby. go outside. go do something worthwhile instead of stealing from other people.

also, if you use ai to write your fucking essays you also suck! put in some fucking effort for once.

and before any ai dickriders try to tell me to just block those people, i already have!! it’s like you vermin multiply with each bitch i block.

[5hrignold]

awful. beyond redemption. i will stare at it for days

[riiviir]

hey guys so I just started reading Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott and OMG AHSBNSBSBSNSNBSHZHSHDBFHGGHFHGRJ2KSHSBSNSK AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I LOVE THINKING ABOUT THE RELATIVITY BETWEEN DIMENSIONS!!!!!!

[feyreshumanheart]

Okay, I had to pull out my books but there's some very important context I think this is missing and I just wanted to explain better since I wrote my first response quickly-

the tithe itself is described to be income based...

The Tithe is described based on both income and "status" so it's actually not necessarily egalitarian or accommodating to the less well off like I think you're assuming. Just because it's income and status based doesn't mean it's fair per that income and status either.

Like there's been tons of historic examples of taxes that are supposedly on paper appropriate but are actually asking an undue amount- offhand, I can think of some examples of governments demanding high portions of a harvest that was supposedly fair but wasn't because the harvest was rough that year but the amount didn't reflect that, local officials misrepresenting the harvests, etc. and literally led to farmers starving because too much of their crop was seized by the government.

So going outside of acotar for a second, I don't think it's fair to assume income-based means that the taxes were reasonable and manageable because that assumes 1. the government understands and knows the exact income consistently, 2. asks an amount of that income that leaves enough for the individuals to live off of.

Back to acotar - I also don't know if I think giving just 3 months when it's established everyone is rebuilding is a lot of time after 50 years of slavery; this is how Lucien describes the state of the people who are not noble or "favored" right before the Tithe we see:

Lucien literally says they're still "trying to remember what it is to be normal" and Feyre says the village they see of the normal citizens is "halfway to being built"; Tamlin didn't tax them during Amarantha's rule because they were literally locked up or being worked for Amarantha and then they only get 3 months after to get things sorted and we know for a fact that theyare far off from getting everything in order.

which i did get the impression tamlin did not plan to do that

I'm curious why because Tamlin suggests he would and that the wraiths should know "the consequences" in the Tithe scene:

we only get one person who cannot pay for it, which is the water wraith, which canonically consumes everything in front of them, which makes it impossible for them to actually have something left over to pay the tithe

Putting aside that the fact that we have any examples of someone willing to risk the consequences because they literally can't pay at all (vs. not a single indication of this ever being an issue in Velaris in the 4x the time we spend there compared to the Spring Court), Lucien tells Feyre that the Tithes are not routinely paid and this is way more common than you suggest:

"It can get ugly" and "keeping track of who does and doesn't show up, who doesn't pay" tells us that it happens frequently enough that Lucien is expected to keep a tally as standard for a Tithe. The difference with the water wraith is that she showed up to ask for mercy and the whole scene in showed to us, not that she's considered unusual for having issues not paying.

while velaris is generally prosperous. we do learn in frost and starlight (which is where i'm at right now) that there are slums. nesta is living in one.

No, Nesta is living in what's considered the worst Velaris has to offer and it's notable because Velaris has no slums:

This is Cassian's description of where Nesta lives, as somewhere that's "grim" compared to Velaris as a whole, but way better than other places he's stayed, and reconfirming "the city itself had no slums".

I definitely feel you on the Tithe as a "show of power" and equating it to almost feudal practices though because the way Lucien described Tamlin giving protection in exchange for the Tithe made me think of that. A sales tax, by contrast, is much more modern.

however. there is never any pushback. amren presents it as a good thing, as superior, they are being unreliable narrators of their own system, and i find that interesting! i prefer to read this as unreliable narrators and illiteracy, than a SJM mistake

Feyre and Amren are representing what sjm is showing us and wants to get across, the Tithe isn't good.

And I think the disconnect is that you're thinking the Tithe as implemented is done in a way that asks a fair amount of the least fortunate and should therefore be a more progressive system than just a sales tax- when that's not what we're told and shown.

And Tamlin's explanation to Feyre on why the Tithe exists, why he asks stuff of his people this way and enforces it highlights that it's less progressive, which is what Feyre (and presumably Amren) are responding to:

Here Tamlin establishes why exactly he enacts the Tithe and demands of the water wraith and it establishes several aspects of why this is a broken policy that Feyre takes issue over "the unfairness of":

They don't need this tax from the wraith or others because what they're being given is a big deal to those less fortunate but not a big deal for a High Lord

When asked why not instead help his people who can't pay, Tamlin says "we have enough to deal with as it is" and that "handouts" won't be helpful

He also says the only reason he does this system even though it demands things that aren't needed of his people is "that's the way it is" and even cites prior High Lords, including his canonically bad guy father, and how they did things that he won't adapt, change, or rethink

The wraiths suffering is acceptable because Tamlin doesn't want to set a precedent that it's ever okay to have "exceptions"

He doesn't want Feyre to help anyone who can't pay because of the optics making him, the Court, look weak in his mind; he considers it a flaw to give "handouts" and "help" because enforcing the rule is a show of the strength of his rule

Feyre specifically calls out that she doesn't want to "let them starve, because of some ridiculous rule that your ancestors invented"

This has nothing to do with Feyre's literacy or knowledge of taxes- arguably Tamlin is shown to give less thought to and understanding of tax systems than Feyre despite being not just literate but enacting taxes for centuries.

In the centuries of rule, Tamlin has never considered deviating from or updating a tax system that came from his ancestors that is noted to "get ugly", asks for things that "they don't need", and has people unable to pay at all and even being hunted down for it. And his reasoning is because "that's the way it is".

Feyre is reacting to all of that, not a lack of understanding taxes. Your original question was:

considering she was poor, wouldn't she understand that a tax on bread harms families a lot more??

And the fact is in the books she sees and is told and shown that the Tithe in fact harms families more because it's asking things that aren't needed to directly benefit the most well off (the High Lord). Meanwhile, your concern about this:

a sales tax means that both rhys (who is rolling in money) and the poorest velaris resident, is paying the same tax, which is making goods and services more expensive.

Is also something Feyre sees Rhys take a different approach to:

Rhys actively speaks to the locals of Velaris, hears their concerns about prices increasing and confirms they'll do something about it. It's a purposeful contrast from when Feyre asks why doesn't Tamlin help his people who can't pay and he says they don't have time for it.

And then there's the context of Amren and Feyre's discussion of the Tithe:

Feyre asks about a Tithe in the Night Court because Amren says that Rhys doesn't punish rule-breaking that is reasonable/well-intentioned. This makes Feyre think of how Tamlin doesn't care about the reasons, the rules are the rules with the Tithe and enforced with big consequences if you aren't obedient.

And that's what I meant about your post ignoring what we're shown is true and thinking these systems should mean things when we're shown/told otherwise. These concerns you have aren't shown to be true and in fact, the opposite is. It's a fantasy and sjm doesn't give a ton of detail on economic policies or whatever but Feyre, Amren, and everyone are only responding to what is in-universe, not maybe what potentially could be more logical with these systems.

Though I'll say, any system that's good on paper can easily become bad depending on how it's enforced, corruption, etc. and I think that's what we're shown with the Tithe. In theory, could be progressive; in practice, it's exploitative of the least well off and not effective really.

I think maybe your question should be not why does everyone acknowledge that the Tithe is bad in-universe (because it's shown to be in practice and not well-reasoned) but why did sjm write a sales tax as more progressive and equitable compared to a system that is tied to income.

To which I would guess, it's because she purposefully contrasts aspects like traditional, set in their ways, formal, archaic and brutal rule in Spring Court vs. progressive, modern, forward-thinking "dreamers" in Night Court rule. And since the Tithe seemingly has inspiration from the feudal era whereas sjm herself has definitely paid sales taxes, that might be how she got to a tithe is barbaric vs. a sales tax modern.

i know it is not the point, but i cannot stop thinking about the tax system in acotar

in the spring court, which is an agrarian land, which does not appear to have large cities, they have a tithe. which is usually a certain percentage of your income + it was used in older times as an opportunity for people to come before their ruler and ask for what they needed. [i will not get into tamlin's actions surrounding this cause... really, i just want to talk about taxes].

in a court of mist and fury, amren says that people in velaris have to pay a sales tax (what illyrians and the court of nightmares pay is not clear).

and feyre sees this as a good thing, taxes vs tithe, but i'd actually argue, that the system tamlin had, is usually regarded in modern times to be more progressive, as it effects those with greater means the heaviest.

a sales tax means that both rhys (who is rolling in money) and the poorest velaris resident, is paying the same tax, which is making goods and services more expensive. therefore, the same good is a lot more expensive (to the overall budget) to someone who is poorer, while for rhys, it is a bargain! think about it: he is not paying income tax on his enormous wealth!

like, i know feyre did not know how to read. but... she had to hunt. she had to haggle in the market. were there no taxes on the human land?? considering she was poor, wouldn't she understand that a tax on bread harms families a lot more??

[pa-pa-plasma]

one of the things that will always destroy me is people believing that good story = darker/more mature/more sexual. this belief has ruined so many stories that could have been amazing & has prevented almost everyone from enjoying other really good stories simply because the age range it's aimed at is one they believe can't have complex themes, characters, plot, etc etc. they don't believe they can be moved by something a publisher or studio decided is for kids & so write it off without even thinking about it. biggest curse of being a writer who actually loves stories & telling them is that literally no one else cares in the most pessimistic, higher-than-thou, capitalism brainrot way you can imagine. & it's all automatic. because that's just what you're taught.

[icewindandboringhorror]

Everytime I face a new character limit on a website that didn't have them before/used to have really long ones... AUGHHhhh the modern social media world was not made for people like me (lovers of details, rambling, elaboration, thorough explanation, and nuance)

[iliveinprocrasti-nationn]

one thing abt being disabled/chronically ill that some people don’t get is that sometimes body maintenance that ensures you have the absolute minimum amount of function can also be something that takes away a lot of control and autonomy. you can argue till the cows come home that making those decisions to try and help yourself (or realistically to try to make sure things aren’t worse than they already are) is something that exhibits control and autonomy and stuff, but they can be so limiting in practice because they’re things that take up so much time but have to be done to do anything else

[cletus-kasadys-gay-boy]

Carnage #6 spoilers

This exchange made me fucking laugh. I mean, it's Cletus and I'm not surprised. But like... DAMN

.

.

.

I CAME ALRIGHT CLETUS! He's so fuckin fine. Bitch tell me to have an orgasm.... ON THE SPOT

[lupismaris]

Tbh there's nothing quite like getting roped (pun intended) into watching a truly mediocre show that can only be described as a Trainwreck fueled by racism and abuse.

[unriding]

ok i got really distracted but im back now

my writing feels a little rusty but we’re gonna ignore that. and the lack of editing. fuck it we ball

so like. moze is a very poorly socialized crow, right. but he trusts feixiao and jiaoqiu. you know what this makes perfect space for?

ultimate wingmen feixiao and jiaoqiu.

feixiao enjoys your company- she thinks you’re a very excited and endearing little thing. this isn’t your first meeting of course; you’ve met a few times before, just enough for jiaoqiu to notice the way mozes eyes linger on you. so feixiao is chatting with you, asking for details about what you like, telling you stories about being the general on the yaoqing, while moze and jiaoqiu observe from a short distance.

“i still don’t understand why you insist on staying here with me,” says moze in his usual flat tone.

jiaoqiu knows what he means, but chooses to tease him anyway, “what, i can’t keep my dear friend company?”

“aren’t you friends with her too?”

jiaoqiu smiles, “evie? yes, i think she’s friends with everyone she meets. she’s so sweet, i think she could even break through that icy exterior of yours,” the foxian tries to knock on the shadow guards chest for emphasis, but is firmly blocked by his hand.

“i disagree.”

jiaoqiu lets the comment slide as they continue to watch you and the general chat. he knows better, after all. moze typically needs time and exposure to acclimate to new people, but jiaoqiu is a very good doctor. though he’s no psychologist, he knows sometimes all a patient needs is a good push.

“you know, i think she had to be a foxian in her last life.”

moze raises an eyebrow at his friend.

“just look at her! if she had a tail, it’d be wagging nonstop.”

moze says nothing, but jiaoqiu has known moze long enough to know when he’s thinking hard about something.

and thinking hard moze is.

the next time you come up to the general or jiaoqiu to chat, mozes eyes are glued to you, picturing a dark, fluffy tail swishing back and forth with excitement. it’d make the ruffles in your skirts flutter too, he thinks. it could maybe even make the fabric ride up a little in the back-

he finds these thoughts haunting him constantly.

to be beside you and feel soft fur brush against his legs. to be behind you and catch peeks of your upper thighs- he wonders if you wear safety shorts. he wonders if you don’t.

such reprehensible behavior. you would be disgusted if you could read his mind. he can’t get himself to stop- maybe he doesn’t want to. he expects he’ll have to take these fantasies to his grave regardless.

what he doesn’t expect is more. more conversations, more texts, more time, more evie. and he finds himself with so much more evie that these fantasies to become more, too.

if you had a tail, what would make it wag the most? what would make it thump against him with indignation? what would make it puff up in surprise? if he touched you like this, would it thrash around behind you, out of control? how sensitive would it be compared to the rest of you? if he bent you over, would you let him use it to manhandle you on and off his cock while he fucks you relentlessly? would you wrap it around his wrist and cry for him to slow down, to beg him for mercy? would it tighten around him when he denies you, forcing you into orgasm after orgasm, because he knows just how his sweet girl likes it? how would you react if he-

“hello? evie to moze? anyone in there?”

moze is startled out of his thoughts as he feels you tug gently on his sleeve.

“are you okay? i’ve never seen you space out like that before,” you raise a hand slowly to gently feel against his forehead as if checking for a fever.

no. no, he is not okay. it took everything in him not to flinch at your touch because the contact made him realize how excruciatingly hard he is under the table the two of you are sat at. aeons, if the two of you were more secluded he’s not sure he’d be able to keep himself from pushing you halfway up the table and flipping your skirt up to-

“moze? your face is all red and you spaced out again. are you coming down with something? should i call jiaoqiu-?”

“no,” moze swallows thickly, “no, you don’t need to call jiaoqiu. i’m afraid i must take me leave now. i apologize for my abruptness.”

“it’s ok-” but moze is already gone, disappearing into a puff of shadow and crow feathers that flutter into nothingness once they hit the ground, “-oh.”

“did our dear crow fly off from you?” jiaoqiu appears out of nowhere, two boba drinks in hand. his smile cools the flare of disappointment at moze’s sudden retreat.

“uh- yeah, he did. he didn’t look great. i was just about to text you, actually,” you almost cringe at the way the feelings creep into your voice.

“well, i was on my way to bring the general a midday treat, but i suppose this justifies a sudden change in plans.”

“oh, i wouldn’t want to-”

“too late!” jiaoqiu is already seated, placing one drink- conveniently your current favorite- in front of you and shooting off a text to the general, “now, why don’t you tell me how your days been? i can probably think of some embarrassing stories about moze to get him back for leaving so suddenly.”

in his pocket, jiaoqiu’s phone buzzes.

feixiao: this has to be some form of mental harassment…i can’t believe you paid some random girl to walk in his line of sight and swish her tail to see what would happen! incredible work, jiaoqiu. i’ll start brainstorming our next move.

moze: i think i’m dying.