#otp: a different kind of rush

[chrysalis-the-butterfly]

My Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss Shipping Tier List

Hazbin Hotel Ships

Huskerdust - Angel Dust and Husk. My Hellaverse OTP! I've talked about them at length in my Huskerdust analysis post. Long story short: they're not perfect people, but they could be perfect for each other. They've both been through bad times and done bad things, but there's a chance they could change for the better now that they have each other. And that's why I love thinking about them together.

Chaggie - Charlie Morningstar and Vaggie. They're a sweet established couple, and it's cute to see how they'll take any opportunity to hold hands or hug or brush hair off each other's faces. Plus, I'm a sucker for pairings where one person is a grump and the other is a ray of sunshine.

Emilute - Lute and Emily. They're both angels, but very different in looks and personality. One is dark-skinned with pastel clothes and compassion for Sinners; the other is pale-skinned with black clothes and a dedication to eradicating Sinners. Emily would want to help Lute see the light, whereas Lute would try to make Emily cross over to the dark side... @carpp had made some great fanart of the two of them, which made me love the pairing!

Emilette - Emily and Velvette. I started shipping this thanks to @dallina17 and their posts on the pairing. I think it's interesting that Emily and Velvette both have musical moments where they stand up to authority figures (Sera in "You Didn't Know" and Carmilla in "Respectless", respectively), but go about it in different ways (appeals to morality vs. brash rudeness) and with different motives (concern for others vs. self-interest). That's got me thinking about what would happen if the two women ever met. Also, Black sapphic solidarity for the win!

MollyBomb - Molly and Cherri Bomb. I just think it would be funny if Angel's sister and Angel's best friend ended up dating. It's as simple as that!

CherriSnake - Cherri Bomb and Sir Pentious. Their shift from rivals to crushing on each other felt a bit rushed, but I'm intrigued to see where this relationship goes and what impact they might have on each other.

StaticNeedle - Niffty and Vox. I've talked a lot about my headcanon that Niffty and Vox were married in life. It stemmed from realising that they both died in the Fifties, and kind-of spiralled from there. It's probably the rarest rarepair I ship.

StaticMoth - Vox and Valentino. To be honest, I struggle to wholeheartedly ship Valentino with anyone, given his ... everything, but he and Vox would make a fascinating villain couple. One is camp and sexy and does whatever he wants, and the other is a sleek businessman who's obsessed with projecting the perfect image. Opposites attract, I guess?

Seramilla - Sera and Carmilla. Shoutout to @seramilla for getting me interested in this! I can definitely see the appeal of two mother figures on opposite sides of the afterlife finding common ground in their protective nature.

Zestmilla - Carmilla and Zestial. This ship is kind-of "meh" for me, but it is intriguing that Carmilla and Zestial seem so close with each other. I wonder how that happened?

Alzy (platonic) - Mimzy and Alastor. The way Alastor talks to and about Mimzy, and even the way he smiles around her, is different to how he acts around everyone else. The fact that they were friends in life and this friendship has carried over into death is really fascinating to me.

RadioRose (platonic) - Alastor and Rosie. I like how Rosie highlights a different side to Alastor compared to Mimzy, given that Rosie also seems to have a scheming nature. She's like a work buddy to Alastor, except they have a shared interest in eating people.

Lucilith - Lucifer Morningstar and Lilith. I'd like to find out more about their marriage and what caused it to fall apart.

Baximi - Crymini and Baxter. Neither have appeared in the show (yet), but a furry character and a fishy character falling in love has a cool star-crossed-lovers vibe to me.

Helluva Boss Ships

Owling at the Moon (platonic) - Loona and Octavia. Sarcastic Chorus made a really interesting video about how they differ and what they have in common. They're from opposite sides of the track, but both have daddy issues (to put it mildly), so they both could use a friend who understands.

Fizzmodeus - Fizzarolli and Asmodeus. I think the fact that I already love Roger and Jessica Rabbit made me more willing to accept another pairing with a clown and a sex symbol!

M&M - Moxxie Knolastname and Millie. I'm a sucker for married couples who don't completely hate each other.

Sallie Mayday - Verosika Mayday and Sallie May. One is a celebrity, the other is a country girl. It's another opposites-attract concept that I enjoy.

Marberry - Mrs Mayberry and Martha. This feels like "enemies to lovers" taken to the extreme, but hey, I'm here for it!

Stolitz - Blitzø and Stolas. I'm not sure how I feel about them as a couple, but I do enjoy reading and watching other people's analyses of the ship and of each person's shortcomings.

Colleenie - Collin and Keenie. They're both angelic sheep who seem like they're meant to be parallels to Moxxie and Millie, which intrigues me. If only Keenie treated Collin better...

Characters I Don't Really Ship with Anyone

Hazbin Hotel: Adam, St Peter, Odette Carmine, Clara Carmine, Arackniss, Travis, Katie Killjoy, Tom Trench, the Egg Boiz, Fat Nuggets, KeeKee, Razzle, Dazzle

Helluva Boss: Cletus, Deerie, Stella, Andrealphus, Paimon, Joe, Lin, Cash Buckzo, Barbie Wire, Mrs Knolastname, Crimson Knolastname, Striker, Chazwick Thurman, Beelzebub, Vortex, Mammon, Robo-Fizz, Glitz, Glam, Arick "Burnie" Burnz, Wally Wackford, Loopty Goopty, Lyle Lipton, Agent Two, Agent One, Ralphie, Counselor Jimmy

[annerbhp]

So who remembers the Four Seasons Landscaping press conference debacle of November 7th, 2020? You know, the one held across the street from the sex shop. And the endless memes after of “imagine your OTP: who owns the landscaping company and who owns the sex shop”?

Well, yeah, I wrote this thing for it a long while back. And yes, of course I made Harry work at the sex shop and Ginny at the landscaping company. Decided I should just schedule it to post on the next November 7th. Enjoy!

Come Again (Harry/Ginny, meet-cute, Harry works at a sex shop, bad flirting, Ginny’s into it anyway, non-magic world, Teen, no content warnings. Other than, you know, sex shop inventory!)

Harry glances up from his magazine at the sound of the shop door opening. He cursorily looks over the customer—young woman, mid-twenties, red hair, short, athletic build—before returning his attention to the magazine. He’s noticed most customers don’t particularly like the feeling of being watched. Some people flee immediately upon catching him watching them. Especially women.

Sure enough, out of the corner of his eye, he can see her slip down the aisle furthest from the cashier counter, the one full of costumes and larger objects far too difficult for anyone to steal.

“Harry?”

He looks over at Tara near the breakroom at the back where she’s pulling on her coat. “Are you off?” he asks.

“Yeah,” she says, swinging her purse over her shoulder. “Are you sure it’s okay if I take Tuesday morning off?” She’s biting at her lower lip, as thinking his offer was somehow a trap. He wonders what kind of shit she had to put up with at her last job. Or it could just be him. Maybe she’s still trying to get used to him as their manager or something.

“Yes,” he says, forcing his voice patient. “Go get your tooth looked at. I’ll cover the shift, no problem.”

“Thank you,” she says in a rush. She glances over, catching sight of the ginger. “Want me to cover this one before I go?”

“I’ve got it,” he says, and it occurs to him that maybe she’s more nervous about leaving him to do the shift on his own than she is that he’s going to get mad at her for taking the time off.

He’d be offended by that if he hadn’t spent the last three weeks completely in over his head. But he’s starting to get the hang of it now.

Tara waves and leaves out the back.

“So you’re the owner then? You don’t look like a Luna.”

He turns to find the customer standing in front of him. He glances at the big sign out front declaring this store as Luna’s sex toys and more store.

“What? Oh,” he says. “No. I’m just filling in for her for a few months. She’s out on maternity leave. Twins.”

“Ah, so you’re just the understudy,” she says.

“Something like that.”

Pull yourself together, Potter.

“Then you’re…” She waves a finger around in a circle, encompassing the whole store. “In the business?”

He laughs. “No.” He realizes a moment too late how bad that sounded, and rushes on. “She was going to have to shut the shop down or cut her time home, but I’m between careers at the moment, so I figured I could cover for her.” He has no idea why he is spilling his life story out at her, and he considers that maybe Tara had seen what he hadn’t when she’d been so reluctant to leave him on his own. “It’s been a bit of a learning curve, I admit. Though mostly it seems to be about putting customers in categories and treating them accordingly.”

Her eyes narrow, as if sensing an insult towards the kind of people who might come to a shop like this. “Meaning what, exactly?”

“No,” he says, desperately trying to backpedal. “It’s just… Look. It’s like setting expectations? There’s people who come for joke gifts, the people who pretend they are here for joke gifts because they are too embarrassed to want to buy something, the people who know exactly what they want and get right to it, and the people who are here because of rebounds. Each kind of person would prefer to be treated differently: ignored, helped, given stern looks. So it’s just about figuring out which kind of customer they are, so I can make this easiest for them.”

The customer is now frowning at him. “You know that still sounds kind of creepy, even if it makes sense.”

“Studying people is kind of my thing.”

She only looks more alarmed.

“Not in a creepy stalker way! Or in a ‘I want to draw your picture’ way. I was a profiler. You know, criminals?”

“Ah, so now the customers are criminals.”

He would think he just can’t win with this maniacal customer, but she was smiling now, clearly teasing him. “Only if you try to walk off with Gary shoved down your shirt,” he gamely replies.

She turns to follow his gesture, letting out a low laugh at the sight of an enormous oversized novelty cock with a face on the tip. It’s not a ‘I’m nervous and about to break down into a fit of giggles’ laugh either, so Harry is pretty sure this is a customer who won’t mind being offered help.

“So is there anything in particular I can help you find?” he asks.

“You tell me.”

Said in any other tone, that might sound like a come on, but it was more challenging than coy. “Excuse me?” he asks.

“Am I here for a joke gift? Profile me.”

He looks her over, eyes lingering on the details. A new sweater (he could see the strip where the sticker had been removed very recently). Her hair looked freshly cut, the way she touched it said it was not the length she was used to, maybe having cut it off recently. There was the slightest indentation on her ring finger, a faint tan line.

“You’ve recently broken off a long-term relationship, either started when you were both very young, with someone who likes vanilla sex that you found boring, or with someone who was offended by the idea of you using any toys because it felt like cheating and made you get rid of them.”

She stares back at him, eyes wide.

He said it all without thinking, really, just speaking as it came to him, these thoughts about who she was that he might come up with about a case.

“Sorry,” he says, certain he’s just cost Luna a customer. “I’m sure I’m way off.”

“No,” she says, “you’re annoyingly on-point.”

He winces, realizing that’s probably even worse.

Definitely time to try to make a tactful retreat, if at all possible. But before he can back away, she’s speaking again.

“I used to have a Shibari before he made me toss it. Any thoughts on what might be like that? Only better. And bigger. Longer battery life.”

“Uh,” he says, floundering for a moment. Then he walks over to a shelf, pointing at a slim lavender-colored wand vibrator. “I can tell you the mini halo is really popular. But Luna always says it depends on what you’re looking for, not what other people want.”

Her eyebrow lifts, and it occurs to him that he has basically just asked for detail about her sex life. Yup. It’s possible he’s out of his element. He ends up texting Luna, for some reason not wanting to lead this particular customer astray. Not just because she seems pretty great. She deserves to get what she wants after all! Everyone does!

Getting tired of the back and forth, the customer eventually just grabs his phone and texts Luna directly, debating the finer points of the Soul Sucker. The woman’s smile—stupidly lovely, really—No, not appropriate, Harry!—is wider and wider as she gets into a really long exchange with Luna. Ending with a gasp of adoration when Luna apparently texts a picture of her sons.

The text exchange eventually dies down, the customer giving Harry a bald, assessing look.

“What?” he asks, refusing to shift back and forth on his feet, reminding himself of his long career as a criminal investigator—which would mean more if he hadn’t burned out and left with no real plans for anything else he’s going to do instead. Other than manage a sex toy store, apparently.

“She wants to know how you’re doing,” the woman asks. Her eyes narrow as she studies him a bit longer, and, shit, she should consider a career as an interrogator. She nods her head, like coming to a decision and then starts typing away again, this time narrating as she does.  “Approachable, only slightly creepy, blushes at a minimum, non-judgmental, but needs an education.”

He lets out a startled laugh, not offended in the least. Actually a better rating than he’d expect. “Trust me, every day in this shop is an education.”

Her eyebrow lifts. “I can only imagine.” She hands his phone back and sweeps up the Soul Sucker and the mini halo too.

Harry helpfully points out the displays of various lubes, letting her head over there by herself as he steps back behind the counter.

A guy comes in then, picking up a pre-order which is thankfully much more straight forward, a package already put together by Tara before she left.

By the time he’s done ringing him up, the woman has made her final selections, putting them down on the counter. He scans each one, slipping them into a bag without looking at them. Not his business!

“And with the five percent break up discount, that comes to….”

“Discount?” she asks. “I don’t need your pity.”

“What?” he asks, feeling like he’s messed up yet another thing. “No, seriously. It’s a thing.” He flips the card with five different set barcodes on it, handing it over to her.

You’re better off without them! – 5% Never too late to figure out what you like! – 5% Congrats on embracing your sexual identity! – 5% You’re a few bucks short, but still deserve joy – 5%

She looks at him in surprise.

He shrugs. “Luna.”

She seems to relax then. “Which one am I getting?”

“Does it matter?” he asks.

She lets out a huff. “Guess not.” She hands over a credit card and he really does his best not to look at her name or anything, but it is sort of a part of credit safety? Or something?

Ginny Weasley. Is her name. It sounds vaguely familiar, though he can’t quite place it.

She signs the receipt, and he passes over the bag. “Have a nice day,” he says, almost automatically.

“Oh, I’d better,” she says, lifting the bag.

He really tries not to blush. He really does. Professional, Potter. Real professional.

Only then she’s giving him a wink and walking towards the door. “Let me know if you ever need help with landscaping,” she says, “so I can return the favor.” 

Harry pauses at the strange words, frowning, resisting the urge to look down at his body.

She’s definitely laughing at him now. “The landscaping company next door? Weasley’s Landscaping? It’s where I work. The family business.”

“Oh,” Harry says with a sudden rush of understanding. She works right next door. Where he will likely see her. Again. Quite often. “Right. I definitely will.” 

“Great. See you around.”

He can’t help grinning. “Come again!” he calls out after her.

He can hear her laughter as the door shuts behind her.

It takes Harry a while to realize he’s humming as he starts taking stock of the strap-ons inventory.

Just another lovely day in Luna’s shop.

[wraith-caller]

rogier and d twins for ask thing :)

someone asking ME about the d twins and rogier?? as if haha like i talk about them sometimes or something?? ha hahahah

Rogier

favorite thing about them His emotional issues and how they result in this weird kind of duplicity. Yes he's a polite fella, but you're never going to get at much with him besides his academic interests.

least favorite thing about them That he can't die by my blade #sicko

favorite line gotta be the dreambrew line, specifically when offered to him post-blight. I feel like it encapsulates and summarizes him perfectly. Bitter and a bit proud, rejecting attempts at empathy and reading them as insulting instead, but then quickly realizing he's getting a little too 'real'. so he immediately covers it up and reverts back to being polite and gracious.

brOTP Him and Eleonora I think. Their stories just have too much in common for me to not want them to hang out and get shitfaced together.

OTP Rogier/his own demise (or maybe Rogier/Darian, who knows??)

nOTP I dunno if I have one. I don't like Rogier/Devin in romantic terms, but if its vicious hatefucking I'll take it.

random headcanon i'll die before i give up the HC that his family is utterly fucked up and the source of him developing his emotional detachment + his people pleasing ways + the cocktail of misery his set describes him having.

unpopular opinion he's absolutely manipulating the tarnished into helping him. it's often read as him being your genuine friend and growing to trust you, but i feel like everything we know about him would indicate otherwise. he's a good liar, holds others at arms' length, and never talks about himself, only his mission and research. his heaping praise on the PC is less about genuine feelings of kinship and more about him buttering us up to keep us helping him. this is not to say he secretly hates us or something. but he's also not the most emotionally healthy person, and i think it'd take a lot more digging before he'd ever make a deeper connection with someone, certainly more time than the tarnished spends with him. he's not just a 'you have to have this many xp points to unlock my tragic backstory' he's a 'you need those xp points to unlock anything from me that isnt a polite smile and a gracious compliment to keep everything running smoothly'.

song i associate with them

Tongues & Teeth by the Crane Wives Distrust by Aibhe Reddy Wolves of the Revolution by The Arcadian Wild Claude's Girl by Marika Hackman

favorite picture of them

im not here to deny any allegations made against me.

Darian

favorite thing about them That in a land full of liars, cheats, killers, and cutthroats, he's pretty honest and straightforward. When he asks something of us, he does it on our terms, and he doesn't press us.

least favorite thing about them his haters tbh I don't know. this isn't me denying his negative traits like his devotion to the GO blinding him, because I enjoy that about him. I like my favs character flaws, they'd be boring otherwise.

favorite line am i allowed to pick all of them?? his voice is hot. maybe this one where he says "You haven't gone to see Gurranq yet? No rush, you do as you please." It's nice being shown patience lol but also joke about Gurranq starving to death is so corny, and I love him for it.

brOTP Devin feels like the obvious choice, but I'd also like to suggest Juno Hoslow or Nepheli Loux. Juno and Darian feel like that, in spite of their vastly different backgrounds, they'd have something in common being the older brother. He and Nepheli, I've honestly got no canon reason for it other than I like them together. I think they have similar dispositions with their kind of serious and stoic natures, but also a desire for justice(though its debatable whether their senses of justice would mesh completely...depends on Nepheli's perspective on the dead).

OTP Darian/Rogier, no surprises, next

nOTP Hmm hard to say. I guess Darian/Fia is hard to picture, but it doesn't make me feel like I wouldn't read it lol

random headcanon I think that, even after being accepted by the Golden Order, he and Devin are still largely ostracized by other knights and hunters, and mostly still only have each other. He still deeply values the Order for taking them, because it's a far cry from having nothing at all, and now they at least have a purpose and a place.

unpopular opinion the fact that i like him at all is apparently an unpopular opinion lol But really I guess I just don't buy that he's a callous, heartless, empty-headed fascist. I was told the other day that the "whole point" of his character was his fanaticism, and I think this is a pretty big misreading of his story, because there is way more interesting stuff to be said about him and fia specifically than 'he's a fanatic'. That is a piece of who he is, but not the entire point.

song i associate with them Dorian by Agnes Obel Before I Sleep by Marika Hackman

favorite picture of them

probably this pic elden_things took of him.

Devin

favorite thing about them his absolutely unhinged and feral behavior that runs so counter to darian's calmer, stoic demeanor. it's another expression of dualities. they share the same soul, just across two bodies, so there is this weird thing where they are at once distinct entities, but also the same. and i think the contrast in their behavior serves to illustrate that.

least favorite thing about them that we get so very little about him, and nothing of him prior to darian's death. so it is hard to judge much of his character when all we know of him is in this freshly traumatized and disoriented state.

favorite line "Ah, hello. The rotten witch is dead." It just drives me bonkers how you can HEAR the crazed grin in his voice. Very well delivered line.

brOTP It's hard to see Devin befriending much of anyone but Darian, but again, this may be because of how we don't really know what he's like before Darian's death broke him.

OTP Not sure I have one for him.

nOTP Devin/Rogier or Fia/Devin. I think he'd blame the former for Darian's death. And the latter, well lol

random headcanon He resents himself and imagines he's a kind of burden on Darian. Being he is the 'younger', he may have an irrational notion that, had he not existed, and Darian had been born alone, there'd be no curse and Darian could've had a normal life.

unpopular opinion He's not a misogynist and I think it's absurd to make such a claim based off like one minute of character interaction, and fresh off the heels of his brother's murder, no less. I think people try to make it a moral imperative for you to dislike a character rather than it just being a personal preference. Just saying 'I don't like them bc they suck and I hate them' is less a powerful argument than 'he's clearly a misogynist so you should hate him or you're bad and excusing misogyny'. It's ridiculous.

song i associate with them The Friend by Meryem Aboulouafa

favorite picture of them

i liked this action shot i was able to get of him fighting one of the gargoyles.

[setrija-nibelungenfangirl]

Day 7

Fanon OTP(s)

My favourite fanon ships are Hagen x Volker and Hagen x Gunther – which I prefer changes every now and then.

Hagen x Volker:

These two share such an intimate bond as brothers in arms: they always support each other and their declarations of friendship and love are some of the sweetest moments in the Nibelungenlied. Hagen getting mad with rage after Volker is killed by Hildebrand is the tragic cherry on top.

Another main reason why I like them lies in a major theme of the second Nibelungenlied part: the portrayal of heroic exorbitance. There is a value shift in the text after the Burgundians cross the Danube: Starting from Hagen the Burgundians increasingly orientate their behaviour towards a warrior ethos, according to which the one way to increase one’s honor is to not shy away from a fight – to rush towards the opponent instead – and to inflict as much damage as possible to the opposing side (= kill as many enemies as possible). To accept their doom, to provoke fate, becomes the new agenda of the Burgundians. This is a really toxic mindset from a modern perspective (probably already from a medieval one), but it’s really fascinating to me and a very big and dark appeal of the Nibelungenlied, I haven’t mentioned yet.

And the pair of Hagen and Volker exemplifies this aspect of the Nibelungenlied in a big way in my eyes. They encourage traits of exorbitant heroism within the other by supporting each other in their aggressive behavior: Hagen rushing to Volker’s aid after the latter murdered one of the huns during the tournament, Volker aiding Hagen when he makes a widow cry by presenting her the sword of her death husband. Also, Volker is just like Hagen a master in the art of provocation, which makes him further the perfect match for mister ‘Yeah, I killed your husband, watcha gonna do about it, hm?’.

I also like the fanon interpretation of Volker being a more free-spirited person, who likes to enjoy life (and maybe to also flirt xD) due to him being a musician – maybe even with a somewhat sensitive, artistic side? Which is a great contrast to Hagen, who I like to imagine to be more occupied with his duties and therefore more stuck up and less likely to just relax once and a while.

Hagen x Gunther:

Their power dynamic is just so interesting to me. Normally, it is assumed that the king is the one with the clearly greater power and decision-making authority. But this dynamic often seems to be turned on its head with the two of them. Hagen is often the one who makes decisions independently and convinces Gunther of them or simply enforces them over Gunther's head (in the second part of the Nibelungenlied). However, Hagen does not seem to do this to disempower Gunther, but on the contrary to promote his interests and strengthen his position as king. Nor does Gunther seem to be bothered by the fact that Hagen has this great decision-making power as a vassal. On the contrary, he seems to be used to it and even consciously wants it – at least that is one possible conclusion that can be drawn from the stanza 119 of the Nibelungenlied:

Hagen actually acts appropriately when, as a vassal, he does not interfere in the dialogue between two king’s sons (Gunther and Siegfried) – but this is exactly the kind of interference Gunther wants and expects from him here. Which, I think, says a lot about their everyday dynamics.

There are also tensions and differences of opinion between the two in the Nibelungenlied (there are one or two scenes, where they do seem to get a bit rude towards each other), but despite these differences they stick together. I kinda really like the scene of Gunther defending Hagen at the Cruentation – despite it being only one line (probably because of the mental image I have of that scene). And of course, further moments demonstrating their bond are the scenes of Gunther and his brothers not handing over Hagen to Kriemhild and Hagen not revealing the hiding place of the hoard to Kriemhild.

Hagen's backstory, that he spent his childhood and youth as a hostage at Etzel’s court in Gunther’s place, also adds an interesting aspect to their dynamic. And the Waltharius can provide further material for additional angst between the two.

Hagen x Walther:

I also like Hagen x Walther for being childhood friends and comrades in arms, who share a deep and intimate bond: Hagen almost not being able to leave Walther’s embrace, before fleeing to Worms. Walther lamenting, where their famous harmony went. The sight of Hagen letting Walther forget about his father and not caring much about his home.

Them spending their childhood and youth as hostages in a faraway land as well as the events of the Waltharius itself leave plenty of room for angst and complicated feelings between these two. Their friendship surviving and these two laughing together, despite mutilating each other mere moments ago, is a bitter sweet ending in the Waltharius.

[kuriboo]

Yusaku for the character ask meme?

I watched Vrains as it aired, and I hooked onto Yusaku very quickly. It did not take long for me at all to look at Yusaku and see myself in him. Quickly my favorite character in Vrains, and remains so to this day. Before I was brainrotting about Yuga Ohdo, I was brainrotting about Yusaku Fujiki. I can still brainrot about Yusaku Fujiki like muscle memory if I put my mind to it; it's not that I'm brainrotting over him any less, I'm just very hyperfixated on the rush era rn.

Why I like them/why I don’t

What don't i like about Yusaku?

I love that he's a very...different yugioh hero. Sort of like how Yusei is, but with less racism and more cyberterrorism. Someone who the powers that be see as a threat, but the common guy comes to see as good. Someone who isn't doing this for fame, status, an image. He does what he does for himself and the people he cares about; he goes after Hanoi for revenge, goes after Lightning for Kusanagi (at least, initially, he does jump on the humans and AI can coexist train very quickly though), goes after Ai for, well, Ai. He's selfish, he's allowed to be, the narrative doesn't villainize him for it.

He also comes preloaded with trauma that we learn about very quickly, learn more about how it's even worse as time goes on, and then we get to watch him go through more trauma. We get to watch him give up because he feels he has nothing left and doesn't want to fight anymore. I love a guy in agony.

What I like about their appearance

His IRL appearance is everything to me. Look at his fucking hair. He's so Yugioh and I love it. Blue is my favorite color and he has so much blue going on. The pink is such a nice contrast and helped me appreciate pink and stop hating pink. He's got beautiful green eyes. His outfits are his school uniform, the uniform for Cafe Nagi, and a black hoodie (and pants, I don't remember what the pants for that looked like).

The outfit in Vrains? I really like it when the lines glow different colors based on what kind of monster he's summoning from his Extra Deck. That's a neat touch. Obviously I still like his eyes, same eyes. The rest of it? It's not a bad design, but doesn't appeal to me personally. I prefer IRL Yusaku.

OTP

Yusaku/Takeru. I am firestormshipping's strongest soldier (or at least, I used to be, back when it qualified as a rarepair...) Holds these two boys in my hands. It's about living through the same trauma but learning that not everything that came of it is bad and learning to heal together. Also the contrast between fire, something that creates light, and darkness, something that snuffs it out.

NOTP Datastormshipping unless it's done a specific way. Tala reminded me that when it's done a specific way, I do actually like it quite a bit, though.

OT3

Disastershipping (Yusaku/Takeru/Ryoken) leads to some really funny interactions.

Favourite card they use

Oh, he has so many good ones....

Firewall Dragon (sweet prince banned shortly after his debut), Linkuriboh, Cyberse Magician, and Update Jammer are all up there, though. If I had to pick one, I think Cyberse Magician is an unsung hero who deserves more praise. I cheered when Yusaku ritual summoned. I love ritual summons.

Linkuriboh did get this screenshot though lol

ANYWAY, if you haven't watched yugioh vrains yet, you're missing out.

[the-silver-chronicles]

Kinktober Day 22 & 31: "Breeding Kink" & "Aftercare" - For OTP: "Boa Lurking In The Bliss" (Silva Omar x Faith Seed)

Tagged by @socially-awkward-skeleton @imogenkol and @josephseedismyfather

Tagging @adelaidedrubman @raresvtm @derelictheretic @inafieldofdaisies @noodlecupcakes @direwombat @voidika @cassietrn @aceghosts @icecutioner @shallow-gravy @strangefable @statichvm @cloudofbutterflies92 @carlosoliveiraa @wrathfulrook @ladyoriza @la-grosse-patate @thewanderer-000 @omen-speaker @alypink @shellibisshe @josephslittledeputy @skoll-sun-eater @g0dspeeed @afarcryfrommymain @strafethesesinners @turbo-virgins and @florbelles + anyone else who want to join.

Prompt based on this kinktober post made by fellow mutual @starsandskies. While the main Kink of this post is "Breeding" and "Aftercare", you'll find it also includes ones such as "Praise", "Oral", "Biting" and a little bit of "Dirty Talk".

Hey everyone, here's my second and last contribution to Kinktober for this month. Here's a oneshot devoted to the main couple of the Far Cry section of The Silver Chronicles; Silva and Faith as you've probably guessed. From the mature tag and the title you can probably already tell that this oneshot (which will also be uploaded onto my AO3 as well) contains explicitly sexual content meant for 18+ users only. Minors Do Not Interact!

Here's a few warnings as to what this oneshot contains:

CW: Shameless smut, Minor angst, Cunnilingus, slight vaginal fingering, slight teasing, stroking a dick to erection (I don't think a handjob necessarily fits the context because Faith doesn't let Silva cum), P in V sex, unprotected sex, gentle sex, creampie, Silva's kind of unsubtle breeding kink and both women's obvious praise kinks. Includes a lack of contraceptives here (not the fault of either women, Kamski's flaw was that he thought Silva would be like him, miserable and single (neither words correlate nor share a connotation connection with each other here) and also doesn't take into consideration that majority of people don't think like him) and discussions of (getting) pregnancy. Plus the unspeakable horror of including the vaguest hint of a plot in a smut oneshot.

But also enthusiastic consent!

Okay now for the ONLY two Trigger Warnings: Minor reference to past religious and child abuse. These aren't the center focus of the oneshot and aren't explicit either, but these are something that are at the very least inferred (I hope that's the right word) to during Silva's POV thought process in the beginning, but not during the smut itself. I only make these warnings because it's better to be safe than sorry.

You may also notice Faith is a little different (possibly) personality-wise, and I imagine its because of being influenced by certain characters (like say... Sharky and the Drubmans (mostly Adelaide)) and this is set many months post-game and Collapse, and both she and Silva (plus Azriel) have taken shelter in Silva's prepper bunker, so I imagine at this point a certain level of character growth and change has occurred. I’ve also given a short personal explanation in the tags as well.

Author's Final Edit: I've been working on this nonstop for four weeks, at differing states in mind but refused to leave it unfinished, so apologies in advance if it's not that good or even a little rushed (as you can likely tell it's no longer October) than what I originally planned. Anyway gonna post this now and hope for the best.

I'll be sure to reblog this post with the link to the one that'll be posted on my AO3. Anyway, enjoy the fic under the cut:

Title: This Sweet Leisure

Series: The Silver Chronicles (Far Cry 5)

Character/s: Silva Omar (Deputy OC), Faith Seed, Azriel Omar (mentioned OC), Irene Neon (past referenced OC), Persephone Neon (past referenced OC), Elsa Omar (past referenced OC), Kamski Neon (past referenced OC), Tracey Lader (referenced) and Father Adam Omar (Barely referenced OC and thank the Gods, he's super dead).

Words: 7,734

Quiet moments had never been something Silva thought she could afford to enjoy.

She was familiar with various forms of quiet though. Many of which denied her comfort, including peace, or even leisure.

She had experienced a cold kind of quiet throughout her youth. It was tense and foreboding, a wordless warning hanging over their heads like the ill-omen of a guillotine. The only sounds allowed were the roaring winds of a wrathful blizzard outside and the slight clinking of plates and utensils shared between two quivering hermanas.

She had spent many nights as a child in a quiet that was always too quiet. That was the worst kind of quiet for Silva. Dread left her restless, sleep evaded her like the answers she constantly prayed for, haunted by anticipation as she listened for the recognizable signs of Father's approaching footsteps outside her bedroom door...

But the most familiar quiet she's known would be that of loss and mourning. The moments where silence would replace where there should be joyous laughter, or whispered promises, or the normalcy of conversation.

Where she expected a small form to run around the house once she exited her room, her little one's delighted giggles filling the room as her ginger bangs bounced from her enthused race... she found nothing and the heaviness would weigh down on her heart once more.

She would spend periods lamenting on each and every loss, whether it be family, friends, her amor or her beloved hija.

When trapped in this quiet, her mind would betray her... always following the same maze in the labyrinth of her thoughts, with each memory visited and revisited while she punished herself for the grave inescapable sin of not being strong enough, fast enough, doing enough.

Simply put, the quiet moments remind her of how no matter what, she'll never be enough to keep those she cared for. She found no escape through sleep either; her imagination was often the most cruel.

Punished by constant night terrors, which only grew more frequent from there.

Perhaps that is why she enjoyed the action, those fast-paced minutes that squandered on hours. The wars, the fighting, the very act of survival, the violence she despised, justifying her use of it as necessary and right.

The very same violence that took pieces of her until she was nearly hollow from the high. But at least she couldn't feel anything but the emptiness afterwards... distracted from the grief.

What a twist of fate that, at the end of the very collapse of society, all she could have would be quiet moments. For approximately seven years, she would have to live in the very bunker she had dismissed as a paranoid and needless precaution, even for the likes of Silva herself.

In spite of this, she had kept it well-maintained. At least to honor one of Elsa's lasting gifts to her.

And even though Elsa and Persephone were long gone from her life, Silva would be forever grateful of it since it had saved the last two of her most precious remaining loved ones; Faith and Azriel.

It was a rough few months at first, for herself especially, but they made it work. A routine had been set up, tasks given for each of them, and both Faith and Azriel seemed to have put aside their animosity, for the sake of Silva at least.

Silva, though prohibited from putting too much strain on her muscles, had recovered enough to do the laborious tasks that the other two were unable to do, as well as keep track of their inventory, rationing the power and water they were using, keeping track of the days by making calendars (at least enough so they have a fraction of an idea of when they should leave), keeping the only functional clock left out of Azriel's reach, general cooking and proceeding with Azriel's education (and ensuring her pequeño inventora utilizes the parts they don't need for her machinations).

Usually these tasks were completed with the assistance of both Faith and Azriel.

Faith utilized the knowledge she retained from the Eden's Gate to correctly double-check and correspond with the information Silva gave, as well as support a garden from within the bunker that gave them all fresh fruit and vegetables besides the preservatives, aided Silva in Azriel's education with subjects Silva had less expertise in and was the only person in the bunker with any specialization in medicine, besides Silva's apparently redundant strategy of "ignore the problem until it starts affecting you personally" or "only treat problem when close to the nearest convenient bandage, stitches or medic".

(Silva could admit Faith had a point about her reckless behavior).

Azriel's days were mostly spent assisting Silva, or Faith when the girl chose to stop detesting the other woman. She attended her "classes", whether it be academical or practical, so she'd be as prepared as she could be for whatever was outside the bunker doors.

Azriel's hobby in engineering proved to be handy, with Silva and Faith both stumped on the workings of such a subject despite their reliance on the bunker's generator and water filter.

They'd have their meals together, and would often spend time in the same living space once their tasks were done. When it came to nightly routines, Silva would bathe Azriel herself, and would share her own shower with Faith as to not waste water.

Those moments were strictly kept tame, given Azriel's close proximity from the bedroom and the necessity of the water. However, Silva didn't mind, as she and Faith got to be closer, with hands touching the places neither wanted others to see. Their scars were only for them to admire, neither holding shame nor judgement as they took care of each other.

After cleaning off, Silva would put Azriel to bed in one of the spare bedrooms she had claimed for herself as Faith shut off any non-essential power for the night, before both she and Silva retired to their shared designated master bedroom.

That was where the quiet became more prominent.

It wasn't so bad; sometimes one or both of them would be able to drift off. Other times, sleep would evade them, and they just enjoyed each others company, sharing stories and jokes, their voices barely above a whisper. Often they'd talk about the plans for the next day, perhaps wonder about the future... or even confess their own fears, quelling doubts. A peaceful quiet.

There were few nights when these fears took form as nightmares, interrupting their rests. Such nights were spent comforting the other in an understanding silence, few words exchanged while they found warmth in each other's arms. A comforting quiet.

But those night terrors were becoming far and few as the months passed, and Silva found herself cherishing the quiet as much as she did the time spent with her little family.

Though months passed, there was a slight change from the routine, one night where Silva rediscovered a quiet she hadn't experienced in a long while, and would revisit the following weeks.

Although sexual intimacy wasn't a first for either Silva or Faith, after the Collapse, they prioritized the ensured function of the bunker, recovering from their own physical and mental wounds and Azriel's well-being over their passion. It was the practical thing to do in that situation.

However, so much time had passed since the Collapse had occurred, and though the intimacy they did share was cherished and fulfilling, there was a familiar desire that burned patiently; the want to be connected, the need to be closer, to make the other sing with pleasure, and to share their love and affection through one of the few ways they could.

After Silva tucked Azriel in for the night, she had returned to the master bedroom. Shutting the door behind her, she turned to the sight of Faith awaiting her by the foot of their bed.

Silva shared a soft smile with her amor, making her way over to Faith to give a nightly embrace and kiss before bed.

Faith had stopped Silva with a hand on her chest, green eyes looking deeply into grey as the former herald tried to put her desires into words.

"I want you," she said softly, a noticeable shade of light pink across her face with eyes full of a need that stole Silva's breath away, "Tonight. I want you, and I want to make you feel good."

Silva felt a burst of exhilaration invade her body, her nerves lightened up with renewed enthusiasm. The feeling only increased when Faith delicately held one of Silva's hands and brought it to her soft lips.

The kisses she pressed down onto the faded scarred tissue sent tingling signals throughout Silva's body, a pleased sigh escaping her lips as her cheeks darkened into a blush. Faith gauged Silva's reaction, her gaze anticipating her answer and yet pleading all the same, lips brushing against her sensitive hand.

Silva responded with a loving smile, using her spare hand to cup Faith's face, fingers caressing the skin like light kisses as she brought her own face closer.

"Si," Silva had acceded, connecting their lips, feeling the thrum of Faith's enthused hum. When breaking off the kiss, the former deputy stated, "Under one condition."

Faith visibly wet her lips, tilting her head into Silva's palm as she asked, barely above a whisper, "And what would that be?"

Silva smirked, and Faith waited with bated breath on Silva's response (but if she hadn't been so focused on Silva's answer, she'd notice beloved's grey eyes shined with a flicker of silver), bringing her chapped lips to ghost along Faith's ear, and purred, "I'll make you feel bliss first."

Faith broke into a grin, and wrapped her arms around her lover's neck as both of their desires heightened, lips caught in a dance before Silva took the lead.

While their tongues communed and tasted one another, Silva's hands wandered, brushing over Faith's dress and squeezing at certain areas to bring out those small noises she never gets to hear in any other moment.

She settled both her wandering hands at Faith's hip and culo respectively, giving a squeeze on both that elicited a surprised yelp from her amor, though a giggle soon followed after.

Silva retracted from the kiss as her hands reached the hem of Faith's dress, "Let's get this dress off, mi querida."

Faith only nodded as her hands joined Silva's to slip the dress off from over her head rather smoothly, freeing her perky breasts for only Silva's eyes to see. She pressed her hands onto the skin, how good and warm it felt under her touch. Her thumb grazed over a scar just under Faith's rib cage.

Her attention was deterred however by her amor's impatient fingers unbuttoning her shirt.

Silva followed suit, unbuttoning the rest of her dress shirt and shrugging it off. She reached for the strap of her bra behind her, but Faith ceased her struggle when she pressed her hands onto Silva's clothed breasts.

"Arms up, darling," Faith directed, and Silva saw the glimpse of the herald whose reputation commanded fear and respect from her foes. It sent an exhilarating shiver down the former deputy's body, feeling a twitch in her lower body as she followed her amor's orders.

Faith pulled the undergarment over her lover's head, tossing it away. Silva didn't bother to chide about the messiness, figuring it to be a issue she'll deal with tomorrow. In the mean time, she was too preoccupied with giving Faith's greedy hands access to feeling her swell chest up. She let Faith grope at her breasts, hands wandering all over her exposed upper half. Even in the darkness, Faith accurately pinpointed every faded scar there was on this portion of the Omar woman's body.

From her healed cuts and slashes, to the closed scarring from past bullet wounds, to her shoulders; the left harbored old burns, while the right was less clearer, though the texture of the skin was notably a shade lighter, if only slightly.

Silva hummed from the touches she received, massaging Faith's breasts in return. Faith gaped in pleasure, and Silva jumped at the opportunity to reconnect their lips, tongue inserted back in, this time to dominate.

Faith moaned into Silva's mouth, and the reverberation spurred Silva on. Her hands moved to behind Faith, she pulled the other woman's body against hers, their chests colliding. Faith's hands gripped at Silva's back, pushing herself against her lover to chase after the pleasure of grinding their breasts together.

Silva slowly lead Faith backwards to the bed, letting the foot of the bed buckle Faith's legs into sitting down.

Without hesitation, Faith spread her bare legs to give Silva a peek at the lacy white lingerie underwear, embroidered with a familiar pattern, that she had adorned for this occasion. Silva got the impression that her amor had been planning this for some time.

Silva wouldn't disappoint.

Though that pattern did look familiar-

Flowers. Of course, Silva noted in mild amusement.

Faith closed her legs together and dragged her underwear down, shimmying the flower-patterned lingerie down to her ankles, kicking them off to the floor. She opened her legs once more, displaying her nude, bare self for Silva's eyes to feast upon. The sight made Silva's crotch felt uncomfortably restrictive, but she restrained herself from taking her pants off and making love to Faith there and then.

Silva wanted to draw this out; she wanted Faith to feel the greatest heights of this high until she was fully satiated, as well as for herself too.

Caressing her amor's face, Silva's eyes lingered down to Faith's wet folds awaiting her, the light brown bundle of curling hairs layered at the top, and asked, "May I?"

Faith gave an eager and affirming nod, and Silva descended down to her knees until she was face to face with the younger woman's lower lips. Putting her amor's legs over her shoulders, Silva circled two fingers around her labia to stimulate more wetness and gather it onto her fingers, while her other hand's thumb gently brushed against her clit.

She heard Faith's breath hitch above, which made Silva temporarily halt, her eyes meeting green to wordlessly check on her pareja. Faith met her lover's gaze and returned an assuring nod. Silva took a breath and continued to tease her amor's slick pussy and clit, feeling a tug of pride within herself when she heard a soft airy sigh come from above.

Satisfied with the slickness, she inserted one finger inside, earning her a gasp and small moan from Faith. She massaged her index inside the warm insides before inserting a second finger to join the first, curling and gently twisting both as she proceeded to press a bit firmly on Faith's clit with her thumb.

Spurred on by the sounds of Faith's heavier breathing and soft moans, Silva gave a trail of kisses along both of her thighs, perhaps lightly sucking at the flesh to leave a mark or two where no one but both of them would see.

She carefully twisted her two slick-covered closed fingers to face her and opened them up in a V-shape, spreading her amor's vagina.

Silva leaned closer, breathing in her scent. The pungent tangy musk tinted with a hint of earthy sweetness to it. A floral scent really; not like the acrid sweetness of the Bliss though. That had long since been washed away.

Without wasting another moment, she pressed her tongue flat against Faith's vulva, licking it in a glide upwards until she reaches her clit.

Faith tasted like honey, with a hint of sourness that reminded Silva of yogurt. It was something surprising to discover; how different the taste was. She'd expected a metallic taste and bitterness not unlike coffee when she first went down on Faith, as she had remembered Irene's being, and the few women she had brief relations with holding a similar taste, but had been pleasantly unprepared for the flavor.

She continued to lap up the slickness, proceeding to explore with wide licks that swished around the folds of her amor's vulva, enjoying the sweet little noises she drew out and the feeling of Faith's legs shaking over her shoulders.

Silva hadn't expected Faith to cross her legs to pull her mouth closer, but the Omar woman held no complaints. She focused on flexing her tongue deeper inside, licking every nook and cranny.

Silva felt Faith's hand furl into her dark hair to keep the former deputy where she was, grinding herself against her lover's tongue. Silva hummed her appreciation into her amor's pussy, the vibrating sensation provoking a whimper out of Faith.

Feeling her lover's tongue retracting, Faith almost expressed her dissatisfaction with the lack of contact until Silva's lips enveloped around her swelling clit, lightly sucking as her tongue gently circled around it.

Faith choked out a cry as she felt Silva's two fingers re-enter to massage at her sensitive flesh. Lips parted, her moans didn't escape quietly, though it didn't discourage Silva from her relentless efforts to bring about Faith's high.

Silva heard Faith murmur out words incoherently yet consistently (though that may be due to the thighs squeezed around her head canceling out most noises), though was unable to inquire about it as she felt Faith's legs tense around her.

She had enough time to glance her eyes up to see Faith slightly arch her back before she felt the inner walls of her vagina constrict and spasm.

Silva had half-a-mind to have her mouth open when fluid squirted at her face. She lapped up the sweet sticky fluids as Faith rode her high out.

Leaving soft rewarding kisses around her amor's sensitive flesh and thighs, Silva began crawling up to trail her kisses along Faith's waist and stomach. She peppered her breasts, collarbone and neck with special attention, sucking on the skin to leave little marks.

She kissed along her jaw, face and settled on her lips. Face to face, Silva admired the flushed yet blissful expression that resided on her amor.

Breathing returning to a regular intake, Faith opened her green eyes to gaze into Silva's adoring ones.

"You look so beautiful right now amor," Silva complimented, lightly tucking a loose hair behind Faith's ear.

The Seed woman licked her lips, the smile on her face joined by a light blush from the praise. And though Silva meant what she said, she still had the need to confirm.

"Was that good for you, mi querida?" Silva asked softly, searching for any hint of potential discomfort from the young woman below her. Faith blinked at Silva, maybe touched by the concern, maybe in bafflement at the question. Though she proceeded to bring her head up to rest against Silva's own.

"It was wonderful. You ate me out so well my sweetheart," Faith assured with a pleased sigh. She proceeded to bring her lips to the shell of Silva's ear and whisper, "Now why don't you take those pants off? I can't be the only one naked here."

Silva gave an affirmative nod and obliged to Faith's request. Scooting to the side of bed, she pulled down her loose night pants, kicking them off at her ankles. She went to remove her boxers next, but Faith slipped up behind with wandering and electrifying hands that danced across her front.

Faith peppered light kisses along her neck, and softer ones to her old burn scars, which Silva appreciated. One stray hand palmed over the bulge throbbing against her boxers, massaging the member, earning a shameless moan from Silva.

"You're so good to me, Silva. Always accommodating. Putting my needs before yours," Faith revered warmly, massaging the stretching bulge that began to tent up at her boxers, eliciting a low groan from Silva, while Faith stated, "You're so full of love. And I'm happy to be someone you share it with. Which is why I want to make tonight special for you. To give my own love back to you, in the most intimate act together."

Silva bit at her bottom lip as she felt herself get harder at Faith's words, the kind and adoring words flustering the woman. She felt Faith reach into her boxers to pull out her erect cock. Freed from its confines, Silva didn't try to suppress the moan that rose in her throat when her amor curled one hand at the base and began to pump.

Precum leaked from the tip, and Faith brushed a thumb over it, spreading the slickness around the head. She reached down to gently massage at her scrotum to further tease her lover, receiving a choked yelp that morphed pleased groan. Satisfied with her work, Faith tugged at the boxers, with Silva pulling it down the rest of the way.

"Now for what I promised," Faith purred sultry, intertwining her hand with Silva, leading the compliant woman to crawl further onto the queen bed with her.

With both now bare and their hearts beating with a thrill, Faith took initiative, placing a halting hand onto Silva's chest to halt her approach and lightly push her down backwards.

"Can you sit for me?" Faith requested, flashing sweet honest pearls at her, and Silva nodded affirmatively as she followed suit, sitting down with her legs splayed out, her cock proudly pointed up as Silva's eyes traced ever bit of Faith's body.

She swallowed on nothing, wishing she could count the stars to mark a number down of how much she had been so unbelievably lucky to have not only meeting Faith, but get to be with her. And to keep her and Azriel safe, a small relieved voice spoke up, though it didn't last, You never were able to do that with anyone else.

Silva almost frowned at the thought, and briefly closed her eyes. What happened wasn't my fault. I did all I could in those moments, she reminded herself, defending against the guilt, just as Faith coached her.

She opened her eyes when she felt Faith's hands grasp onto her shoulders, her legs at both sides of her hips. Her wet entrance hovering above Silva's leaking head, though Faith paused as she cupped Silva's face into her hands, the next words she spoke sending a spike of pleasure through her veins, "I want you inside me."

Heart fluttering at the proclamation, Silva wanted nothing more than to obey, to be inside her amada and feel how she clenched around her, to murmur little praises into her skin as she just enjoyed having her amor in her arms. However, through the haze of love and lust, she had a realization, "I don't have condoms. I don't think there are any down here."

"Nor birth control," Faith informed her, green eyes gazing down, and Silva wanted to kick herself for not noticing when she did stock checks, "I checked the infirmary; it just wasn't included amongst the stock."

Silva could take a guess why. The infirmary had been an additional room inserted by Kamski himself without her permission. Though she was grateful now for his foresight, she felt an annoyance towards Kamski's paranoia overstocking the infirmary with supplies for illness, injury, surgery and even birth delivery, but was flippant about her chances of finding a new partner that he was he convinced her contraceptives wouldn't be necessary. By Jannah, why did I listen to him?

She brought a hand over one of Faith's own which still had her face cupped, thumb brushing at the knuckles. While Silva certainly wasn't against the idea of unprotected sex, especially if Faith gave her consent, under normal circumstances there would be a world with safety nets to fall back on if they decided to risk it.

However, they were stuck in a bunker, while luckily stocked for more than three people with food, medicine and other resources, it was without the contraceptives to avoid the high-risk results of the act.

She would love nothing more than to make love to Faith, to be inside her, to join her on the brink of their own bliss and just release. However, she knew of Faith's reservations, not to the act itself, but the potential consequences of said act.

Instead, she suggested, "If you really want to do this, I can try the pulling out, which does comes with risk. But we don't have to, we can do something else..."

Silva quieted down when Faith pressed a finger to her lips, shushing wordlessly. Faith smacked her lips together as she gazed at Silva with sincere affection.

"I appreciate that you're thinking of me, but there's no need to fret, my lotus flower," Faith said with a fond smile, running a hand through Silva's long dark hair, her green eyes full of a devotion Silva's doesn't believe she's seen on her before, not even with Joseph, not this intense and self-assured.

"But I made my mind up about this weeks ago," Faith informed her lover, an adoring smile blessing her face, "I want to feel you. And more importantly, I want you to feel good. I know you personally dislike the condoms. Not only that, but I know you'd rather not pull out. And yet you do those... all for me. And I'm flattered. Which is why tonight, I wanted to do this for you. No contraceptives... even if they ideally should have been optional... and no pulling out either. And whatever comes after this... I'm okay with it."

Silva blinked, not expecting this from Faith. Although she wanted nothing more to accept her words at face value, she still had to make sure, "What about what you told me? I thought you didn't want to risk-"

"I know what I had said. It was something I took time to think about too," Faith acknowledged, but her tone changed to something more impassioned, "But... my time spent with you and Azriel has made me reconsider. I know you. I trust you. Of all the people I was lucky to fall for, I'm glad it's with you. Because you won't abandon me. You'll be with me, through it all."

Faith's hands glided down to behind Silva's head and neck, bringing her beloved's face closer to her chest, adjusting Silva so her ear was to the skin.

"You hear that?" Faith asked above, her heartbeat thumping in a swift measured pace, and Silva only nodded, still a little lost until her amor explained, "That's my excitement at the thought of us giving in for tonight. Of us quivering and trembling in ecstasy, on the toe-curling edge until I milk you dry. That's what I want, but most importantly, I know that's what you want to do."

Silva felt herself burning up; from her head being in Faith's bosom? The lewd description she'd never expect Faith to use (Had she rubbed off on her somehow? The Drubmans and Sharky? Or had she always had this side of her? came the discord of thoughts) until this occasion? Or the admission that she not only knew of Silva's concealed desires, but wishes for her to act on them too?? Perhaps it was a combination, but Silva wasn't entirely sure.

Silva lifted her face to look into Faith's unabashed green eyes, finding no hint of doubt in those beautiful orbs.

"I want this. You want this. And we won't be unprepared," Faith assured, nuzzling her head into the nook of Silva's neck, hands residing at her back, "We have an abundance of supplies with everything needed for a full-term pregnancy, and the infirmary is ridiculously prepared with instructions and instruments ready for when the day comes. I know this is selfish... but I want to make something beautiful with you. To carry the culmination of our love within me. No more holding yourself back... take a leap, love. Put yourself first for once."

Silva chewed at her bottom lip as she felt her cock grow stiffer at the idea of succumbing to her base desires, and to join Faith through a union of their raw bodies, rutting into the warmth of Faith's inner walls until she released herself into her amada's womb, until she was sure Faith was pregnant.

Faith got her attention with a small kiss on the lips, green eyes staring straight into Silva's souls as she said her next words with utmost seriousness.

"I know how I sound, saying all these things to you, but here and now, I want you to understand that ultimately... it's your call, my lotus flower. If you don't want to risk it, I'll respect your decision. You're not obligated to do this, not even for me. I can do something else to have you reach your own high if you'd prefer," Faith offered, one hand reaching down to Silva's hard cock, stroking at the shaft, earning a pleased trill, "If you want to proceed, you already know I'm all for it. If you don't, I'll be happy with whatever decision you make. It's up to you."

Silva was grateful that Faith was willing to wait for her consent. She took the opportunity to think about it. She found Faith's points to be valid; they had an infirmary with information and instruments at the ready, the bunker was well-supplied, Silva has the experience to take care of Faith and their not-yet conceived child, she knows Azriel would be thrilled for a sibling and she had Faith's approval. Hell, she wanted to do it.

I want to do it, Silva realized, an anxious energy buzzing within her, I want to have a child with her.

Silva met Faith's gaze once more. Her bright grey eyes scanned Faith's green, and her hands moved up to rest on her amor's waist as she said, "I want to do it."

Faith's eyes blew open, delight filling her face, "Really? You mean it?"

Silva gave Faith a smirk that sent a shiver of exhilaration up the other woman's spine, "Si. Now mi amor, how do you like the sound of me cumming into you tonight?"

Faith's only response was a resounding, "Yes."

With a gentle tap from Silva, Faith proceeded to lower herself until her entrance met Silva's tip, grinding their sex together, the sensation causing Silva to gasp agape while Faith husked out a wanton groan.

Silva couldn't deny her own heart's elation at the feeling of Faith's slickness making contact with her own precum, mixing and leaking down her shaft.

Faith sunk until she enveloped the head of Silva's cock. The former deputy groaned at the sensation of Faith adjusting to her, her walls stretching and clenching around her. Faith masked her own moan as a pleased hum, hand bringing Silva's head to her collarbone.

Silva planted more kisses and small bites to decorate her skin as she delicately maneuvered Faith past her cock's head and down the shaft. Her amada rocked tenderly, rasping out breathy, needy moans as Silva's cock stretched her pussy.

Both women's breath hitched when Faith reached the base of Silva's cock, the latter once again adjusting to the former. For Faith, it felt warmer, and she felt fuller with Silva inside compared to when she wore the condom. Silva could feel her amor's slickness and heat, how she pulsed within her, how wonderful it felt to have Faith's walls clenched around Silva. It felt right.

Both held each other close, until Silva's knees rose up until they were behind Faith's back. She grabbed hold of her amor's legs, gaze bor into her green orbs, a determined look not unlike what Faith saw during the Reaping gracing Silva's features.

"Are you ready?" Silva asked one last time, giving Faith the chance to back out. Faith gave a thrilled, "Yes", her green eyes begging for more. Silva proceeded to ask, "You remember what word to use if things get too much for you?"

Faith nodded once more, recounting, "Tulip."

Silva gave a confirming nod, "That's right. Buena chica. Now stretch out your legs and lay back for me, mi amor."

Faith did as instructed, stretching her legs out and, with Silva's guidance, she locked them around Silva's waist. Faith proceeded to lean back onto the support of Silva's thighs.

Silva hooked one hand under Faith's culo, giving it a teasing squeeze as she leaned forward to bring her other arm around Faith's back. The former herald hooked one hand at the nape of Silva's neck while her other gave herself some support from behind, grasping onto Silva's leg to anchor herself.

She gave Silva an affirming nod to go ahead, and Silva tested the waters with a small thrust with a rock of her hips. Faith gasped out a lewd noise, and with another thrust, she let out a pleased hum at the contact, and as Silva thrust again and again at a steady pace, Faith began to pant out long, wanton moans while Silva breathed out grunts and husked out her own impassioned moans.

Silva continued to thrust into Faith as her amada continued meeting her thrusts with enthusiastic rocks, the wet sound of skin slapping against each other all that filled the room.

"You feel so good," Silva murmured in a drawl, and as she rocked her hips up into Faith's slick velvet walls, she let out a surprising growl, "Mierda, you're coño's perfect for me, Faith. I need to fill you up... I need to get you pregnant."

Faith let out an enthused titter, her gut recoiling with warmth like the hammer of a gun, and she teased, "Yeah? Is that what you're going to do, my lotus flower? Rut into my bare, unprotected pussy raw until you cum? Spill all your seed into my empty womb until I'm all nice and full? That's fucking hot. You're so sexy whenever you speak your mind. Gets me really wet."

Faith gasped as she felt Silva's thrusts quicken in pace, causing her body to rock from the jerky movement. Though Faith was not displeased by the change as her content moans and her sweet gaping features indicated.

Images flashed within Silva's mind while her sharp eyes lingered on Faith; the flat of her stomach swollen with life for Silva to cherish both with the hold of one hand. Her bouncing breasts full of milk, perhaps more swell and more sensitive than before. Silva was also fascinated by what Faith's stretch marks would look like, during and after the pregnancy, the beautiful markings long-lasting evidence of their joyous union. She remembered only briefly being able to admire Irene's post-birth marks a few days after Persephone was born.

Silva could feel herself reaching her end, she knew in the way her breathing grew strained, and her cock became stiffer and hotter. It was a familiar sensation, but here it was special, as nothing was stopping her from filling Faith up fully now.

"Faith, look at me, querida," Silva drew Faith's green eyes to retain direct contact with her grey, "That's good, mi amor. I'm glad to see your beautiful face. This is a moment in our bond I want to last. I'm close. I'm so close now. I'm going to cum inside you. And I'm going to get you pregnant. I want to hear you tell me you want it. I need to hear it."

So close to coming undone, Faith refrained from breaking their shared contact as she husked out, "I want this. I want to feel you cum inside me. I want to be full with your seed. I want to be pregnant with your child. I want all of you, Silva."

Silva felt herself tighten and her resolve to hold on break. With little strength, she wrapped her arms around Faith as her amada tightened her legs around Silva's waist, both pulled their sweaty bodies close to each other. Both clung to one another as the only lifeline, as Silva gave one last rock of her hips and their sexes spasm.

Faith's walls constricted and clamped around her cock in a creamy coat and milk up all that she unloaded inside. Faith wailed out a moan while Silva shouted in ecstasy. She gave a sparse few weaker thrusts, and felt Faith's walls throb followed by her amor cumming once more.

Both refrained from separating, catching their breaths within each other's arms, fingers playing with hair, breasts pressed against each other from each heave of their chests, basking in each other's mind-buzzing afterglow.

The embrace lasted until Silva lightly pressed a kiss on Faith's soft lips before she removed herself out of Faith, her member deflating and spent for the night. She laid Faith down on the blanket of the bed, who was recovering from the intense pleasure she experienced twice. With limbs still interlocked, she laid beside Faith's prone form.

"Thank you," Silva told Faith, the latter humming in question, dreariness weighing on her half-lidded eyes, so Silva elaborated, "For this. For letting me hold you, and kiss you, and taste you, and... make love. You made me feel so good. Tonight was just perfect."

Faith giggled, green eyes gazing into Silva's grey with adoration, "Of course, honey. You did amazingly too. I noticed you had a lot more enthused determination. Not that you hadn't before but... there was a more primal feel. I liked it."

Silva felt her face heat up from Faith's appraisal, feeling her cock twitch. It hadn't gone unnoticed by her amor; Faith bit at her bottom lip as she commented, "And with our new goal, we'll be doing this again for the next few nights, I'd hope."

Silva felt an excitement burn at the thought of doing this again, though it reminded her of some things she should do to help.

"I'll need to go get a new blanket from the linen cupboard since..." Silva trailed off as she looked at the damp spot, "...yeah. But in the meantime, we should have your pelvis raised a little higher to increase the chances of conception."

Silva couldn't recall where she gained that information from; whether it had been something Kamski had somehow brought up in conversation for whatever reason or something she had learned while reading for any information from the old medical textbooks they could scavenge to help Irene during her pregnancy with her firstborn.

Regardless, Silva grasped a pillow and placed it underneath Faith's lower back, to raise her hips slightly above. Satisfied, Silva asked, "While I'm out, is there anything you need? Snacks? Water? A cloth to clean up?"

Faith shook her head, but made a small grunt as she tried to clear her coarse throat, "Water, please."

Silva gave a smile, caressing her amada's face before getting off the bed, "I'll be back in a jiff, mi amor."

Silva peeked out of the room, searching for any signs of the familiar orange-streak across the dark hair of her hija, hoping she was still asleep in her bed and not awoken by the noise, even if their rooms were fairly dense.

Spotting no signs of her fellow night owl, Silva exited the room, and made her way to the linen cupboard for the new blanket, and then dashed to the kitchen to get Faith's water.

With the glass filled and blanket over her shoulder, she made haste back to the master bedroom.

Closing the door behind her, she made her way back to Faith back on the bed. She placed the blanket down by the foot of the bed while taking the chance to admire her nude form. Though she noticed how Faith's hand was placed below her stomach, lost in thought.

Silva got onto the bed with a creak, breaking her amor's attention train of though and bringing her attention back to her.

Offering a smile, Silva didn't immediately inquire, instead tapping the glass of water, which earned her a soft gaze of appreciation.

She helped Faith lean up from the bed, and passed the glass of water to her. Once her amor's throat was satisfied, Silva had Faith temporarily hop off the bed so she could remove the ruined blanket (which she placed by the door for tomorrow) and laid down the newer, softer blanket.

Once the bed was ready, both Silva and Faith crawled back onto the bed, huddling close. Neither put back on their nightwear.

Silva brushed her fingers through Faith's light brown hair with enthusiasm and adoration in her heart. Faith snuggled into the crook of her neck, one finger tracing aimlessly at Silva's back.

"Are you alright, amor?" Silva asked softly, concern rearing its head once more, though she had a fraction of an idea of what Faith would be thinking about.

Faith glanced her green eyes up at her, briefly holding contact before she nodded.

"Just thinking?" Silva pried gently, observing how her face made those little quirks, subtle twitches, halting furrows and the way her lips open partially before closing again.

Faith responded with a small and affirming hum. The vibration's contact against her skin, although short, eased her hammering heart.

"Want to talk about it?" She finally asked, swallowing any remaining nerves as she discerned Faith's expression towards the question. Does she have any regrets? came the question she was worried for the answer of.

Faith hadn't replied immediately, stewing in the silence as she gathered her words, and said, "I'm just... coming to terms with this. Wondering... maybe a little worried. I've made quite the spontaneous decision, no different than what I've done before."

From the top of her head, Silva could only recall three that she could be referring to; leaving home with Tracey, joining Eden's Gate and helping Silva and Azriel in their goals.

"Are you having... regrets?" Silva asked hesitantly, but knew it was important.

She was a little surprised when Faith snorted incredulously at it.

"No... not that at all. It's a choice I'm not backing down from," she answered fully looking up to her, bringing one hand to cup the side of Silva's face with tender affection, slowly nuzzling their foreheads together, "I'm just a little nervous is all. This is a new and rather big step I would never have considered in my life before meeting you and Azriel. But it is something I want to experience, as long as you're with me."

Relief flooded Silva's mind, washing away any lingering presence of the ugly guilt that tried to form.

"Besides, I liked tonight as much as you did. And I loved how you were too," Faith said as she "walked" two fingers all the way up Silva's chest to her lips, seductively brushing both over her lover's bottom lip as she leaned forward with a whisper, "And I'd hope to see more of that side of you last a few rounds in the night to come."

Silva joined her lips with her amor's, an unbridled smile curving up once again. I've been doing that a lot more recently, she noted, in spite of the sorrow she still feels for the loss of the world above.

Though that's not something she'd focus on as of now. She had better priorities she needed to attend to.

Disconnecting their lips, Silva replied, "I'll let you hold me to those words. In the meantime... want to just snuggle until sleep takes us?"

"Yeah," Faith snickered, eyes drooping lower as she cuddled closer into Silva, "I won't refuse such an offer like that."

Silva wrapped her arms further around Faith, as she just cherished this moment of holding onto her amada diente de león.

Faith dozed off first, and though Silva was not far behind her, within the dark of their room, she whispered into Faith's hair, "We're going to be okay. I promise, mi amor."

With nothing else to say until tomorrow, she let out a content sigh as she dragged the soft blanket over their exposed bodies, and sunk into Faith's slumbering embrace. Finally finding a quiet to look forward to.

[A/n] Finally it's over. I can move on to the tag stuff I've missed.

[Skit #1: Faith: "How might Azriel take the news of a possible new sibling?" Silva: "I wouldn't worry about it. She'd probably be more thrilled at finally being taller than someone for once."]

[Skit #2: Kamski: "Alright I've installed a functioning infirmary into your doomsday bunker in the scenario we'd have to bunk together during a disaster." Silva: "...Not thrilled but ok." Kamski: "It's prepared for injuries, illnesses, surgeries and any pregnancies in the unlikely case we have others bunk with us." Silva: "That sounds good and all, but what about contraceptives?" Kamski: "Don't be ridiculous Silva... no one's stupid enough to fuck in a bunker during a disaster and neither of us are getting lucky enought to change our single status any time soon." Silva: "Hurtful but sounds legit." Years later... Silva: "Once I die, Kamski when I get my hands on you, you motherfu-"]

[bludpudding]

what are your favorite fics featuring boyd characters?

listen now I am personally not a writer but I do work in character design and world building. I’ve helped my babe @breedaboyd out with a few different fics now and I’ll be real he truly brings the magic to my visions. obviously I’m biased but our joint projects are some of my favorite fics of all time I cannot plug them enough

our two most notable works are:

Safe Haven - Donald Pierce has never had a heat, what with him being a late-blooming Omega. Maybe he can make the best of a bad situation when his heat finally hits and an unexpected hero comes to the rescue.

I am so in love with Kurt Ackerman it’s not even funny. precious gentle giant guard dog. but I will step aside for Don’s sake. konnie otp they are married in every universe

The Angel and the Preacher - Nick Reiner is a preacher at the local church. Ryan (aka Miracle Guy) is a fallen angel-come-superhero. In an effort to quell his homesickness, Ryan stumbles into the church but accidentally initiates the final fall of Preacher Nick. Soon, their world devolves into fire, passion and blood. It's only by nightfall that the two men manage to affirm and accept their blossoming bond before facing the dawn together.

chariot wrote some bomb ass poetry for this one I still lose my mind over it

some bonus art of ryan !! boyds are always so fun to redesign

here are some of chariot’s solo works that I think about a LOT:

Pupinthian - Morpheus turns the Corinthian into a kind of man/dog hybrid. It's not too bad. [AFAB!Cori ☓ AMAB!Reader]

Like Cats and Dogs - You decide you've been out of the dating game for a little too long and decide to go for a night on the town to see what you can find. You end up getting a little more than you bargained for in a tall, blonde Adonis of a man who crosses your path.[Intersex!Cori ☓ AMAB!Reader]

Take Your Silver Spoon, Dig Your Grave - Ten instances where Johnny and Cal crossed the line of MC president and mechanic, drawing inspiration from the music of the time period. [AMAB!Cal ☓ AMAB!Johnny]

Wishful Sinful - Professor Stephen Tynan is your Human Sexual Behaviour Professor and you've had your eye on him for quite some time. Realising this isn't the most appropriate setting to be crushing (hard) on a person, you decide to ask if you can switch classes. But will that make any difference? And what will Professor Tynan have to say about your intentions on leaving his class? [AMAB!Tynan ☓ AFAB!Reader]

His Little Dove - While walking back from another town, a snow storm hits and you have no other choice but to rush into a mysterious, nearby cottage despite rumours of a terrifying beast lurking the area. Did you make the right choice? [AMAB!John McBride ☓ AFAB!Reader]

My Love, Mine, All Mine - Tooth-rotting fluff + Valentine's Day with Mo Lundy [AMAB!Mo ☓ AFAB!Reader]

[augustjustice]

20 Questions for Writers!

I was tagged by @ataliagold; thank you so much!! 💛🖤

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

45 at present.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

418,048 words

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Right now I write for Stranger Things, predominantly Steddie. From 2019 to summer of 2022, I was very deep in the Gotham fandom and wrote for that mostly (it's the thing that actually got me back into writing, and really into posting my work for the first time).

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

After School Special (Stranger Things)

Everything is Different the Second Time Around (Gotham)

The Second Hand Unwinds (Gotham)

Sights On Someone Else (Gotham)

Only Fools Rush In (Gotham)

5. Do you respond to comments?

I always do, even if it's just a quick thank you in response to extra kudos. Comments mean the world to me, one of my favorite parts of fandom is getting to interact with the community that way.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Easily The Punchline, which is a Gotham spin on the comic The Killing Joke. If you tackle Batman and Joker's relationship, there's bound to be some angst, and the Gotham backstory really adds an even more bittersweet twist.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Most of my finished fics have happy endings 😂I'm a fluff girl primarily. Mer-May I Have This Kiss? which I co-wrote with @inkfowl has a very prototypical happily ever after ending, which I'm a sucker for. Honorable mention to my transfem Stevie fic Pretty in Pink, too, since that fic is basically fluff all the way through.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I've got some weird spam-y comments on occasion (in at least one instance, from a person who did that to many others throughout the fandom), but thankfully no real hate.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I do! Haven't published much of it, although I'm hoping to complete something for the upcoming Stevie Week. By far my smuttiest fic is (I'm the New Cancer) Never Looked Better, You Can't Stand It which is nearly 20k of Penguin/Riddler suit porn.

10. Do you write crossovers?

I've written some crossovers that exist within the same broader universe, so Gotham fics that draw on other Batman media, or my Smallville/Gotham crossover that also uses certain elements of broader DC comics canon. I'd like to write more, though! I've got an idea for school guidance counselor Steve meeting with teens in other supernatural dramas like Buffy, Supernatural, Teen Wolf, etc. No idea if I'll ever get around to it, but I think it would be fun.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I have! A few folks have asked to translate my Gotham fics. Always very flattered when people are interested in doing that.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

@inkfowl is my co-writing buddy in the Steddie fandom! We've done a lot of writing/roleplay together, including our long, ongoing Study Buddies series.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

My current favorite is, obviously, Steddie. Clex (Clark Kent/Lex Luthor, specifically in Smallville) was baby's first OTP and so will always hold a special place in my heart. And Sterek gets an honorable mention, too, as it had me in a chokehold in the fandom days of old and is one I remain extremely fond of.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you will?

I hope that the muses grant me inspiration at some point so I can go back to Wouldn't Catch You Hung Up on Somebody that You Used to Know which is my Gotham/Smallville fic with Clex, Batjokes, and a sprinkle of Superbat. I'm not in the frame of mind for it right now, but that fic is basically my ideal DC crossover future fic. I'm also holding out hope that I might get back to my sort of Legally Blonde college Steddie AU Better Than That, but that remains to be seen. I'll admit, I wasn't entirely certain where that fic was headed, so I would have to try and plot it out before picking it back up.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I would say I'm good at descriptions, particularly capturing visuals and setting tone/atmosphere. People also often compliment my ability to write banter between characters, which is something I definitely enjoy.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I'm so not a plot gal; I'm much more interested in just writing slice of life glimpses of characters or deepening character interactions, so I think I'm definitely weaker there. Also, while people have told me I'm good at making characters sound authentically in-character, I can really get in my head about that, which is a struggle at times.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I'm woefully monolingual, so I would definitely be reluctant to do this unless I knew someone who spoke the language and was willing to help me out.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

If we're talking about the first ever fanfic I wrote in my notebooks as a preteen and never saw the light of day, then Disney Channel and other more obscure kids shows lol. The first fic I published to AO3 was for Teen Wolf.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

Following trend, I'm gonna do top 5.

Only Fools Rush In, even though it remains unfinished, is my Gotham magnum opus, and I would be remiss not to mention it. It picks up right after the series ends (pre-finale flash forward) and continues the story from there. This was really a chance for me to explore a lot of the things left unsaid in the show proper.

Got Your Mother in A Whirl (She's Not Sure If You're A Boy Or A Girl) is the first Stranger Things fic I ever started wayyyyy back after Season 2 aired and was abandoned before evening finishing the first chapter for years until I got into the fandom again after Season 4. I'm very touched by the way people have responded to it and feel proud of how I captured Steve's feelings while discovering their genderfluidity (and in something I started long before I fully realized I was somewhere on the nb spectrum myself!). Plus, I got to write Stevie and Dustin's sibling dynamic, which is always a favorite of mine.

Got You By My Side This is just a sweet post-S4 one shot, but I feel like I really captured exactly what I wanted to about Steve and Eddie's newly forming relationship with it.

this gun's for hire, even if we're just dancing in the dark An alternate universe first meeting between Oswald and Ed in Gotham, and I'm honestly still pleased with the atmosphere and vibes I was able to capture with this one. It's also brimming with a particular brand of belligerent sexual tension that I live for.

you wanna feel how it feels? (let's exchange the experience) My Steddie bodyswap fic! This is a recent one and still very much ongoing/in the early stages. But it's a fic I've wanted to write for ages now, so I'm very excited to have it underway.

I'm no pressure tagging @eriquin @tinytalkingtina @formosusiniquis @lingeringmirth @momotonescreaming

@chierei @inkfowl @arcanemoody @afoxnamedmulder and anyone else who sees this and wants to join!

[musingsofvenus]

Inspired by the first prompt from a height difference OTP prompts list and made for the lovely @the-most-pathetic-edge-marquis! I was originally going to make this a kind-of follow up to To All the Monsters I Loved Before, but it didn't fit the bill. This is some sort of Twilight AU-- a short & cheesy moment that exists outside of canon. 💞

Jacob rushes to the front door after he hears the doorbell ring. As soon as he swings open the door, he’s greeted with a DVD case held inches from his face. 

“Tada!” Bella exclaims, grinning ear to ear. Her cheeks and ears are bright red from the cold air.

Sunday afternoons were reserved for their weekly movie night session.  

Every week they switch between who gets to pick the next movie to watch. Their typical choices of movies quickly devolved from Bella’s favorite Jane Austen adoptions and Jacob’s classic spaghetti westerns to the most outrageous B-movie horror flicks they could find.

This week is Bella’s week, and she chose a movie called ‘Suburban Sasquatch.’ From the DVD’s cover art alone, Jacob was sure he wouldn’t be able to make it through the first five minutes without hysterically laughing at the poor production quality.

Jacob plucks the DVD from her hands. “Well hello to you too, Bells.”

Bella snickers, wrapping her arms around his waist. “Hello, hello,” she says belatedly. She rests her chin on his chest. For a few seconds, Jacob is flustered into silence by the cute gesture. And Bella, watching him closely, wiggles her eyebrows like she knows. Because of course she knows. 

“Your ears are turning red,” she sings.

Jacob covers his traitorous ears and averts his eyes. “They are not!”

Bella falls into a fit of giggles that makes Jacob grin. “Are you gonna let me in before I freeze to death?”

Jacob clears his throat. “You have to pay the toll to enter,” he intones.

Bella releases him to shoulder off her tote bag. She holds it open to reveal several soda cans and an assorted variety of popcorn and cookies. “I come bearing snacks.”

Jacob squints at the contents of her bag. “That’s not enough to cover the toll, Bells. I do accept bribes, though,” he says, tapping his lips with his pointer finger.

“You don’t have to play this game to get me to kiss you, you know? I like kissing you.”

“And I like messing with you.”

“Jacob, come on! It’s really cold,” Bella whines. “I don’t have werewolf powers to keep me warm, unlike some people!”

Jacob opens his arms and sweeps Bella off her feet. “Personal space heater, at your service.”

“Jake! Put me down!”

“How am I supposed to kiss you from all the way down there?”

An indignant blush colors Bella’s cheeks. “Maybe you’re just too high up!”

“If you say so. Now about that bribe-”

He barely gets the question out before Bella leans in to kiss him. It starts off a bit forceful on Bella’s end because of her lingering frustration before she starts to relax. The kiss was just turning soft and sweet before Bella’s hand tangles in his hair, no doubt in an attempt to pull him closer. 

Jacob obliges her wordless demand until her fingers brush against the back of his neck. He abruptly pulls away from the kiss with a yelp.

“Your hands are like ice, Bella,” he complains, setting her back down on her feet.

Bella rolls her eyes. “I wonder why, you jerk!” She crosses her arms with a scowl. “You’re lucky that I love you,” she grumbles under her breath.

“What did you say?” He teases, poking her side. “I couldn’t hear you from way up here.” 

Bella huffs, looking up at him while a blush spreads across her cheeks. “I said, I love you, you giant idiot.”

Jacob pretends to contemplate her words, nodding to himself. “Yep, I think that just about covers the toll.”

“You’re not saying it back?” Bella pouts, poking her lip out and everything.

“Oh, come on, Bells,” Jacob chuckles, grabbing her icy hands and peppering them with kisses to get rid of the cold. He pulls her into the house. “I love you, too. You know that.”

[iloveyou-writers]

the other day, i wrote down my prompt for my otp on my twitter and had thoughts of writing them down once i'm free. i was excited to see this prompt fleshed out into a real fanfic. my friend was excited too that she qrt-ed it and tagged my other friend and asked her to write it. so i started to think, "maybe, it would be a better fic in her hands. she's funnier, she wrote better than me, and she's definitely more creative than me." also, the story would be way more interesting with some spicy scenes and i'm not comfortable writing those kind of scene, while she's really good at it. it brought me down since i already think of this prompt like my kid and i don't want to hand it over to anyone. like i've thought of some scene i want to include in the story yada yada yada. i know i'm being selfish (since there's a possibility that it would be on my list of prompt that would never see the light anymore) and i probably painted my friend who tagged my other friend in a bad light through this but... idk. i feel sad to just imagine it.

hope you're okay with reading this long rant and if you need to knock some sense out of me, please do so. i also think i need to get myself together T_T

My dear, sweet anon friend. I feel your pain. It is so hard to have an idea that you're so on fire for and know that you sharing the idea with another that would create something from it could potentially do it better than you.

I hate to admit how many times I have struggled with the envy of having an idea I was incredibly excited about and having someone else take the idea and turn it into something that took off.

I have had negative interactions with people that I have felt the envy of this happening with.

I will say it's perfectly natural for you to feel this way.

It could also be potentially damaging if you react in a negative way due to these feelings. Personal experience, don't act on these feelings.

That said, you could both create from this prompt idea. The fact that you already know they would take it in a different direction than you, that you recognize they have talents you don't... I guarantee there are things you'd do that they wouldn't too, that would make your writing stand out too. There is no reason you two couldn't share this prompt baby and create two amazing pieces of writing from it.

Sharing doesn't mean that you don't get to create. You could still make your ideas and still keep your baby, your fire, your passion... and your friend could have fun with it too. You two could chat about how you did it differently. This could be potential to bond with the friend that could possibly write from the prompt.

But there's also a possibility even if you did give them the prompt that they wouldn't want to write it, so this whole worry could be for naught. :)

Just consider it. In the end, it's your choice and you don't have to feel bad for not sharing the prompt. It's your prompt. Do with it what you wish to. But just remember... there is no shame in creating something similar to your friend. You two could bond closer as writer friends from writing something from the same prompt. There are endless possibilities. It all lies in your hands. <3

Take your time, don't rush into a choice.

I wish you well.

💚

[autumnslance]

Year of OTP - February 2023 - Linkpearl

(Prompt post here. Wolcred, early relationship, Stormblood Patches between 4.2-4.3, 1150 words, 2 images.)

When Aeryn answered the chiming linkpearl, Thancred’s familiar voice crackled on the other side of the line. “I received your letter.”

She smiled, setting her pen in its well and leaning back in her desk chair. The muted morning sounds of Kugane filtered in through the room’s single window along with gray, pre-dawn light. “Might I expect a response in kind?”

“Most assuredly.” He paused, and then in anticipation of her next question said: “Call me sentimental, but I also wished to hear your voice.”

The expected blush warmed her face as a giddiness rushed through her, as if she were some young schoolgirl; Aeryn still wasn't quite sure how he elicited such responses in her. She also didn’t know what to say to that, so shifted instead to, “What time is it there? Have you slept?”

A self-deprecating chuckle came from the other end. “I wasn’t certain you’d be awake yet, though your habits suggested otherwise and so I took the chance. It is rather late here, as mine own habits tend to keep me awake, but I do intend to retire shortly. I’m even laying in my bunk, lest you’re wondering.”

In her mind’s eye she could see the old monk cell in Rhalgr’s Reach that he had claimed, away from the other Scions and officers in the main halls of the former temple. The level Thancred had chosen required scaling a broken wall as if it were a particularly uneven and rickety stair; most people weren’t aware of it, hidden off one of the side passages, away from the main bustle of the Resistance headquarters. He had set up camp in the austere room, only a few comforts available.

Aeryn had spent a small handful of nights there in recent moons, curled up with him for warmth and companionship. Her blush warmed and spread as she recalled their last night together there, involving far more than simply sleeping.

Such things were still so strangely new—but now here they were on opposite sides of the world again, speaking over a faint connection.

“So you’re using your special pearl, with a mostly-secured channel, for a bedtime call?” She tried to sound teasing.

“Reckless, I know, but the aether currents were forecasted to be good for it. And I was prompted by a lovely memory of you sitting at the window wearing only my shirt as you read a book.”

Her blush flared again and she suppressed a nervous giggle. “Really?” She tried to sound deadpan, but just barely failed.

“Really,” he replied lightly, and then came a sly “What did you think I was going to say?”

“Considering it’s you, it could have been anything. But I cannot be too surprised, you’ve ever been fond of ladies’ aesthetics.”

Thancred laughed, the sound popping along the thin aetheric link. “I certainly cannot deny that. And it was a very pretty ‘aesthetic’, your long tan legs against the pale cloth, and the faces you make when reading, mouthing the lines to yourself.”

“I do not make faces nor mouth the lines.”

An amused, choked snort came from the other end. “You very much do, my dear, and it’s quite endearing.”

Something flip-flopped at how he said ‘my dear’. She would have to interrogate that later. “If you say so; no one else has commented on it.”

“They’re not typically watching you read fiction. Nor, I suspect, do they watch as closely as I do.”

“You are trained for it,” she conceded.

“A definite bonus of my profession. And certainly helps the imagination while you’re in the East again and I yet remain in Gyr Abania.”

“How are things there?”

“Mm, I’ll save those details for my report and letter. I’m far more interested in what you wore to bed.”

“What?”

“Did the connection break up?” He teased. “I asked what you’re wearing.”

“My undershirt and sleep shorts, what else?”

He chuckled in a way that sent another sort of heat down her spine and she still wasn’t sure how he did that. “I suppose I shouldn’t have expected differently.”

“I’m about to wash up and get dressed for the day, actually.”

“Now that’s another lovely image, water pouring over your bare skin—”

“Thancred!” She hissed, face feeling fully on fire now. “You remember at least two other people have access to this supposedly secure line?!” It had been his idea to keep the recent shift in their relationship secret—not to mention she had no wish for Riol and especially not Alphinaud to hear such things.

“Only if we connect them, and I also doubt either will call for us at this hour.” His pitch lowered. “Hence my taking the risk to call you for more personal reasons.”

Aeryn found herself crossing her legs as more of that other heat pulsed low in her core at his tone. “You’re incorrigible,” she said. She almost wished she sounded sterner.

“So I have been told,” he replied. The connection cracked and wavered, and she heard his grunt of annoyance. “And there go the currents; our time is woefully coming to an end.” He sounded further away and scratchier now.

“It was nice to talk even briefly,” she said. A wicked thought came to mind; he deserved a little payback for his teasing, didn’t he? “Though I may have to please myself now before getting ready for the day.”

There was a brief pause, and she thought she’d already lost him when he laughed again. “You minx! Now there’s an image to take with me into sleep!”

She dropped her head to her arms on the desktop, resigned to looking and feeling like she had thrown herself into Hell’s Lid. “Then I hope you have a good night, and I look forward to your letter.”

“Indeed; I’ll be in touch again soon, darl—”

A staticky hiss, and the link dropped.

She bit her lip at the cutoff word, the way he had been saying it causing another flip-flop. He left her so off-balance. Though she had to admit liking that feeling more than she had ever expected.

Sounds of others in the halls of the Ruby Bazaar made her sigh and stand; time to wash, get dressed, eat breakfast, and see if either Nashu or Jenomis had any news while waiting on word from Hien.

And try not to be distracted by thoughts of the man waiting for her back in Eorzea; these rare, tentative moments of communication building the yet-fragile frame of this new stage in their relationship. Aeryn did not mind it—mostly, as she attempted to douse some of her heated reactions from just his voice and words—as it gave time and patience to whatever this was becoming.

Still, she could admit to herself at least that she was eager to conclude their business in Othard and return home, where she could be with Thancred, instead of reliant upon letters and linkpearls.

--

((Some headcanon applied, but mostly linkpearl lore (up through HW) can be found here and I extrapolated off what little we have.))

[galwithalibrarycard]

My New Who watchthrough has now reached well into the second half of Series 7, and it’s time for some Opinions:

- I’m gay for Clara Oswald already. Also I crackship her with Amy Pond and I will be reading all the fanfic.

- I don’t care for River Song.

- Okay, no, hear me out, River’s an interesting character and I like Alex Kingston, but I can’t stand how her entire character bit is a constant smug-ass “I know something you don’t know”, and her whole arc felt kind of anticlimactic. Also, I don’t buy for a second that she and Eleven have an actual romantic relationship. I don’t see the spark. It’s all offscreen if it happens at all, so I don’t care. Bringing me to…

- Eleven/Amy/Rory OT3 is the superior ship of the Smith years. Platonic found family or romantic messy awkward polyamory, either way they’re very sweet together and I’d rather watch them than River any day. You can also have asexual Eleven in there, which I can really see why people headcanon. I want to call them “ot3: the power of three” but I feel like the threes sound redundant. Oh whatever, I’m calling it, that’s the ship tag I’m using.

- If it wasn’t for the weird Doctor/River romance, you could totally say that River’s Time Lord DNA makes Amy, Rory, and Eleven ALL her parents, and I’m annoyed that canon makes it more than a little weird to consider that headcanon concept, because it could be cute in another world.

- I like the Ponds a lot, but I have to say: Amy and Rory’s ending felt like such an arbitrary “we’re obligated to make the separation from the Doctor permanent, what monster can we use to do that?” ass-pull of a writing choice. In my head, Amy and Rory’s arc ends with them staying on Earth in 2012 at the end of The Power of Three and enjoying the mundane life they built together. Just say the Doctor sends them postcards and visits offscreen once in a while. The characters don’t have to be walled off from the Doctor forever just because the actors never want to come back to the show. I really like the idea of them choosing their own life outside the TARDIS, almost Martha-style. (Gotta love Martha!)

- It feels cheap to take Amy’s kid away and then not bother to give her an emotional arc dealing with that trauma. Same for Rory, for that matter. I bet someone could write or has written some extremely deep fanfic about that. I don’t know that I want to read it but I want it to exist, if that makes sense. And I would’ve liked to see more of it onscreen.

- The episode with the Gunslinger is OOC garbage, the Doctor would never use a gun, learn the show’s lore, Steve.

- So many little “what straight white man did this???” moments in Moffat era. It’s like going on a nice walk and then every once in a while you find yourself walking through a surprise cloud of gnats. (Not that Davies era was completely blameless either but damn.)

- Eleven’s “retirement” and hopeless disillusionment in The Snowmen feels like a flat, rushed, emotionless retread of the far superior arc of Ten going dark and mad with grief and his god complex across his last four specials. Ten did it better.

- Speaking of which, godDAMN the Tenth Doctor’s send off was good. I miss him forever and I need all his audio dramas and tie-in novels yesterday.

- While we’re on that, I have FEELINGS about Tenrose and Tentoorose and how they’re the same exact ship but also two completely different ships, but I’m still tagging them both as “otp: I believe in her” and no one can stop me. (They could have had a house with a mortgage AND still traveled in the TARDIS on weekends, I’m just saying.) (They are PEAK ROMANCE and I’m never recovering.)

- Lotta concrit here but that being said, I really do love Eleven, he’s a sweet adorable lil bean. I’m gonna miss him so much too. Can’t believe I only have a handful of his episodes left! There’s so much good stuff in here, truly. Vincent and the Doctor! The Power of Three! 🥹 I also really liked Dinosaurs on a Spaceship, even though the longer you look at it, the more Problems you see. Those are my standouts off the top of my head.

- We are now well into the era of New Who I’ve never seen any of and know basically nothing about, so no spoilers please!

- I’ve also never seen any of Classic Who, so be aware of that. There’s a lot I don’t know.

- (I already do kind of pre-ship Twelve and River in a totally superficial way, just because, to quote Bones, “they are the exact same level of hotness.” I just think they’d look good together, and sometimes I’m basic like that. I know she has an episode with him, that’s the only thing I know about that era, so we’ll see.)

I’m all-in on this fandom now, for real. And I still have so much to catch up on! So, is it too much of a line to say Allons-y? (I still like it a little better than Geronimo!) 🤗🪐👽

[banannabethchase]

My predictions, because I have some batshit crazy ideas:

Beneath a cut, because. Well. You know how much I ramble.

Zero Hour

Yuta vs. Hook - Hook wins, but Yuta beats the shit out of him at the end of it. Danhausen comes out to make the save, but Yuta beats him up. And then Danhausen challenges for the Pure Rules title.

Willow vs. Kris - ONLY IN WRESTLING CAN AN OTP FIGHT EACH OTHER. Stokeley is gonna corrupt Kris against Willow, but not until the women's tag belts are announced will he make his final move. Stokeley, secretly working in the background for the Renegade Twins, will unleash his final blow right before the finals of the women's tag titles tournament, causing Staturday Nightingale to lose, and triggering a full on battle between the two of them, likely culminating in match for the women's world title (RoH, probably.)

20 Man Battle Royal - Okay. I got 3 ideas: Sara's dream book, the best story, and what likely will happen.

Sara's Dream Book: Bucks and Hanger come back. Bucks sabotage everybody else to get Hanger to almost win, then Hanger steps back and lets someone else win but leisurely jumping over the top rope when it's him vs. the other person. "I'm above this championship," he says, taking the mic during the other person's celebration. Offical Superdick Party debut, official heel turn, official idiots.

The Best Story: Only 19 people are in or around the ring. Toward the end, a guy in a hoodie, with his face slightly obscured, shows up. It's Jack Perry. He wins, and cashes in the "any time" clause during the Christian vs. Copeland match.

What Likely Will Happen: Midcardapalooza. A very fun, non champion level person like Komander, AR Fox, Kip Sabian, or Andretti win to create a fun flippy match with the winner of Copeland vs. Christian that they will ultimately lose.

Main Card

Eight Man tag (Jericho/Sammy/Darby/Sting vs. Ricky/Bill/Takeshita/Hobbes) - I really. Look. Lot's of stuff about this match is convoluted. It's mean to take the place of the tag belts, which I understand, but they should have bitten the bullet, dropped the Jericho/Golden Jets story completely, and provided a title chance to an actual tag team.

Eight man tag (Bryan/Claudio/Mark/Danny vs. Lethal/White/Rush/Brody) - I think the BCC and friends win, but I think this may lead to Danny being inducted into the BCC. Otherwise this match is kind of weird. However, it means that everyone in the C2 got a match on the pay-per-view, and I like that.

Andrade vs. Miro - Look I KNOW it's all about Miro's redemption or whatever, but he's pissing me off lately and I want Andrade to win to show that CJ's management is effective. But I also think it could be cool for Andrade to lose, to show that a lack of CJ's management causes him weakness. It could develop a more introspective story of talent vs influence that could be approached by both Miro and Andrade in different directions. But it's wrestling, so I doubt the nuance necessary for the storyline would be possible.

Swerve vs. Dustin - Yeah sorry Dustin. Swerve is gonna KILL you. Super sad to hear about Keith's injury. This match was going to absolutely BANG and him being unable to finish this storyline is a heartache.

Julia vs. Abadon - SPOOKY SHENANIGANS! I hope Skye gets out there and she and Julia do some MK Ultra tag level nonsense. Give me shenanigans. Give me lesbians. I love it.

Copeland vs. Christian - You already saw my idea for Perry, but here I think Copeland wins by pulling unexpected allies out of his back pocket.

Eddie vs. Mox - EDDIE BETTER FUCKING WIN THIS. He deserves to be a three belt holder, to hold up RoH, to continue his work. Mox may be my first AEW love, but Eddie. Eddie deserves it.

Toni vs. Riho - Mariah May shenanigans result in a Toni win, but perhaps Riho has an original in the wings waiting to save her. Crossing my fingers for a Jamie return PLEASE.

MJF vs. Samoa Joe - Joe wins. MJF is injured, shit goes down, the Devil and his goons interfere, and Joe is our new World Champion. We also, we gotta, reveal the Devil.

[chiefbeifongcanrailme]

15, 18, 19, and 30 for Lin and Zek!

15) Why do they like each other? Because it's very easy to like each other. But really, from Lin's perspective, Zekou is a kind, friendly gentleman who eases himself into her life. He moved at her pace, letting her take he time to trust him and relax in his company instead of rushing himself into her personal life like most people do. Zek admires the fact that Lin is honest to a fault. She's sweet and caring in her own way, her company is isn't overbearing and they can spend time together without having anything to say to each other. Plus it helps that they're both hot af.

18) Evening rituals? Post retirement, Zekou mostly spends his day engaging in different hobbies or projects he takes on. But come evening, when Lin gets home (yes, one of his projects involved creating a work-life balance for his girlfriend), they sit by the radio, listening either to a probending game or just some music- whatever the mood is while chowing down on some takeout or whatever cuisine Zek had been experimenting with that day. Some nights, they'll go out and meet Bumi and other mutual friends from the United Forces (someone's always visiting Republic City) and others they get cozy in bed; either with a book or getting frisky with a back massage ;).

19) How are they at parties or gatherings? Mostly with a drink in hand. Lin isn't super social but she'll make small talk with whomever she is introduced to. If nobody's talking to her, she'll just sit by the bar, nursing her drink. Zek, on the other hand, is far more social than her. When he's not busy being the life of the party, he'll come sit by Lin and keep her company- telling her tales of the people around them (even when they're in Zaofu, Zek has gathered more tea on the metalbending clan than the metalbender herself).

30) When did they realize they loved each other? Following canon, I would say the end of book 3 episode 2 for Zekou and the end of book 3 for Lin haha. For Zek, it was soon after he hooked up with Lin- in a "you just know when you know" kinda way. He liked Lin to begin with, they'd become friends after all. He cared for her too and of course, she's gorgeous and it would take an idiot to not notice that. But knowing Lin, he knew better than to make a move. Until it just sorta happened. Thereafter, he knew he was in love. Lin probably felt something a little bit after that. She noticed a change in his demeanor and took that as her cue to bolt. She buried herself in work and flew all the way to the Earth Kingdom to protect Korra instead of facing her new feelings. But once she was back, after Zaheer was arrested, the first thing she did was get to Zekou's house and confess that she reciprocated his feelings.

Ask me about our OTPs!

[harryissuchalittleshit]

Hey girl!! I'm new here to ur blog and I'm curious Abt ur ships and headcanons for Harry Potter characters? I love ur Harry and Weasley takes but I want to know all ur ships lmao I was looking to see if u had a pinned post but I don't so I figured I'd ask 💕

Hi! Welcome to my blog and thank you for asking about my ships, I have a lot of them and I'm going to try and link some of my stories from Ao3. I put everything under the read more as it turned out to be a lot longer than anticipated!

Bill/Fleur - I ship them in a sort of toxic downfall(?), they're just the kind of couple that I see rushing in too fast and then not dealing with any of their trauma.

Victoire/SJ - they fell in love while Victoire was visiting her grandparents in Paris, he's a few years older and super sweet and doting on Victoire. They have a great relationship.

Dominique/Lorcan - more of a friends to lovers story, but involve an unplanned teen pregnancy, a family tragedy, and also lots of cousin drama, they somehow make it work.

Louis/Anamika - I really adore them, both of them are so quiet and shy despite being on the younger side of their ridiculously big families. They find a peace and love in one another that I find so refreshing and honest.

Percy/Audrey - one of my top Weasley couples! I just simply adore the pair of them, Percy is so sweet to Audrey, her shoulder to lean on while the world pushes her down. And Audrey is the complete opposite of her quiet and studious man, but that's what makes him love her more.

Molly/Artie - they're not exactly a match made in heaven, but they are a second chance romance. They loved one another at 15/16 and they come back to each other again at 20/21. Sometimes mistakes happen in life and sometimes you wake up after a night of partying married to your ex-boyfriend.

Lucy/Devon - She's a nervous wreck at her best and he loves her despite her self-doubt. They care so deeply for one another and she gets more and more confident with him at her side.

George/Angelina - They're resilient, the couple that can manage anything as long as they're together. A sweet pair of soulmates that saw each other at eleven and never looked back.

Freddie/LeeAnne - Another pair of soulmates that met each other young and who love one another so deeply and completely despite the hardships it causes.

Roxanne/Sean/Sasha - Roxanne has been through everything, she has been through so much pain and Sean helped her get through it. Sasha helped her see the light after so much pain and their love is so true and sweet after everything that has happened.

Ron/Hermione - what can I not say about this couple? I adore Romione and think that they are such an amazing couple that have gone through so much together.

Rose/Scorpius - my first OTP in the next generation, I just love the thought of their family dinners. They're definitely a couple that go through lots of ups and downs, but that never lessens their love for one another.

Hugo/Lyla - I love them so much, Hugo is so wild and Lyla is so anxious, but when they come together they manage to become something so entirely beautiful and happy together.

Harry/Ginny - I do love a couple that find each other over and over and over again. They're a couple that love one another in every moment and I love writing them.

James/Marci - coming soon, Nano2023 project

Al/Maggie - they were toxic young couple at 17 and grow into a beautiful and ridiculously loving couple at 21. They go on to become a staple at Hogwarts as DADA professor and Hospital Wing Matron.

Lily/Ryan - She's a bit of a wild child and he's able to wrangle her in, they have a mutual love of music and dancing, and they find each other in their darkest moments.

Draco/Astoria - we love couples that grow and learn from one another and they do that over and over and over again!

Padma/Theodore - a rarepair but a good pair, they come together despite their differences and they are such good parents to any child that comes through their home

Susan/Dudley - my first real rarepair, I love them so much and the story I’ve created for them means so much to me. They found each other over and over again and they found love even during a rainstorm.

[riddles-n-games]

You know, someone once pointed out and I can’t remember where, maybe on Goodreads or tumblr, that the possibility of a third book’s release was an uncertainty once upon a time and while I like The Final Gambit, when I think about it now, I see it somewhat differently. In all honesty, I would have been fine with it ending at The Hawthorne Legacy, maybe with a disappointment of sorts but it would have been fine. No, not just because my otp got together. I’m saying it because when I look at the series as a whole maybe it should have stayed at a duology. I feel like The Inheritance Games and The Hawthorne Legacy feel much better intertwined and connected than with The Final Gambit in tow. I actually enjoyed the mystery of Vincent Blake, Tobias Hawthorne’s mysterious past, Eve’s involvement, and the culmination of Toby’s heritage in the last book but somehow, the mysteries being tied by games and everything in the first two books felt like they were crafted in a specific way that just made TFG look like an outlier. Maybe it’s the fact that THL is set right after TIG making the flow feel continuous with that rapid succession but TFG is then set almost an entire year after the sequel, making it feel off. It makes me wonder, why did it take so long for Eve and Vincent to make a move? Was it only because they knew Avery’s inheritance date was growing near so that’s why they infiltrated then? Or was there another motive, one we will never know about? What was going through JLB’s mind at the time of writing the book? Did she feel rushed or felt that she couldn’t get everything as fleshed out as she wanted by the deadline which meant some important details were just dropped? 

For those who might say that the mysteries didn’t feel like they made sense in TFG or weren’t given a set up in previous books, there most certainly was as there were so many things things still left with open endings and surrounded by multiple speculations. The biggest question marks were still about Toby, where he came from, etc., etc., and that’s something I was interested in getting answered other than the meaning of the gold disk. Perhaps some of the explanations brought to light about these things that were previously shrouded with mystery were letdowns (the disk kind of being one for me) but at least we got some answers. Maybe some will be leftover for The Brothers Hawthorne, I won’t claim to know. Essentially though, I think that this is one of the rare instances where I felt that the first book of a series and it’s sequel were up to par in equal measure based on theme, mood, storyline, and character developments among other things. But that’s just me. And now that I wrote this, I kind of miss my first read through of TIG and THL along with the first rollercoaster of emotions, thoughts, conspiracies, everything.