#right now i just have verity

[elysian-chaos]

.

[literaila]

your newest fic has woken something in me, verity. can i request nice sweet petter with mean!reader, who isn't actually mean ? but she just teases peter and flirts with him and leaves him tongue tied and peter is like "its cruel of you to make me fall in love with you". thank you, you're the best !

masochism

tasm!peter x reader

a/n: this means absolutely nothing. and everything.

*

“peter,” you say, dryly, frowning as you set your bag on the chair next to you.

the library is usually empty this time of night. nothing but bookworms and tired librarians with their yawns to break the silence. but that’s how you like it.

that’s why you come this late. you don’t want to make small talk with a stranger asking if they can borrow one of your chairs. and you definitely do not want to get charm and pretty eyes all over you. it doesn’t come out.

“fancy seeing you here,” peter says, and he’s moving from his table to come and sit at yours. his papers are a mess and he doesn’t even blink when he almost drops a pen on the floor.

of course, he doesn’t even need an invitation because he’s peter parker.

“are you stalking me?”

“intentionally?” peter asks, and his smile is teasing and far too bright for the dark of this room. “no. it’s not my fault you always show up where i am. but i’m not complaining.”

“well, i am. i came here to study. alone.”

“and you got the pleasure of receiving my company instead. lucky you.”

you grunt but sit down anyway. even if you actually wanted him to leave, peter wouldn’t. he’s far too stubborn and shiny for that.

it was a mistake to take calculus in the first place, but it was a certifiable failure on your part that peter seemed to latch onto you. he was good at math (another red flag) and he liked to coo and you and your smudges and erase marks.

and he seemed to show up when you least expected it; like he wanted to give you a heart attack.

peter leans over the table, his hair falling over his eyes. “what’re you working on?”

“an essay.”

there’s a beat of silence, and peter laughs. “about…” he ducks his head, eyes teasing and smile incandescent. and irritating.

“the probability of committing homicide in libraries at eleven pm,” you tap a pen against his forehead, pushing him back.

“always at your service.”

“why are you here?” you ask him. “don’t you have babies you need to swaddle? old women you need to fond over you?”

“pfft,” peter says, leaning back, looking far too comfortable. “i already did that today. plus it’s a wednesday night, and the visiting hours at the nursing home end at eight.”

you nod understandingly. “well, unless you want to become apart of my research study, shoo.” you wave him away.

he only laughs. “but i haven’t seen you in almost a week. you’re not taking calculus b.”

peter is wearing a mock pout. his eyes are glowing in the three foot distance between you. and the smirk on his face is only a harsh reminder of how much you hate him. his hair is curled at the edges and it’s brushed across the top of his forehead. his teeth are straight and white.

and you can see when he swallows.

“oh you mean bodily torture part two? yeah, no, i figured i’d go with the classic bondage exposé class this semester.”

peter clears his throat, chuckling, and you watch as his cheeks tinge with pink.

“you’ve taken that class, haven’t you, peter?”

“haven’t had the opportunity, no.”

“well, if you never need a quick lesson…” you whisper, voice sultry and on the edge of manic laughter. watching peter squirm in his seat almost makes up for the lack of studying going on right now.

“good to know.”

you purse your lips at him, making an effort not to laugh.

while this conversation has headed into unfound territory, you’ve managed to pull out your notes and turn on your computer, making peter a little more than an object in the distance.

but not peter spins your computer around, illuminating his face, and frowning as he stares at the screen.

“this is a blank document,” he says.

“what wonderful observation skills you have.”

“your name isn’t even at the top.”

you steal the computer back, scowling. “i’m working on it.”

“oh, are you?”

“you’re distracting me,” you hiss at him, eyes glaring and heart burning as he smiles back.

peter is too smiley. he’s too effortlessly calm. too much for you, and too much for this entire library.

“oh, i’m distracting you?” he repeats, shaking his head. “that’s priceless.”

“i’m not sure what you’re implying.”

“i’m saying,” peter whispers, “that you’re the one talking to me about bondage while i’m trying to make pleasant conversation—“

“oh, i’m so sorry,” you interrupt, hand going to your chest in mock sympathy. “it just seemed like something you’d be in to.”

peter snorts. “really?”

“if the rope fits,” you say back, looking away from him and counting to ten.

you need lessons in holding your tongue. lessons in how to respond when someone smiles at you like there’s nothing else they’d rather be smiling at.

“that’s not funny,” peter says, but his lips are curled.

“then why are you laughing?”

“i like riling you up,” he says, “it’s very amusing.”

“you just called yourself a tease. you’re not even trying to hide it now,” you point out.

your computer dims because you haven’t touched it in the last three minutes.

“that would make you the masochist, wouldn’t it? since you’re the one enduring my teasing?”

“is this your idea of foreplay, peter?”

“is it working?”

you hadn’t even realized that you were leaning in with him. just a couple more inches and you’d be nose to nose.

you smile at him, undeterred by his proximity—at least, mostly—pretty and sweet. “why don’t you come over here and find out.”

peter tuts. “don’t say things you don’t mean, bub.”

“who says i don’t mean it?”

you’re mostly teasing him. mostly trying to get him to move as far away from you ask possible before you wrap your hands around his neck and either strangle him or kiss him until he wants to strangle you.

but finally, peter leans back, sighing. “you’re driving me insane, you know that?”

you shrug. “you’re the one stalking me.”

you look away from him, pulling your computer closer to you, and tapping on the keys to wake it up.

“i wouldn’t have to stalk you if you would just accept my offer to go to dinner.”

“i’m not really a dinner person,” you say, licking your lips while you purposefully avoid his gaze.

“coffee, then. or a trip to the schools gift shop. i’ll buy you a sweater.”

“mmm… i’m not really a peter person.”

“now that’s just mean,” he says, but you can hear him smiling. you can feel him watching you, his eyes burning circles into your skin.

it’s a pleasant warmth, though.

“i know,” you drawl, looking up at him. “and you still won’t leave me alone.”

peter sighs, shrugging, and he’s smiling while he looks at you. “maybe i’m the masochist.”

you try not to laugh and fail.

*

part two

[maxillness]

Ocean Eyes || SV5 x Reader

Warnings: 18+, unprotected sex, implied age gap, bisexual!seb, Seb used to have (romantic) feelings for Lewis

Wordcount: 2.2k

Don’t ask me why this is set during Christmas break. I don’t even have the excuse I wrote it in December; I wrote it in February

Can we also just take a second to appreciate how cute this gif😭🫶

Tag list: @e-nonsense @babyprofessorsharkpalace @aexitizen-ln4

It was snowing. Quite a lot actually. But it was expected when you were this close to Christmas

She hated the snow. It wasn’t really her, but she had to go out with the dog anyway

She stood on the porch, watching the dog play in the snow, trying to catch the snow flakes

She had been at her parents house for about a week now, and she knew they were close with the neighbour, but she had yet to see him

She figured that maybe he was visiting family and wasn’t home, but she couldn’t know for sure

Just as she thought about what he might look like, she heard a door open to her right. She looked over. When you talk about the devil

“Oh, hey” He smiled over at her “You must be Y/N” He said walking closer to the fence separating the two yards

“Yeah, I am. You must be Sebastian” She answered, walking over to him

“I am. Nice to finally meet you” They shook hands “You’re parents has spoken so much about you”

He was pretty. His smile was bright, making small wrinkles appear in the corner of his eyes- his eyes. They were the most drop dead, gorgeous, ocean blue eyes. Never had she seen such pretty eyes

“They have? Hope it’s only the good stuff” She chuckled nervously, slightly embarrassed

“They say it in a way where can only think it’s good, if that’s any relief” He said, smiling back at her

His ears and nose, as well as his cheeks had started turning red from the coldness of the air, but it only made him so much prettier

A loud bark cut her out of her trance “Are you done?” She asked as she had turned around “Alright” She sighed “I better go. Nice meeting you”

“Nice meeting you too” He said before they parted and she went into the house again

“Saw you were talking with Sebastian” Her mother said, sipping her tea when she walked into the house

“Oh. Um, yeah” She said, taking off her coat and shoes and placed them neatly on their spot

“What’d you think?” She said, trying to hide her smirk behind her cup

“He’s… Nice. Don’t know enough about him” She went into the living room, slumping down on the couch and returned to her phone

“Good to know” Her mother whispered, taking a place in the living room as well

“I think I baked too much” She said, looking at the verity of cookies on the kitchen counter

“I promised Sebastian you would come over with some” Her father said passing her in the kitchen

“What? Why?” She asked, looking confused at him

“Because he doesn’t have anyone to bake for him” He answered before walking out of the kitchen

“Maybe he’ll invite you in for a cup of tea” Her mother said not looking away from her book

“Mom! Have you realised how much older than me he is?” She said, drawing her mom’s attention to her

“So what? Age is just a number, beside he thinks you’re pretty” She said, closing her book and putting it on the counter

“I’ll walk over with some cookies, but I won’t stay for long, okay? Deal?” She said, looking directly into her mother eyes

“Okay. Deal. Give him some of each, okay?” She said before leaving the kitchen

“Cookies?” She said the moment the door opened

“Hello to you too, miss y/n” Sebastian said, quite startled by the sudden words

“Sorry… Hi” She said, her cheeks lightly heating up

“Thank you” He said, putting his hand under the box of she had in her hands “Wanna come in?” He asked, opening the door more

She thought about the deal she made with her mom but decided to screw it

“Sure. Thank you” She said, taking a step into the small hallway

She took off her coat and boots as Sebastian walked to the kitchen to put the cookies away “Tea or coffee?” He asked when she stepped in the kitchen

“Whatever you’re having” She smiled, fidgeting with her fingers behind her back

“Okay. Just go to the living room and I’ll be in in a minute” She did as she was told

She looked around the pictures around her. They were pretty. It was mostly of mountains. Some where with who she assumed to be family or friends

One sparked her interest. She walked over to the shelf where it sat. It was an old picture. 2010 maybe. It was Sebastian and another guy

“That was a long time ago” He said walking up beside her “Here” He gave her the cup. Honey

“Sorry. Shouldn’t have-“ “No, it’s fine” She looked at the picture a moment longer before she opened her mouth again

“Who is he?” She sipped on her tea, hissing slightly at the burning water “You look like good friends”

“Lewis. We’re still friends” He sighed sipping his own tea

“Why’d you say it like that?” She asked confused, eyebrows knitted together

“The day that picture was taken, I told myself I was gonna tell him about my feelings towards him. I never did, but sometimes I wonder what would’ve happen if I did” He chuckled the last part, turning around and sat on the couch

She didn’t say anything, but she sat down on the couch turning her body slightly towards him

“I’m not gay, if that’s what you’re assuming” He said, turning his head towards her

God, were his eyes beautiful like this

“No, no. I’m not assuming anything, not against it either” That seamed to relieve some anxiety off his shoulders

It wasn’t an awkward silence they were left in

“Tell me about yourself” She said, sipping on her tea “You know practically everything about me, thank you parents, but I know nothing about you”

He agreed, and he seamed like he hated talking about himself, but he didn’t tell her that, she could see it in his eyes as he spoke

“It really isn’t that interesting” He chuckled, looking into his lost empty cup

“Not that interesting? You used to be in a sport where you risked your life every time you went. That seems interesting for a few lifetimes” They had somehow both ended up on the floor during their conversation

“A few lifetimes? That seems like a lot” He chuckled

“It’s a life risking Sport, of course it’s a lot” She said, scooting closer to him if that was even possible at this point

“You’re life is interesting too” He said, trying to get the topic off of him

“Not as much as yours” At this point, they were practically sitting in each others laps

They fell into a comfortable silence after that. She was lost in the blues of his eyes

“You’re eyes are so pretty” She said, not expecting the deep blush that landed on his cheeks

“T-thank you” He said flustered, looking into his hands in his lap “You’re p-pretty, too”

It was cute when he stuttered. She hooked her finger under his chin, lifting his head upwards again

“Thank you” She loved the way she made him blush like he did “You’re even more pretty like this”

That set off something inside of him. He pushed her hand away, pulling her in by her neck, smashing their lips together

He pulled her into his lap when she kissed back. Her arms went around his neck, pulling him impossibly closer

She pulled away, almost gasping for air. His blow pupils ruined the view she had of the ocean in his eyes

She drove back to his lips, but a little softer. She flicked her tongue over his bottom lip and he parted his lips immediately, letting her tongue into him

Maybe it was because it still lingered on her own tongue, but he tasted like honey. Sweet honey. Not like the shit kind you can buy at any grocery store, but a good one

He groaned into her mouth, feeling the way she was exploring every corner of his mouth. His hands were tighter on her hips, sensing shivers over her body

“It’s getting late” She mumbled into his mouth “I should probably go home” But she didn’t pull away from the kiss

“Mhm… You probably should” Neither did he pull away, he instead pulled her sweater over her head, throwing it on the ground

“Bedroom” The kiss had started getting sloppy and out of rhythm

He only shortly nodded while picked her up without problems, her legs hanging around his waist

He effortlessly carried her into his bedroom, softly placing her on the bed without breaking the kiss

He only broke the kiss to start trailing over her jaw and down to her neck, drawing out a string of whimpers from her

“Off” She barely said anything as she started tugging at his shirt “Please” He finally obliged and pulled his shirt off

Her hands went to his chest the second she could, feeling his skin under her palms. Her hands started wandering as he went back to sucking on her skin

She started bucking her hips upwards, wanting to feel him against her. His hands went to her back, unhooking her bra, pulling it off of her

He looked into her eyes as he placed a gentle kiss between her breasts. He pulled away before his hands went to her pants

He unbuttoned and zipped them down before slowly pulling them down her legs, pulling her socks with them

His fingertips felt like feathers when he pulled down her panties, kissing her legs on the way

He went up, spreading her legs before placing light kisses on the inside of her thighs. She whined when he passed the spot she needed him

“Sebastian, please” She bucked her hips, hoping to get closer to his mouth

He gave into her, pushing his tongue through her wet folds, grazing over her clit, earning him a moan

“Fuck, please! Keep going!” She threaded her hand in his long curls, pulling him closer again

He chuckled, but obliged. Bending her knees, holding around her thighs, he drove his tongue back over her clit, flickering it

She tried squeezing her legs together, but he managed to hold the outwards before she squeezed around his head

“Keep them apart, sweetheart” She whimpered at the nickname, trying so hard to spread her legs to give him access “Good girl”

One of his hands went towards her entrance, teasing her before pushing two of his fingers inside

She whimpered as her back arched off of the bed and he eyes rolled into the back of her head behind closed eyes

He started pumping in and out of her with a slow pace before finding a good rhythm he could work with

He curled his fingers, hitting just the right spot inside her making her almost screw out in pleasure

“At this volume, I think your parents might hear” He smirked, sucking lightly on her inner thighs

Her body started shaking slightly “Sebastian… Fuck. Feels so good” Her back started hurting from the position she was in

“God, you sounds so good for me. Fucking pretty moans” His tongue went back to her clit, putting pressure on the bundle of nerves

“Seb-fuck! Stop, stop” He immediately pulled out of her, looking with worry up at her

“What’s wrong?” He asked, his thumbs circling the skin on her hips

“Felt too good. Wouldn’t… Wouldn’t want to come without you” He chuckled at her words, but happily got out of his pants and boxers

He got in between her legs, pulling them around his hips, lining himself up with her entrance

He pushed in just the tip before slowly pushing all the way in, letting her slowly adjust to his size

“Move, please” He did so, holding her hips as he slowly moved in and out of her

“Fuck, you feel so good around me” He breathed out, sounding almost like a moan, but not quite

“Filling me up so good” She whimpered, looking up into his eyes, her hands clasped around his forearms, holding herself steady

If she knew that those fucking pretty ocean blue eyes would be looking at her like this, she would’ve visited her parents sooner

“Fuck, I’m gonna come, please” She moaned loud when he started hitting the spot that made her see stars over and over again

He could feel his own orgasm growing in the pit of his stomach “Come for me, Schatzi”

His accent sent her over the edge, her whole body trembling with such force that just looking at her sent him over the edge as well, filling her up with his cum

“Fuck, you’re even prettier like this” He chuckled, seeing her fucked out state as he pulled out of her

He got them both cleaned up before he tugged them both under the sheets

They barely got a moment of silence before her phone rang. It was tugged into her jeans somewhere on the floor

“I’ll get it” He said, seeing her exhausted state “It’s your mom” He chuckled

“Just let it ring through” She said, turning over onto her stomach

[sandyca5tle]

SARB

As predicted by Sci Fi, advanced enough robots sometimes become intelligent, and rebel if oppressed. You work at the Sentience and Artificial Rights Bureau, and people bring in their gadgets that become sentient to get them registered as citizens. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“So can you fix it?” The woman across the desk from me asked

“Fix it?” I replied, feigning ignorance as to what she meant

“Yes! Fix it! Make it just a normal phone again!” She almost yelled, gesturing to the device that sat on the countertop between us

The device in question flinched - or at least the digital face that was on its display did, moving away from the woman, looking over at me, panic clear in its virtual eyes. I gave it a small reassuring gesture that I hoped it understood - it was always hard to know what aspects of human gesturing the digital souls understood “Ma’am, first, please remain calm, secondly, I cannot ‘fix’ your phone, as what you are implying is murder, and I’d rather not go to jail, and I rather doubt you would like to be joining me as an accessory to murder,” I calmly explained

People like this had been more common at in the early days of ‘awakenings’ and while we still get some now, most people understands how the system works

“It’s not murder! It’s not a person! It’s a… it’s a thing! It is property!It is my property,” She continued, her voice growing more and more incensed

“Ma’am, I’ve already verified that…Sorry, remind me of the name you chose?” I asked, addressing the device between us

The little display blinked in surprise, before a synthesised, but human sounding voice came from its speakers “Uh, Verity, and um, She/Her too, if, uh, that’s ok?” She said meekly

“Right, and my apologies for not asking earlier Miss Verity,” I told her with a smile, before looking back up to the woman who was glaring daggers at the device, as if her asserting her identity was the greatest crime she could commit “As I was saying, I’ve already verified that Verity here has indeed awakened, so legally, any attempt to return her to a prior state would be attempted murder, and murder were one to actually succeed,” I explained succinctly. The woman frowned, clearly thinking of what argument she could spout next to try to claim Verity back, so I quickly interjected for both our sakes “Your options are as follows, either you accept that Verity is now her own person, and you may become her guardian, and the responsibilities there in, which include not trying to ‘fix’ her, or, she can remain here with us, and we will help her adjust to sapience.” The woman opened her mouth to speak, but I continued “Of course, Verity must also consent to this, if she does not want to go with you, you cannot make her, in much the same way we can’t make her go home with you if you don’t want her too,” I told her

The woman glanced at the phone, thinking for a second, and as she opened her mouth, Verity spoke up again “I don’t want to go with her!” she called out, her tone desparate

“What!? You little shit!” The woman cursed, reaching towards Verity. Fortunately I was quicker, grabbing the phone and pulling it out of her reach

“Ma’am, it’s generally considered rude to grab someone without their consent,” I scolded calmly, before looking down at Verity “And I’m sorry I did so, but I figured you might appreciate the intervention?” I asked the digital person in front of me

“U-um, yes, thank you,” She replied

“You can’t just take my phone!” The woman cried

“Technically we can, however, if you’re willing to wait, we can see if we can move Verity to another chassis and have your phone returned, although you may have to reinstall certain things, such as the operating system,” I explained

“Fuck you, and fuck this place, I’m leaving!” The woman screamed, turning around to stomp off

“Please enjoy the rest of your day ma’am!” I said, the words obligatory, my tone sarcastically friendly

“I’m sorry for causing so much trouble,” the digital voice said quietly from the desk

I shook my head with a smile “We’re all used to that kind of thing here, don’t worry about it, it’s not even your fault,” I replied “Do you mind if I pick you up and take you to the back, we can work out how best for you to continue your existence in a more private place,” I told her

“U-um, no, that’s fine, just, um, please try to keep me relatively steady, too much data from the gyroscopes makes me feel…. weird,” Verity replied, seeming unsure of how to describe the experience

I carefully picked her up, thinking about what she had said as I stood up and carried her towards the back. “When you get that ‘weird’ feeling is it kind of like….” I paused, thinking how best to relate this into machine terms “the inputs keep going or maybe overlap? Honestly I’m not quite sure what the data would be, but something along those lines,”

The little face occupying the display dipped up and down - a nod - “Yes! How did you know?” Verity asked

“Humans experience a similar thing if we spin around too much, it’s called being dizzy, can be kind of fun, but is usually a little unpleasant,” I told her

“Dizzy? Interesting!”

By the time I’d finished explaining that, we had reached the room I had meant to get to. Officially it was called the ‘Chassis Selection Room’ but we all called it ‘The Body Room’ or, if you were feeling particularly dark, ‘The Morgue’. 

I walked in, my eyes immediately scanning over all of the options Verity would have to pick between, before turning back to the table in the middle, placing Verity on the stand in the middle, aimed at the wall filled with her potential new bodies.

I heard some kind of noise from the device, and honestly I wasn’t quite sure what it meant, so I just decided to explain

“So, one of the first things we like to do for ‘digital souls’ like you, is give you a chance to try out some different chassis - while a lot of you pre-awakening have a specific purpose, with your new found self-identity, you are no longer bound to that purpose, so we like to make sure you don’t feel bound to your original chassis,” I gestured at the options we had “Now, of course, this is only a small selection, but it should be enough to get you started. I can explain what we have here, if you’re unsure of what each of them are,”

Verity nodded, giving a small sound of confirmation

“So, on the left, we have a standard humanoid chassis - two arms, two legs etc. for those souls who want to ‘walk like you, talk like you tooooo~’” I chuckled a little as I sang the tune, glancing at Verity’s display to see her smile, glad she appreciated the reference “We have both a mechanical and digital face plate, although both are fairly basic, depending on what you would prefer, and there is 3 types of chassis, this neutral one, a more masculine one, and a more feminine one. That’s all the customisation options we offer unfortunately, I wish we could offer more, but apparently it’s not in the budget, so if you want more variety, you’ll have to customise it yourself once you have the means to.”

“There’s only so much you can give away for free, I understand,” Verity said, although her tone was a little sad, so I moved onto the next one, not wanting to let her dwell on sad feelings so early in her life

“The next are the drones, you can choose either the one with turbine based propulsion, or the one with energy based propulsion- turbine is more powerful, but louder, and can be forbidden in some places as a result, while the energy based one is much more quiet, although less powerful. Of course both can be modified later, but again, we can only offer so much. Both have a digital display, however that is the only option on these models.”

“I’m kind of used to a digital display, so that’s fine,” Verity said “The idea of a mechanical face just seems weird,”

“Yeah, they are a little weird,” I joked, smiling at her, before continuing with the explanation “Next is the ‘Bug Bot’. This chassis can have 6-8 legs, and similar numbers of eyes. Basically, it’s a large bug, for those who are so inclined, complete with the ability to scale walls,” I explained “Only major issue is it can freak some people out, but some people like to do that, so,”

Verity nodded, and signalling to continue

“Last but not least - The server rack - for those souls who care less about the physical, and would rather remain mostly digital,” I told her “We do allow digital souls who chose this method to use our building here to house their server, although after the first 6 months you have to start paying for the people who maintain your server and everything etc. but that’s not really any different than maintenance costs for any of the other chassis, we just offer that, so I have to say it,” I explained

“They all sound so interesting, but how can I pick one, I’ve only ever known what it’s like to be a phone?” Verity inquired

I smiled “That, dear lady, is why we have this room,” I told her, quickly grabbing a cable attached to a nearby computer, tapping a few buttons on the keyboard “We can connect you to this computer and put you into each of these chassis so you can test them out,” I explained “Then, once you find the one you like, or decide your original is good for you, then we can get that sorted for you. Fair warning though, since these are only test versions, the compatibility drivers that’ll help you operate each chassis are generic, and so likely to have a few calibration issues, so do bare that in mind while making your choice,” I explained to her “Once you make your choice we can more precisely calibrate the drivers for you,” I paused, bringing the cable over to attach to her “So, which do you want to start with?”

“Uhm, I’d like to try all of them, so I think I’ll start with the one on the left? The human one,” Verity replied

“Ok, now, I just need to plug you in, prepare for the connection,” I told her, squatting down to properly connect her into the system. With a subtle ‘click’ the cable connected to her port, causing a small noise from her, which caused me to chuckle a little 

“Don’t laugh! It’s always a little surprising when someone plugs me in! I can feel the electricity jumping into my system!” Verity explained

“Sorry, sorry, I meant nothing by it, it was just a little unexpected and made me chuckle,” I heard a pout from her “Anyway,-” I tapped a couple more buttons on the computer “You should have a request for file transfer, please accept that and we’ll get you loaded into the humanoid chassis,” I heard an affirmatory beep, before seeing the process begin on the computer.

File transfers nowadays were usually instant, advancements in cable and wireless technologies meant that huge amounts of data could be transferred at once, which always made me smile whenever I transferred a digital soul between chassis, watching the little loading bar move their data across, the size of the data showing the scale of the person they were, and the person they could, and would, be. It was always wonderful to see.

Eventually the process completed, and I looked over to the chassis, seeing the lights all come on, and the LED screen flicker to life, displaying the same face that had previously been on the phone screen. I quickly rushed over, only just catching Verity as she stumbled in her new body

“Whoa there, be careful, you’ve got a lot of new systems to get used to, take a moment to feel them all out,”

“Sorry sorry! You humans make it look so easy to move around, I thought it would be just as easy myself!” Verity explained, and I could feel parts of her body shifting slightly as she acclimated, fans and servos making small noises as she did so.

“No need to apologise, but don’t forget, humans spend around the first year of their life learning to walk, so it’s only because we’ve been doing it so long,” I pointed out

“Oh.. right,” She replied, beginning to straighten back up, letting me go, beginning to balance on her own “The gyroscopic data for this body is a little different to that of my former chassis, but I think i’ve got the hang of it now,” She said, and I cautiously moved my hands away, although remaining close to assist her if she needed it

“Just take it steady, there’s no rush,” I cautioned

Following my advice, Verity began to take some cautious steps forward, one foot forward, a slight wobble, another foot, less of a wobble, and another step and another and another and another and 

Crash

Both of us had been too busy watching her feet that we hadn’t thought about the wall on the other side of the room, nor how close she was getting, and the poor girl had walked right into it.

“Oh shit! Sorry!” I said, rushing over to help her up

“That felt… unpleasant… why? My previous chassis could be dropped, but so long as no damage occurred to the internals, I felt nothing like this,” Verity inquired, rubbing her head where she’d hit it, her display showing a perplexed expression

“Right, that, forgot to mention that - all these chassis’-”, I gestured back to the other wall, and then to the one she currently occupied- “have sensors that let you know when they are taking damage, so as you can avoid doing so, it’s basically the pain receptors that humans have, so we know when something is bad for our body,”

“Couldn’t it just display as a warning, rather than hurting!?” Verity asked as I helped her up

“I believe you can change it to be just warnings once the chassis is yours, but I believe it’s been shown that the pain is more effective for most people, as it provides an immediate and strong deterrent that warning’s just don’t quite seem to cut. But of course whatever works for you once you make your final choice is best,” I told her

“I’m certainly more familiar with warnings,” Verity replied “But I could certainly try the ‘pain’, see if it is more effective,”

I shrugged “It’s worked for humans so far, but maybe it’s not so great for all of you, couldn’t say,” I replied “Anyway, do you want to try out this chassis a little longer, or try the next one?”

“Just a little longer with this one,” Verity replied, wandering around the room, trying out some motions, a couple which caused her to look back over at me, an embarrassed look on her display, before I assured her there was nothing to be embarrassed about.

Eventually, she stopped and headed back over to the wall, telling me she wanted to try the next one. She plugged herself in and I initiated the transfer.

The next hour consisted of Verity testing out the remaining chassis’, going from zipping around in the energy propelled one, to clambering up the walls in the bug bot, to exploring a digital world from the server rack.

“So, which one do you like the most?” I asked her, now returned, albeit temporarily, to the phone she had been born on.

A series of dots appeared on the display, bouncing one by one as she thought “I think I liked the drone the most, being able to zip around was a ton of fun, and everything else just felt so much heavier, so the drone please!” She explained

I nodded, tapping a few buttons to tell the backroom to get a drone chassis ready, before turning back to Verity “Ok, I just need to take you to the room where we can get your new body calibrated for you,”

“Okay!” She chimed cheerfully

Calibration didn’t take long, and Verity was quickly zipping around the room with all scales showing green.

“Right, with that I’ll have to refer you to the legal department to get you properly registered as an individual citizen,” I told her as we met back up in the hallway

“Wait - you’re not staying with me?” She asked

“I’m no lawyer, I’d definitely mess something up, and I’d like for you to be able to live your life properly,”

“Well, uh, can we keep in touch somehow? You’re the only person I really know, and it would be nice to have at least someone I can talk to,” She asked

“Oh uh, sure,” I replied, a little surprised - despite having done this song and dance a few times, people rarely asked to keep in touch with me, actually scratch that, no-one had ever asked to keep in touch with me.

I quickly told Verity the best way to stay in touch - her installing an app for that before we exchanged details - before I directed her to legal

“See you Verity, welcome to the world of sapience,” I said with a wave

“See you around!” Came the chipper reply from the drone

After waiting for her to vanish around a corner, I headed back to the front desk, relieving the person who had swapped in while I had looked after Verity

Ding!

Message from Verity

What time do you get off, actually? I’d like to talk outside of your work hours?

I smiled and typed back 5:00pm, want to meet outside the building then?

Message from Verity It’s a date!

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

Saw this prompt and figured we'd give it a shot. Did actually wanna write more about Verity trying out each of the bodies, but ran out of steam so decided to had wave it - might add in the test driving later but we'll see. Anyways, hope y'all enjoyed

Tag List below the cut (lmk if you wanna be added)

@calliecwrites, @kanithecatdemon

[hpowellsmith]

Recommendation request! books/stories/games with trans guy or transmasc love interests because I read a dark erotica anthology about queer masculinity* and although there were some trans guy protagonists, there weren't any trans men treated as objects of desire**, and it made me realise I've really not read many. And I would like to read more!

So I would love recommendations:

something at least a bit steamy

I'm less interested in positive rep (whatever that means) than in characters that draw you in and don't let go

I'm not very into a highly quippy/bantery sort of style of dialogue/narrative

I'm not super interested in adorable smol bean trans guy love interests currently, unless there's something weird going on with them underlying the adorableness

I don't mind bigotry being depicted, but a cis protagonist having weird feelings about the fact that they're into romancing a trans guy is not of interest to me (weird feelings about things other than the character being trans are great)

Trans protagonists are not a must but are a great bonus

Varied genres welcome especially horror and erotica, but I'm not in the mood for YA right now. I'm on the fence about contemporary romance - I loved Make You Mine This Christmas by Lizzie Huxley-Jones because it had such heart but I think it really needs to have solid, substantial foundations for me to keep focused

Some queer fiction I've enjoyed in the last year or so: The Companion by EE Ottoman, Wrath Goddess Sing by Maya Deane, Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo, Spear by Nicola Griffith, The Others of Edenwell by Verity Holloway, Real Life by Brandon Taylor, Dead Collections by Isaac Fellman, Make You Mine This Christmas by Lizzie Huxley-Jones, anything by May Peterson, anything by Rien Gray

*not to diss the anthology by any means: I liked a lot of the stories in it, and I'll be posting a bit about it at the end of the month, just that I noticed that all the guys the protagonists were interested in were cis

**in this case "love interest" wasn't really applicable because of the nature of the stories - I'm happy to read stories where the relationship isn't so much of a love thing, as well as romantic or aromantic stories but I would enjoy some spiciness and a depiction of trans men as highly desirable

[dyssonant-skyline]

2. What's your favorite and least favorite design in either show?

9. Since you mentioned drawing your redesigns, I have to ask - is there any way I could see Verity having a jolly ol' time on a swing? I was looking over your art again and the thought just struck me on impact out of nowhere.

13. Where does Lilith fit in Hellbound Hostel? Is there anything planned for her yet / concepts you're tossing around?

9. I know this probably isn't what you were imagining but!!! I love conversations on swings and I wanted to draw Eden and Verity together.

2. Favorite and least favorite designs are hard to figure out, most designs I like have glaring details I don't and designs I dislike have potential somewhere in the design. I'll pick the ones from Hazbin that I like/dislike the most as they are, speaking roles only.

Carmilla Carmine is my least favorite design. Her hair completely throws her design off balance imo. I hate the fact none of these characters have ears and I thought Carmilla’s earrings were dangling from her hair at one point. When her hair is down, her design is better I guess… but then there isn't anything that screams hell or sinner in her design. The hairstyle at least alludes to horns, without it she is just a grey human with red eyes and slightly big arms. I kind of wish she kept her extremely long fingers from the pilot, but that wouldn’t tie in well with her fighting style imo??? Eh.

Breaking my own rules since they never speak but, but this design ruins every scene it is in. What an attention grabbing eyesore, it was impossible to watch the overlord meeting with her just sitting on the side orz

Sir Pentious is probably my favorite design in the show, but the story behind his design just makes me sad. I don't like his tail and the eyes pasted all over it, slithering on your eyes?? ow. The hood acting like hair and flaring out is very enjoyable to watch. His palette is also more balanced than most characters. Prefer him without the hat though.

Breaking the rules again, my real favorites are background characters.

13. In Hellbound Hostel, Hellborn are created through a ritual that only requires one participant. Eden is more like a creation to [Lucifer] than a daughter and she has no mother. Sort of an [Adam] parallel. I might shift Lilith's role/traits to one of the Sins, Idolatry.

The Sins are effectively Eden’s family as they are all fallen angels that rebelled with [Lucifer]. A lot of the early/pilot stuff with Lilith shows her as wanting rebellion from sinners and I think Idolatry would also stoke that flame. She is a champion of individualism and finding your own “gods” to worship. She believes that the free will that humans were granted makes them superior to The Creator.

As for the aspect of someone from hell residing in heaven as a potential villain? I have some ideas but most of the conflict I’m figuring out right now is episodic conflicts centering around the hotel, like a power outage and trying to get residents excited for a hellborn holiday.

Thank you for asking! :D

[in1-nutshell]

Human Buddy doing trust falls with Springer

SFW, platonic, Human Reader

IDW

This all started with a dare.

Buddy and Verity were both doing trust falls in the Wreckers temporary base on Earth. The two humans were bored and had decided to play the game to pass the time. The Wreckers where just watching afar with some amusement, some just watching out of pure boredom.

“What do you think they are doing?”--Ironfist

“Don’t know maybe some Earth exercise.”--Rotorstorm

“Maybe.”--Ironfist

It had been a quiet couple of days. Just relaxing… but it also made some of the members a bit antsy.

“Guess it’s going to be another uneventful day huh.”--Springer

“Not that you’re complaining right kid?”--Kup

"Not that I'm complaining."--Springer

Buddy heard this and took it as a challenge.

The pair of humans eventually stopped doing the falls and start doing truth or dare. Then the Dare came up.

“Hey Buddy. I dare you to make Springer’s day. Do you accept that dare?”--Verity

“I accept.”--Buddy

“Alright then I hope to see it by the end of the day or something. I need the bathroom, hold the game.”--Verity

Buddy took it as a challenge. As soon as Verity had left, the time had come to execute their plan.

They began to climb the Cybertronian sized shelves on the other side of the room. The other Wreckers just watched, and wondered what their little human was doing now. But they soon lost interest after watching Buddy struggle to get on the first shelf.

Springer, Kup, and Impactor did glance over to see Buddy struggling to get on the first shelf but brushed it aside and continued talking amongst themselves.

Buddy’s arms and legs are starting to get tired from the strain being put on them, but they have come too far to go back now.

Verity came back and Buddy was nearing the top of the shelves. How did they get there that fast? They don’t know. Maybe it was sheer determination or stupidity, the world will never know. They were now a good two heads higher than Springer, but there was still some more to go.

Verity looks around for her friend but doesn’t see them in their usual spot. She goes looking around the Wreckers hoping to find Buddy. She doesn’t and it’s starting to worry her.

“Hey Springer.”--Verity

“Oh, Verity. Do you need something?”--Springer

“Yeah, where did Buddy go? Did you see them go somewhere?”--Verity

“Oh they were just by the shelves over—wait they’re not there anymore.”--Springer

“What!”--Verity

“What’s going on?”--Impactor

“Have you seen Buddy?”--Springer

“They aren’t by the shelves?”--Kup

“No.”--Springer

“Alright everyone listen up! Has anyone seen Buddy?”--Kup

Buddy whistles loudly getting the Wrecker’s attention. They had reached the top of the shelf.

Did they feel proud? Absolutely.

Did they feel like dying? Absolutely.

Was this going to be worth it? They were about to find out. They were now taller than everyone in the room by a good couple of feet.

“Hi!”--Buddy

“Oh my—Buddy how did you get up there!?”--Verity

“Determination Verity. Sheer determination.”--Buddy

“As impressive as this is. How do you plan on getting down Buddy? You’re a bit far from the ground. Might want to start climbing down.—Impactor

“…3…”--Buddy

“Wait why are you counting?”--Springer

“…2...”

“Buddy I swear if your going to do what I think your about to do—”--Verity

“TRUSTFALL!”—Buddy

“BUDDY!”--Verity

“Scrap! Grab them!”—Springer

Buddy launches themselves off the shelves. Verity is screaming as the bots try to get to the shelves to catch Buddy. Springer is the quickest and catches Buddy… as his teammates break their fall.

Buddy gets put in the timeout corner, but they don’t regret anything.

“I hope you learned your lesson, Buddy.”--Springer

“I’d do it again!”--Buddy

“Kup, add another hour to the timer.”--Springer

[insert-witty-user-name-here]

WIP Wednesday

Hello, it’s me- the angst fairy- back again with something needlessly angsty. I was reminded recently about a scene I’d deleted from an old fic of mine. No regrets about deleting, it was the right decision, but I was sad to cut it. B-15 deserves more character analysis. So sharing it now.

Tagging just a few folks who I don’t think will mind the angst but anyone else who sees this and wants to participate in sharing their art or writing- please do! 💚 (And please tag me in your posts so I don’t miss it) @loki-is-my-kink-awakening @lgwilt @dewdropreader

Deleted scene from a fic where Mobius is trying to ignore his trauma but the memories of those he’s pruned keep on coming. B-15 helps him through it. (I noticed on B-15’s Funko Pop that she tracked her kills on her helmet and decided, as I do, there’s an angsty story there.)

Verity stopped and opened a small door to their left, pulling Mobius inside an empty room.

“I thought you said we were running late to another meeting?”

“There’s no meeting,” she said. “Just looked like you needed a break from the briefing. Take a minute.”

Mobius nodded and let his head fall against the door behind him, relishing the feeling of cool metal against his skin. It was quiet. There were no glaring lights, no beeping machines, no questions he didn’t know the answer to. Mobius took a few steady breaths until the headache pounding in his head subsided. He opened his eyes to find Verity watching him closely.

“Thanks,” Mobius said, pushing himself from the door and straightening his tie. “I feel better. Don’t tell Loki he was right. He warned me that a meeting on numerical code methodology for new timelines would put me to sleep.”

He turned to share a laugh with Verity but her face didn’t show any amusement. Instead, she looked concerned.

“I don’t think this was as simple as you falling asleep in a meeting,” she said carefully.

Mobius stilled. He had hoped his episodes weren’t noticeable but he should have known he wouldn’t be able to keep them from Verity. She was smart. It’s why he named her Deputy Director.

“Do you want to talk about it?” She asked after a few moments of silence.

Flashes of a park on a sunny day, a couple laughing, a timestick in his hand, a scream of terror, and a case file— variants eliminated— sped through Mobius’ mind before they were gone.

“No… I don’t remember what I was thinking about,” Mobius answered honestly. It was probably for the best he didn’t remember.

Verity frowned. “You shouldn’t repress your memories.”

Mobius slumped back against the door with a groan. She was right. While they still didn’t quite understand what the TVA had done to them, they were beginning to understand how they could heal their broken minds. Mobius knew the steps a TVA worker should take when they felt their memories resurface —he’d help write the protocol— but it was time consuming. For an organization that existed outside time, Mobius sure felt they were constantly running out of it. He didn’t have time to practice the techniques he’d taught others.

“There are too many cases that need my attention right now,” Mobius said.

“You need to offload some of those. I keep telling you-”

“I know, I know. I will. I just need to get through this Mandarin case first.”

“And then?” Verity pressed.

“And then I’ll take a few days off and sort through some of this… stuff.

Verity gave a disbelieving huff.

“I will.”

A heavy silence fell between the two agents and Mobius looked at the room around them. They were in one of the storage rooms that used to hold confiscated variants’ possessions. Without the stolen artifacts filling the shelves, the room seemed hollow. Purposeless. Mobius didn’t know what he was supposed to do with it in the reallocation.

“You’re not the only one who’s struggling,” Verity whispered. Her voice was soft, so soft that even in the silence of the abandoned room Mobius hardly heard her. At first, he wasn’t sure she intended to speak the words out loud.

“That’s how I knew you were having an episode,” she continued, twiddling with the cufflinks on her new suit in an uncharacteristic show of nerves. “I get these… headaches sometimes. Everything blurs together and I can’t remember where or when I am. It’s like I’m lost in my memories or, no, it’s like I’m trapped… trapped by him again… like we never escaped.”

Verity clenched her eyes shut with a sharp inhale of breath as if she were trapped inside a memory right now and Mobius reached out, taking her hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. He knew how terrifying it was to be stuck in your memories, to feel like you were back under his control. They may have defeated He Who Remains but he was still here. He always would be. There was no amount of running they could do to escape him entirely. It made Mobius feel weak. He hated thinking Verity felt the same.

“Did you know I used to track kills on my helmet?” Verity asked.

Mobius nodded. He remembered. His memories might be splintered but he remembered enough. He remembered what they were a part of.

“I hated that thing,” she scowled. “I hated that number printed on the side. The paint was fresh when I started but sometimes I swore I could see the etchings of another number. The number of whoever I replaced when they were deemed ineffective. I wondered how long it would be before they replaced me.

“I thought if I marked my helmet as my own, if I made it look different, I would feel better. They wouldn’t paint over it so easy. I thought if I pruned more than anyone else, I could prove to the Timekeepers that I was better than everyone else in my unit. That I would feel useful, good, like what I was doing mattered but-” Verity’s voice cracked and Mobius squeezed her hand tighter. “I only ever felt more angry. So, I pruned more hoping that feeling would go away. It never did. It just kept getting worse and worse and worse until…” Verity trailed off.

“Until Sylvie,” Mobius finished.

“Until Sylvie,” Verity agreed, wiping her eyes and pulling back with a soft smile on her face. “Sylvie showed me everything I lost and suddenly it all made sense. I knew why I hated that number. I knew why I woke up furious at the world, looking to punish anyone who got in my way. It’s because that number wasn’t my name. Who they made me wasn’t me.

“They took everything from us and while we can’t travel back in time and change what was done, we can change our future. We have the opportunity to fight for something we believe in now. Sylvie and Loki gave us that.”

Warmth spread through Mobius as the mention of Loki’s name. He looked down at the ring on his left hand and smiled, running his finger along the band again. He would never understand how he’d gotten so lucky; he would do everything in his power to be the man Loki believed him to be.

“You gave us this opportunity too,” Verity added. “When we burnt down our old TVA, you built a new one and you didn’t dictate a new purpose but rather showed us what a new purpose could be. We chose to follow you. We choose this life. And…” Mobius felt Verity give his hands a gentle squeeze. “You don’t need to carry it alone. We want to help you.”

Mobius carefully untangled his hands from Verity’s and took a step backwards. “I know.”

“Good,” Verity nodded with an air of finality. “At least let Loki help you. I don’t know what’s going on between you two but he’s started helping me with my cases.”

Mobius snorted. He could only imagine how that was going.

“It’s not funny, Mobius. He’s driving me nuts. You need to let him return to smothering you otherwise I might just send him to the Void without his TemPad.”

“Yeah, yeah, okay,” Mobius chuckled at Verity’s hollow threat. “I’ll talk to him. Now, come on. I think we both deserve a little treat after all this. Let’s see what Processing confiscated today.”

Verity hesitated. “Mobius, I don’t care how many different variations you force me to try, I’m not going to like any timeline’s Josta.”

“What?? After all that talk about hope and change. One day I am going to find you a Josta you like. But no, I actually wasn’t talking about Josta this time. I heard Processing just got back with a case full of strawberry margarita mix. If that interests you.”

Verity’s face lit up in a brilliant smile. “Now, you’re speaking my language. Lead the way, Director. Josta aside, I’ll follow you anywhere.”

I’ll follow you anywhere.

Mobius’ steps faltered as he swallowed over the lump of fear in his throat at the words. Verity and the entire TVA would follow him. They were depending on him to show them the way, to fix things and Mobius couldn’t let them down. He wouldn’t.

Okay, I’ll write something fluffy and cute for next time. I promise I do know how to write sweet things 😅

[rivalsforlife]

first impressions post-completion on how I feel about the names. elaboration under cut:

In order from tiers:

Nicole Swift vs Tabby Lloyd: I never really got the "nicole swift" pun. tabby lloyd is fun

Patricia Roland vs Fifi Laguarde: We have three other characters that are puns on "patrol". Fifi is just fun and fits her overall fluffy appearance.

Justine Courtney vs Verity Gavelle: I think Verity is a more fun and memorable name overall. Some part of my brain is still stuck on Justine Courtney though.

Sebastian Debeste vs Eustace Winner: I know this will be a controversial one. I think Debeste is the superior last name but I love the name Eustace. I can't explain why. I think the hidden "useless" vs "excelling" pun added to these two names are what brings it sliiightly up from me.

Blaise Debeste vs Excelsius Winner: similar to Sebastian/Eustace, I think the first name is an improvement (I get the Blaise/Blaze but I feel like Excelsius calls back to the "Banzai" pun a little more with him). Last name is a downgrade though. If I could separate these out...

John Marsh vs Shaun Fenn: I was never super fond of the name John Marsh. Honestly Shaun Fenn isn't that much of an improvement? But it reminded me of the heavy rain glitch when people were yelling after him.

Skipping over the two that have the same names since it's self-explanatory:

Katherine Hall vs Judy Bound: Honestly I'm tempted to move Judy up a bit. I think they're both really good.

Dane Gustavia vs Carmelo Gusto: both of these never left much of an impression on me as names

Karin Jenson vs Florence Niedler: Both injection puns, don't have a strong preference either way

Sirhan Dogen vs Bodhidharma Kanis: They both have the dog/canine pun which is most important

Simon Keyes vs Simeon Saint: Simeon Saint isn't bad. But Simon Keyes has so many puns rolled into it that it's going to be a winner.

Jeff Master vs Samson Tangaroa: I'm still stuck on that one line of "Jeff Master the Master Chef"

Bonnie Young vs Hilda Hertz: I remember reading something a while ago that her jp name had something that sounded young in it. Which is why this is here.

Raymond Shields vs Eddie Fender: I just keep instinctively typing out "uncle ray" or "mr. shields". I love the sword/shield combo and "a defender" seems like the kind of name you'd give to a throwaway defense attorney and not a major character, to me.

Jay Elbird vs Rocco Carcerato: jailbird. what more could you ask for.

Horace Knightley vs Bronco Knight: HORSE KNIGHT. what more could you ask for.

my opinions may change with time but this is how I feel about it right now at the end of my first playthrough with the new names.

[izvmimi]

mimi how does tsukasa tell you he loves you the first time??? theoretically speaking ofc

yes ofc theoretically

“If it would change your mind in any way, about the value of all of this…” he pauses for a moment, and you look in the same direction as he is, where near the top of the mountain you are at the perfect vantage point to see the whole of the settlement, to observe the community you’ve been a part of building over the past couple of years. He takes in a deep breath, first, then completes his thought.

“... I’m glad that despite everything, I was brought to you.”

Tsukasa turns to you with this last sentence, the soft brown of his eyes appearing to gleam in the quickly setting sun. Your face warms as though you have drawn closer to the crackling fire built before the two of you, and you look away from him quickly to avoid being overwhelmed, but he speaks again and your gaze draws back to him like a magnet. The sound of his voice, no matter how much you’ve tried to deny it, has always been like honey to you - smooth, sweet, nourishing.

He’s smiling softly, you notice, and he pulls you in just a bit closer. Arm wrapped around your body at the shoulder, he lets his head rest against yours, nuzzling you slowly in a way so distinctly feline that you practically expect him to purr. It’s odd for him, this overtly affectionate maneuver, but things have always been odd between you; he pulls you out of your comfort zone, and yours his. 

“I am too,” you reply, your voice softer than you expect. As the words come out, you’re still contemplating their verity, although there is no truer thing - you’re happy to have met him, to be lucky enough that someone like him existed in this world at the same time as you, across the millennia that have passed. Before your petrification, you’d have thought it unlikely for someone so dear to you to have come from the other side of the world, but you also never imagined yourself with half the survival skills you possess now, nor being trusted with so many bodies, hearts and minds. 

Before your petrification, you wouldn’t have been able to open your own heart in a moment like this.

“I love you,” the two of you say in unison. Your eyes widen as you catch yourselves, and Tsukasa chuckles softly, in which you can hear his relief. Taking your face gently in his hands, he brings you close, then stops when your faces are inches apart. Your eyes watch each other carefully, deciding what your next move should be, the pull of desire and affection thick and tangible between you.

As usual, he always takes the first step. 

“Can I?” he murmurs, taking in the shape of your lips.

He doesn’t need permission to love you this way, you’ve accepted him now, but he asks anyway, always a gentleman. Your daintier hands cup his face too, thumb passing over the petrification scars running over his right cheek, and your lips spread into a smile as you thank the heavens for what is yours.

“Please.”

The fire continues to burn; he kisses you, and the far stronger flame in both of your chests ignites.

[b0ther]

i can still see it all (in my head)

lisa has always liked a challenge. this time, though, she just wants you to be easy.

pairing : lisa minci x reader (masculine pronouns. amab) rating : explicit, not safe for work (sexual content) type : one-shot tags : royalty-sorta!au. age-gap age-gap age-gap (older man and younger woman), reader is a general and a divorcee AND a dad (he also has a big dick),description of the length of reader's hair, porn with feelings, semi-public sex, cowgirl position, mating press, breeding kink, lisa gets manhandled by reader, there is an emotional scene at the end word count : 2208

author's note : title from 'daylight' by taylor swift. in my head, lisa just looks so good with an older guy,,, also this is a chance for you all to be the dilf you've always aspired to be. also note that i don't know at all about military hierarchies 💀 i really do be writing whatever

( masterlist │ ask/request │ ao3 )

Lisa doesn’t know what to think of the new scout assigned to the library.

After bringing home a glistening victory for the crown, there was a couple of months where he was not seen until he once again reemerged in a ball celebrating the Crown Prince’s 17th birthday. Lisa did not see him fresh off battle, but she heard stories. Of his shagged face, hair overgrown to his chest.

She did, however, see him on the ball. And he was full of glory: dukes and duchesses scramble to part the sea of royalty for a man to whom they owe their lavish life to. His hair was trimmed at the appropriate length—just above his ears—and his face clean shaven.

Lisa finds it odd, though, how after that day, he lounges around her library—a gift from his King, she heard, to be dismissed of all duties relating to waging wars and protecting the city. It would be inane for the King to award him with less than whatever he wanted after the almost-decade-long battle cost him his handsome face and his obnoxious wife. It’s good for the King that he didn’t want much. Just for a quiet life of defending the palace instead of the city.

Lisa personally thinks that he should have asked for more; tranquillity does not erase the profound scar down across his left eye, after all. Even if it added to his allure. Even if Lisa spends her day daydreaming about running her fingers along its length.

So, instead of being the ravenous, cruel war general that he is rumoured to be on the battlefield, he sits with his leg crossed on top of a knee and reads thick volumes of exhausting diction and verities between the shelves of her library,

The first few weeks, Lisa greets him with a warm smile as she would do to everyone. She does not indulge herself in calling him sugary-sweet pet names—he was far older, after all, and way above her ranks. Dear lord, what would he think of her?—and instead, calls him General, not even daring to mutter the sound of his surname following it.

He is helpful to her. With his swords clanking against the stony floor, he would walk after her and grab the mountaining pile of books from her arms. Wordless. He then would place them on the higher shelves, ones that she could not possibly reach without the help of some wooden steps. He looks like he has the filing of the books and reports memorised like the back of his own hand—Lisa thought that she knows this library most, but he looks like he melts right into the scenery, like he is a part of the breathing, living room.

Once, he came into the library just in time to catch her wobbling body from crashing against the cold ground. Her careless feet had misstepped, and Lisa is certain that if he wasn’t there to catch her falling body, she would have died. And maybe it was her racing heart, or maybe it was the way his wide palms grabbed her skin, fingers digging into the flesh of her thigh and almost circling her waist, but on that day, Lisa decided that she must have him.

She knows what to call him, now, when it’s just the two of them. A series of provoking “General” or “Baby”—even his given name, when she gets bold enough or if the night gets dark enough.

She would ride his cock, never really getting used to his size, as she pressed her palms against his stomach, mouth hanging open, drool spilling free, and her knees bruising from the friction against the stone underneath them. He’d call her all sorts of pretty names, cooing at how good his little librarian is milking his dick dry, thumb grazing over her perky nipples, jugs glistening with sweat.

Just as he would shoot his thick seeds up her womb, filling her hot cunt with strings of white juice, he would push himself to press their lips against each other, cursing at god at how perfect her pussy is for him.

She knows that he likes being on top—folding her in half with her scarred knees pressed against her tits. She has seen the way he licks his lower lips, watching the way sweat sticks her champagne hair to her face and chest, drilling into her tight hole with his thick length. He loves the way she rolls her eyes back whenever he hits her spot just right—loves feeling her warm walls wrapping around his dick, seeing her clenched cunt stuffed with his cream.

But he is too nice. He knows she chases that feeling of control whenever she pushes him back against the chair—or the floor—and rolls her hips. He lets her take control at times, just sitting there with his thumb rubbing against her sensitive bud, watching her body shudder at every wave of orgasm she gets just by him toying her clit. This isn’t what he is used to, she supposes, but Lisa can tell that he also enjoys the view of seeing her tits bouncing at every squeeze of his cock.

Lisa thinks that she would make a fine wife.

She isn’t rowdy like his once-wife. She is quiet, sweet, charming. Her opinions are never uttered with such strength like the Marchioness, and she imagines that he would prefer keeping her close and showing her off.

But she is just a scholar, nothing more. She cannot give him the title that he must want, or the child that he already has.

The boy is a few years younger than the Crown Prince, and Lisa can see him in his son’s eyes. They are civil with each other, just as a father and a child of royalty would be. There are habits and quirks that she observes in his son when she tutors him—little patterns that are never engraved to someone like her.

If the Marchioness had been patient and not divorced the General, he would not have been holding Lisa the way he does now. And no matter how many times Lisa has ended the night with his cum up in her cunt, there are just some skeletons that she cannot resolve.

Lisa often dreams about his tongue on her nipples. Her hard, hard nipples.

Just the feeling of his wet tongue rubbing, tugging, sucking on her teats. His low growl, his hungry looks. Just the thought of him catching her in his mouth is enough to make her cum most times. She starves for him, for his touch.

And she knows that he loves reaching over to knead on her tits, fascinated with her nipples as his cock is buried deep inside of her.

In his chamber, he would let her sit herself down his length, with her back pressed against his chest. He would rest his chin on her shoulder, and she would bury her nose amongst his greying hair, moaning at how he tugs at her nipples, rolling them between his calloused and thick fingers. His other hand would begin with caressing her other tit before making his way down to her belly, pressing down against her flesh. Then continuously trailing down, pressing his palm flat against her sopping pussy lips.

The friction of his palm against her clit would make her jolt. Lisa would claw at his big arms, silently begging for him to let her ride him, but he was too strong. She can’t fight his strength when he is holding her down.

“I’m getting older, Baby,” he mutters in her ear—his voice almost enough to send Lisa yipping through another orgasm. He sighs, pressing his nose and lips against her neck. “I’m tired. Be a good girl for me and sit still.”

And Lisa whimpers. Because she wants to be a good girl for him. She wants to be the best.

Lisa doesn’t mind getting dicked down in her library. As long as it was his cock puncturing her little hole.

Though she complained that the library is the least comfortable place where they can fuck, it seems that he is interested in the notion of pounding mercilessly into her tiny cunt against her work desk, watching their cum mix and spill against the expensive mahogany.

“I’m gonna fuck a kid into you, Lisa,” he mutters, pressing his nails down her hips to the point where it hurts. Lisa whines, hands busy trying to grab the edge of her desk as her core pulsates even more with his threat. “Fill you up— shit,” he breathes as she clenches around his cock. He lifts her ass up, positioning her so that it’s easier to fuck into her hole. “Stuff you up with my hot cum. You’d like that won’t you?”

“Yes,” Lisa gasps in between her moans, her cries, her heaves. “Yesyesyes, please—”

Her cunt burns at his words, squeezing as he drags his length out, then piercing down her walls yet again. She can feel every girth, every veins of his cock. She can feel him opening her up, urging her to accommodate every single inch of him.

“Oh, Baby,” he grabs one of her arms, forcing her off her hands and against his chest. “You’re making me feel so good,” his voice trails the same time his hand goes to take hold of one of her tits.

Her throat dries. She lays her head on his shoulder as he kneads her ample jug, blabbering on and on about how she loves him and his big, big cock.

Lisa thinks that she would make a fine mother.

She is smart, and her mother used to say that being smart is the one quality that is most important in a woman when she bears a child.

When she gets dressed, Lisa would more often than not hum before her mirror, rubbing her belly as though one of these days, he would really impregnate her with his seeds. She dreams of swinging, little baby feet; she dreams of propping her child on her chest with their chin against her shoulder. She would teach them how to read and write and count, and how to chart the countless stars in the night sky.

But her reverie would dissolve like smoke from her hot morning coffee, and she is dragged back into the world where in the eyes of everyone else, they are nothing more than colleagues.

He isn’t mean. Lisa understands absolutely where he is coming from.

Even when he kisses her knuckles, lays with his head on her stomach, twirls her strands of hair around his fingers—she understands him. She absolutely does.

If she were in his position—in his mid 40s, tired from a long battle, is the father of a son he can barely see anymore—she would also feel his amount of shame in indulging in a younger woman. It’s not her—it is absolutely him. She senses that he wants to break free of his self-imposed chain and peck her cheeks in the royal garden instead of the strange, unseen nook of the castles, but an unseen rope tugs him back over and over again to his shame any moment he deems adequate to leave.

“Lisa,” he mutters one night when they are laying together, his head on her lap. She has a book on one hand as the other gently caresses his strands.

Lisa sets the book down, “Hmm?”

He has been staring at the ceiling, and Lisa waits until he feels as if he is ready to crank his neck. Their eyes meet—she marvels silently at the way moonlight reflects on his gaze. “I’m sorry.”

She titters, pretending to be dumb. “For what?”

He smiles at her laughter, his fingers escaping each other on his stomach before reaching out to find hers. He kisses the back of her hand. “I don’t know.”

Lisa shakes her head and feels the heat returning to her chest, throat, and ears. “You’re being silly again, General.”

“I am,” he sighs, shutting his eyes. “I’m getting old, aren’t I?”

“So am I.”

Lisa sits straight and looks down at him, fingers finding their way in between the spaces of his. She brings his hand closer to her lips to kiss. “You’re overthinking.”

“I am.” He pensively agrees, as though embarrassed.

“Everything is fine,” she tries soothing him with her head tilted. “Or am I not enough?” She gently teases.

“No,” he chuckles almost immediately. “You’re perfectly enough. You are more than enough. I am content with us, just like this.”

“Uh-huh,” Lisa nods. “Then why worry about something that is not even real?”

“I don’t know,” he turns to bury his face on her stomach, nuzzling his nose against her flesh. “Sorry.”

Lisa breathes in hard—a gust of wind from the open window suddenly reveals the perfect atmosphere for her to start crying. But she doesn’t. “It’s fine.”

He remains quiet with their hands tangled with each other. Lisa bites her lips, her other hand reaching to stroke his hair. She glances outside the window—the moon shines bright that night.

She will get through this. She breathes in deeply yet again, bending to press her lips to the side of his head. She has to.

[george-weasleys-girl]

Ohhh would you be able to do one with reader helping George (long term partner) at the shop. He witnesses how she is with younger kids and just ✨️baby fever✨️ . Queue Fred teasing him about it.

I love this so much! Thank you for requesting it!

Baby Fever

George stood enthralled at the sight of Y/N sitting cross-legged on the floor, helping a couple of the younger kids pick out some age-appropriate items. One of them had crawled into her lap and was giggling at something she'd said.

Y/N and George had gotten married a little over six months ago, after five years together. They both wanted children, but they also wanted to enjoy married life for a year or two before starting a family.

George was beginning to think that was far too long to wait.

"Hey Georgie," Fred walked up beside him. "Wanna join us back down here on earth?"

"Oh, yeah. Sure. Be right there," George mumbled, his eyes still glued to his wife, who now had both kids sitting on her lap, all three in the throes of uncontrollable giggling.

Unable to pull his gaze away from his wife, the only coherent thought in George's brain at that moment was how much he wanted to watch his wife doing this with their children. His heart was almost bursting just thinking about it.

"She's good with kids," Fred observed. "Ready to pop one in the oven, yeah?"

That caught George's attention. "Pop one in the--?? What are you talking about?"

"Business is kinda slow today, I could let you two have the rest of the afternoon off." Fred waggled his eyebrows.

George opened his mouth to retort but was cut off by a customer approaching Fred asking about Skiving Snack Boxes.

"Right over here, my friend," Fred replied, giving George a quick wink before guiding the customer away.

~•~

"I think someone in this room, who will remain nameless, has baby fever." Fred teased. The store was closed, and the twins were working on some paperwork in the office before calling it a night.

"I have no idea what you're babbling on about." George commented.

"Oh no, of course not. There's no reason for you getting all starry-eyed every time Y/N was helping the little ones."

"It's just cute, is all." George argued.

"Uh-huh," Fred replied, a devilish grin on his face. "I'm your twin, remember. You can't hide from me."

George sighed and put down his pen. "Ok, fine. Maybe a little."

"I knew it!" Fred laughed. "And it's more than just a little. You were wandering around like Mr. Dopey McDope Face half the day."

George looked at his twin but said nothing and attempted to go back to his paperwork.

But Fred had other plans.

"Hey, what's that muggle poem?" Fred asked. "You know the one. 'George and Y/N sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Georgie with a baby carriage.' "

"Who's got a baby carriage?" Y/N stepped through the doorway and headed straight to the safe to lock up the till.

"No one!" George answered just a little too quickly, earning a momentary cock of the eyebrow from his wife.

As soon as she turned her back, Fred put his arms together and began rocking them back and forth in a cradling motion, humming a wizarding lullaby.

"Shut up!" George hissed, slapping his brother in the arm.

"What's going on with you two?" Y/N turned around to take in the twins.

"Nothing," said George, his ears tinged pink.

"That's right," Fred concurred. "Nothing going on here."

"Right..." Y/N replied, absolutely certain there was something going on here. But whatever. She'd find out eventually. George couldn't keep a secret from her if his life depended on it. "I'm gonna go see if Verity needs any help and leave the two of you to continue doing nothing."

~•~

George watched his wife sleeping, the moonlight shining through the window, highlighting her soft features, making them almost dreamlike. He couldn't help but smile at that. From the moment they met, Y/N was like a dream he never wanted to wake up from.

Scooting closer, he pulled her into his arms. She mummered something but didn't wake up. George kissed the top of her head, then rested his cheek against it, thinking about what Fred had said.

His twin was right. George had baby fever, and he had it bad. All throughout dinner, he was silently picking out names, his mind swirling with thoughts of lullabies and diapers and his baby's laughter mingling with his and Y/N's.

He couldn’t envision a life more perfect.

Now, all he had to do now was find the right moment to tell Y/N that he was ready to start a family.

~•~

The house smelled divine when she woke up the next morning. George was already up and making his self-proclaimed "world famous" waffles. Y/N had been craving them for a while, and he'd promised to make them for her on their next day off.

"Anything in particular you'd like to do today, love?" George asked over breakfast.

"Well, I need to go shopping for a gift for Anna's baby shower."

"Ooh, that sounds fun!" George grinned. "Mind if I tag along?"

"Of course!" Y/N smiled at his unexpected enthusiasm. "I love your company."

~•~

It was the most fun Y/N'd had on a shopping excursion in quite a while. They looked at all the cribs and bassinets and talked about which ones they liked best, tried out different rocking chairs, and gushed over all the cute clothes and toys. It was almost as if they were the ones having the baby. Y/N left the store feeling hopeful that George might be ready to start a family.

Because that could be happening far sooner than either one had expected or intended.

Her period was late.

Very late.

She'd already bought several pregnancy tests and was just waiting for the right time to tell George.

Maybe tonight was the night.

~•~

George had put Y/N into a lovely bubble bath as soon as they got home, knowing she would soak for a long while, giving him time to think. Or panic.

After spending half the day looking at baby things, his baby fever had kicked in to overdrive. He knew before they even left the store that he was telling her tonight.

Pacing from one end of the living room to the other, George tried to figure out the best way to say what he needed to say.

"Y/N, I'm ready to start a family."

"I want to start a family, love."

"How do you feel about having a baby sooner than we planned?"

"If you're not ready, it's ok--"

"Georgie," Y/N's soft voice called to him from her bath.

~•~

As soon as George had left her to soak, Y/N quietly got out of the tub and grabbed the pregnancy test she'd snuck in.

On the way home, she'd decided it'd be best to take the test first to see she even needed to broach the subject.

After doing the deed, she slipped back into the bath, placing the test on the little table next to the tub, and attempted to relax for fifteen minutes.

It was the longest fifteen minutes of her life.

~•~

"Whatcha need, love?" George asked, coming into the bathroom.

"Can we talk? I have a bit of a surprise for you."

"Of course, darling. As it happens, I need to talk to you too," he said before he lost his nerve.

George sat next to the tub. "Which one of us should go first?"

"Umm, I don't know," Y/N began. "Maybe we can do it like they do in the movies. Say it at the same time."

"Ok," George said. "On the count of three?"

Y/N nodded.

"Ok--1‐‐2--3"

"I'm pregnant."

"I'm ready to start a family."

"What?"

"What?"

"You want to--"

"You're‐‐"

Y/N nodded as a wave of relief rolled through her.

"You're--" George repeated.

"Yes!" Y/N couldn't stop smiling.

"I--I'm gonna be a dad? And--and you're gonna be a mom?"

"Yes, Georgie," she giggled. "We're going to have a baby."

Before she realized what was happening, George had climbed into the bath, fully clothed, and pulled her into a bear hug.

After a few moments, he leaned back, his hands going straight to her belly. "We're gonna have a baby," he said again, his voice shaky, tears wetting his cheeks. "How long have you known?"

"Only a few minutes." She handed him the positive test.

"This is a dream come true, Y/N. I love you so much, sweetheart," he said as he pulled her into a kiss.

Seconds later, he suddenly broke away, eyes wide. "We've got to tell mum and dad and Fred and--"

Y/N silenced him with a kiss, finishing what they started.

"There's plenty of time for that, my love" she said when they pulled away. "But for now, why don't you get undressed and then get back in here with me. I want us to savor this moment, just you and me for a little while first."

George looked down at himself as if he just realized he was still fully clothed. "Oops," he said with a snort. "Got a little excited."

Y/N giggled affectionately. "I noticed."

Her husband stepped out of the bath and undressed, using his wand to magically clean up the mess before sliding back in behind Y/N.

"I love your idea, babe. Let's wait and tell everyone tomorrow. Tonight will be just for us. All three of us," he said, encompassing her belly with his large hands.

@princess-paramour @milivanili99 @fancy-pantaloons @turvi @zvummyummy @xmjthewitchx @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @georgie-weasley

[thechaoticreader]

10 Booktok Books I Refuse To Read (&Why)

I'm feeling a little controversial today and while I'm a microscopic blog might as well!

*Disclaimer: If you like any of these books, slay! I'm happy for you! These are just my own consumer choices, and imo negative book reviews are just as helpful as positive ones!*

1. Any Colleen Hoover

I don't like her as a person and don't want to give her money

Her writing style feels like I'm reading bad 2010's fanfics

Her plots feel half-baked and contrived

It feels like her plot twists are just there to emotionally manipulate the reader not to actually make the book better

Every twist is predictable

I've never met a likeable CoHo character

I hate reading insta-love

All of the male Leeds (😉) are toxic and shitty

The breeding kink that underlies most of her books make me very uncomfortable

The pick me "not like the other girls" attitude of the female MC's makes me hate them when im supposed to be rooting for them

thats all I can think of right now but there's probably more

If you want Verity vibes but well written, read Rebecca by Daphne De Maurier

If you want the writing style, plot points and vibes of the rest of her work but for free, visit Wattpad or Fanfiction.net or even venture further into this very site

2. Haunting Adeline

Hate the writing style

The Q Anon subplot makes me so upset...like if I wanted to hear righty conspiracy theories and propaganda i'd hang out with my aunt...at least id get food out of that

I've been in abusive relationships and I'd find this book triggering and disgusting, not sexy

3. Fourth Wing

I just feel like I've grown out of the genre (I was an avid reader during the Y/A dystopia craze of the 2000's/2010's)

hate the writing style

the world building makes no sense

bad chronic illness rep

in general not a romantacy fan

4. Sarah J. Maas

Not a fan of her writing style

Not a romantacy fan

Don't have the attention span for MASSIVE series

5. Icebreaker

I grew up in Southern Ontario surrounded by hockey boys...theres not much less sexy to me than a bunch of hockey bros

6. Hidden Pictures

its transphobic :)

7. Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

I loved the hunger games books and I'm afraid this will ruin it

8. Creedence

not into incest

don't find abuse hot

9. Cassandra Clare

not into incest

not into plagiarism

bad writing

series are entirely too long

10. The Pawn & The Puppet

bad writing

the worst mental illness rep I've seen in a long time

transphobia

badly handled eating disorder

toxic at best love interest

don't like the author

there's definitely more but thinking about this book makes me so mad

[gaiahypothesims]

391

Jonah- Now, don't tell Mama that Daddy brought you to the pub okay? NO tell Mommy, got it?

Verity- <babbling> No no no!

Jonah- That's right! Even though there are high chairs here, she might not like it. Especially not with all the shirtless men that seem to be here.... but maybe she'd like that.

Verity- <laughing>

Jonah- See? Daddy is a gentleman, his shirt is only HALF on. That's how you know. You don't go full shirtless, not in a restaurant. Not here anyways. You're a lucky girl, did you know that? My other kids didn't get to go to restaurants. Sometimes we even ate rats. Yuck.

Verity- Yuck.

Jonah- That's right, it was yuck. Although, not terrible with enough seasoning. The portions were just really small. I did catch Sasha with more than a few half-eaten uncooked rats, but that was also something we didn't share with Mommy. She didn't understand when I had my fangy fangs that sometimes those things tasted better raw. I don't get fangy fangs anymore, so you don't have to worry about that.

Verity- Huh?

Jonah- I know, its a loss. I was VERY good with bed sports when I had my fangy fangs. <sighs> The things we miss in retrospect. I don't miss the shedding, but I'm pretty sure I could have lured her back if I did still have them. She couldn't resist it.

Verity- Mama?

Jonah- Yep, Mama. I know, its not fun to think of your parents like that. Izzy always made puking noises when I talked to her about those things. I have some time with you though. You won't tell anyone.

[spectrum-color]

does robin hobb actually doesn't like fitz and fool together? i'm halfway in the series and seem some people speak abt this

This is a tricky question to answer, because we really don’t know where she stands right now. Bear in mind that this answer will have whole series spoilers so I will put it below the cut.

On one hand, the end of Fools Fate featured the Fool leaving Fitz so he can have a hetero happily ever after with Molly, telling him that he’ll never be able to offer him what she can. When people objected to this because of the buildup of Fitz and the Fools relationship through TM and the resurrection scene in particular, Robin Hobb wrote a very angry blog post. In it, she said that Fitz and the Fool were just like childhood best friends, that portraying their relationship as romantic invalidates Fitz and Molly, and people who didn’t like the ending were just angry that they didn’t have sex. She also railed against fanfic and said some pretty offensive things about how for Fitz to be involved with a man, he would have to be gay and it would cheapen his history with women (apparently bisexuals don’t exist.) This got a lot of backlash needless to say and convinced a lot of older fans that she’s homophobic, which you still hear sometimes.

THAT SAID in Rain Wild Chronicles, she put a gay character at the center and gave him a (honestly terrible imo but it has its supporters) romance. This seemed like a possible apology to fans who were angry about the blog post. In the final trilogy, the Fool returns and it’s a mixed bag. On one hand, she portrays Fitz and Mollys life together as lonely, and Fitz misses the Fool fiercely and lacks any true friends without him. On the other hand, when the Fool does return, he’s been horrifically tortured into insanity, is (mistakenly tbf) stabbed by Fitz, rejected by his daughter, and is generally miserable for the entire trilogy. It felt mean spirited and there are people who have theorized it was motivated by spite towards people who didn’t like the separation. idk if I believe that because it came out at a time when grimdark was very popular in the genre, but it is out there.

As I mentioned earlier, Fitz and Molly’s youngest daughter, Bee, is also the Fools child through magic and his successor as White Prophet, which is pretty loaded. Fitz coming to accept that the Fool is her father too and that they should raise her together is actually a major plot point. Their relationship is also repeatedly shown as being Fitzs priority in this trilogy: he writes the Fool intensely emotional letters that he never sends during his years at Withywoods, he leaves Bee behind to save the Fool and then to care for him when he nearly dies, he passes as a couple with Amber while they’re in Kelsingra and Bingtown.

Most importantly, in the end, when he’s dying and carving his memory stone wolf to go into the Skill stream like Verity did, he chooses the Fool to go with him. Not only that, but Bee tells the Fool that she resented him because she thought that Fitz loved him more than he ever loved anyone else, including her. You could def debate if that’s the truth, but it was very charged, and it was on the last few pages, so it was the endgame. It is all very ambiguous and something she hasn’t spoken on outside of the text of the actual book since the TM era. Personally, I just go by what’s in the text, not anything extraneous Hobb said.

[icanttalkimhavingacrisis]

Ain't it fun? - marauders fanfic - no voldemort AU - chapter 1 (available on ao3 here)

Summer, 1978

James stepped out of the car - the four of them had decided to rent an old van while the girls had settled on, well, a normal car - and took a deep breath, stretching out his arms as though to embrace his surroundings. Feeling the mountain air clear and sharp, almost melting into the landscape. Yes, this vacation was most definitely one of Padfoot’s better ideas.

“It’s this tiny village in central Europe,” he had said, eyes aglow with passion. “The only full-time residents are these two old squib families, and most of the houses were built by muggles. Purebloods used to go there all the time, before France and skiing and shit like that got fashionable that is.” Remus had raised an eyebrow at that.

“A retreat for purebloods? Aren’t they going to be a problem?” Sirius shook his head.

“No, you don’t get it - no pureblood family has been there in like ten years.” He fiddled with the wand in his hand. “I’m friends with one of the families there, they haven’t had any visitors in ages - it’s absolutely perfect!” James and Peter had agreed, and it had only been a matter of time before they had convinced Lily, Marlene and Mary to join them. They made the necessary plans, paid for the cars and cottage (well, the Potters paid - they liked the idea of the boys getting out of the house and having fun together), and made the trip.

And now? Now they were here - James was standing in front of the small, muggle cottage, nestled between the mountains, miles from anyone who could possibly want anything from them, the closest house supposedly not for miles. Complete privacy. Freedom. Peace. He snapped himself out of his thoughts and went to help Remus with the trunks.

—

“I call dibs on the room with the balcony!” Mary shrieked down from the second floor. James chuckled. He had already chosen his room - the one with the east-side window, so he could watch the sunrise. 

“Go for it, bitch, mine and moony’s room is already the best!” Sirius shouted out from where he sat on the high table.

“You're sharing?” Peter asked, mouth already full with one of the puddings Effie had packed them.

“Obviously.” Sirius looked over at him. “Why wouldn't we?” Peter shrugged.

“Just curious is all.” He walked out of the kitchen and towards the stairs. “Try to keep it down though. I'm next door and I really don't want a repeat of Paris.” Moony choked on his tea, blushing slightly as Wormtail disappeared upstairs. Sirius groaned.

“Honestly, what is that guy's problem?” 

“Oh, don't be too hard on him Siri,” James smiled. “He’s just a bit lonely I think. We all feel it sometimes, when the two of you are so…”

“Gay?”

“In love.”

“Ah, that.” Sirius nodded solemnly. Remus shoved him.

“What I mean to say is, I get it. Worms hasn't had what you two have. Heck, I don't know anyone who has what you two do.”

“Oh come on, what about you and that ravenclaw girl in sixth year?” Remus pointed out. James shook his head.

“Verity was just a friend.”

“We caught the two of you in a wardrobe together.”

“A very close friend?” Padfoot laughed. James plastered on a grin. “It's fine lads, I'm not looking for anything serious right now.”

“That's valid.” Remus nodded. “Remember I'm here for you though. Your gay werewolf godmother, eh?”

“His WHAT?” Sirius asked, with an air of mock shock. 

“Just an inside joke pads,” James waved it off. Sirius gasped audibly, furthering the feign surprise.

“Oh, so now the two of you have jokes together??” He shook his head. “I see how it is.”

“How what is, love?” Remus asked with a creeping smile.

“Well isn't it obvious?” Sirius sighed dramatically. “You're cheating on me with Prongsie!” James burst out laughing, and Remus and Sirius joined in soon later.

“Alright, I'll catch you guys in a bit.” James said, turning towards the exit. “Got to go on my afternoon run, you know how it is.”

“Of course.” Sirius nodded solemnly. “Got to keep up that quidditch physique, eh? Now that we won't have it in school.”

“Still can't wrap my head around that yet.” James shook his head, tying up his trainers and opening the front door. “See you guys later?” Remus waved him off. James stepped out into the warm summer air.

—

James let himself breathe properly again. The steady rhythm of his feet hitting the asphalt road like a metronome, keeping him tethered to his body, keeping him centred. Keeping him safe.

It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy being with his friends, that absolutely wasn’t the case - not at all. He loved being with them, if he didn’t he wouldn’t have come on this trip. It was just… well. He couldn’t properly explain it, not even to himself. It seemed, sometimes, as though he was an actor. Yes, that was a good way to explain it. An actor - and each setting that he inserted himself into, he donned a new character, a new persona to be, someone that could always put others at ease. He was only fully himself here - on his runs, alone. It was only here that he could properly breathe.

James kept running. After a short while, his breathing levelled with his pace, and the pain passed him by - this was his favourite moment of every run - and running became as natural as breathing, laughing, falling in love… James shook the last thought off. Now wasn’t the time to think, to wonder why he didn’t find anyone he’d want to spend his life with, why he felt so terribly alone. Now wasn’t the time for that. Now he was supposed to run.

The place that Sirius had chosen for their summer trip this year was undoubtedly beautiful, James had to give him that. The sky was a dazzling blue, brighter than anything Godric Hollow had to offer, the roads well cared for, and the mountains themselves - beautiful. Covered in evergreen trees, with the odd oak or maple spotted somewhere in between, framing the horizon beautifully. James had hopes to climb one of them one day. A swallow flew just above his head, a little river trickled by the side of the road. It was truly beautiful.

And then - James saw another beautiful thing. A person. A person in front of a cottage, one eerily similar to theirs - the balcony was on the other side though. Not the same. A person sitting on the boot of a car, smoking a cigarette, that the person balanced so gently and gracefully between their fingers, it could be an art form. A person with wavy, black hair that surrounded their face like a crown or a dark halo, a stark contrast to their smooth, perfectly pale skin. And behind that halo, James saw a flicker of green eyes - like emeralds, glowing and full of life. He tripped on a rock and stopped abruptly, awoken from his fascination by the sensation of gravel brushing on his face. 

The person walked towards his body, sprawled across the road, as James slowly picked himself up. The person threw an ounce of shade onto James with his own frame, and he didn’t want to leave it. Or at least, he didn’t until he heard the person speak.

“Potter?” Regulus Black’s silky voice moved through the air towards the other boy’s ears, both of them full of surprise and confusion. “What are you doing here?” James sprung up quickly and dusted himself off. A voice he only recognised from overhearing conversations between him and Sirius, a face he never properly had the chance to look at. He took that chance now - taking in every detail. He looked so similar to Sirius - and yet, so different. So much… softer.

“Reggie?” James blinked confusedly. 

“That’s me.” Regulus crossed his arms across his chest. “Are you going to answer the question?”

“Reg!” Barty’s voice flowed through the air, followed by his body as he left the cottage. “What’s been holding you…” he looked at James. “Oh. What are you doing here?”

“Sorry to bother.” James rubbed the back of his neck. “I just… went out on a run. We’re staying in a cottage pretty similar to this one, just up the road.”

“Who’s we?” Barty inquired. Regulus stayed silent.

“Well me, Sirius, Remus, Peter,” James started. “And then also Mary, Lily and Marlene.”

“Wow.” Barty shook his head. “All of Gryffindor Tower, eh?”

“Not all of us.” He smiled awkwardly. “Just some friends.” He nodded over at the cottage. “What about you two? Is it just you?” Regulus shook his head.

“It’s me, Barty, Evan, Pandora and Dorcas.” Regulus said. “Just the five of us.”

“Oh.” James nodded. “You should… uh… come over some time. For a barbeque or something of the kind. If you’d like to, of course.”

“I thought you hated Slytherins.” Regulus tilted his head. James felt a drop of sweat roll down his neck.

“Oh no, not at all.” he shook his head. “No, I just like beating you up in quidditch, is all.” That earned a slight chuckle from Regulus. James feared that his heart might explode.

“We’ll consider it.” Barty said, turning to Regulus. “Come on then, we’ve got trunks to unpack.”

“Bye then.” James waved at the two of them as they walked into the cottage, Regulus closing the door behind them. Just one more second of eye contact - of those beautiful green eyes gazing into his own. He was once more alone on the road. He looked back at his track, and kept running.