#straight up machiavellian

[yume-fanfare]

ohhh i should check what the underclassmen are doing! ....... oh ok thats evil.

[alastors-antlers]

Why Alastor is good aroace rep after all, written by an aroace

Hello all! I just want to start off this post by saying that I'm one person who definitely doesn't speak for all aroaces, but I wanted to make a post on this anyway, and maybe some folk would be interested in hearing out another perspective?

I'm not really caught up on everything that's been said over the course of HH's creation - only more recent interviews, since I'm pretty new to the fandom. Apologies if I've missed anything, but also I do not have the time to keep up with all the out-of-canon-material backstory unfortunately. I'm working with what we've got here.

So here's the thing:

Alastor is cruel, he's narcissistic, he doesn't care about anyone except himself, he's a serial killer and a monster.

(That's the argument I've heard - please tell me if that's not really what people are going for lol, in which case I've totally misunderstood?)

The issue with aroace rep when it paints asexual people with those traits is that it aims to dehumanizes them. Sex and love are essential to the human experience, right? So why wouldn't someone be interested? Because they're self-absorbed, and cold, and detached. They don't have the capacity to love others enough to feel romance.

And sure, Alastor is a killer, and a schemer, and prideful, and a monster by hell's standards. But no matter how above it all and stylish and in control and provocative he wants to be, he's a very human character, and his aroace-ness never serves to add to his alienation. You could even say that it makes him seem even more personable.

That's what I think is the key difference.

why he's human

Alastor's whole persona is about control, and he basically straight-up says this. He's controlling what his enemies know, what his public image is like. His goal is to be the Radio Demon -- overlord of Hell, charismatic, Machiavellian, and undefeatable. He's not. Despite that smile plastered over his face (a powerful tool, huh) he's so expressive for someone who's constantly pretending.

You see his exasperation with the Egg Bois and with Charlie's ranting; his nervousness in front of Zestial; his frustration with Lucifer and the petty lengths he goes to to piss off the ruler of Hell.

You see his desperation, making that deal with Charlie. He's surprised by the idea of being vulnerable in front of an enemy like Adam, and so close to danger. He drops the radio filter and the affect out of fear, and runs on broadcast TV to let out panic and anger and bitterness in his hideout, where no one else can see him.

He has a smile that tells us he's genuinely happy to see someone; it's a little wider than his default. You see it with Mimzy's greeting, you see it with Rosie. Rosie, especially, serves to make Alastor more human to the audience. More on this later, but for now, I'm just saying that you can see that he at least seems to respect her greatly. Whatever bond they have, we know that he trusts her to touch him, to share history with him, and with support that he trusts no one else for.

He pretends, but he can't pretend it all away. Loads of these emotions aren't even advantageous for him to show. It isn't necessarily how the typical asexual psychopath acts; he's not emotionless or only capable of anger or brutality.

He's so full of emotion that it leaks through, despite all that he does to avoid it. He's not inhuman and aloof, not really - he's so, so human, even when he tries not to be because he thinks that'll be what keeps him above all the rest. In control, and free from his chains.

(If anyone wants to see images about all this, I'll make a separate post - just let me know.)

(I also have another post, talking about why Alastor is at least a little attached to the hotel's residents too, shown via conversation with Niffty. In what way? different question.)

how the aroace part contributes to that

Now, to be fair, we don't hear much about his aroaceness in canon. It's just not relevant a lot of the time.

In the pilot, Angel's proposition ruffles his feathers so much that Alastor blanks for a moment. It's a joke, sure, but that ace panic face is a pretty popular Alastor moment in the fandom - Alastor, thrown off-balance by a sex joke of all things, after so many years in Hell that he should probably be used to this.

It's a moment that makes him more approachable; his aroaceness shows him unprepared for something someone else does for one of the only real moments in the whole episode.

And the other part: the ace in the hole statement.

Rosie apparently knows Alastor so well that she read that he's aroace. That tells us about their relationship; namely, that it is long-standing and genuine enough that she gleaned a piece of real information from him. It's a casual fact that she knows about him before he even figured it out himself. It lends legitimacy to their bond - this bond that shows us a more comfortable and warm side of Alastor that we don't often see.

If their relationship is purely business, isn't this something pretty frivolous and personal? It's not like he has anything to gain by telling her about his life, but she learned about it somehow. How close are they? That's where it adds a layer of complexity and personality to his character..

thoughts on representation

Overall, Alastor's an interesting character who has a level of depth and care and personality (outside of cruelty) that asexual psychopath tropes lack. Again, the moments where he's being represented as disinterested in sex or romance don't make him seem detached. Again, they don't say "look how hostile toward relationships his behaviour is - how separate he is from our humanity". That's what bad villain ace rep is. That's not what the show's doing.

Also: I'm not saying that we need to lower our standards or anything, but even if you think it's not the best rep, I feel like we should be supporting HH's efforts here. I know that on Tumblr we have a pretty queer-friendly space going, which is honestly an understatement lol but

Aces are incredibly underrepresented in fiction. There's a whole Wikipedia page about asexual characters in media, and it's short as all hell, and even if you consider what's on there you see quite a number of one-off characters who are never mentioned again.

In terms of real life business - before the DSM updated their definition of hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) in 2013, identifying as asexual wasn't even a recognized thing. If you talked to a clinician about your lack of sexual desire, you could be diagnosed with a disorder. Only in the 5th edition do we now have a little exclusion footnote about it.

The concept of asexuality hasn't been explored nearly as much as other queer identities in our scientific research. We get crumbs in terms of mainstream representation and understanding. House M.D. has an episode where House "disproves" us because he's just so smart.

Alastor isn't going to be perfect representation. There's no such thing as perfect representation, and from the moment he was conceptualized, you could see how people would take him poorly. Still, I think he's a net positive.

He isn't a side character or a token ace - he's a core part of the show, whose personality and character motivations we can reasonably presume are going to be explored much more deeply in upcoming season(s). He's loved by the fandom. Right now, given what we know, I trust Vivziepop to write the aroace representation he deserves, because with the way I've heard the cast/directing/etc. talk about him, they're trying to do the aroace community justice, so I wish people would let up just a little on the whole "Alastor is bad rep".

Let's give him a chance, all right?

[transhawks]

I’m so devastated at Hawks character regression. This feels like a villain ending for him. I was holding on for SO LONG. And I was prepared to be ok with a one panel send off how IS THIS WORSE

In all seriousness, I'm just waiting for someone to explain what he's fully saying in this chapter. Google translate presents a different picture than the leakers i.e. It's Hawks who straight up says he doesn't want to get rid of the ranking system as it has good parts and bad parts (he says "demerits/merits") and that he wants to include other people, not All Might.

So in one hand he's here out trying to expand the meaning of hero, not AM (Toshinori was the one asking him why he's not getting rid of it), but also Keigo says something particularily odd about not wanting to fully get rid of his "gong". It keeps being translated as that and I'm curious if that is a phrase in Japanese. Personally, I suspect the billboard ranking gives him (and the SPC) an element of control over hero society that he doesn't want to relinquish. Incredibly Machiavellian, but he learned from some of the best, I suppose. I don't know - is this is a villain ending for him or just a bad ending in general? I DO see the freedom in his new position/power even if I don't think it's the ending that will make him happy, it does make it very clear to him that he can CHOOSE to be happy/free/etc. But coupled with how much Horikoshi just abandoned the themes that were written into characters like Keigo....I just think it all feels too bitter.

It's hard to isolate one character's end when the entire ending is this shit and the entire narrative of saving was thrown away by the heroes.

[enbysiriusblack]

rereading snape's worst memory:

severus is writing A LOT more than the other students around him, so like. he probably does try super hard in all his exams, but defence is clearly one of his favourites i think from this. like he's writing super small and still filling out a lot of the parchment, so he's got a lot to say about the subject, plus he's writing like really fast without stopping

if james is only a short distance away from severus and sirius is in the same row as james, does this mean exam tables aren't set up in alphabetical order? people just sit where they want or something? weird

james' hair is described as messy like 5 times by harry. i don't think we focus on that enough.

girl, pay attention to your exam. we get he's hot, but damn

remus, you're good at dada, stop worrying sm about it. u got this mate

peter having exam anxiety is soooo canon i swear. also i'm giggling at him trying to cheat

doodler!james >>>> also harry not clocking his own mum's initals is kinda sad

ooh guys, should i make stebbins (he's a guy who doesn't put down his quill and continues writing after the exam finishes so flitwick calls him out) florence's boyfriend?? should i actually give 'boyfriend' a name???

honestly, other than the weird seating plan, this is so accurate to gsce exams. like turning around just to do a face or hand gesture to your friend a few seats away when the teacher's not looking? someone always writing after they tell you to stop? laughing at the teacher? waiting for your friends to discuss the paper straight away? its so real

these guys are incapable of being serious. they are all so fucking sarcastic. i love it.

why's severus still enthralled in his exam for???? it's over mate, go fucking relax

unrequited prongstail is real (also james' nicking a snitch?? he's such a weirdo)

severus!! harry literally was describing you as super pale and like you never go in the sunlight.. and then you go and sit in the shade?? it's early summer in scotland, it's not gonna be that fucking hot.

poly marauders are canon? (they were just described as being a foursome)

handsome just keeps getting added to any description of sirius. might start doing this in my fics /j

this is making me realise how canonly accurate the personalities of the marauders are in my fic (i'm only cryptic and machiavellian), and i love that for me

yeah unrequited prongstail is def canon omfg.

"sirius was the only person for whom james would stop showing off". james doesn't need to show off for sirius, because he knows sirius will always be there for him and give him attention anyway aww

remus and james both trying to think up solutions as soon as sirius says he's bored?? i'm giggling.

peter must have been sooo dissapointed that sirius and james stopped hexing people as often... his fav entertainment. gone.

okay i swear i've read this like loads of times before but i never actually realised sirius 'barking with laughter' was how he canonly laughs, i always just write that to be funny, i didn't know it was canon

james constantly looking over at the girls by the lake. like mate, she didn't notice or care about you throwing a snitch in the air but i don't think bullying her friend is any better. like yeah it gets her attention but is that really the kind of attention you want?? oh, you'll take any attention you can get from her? okay, right, fine

peter edging... IM SORRY

"i was watching him" OKAY,, snirius enjoyers are eating today

*smugly grinning* i KNEW james' hair fidgeting thing was an anxious/nervous habit I TOLD YOU ALL

lily's hair is dark red!!! just in case anyone forgot!!

i love remus. disagree with your friend's actions? don't worry! u can always just pretend you're so enthralled in your book you don't even notice what they're doing! just look the other way and you're totally absolving yourself and your friends from any guilt!

i feel like james asked lily out only once before this. like in fourth year of maybe just a couple months before this, and like in a proper fairly private, giving her flowers, asking timidly (well as timid as he can be), and she responded in a fairly similar way to here. so james asking here, is like trying to resolve his own feelings of embarassment about the rejection ig?

lily smiling!!!! oh she's such a cunt i love her (ofc james and sirius are bigger cunts ofc!!!) like girl that's your damn friend getting 'pantsed'. although ig like. it was kinda a norm thing to like do it TO your own friends soo hmm. (btw i put 'pantsed' in brackets since it's not pantsing, like. the point is that severus isn't wearing pants, he's wearing robes. it's robesing...)

sirius and james are too wuss to duel lily <333 cause she'd thrash them <333 (they totally duelled her before and got their arses kicked)

oh severus... u suck so bad... just cause she found you getting robesed funny doesn't mean u should go call her slurs wtf man

go off lily okayyy. her insults/jokes hit harder than all of sirius' ngl (ily sirius you're still funny and got good insults i swear!!)

okay personally lily, i don't think someone who shows off and hexes people who annoy him (which is. maybe just in my opinion) majoritively people who are bigoted/do dark magic, and then someone who calls their supposed best friend a slur in front of like half their peers are as bad as each other...

^also james!! omg mate she noticed you showing off with your snitch and messing your hair up!!! (also furthering my proof that he does it as a nervous act cause he's all nervous around her so does it more often and she just thinks he's showing off)

sirius, now is not the time for your brutal honestly. like that's so real of you and i suffer from the same infliction but still..

[therealvinelle]

When did Dumbledore start his giant grudge against Tom Riddle? What triggered it?

From what we see in the memory of Dumbledore and Tom Riddle's first meeting, we started off at day 0 with this enmity, and the trigger was that Dumbledore... doesn't seem to actually like children all that much. Oh, it's all well and good when they're pleasant and listen with bright and attentive eyes to him, but Tom Riddle was guarded and that seems to have been enough. The way Dumbledore reads nefarious intent into everything Tom, an eleven-year-old, says or does speaks for itself.

(As it is I find Tom in the orphanage memory acts very much like a normal child. Distrustful of authorities and jaded, yes, but that's hardly surprising given his background. Dumbledore's lack of understanding and immediate dislike of what is essentially a troubled child is what I find concerning about the chapter.)

Dumbledore goes on to explain to Harry how... I can't even paraphrase this, you're getting a quote (only a paragraph, or we'd be here all day):

"I had, as I have already indicated, resolved to keep a close eye upon him, and so I did. I cannot pretend that I gleaned a great deal from my observations at first. He was very guarded with me; he felt, am sure, that in the thrill of discovering his true identity he had told me a little too much. He was careful never to reveal as much again, but he could not take back what he had let slip in his excitement, nor what Mrs. Cole had confided in me. However, he had the sense never to try and charm me as he charmed so many of my colleagues." (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, page 239-240)

(Yes, the guy kept going, beautifully at one point admitting "So I never actually caught him doing anything wrong at any point, but I feel confident in saying he was being evil off-screen all the same" and at another explaining "He had dark glamour, Harry", but I'm trying to be brief here.)

So.

Dumbledore, per his own admission, couldn't catch Tom out on anything even though he kept close watch and we know how uncharitable he is in his interpretation of Tom's words and actions. Notice too, though, how he thinks Tom viewed their first meeting: he believes Tom Riddle was an eleven-year-old politician straight out of Lord Hadrian Potter fanfics. Tom keeps his distance from a professor he doesn't like and Dumbledore says, "Ah, the Machiavellian youth recognizes me as a worthy opponent. How sensible of him."

You can't make this shit up.

So, no, Tom never stood a chance with Dumbledore. It was one-sided Machiavelli at first sight.

(And no, I don't believe this was mutual. Tom acts entirely too normal in the job interview memory, he's having a job interview and Dumbledore is Obi-Wan meeting Darth Vader on the Death Star. It's hilarious, but uh telling.)

[enviedear]

if you dance i'll dance ⟶ kendall roy

DESCRIPTION ⌙ in which you let kendall roy take you home. CW ⌙ smut so 18+, kendall x fem!model!reader, mentions of alcohol, poker, the word suicide, age gap (if you squint) WORD COUNT ⌙ 5.0k

i caved, blacked out and wrote a kendall fic. there are so many personal headcanons in here because this man is clay and i am a modern pygmalion

masterlist | join my taglist

you're unabashedly staring at the dark-haired man just a few feet away from you. it’s sly, the way you study him, discerning the jeering look in his eyes and an obvious trace of annoyance in his posture—he looks wildly opposite of how you remembered him.

gone were the blankly formal stares you had become accustomed to seeing him with at events like this, no, now he exuded self-assuredness. he had become wholly—machiavellian.

he's toying with his cuff links, his deep hazel eyes peering over the man talking to him, and straight into your own. in your somewhat inebriated state, you can't help the small smile that works its way onto your face. you enjoy his gaze on you, consuming you a in gentle sense of cardinal obscenity.

really, you should have looked away from him ages ago. the ideas and whispers of the wealthy party-goers were quick to jump to judgment. one wrong move and you'd be labeled; scandalous, unseemly, or, as your sister put it— "wildly inappropriate and bad for the brand".

but you couldn't tear your eyes away. there was an abnormal pull between the two of you, a connection that left the boundaries of reason and social norms. it wasn't the first time you had found yourself caught in his captivating gaze.

in the past, before your departure from your father's company, you indulged each other with subtle glances exchanged during business meetings and corporate events— a few fleeting touches of hands when passing each other documents— an unspoken language that existed only between you, concealed beneath the façade of professionalism.

tonight, after almost two years since seeing him, something was different. he seemed bolder, more daring. the way his eyes lingered on you conveyed a message of desire and longing, impossible to ignore.

you discreetly shift your position, knowing he was aware of the effect he had on you, reveling in the power he held over your senses.

you mull over the past moments of connection, witty banter shared during business negotiations, and the occasional late-night phone calls that blurred the line between professional and personal. it had always been a delicate dance, a game of push and pull.

now though, under the dim lights of the extravagant party, you wondered if it was time to err off your path of caution. the air feels wrought with anticipation, and the weight of unspoken words hangs heavy on you.

you take a sip of your vodka lime and, finally, you let your eyes scan the crowd of people. mostly business partners of your dad's, a few of your brother's old college friends, and a plethora of trophy wives, all huddled around your elder sister.

the woman in question soaks in the attention beautifully, mimicking movements you grew up watching your mother do. she fits in so easily, whether aided by her connections and power or the rather large diamond ring on her finger. you continue to eye her, only to meet her gaze, watching with a soft smile as she excuses herself.

her mauve dress flutters around her ankles as she makes her way over. she looks light, graceful, stern. you can admit she had a notable walk. which is, comical, since you've spent years walking runways— frequently run by tyrannically strict show directors— and yet, she had somehow managed to do it better.

the party continues around you, the opulent setting of your family's estate providing a backdrop of luxury and excess. crystal chandeliers cast a soft glow on the attendees, their laughter and conversations blending into a symphony of privilege and ambition. a world you were born into, but one that has always felt suffocating.

your family relationships are better than most, but always complex. a delicate web of power, dissension, and affection. your father, ever the patriarch, built an empire that you and your siblings were expected to inherit.

to his disdain, the weight of those expectations never fell comfortably on your shoulders.

as your sister approaches you, her presence commands attention. her success is undeniable, and her ambition rivals your father's. she's the embodiment of family legacy, but beneath her polished exterior, you still see the funny little girl you grew up with.

she reaches you, her gaze shifting between you and kendall, her voice carrying a mix of concern and warning. "you know he's trouble, right? kendall roy is not someone you want to get involved with," she peers down at you, "trust me, i've done deals with him."

you feign shock, "what are you talking about?"

a slight eye roll from her, "he's trouble, and you know it— or at least, you should."

you put your arms up in faux surrender, "i don't know. trouble sounds a lot better than standing around here."

"right— because isn't this just the best thing we could be doing on a friday night?" her voice is sweet, with a sarcastic undertone, lips falling into a smirk.

you roll your eyes, but feel thankful for the deflection, "for you? yes. me, no."

she huffs out a small laugh, "you could always network with my socialites."

nodding you reply, "i'm just... not sure the thirty-something wives of infantile rich guys, necessarily, want to hear about my twenty-something nepotism baby spiel."

your sister laughs, smile lines prominent, "fine, yeah. just stop brooding against the wall—" she goes to say something else before stopping, lips slowly down turning into a very polite grimace, "kendall, how nice to see you,"

you take a glance at him— he’s reminiscent of shadow, in his fitted black suit and the general aura of discordance that falls around him. he's a murky mess of a man, and you were well aware. looking quickly back to your sister, you opt to sink back further against the wall and watch the pair.

"yeah, you too," he's smiling at her, but the look in both of their eyes is full of contempt, "congrats, by the way. i heard about the wright deal."

your sister nods, "all in a day's work, and sorry, by the way, for souring your proposal."

he takes the remark, grin growing, "eh…roman's proposal, but still, congrats, really."

she hums a response before looking at you, eyes reflecting an imminent request, "i think it may be time to introduce dad for his speech, hm?"

you shrug, "i mean—i don't work here, why would i present him?"

"because you're his kid." she replies, pressing you once more.

you point into the crowd, "our heir apparent is right there." your brother stands tall amongst his circle, looking as though they were all picked straight out of a business 101 textbook. she gives you a short-lived glare before stepping away, priorities falling back to her aspirational COO position.

now, left alone with the older man, you can finally indulge him. he decides to make a show out of greeting you, taking his time to meet your gaze, before looking down at you with obvious mischief in his vision.

"you know,” he draws out, smiling down at you as though he has you tightly bound around his finger, “i’ve been meaning to, uh, congratulate you, as well.”

you stare at him for a second, trying to decide if his words were earnest or insincere, “yeah? on what?”

his words come out soft this time, but still loud as to be heard over the party around you, “you. you’re— fucking everywhere. i can’t go anywhere in the city without seeing your face.”

you wonder if kendall was aware of the way his words sounded? you’re sure he must. he was audacious, so much so that you questioned how much ego he had left to spare. surely people had already begun taking notice of the two of you, and he had to know they'd talk.

it wasn’t unknown to you that anyone who manages to obtain kendall's presence is often cursed with at least one or two scalding rumors afterward. but, right now, as his words replay in your head, it feels significantly harder to care.

you draw closer to him, “oh, come on... don't tell me you're getting tired of seeing my face?" your tone is teasing—saccharine.

"yeah?" his head shakes in a curt nod, a smirk on his lips, "no, i— obviously wouldn't say that." you quirk your brows up and he continues, "i mean really, fucking, it's deserved. you look good."

"thank you, kendall." you feel brave as you stare into his eyes, enthralled by his mere presence, “you’re a lot sweeter than the google alerts on my phone make you seem.”

kendall smirks at you, "oh, i'm sure i could be much sweeter if given the chance."

you raise an eyebrow, intrigued but cautious. "mhm, is that what you think?"

he leans in closer, his lips brushing against your ear as he speaks. "you could give me a chance to prove it to you?"

you go frigid at the sensation, feeling both excited and apprehensive about whatever he might have in mind.

you feel a wave of excitement wash over, tinged with a hint of fear. you've see kendall roy and his infamous reputation first-hand countless times. you know that if you go with him— it’s a risk. but at the same time, you can't deny the strange pull that he has on you. there's something magnetic about him, something that draws you in and makes you want to take a chance.

you glance around the room, catching glimpses of your family and their friends. so far off from you. none of them would ever understand the thrill of indulging in irreverence. but kendall...he understands. he's bold, and right now, he's offering you a chance to be the same.

hesitating, you slowly nod your head in agreement. "sure," you say, your voice barely above a whisper. "let's go."

he flashes you a crooked grin and takes your hand, leading you out of the crowded room and into the cool night air. as you follow him, you feel a sense of excitement building inside you. you have no idea where he's taking you, but you don't care.

you walk side by side with him, the sound of your heels clicking against the pavement providing a steady beat to the anticipation that courses through your veins. the dimmed headlights of his awaiting car cast a soft glow upon the two of you.

you get into the car, falling into a silence— comfortable yet charged. you steal glances at him, trying to decipher the enigmatic allure that surrounds him. there's a darkness in his eyes, a hint of a tumultuous past that has shaped him into the captivating figure he is today.

as the car glides through the city streets, the world outside rushes by in a blur of lights and shadows, mirroring the whirlwind of emotions swirling within you. kendall's presence beside you is both intoxicating and unsettling, and you find yourself questioning your decision to join him on this impulsive escapade.

the silence stretches between you, long with unspoken words and unexplored possibilities. you steal occasional glances at him, his profile illuminated by the passing streetlights. his face is a mosaic of contradictions—handsome yet hardened, alluring yet guarded.

finally, unable to contain your curiosity any longer, you break the silence. "so, where are you taking me?"

he glances at you, a hint of amusement dancing in his hazel eyes. "somewhere a little more private," he replies, his voice low and velvety. "somewhere we can talk without prying eyes.” his cryptic response only fuels your intrigue. you lean back against the plush leather seat, contemplating the enigmatic man beside you.

as the car pulls to a stop, and he opens the car door for you. you step out onto the sidewalk, the cool night air brushes against your skin as he leads you towards the building's entrance. inside, a doorman greets you with a nod, recognizing kendall immediately. you follow him into the elevator, the atmosphere brimming with anticipation.

he presses a button for the penthouse floor, and the elevator begins to rise. the doors slide open, revealing a lavish living space bathed in soft lighting. expansive windows offer breathtaking views of the city skyline, and you can't help but be captivated by the luxurious surroundings.

kendall leads you further into the penthouse, passing by a sleek bar stocked with an impressive array of wines and spirits. he gestures towards it, a troublesome glint in his eyes. "want a glass?" he asks.

you nod, "sure, why not?"

he moves behind the bar, pouring two glasses of wine. as he hands you one, your fingers brush against each other, sending an embarrassing shiver down your spine. the air crackles with tension as you take a seat at his dining table.

your ears perk up at the sound of cards being shuffled, and you look up to see kendall dealing them out on the table. "do you play?" he inquires, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.

you contemplate him for a moment, your own smirk rising to the surface. "a few times," you reply, curiosity glinting in your eyes. "but why? what are we playing for here?"

he leans back in his chair, his gaze unwavering from yours. "we could make it interesting? a friendly wager to add some excitement?"

your brow rises in question. "what do you have in mind?"

he moves closer, his voice dropped low and sultry. "okay, if i win, you owe me a dance—one song of your choice."

you tilt your head slightly, feigning innocence. "and if i win?"

a sly grin creeps across his face. "then i'll owe you, fucking, whatever you want."

you take a sip of wine, its sweet taste still lingering on your tongue as you lock eyes with him. "deal," you declare with newfound determination.

you watch as kendall expertly shuffles the deck of cards, his fingers moving with a grace that hints at his confidence, you can't help but be drawn further into him. with each card played and every glance exchanged. you find yourself captivated by it all.

“you certainly have built quite a reputation,” you joke, wanting to break his poker face. “they say you are a master manipulator—a cunning strategist. is that true?”

kendall scoffs with smug satisfaction in his eyes. “reputation is such a fickle thing, huh? good press, bad press.” he leans back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. “but to answer your question, yes, it’s true. i’m strategic, finding ways to come out on top. i don't like being beat.”

you lean in, intrigued by his confidence. “you're making it sound like it’s a game,” you say, studying the way his eyes light up with a fire that both excites and intimidates you.

“it is a game,” he replies nonchalantly. “it's all a bullshit game, and the only way to win is to play it better than everyone else."

you hesitate, “is that sort of power really worth it?”

he pauses, his expression shifting from smugness to something more thoughtful. “maybe it isn't about the power,” he admits after a moment, “yeah, it's not just about getting ahead—it's about staying ahead of everyone else." he gazes at you intently, and for a moment, you can see why he has earned himself such a reputation.

"i want to be the one in control," he says softly. "i want to be the one making the decisions—the one with the upper hand, all of it."

his words have an unmistakable charm and magnetism. the logical woman inside of you begins to unravel and melt away.

he grins, his eyes never leaving yours. "but what about you?" he asks, his voice low and husky. "what's your strategy?"

you feel a shiver run down your spine at the intensity in his gaze. his words and his presence have a way of making you feel both vulnerable and powerful at the same time.

"i don't have a strategy," you reply honestly, feeling a little embarrassed by your lack of direction.

he leans back in his chair again, his face unreadable. "everyone has a strategy," he says. "especially people with dads like ours."

you think about this for a moment, trying to figure out what your own could possibly be. "i guess, doing what's best for me," you say finally. "i left my dad's company for a reason. i don't fit in that world."

his eyes narrow a little as he looks at you. "so is that why you're modeling?" he asks teasingly. "competing for ceo isn't glamorous enough?"

you resist the urge to roll your eyes at his teasing. "no, it's not about glamour," you say firmly. "it's about control over myself, my image, and my identity. things you don't get working at a finance company."

kendall watches you carefully, his expression unreadable. for a moment, you think he might say something sarcastic or dismissive, but he surprises you by nodding slowly, "i can respect that," he says after a moment.

you feel a strange sense of relief wash over you. the conversation with Kendall has been intense, but hearing him say that he respects your decisions and aspirations puts you at ease.

"thank you," you say softly, the tension in your shoulders dissipating. "i know it might not be the most conventional, but it feels right."

he nods again, his gaze never leaving yours. "there's nothing wrong with that," he says, his voice low and velvety. "i mean, again, you're fucking everywhere. almost every damn billboard i see."

you warm at kendall's directness, but you can't deny the thrill that runs through you at the way he looks at you. it's like he sees past all of your insecurities and doubts, straight into the heart of who you are.

"i work hard," you say simply, trying to keep your voice steady even though every nerve in your body is firing with desire. "and i enjoy what i do."

he leans forward slightly, his eyes darkening as they meet yours again. "i can tell."

as the final card is played, you can hardly contain the sheer overlay of thrill on your face. he looks up at you, a sly smile playing on his lips. "looks like luck is on my side tonight," he says, voice laced with triumph.

you cock an eyebrow, but you are elated inside. your plans with kendall are about to become a reality. you slowly stand up from the chair and extend your hand toward kendall. "all right," you say, though you can hear your own anxiety in your voice. "i owe you that dance."

kendall takes your hand in his, an intense jolt of electricity surging through your veins. he leads you into a quiet corner of the room where a record player with a stack of vinyl records sits, their edges tattered and aged by time. you reach for one particular record, its smooth surface familiar beneath your fingertips. julie london's image is frozen on the cover, a beautiful reminder of a forgotten legend.

you turn to him, admiration in your eyes as you hold up the record, "i commend your taste," you say.

he looks surprised, an unexpected vulnerability showing in his expression. "i've never actually listened to it," he admits with curiosity.

insisting on this one, you declare, "well then, this one's perfect."

kendall nods and watches as you start the record, extending his hand toward you. you take it without hesitation, and he pulls you gently to your feet. the music softly plays in the background, its melodic rhythm setting the stage for your impromptu dance.

as you step closer, the world around you seems to fade into the background. it's just the two of you, swaying to the music, locked in an intimate embrace. his touch is electrifying, and you find yourself getting lost in the moment, the now inescapable vying between you growing stronger with each passing second.

when the song comes to an end, you and kendall hold each other for a moment longer, reluctant to let go. the room is filled, shortly, with a charged silence, the air heavy with unspoken words.

the lingering silence is finally broken as the next song begins, and as kendall breaks the embrace, his eyes searching yours. there's a vulnerability in his gaze, a flicker of uncertainty mixed with desire. his voice comes out softer than before, as if he's baring a part of himself that he rarely reveals.

“you know,” he begins, his voice hardened with a cutting edge, “you’ve really worked hard to create this saintly image of yourself, so i'm a little confused as to why you want to ruin it with me.” his assessment hits you like a ton of bricks, the apprehension and fear intensifying as he speaks. But despite the risks looming over you, you can't help but feel drawn to him, knowing that the connection between you two is something extraordinary in a life otherwise full of strife.

a mixture of determination and amusement flashes in your eyes as you meet his gaze,"i doubt you'll ruin anything." you say confidently.

He carefully mulls over your words, his gaze piercing you as if he's trying to unlock the unspoken secrets behind them. A wave of gratefulness and yearning wash over his face before he softly murmurs, "no?" His voice is deep and velvety, laced with a newfound conviction.

"no," you reply softly, eyes low. "i... trust you, and i've wanted this for a long time."

kendall's eyes light up with a mixture of surprise and joy. "you have?" he asks, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips.

you nod, feeling a sense of relief wash over you. "yeah, i have. but you know— had to keep it professional, right?"

kendall chuckles softly, his gaze never leaving yours. "fucking professionalism."

you feel your heart skip a beat at his words, and a rush of excitement courses through you. "oh, and you're saying you wouldn't have cared?" you ask, your voice barely above a whisper.

he nods, his eyes shining with intensity. "no, not it if it's you," he says, his voice filled with conviction. "i'll make new rules for you."

the air between you two crackles with electricity, and without another word, you lean in and kiss him. the kiss is soft at first, but quickly intensifies as the passion between you two builds. you feel his hands on your back, pulling you closer to him.

as the kiss deepens, you feel a sense of surrender. despite knowing that being with him is societal suicide, you can't find it within yourself to care. with a sense of abandon, you let yourself get lost in the moment and in the man in front of you.

you wrap your arms around his neck, pressing your body flush against his. his hands move to your hips, pulling you even closer to him.

you can feel his desire for you, his need for you, and it only fuels the fire within you. now, it's you to deepen the kiss, your tongue exploring his mouth as his hands roam over your body.

the music continues to play softly in the background, adding to the atmosphere of the moment. you feel a sense of freedom and liberation, letting yourself go.

your hands move from his neck to his chest, feeling his heart racing under your touch. you break the kiss, breathing heavy, and look up at him. his eyes are filled with hunger, and you can feel your own want growing.

without a word, he leads you to a nearby couch, laying you down on it as he hovers over you. he starts to kiss your neck, and you can't help the moan that comes out.

his hands move to unzip your dress, as he continues to kiss and nip at your skin. you arch your back, allowing him easier access to your dress. as he pulls it down, revealing your bra, he trails his fingers over your skin, sending jolts of electricity through your body. "you're fucking beautiful," he murmurs, his voice filled with awe.

you reach for the hem of his shirt, pulling it off and running your hands over his chest. his skin is warm and smooth under your fingertips, and you can feel his muscles tense as you explore his body. "you're not so bad yourself," you whisper, a smile playing at the corners of your lips.

he leans down to kiss you again, his hands moving to unclasp your bra. as he pulls it off, he takes a moment to admire you. he leans down to take one into his mouth, and you gasp in pleasure as he teases it with his tongue.

"fuck, kendall," you can't help it— you moan his name, your hands tangled in his hair as he continues to explore your body.

you feel him smile against you before pulling away, “you make the prettiest damn sounds.”

you feel yourself fluster at his words, choosing to hide it by pulling him back toward you. your lips find his again, and you feel his hand begin to sink further down your body.

his hands come to a stop at your hips, fingers drawing circles on the exposed skin. you roll your hips, a weak attempt to release the ache you feel.

“oh come on,” his voice is taunting, “you gotta work for it a little more, sweetheart.”

you huff, eyes finding his own, “is that what you want me to do?”

he breathes, head coming to rest between your thighs, hazel eyes never leaving yours, “i want you… to lay back, and let me taste you.”

he doesn’t wait for you to say anything, instead, he lets his hands fiddle with the hem of your underwear. you squirm at the touch, before leaning down fully onto the couch.

you watch him lower himself to you, leaving chaste kisses on your upper thighs. your hands find their way to his hair, urging him closer.

he peeks up at you, sly smile on his lips, “did you want something? because if so, you need to tell me.”

“you’re a dick,” you say, voice weak as he continues to unwind you. you know what he wants. begging.

your remark, however, neglects to effect him. instead his fingers begin to massage your clit. your eyes grow heavy at the touch, hips rolling to get more friction.

he refuses to speed up, and you reach for his arm, nails digging into his skin, “ken— please.”

his only response is to hook your waistband with his fingers and pull your underwear down, revealing you fully to him. he moves out of your reach, and you hear him take in a sharp breath as he feasts his eyes on you.

“fuck you look so good,” he mutters, voice thick. “so fucking good.”

you don’t have time to respond as you feel him kiss you, his mouth falling on your most sensitive spot. you let out a soft cry, and he takes the opportunity to slide a finger inside you. you move against him, trying to get used to the foreign feeling. but you don’t have long to get used to it, because soon he adds another, and you finally feel yourself relax, letting him in.

you let out a moan of protest when he pulls away, but he just gives you a wicked grin and lowers himself to you again

your hips buck at the feeling, but he shows no intention of stopping. he starts to move his fingers faster, and you can hear yourself moaning his name again and again, your hands gripping the couch beneath you as your eyes roll back.

you feel yourself getting closer to the edge, but you don’t want to come just yet. you reach down, finding him and taking him into your hand. he lets out a sharp breath, before moving his fingers faster.

you start to feel yourself build up again, and you let yourself go; moving against his fingers, against him. you come quietly, your body twisting in pleasure. you’ve barely come down from it, when he reaches up and pulls your face towards his, and kisses you.

you can taste yourself on his breath, and the sound of him unzipping his pants is loud in the silent room. you reach for him, and you can feel him jerk in your hand.

he stares deeply into your eyes, desire blazing in the darkness of his gaze. "do you know how badly i want you?" his voice is strained with longing.

you smile and whisper back, "show me."

he removes his clothing and lowers himself between your legs. you gasp as you feel the length of him press against your thigh. he leans down to kiss you as he slides through your folds inch by inch.

his eyes are locked with yours as he slides down between your legs. you let out a sharp intake of breath as you feel him pressing against your thigh, his arousal evident. his mouth captures yours in a passionate kiss as he gradually moves inside you inch by inch. his movements spark intense waves of pleasure throughout your body, leaving you breathless and helplessly whimpering below him.

he pauses, allowing himself to adjust, before passionately planting a kiss on your lips. his hands carefully lift your legs around his waist, as he pulls you closer. then, without warning, he thrusts deep within you, making your body quiver and shake with pleasure. the room is filled with the sounds of his body colliding with yours, as you both share passionate moans of pleasure.

the sensations ripple throughout your body and you moan into his mouth as he pushes further and further until he's completely embedded within you.

“fuck, honey," he breathes, pulling out slowly and steadying himself before planting a passionate kiss on your lips. he moves your legs up around his waist and pulls you closer, then starts thrusting gently back inside of you. the sound of skin slapping together reverberates around the room, along with your moans of pleasure.

he speeds up, pushing against your walls with each rhythmic thrust. you can feel yourself getting closer and closer to the edge as he moves faster and harder inside of you, until finally— your breath catches as an orgasm crashes over you intensely.

kendall's thrusts become sloppy, his head buried into the crook of your neck. with a deep groan, he finds his own climax shortly after yours subsides, breathless from the sheer intensity of it all.

finished, he pulls away gently and wraps one arm around your waist, pulling you into a soft embrace. you press closer to him, both of you silently taking each other in.

you let him peer down at you, as you gaze up at him. he looks softer in the dim light of his living room. he's still a cryptic cynic, no lights can hide that. but the way his hands hold you to him halts your care. you decide then, that you're committed to the risk of him.

[renardiererin]

two: vicious

you dated rintarou suna for a little over a year. everything was so picture perfect-- retrospectively staged to get you too caught up in his shallow, strategized acts of "affection" to notice what kind of a guy he really is. he's in a band; a pretty popular one, at that. he's the lead singer/guitarist, and half the internet is in love with him. every red flag you excused as typical male behavior. every problematic response to a fan's message or an article making him look bad, you just brushed off as the hate getting to him. you kept trying to look for the best in the worst, but every time you defended him it just turned the hate towards you. it caused quite the commotion. after you broke up, you decided to be private about it. keep your feelings to yourself-- and your best friend who came over with ice cream every night for 15 straight days-- and quietly carried the burden of the relationship you devoted an entire year of your life to. he started going to therapy, as per your advice, and started being nicer to his fanbase. all of it was forced by his management team to stop the bad press he was getting left and right, and it worked. the world stopped fighting against him, and he turned into a rock god. beloved by people all around the planet. he turns up at hospitals every couple of weeks to hang out with his fans there in order to make himself look good-- he won't do it if there's no press--, he started donating to charities, advocating for climate change (and by advocating, he was just reposting shit on his social media. hey, at least he's using his platform!), etc. the world treated him like an angel. you're not so sure that's true, though. you knew him for three years despite only dating for one, and you know rintarou like the back of your hand. if he's an angel, he's lucifer on a redemption arc. rintarou suna is the most cunning, machiavellian, cryptic, self-motivated, vicious man you've ever known. every girl he's seen with in public-- and it's a new one every week-- all have reputations for being "smart," yet all of them clearly neglect intuition if they're dating somebody like him. he's called you drunk a couple times since the breakup, whenever he gets insecure, and always ends the voicemail by pouting about how you don't love him and then some girl is pictured half naked leaving his house the next morning. he just runs to whoever's convenient. it's like he doesn't remember that night when he said it was you and him for life, because now he's kind of acting like you died. he stopped reaching out, moved on with his life after a week or two, and when he gets asked about your breakup in interviews he just furrows his eyebrows and says: "i'm sorry, who?" it's like he doesn't even feel remorseful. does he really regret nothing? maybe he doesn't think he hurt you. he wrote one song about the breakup, ending with the closing line: "wish you the best," so maybe he thinks that's his apology and you've forgiven him. maybe you were only the next one of his victims to take his love songs as a promise. you really just feel sorry for whatever girl he chooses to take advantage of next, because when she breaks he won't come back to pick up the pieces.

masterlist

taglist: @alienvarmint @kiyoily (raine ik you didnt actually ask but i <3 u so youre here anyway)

[the-hilda-librarians-wife]

Admittedly Hilda the series has pretty much Everything but one thing I could use more of is evil women. Like I wish there was at least one (1) girl that was straight up insane with No redeeming characteristics. My girl Van Gale is far too easy to sympathize with, she got a little too deep into Machiavellian rhetoric but her heart is in the right place. Abigail (from the committee) could fit the bill if they gave her more time and more crimes. I just feel like the show would be significantly improved if the lesbians in the fandom had a straight up villain to simp after

[vargamornight]

you know what's FUCKING crazy is duke crocker, career criminal and occasional killer for hire, is actually too scrupulous and ethical for "straight laced" (as if) fbi agent audrey parker.

audrey is so chaotic and machiavellian that nathan's devotion to indulging her is what she wants more than anything, so that's what she chases. it is certainly not what she needs—that woman crosses so many lines, she needs someone to help her even see them, let alone stop her from pole vaulting them—but, like nathan, she doesn't care what she needs. she only wants what she wants. nathan and audrey are TERRIBLE for each other, and they don't care, because all they've ever wanted was someone to love them, and their definition of love is a little bit fucky due to all the fuckiness of their individual and combined lives. audrey thinks love means stopping at nothing to protect her, to save her, and nathan thinks love means showing any amount of affection, ever. those two are absolutely fucked up in just the right ways that meant neither of them could ever have a healthy relationship, but the relationship they have together is ideal. very much a "please never involve anyone else in whatever you've got going on" situation

like. this is something that actually really bothered me until this rewatch. audrey does not one single time show any interest in nathan romantically until he goes full throttle on protecting her from any potential backlash from killing the rev. literally not once. she has more chemistry with duke, which makes sense, because the first thing duke ever does is save her life, so she's going 👀 at duke from day one. but she doesn't give a single shit about nathan as anything other than a work partner until he expresses a willingness to protect her, up to and beyond the point she believes reasonable, impeding her from doing what she thinks is right.

this is also the last time nathan stops her from doing anything, because she kisses him, and he immediately goes "yes ma'am whatever you say ma'am i am your dog" and never exits that mode

[crabs-and-bongos]

Look, I know I'm spitting into the wind here, but the idea that Game of Thrones is, at its heart, a cynical book about the triumph of evil and of machiavellian scheming, is WRONG. The people who lionize Tywin Lannister are really just showing their own lack or reading comprehension, or that they're show-only fans.

We all know that Game of Thrones is just a War of the Roses zombie AU fanfiction, and instead of Lancaster vs. York we have Lannister vs. Stark. So in that vein let's look at what happens to them:

In the early stages of the series, the Starks endure defeat after defeat, and the Lannisters get win after win. Forcing the heroes to climb back up from the bottom is a core part of the hero's journey. It had to happen that way! What appears at first glance to be the bleak triumph of moral compromise against goodness just hasn't had a chance to reach its inevitable conclusion yet.

But are the Starks really losers in this match-up? The Starks are beloved by their people - when Bran is on the run, commoners risk their lives to keep him fed and hidden, protecting his secret. When Fake!Arya has been married off to an abusive monster, the Mountain Clans send an entire army off on a suicide mission to rescue "The Ned's little girl". While the Boltons held Winterfell, the servants had been causing so much sabotage that few of them survived. There is an entire shadow conspiracy taking place behind the scenes involving Rob Stark's will, to put Jon Snow on the northern throne. The Starks are beloved.

Compare that to Tywin Lannister, who ruled the Westerlands through fear, having completely wiped out two noble families for insulting his family pride: After Tywin's death, all of his alliances immediately begin falling apart, because the Lannisters preferred to make the people fear them, rather than love them. His idea of defeating Robb Stark by violating sacred cultural traditions has made them despised, and the only reason they're still clinging to power is sheer inertia.

HOW on earth is this story considered a deconstruction of the fantasy genre, when it has played everything almost completely straight?!

[thegayloragenda]

“I’ll tell you something right now / I’d rather burn my whole life down / than listen to one more second of all this bitching and moaning,”

“I’ll tell you something about my good name / It’s mine alone to disgrace / I don’t cater to all these vipers dressed in empath’s clothing.”

Hey Swifties — what do you think she’s referring to when she singing these lines? What is she burning down? What is disgracing her good name? According to the media narrative, she is straight billionaire in a heteronormative relationship with a star football player that the entire world is obsessed with. She is literally the American Dream.

What would be a disgrace to her name?

If you think it’s about her on-and-off again 10 year love affair with Matty then why would she choose Ice Spice over him to cover her ass in the press and then rebound with Travis immediately after? That’s not very full throttle through the fences of her.

Ohhhh I know!!!! Is it because she might have cheated on Joe with Matty? Oh wait. No y’all didn’t see that as bad either. She’s still god status.

Hmm…

Is it because she’s a 34 year old woman dropping the f-bomb in her songs? Is it because she’s wearing a sexy little bodysuit or giving a chair a lap dance? No because her “good girl” persona has pretty much stayed intact. I think we can all confidently say that she’s definitely still America’s sweetheart. After all, she’s never had much “edge”.

Maybe it’s because she pissed off some republicans. OH WAIT! They actually forgave her because she’s dating an NFL hero! There’s really only a few Christian conservatives who have dropped her but that’s barely made a ripple in her pond.

The only thing that *might* ruin her would be her political silence (after promising to speak up) and the possible queerbaiting / the use of historical queer flagging. Oh but guess what? She became a billionaire despite both of those possibilities. And what a fucking slap in the face to the queer community and the injustice that the world is currently facing to essentially say “I’m a bad girl because I lie to the public about the things I care about and the type of person that I am so go fuck yourself!” If that’s who you want to worship, be my guest.

I need y’all to put on your critical thinking caps for this one…

Could it possibly be that she’s preparing you for something?

That she’s much more intelligent and deeper than you are giving her credit for.

That she is Machiavellian.

That she resents putting on an act and (cue the tour visuals) is using her final era to put a nail in her own performance art coffin and burning her media reputation to the ground on her way out?

Perhaps, these songs — much like the songs on Midnights — will make sense to you as the clock ticks and more is revealed. After all, wasn’t it the Gaylors who said Midnights was a breakup album? Oh but we got crucified for it until the tour started and she dropped You’re Losing Me to make it all suddenly make sense. God bless the patience of Taylor Swift because having to spell it out for you dipshits when you don’t even fucking have enough brain cells to comprehend what she’s writing about is INSANE.

If it’s not about Joe and it’s not about Matty and it’s not about Travis then I wonder what it could possibly be about…

Well maybe, just maybe, you’ll discover that all along…you weren’t even listening.

[saikolikes]

Aki’s P5R  fanfic recs! (part 2)

Hi and welcome to another one of my recs posts! As you can see, this is part two: part one of this post can be found HERE and includes fics I bookmarked between April 2019 and December 2020. This second post will deal with everything I bookmarked during 2021 and 2022 (... so yes, part 3 is bound to happen some times in the future)

Here a brief disclaimer:

Everything in here is spoiler for either P5 vanilla, Royal, or Strikers;

I won’t report the tags, as it would take too long, so if you’re interested in a fic, please open the link;

Fic recs obviously reflect my tastes and preferences. For example, I love suffering and I don’t like fluff or domestic works, so browse this list knowing that;

The stark majority of the works here is shuakeshu

If you want more recs you can find them in my bookmarks, most of them are public!

MY ONGOING RECS Again, I don't read a lot of ongoing works (although, admittedly more than in the past) and these are the ones I'm subscribed to that I'm adoring!

The Lovers, Reversed by salexectria, Terra5 (E) | Royalty a/b/o AU | akeshu | series in three parts, ongoing "A Thief is caught stealing from the Northern King, and is sentenced to death for his crimes. The Alpha Prince intervenes, but at what cost to them both?" What I love about this AU is the amount of politics and worldbuilding put into it, as well as the uniqueness of double povs who constantly switch from Akira to Goro creating one back and forth that acts literally like poking into their minds. Plus the slow burn and the pining are just on point.

never die when I'm dead by threerings (E) | Royal & post-Royal | akeshu | series in 2 parts, ongoing Two one shots featuring one of my absolute flavors of this ship: sad, intense and unhinged

IDC FOR UPDATES I resolved to defeat my abandoned-wip trauma one excellent fic at a time so here's a list of works that haven't been updated in a while or the author straight up confirmed they won't keep writing them, but they are so good you just have to read them and let them remodel you. Do it. Do it now.

the year of the knife by theexistentiallyqueer (M) | No powers AU | shuakeshu | 2 chapters "The plan for Akira's junior year of high school was to keep his head down and his nose clean, but he hadn't counted on his new high school having more trouble than it was worth--and he specifically didn't plan on Akechi Goro, the haughty, machiavellian vice president of Shujin Academy's student council, dragging him face-first into political scandal and a series of encounters that would change his life." Please let teq bring you through a journey of spot-on characterization and stunning prose that will rewire your brain chemistry completely. Their take on machiavellian Akechi is really good, and the snark Akira spits in this fic is really something I cherish.

kiss & cry by MajorGodComplex (T) | Figure skating AU | shuakeshu | 2 chapters "Goro’s first thought when he hits the ground is some combination of the words ‘shit fuck hell fucking bullshit bitch fuck motherfucking hell.’ His next thought is wondering whether Akira Kurusu, senior debut, constant thorn in Goro’s side, and the only person anyone this season seems to talk about, is also trying to land a quad axel at the moment." I don't know what to tell you, the prose of this one is so witty and funny you just have to read what's published of it as of now!

honeybrains by succubused (T) | Time loop | shuakeshu | 4 chapters "a chronicle of the twenty-fourth time akira kurusu lived through the month of january 2017" What can I say, I am really a sucker for time loops and this fic took me by the heart. Tagged as character study and with rights because the characterization here is very interesting!

in the snow globe by aminami (E) | Time travel | shuake | 1 chapter "It’s your heart,” Joker says like it’s the most obvious thing. “Your desires, your hopes, your fears. I’ll carry them with me always. My little snow globe." This fic will hurt you so badly but it will be so worth it, I swear. It's just so melancholic and tender and angsty and it carved a place in my heart.

my love has never lived indoors by rhodophytae (E) | a/b/o | shuake | 1 chapter "Ren Amamiya knows he's an alpha, and he's comfortable with that, but he's pretty sure that being an alpha is, well...different for him than it is for other people. He resigned himself a long time ago to the fact that he'd probably go his whole life without finding anyone else like him. And then he meets Goro Akechi." This fic has such an interesting take on omegaverse! Paired with a stellar characterization and delicious pining, it's no surprise it's a fic I will never forget.

GENERAL RECS The fics I’ve enjoyed the most and that I go back to reading sometimes.

how joker and crow survived the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 by shntlvs (T) | Royal | shuakeshu | series of 2 works "Escaping from Maruki's false reality gets interrupted by the Coronavirus pandemic." Could you have ever imagined reading a fic centered around the pandemic? Me neither, but this one and its sequel work so well and have very compelling bits of characterization for the boys. Unexpected premise, but I utterly loved it.

straw house, straw dog by caelam (T) | 3rd sem | gen | one shot "In the saccharine utopia of Maruki’s reality, Goro Akechi’s mother is still alive." I admittedly don't read too many fics with mamakechi so I won't claim to be an expert, but this one really left me impressed with how clear and tangible the tangle of feelings is.

Knight of Pentacles, King of Spades by Naometry (M) | Medieval AU | shuakeshu | 11 chapters "“Hifumi passed on your greetings,” Akira Kurusu says, fury simmering beneath his conversational tone. “And I’m polite enough to give you my own in person. So greetings, General Goro Akechi. I am the man who will kill you.”" I started reading this fic for the war captive trope but this story has so much more to it than just that. Nao's superb skill with writing violence and viciousness will have you thrust into a cruel world where two boys seem to be bound to kill each other... unless?

Ripples by Riona (T) | gen | canon compliant | one shot "Ten people know exactly who the news is talking about, and now they’re going to have to deal with that." A peek into the heads of 10 of Joker's confidants upon learning about his death. The fic I would never imagined myself reading, but I did because it was recced to me, and now I'm recc'ing it to you, too.

When Your Eyes Meet Mine by seths_dream (E) | no powers AU | shuake | one shot "The way the bellboy lingered on him made his heart jolt, made him think that maybe, maybe the bellboy was looking at Goro the same way Goro was looking at him." I've lost count of how many times I read this fic because the horny is just so juicy, it's unironically one of the fics I come back to when I need to remind myself how to write horny stuff. (the same author also wrote this delicious pegoryu that you have to read)

a study in what not to say by succubused (T) | 3rd sem | shuake | one shot "Akira has finally had enough of Akechi's bullshit; they resolve it the only ways they know how." If you like the boys being really nasty to each other, this fic is a must. It has excellent dialogue, dynamics, and a tad of homoerotic wound tending which can't hurt no one!

MY ALL-TIME FAVOURITES The fics that rewired my brain chemistry, took my heart out, slapped it, put it back, and left me a whole new person.

27 steps to seduce a crow by relationshipcrimes (G) | Royal | shuakeshu | one shot "A handy bullet-pointed list on how to flirt with, seduce, and keep your local Akechi Goro." Still to this day, I think of this fic in terms of Goro's characterization. If I have a thing for post-canon shuake chasing each other, it's probably due to this one.

The Brigverse by TzviaAriella (E but most works are M) | Pirates AU | akeshuake | series, ongoing I admittedly don't care that much about pirates but the og fic from this series (A Brig Too Far) was being passed on so much that I gave it a try and. Oh boy. Not only is the characterization impeccable, the story compelling, and the action thrilling, but at least one scene and/or line from each work in this series has altered my brain permanently. I am a new person after reading Brigverse.

wild and free by bangandawhimper (E) | a/b/o | shuakeshu | one shot "Akira Kurusu hasn’t always been an omega. But now everyone he meets in this city assumes he’s an omega. He’s treated like an omega. He feels like an omega. He knows he feels like an omega because he remembers what it was to be an alpha." This work might have my favourite take ever on shuakeshu omegaverse, it's so fitting for them, so thought out, and the characterization is so on point... my god. Read this fic now.

The Diamond Chest by kinneas (E) | post-Royal | shuakeshu | 3 chapters, complete "Who says you have to see Morgana speak in the Metaverse before you can hear him in the real world? Not the few hundred officers who arrested Ren in Sae’s Palace two years ago, that’s for sure." Honestly everything kinnes writes is gold but I'm shouting this fic out because I reread more than a few scenes from this fic more than once, and it's a 100k-words baby. I am a sucker for heist stories, I am a sucker for dealing with trauma in very tangible ways, and I'm a sucker for kinneas' characterization of the boys.

before midnight by specterthief (Not rated) | 3rd sem, canon compliant | gen | one shot "“I—” Swallowing past the lump in her throat, Sumire sets down her chopsticks and rubs her face with both hands. “Um—who told you I was going to training camp?” (On January 9th, Sumire goes home.)" This is the stellar Sumire characterization fic you're looking for. Read this. Read this right now.

I HOPE THIS DOESN'T AWAKEN SOMETHING IN ME (DELUSIONAL) I clicked on these fics solely due to my trust in the authors/the summary/one rec and now I find myself with a new kink. Thanks.

Containment Breach by salexectria (E) | Space pirates AU | akeshu | one shot Akira gets stranded on an abandoned spaceship seemingly infested by a terrifying creature. He finds the lonely survivor of the crew and they begrudgingly start to work together to contact help and survive. I am just going to say that I clicked for salex's name, I stayed for the stellar characterization, pining and top-tier bantering, and got overwhelmed by the tentacle sex. (/pos)

it takes two by lumensd (E) | 3rd sem | akeshu | two-shots By all means, this series has some things I usually am not interested in (phone sex, degradation) but Jay is so skilled and his akeshus are so fucked in the head that now I've signed up for the masochist Joker agenda. Hurray!

i dream of you draped in wires by rime (E) | 3rd sem | akeshu | one shot "Maruki's Shadows don't want to fight; they just want to collect data. Wait, are those cat ears?" You would think a work with the tag "catboy shibari gunplay fuckordie" can't be too serious. Wrong! Excellent character study attack 🔪🔪🔪 (from the same author there's also this P5 vanilla fic that is excellent)

Darken my doorway by EnlacingLines (E) | 3rd sem-post canon | akeshu | one shot ""I don’t need to test my theory. You should be thanking me, really. Opening this door for you.” “A door to what?” Akira says, exasperated by just how self congratulatory Goro still sounds.“ Submission.” Or: I am a firm switch shuake shipper, I don't vibe with too-extreme dynamics *proceeds to go ballistics over this fic regardless*, *awakens to the wonder of d/s a lil fucked up dynamics*

[scaly-freaks]

Sorry to harass about the inmate au again, but my sister was just talking about R Kelly and how he had all these female supporters even after he was caught on camera degrading this 14 year old girl, and I remembered how you wrote that the media loves Aegon because he’s “young, handsome, and evil” and it made me wonder whether Aegon would have groupies, and what sort of effect that would have on Amara, this distortion of her story into this narrative.

Don't worry, this is absolutely not harassment! Honestly this AU is in the back of my mind at all times, but I can barely handle writing the one ongoing one so I might do some sketches for this instead at some point.

And as for the ask...there's this fact I hate facing as someone who will always defend women against men, and it's that no one hates on a woman the way another woman can. The viciousness of women towards women never fails to astound me. It's like society programs us to go at each other, whilst men are trained to stick together.

That being said, some - or all - of those groupies would either pretend Amara doesn't exist or straight up revile her because she got to be the centre of attention for their "dream man" and threw away her chance (there was this talk show in the 80s I think, where two Richard Ramirez fangirls got into a fistfight on air, so I mean, the psychology is there).

Aegon, being a Machiavellian wonder, would figure out quickly enough she's tracking him in the news, and since the guards often sell stories to journalists about high profile prisoners, he makes it obvious when he talks about the groupies he's writing back to (whilst not responding to Amara's letters at all). Amara actually mails one of the many hair ribbons he gifted her back to him in one of the envelopes under some deluded belief that he might keep it under his pillow. She regrets sending it later, but in the moment she missed him so much, she just wanted him to have her there. Aegon gifts the hair ribbon to the #1 groupie who he's gotten engaged to so he can justify conjugal visits, and she of course blabs about it to the media, loud and proud. Amara sees the ribbon around her neck and almost loses it.

Now, I'm not saying Amara's a killer or anything, but Aegon has trained her to shoot wild animals in the forest, so she can definitely aim and fire to kill without a second thought. She'd have a truly horrific period of mental health where she begins to stalk this groupie (let's call her Cassandra, no particular reason why) and tries to psyche herself up to do her harm. But in the end, she does realise it is exactly what Aegon would want her to do and runs to tell her therapist all of these urges instead.

(When Aegon realises his plan hasn't worked, he breaks off that engagement so fast *-*)

[shouldiusemyname]

Another Trip to The Shrink Boston

*Note - this is my lens and I highly reccomend reading @wen-kexing-apologist here on cruising which has contributed a lot to the way my generation views homosexuality and gay culture.

Oh man, where do I even begin...?

First of all, just wanna say that this show has my brain stuck in so many loops that I can't see straight (put semi-intended). And Boston, my boy. I love him, but he is a victim of my time (re: the aftermath of cruising culture and HIV).

As I mentioned before, Boston has took upon himself this role in the group and this is the value he sees in himself. He is the slut of the group. I completely agree with @syrena-del-mar 's read of Boston as a Machiavellian prince and one that is a product of my generation. I think it would be even more accurate to say that Boston is the outcome of promoting and embracing the Machivellian Prince traits, as I see him more aspiring to be a Machiavellian prince rather than actually being one (successfully).

I mentioned it briefly here and I would like to go into it further when it comes to Boston. I believe that Boston represents the idea of queerness being the sex you have. I remember growing up in an environment where being gay means having all the sex you can have with all the partners you can get, often more than one at a time. I would hear things like why would they even want to get married? Everyone knows that gay relationships are open relationships. It was so deeply imbeded in the conversation that I vivdly remember the first time I realized that queer people have "normal" relationships just like everyone else.

I want to insert a side note here because @wen-kexing-apologist 's post really made me realize that what I take as a known fact is something that happens very differently today and needs to be explained. So basically (and I'm generalizing here) all of that stems from the discussion around HIV that exposed or brought to light (in a more agressive way) the gay cruising culture. This served as fuel to the fire of gay=sex, Gay men cruising=no gay men have sexually exclusive relationships, etc...

Did I lose you? No? Good!

Because what I wanted to say was that I see all of the above as the idea or blueprint for Boston's character. From his cruising habbits, through his views of sex and virginity to the way he speaks about relationships. It's like hearing the voices I grew up around, which really lead to internalised homophobia disguised as anti-heteronormativity. (For the record, I don't think that anti-het.norm. equals homophobia, but I do think that this specific case has homophobic roots)

It's very much like the ideas that guide toxic male behavior. Boston lies and manipulates. He says what he thinks his pray wants or needs to hear in order to stay submissive. Take Nick for example - I fully believe that Nick would have been just fine accepting his status as fuck buddy without the manipulation. He would have stayed for the sex and crumbs of attention, fully acknowledging that this is what he can get.

However, Boston was taught to believe that sex requires manipulation, that everyone you sleep with more than once will catch feelings, and that you must string them along with false promisses of more than sex if you want them to keep being there waiting (so, pretty much how toxic men view women when it comes to casual sex - leading to views of gay men as being women rather than men who like men).

Ok, back to Boston and Nick! Just look at Nick's face journey here - he's not buying any of it.

See, Nick is getting a ton of mixed messages from Boston and he is COnFuSed! He isn't asking because he wants to hear 'be my boyfriend', he's asking because he honestly can't figure out what the hell is happening!

Boston forgets that if he wants to keep Nick around he needs to switch up his lines as they only work for one night stands. Now, he has Nick hearing all his 'I never go back for seconds' and 'you're my favorite' bs and he starts asking himself should I be reading something into this? Because he knows who Boston is and I really believe that he wouldn't have asked about their status otherwise. But, when Nick asks (cos he is just so so so confused bless him), Boston panics. He never (I'm assuming) had to deal with this before so instead of getting out, he just digs a deeper hole and moves in permanently. In his mind, he will never get to have just the sex with Nick if there is no promise of something more. So he promises, and keeps promising, with words, and actions.

Again, Nick is no buying this. He is sus af.

And no one was asking for this Boston. You came up with it ALL ON YOUR OWN!

I will carefully say that from what I've seen before and my personal experiences with the Bostons of this world, if he doesn't get out of the hole he will find himself catching feelings that he has no tools to deal with. Boston is enjoying the intimacy more than he's wiling to admit, but it will catch up to him. Once it does he's going to panic-react all wrong. He's going to kick Nick as far away from him as he can, making Nick believe it's his own fault. When in fact, none of this would've happened if Boston had not been such a victim of his own persona.

So basically, whatever happens next is ALL on Boston.

As usual, thank you for sticking it out and hope this makes sense 💜

[katyspersonal]

What are your opinions on our Lord and Savior Gywn?

He didn't save SHIT!! He took the perfectly (?) functioning humanity and ruined it! Look at it, it got Hollowing!!

Okay, I am making the 'Marika is a MILF Gwyn' jokes here and there, but 1) Marika is a bit more of a straight up cold and mean person, all things considered 2) Yet she still has enough nuance, and a lot of her actions might be written on reasonable fears and 3) Gwyn is even MORE nuanced than Marika, from what I have concluded so far! Laurence is a similar kind of sinner too. Comparison of the characters that share a trope is helpful for my thought process, so bear with me a little! With Marika I see a more direct disdain and fear before the very nature of life, cyclic and treacherous, uncontrollable, being meant to perish one day but with new life sprouting from it, and thus doing lovely things like shunning Crucible-related lifeforms. With Laurence, we have enough evidence so far that beasthood was not created by Healing Church but something already lingering in the human code after Pthumerians and Loran, so ambition to seize and control it it was risky but understandable!

But with Gwyn, we are confirmed that human nature itself is dark, undesirable an terrifying, as well as how he sorta had the chance to see it 'in action' during uniting with humans to take war on dragons. And also in Dark Souls the cyclic nature of Ages is just a fact, and it would make sense that should Age of Dark come, he and his family would be the first to go as beings of Light. It is a combination of things: his kind being in true danger and not just "risking to lose power", the treacherourness of how political allyship simply works (your today's ally country against the common enemy could tomorrow ally with someone else to start the war on YOU) and simply the not-so-metaphorical horrors of the Dark itself! is not a speculation, the dangers are RIGHT here!

Gwyn messed the natural order of humanity in a way that I personally dislike and express it on multiple occasions: trying to get rid of what's barbaric and dangerous yet natural and not accepting that there is no light without shadow, or life without death. But I also feel sympathetic because he had a legit reason to fear the darkness within men. In is not as much philosophical but a literal concept in Dark Souls lore. He acted out of fear, backed up with a precedent, and it brought the ruin to himself and everyone else. Writing this I'd say he sorta falls for the type of a person I can only like in fiction but resent in reality. I guess I don't need to explain what kind of people this is, paranoid "but for a valid reason", being "preventive" with their drastic measures.. Good intentions path to hell self-fulfilling prophesy blablabla. His specieism doesn't help his case in the slighest. Ironically, all extremely human behavior of him!

(LOL thank you based Goldmask as usual xddd) At the same time, he is not entirely corrupt with the power he seized and used to strip humanity of what was natural for them; he, in the end, committed to what he believed was better for everyone and sacrificed HIMSELF too. I can respect the cunning and machiavellian person who, in the end, is above the vanity of a 'savior' and can give themselves too, not only others. He also did share his power with some humans, showing that he can take kinda benevolent choices even with those he fears. Yeah, part of calculated risk could be there; dude gave the city and his daughter to the Pygmy to, again, preemptively avoid some animosity. But in the case with the four kings, did he HAVE to? Or Seath for that matter, who is a dragon, another species he doesn't like?

I find it hard to detect 'truly' corrupt people in Soulsborne setting in general, and yeah we can fiddle with 'nuanced character' and 'everyone is morally grey' forever and never discover THE big bad we'd love to hate. But, out of those big bads, I think he deserves the benefit of being seen as a way more nuanced character than the corrupt leader the most! It is the case where he should not have done anything, but also should not have NOT done anything.. Soulsborne is eager with placing characters in a position and knowledge where every choice is wrong and they just pick a poison for themselves (and everyone else xd). Jokes about "haha people in power moment" are still mostly jokes for me. He is sympathetic in a way not like I think I'd have done the same (let's be real, I revel in darkness gfjjghk) but in a way where I understand too much to feel negative 🤔

[isdalinarhot]

I think it says something that I can look at Dalinar and go “oh he’s a moderate liberal who voted Joe Biden in the 2020 primaries” but I cannot correctly scrute what political position Sadeas would have if he was an American. Would he be a straight up Republican? Would he be a libertarian? Would he be an annoying centrist who “doesn’t vote because both sides are the same anyways :/“ and then does no other political work either? Hard to fucking say because he’s running on fucking Macavellianism (too fucking drunk to spell it correctly) (update I googled it it’s Machiavellianism). He’s using 18th century political strategies. I think he cares too much about being able to access testosterone and not get arrested for having gay sex to be a republican but I don’t think he has Democrat swag either because. Like. Lmao. I DO think he’d enjoy Ayn Rand though