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egrets-not-regrets · 4 months ago

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Stargazing

Of Fin and Feathers AU: Keed (Alpha Legion mer) takes Lana, his bonded harpy, to the Trail of Stars Cove for a stargazing date, following Mara’s advice.

Author’s Note: FORMATTING IS FIXED NOW. SORRY FOR THE MESS. Collab with @gallifreyianrosearkytiorsusan. Thanks for letting me use your Alpha Legion boys, Lana, and your Gray Knight in this fic. It was fun writing this follow-up fic with you!

Tagged: @shadowfirecat , @kit-williams , @bleedingichorhearts , @barn-anon , @gallifreyianrosearkytiorsusan

@sleepyfan-blog, @c-u-c-koo-4-40k, @bispecsual , @ms--lobotomy , @whorety-k

Keed was glad he escorted Mara to meet the warsmith. Learning about the social and cultural significance of the Trail of Stars Cove from the old harpy was a nice bonus. He reminded himself to tell his brothers to perhaps spend more time with the gannet elders in order to learn more about this area of Ancient Terra. It might not logistically be useful information, but you never know when certain pieces of knowledge came in handy.

Like this one. If the sight at the cove was as beautiful as Mara described, then he had no doubt that Lana would love it there. He planned to take her to the cove to go on a night of romantic stargazing with him. Keed kept Mara’s suggestion close to his chest and out of his mind to avoid that annoying Gray Knight psyker from finding out about this place. He was going to take Lana there first, damnit!

He waited until it was the Gray Knight’s scheduled time with their beloved Lana to approach his brothers in order to not have the psyker overhear the information that he was about to tell them. After the brothers gathered, Keed quietly relayed the information to them about the cove; about how it was a socially and culturally important spot for the harpies, and how Mara suggested the place for romancing their bonded; his brothers had perked up at that piece of information.

“Thanks for bringing this up to us,” Zariel said, “I suppose you want to take her to this spot first?”

“Yes sir,” Keed confirmed, “And- if you would keep him away while I’m with our Lovely Lana, I’d be very grateful.”

Zariel nodded, “I and the rest of the squad will do our best to distract the wretch.”

“Thank you sir,” Keed said with a grin.

“And we’ll help set up a romantic picnic under the stars for the two of you,” Talos added with a smile, already having recipes to make something special for this picnic running through his mind.

“We, Alpha legion, will do our best to help each other out.” Zarius punched his brother’s pauldron lightly with affection.

“Thank you, brothers.” Keed was ever thankful and looking forward to this stargazing date with their beloved Lana more than ever.

As his scheduled time with Lana drew closer, Keed was filled with anticipation and excitement. Talos had already started catching and gathering ingredients for the picnic. Zariel started planning a way to keep the obsessive Gray Knight off his back. Zarius, who’s scheduled time was the day before his, had given their bonded a heads up about the date night so she would make sure she could stay up that night.

Kalium, an Iron Warrior mer he was partnered with, noticed his upbeat mood during their patrol together, “What’s got you so excited?” He asked curiously.

“I’ll be taking my bonded stargazing tonight. It calls for a clear night.”

The Iron Warrior had a good idea where Keed was referring to, “You mean at the cove where Warsmith Formicas and your harpy leader met?”

“Yes!” Keed replies with a bright grin, “It’s a culturally and socially significant place for harpies- it’s a romantic spot that is traditionally used to have courting requests.”

“Really now?” Kalium asked, sounding rather skeptical.

“Yes- Mara said so, and she’s not one to lead us astray. She knows how much effort and care we have for our Lovely Lana,” Keed answered. He wasn’t going to let the Iron Warrior poke holes into his bubble of joy with his Iron Warrior-ness.

His fellow mer-Astartes made a dismissive hum that dissolved into vexed muttering, “Mara said that… huh…I’ll have to tell Erriox. Damn it. He tricked me into taking his extra patrol shift!”

The Alpha Legion Mer snickered, having heard about the bet between the two Iron Warriors on whether Mara was the warsmith’s bonded. He agreed with Erriox, there wasn’t a bond between the warsmith and the old harpy despite how amiable, almost flirtatious, the two had been with each other. One did not need to be bonded in order to be attracted to another after all.

“Erriox didn’t trick you though. It doesn’t look like Mara and the warsmith are bonded, otherwise she would be behaving differently as well.” Keed explained, remembering even with their weaker bonds, it still had an effect on Lana. “That doesn’t mean a healthy respect and old people flirting can’t happen.”

Kalium let out a loud guffaw, “By the Four! That was exactly what I was watching while we were waiting for them to be finished with their negotiations.” He then insisted “Maybe they’re good at hiding their reactions. Formicas is famous for that kind of thing.” A conspiracy theory building in his mind.

Keed shook his head, “You believe what you want to believe. Don’t blame me if you get assigned shit jobs because you can’t drop that theory of yours. Trust me. Mara is not acting any different and I am sure she is not as stoic as the warsmith.” He swam faster, slightly outpacing the Iron Warrior, “Let’s finish this patrol already.”

Kalium laughed and swam after the Alpha Legionary.

Keed activated his air swimming ability to quickly fly up the cliffs of the colony’s temporary home. It was finally his scheduled time with Lana! He saw their beloved laughing over something Zarius told her.

“My lovely Lana.” He cooed, embracing the harpy from behind, wrapping his arms around her stomach. She giggled as he pressed a kiss to her temple. Smiling, he purred and pressed another kiss to her jaw, down her neck and then back up again, “How I have missed your warm embrace…” ignoring the glare from the Gray Knight. Of course, he was here too. That paranoid bastard. He thought irritably.

Lana laughed and gave her silly Alpha Legionary another couple of kisses, “I have missed you as well, dear Keed.”

“I have a wonderful surprise to show you,” Keed murmured in her ear, his voice practically humming with excitement.

His brothers set up the picnic beforehand, and ensured that there were some cold runes in the picnic basket to keep the food at a proper temperature, while the blanket was weighed down by stones on each corner to keep it from blowing off before they arrived at the location.

“Please close your eyes and trust me, Lovely Lana!” Keed said as he gently scooped her up in his arms and twirled her a little bit. The harpy trilled happily and did as he asked, nuzzling against his armored chest.

He gave a single handed gesture to his brothers who all nod in unison, two heading off to start immediately talking to Draco and snarking at him- slowly having Draco turn his body so he had his back to Lana and Keed while the other two Alpha Legionaries snatched up Claude and Jophiel, who Draco had been trying to convince to let him train them.

The boys were visiting the Gannet Aunties and cousins and had been… almost pounced on by Captain Shiny Gray Knight (he was so obvious). How he thought he could ever be subtle or stealthy with such unusual armor; none of the Alpha legionaries had any clue.

“Give them back!” Draco roared at Zariel and Zarius.

“Never!” They laughed mockingly as they spirited off with the large Scouts. “We’re telling Erriox that you were bullying Claude and Jophiel, trying to force them into training with you alone. Again.”

“Don’t you dare,” Draco growled.

Claude and Jophiel were just letting them carry them off, as they knew just how fighty both the Scout-ling Blood Angel mix and the Alpha Legionary Mix could get.

After being told that people knew about his true form, Claude would usually show up at the gannet harpy colony in his true form. Zariel and his squad were finally slowly, painfully slowly, gaining Claude’s trust- and the trust of his rag-tag bunch of Primaris Marines. His tentacles clung to Zariel as he watched Draco with large eyes.

“Then catch us, you shiny jerk!” Zarius called out, “If you can, you big- slow- motherless chaos chum bucket.” Jophiel, curled over his shoulder with his wings folded tight, couldn’t help but snort and laugh.

They sometimes played this game of keep-away-the-Primaris-Scoutlings since it served to irritate the Gray Knight. Zariel and his brothers knew the two scouts would have to eventually undergo training to learn to control their psyker powers. But until they could find another decent psyker to train them or the Gray Knight would agree to be supervised, that day wasn’t today. So playing keep-away it was.

The rest of the Primaris Scout squad would usually show up and team up with the Alpha legionaries on their shenanigans- until they could steal away their brothers, and then they were their own team with their own game, which was to keep away from the First Born Marines.

“I am not Chaos Tainted!” Draco roared at them, enraged and not noticing that Keed and Lana have slipped off to somewhere else.

“You have to let Erriox or others that he designates to watch you train with Claude and Jophiel.” Cedric rumbles, deep, and low in his chest.

While Roland and Arnault had several pointed questions to ask about a lot of different topics, they had been a bit more understanding that they had hoped for and had reacted a lot better than they feared they might have. Even willing to be one of the designates to watch over Draco’s training sessions.

“I agreed to the rules and punishments,” Draco scowled at the uppity Primaris Apothecary.

Cedric scowled back, “It doesn’t mean we trust you not to go too far like you did before.”

Elsewhere, Keed deposited Lana gently onto the blanket of their picnic spot.

“Can I open my eyes now?” She asked.

“Of course you can, love.” He chuckled.

Lana gasped and laughed delightfully as she took in the sight before her. The sun was just dipping below the horizon, the fading light casting a thin orange glow at the ocean’s end. The crescent moon with its pale shine reflecting clearly in the calm waters. More and more stars appeared as the light faded.

“Keed! This is wonderful! I almost forgot about this place!”

The Alpha Legionary preened at her happiness and curled himself around her, “I’m glad you like this surprise.” He replied.

Lana took his face in her claws and kissed his lips, “This is so lovely. Thank you.”

Smiling, Keed wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back, “Anything for you, my lovely Lana.”

He placed the picnic basket between them and took out the containers of finger food that Talos prepared; a mix of both their favorites. Keed smiled at Lana’s brightened expression; his brother had been incredibly thoughtful in making these dishes.

“These look delicious. Did Talos make these?” She asked.

“Yes.” Keed grinned.

“Of course. I’ll have to thank him when I see him.” Lana smiled.

Keed took off his gauntlets and playfully tapped her nose, drawing her attention back to him, “I’ll remind you to do that, but tonight is for us. Open up.”

The harpy giggled, opening her mouth as the mer fed her a piece of pickled herring. Lana trilled in delight at the burst of flavor. Opening up the container she held in her lap, the harpy picked up a piece of smoked cod and held it to his mouth. She grinned, “Say ‘ahh’.”

Keed laughed and did as he was told, letting the harpy place the piece of cod in his mouth. He chewed on the meat, tasting the distinct savory and smoky flavor of the fish. Talos really outdid himself. Both he and Lana would have to thank him for this delicious food.

“You should have a taste. This is very good.” Keed picked up another piece of the smoked cod and fed it to Lana, his eyes fixed to her as she picked it delicately off his fingers with her teeth.

“You’re right!” Her crest feathers fluffed cutely as she ate the smoked fish.

The last container held thin rolls of cured fish wrapped in delicate pieces of seaweed. Keed took a piece and sang, “Say ‘ah..’ Lana.” Watching her mouth intently.

Lana grinned and opened her mouth to receive the seaweed roll. Only to fluff her feathers in surprise when Keed pulled her to him in a sneaky, but passionate kiss. Lana melted into his kiss, closing her eyes and losing her in the moment. They slowly pulled away from each other’s lips with a smile.

“How was that for a treat?” Keed chuckled.

“I don’t know… between your kiss and that seaweed roll? I might need a sample of both….” Lana answered coyly.

Keed laughed, “I suppose that could be arranged, dear Lana.” as he gently placed the seaweed roll in her mouth, waiting for her to bite into it. He then gently bit down on the other half of the roll that was sticking out, meeting her mouth in a sweet and savory kiss.

Lana trilled in delighted surprise at the kiss and the delicate flavors of the cured fish and seaweed. She giggled, “That was much better. Both samples were delicious.”

Keed grinned and stole a few more kisses from her before feeding her another roll of cured fish.

He pressed some sweet kisses to his Lana while feeding her and getting fed the delicious treats at the same time. He’s so very happy to be able to spend time with her. Despite the path that took him here, he’s thankful that in this moment and time, he's on Ancient Terra with his lovely Lana.

They continued to feed each other and watched the myriad of stars appearing as darkness deepened in the night sky. The stars in the sky reflected in the water, making a continuous trail of stars stretching from sea to sky as the cove was named after. Bioluminescent plankton glowed and sparkled when animals moved through the water, adding to the “trail of stars” effect.

“Have you been to this cove before?” Keed asked, remembering that Lana mentioned about almost forgetting this place; curious to know more about his beloved harpy.

“When I was younger,” Lana started as she looked distantly as memories played across her mind, “The Flock came here to watch shooting stars. Seeing the stars shoot across the sky… it was very pretty.”

“Have you seen shooting stars before?” Lana asked, after snuggling with Keed for a few moments, enjoying the quiet, but also feeling rather curious.

She’s heard them speaking about swimming in shoals in the void-sea, which they refer to as the black of space. She’s also heard them say something about the mad void-sea. Whatever that was. She asked them about that, and they would grow quiet, with Zariel asking her not to ask them that. They didn’t want to lie, but it was not something they liked talking about either.

Lana’s allowed her curiosity and concern about the mad void-sea slide, as she could tell how much it upsetted them to think and/or try to talk about with her… or anyone who didn’t know what they meant when they said that phrase.

“I have seen shooting stars before,” Keed said, while joking, his teal eyes sparkling jovially, “and for some of the people on distant planets, I was a shooting star.”

He scratched his cheek a little bit as he nuzzled Lana in his arms while he gathered his thoughts, “Shooting stars that fall about two to four per hour, while not impressive, are certainly safer than when the stars shooting across the skies increase to almost blinding the night sky. That had not been a fun mission.” He explained.

She paused and turned to Keed, tilting her head, “You came from out there; beyond the stars?”

Keed hummed, “Beyond stars and the black of space, through time and… well. Yes. The Space Marines come from beyond the stars, as you know them, lovely Lana.”

“What is it like?” Lana asked curiously, “To go to distant stars?”

“The journeys can be far, and finding ways to entertain yourself while traveling so far can be hard sometimes, ‘hurry up and wait’ can get terribly dull at times. The distances between stars, between planets are vast, and almost impossible to comprehend,” Keed started, rolling The Rules through his head to ensure that he doesn’t say too much, while also giving her a good story, “One time, when I was about Claude’s age, I had been sent to a distant planet. You see that fuzzy star near the ‘big dipper’ constellation as you call it?”

Lana tilted her head and looked in the direction he’s pointing at and narrowed her eyes and nodded, “Yes, I do.”

“Orbiting that star is a planet,” Keed explained, “Where the sky is more purple than blue, and the flowers sing in the wind. There are some bioluminescent fruits, about the size of a pineapple, the colors of a strawberry, that taste like… peaches with a hint of lime.”

“Oh?” Lana gasped, “How fascinating! Were there oceans like this there as well?”

Keed nodded and grinned, “The ocean of that planet was slightly purple. And we had to breach for the surface more often, less oxygenated air, and more nitrous, even with our armor on- some of my younger brothers got very, very giggly.”

She giggled at the picture he painted in her head.

He curled into Lana and murmured, “I’m so very glad to be here on Ancient Terra with you though. Meeting you has changed my life for the better.”

Lana turned away from looking at the stars to looking at him, “I’m very glad you’re here with me too.” She said, reaching up, kissing his lips. Keed hummed appreciatively and kissed her back tenderly, tightening his embrace around her. They went back to admiring the night sky and the dancing of the bioluminescent plankton, all cuddled up with each other and sharing the occasional kiss.

The couple had been watching the shimmering lights of the plankton for a while when they both noticed a large shape swimming languidly along the outer reaches of the cove. Lana tilted her head, asking, “Keed, you see that large creature way out there?”

The Alpha Legionary knew exactly what, no, who that was. He wants a show, I’ll give him a show… he thought, feeling rather petty. He nuzzled into Lana’s neck, nipping at a particularly sensitive spot, “I thought I was the only large creature around here.”

The harpy whined and shuddered, starting to lose focus as he laid small kisses up her throat, a few of his tentacles winding up her leg and around her waist, “Keed… be serious…”

“I am serious; serious about you…” Keed murmured as he kissed her deeply and passionately, pushing Lana onto her back, not giving her a chance to reply. Lana hummed blissfully and relaxed as she reciprocated his kiss. Her wings wrapped around him, drawing him closer.

Keed felt a sense of petty satisfaction upon hearing the distant angry splash of a tail.

They stayed nose to nose when they broke apart.

“I love you, fierce, bright, love of mine.” Keed whispered, looking at his harpy full of adoration.

Lana smiled and gave him a quick peck, “I love you too, my dear sweet, clever Keed.” She giggled, “Now could you confirm the large shape swimming out there?”

“Of course, my love.”

Keed��s tentacles curled and uncurled as he put on his helmet for greater vision to see who’s in the water; confirming his suspicions.

“Hey Lana, I think we should head back home,” he suggested, “A large predator is hunting in these waters; and I’d rather not end our date on a sour note.”

Keed helped pack up the picnic blanket, basket and what little was leftover of thefood. He casually pulled something out of an armored pocket, tapped a button on the orb-like device. and then tossed the object into the water and smiled sweetly at Lana.

“Let’s go home, dear Lana!” Keed chirped, sweeping his harpy into arms.

Lana laughed, “Let’s go home.”

The flash-bang won’t hurt the stalking fuckhead, but it would mess up his senses, causing his ears to ring and his night vision to go to shit for an hour. The damage that it would cause to the lurking Gray Knight would be fully healed by the time Lana and Keed are back at the temporary home that the Gannet Harpies had set up. Which was a mild enough punishment for stalking someone else on a date.

#warhammer 40k #space marine husbandry #space marine husbandry sentience #of fin and feathers au #alpha legion shenanigans #alpha legion #gray knight #iron warriors #oc: keed #oc: lana

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seijorhi · 2 years ago

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i really appreciate you being honest ab how you feel when a fic doesn’t do as well as you hoped because i feel the exact same way and the impulsive urge to delete the post/blog is so real. it’s nice to hear that such an incredible author and someone i really admire as a writer feels the same way because i feel like maybe i’m not total shit and that low engagement on things doesn’t necessarily mean the thing itself is bad. i’ve read basically your entire masterlist and not once have you ever written anything that you shouldn’t be proud of! so anyway, sorry for the rant, and thanks sm for being vulnerable ab that :)

it doesn't help that tumblr is one of the worst sites in trying to measure engagement and genuine enjoyment. less and less people reblog, there's more blank blogs popping up who don't even like content, they just follow (not spam blogs or pornbots, i'm talking real users who just create a blog so they can access content but don't in any way interact) so what are you left with but asks?

silent readers are sort of a double edged sword. on the one hand, i accept that not everyone will interact, and even if a fic does do badly by my standards, i can tell myself that just because someone didn't interact with it (despite that pretty being the whole purpose of tumblr as a website)doesn't mean that they didn't like it.

but at the same time, if people don't engage with content, as a writer it's natural to equate that to readers either not caring that you're posting – in which case why bother? – or not liking the content. when you pour hours of time and effort into something, and you're excited to share it because you love it and you want everyone else to read it and love it, and you don't get that positive response, yeah, it's hard not to take that to heart and feel like it's a personal thing.

(also the answer to 'why has my fave writer disappeared from tumblr :c' is inevitably at least somewhat related to this. lack of interaction kills the fandom)

i do however realise that it's not great to put so much stock and emotional investment into feedback and validation for your writing, but i think it's a pretty natural and normal thing. i try to be more objective about it and focus on the positives because at the end of the day i love writing, i will always write, it's just a question of whether i share it and where i share it.

anyway, thank you for this ask nonnie, it's very sweet!! <33 like i said, i love writing and posting on here, i adore you guys for the feedback and asks like this.

#also #as a sidenote #replying to a fic with 'part 2??????' is not the compliment you think it is #but anyway #nonnie i am coming to kiss you on the forehead #rhi answers #rhi rambles

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tarotwithdanise · 2 years ago

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Hello, Danise! I hope you're doing awesome as awesome you are ♡ here are flowers for you cause you deserve them!! for real! 🌷🌺

Can I tell you how much I love your blog? It's so A E S T H E T I C and organised <3

Can I pretty please join in your FS game? If not it's totally okay! But I'll make sure to send my feedback through askbox♡

I reblogged your wonderful posts as you wanted to♡

So one POSITIVE thing i get about my FS is this: they're just good person at heart, they have good heart

One negative thing: they're workholic, they work too much :/

My initials are DB.

My rising sign is Sagittarius.

Oh and what I love about you as I said is your blog, it's so aesthetic. I also love your pacs! They're so well written and I love that beautiful fading text you always put there (i don't know how to call it🫣)

Thank you so much, sorry for bothering and take care!!

Hi, thank you for joining @thespiritoflife.

How does DB's will going to recognize their future spouse?

cards : queen of spades, cupid, "friendly support", "make the effort".

You are going to recognize them when you feel or them awkward with another person. Like they feels very distant to them for no reason, you feel shy around them even though you are not like this. You might meet them through friends or you have a love trope from friends to lovers. They maybe someone who already have first marriage but it doesn't have to be if they actually don't, it's seems like they will be very family oriented person. They probably have dark hair color. This will be a great love for you and when you meet them it's either you or them are really longing and looking for love.

Hope this make sense, Danise.

Important note : Make sure to leave a feedback as I mentioned on the rules of this game, you will be given a week after you received this reading. Leave feedback so you can join again to my next games, events and giveaways!

#꒰⁠⑅⁠ᵕ⁠༚⁠ᵕ⁠꒱⁠˖⁠♡ danise event games giveaways #୨୧ future spouse game.#thespiritoflife

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rosylamb · 2 years ago

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Hello! I just saw your pinned post and selfie when browsing the selfie tag, I really appreciate that you made a pinned post and are clear about who you are and what your boundaries are, I always love when people do that. Also you seem super sweet. And like there is something really refreshing about how you write these really long, thoughtful, and kinda old-fashioned responses to messages. I don't know if you'd like my blog, it is more random & less proper than yours but I wanted to say hi!

Aw! Hello there, friend! c:

Happy Thursday!! I hope it’s a good one, and that the day has been kind to you. ♡

I’m sorry this is late! It’s been hectic on my end sadly. :’)

Thank you for your patience, however, and for this ask. ♡ ♡

What a truly sweet little treasure this was!

There’s nothing better than being gifted kindness, and another’s time in this world . . . and you saw my pinned!! I’m both elated and amazed hehe ♡ ♡

( ‘Cause to be honest, not many seem to be actually reading it ;-; Meep! I suppose at the very least I can now say the information is there )

I’m genuinely so glad you did, and that you appreciate the effort I put into trying to make this a soft and gentle space! That means a lot. ♡

To me, the asks I get all come from real people, and so I just listen and speak like how I would anyone. It’s important to care, listen, and actually talk to people you know! Besides if you *do* you can make new friends, and learn all kinds of things.

Which I like very much !!! ♡ ♡ ♡

So I’m really grateful you said ‘hi’!

*You* seem very sweet, sincere, and special, too, and it was an honest pleasure to meet you, my friend. :D

I send much gratitude to you for making my day brighter, and lots and lots of hugs and happy thoughts!

Please take care, stay safe, and much love ~ !! XO

♡ 🌸 ⋆ﾟ✧ ｡.:* ⊹ 🤍 ✿ 🍓

#<3 #ask #i am genuinely sorry !#there is much to do here and with my studies and work c:#but i really smiled when i saw this <3 #and felt so honored you took the time to say such kind things to me !#you are very kind my friend c:#thank you for giving me something to smile about !#i hope in return that something makes you smile as well !#and that your day is full of wonderful things ! :D #sending hugs & hearts ! <3 #take care and all the best ! <3 #xo ! <3 #⋆ﾟ⊹ ｡.:*✧ ✿ ♡

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arumbleinthedark · 1 year ago

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Do you have like…..a headcanons for C-Side and Wet Floor?…..

Quick Warning to Anyone Who Happens to Stumble Upon This

THIS IS A KINK BLOG, IF YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THIS THEN PLEASE DO NOT ENGAGE

I BLOCK MINORS AND AGELESS BLOGS

Obviously, I won't have the fandom or any of the characters tagged for safety reasons, but tumblr works in mysterious ways and sometimes it shows people weird shit because it's marginally related to what they post and interact with.

Okay, with that out of the way...

Sorry this took so long, anon, I didn't actually have any headcanons ahead of time and needed some time to think about it, and then I got sick and had some major brain fog. Thanks for being patient!

This might get long so check under the cut.

There will be mention of weed and vomit.

Be/ka

Honestly, no doubt that he's a stoner. And it definitely fucks with his appetite and his diet. When he's high he just kind of eats whatever is in the fridge or the pantry...even if it's out of date or spoiled. That and whatever strange concoction he manages to put together.

Dude's actually kind of invincible, though. He usually doesn't get sick from what he eats or drinks.

That being said, on the rare off chance he does he's a total mess. He's secretly emetophobic and just the anticipation of himself or someone else needing to puke is enough to freak him out.

He actually will more than likely end up puking from how much he's worked himself up rather than what's actually causing him to feel sick. So if he's nauseous or dealing with a stomach ache, expect to find him curled up on the bathroom floor awaiting his fate.

They don't have a manager, so he's almost always heavily focused on things relating to the band, so he doesn't ever really notice when he's hungry. The other two sometimes have to literally pull him away from what he's doing because he hasn't eaten in two days. In fact, he cannot recall the last time his stomach made any sort of noise out of hunger. (Though this is probably because he always attributes it to something else.)

K/kura

Hangry Bitch Syndrome™ she gets FEIRCE when she's missed a meal, especially since she's the type to consistently eat at regular times.

Of course, that habit has led to her stomach being pretty loud when she's hungry, and it only adds to her irritability.

She's been extremely self reliant since she was young, so if she gets sick in general she's insistent that she can take care of herself. It's a minor inconvenience for her, no matter how nauseous she feels or how much pain she's in.

Uot/ra

Textbook Big Eater. He will gladly eat your leftovers if you can't finish them.

Nobody outside of the band has ever seen him with an upset stomach, as far as they know. He doesn't make it obvious, just says something to his bandmates and goes to rest. Either he's not really bothered by it or he just doesn't want to cause a scene, but unlike Kura he'll greatly appreciate it if you help him out.

It might also be because he's sort of the big brother of the trio and feels that it's more important for him to take care of his bandmates than it is for them to take care of him.

He's also completely unbothered by any noises his stomach makes, mostly because it's very loud and he thinks it's funny how people react to it.

K/gi (Definitely one of my top favs, so I'm a bit meaner to him, hehe.)

He's not super shy, I don't think, but he does seem like the type to be uncomfortable around people when his stomach is being noisy.

He eats a lot of foods that are organic or homegrown and are mostly fruits and vegetables, so fast food and foods that are processed or filled with artificial ingredients tear up his stomach. He usually brings his own meals with him when the band is on tour or he's spending the night with them, but the band also makes an effort to stop by or grab something from somewhere with foods that he prefers to eat.

He also doesn't really eat, he sort of...grazes? Like he's one of those people that just eats small amounts throughout the day instead of sitting down to have meals. He's always just a little bit hungry, and sometimes on tour he has to go without food for a few hours.

As seen on my Tummy Hurty Scale he's not the best at handling stomach pain, but he can withstand it just enough to get important things done if need be. But he will quietly slip away to go lay down once he gets the chance.

That's about all I have for now.

#shawnsshit #self indulgent fandom bullshit #heeheehoohoo funny squid #ask

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thingsofimportanceanddelight · 1 year ago

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Lmao medical misogyny isnt just “getting ignored” in fact most of it isnt that at all. It is that there is literally a sex data gap. 80% of medicines are tested on only male animals. 80% of clinical trials only use men. No women at all. 13% are mixed men and women and 7% are just women. In the 70s, the FDA literally banned all women ages 12-60 from participating in trials. Every piece of medicine is tested on bodies like yours. 20% of medicine is tested on bodies like mine. Women died from being prescribed asprin to help with heart conditions because it has no effect on women compared to men, but the doctors literally didnt have that data and assumed they would react the same until enough women died!

The body you have, the male body, is the only one tested and researched in 4 out of 5 cases.

You have no right to claim youve experienced medical misogyny. Even the hormones you take to simulate a female experience were tested on males before females.

OMG, my first anon hate comment! This is so thrilling! Literally no one has ever cared about this dinky little virtually-zero-engagement blog enough to bother sending *anon hate* before, so it's amazing that apparently I somehow managed to get under your skin enough (with what I can only assume was a throwaway comment on someone else's post, since this blog is mainly reblogs, not original posts) to warrant the effort. Coupla things, though:

A) I don't know what post you're so angry about, so this is hilariously out of context. To the best of my knowledge, I haven't posted anything on this subject for weeks, if not months (lately I've mainly just been letting the queue spit out posts on car culture and city planning, in fact, so that makes this feel even more like it's coming out of the dead middle of nowhere). Have you been lurking for ages before you worked up the courage to actually send this, or do you not know how to enable post dates/times, or are you AI, or what?

B) I extra don't know what you're talking about with this "bodies like yours" and "the hormones you take" stuff. Pretty sure I've never claimed to take hormones of any kind or have anything other than an AFAB body. Did you assume that, because I support trans women, I must be a trans woman myself, because you simply cannot conceive of a world in which your hate-filled gender essentialist views aren't the default, and you fundamentally cannot grasp what it is like to care about groups that you are not personally a part of? Filing under "TERFS yet again misgendering and marginalizing cis women in their fervor to attack trans women out of nowhere and for literally no reason." Truly, a classic. (Stellar work on that "defending women" bit y'all claim to care about so much, too. I obviously feel very defended by this comment of yours. A+ top of the line "feminism".)

C) I absolutely have experienced medical misogyny, actually, and I would still be able to make that claim even if I were trans, because trans women are women, and transmisogyny is still misogyny. It's literally all there in the names. Hope this helps!

D) TERFS are ridiculous, and Nazi-adjacent *at best*, and make the world a fundamentally worse place for everyone, and you can go right ahead and die frothing mad about it.

Cheers, thanks, byyyyyeeeee!!!!

#terfs foad challege 2023 #dumber than a box of hair #as my old college professor from the deep south used to put it #anon hate #tumblr milestones #hilarious #imagining caring about this blog that much #i don't even care about this blog that much #and it's my own dang blog #at least #it makes a change from the pornbots #i guess

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shiny-jr · 2 years ago

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Henlo Shiny, could I get a yan!ruggie scenario? I don't see enough yan content for the sly hyena. Maybe how he first fell for darling? Or any scenario would do.

Thank you and I hope to see your blog grow!

Warning: Yandere if you squint really really really hard. Gender-neutral reader.

Characters: Ruggie Bucchi.

Summary: Just word vomit that slowly forms some semblance of Ruggie content.

Note: Wanted to write for this last night but I got distracted by drawing. Here, have a doodle of a lil' hyena guy in these trying times. Also, this request was in the inbox forever, before the 2,000 follower special, so the blog has grown! Yeah, so this scenario is more Ruggie and MC meeting before the yandere part because a character doesn’t just immediately meet a person and go “yeah, I’d kill for them.” That’s not how it works. So, like mentioned in the warning, you can barely notice the “yandere element” in this piece. I hope that’s okay.

Ruggie had his eyes on you for a while now. Oh, but not for the romantic mushy reasons one would normally presume. No, he didn't care at all for you, he cared more for what was on you. Jewelry. It wasn't much, in fact in was puny thin silver necklace with a pendant, which was nothing when compared to the other students from wealthy backgrounds. However, it was an easy steal, literally. Judging by your attitude, you were a little more trusting and nicer than the average Night Raven College student, plus your skills weren't outstanding enough to notice him or fight back if things got hairy, and you weren't from some prestigious background that would come back to bite him later when he stole from you. You were supposed to be an easy target.

After a week of reconnaissance, Ruggie could confidently say he was prepared to make his move. For days he hungrily eyed the silver on your neck, his fingers itching to swipe it for himself. Yet due to past... incidents with other thieves failing to cover up their tracks or getting caught in the process, he was forced to put more effort into his attempts to get past the students with their guard up. Of course, there were some students that should not be trifled with, but you weren’t one of them.

Yeah, he considered how you may be sentimentally attached to the thing. It made sense since you wore it daily, he never really saw you without it. But he decided the the madol he could earn by selling it to buy extra lunch money or cash to send home was worth way more than any sappy sentimentality.

However, during his time keeping an eye out for the necklace, he couldn’t help but notice little things about the person who wore it, despite not really caring for you. You had a nice smile and you weren’t so rude or conniving, which was a rarity in this school. You were like the bright yellow dandelion that miraculously thrived and survived between the cold hard gray concrete. Slowly, more often than he would’ve liked, his gaze would go from that shining silver chain, travel up your neck and past your jaw, all the way to your face until he caught himself staring.

His interest was piqued, that was all, he convinced himself. It’s not everyday you see a goody-two-shoes at Night Raven College, a student that seemed like they would fit in more at that shiny prissy and uptight Royal Sword Academy. Well, turns out he wasn't completely right about the goody-two-shoes part...

Stealing was like a natural skill to him. However, there was a trick to it and different difficulties. Stealing a necklace was one of the harder accessories to steal, as it was very close to their line of vision and sometime had different ways to take it off. The best way to steal one was create a distraction and when the victim’s attention was on said distraction, sneak up from behind and swipe the necklace. And because of his previous reconnaissance, he knew that this particular necklace was a clip-on from the back.

So, for the distraction. During flight lessons, the perfect setting. As he was in the air, seated comfortably on the broom, he did a quick scan of his surroundings. There you were on the ground, watching the others fly overhead as you gripped your own broom. This was it, the perfect moment. Targeting another classmate a few feet away who was on the broom above the ground, low enough if he fell to not cause any fatal injuries but high enough to cause a ruckus–– he activated his unique magic.

Laugh with me.

With a swift movement and switching off the magic, it was enough to throw the unsuspecting student off balance. Quickly Ruggie stuck a landing behind you as the rest of the class watched the other student in the air being to topple off their broom. Now, everyone was distracted, waiting with bated breath to see if he would crash or somehow miraculously be saved–– even you appeared to be distracted by the sudden commotion.

Perfect. Those sticky little fingers of his reached for the clip on the necklace, successfully undoing it without touching you. He gripped the chain and a triumphant grin spread on his face, quickly pulling away–– Click!

It wouldn’t budge...? Instantly his hand was caught and his proud grin broke into a nervous smile. Shit... This was the first time he was caught in the act.

“Aha! I knew it! It was you! Ace and Deuce had told me their stuff was stolen, and I almost didn’t believe it. But looks they were right, and you fell for the bait! I’ll take that, thanks.” Snatching back the part of the silver necklace still in his hands, you held onto his wrist to prevent him from running. “You weren’t watching me this week because you wanted to talk to me, you were watching me because you wanted this, huh?”

As you were talking, that’s when Ruggie saw it. An extra little chain connecting your necklace to the back of your tie, meaning it couldn’t be stolen unless someone undid the part connected to your tie. That was... unexpected. He presumed you were some goody-goody naive little student–– turns out after all that time spent watching you, he presumed wrong. He didn’t know you like he thought, but now... The blonde could only give a nervous laugh, making no effort to pry himself out of your grip, “Let’s not be too hasty! I do wanna talk to you now.”

#twisted wonderland #twst writing #twst #yandere twst #yandere twisted wonderland #yandere twisted wonderland x reader #ruggie bucchi #twst ruggie #yandere ruggie bucchi

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buckyownsmylife · 3 years ago

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Young and Beautiful - Steve Rogers smut

The one where you were supposed to be a one-night stand, but Steve won't let that happen

Warnings: smut, and a little bit of angst.

A/N: this was our first ever patreon-voted fic, chosen for the month of May! My patreons at the $3 tier get to send me their ideas once a month and two of them end up being voted so I can write one of them each month. June’s fic is the one where Ransom needs to get a sugar mommy, and if you want to suggest a story for our July’s fic, please consider becoming a patreon! Thank you to my darling @sweetkingdomstarlight-blog for reading this over for me.

Y/N’s P.O.V.

The first time wasn’t a mistake, I could admit to that. Steve had been coming to the same bar where I worked for almost a year now. I knew who he was, of course. Everyone knew - he was hard to miss. But I think what he liked about our run-down place is that no one seemed to care about Captain America and the things he did when he didn’t have a bottle of beer in his hand.

Over here, he was just Steve. And Steve tipped well and drank a lot - I was sure he couldn’t get drunk, no matter how many beers I served him, but he never stopped asking me for more.

So, needless to say, he was adored. Adored by my boss, who was always around to keep watch of his customers and keep them in line. Adored by Luke, who guarded the entrance, for all the nights Steve helped him get rid of men who couldn’t keep their hands to themselves. And adored by all the waitresses, for precisely the same reason - and because I always shared my tips with all of them.

Even the kitchen staff adored Steve. Besides, it’s not like he was hard on the eye - all the girls (customers and staff) were constantly fawning over him, but he was nothing short of a gentleman, always.

Actually, he seemed to avoid the members of the opposite sex as best as he could, clearly not interested in whatever it was that they planned to possibly get to do with him. Well, except for me.

He never avoided me. I always figured it was because I was the guardian of the alcohol - we’d even joke about it sometimes, when he came to sit by the bar after politely declining someone’s advances.

“It’s just hard to understand how to date nowadays,” he commented one day after a pretty girl actually asked him out on a date right in front of me, but he refused. I shrugged as I wiped the counter, thinking if there was any advice I could give him.

“It really isn’t that hard. You go out to dinner, walk her home and when you step in front of her door, you ask her for some coffee. She’ll usually do it herself, but if you want to show your interest…” His frown was amusing, to say the least, but I held back my laughter so he wouldn’t be even more uncomfortable.

“A coffee?” Giggling, I nodded. “Before bed? But…”

“It’s a metaphor, Steve. A lady can’t very well invite you into her sheets, now can she?” He blushed three different shades of red when I winked, another giggle escaping. “I mean, she can, but we like to keep some things unsaid - innuendos can be very sexy.”

Two months had passed and if Steve made use of my lessons, I wouldn’t know. He never brought anyone to the bar and never left with any lady who approached him either.

“What can I get ya, Steve?” I’d always ask. I’d never once called him Cap or anything other than the name he used to introduce himself - even though I obviously knew who he was. He always took his time before answering my questions, even if they required a simple yes or no, which amused me to no end.

For a while, I actually believed a gun or one of the buildings the Hulk had undoubtedly thrown in his direction had left him with a difficulty of hearing. But then after my first question, he never seemed to have any problem understanding me at all.

“Just a beer,” he’d say, a small, soft smile as he tried not to stare too much at me, fingers tapping on the counter while I got his order. I appreciated his effort not to make me uncomfortable - I knew he’d seen how often men did that to me. I had no doubt that was why he only ever looked me in the eye from under those huge eyelashes of his.

“There you go.” Always the same routine, we never once deviated from it. Until one night when I was supposed to close the bar and he heard my boss instructing me to be careful.

“There’s been a lot of robberies this late at night. Make sure you lock everything up properly.” I saluted in jest, making the old man laugh and shake his head at me. “See you tomorrow, kid.”

There were only a handful of customers - Steve included, and he was the only one by the bar, so I threw him a quick smile as I wiped the glasses and started to clean the counter.

“Can I get you anything else?” I offered, but he only grimaced in response, leaving me confused. “Is there something wrong?” He stared directly at me without answering for a while before he was able to snap out of whatever it was that had frozen him.

“You’re supposed to leave by yourself at two in the morning?” I chuckled lightly at his concern, avoiding his gaze so he wouldn’t see how it warmed my heart that he’d be preoccupied over me, someone that was a little more than a stranger to him.

“It’s part of the job,” I reassured him. “Well, usually it’s part of Luke’s job. But whenever he has to leave early, it’s my duty to fill in for him.” He nodded, but didn’t make any movement towards leaving. Usually, he would be gone by now, but it wasn’t that extraordinary for him to stay until the hour I left.

This was the first time he stayed this long though, considering I wasn’t the one responsible for closing the bar and I only realized it when I looked around and noticed we were the last two people left in the room.

“Planning on drinking much more?” I joked, trying to gauge if he was going to be much longer, but he seemed startled by my question, looking around to verify the same thing I’d just noticed.

“Oh, no. Not at all.” I smiled, thankful that he was conscious and wouldn’t force me to stay even longer after my shift had finished. “I just figured I could walk you home. It is pretty late, after all.”

My heart warmed up at how sweet and thoughtful this man was. He had no reason to wait for me to finish my job just to walk me home, yet here he was. “Thank you, Steve,” I acknowledged, sending him a grateful grin. “Let me just check the bathrooms real quick. I’ll grab my purse and we can leave.”

He nodded, watching me do as I said and in no time at all we took off together in the direction of my apartment. I wasn’t worried about making small talk with him on the way there - I knew he was a good conversationalist from all the times he had stayed by the bar instead of taking his beer to a table, and I adored the stories he told of his missions just as much as I appreciated how he genuinely cared about what I had to say.

The walk to my place seemed shorter than ever before, and in a few minutes we were standing in front of my door as I searched for my keys in my bag.

“C-Can I…” He murmured as I looked for it, glancing up at him and smiling to signal he should continue even though I couldn’t give him my full attention at that moment. “Would you… Do you have some coffee?”

I was so shocked that my head whipped up to stare at him, eyes wide and unbelieving. Did Steve… Did he… Did he want to have sex with me? “I mean… in your apartment, do you have some coffee in your apartment?”

The thought was so extraordinary that the second I realized his intentions, a fire of desire warmed my lower belly, not because he was Captain America, but because he was an attractive and sweet guy that was way out of my league and I couldn’t believe he was into me.

He kept talking as I kept blinking at him, trying to process what was going on. “’Cause I’d really like to have some coffee… with you… If you want some too…”

His voice got smaller the longer it took for me to answer him, until it disappeared completely and he cleared his throat. “Nevermind.” He was about to turn around and make a run for it, I was sure, but I was able to grasp his wrist just in time, signalling him to stop because I had something to say.

“I would love to make you some coffee, Steve.”

So yeah, the first time wasn’t a mistake. He was way too fucking sweet and I got hot just by seeing how nervous he was to ask me for some “coffee”, incredulous that I was capable of affecting this giant man that much.

So as soon as we were in my apartment, I tied up my hair with the little hair tie I always kept on my wrist during work and got on my knees for him.

And I cherished every fucking second of it.

The way his mouth fell open in a gasp when I reached for his jeans, the little moans he let out as I licked his member… I couldn’t close my eyes, too transfixed by his expressions to miss anything.

The way he pulled me by my hair to devour my mouth, hands so eager to undress me that he ended up ripping my blouse, but it only made me giggle.

The way his groan sounded almost painful when he picked me up, shoved me against the door and penetrated me, filling me so beautifully I hit my head back against the wood and didn’t even notice it.

He got me to cum without almost no preparation, just from the thrill of it all, the stretch of his member inside of me. When I urged him to cum in my pussy, the look on his eyes was enough to get me to cum again, milking him dry as he emptied himself with a growl, forehead dropping against mine while he tried to catch his breath.

I was expecting him to leave immediately or maybe stay for an actual coffee. I wasn’t expecting him to pull out, drop to his knees and start lapping his cum from inside of me, eyes as focused on mine as I had been for him only minutes before.

Burying my fingers in his short locks, I tried to keep myself up despite the way my legs trembled, but Steve just adjusted them so they’d be over his shoulders and held me up with his face buried in me.

I had never cum so many times in a row. But then again, I had never had a man eat his own cum out of me.

I fully intended it to be a one time thing, and that was my plan. I thanked him for eating me out, made him some coffee, giggled at his stories about his friends and for a second it almost looked like we were back at the bar, only the counter was my kitchen table and I was allowed to sit on the other side.

He didn’t ask to stay the evening and I breathed a sigh of relief after I closed the door behind him, ignoring the slight empty feeling that momentarily hit me. This is what I wanted, I reminded myself, and by acting the way I expected him to, he had made it clear that he understood the rules of the dating world he claimed to know so little of.

This was a one time deal. Nothing more.

But then the first night we saw each other at the bar again, it was when he burst through the door to punch some guy who came in just as I was closing, trying to steal the money we had in the vault. I was so fucking relieved to see his face that all I could do was tremble in his arms after the police came to get the robber, and of course I couldn’t let him go after that.

He walked me home and I didn’t even ask anything, just stood on my tiptoes to kiss his lips, using my grip on his shirt to pull him in as he helped me with my clothes.

“You’re so fucking pretty…” He moaned, and perhaps that should have been my first sign, the one that alerted me to stop what I was doing and not make this into a mistake I couldn’t take back.

He hadn’t talked the last time. He had never complimented me before.

“God, your ass…” He groaned as he palmed it, helping me over his lap when he took a seat on my couch, until I could fuse the both of us and ride us to hysteria.

But I didn’t mind. I didn’t mind because it felt so fucking good to be desired by him, to have him inside of me, cumming deep into my pussy only to eat it all out of me again.

It didn’t take long for me to learn about the errors of my way, though. In fact, it started the very next day, when he walked into the bar grinning from ear to ear and made a beeline in my direction.

“Hey, baby,” he greeted, and my eyes went wide as two saucers, especially when I saw him lean over the counter like he intended to peck my lips.

“Hello, Captain.” I quickly turned my back to him, facing the shelves of liquor to pretend that I was looking for something. My heart sank to my stomach as I took in what was happening, what I had just done in my effort to put some distance between us as if last night had never happened. “Can I get you anything?”

The time it took for him to answer almost had me looking at him from over my shoulder, but I restrained myself. “Yeah, you,” he finally said, and I breathed out in surprise. “Why are you acting this way?”

I panicked for a few seconds, reaching up for an already clean glass to attack it with my rag. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I tried to reassure the both of us, still incapable of looking him in the eye.

But I could see his massive body by the end of the counter from the corner of my eyes, where he always sat, and I saw him tap the old battered wood with his fingers - fingers he had used to spread me open for his tongue to reach - as he thought.

I hoped he would let it go. I hoped he would not.

“Fine,” he relented, and I froze, uncertain of what he meant. “I’ll come back tomorrow.” My head snapped up just in time to watch him leave, and he didn’t even look over his shoulder.

I tried to tell myself it was for the best. He needed some time to get over whatever the hell it was that he thought he was feeling and tomorrow things would go back to normal. But that wasn’t what happened.

He came back with flowers the next day, and I didn’t have any reasonable excuse not to accept it. He didn’t push for anything, just gave me the bouquet before asking for his usual drink. And then he proceeded to stay the entire evening right there, where he always sat, carefully watching my every move.

For the first time in a while, I broke two glasses in a single evening.

The day after that, he came with a box of chocolates. I couldn’t hide the smile because they were my favorite - I didn’t know how he knew it until he reminded me.

“You told me you liked them right when I started coming to this place.” His eyes were so heavy with a sad feeling that I couldn’t recognize that I had to avert my gaze. It messed with my heartbeat, it left my throat feeling dry.

“Thanks, Captain,” I softly acknowledged it, and I saw the way his grip on the box tightened. I saw it in the way it was slightly crumpled when I took it from his hands, but he didn’t say a word.

There was only so much that he could take, though. And I knew that. It didn’t help that my boss had caught onto his intentions and started to push me to go out on a date with him.

“Why don’t you give the poor guy a chance?” He’d incite, much to Steve’s utter glee.

“Yeah, Y/N. Why don’t you go out with me?” Steve urged, and although he never asked when my boss wasn’t around to initiate the teasing, I knew he wondered.

And the truth was that I wondered about it too. Because everything was screwed up now. When I gave him his beer and our fingers brushed, mine were left tingling. When I looked his way to find his gaze already on me, I shivered.

So yes, the second time was undeniably a mistake, but there wouldn’t be a third time. I’d make sure of it.

Steve’s P.O.V.

I was tired of waiting. I knew I had wanted her since the first time I laid my eyes on her, when I decided to stop at this rundown bar in the hopes of one night of crappy beer without being bothered by anyone asking for autographs or pictures.

I’d come here almost every night when I could escape the tower to watch her work, slowly getting her to warm up to me, and I fell for her personality in the process.

The way she clearly saw me as Steve, and not my title.

The way she always laughed at my stories and shared what had happened in the previous nights with the raucous customers.

The way she seemed to care about everyone and everything that came into contact with her.

So what started as desire became something deeper and for the first time since I was unfrozen, I found myself eager to understand what dating in this new century was like. I asked Sam for advice, and even Tony for any tips he could give me, but their general ideas didn’t matter to me when all I wanted was one single person.

Her.

So I asked her for her thoughts on the matter and was surprised with myself when I put them into practice. I was even more surprised when she accepted my advances and welcomed me into her embrace.

I was sure I’d never been happier than that evening.

But to have her pretend nothing had happened and even worse - treat me like a stranger after I had learned the taste of her skin? Nothing hurt deeper than that.

And still, I understood. I realized then that she hadn’t seen the situation the way that I had. She had thought all I wanted was a one-night deal - well, two-night deal - because I had never shown her anything to make her think differently.

So I set out to do just that. My way this time. And I was just about ready to ask her on a proper date when I was forced away for a whole damn month, having to resort to my hand and my memories of her body to get through the cold nights on the field.

The second I was back in the city, I only had one thing in mind. To get what I wanted, in whatever way she would let me.

“Can we talk?” My voice sounded clipped to my own ears, and maybe that’s why her mouth opened in surprise - or maybe it was seeing me at the bar so early, when there was barely anyone around, after being absent for so long.

“Sure,” she finally accepted, shrugging like it was no big deal, but I knew better than that. She might not know it, but I could read her perfectly, and I knew she was hiding her true feelings even to herself. I knew those feelings were deeper than she had ever felt. I knew they made her scared.

“Not here.” She stopped cleaning glasses then, frozen for a second before she looked around, taking in the fact that no one else was going to need her for a while. There was nowhere to run and maybe I was a jerk for doing this during her work hours, but I was a desperate jerk and I couldn’t wait a second longer.

“Okay.” She sounded small, and I knew what she was expecting to get out of this conversation. Closure, in one way or another. For me to finally let go of her. But I wouldn’t.

I wanted her too damn bad to let her escape like that.

“Go out with me.” I asked the second that the office door was closed behind us, and she immediately started shaking her head. “Yes, please,” I insisted. “Let me show you that I want more from you. I want so much more.”

“I can’t give you more,” was her answer, and she still avoided my eyes as she spoke. “One night, you even had two. That’s all I can give you. Please don’t ask me for anything more.”

“Why?” I asked, and the frustration in my voice was enough to get her to meet my eyes for the first time that evening. “Why are you trying to avoid this? I know you want me, Y/N. You wouldn’t have slept with me if you didn’t. So just tell me why.”

“I can’t,” she insisted, moving towards the door, but I grasped her hand to stop her before she could slip through it - much like she had done that first night, when I thought I’d screwed up any chance I had to ever be with her.

“Tell me why you’re holding yourself back from me,” I ordered, anger and desire creating an explosive cocktail inside of me, making my voice hoarse. I saw her shiver. I watched her break.

“Because it was too fucking good and I swear to God, if you get your mouth on me again, I’m gonna marry you.” Our expressions mirrored one another, eyes wide, mouths hanging open. She couldn’t believe she had let out her feelings like this. I couldn’t believe there was all there was to it.

I dropped to my knees before her.

“Come here.” I shoved her jeans all the way down to her ankles, sending the button flying somewhere. I couldn’t tell where and I didn’t care. All I wanted was to show her that there was nothing wrong with wanting this, with wanting me because as long as she allowed me to, I’d give anything to be with her.

My tongue was so hungry to taste her sweetness again. I licked a stripe between her lower lips before I could even get my hand there, spreading her with my fingers for easier access.

God, she was heavenly. I watched her let her head fall back against the door, much like the first time I was able to be in this position, and my heartbeat fluttered at the realization that this time, I was much closer to getting what I really wanted from her.

“I’ve been terrified of my own feelings for long enough,” I decided to confess, parting from her clit to be able to speak but slipping two digits inside her hole, filling her up, preparing her to welcome me. “I can wait for you to come to terms with yours. But I can’t keep myself away,” I warned, quickening my movements as I chased away the taste of her in my tongue. “So don’t ask that of me.”

Her moan had my eyes sparkling with excitement. I lowered my head to suck her button, see the way it made her thighs tremble on each side of my face.

“So fucking sexy,” I moaned against her cunt. “Come for me, sweetheart. Drench my face.” Her little cry of ecstasy denounced she was about to do just that, so I twirled my tongue around her clit, rubbing my digits against her sweet spot as her body tensed under my ministrations.

“There you go…” I whispered, fascinated with the way she looked after her release. It was like she glowed from the inside, muscles relaxing to accept my caresses when I finished cleaning her with my tongue and rose to my full height.

“Next time you try to pretend something between us didn’t happen, I’m gonna bend you over the counter and spank your ass in front of all of the other patrons,” I warned her before nibbling her earlobe. “Go out with me,” I tried again, and she took a deep breath before answering, looking up at me from under her eyelashes.

“Okay.”

#my fics #steve rogers smut #steve rogers #smut #patreon one-shot #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers reader #steve rogers reader insert #steve rogers reader inserts #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers one-shot

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svnarintaro · 4 years ago

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captain cuddling hcs !!

a/n: this blog was originally going to be a haikyuu blog but i really got into bnha so i have always had these ideas in the back of my head so enjoy !!

~~~

daichi sawamura

- he is a classic guy

- he likes to be the big spoon

- he wouldn't mind being little spoon

- he just really likes to hold your waist and keep you in his arms to relax

- he likes telling you how he finds you beautiful while he cradles you in his arms

- his grip is kinda firm but in the best ways possible

- his hands never wander

- he will hold you when you are watching a movie

- he won't play with your hair cause he doesn't want to ruin it and make it messy

- his arms always your safe place

“you enjoying yourself?” a voice emerged from the door frame of your bedroom. “hey there handsome, i didn’t know that you were coming over,” daichi giggled as he lifted the blanket off of you to be pressed up behind you.

“well if you checked your phone every once in a while you would know that practice was cut short tonight,” he sighed as he rubbed your forearm softly. “you guys have been working really hard huh..” you tilted your head back to find it against his chest, and as you finished your sentence you feel mild vibrations. “yeah i have some idiots that won’t quit so i had to force them to rest for now.. but right now we gotta catch up on what you’ve been watching for the past few hours,”

oikawa tooru

- c l i n g y

- you better have a bladder of steel cause this idiot won't let go

"y/n chan~ let me hold you a little longer~"

"tooru i need to pee-"

- he is a little spoon

- and he likes lying on top of you on a couch when you're watching a show

- he likes having his head on your chest so he can hear your heart beat

- if you mindlessly play with his hair he will melt in your hands

- he gets whiny about school work and he will start ranting about his week

- he likes it when you squeeze him ever now and then

- it makes him feel loved

you were finally back from cram school and you wanted to crash as soon as you could to put your mind at ease. you knocked on the door and to your avail you saw oikawa’s mother. she lead you in knowing that you were dating oikawa for months.

you opened the door to find your boyfriend on his bed scrolling through instagram, he looked up to see you and he smiled. “y/n chan~ what a surprise to see you here.” he put his phone down and proceeded to open his arms for you to settle, you allowed yourself to get comfortable in his arms. “thanks tooru..” you really needed his warmth to help you relax. you stayed there for a solid ten minutes until you remembered that you had your blazer on.

“tooru i need to take this off.. let go already..” you groaned out as the grip on your frame grew tighter. “..no.” and with that it took another hour for him to really losen up in the slightest.

kuroo tetsuro

- he smells so nice-

- he likes cuddling when you're in his lap

- nuzzling his head into your neck is his little addiction

- has the cutest habit of just resting his chin on your shoulder

- play with his hair

- he will eventually do anything for you to play with his hair

- don't think you're not gonna get teased about how small you are in his lap

- he likes tickling you to see you squirm in his arms

- he would probably be a person to be cuddling with you while he is on his laptop doing other things

- as long as you don’t really bother him that much he will be fine

- if you bother him he would probably get riled up and make out with you

he had been busy with playing a new game that kenma gave to him to try and he was starting to grow lonely and he started whining about how lonely he was, “well if you don’t put in the effort yourself tetsu then i won’t come over~” groaned out in pure clinginess.

“kitten please can you at least sit here,” he patted his lap with his non-dominant hand. knowing kuroo the next phase of his clinginess was throwing you over his shoulder, so you put your pride aside and slid yourself onto his lap. “happy now?” you added a large amount of sarcasm and he pressed his hands on the small of your back, “of course i am.” he nudged his head towards you to indicate that he wanted his hair to be played with. “it feels like i’m with a child sometimes..” tetsu giggled and nuzzled even further.

bokuto kotaru

- he smothers people with love and affection

- he is just an open cuddle buddy to everyone

- but your cuddles are very very special

- he just wraps his arms and legs behind you when you are vibing on the couch

- he gets super pouty and he really likes it when you massage his arms and shoulders

- he will just wrap himself around you every chance he gets

- he is almost as bad as oikawa

- but he likes to make you feel amazing when he is around you

- he likes swaying from side to side or bouncing in his seat

- he hums the one song stuck in his head its probably the hunter x hunter theme song

it was during lunch and bokuto suggested to have lunch on the bleachers, he invited akaashi to eat with the two of you however bokuto was being overly touchy in that given moment in time, "bokuto san- i think y/n wants some um.. space?" akaashi wearily said as he tried to create some space between you and the clingy boy beside you.

"akaashiii.. it's not illegal for me to hold them tighttt.." bokuto wrapped his arms and legs on to your body like a little koala, "it's alright kashi i'm used to it by now." you smiled as you petted the back of bokuto's head, and through the entire lunch period you fed your clingy boyfriend.

ushijima wakatoshi

- he doesn’t know how to cuddle

- plus he is touch starved

- i can see him as a person who enjoys it when others initiate the first move

- but he won't hesitate to just pick you up gently and just hold you

- he softly breathes so he doesn't annoy you-

"wakatoshi kun~ y/n looks kinda sad don't you think?" tendou teased the tall ace as they got out of the club room, you were the manager so you got to go a little early but something was off about you. “i am highly aware of that tendou, i will comfort my s/o.”

tendous eyes started to trail and he wanted to get on the captains nerves a little, “wakatoshi kun~ i think i see semi semi going to your precious s/o-” and as if ushijima’s brain hit a switch he marched over to you and picked you up into his arms, your thighs were pressed on both sides of his waist, he didn’t care that semi was no where near you, he wanted to comfort you, “toshi what are you-” the soft giant pressed a kiss against your forehead and proceeded to walk, “nothing just wanted you in my arms.. but how are you dear.”

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minisoysquares · 3 years ago

Note

As fun as the events and ideas you posted about 19days would be, wouldn’t it also just bring in more negative stuff - like fandom in general has become a field of land mines and I fear that something that’s supposed to fun will turn into some sort of battle. Like how some people get extremely heated over any other ships outside of their fave ship and they cannot possibly have other ships except theirs, etc. The last thing anyone wants is for content creators to be targeted simply for making something they thought would be fun

(This ask and answer is about this post.)

First of all thank you so much for addressing such a big and valid concern. I agree that that has indeed happened in certain fandoms - I can say I've been in the thick of it and witnessed quite the warfare - but in others it has also brought fans and readers and content creators together even closer and tighter in a wonderful thriving community.

I have the feeling this'll get quite long so please proceed under the cut with that in mind.

I believe all things are potential harbingers of both discord and harmony. There will always be people who feel entitled and who want - even demand! the audacity! - authors and artists to create for their ships and their ships alone. And there will also always be people who can appreciate the writing and the art without judgemental treatment regarding the pairings/characters depicted, no matter their preferences.

All of that happens and will continue to happen, whether we go forward with these events or not. And yet authors will still write what they want to write, artists will still draw what they want to draw, graphic designers will still make the edits they want to make as well. What we could do, in this small and close knit fandom, is take in our hands this powerful rich opportunity and try our best to make a model of positivity out of it.

In these events, there would be no bashing or shaming allowed. The content created would be to be enjoyed by those who are attracted to it, and those who do not have a taste for that fanwork in particular would be asked to remain respectful. (As it should always be.) There would be no ship wars in these spaces. Discourse, hate-speech or anti-behaviour would not be tolerated by the moderators of the event.

Creators who indulged in it would be immediately disqualified. Any unnecessary commentary or complaints from the audience would be deleted and reported as spam. Anyone instigating conflict would be only painting a target on their back, really. Because most of us - I dare say - are only here to appreciate the brilliant artwork and fanfiction woven and crafted by the talented people who share it with us.

If it came to it and it escalated, this hellsite has several tools that can be put to use to that regard. Accounts could be blocked and/or even reported. They wouldn't be able to interact with the blogs created to run these events from then on. We would be able to create a black list and post it publicly so everyone else who wished to could simply block those unruly pesky accounts and remain at peace and free to enjoy themselves to their utmost.

Let us not forget that this is all fiction and it's all for fun. Everyone's allowed to have their own opinion, likes and dislikes. There simply is no need to step on anyone else and their interests to elevate them.

Let's exemplify, for the sake of clarity:

Do I personally ship A with B? Imagine I do not. I do not search for it. If I come across it? I scroll past it. Once or twice, I may even like - and even reblog - if it happens to catch my attention and it's well written/drawn! (I have tags along the lines of 'I don't ship it but' and 'look at this beautiful art' or 'drown in the power of these words.')

It's so easy to interact amongst ourselves without coming with pitchforks at one another. Know what actually needs effort? Being a meanie and a party popper! Who in their right mind wastes their time on things they don't care for? Dum dums, that's who! Of course, we're all dummies at times... and that's okay! Let's just not harass people or crash their fun while we're at it!

If nothing else: you wouldn't like if others did this or that to you, therefore don't do it to others. It's a simple concept to grasp.

Very important: in these events, every single piece would be explicitly and properly tagged and warned for right at the very top of each post, so there would be absolutely no excuses for anyone being nasty.

We would just have to be open to the experience. Enjoy our ships and let other enjoy theirs. We do not have to all like the same thing. That would be just boring. But we can cohabitate devoid of trouble in fandom. Each one of us just has to be respectful. No need to even be nice. No one has to compliment something they don't like. They also don't have to step on what others do.

Don't like a ship/character/theme? Don't read stories focused on it. Don't put down authors who write it or readers who enjoy it. Same for art. No need to shout about how awful it is just for the simple reason that it does not fit into your personal shipping preferences. It can still be still be a tasty and wonderfully baked cake, it's just that you're not fond of vanilla or strawberries. It's okay. There are all kinds of cake for everyone's tastes!

Further examples: If a ship happens to be a NOTP for me or I don't care for the character(s)? I filter the tags. All of them. Any and every tag I can think of. It's very easy to protect ourselves on Tumblr from content we do not wish to see. (My own list is huge and just as effective.) Filtering is incredibly important.

So go ahead and filter out the ships you can do without! Filter out porte-manteaux like Tianshan, Zhanyi, Qiucheng, Tianxi, Tianyi, Lishan, Litian, Liyi, Shantou, Polydays, (...) Filter out any ship tag that doesn't strike your fancy like Q x MGS, HC x JY's mom, (...) Filter out characters that aren't your cuppa tea like HT, HT's dad, SL, JY's mom, XH, (...)

Make it safe for yourself and for others. That way you won't rage at the sight of your NOTP, won't feel the compulsive need to trash the people who ship it, no one is hurt and everyone is happy!

There are many steps we could follow to prevent rotten eggs in our coop. And many more actions we could take to throw them out if need be. I firmly believe, however, that if we're all of the same mind everything would go well and with very few bumps along the way.

If we only ever feared the possible negative consequences of our actions, never taking the risk for the possible positive ones, we'd never get anything done. I say let's not let our beloved fandom stagnate or dry out. Let's incentivate and motivate and inspire! Let's share! Let's have fun!

Think of it in these terms: it wouldn't be a competition at all but rather a charity event. Performers and spectators coming together for a common good, raising content and spreading joy! There would be no winners or losers or prizes. What would matter would be good old-fashioned participation, both by providing content and/or consuming it.

It could also a good way to get people to express themselves more. Many content consumers tend to lurk or keep to themselves even if they like the content posts. (I used to be one myself and only a couple months ago started to come out of my shell.) I myself advocate for reblogging instead of liking - if you have to choose one or the other, I mean, why not do both? - and leaving a word on every single post I like and/or reblog. Sometimes I go nuts commenting, sometimes I leave a small note in the tags.

It doesn't matter how. Even if you're shy or introverted (*raises hand*) or don't know what to say I guarantee a single emoticon or a string of disordered letters symbolising incoherence will make the creator's day all the same. Getting feedback is so important and motivational for creators and also a great way for fandom members to keep in touch and support each other.

Additionally, if a person would like more of a certain type of content here are some healthy actions they could take: a) commission a creator and pay for it if they can; b) politely make a suggestion to a creator with an open ask box; c) post a prompt publicly for possible interested creators to use; d) do it yourself and share it with others!

This turned out into more of a "behavioural guidelines" thing than I'd have liked. I am not in any way whatsoever telling anyone what to do. This is what I do, and it works wonders for me. I stay completely out of toxic arguments and in on all the goodies. I'm able to fully enjoy my fandoms. And isn't that what we all want?

Thank you again for sharing your thoughts with me. And I apologise for the long rant!

Of course, this is only my personal stance on the issue. I did go for a survey first exactly for this end, to get their opinions on the subject and see if it would be worth a shot. I shall hope many other people will think as I do, but I will wholly respect those who don't.

#answered asks #19 tian #19天 #19 days #old先 #old xian #zhanyi #qiucheng #tianshan #jian yi #zhan zheng xi #he cheng #qiu #brother qiu #he tian #mo guan shan #she li #cun tou #xiao hui

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xxdragonwriterxx · 4 years ago

Text

🔥Wings of Freedom (Part 2)🔥

A/N: Finally got part 2 done! Thank you for your patience with this mini series, I’ve been so busy with school lately and I still have so many drafts that I’ve been trying to publish them evenly so I don’t keep you guys waiting for anything too long. Thank you so much for your support, I love all of you so much and I can’t wait to show you the other stuff I have planned for this blog. I have a few requests on the way, so stay tuned for that, but for now, here is the sequel to Wings of Freedom (finally)!

Part 1 is here if you haven’t read it yet!

🐉Song Recommendation: “Machine” By: MisterWives 🐉

Word Count: ~3.9k

~~~

Levi felt like he was experiencing deja vu as he glanced around the courtroom from where he stood beside Erwin, waiting for Hanji to come back. Only, he felt a lot more nervous. The first time, he had felt nothing but an impatience to get the event started, his eyes hard and cold as he had looked down at an immature, green-eyed brat who could turn into a titan, waiting for his future to be decided as either a useful tool for humanity, or a human experiment to be tortured in a lab. Now, his insides were doing their best impression of a pretzel, churning and twisting until he felt sick with worry. This wasn’t going to be a meeting about some random brat from the streets, this was concerning the fate of the love of his life.

The night she had come back had been bittersweet for both of them. They had spent the night wrapped up together, (Y/N)’s wings out for the first time around Levi, the warm membranes curled around him protectively so he could feel her heartbeat thrumming through his entire body. They had been cuddled close, holding each other like it was the last time they would be able to do so, unsure of what events would unfold the next morning. Both Levi and (Y/N) knew everything was about to change, knew (Y/N)’s fate would be challenged and decided the next day, but it didn’t stop the anxiety from rolling around in his gut, making his stomach give another violent lurch.

“Hey,” Erwin said lowly, placing a hand on Levi’s shoulder when he noticed his friend’s queasy expression, “She’s going to be alright. We will fight for her with everything we’ve got.”

Levi managed a stiff nod in Erwin’s direction, his heart warming at his friend’s support. Although Levi had never doubted his friends, he had been surprised by how supportive and accommodating they had been when Levi had announced (Y/N)’s initial reappearance. They had both expressed their immense relief at her safe return while Hanji worked to heal her bullet wound, keeping her enthusiastic questioning to a minimum at Levi’s insistence.

Levi’s thoughts were cut short by the appearance of said energetic scientist, the tall brunette carefully picking her way through the rows of gathered officers and moving to stand on the other side of Erwin.

“She’s doing okay,” Hanji said before Levi could even open his mouth. “She’s a little nervous but that’s normal. Everything else is going smoothly so far, so she will be brought out in a few minutes.”

Levi nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He was trying his hardest to stay calm, to keep from lunging at Premier Zackley and strangling him until he promised to let (Y/N) go, but it was starting to strain on him. His skin broke out in a sweat as he forced himself to take deep breaths. He could do this. For (Y/N), he could do this.

He immediately looked up at the sound of the large wooden doors opening with a loud creak, his attention settling on the (h/c) haired woman handcuffed between two guards, her head down so her hair curtained her expression from others. His eyes narrowed and a low growl slipped from between his lips at the sight of the bruises on her arms and legs from the chains and cuffs she had been wearing in her cell. His blood was roaring in his ears as he fought every instinct he had to swoop down and bring her back into his arms. He had almost lost her once, he wouldn’t lose her again, no matter the cost.

Her wings were hidden, the huge black membranes tucked safely in the slits of her back, away from the prying eyes of the assembled soldiers. That at least gave Levi some relief, the knowledge that the extra sensitive appendages were kept from harm or unwanted touch.

The dull chatter in the courtroom hushed as (Y/N) was brought to the center of the room, pushed into a kneeling position on the same platform Eren had been placed on just a few years prior. One of the guards holding her leaned down and clapped her manacles to the sturdy metal post behind her, double checking that she was secure before backing away, moving with the other guard to stand on either side of Premier Zackley, guns at the ready.

The room was so quiet you could’ve heard a pin drop. The people in the room barely breathed as they waited impatiently for Zackley to finish preparing his notes, eager to see if they rumors were true. The Premier cleared his throat, shuffling the papers in front of him as he peered down at the woman on the platform from over the top of his glasses.

“(Y/N) (L/N)?”

(Y/N) looked up when her name was called, her eyes hard as she stared up at the older man.

“Yes.”

“Member of the Survey Corps. Age (#). Cadet under the command of Squad Leader Hanji Zoe,” Zackley read off, glancing at her after every sentence for her quick nod of confirmation. “It looks like you have no criminal record, but your place and date of birth are unknown, so that technically can not be confirmed nor denied outside of the information gathered during your time as a soldier.”

(Y/N) swallowed hard but did not respond, waiting, just as Hanji had told her to do, for the Premier to make his point. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to be patient, knowing that if she rushed this, if she wasn’t careful, she could easily be thrown to the wolves.

“It looks like, based on these reports, that you are a loyal soldier who has a clean background, a solid record, and a hard working personality, since it is labeled here that you are about to be promoted to Squad Leader,” the Premier leaned forward, “that means, we are here for a different reason entirely. Tell me, do you know why you are here?”

“Yes,” (Y/N) answered clearly.

“Very good. Now, without further ado, this court is now in session.”

As soon as Zackley opened the floor, a man from the Military Police stood, a smug grin on his face as he glanced at the annoyed scowls of the Survey Corps officers who were watching him.

“Premier Zackley, thank you for that wonderful introduction,” the man started off, making Levi roll his eyes so hard they hurt. “I would like to start off on behalf of the Military Police and say that this woman should be placed in our custody.”

The Survey Corps officers exchanged glances at that. They had been expecting the man to rant on and on about how she should be tortured, experimented on, or killed, not taken in by another branch of the military. The one closest to the King, no less.

“Interesting, state your case,” Zackley said, folding his hands in front of his face.

“We believe she could be of great use with us, sir. She could be a viable source of protection for our current ruling monarch, and we could use her to increase funding for our resources and supplies. Nobles would come from miles around to see her, it’s something we can use to better the lives of all of the soldiers in the military! Instead of groveling for money at their feet, we could charge them to come see her, within the safety of the walls, perfectly ready to display for anyone who is willing to pay.”

(Y/N) had to fight to keep from grimacing in disgust at the thought of being constantly gawked at like some kind of freak, put out for people to see as if she were some sort of entertainment for them, rather than a human being trying to fight for humanity.

“What use is earning money from her like some kind of exotic beast if our soldiers keep dying?” Erwin cut in, making (Y/N)’s eyes soften at the sound of her friend’s hard voice trying to make others see reason. “She is needed in the Survey Corps with us, it’s what she was made for. She can continue to fight against the titans with us, allowing us to give her the proper protection as she uses her gifts to make fighting these man-eating monsters a hell of a lot easier. She would waste away if she was stuck within the walls with the Military Police.”

“Well, as I see it, Commander Erwin, she can’t be trusted outside of the walls with you. She hid this for how long? How many years now has she let her comrades die over and over again, never stepping in to save them? According to her reports, she didn’t try to assist any of you during your missions other than with the normal efforts displayed by every soldier, at least, until she apparently saved Captain Levi. And rumor has it, those two are sexually involved with one another, which would make for that incident to be purely based on bias rather than a change of heart. If she really was meant to be a helpful tool for humanity, she would’ve become that by now.”

Erwin shook his head, his hand reaching out slightly to touch Levi’s forearm when the shorter raven-haired man opened his mouth to retort. “She has already explained to us her reasoning behind that. If she had shown herself on base, she would’ve risked getting hunted or killed, or getting those around her injured if someone decided to use her friends and comrades as blackmail for her capture. If she had shown herself on the field, she would’ve risked sending her comrades into shock, making it difficult, if not impossible, for them to concentrate on the mission, running the risk of twice the number of soldiers dying. She has tried to find the right time to reveal her gift to us, but it’s been nearly impossible for her, something that was proven by the men of the Garrison out on the field when she finally did reveal herself, only to get shot and chased.”

“So you are saying that she was justified in letting the hundreds of lives she could’ve saved die? Because she couldn’t find the right timing?” The Military Police pig said incredulously, his every word like a punch to (Y/N)’s gut. “I was unaware the soldiers of the Survey Corps were so selfish, cared so little about their men in battle. If this doesn’t further bolster my claims, I don’t know what would.”

“That’s not what I said,” Erwin said, his voice cold. “I said-”

“And you brought up the men from the Garrison,” the MP cut off Erwin, smiling wider at the glares thrown his way. “I have actually brought them today as witnesses. They would like to say a few words, if that is alright?”

The Premier thought for moment before giving a slow nod.

As soon as the all clear was given, the MP motioned for two of the Garrison soldiers who had fought beside the Survey Corps that day to come forward. (Y/N) growled low in her throat at the sight of the men, especially the bigger of the two, the one that had shot her. She noticed Levi tense out of the corner of her eye, knowing he remembered just as well. She threw him a quick reassuring glance just as Hanji placed a hand on his shoulder, imploring him not to react. Levi managed to calm himself, crossing his arms over his chest, but she could tell it was taking every ounce of effort from him not to kill the man.

“Names?” The Premier asked.

“Louis Bordgenson.”

“Graham Pickett.”

“Bordgenson, Pickett, could you please explain why you are here? Why do you believe (Y/N) (L/N) should be placed under Military Police custody?”

“We were two of the few to witness what happened when (L/N) saved Captain Levi from the titans, sir,” Graham said. “We are here to support the Military Police in their decision of taking (L/N) into their custody because we believe that what we saw on the field is a perfect example of the Survey Corps’ shortcomings as a branch. They need to be improved, restored with proper management and leadership. And it all starts with weeding out the soldiers that need to be corrected, allowing them to reevaluate their life choices in a place that won’t get others killed. Out on that field, we were attacked by all of the Survey Corps officers when I shot at (L/N) for my own defense, without even pausing for a moment to consider the situation. That woman attacked me, nearly knocked me right into a titan’s mouth with her wings, and flew off, leaving her comrades for dead, even as they still fought for her in the end.”

Louis nodded along with what Graham was saying before opening his mouth to add on. “Exactly. And when we got back from beyond the walls, we were arrested for attacking a Survey Corps officer. We were called lunatics, psychotics, for claiming to have seen a winged woman, and yet, here she is. We were right all along and none of the Survey Corps officers stepped forward to say it was wrong. To top it all off, when she came back, they sheltered her! Hid her with them and tried to pass everything off as normal.”

“From what I saw, (Y/N) (L/N) did not attack either of you,” Erwin said, cutting the two younger men off from continuing with their ranting diatribe. His tone was sharpened ice and his voice was filled with venom, waiting to strike like a snake in the shadows with barely suppressed fury. (Y/N) felt a conflicting wave of pride, gratitude, and apprehension wash through her. She loved Erwin, he was a close friend of hers, but that sometimes made her forget how god damn scary he could be when upset.

“You boys seem to have forgotten that you two were not the only ones on the field that day. From what everyone else saw, (Y/N) performed a great service to save a comrade, exposing herself in the most vulnerable way possible to try to help us escape. To help you, escape. She never singled you out, never tried to approach you in any manner other than one of friendly disposition. She did knock you over with the power of her wings as you mentioned, but she only did that because you were standing too close to her in your attempt to capture her for yourself. She was just trying to fly away peacefully, and would not have left us on that battlefield if you had not ordered your men to charge and fire. Your imprisonment was valid, and your accusations are dramatized and inaccurate.”

(Y/N) closed her eyes as Erwin’s last word rang out. Her stomach was churning and she felt lightheaded, her heart conflicted with so many differing emotions at once. She was grateful for Erwin and the Survey Corps, her friends who were fighting for her, fighting for her future, but she couldn’t help but feel as if she didn’t deserve them and their efforts. While she hated to admit it, the men from the Garrison weren’t wrong. She had spent years hiding her wings away, failing to save her comrades because of her fear, watching as they were devoured when the faster speed of her wings possibly could’ve saved them. Her head drooped a little as the men in front of her fought. Could she even call herself a soldier? A scout? Did she deserve to fight alongside them? Did she deserve… Levi?

She sucked in a shuddering breath, willing the tears to stay back. Maybe she did deserve to be nothing more than an animal to be viewed in a cage. Something to be gawked at and displayed like some kind of trophy. Could she even be considered human? She was so abnormal, so fucked up, mentally and physically. How could she possibly be considered safe enough to be around those she cared about?

Just as she was about to succumb to the notion of her worthlessness, a sharp, deep voice made her eyes snap open and glance to her left where her lover was standing steadfast beside his commander, his silver eyes burning like molten iron.

“Now listen here, all of the claims you have made so far have been either disproven or provided with solutions. (Y/N) has been nothing but the most amazing soldier, dutifully working to take care of everyone around her and constantly fighting for a better world. Just because you fuckwads can’t get your heads out of your asses long enough to see it, doesn’t mean it’s not true. (Y/N) was faced with an incredibly tough decision in her life, and she’s been forced to deal with it ever since she was born. She is just human. Simply, wonderfully, human, and there is nothing wrong with the choices she made,” Levi said, making (Y/N)’s eyes water with the love she felt for the raven-haired man.

“I know she will continue to be a necessary asset for the Survey Corps, where she can keep doing what she knows how to do best. If we lock her up in some manor to be cooed at by nobles, we will be lost. For god’s sake we have to deal with Jaeger every day and she’s significantly less of a threat than he is, but has twice the amount of usefulness to us.”

“Oh, as if that little experiment is going so well,” the MP said with a sneer. “The Survey Corps got custody of that one and look what’s happened? Cities destroyed, people lost. Captain Levi, your own squad got brutally murdered by an abnormal on an expedition because that titan shifter was too useless to do anything to help you. If we let you take custody of this one as well, we fear that the odds of humanity winning this war will shift further downwards. The fate of every human within these walls is in the hands of the Survey Corps soldiers. The last thing your branch needs is another distraction, or in better terms, a mistake.”

(Y/N) winced at the insult, her body flooding with icy fear as murmurs of agreement floated through the crowd. She knew she should’ve expected this possibility, had even reminded herself of the fact when Erwin left to tell the Premier about her existence earlier that week. She had known from the moment she had agreed to reveal herself publicly and use her gifts in battle to fight the titans and save her friends that this could happen. She could be turned against, experimented on, taken back to a cage and locked up, just as she had spent most of her early life. But even knowing about it didn’t stop the anger, the fear from filling her from head to toe, making her shift nervously on the wooden platform. She wanted to speak, wanted to say something to counteract what the Military Police were claiming, but she kept her mouth shut, knowing it was for the best. If she started talking now, fueled by her emotions, after spending the entire time staying quiet, it would look as if she was becoming desperate, trying to hide something. And with how hard Levi and Erwin were fighting for her, the last thing she wanted to do was ruin everything by opening her stupid mouth.

Levi and Erwin were about to retort when the Premier held up his hand, his eyes closed as he waited for the room to settle down again. The room quickly hushed. (Y/N) waited, her entire body tense as she stared up at the Premier, her heart thumping so loudly she was surprised he couldn’t hear it.

Everything will be fine.

“Based on the claims made by both parties, I have come to a decision on where the defendant shall be placed until further notice,” Zackley said.

I won’t let them take you away from me.

“While both parties have put forth compelling arguments, I can not determine whether or not bias or deceit is at play here on either side. It is because of this that I have decided to put you in the place that I believe would be the safest for humanity should things take a turn for the worst.”

No matter what, we are in this together, wings and all.

“(Y/N) (L/N), I am officially placing you under the custody of the Military Police, where you will be kept and cared for until I can find the proper evidence to prove your innocence.”

I love you.

(Y/N) felt her world shift. She heard Levi’s roar of fury, Erwin’s sharp voice ringing out into the hall as he tried to reason with the Premier, Hanji’s screech of shock and anger, but no words registered. The Military Police. Anything but the Military Police. She wanted to struggle against her binds, wanted to roar and scream and snap, wanted to stretch her wings and fly away, far away, just her and Levi together. But she couldn’t do that. She hung her head, unable to hold back the tidal wave of tears this time as they slid down her cheeks in clear rivers, running down her soft skin to splatter on the floor beneath her.

She could practically hear the smirk in the MP’s voice as he thanked the Premier and barked orders at his assembled soldiers to grab her. She wanted nothing more than to slap that smug grin off his face but she knew she couldn’t. She forced herself to take deep breaths as she felt hands rain down on her, touching her, dragging her, chaining her.

When she was finally unhooked from the steel post in the center of the room, the Military Police soldiers holding her tightly between them, dragging her towards the door, (Y/N) managed to look up. She caught Levi’s eye from where he was being held back by both Erwin and Hanji, the sorrow and desperation in those stunning gunmetal hues making her heart shatter. She didn’t know when she’d see him again, if she ever would see him again. And even if she was granted the opportunity to see him, she knew she wouldn’t be able to hold him, kiss him, love him like she always did.

Even though her heart was being ripped to shreds, (Y/N) managed a watery smile in his direction, her lips moving to mouth the words, “I will see you again, I promise,” to him. She saw him stand a little straighter, a glint in his eye as he took her words to heart. She just knew that he was going to do everything in his power to make that happen.

No matter what, we are in this together, wings and all.

(Y/N) kept her eyes on him as she was led back through the large wooden doors of the courtroom, refusing to look away from her lover until the doors had completely shut behind her, officially separating her from the love of her life.

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albino-whumpee · 3 years ago

Text

The pet´s party from Sann´s POV

So, I love writing from Sann´s point of view because it´s all so wildly different for him from Albus position. And thought “HEY, it would be cool to write The pet´s party, from Sann´s point of view!” and so, I did. Hope you like it!

Taglist: @castielamigos-whump-side-blog @giggly-evil-puppy @cowboysrappin @haro-whumps @burtlederp @neuro-whump @comfortforthepain @whumps-the-word @whole-and-apart-and-between @broken-horn @ashintheairlikesnow @starnight-whump @just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi @as-a-matter-of-whump @grizzlie70 @twistedcaretaker @rosesareviolentlyread @whumpasaurus101

TW// dehumanization, slavery, noncon drug use, dub con, burning, torture, food mention, abuse, non con touching, conditioning, public humilliation, alcohol, Insulting language. Some N*SFW at some points.

Sann´s hair mussed up when the hood was taken off with a swift pull. Maybe a bit harsh as he stumbled on his feet as Robert sat him on the bed.

Sann noticed it was already night outside. He had stayed tied inside the closet for a whole day? No wonder his stomach was growling so loud. The thought of Robert giving him food and petting his hair passed through his head like an intoxicating placebo. Last time someone had fed him was the cook. He had made him eat off it with his hands in a corner like a feral animal.

“No touching my soup, understood?” The man snarled, tugging on the ring of his collar. Afraid eyes stared back at him. “I´m not gonna lose my job because I had to discipline a pampered pet again” he threw him to the floor with a scuff, Sann straightened up to energically nod and moved his lips to form grateful words as the man served him the scraps into a bowl.

When the man was gone, Sann passed his fingers over the burn mark on his wrist as he kept on eating. Back on December, he had turned the stove off when it was overflowing and the man thought he had caught him trying to steal food. Robert had only looked when he pressed his wrist against the hot metal of the pot.

A pitiful sob escaped his lips as he took another bite. Remembering the cream Zarai rubbed on it when he stayed at her home back on Christmas. It had felt nice. As it had been each and every single one of the very few times his master dragged him to the woman´s house.

Albus carefulness and cheerful attitude as he secretly tended to some of his injuries, made a smile appear on his bruised face.

He felt safe when he was with them.

At least with them he wasn´t thrown into closets for a full day for the simple crime of having the face he had.

For a moment the band playing outside distracted him from Robert´s tight grip on his wrists as he worked a rope between them. A little whine came out as he made the knot way too tight, but the man didn´t care. When Robert let go, Sann tried to rub his wrists a bit against his inner leg, to put his best face, but the man ignored him.

“Be patient my little whore. I got you a little present tonight” he said lifting his chin and brushing a thumb over his lips. Sann sneaked a quick peck on them before he threw him to a side. Sann´s reflexes were quick enough to avoid him falling off the bed.

Robert walked to the pot on the drawer right below Albus´s paint and took out a small bottle. His steps were heavy and his eyes bloodshot red. He was high. Sann held the urge to paddle back into a corner. If his master was usually aggressive, when he was high he was even worse.

Robert opened up the bottle and drank it after rubbing some into his lips. Then he walked to Sann and seized his hair, just to slam his lips together. Sann gave in to the kiss and pressed harder, a bit of his anxiety wearing off. However, Robert spit the liquid into his mouth and pulled away, shutting his mouth with his hand.

“Swallow” Sann´s eyes widened “Swallow” he repeated on a tone that promised nothing good if it wasn´t obeyed. Sann swallowed and gasped for air when the man let him go. Wiping off his lips with his shirt and then reaching to a glass of water. Drinking it whole to spit it out back on it.

After a few seconds the effect hit him. Hard. His head felt puffy and heavy. Making it fall to a side as he tried to balance himself. Failing miserably, he fell on the bed, his body growing hotter and hotter.

He didn´t even notice Robert had put the leash on him until he was forced up by it. A little groan came out and Robert tugged it harder. Lifting him up the bed and forcing him to stand when the collar bit on his skin.

“Now, you´ve been such a good boy. I´m gonna show you something good” he said swiping out his phone. It was some photos of a tied up albino. Maybe a box boy as well, as the positions were fairly similar to the ones romantics did. Sann looked closer. An albino… he was taken aaback when he recognized Albus. Guilty of the sudden peak on his pants, he looked up to his master´s grin “Quite erotic, aint it? You two have a lot in common! Both are whores on request” he laughed.

Sann shook his head. He remembered Albus telling him he was a platonic. He wouldn´t lie to him. Sann tried to remember more but his mind muddled. The maddening blaze under his shorts reminding him how urgently he needed to be taken care of. A moan escaped his lips when Robert passed his hand right over the sensitive spot. So deliciously cool his bound hands gripped on the man´s shirt.

“You want him don´t you?” The man whispered into his ear making Sann´s heart stop “You want him to touch you like this…” Sann pulled his head back in a breathy wheeze as his master pulled on his pierced nipples and rubbed his hand against the inner part of his thigh. Really close to where the fire was worse, teasing over the plastic covering the tip as his mind melted, getting high with how good it felt to be touched again “And hear him say…” Sann could swear he felt the warm hands of the albino over his skin instead of his master´s. The voice that whispered into his ear, the sweet and caring of the other boy “You´re mine”

Sann nodded unconsciously, mind filled with pleasure. Couldn´t say he hadn´t thought about it before. On Zarai´s house when they had laid on the garden and interwined hands. He remembered the albino leaning on to him. But he pulled away at the last second. He regretted now not pulling him closer, ask for permission to seal their lips together. The boy had kissed his hand, his cheek, carefully. He had been so shy and soft, it made him happy. Feverish with the drugs, he imagined the albino going further, grabbing his hair and…

The tug on his leash took him out of his fantasies.

“You want him so much, if he asked you to spread your legs, you would happily offer your holes without even thinking about what I would do to you, wouldn´t you, slut?” If Sann wasn´t so drugged, he would have understood why he shouldn´t have smiled. Mistaking the sweet tone of his master for praise. Not getting any clearer as he brushed a thumb over his cheek. Hazy eyes stared at him drunk in the affection “It´s alright. You two look so cute dancing in my hand. So dumbly oblivious...” Robert tucked some of Sann´s caramel hair behind his ear and pulled him closer, noses touching “Put your butt out for him and keep playing, yes? My sweet little slut…”

Sann blinked, trying to nod, not knowing he was being dragged out of the room by a servant. Noticing the crowd only when hands started raining down on him. He thought it was another one of those parties Jefferson and Robert held. But when he felt a sharp pull on his neck that brought him to his knees, and saw Albus in the distance calling for him, he discarded it.

“Albus!” his mind went, making him gather enough energy to lift himself up, but failing to stand.

He heard laughs, so loud it drilled on his ears. Everything was a blur of unbearable heat. If he wanted someone in specific to take him out of that burning inferno his body needed someone else to freeze, it was Albus.

He didn´t hear what Robert was saying, nor put the effort to understand him, but he felt such a relief when he put his hand out for him to lean on. Thanked him with a kiss on the wrist, before he was pulled up and shown around. Just to drop down again dry. The sudden change, made him dizzier.

“Don´t be shy, please” he told himself as he saw him walking on his direction. “Don´t hold back. I want you”

“Postition 28″ Robert´s voice echoed on his head. His body moved with the invisible strings he loved pulling whenever.

“See? I´ll be good. I´ll show you...”

Sann only lifted his head up when he felt another pull on his collar. His eyes fell on Albus. He didn´t look happy… Sann followed him with his eyes to where Robert was, watched him stand there for a second before his master ruffled his hair and then walked to him.

He shifted on his knees unable to hold his excitement, almost letting a moan out when the boy´s coat covered his back. With a sheepish smile on his lips, Albus cupped his face.

“Yes! Yes, yes, yes” he thought to himself as he kissed his hand and wrist. Wondering if that would please him. It didn´t seem to, as he backed away with a horrified face. Sann let him untie his wrists. Red marks telling how tight it was. He would show him he could do better then.

He jumped on him, arms falling over his shoulders as he pressed their lips together. Using the technique from the facility that would assure his master´s pleasure, but Albus threw him off him and covered his mouth with his hand, flushed red.

“He didn´t like it?” he thought, letting out a sad whine.

When he cupped his face again, he was thinking on how to please him. Something that would make him happy…

“Look at me. C´mon Sann, look at me”

He obeyed and look into his eyes. Sann was desperately trying to think of something that kept the cool hands on his skin, trying to hold back the tears prickling behind his eyes “You´re drugged. This is not what you want to do. Not like this”

Sann didn´t understand his words. He tapped on his thigh, going up slowly. But he only gripped his wrist tight.

“No, Sann” he said pulling his hand down.

He was running out of ideas, and the blaze was coming back. So he leaned on him. Aiming for the mouth, slowly building his way to it. The boy´s smell was so sweet as well. But that only made Albus whip his head to a side.

Feeling the fire of frustration and anxiety taking over, he grabbed his chin and made him look at him.

He didn´t want it, he needed it. For the first time since he was his Master´s pet, he wanted to kiss the man in front of him. Didn´t he want that too?

They locked eyes and Sann froze. He didn´t know he could make that face. He looked…hurt.

”Come back, Sann. Please” He said, trying to hold back tears as hard as he could, his voice breaking slightly in chocked sobs. Leaning on to Sann´s hand while covering it with his own. The cool sensation of a tear dripping into it clearing his mind from the fire “Please, stop…” he heard him say.

It felt like a slap back to reality.

What was he doing?

He was trying to make him happy the only way he knew… but that was only making him cry. Albus had always been so kind to him and how was he paying him back? He let him put down his hand, shoving down the uncomfortable feeling of the heat.

He took a moment to remember, but he pulled his hand up and signed.

“Sorry” he signed sloppily. Albus seemed to cheer up and extend his arms. Inviting him to his chest. He was relieved he hadn´t fucked up enough for him to reject his apology and as the albino wrapped him on his arms, his whole body cooled off. The sensation only became stronger as Albus passed a hand through his hair.

He heard voices, but he was too focused on the sensations to care. Albus suddenly pulled him closer and it felt so good, he purred out of instinct. After a moment, he felt his chest heaving. Struggling to keep a sob down. He pulled his eyes up to see Albus crying. He didn´t know what or why that happened, but he hugged him tighter. Hoping it was comforting like how his hugs were.

It was a blur how he had gotten inside a car, but it was ok. The sky was painted pretty colors and Albus was next to him. The blaze was tolerable now. He felt safe.

He had learnt at the facility Masters were safe, but Albus wasn´t even a master and he was safe. Zarai wasn´t like the other friends of his Master he had to please with his body or with his screaming either.

The handlers were wrong.

He was only safe whenever Master wasn´t around.

Sann felt Albus drop his head on his. He held his hand and squeezed it, putting a smile on his face as they drove to the highway. Away from Robert.

As he caught sight of the last of stars before dawn, he wished, he prayed, he didn´t have to go back to that house.

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dreamsinkandcoffee · 4 years ago

Text

Johan Talede&Lord Headcanons

@incorrect-effeminate-squad requests:

aaaAAA tysm so much for the shoutout! Ik it's kind of awkward to be requesting through comments, but this is a secondary blog so I can't send asks, and I really want to request. Can you do hcs for Johan and Lord with the found family trope? Extreme mode took my heart and threw it in a running blender and now I need something to heal it. Thank you and I hope you feel better soon

Thank you so much for the kind words! And the shout out was well deserved, your headcanon blog is adorable (do you accept shipping requests? I might pop up and request something myself too...). c:

This is a friendly reminder that Lord of Heroes Headcanons Requests are still open! This is my last post for now but I’ll get to other requests very soon (sorry to all the people left pending!), so feel free to invade my inbox. c:

(Normal and Hard Mode/Light) Johan Talede and Lord - Found Family Trope Headcanons

- As Johan introduced them to his younger siblings, the Lord learned what it meant to deal with tiny things climbing onto your legs and pulling your cape to get your attention. It was noisy as Hell, awkward, and absolutely adorable. The kids decided that the Lord was family before Johan could even try to explain properly, just because “You make Johan smile a lot!”

- While the Lord had to learn how to deal with noisy and lively kids, Johan got to learn what it means to be coddled and spoiled. He is a very caring person that takes care of all the orphaned children, educates them, uses all the money he earns to buy sweets and toys, so it was wonderfully weird to be the one that received the attention for once. The first times the Lord did something as simple as gift him a little something or bring him a snack during training he had to keep the tears from flowing, he never received gestures like that in his life before.

- Despite the age gap being basically non-existent, for Johan the Lord is an older sibling because he learned a lot from them about life. Before they met, he never really stopped to think about finding a meaning to his life, or about finding his own set of morals to follow.

- Johan is always by the Lord’s side, always. He is the one guarding them during formal meetings, he sits on their right side during meals, he helps them get dressed in the morning and undressed in the night. The only exception is when he has to leave the castle to go back to visit his younger siblings in the city (though the Lord tries to go with him every time they can: your siblings, my siblings).

- Johan drags the Lord to drink with him everytime he can (which sadly is not so often). The Lord can handle alcol about as well as your average player can handle Cannae wasting all their money. Johan promises to bring them home safe, but he likes his beer a bit too much he gets regularly wasted too and Mikhail needs to drag them both home every single time.

- The Lord tried to learn more about Johan’s ways of life from before he became a knight. Johan was poor so had to do everything on his own, and the Lord wanted to understand better what that meant. What they learned is that they should avoid at all costs trying to clean their room on their own, since they destroyed two vases and had several books fall miserably on their head. Johan appreciated the effort and assured that it wasn’t necessary, he felt more understood from the Lord than from any poor person he ever met in the city.

- Johan can cook, and sometimes will sneak in the kitchen to prepare the meals for the Lord himself. The Lord can recognize what Johan prepared among other 100 apparently identical plates.

- On their respective birthdays they always try to surprise the other with something special, but they completely suck at keeping secrets from each other. Also, the other knights wouldn’t be able to keep their mouths shut even if you tried to sew their lips together...

- Most of Johan’s prayers are either to thank God for making his path cross with the Lord’s, or to ask God to keep Lord safe and sound.

I hope I satisfied you! Please feel free to drop other requests if you want!

#lord of heroes #loh #lord (loh)#johan talede #francis writes

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aphmau-imagines · 4 years ago

Note

Hi! I just stumbled across this blog and wowie I'm being pulled back into the swing of this fandom-If you're taking requests, maybe something with S1 Zenix? The reader being like his mentor alongside Garroth and they've been training him, while pining after him, and he actually does like them back but then he goes and betrays them? And it's just angst after he fights Garroth and they fight against him too? Thanks in advance! And if you don't want to do this, I get it too, don't worry!!

STOP BEING SO NICE IMMA CRY I- of course, anon! guessing this is MCD? i’m not that well informed on the series since it’s been a while, so i’m so so so sorry this is so shitty!

let me say this really snatched me out my comfort zone since

1. i’ve never written angst in my life

2. never written fight scenes

3. never written for zenix

but i really tried my best! feel free to hate me as you like :’D garroth and zenix don’t really fight in this, it’s actually just zenix vs reader so uh- this is very rushed because i don’t know how long this has been in my inbox and don’t wanna hold it any longer!!

if you don’t like it, tell me and i’ll re-do it! imagine under the cut as always~~

PLAYLIST : click me

In the end, I still love you | MCD! Zenix // GN! Reader

“ come on, zenzie! you gotta try harder if you wanna beat me! “ you giggled, extending a hand to help your student. but, was he really a student? to you, he was like your best friend. sure, you’ve known garroth for much longer, but with zenix. . .

“ GARROTH! “ [name] screamed, watching as the blond fell to the floor after taking a heavy blow to the shadow knight they once knew to be an introverted and kind soul.

“ i’ll never leave you! you’re. . .you’re my best friend. “ it pained you to say that, but what could you do? you were a mentor, and he was just a student.

“ pathetic. “ the man in front of you spoke, eyeing the blond’s figure with pure spite. yet, as his eyes landed on the [hair color]’s figure, he couldn’t help but feel a feeling he despised bubbling in his chest.

zenix always had a soft spot for them. how could he not? because for the longest time, romantic feelings had blossomed. and it pained him. it pained him greatly to hurt the one he loved.

“ zenix. . . “ the [species] stood, their eyes shadowed by their hair as their hands clench to fists. head raising slowly, the male of dark brown hair finally saw their eyes of [color] glaring at him. their hand tightened around their sword.

“ the only pathetic one i see here. . . “ they started, picking their sword up as tears blurred their vision. “ IS YOU! “ they screamed, forcing their aching legs to dash to the shadow knight.

“ i’d never hurt you! what kind of friend would i be if i harmed you? “ you huffed, taking a swig of water. garroth had finished his training long back, so it was only you and zenix, who was looking at you as if cupid had struck him multiple times.

“ you’re gonna have to sometimes. “ the male shrugged. abruptly, you stop drinking the cool liquid. “ even if i was held at sword-point, i’d never! you’re very important to me, and friends don’t hurt each other. “ you said, sighing as you place the bottle of water down to instead grab your sword.

“ up for another round? “ you raised a brow, smirking.

swing after swing, [name]’s body ached. blood was gushing, and both the fighters were sure the [hair color] would either pass out of blood loss or even. . . lose their life.

yet even as zenix continued to physically attack them, they made no effort to physically harm him back. instead, they attempted to weaken him. but it was no use.

collapsing to the floor, [name] pants and gasps, lungs begging for oxygen. not even a second past before the tip of a blade was held at their neck.

the world went silent.

“ g-go on. sli- ( cough ) -ice my neck o-HoU-pen. “ [color] eyes weakly glare. “ .....why? “

the question was so sudden it caught both off-guard. yet, zenix continued. “ why do you care so much about him? “ the male cleared up. “ ........ “ they didn’t have a specific response ready.

seconds turned into minutes. “ .....beca-because i thought i c-could ( cough ) get rid of these ( hack ) feelings. i thought that m-maybe if i focused o-on ( hiccup ) other people, i’d stop l-lovi- ( hiccup ) -ng you. but no mat-matter how hard i tried, i-i couldn’t. i could stop thinking about y-you. dream ab-about you. want you. love you. “ tears slowly streamed down their face.

they couldn’t even stand on their knees, falling onto the crimson-stained grass. zenix soon followed, both resting on their backs. the brunette blinked rapidly, trying to push back the tears.

weakly, [name] turned to face him. “ r-remember ( hiccup ) the time i-i promi-promised you tha-that we’d run o-off into a little cottage in t-the woods? “ they whispered.

zenix nodded.

“ when w-we'd play f-fight? “

he nodded.

“ i’d get y-you out of troub- ( wheeze ) -trouble? “

yes. yes yes yes. how could he forget? and with every memory [name] recalled, he’d nod. until their voice slowly faded out. weak and bellow a whisper. with their remaining strength [ which wasn’t much ], they gave him a weak kiss on the cheek.

“ in the end, i still love you. “

that was the day [name] [last name] had died.

“ ZENZIE! “ a [soft/deep/raspy/etc.] voice exclaimed, the called male turning around only to spot his lover running to him with their bag slung loosely on their shoulder.

“ [nickname]! “ the brunette smiled, arms wide as they jumped into them. “ i made you a bento so you don’t have to buy that weird food they sell. “ shuffling through their bag, [name] handed him the bento.

“ thank you, boo. now, let’s get to class. “

#aphmau-imagines blog #aphmau imagines #aphmau #MCD #reader x character #gender neautral reader #aphmau zenix #zenix x reader

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laurelnose · 4 years ago

Note

Very New to your blog and the posts are probably way old but I saw you do Witcher Biology (??) rants sometimes and Id love to hear your take, if you have one, on what monsters (namely "naturally occurring" ones like draconids and insectoids) contribute to the ecosystem if anything and whether or not they should be hunted into extinction. I was discussing it w/ a friend last night after dealing with Iocaste, the last silver basilisk, and now its smthn I'm Invested in

re monster ecosystems: I just figure theyve probably found a niche in the world by now and can eat anything smaller incl. humans but because theyve got no natural predators aside from eachother and arent hunted by anything but witchers , monsters are just breeding and eating and wldnt that damage the land? or have they made their own like, circle of life or whatever ? Ive little knowledge on the subject as a whole but the whole thing intrigues me

hi & extremely belated welcome, anon! my apologies for the length of time you’ve been waiting for this answer; I had to think carefully about how I wanted to respond to this ask, because: there’s a lot going on here. also, because I am a disaster, I ended up posting it to ao3 first while I was avoiding tumblr for a spell and then completely forgot to come back. oops. i’m sorry!! This one’s about 5000 words long, which is a lot for tumblr, so reading on AO3 may be preferable.

The two main thrusts of your first ask (how do monsters interact with the ecosystem and should they be eradicated from the Continent) are questions of invasion ecology, the study of non-native/invasive species and their effects on the environment. Monsters, having arrived on the Continent about 1200 years ago during the Conjunction of Spheres from entirely alien dimensions, are indeed technically non-native species!

However, invasion ecology is…somewhat controversial, to say the least—there are a lot of invasive species, who have a lot of different & complex impacts, and a lot of different ideas about what we might do about any of this, and it’s basically all arguing all the time, so I wasn’t really sure how I wanted to approach the topic. Not to mention that for reasons I couldn’t initially put my finger on, it seemed wrong to apply theories of invasion ecology to the Witcher monsters. We’ll get into it! There are also a couple of common misconceptions/oversimplifications of how ecology works in your second ask which I want to unpack. Hopefully I pulled this together into something that makes sense, and feel free to ask me for clarification!

Some important background facts:

Species have always been moving to and “invading” new places on their own; humans and globalization have accelerated this process into a Big Problem, as the sheer number of invasive species being introduced all over the globe strains ecosystems already under pressure, but “native ranges” are always shifting, sometimes more dramatically than you might expect. If you go far enough back in time, all species are “non-native”.

Because of this, the very definition of “invasive species” is hotly contested. This is why you’ll hear dozens of terms like introduced species, injurious species, naturalized species, non-native species, etc.; these all have slightly different connotations, but all refer to a species that did not originate in a particular location.

An introduced species is usually classified as “invasive” as opposed to “non-native” or “naturalized” if its presence significantly alters the ecosystem it invades; some people define this more narrowly as a species that causes harm to an ecosystem. “Harm” can take a lot of different forms, as every non-native species interacts differently with the ecosystem they were introduced to.

Aside from various potential impacts to human economic activity, most forms of ecological harm by introduced species involve the decline of native species, by a variety of mechanisms; invaders might eat natives, outcompete them for food, interbreed with them, carry novel pathogens, etc. Invasive species are primarily a threat to biodiversity.

Now, here’s my Hot Take:

The Conjunction of Spheres is analogous to real-life ecological cataclysms such as the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event, and thus monsters are not invasive species.

The Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event saw the extinction of 75% of all species on Earth after the Chicxulub asteroid hit, including the non-avian dinosaurs. The Earth has had several disasters like this, of varying severity—the Great Oxidation Event killed almost literally everything on Earth except for the cyanobacteria who caused it. These cataclysmic extinction events completely upended existing ecosystems, altering habitats beyond recognition and leaving swathes of niches emptied of life that the survivors could evolve to exploit.

The most recent Conjunction of Spheres on the Continent is supposed to have thrown everyone living on the planet at the time into chaos and darkness; it wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume that the interpenetration of multiple spheres caused mass extinction of species living in the pre-Conjunction environment, similar to Chicxulub or the GOE!

But Socks, you might say, evolution works on a massive timescale! It took millions of years to fill the niches left open by Chicxulub, but it’s only been 1200 years since the Conjunction of Spheres! And you are absolutely right*, but the Conjunction of Spheres canonically came pre-loaded with new species. We actually have no proof that any of the animals we see originated on the Continent: if humans are a post-Conjunction phenomenon, why not also dogs? Why not bears? Who’s to say any of those were actually there before-hand? (The elves, I guess, but as they have not, actually, said so, there’s no proof!!)

* FTR, 1200 years is a shockingly short period of time to go from cataclysm that plunged the world into darkness and chaos to functioning medieval-era society considering how long it actually took humanity to build 13 century Europe (horses had been domesticated for at least 3000 years by that time), even if we’re not assuming that most of the ecosystem was destroyed, so, my timeline concerns here are minimal, lmfao. TIMELINE WHAT TIMELINE.

…and actually now that I think about it the three options for the origin of dogs are a) elves or dwarves domesticated them, b) humans brought dogs with them during the Conjunction, or c) dogs have existed for less than 1200 years, and I refuse to accept that dogs are practically a new invention in the witcherverse, wtf.

Anyways: we really have no idea which species are truly “native” to the Continent, or what the physical environment was like prior to the Conjunction. While monsters are not native to the Continent, monsters are also not invasive—there cannot be decline of pre-Conjunction biodiversity or harm to the pre-Conjunction ecosystem because there is no pre-Conjunction ecosystem anymore.

should monsters be hunted to extinction?

So, the thing is, I think we should try to eradicate invasive species from non-native ranges if we can; the biggest problem with that is feasibility, not morality. It’s much more difficult than one might think to eradicate an invasive species once it’s established, and we have to be very careful that the methods we choose don’t have other impacts, but invasive species are a huge threat to the biodiversity of Earth! If monsters are invasive species, then the answer is yes, they should be eradicated from the places they are not native to.

(Notably, on Earth this kind of eradication is not the same thing as extinction; it would be a local extinction, or extirpation, where the species is totally wiped out in the places it invaded but still exists in its native range. This does get way more complicated if the invasive is already extinct in its native range.)

However, I have just outlined a possibility that would make it plausible for monsters not to be invasive species. Let me also outline why I prefer this interpretation. Here is a book conversation between the sorcerer Dorregaray of Vole and Geralt:

“Our world is in equilibrium. The annihilation, the killing, of any creatures that inhabit this world upsets that equilibrium. And a lack of equilibrium brings closer extinction; extinction and the end of the world as we know it. … Every species has its own natural enemies, every one is the natural enemy of other species. That also includes humans. The extermination of the natural enemies of humans, which you dedicate yourself to, and which one can begin to observe, threatens the degeneration of the race.”

“Do you know what, sorcerer?” Geralt said, annoyed. “One day, take yourself to a mother whose child has been devoured by a basilisk, and tell her she ought to be glad, because thanks to that the human race has escaped degeneration. See what she says to you.”

–The Bounds of Reason, ch. 6

This is a, uh, incredibly unsubtle reference to a debate that has been ongoing for decades; Geralt’s stance here is one of the key arguments in opposition to wolf and bear reintroduction. What do we do about large predators that may pose a threat to humans? How do we balance preservation of the ecosystem with the safety of people who have to coexist with these predators?

I can’t fully agree with Geralt, because large predators are integral to the ecosystem, which I value for its own sake and because humans depend on healthy ecosystems. But I can’t fully agree with Dorregaray either, because Geralt is right: human life is valuable and worthy of protecting. This is an issue that India has been running into in the past ten years; as their tiger conservation efforts yield fruit, people become more likely to encounter tigers, and thus more likely to have a bad encounter with a tiger. It’s become a political struggle as rural people who have to actually live with the possibility of a tiger attack come into conflict with urban conservationists who just really want to preserve tigers (& in some incidents, some of those conservationists have been Western, which is a whole additional level of fuckery). The fact is, there isn’t a good answer to this yet! We certainly should not drive tigers, wolves, or any other large predator to extinction, but we also have to figure out a way to keep people safe. It’s something humanity still has to wrestle with.

Under this framing, which CDPR reinforced when they chose to have the Count di Salvaress defend Iocaste as an endangered species while making significant provisions to minimize the damage she could do to human life, there’s far too much baggage attached for me to say yes, monsters should be hunted into extinction. If you’re going to make monsters analogous to wolves, of course I do not think we should get rid of monsters entirely!

And frankly, Geralt doesn’t think so either, despite his hardline stance about monsters that eat humans. Sapkowski isn’t exactly an anti-conservationist; though Dorregaray is shown as out of touch in this passage, at another point the narrative sides with him calling Philippa out on exterminating a species of ermine for her fur collar, and it’s consistently put forth that Geralt’s best quality is that he doesn’t want to perform violence for the sake of it or destroy things without cause, and one of the representations of that is that he refuses to kill endangered species even at cost to himself:

“What should I say about you, who rejects a lucrative proposition every other day? You won’t kill hirikkas, because they’re an endangered species, or mecopterans, because they’re harmless, or night spirits, because they’re sweet, or dragons, because your code forbids it.”

–Eternal Flame, ch. 2

If monsters and other post-Conjunction creatures are invasive species, the nuance in this conversation is flattened, and Geralt’s refusal to kill mecopterans and hirikkas becomes a flaw rather than a virtue. Boring! I also think that one of the strongest themes in the witcherverse is the idea of all monsters being human ills; wraiths are manifestations of hatred, necrophages multiply because of human bloodshed, cursed ones are created out of malice, mages like Alzur and Idarran of Ulivo go out of their way to straight-up create monsters from scratch*, etc. Iocaste attacks humans and takes livestock because the traditional prey of the silver basilisk, roe deer, has been extirpated by human destruction of their habitat. The aeschna in Blood of Elves attacks humans because humans have altered and polluted the flow of the Pontar, hunting the aeschna’s previous food (seals) to extinction. The true monster is the actions of humans. Monsters that appeared unbidden from another dimension into a previously functional ecosystem to invade and cause problems undermines this theme; monsters that are integrated into the ecosystem and subject to the same social and ecological forces as other animals supports it.

* Idarran’s “idr” monsters from Season of Storms absolutely should be eradicated. Did the world not have enough man-eating arthropods, Idarran? Did you really have to mutate horrible new ones and release them in populated areas?? Mages are a scourge, lmfao

Additionally, one of the biggest reasons I felt like I couldn’t actually apply invasion ecology to monsters was that, whether you accept my Conjunction theory as sufficient biological justification for this or not, monsters just don’t really behave like invasive species. It’s hard to explain this because the setting is pretty brief about its ecological details, but aside from the fact that the narrative frames them like just part of the ecosystem of the world, there are never any details like “that type of flower doesn’t exist anymore because giant centipede tunneling destroyed the soil they needed to grow in.” When monsters are the aggressors, their victims are always humans, not the environment or other animals, and again monsters are themselves often treated as victims of human actions.

So I say monsters aren’t invasive species!

Which means that monsters are, regardless of their strange origins, now a part of the Continent’s ecosystem just as much as bears and wolves.

So let’s talk monster ecology.

what do monsters contribute to the ecosystem, if anything?

So, the phrase “contributing to the ecosystem” is actually super loaded, and I want to unpack that before we go anywhere else. Ecosystems are made up of organisms, and organisms interact with and impact ecosystems, but they don’t necessarily contribute to ecosystems! The implication of “contribute” is that it is possible for an organism to not contribute, and it follows from there that some organisms are not useful. This is functionally nonsensical, and also dangerous.

Conservationists talk a lot about “intrinsic value,” which in this context is the idea that we should want to keep species around just because their existence is valuable! Biodiversity is intrinsically valuable. This is important, firstly because I do believe that all species are intrinsically valuable, but also: ecosystems are so enormously complicated that we do not know the full extent of any species or individual organism’s impact, and we can’t predict what the consequences of removing any given species might be. Treating all species as intrinsically valuable is hedging our bets. All organisms affect the ecosystem, because it’s impossible for them not to, and while some species definitely have outsize impact, none of them are “not contributing,” and frankly even if some of them weren’t, it would be the absolute height of human arrogance for us to decide we could tell which ones were useless when we barely even know what most species eat. Mosquitoes are the base of the entire goddamn food chain, and you still get assholes claiming they don’t “contribute anything.” Of course, most people don’t really mean all of these implications when they use the phrase, but I don’t find it useful to talk about what species “contribute,” and avoid using that language if I can!

What I assume you mean by “what do monsters contribute” is a combination of “what roles might monsters play in the ecosystem” and “are monsters actively harmful to the ecosystem, i.e. do they cause loss of biodiversity?”

And this is difficult to answer! As I’ve said, I don’t think monsters are invasive species, and thus don’t harm the ecosystem, though we know that monsters can be harmful to humans. However, when it comes to the role they do play in the ecosystem, there isn’t enough in canon for me to do more than wildly speculate! Also, there are so so many of them, and the role of a hirikka is going to be wildly different from that of a draconid.

Just offhandedly, most of the big predatory monsters can be assumed to fill the same roles as Earth’s big predators, one of the big ones being overpopulation of prey species, which has ramifications throughout the ecosystem. Some of them are canonically ecosystem engineers, or animals that physically alter their environment (think beavers); for instance, shaelmaar and nekker tunneling. Additionally, the big insectoid colonies can’t be relying solely on naturally-occurring caves for their homes; they’ve gotta be constructing some stuff themselves. These tunnels can be repurposed as habitat for other organisms, from giant centipedes to sewant mushrooms. Necrophages, like corpse-eaters in our world, likely limit the spread of diseases from decomposing flesh (and really wouldn’t be as much of an issue if everyone would stop, you know, doing war and mass murder, lmfao). Arachasae use tree trunks and organic plant material to conceal themselves, which is likely contributing to plant reproduction in a few different ways—but the arachasae decorating essay is a different topic that I swear I will finish one day oh my god—

…anyways, feel free to ask about any specific monsters or niches if you’re curious, but if I tried to go into detail with every single potential niche/ecosystem service all of the monsters we know of might fill, we would be here all day!

Let’s talk about a couple specific things you brought up in your second ask.

> theyve probably found a niche in the world by now and can eat anything smaller incl. humans

I mean…maybe! That is, yeah, they’ve definitely settled into niches by now, but feeding is way more complicated and interesting than that.

For instance: orcas can eat basically whatever the fuck they want—orcas are fully capable of bringing down everything from fish to seals to gray whales to great white sharks. But they don’t. In the Pacific Northwest, the resident orca pods almost exclusively eat salmon, while the transient pods largely feed on seals. Orcas are kind of an extreme example, but this is something called resource partitioning and it’s a big part of how animals limit competition with one another and what enables lots of predators to coexist in one place!

We see a big fuck-off dragon thing and we assume that it’ll eat anything it can fit in its mouth, and definitely some predators work like that. But just because an animal is technically capable of eating something and deriving nutrition from it doesn’t mean that it will. Silver basilisks made roe deer the staple of their diet before the destruction of beech forests meant they had to turn to humans—which is a pretty specific dietary restriction when there should be multiple species of deer running around, not to mention everything else a draconid could be killing! And given how many types of draconid there are…I have to assume there’s some kind of resource partitioning going on to prevent them all from conflicting with each other! For instance, if basilisks prefer roe deer, maybe forktails prefer wild goats, while wyverns are mostly kleptoparasitic (stealing other predators’ kills).

And of course, not all monsters eat humans at all; harpies steal from and attack humans, so they’re a dangerous nuisance, but they don’t seem to eat them. And in the books Geralt mentions plenty of monsters which are totally harmless.

So yes, there are lots of things monsters could be eating, but it would strongly depend, and there’s a lot of interesting places one can take monster diets! Netflix decided their strigas only eat specific organs, leaving the rest of the body untouche, & I love that for her. More monsters that need a particular kind of nutrition that leads them to take only specific body parts from some kills!

> because theyve got no natural predators aside from each other and arent hunted by anything but witchers, monsters are just breeding and eating and wldnt that damage the land? or have they made their own like, circle of life or whatever ?

Absolutely—invasive species whose populations rapidly increase once they’re away from their natural predators cause the decline of native species, often by eating natives directly or competing with natives for resources. And in fact, even native species who become overpopulated can seriously damage the ecosystem (see: white-tailed deer in the United States, whose overpopulation has such negative ecological effects that some people argue we should classify them as invasive, even though they have definitely been here this whole time).

However, even if we grant that monsters are invasive, it’s a little more complicated than that for a few reasons!

Despite the apparent preponderance of them in the witcher games, most monsters are supposed to be strongly on the decline, like witchers themselves. Geralt’s profession is falling out of necessity; human development of the Continent is going to be the biggest suppressing factor in monster populations in the future. Monster overpopulation is just canonically not a problem in this universe! But even in the scenario where the Inevitable March Of Civilization isn’t threatening monster populations, there are a lot of factors that could and would limit monster populations.

(TL;DR for this next part: yeah I definitely think they’ve figured out their own little circle of life—the term you’re looking for is ecosystem equilibrium, btw!—& I’m going to take the next 1.2k to talk about how.)

For starters, predation is only one among many limiting factors that affect populations & prevent them from ballooning out of control:

food availability: If there’s not enough food, there’s not enough food! It also matters how adaptable the animal’s diet is—silver basilisks moved from deer to humans, but if the eucalyptus went extinct koalas would not switch to eating cycads.

illness and parasites: Some people argue these are more important than direct predation for limiting populations, and I am often inclined to agree. Basically, if a population becomes very dense, illness and parasites spread more quickly, creating a natural limiter on how many animals can live in any one place. The greater susceptibility of some individuals to illness or parasites also winnows down populations. Non-native species often escape a good portion of their native diseases by moving to a new range—however, given how fast bacteria and viruses evolve, 1,200 years is a pretty decent amount of time for new diseases to arise. Also, just going to drop a link to my treatise on monster parasites here. It’s gross, mind the warning at the start of the post.

mate availability: If only a certain percentage of the population is actually able to reproduce, that’ll eventually bring the total number down. RIP Iocaste’s boyfriend 😔

territory/shelter availability: Animals need a certain amount of space and certain types of spaces to survive, and space isn’t infinite! It again depends on how adaptable an animal is; rats find ways to thrive nearly everywhere, but pandas can only live where there’s bamboo. If there’s not enough space to hide from predators, reproduce safely, store food, and avoid adverse weather, the population again limits itself naturally.

natural disasters: Wildfires, drought, flooding, tsunamis, storms, etc. pick off significant portions of wildlife populations. Disasters are sporadic rather than directly linked to population like most of the other factors but these periodic blows to population and the other impacts of fire or flooding are often integral to the ecosystem (see especially: fire regimes and fire ecology.)

Now let’s talk predation & monsters! (Genuinely, I think predation is one of the most interesting things in ecology; people tend to simplify it down to things eat other things, which—yeah, but there’s so much more going on there!)

First, I wouldn’t underestimate the effects of monsters eating other monsters! Even if it’s rare for a draconid to snatch up a nekker and carry it off, the threat of a draconid doing so can have dramatic impacts; researchers found that just playing the sound of dog barks on a beach stopped raccoons from foraging for crabs for over a month after the barking stopped, leading to an increase in crab populations, even though no raccoons ever encountered a dog. This is called the ecosystem of fear (which as a term is metal as hell) and it theorizes that just the fear of predators can lead to chronic stress for prey animals, decreasing reproduction and making them more susceptible to disease. Maybe draconids in Toussaint eat only a few dozen nekkers a year, but that might cause thousands of nekkers to have fewer offspring or fall to disease. When it comes to ecosystems the direct effect is usually only a small part of the story!

Second, when we talk about a species not having natural predators, we’re usually talking about an animal that would have a predator back in its home range—lionfish, for instance, have plenty of predators in their natural range (the Indo-Pacific), but no natural predators in their invasive range (the Caribbean), so invasive lionfish, suddenly freed of a limiting factor, can run amok. However, a great white shark has, aside from orcas (who do not actually eat white sharks, they’re just assholes sometimes) and occasionally other white sharks, more or less no natural predators anywhere once it reaches maturity, and that’s fine! Lack of predation of great white sharks did not cause their populations to explode and consume the ocean. White sharks are limited by other factors.

So: it is possible that wherever draconids originated (and it’s entirely possible that “draconids” came from multiple different places, tbh) there was something bigger that preyed on them, but it’s not unreasonable to assume they were also apex predators in their previous dimension (I mean…look at them), and that adult draconids were never really preyed on by anything else! It isn’t necessarily an issue for there not to be predators of certain monsters on the Continent.

(Though, of course, we also shouldn’t forget that most apex predators are prey when they’re young—baby white sharks are snack-sized for a lot of fishes, and bear cubs and wolf pups are similarly vulnerable. Based on the size of the eggs you see in TW3 draconid nests, a basilisk is hatched around the size of a little dog, which is the perfect size for small, ballsy predators such as wolverines to sneak into a nest and snap them up—predators such as more wolverines or raptors like eagles and hawks might also come directly for the eggs.)

When it comes to smaller monsters such as nekkers, who likely weren’t apex predators in their original dimensions and would thus be subject to that lack of natural predators—there are usually specific reasons why prey species manage to avoid predation in their introduced range. Lionfish confound Caribbean predators because lionfish are covered with huge poisonous spines that Caribbean predators don’t know how to deal with.

Drowners, on the other hand, are basically just man-shaped fish; they don’t have any adaptations or defenses that would really stump a bear or a wolf. Again, bigger monsters are still probably checking the populations of smaller monsters no matter what, but there’s really no reason a bear couldn’t figure out how to eat a drowner! Unless a monster has a unique defense (e.g. scurver spines), is actively distasteful to eat (rotfiends, probably), or is just difficult to take down (nekkers in packs), most of the non-monster predators* on the Continent will have incorporated various monsters into their diet by now, or suppressed monster populations indirectly with the threat of predation or by competing with them for food. It has been over a thousand years, which is nothing evolutionarily but is still a decent period of time for mammals, who pass hunting techniques down to their babies, to figure out how to eat ghouls—especially if we’re considering that the Continent’s mammals may also be a result of the Conjunction and would thus have to have been just as adaptable as the monsters to establish themselves. And I’ve also actually talked before about how wolves specifically might be preying on necrophages!

* For reference, the non-monster predators are, considering the Continent is more or less Europe, most likely lynxes, brown bears/polar bears (in Skellige), wolverines, foxes, badgers, and a variety of large birds of prey.

So—yes, if monsters were truly overpopulating, then that would damage the ecosystem. However, canon tells us they are definitely not doing that, and there are also many factors that would prevent that from happening!

(Though I will say that some of the reasons white-tailed deer are overpopulated are that we got rid of cougars and wolves and human development creates a lot of extra habitat of the type that deer like. Given that we know many of draconids are for sure in significant danger of going extinct, and the trajectory that Europe’s wolf and bear populations followed in real life, it is possible that the Continent will have to contend with an overpopulation of some of the smaller monsters at some point as they continue to try to eradicate the larger predators, both monster and non-monsters—you think the drowner problem is bad now, wait until the bears are gone and city development has tripled the number of sewers. Yet another of those humans-make-monster-problems-worse things I am fond of in the Witcherverse!)

…whew. that was a lot of words. In conclusion: ecology is really cool & there’s a bunch of ways monsters can fit into it!!

#kaer morhen biology of monsters 101 #and a bit of #witcher book blogging #asks #anonymous

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