#they do seem extra married tbh

[angelbarelywrites]

♡ slashers scenarios | first meeting (part 2)

♡ fandoms; Friday the 13th, House of Wax, Black Christmas, Scream (kinda)/ Dead by Daylight, slashers (general)

♡ characters; Jason Vorhees, Bo Sinclair, Danny Johnson, Billy Lenz, Bubba Sawyer

♡ reader; gender neutral

♡ cw; Billy Lenz, mentions of violence and general slasher activity, kidnapping, stalking

♡ notes; i didn’t include Bubba last time, so i slipped him in with the pt 2 team :v

also for ghostface i went with Danny over Billy + Stu, just because i’m more comfortable writing older characters tbh. and he’s very attractive to me. maybe i can do a college au fic of them in the future?

•┈••✦ ❤ ✦••┈•

Jason Vorhees

> you were lost

> utterly, hopelessly lost without a map, compass, or even your backpack

> you were out camping with a couple of new friends when you wandered off to pick flowers

> well, acquaintances more like- they weren’t particularly nice to you, but you knew one from your home town

> before you knew the sun was starting to set and you had no clue which way to go

> you’re kicking yourself for being so dumb but try to make the best of it, continuing to collect flowers and pretty rocks

> soon enough you find yourself on the edge of a lake

> that couldn’t have been good- there weren’t any lakes near the campsite at all

> maybe this was that old summer camp they’d mentioned?

> either way you turn around and try your best to retrace your steps

> but even with a full moon it’s just too dark and too dense and you’re exhausted

> holding in tears, you find a small meadow and finally sit to rest

> you’re still sniffling and rubbing your eyes when someone walks up to you

> you were so oblivious that Jason was able to get a few feet in front of you before you noticed

> he seems…perplexed to find you there

> he thought he’d gotten all of the campers

> and you didn’t really look like you belonged with those fornicators

> (or at least that’s what he told himself to justify leaving you alive)

> he’s holding his machete and soaked with your companions’ blood, but you don’t seem to notice

> “…can you take me back to my friends?”

> well he most certainly cannot do that, not if he wants you to like him- though he’s not sure why that matters

> he’s still staring so you, exhausted, do the only thing you can think to

> “…do you want a flower? I picked a lot”

> he’s delighted and takes it before finally gesturing for you to follow him

> you can’t keep up, so eventually he picks you up

> and like that you’re nearly dozing off

> you don’t even notice he’s taking you back the way you came from

> and he’s glad- he wasn’t going to give you much of an option anyway

Bo Sinclair

> single travelers are so much easier to deal with

> so when Lester gives him the call that some college kid was stuck on the road, he’s eager for an easy catch

> you take your sweet ass time getting to the station- even though Lester drove you most of the way you let him drop you off just outside of town

> the smell of the truck was really getting to you, and you’re happy to let the dog lead you

> when he strides out you’re cooing over Jonesy and giving her a belly rub for her troubles

> he’s seen his fair share of attractive victims

> men, women, and folks that didn’t fit either category

> and he’s slept with most of them

> but you… there’s something extra special about you

> he decides right there he’s not taking care of you without at least getting a taste

> you’re not too impressed by his flirting- or at least you try and act like it

> but he catches your pink cheeks and quiet giggles as he takes you on a walk

> because of course he’s got the part down the road at his place

> by the time you get there he’s decided he’s marrying you - or maybe keeping you tied up, beggars can’t be choosers

> he’s impulsive but he’s never wanted to keep anyone before

> “hey sugar-“ god your face heats up just hearing him call you that “turns out I don’t have that part you need. It should be in by tomorrow, if you can stay the night?”

> you say yes before you can think critically- he’s good at getting folks wrapped around his finger like that

> “Good. Cause I’m just dying to show you some real southern hospitality…”

Danny Johnson

> he knows you long before you know him

> he’s a natural nosy guy- he’s a journalist after all

> and a serial killer, of course stalking is on his to do list

> originally you were going to be a victim

> you’d make a good story, a young person taken tragically early

> but you were too cute to die just yet- he had to at least meet you, just once

> if you were a dick no one would say anything nice for your article, right?

> so he just happens to bump into you outside your work one day

> literally bump

> when you spill coffee all over yourself he smoothly apologizes and offers to help clean you up

> “What a mess- I’m so sorry sweets. Let me take care of all this”

> and you fall for it, hook line and sinker

> he’s a handsome guy, he’s used to that but he’s smug anyways

> he gives you a spare shirt of his, though you still skip work

> he buys you another coffee and you sit in his car chatting

> you’re innocent enough to trust him like that- to get in a vehicle with a strange man?

> a strange man that’d been stalking you, no less

> it’s adorable- if he wasn’t so attached he could kill you right there

> but you’re just so damn sweet, and genuine

> and you’re so fascinated by these Ghost Face killings…

> maybe you’re worth keeping around for a bit

> just a bit

> that’s what he says to himself anyways

> when you meet him as Ghost Face, it’s after you’ve already got him all figured out

> and he’s lucky that you like a bad boy

Billy Lenz

> it’s a given that you first meet him over the phone

> you’re renting out a spare room from Mrs Mac, not in the sorority but a good enough tenant that she keeps you around

> you get along well with the girls and cook them meals, run study sessions and help clean

> it’s almost parental at times, even if you’re not far off in age

> Billy hates you at first, for taking such good care of ‘filthy piggy whores’

> he tells you just as much over the phone, but you’re not bothered

> you never seem to be bothered by his calls

> and that pisses him off more

> but you’re so so cute… it quickly becomes an obsession

> he’s in your walls constantly, watching you

> and the calls from the moaner start coming more and more frequently at times you’re home alone

> one day you just start giggling at him, tipsy “you know, you scare the girls,”

> “good i—“

> “but your voice is sooo nice. that’s why i pick up so much”

> you didn’t mean to confess that , and you hope he takes it as an awkward joke

> when he hangs up you think that maybe he did take it that way

> its not until late that night that you realize that he knew he was sincere

> before you can register that there’s anything wrong he’s covering your mouth and pinning you to your bed

> “hi there, baby doll,”

> his grin gets huge when your still horrified face goes bright red

> he always knew you were perfect

Bubba Sawyer

> you pick up Nubbins hitchhiking one day, and he’s just dumbfounded by you

> you’re nonplussed by his rambling and you don’t squirm at his yucky pictures. you don’t even kick him out, just drop him off at the gas station.

> you’re not really his type, but you’re fascinating

> he’s gotta get you home to meet his brothers

> so he pops your tires when you go inside- all four

> when you come back out Drayton is cursing him out and smacking him upside the head

> he makes him take you back to the house to rest up while he gets you tires

> of course he intends for Bubba to kill you

> but Nubbins doesn’t pass the message along, because he’s Nubbins

> “Here Bubba! I made us a new friend!”

> you shyly greet him, but he’s an oddly calming presence

> let’s be honest you’ve gotta be okay with a lot fast to like the Sawyers

> so maybe you’re just in denial about the material

> but you tell him you like his mask- and you do

> he obviously worked really hard on getting the makeup just right- and it compliments his suit

> he stares at you a long while before taking your hand and giving you a grand tour

> well, more a tour of his favorite spots

> the chicken coup, a patch of wildflowers out back, and his room full of trinkets collected from victims

> you’re strangely enamored by this big, quiet man

> and you don’t get the sense you’re allowed to leave

> especially when Drayton comes home and goes on and on about witnesses

> but you didn’t really even have an end goal in mind on your road trip anyways

> and now you’ve got Bubba to protect you

> maybe it’s not so bad, stuck with those weirdos

[no-psi-nan]

I'm not a fan of soulmates in romantic fiction because it's basically arranged marriage with extra supernatural noncon/dubcon elements.

However, in the Saiki universe, the soulmate connection seems to lack pretty much all of those problematic elements.

We have to do a little extrapolating from what we see in canon since this aspect of Aiura's powers is not covered in detail, but:

Soulmates do not seem to be guaranteed to ever meet, considering the fact that Aiura specifically looked up her soulmate and that one guy who was linked to someone in a remote African village that would almost certainly never cross paths with him.

Being with your soulmate is completely optional, otherwise Aiura wouldn't bother providing relationship scoring and just tell each person to go find their soulmate. This allows for a lot of narrative opportunities to explore why someone would consciously choose to not be with their soulmate, and also opens up the door for polyamory.

Soulmates do not instantly fall in love, and are not forced to stay in love by any supernatural powers. Aiura didn't think anything of Saiki until he flawlessly saved Yumehara's life like 10x in a row, and Saiki certainly didn't fall for Aiura right away either. They fought over their values strongly enough that it would've been a breakup if they'd ever been together.

Soulmate status just seems to indicate particularly good chemistry, and like the rest of Aiura's powers, is purely informational and not determinative. Presumably soulmates have the highest possible compatibility scores, and it's kinda cool that it seems guaranteed there's at least 1 person out there who will jive with you, but also plenty of other people you can connect with to various degrees.

With Saiki and Aiura specifically, it's shown that Saiki can change the future Aiura sees as soon as he hears about it. It may even be possible for him to change the soulmate determination, and he certainly could've used Time Leap to fool Aiura into thinking someone else was her soulmate if he was really opposed to the concept. She had scryed it recently, so the butterfly effect shouldn't be a challenge.

But they do work so smoothly together with their powers complementing each other, and Saiki is kind of a lonely romantic tsundere at heart, so it makes sense that he would let the soulmate thing play out and yet test the connection by pushing Aiura away as much as possible.

Actually, considering that Saiki can't control people's actions directly (and that he sucks at trying to control people indirectly), the strongest noncon/dubcon force in the Saikiverse shockingly appears to be Teruhashi's beauty.

The only male character that doesn't seem at all affected by Teruhashi's powers is Hairo, most likely because of his heavily implied homosexuality. Women attracted to other women are also impacted by her power, as seen with Aiura.

While Saiki says that married people aren't affected by Teruhashi, Kuniharu does actually show several signs of being affected by Teruhashi, and so does Kumagoro.

All affected people instantly fall in love with her on sight, no exceptions.

Critical thinking ability appears to drop precipitously when it comes to her, with her fans accepting that she had a secret child with Saiki despite being in school with her every day and that she can just choose not to poop for a week. More effective mind control than anything Saiki can do tbh.

The instant Saiki loses some of his powers, he starts being affected by Teruhashi's beauty.

The narrative supports Saiki's theory that Teruhashi is literally favored by God and can affect reality just by hoping for something. The implication that God is (physically??) attracted to Teruhashi and does whatever she wants is.... yikes on several levels. If she asks for someone to love her, do they get a choice in the matter??

Anyways, there are way more elements of noncon/dubcon with Teruhashi ships than there are with actual canon soulmate mechanics in the Saikiverse and that's just such a wild choice by the author lol.

Truly subverting tropes!

[heartsoji]

haikyuu boys with an s/o who's really scared of horror movies

pairings: iwaizumi x reader, oikawa x reader, tsukishima x reader, bokuto x reader

a/n: lol this is me i actually cannot with horror like at all

warnings: post-timeskip in iwaizumi's

iwaizumi hajime

iwaizumi's pretty good with horror movies

occasionally, he'll be a little caught off-guard with a sudden jumpscare, but he's pretty much fine otherwise

now YOU..

you are not ok.

you are screaming, hiding, and tearing up

he honestly doesn't really understand what's so scary about them

since i hc iwaizumi to be a realist, he'd be like

it's a movie. it was filmed. those are actors. it's so obvious none of that stuff could ever happen in real life

still, he understands that you're really scared and tries his best to comfort you

time to put those beefy athletic trainer arms to work

he lets you cling onto them for the whole movie and lets you use then as a stress ball

iwaizumi's a traditional, old school, cheesy hopeless romantic. convince me otherwise.

therefore, his method of comfort usually comes in the form of soothing words and back rubs in his arms

its actually quite nice. he lets you scream into his titties (HE HAS TITTIES AND THEYRE MORE ROCK SOLID THAN REGINA GEORGE'S MOM'S. CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE.)

when you're truly scared scared (like heart pounding, sobs racking ur body, you're def gonna get rlly bad nightmares type of scared scared)

he will probs turn it off bc he thinks that no movie ending is worth this much terror

he cares about you a lot, after all. he thinks its slightly amusing when you're screaming your head off at the obviously fake blood, but he would never want you to be fearful for real

rubs your back and whispers soothing words into your ear

"its ok" "i'm right here" "don't worry, i'd protect you if they ever came" type of stuff

after you've calmed down a bit, he'll try to make you laugh

jokes, tickles, anything, really!

he hates seeing you scared. he just wants you to be happy

10/10. marry me sir.

oikawa tooru

lol

hate to break it to you but

tooru is equally as scared of horror movies

you guys have to cuddle up in blanket burritos together and scream at every jumpscare

honestly you both only make it through the movie through sheer willpower

if you're crying, he'll try to comfort you, but tbh he's pretty damn scared himself

however, once the movie is over, he's totally fine

movie forgotten. out of memories. what movie should you guys watch next?

but YOU

you're still crying

you're still really shaken up

you're def gonna have nightmares

he takes that opportunity to be the manly man he is and swoops you up bridal style

he's very charming. he looks at you in the most dazzling, heart-melting way

lol boy u were just crying too stfu

he cuddles you close, and just like iwa, whispers sweet words into your ear

however, unlike iwa, they're much more...childish? playful? how to describe them..

"it'll be ok. your big, strong, boyfriend will protect anything that tries to hurt his princess" "*dramatic gasp* YOU DON'T THINK I'M CAPABLE OF FIGHTING IT OFF BY MYSELF? HOW COULD YOU UNDERESTIMATE ME LIKE THIS? THIS.. THIS IS BETRAYAL" "they don't even look that strong. im sure i could hit a volleyball at one and it would rip into two!"

stuff like that

he would make sure to cuddle you extra close that night

overall, he's pretty fun and is good at making everything seem less serious. 8.5/10!

tsukishima kei

honestly, he's as affected by horror movies at the average guy

he doesn't find them as terrifying as oikawa, but he's definitely not as unaffected as iwaizumi

but you'd never know that

why?

he just hides his emotions really, really well

also he just sometimes focuses on the wall behind the tv and drowns out the voices

he just sits through them and bears them, basically

now, why? why in the world would he do this when he doesn't even enjoy it?

to make fun of you, duh. shouldn't that have been obvious?

when you leap 30ft out of your seat into the air, he laughs at you

he'll even add onto your fear by like grazing your opposite shoulder when you aren't looking and pretending he didn't do it

hes a brat

but honestly, he partially enjoys it when you spring onto him at the jump scares, no matter how much he denies it

as we all know, the boys a lil shy about asking for affection

with horror movies, he gets your affection without even asking for it! yay!

but once the movies over, if you're really shaken up, he'll use his giant beanpole arms and spoon you until you fall asleep

but then he'll be an ass about it the following week

pokes, grabs, jabs you and will say,

"huh? it wasn't me. maybe it was the (wtv villain or ghost or spirit or wtv from the movie)!"

2/10. makes fun of you and makes the movie even scarier tbh. the 2 points r only bc of the comfort he gives after its over.

bokuto koutaro

like most things in life, bokuto goes between two extremes, and never crosses into the middle

he's either having super insane cut shots that go BOOM

OR he's doing awful and is in his emo mode

same thing with this

he either isn't affected by it at all and just laughs

or he screams when the character breathes a lil too heavily

now, if he thinks the movie's not scary at all, he's pretty good to watch with if you're super scared

during the scary parts, he lets you cling onto his beefy arm while he just watches the movie in amusement

like there's a really scary scene where there's a huge jumpscare into the most climatic scene in the movie and you're burying your face into his arm but in the background you just hear:

"HAHAHAHAHA! Y/N Y/N! YOU GOTTA SEE THIS! HE'S...HE'S GETTING CHASED BY THIS GREY LITTLE CHILD! HAHAHAHA ITHIHIHIT'S EYES LOOK LIKE TAPIOCAAHAHAAHA"

"oh the grey little child is smiling! it's kinda cute! why is the main character guy sweating? he looks like me right after a long game"

"why'd the grey little child pull a purple thing out of his throat? what's that? i wonder what it tastes like though..i think it would be a thick gummy texture, but maybe a little gooey on the inside. definitely grape-flavored. the really sweet artificial good one. oh.. now i want a gummy!"

yeah

he definitely makes it less scary because he makes all the scary stuff seem really stupid

honestly pretty nice. you might not get as many nightmares because of him

now

when he's terrified, he's more terrified than you

*main character sneezes* "AHHHHHHH"

think oikawa x 800

mhm

honestly, you kind of have to take the comfort role even though you're deathly afraid of horror movies

"kou, he's just walking. its ok."

honestly he makes it seem less scary like this too because it forces you to see why the movie isn't actually that scary because you have to find out the reasons to comfort him

8.7/10. a sweetie

[ryker-writes]

Hi.. ok let me just be straight about this because I'm bad at talking tbh but hi, i love your azul and vil angst siblings thing a lot since i love angst and you write angst so beautifully, so i wish to request sibling angst for leona, riddle or idia (preferably leona but you can choose btw) thanks for reading this and if you don't want to do it thats fine bestie<33

—🃏 𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍

(a new one if someone hasn't taken 🃏 Anon yet)

Thank you so much 🃏 anon! It really warms my heart to hear that. I'll happily write more! This one is going to be for Leona since I already wrote one for Riddle and Idia's will be written soon

I can't decide if I like this one as much as some of my other ones...let me know what you guys think

Request rules and Masterlists

Broken Sibling relationships

Leona as a sibling (Broken relationship)

the third child of the Kingscholar family

that's what you are

that's what you're known as

the third, and least important child of the Kingscholar family

ever since you were a child, that became clear

your two big brothers carried much more importance

mostly the oldest, Falena

anytime gifts were given to the three of you, there would be a clear order of things

Falena always got the biggest and best gifts

Leona got the second best every time

and you got whatever was left

that is, if there was anything left

there have been many times where there would only be enough for your brothers

that or one of them took extra and you were left with nothing

since you were born last, you had to be the one left with their scraps

last...

that word alone pretty much describes your life

it was a constant theme that you were reminded of day after day

playing games with your older brothers was always fun

as long as the game didn't involve the players being first, second, or third

those games would always end the same

Falena was very talented, so wins and first place was almost always handed to him naturally

Leona would always try as hard as he could to beat Falena, but always had to settle for second

and you never had any chance trying to catch up to their abilities

they were much older, and much better at games

so you would always be deemed last place or the loser of every game

and after each game, the servants would talk

"Did you see? Prince Leona got second place again. He's no match for Prince Falena. He never wins against him."

"Yeah, well at least Leona can keep up with Falena and put up a bit of a fight."

"That's true. Last place is where the weakest belong."

they were right

in beastman culture, last place is for the weakest

and in a lions pride, weaker children can be left behind to fend for themselves

that's the last thing you want

so you tried not to let what they said get to you, and continued playing games with your brothers

as long as you were with your brothers, they wouldn't leave you behind

Falena was always super happy to involve you in whatever he was doing

Leona...was less enthusiastic

most of the time it didn't seem like he cared

if you wanted to spend time with Leona, you had to ask him and set everything up yourself just for him to put in minimal effort or fall asleep halfway through

it was hard to feel like he didn't consider it a waste of his time

you'd keep trying, but it never made much of a difference with him

eventually, Falena was crowned king and even got married and had a kid

so he had other, more important things to do than spend time with you

it was heartbreaking, but it's not like you could spend much time with him anyway since you were going to Night Raven College

but at least Leona was still at the school with you

you two were even in Savanaclaw together

you had hoped that you could still spend a little bit of time with Leona since you no longer had Falena to hang out with

but he no longer had time for you

whenever you asked about hanging out with him or playing a game of chess (which you know he loves), he would always say he was busy

and most of the time that was a complete lie

everyone in the dorm knows he spends most of his time sleeping

the only times he wasn't sleeping was when he was practicing spelldrive

you were starting to get tired of asking and getting turned down each time

so, you decided to ask one last time

it was later in the day when you found him by Savanaclaw's pool

a nice relaxing environment meant he would be in a better mood

but you knew better than to get your hopes up

you asked if he was up for a game of chess and even offered to set it up

and all you got in response was a no

of course he would turn you away again

that's all he did

you just had to ask

"Why? Why do you always say no?"

he let out a deep sigh

"Because I don't want to waste my time on weaklings."

there it was

he only sees you as a weakling, and not worth his time

somewhere along the way, he had already left you behind

and you never realized it

Leona was the only one that had time for you anymore, but he doesn't even want to spend it with you

the weakest one has been left behind to fend for themselves

you stopped trying with Leona after that

if you were being honest, the only reason you kept trying for so long was because he was the only one you had left

but that's over now and you're on your own

occasionally you would see him around Savanaclaw and pass by him, but he never even glanced your way

it was almost like you didn't even exist to him

you might as well not have been a Kingscholar anymore

but then you started seeing him around less

the spelldrive tournament was around the corner, he was most likely practicing

you used to go watch him as he played and cheer him on

...but he probably doesn't want you there anymore

actually, you could probably go to watch the other teams

Leona probably wouldn't notice if you were there anyway

Diasomnia has been playing very well these past few years, so it might be fun to watch them

so on the day of the tournament, you went to watch the games

since Diasomnia won last year, they would be up for the first game

but as the announcer started to introduce Diasomnia onto the field, the crowd around you started acting up and rushing towards the team

it was mass panic and everyone was screaming and stampeding towards the entrance of the coliseum

you got up and started to move with them, against your own will

no matter how much you tried to fight it, your body seemed to move on it's own

but you've been in Savanaclaw long enough to know who's magic this is

how Ruggie was able to control and entire stadium of people, you had no idea

but you turned to try and get back into the coliseum as soon as the spell wore off

the crowd was thick and it was hard to push through, but you had to

if the people were all being herded like sheep, something bad is happening

as you pushed through, a heavy aura of magic flooded the air

someone was certainly using a lot of magic in there

you finally made it to the entrance of the coliseum

standing in the field was Leona covering in blot and fighting many Heartslabyul students

even now, he was looking down upon everyone in front of him with such hatred and anger

not even Ruggie was spared from his attacks

but you got there just as the battle was ending, and Leona was defeated

the blot left his system and he collapsed to the ground

he was fine

for a brief moment, Ruggie saw you and stared

but Leona wouldn't want you here, even now

so you left without a word

you didn't end up going back to the tournament after that, but it went well from what you heard

Savanaclaw even made it pretty far considering everything that happened

Cheka ended up finding you after it all and you got to play with the little cub

to be honest it was a lot of fun, probably the most you've had in a while

sadly, he left you after a while to go find Leona

the days followed after that were pretty normal

...except for the fact that Ruggie was following you around more

he watched whatever you did throughout the day, and then left

but the one day he didn't follow you, you found Leona waiting for you in Savanaclaw with a chess game set up, and waiting for another player

[gogandmagog]

Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery

full disclosure that I am about to be 0% better than Charlie Sloane^

Anne of the Island, Chapter Two!

I love this chapterrrr. A.V.I.S. is a big shining crown that sits atop the head of the early Anne books for me, and this little farewell party is bittersweet! More so than just at face value, because while it is farewell to Anne and Gilbert, I think it’s in the opening of the next book that we hear that the Villiage Improvement Society basically dissolves hereafter. So really, it’s farewell, full stop. ☹️(Also, and to do with exactly nothing, whenever I think of A.V.I.S., I remember this one time that my mom, trying to recall this part of the book, was like, “you know… the Avonlea Home Owners Association.”) I’m probably just disproportionately sentimental about A.V.I.S., but in a tiny rootlet way, it was the first physical fruition of Anne’s self-sworn ‘purpose’ in life, to “add some beauty […]” too. And that so many other Avonlea youths were willing to pitch in, work together, and be of service to their community? What an achievement. RIP to this great idea.

Of course, an even bigger achievement might be if Josie Pye could actually manage to say something nice rather than making snide-asides, but I guess, in the face of millions of transitions, at least there is comfort in knowing that Avonlea can count on this one thing to never change?? /derogatory

Btw Billy Andrews cracks me up, just his sitting back and watching Anne, also makes me smile v stupidly too. I guess because he’s never even once mentioned as participating in A.V.I.S. – nor is he once mentioned at all in Anne of Avonlea – so it seems to me quite possible that he literally came to the farewell party for the sole purpose of doing exactly what he’s doing… courting Anne from so far away that she has no idea it’s even happening. Modern Billy would probably think the ‘friend zone’ was a pizza and laser tag park. It’s also extra funny to remember that Billy is basically the Avonlea equivalent of a Super Senior. He’s just enough ‘older’ than the rest of the crew here for it to be slightly noticeable and a fraction weird. Going backward to Anne of Green Gables, when Anne gives her recital at the White Sands Hotel, Billy ‘insists’ that Anne sit next to him on the buggy ride back [and during which she was probably fifteen], and the narrative tells us that Billy is already over twenty! He’s about 24 here.

Thinking of Anne and Gilbert sharing dinner plates on the “moonlit verandah” makes me want to pinch their cheeks, and Gilbert again making the mistake of saying something sweet… only for Anne to allow Charlie to walk her home instead, naturally brought me to this discussion from the Blythes are Quoted, which provides all the confirmation necessary on what most readers probably already guessed Gilbert’s feelings on the matter were (and also mine tbh, I’m Susan):

Anyway, poor Anne, in this next bit! Learning a difficult lesson. Sometimes, no matter how much you might respect or like an individual, and no matter how much they might like and respect you in return, if you uncover differences in core beliefs or present an alternative to another person's ideas, there might be some sting in your interactions, when it comes up! It’s actually genius how Maud is able to present and then refute these ideas in this book, because just for instance, while it’s suggested to Anne that girls go to college only to find men to marry… well, then here comes Phil, in all her desirability, doing the reverse... going to college to deliberately stall marriage.

“Spiteful old cats.” But Gilbert’s right too… Anne really is a bit of a pioneer by attending college, since she's the first girl in her community to do so. P.E.I. was undergoing significant changes during this exact pocket of time, and the Island's economy, which was obviously once primarily focused on farming, and agriculture as a means of occupation and lifestyle… was diversifying and expanding massively. Society itself was evolving along with it, and the focus from homesteading with families with oodles of kids (to manage these farms yk, and here is where I would like to point down the road to Anne of Ingleside and Christine Stuart-Dawson, who was absolutely making thinly veiled + rude classist remarks on this exact subject, to Anne and Gilbert, by repeatedly exclaiming over the large number of their kids, “What a family!”) was declining, as like… all that machinery and shipping alleviating/economising the brunt of the work. Focus shifted to a greater quality of life, and to higher education for children, expanding to include women, and allowing them to pursue careers and support themselves outside of the once singular tradwife possibility. That must have felt like an attack on traditional values to women like Eben Wright, and Mrs. Jasper-Bell, and etc. Totally unfortunate of course, but for all that, I do like how it all looks on Gilbert, who is in peak form, and demonstrating what will become his regular habit of forward-thinking and support of gender equality. Something which will set Gilbert apart from a great many other men (and women), even fifteen years into the future, when it’s commented on in the Four Winds community: (excerpt supplied from the Blythes are Quoted)

My man. 🫡

Anne and Gilbert secreting away to find the “something” Gilbert is looking for brings me to a couple stray thoughts… first, that Gilbert saying, “Sit down Anne—it will serve for a woodland throne…” has always implied to me that this, or a similar situation, was the real origin story behind the nickname ‘Queen Anne.’ This boy’s propensity to nickname anything/anyone is a very dear trait to me lmao. Second, that this makes it crystal clear that there are some spots to Avonlea still unknown to Anne, despite her years of wandering. Gilbert can make her home brand new to her again. Cute that he/the boys have their own haunts and trails, as much as girls have theirs.

The apple treeeee. The apple tree. Besides yes, just being suggestive, it is also totally suggestive of Anne and Gilbert’s relationship. And I’m very grateful to @no-where-new-hero for THIS post, because it’s a perfect summery of what I was struggling to articulate in such a precise way, because I’ll tell you, if there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s definitely run-on sentences and focusing on so much superfluous information (like Charlie fr), that I easily confuse people. 😅 Also, thanks to @pinkenamelheart and @those-things-we-said for uncovering THIS dusty and ancient post, on the same subject, with only minor differences, which I had forgotten about entirely! (I’m lately bimbo-ifying myself with paint solvents.)

[tuulikannel]

I'm once again thinking about the eternal enigma of Gakushuu's mom, and that one image from the manga with the mysterious woman. Here's the thing: my personal headcanon is that Gakushuu's mother either is dead or divorced, but. The more I think about it, the more I suspect that the woman really is supposed to be her.

Ok. Going first through the reasons why this would not be Shuu's mom, but just a maid.

For one thing, Gakushuu's mother isn't mentioned once during the entire manga (apart from the extra scene where Gakuhou is teasing his son, saying the men on Shuu's mother's side go bald early). Gakushuu himself never gives her a single thought. It's as if she had no part in his life whatsoever. It's a very stark contradiction to all the attention his father (naturally) receives.

Gakuhou doesn't mention her either. There is nothing about her in his daily schedule, even though it does specify he has breakfast together with his son. Not a single comment about the existence of a wife. There isn't even a third chair by the table in the pic above. If that woman is Shuu's mom, there doesn't seem to be any space for her at all in the lives of either her son or her husband.

Why would she be his mom, then?

The main thing on my mind is a bit meta. If she's just a random maid, why include her in the pic in the first place? This whole scene is all about Shuu's relationship with his father. Why would a maid be so important she would be a part of this image at all? (Also, I'm reading way too much into this, but... her being there breaks the perfect symmetry of this image. And, she is on Gakushuu's side.)

Another thing, very minor, but still: in the manga Gakushuu's blond, and it seems he shares this woman's hair color (hard to say for sure in a black and white image, of course).

The graduation album has one single thing to say about her, that she's a housewife. That'd imply this woman really is her, for you'd think there'd be a mention if she was either dead or divorced (or perhaps re-married and somebody else's housewife). I really wish the album gave us a bit more than a single word about her....

And then there is that scene of Gakuhou mocking Shuu, extra or not. I wonder if even he'd be speaking so lightly about his wife if she was dead. (They could ofc still be divorced.)

Here's a question: what would Shuu's mom be like? She is someone who married the young good-guy Gakuhou. She's probably quite goodnatured, possibly interested in education too, perhaps a very nurturing person god she really is Aguri Her husband's change must have been a horrible shock for her, and it's not something she can do anything about. But perhaps she still persisted, for her son's sake. Who doesn't even pay any attention to her anymore... It's hard to even imagine what her life would be like, if this is the case. Perhaps Gakuhou doesn't mention her in his schedule, because her only way to object is to keep her distance, and she doesn't agree to do anything with him, anymore.

The missing chair in the image could be a direct consequence of this - or then there's no meaning in it at all (Matsui-sensei just drew a balanced image with the focus on Shuu and his father, there's no space for an empty extra chair there.)

So, yeah. I do think that the woman probably is meant to be Shuu's mom, but I will personally still think of her as a maid.

And, uh, I just got to say... it's perfectly possible we get nothing about Shuu's mom not because she doesn't matter to Shuu and Hou, but because she didn't matter to Matsui-sensei. ^^;; Maybe that woman is her, and she was added there as an afterthought. Oh, yeah, this kid should have a mom too, so let's just put her here, with her back to the scene so there's no need to think what she'd look like. She can share her son's hair color, there, done.

(I do like his stuff, obviously, but tbh, there are some weak moments in the writing... ignoring Shuu's mom like this might simply be one of those.)

[pterodactylterrace]

Why exactly did they decide to make Aegon SA the maid? In the books he never assaults anyone. He is known to have a “large carnal appetite” but it’s never mentioned that these women were forced in anyway. The closest we get is when we hear that he won the virginities of two maidens at an auction in flea bottom. Which, by my understanding, means he paid extra to be a whore’s first customer. It wasn’t some sweet innocent girl like we see in the show. The girls already worked in the brothel learning their trade. They don’t just yoink girls off the street and out their virginity up for sale.

So why include it in the show? Was it because they realized Aegon wasn’t nearly as horrible as Rhaenyra, so they had to do something?

Rhaenyra has 3 bastards that everyone knows about, but can’t say anything. Just committing open treason and no one is allowed to point it out.

She had beef with a literal 2 year old. She had multiple tantrums at her little brothers second name day hunt. Also looked right at him and compared the death squeals of a boar to the crying to children.

Suspected of killing her first husband. In the show, she shows Laenor mercy, but has no problem killing off one of his servants because they needed a body. You don’t understand! She reconnected with her uncle by fucking him on the beach at his late wife’s funeral! She just HAD to marry Daemon instead! Who cares that Laenor was in the process of recommitting himself to their marriage when she sprung this idea on him? He gets to live penniless with his boyfriend in Pentos or something! All he had to do was give up his family, his inheritance, his power, his place at court and all his wealth, along with the life of one of his father’s servants. Sure, he could have kept all those things, but then Daemon would get all broody about how he can’t openly fuck his niece!

Her second eldest is adamant he doesn’t want the Driftwood throne. She forces him to fight for it anyway rather than just quietly sending word that Luke is willing to allow Vaemond to inherit in his place.

Suggesting Aemond be tortured to learn where he heard her sons being called bastards after Luke just slashed out his eye. Not to mention that snobby “Thank you, father” that was totally inappropriate, unnecessary and sent Alicent over the edge.

In comparison, Aegon is a teenage boy who… likes drinking and jerking it. The worst thing he has done was mock his brother with a pig. Alicent corrects this behavior, and from what I can tell, the two boys were friendly towards each other after the time jump. Aemond and Aegon are chatting before dinner. Aemond stands to defend Aegon when Jace acts like he may try something. When Aemond gets punched by Jace and then pushes him to the ground, Aegon grabs Luke before he can do anythjng. Clearly they have grown close.

We see the twins at the fighting pit where Aegon allegedly goes often. How can they know that, though? Earlier in that episode Otto asks his personal guard (either Erryk or Arryk. Their names sound the same and they have the same face, I don’t know who is who) where he is and his guard admits that Aegon exploits his authority to order him away and then evades him. He admits he doesn’t have a clue what he gets up to. Then, later we see a boy with blonde hair and purple eyes, and it’s Aegon’s. No doubt in anyone’s mind. Clearly Aegon is knowingly breeding child fighters for the pit. Weird how he wasn’t there, though.

Matter of fact, the white worm just found him drunk off his ass and stashed him in the sept. That’s what he was getting up to. Getting drunk and likely paying for sex.

Now let’s analyze the scene where Alicent confronts Aegon.

Alicent is IRATE and Aegon is half asleep. Looks like he hasn’t moved in a while, tbh. Aegon asks if something happened. Don’t you think he would know if he did something? His mother reminds him about Dyana, and he seems very nonchalant about it. Not the kind of reaction you would expect from someone that just forced himself on a struggling servants. He saw it as just a bit of fun. His reaction just seems… off.

Now, we know GRRM likes to repeat plot points. One in the original series was Cersei only laying with Robert when he was drunk so she could finish him off some other way, and he wouldn’t remember. Aegon is a known drunk. There were no witnesses. Who’s to say Dyana isn’t a spy or a mole sent to fuck shit up?

She is in season 2. Why bring back an SA victim in season 2 if she doesn’t have more to add to the story? Sure, there could be a revenge arc, but from my understanding, Dyana is at a brothel in season 2. Now, did she wind up there after the Aegon incident (hard to believe considering she was given a pouch of coin to start a new life and she only made it to the end of the palace driveway) OR she went back to where she came from. Back to her mistress, the White Worm. We see she employs young women in her service. Who’s to say they didn’t make the whole thing up to try and sway more people towards Rhaenyra’s cause? Nothing makes a man look worse than SA.

So all the horrible things Aegon has done so far, has been hearsay. We don’t see anything other than him bullying Aemond when they were kids. So either the writers had to do something totally awful with his character, or it wouldn’t be such a landslide siding for Rhaenyra.

You know if they hadn’t decided to assassinate his character, it would be much closer to a 50/50 split. They also had to whitewash the hell out of Rhaenyra to make her more likable. In the books, SHE orders Vaemond’s death and feeds him to her dragon. So in the same episode they blackwashed Aegon and whitewashed Rhaenyra so the audience would root for her. Then they had the balls to say WITH THEIR WHOLE CHEST that they aren’t biased in their writing.

[horsegirlwarcrimes]

what’s ur fav pairing involving sqh and please elaborate in as much detail as humanly possible 🙏🏽🙏🏽 personally im all for js abt anyone / sqh because i believe he’s just a guy and yet..every relationship he has is meaningful to me

omg a great question 👀👀👀

i have to admit i am a basic moshang lover at heart, they are just the perfect combo of angst/genuine emotions/beautiful themes and very funny that i love. shang qinghua is mr. boop and also mobei-jun's god and the jaken to his sesshomaru. mobei jun is his blorbo and his abuser and his annoying boss. they have a 20-30 year age difference. they dont even get together at the end of the moshang extras they just continue to have a weird boss/employee relationship and someday get their shit together off-screen. its everything to me

when writing moshang, i think the best things for me are the available tension of mobei jun's treatment of shang qinghua, contrasted against the genuine softness i think mobei jun feels for him and shang qinghua's deeply ingrained self worth issues. its just such a delicious cocktail for both drama and sweetness! and for some reason when together, they give me that very solid 'married couple who can basically psychically communicate' vibe, compared to bingqiu's messy freudian college girl energy (also beloved to me)

THAT SAID. i do think there are other very fun or funny pairings for sqh that i would love to see more of tbh.

A) SQH/YQY. this is mostly just because i love @tossawary's hey, share the weight a little, which is so cute and honestly mostly comes down to 'two great tastes that taste great together' for me. not my fav for either of them but deserves honorable mention for being the main non-moshang sqh pairing with a fic i love

B) SQH/LQG. i think that shang qinghua gets him. he COULD fix him, by which in this case i mean use his mildly conniving nature, excellent planning skills, and sneakiness to improve liu qingge's quality of life through trickery. and i think that shang qinghua could really benefit from a loving and devoted partner who doesn't have that much more emotional intelligence than him, but who would make him eat full meals, sleep, and get some fresh air.

C) SQH/TLJ - SQH/TLJ/SXY - SQH/SXY... its just so funny. i think they could be enchanted by his weird little man swag. his mildly evil heart and his big brown eyes. and i think he'd find them mildly unsettling which is also funny

D) MQF/SQH. i have never seen or written any content for this but i kind of want it very badly now that ive thought of it. sqh can get rare and weird information for him, mqf would be 'i can fix him' for sqh's crippling anxiety and tendency to get injured by demons, they are both workaholics... this would be a magical combo

i do sometimes read cumplane and think they can be very fun and/or cute, but its not really a fav sqh pairing of mine, nor is sqh/og!sqq, altho ik those are probably the other two most popular pairings for him. i just think he should be w someone who appreciates how smart he is and idk that either of them do that for me... they, in turn, seem to me like guys who want to be the smart one in a relationship 😂

anyways i really took 'in as much detail as possible' and ran with it so i hope this answers your question hahaha. many thoughts about this man that live in my brain 😌

[zenkindoflove]

Elucien and Sarion Parallels

Ever since I finished HOFAS, I can't help but think of all the parallels between Elain x Lucien and Sathia x Tharion. It's definitely not a coincidence and it makes me have big high hopes for both ships in the future of their series. So I made a big list of all the ways their characters and situations are paralleling each other. HOFAS spoilers under the cut.

This is the most obvious parallel. Both Elucien and Sarion are strangers finding themselves in a romantic entanglement. Elucien's mating bond snaps as soon as they meet each other, effectively making them strangers who are soulmates. Sarion is a marriage of convenience trope, where before ever speaking to each other, they both agree to marry so that Sathia doesn't have to marry one of the Murder Twins. Both have to essentially get to know the other one under the circumstances of having a romantic bond between them.

Tropes Are Troping.

There are tons of similarities in the actual situations that Elucien and Sarion first meet. They are both in a throne room, standing in front of an evil Fae King who is putting Elain and Sathia in a very high-stakes, traumatizing, nonconsensual situation. Before Elain is turned Fae and before the mating bond snaps, Lucien protests what is happening to her, leading to his bondage. He breaks through the bonds once she is dumped onto the floor, running to her to cover her with his jacket to preserve her modesty and provide her with his protection. As the CC crew bargain for Sathia's freedom, which is going nowhere fast, Tharion offers himself to marry Sathia so that she doesn't have to be shackled to one of the Murder Twins forever. He's effectively, like Lucien, the only one who takes the extra step to protect her.

Meet Cute.

Given the trope that Elucien and Sarion are both in, both couples effectively belong to one another right from the start. Lucien and Elain are often referred to each other as mates and Lucien's internal thoughts claim her as his mate. "Mine. You are mine, and I am yours. Mate". In Tharion's POV, he very quickly labels her as his wife and seems comfortable embracing that label for her. Literally, one of my favorite parts about these tropes is how these romantic and intimate labels now have such a distinct and powerful punch against the background of the tension behind the trope.

My Wife/My Mate

This section really deserves a bullet point list because omg, there are so many parallels in these two characters.

Lucien and Tharion

-Redheads

-Flirty rakes who like to "dally"

-Depicted as having lots of low-commitment sexual encounters before they meet their love interest.

-This part of their characters seems to be a defense mechanism to protect their hearts.

-As soon as they do find their love interest which is an instant high-commitment, they are both singularly focused on them and loyal. Feyre states Lucien no longer enjoys the company of females now that he's a "mated male" and we no longer see Tharion flirting with or hooking up with any other characters.

-They're both self-loathing, broody sad dudes who don't have high opinions of their worth. Lucien: "I am seventh son of the Autumn Court" And a whole lot of nothing. Tharion: Captain Whatever. More like Captain Worthless.

-Both jump around in their allegiances after finding themselves in abusive power struggles. For both characters currently in their respective series, they've jumped from court/queens several times, and essentially find themselves aimless and without homes, relying on the generosity of their friends to hopefully take them in and see their worth.

-Both have had someone they love tragically taken from them that greatly affects their motivations and self-loathing.

TBH there are probably a ton more but this is just what I'm thinking of on the fly.

Elain and Sathia are a shorter list but I think that is only because we know less about them than Lucien and Tharion respectively.

Elain and Sathia

-Both are a more traditional feminine archetype. They're described as beautiful, petite, with many characteristics associated with upholding tradition and fulfilling more stereotypical feminine roles.

-Both are shown to value marriage and seek it out from men with power and influence. Elain with Graysen and Sathia in the HOSAB bonus chapter when she asks about Cormac.

-Both fall madly in love with their first love. Sathia says her separation from Collin is her "Ordeal". Elain is shown to be horribly depressed and desperately runs to find Graysen the first opportunity she gets. As Sathia does once she sees Collin again.

-Both are described as having some "vapid" traits that makes people underestimate them. Elain's interests in gardening and cooking is dismissed. Sathia is described as a fairly stereotypical rich and prissy girl who Ruhn thinks only cares about her manicures and clothes.

-Speaking of that underestimation, we see at different points in their series that characters around them are often surprised when they reveal that they are actually quite intelligent, thoughtful, and brave.

-Both have a moment of "standing up" for their love interest. Elain's famous "His name is Lucien" line and Sathia standing up to the Viper Queen on behalf of Tharion when they meet her in the alley.

-There is of course a bit of a difference between them. Elain is described as being more timid. Ruhn refers to Sathia as "a predator". So they both take a bit different approaches to how they fit into their social groups.

Elucien and Sarion both enter into their romance trope with other love interests either in their pasts or currently that they're involved with. Lucien has Jesminda, who he still loves deeply and mourns her death. Elain has Graysen, who she is engaged to but her turning Fae puts a big wedge in their relationship. Sathia isn't with Collin but clearly still loves him. It's unclear how far their relationship ever got. Tharion is the only one who is emotionally "unattached" but he is very much still in the web of the River Queen's daughter and his 10-year long engagement of duress to her.

It's complicated.

In both cases, Tharion and Lucien are effectively unattached. Maybe it's complicated but they are more free and open to the bond they now have to this stranger. Elain and Sathia are not, however. Both Elain and Sathia show that they still have a deep commitment to their former loves and take similar actions by giving into their most romantic fantasies and running after their first loves to try and save the relationship. We know for Elain, that her seeking out Graysen was the nail in the coffin for them. With Sathia, her situation with Collin is left very open ended. But both are full of angst and both show that Elain and Sathia are very romantic at heart and commit deeply to the men that they love. Both Tharion and Lucien are shown to be very understanding and not possessive of Sathia and Elain. Lucien is not present for Elain seeing Graysen but he gives her space to work through her feelings and it's known he's met Graysen and doesn't think highly of him yet its implied he has left him alone. Tharion does not go after Sathia as soon as she leaves to find Collin and even hopes that should he die she'd be free to marry Collin if he can get away from the Viper Queen.

She is still in love with her ex.

Now we don't know how Elain or Sathia truly feel for Lucien and Tharion. We have neither of their POVs. We do however see Tharion and Lucien's POVs and at least based on actions alone, Lucien is clearly more interested in pursuing the mating bond than Elain is at the moment. When Sathia leaves to find Collin, Tharion spends a lot of time with her letter and its said he can't stop thinking about her as he makes his way to help Bryce with defeating the Asteri.

He falls first.

Lucien and Tharion both go to "rescue" their love interest. Lucien desperately wants to leave Spring to make sure that Elain is okay after her trauma in Hybern. He still doesn't trust the Night Court and has no idea what they're doing to her. He crosses Prythian with Feyre, going into Autumn Court where he knows they could kill him on the spot and where he experienced some of his worst traumas. But he braves it all just so he can see Elain once and make sure she's okay. He's fully aware she has a fiance and may not want anything to do with him. Tharion, after the Asteri are defeated, is seen in his last chapter of HOFAS returning back to the Meat Market where the Viper Queen holds a bounty on his head and essentially owned him as her slave. But he returns so he can make sure that Sathia is not in danger. Similar to Lucien, he's returning to the place of his trauma, risking it all with little expectations that Sathia will "choose him"

Damsels in distress.

Lucien is an emissary and he is well known for his social skills. Elain similarly has been described as being very charming and sociable, able to befriend servants or nobles. It's a common head canon amongst Eluciens that Elain and Lucien, once they start spending time together, will find themselves in a situation where they have to act as emissaries and Elain will impress Lucien with her natural skills. We see this scenario play out with Tharion and Sathia when they try to convince the River Queen to protect some of Crescent City's most vunerable members. Tharion is impressed at how skilled Sathia is when talking to the queen, able to charm and "speak her language" which is that of nobility and politeness.

Emissaries.

Prediction: I have a feeling that not only are both Elucien and Sarion end game, but I think their end game is going to be mirror images of where they started. Elucien started with a mating bond and I think they will fall in love and choose to marry each other. And the reverse, Sarion started with a marriage but I also think they will fall in love and the mating bond will snap between them. It would just be such a cute additional parallel to how SJM has set up their characters and story arcs.

[eliteseven]

I have a headcanon that in any universe where Shadowheart saves her parents and later gets married, all her friends go to comically-ridiculous lengths to Shar-proof the wedding venue so she can't ruin Shadowheart's special day. And idk this just seems like it fits the NLS vibe so I had to tell you about it.

Omg I love that 🥹

I think it would be really sweet if everyone banded together to Shar-proof the wedding!

Gale with warding spells/glyphs on the perimeter, Wyll with his fancy Baldurian security detail for extra hands on deck, Karlach bringing her good axe just in case 👀, Lae’zel running a perimeter check and criticizing their “extremely exposed and incompetently planned” setup…. Jaheira bringing some Harpers….

Tbh I think it would be the ultimate comedic disaster if Sharrans actually did show up to cause problems and everyone just frantically scrambles to stop all their attempts without Shadowheart and Tav ever catching wind of their presence at the wedding.

Like, they’re taking their vows, completely oblivious to the fact that a literal assassin is getting dragged off behind some bushes by Lae’zel.

Shadowheart goes to cut Tav a piece of (poisoned) cake and Karlach takes one for the team by “falling” into the entire thing, rendering it inedible.

The musicians playing loudly, Shadowheart and Tav swaying together blissfully as Withers absolutely decimates an entire group of Sharrans into a pile of bone and dust, just outside of view.

Astarion stumbling back to the dancing area with blood on the corner of his mouth and when they ask what he found to eat a little suspiciously he just shrugs like “…a very large rat…?🙄”

Anyway yeah lol I love the idea! I think it’d be a fun way for everyone to show their appreciation for their favorite cleric 🥹💕 and Tav and Shadowheart really do deserve a night off!!!

[staenless]

STEDDIE LUNCHBOX FIC PART THREE

It was a week be

Sorry this took so long Ive been busy with beauty school and struggling with motivation tbh lol. Looking back at the previous two parts this needs a LOT of editing but honestly I don't think I can rn so you'll all have to suffer through unedited chapters for now, sorry! Anyway I'm very tired rn so I won't hold up with authors notes anymore, I hope you all enjoy this and please share your thoughts (they fueled this chapter tbh)

It was a week before Tommy passed his lunch on again. Eddie sat in his cubicle nose flaring at lunchtime everyday, a pavlovian response to the clunk-tick of the bento box popping open. He could smell meats, vegetables and fruits, cheesy pastas and salt-buttered rolls. Under it all he could smell that sugar sweet ginger and floral scent, Steve.

Eddie's own lunches were rare, and when he did lower himself to eat at the company café he always found it wanting. Nothing quite matched up to a meal made painstakingly by hand. He wondered if this was part of Tommy's cruel mockery, to hand him something he was unworthy of to let him taste heaven, then snatch it away and leave him stranded in a world of bland flavorless slop.

That wasn't to say the café food was bad. In actuality it was surprisingly good. The young woman who ran it had been part of a government program to teach underserved highschoolers skills, and her meals were wholesome and tasty. She had baked a cake for the company holiday party, and when she say Eddie savouring the bites she confided her secret: a third of the flour was substituted with corn flour to give it a texture. It was the best homemade cake Eddie had ever eaten, though he had very little to compare it to.

So no, the food at the café, the bar and the grocery store and - godforbid - Eddie's own kitchen wasnt bad. It was of a higher standard he was used to, and it was filling and tasty, and he ate what he liked instead of what his guardians decided he should eat. But none of it had the taste of Steve's hands on it, and so none of it could ever compare. He mindlessly shoved forkful after forkful into his mouth, chewed and chocked it all down. He missed Steve's food, after only tasting it once.

The day Tommy decided to grace Eddie's desk with the tin lunchbox again hadn't started out special. In fact as the clock slowly ticked into the luncheon hours Eddie had long resigned himself another cafe meal when Tommy's cackled echoed across the floor.

"Nah, he's going into heat soon so he's been extra bitchy... I've had to pull late night's just to get some damn peace"

Eddie's hackles rose. Omegas in preheat needed stability, reassurance. Spending hours away would just make their preheat anxiety worse, something Tommy was either too stupid to realise or too cruel to care.

"Aw c'mon man," one of the stuffy suited alphas beside him gave Tommy a heart shoulder clap, "heat is the whole point of marrying an omega, right? Man what I'd do to get to fuck one, is it true they can't think of anything other than cock?"

Tommy's low chuckling makes Eddie grit his teeth,that was basically conformation. He's out here discussing his omegas private, vulnerable moments like it's water cooler gossip. Barely containing a growl Eddie peaks over the cubicle and finally spots the group by the - oh for fucks sake - gathered around an honest to God watercooler.

"Yeah the fucking is great, he always bitches about wearing a collar but once he's in the heat of it," smattered giggles, "he forgets aaaalllll about it. Almost makes the week before worth it. Almost." The last line sounds almost spiteful, but his cronies don't seem to take note.

"How'd you even bag him? I mean sure omegas aren't that rare but I hardly see any that aren't mated, especially a nice tame one that'd pack me lunch."

Something in the air turns sour, and when Eddie peaks over again in a bizaar mimic of an old whack-a-mole game, he can see Tommys face twist and turn in on itself. He seems torn between frustration and pride, like a dog showing off its gold plated collar.

"It was a family thing," he says, the vague answer telling just enough for his buddies to drop it while still answering their question. He glances down at the lunch box in his hand and his upper lip twitches in disgust, then his eyes rove over the office cubicles before locking onto Eddie. Shit, too late to duck down, and Tommy marches over, smarmy smile stretching over his too-white too-straight teeth.

"Munson!" THWACK. Ow. "You not having lunch?" Tommy leans down, weight on Eddie's shoulder where his fingers dig in just enough to make Eddie want to bite him. But the possibility of getting his paws on that lunch box, on Steve scented food, outweighs his instinct to fight the alpha trying to impose himself.

"Shit man," his grin is all teeth, "I hadn't even noticed the time! Guess I'll have to run down to the cafe and pick something up, huh?" It's fake. It's so fake and they both know this conversation is just a formality, the conclusion already known.

"I'll save you the trouble," Tommy should have persued an acting career, the script sounds so natural as he straightens up and clacks the lunch box onto Eddie's desk, "I'm heading out to lunch with the boys, you'd be doing me a favour." The last part doesn't sound like a lie, and if Eddie wasn't so desperate for the lunch he'd wonder why Tommy was so desperate to get rid of it.

"Thanks man," he spits out to Tommys retreating form. He mutters something - likely demeaning - to his cronies who titter, then leave together like a pack of cackling hyenas.

Eddie launches from his desk and flies to the rooftop, lunchbox clutched desperately in his hands, cigarettes forgotten. Once he reaches his usual spot his pops the lid, thrumming with excitement at the sight of another note. Ignoring the food over the sweet omegas words he plucks the folded yellow paper and gingerly unfolds it.

"please come home early"

His heart plummets. Right. Steve is in preheat, he obviously wants his alpha. But Tommy said he was avoiding Steve, and now the note confirms that. Please come home early, but no "I miss you" . No "love Steve". It seemed impersonal, something like an order, or begging, but without the hope either of those entail. He recalled Tommys other statement. It was a family thing.

Eddie was familiar, though distantly, with the idea. Arranged marriages were hardly a thing anymore. The star charts, the burnt herbs and entrails spread out beneath a crones trembling hands was far too gouche for modern metropolitans. The payments in silk and bovine too backwards and simple for their forward thinking ways.

Marriages were a more democratic affair for the rich and wealthy, planned out in wood panelled offices with huffing cigar breaths, Alpha to Alpha, the prospects of mergers and inheritance trumping starsigns and blood types. Arranged marriages was for backwards, superstitious folk, agreements were for the rich to keep the money in arms reach. Steve and Tommy were an agreement.

And by the looks of if; no mating bite, avoidance during preheat and the tone Tommy musters when discussing his spouse? Not a particularly blissful agreement. Still. Please come home early, Steve must find some comfort in Tommy's general existence if he wants him around over a trusted family member or close friend. Or pup. Tommy never mentioned a pup, but whether that was because he didn't have one or didn't care much to talk about it was somewhat up in the air.

Eddie brought the note to his lips, just toughing, and breathed deep. The ginger of Steve's scent was less sweet now, his preheat brining out the spice. Something like pepper ticked the back of his nose, pulled the air from his lungs and a final floral smell brought him back in, the sweet aftertaste of a spicy treat. The flowers smelt fresh, Eddie could recall the lily's at his mother's grave smelling the same. Somewhere in his mind he knew that comparison should scare him, but the memory of her grave after the funeral had always been rose tinted by Wayne's kind smile when he took his hand and gently lead him away. Eddie pulled the note away and his lips twitched up, that floral after taste was definitely lily's.

Eddie spared the food a glance, and as delicious as it look, he had something else on his mind. He looked down at the note in his hands, his hind brain sparking to attention at the scent of the omega, and the idea of him home alone in preheat. Eddie wanted to comfort him, to sooth his nerves and let him know he was safe and loved. He wanted to pace the door in front of their den, while Steve nested inside, to protect him from any intruders and serve him. To hold his hand, his waist, to pillow his head on Steve's chest and listen to his heart beat and bathe in his scent.

He couldn't. Steve was married, as much as Eddie's hind brain shouted "not mated" and Steve didn't even know Eddie, let alone allow the alpha into his nest. But Eddie couldn't help it as he pressed the note to his wrists and neck, mind whirling with ideas on how to comfort the omega. Somewhere between kissing Steves fingertips through fruit and the ginger of his scent burning Eddie's nose, the alphas heart had already pledged itself to the omega, already bared itself - pledged itself to his service. If all Eddie could offer was comfort, crossing lines of proprietary was no hurdle.

Taglist: @xxbottlecapx @goodolefashionedloverboi @stevesbipanic @monsterloverforhire @swimmingbirdrunningrock @samsoble @bookworm0690 @tinyplanet95 @idontwantmetoo @steddiehasmywholeheart @mugloversonly @persnicketysquares @morgannotlefay @lololol-1234 @greeniebean911

[silviakundera]

the 'big surprise' cdrama for me in 2023 that clearly didn't hit for anyone else but strangely I was all about it: Love You Seven Times

"This way, in the next life, and the life after that, you'll be able to find me."

"I may forget who I am, but I will never forget you again."

tbh 80% of the times I enjoy myself a xanxia but by the end I don't ship it. The couples torment each other too much and I emotionally disinvest. I started out already prepared to not care too much about the Love You Seven Times relationship, before one of them starts stabbing the other in the heart while marrying someone else. And then these bastards kept... not doing that? They sucked me in!

(Spoiler-heavy review)

When we are introduced to the 2 leads, they seem like your prototypical xanxia main characters. She's a super young cloud spirit. He's a jaded, cold & arrogant god of war who is impatient and derisive towards her hapless accidents & naivete.

But what's eventually revealed is that you aren't seeing the beginning of their story. These are actually the second incarnations of the essential characters - an immortal couple who are absolutely ride & die for each other, come hell or high water - and who cannot be kept apart or made to betray each other, no matter what tribulation they transmigrate into or how their memories are restricted.

We get:

* their original rom com to tragedy story, where they are wronged by the villian but never wrong each other

* a god arc [the story's bookend] where they are both missing their memories but come together again

(reborn as baby animals 🐯)

* mortal arc where she is transmigrated into a story and he is trapped in-character

* mortal arc where he transmigrated into a story and she is trapped in-character

* body swap mortal arc where they are both aware transmigrators

* demon realm arc where they are deep undercover and lie to each other while trusting implicitly

* a secret 8th thing, cause their love never dies

Usually the 'love trial'  arcs get a heavy fast forward from me. But here you have to invest or not watch at all. And I got interested because while per usual the mortal personas are Not Them... They then carry the collection of personas with them. Those experiences change them and actively linger. And the way the couple occupies these stories is fun - playing it straight, playing along, role swapping, cat demon petting...

This xanxia's lore says that the person's essence, the heart of them, is present deep-down: regardless of the outline proscribed by the Fate Book. And these guys are so very extra that they skew every trial they participate in. I liked how near the end, FL says do you know who I am? and ML lists all of her different identities she's carried. In Eternal Love, I was super annoyed by Ye Hua telling Bai Qian that I know you, you're Su Su. Sorry but to me Su Su has nothing in common with Bai Qian. But here, by the end, I did feel like all of those people are a part of FL and she feels that too.

"Who are you this time?"

For these two, I can believe it doesn't matter.

[ach-sss-no]

SH liveblog ch 2 First chapter & explanation | Next chapter

Outwardly: dumbly, I shamble about, a thing that could never have been known as human, a thing whose shape is so alien a travesty that humanity becomes more obscene for the vague resemblance.

~ Harlan Ellison, I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream

I FORGOT I DID EPIGRAPHS!!!! Ooooh they're so pretentious!!! But so much fun! For me choosing them, anyway.

No, I did not include AM's hate pillar message anywhere. I should have.

Ah right this is the 'baby backstory' chapter. We're transported 500+ years into the past.

"What's that then?" she asked right away. "Did you steals something?

In retrospect I wish I had made her use verbs normally. Smeagol in the book speaks with standard grammar when he drops 'villain mode'.

The boys looked at each other for a moment. They steeled themselves up and said in unison: "[Sméagol's parents are] Both dead. Fire."

TBH I wish I had just. Made him a normal orphan with parents that died of the flu or something. This is too extra for my taste. I think I was trying to draw a thematic parallel to Frodo's parents mysteriously drowning, or just working in fire as a recurring theme but it's just too much. It's too edgy. I don't like it.

By the way, I looked up other people's Sméagolfic before writing this because I consider 'what other people are doing' to be a part of fanfic reasearch for various reasons (what do people know about the character, what do they expect to see, am I about to write the same story someone else has already written to the extent that it becomes awkward, etc) Multiple people had used a very similar thread of 'Sméagol's mother died giving birth to a non-surviving sister when he was about 5' and it was so similar I wondered if it might have been from a letter or something, but if it was, I never found a source. Fanon does tend to memetically spread.

Béagol had been a greedy idiot. He had married a crazy woman from the settlement just downstream, who would go from laughing to sobbing in the span of a minute and paddled around in the River in full skirts like a child. When asked why, he had said that her wide, pale eyes had moonlight in them.

I wish I had made Smeagol's mother be normal too. Just like a completely ordinary hobbit. I think I was hinting that some of Sméagol's seeming corruption comes from odd genetics out of a contrary desire to make it even more confusing where he stops and Precious ends, but it never goes anywhere.

Sméagol's mother is never named in this, but I privately named her Minnow. For her silver eyes, which look like a minnow's scales. See, there's a reason I didn't include that.

there was something particularly unpleasant sounding about 'Sméagol', and it meant 'someone who creeps into holes'

This is canonically the meaning of his name and I included it here because I wanted to make puns and allusions to it later without requiring the reader to have semi-obscure canon knowledge from the appendices. I could expect people to have paid that much attention for a Silm fic but not for Gollum.

He did not like being touched. He would not speak. After he was fed, he curled up on the floor and went to sleep. His hair was matted.

I understand the temptation to make Gollum a feral child but again. I kinda wish I had just had him be normal. But then again, maybe that's coming from my past fandom self, living through the era when every single thing that might be interesting or unusual about a character (whether an OC or a headcanon about an existing character) drew Mary Sue accusations.

Sméagol slept quietly on the floor. He looked sickly pale and filthy and just as bedraggled and tragic an orphan as you'd wish.

I think I was also trying to 'echo' his current predicament in the fic's canon timeline where he's once again needing to be adopted after becoming helpless and alone after a lot of traumatic incidents, some known and some that will be never known because Smeagol was the only witness and he can't communicate what happened. And I'm sorta trying to sell this muderhobo as sympathetic because oh look he was a baby once too! I still wish I'd had him just be normal.

Back to present day...

Gollum was weak yet, very weak. Men had to take care of him. They picked up Sméagol and moved him around like a poppet.

Gollum is sort of dealing with the discomfort of being reliant on others by mentally characterizing the men in Gondor as inhuman entities with no personal connection (at this point these are all big strong buff guys that can drop kick Gollum if he suddenly turns out to have been faking and ready for murder. Aragorn thought of everthing). I really, really wanted to avoid too much angst or hurt-comfort (this is NOT supposed to be a whump fic, just a fic where my protagonist needed a hard reset- batteries ejected, the works) but I think, realistically, Gollum should be experiencing more mental discomfort.

Although he is good at compartmentalizing and repression.

Gollum is being given a bath, which he is able to enjoy despite not really liking to be helped, because he likes water so much.

they wanted to scrub his skin, they said something about it having a 'residue' on it

Tolkien refers to Gollum as a small, slimy creature exactly once in passing. I don't think he meant that Gollum is coated in mucus like a frog, but he should have been more specific.

I did this because I thought it was funny and also to really push 'The worst ways that Gollum is inconvenient are not even his fault'.

"Does the Men like riddles?" he asked. "No," said one of the Men.

Here's a secret: I hate writing poetry of any kind and I hate every riddle I wrote for this fic. Let's politely ignore them all.

By the way I don't remember why I decided that no one in Gondor wants to play riddles with Gollum ever. I might have just thought it was funny.

Gollum is being given his bath in what's essentially a utility closet because he throws so much water around. I think I got better at logistics as the fic went on? It doesn't entirely make sense that Gollum is somewhere so public. It must be fairly public, because Merry and Pippin turn up because Pippin sees a random closed door and remarks on it. This leads to Gollum inviting him in because he's lonely for his own kind (although he's not aware of that and is just saying he wants to see a hobbit without noting why)

"So you're Gollum!" the more pitying one said. "We've heard a lot about you. My name is Meriadoc Brandybuck, but I'm always called Merry." Meriadoc! Now, that was a proper name, not a bit of nothing like 'Samwise'. "And our name is Sméagol," he said politely. "My name is Sméagol. Sméagol sounds nicer, eh, it does. Doesn't it?" "I suppose it does," said Merry, also quite polite, "I beg your pardon. Sméagol, then.

Interestingly, he never asks to be referred to as Smeagol in canon. I thought surely he would get tired of being called Gollum and say something eventualy, though.

They no longer kicks us into corners and says 'vile, horrid' when they sees Sméagol, now Sméagol is petted and given nice things and hobbits comes to say hello. Is he not so ugly and nasty anymore?" And, of course, the real question was, when would they revert to their former opinions of him and start kicking him into corners again?

I think his main arc for this fic ends up being learning to believe that this will not happen.

"Yes. Do you have a last name? While we are making introductions is a good time to tell us, if you do." "A last name?" "A family name," said Pippin. "No," said Gollum. "If we did we have losst it."

I considered assigning him a last name but eventually decided 1) his weird feral clan probably didn't use them 2) I did not want to be cheeky enough to rename a Tolkien character.

I was considering the name Muckpaddle if anyone is wondering (you weren't)

He did not know that he was expecting something to happen until it didn't happen- the little nudge at the back of his mind that sent an already sensitive temper absolutely raging over, over something or other, to smother to death the still small voice of I did something horrible that can never be undone, and perhaps to only exile me was an act of kindness. This nudge did not happen. He was left with only the knowledge that he had done wrong, and his natural inclination to self-pity. "We are bad, so we have no family," he said, "and, we are old, so very old they would have died by now anyhow, we guess, yes, even the littlest cousins... no family, no name... gollum!"

I don't know how much of him in the books is Ring and how much of it is just an unpleasant personality. I guess here I went with 'homicidal rage = Ring but whiny selfish baby = that's just him'

Merry is looking for noncontroversial topics of conversation so he asks about boats.

"They did not have any boat. We made ours," said Gollum. "Used to make them from reedses…

Tolkien said Sméagol's clan made reed boats.

Aha! He had known that if he stayed here long enough, someone would require something from him in return. Making a reed boat would be an easy enough task. "Of course!" he said. "Good Sméagol helps hobbits however he can. But hobbit musst give us reeds."

He would need more materials than just reeds but I either didn't know that or thought he would have forgotten or left it out.

Merry and Pippin leave, Gollum is taken away and put to bed in his room and left alone. Time passes.

Gollum wakes up with the intuitive knowledge that someone is lurking outside the door.

"O," he cried, "who is there?" This was a sure sign that he was getting spoiled, because he knew one ought never to alert a mysterious presence that one had caught on to it- orcs had given themselves away to him that way too often for him not to know better!

I don't think this is the first time that Gollum is musing on how to avoid a dangerous monster only to casually reveal that he was the monster.

Anyway it's Bilbo (and I'm not totally happy with some of his dialog in his scene, I think later Bilbo scenes are better. I've loved the character since I was a kid but it doesn't follow that his 'voice' is as easy to learn)

"Is this Baggins?" he asked. He was certain it was, but equally certain that it shouldn't be. How could Bilbo be here? Where had he come from?

This is another point where information cannot be conveyed to the reader because Gollum cannot know it; Bilbo is here (and is a little bit on the warpath) because he's just recently seen Frodo and been horrified at his condition and partially blames Gollum for it.

They banter a little (Bilbo is justifiably aggrieved, Gollum is lonely and helpless enough to put aside his grudge so he just kind of says whatever will keep the conversation going and avoids apologizing for anything) until-

"BILBO BAGGINS, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" It was Gandalf!

I had not yet committed to making this fic a 100% serious and earnest project. If I wrote this chapter over again I would cut this My Immortal reference.

But I didn't cut it, and it's still here, and I have a certain fondness for it.

"As for you," said Gandalf, "asking riddles, of all things! I have quite by accident begun a research study- how far beyond a hobbit's natural lifespan must one live before he behaves like an adult? Bilbo has not managed it and neither will you. I wonder if another span of centuries would teach you good sense."

This is more anachronistic language than I would choose to use now. I confess I find it really amusing that everyone is just so offended that Gollum wants to play the riddle game. Even though it doesn't totally make sense?

The chapter ends there, Gandalf leaveds Gollum alone to think about what he's done

[marleyybluu]

Wax on, Wax off

Rio Martínez x woc!reader

Content warning: reader is pregnant (yes, another one), waxing while pregnant, just a whole lot of intimate and cute moments tbh, everyone’s in love, talks of pubic hair(?- shouldn’t be a warning cus we are all grown)

A/N: we should know this but this is not like propaganda that you need to have a bald cooch. It’s yours, you do what you want with it it’s beautiful either way this is just a cute little story. Probably spelling mistakes and you should know why… hehe:)

Also I don’t describe the reader in detail but as usual a woman of colour is in mind.

(Not my gif, )

"You better know what the fuck you're doing Martinez." You scold, pregnant and with a fire attitude. Rio just looks at you with those eyes that go "Yes darling, whatever you say." And then shakes his head at how crabby you were. It wasn't your fault... entirely. It was mostly his. You two had just gotten married, went on a month long honeymoon and came back with an extra guest. He was a lot sooner than you two had planned but it worked out anyway.

Aside from the usual pregnancy... uh... problems, you were over the moon. Rio was extra attentive to your needs and like the brave soldier he is, he volunteered to help you with your greatest challenge.

Your bush.

You weren't a posed to the natural nature of the human body, but sometimes you appreciated a "cleaner" look. You had a wax lady, your aesthetician, that you've been going to for years but she was on vacation and you didn't trust anyone else near your coochie like you did her so you decided to wait until she got back.

The timing was terrible, you were eight months and couldn't see a fucking thing with your belly in the way, so whatever was below wasn't really your problem. But now you were getting closer to the nine month mark and it was crazy how fast your hair seemed to have grown. Your bush was back like it was the eighties. And like the whiny pregnant wife you were you complained to your husband not expecting him to do anything you just needed to vent but then one day he comes home with a package in his hand and you don't question him about it, you let him tell you.

"I bought a wax kit off Amazon."

You wanted to laugh thinking it was a joke, he didn't need to wax anything of his, he was fine, he was perfectly trimmed. Not too hairy and not too bald. Your eyes damn near roll under the couch when you realize it's for you. You cried at how sweet the gesture was but told him it was okay (even though it wasn't.)

Now, here you are, laying on top of a towel, on top of your bed waiting for the wax to heat up. "What does Ciara usually do?" He asks as he stirs the wax with the popsicle stick. You sigh wondering why you let him do this. "When it's like this she usually trims it shorter, it's easier that way. Somewhat easier." He mumbled something like "okay, got it." Under his breath and you smile widely, this was so cute, he seems determined and it made your heart swell. You reassure him, "I believe in you baby, don't worry."

You feel a kiss on your leg. "Thanks mama, I won't hurt you."

"I know." You know. So you just relax.

Rio grabs a small pair of scissors, a pair of gloves and gets to work clipping and snipping as carefully as possible. And just like that he was done. "You want me to... take a pic and show you." He laughs but you say no. "I trust you."

The reassurance was comforting. "Alright, does she... wax now?"

"No she usually puts baby powder on it and then the wax."

He runs off to the baby's nursery to steal the baby powder, sprinkles it and wipes off any excess powder which surprised you. You didn't have to tell him to do that. He turns down the heat on the little pot that the wax was in, he looks around and sees your notebook on the nightstand and grabs it, waves it over the wax in an attempt to cool it down in fear of it being too hot for you. You scroll through your playlist, it was a little too quiet for your liking.

"¿Estas listo?" He asks and you give him two thumbs up, he chuckles. You do the butterfly position as best as you can. "You okay?"

"Mhm."

He nods at your confirmation and... goes for it. He remembers you saying to start at the mound— the mons pubis— so he did, slowly spreading the wax on one small section like a tester strip. He waited until it hardened. "Use one hand to pull my skin taut and the other to rip off the wax... but don't rip it." You remind him. "Got it." He says quietly. He counts down in his head and, yoink!, it was off and a smooth, hairless spot was left behind. Not bad, he thinks to himself.

You say, "Wow, didn't even hurt."

Rio smiled proudly, a little glad you couldn't see how happy your comments were making him. He applied another warm strip on your pussy, but this one was a bit bigger than the last and waited, repeating the same process as before. You hum along to Ari Lennox and tap your fingers on your belly. "Any names for the baby?" You ask. "Are we bad parents for waiting this long to come up with a name?"

Rio chuckles at your question. "Probably," He shrugs taking off another patch of hair. "Still don't like Leo?"

You blow raspberries. "No."

"How about Dustin?"

Now it's turn to blow raspberries. "You know our kid isn't white right?"

You snicker at him. "Fine. Noah?"

He tilts his head. "Not bad. I don't mind that."

"Christopher Junior, and we call him CJ for short."

Rio laughs. "That's the one. That's his name. Settled."

"You are out of your mind, sorry." He knew you never liked the Juniors.

You two bounced off baby names as he continued. Talked about who he would look more like, what sport would he prefer to play, you argued maybe he'll be a spelling bee kid instead and Rio smiles at your optimism of what your child or children could be. You chat and before you know it he tells you that you're done. Front and back. You try to sit up and pout, you wouldn't be able to see it anyway, your eyes burn with incoming tears. Fuck, why did this pregnancy have to make you so sensitive?

Rio hears your sniffles. "I'll take a picture, darlin', don't worry."

He snaps a photo and hands you the phone. Wow. You were bald.

"Rio... this is crazy. You got every single hair." You giggle zooming in. "Did I?" He asks fighting a grin, he takes off his gloves and tosses them in the trash can inside the bathroom. "Should get you to do my brows next."

"Sixty bucks."

You scoff. "Your child is inside me, that's payment enough."

"Alright, moms discount." He surrenders, he kisses your knee. He winks up at you but his eyes quickly divert between your legs, your sex glistening under the light. But he knew the rules. Twenty-four hours. He places your leg on his shoulder, kissing your skin, his hand wavers over your heat. Temptation. The urge to slide his finger in there. You lick your teeth. "Twenty four." You remind him.

You glitch when you feel his fingertip between your folds. "Twenty... four..." He repeats closing his eyes. "Thank you for helping me." He assists you in sitting up and you rest your head on his chest. "I love you so much," You pucker your lips and he kisses you. "You're too good for me."

He sucks his teeth. "Nah, you're too good for me. I love you so much too."

"What do you want to do now?" He asks putting away his equipment. You smile mischievously. "Up to watch some hair tutorials?"

If you liked this fic, feel free to like this fic.

Likes, reblogs and comments are very appreciated.

No tags again. I’m just… tired rn lol sorry

[bitchapalooza]

have you ever considered austria/romano?

If you mean Austria x Romano as a ship—nah, not my thing personally. Even if I didn't see them as "family"* I still wouldn't ship them. Personalities wouldn't mesh well I think.

Austria x Romano x me x tax benefits—nah, I think Romano has faked his death far too many times and would be arrested if he ever walked into a government building he doesn't have clearance in (he has clearance in none, they took his privileges away decades ago). That is to say if he doesn't steal Veneziano's identity again to do it. Buuuuut then I'd be legally married to Vene and tbh he wouldn't be down to the tax benefits. Because he's already in deep shit for the tax evasion. Obviously. So yeah, Romano can't be in the PPP (Platonic Polycule with an extra P for Pizzazz). Plus I don't think he would be fond of Kuma. Kuma is a very tall very powerful warlord of the sea 🤓☝️

*family as in through a bond. In their case a loose one with rips and tears. But also Veneziano seems to regard him as a father figure, why Romano doesn't know, but if he's family to Vene he's family to Roma. Not like he'd ever admit it.

[empressofmankind]

Things I enjoyed about writing my Crocodile/female!OC smut, in no particular order:

If you had to imagine the walking, talking embodiment of all Buggy's insecurities (imo), I feel like you'd get Sir Crocodile, and that's pretty much how I went into writing him. I set out to absolutely maximize Buggy's: "Oh no, her ex is (insert self-deprecating qualifier) than me". You know, tall(er), confident, masculine, accomplished, infamous, intimidating, actually scary, redundantly rich, pretty conventionally attractive and the scar just adds to the sex appeal. He has a voice like that, and no doubt a way with women? He's even near perfected his control over his devil fruit powers! Absolutely aces the whole Bounty Hunting business thing. Rolls in and out the Grand Line like it's his backyard. He's even better at being Disney-levels of evil! Complete with a better villain laugh. How dare. How dare he absolutely nail most of everything Bugs covets? Poor Buggy. The fact that his girlfriend is technically still married to the jackass is just an extra kick in the gut while he's down, tbh. Basically, if Bugs were a piniata, this is currently my stick of choice to go at him with. I just keep finding new aspects for Bugs to be insecure about and it doesn't matter how often Shivs tells him not to worry about it.

As you know, I wrote the whole thing first in three sits, ignoring most of the limb logistics. And then I went in and revoked hand privileges. That sucked? But it was also kind of fun to then try and either make it work with one hand and/or integrate his hook. Some of the instances actually got far better with it: neck pulling, ahoy! is a big one, hitching up clothing for a close second, but also being casually threatening for no apparent reason (and then for a really apparent reason, omg). Croc seems to lean towards preferring to use his hand, and sometimes he misses having two of them for this and I tried to show that. I mean, I get it - hands have tactile sensation. Plus, we wouldn't want to kill her. Not at this point in the timeline.

God tier banter, if I may say so myself. I specifically enjoy writing (sexual) banter, but I feel like I've outdone myself here. Their beats are also pretty even-handed and so well attuned to eachother, like this isn't their first verbal rodeo, this is the end stage mega evolution of years of practise.

The way Shivs walked into her ex's office with the intention of manipulating him with sex, but did so while explicitly and recognisably wearing her current boyfriend's clothes. Balls of steel, this girl. But, she knew who she was confronting. If he turned out at all amenable to her scheme, he'd want her out of these rags stat. And that was five free steps in the direction she was meaning to go. In addition, I am a firm believer of him being a high-key closeted bisexual and we all know what they say when boys excessively pick on you. All it takes is squinting just right and imagining her with a different hair colour, and that just made me chortle. I am probably the whole target audience for this, but yolo.

The way his pet name use corresponds to his emotional headspace, apparently. I wasn't doing this intentionally, but I noticed during editing. He says 'doll' a lot (a grand total of 14 times, jfc), uses it the way guys tend to use 'babe'. I felt doll suited him, perhaps because I strongly associate it with Noir films, older Bond & Mafia movies, and crime bosses in general. Showing my age there, maybe. Then he also uses 'sweetheart' quite a few times (9 iirc), and I am pretty sure he does so in an endearing manner. Lowering those emotional walls a teeny tiny bit as fondness seeps through. And then, like, once or twice, he uses 'honey'. And, again, I feel like he uses it in an older manner, the way stereotypically a husband fondly refers to his wife. It feels intimate. Like he briefly forgets all of this is dust? I think about that a lot.

Did you notice how she doesn't use any terms of endearment? I did wonder if she had any, but I felt like she wouldn't use them. Not at this point. Not any more. She loves Bugs. She did slip up once though, did you notice? She is the queen of mildly awkward nicknames.

It may not seem so at first pass, and it's certainly not super obvious, but it seems to me like he's trying pretty hard to put Shivs' relationship goals bar somewhere on the roof. He wants nothing and no one to be able to even remotely compare to him, especially not the clown. So he throws everything at this that he can? Which, arguably, is mostly material because that's in his nature and fundamentally how he interacts with and relates to the world and people around him. But you saw how fast he was to gtfo that couch the minute she alluded to any part of this being cheap (Mediocre? Sub-standard? Blasé?). Does he genuinely not want to cheapen the whole thing? Or can he just not stand the idea of her thinking this whole thing is cheap? Or both? I suppose these aren't mutually exclusive.

I like that she can make him laugh, and vice versa. They've got really solid chemistry, dammit.

Two people that just really enjoy smoking. Like, they are Smokers with a capital S. That's a whole relationship dynamic unto itself. I am really pleased with how I managed to actively integrate it into their shenanigans. It was a lot of fun and something unique to them.

The way he just repeatedly fails at trying to engage her in a little girl dynamic. Was that a thing in the past? They had (and have) a fairly notable age difference (7-8 years, give or take). And he takes it so well when she just, doesn't play along or only does so for like five entire seconds, or blatantly wields it against him. Poor guy. Just spank her already, I know you want to.

The way Shivs goes from being mildly nervous and quite determined to: 'Oh fuck, I'd forgotten how good this actually used to be'. Like, been there, done that, didn't end well. But man, it's a mood.

Press F in the chat for the fact that she only had one orgasm in this whole thing, and it barely took the edge off. Jerk knew what he was doing. It's a power play, of course.

Sneaking in background information and then doing absolutely nothing with it. Like the comment he makes regarding both their facial scars. But also every time either of them alludes to their past relationship but doesn't actually tell us anything.

Mihawk is a wine aunt. Even Crocodile seems to think so. I am sorry, I don't make the rules.

The part where he just happens to have things on hand that she either likes (i.e. that specific brand of cigarillo's his company makes) or that fit her way too precisely (i.e. that outrageously swaggy negligee). This dude is not OK. My man, if you still know your ex' dress sizes this well after several years, you need to do some introspection. And maybe see a therapist.

The infamous fancy panties were originally a gift from him, and she evidently kept them these past years? I am not sure what makes me frown deeper: the fact that she still has them, or the fact that he immediately recognised them. I don't think she was necessarily wearing them on purpose? She does really like them and wears them often. RIP those undies. I think she's way more upset about losing them than she lets on. I wonder if she'll accept new one(s)? I suspect she may, something about gift horses. Maybe he figures? Maybe that's the point. A renewal of something. A visual reminder of the casual control he can exert over her when he wants to. It may seem insignificant (she will definitely not overthink it), but underwear is very private and intimate. He's staking a claim even without particularly saying so. But I am sure every other man in the room will figure that one out. (Counting on Mihawk to say it out loud in that bored drawl of his. The Bisexuals Straights Are At It Again.) Doubly so if they're particularly prone to feeling insecure. Poor Bugs. Just take this one lying down, you silly clown. She wants them because she thinks you'll like them and she knows neither of you can gdamn afford anything remotely like it.

Did you notice she isn't truly naked at any point? Partially undressed, yes. A little exposed, also. But not naked. Meanwhile, he's stomping around in his bare ass half the fic. I like how he gave her something nice to wear and then didn't take it off.

At this point, I feel like he gets pants problems the minute she calls him 'sir', no matter the context. Some things just get sexy tainted forever, and there's no going back, lmao.

The unnecessarily expensive details. I had so much fun with those? The layout and details of his office and bedroom, for one. Both their smokes are implied to be well out of Shivs paygrade. Any brands come to mind? Or take the wine, for example. Can you guess which one I am referencing? And the lace - I am from a traditional lace-making area. Handmade lace was and is hella expensive. Don't even start about lace featuring custom tailored designs. There was absolutely no need to throw this much Beli at the nearest wall. But he did it anyway, because he does it all the time.

The way he keeps verbally reminding her of how different things used to be. For the better, in his opinion, of course. Like, are we casually trading favours here, or are you trying something?

On that count, did you notice how often Shivs is actually thinking about Buggy in this? At no point is he far from her thoughts, it seems.

I didn't set out with this mindset, but based on how the whole thing came out - I think Crocodile might miss her (or the idea of her) ? At any rate, I don't think he's OK. You stupid dick. You self-marooned on this island of misery and now it's too late. No changies, no takebacksies.

I came up with the title post-fact. Maybe it's his thoughts, not hers?