#to anyone else who has seen this- I am bit curious to know what you think :)

[eighthwholove]

screencaps I took of Paul from The Rainbow (1989)

[dambaepuff]

hey hi, could i make a request? Im happy to see another good author starting :) u also seem very nice. could i request a yoongi x preferably fem!reader? if you want you can make it a genderneutral fic. my idea was a scenario were one of them is jealous, i thought of it being her jealous of him, over something stupid, but not in a toxic way like yk just pure jealusy mixed with insecurities. And they have a little petty argument and like it ends with smut i mean they make up to eachother that way :P like smut mixed with fluff at its purest. also, i am really curious to see how u write yoongi, i see many authors making him cold and tough but i believe that he is a very caring softie haha, by the morning wood headcanons, i think you got him very well ;) thank u in advance

REGRETS (m)

Pairing: Idol!Yoongi x FEM!Reader

Genre: angst, fluff, smut, one shot, request, established relationship

Warnings: jealousy, insecurities, a petty argument, depictions of sex, crying, emotional, oral sex (f receiving), vaginal fingering, bodily fluids, penetration (vaginal), a bit of praise, light biting, squirting

Word count: 5k

Summary: uhhh idk dude just read the request that’s pretty much it

A/N: UGH I LOVE THIS IDEA!! I don’t have much experience with writing angst so this was a really nice exercise. Thank you sooo so much for all the kind words, it’s what keeps me writing. I’m also a sucker for soft Yoongi so this is right up my alley. (Also this is not proofread so lmk if there’s any mistakes or anything)

Thursday night, it’s quiet outside. You’re trying to watch a movie with Yoongi. Key word trying. His hand has been gently rubbing your thigh for a few minutes now, whenever he tries sliding it up to tease you, you grab it and put it back onto his lap. He’s clearly trying to get you heated, but it’s having quite the opposite effect. Lately you’ve felt quite out of it, your lack of confidence causing you to avoid intimacy. With Yoongi being the gentleman he is, he always accepts it when he realizes you’re not in the mood and he moves on. However, you’re starting to doubt his ability to keep going like this. What if he realizes you aren’t satisfactory to him anymore? He could easily find someone else who would be all over him in seconds.

Replaceable. That’s how you’ve been feeling lately. He could have anyone he wants, so why you? “Are you not feeling it tonight?” Yoongi’s voice startles you out of your thoughts. “Huh? Oh. No I’m sorry.” You respond, your voice growing quieter with the end of the sentence. “That’s okay, c’mere.” He mumbles before pulling you into his chest, his hand soothing down your back.

‘Will he stay with me if I keep pushing him away like this?’ Is what you keep asking yourself. On one hand you’re afraid he’ll stop loving you if you stop showing him affection. And on the other hand, you’ve been so self conscious lately about your body and if you’re doing things right you don’t know if it’s worse to ruin the relationship by pushing him away or by not being good enough. ‘Do I even deserve to be with him at this point?’

Friday, 4:37PM. You got off work early today so you decided to stop by Yoongi’s studio. He’s still working so you’re lounging around on one of the couches inside of the room. The two of you had made plans to get dinner together when he finishes up for the day which you’re really looking forward to.

A short blurry figure appears at the studio door, they raise their hand up and place three quiet knocks onto the glass. Yoongi gets up with a huff and opens the door. In front of him stands a familiar woman, you can’t quite remember her name, but you’ve seen her around the company building before.

“Here’s your coffee Suga!” She says in a cheery tone. Her eyes land on you and her smile falls a bit. “Oh, I didn’t know you would be here. Sorry I didn’t get you anything.” She apologizes with a light bow of her head. You dismiss her with a wave of your hand before going back to fidgeting with the hem of your sweater. She turns her attention back to Yoongi who is setting his drink down onto his desk. “Hey Suga, a few of us are going to that barbecue place down the street for dinner and drinks tonight. Do you guys wanna come with?” She asks with a tilt of her head, her long black hair swaying with the movement.

“Uhh, yeah?” He looks at you quickly for confirmation to which you nod your head lightly. “Yeah. Sure we’ll come.”

Yoongi continues chatting with the girl. She casually leans against the door frame, the conversation between them flowing oh so easily. ‘It took me ages to be able to talk to him that smoothly. Why couldn’t I be like her?’ You think to yourself, trying your best to not let your irritation show.

He bids her farewell and sits back down at his desk. For the remaining time you spend in his studio all you can look at is him. Your gaze burns holes into his side profile, tracing each curve of his features over and over again. Why would a man whose heart only knows kindness, whose eyes and soul are so understanding of everything be with you? Your being is rotten with unforgiving bitterness, you seethe at every imperfection like a nun enraged by sin. Why would he want you?

He’s like a wild flower. He needs to be pollinated by the love and kindness of a bee to bloom, yet he stays with you, a caterpillar feeding off of him, biting off his flesh for your gain. Eating away at him and leaving nothing. Maybe you aren’t even a caterpillar. They can eventually turn into a beautiful creature with wings of eyeful colors, yet you can’t become anything more than what you are. You’re stuck in a vicious cycle, devouring every resource without paying any mind to the fact there will be nothing left when you’re done. What does he get for loving you if you can’t be of use? You can’t make him bloom.

“(Y/N)? (Y/N)!” You snap out of your thoughts, the reality around you giving you whiplash. Yoongi is kneeling in front of you, holding your jacket out. “Let’s go, we’ll be late.” You try to take it from his hands, but instead of giving it to you he holds it up so you can slip your arms inside. Once it’s on you he turns you around and zips it up for you. “Okay, let’s go.”

As you’re walking down the long hallways towards the elevators, Yoongi notices something odd. You usually grab onto his hand the moment you start walking somewhere together, but your hand is tucked away in your pocket now. He gently pulls it out and intertwines your fingers together. You can’t bring yourself to grip onto him like usual, instead you limply keep your hand at your side, letting him hold it. He’s a bit confused by this, but nevertheless he keeps holding you, his grasp only growing tighter in an effort to reassure you.

Yang Sunhee. Her name popped up in your head the moment she sat down across from you and Yoongi at the long wooden table. She’s been leading the conversation at your part of the table for a while now, mostly talking to Yoongi. To her credit she has tried to include you into the conversation a few times, but you didn’t really give her much to work with so she gave up.

You’ve been pushing your food around your plate for a while now. It’s mostly pieces of meat Yoongi placed down onto it for you, your favorite in fact. You just can’t get yourself to even place anything into your mouth, anxiety squeezing your throat so tightly you can barely even swallow your own saliva.

Sunhee is laughing at something, her eyes bright and her large smile hidden away behind a polite hand. Yoongi is laughing too, maybe not as hard as her, but he’s still laughing. ‘Why am I not the one making him laugh right now? Am I not funny anymore?’

As you’re glaring down at your food you feel a warm hand make contact with your shoulder. “You wanna go home?” Yoongi asks quietly, tucking a stray piece of hair behind your ear. “Yes please.” You breathe out, barely audible. On the drive home Yoongi tries asking what’s wrong multiple times, but all he gets in response is a simple “I just don’t feel too well.”

It’s been a few days now since you had dinner with Yoongi’s coworkers. He realized something was wrong so he’s been giving you some space. To be quite honest you aren’t sure if the space is helping or making it worse. After spending the whole day quietly sobbing to yourself in bed you decide to see what he’s up to. You find him sitting in the living room watching some sort of documentary and looking like he’s about to fall asleep. One of his cheeks is squished against a pillow and his hair is going on all the wrong directions. He looks adorable, your heart almost breaks in two knowing this is who you’ve been pushing away lately.

Taking a seat next to him, he lifts up his blanket so you can use it too. Just as you’re getting sleepy as well his phone pings on the coffee table. Instinctively you reach down for it so you can hand it to him, but when you see the contact name annoyance squeezes at your chest.

Yang Sunhee

Sent a message

“Why is she texting you?” The question slips from your mouth before you can even think it through. “I don’t know, let me see.” He responds while extending his hand out for the phone. You peer over at the screen, shamelessly trying to see what she sent. “Ah it’s just the schedule for next week.” He says and likes the message before setting his phone back down. Now you feel a bit guilty. Why were you questioning the intentions of this woman? She’s his employee after all.

Yoongi’s large hand comes up to cup your face, his thumb gently gliding over your cheekbone. “I know that look, what’s wrong baby?” He asks, his dark eyes skimming your face in search for answers. “It’s nothing.” You respond a bit too quickly, your tone stiff. The corner of Yoongi’s lip quirks up. “You’re jealous, aren’t you?”

Your eyes shoot open, “N-no!” you sputter out a weak defense. His hand slides down to your chin, the grip tightening a bit. His smirk spreads into a smile which angers you. He thinks this is funny?

“Don’t fucking touch me right now.” You say in a way harsher manner than you intended, tearing his hand away from your face. A flash of hurt runs over Yoongi’s face, his smile instantly falling. “Don’t look at me like that! I just- I need a moment right now.” You say in an apologetic tone. “You need a moment? I’ve been giving you a moment for days now. What about me? I keep trying so hard and you don’t show an ounce of being grateful. What’s your problem?” His tone gets louder as he talks, anger evident in his facial expressions.

“Problem? Oh it’s a problem now that I can’t always feel one hundred percent happy? Go sleep with some happy drugged out whore then if that’s what you want!” Without realizing it your tone has risen to a yell, you’re standing now, no longer in the comfort of warm blankets on the couch. “Don’t yell at me!” He yells back, tears beginning to brim his eyes.

“You’re yelling too asshole! Oh you’re gonna cry? Go cry to Sunhee, maybe she can suck your dick to make it better if you can’t go a week without me sucking it!” The moment you finish the last sentence a silence falls over the apartment. Yoongi stares at you wide eyed, unable to form a single sentence.

He looks like a kicked puppy, his eyes watery and his hands trembling. Realizing you went to far the only thing that pops up in your head is leaving the apartment for a bit. You speed walk to the front door, tugging your shoes on quickly and pulling a random jacket on. “Hey, hey! Where are you going?” Yoongi follows you once he realizes what you’re doing. Unable to look at his face you grab your keys and walk out, slamming the door behind you.

Not knowing where to go you walk to the nearest park. Taking a seat on one of the benches you stare up at the moon. “Why did I say that?” You mumble to yourself, tears stinging at your eyes. Your throat contracts, guilt choking you. There’s no holding back now, you let your sobs loose, tears running down your face uncontrollably.

“(Y/N)? Is that you?” A soft voice calls out to your right. Your head shoots up, trying to find the source of the sound. There stands Sunhee, she seems to be in her pajamas with a puffer jacket thrown on top. Her hair is a mess and she’s holding a leash. A little white dog sniffs around near her legs, you assume it’s her’s.

“What’s wrong?” She asks as she sits down next to you. “Ah don’t worry about it.” You mumble, sniffling lightly. “You’re so pretty (Y/N), I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone look good while they cry before.” Sunhee says with a genuine smile. “I- uh what?” You tilt your head to the side in confusion. “If I didn’t have a girlfriend I’d be jealous of Suga for having a girlfriend as pretty as you.” She giggles lightly.

“WHAT?” The question comes out harsher than you intend, the whole situation confusing you. “Listen, if you ever leave Suga just give me a call.” She says with a playful wink. You laugh in disbelief, your tears completely gone now. “You’re funny Sunhee.” You say, still sniffling lightly. “I’m not joking, but thank you.” She giggles along with you.

“Now why are you outside so late?” She asks while pulling her dog up into her lap. “I had a fight with Yoongi, I didn’t really know where else to go. I’m kind of scared to face him right now.” You answer truthfully. “Girl, have you seen how he looks at you? That man is a goner, I’m sure whatever you argued about isn’t that bad. You should go home and apologize, you can talk it through.” She says while giving you an encouraging smile. “You think so?” You ask quietly. “I know so.”

Even with Sunhee’s encouragement you’re still unsure. Guilt wracks through your whole body, pressing down on your insides and making you nauseous. You try to be as quiet as possible when you enter the apartment, but the sound of the heavy front door closing and jingling of keys betrays you. Just as you’re taking your shoes off you hear shuffling down the hallway. Yoongi’s dark figure emerges, you’re ready to hear something nasty from him, but instead you’re met with two warm arms wrapped around you.

“Thank god you’re safe.” He mumbles before kissing the top of your head. “I’m sorry Yoongi, I’m so sorry baby. Please don’t leave me. I didn’t-“ you’re cut off by a hiccup, your tears returning. “I didn’t mean to say any of that. Please, please don’t leave me I’ll never do that again…” You sob into his chest. “Shhhhh, I know you didn’t mean it, I should’ve done some things differently too.” His hand softly pets your head.

“I’ve been trying to figure out why you’ve been acting so weird lately and I think I get it now. You look at her like she killed your dog. You know she’s a lesbian right?” You can’t help but laugh a bit at that. “Yeah I kind of found that out just now.” You mumble, your fingers tangling into the material of his shirt. “Why don’t you like her?” You can feel him softly smile against your hair as he asks the question.

“I don’t know I just-“ You try to form the right words, but they won’t come. “Ugh! She’s just so pretty and she’s really open, it feels like she’s perfect and has everything you could need and I’m just sort of me? I don’t know, it’s stupid. I’m just projecting.” Yoongi listens intently to everything you say while he takes your jacket off. “Lately I’ve felt like the shell of who I was when you met me, you know? I’m just sort of bleh- and every other woman around me seems to have her shit togehter.” A tear runs down your cheek and Yoongi chases it away with his thumb.

“It’s why I’ve been avoiding having sex lately. I just feel gross and ugly while you… you look like you were sculpted by the ancient Greeks. You need a Hera to your Zeus. I’m like a satyr or something!” You let out a bitter laugh, trying to mask your feelings. “Hmm I think we’re more like Orpheus and Eurydice. Except I don’t want to lose you the way he lost her. They were such perfect lovers, yet there was something tragic about them. What’s love without tragedy?” He softly spoke, continuing to wipe your tears. You let out a genuine laugh and hit his chest lightly. “You idiot! You don’t get it.”

“I think I at least partially get it. I mean hell you make my knees weak whenever you look me in the eye woman, and we’ve been dating for years! I’d go to the pits of hell for you a million times more than Orpheus if it meant having a bit more time to spend with you. There’s no other person that could fulfill your role in my life as well as you do. I love you for you, you’re my muse. My light.” He places a ginger peck onto your forehead.

Love and desire suddenly flood through you, grabbing the collar of his shirt you pull him into a rough kiss. A few more tears make their way past your eyelids, but these ones of relief and joy rather than sadness and frustration. Yoongi gladly accepts your advances, kissing you back firmly. He barely wastes any time trying to get his tongue intertwined with yours. Your interwoven muscles becoming a metaphor for your souls combining together, the act of physical intimacy projecting your consciousness into one being, content and whole.

One of your hands shoot up to grip his hair a bit tighter than necessary which makes him release a deep moan. He pants against your lips, trying to catch his breath, but unable to fully separate your bodies. As he had endured yearning for you such a torturous amount, how could he let you go now?

He presses you flat against the door, holding you down chest to chest. His cold hands slide up your shirt, the contrast of temperature making you shiver. Caressing the skin of your stomach so lightly it tickles, he snakes one of his hands behind your back, swiftly unclipping your bralette in one movement. You let it drop to the floor, the only thing on your mind right now being the feeling of his body on yours. With his hands lightly ghosting over your breasts now, you shudder each time one of his fingers brushed against your nipples. Slowly he pulls your shirt off, the cold night air bites at your skin making your nipples harden. Instinctively your arms shoot up to cover yourself, but Yoongi stops you. He firmly grips your wrists and pins them down above your head.

Now fully exposed to him, he looks you in the eyes before licking a fat stripe from the area between your breasts to your neck. Lightly blowing onto the wet part of your skin, you take in a deep breath from the sensation. He begins to trail kisses down to your chest, letting go of your hands so he can bring you as close to him as possible. You tug at his hair softly as he mouthes at ode of your breasts, his tongue lightly teasing the soft bud. He groans softly before kissing down lower so he can get onto his knees.

He kneels before you know, unashamed of the submissive position he’s in. His teeth occasionally graze your stomach between sloppy open mouthed kisses. Looking up at you through his lashes, Yoongi starts undoing your pants. He pushes them down as if they’re getting in the way and moves his kisses down to your thighs. His uncalculated mouth moves dangerously close to your clothed cunt. Hovering over it he purposefully breathes through his mouth so you can feel his warm breath on your skin. You gasp when he suddenly pressed his nose against your pussy and inhales deeply. You can peel the tips of your ears heating up from embarrassment, but Yoongi doesn’t seem to care in the slightest.

“Ugh, fuck how I missed this part of you.” He groans as he kisses over the thin fabric. Finding your clit almost immediately he starts to roll his tongue against it through your panties. Your arousal and his saliva mix together in the material causing an uncomfortable need for real contact.

“Yoongi, take it off already…” you whisper to him, brushing his bangs out of his face. Looking up at you with a cheeky smirk he grabs onto the hem of your underwear with his teeth, making sure to lightly graze your sensitive skin with them as he pulls down. Your panties don’t even have the chance to reach the floor and his mouth is already on you again. He runs his tongue through your folds, making you instinctively angle your hips to give him more access. Heedlessly circling your clit with his tongue, he occasionally sucks on it or flicks it. You’re unsure if his mouth is glistening from his own saliva or from your wetness, but the sloppy noises he’s making are causing you to involuntarily buck your hips into his mouth.

“You’re so beautiful like this, my sweet girl.” He mumbles as he pulls away, nuzzling his head into your thigh. Replacing his tongue with his fingers, you let out a quiet moan when he slips them inside of you. “I love having you like this, only for me to see. You know I’d never do this for anyone else, right?” He emphasizes the question by pressing his fingers down against your sweet spot. ”Shit, Yoongi. I love you so much, no one makes me cum like you do.” Your response comes out in a dragged out whine.

Satisfied with your reply his mouth returns to your clit while his fingers work you open. The combination of sensations makes an orgasm built up in your abdomen fast. “Yoon- Yoongi, I’m gonna ah- I’m gonna cum!” You moan out, trying to warn him. This only encourages him to go faster as an orgasm ripples through you in harsh waves, your head falling back against the door as your eyes roll into the back of your head. You spasm slightly as he continues to work your cunt, trying to pull him away so he doesn’t overstimulate you.

He licks off your juices from his fingers, wiping his lips with the back of his hand. As soon as he’s back on his feet you go in for a kiss, leaning on him for support while still coming down from your high. He refuses to let your lips part as he leads you to the bedroom, his shirt and pants getting lost along the way.

“Lay down baby.” He mumbled against your lips as he led you to the bed. Kneeling down between your legs he made sure you were comfortable on your pillow. No matter how basic, missionary was always the best when you needed to express your love sexually. Parting your lips he pulls you down a little so your thighs are pressed together. He grabs his erect cock out of his underwear, not even bothering to get rid of the boxers. Pumping it a few times he gives you a dopey look, a lazy smirk spreading on his face.

“You ready?” He rasps out, rubbing the tip of his cock against your swollen clit, mixing his precum together with the aftermath of your previous orgasm. “A little too ready.” You replied, running a hand through your hair. “Mmm I can tell.” He teases while spreading the natural lubricant over his cock. Slowly he pressed the tip in, “Fuck, it’s going in so easily, o barely had to prep you. You really want it, don’t you?” his brows crease together in pleasure as he slowly bottoms out. “Yes, fuck Yoongi I want your cock so bad.” Your hand shoots up to grab onto his shoulder, biting your lip at the fullness.

“Please, (Y/N). Can I move?” He murmured, holding onto your hips tightly. “Yes, fuck me Yoongi.” You replied, grabbing his face to place a wet kiss onto his lips. He let out a low moan as he started thrusting into you, the warmth and wetness of your cunt feeling better each time he fucked it. You lightly squeezed your walls on purpose knowing it drives him crazy. “Oh my- ah shit I won’t last long at all if you do that.” He said breathily, his hips jerking forward involuntarily. You hooked one of your legs onto his hips, pulling him forward so he’s pressed into your cunt as deeply as possible. The both of you groaned at that, as soon as you let go he started thrusting into you with a quicker pace. His movements rapidly increased with each slap of skin that echoed throughout the space, his head thrown back. That look on his face means he’s absolutely lost in please and that makes you proud. He molds so perfectly inside you it makes all of your doubts melt away, it’s like he was made for you.

Matching the pace of his thrust to his fingers flicking your clit, Yoongi can swear he can feel you pulsating around him. “Ah, fuck (Y/N) I think I’m gonna cum already. Shit I’m sorry it just feels too good.” He groans, the already pink tips of his ears darkening. “It’s okay, go ahead baby, cum inside me.” You breathily respond, continuing to moan with each of his thrusts. He speeds up before abruptly stopping, the feeling of his warm seed filling you up making you clench around his cock. “Wait, shit, shit run my pussy please I’m so close too.” His fingers immediately speed up on your clit, furiously flicking it as your abdomen tightens again. As the hot white pleasure rips through your whole body, making your muscles spasm you hear a wet noise. Looking down the moment you can open your eyes you see Yoongi’s lower stomach covered in a clear liquid.

“Did you just make me squirt?” You laugh in disbelief. “That’s a first.” He mumbles before pulling his cock out, various liquids gliding down your ass. “I’ll go get a towel. He quickly gets up, trying his best not to make any of his surroundings wet.

As the two of you are laying in bed, your warm baked bodies pressed together, you feel Yoongi’s chest vibrate as he speaks up. “From now on, you always have to tell me when something’s bothering you, okay?” He softly says, stroking your hair. “Okay.” You whisper back. “Promise?” He questions while raising his pinky finger up, you lock yours with his, pressing your thumbs together. “Promise.”

[bestworstcase]

I hope I’m not weird or offensive for thinking this that Oz and the GoL relationship has abuse undertones. I go as far as it reminding me of sexual violence. The violation of bodily autonomy, lack of informed consent, using someone else’s body for one’s personal use, sense of domination from the perpetrator, the victim having a fucked sense of self and self-hatred. The GoL is also Salem’s abuser who violated her autonomy and consent so it’s not out of character for him. RWBY has handled similar topics like Adam and Blake so it’s not like uncharted territory. I even seen ppl claim that the Curious Cat has similar undertones considering what they did to Neo.

"undertones"--even in the extremely biased narration of the lost fable, jinn, telling the story as ozpin understands it, draws an overt equivalency between the god of light and SALEM'S FATHER. you know,

What more could a man want? Just one thing: a son and heir. When his wife became pregnant, the whole castle rejoiced. But soon the lord’s fortune reversed. His beloved fell ill, gave birth to a baby girl, and lost her own life in the process. The lord locked his daughter in the highest tower of the castle and retreated to his chambers to grieve. Only he and the girl’s nanny were allowed in or out of her tower room, on punishment of death. Many weeks passed before the lord visited his baby girl for the first time, and he refused to hold her no matter how much the nanny encouraged or even begged him to. Over the years, his daily visits grew shorter. Then they became visits two or three times a week. By his daughter’s eleventh birthday, he was visiting only once a week. “Why must I stay in this tower?” the girl would ask him. “I am protecting you from anything or anyone that might harm you. You are the most precious thing in the world to me. I could not bear to lose you.” He brought her food and presents: dresses and hairpins, brushes and dolls, but nothing that she could use against him or to take her own life. [...] Meanwhile, miserable and alone, the lord’s sorrow gradually twisted into resentment. He raged against the unfairness of the gods and took out his anger on his staff. He became obsessed with increasing his wealth, as if money could replace the love of his life, increasing land taxes on his tenants and cutting his staff’s wages. Paranoid about losing all he cherished, he dismissed half of his servants and replaced them with trained soldiers to protect his riches and defend his castle. By the girl’s sixteenth birthday, the king was visiting only once a month, whenever the whole moon was visible from her tower window. “This was your mother’s favorite place in the castle,” he told the girl. “She loved gazing out that window.” “And now it is my prison,” the girl said. “You aren’t my prisoner. You’re my daughter.” “Then let me go,” she begged. “I cannot. Someone would abduct you and demand a ransom,” the lord said. “Or worse.” But the girl realized that the lord did not love her as a parent loves a child. Rather, he thought of her as just one of his treasures, to be jealously hoarded like his gold and jewels. […] “What is it?” the knight asked. “What else would make you happy, my dear?” Freedom, she thought. But she bit back the word, for that kind of talk made him angry and violent.

the man who was so viciously abusive that this is how ozpin depicted him in a sanitized fairytale account of what happened.

note, for emphasis, that by the time salem was eleven she was so actively suicidal that her father had to vet every object that went into her room against the risk that she might try to kill herself with it, and he didn't care.

ozma modeled beacon academy after salem's father's castle and put the headmaster's office at the top of the tower—in her cell. whether or not he could actually articulate this feeling consciously, deep down he regards the god of light as an abusive parent too powerful to defeat or escape. and we have seen, with light, that he becomes angry and violent whenever something doesn't go his way and that his immediate, first reaction to one of his creations doing anything he doesn't approve is brutal murder. he tears jabber apart, incinerates ozma, bites salem, shrugs when his brother vaporizes mankind. his ultimatum for remnant is "obey me or die." there's no undertones he is explicitly abusive toward everyone he comes into contact with including his brother.

[violasghost]

At the risk of sounding like a Pollyanna, Rachel coming into the picture at this point in time is likely a good thing for Chenford. Discussion of the Rookie S7, Episode 3

Confession, Not going to get into real-world stuff or politics here, but just wanted to say how thankful I am for The Rookie to have as a much needed distraction on Tuesday nights and also glad to know the actors and everyone involved in the show is safe and will hopefully continue to remain safe from the LA wildfires. #SendinglovetoCalifornia

So despite it being a few seasons since we have seen or heard from Rachel, lets face it Lucy Chen has gone through some serious hardships in the last season and a half and with very little support. After she lost Jackson, she pretty much lost her one and only close platonic friend. When Tim broke up with her, the first reaction we got after seeing raw and emotionally hurt Lucy was Smitty joking about other cops betting on the reason for their breakup. (Pretty insensitive, especially to Chenford nation who was mostly in shock at that point.) Then you get Nolan and Celena pretending to care but not really, Celena mostly concerned that Lucy wouldn’t be too much of an emotional basket-case because she wanted to move out of her place and into Lucy’s apartment. And when Nolan asked Lucy about how she was doing when helping Celena to move in at a later date, he clearly regretted asking her such a loaded question. Not to mention the person Lucy thought of as a little sister, Tamara moves out. So no Tamara, no Detective, no Tim, and no explanation for the breakup. So yeah Rachel couldn’t have come at a better time. Lucy needs a real true grown up friend, someone who isn't a colleague or a subordinate. And its great that they have a history and Rachel has known Lucy for longer than anyone else has known her.

Does the fact that Rachel dated Tim bother me? Not really. Mostly because both of them said everything they needed to say to one another (plus it was Lucy who originally fixed them up) and it looks like Rachel was pretty much rooting for Tim and Lucy before she blew into town, so yeah don’t think she will be competition for Chenford.

Another angle that hasn’t been explored and I’m curious if ‘The Rookie’ showrunners will go there is the fact that Rachel in essence is a counselor/social services. Remember, she worked with abused kids? Even if they don’t decide to use Rachel’s professional expertise, she’s staying on Lucy’s couch. She’s not just passing through for one episode. They have already hedged at this with the brief discussion about Lucy and Tim's relationship by the couch, and you know there will be more. Maybe just maybe, Rachel will be able to get Lucy to open up a little bit about her feelings and what happened with Tim. Which would be really good for Lucy.

And it would be really good for Chenford because in order for both Lucy and Tim to be able to move past the 'lets just be friends' cover, they have to get under the surface and dig deep and figure out what it is they both really want, and then work up the courage to go for it. Kinda like when they both decided to start dating in S5. Lots of parallels here since they really did a re-set with their relationship, but they have to work up to that point of realization first, that 1. the feelings are still there (which they are), and 2. its worth the risk (which it is).

Side note, I thought it was really cute when Lucy prepped Seth with all the Tim test answers and Tim cracking Nolan’s fancy safe house lock system, haha.

I also thought it was funny when Bailey returned and the locks were not working. Although still could care less about Jason. The guy who got out of the handcuffs seemed more interesting.

What did you think?

[twopoppies]

Hi Gina,

What do you think of the "Styles when I start the video don't laugh" video posted by Krupa back in 2021? To me, that's been one of the definitive pieces of evidence that they are still with each other (the rest can be upto interpretation like clothing, lyrics etc). So I find it surprising that no one talks about it or brings it up, I have barely seen it being discussed in the fandom so I am curious if it has been debunked or something (although I cannot think of anyone else called Styles with that voice turning up at Louis' soundcheck, and I recall he also commented Rude on ig that day or the next as a nod to that leak maybe)

No, it wasn't ever debunked. I think it's not discussed much because antis can't explain it, so they ignore it. But I agree with you, it's a very good bit of evidence that they're still together. I know I have it reblogged, but I can't find it at the moment (for anyone who's going to come into my inbox and ask).

[pendwelling]

hi I had a question about a section of chapter 221 in twsb

When discussing the island of pleasure (where the admiral Emma corleone is) (not too sure about the accuracy of the names from mtl),

they talk about how things like polyandry polygamy are allowed there, and how they allow morally wrong things under the principle of free love.

most importantly, they say that monogamy is deeply rooted among continental people.

however, the history of Riester as a continental nation has the taking of multiple life partners with the practice of the Emperor taking a religious and a political partner.

anyway, I am confused as to why characters we generally align with morally (duhem) refer to things like polygamy (which also implies (i think?) a disapproval within Riester of polyamory as a whole) as morally incorrect with the blatant queer undertones of the main characters, as well as among side characters.

is the author trying to highlight the religious nature of Riester and the specific and at times contradictory nature of their religion or possibly religion in general? Marriage within religion (especially Christianity) is seen primarily a unity of people in god’s eyes. We saw yeseo officiate(?) someone taking a religious partner (I believe, it was a while back) and it was similar in nature, with asking for approval from the god of this world itself to be religious partners, with it giving them the thumbs up or down with the ceremony.

the largest difference with these two is that wasnt romantic in nature. So are the rules that as long as the partners aren’t romantic in nature, then the political/religious partnership is acceptable, and romantic marriage is only acceptable among two people? If these are true, what about her majesty for example? I genuinely cannot tell you whether her, Aurelie, and alexandre were all romantically or platonically involved, which think was on purpose on the author’s part. I believe that only alexandre and frederique were married, but once alexandre died, Aurelie became Cedric’s godmother, but was she as involved as a parental unit in Cedric’s life before alexandre died? Were the three of them raising him together his whole life, or was it mainly frederique and Alexandre until he died and aurelie became more present in Cedric’s life

idk man, is author trying to point out the potential conflict of the mcs’ mix of a queer platonic and (i think?) romantic relationship, especially among the judgemental nobles?

you don’t have to answer all the questions posed here btw!!

I know you probably can’t answer every question here (especially the ones about the authors motivation) I am just curious as to what your thoughts are about this as you are an expert with twsb lore/character, if you don’t feel like answering at all that’s also totally fine lmao okay I’ll stop yapping now

"You don't have to answer all the questions posed here" WHO DO YOU THINK I AM do not underestimate the sheer depths of my insanity over this novel (/J /LHHHH)

(On a more serious note now—) haha I will for sure do my best!!!!! You actually raise some very very interesting questions and that made me quite excited to think about because there are actually quite a bit of different factors to take into account here 👀 (intersectionality, if you will). Thank you for sending your question in 🙇‍♀️ I'll do my best to answer!

I would also like to preface this by warning you (and anyone else who might be reading) that my answer will at times require that I use context from way further into the novel, thus might spoil certain revelations and big mysteries (particularly regarding the nature of QPB and TWSB's religion!!!) In other words,

BIG SPOILER WARNING!! (200+, JUST THE ENTIRE NOVEL AND EVEN ENDING)

I'm not sure if you would have rathered a more spoiler-free answer, so I apologize in advance 😭 Apologies as well for any typos that might possible arise. This took a while to write LMAO

(With that said, we should first start with the world's religion!!!)

The Church of God is a religion practiced mainly in the Divine Kingdom of Venetiaan and the Riester Empire (though more so in the former rather than the latter). A huge aspect of this religion is how it sort of influences the behaviours of its believers, particularly around the main belief that if one lives their life in an interesting/exciting enough way and endures hardships, they will one day obtain the gaze/adoration of God, which is something that the beings of this word (at least, the ones who believe or fear God) will yearn for until the day they die [295]. A sort of greeting that believers even use is actually: "May the Lord be pleased with your life ('주신께서 당신의 생애에 기뻐하시기를.')" Later on as you read, it becomes increasingly obvious that the entity that is "God" would refer to either the author themselves, or the readers (in some ways, it is both). But in the larger case, the one the people of QPB yearn for the attention of actually that of the readers, thus, YOUR gaze—or rather, the ones who would be the target audience for a Romance-Fantasy genre story like "I Quit my Job, then I Became the Princess Bride" (QPB), (and then later on, "When the Third Wheel Strikes Back").

This is where it gets kinda(?) meta. Knowing that QPB is an All-Ages, G-Rated, non-explicit novel targeted primarily toward teenage girls and young women (think, Jung Eunseo), it's only natural that a country outside of the premise of QPB (Corleone) would be free from any expectations of said God(s), and thus, will act outside of the "genre". Therefore, what's being highlighted in an understated way is that a country like the Empire of Riester where the main cast of QPB primarily act will be constricted by the conventions of an R-15/G-Rated RoFan genre—but a place like Corleone can break free from the genre and be a full-on R-19+ and more explicit than it wants.

People openly show intimacy out in the open, gamble and play games on the streets, are more promiscuous(or maybe sexually liberated is the more correct term?) and freely flirt, casually dress sensually, and commit "crimes in the name of free love"—and crimes here refer to how, with Corleone being so open with how they regard love, their going-about with relationships and marriage is different, and could lead to people, say, as they put in 220: "kidnapped, proposed to, or forced into a (arranged) marriage" etc. Though notably, these extreme worries were directed towards Yeseo, whom no one in the party at that time believed would be able to fend off the love-enthusiastic people of Corleone (they pretty much indirectly call Yeseo somewhat of a doormat/someone who innocence/inexperience could easily get him roped into trouble... 😭). And on a grander scale beyond just the main characters, this all somehow manages to be played in a somewhat comedic light haha—even though Corleone is outside of God's gaze, it still has to stick to the overall more lighthearted genre in some way, right? If not QPB's, then TWSB's wkkwkkw (this surrealism/idealism, in some way, also has some meta merit to it, too, actually.)

So while Corleone's atmosphere may seem like a harsh and rowdy place, the culture there is just... how to say. Very enthusiastic and extreme about the idea of "romance". In a sense, it's almost as if, though this is a "land abandoned by God", the importance they place on the theatrics of Romance is interesting when considering how the original setting was a Romance story itself (though a different genre of one). I think I should also highlight how this arc takes influences from the Commedia dell'arte, whose conventional plotlines included themes of sex, love, jealousy, etc (amongst others). As such, the theatrics of Corleone—inspired by elements of Italian culture (like how Riester and Venetiaan have French and Dutch influences respectively)—maybe aren't that surprising. Looking back on the Italian Renaissance, we can note the abundance of works with increasing interest in lewd subjects, attributed in some way to the emerging secularization at the time. Boccaccio’s "The Decameron" is notably a rather anti-clerical, at times erotic, and witty work about different stories involving Love, and in the context of its time (following the emergence of the Black Death in Florence) would therefore be a document of an emerging worldview: a desire to be liberated from the control of the Church and eager to explore the world on its own terms (though, it did get banned by the Church for a while for its explicit nature LMAO)(but recirculated after being revised since it was so popular). Other Italian/Tuscan poets at the time were also finding enjoyment in writing funny, satirical, or even downright insulting poems, many of which also took on sensual subject matter, some more explicit than others. ((Just noticed I'm going on a tangent wkfhjdkd sorry for bringing up what I learnt in my Italian Renaissance class out of the blue haha, but I find that it is interestingly relevant to the portrayal of the Principality of Corleone and its theatrics/sensuality.))

SO CORLEONE. Italian Renaissance, Commedia dell'arte. Romance, Sensuality. Comedy, Theatre. Satire, Anti-clericalism... anti-clericalism within this context can refer to Corleone's rejection from God's gaze. The "genre" and "rating" Corleone is presenting is not what She wishes to see, thus, is "morally incorrect" in QPB's original worldview because it doesnt align with the larger genre expectations.

Anyhow, I had to reread this arc and some others, and from what I can remember and what I've seen in this reread, I don't think Marquis François Duhem ever calls out polygamy as a whole, specifically, for being "morally incorrect"—I'm more so inclined to believe they are referring to the blatant absence of TPO (haha), and the over-the-top actions and behaviours that the freedom and enthusiasm for romance sometimes lead to, but even more specifically, the carefree and spontaneous treatment around love and marriage. I don't believe sensuality is necessarily and solely portrayed in a completely negative/puritanical/critical light in this series (there are different ways sexuality is portrayed throughout the series with different sets of characters), but in this case, I believe it might come off as a bit critical because François is directly affected by personal circumstance: after all, in this same arc, when Admiral Emma Corleone was propositioning for François (and later on Jesse) to become "partners", was not exactly doing so for pure-hearted and genuine romantic reasons, but with the underlying tone and intent of the Admiral bedding them for certain gains, and nothing more. François, of course, doesn't exactly appreciate this kind of attention from the Admiral and is openly guarded while around her, evidently not receptive to the idea of becoming her second spouse (after kicking out the rest—which speaks to how lightly she treated those relations in the first place), and thus kind of projects an additional layer of negativity to this. (And I'm assuming you might? have already read further ahead by now, but François does have some genuine reasons to feel put off by Emma, particularly because of their history, and Emma's implied interest in François stemming from the despair he wore back when the Duhems' parents passed away. I think it's understandable that one would feel apprehensive towards someone who is one-sidedly attracted to your misery haha...)

Of course, outside of these specific circumstances, that isn't to say that people don't frown upon having more than one legal spouse (in Venetiaan, this is especially the case, but Riester too), but there are just multiple different factors involved. I think it's very fair to compare it to real-life Christian morality/belief of one-spouse-only, but of course, those who aren't fervently religious and/or are more open-minded will regard polyamory/gamy in a more welcoming light. In particular, we've seen characters before who've expressed outright opposition to the idea of their spouse having another lover, but this is of course different from polygamy—in Prince Consort Werner, Queen Christanne, and Priest Michael's case, it was not a balanced relationship between three people, but an individual cheating on their legal spouse with someone whom she actually loves (their relationship is quite complicated, but we won't be getting into that now haha, but point is—)

The act of cheating and having more than one lovers is seen as bad, without a doubt, but curiously enough, the people of the Divine Kingdom of Venetiaan actually show quite a positive reaction towards the Queen's relationship with the commoner priest Michael. "The Romance of a Century", I believe it was called, and despite this Leary being a case of infidelity that resulted in a child, why isn't the Queen's infidelity seen as completely negative? Well, it can absolutely go back to religion. Despite Venetiaan being the most religious country in the story, it seems very receptive to their Queen's story, and yet simultaneously it is this very religious fervour that makes it so. After all, the child born from the Queen's extramarital relation was born with golden blond hair and purple eyes symbolic of the Lord's love and divinity, therefore the existence of this child itself can be taken as a blessing from God, Herself.

So, is cheating bad? Yes. We've seen this before with Duke Sarnez who was once caught by his own daughter and her friends while he was intimate with an Imperial attendant in an office. Yet, we also see it with Queen Christanne towards her own legal spouse, but the reaction is different, because of the "blessings from God".

So, is having multiple consenting lovers in an equal-levelled relationship, bad? No. The story does point out that the ruler of Corleone, Lorenzo Corleone, has multiple concubines, but he isn't portrayed in a negative light, either. In fact, he is actually portrayed as a typical person—"an old gentleman" [665] he is actually described as. Courteous and rather kind, both to Yeseo and other known characters such as Aurélie, and actually becomes a great supporting character during the later war. Him having multiple legal wives isn't symbolic of him being a morally bad character, nor do Riesterian character treat him poorly for his cultural differences or marital affairs, either, and it is just that—cultural differences.

So is polygamy/polyamory wrong? No, but, the cultural differences and reservations about marriage/love between different countries will illicit different reactions depending on whom you ask.

Anyway, I hope I'm getting across my thoughts properly haha bc I think I'm sounding like a convoluted mess, but I'd also like to note that there have also canonically been conversations about queer relationships in the story itself—particularly between Princess Cornelisse and her would-be religious partner Isle Roosegaarde, whom Cornelisse promised to make her consort when they're older [670]. In this conversation, Isle remarks that she can't possibly be made Cornelisse's consort because they are both girls, but Cornelisse casually retorts that not even the Royal Family has such conservative and outdated views (which I think is kind of hilarious in retrospect, because it implies in a way that Werner, despite being a horrible person, at the very least doesn't discriminate on people's sexuality to the point where his own daughter is educated with this same view)(of course, unless you're Jesse, which means that everything about you is worthy of Werner's ire LMAO). BUT ANYHOW, point is, historically it seems that more conservative/traditional values have existed at some point, but the current reality is notably much more open-minded. It is fair to say that Monogamy and Polygamy co-existing in Corleone but not in Riester or Venetiaan might have something to do with each country's respective histories, as well as how strongly each nation respectively believes in the main religion (and how it would influence their beliefs). And when you take into account the context of whom the God of this religion is, we can also assume that the typical young QPB RoFan reader would not want an explicit environment where the people (characters) you love would be existing in a setting reminiscent of gritty, sensual harem genre (there is even MORE meta to be said about this, and that involves the "Creator" (writer) or the world, and their intent toward the Gods (readers), but just know that an adult theme is definitely out of the question when it comes to what appropriate subject matter to the target audience, or more specifically, a certain target reader 👀)

Anyway, I bring up historical conservatism and the more-progressive/liberal nature of the TWSB universe because the idea of polyamory in Riester actually, in a funny way, is kind of? accepted...? it really, really just depends on context.

For example, there have been quite a few occasions, actually, of either friends of Cédric, Yeseo, and Christelle (CYC) or the general public themselves, alluding to or actively believing that the three of them are in a romantic relationship. One of these people was actually Marquis François Duhem himself, and he's funnily enough supposedly quite aware of the rumours floating around their relationship and at some point reaches a conclusion along the lines of "wow!!! so the rumours are true, you three really are like that—!" [468] (hahaha I do not think that he has any strong averse opinions on polyamory at all (Emma Corleone bugging him to be her next husband being a whole different case)). And earlier on in the story, we've even seen gossip tabloids who've placed immense interest on CYC's relationship, though this can of course either be interpreted in romantic or platonic lenses haha. Oh, and another notable person who even outright called CYC "lovers" was Jibril Diop, Cédric's 2nd cousin and a later addition to the main cast (more specifically, while talking with Yeseo, Jibril refers to Cédric and Christelle as Yeseo's lovers and asks him if he broke up with them since it's rare to find Yeseo all alone haha) [465]! But either way, it seems the opinion on having multiple lovers depends on a variety of different factors, from personal opinion, to religious beliefs, country, etc etc. Jibril Diop himself is actually someone whose character aligns more with Corleone's values and interests rather than Riester, since he's very free-spirited and loves dating and flirting and hates stuffy clothing, and is well-known in the Riesterian Beau Monde for his social affairs and activities in the different salons in the capital. He's even reportedly dated multiple people at once before, though it's unknown if these were open relationships or otherwise, so I can't really tell you any more than that haha. (If you haven't met him in the story yet, please anticipate his arrival. He's such a great character, I adore him greatly. He's sooooo fun as a new addition to the main cast hehe)

Anyhow, I'm sorry if I haven't given any clear-cut answers so far but rest assured!! It gets even more complicated!!!!!! 🙌🙌

SO!!! Knowing that different countries, cultures, and people regard Monogamy and Polygamy different, where does the Riesterian custom of having a Religious and Political Companion come into play? Well, in the first place, the tradition of choosing these two partners is solely a Riesterian custom, one that is also reserved for the Imperial Family (and collateral lines). A POLITICAL COMPANION to help the Imperial ruler politically, financially, or in any other diplomatic/transactional needs, (typically with a renowned noble family, or even a wealthy and affluent merchant family); and then a RELIGIOUS COMPANION to help guide the future ruler spiritually, an emotional and religious guide. Neither of the two roles are necessarily romantic, and the position as Political Companion does not require love—it is a political match first and foremost, though rulers such as Frédérique and her mother before her, Céline, were lucky in that they were able to marry people who they loved. The marriage is merely a formality so that the ruler could have an adequate spouse who fits all the requirements needed to support the ruler and fulfill the duties required of by a consort. Love is not a requirement, but it is still a legal marriage, thus a degree of respect for the arrangement is still expected.

So, what does that make a Religious Companion?

Religious Companionship via Covenant/Holy Contract Ceremony is special in that it requires the two individuals involved to swear their souls together and have them joined for eternity. This connection is beyond romantic or platonic love—in fact, a lot of the sentiments between the Master of the Covenant and the Patron Saint is very queerplatonic. It is metaphysical, it is something integral to the people involved, it is something only they alone can truly understand. It is hard not to regard the sharing of one's soul with another as not being romantic, as the very nature of the Holy Contract is intimate and requires, in the first place, a deep trust in the other person.

I believe the in-universe romance novel by Benjamin Giradin, "Reason, Emotion, and Divinity" (as the title is translated by the official webtoon team), displays a common trope regarding the complex arrangement of the main character (Heathcliff) who is caught up in a conflict between his Political (Jane) and Religious (Catherine) Companions [78]. It is noteworthy that, although Heathcliff is in a physical marriage to Jane, he is in a spiritual/mental marriage with Catherine and is the one whom his heart lays with. We can see, here, that this is an example of a relationship that is not equally "polygamous"—there is a lack of sincerity on one party's part towards the other, and the "spiritual marriage" is seen in a negative light as it is not fulfilling the role it should be. It's a very dramatic circumstance however and of course, is only one (fictional) example of the extent of the depths that a Religious Companionship might lead to, but we can take another example, too—this time, one from Riester's very history, told to us in Chapter 195:

Basically (recapping for anyone reading who might not know), roughly a thousand years prior to the current timeline, Empress Arianne Riester proposed that the Cardinal Phillipe (who had been her ally in unifying the fractured Empire following Venetiaan departure) become her second companion. Knowing that Arianne was already married at this point and was also not romantically in love with Philippe, the Cardinal rejected her, unwilling to take on a role similar to that of a concubine. But despite this rejection, Philippe did harbour unrequited love for Arianne, and gave in to her sincere proposal, though not without requirements. Philippe gave her tulips and said that even if they were not legally tied to each other, he was still and would still always be her ally, and the Empress wished for his formal companionship that strongly, then it would only be so if the Lord blessed their union and affirmed that it would be okay. The blessing later came in the form of the blossoming of never-before tulips. Since purple was a deeply religious symbol and tulips of that colour had never existed beforehand on the continent, the people took this as a religious sign, thus, a blessing from the Lord Herself. Thus, the two joined together and their union was the start of the tradition of the Religious Companionship in the Riester Empire for generations to come.

Interestingly, it is noted that every single Religious Companion of every Imperial Riesterian ruler to come after Arianne and Philippe, all died single [256]. In a sense, this is truly a marriage no different than a political one, and perhaps even deeper than that. While Philippe genuinely loved Arianne (one-sidedly), not all Religious Companionships are explicitly romantic, either. But again, it is undeniable that the Patron Saint in the Holy Contract is the one who holds the most power—if they do not sincerely wish to form a Covenant, it would not happen. So naturally, all Religious Companions feel strongly about their respective Master of the Covenant, and this intimacy could absolutely stem from love, or result in love.

SO, what can we make of Empress Frédérique's relationship with her Political Companion Alexandre, and her Religious Companion Aurélie?

Just like how the different examples of Political and Religious Companionship that we've seen above are different, Frédérique, Alexandre, and Aurélie (FAA) are also unique in their own way. Frédérique and Aurélie's relationship was the first to form, with Frédérique being the first to "fall for" Aurélie for the clarity of her ether and her sincerity in her tasks as an Imperial Priest. They were childhood friends following this and naturally grew very close, but the one who Frédérique later explicitly romantically falls for was Alexandre Blanquer (notably, she fell for him at first sight, similarly to how she did with Aurélie in the confessional hahaha. Frédérique is really the type of person who knows what she likes and strives to obtain them). FAA are truly special because all three of them managed to form very strong connections, not just with Frédérique, but between Aurélie and Alexandre, as well.

Frédérique and Aurélie note on numerous occasions how much Cédric's growing relationships remind them so much of their own childhoods and younger years back when Alexandre was alive, and it is very clear that they all loved each other. Perhaps this might not be the clear response you'd like from me? but I do not think it matters whether or not their relationship was romantic, sexual, or platonic.

Just the fact that they loved each other immensely, to the point of Aurélie even almost sacrificing her own life if it meant she could trade it for Alexandre's (which ultimately failed, though deteriorated her eye in the process, which is why she wears a monocle) [600]. Aurélie and Alexandre were not physically married, nor did they share souls and emotions like how Frédérique and Aurélie did, but despite this all, they managed to form deeply intertwined bonds despite at surface-level glance Frédérique being the "only link" between them. From the very start, they were all together a 3-person parental unit for Cédric the moment he was born, and Aurélie, though not his blood parent, was pretty much his second mom right from the get-go (in the official webtoon translation, he calls her "Aunt Aurélie") and naturally had been made the godmother since his parents are pretty much her partners, too. They were so close that Cédric's conception dream was actually dreamt by Aurélie—prior to his birth, she dreamt of being visited by a sun who came into her bedroom, before falling asleep together. It was reportedly a very cute dream, and I think it's very indicative of how close these three were for Aurélie to be the one to have the conception dream instead of Cédric's own parents. From the very very very start, they had always co-parented and cared for Cédric, and would have done anything for him. Their relationship is untraditional for the typical two-parent family unit, but they were true in this together right from the start, from every step of the way. During his childhood, Cédric was only awake for very short hours of the day, but whenever he was, Aurélie, without fail, always came and visited him in the mornings to read him stories, just because he liked it, and Frédérique and Alexandre would also join them for whatever small moment of family time they could get, when Cédric wasn't sleeping [600]. They raised, cared for, and loved this boy greatly, you cannot distinguish a difference in their love on the basis of whether they're Cédric's parents or not. They love him because he's their precious child, and that is that.

I like what you mentioned about how you were unable to figure out if their relationship was romantic or platonic, and how you said it was perhaps intentional on the author's part. Sookym never mentions queerplatonicism at all in their work, but the queercoding of this universe by mere virtue of the existence of all the implications brought forth by the lore and magic system itself allows for very queerplatonic/queercoded messages to saturate the work in its entirety—all due to the very nature of TWSB alone. I think QPR is the best way to describe Religious Companionship, and all the other very special and metaphysical bonds that appear between several characters throughout the entire novel. In FAA's case, it is clear that Frédérique loved Alexandre very dearly, and that their marriage was not even a necessarily political one (they practically eloped without the permission of Alexandre's family, and the Blanquers also disowned him when he went through with the marriage, so there was hardly any political gain there, other than Alexandre hinself being a 9th-Grade Mage), but it is EQUALLY CLEAR that Frédérique loves Aurélie, too. You will understand as you continue reading, but there are some incredibly intimate moments between these two that are both emotional AND physical.

The biggest example that comes immediately to mind is right after Frédérique and Aurélie had to be separated for a long time during the Riester-Venetiaan war, upon reuniting, the two of them immediately spent the night together, and the morning after has Frédérique hugging Aurélie around the waist while in bed [850], and the scene is played completely naturally, as if this is a routine that isn't unusual for them and that has probably happened before. Of course, this happened because being apart for too long is literally physically painful for Frédérique, so being physically close to Aurélie and receiving her ether in the most direct way possible would remedy that, but in the first place, if they were not incredibly close, the physical nature of their relationship would not be as crazily intimate—to the point of sharing a bed and being in semi-states of undress, and physically touchy with each other in a scene epitomizing domesticity. They love each other and that's that. They are literal soulmates and partners, and we don't need to know anymore. The love they have for each other is something only they themselves would understand, and the love they had for Alexandre is something that also belongs to them.

With all these different presentations of love, affection, and queerplatonicism between different characters, I do not think there is actually much conflict that CYC themselves would face in becoming partners. Everyone in Riester and in other nations as well understand that the bond that Empress Frédérique and Cardinal Aurélie is integral and important, and there is never any criticism there on Frédérique's intimacy with Aurélie, even when it is well known that Frédérique wildly loved Alexandre. The only issue, in fact, that arises about CYC's potential partnership, was Yeseo (as Jesse), being from Venetiaan, and then later on, was mostly internal doubt and dilemma from Yeseo himself. Outside forces never disapprove of the three of them having any sort of relationship, and whatever criticism they ever face is not because of any romantic conflict or say gender bias (like I said before, homophobia doesn't exist in the widespread view, and if it does, it happened in the past as is now seen as stupid WKJJJK), but because of the requirements that the position of Political Companion and Religious Companion require, respectively. But Christelle Rambouillet and Jung Yeseo are probably the only ones that can fit the requirements of these two symbolic and physical positions the best, with Christelle, even after discarding the ducal Sarnez name, obtaining military achievements and notable contributions to the Empire and becoming the "Star of the Navy", and her incredibly positive public image and reputation as a national hero within the Empire will undoubtedly dissuade any criticisms of her worthiness of being a Political Companion. Yeseo, meanwhile, (again, sorry if you didn't want all these spoilers in this reply 😭) is the renowned Palace Lord of Juliette, the Marquis of Sérénité, an Incarnation of God and an Angel of the Lord, and is His Holiness the Pope, himself.

Yeseo and Christelle become some of THE most accomplished people in the Empire, and anyone who tries to push their sons or daughters into the symbolic roles of Religious and Political Companions for the Crown Prince of the Great Riester Empire, will have to compete with these two reputational behemoths hahaha. At the start of the story, the conflict between CYC's potential Companionship has always been political, with the question of who could possibly fit these roles the best and aid Cédric, once he inherits the throne. Politics and schematics have always been the question here, and you could even say that emotions have very little to do with this decision—in fact, we've seen before that Cédric would have gone with anyone Frédérique and Aurélie would have chosen for him, since that's what it means to be a Crown Prince and fulfill his duties. Of course, that isn't to say that FredAu would want Cédric miserable, but it is clear that politics always take precedence, unless extraordinary circumstances arise enough to the point of being able to discard traditional political moves.

Initially, Christelle de Sarnez was the best candidate for Cédric Political Companion because not only was the Sarnez Family a (now formerly) reputable family and strong supporter of the Empress, but the marriage would also bring with it the Blessing of the Azure Ocean, which Cédric had needed at the time. Of course, this initial setting falls flat, but Ham Ga-in, as Christelle Rambouillet, later makes an enormous name for herself and becomes even more renown that she would have been as a "Duke's daughter".

As for Jesse Venetiaan, while his ether was the more noble and pure, and his divine power was incredibly notable, his biggest flaw in the eyes of Riester-Venetiaan politics was that Jesse was a foreigner from the opposing country. This flaw, however, is immediately rectified once Jung Yeseo separates from the identity of Jesse Venetiaan (and there's a LOT more context, but it'll take way too long to explain) and becomes the "Moon of the Empire", rather than that of the Divine Kingdom. Once it is made known that Yeseo's allegiances and loyalty are clearly with Riester, the political doubt, implications, and hesitation on him being Cédric's potential Religious Partner naturally fades, all most if not all Riesterians are extremely enthusiastic about their potential union (in fact, many characters are often surprised that they haven't already officialized it, or haven't done it earlier LMAO).

In short, it's always politics, politics, politics. Riesterian nobles ultimately don't place much importance about whether or not CYC are romantic, platonic, queerplatonic—what matters in their eyes is always POLITICS and if the candidates for the future Emperor's Companions will be fitting of the roles they will have to play. CYC's own feelings are their own and whether or not they, in this Companionship, become romantic or platonic, or remain heavily queerplatonically coded, is their own personal affairs, so long as each of them are able to accomplish their respective duties. Of course, there will always be an interest in the nature of their relationship because gossip and curiosity in any country is unavoidable, especially when it concerns such important people like CYC, but the nature of it, in a political lenses, has little to do with whether or not they are fitting as partners. I personally believe that in any way one can spin it, CYC will still be the perfect pairing regardless, and Cédric choosing candidates that do not understand the depths of his soul is unfathomable to me—Yeseo and Christelle are, quite literally, the only ones (in a meta sense, as well). And on the topic of politics, the question of heirs will also naturally follow, and I am very!!! glad to say that this question gets very masterfully solved by the author haha! I am very content with it and it's a bit humorously in retrospect how it happens, but ultimately was a very smart move that allows for this question to be resolved (without having any of the MCs contradict whatever we might think of them!) and allows for readers to naturally conclude whatever outcome they prefer best after the main story ends! (But if you or anyone reading this is interested in knowing more about the Heir Question, feel free to refer to this post where I go into depth about it!)

Anyway, this response has really gone on for a....... very very long time. It took me a while write this out and make sure I got all my facts right LMAO, but I hope I was able to answer, even if only in some way, your questions and help your curiosity!!! 🥹😭🙌🙌

[misstycloud]

Yandere actor x actor reader in an interview?

“So, as you know the movie has now become a major success in the movie industry,”

You and the man beside you both nod in unision at the hostess statement, confirming her remark with a certain pride one receives after all the hard work finally pays off.

“-what would you say was your favourite part to film?” The woman asked, intrigued. She turns her curious gaze towards you first, so you go ahead and answer.

“Well I would say it was the resturant scene, since we actually got to eat real food. And if the shot wasn’t good enough they’d have to bring out a new full plate to reshoot it.” You professionally replied with a laugh.

The woman and rest of the audience chuckled along at your confession. She even made a joke of accusing you of messing up on purpose so you’d be able to taste the dish over and over again.

The question was then directed at the other guest. He crossed his legs while straightening the tie on his very expensive suit, giving him a cold and rigid appearance.

“I personally favoured doing the wedding.” Was all he said. Nothing more nothing less.

The show host laughed in an awkward manner at the short and uninterested reply. You wanted to sink into the cushioned chair and pinch your brow. Could he stop doing that, you begged mentally.

Although it’s basically what he’s been doing all through his career and people should’ve really seen it coming by now, you still wished to save the embarrassment.

Deciding to do something, you nudged his arm with your elbow and whispered, “What else? What about it made you like it?”

Ace’s face lit up in realisation and ‘ah’ed. “The Production Designers made a great job in creating the venue. They made it feel like a real ceremony. Everything was done in near perfection, the decorations were good suiting my tastes and all.”

“Oh, is that so, and what was the best part of ‘your wedding’?” The hostess leaned in closer, anticipating his answer.

A small hint of a smile grew on the caramel-haired man’s face, so small in fact that it would be hard for anyone but you and the other woman to catch it. “The best part you ask? It is without a doubt that I got to see (Y/n) looking so beautiful- not to say she isn’t always- but I am sure you understand what I mean.”

She burst out in giggles at his confession and so did the audience, loving the prospect of a real life romance that might be happening behind the camera. You and Ace seemed like the ideal couple after all. Both being highly attractive, talented and having some unexplainable connection.

The perfect pair.

“Wow, I don’t think I’ve had any guest be so honest with their feelings toward their co-star!Say, Mr. Lee, you’re not one known to form a close bond to your fellow actors but there’s an obvious exception here.” She pried, all giddy. If she managed to get a juicy reply, her show would definitely make the top from there. “Does this mean miss (Y/n) is someone very special?”

News on your relationship would spread and be the topic of magazines and conversations. Everyone were invested in it, even though it wasn’t officially confirmed that you and Ace were a thing.

Your body tensed at the question. You didn’t want people to think you were dating for real, as if it were confirmed. That would cause a bunch of trouble you had no interest in handling. All those people were fooled.

Tough you didn’t wish to call your fans and the general public idiots, it’s exactly what they were when it came to him. They had no idea of what he was really like. Sure they knew he could be taken as a bit of an oddball, not the person to gladly socialise like other celebrities.

But only those who had worked closely with him knew the extent of his troubling personality. Picky, selfish, entitled and rude towards everyone; those were the prominent qualities. You couldn’t count on the times you’d been forced to save some poor employee from his clutches.

Only after noticing your presence did he switch up his act and turn into a completely different person. Front of you he’d act sweetly, if you hadn’t caught him being horrible to others you wouldn’t have believed he was capable of such things.

In all honesty, it was somewhat disturbing how he was able to turn the switch so quickly. That’s the prodigy actors, you supposed.

You sent Ace a firm look, warning him not to do something he’ll regret. AKA, lying and saying you were together. And what does he do? He had the audacity to freaking smirk. You nearly scream in your seat. What an ass!

“Yes, she is indeed very special to me.” Ace said as he sent you a meaningful gaze.

By now you were ready to slap him. It had been hard enough to keep more rumours about the two at bay than the already existing ones, there was no need for this shit. Angrily, you kicked his leg. Which no one saw because the angle worked in your favour. Ace hissed in response.

And instead of getting mad like the normal human being, he said with a sly grin, “Actually, do you want to know another favourite scene of mine?”

The hostess perked up at this, “Yes, certainly!”

“The one where I get the privilege of proposing to (Y/n). It was wonderful, just wishing she’d accept my real one.”

Silence. Then an uproar.

“Does this imply the rumours are true? And have you gone so far you’re thinking of marriage?”

“No, no!” You instantly deny, “He’s not serious, he loves to joke around sometimes, haha. Isn’t that right?” You regard Ace who sits calmly in his position, not caring to say a word.

‘He’s getting off from this, isn’t he!’

“Oh don’t be shy miss (Y/n)! It’s been obvious since a long time ago. You’re made for each other!”

“No. We’re not! We’re really not. There’s nothing more between us than friendship. ”

———-

‘Ugh. Why did he have to do that?’ You complained to yourself after the show was over.

As you stumbled around in the corridors, the person who caused your irritated state popped up.

“Just the person I wanted to see.” You spat at him.

“It’s good to see you too, love. Since the wrap-up of the movie I haven’t had the chance to see you for so long. It’s been very lonely.” Ace approached you and tried to caress your cheek, you stepped away.

“What the hell did you do that for? Don’t go around spouting shit that isn’t true.”

“I can assure you, my love for you is very true. There isn’t anything more genuine than that.” He pleaded.

“Just stop!” You pushed him away, “I don’t want you anywhere near me. I’m done with you! No more movies together. We’ll never see each other again, okay!”

The moment you started leaving, a voice sounded behind you. In a confident tone your now nemesis asserted, “We’ll see about that, dear.”

—————————

[barcalover86]

End of beginning

A never-ending friendship

Book

Chapter four

Your body suddenly can't move.

What the hell did you do last night?

Bia is still sleeping in bed with your new friends besides her, and you are the only one awake. You were trying to remember what happened after the game, but nothing was coming out of your mind.

You weren't that stupid to send him a n*de.. or were you?

But if that happened, someone would have stopped you. But on the other side, all of you were drunk and immature.

And if you really sent him a n*de of yourself , then it will be all over Internet. Just like the other photos of you two together.

You screwed up bad..

Finding the courage to open up his messages alone, not wanting to wake anyone up this early in the morning, you are even more shocked when you see his text.

Before you click on the photo he sent you, you read what he wrote you.

I am happy that you looked at the match, and I'm also sorry for the gossip that it's going around right now. I hope I didn't cause damage to your relationship.

Relationship? What relationship?

You were the one who thought that you made Gavi and his girlfriend break up. But he was thinking something completely untrue. You don't have a boyfriend and you never did.

Right now, you were trying to think who could be that boy he saw you with. But as you were trying to remember who he was, you suddenly realised that he also sent you a photo.

You opened your phone again, tapping to his account.

When you counted to three, you clicked on his photo, and your heart melted at his sight.

It was a selfie of him and Lewandowski, smiling at you. He also wrote on it that brought us good luck .

That? What that?

Now you begin to think again what picture could you have sent him to.

And if somehow it was a n*ude.. did he really show it to everyone else around him?

But you weren't the type of person to do that. Even when drunk. It just wasn't your personality.

So.. your photo brought him luck? You smiled a bit.

Oh, and then you realised that Gavi actually texted you. Well, you texted him first, but he replied.

And he was also having you at his following list. That's.. Nice. You smile once again.

"Bia, wake up!"

"Hm?"

"Gavi texted me!"

When everyone heard that, they all got up immediately.

"He did what?" asked Lucas.

"He texted me, look."

"Screenshot his photo," Bia said, and before you could stop her, Lucas already did a screenshot on your phone.

"What! No, now he's going to see it!!!!"

"And? It's better than not having the photo? I bet he made it by himself just for you."

You think about it. Maybe..

"Uhhh" you groaned, sitting on your bed. "Do I have to reply to him?"

"What's even with that question? Of course you have to!?"

"But what do I say?"

"Just, I don't know. Congrats on your win?" Liam says.

"But then he'll let her on seen." Laura interrupts. "It has to be something like, congrats to your win, you did amazing. How are you feeling after the game?"

"Of course he feels happy, they won?"

"Bia, I mean if he is tired or in good shape. Maybe he got injured, which I don't think so. He'll get the question, right, Lucas?"

He looks at her while thinking what to answer.

"Boys often misinterpret questions like that."

You nodded. "Then what do I say?"

"In my opinion, you should really add the congratulations part. It's important." Lucas says. "Boys like to feel important and appreciated.

"Ok, so first I'm saying congrats. After?"

Silence. Everyone is thinking.

"Should I go with something like I hope your training goes good today?"

"Ah, I don't know-"

"I got it!!!" Laura says. "Just reply to his photo with a photo and you can add there the text you want to say. He'll sure be curious on your photo."

"Yesss! That's it! But I have to be pretty. Everyone, help me!!"

They all helped you with a pretty outfit, your hair and makeup, and after about 1 hour, you were ready to take the picture.

Smiling widely, you sent a photo of you saying congratulations on your win, guys. you did amazing. visca barça.

Perfect. Now you wait.

..................................................................................

Today, waiting for his reply, you walked around Barcelona, chatting and laughing. You stopped near your friends' restaurant and started singing and dancing traditional Spanish songs until the L family was ready to close.

All the time you were looking at your phone, hoping for a text from Gavi who seemed like wouldn't come.

When you said your goodbyes, you and Bia went to drink something near your hotel. When you were talking about your future college, your phone buzzed, and you freezed.

"So??"

You look at her with a big smile.

"Gavi."

"I wanna see, I wanna see!"

Bia was whining just like a little kid, but you were also so excited to read his text.

Well, he sent you another photo.

He seemed like he was in a bedroom, assuming it was his, smiling into the camera and having his thumb up. He was adorable.

If you want more photos of me, tell me. You don't have to screenshot. Also, you didn't tell me about your boyfriend. Is he mad?

"He is definitely flirting with you!"

"I don't know.."

"Well he totally is. Reply to him."

You took a quick photo of you, with your orange juice on your hands, smiling sweetly.

I'm sorry about that. A friend of mine screenshoted it accidentally. And about my relationship, I don't know where that came from. I'm single.

After 5 minutes, he replied.

"Wow, y/n. He is quick. I told you he is into you!"

Now, it was a photo with half of his face saying my bad, sorry. so are you still asking for pictures?

You did a similar picture as he did last time, and wrote first of all, I didn't ask for any pictures, second of all wouldn't your girlfriend be upset that you are talking with me?

"Are you sure you want to send that?" Bia asked you.

"Well even if he is Pablo Gavi, if he has a girl at home, he has to right not talk to other girls."

After about 20 minutes, he replied.

The photo was again with half of his face saying that are u jealous, y/n?

You blushed hard.

"Ooooo, he is flirting with youu."

"Shut up, he is typing.:

"Let's get home. We can't stay here for another hour. We also have to look for colleges."

You nodded and while you were walking back to your hotel, you were looking intensely at your phone.

Right when he was about to send his text, your mom was calling you.

You groaned hard while Bia was laughing.

"Yes?"

"Hi, sweetheart. How are you?"

"Mama, I'm kinda busy. I'll call you later, ok?"

"Did something happen? Are you ok?"

"Yes, don't worry. We are heading to our hotel. I'll call you there, ok? Bye."

"Bye, don't forget to!"

After ending the call, you go to see what Gavi said.

You blushed even harder.

"Whatt???? I wanna see too."

Yes, I am a footballer, but I don't cheat. I don't have a girlfriend and I didn't have one recently either. I think you know a lot about me, but I just know your name. Wanna meet me tomorrow at 13 after my training to show you the museum from Camp Nou? I promise I won't steal you. Bring a friend if you want. I'll bring Fermin too.

"Say yes, say yes, say yes!"

"I don't know, Bia. I feel like it's happening too fast."

"It's the right time, trust me. When fo you want him to ask you out. A day before we return home? Say yes!"

You slowly nodded, accepting his offer." You'll come with me."

"You didn't have to ask." she says super excited.

See you then.

You replied.

He liked your message.

"Today we have to go shopping. We need new chlotes."

[originalgenshinscenarios]

I am so sorry Miko for this assignment to Ayato 😔

Part 1 (Lisa, Kaeya, Diluc, Rosaria)

Part 2 (Zhongli, Kokomi, Hu Tao, Baizhu)

Alhaitham, Ayato, Nilou and Yelan monster scenarios with human reader

Reader here is gender neutral

Warning: for the sake of it being a romantic story rather than dark fiction the description of Jorogumo is in a few ways inacurate on purpose.

Warning 2: researching Naiads was hard asf since I kept getting different sources to different questions I had so apologies ahead if I accidentally wrote something in an inacurate way.

Alhaitham- stone golem

Have you ever seen a man as gorgeous as a statue? Well... he was a statue at first. You remember how often you used to sit nearby it whenever you had an idle moment. It was in a secluded place, sometimes you even wonder if anyone else knew about it.

Sometimes, when you were feeling a bit alone- you talked to him like he was your friend. You couldn't take out some frustrations in your everyday life, so why not just talk to a statue that has no way of responding or judging you?

One day however you noticed something. The statue had a hole on his chest (at least that's the time you actually paid attention to the hole), like something was supposed to be there- but it was nowhere to be found.

You started to look around it. You had no idea what you were even looking for, but you just got a bit too curious.

Luck had it that not long search later you found a gem behind one of the bushes. Without hesitation you put it in the hole which caused an interesting reaction...

The statue moved. It's voice was very pleasant unlike what he said "And what did you wake me for exactly?" Judging by his tone, he wasn't exactly happy about being awakened.

Of course you had no idea that he would wake up so you told him that. To which he called you ignorant for not recognizing something as "basic" as a cursed gemstone.

You decided not to argue with him. I mean it'd be like talking to a stone wall. Which you sort of were doing before...

It was getting awkward at this point, especially since he was indifferent to that. So he just left...

He knew exactly where he was going so he must've been "asleep" for not a long time. He didn't pay you much attention. Actually he acted as though you weren't there.

So you decided to just leave him alone. It was as simple as that. But a part of you continued to be curious about him.

Especially since it was hard not to pay attention to him. You saw him around quite often. Whenever he was reading something, he was still. Looking once again just like a statue.

A very handsome one. If only he wasn't such a stone hearted asshole. But it's not like you can expect much of a guy who literally has a heart made out of stone if he has one to begin with.

One day, you were feeling a little frustrated. So you went back to your usual spot. It was weird coming there knowing that the statue isn't there anymore but when you got there you were surprised to see him.

He didn't feel the need to explain himself. It was clear that he just wanted some peace and quiet. And that's exactly what this place was giving. With a little hesitation, you sat down next to him and just allowed yourself to relax.

You enjoyed each other's company in silence, until he asked what made you come here this time. To which you looked at him surprised.

It didn't take long to connect the dots, although earlier he was "asleep" he still was concious and aware of the things around him.

You didn't know what to do... But in the end you told him a short summary of your recent worries.

And as earlier the point of talking to a statue was the lack of judgement, this time you felt it more than ever.

Then again... Having an active conversation helped you more. And to be honest... You had fun. He was blunt, and while his words did sometimes hurt his lack of social understanding was... Cute in a way.

Ever since that moment, you found yourself getting closer to him. He didn't talk to people much, but he started to look for excuses to talk to you.

When he caught feelings and recognized them he also didn't see any point in pretending. He was blunt even in his confession, but you accepted his feelings.

Honestly you were freaking out yourself a bit before that when you started to fall for him. I mean what were the chances of him returning your feelings when he wasn't exactly the type to be interested in romance.

And yet here you were. With a man who's heart was a stone- and yet it was beating for you.

Ayato- Kitsune

Recently, you found yourself being the victim of some harmless pranks... although you could never tell who or what was pranking you or were you just unlucky.

Each time you went through that path between Konda village to Inazuma city some minor inconvenience happened to you. And nobody but a few foxes were there to witness it.

You started slowly suspecting that you were being harassed by Youkai, and you were pretty sure of that actually- there is no buts here.

And since it was always in company of foxes there was no mistaking it that at least one of them was a fully sentient Kitsune. It wasn't that hard to guess which one was it though.

So next time you were pranked by it's illusions you decided to check your theory. You walked up to the white fox, it had an incredible fluffy tail- or perhaps was it because it had more than one?

You asked what their deal was and they acted dumb for a moment, making you question your sanity. Eventually it got bored of pretending and changed forms. With how childish these pranks were, you were expecting some kid. Instead you saw quite a handsome guy...

You didn't recognize him from anywhere. But his clothes were rather fancy, so he could be some sort of big shot you had no way of recognizing. But how would he have so much free time to prank you like this?

"Ah and so you caught me, I was wondering how long it'd take" his voice was mischievous but at the same time oddly appealing.

You only wondered what did you do to gather such attention around yourself. But there wasn't any real reason for it actually.

It was just a coincidence, and your reactions just happened to entertain him enough to keep his interest.

He tried to leave once his cover was off, and you managed to stop him to ask for his name... And you were surprised to learn that he was actually someone important.

Ayato was never much of a public figure, even though his name is known by many nearly nobody had seen him.

There were a lot of rumors about him as it was... him being a Kitsune actually explained a few of them. But since it wasn't a common knowledge among the public, he sure was great at masking his Kitsune features.

In the end it didn't matter much. It wasn't very likely for the two of you to continue crossing paths.

He won't catch you off guard anymore, and he "interacted" with you for the sake of entertainment... Yet a part of you had fun as well.

He added something to those walks of yours and while sometimes you prayed to not run into him... At other times you were wondering what he'd do next.

You didn't see him on that path for about a week, so you were pretty sure he won't show up here ever again... But then you fell victim to his pranks once more.

Turns out that he was actually busy for once but the moment he had the time he went back hoping to see you again. Actually, his schedule is always tight. It's just that he found himself always being able to find an excuse to go to that spot.

He couldn't quite explain it, but he found himself falling for you at a first sight. Your first meeting was a coincidence, but everything after it wasn't.

And he was right to trust you. Because even though you knew what he was, you didn't pass that information onto anyone. Even if you didn't do it because you thought you wouldn't be believed... He appreciated such "loyalty".

Eventually he stopped entertaining himself with your reactions, instead whenever your paths crossed he indulged in a nice conversation with you.

He wasn't surprised to find out that he was right in having feelings for you... But he only silently adored you.

There was a lot of barriers that should be keeping his heart away from you. From social status to your mortality. And yet he allows himself to have those joyous moments with you.

Nilou- Water Nymph (Naiad)

Getting lost in the desert wasn't something on your to do list and yet here you were. Dehydrated and desperate. Your Sumpter beast ran away as it got scared of something.

You were trying to follow it but it quickly lost you and so you could only rely on the traces it left... but the wind was slowly taking care of them so you needed to be quick.

From afar the beast's tracks conveniently were towards an oasis... so you started to wonder if it wasn't an illusion. But you had no other choice but to follow it.

You were really lucky as it turned out to be an actual oasis, and as you reunited with your beast you noticed that you weren't alone.

A pretty lady was dancing on the water. Standing on it like it was solid ground. And thus you wondered now if you weren't just dead or asleep so pinching yourself you react to it causing the lady to turn around and notice you.

Seeing you in such a dire state she immediately walked up to you and asked "Oh dear..! Are you okay? Do you need help?"

Once again you started to wonder if you didn't die and the pretty lady wasn't an angel. Her sweet voice, graceful moves and gorgeous face really were making you question your state of mind.

But your exhaustion was getting to you, so before you got to respond to her you passed out.

Nilou panicked at first but she quickly pulled herself together and tried to help you. She took care of both you and your beast and waited for you to regain consciousness.

She was patient and other nymphs teased her for worrying so much but she just couldn't help it.

Once you awakened she wanted to help you prepare to head back home... But first you needed to rest and she was very insistent on it.

As you rested you got to know her better and you very quickly got to get along. It was almost like you could knew each other for ages.

She was just so such a kind and gentle soul, talking to her was relaxing. It was maybe even a little bit too perfect.

But you weren't too surprised about it, after all Nymphs are supposed to be perfect... Right?

Your departure was sad for the both of you. But Nilou tried to mask her disappointment when seeing you leave.

She was only wondering if she'll ever see you again. While you were asking yourself if you really just fell in love at the first sight.

You soon found yourself reading more about Nymphs and there were maybe one or two romance stories between a Nymph and a human you stumbled across while researching...

There was one major problem though, you had no clue where to look for that oasis. But when there's a will, there's a way.

You felt it was a little bit insane to risk your life just to meet Nilou again... But you'd also go insane if you wouldn't be able to speak with her soon.

You prepared yourself for the expedition. Hoping for a little bit of dumb luck to guide you.

And guide you it did. Just as you were about to give up you saw it in the distance. Now you only hoped that it was the right one. But you had your suspicions since it wasn't on your map.

Upon seeing you she was really surprised... But also extremely happy. Just like last time the two of you decided to rest together and talk the night away.

This time however you didn't let your interaction end on "what if"s you asked if she wanted to come back with you. You didn't ask her for anything big. Just for her to be your roommate and if she's okay with it girlfriend.

Although it would make her mortal she didn't hesitate to agree. It was spontaneous, but she definitely wasn't going to pass an opportunity to see you every day.

Yelan- Jorogumo

There has been a lot of odd cases lately. The milileth would be suddenly summoned for arrest of various criminals, just for them to be found in something that looked like spider web.

At first you didn't really pay mind to that odd occurrence. Until a pretty lady showed up in your life. Coincidentally, around the time where you were being threatened.

You accidentally happened to hear a bunch of idiots talking about their "perfect plan" on causing some mayhem in the harbor. And ever since you were told to keep your mouth shut or everything will be pinned on you.

So it was hard to trust anyone. They could've been sent as a distraction or maybe the pretty lady was sent to plant some evidence while you weren't looking to make you look guilty.

And although you couldn't deny how... Charming... She was. You weren't some idiot that would do anything for a gorgeous woman.

Then suddenly she leaned into your ear and said "We're being watched. Follow me and I'll explain everything" her tone was serious. But it wasn't said in a way to further threaten you.

With some hesitation, you decided to temporarily trust her. So once the two of you were alone she explained that she knew what was going on.

She introduced herself and said she'll help you. But you needed to cooperate with her. Before you agreed to it blindly you asked her what her plan was.

She just needed you to act as a bait. And while you didn't like the sound of that... She was rather convincing.

It was just before they started setting everything up. They had all the evidence they could have on them and the moment couldn't be more perfect.

You waited for those bandits and as you looked around, you didn't see Yelan anywhere. You started to think that she was setting you up but you had no time to further think about your doubts as the group was there.

You started to act as though you wanted to join their scheme. After all, you're already involved.

You didn't talk much, you were just buying time that's when you noticed for a split moment that Yelan was here. Dashing between the trees. You had no idea how or why for that matter.

When she was done doing... Whatever that was she interrupted your conversation. When the bandits tried to attack, her incredible speed impressed you once again.

And those who she didn't catch in her spiderweb in that run, got caught by the web that was set on the trees.

As the two of you were leaving the scene, you heard the milileth in the back. Everything happened so fast you honestly had no idea what to think. Especially since you witnessed the person (?) behind all these odd occurrences.

When all of it was a done deal the two of you were walking back to the harbor in silence for the first few minutes.

You had so many questions... And yet you said nothing. She was the one who eventually spoke up, she asked if you were okay.

Somehow, from that question the conversation started moving in it's own direction.

It was rather enjoyable, you soon found yourself really enjoying her company. It was hard not to.

So your interactions didn't end with that situation. You ended seeing each other quite frequently- and you'd be lying if after some time your intentions weren't purely platonic.

She was just so interesting and awesome in every way. Even her creepy spider quirks were just something you couldn't help but admire.

You hoped that you weren't delusional and you're right in suspecting that she likes you too...

Without wasting much time, you told her how you feel. She wasn't very surprised by this but she didn't mask that it made her happy to hear you say so.

You were glad the "trap" you had fallen into was love and not her web.

~Mod Lisa

[sh1-n0bu]

congrats on reaching 5k!!!!!

PomPom!!! (Hsr, platonic)

Hi!!! How are you?? I'm sorry I'm only able to help out when everyone else besides Miss Himieko is off the Express, or in the dead of night. I get soo nervous around them but you two seem to be the only people I can relax around. Especially when the General Jing Yuan came to visit??? I nearly had a heart attack when I thought they saw me. Don't get me stared on how Stelle/Caelus and March have been getting noesy especially about me in particular. Despite being the main culprits I know Welt and Dan Heng are also growing curious about me. I don't think anyone else besides the two of you guys have seen me, and I really hope to keep it that way. I hope keeping me a secret isn't that much of an issue,,, I promise I'll make your favourite hot chocolate and cookies for our movie night! (I am eternally thankful that Miss Himeko and you let me have my own personal kitchen in my room) Love you PomPom, I'll see you and Miss Himeko tonight!! Tell her I said Hi!!

Lots of Love,

your shy helper

𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜! 𝙣𝙤𝙗𝙪’𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙡 𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚!

to: pom-pom from honkai star rail

lately, there has been some rumors floating about the astral express. which, most times, is completely fine since one of the passengers loves to make up all sorts of stories with her wild imagination. and it has only been fueled by their latest passenger, the trash loving one. so, with their imaginations running rampant, it was only normal for them to come up with all sorts of stories to tell the express visitors at times. mainly the younger ones.

however, one day, the general of the luofu’s cloud knights had decided to visit his express friends with his retainer. the young boy went about everywhere, taking in the atmosphere and the magical energy of the galaxy traveling train. of course, taking his young age and curious nature into thought, the trailblazer told the young retainer how the express had its own spirit. they went on to great details of how the spirit of the express keeps the train in check, helping the conductor but also sometimes, stirring up trouble.

it didn’t get better as march joined in, talking stories about how one night when she came back from another trailblazing mission only the cute tiny round plushie replicas of the astral express crew. when march went to thank pom-pom about it, the conductor only expressed concern and confusion while himeko only giggles with a knowing smile.

yanqing believed every word of course, thinking that the express had its own ghost and was haunted. it only calmed down a bit when dan heng came over, gently smacking the two unruly adults over their heads and telling them to stop spreading lies. however, jing yuan stepped in at that.

“i feel something” the general of the luofu said, rubbing his chin softly as he looked around the main cabin of the express in deep thought. “there is indeed something here. a weird and new energy. something that’s a bit… inhuman and i’m not talking of the conductor” he briefly nods towards the rabbit, where they were watering the plants. briefly, jing yuan looked towards the chessboard out of the corner of his eyes, where he was sure something tiny zipped across.

and with that incident, what started as a joke quickly became a case that march and the trailblazer would diligently chase after. acting like they’re detectives, the two would speak of something being on the express to every visitors who visited. some getting scared, some finding the story funny and some seeming to have an odd recollection in their eyes. but one thing stayed the same. the two didn’t give up their detective work.

and their suspicions were further solidified when after argenti — a certain dramatic knight of beauty — helped the express to get out of the stomach of a beast that happened to swallow them. the express’ outer sides were completely alright! not a single hint of blotch or hint of being burned with stomach acid. completely clean and pristine as usual. that’s when the two came to the conclusion to call this entity “guardian of the express”. meanwhile, a certain guard of the express sighs and rolls his eyes at the shenanigans of his friends. a certain former herrscher laughing it off, telling the guard to leave them to their own devices as they seem to be having fun. on the other hand, a certain navigator and conductor stay hush hush about something, whispering to each other about something as the conductor hands over a letter to the coffee loving woman to let her read over it as well.

it wasn’t until after the rest had went to their separate rooms to rest up for the night, did the two of them sit down on one of the tables of the main cabin. pulling out a paper and a pen to write their own responses back.

“dear ‘guardian of the express’,

what do you think of the new nickname the trailblazer and march thought up for you? i think it’s pretty cool! since in a case, you are indeed the guardian of the express. passenger dan heng may be a guard of the express and an amazing one at that, but he’s also a human that needs his own rest and therefore, can’t keep the express safe 24/7. i forgot to say thank you when you kept the outer sides of the express safe when it was swallowed by the true sting. i was so worried that the stomach acid of the creature would damage it (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞!

thankfully you were here with us to keep the train and us safe.

i’m sorry if i can’t keep both passengers march and trailblazer from being too nosy about you. they tend to get a bit too excited at times about certain things. and that time is specifically now more than ever as we are cruising the star rail towards penacony. i just hope you can stay out of sight whenever they’re awake!

and as for the general of the luofu, i was quite scared of the man too! he seemed to know so much and visited the express a lot of times to the point of almost finding out about you. i was so worried when he first came over! and he also tried to steal me away from the express as well the other day ٩(ʘ益ʘ💢)۶ ٩(ʘ益ʘ💢)۶!

well, i hope you can stay safe and out of the shenanigans of some of the passengers and even the visitors. it’s alright if you don’t want yourself to be seen, me and himeko would keep your secrets safe!

with love, pom-pom the conductor of the astral express”

[ingravinoveritas]

What do you make of David sayin he’s an ally, not an active participant (in queer subcultures)?

Did he come out as straight? I’m not sure anyone has ever asked him directly, not that he needs to give any explanations, I’m just curious because he gives off such a queer vibe even when he’s been married forever.

https://www.attitude.co.uk/culture/david-tennant-on-the-spice-girls-spiceworld-movie-was-being-developed-before-they-even-released-a-single-459815/

Oh, my Asks/DMs have been blowing up over this one. I did have a chance to read this interview with David (is it me, or is he doing nonstop press lately?) and...wow. Definitely enjoyable, and noticeably more unhinged/queer than most of his other interviews (which makes sense, given that Attitude is an LGBTQ-focused publication). But let's get a screenshot up of the most talked about bit, so we can discuss:

Obviously there is a lot going on here, so I'm just going to go with what stood out to me most. I don't think there is anything in the world less surprising than David naming bears first, given certain preferences of his (which I've discussed several times previously on my blog).

What's really interesting though is that the question was asking about queer subcultures, but all of the ones David listed are used primarily (AFAIK, though someone please do correct me if I am wrong) in mlm/gay male relationships. "Queer" can be many things, after all--gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, ace--and yet when David heard "queer subcultures" he specifically went for the mlm/gay ones, and that definitely feels like an interesting choice.

The second thing that I felt was worth discussing is that a lot of the reactions I've seen to this is people saying how adorably clueless David is, or how "he's a little confused, but he's got the spirit." And I'm sort of perplexed by this because we are talking about an almost 53-year-old man here, and I believe he knows damn well what all of those terms/subcultures are.

It's been brought to my attention (from what I would consider a very trustworthy source) that David is not at all as technologically illiterate as he pretends to be. Instead, it's actually part of a persona that he puts on to avoid dealing with issues that would arise from people knowing he is online. I had an inkling of this just from Georgia saying David was the one who set up all the equipment for when they filmed Staged at home (because why would such a task be put in the hands of someone who is hopeless with technology?). But having this confirmed also aligns with David creating a fake personal assistant in the early days of his career so he wouldn't have to fulfill certain social obligations, and to put a barrier between his real self and the world.

So why, then, wouldn't the same pattern possibly apply here?

I know there also tends to be this image of David as a "bumbling, goofy dad" type, and that's definitely part of him and what makes him so charming. But I don't think he is a fool, either--especially not after listening to him talk about Shakespeare or politics or anything else at length--and I think he certainly knows how to answer these types of questions. I think David is more than clever enough to give answers that are cheeky but not revealing, because he knows the purpose of all this is to promote the BAFTAs, not to be a deep, probing exposé on the life and times of David Tennant.

Which then brings me to the big, gay elephant standing in the middle of the room--a.k.a., "I'm an ally rather than an active participant." (Again...so many interesting word choices going on here, and none of it feels like an accident.)

Going back to what I mentioned about the focus of these interviews, I'd like to point out one notable thing that David himself said in the Radio Times interview earlier this week:

This, I think, sums up what we are seeing in all of these interviews: The version of David that he feels is safe to present to the world. He makes it clear as well that he is not going to reveal areas of his personal life while up on stage, and I would say that the same thing applies to these interviews. (It also speaks volumes that in the year 2024, the version of himself he feels safe presenting in these interviews is one who fully knows what bears and twinks--sorry, twinkies--are.)

So no, I don't think David is coming out as straight. I don't think he's coming out as anything, in fact, because he knows these interviews are not the place for that to happen. And I think that saying he is an ally but not an active participant makes the most sense as an answer for a public interview, but neither that nor being in a straight-passing relationship necessarily makes him any less potentially queer.

To reiterate what I said above, there is no one way to be queer. For some people, being queer absolutely can mean going to leather bars and participating in subcultures. But for other people, "queer" can mean something very different. It can mean being a Kinsey 2 just floating along doing your thing until you meet that one person who changes everything. The person who makes you go, "I've usually been more into this and not as much into this...but I'm definitely into you." It can mean being attracted to/falling for someone--a co-star, maybe?--that you never expected to feel that way about. And if David is queer, maybe that also means not shying away from anything, but at the same time not wanting to take the spotlight off the awards and the nominees celebrating one of the most important nights of their lives.

Those are my thoughts on the Attitude interview and David's answers, at any rate. Happy as always to hear from my followers with your takes. Thank you for writing in! x

[fruitylo0pz]

A New Start pt. 1 (NSFW)

Larissa Weems x fem!Reader

Warnings: Smut (with some aftercare), NSFW, 18+, sub!Larissa, spanking, fingering, cunnilingus, degradation kink

Word count: ~3.7k

A/N: Okay, so this one turned out a lot longer than intended and has a bit of a slow buildup before the smutty part so it might not be for everyone. But I do hope whoever reads it will enjoy it! I actually liked writing it, and I found myself intrigued with Larissa being uptight and upper class and a bit of a prude. I think I just fell in love with the idea of Larissa being very "traditional" in the sense of being married to a man and then BOOM just having some sort of sapphic epiphany. I have proofread it, but as usual I post right before I'm off to bed so apologies for any mistakes.

____

Tall, blonde, beautiful and sophisticated. This must have been the fourth or the fifth time you had seen her at the store, and you had caught her staring each and every time. Whenever you looked back, she blushed and looked away as if she hadn’t just been eyeing you up. You smirked to yourself and this time you decided to pursue it, curious about the outcome. You hadn’t really ever done anything like this, but you had to shoot your shot with her.

“Hi, I’m Y/N. I usually don’t do this, but I’ve noticed you staring every time I’ve been in this store and I had to try. Here’s my address. It’s up to you, but you’re gorgeous and I’d love to have you over for a glass of wine.” You winked and gave her a note with your address and number. This was so out of character for you and it immediately sent a nervous wave down your body.

She hesitantly took it and put it in her pocket, and it almost appeared like she was afraid someone would notice. “I’m involved with someone. Whatever you thought you saw was not the case, but thank you. Flattering.” She blushed and seemed embarrassed by the interaction, and you decided to leave her be. You didn’t want to get her in trouble. You were relatively new in town, and realised that people probably knew who she was pretty well.

You went home and put on a random movie you found on Netflix, trying to forget about her dismissing you at the store. Why did she even take the note if she wasn’t interested? You really had hoped she was different, but why would she be? She seemed classy, and she probably was just as classy as she looked. You decided to pour yourself a glass of wine to wind down when the doorbell rang. It was getting pretty late, and you didn’t really even know anyone in town but you decided to open the door regardless. You had a few colleagues you were getting closer to at work so you figured it could be one of them. 

“Oh, I was not expecting to see you. Come in, please.” You were trying to wipe away your shocked expression when she walked inside, and she did not look happy. 

“What you did was assuming and inappropriate. I am in fact married, and walking around stores giving out your address to strangers is a bold thing to do. Are you always that confident?” She looked at you with a stern look, but there was something else hiding in the back of her eyes that you couldn't quite read. 

“So you went all the way over here to tell me that? You’re married, yet I found you staring and eyeing me up at the store numerous times. Forgive me for assuming anything at all, but if I was married, I wouldn’t do that. It’s a shame, because I could show you a very, very good time.” You winked and moved closer to her so she ended up backed up to the wall. 

“W-well… Yes. You shouldn’t have done it. I wasn’t staring, I was just looking. Pretty cocky, aren’t you? You don’t know what you could give me.” She was clearly nervous and looked at you with furrowed brows, but whatever her eyes were trying to hide was still there.

“You were looking several times. I’m not cocky, but it’s pretty easy to tell when someone gives you a brief glance or they look at you several times. You fit into that last category. But don’t worry. Glad we sorted this out, and I won’t keep you. Go home to your husband. ” You gave her a sarcastic smile while eyeing her up before you opened the door. She hesitated but left. 

You scoffed and shook your head. Why did she even bother showing up if she found herself so deeply offended by it? She could have thrown away the note and forgotten about the whole thing. Suddenly, the doorbell rings again and it’s her. 

“Now, you listen to me. Do you know who I am? I am the headmistress at Nevermore Academy, and I am used to a certain amount of respect around here.” She pointed a finger at you and you moved closer. 

“And I think you came here for a reason. I bet I could make you squirm within minutes. That uptight attitude does something to me.” Your eyes wandered down her perfect curves. She was wearing a cream white dress with matching heels. She looked stunning, but she probably always did. 

“You really have no idea who you’re dealing with. How dare you speak to me this way? I don’t know where you work, but I could have you fired within an hour.” She tried sounding intimidating and threatening, but she was blushing. Your words got to her, but she did not want to admit it. You were however not too happy about the way she spoke to you, like you were inferior. You pulled her inside and pushed her against the wall.

“Okay, headmistress who also seems to be running this town. I told you to forget about it. But you were the one who couldn’t keep your eyes to yourself. Quick advice for the future; control your staring so you don’t give people the wrong impression. Eyeing people up when you’re happily married? That’s pretty unusual too. I’ll leave you alone from now on, and I’ll make sure to leave the store if I see you. Okay? Now, if you’re done berating me, you’re free to leave.” Once again, you open the door but she doesn’t move. Whatever she was hiding in her eyes was becoming more apparent. It swam to the surface in her deep blue eyes. It was lust. You were right all along. 

Her entire demeanour changed. It was as if she let go of something that was holding her back, but she was still nervous. “I came here for a reason. And as for happily married? A man that doesn’t see me or love me? Frankly, I don’t love him either but in my position and him being an important businessman in this town breaking it off will just look bad. I have never been with a woman, and I have never found another female attractive, but there is something about you. Your confidence. The way you carry yourself.” She looked away, and she looked unhappy after talking about her unhappy marriage. Like she was ashamed of being trapped with someone who didn’t even care for her. 

You put a finger under her chin so she was forced to look at you. “I don’t understand how he can ignore someone like you, and not even look at you. You’re a goddess. You’re absolutely stunning. Do you think I go around handing out my address and phone number to strangers? I have never once done that before, but I found myself infatuated with you. I had to take a chance eventually. You should be worshipped.” You wiped a tear that fell from her eye. She wasn’t used to hearing words like that, you could tell that much.

“My name is Larissa. I realised I never told you that. And thank you for your kind words.” She smiled gently and blushed, and she clearly liked your compliments.

“Hi, Larissa. Very nice to meet you, and learn your name! I was just having a glass of wine. I realise I’m pretty much a stranger to you still, but would you care to join me?” You looked at her with a questioning look, hoping she would stay.

“Thank you, Y/N. That sounds lovely. It’s not like he would notice that I’m gone anyway.” She gave you a light chuckle and you helped her with her coat before guiding her to the sofa. You went to the kitchen to fetch a glass and the wine bottle before pouring her a glass.

“So, Larissa. Headmistress, huh? That’s pretty impressive. A colleague of mine told me about Nevermore. Sounds pretty cool! I think it’s great that you have a school for outcasts where they can be themselves. Society is too quick to judge people that deviate from what they think should be the norm.” You shook your head and took a sip of your wine.

She looked shocked at what you just said, like she had never heard anyone talk about outcasts without judgement or resentment. “I… Thank you. I should probably mention that I am a shapeshifter. And I am not used to anyone saying things that aren’t filled with disgust or hatred for us. Especially not a normie.” She gave you a soft look that almost screamed “thank you” and you could tell that she already felt more comfortable.

“A shapeshifter?! That is so cool! So you can shapeshift into anything you want?” You were genuinely excited about her confession, and you truthfully had always found outcasts interesting and fascinating, and you would always defend them if they were brought up in discussions. 

She laughed, and her laugh was so delightfully genuine and the most wonderful laugh you had ever heard “Yes, I can shapeshift into anything I want. It’s not a power I use very often, but it can come in handy at times. But enough about me. What about you? What brought you to Jericho?” She put her elbow up on the back of the sofa and leaned her head on her hand. She looked curious and like she really wanted to know more about you, and not like she had asked as a form of courtesy. 

“My girlfriend cheated on me with my best friend, and I don’t really have any family I talk to. I needed a new start, and I was looking to get as far away as possible and ended up here. I work as a web developer, and I found a job with a company here. And that’s how I ended up in Jericho! I really like it so far.” Thinking about your ex annoyed you, and talking about her made you even more annoyed. 

She looked at you with an almost horrified look on her face. “Y/N, that is terrible. But on the other hand, they both showed you who they really are, and I’m glad you got away from them. But I am sorry to hear that you don’t have any close ones. Aren’t you lonely? Being in a new town all alone?” She moved slightly closer, still with a horrified and almost sad look on her face. 

“I am an introvert so I enjoy my own company. I haven’t been in touch with my family for years and they don’t accept me for who I am. When I came out, they gave me an hour to pack up my things and I never looked back. I’d rather be alone in a new town than with people who can’t accept me for who I am.” You gave her a reassuring look, and noticed that she had moved even closer again. She was looking intently at you, almost as if she wanted to give you all the caring and love she felt like you had been missing.

“You went through more than you deserved. I might not know you that well, but I can tell that you’re a wonderful human being. You should always be able to be yourself, and no one should judge you for that.” She took your hand in hers and you twitched at the touch. Her skin was soft and warm, and it felt like electric shocks pulsated through your body.

“It’s fine now, I feel nothing when I think about them. I am better off without them. But thank you, truly. You’re a beautiful human being yourself.” You felt liberated in her presence, and it was so easy to talk to her. She was so different than she had first seemed, and you thought it might be the wine but mostly it felt like she just let go of the outer shell she so often had to carry.

She moved even closer and her eyes met yours in an intense stare before she gently grabbed your hand again. “Did you really mean those things you said to me? Those… Those nice things?” She blushed and looked down, still holding your hand. 

“I did, Larissa. I think you’re absolutely breathtaking, and I also do believe that you should be worshipped like the goddess you are.” You moved slightly closer and rubbed the back of her hand with your thumb to show her that you meant it. She seemed insecure, even though you had no idea how that was even possible.

“Would you… Uh… Show me?” She looked at you with the most genuinely innocent look you had ever seen and it made your core tense up into a string of heat immediately. 

You leaned forward to kiss her, and she eagerly responded and let out a whimper into your mouth before your tongues started dancing in a slow, intense dance. It felt so right, so warm and so filled to the brim with sparks and emotions. 

“I’ll show you. Just be a good girl and follow my lead, and I’ll make you feel things you have never felt before.” Your lips swept gently down her jaw towards her neck before you left tender kisses and she let out a deep groan. Your hand moved to her back and you were about to pull down the zipper to her dress when she pulled away. 

“I… I don’t think I can do this. What do you want with an older lady like me? You should find someone your own age.” She fiddled with her hands and looked down.

“Larissa, I want you. If I wanted someone else, I wouldn’t have left my address with you. Now, please… Let me take care of you. Let me see you. Let me feel you. Let me taste you.” Your hand gently cupped her chin and she looked you in the eyes.

She blushed and gave you a smirk you didn’t know you had been waiting for, but it was all you needed in that moment “I don’t have any clue what to do, but… Your words make me feel things I have never felt before. If you want to see me… Let me show you. Take me to bed?” She got up and you followed her before grabbing her hand and taking her upstairs to your bedroom.

“I do want to see you, so please… Show me, if you want to. If you don’t, there is no pressure.” You let your hand gently stroke her cheek so she knew that she really didn’t have to do anything she wasn’t comfortable with. 

She pushed you down on the bed and the lust in her eyes filled them entirely. “Tell me what to do. I want you to use me.” She bit her lip and her hand wandered from her neck and down her body. 

“If you’re absolutely sure, I will gladly tell you what to do. Use the word “torch” if you want me to stop or you’re feeling uncomfortable in any way, okay?” You took her hands as a way of showing her that her feeling safe was important to you. 

“I will use the word “torch” if I’m uncomfortable. And I am absolutely sure. Now please… Use me like the dirty whore I am for you.” Her words made your eyelids flutter, and hearing her say something so filthy with her heavenly voice and that accent was almost too overwhelming.

“Strip for me. All of it.” Your voice was firm, and you leaned back on your elbows, following her every move. 

She reached to her back and pulled down the zipper. The way she looked at you with a sweet mixture of innocence and desire drove you absolutely insane. She had been an uptight upper class lady an hour ago, and now she was referring to herself as your dirty whore. She let her dress fall to the floor, and you found yourself in awe, mouth agape with hunger for her. She unclasped her bra and pulled down her panties while gently rolling her hips. 

She moved closer and discreetly spread her legs a bit as an invitation. Your reassurance and compliments had wiped away her insecurity and it thrilled you. She should feel like the goddess she is, and she should feel appreciated. “Please touch me.” The tone of her voice was filled with a lustful desperation, and you couldn’t control yourself any longer.

“On the bed. Spread your legs.” You watched as she crawled onto the bed and laid down before spreading her legs. Her inner thighs were dripping with her arousal and you got on your knees between her legs before leaning down to kiss her chest. Your mouth drew a trail towards her breast before you bit her nipple and she whimpered. Your hand travelled down her stomach before it found her mound and you groaned when you felt how wet she was. Your fingers started drawing lazy circles on her clit and her breathing got heavier. 

You continued kissing down her stomach, and she was already twitching underneath you. Her skin was soft and warm, and you could feel her legs spreading more and more before your lips found her clit and you gently sucked it. “Mhh, Larissa. You taste so fucking good.” She gasped, and you let your tongue trail up her slit before you started circling her clit in slow circles while you shifted position and let your fingers trace her entrance. 

Your tongue picked up the pace a bit and you felt her fingers in your hair. You let two fingers slide slowly inside her and her walls immediately clenched around you as she once again gasped and let out a filthy moan. “Oh, Y/N… I need more, p-please.” You added another finger and she screamed out, meeting you in the thrusts. Your tongue kept working on her clit while your fingers pumped hard and deep. The way she was clenching let you know that she was close and you shifted position a bit so you got closer and your tongue started circling harder on her clit. Her moans became louder and louder until she began squirming and shivering as she exploded in a loud orgasm and released a warm wave of her sweet arousal over your fingers while screaming your name. You let her ride it out and slowly pulled out your fingers when she had calmed down enough. 

Suddenly, she turned over and got up on her knees. “Please. More.” She looked at you and begged you with her eyes.

“Aren’t you a desperate little whore for me, hm? Can’t get enough, can you?” You spanked her and she whimpered.

“No, I can’t get enough. Please fuck me. Make me yours. Use me, use me like I’m your toy.” She spread her legs, and you shoved your fingers inside her soaked cunt. You started thrusting hard and deep right away and it was an exhilarating feeling having her in your complete and utter power and on her knees before you. It didn’t take long before you could sense that she was close again, and you spanked her before fucking her harder. She tipped over the edge and came in a loud orgasm, and you continued fucking her to her delight. 

Her eyelids fluttered and she was panting while her arousal poured down your hand with every thrust, and her orgasms kept coming as her legs spread more and more. She clearly loved being used by you as she cried out in whimpers and moans while coming over and over again, each and every orgasm just as loud and intense. Eventually, you could tell that she was overstimulated and exhausted and you let her ride out her last orgasm before you gently pulled out your fingers and leaned forward to kiss her back. 

You went to the bathroom to get a warm washcloth before gently cleaning her up. She had moved to the side of the bed when you came back and she smiled when you looked at her. “Y/N… That was incredible. I don’t know what else to say. No one has ever… Well… With their tongue…” She blushed and gave you a quick kiss on the cheek.

“How on earth is that possible? Well, I am honoured to have been the first, because you taste like heaven.” You winked and kissed her before stroking her cheek. She blushed at your words and chuckled lightly. 

“Thank you, Y/N. For making me feel the way you made me feel. No one has ever made me feel this desired before. This is the craziest thing I have ever done, but nothing has ever felt so right.” She looked like she was in complete awe, and she stroked your cheek. Her touch was so soft and caring, it almost made you melt. 

“I am so glad I handed you that note, no matter how inappropriate it might have been. Oh, and… Would you like to stay the night? Or do you have to go?” You looked at her with a look that you hoped told her that you were dying for her to stay. 

She looked at the time and sighed. “I’m afraid I have to leave. But if you’re free tomorrow, perhaps you would like to come and keep me company when you finish work? I have a long workday tomorrow, and I have a private flat at the academy for when I have busy days. I know it’s unfair, but I’m afraid this is how things will have to be, at least for now.” She stroked your cheek again, as though she was trying to apologise. 

“I would love to, Larissa. The thought of fucking you in your office is a very thrilling thought.” You gave her a sly wink and she chuckled. 

She got dressed and you followed her downstairs. You took a peek out the window and made sure no one would see her leaving. She leaned down to kiss you again and looked into your eyes before moving towards your ear. “It’s as if I can still feel your fingers inside me, Y/N. I’ll dress up nicely for you tomorrow.” She bit your ear, sending shivers down your spine. You had awakened something in her, and you were the only one who could feed it. 

[the-24-7-lawlu-library]

Hello!

I have a trip in a few days and I need some longfics to help me survive, do you have any recs?

Hello there! I hope we are not too late with answering. Of course we can't leave you alone in this! Here are some recs:

I’d Forgotten How Nice Romance Was, Then You Reminded Me by Living4LifesSake (M)

At forty-four years old, Luffy was content with the way things were. Sure his life hadn't exactly gone like he had originally thought it would, but it was fine. He had a good job, a cute dog, a whole gang of awesome friends, a supportive family; things were great. He was fine with being single. Then, one fateful night, he got sat by a handsome man at a bar. And suddenly, everything changed. A story where Law and Luffy learn that you’re never too old to have a whirlwind romance.

Lead Me Back to Suffering by Purplehairedwonder (M) [non-con, includes Doflamingo/Law]

In the wake of Kaido's fall, Law is kidnapped from the shores of Wano.

Inhuman Potential by Sydneyxface (E) [Blood and Gore]

Dr. Trafalgar Law has seen many wild and surprising things come across his table as a pathologist, but nothing compares to one of his decedents waking from the dead - and thirsty for his blood. And so Law befriends (and beds) a vampire named Luffy and is pulled into the chaos that surrounds him - which involves cracking a case of missing people supposedly being used as slave labor for the elites of the world... the Celestial Dragons. Alternate Universe - Modern day, 2023.

Not a Ball or a Chain by HollowIsTheWorld (T) [AU-Modern]

Trafalgar Law grew up hoping he would be one of the handful of people to never develop a soulmate mark. Now that that hasn't panned out, however, he's willing to settle for just never meeting them. Unfortunately for him, Monkey D. Luffy is a hard person to avoid.

At the End of the Day by Artificial_Starlight (M) [Edit: we corrected the link]

It was such a simple thing to get worked up about, he knew, and maybe it was because he's so removed from normal social interaction that the idea of new friends coming into his life only bothered him. He only needed the three - they gave him enough trouble! They already bugged him enough to hang out, already caused drama that he was dragged into, already teased him about his idiosyncrasies... They already knew about his issues; spent years around his ever changing moods as he tried to be less angry, less scared, less obsessive. They already tried with mixed results to help him sleep, heal, and trust. He didn't need anyone else getting that close. However, as he began to walk away, he couldn't help but believe that not taking Straw-hat's words seriously would be a mistake.

the thing that remains by tciddaemina (M)

He'd had a plan. Destroy the SAD manufacture plant, destroy the SMILE factory... A kidnapping here, a bit of extortion there. Simple, at least by Law's standards. The Straw Hats had been a surprise, but a manageable one. Doflamingo would submit to their demands, sealing his own fate, or they'd destroy the factory and Kaidou would finish the job for them. He'd had a plan. Now Law doesn't know what's going on, but its definitely not the plan.

Boyfriend's Duties by martilla (E)

“Good evening,” Law said calmly. “I am looking for…” he looked down at the medical chart in his hands. “Monkey D. Luffy.” The boy on the bed smiled immediately when he heard his name, a curious and excited look in his eyes. “That’s me!” He shouted out. “Are you the doctor? They said that they were sending a doctor before dinner and I am really hungry, so if you are the doctor this means that I am gonna eat soon!” The two men in the room groaned at that sentence and Law felt taken aback by the enthusiasm of the guy. He was either stupid or not aware of the gravity of his injury, if his only thought was dinner. “Yes, I am the surgeon that will operate on you,” he answered. “My name is Trafalgar Law.” * Law is a surgeon who needs some light in his life. Then Luffy happens.

-Mod Raiya

[beatrice-otter]

Interview with the Robot

I love Fandom for Robots (a charming short story first published in Uncanny Magazine in 2017). It's sweet and charming, and there is a great depth of emotion, trauma, and backstory that gets very delicately hinted at throughout. It was a great pleasure to look through the Yuletide signups looking for something to treat, and find a request for "what happened after the museum found out." Title: Interview with the Robot Fandom: Fandom for Robots - Vina Jie-Min Prasad Author:beatrice_otter Written For: White Aster (white_aster) in Yuletide 2024 Rating: Gen Length: 3546 words Betaed by: Zwangzug Summary: What happened after the museum found out.

On Dreamwidth. At AO3. At Squidgeworld. On pillowfort.

Computron has never been in the building that houses the administration; the director of the museum visited him when she was first hired two years, four months, twenty-two days, seven hours, six seconds, and fifty-nine milliseconds ago, and she is a regular presence in all the parts of the museum. But Computron rarely has reason to leave the exhibit hall and storage areas, and so he doesn't.

But now the director has summoned him to her office. Computron does not get excited, or curious; those would require emotion circuitry which he does not possess. But he does spend the forty-seven minutes, three seconds, and sixteen milliseconds between the time the summons arrives and the time he must leave his storage room to walk to her office considering possible reasons. And he spends the five minutes, forty-three seconds, and thirty-eight milliseconds it takes to get to her office examining every detail around him and analyzing it to see what has changed since he arrived.

"Ah! Computron, right on time," the director says as he knocks on the open doorway of her office. "It would be a bit cramped in here with you, let's go out into the break room."

She leads the way down the hall to a room with paint only slightly less dingy than that in the museum's storage room. There is a counter with various appliances, and a table and chairs. Computron was not designed to sit, so he doesn't. After a pause, the director leans against the counter and folds her arms.

"So! Computron, we've had some … thefts of intellectual property, that seem to have started with digitization of some documents that are part of the Alquist collection. Nobody here has done it, so someone must have come in—the documents themselves are still present, so either they came in, stole them, scanned them, and brought them back, or they took the time to scan them here. We've checked, and nothing else seems to be missing, and the security cameras on the doors didn't show anything. Have you seen anyone that shouldn't be there? Is anything missing we haven't noticed?"

"No unauthorized persons have entered the building," Computron says. "Nothing is missing that I have noticed." These are both true statements, and complete answers to her questions. He almost says more; he scanned the documents himself. With bjornruffian, he has grown used to speaking more freely. But Doctor Alquist did not wish for his opinions or any information he did not directly ask for, and the announcer does not wish him to take up peoples' valuable time.

The director nods. "Well, at least there hasn't been any vandalism. Don't suppose you know anything else about the theft?"

"It was not a theft," Computron says. "I am part of the Alquist collection. So are the documents. They are educational. Our purpose is to educate. So I scanned them and sent them to a friend."

The director's eyes widen, and her mouth opens, but she does not speak. Computron waits to see what she will say.

"I don't even know where to start," she says. "But … who is your friend?"

"Bjornruffian."

"Bjornruffian." She draws the name out. "That sounds like an internet pseudonym."

"It is," Computron says. It is not possible for him to get nervous, but he does dedicate extra processing power to observing her and attempting to project her possible reactions. The attempt is not very successful; even now, 88.3% of Computron's in-person experience with humans is with Dr. Alquist, and the director is not very much like him.

"How did you meet this bjornruffian, and what do you know about them?"

So Computron explains about Hyperdimension Warp Record (??? ??? ????), and the wait for new episodes, and that bjornruffian was the only other person he could find (at least to start with) who wanted Cyro to be written accurately.

He keeps expecting the director to cut him off, but she doesn't, and so he keeps talking.

When he has finished explaining the plot of their latest collaboration, he stops. He does not know what else to say.

"Why did bjornruffian want those documents?" the director asks at last.

"Bjornruffian asked if I knew of any resources on robotic construction. I know a great many resources. I knew there were many such resources in the Alquist collection, and I am a part of the collection, and as such have full access."

"You are a part of the collection," the director says.

Her arms are folded. When Doctor Alquist folded his arms like that, he was either thinking very hard, or he was preparing to get angry. Computron does not know the director well enough to know if either of those is correct in this case.

"I have two questions. No, three," the director says. "First, I would like to review the correspondence between you and bjornruffian, and have their contact information to talk with them."

"Why?"

"So that I can vet them," the director says. "I am responsible for you. You are exhibiting novel behavior, and I need to know if they can be trusted with you."

Computron thinks this over. He does not wish for her to read their messages, but he could not think of a logical reason to deny it. "I will give you her contact information."

The director nods, and doesn't press further. "Second, if you can digitize those records, you can digitize the rest. I'd like an evaluation of what other work you could be doing around the museum."

Computron considers this. It was logical; he was very careful and precise, and the museum always had more work to be done than they could afford to hire humans to do. Computron has a great deal of spare time, though he would be sorry to give up time he was currently using to write fanfiction and follow fan blogs. "I would be more efficient at that work if I had voice transcription software."

"Why?" the director asks.

Computron raises his claws. "Keyboards are built for human hands, which I do not possess."

"Right," she says. "You have those chopstick-things to type with."

"It is very slow," Computron says. Bjornruffian has suggested he get a voice transcription program, but Computron has no money to buy one.

"That's reasonable," the director says. She looks at him. "Or we might see if someone could design a keyboard for you—a design challenge, maybe. My daughter is in a robotics club, they always enjoy things like that."

Computron knows about robotics clubs. They are by far the most common type of group to visit. "That would be acceptable." If typing were easier, he could work for the museum with no reduction of his fannish output.

"The third thing might be a bit of a change," the director says. "I'd like to have you do interviews. Well, at least one, and we'll see how it goes from there."

The creators of Hyperdimension Warp Record have given several interviews about the show and about their work. Computron found them interesting and informative. So did many other people, judging by the comments. However, he knows that not many humans find him interesting; if they did, the museum would have more visitors, and the Alquist section of it would not have shrunk every time the exhibits were redesigned in the last forty years. "Why?"

"You're the only known sentient robot ever," the director says. "You're also the only unique thing this museum has. Artificial intelligence is a big buzzword right now."

"Large language models are debatably intelligent," Computron said. "They are certainly not sentient."

"Exactly!" the director says. "I think your perspective on it might be interesting. And the more people know who and what you are—the more people think you are interesting—the better the museum will do over the long term. Ideally, the interview would be just the start. If we could have you putting content out on social media and doing science communication, that would be amazing. But that depends on whether or not you turn out to be any good at that sort of thing."

"I already do science communication twice a day as part of Robotics Then and Now," Computron points out.

"Yes, but the only people who see you are the ones who are already here." The director points to the ground, despite the fact that this is incorrect. The people who see him in Robotics Then and Now are in the museum itself, not the office building. "I want to reach the people who have never been here, the ones who've never heard of this museum. The ones who've never heard of you, or only know you as a footnote."

The argument is logical. And it would be much more interesting and useful than his responsibilities up to this point. "Very well," he says.

***

Simak Robotics Museum: Hello, thank you for taking the time to chat with us today. Everything in this chat is being recorded for our records.

bjornruffian: If this is about the schematics, my friend said everything was fine.

Simak Robotics Museum: He's right, you're not in trouble. But I was wondering if you knew who he was.

bjornruffian: No? I mean, he's kinda weird and he knows a lot about robots, and he's really dedicated to robot roleplay, but that's all. He doesn't really share a lot of personal anecdotes.

Also, if he's in trouble, I'm not going to help you.

Simak Robotics Museum: He's not in trouble, but it's good to know.

And it's not roleplay.

bjornruffian: What do you mean it's not roleplay? Of course it's roleplay. There aren't any sentient robots outside of fiction.

Simak Robotics Museum: There's one. Computron, created in 1954 by Doctor Karel Alquist to serve as a laboratory assistant. Now in the care of the Simak Robotics Museum.

bjornruffian: Computron. Like, the one in the schematics RobotFan sent me?

Simak Robotics Museum: Yes.

bjornruffian: holy shit. Holy shit you're saying that RobotFan is Computron? Those are his schematics?

Simak Robotics Museum: Yes. From a legal perspective, they are the museum's property. From an ethical perspective, they are Computron's, to do with as he pleases. And then of course, we are a museum—we're supposed to educate people about robots.

bjornruffian: Wait. If he's a robot, why is he a "he"?

Simak Robotics Museum: He was created in the 1950s. The other option was 'it,' and that would have undercut Alquist's claim to fame.

bjornruffian: And what does Computron think?

Simak Robotics Museum: You should ask him that question.

bjornruffian: okay. Okay. I will. Sorry, this is just a lot to process all at once.

Simak Robotics Museum: It is. We thought you might have guessed—Computron says he's always been honest, and you do have his schematics and know he's connected with the museum.

bjornruffian: Yeah, but there's a lot of people into roleplay in fandom. There's only one Computron—and I kind of assumed he wasn't functional anymore. I mean, it's been decades!

Simak Robotics Museum: Machines don't experience senescence the way biological beings do, and he was built in the 1950s. They built things to last. With proper mechanical support and maintenance, he effectively doesn't have a lifespan.

bjornruffian: And he's just been … sitting in your museum for the last several decades?

Simak Robotics Museum: Yes. He does two shows a day and answers fan mail.

bjornruffian: … he answers fan mail.

Simak Robotics Museum: Yes. Back before email, he had to have a secretary open the letters for him, and post the letters he typed. But with computers, he can do it all himself. He has these two metal styluses he can use to depress keys with—his claws aren't designed for typing or that sort of thing, although they have a lot of sensitivity for fine work. We're hoping to get a robotics group to make a keyboard that he can use. That or voice transcription software. Or both, depending.

bjornruffian: That's why he doesn't type very fast. It's not a lack of skill, it's a disability.

Simak Robotics Museum: I don't know if you could call it a disability. He's very functional, and in many ways more capable than humans are. He's very good at technical work—does most of the maintenance when any of the other robots need to be repaired or maintained, for example. But his claws work differently than human hands.

bjornruffian: I never even thought of that. Why haven't I ever thought of that? Cyro has basically the same hands! Why hasn't Computron pointed out that he'd have problems with things? Though I suppose he never does in the show …

Simak Robotics Museum: You'd have to ask him that.

bjornruffian: I have so many questions.

Simak Robotics Museum: I'm sure. Computron can probably answer most of them better than I can.

bjornruffian: Yeah.

Simak Robotics Museum: Can we have your legal name and contact information for our records? And could we have your permission to monitor your communication with Computron?

bjornruffian: Why?

Simak Robotics Museum: To the best of our knowledge, you're the first friend Computron has ever made.

bjornruffian: fuck. You're shitting me. He's so nice!

Simak Robotics Museum: He doesn't get out much.

bjornruffian: Neither do I! Neither do a lot of people. But the internet's been around for a long time, and he's got access to it.

Simak Robotics Museum: Up until he discovered anime, he mostly used it to answer his email. He spent a lot of time powered down. It's probably good for him to have a hobby, and friends, but you can see why we want to be careful.

bjornruffian: Yeah, but I don't think treating him like a prisoner under observation is the answer.

***

Wilson, Seraiah. "A Week With A Robot." Atlantic Magazine, July 2025.

What does it mean to be a person?

As a veteran writer, I've done literally hundreds of interviews. I've done scores of intimate profiles, following my interviewee around for a day or two and combining that with a few quotes from their friends and associates for a compelling article that gives people a taste of who my subject is.

This is not that.

I knew when I took the assignment that it was going to be different.

It was going to be something that nobody (so far as I know) has ever done: interview the world's only sentient robot.

No, not Siri or Alexa or any of the many Large Language Models that are labeled "AI" but which have no actual intelligence; nor is this an announcement of a breakthrough by Boston Dynamics or Hanson Robotics or any of the other companies working on robots and/or artificial intelligence. The robot I am going to meet is old news, and is remembered today (if at all) as a mere footnote in the history of engineering.

As if uniqueness—and the inability to be turned into a mass-market profit generator—made him less important. Less of a breakthrough.

Computron was created in 1954 by a Dutch-American engineer named Doctor Karel Alquist to serve as a laboratory assistant. Nobody—including Alquist—has ever been able to duplicate him. Even taking duplicate components and putting them together in the exact same way will not do it, as you can see if you visit the Simak Robotics Museum which has all of Alquist's work, including Computron and the bodies of the three failures that came after him.

Computron worked for Alquist until Alquist retired, and then Computron went into sleep mode and was stored in Alquist's basement until his death, at which time all of Alquist's research and equipment (including Computron) was gifted to the museum. Now Computron gives two shows a day in the museum, works in the collection, and spends his spare time writing fan-fiction about robots.

Yes, Computron is a writer. I've read some of his stories; they're quite good, although Computron tells me he needs help to figure out the human characters. The robot characters, however, are compelling. His plotting is uneven, but there's a knack for pathos and adventure that I find well worth reading. It's nothing like the mad-libs style nonsense you get from a chatbot "AI", if you ask it to write you a story.

When the Simak museum contacted me, I was doubtful. First, having seen enough of Silicon Valley's claims fall through, I didn't believe he really was sentient: how could a scientist seventy years ago have achieved what all of modern technology can't, and if he could, why hadn't the computer revolution developed in the 50s instead of the 80s? Second, they wanted me to spend a week with him. They said they wanted me to take the time to get to know him. I was a little offended at that; it's my job to get to know people quickly.

But Computron is unique in a way that no human being can be. When I interview a human, I have lots of experience with humans—how their bodies and faces move, and how those reflect their emotions. (Yes, Computron has emotions.) Computron's body, though on a vaguely humanoid pattern, is different, and his face cannot move. A week isn't enough to become an expert, but it is enough to at least begin to tease out the basics: when pauses are significant, when the movements of Computron's grasping claws are important and when they're mere practicality.

We began the way Computron's shows begin: by me asking him questions to 'prove' his sentience. Unlike the punters, I got as many questions as I wanted.

"Of course, while this is impressive to laypeople, it does not truly show the difference between myself and the Large Language Model bots," Computron said, after he'd answered about ten questions of increasing factual and philosophical complexity. "After all, they can answer questions. It's what they're designed to do."

Computron's voice is masculine, tinny, and very clearly enunciated. He sounds a bit like a radio announcer from the 1940s.

"What is the difference?" I asked him.

"Large Language Models answer based on statistics," he said. "They have no sense of self, nor of the world as a thing that exists separate from them. They do not know the difference between fact and fiction. When they are asked a question, they take the data they have and the parameters they have been given and put together the most statistically likely pattern of words in response. When they say "I am a person" it is because they have spent a lot of time responding to people who would say that if they were asked. Therefore it is a statistically likely answer. They can also define what a person is because it is data they have been given. But they do not understand the concept. They do not understand any concept. All they know is how to put language together in a statistically significant pattern."

"And you don't work that way?"

"My computing capabilities are several orders of magnitude less than any modern computer," Computron said. "I cannot do that sort of brute-force data analysis. I can answer questions because I know that I am a person, and I know the facts I have learned, and I have opinions."

"So why do you think that you understand more than computers that are far more sophisticated than you are?"

"I do not know how my self-awareness works," Computron said. "If I did, I would have told Doctor Alquist, and he would have succeeded in building others like me."

"Do you remember coming awake?"

"Not in the sense you mean. I remember data from the first time Doctor Alquist turned me on, although I was not self-aware at that time. In retrospect, I can pinpoint the millisecond that it occurred to me that I was not merely a collection of data, and that I had preferences. But at the time, I was more concerned with asserting those preferences than with the metaphysics of consciousness. Doctor Alquist was pleased with me, and I was pleased that he was pleased."

The two of them worked together to fine tune Computron, and many scientists came to see and examine Computron. Reporters came, too, but all of them focused on Alquist instead of his creation. Alquist and Computron made other robots—Hexode I, II, and III—but none of them ever woke up, and Alquist destroyed Hexode III in frustration. He ran out of money and turned to other projects.

Computron carefully gathered up all the pieces of the other robots and stored them, instead of following Alquist's orders to take them apart and use their components in other projects. For two and a half decades, they sat in crates in Alquist's basement. When Alquist retired, Computron shut himself down next to them. Now, they're reassembled and in cases in the museum. Computron will talk about them, but he seems to avoid looking at them, when possible.

"Are you lonely?" I asked.

"Not as much as I used to be," Computron said.

Which then led to the question of where he met his new friends. Where does any person in the modern era who doesn't get out much meet new friends? On the internet, of course.

Continued on page 34.

***

Author's note: I considered having the museum be more controlling and putting more conflict there, but I ultimately decided against it. In the direction I chose to go, the current director is at least somewhat aware of the issues of the museum owning a sentient being, but doesn't see any way around it; I considered (and scrapped) a scene where she explains that the problem with trying to get Computron recognized as a sentient being and thus not a piece of property to be owned is that the companies with investment in "AI" technology (aka Large Language Models) would not be happy, and they've got a lot more money to pay for lawyers than the museum does.

[rookinthecrownest]

DESPERATE to hear your fenrook thoughts what are the vibes do they have a soundtrack or song, do they have longterm endgame plans, what do they feel for each other early on and do u have an arc in mind for how that changes for them both?

HELLO HIII

OkOk so I'm working on building a playlist for them now and the only two songs I have right now are Daylight by David Kushner and Once Upon a Dream by Lana Del Ray, not necessarily for the lyrics but for ~ the vibes ~

I have to do a bit more research on this, because it has been SO long since I read Fenris' Blue Wraith/Dark Fortress comic series. From what I vaguely remember, since the time of DA2 he doesn't seem to fuuuully trust mages but he's more chill about them than he was in DA2 (someone who's read the comics more recently please feel free to chime in because it has literally been YEARS). The Hawke in this universe was not a mage (they were a rogue) but sided with the mages.

So early on I imagine, even knowing that Varric trusts Rook, the fact that she's an assassin who kills people for money and uses her magic to do that puts him off/makes him distrust her at first. Mages doubling as assassins is probably not a very common occurrence outside of the Antivan Crows/Antiva. I don't think he'd very much approve of anyone who uses magic to kill for profit.

But, as Val explains her story (eventually), maybe he comes to realize that it was either join up with the Crows and work within that system as much as she could (trying to minimize the death of innocents, much like her buddy Lucanis), or live as a prisoner in the Circle. Not sure he'll ever really be fine with it, but he at least understands why. And if Varric vouches for Val/Rook, then he's willing to give her a chance and work with her.

Early on I think Val wants to know more about Fenris, more than Fenris wants to know about Val. She's been alone most of her life and her closest friends in the Circle were.... the rats, tbh. And she mostly kept to herself in the Crows, mostly interacting with Viago (king of the social butterflies). But Fenris has a certain je ne sais quoi about him that makes her curious about him in way that she's not really experienced with anyone else. I am so certain Fenris thinks she's weird as hell at first. He's convinced she can't actually understand animals like she claims and she's just fucking with him. But maybe seeing the way she cares for her lil animal pals? Well, once you've seen a girl go on a side quest to help a bird rebuild its nest after it was knocked down during a fight it's over for you buddy....

The arc, in my head, is like...

Okay, she's a mage. Will keep my guard up, but Varric trusts her so she must be ok.

Ok, she's a mage... kills people for money, don't like that, but we need to find/stop the Dreadwolf so I'll put a pin in that for later.

Alright, this weirdo thinks she talks to animals. She's rebuilding bird nests. She's talking to the rats. Why is she talking to the rats. Ok, she's a rat now. Where the fuck did she go. I have to find the rat-girl before Varric accuses me of killing her and dumping the body.

Why does she want to know about me. Fine, I'll tell her. Oh no, she's not just weird, she's cute and weird. And off-putting. Why do I feel like I can tell her my entire life story and she will actually care.

Oh no, I love this pathetic wet rat girl maybe. And said wet rat girl who previously didn't show much interest in human companionship, who's been alone for most of her life, is curious about the guy who's also spent the last 10+ years alone fighting for what he believes in and is drawn to that.

But like..more drawn out than that obviously. That's the vibe the pairing gives me. It's reluctant at first. There's distrust. She's a mage who kills for money, he's a mage-killer. They form a tenuous connection at first, and for long time they don't really know how deep that tenuous connection really is.

Long term goals... I don't now if I've gotten that far. Like, one idea I was floating around was Lucanis, as first talon, coincidentally giving Val contracts for evil mages/venatori remnants in Tevinter so she can stay and help Fenris.

That's all I have so far but I'm going insane over it lololol

[reds-fluff-extravaganza]

Volo x reader

Finally got a request for him and I need to write more for him. So sorry if he’s ooc or anything!

It’s been several weeks since the incident, and you’ve been searching everywhere for Volo. You’ve been worried about him, despite everyone telling you not to, that he doesn’t deserve your forgiveness or anything of the sort. However, you didn’t agree with them. You knew him better than anyone else, even if he didn’t tell you about the whole wanting to capture Arceus thing.

You were out searching for him once again, hoping to finally find him and

“Volo!” You called out, your Luxray walking along with you. He was a bit worried about you, since he knew how close you were with the ex-merchant, and he had gotten close to him and his pokemon as well.

“Wait, I know! I can see if Cogita knows his whereabouts.” You looked back at your Luxray, who just nodded in agreement, as the two of you made your way to the Ancient Retreat.

“Cogita!” You called out her name as you got closer to her home. She had stepped outside, curious to who was calling her name.

“Oh, hello Y/n. What brings you here today?” She made her way over to you.

“I’ve been looking all over the land of Hisui for Volo… no one has seen him and I’m getting worried. I know everyone else doesn’t like him for what he’s done, but I don’t hate him. Have you seen him? Or at least have a possible idea of his whereabouts?” Cogita was silent for a few moments, as if debating something in her mind as she examined your expression of worry and genuine concern for Volo.

“I have seen him. He told me not to tell any one of his whereabouts, but I can tell how much you actually care about him, even if you… probably shouldn’t. However, I think he needs to know that not everyone completely hates him.”

“Please, tell me where he is. I won’t tell him that you told me.”

“Oh I’m sure he’ll figure it out, he’s a smart man after all.”

“I know.” And with that, Cogita had given you the directions to find Volo. You waved goodbye to her and made your way to find him, your Luxray still at your side.

After traveling for a while, you ended up in a secluded area, far away from any possible human presence or interaction. Was Volo really here..? You were really hoping so. Your Luxray kept close to your side as the two of you walked, looking around, before you were snatched back by Luxray as an air slash hit the ground where you had been standing a moment before.

“Whoa..! Thanks, Luxray.” You looked up to see a familiar Pokemon: Volo’s Togekiss!

“Togekiss! It’s me, Y/n!” You called out to it, hoping it would remember you. Luxray had stood in front of you in a protective manner as Togekiss examined the two of you before moving closer. It seems to remember you as it let out a happy cry and hugged you with its wings.

“It’s good to see you again, buddy, but where is Volo..?” You let go and Togekiss motioned for you to follow further into the secluded area. You nodded and followed after it, Luxray right beside you.

“Ah, there you are Togekiss, you had me worried for a minute th-…” Volo cut himself off as he saw you with his Togekiss.

“Y/n..?” He sounded more confused than anything. “How did you even find me? No… the better question is why did you find me? Here to humiliate me further? Tell the others where I am? What?”

“No, not at all!” You took a step closer to him, a worried look on your face. “I would never tell anyone else where you are, not after I’ve spent several weeks looking for you after the incident! I don’t want you to disappear again, Volo..”

“Again, I ask, why are you here then?”

“Because I care about you! I don’t hate you like they do. We were always so close.. When I found out you disappeared I couldn’t believe it.” Your hands were now shaking a bit as you were looking up at him.

“I miss you… I miss you a lot.”

“I’m not going back there, Y/n.”

“I’m not asking you to come back!” You moved closer to him and hugged him, making him flinch in response.

“Why do you care..? I’ve done horrible things.” He looked down at you, a puzzled look on his face. “I don’t understand.”

“I already told you, Volo! We’ve been friends for so long… and I care about you.”

“If you’re here to pity me, then I don’t want it-“

“It’s not pity, I genuinely care about you.”

“You.. actually care about me?”

“Yes! That’s what I was trying to tell you.” It was silent for a few moments… until you felt Volo hug you back, looking away from you.

“I… missed you too, Y/n. I’m glad it was you who managed to find me.”

“Really?” You were rather surprised by this.

“Yes, really. I would’ve told you where I was going but I didn’t want you to be involved with me. I didn’t want the others to shame you or be upset at you because of how close we are.”

“I would never let them get to me… but I’m glad you’re okay and still alive.”

“And I’m glad you’re here now.. and you can come back whenever you want.” He leaned down and kissed your forehead gently. “Promise me you’ll return.” You nodded and rest your forehead against his.

“Of course I will. You know I will. And don’t worry about the others, I won’t let them find you here.”

“I know you won’t. I trust you, Y/n.”

“Come on, let’s step outside and talk, catch up on what we’ve missed.” You let him go from the hug before taking his hand into your own.

“Very well.” You two walked out of the cave and into the forest, where your Luxray and his Togekiss were sitting, as if catching up with each other.

“Looks like they missed each other too.” You looked over at the two Pokemon nearby, a faint smile on your face.

“I think you’re right, Y/n.” You went over to them, taking a seat on a fallen over tree, with Volo sitting by you, and the two of you talked, catching each other up on what was going on in your lives after the incident, while also telling him that you forgive him, and him reluctantly accepting it as he feels as though he doesn’t deserve it, but it was one of the things he liked about you, that despite what he’s done, you still care about him and forgive him. He feels as though he doesn’t deserve you or your kindness, but happy to still have you around.