#to be fair: I’m not actually sure what the dynamic is between them

[inksandpensblog]

#prev please one day expand on that bc that’s such an interesting topic that i never thought about#huh!

For context:

This is gonna be rambly but I simply couldn’t wait XD

A lot of people like the interpretation that King and Purple begin to see each other in a sort of father-son dynamic, after episode 30. And to be fair to them, there’s plenty in episode 30 to suggest this. But I’m not entirely sure it bears out, in what we’ve gotten of them from the Actual Shorts.

Something to note is that: in most of their interactions, Purple initiates, and King follows. This isn’t solely after episode 30, either; Purple volunteers himself to King’s service, Purple kneels before King and offers King a crown, Purple takes Reuben out of the picture by borrowing King’s jail, heck King doesn’t demand a progress report so much as just wait for Purple to give him one. And then after episode 30, all of King’s appearances so far involve him in conjunction with Purple, two of which are King accompanying Purple to spend time with Purple’s Friends and one of which shows King literally following Purple’s lead in the activity.

There’s no doubt that Purple feels comfortable enough to be close with King after episode 30. And Purple, once again the initiator between them, was the one to reach out to King as King was about to leave the nether, so I think it’s safe to say that Purple wants King in his life. But I’m not seeing much to suggest that Purple has taken to seeing King as a father-figure, at least in the sense of a benevolent authority or caretaker like I often see in the fandom.

And while King bonding with Purple may look a lot like how we saw King bonding with Gold, there’s an element to King’s and Gold’s interactions that’s been absent between King and Purple so far. I’m not entirely sure what it is, sort of a casual protective affection? There’s two instances of the shorter stick bringing King a snack and then getting him to do something silly with them, and with Gold it’s directly interactive while with Purple it’s more like parallel-play. There’s no doubt that Purple reminds King of Gold, and I’d even say that Purple resembles Gold in a lot of ways to King, but I’m not sure it’s to the extent that King has taken to treating Purple as his own child.

(Also I’m still not over Purple’s musical sequence in episode 29 and how it puts King in the same position as the dragon egg, in Purple’s mind, rather than likening King to Purple’s dad like you’d expect from everything that came afterwards.)

I’ve noticed a tendency in fanart and fan-comics and other fanwork of Purple having all his rough edges smoothed out so he can fit neatly and cleanly into the spot that Gold left vacant in King’s life.

Now, I’d always thought that this was for the benefit of King, but recently…

In the series post-episode 30, King has basically been reduced to being just Purple’s occasional tagalong. With this in mind, I’ve begun to wonder if the fandom portrayal of their dynamic post-episode 30 is meant for the benefit of Purple himself.

It may look like Purple is being changed to fit into King’s life, but now I’m wondering if what I’m actually seeing is Purple being changed so King can fit into his life.

I don’t really have a conclusion for this.

Sometimes I think about the fact that we’ve seen Purple seven times since episode 30 but we’ve only seen King three times.

Sometimes I think about the fact that every time we’ve seen King since episode 30 he’s in a context he’d have no reason to be in if not for Purple also being there.

Sometimes I think about the fact that since episode 30 we’ve seen Purple without King but we’ve yet to see King without Purple.

[gay-victorian-astronomer]

you know, I used to think I managed to get away with a lot of stuff as a teenager because I was queer— for example, I could have my partner sleep over without anyone really batting an eye because that’s expected behavior for high school “girls” who are “really good friends” with each other

but tonight my Very Heterosexual teenage brother had a girl over & they’ve been alone together in the basement for the past few hours, and both of my parents are seemingly perfectly fine with this

needless to say I’m rethinking some things

[a1ecmcdowell]

taste — john b x pogue!reader!

part of the short n' sweet x obx collection, found here!

ㅤㅤㅤㅤincludes, conniving!reader. exes dynamic. i promise i love sarah cameron.

❛ heard you're back together . . . and if that's true, you'll have to taste me when he's kissin' you! ❜

it’s gotta be some sort of fucking sickness, the way you plague his every thought. he’s infected with the disease that was you — fully contagious, too, with the way that you sashay up to him every day like you know it. 

you’d broken up months ago. months! he’d moved on ( didn’t he? ) and yet every night on the cut, he’s always two natty lites away from clicking on your contact in his phone ( still saved with a heart by your name; maybe he didn’t actually move on ) and telling you to come over. 

stupid, stupid, stupid. he was stupid.

and you knew it, too. you didn’t used to have the balls that you do now. like, walking up to him in the middle of a kegger and planting your red-painted lips on his stubbled cheek? yeah, that’s new. he used to have to physically drag you from the twinkie to go to these things with him — that’s how afraid of showing any sort of pda you used to be. 

and now, here you were. they’d all gathered at john b’s for the weekend get together that had unofficially become a tradition, the thick smell of weed and sweat from the humid summer nights. 

you’d stopped being invited when you and john b broke up.

that didn’t stop jj from texting you to come anyways. he’d learned about your efforts to stir shit between john b and his kook girlfriend, and ever the instigator, he made sure that you were going to be there that night. 

and god, were you there. little black dress, that special pair of boots that you saved for special occasions because you didn’t want to muck them up with dirt or wet sand. you sure as shit didn’t seem to care that they were getting mucked now, as you danced with your arms above your head, a solo cup between your manicured fingers. 

if you couldn’t have him back… well, the least you could do was make him grovel over what he lost. and make sure that his new girlfriend was well aware that there was a past here.

a very warbly past, its surface constantly on the verge of shattering beneath the both of your feet. a couple more pushes, and the tension would give, and the past would start to mingle prettily again with the present. 

john b, of course, didn’t look too happy about your presence. was he ever anymore? you were a constant reminder of how he’d fucked up — something that was accumulating a list. 

you stepped over a couple of thick tree roots in his yard as you all but danced up to him, your hips never stopping their swaying, and the knowing smile never leaving your lips. the kook girlfriend left his side for two seconds to talk with kie about something, and obviously, that was the time to pounce. 

“what the hell are you doing here?” john b asks, exasperation and irritation thick in his voice, deep in the furrow between his brows. 

your head cocks to the side. “i was invited.” 

“jj’s invites don’t count.” 

“they do, because i’m here, aren’t i?” 

that makes his cheek twitch. it always did that when he was pissy; that little twitch to the side, right above his jawbone. how was it fair that you still knew all of these details about him, and he was making every bit of effort to forget all of the details about you?

john b’s eyes rake over you, drinking in the outfit, the styled hair, the smile that you planted firmly on your lips even though you were so angry and bitter on the inside. 

“you shouldn’t be here,” he says, and it sounds like a sigh this time. what authority does he have over you anymore? none. the defeat in his tone makes it evident that he knows it too. 

you’re not deterred. probably even the opposite. your arms lift to drape over his shoulders, pressed up on the toes of your shoes, as you graze your lips ever so slightly against his frowning, plush pink ones. 

the sharp inhale that he takes is evidence enough to you that he does miss you. at least the way you kissed. “i just wanted to drop in… see how happy you are…” 

“don’t do this,” john b whispers, his breath hot on your mouth. he tastes like cheap beer and expensive weed. he always tastes like home. 

so how could you ever resist pressing your mouth firmly against his, capturing that homely taste in between your lips? 

he doesn’t kiss back — not for a few seconds, anyways. and then his hands are sliding down your ribs, circling around the small of your back and dragging you in closer. 

this wasn’t supposed to be for pleasure, though. it was the best sort of punishment that you could conjure up; invoking regret, planting the seeds of it in his happy new relationship. 

you break the kiss, even as he doesn’t let go of you just yet. 

“let me know when you stop screwin’ around with that little kook of yours,” you say finally, softly, with one last peck to his mouth. 

then, you pluck his hands off of your hips and step out of them. it’s easy to not want to look back and see the expression on his face as you walk away, because you know him well enough to know that he is watching. 

sarah cameron steps out of the house with kie; you hear her voice to your right and then a sudden gasp of silence. john b’s probably kissing her, you think, and she’s tasting you on his mouth. 

quite an impression.

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[googleitlol]

After Wukong rejoins the group, things between him and Dove get a lot better. Sure, it's more awkward at first, but a whole less violent. They can actually be… friendly with each other? Even though the others get used to it, the change in dynamic is almost unnerving at first. I like to imagine whenever two of them, maybe Pigsy and Sandy have a moment to talk on their own, they make sure what they're seeing isn't some hallucination. Kind of a, 'You see this too, right?' moment.

Anyway, Wukong is having a blast now. Not only is he back, but he also lets himself indulge in teasing/getting payback on Pigsy for the Bone Demon incident. One great example is when he goads Pigsy into patrolling a potentially dangerous mountain. When the pig demon goes to take a nap instead, Wukong makes sure Tripitaka knows just how much effort he put into slacking off before he returns.

And then… well, that's where the trouble begins.

Dove Masterlist:

Landscaping

“Wukong really is in a meddling mood today.” Wujing remarks from where he sits next to you, the two of you basking in the midday sun with Tripitaka and Ao Lie. Your group is stationed by a large tree at the base of a wide mountain, waiting the return of two of the monk’s older disciples. After being warned of the danger posed by the area you all were meant to trek through next, Zhu Bajie was sent to go and patrol the area.

Unfortunately for the pig, Sun Wukong decided to tag along. “It has been some time that we’ve been travelling since our last encounter with a demon. I think the lack of serious threat has left him bored.” You shrug in response to the river demon’s observations. “If anything that old woodcutter told us was true, his boredom may be coming to an end.” He hums, looking out towards where his brothers took off.

“I hope for the sake of my heart, it doesn’t.” Tripitaka shudders, his tired gaze turned skywards. “I have had my fair share of demons trying to eat me, this never happened back home. I just want to get past one mountain without being caught by any monsters or upsetting anyone we shouldn’t.”

You can’t help but feel sorry for the monk. In the time you’ve been in travel with him, the sheer amount of demons that have looked to make him their meal has been problematic. With how much farther you have to go, you feel like saying it won’t happen anymore would be a lie. “If you want, Tripitaka, I can use my gift for a bit while we wait for Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie to return.” You offer, getting up to offer him a hand.

The monk shakes his head, swatting at a fly too close to his face. “Thank you, I think I should be able to manage for now.”

You offer a polite smile, mimicking his actions when you hear buzzing by your ear. “Alright, just let me know if–” The insect grows bolder, fluttering about your face. “Ugh! This annoying little…”

You notice the tiny monkey’s tail before the fly lands on your nose.

Sandy’s head tilts to the side when you go silent. “What is it?”

“…Sun Wukong?” You blink, and in an instant, the monkey returns to his form with a jump into the air. The shock of the action is enough for you to shout, falling back as the demon lands.

The Monkey King cackles, crouching down when you sit up. “You caught on faster than Pigsy!” He smiles, and you can’t help but roll your eyes. Maybe Sandy was wrong in calling him meddling. At the moment, ‘rowdy’ fit him better.

“Where is he?” You use your finger to push him out of your face by his forehead, the King cooperating and stepping back to let you up.

“Still rehearsing what to say.” He answers while you dust yourself off. “He decided to take a quick nap instead of scouting, like I knew he would. I left him once he finished practising what to say in case any of us ask what he found.”

The monkey shifts into his younger brother, muckrake and all. “‘There was a rocky cave, with three sections!” He imitates, albeit dramatically. “There are wretched monsters and wild animals at every turn! We better turn back and return home, I’m sure my wife and father-in-law have been missing me.’” Sandy chuckles a little under his breath while you cross your arms. “That’s a bit dramatic of him, don’t you think?” Monkey King shifts back, seemingly still struggling to regain his composure.

It’s only made worse when Pigsy returns, spouting about the very same words Sun Wukong had already shared. He seems quite confident in himself as he prattles on. “There are wretched monsters and wild animals at every turn! We better turn back and–”

“–return home, I’m sure my wife and father-in-law have been missing me.” Wukong finishes in unison with his brother, the pig frowning when he does. The Monkey King scoffs. “Practise really did make those lines perfect, didn’t they?”

“Wha–?! But how did you…”

“Lying about going on patrol?” Wukong crosses his arms, giving Pigsy a pointed look. “I’d say that’s worth three strokes of my trusted staff. What do you say, Pigsy?” The pig demon looks at him wide wide eyes, almost shaking when he mentions his staff.

Luckily enough for him, Tripitaka intervenes. “There will be no beating anyone today.” He looks between his disciples, Wukong looking a bit disappointed while Pigsy sighs in relief. “Bajie, please go out and scout properly this time?”

“Ugh, fine.” The pig snorts, grumbling before he turns to leave back towards the mountain. The disappointment on the Monkey King’s face melts into a smug grin as he watches his brother march back to do his job properly this time.

While he scouts, the rest of you find yourselves waiting by the base of the mountain. You admit, being able to sit for a while instead of marching through trails of wilderness for hours is a nice change of pace. However, it quickly becomes old the longer you have to wait. Sitting with the horse, then leaning against the tree for shade, to the idle conversations that would occur between you and the others, you were getting bored.

An hour drags by, and then another. One can only admire the clouds in the sky for so long before becoming restless. Taking the horse to graze helps alleviate the itch to keep going somewhat, but it doesn’t help for long. You half-wonder if Bajie decided to take another nap somewhere else, but would he really risk getting caught like that a second time? Maybe something worse might have happened?

After a third hour passes, Tripitaka begins to voice your concerns. “Bajie has been gone for a while now. You don’t think something could have happened to him, do you?”

Sun Wukong gives out a hearty laugh from his spot in the tree you sit by with Sandy, resting on a low-hanging branch. “That pig is such a coward, he’d run at the first sign of danger.” He falls back, his tail hooking around the branch to face his master. “If he’s been gone for this long, he must be taking his time patrolling the mountain.”

“Still… something doesn’t feel right.” The monk frowns, his eyes fixed on the mountain. You frown, understanding the uneasiness in your friend. If Pigsy really was fine, would he be taking all this extra time to comb through the path? You half-expected him to return with some haste after being exposed by Wukong, to make up for slacking off.

You look over to Wukong, the monkey quickly catching your eye as you nod towards Tripitaka. “What?”

“Maybe one of us could check on Bajie?” Your brows raise a bit as your suggestion is made.

The Monkey King rolls his eyes, looking back at the worried expression from Tripitaka and quickly letting out a sigh. “How about this? Pigsy likes to move at a snail’s pace on his own anyway, why don’t we all just go and catch up with him?” He suggests, though the annoyance in his voice is far from well-hidden.

Tripitaka hums, glancing at you. “With Wukong’s logic, whatever Pigsy has covered so far should be safe.” You shrug. Even if the path isn’t safe, if something happened to Bajie, Tripitaka still has Wujing and Wukong to protect him. Between the lot of you, whatever potential trouble the pig demon might find himself in can be dealt with swiftly.

The monk frowns, deep in thought, likely thinking over the situation just as you were doing. After a few moments, he relents. “We might as well, it will be better than sitting around doing nothing.” With his word, your group gets to their feet. With the monk mounting the horse and Sandy taking the lead, you set off to begin hiking up the mountain.

A tense silence fills the space between the group as you journey up the mountain. Everyone is on alert, watching for any movements in the shadows of shrubs, listening for footsteps. Each of you prepare yourselves for some sign of your friend, some sign you aren’t alone.

A shudder from Tripitaka makes you glance back at the monk. His eyes look from one side to the next, shuddering again with a worried frown. Sometimes you forget how on edge he can get, especially when told of nearby danger.

You make eye contact with Sun Wukong, nodding over to the monk. He looks back at his master while you shift into your dove form to rest on the man’s shoulder. You do your work, using your gift to put his mind more at ease.

He notices rather quickly, cracking a small smile before Wukong clears his throat. “Master, you needn’t be so worried. You know I will not let anything happen to you while I am here.” He jumps in front of the horse while he speaks, walking backwards so as to not stop the group.

“If any demons dare to show their wretched faces, it will only take a swing of my staff to send them down to the ten kings!” He boasts, taking his staff from his ear and extending it to spin the weapon in his hands. Facing forward, he scoops up a few rocks to throw into the air and uses his staff to bat them all into a tree further ahead. When he runs out of ammo, he throws the staff itself, impaling the tree through completely.

The monk blinks a few times as his disciple retrieves his signature weapon. “I really am fortunate to have him as my disciple, and not an enemy.”

“Take it from someone who has fought him, you are lucky to have never felt the pain from that staff.” Sandy laughs, and you find yourself amused as Wukong returns, flipping through the air.

He shows off a bit more as you continue on the path, showing off kicks and punching the air. At one point, he shatters a boulder you pass by with only his head. Is it a little over the top? Absolutely, but it does wonders to lift Tripitaka’s spirits. 

By the time Wukong is finished with his demonstration, the air is considerably lighter. He takes his place beside Tripitaka and the horse, looking up at you with a smirk. You give a quiet coo in response, thankful for his help in reassuring the monk of their safety. You have to say, with the jabs between you two being less frequent and of a more playful nature, working with the Monkey King is becoming easier than you ever thought it would be. Dare you say, sometimes it was even fun.

It isn’t as though you were unaware of his cleverness before– his more impulsive actions sometimes made it difficult to remember– but you find it easy for the two of you to bounce off each other’s ideas. Sure, there are times where his plans baffle you, but you found that trusting his plots usually works out well. Whether it’s in battle or in the midst of a ruse, even with something as simple as how you worked to help Tripitaka, the two of you are surprisingly good at coordinating together.

For some time, the hike is uneventful. There is still no sign of Pigsy, but before you can worry yourself with his whereabouts, you hear a distant cry further ahead on the path. Cries for help.

“That sounds like a man…” Wujing frowns, your group quickening their pace to find the source of the voice.

Up ahead, you spot a bush, an elderly man just behind it. “Someone, please! Save me!” He shouts, groaning in pain as he keeps a tight grip around his leg. The closer Tripitaka rides, the more you can see of him. He’s on his side, his clothing scratched and torn. His grey– almost silver– hair is a bushy mess. His leg looks mangled, twisted in the wrong direction and dressed in blood. “Please, you must help me! I cannot move!”

Tripitaka wastes no time in dismounting, crouching down to the man while you return to your human form. Sun Wukong is quick to join his master’s side. “What happened to you?” The monk frowns, inspecting the elder for any other concealed injuries.

“I am a daoist from the temple just west of here. I was travelling with my disciple before he and I were attacked by a tiger.” He explains, his breathing heavy from the pain of his wounds and spent energy. “It killed him and dragged him away. It left me for dead, but I am afraid it may return. I beg of you, please help me return to my temple, and I will be in your debt!”

“Of course we will help you.” Tripitaka offers the elder a kind smile, turning to call one of his disciples. “Sha Wujing, bring my horse here for this man to ride. We can accompany him to his temple together.”

The man hisses through his teeth, clutching onto his injured leg. “I cannot ride.” He is able to shift over enough to show a gaping wound on his inner thigh, a deep cut that runs down his leg and already looks to be infected.

Looking closer, you take a step to the man. “Here, let me have a look at it.” You move past Tripitaka to crouch down, but a hand grabs you by the arm before you can.

You look back to find Sun Wukong, his glare making you freeze. However, his eyes focus not on you, but the elderly man. He pulls you closer, leaning over to whisper. “The last time you healed anything physical, you were unconscious for hours.”

“You mean when you were blind?” You match his volume, the reminder getting him to actually look you in the eyes for a moment, just to give you an annoyed look. “Why are we whispering?” His eyes narrow at the question, though he turns his attention back to the injured daoist before you can get an answer.

“Don’t waste your talents, Dove.” Is all you get before he crouches down in front of the old man himself. “If he is not fit to ride, let me carry him.”

A chill runs down your spine from his tone alone. His previously relaxed posture is now rigid, hostile. His smile to the man feels more like a threat than an invitation. You, Tripitaka, and Sandy look to each other from the sides of your eyes, even the horse looks concerned.

If the man notices the clear aggression in the offer, he does not show it.  “How kind of you, hairy-one.” Despite how uneasy you feel, you hold in a snort of laughter at the man’s words and Wukong’s look of offence.

“Hairy-one?” He frowns, the old man smiling.

“Yes, please. I would greatly appreciate it if you were to carry me.” He responds, and the monkey demon lets out a short huff.

He reaches down, getting the daoist up and onto his back while Tripitaka gives you a look. You quickly put a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll keep watch. If he’s acting like this, something must have tipped him off about this man.” You keep your voice low, the monk nodding in response.

“Thank you, I just didn’t want to leave him on the side of the road. Do you think he might be…” He trails off, looking back at the disciple and daoist.

“You just stay close to Sandy, I’ll call out if anything happens. If I do, ride off as fast as you can and hide.” You instruct, following his sight to the two before Tripitaka gets back onto the horse. You and Sandy were talking about how quiet these last few days have been, maybe some monster overheard you and decided to keep you on your toes.

It’s silent as you continue westward, unease wrapping around the group as you go. You make sure to glance over to the old man every now and then, keeping him and Wukong in your sights. Even when they begin to slow a bit to readjust every now and then, you stay by their side. Tripitaka and Wujing begin to get farther ahead, which is honestly a good thing if this man isn’t who he says he is.

You catch his eyes a few times, giving you a strange look. It gives you bumps along your arms, and you tell yourself not to reach for any of your weapons. He hasn’t done anything yet. You see him give the same look to Tripitaka, making you feel even better the further he and Sandy get from the stranger.

After some time, the monk and his disciple are so far off, they are no longer in your line of sight. Wukong pauses again to adjust his grip on the daoist before humming. “Dove, would it be alright if I bugged you for something?”

“What is it?” You frown, a little put off by his cautious words. It would be more normal if he just told you to do whatever it is he wants.

He matches your pace but keeps his distance. “Sandy is with Master, and they are already so far ahead of us… I don’t want to slow us down any further but I would really appreciate something to snack on right now.”

…Is this some ploy? A show for whoever this man is on his back? “Seriously? I am not your servant–”

“Please, Dove.” You look down as his tail wraps around your arm, looking back up to find a pleading look in his eye. “I think I saw some berries a little further back.” Alright, this is definitely an act. Some reason to be alone with the daoist, perhaps. Why else would he wait for Sandy and Tripitaka to be out of sight before asking? It’s clear that he knows more about the elder on his back than he’s letting on, but you trust that whatever Monkey knows, he can handle it.

“Alright, I will be back soon. Shout if you need me.” You nod, the monkey mirroring your action before you transform into a dove and begin your flight back. All you can do is hope the Great Sage knows what he’s doing.

Surprisingly enough, you do find the bush of berries Wukong mentioned. Maybe part of him really does want something to eat quickly. You start picking the berries, your thoughts drawing back to the strange daoist, the odd way in which he was looking at you and Tripitaka. Usually, it is your friend’s demon disciples that draw the eyes of strangers, not their human travel companions.

There has to be something wrong with that man. You’re embarrassed you didn’t catch it yourself, that it took Sun Wukong stepping in to tip you off. Part of you wonders how he can pick up on these things so quickly. He wasted no time in killing the bone demon when she was disguised. His ability to recognise danger on a whim is quite helpful, but you wish you knew how he did it.

You wonder how long you should take picking these berries, it’s obvious Wukongs wants time to deal with that daoist on his own. Just when you decide to head back, a thunderous boom sounds from the distance. The ground beneath your feet shakes and you stumble back, only just catching yourself. You barely have any time to regain your bearings as a second deafening crash echoes through the land, tremors shaking the earth beneath your feet even more violently than the first.

A tree crashes down to the ground, nearly crushing you in the process before you jump out of the way. What is going on?! What was that, two earthquakes under the span of a minute? Your head immediately swivels to the west, certain that whatever just happened is the result of a certain simian. That’s when you take a moment to blink, the sight before you confusing to look at. You see two mountains where the horizon used to be.

“What the…?” Did they just appear? How?! You could have sworn they weren’t there before, over where you left Wukong and the old man… There is no way this could mean anything good.

To add to your horror, a third mountain materialises before your very eyes, creating a third explosive boom. The ground shakes again, even more forcibly than before. It’s enough to knock you off your feet entirely. Once the earthquake stops, you’re able to sit up again. What the hell is happening back there?! Is Tripitaka okay? Is Sun Wukong fighting the old man now? Why are mountains appearing before your eyes?!

Your questions are put on hold when you hear his scream.

So loud, he’s yelling at the top of his lungs. Dropping whatever berries you had picked, you transform to fly back to where you left the Monkey King. He has to be in trouble, he would never shout like that if he wasn’t.

The closer you get to the spot where you left him, the closer you get to the mountains. The three are practically stacked onto one another in a cluster. They start to tremble, a flock of birds taking off from the trees on one of them when they do. Once the trembling stops, you hear his voice again, a furious howl coming from below.

Following his voice, you dive down. It takes a little while before you’re able to spot him, just his head. You land, rushing to his side before a gasp escapes your lips. Your eyes widen at the sight of him, or… what you can see of him. The Monkey King lays against the ground, his body pinned down by the newly-arrived mountains. Only his head and a forearm are visible. He’s bloodied and bruised, his head whipping around wildly and his breathing erratic.

He grunts, straining as the mountains once again shake. His hand digs into the ground for support, but his efforts are shown to be fruitless when the mountains remain, and he slumps back in exhaustion.

“Sun Wukong!” You call, rushing to his side and kneeling down. If he can hear your voice, he ignores it, his eyes darting frantically to and fro. They’re unfocused, panicked. His breaths are mercurial as he tries again to free himself, each attempt as successful as the last. He’s barely taking anything in. “Wukong– hey.”

You take hold of his swivelling head, working your gift into his mind. “Wukong… breathe.” It takes him time, each breath working to ground himself amidst his panic. He starts to slow, blinking a bit as he looks up at you. His head falls a bit, leaning into your hold as you continue using your gift. “It’s alright, I’m here.”

“Dove?” He frowns, coming back to his senses.

“Sun Wukong, what happened? Where is that old daoist?” You question, looking back behind you to make sure you are really alone, that this isn’t some trap.

Wukong growls at the mention of the man. “That was no daoist, it was a demon. I wanted to get him alone so I could deal with him myself when the coward summoned these cursed mountains!” His fist slams into the ground, the earth quivering beneath it.

You frown a bit, hoping he doesn’t cause the ground to open up under you from unbridled anger. “Why not say anything before?”

“And risk another incident like with the bone demon?” He brings up a fair point, grunting as he plants his palm into the ground and attempts to free himself once more. He grits his teeth, straining with his eyes trained to the ground as he puts his all into lifting the mountains.

You quickly turn his head to look at you again. “Stop, you’re hurt.”

“I have to get out!”

“And we will get you out, but it’s clear that these mountains aren’t moving. All you are doing is wasting your energy.” You point out the obvious, making him groan with frustration. You can’t say you blame him in the slightest. Wukong already spent five centuries under a mountain, you can’t even begin to imagine how much dread and trepidation saturate every bone in his body in this moment, having to relive it all again.

“That demon must have Master by now, and I am stuck under here!” He shouts, clenching his fist.

“Sandy is with him.” You remind the sage, standing up as you begin to rack your brain for your next steps. “I am sure he won’t let anything happen to him. Just breathe, we have to get you out of here first before we can help Tripitaka.”

You try to think of what to do, but what can you do? If the Monkey King is unable to move the mountains, what can your mortal strength do to help him? With Sandy occupied with Tripitaka and the demon on his way to steal the monk away– not to mention the fact that Pigsy is still nowhere to be found– you can’t count on them to assist. You might have to go out and find someone that could help. If this demon summoned these mountains, surely there is a way to send them away, right?

Looking back down at the monkey demon, you notice his breaths becoming irregular and crouch down to once again hold his head. “Monkey, hey. Look at me.” He does as you ask, unable to hide the anxiety in his eyes. You can’t remember a time you have ever seen him like this. You’ve seen him concerned, for Tripitaka, for you, but this is different. This is fear.

You remember a time you thought the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven, held no fear in his heart. How wrong you were, then. In his state, how could you go find help and leave him here on his own? “I’m right here. We’re going to figure this out together, okay? I’m not leaving you here, not even for a moment.”

Your words seem to help, his eyes softening. He reaches up to your hand holding the side of his face, taking hold of it with a securing grip. For now, it seems the best you can do is comfort the monkey demon, despite your own worries starting to eat away at you. There is no way you can just leave him here with his anxieties to eat away at him, but how else are you meant to find a way to help him?

[rfxiii]

Can you write something about Michael and his wife (reader ofc) being toxic towards each other? But one way or another, no one wants to get divorced.

My deluded ass is romanticizing toxic relationships in fiction!!

(Oooh, I do love a good toxic dynamic with the games hottest daddy, so this was fun)

Toxic Relationship between Michael and His Wife!Reader:

TW: toxic relationship, verbal altercations, referenced domestic violence (but none actually occurring in the relationship), mentions of smut, seriously- nothing is too explicit but dni if easily triggered by the above

I’m under the firm belief that pretty much every relationship with any of the characters would have its own degree of fairly toxic shit. But just based on Michael’s general behavior, his dishonesty, his practical inability to stay loyal to anyone unless they benefit him, and his staunch incapability to admit fault, that a marriage with him would pretty much have to be toxic to some varying level.

You love him. And you’re at least pretty sure he loves you. But sometimes you feel more like property or a child. He cheats on you, he gaslights you, he talks down to you, and he’s basically admitted that he’d rather kill you both than let you walk away from him. But when you do anything to upset him, he acts like a victim.

He’s manipulative as all hell. You know he cheats on you- he’s not good at hiding it, or really, he doesn’t much care to try and hide it. But you hold eye contact with a waiter or cashier for one moment too long and he’s snarking at you the entire car ride home about it. He makes mountains out of molehills, and his insecurity is no secret to anyone.

He has never said “I’m sorry” to you once in your entire marriage- and god knows, he’s done plenty that should warrant an apology. But what he lacks in the ability to admit fault, he makes up for in expensive jewelry, new cars, pretty clothes, and the best angry sex you’ve ever had in your life.

Arguing with him is like being stuck on a racetrack. It’s an endless cycle of going round and round in circles wondering when you’ll ever be able to stop. He is always right, and convincing him of the opposite is impossible. It’s easier just to shut up, let him believe he’s won, and then go do whatever the hell you wanted to to begin with. You can’t win with him, but having him pissed at you is easier than trying to win a fight.

He genuinely likes the criminal lifestyle, despite how he talks down about Trevor or tries to act like he wants to “retire”. But, that being said, if you ever mention that you don’t like all the danger his lifestyle brings, then you’re instantly at fault. Suddenly he “only does it for you” so you can “have the life that you want” and he can “buy all the expensive shit you have”. Even if you never asked for any of it, it’s still your fault, and he still does it because of you.

He likes to fight, it’s almost like stress relief or an outlet for his anger. And honestly, you kind of like it too, or you would have left his petty, childish ass by now. The fights keep things interesting after he “retires”. He doesn’t have any banks to rob or any cops to kill, so he focuses that energy on starting arguments. It is your fault sometimes- you start your fair share of fights too. But more often than not, it’s Michael that blows them way out of proportion.

He can’t be reasoned into apologizing or admitting fault. You could say something like, “I wish you and Trevor hadn’t been out all night drinking”. To which he’ll instantly come back with, “oh, right! I’m sorry I’m such a big piece of shit! Even though everything I do is to keep this family livin’ in this big house YOU wanted! But nothings ever good enough for you! Is it, sweetheart?!” And now you’ll be fighting for the next week.

He wouldn’t lay a hand on you, but with the way he screams and threatens, you could be convinced that he would. Lucky for both of you though, in favor of a physical altercation, he prefers taking out his aggression through fast, rough, punishing sex, and degrading, almost cruel, insults while he fucks you. He’s usually in a better mood afterwards though.

Your relationship has always been a muddled mess of fights, bitter words, passive aggressive comments, and hateful screaming. But you love him, and he does love you. And you both knew what you were getting into when you married each other. You can both pretend that it bothers you, but in the end, nobody can understand your fucked up little family the way you two can.

[evesburden]

Malogranatum [Ominis x Slytherin F!Reader]

Ominis opens up to you in the Slytherin common room while Sebastian is out clearing his head. Slight angst and melancholy follows. A fic that gives perspective to his standoffish behavior towards you, despite his warm welcome at the start of the game. I’ll probably edit later when I’m not so lazy and read it myself.

If someone had asked Ominis Gaunt who his family was, he would have sighed and listed off his lineage - always with his disclaimer on how he did not agree with the Gaunt family practices. He would do so in a measured voice, blocking out any emotional response that might bring that horrible guilt roaring back to his ears. A tricky spiral he had learned to carefully mortar to the far reaches of his consciousness in polite company.

However, when you had asked him what family was in its stead, he felt himself take a staggering pause. Maybe you hadn’t meant to phrase it that way, maybe you were just truly interested in his bloodline…But the warmth and cautiousness in your tone spoke otherwise.

So, after a long pause, he divulged thoughts that he kept pieced away. He did so cautiously, his pale slender fingers pinching and twisting around one another in anxiousness. He told you how he had first met Sebastian and Anne, how they quickly adopted him into their tightly knit bond, despite his cold and somewhat prickly demeanor that first year.

Truth be told, he had only been so off-putting due to his own concerns. Walls he had put up that he had never before felt safe letting down. Anne saw right through them, with Sebastian only too happy to follow along. Always the one up for a challenge to keep up with his twins antics.

He was much better now, at socializing and making friends. Just as the twins had adopted him, he began to adopt their boldness and steady footing. Never any best friends, mind you. That was reserved for the duo who had quickly become the only place he felt structured. But he did have a fair sprinkle of acquaintances throughout the school and houses.

More than Sebastian, at any rate.

Ominis spoke of spending nights and holidays with the Sallows, how despite the constant teasing and bickering between the two, he had found a security he didn’t know was previously available to him. He chuckled remembering how he thought he was in love with Anne for nearly an entire year, until he realized that the love he felt wasn’t the romantic variety. Ominis was, and still is, clumsy with familial dynamics and affection. He admits this to you in the same way adults tell stories of when they believed in Santa — with a warm melancholy of lessons learned and fond memories.

Almost an hour goes by until he notices that he had been the only one talking, the realization hitting him with an uneasy feeling he couldn’t place. A self-consciousness he rarely was vulnerable enough to experience in front of others.

“That’s truly lovely, Ominis.” You had responded as he faltered, sincerity so thick Ominis felt like he needed to clear his own throat of it.

“Sorry,” He murmured in embarrassment, “I suppose I sound like a prattling old man.”

Ominis couldn’t see you shake your head, but he could feel the motion from where you were sat next to him, “Not at all, truth be told you could speak about all of this for hours and I’d be elated.”

There was a…squeeze in his chest just then. A sensation that somehow both alarmed and comforted him. If you had been observant, maybe you would have caught the half second his eyes widened, before they crinkled in a small smile, “That’s very kind of you to say and not something I necessarily deserve.”

Ah, there it was. The guilt.

Ominis stood up, wanting to end the conversation on a good note, and not on the flashes of jagged cursed energy that lurked in his memories. He imagined Sebastian was still getting his fresh air, if that’s what he was actually doing at all, as he let his wand lead him to their rooms.

He wasn’t sure how much time had gone by when he finally heard the clicking of the door, alerting him to Sebastian’s arrival. Ominis sighed, his tone an annoyed whisper, “You really ought to go to bed at a somewhat normal hour.”

Sebastian laughed in a hushed tone, “And miss the adrenaline rush of nearly being caught? I could never.”

Stereotypical Sallow; always a childish quip to be had. His friend had been a lot more reasonable when Anne was still attending, since Sebastian wouldn’t go out if neither of them agreed to join him. It was a bit worrisome, how he was slowly changing. Most would argue independence was a good thing to mature into, but in Sebastian’s case it felt destructive. Like he was chasing something that they both knew he was never going to find.

“Why are you still up?” Sebastian asked, sitting with his back against the side of Ominis’ mattress, “Not fair to nag me just because I choose to take my insomnia outside.”

He paused while he considered lying to Sebastian on why his mind was refusing to pull him into the lull of dreamland. However, he was too emotionally drained to do that back and forth. Once Sallow felt a sniff of a secret he was like a dog with a bone. If that dog had fleas and a slight hyperactivity problem.

“Our newest classmate and I had a…Nice chat in the common room,” Ominis explained, unsure how to best word it, “It had been awhile since I was able to do that.”

There was a pause, “You chat to people all the time.”

Ominis let out an annoyed huff, “We spoke about you. And Anne, of course.”

“What about me?” Sebastian’s voice was part curiosity, suspicion, and incredulity.

“Just how I came to know you both and our first few years together.”

“…And that kept you up?”

This was the part that Ominis had been carefully treading around, the part he had been struggling with formulating into words — even in his own mind. But in true Sebastian form, if there was something Ominis didn’t want to divulge, it would be the one thing his friend would ask about.

“No,” Even Ominis was aware of how annoyed his tone sounded. He wasn’t even entirely sure why he was so upset with having to share the details to his best friend. To someone he fully considered as a brother. Maybe it was his issues with affection, “She had asked me what I considered family to be and naturally, you and Anne came to mind.”

If Ominis was bad at showing affection, Sebastian wasn’t much better. Except where Ominis was the kind to rarely express such thoughts verbally, Sebastian was always the first to make light of them with jest. Ominus decided to take advantage of the beat of silence he was positive Sebastian was using to try and formulate a socially acceptable response.

“But other, not so pleasant, memories followed, as they often do,” He continued as if he were talking about the weather, “So I came to bed where my self-loathing thoughts were so rudely interrupted by our resident delinquent.”

Sebastian chuckled, no doubt relieved that Ominis had made a light hearted joke of his own despite the seriousness of the topic. If the descendant of Salazar Slytherin had been completely honest he would have asked Sebastian the question that had been lingering in his mind all evening; What does the new fifth year look like?

It was never something Ominis had shown the slightest of interest in — what someone looked like. In fact, he couldn’t recall ever asking that before, let alone even care to. It wasn’t as if he would suddenly get his eyesight back and would need to pluck people from a lineup. He often associated people by their voices first, then their smell, and finally tastes that would remind him of their demeanors.

Anne’s voice came off like the crackling of lit torches, warm and familiar but with the slight unease that fire tends to bring. Sometimes, it was more like a rock being skipped across a lake; more lively and active, traveling further out of earshot but never out of reach. She always smelled like fresh wool and gently spiced soap, except on days she had been exceptionally adventurous, and came back smelling like grass or dried weeds. The thick underlaying of pollen and soil, from where she had no doubt been ducking for cover to stay hidden. She reminded him of fruit tarts filled with berries that were picked just a touch too soon. Bitter but sweet and refreshing, never the same flavor ratio twice. Buttery pastry that had a light crisp to it, but was soft and gooey where the filling had sat.

Sebastian’s tone was always deathly serious or teasing — Like the raucous in the school halls, at times it took a moment to decipher if someone was upset or just overly excited. It was akin to hearing the waterfalls around the lake, roaring impact against rock that was either extremely relaxing or would put your teeth on edge. He smelled faintly of stale book pages that had been left unopened for too long and the Butterbeer candies he kept in his pockets. Occasionally, after he showered, he would smell like the same soap as Anne — probably because he didn’t care to purchase anything different. Rocky air also liked to cling to him when he had been out. Fresh but with old moss and a slight salt peppering the edges. As far as taste went, much like the candies Sebastian stowed in his pockets, he reminded him of fresh butterbeer at the three broomsticks…But specifically the butterbeer they had bought Ominis and filled with a sprinkling of grass as a ‘prank’ their first year. He could still remember the warm flavors being harshly interrupted with the pungent taste of spring lawn trimmings. Sirona had let out an annoyed sigh as she brought him a new one, while the siblings tried to muffle their laughter.

If he were honest, that was Ominis’ favorite draft that he had ever had. Not that he would openly admit it, of course. Sebastian’s outward ego was already far too obnoxious without any additional ammunition.

Despite their unique differences, the twins both smelled like Feldcroft as a foundational scent. The small home where they had grown up. Damp wood, dried hay, and slightly over ripe apples. It was a smell that Ominis wished he could bottle and label homesick.

The new fifth year…Her voice reminded him of rain. But not the deep echoes when it landed in an obtuse pattering, but a tad sharper, like when it struck the windows just right in the astronomy tower. Ominis hadn’t been able to pick up her perfume yet, or maybe it was her soaps, but it struck like a honey chamomile with sharp spikes of lavender — but even that didn’t sound quite right. There was another scent underlying those, not an offensive smell, but something uniquely her that he had no name for. To be honest, he hadn’t been around her long enough to be fully confident on what her personality was like. She seemed to always surprise him based on the situation and the people he overheard her conversing with. If Ominis had to pick one at the moment, based on what little he knew about her…He’d have to say warm mint tea, with a hardly noticeable trace of sweetener. Maybe lemon, as well.

No, that wasn’t quite right either…

“Falling asleep already?” Sebastian’s voice cut through Ominis’ musings.

“Unfortunately I’m still among the living.” He deadpanned, stormy eyes pointing up towards the ceiling, fingers silently drumming against his sternum.

“I was thinking…”

“Always a dangerous endeavor.”

Sebastian ignored the comment, “Of writing to Anne about her. The new fifth year, I mean. I think they would get along.”

Ominis nodded.

“I think I’m going to introduce them. Might lift Anne’s spirits a bit. Meeting people outside of our doorstep.”

In all it wasn’t a bad notion and normally, Ominis would wholeheartedly agree with anything that was healthy and good for Anne. Something Sebastian had been in low supply of lately, as far as ideas went. Regardless, It wasn’t lost on him the verbiage he had chosen.

“Just you and her?” He asked, trying to keep his tone light and inquisitive.

“Well, yeah for the first time anyway,” Sebastian clarified, but his voice seemed a tad tighter…almost nervous, “You can come next time.”

Ominis wasn’t daft. After all, Sebastian wasn’t exactly known for his depth when it came to organizing events. There was a part of Sebastian, that for whatever reason, wanted this to be a closed event. It rubbed him the wrong way for a multitude of defenses.

They were best friends for years, was the first to come to mind. He had known Anne and Sebastian longer and far more intimately than anyone else in their lives. If anything, it would make more sense to invite him to help ease the social interactions. He had missed Anne too. Why was he expected to sit this out? Was he being replaced?

The second, and far more impossible to vocalize, left Ominis’ chest feeling like a pomegranate being split open. The initial crack being swiftly followed by the sound of flesh ripping from the fruit, juice spilling into clutched hands, no doubt staining everything it touches.

“Makes perfect sense,” He felt like he had a stone in his throat, “Tell Anne that I miss her when you go.”

Ominis made the decision that it would be in everyone’s best interest if he simply kept the new student at a distance. As separate from his emotions as possible, much like the memories he so often clutched back from bubbling to the surface.

Growing attached and vulnerable to more things he would just inevitably lose was naive. Sebastian and Anne were his family, and while they were never sure how long Anne would be in their lives, he knew that Sebastian would be the constant. He had accepted he would lose Anne, someday, and the mourning for that would come when it was time.

That was all the mourning he had the heart for.

Ominis went to bed that night, and despite his resolve, was left feeling like he had already lost something anyway.

[ddlcbrainrot]

Oh my god i love natsuki so muchhhh

I can’t wait to hear those natsuki thoughts once you can finally spill them

So, before i start i’d like to say this is going to be just me spewing my thoughts like word vomit. I highly doubt this is going to have any cohesion whatsoever so I apologise in advance lol

The perception of Natsuki as a character is one that i think is deeply rooted in the person’s personal headcanons. The main reason for this is the lack of canon info about her home life, all we know is that it’s definitely not a pretty one and that’s it. There’s also not any mention of her mother, so it’s fair to say that her main parental figure is her dad. Because the most information we get about this subject is in Act 2, it’s hard to know how much is accurate and how much is amplified. So, people usually have different takes about how bad her home life is, varying from just a very strict father to a physically abusive one and so on. There is also only one mention of Natsuki’s dad in the side stories, in which it mostly paints the picture of a strict parent, not the physically abusive one we saw in Act 2. Then again, just because Natsuki doesn’t mention it doesn’t mean it isn’t a possibility

Why am I saying all of this instead of just talking about Natsuki? As stated, this very much changes ever so slightly Natsuki’s character to each person. So, I think that before I continue talking about Natsuki I should make clear what my view on her relationship with her father is. Personally, I’m more of the “strict father” group. More specifically, Natsuki’s father in my mind is that kind of parent that wants to be close with their kid but is never willing to put in the effort and then making her feel bad that they aren’t as close as he would like. Basically expecting Natsuki herself to carry the responsibility of their relationship all on her own. I think this makes sense considering how she interacts with her “friend” group in the side stories. It’s a kind of similar situation in which Natsuki is expected to just put in all the work and let them treat her as crappy as they feel like. You could argue that her friendships and her relationship with her father aren’t necessarily interconnected, but like, many abuse victims unconsciously look for similar dynamics in their relationships in order to feel secure. So, I don’t think it’s that much of a stretch for her arc in the side stories to be sort of a mirror of her home life.

Natsuki at her core is a person that longs for closeness but is too afraid to accept it. It’s obvious that her flawed view on how relationships should be makes her act the way she does. It’s kind of weird, because she seems very much in denial about how toxic the relationships in her life are but she is also aware that the way they treat her is kind of shitty because she tries her best to make sure she doesn’t act that way herself. She contradicts herself quite a lot actually, but that just adds to the realism of her character since most people contradict themselves all the time. Natsuki’s character has always felt very human to me, despite being the personification of the tsundere trope, and I couldn’t understand why until recently. And I finally figured it out. The main difference between her and the other versions i’ve seen of the tsundere trope is that her behaviour is not painted as a cute little quirk, but as an unlikable flaw. As much as I love her, she can be quite unlikable from time to time and that just adds so much depth to her character, because she is allowed to be mean and wrong and contradictory. Natsuki is unapologetically flawed, and I love that because most characters (especially female ones) are almost never allowed to

Anyway, I hope some of this made at least somewhat sense lol

[sibylsleaves]

I am 100% with you on wanting the show to explore buck’s desire for a family, specifically kids. And yeah, personally, I’m kinda hoping, if bucktommy does break up, that’s largely the cause of it — there’s still a lot of mutual care and love between them, but they just want fundamentally different lives. Cos if they do break up, particularly for buddie reasons, it would suck to sabotage the sweetness of how they’ve come together by making their breakup ugly. Sad and painful, sure, but ultimately amicable.

BUT if they DON��T break up, buck wanting kids is still a really cool dynamic for them to explore. Is Tommy reluctant because of his upbringing? If so, does buck try to compromise his own desires for children to make Tommy happy and so he doesn’t leave? Or what if Tommy is all in and buck wants them too, but then freaks out because he knows what it’s like to have a parent who can’t regulate their own emotions and makes everything about them (even if that’s not a fair assessment of buck, it’s what he could think about himself) and Tommy has to convince him he’d be amazing.

And sure in a perfect buddie future, Christopher is such a huge part of Them and it seems obvious they’d have another kid/s — Eddie now being in a place where he’s ready to be a parent and he gets to actually BE there this time, and we already know how wonderful he is and how well he and buck work together as parents. Plus older brother Chris?? Can you even imagine? That baby would be so lucky. (though I am sceptical they’ll ever go anywhere with buddie, even if it would be amazing)

honestly, I’d love a scenario where, with or without Tommy, buck meets a kid on a call and ends up fostering her (come on, girl-dad buck? too perfect). Like, this man is such a natural caretaker and has so much love to give, let him be a dad, show!

yeah i think the reason I'm so drawn to this storyline is because a) it feels SO obvious to me that this is something Buck would be thinking about at his age, and because of the chris of it all and the sperm donor of it all. and literally ALL of his close friends are parents. and they LITERALLY SET THIS UP IN THE PILOT EPISODE WITH THAT DRAINPIPE BABY. LIKE.

And also b) I can't really think of another show that's had a MALE character like desperately want parenthood. it's always a woman who wants kids and the guy is like i don't know...or it's a woman wanting kids and deciding to make that happen for herself (off the top of my head, I know House and 30 Rock BOTH did this storyline). And I feel like if any show was going to tell that story, it would be 911, and if any actor would want to tell that story, it would be Oliver Stark, because he's said like one million times what he loves about Buck is that he's like this seemingly traditionally masculine guy but he's actually quite soft and has all these wonderful layers to him, and being a caretaker/wanting to be a father is a big part of that.

I could definitely see a storyline where Buck is actually confronted with the question of like, do you want kids/are you ready to have kids and freaking out about it. And I think, Buddie or not, the resolution to that storyline HAS to be Chris. Like Chris being the one to tell him of course you'd be a good dad, Buck. You've been helping dad raise me since I was seven. COULD YOU IMAGINE. I'd weep.

And yeah, I can imagine older brother Chris are you kidding me??? I have considered this at length.

[musicfeedsmysoul12]

Review of Dragon Age the Veilguard

First off, right off the bat, I’m putting out there I am foremost a story person. Give me a good story and I’m happy. Then it’s graphics, gameplay (by which I mean do I think it is very replayable), then combat.

So positives first for me:

Story: I love the story. It’s a little cliche and a bit silly but it’s so much fun. Besides it’s not like Dragon Age has ever not been a bit cliche. Secret bastard son of the king saving his homeland. Frosty witch with a secret sensitive side. Assassin who wants out. These were in the FIRST game. I very much enjoyed it and the lore we were given. I actually went ‘WHAT THE FUCK’ out loud multiple times and had a blast through the whole thing. I actually dropped my controller in shock during the final battles because of several moments.

I’ve seen complaints about the writing being ‘MCU’ but honestly I just recently replayed the first three, and this is the same to me. It’s actually better to me then Inquisition which I found so boring. No really, Inquisition was the weakest to me character and writing wise. It felt so flat but Veilguard brings back the spark that Origins and DA2 had. This sort of ‘we need to get people together and save the world despite the odds’ spark.

Characters: I love every single one of them and am already starting more playthroughs so I can ROMANCE THEM ALL. Some may not be your cup of tea but honestly a lot of the hate I notice tends to be the weird feminist ‘you have to be serious’ tone, the ‘I don’t like anything cheery’ type, transphobes or racists. The actual critical takes I find tend to veer on the usual bullshit of the writers in general. (Such as Taash apparently having to choose between two cultures and how their gender is handled. Which fair. I love their gender storyline but it isn’t the greatest story)

The characters are very dynamic and fun to get to know. I didn’t care about Harding in Inquisition but I love her here. It’s just so much fun.

Character Creator: This is honestly the best one I’ve seen yet. I know everyone loved BG3 and how they do it but Veilguard BLOWS it out of the water. Just so many options and things to do.

Plus as a side note you can choose to be nonbinary or trans and it has an affect. It is so cool. I loved my Rook talking about their gender.

Combat: Oh man this is weird for me but I love this combat. Let’s be real- tactical stuff in the past games were clunky and off. A lot of Origin purists say DAO was the best but who ACTUALLY used half the stuff? Like traps? Maybe a fair few but the majority didn’t. The whole series so far had been button mashing for me. Here? Nope! It’s a lot more complex for me and makes me actually think. I love it.

Puzzles: One person I saw said they were to simple. My response is that the early ones were but they sure ain’t later on. Took me forty minutes to figure out one. It’s awesome.

Gameplay: FUN! Just everything about it is so nice and I love it. It’s not annoying to do, it’s simple once you get used to it and honestly I like how the missions are set up. I do think it is very replayable as a whole.

The Ending: I FUCKING LOVE THE ENDING IT IS SO DAMN COOL. I dropped my controller during it, I gasped, I cheered (totally guessed one plot twist but DAMN did not expect the very end) and HOLY SHIT it was SO GOOD.

Now the negatives.

Story: There’s a lot of sanitization of the Crows. The Crows are canonly assassins who buy a lot of their recruits and brutally train them to become Crows. It is not nice unless maybe your family are Crows and you’re treated nicely. Even then, Lucanis canonly was beaten by his grandmother during training and other things.

Also, I did not like how my Rook Laidir suddenly talked about being a galley slave. It was confusing as that was never brought up before. If they’d included it in the description it would have been better. So I’m headcanoning something different for Andy Laidir. I think this is just an over sight, but it is off putting for me that it’s suddenly said once then vanishes.

There's also a few things with how story progression goes. It feels a bit to fast in some moments, and to slow in others. I think that they had to many ideas, but I'll talk about that in the factions section.

Characters: While I love their story line I think Taash could have done better if there was less ‘choose between being Rivaini or Qunari’. Like having a disconnect from your culture is understandable but I felt it was to… ‘you must conform or reject’. That’s not how it goes.

As well the discussion of gender was fairly Western specific which isn’t true across all cultures. It would have been interesting to explore it more and with Taash also wondering about the Qunari version of gender as why they don’t feel right.

I’m also semi kinda upset with how Davrin kept getting the same ‘intro’ scene to his quests a bit. Just him carving something. It was recycled to me and compared to the others… kinda felt off.

Also, while I love him, Lucanis' romance isn't my favourite. It's very slow burn and while nice, I felt that it was to much of a slow burn in the end, where it's just them kissing and a few words of love. I haven't been spoiled about the others too much, but he feels very lacklustre. But it might just be me there. I will defend it saying it isn't bad, but for me? Not my cup of tea.

I'm also disapointed with Isabela's cameo. While YES WE SEE HER, I do romance her with Hawke often and I can't believe any of my Hawkes who did (and lived) are't with her causing chaos. Plus for fuck sakes she gets some generic outfit but Morrigan gets a super special one? Really?

Combat: While I love it, I think they made the dragons to OP. It’s really hard to get close and fight them. Of course I am not a combat person so it may just be I’m bad at it. I do think some of the 'being shoved backward' moments could have been done better as well.

Gameplay: Okay so… I think the choice to have Varric narrate things wasn’t ‘bad’ but they really went to spoiler filled in some. Like dude, don’t SAY that?!? I don’t get to eagerly wait in suspense now, I know what’s going on. That’s not fun. Boo!

Also the animations for opening chests was annoying.

Factions: I feel this is another kinda let down. I truly believe the only four that mattered were Veil Jumpers, Shadow Dragons, Crows and Grey Wardens. Plus I felt again a lot of this is sanitized. The Crows are not a good organization. Sure they basically are the Antivan military but they’re assassins who buy their recruits half the time. Lords of Fortune are pirates and treasure hunters. They're not 'good' people.

This really ties into my thoughts on progression: we could have done away with the Lords and the Mourn Watch to focus only on the four factions and it would have been amazing. Probably would have had better pacing for the plot to. While it was so cool to see these places, in the end it would haven't taken away from the main plot by just not having them be around.

However- despite my negatives, and despite my issues?

This game is a solid 8.7/10. It was truly 9.5/10 for most of the game, but by the end, I did find that I was a bit dissatisfied with some things. However, the game is genuinely amazing. It's a call back to the original 'rag-tag bunch of losers go and save the day' and has elements of Mass Effect 2 I adore.

Solid game, if you loved Origins, DA2 and even some elements of Inquisition, go for it. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it sure as hell is mine.

[hxhhasmysoul]

Have you seen this? https://www.tumblr.com/gojosbf/748604451516006400/hey-guys-what-the-fuck-is-this-who-is-voting?source=share

[That is satosugu blog (sorry).]

Just want to say : thanks so much @hxhhasmysoul. You open a new door to me, in shipping Sukuna/Itadori, and it's in the top 5 fav ships above.....As a multishipper, I never consider SukuIta until I found this blog of yours (especially your SukuIta fics recs).

I've read all SukuIta fics from your fics recs list, do you mind if I ask another fics recs? Also, thanks a lot for the Killua/Gon fics recs, really love them.....🤩

Don’t apologise for linking a SatoSugu blog, you don’t have to warn me  XD Thank you for the ask, I will be really mean, so just a fair warning.

Also it’d be pretty obvious that they are a SatoSugu blog even if you hadn’t warned me. What gives them away is that they can’t read, reading comprehension is just rare among the fans of that ship.  

They ask who voted in a ranking made based on the amount of published works on Pixiv XD

It’s even funnier no one in the notes noticed that. 

But these comments are fascinating to me.

So like 3 Gojou x Getou is reasonable but 4 Getou x Gojou is not, so it’s unreasonable for Getou to top? Is that it? 

Same with 7 and 8, it’s even funnier because the preference as to who tops is usually reverse in the western fandom XD

I’m not sure why Yuuta x Toge is not reasonable.. I mean they are the same age, right? 

Well Gojou x Utahime they disapprove on the forced straightness grounds, I mean even if they ship stsg, Getou’s dead, and Gojou could be bi… but whatever icky woman is icky.  

I mean I disapprove of shipping Gojou in general, because I think all Gojou ships are either misogyny or queerphobia, because he’s too awful to force onto other people… The dumb fascist is the only one that can be punished thusly, they are equally awful as people ;)

I guess the ships between Megumi and Toge, or Gojou and Nanami or Ijichi are pedo ships, because Toge is a year older than Megs and Gojou is at least a year older than either of them. Or is Gojou x Ijichi just simple abuse? I’d call it that. Oh, and I checked Nanami x Ijichi and that’s just clearly pedo stuff, Nanami is one year older. (Honestly this ship could be really nice, Ijichi could use a guy who can stand up for himself and actually is thoughtful)

What more can I say… Generally there being just two Sukuna ships is disappointing, people have poor aesthetic taste. No Kenny ship is also sad, especially seeing how popular Toge is and well that guy gets barely any development in the story, he’s kinda boring to me. 

As to Yuuji’s ships. GoYuu falls under Gojou shouldn’t be shipped, period. The ships with Megumi I get. Nanami and Chousou make sense too, even if they’re not my jam. But the ship with Getou… every time I see it, it makes me lose faith in humanity a little. 

___

I’m glad you got into SukuIta. More fics:

Smail just has a lot of stuff and I love most of it.

This is specifically what Smail wrote for me.

Creepy and hot trapped in spaceship smut.

Sweet and sexy Escort AU by Yuujispinkhair.

Monsterfucker Coffee Shop AU smut.

Hot Hockey Player Groupie AU smut.

Sukuna reincarnates as a cat, serves him right.

Art and short fics some very smutty.

This is one of my top 3 fics ever it was supposed to be crack but the author failed and now it's a very long fic with amazing relationship dynamics.

And another gem by the same author where Sukuna gets domesticated.

[ruelpsen]

Feedist Kinktober 2024: Part II (October 8-14)

Here's the second batch of 100-200 word drabbles! This set continues the theme of involving my favorite fictional alien, the six-tentadicked L/ondo M/ollari from B/abylon 5. On top of the prompts used themselves, below you'll find stuffing, weight gain, burping, dom/sub dynamics, alcohol intox, public play, tentacles, alienfucking, weight-related teasing, magic/rapid weight gain, clothing malfunction, exhibitionism, and cnc abduction play with an actual alien...

If you enjoy these, stay tuned for future batches, to be released on or shortly after October 21st, 28th, and 31st!

Part I (October 1-7) here

(8) Ren Faire 👑 / Plugged In 🔌 “Another drink for you, my dear,” he said, his body then jolting with a hiccup subsequently working up a belch. He took another swig from his big tankard of beer as we walked from the drink stand. “You sure you don’t urrrrrp- want any?” “I’m fine with just the soda, thanks,” I replied. “More for me, then!” he giggled, more than a bit tipsy by this point. He’d had a lot to drink, but still, he’s no lightweight. I glanced around again, hoping nobody might see what we were up to in this quiet corner of the fairgrounds. We found a tree and sat down in its shade, my love leaning back against its trunk to support his increasingly swollen, boozy belly. “Ah, where is it…” he mumbled, setting his tankard down and fumbling around in his pocket for something. “Here it is… you enjoy seeing me be a belchy mess for you, yes?” I nodded. He beamed mischievously, and with that, the plug in my ass started to rumble. “Get through the rest of the afternoon without cumming in your pants and I’ll let you fuck me later, understood?”

(9) Massively Milky 🥛 / Euphoria 💖 “Great Maker, you’re so sexy.” He leaned forward and kissed my neck, pressing his fangs against my skin. I dug my nails into his back as he worked his way up with his lips to my mouth, continuing to grind his ass against my hips as I thrust up into him. The two tentacles in my own ass filled me with pleasure, the other four enveloping me in L/ondo’s lust as they explored my body. Their heads worked their way over flesh, into folds, against the sensitive canvas that is my growing body. He did this to me. He did this to me because he knew how badly I wanted to be his fattened plaything. “You’ve wanted this for so long, haven’t you?” he moaned against me between kisses. “You’ve always been beautiful, darling. But my, how you’ve grown, how much more alluring you’ve become… my fat fucking slut.” Oh fuck. That’s all I could think as I came, as I felt him tense up in me as he kissed me again. Somewhere beyond the heaven of my senses he whispered sweet words that echoed in my mind: you’re perfect. I love you.

(10) Full Moon 🌕 / Containment Breach ☢️ I could tell from the look on his face that I was not supposed to have eaten those… whatever they were in his fridge. “And you ate all of them? The whole package?” he asked. “Yeah? Like I said, they looked good, they tasted good, and I was hungry. I didn’t think they’d leave me feeling so full, though…” He looked at me with a strange expression, one of dismay tinged with arousal. “How many times must I remind you to not eat random things from my refrigerator?” he scolded. “Those are-” My eyes widened as I felt my body surge outwards. The clothes that fit comfortably mere seconds before were now tight as could be, struggling to stay on my expanding figure. I looked up at him helplessly, only to find him staring at me with eyes just as wide. His cocks were beginning to stir under his waistcoat, try as he might to hide it. “What’s happening to me?!” I gasped. But before I could say anything more, my body surged outwards again, leaving me fattened and naked as my clothes practically exploded off me. “You’ll be fine… are you free tonight?”

(11) Theatrical 🎭 / Power Play 🔃 I’m still not totally sure where he got the idea for it, but Maker must I thank him for it. I must thank him again for pulling all the strings to make this work, for finding an excuse to leave for his homeworld with me in tow, for arranging a time and place for us to play, for finding an audience in which no one knew me… Somehow, that’s how I ended up onstage in a sex club, engaging in an explicit display of hedonism and human submission. The show started as a normal dinner, then devolved into a argument over which of our species had a superior capacity for the fine foods of his world. That’s when he would seize me and feed me into submission, undressing me and stroking me before hundreds of watchful eyes as he showed them what a fat, submissive slut I am, letting our viewers use me as some sexy eye candy to get off to. Only when moans began to erupt from the audience did he even consider that I was full enough to be allowed to cum…

(12) Candy Crush 🍬 / Eldritch Nightmares 👁️ “And that’s the… twenty-first type of candy you’ve tried tonight. We’ve still got many more to go. Think you can handle it?” I looked up from my notebook at my crush sitting at the other end of the couch. Empty candy wrappers littered his lap and the seat around him, each one signifying his first taste of the new-to-him treats I’d brought back for him from Earth. “I’ve got plenty of room still, of course,” he said, reaching out a hand. “What do you have to offer next?” I reached into the bag next to me and pulled out a Milky Way bar, passing it to him. He tore into it excitedly, polishing it off in just a couple big bites. I tried hard to not squirm in my seat, hoping he wouldn’t notice how much I was blushing. He’d already eaten a lot, and it showed… “Delightful!” he exclaimed, before tipping his face down slightly and belching into his fist. “I do have to wonder though- is there any particular reason you wanted to share your culture with me in this way?” “Oh, perhaps,” I blushed, quickly glancing away from his increasingly full stomach.

(13) GoTHICC 🥀 / Stitched Together 🪡 “I’m still not fully sure what to think of it, you know. Are you really sure I’m not underdressed? You told me this, what did you call it, Halloween party is essentially a fun costume party- but this is so very close to what I normally wear. What else do I need to do?” I watched him as he dressed before the mirror, buttoning a black waistcoat over a red shirt. The waistcoat hugged his gut slightly more than the ones he normally wears, and the black pants he had on served well to highlight his wonderfully thick thighs. He looked so sexy like this, and the colors he wore only helped to serve his naturally vampiric nature. “The only other thing I recommend,” I said, my voice sultry, as I rose and moved to stand behind him, glancing over his shoulder and wrapping my arms around him midsection, “is to act literally bloodthirsty. That’s important if you’re going as a vampire, my creature of the night. Put those fangs to good use.” “Oh, I will put them to good use…” He kissed the base of my neck, fangs pressing into me.

(14) Pumpkin Spice 🎃 / Alien Abduction 🛸 “My, my, what have we here? Biped, much like myself… at least when clothed. Squirms when touched. Sentient, given that he yelled and fought back when I caught him…” He pulled my shirt up and pants down, exposing me. I wanted him to fuck me then and there, but being as bound as I was, I could only whimper through the gag to express my arousal. “Subject is too skinny, has only one attribute, far smaller than my six in size but increasingly turgid. This would suggest he is aroused by this examination. Hmm, it would only be fair to begin some internal probing, then…” He took off his shirt, revealing the six attributes that already writhed with excitement. One pulled away the gag and snaked its way into my mouth, another wrapping around my dick. The other four caressed and explored my body. And goodness, was he already quite excited himself- within moments, he released a large load of his sweet, thick cum into my mouth. I swallowed heartily, then belched around his cock. “My, a vibrating orifice- I think this hole was meant to be fucked! As for the attribute, time to test how sensitive it truly is…”

[nyoomfruits]

Ooh, 'Don't tell the others, but I love your cooking the most.' for Max/Charles/Lando/Oscar? (This is of course fiction, but I also find it amusing in real life, Oscar seems like the only one of the four who can actually cook unaided, in case you want to do anything with that 😄)

HIVE MIND HIVE MIND HIVE MIND (pt. 2)

“Don't tell the others, but I love your cooking the most.”

It’s taking some getting used to, this new dynamic between them, which is why when Max asks, “What do we want to do for dinner?” Oscar gladly raises his hand and says, “I’ll go cook,” before disappearing into the kitchen.

It’s not that he’s hiding, per se, but it was just him and Lando for so long, and now its him and Lando and Charles and Max, and sometimes it just feels a bit overwhelming, is all. The other three are well them, and they’ve have known each other for forever, have been racing against each other even longer. Oscar just struggles with his place in all of it, sometimes.

But cooking, cooking he can do. He manages to gather some ingredients together, enough for a simple pasta, and starts prepping them, cutting onions and garlic and bell peppers. From the kitchen, the sounds of Lando and Max yelling filter in, no doubt entangled in a game of FIFA.

He’s just put a pan on the heat and put some oil in, when Charles appears in the doorway, smiling softly. “Smells good.”

“Thanks,” Oscar says. “Though remind me to do some groceries tomorrow. The fridge is woefully understocked.”

Charles snorts, makes his way further into the kitchen. “Well, that’s Max for you. I’m surprised you managed to find what you did,” he says, and suddenly he’s behind Oscar, wrapping his arms around Oscar’s waist and hooking his chin over Oscar’s shoulder. “Thanks, for sacrificing yourself to make us food, by the way. Don’t tell the others, but I love your cooking the most.”

Oscar laughs a little, turns his head to press a soft kiss against Charles’s temple. “Thanks. Although I’m not sure how high that praise really is when I’m up against a guy who only knows how to heat up prepackaged soup and a guy who could burn water.”

It’s Charles’s turn to laugh, and he presses a kiss to Oscar’s shoulder before he steps back. “That’s fair. But you know. Just so you know your efforts are appreciated.”

“Thank you,” Oscar says, smiling genuinely, as he puts the pasta in the pot of boiling water.

He expects Charles to leave, then, but instead Charles hoists himself up onto one of the empty counters, and leans back against the overhead cabinets. “How did the new training regime go, by the way? Your trainer put you on a new plan, right?” He asks, as he watches Oscar move around the kitchen.

So they make small talk while Oscar cooks, the sounds of Lando and Max destroying each other in FIFA filtering in through the open door. And it’s nice, having a little moment with just Charles, when it so often is all four of them together.

Eventually they do get broken out of their little bubble by Max and Lando, who follow the smell of onions frying into the pan and then stay in the kitchen as well, all four of them hanging out together while Oscar finishes up their food.

They eat on the couch, tangled together in a heap of limbs. Lando proposes marriage to Oscar a total of five times, Max wonders if he can hire him as his personal chef, and Charles gives him this small, almost knowing smile over the tops of their heads.

So yeah, it’s hard, navigating this new relationship where it’s three other people instead of one. But Oscar’s pretty sure they can work it out. Together.

[justtosealmyfate1]

HP, the press and what is means to be a celebrity: meta

One of my favorite topics is the media and how that would play out in the Potters’ lives post-war. I touch upon this in the reaction to Albus and Scorpius getting together. There’s a media whirlwind after the photos of the two of them kissing are released. 

(this is about my fic, the fates, which is about when Albus and Scorpius’ relationship is found out.)

A lot of HP fics take the tone of “the media is so intrusive and ruining everyone’s life” which is fair to an extent, and also the precedent JKR set with Rita Skeeter’s character in the original books. She’s clearly a parody of British tabloid writers. Celebrity is also explored differently across fics. In the books, Harry is very famous, and a politically important figure. He’s always in the newspaper! The Minister of Magic is coming to his Christmas dinner to court him! This notoriety would only grow after he defeats Voldemort. I see Harry as (this sounds so dramatic for talking about a fictional character) an Obama, Nelson Mandela, Malala type of celebrity. A political figure, a hero, a survivor but also a mainstay in popular culture. Plus, he’s married to an attractive Quidditch player, and I’m sure they captivate the world with their Posh and Becks, Taylor and Travis type love. This is all to say that I think the Potters are megacelebrities, and Albus is a celebrity child who would reap the rewards and face the consequences of that. 

The American media landscape (while of course not without its flaws) is very different from the British media landscape, particularly the tabloids. British tabloids are crazy. It’s brutal. The Daily Mail is a disgrace to journalism. I think this culture would also bleed into Wizarding media. 

However!!...the relationship between celebrities and celebrity media is symbiotic. The “royal reporters” at the Daily Mail aren’t actually doing any journalistic work (even though they should be… like tell me what the fuck is going on with Kate Middleton), they’re being fed stories by the palace. This absolutely happens in the US too. Publicists will feed stories to friendlier publications, like People. When “a source close to Taylor Swift” is telling Entertainment Tonight exclusively that Taylor and Joe Alwyn broke up, it’s her publicist. 

What does this mean for the Potters? Well, they absolutely need a publicist, they need to be working with a PR team and they need a media strategy. It’s funny to think about that in the context of the books, but that dynamic was seen in the Order of the Phoenix. Harry’s “PR team” of Hermione and Luna got Rita Skeeter to write a story about Voldemort’s return. That’s political news, not celebrity gossip, but it shows that Harry knows how to use the media to get what he wants. While I don’t think as an adult he’d be doing the Wired Autocomplete interviews, he’d know how to navigate the press to further his agenda and protect his family’s image. 

I think the Potter children would be pretty protected from the press. Rita Skeeter wrote in her 2014 Quidditch World Cup article that the Potters are wizarding royalty, which informs my opinion of how the mechanisms of their celebrity would play out. I wrote in the fates that Harry and Ginny release curated photos of their children in exchange for not taking paparazzi photos of them, a la the royal family. While Harry is more of a statesman-like celebrity, who has a carefully crafted image and is more likely to be seen at charity events, diplomatic summits and ceremonies, Ginny is different. As a Quidditch player she’s more of a traditional celebrity. She’s canonically popular but a guarded person. She strikes me as the type of celebrity who masterfully makes you think you know her, but you actually know nothing at all. 

As for the kids, I think there would be a lot of media attention and interest in them. Would they lean into that, like North West, or shy away from it? I think they’d shy away from it, especially Albus. I think James would be more open to press attention. 

The three press stories I wrote for the fates all reflect different types of celebrity news. There’s the traditional, factual Daily Prophet article, the Daily Prophet opinion piece, and the Simmering Cauldron radio show. The Simmering Cauldron is entirely based on Wendy Williams. Don’t tell me she wouldn’t do something exactly like that! The DP article is expository, and then the opinion piece is meant to showcase the discourse surrounding their relationship. 

There’s a whole debate to be had about how celebrity children should be treated and the role of celebrities in our culture in general, and Albus and Scorpius are great vehicles to explore this.

[shipmistress9]

ShipMistress' Fourth Wing Masterpost

Find my other fanfictions here or on AO3. 

If you end up reading any of my (older) fics: I’d LOVE to get feedback, comments, reviews, reactions. 💜

* Updates

Home (AO3)

Xaden/Violet -- t-rated

After months of separation, Violet and Xaden meet again when they least expect it. Just a short ficlet based on a kissing prompt from Tumblr.

In Control (AO3)

Xaden/Violet -- E-rated -- D/s dynamics

“Don’t lie to me, Violence,” he murmurs as he tugs a strand of hair back into my loose braid. “This only works if you’re completely honest about how you feel, with me but also with yourself.” Once, Xaden didn't want Violet to take a look into his armoire, and she joked that she already knew all of his clothes. Little did she know about what he really kept hidden there. Further down their relationship, Xaden eventually shows her his collection of sex toys and bondage gear, and Violet is more than just a little intrigued. But... she brave enough to give up control?

“I don’t want to think.” (AO3)

Xaden/Violet -- E-rated

In the days after the events of Fourth Wing, Xaden suffers an intense kind of longing he never knew before as Violet refuses to talk to him. But as it seems, she can't stay away from him forever, either.

A Soft Reunion (AO3)

Xaden/Violet -- E-rated

After spending months infiltrating Basgiath, Violet returns to Aretia, to Xaden, only to find that he's been attacked by venin and has been unconscious for days.

Kinktober collection

Not Playing Fair (AO3)

Xaden/Violet -- E-rated

Xaden uses his shadow powers to tease Violet until neither of them can resist the temptation anymore.

Leather-clad Temptation (AO3)

Xaden/Violet -- E-rated

One day, Violet Sorrengail will be the death of me. But maybe, if death comes in thigh-high boots then it might not be such a bad thing.

Little Kitten (AO3)

Xaden/Violet -- E-rated

Sometimes, Violet needs her head to stop thinking and stop going in circles. Luckily, Xaden provided her with just the perfect way to accomplish that.

Part of our "Us" (AO3) (Tumblr)

Violet/Liam/Xaden -- E-rated

“Look, Liam. Obviously, I’m not here as your Wingleader. This is not an order. It’s not even a request. It’s an offer and nothing more. If you’re interested, great. If not, no hard feelings. It’s entirely up to you.” Yeah, right. I scoff. As if he can invite me to a fucking threesome and think it wouldn’t change anything between us. Back when living in Tirvainne, Xaden and Liam were closer than anyone knows or even guesses. Now at Basgiath, Liam isn't sure what to expect when Xaden invites him to a threesome with Violet. It's not that much different from what they used to do--except maybe that Liam's feelings for both of them grew far beyond friendship by now. In which Liam slowly learns to overcome his insecurities--and maybe finds more than just hot sex.

Stranger In The Woods (AO3) (Tumblr)

Xaden/Violet - E-rated

What if Tyrrendor's rebellion was successful? What if Xaden became a Gryphon flier instead of a Dragon rider? What if the bond that tethered Violet and him together still existed? Sometimes, the attraction one feels toward a stranger-an enemy even-can be too strong to resist. Or... is it all just a game?

An Unconventional Solution (AO3)

Violet/Tairn - E-rated

To keep her promise to Liam, Violet has to return to Basgiath, the one place Xaden, marked as a traitor and enemy #1, can't follow. But how can they pull that off without straining the bonds between them and their dragons? Tairn offers a solution--albeit a rather unconventional one...

How To Make It Fit (AO3) (Tumblr)

Violet/Liam/Xaden - E-rated

Continuation of Part of our "Us". Liam followed Xaden's and Violet's invitation to join them for a threesome. He's not so sure Violet can actually take both his and Xaden's cock at the same time, but if it's what she wants... He surely won't go and tell her what she can or can't do.

Intense (AO3)

Xaden/Violet - E-rated - Rape/Non-con elements /cnc

Violet wants to try something new, and even though Xaden is hesitant, he agrees… In the dark of the night, Violet gets kidnapped by a masked stranger, drugged, and brought to an unused storage cellar. Will she be able to hold out until rescue comes or will he break her having his way with her?

Teasing With Serious Consequences (AO3) (Tumblr)

Xaden/Violer - E-rated

Violet is set on getting Xaden to fuck her, no matter how much she has to tease him before he snaps.

Making Up For Missed Opportunities (AO3) (Tumblr)

Xaden/Liam - E-rated

After the night Liam spent with Xaden and Violet, he wonders whether he'd enjoy getting Dominated by Xaden, too. Xaden promises him nothing short of the best orgasm of his life.

An Entertaining Inconvenience (AO3) (Tumblr)

Xaden/Violet - E-rated

When a leadership meeting interrupts Xaden and Violet in the middle of their fun, Violet comes up with a creative idea to make the best of the situation. And the best it is, insane, daring, and just... incredibly hot. Xaden learns a new thing or two. One, a few new tricks he can do with his shadows, and two, how much unresolved tension he can take before he cracks.

Easing Tension And Worries (AO3) (Tumblr)

Violet/Liam - E-rated

After the night they spent together as three and the one Liam spent with Xaden, the sexual tension between Liam and Violet grows stronger with every day. Something has to give, and soon. But will he finally be able to accept that they want him for more than just sex?

Serious Consequences (AO3) (Tumblr)

Violet/Xaden - E-rated

This is the continuation of "Teasing With Serious Consequences" (obviously, haha, I think I'm being funny 😁). After teasing Xaden all day, Violet might push her luck a little too far. Although, given how much she enjoys her 'punishment', that might not be such a bad thing.

The Betrayed God (AO3)

Violet/Xaden -- Violet/Malek T-rated

The legends talk about three brothers and about oneof them betraying them all. But that is only half of the story. The darker half is yet to be told. Setup for a story in which Xaden is Malek trapped in a human body and Violet his lost bride.

Some Things Will Never Change (AO3) (Tumblr)

Violet/Xaden - T-rated

Just a soft morning, years after the events of the books.

My Kingdom. My Throne. My Queen. (AO3) (Tumblr)

Violet/Xaden - M-rated

What if venin didn't exist and the only problems Xaden and Violet had to deal with were normal ones? After winning Tyrrendor's independence, the Assembly forces Xaden to make a difficult choice. But even though the Assembly doesn't want to see it, it's Violet's choice, too.

* Nothing to Hide (AO3) (Tumblr)

Violet/Liam/Xaden - T-rated

It's Liam’s birthday. And Violet and Xaden have their own idea of giving him a birthday gift. After all, they have nothing to hide. Or: The triad kissing meme turned into a fic. 😊

* For whatever it's worth (AO3) (Tumblr)

Liam/Xaden - E-rated

The morning after the night Liam spent with Xaden and letting him Dominate him. Now, Xaden finally has his mind clear enough to examine his feelings. And he's done holding them back.

* What's a Threeps (AO3)

Violet/Liam/Xaden - M-rated

Liam survived Resson and everyone celebrates after graduation. Xaden still has to leave for Samara, though, but at least that gives them the weekends to look forward to. A short written for the rq-discord's challenge prompt.

* I don't believe in the Gods anymore (AO3)

Xaden/Violet - T-rated

After another too-short night, Xaden has to leave for another patrol. This is just some andom short because I felt crying, okay?

* Made to Order (AO3) (Tumblr)

Xaden/Violet - T-rated

Xaden Riorson owns a bakery specialised on wedding cakes. He's good at his job, always has an eye for details and with a sixth sense for what it is his customers are looking for. But when a woman clearly not happy with the upcoming wedding breeezes into his shop (and his life) he has a hard time staying professional.

* Fool me once... - A 'Made to Order' story (AO3) (Tumblr)

Xaden/Violet - M-rated

Six months have passed since 'the wedding'. Violet and Xaden are happy together, have grown into their relationship, and are about to take the next step. Then another formal even brings back bad memories for Violet, and she finally confides into Xaden about what happened all those months ago.

* Drunk on You - A 'Made to Order' story (AO3) (Tumblr)

Xaden/Violet - M-rated

Violet and Xaden spend the night after the wedding together, and there's a lot of pent-up longing to work through. -- This story takes place directly after the end of the main story. I recommend reading the precious parts of the series before this one, but I guess it's not strictly neccessary. Violet and Xaden spend the night after the wedding together, and there's a lot of pent-up longing to work through. -- This story takes place directly after the end of the main story. I recommend reading the precious parts of the series before this one, but I guess it's not strictly neccessary.

* It Was Never Supposed To Be (AO3) (Tumblr)

Imogen/Dain - T-rated

Dain and Imogen are more than just squadmates. Their first months, challenges, the gauntlet, and threshing made a spark develop between them, one neither of them can resist. But when Dain's signet develops in a moment of intimacy and he sees a memory he shouldn't have seen, Imogen is left with only one choice. Kill the man who is slowly becoming more than just a friend to her, or everything is lost. Or… is there an alternative?

[whomstwedointheshadows]

Hello, yes you Nandermo shippers, would you like to come along to delulu land?

I have some thoughts on the clickbaitiness of Paul Simms. Reading the transcript of the Nandermo moment (all hail @kyrilu for doing the damn thing on our behalf) and there’s two follow up segments to frame the Nandermo comment from a PR/fuck-around option.

1) the Kiss card was brought up by the interviewer, seemingly pulling the writer ms back to the topic of the panel, segueing to important, pre-planned questions.

I’m not sure where the information about the existence of Nandor+Guillermo+Kiss was first published. Regardless, this had to be a pre-cleared question. Behind the scenes, these media panels absolutely clear questions and topics in advance.

2) Vulture is posting reviews and materials very, very shippy of Nandermo. This was the ship friendliest possible room full of media explicitly gathered to drum up buzz for the new season. It wasn’t a random instagram stream about their writing process. The interviewer confirms the infidelity theme-then there’s going to be some backtracking to make it ‘sooo not sexual’ - the headline is not ‘Nandermo Infidelity Cofirmed’ now it’s ‘That Moment Wasn’t Sexual’

[sidebar: I have no idea how the strikes affected the usual publicity cycle and what impact that has on numbers, other than it definitely did. I would imagine those conversations and reactions to their ‘material’ has some sway/inspiration over the next season, from a producing standpoint or the general glee of a creator reading responses. It’s incredibly fortunate for the show there was already a season in process to come back and make due to the two season renewal. At the time of planning this panel it was not known when the actors strike would end, which I imagine changes the plan for promo cycles, especially one they were already adapting. My guess is the season 5 actors promo was completed based on our media, but any ‘soft power’ that comes from writers work/networking/teasing was altered. We missed anything they planned/reacted/tweeted while the show was airing. TLDR: this panel is coming after a long period of not rattling sabers from the writers.]

I put all of this here to say, as much as I don’t know about the business-side of show business, everyone was explicitly in that room to generate media and attention and demand for the show. That’s the actual point of the event, which absolutely has an impact on word choice. They’re comedy writers, with a flair for dramatic also doing the business part with a streak of evil teasing their audience.

Alrighty, foundation established, the big question and the Best Fan Interjection:

I salute you, sassy audience.

3) The WORDS

Word choice: hook-up

Does ‘the greatest romance on television’ have a one-off hook up, or does it get wrapped in plot and Have Significance and Pay-Off for all of the tension? What’s the most entertaining way in service of the show that’s worth losing the Will-they-Won’t-they dynamic? Can they subvert expectations in a way that makes the writers feel smart and like they’ve spent years building it is worth the investment from the audience? I have theories about A Secret Third Thing for absurdity being the direction they prefer on wwdits. It’s got be a big gambit to land to anyone’s satisfaction.

For an in character analysis of the infidelity not being sexual- I’m just going to put the concept of ‘honor’ and what being a familiar is in vampiric society, that this interpretation is absolutely fair as a breach of trust between Nandor and Guillermo. This response reads as truthful about that specific plot line ignoring everything fucking sexual about vampires, vows and penetration. Yes, he’s right- they didn’t fuck nasty on camera, it was just an intimate betrayal that maps really well giving someone you admire power over you, but realizing what they think is best for you, best for them, and what you want are all different things. That’s another story specific to this plotline. Also super common in anti-sitcom divorce tropes.

Would there be an entertaining story if Nandermo went all-in right now, for these characters? Or would it erase development and stagnate in a hierarchy?

I do think writers feel a responsibility to their stories and their audiences, even if the audience doesn’t like parts. I think WWDITS is a very smart show that loves/hates vampires and sitcoms, and it is always going to choose the highest setting on the dial for dark comedy on a subverted sitcom trope, which means while it can be an absolute riot with horrendous implications so it has to pull back enough for the next episode to be in the format with a new conceit.

There’s toxic co-dependent idiots Nandermo, and then there’s cruel, abusive, worst impulses working against each other being explicit, which kills the heart of the show.

4) What’s the Job?

WWDITS Audience: I don’t think the writers actually think it’s a little group of queer fans getting over invested on Nandermo. In fact, I think they are aware of the past Queerbaiting Sins of Network Television based on their serious storylines for queer characters. I think the archetypes and themes of the show specifically court that audience, and each season has only been more to those tastes by laying a solid foundation to explore what hasn’t been the focus of storytelling in the past. I think writers are a tricksy bunch and they’ve got a team who takes the dynamics seriously enough to tell the story of getting to a better place for the characters and entertainment. Hell, there’s a writer from Frasier on the panel who talks about slow burns.

Knowing that shipping has a long history, everyone is absolutely working from previous playbooks on how to tease and shape a story.

Even if a ship goes canon, absolutely no one is going to confirm it before it happens.

[Trickster storytellers, those liars, always wanting us to see their work unfold rather than spoil the ending. Even when they foreshadow or use dread, it’s just so they can feel smart about their lies when we look back, damn writers, emotional vampires. ]

While I shouldn’t underestimate the power of a straight white guy to mansplain some homophobic spice to ‘deeper than sex’ queerness, looking at the media of the actual show, the romantic ship framing is not in question. I’m of the persuasion it’s been great queer representation by having complex queer characters with varied ambitions and obstacles, often their choices driving the story for comedic/dramatic effect, of very selfish, horrible people.

That established, especially because the show has increasingly grown to be more visibly queer, the characters also have to be compelling to watch in their individual journeys even if a ship goes canon. However, no one would be satisfied if the fulfillment of a Nandermo ship was at the cost of the whole household or the characters themselves. The ‘Sunrise, Sunset’ and ‘No One Ever Really Dies in Shadows’ principles lead to an educated guess even if Nandermo becomes canon and carry their own plotlines, the episodes of the show are still going to be the dark, twisted ensemble shenanigans with sucker punches of heart. We love our djinn-curses in the narrative.

So, if ‘you don’t want what you think you want’ has relevance, I see it as these characters are not at their most compelling to get together-yet, as individuals or in the narrative of what the show wants to tell. That relationship wouldn’t be fulfilling or funny or fair- not that the characters deserve happy endings or an easy road, but to the journey of accepting and receiving love as part of the theme, seeing the love that matters/already exists ties into the conflicts around immortality/meaning. Haven’t we Good Omens fans learned that a kiss is not always the kiss we want?

For a Nandor in Space perspective, central to the vampire in western culture are themes of love/cruelty, class consciousness, the erotic other, transformation/stagnation/decay, inescapable time, the beast beneath the human face, inescapable temptation/indulgence, and cost/callousness of piety.

That’s some inherently kinky romantic shit right there, that necessitates crossing boundaries and abandoning norms. Even if the journey is actually murder-accessory to get what I want at all costs to this guy’s shampoo makes me realize this is a boundary I will not cross today because it reminds me of my own humanity.

[skyward-floored]

Is lil bro Link a wild child or shy? Did he ever slip frogs into his sister’s beds or play pranks? Did he ever get co-opted into tea parties or hair braiding? Did he ever try to defend his sisters as a kid and embarrass them or himself?

Do his sisters each have unique powers? Do they wear color coded clothes? Were they all raised together? Can they also fight?

I haven’t done much in regards to his personality yet, I’m still figuring that out XD I’m leaning more towards shy, since with a bunch of older sisters to do the talking, he doesn’t really need to, but I don’t totally know yet.

I do know his sisters tend to baby him a bit, and he gets a little annoyed with them treating him as the baby of the family. He depends on them a lot though, them getting kidnapped is the worst thing that’s ever happens to him.

I think he plays some little pranks— I could see the sisters that are closer to his age getting in on it too, especially depending on what dynamics are going on there between them all XD

...And while writing this I just remembered my younger brother actually has six older sisters, so. Seeing as we easily convinced him into playing barbies with us and other things like that, Link definitely has done his fair share of tea parties and things.

I’m sure Link tried to stand up for them at times too, though I’m thinking it would be the other way around, too. He probably got picked on a bit, having so many sisters.

I think his sisters all have some sort of magic powers, though I don’t think they’re aware of them much (if at all) before they’re captured. They definitely all have color-coded clothes too, or least all have a color they tend to gravitate towards. I’m going off the maiden’s colors in four sword adventures :)

They were all raised together. I’m thinking their parents died when Link was pretty small (the older ones half-raised Link), so most of them have at least a few memories of them while Link really doesn’t (a small divide between them). They live with their grandfather (and grandmother?) now, though the oldest (and second oldest?) work at least a bit. Maybe she’s engaged or something too, that could be interesting.

And I don’t know if they can fight. I could see at least a few of them wanting to learn, but obviously they can’t know too much since they get, you know, kidnapped XD Perhaps they learn after everything is over, and how to use their magic too. Maybe Zelda helps them out...