#with such a quickness I think it's actually somewhat shameful

[blazingblorbos]

The joke isn't funny anymore you guys /j

Betrayal, I now realize, is thinking I had healed from the first Myriad Celestia Trailer (Fables About the Stars Part 1)-

I cannot BELIEVE that's supposed to be the first of a series with numerous parts, btw

-only for them to drop another video for TGA OUT OF FUCKING NOWHERE where Black Swan is narrating. Saying:

"Perhaps, on one of these pages, I'll appear in your story too?"

AND THEN SEE THEM DRIP MARKET THE CHARACTER 4 DAYS LATER LIKE I'M NOT ALREADY SUFFERING A SAPPHIC-INDUCED HEART ATTACK FROM RUAN MEI AND ACHERON.

You guys, I don't know if you understand. I thought she was gonna be Star Rail’s mfing DAINSLEIF. THIS IS ASTRONOMICAL (pun fully intended) FUCKING NEWS.

[nhaaauyen]

is it casual now? ࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ

modern sev x reader au: after a shitty day at work, you go to the beach to release some stress, only for a certain coworker to show up.

series masterpost: floating wc: 4.2k author's note: everything that happened in this fic did actually happen with a girl I was seeing LMAOO (except for the kiss cause i was too shy) but i’ve been wanting to write an ode to this memory for so long! though the title was named after casual by chappell roan, i actually don't recommend you listen to it when you read this because this is anything but casual ~ My Song Recommendation

Sev: Why are you at the beach at 11PM? You: ? You: Why can't I be? Sev: Because it closes at 12am Sev: And you said before you don't go out past 11PM on workdays You: I didn't know you worked for the beach patrol Sev: Lol

You stare at your phone screen, watching the three message dots bounce back and forth. You know you're being an asshole, but you can't help the snappiness in your tone. Sevika never cared or talked to you outside of work before, so why does she suddenly care now?

The typing bubbles disappear and relief washes over you, but a small, masochistic part of you wishes she'd actually sent something.

Sev: Are you good?

The three-word question glares at you from the screen. 

Are you good? Absolutely not. 

But this is Sev, the woman who doesn't bother with greetings or a courtesy "How are you" despite working together for months. How do you answer a question that could unravel the emotions you're barely keeping at bay, especially to someone who's never asked before?

You: Yeah  You: I'll go soon so you don't have to stalk my location haha Sev: Alright

You stare at the tiny message bubble until the blue light stings your eyes. Finally, you shut off your phone and toss it onto your makeshift blanket.

The beach is eerily quiet save for the rhythmic crashing of waves against the shore. The moon hangs low in the sky, casting a silvery glow across the water and illuminating the foam as it rushes up the sand. You sit there as the incident at work replays in your mind for the hundredth time. Your head server's harsh words, the embarrassment of being scolded in public, the shame from how quick you were brought to tears - it all comes rushing back, making your chest tighten. 

The cool sand beneath your fingers grounds you somewhat and you inhale deeply, letting the briny scent of the ocean fill your lungs. 

A cool breeze picks up, causing goosebumps to rise on your arms. You shiver as you sit there, feeling small and vulnerable, and you can't help but wonder how you'll face everyone tomorrow. The thought makes your stomach churn, and you close your eyes, trying to shut out the world for just a little longer.

As you close your eyes, a new sound cuts through the sounds of waves crashing against the shore. The crunch of rubber tires over pebbles grows louder, and suddenly, a bright light washes over you. You squint, momentarily blinded by the harsh glare of headlights.

"You really had to make me search for you, Pagli?"

Your head whips around in shock, eyes wide as you see Sevika stepping out of her car. You scramble to your feet, brushing sand from your clothes.

"Sev? What are you— You didn't have to come here," you protest.

She approaches with a casual shrug. "Well, too bad, cause I was near here anyways. Had to make sure you weren't drowning or joining a beach cult."

You can't help but let out a small, incredulous laugh. "A beach cult? Really?"

"Hey, you never know," Sevika retorts with a smirk. "I don’t know what you like to do late at night."

You shake your head, trying to maintain your composure. "I appreciate the concern, but I'm fine. You should go home."

"Nah, I think I'll stick around," she says, plopping down on the sand next to where you were sitting. "Unless you've got some secret midnight rituals planned?"

You roll your eyes, but feel your resolve weakening. "You're stubborn as hell, you know that?"

"Part of my charm," Sevika replies with a wink. "Now, are you gonna sit back down, or do I have to drag you?"

After a moment's hesitation, you sigh and lower yourself back onto the sand. "Fine, you win. But don't expect me to be good company."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Sevika says softly, her tone gentler than before. "But I'm here if you want to talk. Or not talk. Whatever you need."

“I’m good.”  You replied.

“Fine with me.” 

As you sit in silence, Sevika reaches into her pocket and pulls out a joint. You can't help but shake your head in disbelief.

"You're unbelievable," you mutter.

She glances at you, eyebrow raised. "What?"

"Do you just have an unlimited source of that or something?"

Sevika just shrugs, a small smirk playing on her lips as she places the joint between them. As she fumbles for her lighter, she catches you staring and pauses.

"Do you want some?" she offers casually.

You hesitate, fingers fidgeting in the sand. "No... uh, I never tried."

Her eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "Serious?"

"Yeah," you admit, feeling a bit self-conscious.

Sevika's expression softens slightly. "Well, Pagli, I'm in a sharing mood, so..."

You shake your head quickly. "Nah, I'm gonna embarrass myself. I don't know how to..."

"It's easy," she assures you. "Just inhale, hold it for a bit, and release."

You eye the joint warily. "Uh, shit... Yeah sure."

Instead of handing it over, Sevika brings the joint to her lips and lights it. You watch intently as she demonstrates, her cheeks hollowing slightly as she inhales. She holds it for a moment, then slowly exhales a stream of smoke into the night air.

Your eyes are fixed on her, taking in every detail of the process. There's something almost mesmerizing about the way the smoke curls from her lips, dissipating into the darkness.

Sevika turns to you, holding out the joint. "Your turn, if you want."

You hesitate, your heart racing a little. Part of you wants to refuse, to play it safe knowing that you wouldn’t risk humiliation in front of your coworker when you end up messing up, but another part of you was just completely over this day.

Slowly, you reach out and take the joint from her fingers, your skin brushing against hers for a brief moment.

You take the joint, bringing it to your lips with nervous anticipation. Trying to mimic Sevika's actions, you inhale deeply. Immediately, your eyes go wide as the smoke hits your lungs. You start coughing violently, your throat burning.

To your surprise, Sevika gently pats your back. "It's okay, Pagli! Damn. You just gotta practice some more."

As your coughing subsides, you realize this is the most Sevika has ever talked to you. It's oddly comforting, despite your embarrassment. You hand the joint back to her and she casually takes a puff, with her head leaning back slightly as she exhales.

"You're not cold?"

"No, why?" you ask, puzzled.

She gestures at your outfit. "Because you haven't changed out of your work uniform."

Instead of answering - because you know where that conversation would lead - you reach for the joint again. This time, you focus intently on mimicking Sevika's technique. You inhale, hold it for a moment, and exhale. There's still a slight cough, but it's significantly better than your first attempt.

"Hell yeah!" you exclaim, feeling a small surge of pride. "I sorta did it!"

Sevika gives you a half-grin that makes your heart skip a beat. "See? You're gonna be a pro soon." She pauses, her grin widening slightly. "But you're gonna get super hungry later at this rate."

Your eyes widen as realization hits you. "Oh fuck, you're right. I didn't bring any food," you say, a slight pout forming on your lips.

"I brought something," she offers, "but in exchange, you have to tell me what's going on."

You roll your eyes, you weren’t going to fall for that. "I can deal with it."

"Fine," she shrugs, "then no more." She makes a motion as if to put out the joint.

"What? I'm still practicing!" you protest. "What happened to trying to get me to the pro league?"

Sevika just laughs, the sound unexpectedly warm. "Sorry, there's an entry fee."

You sigh, knowing you're cornered. "Fine," you mutter, then barely above a whisper, add, "I fucked up bad at work today."

Her expression turns serious. "What do you mean?"

Taking a deep breath, you tucked a stray hair behind your ear and avoided eye contact. "There was this creepy guy at one of my tables. He kept specifically asking for random things like more napkins or refills, and I knew why he did that." You shudder slightly at the memory. "I wanted to switch with a male server, but we were too booked so I just tried to bear with it.  I didn’t think he would cross any lines since it looked like he was with family too."

Sevika listens intently as you continue, "It got too far when he kept making me uncomfortable, saying he would tip well if I gave him my number." Your hands clenched into fists in the sand. "So after I came back, I... I 'accidentally' spilled water on him."

You can't meet Sevika's eyes as you finish, "I knew it was unprofessional and petty, but I was so frustrated. After getting yelled at by the head server, it kind of hit me what I did."

As you fall silent, you feel a mix of shame and lingering anger. You wait anxiously for Sevika's response, afraid to see judgment in her eyes.

But Sevika's response catches you off guard. "He deserved it," she says firmly.

Your eyes widen in surprise. "Huh? But I made a mess because I couldn't keep my emotions in check. You know there are always going to be horrible customers..."

She cuts you off with a shake of her head. "Nah, he deserved it. It's a shame you couldn't stay to watch when I kicked him out and announced that he was trying to grope one of our servers in front of his entire family and the restaurant."

You stare at her incredulously for a moment before bursting out laughing. "No way? You actually did that?"

Sevika shrugs nonchalantly. "What's Silco gonna do? I'm the best general manager he's got." She pauses, a prideful glint in her eye. "Though our head server might need a bit of retraining."

You can't believe what you're hearing. Sev, the Sev, actually stood up for you. A wave of gratitude washes over you, and you suddenly feel shy.

"Thank you... for that," you murmur. "It meant a lot."

She just nods in response, a comfortable silence falling between you. Sevika passes you the joint again, and this time when you take a hit, you manage to do it without coughing. 

"I did it!" you exclaim, unable to contain your enthusiasm.

"Look at you, you might get into the Olympics next." She teased.

The tension from earlier completely dissipated, and you can't help but feel a newfound appreciation for Sevika.

"Okay, you gotta slow down now. This is your first time," Sevika warns, pulling the joint away as you reach for it again.

"Nooo, give it," you whine, making a half-hearted grab for it.

She shakes her head firmly. "Nuh-uh." Sevika puts out the joint despite your protests.  Then, without warning, she announces, "I'm lying down."

"What?" you ask, confused by the sudden change.

Sevika doesn't respond, just leans back onto an apron acting as your beach blanket. After a moment's hesitation, you did the same. It's only now that you realize how close she is. You can see the rise and fall of her chest, steady and rhythmic.

You close your eyes, letting the sensations wash over you. "Do you hear that?" you murmur. "The waves sound amazing." A small giggle escapes your lips.

"It's hitting you now," Sevika observes, amusement coloring her voice.

"Shhh, Sev. Listen," you insist, your voice barely above a whisper.  If only you didn’t close your eyes at that moment, because then you would’ve seen the shy smile appear on her lips at the nickname that she only lets you use on her.

As you concentrate on the sound of the waves, you became aware that you're also following the pattern of Sevika's breathing. It's oddly comforting, this synchronicity between her, you, and the ocean.

Curiosity gets the better of you, and you dare to look over at her. Your breath catches in your throat as you realize she's staring at you with those stormy gray eyes that never seem to reveal anything. The intensity of her gaze sends a jolt through you, triggering an immediate panic.

You sit up abruptly, your heart racing. Sevika follows, concern etched on her previously relaxed face. "What's wrong?"

"Uh, I'm hungry," you blurt out, desperate for a distraction.

Sevika just laughs, the sound rich and warm. "Here, I’m glad I brought this," she says, reaching into her pocket. She pulls out a colorful bag of sour gummy worms, the plastic crinkling loudly in the quiet night.

The sight of the candy, so unexpectedly bright in contrast to Sevika's stoic character, makes you laugh. You watch as she pulls out a gummy worm, the candy stretching slightly before she bites into it. The casual act feels strangely intimate in this moment, and you find yourself transfixed by the movement of her jaw as she chews.

"Want one?" she asks, holding out the bag to you.

Your fingers brush against hers as you reach for a candy, sending another small shiver through you. As you pop the gummy worm into your mouth, the burst of sour flavor feels like a shock against your tongue.

While you devoured practically half the bag, Sevika stretches languidly before lying back down on the sand. You followed suit, turning to face her. This time, feeling way less sober than the beginning, you don't shy away from her gaze.

You notice one of her usually tucked fringes has come loose, falling softly across her forehead. Your fingers twitch with the urge to brush it back, but you manage to restrain yourself.

Sevika's eyes are fixed on you, her expression softer than you've ever seen it. "I'm tired," she mumbles, her voice low and slightly husky. "I want to sleep... this feels nice."

A dopey smile spreads across your face at the sight of her uncharacteristic vulnerability. "Do it," you encourage gently.

"Wake me up in a bit?" she asks, her eyelids already starting to droop.

"Of course," you assure her.

As Sevika's eyes close, you sit there, taking in the moment. You listened to the rhythm of her breathing mix with the sound of the waves and the refreshing sea breeze. 

Suddenly, Sevika makes a noise that's almost like a whine. "It's cold," she murmurs, not opening her eyes.

"Really?" you ask, surprised.

"Yeah," she confirms. Then, to your shock, she says, "Come here."

Before you can process what's happening, Sevika is draping her red jacket over both of you. The action brings you even closer to her, and your brain struggles to keep up with this new development.

You find yourself studying Sevika's features up close. Her nose, which you've always thought was cute but never dared to admit, her long lashes resting against her cheeks, and the scar that runs across her cheekbone.

The warmth of her body so close to yours, the scent of her cologne mingling with the salt air, the soft sound of her breathing - it all combined to create a moment so intimate and unexpected that you feel almost dizzy with it. You're acutely aware of every point where your body is almost, but not quite, touching hers.

Your heart is pounding so loudly you're sure she must be able to hear it. But Sevika's breathing has evened out, suggesting she's drifting off to sleep. You lie there, barely daring to move, caught between the desire to savor this moment and the fear of disturbing her.

You find yourself caught in Sevika's gaze as her eyes slowly flutter open. The moonlight reflects in her dark irises, creating an almost ethereal effect. 

"What are you staring at?"

Your heart skips a beat. "You," you reply without thinking, then immediately feel heat rush to your cheeks.

A smirk plays at the corner of Sevika's lips. "Mmm... you're plotting my murder, right?"

You can't help but chuckle softly. "Haha, of course.  I’ve been waiting months for this moment.”

"Damn," she sighs dramatically, through her eyes sparkled with amusement. "At least I get a gorgeous view before my final moments."

The air between you suddenly feels charged. You fall silent, profoundly aware of every breath, every subtle movement. Sevika's hair has fallen across her face, obscuring part of her scar. Without really thinking about it, you reach out, gently tucking the errant strand behind her ear.

As you start to pull your hand back, Sevika's fingers wrap around your wrist. Her touch is gentle, a stark contrast to her usual brusque demeanor. You freeze, your breath catching in your throat.

"Don't," she whispers, her voice barely audible over the soft lapping of waves.

Sevika holds your hand gently, her calloused fingers tracing over yours with surprising tenderness. She examines each fingertip as if committing them to memory. Just as you're getting lost in the intimacy of the moment, she breaks the silence.

"You got tiny ass hands, Pagli.”

You blink, taken aback. "Excuse me?"

Sevika bursts out laughing, the sound rich and wonderful. Her head tilts back, revealing a full set of stunning teeth. The sight momentarily captivates you, but you quickly recover, determined not to let her win this moment.

"You know, I was only trying to steal the gummies," you retort, trying to keep a straight face.

Her eyebrow arches challengingly. "Really? Come and get it then."

Before you know it, you're both wrestling on the makeshift blanket. Sand flies everywhere as you tussle, laughter filling the air. It's been so long since you've felt this carefree, this alive. Your worries from earlier seem like a distant memory now.

Somehow, you manage to gain the upper hand. You find yourself practically pinning Sevika down, your faces mere inches apart. You can feel her warm breath on your skin, catching the faint scent of weed. Your heart races, and for a moment, you're tempted to close that small distance between you.

Instead, you break the tension by snatching the bag of gummies from her grasp. "I win!" you declare triumphantly.

But even as you say it, the victory feels hollow. The gummy bag hangs limp in your hand as you watch Sevika accept defeat with surprising grace. She's still beneath you, her chest rising and falling with each breath, her eyes locked on yours.

You wish you could reach out and caress her face, trace the line of her scar, feel the softness of her skin again. The urge is almost overwhelming, but you hold back, unsure of how she'd react. The moment stretches between you, filled with unspoken words and possibilities.

Sevika pats the spot next to her, inviting you back. You settle in, acutely aware of her warmth beside you. Her eyes, dark and curious, search your face.

"What are you thinking about now, Pagli?" she asks softly.

Before you can stop yourself, the words tumble out. "I want to play with your hair."

Immediately, heat rushes to your face. You're about to stammer an apology when Sevika takes your hand, guiding it to her hair. The silky softness surprises you, and you can't help but run your fingers through the strands.

Sevika's eyes flutter closed, a contented sigh escaping her lips. Encouraged, you begin to gently massage her scalp, marveling at how relaxed she seems.

"What does Pagli mean?" you whisper.

A smirk plays on Sevika's lips. "Crazy girl," she replies without skipping a beat.

"Huh?!" You're not sure whether to be offended or flattered.

"It's because you do crazy and bold things. I like that about you."

Your stomach flutters with warmth at the admission. Sevika leans into your touch, murmuring, "That feels amazing."

Gradually, she shifts closer, until her head is tucked against your chest. You can feel the steady pace of her breathing, the warmth of her body against yours. Without really meaning to, you find yourselves practically spooning.

As you stretch out, your feet brush against her shins, and you realize just how much taller she is. It's oddly endearing, this contrast between you. Your fingers continue their gentle exploration of her hair, occasionally trailing down to trace the curve of her neck.

The moment feels soft, intimate in a way you never expected. The sound of waves provides a soothing backdrop, and the moonlight casts a gentle glow over you both. You're struck by how vulnerable Sevika looks like this, all her usual sharp edges softened.

You want to say something, to put into words the feeling blooming in your chest, but you're afraid to break the spell. So instead, you hold her close, savoring the unexpected comfort of this moment, wondering how something so beautiful could arise from such a difficult day.

You keep replaying the moment when Sevika's strong arms practically dragged you into cuddling her. The memory sends a pleasant shiver down your spine. Your hand moves almost of its own accord, slowly rubbing circles on her back. You hear her sigh contentedly, the sound filling you with a warmth that has nothing to do with the physical closeness.

Just as you're sinking deeper into this blissful moment, bright white lights suddenly flash on, startling you both. A loud voice booms across the beach: "THE BEACH IS CLOSING IN 10 MINUTES. PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY BACK TO THE PARKING LOT."

"Urghhh," you groan.  You instinctively buried your face into your hands.

Sevika's response is even more vocal - she lets out a louder, more dramatic groan that vibrates through her chest and into yours. The sound is so unexpected and so uncharacteristically cute, that you can't help but laugh.

Your laughter seems to break the spell. Sevika lifts her head, her hair mussed from your earlier attentions, and gives you a mock glare that's softened by the smile tugging at her lips.

"What's so funny, Pagli?" she asks, her voice husky with lingering sleep.

"Nothing," you say, still chuckling. "Just... I never pegged you for a whiner."

Sevika rolls her eyes. "Yeah, well, don't get used to it," she grumbles.

You lean in close to Sevika, whispering conspiratorially, "They can't kick us off if we hide in the sand, right?"

"Yeah, or if we stay really still," she adds, barely suppressing a grin.

You both freeze comically, trying to blend in with the beach around you. But as the final announcement blares across the sand, you finally admit defeat.

As you both reluctantly start to gather your things, you can't help but steal glances at Sevika. Her hair is tousled, her clothes rumpled from lying on the beach, and there's a softness to her expression that you've never seen before. It makes your heart do a little flip in your chest.

Just as you're about to lead the way back, Sevika suddenly grabs your hand, pulling you back towards her. Before you can react, her lips are on yours.

You were suddenly frozen, till your brain practically yelled, Fucking kiss the hot girl back you dumbass! Your hand immediately slides into her hair, and you respond back to the kiss with the same ferocity.  All the tension that's been building between you tonight finally finds its release. Her lips are softer than you imagined, moving against yours with a passion that takes your breath away.  

But the moment was short-lived when it was cut short by another blaring announcement. 

Sevika breaks away, growling, "I'm going to break that speaker."

You can't help but laugh at her annoyance, the sound bubbling up from the happiness overflowing in your chest. You lean in, giving her a quick peck on the lips. "C'mon, we can continue this later."

Sevika nods, a small but genuine smile playing on her lips. She has that look on her face, that is just so content and full of adoration that your legs practically felt like jelly.

“Race you back to the car, loser has to buy dinner!” You yell as you spirit across the sand.  

You were fortunate enough to get a head start because once Sev realized what was happening, you could already see a blur of her movement closing the distance through the corner of your eye. Your hair whipped wildly in the wind along your combined unadulterated, giddy laughters echoing in the night air.  

With her athletic build, she easily caught up to you but instead of surpassing you, her hand found yours. Her fingers intertwined with yours, fitting perfectly. The warmth of her palm against yours feels like the most natural thing in the world.

You two slowed your pace into an amble, the sound of waves fading behind you. Every so often, you steal glances at Sevika, still hardly believing this night has been real.

When her car comes into view, Sevika gives your hand a gentle squeeze. You turn to look at her, finding her eyes already on you, soft and full of something that makes you unsure of whether this moment was a dream or not.

Sevika tugs you closer, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead. "We should do this again sometime," she murmurs against your skin. "Minus the getting kicked off the beach part."

You chuckle at the joke and tuck your head into her chest, listening to her heartbeat. Thump. Thump.

"Thank you," she says quietly, her voice a small murmur above your ear, "for making a shitty day end beautifully."

You smile, feeling a warmth spread through your chest. 

"Thank you for finding me."

[blitzbuckzowild]

Blitzo and Pirates

I had some more thoughts about Helluva Boss recently and I’m not sure if this is something that has been addressed. A quick google search says no, but obviously that means nothing. Sorry if I’m repeating something that other people have said.

So Blitz maintains his love of horses from childhood right? However, the same cannot be said for his love of Pirates. I would say in the episode “The Circus” his love of pirates is way more prominent than that of horses. It makes sense for him to maintain both of those loves, especially horses as that could be a way to stay connected to Fizzarolli given that he made good balloon horses.

I do still think he likes horses as a kid, seeing as he knew the horse fact about them eating sugar, and then he talks about it later in the episode when he and Stolas are sitting under the tree. But yeah, he seems to really like the action and adventure of pirates. He thinks they’re cool and obviously he talks about them a lot even outside of the episode since Fizz seems exasperated in a way that indicates this is a common occurrence.

So what could have possibly caused Blitzo to lose that interest? I think it’s very clearly shown in the same episode, “The Circus.”

I think it is safe to assume, that when Blitzo is sent to play with Stolas for the day, that robbing the house was not something he had ever done before. He seems so confused and afraid of the idea of even trying to steal, and I don’t think it’s just because they’re royals. I doubt he has even had to do a job like this before just based on his confusion about the whole situation.

Then we look at when he actually goes to the Goetia palace to play with Stolas. He literally uses the idea of playing pirates to trick Stolas into helping him rob the place. Blitzo seems to be having fun during the whole thing, but I am wondering if when the excitement and adrenaline ran out, if he felt guilty. We obviously haven’t seen that, but it seems like a fairly strong theory.

I mean, he does not talk about pirates as an adult like at all (unless I’m forgetting a line), and the only reference we even have to it would be his flintlock pistol and its design, maybe his attire somewhat, but I don’t really think he was going for pirate.

So, this is what I’ve been found myself wondering, if the reason that the idea of pirates have lost their appeal, whereas horses haven’t leads back to feelings of shame around what was probably the first crime he ever committed. Not to mention that he tricked someone who was genuinely kind to him into helping him. I think Blitz downplays the effect his day with Stolas had on him, because how else would he just so happen to remember the Grimoire? I that’s already been talked about. I wonder how often Blitz ruminated on what he had done let himself sit in the shame and guilt and the thought of pirates just remind him of that.

Maybe I’m waaaaay over analyzing this whole thing, but I found it interesting enough to point out and see what other’s think.

[ellitx]

elli...!! i dont know if someone has already done this so feel free to ignore but... what if...

venti is a sex worker and he was hired by y/n. usually his customers would be more experienced, and would lean more on doing rougher stuff, so he was surprised when he met y/n in her house, being inexperienced and kind of shy, asking for just a kiss. her reason being, she never had a boyfriend before and her peers are teasing her for being a virgin and not getting her first kiss yet... so she hired venti for.. experience and practice¿ >/////< then of course things will escalate from there since venti gets attracted to her, so he'll seduce her into giving in to him... hehe... then maybe after that they'll meet more and get to know each other better o/////o

masterlist

fem!reader

word count: 2.3k

It was unexpected.

Really. What are the chances that the sex worker you hired would be someone you know? Especially if it’s a close friend of yours. Sure, Venti throws dirty jokes here and there for fun, but to discover this was his actual job?

You’re not one to judge but it was really unexpected. Never in your life would you ever possibly think he would be your practice partner in experiencing sexual intercourse when you’re a beginner yourself. And you can’t really blame the company when practically Venti was assigned to fulfill your commission.

You sat at the edge of your bed idly, hands over your knees clenched into a fist as you tried your best to quiet your heavy anxious breaths. You really hope you’re not breathing too loudly lest it’ll make more things awkward with him.

You could feel he was gazing at you occasionally but averted when you caught him. How long has it been since you’ve invited him to your room? 5 minutes? Or more than that? Honestly, you don’t know when all your head was fussing about was how to handle this awkward tension.

It’s not like Venti hadn’t been here. He only visited once and that’s it. You pretty much bond outdoors more than indoors. Ah, if only you could talk to him casually like an afternoon Tuesday and it’ll be an easy breeze.

But that’s easier said than done.

You shifted, fiddling with your hands, trying to find the right words for a starting conversation. But Venti was quick to start before you could even open your lips.

“Hey, we don’t need to do it if you don’t want to alright? We prioritize your comfort over the actual thing.”

Oh no.

This doesn’t sound good at all. Does he want to stop it because he doesn’t want to disappoint you or himself?

Your voice came out so nervously.

“I-I don’t mind at all, please don’t stop it because I also feel nervous. If anything…”

You paused, trying to pick up your nerve again. “If anything we should try our best to get through this!”

Wow…

You really made things more awkward than ever, huh?

‘Try our best to get through’? Really? Was that the best you could think of?

Archons, you just want to hide yourself, drown in the abyss of the sea, and never show your face to him ever again.

Your frenzied thoughts were interrupted by a small laughter. Venti was laughing but it was obvious he was holding back from bursting out out of courtesy.

“Haha! That’s so like you! I still can’t believe you’d be so interested in this kind of thing, [Name].”

Well, in the end, he did burst out into a hearty laugh after all. And he wasn’t holding back his tears either. Your face warmed up, the embarrassment becoming a shame, and the shame turned to a playful anger. You huffed, cheeks puffed out with your lips pursed.

“Yae keeps on teasing me how I’m still a virgin...” You mumbled under your breath.

Maybe you should be thanking him instead? Even though you’re mad at him for teasing you at least it eased the awkwardness, somewhat.

He gave you a soft look as he replied, “Are you sure you’re alright with this? With me being your partner?”

You quieted down as you gazed at him. His eyes were soft and comforting, as there was also a dash of reassurance. With Venti, someone who you know very well, being your partner to experience within the world of lust, it’s a safe choice.

You could even ask him questions if you have any concerns which makes contact much easier. You didn’t hesitate anymore as you smiled reassuringly at him.

A simple nod from you was enough to confirm and wash away his doubts and worries.

“Alright. Can you close your eyes?” He requested.

You nodded and waited patiently for his instruction. His finger traced along your brow, making you giggle lightly. His gentle touch left warmth running down your spine. No more than a later, something soft and warm made contact upon your cheeks.

You opened your eyes to see what was it that brushed onto you but Venti’s hand softly covered them, making your vision return to its dark state.

“Sorry, I wasn’t being clear.” His voice was now soft and breathy and you shivered from how his breath was fanning your cheeks. “You can open them once I tell you so. In the meantime, keep them close for me, okay?”

You gave a shy nod as you bit your lower lip. Not knowing what was happening made you so anxious, but with how gentle and caring he holds you against him felt so safe and reassuring.

It seems he understood your situation. So you decided to relax a little, closing your eyes and slowly exhaling while he moved his arms around you.

Soon after, he began to nuzzle at your ear, gently caressing the flesh of your neck with the tips of his fingers. The warmth from his hands slowly traveled towards your body, raising your body temperature up.

Then his fingers stopped over to your lips. He traced them slowly and lightly, caressing them as if memorizing every contour of your lips. A few moments passed by before his fingers touched your lower lip and you let out a gasp of pleasure. Then, the pad of his thumb slowly grazed your bottom lip, causing you to suckle on them unconsciously.

You heard a soft groan and your heart raced, your stomach tightening and your core beginning to become warm. You heard him faintly curse under his breath, and the creaking of the bed signified he was searching for a comfortable position.

Because a second later, one hand was on your hips holding you close to him while the other was parting your lips.

“Can I…?” He asked.

It was obvious what he was asking, and your heart beat faster and faster from his short yet heart-throbbing question. It was racing through the roof, chasing the highs of your adrenaline.

You nodded again. The urge to open your eyes was strong but you resisted, scolding yourself to follow Venti’s words.

It felt so sensual, the feel of his rough fingers pressed against your skin, almost tickling it. And that caused another gasp to come from you, however, something slightly warm and soft was pressing onto your pink lips.

Venti moved his head forward, softly kissing your lips, nibbling and sucking the soft flesh of your mouth. You were unsure on what to do and how to reciprocate the kiss. Should you lean? Tilt your head? Or open your lips a bit? You decided the latter option is the safest one.

Slowly parting them, you moaned when he gently bit on your lower lip. You clutched onto his shirt, your brows digging deeply into your temple as you calmed the heat running through you. The kiss felt so good that you almost forgot what you were supposed to be doing. When Venti broke the kiss you whined and you heard him chuckling. Even with your eyes closed, you can sense he had that teasing smile painting on his face.

"Venti?" You called when he didn't make any sounds or movements. The said male hummed then the bed shifted. Were you supposed to open your eyes now? But Venti hadn't given you any signals yet. You opted to keep them close and it was good that you did because your face was beet red as you fiddled with your fingers.

"Can we continue the kiss, please?" You asked in a small voice. Venti chuckled at your shy plea.

"Of course."

It didn't take any longer for him to return his lips to yours. You hummed lightly, relaxing against him. He hugged your waist, carefully holding you close. With his hand cupping your cheeks, you wonder if your shyness was being dissolved because of his comforting presence. 

The kisses were short and sweet and Venti would break away for a second and then return to you immediately. Perhaps so you can breathe effectively, but you paid no mind to it because you'd chase after him every time he parts.

This time it lasted longer. You were beginning to adjust to such intimacy that your breathing began to accelerate along with the increasing warmth and tingly sensation in your stomach. The flush in your cheeks deepened when you felt something prodding at your mouth's entrance. 

You fell onto your bed with a soft landing and Venti planted one hand beside your head while still cupping your cheek. He licked your lips, asking for permission, and when you granted him he wasted no time to taste you deeper into the sweet nectar. He tilted his head, kissing you again and again and again but with passion.

Softly moaning against him, you returned his kisses. You clutched, gripped, and held onto his shoulder as you fought back against the orgasmic pleasure. This has been going on for a while and yet, he hadn’t given up yet. You enjoyed each kiss and bite from his tongue and teeth, not stopping until he earned another moan from you.

He kissed you deeper, this time pushing his tongue into you and you gasped. Your legs squirmed, reaching out for something until they locked onto his hips. Venti grunted, one hand moving over to cover your eyes while the other kept your hips against the mattress as he lightly bucked his hips to yours.

Oh god…

For your first kiss, this man feels so good… You whimpered beneath him. A low sound escaped your lips. He chuckled. He doesn’t mind at all, does he?

“Cute,” He murmured, brushing some hair off your face and tilting his head up to look at you with lustful eyes. You blushed again and averted your gaze down. His lips curled upwards. It must be something about you that made you so sweet, like sugar and honey mixed together.

You shook your head and looked back at him. “I-I’m sorry… I’ve never been with anyone… So this isn’t… I don’t—“

As you were rumbling, you were cut off by the same pair of lips that had you instantly melting. You gasped as he took your lips with his, aggressively making you gasp again and causing more goosebumps to pop up on your body.

With one hand wrapped around the nape of your neck, the other still holding your face to his, you heard him whisper. “I told you to close your eyes, didn’t I? Just relax and enjoy, [Name].”

The warmth in his voice caused you to nod, relaxing and feeling his hands glide from your face to your shoulder blades.

His fingers spread over your skin and then glided lower, gliding across your lower back and dipping under the hem of your shirt.

And he kissed you again, deep and soft. The tip of his tongue flicked against the roof of your mouth, sending shivers down your spine.

You whimpered louder, unable to suppress the shy excitement bubbling within you. Your hips begin to squirm again, craving more friction and movement.

His tongue continues to dance between your lips, making you shudder against him. Slowly, he lets go of your lips, kissing down your chin and neck. His lips met the spot where your jawline meets your collarbone and you felt his hot breath on your skin. He nuzzled against you, quietly admiring how pink you were just from a long kiss. You turned your head, keeping his hair from tickling your skin.

A moment passed before his lips started to lick and suck at the area, sending another wave of bliss rushing throughout your entire body. God, is this what making out feels like?

Your entirety was burning hot, your nerves receiving one shock to another, and you felt so wet between your legs. All of these, all of what Venti is doing to you is making you feel an immeasurable pleasure of bliss.

You don’t know what you were doing except to moan and whimper his name out from your pretty mouth.

“Hmm… Venti…”

The said man grunted, his teeth grazing your flesh before biting and sucking your skin. You muffled your screams with your hands. With the darkness and bites combining with each other, it’s difficult to grasp what Venti will do next.

Because by the time you were thinking of it, his lips traveled to your neck and returned to kissing you. After giving you a good long and deep kiss he parted, a small string of saliva following after him.

He gulped his heavy breaths and permitted you to open your eyes. Your whole face was red and sweaty, your lips once coated with balm were now gone and replaced with the dripping of saliva, and your clothes were slightly disarray.

But you’re not complaining.

“You can open your eyes,”

As you obliged his words, Venti was gazing at you deeply. His green optics swirled with a great amount of lust. He hovered over you, his hands slipping beneath your shirt to caress your soft and warm skin so he could remember all areas of your body from his palm alone. 

Through your hazy vision, you can faintly make out some of your tinted balms were all over his lips. It'd be nice to paint his face with your lipstick...

But maybe on another day.

Putting his temple against yours, his breathy voice gave you shivers. “Continue or stop?” He asked.

You too were panting, so occupied by those delicious kisses he fed you that you eventually forgot to answer him.

“Yes or no? If you don’t answer I’ll take that as a no, [Name].” He kissed your jaw, his palm so dangerously close to your breasts that he was already fiddling with the underband of your bra.

Without hesitation, you replied, “Continue, please.”

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

Fruzsi and the Importance of Her Character in Season 2 of Shadow and Bone

Okay I feel like I have been continuously teasing this post for a ridiculously long time and I have finally gotten around to writing it, I also feel like the fact that I talked about it so much might have built it up to sound bigger than it is but honestly I think that Fruzsi is a FASCINATING character study; I'm very excited to talk about her and have finally found the time (yay!) so hopefully you guys will find this at least a little bit interesting too

Tagging people who registered their interest here but please don’t feel pressured to read <3 @merlinxmagic @girasoljpg @atmosphericwrites @naushtheaspiringauthor @lunarthecorvus

SHOW AND BOOK SPOILERS AHEAD + TALKING ABOUT GRISHAVERSE SETUP & THE CHARACTERS' BACKSTORIES/EXPERIENCES (Mostly Zoya, Genya, Alina, Fruzsi, and Inej)

Super quick recap since of her story so we're on the same page as we begin: Fruzsi first appeared in Season 2 Episode 2 of Shadow and Bone and is a Grisha Tidemaker loyal to the Darkling. Her parents sold her to the Darkling when she was a child, its unclear how old she was, and we should take into consideration in this matter that there is no indication whatsoever that she was ever at the Little Palace since none of the other Grisha seem to recognise or know her and vice versa. She is instrumental in the Darkling's army and receives one of the amplifiers made from Baghra's bones, subsequently learning to manipulate water molecules into ice shafts that she can use as a weapon. She is responsible for Dominik's death towards the end of the season and is subsequently killed by Nikolai.

So right off the bat whenever anyone talks about Fruzsi I tend to see two things: "wannabe Zoya" and “the power of her amplifier was a problem because it will be too difficult to differentiate between amplifiers and parem". I've taked before about my thoughts on amplifiers and parem and why I didn't think it was going to be a problem for the Six of Crows spinoff show (*sobs*) but the general consensus seems to be that not only was Fruzsi an unlikeable character because of her actions, but because she was seen as a only being there to provide an enemy and a hand of the Darkling, and I think that's a real shame because she is a fascinating character and she tells us SO MUCH about the Darkling and other major characters. My personal favourite details about Fruzsi are her parallels with Zoya and the point from which they run opposing, the parallels she has to Genya and Inej and the subsequent parallels that her introduction creates between the Darkling and Heleen Van Houden, and the setup of Fruzsi, Vatra, and the Darkling's other Grisha to create genuine empathy for villainous characters for the reflections of the protagonists we can see in them.

Fruzsi's introduction in episode two begins with the Darkling arriving to see her and saying that she made it in good time - now we don't know where she travelled from, so yeah it could be the Little Palace (he was travelling from the base he set up in episode 1) but personally I don't think that there's much implication she ever lived there considering she doesn't know any of the other Grisha and she doesn't wear a kefta until the Darkling has new ones created for his new army. She's wearing pretty typical clothes that we see of the Ravkan population when we first meet her; a blouse and ankle-length skirt with a long coat, and from the very start is in dark shades that visually connect her to the Darkling in the audience's eye. Although she isn't hesitant to speak to him she shows consistent discomfort around the Darkling, making small steps away from him when he raises his hand and acknowledging non-verbal orders from him with immediate effect, as well as confirming that she never broke her promise to not open the Journal of Morozova without prompting and somewhat hurriedly. The Darkling is actually pretty quiet throughout most of this scene, cutting of Fruzsi's sentences and instructing her but not following any attempts she makes to initiate real conversation. When he tells her to reveal Baghra from behind the waterfall she asks him if he's sure, one of few instances in which she questions him, and after barely a second of maintained eye contact between them she turns away, physically bunching her shoulders and seeming to shrink in on herself, before turning to the waterfall and completing the task in silence. Everything we see of Fruzsi in this scene seems to contradict Baghra's later description of her as "deranged" and I think that this is really very noteworthy, because we start to develop this idea that Fruzsi's actions are different in front of the Darkling than when he isn't present - particularly since we know in this scene that Baghra has not seen the Darkling in weeks and has been alone with Fruzsi during that time. We actually don't see Fruzsi without the Darkling until very late in the show (episode 7), when her anger at the world and her easy ability to command the other Grisha are revealed ("First Army did this [...] If they wear the uniform they are all the same. Kill them all!"). We get this brilliantly foreboding image of her marching so confidently through the carnage with soldiers of both sides running and shouting and fighting and dying all around her while she barely shows any kind of response but to calmly begin her own method of very direct attack against Nikolai after walking through the battle completely untouched. If anything, Fruzsi seems quite unbothered by the entire thing until she fails to kill Nikolai, killing Dominik and several others instead, and screams her frustration before being forced to run for cover from approaching soldiers. After this her attacks are arguably much more emotional because she feels challenged and as though she has failed (relevant as I'll cover later because of the way the Darkling manipulates her), but all of this seemingly culminates only when Vatra dies, and in that moment we get this wonderfully clever shot of them holding each other's hands so that we can see the tattoos (I'm going to rant about the tattoos in this post) and then we see Vatra smiling in her final moments (that's gonna come up again as well). This moment is the most emotional we ever get to see Fruzsi; she looks down at Vatra, sheds a silent tear, and begins to exhibit more power than we have ever seen in her before. It is bare moments after this that she loses her fingers in an attack from Jesper and mere minutes afterwards that Nikolai shoots her in the throat and she dies.

It's confirmed in s2e7 that Fruzsi's parents attempted to sell her to the Darkling and arguably this is where her parallels with Zoya begin - "You remember when your family first brought you to me? The price they demanded when they discovered you were Grisha?" "Perhaps now I can repay the debt" "I would have paid it 100 times over". Ugh this angers me so much. He bought her and she believes, she genuinely believes, that she owes him for that. I'm going to talk about the structure of this relationship really strongly echoing Heleen Van Houden later on but particularly in this moment we understand that there is something here very similar to the Kerch indenture system that I'm actually really glad to see included as part of the worldbuilding and development in the show since we didn't get the opportunity to explore it as much in Kerch (*screams frustrations into the wind*)

Although we sadly didn't get the chance to explore Zoya's story in the show (*cries in cancellation*) it's explained in the final duology of the book series that her mother attempted to sell nine-year-old Zoya as a bride to 63-year-old, very rich, and twice-widowed Valentin Grankin. When Zoya's aunt, Lilyana, attempted to stop the wedding Grankin attacked and nearly killed her; in fear for herself and her aunt Zoya experienced a massive, terrified outburst of power, which was how she discovered she was Grisha, and Lilyana was able to rescue her and take her to Os Alta. My absolute favourite take on Fruzsi is that she is Zoya's Shadow, which is an idea that my friend voiced whilst we were watching the show and we discussed together at length at the time, but that I have never seen anyone talking about online.

The idea of having a Shadow comes from Suli culture and is explained to us in Crooked Kingdom by Inej; whenever a person does wrong it gives life to their shadow, with every action making the Shadow stronger until they are stronger than the original person and the person is defeated by the wrongs they've done - or learns to overcome them and defeat the Shadow. Inej's believes that her Shadow is Dunyasha and she fights her in Crooked Kingdom. I FREAKING LOVE the theory that Fruzsi is Zoya's Shadow because their stories parallel each other very well; both are abused and sold by their families only to be taken in by the Darkling and manipulated into believing that he is their saviour. The Darkling very much works by making others feel that they owe him something for any action he completes, just as we see in his manipulation and abuse of Alina, and Fruzsi and Zoya are prime examples of this. We even have two very similar scene setups between season 1 and season 2 that show us just how similar the Darkling and Zoya are in terms of the pent up rage that they keep private - in season 1 where the Darkling leaves Zoya alone in his room whilst she is trying to initiate intimacy because he is manipulating her and Alina against each other and wants to make Zoya feel like she has been abandoned in favour of a newer, shinier toy and once he's left Zoya screams her frustration and releases a gust of Squaller power that disrupts his chamber, and in season 2 when Fruzsi, in her second appearance (now wearing the new dark kefta design) hesitantly informs the Darkling that David stole Morozova's Journal and is immediately dismissed before the Darkling screams his frustrations and uses the tether to find and haunt Alina. Although this comparison between the Darkling and Zoya is of course more obvious it also gives us an idea of similarities between Zoya and Fruzsi because it extends this implication we have that Fruzsi acts very differently out of the Darkling's presence than in - and considering that at this point we have never seen her without him we have this gathering sense of intrigue about her backstory and her character. In a similar-ish manner we also have the scene in s2e5 when we get another example of the few times Fruzsi attempts to stand up to the Darkling, in this case openly telling him that they would do better to redirect their efforts North because it would be "the more strategic move"; the Darkling's response is to threaten her with his Nichevo'ya and manipulate her in a similar way that he does Zoya by replying "Alina Starkov is worth more than any army. So at the risk of sounding repetitive... find her", actively diminishing Fruzsi when he's been purposefully making her feel important and like she matters to him so that she feels she must redouble her efforts for him to notice and appreciate her and therefore desperately hopes to do a better job of bending to his will, especially since he's basically turned her entire purpose and usefulness to him into brining Alina back to him. Ugh this man i swear. I'm going to go on to talk about parallels between Fruzsi and Genya pretty soon so in this respect as well I want to add emphasis to the fact that when she disagrees with him on a point - and mind you not that she makes any suggestion of betraying his cause but only that she thinks they should take a different tactic to be more successful in it - he uses the presence of the Nichevo'ya to scare her into submission. The next time he gives her an order (to take down the First Army encampments) she agrees immediately and barely speaks to him except to ask "And what of the Sun Summoner?" - And note this is after she has taken Genya to the other Grisha because she was told to show her off as an example.

I have to say that at this point in time I was not expecting her to be the gold mine she became, and it's looking back on it knowing more about her backstory that I notice a lot of smaller details in the way she acts around him that consistently suggest she is afraid of him and I think that is shown really well in Reford's performance, I don't see her getting enough of the praise that she deserves - she was great!

Am I even making sense? Anyway

Fruzsi and Zoya are consistently presented with these similarities and I really love the idea that she represents what Zoya would have become without the influence of our other main characters, particular Alina and Genya. I really like the idea that she's Zoya's Shaodw and a literal, living embodiment of the wrng that Zoya did under the Darkling's command, but the only place that I think this theory falls short is in Fruzsi's death. If Fruzsi was truly Zoya's Shadow then they would have to face each other for one of them to die, but Fruzsi was killed by Nikolai in the aftermath of Dominik's death. However, I also think that there was standing there to start developing something truly, truly poetic in Nikolai killing Zoya's Shadow and Zoya later killing Nikolai's (or maybe even metaphorically doing so in trying to help rid him of the demon??) BUT I GUESS NOW WE'LL NEVER KNOW (*screams*) (*cries*) (*curses Netflix’s name*)

Now moving on to her parallels with Genya and Inej. I think that the loss of Heleen from season 2 (which I’ve shared my thoughts about a bit in the past so won’t go on about now) left a hole that was, in a way I didn’t quite expect, filled more by the Darkling than it was Pekka Rollins. There are multiple quotes from the Darkling this season, mostly directed towards Fruzsi and Genya, that I find to have very specific reminiscence of some of Heleen’s quotes from the the Six of Crows duology and this was the most obvious one for me, and the one that originally made me think of this particular comparison:

"I have always known your worth. Now show me," - the Darkling, s2e7, in the conversation where he specifically states that he bought Fruzsi and she specifically states that she owes him a debt for that

"I know your worth, little Lynx, right down to the cent" - Heleen, Six of Crows, to Inej when torturing Inej with the implication that she intends to find a way to bring her back to the Menagerie ("You'll wear my silks again, I promise")

(Also as a quick addition I think that so much can be said about Rachel Redford's acting in this specific moment of season 2 episode 7 after the Darkling delivers that line. She looks up at him, and the proxemics + their actual heights I must admit have a brilliant added effect to this, with what starts as such genuine sorrow but so quickly turns to such fierce determination before she shows him what she's capable of now that she has the amplifier. After her demonstration she is almost in shock at the revelation of what she was able to do but the pure exultation, the relief, the triumph in her expression does not even come close to existing until the moment that the Darkling says "extraordinary". He's not even looking at her - in fact, I don't doubt it possibly that he wasn't complimenting her herself but simply the creation of the amplifiers and their strength - but the expression on her face then is absolutely unmatched and it speaks VOLUMES) (I genuinely recommend rewatching that moment with this in mind because I cannot stop thinking about it)

And then layered on top of this, we have the tattoos. THE TATTOOS.

I made a specific post about the costuming in season 2, which you can read here if you’d like to, and that covers my thoughts on the new keftas but I didn’t go into detail on the tattoos at the time and I have a lot of thoughts about them. The Grishaverse, mostly the Six of Crows duology, uses tattoos incredibly symbolically and places particular emphasis on choosing to take the mark, creating a massively important bond to something that you deeply care about and will never want to break (gangs, Kaz’s ‘R’ for Rietveld), and being forced to take one on (the pleasure houses, of course most primarily Inej’s Menagerie tattoo). Although we don’t get as much emphasis on this since the show didn’t get the opportunity to explore the gang tattoos yet thus far (and I guess now it won’t *shakes fist at Netflix*) we did have focus surrounding Inej’s Menagerie tattoo and it’s removal in this season and, as much as I wish we’d been able to see her book canon tattoo removal (cut off by a butcher), this side by side comparison of the Grisha being given no option but to take on the amplifying tattoos and Nina using her Grisha power to remove Inej’s tattoo is absolutely fascinating and really well done.

So this for me creates an ongoing comparison between Fruzsi, Genya, and Inej - and taking on what I said about Fruzsi’s apparent absence from the Little Palace despite clearly having an established relationship with the Darkling and having been with him for some time, we can consider the earliest pieces of information we have about Genya’s life. Now it’s a long time since I read the S&B trilogy so I can’t remember if this specific detail is true to book canon but in the show Genya states that the Grisha testers found her when she was seven but that she was gifted to the Queen when she was eleven. We have no information about what happened to her during these four years, and yeah maybe she was at the Little Palace training but we don’t have confirmation of that and I wouldn’t trust the Darkling as far as I could throw him (which probably wouldn’t even crack a metre let’s be real). This also adds a really interesting layer to things with Fruzsi being the one instructed to show Genya off to the other Grisha as an example of what will happen if they try to betray the Darkling because we get this moment when she kneels down to take hold of Genya's chains and they are both sitting in the cage together that I think is really powerful in everything it says about how easily either of them could be in the other's position in that moment but we're also still very aware that Fruzsi has the far more power - or at least an illusion of it. In this same scene Baghra, about Genya, states "she served you loyally since she was a child, endured years of abuse on your orders, and you reduce her to an example? Oh Aleksander, where does this stop?" and honestly that is so brilliantly written (and so brilliantly delivered in the scene) that I don't think I need to say anything on top of it but when we consider this side by side with Fruzsi's position I think that this really is a very powerful parallel and a constant reminder that no-one who places their trust in the Darkling is ever safe, and that pretty much everyone on his side is there because of manipulation and because of abuse - be that abuse from the Darkling or abuse from others that the Darkling has so well learned how to manipulate in ways that are very, very similar to the way Jarl Brum manipulated and abused Matthias (I have written a lot about that too. I have strong feelings.)

I have so much fascination and I feel so much sympathy for Fruzsi and I think that this is one of the things that the show did so fantastically well in her and in the other Grisha on the Darkling’s side who are all manipulated and controlled by him in just the same way our protagonists were, who were ultimately still all very young people who had been attacked and threatened and made unsafe in their home for who they were and who were offered what they believed was the only solution. I think one of the greatest examples of this, other than Fruzsi, is seen in Vatra, the amplified Inferni who is so proud of herself when she brings the Hummingbird down - "Yes! I did it" and btw she says this with such an expression on her face I don't even have the words I would just genuinely recommend you rewatch the scene to get what I'm saying it's s2e7 around 24:30-50 she actually looks so proud of herself she's like a little kid and it's so soul-crushingly clever and incredibly well done and it breaks my heart she's been so successfully manipulated - because she so genuinely believes that she is doing the right thing and she is making a difference for her people, and even when she dies with her hand clutched in Fruzsi's she dies smiling. That girl breaks my heart every time I rewatch, and honestly even though she is presented in a more unlikeable way Fruzsi breaks my heart as well because I can see so much of our beloved characters in her and effectively what could have happened to them and what could have become of them if they hadn’t managed their escape. This duality and constant cause to question the morality of the characters is so brilliantly done and one of the biggest successes of the adaptation considering how well it was done in the books as well but could have been something difficult to translate between medias where exposition is concerned, and I think that Fruzsi was an incredible example of this and that we really should talk about her more

Thanks for reading my nonsense ramblings if you got this far, I hope that it made sense and was at least somewhat interesting <33

[spaceorphan18]

The Lady Whistledown Papers: 1x06 - Swish (Part 1)

Welcome back, Gentle Readers, to The Lady Whistledown Papers, where I’m taking an in-depth look at Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton’s character arcs and romance within the show Bridgerton!

For previous issues, follow tag : The Lady Whistledown Papers

I actually really like this episode... well, the Polin parts of this episode. There's so much to sink into!

Announcement

Before I jump into what's going to really occupy our time during this episode, I need to mention Simon and Daphne. Because there's this whole Whistledown commentary that sets the episode up, and the narrative talks a lot about how much Simon and Daphne are going to be missed now that they're married and hanging out in the country.

And I think it's a little funny -- in that the Daphne and Marina stories, until Daphne gets involved a little in the next episode, really have zero to do with each other. Colin ends up a little bit intertwined with stuff during the whole duel thing. But does Penelope ever have a conversation with Daphne? ...or the Duke? And I mean, I know we get Penelope watching with interest a little off in the sidelines, and we learn next season how much she loves being a part of society. But there is a real disconnect, sometimes, when it comes to what Lady Whistledown is saying and what is going on with Penelope.

It makes it a shame that Daphne didn't come back for Season 3. I would have loved to have seen Daphne's reaction. And I can't help but wonder what Penelope's relationship to Daphne actually is. She and Eloise are bffs -- and Daphne is the next closest in age. There are so many holes to fill in here.

That said, their stories are going to converge, at least thematically, at the end of this episode.

Anyway...

Interesting that Penelope is in wearing pink here -- when Marina is the one in Featherington yellow. Her sisters are, too, so I assumed it's a Portia mandate. But she looks so different here. (Also, Colin is in his solid Bridgerton Blue.)

Penelope is, as always, looking on from the sidelines. It's kind of hard to really pinpoint who she's looking at due the the cuts -- on one side, there's Colin and Marina, and Pen knows. She just knows stuff is going on that's going to make her sick. And then there's Eloise. Pen and Eloise have not made up yet. But Eloise is dying to talk to Pen. Because the Queen has asked her to find Whistledown. There's all of this news and speculation to be had. And it's hard for Eloise to be this on her own. She and Penelope have been inseparable for so long, and unmasking Whistledown is supposed to be both of their thing. But I mean, now is not the right place or the right time.

Colin gets everyone's attention to make a 'small' but 'rather important' announcement. It's just an interesting way to phrase it. It's important to him and his life and his dreams but isn't necessarily there to draw attention to himself (or Marina). Engagements are a really huge deal in this society, but I don't think Colin thinks his news is all that worthy of everything else that's going on. (Also, it's a literally short announcement, so maybe I'm reaching a little here.)

It's also interesting how contained he is here. It is a more formal setting. He's doing this whole announcement somewhat by the books, and therefor he does need to show some restraint. But also, while he is definitely happy, he doesn't necessarily understand the depths of joy he'll feel when he truly understands what love means.

Meanwhile, Marina is... fine. She's playing the part she's supposed to play and sells it as she should, but she's not over doing it. She's happy for her the fortune of her situation. But beyond fondness for Colin, there's no real affection, which makes this whole interaction feel so much more performative than genuine. (And it's supposed to feel that way. We, the audience, know this isn't going to work - and that slight edge of discomfort is there for a reason!)

(Also, quick note -- it is calculated that he does this out in public. It's so that it can't be rebutted. It's out there. People know. It's happening. And to suggest otherwise, especially in public, would be somewhat scandalous. And Colin knows this -- which is why he handles it this way.)

The Featheringtons are all overjoyed. Except, you know, the one who is going to break down crying. Notice Penelope is standing far away from the rest of her family? She is not a part of them. Nor is she a Bridgerton. She's on her own and absolutely devastated. (But she is not without power. She's having her emotional reaction now -- but this just pushes her further to figure out a way to stop it from happening.)

She's not the only one who isn't happy. Neither Violet or Anthony are thrilled by this news either. But they're both older and wiser and probably understand that Colin's youth is perhaps a reason for such a hasty announcement. (One that wasn't communicated to either one of them before, so it feels like a shock when they hear about it now.)

Which leads us straight into the next scene, which might be one of my favorites in all of Season 1...

Anthony

So, I really love this argument, it's so rich with stuff to break down.

Alright, so, Anthony hauls Colin into his study, and notice the first thing is their stances? The first thing Colin does is go to his chair and slouch down -- like a child being hauled into the principal's office, waiting to be yelled at. It also speaks to the fact that Anthony has probably been, and felt like, a father to the rest of his siblings. Anthony might be going through his own things, but he does still care, and he does feel responsibility for all of them.

This is probably not the first time Anthony's brought him in there to scold him, either. And in fact, Colin was waiting for it. When Anthony asks what he was thinking the first thing Colin does is play it off flippantly, stating he knew Anthony wouldn't care to hear it. And Anthony calls him out on not taking it seriously. Because as much as Colin thinks he is being serious (and more on that in a moment), his attitude and demeanor suggest otherwise, and Anthony knows this.

Colin, being the third child, is trying to find his place, and trying to assert some independence by not only asking Marina to marry him without consulting anyone else, but by announcing it the same way. He doesn't want Anthony's permission because he doesn't feel like he needs it. He wants to establish himself on his own, away from his family.

Anthony also brings up that Violet didn't take it that well. It's funny that Colin says that his mother was fine, and accepts whatever kind congratulations Violet gave them while they were out in society. But Anthony knows Violet isn't thrilled, not matter how much is wanting to accept her kindness.

But all this conversation about what is and isn't good for the family is somewhat besides the point...

Anthony states at the beginning of this conversation that Colin barely knows her. And that is true - despite Colin's protests otherwise. Sure, they've been courting for some weeks, but Colin is only seeing what he wants to see. He doesn't really know Marina (and she's really fine with that).

Anthony then asks, basically, if he's fooled around with her and this is why they need to get married and we get one of my favorite Colin lines "certainly not, I'm a gentleman". He's so cocky and smug about it. It cracks me up every time.

But this whole following argument I just love, because not only does it show the differences between Anthony and Colin, and how Colin feels differently from his brothers (and probably a lot of the rest of the young men of the ton) but Anthony is speaking truths here as well -- in that Colin's inexperience is going to be his downfall.

Anthony asks if she isn't compromised, why is he doing this, and Colin simply states -- for love. The interesting part is that he frames it as if everyone just marries for love. Because that's what his mother has been drilling into him for forever. Because that's the type of guy he is, love is the most important thing, and why would anyone not marry if not for love? It's a simple thing to Colin.

And that is one thing that does make him different from his brothers and from his 'friends'. He has no desire to do what Anthony (or Simon, or Benedict, or Fife...) is doing, fooling around with girls, not having any desire for real attachment. It's something that Colin craves. The basis of his romantic fantasies is a grounded love.

However, Anthony is going to have a valid point coming up. He calls Colin green. And he is. He's inexperienced with relationships. He doesn't really know what love is yet. He is young, and full of fantasies, and while eager to settle down and have a family the way his parents did is very much a goal, Anthony isn't wrong when in his commentary. It is important for Colin to gain some experience when it comes to matters of the heart.

(And honestly, this is why I do love the developments of Season 3 Colin. This is why I think it is important that he got to have those experiences, and learned what he really does and doesn't want. It's also why I think it's important he's going to get his heart smashed here soon. Because he's going to gain both growth and perspective through it.)

The thing about Anthony, though, is that he's crude when dealing with his brothers. Mentioning brothels, calling sex 'wetting your wick' and sowing wild oats has Colin rolling his eyes hard. But then outright calling Marina a chit is really the last straw. Anthony's also not wrong that in his warning that marrying the first girl you have feelings for isn't the best choice. But the way he dismissively goes about it is why Colin gets so angry, and why it's going to backfire on Anthony.

Colin wants to be respected. He wants to be taken seriously. He wants his feelings to be taken seriously. And Anthony isn't doing any of that. On top of that, Colin has seen how Anthony is with women, and calls Anthony out on some of his own shit -- claiming he can't fathom true attachment. Obviously, that's not entirely true -- Anthony's issues are a bit more complicated than basic commitment issues. But it is an observation that can get under Anthony's skin and Colin knows this.

Anthony calls Coin a child. Colin throws back that Daphne is younger and she's married now, but Anthony claims that it is different. And it is. Daphne is more emotionally mature at that point, and probably does understand matters of the heart on a more realistic level. (That's even ignoring all the societal differences between men and women, too.)

And I want to mention how the power dynamics of the scene have shifted. Colin gets up, he's been flippant and chill up until Anthony calls Marina a 'chit' but then Colin is up in arms in anger. He is very protective about those he cares about. But then Anthony is the one to sit and stay calm. Anthony is the one firmly in control, while Colin is the one being over emotional.

But Anthony does get in a heated moment back at Colin -- calling him immature. And the two of them realize they've reached an impasse in the conversation.

Notice, after Anthony raises his voice, they both settle into a more formal speech pattern, and adhere to more formal roles. Colin apologizes for not doing things properly, and wishes for his brother's blessing. Anthony won't give it, and Colin states he's disappointed. They both knew this is how the conversation would go, but they're going through the polite formalities of it now.

Colin is truly disappointed, though. He does wish his brother would see him as his own independent person. He does wish that people would recognize he sees the world in another way. And he does feel different than the other men in his world. And reconciling that is sometimes hard.

Ah man, this is such a great scene, and I love it to pieces. It sets up so much about Colin (and Anthony) as a character, and is a great starting point, in a lot of ways, as we're going to see it develop. Colin's going to change, but the basis of who he is -- his drive to find his place in life, his big, romantic heart, those are a part of who he is. He just... as Anthony is somewhat stating in this scene, needs to grow up to really figure it out.

[ivoryghostyy]

Hello-hello , how are you?

How you think Cirius would react to having an extrovert / social darling

── .✦ 𝘾𝙄𝙍𝙄𝙐𝙎 ᝰ.ᐟ

⌗ㆍTHE GOLDEN BOYノ, ⌗ㆍUNIVERSITY AUノ, ⌗ㆍTOP STUDENTノ

「 aaaaaand i'm back.. somewhat. anyways, i'm alright, thank you for the ask! wow, people are actually interested in Cirius? gosh, i'm so flattered. i hope you guys enjoy this little scenario i cooked up. also, new layout! (kind of of) 」

「 tw: he's a jealous little guy, possessive thoughts/behaviour, obsessive thoughts/behaviour, implications of confinement, honestly, he just wants you. ;-; 」

"please focus," he calls you, heaving a quiet sigh. you've been distracted for a while now, constantly caught up in the chatter of passing students. he runs his hand through his light pink hair, forcing himself to calm down. it's nothing new, he reminds himself. you're the campus crush, after all—aside from him—but he can't help but feel the teeniest, tiniest bit annoyed.

Cirius’ fingers dig into the base of his pen. “sorry, we're quite busy right now. could you continue talking some other time?” his lips curl into a warm smile, shifting to his signature facade. it takes them a while to compose themselves, but the students eventually leave, quick to fold to his request.

predictable. who can resist the resident heartthrob's charming smile? you, apparantly. much to his dismay.

you turn back to him with a sheepish smile gracing those pretty lips. goodness, you have no right to look that kissable. if only you weren't so popular, then it would have been much easier to have you all to himself. but oh, well, no matter. though it'll take a bit longer than he'd like, he'll have you one way or another-

“Cirius?” ah, right. he's supposed to be studying with you.

“yes, lovely? i apologize, i was a bit distracted.” you don't seem to mind, only continuing to discuss a topic he already knows. it's funny, really. you're supposed to be one of the top students, and yet you didn't bat an eye when he asked you to help him study. he's top one for a reason, darling. don't you think it's suspicious?

oh, but he's certainly not complaining! this only means he gets to spend more quality time with you. who knows? maybe you'll finally realize that the small lingering touches, the subtle glances, and the openly protective—and borderline possessive—demeanor he's displaying isn't him just being friendly.

Cirius is a hard worker; if only to get what he wants. it's a shame that you caught his eye; if you hadn't, then you surely wouldn't be in such a tough situation right now… ah, but if he hadn't met you then, he's sure he would have met you some other way.

he leans his chin against his hand, staring lovingly at your oblivious form. he used to think fate was a ridiculous concept, but now that he has you, he can understand why people believe in it so much. a world without you is unimaginable, so as his olive green eyes bore into yours, he wonders how long you'll stay ignorant to the madness swirling within.

but when you do find out—and he's sure you will. you're his smart little darling, after all—he hopes you don't hate him too much. he's not a big fan of sharing. a caged bird is safer than one left in the wild, don't you think? he’ll take proper care of you, he swears, so do forgive his selfishness.

[definitelynotafurinasimp]

Them reacting to seeing you do something weird

characters: Collei / Kuki Shinobu x gn!reader (separate)

warnings: none

a/n: I decided to try and write something for two of my favorite 4 stars again since I don’t get all too many requests for them.

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Collei

Among the forest Rangers in Avidya Forest, almost no one could confidently call themself a bigger expert than you when it came to the wildlife inhabiting the forest. If there was an animal living in it, you knew it, if someone needed to know how it looked like so they’d be able to recognize it, you had sketchbooks full of detailed portraits at the ready and if there was anyone that wanted to learn about them, their best choice of action was to ask you.

That being said, you had a tendency to get lost when wandering around the forest alone, and so Collei was quickly assigned to helping you keep your sense of directions when out to research, the win-win situation of you having a helping hand while Collei got the opportunity to learn from the experts beating the prospect of having to search for you day and night everyday.

“I remember the first time I ventured out into the forest, I was what? Barely ten years old? My mother always told me how panicked my father was when I didn’t return at nightfall, you should have seen his face when he found me playing with a shame lion not far from home, he was so relieved you could basically see the weight fall off his shoulders, it was great… I did get into trouble afterwards, but that didn’t stop me from going back barely a week later”, you talked about your childhood while shoving branches to your side, trying to make a somewhat clear path for the two of you, all the while Collei listened to you as if put under a spell. 

You weren’t that much older than her, probably only a few years older, and yet you were already regarded as an expert in your old field. Collei couldn’t help but admire you and yet, when she heard how early you started to get interested in the animals living in the rainforest, she started to understand the reason for your success.

That being said, not everything in your stories seemed to make sense.

“Your father was relieved when he saw you playing with lions??”, you could hear the shock in Collei’s voice as clear as day and while her reactions seemed like the only plausible one when confronted with such a detail in your childhood story, the sheer and utter confusion on your face made her question if playing with lions wasn’t as abnormal as she thought.

“Lions? Oh Archon, no. Shame lions, those small green creatures that can change their colors depending on the background. I can show them to you if you need a refresher”, you offered, shooting her a quick smile before turning your head back forwards.

“Shame lions? …Do you mean Chameleons?”, Collei asked hesitantly, hoping she was on the same page as you and didn’t accidentally insult you by implying you didn’t know how to pronounce the animal’s name.

“...Chameleons? I-is that how you pronounce that? Heh, that explains quite a few of my weirder conversations actually”, you stated with a nervous giggle, your face growing red as you awkwardly scratched your cheek, only to eventually break out into full-on laughter, worrying your companion for a moment, before your laughing eventually infected the ranger.

“Thanks for telling me, I guess the others didn’t have the courage to correct me… that or they were far too confused to.”

Kuki Shinobu

For most of her days, Shinobu was surrounded by Inazuma’s brightest, watching their sober forms do things normal thinking people wouldn’t do after drinking a barrel of the strongest alcohol money could buy the same way a child would watch an animal in a zoo, and yet, she knew her colleagues long enough to not bat an eye, no matter how stupid the predicament they found themselves in.

Hanging around Itto and his boys made her appreciate the quieter moments in life as well as thank whatever deity was responsible for introducing people to each other that you were a part of her life. You knew how to hold a conversation, were kind and always thought about how your actions impacted others and hid a brain behind those eyes of yours… a welcome change of pace for her.

So when the two of you bumped into each other on her way home, only to decide to walk along the beach in hopes just being near the water would be enough to cool you down somewhat, considering the scorching hot weather, only for you to ask her to stop for a bit so you could cool your feet in the water, refusal wasn’t on Shinobu’s mind for even a second.

“Don’t you want to step into the water as well? It has just the right temperature!”, you happily asked after putting your hand in it for a second, testing the water before quickly readying yourself to step into it, pulling your pants up a bit so they wouldn’t get wet, only to stop when Shinobu called out to you.

“Your shoes.”

Without missing a beat, you hit your forehead with the palm of your head, an embarrassed look spreading across your face as you giggled to yourself. 

“Of course, I nearly forgot. Thanks a lot Shinobu!” Your shining smile coupled with hearing her name leave your mouth was enough to make her cheeks heat up, not enough for you to notice, considering her facemask, however, something she thanked the heavens for.

Just as quickly as you had stopped, you returned to pulling off your shoes before placing them on the sand and jumping into knee deep waters… your socks noticeably still on your feet, a fact Kuki didn’t miss in the slightest, her eyes widening at the sight of your drenched socks.

“Wha-?”

“Something’s wrong?”, you asked, completely oblivious to what caused the person in front of you to be rendered completely speechless. 

It took her a few seconds and about ten times of blinking her eyes in hopes it would all turn out to be a hallucination before she finally responded, trying her best to look away as to not constantly remember her brain of what was in front of her.

“N-no, nothing.”

[plaidos]

i havent done homestuck 2 but your defence of common "pluto is still a planet to me!!" "why didnt rose let jack share with her" esque braindead parrot takes have sold me on why they're wrong. what actual legit criticism of hs2 do YOU have, though? im genuinely curious

i’m actually not totally up to date with HSBC. i was for a little while, i think up to the hiatus (or close) but i’ve been running a homestuck reread workshop in my discord server which has taken up most of my homestucking time. that being said, i do have some thoughts though. for the purpose of this discussion, HS2 will refer to pre-hiatus (with the old team) and HSBC will refer to the comic since James’ team took over.

firstly, this is a lighter criticism, but the pacing of HS2 felt out of whack & i think some of the conversations/character relationship moments shouldve had a longer build up. the Meat storyline particularly felt like it was plodding along even much more stagnantly than the gold ship/asteroid days of HS1; i think a greater focus should’ve been given to the immediate post-Epilogues stakes. i understand that that’s just where the story picks up, a large journey, but i think they should have more things to do than reminisce on their relationships without that tying further in to the wider plot. ironically, the Meat spaceship plot felt too “candy” to be impactful, to borrow the framework of the narrative.

i also think there were some pretty major art issues? i really don’t mind stuff being quick and gritty or simplistic and sketchy — it’s part of what we love about HS1 — but some of the HS2 art felt unfinished in a decidedly bad way. which is a major shame, because actually, when HS2 gets it right it rrrreally gets it right. the immediate full cartoony style we get for like, Jane’s antics in Candy is some of the tastiest homestuck art period.

ah, sorry, i’ve fallen back into what i like, but bear with me here for a moment, i need to praise HSBC too to gear up to some criticisms — i really like some of the stuff HSBC has shifted along since starting back up, including some of the changes. i also laud their commitment to keeping a lot of the really controversial elements of THE/HS2 because i think fan-approval seeking retcons would’ve been a bad move. that being SAID, there *are* a few things they’ve somewhat backpedaled on, and i think they are really weak. particularly, the Kanaya/Rose fight may be tasty, but i think it undermines the contextual reason it was skipped over, which is because the narrative is damaging their ability to challenge stuff that is “out of character”; it’s something John notices even. i don’t mind the conflict eventually coming up, it makes sense, but it felt thrown in there to appease some of the more inane criticisms of the comic. my other thing is that some of the changes they’re making to Vriska are… well, i haven’t read it. so i shall hold my tongue. but i’m really worried they’re making her more palatable & straight-forward in an attempt to make her more likeable or give her an arc that, imo, is antithetical to what is interesting about the character? but… again. i haven’t actually read it all myself, and it’s not all out yet, so it’s hard to say.

i really, really hope that the Beyond Canon team hires some transfeminine writers, however. to my knowledge they currently don’t, and when your main cast includes a depressed egg, a traumatised and violent trans woman, & a sex addict cis woman with a huge dog dick as some of the principle & most iconic characters, it might be time to hire a trans woman to help? keep things? on track???

so yeah. less fan-appeasing retcons & hire some trans women.

[howlsofbloodhounds]

If Delta and Killer ever become friends, it will most likely be only because of Color, and they will pretend to get along with each other (in truth, they don't). I see it more like this than anything else.

Also, they really do look like a cat and dog (in terms of attention to Color), although they are also capable of becoming either neutral or friendlier to each other if they live together for a long time.

Do you really think they can be friends?

I would love to say they’re friends in my perfect fantasy world, but on friendly terms I can at least somewhat see with time. I think Delta would actually be very helpful with things like helping Killer release all the pent up, manic energy of Stage 3–and believe it or not, I’d imagine Delta would have a much easier time with Stage 1 and 3 Killer than Stage 2 lmao.

Like I can definitely see Delta willing to step up and help Stage 1 through things like flashbacks, panic attacks, or even seizures if Color isn’t around to help. I don’t think Delta wishes Killer any genuine harm (eventually), and is willing to try and help him where he can because ultimately Delta’s just a good guy. I can definitely picture Delta definitely helping shut down any of Stage 1’s guilt, shame, or fear spirals.

And I honestly think Delta probably loves squabbling with Stage 3. It rarely ever happens, and if Delta ever manages to intimidate or otherwise discourage Stage 3 from a fight response, he’d just grumble at Delta before going off to hide somewhere. I’d imagine Delta loves helping tiring Stage 3 out lmao—Delta’s quick on his feet and can take a lot of hits.

And I think eventually Stage 2 will start reciprocating what Delta has done for him and for Color. He recognizes that Delta hasn’t hurt him at his most vulnerable, isn’t scared of and doesn’t hate Stage 3–and importantly, is someone important to Color, who is important to Killer. He recognizes that Delta wants to protect Color too—so he will reciprocate by extending his resources, skills, and allegiance to Delta too. Relationships often tend to take a transactional view for Killer, so he will do his part and look after Delta too.

They may not be friends in a typical traditional sense, but they’re looking out for eachother and the ones they both care about. And that’s a lot for Killer.

[ladylilithprime]

Day 2: Spa Day

THE DIFFICULTY WITH living in a secret underground bunker, however extensive and well-furnished, was that it had been designed ans constructed with a certain level of practicality in mind. While the rooms were decently furnished and the bathrooms set up to provide truly excellent water pressure, there were only showers and no actual baths, and the beds were largely utilitarian with metal frames supporting basic mattresses and plain cotton sheets. Dean had been the first to cave and, using the Men of Letters payroll accounts Charlie had dug up for them, bought himself a memory foam mattress and new pillows and sheets, and he had badgered his younger brother until Sam had given in and upgraded his own bedding.

Castiel appreciated the soft modal jersey knit sheets very much where they brushed his skin as he sat on the bed, his back supported by the wall and headboard and cushioned by one of the pillows. He was reading aloud from the rotational book Sam kept on his nightstand (this week was "Lords and Ladies" by Terry Pratchett) while Sam sat beside him on the bed and tended to trimming and filing the fingernails of his free hand with a much greater skill than Castiel could have managed on his own.

A knock on the door frame interrupted Castiel's reading of the somewhat fanciful accounting of a witches battle by way of cloudwatching, and Dean poked his head into the room, eyebrows going up at the sight of them. "Sorry to interrupt the spa day, ladies, but are you two planning to come have lunch any time before dinner?"

"I have to watch my figure," Castiel deadpanned, making Dean choke and Sam swallow down a laugh. He had gotten better at responding to Dean's bizarrely gendered and misogynistic comments with little quips like that, especially since it helped Sam to feel more at ease whenever Dean found them doing something that he deemed "girly". Castiel, having only really been occupying a physically male body for a handful of years and so having far less in the way of learned shame over unnecessarily gendered behaviors, had taken it upon himself to remind Dean that such comments were in poor taste, and it seemed that returning the bad jokes with other jokes got the best responses from both Winchesters.

"We'll come get something in twenty minutes," Sam chimed in once he had his amusement under control. With a quick glance up at Castiel, he added, "Don't wanna risk messing up our manicures."

"Right," Dean muttered, rolling his eyes. "If you haven't come out by then, I'll assume you're waiting for dinner."

He left then, and Castiel waited until he was most likely out of earshot before asking, "Spa day?"

"A day taken off from work or other responsibilities to engage in personal pampering, usually at a specialized salon or spa, but also frequently done at home as a way to relax and take time for yourself away from the usual stress of life," Sam explained. "It's not actually restricted to women to indulge in a spa day, but the media tends to mostly show women doing so."

"I see," Castiel hummed. Taking the time to rest and relax and do something nice for the sake of it sounded quite pleasant, and while Sam tending to Castiel's nails was mostly out of necessity, the location was certainly an indulgence, as was the choice to read aloud for Sam. "Dean would probably benefit from a 'spa day' of his own, I would think."

"He would at that," Sam agreed with a grin that told Castiel he was likely imagining Dean's face if that was ever suggested in his hearing. "That's this hand done. Switch?"

Castiel obligingly swapped the book over to his newly manicured hand and shifted on the bed before presenting the other hand to Sam. A moment later, he found his place in the story and began to read again.

[thatsthewrongwallcraig]

I’m not sure if u take requests but could you please write mommy kink with aftercare for one of Rory’s characters? Jack or Charlie? Sorry if you don’t take requests..

5A.M.

Summary: Summer in Colorado is humid, sticky and uncomfortably hot. There's barely any comfortable time of day to give your boyfriend what he's been craving so much.

Pairing: Jack Thurlow × fem!Reader

Word Count: ~1k

Content Warnings: Heavy SubDrop, Crying, So Much Internalised Kink-Shaming, Aftercare, Very Affirmative Reader, Kink Acceptance, 18+! Due To The Overall Topic, Super Soft And Loving Reader

A/N: Jack 🤝🏻 Me, having the exact same kind of trauma to work through.

3A.M to 4A.M

Tagging the squad:

@alalalaaallaaalaaa @crypticsewerslut @quicksilversg1rl @bvg-w1res @milsthouqhts @roryculkinsbf @roryculkinsgf @spookyorchid

The thin layer of sweat on your skin slowly evaporated under the steadily rotating ceiling fan. It wasn’t much but at least the illusion of cooling down ever so slightly was given, for sure better than nothing.

Jack, his entire tired body still on top of yours, had his face pressed into the crook of your neck whilst your fingertips drew loose shapes and random forms all across the tender skin of his back.

He seemed to be alright in that moment, content and calm even, getting lost in you caressing his shoulders and back like that and yet something felt off. You couldn't quite put your finger on it and in search of what was wrong, you closed your eyes and just concentrated on Jack above you.

His body wasn’t exactly tense or his muscles stressed, quite the contrary actually. He also wasn’t shaky in any way, that would've usually been a clear indicator for something being wrong, but seemingly none of the most prevalent signs were showing.

A little bit concerned with your own ability to read the room, you took a deep, long breath and exhaled slowly, slightly arching your eyebrows in concentration.

That's it.

You realized while breathing out again. Unlike your breathing, Jack's came somewhat uneven, seemingly out of rhythm is some sort. He was too quiet…

"Jack? Are you okay?" You asked in a soft and gentle way as your fingertips wandered upwards to play with strands of his curly, brown hair.

For a moment he didn't answer and as he did it was with a quick nod that wasn't exactly reassuring to you.

"Jack, babe, I would like you to look at me, can you do that for me, please?"

"No…" He answered reluctantly, his voice sore, sounding as if he was choking back sobs.

"That's okay, don't worry, yeah? I'm here and I love you, you know that, don't you?" From playing with his hair, your hand right up to the back of his head, slowly stroking and petting him.

"Uh-Huh.." Jack sniffled into the crook of your neck.

"Good. Do you think you can take a few deep breaths together with me?" Very carefully your other hand went to his cheek.

He had indeed been crying silently, without you noticing because your entire body was sticky, wet and warm with sweat already. For a moment you needed to hold back from scolding yourself for not noticing since self-loathing wouldn't exactly help anybody in this situation.

"I can try." Jack mumbled into the skin of your neck as your thumb softly wiped away the wayward tears trickling down from his lash line.

"Very good.", You smiled a little although your heart felt like it was crumbling in your chest, "Okay, breeeeeeeathe in."

You inhaled deeply and you felt Jack doing the same, his shoulders rising up as his rib cage filled with air.

"And now back out again." Both of you exhaled in unison.

"Very good, babe." You praised him with an honestly proud tone in your voice before you talked him through a couple more deep breaths.

After the last one, Jack appeared content enough to roll himself on his back, off of you with an involuntary yawn rolling over his tongue. At that you opened your eyes back up and turned to the side to look at him. His facial expression told you that there still was something not sitting right with him at all.

"Would you please talk to me about it, babe?" You asked, your hand reaching out to lay flat on his stomach.

You could see the gears in his mind turning, pondering over it as he bit down on his slightly twitching bottom lip.

"It's disgusting… I-I'm disgusting, am I not?"

You furrowed your brows in confusion.

"Why would you ever be disgusting, Jack?"

Jack took another deep breath steadying himself.

"Me willingly calling you mommy makes me feel like I'm sick in the head or something." He aggressively choked back a pained whimper.

"Hey, there…where is all that coming from now?", You scooted closer to him, pressing your body against his and holding him in a tight embrace "There's nothing, really absolutely nothing wrong with you for doing that. You are not sick in the head, Jack, and you are most certainly no perverse deviant."

You saw how he clenched his jaws together, teeth slowly grinding as he tried to keep himself together and you wished to simply be able to take all of this pent-up pain and shame out of him, but that's not how that worked, was it?

"You…you make me feel safe and it's just…it's-" He stammered but you interrupted him mid-sentence.

"It's okay, Jack, that's what it is."

Holding him impossibly close to you, you pressed a long, loving kiss to his forehead, inhaling his scent.

"There is no need in you shaming yourself, okay, babe? I will never do that, I promise you, and you don't need to do that to yourself."

"But.."

"No, there's no 'but' to that. Not a single one, okay? Listen.", You looked down, right into his eyes that were covered in a watery sheen, "I know how shitty and foul it feels when those thoughts get the better of you. I've been there, too, and it took me years but eventually I realized that sometimes trauma leaves you with things that you are terribly ashamed about. But, Jack, there's nothing, really nothing you need to bash yourself down for when it comes to us, okay?"

Jack nodded slowly, pulling his bottom lip from between his teeth.

"I will love you for as long as you want me to and if you need to you can call me any name in the book. Now come here.."

You leaned in closer, brushing your lips against his before sealing his mouth shut with a longing kiss.

[melmedardasworld]

I read your metas and loved them! What is your opinion about the Traveller's storyline? I really thought that we would get more Bennett history since it was revealed that Qetsiyah is one, but it was mostly focused on the Parker family, really.

First off, thank you for your kind words and taking the time to read my thoughts! The Traveler storyline certainly had a lot of potential, especially in relation to Bonnie’s rich family history. It was a shame how they wrapped it up so quick and just made a mess out of it. It didn’t help that we got the love triangle being dragged and forced once more to come to the conclusion that true love doesn’t exist; it was just a spell to break a 1500+ year old curse. I know TVD is a romance show, but come on…. It was corny to me.

While the show introduced significant lore surrounding the Travelers and the witch community, through Qetsiyah and Silas, it did more to explore the Parkers than the already established Bennetts. No surprise it was around the same time JP had plans to kill of Bonnie for good but Kat convinced her that there was more to tell, we would have gotten Liv as the go to witch for the MFG. Considering that the Bennetts are a prominent witch family with a deep-rooted history in magic and set the TVD lore of the universe for us, it was a missed opportunity not to delve into their family's connections with the Travelers.

Qetsiyah and her descendants: Qetsiyah stands out as one of the most powerful witches in the universe. If her storyline had been more entwined with her descendants, too, we could have expanded on how her actions created ripples throughout supernatural history. Her creation of the Immortality Spell led to significant schisms for magic, the impact of which could have been explored through Bonnie’s bloodline. This could have included infighting among offshoots of her bloodline or even other Traveler branch clans (like the Parkers or Silas’s family, for example) who either supported or rejected Qetsiyah’s actions. It’s what we the show so often popularized as the Balance of Nature aka the Spirits. I believe this relationship dynamic could have been enriched by introducing Bonnie to (distant) family members who did adhere to the strict ideals to not use magic without rules (the Spirits / Spirit Magic) or those betrayed by their forebears for cursing them. Also, her having zero interactions with Bonnie?? Nah that’s some bs.

Potential for Infighting: I also think this would introduce a narrative where the Bennetts’ bloodline suffers from centuries infighting due to differing ideologies about magic and the use of their powers. The show could have introduced family members who either aligned in favor of Qetsiyah’s actions (replacing Markos and his group) or fiercely opposed them (we already had the Spirits and we only saw the Bennetts at the forefront of it), providing more depth to Bonnie’s character development and the complexity of magic and it’s lore.

The Travelers Curse

The origin and implications of the Travelers’ curse were also somewhat convoluted to me when it was revealed tied to Stelena and true love not actually being true love or destiny. As I said, we also got a whole new witch family introduced when the Bennetts were right there. Onto my thoughts about how the plot could've gone.

Historical Context: When Qetsiyah created the immortality spell, it caused a schism within the Traveler community. Many of the branch family’s (Parkers and Silas’s) already feared the power of Qetsiyah and her family. They knew they were powerful, and Qetsiyah was a step above that too. But with her true immortality spell and defying Nature itself for love, they believed that this family's seemingly unlimited power was a threat to them. Keeping the Balance was just an excuse they could use to strengthen those fears and cripple her and her family. So even after Qetsiyah’s brother killed her to redeem his family, the other Traveller covend insisted on further measures—leading to what is known as the Traveller’s Curse placed upon Qetsiyah’s descendants. Again, this introduces some intrigue and infighting in one of the earliest witch covens.

The Curse’s Mechanism: To prevent future disruptions by his family, Qetsiyah’s brother promised the other Traveler families to limit the power his bloodline, forcing it to scatter whenever they attempted to congregate as large coven. If they did, this resulted in disasters and plagues or their death, effectively suppressing the extraordinary abilities and potential of Qetsiyah's descendants. The Bennett witches today may be known but remain unaware of their full history—their curse hidden and forgotten even from them.

Living Bennett Witches: Contrary to the show’s narrative, which suggests very few Bennetts are left, I feel it’s important for the story to recognize that their bloodline is significant and widespread. Even on an individual level we get so much of their feats, inventions and spells. This concept would open the door for multiple lines of the Bennett family, allowing Bonnie to discover relatives with diverse views on magic, some aligned with tradition and others breaking away from it.

Thematic Depth and Character Development

The motivations behind magic use in TVD could have been explored more deeply. The recurring theme in the TVD universe was witches maintaining the balance of Nature often felt hypocritical and biased and even bitter. Yet the Bennetts frequently disrupted it with their feats.

Nature’s Perspective: The concept around Nature as an entity that puts things back into balance is intriguing. Rather than being strict overseers, the witches could have been portrayed as part of a wider supernatural ecosystem, where even supernatural beings like vampires, hybrids, and werewolves might eventually be normalized instead of abominations and whatnot.

Potential for Conflict: By aligning the story with Bonnie's journey, we could have seen infighting not just among the Travelers, but also among witch factions within the Bennett line—those adhering to Nature's rules versus those who pursue Qetsiyah's radical legacy, even if that wasn't her intention at all. Such tensions could have elevated Bonnie’s journey as she navigates her identity, her ancestry and power.

I know you said you’ve read my metas but below some links on my theories and the travelers / Qetsiyah and the Bennetts specifically.

My Love-Hate Relationship with the Travelers

Qetsiyah's Legacy

Modern Bennetts and Nature

[ladylooch]

TRIGGER WARNING ⚠️⚠️ (miscarriage)

if you don’t mind me asking, do emma and lexie ever get miscarriages and how do they deal with it???

Thank you for putting a trigger warning on your ask! Very considerate and appreciated 😘

(if this is a trigger, skip the blurb below 💕)

Emma does not. 

Lexi does. Mackenzie is 6 months old and her and Nico were definitely not trying. So when she saw the plus sign on the test she is stunned. She didn’t think she was actually pregnant. She’s still breastfeeding and wrapped up in the newness of Mac. She walks back into the bedroom where Nico is watching film on his iPad.

“Is that…?” Nico trails off. Lexi can only nod. “Is it positive?”

“Yeah.”

“Uhhh…” Nico trails off, mouth agape. Lexi looks at him, chuckling while he reaches to grip her hand.

“What’s one more?” She shrugs. “Maybe we’ll get a boy.” Nico smiles, pulling her in for a sweet and somewhat apologetic kiss.

Her miscarriage comes on a game day. Nico kisses his girls goodbye and heads into the city to face off against the Kraken. Because of Lexi’s medical background, she knows what is happening when the deep cramping begins to assault her lower abdomen. She also knows if she goes to the ER, there is nothing they can do for her. So, she grabs something to collect what is passing and manages it as best she can while playing her part as the captain’s wife. Looking back later, she knows she should have gone home with the girls. But she was so stunned and ashamed. She thought it was best to act like nothing was happening.

“Hi babies.” Nico grins at his girls after the game. Lucie is batting her long lashes trying to fight sleep while leaning into Lio’s shoulder where he watches game highlights on his iPad. Mac is laying in her stroller. Nico kisses his daughters, then comes to his wife. “Hi.” His smile begins to fall when he takes a moment to study her face. “Are you okay?”

“No.” Nico freezes. “I’ll tell you at home.” He nods, gathering the kids and muttering a quick goodbye to his sister and her kids. Lexi and Nico don’t speak the whole car ride home. Lucie and Mackenzie fall asleep in their car seats. Both parents work on autopilot for bedtime- doing pajamas, kisses, and setting white noise machines. Nico comes into their bedroom last, seeing the bathroom door shut and concealing his wife. Inside, Lexi is crying as she changes her clothes and padding before joining Nico back in the room. 

“What’s going on?” Nico practically whimpers at her tear streaked face. He’s afraid of how Lexi is acting.

“I’m losing the baby.” Nico jolts in surprise.

“What? Why… didn’t you….” He trails off as he stutters, realizing shame is not the approach. “We should go to the hospital.”

“There is nothing they can do. I called my doctor. She said she can see me in the morning and to monitor the bleeding tonight. It’s nothing of serious concern. Well within the limits of what my body can replenish.”

“Lex, don’t… get medical with me about this.”

“It’s all I know.” She says to him, trembling bottom lip, tear rimmed eyes. His brown eyes begin to fill with tears too. A huge lump forces a cough from his chest. Nico crosses the room to gather her into his arms. “I’m so sorry.” She wails into his shoulder. Nico squeezes his eyes shut, feeling the tears streak down his face. They drip off his chin as he shakes his head at Lexi’s words.

“No, baby. No. It’s not your fault. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

[dreambigdreamz]

Inside the brain of a writer

(me talking to myself)

the mental process of writing a smut fic

the usual warnings ofc proceed with caution.

wheee i’ve been reading some ahem hotd stuff ahem and i think i can pull off my very own as well 🌚🌚🌚

yass eomer and lothiriel’s wedding nighttt

actually no i’d die writing

for many reasons

julie write a sample for me please

should i just ai generate this

oh loth why on earth would you say that

quick, make her drown another flagon of wine to avoid the embarrassment 

BAHAHAHA i’m 6k word count and not yet halfway guysss

NO BROTHER YOU CAN’T READ THIS

because lothiriel is undressing eomer 🫢

*hysterical giggles as the world dissipates internally*

what on earth am i saying to a 11-year-old

shit he’s taking up the discussion

he says eomer should be allowed to undress himself to show ‘manly’ independence

shut the f up kid you don’t know anything about the romance of unbuttoning and revealing the man’s body

“stahp ahaha i can’t imagine it i’d DIE”

*dies for three months before guilty sense kicks back your arse to continue working on the wip*

drag myself through the shit like it’s no big deal

eomer without armour 💗💗💗

eomer without shirt 👀🥹🫢🌚🤡

should i or should i not put a full description of his… 

nope 

KEEP IT POETIC NOT GRAPHIC

will there be a blowjob

but i won’t know how to describe how it tastes so no

functioning on the last single braincell

once read a headcanon saying eomer will give you no less than 3 o’s and i stand by that

is ‘reverberate’ smth to do with vibrations or vertebrates

his voice being deep and gruff his voice being deep and gruff his voice being deep and gruff HIS VOICE—

what does ‘convulse’ mean

could i maybe find a use for it to be included in the writing, even though i don’t know what it means?

i mean, i’ve seen it written but never bothered searching up 

gets up in the middle of the night to search up thesaurus

“TREPIDATION” IS SUCH A NICE WORD inCLudE iT iN By aLL meAns

….if only i gave half the effort for my academics…..

if he gives her oral, remember to get him to wipe off his mouth before he kisses her again because

you don’t know what it tastes like 

+ somewhat disgusting and shameful (ahh little purist me)

“did you finish your smut fic lol”

“haha nearly! was up till one am last night writing it” (i normally sleep at 8 pm)

“he’s penetrating her now ehehe”

*deletes last message*

keep your purist virgin opinions out of this and Let Them Have Fun!!!!

how long does it take a candle to burn out

“would you like to read what i have gotten so far 👉👈”

no lothiriel would never think the act “sickening” KEEP YOURSELF OUT OF THIS

YES YES YES KEEP THE CLASSICAL ROMANCE ALIVE YOU ARE SUCH A POETIC WRITER DID ANYBODY TELL YOU HAHA 😇 

but also the tension, don’t undo the tension all at once

DONT LET THEM FALL IN LOVE OVER ONE NIGHT WHAT SOAKING IDIOT ARE YOU

it takes time, it has to take time 

so no

make it an awkward messy ordeal

you are a most horrifying author, you deserve to go to hell three times over WHAT WAS THAT FOR

i know

how do i describe what his hands are doing

like one is doing smth while the other is another—

or keep it simple?

how big and strong he is x300 sentences

he’s gotta have big brown eyes / be able to satisfy / he’s gotta be big and strong / enough to turn me onnnnnn (the angelic choir version please)

his eyes turning into dark orbs 👀 a glint of dangerous light ahahahahahahahahah 

*descends into madness*

god save my soul 

no no Snow you got it wrong bby

there are no whores and sluts here

be horny without guilty

you might actually make some money out of writing this one day

big ambitions >>>

in the meantime enjoy yourself 

but seriously dude

wouldn’t he crush her bones if he collapsed on top of her

REWRITE EVERYTHING

first go and scroll through tumblr again

and spiral down into the sinful one-shots and take inspo from the masters

BUT THE AGONYYYYY (cuz u barely crawl out alive after these little visits onto that side of tumblr)

or shld i just post it and pretend nothing’s the matter and let it be and delete this entire post on making a fuss out of as tiny a thing as writing smut

fuck it i’ll go solve some mathematics

p.s. make eomer considerate at all times

p.p.s. you need to seriously decide between making lothiriel either an innocent angel or a coldhearted bitch MAKE UP YOUR MIND 

because i feel for the poor guy if she keeps acting hot n cold like this 

woe is me, the writer

i declare nobody suffers it as i do

but what if there was a toad in the bed as a prank from amrothos

[andguesswhat]

Timmy said he swam in chocolate....

Not much time to think, not much time to write, so if you are not satisfied, please complain to @zuzla33! 😜 She somehow managed to coerce me into it. And maybe to @Valgal78 and @gatoenlaciudad, too 😂😘 Oh yes and the butthole anon may also be somewhat to blame 🙈

Not beta-read. But I hope you can enjoy it nonetheless. If there are stupid mistakes in it, please let me know.

Drenched

*

Timmy turns the key and pushes the heavy iron door open.

"I wonder what they're doing with all that choc- " Armie is about to ask when Timmy interrupts him in a panic.

"Shhht!"

"What?" asks Armie in still relatively normal volume as they step into the hall. "It's in the middle of the night. No one is here, right? You made sure of that, remember?"

Timmy rolls his eyes. "Can you please be quiet anyway? I'm getting scared. You never know!"

"Yeah, you never know!" Armie imitates Timmy with a grin and then adds in an exaggeratedwhisper, "Okay, I’ll whisper but only if I get to choose the music and the volume on the way back because seriously my ears are still ringing and that might be the reason that I talk so loud, I can’t hear anything.”

Timmy rolls his eyes again, this time apparently at Armie's stuffiness, but can't help a little smile.

The hall is dimly lit, only emergency lighting everywhere. Armie considers asking if they could turn the lights on, just to annoy Timmy a little more, but of course there is something about it, this mood of an abandoned movie set in the middle of the night.

He follows Timmy down the hall. He's been able to see a bit of the set while he's here in London with him, but the set in this hall had only been finished at the last minute before the shoot.

And then they're standing in front of the river. The chocolate river. All around is lawn with lots of green plants and colorful flowers and it really looks pretty awesome actually.

Timmy grins enthusiastically at Armie.

It's not at all clear what they're exactly doing here. Or will do.

Timmy had sent him some photos of the shoot in the chocolate river in the morning, his clothing covered in chocolate, his face smeared with chocolate, and Armie hadn't been able to resist sending a few raunchy comments.

Although he didn't even know if the chocolate was edible.

Yes it is, Timmy had written. Just chocolate, milk and honey.

And that's how it smells now. Very pleasantly sweet.

Timmy had glamoured the security of the hall. He knows how to do these things. He's nice to everyone, and when he wants something, he's even nicer. And then a few bills, of course, to keep quiet.

Timmy's request didn't sound that strange though. Armie is used to much stranger things from celebrities. Timmy had told the security guard that he had heard that chocolate baths are the latest shit and oh, so healthy, and it would be a shame not to use all this, right? So he wondered if he couldn't take a quick bath tonight?

"You weird Americans,” the very British security guy had replied, shaking his head. “But don't you dare do anything ugly that gets me in trouble, or I'll have you drowned in that river and then you won't be able to smile so nicely anymore."

Armie hasn't met that security man yet, but likes his humor already.

"And what if this guy has a crush on you and shows up here too?" he wonders.

"Don't give me that shit! You better take your clothes off!" Timmy answers while starting to undress himself.

"Me? I'm not going in there."

"What?"

"I said I'd be happy to help you lick it off, but I can't imagine -"

Timmy's t-shirt hits him square in the face. "Pussy!"

"What?" Armie's voice is way too high. "Well, I really don't know if that necessarily has anything to do with being a pussy, if-"

"Oh fuck you!" laughs Timmy as he takes off the rest of his clothes and finally stands stark naked in front of him.

"Okay..." Timmy looks kind of nervously excited at the chocolate pond and Armie feels way too many feelings for his man again.

How he now stands there so skeptically with his beautiful slender figure, indecisively crosses his arms in front of his chest and finally carefully dips a toe into the chocolate river, looking like some modern version of Botticelli's Venus.

"I don't know... So completely naked now it's something else..."

Armie laughs. "But making me look stupid. Come on! Go for it."

"I thought we were doing this together! You could have said something about not going in!"

"But I didn't say I was going in either!"

"But so alone now... feels kind of stupid!"

"You know, we can stand here and argue... or - "

And then he pushes Timmy unceremoniously into the chocolate.

Blutsh!

That fall alone is a sight he will never forget.

How the chocolate sloshes around Timmy in huge waves and coats his body with the liquid chocolate.

Epic!

And Timmy squeals happily. What more could you want.

"Oh god, this is so good!"

Armie lies down contentedly on the grass, one arm propped on his elbow, watching his man move happily in the chocolate pond.

"Please come in. It's so much more awesome when you feel it on your bare skin..."

"I'll take your word for it, but thanks, no."

Because he wants to watch Timmy experience this, explore this. It’s just so adorable. How he's fascinated sliding his arms through the chocolate, making ripples, and then doing some steps, bending his knees a bit and realizing in amazement, "God... it feels so good…” he wrinkles his nose, “Especially in certain places…"

And when Timmy then curiously lets his hands disappear behind his back in the liquid chocolate and everything looks like he's pulling his butt cheeks apart, plus his facial expression suddenly becoming all sensual, including a slight opening of his mouth, a little excited gasp... Armie involuntarily has to swallow. And is suddenly horny as hell.

With Timmy, the switch is apparently also flipped, as he puts one arm somewhere in front of him, and yes, he certainly is touching his cock and definitely liking what he feels.

That little sexy bastard. Armie gets hard just from watching him.

He wonders if he will have to get into the chocolate now after all, but then Timmy looks at him so darkly, wades towards him through the chocolate, crawls out of the chocolate, and Armie can’t think straight anymore.

Timmy’s whole body is covered in this sweet, wet chocolate, some of his curls are drenched, too, the chocolate is dripping, dripping from his curls, from his body, and fucking dripping from his already hard cock…

Who wouldn’t find that extremely delicious?

Even more delicious when Timmy crawls over Armie; it’s dripping everywhere, and then he already has Timmy's chocolate smeared hands on his cheeks and Timmy's chocolate smeared lips on his mouth and he can't say that's bad, quite the opposite. It’s fucking luscious.

Chocolate, milk and honey. Everything smells so good, tastes so good.

He lets Timmy kiss him, enjoys the moment, enjoys the literally sweetest man imaginable kissing him, tastes the chocolate on Timmy's lips, on his thumb sliding into Armie's mouth and running over his tongue, sucks on it, and then he can't stop himself, he has to slide his hand over Timmy's smeared neck, has to lick the chocolate off his lips, off his chin and god, off his neck. And Timmy moans with satisfaction.

Armie feels like he is in heaven. His naked man smeared with chocolate, looking so sexy and apparently feeling so sexy, all that smearing and licking… it is just so fucking hot. Plus the sweet smell, the sweet taste, and he wonders why didn't they think of this before?

Armie runs his hands over Timmy’s chest, smearing the chocolate as he licks Timmy's neck, licks it clean, inch by inch, wants to taste Timmy’s chocolate nipples, sucks at them, and licks them clean, too. All the while Timmy's eyes darken with lust, low moans coming out of his mouth.

And that's why Armie then grabs Timmy's cock too, is about to pump the already hard chocolate dripping dick, when Timmy suddenly whispers, "I can't do this here. I'm shooting a movie here! I can't do this."

What?

Armie tries to stay calm because he wants his man way too much right now and is afraid that if he says something wrong he won't get him, but he has to at least comment on the obvious."You already are totally naked and you already have a boner."

"Yeah, but making out like that is another thing from actually doing it!"

"Timmy!" Armie takes a deep breath. He'd like to say, ´you can't get me all hot and bothered here right now and then say, nah, you don’t get me`, but he knows he won't get anywhere with that line of reasoning, so he says softly,

"God, Timmy, you look so fucking hot, you smell so fucking good, taste so fucking good, I want you so bad, baby" because this is so fucking true and he kisses him, on the lips, on the cheek. "And besides, what are you going to say to the car rental company when you smear the chocolate all over the car seat, I kind of need to lick you clean first, don’t you think?” More soft kisses. “And that’s what you want, too, isn’t it?” He whispers into Timmy’s ear before he licks on Timmy’s neck again.”You want me to lick you clean, right? Like everywhere. You love that, don’t you, baby?" Timmy’s breathing is getting heavier, so Armie dares to carefully put his hand back on Timmy's cock, starting massaging it lightly, with all the slick chocolate around, and smiles contently when he sees Timmy's eyes flutter shut.

"God, you're so fucking hot, baby. Can we please go on a little more?"

"Okay..." answers Timmy, breathing heavily.

"Really okay?" asks Armie just in case.

"Yeah..." and a small smile flits across Timmy's face before the lust takes over again.

His man is horny as fuck and that is good because he is horny as fuck as well.

Quickly Armie undresses himself, everything has to go, shirt, shoes, pants, shorts, while Timmy lies in the grass on his back, looking at him darkly and running his hands over his slick body. God, he loves it when Timmy does this.

Finally, he squats down and once again takes in his beautiful, chocolate-soaked man before leaning forward and beginning to lick him from toes to head.

Of course he lingers for quite a while in the middle section, the inner thighs deserve a lot of attention, and the way Timmy moans he seems to think so too. Especially the hollow between leg and hip needs a lot of thoroughly licking, there is really a lot of chocolate accumulated. And then of course there is Timmy's beautiful chocolate covered cock. First he licks the balls, then the shaft, then the tip. Armie licks it and sucks it while Timmy moans and groans and buries his fingers in Armie's hair.

At one point then, Timmy whispers, "You need some chocolate too," before he bites his lip and bends to the river, dips his hand in the chocolate flow, pulls it back out, the chocolate dripping, and reaches for Armie's cock, rubbing the chocolate over it and Armie can't help it, the squishy, slippery feeling is too much, he has to moan out loud.

“Fuck!”

Timmy giggles.

"Can I taste it? I want to taste it so badly" he whispers and without waiting for an answer he starts licking Armie's shaft.

Fuck, this feels good! Timmy swirling his tongue around his cock, licking it. And fuck, this looks so hot when Timmy lets Armie's cock slide deep into his mouth, the chocolate spilling over his lips left and right.

Timmy is sucking him devotedly until he can't get any harder and Armie would like to come into his mouth so badly but he knows he definitely needs his boner for what is yet to come.

Timmy knows this too, because when he lets the cock slide out of his mouth satisfied, he asks "Wanna see what my hole looks like?"

And god yes, since Timmy has pulled his butt cheeks apart in the chocolate pond, he desperately wants to see this.

Timmy flips over onto his stomach. Timmy's backside isn't quite as darkly smeared with chocolate anymore because he was lying in the grass, but that makes the dark wet spots leading between his butt cheeks all the more appealing. And so it is, Armie spreads Timmy's cheeks with his hands and his mouth gets dry involuntarily when he sees Timmy's butthole completely drenched in liquid chocolate. This is only topped when his entrance twitches.

Armie can't stand it a second longer, he puts his lips to it, sucking out the chocolate, greedily running his tongue around and finally over the luscious wet chocolate hole.

Not that he doesn't love eating out Timmy otherwise, but tasting the sweet liquid chocolate out of Timmy’s ass while Timmy squirms with moans beneath him is something he won't soon forget.

He could do this forever; every time he has licked him clean, he spreads some more chocolate over his hole, when Timmy suddenly desperately pants, "Fuck me, Armie…Please!"

Timmy is already a wreck, Armie can feel it. All the licking was teasing enough, and that's why Armie doesn't make him wait any longer. He quickly stretches him by the most necessary with his fingers, puts his cock at Timmy's entrance, pushes it inside him inch by inch and starts fucking him.

“Yes”, Timmy groans in relief.

Armie has to grip hard because the chocolate skin is so slippery, ramming his cock into Timmy again and again, who cries out in ecstasy with every thrust.

He is just considering increasing the speed when Timmy pushes his butt back and breathlessly says, "I wanna ride you."

He gets on top of Armie, lowers himself on Armie’s cock, rides Armie, rides himself further into ecstasy, milking Armie's cock with his tight hole, writhing his body, moaning loudly and Armie has to concentrate not to cum at the sight.

Timmy's sexuality is like no other. He can lose himself completely in it.

Moreover Timmy knows exactly what he wants. "Oh God, fuck me, Armie, I'm so close," he gasps and quickly lies on his back and spreads his legs and just as quickly Armie bends over him and sinks his cock back inside him to fuck him again.

They've had sex in places where Armie had to put his hand over Timmy's mouth so Timmy's moans wouldn't give them away, but here, here, when Timmy's unrestrained moans echo through the hall, it brings him close to the edge.

Timmy’s thick cock is lying heavy on his stomach and Armie grabs it with one hand to pump it while he keeps thrusting into Timmy’s hot hole.

“I’m coming, Armie..!!” Timmy pants and just one more thrust and Timmy spurts his load on his belly, his cum mingling with the chocolate, and just the thought of tasting this brings Armie over the edge.

A deep and loud groan and he comes in Timmy, and then…. only panting.

God, fuck, this was good.

When Armie has caught his breath again, he leans forward and licks the white cum with the brown chocolate off Timmy’s raising and lowering belly, licks his way up until he finally gets to Timmy’s face and kisses him tenderly on the lips.

They lie there for a few minutes clinging and snuggled together before they slowly get up, completely exhausted, and collect their clothes.

With their T-shirts they scrub the lawn a bit to make the chocolate disappear, but they only do it half-heartedly because Timmy thinks they won't shoot in the corner anyway.

On the way back they listen to Barry White at a moderate volume, which is important if only because Armie can then better hear Timmy singing along softly.

In their hotel room they take a shower. There are still remnants of chocolate on their bodies and Armie loves to wash every inch of Timmy's body with the sponge.

Afterwards they lie down in bed and look at each other dreamily. They both have a smile on their lips. How could they not, with what they just did.

Timmy still smells of chocolate and Armie involuntarily takes his hand, smells it and kisses it.

And then all of a sudden reality-Timmy stops by, he does that sometimes, not often, but sometimes, and for a second Timmy's whole body tenses, his look a picture of pure horror as if just in that second he realizes what had happened and shouts startled,

"What the fuck did I do?"

As if he hadn't even begun to think about reality in the last few hours, but was just in his own world. Not even when he said he couldn't do it was about reality, but was just an unconscious way to make Armie beg and make everything that much more intense.

"Maybe there were cameras?" He looks at Armie with the biggest terrified eyes and Armie can’t help himself, he has to laugh out loud at this.

Oh man, life without Timmy would be so boring.

And after he kisses Timmy softly on the mouth, he says, “Well I would say, make sure to get a copy of that footage. You have a good connection to the security guard, haven't you?”

*