#(Lmao some of those questions/answers 😂)

[jawnwicks]

Some of the most important parts for me:

“Friendships are built of repeated low-stakes interactions and returned bids for attention with slowly increasing intimacy over time.”

"Deeper friendships are formed with people from those kinds of groups when you do things with them outside of the context of the original interaction."

"Smalltalk is a social script of exchanging trivial conversation about non-personal topics in order to pass a brief period of time together.

This sort of conversation is about figuring out whether you want to get to know each other better, so it's kind of a behavioral test. It's assessing "can I have a pleasant, brief conversation with this person?" because people usually want to know if the answer to that question is "yes" before they share more details of their lives."

"If the person speaking responds to your sharing of personal information with a request for more information (asks about your sister) or by sharing some of their somewhat more personal information (roses are blooming) they might be interested in continuing to gradually share more information. If they respond with more smalltalk, they probably aren't interested in becoming closer friends ... [but] maybe at some point they'll share something with you and it'll be your turn to decide if you want to get to know them better."

"Once you've seen someone several times, you will begin to know little things about them. ... If you want to become friends with them, ask them about these things and offer information in return. Start casually and don't pry for more information, and be sure to share about yourself as well. Eventually you will get to the point that you can have a comfortable conversation on topics of shared interest for at least a few minutes."

"If they agree to meeting up for the thing, they are interested in continuing to develop the friendship. If they don't want to meet up then continue at the same level of interaction as before and perhaps later on down they line they'll ask you if you want to plan a meetup."

"Once you have hung out on purpose a few more times you've got two choices: set a regular meetup, or hang out elsewhere. Setting up a regular meetup is the relatively casual option here; it keeps things in the same location and keeps the context of the friendship the same while still increasing interactions and intensifying the relationship. You can have perfectly good, if somewhat casual friends, who you see regularly in one place and rarely outside of that place."

"Hanging out in a new place changes the context of the relationship; suggest a hangout in a place that makes sense for the mutual interests you've learned over the previous months of getting to know the person."

"If you’re talking about the weather as in the first example, but you mention where you grew up and what the weather was like, that can be inspiration for the other person to also talk about where they’re from! But, unlike with a question, if they don’t want to share that information they can usually dodge it without having to make it extremely obvious that that’s what they’re doing."

Wait, so you said that you can learn to trust others by building friendships, but how does one go about doing that? Wouldn't someone I don't know be creeped out or annoyed if I suddenly walked up and started talking to them?

Friendships are built of repeated low-stakes interactions and returned bids for attention with slowly increasing intimacy over time.

It takes a long time to make friends as an adult. People will probably think you're weird if you just walk up and start talking to them as though you are already their friend (people think it's weird when I do this, I try not to do this) but people won't think it's weird if you're someone they've seen a few times who says "hey" and then gradually has more conversations (consisting of more words) with them.

I cheat at forming adult friendships by joining groups where people meet regularly. If you're part of a radio club that meets once a week and you just join up to talk about radios, eventually those will be your radio friends.

If there's a hiking meetup near you and you go regularly, you will eventually have hiking friends.

Deeper friendships are formed with people from those kinds of groups when you do things with them outside of the context of the original interaction; if you go camping with your radio friend, that person is probably more friend than acquaintance. If you go to the movies with a hiking friend who likes the same horror movies as you do, that is deepening the friendship.

In, like 2011 Large Bastard decided he wanted more friends to do stuff with so he started a local radio meetup. These people started as strangers who shared an interest. Now they are people who give each other rides after surgery and help each other move and have started businesses together and have gone on many radio-based camping trips and have worked on each other's cars.

Finding a meetup or starting a meetup is genuinely the cheat-code for making friends.

This is also how making friendships at schools works - you're around a group of people very regularly and eventually you get to know them better and you start figuring out who you get along with and you start spending more time with those people.

If you want to do this in the most fast and dramatic way possible, join a band.

In 2020 I wrote something of a primer on how to turn low-stakes interactions with neighbors and acquaintances into more meaningful relationships; check the notes of this post over the next couple days, I'll dig up the link and share it in a reblog.

[claramelooo]

CHECKMATE (8/20)

I'm woke up in the middle of the night I thought: "why not?"

So, here we are...

The chapter is large, so, you're welcome and sorry for the cliffhanger Lmao 💕😂

MINORS MUST NOT INTERACT

Warnings: alcohol consumption, jealousy and cliffhanger

Pairing: Governor! Agatha Harkness x Fem reader

Summary: Agatha has strange ways of apologizing

Gambit

noun

1. an opening in which a player makes a sacrifice, typically of a pawn, for the sake of some compensating advantage.

You peeked through the peephole and your heart stopped for a full second.

It couldn’t be.

But it was.

Agatha Harkness.

Wearing informal clothes. No makeup, with that unreadable look as always in her eyes.

You opened the door.

“What are you doing here?”

She looked at you for a moment that lasted too long, as if the question didn’t matter.

Or as if the answer would set you on fire.

“I need to talk to you.”

She said it without really looking at you, and you were sure that if she could, she’d be wearing sunglasses to hide behind.

“Does it have to be now? It’s really late and—”

“It has to be now.”

She emphasized the last word like someone crossing a line they shouldn’t. 

You held your breath for a second.

Agatha Harkness. At your door. At night. Wearing a white shirt and sweatpants, with something about her off. Like the emotional zipper had split open somewhere and she hadn’t noticed yet.

You couldn’t stop staring at her eyes. That green-blue that always seemed to calculate everything with surgical precision—but now, they hesitated.

They trembled.

Searching for something even she didn’t know how to name.

“Okay…” you said, opening the door a little wider. “Let’s go outside then.”

She nodded and turned around, her steps slower than usual.

You closed the door behind you, the silence in the hallway hanging like an electric wire.

Carol was inside, waiting and you just wanted to get this over with before she showed up and made a scene.

“It’s polite to let a guest into your home.” She said, arms crossed, looking totally grumpy.

Oh, God.

Agatha Harkness was a fucking drama queen.

And while that was more adorable than you’d ever admit, you sighed, too tired for this.

“What do you want, Agatha? It’s almost midnight and… I had a long day.”

She looked at you for a moment. A long, long moment. Silence reigned, and all that was left between you was the howl of cold air in the hallway.

“I… I came to apologize.” She finally said after a few more seconds.

You raised an eyebrow, surprised. Not because she was wrong, but because Agatha Harkness didn’t do apologies like this. You knew that. She was flawless, precise, surgically composed in everything she said.

Except now.

She looked small under the dead hallway light. Shrinking into herself, like she didn’t know what to do with her arms, or her eyes, or the weight of being here.

“Wow,” you whispered, genuinely. “That is… unexpected.”

She scoffed quietly. “I didn’t… I don’t know why I said those things. I mean, I do, but… not like that. Not that way.”

“You dumped a thousand demands on me with an insane deadline,” you pointed at her. “That’s abusive, you know.”

“I know, fuck.” She snapped.

You looked at her for a second, and the vulnerability in her was almost absurd.

She, who swallowed men alive with half a sentence. She, who made investors compete for five minutes of her time.

And now here she was… battling her own pride, trying to get back control of something she clearly didn’t understand anymore.

She shrank a little more, like she was trying to fit into the space between her own collapsing certainties.

You smiled. Just a small smile, but real. “You’re uncomfortable.”

“I’m not.” Agatha said, crossing her arms and shifting her weight.

“You are.”

Her jaw tightened, clenched hard, like she was trying to hold onto a rehearsed speech that had already vanished.

Too bad for her, you were too stubborn for your own good and too good at reading what people tried to hide.

“You didn’t have to come here, you know?” You continued, voice gentler now. “You could’ve just sent an email, or ignored me completely, like you usually do.”

“I tried,” she admitted, her gaze fixed somewhere over your shoulder. “But… I couldn’t sleep.”

You tilted your head. “You came here because you couldn’t sleep?”

“No,” she replied way too fast. Then she exhaled. “Yes. I don’t know. I… I don’t know what I’m doing here.”

The confession landed between you like a crystal glass shattering on the floor.

You had never seen Agatha admit she didn’t know something. It was like watching a mountain tremble. Like watching fire hesitate before it burned.

She ran a hand over her face, breathing deep, trying to clear her head.

“It’s just… This is all so wrong.”

And it kind of was.

Your relationship had never been fully professional.

If first impressions were what stuck, then yours would be… Agatha kissing you. Agatha taking your fingers inside her very well. Agatha sending you away.

It started wrong.

But it felt so good.

You chose to ignore the growing pulse between your legs.

“I know.” You said, letting your shoulders drop in understanding.

“And this can’t happen again.” She said more to herself than to you.

“I know.” You agreed, even though your heart ached.

Agatha went silent. Not an empty silence, but one full of everything you weren’t allowed to say.

She shifted slightly, body leaning forward then pulling back, like she was fighting the urge to come closer. A small gesture, but desperately human.

“I’m not this person,” she said suddenly, her voice low but full of anguish. “I’m not someone who loses control.”

Your throat tightened.

“I know that too.” You whispered, with a half smile.

Her eyes met yours and for that moment, nothing else existed in the world but that look.

As if time had frozen in that cold corridor. As if every breath was measured, and every heartbeat was a choice.

She didn’t say a word.

But you saw it.

In the way she looked at you. In the way her eyes dropped to your lips and flicked back up with guilt. In the way her hands clenched into fists, trying to hold back something that had already broken free.

And for that moment, you forgot about Carol and the impossible expectations.

“Do you want to come in?” You asked, your voice warm, like melted butter.

Maybe if you were inside, in private… she’d finally do something, maybe she’d kiss you…

She hesitated, looking at the sliver of light from the door. 

An invitation.

“You’re not alone in there.” She murmured, avoiding your gaze.

Oh. Right. Carol. You’d completely forgotten.

“She’s just… my roommate.”

Agatha didn’t reply, but her expression was an open book written in wounded pride.

“It doesn’t matter,” she finally said. “I came here to say that… this… This can’t happen again. What happened. That—”

She couldn’t even name it.

“That was real, Agatha,” you said gently. “Even if it was wrong.”

She closed her eyes for a second. When she opened them, there was pain. Confusion and desire.

“You’re a fucking distraction.” She said. But her voice sounded more like a confession than an accusation.

“And a problem,” you smiled, bittersweet. “You’ve said that before.”

She took a deep breath. Her chest rising and falling sharply. She wanted you—you knew it. She came here for you. Because she couldn’t sleep, probably thinking about that night at the bar.

Then, without another word, she reached into a bag you hadn’t even noticed she was carrying and pulled out a small white box.

“Open it.” She said, handing it over like it meant nothing.

You took it.

A brand new iPhone. Still sealed.

You looked up, surprised. “Agatha… this is—”

“—perfectly appropriate,” she cut in. “If we’re going to be working together, I need you to be reachable. All the time.”

She talked like a boss.

But her eyes… they weren’t boss-like at all.

"Why not just give me your number like a normal person?" You asked with a crooked smile, suspicious. "Instead of showing up at my door at midnight with a new phone?"

She hesitated. For a moment, she almost seemed to be asking herself the same thing.

Then she looked away.

"Because it’s appropriate." She said without looking at you, making you smirk.

"Appropriate. Appropriate. Appropriate. You love saying that when everything you do is the complete opposite."

You teased, and watched as Agatha’s eyes burned with something as they locked onto yours, like they could devour you. Like she was speechless or worse—realizing what you meant just now.

She didn’t answer. In fact, silence fell between you again, heavy like a blanket neither of you dared to pull off.

Agatha gripped her purse strap tighter than necessary. Her fingers tense, nearly white.

Deciding to break the silence that was already getting under your skin and her intense gaze that gave you chills, you turned the new iPhone in your hands, the plastic wrap still intact.

"This number is just between us, then?"

She nodded, eyes back on you.

"Yes. Exclusive."

You gave a half-smile.

"Ugh. How intimidating, Governor."

"I’d call it practical."

"And I’d call it personal."

She didn’t reply.

You took a step back, your hand brushing the doorknob like your body needed the support not to slip on everything this night was turning into.

"Agatha…" you said her name like it was a question, a prayer, a dare.

You swallowed hard. Your tongue heavy in your mouth with the weight of the things you wanted to say. Maybe a “stay.” Maybe a “do you really wouldn’t like to come in?” Or maybe words were just bullshit and you should send it all to hell and kiss her already.

Fuck.

She was here just for you.

 But all you said was a: “Good night.”

And once again, she looked like she had to convince herself to leave.

She turned slowly. Took three steps down the hallway, her hand nearly touching the railing, then stopped.

“Text me once you set up the phone.”

You stared at her back for a moment, heart pounding. Honestly, you weren’t even sure how it was still beating.

“Will do, Governor.”

She froze for a second. Maybe she’d say something, maybe she’d ask to stay… But she kept walking without another word.

Back inside, Carol was on the couch watching some questionable MTV reality show, as usual.

“Your boss is a tyrant,” she said, unprompted. “First she gives you homework to take home, and now she shows up at your house?”

“I know, right?” you murmured, trying to hide the box from her view. “I… I’m going to bed, Carol.”

“Hmm. Yeah. After tonight, I think you really should.”

“Good night.” You ran to your room.

You shut the door behind you, resting your forehead against the wood for a second like you could unload all your feelings or the ones you weren’t supposed to feel—right there.

With trembling hands and a heart pounding too loud, you unwrapped the new phone.It was black. Sleek and intimidating, like everything that came from her.

You turned it on.

The screen lit up like the beginning of a new era.

Set up. Connect. Activate.

A new number. Clean, like a well-kept secret.

And then it appears—the only saved contact.

Agatha Harkness

Private number. Exclusive.

You bit your lip.

Sat on the bed, legs twitching with nervous energy.

Should you text her now? Wouldn't it be better to wait until morning?

Fuck.

Typed. Deleted. Typed again.

Sighed.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Your heart was beating too hard. You closed your eyes and, with a nearly desperate gesture, hit send.

"Phone successfully set up. Ready to be available… all the time ;)”

Your thumb hovered over the power button, but you didn’t have the courage. Your stomach turned, and suddenly the Chinese food you thought you needed felt like a mistake.

Two seconds later, the three little dots appeared.

She was typing.

Then they stopped.

You held your breath.

The dots came back.

One more second…

And the reply came.

"Good night, girl."

That was it.

No emojis. No added pleasantries.

Just a short sentence.

And somehow, it was so Agatha.

You bit the inside of your cheek.

Girl. The way she always said it… like a warning. A reminder, a line she wasn’t supposed to cross.

You held the phone a moment longer, feeling heat rise in your chest. Your mind already spinning with images you shouldn’t be remembering.You two had agreed on the terms.

But the throbbing between your legs made it clear the emotional overload she left in you was very real.

You didn’t text back. Just wrapped yourself deeper in the blankets, like that could somehow quiet the storm inside.

A dumb little smile on your face.

Not because of the reply, but because of what wasn’t said.

On the screen, her name remained.

Agatha Harkness.

As if you were each other’s secret.

And in many ways, you were.

[...]

The morning sun filtered lazily through the auditorium windows, lighting up scribbled notebooks, half-washed coffee cups, and students half-dead after the second lecture on bodies and sexuality.

You were there. Physically. But your mind floated somewhere between socio-political theory and a certain governor with sly, sideways eyes.

Billy was doodling in the corner of his page with a purple pen, when you felt it.

The vibration.

Your other phone. The new one.

Still in your backpack.

It was instant. Your body reacted before your mind could. A jolt in your stomach. Trembling fingers. A heartbeat picking up like it knew who it was, no need to look.

You tried to play it cool, because it was just a message.

But holy shit—Agatha was texting you.

The Agatha Harkness.

You pulled your bag into your lap and discreetly unlocked the screen.

There it was.

Good morning.

Friday is the investor dinner at the Fairmont Hotel.

High-profile guests will be present. Wear something appropriate.

Dry, direct, cold and Completely inappropriate for how she made you feel, just like she’d touched you with those words.

You read it again.

And again.

Appropriate.

You rolled your eyes so hard. That word was starting to get on your nerves.

But the fact that she could’ve just emailed it or told someone from the team to pass it along, made you smile.

She wanted to text you herself. From the phone she bought just for you. She wanted to say it, already picturing the dinner.

You chuckled under your breath, shaking your head like she could see you—sitting among a sea of bored students, about to flirt with the future governor of the state.

You typed slowly, savoring the audacity.

Good morning to you, Governor.

Is “appropriate” the word of the week?

You stared at the screen, waiting for the dots.

But nothing.

Maybe she was busy. Reading reports. Or trying not to think about last night—the way her long fingers trembled when she handed you the box with your secret phone.

You licked your lips, waiting.

Appropriate is the minimum expected at public events.

You know that.

Oh. Her sense of humor was as cold as her ice-blue eyes.

You smiled, putting the phone down for a moment. Pretended to pay attention to how young women have married early in a conservative culture and all statistics datas for that while your classmates mumbled something about what Freud would say about that.

But your mind was elsewhere.

The phone buzzed again.

But if you're unsure about what to wear, I can suggest something.

Or go with you.

You stopped breathing for a moment. Read the message over and over again—and still didn’t believe it. 

The first part sounded like her. The last? Not at all. 

You swallowed hard, heat crawling up your neck, your cheeks. Your heart pounding like crazy. Your legs fidgeting under the desk.

Go with her? You couldn’t even picture that happening. 

If this was a game... she had just moved a dangerous piece.

Will you come with me to the store? Your schedule must be far too busy for that, Governor.

Three dots.

Maybe I want to make sure you look appropriate.

Class ended without you hearing a word from the professor or anyone else, really. All you could focus on were the signals your body was sending.

You didn’t reply. You locked the phone the moment you saw Billy approaching, eyes full of curiosity.

“Okay,” he said, arms crossed, one brow raised. “Whose phone is that?” 

You tried to act casual, shoving the device into your backpack like it was a stolen cookie. “I bought it. It's a... a work phone.”

Billy let out a low whistle, overly suspicious. “Uh-huh. A brand new iPhone? You could have bought a second-hand one, but instead, you let some MILF take care of that, didn’t you?”

 “Billy!

He laughed, slinging his bag over one shoulder. “Babe, you know I support all your life choices. Including being the sugar baby of a high-powered political Mommy.”

He winked, teasing.

And you froze.

This… this wasn’t really happening. But you weren’t being that obvious, were you?

Sugar Mommy.

The word lingered, hovered and echoed inside your head with a sinful taste.

First it was the perfume. Now the phone. Her constant presence. The subtle commands. Her voice, low and demanding appropriate behavior from you.

Mommy…

You shivered. Not from cold, but from something deeper—a recognition you didn’t want to have.

Billy was already walking down the hallway, distracted by his own phone, but you stood there one second longer, feeling the word echo inside you like an uncomfortable secret.

The kind you try to hide even from yourself.

[...]

You walked into the store with discomfort dripping down your spine.

The racks full of expensive dresses stared back at you, like they knew you didn’t have a cent to your name—and yet, here you were.

Because Agatha Harkness had told you to.

And when Agatha says something... you obey.

Mostly.

The saleswoman guided you with a trained smile and a quick glance up and down. You just smiled back, like someone who knew exactly what they were doing, even if you didn’t.

The dress was silk, ivory-colored. A soft V-neck, cinched waist, hem just below the knees.

Minimalist.

But if you turned around and bent just slightly, the curve of your lower back appeared in a way that was… delightfully strategic.

Simple, yet tempting.

You adjusted the mirror camera carefully. A little tilted. Perfect lighting. One arm raised, playing with your hair like a distraction, exposing the bare skin along your side.

A casually rehearsed pose.

Appropriate enough?

You hit send before you could second-guess yourself and stood there. Alone in the fitting room, heart pounding in your throat, heat between your thighs, and the echo of a single word.

Appropriate.

Then finally, finally—three dots and a reply.

Looks cheap.

You swallowed hard. That wasn’t what you were expecting. But of course—it was Agatha. A woman of taste. Of status. She’d know cheap fabric from a mile away.

You typed:

It’s what I can afford.

Simple and honest.

And the reply came quickly.

Pick something. I’ll cover it.

Oh God.

You closed your eyes, leaning your head against the fitting room wall.

Billy had joked. But now, his words echoed with a bitter truth:

'Sugar mommy vibes.'

You didn’t want this.

This wasn’t about money at all. But... there was something about being taken care of by her. Something that messed with your gut, that throbbed between your legs.

The perfume.

The phone.

Now the dress.

Mommy.

The word sounded like a whisper against the padded walls of the fitting room.

And you didn’t respond.

You just stared at your reflection and, for the first time, wondered what exactly was happening between the two of you.

Is this really necessary? 

Your whole body reacted. A shiver ran from your neck to the base of your spine.

Her words hit you like a hot breath against your ear. You bit your lip, legs clenching together, as if that could contain whatever was blooming inside you.

You stared at the screen, jaw tight.

Pick.

Like it was that simple.

Your thumb hovered.

Then stopped.

You took a deep breath.

Was this what she wanted? For you to depend on her? To become just another one of the many orbiting her world, grateful for golden crumbs?

You know I can’t accept that. I don’t take charity.

Three dots appeared almost instantly and stayed there, like she was picking each word with silver tweezers.

Don’t be foolish, girl. I’m not offering charity. I’m making sure you represent my name well.

Your stomach flipped.

She actually meant it… wanted you to accept. Wanted to see you in something beautiful. As if this wasn’t even about you, but about her.

And that’s where it got complicated.

You gripped the phone harder than necessary, like it was a tightrope strung between you both.

I’ll choose, but I’ll pay you back every cent, Agatha.

No justifications. No verbal surrender.

Just the weight of your pride, wrapped in future promises.

You expected a dry response. Maybe a "we’ll see."

But what came was a:

As long as it’s appropriate. 

You closed your eyes, biting your lip to keep from smiling. She’d been a smartass this whole time, and she was driving you insane on purpose.

The anger, the attraction, the challenge—they all burned the same now.

Appropriate.

You didn’t even know what that word meant in her mouth anymore.

You walked through the store with feline steps, eyeing the dresses differently now.

Armani. Versace. Elie Saab. Every rack seemed to glow under the boutique’s diffused lighting.

Perfect.

If Agatha wanted expensive, you’d give her expensive. She wanted representation? Fine! You’d make damn sure to be unforgettable.

The third dress you tried on felt like it had been molded onto your skin. A deep wine red, almost black, with heavy silk fabric and a neckline that was more a promise than a cut.

The thigh-high slit climbed like a bold whisper.

The fitting room mirror couldn’t hide the way your whole body reacted to the moment—especially with the cold air brushing your nipples, teasing the thin fabric with no shame.

You bit your lip, gave yourself one last look.

Armani. Appropriate enough, Governor?

The photo went. And you stood there, still in the dress, heart hammering, waiting for a sign.

Waiting for her to criticize the price, to scold you for extravagance.

But it didn’t come.

You checked your phone like a maniac.

No reply. 

And time stretched.

Your heart pounded with pure anxiety.

And then…

Three dots appeared.

They lingered.

Like she was holding back.

Reading. Watching. Feeling.

Your throat went dry. 

The dots vanished and you cursed under your breath, biting your lip too hard.

She deleted.

Rewrote.

Then it came, short, sharp.

And so very Agatha.

More than enough. I like it. Take it.

You laughed loudly. This woman was unbelievable. You bit your lip again to keep from grinning like a complete idiot at your phone.

You don’t reply.

You decide you deserve a moment to breathe—after all, she made you suffer through those minutes of waiting.

Sitting on the bench inside the fitting room, the dress still clinging to your body, the soft light highlighting your exposed skin, you felt everything at once—anger, desire, pride, confusion.

And worse, the unbearable urge to say yes to all of it.

[...]

Friday arrived in the blink of an eye. The driver opened the car door, and Seattle’s cold air embraced you like an elegant sigh.

The Fairmont Hotel looked like a palace that night. Illuminated facades, red carpets, discreet flashes.

You took a deep breath. Your heels tapped against the marble like part of a soundtrack.

Inside, it was a spectacle.

Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling like artificial constellations. A castle made entirely of champagne flutes rose at the center, gleaming under golden light like a monument to luxury.

You’d seen things like this in movies. Never in real life, for sure. 

Your fingers nervously slid over the silk of your dress. You moved carefully, aware of every curve, every glance.

The feel of that expensive fabric against your skin was a constant reminder of where you were and who had put you there.

From across the room, you saw Jennifer.

Surrounded by campaign directors and key investors. She smiled with the ease of someone who knew she was in complete control.

But when her eyes landed on you, her gaze stuck.

She raised an eyebrow. The smile was widened and surprised.

“Armani?” She asked, looking you up and down through perfectly curled lashes.

You just smiled—a small, elegant smile.

“The Governor demands excellence, doesn’t she?” you replied lightly, tilting your head just a little.

Oh God.

And how she did.

You were wearing the dress she bought. You smelled of white leather and vanilla—Cuir Béluga, the scent Agatha had insisted on.

And it made you feel so… deliciously owned.

That was it.

It wasn’t just a dress, a perfume, or a stupid phone.

It was the bitter, sweet taste of belonging to someone—without her ever having said it aloud. Every detail about you had passed the scrutiny of her cold, exacting gaze.

In some sick, twisted way, that turned you on and made you feel all gross down there.

You were being seen by her.

Woven for her.

And there was something deeply fucked up about it.

The dress cost more than you had in your bank account. The perfume was a luxury you hadn’t even heard of a week ago. But you wore both like a second skin—like silk and vanilla instructions. 

As if daring Agatha to look again and to want more you, to control more you.

You wanted her attention.

All of it.

Exclusively.

You wanted her to see you as something no one else was allowed to touch. 

A private piece of art.

And that feeling…

It was twisted.

Obsessive.

Pure fascination.

You wanted to be the most beautiful object in the room—the most dangerous, too.

And you wanted Agatha to know it to suffer for it. Because if you couldn’t happen, then let her burn wanting it.

Jennifer let out a low laugh. “Well, darling… looks like you understood the briefing better than most people here.”

You noticed the glances starting to turn your way. You were being watched, but for the first time, not like some invisible intern.

You were a mystery.

A woman who smelled like leather, dressed in luxury, with something in her eyes no one there could quite decode.

Jennifer showed you off.

Paraded you from table to table as her “latest secret weapon.” You smiled as you should—polished, poised.

But inside, everything in you was pulsing. 

Burning.

With each new introduction, you scanned the room with sharp eyes.

You spotted Steve Rogers with his blonde wife and kids, looking like an ad for family values. Bruce Banner was deep in debate with a pharmaceutical executive.

White, rich and straight men. 

Too secure in their roles, too trapped in their egos to notice the fire you were barely containing.

But then...

You saw her.

Agatha.

The world slowed down for a second, like in those stupid romance films you used to mock.

Now here you were, wearing an expression that probably made you look like some obsessed lunatic.

Which, well, you were when it came to her.

She walked through the ballroom like she owned it. Like the chandeliers, the Persian rug, the crystal flutes had been placed there solely to reflect her presence.

Dressed to kill.

All in black. A perfectly tailored suit hugged her waist with surgical precision. A deep V neckline called your name. Heels sharp and high, striking the marble like threats.

God.

You were salivating.  

How could you not?

She looked like a damn panther entering the room. Cold, dangerous, fully in control and yet hers were the hungriest eyes of the night.

For a second, you forgot where you were.

Forgot who you were.

You wanted to cross the room like a bomb made of desire and tear off that suit with your teeth.

Fall to your knees right there. But you held yourself back.

Of course you did.

Because you were nothing.

But the strange thing was... you didn’t seem like nothing to her.

To her, you looked like a problem.

A mystery.

A secret made to be unraveled, layer by layer, by the right hands.

And there was only one person in that entire room with hands capable of undressing you without touching you.

Your eyes met for just one second.

And she stopped walking.

The only thing the two of you did was look.

But it was enough to set the ground between you on fire.

She smiled.

Barely.

Only with her lips.

Just for you.

You smiled back.

And the world started spinning again.

Slower.

Hotter.

You didn’t know if she wanted to punish you for being this beautiful… Or if she wanted to reward you.

But you knew one thing: She was coming.

And you were no longer in control of your body.

Your legs trembled in those heels, barely holding you up. Your clit throbbed with a growing pulse that made you moan softly, pressing your thighs together.

Alcohol.

You needed something strong.

Agatha drew nearer, like a gravitational force. Greeting everyone in her path with that voice that always sounded like she knew more than anyone else.

You felt the air disappear from your lungs. The whole time, people spoke to her.

She smiled. Nodded.

But her eyes—that impossible blue-green—stayed on you. Rubbing over every inch of your exposed skin with a gaze only she possessed.

You tried to keep your smile, trying not to bite your lip. But the heat inside you was so intense, you were sure you were sweating in a refrigerated ballroom.

And then, the spell broke.

Tony Stark appeared. Of course he did. One of the major investors. The mayor of Seattle. A whirlwind of energy and charm with a stupidly perfect quiff.

Bourbon in one hand, arrogance in the other.

“There she is! Our future governor!” He announced, like she was an old friend or a fucking trophy.

Before you could blink, he had already grabbed her arm, pulling her away, speaking too loud, laughing too loud. Effortlessly placing himself between her and you.

Agatha hesitated, for a split second. A single misstep in her heel.

And looked back.

At you.

You met her eyes, clearly hating this.

But fuck…

Who were you to feel anything toward her?

A nothing. Right?

And yet… Something in her eyes said she didn’t want to go.

But it was.

Because she too was a prisoner of her own name, her own image. 

And you? A forbidden distraction.

You turned, still trembling, and walked to the bar like someone fleeing a fire.

“A Black Rose.” You said to the bartender, who nodded.

The glass was placed in front of you with a soft, elegant clink. A faint aroma of bourbon and cognac into the air before you even took the first sip.

You were just about to bring the drink to your lips when a soft voice, low and absurdly self-assured, appeared at your side:

“A rose for a rose.”

You turned.

Rio Vidal, President of the Chamber.

Fuck.

She was stunning.

Beautiful in a way that felt dangerous. Like those carnivorous flowers that lure you in with scent and kill with a touch.

Her skin looked like polished gold and satiny.

Her eyes were large, brown, lined in sharp black that accentuated both her cutting intelligence and the elegant boredom of someone who’d seen too much to be impressed by anything here.

But there was curiosity in them.

Directed at you.

Rio looked at you like she was trying to figure out what exactly Jennifer Barkley had dug up. Or maybe… what Agatha Harkness had chosen.

You tried to hold your posture. Held the glass delicately, like nothing was out of place inside you. 

But it was, everything was.

She leaned in, wearing a red two-piece suit that looked straight out of Vogue. Young, powerful, connected and, apparently, very interested.

“So you’re Barkley’s newest secret weapon,” she said, not smiling, but her voice was laced with an irony that flirted with charm. “I confess I expected something a bit more… institutional. Less Armani, more H&M.”

You raised an eyebrow. “And I expected the top seats in office to be less… cinematic.”

She laughed. A short laugh, but real. And she stayed there… watching you, for a long moment.

You felt the heat rise up your neck. Her gaze wasn’t like Agatha’s. There was no restraint, no judgment. It was ravenous. Rio was deciding whether she wanted to play with you.

And all signs pointed to yes.

But before she could toss another quip, a short woman with her hair in a low bun approached and whispered something in her ear, and Rio nodded.

“It’s good to see young women like you claiming your space,” she said. “Welcome, darling. Enjoy the party.”

She picked up her drink, raised it slightly in parting, and walked away.

My god…

Do all these women really have to be so hot and powerful?

You downed the rest of the Black Rose in one gulp. The flavor burned your throat. A burn that didn’t match what was happening inside you.

You were dizzy, but not just from the alcohol.

It was something deeper.

More dangerous.

A volatile mix of desire, resentment, and fear of drowning in this world of perfect women—rich, confident, high-ranking, full of secrets and sharp teeth behind charming smiles.

The music softened. The lights shifted. Movement on stage, a mic being tapped.

The host stepped up, began speaking, listing names, parties, polite thank-yous.

You didn’t hear any of it.

You were too busy staring into the bottom of your empty glass, feeling your lipstick wear off your lips.

Another drink appeared and you didn't needed asked for this one this time. Some men started giving speeches—the usual kind.

Talks of progress and family, national pride and moral duty, all the crap you’d heard your whole life in a hundred different tailored-suit variations.

Steve Rogers stepped up. A monument to outdated masculinity. He was applauded, loudly.

You didn’t clap, of course.

You were too busy trying not to think. Trying not to look.

Banner came next. Softer, more measured. Still cut from the same cloth. You were halfway through your second drink, and your legs were starting to tingle.

And then…

Agatha Harkness was announced.

And the world seemed to hold its breath.

You couldn’t describe it, not even drunk. Because alcohol strips the filters away and leaves only truth, raw and glittering—like the subtle, dangerous stones on her necklace.

She walked onstage like someone stepping into her own empire. Steady, deliberate steps.

The room fell completely silent. Every eye turned to her and she looked at no one. She simply walked to the center, as if she were the center.

Someone adjusted the mic, and when she spoke… oh God...

“We live in a state that likes to pretend it’s progressive. That boasts its indie coffee shops, electric bikes, its eco friendly façade. But the truth… the real truth… is that our young people are still dying from lack of perspective. Single mothers are still choosing between diapers and rent, and our elected officials…”

A brief, lethal pause.

“…still treat people like statistics.”

A heavy silence followed, but she held it.

Because Agatha knew: silence is also oratory.

“I don’t want to be just another photograph on the governor’s wall. I want to be the woman who pushed until the broken structure finally gave way. I want to build new pillars where the people who hold up the foundation: women, immigrants, the youth, are heard and respected.”

Agatha wasn’t just being heard, she was being listened to. Every comma that left her lips had the room spellbound. Lips you desperately wanted to taste again.

“I’m not here to maintain old deals. I’m here to break obsolete contracts.”

Her hands gripped the sides of the podium. Her eyes glinted, and it wasn’t just the lights.

It was real emotion. Righteous anger. A beauty born of fire within, not the outline without.

It felt like she was speaking to you, like each word was being sewn beneath your skin. Each sentence, a tug between your thighs.

A shiver in your chest, your throat dry. You gripped your glass like it was the only thing keeping you from imploding.

She was brilliant.

And fuck, how you hated her for it.

For making you feel this way. Small, turned on, useless and completely undone.

“They’ll say I’m radical, dangerous and maybe I am. But only to those who’ve profited from the suffering of others. To them, I am a real threat.”

Applause.

Not polite. Not obligatory. It was real. It started slow, then swelled. People rose to their feet, clapping like their hearts were in their hands.

You didn’t clap.

You were trembling.

Because in that packed ballroom, on your second drink—maybe third, in your expensive dress and that suffocating perfume that she’d probably chosen with you in mind… there was one feeling stronger than all the rest.

Lust.

Lust for her.

For that woman who spoke from the gut and still managed to be impossibly elegant.

Who called you foolish over text and now had a room full of grown adults drooling in admiration. Who could destroy a government—or destroy you.

You wanted to kneel.

But instead, you drank. Again. Until the ice hit the bottom.

How dare she?

How dare she be so smart, so beautiful, so right? And still so fucking untouchable and admirable.

You were wrong.

Agatha Harkness is a big deal.

The music was absurdly refined soft strings, a melancholy oboe. The kind of thing that sticks in your ears like perfume on a designer shirt collar.

You rolled your eyes.

Rich people parties suck, the phrase echoed like a mantra, trying to mask what you really felt.

You turned your gaze toward the dance floor and your heart twisted.

Agatha.

Dancing.

With Tony Stark.

His hands were on her hips. Too low to be respectful, too natural to be accidental.

The way he laughed near her ear, like he knew every secret hidden behind that dark lipstick. The way she smiled back—subtle, professional, almost automatic… and yet, she smiled.

Something caught in your throat, a lump that wasn’t physical.

It was wounded pride.

It was jealousy.

It was a sharp sting of rage that didn’t have a name.

You tried to focus on your drink, but you couldn’t. Your eyes kept drifting back, always to her.

And her?

She was spinning.

Black suit, deep neckline, hair streaked with light that framed her face, as strong and unreadable as the self-control she pretended to have.

You knew Agatha well enough from a handful of messages, from a few searing seconds…

You knew she wasn’t comfortable.

Not with Stark.

But she was good at pretending. Too good. Like a woman who could smile through her own funeral.

And that only made you want her more.

You imagined being in his place. Your hands on her hips. Your voice, low and filthy, in her ear, making her lose control.

Your clit throbbed again.

Fuck.

You downed your drink in one go, the alcohol burning your throat reminding at your place—a nothing. But a nothing with a body, with a fucking need.

But you refused.

Slamming the glass on the table, you stood too quickly, feeling the alcohol rush through your veins.

You needed air.

From this. From everything. From her.

You shoved the glass door open too hard, nearly stumbling on your heels as you stepped outside.

The cool air slapped you across the face, but it wasn’t enough.

Not the wind, not the silence, not even the solitude of the small terrace wrapped in warm lights could rip Agatha out of you.

You leaned on the railing, hands trembling.

You had promised.

Promised it would mean nothing. Promised to keep your distance. To stay professional. To keep your dignity.

And yet, here you were.

Drunk on whiskey, on jealousy, on want.

Your mind spinning with images of her dancing with that fucking Stark. His hands, her smile, that look... What the hell kind of look was that?

You bit your lower lip until it almost bled and you hated yourself for feeling so much.

For not being cold like her.

For needing her to see you.

Then you heard it—footsteps. Slow and steady.

She stopped a few paces behind you. The sound of heels ceased, but you didn’t turn.

“Enjoying the view?” Her voice sliced the air like silk wrapped around a blade.

You closed your eyes for a second, feeling the breeze. “I thought you were busy.”

“I was,” she replied, light, almost cynical. “But you vanished. You looked so unsteady.”

You laughed, dry and humorless.

Silence.

She took another step, but you still didn’t look.

The woman was behind you now, close enough that her body heat seeped through the fabric of your dress into your skin.

“How observant,” you replied, still facing away. “But don’t worry, Governor. I’m not your problem. Never was.”

The silence between you turned heavy, thick with everything unsaid.

You turned slightly, finally facing her. She looked perfect, as always.

Rebellious hair, tailored suit that fit like a weapon. But her eyes—her eyes were hard.

Furious.

“Don’t play the martyr with me,” she said, voice low and measured. “You’re my responsibility now. Whether you like it or not.”

You let out a short, sarcastic laugh and stepped closer.

“Oh yeah?” You spat the words like venom. “Your responsibility? Tell me, Agatha! Is that how you take care of what’s yours? Twirling around with some billionaire like a desperate debutante?”

Her jaw clenched.

You hit a nerve.

“That’s none of your concern.”

“Isn’t it?” You pushed further, your blood boiling. “Because it sure as hell feels like it. Like everything between us is a goddamn minefield.”

She narrowed her eyes, like she was barely holding herself together.

“You think this is easy for me?” she whispered, voice taut with tension. “You think I don’t see it? That I don’t feel it?”

You felt it too, and it was overwhelming.

“Then why the fuck do you run?” You snapped, voice cracking, eyes glossing.

Agatha didn’t move.

The warm light of the terrace bathed her face as if the universe had paused, waiting for her answer.

She blinked. Just once, but it was enough.

You saw it.

The wall, that one built with steel and silence—had cracked.

“Because I have to,” she said and her voice wasn’t cold anymore. It was flesh. It was soul. “Because if I don’t pull back... this will become a real problem. And then I’ll ruin us. I’ll ruin you.”

How could you tell her that was exactly what you wanted?

To be hers.

You scoffed under your breath, eyes darting away.

“You can dance with him, but not with me.” Your voice came out wounded, bitter.

Agatha rolled her eyes, exhaustion and nerves painting every line of her face. 

“God... you’re drunk. Completely unhinged.”

Maybe you were. Maybe not.

But right now, you didn’t care.

Ignoring the warning, you stepped forward.

And again.

Until you were so close, the air between you turned electric.

Without asking you wrapped your arms around her neck, pressing yourself into her with reckless need.

“Don’t you think I’m pretty anymore, Governor?” You rubbed against her like a bitch in heat.

Desperate.

Not sure if it was lust or liquor driving you.

“Step away,” Agatha said. But she didn’t move. Her voice came out low, hoarse, like every word burned her throat.“You promised.”

It was almost a plea. 

Almost a warning.

You rested your forehead on her shoulder, lips brushing the heat of her neck. 

“I did promise,” you whispered, voice shaky. “But you were so good up there…”

Your lips grazed her skin again, and both of you shivered.

“You deserve it, Governor,” you kissed her neck, begging. “Just for tonight…”

And that’s when she broke.

Agatha growled like a wounded animal, like she was fighting something bigger than herself.

Suddenly, she grabbed your arm and started walking. You barely kept up, heels catching as you stumbled after her, unsure if you were about to fight or sin.

The elevator felt like a forbidden shrine when the doors closed behind you.

Inside, you kept going.

You pressed into her, needy, ravenous—mouth chasing any patch of skin—while her fingers dug into your hips.

“Behave.” She growled through gritted teeth, trying to hold herself together.

But you could feel it, she was melting.

Then, the ding of the elevator.

The room.

The door barely closed.

Agatha pinned you against it with her whole body. Her scent was a spell. Her heat, a fever.

You panted, unsure where fear ended and relief began. She gripped the back of your neck, holding you still, her eyes burning.

“Just tonight.” She said against your mouth.

And then she took you.

Like someone claiming a secret.

Like someone kissing ruin and tasting salvation.

~*~

Welcome to the Hypocritical World of Agatha Harkness! And I'm sorry... Please, Saturday is right there 🙂

Tag List <3

@vyvvycg @rosekjsses @3liyuh @indentity0018 @beggingonmykneesforher @reginassecretlover @trying-to-do-good @imjustvibingsworld @mbxoxo @jazzyxqlz @eternallyconfuzed @ctrlaltedits @sheriffhaughtearp @lesbiansweet @i-luv-w1men @htinha157 @syssmin @wandasslut3000 @fuzzygiantlamphorse @imaginaryblogger01 @aboutcustardcreams @upsidedowndanvers @starbucks-06 @absolute-memegarbage @trinity2k @greyella @angel-kitten-babygirl-u-choose @whitelotus00 @dandelions4us @creaturesaphique @warpdrive-witch @sweetmidnights @dingdongthetail @mommy-mommy-mommy-hi @milfovers4 @jaylie-bee @holystrangersalad @chlondykebar @natashashill @harknessshi @whoreforolderfictionalwomen @ahintofchaos @lowlyjelly @xblinkx2

[themeraldee]

thinking about posts now and i can see it already

‘what people think dating the worlds strongest superhero is like:

*insert picture from a valentines photoshoot of you kissing him on the cheek as he holds you in one arm while balancing a car on his finger* kinda like this

what it’s really like:

*swipe to the next slide which is a video you took on your phone of him holding up the couch that you lost an earring under and while you’re looking for it, you step on the remote by accident and the tv volume unmutes and goes all the way up, overwhelming and catching homie off guard so his instinct is to throw the fucking couch at it and it is one of your fav videos ever*’

“don’t post that.”

“i’m gonna text ashley and see if pr will let me.”

“what? no—“

“she said yes.”

😊

all the comments laughing and news outlets eat it up since the public loves when his goofy side makes a rare appearance 💕

i love daydreaming about him sigh

LMAO YESSSSSSSSS omg thank u for feeding me

I LOVE THIS! I love whenever his powers come out so this is double awesome 😂 all the little snippet of their day to day would be so fun to post!

Also I love the idea of that valentine's photoshoot!!! I mean it'd be very empty and corporate and all but still, the image sounds pretty cute.

So I have planned for one of my fics to explore reader dealing with the public's opinion of her. And it makes me think of all the tweets about her that won't be very nice, all of those 'it should've been me' and 'she's not worthy' etc... And I just feel like Homie would really struggle not blowing up twitter HQ 😂 (he'd be doing us a favour sorry not sorry)

also sorry 🫣 the freak in me is thinking of her allowing some Q&A questions that they then spend the evening answering and posting about and you knoooooooow people will ask all sorts of shit about their romantic & sex life. Like 'how are u even alive girl??' and obvs they wouldn't post it bcs duh, his image is meant to be squeaky clean and all but I know the tumblr/twitter thirst posting in their universe is MAD. now they have a person they can ask all the questions they've always wanted an answer to 😂

[linkons-most-wanted]

Hey! I absolutely love your character analysis of the boys, and as an (extreme) Sylus bias myself, I really had to binge read your whole blog 😅

You can feel free to ignore this if you're uncomfortable or just don't want to answer it— there's a lot of bl shipping going around, and as a closeted fujoshi myself, I wanted to know who you think, among all five boys, are more compatible with each other personality-wise and such...

Sylus and Zayne seem to be a very obvious and unproblematic fit, a very calm and mature relationship there. Zayne and Caleb have the childhood-friends to lovers thing going on, or I suppose rivals to lovers is more fitting. Rafayel and Sylus is starting to sound a little chaotic, even though ENTJ x ENTP is kind of popular? 😂

Aw thank you!! 🥹

And ooooh that's such a good question! I'm not the most familiar with BL tropes, though I do write a good bit of original MM and in a Why Choose I always want those swords crossing, lmao 🤣

I do love the idea of Zayne and Caleb sort of fighting over MC for so long as rivals that they don't realize they're falling for each other (until they do)--it's giving Challengers

Raf x Sylus sounds WAY too chaotic 🤣 Mostly because I don't think Sylus would stand for Rafayel's whining, and while Raf's asking for a brat tamer, he'd want to be indulged more than Sylus would do, I think. (Indulged in a pat-pat that sounds very hard kind of way, specifically.) Raf would also hate sharing the spotlight when Sylus is up to his mischief.

From the brat tamer angle, Zayne x Raf would actually be really cute, and Zayne would def need to be reminding Raf to eat and sleep and not just be painting all the time. He'd indulge Raf enough, but also put his foot down. And then when things get going? That is a PASSIONATE pairing.

I don't want to neglect Xavier, though it always takes me the longest to get my head around him. 🤔 I could see him happily indulging Raf and being his "bodyguard", hehe. Xavier x Sylus might be a dark horse--Sylus likes a capable Hunter, Xavier's a bit of a puzzle to unravel, Sylus would love the possessiveness, and things would get FREAKY. Could be a very good time. And you can even get some of the mutual destruction in there with them being rivals, both with powerful Evols, one light one dark, always trying to figure out who's the strongest, who's actually on top... it works. 🫦

I'll report back if I have any other thoughts. ���

[cha-melodius]

20 Fanfic Author Questions

Hello! I emerge from the desert and return to civilization (and am no longer responsible for 10 undergrads lol). Thanks for the tag on this one @loki-is-my-kink-awakening!

ETA: I thought I remembered doing this one and I did, here, about a year ago. Interesting what has and hasn't changed. Why are some of my answers almost verbatim even though I didn't look at this before. 😂 Oh well.

1. How many works on AO3?

136.

2. Total AO3 Word Count?

1,576,928

3. Top 5 fics by Kudos

(these are all RWRB, surprise surprise) Please Don't Let Me Be So Understood Nova, Baby Class(room) Warfare All the Old Showstoppers  Always Where I Need To Be

4. What fandoms do you write for?

Red, White and Royal Blue

Loki

The Man from UNCLE

5. Do you respond to comments?

I mostly respond to comments when I'm publishing a long multichap, so I can chat with people about the fic. I'd love to respond to all the rest and in my head I say I'm absolutely gonna do it someday, but... I have a backlog of about 4k unanswered comments lmao.

6. Angstiest Ending?

Black Moon (TMFU, Napollya) @heytheredeann recently reminded me that this is actually kind of an unhappy ending. More like... it's an open ending and the unhappy ending is implied by circumstances lol. But I think it's also my angstiest because of those circumstances.

7. Fic with the Happiest Ending?

This is nearly impossible to answer because so many of my fics go for maximum fluff at the end. But really any of my long multichaps because I feel like the endings are more fleshed out/we see an epilogue of them happily together in the future.

8. Do you get hate?

I've gotten my share of unkind comments, but I don't think any of them would classify as hate.

9. Do you write smut?

Yes, though I don't really consider myself a smut writer. I don't do PWPs (no judgement to those who do! just not my jam).

10. Do you write crossovers?

I have in the past, though not for quite a long time. I think they're fun, but the audience on them is very narrow.

11. Ever had a fic stolen?

There was that weird 'audible for fanfic' website not that long ago that was ripping off fics and putting them up, and I had at least one on there. Side note they made these horrible AI covers for them and I kinda wish I'd screenshotted mine before it got taken down because it was so absurd.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, a handful of TMFU fics, and @donghaian has translated 12 of my RWRB fics into Mandarin!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

Nope. @cricketnationrise and I have fic that's been all planned out but we've not gotten around to trying to write it.

14. All time favourite ship?

UGH IMPOSSIBLE. I refuse to answer lmao.

15. WIPs you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

If I want to finish it, I will. The things I won't finish are fics that I started and then either drifted away from the fandom or decided I didn't like it that much.

16. Writing strengths?

Action, dialogue (especially banter), plot. I've been told that my fics play out like movies in people's heads, which is an incredible compliment.

17. Writing Weaknesses?

Lyricism? Idk how to put it. I think my writing is more utilitarian than beautiful.

18. Thoughts on mixed language dialogue?

Sure! If it's more than a few words I like to see a translation somewhere, though. Unless the POV character isn't supposed to understand!

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Xena: Warrior Princess. Er... 28 years ago lol.

20. Favourite fic you’ve ever written?

UGH AGAIN. You're asking me to choose my favorite child! How am I supposed to pick?

Ok, it's Body and Soul(mate). 😂

No pressure tags @pippinoftheshire, @justabigoldnerd, @cricketnationrise, @welcometololaland, @alasse9, @caterpills, @heytheredeann, @rmd-writes, @too-young-to-fall-in-love, @faketrex, @anincompletelist, @read-and-write-, @porcelainmortal, @sparklepocalypse, @blueeyedgrlwrites, @eusuntgratie, @ninzied, @firenati0n, @indestructibleheart, @inexplicablymine, @sherryvalli, @liminalmemories21, @kiwiana-writes, @iboatedhere, @thesleepyskipper, @noahreids, @tintagel-or-cockleshells, @leaves-of-laurelin, @14carrotghoul, @orchidscript, @clottedcreamfudge, @three-drink-amy

[bitethedevil]

I know you love to deep dive, and there's a silly thought I can't get out of my head. Does Raphael wear socks? 😂 We see in Haarlep's interaction that he has clawed feet. How many socks is this man putting holes through if he does?

that’s…that’s an excellent question. I don’t like the thought of any of the answers I’ve come up with…

???

??????

????!!

And finally: no socks. which for some reason is the worst option for me. Imagine the foot sweat in those boots of his.

(Thank you for the ask <3 I did not like thinking about this, anon. lmao.)

[slaaverin]

Hey Slavv

you’re video edit was wonderful, thank you for sharing it with us

I just wondered what you thought about the episode as a whole? Did the baby conversation make you take pause? I hope they are able to stay together despite not being able to be parents in the future.

Ohh thank you so much 💜

This question is quite hard for me to answer properly.

First of all, I really loved it. I had a very peculiar and quite strong reaction to it. I'll try to put it in words the best I can.

I'll start with a simple thing: in my 7 years of being a jikooker, that is all I ever wanted to see from them.

Being relaxed, happy, joyous, authentic, confortable.

So this felt like some kind of apoteose. Everything came full circle. For them & for me.

When you think about it, nothing really happened in this episode, they were doing the most mundane things, but there was this vibe of the most comfort, the most warmth, the most quiet and simple love, that my heart was deeply touched by it and after it hit me I really had no words to describe the feeling I had. It's deep stuff lol

Somehow they always exceed my expectations. I'm not those people who say "I expect nothing so I won't get disappointed". No, I expect things. But not because I want them to do certain stuff, more because I feel I know them sufficiently, and some of their patterns, and I see them within the love umbrella, so it gets easier and easier to predict what they might do or not. How crazy this is that they check absolutely all the boxes everytime and confirm every theory? I'm trying to stay sane of mind over here but no they want me to be the most delulu lol

Of course the ambiance really helped the episode to feel dream-like. And we know how much Japan means to them. JK must have said 384737 times how much he loved it and how happy he was.

Nothing was hanging on their shoulders anymore, no burdens, and I think that's why they were able to enjoy it this much.

It's quite insane when you think about it how fluid this all was. Like nothing felt out of place, conversation flowed easily, they are on the same wavelength about everything, they spoke openly, they had fun and let their inner child play, everything felt SO EASY. Their dynamic is just perfect, no hiccups, it just fits, jives, it clicks.

Now I am wondering how the hell they are not already a human representation of the Cosmic couple because if there is supposed to be a next level to this relationship I can't even imagine what that would look like. How much better can it get? It's so full of love already. Anyway I digress

About the child talk, firstly I was expecting this talk in Sapporo indeed. It was obvious they would at least mention it. So when I saw the scene I was already prepared mentally.

It doesn't make me worry about jikook because I think that if at some point they will want a child, they'll get to have one. Jimin or Jungkook can firstly adopt as a single parent (a bill has been passed about this in Korea recently) and then raise the child together unofficially. Or they can use a surrogate mother from overseas or something. You know they are filthy rich so I think if they REALLY want to, they would find a way.

But JK isn't ready about it yet lmao leave this man alone for now 😂

When and if it is the right time for the both of them there will be solutions so I'm not worried. This moment was really cute 🥰

Who knows what the future holds for them. Many years before we would have never expected to see them even shirtless, we would have not believed we would see their dynamic up this close in a show like this.

Things can evolve quickly. Who knows how things will develop with BTS as well, for how long will they remain a group?

It's true they are getting old, in "idol age".

Who knows how the country will evolve too?

I trust Jimin&Jungkook to make decisions about their future that will benefit them and their relationship. Maybe it will involve a child, maybe not. But I personally don't think they would break up because of this. You can see how precious their relationship is for them.

But only time will tell if I'm right.

Anyway, I could go over all the scenes of this episode and talk about it for hours.

I know this was an ephemeral dream for them this trip, like a time capsule, a bubble of normalcy, where everything is and means suddenly more. There was nothing and everything they needed at the same time. Ahh, so beautiful 🥺

I wish their lives were all the time like this, but it is what it is, they had to come down from the cloud, and face their duty, then it will be their schedule, and things will go back to regular program.

But for now I don't mind losing myself in the dream with them, and float, and pretend everything is the way they want it to be.

"All for your happiness" Jimin said

If they are happy, I am happy.

Let's enjoy those next 2 eps, I think we're in for other surprises.

Thank you for your ask 💜

[king-candybug-backup]

What’s your favorite scene so far? Like not just to write but just in general.

Sad, happy, funny whatever, what’s your all time favorite? :D

OOOOHHHHH MAN. I HAVE AN EXACT SCENE IN MIND, BUT CAN’T SHARE IT YET BECAUSE IT’S IN ONE OF THE LAST CHAPTERS. 😂 I’ll give a very brief overview of what it entails, because I feel like the fact that it happens isn’t exactly a spoiler since it’s kind of inevitable given all of Candybug’s general assholery, though I’ll put it in small text in case people want to gloss over it, but basically *cough cough* Vanellope flips her goddamn lid at King Candy (long overdue and well-deserved ofc lmao) and I just can’t wait to get to that part, she tells him off VERY HARD. My favourite scene for sure. :3 (tbh there’s a lot of emotionally painful shit that comes up in that particular set of chapters that I’m just so unhinged and not normal about lmfao CAN’T WAIT TO HURT YOU GUYS MORE <333)

AS FOR SCENES OF THE ALREADY-COMPLETED CHAPTERS THOUGH, MAN, THAT’S ALSO TOUGH TO DECIDE TBH 😂 Chapter 3 and Chapter 8 have been my favourites overall of the published chapters so far, and a couple of my fave moments from those ones was a) Ralph finding out that Candybug’s still alive and the general fallout from that, and b) Candybug reminiscing to Felix and Vanny that he went through Ralph’s mud pile on purpose before coming inside the penthouse specifically to annoy Gene ghfdsgxdhcfgvhbjnkvgf

I also like these two a lot, idk exactly how to explain why I like the second one tbh, but the first one I just find fun and silly lol: 

“Alright, pipsqueak, what exactly did you mean by Cy-bug-related–” She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the beastly hybrid in front of her.  “Hello there!” King Candy chipperly greeted her, adding on a friendly wave. “Why, aren’t you looking lovely today! Is that a new hairstyle? It suits your character model wonderfully.” “Layin’ it on a little too thick, there.” Vanellope whispered to him, an anxious grin plastered across her face. “Hmm, you think so?” He tapped his chin with one claw, eventually nodding in agreement. “Perhaps the hair comment was a tad much.”

I just like the whole vibe of like…

Vanellope: For the love of mod, please be nice.

Vanellope two minutes later: NOT THAT NICE.

Oh, KCB and his fake-ass bitch energy. 😂

And then this one:

For the longest time, it had been so hard to look at him and see anything aside from Turbo, the monster. The arcade’s personal boogeyman. The bitter, vile, heartless fiend that gleefully stole the lives away from so many people, herself included. But, with each passing day, it was becoming easier and easier to see him as Turbo, the person. Someone with feelings and interests and problems… Oh, so many problems. But still a person, like anybody else in the arcade. If she were being truly honest with herself, she hated it. She hated the dichotomy that came with seeing him in this light. She hated the ways in which she could find sympathy for him despite knowing just how undeserving he was of it. Knowing full well all the wrongs he’s done.  All of it rooted in that one particular wrong so many years ago. That one choice that she had never been able to wrap her head around, no matter how many times she’d heard the story. Now, it was time for her to understand. 

BUT HONESTLY I JUST LOVE THE WHOLE ROADBLASTERS CONFRONTATION IN GENERAL AGHSFDGJVBJNK, I LIKE DOING “NARC CRASH” STUFF WITH KING CANDY, IT MAKES MY BRAIN GO BRRRRRRRRRR

There’s also some fun Calhoun + Candybug interactions coming up eventually, and even though they don’t interact a whole lot as compared to the other characters, I love their stupid dynamic and I’m gonna share this one scene from one of the later chapters of Calhoun completely trolling him because it makes me giggle 😂

They sat in silence for a minute or two longer, Calhoun’s head tilted slightly to the side as she watched the Cy-bug eat. One more question had popped into her mind, and though she already knew the answer, she wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to have a little fun at this bastard’s expense. “So… Haven’t laid any eggs, have you?” King Candy immediately choked on his food, hacking and coughing while he tried, unsuccessfully, to regain whatever sense of composure he had five seconds ago. Turning away to jot something into her notebook (and hide the smirk on her face), she commented, “I’ll take that as a ‘not yet’.” “What do you mean ‘yet’?!” Candy’s distraught voice sputtered back, Calhoun trying very hard to muffle her snickering.

I JUST THINK THE FACT THAT SHE KNOWS WAY MORE ABOUT CY-BUGS THAN THE ACTUAL CY-BUG COULD MAKE FOR SOME VERY SILLY TROLLING SHENANIGANS. 😂

[luxcuriousao3]

Short update about the fics that are being worked on/scheduled :)

Btw guys I see all your very sweet anons (mostly ones about König but some others) and I love you for them 💜💜💜 Once I stop hyper focusing on this ghoap torture fic I will get around to answering them lmao. Hopefully we'll see some more not-so-creepy landlord!König (he still has oversee our new dishwasher being installed after all) and there are some more König prompts I've been mulling over. Although I do actually have a question about one of them, so to the person who asked about puppy!König and Oktoberfest--did you mean puppy like personality, puppy hybrid, or puppy play? I'm cool with all of them tbh

Also I appreciate all the renewed love for Mutt (Ghost's Version)! I think that's from finally posting it to AO3 lol. I do really like that piece as a character study--tbh a lot of my reader fics are just excuses to write character studies 😂--and it was fun for me to use all the knowledge I learned about OSDD during my hyperfixation on it from a few years ago to portray Simon/Ghost in it. I may come back to it someday, I'm unsure. Like I said I really love the idea, just haven't thought of any scenes really. Well I have but idk if they'd fit with the characterization. If anyone wants to know feel free to send asks, would love to hear y'all opinions.

Selfish/Cruel: I do plan to write more installments for this series. I just don't know when. Took a while for me to get out Cruel after Selfish so it might be awhile again. Some of y'all have suggested some great ideas and I'm chewing on them.

Price/Reader: working on chapter three. Very excited for this one. It's pretty low angst which is not something I've been historically good at but I think I'm doing a pretty good job pulling it off this time lol.

Unnamed Kyle/Reader fic: 638 words in. I haven't talked about this one much on here so I'm not gonna say anything else cuz spoilers

Leliaverse: Ah my beloved!!! Dove is on another small hiatus (whoops) but it's my magnum opus so y'all never have to worry about it being abandoned lmao. I've never worked so hard on a fic before. Mutter chapter 3 is still collecting dust in my drafts as I try to beat it into submission. But it's fighting back hard. Might just say fuck it and publish it as is lol. Johnny's Bird (which I have not actually posted to tumblr yet so only those who follow me on AO3 will know about) has a mostly written chapter 2 but I still need to figure out the exact direction of where I'm going, and if I'm going to make it short and turn it into just a Ghoap fic, or long and make it Ghoap/Lelia. My unnamed Hunger Games AU (which is König/Lelia/Ghost love triangle that will probably turn into polyamory, and hey, maybe I'll throw in Johnny for funsies, who the fuck knows, not me) which has not been published is up to one and half chapters. Idk if anyone is even interested in that one lmao. My unnamed Regency AU (surprise! It's Price/Lelia, bet you didn't expect that) is mostly plotted out but barely written. Don't think I've actually talked about that one on this blog yet, and idk if anyone would be interested in that either 🤷🏻‍♀️ Aaaand my dead-in-the-water Sleep Token!141 Ghost/Lelia fic exists only in snippets in my Google Docs but mostly in my dreams.

There are various other things I have in my drafts, a combo of Ghoap, Leliaverse, and xReader. If anyone is interested in them, feel free to ask.

(All non-COD related fics are on indefinite hiatus until I wear out this hyperfixation lol.)

[lightlycareless]

Since Naoya dyes his hair, do you think his kids would have some sort of confusion(when they’re of a younger age Ofc) when others around them would say they have their daddy’s hair or do you think maybe for a period of time he’d stop dyeing his hair to match with his kids lol. Idk this is a silly thought 🙈

ahahhHHAHAHAH yessssssss This just gave me all sorts of ideas of how to embarrass Naoya as a dad lmao!! It's you know, mandatory. We've all felt that way once in our life!!

But let's start with one thing first 🤭

I want to say that he’ll grow out of it, but honestly, I don’t think so; that man was 27 and he still dyed his hair lol.

But moving on…

At first, yes. They’re going to be a bit confused as to why his dad has this bright yellow color on his hair, when everyone else’s is dark. But once they surpass that confusion, in true innocent nature, they’re going to be nothing but intrigued by it—and hey! Maybe they’ll say “wow, I want my hair like that too!”

Also, they grew up seeing Gojo, and sometimes Nanami (NOW I WANT TO WRITE HIM MEETING NAOMI someone coerce ME QUICKLY) so unusual hair colors don’t surprise them anymore lol.

But as always, when your children begin to grow aware of their surroundings, start questioning things… is when “issues” with Naoya arise.

In other words, the infamous “second-hand embarrassment” towards their parents.

Now, it’s happening for both you and Naoya no matter what you try to do to avoid it. But as of right now, it’s more onto him because he’s the most obvious out of the two.

I mean, the piercings… the hair—it’s screaming “please drop me off two blocks away from the school entrance so my friends won’t make fun of me.”

What they once thought cool, now they can’t stand the sight of it 😂 and it really, really upsets Naoya.

“Why do you paint your hair, dad…?” Naomi would ask one day, dying to do so for like… years now.

“Because I like it.” Naoya responds. “…why do you ask?”

She twists her lips, as if skeptical of his answer, before shrugging and leaving. He’ll tell you about this interaction later that day, but you don’t have the heart to tell him that Naomi once confided in you that she thought it was a bit… weird, mostly since it’s obvious yellow is not his natural color.

Yet, no matter how much you tried, he still gets to hear about it from someone on the staff and boy, does it finally break his heart.

“You don’t like it?” he asks Naomi one day after picking her up from school.

“…No one else has it.” She eventually admits. “My friends think it’s… funny.”

“Do you think it’s funny?” Naoya insists, Naomi simply looks away; she never liked being put on the spot like that, and the conversation ends soon enough.

He sighs, and all he could think of is:

«It’s already started, isn’t it?»

It’s certainly a long way from the days where Naomi was nothing but enthralled by his appearance, admiring him with those big adorable round eyes of hers as she reaches for one of his strands and pulls at it, as if trying to decipher whether his hair was real, or not—or how she’d do the same for his piercings, gently removing her little hands from them so she wouldn’t hurt him, reminiscing on the day you brought her press-on earrings so she could look like him.

Luckily for Naoya, that’s only one stage of their life, for when they grow a bit older and stop caring about those trivial things, they’d actually being to look up to him for advice on how to dye hair or where to get their ears pierced without having to worry about infections and such; the moment the tables turn and they begin to admire him for his style when he was younger, Naoya feels nothing less than amazing, and a bit cocky too 😂.

“Come on daaaad, tell me!! How did you manage to keep your hair with that tint and without it looking like trash???” Naomi would whine; no other color seems to have stuck the way she wanted it, always washing off after one shower or two. “Like, I remember that you even went on missions, and it would still look good!!”

“Ah, so now you like it? What about the kids that thought it was funny looking?” Naoya teases as if that hadn’t hurt his feelings; Naomi rolls her eyes.

“Ugh, whatever… if you don’t want to tell me I guess I’ll just go with Gojo or something, I’m sure he knows a few places or some—”

“No, wait! Don’t go to him! I’ll tell you all you need to know!!”

Just to name a few interactions hahaha.

But either way, I feel that around… probably late 30s Naoya is going to outgrow the whole hair dyeing thing and just let his hair return to its natural dark color.

Everyone around him will take a while to get used to his new appearance, specifically his kids, since it was always blond for as long as they could remember… but they get used to it soon enough. As for you, though, you’re the one that likes it the most and you make sure to let him know whenever possible—he rewards you appropriately that night, I dare say, Naohime was born out of that lol.

“We finally look like a family.” You’d jest one day—as if all his kids didn’t look exactly like him: dark hair, golden eyes…

If anything, you’re the outcast here 😂

Ngl, I wonder what a much older Naoya would look like; would he still have piercings? Grandpa out there still rocking the blonde hair lmao!!!

Ahhh thank you so much for sending in this ask!! While writing this two ideas came to me on the type of dynamic Naoya would have with his baby when she's all grown up; one of them is sweet, the other one is a bit sad :'( we shall see which one I write first 😏

Once again, thank you so much for sending in this!! I had fun :> Take care, and hope to see you soon!!

[miyagi-hokarate]

Hello💙💙 you are the first lawrusso/kk/cobra kai blog I saw and I wanted to ask you something. Do you or anyone in the fandom know why Ralph didn’t like Billy back in the day (80s) because during multiple comic cons ans interviews Billy jokes about Ralph not picking up the phone or responding to his texts or emails. In a recent interview (end may) he said the same thing. So I was wondering, am I missing something?😂

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGd5cfPAV/

And this one is really sweet where Billy says "I love you, Ralph" and Ralph says it back❤️

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGd5cfPAV/

I wonder what happened on set between them in the 80s😂

Ralph apparently also said (after finishing kk1) "Glad I don't have to see that guy again". But then again during those BTS footage of Ralph and Billy smiling when filming kk1 (tournament scene) they seem so happy and friendly. So idk, am I missing some stuff? Thank you for answering btw😘

Omg happy to have been the first blog in the fandom you saw!! It's always great when there's growing regulars in ask boxes ahfksjfj

Onto your question(s): I had watched the clips you sent me, and it seems pretty clear to me that William Zabka was joking about his and Ralph Macchio's antagonism — especially when he had followed up with the exaggeration of "I'd show up to his house... [and he'd] act like he didn't know me". And while yes, Ralph Macchio had expressed the thought of something along the lines of "Glad I don't have to see that guy again" before in interviews and such (it's even in his book), it's more likely to refer to the fact William Zabka's job on-set was to (pretend) intimidate and beat up Ralph Macchio than any actual tension lmao.

According to the both of them, they had always been friendly and cordial from the beginning — with director John Avildsen wanting them to distance behind the scenes from getting along too well and dampening Daniel and Johnny's mutual dislike and rivalry in the film. While neither had kept much contact over the years following The Karate Kid, it seems far from the truth to believe that there was any real negativity shrouding their relationship during and after shooting the movie.

But again: this is all that's been expressed publicly, in one way or another. Things could be the same or different between the privacy of their lives, but it'd be impossible to tell, nor would it be something we are entitled to know hahaha. While I believe Ralph Macchio are friends, I'm also keenly aware they're both public figures whose jobs are to banter and play off others in a charming, approachable manner.

That being said, the clip of them saying "I love you" to each other is very sweet !! there's this Q&A Ralph Macchio and William Zabka did together recently where the latter told a story about how his daughter considered the former to be part of their family aaaaaaaaah (⁠｡⁠ﾉ⁠ω⁠＼⁠｡⁠)

[remnantofstars]

Okay guess who started to reread your work?? This time not rushing like I used to (haven't finished ofc, I'm in chap 3) Buuut I got to ask, if you can answer and is a world building thing- why didn't to get to the back of Dakota's head? I know you dont follow canon but do you have your own little canon explaination? Oh and I quoted some of the phrases so far:

Gosh, someone cracks their skull and dies once and suddenly asking for a clean neck is impossible. -Dakota, right after dying

Tom: the man with zero chills

“You are not jumping off,” the man said, it sounded more like an order. Which made him want to do the opposite of what the man said. -Me free 😂😂 I cant

Gross, he hadn't been hugged in years. This was weird, he didn’t like it.- proceeds to say exactly that

Every questioned answered with a question in the end- Dakota-Tom relationship be like

Too pale, too wiry, not enough callouses. Not enough scars.- ayo were you in a gang Dakota? (I'm sure I have asked that before)

“Morality is overrated,” Tom says. “Murder is in these days, don't you know that?”- Tom core, but I agree

“Are you mentally unwell?” Tom asks, sounding slightly concerned and also very much disgusted.- 1

Tom sighs. “Great, a mentally unwell dead dimwit, this day just keeps getting better.”- 2 (I will continue to keep count of how many times tom believes Dakota is insane)

"I hate you, I hate this I can't even murder you!" -Tom be like (not a quote but that's what he basically says 😂)

“Death is preferable over your company,” Tom tells him. -AND IM DEAD AFTER THAT

That is the highest praise someone ever told Dakota. NO I WAS WRONG NOW IM DEAD

Denial had always been his strong suit, he once denied reality so hard he managed to forget his entire identity once. - ayo??😂😭😭

Anyone from Dakota's past life would pity Tom- nice friends you got there, but I understand 😭😂 I'm pitying tom too

AAA REREADING? Hehehe I hope you enjoy!!! There is indeed a explenation why Tom's not on Dakota's back of the head. Somethig that will be explained since it's plot relevant, later on. But also I wrote Dakota in such a way that if he did wake up and there was a face on the back of his head he would say lmao no thanks and literally DIP immediatly. He'd throw himself at the first exorcist he'd see. Tom would immediatly kill the vessel etc etc. Dakota in a canonical situation would implode and Tom would have had to find another vessel to be a parasite to.

I'm giggling at these quoets and reactions I forgot how unhinged those chapters were haha. THE DAKOTA GANG ALLEGATIONS ARE BACK AGAIN??? (I think you said mafia last time). Haha gotta let you keep guessing :3

The denial bit was something I actually did once. Or twice. Don't ask. Dakota has some (read almost all) of my features. He's just very honest about it in his own head. He'd never admit to any of this stuff if anyone asked though. What a silly guy.

Pitying Tom together haha, he's having such a hard time poor dude. OH WELL, it won't stop, I think it's funny after all :D

[chdarling]

Hii i love love your works they are truly inspiring! I had a few questions if you don’t mind sharing a bit :)

The way your characters „speak“ and what words they use seems so real and i always wondered how you pinpoint their „personalities“? I love you characterization of Lily especially, she always came across like a real person.

Another question i had how you think of these plots and subplots. Do you have a strategy or any inspiration?

Hi! Thank you so much!

Hmmmm. This is always a hard question for me to answer because most of the time it’s just “idk my brain just did the thing and now I have this imaginary person talking at me” lol.

But there are definitely strategies and techniques I’ve employed over the years to figure out voice and (hopefully) get it right. A big one is to give your characters a defining linguistic trait or habit. For Sirius, it’s cursing. None of the other characters curse as much as Sirius, and on the whole I try to use it somewhat sparingly with other characters so it’s more impactful when they do. Remus curses near the full moon when he’s exhausted and annoyed. James curses in serious scenarios, when he’s upset or scared or whatever. But Sirius curses fluently, happily, and with gusto haha.

For James, he’s a bit more lighthearted/frivolous in his language choices. Lots of play on words and always ending things sort of trailing off with “and all that.”

Lily I genuinely don’t have a good answer, I’m sure I did character work on her at some point but these days she just exists in my head as a fully-formed person so I have no idea how to tease that apart 🙈

Ummmm I’m drawing a blank on the others but i know they have specific tells, I’m just sleepy. 😂

Plots and subplots are I think just the result of my brain constantly playing a game of “yes and” with itself. (By which I am referring to the improv technique and not the Ariana grande song lmao.) Pretty much the entire plot of TLE was born from me having a handful of completely unrelated scenes/headcanons that had lived in my head since my teen years, then putting those random scenes in a timeline and trying to make sense of how one could lead to the other etc. And just like…allowing myself to go a little crazy and be like “ok I want a scene where Lily dresses in a Muggle mini-dress in front of James, why would this happen” and then extrapolating from there. Ok so the scene in which she’s wearing a mini-dress needs to be at least somewhat scandalous to warrant the kind of attention I want it to get from James and others? Why is it scandalous? Maybe it’s scandalous because wizards are super conservative. Ok if wizards are super conservative what does that means in terms of how they view Muggles, specifically Muggle girls? It means they’re constantly slut-shaming them. If they’re constantly slut-shaming Muggle girls, how does that show up in Lily’s plot? She gets accused of being a boyfriend stealer. Etc etc etc. So much of the plot so far has been me working backwards from ideas that won’t happen for many thousands of words yet to come 😂😂😂

I guess my biggest tip is just to make time to be very bored and let your brain roam free. Walking is great for this 😂

[mrs-gauche]

Vows & Vengeance Episode 1

ALRIGHT GUYS! As always, I'm super late to the party (although for once, I actually have a good reason, which is that I'm currently kinda in the middle of renovating my place lol), and while I first listened to the episode on Thursday, I just wanted to let it sink in a bit and listen to it again a few times, to really appreciate all the details. :D So here are a trillion few notes on the first episode (spoiler, I loved it! <3333) and I hope this doesn't sound too jumbled, I haven't had a lot of sleep lately. 😂😂💀💀

- Ok, so my first reaction to the ending was basically: "OH MY GOD NOTHING CAN EVER GO RIGHT", "DAMN THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY" and sobbing for Elio, I guess. lol

- My general thoughts: I loved it!! ❤️❤️❤️ I felt like it was gripping and immersive from the beginning, but also genuinely funny and moving at times! I think this first episode did a good job of setting up the plot, the pacing was good and I'm already invested in the new characters! The sound design and voice acting was top notch (albeit maybe a bit over the top and a little cheesy in a couple of scenes lol) and I absolutely LOVED the little nuggets of the Veilguard soundtrack we got throughout (Zimmer and Balfe confirmed!!). There are a few tiny nitpicks, but overall this was fantastic and correct me if I'm wrong, but I've never heard of a game being marketed with an audio drama before? 😂 But looking at Dragon Age's amazing voice cast (and the fact that they all made us develop a voice kink lmao), this makes so much sense and I need like a hundred more of these in the future. lol

Notes on the episode itself:

- The narrator reminds me so much of the ones in these old anime dubs. I was expecting him to be like "LAST TIME ON DRAGONBALL Z". He got lost in the wrong dragon franchise. lol Really cool voice though!

- I LOOVE how it starts off with a minute of just the ambient sounds, chatters and music of the tavern, to really get that immersion, as if you just walked into this place yourself. - That new rendition of "Oh Grey Warden" hit me in the feels ngl.. ;-;

- Nadia just walking it and poisoning Olen to get answers was such a badass introduction to our main character! - I like how the narrative is neatly tied together by making this a retelling of what happened, starting off with loads of questions and by the end we're back in the present again.

- Nadia and Elio are so sweet nawww <3333 - Those sounds of Elio waking Nadia up were straight up ASMR. lol - The tune that's playing in the back here is sooo nice, I wonder if it's part of the new Love theme or something. 🥹❤️

- A sort of forbidden love between Liberati and Altus, oh this better end f*cking well!! 💀💀💀 - Well, that birthday got cancelled REAL fast. lol - I get Nadia's outbreak, but DAMN, she went OFF on him from like 0 to 100 in a heartbeat. lmao I guess something was bottling up for quite some time. - "I'm sorry" Oh no. I notice a certain pattern. *sob* - Again, that track that's playing here, wooow. Goosebumps! It's a super tragic rendition of the main theme. I just know this one's gonna hit so hard whenever that plays in Veilguard. 😭

- I wonder if the docks here are the same we've seen in screenshots. :3 - The soundtrack that's playing here reminds me SO MUCH of Unravel (one of my favorite tracks in recent years! <3333) - I like Nadia and Vik's dynamic. Super authentic. :D

- Nadia's reaction to the gold and then "TRIPLE the bag for delivery??" Yeah, Solas truly is the richest apostate hobo in all of Thedas. Those vaults from Trespasser come in handy now. Good thing the currency of old Elvhenan is apparently still valid. lol - Solas' quest of collecting every ancient powerful artifact continues. - Isn't this like the second time now that Solas indirectly hired someone to break into the Archives? lol They really need to improve that security. (Watch there being a quest in Veilguard where you have to break in there again, but it's impossible due to the amounts of guards now and Solas is like "Yeah, that might be my fault, sorry." lol)

- Super random thought, but judging by the sound design, there's gotta be lots of chickens running around in the streets of Minrathous. lol - NEVE!! <3333 (I'm sorry to anyone who had the wildest conspiracy theories about that teaser image and was expecting someone else. lmao) - So, wait. Does that mean Solas also anticipated Neve to talk to Elio? Or maybe someone else was supposed to do that but Neve got there first? lol

- Nadia and Vik have got to be the noisiest thieves I've ever heard. LMAO HOW did you manage to steal anything until now?? 💀💀💀 - I love how you keep hearing Vik laughing in the distance while distracting the guards. lol

- I wonder if all the turmoil could have been avoided if they just informed Elio about his ancestor's connection to the Eye and the Venatori from the get go. I guess he needed that push of knowing to never be able to return to his life in Tevinter to go along with it, but.. *sigh* poor Elio. - "I trust you." UHGGHH We were on the right track there. 😭😭 - That music AGAIN?? Chilllls!! - Nadia just casually destroying hundreds of years worth of relics. Love it. lol - "FLAME BLAST!!" Oh, this is so anime. lmaoo - Elio going from "WE'RE NOT DOING THIS" to fully enjoying beating up templars and go full criminal in a matter of seconds as soon as he sees his girl in her element. He loves her so much. <33

- "Who's the hat?" lol - That groan after the Dread Wolf name drop? Yeah, that was actually me. lmao - So, I assume this also ties in with Neve already knowing about Solas and his shenanigans in Minrathous when she met Varric in The Missing. Maybe it was this very incident that Neve was talking about? - Noooo, Vik!! 😭😭 (I knew you for like five minutes, but you made in impact. lol) - Sooo... I take it these "assassins" were actually Venatori, since they were the ones going after the Eye in the first place? Or am I stupid now? - "The eye went boom!" Love that delivery. lol - "She's trying to freeze the bay!" Yeah, Neve just DID that. What a boss. - "An elf with a fancy tongue." Oh, I know who THAT is. lmao

- "Me and you." 😭😭😭😭 You two are killing me. - That motif AGAIN. 😭😭😭😭😭 - Oh, for fuck's SAKE. Solas really always has the best flippin timing. They're all sweet and loving and here goes our disaster man "I'm about to ruin this couple's day so good." 💀💀💀 It's her BIRTHDAY, dammit!! - "Ominous looking chap in the road" lmao All I could think of there was THIS (for anyone who gets the reference LMAO)

- How is it that I knew he would appear in this episode from the teaser, and yet I still freaked out so hard. lmaoo After such a long time, it's like any second of new Solas content makes my heart skip a beat (or several). 😭😭 I still can't believe we're getting all this. 🥹

- Look, I may be a Solasmancer and have my biases, but godDAMN.. GDL is so good. HE IS SO GOOD. That Welsh accent. That rolling lilt. A voice like velvet that can be both so smooth and so sharp. There is just something about his performance that has you on the edge of your seat every time he's talking and I looove these little moments when you can so clearly hear that cheeky little smile in his voice. 💜

And it's so nice to hear him talk so calmly (well, at first at least lol) and kinda playful again, opposed to how super anxious he sounds at the beginning of Veilguard. 🥺 It's kinda interesting to compare this performance with DAI now, because now he's fully embracing the Dread Wolf role, and I keep thinking this is him after being isolated for the past ten years. ;-;

- Anway, so Nadia "unknowingly employed by the Dread Wolf" gets her pay from Richie Rich and girl, that would've been the moment to LEAVE. *sob* - "What other choice do we have?" Well, I dunno, RUN?? lmao - *chuckles* "I will demonstrate." Alright, I'm dead. Why did you say it like THAT? T_____T - Hearing Solas talk in elven after so long.. Dead again. Overkill. And yes, he's saying the exact same thing he said to Sera once. No, we don't know what it means. lol Maybe Sera IS actually an ancient magical artifact and he tried to trigger.. something. lol - That whole flippin dialogue. Solas please stop talking like an old witch trying to lure her prey into her lair. 💀 - "I do not play games." *screaming* - Honestly, I was like "NOOO WHY would you GO with himmm" but then I remembered, SHIT I WOULD FOLLOW HIM ANYWHERE. Hell, I *HAVE* followed him anywhere. To Hell and back. 💀💀💀💀💀 - Solas' persuasion game is at maximum at all times.

- "Energy is neither dark nor light." Speak for yourself, Trickster God of In Between. - "It is the Fade. The Veil is fragile here."

- Solas finally gets to answer questions again, but Nadia is rude about it. 😂 Solas slightly approves AND disapproves. lol - "Kindly remove your blade from my neck."

- Those damn Venatori at it AGAIN with their hunt for magical McGuffins. After TN and the Missing, I'm starting to believe that is all Solas did in the last ten years, snatching one deadly toy out of the their hands after another. lmao - "And it is up to me to ensure we arrive at the best possible outcome." Oh, we're so doomed. - "You're sharper than you let on." Here we go again with the backhanded compliments. lol Ohhh, how I missed it.

"Some people confuse a reckoning as an ending." "I seek... regeneration."

Holy shit. The voice. The long pause. The delivery of that last line. Shivers down my spine. It feels eerie. Like he sounds.. desperate.. and maybe a little.. insane? lmao (That's how you start to talk if you've been separated from your soulmate for ten years 💔💔💔)

Ok look, I've seen a TON of people thinking that, because of the way he says this and him using the word "reckoning" ("For a reckoning that will shake the very heavens"), this HAS to be whatever part he took of Mythal speaking now that has taken over his mind or something. But.. I don't think so? lol

I honestly think this is just Solas who, after a thousand years of preparing to "heal" the world again that he broke, even after admitting to himself that this world and its people are in fact real and he has to destroy it, is SO close to getting there now and there's NO ONE who could possibly understand him or how he truly feels or what any of this or the Blights/Titans/spirits/gods/Veil even truly ARE, so no WONDER he sounds a little f*cking unhinged. 💀💀💀

The choice of words is very interesting though.. "Regeneration" is not something he has ever used, BUT it immediately made me think of the line "But still, some hope remains for restoration" in Trespasser. This is what google tells me:

Regeneration represents a form of upgrade from restoration. If restoration means “to make something well again,” regeneration, for some authors, means “to make it better” than a (supposed) origin condition.

Regeneration: "a renewal or restoration of a body, bodily part, or biological system (such as a forest) after injury or as a normal process/ or a spiritual renewal or revival"

You know.. if I read "restoration of a bodily part or biological system", you know what's the first thing that comes to my mind yet AGAIN.

Look, that Titan's body is SPLIT IN HALF and we know that this was kinda the catalyst for everything Solas did back then, so... I'll just leave that here and listen to rest of the episode now. lmaoo

- "And the eye will make us fix that?" "More or less." dksdjjgdkfvlf THE SMILE IN HIS VOICE. What does that even MEAN? What do you MEEEAN, SIR?? I would've RUN out of that cave SO flippin FAST. - "And you're sure this is safe?" "As safe as we make it." *literally two minutes later* "SOLAS, SOMETHING IS WROOONG!!" This is a goddamn comedy show. lmaoo - "Silence, please." lol at him still being polite. - "This is all to be expected!" *five seconds later* "WE MUST FLEE!" I BUST out laughing. WHY are you such a DISASTER. Nothing EVER goes right and yet you always keep trying, you fool, omg!! - I don't think we have ever heard Solas so distressed. lol Like, not even when Wisdom died or at the beginning of Veilguard. - "Take my hand!" I would've never thought to hear THAT Trespasser line repeated under those circumstances, but here we are. lmaooo - We know Solas is a hopeless romantic, so for him to see that sweet couple torn apart because of him, and him still trying to save Nadia, I'm not ok. - Solas being responsible for Elio getting banished to the Fade and him being trapped there not long after.. Do you believe in karma? 😂 - "I'M SORRY!" WHY DOES IT ALWAYS END WITH HIM SAYING THAT. 😭

- So.. uh... what even WAS the plan, exactly? lol Like, what was supposed to happen?? Maybe they should've asked a few more questions after all. 💀 - That following scene with Nadia all alone. I got chills again. That hit different. ;-;

- "Where can I find this wolf??" Oh, she is about to hunt him down. 😶 "...I'll be back." Nadia in full Terminator mode now. 😂 - How are she and Elio connected now though? How can she hear him? 🥺 And I can't help but think about whoever was left in the Fade in DAI again, too. 😭😭😭 - Not the credits making me almost sob AGAIN because of the music. 😭 It is so so good.

So there we are. Everything went wrong, a couple is doomed and Solas is sorry. So, nothing changed. LMAO Everything as usual. 💀💀💀 Solas, I swear, if you don't get these two back together again and pay Lavellan a visit afterwards, my Rook might rethink listening to your advice in Veilguard. lmao

I can't wait for that next episode! This was so much fun and an amazing start, and I'm so excited to hear all the other companions! :D ❤️❤️❤️

[atopearth]

Diabolik Lovers: Haunted Dark Bridal Part 5 - Sakamaki Reiji Route

To say that Reiji is an asshole is probably an understatement because he is highly insufferable right now with his arrogance and how much he looks down on others. LOL, he actually gave her poisoned tea just because she wanted tea when he was enjoying his tea in front of her. Although I have to say Yui is very naive to think that he would sincerely pour tea for her with that ego of his. He definitely seems like the type to experiment dangerous drugs, so I guess Yui will be his guinea pig? I will punch him soon but lmao thinking Yui should be so happy with tears at the chance to clean his tableware. Honestly, I wish she breaks them all but he's a crazy guy so I don't want her to suffer the aftermath lol. Okay, so he's obsessed with perfect things and when Yui broke the plate, he immediately lost interest because it was imperfect now. I wonder if he has an attachment to anything then? Aside from his obsession with Shu lol. Lol poor Yui having to be taught table manners by Reiji, she can't even eat in peace. I know it's for plot reasons but if I did not understand something in the homework from school, I would rather just not do the homework than ask Reiji😂 Oh okay, poor girl was forced to because Reiji was basically calling her shameful for asking the teacher and to ask him instead. Reiji walking into her room casually drinking tea whilst she's changing is just hilarious, what a guy. As usual, Shu really is the softest brother to actually bother answering Yui's questions and bothering to ask her if that's all she wants instead of just leaving. I guess it fits Reiji to be the type to like whipping people, well mainly Yui😂 I really want to know exactly why Reiji hates Shu so much so hopefully we'll finally get the reason.

Did all the brothers kill their own mothers? Are all the mothers trash like Cordelia? OMG Reiji blows in your ear with the dummy mic after biting Yui, I did not expect that and physically felt that LOL. Reiji personality-wise definitely is not my guy but I can't deny that his appearance and his voice is great. The breathing always gets to me😂 Yui really was brave to ask Reiji about Shu though, like girl, you haven't even even recovered from those whip injuries and you're ready to piss him off again?? She really is masochistic😂 I find it hilarious how he calls Yui dumb all the time but gets her to play chess with him. I mean, the brothers probably have no friends so it's understandable hahaha. I guess the cute thing is that you can see Reiji actually enjoying himself teasing her. Wow, Reiji praised Yui for ignoring Shu and running away, I'm impressed, he can actually be so nice. What?! Reiji knows Yui's father?? So Reiji got Yui's father who is a vampire hunter to kill his own mother, Beatrix? Did he hate her because she loved Shu so much? And I guess he wanted to show her he's better? I'm glad Beatrix seemed to die happily. Reiji really is like a little kid throwing a tantrum for things not going his way. I'm shocked that the drink he made Yui drink wasn't actually poison and was a original blend tea! Is he getting soft on her? I was like there is no way that animals could possibly like Reiji. Of course he drugged them with something lol and used them as guinea pigs. I mean I guess I understand it's boring when Yui completely follows him obediently but he's the one who made her like that out of fear!

Trust Reiji to think she's so unclean he needs to scrub her himself when she bathes😂 I have to agree with Yui that it's actually pretty cute how Reiji likes spaghetti carbonara so much that he cooks it for himself so happily lmao. I mean he does love his tea so I guess it's not a surprise that he would have a taste for pasta or some other fancy food hahaha. Reiji dancing with Yui at the party and then biting her in front of everyone to show who she belongs to was kinda hot tbh hahaha. So that's what Reiji meant when he was talking about Beatrix before, does he plan to make a drug to resurrect her and kill her again so she can die agonisingly instead of peacefully? I didn't think he would really try to kill Yui for finding out about it and reading his notes. Guess we gotta thank Cordelia for saving her because she doesn't want her to die like that when she hasn't taken over yet. I'm glad Yui explained it because I didn't realise Reiji giving her medicine was his way of apologising to her for nearly strangling her to death lmao. He is pretty nice for a vampire dude lol! It's actually kinda sweet and reassuring to see that Reiji was at the door of the manor waiting for Yui to come back as if he was going to rescue her. He's got a foul mouth but seeing him so attentively bandage her wound was actually really sweet.

I always thought Richter was just some random vampire from another family but he's their uncle?! I can't remember if it was mentioned before but if it was, I completely forgot that Cordelia is the Demon King's daughter. I can see why Richter would be hung up over Cordelia if he fought for her against his brother and lost, but now that Karlheinz's not treating her well and she's seducing everyone around her, of course he's going to fall for it considering how smitten he is with her. I wonder who Karlheinz's true love is, maybe it's a human like Yui?😆 I guess I'll commend Richter for his efforts on trying to forget Cordelia by wandering the world for hundreds of years. Honestly, with how much Richter loves Cordelia, I kinda wish she was worth it but she absolutely isn't and it's such a waste of such a good looking guy! Especially since she just uses everyone as a replacement for not receiving the love she wants from Karlheinz. It's kinda wild how Cordelia was able to ask Richter before her body got burnt to death to knife her heart out and transplant it into another body, and Yui just had to be that unlucky orphan to receive it, and since Richter didn't want Karlheinz to know about this and steal "her" for her use as the daughter of the Demon King, he gave her to a vampire hunter. I don't agree with Reiji on a lot of things but I definitely agree with him on Richter needing to reconsider devoting his heart and soul to another woman instead lol. It's actually really cute how much Reiji wants to save Yui and through this body takeover, we're getting to know how much he cares for Yui. To see him so angry when Cordelia injures Yui's body is very heartwarming. So the reason why Karlheinz got Yui as a vampire bride for the brothers was so she could give them her immense power that he sensed (from Cordelia's heart) and then they can kill him and take over as the head and he can finally die as he desires. I'm starting to really like Reiji with his retaliations against Cordelia. He's so right though, Cordelia makes excuses that she can't seduce as well in this body but if she was really such a great seductress, she should be able to do the same in Yui's body, seduction isn't just being physically attractive, she's nothing but a whiner. I have to agree with Reiji that if Karlheinz and Richter's relationship was broken because of Cordelia, it must not have been very strong. 90% of the issue was probably because of Richter's obsession with her so nothing they could do about it if Karlheinz wanted her for her powers and status and Richter wanted her for love. In the end, it's still such a waste for someone like Cordelia though.

Considering how cruel and terrible Cordelia was to the triplets, I'm enjoying Reiji get back at her and at the same time it's also nice to see Cordelia do things to Reiji that he had done to Yui so it kinda feels like a revenge for what he did in the beginning to Yui and it makes me feel a bit better hahaha. Otherwise, Cordelia is insufferable and I would like to get rid of her soon pls. So Cordelia was able to manipulate the names of the bride candidates and made Karlheinz basically choose Yui so that she can go the manor and kill Karlheinz herself? What? Beatrix wanted to die because of Cordelia? I guess she was bullied by her? Anyway I hated that Reiji kissed Cordelia even if it was through Yui's body, it annoyed me. Another time I agree with Reiji LOL, Cordelia making Reiji pray in a church and then pouring holy water on him is hilarious, she really is childish. Honestly, I wish we got more moments with Yui because we're literally stuck with Cordelia for the whole of the Ecstasy part! The little snippet we got with Reiji princess carrying Yui when Cordelia lost consciousness in the water wasn't enough! They were so cute getting to interact and talk to each other, especially when he told her his body automatically moves to save her and he doesn't know why. I think it's time for Reiji to stop suffering under Cordelia. It took the whole of Ecstasy but I'm so glad Reiji was able to develop the drug to destroy Cordelia and free Yui from her. As usual, Cordelia really is silly. It's also pretty silly how we never saw Richter again when he took so long to revive her lol. Richter had an off screen death?! Lol the poor guy. Considering all the crap we and they had to suffer, the ending really was not satisfying with just a kiss and blood sucking lol! That second ending with Reiji being captive to Yui's blood as she treats him like a servant is interesting, didn't expect that lol, I mean Reiji is physically stronger so you would assume he could suck her blood whenever he wants, unless he's so obsessed with her he doesn't want to hurt her?🥲 Well, the third ending was pretty sucky for everyone lol, Richter killed Reiji but Cordelia wasn't even grateful as the evil trash she is lol, Richter really needs to open his eyes. Honestly, the after story was quite underwhelming with how much we had to deal with Reiji not caring or understanding Yui's actions at all, it was sweet at the end when they reconciled but I think the other parts were sweeter so I expected better from this after story. It's pretty wild and hilarious how Yui actually likes getting whipped by Reiji now😂 Even though he's an ass, I do like it when he kisses her. I find it hilarious how much the game makes Yui bump into Shu just to piss Reiji off lmao, like we have not seen the other brothers besides like Ayato once or so. I'm pretty disappointed considering how much love he showed for Yui when Cordelia took over so now I'm sad lol. It really feels like three steps forward and then two steps backwards with this guy.

Overall, Reiji's route was average. Initially, I was turned off especially after Shu's route, and it really doesn't help that he's such an asshole lol. But, I really enjoyed knowing more about Beatrix, especially that Reiji was the one who killed her and knowing that he didn't get to feel satisfied killing her made me so happy, he deserves it lmao. Otherwise, admittedly, I have to say I actually did warm up to Reiji when he showed Yui gestures of kindness that he never showed before. I think the best was when Cordelia took over and you got to see how far he was willing to go to save her, whether it be enduring Cordelia's tantrums or going along with her antics. It just felt so sweet to see him do everything he could whilst in the background developing a concoction to force Cordelia out and get Yui back. I have to say, it took wayyyyyyy too long though because I feel like we had to suffer Cordelia for SO long. It was also tough to see such a beautiful man like Richter waste his time with someone like Cordelia, but I did enjoy the background on their relationship as well and with Karlheinz, on and the mystery of how Yui got Cordelia's heart. Those parts were really interesting but the ending definitely did not have the payoff I wanted after all that crap with Cordelia. Like, Reiji was so sweet when Cordelia took over, albeit he had some issues, but still sweeter than he generally was, and then when everything is over, we got the asshole back and I was like, well what was the point in the end? Anyway, some parts were enjoyable, some parts weren't and I have to say I was not that much of a fan even though I've always loved glasses dudes lol.

[pikapeppa]

20 Questions for Writers

Thanks x1000 to @vorchagirl for tagging me! I haven’t done one of these in a thousand years, and I feel like I’ve gone through a bit of a personal writing journey in the past year, so let’s see how this goes LOL.

Tagging forward to @sweetorangepoptart @contrivedchaos @johaeryslavellan @crackinglamb @galadrieljones @mwasaw @alyssalenko and honestly, anyone else who sees this and wants to participate. I’ve been so out of the loop with the Tumblr writer community that I can’t think of anyone else off the top of my noggin, but please guys, if you see this and want to join in, please do and tag me so I can read your answers! 🥰

1). How many works do you have on AO3?

107!

2). What’s your total AO3 word count?

6 553 384. Woah. When did that happen?? LOL

3). What are your top five fics by kudos?

Becoming Whole (Aloy x Kotallo), 1940 kudos

Until We Meet Again (Geralt x Reader), 1799 kudos

Stormbirds and Stalkers (Aloy x Nil), 1455 kudos

Put Your Spear Beside Mine (Aloy x Ikrie), 921 kudos

A Tantrum and a Know-It-All Grin (Fenris x femHawke), 901 kudos

4). What fandoms do you write for?

Currently, I’m only writing for One Piece. But I’ve written for Mass Effect: Andromeda (my OG fandom!), Horizon, Dragon Age, the Witcher (game not the show), Baldur’s Gate 3, and a handful of others including Samurai Champloo, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, Far Cry 5 (for a beloved friend!), and Westworld. 

5). Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

As @vorchagirl said, absolutely! At the very least, it feels polite to thank those who actually took the time to leave a comment, especially if the comment was a really thoughtful/touching/insightful/funny one. Comments have also been a treasured way that I’ve found friends and community. The majority of my friends are people that I met through the comments, then transitioned into chatting on other platforms, many of whom I’ve had the great pleasure of meeting and hanging out with IRL. 

6). What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Fall Into The Tide (Sten x Mahariel), for sure. I wasn’t exactly sure how that fic would end when I started writing it, but I basically cried the whole time I wrote the last 2 chapters, and I still cry whenever I reread it. I loooove when people tell me in the comments how much it made them cry LMAO. 

7). What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Most of my fics have happy endings, I think! But the first one that came to mind is Inadvisable, my triple-romance modern AU where Solas, Abelas and Felassan all get happily-ever-afters and engagements with their Lavellans. Every fic of my Geralt x Reader series also has a very happy ending 🥰

8). Do you get hate on fics?

I have! Not often, but it has happened. I respond to it by deleting the rude comments and block-muting the commenter on AO3. I engaged one single time when I was in a particularly pissy mood and regretted it; the commenter was a J.K. Rowling-loving incel so I really shouldn’t have responded LOL and I learned my lesson quickly. 

I feel like every writer will get hate eventually if they write enough and for long enough — by which I mean that receiving hate has nothing to do with you as the writer, and it’s all about that person having Issues™ lol. 

9). Do you write smut?

Huehuehue. [waves at my AO3] BEHOLD: MY FILTH. 😂 I started writing specifically because I felt that we deserved a proper sex scene between Reyes Vidal and Ryder in Mass Effect: Andromeda, so one could argue that smut was the driving force that got me here. 🤣

10). Do you write crossovers?

Nope! No particular reason, really. I just haven’t really thought of a crossover I’d want to write. 

11). Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yes — a few years ago, some asshole was stealing fics off of AO3 and turning them into ebooks and selling them on Amazon, and Stormbirds & Stalkers was one of them. A friend of mine found it and told me, and a bunch of other friends left one-star reviews stating that the stories (and others posted by the same idiot) were stolen, and they quickly got taken down. 

12). Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! A very beloved friend of mine has translated Window Bird (Aloy x Avad) into Russian, and I gave permission to another reader for Becoming Whole (Aloy x Kotallo) to be translated into Russian as well (AN INSANE UNDERTAKING, IMO, given that BW is >700k words, but hey, go for it LOL). Window Bird and the portion of Becoming Whole that has been translated are here! 

13). Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Nope! I have collaborated with artists though, notably @schoute and @elbenherzart: they’ve made the beautiful art while I’ve written the actual fic, with their input re: their OCs, and some VERY APPRECIATED help from Schoute for planning fight scenes, which I hate writing! 🤣

14). What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Oh my god no don’t ask me this LOL. Solavellan has always been a favourite of mine, both to write and to read, because of how complex and multifaceted Solas is, and how complex that can make the relationship. FemHawke is a VERY close second, particularly the rivalmance with mage!Hawke.

I would also be remiss if I failed to mention my first-ever OG videogame ship: Shakarian. I haven’t written more than a quick oneshot for Garrus and Shepard since my canon Shepard dies (I’m a control ending girl), but I looooove this ship so much and I have never been able to romance anyone else but Garrus. 🤣

15). What’s the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Oh dear. So I’ll split this answer into two.

The WIP I would dearly like to finish is Making The Bird Sing, which is Samson/Roman Hawke, who belongs to @schoute. I don’t talk about this ship much, but I think about it SO OFTEN and I love their dysfunctional complicated dynamic sooooo much. The main reason I haven’t continued it is that the next chapter would be the Chantry explosion debacle, and I just don’t have it in me right now to write a battle scene. But I really, REALLY want to finish this fic because I have visions for what would happen between them during the Inquisition days. I still have hope that I’ll find the juice to finish this fic someday. 

The WIP that I do not think I will end up finishing, unfortunately, is The Sweetness of Second Chances (Felassan/Tamaris Lavellan/Solas). I started writing it when I was still in the post-Veilguard high, but the comedown hit too hard and came with too much disappointment, so I don’t think I’ll find the heart to work on this fic anymore, sadly. 

16). What are your writing strengths?

Smut! Dialogue too, I think, especially incorporating dialogue into smut to make the smut scenes personal. And feels? People often remark on how much they love the feels in my fics!

17). What are your writing weaknesses?

🤷‍♀️ HAHAHA. I'm not even trying to be cocky; I just I don’t write with the goal of being like “hm how can I improve as a writer”. I’m just here to have a good time. I’m sure there are professional editors who could tell me what areas I could stand to improve on, but honestly, I don't give a shit LOL. All I care about with my writing these days is making myself happy. 

18). Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic?

Dialogue, as in entire conversations? No. I feel that it breaks immersion too much. IN ALL FAIRNESS, I have used other-language phrases in fics before, particularly Elven dirty-talk in the Dragon Age world. But it’s either part of the plot that the person hearing the Elven doesn’t understand, OR it’s not crucial to the plot, and the reader can wait until the translation notes at the end to understand exactly what was said. 

Little phrases here and there, on the other hand, such as pet names or curses that are easily understandable with context? Absolutely yes. 

19). First fandom you wrote for?

Mass Effect: Andromeda! I mentioned this earlier, but REYES AND RYDER DESERVED TO FUCK. 

ALTHOUGH. I used to draw and write cartoon strips about myself and people I knew in high school with made-up high-school drama plots and romances. Would we count that as self-insert real-person fic? 🤣

20). Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

Nnnnnnnnnooooooooooooooooo. HAHAHA. There are so many ways to answer this question LOL.

I had the most fun writing Inadvisable and Where The Winds Of Fortune Take Me because I was collaborating with my BFFs for those (@schoute and @elbenherzart, as mentioned above). It was just such an indescribable gift to have friends on board who were just as excited about those projects as I was. There really is nothing quite like the joy of having friends as a grown-ass adult who can get as immersed and invested as you in the act of creating for an imaginary world.   

I also have a special category of fics that I would call gift fics to myself: fics that I wrote to be tailor-made for my tastes and are exactly what I wanted to read, and I didn’t give a shit if anyone else ever read them. Just Hold On, We're Going Home (Samurai Champloo, Jin/Fuu/Mugen) is the number one of my favourite self-gift fics and I reread it a couple of times a year, but other self-gift fics include Stealth Trials (Aloy/Stealth Trials Keeper in HZD), Everything (Teia/Viago, Dragon Age), and my Zoro/Reader series (One Piece). And, currently, most belovedly, I am hoarding all the Sanji/OC fic I’ve written and have not shared it with anyone yet except for my nakama @schoute and @perhapsrampancy. I have been relishing in rereading my own Sanji chapters in private like a little gremlin. 😂

Thanks to anyone who read all the way to the end here! Have a spiritual cupcake while I head off to the kitchen to make them 😂🧁🤲

-- love from your friendly neighourhood Pika xoxo