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bitchlessdino · 3 years ago

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the situationship

Pairing: seokmin x afab!reader x roommate!wonwoo

Genre: smut

Word count: 4.6k

Tags: polycule, secret relationships, reader being told they’re pretty and beautiful, reader w/ breasts, degradation, face sitting, double penetration, anal play

author note: this was probably the longest thing I've ever written and i felt so happy hearing yall want a full length version of the headcanon. this is the followup to the headcannon "homie hopper" under Dokyeom's tab in my masterlist and per request to the people that enjoyed it. I will be tagging all of you hehe.

Taglist: @sluttymingyu @sluttywonwoo @huiranghaes @shmooooo @wonwussy @multi-kpop-fanfics @flowerwonu @httpswonwoosglasses @kooookie @just-here-to-read-01 @onlyseokmins

You swore that you were mere seconds away from throwing yourself on Seokmin the first time you met at a mutual friend’s birthday. You felt betrayed moments after finding out he was your roommate's best friend. That meant if you did decide to pursue Seokmin and things fell through, you’d have a common denominator haunting you. It wasn’t right, and you knew that. Yet two weeks ago, you felt like god himself was testing you when you found Seokmin right at your door one evening.

You could feel your soul could pretty much leave your body the moment you drink in his sudden appearance. His wavy dark hair fell to his pretty, soft eyes, a relieved smile decorating his cheeks. “Y/n, right?”

Even with the simple way, he says your name, just–

“Right. Yeah. And you’re Seokmin.”

“Yeah,” a soft sigh leaves his lips, and you could’ve sworn a tinge of pink on his cheeks, “Is Wonwoo here? He said I could come by and just wait until he’s home to go out.”

That couldn’t have been right, you thought. He was supposed to be stuck working on an independent project and would be coming home for a while another day. You open your mouth to inform him but freeze, the words refuse to come out. Something was telling you that it was no coincidence that Seokmin decided to take the space of your roommate tonight. Instead, you tell him:

“Yeah, okay. Come wait inside.”

Seokmin sets his stuff aside on the couch, tapping his lap with his fingertips and smiling at you politely.

“Want a nightcap? I still have some coffee, or I could make tea?” You offer.

Seokmin nods. “Coffee sounds great.”

You went ahead to warm up some coffee you had brewed previously during the afternoon. In doing so, you subtly try observing Seokmin, who overtly does nothing, settling in quietly. You bring the half-full mugs to the coffee table where Seokmin decides to wait patiently and places one in front of him. He thanks you softly. He graciously accepts the mug and sips it, humming at it delightfully. “It’s very smooth.”

“Thanks. I wasn’t sure if you wanted cream or anything, so I set it aside on the table.” You respond, immediately regretting how you started to overexplain.

He chuckles, drinking the coffee as is. “It’s delicious. You have good taste.”

You got slightly giddy. It was nice to hear someone sharing a common love for a good roast. “It’s a really nice brand from Brazil. It’s been a personal favorite lately.”

“I can see why. Do you enjoy making coffee? Wonwoo told me you were a barista but wanted to open up your own shop.”

“Yes! That's the goal.” You start giggling, cueing the butterflies taking place in the pit of Seokmin’s stomach.

This prompted you to go on a tangent of your caffeinated career goals, taking the man's questions as an invite. What Seokmin learned that night was how much you rambled without noticing, not that he minded. Hearing you go off and just talk about something you love was (1) refreshing because people thought of him to be the same so it was nice to have to listen to someone else, and (2) you were so cute with how your eyes lit up with every word and detail. He thought he could listen to you for hours, days even. Although that would be nice, stalling wouldn’t have done him any good.

“Can I be honest?”

“Sure,” you answer invitingly.

He takes a deep breath. “I wasn’t here waiting for Wonwoo.”

Your bubbly exterior diminished, leaving a curious sternness. You cross your leg over the other, hands to either side, actively listening. You weren’t expecting that answer, nor were you surprised, however it was rather interesting to see Seokmin take the initiative.

Your head tilts to the side, peering at him more carefully. “Then why...it couldn’t have been to see me?”

He took a beat. “Yes, I actually did want to see you. Does that make you uncomfortable?”

You wanted to choose your words carefully, hoping your intentions would be evident between the lines. Your body veers towards him, your eyes glaze over him from top to bottom, noticing how casual but done up he actually looked: a plain white tee and a pair of cuffed jeans. Perhaps nothing to someone passing by, but seeing how the top hung around his collarbone loosely yet fitted up around his chest and lower torso, Seokmin didn’t seem like that sweet clueless guy after all, “No…I knew you were lying. I also knew Wonwoo wouldn’t be home tonight.”

He hums, softly scoffing in a way that just said ‘well what do we have here?’

“Does that bother you?”

The corners of his lips turn up in a relieved smile, eyes shifting to the shape of your lips, “Not in the slightest.”

He leans towards you, his hand reaching over to rest on the couch arm behind you. You catch Seokmin’s lips upon impact, initially cautious leaning away for any sign of hesitation. Your hand comes up behind his head and pushes it back on you, the warmth conjuring in your stomach was almost unlike anything you ever felt with someone else. You pull him closer, his body following to crawl over you. Your knees propped up on either side of him, Seokmin’s hips dip to match you, not showing any signs of leaving your side.

What preceded that night were things you wouldn’t dare let out an exhale of a breath. His hands stroke your sides as you ride him, their pressure digging into your flesh, falling to your ass that supports them satisfyingly in his big hands. Your moan his name blissfully, having him rut in you without the faintest clue how things have escalated this far so fast.

“You feel so good.” The sounds of your squelching fuel his stamina, sputtering your name, losing control of his impulses.

“Min, I’m gonna cum…”

He lets out a deep chuckle. “Well, we can’t have that yet.”

With the strength left in him, he lifts himself off the bed and pushes you down flat on your back, not pulling out even once. His legs bent at the knees, his hips buck into you, giving you the pleasantry of having him do some of the work this time. His hands take your legs to toss them over either of his shoulders. Your lower torso is lifted in the air but soon pushed down by the sheer force of his cock, twitching inside you, bottoming out. Your hands gripped the sheets underneath you.

Your mouth drops in amazement, following Seokmin’s euphoric voice gasping and groaning as he fills in the casing, a thrust to squeeze out every drop. He collapses on top of you, his mouth roughly taking yours as his hands stroke your sides. “You’re so, mmhp, fucking amazing.”

“Stay the night?” You offer in a soft voice.

Despite his pleasant smile, there’s hesitancy in his voice and he pulls away. “Really, are you sure? What about Wonwoo?”

Your eyes shoot up in realization. “Right, fuck. He’s supposed to come home sometime tomorrow morning.”

“How early?”

You shrug your bare shoulders. “I don’t know, like 9 or 10 am?”

A relieved smile presents Seokmin’s face. “Then I’ll leave around 8 am?”

You match his expression, “If you want, okay.”

“Okay.” His smile goes a little bigger.

“Okay.” As does yours.

He leaves around 8 am like he planned, of course not without a few rounds in before that, and hardly a trace of him is left behind. When Wonwoo comes back an hour or two later, he doesn’t question any events from last night. Your sexual rendezvous with your roommate’s best friend goes without a hitch.

Seokmin and you don’t define the relationship. Things were simply harmonious without it. Between sneaking around to have sex at either one of each other’s places or during one of those nights out together, it would’ve felt a lot of pressure to give this situatonship a label. Of course, there was something between you two that desire more than a fuck buddies situation, but you took what you could get.

“You’re gorgeous, you know that,” You could hear the thick nectar oozing out of his voice as he held your nude body in his arms.

You smile down at him, arousal seeping out of your warmth deliciously as it coated the lining of the condom dressing Seokmin’s length, squeezing around its girth and riding his lap. “I got a pretty damn great view myself.”

His chuckles tickle your skin, taking your arm to kiss you from your palm and gradually to your elbow, rocking his hips underneath you. Your moans are short and sweet, feeling how full he makes you feel. You are so close to where you are, calling his name, kissing his lips as if it is naturally where they belong.

“Mh, cum–Seokmin, mmh.”

“Doing so good, baby. Cum all over co–”

“Hey Seokmin, Wonwoo’s here!”

Soonyoung, Seokmin’s roommate, warns him from the other side and you immediately hope over him to hide under the covers. He tucks you away from the door’s view and tries pulling on a shirt until his bedroom door opens. Wonwoo enters with his eyes on his phone about to open his mouth regarding something important until he sees Seokmin barely an arm in the shirt.

The older man narrows his eyes at him, “uh, am I interrupting something?”

Seokmin rapidly blinks back at him, thinking of a response, “Uh, yeah can you like come back in an hour or s-something?”

“An hour, what takes an hour? What were you even doing?”

Seokmin tries scoffing nonchalantly, ultimately failing, “Nothing super important. Just, uh, mmm, m-masturbating?”

Even with an answer as outlandish from Seokmin, Wonwoo remains doubtful but doesn’t question his best friend as he backs away from the room and closes the door behind it. When the nude man checks for things to be clear, i.e. waiting for any more reception from the other end of the door and asking Soonyoung what the situation is in the living room via text message, he finally takes a breath of relief and looks underneath the covers for you inside.

His smile still shines in the dark of the thick fabric and you melt underneath its warmth. “Hey, we might have to cut things short today. I’ll distract him by taking him out to lunch. Can you leave 5 minutes after we do?”

You nod understandingly, “Okay.”

“I’m sorry–”

“No, do not apologize, we knew what were getting into. I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Okay,” he sighs, still worried about leaving you behind.

You reassure him by pulling him into a deep kiss, caressing his tongue with your before, pushing him away, and rushing him out of the apartment as soon as you can. You were grateful for Wonwoo’s work schedule, it made your apartment available most of the time. There were those days you preferred his place to yours, forgetting to take into account that they are very close. This was one of those days that maybe it would’ve been better at your place.

It wasn’t as easy avoiding Wonwoo as you hoped it’d be. You found no fault in him, he’s a great roommate. He just had really poor timing sometimes, it almost felt on purpose on that point. Maybe that’s the guilt talking.

“You’re so good at making my cock feel welcome, baby.” Your mouth is warm and tight around his girth, Seokmin moans feeling you hollow out your cheeks.

Finally feeling like their alone, he gazes down at you with a sinister look in his eyes. Running his hands through your hair, the pads of his fingers going grip from your scalp. He feels your lips reach the base of his cock, seeing your head sink into his lap. “S-shit, you’re so–”

“What’s going on?”

You pull your mouth off Seokmin and avert your attention to the familiar man’s voice. You quickly match Seokmin’s panicked expression and gained as much distance as possible from him. The half-naked man quickly covers his raging boner that has met his dear friend's eyes. Wonwoo stares down from his spectacles to quickly drink in the situation, immediately forming his own conclusion. You draw attention to the situation as calmly and mild-mannered as you could. “Wonwoo, bud, I can explain.”

“It looks like you were sucking my best friend's dick.”

There was no better explanation than that. Seokmin, still pantless, inches over to his friend, awkwardly covering his half-flaccid cock, before trying to reconcile what’s left of this weird arrangement. “Wonwoo, I’m so—“

“Sorry? You should be.” Wonwoo drops his things to the ground, reaching for the top button of his dress shirt, and slowly peeling it away to reveal his skin. “I have a lot of catching up to do.”

You couldn’t help but watch him finish all the way through, his name barely escaping your lips until you realized past the incredibly toned abs what Wonwoo was insinuating. Seokmin was confused, of course, he was. His best friend was undressing in front of him and his sexual partner. What was he supposed to think about this?

“It really sucks finding out that you both had all the fun, sneaking around my back. Seokmin out of anyone would’ve known how attracted I am to you.”

Your eyes shoot open over to the man in question, who warps a flustered smile. “We may have talked once or twice about it.”

“We both talked about if we’re given the opportunity to be in bed with you, we’d both take it. And to think that he’d have the balls to get a head start. Bastard.” Wonwoo’s hands grasp the top of his pants to slip them down to his ankles and kick them aside.

His hands instinctively hold on to the fullness of his rod over the fabric of his briefs, stroking himself as he slowly approaches you, who watches him like a kid with a new toy.

You always considered Wonwoo an attractive man, but an even better roommate, having a situationship as you do currently with Seokmin was out of the question.

He bends down to your level and fingers at the oversized tee shirt you borrowed from Seokmin and follows the seams to its hem, “May I?”

You nod subconsciously before you realize that shirt is abandoned across the room and you’re entirely naked. Both men scan your body like it’s on display and Wonwoo tucks a hair behind your ear. “Seokmin was really keeping you for himself.”

“You started first when you waited until it was Mingyu’s birthday for them to meet me.” Seokmin retorts with sass.

“Well, I hope you don’t mind sharing time around. I have known them longer than you, and it looks like they don’t mind, don’t you y/n?”

Your throat was dry, shifting gazes from both the incredibly gorgeous men in front of you, asking for both your attention politely and mesmerizingly.

“I-I don’t, if I’m being honest. Seokmin?”

You turn to the man who was mentally prepared for one thing only to have a complete other. He watches Wonwoo’s hands trail over your body, watching what was exclusively his for some time only to have it be touched and admired by his own friend. He admits to himself it wasn’t entirely fair what he did to have you be his, but if he wasn’t going to do it, Wonwoo would’ve.

Then again, there was something exciting about seeing you overwhelmed with pleasure. There are some things he wishes he could do to make the experience more fulfilling for you. If this was what you wanted, who was he to say no?

“Alright, Wonwoo, how do you want to do this?”

A content smile spreads across Wonwoo’s face before looking back at you. “That’s up to, Y/n, of course.”

It was as if you walked into a wet dream. You were sinking your mouth over Seokmin’s length while Wonwoo’s length was prepping to be in the other end. Seokmin was relieved to see that pretty face of yours, wrapping your lips around him and taking him whole. “You take me so well.”

You hum contently around his girth, gaping open on the other end as Wonwoo caresses the shape of your ass. With his rubber-covered cock, the tip teases your entrance. Wonwoo licks his lips in anticipation, “Are you ready? Remember one tap for yes, two for no.”

You land one tap against the bed, giving him the okay, and Wonwoo wastes no time filling the absence of your warmth. You vibrate around Seokmin, allowing a groan to elicit from the man and he watches Wonwoo gain momentum inside of you. Wonwoo grips your hips in his hands slamming against you.

Your eyes roll to the back of your head while your lips and hands lose your grip on Seokmin’s shaft. Seokmin proceeds to thrust himself in you, tugging your hair, regaining his sense of control. His mouth was watering seeing you being used.

“Shit, your mouth feels so fucking good. You like that? Me and Wonwoo taking you at the same time?”

A corner of Wonwoo’s lips tugs against his cheek, “I bet they do, what a good little slut.”

He picks up speed, having you practically gargle Seokmin in your mouth, dribbling your chin and down your neck in a mix of your drool and his precum. The sensation was riveting until Seokmin had to pull off of him, scared of coming too early. This was a race he did not plan on finishing first place.

Like clockwork, Wonwoo pulls you by the arm, pressing your sweaty back to his firm chest, meanwhile, Seokmin joins your lips together. The taste of himself on your tongue is admittedly exhilarating, he chuckles with a heavy breath against your lips, intensely sharing a gaze. “Good slut is right.”

You whimper, followed by a moan, Seokmin’s tongue pushes past your lips, entangling itself with the presence of yours, and reaches his hand down to find your wet clit.

“Seok please, mmh, I can’t take it.”

“What? Is our little cockslut being needy? Wonwoo isn’t enough?”

You shake your head, “He’s s-so good, b-but, I want you t-too. P-please.”

A whine lingers in your voice, both men’s jaws dropping at its gorgeous resonance. Seokmin takes a look at his best friend, a devilish glut in his eyes. “How ‘bout it Wonwoo? Should we give them what we want? Or should we make them work for it a little more?”

Wonwoo’s breath tickles the back of your neck, teeth grazing your ear. “I think they can take a little more teasing, can’t you y/n?”

His voice sends shivers down your spine and you feel obligated to nod. He kisses your ear in thanks, his tongue tickling your ear lobe, “Good. Now, why don’t you let Seokmin pay you back by letting you use his face like a seat.”

A nerve in the younger man’s cock twitched at that suggestion, really grateful for Wonwoo’s presence at this point.

You quickly follow, asking Seokmin politely to make himself comfortable before you decide to. He nods willingly, laying himself at the head of the bed and pulling you along to take the next steps. You hover over his face, giving Seokmin a view of your pretty tits and flustered expression before he holds on to your thighs and lowers you to the latch of his lips. His nose immediately tickles your clit and tongue sampling your arousal.

“W-wow…”

A sense of pride settles in Seokmin’s stomach, feeling the instinctive jerk of his raw hips to follow. Wonwoo comes to your side, takes the side of your face in his hands, and attaches his lips to yours. In your half-open gaze, you see his glasses fog up as well falling to the lower bridge of his nose, causing you to bump into them repeatedly. His teeth gnash against your lips, tugging at them carnivorously before his tongue would play with yours, his hands finding home on your breasts.

You feel the tweak of his fingers, rolling your nubs in between as you grind into Seokmin’s mouth, unable to think of a response to what comes next out of Wonwoo’s mouth.

“Seokmin’s so lucky to know what your pussy tastes like. You’ll let me try next time won’t you?”

Babbling, brain scrambles from Seokmin’s skillful tongue, you opt for nodding, a rewarding kiss pressed in your lips in return.

“Good.”

You feel his hands squeeze the weight of your breasts in his hand and catch a nipple in his mouth, sucking and erecting it to its full size. “Your tits are so perfect. You don’t know how long I’ve waited to have you like this. Seeing you walk around with barely anything on sometimes, I almost lost it. If I knew you were such a little whore, I would’ve taken my chances sooner.”

You moan louder at Wonwoo’s voice, at the same time feeling Seokmin fucks your inside with his tongue faster, as if the impact of Wonwoo’s words were getting you both off.

“My only regret is I should’ve gotten to you first.”

You mewl, the heat of your body makes you lose balance. His handsome, kind face gazes up at you playing with your breasts, smiling charmingly, “You’re so pretty. Hey Seokmin. Where are we at making them cum?”

Seokmin takes his time pulling back for air before answering. “I think they’re ready. They’re so wet.”

“All thanks to you. Now, could you grab that lube from the bedside?”

The scene followed with Seokmin on his back with you on top of him. He would knock his cock at one entrance, while Wonwoo prepped and slicked the other. You kiss Seokmin feverishly, stalling for the imminent fullness you’re about to endure, and Wonwoo asks for your consent one last time.

“I’m ready, Wonwoo.”

The click of the cap follows, a chill sensation of the water-based lube hitting the crack of your ass, having you shudder on the man below you.

“You’re doing so good, baby,” Seokmin praises, fueling your ego with kisses as his hands grab either of your ass cheeks and spread them apart.

Wonwoo let the pressure of his fingers test you out, feeling your hole swallow tight around him, a foreign but gratifying feeling to enter your body. “Good, good. You’re taking it so well.”

“Mmh, Wonwoo, mmp…more…”

He snickers. “Already can’t get enough? Seokmin you go this.”

The younger man nods, taking his member out and easing it inside your wet slit, your body accepting him naturally like he was home. Wonwoo plays with your ass a little longer, matching the rhythm of Seokmin’s hip, and inches himself in between the divide between both yours and Seokmin’s legs.

The pump of Wonwoo’s digits stretches inside you, scissoring and adjusting to their form before he replaces it with his cock, easing it gradually to avoid any pain on your end. You take a sharp breath, feeling the length fill your insides in their entirety and soon enough you feel the insane feeling of both fat cocks pushing deep and gratifyingly inside you.

You scream out in pleasure, resting your forehead on Seokmin’s shoulder and doing nothing to contribute to the insane ecstasy running through your body as thick as blood. Seokmin clutches you by your ass, swatting a hand at either one between every fierce grip, muffling your moans in his kiss. “You want the neighbors to hear or something?”

Wonwoo chuckles within his grunts, “Can’t help yourself, can you, baby?”

You could hardly hear the words they were saying, both rods coming in and out of you with no uniform rhythm, just fucking the daylights out of you until mouth drooling thick strands down to Seokmin’s chest. “Mmp, so g-g-good…”

You claw up for the pillows behind Seokmin, digging your nails until you could feel the flesh of your palm through the fabric. You weren’t sure how long its been, from baring the Seokmins’s hands that sucks on the skin and texture of your breasts so hungrily and the clap of Wonwoo’s hands against your jiggling cheeks that bordered your stretched-out holes, you never felt any feeling like this. You fould feel the taste of iron on your tongue from bit your lips so hard, clenching for dear life or this pleasure wreck you that hardest it damn could; you wish it’s never end.

“God, I’m cum-ning. Can I? P-please…”

Seokmin looks over your shoulder at Wonwoo, who was drenched in his perspiration, visibly tired but not drained, nodding back with a smile that could light up pitch-black skies. Seokmin turns to you smiling reassuringly with his lips against yours, catching his breath. “Cum for us, beautiful. We wanna see it.”

Seokmin’s word was as good as any, your trained hips now losing their grace, involuntarily twitching your lower body, and seeping your climax out on Seokmin’s sheets, helplessly faltering and losing strength when you’re finished. Wonwoo still pushes his last bar of stamina rutting inside you with Seokmin to follow. Simultaneously, they cum at the same time, exchanging gaze of pride, and pumping the last bit of their load in the condoms, over-stimulating you. Wonwoo kisses along your back, and Seokmin does the same with your cheeks, pushing sweat-drenched strands of hair away from your face.

You fall on your back against the bed as they pull out, both guys quickly disposing of their condoms and dressing to an appropriate level for a pair of friends that had sex with the same person. Seokmin is quick to help you clean up, getting a warm towel and letting it soak up the overflow of your orgasm, “I’ll run you a bath in a quick bit. We must've taken a lot out of you.”

Wonwoo watches the moment like a bystander, remembering briefly during the sex that there will be a next time but unsure if that would ever be the case. Seokmin looks over at you so kindly, treating you delicately with what seems to be like love in his eyes, thinking to himself, was there ever really a situation like this ever again?

“You’re really good to them.” Wonwoo comments.

“It's only natural when they give their all. Look how tired they are.”

You sip the water Wonwoo provided you earlier. “I’m okay, I’m okay, but thank you. The both of you. That was…incredible. Really.”

“It really was,” Wonwoo agrees, picking up the shirt he dismissed so easily coming across them initially, “Well, that was fun. I think I got my closure. I…I’m happy for, you guys. I’ll get going.”

The older man turns to leave until he hears one of their voices call out to him. He averts his attention from the familiar voice and meets eyes with Seokmin, who had the most welcoming smile he had ever seen on the man.

“Look. This…We can’t just walk away from this like it never happened. With Y/n’s permission, we should all…do it again.”

Wonwoo’s eyes shock open in apparent shock, shock for Wonwoo that is, stunned that Seokmin would offer such an arrangement. “Wow. Uh, Seok, that’s really big of you, but you don’t have to do that, you know? I'm not trying to get in between this, whatever it is.”

“You wouldn’t,” you butt in, “I think this something we’d all be okay with. The choice is yours, Wonwoo.”

You pull yourself up from the bed to sit up, joining Seokmin’s side. “Please?”

Wonwoo hadn’t even considered the possibility of the offer. He did enjoy himself and Seokmin’s presence did not hinder any of it, on the contrary, made it more pleasurable. He looked at the eyes of the people closest to him, the sexual tension radiating off of them was indescribable and for some reason, they felt even more complete if they had them. With an idea so bizarre, so out of his comfort zone, he couldn’t help but agree more. There was no reason for him to say no.

“Okay, but no more sneaking around. I want all the details.”

Seokmin nods, a hint of relief on his face and yours, “Of course, welcome to our situationship, Wonwoo.”

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dr-lizortecho · 2 years ago

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thanks to @rnmbingo for throwing together such a fun event every year <3 I had wanted to fill out the entire board but alas life happens, but I did however find a lot of wonderful fic to enjoy for the last month

F/F ship: Rivalry Series by @haloud (General Audiences, 1.6k, Isobel Evans/Anatsa Mufaro)

A Hockey AU, where Isobel and Anatsa are on rival teams. It captures the characters competitive nature’s perfectly while showing Isobel’s more awkward side.

Include a gif/image/emoji: in a little while by @jule1122 (Teen, 1.2k, Michael Guerin/Alex Manes)

An AU in which Michael and Alex are happily together, and Michael gets to reflect on what their relationship means to him (there’s a bit of angst but also a dog!!!)

A work you’ve commented on before: With These Hands by @impalachick (Explicit, 1.6k, Max Evans/Liz Ortecho/Kyle Valenti)

Au, post 3x05, what’s more to say then the three way handprint connection is still intact and Max starts a train of orgasms??? It’s a really amazing concept that’s executed perfectly, all three characters allowing themselves to indulge in fantasies of each other

PODFIC: [podfic] Stay With Me by shmaylor (Teen, 0-10 minutes, Maria DeLuca/Liz Ortecho)

an AU where Maria chases after Liz when she leaves for her road trip post graduation (post Rosa), and she asks her not to leave (warnings: slight Max slander but like- *whispers* he deserves it)

Mature or Explicit work: a gentleman’s guide to getting pegged by your girl by georgiehensley (Explicit, 1.1k, Max Evans/Liz Ortecho)

really well structured smut, where Max agrees to try pegging (WARNING: a real trigger this time, so there’s a line in here that assumes a point of view on the act of pegging that’s derogatory towards the concept of penetration, and has undercurrents of misandry)

A WIP: Surreal Estate by @beautifulcheat (Teen, 13.3k, Rosa Ortecho/Isobel Evans/Anatsa Mufaro)

AU, haunted houses (sorry stigmatized properties)! The vibes are spectacular, and the characters are beautifully conveyed in this setting. Not to mention there’s mystery and intrigue.

AU (Alternate Universe) Work: Love The Very Blood of You by soldierwitch (Teen, 13.3k, Max Evans/Liz Ortecho)

an AU where Max was adopted separate of his siblings, and instead of becoming a Deputy to help him sleep at night he becomes a priest, in walks Liz Ortecho an agnostic scientist who changes his world (warning: it’s a wee bit blasphemous, but as a person who subscribes to the religion in discussion it’s not actually upsetting, like I’m very personally picky about religious themes, idk if that makes sense)

“This Work Made Me___”: Charity Case With Benefits by @maeglinthebold (Mature, 1.5k, Maria DeLuca/Michael Guerin/Alex Manes)

delightfully fun, there’s only one bed and they’re all just so perfect, every single beat is timed to perfection creating a fun and heart warming scene

Author’s First RNM Work: The Powers of Flowers by incandescentchampagneproblems (Teen, 2.3k, Max Evans/Liz Ortecho)

a cute little au with a flower shop, and Liz being dead certain the last thing she’ll be doing is getting caught in a rom com (but the jokes on her cause she’s in a rom com)

A Poly Work (3+ People): The Consequences of Being a Tease by tv_obsessions (Explicit, 1.7k, Maria DeLuca/Max Evans/Liz Ortecho)

pure smut, in which Max and Maria enter a friendly competition to see who can make their girl feel good (in other words Liz Ortecho deserves all the orgasms) and like Max calls Maria ma’am

“I Loved ‘Quote from Work’”: I Z Z Y by @ajna-eye-cogitations (General Audiences, 0.3k, no pairings)

this fic was amazing as always (this is an author rec too guys <3) literally every single word was beautifully constructed, and like the fire and snake symbolism, truly captured Iz’s spirit in this fic

Free Space (Any Time of Comment): [fanvid] The Way - Max/Liz by @impalachick (roughly a minute each, Max Evans/Liz Ortecho)

Beautiful! Their 3x09 road trip to the music Max canonically selected for their highschool trip

Rare Pair of New To You Ship: I like my girls just like I like my honey by milzilla (Teen, 1k, Jenna Cameron/Maria DeLuca)

Fake dating! One bed! Must I go on? They’re also going to a fancy event, and the emotions are captured so wonderfully

Fanart: Every Night I Save You by @viaomens (Max Evans/Liz Ortecho)

A stunning Echo edit, that makes me wanna cry, it’s beautiful in the way visuals are but also conceptually and emotionally

“I Loved the Scene Where__”: Vision of Love by anonymous (General Audiences, 2.8k, Maria DeLuca/Liz Ortecho)

AU, Maria and Liz have a chance meeting after Liz gets an amazing job offer, their connection is flawless and the imagery is gorgeous

>50K FIC: The Truth is Right Here by @ladynox @beautifulcheat (Mature, 377.8k, Maria DeLuca/Michael Guerin/Alex Manes)

flawless, perfection, the reason I ship malexa, the world is so great, the characters so well translated (and fleshed out in beautiful ways canon could only have dreamed of). A must read IMO, joining a short list of fic I’d rec to someone unaware of the source material

Be The First to Comment on a Work: This Smile is a Loaded Gun by Limestone_and_Hemlock (Teen, 0.6k, Liz Ortecho/Isobel Evans)

AU, they’re assassins in a Charlie’s Angels esque scenario, and the tension is gorgeous (there’s also an edit)

Gen or Teen Work: what an imbecile! what an ultramoron! by @maeglinthebold (Teen, 0.3k, Max Evans/Liz Ortecho/Kyle Valenti)

hilarious! Also, just so many good little pieces of who the three of them are and how they naturally come together

Comment on a Work with <10 kudos: it’s the best thing that I’ll ever do by @thesquidkid (General Audiences, 1.1k, Isobel Evans/Anatsa Mufaro)

the seamlessness of it! It’s an anatsobel wedding full of so many feelings and history, completely incapsulating why I adore them as a ship

<1000 Word FIC: Kiss of Hope by creatureofhobbit (General Audiences, 0.4K, no pairings)

a simultaneously heartbreaking as heartwarming look at Max and Bonnie’s views of their abilities

A Comment That is 1000+ Characters: State of Love and Trust by @wunderlass (Mature, 18.1k, Max Evans/Liz Ortecho)

Canon Divergent 2x05, in which Max’s Darkness is a little more difficult to shake, it’s sexy and heartbreaking, and there’s Jones parallels galore

3+ Chapters of a Multichapter Work: Heart of Lightning: A Roswellian Tale by @suzteel (Teen, 20k, Max Evans/Liz Ortecho)

Knight Liz! King Max! Sorcerers and Seers, it’s all perfection, and the way it weaves canon flawlessly into the setting is stunning

#roswell new mexico #rnm #rnm fic #rnmbingo #fic rec #rnm echo #malex #kaliz #anatsobel #and more <3

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notsosilentsister · 3 years ago

Note

If it's not an imposition I'd be really interested to hear about your other favourite authors? I found Hilary Mantel (and possibly a few others?) through your Tumblr + I know you have great taste

Oh wow, thanks! I'm still recovering from my surgery, and today the pain killers seem to work a bit less well than yesterday, so I can really use some cheering up!

My current favourites, in no particular order:

Susanna Clarke. Is there anything she can't do? Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell was such a doorstopper, and Piranesi is the height of narrative economy. I'm still utterly enchanted. It's a hymn to scientific inquiry without ever playing it out against myth, art, faith and ritual, a sort of Anti-Robinsonade - here too, we have someone torn out of his own world, having to survive in strange surroundings, entirely left to their own devices, but while Robinson aims to conquer, Piranesi just wants to understand/connect. One of the most likeable protagonists I've encountered in all of literature in quite a while. And the vibes are impeccable. I think Susanna Clarke is always so good at setting the scene, she has a knack for killer imagery, and always hits the right note with the prose style. It's never just style for its own sake, it's always in service of getting you in the right frame of mind for the story.

Lucia Berlin. Wrote mostly short stories with an autobiographical bent. And what a life she had! Very adventurous, upwardly and downwardly socially and geographically mobile, a true bohemian. Reading Lucia Berlin always makes me feel like I need to travel more (definitely) and get some divorces (a bit). (What it actually made me do, was go back into teaching. Lucia Berlin had a lot of jobs - one of her short story collections is called A Manual for Cleaning Women, and one of those jobs was teaching). Her life was often hard (traumatic childhood, dysfunctional parents, sexual assaults, addiction, health problems…), at times brutal - I mean, one thing reading her definitely didn't inspire in me is any curiosity about drugs - at times glamorous and exhilarating, sure, but the lows are very low. She has so many awful encounters and yet never closes herself off to connection, completely clear-eyed about the pain it might bring. Even when she takes you to the depths of despair, she never numbs to her surroundings; she has an eye for the beauty in hell.

Shirly Jackson. I'm not usually a great reader of horror, but I will always make an exception for Shirly Jackson. Another great one for narrative economy. Maximal emotional punch for minimal word count. Great at exposing the blood curdling menace in convention. Honestly, I don't think I could stand it, if I had more of an inclination towards social anxiety, but even so, I think she'll hit anyone who's ever ended up on the wrong side of a group dynamic, and who hasn't? At times deceptively charming, delightfully excentric, cosily conventional, strangely seductive, to better set you up for betrayal, guaranteed to haunt you, long after you've closed the book.

Marlen Haushofer. Maybe I am a bit of a reader of horror after all? It's a fairly similar sort of horror too - the slow poison of corruption through civilization - but usually without explicit supernatural elements (the exception being The Wall, probably her most famous novel anyway). I discovered her as a kid - she also wrote quite a bit for children - and then got majorily back into her during the lockdowns, when she seemed to me like the writer of the hour. I wrote about that at some length here.

Jennifer Egan. She always does something that interests me. Maybe it's a bit of formal metafictional playfulness - I thought the powerpoint chapter in A Visit from the Goon Squad was actually the most moving chapter, definitely not just a gimmick to me (but maybe the sibling dynamic just hits a button for me) - maybe it's just her choice of topic. Look at Me is a downright visionary novel about the rise of influencers on social media, written before Facebook and Insta and the costs and benefits of erotic capital, something which I of course would only know from books and therefore find reasonably fascinating (also a bit about terrorism, written before 9/11, but I found that sublot less compelling); Manhattan Beach is about the first female diver at the Brooklyn Naval Ward, getting drawin into the New York demi-monde while investigating the disappearance of her father during World War II. She's sometimes criticized for writing a bit too much with an eye to effect (the metafictional stuff can be read as pretentious; Manhattan Beach is going for Grande Cinema), but I like that about her. I think you can alway count on Jennifer Egan to find an illuminating angle.

George Eliot. I usually don't have strong opinions about shipping, but "Dorothea/ Ladislaw OTP" is one of the topics I could improvise an hour-long lecture on at the slightest provocation. It's also why I have eternal beef with Henry James, who apparently went on record claiming that Middlemarch would have been a better novel if Dorothea had ended up with Lydgate. (Can you imagine? How hard can anyone miss the point? Might as well say Peggy should have ended up with Don.) I also don't usally worry much about spoilers, because I'm not generally in it for the plot twists. But George Eliot is a case where I really make a point of going in unspoilt. I think she's just the best at leading her characters towards genuinely difficult choices, and even if it's quite clear, what the right choice would be, making you quite unsure if the character can make it, or if it came to that, if you could. My one quibble with her is that I think she has a very weird idea of what makes one suited for a career in politics, but maybe I'm just too jaded.

George R.R. Martin. This started out as an ASOIAF-fanblog; it would be weird not to mention him. It's also a bit weird to mention him though - there was a period in my life when I was positively obsessed with ASOIAF, true, but I feel zero inclination to read anything else by George R.R. Martin. Not because he's a bad writer or because I resent him for not finishing the series - I clearly think he's highly skilled; I could not put up with subpar prose over so many pages, and I can live with unfinished work - it's just not usually my genre, and I feel that the special circumstance that contributed to my ASOIAF-obsession cannot be repeated. First, the series got some hype when there was talk of a TV-show, and I actually sometimes like jumping on a bandwagon. I just rarely do, because they're usually not my speed. But this one turned out to be, and I was excited at an opportunity to join the water-cooler conversation. And then I kinda got in too deep, because I was just working on my second thesis, and was desperately procrastinating. This probably sounds like me being overly defensive. It's hard nowadays not to feel a bit like a sucker as an ASOIAF-fan. We know there's not much of a chance Martin will ever finish the series, and we know how the show turned out. No one has much sympathy for the disappointment - the general tenor seems to be: What did you expect? It was always this stupid. I agree that there's much I dislike about the show that's actually already there in the novels (eg. gratituous sexual violence, half-heartedly rationalized by the pseudo-historicity) and I won't defend that.

But let me go on record here, I really don't think it was always this stupid. It had interesting things to say about chivalry, honor, different leadership styles, forms of social organisation, family dysfunction, dealing with trauma, propaganda, the power of narratives, institutional failure, collective action, risk management, the cost of lies. It had multi-dimensional, psychologically plausible, dynamic characters. It had tons of forshadowing, and carefully constructed set-ups, and well-executed pay-offs. It had the most shocking twists, that still felt inevitable. And I think Martin has a really good ear for dialogue - eg. he has more than one way to make a character sound witty (something writers of witty characters often seem to struggle with; everyone just ends up the same kind of snarky, which quickly grates on me) - eg.Tyrion's wit is different from Olennas, and even Stannis has a blink-and-you-miss it dry sort of wit. Martin also has that Dickensian knack for distinguishing characters through speech patterns and catch phrases, which is a bit gimmicky, but hey, it works. And you need all the tricks at your disposal with such a huge cast. He was (maybe intermittently still is) trying to do something very ambitious, and I will always admire him for that, even if he likely never pulls it off.

#susanna clarke #lucia berlin #shirley jackson #marlen haushofer #jennifer egan #george eliot #george rr martin #roseblight

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witcher-and-his-bard-archive · 4 years ago

Text

Like Sparks Against My Skin

on ao3

When Geralt sets out down the pass, nothing is out of the ordinary. The path is clear enough that he can ride most of the way down and they make good time coming into Kaedwen. He'd written to Jaskier over the winter for the first time this year and he's antsy to make it to their meeting spot along the Pontar. It feels like something has changed over the winter and while it's not a bad thing, Geralt still lays the blame on Jaskier and his soft, longing letters.

Usually, over the winter, Geralt spends most of his nights with Eskel, but it felt wrong to be sleeping with one man during the night and writing to another during the day, so he's spent the entire five months alone. And more than once, the letters he received seemed to have been written when Jaskier was drunk, and the content edged toward something much more suggestive than either of them had ever discussed. Not that anything had been discussed prior to the letters.

And Geralt had started thinking about things he's been burying since he first met Jaskier so many years ago. Like the sound of his voice while he's being railed in the room next door, or the way his trousers fit just right to display a shapely ass and thighs - or that stupid fucking bow that sits right between his hips and haunts him. Surely it's just a frivolity and it's not actually holding Jaskier's trousers up, but Geralt wants to find out, wants to tug at it and see what happens. And maybe, when he meets up with Jaskier, he will be.

He travels harder than he probably needs to, hurrying to get to their meeting spot and see Jaskier and find out where exactly they stand with each other now. It's unnecessary because Jaskier is still travelling on foot and while he has less distance to cross, he's still going to be slower. So when Geralt stops in town to rest for the night, Jaskier is the last person he's expecting to see.

But there he is when he walks into the tavern, lute in hand and singing melodiously and- Geralt's brain stops functioning when he looks at Jaskier's face. Because he's never had a beard before. And something hot and urgent settles low in his gut and Geralt barely holds back a groan. Whatever changed over the winter, he doesn't suspect Jaskier is prepared to be jumped the second they see each other.

But it's a tempting prospect, pulling him into an empty room and kissing the confusion from his lips. He thinks back to the one year Eskel decided to grow a beard, to the scrape of his between his thighs and against his ass. The roughness of it all over his skin and- fuck. He's still in public, he shouldn't be thinking these things.

So he quickly diverts his attention from Jaskier and orders a pair of drinks and supper for the both of them before discussing available rooms. By the time he and the innkeeper have come to an agreement (Jaskier's portion of the room has been paid for already, but Geralt is to pay for his own) Jaskier has finished his set and slipped up silently.

"It's good to see you," he says, "I didn't expect you so soon."

"The path was clear," Geralt explains, "quick riding down. Didn't see any point to delay after that."

"Certainly not, and we are glad to have you. Drinks?”

"Already coming," Geralt smiles and Jaskier beams at him.

The beard, Geralt discovers, is shorter than it appeared, thick stubble more than a full beard, but it doesn't stop the thoughts whirling in his head. If anything, it encourages them. Stubble is rougher than long hair and would be sure to scrape delightfully against his skin. Geralt has to shut his eyes for a moment and compose himself and when he does, Jaskier is looking at him oddly.

They turn in after supper and for the first time since knowing him, Geralt is nervous to share a bed with Jaskier. He's hesitant even about undressing in front of him because he's been half-hard since he walked into the inn earlier that evening. And he's had more to drink than is probably advisable, even if it doesn't affect him that much.

But in the firelight in their room, Jaskier looks unbearably beautiful and Geralt has to hold his tongue to keep from saying something he'll regret. Because Jaskier hinted and nodded at something more, but he hasn't said a word about it now that they're back together. And Geralt would be devastated to lose him over something so trivial as a quick fuck. So he shucks his clothes quickly and lays out his bedroll on the floor. Jaskier gives him an odd look but doesn't question it. It's not the first time one of them has slept on the floor of an inn.

But even when the candle is blown out and Jaskier is snoring softly in bed, Geralt can't sleep. He usually sleeps best the first night they're back together because they're always at an inn and Jaskier's soft breath and snoring lull him, but tonight he's wound too tightly to rest.

He gets up more than once and tries to meditate but being on his knees only brings to mind the image of a cock in his mouth and he's sorely tempted to see if the brothel is still open. He can't keep on like this. Jaskier stretches in his sleep, letting out a soft, happy moan and Geralt's cock twitches against his thigh. He shuts his eyes tightly, focuses back on the sound of Jaskier's breath, but there's nothing for it.

After an hour or more, Geralt shoves a hand down his shorts, taking his cock in hand and jerking himself quick and hard. There's nothing elegant about it, but he thinks of Jaskier, imagines him rubbing his cheeks between his thighs, and he comes hard after only a few strokes.

It's stupid, he thinks, to let himself get worked up over a little hair along Jaskier's jawline, and he resolves to ignore it.

Only the next morning it already seems thicker and darker and, like every other part of Jaskier, it's actually rather a lot of hair. A lot of short, prickly hairs. Geralt's cock stirs as he saddles Roach and he firmly shoves the thought aside. He's spent one too many rides hard and rubbing against the horn of the saddle and he doesn't need to repeat that.

They're not headed anywhere in particular, so he lets Jaskier lead the way, happily strumming and chatting or singing as he goes. They head in a general northwestern direction, toward Vizima and Jaskier seems perfectly unaware of Geralt's new fascination with him. But Geralt can't stop looking, hyper-aware of every little thing Jaskier does from the way he scratches absently at his jaw to the way he stretches it when he's not singing. Geralt doesn't know how he's never noticed all these things before, but they're doing their damndest to drive him out of his mind now.

He spends three days riding uncomfortably because he can't keep his prick under control, but it's better than walking and letting Jaskier see how fucking hard he gets thinking about his stupid scratchy face.

They stop early to make camp just outside of the city and Geralt has barely dismounted - thankfully not currently afflicted - when Jaskier drops his things and sighs.

"What is it?" he asks abruptly and Geralt just looks at him.

"What's what?" A million things run through his mind, but Jaskier looks far too exasperated for this to have anything to do with the recent state of Geralt's dick.

"You keep staring, looking at me funny. Why? Did I grow? Do I have something in my hair?" he reaches up, brushing long fingers through his hair and Geralt swallows hard. "And you're so solemn. What happened to looking forward to meeting me this spring."

Geralt says nothing because he doesn't know what to say. The truth is clearly out of the question, so he's fully out of options, the beard having turned the majority of his brain to soup. Then Jaskier's shoulders slump a little and he gives Geralt the most ridiculous look.

"The beard?" he asks and Geralt's eyes widen without his permission. Jaskier huffs. "I should have fucking known. Okay, get it out, tell me how awful it is."

"It's fine," he mumbles and Jaskier laughs.

"No, no, no, Witcher, you're not getting out of this that easily. Why do you hate it so much, hm? I'll have you know it was quite popular in Oxenfurt." Geralt doesn't need full brainpower to know what that means and a nasty jealous feeling twists in his gut. "So?"

"Told you," Geralt shrugs, "it's fine."

"Fine," Jaskier repeats mockingly, "fine."

He hates to lie to Jaskier, but he doesn't know what else to do and he doesn't want to ruin whatever softness they found over the winter, providing Jaskier is willing to stretch that into the rest of the year.

"It's… good," he says the words so quietly he can barely hear them and Jaskier comes right up to him, getting right up in his face and Geralt can smell him and he shuts his eyes, trying to settle his mind.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"Nothing."

"No, I think you said it was good. Do you- do you like the beard, Geralt?"

He's so close now and Geralt's eyes open when he feels Jaskier's hands on his chest. He's right there and Geralt can't think of anything but biting his jaw, running his tongue along the rough line of it and he nearly groans out loud. He has always, regrettably, found Jaskier attractive but something about the beard is unbearably sexy and Geralt is barely holding it together already when Jaskier grins at him.

"Oh," he breathes, sliding one palm down Geralt's stomach. He leans in so close that his stubble scrapes against Geralt's cheek and Geralt lets out a soft, shaky moan, barely clinging to his self-control. "You do like it, don't you? Is that why you won't sleep with me? Why you can't stop staring at me?"

He leans in again, purposefully this time and Geralt inclines his head so Jaskier's cheek is closer to his neck.

"Shit, Geralt." He nuzzles into his neck, pressing his cheek against Geralt's throat and follows with soft kisses that make Geralt's knees weak. "You like the way it scratches, hm?"

"Yeah," Geralt admits breathily, "Jask-"

"Shh," Jaskier hums, "I know. Fuck, I know." He presses his nose to Geralt's, sighing softly. "I was afraid I overstepped this winter," he whispers, pressing a light kiss to the underside of Geralt's jaw. "Thought you were trying to figure out how to send me away after that first night back."

"Not you," Geralt mumbles, tipping his head back, "didn't want you to know-"

"How much you like the beard?" he nuzzles under Geralt's jaw again and he groans in response. "So you still want-" he doesn't finish his sentence before Geralt slides a hand around the back of his head and holds him there, eyes locked on his own.

"Of course I do," he breathes and then Jaskier's mouth is on his own and he's not sure which one of them moved, but it doesn't matter. Jaskier kisses him like he's been deprived for months and Geralt knows that's not true, but he's happy enough to be the recipient.

Jaskier's lips are soft, but Geralt can already feel the burn of his beard on his upper lip and he moans softly as Jaskier pulls away to nuzzle at his neck again. Geralt shuts his eyes, rolling his head back and biting down on his lip. His cock swells quickly under the touch and then Jaskier's wrapping his arms around his thighs and lifting him off his feet. It catches him off guard, but then they're moving, and Jaskier sets him down on a shelf of rock, smiling slyly up at him.

Geralt's high enough that it takes nothing for Jask to bend and kiss him, fingers reaching in to unbutton his trousers, and Geralt can't keep himself from pushing into the touch, pressing his clothed cock against Jaskier's hands.

Heat rolls through him and he's a little embarrassed to be so hard already, but Jaskier doesn't seem to mind. He wraps his fingers around him and Geralt groans softly as Jaskier plays with him through the fabric of his trousers. He tips his head back as Jaskier gets his trousers undone and then he's shoving them down far enough to get his cock free and Geralt can feel the rush of cool air against him.

"Lift your hips," Jaskier says and Geralt does as he's asked, shifting with him as Jaskier pulls his trousers down to his knees.

He grins at him, then pushes his thighs apart and presses his face between them. Geralt groans immediately despite himself, torn between letting his thighs fall further apart to give Jaskier better access to his cock and just letting him rub his face between his thighs all afternoon.

Because he would. He'd be happy to let Jaskier nuzzle between his thighs for hours without even touching him. He could probably come like that, just with Jaskier's scruff rubbing against his thighs.

"Feels good?" Jaskier asks and Geralt nods. "You like the way it scratches, hm?" He presses closer and Geralt's eyes flutter shut. "Oh, you really like that. Is that what's been bothering you this whole time? And here I thought you hated the beard."

"No," Geralt gasps and Jaskier surges up to kiss him again, groaning against his lips. He fumbles with Geralt's trousers, not pulling away as he pulls them off his legs and throwing them to the ground, then he's hauling him forward so he can fit between his thighs.

"I want you," he breathes, "Geralt, can I fuck you? I'll make it good, love."

"Please," he whispers, "Jaskier, please-"

"Shh," Jaskier hums, running a hand down his chest, "I've got you, darling, I'll take care of you."He presses forward, guiding Geralt onto his back and then he's ducking down to take his cock into his mouth. And the rumours of Jaskier's talents have not been exaggerated.

Geralt has to struggle to keep his hips down as Jaskier draws back and when he sinks back down on him, he makes a point of rubbing his cheek against his hip and the pleasure burns through him. Jaskier's tongue wraps around him and Geralt rocks into the touch, but he just groans when Jaskier holds him down. Then he's pulling off altogether and lifting Geralt's knees over his shoulders.

He keeps his eyes on Geralt's as he pulls him forward and then he's ducking down, pressing his nose behind Geralt's balls. The first flick of his tongue has Geralt groaning and then he's sliding over him, licking over his hole and Geralt shuts his eyes and gropes at the rock for something to hold on to.

Jaskier doesn't waste any time settling him, just gets straight to work, pressing his face in and pressing at his hole with his tongue. The scratch of his stubble drives Geralt insane and if he wasn't already hard, it would take nothing else to get him there. And Jaskier, the fucker, knows this and uses it to his advantage. He alternates actually touching him with the rough scrape of his beard until Geralt needs the touch, until his cock aches for something more, and his cheeks burn with the roughness of it.

It's just this side of painful, but he loves it and when Jaskier finally presses into him, Geralt goes limp, whining as he throws his head back. He gropes blindly at Jaskier, gripping one arm where he braces himself and Jaskier just hums as he pushes his tongue inside him, barely acknowledging Geralt's whimpers.

"Fuck," he groans, "oh, fuck jask- please, yes."

When he pushes further, he adds a finger and it's a little dry, but Geralt has needed this for so fucking long he doesn't even care about the burn. It feels good, even, like a mirror to the stubble burn now marring the insides of his thighs and ass. And Jaskier is gentle despite his own eagerness, only pushing in when he knows Geralt can take it and then starting slow.

But when he knows Geralt is comfortable, he fucks him hard with his tongue and finger, working up to two quickly as Geralt gasps and groans under him.

"Jask," he groans, "needed you- wanted you all winter. I haven't-"

"Haven't what, love?"

"Haven't come since the summer-" he cuts himself off with another groan as Jaskier's fingers nudge against his prostate for the third time in a row. His eyes roll back and he bites his lip. "Not gonna last like this."

"'S okay," Jaskier says, dipping down to kiss his cock, "I wanna make you feel good, I wanna watch you come. Then I'll fuck you and you can come again."

"Melitele," Geralt groans, but Jaskier leans low over him, quieting him with a kiss as he plunges his fingers into him again.

The pressure rises as Jaskier seeks out that spot, aiming for it again and again until Geralt can barely breathe. And he knows he can't hold back anymore, but he tries. He shuts his eyes and focuses and tries not to think about how fucking good it feels to have Jaskier's fingers inside him, but they bump against his prostate again, just as Jaskier mouths at the underside of his cock and he can't.

"Fuck," he cries, "'M gonna come." Jaskier doesn't say anything, but he licks up the length of Geralt's twitching cock, just slipping over the head and sucking it into his mouth before he's coming.

HE clenches one hand at his side, the other flying up to the back of Jaskier's neck as he sinks down on him and he rocks gently into his mouth, pressing the head of his cock against the roof of Jaskier's mouth. It feels like ages that the pleasure washes over him and Jaskier just keeps bobbing on his cock, fingers still working into him.

When he finally comes down again, Geralt sighs and reaches down, tugging Jaskier on top of him to kiss him. He can taste himself on Jaskier's lips and it sends a bolt of possessiveness through him. He's never been one to consider anyone his, but knowing Jaskier tastes like him is incredibly arousing.

Jaskier appeases him for a few minutes before pushing himself up again and fitting himself between Geralt's thighs, running his hands along them.

"Feel better?" he asks and Geralt just hums softly. "Think you could come again for me, darling?"

"Yeah," Geralt rasps, "yeah, for you."

"Oh, Geralt, you're so sweet to me." Jaskier kisses him softly, then straightens up, reaching down to undo his own trousers.

Geralt watches as he shoves them down, then takes himself in hand, stroking absently, as he looks at him. Jaskier's already hard, the knowledge of which only makes Geralt's need stronger. But Jaskier doesn't make him wait long before he's pressing in, teasing his rim with the head of his cock.

He pushes in slowly, giving Geralt the chance to adjust, but he doesn't want it. He wants Jaskier inside him as quickly as possible, wants to feel the stretch of Jaskier's cock and the burn as he fucks him. He rocks his hips encouragingly and Jaskier seems to get the message, thrusting deep into him with a groan.

"Fuck," he mutters, "you feel incredible, Geralt." He rocks his hips, groaning on the forward thrust, and pulls Geralt's hips against him. "Can you come just like this?" Jaskier asks and Geralt nods.

He's already feeling the urge again, even as his cock swells against his hip. He wants to come on Jaskier's cock, wants to kiss him while he fucks him, wants to touch him. And Jaskier does his best to provide that. He leans over, wrapping his hands around Geralt's hips and pulling him down to ease the motion of his thrusts. He gets one hand around him, stroking in time and pressing his thumb against the slit of his cock, rubbing gently as Geralt squirmed under him.

Jaskier is soft where he touches him, but he fucks him hard and Geralt is already slipping before he's even touched himself. Jaskier's hands on him feel too good and he reluctantly pushes him away, slipping his own hand around the base of his cock.

"Okay?" he asks.

"Gonna make me come too quick," Geralt mumbles, "not yet."

"How come?" Jaskier asks, but his voice is rough, shaky as he fucks him. "This doesn't have to be the only time." He leans over him, kissing Geralt sloppily as he jerks forward. "I've wanted you forever, darling, if I knew all it took to get you into bed was growing a beard, I would have done it years ago."

He smiles and winks and Geralt can't help but kiss him again, tangling his fingers in his hair to bring him close. Jaskier's a flirt and a tease, but Geralt wouldn't trade him for anyone.

He kisses him hard, even as Jaskier pulls him down again, so only his back and shoulders rest on the rock. He slams into him again and again, dislodging him as he kisses him, but it doesn't matter because this is Jaskier and this has been a long time coming.

But Geralt's cock throbs against his hip and he's so close he can practically feel it and one well-timed thrust is all it takes to have him spilling all over his stomach and Jaskier follows with a loud moan, pressing his head into Geralt's shoulder.

For some time, neither of them moves, Geralt with his legs wrapped around Jaskier's waist and Jaskier just barely holding him up as the rush of his orgasm passes. Jaskier is the one to move first, pulling Geralt from his spot on the shelf to set him back on shaky feet.

"Gods, Geralt," he breathes, "who knew a little bit of facial hair could get you going like that." He huffs a soft laugh and kisses his chest, but Geralt ignores it. "If I'd known, I would've let it grow out ages ago, I bloody hate shaving and now that I know what that look means," he grins, leaning in close enough that he's breathing against Geralt's lips, "I think I'll wear it long like this all the time, what do you think?"

"I think," Geralt says, choosing his words carefully, "that next year you're coming to Kaer Morhen with me so I can take full advantage of that threat without worrying about having to ride in the morning."

"Fuck," Jaskier breathes, "deal."

#the promised beard fic!!#geraskier #spicy #rex writes #the witcher

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forbiddenfantasies1 · 3 years ago

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🎄 Festive Fic Exchange Recs ❄

There were so many wonderful stories that were posted in the JB Festive Festival Exchange 2021 collection, and I couldn't resist sharing some of my favorites with everyone.

Now I haven't read all of them so this is in no way complete, but these are the ones that I've read that have stuck with me.

First up, my gift fic, the absolutely wonderful Traditionally Tarth by @gypsyscarfwoman. I LOVED this story, from start to finish. It starts off with Jaime and Brienne meeting as children on the shores of Tarth where Genna has whisked the kids away for Sevenmas after the death of their mother. A friendship is built, traditions established, and it's just such a beautiful look at the way two people grow closer over time, and that no matter what else is changing in their lives, some things endure. I feel so lucky to have it as a gift.

Next is The Help by @ladym-rules. This fic is absolutely, delightfully adorable. Told from the POV of a new maid at Casterly Rock, the staff thought the newly betrothed Jaime and Brienne detested each other until they realized they absolutely didn't. Super charming and guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

On the other end of the feels spectrum, I've been haunted by lay your weary head by @slipsthrufingers since I first read it. This is a very introspective Brienne fic, taking place in the days following her fight with The Hound. She is lonely and tired and beaten down, and calls on thoughts of Jaime for strength. It made my chest ache in the very best way.

After drowning in Brienne feels, I balanced it out by drowning in Jaime feels by reading damn permanent reverie by @nire-the-mithridatist. Jaime wakes up and heals, and makes himself useful in King's Landing while Brienne returns to Tarth to take over as Evenstar. They both thrive apart, but his longing never goes away, and sometimes even if you can make it apart, you still just want to be together.

For another shift in mood, check out Jaime's Guide to the Lannister Family: Sevenmas Edition by the delightful and diabolical @naomignome. I laughed so hard reading this that I was concerned I was going to sprain something. Naomi is a genius with PowerPoints and this one delivers in a very JamLan style. Absolutely hilarious and yet still adorable (just like her).

The Gray Knight by @pretty--thief was another one that took me on an emotional buffet. Set at a tourney overseen by (a sane) Queen Dany and her steady Hand, Brienne, a mysterious gray knight is steadily working his way through the lists, turning to study the Hand in between rides. I'd go from grinning hugely to feeling like my heart was being squeezed into a pulp. This was beautifully written and will definitely be one I visit repeatedly.

I'm still working my way through them all, but definitely check these out if you get a chance. And remember to kudos/comment the authors of any you do read and enjoy!

#jaime x brienne #2festive2fic #festive festival fic exchange #jaime brienne fic recs

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recurring-polynya · 4 years ago

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Hi Polynya! I’m curious and in the spirit of Ginrei’s birthday, what do you think are his opinions of Rukia and Renji separately and together?

Ha ha, this is such a simple and straightforward question and my answer is going to be so long and so complicated and have almost nothing to do with Rukia and Renji because Ginrei's feelings toward Rukia and Renji have almost nothing to do with Rukia and Renji.

So, I want to start out by saying that Ginrei is a lot like Hisana in the sense that he's a canon character, we get the idea of him and what he's there for, but there's no actual characterization of him, which gives fanfic writers a tremendous amount of leeway to do whatever they want with him. I'm not going to try to justify anything I say here, it's just my ideas and how it goes in my fanfiction. I love it whenever a writer tries to take on the Kuchiki clan and I'm always interested to see what other people's takes are, even when they vary wildly from my own.

I love the fact that "Kuchiki" means "dead tree." We meet Rukia first, and it's sort of a delightfully spoopy name, very appropriate for this salty, overdramatic, grim reaper girl, but it takes on additional meaning when we meet Byakuya, the noble and powerful scion of a dying house.

The thing that makes Ginrei interesting as a character to me is that he is the one who ruled over his house as it fell. I tend to regard filler episodes as semi-canon, so I like the idea of Kouga, even if I don't want to acknowledge the rest of the Zanpakutou Rebellion shenanigans. I think that the main line of the Kuchiki was already running a little thin, Soujun's health was a big concern, and so they marry in this guy who is a scholar and a powerful shinigami. They never say what Kouga's previous social status was, but given that they emphasize what an accomplished dude he is, I think he was chosen for his skills, not his lineage, to strengthen the Kuchiki bloodline, except it backfires. Then Soujun dies, too, a few years later.

Ginrei strikes me as the type of leader who thinks he can control everything. He manages his clan with an iron fist. He is pragmatic, not sentimental. He’s not bad or mean, but he can see that he does not have a lot of room for missteps, and he takes his role very, very seriously. Despite this, he’s lost the generation under him, and all that he has left is Byakuya. There are cousins and branch families, but to the pride of the Kuchiki is its main line, descended from great generals and heroes and the very founders of Soul Society. Byakuya, in a lot of ways, hearkens back to the great Kuchiki of old, and Ginrei sees that he has the potential to reclaim the power and glory of his house. He’s hard on Byakuya and has high expectations for him. Ginrei loved his son and he loves his grandson, but after Soujun’s death, he often wonders if he was too soft on him because of his health, if Soujun would have lived if Ginrei had just expected more of him. Byakuya is the last hope of the Kuchiki and Ginrei knows he can achieve great things, and Ginrei is determined to do everything in his power to make sure Byakuya achieves his full potential.

And some ways, Byakuya is the perfect Kuchiki. He’s strong and he’s hard-working. He’s principled. He’s working on his self-control, and he’s very good at when it comes, to say, sword practice, he’s just not so good at in when it comes to interpersonal relations, but he’s coming along. Then he meets Hisana.

Hisana is absolutely unacceptable to Ginrei. Byakuya needs a marriage with a woman with strong spiritual pressure and a noble lineage so that he can gain some alliances from the marriage and then she can pop out some strapping young heirs while also managing his social life for him, just like Ginrei’s wife did for him. Hisana obviously isn’t going to check any of these boxes.

I headcanon Byakuya as demisexual, in the sense that he doesn’t experience sexual attraction very often, and if he does, it’s only to someone he’s already got strong feelings for. He was sort of okay with the vague idea of marrying someone for the purposes of procreating until he met Hisana and realized how much that would pale in comparison to actually being married to the love of his life.

Up until this point, Byakuya has had some minor rebellions against Ginrei, but they’ve never really gone at it, but this is one time that Byakuya stands firm. Ginrei is super-pissed. He lets Byakuya marry her because he figures she’s going to die soon anyway, but he’s mad about it. He never comes around to Hisana and he’s mean to her and this is really the nadir of Byakuya and Ginrei’s relationship.

Finally, we are getting around to what you asked. Hisana dies and Ginrei softens a little toward Byakuya in his grief. He retires and turns the clan and Squad 6 over to B, hoping it will be a distraction and that Byakuya will finally turn his focus over to what matters. This seems to be going well for about one year and then BAM! Byakuya acquires an orphan.

I am guessing that Ginrei didn’t know about Byakuya’s promise to Hisana to take care of Rukia, but even so, I think if you asked him, he would have regarded Byakuya’s duty to his clan and promise to his parents as more important. It’s not that Ginrei isn’t an honorable man, it’s that his concept of honor doesn’t necessarily extend to a dead peasant in comparison the Noble and Ancient House of Kuchiki. So Byakuya adopts Rukia and Ginrei’s immediate reaction is panic. What is Byakuya doing? Is he going to marry this girl? Is he going to name her his Heir? Has he cracked? And it turns out to be none of those things, he’s just going to keep her around as this sad ghost that haunts his house, but Ginrei’s initial reaction toward Rukia is that of interloper. He thought this Hisana nonsense was overwith, but no, we’re still doing this.

When Ginrei first meets Rukia, she is in her overwhelmed, lonely stage of first becoming a Kuchiki. Ginrei also criticizes her for being small and meek and basically useless. She’s a mediocre shinigami. She’s not beautiful or talented, so Byakuya can’t even marry her off for political gain. The real issue, though is that Rukia is just emblematic of the fact that Byakuya doesn’t intend to move past his grief and remarry. He works his ass off as Captain and Clan Head, but other than that, he’s just gonna be a sad widower and sit in his big house and write letters to his dead wife and the Kuchiki are going to die off. There is really nothing Rukia could do, no way she could be different that Ginrei would approve of, because it was never really about her in the first place.

Fast forward a few years, and now we come to Renji. I also headcanon that in his retirement, Ginrei has moved out to a scenic portion of Rukongai, so he doesn’t interact with Byakuya much on a day-to-day basis, but he hears stuff through other family members that come out to visit him. He’s never actually met Renji, all he knows is that Shirogane retired, and Byakuya hired some tattooed goon from Squad 11 instead of one of the dozens of Kuchiki cousins that are lying around. In my fanfic Call Me Back When the War is Over, Byakuya explains to one of his aunts that the reason he did this was because he didn’t have a relative who was capable of passing the Lieutenant’s Exam. She replies that he just should have pulled some strings so that someone (preferably her own son) could pass, assuming it’s a mere formality. Now this is exactly what Ginrei would have done. This is a problem, though: it involves choosing sides. I’ve got the top seats of Squad 6 set up as follows:

- 3rd Seat Ohno is the Heir to the most powerful Kuchiki branch family. His father is arguably the next in line for Clan Head, based on power terms - 4th Seat Kuchiki Choei is an actual Kuchiki, but he’s a younger son and he’s a clown, meaning that he got bored standing in line for Clan Head and wandered around the corner to vape - 5th Seat Kuchiki Takehiko is the actual closest of Byakuya’s relatives to him, and is arguably the next in line for Clan Head, strictly on family line terms

Pulling strings to help any of these three become the next lieutenant would be a very political move on B’s part, tantamount to anointing his successor. Ginrei assumes that B picked an outsider for the purposes of recusing, of saying “I shall simply refuse to die and remain Clan Head myself, forever’, with the addition fuck you of picking the Actual Worst Person Byakuya Could Find for the job, instead.

This really isn’t the case at all, it is literally that Byakuya feels that you shouldn’t be a lieutenant if you can’t pass the exam. He’s basically a rule-follower, and also it’s a good rule, and also his dad died as a lieutenant and I think he thinks a lot about how that could have been avoided through actions, whereas Ginrei tends to think of it more of a thing that could have been avoided if Soujun was better.

So, that gets us up to the beginning of canon. I am (in theory) working on a fanfic that takes place in the 17-mo timeskip where Ginrei comes to visit and actually gets to know Rukia and Renji and (spoiler alert, but is anyone really surprised) he ends up liking both of them a lot. Part of it is just Ginrei has chilled out somewhat in his retirement and realized that it’s okay to have parts of your life that are not completely devoted to the Good of the Clan. Part of it is that Ginrei loves Competence and Rukia and Renji are so, so competent. Part of it is that Byakuya is obviously doing a lot better than he was, and it’s just really obvious why. Like I said, Ginrei does and always has loved Byakuya, he just wants what’s best for him. It’s just that if there is one thing Kuchiki are terrible at, it’s expressing their love for one another in a positive and healthy way.

As to Ginrei’s feelings about Renruki as a ship, he’s for it, actually. Conniving family members have been trying to marry Rukia for years in hopes of getting an in with Byakuya, and I’m sure they’re setting their sights on Renji, now, too. Ginrei likes them well enough, but he can imagine what a shitshow this could turn out to be, and he finds it very convenient if they were to just marry each other.

I’m rather fond of the idea of Byakuya appointing them as a branch family to the Kuchiki, because I’m not super keen on them going full-Kuchiki if Renji married in, but I think Byakuya would be upset if Rukia married out and he wasn’t able to provide her with the lavish lifestyle he thinks she needs (she does not). It’s a nice compromise that lets them be a part of the family, but out of the limelight. In any case, I think that was Ginrei’s idea, thanks Granddad!

#ginrei kuchiki #renruki #i feel like i have written so much fanfic on this topic #except that i've never posted most of it #¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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be-not-afeared · 5 years ago

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Black Sails fic recs

Working titles: 12 fics for christmas? 12 days of ficmas? 12 fics none of which actually have anything to do with christmas?

OKAY, so I love nothing more than a fic rec post, and I’ve seen a few Black Sails rec posts floating around but they mostly seem to be a couple of years old and they all recommend a similar bunch of fics (and deservedly so! they are all amazing!). But I thought I would make one to highlight some newer or less shouted-about fics, because I may have only been here for a couple of months but jfc there is so much talent in this fandom and more of it deserves to be hyped.

So, here are 12 of my favourite fics for the 12 days of christmas! (i.e. an excuse to put an arbitrary number cap on the list or we’d be here all day)

The majority of these are Silver/Flint and the ones that aren’t still all feature Silver prominently because that boy owns my soul, sorry for who I am as a person.

we should rip it straight out by minormendings

45K (Silver/Madi, Silver/Flint, Flint/Thomas)

Madi has always wondered if Silver understands what is between him and Flint as well as she. To her, it has always been obvious, from the way the two of them had fit together, had worried about each other, had acted as one. She had tried to bring it up with Silver back when they were together. But Silver had shaken her off, too enmired in the idea that he or Flint would prove each other’s downfall. Or perhaps just unwilling to open his eyes to the fact that he had loved Flint.

It was, unfortunately for the both of them, even more obvious after the thing between them had broken. Just as Silver had thrown away the war out of love for her, Flint had let Silver take away the war rather than kill him.

God. What a group the three of them were, showing love by betrayal.

Post-canon. Madi and Flint find their way back to Silver.

This fic diverges from canon right at the end of the 4x10; Silver has Flint held in a cell in Port Royal and Thomas delivered to him rather than taking him straight to the plantation. It is a BEAUTIFUL character study of how Flint and Madi could both come to forgive Silver, and has a great FlintMadi dynamic too. It also centres Madi’s struggle between wanting to provide for her people and wanting to experience the freedom of piracy, and fleshes out Julius’ character in a way the show never did.

we can lose and call it living by I_wouldnt_be_one_of_them

31K (Silver/Flint/Thomas, Silver/Flint, Flint/Thomas)

It's been twelve years since everything fell apart, and John Silver is settled in New England. He has a nice house and a job he likes, and he's gotten used to the loneliness. It's a good life, he thinks, but of course that's cast into doubt when James Flint and Thomas Hamilton show up to find closure and, apparently, to see whether he's happy.

This is an inverse of the ‘silver arrives on flint and thomas’ doorstep’ trope and has Flint and Thomas instead being the ones to interrupt Silver, who is living a sad and lonely existence post-series. I love the ThomasSilver dynamic here. And this Silver feels so true to canon he makes me want to WEEP.

Tell me we're dead and I'll love you even more by Craftnarok

21K (Silver/Flint)

In the year 1725, or thereabouts, John Silver finds himself driven by a storm into an inconsequential little port town, barely a speck on any civilised map. Returned to the life of a drifter, tired and rough around the edges, he is resigned to waiting for the weather to pass before he can sail on again to the next town, and the next, and the next. That is until he overhears a conversation in the inn about a local fisherman, one Captain Barlow, and his tall tales of tempests and becalmings, devils and sharks, and Silver finds a new future opening up to him, haunted by the spectres of his past.

All of Craftnarok’s fics are amazing but I am particularly drawn to this one; it’s set 10 years post-series and is a delightfully angsty exploration of how Flint and Silver could find their way back to each other in a scenario in which Thomas wasn’t at the plantation. It doesn’t let Silver off easy and I love that.

armed with the past and the will by whimsicalimages

3K (Silver/Madi, Madi & Julius)

The language of winning and losing, this language that men favor – Madi can speak this language, though she disagrees with its precepts. Success takes different forms, and failing once does not mean failing forever. It does not even mean failing the next time.

Post-series, Julius teaches Madi how to fight. This fic is BEAUTIFUL - give me anything that centres Madi post-canon - and it explores Madi’s relationship with both Julius and Silver so well in so few words.

Always In Season by mycapeisplaid

60K (Silver/Flint, past Flint/Thomas, past Silver/Madi)

Towering sand dunes, crystal-clear water, miles of forest, vineyards, orchards, and very spotty cellular service -- John Silver finds himself in a part of the state he's never been before and decides to take on seasonal work. Meanwhile, back from his yearly wintering in Florida, James Flint thinks that perhaps he'll take on a new business venture, even though it means he might have to interact with people other than his two close friends. Their summer employment fosters a friendship that could become something more. Like construction season in Michigan, the two must navigate through their own obstacles in order to seek an alternative route toward happiness.

This is an AU and so much fun!! Silver finds himself in Michigan and takes on some seasonal work at Guthrie Dunes. The whole cast features and the setting just WORKS SO WELL. And this Flint feels brilliantly in character despite the difference in setting.

to make a life by gone_girl

53K (Max/Anne, Max & Silver)

“What am I going to do with your name?” Max asks, a little incredulous.

“Whatever you want,” the salesman says. “Didn’t you want something real?”

Max heard a story once about the importance of answering questions like that carefully. If something emerges from the forest and asks for your name, don’t give it up, the story went. Offer only what you know you can live without. She’s never heard a story that tells her what to do when something emerges from the forest and offers its name to you.

I literally only finished this this morning but holy shit this fic is amazing, it’s a Max-centric AU set in Missouri the early 00s and it’s all about found family and building community and platonic love and it has a brilliant SilverMadi dynamic. And there just aren’t enough fics out there that focus on Max & Silver!!

the straight walk home by vowelinthug

73K (Silver/Flint)

Let me tell you a story, about a vaquero named Vasquez…

Obviously vowelinthug’s fics are recc’d all the time and rightly so as they are AMAZING, but one that I don’t see featured as often as the more prominent ones is this incredible Western!AU. It’s 73K guys!! It adapts the canon narrative into the Western setting SO well!! It has background Vane/Billy which I was not at all sure about going in but just WORKS!! Go read it.

The Truth about Eros by Aisalynn

21K (Silver/Flint, Silver/Madi, Flint/Thomas)

Silver understood one thing very well.

Being Fated did not mean you were safe.

It did not mean you were loved.

This one is hot off the press! I am not normally a fan of soulmate AUs but this is such an interesting take on the trope, and the world building fits around the polyamory theme of the show really effectively! And it is SO well written.

With Nothing on My Tongue by RosieTwiggs

13K (Silver/Flint, Silver/Madi)

"Silver thinks: Maybe God likes it when I fight with him.

He wonders now, whether he’s been playing into God’s plan all along. Because no matter how angry he gets, how defensive, how many “fuck you”s he flings to the heaven, isn’t it all just proof that he still believes God is there, despite it all?

Silver doesn’t know how to counter that.

Maybe he doesn’t want to anymore."

An incredibly well written (and angsty! read the tags!) Jewish!Silver character study. This one has really stayed with me.

Maybe in Another Life by samedifference61

31K (Silver/Flint/Madi, Flint/Madi, Silver/Flint, Silver/Madi)

At the rail of a ship James doesn’t command, they stand shoulder to shoulder.

“John still thinks you’re dead,” James states, because it’s something that needs to be said aloud before they continue.

With eyes unblinking toward the rolling sea, Madi says, “And he still thinks you should be dead.”

James’ lip curls in anger. The wounds of betrayal are too fresh for either to say anymore.

Canon-divergent from 4x09, this is a brilliant MadiFlint centric fic exploring their relationship post Silver’s betrayal, and how he could find his way back to them both whilst acknowledging the weight of his actions.

in a vault of starlight by whimsicalimages

7K (Silver/Madi/Flint/Thomas)

The distance between Nassau and Savannah can be measured as: six hundred and thirteen nautical miles, five thousand pounds’ worth of pearls, or four extraordinary lifetimes.

Alternatively: in the aftermath, Madi writes her own story.

There aren’t enough Madi centric fics out there! This one is a lovely extension of canon with a great MadiSilver dynamic in particular.

the aftershocks remain by pdameron

31K (Silver & Miranda, Silver/Flint)

For as long as he can remember, John Silver has been able to see ghosts. He has no trouble keeping this secret from Flint - until Charlestown. Until Miranda.

Again all of pdameron’s fics are brilliant but I loooove this SilverMiranda centric one, plus who doesn’t love a ghost!au.

#Black Sails #black sails fanfic #black sails fic recs #silverflint #silvermadi #john silver #james flint #12 days of ficmas #obviously this only scratches the surface of the many amazing fics in this fandom #i might do another one of these after christmas i just love making lists #enjoy!

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theradioghost · 5 years ago

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Do you have any podcast recs that are super easy for those of us with audio processing problems? For me specifically that means one voice (or maybe two if they’re very distinct) and minimal complexity in the soundscaping, though if you have recs that don’t fit those that you think might apply to other people w/ different audio processing issues you can talk about those too! :)

I can certainly try! I feel as though I should put it out there that I often have a difficult time gauging where a podcast sits re: audio processing/HOH listeners; the literal entirety of my day job is being good at telling what people are saying in audio, and my own audio processing problems mostly just result in my near-inability to keep up with actual plays, so if any of these are misjudgements on those terms I apologize in advance.

* means that I know there are also transcripts available for the podcast in question!

SAYER: scifi dark comedy/horror. In a morally questionable tech corporation’s moonbase facilities, advanced artificial intelligence SAYER directs employees about their daily routines; this then turns over time into possibly the best story about AI I’ve ever heard. Especially in the first three seasons, virtually all speaking is done by one voice. (Caveat that a few other characters come in later, and they’re actually all voiced by one guy with different filters, but the filters are pretty distinct and characters tend to identify themselves by default at the beginning of every conversation.)

*The Cryptonaturalist: comforting supernatural folksiness. The titular expert on all things strange and wonderful reads poetry, admires nature, and talks about wonderful creatures like foxes that live within library shelves, stick insects that camouflage themselves as whole trees, salamanders that swim in parking lot asphalt, and Owls.

*The Hidden Almanac: comforting supernatural weirdness. Hagiographer, avid gardener, and Mysterious Dude In Plague Doctor Getup known as Reverend Mord gives tidbits of the history of his strange and fantastical world, along with gardening advice. Sometimes his tequila-swigging accidental necromancer best friend coworker Pastor Drom shows up. Written by fantasy author Ursula Vernon and mostly voiced by her husband Kevin. Extremely relaxing to listen to; the show ended last year but they put out five-minute episodes three times a week for eight years so there’s plenty of it. The first year or so actually doesn’t appear on most podcatchers so maybe check out the website.

Everything Is Alive: poignant, heartfelt interviews with inanimate objects. While there’s a different object featured each episode, it’s mostly just them and the interviewer, plus occasional phone calls with an expert on some subject brought up during the interview. Hits so much harder than you could possibly imagine given the summary. You WILL be upset about a can of off-brand cola.

*Quid Pro Euro: bizarre comedy mockumentary. A satire of the European Union in the style of a set of instructional tapes for EU employees made in the ‘90s, predicting what the EU would look like in the 21st century. Their predictions are somewhat off. Only one voice and delightfully it is Felix Trench. I don’t know anything about the EU but I still think it’s hilarious.

*Glasgow Ghost Stories: spooky supernatural. A resident of Glasgow is unexpectedly able to see the many ghosts that reside in the city -- but the ghosts have started to notice her too, and not all of them are friendly. A beautiful and atmospheric single-voice show; plus the feed also contains the very good miniseries Tracks.

*Palimpsest: poetic and haunting. An anthology series about young women experiencing supernatural happenings, each 10-episode season tells a different story in monologue (I think there are literally two episodes with other voices in them). Poignant, gorgeous, and sometimes heartbreakingly sad in the best way. In season one Anneliese wonders about the strange neighbors at her new apartment. In season two, Ellen takes a new job as companion to a supposed fairy princess imprisoned in a strange showroom in turn of the century America. In season three, former codebreaker Josie begins to see the spirits of the dead on the streets of London during the Blitz.

*Within the Wires: alternate history scifi found footage. From a world where a calamitous global war resulted in the installation of a new Society where nations and family ties are banned, an anthology of voices telling their stories. Each season is a single voice. Season one, a set of relaxation tapes deliver unexpected instructions to a government prisoner in a strange medical facility. In sSeason two, a series of museum exhibit guides spin out the mystery of two artists and their work. In season three, a government employee dictates notes to his secretary and begins to suspect a plot. In season four, the traveling leader of a secretive cultlike commune leaves sermons for her followers, and instructions for her daughter.

*Alice Isn’t Dead: lesbian americana roadtrip weird horror. Keisha’s wife Alice was missing, presumed dead. Now Keisha is a trucker, traveling the vast American emptiness to seek her out; but she’s about to become embroiled in the same vast secret war that may have drawn away her wife, and she’s not alone on the roads. Starts with one voice, adds a new one each season for a total of three. Also is finished.

*Station Blue: psychological horror. Matthew takes a job as the lone caretaker of an Antarctic research station for several months. This goes about as well as you’d predict. Very much a slow burn, strange, brooding horror of isolation. Heavy themes of mental illness based on the creator’s experiences of bipolar disorder.

*Mabel: dark, poetic faerietale horror. Live-in caretaker Anna attempts to contact the absent granddaughter of her elderly employer, the lone resident of a strange and ancient house in Ireland. A love story, a haunted house story, a fairy tale with teeth. This one might be hit or miss; it sometimes tends to the abstract a bit, and there’s more soundscaping and some other occasional voices besides the main two protagonists. Definitely worth trying out, though, this is absolutely an underappreciated gem.

*Janus Descending: tragic scifi horror. Two researchers, Peter and Chell, travel alone to a distant planet to survey the ruins of its extinct civilization. Unfortunately, they discover exactly how that civilization died out. Excellent if you like movies like Alien, and also being extremely sad. Only two voices. Really unique story structure: it’s told via the two protagonists’ logs of the events, but you hear Chell’s logs in order, and Peter’s logs in reverse, with their perspectives alternating. The result is a tragedy where technically you know the ending from the start, but it’s told so cleverly that just what happened and how remains a tantalizing, tense, heartbreaking mystery right until the end.

*I Am In Eskew: poetic, surreal horror. Only two voices and few sound effects. David is a man trapped in the twisting, malevolent city of Eskew, where the rain always falls, streets seem to lead the same way twice, and nothing can be trusted. Riyo is an investigator, making her way through rumors and questions in search of a man long missing and a place that seems not to exist. Maybe my favorite horror media ever? Deeply disturbing and yet even the most awful things are somehow beautiful. Like if Lynch, Escher and Mieville had a terrible, wonderful baby.

*Tides: contemplative hard scifi. When biologist Dr. Eurus is wrecked alone on a distant alien world shaped by deadly tidal forces, her struggle to survive also becomes a meditative exploration of the ecosystem around her, and a recognition that here, she is the alien. Mostly it’s Dr. Eurus; sometimes you hear from her coworkers. It’s got Julia Schifini, what’s not to love?

*Midnight Radio: ghost story/romance. A 1950s radio host who broadcasts a late-night show to her small hometown begins to receive letters from a listener and respond to them on air. I wrote this! It has a total of three voice actors and virtually no soundscaping. I promise it’s good.

#podcast recs #bobbie recommends things #I hope this is useful!!#Anonymous #asks #my posts

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tothemeadow · 4 years ago

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Commisioned by @the--samsquantch

Art originally done by @ y_yyyama on twitter

Agatsuma Zenitsu x OC

- Even after Momo has turned into a demon, Zenitsu still sees her as the wonderful human being she once was. -

warnings: slightly NSFW (not explicit)

words: 1.2k

“Gods, please, have mercy on us!”

“Mama, no!”

“You need to run! Go, get out of here!”

“Papa!”

The screams. Those damned screams that always haunt her dreams, creep in from the deepest crevices of her mind. They’ve been getting worse, Momo’s noticed – now that her memory is slowly coming back to her, she wishes it would just stay away. She doesn’t want to remember the havoc she wreaked, the countless lives she took, the blood she spilt.

After all, there’s no saving for the damned.

It’s at these blood-curdling moments when she thinks of him, the glorified beast that turned her into such a monster. She can still picture the three sets of eyes boring into her, her the deep voice telling her to try again. If only she had run away, saved herself, she wouldn’t have to suffer the way she does now. Someday, she’ll make Kokushibou regret everything he’s ever done – she swears it.

A light knock at the door stirs Momo away from her thoughts. A golden, fiery light floods the cramped space as the door to the wooden box cracks open; Zenitsu’s friendly face comes into view, then, his long ponytail swinging as he cranes his neck.

“Hey, Momo, are you awake?” he starts, voice soft. A smile slowly spreads over his face as Momo sleepily blinks at him. “We found a spot to camp for the night,” he continues, jerking his thumb over his shoulder towards the fire a couple meters away. “Tanjiro and Inosuke went to go find something to eat – hey,” he blurts, cutting off his own sentence midway, “are you crying?”

Hands flying to her cheeks, it’s only then that Momo realizes she had been crying. Wordlessly, she wipes them away, not wanting to worry Zenitsu even further. “Sorry,” she croaks, voice sounding rougher than usual, “must’ve been a bad dream.”

The expression on Zenitsu’s face softens. “Do you… want to talk about it?”

Even as he says it, Momo can sense the unease rolling off of him; in no way is he Tanjiro, and his track record of comforting others isn’t the best. Still, Momo appreciates the gesture. After another beat of silence, she nods her head. Zenitsu shimmies away, giving Momo enough room to crawl out of the box. Like Nezuko, her skin is painfully sensitive to sunlight; Urokodaki was kind enough to craft another box once Tanjiro explained that another nonviolent demon had joined his little motley crew.

A pang of guilt strikes her in the chest at the thought. Nonviolent, huh? While it’s true that Momo has committed herself to ridding the world of other demons, she isn’t entirely innocent. Once upon a time, she did kill humans. Hell, she feasted on their blood and bodies until she had her fill.

“Come on,” Zenitsu gently urges, extending a hand for Momo to take. He directs her over to the fire, then, promptly sitting on the ground and dragging her down with him. “Now you can sit as close to me as you want, you know?” he says, a delightful giggle following his words.

Granted, when Momo first joined the group, she often found Zenitsu’s clingy, flirtatious mannerisms annoying; now, though… well, it’s nice to know that someone still treats her like a human, not like some bloodthirsty monster.

The two of them fall into a silence, then, the crackling of the fire and lone crickets taking over. From the corner of her eye, Momo can see Zenitsu looking at her expectantly, his mouth pressed into a thin line. He’s waiting for me to say something, she realizes. Oh, if it only it was that easy.

“Hey, Nitsu,” Momo begins, drawing her legs to her chest and wrapping her arms around them, “how come… how come you’re not afraid of me?”

“Am I supposed to be?” At that, Momo snaps her head towards Zenitsu, her eyes wide. Shifting uncomfortably, a light blush adorns Zenitsu’s face as he turns his gaze to the fire instead. “I mean, when I first met you, yeah. But you’re still a person. You think about what’s right and what’s wrong… You’re really kind, too, just like Tanjiro.” He turns back to Momo. “That’s enough for me. I like you a lot, Momo, whether you’re a demon or not.”

To Momo’s surprise, Zenitsu’s face turns bright red. “Wait, wait, don’t take that the wrong way! I mean, totally! You’re gorgeous, don’t get me wrong, and it’s not like I wouldn��t take your hand in marriage or anything-“

“Nitsu.”

Zenitsu clamps his mouth shut. Panic fills his eyes – he’s said too much. Momo sighs and reaches out toward him, a clawed hand patting the top of his head. Something that sounds suspiciously close to a whine bursts from Zenitsu’s throat. Just like that, the panicked gleam in his eyes disappears, only to be replaced by something more… loving.

“I’m sorry,” Zenitsu mutters. “Clearly something was bothering you and I made the situation worse.”

Momo shakes her head. “You didn’t,” she replies, her voice mimicking his tone. “That was really sweet, Nitsu. Thank you.”

Audibly gulping, Zenitsu draws himself a smidge closer. “You think so?”

If she has to be entirely honest, it’s kind of incredible to see Zenitsu acting this bold. Don’t get her wrong, Momo thinks Zenitsu is an incredible fighter, but his cowardice seems to overshadow his redeeming qualities. Still, something about the way he’s looking at her right now has her heart setting alight and a pleasant warmth growing in her belly.

It’s hard to tell who moved first; it just happens so fast that it’s hard for Momo’s heart to keep up, for her sense of reality to stay attached to her consciousness. Zenitsu’s weight on top of her is comforting, to say the least. He’s warmer than expected, his calloused hands running through the inky strands of Momo’s hair, brushing against the edge of her face and her horns. His lips taste of peaches, delightfully sweet and inviting. It nearly drives Momo to hunger, but it’s different from the bloodthirst she experiences.

“Momo,” Zenitsu groans, voice rich and throaty. She feels her insides squeeze at the honey dripping from his voice – the way he says her name is ethereal, and she’ll be damned if she couldn’t hear him say it like that again. “I meant what I said,” he continues, pulling away and pressing his forehead to hers.

He’s beautiful like this, ponytail curtaining one side of his face while the firelight illuminates the other. His golden eyes seem to glow, yet it’s difficult to see his irises past his blown-out pupils.

Momo swallows. “I know,” she mutters. “Just… Just kiss me,” she hurries, clutching Zenitsu by the haori and yanking him back into another passionate kiss.

He holds her close as fucks her, lips skimming over every inch of skin that he can reach, murmurs of how much he adores her mixing with their heavy breathing and the smack of skin against skin. This is what making love is like, Momo thinks. She feels safe, loved.

For now, the nightmares that plague her consciousness are a thing of the past, and it’s all because of Zenitsu.

“Thank you,” she murmurs as he lovingly kisses her neck, “thank you.”

#kny #kimetsu no yaiba #demon slayer #kny x oc #kimetsu no yaiba x oc #demon slayer x oc #zenitsu agatsuma x oc #agatsuma zenitsu x oc #zenitsu agatsuma #agatsuma zenitsu #kny zenitsu #the__samsquantch #commission

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xoxoangel · 4 years ago

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okay SO i wanted to share this snippet from what i’m writing rn , bc i want to post SOMETHING that’s writing LOLOL

*ahem ahem*

“I’m not good at these things, you know. But, I meant everything I said. You are special to me. So special. It kills me not to wake up next to you. Not seeing that familiar smile everyday, feeling your hand on mine, and especially those fucking puppy eyes,” The nomad could feel his heart beating like crazy, as she smiled into his chest. V used his other arm to pull her in an embrace, planting a kiss on her head.

“I really can’t promise you anything, Pan. But I do know one thing. If I ever have to choose between you or anything else, it’ll always be you.” The last sentence shattered the wall Panam had built. The wall that kept her heart safe for years, the one she grew so fondly of. Her heart was now starting to pound too, her stomach turning delightfully. Had this been a month or so ago, she would’ve looked up at him and asked if he meant it. But V’s voice was far from stable now, it was trembling. It never trembled. V had prided himself on his confidence, his stature. The ability to not break. The way he held himself together, but there was nothing of that left. V was unsteady. Vulnerable. Extremely vulnerable.

“And yes, that includes Night City.” V’s voice croaked, the woman could feel his lungs straining trying to keep his voice from breaking. Panam broke away, now looking at him with widened eyes. Her mocha eyes were starting to look shiny—maybe even a little watery. V’s eyebrows raised high, as if they were about to float away. Panic flashed over his face, tilting his head down looking confused. His eyes frantically scanned Panam’s face, absolute terror in his eyes. The woman’s lips turned into a gradual smile, although her eyes still watering.

“You.. fucking gonk,” Her voice shook with disbelief, slamming his chest with her fist, except for once it wasn’t with force.

“You have to be kidding.” But V shook his head, still in panic mode. He was confused on whether or not he upset her, wiping away a tear about to fall with his finger.

“I want to come with you, Pan. When you leave.” His look of worry turned into a nervous grin, his eyes still looking haunted.

“Don’t want me to move in?” He joked wearily. Panam just smiled at him fondly, tearfully admiring him. She’d forgotten just how beautiful he really was to her. The light from the fireplace highlighted his bruise that covered his right eye and bottom lip, the purple now turning into more of a orange. But V was most beautiful to her when his eyes were on hers. When his warm, almost black eyes reminiscent of her coffee in the morning met hers. When he’d smile, and it was as bright as the moon looking over the desert. The annoyingly charming half smirk he gave her, the exact same look she’d only seen him give when he looked in the sky.

Maybe V had always been there, always been that comfort she desperately craved. The comfort that wasn’t temporary, the kind hidden in plain sight. It was never set nor sure, but always a guarantee that it will be okay. V had become an unconventional love, but it was the right love. The epic kind. She realized that even if—god, she hated even contemplating the idea. Even if V would die, he would live on. In her coffee, in the moon, and along the stars. He would watch over her, right next to Ursa Major. Right next to their constellation. There was an old Aldecaldo saying—“She who lives in the hearts of her loved ones can never truly die.” In this very moment, she couldn’t even grasp the concept of an Afterlife. Hell is real, that was for certain. Night City was hell. But what about heaven? What’s the need for heaven when heaven is on Earth with V? When heaven is her hands, tangled in his thick curls? When heaven is his lingering hand on hers, and his goofy laugh ringing in her ears?

Panam snapped out of her thoughts, as V just zoned out into the distance, at least his eyes had some color now. She assumed he was having another conversation with Johnny. Speak of the devil— Johnny was right behind V, his hands on top of the younger mans shoulders.

“That was some heavy shit, V. God, I think you’re in love.” There was an ounce of disgust from that statement, but even bigger ounce of worry. Normally, V would deny. Deny, deny, deny. Love wasn’t for him—for people like him. The merc was strict to his one night stands, anything more meant eventual heartbreak.

But Panam was different, he really did believe she was special. He wasn’t sure what love was—what it meant, really. Sure, he knew what it entailed. He’d even sit through the cheesy Hallmark movies, and read all the novels that Johnny swore was the product of satan. But V had never understood the feeling. The insects in his stomach—corny music swelling when he saw the so-called “one” (although considering he heard Johnny’s voice in his head, music probably wouldn’t be far off). That changed as soon as he’d meet Panam. Not exactly love at first sight, but when he really met her. When she downed a bottle of beer in like half a minute, or when she told him about the time the entire clan made her try weed for the first time and she fell off a big ass rock. Especially, the story about her doing drunk karaoke to ABBA.

Yeah, the ABBA one particularly pulled at his heartstrings. But, he really would be an absolute idiot not to acknowledge the non-cheesy aspects of their relationship too. Panam had done more than just help V find Hellman. She gave him a family, and one that wasn’t absent. A very real, raw family that laughed together, cried together, and protected each other. They’d accept V, despite it taking some time. In turn, V wanted to protect them. The nomad woman had given him something that was so unconventional—so unique. A family was something that took years to make, and the woman gave him a real good one in just a few months.

Maybe their love wasn’t strictly romantic. It was unconditional, and felt everlasting. Perhaps, they had been in love with each other long before attraction even came into play. There was something unique in their auras. As if they’d known each other longer, a familiar presence. The merc pondered the concept of soulmates. Once again, he was not one to believe in that type of thing. But he could’ve swore he’d seen her before— or felt her energy before. The orange-red warmth that he could only compare to the sun, the desert, and the exact warmth he felt in his body when Panam had showed him Ursa Major. V realized that just now, it didn’t really matter what came of their relationship. Whether they were a couple or simply just best friends. At the end of the day, she’d become bound to him already. The bind was more than enough for V.

#the part about v and seeing him is my fav #like i snapped a little ...#but anyways that is all my brain can form #this fic is only sliiightly angsty #but very much fluff very much smut #anyways u will now never see my writing for another month #cyberpunk 2077 #panam x v #cyberpunk v #panam palmer #yes this is them being Het but they’re both chaotic bisexuals #they just need some hugs man

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imagine-fight-write · 4 years ago

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Banana Fish, Vol. 1, Part 6

Hello, everyone! Time ran away from me again, laughing manically, but I am back!

So today Ash, after shooting his (former) gang members silly & laying down the law, goes to a doctor. Yes, really. But not just any doctor! No, no. This doctor is no longer licensed and does abortions. In the 80s. Which is also when this was written (1987, to be exact.) Well. I have no idea what to think, apart from Doc guy (his name is Meredith, a lovely name & looks it too) - Not-Doc Meredith has guts. No matter if who agree with what he does or not. But more importantly! Ash is wearing his lovely, comfy, totally 80s but comfy wool coat (pg. 65.)

(I want it so bad. Can’t you tell?)

And before I gush over the roller coaster ride that’s Ash & Meredith’s smack down conversation, I must bring your attention to Mr. Meredith’s poor assistant, Ms. Brandish. She’s a bit cold to Ash, asking he has an appointment when Ash is clearly a regular. Ash notes this, then says this line: “My own professional advise is to go throw that virginity away somewhere. Anywhere. I heard it rots if you don’t use it.” (pg. 65) And I’m just WHAAATTT? WHAT?

Like, good grief Ash, what did she do to you to be so mean? That’s utterly rude. Was he in a bad mood or something - I mean yes, he just got betrayed by 2 gang members & had to shoot them up & chase them off, that’s got to have cut him up, it’s clear his gang are people he trusts - he’s not walking on sunshine here.

No, scratch that! It doesn’t matter! You do not insult someone over how little or how much sex they have. Also, making assumptions is stupid! Just because someone’s single doesn’t mean they’re a virgin! Idk. This just blew me for a loop. I’m just baffled. Especially because, far as I know, Ash is never so rude again. Not to someone who has less power than he does (this is called “punching down”.) Maybe part of why this struck me so hard is because Ms. Brandish is a female character, of which Banana Fish has a distinct lack of. Like female street gangs. Where are the female street gangs? (wines).

I mean, Fruits Basket has them in spades, to the point of you wouldn’t even know gangs of dudes exist, because they’re never mentioned! So why not Banana Fish? Sigh. I’m not going to forget this (the insult or lack of female street gangs). But nobody’s perfect & Ash in particular has all the cause in the world to be messed up when it comes to sex (though that’s no excuse.) Don’t ever insult someone that way! Moving on. To a glorious, glorious smack down conversation. I LIVE for the conversations in Banana Fish and here the wit’s sharp as a knife. I love it. I love this even more than Ash’s convo with Dino which I gushed hard over in Part 5.

Was it Part 5? Agh, numbers.

https://imagine-fight-write.tumblr.com/post/641529643344723968/random-banana-fish-review-part-5-vol-1

Yes, it was. I am right, like always.

Anyway, I like Ash & Meredith’s covo more.

This is because, unlike his convo with Dino, Ash is on equal footing here, able to take and give smack talk. Neither he or not-Doc Meredith loses, it’s just an ongoing thing, and I love it. So, top of pg.66, Meredith comes out of surgery looking shady as all get out (the surgical mask doesn’t help.) So we already know he’s shady even before Ash confirms he’s not a licensed doc.

(And everyone says early Banana Fish art isn’t good - nach.) So. Ash starts things off with a quip, “Business is booming down at the clinic” only to inform us, “Mister Meredith is no longer licensed by the state of New York.” Also, Ash looks exactly like the smug teen he is when he says this, lounging in the not-doctor’s chair. I love it. I have to wonder. How did this relationship start? Is Ash’s comment a subtle reminder he could get Meredith in trouble if he wants? (It’s a very Dino-like thing to say, ugh.) Because it sure sounds like it. But Meredith also knows at least something about Ash’s past (see later in their convo) just as damaging. But at the same time Meredith does help Ash out in a major way later on - So no, I don’t think Ash is blackmailing him. Or if he is, Ash is mostly bluffing & Meredith knows this. Note also how Ash is bad at being nice to grown men (because of course he is.) So that might be part of his edge here.

And Meredith doesn’t take this lying down. He shoots back, “I have news for you Ash - that “J.D.” of yours doesn’t stand for Juris Doctor.” I’m scratching my head at this. It’s obviously an insult of some sort (at Ash’s intelligence? Which - haha, we all know Ash is smart at this point. Right?) Thoughts? Can anyone explain? Anyway, Meredith muses on the surgery he just did, “She had a fibroid on her uterus.” I have no idea what that means (tho I could guess) but it sounds awful. Ash quips, “you do sterilize the dustbuster first, right?” “Dustbuster” meaning uterus, I think. Also, dustbuster is a marvelous word. So fun to say. Makes me think of dustbunnies. Meredith is just, “take the medicine & go.” Like, give the man a break Ash, he just performed surgery. The medicine is, of course, for Griffin. Meredith warns Ash that it “only works for minor attacks” & “he should be in a hospital.” (This sounds like an old argument.) Ash snaps back with a great line, “What would they do - plant him in their vegetable garden?” Valid point. But - maybe actual doctors could help Griffin? Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Also note how this tells you Meredith knows about Griffin. He doesn’t know that Griffin is Ash’s brother (see later in convo) but he still knows about Griffin & his vegetable state. This is a lot of trust Ash has for Meredith, is what I’m trying to say. Ash being a teen with trust issues up to here. But, because he doesn’t know, Meredith asks, and you can hear the sneer in his voice, “Besides, what’s he [Griffin] to you? Don’t tell me he’s your lover.”

Sigh. Meredith also makes the assumption Ash is gay and shames him for it. Though it also raises the question - how does Meredith know or find out about Ash’s past, the one Marvin hinted about with the “movies”? Or does Meredith assume Ash is gay based on the context of him caring for an older man? (who he clearly hasn’t seen, or he’d know right away Ash & Griffin are brothers.) I hope for my health he didn’t watch those “movies” Marvin mentioned. But I don’t think so. I don’t think Ash would trust anyone who watched them. I wouldn’t either. And beat them with a stick. Anyway! More brilliant conversation (pg. 67) Ash - “I’ve got a favor to ask.” Meredith - “Uh-oh. Got confused and knocked someone up? I didn’t know you had it in you.” (Ouch. Zing.) Also, again the implication Ash only sleeps with men. Seriously, what is Ash’s reputation, & why does he have it? But then Meredith is nice.

“I’ll take care of it. I mean, being a dad at your age is a heavy responsibility.” Which is true. Ash is 17.

But also, way to assume Ash doesn’t want to be a dad.

Not to mention - have you noticed where he (Ash) lives? The (delightfully) dingy apartment Griffin is in? The fact that Ash has like, 1 set of clothes, 1 jacket, 1 coat, & a vest. Ok, scratch that, 2 shirts. But still! I have no idea what he does for $$$. Wait. Hold up. Stop.

Maybe that’s why everyone thinks he’s gay, because he sells himself . . . . . . . . .

Don’t mind me, I’m going to bawl my eyes out in a corner and simultaneously cuss out everyone who thinks, “No, buying somebody for sex is fine, of course they enjoy it.

And I pay them well -”

[ERROR. ERROR. TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE. ERROR.]

Whoo. I’m not recovered, but I am back.

Curse my avid imagination. And then bless it, because I love my imagination. No, I assume Ash does other stuff to get $$$. He’s a leader of a gang, for crying out loud. (I have no idea what they do, haha.)

Does anyone know? Please comment! Let’s continue. Meredith is all (snigger) “Did you knock someone up?” (and grown-ups call children childish.) Ash punches back with, “Not your usual services” and shows Meredith a packet of what was in the vial. Banana Fish. (pg. 68) Am I the only one whose ever only seen those paper medicine packets only in manga? There was one in Rurouni Kenshin too. Is this more of a Japan thing? Anyway, Meredith is like, “What is that?” Ash confirms it’s not dope & asks him to analyze it. Meredith is like, “Sure, for overtime” meaning “if you pay me” and Ash goes, “When you don’t have your hand up, you’ve got it out,”

Reminding the reader of how Meredith was grumbling about Ash having to call him before he comes in. Then Ash says, “Be seeing you.” And all I can think of is The Prisoner, an obscure British T.V. show,

Brilliantly reviewed by Dominic Noble here:

youtube

But wait! There’s more! Ash quips,

“Don’t let any of those tiny ghosts haunt you.” Meredith fires back, “I’ll do your autopsy for free when they fry you in the chair.” Ah, I love it. Such beautiful wit. This is how you write dialog. The reader doesn’t have to be told point blank Meredith does abortions - it’s eluded to in the dialog. Or that he & Ash have been doing this for a while, Ash paying for the medicine and picking it up. Even Meredith’s question of what relationship Ash has with the guy he’s getting the medicine for sounds like an old question he’s asked before. Or maybe I’m completely wrong & they’ve only been doing this for a few months. Who knows. Regardless, their banter is so refreshingly playful and equal compared to Ash’s convo with Dino. Sure there’s a power play, but it’s equal. And speaking of Dino -

I love his shocked expression top of pg. 69. This is the start of the famous duck scene I had to gush about in the last post. My priorities are important and valid! Anyway, Angie (and his fabulous mustache) is reporting to Dino that Ash was found with the body of the poor Banana Fish guy by his 2 (former) gang members. Dino rightly surmises Banana Fish guy might’ve said something or Ash took something off his body (both are true, as we know.) I like Dino’s contemplative face. The study is such a mob boss 80s den, I love it. Dino’s polio shirt with cravat bothers me, though. *I can’t spell cravat, help me. Top of pg. 70 - oh hi, Marvin, almost didn’t see you on the last page. Marvin asks to “grill” Ash, a.k.a. question him, and Dino is all, “No, no, he’s a sharp one.” (meaning Marvin’s not? Ha! But it’s true!) We learn the 2 (former) gang members are in the front hall, and this happens: Dino has a great line, “I think they’ve heard enough stories.” Angie goes “Sir?” Both he and Marvin have marks noting surprise or shock, or maybe flinching? But I don’t think either one is exactly surprised or puzzled. More - ugh, please not this. And Dino clarifies, “Drive them down to the Pine Barrens and kill them both.”

(Like, he doesn’t trust them to know they need to kill both of them, not just one).

But I can’t laugh because, not only is Dino ordering them to commit murder, but to kill 2 boys. 2 boys who know nothing. And they do. I will never forgive Angie. His mustache can burn to ash. Hercule Poirot’s is better!

And eventually the police find them (their bodies.) But first scene change! It occurs to me that there’s no real chapters in Banana Fish. I really think it’d help. But considering it came out in the 80s, maybe chapters weren’t a thing yet? Remember, manga volumes are essentially complied pages of the manga / comic from a magazine put into a book. There’s no chapters in a magazine comic, so there’s no chapters in the volume - yet. I’m surprised Banana Fish volumes haven’t been reissued with chapters & chapter title pages. Mine’s from a 2nd printing in 2018. Huh. Anyway. The police found the Banana Fish guy! And have no clue who he is. Bummer. Pros for the autopsy guy, Gordon, for being a Black guy, but also eloquent, (pg.71) *I can’t spell autopsy or eloquent “A gentleman among corpses, detective.” - This makes me think of Sherlock Holmes.

(That’s Basil Rathbone, for those in the back.)

The autopsy guy continues,

“Three neat holes like a suit coat. Nice and clean . . . You have to appreciate such distinctions in this profession friend. Why, the state of that fellow we have in here last Tuesday? . . . Made it very difficult for me to enjoy my hamburger.”

So Ash’s (former) gang members are good shots? Makes sense.

And that’s all for now. Hopefully I’ll be on time next Wednesday & we’ll meet Max, Ibe, and Eiji!!!! There is a diabolical plot against Ash! A bar fight!

#random #banana fish #banana fish review #part 6 #the prisoner #dominic noble #sherlock holmes #basil rathbone #manga

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asmolbirb · 5 years ago

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A semi-comprehensive list of sexy moments in Love Run (2019) by The Amazing Devil

In honor of them hopefully releasing their new album today, I listened to their first album for the seven thousandth time and wrote down every moment that made my soul sing. I will not be talking (much) about lyrics here because I simply do not have the space to do so!

Love Run (Intro)

When Madeleine joins Joey on “love’s worth running to” and her voice goes up when his goes down. Ya bitch loves contrasting vocal harmonies!

The buildup of the “ahhh”

The quiet amalgam of lyrics from other tracks underlying the “ahhh” in the focus

King

The fact that King is in triple time is already Supremely Sexy

When Joey joins Madeleine on “let the seabirds cry” and the percussion drops out so it’s just vocals and guitar

How breathy Joey’s voice gets at “burning there”

The rhythmic buildup of the percussion under the second set of “let the seabirds cry”

“Every unwanted daughter” is just. Yeah.

Madeleine’s vocalizations under Joey’s “I’ll keep the king”s at the end of the song

Pruning Shears

Can I say “the whole song”? No? Fuck, okay, here we go

The percussive sound of the first verse, made all the more sexy because Joey has a tendency to close to consonants really quickly

(Also in the live version, the way Joey says “car is so kitch”)

The way Madeleine’s lines have overlapping syllables with Joey’s!! This is an Amazing Devil constant but it still FUCKS ME UP

How Madeleine’s line is actually lower than Joey’s at “had it all planned” emphasizing that this line/experience is from Joey’s POV whereas her verses are higher than Joey’s suggesting that her verses are her own POV

The vocalization under the second half of the final chorus !

The “whoa oh whoa oh” after the final chorus !!!

The percussive sound of Joey’s final “in the back” hhhh

Shower Day

Joey and Madeleine’s unison for the entirety of the first verse and chorus really underscores the way they split into harmony afterward

Just. The bi/pan solidarity of the “you” character both “lov[ing] him” and “kiss[ing] her sister” (OR, if you interpret the song like I sometimes do, the closeted struggle of “know[ing] you should love him” but wanting to “[kiss] her”)

The syncopation (hemiolas specifically) at “we’ll wear our eyeliner” !!!! Fuck me up!! (Also the solidarity of the male POV character/Joey wearing eyeliner too! We need more men in eyeliner, this is the future liberals want)

THE REVERBERATING PERCUSSION THAT JOINS IN AT “WELL I’M LOOKING BACK” AND ALSO LITERALLY EVERYTHING THAT FOLLOWS. This whole portion of the song is full of so much heartache and desperation and emotion!!

The way Madeleine and Joey sing “For Christ’s sake just say something” in a round

The way Joey says his S’s in the repeated “say something” section at the end

Elsa’s Song

Okay so the fact that this starts off a cappella is massively sexy

How every verse ends with “forget me not”

Everything about Madeleine’s harmony!! It’s the return of the contrasting vocal harmony but turned up to 11. If I listed out every sexy piece of contrasting harmony I would simply have to list out the whole song

The introduction of the rhythmic percussion in the third verse

In general, how Madeleine is really leaning into her sop range here! It’s such a lovely contrast to Joey’s baritone. It’s a treat to hear her sop range shine when she tends to stick to mezzo/alto lines.

Pray

How Madeleine closes to a hum on “mean” in “what holy men really mean”

How Joey echoes Madeleine in the second verse

(How Madeleine ad libs the repeated “I won’t, I won’t pray for” section in the live version)

Madeleine’s ad libbed vocalization directly after the “I won’t, I won’t pray for” section. Heart eyes motherfucker

The repeated “oh oh oh” under Madeleine starting at “why you cannot sleep for sighing”

The harmonic buildup of all the background vocalizations under Madeleine’s final chorus. Like every new measure adds another layer of harmony and it’s just SO SEXY

Little Miss Why So

Suddenly I can’t see through the fucking waterfall taking up residence on my face

This is such a poignant description of depression and how difficult it is to explain to people who don’t get it

The part that fucks me up the most is the accelerated repetition of “it’s so boring” that releases into the a tempo “etc”, simultaneously emphasizing the lover’s frustration and encapsulating the narrator’s apathy. The buildup and release of tension is exquisite.

Also every time Joey joins in is just....incredible. The desperation of “For Christ’s sake, just say something” kills me every time.

But I can’t really in good conscience call anything in this song sexy because it’s all so...gentle and it just hits home so hard

So. Moving on

New York Torch Song

DID U MEAN. MY LIFEBLOOD.

The “fuck you”s both at the beginning and in the bridge

The slide on “tomorrow” in the intro right before the percussion kicks in

Joey’s “bright with every hum, ah-ah”

Joey’s humming under Madeleine’s “watch the fire” in the choruses

How the section starting with “god or devil” speeds up and adds more percussive complexity

The way Joey closes to the consonants when he sings “from within this”. It’s so delightfully sibilant !

How Madeleine laughs as she says “can’t we just talk about this”

The way Joey says “tippy toe tin rooftops” hnnnng it’s already a sexy lyric because of the alliteration but he makes it so much more percussive

THE WAY JOEY FLIPS UP ON “LIGHT” IN “TRICK OF THE LIGHT”. THE WAY HE HAS TO GO INTO HIS HEAD VOICE. THIS WHOLE POST IS SIMPLY AN EXCUSE TO DIE OVER THIS WORD.

Two Minutes

The fact that it’s a live recording and not a studio recording and there are all these little noises and echoes in the background

Madeleine harmonizing with words that are just barely intelligible, right up until she finally sings “I can hear the children calling,” is so damn haunting

The moment when the piano picks up !!!

Not Yet / Love Run (Reprise)

Buckle in kids !!! This song is 8 minutes long and every second is sexy!

The contrast between the gentleness of Joey’s voice and the almost anthemic determination of Madeleine’s voice in the verses, plus the alternation between acoustic guitar and heavy percussion

Madeleine’s “seams” vs Joey’s “seems”, Madeleine’s “hell” vs Joey’s “I held”, Madeleine’s “she’d howl” vs Joey’s “she’d hold”

Just. Everything about the Not Yet chorus. It makes me so fucking tender

Especially Joey’s diphthong in “pirates”; he closes to the long i sound almost instantly and it w r e c k s me

The way Joey says “everyone knows sex is better when you’re unemployed,” especially in the bridge right before the breakdown

(The way Joey says “you can’t dance for shit” in the live version)

The way Madeleine basically growls “Where is God, ma / Where’s the vodka”

The harmonies under the bridge right before the breakdown

The fact that Madeleine sings Love Run (Reprise) when Joey sang Love Run (Intro)!!! Inversion bitchesss

Joey’s entire verse in Love Run (Reprise) hhhhh -- it’s just rife with all his little vocal tics that make me absolutely feral

The vocalizations beneath the main track that start at Joey’s verse and continue through the end of the song

The tradeoff of “love run” between Joey and Madeleine

Madeleine’s “all that matters is that you’re here, all that matters” is so haunting and beautiful and sexy

The brief moment of acoustic respite at the start of the third verse

THE SHOUTED/GROWLED “RUN”S UNDER THE SECOND AND THIRD CHORUSES AAAAA

In conclusion:

This post was brought to you by a bisexual disaster who is an Amazing Devil stan first and a functional human second

I’m almost definitely missing some moments because I only listened to the album like twice while I made this post so please feel free to add your own sexy moments

Please, Joey and Madeleine, for the love of god release The Horror and The Wild, I am starving--

#the amazing devil #joey batey #madeleine hyland #love run #the horror and the wild

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neriad13 · 5 years ago

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Favorite Media of 2020!

There was a large swathe of this year during which I was unable to concentrate on reading (as there probably was for a lot of other typically-frequent readers), so, as a result, I ended up listening to way more podcasts and watching way more TV shows. Not a bad thing, but boy did I read way less books than usual.

However, for the first time in a while, the amount of fiction I read was about equal with the amount of nonfiction I read. Last year’s reading resolution was to read more fiction, so...success??

I did read a lot of phenomenal fiction when I had the energy to do so this year.

Books - Fiction

The Martian - Andy Weir

This book is the hardest of the hard sci fi I think I’ve ever read. Every single aspect of it is minutely researched and calculated. The author literally wrote equations to write this book. The science is insanely impressive and yet...it never loses its sense of humor or humanity in the mix. In fact, they’re the thing that drives the entire story.

Warlock Holmes - G. S. Denning

Way early in the year I was strolling down the fantasy aisle at the library, when this cover caught my eye. I took one look at it, went “oh, this looks silly” and...proceeded to devour the entire series in a matter of weeks.

It is very silly. Especially when it’s pointing out something that was silly in the original. There’s something so satisfying about Watson immediately answering Holmes with the correct number of steps in their flat when he’s trying to make his point about how most people don’t pay attention to things like that.

World War Z - Max Brooks

Every single scenario in here could easily support an entire book. A park ranger whose job it is to contain the yearly zombie spring thaw? HECK YES. I’d read tens of thousands of words about that. A Chinese admiral who defaults, steals the government’s premier submarine, loads it up with the families of his underlings and takes to the sea for years to live in the maritime economy that has sprung up in a world where everyone is trying to escape the shore? That could be an entire movie on its own.

Every chapter was more creative than the last and as a huge worldbuilding fan, this book was so, so fun.

An Unkindness of Ghosts - Rivers Solomon

In which a queer, neurodivergent protagonist solves a mystery on a spaceship which is a microcosm of antebellum era politics! This had a beautiful, mysterious, wonder-inducing writing style and it was a joy to peer into the wildly differing minds of every single character.

Books - Nonfiction

Underland - Robert MacFarlane

In every chapter, the author visits a different hole. Basically.

It’s an exploration of caves, catacombs, mines, nuclear waste facilities and the hidden underbelly of every forest. It was fascinating. And fundamentally changed how I look at time.

Rejected Princesses - Jason Porath

After years of having enjoyed the web entries, I finally got my hands on the first book and was not disappointed.

There are the more entertaining entries, of course and the art is as charming as always, but what struck me the most were the more difficult stories. The deeper you go into this book, the more horrific it gets. The author does not hold back on the indignities suffered by the historical figures he writes about. It’s terrible...but also very, very illuminating.

The Gift of Fear - Gavin De Becker

This book - while maintaining all the essential information in it - could be pared down to one sentence in a sea of blank pages and that sentence would be: trust your instincts. End of story.

But in a world where instincts are either customarily suppressed or going haywire, it’s not quite that easy, which is why I’m glad there is more to the book.

I picked it up thinking “ha ha, betcha can’t help a person with anxiety who fears all the time already” and...what it actually ended up doing was giving me the tools to differentiate between real fear and unfounded fear. And did help with the anxiety quite a bit.

Fanfiction

Watch Over Me - cakeisatruth

A Bioshock fic from the point of view of a little sister who is learning how to trust and be an ordinary child again. Dark and sweet. An excellent combo.

All That is Visible - Ultima_Thule

An exploration of a minor character in a well researched historical context? That’s my jam! How did they know?? A Tron fic about what it’s like to be a female programmer in the 70s.

Graphic Novels

The Adventure Zone - McElroys + Carey Pietsch

Yesssssssss! It was a running-to-the-library type event whenever my library got a new volume in. The jokes are so good, the art is so lively and the ways in which they added the details that the podcast couldn’t necessarily get across is *mwah*

Trail of Blood - Shuuzou Oshimi

Hoooooooly shit, the art style of this one!! It’s beautifully detailed and expressive, sure, but the real draw for me was how it changes with the emotional state of the main character. There’s this sequence in which he’s consumed with anxiety at school and all of his classmates become blurry and unfocused, until they can’t be recognized as humans at all, that particularly sticks with me.

It’s a horror story about a kid who witnesses his loving mother push his cousin off a cliff for seemingly no reason and is then obligated by her to keep the secret, which is eating him from the inside out. It’s so good, guys, please read it.

Level Up - Gene Lien Yang/Thien Pham

A story about a kid who is haunted by his late father’s desire for him to become a gastroenterologist. It’s funny and touching and the ending gave me what I can only describe as a feeling of exhilaration. Y’know that feeling when something unexpected but not out of left field, perfectly in tune with the narrative arc and gut bustingly funny happens, all in the same panel? That one.

Film

Searching

This is a fairly standard thriller about a dad trying to find out what happened to his missing daughter. It’s also found footage...but not in the usual way, which was what made it so compelling to me. It’s told through the dad’s phone calls, google searches, social media interactions, news footage, security cameras and webcams. It was such a cool way to tell a story.

Train to Busan

There’s a lot that’s already been said about this movie and I don’t think there’s much more I can meaningfully add to that. Suffice to say that ya gotta take care of each other if you’re going to survive a zombie apocalypse!!

TV Series

My Brother’s Husband

As close to a perfect adaptation as a person can get (barring the entire conversation in English which was...oof). I was so happy when they took it a step further and showed Kana and Yaichi actually getting to meet Mike’s family.

Zumbo’s Just Desserts

I watched a lot of baking shows this year. Like...a lot. They were my much-needed comfort viewing for the year and this one was my favorite, even over The Great British Baking Show (which I LOVE). Why? Because the pastry chef for whom it’s named makes such bizarre and wonderful desserts and fosters an environment in which the competitors do the same. I’ve never seen anything like a lot of the desserts that make an appearance on this show. Every single episode was an awesome surprise and so help me, this show had better get a third season.

She-ra and the Princesses of Power

There’s also a lot that’s been said about this one, so I won’t say much more. Suffice to say: DAMN. That’s how you do an 80s toy tie-in cartoon remake.

Infinity Train

This show’s premise is probably the most unique I’ve seen in recent years. Its balance of comedy, horror and existential dread is also *mwah* I also love how much it trusts the viewer to figure things out on their own.

Primal

A late entry sliding in before the year ends! I finally got to watch the second half of the first season last weekend and it was EXCELLENT. The pacing, the brutal fight scenes, the adorable dinosaur antics, the animation, the quiet moments - *mwah-mwah-mwah-mwah-mwah*

The most emotional moment for me was the part in which the protagonists watch, with sorrow, as the rabid dinosaur who’s been trying to kill them all night dies an excruciating death.

Also it sets up a fascinating new plotline right before ending in a cliffhanger!! Another one for the ‘had better get a next season’ list.

Games

Night in the Woods

This is one that’s been on my to play list for a few years and I was so glad I finally got my hands on it. It’s like...The Millennial Experience (TM), the game. I felt so seen, playing it. The character writing was fantastic.

Prey

I don’t know why I put off finishing this for so long. I guess I wasn’t in the right alien killing headspace for a while?? Anyway, the setting is gorgeous, the alien biology is weird and cool, the ethics are delightfully murky and the interconnectedness of the station was really cool, especially in the OH SHIT moments at the end.

Podcasts

The Adventure Zone

I tried to narrow this down to one favorite arc, but found that I couldn’t do it. I love Balance for its comedy and creative energy. I love Amnesty for its drama and acting. I am loving Graduation for the depth of its world and the way in which the real story behind everything that’s happened is slowly unfurling. It’s a good podcast all around.

The Magnus Archives

Who obsessively listened to every single season while playing Minecraft in about a month? Surely not me, nooooo. Of course not.

There’s also been a lot said on this one, so I’ll keep it brief. I’ve seen things in here that I haven’t really seen elsewhere in horror. My particular favorites were the creepy psychiatric hospital in which the horror comes not from the patients, but from the denial of the doctor to believe them about their mental illnesses and every single thing related to the Anthropocene. The one with the Amazonian village made out of trash - CHILLS.

#tma #taz #prey 2017 #night in the woods #infinity train #warlock holmes #she-ra #zumbo's just desserts #a thought

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alchemist-shizun · 5 years ago

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The Eyeless Cat

Part of the Welcome to Night Vale AU

Ts taglist: @whizzie72 @sapphire-knight @burningpersonflapsuitcase @softanxiouspatton @royallyanxious @kim-argent-moon @lance-alt @suffering-is-my-comfort-zone @sometimeswritingsometimesdying @pushussmollworld @mylifeisadeceit @spooky-scary-virgil @angstyfanfiction @artissijam @logicalberry (tell me if you want to be added or removed)

Word Count: 2,195

Characters: Deceit, Virgil, Roman, (Logan is mentioned)

Pairing(s): implied Loceit

Warning(s): eye injury, stitches mention, injured animal (please tell me if I missed anything)

Summary: Beware, the town's mascot appears to have found a new peculiar feline! Does it come for war or peace? Does it come aware of its conditions? Does it come? Does it at all? How many cats is Night Vale going to be filled with? Follow the subsequently solved mysteries with our two favourite beings.

A/N: Did someone order Deceit being excited about cats? The Night Vale aura might be a bit more off than the last fic but e h I'm trying my best. As well as Deceit might seem a bit ooc too as apparently I thought all of his dialogues in Cecil's voice (did I almost write Cecil and Carlos instead of Deceit and Logan? yes). I swear I will actually bring you Logan too, just you wait for me to write the 100th episode. That being said hope you enjoy! (Not all the events are actually taken from wtnv)

✾

❝ I'll morph to someone else

Defense mechanism mode ❞

« It was admirable how suddenly our favourite, and of course only, station cat was able to move from his spot. It did already happen once, back then when that ... devilish company unleashed an unharmful-looking beast that attacked him. » Deceit's voice lowered in a mix of repressed rage and regret.

Despite being in the past, memories would always come back to haunt you; sometimes they found you in a dark alleyway, sometimes they hovered over you when you pretended to sleep.

The black of the night seemed to be the most efficient medium to reminisce.

But other times all you needed was a detail, it would grasp your mind and never let go until you experienced second hand feelings from your past self. Everything at once in a matter of milliseconds.

When Deceit had seen Khoshekh's, or, rather, Virgil's cat body half bitten away by that horridly misleading creature, oh how deeply he had wished for his hands to be able to crush the toughest material.

The anger had soon left his skin and made way to concern and worry and that sense of impending doom impossible to ignore which set on the pit of his stomach.

It was one of the scariest days of his life, scarier than that one time he had almost died.

« And then he just … jumped out! I wasn't going to stop him, everybody knows cats can survive jumps from great heights. Like that one time Jasper, Derek's cat, had jumped from the tallest building of Night Vale and landed on his paws without a single scratch. That, of course, was thanks to the enormous wings attached to his body, which we learn that cats tend to grow around the age of five months old. Adorable! »

The fondness of Deceit towards said animals could be touched between the radio waves. He straightened his posture in his seat and leaned over his microphone.

« I simply looked out of the window, bending slightly towards the outside to witness what Khoshekh had in mind. And, listeners, you will never believe this. » Deceit smiled through the anticipation. « There was another cat right next to him! His fur was of a soft orange alternated with whiter stripes, but, sadly, I wasn't able to catch the eye colour. I couldn't believe myself when I saw them interact; Khoshekh made his first friend and we will celebrate this and welcome this new friend in our community with the warmest greetings we've gathered in our hearts. »

A shuffling of papers was heard while his tone shifted again. « More on the possible blossoming of a beautiful friendship as soon as we get more news on the matter. Let me take you to the weather. »

And the blasting of guitars started.

Deceit wasn't sure how long that weather was going to be: lately they had carried on for hours, almost forgetting about the passage of time which stretched and renewed with every instant, giving it no purposeful meaning.

This could only hold one significance: he was safe to visit Virgil once again, to check on him and see whether there were updates on the stranger cat or not.

It had been a long day.

Their search for a new intern hadn't yet been resolved; it's not like none desired to undertake the task, but they were literally still looking for their newest intern who had just applied.

It was a pretty young boy who had just moved to Night Vale for the sole purpose of working in the radio's internship so he could be more comfortable in the upcoming play he was going to star in. But, ever since he had applied, he had never been seen, nor he had ever shown up.

Deceit had been moving as if on autopilot, his body did the exact same trajectory for as long as he had wanted to check on Virgil.

He would make his way to the bathroom, wait for his friend to feel comfortable enough to appear in anthropomorphic form, talk to Virgil and then go back to make his last recording before finally going back home, unless the weather lasted for more than four minutes.

But this time he found himself out in the pavement next to the station's building, observing Virgil's moves.

The younger boy was in his cat form, staring directly at the corner of the station, as though he had been expecting something to happen for hours and hadn't yet gotten any sign.

« Waiting for someone? »

Virgil turned, his black fur like a speck of void sitting in the air. In a moment, a pale face was glancing back at Deceit, dark circles linked the white skin to the colourful tones of his left eye.

« There's something odd. » he mused with his arms crossed over his chest, the same spot he had gotten stitches on some weeks earlier. Deceit shook off the memory for the second time that day.

It was okay, nothing had happened.

« Isn't there always? What is odd, anyway? »

« I know, but- this is another kind of odd. »

Deceit let out an amused huff and walked closer. « You're starting to sound like Logan. »

Ever since the bio-machine attacked Virgil, he had stayed at Deceit and Logan's place to recover his broken bones and … trying to readjust to his previous life while dealing with all the injuries, the missing right eye he was now covering with his bangs …

And that was where he had started to pick up their habits, on a brighter note. They both found it delightfully precious.

« It feels different when he's around. »

« He? »

« The other cat. The orange one. » Virgil gestured to a spot, but Deceit saw nothing else other than a bench. « It's like he holds my own aura, he's more like me than he is like other cats. Not like Jasper, or Copernicus. »

« You think he can shape-shift like you? » Deceit tried to follow his connections.

« I'm not a shape-shifter. » Virgil had repeated for the millionth time, followed by a quick “Of course you aren't.” of his interlocutor. « I simply appear. » he added, scrunching his lips to the side afterwards, eyes narrow as he stared ahead of himself again.

He couldn't quite put his finger on that newcomer yet.

Now the newcomer was standing right in front of them, a few meters away, looking at- well, actually …

« Oh, those are some pretty red eyes! » Deceit approached, careful not to upset the feline, which at first backed away, but was far more comfortable when he sensed the soft and measured movements of the man.

He crouched down to him and looked at two little pinkish eye sockets. Deceit turned to Virgil.

« This poor creature doesn't have eyes? » he gazed back at the cat's face, which seemed to be able to capture where the man exactly was even with the lack of sight.

« Yeah, but that's not what's off about him. » the other clarified, while Deceit had already befriended the cat and had started petting its head, cooing at how cute he was.

The cat seemed to soften under his gloves' touch. « Oh, I think nothing is off about this gorgeous little buddy. » a wide ridiculous smile spread on his lips when he turned to Virgil. « Come here, he's very nice. »

Virgil rolled his eyes and complied, kneeling down next to them. He tentatively raised a hand and slowly caressed the back of the cat's body.

« We should name him. »

« Oh, please, you would end up with absurdities- What even is Khoshekh? »

« Excuse you? First of all, it's wonderful and second, you definitely love it- »

« I do not. »

« -You do. Now, who shall this new pal be? »

Virgil promptly picked the cat up without any other warning, surprisingly getting no other response from him other than a mute “Oh, alright, I'm being lifted off the ground I suppose. Neat.”

« I'm not going to stand here and watch you ruin his reputation for the rest of his days. » he started to back away, subtly amused.

« You're so dramatic. » Deceit snickered as Virgil clutched the animal to his chest.

« Thank you, I took that after you. »

« Come on, he can't just be “that orange cat”. »

« Why not? »

« He deserves a proper name. »

« You don't give proper names, Dec. »

« Then what would you think a proper name would be? »

The cat in Virgil's arms abruptly disappeared.

Instead, in them there was now a boy around his age, just a little taller than him, and just a little too close for Virgil's personal space.

« Uh … » he didn't move, not free from the other's arms yet. « How about “Roman”? »

Virgil blinked once, then twice and three times, disbelief still washed over him as he let go instantly after regaining his composure.

« You're … » just like him! « … the new intern? » Deceit questioned, remembering how familiar that name sounded. Pieces were all coming together: of course people couldn't find him, they hadn't been looking for the right creature.

« Oh! Yeah, that. I apologize, I might have missed the first few days but- » Roman cut off, looking down at his own body as if that would have explained his absence. « I got stuck. I had no idea I could do that. » despite his composed tone, confusion and mild agitation were still accompanying his face's features. A face with eyes, differently from his cat form.

« Oh well, there's always a first time as they say. Maybe Virgil could help you control that so you can still work for us? » Deceit regretted his own words the second he captured Virgil's death stare at the new citizen.

Trustworthiness of rare beings of your own kind coincidentally moving to your town wasn't going to be an easy effort. Especially when it came to him.

« Mh? » the new intern looked at the boy in question and put on the friendliest face he could muster. « Charmed to meet you, I'm Roman. » as he was extending his hand for Virgil to shake, the other began to walk back to the radio station's bathroom without a single word.

Words, in fact, were more Deceit's thing than his own.

« Aw, don't mind that. » he chirped, clasping his hands together. « Walking away from conversations is an open invitation to seek your interlocutor's company once again. I learnt that at the social interactions course in the community college. »

All he gained was a perplexed glance from Roman. « That's rather odd. »

Deceit tilted his head to the side, eyeing him cautiously. « Where … did you go to school again? »

« Uhm, New York City? »

New York City? he thought, that's not a real place.

Deceit brushed it off as Roman simply wanting to impress him. « Well then, new yorker, I guess, you might as well follow me inside; I'll show you around the place so we can get started. »

They stopped right before the entrance. « Ah, do not be bothered by station management, they will stare at you until their necks aren't able to turn anymore, which is normally around 437,27 degrees. » Deceit showed Roman one of his most encouraging smiles. « It's their way of greeting you, you'll get used to it. »

Roman blinked multiple times before he was able to process the information and follow Deceit inside.

✾

« Listeners, I have such exciting news I can't wait to share! » the pitch of Deceit's voice increased slightly. « So, in the past few hours where the weather took place, I had the pleasure to meet our newest intern, who's taking the place of our latest, as the passage of roles requires. » he waved at his current colleague. « His name is Roman and he's from … a place. A place on the earth, smiling at the sky with the same intensity as our desert town is yelling at the moon. Sorry about that, moon. We're trying to be better. »

Deceit shifted in his seat. « As well as we're trying to look out for any comforting sign the stars, any soothing sound in the wind or any pacifying rumble in the ground. But the important thing is: you're here and you're trying. Whichever option flows your way, bound yourself to it and let it hypnotize you into the eternal slumber of vigorous impetuosity. »

He let his temple rest on his hand. « Stay tuned next for quiet yelling and boisterous nothingness. » a smile crept on his lips when he realized he was very close to returning home to his boyfriend. « And as always, goodnight, Night Vale. » the smile grew wider.

« Goodnight. »

#purp's writings #sanders sides #fanfiction #welcome to night vale #wtnv au #ts au #sanders sides au #deceit sanders #ts deceit #virgil sanders #ts virgil #roman sanders #ts roman #logan sanders #ts logan #loceit #tw eye injury #read the warnings

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