#which i'm not saying to be coy i'm saying it because i would LOVE to understand the period dynamics of class and mobility better

[quatregats]

Thinking a lot of thoughts about Hornblower's relationships with Barbara and Maria as a metaphor for his larger relationship to social mobility and ambition, and I think there's actually a lot there - not sure if it was intentional, but I do think that whether intentionally or inadvertently, Forester did an interesting job with the parallels.

Quick note beforehand that some of this is based on my constant brief paging through C. Northcote Parkinson's Hornblower "biography", which, while I absolutely abhor his interpretation of Hornblower, gives even more food for thought on this point. I'm also leaning more into his interpretation of Hornblower's background and childhood, as opposed to the TV show's, so it might not work if you're coming from the TV show's perspective.

Parkinson takes Forester's comment that Hornblower was a "doctor's son" to mean that he was the son of an apothecary, rather than a physician like in the show. I'm not a historian of the period, so I would be hard-pressed to actually try to fit Hornblower's father within the 18th-century framework of medical practice, but either way, given his awkwardness around upper-class life and that he seems to have grown up in rural Kent, I think that Parkinson's claim that he was the son of an apothecary, rather than a physician, does have some reasonable foundation, or is at least equally plausible (to me) as the show's.

Hornblower struggles with poverty through most of the series, especially the first half, but even when he is barely scraping by, such as at the start of Lieutenant, this does not seem to be an abnormal state; and when he finally arrives at wealth and success, he constantly wishes to go back to the days when he was a penniless lieutenant, so from this we might also surmise that he did not come from wealth. (I'm also comparing especially to Jack Aubrey, who, while he admittedly makes a hash of coming into large amounts of money, and who also lives perfectly happily on very little, is clearly quite comfortable being the "lord of the manor" by comparison.)

One of the biggest changes in the second half of the series (from The Happy Return/Beat to Quarters onward) is that Hornblower's career comes into fruition; he becomes a decorated Captain, a member of the landed gentry, a Knight of Bath, a Peer, and finally an admiral, and marries into an enormously influential family. He's constantly in conflict about this, until he isn't: he wants to become someone powerful and important, except that he doesn't like the role once he gets it, and constantly wishes about the old days, then feels guilty for wishing for them. Most importantly, he seems to become less and less himself, his mental narrative getting more and more distorted as he tries to mold himself into the person he thinks he wants to be.

I don't think this is a particular novel interpretation, but I think that in light of this, the contrast between his marriage to Maria and his marriage to Barbara is very interesting. If he was an apothecary's son, his and Maria's marriage would make a decent amount of sense - they'd be from similar social backgrounds, and probably a reasonable match, if Hornblower's career had continued as expected. Hornblower feels comfortable around Maria at the start of their friendship and the very beginning of their marriage in a way that mirrors his comfort with the life he's living at that point - which is to say that he clearly knows and understands what's expected of him and how to interact, in clear contrast with later books. But on the other hand, for all that he originally does love Maria, Hornblower comes to find her to be coarse, unrefined, and boring, and feel that she is not good enough for the person he wants to become. It's at the point when he starts to feel that he's moved passed Maria that he begins to take on his new, ambitious, performative persona.

On the other hand, Hornblower feels stiff and uncomfortable around Barbara from the beginning of their relationship, notably for reasons of class, and even in later books, consistently sounds intimidated by her poise and upper-class untouchability. With Maria he doesn't feel enough for her; with Barbara he feels too much, an almost uncouth sentimentality. He craves Barbara's status like a man drowning, but can't hold up under the weight of what it would mean. They have very strong intellectual chemistry, but socially they are a disaster of a couple, and yet nonetheless, Hornblower continues with the marriage because it feels to him like the thing he ought to do, just as he ought to become squire of Smallbridge. He's so viscerally uncomfortable with his position in the later books in a way he wasn't even at the height of his earlier miseries, but he refuses to let himself admit that his ambitions might have led him astray.

I think it's also interesting that the relationship which Hornblower arguably finds the most fulfilling (or rather, it was written very poorly if Forester wanted to make it feel fulfilling for the reader, but nonetheless it was clearly meant to be the most fulfilling for Hornblower) is his relationship with Marie, who sits at a similar odd juncture to him. In the text, Forester says outright that Marie fulfills Hornblower's interest in upper-class women (ambition) while not intimidating him, yet still being a satisfying intellectual partner. Nonetheless, just as Marie and Hornblower can never actually end up together, Hornblower can never actually be comfortable with his position, and no matter how many times he tries to find solace in her, he is eventually forced to continue down the path that he began, making up with Barbara and fully taking up the mantle of Admiral and Peer of the Realm.

In short, I think that watching the way in which Hornblower's relationship with Maria evolves over the course of the early books and the way in which his relationship with Barbara takes up after that ends up being a very neat parallel to his own ambitions and class identity. With Maria he is at home, but bored and restless; with Barbara he gets everything that he wants, but feels like a fish out of water. I think that particular parallel is part of the particular tragedy of Hornblower - he can't ever be satisfied with the person he was, or the person he's become. But I think that adding in aspects of extreme class difference - even more class difference than the general trends of social mobility during this period - also helps to elucidate the fundamental tension which drives Hornblower forward as a character. The world he came from was too small for him; the world in which he moves now is far too big; but there's no in-between option. He has to choose what he wants to be, and sacrifice some part of himself in order to do that, and in light of this reading of him, I think that there's a lot of interesting dilemmas to be raised.

[lucy-literates]

Oh my I loved my request for Lewis, thank you 🤭

I got another idea :)

Like the reader is an actress and got invited by Ferrari and Lewis is kinda shy at first - unlike him, because he gets nervous around her :)

The whole grid teases him about it, because it is cute 😅

Smut, if you want, kinda like he shows her, he is not always shy 🤭

Have a nice day :)

A/N: ah yay, I'm so glad you like it! Ooo I like it, the usually confident Lewis, is nervous around the actress. Enjoy, inbox is open

Red Flags & Blushing Champions

You had no idea what to expect when Ferrari invited you to the Monaco Grand Prix.

It had started as a PR crossover — you were in Europe promoting your newest film, and your manager had a friend in Ferrari’s marketing department. Suddenly, there was a red pass in your hand and a custom jumpsuit with your name embroidered across the chest. You weren’t even sure how much of the race you'd understand, but when the invite included a yacht party, free champagne, and a spot on the grid… you weren’t saying no.

What you didn’t expect — couldn’t have expected — was Lewis Hamilton.

You knew who he was, of course. Everybody did. He wasn’t just a driver; he was an icon. All elegance and energy and control, the kind of man who seemed impossible to catch off-guard. Until you met him.

He said hello on your first day in the paddock — barely.

"Hey, I’m… uh. Hi." His voice caught halfway through, and he gave you a tight smile before looking down at his shoes. You blinked, confused. Then he looked up again, clearly flustered.

"Sorry, I—uh—Lewis." He offered his hand like he hadn’t won seven world championships. You shook it gently.

"I know who you are," you said, lips quirking. “I think the world knows who you are.”

His ears turned pink. And that was the beginning.

---

By day two, the grid had noticed.

You had barely walked into the hospitality suite before Charles Leclerc leaned over to George Russell and whispered something that made both of them laugh behind their drinks. Daniel Ricciardo gave Lewis a look that practically screamed, *just ask for her number already*.

Even Carlos Sainz, ever the quiet one, clapped Lewis on the back when you passed and said, "Mate, if you don’t say something, I will."

You played coy — not because you didn’t notice Lewis watching you, but because it was fun watching him try to act like he wasn’t. He’d glance up from his phone, then away. Pretend he was focused on the track. Fidget with his chain.

He was adorable.

And clearly not used to being the flustered one.

---

That night, the real fun began.

You found yourself in the Mercedes suite, sitting beside him on one of those sleek white couches that probably cost more than your apartment. There was a lull in conversation, and you were sipping something bubbly when you turned toward him.

"So," you said, voice deliberately light. “Do you always get shy around actresses, or is it just me?”

His jaw slackened for a moment. Then he laughed — quiet and sheepish — and ran a hand down his face.

"You noticed that, huh?"

"You’re not exactly subtle, Lewis."

He turned, propped an arm on the back of the couch. You could feel the warmth radiating off him. "I’m usually not like this," he admitted.

You grinned. "I know. That’s what makes it fun."

The air shifted. His gaze dropped to your lips for half a second too long.

"You like messing with me?"

"I like seeing which version of you is the real one."

He hummed. "Maybe both are."

You tilted your head, playful. "Which one would I get if I kissed you right now?"

His breath hitched — a tiny inhale, sharp and shallow.

And still, he didn’t move.

So you leaned in, not to kiss him, but just to whisper in his ear: “Thought so.”

---

The next few days blurred together in champagne toasts, camera flashes, and stolen glances. You’d lean into him just a little too close when the media was watching. He’d open doors for you, help you into cars, let his hand linger at your lower back for just a beat longer than necessary.

You started texting. Late-night voice notes turned into half-hour FaceTimes. On the final night in Monaco, he invited you up to his suite — just to talk, he said.

You didn’t believe that for a second.

---

**His Suite – Midnight**

The lights were low. Jazz filtered softly through the speakers, and Lewis was barefoot, shirt slightly unbuttoned, glass of wine in hand. You watched him from the couch, admiring the tattoos peeking out from under the fabric.

He handed you your drink and sat across from you. You sipped slowly, letting the silence stretch.

“You’re staring,” he murmured.

“I like what I see.”

His brows lifted, a spark flickering in his dark eyes. “You’ve been teasing me all weekend.”

“You’ve been letting me.”

He laughed, deep and throaty now. No nerves left. Just that glint of confidence you knew had always been waiting underneath.

“You’re dangerous,” he said.

You crossed one leg over the other, dress riding up just enough to make his gaze drop. “Only if you let me be.”

“I might.”

His voice had dropped — low, smooth, daring. He set his wine down and moved to sit beside you, thigh brushing yours. His hand found your knee, warm and steady.

You leaned into him, lips brushing his jaw.

"You’re not always shy, are you?"

His hand slid higher. “Not tonight.”

---

**Later**

He took his time.

Every glance, every touch, every kiss was deliberate. You could feel the tension unravel between you — all that pent-up teasing turning molten. He pressed you into the mattress with a kind of reverence, lips mapping out every inch of skin like he’d been dreaming about it.

You whispered things in his ear — soft, breathy encouragements that made him groan against your neck.

And when he finally had you, when the slow burn gave way to heat and rhythm and need, you realized something:

Shy Lewis was sweet.

But *this* Lewis — the one who held your hips like you were the only thing keeping him grounded, the one who whispered your name like a prayer — this Lewis?

Was completely, devastatingly yours.

---

**Morning After**

You were wrapped in hotel sheets, watching him pull a hoodie over his head. He glanced back at you, smirking.

"Still think I’m shy?"

You grinned. "Maybe a little."

He shook his head, biting back a laugh. “You're trouble.”

You just winked. “Told you.”

[strawberrystepmom]

dante x f!reader. established relationship, a minor disagreement that ends up in hurt/comfort. | wc: 1.4k, reading time: ~5 minutes

“I’m coming with you.”

Your remark is firm while you practically chase after Dante who slumps down in the chair behind his desk for the briefest moment, pulling equipment from the drawers of his desk and putting it into his pockets. 

“No, you’re not.”

It irritates you how he won’t even look up, preoccupied with getting out of here. Your jaw slackens, eyes narrowing.

“Why not?”

Now he looks up, his own teeth clenched. 

“Because I’ve said no ten times and meant it every one.” 

He hates fighting with you. In fact, he hates telling you no about anything and you’re all too well aware of it judging by the way you seem to think you can wear his defenses down into a yes right now. 

Disengaging by looking down, he loads a few bullets into his guns which further irritates you. 

There’s no such thing as a truly unexpected job in his line of work. He gets calls at all hours of the day or night sometimes, reporting to wherever he needs to be to take care of business, but you don’t understand why he won’t let you come. It’s midday and he’s clearly playing coy about the threat level of whatever is out there meaning there may be a need for help.

Laughing sarcastically, you stand in place in front of his desk. 

“It amazes me how you are never this serious about a no until it has to do with what I want.”

Whipping his head upward so fast his hair falls out of place against his forehead, the man you love more than any other curls his lip and points all five of his fingers toward you, eyes wide.

“And it amazes me that you’ve never bothered to wonder why I'm so serious about it. How many times have we had this exact conversation?" 

There has never been a time where he’s raised his voice at you and he has no plans of starting now but you are seriously testing his patience. 

You fold your arms across your torso and raise your brows adversarially high. "I wish you’d just admit it’s because you think I'm weak and can't protect myself. Your little liability."

Finally, you push Dante to the point of a frustrated, humorless chuckle punctures the tense air of the room. You flinch in place, averting your eyes from him to other corners of the room that seem a lot easier to look at. Walls don't have eyes that pierce to your very soul the way his are right now, feeling them even if you don't see them.

"Will you please stop thinking the worst about me? I know better than anyone you can take care of yourself." 

He scoffs, another ironic chuckle following it. 

"In fact, this isn’t even about you. Have you ever thought for even a second that I keep you away from my jobs because I don't know what I would do if something happened to you? That nobody does?" 

You look up and he looks directly at you, brows furrowed. 

"Yeah, I've been called out about it before. By Trish and Lady and everyone who has ever seen the way I am when it comes to you." He shakes his head, rising from his seat behind the desk, reaching across it and grabbing your trembling hands. "They’ve all had the same thing to say about how you can't be around because my focus becomes keeping you safe."

He looks away from you, retreating to somewhere distant in his mind. 

"I catch myself thinking about a world without you sometimes and it's dark and heavy and...and I know I couldn't do it if I didn't have you."

"Do what?"

"Any of this.” He waves his hand around the waiting room of Devil May Cry dramatically. “Exist."

"Dante..." 

You click your tongue, chest aching at his words. They’re well meant but even the faintest insinuation of him stumbling into the bad shape he was when you first met makes you feel hollow.

"I mean it, sweetheart. You could come up with a hundred arguments and probably already have but I wish you wouldn't waste your time arguing with me about what the truth is. It’s not that you're weak, it's that I'm weak for you."

Now you feel like a real problem, pouting like a little girl while he airs out the truth. “Stop it.”

“No, you stop. Let me tell you how I feel and maybe, just maybe, actually listen to me for once.”

Pushing your fists against your eyes, you take a deep breath and allow the pressure of your knuckles to keep the levy holding back your tears from breaking. You probably look as pathetic as you feel standing there like this, shoulders slumped inward and breaths coming in staggered pants. 

Merciful man that he is, Dante never lets you suffer for long. 

You hear his footsteps round his desk in the  same pattern you memorized a long time ago, his warm arms coming to cradle you even if you won’t look at him. Your body naturally leans against his chest, fists pressed against his shirt, face hidden. 

“You’ve made me a man, not just someone pretending to be half one.” He unburies your face to kiss the tip of your nose, pulling you against his chest to bury your head beneath his scruffy chin. “And you’re one thing I wanna keep safe forever because of it. Is that so wrong?”

Shaking your head no, you sigh in lighthearted defeat. How can you put up a fight, especially when he is safely nestling his beating heart in your hand? You protect it, he protects you. 

It’s not all that bad of a deal when you really think about it. 

“You’re starting to give me a stomach ache,” you joke, lifting yourself up on the tips of your toes to kiss him. It’s a little brush of lips against lips, far less searing then how you usually approach. 

Still, it says everything. The pair of you remain locked together - two bodies and one shared soul - refusing to part even to continue the conversation. 

“Sorry for thinking the worst.” 

Your apology is only slightly muffled, mashed between his mouth and yours. He parts his lips to reply but chooses to kiss you instead, tongue dipping between lips he could not successfully exist without. You’ve given his world more than color, you’ve breathed life into every last corner of it. The least he can do is tell you so once in a while. 

Smiling against your lips, he stops for a breath and backs away enough to look down at you. 

“Let me know next time that happens so I can get ahead of it, okay?”  

A lighthearted reminder, sealed with another small kiss. The tension in the room gradually soothes itself, minute by passing minute. The safety of his arms even improves your mood slightly, your fists pressed against the center of his chest rather than over your eyes. 

“Please stay behind and let me come home to you in one piece.”

Chewing the inside of your cheek, you fight the urge to insist you need to continue fighting for your place in his life. He’s telling you clearly that you’ve earned it. 

“Alright,” you acquiesce, raising yourself up on tippy toes to kiss him again. 

Opening your mouth to continue speaking he shoots you a look, not venomous or dangerous, but serious. He doesn’t wanna argue about this again. 

You lean into him, big eyes staring. “Fine, God, okay. But you need to call me as soon as you’re done because I don’t know what I’d do without you either and cannot think about it so please don’t make me.”

Dante nods, chuckling. 

“You’ve got yourself a deal.”

Later on, after you’re less emotional and he’s home safe and sound, you’ll admit he’s right. You’ll mutter against his hair that he’s not merely a good man but the best one for thinking of you the way he does and that you constantly question if you deserve it or not. He’ll whisper to you that nobody has ever deserved it more, rocking you gently until you fall into a fitful sleep and leaving him awake for a little longer. 

Only then will he find himself alone enough to silently thank whatever force brought you, this stubborn, beautiful woman, into his life to save him. He’ll insist to this same force that he’s only making up for lost time by protecting you from danger to begin with. 

It happens every time.

[starmocha]

Xiiiiiuuu 💕

it's a brand new Monday, I had a dream with zayne that left me with some searing doubts and i wanna make it everyone's problem:

seeing the guys breaking for being so pent up after days apart from mc is cute and all

but what about a really pent up mc who's also ovulating and she hasn't seen her men in almost a month coz of a silly, classified mission that had her traveling everywhere and put her in a routine where she was too exhausted to do anything else but sleep once she was at the hotel

any kind of text she exchanged with the guys would sometimes get real flirty (initiated by her coz they're all gentlemen and the thing that mattered the most was if she was OK) but she'd end up falling asleep and frustrating herself

so when she comes back, she's pampered by them and they're really just happy she's back and she's ok but this girl is ravenous, and she's climbing on top of them and straddling them and grinding her hips and she's so eager that they have to hold her in place so they can even take a proper look at her face coz really, they can wait, she's tired, they don't have to do anything, they're just soooo fucking happy to be holding her again

and she's looking at them like they're all made of stars and love and she leans in, steals a kiss and while her face is red, cheeks hurting, her voice does not tremble at all when she whispers that she wants to feel them everywhere, and when theur hold on her gets a little tighter, fingers digging into her flesh, she adds that she wants to feel them in all of her holes 🙂

my question is: which of the guys just fucking loses it the hardest? i think all of them would short circuit a bit and almost cum on the spot tbh but they'd fulfill all of her wishes coz they just love her so much

(I'm blaming zayne for this question. blaming him and the desperate way he's always kissing mc. you fall asleep listening to silent poem for the billionth time and this is the result. damn you sexy snowman)

✨HAPPY MONDAY EVERYONE✨

I love a take charge MC. We stan. Get that dicc, girlie. 👏

Ok I accidentally wrote more than yap, so............I had a lot of thoughts........ 🙂 this will be on ao3, too.....

I feel like Xavier would break first. She just needs to mess with him a little and she'll get what she wants lol whereas Sylus would probably have the most control. Of course, he would lose it, too, but only after making sure she is truly wet for him. Anyhoo.................................

tit for tat

Xavier gets hard instantly, because what did his girl just fucking say to him? He knows they've been on different assignments lately and have had minimal contact, but surely that wasn't the reason she came back so... frisky, right? He's stammering, hands on her waist as she assaults him with kisses. It's not that he wants to stop her, but he wants to make sure she realizes what she is asking of him.

He's trying so hard to be a gentleman, but with the way she's grinding down on him, kissing him so hard, and then having the audacity to tease him finally made him snap. Before she realizes she had flipped a switch in him, he had pressed her down into the couch cushions, and he gives her The Xavier Stare Down™. She breathes in sharply. She's familiar with the way his eyes darken. In typical Xavier's fashion, he makes sure her legs are spread for him, and he chastises her, "You shouldn't have teased me so much. I would have been nicer to you."

She acts coy, letting him think he has control over her, but little does Xavier know, she wanted mean Xavier to take over. She anticipates he's going to help her relieve all of her... pent up energy.

sex on the beach

Rafayel is flustered. She had just said what?!

This isn't what he had thought would happen tonight. He had planned the perfect welcome home celebration for Miss Bodyguard. An exclusive reservation at one of the top-starred seafood restaurants, a walk on the beach, catching up under the stars, slowly reigniting the flame between them...

But she's in no mood to take it slow. She practically jumps him the moment they are back in his studio, and he finds himself dodging her advances, hiding behind canvases and the couch as she prowls to him like a lioness with her prey. He has never seen her like this before, and before things could escalate any further, Thomas calls his phone, immediately cockblocking the poor girl to her irritation. Normally, she likes Thomas, but this time, she is already planning his early retirement as Rafayel's agent.

After hanging up, Rafayel takes control of the situation again, saying with feigned disappointment that since the mood is ruined, they might as well still head out and continue with his original plans. She begrudgingly agrees, but throughout the whole dinner at the restaurant, Rafayel could see how frustrated she is. Not at him, per se, but she seems anxious to speed through dinner as quickly as possible.

Later when they walk along the beach together, his hand intertwined with hers and Rafayel is describing what he did during her absence, how boring everything was without her, and if it weren't for the secrecy of her mission, he would've bought a ticket and flew straight to her immediately. This makes her pause, and Rafayel looks at her with confusion.

She starts tearing up suddenly and asks why he was avoiding her earlier then if he claims to have missed her just as much as she had missed him. Immediately, he starts to panic a little, never expecting her to cry. He starts stammering out an explanation, saying he didn't think she was thinking clearly and he didn't want to take advantage of the situation.

She stops him. Suddenly, Rafayel finds himself pushed back, landing in the water, completely soaked. Before he could react, she straddles him and gently holds his chin up, making him look at her.

He realizes she was faking everything the whole time. He scoffs in disbelief, feeling foolish for falling for her ploy. "Crocodile tears, Miss Bodyguard?"

"How else would I get you to take me seriously?" she purrs against his ear, and his breath hitches. Her arms are around his neck, body pressing closer to him. She is just as soaked as he is now, he realizes, feeling the wet fabric cling to her body, his mind shifting focus to the slow grinds of her hips against him and his heart accelerating with every roll.

"This area is private," she whispers into his ear, noting the way it almost immediately turned red at her suggestive words. "Remember when I ordered a 'sex on the beach' earlier during dinner?"

"...Y-yeah..." His throat is dry, his mind already knowing what she is about to say next.

"I wasn't asking for a cocktail."

Immediately, his hands slip under the skirt of her dress, and he pauses almost as quickly, meeting her seductive gaze with surprise. "When did you—"

"They were already soaked before we left the studio. Seemed silly to change when you're just going to take them off anyway, right my fishie?"

He's going to lose his mind, but he gives into her spell, gladly and willingly ready to submit to her whims, to fall deeply into lust with her and drown in this pleasure.

on the same page

Zayne is picking her up from the airport and she nearly jumps on him. At first, Zayne thinks she's just excited to see him again. He misses her, too, and just kisses her back as normal.

Or so he thought.

The moment she gets in his car, she's grabbing his tie and tugging him to her into another heated kiss, surprising him with her boldness. He struggles to stop her, reminding her that they're still in public.

"So, if we're alone, then it's no problem, right?"

He knows what she's suggesting, but he doesn't comment on it. Instead, he buckles her seatbelt for her, intentionally ignoring the pout she gives him. During the drive back to their home, though, she notices how his large hand is covering her thigh, stroking and squeezing every so often. She steals a peek at him, but Zayne remains pokerfaced, and in fact, he is just conversing with her about mundane things. Still, she can't ignore the way his hand feels on her thigh in this moment, already wishing they were home now so he could pry her legs apart and see just how wet she already is for him.

The minute they are home and alone inside the house, Zayne drops his gentlemanly act. She is all over him again, more eager than before, because within the privacy of their home, there is no reason she needs to be discreet about her intents, right?

He lifts her into his arms, her legs wrapped around his waist as he presses her to the closest wall and his lips are all over hers as well. They're getting breathless, becoming delirious with desire for one another. He hears what she says, what she wants from him.

How convenient that this is what he wants, too, and if she's giving him her permission, then who is he to deny her this?

what an honor

Sylus is just delighted, because what did she just say to him?

He hasn’t misheard her, but he couldn’t help but messes with her a little, never imagining there would ever be a day that he would hear such bold, crass words out of the lovely Miss Hunter’s mouth.

"Sweetie, some men might misconstrue what you had just said—"

"You and I both know there is only one man I would say this to."

Fair point. He feels rather honored that she desires him in such a way, and he would be lying if he said he hadn't thought about her recently in a more... intimate nature.

He gets pulled back to the present, falling prey to her relentless kisses. He had missed the way her body feels on his, loving how she is finally being greedy and selfish, acting on her instincts and wanting to use him for her pleasure.

What she wants, he will give it to her.

And if what she wants is him... well then, he has always ever been hers and no one else's.

complete authority

Caleb is going to lose his fucking mind.

With their mismatched schedules lately, it's been difficult to see one another. Instead of arranging a day to meet up in Linkon or Skyhaven or even elsewhere in the world, Caleb comes home one day to find her already in his house in Skyhaven, waiting for him on the couch.

She has a key.

His home is her home.

And Caleb... well, Caleb is also hers. All hers. And she wants him now.

When he approaches her, she is already grabbing the lapels of his jacket and pulling him down on top of her. She's kissing him with so much force, not even bothering with the "hello, how are you" small talks. She needs him now. He's getting lost in her, enjoying the feel of her beneath him. He's kissing her back, getting pulled into the same haze of arousal as her. Things get even more heated as the minutes pass, their breathless gasps and moans filling the silence in his home. By now, he is practically humping her, because fuck, he's pent up, too. It's been weeks apart and the company of the Farspace Fleet is nothing compared to being with her.

His hands are tugging down her skirt, but he freezes when she tells him that.

"A-all of them?" he questions back, red-faced, half out of embarrassment, but the other half was complete arousal at the thought that she would let him use her like that, wanting him to fill all of her.

Feeling his bulge against her own arousal, she smiles back to him mischievously. "Did I stutter?"

He laughs and presses his forehead to hers before kissing her quickly. "You little... alright, be a good girl."

He's kissing her back with the same fervor, reminding her, "Whatever you want is what I'll offer to you."

And that includes the authority to command him.

[unknownsvoid]

OMG, I love your Ticci Toby writing, it's just good.

<3

I hope it doesn't sound too strange, but could you do something similar, only with Toby being a bully? You know, the typical high school bully?

It's more like an Au, I know Toby isn't a bully, but I love imagining him like that ><

Oh yeah, let the reader be her schoolmate, obviously 🦭

TOBY AS A STEREOTYPICAL HIGHSCHOOL BULLY!!

cw: fluff and smut content! toby being mean to everyone else BUT you. afab!reader. virgin reader and toby, that's it! no proof read. i'm lazy... okay?

SFW:

Toby was your typical high school bully. Bullying any loser he could find in sight. Everyone but you. The only reason being that the two of you were good friends. He would get detentions frequently, diss any teacher, and insult other students whom he thought weren't on the same "level" as him (his words, not yours) And worst of all fights. Fights were the worst because he would always get suspended after them, and you would always have to go to his house after school to patch him up and disinfect the cuts that would linger on his body, scolding him while doing so. Though he would win every fight. You'd also tell him off every time he'd get a detention, which causes him to tell you not to worry so much. "You need to stop getting detentions! That goes on your school record, ya know that? And that's gonna cause problems in the futu-" "Yuh-you worry too much, puh-princess. I'll be fuh-fine. Juh-just a detention." He also will happily beat anyone's ass if they talk shit about you. With him, it's a different story because people normally say stuff behind his back, and it's normally about how creepy he looks, his gash, his tourettes, and that's normally the sum of people's conversations about him, but when it comes to you? People say hurtful shit you're not useful, commenting on your looks or something like that. Though, during these last couple of months, he's actually started to begin feeling fuzzy and nervous around you. His stutters and tics start to heighten every time you two are together. You'd comment on it, and he'd just blame it on the weather or something stupid like that. Another month passed before he started to notice that fuzzy and weird feeling he was getting around you meant that he had a crush on you. It was hard to believe at first, but he quickly got over it. Though he would be a lot more distant with you. You noticed how his behaviour has improved. Other people wouldn't have noticed, but you did! You noticed how he would get at least over thirty sanctions a week, and now it's downgraded to twenty or less sanctions a week. You noticed how he'd normally have three fights during the five days you guys have school turned into two. Sadly, you also noticed how he's been avoiding you, and you used up all your courage to come up to him at school and ask him to hang out at your place, which he surprisingly said yes to quite fast. Like, you didn't even get to finish your sentence before barking out a yes. When you guys were at your place, rambling your hearts out. He accidentally blabbered that he liked you, and this is how the conversation went. "Juh-Jason said I luh-like you, which I do buh-but who care-" He pauses on his words and sheepishly looks up at you to see your shocked face, "Shit." "Like me?" You say with coy smile. "Um..." "I like you too, Toby!!" "Really!" He says, his gaze lighting up. "Mhm!!"

NSFW:

Now Toby had you under him, on your bed as his cock pushes in and out of you. He's being super nice, which was super enigmatic of him. Your fingers were intertwined with each other. "Fuh-fuuuuck. Your puh-pussy feels so guh-good."

His cheeks were rosy, and his breathing was unstable with each thrust. His seven inches disappearing and re-appearing from your pussy. Your wet pussy slurping his cock back in before lewdly spitting it back out, causing a creamy, white ring around his cock.

He reaches his nimble thumb down to rub swipe your clit as he plunges his cock in and out of you, watching your face fall apart from the sudden pleasure. Your pussy immediately tightening up around him. "Yu-You gonna- ahhhh- cum, buh-baby?" "Yeah! Oh Toby! Gonna'cuuuum..."

"Cum f'me..."

That was enough for the coil in your belly to snap. Your pussy fluttering around his cock as well gushing more and more juices. You don't even have enough time to relax from your orgasm because his thrusts aren't slowing down and the pad of his thumb was still probing at your twitchy clit. You jolt up. and your arms jitter helplessly from the feeling of being overstimulated. "Eee-Easy, baby. Huh-hold on a littlllle luh-longer for me. S'close, baby. Fuuuuck."

He picks up the speed until he ends up cumming. His spunk spilling inside of your pussy. The warmness of his cum causing you to moan. He pulls out, a slight hiss falling from his lips from the sensitivity. He watches his cum flow out your quaking pussy. "Yuh-Your on the puh-pill, yeah?" "...." "Hm... I'll go buh-buy some th-then."

[roosterforme]

Would you write us a mini blurb of Kylie trying to steal Jake and then her trying to get with the other daggers. Would love to see Jake call her out for being a shitty friend and crappy person in general. Then watch him hype up his girl and she comes along and watch’s the whole thing unfold. would be amazing.

I've been thinking about this scenario all week! Kylie would sabotage her friendship with Darlin' (or what's left of it) just to have even the slightest chance to get some attention from Jake. I mentioned that she definitely hit on him at the bar before Darlin' formally introduced them, but apparently that rejection from Jake early on wasn't enough.

"I can't believe I'm graduating in a week," you moaned. Jake had you pinned up against your bedroom wall in your tiny apartment that you shared with Kylie. He was pretty sure your roommate heard the two of you having sex last night; the wall between the bedrooms seemed to be paper thin, and she barely looked at either of you all day while you moved your stuff out.

"And you're moving in with me today," Jake grunted, kissing along your neck as you sighed in contentment. "You're a busy girl, Darlin'."

There were only a few boxes that still needed to make their way to his truck, and while the two of you barely spent any time here together, he was feeling a little nostalgic. There was that one weekend when Kylie was in Mexico and the power was out at his place where the two of you made love on the living room floor. And your bed frame was bent after the week of spring break when he fucked you so hard, the metal got warped.

"This was a good apartment," he murmured, and you laughed in response.

"You told me so many times you hated sleeping over here!"

Jake took a step away from you, and stacked up three boxes to take to his truck. "I hated having to be quiet and get fully dressed before I could leave your bedroom. But there were some good times," he replied with a wink. "I'll run these outside and be right back."

You followed him as far as your apartment door, saying, "I'll check my mailbox one last time and meet you back up here."

Then you went right while he went left, and it only took Jake a minute to throw the boxes into his truck and sprint back upstairs. He was just getting himself a drink of water when he heard you walk back in.

"Hey, Dar-" But it wasn't you. It was your almost former roommate. "Hey, Kylie."

"Jake," she replied with a smile, making his name sound idiotically like it was three syllables long. "Let me see your phone?"

He took a long sip of water before he finally asked, "Why?"

"Just let me see it." She reached out and poked his phone in his jeans pocket, and he took a step backwards, spilling his water down the front of his shirt.

"Why?" he asked again, this time anger seeped into his voice.

"So you can have my number. For when you get bored."

He was so confused now. "Bored?" He would never be bored enough to want to talk to her, but then she said something that really made him mad.

"Yeah... bored with your relationship."

He stood completely still, and the expression on his face must have scared her, because her hand froze on the way back to his pocket. "You know what? You're a really shitty friend."

"No, I'm not," she said with a shrug, still trying to be coy.

But Jake snapped. "What is it exactly? You're mad that you were able to collect all the other guys, but not me? Or you're bitchy because she didn't have to do anything except be herself to make me fall in love with her?"

"What's going on?" you asked from the doorway. When Jake looked at you, there was uncertainty in his eyes, which made him sick.

"Absolutely not a damn thing," he practically growled. He took the mail from your hand and shoved it into the last box with your name on it. Then he picked it up and wrapped his free hand around your waist. "Say goodbye to Kylie. We won't be seeing her again."

Then he led you out to his truck without a backward glance and drove you to his place where you would never be treated badly if he had anything to say about it.

[slut4celebs]

Two Superstars in a Room... They Might Kiss

Reneé Rapp x Reader

Word Count: 1,087 words

Trigger Warnings: oblivious Reneé Rapp, but that's not much of a trigger.

Request/Synopsis: Combining this request: "can you do something like actress!reader x reneé" with this request: "Renee x reader where they’re friends and Renee is convinced reader is straight because reader never really makes a big deal out of her sexuality, so Renee keeps thinking her crush is unrequited even though reader keeps flirting with her" because I thought they fit well together.

Requests are: open.

Reneé was starting to believe that she was going insane. (Y/n), her longtime crush and best friend, had just invited her to a movie premier. She was starring in a movie alongside Timothée Chalamet, who happens to be her Sex Lives of College Girls co-star's younger brother. Reneé's problem wasn't with him or the premier, but it was the fact that (Y/n) asked her in the flirtiest way possible. First, she did it like some kind of promposal. She held up a sign asking her if she would like to be her date, then she kissed Reneé directly on the cheek. What was she supposed to do with that? Her cheeks had turned a deep shade of red at both, the way she asked and the kiss. She didn't know how to handle it, and it turned into a two hour conversation with Aliyah. Aliyah claimed (Y/n) was flirting, but Reneé kept denying the fact. (Y/n) had to be one hundred percent straight.

When the day came, the two met up, both already adorned in their dresses and their make-up professionally done. "Wow, Reneé…" (Y/n) said as she took in the way the girl in front of her looked. The way (Y/n)'s eyes travelled her body made her blush, again. The deep shade of red decorating her cheeks despite the heavy foundation and pink blush already put there. She shook away the thoughts that were circulating her head, reminding herself that (Y/n) was, in fact, straight. She probably had a thing for Timothée. A deep sigh threatened to leave her lips, but she instead thanked her and gave her a quick hug before they got in the vehicle that would be taking the, to the premier.

Upon arriving, it was a whirlwind of dating questions between (Y/n) and both Reneé and Timothée as reporters tried to figure out who (Y/n) was into. "You guys are very nosy, huh?" She asked with a playful raise of her brow, making the press knew she was joking and to be played off as coy. One wrong step with reporters and they will tell the world you are rude and you could be seen as someone who doesn't want to work with other. This problem has been especially big for women, take Chappell Roan at the VMA's, for example. "I'll tell you that someone does peak my interest. That's all you get tonight. Now, take some pictures of me and my beautiful date." She winked at the people before posing with Reneé. Reneé tried not to focus on the fact that (Y/n) confessed that someone peaked her interest. Especially when she was so sure it was Timothée or some other guy she probably met on set.

Reneé was starting to feel like she had enough, she didn't understand how (Y/n) could flirt with her so consistently while having a crush on someone else. Though, to be fair, this was something Reneé did, too. She has confessed on multiple occasions that she loves to flirt and to be flirted with. Could that be why (Y/n) is doing this? She felt like maybe she should tell her how she felt in order to create a boundary, but at the same time she was incredibly scared to lose her best friend. This would be so much easier if Reneé knew (Y/n)'s sexuality, but the girl never discussed it at all, never making a big deal of it. "Let's just say, I'm confident in my feelings." Was always (Y/n)'s answer, and it made Reneé feel like she could both fight and kiss (Y/n) for the very vague but emotionally mature answer.

As the two approached her castmates, which consisted of Timothée Chalamet, Rachel Sennott, and Lola Tung (the main cast), they all cheered at (Y/n)'s entrance before wrapping Reneé up in hugs quickly. "So, this is the girl who (Y/n) never shuts up about." Rachel grinned, winking over at (Y/n) who playfully flipped her off. Of course, Reneé had already met Timothée due to Pauline and Lola had already been friends with her (Reneé even sang 'One Less Lonely Girl to Lola before), so she needed no introduction there. She was still pretty excited to meet Rachel, though, due to her acting in Bottoms, which Reneé and (Y/n) swore would be a cult classic after watching it.

"Do not say I talk about her all the time. She doesn't need to know how in love with her I am." (Y/n) raised a brow towards Rachel. In a way, this confused Reneé as she recognized this look as when (Y/n) was like 'Oh my God, if you don't shut up.' Could that mean there was some truth in her comment. A weird fluttering filled Reneé's chest as (Y/n) took her hand and led her to her seats. It was a feeling synonymous to feeling hopeful. She gave (Y/n)'s hand a testing squeeze, only to earn a broad grin being sent her way from the girl in front of her. And things slowly began to click for Reneé. "Okay, so these are our seats… Should we get snacks?"

Reneé stared at their seats for a moment, taking in the barely inhabited theater. Everyone was still taking in the festivities outside with the pictures and interviews. "What if I wanted to kiss you? Right here, right now. I want to kiss you. Would you kiss me back?" Reneé questioned boldly. She was used to being bold in every situation, but this one was making her feel an extreme bundle of nerves build in the pit of her stomach. She would feel mortified if (Y/n) rejected her then and there in front of the couple of people there, whose attention she did pull.

(Y/n) was shocked at first, not caring about the few people in the room with her. Her heart was racing at Reneé's words as she bit her bottom lip to contain her grin, even just a bit. "I'd say to do it. That I want you to kiss me. That I was planning on doing it after the film because I was too nervous to do it before or the day I asked you to come here." (Y/n) admitted softly. At the end of her admission, her senses were taken by the blonde, who allowed their lips to crash in to each other's. She quickly kissed back, bringing Reneé in by the waist as the blonde held her cheeks. More people were pooling in and Reneé pulled away reluctantly.

"So, you were saying..? About the snacks?"

[liliannadelaphinehartifelt]

Alastor - [ DEVOTION Pt. 4 ]

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A/N: This is all angst and fluff because I'm working on two other smut fics. Please accept this impromptu filler chapter for now (I'm sorry ❤️). I hope you enjoy it anyway.

WARNINGS: [ SFW ] + [ SLIGHTLY MATURE THEMES ] + [ FLUFF ] + [ ANGST ]

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You waited patiently for Alastor, standing at the window, admiring the fading moon as the sun's rays gradually inked the sky. It’d been a longer night than you imagined, but you felt energized rather than overtly exhausted.

You supposed that's what having a child felt like: tiring but never lacking excitement. A smile crept onto your face at the thought, heart racing at the image of a small hand wrapping around your finger and the possible jingle of childish laughter following the gesture. It was all you could think about.

Would they resemble you or Alastor more?

A boy or maybe a girl?

Twins?… Oh, twins would be so extraordinary but troublesome!

Oh, who am I to complain… they'd be just as lovely as Alastor.

You jumped from one thought to the next, unable to keep track of your puzzling emotions but deciding your only concern should be the present. With a steadying breath, you gazed around the room, searching for something to do or a task to occupy yourself with since sleep failed you. The room was spotless besides your belongings, which you'd already reorganized after stealing one of Alastors dress shirts to replace your blood-stained nightgown. There was a bookshelf full of various stories tucked into a corner near an old rocking chair, and the idea of reading to relax didn't seem terrible.

“A good story can be grand entertainment…”

Your father coined the phrase and always followed it with an unbelievable bedtime reading. Those nights filled with his storytelling were your fondest childhood memories, and you considered passing the sentiment onto your child. You imagined Alastor more prone to telling bedtime stories; he had the charisma, the soothing voice for it, and you had no doubt they'd become attached to him doing so.

Your smile grew wider, getting ahead of itself as you waltzed over to the tall mahogany bookshelf. “Hm…what shall we read, little one?” you placed a hand on your stomach, gently rubbing circles against it as your other grazed the worn book spines. Each title caught your eye, all ranging in subject but consistent with what Alastor told you about his mother's efforts to advance his literacy.

“Some might say she willed proper speech out of me, but I wouldn't be where I am now without such vigorous practice…”

He was far from wrong; your father had educated you similarly, claiming that despite young women of the time being expected to rely on their beauty, you'd advance farther with brains.

“Let's see..” you mumbled aloud, reading a few titles to narrow your decision, “…perhaps Penny Dreadful? No, The Grim Brothers Tales’?..” A soft giggle left your lips as you considered how ridiculous you sounded speaking aloud, but it couldn't be helped. You were longing to talk, to shout with joy, but resisted the urge in fear of causing a minor disturbance.

Finally, a book held your attention, not as worn as the others but fairly withered. “Alice in Wonderland shall do.” You pricked it from the shelf, sitting in the rocking chair while opening its front cover. The words on each page were familiar, immersive as intended, and for a few quiet moments, you thought of nothing but its premise as you whispered nonsensical sentences in their written order.

Time passed quicker than you thought; by the third chapter, you heard the bedroom door creak open, and in stepped a refreshed Alastor. You beamed a coy smile his way as he shut the door behind him, returning your smile with tired eyes while walking over to you, “Mornin’ darlin’..”

“Good morning, mon cher. You look much better.” you muse as he leans down to kiss your head, “Thank you, sweetheart. Once I get some rest, I might feel better as well.” He doesn't stand up fully, content with being at eye level with you to converse, and you unconsciously blush from the intensity of his gaze. Strands of his hair were curled into its natural waves, dripping with tiny water droplets, slithering down his mocha skin with every breath he took. It was a miracle his glasses didn't fog up, resting neatly on his face and doing nothing but accentuating his piercing brown eyes.

You could get lost in his stare; that ocean of amber took your breath away effortlessly, and you wondered if the trait would pass on to your child.

Indeed, it would… surely he'd love it.

A lump formed in your throat as anxious excitement built in your chest. You needed to tell him calmly, but the longer you waited, the more you wanted to hide away.

Did he want this?

“I’d love you and our child more than anything…”

He'd said it himself, but it was hard for you to deny that Alastor was very vague with his genuine emotions. Even as his wife, you found him hard to read

There was only one way for you to find out, and stalling wouldn't solve anything. Alastor studied your expression as you thought, perceptive to the minor changes in your mood, “My dear, are you alright?” he asked firmly. You perk up, nodding slowly while clutching the book to your chest, “I-Im, I'm fine... It's just that I have to tell you something rather delicate..”

Alastor raised a brow, watching as you bit your lip and stared at your lap, “The news you alluded to earlier this evening?” His eyes narrow, glinting with prowess as he ponders the possibilities of your announcement.

With a heavy sigh, you nod again, shutting the book before placing it in your lap, gripping it tight with one hand as the other instinctively rests on your stomach. You feel his gaze shift from your face, fixated on your abdomen, as you stumble out an explanation.

“I. Well, I'm… “ you cut yourself off when words fail, reaching for his hand gently, placing it over your own as a nervous smile adorns your face.

Oh…does she mean to say?…

Alastor froze as the warmth of your skin settled against his palm, rising and falling in a gentle pattern as you willed yourself to breathe normally while gauging his reaction. His shadows quivered in the darkness of the room, able to hear two faint heartbeats underneath the drum of your own, and the definitive sound brought a grin to his face.

It seems she's given us exactly what we hoped for. Twice the yield as well.

How delightful.

Alastor knelt before you, placing both hands on your stomach, eyes soft with affection as he finally voiced his thoughts.

“My darling wife is going to be a mother..” pride laced his tone as he averted his gaze to yours, grin ever present as you nodded excitedly with a bright smile, “And you're going to be father..” you whisper.

Your words drifted quietly in the air, sinking into Alastor’s consciousness and stirring his specters into a giddy frenzy.

My wife is having my children…

Mine and only mine.

A laugh rippled in his chest as the possessive thought invaded his mind, growing stronger as he heard your delighted giggles join his. “Come here, darlin’…” Alastor lifted you with one gentle tug on your wrists, catching you in his arms as your feet hovered off the ground. “Alastor!” you yelped excitedly, smiling so hard your cheeks hurt and laughing more as he pecked your lips tenderly. You hummed into the passionate kiss, arms locking around his neck as you kicked a foot up gingerly. He tasted like mint, calm, and refreshing. A welcomed contrast to the waning heat you felt as your nerves winded down.

He was pleased to know, which filled your heart with relief.

——- ——- ———

“Oh, my stars! Al! Y/n! I'm overjoyed for you both!” Rosie shot up from her seat, dress flowing as she glided around the coffee table to squeeze you in a tight hug as you set out the platter of sweets you'd finished baking moments ago. “Thank you, Rosie. I still can't believe it myself,” you blushed as she squealed, drawing back a bit to cup your face with both hands; her eyes sparkled with admiration as she looked between you and Alastor -who sat comfortably in an armchair. He hadn't stopped grinning since your return home from the countryside, rambling on and on to his mother about the news until the last minute, and he insisted on telling Rosie as soon as you stepped foot in New Orleans again. She was his long-time friend, after all, yours as well, by extension, and so you didn't mind revealing the news to her. Just as his mother felt like your own, Rosie filled the space of an older sister for you. She was energetic, fashionable, and constantly aware of everyone's lives.

She was a true gossip girl, but you enjoyed her company more than others.

“Al, you devil! You could've waited another year to knock my dearest friend up! Now, who will I take out on the town?..” She huffed dramatically but couldn't hold her frown as you giggled softly while he waved a hand dismissively. “I'm sure you'll survive, my dear.” he quips. Rosie rolls her eyes, returning his nonchalant gesture with an equally smug smirk, “I suppose you're right. Although, my nights out won't be as thrilling anymore with you gone being a new father and such, Al.”

He sat straighter. You happened to catch the slightest frown on his face at Rosie’s comment, but it vanished when he felt your eyes on him. “I'll accompany you on occasion when time allows it.” His response is politely chaste, and one might deem it disappointing.

Was he bothered by the notion of having less time with Rosie?

You knew they ventured to socialite parties together regularly, something they'd done long before you married him, but you never questioned it since Rosie assured you it was their fun hobby. Still, you felt concerned that Alastor could regret the idea of children if it meant a less spontaneous party going with his oldest friend.

You opened your mouth to say something, stepping towards where he sat, but Rosie grabbed your hands and whisked you away to sit on the plush sofa with her. “We must discuss everything Y/n. Having a child is no small feat, and I know Al won't spare any expense.” She grinned, squeezing your hands gently, and you smiled back at her before sparing your husband a curious glance. “He spoils me too much already, so I think he'll naturally do the same for the baby,” a soft laugh floated from you, and he tipped his head reassuringly while pulling out his pocket watch to check the time. “Whatever their little heart desires, I shall give,” he replies calmly, standing to his feet and gazing between you and Rosie. “It's about time I head on over to the station. I don't suppose you’ll be leaving anytime soon, Rosie?”

You checked the grandfather clock that stood against the adjacent wall, noticing it was nearly time for his broadcast to begin, “Seems we lost track of time.” you smiled apologetically at Alastor. He shook his head while chuckling, “It's not your fault, darling. I got caught up listening to this one ramble,” he gestured to Rosie before walking over to the parlor room coat stand. He pricked his preferred overcoat, slipping it on quickly as she glared at his back. “Is that any way to speak of your child’s future honorary aunt and godmother!” she faked a skeptical look to which you feigned concern, “Oh, my dear Rosie, he didn't mean it, I swear!”

Alastor turned on his heel, biting back a more comprehensive smile as he admired the two of you carrying on, “I will not apologize for telling the truth, ma chère, but Rosie does have the privilege of godmother so that for I will ask for her forgiveness.” he stood behind the sofa, leaning down a bit to kiss you once then twice before pulling away with a content hum.

Rosie watched the sweet exchange, able to separate the manic version of Alastor she killed from the doting husband he was in your presence, proud to see him so controlled and happy. He pulled away from you, adoring the glimmer in your eyes as you reached a hand up to adjust his glasses, “I love you,” you whisper, and he blanks for a moment, hearing the endearing phrase.

Love…is that what this is?…

Would it be so wrong to say it back?…

A flash of vulnerability crosses Alastor’s face, and you're tempted to take your words back, but he beats you to speak. “Je t'aime aussi..” he mutters back, stepping away to bid Rosie a proper goodbye, “Take good care of her while I'm gone.” he kisses her cheek, and she swats his arm, “Oh, you know I will. Now run along before you're late!” He heads to her, scolding her out the door in seconds, leaving you in her company.

“I thought he'd never leave,” Rosie chirps, glad to have some privacy to speak with you and eager to get down to the details you had to tell. “Tell me, how do you feel, honey? I know this all might be terrifying you…” she spoke softly, pricking a freshly baked cookie from the platter you set out, and you nodded timidly in agreement while fidgeting with your hands.

“I'm scared, yes, but not of being a mother. You know I've always wanted to be one. It was my biggest dream when I came of age, and I'm glad it's coming true with Al..” You rested a hand on your stomach, feeling it flip at the mention of him, and luckily, no urge to throw up followed.

Thank goodness for Angelique and her tonics!

She'd given you a case of vials to take home, all containing a special brew made by her hand, and she'd given you a strict regimen for consuming them.

“Drink two of these twice daily, morning and evening, but only take it after you've eaten. Have Alastor phone me when you need more..”

Whatever was given had a wonderous effect on your mood, reduced your fatigue, and calmed your nerves. You were grateful for her assistance, but not everything you felt could be cured with medicine.

You hoped Rosie would understand, could help calm what the tonics couldn't, so as she peered at you curiously and asked, “What's the matter, dearest?” you inevitably blurted out your worst and only fear.

“I'm afraid of how Alastor will be as a father..”

She blinked, taken aback by your confession, but it didn't show on her face. “May I ask why?”

You hesitated, fidgeting with your hands again as you thought of what to say, but Rosie rested a hand on yours to still them in a gentle grip. “Y/n, it's alright, be honest. He may have been my closest companion initially, but you are my truest friend in this moment. I'm here to listen, not to criticize. He won't hear a word of it, I swear.”

You glanced between your conjoined hands and her kind smile, and after debating whether or not to spill your heart out, you decided it wouldn't hurt to express your doubts.

You could trust Rosie. Right?…

“Well, I know he wants children. He recently told me so, but it's how he'll receive them. Alastor is a complex man, we both know that, but I fear that complexity will make it hard for him to…to..” you tried to phrase the last of your concerns gently, unsure if what you said made any sense to her, but Rosie merely smiled before finishing the thought for you.

“You're afraid he won't show them love?..”

You nod, heart clenching at the thought, “Yes. I know how his childhood went; I was there through it all, so I know his father wasn't the best man. I know what he put his mother through and Alastor hates the idea of becoming like him..”

You forced yourself to take a deep breath, beginning to tear up as memories of Alastor coming to you in the dead of night, bruised and battered but stoic as ever as he asked to sleep next to you in your bed. He'd never tell you what happened, where his father was, or if he'd been majorly injured. You'd have to coax information out of him, promise him that you'd never betray his safety, or tell your father what went on in his family. Then and only then would he relax, let you mend his scars before huddling under the thick covers with you, and though you were both exhausted, you'd whisper stories aloud to each other until the sun peeked through the trees.

It felt odd to wish for times like that to return; they all resorted from darker places, but it brought you two closer. You were able to understand Alastor to an extent most speculated of. With all the insight into his life, you hoped the irrational fears you felt would wither away, but after the incident at his mother's, they just worsened.

It felt as if he were hiding something from you.

At first, the notion piqued your curiosity, but now it ate away at your conscience.

What was he withholding from you, and did you need or want to know more?

Logic voted ‘yes,’ but your trusting nature leaned towards ‘no.’

“He won't ever be like him. I'm sure, but he's only recently expressed he cares for me. Truly loves me, so I suppose I'm afraid of that same affection not being openly expressed to our little one as well.”

Rosie nodded, scooting closer and giving you a tight side hug to calm your frazzled state. “My dear, you have every right to fear such a thing. However, if I may vouch for Alastor, I do believe his softer side will show itself for your child.” You peered at her, hope in your eyes, “Really? You think so?..”

She grins, “I am certain of it! He cherishes you like no other! Unlike my husband, yours is a dime and a man who'd kill for you if necessary.”

You blush, surprised by her claim, “I don't think he'd kill for me, Rosie, but I understand the sentiment.” She scoffs, hand rubbing your shoulders, and retorts, “Yes, he would, and he'd show the same devotion to your bundle of joy.”

Her statement soothed your worries, but the seriousness in her tone made your heart skip a beat.

It felt as though she did know he'd kill for you…kill for your child.

A shiver racked your body at the thought.

I hope it never comes to that…

xxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxx

What do you guys think of the story so far? I'm just curious to hear your thoughts and theories.❤️

[ BONUS CONTENT + ]

He may be a monster, but at least he's dedicated to it; morally grey, but honest to his silly little murderous behaviors ❤️ credits to the creator

[wakebymoonsleepbysun]

Thank god you linked your Tumblr on AO3 or I wouldn’t have found the person responsible for possibly the best Doey fanfic there is! And it’s a romantic one too!

I really, really love the way you wrote it and how much hope it gives me for Poppy Playtime Chp 5 (I pray he survived 🤞) And thanks that timeline of how exactly Doey and the toys are not exactly kids anymore since coming to be. I also like how you explain how Doey, despite being made of three dead kids, has his own conscious (or the fourth and leading as someone told me).

But what I really wanted to say is that I can’t say for your story to develop. Like I’m wondering what happened to Player, Poppy, Kissy, etc. How will Doey adjust. What happens when society possibly discovers him. Like I know their lives will never be the same, let alone normal (which isn’t a bad thing!).

Pardon me rambling, but I just wanted to express how much I enjoy your story!

And if possibly, could I have a drawing of tiny Doey making PB&J? 🥹💕

Eeeee thank you so much for the kind words!! :D

I'm glad there are people who like that it's romance...I thought I had made it clear with the tags at first but I realize now that Doey x Reader on tumblr doesn't mean exactly the same thing has Doey/Reader on ao3. When I realized some people had the wrong idea about where my fic was going I kinda panicked a bit tbh ^^;

As for the story developing in regards to the canon cast...I was probably going to leave that ambiguous. A big part of why my other Poppy fic (DogDay x Reader) never updated (I don't want to say abandoned because I hope to get back to it) was that I got too bogged down trying to litigate what would happen in Chapter 4 and onwards that I just...intimidated myself out of writing anything at all. (Most of my other fics are either oneshots or wildly removed from canon.)

Though I don't think canon PPT has a happy ending in store for us, so that's definitely influencing how I think of the state of the factory in Second Chances. I realize this might not be the most satisfying answer but I don't want to be coy and string people along for something that probably won't happen. T_T

But thank you again for the kind words!! I'm excited to be working on this (Chapter 3 is still coming along...slowly...)

And sammich! Sorry it's kinda a rough sketch but I did attempt to use a gradient map for the first time...

[yandereunsolved]

do you think low honor john/jack would try to be more subtle with their perverted comments with a same gender presentation darling due to the time period? Or do at that point they just not give a shit. As seen with with the women in rdr1 they'll just say that shit broad daylight in public

I am loving these requests. 🙏

Y'all thinking up some good stuff.

Low Honor John is more subtle.

Low Honor Jack is just as perverted.

Now let me explain.

puts on my comically oversized trenchcoat and points at a whiteboard.

Men could get away with a lot more homoerotic behavior as long as they could defend to. (To an extent of course. But I feel like you get the point.)

Now Low Honor John doesn't want to mess with those societal lines. He's seen the things that happen to people who get called queers. And he's ready to kill anybody who tries anything. But he's also smart enough to know that scaring off his darling by killing a bunch of people isn't exactly a smart thing.

He's also likes being subtle. He likes riling his man/masc darling up. He likes being able to play coy and manipulate them. He's also a needy motherfucker.

(I'm a John Marston is needy truther. 🙏 He is starving for attention and love. He just doesn't show it because he was constantly shamed for it growing up in the environment that he did.)

So Low Honor John will shamelessly touch/grope his darling and then claim it's his darling's fault.

"You were lookin' at me like you wanted to start a fight. Had to make sure ya weren't packin' a secret weapon, sweets."

"Ohhhh, sorrryyyyyyy. You looked like a harlot with a warm hole I could stick myself into."

"Ah, ah, ah. Stay still. You'd hate it if I blew a fucking bullet in that pretty little head of yours."

(So much for not scaring off his darling.)

Also likes calling his darling more feminine pet names to degrade them and masc/andro pet names to praise them. (He's misogynistic to a certain extent. It's the early 1900s. Go figure.)

Now for his son. Jack Marston.

No matter how people have acted he has seen them get killed. So acting 'gay' shouldn't be weird to him. But once again, those societal norms make him homophobic. He's more internally homophobic in the way where he will be disgusted if he sees anything gay happening. He'll probably make a snide comment about seeing something gay happen - and he's get really defensive if someone calls him gay. But he isn't going to harm other gay/queer people. He thinks it's gross. He doesn't think he should hurt them because he thinks it's gross.

NOT that that makes his homophobia okay.

But you have to have this context in order to understand his homoerotic yandere feelings.

He's shamless but in a 'what? scoffs. I'm not fucking gay.' He feels that being perceived as anything but a cis straight man is a threat to him. So if you are a man/masc darling, don't point out he's being homoerotic. Otherwise you may end up getting punched and then kissed.

"I'm not fucking gay. As in homosexual." kisses you. "This doesn't make me gay. This is me making sure you know who you belong to."

I dunno. Kinda gay bro, but carry on ig.

So in general he is more openly perverted.

"Shouldn't call yourself a man. You should call yourself mine."

"I bet all the whores in this town are jealous of you. — How much can I getcha for?"

"I'm rock hard just looking at you."

And most people would think of it as Jack just harassing someone for the hell of it. Which doesn't help you. Because the societal norms are telling you that it's your fault he's doing this - you can't fight off another man? you a pansy?

Infact society says to you that you want this to happen.

[caligvlasaqvarivm]

Love is Stored in the Cat: A Nepeta Leijon Character Study

I guess these are a series now! I also have a request for Feferi in my inbox that I'll get around to eventually.

SO! Dear, sweet Nepeta.

Nepeta is the troll that is most against the existence of the hemocaste.

I believe the Ultimate Self speech was originally going to be from her, not Davepetasprite^2.

She's bad at shipping.

These all make her extremely impurrtant!!!

So furst of all, I'm going to start with the same disclaimer as my Eridan essay (go read that first!!! It sets up a lot of ideas that I'm expanding on here), which is that the things Hussie says are going to be lowered in value, because he likes to play coy about plot stuff. I'm also not counting anything but the actual text as canon, and even with in that text, I'm counting everything after GAME OVER as soft canon - a suggestion of what would have been, often truncated for time, often a deliberate middle finger to the shitty fandom.

Okay, so with that squared away!

Nepeta Says Fuck The Hemocaste

I'm not going to bother doing a deep dive on Nepeta's characterization, because fur the most part, I think the fandom more or less gets her right - she wears her heart (h33h33) on her sl33ve, after all! She's a very sweet little catgirl who loves roleplay and shipping, who is also a vicious hunter of wild beasts and lives in a cave. She's very nice and friendly, but has a tough streak and a spine.

She also says fuck the hemocaste, why does that even exist:

CT: D --> Your fraternization with the base classes have 100sened your morals, can't you see this AC: :33 < no! i dont care, they are fun AC: :33 < and i dont know anything about classes or bases or blood color, it doesn't matter! AC: :33 < what does gr33n blood even mean! it doesnt mean anything to me and it shouldnt mean anything to anyone else!

This is a radical stance not outright shared by any of the other trolls. Aradia calls highbloods "hateful sn0bs" that she and Tavros shouldn't have "ever had anything t0 d0 with", the highbloods are, of course, all casteist to varying degrees, and even Karkat seems fairly accepting of the class divide, at one point taunting Vriska that her rejection from the blue team is "ANOTHER INFURIATING VICTORY FOR GUTTER BLOOD OVER ARISTOCRACY". Not to mention his long-held dream of becoming a threshecutioner.

Even Feferi, despite saying to Eridan that "W-E AR-E NOT B-ETT-ER T)(AN ANYBODY!!!!!", is actually perfectly comfortable with the caste system's existence, comparing having to stop using her royal typing quirk to "peasant-IFICATING" herself - and let's not forget that a Beforus under her rule had its caste system 100% intact.

This means that Nepeta is the ONLY troll who has said, in no uncertain terms, that the caste system should not exist. It's stupid, it's bad, and it doesn't meowtter!

AND SHE'S RIGHT.

But she's never able to fully express this opinion, which brings us to:

A COMPLICKATED RELATIONSHIP WITH EQUIUS

Now, before I say anything, I must insist that I do believe these two work as good moirails. That does not, however, stop them from being 13, and therefore, being poor to each other the way 13-year-olds sometimes are. I don't think they should break up; I think they should re-examine certain dynamics, and I think they need some space to breathe apart from each other.

Equius has a lot of problems, which I won't get into overmuch here, because... that's a whole essay on its own (are you people seeing a trend yet). But with regards to Nepeta specifically, he's extremely controlling and protective, to the point where she's a little scared of him before the game begins:

AC: :33 < well it does sound like it will be a lot of fun but i think i should get purrmission first GC: BL4R!!!!! GC: TH4TS SO STUP1D GC: H3S NOT TH3 BOSS OF YOU AC: :33 < i know! AC: :33 < but still im kind of scared of him and i think purrhaps its best to just run it by him first so there isnt a kerfuffle about it or anything

She's also afraid to tell him about her crush on Karkat, since she knows he doesn't like Karkat:

AC: :33 < well AC: :33 < i have never told anybody this not even my moirail AC: :33 < heh, actually hes the LAST guy i might tell, he so wouldnt appurrve X33 AC: :33 < but yes i have liked somebody for quite some time, but alas he doesnt know it

By the time they end their game, she's gotten over this fear, seeing as she spends many hours curled up with Equius in a pile of robotics parts, but it still must be noted that they have some issues in their relationship that were never resolved, primarily on Equius's end. What this means for Nepeta, however, is that in addition to setting her up as the most outright anti-classism troll, the comic sets her up to be socially isolated due to her moirail's paranoia about letting her associate with both lowbloods (seeing them as bad influences) OR other highbloods, seeing them as dangerous.

He's not entirely wrong - his refusal to allow her to participate in FLARP kept her from winding up entangled in the horrible chain of revenge, as Tavros alludes:

AT: iT'S PROBABLY FOR THE BEST, AT: tHAT YOU LISTEN TO HIM, AC: :33 < i dont know AC: :33 < you think so? AT: wELL, AT: iF YOU DIDN'T LISTEN TO HIM BEFORE, AT: yOU MIGHT HAVE PLAYED GAMES WITH US BEFORE, AT: aND SOMETHING BAD MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED TO YOU, AC: :33 < hmm purrhaps

But he's still wrong. And it's probably an uncontrolled manifestation of his Heir of Void abilities - he's both consciously and unconsciously hiding her from other people.

This isn't to say she doesn't stand up for herself! Many of her discussions with Equius are pseudo-arguments, and she does get her way often enough, managing to get him to roleplay with her, and managing to get him back in the roboti% pile to talk about his feelings about Aradia. She also talks to the humans explicitly against Equius's orders, although she's keeping it a sneakret from him:

NEPETA: :33 < but equius already furbid me from doing that :(( NEPETA: :33 < not that i am listening to him, but shhhhh! :33 KARKAT: WAIT, HE DID? KARKAT: OK, THEN AS YOUR LEADER I ORDER YOU TO RP WITH THEM AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. BE AS OBNOXIOUS ABOUT IT AS YOU CAN. NEPETA: :33 < yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

But the fact that she has to tiptoe around him like this speaks to them having issues in their relationship that go unexamined and unresolved, especially since it's clear that Nepeta really would like to be friends with more people, were Equius not getting in her way. So, even though I do think they are good moirails for each other - they clearly genuinely, deeply care about one another. But they could use some relationship counselling.

In fact, Jasprosesprite^2 outright calls her lonely:

JASPROSESPRITE^2: Or the girl who likes ships! Cause they made her less lonely. ;3

So, she's anti-hemocaste and lonely, two character traits that were set up and never resolved. And beclaws this is Nepeta, in her honor, I'm going to talk about a third:

Her Unrequited Crush On Karcat

She has the BIGGEST flushed crush on Karkat. It's seen on her shipping wall twice, once with the word OTP on it.

And, despite never discussing it with her moirail, Nepeta mentions it once to Jaspersprite, and once to Jasprosesprite^2.

Now, I'm not really here to debate on the validity of KatNep - I think it's fine, even if I don't personally ship it, and don't personally think it would work out (there are lots of indications that they wouldn't work out, including Jasprosesprite^2 outright saying so). However, her crush on Karkat is both complicated and creates some interesting setups for her character. I am going to discuss it fairly critically either way, so KatNep shippers have been warned.

A lot of her feelings about Karkat - and about shipping in general - wind up being heavily interlinked with her status as a Hero of Heart, so I'm going to expand on it more there. But what I will note in this section is the fact that, despite Nepeta insisting twice that she doesn't think Karkat knows about her crush on her:

NEPETASPRITE: :33 < it was karkat NEPETASPRITE: :33 < but i never told him and im pretty sure he never found out how i felt!

He tooootally did:

KARKAT: OK, BUT TO BE FAIR, I'M PRETTY SURE SHE'S STILL OBSESSED WITH ME. KARKAT: IT'S A VERY UNFORTUNATE, VERY RED AND VERY UNREQUITED SITUATION I'VE BEEN TRYING TO TIPTOE AROUND FOR A LONG TIME, OK?

Interpret that how you will for shipping purposes, but I want to propose that this is a reflection of their statuses as Heart and Blood players. Heart, despite its players' obsessions with romance, is not the romance aspect, Blood is. Karkat displays this very same romantic acumen when he tells Dave that he's known Terezi and Gamzee were a thing for a long time, despite everyone else on the meteor trying to keep it a secret from him. Heart is, instead, about identity, feelings, motivations, souls, and self. In other words:

Nepeta Is Kind Of Bad At Shipping

Let's take a look at those shipping walls.

Let's break this down a little. Nepeta's ships are not entirely wrong, but even the successful ones are kind of wrong. Here's what I mean. We've already discussed how Equius and Nepeta's moirallegiance has some... issues in it. If we go down her list of ships that actually do happen, most of them have some issues in them!

Aradia expresses her regret for getting together with Equius in the Ministrife. Kanaya and Rose suffer some major relationship problems when Rose starts drinking, to the point Karkat feels a need to step in as an auspice. Karkat and Gamzee fail, as Karkat is not calmed by Gamzee, and Gamzee stops listening to Karkat. And while Sollux and Feferi seem to be fairly healthy, after they both wind up in the Furthest Ring, he's pretty much always next to Aradia - he and Feferi don't even get to exchange words with each other once they're in the Furthest Ring. Purrsonally, I think he and Feferi are meant to end up as moirails, but shhhh.

So what's happening here? Well, this goes back to her identity as a Heart player. Heart is concerned with feelings and motivations.

They simply want to understand the one thing we all are stuck with for our entire lives, i.e. our own minds. Forging an identity is extremely important to the Heart-bound, and every decision and action goes toward building a coherent narrative of their own story. That isn't to say Heart-bound don't care deeply for their friends and allies; they just have a tendency to assume that everyone is as concerned with identity as they are.

Nepeta's shipping has also been associated with her isolation and loneliness. When you put this together, it implies that Nepeta's shipping is about her desire to understand others, and much of her ships are based on one of the parties having feelings, regardless of compatibility, feasibility, or broader implications. After all, despite the fact that she has pretty terrible romantic acumen, she IS able to instinctively identify that Eridan's advances toward her were insincere:

NEPETASPRITE: :33 < well ok i guess eridan hit on me a few times NEPETASPRITE: :33 < but his advances always struck me as cr33py and insincere

And that Karkat secretly LOVES and RESPECTS his friends:

JASPROSESPRITE^2: On the contrary Nepeta. You deserve someone who will RESPECT and ADORE you. NEPETASPRITE: :33 < well... yes NEPETASPRITE: :33 < i always hoped to find someone like that some day NEPETASPRITE: :33 < i dunno maybe youre right but in spite of whatever problems he might have i always felt like i saw something in him that made me think he could be that purrson!

Or knowing that Equius loves to play games, and still feels sad about Aradia exploding:

AC: :33 < i s33 right through your stupid act, who are you trying to kid! AC: :33 < look how you go out of your way to use words that have x's in them so that you can use your silly purrcent signs AC: :33 < or use these absurd words that you can shoehorn a '100' into, even if its not strictly replacing 'loo'!!! AC: :33 < you are so transpurrent AC: :33 < i can tell you like to play games, d33p down you are a guy who likes to play games! AC: :33 < i can smell a guy who likes to play games from so fur away with this nose, you have no idea X33

NEPETA: :33 < she was so happy, just like she used to be, and she said she would s33 you soon! EQUIUS: D --> That's a nice thought, and thank you for sharing it EQUIUS: D --> But it was only a dream, and will surely have no consequence in reality NEPETA: :33 < equius? NEPETA: :33 < are those f33lings i an detecting with my wiggly whiskery nose? EQUIUS: D --> Maybe

Because feelings, and not relationships, are her actual domain.

And speaking of Heart powers...

Nepeta and the Ultimate Self

So from this point forward, I'm going to assume you're more or less agreeing with my take that at some point after Game Over, Hussie - for whatever reason - gave up on his original ending, and wound up truncating his ideas so he could finish the comic faster. I go more into detail about that here.

So, in this hypothetical original ending, I firmly believe that the speech about the Ultimate Self would have come from Nepeta. First, let's take a look at what the "Ultimate Self" entails, as it appears within the comic:

DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < everything that ever happens to every version of you is an important part of your ultimate self... like a superceding bodyless and timeless persona that crosses the boundaries of paradox space and unlike god tiers or bubble ghosts or whatever, it really IS immortal DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < but in your physical form there are all these partitions in your mind that prevent you from remembering any of that which makes your existence f33l totally linear DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < which is probably for the best! DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < in a regular body s33ing all that would be too overwhelming ... DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < and after it sinks in for a while you start coming to this understanding of a greater self DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < maybe i "got it" quicker though because of the two people i was and their aspects DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < understanding heart is all about the nuances of a distributed self DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < nepeta never got to make much headway with her aspect but shes finally gettin the chance DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < the time aspect is all about running into different versions of yourself so you kinda get confronted with it in a really literal way that can be disturbing DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < obviously davesprite stuggled with that too, but now its fine DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < hes fr33 from worrying about it all and what it means for his place in reality DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < because he can s33 now all his selves have relevance in painting the full picture of who he truly is DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < im not COMPLETELY sure because im not like some sort of ASPECT MASTER but DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < my avian slash feline intuition tells me that all roads will lead you here eventually DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < gaining the d33pest possible understanding of any aspect will bring you to the same final conclusion about your ultimate self

Now, I believe - and I hope you'll agree - that it's kind of lame, narratively, for Davesprite to have been set up with so much angst about not being the "real Dave," and for Nepeta to have all her issues with loneliness and shyness, and for these two specific iterations of each other to have never interacted, but suddenly getting double-prototyped fixes all of their problems, and they achieve Ultimate Selfhood despite being two total strangers to each other. So let's instead break down the more salient points about what Ultimate Selfhood entails, divorced from the fact that it's Davepetasprite^2 doing the narrating:

Every player in the game possesses an "Ultimate Self," an ultimate culmination of all their experiences and memories, specifically referred to as a "persona"

Normally, people are not aware of this, because it would be too overwhelming to deal with so many memories and iterations of each other.

Everyone will achieve Ultimate Selfhood eventually as the final culmination of their understanding of their aspect.

Heart is all about the nuances of a distributed self.

Let's talk about that last one some more, and by that I mean, let's see what Calliope has to say about it:

TT: I don't know why it had to be this way for me. Juggling these two waking selves at once. TT: I guess I'm used to it, but it still makes for a pretty intense existence. TT: Do you even know what the deal with that is? Like is there any precedent in your readings? UU: i don't know aboUt precedent, bUt it makes plenty of sense to me as the type of path one might expect for a hero of heart. UU: a path rUled by the heart aspect can be a joUrney of splintered self. UU: that is, the player's being may exhibit the same kind of fragmentation which certain classes coUld caUse in others. UU: i think this is what has triggered yoUr dUal-awareness between waking and dream selves, thoUgh it woUld not sUrprise me if the symptoms manifested in even more ways than this.

Now, Dirk has a clawmplicated relationship with his alternate selves, given that he's a Prince, but Nepeta wouldn't have the same struggles, or at least, not to the same degree. The problem is, hampered by Equius and her own shyness about discussing her thoughts and feelings with others:

NEPETASPRITE: :33 < i get so shy and worried what people might think of me if i say how i f33l NEPETASPRITE: :33 < im always so scared that they wont f33l the same way or just think im stupid or pathetic or something

She never actually gets to explore this part of herself.

But What If... She Did?

The way I imagine the original ending going is that each troll that gets saved by John's interference in the timeline then asks John to help them fix their own mistakes, thereby saving somebody else. Each successive trip through the meteor brings new character development, and also riddles the comic with progressively more password pages, which I think would be really funny. And throughout all this the Game Over team is searching for Vriska, Meenah, and the treasure, and resolving their arcs that way, so it's not like they would be replaced - they're the ones who get to kill LE. The process, in my mind, goes like this:

Terezi asks John to save Vriska, and prevent her from getting too spades with Gamzee, as these are her two greatest regrets.

Vriska obviously had great regrets about killing Tavros, both pre- and post-retcon, so she asks for his death to be prevented.

Tavros staying alive means that he and Gamzee wind up hashing out some stuff - Gamzee mentions that he feels "So aT ChIlL WiTh yOu" while talking to Tavros, and Tavros reciprocates the friendship and also - interestingly - acknowledges Gamzee's religion, calling it beautiful even if he doesn't necessarily believe in it. This is interesting because Karkat's inability to do so is explicitly one of the reasons their moirallegiance broke down. So having Tavros back, alive, means that he and Gamzee would likely end up in some sort of relationship, probably pale despite flushed leanings, and would bring Gamzee back into the fold.

Gamzee would then be like, yeah, wow, that time I killed Nepeta and Equius was pretty bad, huh? Especially since his decision to hang onto his friends' bodies and prototype them is often interpreted as him genuinely feeling bad about his dead friends (he tells Kurloz to shut up when Kurloz mentions all the dead friends, and his religion seems to be about a paradise he wants to share with his friends anyway). So he'd ask John to prevent him from killing them, resulting in the two of them getting to live.

Things get much more hypothetical from here, since so much of the character dynamics would have changed, but I think by this point, Equius might command ask John to let him say goodbye to Aradiabot before she explodes, which he expresses feeling very sad about. However, in doing so, John and Aradiabot end up in the same room, and when she realizes that he has the ability to change the timeline without repercussions, she'd seize him by the arm and demand that he take her back in time, to before she died. After all, she expresses regrets about her reckless actions, and how she always felt like it was all one big setup.

She would take Aradia's place in the Vriska revenge chain, being once more freed of her robot chassis, and from there, would trick Doc Scratch and the Handmaiden into thinking everything was still going according to their designs. Meanwhile, Alive!Aradia would be hanging out at Equius's place, borrowing his void powers to avoid notice, coordinating a new timeline that keeps the beats of the original (too much deviation causes unpredictability, and an paradox'd timeline offshoot without John's direct interference would still become doomed), but allows them greater freedom and the ability to overcome the machinations of Doc Scratch and associates.

This would also prevent Sollux from becoming so self-loathing, since it's no longer "his fault" that Aradia dies, although he winds up in that hole again after Feferi gets killed. Now that his Aradia is alive, he wouldn't feel like he might as well stay in the bubbles because his closest companions are there, so he'd make it to the end, and would ask John to prevent Feferi's death.

Eridan still dies; he's so disconnected and isolated from all his friends that his course of actions is largely unaffected even by everybody else's timeline tweaks. But before Feferi can suggest bringing him back, Karkat would butt in.

The Friendship Troll should be the one to demand that ALL of their friends be revived, especially if they had everyone except only one guy, and Karkat and Eridan are heavily implied to be moirails anyway. The course of Karkat's fixes are so comprehensive, and primarily romance-based, that the end result of this final loop is everybody not only being alive, but god-tiered, with appropriate character development.

Now, where Nepeta's Heart powers would play into all of this is that she would start to notice something going on. After all, Heart players are sensitive to their splintered selves, and (Nepeta) is probably much closer to Nepeta than regular doomed timeline offshoots. As the loops continue, and Nepeta has more and more time to talk to people, and meets her dead alternate selves, and even meets (Nepeta), she starts to awaken to her Ultimate Self - to come into possession of alternate memories.

And if the Ultimate Self is a very soul-y kind of concept, such that Heart players have a natural advantage in coming to understand it, then isn't it a natural fit that a Rogue of Heart - one who steals from Heart or steals Heart for others - would be naturally inclined to share the wisdom of her alternate selves, and even the very concept of the Ultimate Self, with her friends?

Because the Ultimate Self is actually, in my opinion, a pretty good narrative device. It turns the sadness of the dead and doomed timelines into something littersweet instead, and makes it so any weirdness regarding time travel and not really knowing your friends anymore will eventually be resolved, even if off-screen.

It's not really narratively satisfying when Davepetasprite^2 suddenly comes into being and reaches enlightenment, but imagine if instead it's a post-character development Nepeta comforting Davesprite on his relevance, or Jade on her loneliness, or John on not really knowing these new post-retcon versions of his friends? It would feel a lot better, since in this hypothetical, she would have reached that point after on-screen character development. Being able to share her true self with her friends on the meteor - by necessity, since what else are they going to be doing for three years - leads to her finally being able to fulfill her role as a Rogue of Heart.

Also, at some point during these repeated meteor trips, she dates Karkat (whether that's successful or not, I'll leave to reader interpretation - you already know where I stand), fulfilling Jaspersprite's musing that she might only be able to date Karkat after she dies.

So that's two out of thr33 of her outstanding plot hooks resolved... okay. So, I try not to make these essays into ship propaganda, but hear me out:

Hate Is Stored In The FefNep

Okay, so, remember that thing about how Feferi is actually a huge casteist hypocrite? Well, let's also note that the comic, post-Murderstuck, seems to put Nepeta and Feferi together a lot - they're a Commodore and Rear Admiral in the ghost pirate army, respectively, and they also wind up as Fefetasprite. So I think it's not entirely out of left field to say that these two were implied to have SOMETHING going on.

And that something... is a difference in political views.

I mean, let's be real, there's a reason Fefetasprite is the most explode-prone after Tavrisprite. Miss "The Hemocaste is Stupid and Shouldn't Matter" vs. Miss "I Love Being A Princess And Call Jade Hornless and Finless (Derogatory)"? Come on, tell me you don't see it.

Without getting too much into Feferi, this hypocrisy, and unwillingness to check her privilege (so glad I found an excuse to use that term unironically), are probably her greatest character flaws - ie, the things you would expect the story to address about her. Meanwhile, one of Nepeta's flaws, which she laments to Jasproseprite^2, is that she feels too shy to talk about her feelings to other people, leading to her having never expressed her views on the hemocaste to anyone but Equius.

I think that they initially think they'd be friends. Each one of them would go "oh man, this other girl is soooo cute, I wish I could talk to her more often!"

And then, once they do, they realize they fucking hate each other. Nepeta would go "X00 < you are such a hypocrite who f33ls like youre better than all of us!!!" and Feferi would go "You're suc)( an uneducated glubbing P-EASANT! 3X0" and then they'd claw each others' eyes out. It would be so funny, and if a homestuck ship isn't extremely fucking funny, then why are we even here.

But more importantly, this would further them along into resolving each others' arcs - Feferi would be forced to grapple with the greater implications of classism, and Nepeta - who is shown having a spine the most in defiance of somebody else - would grow more aggressive about being open about her feelings in defiance of Feferi. Even Equius would get roped into it in a positive way - you can just imagine him going "D --> Can I really believe my auricular sponge clots D --> Nepeta, you are finally taking interest in politi%" and be 100% on board with teaching her so Feferi won't be able to call her uneducated.

And then for flushed, I dunno! Karkat's an option, and Jade and Jake also both love the fuck out of furries, and Tavros seems nice. But yeah I'll die on the fefnep hate ship. Guys it would be so funny.

Thank you as always for reading! Let me know if there's a troll you want to hear me ramble about next.

[rangersoup]

Thank you @emsprovisions @carlos-in-glasses @lemonlyman-dotcom @eclectic-sassycoweyes @paperstorm @nisbanisba @thisbuildinghasfeelings @heartstringsduet @annoyingcloudearthquake and @futures-tense for tagging me!! I’m really feeling the love today 🥰 here’s a snippet of my current wip Turn and Burn which can be read in Ao3.

Uh-oh, I know that face.”

“What face?” Carlos demands, looking up from the case file he is only pretending to look through.

“Your pouty face,” Campbell says, taking a long sip of his coffee as he sits down at the desk next to Carlos.

“I do not have a pouty face,” Carlos huffs.

Campbell chuckles and gives Carlos a pitying look. “Sure and I have two heads.”

Carlos glares at him and he only shrugs. “What's eating you on this fine Monday morning?”

“Oh nothing,” Carlos sighs and pretends to direct his attention back to the file sitting open in front of him. His mind couldn’t be farther away from work. He’s still thinking about the rambunctious medicine hat mare.

“I don’t know how I feel about you lying to me, partner,” Cambell says on a long exhale, leaning back in his chair to study Carlos. Carlos tries to ignore him, but he can feel him watching him.

“It’s nothing,” he insists.

Campbell keeps staring at him expectantly.

“Don’t you have better things to be doing than harassing me?”

Campbell checks his watch and shrugs. “Not really. I’ve got all day to get stuff done.”

“It’s stupid and doesn’t matter.”

Campbell sighs and hangs his hat on the divider between their desks. “Is it husband problems or kid problems?”

“Neither.” Saying this is a mistake because Campbell lifts an eyebrow. Now he really has his interest piqued.

“Hmm,” Campbell’s gaze gets a little more intense. “TK brought home another unwanted reptile?”

Carlos cracks a smile and laughs a little. “No, no more new pets. Yet.”

“Yet?” his partner prompts.

“You’re not going to let it go, are you?”

“Definitely not.”

“Fiiiine,” Carlos says, giving up on his attempt to be coy. “It's about a horse.”

“Oooh boy.”

“Yeah,” Carlos agrees. Oh boy is right.

“Well, let's hear it,” Campbell says, waving his hand.

“I gave TK a riding lesson over the weekend–”

“And he got dumped off and wants nothing to do with em’ anymore?”

“Would you let me finish?”

“Yes, sorry, continue.”

“No, while we were there someone came by returning a horse he bought, that’s apparently crazy and hasn’t been able to keep a owner longer than a couple months before being brought back…”

“And you want to try to train the crazy horse and your husband doesn’t want you to get your neck broken or your brains kicked in?” Campbell finishes for him.

Carlos purses his lips. “Something like that.”

“But he doesn’t know horses so you're not inclined to listen?”

“Also yes.”

Campbell nods his head thoughtfully. “How bad we talking?”

“People have been trying to work with her for two years and no one’s been able to sit on her.”

“It’s a mare? Boy, you really are in trouble,” Campbell chuckles.

“Yeahhh,” Carlos agrees with a deep sigh.

Campbell goes back to studying him for a few more moments before speaking again. “What’s special about her?”

“Who says there’s something special?”

“Your face and the fact that we’re having this conversation.”

Carlos lets out a little huff of air. He should know by now that his partner has the ability to read him like an open book. Hiding things isn’t ever going to work. “She’s the last horse my dad ever touched.”

“I see.”

“And she’s the last foal to come out of my old horse.”

Campbell rubs his chin thoughtfully. “Well, I'm not gonna try to talk you out of trying to work with her. But I will say, I’m quite fond of you even if you’re a pain in my ass and I’d hate to see you get your brains kicked out.”

“It’s a stupid idea, isn’t it?”

Campbell shrugs. “Don’t know. Haven’t seen her for myself.”

Open tagging anyone who wants to participate!

[honeycreammilkshake]

Hey so idk if you know about this, but in Japan the politicians are going ham on trying to get BL and GL censored and illegal (???)

And with how gege likes bl, gl, and a lot of queer romances in general, do you think if he didnt play it safe, sukuita would have been canon?

i think i've read about the recent backlash on yaoi/yuri/etc in japan. and i'm really happy gege came out in support of queer series. i feel like it means a lot that they did that.

i also have a feeling that gege knew exactly what they were doing when they made sukuna and yuuji so shippable, but i'm also sure that jjk being a shounen would have prevented sukuita from being canon either way, only because then the series would technically be classified as yaoi or bl instead. and since this was marketed as shounen, it's highly unlikely that the publishers will allow it turn into bl (especially now that there's more censorship of yaoi).

however, gege still (so unsubtly) went out of their way to give us some of the most bl-looking scenes between yuuji and sukuna.

i mean just look at this!!! sukuna is like some kind of lovesick kitten, trailing after yuuji the whole time, yet insisting he's nothing more than an intimacy-hating stray who can't stand any kind of closeness or warmth. but if that's the case, why cling so much to yuuji, who (may i remind you) was the only guy to treat sukuna as human??? i don't know, kinda looks like you're a bit needy for that affection, sukuna.

then there's them constantly taunting each other like boyfriends that can't stop being competitive for one moment. (over the literal smallest of stuff, too. you know the infamous king of curses couldn't care less what kind of crayfish he got if he wasn't with yuuji... he constantly has to show us - so painfully unsubtle - just how much yuuji gets to him.)

but at least he gets to one-up yuuji during archery... though of course the brat isn't as impressed as he should be. (you can just sense the hurt pride dripping off of sukuna's words after yuuji said playing with him wasn't enticing.)

i mean, this whole chapter just made me feel like sukuna is like those tsundere guys in yaoi who can't tolerate having feelings for the cute protagonist everyone loves, so they have to be as edgy-looking and rude as possible whenever their crush comes around. (and then their crush is just 10x nicer to them because of it, which only makes them even more insecure and angry.)

sukuna, it looks like you're repressing lots...

... especially with whatever you got going on here—

(do you think gege drew this with a nosebleed?)

and just when you thought it couldn't get any gayer... these two are pretty much canonical soulmates whose fates have been chained together since before they even met.

(i think i'm noticing a trend with how gege draws them like this —back to back, two parts of a matched set, all but fused together.)

it reminds me of those yaoi manga where the protagonist becomes an unwilling (at first) bride to the monster guy everyone else hates but then slowly starts falling in love with him despite everything because oh maybe he isn't so evil after all.

and though the most recent chapter have really made it seem like yuuji has been pursuing sukuna in this way, let's not forget that sukuna was also the biggest flirt with yuuji before all the feelings hit him far too hard.

sukuna, you've known yuuji for only a few days and you're already feeling up his heart? isn't that usually not until the 3rd or 4th date?

so he does something like that but then has the nerve to act all coy with yuuji later on...

"it's annoying" he says but he's smiling. he looks almost excited. (yes, we know you like yuuji looking up at you without permission, sukuna, we get it already. you don't have to spell it out for us so obviously.)

and yuuji, honey, you know he's into that, right? stop falling for his thinly-veiled traps; you know he loves to bait you like this, you're just feeding his ego. (and also i can't forget to mention just how frustrated sukuna gets when yuuji does ignore him!)

oh and remember that fighting is how sukuita flirts, just in case you didn't pick up on that already.

they look so excited to be doing this right now — yuuji's unhinged grin, sukuna's "fight me" eyes... (mappa, it's a crime that you didn't animate this ;-;)

i'm crying, they could have done comedy together.

also... why are they grinning at each other like this?

sukuna's sitting on top of you, yuuji so why are you looking up at him with that completely unhinged look on your face? (i would say get a room but isn't that what innate domains more or less are?)

and again. if we didn't understand it perfectly well enough already, gege doesn't want us to forget that sukuna just loves it when yuuji fights back.

just look at his feral grin at the idea of yuuji trying to take him on... he loves messing with this brat.

and although sukuna and yuuji are never officially married, the fate they're forced to is almost exactly just that. in sickness and in health (mostly sickness) they are bound to each other, and only death does them part.

crazy how they got divorced TWO times...

.... yet they still can't escape whatever threads them together

even if it's not explicitly stated, it's still heavily implied that yuuji was the one to set sukuna on this different path, to remind him of whatever humanity he had left.

he was the one to connect with sukuna as the king of curses was dying.

to hold him gently and remind him that the monster he is was a matter of chance, that they could have shared that same curse if yuuji hadn't had his grandfather to provide him the fulfillment he needed while sukuna didn't have that in his own life.

to even propose that they could live together, even if he alone would accept such a thing.

it's like something straight out of a doomed romance story. i've never seen such romantic dialogue even in actual bl romance.

and if the heartbreakingly, over the top romantic dialogue wasn't enough, this is their official art, too:

like does any of this look straight to you? (also sukuna can't stop trying to get his hands all over yuuji, it's insane.)

i think it's pretty clear that sukuita is essentially canon already. and short of gege drawing them violently making out with each other (which, technically, that's what fighting is like for them) that crazy one-eyed cat made it nearly transparent that sukuita is actually a thing.

gege, you're THE shipper. to think they got away with inserting the most wonderfully messed up and fascinating yaoi story into a shounen series about a boy who literally sticks his enemy's fingers in his mouth is just crazy.

[dragonnarrative-writes]

GhostGaz Week - sweet talk // missed connection

I'm so so so excited to have participated in @ghostgazweek this year! It's the first time I've done an event like this and it's brought me so much joy. To everyone who has read and commented on my work this week, thank you! I'm so excited to play with some of these concepts some more.

CW: Relationships between coworkers, mutual pining, front of house/back of house relations, Phillip Graves (derogatory), kissing, a taste of dirty talk

“Takin’ my ten,” Kyle tells his manager, pulling his phone from his pocket. Price nods, waving him off and assigning Kyle’s tables to Alex and Nova. He swings into the kitchen with an absent wave as he checks his messages and steps out back.

“’M no’ sayin’ ye have’ t’ declare yer love in front o’ the whole bloody team.”

Kyle perks up at the sound of Soap’s voice, but back-of-house gossip is going to have to wait while he tries to figure out what his off-again situationship is complaining about now. Or not - the meltdown in his messages is not worth dealing with. Just as he’s about the round the corner though, the growl of Simon’s voice freezes him.

“That’ll do, Soap.”

Kyle has to bite his lip to keep from gasping. Simon isn’t the head chef - that’s Farah - but he might as well be her right hand. He’s the glue of the weekend dinner rush. Level headed no matter what, rarely raises his voice above a raspy muttering, huge hands that Kyle has seen split an apple in half without a hint of visible effort. Whoever he dates is going to be envied by the entire front of house. Partially because he’s bloody gorgeous. But partly because he’s just the perfect man.

“Nae, yer gonna listen t’me,” Soap insists. “I promise, ‘e’s interested.”

“’E’s not,” Simon says. “Already tried flirtin’ wit’ ‘im. No dice.”

“Leavin’ a note wit’ yer phone number - in a pile of other notes with phone numbers - is no’ flirtin,” Soap says, and Kyle can imagine the despair on his face just from the tone of his voice. “Do you ken ‘ow many o’ those damn notes ‘e gets in a night?”

“Exactly. And he’s got a bird.”

“They broke up last week,” Soap hisses. “She’s shacking up with her ex.”

Kyle would snicker at how close he sounds to pulling his hair out but…

Kyle’s situationship ended last week. Because she moved in with her ex and Kyle doesn’t want to go through that roller coaster, again. And Kyle’s the flirt on shift, so he gets the most notes and phone numbers on receipts…

“’E’s got better prospects,” Simon says. Kyle hears the flick of a lighter. “Gorgeous, competent, charismatic? Kyle could have anyone.”

“And ‘e wants you, ye daft fucker,” Soap groans. “Steamin’ Jesus the two of ye. Just fuckin’ tell ‘im.”

“Tell you what,” Simon grumbles, muffled by his cigarette. “If he comes out here before my break’s done, I’ll tell ‘im.”

“Then ah’ll go in an- Oh you mother fucker! 30 seconds?”

Simon sounds amused when he says, “Tick tock.”

Kyle probably couldn’t ask for a better dramatic entrance, so he rounds the corner with a, “What’d I miss?”

Soap yelps and clutches at his chest like an old woman. Leaning against the wall, Simon looks about as surprised as he ever does, which means there’s a hunted look around his eyes, but he mostly looks tired and resigned. He settles into his thousand yard stare and takes a long drag.

“Gaz-bear!” Soap exclaims. He circles behind Kyle and shoves him forward. “Simon has something to tell you that is of a very personal nature. Do not let him distract you with talk about the kitchen! I love both of ye and ah’m tellin’ Price to fire both of ye if ye don’t talk!”

And then he’s slamming back into the kitchen, leaving Simon and Kyle alone in the alley.

He could play coy, but Kyle’s a bit giddy. “You like me, Simon?”

Simon grunts, contemplates his cigarette as he says, “Wondered ‘ow much of that you ‘eard. But don’t worry, I’ll keep professional.”

“God no.” Kyle can’t imagine anything wants less. “Tell me when you wrote me that note.”

“Dunno," Simon shrugs. "6 weeks after that shit with Graves?”

Two years ago, before Price took over, Phillip Graves had been the manager. He’d been a nightmare, harassing hostesses and firing anyone who dared to point out he was bad at his job. After the tenth straight day of a front of house person running into the kitchen to cry, pursued by Graves himself, Simon had had enough.

“I c’n make this a much more hostile working environment if tha’s what we’re aimin’ for.” The big beautiful bastard had shoved his knife a good quarter inch through a cutting board. The reverberation of the blade had rung through the painfully silent kitchen. All of the back of house looked to Farah for direction. She'd looked at Simon. Kyle, Nova, Alex, and the girl they’d been consoling by the fridges had all held their breath.

“I could fire you,” Phil spat.

“You won’t. You fuck with this kitchen, you’re losing your job,” Simon had answered. The fact that he had looked and sounded bored had scared and aroused Kyle in equal measure. “So ‘ere’s what’s going to happen - Keller and Garick are supervisors now. Pay them like it. You got a problem with front o’ house, you talk to them. Another girl comes runnin’ in here, then I‘m coming out there an’ you and I are ‘avin’ words.”

Graves had sputtered, looked around at everyone gathered, then spun on his heel and left.

Three months later, he’d gone missing. Two weeks after that, Price had arrived, greeting Farah and Simon like old friends and preparing to make the restaurant the best Kyle had ever worked at.

What did it say about Kyle that rumors that Simon had gotten rid of Graves for good only made him more attractive?

“That was more than a year ago,” Kyle says, sidling his way under Simon’s arm and leaning into him. Kyle’s not a short man, but Simon is tall and broad and warm under his work tee. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

Simon takes another drag, and looks down at Kyle out of the corner of his eye. “I’m not exactly dating material. And you had a bird.”

“I would have dumped her in a heartbeat,” Kyle admits, startled when Simon barks a surprised laugh. “I would have! Fuck, I could have been sneaking out here with you for seven months? I’ll break up with her again right now.”

“Fuckin’ ‘ell,” Simon laughs, smashing his cigarette into the wall and dropping the butt into flower pot turned butt bin. He doesn’t move his arm from around Kyle’s shoulders.

“We’re dating now,” Kyle declares. “We’re boyfriends.”

“Movin’ kinda fast,” Simon points out.

“I’ve been in love with you for more than a year. Catch up,” Kyle dismisses. “My lease is up in four months, and I’m movin’ in with you. Now kiss me.”

Simon doesn’t hesitate. His lips are just the slightest bit rough. He smells like cigarettes and spices, and he turns to bracket Kyle against the wall. One large hand finds it’s way to the small of Kyle’s back to pull him in and press their hips together.

“Fuck,” Simon growls when Kyle moans against his mouth. “Pretty, pushy thing. Gonna be this demanding all the time, Gorgeous?”

“I have a lot of time to make up for,” Kyle groans, nibbling kisses along his jaw. “You should let me blow you.”

“Oh, should I?” Simon’s rumbling laugh sends shivers down his spine. “Should let Farah and Price catch you choking on my cock?”

Well, if Kyle was half-hard before, he’s rock hard now. “God, yeah, let me.”

“Not yet,” Simon growls, and that yet sends sparks flying through Kyle’s veins. His next kisses are just this side of too rough, tongue and teeth making Kyle’s lips so sensitive. Finally, he pulls himself away to pant into Kyle’s ear, “Let me take you on a date, huh, Gorgeous? Let me take you out, wine and dine you. Wanna know all about you, wanna talk about something other than work for more than five minutes. Then I’ll take you home and lay you out. Kiss you all over, suck that gorgeous cock of yours, yeah?"

“Jesus,” Kyle hisses. He tries to rock his hips into Simon’s, but strong hands hold him back. “Yeah, okay, yeah. Kiss me again.”

Simon laughs, dips down to give Kyle another closed-mouthed kiss. “Gotta head back in.”

“No,” Kyle pants. “Kiss me again.”

Simon growls into the next kiss and shifts to press his whole front into Kyle. When he pulls back, he presses a thumb against Kyle’s lips. “Be patient, Gorgeous. Gotta get through work tonight.”

He knows he’s pushing it, but, “…kiss me again.”

Simon’s lips are achingly gentle for a moment and then they’re gone as he takes a step back. “’M goin’ inside, now.”

“Thai food after work?” Kyle pants.

Simon chuckles and adjusts himself. “Yeah.” He swoops in for another brief peck. “It’s a date.”

[resonancebeach]

My TimeBomb Playlist!

(inspired by @tcx11 )

This playlist generally reflects my personal flavour of TimeBomb which is a bit softer, kinder, a lot of Modern AU. A world where they can be together and their biggest worries are not war, oppression, or terrorism, but smaller, more interpersonal issues, their insecurities stemming from wanting to be good for each other and with each other. A dream of another world.

Laura's Theme by Nathan Johnson (this felt like a good opener to the playlist, sort of cutting to the softer, more sentimental side of both characters which is what I personally appreciate about TimeBomb)

Self Love by Metro Boomin and Coy Leray (the whole SpiderVerse soundtrack has a great TimeBomb sound and feel to it so that's a given, but for me Self Love once again touches upon that softer side the couple, they both want to reach out to each other and be kids again, when they were friends and didn't have to fight each other.)

Blue by PinkPantheress (Heaven Knows as an album very much suits my TB aesthetic, Blue works partly because of the title and also because the lyrics touch upon the giggling/kicking her feet feel that Jinx feels about Ekko and the insecurities that she may not be good enough for him.)

Calling by Metro Boomin and Swae Lee with NAV & A Boogie wit Da Hoodie (Again, SpiderVerse IS peak TimeBomb, and Calling is a track that can reflect Ekko's anxieties of reaching out to Jinx and having his ever-persisting love for her be fully perceived and felt by her.)

Favorite Song by Honey Revenge (some pop punk was absolutely necessary and I'm choosing to include one of my favourite songs (lol) by one of my current favourite bands. Their sound is kind of like what a high school/battle of the bands AU Jinx might come up with, and this song is Jinx expressing her love for Ekko in the only way she'd know how: by writing a song about how annoying it is that he's all she ever thinks about.)

Murphy's Law by Honey Revenge (all of HR's debut album RetroVision could be on this playlist but again, I want to be a bit selective. With a title like Murphy's Law, this song is literally about a Jinx. Maybe Jinx wrote this song about herself and her insecurities ("What's the worst thing that could happen? Anything you'd imagine!"))

Bad Habit by Steve Lacy (this song feels sunkissed and I like imagining them hanging out on a nice summer's day. Also I heard this on an edit and I was like "so true bestie." And yeah the lyrics, I wish you'd known she wanted you too, Ekko.)

One Last Kiss by Hikaru Utada (I don't know that I can adequately explain this, the vibes are sweet and there's a sweeping sense of love to it, but there's also an interplay of my appreciation of Evangelion and Kingdom Hearts going on, especially the final scene of Thrice Upon a Time and how a similar context can be applied to Jinx and Ekko freeing each other can be applied. All I can say is, I hope you see the vision too.)

Let Me Love You by Mario (I appreciate that this could be the most out of place song in the playlist but tbh I loved this song when I was a kid, I liked how it was kind of melancholy in the way all our favourite fics are and I liked the idea of a straightforward appeal from Ekko to Jinx to let herself be open to him because he knows he can provide for her after the world of hurt she's gone through. I don't think Ekko would be so direct but I think in a happier world, he would have a seductive RnB beat in his soul.)

TELEKINESIS by Travis Scott (feat. SZA and Future) (alright so maybe this is the most out of place one on this playlist, I suppose this is kind of the closest I'll get to toxic TimeBomb? But I can interpret it as Jinx's insecurities manifesting in toxic ways. For me there's a lot of vibes here that again, I just hope you see the vision.)

Differences - Instrumental by Ginuwine (no explanation, just listened to this a lot when I was getting with my girlfriend so why not, throw this one in too)

Otonoke by Crazy Nuts (you're so right, Jinx and Ekko WOULD get into ghost hunting in high school and land themselves into more trouble than they asked for!)

Come and Go by JUICE WRLD with Marshmello (Jinx has a lot of insecurities by Ekko knows he can't let his own issues get in the way of this, because this type of love, this type of compatibility, doesn't always come and go. Also love the high energy production, with the shredding guitars it feels like it crosses over to Jinx's sound and tbh for me this is low-key a theme to SpiderBomb.)

gonna make sure by senses (more pop punk with angsty lyrics, just included it as it randomly came up and thought why not)

Honourable mention: Franco Faux by Tresor Online (obviously after s2e7 TimeBomb has a forever association with French music and language, something I joked about in my interview fic. The production sounds very seductive but what keeps me from including it is that the lyrics are very much French-sounding gibberish, making fun of these sorts of tracks. Maybe Ekko is trying to make Jinx laugh by improvising fake French on the spot? I still enjoy listening to it but it helps that my French understanding is pre-basic at best.)

There's loads of tracks that feel like timebomb that I didn't include but tbh I just wanted this to be more of a personal list, based on my vision. I'm still growing it so may update this list in future. In the meantime, I hope you discovered some new music you enjoy or enjoyed these perspectives on our favourite zaunite royalty!

[cookiesandbiscuits]

Dinner Date Jitters

In which the usually cool and composed Azul Ashengrotto stumbles as he takes Shuu out for dinner.

Pairing: Azul Ashengrotto x Shuu (OC by @oya-oya-okay)

Genre: Fluff

A/N: This is a birthday gift for @oya-oya-okay.

Once again, happy birthday to you and Hagi! I hope you two enjoy your special day! ^^

Other notes: Typical teasing from the tweels; inspired by that one scene from Princess and the Frog where Naveen awkwardly takes Tiana out for dinner. Basically me cursing him with misfortune for today because what fun is there to it when things always go according to plan? :) *cue maniacal laughter*

The song is part of the inspiration, albeit loosely. I suggest listening to it for the vibes :D (oldies songs ftw!)

Reference for Shuu's and Azul's outfit here: > Shuu > Azul

» MASTERLIST

“The time is right, your perfume fills my head

The stars get red, and, oh, the night's so blue

And then I go and spoil it all

By saying somethin' stupid like, "I love you"”

*KNOCK KNOCK*

"Yes, who is it?" asked Azul, his gaze lifting from the documents he was reading to his office door.

On cue, Titian hair and green eyes poked from the entrance.

"Ah, you're already here, Shuu. Please come in and take a seat."

He gestured to the seat in front of his desk.

"Hi Azul. Jade said you called for me?" Shuu gave him an inquisitive look.

"Yes. I'd like to ask you something."

Propping his head on his laced hands, Azul smiled. "Are you free this coming Saturday?"

"Saturday? ...Yes, I think so. Why do you ask?"

"Wonderful! Here..." he said as he handed out a flyer to her.

"What's this?" Shuu's brows furrowed as she read what was written on the flyer. "Riverside Restaurant... now opening..."

"One of the well-known restaurants in Shaftlands is going to open a new branch here in Sage Island. You see, I've been wanting to try their courses for a long time to create a new menu for the Lounge, but unfortunately, I couldn't, due to its distance. But now that this opportunity has arrived, I can finally do it."

"I see..." Shuu nodded. "But what does this have to do with me?"

"As I've said, I plan to try Riverside's menu to try and create new dishes for the Lounge. However, you cannot expect me to eat all that food. That's where you come in, my dear Shuu."

Pushing up his glasses, Azul continued.

"I need someone who would go with me and give additional opinion."

He was met with silence.

"Don't worry, I will shoulder all expenses, if you're worried about that."

"Oh, it's not that. It's just..." Shuu narrowed her eyes at him. "There's a catch here, isn't it?"

Azul placed a hand on his chest like she just said the most horrible thing he has ever heard. "Is that how you think of me? Oh how you wound me."

"With how you typically act, can you really blame me? Besides, you'd usually take Jade or Floyd with you on things like this. Why me this time?"

"That's true. But Floyd and the Basketball Club has a scheduled match with Royal Sword on Saturday, and Jade is on duty that day. Hence, me asking you instead. But if you're not feeling up to it, that is also—"

"No, I'll go with you."

Azul raised a brow in response. "Are you sure?"

"Yep," Shuu smiled. "It's your treat, right? I wouldn't say no to that. And I really wouldn't mind having dinner with you, if I'm being honest."

"...I see." Azul adjusted his glasses once again. "Then I'll see you on Main Street at 6 PM on Saturday."

"Fufufu... Why, you look especially dashing this evening, Azul."

"Mhm, he totally does."

Azul sighed as he finished fixing his outfit in front of the mirror before facing the grinning teal-haired twins sitting on the sofa of his room.

"What is it now, you two?"

"Oh, nothing~" Floyd giggled. "It's just funny how you're being so obvious right now."

Azul gave him a quizzical look. "Whatever do you mean?"

"Don't be coy with me! You totally asked Little Shrimpy to go with you just so you could take her out on a date!"

"Wha–?!" Azul jolted. "Don't be absurd! I'm only taking her because you two were supposed to be occupied today!"

"Eh~ but I told you, our match wouldn't take that long that I won't be able to make it back until 6."

"Yes, and we're not that busy during weekends so you could have asked us. Yet you asked her instead," Jade added with a teasing smile.

"Just admit it– you asked her out on purpose!"

With that, the twins snickered. Azul tried to glare at them to shut them up, but it only made their laugh louder.

In the end, Azul could only sigh in defeat.

"Fine, think whatever you want," he huffed as he made his way to the door.

"Enjoy your date, Azul!"

He rolled his eyes in reply.

"Azul!"

Hearing his name, Azul turned to look at the voice's direction.

"Hello, Shuu."

Shuu smiled apologetically. "Sorry I took so long. It took a while to get my hair and makeup done. I hope I didn't make you wait."

Azul shook his head. "No, I only just got here too. You look lovely in your dress, by the way."

"Thanks. You look great in your suit too."

"Why, thank you. I appreciate the compliment."

Azul looked at his wristwatch and hummed in satisfaction.

"Well then, shall we get going?"

He then offered his arm and smiled when Shuu accepted it.

This night is going smoothly, he thought, just like how he planned it to be.

He's taking it all back.

Azul doesn't believe in luck, preferring to face every situation with logic. However, at this moment, he can't help but think that the fates are currently toying with him by cursing him with misfortune today.

It all started when the cab he hired to take the two of them to the restaurant broke down in the middle of their journey.

The driver told them to hire another cab as it would take quite a while before his vehicle could get fixed.

They tried, but for some reason, no other cabs were driving by to take them. Left with no other choice, Azul and Shuu decided to brisk walk to get to their destination.

Which proved to be quite a task, with the restaurant being located on the other side of the town. Azul tried to call the restaurant to tell them they'll be running late, but there was a scheduled network maintenance for that day, rendering his attempts futile.

By the time they got there, they were already 30 minutes late for the reservation. After paying the no-show fee (which made Azul internally weep), they waited for another 30 minutes to get their orders.

In the end, Azul was so exhausted from the entire ordeal that he didn't get to focus on the food they ordered.

Right now, he and Shuu were strolling along the boardwalk on her request.

"I'm sorry."

"Huh?" Shuu eyed him curiously. "Whatever for?"

"For everything that had happened earlier," he sighed, staring at the wooden floorboards dejectedly. "I was hoping this would be an enjoyable dinner, but alas, the universe seemed to have a different plan."

"...I did enjoy it though."

This time, it was his turn to look at her.

"Sure, things got quite rocky throughout the evening, but it's not like you could control those from not happening. And we did get to enjoy the meal in the end." Shuu then beamed at him. "Most importantly, tonight was fun because you're here with me."

Azul stared at her, speechless. Moments later, he began to chuckle.

"You seem to have a knack for saying the things I wanted to hear the most," he exhaled, feeling his chest lighter than earlier. "I suppose you're right. I'm glad you had a good time."

"Of course," Shuu exclaimed. "Say, what do you think of doing this again next time? In other places, of course. And next time, I'll be the one treating you!"

He let out another lighthearted chuckle at her suggestion. "Sure, I can't wait."