#The Mysterious Leader (The Lady In Violet)

[ask-the-friendly-ink-demon]

Hello!! I'm Elaine. Nice to meet you!! How are you Inky and Bendy :D

"just- prowler. only my close friends and family can call me Bendy... also again. inky? there's no ink demon next to me." he says, grunting at the whispers he was feeling in his mind, those voices. it all felt so familiar. elsewhere in the studios, Lanky kept silent as the lady kept walking, oddly quiet and almost. upset? the lady in violet didn't seem to notice as she keeps on walking

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Could you do a scenario about Nemona, Penny and Arven with a real who has type null please? Maybe something about it transforming in Silvally?

YES NULL/SILVALLY TIME

I have one in Sword who I call "Bestie", and it's carried me through the Crown Tundra DLC. I want it in Violet so badly aaaa

Also this just reminded me of my fic that I wrote prior to Sun/Moon's release. Ya'll can give it a read if you so desire <3

That being said, this scenario will be like a sequel of sorts

........

Revealing Type: Null--or "Nully" as you've affectionately called it--to your friends was something you were initially nervous about...

But today was finally the day.

Moving away from Alola to attend school here in Paldea was quite the stressful journey, especially for your masked companion who had never know any place besides stark white labs and sandy beaches.

People kept warning you about how dangerous it was, but you never listened...and now your bond with the mysterious normal type has never been stronger.

Ever since you rescued it from an Aether Foundation facility that exploded due to its rampage, it put its trust in you and loved you unconditionally.

Learning the truth behind that supposedly "good" organization and its leader broke your heart. Although nothing devastated you more than realizing Nully had been held captive there as both experiment and prisoner.

You've tried researching its species, checking for notes and hacking into secret files the foundation kept under lock and key--and you discovered that Type: Nulls were basically created as "tamer" versions of Arceus, even having memory discs similar to the plates manufactured. They were meant to kill the Ultra Beasts should they invade Alola.

Instead, they went on a rampage (of course, that's what happens when humans try replicating a god's powers) and were confined to masks and put into cryogenic stasis. The whole project was deemed a failure.

As tragic as it was...you were relieved to have found Nully when you did and get it away from that horrible place.

Even so the mask still made it feel absolutely miserable, but unfortunately you couldn't find any further information on how to remove it without causing your precious Pokémon serious injury. There were no visible clamps to unlock, pulling it off would only cause it great pain, and cutting seemed too risky.

The only benefit was that it made Nully immune to critical hits, but the cons definitely outweighed the pros.

Maybe one of your friends knew more about the Type: Null species, and so you decided to call them all over for a picnic if they had free time.

All you could do was pray that they didn't lose their cool and scare your companion.

That's the last thing either of you needed.

Arven was the first to arrive, with Mabosstiff at his heels as usual, but he stopped dead in his tracks upon seeing the bizarre-looking Pokémon standing by your side. You could tell he was trying not to look too worried, considering the poor thing was hiding behind you now.

Still, it's obvious that he didn't have the slightest clue what he was looking at, so you explained everything to him: where you found Nully, why it looked like a rejected Arceus, and the memory discs you kept in a small folder.

So far, you haven't figured out how to utilize them in-battle. But despite the space they took up in your bag, you refused to throw them away.

"Are you sure there isn't a slot for these somewhere on its mask?" He stared at one of the floppy discs, before glancing back up at Nully, squinting. "It looks like there should be one."

"We've been pals for nearly three years, Arven..I'm pretty sure I would've found the slot by now if there was one." Shaking your head, you took it from him, sighing. "My only option is to get that thing off. The slot's probably on its body somewhere."

"Right...maybe there's a stomach hatch or-"

"¡Mira! You were right, Penny! They do exist!!"

"Nemona, slow down!! They're not going anywhere!!"

Hearing the shouts of two certain ladies from afar, you and Arven looked to see both Nemona and Penny coming over the horizon. The student council president was dragging the poor girl by the arm, with her stumbling to keep up and not lose her glasses.

When they arrived, Penny was dazed and annoyed as she scowled at Nemona, tearing her arm free of her iron grasp. But her attention was quickly set on the peculiar Pokémon who was cowering behind you yet again.

"Wow...I..never thought I'd see one up close before.." Adjusting her glasses, she gazed at Nully with interest.

"You've heard about them before?" You asked.

"Back in Galar, I found some top-secret stuff about Macro Cosmos trying to make their own instances. They literally stole the blueprints from the Aether Foundation."

"...yikes." Nemona remarked, tilting her head as she tried getting a better look at Nully herself. "It seems shy. Maybe a battle will help it-!"

"No battles, at least not right now." You smiled apologetically, patting it on the head as you looked at each other. "I know you're nervous, Nully..but it's okay. They're nothing like the jerks back in Alola who used to pick on us. They're my friends. You can trust them, I promise."

Nodding its head, it relaxed its haunches as it cautiously stepped away from your side, gazing at the trio and seeing their smiles, too.

They weren't looks of pity.

They seemed genuinely thrilled to meet it.

It stood there for some time, taking in everything you've said to it and thinking about how far it's come since you rescued it that fateful day.

Somehow, it knew it was always meant to be your companion--from the very moment you held it as it cried in the Pokémon Center, reassuring it that it's not a monster, but a sweet creature worthy of love and care.

Ever since then, your friendship has grew...and now it feels stronger, willing to put its life on the line for you if need be. Even though most of its powers have been concealed, it didn't feel like some weak and helpless lab experiment.

Oh no.

It was far from that now.

Thanks to your bond, it felt unbelievably strong.

So much so that....the normal-type realized an extraordinary change was imminent.

And you were about to witness it.

"Look! Nully's glowing, [y/n]!" Nemona pointed, her eyes widening as your companion was basked in a familiar light. "Is it evolving???"

"Oh my god...I think so." You gasped, never realizing the possibility of it evolving, but you're now certain that friendship is what triggered it at last.

The most noticeable thing were the cracks that started appearing all over its helmet, pieces of what you assumed was indestructible alien material falling apart. Nully shook its head vigorously, trying to get rid of it as much as possible.

Then it turned its attention to a nearby boulder, letting out a cry before performing a move similar to a Headbutt, ramming into it and letting the rock shatter the helmet completely.

At last, it was free.

When the glow faded, you and your friends gazed in awe as Nully looked back at all of you.

With its mask finally gone, what lied underneath it was a beautiful creature made of both nature and machine, with a beaklike mouth that smiled proudly.

"Nully...?" You murmured, stepping closer.

"Ally." It chirped, walking up to greet you.

Tears began forming in your eyes as your grin widened. "I can't believe it...friendship was all it took to-"

Suddenly, your rotomphone decided to ruin the sweet moment by flying out of your pocket.

It displayed a new entry in your Pokedex, and you grabbed it to read what it had to say, while Arven, Penny, and Nemona checked their own phones.

"I see, you're Silvally now." You gazed back up at Null--Silvally, watching it bow its head respectfully. With a small laugh, you mimicked the gesture, before petting it lovingly as you sighed. "Wow..."

You noticed one of the metal bolts on its face open up like a CD player, indicating that something had to go in there-

"Wait.." Remembering the memory discs, you took one out and held it up. "Do you want me to use this?"

Silvally nodded, although before you could do anything, Arven interjected.

"Hold on, which memory is that?"

"The Dark Memory. It probably just changes its type, but I believe this represents all the pain Silvally had to endure while being trapped in that mask, not knowing what it did wrong or why people shunned it for simply existing." You placed a gentle hand under your companion's jaw. "But now I think it's ready to turn that painful memory into power. So let's see what happens.."

"Silllllv!"

Carefully inserting the disc into the open slot, you watched as it closed up. Then you stepped back, seeing the colors and spikes on its body turn smoky black.

Even its eyes changed, and when they opened they looked even more menacing than ever.

And they stared directly at you.

With a low growl, it crept closer to you, while your friends held back..tense and worried that the pokedex entries were correct: this wasn't something you could so easily control.

There was probably a very good reason for the mask-

Yet any hostility Silvally seemingly expressed disappeared, as it smiled and licked your cheek affectionately, causing you to laugh once more. "Hey, that tickles! C'mere you!"

Hugging its neck, you grinned as you received even more kisses, hearing it purr with happiness. You petted its feathery crest, relieved that it completely trusted you now.

"Wow..it's way cooler than Arceus!" Nemona laughed. "Do you think I can battle it-??"

Silvally just shot her a wary look, and she immediately fell silent, a nervous smile on her face. "Haha, you're right. Not yet. But I swear we're gonna have an epic battle one day!"

"Yeah, one day. But for now, I have something special for this big guy."

"Sill?"

You managed to regain its full attention with a simple yet supereffective move of your very own:

It's called "chin scritches", something that none of your other Pokémon could resist receiving.

The mask obviously made it difficult for Silvally to receive proper affection back then...and you vowed to find a way to break it so you can do just that.

Now it was free of that awful and heavy thing, having a brand new life to look forward to: battles, friendships with other Pokémon, and more.

Even better?

Your three closest friends in all of Paldea were here to witness its evolution--a sign that despite all the odds...your bond was unbreakable.

[16woodsequ]

101 Aromantic Books Rec List

For this list the goal is fiction books with a main character or significant secondary character that is on the Aromantic spectrum, or non-fiction books about being Aro-spec. Some books will overlap with my Asexual Book rec list.

Junior Novel

1. Hazel's Theory of Evolution by Lisa Jen Bigelow Hazel knows a lot about the world. But even Hazel doesn't have answers for the questions awaiting her as she enters eighth grade. What if no one at her new school gets her, and she doesn't make any friends? What's going to happen to one of her moms, who's pregnant again after having two miscarriages? Why does everything have to change when life was already perfectly fine? Hazel is asexual and aromantic (it isn't said in the book, but it is specified in the author's note at the back of the book).

2. Every Bird A Prince by Jen Reese After she saves the life of a bird prince and becomes their champion, seventh grader Eren Evers must defend a forest kingdom, save her mom, and keep the friendships she holds dear--if she is brave enough to embrace her inner truths. Eren is aromantic.

3. The Dragon of Ynys by Minerva Cerridwen Every time something goes missing from the village, Sir Violet, the local knight, makes his way to the dragon's cave and negotiates the item's return. It's annoying, but at least the dragon is polite. But when the dragon hoards a person, that's a step too far. Sir Violet storms off to the mountainside to escort the baker home, only to find a more complex mystery—a quest that leads him far beyond the cave. Accompanied by the missing baker's wife and the dragon himself, the dutiful village knight embarks on his greatest adventure yet. AroAce main character.

YA Fiction

4. Archivist Wasp by Nicole Kornher-Stace A postapocalyptic ghosthunter escapes her dire fate by joining the ghost of a supersoldier on his quest to the underworld Aromantic asexual main character. Dark fantasy/dystopian.

5. Latchkey by Nicole Kornher-Stace Isabel, once known as Wasp, has become leader of the fearsome upstarts, the teen girl acolytes who are adjusting to a new way of life after the overthrow of the sadistic Catchkeep-priest. They live in an uneasy alliance with the town of Sweetwater—an alliance that will be tested to its limits by the dual threats of ruthless raiders from the Waste and a deadly force from the Before-time that awaits in long-hidden tunnels. Archivist Wasp Sequel. Aro/Ace protag.

6. Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson When her convent is attacked by possessed soldiers, Artemisia defends the Gray Sisters by awakening the revenant bound to a saint's relic, even though she runs the risk of being possessed permanently by the powerful ancient spirit. Non-explicit romantic asexual main character. Fantasy.

7. Not Even Bones by Rebecca Shaeffer Nita's mother hunts monsters and, after Nita dissects and packages them, sells them online, but when Nita follows her conscience to help a live monster escape, she is sold on the black market in his place. Aro/Ace main character

8. When Villains Rise by Rebecca Shaeffer With her best friend, Kovit's, life in danger, Nita is determined to take down the black market once and for all. Latina asexual and aromantic main character.

9. The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee Henry "Monty" Montague was bred to be a gentleman. His passions for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men, have earned the disapproval of his father. His quest for pleasures and vices have led to one last hedonistic hurrah as Monty, his best friend and crush Percy, and Monty's sister Felicity begin a Grand Tour of Europe. When a reckless decision turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt, it calls into question everything Monty knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores. Aro/ace secondary character (prequel to a Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy).

10. The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee A year after an accidentally whirlwind grand tour with her brother Monty, Felicity Montague has returned to England with two goals in mind—avoid the marriage proposal of a lovestruck suitor from Edinburgh and enroll in medical school. A highly loved book in regards to asexual portrayal, Felicity’s journey does a fantastic job of exploring the struggle of navigating a world where marriage is expected of women in order to function in society. Even more refreshing is Felicity isn’t just avoiding getting married out of a sole rebellion against the patriarchy (though those themes are also present), but simply because she doesn’t have an interest in sexual or romantic relationships at all.

11. Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp When Corey moves away from Lost Creek, Alaska, she makes her friend Kyra promise to stay strong during the long, dark winter, and wait for her return. Just days before Corey is to return home to visit, Kyra dies. The entire Lost community speaks in hushed tones, saying her death was meant to be. And they push Corey away like she's a stranger. With every hour, Corey's suspicion grows. Lost is keeping secrets-- but piecing together the truth about what happened to her best friend may prove as difficult as lighting the sky in an Alaskan winter. Aro/Ace main character.

12. Seven Ways We Lie by Riley Redgate Seven students. Seven (deadly) sins. One secret. There is a character who sounds asexual and aromantic and autistic but none of these are ever explicitly named. He seems like a stereotype at first but has his own storyline that's both important plot wise and gives him his own character arc.

13. Not Your Villain by C. B. Lee Bells Broussard thought he had it made when his superpowers manifested early. Being a shapeshifter is awesome. He can change his hair whenever he wants, and if putting on a binder for the day is too much, he's got it covered. But that was before he became the country's most-wanted villain. After discovering a massive cover-up by the Heroes' League of Heroes, Bells and his friends Jess, Emma, and Abby set off on a secret mission to find the Resistance. Aromantic Black secondary character.

14. Not Your Backup by C. B. Lee Part 3 in the Sidekick Squad series by C.B. Lee. Follows a questioning aromantic asexual latinx superhero sidekick fighting to prove her worth on the team despite her lack of superpowers, all admist the team's battle against the corrupt League of Heroes.

15. Fire Becomes Her by Rosiee Thor With only a drop, one can light the night sky with fireworks . . . or burn a building to the ground. The few flare families on top — the so-called “elite” — hoard the magical resource for themselves, and seventeen-year-old Ingrid Ellis wants her fair share. Main character is demiromantic.

16. Summer Bird Blue by Akemi Dawn Bowman Rumi Seto spends a lot of time worrying she doesn’t have the answers to everything. What to eat, where to go, whom to love. But there is one thing she is absolutely sure of—she wants to spend the rest of her life writing music with her younger sister, Lea. Then Lea dies in a car accident, and her mother sends her away to live with her aunt in Hawaii while she deals with her own grief. While not the main focal point of the book, Rumi does grapple throughout the story about where exactly she lands on the ace and aro spectrum—and whether she has to label herself at all.

17. If It Makes You Happy by Claire Kann Winnie is living her best fat girl life and is on her way to the best place on earth. No, not Disneyland–her Granny’s diner, Goldeen’s, in the small town of Misty Haven. While there, she works in her fabulous 50’s inspired uniform, twirling around the diner floor and earning an obscene amount of tips. With her family and ungirlfriend at her side, she has everything she needs for one last perfect summer before starting college in the fall. …until she becomes Misty Haven’s Summer Queen in a highly anticipated matchmaking tradition that she wants absolutely nothing to do with. Aro/ace secondary character.

18. The Trouble With Robots by Michelle Mohrweis Evelyn strives for excellence. Allie couldn't care less. Together, these polar opposites must work together if they have any hope of saving their school's robotics program. Allie is asexual and/or aromantic.

19. Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong In 1931 Shanghai, two Nationalist spies pose as a married couple to investigate a series of brutal murders causing unrest in the city. Rep: demisexual Chinese protagonist, bisexual Chinese protagonist, bisexual Chinese main character, Chinese trans woman main character, aromantic asexual side character; (Chinese-Kiwi author).

20. It Sounds Like This by Anna Meriano Yasm Trevi didn't have much of a freshman year thanks to Hurricane Humphrey, but she's ready to take sophomore year by storm. That means mastering the marching side of marching band--fast!--so she can outshine her BFF Sofia as top of the flute section and earn first chair. But Yasm steps off on the wrong foot when she reports an anonymous gossip Instagram account harassing new band members and accidentally gets the entire low brass section suspended from extracurriculars. Rep: Biracial Latina fat asexual-questioning cis female MC, Jewish gray-aromantic gray-asexual male side character with ADHD and APD.

21. An Accident of Stars by Foz Meadows When an Australian teenager follows a world walker through a magical portal, she lands herself in the middle of a deadly web of politics and a potential civil war. Saffron’s fate is intertwined with that of many women, and the whole world hangs in the balance. Gwen Vere – allosexual (queer) and aromantic. (source)

22. Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger What if America had monsters, magic, and interdimensional beings? For Elatsoe, this is real, and she has to uncover her cousin's murder! She can do this with the help of her ghost dog, Kirby, but has to remember not to wake human ghosts. Aromantic ace main character. Paranormal mystery. Casual representation which extends to Ellie’s identity as Lipan Apache. This identity is asserted more often and firmly than her asexuality, and Little Badger drops in nuggets of education for us settlers about what Indigenous people, and the Lipan Apache in particular, suffered at the hands of settlers.

23. Loveless by Alice Oseman A queer coming of age story featuring a romance obsessed aromantic asexual main character discovering her sexuality and coming to terms with what that means, and a variety of other queer characters that support her on her journey.

24. Aces Wild A Heist by Amanda DeWitt An all-asexual online friend group attempts to break into a high-stakes gambling club and commit a heist together. Includes a male asexual character navigating what love looks like for him, an aromantic asexual Latinx gender-nonconforming boy, a Vietnamese American and German asexual nonbinary teen, and a black asexual girl. This cast represents a range of ace and aro identities.

25. Tarnished Are the Stars by Rosiee Thor A secret beats inside Anna Thatcher's chest: an illegal clockwork heart. Anna works cog by cog -- donning the moniker Technician -- to supply black market medical technology to the sick and injured, against the Commissioner's tyrannical laws. Determined to earn his father's respect, Nathaniel sets out to capture the Technician. But the more he learns about the outlaw, the more he questions whether his father's elusive affection is worth chasing at all. This YA novel features an aroace character gradually coming to accept his orientation in the midst of everything else that is happening in his life. Perfect for older teens who also enjoy WLW representation and dark themes.

26. Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno While anyone would love to have a bit of magic, what happens when magic turns dark? Georgina Fernweh will come into her magic someday soon. Before she does, Georgina faces a tragedy that tests the islanders' trust. In this book, Georgina’s best friend Vira is aroace, and it’s addressed somewhat in the story at different points. There is a sweet strength between Georgina and Vira, full of loyalty and support that is lovely to see.

27. Hullmetal Girls by Emily Skrutskie Aisha Un-Haad, seventeen, and Key Tanaka, eighteen, have risked everything for new lives as mechanically enhanced soldiers, and when an insurrection forces dark secrets to surface, the fate of humanity is in their hands. In Hullmetal Girls, Aisha is not only ace/aro but she is also happy with her identity. Crucially, so is everyone else.

28. The Trouble by Daria Defore Danny Kim is a college student and the frontman of a Seattle based indie band. He also happens to be aromantic, and completely matter of fact about that aspect of his personality; The Trouble is not a coming out book, which is refreshing. (source)

29. A Promise Broken by Lynn E. O'Connacht/S.L. Dover Cooper Four-year-old Eiryn tries to grieve her mother while her uncle and caretaker, Arèn, fights accusations of her upsetting the world’s balance with a song. Arèn, aromantic and asexual.

30. Birthday Landscapes by E. H. Timms in Queerly Loving Anthology A disabled and aromantic warrior-mage and legend returns home on leave in time to celebrate his twin children’s birthday with his family.

31. Chameleon Moon by RoAnna Sylver The city of Parole is burning. Like Venice slips into the sea, Parole crumbles into fire. The entire population inside has been quarantined and left to die - directly over the open flame. Eye in the Sky, a deadly and merciless police force ensures no one escapes. Ever. All that's keeping Parole alive is faith in the midst of horrors and death, trust in the face of desperation... and their fantastic, terrifying, and beautiful superhuman abilities. Multiple AroAce characters.

32. Sea Foam and Silence by S.L. Dove Cooper Maris has only a month before she turns into sea foam, and she has no voice to help her. Love comes in many form, however, and she is no closer to understanding which will earn her life among friends and family on land. Aro and demi-aro characters.

33. A Harmony of Water and Weald: a Sea Foam and Silence collection by S.L. Dove Cooper A Harmony of Water and Weald is a collection exploring some of Maris's darker moments as she learns what it means to be human and a glimpse at what her life and family is like after the Sea Witch's deadline has passed.

34. Two Dark Moons by Avi Silver Sohmeng Par is sick of being treated like a child. Ever since a tragic accident brought her mountain community’s coming-of-age ritual to a halt, she’s caused nothing but trouble in her impatience to become an adult. But when she finally has the chance to prove herself, she’s thrown from her life in the mountains and into the terror of the jungle below. Aromantic and nonbinary rep are woven through the world and characters seamlessly.

35. We Go Forward by Alison Evans Two sad queer girls roadtrip around Europe (Germany, Austria and a little of Prague) while developing a deep and supportive friendship.

36. A Word and A Bullet by Rachel Sharp When the real apocalypse hits, three zombie-LARPs friends discover their skills may not be enough to get them through the road trip to safer communities in Canada. Asexual, aromantic, and touch-averse major character.

37. Beyond the Black Door by A.M. Strickland Kamai was warned never to open the black door, but she didn't listen. Everyone has a soul. Some are beautiful gardens, others are frightening dungeons. Soulwalkers―like Kamai and her mother―can journey into other people's souls while they sleep. But no matter where Kamai visits, she sees the black door. Demi-romantic main character.

38. Lemon & Salt by Claudie Arseneault Two aromantic singers renegotiate their queerplatonic partnership within through a one-of-a-kind concert. Puns included!

39. Warrior Anthology by E. H. Timms

Twelve writers. Twelve worlds. Twelve warriors. Multiple AroAce character.

40. Nkásht íí by Darcie Little Badger A short story featuring two friends and a paranormal murder mystery. AroAce main character.

41. Haunted Hearts by Amelia Faulkner When Basil and Jon meet over a rumored haunting, they agree to work together. But when the ghost proves itself not only real but also insanely homicidal, Basil and Jon are caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse, and whatever feelings they might have for one-another have to take a back seat to a desperate fight for their very survival. Queerplatonic, arodemi character.

42. No More Heroes by Michelle Kan The peaceful nights are kept under the clandestine and watchful eye of young, gifted Vigilantes the world over. But a sudden rash of Vigilante deaths heralds the arrival of a new and unfamiliar enemy – one whose motive is as unclear as their identity. Ace and greyromantic.

43. Second Chance by Chelsea M. Cameron When Serena Nolan decides to spend the summer at her cousin’s house and queer café, she doesn’t expect to run into her ex, Fiona … or to discover she’s still very much in love. Demi-ace, demi-aro.

44. The Reckless Kind by Carly Heath It's Norway 1904, and Asta Hedstrom doesn't want to marry her odious betrothed, Nils—even though a domestic future is all her mother believes she's suited for, on account of her single-sided deafness, unconventional appearance, and even stranger notions. Asta would rather spend her life performing in the village theater with her friends and fellow outcasts: her best friend Gunnar Fuglestad and his secret boyfriend, wealthy Erlend Fournier. AceAro.

45. The Last Chronomancer by Reilyn J. Hardy Haunted by the curse that follows his bloodline, it soon becomes apparent to Mae that no matter what you do or how far you run, your past will always catch up to you. The tale of two, cursed for destruction.

One with the strength to kill and the other, the courage to resist. AroAce.

46. Unburied Fables by Rachel Sharp This collection enlisted talent around the world. From students to seasoned professionals, these writers came together to raise awareness and reinvent classic stories. While they showcase a wide variety of origins, styles, and endings, all the tales in this anthology have one classic element in common: a happily ever after. AroAce main character (Match Girl).

47. Any Way the Wind Blows by Carlin Grant Callie lives on the road, trading labor for food and lodging through a farm work-exchange program. She's perfectly content with the life she's created, but it is shaken up when she meets Jo, a mechanic and sister of Callie's latest boss. For the first time, Callie begins reconsidering the choices she's made. But Jo's life is far more complicated than her own and as family tensions rise, they threaten to pull Callie in, and her growing bond with Jo might not be reason enough to stay.

48. epicene: a short story by Ulysses Constance Bougie "Charlie never said a word during English, but they had plenty." An hour in the life of Charlie, a high school student with social anxiety. Over the course of a class period, Charlie considers their anxiety, their desire to express the things they feel, and their very aromantic crush on the beautiful Q.

49. A Murder's Hunt by Danica Taylor Othloh is a city run by criminals. It’s in constant chaos, and no one comes out unscathed. The only law they have is Occisor, a small mercenary group that keeps the fragile peace between the rivaling gangs intact. But when Kestrel Fulani, the newest of the four Crime Lords, begins causing too much trouble, Occisor is hired to remove him from the playing field. Aro heterosexual main character.

50. Loose in the Heel, Tight in the Toe by Valentine Wheeler Prince Heinrich doesn’t want a wife, but as the only heir to the throne he knows he'll need to marry–even though he has no interest in romance or sex. When a mysterious woman at the ball in his honor is completely unimpressed by him, he’s intrigued. Could she be the partner he’s been looking for? And when catastrophe strikes both their families, how can their arrangement hold together? Cinderella retelling.

51. Skybound series by Alex London The people of Uztar have long looked to the sky with hope and wonder. Nothing in their world is more revered than the birds of prey and no one more honored than the falconers who call them to their fists. Brysen strives to be a great falconer--while his twin sister, Kylee, rejects her ancient gifts for the sport and wishes to be free of falconry. She's nearly made it out, too, but a war is rolling toward their home in the Six Villages, and no bird or falconer will be safe.

52. Tower In The Crooked Wood: A Novel Paula Johanson A woman walks across the continent to track down a sorcerer who nightly enslaves random victims, magically transporting them to various work camps to help build his sorcerer's tower. Whenever Jenia, our heroine, is taken, she finds small ways to attempt to sabotage the sorcerer's efforts. In between magical abductions, she walks on, encountering communities so isolated and self-contained that they appear blissfully unaware of the sorcerer setting up shop in the neighbouring wood.

53. This Golden Flame by Emily Victoria Orphaned and forced to serve her country’s ruling group of scribes, Karis wants nothing more than to find her brother, long ago shipped away. But family bonds don’t matter to the Scriptorium, whose sole focus is unlocking the magic of an ancient automaton army. In her search for her brother, Karis does the seemingly impossible—she awakens a hidden automaton. Intelligent, with a conscience of his own, Alix has no idea why he was made. Or why his father—their nation’s greatest traitor—once tried to destroy the automatons. Suddenly, the Scriptorium isn’t just trying to control Karis; it’s hunting her. Together with Alix, Karis must find her brother…and the secret that’s held her country in its power for centuries.

Graphic Novels

54. A-Okay by Jarad Greene Eight grade can be tough, especially if you have acne and bullies, and lose friends. But our relatable asexual and aromantic protagonist, Jay, pulls through. This is a relatable memoir with colorful artwork.

55. Jughead, Volume 1 by Chip Zdarsky A comic book reboot of the Archie comics centered around Jughead Jones. Follows an aromantic asexual main character in typical Archie-style shenanigans. Part 1 of a 3 part series.

56. Is Love the Answer? by Uta Isaki A poignant coming-of-age story about a young woman coming into her own as she discovers her identity as aromantic asexual. A complete story in a single volume, from the creator of "Mine-kun is Asexual." When it comes to love, high schooler Chika wonders if she might be an alien. She’s never fallen for or even had a crush on anyone, and she has no desire for physical intimacy. Her friends tell her that she just "hasn't met the one yet," but Chika has doubts... It's only when Chika enters college and meets peers like herself that she realizes there’s a word for what she feels inside.

57. I Want to be a Wall, by Honami Shirono Any love story aficionado will say that the key to a successful couple is intense desire for one another—but what if the characters in question are an asexual woman with a passion for Boys Love stories and a gay man whose heart forever belongs to his oblivious childhood friend? Although romance will never be in the cards for newlyweds Yuriko and Gakurouta, the bond blossoming between them promises to be a wonderful relationship—the likes of which neither has ever experienced before…

General Adult Fiction

58. Common Bonds A Speculative Aromantic Anthology by Claudie Areseneault Common Bonds is an anthology of speculative short stories and poetry featuring aromantic characters. At the heart of this collection are the bonds that impact our lives from beginning to end: platonic relationships. Within this anthology, a cursed seamstress finds comfort in the presence of a witch, teams of demon hunters work with their rival to save one of their own, a peculiar scholar gets attached to those he was meant to study, and queerplatonic shopkeepers guide their pupil as they explore their relationship needs and desires.

59. Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata Convenience Store Keiko Furukura. Keiko has never fit in, neither in her family, nor in school, but when at the age of eighteen she begins working at the Hiiromachi branch of "Smile Mart," she finds peace and purpose in her life. Keiko is very happy, but the people close to her, from her family to her coworkers, increasingly pressure her to find a husband, and to start a proper career, prompting her to take desperate action... Aromantic, possibly asexual and autistic.

60. Have You Seen Luis Velez? by Catherine Ryan Hyde Raymond Jaffe feels like he doesn't belong. Not with his mother's new family. Not as a weekend guest with his father and his father's wife. Not at school, where he's an outcast. After his best friend moves away, Raymond has only two real connections: to the feral cat he's tamed and to a blind ninety-two-year-old woman in his building who's introduced herself with a curious question: Have you seen Luis Velez? Mildred Gutermann, a German Jew who narrowly escaped the Holocaust, has been alone since her caretaker disappeared. She turns to Raymond for help, and as he tries to track Luis down, a deep and unexpected friendship blossoms between the two. Raymond is aroace. And he is depicted as kind, loving, sensitive and realistic.

61. Stake Sauce, Arc 1: The Secret Ingredient Is Love. No, Really by RoAnna Sylver In which: A cute punk-rock vampire and a disabled firefighter-turned-mall-cop with a dark past join forces to battle the forces of evil–vampires that hunt the streets of Portland. Jude, the protagonist, is gay and grey-aro-ace, trans, has PTSD and wears a prothesis, Eva is aro-ace as well, Jasper has migraines, Pixie is chubby, and while we don't know the identities of all the other characters, all of them are queer (or seem to be) and there's a poly relationship in the works.

62. Walking the Wall of Papered Peaces by Penny Stirling in Capricious: The Gender Diverse Pronouns Issue A asexual clockmaker pursues her non-binary plumber fiancé on a quest along a magical wall of origami animals to work out communication issues in their relationship. Ace and demiromantic.

63. The Melankholia Series by A.N. Mouse and Ace Layton Explore the dreamy, decaying world of the Endless City, where human dreams lend strength to the hunters's unique powers, and where human nightmares spawn into terrifying monsters with no warning. Follow the nightmare hunters, ravens, runners and regents of the shadowy underworld as they fight monsters, fate, and each other.

64. Ice Castle: A Queerplatonic Love Story by Katie Fouks Shoveling dirt over slippery patches while dressed as a Christmas fairy isn’t the most glamorous job in the world, but Rachel Forrest doesn’t mind spending another holiday season as “dirt girl” at the Ice Castle ice maze if it means she gets paid. She never expected one such patch of ice to lead her to Cassie Harlan. Cassie is cute and funny and shares Rachel’s aromantic asexual identity. Rachel finds herself drawn to Cassie in a way she’s never experienced, and as her feelings grow, she questions what exactly they are. Does Rachel want to be her friend? Or something else? She’ll have to learn to trust Cassie and herself in order to figure it all out before they lose their chance at anything.

65. Play It Again by Aidan Wayne When Seattle-based blind YouTuber Dovid Rosenstein finds Sam Doyle's Let's Play channel, playitagainsam, he's instantly captivated by the Irish gamer. Everything about Sam is adorable, from his accent to his personality, and Dovid can't get enough of his content. Dovid's glowing shout-out on Don't Look Now, his own successful channel, sends Sam's subscriber numbers skyrocketing overnight. He has more comments than he can read. And while the sudden surge in popularity is anxiety inducing, Sam decides it's only right to dedicate his next episode to Dovid...which soon leads to a heart-pounding exchange of DMs. Aro Ace Jewish side character.

Fantasy

66. Baker Thief by Claudie Arseneault When her twin—a powerful witch and prime exocore material—disappears, Claire redoubles in her efforts to investigate. She keeps running into Adèle, however, and whether or not she can save her sister might depend on their conflicted, unstable, but deepening relationship. Baker Thief is the first in a fantasy series meant to reframe romance tropes within non-romantic relationship and centering aromantic characters. Those who love enemies-to-lovers and superheroes should enjoy the story!

67. The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction--but assassins are getting closer to her door. Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic. Across the dark sea, Tané has trained to be a dragonrider since she was a child, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel. Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep. Aromantic main character.

68. The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia Based on Persian mythology, this is a stunning story of a nonbinary blood magic user who is kept on the outskirts of society. Firuz finds themself a refugee, and gets a job working at a free clinic using their power for good. While working they discover a new disease that threatens to spread across the empire if it isn’t stopped soon. Now Firuz must convince the world to trust the very people they shun to stop the disease and save the world. From the author: it's about an aroace nonbinary refugee healer who is trying to cure a magical plague in their new home while hiding their blood magic.

69. City of Strife by Claudie Arseneault City of Strife is the first installment of the City of Spires series, a multi-layered political fantasy led by an all-queer cast. Fans of complex storylines criss-crossing one another, elves and magic, and strong friendships and found families will find everything they need within these pages. This series has many AroAce characters.

70. The Ice Princess's Fair Illusion by S.L. Dove Cooper To ensure she will never be forced into marriage, Marian pushes back suitors with cold cruelty–under the day her father promises to marry her to the first beggar to come. Edel, who knows well the weight of society’s expectations, ensures she gets the hand, and they must learn to trust and respect each other to survive. AroAce main character.

71. The Necromancer in: Myriad Lands: Volume 2: Beyond the Edge by David R. Stokes A necromancer raises his fellow magician and best friend, a trans man, to give him a second chance at life without the interruptions of dysphoria. AroAce main character.

72. The Faerie Godmother's Apprentice Wore Green by Nicky Kyle The village of Styesville has a dragon problem, but when Dea — a faerie godmother’s apprentice — comes to investigate, she discovers the problem runs much deeper than a simple creature. AroAce main character.

73. Holding Onto Day by E.H. Timms Half a lifetime after the Split, when a world of myth and legend took over the night, grieving aro-ace widower Cal winds up snowed in at a waystation with post-breakup aro-allo Evvi. Proximity and patience draw them closer, both in the day when they are human, and at night, when they become vampire and werewolf.

74. Create My Own Perfection E.H. Timms Emma Stone, medusa, is the groundskeeper for Olson College of Extensive Education, a place where everyone is welcome, from the mythical to the magical. When her selkie best friend loses her skin in Fresher's week, the race is on to find it before someone uses it against her. The search brings Emma face to face with her oldest enemy - and forces her to confront the worst nightmares of her past.

75. Mahou Shonen: Just Say No by Nico H In a world where becoming a "magica" is a phenomenon known to and highly frowned upon by the public, a middle school teacher leading a normal life finds himself involved with Horace Giorno, a young man known as the Prince of Magical Boys, and the brutal, murderous magical girl Pretty Fighter Ribbon Red.

76. Come Drink With Me by Michelle Kan A Dragon, a Phoenix, and an Opera House. Bonds that transcend time, loyalties that defy hardship, and the magic of the places we call Home. (Wherein a Dragon and a Phoenix make their living on earth in an Opera House.)

An Aromantic Chinese Fairytale.

77. The Caelish Order Series by A.J. Barber Ever since her brother murdered four of his closest friends, Alicia Omura has been trying to start over. She changed her name, got a new job, did everything she could to make sure no one ever pegged her as Devon Blaine's sister. Now she's a Hunter for the Caelish Order, protecting Seattle from rogue summoners like her brother, and from their Elaiyu servants. But when Devon himself turns up in the middle of her first big case, he turns everything she thought she knew on its head. His story is outlandish--traitors within the Order, corruption at the highest levels. If he's telling the truth, Alicia has more to worry about than rookie jitters and an inconvenient crush on her partner, Jordan Morrow. AroAce male main character.

Science Fiction

78. Rainbow Lights by Polenth Blake A deep-sea robot tells stories in every colour, but no shade can describe meeting a giant squid. Rainbow Lights is the first collection by science fiction and fantasy author Polenth Blake. Alien scorpions, vampire ice cream sellers and clockwork flies, try to find their place in worlds where being human is optional. AceAro main character.

79. Firebreak by Nicole Kornher-Stace Mal is one of many war survivors in the old town working multiple jobs to scrimp by, one of which is her team's streaming video game play. The team lives with several other roommates in a converted hotel room run by Stellaxis, the company that owns half of town, and is the only legal provider of drinkable water. When Mal catches sight of an elusive SecOps character, special non-player characters (NPCs) modeled after Stellaxis' twelve bioengineered operatives, the team pursues her inside the game to catch her on video for two seconds before their power curfew kicks in. By the time Mal heads down for her daily ration of water, they've secured a lucrative contract, involving an in-person meeting and a conspiracy theory, paying them to capture images of the three living SecOps characters. When Mal returns to find out why the next payment failed, she becomes involved in a fracas that will endanger everyone she knows. Aroace main character.

80. Werecockroach by Polenth Blake As aliens hover above London, three flatmates scuttle across the city to escape. They have more in common with coackroaches than hoarding cardboard and hissing at people, however. The narrator is agender, aromantic, and asexual. Science Fantasy.

81. Faction Paradox: Liberating Earth by Kate Orman and E.H. Timms Just what would happen if a couple of Cousins used our planet as their personal game board? As they create one alternative reality after another, twisting history and reality into knots, only one outcome is sure: whoever wins, the human race loses. AroAce.

82. The Changing of Allison Dutch by Michón Neal This is the first in a trilogy of Allison Dutch's life on earth. Follow along as she comes to terms with vampirism, sexuality, and the outer limits of reality. This book incorporates the realism of human growth and human potential while set in a highly unusual background of sci-fi, fantasy, and sheer horror. What does it take for a person to want to conquer the world? Find out in this coming-of-age story about a girl caught in the intersections of time, reality, sanity, normality. Aro Pansexual.

83. The Dreamhealers Princes Series by M.C.A Hogarth Seersana University is worlds-renowned for its xenopsychology program, producing the Alliance's finest therapists, psychiatric nurses and alien researchers. When Jahir, one of the rare and reclusive Eldritch espers, arrives on campus, he's unprepared for the challenges of a vast and multicultural society... but fortunately, second-year student Vasiht'h is willing to take him under his wing.

84. Novis by Rachel Tonks Hill Novis Colony has a reputation for being cursed. *Something* is killing the colonists, and every single mercenary team that has been sent to protect them. Ros Lamarr is the best mercenary captain in the Commonwealth and even she thinks twice about taking the job. But she's sick of low paid jobs and bored of sitting in a station bar pickling her liver and getting into fights. Breaking the curse on Novis Colony is going to ask more of Ros than any other job she's ever done but if she can do it the rewards will be bigger than even she can imagine. But she can't do it alone. Aro characters. Queerplatonic relationships.

85. Retaking Elysium: a Mars Consortium story by M. Darusha Wehm The woman now calling herself Lisa Marie has spent her whole life trapped by the struggle to make ends meet, and sometimes held hostage by her own memories. On Mars she might finally find financial security, but will she also find something to care about today, and maybe even for the future?

Historical Fiction

86. Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel The only daughter of the kingdom of Kekaya, she is raised on grand stories about the might and benevolence of the gods. Yet she watches as her father unceremoniously banishes her mother, her own worth measured by how great a marriage alliance she can secure. And when she calls upon the gods for help, they never seem to hear. Desperate for some measure of independence, she turns to the ancient texts she once read with her mother and discovers a magic that is hers alone. Kaikeyi is asexual and aromantic. Although the words "asexual" and "aromantic" aren't used in the book.

87. Daughters of Britain by S.M. Carrière 68 ad. The Roman Empire has swallowed most of Europe. There are pockets of resistance...

but nowhere, no one, is safe. Mederei, eldest daughter of the fallen war-queen Boudicca, fled north with her sister to continue the fight for British freedom. But nowhere is safe from Rome. Now she must fight for her life for the amusement of her enemy. Adalbern, a proud Batavian, serving in the Roman auxiliary, lived by their rules. But no one is safe from Rome.His people scattered and his nephew held hostage in Rome itself, he is now nothing more than a glorified prisoner. It's life or death both in the arena and out for Mederei and Adalbern as they try to survive and save their people. Aro Ace side character.

Romance

88. The Midnight Bargain by C. L. Polk Beatrice Clayborn is a sorceress who practices magic in secret, terrified of the day she will be locked into a marital collar that will cut off her powers to protect her unborn children. She dreams of becoming a full-fledged Magus and pursuing magic as her calling as men do, but her family has staked everything to equip her for Bargaining Season, when young men and women of means descend upon the city to negotiate the best marriages. The Clayborns are in severe debt, and only she can save them. AroAce coded character.

89. Syncopation by Anna Zabo After a viral confrontation with one of his bandmate, Ray and his fledgling band are in a tight spot, and in need of a new drummer. Enter Zavier Demos–insufferable, sexy, talented… and Ray’s high school crush. Pansexual aromantic character.

90. Dithered Hearts by Verity Chase A gender-confused farmer desperate to reclaim her farm and escape her stepparents’ abuse. A closeted prince more interested in helping his people than finding a bride. A fairy godfather with a ton of secrets and no powers. In this diverse fairy tale, everyone is searching for a happy ending. Aro pansexual character.

Psychological Fiction

91. The Bone People by Keri Hulme Our main character Kerewin Holmes is a mixed race (Maori and White European), asexual and aromantic woman who lives in solitude in New Zealand. She meets Simon, a young boy recently rescued from a shipwreck by his Maori foster father, Joe, and the three quickly come to find comfort and support in one another. (source).

Horror

92. Cold Ennaline by RJ Astruc Ennaline Whitehall has always been faithful. The god’s love is all encompassing, after all. Besides, she hardly had a choice growing up in the church alongside Ro and Ray, the twin sons of Father Piedmont. Now the twins are talking about marriage—all three are reaching the age for betrothal—but Ennaline doesn't feel that way about the boys. She doesn't feel that way about anyone, and who knows what the other faithful will do if they learn of her peculiar coldness? AroAce.

Speculative Fiction

93. Margins and Murmurations Trilogy Otter Lieffe An aromantic trans woman with the ability to move through time return to a highly-militarized city with her lifelong friend, Pinar, to help queer activists, sex workers, and other organizers of the underclass rebel.

94. Power to Yield and Other Stories by Bogi Takács Power to Yield is a collection of speculative tales exploring gender identity, neurodivergence, and religion from author Bogi Takács, who deftly blends sci-fi, fantasy, and weird fiction. ​These are stories about the depth and breadth of the human condition—and beyond—identifying future possibilities of conflict and cooperation, identity and community.

Mystery

95. Same River Twice by Janet Poland When reclusive reporter Miren Lassiter inherits her scientist uncle's riverside cottage, her carefully guarded world is upended. She discovers the body of a local historian hanging from antique gallows in a museum, and soon becomes a suspect in his murder. Mysterious intruders break into her home. When she catches one of them in the act, he is the last person on earth she expects to see. As Miren struggles to get answers from scientists, history buffs, and nosy neighbors, she must face the reasons behind her fear of intimacy and commitment and reach out to others to identify a murderer...before she becomes the next victim. Aro-heterosexual main character.

96. The Courtyard Clairvoyant Mysteries by J.J. Brass Ace Aunt Elise lives in a cozy small-town courtyard with her twenty-something niece Val, a polyamorous pansexual who is currently recovering from an untimely stroke. When Val’s wheelchair is stolen, Elise realizes she’s in a unique position to investigate which of their neighbours played a hand in the theft.

Nonfiction

97. Aro Eros Arrows by Michón Neal This is a fantastic indie book that explores aromanticisim in the context of friendship and polyamory. Aromantic doesn’t mean that there is no love in your life, just that love looks different. Michón Neal also explores aromantic identities in a Black and queer context. A truly empowering and impactful book that breaks down the aromantic identity in such a clear and insightful way. (source)

98. Ace Voices: What It Means to Be Asexual, Aromantic, Demi or Grey-ace by Eris Young How do we experience attraction? What does love mean to us? When did you realise you were ace? This is the ace community in their own words.

99. Ace and Aro Journeys A Guide to Embracing your Asexual or Aromantic Identity by Various Authors What does it mean to be ace or aro? How should I approach the challenges that come with being ace or aro? How can I best support the ace and aro people in my life? Join the The Ace and Aro Advocacy Project (TAAAP) for a deep dive into the process of discovering and embracing your ace and aro identities. Empower yourself to explore the nuances of your identity, find and develop support networks, explore different kinds of partnership, come out to your communities and find real joy within. Combining a rigorous exploration of identity and sexuality models with hundreds of candid and poignant testimonials -- this companion vouches for your personal truth, wherever you lie on the aspec spectrum. You are not invisible! You are among friends.

100. Ace What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen Angela Chen does a remarkable job exploring asexuality and aromanticism in a modern context. She relates the identity back to how queerness is represented or underrepresented in popular media. By looking at these identities in a large context, we get to learn a lot more about how amazing these identities actually are. An asexual person herself, Angela Chen has such a fantastic narrative voice that keeps the reader engaged.

101. The Invisible Orientation An Introduction to Asexuality by Julie Sondra Decker The perfect book for those struggling with their identity, and for people whose loved ones are asexual or aromantic. It goes into how these identities are treated and are largely ignored. It does a great job of analyzing all this data, as well as pointing out how reception of this identity is changing to being not so invisible anymore. A much more academic text than others in this list, it’s still an easy enough read that you shouldn’t be intimated by the academic language. It’s very much an accessible read.

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I have not read all this books, but I did my best to ensure the representation of the chracters when I was looking for books for this list. I did my best for genres, but sometimes it was hard to know.

I hope you enjoy this list! Isn't it amazing how many aro books there are out there?!

People who requested being tagged: @snailoutofwhack

[gravehags]

meet me in the woods

Pairing: Cirrus x f!Reader (Regency AU)

Rating: Explicit, 18+ ONLY MINORS DO NOT INTERACT

Tags: plus size reader, regency au, ghouls as highwaymen, stripping, oral sex, fingering

Words: 3,445

Summary: You are a well-bred, polite society girl. Until you're not.

a/n: this whole thing is @terzosbignaturals fault tbh (enjoy)

divider by @ghuleh-recs

“Do try to sit up straight, dear, you look so…so portly when you slouch.”

Obediently you straighten your shoulders as the carriage jostles the three of you around. 

“Perhaps I look portly because I am portly, my lady,” you say quietly, not without a bit of venom. You would never dare speak back to your guardian directly, so subtle comments must make do. Lady Catherine’s face sours and her thin lips purse as she regards you with a withering glance but does not respond. Lord Richard sits next to you, snoring and completely oblivious to the conversation as well as your presence on the whole. That was nothing new, the man practically lived in his smoking room, never once sparing you a thought. You were perfectly content with that, enjoying being ignored far more than being under the constant scrutiny and cruel words of the woman sitting across from you.

Ever since your parents died many years ago, you have been raised (perhaps a generous term) by these two members of the social elite who are allegedly distant cousins. You spend most of your time alone, wandering the estate gardens and reading your novels, ever dreaming of adventure and romance. Your guardians have, of course, brought reluctant suitors around to woo you, but you have been unmoved by any of their paltry ideas of romance. No, you much preferred bundling up in your bed at night with only a candle for company, clinging to the pages of a gothic horror novel borrowed from one of your friends - a scandalous thing that involves a sinister countess seducing her chambermaid. So desperately you wish to be desired darkly, deeply and you find immense comfort and pleasure in every dramatic, lust-filled word.

Your eyes have become unfocused as you gaze out the window and you barely notice the cavalcade of dark horses that stampede past you, causing the carriage to come to a halt. You look to Lady Catherine, who looks more annoyed than anything, as she pounds on the ceiling to alert the driver of her irritation. There is a prolonged silence and you feel anxiety twist in your gut when suddenly the door of the carriage is wrenched open.

“Well, well, well, and what kind of treasure do we have here?”

The figure looks…well…dashing is the only way you can put it. Tall, swathed in a long black coat and breeches tucked into black leather riding boots. Their face is obscured from the nose down by a black kerchief and on their head sits a dramatic feathered black hat. Lady Catherine opens her mouth to squawk indignantly at the intruder but they simply roll their eyes and motion to someone behind them. In the meantime the figure offers you a gloved hand and, with no better ideas at hand, you take it. When you step out of the carriage you see a group of more than half a dozen figures, also masked and in black, standing at attention either on horses or on foot. One of them comes forward with a length of cloth and the mysterious figure climbs back into the carriage to gag Lady Catherine with it. Lord Richard barely stirs with an inelegant snort and immediately falls back asleep, deaf to the muffled cries of his wife.

The group of what you can only assume are bandits continue to stare as the leader re-emerges from the carriage and slams the door shut behind them. They’re taller than you, and have you pushed up slightly against the side of the buggy with their arm resting above your head. They’re close enough you can smell them - something sweet akin to violets but also plum and leather - and the scent makes you dizzy. They bring a gloved hand up and run a finger along your jawline, giving you a lascivious once over that makes you flush from head to toe.

“Treasure, indeed,” they say, fingering the green velvet of your spencer jacket. The others around them chuckle and nudge one another as your eyes dart around, unsure of where to look or what to do.

“W-who are you?” you ask quietly, and the leader makes a dramatic gasp with a slight fainting motion.

“She speaks! And even her voice is just as lovely,” a few of the bandits chuckle and they give you a wink.

“We are highwaymen, my treasure,” there is something about this voice, while not familiar to your ears it sounds unusual.

“We don’t have anything of value,” you say in a rush, fidgeting with the muslin of your gown. “I mean…Lady Catherine might,” you admit softly. The leader’s eyes crinkle - they clearly must be grinning underneath the mask - as they regard you. “Please let us go.”

“‘Please,’” the leader murmurs. “So polite. Such a well-bred young woman. Allow me to ask you a question - do you want to be let go?”

You think back to your gothic novels and the thrill they give you, as well as the feeling you are experiencing at the apex of your thighs. If they let you and the others go…then what? A lifetime listening to catty comments from one of your guardians and absolute ignorance from the other? A lifetime of finding some horrible little man Lady Catherine has chosen for you to marry and being stuck bearing his many children? The thought makes you feel nauseous and it must show on your face because the highwayman slides a finger under your chin and lifts it so you are looking at them.

“No,” you whisper, after a beat. “No, I do not want to be let go.”

The figure leans in close to you and runs a hand over your waist, inhaling deep.

“You’re mine now,” they breathe before gripping you by the arm and pulling you over to the largest black steed of the pack. Elegantly, they mount the horse and gesture for one of the other bandits to assist you in climbing up and situating yourself in front of them on the saddle. The way their warm thighs frame yours and their eyes trace along your exposed stocking-clad calves makes you shiver in anticipation. All at once they let out a piercing whistle and everyone mounts their horses and leaves the forested area. As the stallion begins to gallop, you briefly look backwards at where your guardians have been left behind. You want to feel guilty, to feel disgraced at what you’ve done. But quite frankly, you can’t bring yourself to care.

Good riddance.

You ride for a great long while, your somewhat-captor’s arms woven around your waist and gripping you tight to them. Their chin rests on your shoulder and you can hear them breathing in your ear, even over the thundering of hooves. What a sight all of you must make, you think, as you traverse the countryside like a pack of devils. The exhilaration of the situation, the wind in your hair, thrills you and your face splits open in a smile. For the first time in your whole life you feel free.

Your companion must see your wild grin because their grip tightens around your waist and they bring their hips flush against your behind.

“Enjoying yourself, my sweet?” they call into your ear, only just loud enough for you to hear over the pounding gallops of the horse.

Briefly looking over your shoulder you nod, face flushed from both the wind and emotion. When you turn your head back around, you feel droplets begin to fall onto your cheeks and you hear the figure behind you let out a curse.

“We still have a few miles to ride,” they say, spurring the steed on with their heels, “Hope you don’t mind getting wet.” There’s a vaguely lascivious note to their voice and once again you feel a twinge between your thighs.

It takes about five minutes but suddenly the dark sky opens up and begins pouring down upon your group. You’re all riding as fast as you can through the forest when in the distance you see a large rock formation. As you get closer you notice there is a massive opening in the rock that leads into a dark, dark cave. You’re shivering by the time the riders stop at the entrance and dismount, soaked to the bone and barely able to move. Your companion dismounts swiftly and reaches up to remove you from the saddle. The other masked bandits stand around and watch as they carry you, as a groom carries a bride on their wedding night, into the mouth of the cave.

It’s not quite as dark in here as you originally thought - the walls lined with many torches and fires providing warmth to the dank space. The highwayman continues to carry you through the wide, weaving tunnel as if you weigh nothing. You feel so…so delicate in their arms, a sensation that you were entirely unfamiliar with. When the two of you turn a corner, you’re brought into a secluded area. The ground is covered in luxurious cushions and rugs, a large, thick fur tucked underneath. They set you down on the surprisingly comfortable surface and with a flick of their hand, remove both the kerchief covering their face and their hat.

Your jaw drops open.

Her hat.

The woman that stands before you is breathtaking as she loosens her silver streaked dark hair from the queue at the back of her neck. The coat comes off next and reveals a white blouse and, you note with your cheeks flushing deep, she wears no stays. Black fabric strains tight around rounded hips and long legs. 

You’re staring. And she notices.

“You’re not bad to look at yourself, my dove,” she coos. “Let’s get you out of those damp clothes, hmm?”

When she kneels down at your feet, staring deep into your eyes, you feel lightheaded. Carefully she unlaces your boots and removes them one by one. Fingers slipping on the buttons, you shed your drenched jacket, leaving yourself in equally wet white muslin. The rain has soaked through to your dress and now the material clings to your skin and stays. Her eyes travel across the swell of your breasts and her lips curl into a sinister toothy grin that makes you burn inside. You don’t know what to do now as you cannot reach the buttons on the back of your dress, but she seems to anticipate this and gestures for you to flip over onto your stomach. Slowly, she runs a hand over the curve of your backside and along your spine until she reaches the buttons and deftly undoes them, shedding you of one more layer. Shivering you turn back over, now only your stays and chemise separating your body from her intense gaze. Your fingers start to move towards the laces at the front of your chest but you hesitate.

“What’s your name?” you ask quietly as she scoots towards you more.

“Cirrus,” she answers simply. It’s unusual but it suits her and you quite like it. You tell her your name in return and you enjoy the way her lips and tongue wrap around it.

“May I?” she asks with a little half smile, hand gesturing towards the front of your stays. “You’ll catch a dreadful cold if we don’t get all this off you.”

Blush returning, you nod and her fingers begin tugging at the knot and laces until the garment falls open. Your thin, damp chemise fights for its life as it clings to your breasts and Cirrus licks her lips.

“Beautiful,” she breathes, eyes roaming over your form. “One last thing.”

Her hands reach down to the hem of your chemise, inching it up your body until it comes off over your head and is discarded behind her. When you’re fully exposed to her, wearing nothing but your white stockings, she lets out a ragged breath.

“Treasure the likes of which I have never seen before,” she murmurs, fingers running down your belly. Your mind harkens back to that salacious little novel you loved to read under the cover of night and the way the countess would touch her chambermaid. You feel a rush from between your legs and you bite your lip as your eyes dance upon Cirrus’ features. 

“W-what are you going to do to me?” you ask, cheeks heated and thighs clenching.

She lets out a dark little chuckle as her hand hovers over your body, twitching in their obvious desire to touch you.

“I told you,” she starts, leaning back, “that you’re mine now. And I am so very good to my treasures.”

“Oh?” your voice comes out higher than you would like.

“Mmm,” she hums as she throws a leg over your body the same way she mounted her steed. As she straddles your waist, her hands come up to tangle in your damp hair and brush her thumbs against your parted lips.

“Would you like me to be good to you, my sweet?”

She continues to thumb at your cheekbones while looking deep into your eyes, her gaze illuminated by the many torches that surround the two of you.

“No one has ever been…good to me,” you confess, understanding her double entendre. You are, after all, a good society girl. The only touch of a lover you have known is your own, late in the night when all were asleep.

“A damn shame,” she says, leaning her face down to yours, “And yet, I am so very glad that I have you all to myself now.” In an instant she slots her lips against yours and you jump from the contact. Her kiss is slow and languid, clearly delighting in the lack of urgency presented to the both of you. When she teases her tongue along your lower lip you let out a little whimper and she takes the opportunity to plunder your mouth. As she continues to hotly kiss you, you wind your arms around her neck to bring her in close. Her hand slides up the side of your body to cup at your breast, thumb flicking your pebbled nipple. When she breaks the kiss you let out a pathetic little whine that makes her grin as she slides further down your body.

“Such a needy thing, hmm?” she says before wrapping her lips around your nipple, causing your back to arch sharply. Your hand slides into her loose hair to push her against you and she lets out a rough chuckle around the bud before lightly nipping it with her teeth, causing your hips to buck upwards. When she pulls off of you and leans back, the pout on your face makes her throw her head back in a laugh.

“Wanton little creature!” she crows, as you continue to glare up at her, “they had no idea what lay beneath your surface, eh? All those simpering idiot suitors you undoubtedly had - they could never pull these sweet sounds from you.”

You shake your head as she idly palms your breasts in her beautiful hands. 

“Darling girl, I’m going to make you scream,” she promises, once again lowering her mouth to you. The pleasure that seeps out of you as she laves at your other breast makes your back arch once more. Slowly, her body continues to slide down and she places tender kisses over the curves of your belly. When she settles between your legs, she grins with all her teeth. Hands grip at the fullness of your thighs, fingers slipping underneath your stockings to feel the soft flesh there. Her breath dances across your mound, stirring the hairs and she nuzzles into your leg.

“Tell me what you want,” Cirrus asks, fingers tracing the veins in your leg.

“I…I don’t know,” you say honestly, blushing furiously.

She chuckles against you, placing a kiss to your inner thigh that makes you twitch.

“Do you want me to devour you?” she says, licking a stripe along the slit of you that wrenches a sharp gasp from your throat. “Do you want me to fill you up like no man ever could?”

“I–I…yes. Yes, please.” The confession leaves your lips in a rush, desperate to feel her mouth on you once more.

Gently, Cirrus uses two fingers to spread you open and what she sees clearly delights her.

“Mmm sweet girl, so fucking wet for me and me alone, aren’t you?”

Her fingers trace along your clitorial hood, forcing a whine from your throat.

“Yes,” you breathe, your hips unconsciously making little circles. “I need you, Cirrus. Only you.”

The words cause Cirrus to let out a feral growl before she slides the flat of her tongue along your bud. She hungrily laps at your slick, circling your clit before dipping down into your entrance for more. You’ve never felt anything like this before - none of your meager attempts at self-pleasure could compare - and you tell her so. Your confession spurs her on as she continues to assault your cunt with her tongue, sliding in and out of your entrance. It’s divine, and if she continued like this you could die happy but you need more.

“Cirrus,” you whine as she wraps her lip around your clit and sucks, “fill me up. Please, I need more.”

Cirrus smiles against your mound and places a chaste kiss to it as she pulls back to rearrange herself. When she brings a single, long finger to tease at your entrance your hips thrust forward.

“Next time I’ll use my cock,” she promises as she slowly slides the finger in. “This will do for now.”

Her mouth returns to your clit and you spasm around her finger as she crooks it inside you. All of a sudden your eyes roll back at the sensation, and grinning, she adds another finger. With both of them hooked inside you, brushing that spot you’ve never known before, she flexes her fingers as she sucks at you. As her fingers piston in and out of you, your hips jerk upwards to meet her thrusts, desperate to feel more of her. When she adds a third finger, stretching you deliciously you keen and clench your fingers deep in the fur rug. She’s relentless, ruthless as she brings you closer and closer to the edge, lips locked around your clit and fingers fucking into you. Your breaths become more and more shallow, gasping for air as you feel something build in your pelvis that spreads throughout your body. Suddenly your hand flies to grip at her hair and she growls at your tugging, fingers moving even faster. You’re calling her name, swearing your undying love to her, swearing your body to her as she brings you over the edge. All of a sudden your back bows off the cushions and you throw your head back, a loud, lingering moan exploding from your lips. She continues to work her fingers and mouth on you through your climax, relenting only when you beg her to stop. As your breaths heave from you, she draws away from you and removes her fingers. You’re loath to lose the feeling of being so full but when you see her appearance, you’re filled with a simmering desire. Her hair is a mess from being in your clutches, face sopping wet from the nose down and a vicious grin on her face. Not breaking eye contact with you she wipes her face on the back of her sleeve before crawling up your body and settling beside you.

“Cirrus,” you breathe, only now calming down from your high, “that was…I’ve never…”

She chuckles and pulls a blanket at your feet over the both of you, drawing you into her warm embrace. The space is surprisingly cozy despite being deep within a cave.

“My girl,” she murmurs, kissing your temple and wrapping an arm around your waist. “Thank you for giving me the honor of ruining you.”

You want to roll your eyes and give her a look, but she’s right. As if you could be with anyone else after…after that.

“What now?” you say quietly, toying with the sleeve of her blouse.

“What do you mean?” she asks, leaning away to look at you. “I told you you’re mine. I always mean what I say.”

Suddenly, you’re filled with a rush of warmth that starts in your belly and spreads to the tip of your head down to your toes. You think of your old life - your horrible guardians, stodgy suitors, boring balls - and you grin.

“Never pictured myself as a highwaywoman’s mistress before,” you say, tucking your head into her. “I quite think it will suit me.”

[mergedshadows-fanartfunart]

Merged Shadows Character Guide

A quick look at the main characters of the story/blog.

Zelda

[Image Description: Pixel art of LoZ au Zelda. She has red hair that goes to her shoulders and brown eyes. She wears a pink and white dress. End ID]

(she/her)

The young Princess Zelda of Hyrule, heir to the crown. 13 years old, Zelda is Prince Costa's younger sister. She is an extrovertive, rambunctious, and curious child, and adores her sibling dearly. She has strong magic, but her control is debatable at best.

Element: Light

Favorite color: Pink

(cont)

Costa

[Image Description: Pixel art of LoZ au Violet Link. He has spiky blond hair and violet eyes. He wears a violet short-sleeved vest over a deeper purple tunic. End ID]

(he/him)

The 14 year old Prince of Hyrule. While he doesn't remember much about his mother, he keeps the necklace she gave him on him at all times. Bookish and quietly curious, Costa has made it a mission to "learn everything". He does his best to retain a respectful image among the people, but with his sister, he indulges a dramatic side.

Element: Earth

Favorite color: Violet

Fin

[Image Description: Pixel art of LoZ au Blue Link. He has long blond hair, covering one of his eyes. His eyes are blue. He wears a sleeveless blue tunic. End ID]

(he/him)

A mysterious young boy that lives in the Seaside town. He often stays with the fisherman and the leader of the town, Aguisha. No one knows how he came to the shore, especially as he never speaks aloud. He is a fearful and shy child and doesn't especially like any attention. He is, however, quick to action and a trustworthy sailor, making him well-loved by his community.

Element: Water

Favorite color: Blue

Jay

[Image Description: Pixel art of LoZ au Green Link. He has swoopy blond hair and wears a green hood. He has green eyes. He wears a long sleeved green tunic. End ID]

(he/him)

Raised in the woods by forest spirits, Jay is an odd child to encounter. He finds the Hylian communities a bit strange, but fascinating all the same. Energetic and playful, he loves to run around the woods with deku and other forest friends. He's incredibly confident and ready to save the day.

Element: Wind

Favorite color: Green

Newt

[Image Description: Pixel art of LoZ au Red Link. He has choppy long blond hair, and red eyes. He wears a red sleeveless vest over a deep red tunic. End ID]

(he/him)

He grew up on the warm bed of Death Mountain. The adopted child of the fire dragon Dinrall, Newt generally concerns the townspeople that live at the base of the mountain. He doesn't mind the heat at all, however, excited to explore the many wonders that nature offers. He also has something of a mischievous streak, if an often accidentally destructive one.

Element: Fire

Favorite color: Red

Kurin (Shadow)

[Image Description: Pixel art of LoZ au Shadow Link. Their skin is greyscale. They have dark purple hair and black eyes. It wears a black short-sleeved tunic over a white under tunic and a black hat. End ID]

(They/it)

A silent watcher from the world of shadow. Kurin knows many things, and is always curious to know more. They try to help their light world counterparts from the shadows, without being seen.

Element: Void

Favorite color: black, or dark purple

Midna

[Image Description: Pixel art of LoZ au Midna. She has long red hair tapered with teal ends. Her eyes are red and yellow, skin blue-grey and purple with teal markings. She wears a grey side-open skirt and a cloak with silver and teal accents. End ID]

(she/her)

12 year old Lady of the Twilight, Midna is a storm of a person to encounter. She's a sarcastic and vindictive child at times. However, her sense of loyalty and justice wins out in most cases.

Element: Dark

Favorite color: Silver

Radian

[Image Description: Pixel art of LoZ au Twili. She has spiky swooping purple hair. Her eyes are yellow and red, and she has grey and purple skin. She wears a gold dress with a tall orange collar. One side of the dress is sleeveless, the other is partly dark blue with a long gold sleeve. End ID]

(she/her)

The Twilight Realm's Master of Light. Her role is to protect, preserve, and collect energy for the luminous powers of the Sols. Radian is a professional individual, and takes her role seriously. She has a blunt and suspicious demeanor.

[moths-wc-aus]

ROOTCLAN

RootClan lives in a small forest, camping out in a rocky gorge and eating mostly frogs and salamanders. They're skilled tunnelers, and their territory features a brook that mysteriously bubbles...

Leader; Amberstar Formerly named Amberdaisy, Amberstar is a gentle and cheerful calico tom. He's pretty big and fluffy, and well-beloved by his Clan.

Deputy; Speckledsmoke A pale calico tabby, Speckledsmoke is a skilled tracker and a very stealthy boy. He's a good deputy and takes his job seriously!

Healer; Marmotscreech Marmotscreech is a stout and friendly chocolate-point tom. He is VERY vocal about things, especially things he likes! He likes to chat, and will talk your ear off if you allow him to

.

.

.

BRANCHCLAN

BranchClan makes their home on a rocky beach. Their camp is a clearing surrounded by trees, with nice, soft sand beneath their paws. They mostly eat eels and minnows.

Leader; Whirlstar Formerly called Whirlpetal, this red and white tabby lady is very elegant and graceful. She's the oldest leader of the surrounding Clans, and has a very soothing presence.

Deputy; Mottledpelt There... is not much to say about Mottledpelt. He's a very average guy; he's good at hunting and fighting, but not extraordinary. He's not very bold or particularly courageous. He's just kind of.... here.

Healer; Robinpool Marmotscreech finds himself in good company with Robinpool! Those two will chatter the night away. Robinpool is wise and level-headed, and a very gentle healer. She's a particularly good singer, as well!

.

.

.

LEAFCLAN

LeafClan lives in a marsh, and eats mostly fish and bugs. They have a bit of an issue with rats at the moment, and there's this strange violet-coloured pond within their territory...

Leader; Cometstar Formerly Cometstream, she's a brown and orange tabby who is quite loud. She's not afraid to make her opinion known to everyone. She's pretty bold and brave, traits that are admired within LeafClan.

Deputy; Foxtail Foxtail is HUGE. She is giant and fluffy and SUPER intimidating, even to cats within her own clan. She's pretty clever, too, but it's more her stature that makes her scary.

Healer; Molestalker Molestalker is a very quiet cat, and she knows EVERYTHING. There is not a single thing you can hide from her. She used to be a warrior, but became interested in medicine after her son got very sick. He recovered, thankfully, but she never wanted to feel that helpless again.

SPIKECLAN

SpikeClan lives on a moor, their camp covered with heather and gorse as a shield from predators. They eat mostly hares and small birds, and has recently been struck by a deadly illness, wiping out most of the Clan.

Leader; Jasminestar Jasminestar is the youngest leader of the surrounding Clans, barely even a warrior. She's already lost two of her lives to the illness, and is really struggling with the idea of leadership. I mean, she's never even had an apprentice before!!

Deputy; Amberice Jasminestar's former mentor and father figure, Jasminestar picked him as deputy for his experience and calm, easy-going nature.

Healer; Speckledwhistle Speckledwhistle is stressed tf out, man!!!! His mentor, Firestripe, was one of the first victims of the illness, and Speckledwhistle barely had half his training! He does his best to be cheerful, but it's so so hard right now. He's so tired. Let him rest please.

[mainsbody]

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Released on the Nintendo Switch, this is the best dance game in the market. Just Dance 2020 is the latest installment of the Just Dance series. The game was available on most of the platforms and is now available on the Nintendo Switch. This is a musical game that can be played by one player or by many in the multiplayer mode.

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The latest version in this series was Just Dance 2020, which was released on November 5th, 2019. The following are part of the game series:Įach of the series featured top hit songs by some of the top artists. The title of the game is adopted from the song of the same name by Lady Gaga. The game franchise started in 2009 with the first release. There is also an app available that can be used by those who do not have a motion controller. The game can be played using motion controllers or by activating the camera that records the movements. Rank leader boards are displayed to all game players. There is a ranking system that is decided based on points. Striking a specific pose can help to earn additional points. Following this successfully enables them to earn points. Commands must be observed on the screen, and players need to respond to them. Players need to mimic the moves made by the dancers in the game. There is a collection of tracks in the game, and there is a video with animated characters dancing to the track. Just Dance is a motion-based dancing game. Prince of Persia, Tom Clancy, Assassin’s Creed, and Rayman are some of its other hit games. The Just Dance series comes to you from Ubisoft, one of the top gaming companies in the world. Apart from the various platforms, the game is even available on mobile phones. If you want to dance, then this is the game that allows you to play and dance at the same time. The Just Dance franchise of games has been making waves for many years with its unique theme of great dances to the top hit music tracks. It is the perfect blend of a music video player with an enjoyable game. Hosted by 44 Bytes.Just Dance is more a music and dance video than a game. © 2022 Hookshot Media, partner of ReedPop. Join 1,338,202 people following Nintendo Life: Pokémon GO Twitch Codes List - Pokémon World Championsh. Nintendo Switch Online - Every NES, SNES, N64 And Sega Ge.

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Limited-Time Pokémon Sword And Shield Distribution Event.ģDS System Update 11.16.0-48 Is Now Live, Here Are The Fu.Įvery Nintendo Switch Online N64 Game Ranked New Pokémon Confirmed For Scarlet & Violet In Cryptic Ph. Random: Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Trick Gets You All Koro. Pokémon Sword And Shield Codes: Full List Of Mystery Gif. Pokémon GO Spotlight Hour Times: This Week's Featured Po. If you don’t mind paying the extra charge or haven’t owned a game from the series in a while, you should absolutely pick this up, but if you already own a recent title, it becomes much harder to justify an upgrade. It’s great fun and we’re happy to report that the game has kept last year’s modern feel and sleek menus, but the bulk of its actual content will forever be locked behind the Unlimited subscription. To put things simply, Just Dance 2020 is a really nicely polished title that has been slowly but surely perfected over the years. This subscription model puts us in the same predicament every time we review a Just Dance game. It also means that, if you already own one of the recent Just Dance games like 2019 or 2018, you could just get a subscription for the game you already own – all you’d lose out on is this year’s new set of 40 songs. If you’re going to be playing the game every day, the subscription’s no issue and will be worth the money, but for anyone who’s not entirely devoted to the franchise, the whole thing becomes a harder sell. As always, it’s mostly full of current hits that us old fogies have never heard before, but are sure to go down a treat with those that are a little more hip and happening – see what we mean?Īt the time of writing, you can get a year’s subscription for £19.99 / $24.99 (with one-day, 30-day, and 90-day bundles also available for less).

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Some of our personal highlights this year include Billie Eilish’s 'bad guy' and 'I Don’t Care' by Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber, but feel free to check out the full set of 40 new tracks.

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Secondly, is the song list, which is arguably the main (and only) reason to upgrade year on year. Reaching the end of the journey unlocks an exclusive song, and while the mode’s not enough to justify a purchase on its own, we enjoyed feeling a sense of progression and purpose as we played through it. It kicks off with a cutscene featuring the Just Dance panda mascot, before sending you on a bus journey that sees you playing one song from each of the past main series games. First up, is the addition of an ‘All Stars’ mode, which is essentially a cute little celebration of the series’ 10th anniversary. There are a couple of differences, though.

[belit0]

Hey, can you write Indra + size kink + cockworship + nasty cum stuff ?? Sorry, i'm hungry for that man

Sorry this took me SO FUCKING LONG omfg

No need to be sorry, I’m as hungry as you. I haven’t written smut in a while, so bear with me, I’m getting back at it:,(

Tw: Indra knows nothing about communication

When Indra enters the house, the sun has already set. He looks drained, tired. It’s been days since he started wearing his hair loose, devoid of his usual ponytail, and it only helps to make him look more massive than he is.

His steps are heavy as he heads to the bedroom, and when he looks at you with those expressionless serious eyes, you know he won’t be eating dinner today either. That’s okay, you’re not used to spending time together as a normal couple anyway, and you know you’d feel weird if he actually sat down with you and joined you for a meal.

His form disappears down the corridor and you know he has found the way to bed, seeking comfort from the adversities of the day. His shadow is dragged across the walls by the candlelight, and for a moment, it looks like the demon everyone says he is.

But of course, you know better than to believe those ridiculous tales.

It’s been months since this man appeared in your village, a place led by a poor wretch who was trying his best to get his people ahead. Only a few enjoyed good fortune, privilege, and wealth, and you were not one of them. Life before Indra, here, was based on working hard for pennies, finding food wherever possible, wearing the same clothes repeatedly for lack of more garments. Poverty was rampant among almost the entire village population, and despite the leader’s best efforts, nothing seemed to work for the betterment of the situation.

But a mysterious man with long hair and thick shoulders, tattooed eyes, impressive physique compared to the famine-stricken people... left everyone captivated. With just a couple of suggestions and commands, things turned around, and the outlook brightened for everybody. This mysterious man quickly rose in the hierarchical power of the village, and the current leader ended up giving up his place.

Indra became their ruler overnight, and hopes for the future of the town seemed to grow stronger and stronger again.

Town expansion was inevitable, welcoming visitors and travelers intrigued by the legends of this man who brought fortune to a doomed place. Enemies were also unavoidable. The Otsutsuki defended and used all his power to prevent the destruction of the foundations he had built with so much effort, leaving everyone terrified in his steps.

His red eyes became stories used by mothers to frighten disobedient children, his violet beast traveled on the tongues of all the merchants and their incessant rumors.

Respect mingled with fear, yet Indra never wavered.

He looked imposing as he walked the streets of the town, staring at nothing in particular, an expression forged by iron and ice. His towering figure seemed to cast a gigantic shadow over every other man nearby, and all the women were dying to take the vacant place at his side.

Everyone thought as he became leader he would choose one of the few wealthy ladies of the village as his wife, but he did not.

It was months after his ascension to power before he communicated with a woman. And that turned out to be you.

Although the village prospered and grew bigger every day, your life remained the same, complicated. Money was scarce as well as food, and working hard every morning was necessary if you wanted to get a crumb of bread.

You tended the garden of a prosperous family, kneeling in the morning dew, your clothes covered in dirt from the work you had started just a few minutes ago.

Footsteps in front of you broke your concentration, and when you looked up, a tall figure was staring down at you. A flowing robe floated in the wind, and that frown was visible even from the floor. Indra was intimidating without uttering a word.

“You look thoroughly filthy.” He had said. “I’m sorry, my lord.” You had replied, bowing your head in respect.

You did not finish that day’s work, for offering you a wide hand, Indra Otsutsuki himself lifted you from the dirt and escorted you to get a fresh change of clothes. Not one of the worn-out ones you used to wear, but an expensive one, of excellent quality, full of exquisite details. A garment of high society, one of the kind he himself usually wore.

From that moment on, he did not leave your side. It was only a matter of time before you moved into his residence, an immense house in the middle of town. You became the envy of all women, no one being able to understand how their leader could choose a servant girl as his partner.

And despite the fear you felt towards him at first, although his haughty looks seemed to be empty initially, you eventually grew to understand him. Dread turned into respect, affection, love.

After all, he saved you from that life of misery to give you one of luxury and privilege, asking for nothing in return. Even though you slept in the same bed every night, he never touched a single hair on your head, never came near you, never took the initiative you feared he may take.

“Why me?” you asked once, the blush on your face shielded by nighttime darkness inside the room. A large space lay between you both on the bed, and Indra, while you couldn’t see him, probably had his back to you. “You are the prettiest.” He replied simply, and you caught a note of amusement in his voice.

During the day it was rare for you to see him, but at sunset, you would both be in the bedroom. No lustful touches in the middle were necessary to make the night complete, for the silences which at first were awkward eventually were filled with chatter.

That intimidating look, that wide-backed warrior with blood-colored eyes, became a companion, a pleasant person to spend time with. Never smiled, never laughed, but you know he is calm, that he enjoys the moment as much as you do. You’ve seen him interact with other people, how his muscles tense when someone is way too close for his comfort, how his brow furrows when anyone speaks to him. You know you’re the only person he tolerates, appreciates, and loves around him.

That’s why seeing him arrive like this is something uncomfortable in your chest. Slowly following in his footsteps, you find his clothes lost all the way back to the room. You pick up garment by garment, and there is a certain satisfaction as you smell his clothes and feel his perfume. As you reach the doorway, he is already tucked into bed, buried under sheets. One of his arms supports his head and acts as a pillow while his other hand scratches his chest, which is slightly uncovered. One of his legs is bent, and covers slip off his skin, revealing a thigh and worked muscles. His eyes are closed, but he knows you are there.

Leaving his clothing on a chair, you approach him and sit on the edge of the bed, hands clasped in your lap. Rarely have you seen this scene, where he relaxes with all his rights in his own bed. Sex has never been addressed between the two of you, and it’s something you’re grateful for. Rumors travel faster than the wind, and many a woman has walked around claiming to have spent time in the bed of the mighty Indra. Whether that’s true, you don’t know, and you’ve never asked either.

If true, your experience is undoubtedly unparalleled.

Still, seeing him like this, becoming one with the bed and stretching out, getting a taste of his toned chest and his thick thigh... Curiosity suddenly demands more.

“You’re staring.” His eyes are still closed, but to be put on display is still just as humiliating. “I’m sorry...” You’re not sure if get up and leave at that moment, but it’s his voice that clears the uncertainty. “Why? I’m your partner, naturally.”

It feels like confirmation of your actions, and you become brave all at once.

“Can I help you... To feel better?....” Your voice is full of hesitation, yet one end of his lips lifts, revealing a wickedly tinged smirk.

“Be my guest.”

Climbing on top of him, your hands tremble with anxiety and anticipation. His eyes flutter open and he watches you intently, analyzing where your actions lead. The man really is huge, and being partially on top of him, the size difference is even greater. Indra seems to rejoice in your stupor, picking up on your intentions and stirring the sheets covering him as you settle between his legs.

Whatever nervousness you felt about what was to come only grows worse at the sight of his size, as even half-hard, his cock’s intimidatingly enormous length.

“Already frightened?” The teasing tone sliding across his tongue fills you with new determination, and with both hands, you hold his shaft. One at the base and one at the head. Your tongue timidly explores that unfamiliar surface, feeling in your grip how hardness invades his dick second after second.

Your lips wrap carefully around it, and pushing gently, inch by inch, his length finds its way into the pleasantly warm depths of your mouth. One of your hands slowly slides down, dragging skin in its wake.

Fixing your eyes on Indra while trying to deal with the raw, inexperienced situation and size, you notice impatience and need, lust swimming in red eyes dominates his expression.

From an instant to the next, your shoulders are enveloped by two gigantic hands, and position is turned around, a vast body hovering over you and trapping you underneath it.

“You teasing little fucker...”

Being handled like that awakens something on the inside that you rarely felt before, some sort of tingling urgently needing to be soothed. A broad palm grasps your chin, which moves your face in the direction Indra desires as he suddenly engulfed your lips.

You have never kissed this man before, and to be making out with him for the first time in these circumstances should feel wrong... but it only builds up more sensations in your lower belly, a treacherous emptiness, and an almost unfamiliar fire.

Your hands awkwardly find his back, and the need to press him against your face, to demand more, to extract more from those luscious lips is interesting. There is no more distance to close between the two of you, but you want to crush yourself against his labored chest until becoming one.

The moment ends quickly as you gasp for air, and trying to recover, a sultry Indra, who grins viciously seductive overpowers your gaze.

“I’ll introduce you to a thing or two...”

Before you comprehend what his words mean, the position changes again, and his two knees are one on either side of your head. He looks even more terrifying from this angle than in everyday life, and you don’t venture to peek at his dick. Two of his fingers slide across your lower lip, caressing your cheek, and suddenly squeeze your face harshly. Your mouth is forced open, but when his cock slides over your tongue and you understand the functionality of the pose, you ease back.

Your lack of experience was driving him crazy, and rather than loosening him up, you were upsetting him further. Managing the matter with his own hands, or rather with his own hips, Indra finds peace again.

Rising to height, one of his palms cradles your face, while the other supports himself against the wall. You try to find stability by holding onto his thighs, and as he buries himself lower in your mouth, sensations in your body become almost unbearable, coupled with his movements.

Indra is kind at first, gradually pushing into your inexperienced cavity slowly, closing his eyes tightly and fighting the urge to destroy your mouth.

Yet when your jaw relaxes completely, grasping the rhythm and feel of the situation, he lets go. The beast is finally released, and the Otsutsuki fucks your lips with abandon, hitting the end of your throat with each thrust. His hips move with agility, and imagining him between your legs with the same surrender and strength makes you hold on.

Tears decorate your cheeks and eyelashes, blending with the saliva dripping from your mouth every time that cock lunges at your face. Indra becomes completely abstracted, tilting his head back as deep growls rise from deep within his chest.

When air is inevitably needed and you can no longer avoid gagging, you repeatedly slap his thighs, drawing his attention. He leans his forehead against the wall and holds your face with both hands, withdrawing his dick from your throat and catching his breath with difficulty. His gaze is fixed on you, and although you could probably look better, you feel really appreciated under those red eyes.

The fluids from your mouth completely soaked your chest and cheeks, your clothes are soaked, and at the sight, the Otsutsuki slides his fingers across your wet skin, then strokes his shaft twice.

When you catch your breath, you place a kiss on the head which has been hitting the back of your throat for minutes, showing he may continue.

Without a second thought, he burrows deeply into your mouth, reaching a depth he hadn’t hit before. The grunt he exhales makes your skin crawl, and you really want to see him enjoy you like this for the rest of your life.

He gives you time to breathe again, and his thrusts become more shallow, seeking more contact with the softness of your tongue and the warmth of your cheeks. It isn’t long before his length is completely out of your cavity and he works it rapidly, seeking the longed-for finish. You’re not sure what you should do, so you simply watch him, amazed at the size of his hands.

After a few seconds, several white shots paint your face, staining your hair and chest, leaving practically nowhere without even a drop. It’s unexpected, but satisfying.

[coffee-n-bagels-comic-universe]

Major Updates to My Weird Idea (that includes my Nightside OCs)

Go check my previous post on this - HERE

This is mainly an update for @schizoauthoress , @the--blackdahlia , @spacelizardtrashboys , @enigmaticandunstable and @piratewithvigor and I personally think @nattinngrst might like this.

I went on a trip to the beach yesterday with my parents and my older brother (who I bored and annoyed with this idea and you'll see some of his influence in this here post)

Anything written in italics is meant to be taken as a joke as you read through this wall of text, sending good vibes as always, hope y'all are doing well.

The show is set in Canadian, Texas (real place: Wikipedia). I'm thinking of this show starting in the mid-to-late 90s (1996/1997).

I've managed to do several things with that weird sitcom idea, so, where to start, how about with the three potential titles:

1 - Neighbourhood Watch

2 - First Call

3 - First Round (Which my brother likes)

Here are some options for bar names, starting with the Cop bar:

1 - The Donut Hole

2 - The Roasted Hog (which my big bro suggested)

3 - The Sherriff's Outpost

And the Biker Bar:

1 - The Handlebar Inn

2 - The Steel Horse Saloon

3 - The Rebel Room

Next on the list of updates: Cast additions, character roles and (Finally after 2 days) Names for Everyone!!

I'll start with the Cop Bar's owner & staff:

Rosalina Asturias 'Rosa' (Played by Billie Martinez) an employee of the local cop bar. Didn't grow up in the town, moved here for work.

Violet Croft (Played by Eli Herne) an employee. Grew up in town, never left, has the hots for one of the guys in the local police.

Sunshine Crawford 'Sunny' (Played by Holly Di Antonio) an employee. Grew up in town, left for college and came back.

Roscoe Power 'Ross' (Played by Jimmy Hart) the loudmouth who owns the bar, grew up in town, used to be a car salesman.

Olesya Pavlovsky 'Olivia' (Played by Penelope Voronin) an employee who grew up in town and has immigrant parents, goes by 'Olivia' because she would rather you don't f*** up her actual name.

Winona Vance (Played by Sam Griffin Silver) an employee who moved here from New York, for unknown reasons, and doesn't really understand the small town, everyone knows everyone lifestyle.

Lavender Whittemore (Played by Victoria Lucifarian) an employee who grew up in England but moved to live in America, settled in Canadian, Texas due to her love of westerns.

Next: The Local Police Squad:

Sergeant Valentine Gautier 'Val' (Played by Bret Hart) recently promoted before the series begins but still on patrol duty, watches over his younger brother.

Corporal Buck Morris 'Buckshot' (Played by Davey Boy Smith) the gun loving corporal of the squad and the only one to have both 'work' and 'home' guns.

Captain Napoleon Cooper 'Crazy Cooper' / 'Captain Crazy' (Played by Jim Neidhart) the police captain, recently reassigned to Canadian, Texas as there were rumours abut him which interfered with his work in his previous location.

Officer Duke Gautier (Played by Owen Hart) the young, recently recruited brother of Sgt Gautier, often put on patrol alone to ensure less arguments, but always checked on by his brother.

Next: The Biker Bar's Staff:

Ozzy Rains (Played by Charles Wright) A biker and member of the staff who grew up just outside of town but loves his fellow staff members like family.

Brock Martel (Played by Henry Godwin) a biker and member of the staff who grew up on a local ranch and loves beer, football and the current Mayor's down-to-Earth style.

Vincent Gore 'Vinnie' (Played by Kane) the owner's son and a known fire loving 'freak' often protected by his surrogate family, the bar staff, Vinnie knows no better than 'ooh, cool looking fire' and must be restrained or have his hands swatted away to stop him burning himself trying to touch campfires.

Raven Knight (Played by Kirby Roussimoff) the only female staff member, but also the girl who does all the tough jobs when needed, has a side business of making and selling artwork, such as portraits to locals, has designed some of the bar staff's tattoos.

Harlow Gore (Played by Paul Bearer) the owner of the bar and a loving father to his son, took Murphy (Undertaker) under his wing when they first met and also treats him, and the rest of staff, like family.

Hunter King (Played by Phineas Godwin) Brock's cousin and a member of staff, taught Raven how to shoot a shotgun and his father owns a local tattoo parlour.

Sequoia Reed (Played by Rikishi) an employee and Frankie's (Yokozuna) cousin, also a surrogate cousin to Raven, having been best friends since childhood. Reed loves his job and his staff family and will defend both at any cost.

Lupe Zapatero (Played by Savio Vega) an employee at the bar and possibly the shortest member of staff, towered over by the tallest staff members but is not any less of a fighter because of his size, a former mechanic who loves nothing more than taking things apart and putting them back together while listening to metal / rock.

Murphy Graves (Played By The Undertaker) Manager of the biker bar and an excellent member of staff, has an outlaw rules vibe, as in he would say to the police "Your jurisdiction ends when you walk in my bar." Very protective of the staff, and the owner.

Frankie Wolf (Played by Yokozuna) the most relaxed and laid-back of the staff, Frankie would prefer to be in the kitchen making potential 'Culinary Masterpieces' as he would call them. Sequoia and Raven's (surrogate) cousin, views his staff mates as family.

Next: The Local Band (Named: Exoskeleton Samurai)/College Students

Quinn Thorn (Played by Jeff Hardy) the bassist to Ros' (Lita) vocals / lead Guitar and older brother Garth's (Matt) Drums, a face paint enthusiast and an English major in college who never seems to find time to study, but always has time to date somehow.

Roz Jerome (Played by Lita) the vocals and lead guitar for the band and an art major who actually studies, dating Garth (Matt) and met Quinn through him. Roz also studies Spanish and French.

Garth Thorn (Played by Matt Hardy) Quinn's older brother and the band's drummer, a major in psychology and a horror movie lover, Roz' boyfriend and almost totally devoted to her, even at the cost of his college work.

Next: The Local Townsfolk of Note:

Mayor Robert Sweet (Played by Jim Duggan) rarely seen, but apparently a good man with good ideas, helps out in volunteer projects and absolutely loves the town. Trying his hardest and people know this, and they love him. (did I meme correctly?)

Rusty Jarvis (Played by Mick Foley) the local hippie who has never left town, somehow managing to know both everything and nothing at the same town. (Very Dude Love with hints of Cactus Jack and Mankind) Does know how to fight when he needs to.

Redd Wayne (Played by 'Sycho' Sid Vicious/Justice) the local baseball/softball star, helps out at the local school/college teaching sports and likes Raven's artwork, he watches her draw when he can, runs the local little league & minor league baseball/softball games.

Earl Black (Played by Steve Austin) the most often seen regular at the biker bar, absolutely loves both the bar and the town, a hardworking guy who has befriended the entire staff (including Harlow and Vinnie) of the biker bar.

Lex Aston (Played by The Rock) a local struggling actor, teaching an acting class to pay the bills and an absolute ladies man, and for that reason he goes to the cop bar, to try and pick up one of the bartenders who works there, often favouring Rosa as she will jokingly flirt back.

Finally (for this section): The Degenerates and Their Benefactors:

Reign Yates (Played by Billy Gunn) Leon's (Road Dogg) best friend, often the getaway driver for the group and a scout for locations, often getting all the info on a place before telling Matty (H.H.H) and Dell (HBK). Often leaves town with Leon to get the heat off them. (and make out in secret)

Zelda Hooper (Played by Chyna) the only female degenerate but possibly the toughest, has a rap sheet as big as her arms, not to be trusted when around the other degenerates as she is usually the actual brains of the operation.

Matty Battle (Played by Hunter Hearst Helmsley) the co-leader of the degenerates, often protected by Zelda or Mark (Kevin Nash). does most of the talking but has the piss taken of him for his looks often by either other degenerates or locals who don't care for the degenerates.

Romeo Colombera (Played by Mike Rotundo/I.R.S) the right hand man of the mysterious benefactor, and often the lawyer for the degenerates as well as a taskmaster for them, telling them what the boss wants done and by what date.

Mark Rake (Played by Kevin Nash/Diesel) the tallest degenerate with a rap sheet as long as his leg, a former bouncer at a now closed nightclub, alongside best friend (and possibly boyfriend) Galo (Scott Hall) and now a bodyguard (when needed) for Matty and Dell (HBK, also boyfriends).

Leon Rose (Played by Road Dogg) best friend of Reign and a scout for the group alongside him. Has found every possible way to piss off other townsfolk and often in the most fights because of it, always on the police's radar for one thing or another and constantly leaving town because of it.

Galo Villalobos (Played by Scott Hall/Razor Ramon) the only (supposedly) Latino degenerate, raised in Canadian, Texas but his parents are from Cuba, Galo is a former nightclub bouncer (alongside Mark) Galo is known (for his ability to give minus fucks) as the most relaxed member of the group.

Dell Pain (Played by Shawn Michaels/HBK) the co-leader alongside Matty, a known flirt with people regardless of gender or sexuality, just to piss them off on some occasions. Dell grew up in town, knowing it like the back of his hand.

Giles Rennell (Played by Ted DiBiase) the mysterious benefactor of the group, bailing them out if needed, he stumbled across the group after seeing a police bulletin and decided to use them to cause enough chaos to guarantee a chance in the next mayoral election.

Zac Noel (Played by X-Pac) the shortest and youngest degenerate, Zac is often treated as the child of the group, being taught how to get away with crimes and trick the police into just letting him go by clerical error and tomfoolery.

Next on my list of updates: Season 1's episode list, episode titles, episode synopses, some spoilers, and the revolving door idea a bit further explained.

Series running order:

Biker bar episode

Cops on Patrol episode

Band/College Students episode

Cop bar episode (yes these are different)

Degenerates episode

(last episode of each season/series only) town meeting/town get-together (E.X: town hall meetings, the town getting together for a sports game or barbeque or restaurant opening)

1x01: Insert Coin to Start: The pilot episode of the series sees the local biker bar of Canadian, Texas installing two, brand new, arcade machines. After leaving for the night, the team finds the bar broken into and both machines missing with no evidence or possible suspects to the robbery. The team finds the machines relatively undamaged in an alleyway nearby. By the end of the episode there's still no suspects. B plot includes an argument between father and son, Harlow and Vincent which ends when Murphy gets involved.

1x02: Hot Pursuit: Newly instated chief of police Chief Cooper [Neidhart] makes changes to the patrol teams before tasking them with looking for any persons involved with (1x01)'s robbery and break-in, leading to a high speed chase later in the episode. B plot includes the squad coming to grips with the new, and much crazier, police chief.

1x03: Making Noise: Local band Exoskeleton Samurai [Team Extreme] are writing new music late at night while Roz [Lita] tries to study for a class the following day but, during a moment of quiet, they hear a break in a couple of doors down and attempt to see who it is. The group get a glimpse of Zac Noel [X-Pac] and Mark Rake [Nash] but not a full glimpse. Now aware of the local degenerates, the band try and forget about it and focus on their own lives until their apartment gets broken into when they're not there.

1x04: Donuts & Beer: The new cop bar opens on the other side of town, serving mainly (both savoury and sweet) bagels and donuts as well as beer (on tap and bottled), the fact it's slightly more risqué gets (both good and bad) attention on the place. Winona Vance [Sam] gets in a fight with Zac Noel [X-Pac] as she's locking up. Winona [Sam] being put in the hospital with a broken arm makes the rest of [Cop Bar]'s staff double down on getting justice for the near break-in.

1x05: Dirty Work: The first episode from the degenerates perspective. The degenerates are just causing general problems for the town without reason because it's fun' but it's quickly losing their interest as the heat on them rises. The end of the episode has Matty Battle [Triple H] receiving a call from 'Mister R' [DiBiase] offering him a deal.

1x06: Blue & Black: A brawl breaks out at [Biker Bar] following whispers that the people who broke in are in the building. The bikers who work at the bar threaten to hurt anyone who works for the rival bar if they try and mess with business while in the biker bar.

1x07: Captain Crazy: A rumour that the current captain was moved location and promoted to smooth over allegations that he may not be fully sane, Officer Duke Gautier [Owen] is determined to find the truth while Sergeant Valentine Gautier [Bret] and Corporal Buck Morris [Davey Boy] are determined to keep the peace and catch the local degenerates.

1x08: Broken Strings: following an argument with an ex girlfriend Quinn Thorn [Jeff] finds his guitar smashed and has to work odd jobs to buy another one (starting a potential series c plot). Garth Thorn [Matt] ends up in a fight with Galo Villalobos [Hall] which ends when Roz Jerome [Lita] smashes a table leg over the back of Galo's [Scott's] head, knocking him out and giving him over to the police.

1x09: Badges & Bottle Tops: Captain Cooper [Neidhart] stops by [cop bar] to talk with owner Roscoe Power [Jimmy Hart]. Meanwhile the Gautier boys [Owen & Bret] interrogate Galo Villalobos [Scott Hall] about what the degenerates are doing and why, getting no information about the mysterious benefactor over than he pays them a lot of money depending on what they do.

1x10: Paid off: The mysterious benefactor 'Mister R' [DiBiase] pays Galo's [Scott's] bail, getting him free for a while but side-lining him too. The benefactor remains hidden in shadow but Matty & Dell [Triple H & HBK] have a meeting with him to discuss money and the next job.

1x11: Written in Ink: the tattooed bikers on the staff encourage regular customer Earl Black [Austin] to get a skull tattoo on his back and even take him with them to the tattoo parlour they frequent, finding it to be burned to the ground with a 'freaks get lost' sign planted in the wreckage. Murphy Graves [Undertaker] dismisses the rumours that the arsonist is the fire fascinated Vincent Gore [Kane] and even gives him an alibi when the cops come looking for answers, putting blame on someone in town who knows about Vinnie's [Kane's] love of fire, which is nearly every person in town.

1x12: Sergeant Heartbreaker: Sergeant Gautier [Bret] is accused of flirting with the staff at [Cop bar] leading to a paid two day leave to get heat off of him while he's ordered to remain at home. Officer Gautier [Owen] and Corporal Morris [Davey Boy] are put on patrol together, leading to a high speed chase of Reign Yates, Leon Rose & Zelda Hooper [Gunn, Road Dogg & Chyna] after witnessing a mugging, assault and graffiti from the trio, the cops eventually lose them down a back road on private Giles Rennell's [DiBiase's] land they would need a warrant for.

1x13: Failing Grade: Quinn's [Jeff's] lack of sleep leads to him getting a fail on an test forcing him to do the semester again. Enraged by this Quinn [Jeff] considers leaving the school but is encouraged to continue following Garth [Matt] ending up in hospital following [1x12]'s assault and mugging on Garth & Roz [Matt & Lita].

1x14: Microphones & Megaphones: [cop bar]'s owner Roscoe Power [Jimmy Hart] installs a stage for local acts in the bar, leading to Violet Croft [Eli] performing later that episode (the closing of the episode into the credits) and the night before the first performance the bar is covered in graffiti, leading to a massive clean up effort from the staff and local volunteers (like Mick Foley & The Rock).

1x15: Trench Warfare: Romeo Colombera [IRS] the benefactor's [DiBiase's] right hand man and go-to lawyer gives the degenerates an list of jobs, run the police chief out of town by the end of the year, run the bikers out of town, and ensure that 'Mister R' [DiBiase] the benefactor wins the next mayoral election.

1x16: Fuelling Up: after closing up [biker bar] Raven Knight [Kirby] narrowly avoids being burned by her motorbike exploding in a ball of fire. Her boss, Harlow Gore [Bearer] tells her to take the week off, leading to her coming into the bar and sitting at the back of the bar, sketching the regular customers and having a long conversation with local sports star Redd Wayne [Sid].

1x17: Brothers in Arms: Together: the Gautier brothers [Bret & Owen] are put on patrol together leading to the arrest of Zelda, Matty & Dell [Chyna, Triple H & HBK] before the trio are bailed out, the brothers interrogate Dell Pain [HBK] (leading to a very 'basic instinct'-esque scene with Shawn in assless chaps and boxer briefs) who gives them no information on their behaviour and why they are doing the things they've done.

1x18: Night Time Fun: the band attends a college party, unknowingly with Zac Noel [X-Pac] also in attendance, leading to the trio being high and drunk and the Thorn brothers [Matt & Jeff] end up in a fight, almost being thrown out of college entirely for their actions the next morning.

1x19: Head or Hart: Violet Croft [Eli] and (officer) Duke Gautier [Owen] meet properly for the first time on a blind date, leading to them walking through the streets of Canadian, Texas at night. The date is quickly ended after Duke [Owen] spots Leon Rose [Road Dogg] spray painting [cop bar] and gives chase after handing Violet [Eli] his number.

1x20: Grunt Work: The degenerates have a group meeting about how to sabotage the town meeting, leading to Rennell [DiBiase] coming out of the shadows to lead the degenerates in a coordinated attack on the town hall. Leading to the degenerates waiting until the town meeting to begin the next day.

1x21: Town Meeting: Mayor Robert Sweet [Duggan] conducts a town meeting, leading to everyone airing their grievances with the degenerates recent spree of activity. At the end of the meeting, paint bombs hidden above the townsfolk go off all at once, covering everyone in bright, almost neon, green paint.

[brokenhardies]

UPDATED RUNAWAY AU PROFILES

im tagging @latenitewaffles due to them also having an arcanaswap au! profiles for the thieves are below!

FOX

Name: Yusuke Kitagawa

Age: 15 (Second Year at Shujin)

Height: 5’11” (180cm)

Birthday: January 28th 

Likes: Music, Sketching, Lobsters

Dislikes: Injustice, Loud Noises, Being Misgendered

Arcana: 0. The Fool (Le Mat) 

Currently on probation for a crime they did not commit, Yusuke lives in Goethe Cafe with their legal guardian Ichiko Ohya. They’re initially very abrasive due to having been dragged into this situation against their will, but eventually warm to their new friends and new position as the leader of the Phantom Thieves. Is a surprisingly good artist. Their main Persona, Faust, specialises in fire skills. 

VIOLET

Name: Sumire

Age: Unknown

Height: 2’ bipedal (60cm), 1’8” including tail cat form (50cm) 

Birthday: Unknown

Likes: Ribbons, Chicken, Cuddles

Dislikes: Conflict, Cages, Coffee

Arcana: I. The Magician (Le Bateleur) 

A cat-like creature who Yusuke and Goro find in the Metaverse on their first expedition. Somewhat timid and socially awkward, but really wants to help people, especially those in need. Due to her amnesia, she mainly relies on her knowledge of the Metaverse to support the team and acts as the first Navigator for the team. Her main Persona, Chevalier D’Eon, specialises in lightning skills. 

ACE

Name: Goro Akechi

Age: 17 (Third Year at Shujin)

Height: 5’10” (178)

Birthday: June 2nd 

Likes: Mystery Novels, Coffee, Competition

Dislikes: His Father, Sweets, ‘Fake’ People

Arcana: VI. The Lovers (L’Amoureux) 

The Volleyball Prince of Shujin Academy, quite possibly the ace of the team. He’s the bastard son of an unknown man who was dragged into foster care, as a result he can be a little blunt and ‘rude’, but has a strong sense of justice. Desperately wants to get revenge on Kamoshida due to his mistreatment of Goro’s friend Yuuki. His Persona, Dorian Gray, specialises in curse skills.

QUEEN

Name: Makoto Niijima

Age: 17 (Third Year at Shujin)

Height: 5’5” (164cm)

Birthday: April 23rd

Likes: Buchimaru, Violence, Ramen

Dislikes: Controlling People, Appearing Vulnerable

Arcana: VII. The Chariot (Le Chariot)

A well known delinquent at Shujin Academy who’s dragged into the Metaverse due to her snooping around after hours. She has a rather short temper and can be hot blooded in a fight, but also has a surprisingly motherly nature that she hates to show off. Her dislike of Kamoshida mainly comes from his mistreatment of women. Her Persona, Chang Shih, specialises in water skills. 

JOKER

Name: Akira Kurusu

Age: 16 (Second Year at Kosei)

Height: 5’9” (179cm)

Birthday: September 15th 

Likes: Museums, Puns, Cats

Dislikes: Deadlines, Humorless People, Mosquitos 

Arcana: IV. The Emperor (L’Empereur) 

The student of Ichiryusai Madarame and an orphan who was adopted by the artist at a young age. His talent in art is rather high, especially when it comes to graffiti-style works around Shibuya. Has a surprising adoration for cats, and is often seen feeding stray cats around Tokyo. Was initially very hesitant to actually go after Madarame. His Persona, Salieri, specializes in earth skills. 

NOIR

Name: Haru Okumura

Age: 17 (Third Year at Shujin)

Height: 5’2” (158cm)

Birthday: December 5th

Likes: Gardening, Tea, Action Movies

Dislikes: Stuffy Individuals, Her Father, Lateness 

Arcana: II. The High Priestess (La Papesse)

Student Council President of Shujin Academy and former best friend of Makoto Niijima. Following Kamoshida’s Change of Heart, grows to admire the Phantom Thieves and seeks them out herself. Has a surprisingly strong violent streak, which surprises just about everyone on the team. Acts as a strategist for the team due to her strong sense of organization. Her Persona, Lady Death, specializes in ice skills. 

SKULL

Name: Ryuji Ohya (formerly Sakamoto)

Age: 16

Height: 5’7” (170cm)

Birthday: July 9th

Likes: Video Games, Manga, Hacking

Dislikes: Phantom Pains, His Father, Nightmares

Arcana: IX. The Hermit (L’Hermite) 

Son of Sayaka Sakamoto, who passed away in an unfortunate accident which Ryuji was present for. Wrecked by grief - as well as the loss of his leg - Ryuji was sent to live with Ichika Ohya due to her closeness to his mother. His grief and anger gets so extreme that it winds up forming a palace based on a junkyard. He acts as the navigator for the team, and his Persona, Hawkins, acts as a navigator and healer. 

ORACLE

Name: Futaba Isshiki 

Age: 15 (First Year at Shujin Academy) 

Height: 5’0” (152cm)

Birthday: February 19th 

Likes: Science, Sweets, Tokusatsu 

Dislikes: Crowds, Loud People, Cheaters

Arcana: III. The Empress (L’Imperatrise) 

Daughter of famed prosecutor Wakaba Isshiki, Futaba is basically a child prodigy with an amazing knowledge of science and math, however less knowledge on social interaction. She often wants to be seen as ‘mature’, which leads to her butting heads with her mother on many occasions. It’s a fight with her mother that leads to her joining the thieves. Her Persona, Lavinia, specializes in psy skills. 

PANTHER

Name: Ann Takamaki

Age: 16 (Second Year at Shujin Academy)

Height: 5’5” (165cm)

Birthday: November 12th 

Likes: Crepes, Mystery Novels, Fashion

Dislikes: Being Seen as ‘Flighty’, Overly Aggressive People

Arcana: VII. Justice (La Justice)

A somewhat flighty teenager in Yusuke’s homeroom class who has a double life as the Detective Princess of Shujin Academy. She befriends Yusuke almost immediately and supports the thieves, much to the chagrin of her superior, Wakaba. Although working on the thief case, she acts as an informant to the Phan Site, up to her joining of the team. Her Persona, Yoshiko, specializes in nuke skills.

[ask-the-friendly-ink-demon]

Shut up Lanky, no one was talking to you. *Sprays the bastard with rubbing alcohol in the face.*

The Dreamscape Demon stops, hissing lightly as he glanced over fully, his grip almost loosening on the greyface "ý̴̫ỏ̵͓u̸̯̔ ̶̖͠h̴̜̽à̴̜v̴̢̌ė̷̗?̵̧̿" he asks as the lady in violet hums lightly, smiling a bit, she looked different than from the photo Cuphead and mugman had showed past viewers, older, her clothing more were down with stains of ink, her hair now a inky stained black, and yet, her face was still concealed by the shadows, a red glint being the only thing seen from her... it was almost unnerving. "yes. i have. now. do you wish to keep playing with that lowlife?" she said, gesturing to the greyface that he had in his grip. "or. do you want to fulfill your part of the bargin. after all, you are nearly almost whole." she says, crossing her arms slightly as the other grumbles and sighs, hissing as it easily tore the grey-face in half, letting the body drop to the floor, the red stuff vanishing on his body as he turns around, his plastered melted grin twitching slightly "w̵̱͂h̷͇̄e̶̞̐ṛ̴̉ę̵̈ ̷̳̓ḯ̴͚s̸̰̅ ̷̹̑ȋ̶̲ṯ̶͘ ̸̭̆ṱ̶̈́h̸̦̆ě̴͔n̴̬̈́.̴̱̉"

[ampleappleamble]

—

It was a day's hike to the cliffs, and a day's hike back. Pallegina went anyway, of course.

It was a good opportunity to assess the members of this ragtag band she was joining up with, as combatants and as people. Overall, she was fairly impressed with their martial skills– their tactics and group cohesion were sound, but she was sure to make note of their evident lack of formal training and quality equipment. She'd found herself pleasantly surprised at their generosity and inclusiveness, sharing food and drink and smoke and stories as freely with their feathered newcomer as they did with one another. No one had even brought up her "divine heritage" until they'd been sitting around the campfire that first night, and the aumaua who'd broached the subject had actually managed to look appropriately bashful as he'd done so. Although in retrospect, an Avian Godlike woman in a brotherhood of paladins probably wasn't too outlandish a concept for these kith, considering that their squad leader was apparently an Awakened Watcher.

Pallegina had been fielding annoying, invasive questions posed by strangers about her body and her soul for her entire life, but Axa was a newly-minted freak, it seemed, and so was not quite sick of talking about it just yet. And her friends weren't either: with minimal prompting, Aloth had recounted her nightmares and her past life memories, Edér had remembered her staring at the tree in Gilded Vale for nearly half an hour, Kana had practically rhapsodized about her conversations with ghosts in caves and in dungeons. And the next morning, as the group stood on the bluff overlooking the sea, Sagani had handed Axa a misshapen little lump of adra, and Pallegina had watched as the orlan peered through it and into the In-Between.

She'd been told the woman was a Watcher, and she'd more or less accepted it as truth, but the paladin hadn't exactly been expecting a demonstration just yet. After a few minutes of watching the little woman sway to and fro in the wind, apparently mesmerized by the adra carving the dwarf had given her, concern for her wellbeing had compelled Pallegina to approach and take her by the shoulders, attempting to shake her out of it before she wobbled her way over the cliff's edge.

"Everything... all right in there?" she'd muttered, lightly slapping the little woman's cheek.

"Adra arch," Axa had rasped in reply, violet eyes wild and unfixed. Sagani had gently pried the carving from her fuzzy hands then, smiled compassionately at the other two women before asking Edér where in the Dyrwood an adra arch might stand.

That was... very strange. But stranger things have happened, Pallegina had reminded herself. She'd kept reminding herself of that as they'd made their way back to the city, as she listened to the others' stories of reincarnated souls and mysterious cults, dead brothers and ancient tablets and a haunted castle this eccentric little woman called home.

Ambassador Agosti had been less than pleased to receive his agent nearly three days after Verzano had been cut loose, and accompanied by a pack of disheveled strangers no less. But Axa was nothing if not a fierce defender of her troops, it seemed, and although she'd made a valiant effort to keep her comments civil, eventually Agosti had frayed the little woman's last nerve with his dismissive arrogance and insinuated threats, finally ending up on the receiving end of a tongue-lashing himself for once. Pallegina had known then that she'd chosen her new companions wisely, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from grinning at Agosti as he stammered and sweated under the orlan's indignant outburst.

Her amusement at Axa's antics had been soundly quashed, however, by the new assignment laid upon her shoulders, one that she had dreaded might be in the works but had hoped would never actually be implemented– the negotiation of a new trade agreement between the Vailian Republics and Eir Glanfath, one that took blatant, vicious advantage of the Dyrwood's badly weakened state due to the Hollowborn crisis. It made sense in the short term, financially and practically, for the merchants of the Republics to step in and take the reins where the Dyrwoodans would not. But what gave Pallegina pause were the long term political implications of essentially kicking the Dyrwood while it was down, especially now at such a crucial juncture in the deciding of the country's legislation regarding animancy. If the Ducs Bels willfully chose to make an enemy of the Dyrwood now, it could have long-reaching consequences that could do untold damage to the Republics in the years to come, particularly for the animancy community. Animancers were already under attack in this country, superstitious types blaming them for causing this soul plague by somehow invoking the wrath of the gods, as well as for their ill-fated attempts at curing the nation's blighted children. Would the people of the Dyrwood, fiery and reactionist as they were, still tolerate animancy at all should the Republics, animancy's shining champion, stab them in the back while they were at their weakest and least reasonable? What would become of Vailian animancy without competition to keep them sharp, or collaborative efforts to keep them abreast of the latest developments? Even if animancy was permitted to continue in the Dyrwood, its practitioners would be loathe to share their discoveries with their Vailian counterparts, leading to an inevitable stagnation in the soul sciences– or even worse, the Republics could potentially fall behind the Dyrwood, languishing in the past while the Dyrwood moved ahead, forging the future without them...

No. This was not permissible, not after all the Republics and its animancers had done for her. But still, she had her orders. Now all she had to do was carry them out, one way or another.

"Twin Elms is a good long way from here," Sagani reassured her afterwards at their table at the Charred Barrel, swirling her ale around in her tankard and feeding her fox under her chair. "And Axa'll find more than enough distractions along the way, I'm sure. Plenty of time to come up with some sort of... creative interpretation of your orders."

Pallegina tried to smile, but only produced a weak grimace. "Then I hope our Watcher friend is more 'creative' than I am. I have many strengths, but subterfuge has never been one of them. And one can only openly defy the powers that be so many times before their patience runs out." She stared pensively into her wine as she spoke, couldn't help but think of Verzano's fate, Agosti's warnings.

"I'll drink to that," Edér mumbled around his mouthful of roast pork and potato, raising his cup in a commiserative gesture before knocking it back. "Axa ain't much for bullshittin' folks– not as far as I've seen, anyway– but she's got a knack for solvin' problems, and for pushin' her luck 'n' gettin' away with it. If anyone can finagle some kinda deal that'll keep your ducs happy without totally screwin' over the Dyrwood, I'd wager it'd be her."

"Elegantly stated, Edér," Aloth deadpanned, rolling his eyes and pushing his food around on his plate. "Speaking of Axa, she's been away from the table for quite a while now..." The elf lifted his head, anxiously scanning the throng of diners, drunks, and debutantes. "If I recall, she only said she wanted to catch up with Ingroed and Nonton, but I don't see her at the bar anymore."

"Ingroed and Nonton?" Pallegina glanced around idly and spotted the little woman almost immediately– that bold red hair was unmistakable, even when mostly obscured behind the fat asses and round bellies of the taller kith surrounding her. "More friends, I assume?"

"Couple of folks from my hometown, Gilded Vale. She helped 'em outta a rough spot." The blond man glanced over at the bar, smiling at his former neighbors.

Kana looked up from his dinner, face flushed with drink. "Ah! Are those the ones who set a trap for the dead man in the bear's den?" He beamed at Pallegina, practically glowing with enthusiasm. "You must have her tell you the tale, my lady. A truly inspiring account of our Watcher's unique insight at work. She learned of their betrayal from the spirit of the victim, you see! But there's a tragic twist–"

"Hey, now, don't spoil the ending, big fella, you wasn't even there. Let her tell it." Edér had caught sight of Axa too, just as she'd turned away from the well-dressed elf she'd been speaking with, and he beckoned the redhead back to their table with a wave of his hand. The stranger watched her go, nervously fiddling with his ostentatious jewelry as she sauntered back to her friends, while Pallegina tried to remember where she'd seen him before, his eyes widening in alarm as he caught her staring at him.

"Talking about me behind my back again?" Axa sighed, grinning and shaking her head as she clambered back into her seat. "Gods, I can't leave you scoundrels alone for a second. They didn't tell you a bunch of ghost stories, did they?" She winked at Pallegina, and the paladin noticed just how tired the orlan looked.

"Only the true ones!" Kana laughed a bit too loudly– not atypical of him, but the alcohol certainly amplified his natural exuberance. Aloth delicately scooted his chair away from the overly jolly giant, vexation plain on his face.

If Axa noticed anything unusual, she didn't mention it, only chuckled and took a long drag from her pipe. "Found out where your adra arch might be, Sagani. Turns out it's somewhere over by Twin Elms, believe it or not." She glanced up at Pallegina, a cautious little smile on her tawny face. "Unfortunately, I've also heard tell that the road leading there is badly flooded right now due to inclement weather. So it looks like we'll have some time to kill before we can head over that way."

"Belfetto," Pallegina sighed. She appreciated the attempt to cheer her up, letting her know she had time to decide how to handle the Ducs' request, but she had a feeling that the longer she dwelled on her predicament, the more it would weigh on her mind.

Aloth leaned close to the little woman. "I take it this means we're to head for the catacombs on the morrow, then?" He looked simultaneously anxious and eager, as though preparing to take on a task he knew to be important but especially onerous. A familiar burden, Pallegina mused.

"Ah... perhaps," Axa replied, looking away quickly. "There are a few other things I'd like to tend to first, though, if you're all amenable. I was just talking to that elf over there, the one in the fancy robes with all the gaudy jewelry, and he's asked me to do him a favor. See, he has this friend who's a courtesan at the, uh, at the Salty Mast..."

She winced as everyone at the table put down their forks and goblets and gave her their undivided attention.

Pallegina downed the rest of her wine.

—

[swynlake-spill]

predictions for hot swynlaker summer??

sure lets get it ! !

Shirtless selfies by sexy singles!!! In specific: @devyn-morey @knightley--phillip that theo guy who is looking SOME kinda way on instagram these days @thorns-ofthe-thistle  @dr-drckken saucy lil minx @edwardandalasia also bring QUEEN CONFIDENCE @northwestxprincess (some of these people are not single i dont care) 

Jake will break up with Deb and run off into the sunset with ME!!!!!!!! JESUSC RHSIT PLEASZ 

Mei Qin is coming back in a BIG way. I expect for her to be involved in at least two (2) different love triangles. She will also finally rise as the leader of whatever anti-Ashley gang has been brewing in the shadows of Swynlake. Also if she’s responsible for some kind of Swynlake disaster i wouldnt be shocked 

OFC there will be a swynlake disaster but im hoping its Mamma-Mia-themed and therefore we’ll all be transported to a beautiful Greek Island and there will be a contest for swynlake’s hottest dilf or whatever (so like, hell, but i’ll take it for the beach view) 

Devanna’s love will be tested. 

No I won’t elaborate

FRESH FEUDS! Tally vs Marie/Alana! [Name redacted] vs Hatter’s for summer drink deals! Gregory and Aquata will finally fight to the death, maybe in a mudpit. Rose vs Boo will compete for whoever can make the most trouble the fastest. They also might start dating or fight over a sexy mysterious man who is wrong for them (looking at Howl Pendragon) Ashlee T. will go head-to-head with new girl Gabriella for Step Up 67: Swynlake Streetz! 

SHE’S ALL THAT? I predict someone will get a makeover in a serious way!!!! Maybe Violet shall embrace her new identity as a magick and emerge superhero-tastic? Finn Flounder finally gets a personality that matches his model good looks! Tae learns the color wheel! Simba burns Ber’s skinny jeans! Dodger Jones converts to Catholicism idk! 

WET AND WILD HOOK-UPS: Keep an eye on the Court, Pixie’s, and lakeside for some steamy new couples. Tony will FINALLY bounce back from Haechan. Vixey and Susan will go strawberry picking or something else that is wholesome, gay, and I’m obsessed with already. Wendy Corduoroy will also hit the scene, LADIES... Tiana Truitt, maybe u should let that lumberjack lesbian pick u up for a change. John and Jane will be looking for a THIRD! (Arista, u around...?) 

MOST BORING COUPLE AWARDS: Alana and Jake will move in together! Lymantria and Meg are getting MARRIED????? Henry and Ashleigh will continue to make us all groan collectively. Hold onto your lunches, they aren’t going anywhere! 

MORE TO COME... keep an eye out Swynlake and remember to apply sunscreen liberally ;) 

[aqueenrisesintheeast]

I was tagged to do this fun thing by my very special and dear friend whom I love @madiquin

LIST YOUR TOP 10 FEMALE CHARACTERS FROM 10 FANDOMS, AND TAG 10 PEOPLE:

10) Violet Baudelaire / ASOUE

She’s everything a young girl would want to live up to I think. She’s super clever but more than that compassionate. Always looking out for her siblings even though their lives are dog shit. She never loses the goodness inside her.

9) Cersei Lannister / Game of Thrones

So as a person I hate this wicked bitch but as a character I think she’s one of the most brilliantly written women not just in fantasy but in all of literature. I don’t know why she resonates with me specifically but her story is fascinating. I GET completely why she is the way she is. She’s had a lot of bullshit to deal with but she’s still responsible for the horrible things she does. Very tragic character. Brilliantly played by Lena Heady.

8) Halliwell sisters / Charmed

I’m cheating here because I can’t pick between the four sisters. Charmed is one of my favorite shows from childhood and it still holds up today. Not much else to say except these girls gave me strong women to look up to.

7) Katniss Everdeen / Hunger Games Trilogy

Another wonderfully written lady. Katniss tries so hard to keep control of her terrifying situation and you just want to hug her. She helped me realize the world is a festering capitalist hellscape likely bound for destruction! No wonder she is traumatized at the end of Mockingjay :)

6) Selene / Underworld series

I’m sort of obsessed with Kate Beckinsale and also vampires and the way these movies portray them are great. Selene just does not give a fuck about your rules and she will fuck a werewolf/vampire hybrid then shoot you in the face after. Also she loves her daughter very much 💕

5) Tyrande Whisperwind / Warcraft universe

There’s some uh, controversy, as to what the fuck blizzard is doing with Tyrande in Shadowlands. I think they’re trying to make her crazy with power like they do to every other fucking woman in the series BUT I am going to separate her from the dudebros who write her. The High Priestess of Elune, she’s over ten thousand years old, a deadly huntress and leader of the night elves. I’ve loved her since I started playing WoW 10 years ago. Her husband is useless and whiny. I hope she learns to love herself and start dating one of her sentinels or priestesses or something.

4) Alina Starkov / Grisha Trilogy

Been a minute since I read the books. Really looking forward to the Netflix series. Alina is a really cool chick with sunshine shooting from her fingers. What else do you need!! That love triangle is yucky but what an adventure she goes on! I love her friendship with Genya 💜

3) Missandei / Game of Thrones

Sunshine in human form. This is a dog shit show that never deserved you. I miss you forever.

3) Evie / The Mummy & The Mummy Returns

Listen. I’ve grown up loving this woman. She’a everything I always wanted to be. She has: a huge brain filled with ancient historical knowledge, a himbo husband who adores her, she knows how to excavate a tomb PROPERLY, she reads and writes in ancient languages, has bravery in the face of rotting corpses and old foes from past lives. You can’t fuck with her and if you think you can go and look for Anck-su-namun!!! JK YOU CANT BECAUSE SHE WAS EATEN BY SCARABS

1) Daenerys Targaryen / Game of Thrones

My love of dany is well documented on this blog so I’m not going to go crazy here, but I’ll say that if d&d and grrm ever meet tragic and mysterious ends for what they did to her then well that wouldn’t be so bad, would it :)

I tag @sleepy-time and whoever else wants to! If you do please tag me, I’d like to read yours!

[aion-rsa]

From Bridgerton to Hamilton: A History of Color-Conscious Casting in Period Drama

https://ift.tt/2IQI6Ak

Note: This Bridgerton article contains no book or series plot spoilers.

Bridgerton is a unique mix of Shonda Rhimes’ dedication to Black representation on American television and the British period drama tradition. White critics may dismiss this trend as unnecessary “pandering” to Black and POC viewers, but the number of productions designed around reforming all white-casting has increased over the past 10 years—and has only added to the success of the genre. The number one reason driving demand for diverse period dramas is from Black and POC fans of the genre. The impact of seeing an actor that looks like you can’t be measured in ratings or clicks online. Despite facing years of content and fandom overtly or covertly claiming that the universal themes in period dramas are not “for us”; the tide is starting to turn as fans use social media and the power of ratings to ask for more representation. 

A quick overview of recent Regency England-set productions leaves much to be desired. Although the 2018 Amazon Prime/ITV miniseries and the 2005 movie adaptations of Vanity Fair left in West Indian and Jewish heiress Miss Schwarz, she is one of many supporting characters. PBS/ITV’s Sanditon, on the one hand, improved representation by prominently featuring Georgiana Lambe. However, her story was a huge disappointment to Black and POC fans who expected her plotline to end happily or at least have her conflicts resolved. 

There have been three paths traditionally towards increasing diversity in period dramas: 1) blind casting (also called racebending), where Black and POC actors play traditionally white characters adding original Black characters to existing fictional works, and 2) Own Voices, where Black and POC writers share their own stories. These two are not mutually exclusive, but, in the world of British period drama, the former is more frequently used, as the bedrock of the genre is adapting existing novels and plays by white authors.

The theoretical framework for inclusive casting begins in the world of staging period drama at the theater. In Shakespeare’s day, men played women’s roles as women were not allowed to appear on stage. The genre evolved in later centuries to allow women to appear on stage, but the tradition of having actors who didn’t match the original descriptions remained. This is even true of his history plays where real women royalty were characters. Ira Aldridge in the 1840s was the first Black actor in Britain to play traditionally white roles on stage. Later on, in the 19th century, several stage adaptations of Jane Austen’s works had all-women casts. 

Fast forward to 2015, when Lin-Manuel Miranda in Hamilton redefined what it meant to cast inclusively in modern period dramas by using actors descended from slavery and colonialism to play the Founding Fathers. Every aspect of the musical was designed to reframe the existing narrative of early American history. The costume design also reflected the identities of the actor by featuring braids, locs, and textured hairstyles over 18th century white hairstyles. Rap lyrics conveyed to the audience the names, dates, and other descriptions of the Revolutionary War. The old adage that someone must “look the part” to play a biographical role was thrown out the window.

Hamilton proved that many of the old excuses used to sideline diverse period dramas no longer held to be true. Millions of white people listened to the cast album, brought tickets, or streamed the movie on Disney+. UK theater patrons flocked to the West End cast of Hamilton, as well, before the pandemic. Memes, parodies, and more on social media proved that white audiences can conceptualize historical figures as fictional characters while also knowing the real figures looked and acted quite differently. Fans of the show pushed Ron Chernow’s biography back onto the bestseller lists as they wanted to read what really happened. 

The first clear impact the show had on the genre of British period drama comes from a mystery. Daisy Coulam, Grantchester’s head screenwriter, cited reading an interview with Miranda as the inspiration behind the exit plotline for James Norton’s character Sidney Chambers. UK crime dramas  For those unfamiliar with the series, Grantchester is a mystery procedural based on a series of books about a 1950s crime-solving Anglican vicar by James Runcie. Norton’s exit plotline in Season 4 generated an original to the show character named Violet who was the daughter of a visiting African-American preacher. Violet was an original character who forced the audience to consider that the US civil rights movement indeed reached their treasured vision of the lily-white British countryside. Coulam already laid the groundwork for Violet in earlier seasons by abandoning large sections of the original novel timeline and but keeping the case of the week focused on addressing 1950’s social issues. Fans heavily criticized Coulam’s writing for style and pacing, but her imagination clearly indicates that Hamilton’s proven formula for disrupting established historical aesthetics can just as easily be applied to fictional depictions of the UK’s past as blind casting a biography-based series or depicting real figures of Black British history. 

Other period dramas released in recent years share traces of Hamilton’s impact but in a more thematic and less direct different way. Some shows turned real Black British figures into fictional characters. Lina (Stephanie Levi-John) and Oviedo (Aaron Cobham) on The Spanish Princess are composites of Catherine of Aragon’s servants and several famous Black Tudors. Catherine “Kitty” Despard (Kerri McClean) in Poldark Season 5 was a forgotten Black British figure added in to expand the world outlined in the novels. Victoria featured Ira Aldridge (Ashley Zhangazha) mentioned earlier, plus spotlighted the Queen’s adopted daughter Sarah-Forbes Bonetta and Cuffay (C.J. Beckford) as the leader of the proto-socialist Chartists. Lucille Anderson (Leonie Elliott) on Call the Midwife was not mentioned in the original memoirs, but she was added to represent the Caribbean nurses from the Windrush Generation of UK immigrants.  

Racebent casting also increased. Dev Patel’s role as the title character in the movie The Personal History of David Copperfield proved that Dickens adaptations could indeed include POC casts without changing the fundamental plot and message. PBS/BBC’s Les Miserables miniseries also extended the Broadway tradition of casting Black actors in traditionally white coded classic literature characters. Hulu’s The Great featured Sacha Dhawan and several Black actors as Russian nobility, politicians, and courtiers. 

All of these series, however, carefully attempted to stay grounded in recreating the original source material or invested in faithfully replicating the era they were set in. Bridgerton radically expands upon Hamilton’s formula by divorcing inclusive casting from any desire to accurately recreate historical events, eras, or figures. Romance, fantasy, and social/familial drama are universal themes that don’t depend on having a white-dominant vision of society. Quinn’s original novel series sparingly referred to historical events during the Regency Era. Her focus was on creating a world where the most important events were balls and weddings. More Dukes and other holders of inherited titles exist in her vision of the Ton (the most elite members of Regency society) than in reality. Historians would likely dispute her characterization of the elite social season as well. Characters’ internal dialogue is in modern English peppered with regional accents and slang. They rarely lampshade or criticize the way of society beyond their romantic desires and family obligations. Readers see the physical intimacy on the page Austen never mentioned. This literary environment is ripe for inclusive casting on screen. 

The most critical flip in characterization is Simon, Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page). His character is the romantic hero of the first book in the series The Duke and I and is the character that set fan expectations high for future novels. Simon having visibly African features and yet being an object of desire is incredibly subversive in a genre where white beauty standards dominate hetero and homosexual fiction.

Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh), Simon’s godmother, is an elder stateswoman and a twist on the battle-ax aunt trope popular in period dramas. She isn’t as caustic and insulting as some other famous widows and spinsters but she commands authority and a mansion filled with people to perform all the hard labor. Lady Danbury is even implied to be slightly higher in status than her white counterparts with children of marrying age Lady Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) and Lady Portia Featherington (Polly Walker).

Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuve) being played by a biracial woman is actually a subtle Easter Egg to existing history debates. Many have debated if her portraits were airbrushed to disguise African features. A few years ago, a documentary established her African ancestry is via the Portuguese royals. All of her scenes involve petting her Pomeranian, demanding to know the latest gossip, and manipulating the gentry into doing her bidding. 

The miniseries doesn’t end the racial diversity with those at the highest social rank or even at the lower orders of domestic servants. Marina Thompson (Ruby Barker) is a cousin of the Featheringtons and represents the “poor relation” character popular in stories based on the British gentry. A Black modiste (dressmaker) trained in French fashion makes all of the dresses the characters wear. Will Mondrich (Martins Imhangbe) is a boxer, likely a reference to former slave turned bare-knuckle boxer Bill Richmond. Alongside the characters with plot lines viewers follow, there is a conscious effort to hire Black and POC extras to fill in crowd scenes at balls, park scenes, and other public events. The viewer sees people who look like themselves in every class level of society and can feel like they too can become part of their world. 

Read more

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How Bridgerton Can Avoid Outlander’s Mistakes

By Amanda-Rae Prescott

Books

Bridgerton: Cast Announced for Shonda Rhimes Netflix Series

By Alec Bojalad

Attire is a critical part of upholding the fantasy and cultural diversity Bridgerton and also in communicating to the audience the series isn’t your aunt’s neutral tone Austen adaptation. Marina and Lady Danbury would never be caught dead in a plain white muslin frock. All of the popular Regency hairstyles for women have been modified and reworked for natural textured hair, braids, and locs. Some of the Black male extras even have modern African hairstyles left in tact. The only Black characters who wear the traditional white wigs are older men or servants in full formal uniform. Queen Charlotte’s Black courtiers and servants wear a mixture of extravagant 1770s and 1780s attire and Regency court wear to create a physical separation between them and the rest of the ensemble cast. These style decisions are right out of the playbook of Still Star-Crossed, Shondaland’s first foray into period drama. Although that series took place in 1300’s Italy, the priority was on blending fantasy and Black fashion aesthetics over catering to white costume enthusiasts and reenactors.

In the world of Bridgerton, slavery and colonialism are directly or indirectly referenced exceedingly sparingly. One reference is to Lord Dunmore’s army of emancipated and runaway slaves during the Revolutionary War proclamation. (Hercules Mulligan’s Black troops referenced in “Stay Alive” is the Patriot equivalent of Dunmore’s forces). These sparing hints make it clear to the viewers that class, family, and personal family drama is the root cause of joy and pain in this series.  

Since Bridgerton is completely ignoring the physical descriptions of the characters in many cases, the set design carries the bulk of the attention to historical detail. The series hired Dr. Hannah Greig as a historical advisor to ensure these details were as close to 1813 as possible. Greig has previously acted as a consultant to the Sanditon, Poldark, and The Duchess cast and crew is likely where the Easter Eggs in character references come from. Lavish mansions and castles and the more humble spaces ground the fantastical plot details in historical reality. Several previous period dramas have recreated the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, but these scenes in the miniseries are elevated to the next level thanks to Netflix’s budget.

Read more

TV

Noughts + Crosses: Why You Should Watch This Afrofuturist Alternate History Romance

By Amanda-Rae Prescott

TV

World on Fire Returns People of Color to the Dunkirk Narrative

By Amanda-Rae Prescott

The success of Bridgerton applying color-conscious casting to a fantasy/romance series has implications far beyond potential future seasons. Studios especially those in the UK have been hesitant to utilize recent historical romance books for screen adaptations. Modern historical fiction by Black and POC authors (called Own Voices fiction)  which is crucial in the fight for increased representation. Novelists such as Beverly Jenkins, Courtney Milan, and Alyssa Cole have written romances set in the Regency and other eras of American and British History that can easily be transformed into movies and miniseries. Some of these novels recreate existing history while others lean into escapist fantasy. The ultimate goal in period drama representation is for Black and POC creatives to tell their own stories covering all the ranges of emotion, not just historical trauma.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Critics can keep attacking period dramas for being “too woke” (a term that was stolen from anti-racism activists) for remembering that white people aren’t the only inhabitants of the British Isles and America, but series like Bridgerton are here to stay. Black and POC viewers and readers of period drama and romance fiction always existed, and viewership will only grow if more inclusive period romance projects are greenlit in the future.  

The post From Bridgerton to Hamilton: A History of Color-Conscious Casting in Period Drama appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3mjLv8v

[gloves94]

To Be So Lonely [Draco Malfoy] 16

Rating: PG-13 Pairings: Draco Malfoy/OC Chapter warnings: None

CHAPTER MASTERLIST MY MASTERLIST

Living in the House of Lestrange, was, well, strange for less of a better word. It didn’t take Nel long to learn two things about Ms. Cloelia Lestrange. The main thing was she had a knack for polished manners. Apparently, the missus ran a primary school for Pure-Blood children, she taught everything from reading, writing and other educational basics to extra curriculars such as proper etiquette and ball room dancing. Things that were considered to be essential to the people running in these circles. Since Elowen was under her thumb and guardianship it was essential that she be a fit representation of this. For the first time in her life the teenager had the proper guardian of what seemed to be a proper motherly figure.

Despite her opposition to it Elowen as she was now to be addressed according to Cloelia, learned to dress, groom herself like a proper lady. This she surprisingly didn’t mind too much, as a young child she had been curious by makeup once sneaking into Wool’s room and putting a pink lipstick all over her face and a street dog. This earned her twenty slaps on her hands with a snappy ruler. She never went near the damn things ever again.

However, what she did mind was sitting in the old dining table that kicked you whenever you committed an etiquette mistake. Talk with a mouthful. Kick. Reach for jam without asking for it to be passed. Kick.

Use the wrong utensils in the wrong order. Kick.

Eating your soup towards you instead of away. Kick.

Kick the table for kicking you. Kick.

Cloelia would always sit at the head of the table which seemed to dictate the meal’s accepted and unaccepted manners.  “Nuh-uh-hu,” She’d warn whenever Nel reached for a bread roll across the table. “Too many and you’ll get plump.”

The girl shot her a glare. Kick. “Mind your manners,” She’d smile smugly at her. When the table would attack her. It almost seemed to bring a strange type of sadistic pleasure to her.

Because of this Nel’s shins were painfully bruised in shades of violet, purple, green and yellow. When confronting Cloelia about it she simply sipped on her tea and told her Nel was asking for it.

Being at the Lestrange’s was like some twisted charms school. Perhaps the abuse wasn’t physical, but it was certainly emotional.

The second thing about Cloelia was that she absolutely adored her only son Ellar. The only time that Ms. Lestrange seemed to remove her hawk like eyes from Elowen was when she was reading her son’s leaders. There weren’t many recent pictures of the two in the walls, but the woman would constantly praise him and remind the girl just how handsome and terribly smart her son was. She would even gush when receiving letters and French pastries from him. There didn’t seem to be a Mr. Lestrange in the picture. Nel didn’t ask why. Apparently Ellar who Nel had already boxed as pretentious racist like most of the other Pure-Bloods she had met was away doing an internship in France.

It was strange being in the life. She finally had the same clothes as the other Slytherin girls, but they still weren’t hers. Accepting them felt like granting Cloelia ownership over her person. Something Nel felt like was a given to the older woman consider how she took her liberties in making harsh comments about her appearance constantly.

One of the bright sides of living with Cloelia was that she did not mind if Nel had contact with her friend which was a breath of fresh air. However, Nel still had to work up the courage to ask if she could attend the Quidditch World Cup Final Game with Theo and Tracey. Presently…

‘Harder. Up, down, up down, left, right, left, right- That’s right! Keep it up! Transform those buns into steel!’

Nel was currently coated in sweat working out to an old record of witch-lattes or aerobics, she wasn’t sure which one was playing. All she knew was that she was exhausted and Cloelia was watching her from a comfortable sit while eating a large pumpkin pastry.

“You’ve got to maintain your figure,” She said licking her greasy lips before taking a small lady-like bite from the pastry.

‘Easier said than done,’ the girl bit her tongue and rolled her eyes. She was sweating bullets and felt she was in desperate need of a shower when she heard the front door slam. She paid it no mind much to focused on the exercise.

“Maman!” An unfamiliar voice entered the room.

“Ellar! Oh! Welcome home mon cœur!”

Nel had never seen Ms. Lestrange move so fast before. She jumped from her seat and exclaiming other French words in excitement advanced towards her son whom she embraced and showered in kisses.

“I wanted to surprise you!” He stated hugging his mother back.

Elowen remained quiet at the interaction. Not because she had always wanted somebody to welcome her home like that. In that moment she realized she wanted to die.

He was hot.

He was a couple of years older than her and very handsome. In contrast here she stood a sweating mess. She had never seen a more beautiful person before. With a strong jaw, sleepy eyes and dark curly hair, Ellar looked like the protagonist of a period drama. He was dressed in soothing tones of velvet blue and turned to acknowledge her with his hazel eyes.

She wanted to look away but couldn’t and felt her skin heating in unflattering patches of red. She prayed he’d assume they were from the exercise and not his presence.

“This is Elowen Saintday,” Cloelia introduced. “She’s the young lady I wrote to you about.”

Nel was too busy drooling at her son that she didn’t snap out of her trance until she heard the woman addressing her. “I expect you’ll be gracious towards my son.”

You bet that would not be a problem. His mother gave Ellar what seemed to be a knowing look. He approached her and reached for her hand bringing it to his lips in an antiquated gesture. He said something she didn’t understand in French.

“What?” She asked flushing nervously. She wanted to slap herself and mentally beat herself up for not responding “Hi.” She was shellshocked never having had her hand held and kissed like that, specially by an older boy. “I’m enchanted,” He now said in English flashing her a charming smile. “I said the pleasure is all mine,” he translated. Was he blatantly flirting with her, in front of his mother? Ms. Lestrange seemed unbothered or completely oblivious to this. She had been around the opposite sex her whole life. Back at Wool’s, Back at Hogwarts. Why would this one be any different?

That day Nel found herself actually looking forward to dinner. You bet she picked out her nicest clothes and did and re-did her hair over and over again until she just gave up on it. At dinner she learned that Ellar was a sixth-year student at Beauxbaton Magical Academy in France. He had spent his summer at an internship with the French Ministry of Magic working in the Department of Mysteries. He said he was particularly studying certain enigmas of magic such as death, time, space, thoughts and love, it was fascinating. Even Bindi the Lestrange’s House Elf, whom Nel wasn’t allowed to speak with, had gone all out with the dinner. However, she did not seem happy to see her master return. Cloelia was stern with her but as far as Nel knew she had never seen her be stern or particularly cruel to the female elf.

Ellar drank his wine and lay a hand on his stomach taking in the familiar meal he had just had. “Everything magnificent as always mother,” he let out a long breath as he relaxed into his chair.

Her hand was halfway reaching for a second slice of cake. It was then that she noticed the older teen was looking at her, and she was staring at the beautiful stranger back. “Should you really be having another slice?” He arched an eyebrow in the direction of the beautifully decorated vanilla cake in the center of the dining table.

Embarrassed she lowered her fork and looked away from his perturbing gaze. “Will we be attending the Quidditch World Cup Finals this year?” Ellar added turning to face his mother.

Forgetting her embarrassment at wanting another slice she turned to attentively listen out for Cloelia’s answer.

“Of course, dear, the Minister has invited us to his personal box,” His mother responded pompously. “And I trust both of you,” Her eyes shot the girl a look, “Will be on your best behavior.”

Nel couldn’t help but smile a little.

Don’t count on it. She winced when she felt the dining table kick her shin. Could the stupid table read minds too?

Alright, maybe do count on it. “I was actually planning on attending with some friends of mine. If that’s alright,” Elowen butted scanning her guardian’s face for any hint of disapproval.

Ms. Lestrange put her utensils down and gaped at the girl in appalling horror. “And refuse the Ministry of Magic’s invitation?” She brought a hand to her chest in offense. “You will sit with us in the box,” She said in a term that was non-negotiable.

“Minister of Magic can choke,” Nel grumbled underneath her breath earnings her a well-earned kick from under the table.

“Friends?” She was surprised to see Ellar scoffing and judging her answer. He learned slightly forward in her direction. “Why would you rather see your friends when you can network with the Minister himself? Think about it Elowen,” He began speaking in an eloquent tone. “If you’ve got Fudge on your side it could open a lot of doors for you,” He smirked slightly in her direction. “How do you think I got my foot in the French Ministry of Magic’s door?”

He spoke like a true Slytherin. This was the type of cunning talk about ambition she would’ve heard in the Common Room or perhaps the type of advice that Professor Snape would’ve given her if she had asked for any.

Nel wanted to disagree but Ellar was right.

She had to respect his ambition.

Xxxxx

Meanwhile, that same night, in a dark room, in an old broken-down house just outside of Little Hangleton a vile ploy was being orchestrated.

Whispers and hushed voices could be heard echoing the dusty, cob-webbed corridors of the house. Their only companions a howling wind and a nosey old man.

“Oh, no, no, no my Lord. I only meant... Perhaps if we were to do it without the boy. We could use the girl; the girl is ready…” A large man with the face of a rat cowered before his master. “She’s under the guardship of Lestrange. We could take her now, do what we need-“

“NO!” The master’s dark tone bounced off the walls. “I need them both. Together. It will be done exactly as I say.” He stretched out a hand calling for his snake to come and gather around its master. “The boy, he’s everything, and the girl…” He went silent for a moment. “Everything will be done with precision at the right time. I’ve been waiting fourteen years for this. I can wait one more…”

Without much of a choice Pettigrew lowered his head as he groveled to Voldemort. “I will not disappoint you my Lord.” He bowed.

“Good,” Voldemort rasped. “First, gather our old comrades. Send them a sign.”

xxxxx

AN: Short chapter but brief introduction to Y4. What do you guys think Voldy is up to? Also, thoughts on Ellar’s character? Next chapter we’re going to the Quidditch World Cup!