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arieswritez · 6 months

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golden boy

golden boy | yandere stepbrother!mark grayson x afab!reader

cw; DARK CONTENT!!! MDNI!! pseudo-incest, panty thief!mark, roofies, victim blaming, non-con video taping, voyeurism, rape, reader's anatomy is sexualized, forced breeding, time skip (mark is an adult & nolan never killed the guardians), mark is a sicko you've been warned

about; life was easier when mark was an only child. he wishes it would've stayed that way. (1.9k words)

a/n; an anon asked about a platonic yan sibling duo so i raise you: big pervy step bro who hates your guts but also wants to rearrange them

step brother mark who's used to being the light and joy of the grayson home. as the only child, he's spoiled beyond belief. he's spunky and cute and the graysons love him to death, constantly showering him with love and adoration.

step brother mark who gets a new sibling after villains make you an orphan. nolan finds you in the ruins and it's like he's on auto-pilot: carrying you to that secret hospital and handing you off to the doctors that rush to his aid. . but not before your tiny fist closes in his suit.

as he watches you being taken away, barely alive, something inside his chest pangs.

debbie notices nolan acting strange. he's restless and he's late for dinner, more so than usual. something's very clearly wrong. and it's not like her to grow suspicious of nolan but she does.

nolan's never given her a reason to believe his head may have been turned but for some reason, she starts to believe there might be someone else.

only to find he's been visiting you at the hospital, staying at your bedside for hours on end as you recover. you're in bad shape. doctors aren't sure how you survived. . if you even will. debbie's never seen nolan so torn over a survivor before. he's seen many things: deaths, disasters, you name it. yet, you're who's causing the sleepless nights.

of course, debbie has a kind heart and, soon, it's not just nolan who's worried. the graysons keep tabs on you. and when you come to, they’re the first thing you see.

you look confused, scared, but as nolan soothes you, you offer a meek smile and nolan finds himself feeling that same giddiness he felt when he first saw a tiny mark cradled in debbie's arms.

the graysons become your legal guardians and, suddenly, mark isn't the golden boy anymore.

you take up so much of their attention. now, christmases and birthdays all revolve around you. suddenly, marks good grades and the fact he hit a home run isn't all that impressive. mark's late for his baseball practice and games more times than he can count. . yet they never miss your dance recitals.

you got an A in an absurdly easy class and that was a cause for celebration. in the meantime, mark won a spelling bee & all he got was a 'good job'.

they treat you like you're made of glass, like you'll shatter into a million tiny pieces the second someone so much as looks at you the wrong way. mark still remembers being reprimanded whenever he said the smallest things to you. he doesn't think he's ever lived down that one orphanage joke that made you bawl. god, he was just kidding. . its not his fault you're sensitive.

soon, you're calling his parents 'mom and dad'. and worse of all, they reiterate the fact that you should be calling mark your 'big brother'.

fucking fantastic.

you are everything to them while mark is pushed aside. and it only worsens the older the two of you get. mark gets his powers - there's literally nothing more impressive than that - yet he still has to do a million and one things in order to outshine you. nothing ever works. and despite the fact that mark is - quite literally - saving lives. . your stupid birthday is still more important.

you are the light of their lives and mark bitterly remembers when they used to look at him that way, too.

you are perfect in their eyes. just like he once was.

and mark wishes you would've died in that accident, just like your parent(s).

as you start to develop a sense of self, mark gets into the habit of stealing your clothes. it's the only thing you seem to care about: the way you present yourself to the world.

they're small things at first. like a single shoe when his parents had bought you new ones yet refused to get him the ones he wanted. he'll admit it, it was petty and spiteful. but you were distressed and the graysons seemed upset you'd already misplaced your brand new - expensive - shoes.

at first, he was content with telling himself that what he was doing was solely to spite you. but that was a lie. when his kleptomania made him steal one of your shirts. . it wasn't spite that made him press the material to his nose and pump his cock until he came. no, it wasn't just spite.

all your simpering and whining, following him around like some lost puppy, that one time you asked him why he hated you so much. . it made him feel more than just hate.

he didn't know what to do with you then.

so, at first, he settled with stealing your clothes.

a couple more shirts.

a pair of shorts.

knee-highs or your favorite tights.

and finally, a pair of panties.

his favorite are a lacy pair. sheer and tiny, he recalls lifting them out of your drawer with a finger. . and thinking, seriously? what're these even meant to cover?

he's extremely sure you aren't supposed to have these~

mark is content with secretly stealing your things. he doesn't get in trouble for being mean to you anymore.

you don't think he hates you.

it's a win-win situation, really.

and mark would've been happy - he would've been fine - with the little game he's been playing. soon, the two of you would part ways for college and he'd forget all about you.

he'd forget the way you'd foolishly walk to your room in only a towel when you knew the two of you were home alone.

he'd forget the way you looked when you changed out of clothing, you never truly believed in fully closing the door, did you?

he'd forget the way your moans sounded, when you touched yourself at night, thinking everyone else was asleep. he'd forget the way he'd concentrate on hearing your pretty sounds - and it's not like he'd have to try hard, another perk of having powers.

he'd forget about how he could almost envision you: humping your fingers and biting at your lip, desperately trying to get yourself off. it was like he was in the room with you. . you were so wet he could hear the wet clicks of your cunt.

he'd forget all about you.

you, you, you.

he was sure of it.

but if it's one thing about you is that you could never just let things be.

you could never just let the graysons be a normal, happy family.

and you could never just let mark forget about you.

because the first time his parents say no to you - the very first fucking time - you don't listen.

you're just not used to it.

that stupid party you weren't supposed to go to.

that stupid party mark sneaks off to, too.

and when you see him there, you're surprised.

he pretends to be, too.

because it's not fair if only one of you was forbidden to go. no, you had to fuck it up for the both of them.

it's a good thing you're so spoiled, though. and it's even better that mark eavesdropped on the conversation you had with your friend, the one in which you planned to sneak out.

you're so fucking naive. so stupid.

you think the two of you are finally getting along when he gets you a drink and whispers, don't worry, i won't tell if you don't. and you laugh and wink at him like you'll keep his secret, drinking from whatever concoction he's prepared for you.

you were too young when your parent(s) passed and the graysons never seemed to sit you down for the talk. . or maybe they did and you were just too stupid to understand why you should never accept an open drink.

it's easy to blame it on you being a lightweight. the way you sway and slur your words, the way you stumble into him, the way your body overheats.

you've had too much to drink. you're not used to it, is all. he'll take care of you, don't you worry, big brother always does.

first, he's got to lay you down, you poor thing.

he doesn't want you to hurt your pretty little head by falling!

so, he lays you down in the empty room of the house as the party continues downstairs. as you fall to the bed in a heap, you swear you can see the throbbing beat of the music, now muffled behind the closed door.

in the dark room, the moonlight leaking through the pale blue blinds look like drunken undulations, wavering like heat shimmers, yet you can't keep your eyes open long enough to ogle at them. your body doesn't feel like your own, but you're not as nervous as you should be.

mark yanks his shirt off over his head - practiced, ready - and stalks over to your semi-limp body that's nearly hanging off the bed.

it's not hard to undress you, considering you're dressed like some cheap slut. and, honestly, if it wasn't mark that night, he's sure it would've been another dude at the party. the way you're such a fucking tease, he doesn't think anyone would be able to keep their hands off of you for long.

so, really, it's only fair your older brother is the one to get his hands on the goods, first. afterall, he was there to watch them grow.

the little camcorder he took from his parents - the old silver one they used to record all their trips around the world, mark's first steps, your first birthday with them - blinks red, on and off, on and off, as he strips you. he makes sure to capture your body: your bare tits as your chest rises and falls with each panicked breath, the smooth skin of your tummy, then down, between your legs, as he records your sopping cunt taking his fingers.

you mewl and your vision's swimming. and you feel here, there, everywhere, and it's so, so confusing.

you don't know what's happening and it's distressing because you know something is.

your hands weakly try to push at the foreign body on top of you. . inside of you. . but mark is stronger than anyone will ever be and you are far too drugged to do anything about it.

they're gonna be so mad, mark thinks, as he slides into you and tries to keep the camera recording the way your cunt grips him as he feeds his cock inside of you.

they'll be so mad when they find out you've snuck out.

and maybe you'll tell them. . you think something happened. . someone did something to you. . when you try to wash his cum out of your pussy.

maybe you won't. maybe you shouldn't. they'll already be mad at you, best keep quiet about it~

but the graysons will feel even worse in the next few months. . when you start puking your guts out.

and like the perfect parents they are, they'll take you to a doctor. . only for the results to come back positive.

mark may not be a golden boy, anymore.

but in nine months, maybe you'll give him one, instead 💗

#mark grayson #mark grayson x reader #invincible #invincible x reader #yandere mark grayson #yandere mark grayson x reader #mark is canonically a good brother #& we love him for that!!#but he's a weirdo in my universe <3

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wynnyfryd · 4 months

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Trailer park Steve AU part 49

part 1 | part 48 | ao3

cw: angst, canon-typical violence

It's a totally normal Tuesday the day it all starts going to shit.

Eddie's got a show at The Hideout, and Wayne's got a rare night off, so Steve's at his boyfriend's place without him catching a basketball game with Wayne and Ernie. He did try to go to the show, to be fair; wanted to, but Eddie took one look at the way he was cradling the side of his head and winked at him to "sit this one out, big boy," so here he is: drinking beer with two old men and watching the most frustrating game he's seen all season.

"Oh, what the hell was that?" he begs the tiny screen, jumping out of his seat to pace a tight circle and rake his hands over his scalp hard enough to pluck a few strands. Beside him, Ernie shakes his head and mutters "goddamn disgraceful, that's what" and in the kitchen Wayne munches happily on a fresh plate of nachos, taps his bald head with a half-eaten chip and warns, "Quit tuggin' at your hair 'fore you wind up lookin' like this."

"Whatever, old man." Steve rolls his eyes, but he loosens his grip. Drags his hands down his face instead. "Don't act like you're not loving this."

Wayne laughs, a broad, smug smile that's pure Munson mischief. "Never claimed otherwise," he says, then he pops a cigarette in his mouth and tells them to get their wallets ready.

Bastard. His team's doing fine tonight. (And sure, the bet was only five dollars, but it's a point of pride, damn it.)

Steve turns his attention back to the game, where the ref is making yet another call that's so laughably bad Steve's not sure how he isn't getting decked for it. A stray elbow to the face, at least. Fucking something.

"Jesus Christ," he mumbles; still pacing, arms crossed. "If they don't fire this idiot, I swear..."

He turns to Ernie for back up; remembers that Ernie's got a lapful of Misty the cat right now and quickly looks away. Creepy little thing still freaks Steve out (even if Ernie's stroking her fur like she's a harmless stress toy and not the razor-clawed, rat-chomping demon she really is.) He still can't look at her. Gets queasy just thinking about all the "presents" she's left him since he moved in.

Ernie catches the way his shoulders tense. "Didn't think you'd be afraid of a little pussy," he teases, scratching the cat behind her ears.

Misty gives a low rumble of approval.

Steve's stomach flips. "Whatever," he scoffs, looking anywhere but at them. "That thing's bad luck. No wonder we're losing."

He settles back into his seat, and the game goes on — and on, and on, until the score gets so embarrassing that Steve considers just getting up and yanking the TV plug out of the wall, or maybe storming out of the place in protest — and he's about to beg Wayne for mercy, ask him to change the station to anything else, when the front door opens so softly it sets off alarm bells in his head.

Steve whips around at the lack of sound. Knows immediately that something is wrong, because Eddie Munson doesn't do quiet. Eddie Munson comes home like fireworks going off: Crack! Whizz! Bang! He's always a burst of noise and energy; he's a fucking racket; Wayne's said so a million times — muttered it angrily when Eddie's music keeps him up, grumbled it fondly over breakfast while he tries to stop himself from falling asleep face-first in a plate of eggs.

Tonight Eddie comes home quiet as a thief. A mouse trying to evade the clutch of Misty's claws. His head's hung low as he shucks off his boots, his face obscured by frizzy hair.

Steve's across the room in a heartbeat.

"Baby?" he whispers, trying to peak behind the curtain. Eddie won't look at him, but his breathing sounds off; labored and whistling, and his hair is matted with something dark. "You okay?"

"Fine," Eddie croaks.

They both know it's a lie.

Steve lifts a hand to gently tip his chin up, but the moment his fingers graze skin Eddie winces and tugs away. "Okay," he says, pulling his hand back. "Okay, I'm sorry, just— can you look at me? Please?" He softens his voice, tries to coax Eddie out. You're safe here; you can trust me.

When Eddie finally looks up, Steve's heart lodges in his throat.

His face is ruined. Caked in dried blood, the skin below his left eye like an overripe eggplant: deep purple and threatening to split down the middle, to spill rotten juices all over the floor. There's a cut above his brow, another nick between his eyes, and— fuck.

His nose is broken.

Steve's gonna kill someone.

"Who did this to you?" he asks, deadly quiet. Whoever it is, they're not living to the morning. Steve's got a car and a nail bat and a boy with a broken nose, and he's going to kill whoever did this to him. "Eddie." He grips his biceps; shakes him a little. Insists. "Eddie, tell me who did this!"

Eddie hiccups a weak sob. Lips shiny with blood and tears, and Steve lets go; feels horrible for making it worse, for letting his anger get the best of him. He wraps Eddie up a gentle hug, cradles him against his chest and doesn't care if Ernie sees. He doesn't give a damn.

"Fucking—" Eddie grunts against Steve's shirt, his teeth chattering around the word. His throat clicks when he swallows. Sticky with blood and phlegm.

Hospital, Steve thinks. Blood loss; sepsis; shock.

Eddie gulps a ragged breath and tries again. "Fucking assholes," he gets out, "they took our- t-took our—" The words cut off with a pained whimper, and he breaks down and just cries. Cries and cries until the heaving subsides, until it lessens to muted trembling in Steve's arms. There's fresh blood on his shirt.

Eddie's blood is on his shirt.

He looks up, eyes wet and wide, and then Wayne's there; two strong, weathered hands firm on Eddie's shaking shoulders. "Is it bad?" he asks Steve. No nonsense; demanding answers. Decorated veteran.

Steve nods without a word.

"C'mon, kid," Wayne soothes. "Let's get you cleaned up."

—

part 50

tag list in separate reblogs under '#trailer park steve au taglist' if you'd like to filter that content. if you want to be added please comment and let me know (must be over 21; please either verify in the comment or have your age visible on your blog)

#trailer park steve au #steddie #steddie fic #steve harrington #eddie munson #wayne munson #my writing #my fic

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wolfytae-exe · 8 months

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Sly Bunny. Dumb Fox. (S)

warning: Yeonbin have animal instincts, brat Yeonjun/dumb fox, surprise dom Soobin/sly bunny, dacryphilia, mean dom reader with Yeonjun, mistress kink, pegging, tail and hair pulling, Soobin fucks like a bunny,panty thief Bin, scent kink, heat(?), size kink, bin is a white bun w blonde hair, manhandling, soobin starts off very subby, breeding kink, multiple orgasms, squirting, unprotected sex, insomnophilia at the end of you squint

note: this is the NSFW version of Sly Bunny, Dumb Fox if you want the SFW version go here, THIS IS FOR YOU @nightlytyuns

Summary: in which your hybrid boys are in dire need for relief

paring(s): Bunny!Soobin x Reader, Fox!Yeonjun x Reader

Dumb Fox

“Ah- Mm-Ah! Mistress- please!” Yeonjun moaned, lifting his head from the pillow as you pounded your curved strap into his tight red rimmed ass. “Shut up- Take it like a good fox.” You hissed spanking him and pushing his head back into the pillow he held onto so tightly before using his ass cheeks as leverage to fuck into him harder.

You hit the perfect spot, the hybrids head spun and his jaw fell slack, tongue rolling out with drool. “That’s it, take my fucking strap.” You huffed, grabbing his tail with one hand and his hair with the other before pulling, hard. The fox rose up fast with a growl, instincts running faster than his brain could process. “oh~ that’s how you treat mistress while she fucks your whore ass?” You growl back, pulling his tail again as a test.

Yeonjun bared his fangs in response before you pulled him back by his hair again, forcing your hips flush. You quickly stopped your thrusts, causing a whine to slip from him. “You don’t like it? Let’s stop then.” You whisper before nipping at his ear and pushing him back onto his front, a yelp came from him like a hurt puppy on the way down. You stayed completely still, letting the strap pull out of him fast, a loud whine left the fox boy at his sudden emptiness, his hole clenched over the air, desperately looking for relief and you just laughed, meanly at that.

“Mistress please.. ‘m sorry” The fox hybrid panted, head turned to the side so you could see the tears rolling down his face. You knew his game, the cunning fox always pulled the water works when he didn’t get what he wanted. “Oh my poor baby~” you cooed, leaning down and pressing yourself against him while planting tiny kisses on his cheek. “Shhh, mistress forgives you.” You whisper to him, a small whine coming out of him for confirmation. You gave Yeonjun soft nod, looking into his eyes before licking the tear that ran down when he blinked.

“M-Mistress will let me cum?” He questioned, just like that his tears were gone, and he was moving his hips to both rut into you and the bed. “Of course not.” You mutter back before clawing at his ass to keep him still. A loud whimper left him as you spoke. “If you cum we’ll just keep going until we have enough out of you.” You threaten before pushing that strap back into his gaping hole, squelching noises adding into the lewd room.

“Oh- Oh god! Mistr- please no Mistress!” Yeonjun begged, ears pushing down as he sobbed into the pillow, claws ripping into the sheets to keep himself from cumming at the way you slammed yourself into his prostate, abusing the nerves with all your might. “Pleee- ‘m good fox, Mistress!” He tried to convince you, begging you to stop before he came on himself.

“Bad fox. You know bad foxes get punished.” You pant and continue, refusing to let up when you knew he was so close, clenching so hard over you simply because he didn’t trust you’d stay if his legs began shaking. “N-No! ‘m goo- oh- good fox! Jjunie good f-fox!” he argues with a moan his cock pushed against the sheets every time you thrusted into him which only built his inevitable orgasm more.

“Good f-fox- I’m go-good fox- oh there- jju-jjunie is-s good fox-“ Yeonjun babbled, mind completely gone. He was so fucked out he didn’t even notice he had cum all over the sheets, cock still spurting the white strings when he realized. And then the crash of pleasure slammed into him painfully, his body fell limp, eyes rolled back and his legs and ears twitched. You knew the moment he came to, he was fucked.

Sly Bunny

You and your bunny have been together for a few months, having gotten him in the winter it was now rolling into spring! Soobin, your bunny, has always let it be known how much he loves you, he’s been saying it the moment he realized you were his forever home. You loved every time you’d catch him staring at the walls of your home in awe, completely moved at the fact that he no longer has to run from predator hybrids to stay safe.

You and Soobin were laying in your bed, rewatching his favorite anime to catch up with the new season release when you could feel his body heat completely take over you, leaving you to sweat. “Binnie you’re hot.” you mutter before fanning your hand over your face, trying to catch a breeze. You could feel Soobin tense up around you once your words hit his big floppy ears.

Soobins foot began to kick lightly, thumping against the bed before he quite literally pushed you off him completely, getting up himself and running fast into the bathroom before you could say anything. “Bin?” You felt bad, your intentions weren’t to hurt his feelings, you just felt like he should have known.

“I-Im okay!” You heard him on the other side of the door before the sink faucet began to run. “Are you sure?” You tried to call over the noise, but you weren’t granted a response. With a sigh you turned off your TV and grabbed your lint roller as Soobin would shed quite a bit, fluffy ears and tail needing to rid itself of its extra fluff during the warm weather.

You lint rolled your bed sheets and pillow before moving into the kitchen. With no idea what was wrong with your bunny you did the only thing you knew would make him feel better. You began prepping a plate of lettuce, carrots, and bok choy, making sure to double wash and clip the bad bits so he could enjoy his meal. After wards you cut the veggies up into strips, the way he liked, before plating it and scurrying back to your room.

“Bun? I have your favorite, wanna come eat?” You waved the plate around from outside the bathroom door. “H-Ha~” You heard from the other side before Soobins signature thumping. “L-Leave it on the table- Please- Just give me a moment please.” His voice rung in between groans. “Bin? Are you sure you’re okay?” You asked through the door before attempting to open the door and check on your bunny.

The door cracked open slightly before slamming shut in your face with Soobins full body weight. “Im okay! B-Bunny is okay- Just- I’ll be out soon please wait for me-“ The tall hybrid panted against the door. You gave a frown before sighing, “okay, be out soon.” You muttered before moving to the kitchen.

You had no idea why your perfect, sweetest, most loving bunny was acting this way, it was like a switch flipped in him and now he wanted nothing to do with you. You placed the plate on the table and sat in one of the seats. You were still fairly new to the whole hybrid owner thing, google has been your best friend in getting information, so what better than to look up the bunny’s symptoms.

As you pulled your phone out to type in the search bar of Google, a loud thud was heard from your room. “Bin?” You called out, no response. “Bunny?” You call out further, but still no reply. He wants to be alone; you have to remind yourself, reluctantly you stay seated, put your attention back on your phone, and began to search.

You searched for a while, and writing his behavior only led you to omega verse terms like heat and knots; which in your opinion was very fictional and only told in wolf stories, not bunnies like your boy. Minutes passed, five minutes, ten minutes, fifth-teen minutes, until you decided you weren’t going to ignore the occasional groans and moans from your bedroom. With your mind made up you got out your seat and moved to the bedroom again.

Your room looked different, your drawers open wide and ransacked, pillows folded and pushed to the opposite end of your bed or the floor, and your bathroom door cracked open, a big difference compared to when the door was slammed shut in your face. Slowly you pushed open the door, soft moans and whimpers coming from the other side of it.

Once the door opened you were floored. Your bunny was sprawled across the floor, long legs curled due to the wall in his way, his hard, red, almost irritated, and weeping cock wrapped up in your cum stained panties. The hybrid was like a deer caught in headlights, cum covering his bare thighs and tummy; God how many times did he cum?

Before you could even speak Soobin began to move his fist again, a long moan following as though the realization that you caught him settled in. The bunny's jaw dropped wide, thighs trembling as his weeping cock leaked small drops of cum, unable to push out anything more. “Please- Please momma- just wanna breed you- ah~” Soobin moaned out, dazed from his orgasms yet still thrusting into his fist. You had no idea what to do in the moment, your bunny was a panty thief pervert.

Just the thought of it had you soaking wet, now two of your panties were ruined. “H-Help me momma please- need you-“ Soobin begged and whined before finally removing his hand from his overstimulated cock and making gravy hands at you. Unable to watch any longer you pulled off your shirt and shorts and crawled on top of the hybrid.

Soobins big hands held you tight over his cock, immediately grinding you down for more reprieve. With a whine you followed, your soaked panties rubbing against him the way he wanted this time, no longer having to use his hand as a simulation. With some abnormal strength you had no idea your bunny possessed you were lifted as pressed against the way, legs wide and over the hybrids shoulder as he held and bucked into your clothed clit.

“N-Need more, momma please~” he whined in your ear, his normally gentle hands, rough and bruising as he tried to keep his trembling legs from dropping you both. “You can fuck me, Bin- Need it too- so big~” You whimper, trying hard to help your bunny in what you’ve already accepted to be the self-claimed fiction, heat.

“Thank you- Thank you momma” Soobin was quick to rip apart your panties and shove himself in, not necessarily caring for his size, only thing on his mind was whether or not he’d have enough cum to breed you properly. He was so deep, tip kissing your cervix, but that didn’t stop him from trying to push in further, not wanting to take any chances of you not getting pregnant with his bunnies.

“T-Too much! No more-“ You tried to push the bunny off but the hybrid was far bigger than you, fortunately for you, he pulled out, looking down at the way he left your clenching cunt dripping before pushing back in, this time not stopping to feel you. Soobin began to thrust fast, faster than you’ve ever had it. His floppy ears fell to the side as he pushed off his foot to get leverage into you.

Never has a cock hit this deep, not at this speed either, your legs were jello and your mind went blank as Soobin pushed an orgasm out of you fast, before you both could even realize he came as well, filling you full. You couldn't even think straight as Soobin kept going, never slowing for a moment. “Need to get momma pregnant- ah” Soobin babbled as he kept thrusting, the floor was wet with your mixed cum, your wall stained with sweat and your neighbors were ready to call the cops the moment you came to, screaming and moaning about how deep he was.

Your stamina was no match for the bunny to the point where you went completely limp in his arms only small whines and whimpers came out as you rested, letting him use you as a breeding toy for the rest of his heat-dazed time. You had no idea how long it would take him, you just knew you were on your sixth orgasm and his fourth before he began to slow down, his thrusts now organized and hitting that spongey spot in your gummy walls continuously. “Gonna cum- Gonna fill momma full~” Soobin whined before bringing a hand to your clit, he began rubbing in tight circles which caused the knot to snap in your stomach again.

With white spots blotting your vision and your jaw hung all the way open, you squirted all over the bunny hybrids cock and floor. The clench of your walls against Soobin pulled his last orgasm out of him, deep against your abused cervix he let your walls milk him. “Fuck-” Soobin panted as he pulled out and sunk down to the bathroom floor with you.

“So full of my cum momma” Soobin panted, watching his seed leak out your red, sore, and abused hole. You gave no response, passed out completely on the floor. “Mmm love you momma, but need to fuck my babies back in, can’t let you lose them.” Soobin grumbled before pushing back in. His heat lasted far longer than expected but lets say he won’t experience it any further now that you were full and pregnant with his bunnies.

i’ve literally never written hybrid smut before so i’m nervous that this is a bit far-

#txt smut #smut requests #txt hard hours #kpop smut #txt #txt x reader #yeonjun hard thoughts #yeonjun smut #yeonjun hard hours #hybrid!yeonjun #hybrid!soobin #soobin hard hours #soobin smut #soobin hard thoughts #non idol au #txt fantasy au

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wileys-russo · 11 months

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woso blurbs masterlist

🫶🏻 🫶🏻 🫶🏻 🫶🏻 🫶🏻

✨ II alessia russo masterlist II AR23

✨ II leah williamson masterlist II LW6

✨ II mary earps masterlist II ME27

✨ II alexia putellas masterlist II AP11

✨ II a.russo & l.williamson x reader II

the wrangler

chess pawn

jersey jealousy

best behaviour

you’re not doing it right

i licked it so its mine

seeing red

flu season (2)

offence and defence

switch up

✨ II e.toone x reader II ET7

red vs blue

sorry seems to be the hardest word

headlock

tiktok edits

drama queen

rage room

✨ || m.león & i.engen x reader II

teasing

mario kart

bed bound

attention thief

✨ || m.león x reader II ML4

coloring book

you love me, really

✨ || i.engen x reader II IE23

celebrations

✨ || k.mccabe x reader II KM15

lovergirl

nutmeg

nail artist

start a family

shirt tugs

secret softie

hot in here

✨ II m.bright x reader II MB4

my captain

masterchef

fa cup final

flat packs

✨ II l.bronze x reader II LB15

the downpour

girlfriend

girlfriend ficlet

✨ II s.blackstenius x reader II SB25

tongue tied

my love you’re forgetting something

you look like you need a hug

✨ II g.stanway x reader II GS8

behind the camera

my needy girl

colin the caterpillar

inkmaster

crucial touch

fake girlfriend

✨ II g.clinton x reader II GC11

you never asked

restless

chocolate thief

the best view

✨ II a.kennedy x reader II AK14

panini

secrets out

golden hour

competitive streak

✨ || m.le-tissier x reader II MLT4

trick or treat

hotshot

✨ II a.bonmatí x reader II AB14

half sized

stop taking signs home when you win a game

not helping

you're comfy

you can do it

✨ II k.cooney-cross x reader II KCC23

airport flowers

i don't know how you managed to make me your girlfriend

couch nap

forgotten coffee

for kids

✨ II e.carpenter x reader II EC21

roadrunner

✨ II j.hermoso x reader II JH10

still sleeping

beachball

princess treatment

pool day

✨II n.charles x reader II NC21

sweet jealousy

captain charles

✨II j.fleming x reader II JF17

regular visitor

✨ II s.kerr x reader II SK20

crumble

✨ II barcelona femení x reader II

stuck

tiny silver flash

✨ II awfc x reader II

drop kick

travel buddies

april fools

✨ II p.guijarro x reader II PG12

how bad is it

✨ II m.rodriguez x reader II MR1

jump scare

✨ || h.raso x reader II HR16

world class

✨ II e.fox x reader II EF23

frenemies

✨ II l.freigang x reader II LF10

lockscreen

#woso x reader #alessia russo x reader #woso #woso blurbs #lucy bronze x reader #mary earps x reader #millie bright x reader #leah williamson x reader #ella toone x reader #georgia stanway x reader #sam kerr x reader #alexia putellas x reader #mapi leon x reader #ingrid engen x reader #grace clinton x reader #jessie fleming x reader #alanna kennedy x reader #jenni hermoso x reader

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woncon · 10 months

Text

➳ the case of the missing cookie

➶ stray kids ot8 x gn!reader ｡˚ °

-ˏ` ✎﹏ where one of your boyfriends ate your cookie and you need to find out who was the thief, so you kiss everyone.

➴ genre: fluff, poly, slice of life, non-idol au

: ̗̀➛ warnings: mxm interactions (ofc), one punch, a lil' bit suggestive if you squint, a few pet names, a lots of kissing (꜆ ˃ ³ ˂)꜆

⌨ :: 2.8k words ♡ ︵ . .

⁀➷ special thanks to @honeytwo for helping me translate this fic into english, correcting my grammar and other mistakes. thank you for everything! °♡̷•.

➳ stray kids masterlist | main masterlist

You've been keeping your cookie in store for a while now. You're searching for the glorious ocassion to eat it, and finally the time has come: your university assigment is all done, checked and sent, and you're ready to celebrate your success with having the tasty chocolate chip cookie.

The box is surpisingly light. You rip off the plastic cover, and your heart skips a beat. Your cookie isn't there, just a few little, orphan crumbs. You stare at them in disbelief, as if they would be able to point at the offender with their fingers. Half an hour ago you took a dreamy look at the cookie, because you were reassured by the knowledge that you can have it soon.

But one of your boyfriends was faster than you. Someone meanly ate your small treasure, your favourite sweet, which you guarded like how a mother would her tiny, innocent baby.

You throw the empty box on the kitchen counter, and you decide, you'll find and unveil the perpetrator. The crime happened less than thirty minutes, you just need to find the lips that taste like cookie, and then... There will be consequences, for sure. No one can eat your cookie without punishment. With that definite thought, you furrow your brows, nod and already on your way to investigate.

Minho wanted to take a look, if there's enough canned fish for the cats. That's why he goes to the kitchen. Where an unexpected you grabs him firmly and kisses him angrily and intensely. His tongue cannot resist, it's a miracle that your nor his hip doesn't hit the kitchen counter or one another. He grabs you by the hips and when he could truly have a taste of you, and take the lead, you pull away to take a breath.

You breathe onto each other's mouth after the kiss ends. Minho gives the now less furious you a questioning look. Usually, you're not the passionate one and you feel a little embarrassed in his arms, so you quickly get out from his lightsome hug.

"I'll explain later," you mumble the promise.

So, Minho can check the cat food with the memory of your lips on his mouth and heart, and you your other partners.

Your next target, who you find is Felix, sweet Felix, who wouldn't touch your cookie, 'cause he wouldn't want to hurt you this way. But it's possible that he accidentally ate it, and he didn't know the cookie was yours, so you definitely need to kiss him. It's a must.

You sit down on the sofa next to him in the living room. He's playing video games. You're still blunt from the kiss in the kitchen, so you shyly and gently pull his shirt to get his attention. Felix pauses his game, turning to you with interest on what you would want. But before he could ask you, you lean into him, crashing his lips with yours in a slow, sensual way. He tastes sweet, but not from the cookie, rather the raspberry flavored gummy bears laying next to his thigh. You're happy that you have no reason to be angry at him, and in addition you can kiss his perfect lips.

You leave his warm lips with a smile. You feel more calm and self-conscious.

"You can continue playing. That's all I wanted."

Even if you want to leave, the boy with the glittery, loving look and with galaxies shining on his face won't let you.

After a few more kisses and a giggly freckle pampering session later, with lips a little numb, but oh so loved, you go to the studio, 'cause Chan is surely there. You're ready for the next kisses to find the cookie flavor on someone's lips.

As with Felix, you wouldn't assume that Chan ate your cookie with malicious intent. Although when he's doing hard work and he gets hungry, Chan doesn't pay too much attention to what he's eating at the moment. He could eat it without knowing it was your cookie.

Before you open the door, you knock properly, and after his tired voice invites you in, you step into the room. Chan turns to you in his chair. He flashes a gentle smile, but his dull eyes show you that he is exhausted.

"You need a break."

"Yeah, yeah." Chan sighs while drumming on his thighs, sinking into his chair.

"If you continue like this, you will fall asleep on the keyboard." You step closer, running your fingers through his soft hair, massaging his scalp which he accepts with a relieved groan. Suddenly Chan pulls you into his lap and you cling to his shoulder with a surprised squeal.

"No, if I use you as a pillow."

Chan's smile widens and grows into a lovely grin as he cuddle you like a joyful yet sleepy koala, hiding his handsome face in the crook of your neck, imitating snoring sounds. You giggle at his playfulness, fishing his face out.

For a few silent moments you just watch him in deep awe. Chan caresses your back in slow circles and you give in and kiss him. He didn't eat any cookies, but he drinked one or two mango flavored energy drinks.

"Was this my goodnight kiss?"

"Not necessarily. You can get more, if you go to sleep in the bed."

"Im gonna save, then go. I promise." He press a light eskimo kiss on you and smiles widely. "Okay?"

"Uh-uh. You have ten minutes. If you're not with Seungmin by then, no more kisses for you."

After you threaten him, you leave his comfy, warm body and the room to search for your next boyfriend and potential cookie thief. Typical workout music emanates from one of the rooms: you enter there.

Changbin is on the rug, doing sit-ups in a loose athletic shirt. The TV shows the actual task and the remaining time. The music rumbles from the speakers. The boy is sweaty, his biceps streching perfectly. You're just in luck: he has a half minute long break right now. He just lays there like a starfish, panting heavily until you sit down on his stomach, pulling him up to your lips by grabbing the front of his cloth. His sigh is muted by your roaming mouth. It doesn't bother Changbin, he really enjoys how you randomly yet lovingly kiss him, how close you are. You don't mind that your chest is pressed againt his and your shirt getting a bit sweaty from the thight contact.

Changbin is very sexy, such a biscutie and a talented kisser, but he didn't eat any cookies recently, instead he had fruit flavored ice cream. The coldness is gone, but the taste is still fresh-like on his tongue.

"What's up?" He asks in a raspy voice which sends shivers down your spine. He strokes your sides lazily as the timer won't run out soon, as he can offer himself to you as long as you need him. You wanted to keep your mission as a secret, however you didn't know that Changbin would look at you like that, interested in whatever you want to say.

"Somebody ate my cookie, therefore I taste everyone. Lucky for you, you aren't the one." Your hand strokes his chest, touching every muscle beneath the sweated cloth, slightly lingering a bit on his abs.

Changbin smirks.

"Jisung was really suspicious when I went out on break."

"Thanks for the hint!" You kiss his puffy face, then get up.

The last time you were with Jisung, he was clinging to you, and he was demanding not just hugs, but attention. You were trying hard to calm him down. You reassured that when you finish your task, you will give all your hugs to him. Is it possible that Jisung ate your cookie out of revenge? Hopefully not.

But where could Jisung be? He was probably seeking hugs from somebody else. There's no better place for this than the big bedroom, where Seungmin sleeps. You approach the room on your tiptoes, quietly opening the door into the semi-darkness.

On the bed, under the big blanket hill, you can hear peaceful snoring. Smiling, you get closer, climbing on the bed. Paying attention not to kneel on anybody, and when you sucessfully make your way behind your closer boyfriend, you nest yourself to his back. You immediately recognize Seungmin from his scent, his messy hair and the soft way he snores. You lean over his shoulder to place a light kiss on his cheek. He couldn't eat your cookie unless he's a sleepwalker, which is completely out of the question.

However, the boy who sleeps next to Seungmin, maybe. Jisung maybe. You need to find out, that's why you're here. You can't cuddle up with the lovely duo and just rest, you need to know whose fault it is that you can't enjoy your celebration cookie.

You approach from the other side of the bed. Jisung's head is fully in Seungmin's chest. He got as close to him as possible.

"Hanie... Jisungie... Baby..."

You kiss his shoulder, fondling his back, softly calling his name.

"Huh?" Jisung turns your way, his tone is dripping from deep sleep. You kiss his lips. The kiss is slow, dripping with honey like his dreams. Sweet, but not from the cookie, more like the hazelnut chocolate that Changbin probably saw him eat earlier.

"Y/n..."

"Just sleep, baby." You rub your nose on his neck, when his head slumps back on the pillow.

As you climb backwards on the bed, wondering where you should search for your remaining two boyfriends, an unexpected loud noise comes from the bathroom followed by muffled swearing. Something hit the ground with a loud thud.

You become scared that something bad happened, for example the hair dryer fell on the unlucky Jeongin's or Hyunjin's feet, but that's not the case. You can see that when you open the door hurriedly. It was just the comb on the ground and Hyunjin's feet look fine - as fine as feet can be. He bends down for the fallen thing.

"Is everything alright?"

You ask in a whisper, the door clicks behind you. You let go of the doorknob, and grab the towel. You want to help dry his locks, they don't look ready for combing yet.

"Yeah."

Hyunjin is a strong-minded guy, besides his overwhelming charm helps him reach what he desires. For example, you on the top of the washing machine rubbing his hair, while he is between your thighs.

Or even the last cookie...

Hyunjin hums from the pleasant feeling as you try to dry his hair. He puts his hands on your waist, drawing you a bit closer. Then he sees your shirt.

"You're wet? Did I make you wet?"

"No. Changbin did. I mean, this is his sweat."

"What did you do?" Hyunjin mouth turns upwards into a smile, his left eyebrow frows in a teasing manner. Devilishly angelic.

"Nothing bad." You feel the heat beneath your cheeks as you poke his nose and stop the hair drying.

"Nothing bad, huh?"

Hyunjin's eyes gets smug and excitedly dark. His gaze is on your lips, touching you with his look first only, then dulcetly devouring your lips by savouring them.

Hyunjin's kisses are magical. He also magically diverts your attention from your cookie-finding quest. He didn't eat your cookie, you don't taste it, however you can't make yourself move from his embrace. He's a born talent: with his kisses, he easily distracts you from his nimble fingers working their way beneath your shirt, then with proficient and successful movements he takes it off you.

When you lean back to protest, Hyunjin lifts the material over your head, then throws it into the laundry, so he can hug your bare waist smirking pleasantly. The air feels heavier in your lungs as his fingers draw circles and unrecognizable shapes on your side.

"Hyunjin..."

Your sigh bursts into laughter as he tickles your sides and your naked belly.

"Stop, stop! Hey! Hyunjin!"

When your vehement protest bears it's fruit, Hyunjin cheekily yet lovingly smiles at you.

The door opens, both of you look at the arriving Chan. He isn't surprised, just looks at the two of you with a dreamy smile. Hyunjin and you are one of his favourite people, and seeing you together always makes his heart beat faster, while he smiles like a teenager experiencing his first love.

"I came for my promised goodnight kiss."

"Can I have your hoodie in exchange?" You want his black hoodie so bad. Though the air was hot a minute ago, it's still cold for your uncovered skin. "You won't need it anyway. The boys warmed up the bed so much, it feels like it's burning. You won't be cold."

Chan doesn't nod, just pulls his hoodie off his head. While he does it just for you, you can catch a piece of his brawny stomach, 'cause his shirt slides up a bit too. The view is satisfying indeed.

You happily pull on the relic which smells like Chan and feels like his hug around your whole torso. You still smile when you give him your goodnight kiss. Chan hums gratefully, caresses your cheek, then he gets a kiss from Hyunjin too, gently grabbing his not dried locks.

The conclusion hits you like a train: there is only one boy left who could eat your cookie.

Jeongin. The sassy, naughty Innie.

"Do you know where Innie is?"

You get down from the washing machine with the intention to track down the thief. No longer his identity, but his location.

"He went to the market."

Hyunjin finally uses the hairbrush.

"He should enjoy it while he can."

Your eyes become dark and threatening.

"What happened?"

"He ate my cookie. The last cookie."

Chan hisses. "Woe to him. Come, hug out your anger from me and Sungie, while he isn't here. Maybe it will help."

"Okay."

Chan gets behind Jisung, and sensing the big, comfortable body's heat, the boy turns around and clings onto the older with a content whine. You settle down on Chan's other side, cuddling up to him, listening to his heartbeat. As his heart calms down, he began to snore quietly as he sinks into sleep. You smoothly pat Jisung's hand, trying to focus on that and not imagine how you'll chase Jeongin with your slippers when he comes back.

Your cookie is holy and invulnerable.

You can't stay idle for long, you get up, tuck your boyfriends, then you leave the bedroom and you don't stop until you're in the living room where the freshly showered Changbin, Felix and the cats are. They're chilling on the sofa, watching one of the many Bruce Willis movies.

You sit down next to Changbin. The frustration is too much, you huff and your head land in his shoulder, the tip of your nose softly touching his neck. Maybe the stress wouldn't follow you there. Changbin's hand softly strokes your thigh as his other hand lays on the top of Felix's knee.

"Have you found Jisung?"

"Yes. But it wasn't him. It was Jeongin. He isn't home yet."

"What are you whispering about?" Felix curiously leans closer, rubbing the purring cat's head.

"I found out that Jeongin ate my cookie."

"What will you do to him when he arrives?"

"I'll kill him. I just don't know how yet."

Changbin tries to hide his smile. You are really cute when you curdle like that, 'cuz it's clear that you won't fulfill those threats.

As if somebody told him to come in, the thief arrives. You, your two boyfriends and the cats can hear the front door's opening, the key clinks, the coat swishes, the shoes tap on the floor, and there is one more person in the house.

"YANG JEONGIN!"

You're very fast, getting to him by seconds. Your mouth is a strict line, and in your eyes, the betrayal and the wrath swirls when you punch his chest, offended.

"You ate my cookie!"

"Ouch!" That's his reaction. He doesn't protect his body from you, you can easily use him as a pounching bag if you want to. But even if you're grumpy, you get interested in the thing he is holding behind his back. It's rattling. In turn, as hard you try to see, as committed he is to hide it from you.

"Please, don't kill me. I didn't know that cookie was yours, 'm sorry that I ate it. But I brought a whole pack just for you. Can you forgive me?"

Jeongin shows you the box of cookies, while he looks at you with the most precious puppy eyes and makes a little pout which melts your heart instantly. That's the guilty Innie's speciality.

You accept your gift, then you softly sigh. You're reconciled, you don't resent anymore. You can be easily reassured. You even press a kiss to the corner of his mouth, so he knows that you forgave him. Jeongin smirks widely, his eyes turn into mischievous half moons.

You're pleased and proud too, 'cuz in the end you found your missing cookie and solved the case.

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novalizinpeace · 3 months

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Okay, i had this analysis in my notes for a loooooooooooong time, and idk if anyone had take a look in this aspect of Poppy Playtime/the Biggers Bodies Initiative, but is something that REALLY make me raise a eyebrow when working in the VHS for the critters.

So, let's talk about the confuse and inexplicable choices in Play.Co while creating the BBI

First of all, let leave it clear WHY they started this project.

Everywhere it said that they start it for two reasons: The first one, Ludwig's wish to revive her daughter/relative (something that worked i guess, since we have Poppy), and second reason, the one that the company care most, to reduce cost in employees with creatures that would take orders without asking questions (yay, no healthcare for the experiments!), since Play.Co was having a huge financial crisis at said moment (Again, due Ludwig draining all the money into the poppy investigations and the creation of playcare).

Okay, till then everything's right, the project started and the prototype and Poppy were created, for this analysis, let said the prototype is just like a humanoid/android amalgam, something they created to see if it was possible to bring someone to life, so they didn't care a lot about looks. Okay, good...

Then we got Boxy Boo

WHY IN THE LIVING HELLSITE WOULD YOU GIVE HIM TEETH AND CLAWS?!?!

''Oh his cartoon counterpart have it'' No, Cartoon Boxy had ONE little pointy tooth, and tiny claws, nothing this extreme.

''His purpose was to dispose any lower-ended employees aware about the Initiative.'' okay, right, first of all, gross, second of all, what they would do with him once there's no employees? 'Cause the plan was to not have more humans working in the factory at some point, this is basically the equivalent of adopting a lion to stop a mouse infestation, wasn't more easy to force everybody to give their resignation letter? Oh right, don't wanna loose those last paycheck, i see...

Okay well, such mistake with this fella, let see the next succesfull experiment-

WHY????

''His purpose was to function as part of the factory's security.'' No, no no no don't try to give me this bullshit, theres no need for the teeth, Huggy as a 8ft tall walking anomaly is enough to make any thief or tresspasser shit their pants if they saw him, the double set of pointy teeth in that big mouth of his is highly unnecessary, where they even got the teeth?!? Nor Children or human have teeth like that!!

Well, with this clear at least we can make a kind of timeline with the rest of the experiments before Catnap, 'cause we can see theres a change between teeth experiments and no teeth experiments like catnap or Mommy, maybe they learned that giving such weapon to the creatures they're trying to control isn't the most bright idea...

But still, said leasson didn't prevent them from creating the mini huggies, that remember, ARE ALSO REALLY AGRESSIVE!

And see, they weren't create for security like Huggy, no, this one were created TO PLAY WITH THE CHILDREN, but they basically break your neck if they catch you, and also, maybe is not the biggest part of them, but they have little pointy teeth too, again, why?

I can keep going: Why created a Pug-a-Pillar so big? Maybe something half the size would be good for children and less dangerous. Why give Bunzo pointy teeth if they're just a music player for a game? Why make Catnap so big if probably a half a size creature would make the same work with the red smoke? Why let Mommy so much mobility aroung the factory? She's not just the biggest experiment so far, but she also is able to free herself in any case thanks to the material she's make of, don't mention the fact that everybody knew she was hostile with adults, what, praying that there was always a child present to keep her grounded was their best idea?

Where i'm going with all of this? Well, Basically, Play.Co was doomed till the beginning with this iniciative, 'cause instead of created more physically controlled creatures or make better security systems, they basically created killing machines with plush textures to feed the sadistic mind of a mad scientist and fill the pockets of the shithead behind the administrative part of the factory, and instead of take all the security step you should take when dealing with dangerous creatures,they just treat them like emotionless toy without batteries that they could boss around without problem, and then Poppy react all shocked while retelling it.

Endint this, i hope all of the corporative and administrative members where in the factory during the hour of joy, 'cause they fucking deserved it.

#There a lot more i want to tell #Like the things that connect poppy with the prototype #But that for another post #Poppy playtime #Nova is having a long boring day at work

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butterflydm · 2 months

Text

The Queen of Attolia (plus some WoT comparisons)

Haha, it's been a few months but I got my chance to read the next book in the Queen's Thief series and it was so good! I am going to have two sections in this review -- my overall thoughts and then some specific thoughts that are mostly for @markantonys due to the series being her recommendation and I have a lot of thoughts about the comparisons between the Queen of Attolia x Eugenides and Mat Cauthon x Fortuona, because you can really do a point by point comparison, though I don't think it was intentional -- I think that Megan Whalen Turner and Robert Jordan were both going for the same idea but Turner was, imo, wildly more successful than Jordan at it.

But first, thoughts that don't particularly relate to The Wheel of Time:

We open with a tense cat and mouse chase between The Thief and the Queen's guardmen and that is really the heart of this book when it comes down to it -- a cat and mouse game between two extremely complicated people, and how they have to navigate in the world that they share.

Turner is really good at writing these fun action scenes where you're very much in the PoV of the character.

The (apparent) foundation that is laid here (that later gets overturned because Gen got to me again and he was once again acting on personal information that he kept from me for the majority of the book, lol, love him for it) - is very much beginning as enemies who have respect for each other's skills. At this point in the book, I knew that they would end up married due to spoilers and I know that it's considered a good romance, so I was really looking forward to seeing the journey, especially since I did get spoiled about the huge upcoming traumatic event.

But we start from this strong narrative place where they are aware of each other and have respect for each other but they belong to two separate counties that have some political tensions and they are both important parts of those countries and can't set that aside.

Because of how bold Gen is, Attolia has been backed into a corner by his actions and we actually see this affirmed by Gen's cousin (the Queen of Eddis) and her thoughts on the matter -- she is aware that Gen going into Attolia's country to spy on her is a dangerous thing for him to do.

And then the cutting off of his hand. This is brutal, and it feels brutal, and then we also get these hints of Attolia's reaction afterwards (that we get into more later) but especially her reaction when he begs her not to hurt him anymore and you can really see her feel the impact of what she did. She doesn't allow herself to show her remorse but even this early on, we're getting hints of it as readers.

Then when Gen goes home, we actually see that the Queen of Eddis also maintains a mask in public, just like Attolia does, so we see another hint here that Gen understands that kind of masking. Eddis looks just as cold and impenetrable to Attolia's guards who return Gen to her, as Attolia looks to everyone else.

I really appreciated how long the recovery time was after the loss of Gen's hand and how much time we spent with him to feel him get used to the changes (and how economically Turner is able to pass that time). We get these tiny looks at Attolia as well, and her difficultly sleeping at night, which we expand on later.

Then we get the return of the Magus from Sounis! It was really nice to see him again, dropping in to visit Gen, but he's also here to give us that continuation of the division between personal and political -- as a person who genuinely likes Gen, the Magus was upset about what Attolia did to him, but as the advisor to the king of Sounis, he knew that they would be able to use Eddis's reaction to Attolia's act on the political stage.

But what a way to learn that the two countries are at war!

It takes some time for Gen to really believe that Eddis went to war over him, and we see him processing that over the course of the book as well, and they talk about it more. I do think that Gen does not always realize how deeply other people care about him.

Turner really is so good at giving us these pieces of information that reframe the earlier story -- now we know that during all those snippets of Attolia that we had earlier, she was also dealing with realizing that her actions with Gen led to the war that she's currently embroiled in.

The progression of the war was really well done (again, Turner is very economical with her narrative here), with what details she chooses to focus in on, and we see that Gen, even though he has gained more of an ability to have that cold and impassive mask like Attolia has, still does things like make sure that no one is on the ships that he's destroying, because he doesn't like getting people killed.

Turner also does a really good job showing how destabilizing the war is to all three countries involved, and how the war is hurting everything.

We take a little mythology story break here in the narrative, which was a fun story about love and choice, both of which are very relevant. This story definitely does end up applying pretty heavily to Gen and Attolia in the themes, and I like the style that Turner tells these stories.

I love how perceptive Gen is once he's been apprised of the situation and we get to see the thought process that leads to him blaming the emperor's ambassador more for the loss of his hand than he does Attolia herself, because he sees that ambassador understood that seeing Gen maimed and returned to Eddis would be more like to spark a war than just killing him would, and a war is exactly what he needs in order to try to justify getting his troops onto Attolia's land. All the politics here are pretty complex but I feel like the book does a good job explaining the reasoning.

And this is also the point where it's really confirmed that Attolia knows that the ambassador is underestimating her, and that she also understands a lot of the things that he thinks that he's pulling over on her. But because of the fragile position that she's in, she needs to entertain the ambassador's advice and his attempts to sidle in on her country.

Quote about Gen: "It was like him that if he had to have a thing, to have the fanciest thing of its kind."

I really like all this about the cost of war; the price of war; and why this outside party has been trying to urge war on the three countries.

We also get Eddis admitting to Gen that she thinks that she could have possibly controlled herself and not started a war if he had only been killed, rather than treated in a way that she finds so insulting, and that it made her so angry that she made a choice that had now brought a lot of damage to their own country that she wishes could be avoided. And Gen can see, basically, that the ambassador of Medes is the one who put both Eddis and Attolia in this trap, and he was used as the tool to start this war.

We really move into Attolia's PoV and we get the story of the broken amphora (she thought about it when she saw Gen after she'd had his hand cut off) -- it was, essentially, the moment that marked when her life changed and she couldn't be a young girl anymore.

This really is a heartbreaking story -- how after her brothers died and she was the heir, her father essentially sold her off to be married, and her fiance was actively plotting against her father and how to suck her country dry for his own benefit after they were married. And how she kept herself quiet and small and just listened, but then poisoned him at their wedding feast, also having her captain of the guard kill the next man who tried to force her to marry him. We also see here that she only trusts loyalty that she can buy in gold (because every other kind of loyalty failed her).

Then we finally get the big reunion! This scene is so tense, with both Attolia and Gen wearing these cold masks (we later realize that Gen has pretty much directly modeled his mask on Attolia's) and we get this private negotiation that is only for the two of them. And this moment when it is literally just them, together on a boat, with no one else to interrupt them... just exquisitely done.

It's been implied before, but this is where we get our confirmation that Attolia has been just as haunted by Gen this entire book as he's been haunted by her. They've been separated for most of the book but constantly haunted by each other. I gotta share the quote:

"He was too young to have bones that ached. No matter what he thought of himself, he was hardly more than a boy. A boy without one hand. She reached up to push the wet hair out of her face, wondering when she had sunk so low that she had begun torturing boys. It was a question she had asked herself night after night, lying awake in her bed or sitting in a chair by the window watching the stars slowly move across the sky."

We've been seeing her do those things the entire book, but this is the first moment when we're told what she was thinking about in those moments.

We also get our Big Revelation here that Gen has had feelings for Attolia since before the events of The Thief! How does he hide these things from us so well! Gen! We learn here (and we get even more detail later) that he's been feeling drawn to her for literal years. That part of the reason that he made those trips that she thought were mockery was because he wanted to be close to her and get a look at her and see if she really was the monster that their spies reported that she was, or if she was just a woman who was being forced to make difficult, maybe impossible choices.

And then we get our story reversal where Attolia gets 'rescued' by the ambassador and his people, and we get to see how she behaves in these circumstances where she doesn't believe that she can trust Gen (sure, he said he loves her, but she cut his hand off! And he's a known liar! how can she trust him?) vs this dude that she knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that she absolutely cannot trust.

The moment when she tells her handmaidens not to put on her golden bee earrings, I knew exactly what she'd done, especially when we got Gen's reaction. The writing doesn't have to tell us in the moment what's occurring (that she put on the earrings that he left for her one time and that she said she would only wear if she'd decided to marry him) for us to know, and I love that. This coded sign that only he will understand.

It's the most unique and fascinating marriage proposal I've ever read. Well done. Haha, and I did guess that the gray-haired man that he fought so well with was his father. <3

Love the moment when we see him process that marrying the Queen of Attolia is going to mean... that he'll be the King of Attolia. He just wanted to marry her because he liked her! <3 <3

And everything after that was just so delightful. Working together for the double-cross and then the process of Eddis and Attolia working out the treaty and Eddis trying to convince Gen that they can have the treaty without the marriage, and his rejection of that, and then essentially testing Attolia with that offer as well.

I also really like one of the moments when Attolia realizes that she can trust Gen, which is when Eddis tells her that of course Gen also lies to her. Constantly. And I feel like that reframed a lot of her interactions with Gen for Attolia. Realizing that Gen wasn't being maliciously deceitful towards her; he's just Like That With Everyone. Plus, I can't forget the moment when, after the battle is won, Attolia and Eddis return to where Gen is being held and Attolia believes for a moment that he's been poisoned as a parting shot by the Medes ambassador and we can literally watch as her heart completely shatters and she is completely undone and devastated in her head and even shaken where people can see her. It's beautifully written.

And we get the moment with the gods (who are very real in this series but very carefully choose how they interfere) and it's just as well done as it was in the first book. The windows in the palace shattering as the goddess responds to Gen's sacrifice! And basically laying out to him that his suffering was required to reach this ending and would he trade it back if he could -- if it meant that Attolia would have been forced to make that deal with the Medes ambassador. And Gen would rather have Attolia in his life and wanting to marry him than have his hand back.

Just that whole final section that leads up to the ending of the book, with Attolia really being able to believe Gen when he says that he loves her... it's so good. How the narrative (and Eddis and Gen) are able to tease out Attolia's feelings for Gen, and how we end on that final quiet moment between the two of them. Really powerful ending.

It's a really good book and it's a really good romance. Gen and Attolia are both fantastic characters and even with all the twists and turns and revelations, their relationship felt incredibly captivating and believable. I really believe that Gen wants to break through Attolia's walls and, just as important, I feel like there's a person on the other side of those walls who is worth being loyal to and loving. You understand why Gen wants to be Attolia's husband, even after she ordered his hand cut off, which is very impressive storytelling.

Hopefully I'll get the chance to read the The King of Attolia soonish, and not in, like, four months.

And now onto the Wheel of Time/Mat & Tuon comparison section of the review for @markantonys 💖

It really does feel like a point-by-point improvement on Mat & Tuon, though I suspected unintentionally (it looks like this book came out 3 years before CoT).

Starting with the characters: wow, Attolia really is so much the person that I would have wanted Tuon to be. And she feels like the person that Jordan wanted readers to believe that Tuon was. Every place where I was going through my WoT reread and going "footage not found!" about something the narrative tried to claim about Tuon is something where the footage is very much found for Attolia. While Tuon's potentially heartbreaking backstory really is just backstory and ends up have zero impact on her active storyline, Attolia's tragic backstory is the entire spine of what her character is going through and what Gen can help her with.

We get to see and really experience Attolia's context, which is not something that we got with Tuon. Jordan makes an attempt, I guess, with Karade's sob story about Tuon and the doll, but he made the bizarre choice to frame this story in Karade's PoV (Tuon's slave), not from Tuon's PoV. For whatever reason, Jordan always insisted on making Tuon the most insufferably smug person in the world in her own PoVs.

With Attolia, we get those breaks in her mask that I kept desperately wanting us to get with Tuon but we never did. Again, this is mostly only for the reader, not even for Gen -- the reader gets to see behind Attolia's mask. And so Attolia is captivating and fascinating and I understand why she felt like she had to do these horrible things.

With Attolia, we actually get her being removed from her power base and feeling helpless, which Jordan never had the guts to do with Tuon (when Mat kidnaps Tuon, he lets her take her slave along with her, and then some of his allies decide to support Tuon over him despite having zero narrative or character-based reason to do so), which means that when Attolia regains her power, it has a much bigger impact on the narrative, while it felt like Tuon never really lost hers. Attolia and Gen both manage to be scrappy underdogs, in their own way, and that's something that Tuon never was.

Both Attolia and Tuon commit horrific acts, but while we see Attolia's remorse and how it torments her, Tuon always seems to shrug off the horrible shit that she does. It doesn't ever affect her emotionally and she never seems to think past it after it's done. She is a character without remorse or reflection (I think she vaguely thinks that it's a shame one time when she's pondering how she will break Mat's spirit but that's about it). And Attolia has those two qualities in spades. Attolia feels like a real woman to me in a way that Tuon never did. We see the brave face that she puts on, we see her regret and remorse, we see her loneliness, we see her jealousy over the Queen of Eddis, who is able to trust the members of her court in a way that Attolia has never felt she could trust her own. Tuon just feels really shallow in comparison to Attolia.

Even in the first cat and mouse scene with Attolia and Gen in this book, you can see the push and pull and the narrative equality of the characters. Gen has been in and out of four different strongholds of hers, and she feels that he's pretty much taunting her with his abilities. There's a mutual respect for the other person which was one of the big things that was missing for me with Mat and Tuon. In her final PoV in KoD, we learn that she has not had an ounce of respect for him during this entire journey -- it's not until she sees how the Band respects him that she considers whether or not there may be more to him than just being a pretty and dumb sextoy. And the big problem with that is that was the period when the 'romance' was being developed. During the time when she didn't have any respect for him as a person. And that makes it very difficult to find their relationship compelling, even apart from the fact that I found Mat himself profoundly unlikable in CoT & KoD.

Now, Mat being a terrible person (in CoT & KoD) and Tuon being a terrible person (always and forever) are not things that would stop me from shipping them in general. I am capable of finding Awful4Awful pairings compelling (like Louis and Lestat from Interview with the Vampire). They don't have to be good people, but there has to be something in the relationship that grabs onto me at any level, and that's where Mat and Tuon failed.

We can see in Attolia's thoughts that she envies the relationship that Gen has with the Queen of Eddis -- she envies that loyalty and wishes she could have something like that of her own. That sort of envy was also missing from CoT & KoD (I am going to mention, briefly, that some of these elements were present in the Mat & Tuon relationship in AMoL but at that point, it was just too late for me to give a shit about their relationship, because CoT & KoD thoroughly killed any interest that I had in them). Whether because of his own personal kinks or because of the plans that Jordan had for the Outriggers, Jordan made Tuon too much of an island; too much of an wall. The way he wrote her made me feel like nothing Mat could do would ever really matter to her in any way; that she was content to use him up and then throw him out and that's just not my thing. It may have been Jordan's kink but it is not mine.

So I definitely understand @markantonys's point about this feeling like a well-written version of Mat and Tuon! It really does feel like this is the sort of relationship that Jordan wanted to write with Mat and Tuon but didn't have the skill at romance writing to pull off. Something like Mat and Tuon is Hard Mode Romance and Jordan wasn't even always good at Easy Mode Romance.

Two of the key elements that really makes Attolia and Gen work for me is just getting to sit and exist in Attolia's emotional reactions to the wrong that she has done to Gen; and Gen acknowledging and processing the harm that she'd done. And both of those things were desperately needed with Mat and Tuon, both as characters and as a romance.

A major major part of why Mat and Tuon failed for me is because I didn't feel like Mat was actually reacting to her realistically for the vast majority of their page time together; she threatens to invade a city and he laughs it off, she assaults his companions that he freed from slavery and he thinks it's hot?!?, she talks about how she likes to torture women and he ignores it.

If Tuon had cut off Mat's hand, the way that Attolia cut off Gen's, it feels like Jordan would have just had Mat shrug it off and then buy her a puppy as a reward or something as his response. Here, we get Gen begging Attolia "please don't hurt me again" after she cuts off his hand and then we have months of separation and recovery and processing before the narrative takes him anywhere near her again. And Attolia is forced to reckon with what she did, first by being haunted by the memories of him crying from the pain and loss, and then she has to face it directly by seeing his stump, seeing the pain that he's still in (because of her). She has to admit (not just to herself but to him) the damage that she did before they can move forward together. This is something that Tuon never shows herself capable of on any level. Tuon is never allowed to grow as a person the way that Attolia is, or to be vulnerable with the audience or with Mat.

I definitely still really felt the Mat-Gen comparison in this book too. Lots of places, but there's a great moment in the meadow with him, Eddis, and the Magus, where Eddis explains that Gen has deliberately made people believe that he can't fight but he also still gets miffed sometimes if people fall for his carefully constructed facade.

And the moment when Gen tells Eddis that he plans to steal the Queen of Attolia. It really feels, again, like this is the sort of vibe that Jordan wanted us to believe existed between Mat and Tuon: "She may be a fiend from hell to make me feel this way but even if I've got to hate myself for the rest of my life, this is what I want. I dream about her at night." This intense draw and this pull that he feels towards her. Jordan appears to want us to believe that Mat feels this kind of draw towards Tuon at the end of KoD but has not created any kind of foundation in Mat's characterization as to why.

We also got the long separation between Attolia and Gen where they are haunting each other with their absence. Attolia and Gen just get the time that is needed to develop this relationship in a way that's believable. Time in the story, not page time. This book is shorter than CoT & KoD, and probably shorter than if you made a "Mat and Tuon" novella out of their scenes in those books. It's the actual 'in world' time that matters, that gives Attolia and Gen time to think about each other and miss each other in a genuine way.

For another comparison -- Gen 'steals' Attolia to marry her like Mat kidnaps Tuon, but the context is so incredibly different on every level. Mat gets, essentially, tricked into kidnapping Tuon by the 'finn (it never would have happened if he hadn't heard that prophecy) while Gen acts with intention the whole way through. Technically, in both cases, Gen and Mat are 'saving' Attolia and Tuon by kidnapping them, but we feel the weight of it with Gen and Attolia in a way that we don't with Mat and Tuon. And a lot of that is because the bulk of Gen and Attolia's build-up happens before the kidnapping, during the times when they're separated and haunted by each other. So once the kidnapping happens, it's quick-paced and moves the plot forward rather than, you know, just fucking around with a circus for a month.

We also know that Attolia has complicated feelings about Gen already. I talked about this with @markantonys but that really is something that needed to happen with Tuon so much sooner than it does in the books (there are two big Mat & Tuon scenes in AMoL that desperately needed to happen back in CoT, imo -- Tuon trusting that Mat isn't trying to kill her; and Tuon going wild trying to protect Mat in the command tent).

Attolia and Gen also genuinely have things that they can each offer the other person, while with Mat and Tuon, none of the things that Tuon offers are things that Mat actually wants (slaves bowing to him; being dressed up like one of the Blood; being formal at all times - these are things that some of Mat's fans want for him, but not things he wants for himself) and she just feels like this ravenous black hole that constantly takes and takes and takes and gives back nothing of value. When Gen is startled at the realization that marrying the Queen of Attolia makes him the King and he'll have to actually be a king, it's this incredibly sweet moment, because it illustrates so clearly that he wants Attolia for herself and not her country. When Mat reacts against the idea that marrying Tuon makes him royalty, it just kinda makes him look dumb, because we've been given nothing of value in Tuon herself as a person, and no reason for Mat to care about her.

With Tuon, Mat talks about how she's better than other nobles, but nothing she actually does on the page is better than any other Seanchan noble. It's all 'footage not found'. By contrast, every single positive thing that Gen says about Attolia is backed up by the text and we even get shown additional positive qualities that no one needs to talk about because it's right there in the text.

With Tuon, it feels like Mat is attempting to gaslight me (and himself?) into believing that an interesting character exists there despite all the evidence against it, while Attolia simply is a compelling character based on what happens on the page.

That fact that there are so many raw similarities between the two pairings, but my reaction to them are so different really does illustrate the importance of execution, imo. Attolia and Gen's romance manages to travel so much further than Mat and Tuon's, while also being considerably more economical with how many pages it took to get us there.

The point-by-point comparison (aka WoT's failure of execution):

Tuon's interior life is poorly illustrated in comparison to Attolia's; because she starts off as an even worse person than Attolia but so much less character work is done on her than on Attolia, who is haunted this entire book by how she has "sunk so low as to torture boys" (on that note, Turner's choice to make Gen the younger and more openly vulnerable one really works here).

Seeing that Attolia's handmaidens are genuinely affectionate and protective of her at the end of this book is so incredibly touching, because she had no expectation of their loyalty (she believes in the loyalty of gold, and gold alone, for the most part). Tuon, otoh, has slaves that she expects to be subservient and loyal unto death, so her slaves' affection for her (that was trained into them) is something that completely fails to move me. This difference in the expectations of the character also makes a huge difference in how their PoVs come off -- Attolia's walls are due to her internal vulnerability and we get to see that vulnerability in her PoVs; while Tuon comes across as full of herself and incredibly arrogant, taking everyone around her for granted.

We're told that Tuon is smart and perceptive but rarely get any evidence; while Turner shows us Attolia's intelligence and how she sees a lot more than people like the Medes ambassador believe that she does. We get to see Attolia's intelligence in how she tricks the Medes ambassador into believing that she's so much less perceptive and intelligent than she truly is. This is another place where Jordan's unwillingness to ever place Tuon into a genuinely vulnerable position really hurt the character. Turner wasn't afraid to make Attolia the underdog and knew that it wouldn't undermine her as a character, it would strengthen her, because we would get to see who she was in adversity. The set-up of Crossroads of Twilight should have led to us seeing Tuon in adversity but Jordan was allergic to allowing her to be truly vulnerable, and gave her people to hide behind (Selucia & Setalle Anan) the entire time.

Mat as an agent of chaos is wildly downplayed in comparison to Gen as an agent of chaos. The Seanchan end up getting spared the chaos that the end of the Age brought to pretty much every other society, even though Mat seems clearly positioned to bring their society crashing down even as late as Winter's Heart. Gen's actions, otoh, are constantly throwing other people's plans off.

Mat does not behave realistically to the horrible things that Tuon says and does -- with Gen, even though we find out towards the last third of the book that he was already in love with Attolia before the book begins, we still get his raw reactions to her doing things that hurt him. He has nightmares after she orders his hand cut off, his pained begging of her not to hurt him again, and how he develops his own mask of impassiveness that is modeled on her own. Gen also never throws away his moral code in order to try to force himself to be at peace with the relationship -- he grows and changes as a character as a result of his trauma, but he stays himself at the core.

Something else that Jordan could have used more in the books that would have helped develop an understanding of why Mat believes that something exists beyond Tuon's 'cold Empress mask' would have been to make the comparison between Rand's mask and Tuon's mask more clear in the narrative. Because there's too much separation in time between Rand and Mat's interactions with Mat and Tuon's interactions. In this book, seeing that Eddis also needs to put up a queenly mask of not caring about Gen at first (in front of the Attolian guards when they return him to her after his hand has been cut off) helps illustrate why Attolia needs the mask that she uses -- Eddis doesn't trust the Attolians, but Attolia feels like she can trust absolutely no one, and so she always needs the mask and feels like she can never take it off. That's compelling! It could have been compelling in Tuon too, if it had been written better.

On that note: Turner personalizes the damage that Attolia's cold mask and her ruthless defense of herself/her country is doing by having her hurt Gen directly, and that being something that she struggles with over the course of the book. With WoT, Jordan basically did everything he could to hide away the damage that Tuon/the Seanchan were doing from Mat in order to try to justify why he could ~fall in love~ with her (was it intentional? to set their relationship up for a fall later in the Outriggers? we'll never know) without ever actually changing Tuon/the Seanchan for the better, which also meant giving Tuon no reason to have any internal struggles over the choices that she's made.

Gen and Attolia get another thing that Mat and Tuon desperately needed but that Jordan refused to give them: privacy. They negotiate getting married (after Gen has kidnapped Attolia in a much more narratively satisfying kidnapping than Mat and Tuon's!) in privacy, just between the two of them; when we get the conversation about their feelings at the end, again it happens in private. That makes a huge difference. Jordan being unwilling to ever actually yank Tuon away from her full power base and her slaves was a huge hindrance to ever allowing her to be vulnerable. And I do chalk this up to unwillingness and not failures due to plot set-up because there is no good reason to have Selucia tag along on the kidnapping and then it's even more bizarre in CoT & KoD, when the character of Setalle Anan goes from being fond of Mat to all of a sudden acting like he's the worst person in the world and she must protect poor helpless baby girl Tuon from him.

Both Attolia and Tuon get tricked by their respective love interests about who they are as a person because of the facade that they put up, but Attolia still has respect for Gen and his skills, even as she doubts his character, and it is Gen's own actions that show her who he really is and make her believe in him; while with Tuon and Mat, she spends over a month with him and still refuses to look past his surface until she literally has her face rubbed into it by seeing the Band's reactions to him. This difference is a key one in making Attolia's failure to see Gen as a failure due to the protective walls that she has up; while Tuon's failure comes across as her just not being very perceptive or intelligent. And the fact that we don't get the moment when Tuon begins to have even the faintest shred of respect for Mat until the end of Knife of Dreams just meant that I felt even more like all the pages time that Jordan spent on the two of them in CoT & KoD was a complete waste of my time.

We got to have genuine reactions from all of Gen's loved ones about the relationship! This is a huge place where, I guess, Sanderson is the one who failed for a change instead of Jordan because wtf was Perrin's "lol you married now bro? haha" reaction to Mat being married to a slaver? Though Jordan also does this to a certain extent with Thom, who we are supposed to believe is in love with Moiraine, and yet who never calls Mat out on courting a woman who would enslave and torture Moiraine if she had the chance. By contrast, Eddis is genuinely hesitant and worried because of everything they've heard about how cold Attolia is, and because she's the reason that Gen's hand was cut off.

We get to see Attolia and Gen develop a shared language and see behind each other's walls. The moment when she wears the earrings that he left for her, and he knows that it means she's chosen to marry him of her own free will is such a huge and impactful moment, and the only people who are aware of what it means are Attolia and Gen! This is really a failure that happens based on earlier failures of execution: because Mat and Tuon are never allowed to be alone together, it's impossible for them to develop this kind of shared coding and shared language.

12. We also have the 'footage not found' issue, where one of the characters (mostly Mat) tries to tell me something about Tuon but the narrative completely fails to back it up: this is the case with Tuon being intelligent and perceptive (in the narrative shown to us, she never picks up on anything until her nose is forcibly rubbed in it); and this is case with Mat thinking near the end of Knife of Dreams that Tuon belongs in the same 'better than other nobles' bucket as Talmanes when she has never shown herself to be willing to make better choices than other Seanchan nobles: he is still, at this point, worrying that she might enslave him and turn him into her cupbearer; she has not only threatened but actually assaulted his companions; whenever she's placed in a position of power over other people, she takes advantage of it and them. We're told that she's not a child but she also throws a tantrum (and pottery) at Mat at the start of Crossroads of Twilight. This could have worked if Jordan had leaned into the fact that Mat is deliberately lying to himself in order to make his marriage bearable, but that's where things like randomly having Setalle Anan go over to Tuon's side messes with that narrative.

13. When Jordan has Mat think about how Tuon dying would be a deep loss to him, it's just baffling because she has not done a single thing the entire 'courtship' that has shown why in the world Mat would feel that way. All of the attempts at reaching out during the courtship are Mat's, while Tuon just smugly accepts it as her due. Because Attolia doesn't just accept Gen's love as her due, because she actually doesn't believe him and challenges him on it, we get to hear his justification of it and why he feels that way, and then we also get to see her reciprocation. The relationship is a two-way street in The Queen of Attolia.

14. Which ties into the fact that Jordan chose to make Tuon not just a slaver but an enthusiastic slaver who enjoys the slave-breaking process and that is an incredibly dark place to start a character but it could have worked if it had been the beginning of Tuon's character arc and we'd actually watched her change and grow from that position. And she had the narrative set up for it! In her very first chapter, the reader learns that Tuon has the ability to learn to channel! She was created with the narrative juice to have a compelling arc about accepting the truth about herself and her people. And then Jordan gave that arc to Bethamin instead, lol.

15. In both of these stories 'fate' does kinda serve up Gen/Mat to Attolia/Tuon on a silver platter, but the execution of the storylines makes the reveal that fate was acting to push the two of them together so much more effective in The Queen of Attolia. Choice is a much larger consideration in Attolia and Gen's relationship than it is in Mat and Tuon's. There are elements of the higher powers of the world at work in both relationships, but Attolia and Gen have to put in the work themselves and have to face hard emotional truths in order to get us to the satisfying ending. I get the impression that Tuon wouldn't know an emotional truth if it spit in her eye. We actively see both Gen and Attolia consider and reject the idea of solving their main problem (about the war) without needing to get married; we see them choose their marriage and each other.

With Mat and Tuon, this is a lot more muddled. Fate/the Pattern/the 'finn want them to marry each other but we never get any kind of payoff as to why, and this is primarily because of Jordan's other storylines imo. He should not have had Rand already willing to make peace with the Seanchan in his separate storyline. Convincing Rand to be willing should have been Mat's job (because that also would mean that Mat would need to make the arguments to convince the readers). Jordan showing at the end of KoD that Rand is willing to make a deal with the Seanchan, even at the cost of giving in on the matter of slavery, basically completely voided any narrative reason for Mat and Tuon to get married, but without the satisfaction of seeing the two of them grow to a place where they would actively make that choice rather than being motivated by what they believe is necessary (due to prophecy).

There really were the bones of a potentially compelling story with Mat and Tuon, and I really do hope that the show (when we get there) is able to take those bones and turn it into a genuinely compelling story.

#the queen's thief #butterfly reads tqt #butterfly book club #wot book spoilers #a memory of light #wot #wheel of time #seanchan cw #wot meta #my wot meta #irene of attolia #eugenides #mat cauthon

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