#and there are more interesting contrasts to bring up such as how silver and blaze have been handled differently despite being in similar

[seventeendeer]

if you feel up to infodumping about it, i would love to hear your opinions on the Weird Writing for sonic the hedgehog's female characters. i've always had a massive soft spot for elise she's such a strange person when you look past the Generic Love Interest framing of her story and i really wish she'd gotten her own game

Ahhh thank you for enabling me, I have SO MANY THOUGHTS on this subject!! I've been super fascinated with the weird gender dynamics emerging in the franchise ... nearly since female characters were added at all. I think I've only really been able to put my thoughts into words recently, but it's a subject I've been interested in since I first got into the series as a kid.

(Also, I feel you on the subject of Elise - super interesting character more or less accidentally emerging from a very bland role)

Note: As usual, I’m mostly talking about the mainline games and Sonic X. While Sonic has a lot of spinoffs, I think Sonic X is so close to the spirit of the games that it is not a stretch to count it as an entry in the series’ core installments, particularly the second series/season 3. Especially because it originated in the same era as most of the lore currently defining the games, and there was a lot of migration back and forth between the two continuities regarding both characters and worldbuilding.

Anyway! On the subject of gendered writing in Sonic stories!

IMO, the biggest paradox in the Sonic games' and anime’s approach to female characters is that sexist writing is all over the place ... and yet the female cast is overwhelmingly the most layered and thematically interesting! Which they're then generally tortured and killed for. Whoops.

In order to understand why, I think it's important to remember that at its core, Sonic is very heavily inspired by shonen anime. If anyone's interested, look into the games' weird copycat relationship with Dragonball Z, for one. Sonic games wish they were Dragonball games so bad, it has negatively affected much of their history (Shadow's repeated Vegeta-ification is a good example).

Like shonen anime (it's right there in the name!), Sonic assumes a male player, a male audience. For this reason, you'll have a wealth of "cool" male characters to play as. Cool designs, cool powers, more diverse roles. Playable female characters are extremely limited, with only Amy and Rouge being sincere attempts to diversify the central cast just a tiny bit (Cream and Blaze used to qualify as well, but I'd argue they eventually graduated to the second category I'm about to talk about; more on them later). The main downside of this role is that characters the player is expected to project onto become limited in the kinds of stories and arcs they're 'allowed' by the writers to participate in. They're intentionally kept static so they can neatly slot into multiple narratives without being disruptive. Many of the male characters have vestigial emotional arcs - Tails' insecurities, Knuckles' complicated feelings toward his ancestors, etc. - but they're never allowed to go anywhere, directly influence the narrative or conclude in a meaningful way. They’re here to observe, then save the day, and that’s it. Anything beyond that would complicate continuity between games - or worse, jeopardize Baby Boy’s First Power Fantasy.

On the flipside, many of the story-heavy games employ one-off supporting characters as the emotional core of their respective narratives. And what kinds of characters make great foils to cool, powerful, emotionally repressed dudes primarily existing independently of their own stories? Less action-oriented, highly emotional girls absolutely fucking drowning in that narrative sauce.

Let me be clear: it’s sexist. Defining male characters by their cool powers and ability to save the day, while female characters are defined by their suffering and need for help, is deeply sexist.

Let me be clear, part two: characters who are closely tied to their narratives, who embody the themes of their own stories, who are allowed to struggle, who are allowed to express emotions and for those emotions to directly influence the narrative, are largely much more interesting characters.

Characters who come to some form of resolution are more interesting.

Unfortunately, Sonic games are largely a strange exercise in placing cute, simple cartoon animal characters into weirdly brutal, tonally inconsistent stories that circle themes of sacrifice like sharks smelling blood.

And so the girls die. Or they’re emotionally broken. Or they’re separated from their friends - and thus the spotlight - forever.

A rundown of major female Sonic characters, their narrative purpose, and the price they had to pay for it:

- Tikal: A peace-loving ghost girl serving as a spirit guide in her sole game appearance. Revealed to have been betrayed by her power-hungry family, forcing her to seal her soul away for thousands of years in order to prevent the end of the world. When the threat passed, it seems her spirit did too.

- Maria: A deathly ill 12-year-old who lived in a sterile care facility on a space station, but retained hope that one day she would be well enough to return to Earth. She stood up to armed military forces to save her brother figure/best friend, and got fridged for the trouble.

- Cream: Introduced as a playable character, but largely discarded by the franchise after her sole moment of real character focus in the anime. A character introduced as a pacifist who hates violence, eventually forced to beat a close friend to death in order to protect her other friends.

- Blaze: Also initially a playable character who had one Big Moment(tm), then vanished from the plot after only starring in a single followup game. Once best friends with Silver, she chose to absorb a rampaging god into her soul in order to save him and the rest of the world. Time and space were rewritten, and she resurfaced in a parallel universe where she grew up alone and horribly bullied. Though she and Silver have met again, they never have officially reconnected and don’t remember their past life together.

- Elise: A vessel for a powerful evil who grew up emotionally distant from all other people in order to keep the evil contained. When she finally made a friend, she was forced to rewrite time so they would never meet in an attempt to save the world. There’s a chance she’s faring better in the new timeline, but how would we know? She vanished from the plot as soon as she’d made that sacrifice.

- Cosmo: The last of her kind, save for the small group of villains who murdered the rest of their people. Went through hell in the one season of the anime she was featured in, then promptly died in order to gain revenge on her enemies and save her friends.

- Shade: We don’t know if there were more plans for her character after her debut game, but as it stands, she showed up, was first brainwashed, then betrayed by her own people, and chose to leave behind everything she knew in order to protect the world from her family and former friends.

Note that these are all the major female characters who show up in the games and anime, save for Amy and Rouge. And that’s not even counting the female leads of the storybook spinoff games, Merlina (a hero turned villain who did everything in her power to save her world from future ruin, defeated and left to grieve over her inability to change a thing) and Shahra (another girl who died to save a friend; revived at the end of her story but never seen again), or Molly from the anime who did some kinda sick speedrun strat, showing up in ONE episode where she had her heart broken and committed murder/suicide after she was betrayed by people she trusted.

By contrast, we have exactly one male character who follows the same pattern - Shadow, who went through similar emotional troubles and was intended to die at the end of his debut game. However, due to popular fan demand, he was brought back to life and added to the roster of recurring male characters. He even had much of his depth culled from newer games to match the rest.

Much spin-off media does better in certain ways, but I don’t know ... there’s something about that extremely consistent pattern in the main games and anime. It’s such an interesting paradox, having the female cast be simultaneously the most layered and well-written, but also the ones at highest risk of being emotionally tortured and discarded.

It’s definitely not a pattern unique to Sonic either, but by virtue of being such mindless feel-good stories where a good attitude and good friends can literally work miracles, I think it just stands out all the more. This loyalty to the concept of altruism and respect for soft emotions, paired with insistence on tragedy.

But only if you’re a girl. If you’re a girl, you are at once special and expendable.

You’re the only one who’s allowed to really embody the emotional truth of whatever absurd plotline the writers have cooked up this afternoon, you’re the only one who’s allowed to really express what this story is about at its core, but also you have to die for it. Or be sent away. You can’t be here anymore, at least.

I have no idea who writes these games. I could not tell you if there really is an emotional core, if anyone is actually putting in effort. I don’t know if it matters, either. Death of the author, etc.

What I do know is that there’s a meta-narrative here.

Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Silver, Omega, Vector, Espio, Charmy, Big, and sometimes even Mighty and Ray, go out on fun adventures to save the day. Amy and Rouge are here for flavor. We’ve decided Shadow can come, too, if he stops talking about his dead family all the time.

Tikal, Maria, Cream, Blaze, Elise, Cosmo and Shade (etc) show up for just a moment in time, go through trauma and heartbreak, and then disappear. Maybe they’ll have an unvoiced cameo later. If they’re lucky. If people like them enough.

There’s no real point to this, aside from explaining why I’m weirdly invested in just ... the concept of female existence in a children’s franchise mostly aimed at boys. Where everything will be okay, except when it won’t. Except when we need that bit of salt in the wound, so the victory will feel important, earned.

The price of getting real for just a moment being narrative death, if not straight up literal death.

Above all, Sonic games are cute. They’re appealing because they’re stupid and wholesome and weird. I love the male characters too, I’m not here for attempts at complexity, I’m here to have fun.

I’ve just also been feeling incredibly tempted as of late to write an ‘escape the narrative’ type deconstruction of these exact tropes, heavily inspired by Sonic and other children’s media in the same genre.

“Boys do stuff but have no feelings, girls have feelings but should endure all manner of suffering in order to protect others” is ... not an irrelevant theme to explore in our current media landscape, if you ask me.

even if I never get around to writing that, at least I made a sick Sonic AMV about all those poor girls going through hell for the sake of The Narrative, I should upload that sometime lol

also hey I haven’t finished Sonic Frontiers yet - sure hope nothing bad happens to our new melancholy girl character closely tied to her debut game’s story and themes ..!

[true-blue-sonic]

How would you describe Silver's personality?

Let's see... There's a few aspects of Silver's personality that I think strongly characterise who he is as a person.

Silver is determined. He has a strong desire to protect the future, to the point where he's made multiple trips to the past to stop disasters from occurring there and ensure the safety of his own time in turn. Related to this, Silver has an optimistic attitude and generally doesn't lose hope easily, as conveyed in multiple bios such as his one from Generations. Notably, he shoots down Infinite's statements about how he'll show the rabble that "there is no hope" immediately, asking "Does anyone but you believe your lies?!". However, this is not infallible: in both Rivals 1 and 2 there's moments wherein Silver loses his hope ("No! I'm too late!" in Rivals 1 when Eggman Nega goes to space to take a picture of the whole planet; "It's too late. I knew there was way for me to change the future…" in Rivals 2 when the portal to the Ifrit's dimension opens despite his efforts). However, it also takes little for him to get this hope back again: the very instance there's the slightest indication things can turn around, he's back on it again. This is seen in both Rivals games and also '06, where Elise pointing out she feels Sonic's presence in the wind makes Silver give her a rousing speech with the idea she can use the Emeralds to bring Sonic back again.

Silver is sassy, rude, and blunt. In Colours DS, he's got a clear opinion on Eggman's Experience the Future ride that is conveyed in quite a sarcastic manner ("They think THAT is what the future is like? Please." and saying Sonic should give it a pass), and he similarly expresses rather abrasive statements about people who are not his allies. Notably, even Sonic remarked once that Silver is getting on his nerves (in Rivals 1). He mocks Sonic in '06 after their first battle ("Hmpf! Is this a joke? How could someone like you cause the destruction of our world?"), and immediately rudely regards Knuckles after getting the information he wants out of him in Rivals 1 ("Got no time to explain it to someone like you… See ya!" followed by "Like I said before, I don't have time to deal with you right now. See ya!"). In Forces, he bluntly tells Knuckles "Who cares what it's called?" about Operation Big Wave, stressing the fact that a good strategy is more important than a good name. Overall, Silver also has a temper: especially in the Rivals games, he quickly goes to throwing hands when someone expresses scepticism about his mission or makes fun of him as a person. It certainly doesn't seem like he is okay with letting people walk over him!

In an interesting contrast to the above point, Silver is also kind and cherishes his friends dearly. In '06, he puts his entire mission to defeat the Iblis Trigger on hold when deciding to help Amy find her person she was looking for first. I am not actually sure why he does so: I think the fact the past is so beautiful and the people are happy there helped inspire him to spread that kindness to the girl who's been kind to him in turn so far? But Silver clearly cares for his friends and allies: in '06, he is distraught by the fact he'll lose Blaze to save the world, he is similarly seen with a hurt expression when Sonic's alleged death is brought up in Forces, and in Rivals 2, he is genuinely grateful to Espio for the help Espio gave him in stopping the Ifrit from destroying the world.

Silver is honest, to the point of being blunt also... and this thus means that he is not always taken seriously. In a Sonic Channel story, he tells a group of Soleannan officials that he is from the future and gives that as reason why he knows calamity will befall a specific place in Soleanna; this is precisely why he is not believed. In Rivals 2, he is very clear about needing the Chao to save the world: Knuckles and Rouge promptly determine that this is something highly unlikely and that his psychic powers must have made Silver "a bit goofy", despite the fact Silver is entirely correct.

Silver is not always correct in his thinking, but it is difficult to change his mind. It also seems that once he gets encouragement that he is perchance doing the right thing, he goes right back to his earlier ideas: seen in '06 with Blaze's statements about what must be done to change the future, where it took an intervention by Shadow and a trip to the past to change Silver's mind about Sonic in full. However, Silver does show the ability to be introspective. After his fallout with Amy in '06, he is sitting quietly by himself, entirely unengaged with his mission to destroy the Iblis Trigger and instead wondering if hurting one person to help many others is "right". In Rivals 2 he is the one who figures that just endlessly fighting is actually against his goal of collecting Chao, and thus he turns that very goal around into a battle with Sonic wherein the victory conditions are to collect the most Chao. And in Colours DS, he is the one taking note of the fact it feels like he and Blaze have fought together before, after Sonic points out they were in perfect sync.

Silver seems to like fighting and has a bit of a Blood Knight mentality. In Generations, he expresses happiness at brawling with Sonic again in a rematch (stating that it should be fun), and in Colours DS he is intrigued to find out what the robots in Sonic's era can do (but unfortunately has to face Orbot and Cubot, making him lament that there was no challenge). Similarly, in the Triumph cutscene of mission 2-3 in Colours DS, he almost begins one-upping Blaze about how he could easily have handled the likes of Orbot and Cubot by himself, to Blaze's displeasure. He thus also seems confident in his own abilities, helped by the fact his powers are tremendously strong and can do amazing feats.

Silver is sharp and takes note of small, almost insignificant details to come to correct conclusions. In Rivals 1, he notices "Eggman" is actually Eggman Nega due to his speech and mannerisms, as well as a small slip of Nega about how there'd be nobody to stand in his way in the past and future. He is also only shown as gullible in '06: in Generations, he originally fights Sonic because he's not sure if the real deal is asking him for the Chaos Emerald (thus not blindly trusting that someone who looks like Sonic actually is Sonic), and in Team Sonic Racing he is right on top of Eggman's plans with the Ultimate Energy Engine. In Rivals 2, he immediately determines at the first appearance of "Eggman" that it is actually Eggman Nega trying to pull the same trick as before, where he is shown to be correct as well.

This got very long, and I am certain I am missing some (or perhaps even many) things. I've written multiple posts about parts of Silver's personality before, but leave it to Tumblr to not return those to me, haha. But I think these are some of the most important aspects of Silver's personality! Lastly, there's also some things that are not explicitly stated but that I think do fit his personality well:

Silver appreciates the small things, things that other people might not notice so easily. His favourite thing is noted to be the blue sky in the Mario & Sonic games which is also shown with him stating that "the sky [of the past] is gorgeous" in '06, he marvels at the desert area of that game (that Amy notably shows more disregard for, asking him "What? You mean this desert?"), and he is multiple times noted to have awareness of the happiness of a whole world: the above quote is followed with "and everyone's happy", and in Colours DS he says "The sky is blue, and everyone's got a smile". A blue sky and the fact the people of the world all have a smile are not extremely noteworthy things, but they're clearly important enough for Silver to mention them both in two games.

Silver doesn't care much about what others think of him. The only time I can recall wherein he reacted crabby to someone poking fun at him is in Rivals 2, where Knuckles calls him crazy for thinking the Chao will be necessary to stop the world from being destroyed (here Silver's response is "I'll show you how crazy I am"). What he is doing furthermore also directly relates to him wanting to save the world, which could explain his annoyance at Knuckles not believing him. The only time wherein Silver has gotten anything akin to flustered in the games is, at the top of my head, '06 wherein Amy gets the jump on him and doesn't let him get a word inbetween her spiel before she drags him off to go find Sonic.

[crusherthedoctor]

If you had full creative freedom for a brand new Sonic cartoon, what would you do with it?

This is by no means a complete list of what I'd do, but it gives you a general idea all the same.

- Since Sonic X was long ago by this point, I think it'd be nice to have another attempt at an anime, particularly if it looked something like the OVA or the animated intro for Riders. The actual art direction would basically take the Modern designs, but place them in a world that combines the best visual elements of SA1 and the Classics/Advances/Mania.

- I don't care if the writers are Japanese or American. Treating one as better simply because they're Japanese/American is a tad too elitist and extremist IMO, especially since neither of them have perfect marks when it comes to writing for this franchise. Whoever the writers are, all that matters is that the writing is good.

- It would have a lot more in common with the game universe. Since there have been so many adaptations that practically make a point about doing their own wacky thing (even the ones that claim to be linked to the games...), I think a more genuinely faithful adaptation would be welcome. There would be minor differences of course, and I'm open to taking notes from the better aspects of certain adaptations, but the overall spirit and characterizations would be reasonably consistent with the games.

- Stories would be brand new. Callbacks and references to existing plots is fine, and I wouldn't necessarily mind a show to the side that tackles adaptations ala Pokemon Origins, but overall, I'd rather have new refreshing adventures rather than adapt SA1/SA2 for the millionth time.

- The tone would pretty much be like SA1. Funny and tense in equal measures, never goes too far in either direction. Whether it's a funny moment or a serious moment, it would be sincere. Self-aware enough to be able to acknowledge the weirdness and be willing to poke fun at itself, but not to the point of being overly self-deprecating and pandering to the franchise’s detractors.

- The lore would connect certain plotlines to each other on SOME occasions, and only if the logic was reasonable and kept to a minimum. It would not be all tied together in an overly contrived manner that ends up leaving no interesting questions. In other words, the S3&K/SA1 connection through Angel Island's lore would be fine, but there'd be no “Did you know the Black Arms worshipped Solaris, went to war with Chaos, were the offspring of Dark Gaia, and wrote the Arabian Nights???” bollocks.

- Sonic, Tails, Amy and Cream would make up the main quartet, with their personalities and bonds bouncing off each other. Other characters would appear and be of importance, but only when their involvement is justified. Said characters including - but not limited to - Knuckles, Team Dark, the Chaotix, Blaze, Big, G-Merl, and even Tikal and Chaos.

- Likewise, Eggman and his Badnik army would naturally be the main villains. Other villains who aren't affiliated with him are free to exist and get their own time in the spotlight (as long as they're not shit and don't need to upstage the doctor to look credible), but Eggman is a plague to the world in spite of his eccentric qualities, and is treated accordingly. He does what he wants, and unless you’re Sonic and/or his friends, there’s not a thing you can do about it.

- Since they appeared in Sonic Forces Mobile, I would MAYBE be willing to include Tangle and Whisper if they were allowed. Starline too, but only if he keeps his simp privilege this time, if ya know what I’m saying. The Hard-Boiled Heavies would definitely be there, because they're too good to be only used once.

Regarding certain characters in particular:

- Sonic is not dumb. Nor is he an asshole. He can be rough around the edges, he can make hasty decisions depending on whether he feels it’s the right thing to do, but at the end of the day, he’s still as good a guy as any good guy could be, and as long as you’re not a villain or a Penders-tier asshole, he’ll be friendly with you. You’d still have to deal with quips of course, but that’s just how he is, right?

- Tails maintains his independent streak from SA1, but he still thinks the world of Sonic and would drop everything in an instant if the hedgehog ever needed his help. Though his more cautious approach occasionally clashes with Sonic being a little more gung-ho (albeit not to the point of flanderization), he always has full faith in his big bro.

- The handling of Amy's crush would be perfectly balanced. Not too overwhelming to the point of acting irrational and chasing Sonic like a loony, but not too downplayed to the point where it might as well not be there at all. That said, more focus would be placed on her other traits and interests, such as her tarot cards and her bond with Cream.

- Knuckles would still be prone to gullible and less-than-flattering moments, because it's Knuckles, but more focus would be given to his admirable attributes, like his expertise in translating ancient texts, and occasionally making good points when in an clash of ideas with Sonic.

- Shadow's backstory would remain the same at its core (though maybe without the aliens), but it'd be altered to be less edgy. For example, rather than getting capped, Maria would succumb to her illness, and Gerald's anger would instead be the result of feeling betrayed by G.U.N. for denying him the means/funds to be able to cure her.

- Metal Sonic is fiercely loyal to Eggman, but his identity crisis would also be on full blast, and eventually he'd realise the oxymoron of believing himself to be Sonic while working for Eggman. Rather than turn traitor and wear elf shoes however, Metal would try to rationalize this to himself... with insane results. Eggman knows about this, and would humor it as long as it benefits him. He'd probably also bring out the other Mecha Sonics now and then for no other reason than to confuse Metal even more. Because he's a dick.

- The Sol Dimension now includes Soleanna, which would be the main kingdom. (It's already got Sol in the name anyway.) Since Blaze would be the ruler because of this, his sadly means that Elise would probably have to get cut, but ah well. Due to the change in context, Solaris would be built up as the Sol Dimension's equivalent to Chaos, with more focus on their contrasts (Chaos is water while Solaris is light, Chaos looks aquatic/reptilian while Solaris looks like a bird, Chaos' turn to evil was caused by an ancient event while Solaris' turn to evil was caused by scientists, etc).

- If Silver were in this show, he'd be no more of a casual acquaintance to Blaze than he would be to Sonic. Instead, her tagalong would be Marine. Though Blaze would still get annoyed by Marine's antics at first, she would come around to gaining more respect for her whenever the situation justified it.

- Trudy would-

[vannahfanfics]

Rainy Days

Category: Mild Romantic Fluff

Fandom: Fruits Basket

Characters: Tohru Honda, Kyo Sohma

The subtle hint of hibiscus hung in the air as Tohru scrubbed the dishware with the magenta floral-scented dish soap. Bubbles wafted in the air, their effervescent membranes sheening with curvy rainbows before bursting spontaneously. Tohru hummed a poppy tune under her breath as she finished the last of the dishes; she'd heard it on the radio at work yesterday, and it'd been stuck in her head ever since. As she placed the clean white plate in the drying rack, she swung her hips exaggeratedly and flapped her arms a little, splattering water droplets over the counter. 

"There we go! All finished!" she chirped as she swept a dish towel over the counter to clean up the spilled water. She dried her damp hands before folding the cloth neatly and setting it beside the sink. Smiling proudly, she flicked her bangs from her face with one hand while gripping her hip with the other. "Dishes are all done, so now it's off to work!" she proclaimed in a sing-song tune. Just as she was about to head off to her bedroom to get ready, a splattering, splashing sound drifted into her ears. Blinking, she instinctively glanced at the window above the sink to find raindrops pounding against the glass. 

"Oh? The rain started early," she frowned. The weather report had predicted that the storm wouldn't roll in until an hour after Tohru got to work, but meteorology wasn't exactly a perfect science. It wasn't like the atmosphere was exchanging memos with the meteorologists! It's not raining hard, so I should be able to suffice with just an umbrella! Tohru reasoned as she skipped out of the kitchen. Yuki and Shigure were watching the developing weather report with keen interest, while Kyo was slumped over the kotatsu table, barely awake and groaning petulantly. Tohru couldn't help but snicker; Kyo's cat-like habit of snoozing on rainy days was just too endearing. 

"Miss Honda," Yuki quipped as she passed into the hallway joining the kitchen and living room, "are you sure you should go to work today? They're predicting that the storm will get quite bad." Tohru smiled sweetly in response to his concern. 

"Oh, it's all right. I'm sure it'll blow over by the time I get off! Besides, it's too late to call out. I'll be all right!" she reassured him. Without pulling his gaze from the television screen, Shigure clicked his tongue. 

"Our dear sweet Tohru, so hard-working and full of integrity," the older man sighed dramatically. Kyo whined under his breath at the wheedling in Shigure's voice and cracked an eye open to glare at him. 

"Shaddup. God, why are you so irritating this early in the morning?"

"Stupid cat, it's already nine." 

"I didn't ask you!" Kyo hissed at the silver-haired boy, invisible hackles bristling at Yuki's detested huff. Squinting angrily, Kyo slid off the table to flop onto his side and curl up on the floor. His eyes peered at Tohru through the bright orange hair that fell into his face. "Anyway, just don't come home cryin' that your rain boots are all full of water, ya hear?" Tohru giggled again and shook her head. His tone was as gruff as always, but she knew that behind the harsh words existed genuine worry. 

"I'll be just fine!" she insisted before dashing off to her room. She grabbed her umbrella and her purse before running back down the hall, heading for the front door. "I'll see you all this evening! I'm making beef stew for dinner tonight!" Shigure cried out at her announcement, melodramatically holding the back of his hand to his forehead.

"Oh! Tohru, what would we do without you? Don't forget your raincoat!" Tohru paused at the front door to shuffle through her shoulder bag until she spied the edge of a rubber cloth in the depths. In the gloom of her purse, it looked like the pink-and-white fabric of her raincoat. 

"I’ve got it! Bye now!" she called back before scampering out of the door. She unfolded her umbrella as she jumped off the porch, and the rubber sang as the cascading raindrops pounded against it. Tohru smiled pleasantly as she inhaled deep to drink in the aroma of disturbed earth and the slightly salty rain. I love rainy days! she thought. As she set a brisk pace down the path, she jumped through the puddles, splashing her boots with the muddy water. Her giggles joined in with the symphony of the raindrops, completing the aura of contentment. 

The storm continued throughout Tohru’s workday, though she didn’t notice. Humming the same poppy tune, she proceeded through her list of tasks for the day- cleaning all the windows, sweeping and mopping, and taking out the trash. Time always flies when one is busy, so five p.m. came very quickly. Tohru stored her work cart and uniform and headed towards the front of the building after bidding her coworkers farewell. She swung her umbrella around her wrist contentedly as she strolled towards the front doors, a bounce in her step as visions of beef stew danced in her head. She screeched to a halt as soon as she walked into the lobby.

“Oh, dear,” Tohru blinked with a faltering smile. “It didn’t blow over…” In contrast, the rainstorm had worsened considerably. Rain slapped in sheets against the glass doors and windows, coating the pains in thick streams that blurred the image of the street into a watery mosaic. Thunder rolled endlessly in the gray heavens, and lightning streaked in jagged white snakes through the thick angry clouds. Their flashes illuminated the street like massive strobe lights to flood the streets and buildings with bright whiteness. Pouting, Tohru tapped her cheek with the pad of her index finger. 

“I have to get home somehow,” she fretted as she pulled up the weather forecast on her cell phone. The thunderstorms were predicted to continue until well into the wee hours of the morning, so there was, unfortunately, no option for Tohru to simply ride it out. Sighing, she slipped her phone back into her bag and sulked at the dismal weather raging outside. 

“O-kay!” she huffed after a few seconds of mental preparation, clenching her fists determinedly. “It’s just a little storm! I can walk home just fine! Come on, Tohru, time to put on your raincoat!” Trilling triumphantly, she fished into her back to pull out the waterproof garment. However, when she grabbed the rubbery material and yanked it out, she was dismayed to find that it was not her raincoat, but rather a little plastic coin purse she’d used her extra funds to purchase for Kisa. Right, she thought as she deflated with disappointment, I was going to surprise Kisa this weekend when she comes over… 

“Well, there goes that idea,” she groaned and slipped the floral-patterned child’s purse back into her bag. Tohru critically inspected her umbrella. It would likely protect her from most of the rain, but with the gusting wind, she’d much rather have a raincoat to keep her clothes from becoming drenched. There’s nothing for it… she lamented with a small sigh. She’d wasted enough time already mulling around; she really ought to hurry home so she could get dinner started. As the automatic doors slid open to allow her exit, she opened up the umbrella, protecting herself as the gale blasted water towards her. A few stray raindrops splattered into her hair, threading the brown strands like dewdrops. 

Tohru held the umbrella at an angle to protect herself from most of the slanted rainfall, but the calves of her skinny jeans were soon darkened to a deep indigo blue. Water began to slide down into her rainboots and dampen her socks, making her wriggle uncomfortably. She thought back to Kyo’s comment. Maybe I should have taken more effort to make sure I had my coat, she sighed forlornly.

Because she held the umbrella out in front of her, Tohru’s field of vision was limited; therefore, she didn’t realize that someone was in front of her until she bumped right into them. 

“Oh! I’m so sorry!” she squeaked and threw her umbrella up instinctively. She yelped when the wind exploded in her face, spraying her front with water. She blinked rapidly as the water dripped down her cheeks and chin. “Oh my.” 

“Yeesh…” came the sarcastic groan from in front of her. Tohru recognized the voice immediately and glanced up to see Kyo’s scowling face. He had a white umbrella propped over his shoulder and was wearing a brown-and-white raincoat that made the orange hair peeking out from underneath the hood blaze all the brighter. “You’re hopeless. I came all this way to bring your raincoat to you, and you’ve already made it pointless.” 

“I’m sorry,” she whined on reflex and looked morosely at her soaked clothes. Her cotton blouse clung to her body, crimping up in damp folds around her hips and beneath her bust. Kyo, a bit flustered at how openly the curved of her body were showing, blushed and pushed the raincoat into her chest. 

“H-here! Just put it on already before it gets worse!” he grunted and grabbed her umbrella so he could hold it over her while she slipped into the protective gear. Tohru smiled sweetly at his kind gesture, beaming as she unfolded the coat and wiggled her arms through one of the sleeves.

“Thank you for bringing it all this way, Kyo! I know how much you hate rainy days.” Kyo responded with a small “tch” and looked off into the sodden distance as she slid her other arm through the coat. 

“Yeah, yeah… I just happened to walk by your room and see it hanging on the bedpost. Jeez, you’re such an airhead. I thought you said it was in your purse?” Tohru laughed bashfully as she buttoned up the garment. 

“I was mistaken…” After she took the umbrella back from him, he knocked on her forehead with the back of his hand. “Oh!” she squeaked and rubbed the small mark that bloomed on her skin as a result of his gesture. Kyo smiled softly down at her, making a warm and bubbly feeling blossom in her chest. 

“Well, I guess it’s a good thing you have me to keep an eye out for you, huh?” he chuckled endearingly. Tohru blinked, pink-cheeked, and then nodded with a big beaming smile. 

“Uh-huh!” Her cheeriness, as always, flustered the emotionally constipated boy; his smile fell from his face, replaced by a bashful frown. Whining aloud, he whirled on his heel and rubbed the back of his neck underneath his hood. 

“Gah… A-anyway, let’s stop standin’ around in the rain! I feel like I’m gonna pass out here,” he complained lousy. Giggling, Tohru grabbed the sleeve of his raincoat and tugged him forward as she took off down the sidewalk in a playful sprint. “H-hey!” he cried in alarm, not expecting her to jerk him forward. The water splashed up around her rainboots as she scampered on, calling for Kyo to hurry as she released his sleeve and wrapping both her hands around the handle of the umbrella. She could hear Kyo splashing behind her as he sprinted to catch up. Tohru turned the umbrella back as she glanced heavenward, not minding the raindrops that splashed down over her face and slicked her hair to her forehead. 

I really do love rainy days! She glanced over her shoulder as Kyo caught up, panting and nudging her with his elbow in her sigh. She squirmed away from him with a giggle. Because rainy days just bring people together!

Enjoy this oneshot? Feel free to peruse my Table of Contents!

Tag List: @deliathedork

[adjure]

Chapter 1 - The Child Born of Rebellion Dedicated to @phen0l, thanks for being a constant Magi superstar. :D

This fine evening, you are a guest of the great Kou Empire. Honored in a wicked way, escorted into the throne hall by two guards within a palace you could get lost in; a place that is much too grandiose for the likes of you. 

Nothing separates you from the emperor ahead. Nothing except for however many steps it takes for your legs to carry you there. But they are shackled by chains and weights at the ankles, and your wrists are bound behind your back. The armored guards hold your arms, swords sheathed in a deadly promise. All that is left is for you to do is drag your sore, bare  feet along the clean, revered path of the dragon’s den. Aching body the least willing sacrifice to be made, defiance present in the very breaths you take.

You will never bow your head. Never.

The metal chains clack against one another while your chin cants upwards with careless abandon– or perhaps with the dignity you refuse to let go. Wavering neither when faced by the armored guards shoving you in, nor the moments you stood among the blaze of Kou’s ruined military outpost in the south, your limbs blackened by soot and ash.

Between clusters of clamorous rukh, red hot with unbridled anger, you are forced to kneel by the foot of the throne on scraped and bruised knees, wearing tattered clothes painted with mud and blood. You glare with fiery eyes, indignant enough to warrant your immediate beheading here upon the pristine tiles of Kou’s grand throne hall if he wishes for it.

If he so wills it, then your death comes in one simple gesture. That is what your life amounts to; the flick of a wrist, an order from a pair of lips that should not be different from any other. 

But it is. And what makes his words different from yours, or from the people his army has slain– what makes his words different from the ones born in the slums, the ones bent under his feet, the ones who cannot speak– is that he has robbed the power, the freedom, the rights and liberty of his subjects. Giving nothing but a wash of false security in return under the guise of crafty laws.

This existence of an unbending power looks down upon your ragged form, a man solely crafted to mock people like you; the one who holds the crown, the throne, the glorious warlord risen from what small country Kou used to be. His gaze is sharp and precise, expression betraying nothing.

A mockery to your inability under his overwhelming force.

You see him from behind disheveled hair, a figure wearing dark, silken robes lined with golden, soaring dragons climbing up towards the heavens. The headdress dangles over his face, casting shadows when he moves, a long beard resting on his chest. Two pillars erect on either sides, two generals stand to his left and to his right. They are the emperor’s arms and legs, fingers gripping their spears in unfaltering prowess. 

There is no warmth here in the middle of a merciless winter for you. Although the flames continue to burn, alighting this hall and all its glory, your breaths don’t fail to come out in puffs of fog from parted lips. Ones that curl into a dry, teeth-baring smile. Perhaps closer to a snarl of a cornered beast, whose fingertips are freezing and body trembling with neither fear nor apprehension.

It is raw, gut-wrenching wrath that seizes you when you try to scream, try to stand, only to be slammed down onto the floor. Your jaw and ribs ache, breaths trembling, yet you do not stop struggling. If your blood is to be spilled here– if your corpse will roll here and soil this sacred palace, then your rukh will stay as their reminder and it will be your victory.

At this moment, your voice is nowhere to be found. Hoarse and gone from the screaming, tied by a gag of cloth too fine for you and a knot too tight for comfort. You do not find solace here, as a young child barely thirteen of age, held beneath a man twice your size. And, in a twist of irony, granted an audience by the lord of these lands while being treated worse than a slave.

You are the seed of rebellion that needs to be trampled before your roots grow too deep and too strong.

Emperor Hakutoku is known to be wise and just, powerful and frightening, the perfect figure to stand as both a leader and a father to his citizens. He has conquered many lands, the man to topple Kai and Go and brought them all together. Hailed as a hero, a ruler beloved by all.

Only if they submit.

You? What are you but nothing more than a prize for the royal princes of Kou who have successfully quelled the rebellion of the south? Trekking even the most hazardous of the mountain ranges, maneuvering their soldiers with expertise that exceeds even the greatest warriors of your tribe. No, it was not raw power your people lacked.

It was the fealty Kou soldiers had for the glory of their empire. It was the perverted sense of justice that your tribe lacked as the bloody battle was waged and exhausted your brethrens one by one, while the imperial forces continued to rain down as hell incarnate and razed everything to the ground. Everything replays in your head, vivid as day; clear in the forefront of your skull.

“That’s enough, release the girl.” Suddenly, the weight on your back is no more. Hakutoku’s deep, rumbling order did nothing to gain your gratitude. Only a scoff as you lift your body with a heaving grunt. A snake ready to strike.

But something else strikes first.

“His Imperial Highnesses Crown Prince Hakuyuu and Second Prince Hakuren have requested an audience with the Emperor!” A eunuch’s shrill voice announces the presence of Kou’s two princes from outside of the hall’s gates, causing the silence that has already laid upon you to feel heavier than before. As if you needed more weight on your shoulders. As if you needed it to be harder to breathe.

“Let them in.” Emperor Hakutoku’s order is concise. And soon, two pairs of footsteps– those of trained soldiers, light yet present all the same, march across the long stretch of the gate to the throne. They don’t spare you a glance, and you keep your spine straight where you kneel.

Head up high. Eyes ahead. Chin lifted. Your fingers curl till the knuckles turn  pale.

For those who lived and lost, you keep your trembling body still.

It is then that the princes stop ahead of you on either side, with the younger one (whose wide, pale blue eyes remind you of a bright and cunning fox when he looks your way) to your left. Ren Hakuren stands impressively, sinewy muscles apparent as the fabric of his sleeves roll back as he bends his elbows and clasps a fist within a palm to greet the emperor. The off-white garment is decorated in black and silver, contrasting his elder brother’s darker robes.

And him . Ren Hakuyuu, the owner of a gaze as cold and sharp as iron, piercing like the finest of blades forged during the darkest of dusk. A mirroring pair of blues yet paler than anyone else’s, it catches you the same way the worst of snowstorms would. The crown prince stands there, a silent blizzard with poise befitting of the dragon’s son. And you swallow emptily as they bow in respect towards their royal father.

“Father,” Prince Hakuyuu begins, a voice that naturally demands attention pouring out of those lips like the smoothest of Go liquor, “I implore you, please do not kill this child.”

The short, guttural laugh that comes from Hakutoku twists your guts. A part of you believes bile would rise from your throat to empty your already hollow stomach. “Kill? What makes you think I would?”

“By our own laws, rebels are to be executed.” Hakuyuu’s stance is firm, unbending even as he lifts his head. Hakuren follows. “You are a just ruler, Father, forgive me for being improper but I ask you to break this law.”

Hakutoku’s hand, roughened from decade long scars, stroke his beard. “For a simple child?”

“Father, if I may speak.” It is Hakuren who perks up, tone lighter than Hakuyuu’s ever stern one. Hakuren is earnest, his voice bright. And he lives up to his name, carrying a grace and purity like lotus flowers would, hidden deep in murky waters of the Kou Empire’s expanse.

“You may.”

“Thank you, Father. Brother Hakuyuu and I believe that she would be a great friend for Hakuei. Our sister is still young, but she has yet made any friends with the other princesses.”

Interest piqued, Hakutoku ‘s hand stops and both brows raise high on his forehead. “Then why not ask the general’s children? Or one of the official’s?”

“They might use this opportunity to use Hakuei as their pawn in order to gain your favor.” Once again, Hakuren clasps his hands true to Kou’s greeting and bows his head. “This child has no connections to Kou’s internal politics, and we can keep a close eye on her if she is by Hakuei’s side.”

Hakuyuu says not a word, simply standing there as he glances at you. The exact moment he does, all pairs of eyes present in this room are drilling into your figure, as if willing you to collapse. Your knees and legs have long gone numb, and you dare not close your eyes.

“…I see.”

It is very simple indeed. Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. Young as you may be, you have known what it is like to kill a man, to bury a knife deep into the chest of a soldier as you try to protect those dear to you– feel blood roll down your arms, and another body go limp.

For someone who has grown with war, you have not known peace.

But you know how precious it is to live.

“I will make sure she can do Hakuei no harm,” Hakuyuu adds.

“Then I will entrust you to this, Hakuyuu.”

The process of bringing you from the throne hall to a quiet, desolate corner of the palace far from the main hustle and bustle of imperial activities is much different to the process of hauling you in. The guards had been dismissed some time ago, and you now walk along between the two princes who are keeping up with your excruciatingly slow pace. Your lips twist.

After a long stretch of silence, Hakuren tries to converse with you. He cheerily asks, “What’s your name?”

You don’t answer.

“I don’t think she will talk to either of us, Hakuren.”

“Ah,” comes the sheepish laugh as Hakuren scratches his cheek. “I know, but I thought I’d try. She seems… well, I can’t help but feel a bit pitiful.”

At the word pitiful , you shoot him a glare. Hakuyuu’s lips part when he sighs, and Hakuren simply smiles at you. Seems like you’ve fallen to some trap of his. This cunning second prince.

“A negative reaction is better than none at all!” comes the cheerful announcement as if Hakuren has nothing else to worry about in this world. You clench your jaw and stagger forward, feeling the pricks on your legs that threaten to topple over. Oddly enough, neither asks if you need help.

Whether it’s because they think you are too filthy to touch or they respect your dignity, you are glad either way. There is nothing you’d like more but to owe no debts, especially to Kou royalty.

There are no maids to take care of you here, as expected. The three of you arrive in a forgotten part of the Crane Pavillion, a good long half an hour walk away from the central palace where the emperor resides. Through gardens and less-trodden stone paths, winding about even worse than a maze, you begin to realize the magnitude of this palace. It is larger than anything you have ever seen; a city within a city.

Yet this place still carries an air of serenity. Well-kept, by the looks of it. Artificial outcrops and trimmed grass line the path towards a gazebo that rests in the middle of a manmade pond. You see shadows of fat kois swimming in it, hiding beneath floating lily pads. But it’s too dark to admire what otherwise would be a slice of heaven in a tumultuous world.

“You will stay here for now,” Hakuyuu orders, his figure partly a silhouette from the warm lanterns lining your surroundings. “Food and clean clothes have already been provided in your room. I will send you a handmaiden come morning.”

What? You turn to him, and your lips turn thin. Whatever expression you have on your face seems to communicate your apprehension well enough to the princes.

“Make sure to clean yourself properly, kiddo,” adds Hakuren as he makes a scrubbing motion. He grins. “You’ll be our little sister’s playmate after all.”

Wanting to rebut his statement, you realize that your voice still hasn’t returned. Only a dampened whistling noise comes out when you try to speak, causing you to frown.

“Go now,” Hakuyuu ushers you through the sliding doors, closing it to give you some space. And from your shoulders, just peeking between the space before the door shuts entirely, you can see Hakuren waiting for his brother in the gazebo. He waves when he catches your gaze.

Then, they’re nowhere to be seen.

You know that they’re still out there, as you hear faint voices conversing too far for your ears to pick up words. Instead, you finally let yourself crumple onto the floor by the bed, legs shaking. In the confines of a cage that disguises itself as the sky, you are now nothing more than a bird whose wings are clipped. But clipped wings are better than none, and one day, you will learn how to fly again.

Now, you curse the neither condescending nor demeaning attitude of the princes who led an army to siege your home. From the beginning, they have neither treated you like less nor more. Just like everyone else, they see you as human.

And you hate it.

[paellaplease]

Firebird | Chap.1

pairing: Revali/Original Female Character genre/warnings: adventure, romance, slow-burn. graphic descriptions of pain. later depictions of self-injury. scarring. burning. swearing. canon-typical violence chapter word-count: 2,847

author note: Props to revali’s VA for bringing such an interesting and compelling character to life, especially with the limited screen-time etc. I knew I wanted to write about him the moment he rocked up and started talking.

Hope y’all enjoy the ride. 

Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7

Chapter 1: Dagger and Arrow

If there was anything she was completely positive about, it was that death wasn’t painless and enchanting hurt even worse. 

*

She had felt death before.

It was a white, hot pain. Racing through her veins and making her muscles stiffen and squeeze as if she’d been struck by lightning instead of stabbed by a sword. Sometimes in her dreams it starts in the tips of her fingers, others it begins as a heavy weight on her chest. 

All times it hurts and it lingers. Swirling in her abdomen, making her feel sick as she briefly registers that her head was spinning, and the world felt very, very far away. Slowly, the edges of her vision would creep in. The commotion and screaming around her fading away till it was nothing but dull chatter.

Eventually, there would be silence and darkness. The pain ended just about then.

Yes, she’d felt death before. Or at least the worst parts of it. However now, standing in the middle of the Akkala Forge and staring at the lone dagger that sat on its pedestal in the centre of the black marble table…

She realised that on days like these, enchanting sometimes felt worse than dying.

The task was simple enough. The same she was given each month after weeks spent in study and preparation, training both her mind and body before her mentor deemed her ready to perform the procedure. 

Enchant the blade, make it work.

Gently, she exhaled a long, tired breath, glancing at the rune in disdain. There it was, marring the surface of her hand like it always did. An ancient pattern carved deep into her skin like a raised scar. The shape that looked almost like an eye at its middle seemed to stare back at her. What are you waiting for? It seemed to say. 

The rune had been there for as long as she could remember. It was the one thing she had left of her past, and also the main thing that reminded her of what her purpose was right now. 

Every attempt she’d made on enchanting a weapon had ended in failure, some more spectacularly terrible than the last. However today, on the eve of her twenty-fourth birthday, she was determined. She’d studied even harder this year, dedicating much of her free time to observing the smiths, and the rest to visualising the procedure. Today was the day she was to complete what was set out for her.

Gritting her teeth, she focused on the target and fanned her palm open.

The weather in the forge immediately shifted, transitioning from a stagnant cold, to a thick blanket of humidity. It was stifling, heavy in the same way the air would feel in the moments before a storm. 

The energy lying dormant in her veins ignited like a spark, low pitched and buzzing, singing loud and clear in her ears.

Bracing herself, a familiar burning sensation raced from her outstretched palm to the rest of her body, making her bite her lip as she focused on not calling out from how much it hurt.

The feeling worsened with every minute, the magical energy in her left hand pulsing to the beat of her racing heart. Carefully, she bent her ring finger inward, watching the rune illuminate in a blazing flash of blue light.

In an instant, jets of fire crawled up from the edges of the rune and into her five fingers, casting an eerie, orange glow on her pained face and making the air smell of charcoal. She pushed the fire further, the pain in turn worsening and making her head spin. 

Lines of fire raced out from her fingertips, wrapping themselves around the hilt of the dagger first and embedding themselves into the detail. The silver metal, now hot and red, began to melt and warp as the fire travelled up, searing a blazing trail into the metal of the knife.

Then came the worst part. Grimacing in anticipation, she grabbed the blade. 

The first time she had attempted the sealing stage, she had passed out in the workshop. It was the middle of winter then, five years ago. 

(She woke up the next day to the sterile chill of the village infirmary, sore as hell and smelling like a campfire.)

With time, she eventually learned to look past the spots that formed in her vision, fighting through the dull ache in her body and willing herself to stay awake. However, even with years of practice, her body wasn’t fully immune to the procedure’s effects.

She eventually discovered that at her level, her enchanting had a time limit:

Five minutes.

One. She closed her eyes and focused deeply on the blade, imagining the fire as she coaxed it to slither its way into the molecular structure of the dagger, willing it to wrap itself around the rapidly vibrating atoms like a snake in a birds nest. 

Two. With a shaking hand, she lifted the mallet she held in her other palm high into the sky, aligning it with the red star she had painted on the ceiling as a guide. Exhaling a gust of air, warm as oven smoke, she brought the mallet down, letting go of the blade in the same instant. 

Three. The black stone table she worked on shook lightly from the force. In contrast, the dagger she had just struck went immediately still. Steam began to lift from it, small flames licking its edges and casting the room in shadows. 

Four. She felt her focus waver, clutching her hand and falling to her knees-

Not yet! Not done yet! 

A bead of sweat dripped from her forehead, seeming to evaporate before it hit the ground below. 

Five. She dropped the mallet, shakily rising to her feet and swiping the thick cream coloured cloth at the edge of the table, quickly wrapping the burning blade in the material and extinguishing the rising flames.

Release! She ordered it, and the fire and burning in her veins were no more.

For a while, she stood there panting, clutching her shoulder as residual phantom pains echoed in her left hand. 

Swallowing her nausea, her right hand lifted the dagger to the dusty light filtering from the forge’s window. She marvelled at how heavy it suddenly felt, the metal, whilst still hot, laying cold in her hands as if never kissed by flame in the first place. 

She had done it. Her first successful attempt amongst so many. 

“Congratulations, Maiya.”

Maiya jumped, quickly whipping around to face the person standing behind her, still clutching the dagger. 

It was a tall woman, almost seven feet in height. She was wrapped in a dark cloak with light blue intricate designs laced into its sleeves and hood. Her bright, silver locks stood out amongst the darkness, cropped short and slicked back, her wrinkled face clear of distractions just as she likes it.

Seeing who it was, Maiya’s face broke out in a large grin. “Teacher! How long were you standing there for? I did it! I finally did it!”

If she wasn’t paying attention, she wouldn’t have caught the brief, small smile that flashed across her mentor’s face before it was replaced by her ever customary frown.

“I was here for long enough. You did well, my dear.“ 

Her mentor took a step forward, reaching out for the dagger with a black gloved hand. She peeled back the cloth slowly, revealing the enchanted blade underneath.

It was red. Bright red. With orange light glowing and racing its way from the hilt to the sharpened tip, embedding itself into the dagger’s swirling detail and setting the dimly lit room alight. 

"It’s time you find a master for this dagger.”

Maiya opened her mouth, questions bubbling to the surface as her mentor continued. 

“Rito Village, in the upper north western corner of Hyrule, is where you will go.”

“But why-”

“The land is filled to the brim with monsters made of ice and snow. The people there will benefit greatly from a warrior skilled in handling an enchanted blade of fire, no?”

At that, Maiya’s mouth ran dry of complaints, her words evaporating in the heat of the workshop’s air. It was no use arguing with her mentor at this point. But a lingering thought still hovered in her mind like a dark cloud.

“The land is quite far, teacher,” she whispered, looking everywhere but the woman in front of her. She braced for a sharp reprimand for her obvious sign of childish weakness, and was surprised when none came.

“I understand, child. However, I believe it’s time that you venture beyond the borders of this town and see for yourself the riches and diversity of the world around you." 

Her piercing grey eyes seemed to cut into Maiya’s darker ones, distant and glassy. Seeing something she couldn’t.

"An evil is building, my dear. And we must be ready. You learn nothing if you allow fear to dictate your freedom.”

Maiya dropped her gaze to her hands. The rune, ugly and deep, cut through the tan skin on the surface of her left. It stood out, angry and red, contrasting greatly with the smooth, unmarked skin of her right. 

“What of my other element, Teacher? The one that I will carve into my right hand when I am ready?”

“It is ice, is it not?”

Maiya nodded.

“We will begin preparations once you return.” Her wrinkled face twitched into a smirk. “Perhaps the environment will give you some ideas.”

With that, her mentor put both hands on her student’s shoulders, steering her away from the stone bench and leading her to the exit.

“You will be fine, Maiya. Now prepare, I will arrange a space for you in the next merchant trip to the region. Pack warm, you leave in three days.”

———————

Thud. The arrow embedded itself into the center of the target. Thud, thud, thud! Three more, dead centre again, each piercing through the previous arrows with deadly accuracy. 

Thud! Another, still in the centre of the target but slightly askew by a millimeter.

Revali frowned, wiping his brow and nocking another arrow onto his bow. Not good enough.

The forest outskirts a few hours from Rito Village was not his usual training spot. The wind was still fair, and the targets numerous (with hundreds of trees to choose from), but it still didn’t pack the same challenge, the same dramatic drop, the same chilling and powerful air of his beloved Flight Range in the Hebra Mountains. 

However, today marked the culmination of months of training for several of their new aerial recruits, and said Flight Range was therefore currently swamped by excitable Rito’s raring to get a few targets in before the sun set on the horizon. 

And as much as he would love to provide them with a generous demonstration on the highest level one can reach as a skilled archer such as himself, he didn’t believe he had the patience to deal with any novices today.

So…the forests will have to do.

Thud! The arrow went, embedding itself again in the middle of the target and cutting through the three previous others with a bit more force than usual.

The blue-feathered Rito reached into his quiver, picking out and nocking three arrows in one fluid motion. The world around him sharpened, then blurred. Three painted trees for three arrows, his vision hyper fixating on the first, second, then the third.

One breath, another. Now. 

The first arrow sang through the forest, embedding itself into a target hanging from a tree to his left. The second, whizzed past a bit further, passing through the leaves and piercing the hidden bullseye that he had placed underneath the foliage.

The third arrow travelled the furthest. Revali aimed to hit one of the more difficult targets he had planted several meters away. The tree was an ancient oak with leaves mostly orange, swaying lightly in the chill autumn breeze. 

Revali’s gaze sharpened. The arrow dipped and flew, dancing with the movement of the wind, quickly approaching the woman with dark hair that had just stepped in the way.

Wait.

What?

“Watch out!”

It all unfolded instantly. The Rito, in shock, slinging his bow over his shoulder and sprinting towards her, stopping to shield his eyes from the flash of a bright blue light. The woman, in a bizarre twist of luck and fate, hearing his voice and turning at the last minute, the arrow missing her head by an inch and cutting a diagonal line through her long, braided hair.

Silence reigned through the forest for a second. Then:

“WHAT THE FU-”

“YOU NEARLY KILL-”

The Rito stepped forward, pointing an accusing wing at the stranger. “Don’t you dare voice a stupid accusation such as that, I had no intentions of harming you.” He narrowed his eyes, suddenly feeling suspicious. It was rare to see Hylians frequenting this side of the woods, especially with the recent increase of monster activity and abundance of natural predators hiding in the thickets. 

Furthermore, although he doubted her involvement with the troublesome Yiga Clan, whose members have often been known to terrorize the odd lone traveler, he didn’t want to take any chances. “What are you doing wandering the middle of the Tabantha wild? The next Hylian-managed town is more than an hour away.”

He was surprised at the fury in her tone as she tilted her head up to snarl at him. “First of all, birdie, this forest is open to the public. No one owns these trees.” He opened his mouth to bite out a seething retort, but she stepped forward, pushing a finger underneath his beak to snap it shut. He spluttered. 

“Second of all, I’m taking a shortcut. I’ve been travelling west for three bloody weeks and it has been absolute hell. I’m sleep deprived, hungry, and tired. And I’m in a hurry! So unless you know anything about a place called ree-too Village, I’ll be on my way." 

Revali glared. At least that clears a few things up. Were all Hylians this demanding and foolish, or was it just the ones Valoo above was adamant in acquainting him with?

He pushed away the offending finger and rolled his eyes.

"Firstly it’s pronounced ree-toe. Secondly,” he said, mocking her manner of speech, “No. I don’t know anything about the village of which I was hatched and spent most of my life and waking hours. Whatever led you to such a ridiculous notion?”

He raised an eyebrow, watching- bemused, as a dust of pink crept its way onto the haggard woman’s cheeks. It was adorable, really. If only he wasn’t so pissed.

He took her silence as his cue to continue. 

“I wasn’t hatched yesterday. You’re obviously lost. However, to avoid you waltzing into another unsuspecting warrior’s weapon range, I suggest that you continue eastwards that way." 

His bow gleamed in the afternoon sunlight as he used it to point towards a structure which towered and peaked over the top of the trees. "See that stone pillar over there? That’s Valoo’s Spire, follow it and you will eventually reach the shore of Lake Totori. You will meet the Great Hylian Highway once again, and if you manage to follow it this time, the bridge to the village will be made apparent to you.”

He smirked, crossing his wings and tilting his head. Amusingly, she was about a head shorter than him, and she had to lift her dark eyes to the sky to glare at him. “Got all that? Because if not, good luck as I am not the type to repeat myself to idiots who ignore my knowledgeable advice.”

“Alright thanks, whatever,” she sighed, grabbing an elastic from her pocket and pulling her now asymmetrical hair into a haphazard ponytail. She turned “Try not to kill anyone with that bow, Fly Boy,” she called over her shoulder. 

A few strands of uneven, dark hair came free as she walked away. He couldn’t help it. “A very creative haircut, Strange Hylian!”

“Oh shut up!” A shrill yell replied, echoing from the other end of the forest and scaring several birds from their perches. 

He squawked out a sharp laugh at that.

A few seconds passed and she was finally out of his line of vision. Revali of the Rito was happily alone once again. 

“What an unusual and infuriating woman,” he muttered. He had been distracted and decided that now was a good time as any to take a few minutes to collect his discarded arrows and reset his targets.

Revali trudged towards the oak tree where the troublesome arrow was embedded, feeling slightly amused at the trail of shorn dark hair a few steps away.

He reached out towards the arrow, eyes widening in surprise as he stepped closer.

The once brown wood of the arrow shaft was an ashy, crumbling black. The bird feathers of its fletching emitted an unpleasant sulphurous odour, and the metal of its arrowhead was warped and melted like silver molten clay.

It was completely burnt. 

A strong wind blew through the trees, rustling through his feathers as he took a careful step back.

How odd.

[eye-raq]

Ember 11.

Erik’s conflict.

In short, this is a co writing fic with my baby @panthergoddessbast she has helped me out ALOT with where this is going and how it’s ending. Thanks to all of those who have been with me every step of the way, loving my writing, commenting, reblogging. This one is gonna pull at some emotions from you guys, I just hope you enjoy.

[I suppose that a lifetime spent hiding one's erotic truth could have a cumulative renunciatory effect. Sexual shame is in itself a kind of death. ]

“Ladies and Gentlemen! Excuse me!!!”

The voices slowed down to a low whisper.

“I know the wine and appetizers are delicious, but it’s time to begin the private event!”

The entire room began to laugh, the plastered smiles of all the rich black folk giving Cyprine a wide smile. Dressed in a sexy backless slit dress colored wine red, chocolate skin acting as the perfect contrast, Cyprine waited with her fancy cue cards and microphone. She had the important job of hosting Fashion Through The Ages, one of the Getty Centers most popular private events.

“Let me introduce to you all the new Lead Curator, Cyprine Lewis!”

Cyprine put on her professional smile, walking out to main stage in a catlike fashion. She waves at the crowd of people clapping, bringing the microphone to her mouth. That action alone silenced everyone, more than the guy who talked before her.

“Hello hello! welcome to Fashion Through The Ages. Today we will join fashion historian and art muse, Sara Holmes, as she explores the museum’s collection through the lens of costume to consider issues of gender, society, and history through the ages. This promises to be a fun way to consider the Getty collection while thinking about fashions past and present.”

Cyprine motions to side stage, “please give a round of applause to Miss Sara Holmes!”

The entire room raised their glasses and clapped, Sara Holmes approaching dressed in Fendi from head to toe. The women always had the best designer, but she was tacky with colors. Following behind her, was a man in all forms.Tall, chocolate, thick and toned, a head full of waves that shined with a beard to match, wearing a tailored tuxedo with a simple black bow tie was Lorenz Allen. Entrepreneur, philanthropist, and Director. Cyprine caught his eye, watching him wink with those long lashes and that million dollar smile. He sponsored a lot of events through the Getty Center, so Cyprine expected that he would show up.

“Thank y’all for coming out. It really moves me when everyone can come together to support a cause, but at the same time enjoy yourselves and the beautiful art that the Getty Center has to offer.” He points a single finger at C.C, that finger wrapped in a gold ring set with diamonds. None of which meant anything of matrimonial significance

I bet those rings would feel good around my throat. She thought.

“I don’t think you all gave this beautiful, successful women here enough praise! She planned this event out, worked her ass off!”

The audience gave her the credit she deserved. Cyprine blushed, speaking her thanks into the microphone.

“No, thank you.” He stresses, his eyes only on her. Cyprine could see what he was trying to do, that’s all that mattered anyway.

“Thank you Mr. Allen, and thank you to everyone who came today to support this private charity event! Now, let us get started with the exhibits!” After a final round of applause, the lights dimmed and multiple spot lights along with music began to start up. A small fashion show on behalf of the guest of honor started, women and men wearing fashion from the renaissance era to start. All models were of different ethnicities, and some also apart of the LGBTQ community.

Cyprine watched the entire thing unfold, pride coming over her. With pride, came attention, and Lorenz gave Cyprine all of his attention with those dangerous eyes of his.

“C’mere” He whispers.

Cyprine didn’t argue with that, strutting over towards him. The smell of mild Creed Aventus filling her nostrils; bold and memorable.

“Yes?” She folds her arms.

“Keep me company.”

She fights a smile, staring at him with her wide brown eyes.

“Why should I? What makes you think your company is more entertaining than this show?”

“Because you’ve been eye-fucking me for some time now, so I know I got your attention.”

Humming in approval at his impressive response, Cyprine smiles faintly, “what can I say, I like what I see.”

“Same here, babygirl.” He licks his lips quick, Cyprine stared at his tantalizingly pink tongue wishing it was between her legs right now.

“Which is why I would like to take you out on a date tomorrow night, if that’s okay?”

Cyprine and dates didn’t go so well.

There were a few she could vouch for that ended up pretty nicely, but all in all she was single and every last guy she’d dealt with disappointed her to some degree.

“A date.” She repeats his words, eyes in wonder.

“Yeah, a dinner date, with me.”

Lorenz seemed to be a cool guy so Cyprine decided to give it a go, just to see where this takes her.

“Okay, i'll let you take me to dinner. We riding in that blacked out McLaren P1 you got, right?” Cyprine had a keen eye, not just for Lorenz but for cars as well. Her interest in cars that included make and model was all thanks to Erik and his obsession with it.

“Babygirl, it’s whatever you want.” He smiles that gorgeous smile.

“Good, cuz I like to have it my way.”

—————————-

“You’re getting better my man! Keep this up and you could become a professional boxer!”

Erik bends his body over the ropes of the boxing ring at the gym, sweating and dripping from his forehead and the tip of his nose.

“Nah, I’ll keep it strictly for workout purposes.” Erik lifts finally, clutching his ribs from the soreness he felt from constantly receiving blow after blow.

“Pick your punk ass up, homie!” Tre, Erik’s best friend, laughs at him while punching at a speed bag.

“Shut up nigga! I’m not the one who needs picking up! You don’t even know what you doing!” Tre puts his middle finger up at Erik before returning back to his workout.

“Unc, How’s that your nephew and you ain't teach him no tricks?”

TJ, the owner of Champs Boxing and Tre’s uncle puts his hands up in surrender.

“His knucklehead ass didn’t wanna learn, too busy playing them damn video games.”

Erik laughs, clutching his sore chest, “I was right along wit em though, so I can’t talk shit.”

Picking up his Gatorade, Erik takes a long sip, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. Tre enters the ring, towel around his neck and durag on his head.

“Bro, who that?”

Erik turns to notice a short caramel skinned women with a nia long cut. She was heavy at the bottom, the yoga pants she wore making her thick ass stand out more. Her sweaty skin glistened and the blaze in her eyes made her look even more tantalizing.

“Damn,” Tre tucked his pouty bottom lip into his mouth.

“She a bad one, might have to check that out before I go.”

Erik recognizes her, even without her glasses.

“Her name is Kaylin, I work with her.” Erik gives her a head nod of acknowledgement, watching as she gives him the same motion, but sexier.

“Why is it that all the FINE ASS WOMAN, gravitate to you?”

Laughing, Erik shoves Tre, “Tre, stop acting like you don’t get pussy.”

“Nah, man you gotta hook me up! She fine as hell with her thick ass.”

Erik pats Tre on the shoulder before turning to exit the ring.

“Don’t always get hypnotized by the ass.” Erik knew first hand about that.

“I can’t help it, a fat ass is my weakness.”

“Erik!”

The two men turn to face a sweaty Kaylin.

“I didn’t know you boxed at Champs! How long?”

“Used to come a while ago, just started back.”

She laughs, the light sound contagious.

“Cool! Maybe you can teach me some things. I’m trying to get the hang of it, the shit isn’t easy.”

“I can help you out sweetheart.” Tre steps up before his best friend could even speak.

“You just as good as E? I saw his moves in the ring and yours wasn’t looking so great on that speed bag.”

Erik couldn’t hold back his chuckle, slightly snorting and all at the way Kaylin played his friend.

“Chill, girl. That’s my nigga, he getting there.” Erik defends Tre.

“No shade, just saying.” Clearly Kaylin wasn’t interested in Tre, all she wanted was that Erik Stevens.

“You coming into the office tomorrow?” She got a little closer, Erik noticing the flushed look of her skin and the sweat glossing her cleavage.

Hell...Kaylin was a cutie.

Erik has eyes.

He could tell a bad bitch from a mile away, nothing wrong with looking. However, Erik wasn’t touching.

“I might, still got some paperwork to finalize.” Erik kept it short and simple.

“Okay, just saying, I’ll be there. We could get lunch or something. Thai food?”

Erik shrugs, “We can make it takeout for the office.”

A look of disappointment clouded her pretty brown eyes, but that only lasted a second.

“Okay! I’ll see you then. Oh! And your treat.”

Erik waves her away, “I got the money, I don’t mind.”

Erik said his final goodbyes before turning towards the locker rooms, leaving a flustered Kaylin behind.

“Like I said, you got these chicks thirsty” Tre had to add his two cents.

————————-

Finally home, kicking off her Saint Laurent heels in a pretty black and silver, Cyprine lets her hair down, smoothing out the pinned up curls with her fingertips, eyes closed, and a deep sigh escaping her mouth.

Not only did the event go as planned, she also snagged a date with Lorenz Allen, the successful black man and eye candy.

She had tomorrow night to look forward to, but right now preparing herself for Erik’s little get together at his place was her main priority. There was a Golden State game happening and finally, Cyprine would meet his other friends besides Tre who she already knew since him and Erik were the closest. Cyprine pulled a bottle of Hennessy XO from her kitchen liquor cabinet that she wanted to gift to Erik since he hadn’t tried it yet. It had a lovely long after taste of cinnamon and vanilla, fragrant with crystallized fruits, spices, and emanations of old leather. Cyprine knew Erik, he valued his drinks and he enjoyed the craft of mixology since he was a licensed one now.

The high pressure shower cleansed her body and the water droplets pricked her skin in the best way. All that ran through her mind was the date she had to look forward to and its possible outcome.

Men.

They could be an absolute disappointment.

Cyprine was single for a reason, she was tired of giving her all to a man and he gave her the minimal. Cyprine ran her fingers over her curly hair, conditioner working it’s magic to clear away her tangles stroke by stroke. With closed eyes, C.C’s mind wandered to her conversation with Erik about the last time they both had sex. She was reminded once again of the heat she felt, how much she missed calling a nigga ‘Daddy’ and getting her pussy fucked from behind.

That pussy is pure velvet heaven, juicy and succulent.

Man...she missed being praised in bed. She was a brat after all; a brat and a princess. Cyprine misbehaved; frequently too and the overpowering urge to be put in her place with some good dick and a sharp nasty tongue ate her from the inside out. She could feel water filling her mouth, snapping her out of the erotic daze she was in. Cyprine forgot where she was, and she forgot that her mouth was under the shower and not on her knees waiting for a dick to choke her out.

———————————

“Yo! You making the chicken nachos, right?”

Erik smiles faintly, slightly shaking his head as he cut the fresh mozzarella cheese in thin slices, plating it along with the mixed Mexican cheeses.

“Chicken nachos, shrimp nachos, veggie nachos…”

He wiped his fingers on a damp towel, reaching for some cheese to snack on while the sliced chicken breast simmered in the pot.

“Why don’t you make yourself useful nigga and call Jae, Malachi, and Torrey to see if they’re on the way.”

Tre hopped off the counter, walking away with a smart remark that Erik didn’t care to respond to. The game had just started, and the Jaguar Den already had snacks and all the drink essentials. The alone time gave Erik the chance to respond to Kimora’s naughty texts. They’ve been going back and forth never ending with this or that questions, and coming up with sexy scenarios they would like to be apart of. She was silly, fun, alluring, daring, confident, smart, and addicting.

-Tell me you aren’t wearing any underwear.

Sorry lover boy, it’s a thong.

He chuckles, biting his lip while adding a little garlic butter to the chicken.

-what the panties smell like? I bet your pussy smell like lavender oil and rose water right now.

This time around it smells like my homemade blueberry bliss body cream.

-that shit sound like a fruit roll up flavor lol.

LOL—Would you lick a fruit roll up off my pussy?!

-Without a second thought. Prolly taste better than that nasty ass flavored lube.

I’m sure it would, my pussy already sweet and sticky, Erik.

-So since it’s like that I’m making it a fucking command for that pussy to be eaten by me whenever I want it.

That’s cool with me, I like my pussy ate. Make sure you suck on it everywhere…that shit drives me wild.

His teeth dragged over his lip, a low groan vibrating his throat. He could feel the arousal in his fingertips, but it was stronger in his dick. It ran hot over his long stick like electricity to a wire. He felt his phone buzz, forgetting to send a reply back, he was that stuck.

I had my entire pussy covered in peach preserves before. I have these crazy cravings for peaches, so he spread it all over my pussy and sucked it off.

GOTDAMN.

Erik. Calm. Down.

“You good, E?”

Erik whipped his head around a little to harshly, startled by Tre’s unexpected arrival.

“I was until you creeped up on me like that! You know niggas couldn’t do that back at home, right?”

“Nigga I still live in Oakland! You the one that moved out.”

Shaking his head, Erik prayed to himself that the erection he had would go the fuck away.

Think about blood and guts, or fungus.

That always seemed to work, he was good as new.

-Kimora. I’d suck anything from honey, syrup, jelly, sugar, and whipped cream off that motherfucking pussy.

“Guess who showed up?!!”

Cyprine enters the kitchen, curly hair up in a bun, silver hoops in her ears, jeans so tight they looked painted on, and the littlest sweater that would give you a view of her under cleavage if she reached too high.

“Wassup, sexy?” Tre grabs her hand, attempting to kiss it sloppy, C.C pulling away with a repulsed expression before laughing.

“Ew nigga! Keep your mouth to yo self! I don’t know where that shit been!” She rolls her eyes, finally looking at Erik.

“Hey, peanut head, guess what I got?”

Cyprine held up the esteemed cognac bottle, flashing Erik her biggest smile yet.

“I remember you said you wanted to try it so...”

Erik was about to speak, before his phone buzzes.

Text me later, I’m on my way out. This convo is too juicy to neglect.

-Bet, say no more, beautiful.

Putting his phone away, Erik steps towards C.C, kissing her forehead before snatching up the bottle to examine it.  

“I heard good shit about it, Henny shots for every basket golden state make?”

Cyprine scuffs, “nigga you know I need my pineapple juice with this.”

—————————-

Okay.

So Erik hadn’t expected the attention Cyprine was receiving.

Actually...

“Yo, how the fuck you keep all that control?” Jae stood astounded behind the bar with Erik, light brown eyes shocked.

“Control of what?” Erik responded with a confused tone of annoyance.

“Keep from fucking the shit out Cyprine that’s what. Fuck you mean CoNtRoL WhAT?”

“Got more control than you do. You ain't gotta think about fucking every fine ass woman you come in contact with bruh.”

Erik was even shocked with his words. His eyes followed its path towards C.C. She was seated next to Tre, laughing and sipping her third drink so far. Erik could feel the lustful energy radiating from his friends as they looked at Cyprine from head to toe, wanting nothing more than to take turns fucking her.

That thought brought back memories of their early escapades.

Nah, not Cyprine.

Erik would normally be okay with hooking a girl friend of his up with one of his boys, but for some reason he didn’t want to with Cyprine. Erik watches as she takes her tongue to scoop up an ice cube, the pink slippery appendage dripping and mouth making slurping noises.

This wasn’t the first time he’d looked at his friend that way. She wore outfits that showed her beautiful sepia skin, smelled delicious, innocent eyes…

“You sure you got control? I see you focused on that chocolate baddie.”

Erik shakes the thought, going back to mixing Jae’s drink.

Cyprine couldn’t lie to herself and say she didn’t like the eyes on her. Erik had some very handsome friends, she could only imagine the things they used to get into.

“Where you and Erik meet?”

Cyprine turned to Torrey; tall, thick and with a beard against his light brown skin.

“Golden Speed, a friend recommended I go to him for some work.”

“Oh really?” The bravado of his voice made her smile, he really laid it on thick.

“Yeah, he told me to give it a try.”

The look in Torrey’s eyes let her know he was hoping it were a women so he could try his luck.

“I bet y’all were wild back then.” Cyprine states between eating her ice.

All of them minus Erik laughed, sharing knowing glances.

“Shit, we all claimin’ it.” Tre spoke for them.

“Ain’t no way you sticking around for some ‘just friends’ type of shit.”

C.C folds her arms over her chest with sass, “So, what? Erik can’t keep a girl as his friend?”

“You wanna know what happened to the last chick he had as a friend?” Malachi spoke while trying to hide his smile full of a diamond grill.

“Game is on why don’t y’all shut the fuck up and watch.” Erik approaches with his own drink, seating himself on his black recliner chair. He caught the cocoa’s cuties eye, watching her stick her tongue out at him.

“Oh! So you do know then?” all three men laugh, Erik ready to punch ever last of one of them in the face.

“Y’all ready now or later for the rearrangement of y’all wack ass faces,”  His jaw gets tight.

“Last chick, woke him up talking bout I accidentally licked your dick.” Cyprine could laugh. Who would accidentally lick dick anyway? That shit was meant to be loved in a special way.

“How that shit accidental, I don’t know.” Erik finally joins in, laughing.

Cyprine held up a finger, trying to catch her breath.

“OKAY! But what you say though?!”

He simply shrugs with those dimples and dominant brown eyes, “I guess I accidentally fucked her mouth.”

Cyprine couldn’t shake the heat she felt from that.

“And accidentally tore that pussy up.” He drinks from his glass of straight Hennessy XO, licking his lips that Cyprine had to peel her eyes away from.

———————-

“You sleepy yet?”

“Yeah, I am alittle. You should know by now with those drinks.”

Cyprine attempted to clean up, sweeping crumbs from the table. Erik smacked her hand away, earning a yelp from her and a death glare.

“Did you just hit me like I’m some child?!”

“Yeah, and?” He spoke in that calm unbothered tone that drove her crazy.

“You’re infuriating,” Cyprine said that, but she liked when Erik picked on her.

“ What’s up with you and Tre? Y’all was looking real cozy and cuddly”

Cyprine looked at Erik like he sported two heads, mouth opening and closing in shock then lets out a small snort like laugh.

“What?! Boy you crazy. There is nothing going on between me and Tre.”

“You know my nigga want you, right?”

“Not surprised, most men want me.”

She took in that smile he fought to show, the way his eyes would light up and those teeth as white as the porcelain piano keys, blinding her.

“So not only are you-“ Erik puts up air quotes, “that bitch, you can have any nigga you want, huh?”

Cyprine picked up as many dirty glasses as she could, bringing them to Erik’s blacked out bar  with gold trimming to clean.

“Did I stutter?” She bit back at him with those razor sharp teeth like a wild cat. Erik’s dominance screamed to claw back and show her who really had the upper hand, but his body was too tired to entertain it and he had to be up in the morning.

“Watch your mouth,C.C. AYE!” Well, clearly not tired enough.

She paused in between cleaning his glasses.

“Put that shit down, and go to bed. I got this tomorrow.”

Putting her hands up in surrender, she didn’t realize she had a glass still in her hand, dropping it and causing it to break in the sink.

“SHIT!!” She went to reach to clean it, her finger getting cut a little from her rushing.

“Shit, fuck, damnit!” Erik rolled his eyes, letting out the loudest most aggressive groan she had ever heard, she knew then she’d done it.

“What I tell you to do?! Didn’t I say leave the shit alone?!”

Erik stormed over to her, instantly picking up her finger, examining it.

“You like a little girl. Defiant.” Erik picks up a napkin, applying pressure. His jaw went tight with tension, the muscles of his face peeking through and his eyebrows creased so hard he looked damn near evil. Cyprine was speechless, she couldn’t form words or sounds.

“I-I’m sorry, Erik.” She finally spoke out with a quiet tone, the tightness of his grip on her hand almost cutting off her circulation.

“Nigga are you trying to take my damn hand off?!” Erik blinked like he was brought back to reality, letting go of her quickly, the color flooding his face from embarrassment.

“My bad.” He laughs nervously.

“What the fuck was that about? Something you need to tell me Stevens?” She looked at him with curious eyes.

“I-I can be a little forceful, that’s all. Just...I don’t do well with chicks not listening to what I say, then you went and hurt yourself so it kinda made me mad.”

“KINDA?” Cyprine felt like she’d stepped into new territory with Erik. So, not that she didn’t want to make everything about sex, but that entire confession reeked of sex and control.

“You get like this with Kimora?” Erik’s eyes landed on hers, briefly.

“How can I ? I haven’t seen her yet.” Silence settles between them both as Erik walked past her to clean up her mess.

“You wanna know what I think?” Cyprine pushes.

“What?”

“I think you’re afraid of how you feel about her and that you’re avoiding it as much as you can.”

He didn’t respond, just simply cleaned the sink of shards of glass careful not to cut himself in the process.

“As much as y’all talk, I know your dick is probably begging for a release.”

Kissing his teeth, Erik shakes the glass into the trash. She could tell she was getting to him, she could read his posture and the way he fought to ignore her.

“A guy can only jack his dick for so long, Erik.”

“I know that, C.C.” He responds with a curt tone.

“So, maybe have some sex?” She tosses a black rag at him that he catches swiftly with one hand.

“Why is my sex life so interesting to you? I don’t go around asking you to get the pussy beat up.”

“You don’t have to, I know it’s been a while for me. It might happen sooner than later.” She could only imagine what Lorenz was packing.

“Hmph, I wonder who.” Erik cuts his eyes at her, winking suggestively.

“Shut up! Me and Tre are strictly friends, asshole.”

“Sure, whatever you say.”

———————————

Eyes opening against fresh white linen that smelled of tropical Tide detergent, Erik lifts his head, rubbing at the dried spit on the side of his face, pads of his fingertips feeling sleep lines along his skin. He checked the time on his phone, noting that it was 9:45 am and he had to be into the office to finalize some paperwork for his engine. As soon as his body fully stretched and lifted from the bed, he could smell sautéed veggies and sausage. That smell made his stomach growl, and the throbbing in his head more painful.

He had a hangover and his mouth felt like cotton from all the drinking him and his friends did the other night. Erik’s body was too tired to clean anything so after the guys left he made his way toward his room. All Erik wanted to do before he filled his stomach with that good smelling food was brush his teeth and whizz. That’s what he gets for staying up in bed until 2 am talking on the phone with his beautiful distraction. Kimora made him go against his word of jerking off, something he’d grown so accustomed to since he first laid eyes on her. Speaking of jerking dicks and erections, his was at full attention and when that weapon was ready for work it was hard to calm himself down. The moment he laid eyes on the dent in his pants, was the moment he thought about their previous conversation over the phone.

I bet you like the tip of your dick sucked on the most. I could do that for you E.

What emotion do you feel most often?

What do you think the perfect kiss feels like? Do you like a lot of tongue or do you like slow soft kisses?

Her voice was so carefree and wild it drove him crazy.

On top of thinking about naughty girl Kimora, there was another brown beauty, t-shirt clad and barefoot cooking in his kitchen

After rinsing his mouth out with mouthwash and scrubbing his face with the African black soap he had gotten from a local all natural apothecary shop, Erik pulled a crisp white tee over his body and a pair of black sweats, because grey sweats wouldn’t do with the way his dick was swinging.

—————————

“Aye.”

Cyprine looked up from her plate with a big sausage omelet, pausing between chewing.

“Morning! Oh, and I cleaned up too by the way, just so you know.” She was rather chipper.

“Pssh, I ain’t even mad at that no more you gon’ do what you wanna do anyway.” Erik noticed the repeated smile on her face.

“Something wrong, lil nigga?” Erik scanned the kitchen, whispering a ‘yes’ at the sight of extras. He had to have a cooked meal for breakfast every single morning and he was thankful of Cyprine crashing in his guest bedroom, too drunk to drive home, and Erik hated when she used to do that shit.

“No, why would it be something wrong and I’m all smiles, Erik?” With a perfectly arched brow, she took a sip of her apple juice, eyes never leaving his.

“Nah, it’s just...you look like you're blushing.”

“And if I am?” She sassed him, giving her usual bratty stare down that had Erik itching to reprimand.

“So it’s a secret then? Cool, you ain’t gotta tell me. Just remember that you’re the only one of my homies that know about Kimora.”

Cyprine couldn’t argue with that, it was definitely true but at the same time she just got a date with Lorenz, she didn’t want to jinx it.

“And I’m glad you told me about her.” Cyprine flashed her pageant worthy smile, focusing back on her food.

“Going into the shop?”

“No, that’s what I got new hires for when I’m busy with other shit.” Erik busied himself with fixing a plate, aware of Cyprine giving him a dirty look because of his smart response.

“So...what the fuck you doing then?”

“Going into the office for some final shit about my engine.”

“You putting one of those in my car, right?” Cyprine looked at Erik sternly, eyes tracking him up and down with a hand on her curvy hip.

“You got a whole new engine so no. Come back in about ten years.”

Flabbergasted, Cyprine’s bright wide eyes almost popped out of her sockets, “Ten years?!”

“Use to be around 8 but with the new and improved tech and service standards the average life expectancy is 200,000 miles or about 10 years.”

Erik always hit her ass with car facts, something she didn’t ask for in the slightest.

“Think of it as me looking out for you and saving your pockets.” Erik winked at her, laughing afterwards in that low pitch tone, almost boy next door-ish.

“Whatever, let me go, I got shit to do.” Cyprine forked the last bit of her omelet, hopping off the stool towards the dishwasher. Erik thought about one of his responsibilities that he agreed on when he saw Kaylin at Champs the other day.

“You know any good Thai food around here? I gotta buy some for the office today.”

Cyprine wipes her hands on a paper towel, “Yeah, try Pailin Thai Cuisine.” Cyprine tried for a winning shot of her balled up paper towel, missing the trash can completely and earning a thumbs down from Erik.

“You know better than to do that in front of me, no game having ass, now pick it up.”

Cyprine gives him the finger before walking to pick up her trash, bending over slightly. Erik had to blink twice, no...three times.

“Uhm…” he says without even realizing, his eyes trained to her hips and his dick knocking at the crotch of his sweats. Cyprine’s shapely round ass was visible to him, not the whole thing but enough to let Erik know that she had nothing on under that T-shirt.

She stared in confusion before something clicked in her brain, her hands reaching for the hem of the shirt with caution, turning away from Erik completely and stepping around the kitchen island.

They just shared an awkward glance, Cyprine searching Erik’s eyes, hoping he would crack a laugh or tease her, saying something along the lines of, you got an ashy ass butt. Nope, nothing at all like that, just unblinking eyes that she couldn’t quite discern.

“So this what we doing now?! Staring until we see who blinks first?!” Cyprine decided to make her exit quickly, unsure of how to react to this version of Erik Stevens.

————————

“Erik! Welcome back!”

Erik walks in, adjusting his black tie with a simple gold tie cufflink, black slacks, and polished Calvin Klein dress shoes on his feet. The gold Rolex on his right wrist reflected the sun coming from his office window, catching the eyes of Kaylin and making a rainbow on her glasses.

“Didn’t think you were really coming in!” Her light voice could have almost caught him in its web if it weren’t for the image of Cyprines ass in his head, and not to mention the text he got of Kimora’s tits as a good morning present.

“Morning, Kaylin.” He gives her a simple smile, unable to fight the fact that it came with dimples.

“Oh, there’s that money making smile I love,” she winks, giggling afterward with a bounce of her breasts. Erik knew exactly what she was doing. He just KNEW.

“Ever heard of Pailin Thai Cuisine?” Erik removed his gold rimmed reading glasses to wipe them with a simple Kleenex.

“Uh, yes. I eat there often on my lunch break.” Without even asking, Kaylin makes herself comfortable at Erik’s desk. He wanted to question her actions but decided against it since his mind was elsewhere. He could feel this nervous feeling in the pit of his gut, almost like butterflies except it drew heat. He wasn’t sure just yet if it was because of his undeniable attraction to Cyprine, and the thoughts of being with Kimora, but man was he conflicted. And here comes Kaylin, dressed in a nude pencil skirt that showed off the alluring curve of her ass and a pastel blue silk top that stretched over her chest almost ripping at the seams. These women were driving him crazy.

“Let the office know I’m ordering in, it’s a celebration.” Erik opened his desk drawer, pulling out a bottle of champagne.

“Golden Speed is taking off, Kaylin.” He smiles prideful and confident, his eyes on a fidgety Kaylin who couldn’t keep her legs still.

“You good?”

“Yes…” she forcefully smiles, bothered about getting up to walk away after making herself comfortable on the warm suede chair of his office. Turning to leave, Kaylin stopped directly in his doorway.

“Erik.”

The tone of her voice spoke as if she wanted to share something deep.

“Yes?” Erik looked at her over his gold rimmed glasses as he put them back on to study some files.

“Uhm...I just, you know…” she lets out a shaky breath that seemed to lack oxygen, did he really have that much of an affect?

“Kay, if this is about the conference in two days I got it, girl. Don’t worry your pretty self, go manage things.”

“E, I really gotta get this shit off my chest, otherwise it will bother me all day.”

“Close the door, Kaylin, if you need to talk.”

She does, slowly.

“I...you know there is a quiet room where employees can go to take naps and relax in this building, right?” Where was she going with this? Of course Erik knew about it, he’d been in there a few times in the early stages of starting his business when there were at least three meetings a day, each lasting about two hours.

Erik intertwined his fingers against the surface of the desk and scrunched his forehead, “Yeah, what about it?”

“Well, you see…” Kaylin looks down at her nude So Kate pumps in a patent leather, “I was wondering if we could take advantage of that.”

Erik swallows spit, almost coughing on it as some reached his windpipe instead. He puts a fist to his mouth to be more discreet.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is, I wanna fuck you.”

Oh boy. He reached to pull at his collar, because the buttons there felt like he was choking.

Erik kept his cool, and kept his gaze on her. He could see her caramel skin heat up, nipples hardened, her voluptuous lips lined brown shining with gloss.

“It’s been that way for me. I just want you inside me.”

She lifts the small key to the quiet room, “C’mon. I know you want to. A single man such as yourself…”

Erik didn’t know he read single man. Sure, it was true, but he wouldn’t have guessed he gave off that vibe.

Kaylin toyed with the first button of her top, looking towards him with a pleading look and a swing of the small gold key.

“There’s no denying that you are very beautiful. And yeah, it’s tempting  but I don’t think we should. I’m sure it would be real good, but Kaylin…” Erik trails off.

“I get it! professionalism is most important….” she was saddened, and Erik didn’t want to make her sad, but NO, he didn’t want to fuck Kaylin and complicate things.

“But...can you reconsider?” She was talking to him like she was trying to make him a business offer.

“Sorry, love.” He smiles, trying to lighten the mood which ended up with her smiling faintly. She looked defeated, but her eyes still told him she wasn’t gonna give up so easily.

“Whatever woman has your interest is a lucky one. What I would give to be at your command.”

His hands slightly shook; Erik had to busy himself with moving. Erik adjusted the cup of pens he had, the wireless mouse for his MacBook, his tie, and even the blazer he wore. He prayed that she would leave so he could breath and fight through the temptation. It was difficult to fight off his erection when he normally would have fucked her crazy. Damn, this was the third erection of the day and it hadn’t even started. Finally, the caramel beauty made her exit, closing the door with a soft click.

Throughout the rest of the day, Erik watched from his desk as the office played music and drank champagne. Half empty containers of thai food littered every desk surface. He enjoyed the sights from the open blinds of his office, his own food half eaten and instead of champagne, he had the bottle of Hennessy Cyprine gave him in his briefcase.

A pair of light brown eyes kept a close watch on him from her own cubicle that resides directly in front of his, sipping her champagne, folding and unfolding her legs seductively. Erik noticed she had nothing on under her skirt, just bare shaved pussy lips.

She was still targeting him, even after he turned down her advances, clearly Kaylin didn’t like to be told no.

It was creamy too, all rosy pink on the inside and fat as a bitch. How was it that no one noticed her little show but him?

She turned her chair completely towards his glass window, hiking up one smooth leg and spreading her pussy lips to show him the real mess she had.

“Please? Come taste me.” She mouthed to him.

Erik peeled his eyes away from her exposed slit, tapping his foot. He tried settling for reading emails.

“To Erik Stevens in regards to your interview prep questions…” his eyes looked back at her, failing him, watching her rub her clit and place that same finger into her mouth.

Fuck. He was extremely turned on.

Erik tried another tactic to get rid of the distraction, closing his blinds and blocking the view for good. He lifted from his seat walking to the window, giving her one final look, watching her tease him with a smile and a scorching look in her eyes before closing the blinds, letting out a shaky breath. His phone buzzed in his pocket, Thank GOD.

It was a call from his Oakland Auto Shop.

————————-

“You, Cyprine, are one beautiful goddess.”

The extremely low cleavage, high slit evening dress in an eye piercing white hugged her luscious curves tightly, wasting no time with letting everyone around her know she was the shit, and her body was the shit.

She wore her long curly 4A hair in an effortless bush that framed her beautiful face. Gold Cartier bracelets decorated her wrist, with simple round cut diamond stud earrings with 14k yellow gold.

Lorenz wore a pair of Ralph Lauren navy blue slacks with a black belt, a cream colored dress shirt that hugged his able-bodied frame and a new model yellow gold and diamonds Rolex on his right wrist, and polished Saint Laurent dress shoes on his feet.

Cyprine couldn’t help but to blush at those words, he could keep saying things like that all night and he just might get lucky.

“I’m impressed as well, Lorenz. You look amazing.”

Lorenz gave her a soft smile with his high cheekbones.

“I figured you would like the look, I wore it especially for you.”

Cyprine bit her lip slightly, playing with a strand of curly hair with her eyes focused on the five star restaurant he was taking her to. Supposedly, a friend recommended it to him, so it would be his first time trying as well. There was valet, so Lorenz handed one of them the keys to his McLadden and proceeded to escort Cyprine into the romantic eating establishment settled on Melrose Ave.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you the reservation list is so full, the only dates available are around thanksgiving.” He chuckles in a snarky manner.

“So, how did you snag a reservation then?”

“Chef Michael Cimarusti is a friend of the friend who recommended me, he catered her wedding.”

Approaching the hostess station, Lorenz and Cyprine were greeted with a Paris Hilton look alike that moved and spoke like she was the talk of Hollywood.

“Hi, I’m Blair, welcome to Providence, the innovative seafood destination in a tranquil setting, can I have a name for a reservation, please?”

“Lorenz Allen, friend of Michael.”

The look in Blair’s eyes showed scrutiny, but nonetheless, she looked anyway. Cyprine rolled her eyes at the stereotypical reaction white people give about black people being able to afford to eat at places like this.

“Aha! I see, the Chef personally made a notation about you, why don’t you follow me this way. Would you like to eat out in the garden or inside with candle light?”

Cyprine loved the idea of sitting in a garden to eat dinner, it was romantic.

“ The garden would-“

“We’ll take the inside table with the candle light.”

Cyprines lips snapped shut in an instant, her head turning towards Lorenz, visibly confused at his sudden outburst and clear disapproval of wanting to eat in the garden.

“You don’t like gardens?”

“You see these shoes, right? Not cheap, ran me 730 dollars. Ain’t no fertilizer messing these shoes up.”

Cyprine blinked at him like he was speaking insanely, deciding not to speak on that.

“Okay, right this way.” Following Blair, Lorenz brings a single arm around Cyprines waist to lead her along the way, giving her a heart fluttering smile, causing her to return the same.

Finally seated, Cyprine takes in the atmosphere of the upscale eatery, impressed so far by the interior design and the smells that made her mouth water. The toasted vanilla votive candles give light to the seductively dim restaurant, tables draped in ivory colored tablecloths, some decorated with candles and others with an assortment of roses. Lorenz ordered a bottle of aged red wine, the oldest bottle they had. Cyprine wanted to object, but Blair had already gone away.

“I’m not really a fan of red wine, they don’t have any Moscato wine, sangrias?”

“Cyprine, gorgeous, why not be open minded? You’ll be surprised, you may enjoy it.”

She laughs lightly, “I doubt that. Do you think they may have Hennessy?”

Lorenz doesn’t respond with words, only a single brow lift and a look of disapproval.

“You didn’t peg me as a Henny drinker. Let me guess, you twerk any and everywhere too?”

What a change of energy.

“What’s wrong with that?! It’s all in good fun, Lorenz. You can’t sit here and tell me you don’t have fun.”

“I’m more of a yacht club kind of guy, sitting with old valedictorian friends, reminiscing on college days, smoking cigars.” Cyprine knew Lorenz had expensive friends, but she didn’t think he was one of those uptight types. That threw her for a complete loop, she didn’t get that vibe  from him at all. Now she was unsure of how this night would play out. A young Asian guy who looked to be in his early twenties approaches their table with a perfect posture and a faint smile.

“I am Ethan, I will be your waiter this evening. Here is the red wine you requested Sir, the oldest we had dates back to 1977.” Cyprine felt herself cringe.

“I’m sorry, Ethan, is there a way I could get a glass of white wine instead?”

Ethan smiles, “yes, of course, I will bring a bottle to the table for you.” As Ethan makes his exit, Lorenz chimes in.

“Why’d you do that?” He seemed annoyed.

“Look, you’re taking me on a date, right? So, I would think that means being a gentleman and wanting to understand my likes and dislikes.” The bitter tone in her words didn’t go unnoticed, and neither did a new wave of irritation coming off Lorenz. Had Cyprine been wrong about accepting this date? Clearly it seemed looks weren’t enough.

“Let me look over this menu.” Lorenz decided not to give his opinion on her words, and Cyprine thought it best he didn’t. As Lorenz looked over the prices, Cyprine sipped her white wine, studying his face. The handsome features contorted with distaste.

“These prices are ridiculously high.” Lorenz closes the menu, Cyprines eyes growing a fraction.

“I’ll order us the broiled Caviar with shrimp cocktail.”

Cyprine didn’t speak, she just drank her wine and filled the glass whenever it was half full. Whatever white wine it was, she could feel an instant buzz already and it put her in a better disposition.

“What was it like growing up in LA, Lorenz?” She figured small talk would lighten the mood.

“I grew up in Arizona, I’m an Army brat.”

“Wow, how was that? Moving from place to place and what not.”

“Okay I guess. Had to deal with it, no other choice when you had to do what your parents wanted you to do.” Cyprine could agree with that.

“For me, I grew up here in Cali. My childhood was fairly great, both of my parents raised me, participated in a lot of extra curricular activities like dance, Taekwondo. I enjoyed my school days too, hanging with my girls, getting into shit.”

Lorenz gave a hum of approval, but no feedback so the topic went dry. They both sat in silence until Ethan came, Lorenz ordering the appetizers. Pouring another glass of wine, she was already tipsy, but the wine was so good.

“How many glasses have you had?” Lorenz asks with a raised brow.

“Honestly, I couldn’t tell you.” Cyprine giggles.

Lorenz scanned the restaurant, noticing eyes on them.

“Hey, maybe you should lay off a little. I don’t need for these people to worry about what’s going on over here.”

Cyprine wasn’t drunk, she could hear the disapproval in his tone.

“Oh, and I ordered you the Santa Barbara Spot Prawn, it’s in my price range and I think you may like it.”

“Excuse me? I wanted to try the wild thai shrimp with salmon.”

“Cyprine, bare with me.” Lorenz puts up a hand to her, and Cyprine didn’t take too well to that shit at all.

“Lorenz, I don’t do all the disrespect. Don’t raise your hand to silence me like a child I’m a grown ass women.”

He chuckles, clearly unfazed.

“If you so grown, then why do I have to tell you to put the glass down? You're drinking like a fish and it’s not appealing.”

She felt like she’d been slapped in the face.

“You are really showing your true colors tonight,” Cyprine adds more wine to her glass, laughing to calm her nerves.

“What true colors, Cyprine? Enlighten me.” He spoke low and discreet as to not draw attention.

“You’re cheap, but yet you bring me to a five star restaurant and talk about yacht clubs and fancy college friends clearly to impress me. You don’t let me speak or think for myself, you just assume shit about me when you don’t even know me. Speaking of knowing me, you don’t care to do that either. And let’s not forget the drinking, if I wanna take this bottle to the head I will, I don’t give a fuck what these white people think, I know who I am.” She downs the drink, licking at her lips.

“I mean, is this even a date or do you just expect me to go back to your expensive place and have sex with you?”

Lorenz folds his arms over his broad chest, giving her a look that could only be shared if two individuals were on the same page.

“Isn’t that what this is? You hardly ever spoke to me, just looked at me like fresh meat. And you knew the way I looked at you, Cyprine. Did I expect sex after this, yes. Am I proven wrong, obviously.” Lorenz leans in closer, those eyes she once saw as dreamy were now nothing but pits of tarnished mud.

“Sorry, babygirl, But I think I should make my exit. I can’t stand a black woman with an attitude and no table manners.”  A beat and a breath passed between them and then the entire glass of his chosen aged red wine was spilled, covering his entire chest and staining that fresh cream colored shirt he wore. He was shell shocked, eyes wide and unbelieving that she actually poured a drink on him. The gasps and comments could be heard faintly, but Cyprine didn’t care. Lifting her own glass to her full perfectly glossed lips with a look of aloof mischief in her sparkling eyes.

“I’m sorry babe. My hand just slipped. I hope that outfit wasn't expensive.”

“You know, I feel sorry for the next man. You are truly a piece of work Cyprine, now you’re about to eat alone.”

“Oh good I can order the shrimp and salmon.”

He lifts up angrily from his chair, wiping his face with his white napkin, storming past her with the faint sound of ‘bitch’ escaping his mouth.

Cyprine could feel the embarrassment creeping up on her, but no, she wasn’t gonna give these people the satisfaction of seeing her down.

“Well, there goes another failed attempt down the drain.” Cyprine laughs to herself, motioning for an apprehensive Ethan to come over to her table and get her another round of drinks and new order of food, she had the money to spend on it.

———————————-

KNOCK KNOCK

So much for his personal smoking session. He had just gotten finished eating some homemade pho, and currently he was seated in his living room, on the couch facing the LA cityscape. His laptop was untouched for the past hour, even though he told himself he would send out emails to the board of his company about the conference they had to do. It was A LOT OF PRESSURE for him, spotlights, press, presentations. Erik strained his ears, hearing small whimpers from outside of his door. He recognized those whimpers, but why the fuck is she here around almost 12am?

Cyprine.

“What the fuck?” Erik mouths to himself, he had on no shirt and just a pair of royal blue basketball shorts, black nike socks, and his signature gold chain with his father's ring around his neck. The closer he approached the foyer, the louder her complaints became.

“ERIK!!!! Pleassssseeee open the fucking door! I’m PISSED OFF!”Her words slurred a little, and from that point Erik knew she drove all the way to his place drunk out of her mind. He fumbled with the locks, finally getting it open and with quick reflexes, catching Cyprines falling body into his arms.

“What the hell?! What the fuck are you doing drunk driving Cyprine?!” Her body was almost like dead weight on him, her white dress sliding from her shoulders, feet unsteady, and eyes hazy.

“CYPRINE!” Erik shakes her a little, causing her to open her eyes wider at his elevated tone.

“Hello?!! Can’t fucking hear?!” He was pissed.

“I’m sorry I went alittle heavy on the liquor.”

“ALITTLE?!”

“Aye nigga stop yelling. Gon bust my eardrums. So this nigga did me foul! He fucking left me at the dinner table ALONE E! Fucking alone!” She punched at the wall, leaning against it as she walked further into his apartment. Erik follows, eyes piercing.

“I thought it would be a good idea to go out with a nice man, get wined and dined. Maybe get some dick you know?!” She bends down languidly to peel off her strappy red bottomed heels, fingers fumbling with the simple buckles and kicking them off. Rising from her bent position, she put her hands up with an exasperated puff of air.

“I need another fucking drink.”

“No the fuck you don’t!  You need water. And what you mean left you at the table? You went on a date or some shit?”

She simply nods her head, eyelids fluttering slowly.

“...wasn’t gonna tell me you and Tre-“

She groans, hands over her face.

“Not with Tre! With this cheap ass nigga name Lorenz!”

Erik strokes his chin hair, slowly settling down on the couch across from her.

“Lorenz? Lorenz what?”

“Lorenz Allen. A bitch ass nigga.”

Erik pinches the bridge of his nose, taking meditating breaths.

“I could have warned you about him girl if you would have told me what the fuck was going on!”

Cyprine looked over at Erik from her drunk stupor,

“What you mean?!”

“I MEAN, that nigga is lame. He ain’t the one to fuck wit, C, I know him through some people, nigga is straight trash.”

Cyprine pouts, hugging a pillow, “doesn’t do me good now, Erik!”

“I told you about Kimora! How I felt and shit and you couldn’t tell me this?! Why the fuck not?”

Her voice cracked with anger, “I wanted to see if this would work out before I did that! And now I’m glad I didn’t do that, I would be even MORE messed up.”

Erik shakes his head, eyes dangerously low and angry.

“Still don’t give you the right to keep that shit from me.”

“Damn nigga chill out! I don’t owe you shit.” She whines.

“Shut the fuck up. You out here drinking and fucking driving-“

“I didn’t drive, I got an Uber over.”

Erik could have yanked her up. He practically hollered at this chick for her to tell him that?

“So, you mean to tell me...you got a ride, and made me think you were out here cruising drunk?”

Cyprine rolls her eyes, “You the silly ass nigga that assumed. But you not my daddy! I can do what the hell I want so why does it matter?”

Erik wasn’t having that, the glare he sent her was shuttering.

“You better watch that little mouth. Why don’t you take your ass somewhere and get some sleep,” as soon as he stood up, she followed.

“No,” folding her arms, Cyprine battles with Erik, keeping eye contact.

“No? See...” Erik steps closer, looking down at her.

“Cyprine, I ain’t got time for your bratty ass. I don’t wanna have to put you in your place, you already fucked up my quiet.”

“You and your quiet will be alright nigga.”

It has to be the alcohol talking, the way she challenged him with those eyes and that stance. She looked flustered and sexy and Erik felt like he was fighting to keep it together.

“I’ll make my way to that fucking basement. I need another drink to ease my mind and cleanse my soul of bumb nigga energy.” Before she could walk away, Erik had her arm in his firm grip, pulling back against him with so much force it damn near knocked the glass coffee table down.

The rush he felt from that had his mind swirling. All the hugs he received from Cyprine was nothing compared to the way her body was pressed against his, dress half way off her chocolate frame, eyes glossy. He was turned on so heavy, there wasn’t a damn thing that could ruin this mood, not even that fucking weed he was just smoking.

“E...let go.” She spoke through clenched teeth.

Cyprines eyes fluttered, conflict within her orbs.

“I came here for support and all you tryna do is act like my damn daddy!”

What the hell was going on? That primal look in his eyes was all too familiar in men. Was it…

“When I tell you to do something, what you do?” He spoke softer. She didn’t respond, and she didn’t want to.

“Cyprine...I said,” his hand came to her hip, she couldn’t breathe anymore, fuck being drunk she needed oxygen to fill her lungs.

“What you do?”

She swallows spit, “do it.”

Those two words, the energy it took to SPEAK them. The blaze behind them, the force that it placed on her aching body. Her pussy throbbed, her legs quaked, her breathing was uneven, she felt like she was undergoing vertigo.

“Good girl, now, is that hard, babygirl?”

“What happened to calling me lil nigga?”

He laughs, “you don’t get to be called lil nigga right now with the way you acting.”

Erik was definitely inviting her into this confusing game. She wasn’t sure where to go, her head pounded and her limbs felt like cement blocks were holding them in place.

“Now, I’m putting you in the bath and then you laying that ass down.”

“A bath?!” She gave him a wide eyed look of shock, Erik’s expression so passive and unfazed. Erik pulls Cyprine by her arm and up the steps; silent and nerve wracking. She wanted him to say ‘gotcha’ anything, it gave her butterflies.

“Listen, nigga, I can take it from here-Ahhh!” She felt his hand come down on her ass and it went straight to her pussy. Wasn’t no way she would speak after that, what in the hell came over this man, the very man who just 24 hours ago treated her like one of the homies. Erik gave her a look that dared her to talk, and she didn’t. The trip to the bathroom was quick, Erik sitting her on the toilet while he set up the bath. She wanted to say something ANYTHING to him, but he was in the zone.

“What you doin? You can’t take a bath with clothes on can you?”

“E…”

“What? Am I right or wrong, girl?”

Cyprine looked from her dress to him. Her stomach felt queasy, her heart damn near left her chest. His scent made her nose burn every time she inhaled and his unrelenting eyes had a powerful hold on her. She noticed the bulge in his shorts, and clearly as visible as it was he knew she would notice. Cyprine was a little hesitant in front of him because she didn’t know what to expect from Erik.

“The longer you sit there, the colder this water is gonna be.”

She began undressing, her eyes focused on him, waiting for the April fools, but nothing came...well, except for the deep grunt he made from watching her strip naked. She was mind blown, felt like a rocket had been set off in her head. She wanted an explanation, and she wanted it FAST.

“Now, come on and get in this tub before I beat yo ass.”

Without any resistance, the naked woman gently eased herself into the deliciously hot water. It felt so good when she sat down that she almost groaned. Erik proceeded to get down on his knees and reached under the sink, pulling out a pack of the makeup remover wipes she usually buys that she didn't remember ever leaving there. It was clearly a brand new pack that had never been open cause he used some force to get it open before pulling a fresh piece to gently wipe off the makeup on her face. It took two wipes to get her down to a bare face and then he took her hair in hand, separated it into two sections, combing through with his fingers as much as he could without hurting her and braided them into pigtails. She didn't even know he could do that. He grabbed a clean white hand towel and wiped Cyprine’s face again to get it completely  clean and followed with a baby blue loofah and some lavender castile soap to wash her body. Once he was satisfied, he let out the water and wrapped her petite frame in a fluffy towel. He took her hand in his, helping her out of the tub and patted down the water on her skin. He massaged some african shea butter into her skin while she stood in front of him. After she was moisturized, he carried her bridal style, cradled against his pebbled chest and gently sat her down at the foot of the plush bed.

“Stay here lil one. Ima go get you something to sleep in and warm ya feet.”

With that, he popped out the room leaving Cyprine to fidget about on the black velvet king sized bed. She felt hot all over and the more she sat, the more the anticipation escalated. Cyprine was practically exposed sitting on the bed within his guest bedroom. Hell, she could sleep naked from how horny she felt, fuck clothes.  After all of this that transpired so damn quickly, would Erik want to do more? Would he slip in between the black bamboo Lyocell bedding that has a silky smooth and feathery soft texture? Would he wake her up from her slumber with his hand between her legs, fingering her to climax while she bucked her hips? Does he prefer to keep the lights off? Only hearing his breathing and her pussy sucking his fingers in and out of her like a vacuum.

Cyprine should have known.

A man who’d been without sex for five months straight, constantly horny, blue balls often, a build up of nasty thoughts that he wanted to reenact in his own bed. As if feeling his eyes on her, Cyprine lifts her head towards the doorway, watching as his henched frame glowed from the small lamp light on the nightstand. Cyprine’s eyes watched in a different way this time and she remained quiet too, waiting to see what would happen next, this game was exciting.

“I hope you don’t mind this old Navy training T-shirt, it’s a little faded. And here’s some socks too to keep your pretty feet warm.”

She responded in a softly spoken tone, “it’s fine, E, I’m just sleeping.”

He chuckles before that smoky voice lulled her, “Aight, little one.”

Erik walks toward her, finally reaching her personal space and kneeling down in front of her, meeting her eye level. With steady and skillful hands, eyes on her like what resided from her shoulders down wasn’t completely exposed. She could smell the shea on her skin, and she could feel her nipples grown and stiffen. Erik gathered the shirt, placing it over her head.

“Put your arms through.”

She lifts her arms through the sleeves, the smell of his fresh shirt soothing her. It had a smell of old cologne and fabric softener. As if teasing her, Erik lowers the shirt down, his eyes never leaving hers until the shirt settled at the top of her thighs like a dress.

“Lay back.” She did, until her weight rested on her elbows.

“Give me your feet.”

Her smooth pretty feet stretched out in front of him and one by one Erik placed the socks on her feet while staring at her toes longingly. Oh she liked that, she liked that he was mesmerized by her pretty toes. Erik lifts from the floor, crawling onto the bed, before settling next to her. Cyprine felt herself exhale as she watched him watch her.

“Since your settled in bed, Cyprine, let me tell yo ass once. You too good to set yourself up like that. Fuck niggas don’t deserve your time, believe me, I know a lot of fuck niggas and Lorenz is one of them.”

She could have melted in his arms, she didn’t know how she could do it for so long, be around him and not be swept off her feet. He was definitely a charmer.

“Aye, look at me while I’m talking to you, not my lips.”

With a honeyed voice, she says, “but your lips are moving, which means your talking, right?” Cyprine was being sassy.

Erik shifted on the bed, pausing for effect.

“I need eye contact.” He spoke in a gruff tone.

He looked her up and down, smiling at her, “You cute, but save that little voice you talking wit,”

“Why?” Cyprine wanted to push him, see how far he would go. They came all this way might as well see.

“Don’t worry about all that,” Erik hooks his hands under her arms, pulling her up and onto one of the silk pillows, pulling the bedding out for her to slip in. With a smooth, slow kiss to the forehead, Erik lifts from the bed, walking away like he always did on those regular nights when Cyprine was drunk or all too tired to walk on her own two feet.

Walking out that room was a challenge, his stiff dick resting against his thigh from the thin material of his shorts and he could also feel the precum stain his thigh. Erik needed to meditate, take another shower maybe and sit on his shower chair; just think. That interaction was all it took, he needed his dick sucked and fucked on right now, it’s been too damn long. Erik turned, hand on her door knob, ready to risk it all and get what he so desperately needed, maybe even doing her a favor; non accidentally.

@unholyxcumbucket @wakanda-shit-is-that @yomiloo @forbeautyandlife @turn-thy-paige @vikkidc @panthergoddessbast @whorderofthepheonix @whoramilaje @trevantesbrat @hearteyes-for-killmonger @thehomierobbstark @drsunshine97 @disneysdarlingdiva @janelledarling @tiava143 @abeautifulmindexposed @supersizemeplz @forgottenthoughtsandmemories @brattywriters-anonymous @blackpinup22 @killmonger-dolan @eriksjournal @thadelightfulone @chaneajoyyy @madamslayyy @loosewindmill @softnani @ljstraightnochaser @faatassbitch @blackpantherismyish @erikslulbaby @youreadthatright @youcan-die @blowmymbackout @muse-of-mbaku @heyauntieeee @iamrheaspeaks @destinio1 @scrumptiouslytenaciouscrusade @bakarijordan @shookmcgookqueen @purple-apricots @unfriendly-blk-hottie @uhlxisback @wawakanda-btch @bartierbakarimobisson

[starryikesen-blog]

boyfriend! nobunaga

CONFESSION

- nobunaga never really seemed like someone you’d come to like, now that you think of it - your first impression of him was mixed— you thought he was rather a interesting person, assertive, yet quick witted, also holding this unusual gratefulness towards you ever since you saved him - you didn’t really think much about it, and it didn’t even occur to you that you were attracted to him until you started to worry over him - of course you do worry over him, because he always had someone out trying to kill him, but it’s become a constant plaguing thought - and from all the times he’d outwardly flirt and hit on you, you brushed it off with a eye roll at first, but since when did you felt this strange fluttering in your stomach? - you tried to give answers to yourself, until mitsuhide discreetly dropped the hint that you liked nobunaga romantically - you were in denial - you simply could not believe that you had fallen for nobunaga, although it was indeed a highly possible thing to happen - in fact, you thought this was some allergic reaction and was asking ieyasu’s help to whip up something for you - but now that you thought of it, it might be true, given how you checked through every single parcel delivered anonymously to nobunaga - it was the best way to ensure his personal safety, and he himself gave you the permission to - you would find suspicious things that happen to be dipped in poison, thanks to the silver clips you had that detected them - even hideyoshi didn’t get to this extent, and you did all this voluntarily - you didn’t tell him either, in case it dragged down his spirit and would affect the battles he had (although he would’ve laughed it off easily) - but still, even if you did habour feelings for him, this is nobunaga oda here, devil king of the sixth heaven, and there was no way he would reciprocate your stupid feelings - it would mean that he was constantly busy, and always planning or at war, and you weren’t so sure if you could hold up well watching your boyfriend go to war often, with a chance of never returning - these thoughts kept you up late till the wee hours of the morning, before the cogs in your brain finally gave up and stopped turning - it proved itself to be a grave mistake, for you felt like giddy and unfocused the whole day - it happened that you had many duties as chatelaine, and you couldn’t push them away because of your own mistakes - one of them was to check through the parcel that’s arrived - this wasn’t new, and it depended whether it was a gift from rebels or from innocent townspeople - your fingers worked clumsily from your drowsiness, and ran across the fine fabric of a red kimono - of course, until you felt something sharp prick your index finger - you knew at an instant what it was— a extremely tiny needle, inserted into the folds of the fabric and peeking out a little so that whoever who wears it suffers from whatever’s coated on it - it was no doubt poison, and ignoring the light bleeding on your finger, you disposed of it quickly, before anything could happen to you - the poison was a speedy one, causing your vision to blur and your hearing to diminish while you felt a surge of something rush to your mouth, and the next thing you knew, your light pink kimono was stained scarlet with your own blood - you blinked, trying to get up and at least inform someone, but your legs gave out on you too quickly - the next few things happened too quickly for you; you were slipping in and out of consciousness, and your cheeks were pressed against a sturdy chest- hideyoshi? - or when you realised that you were lying on a futon in a room that smelled of herbs (ieyasu’s, no doubt), grinding sounds filling your ears - when you at last woke up, your eyes were squinting from the sunlight coming from outside, and your head throbbed tremendously, and it just felt like you had been trampled on by an elephant - your throat was painfully sore, and you couldn’t move a single limb— you simply didn’t have the energy to - “this is my fault. i should not have given her the job.” - nobunaga? - “my lord, you are not at fault. whoever is behind this will pay with their lives for endangering you and hurting azuchi’s princess.” - “enough, hideyoshi. assist mitsuhide in uncovering their identity. i shall spend some time alone here.” - “understood, my lord.” - a sliding of the doors, and the room basked in silence and light again - you considered yourself lucky, for your head was facing the opposite side, and nobunaga couldn’t catch you awake - somehow, you sensed that he was going to say something alone, or to you, and you didn’t want to interrupt that - “how could you rush in to save me even when you carry so much fatigue? i don’t deserve this.” - a large, warm hand ran over your cheeks, and your hair, before nobunaga sighed - you’ve never heard him talk with so much regret, and yet, his voice was laced with traces of love and tenderness - “these blood-soaked hands don’t deserve to be touching you.” - “yes, they do.” - you croaked out, willing all your energy to turn you head, your eyes meeting nobunaga’s wide ones - the slightest flush were on his cheeks, probably from the revelation that you heard his words, but that didn’t stop you from saying more - “nobunaga. you deserve the whole world.” - it was short, but effective, and for once, nobunaga was at a loss for words - but his carnelian eyes betray his emotions, flashing with grief, but at the same time unexplainable happiness - “this isn’t your fault. didn’t you always tell me that it wasn’t my fault that you got hurt? the nobunaga oda we learnt in history wasn’t a hypocrite.” - that left him speechless, for despite your weak form right now, you had that blazing look of extreme determination, and that made him realise with a start, once again, just how strong you were - “fireball.” - “hmm?” - “i love you.” - the words tumbled out of his mouth, but he didn’t regret it; his voice held pride, and nobunaga definitely felt proud for loving a respectable person like you - you laughed, a breathless and soft one, a smile forming on your slightly flushed face - “i love you too.” - (let’s just say that nobunaga took such good care of you until you fully recovered that it left ieyasu jobless.)

CUDDLING + KISSING

- as mentioned briefly somewhere above, nobunaga is a busy man - given that, he won’t have the time to bump into you in corridors and give you a few minutes of making out, absolutely not - cuddles and kisses are reserved till the night and usually in his room - if there’s a war coming soon, he’ll return pretty late, and just basically gracefully collapse onto your lap - he really likes to rest his head on your lap; and it gives you a chance to make him relaxed by running your hands through his dark hair, or softly singing to him until he falls asleep - you’ll have to try and shift him onto the futon afterwards, good luck! - but worry not, nobunaga once mentioned that he can go on without sleep for many days, so it’s unlikely that he’ll be so tired to the extent that he can’t even muster the energy to kiss you - it’s just that both of you know that once you two start, there’s a chance you won’t stop for a while, so it all depends on you - once you decided that it wasn’t time for that, and forced him to relax while you sang him a lullaby your mother always did when you were young - nobunaga didn’t know if he should be in awe over your voice, or the comfort of it, or he should’ve just kissed you instead because great, now he’s more in love with you - there are times where you just stay awake and stare at him while he’s asleep beside you, and he just swings one arm around you and brings you closer to him unconsciously - these suffice for the cuddles during wartime - but when it isn’t, nobunaga will make sure to shower you with love - he’ll kiss every inch of you, leaving you yearning for more, and mark you again and again all over to reclaim his “territory” - it’s been scientifically proven that one spends 98.65% of the time under nobunaga as his lover while he does his… things - his kisses may be everywhere and anywhere, but they’re just like him; confident, straightforward, and assertive - each kiss is a reminder of how you’re his and he loves so much - it’s hot and sweet at the same time that you melt in his hands every single time - earlobe kisses are a huge thing between you two, because there’s something about kissing the softest parts of the ears that leaves both of you wanting more - but it’s a form of reassurance for nobunaga too, when he’s down and you kiss his earlobe softly, he won’t feel that bad anymore

EMOTIONAL

- there are times where nobunaga feels down too, after a particularly hard war when his men get hurt in large numbers - you understand his dream of unifying the country; to wage war so that it can end; and usually he’s so confident and driven about it, but when he sees that so many people are losing lives and families because of it, he starts to doubt himself - it’s a really bad thing, as you could say that his vision and his aims led him to who he is today, and doubting that would be like doubting his entire life - at these times, it’s always obvious for you— his eyes go ice cold, and it’s such a stark contrast from the usual fire burning in his red orbs that you know it immediately - and you’ll sit him down outside his room, where the moonlight cast its silver veil on your surroundings that you hold his hand firmly, whether or not he does the same - you know that he needs support at this time, and you’re always there beside him - he might not talk, and honestly silence is preferable, because nobunaga is someone who is clear-headed, and he can sort out this existential dilemma by himself - in fact, if you tried to talk, it might get worse, as he can’t focus and eliminate those pervasive thoughts - but when he’s done, you sort of just see this pile of ash light up again with the faintest glow, and you know that your nobunaga is back - here’s when you start talking, telling him about the nobunaga that’s in your history textbooks, all the good deeds he did, and reminding him that this path of his isn’t a mistake at all - it’s a lonely path, and you make sure you’ll walk down it with him - when you’re upset, however, nobunaga has three steps: pamper, question, kill - to put it in words, he’ll make sure you’re happy and emotionally stable enough before asking anything - whether it means showering you with kisses or spoiling you with konpeito or anything else you ask for, he’ll do it just to see that smile he loves so much on your face again - and then, he’ll interrogate the hell out of you - i do not exaggerate when i say that. - he’ll ask for the smallest of details, however trivial it may seem, nobunaga wants to make sure he gets a clear view of this issue before handling it - normally nobunaga sums up problems with a sentence or two, but he’s always given extreme thought and consideration before coming up with a plan and relaying it to others in the simplest way possible - if the problem was a person, then you might not ever see them again for a long, long time - if it was regarding your personal feelings, expect more digging— again, not because he’s being nosy, but he wants to fully understand before giving you advice, or comfort - nobunaga’s brute honesty, while it sounds unpleasant, is legitimate and useful - and you’re definitely thankful for that

DOMESTIC

- let’s just say that being an extremely busy man, your try your best to make everything convenient for him - need a new supply of konpeito? no problem. make sure hideyoshi doesn’t ever find it? hard, but you’re on it - it’s these little things that give him immense comfort, and he makes sure he rewards you for it - as for the rewards… it’s up to your imagination to go wild - you always try and convince him to bring you to the war, keeping you at the rear, helping with the wounded and all since you’re efficient and gentle - it depends on his mood, but he knows you do your job well, so it also depends on the scale of the war - a huge war that may or may not result in defeat? he’ll let you tag along; you’re his lucky charm and he doesn’t want to lose in front of you, giving him the motivation and energy to kick whoever’s ass he has to - and another pair of hands helping the casualties wouldn’t hurt, if anything - besides, it’s an unspoken rule among the warlords that the rear troops and army shouldn’t be attacked - wartime aside, on normal, peaceful days, you’ll take good care of him, bringing him food, cleaning the room, giving him massages, etcetera - at night, it’s likely he’ll take you out somewhere, whether if it’s to the kitchens to steal sweets, or to a nearby field of wild flowers to appreciate the moon, or just chilling outside the room - it’s also nights like these that nobunaga lets his walls down and tells you everything, how much he loves you, and how much he couldn’t bear if he lost you - you two could be married and it wouldn’t make a difference

FINAL VERDICT

- nobunaga’s usually a tough nut to crack, but he’s willing to do so around you without feeling like he shouldn’t, because he trusts you a lot, and loves you too much to be hiding anything away from you. extremely protective and wild, yet unexpectedly gentle at times.

[theflashdriver]

Stars

Blaze’s discomfort with her pyrokinesis is really fun to play with but I had a fun revelation regarding it recently and felt I had to depict it in some way. I also wanted to play with the contrast between a much younger Blaze and an older Blaze in characterising them, thus this piece was created! It’s just under 2.5k words and as ever it’s Silvaze. Hopefully, you enjoy!

"Blaze! Blaze! Blaze!" A hedgehog's bleat echoed across the burning city; spiking the ears of the very child it called.

It took her less than a second to sight his aura wrapped form, brightly contrasting with the dark grey sky. "Silver!"

A purple kitten, only eight years old, sat on a park bench that had long lost its park. Crisis city had no place for playthings, let alone the children who would play with them, and yet here she and her newfound partner persisted. She watched his approach, as he descended he looked more like a giant cyan blotch than the hedgehog that lay beneath. As he touched down, that aura quickly dissipating, she saw a light in his bright yellow eyes she'd come to know as excitement; amplified by a grin much too large for his tan muzzle. He threw himself down beside her, slinging a giant drawstring rucksack from his back and beginning to dig through it.

"Just a second, maybe a moment, well maybe a little more than…" Silver, as she had come to know him, continued to prattle nothings as he dove into the bag.

He pushed past the important supplies she'd sent him out for (tinned food, sewing kits and simple creature comforts) clearly searching for a single specific item. She hadn't known him for long, though she'd known of him far longer than she'd known him, she knew what those sparkling eyes meant. Something quaint, harmless and more than a little childish was about to be revealed; it might be some toy he thought she'd like or scrap of the past world, perhaps a painting of some flowers or a picture of the city in its prime. Silver was an oddball; he fought Iblis monsters where others ran and saw pieces of the past as what could be rather than what was. While most (including herself until recently) were focused on day-to-day survival, his one-track mind led him to live a harder was; fighting to fix the world so survival would be easier. He was naïve, as she'd come to so often say, but in endearing in a way that gave her some semblance of hope. Most important of his eccentricities was the way he saw her powers; looking upon her flames with the excited eyes he'd just worn while others were quick to scowl at them.

Finally, his mumbles broke into a yell. "Got it, finally, here it is!" The hedgehog was half in his bag, grunting and groaning as he struggled to free himself. Rolling her eyes Blaze reached in, taking him by the shoulder and helping to free him; whatever he'd found it was heavy and, competent as he was with his powers, his physical strength was somewhat lacking. Finally free, quills spiking as they returned to the open air, he held a large, thick, book in his hands; its cover so faded she could only read the title, Night Sky Atlas.

Blaze's tail flicked, ears spiking slightly higher; usually she had some inkling of what these exciting items were or why they were important to him but in this case, she knew neither. He hadn't even opened it he was just smiling, hugging the tome to his chest and very nearly crushing himself. The kitten felt curiosity stir within her; a feeling she would have quashed a few months prior in an attempt to focus on survival. She looked to the book's blurb but found it'd completely faded, not a single hint.

"I've been looking for something like this ever since I met you, I finally found it!" He plopped the book onto his lap, smile threatening to tear his face as he turned back to her, "This book is going to help you so much, I just know it!"

"It's going to help me?" This was very different from his prior surprises, while it wasn't unheard of for him to bring her gifts but for them to specifically help her was a very new concept. Sure there had been useful things, clothes he thought she'd like and blankets, but never something with that caveat. "How?"

"Well, you know how much I like the blue sky?" Oh did she, of all the past things Silver spoke of undoing their perpetual overcast was the most common; how he longed to see the bright sky. Before she could roll her eyes and answer he continued, bursting with excitement. "These show a different one, one I think you'll really like! Do you know about stars?"

Confusion still dominated Blaze but her interest had certainly been piqued, "I don't remember reading about them, are they important?"

"Well, they…" He stumbled, seeming to search for words, "No, I should probably start with what night's supposed to be like. The night's darker than the day, but it's a nice kind of darkness? The sky was black or a really dark blue and it… um…" Silver shifted slightly, opening the book but holding it so she couldn't see, and started flipping through the pages.

Anticipation quickly metamorphosed into impatience, her legs crossed as she cast him a more serious look; a 'we need to get moving soon or Iblis monsters will come' look. It took him a half second to catch it; he picked up the pace of his search, quills bobbing rather ludicrously.

He flinched out an apology, "S-Sorry, I've wanted to do this for so long; I want to do it right, I think I'm almost…" but as he did his eyes relit; evidently he'd found what he'd been looking for. Turned back to her he smiled again, resuming his explanation. "People didn't really talk about the blue sky, not till it was gone at least, but they loved the night sky way before that; it's because of the stars that they loved the sky." His giddiness grew with each word; he could get so excited over these long lost things. "Stars are bright lights in the sky, there are millions and millions of them, and when they come together they look so amazing. People would talk about them all the time, write stories and sing songs about them; that's how important they were. When the sun went down the sky would be lit by beautiful little diamonds, I know it's hard to believe but here."

Silver turned the book to her, shifting it from his lap onto hers. It took a moment to understand what she was looking at; a double page spread covered in strange speckles, littered across a background of blue going black but shifting purple where many dots clustered. This was meant to hang above them? A blue sky was one thing, but this? The longer she stared at the pages, taking the book in her own hands, the deeper the picture seemed to be. Blaze was beginning to understand why the people of the past (and Silver) were so enamoured with the night sky; it looks so alive, especially compared to the sky above.

As surreal as it was Blaze could imagine it; she could envision stars sparkling above. Compared with where they lived a star-filled sky was no stranger than a lush forest or tundra. If the surface could be so bizarre and fascinating then why couldn't the sky?

"This is the best picture I've ever seen of them but they'll be even prettier when we see them for real! They'll glitter and shine, it'll be beautiful!" He often spoke like that, shouting in absolutes about the world they'd fix. He leaned over the book, flipping through the pages. Different sights of different skies shot past, ranging from black backgrounds with white splotches to clusters of stars twisting and forming all kinds of wonderful colours. Finally, he settled on a page; far simpler than the prior sight the sky looked darker, the stars white spots but between some lines had been drawn. "Sometimes they'd make symbols with the stars, connecting the dots to make shapes like these. They thought so much about them, trying to understand if they had deeper meanings."

He reached over the book, pointing out one cluster in particular. "Apparently that one's meant to be a crab called cancer… whatever a crab is. I don't really get it but there are hundreds and hundreds of different shapes with different meanings!"

As she listened to his talk, though enamoured with his discovery, a small confusion began to gnaw at her. "It's a wonderful book Silver but… I don't see how it'll help me?"

"What do you think stars are made of?" His voice cracked with excitement.

She hadn't even thought about that, she'd been too distracted looking at them. "Aren't they made of diamonds, like you said?"

His next words were simple, childish and thoroughly surprising; "Stars are made of fire. You're like a star!"

It was as though time stopped; immediately the pieces clicked. Blaze felt her body warm, ears heightening and eyes widening. She quickly flipped back to the coloured page, immersing herself in the glossy picture. They were made from fire? Fire people weren't afraid of, fire they thought was beautiful? Such fire had existed? Not only did it exist but it'd been hiding above the clouds, hanging over them all this time?

"The first time I read about stars it was in a big book, full or words I couldn't understand, but there was a tiny really pretty picture of the sky in there. I didn't think much of it but then I met you and how people were so mean to you, I knew I had to find out more." He broke from her gaze, his smile had faded a bit, "I know you're not comfortable with your powers right now but… I thought this would help? I know we're surrounded by Iblis' fire and people are scared, but your flames aren't like that! Your fire is way more like the stars!"

Feeling herself flare even further she pushed the book into his lap, jumping from the bench lest she set either of them aflame. Embers started flaking from her fingers, taking to the air, but he was still smiling. Blaze turned away, closing her fists to contain them, "I-I… thank you, Silver, but I'm not…" Words failed her, the last time she'd stuttered like this was upon first meeting him. "I'm not ready to… use them."

She felt a hand on her shoulder and, turning, she found his eyes still sparkled but his brow cast them more serious, "You don't have to do anything, I just don't like you being uncomfortable. You're my partner; I'm supposed to look after you just like you will me! Comparing your flames to stars is one of the easiest ways to do that; because it's so true!" Just as she was going to reply she felt him take her other shoulder. "And if anyone says any different I'll beat them up."

"You don't have to go that far…"

Less than a month later fire would fly freely from her hands.

A black-blue sky hung above them, speckled by a thousand spheres of harmless fire. She'd died and been reborn in a world where skies like this flitted in and out of existence, appearing once every week or so. They were common enough that, though she'd never stopped to think on it, they'd become banal; hardly worth a glance as she went about her daily duties. Duties, she'd gone from so few to so many in what now seemed the blink of an eye; the transition from protecting one person to protecting an entire kingdom had somehow passed unnoticed. Remembering the life she'd led had been difficult, their emotions had spilt over in a manner she doubted they would again, but in its wake much had become clear. They lay on a hillside together, green grass below and their eyes locked to the sky above.

She was glad to be reminded of the night sky's beauty but, far more importantly, Blaze was happy they could watch the stars together.

Since they'd lain conversation had been scant but, finally, he'd broken the silence. "I thought the sky was like this everywhere, every night, but it's far rarer than that." She felt his fingers brush against hers, his palm moving to top hers. "But seeing it now, here with you… it's way better than I thought it'd be."

Blaze tore her eyes from the stars to look at her partner. He'd grown so much since that day, both in stature and soul, but the light in his bright yellow eyes remained. Silver's heart still stuck to his sleeve, no matter how he tried to hide them his emotions always lingered on the surface. Eyes still fixed to the sky, his smile spoke volumes to Blaze. On the surface, one would think this smile weaker than his over-exaggerated grin but to her trained eye it showed something different, wonderment poured from his eyes but that softer grin showed a loss of desperation. He wasn't clinging to tiny happy fragments anymore, a sparkling sky hung above.

"Blue sky or night, the clouds part eventually." She stated it in a rather matter of fact manner, blunt and honest, but as she did Blaze shifted their grasp, allowing his fingers to slip between hers. "We should make up for lost time, I don't want to lose any more."

The truth was, while he'd compared her to a star he had far more in common with them. A single star that lay before the clouds, bringing light to those trapped beneath the grey sky The only star you could hold without burning up. But then, he'd thought of her in that way back when they were kids. She supposed they were two markedly different stars, guiding one another in very different ways. One to encourage, prompt them to act, while the other helped bear the first's burdens. A mutual reliance that should never be broken, she wouldn't leave him again.

"Make up for it?" Those sharp yellow eyes were upon her again, "How're we going to do that?"

Blaze rolled her eyes, shifting just a little closer as she turned back to the sky. "You're so naïve."

[ecsundance]

A very Long (yet very awesome) Week of Sundance

Organisers of Sundance say in Tryon’s discussion that “If a filmmaker wants to create his or her own idiosyncratic vision, it’s often not worth looking around for a big budget, waiting for others to say it’s okay to make it.  You have to stand up and make the film yourself…” (pg.164) and Kevin MacDonald in Tryon’s discussion talks about how basically all you need to make a movie is a laptop and a video camera, and how amazing it is that we live in a time which we can do this (pg.156)

This is similar to the idea that you can complain about not having enough time or experience to do something, but if you get over yourself and do it either you fail and learn, or you succeed and gain confidence.  If you have a great idea then nothing should hold you back from making it a reality.  Movies with billions of dollars behind them have fallen flat.  So it stands to reason that a movie made on weekends with only a couple bucks could be amazing.

According to Chuck Tryon’s discussion of “Reinvented Festivals” (pg. 160), because there are a lot more independent bloggers/critics now due to newspapers not hiring many, there is a consistent stream of new reviews being released even minutes after a film finishes premiering.  

Taking part in this class and festival and constantly thinking about what I thought about a film plays into this as I (along with my classmates) were some of the first to review some of these films.  It’s such a fun experience to think and talk about film as everyone will have various ways of perceiving and connecting to each film.

Favourite Film From the Festival

It feels hard to choose a favourite because there were so many incredible films which affected me in different ways like Coda, How it Ends, Flee, and honestly most of the films I saw in this year's festival . However, I fell in love with The World to Come when it wasn’t even a movie I initially planned on seeing.

The world to come felt like a poem. It made my heart ache deeply, marinating in feelings of melancholic love, and unexpected loss. Maybe it hit me especially hard because I lost one of the most amazing people I’ve ever had in my life along with family and pets (since they are family too) since the start of Covid: I have regrets and things I never got to say.  Maybe it’s because I’m fiercely fighting with my own identities right now.  Either way, it was hard to watch.  Parts of it still haunt me and still leave me breathless on the brink of tears.  It struck a chord in me which I have a hard time fully putting to words.  I didn’t originally even want to watch this film, it somehow ended up on my list of on demand films, and my mom convinced me to watch it (and I’m so glad she did).

It is a story which about two women which takes place in the 1800s, together in their loneliness who fall for each other behind their husbands’ backs.  They secretly rendezvous in the forest and tucked away corners of their homes when their husband’s are working.  It is beautiful in story and dialogue; it doesn’t get stale.  It feels modern somehow, though it is set in the 19th century, and I’m still processing it all to figure out why exactly.

Least Favorite Film from the Festival...

Eight for Silver by Sean Ellis wasn’t the worst movie I’ve ever seen, but it was certainly not the best;  I would not actively choose to watch this again.  It had interesting concepts such as only natural lighting being used throughout the film and those turned into the werewolf emerging, negatively changed, from the dead animal.  The movie would have gotten 4 stars rather than 3 from me simply by not having a CGI werewolf (unless it was so brilliantly terrifying and amazing it had to be shown) and by keeping the original plot of the Roma’s spells/curses (fueled from the massacre which the targeted village caused).  The scarecrow and buried teeth, and the strange dreams which followed were such a great piece, but they just fell away more and more.  The addition of the religious text (which mentions 30 pieces of silver is unnecessary, and just recycles old vampire movies/myth ) took this film from a great timepiece and cheapened it in combination with the subpar CGI creature, while also making it feel far too Hollywood in a bad way.  Again, some of the ideas, like the person within the wolf were great, but they could have kept it that way and not shown the monster otherwise.  

A list of All Feature Films I Saw:

During the 2021 Sundance film festival I have seen and rated the following:

Coda ***** Sian Heder

The story of a teenage hearing girl who wants to be a singer living with her otherwise deaf family who run a fishing boat.

Cryptozoo **** Dash Shaw

A woman’s attempt to protect mythical creatures in a world where everyone wants to harm them or use them as weapons.

Misha and the wolves ***** Sam Hobkinson

A chilling documentary about holocaust tale with a twist.

Users **** Natalia Amada

A mother’s view of the world, global warming, technology, her children and the relationship between all of this. 

Prisoners of Ghostland **** Sion Sono

Samurai meets the gunslinger Western World in this colourful action-horror (featuring Nicholas Cage). 

Censor **** Prano Bailey-Bond

The story of a woman whose sister disappeared as a child and how her job as a horror film censor helps her uncover the truth.

How it ends ***** Daryl Wein, Zoe Lister-Jones

A walk through the last day on Earth with a woman and her younger self as they make peace with their lives, relationships with others, and their own inner selves.

Strawberry Mansion ***** Dan Deacon

A dreamy/nightmarish surreal tale of a dream tax collector as he falls in love with the younger version of his client.

Cusp ***** Isabel Bethencourt, Parker Hill

A documentary on the lives of teen girls in Texas which delves into rape culture, poverty, and what it’s like to be a young woman.  

Eight for Silver *** Sean Ellis

Werewolf lore set in the 19th century. 

John and the Hole **** Pascual Sisto

A young teenage boy puts his family in a hole in the woods as he tries to deal with the stressors of being a kid and what adulthood holds, entwined with fable. 

R#J ***** Carey Williams 

A modern retelling of Shakespear’s Romeo and Juliet through the age of social media, with a twist or two.

Coming Home in the Dark ***** James Ashcroft

A horror story of  a family who are abducted by two strangers who they later learn they share a deeper, darker history with. 

We’re All Going to The World’s Fair **** Jane Schoenbrun

A showing of loneliness and desperation through an online roleplaying game and it’s after effects.

First Date **** Manuel Crosby, Darren Knapp

A story of a first date gone VERY wrong.

The World to Come ***** Mona Fastvold

A 19th century story of the growing connection between two farmhouse wives.

Violation ***** Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Dusty Mancinelli

A film about a woman’s trauma and how she… Deals with it.

Marvelous and the Black Hole ***** Kate Tsang

A story about how a young teen girl gets through the loss of her mother through forming a connection with a local magician.

The Blazing World ***** Carlson Young 

A traumatised young woman tries to bring her sister back from “the other side” but must really fight her own inner demons.

Mayday ***** Karen Cinorre

A story of a young woman overcoming trauma and fighting back against the man in a dreamlike state.

Night of the Kings **** Philippe Lacote 

A new storyteller is anointed in a prison run by its inmates and he must keep telling these stories until the moon sets to stay alive. (It helps to understand the specific culture more with this one, otherwise it sort of goes over your head.)

Life in a Day 2021 ***** Kavin Macdonald

A grounding compilation of scenes from across the world on the same day, July 25th, with scenes one after the other which either connect or contrasted in an impactful way.

Flee ***** Jonas Poher Rasmussen

A biography told through animation of a young gay immigrant. 

Short Films

Bj’s Mobile Gift Shop- Jason Park

A story of a young guy in Chicago who makes money to support himself and his grandparents by running a mobile gift shop out of a large suitcase.

Flex - Josefin Malmen, David Strindberg

A visual telling of a bodybuilder rubber-banding between insecurity and self obsession through surreal imagery and dialogue. 

The Affected- Rikke Gregersen

A retelling of a college student preventing the deportation of a man back to Afghanistan through the interactions of the bystanders.  

You Wouldn’t Understand- Trish Harnetiaux

A time-warp involving a picnic, a strange character looking for “horsey sauce” and a grocery store clerk armed with a food scanner.

Animations

Ghost Dogs- Joe Cappa 

A family's new dog is “haunted” by the family’s many deceased dogs in squishy colourful 90s/early 2000s style animated short. 

GNT- Sara Hirner, Rosemary Vasquez-Brown 

A woman obsessed with social media tries to make yeast infections popular.

Trepanation- Nick Flaherty

A showing of depression through a disturbing hole ridden entity emerging from a hole and taking the place of the house's owner. 

Little Miss Fate- Joder Von Rotz

A cleaning bird interrupts the fate of a couple going out on a date, leading to disastrous consequences.

Indie Series

I had really wanted to see Seeds of Deceit by Miriam Guttman and Would you Rather by Lise Akoka, (I tried viewing 4 Feet High by María Belén Poncio and Rosario Perazolo Masjoan but there was an issue which Sundance staff never got back to me about, sadly) but I ran out of time.  

However, I did see These Days by Adam Brookes which takes place in New York City during Covid, showing a young woman living alone and how she survives living alone and being unable to work as a dancer.  

New Frontier Experiences

Sadly, I kept thinking I’d have endless time.  I did not engage in the New Frontier experience except for in class on one occasion.  I think it was a great idea and fantastic opportunity and I regret not planning my time better for this specifically.

Talks or Events 

Ignite x Adobe featured shorts films from artists aged 18 to 25 and was very inspiring since I’m in the age range of these artists. 

A few I especially enjoyed were Vigincita, Personals, and Joychild (Although I honestly enjoyed the whole compilation).

Virgincita - A sexual coming of age/ look at mother daughter relationship mixed with religion.

Personals - A sexual encounter between two insecure individuals who find comfort with one another by the end.

Joychild - A documentary piece showing a child discovering and opening up about their gender identity. 

Q&As

I attended a few Q&As, but my favourite I believe was CODA’s.

They spoke about how they worked around language barriers and learned sign language before and throughout production.  Everyone just seemed at ease and like they had a great time in production of the film.

- - -

Overall, I’m quite pleased with how this festival went virtually.  It was a truly amazing experience which I am so glad I was able to take part in.  It was as Immersive an experience as I think could be created virtually and seemed to go relatively smoothly for the most part for having it be the first time this has happened.  

I’m also extremely grateful for the inclusivity which allowed for those who may not be able to travel as easily due to disability, financial reasons, or anything else.  I don’t know if I’d have been able to go otherwise.  

This experience was more amazing than I even hoped it would be.  I feel so inspired that I plan to find out how to submit to Sundance so that I can possibly try to get a short film idea I have done for the short film/18-25 year old category.  I feel like I can actually do this now and I have so many new ideas. 

Thank you!

Tryon, Chuck,

On-Demand Culture: Digital Delivery and the Future of Movies

,  Rutgers University Press, Copyright © 2013.

Mae McCloskey

[toukaisbetterthanyou]

Rantings of a Bitter Madwoman

I thought you had stopped writing this. When my friend told me I should expect a chapter soon, I had to go back and read the whole thing again because I forgot most of what happened (except for Ken cutting line at the doctor’s office, apparently that’s what left the biggest impact on me). Anyway, I realized I got a few things wrong with previous reactions because I wasn’t focused while reading and apparently skipped over paragraphs (it’s a good thing you published this on a weekend, much more relaxed reading than during a work day).

One part that I really got wrong was thinking they only had a one night stand before Anteiku when actually it was a two or something months fling which now raises the question of why doesn’t Touka ever bring that up? He left her back then so wouldn’t she think about it when she feels insecure about their relationship? And while we’re at it, why doesn’t Ken ever bring up the Quinx? The Quinx part is probably because the story doesn’t involve them but canon showed how much he cared for them and they were a family to him before he started this family with Touka so I would expect them to be mentioned in passing at least.

I have a feeling you will try to make the moron sympathetic here and I am sorry in advance because I do not give a fuck about how sad his life is, I am only here to support Touka through her shitty choices in men.

… even beaten Banjou to a bloody pulp when he told her that he let Hinami leave, claiming that she wanted to find her own way.

Is it Banjou’s fate to be beaten up by Kirishimas? Leave my sweet giant alone!

Especially not with him. He would continue to carve out pieces of her very soul, ripping her flesh bare until there was nothing left. Kaneki Ken was nothing but ruin and destruction.

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS!

He hopes this would be enough to ward of her suspicions and finally, they can have some peace together.

Sure, sudden gifts do not arouse suspicious at all. (He may does that regularly but I’m treating them as sudden)

… nods to the doorman sitting there, white as a sheet, stiff as he always is when he sees him.

He doesn’t have time to mess with him today though.

This moron really never learns.

He could keep her safe and she would have access to all his information and money after his death.

Not if the government and/or CCG seize them you idiot! You want paper trail that she is your wife?!

… how was he supposed to live without her?

Shouldn’t be too hard, you’re not planning to live at all.

“You didn’t do shit ,” Touka spits. “You saved yourself so you wouldn’t lose your title in the fucking CCG, but at least Hina gets to live on borrowed time, right?”

Reading this fight is so cathartic! Finally! ABOUT FUCKING TIME!

Touka stares at the jeweled ring in that tiny box. Her hands ball into fist as she looks at it and then back at him, eyes hard. 

“Are you kidding me?”

You and I had the same reaction, babe!

 “H-He isn’t moving,” She mumbles, lips trembling. 

Don’t fucking do this to me, I am already terrified of it.

And then there is movement.

Thank Ishida! Had me worried there for a second. Now let me just rage at Kaneki because for fuck’s sake DO YOU KNOW HOW FUCKING DANGEROUS THAT IS?! ESPECIALLY IN THE THIRD TRIMESTER! MATERNAL INJURY ASIDE, DOES HE KNOW HE COULD HAVE FRACTURED HIS SON’S SKULL OR ARM?! DOES HE KNOW HE COULD HAVE CAUSED THE PLACENTA TO ABRUPT?! WHO WILL DO HER CSECTION IF THAT HAPPENS?! THE ONLY DOCTOR WHO COULD IS IN BITE SIZE PIECES ON THEIR DINING TABLE! Wait, is this a way for Kimi to join the story? Please say yes!

Also is that a Genesis reference? :P

He’s ruined everything – everything because of one careless mistake.

Now, Kaneki dear, we all know it’s not just one mistake, this is karma catching up with all your life’s shitty choices.

Despite the various protests from Yomo and Nishiki, she shows up to work the next day.

Makes sense, one of her main traits is hardworking. I was actually surprised she dropped her job when she first got together with Kaneki.

After everything that he had done, it felt impossible to stay angry at him – even after Hinami – or with how he had hurt her belly, even if that had been an accident on his part.

No, no, no, NO! The physical hurt part alone should be enough to never consider going back, even if it was an accident. This goes to really show how emotionally dependent on Ken Touka is.

“You can’t be serious.”

Of course, Nishiki is the first to speak – and it was with something snarky. She grits her teeth. “What’s the plan going to be, Touka? It’s obviously to get himself fucking killed – he probably wants to go out in a blaze of glory!”

Nishiki, if I ever become an anime character because of bots taking over the world, I am coming to marry you. I’ll share you with Kimi if I have to. Bless you.

… then maybe we can come up with some kind of plan where we can all make it out of this,” she says.

Or maybe just let him go through with his plan without interference? Why add more people to worry about? You just want an excuse to see him again.

“If I allow you to go speak with him,” the white haired man says, “And I agree to help him with whatever this plan is – then you have to promise to stay here while we enact it.”

Thank you for your common sense and trying to be a parental figure of guidance.

Allow? You don’t fucking control her, my silver crow! Don’t mess me with that patriarchal bullshit. She’s an adult woman. Sure, she’s stupid right now but an adult nonetheless.

I sincerely hope he means Ayato here but I know he’s not

He shouldn’t even let you go off to see that half ass fucker–,”

Confirmation they tried anal? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

It was as though all of his decisions were circular. He never stopped making the same mistakes, again and again.

Well, yes, but also, it’s not your job to fix him.

You just want to see him.

I knew it! You aren’t being subtle, Touka!

Would she have turned her back on him back then, knowing what she knew now?

She hadn’t been able to do anything to help her father, but maybe – just maybe, she could shake some sense into Ken.

This is the part where Touka’s childhood trauma catches up with her. All her guilt about what happened to her father (even though she was just a child), and the Anteiku raid are guiding her decision to “save” Kaneki when Kaneki’s problems are never going to be solved by others, the fault is deep within him. Touka will still try because she is hanging by a thread to a dream.

She has to get to him.

I feel this part is a nod to Kaneki in chapter 143 where he keeps repeating that he will protect everyone this time.

She was not going to raise their child alone.

– 

The door is unlocked when she makes it to his flat, and she momentarily stunned by the damage that she is met with when she opens the door. 

I don’t know why you are so concerned about raising the child alone if Kaneki is dead because you would still be doing that if he stays alive. Ken is permanently stuck in his terrible twos. You’ll have two kids to worry about.

And Ken lay in the center of it all.

I am Obama.

“W-Why did you come back?”

For once, Ken and I agree on something. I can’t believe she is glossing over hurting their baby and trying to joke with him! I can partially understand why she is doing it (guilt mentioned before and that she has a less severe version of his martyrdom complex) but that doesn’t mean I like or approve of it.

Not even for her and their child.  

Would Touka have done it? Knowing what we know from canon, I don’t think she would have (Maybe she would have here because Ken is a dick but she is obviously not all too concerned with that). Interesting contrast between them.

“And I kicked your ass too many times to count,” Touka counters, “You didn’t do it on purpose, right?”

It’s not the same! Stop trying to blame yourself! Even if it wasn’t on purpose, so what? An alcoholic doesn’t mean to get into a car accident but you still don’t forgive him or give him keys or keep him around your kids! This is just a fall back to their old dynamic with Touka turning a blind eye to the bigger issue!

He looks horrified, “No – I’d never do anything like that to you,” and he says it which such sincerity that her doubts are chased away.

Aha, never heard that one before. It’s not as if he managed to keep up an act around you for months or anything. Let’s believe him right away.

He was okay – their child was okay.

I would like to note that the extent of damage can’t be known till the baby is born but I hope those Rc cells are doing their magic so they are not met with a nasty surprise. God, that sounds awful of me but I am still mad at this.

What in the world had he done to deserve such kindness?

There must be an eclipse or something because I am agreeing with you again, Ken.

I am willfully ignoring all the parts that may make me agree with Touka’s decision on principle. Bitter? I don’t know what you’re talking about.

She straddles his lap again, this time only in her bra and panties.

How long was it? A day? Two? Already fucking again? Nope, sex is not used as a distraction here at all.

but Ken beats her to it, closing his lips over the swollen nipple, hollowing his cheeks for an indulgent and curious suckle.

Oh, wow. He really is stuck in his terrible twos.

The sensation was a strange one – though not unpleasant

Is this inspired by that woman who orgasms from breastfeeding? Because I have a lot to say about that but this review is not the place for it.

He pulls her head back by her long hair, making sure she can see how he was fucking her.

I love mirror sex but I am so mad at the both of them that I can’t even remotely enjoy this. I feel like Ned Flanders outside their window with a sign saying “Yomo is watching”.

She opens the back door – only to be greeted by a group of men. All dressed in black.

V?

I hope you are not taking another month to post the next chapter because that is one hell of a cliffhanger!

 I was glad to see Touka fight back this chapter. I thought I was going to celebrate my babies’ first birthday before I see her snap so thanks for giving me that, even if it was for a short while. Looking at you now, Ishida.

I will begrudgingly concede that Ken is showing a little progress but I still don’t think she should have fixed things with him so quickly. He needs to learn there are consequences to his actions and she needs to stop relying on him emotionally or something like this will happen all over again. I, personally, would have left him for just the injury part but I know women in emotionally abusive relationships cannot make that choice easily, doesn’t matter since they have bigger issues to deal with now than their mutually enabling and destructive dynamic so let’s see how this pans out first.

Mod K:

Hey! I just wanted to thank you for always writing such long and thoughtful reviews – but I also wanted to respond to some of what you had said here. The intention of Original Sin is to create what is an unhealthy and destructive dynamic and while Ken is most to blame for all of this – we try to also show that Touka is also playing a role in contributing to this dynamic. While Touka does argue and call him out on things in this au, her own fears of abandonment and past trauma often leads to her going back, pretending and falling back into the same patterns – these characters are not exactly the same as the current canon due to their past relationship.

Touka is a person that tries not to dwell on the past as much – she lives in the moment for fear or what the future might hold, but most of her fear of Ken abandoning her and her dependency on him is also related to how he has left her multiple times in the past (during their brief relationship pre-aogiri, and then as Haise).

We purposefully do not get too deeply into Ken’s head since the story is primarily from Touka’s perspective.

Ken also did not purposefully try to hurt her or the baby – he was panicked and trying to hold onto her, but accidentally propelled her into the table – not to make excuses for him. This was wrong, but it wasn’t something that he intentionally did.

I try not to apply the morals that I actually have or what I would actually do in a situation when writing – as we have tried to paint the Reaper’s character in shades of grey, but also Touka.

We had wondered if we should have Touka take Ken back immediately (part of the reason this chapter too so long), and we decided that based on how we had written their relationship so far, it would make sense. These are two people who are incredibly dependent on one another for emotional stability. Touka also feels somewhat of a responsibility because of her father, as you pointed out.

Had the baby actually died, I don’t think that Touka would have returned to him. Word of god also states that the baby is tough and will be fine.

However, their decision to stay together and pursue this plan will also have some narrative consequences in the future, though I don’t want to reveal them all because lol spoilers. It was definitely meant to make readers feel somewhat uncomfortable, though. But, we tried to also shed light on why Touka made the decision that she did.

Touka is also the type to cover her hurt and pain with sarcasm and jokes, even when she’s very upset.

We did still try to include Touka not forgiving him -- but I also would feel like Touka wouldn’t hold what happened when he pushed her against her too much. This is a world where people who have nearly killed them all are all friends now. Touka also recognizes that Ken did not do this purposefully, even if he still did a bad thing.

Also, as for Ken’s feelings about the Q, we don’t explore his side of things much in this fic intentionally -- but as reaper, I feel like he wouldn’t think about them too much because it’s painful. He feels as though he’s failed them, and he keeps them out of his head, especially since they are fractured now partly because of him. He is also solely focused on Touka and his plan to rescue Hinami. He is choosing the ghouls over them.

I don’t think Ken has even dwelled on them much as King!Kaneki. Or at least Ishida hasn’t shown him thinking of them outside of chapter 144. I feel like his attachment to them was mostly a Haise thing, but that might just be our intepretation.

Thank you for the long and thoughtful review! And I hope that you check out some of the other things we’ve written (some happier, and some not so much, haha. We have a masterfic tag now~)

[alaruine]

Don't bother who is ignoring you But care for the one who ignore people for you

Don't bother who is ignoring you

But care for the one who ignore people 

for you

I laughed and they said, do not you? I cried, they said, do not smile? .. Basmat they said, I saw them I thought they said what was silent .. Silence They said Kalil tongue spoken, they said a lot of words .. Dreamed, they said the cowardly act, even if he was avenging revenge .. Besalt and said to be ashamed of him and was not surprised if they say .. "If the mind was as much as the words of men, then it would have been the greatest of men's minds. If science were as much as keeping matters, the pupil would have been wider than his teacher. , Even if the ignorance on the virtues of the wicked did not have influence, even if the money as much as the mind was the richest people wise, and the poorest people And the most kings and leaders. "Mustafa al-Sibai is a life driven by your mind, much better than a life led by people's words." William Shakespeare People do not do justice to the neighborhood among them, even if they are left with remorse. "Zaki Naguib Mahmoud is never afraid to raise your voice for truth and truth and for sympathy against injustice, lies and greed, if he did All people will .. The world will change. - William Faulkner Pain Types: There are reduced pains assessed If people suffer from pain more than one or two degrees, if we suffer in the struggle for an idea, for example, , People refuse to believe him, except for a few .. They do not believe him because when they looked at the owner saw that his head is not that head, who must be in their eyes the head of the suffering for the cause of high that whole lift .. They then refuse to sympathize With no sympathy; without being in their position this is something of the spirit of evil anyway. "- Feodor Dostoevsky (Russian writer). "Abd al-Rahman al-Kawakibi is the telling of nature to us that the mind of man is capable of doubling the rate of his work enormously if he needs to. So, if you want to raise people's reform, keep their minds working. "- Stephen Hawking The rebellious or rebellious man may become a popular hero who is respected by people, but rebellious rebellious women seem abnormal or abnormal. Misleading minds, fixed do not change as well as b For the world, dictators are developing a series of approaches that exclude any portrayal of the world as an issue or problem and focus on showing it in the form of a fixed entity, or as something given, something that people, as mere spectators, must adapt to. People are afraid of the unknown, but ignorance becomes a blessing when knowledge is scary. - Laurel Hamilton I have scars on my hands from touching some people. - Jerome David Salinger The common way people give up their power is to believe they have no power. Among all kinds of tyranny, tyranny practiced for the benefit of its victims is the most severe It is perhaps better to live in a system of emperors of corruption to live under the absolute authority of the advocate of virtue who intervene in what does not concern them .. The injustice practiced by the tycoons may sometimes come to a standstill, and their greed may reach saturation, but those who oppress us for our benefit as They say, they will continue to oppress them indefinitely, because they are doing it with a relaxed conscience. - CS Lewis How anyone can know everything about all people. - Freud was a criminal person like other people and the only difference was that he was caught in a blaze. George Bernard Shaw Become your friend as outdoor air, solitude, food and medicine from people who can not "Friedrich Nietzsche is forbidden to kill because he will be punished because this is a crime, but if you kill many people you will be saved from punishment, but you will be honored ... because you are a hero in the war." Voltaire

Let your face be a name and your words are soft, you shall love the people who give them gold and silver. Do not like the man Tntnth, but the one who led the Secretariat and stop the symptoms of people, he is the man. From Gad Sad, and from the scorn of disobedience, and that the best people of those who did not. Of the people grow up zł. And the war, if they knew, would not be raging in the fringes of the guns, but in the hearts and minds of the people. It is forbidden to kill because you will be punished because this is a crime, but if you kill many people you will be saved from punishment, but you will be honored because you are a hero in the war. And people are interested in life and I do not see .. The length of life is more than non-stray .. If you lacked ammunition did not find the asset is the best business. Whenever success comes from good planning and constant perseverance coupled with the opportunity, people consider it fortunate. Many people spend a lot of time and effort avoiding problems, rather than trying to solve them. People think that feeling happy is the result of success but the opposite is true. Success is the result of feeling happy. The best people were the minds of those who were not uprooted, and the people brought the answer of those who did not get angry. Do not care about the speed of work, but its quality, because people do not ask you how much you have finished it, but look at its proficiency and quality of manufacture. In the revolution there are two types of people, those who revolutionize and those who benefit from it. Some people see things as they are and wonder why, and others dream of things that have never been and they wonder why not. Make people love you when you leave your position, as they love you when you receive them. More people lie than talk a lot about himself. Most people at power are evil. There is no word in the dictionary of many meanings and varied and contrasted as much as the word I love you .. I almost say that this word has meanings as much as the number of people, ie four thousand million meaning. You have to remember Allaah, it is medicine and you and people, it is a disease. Learn the science and teach people and learn the reverence and tranquility and humbleness to whom you learned from him and to whom you have learned and do not be the greatness of scientists do not Gehlkm knowledge. People loved me who raised me. The stupidest people who wandered in the last trip had a boat house. If people are rich in this world, then hasten with me with Allah, and if they rejoicing in the world, then you will be pleased with Allah, and if they forget their loved ones, then I will make you believe in Allah, and if you know their kings and their kinsfolk and bring them closer to them, they will receive their pride and honor. The happiest people are thinking about the most fun ideas. To say there is a good work of art but not understood by the general public as if we say that there is very good food but most people can not eat it. Whoever thinks that he is ever satisfied, is about to please no one. People in the prowess of the idiot, cheat and decent. If people are asked to delete the words and curiosity of their words, the silence in their councils to replace the speech. Addressing people by their names I think our names are the most beautiful thing you hear our ears address people by their names. People are not separated from the conflict except the Book of the House of Heaven, and if they return to their minds, each of them mind. If people dispense with the world, then fasten you with Allah, and if they rejoicing in the world, then you will be pleased with Allah, and if they forget their loved ones, then I will make you forget Allah. From the homeland of his heart when his Lord dwelt and rested, and those who sent him in the people were troubled and became anxious. A person has to do what the people preach about him, as he also has to preach to people what he does. I'm not sad because people do not know me, but I'm sad because I do not know them. He rewarded the people with deceit, and his servants are treacherous. Many people think they understand what they imagine. They say to me: If you knew yourself, I would know all the people, and I would say to them, "Do not know myself first, until I know all men." It is strange that people love us and I am able to disrupt our lives. Of people's benefits that they can not hide their disadvantages long. The evil of people is that whose vengeance harms himself and people. People are born free, but they enslave wherever they go. People who know little talk a lot, but those who know a lot talk little. O people, the piece of gold may fall into the mud, but it will remain gold, and the tin is not like gold, and evil is not as good, and the black night is not bright, like the bright shining, and the Jew is not like the Muslim, even if he put in his possession the weapons of this world. People fear poverty in poverty and fear of humiliation in humiliation

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[alaruine]

Don't bother who is ignoring you But care for the one who ignore people  for you I laughed and they said, do not you? I cried, they said, do not smile? .. Basmat they said, I saw them I thought they said what was silent .. Silence They said Kalil tongue spoken, they said a lot of words .. Dreamed, they said the cowardly act, even if he was avenging revenge .. Besalt and said to be ashamed of him and was not surprised if they say .. "If the mind was as much as the words of men, then it would have been the greatest of men's minds. If science were as much as keeping matters, the pupil would have been wider than his teacher. , Even if the ignorance on the virtues of the wicked did not have influence, even if the money as much as the mind was the richest people wise, and the poorest people And the most kings and leaders. "Mustafa al-Sibai is a life driven by your mind, much better than a life led by people's words." William Shakespeare People do not do justice to the neighborhood among them, even if they are left with remorse. "Zaki Naguib Mahmoud is never afraid to raise your voice for truth and truth and for sympathy against injustice, lies and greed, if he did All people will .. The world will change. - William Faulkner Pain Types: There are reduced pains assessed If people suffer from pain more than one or two degrees, if we suffer in the struggle for an idea, for example, , People refuse to believe him, except for a few .. They do not believe him because when they looked at the owner saw that his head is not that head, who must be in their eyes the head of the suffering for the cause of high that whole lift .. They then refuse to sympathize With no sympathy; without being in their position this is something of the spirit of evil anyway. "- Feodor Dostoevsky (Russian writer). "Abd al-Rahman al-Kawakibi is the telling of nature to us that the mind of man is capable of doubling the rate of his work enormously if he needs to. So, if you want to raise people's reform, keep their minds working. "- Stephen Hawking The rebellious or rebellious man may become a popular hero who is respected by people, but rebellious rebellious women seem abnormal or abnormal. Misleading minds, fixed do not change as well as b For the world, dictators are developing a series of approaches that exclude any portrayal of the world as an issue or problem and focus on showing it in the form of a fixed entity, or as something given, something that people, as mere spectators, must adapt to. People are afraid of the unknown, but ignorance becomes a blessing when knowledge is scary. - Laurel Hamilton I have scars on my hands from touching some people. - Jerome David Salinger The common way people give up their power is to believe they have no power. Among all kinds of tyranny, tyranny practiced for the benefit of its victims is the most severe It is perhaps better to live in a system of emperors of corruption to live under the absolute authority of the advocate of virtue who intervene in what does not concern them .. The injustice practiced by the tycoons may sometimes come to a standstill, and their greed may reach saturation, but those who oppress us for our benefit as They say, they will continue to oppress them indefinitely, because they are doing it with a relaxed conscience. - CS Lewis How anyone can know everything about all people. - Freud was a criminal person like other people and the only difference was that he was caught in a blaze. George Bernard Shaw Become your friend as outdoor air, solitude, food and medicine from people who can not "Friedrich Nietzsche is forbidden to kill because he will be punished because this is a crime, but if you kill many people you will be saved from punishment, but you will be honored ... because you are a hero in the war." Voltaire Let your face be a name and your words are soft, you shall love the people who give them gold and silver. Do not like the man Tntnth, but the one who led the Secretariat and stop the symptoms of people, he is the man. From Gad Sad, and from the scorn of disobedience, and that the best people of those who did not. Of the people grow up zł. And the war, if they knew, would not be raging in the fringes of the guns, but in the hearts and minds of the people. It is forbidden to kill because you will be punished because this is a crime, but if you kill many people you will be saved from punishment, but you will be honored because you are a hero in the war. And people are interested in life and I do not see .. The length of life is more than non-stray .. If you lacked ammunition did not find the asset is the best business. Whenever success comes from good planning and constant perseverance coupled with the opportunity, people consider it fortunate. Many people spend a lot of time and effort avoiding problems, rather than trying to solve them. People think that feeling happy is the result of success but the opposite is true. Success is the result of feeling happy. The best people were the minds of those who were not uprooted, and the people brought the answer of those who did not get angry. Do not care about the speed of work, but its quality, because people do not ask you how much you have finished it, but look at its proficiency and quality of manufacture. In the revolution there are two types of people, those who revolutionize and those who benefit from it. Some people see things as they are and wonder why, and others dream of things that have never been and they wonder why not. Make people love you when you leave your position, as they love you when you receive them. More people lie than talk a lot about himself. Most people at power are evil. There is no word in the dictionary of many meanings and varied and contrasted as much as the word I love you .. I almost say that this word has meanings as much as the number of people, ie four thousand million meaning. You have to remember Allaah, it is medicine and you and people, it is a disease. Learn the science and teach people and learn the reverence and tranquility and humbleness to whom you learned from him and to whom you have learned and do not be the greatness of scientists do not Gehlkm knowledge. People loved me who raised me. The stupidest people who wandered in the last trip had a boat house. If people are rich in this world, then hasten with me with Allah, and if they rejoicing in the world, then you will be pleased with Allah, and if they forget their loved ones, then I will make you believe in Allah, and if you know their kings and their kinsfolk and bring them closer to them, they will receive their pride and honor. The happiest people are thinking about the most fun ideas. To say there is a good work of art but not understood by the general public as if we say that there is very good food but most people can not eat it. Whoever thinks that he is ever satisfied, is about to please no one. People in the prowess of the idiot, cheat and decent. If people are asked to delete the words and curiosity of their words, the silence in their councils to replace the speech. Addressing people by their names I think our names are the most beautiful thing you hear our ears address people by their names. People are not separated from the conflict except the Book of the House of Heaven, and if they return to their minds, each of them mind. If people dispense with the world, then fasten you with Allah, and if they rejoicing in the world, then you will be pleased with Allah, and if they forget their loved ones, then I will make you forget Allah. From the homeland of his heart when his Lord dwelt and rested, and those who sent him in the people were troubled and became anxious. A person has to do what the people preach about him, as he also has to preach to people what he does. I'm not sad because people do not know me, but I'm sad because I do not know them. He rewarded the people with deceit, and his servants are treacherous. Many people think they understand what they imagine. They say to me: If you knew yourself, I would know all the people, and I would say to them, "Do not know myself first, until I know all men." It is strange that people love us and I am able to disrupt our lives. Of people's benefits that they can not hide their disadvantages long. The evil of people is that whose vengeance harms himself and people. People are born free, but they enslave wherever they go. People who know little talk a lot, but those who know a lot talk little. O people, the piece of gold may fall into the mud, but it will remain gold, and the tin is not like gold, and evil is not as good, and the black night is not bright, like the bright shining, and the Jew is not like the Muslim, even if he put in his possession the weapons of this world. 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