#even with their personalities edited a bit

[iris-qt]

He’s Never Like This

drunk theo, soft chaos, and a lot of feelings he normally pretends he doesn’t have

You tell yourself it’s nothing.

Just concern. Basic human decency. Something any reasonable person would do when their best friend shows up at a party with shadows under his eyes from the stress of finals week and a drink in his hand he doesn’t seem to remember picking up.

You tell yourself that even as you cut through the haze of perfume and smoke and too-loud laughter in the common room, scanning for him. Even as your heartbeat quickens, like it always does when he’s near.

You find him on the floor.

Well. Slouched on the floor. One leg stretched out, the other bent just enough to rest his elbow on it. His tie’s been loosened and forgotten, his shirt’s half-untucked, and someone has drawn a tiny star in blue ink on the back of his hand. You can tell from the way he’s swaying slightly that he’s had far more than usual. Theodore Nott doesn’t get drunk. Not like this.

“Hey,” you murmur, crouching beside him.

He looks up slowly, eyes unfocused but still undeniably, devastatingly him.

“You came,” he says, a little too loudly, with a dopey smile that doesn’t belong on his face. “I was thinking about you, and then... you’re here. That’s magic.”

You glance around. No one's paying attention. Somehow, that makes it worse.

“You okay?” you ask, soft, careful. “You drank a lot.”

He nods sagely. “I did. I deserve a medal. Or a nap.”

“You hate parties.”

“I do hate parties,” he agrees, swaying slightly. “But I like you.”

You blink. “Theo—”

“And you weren’t gonna come,” he adds, pouty now. “You said, ‘Too much homework,’ and I thought, ‘That’s fine. I’ll just drown myself in alcohol and existential dread.’ Very poetic.”

You exhale slowly. “Alright. Let’s get you out of here.”

You help him up. He’s heavier than he looks, and he clings to you like you’re both drowning and you’re the only piece of driftwood in the sea.

He leans close as you start leading him toward the boys’ dorm.

“You smell like vanilla,” he whispers.

You try to keep your expression neutral. “You smell like firewhiskey and poor decisions.”

“That’s my new cologne,” he says solemnly. “Limited edition.”

You get him to sit on his bed, and he flops backwards dramatically, limbs everywhere, eyes fluttering shut.

“I should kiss you,” he says to the ceiling.

You freeze.

“What?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t,” he mutters. “Too dizzy. Might miss.”

You sit on the edge of the bed, pulling off his shoes with practiced motions. “You’re gonna be so embarrassed tomorrow.”

He hums. “Not if you never tell me what I said.”

You smile. “Oh, I’m writing everything down.”

He groans, turning his face into the pillow. “You’re evil. Beautiful and evil. That’s a dangerous combo.”

You adjust the blanket over him, brush a bit of his hair off his forehead.

“Sleep, Theo.”

But as you turn to go, his fingers catch your wrist. His eyes are half-lidded, voice quiet now, barely a whisper.

“Stay?” he asks. “Just ‘til I fall asleep.”

You pause. Swallow.

Then nod.

You sit back down. He closes his eyes, hand still loosely wrapped around your wrist.

And just as sleep starts to pull him under, he murmurs,

“I don’t like anyone else like this. Only you.”

[solarstranger]

CHAPTER 1 | ALL OUT OF LUCK

w.c. 3.3k

tags. fem!reader, pro-hero!katsuki, aged-up (26), some cussing, this chapter is pretty mild so not many tags are necessary (buckle up for the ride, though)

a/n. here it is, y'all! the product of pursuing my random brain child that one fated day in november 2024. this has been my biggest writing endeavor yet, and i worked so incredibly hard on this, from conceptualizing to penning it down to editing it until it was decent enough to post. so i sincerely hope my love and excitement for this fic translates into my writing. i'd absolutely love to hear what you think, so please don't be a stranger and talk to me! enjoy <3

links. masterlist, ao3 (coming soon)

If you didn’t know any better, you’d think someone with a time-slowing quirk is manipulating this shoebox of a room they unceremoniously stuffed you in with nothing but this middle-aged, bearded man roughly 30 minutes ago.

If 30 minutes is even an accurate approximation.

The said man is clicking away at his keyboard behind the desk in front of you, humming a non-descript tune, and, having already studied the room that seems to be an abandoned office, you take the opportunity to clock him. Aside from being around his mid-40s and sporting a full-grown beard, there’s something about him that rings the metaphorical alarms in your mind, signaling some sense of familiarity.

And it’s either you need to work on your subtlety or he’s just plain out observant, because he must have noticed your staring, shifting his gaze from his laptop screen toward you, mouth formed in a friendly smile. “Getting antsy?”

“I—” you start, before trailing off. You weigh your options for a second, before settling with: “It’s hard not to be, sir. Would you care to tell me what I’m here for?”

At that, the man merely purses his lips in a thin line. “Unfortunately, it’s not my place to say. I was just assigned to meet you here. At least,” he checks his silver-plated watch, “until further company arrives.”

You feel yourself frown. “And the men who arrived out of nowhere and fetched me from my apartment?”

He nods, “They were simply assigned to get you, yes.”

A burning question bubbles right up your throat, but you tamp it down, thinking better against it. It’s too soon, you think. You have to dig a bit deeper. And so instead, you finally prod at that inkling from a moment ago that’s been vying for your attention.

“Have we met before, sir?”

That must’ve been the right thing to ask, because the man visibly lights up. He swivels on his office chair, turning a bit so that he’s now fully facing you. “Why, yes! I thought you wouldn’t remember.”

You toss him the most genuine smile you can muster back in courtesy, but also to goad him into continuing. You hope that’s enough for now. “From a while back, right?”

��Yes!” he enthusiastically responds, whatever document he was working on now completely forgotten. “I was one of your earliest escorts until the commission relocated me overseas. I just got reassigned to you for this project, you see.”

Hook, line, and sinker.

However, you don’t get to revel in how you successfully coaxed information and confirmation out of him without lifting much of a finger, because he quickly realizes his mistake. He splutters as you watch the blood drain from his face, and you can’t help but feel bad for the man.

“Don’t worry,” you offer with that placating tone you’ve mastered over the years. “I won’t tell them you just said all that.”

He eyes you suspiciously, as if he’s debating whether or not you’re saying the truth, and you’ve half a mind to use it on him just so that the sole person you’re stuck in this jail-like space isn’t looking at you like you’re after his head, but you don’t get past considering that because the only set of doors bursts open and in comes an all-too-familiar face.

The both of you whip away from your stare down to look at the unannounced guest, and you instantly stiffen when you get a good look at the person leading the group.

Clad in a two-piece slate gray suit, the head of the Special Quirks department of Japan’s Hero Commission waltzes in, seemingly decades older than the last time you saw him. It hasn’t even been five years since, you think, yet he’s aged so much. Trailing right behind him is the woman you vaguely remember trailblazing the Missions committee, hair pinned up in a no-nonsense low bun and sporting a navy blazer and skirt combo.

And, perhaps in an effort to ground yourself in the face of impending danger that always came with the two, you’re about to look down at what you’re wearing in comparison, which, you recall is a baggy T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants you never intended for people to see you wear, when it happens.

You lock eyes with the third and last person entering the room, and instantly it’s like you’re doused with a sobering bucket of ice-cold water at the same time someone lights a fire under your ass. One glimpse at his firey gaze has your brain screaming at you to look away—anywhere, anywhere but at him—and pretend that didn’t just happen all the while mentally willing him away from existence, but you find yourself frozen in your seat.

Bakugou, who’s dressed casually in a plain black shirt and loose jeans, stares right back as he follows the two officials. You’re the first one to break eye contact, and words aren’t uttered as the guy from earlier scurries out of his seat, offering it to Asahi, the man in the gray suit, who accepts it thanklessly. Moriyama takes the seat the underling drags next to Asahi, and Bakugou plops himself down on the one around a foot to your left, the both of you now facing them.

“Thank you, Tanaka-san,” Asahi says, finally breaking the silence. The familiar escort who you now remember as Tanaka only bows at him, before standing silently to the side.

At that, Asahi shifts to regard you, the corners of his lips twisting upwards in what you think is an effort to smile, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. With both arms on top of the hardwood desk and hands clasped together, he clears his throat.

He says your name as a start, which sends an eerie tingle down your spine. “Long time no see, huh?”

You don’t know how to reply to that, also acutely aware of the man beside you, so you merely nod.

“We apologize for dragging you here on your day off,” he continues, “It must’ve been quite jarring—having our men be at your doorstep.”

You fight back the urge to ask him how the hell he knows it’s your day off today, deciding in the last second you don’t want to know the answer. Frankly, you wouldn’t be shocked if he said they’d been keeping tabs on you and that they even know what brand of underwear you wear.

“I was surprised, I’m not gonna lie,” you respond, voice small. And just because you’re over this whole suspense factor, you cut to the chase. “What’s this all about, Asahi-san?”

“Skipping the pleasantries, aren’t we?” he chuckles, and you resist the itch to scowl at him. You never liked the guy—although you think it must have to do with all those extreme assessments he made you take growing up. To your relief, though, he relents. “I’ll get straight to it, then. We have an important mission for you.”

And as if you weren’t already stiff enough, you feel yourself tense even more, and the action doesn’t go missed by Bakugou, whose eyes you feel boring into the side of your face.

Asahi takes your stunned silence as a cue for him to go on. His gaze drifts to the pro-hero beside you, a knowing smirk decorating his features. “I trust that you’ve met?”

Despite yourself, you chance a glance at the ash-blonde, only to find him already looking at you. You feel yourself flame as he studies you with mild recognition, as if he’s seen you before but can’t quite figure out where.

Bakugou finally speaks up after a beat, voice gruff and eyes remaining locked on yours. “UA Gen Ed, same batch as me, right?”

“Y-yeah,” you reply dumbly, surprised he even remembers. “And you’re pro-hero Dynamight.”

To that, he gives you a curt nod, donning a serious expression as he turns back to face Asahi. “Go on and brief her about it already. I ain’t got all day.”

“We’re getting to that, Bakugou,” the old-ish man retorts, seemingly unfazed by the pro-hero’s impatience, before readjusting his focus to you. “As I’ve said, we’re assigning you to a very crucial mission. We got word yesterday that an up-and-rising quirk supremacist group is planning an attack somewhere in the city.”

“A-attack?” you croak, “Who’re they gonna attack?”

“That we’re not sure yet,” Moriyama joins in on the conversation, her countenance stern. “But we’re guessing quirkless individuals or people with weak quirks. We won’t know for sure, though, unless we get people on the inside.”

“And that’s where you two come in,” Asahi finishes, eyes darting back and forth between you and the man beside you. “You’re going undercover.”

You gawk at him, suddenly robbed of all words. From the corner of your vision, you sense Bakugou side-eye you, and that’s all the warning you get for what he’s about to say next.

“Are you sure about this?” he asks, prominently exasperated by the entire situation. “‘s like you’re feeding a sheep to the fucking wolves.”

Instantly, you feel a sense of indignation wash over you at the comment, which is immediately followed by the familiar feeling of resignation.

You’ve gone through these motions before. Over and over again, in fact.

And normally, you’d let snide comments about the status of your quirk slide, like you’ve been taught to the entirety of your life, but apparently this time that’s not an option.

Because Moriyama gives him a pointed look, as if chastising him on your behalf. You don’t dare to check how Bakugou’s receiving it, but you’re assuming not well.

But before the pro-hero can say something in his defense or provoke the woman, Asahi interjects with a good-natured laugh. “Slow down there, hero. Don’t get too cocky now that you just got named Vogue Japan’s Bachelor of the Year.”

Bakugou doesn’t miss a beat. “Shut the fuck up.”

With a dismissive wave of a hand, Asahi continues. “And no, I am not making a reckless move here,” the middle-aged man peers at you, “This woman right here has a special quirk.”

At that, you steal a glance at Bakugou, and the look on his face betrays the thing he’s evidently trying hard not to say.

‘What’s so special about this girl from Gen Ed?’

He manages not to blurt that out, though, instead going for: “How special?”

“Let’s just say it’s because of her that departments like mine exist in the commission.”

“Quit being fucking cryptic,” Bakugou spits out, just as you say: “It’s really not that special, though.”

That catches his attention, and you feel yourself shrink when his intense, crimson eyes land on you. You, however, fight to maintain his scrutinizing gaze when he pipes up. “What can you do, huh?”

“I—”

“How ‘bout you show him, dear?” Moriyama cuts you off with a knowing smile.

You don’t get to argue because the woman promptly sends Tanaka off to the door, and the four of you watch the guy as he rushes out, leaving you in a few moments of silence, before hurriedly walking back in with a nervous-looking young man in tow.

You decide then and there that you really don’t want to do this.

“An intern, Moriyama-san,” Tanaka announces in front of you with a booming voice, gesturing to the person beside him. “Just as you requested.”

“The hell do we nee—”

“Go on, Y/N,” Asahi encourages with a quiet voice, which you note is in an attempt to not be heard by the poor intern.

The poor intern who’s gaping at #2 pro-hero Dynamight, looking like his soul just left his lean body.

Your gaze shifts between the pro-hero and the young man, and you sit watching the silent exchange unfold before you. You can tell Bakugou is getting annoyed by the unabashed attention of someone who’s likely a fan, and the latter isn’t looking all too hot.

And so with reluctance, you do it.

“Hey,” you call out to the intern, who whips to look at you after another attempt when he doesn’t respond to the first.

“Wha—” he starts, but trails off when you decisively tug on the imaginary strings, and in a split second, it’s like the nerves that were just frying his system a beat ago get washed off his body, his face morphing to that of tranquil calmness in a blink of an eye.

You toss him a tight-lipped smile as he stares right back at you, serene and perhaps a tad bit confused, although you doubt someone not privy to your ability could recognize it on his face.

“Amazing, isn’t it?”

You turn to look at Asahi, who’s now leaning back on the office chair with a proud grin on his face, as if he’s the one who just did the demonstration.

You try to suppress the mild annoyance at the sight of him.

You reason to yourself that he’s the one who made all this possible, after all. He deserves to be proud of the stunt you just pulled, at least to some extent.

And just as quickly as he entered, the intern is promptly ushered out of the area by Tanaka. Once the door clicks closed, you then shift to examine Bakugou, who you quickly find is already staring at you, an inexplicable expression etched across his sharp features.

“You make people calm, is that it?”

“Oh, she can do much more than that, boy,” Asahi boasts. “She has the ability to tamper with any person’s emotions. She can diffuse or exacerbate existing ones or transform them into another affect entirely.”

“But very few people know that, Bakugou,” Moriyama adds with a warning edge to her tone. “It’s why the commission took her under its wing at such a young age. It’s why—”

“You disguised her quirk as something else and made her take the Gen Ed route.” Bakugou finishes with such certainty that catches you off guard, despite being well-versed in the fact that he is insanely perceptive.

You would know. Really, you would.

Because that’s one of the main reasons why you liked—

“It’s so that the wrong people don’t catch wind of her and her quirk, Bakugou,” Asahi supplements. “It’s for that very reason we’ve named her quirk as luck instead of manipulation. Which is what you’re going to do undercover.”

“What’s he gonna do, exactly?” you ask, tilting your head to gesture to the pro-hero beside you.

“He’ll infiltrate the group alongside you, dear,” Moriyama answers. “He’s one of the best heroes we have, and well…”

She glances at Bakugou with such hesitance that juxtaposes the confidence she’s been sporting this entire exchange, before continuing. “…We’ve heard this group has been eyeing to recruit Bakugou, specifically.”

You almost choke on your spit.

Recruit the #2 pro-hero of Japan?

What kind of stupid agenda is that?

To your surprise, Bakugou doesn’t say anything in response to Moriyama’s weighty statement, his usually penetrating gaze fixed on the ground.

“He’ll make sure you’ll be safe, Y/N,” Asahi furthers. “He’ll introduce you to them as a useful tool, what with your ‘luck’, which you’ll tell them works by boosting the chances of success of the people you’re working with. And, given how your quirk actually operates, Bakugou here will emphasize your importance by requesting for their protection of you, so that you can get closer to the people you’ll need to manipulate.”

“How’s he gonna do that without raising suspicion?” you can’t help but ask.

“That’s the thing,” Asahi quips, before heaving a deep sigh. “At this point, there’s no saying for sure, but you’re gonna have to be ready to play the part of a couple if the situation calls for it.”

“A c-couple?” you barely manage to get out.

To that, Asahi and Moriyama only nod at you with such seriousness that you can’t find it in you to protest any further. Still, you try to express your uneasiness.

“I don’t know—if I can pull that off. I—”

“You have your quirk at your disposal, Y/N,” Moriyama assures you, to your chagrin. “You’ve trained hard enough to know when and how to use it.”

Well.

There’s not much left for you to do than nod in resignation, especially with the finality of her tone, so you do just that.

None of you says anything for a brief moment after that, a rather tense silence enveloping the tiny office. And you’re about to ask them one more time if they’re fucking sure about all this, but Asahi beats you to it.

“Do either of you have any more questions?”

You open your mouth to try again but this time Bakugou speaks first. “I do. Let’s say shit goes down and we have to engage this shitty ass group in combat. Does she know how to fight? You know, beyond just playing with emotions?”

You feel yourself bristle, and before your brain can catch up and rein you in, your mouth is already running off. “I’ve had extensive close-combat training, actually. So worry about saving your own ass, hero.”

Bakugou doesn’t get the chance to spew something right back at you, though, because Asahi cuts the tension with a booming laugh. “She actually has, Bakugou. Like I said, we’ve been training her since her quirk manifested.”

“Really?” he asks, a little bit too sarcastically for your taste. “And what’s in it for you, huh, Y/N?” the pro-hero turns to regard you, tone riddled with just enough taunt to make your blood simmer. “Why’re you going along with their whim?”

“They pay well,” you state as simply as you can. “My job as a guidance counselor isn’t exactly the most lucrative.”

“That we do,” Asahi chimes in before Bakugou can drop any borderline degrading remark, which you’re thankful for. You don’t know if you can handle any more backhanded comments from the man you used to fucking dream about way back in high school, who—apparently—also happens to be the man you’re gonna have to pretend you’re dating if things go south.

“If you don’t have any more questions,” Moriyama interjects, “There’s one last thing. We don’t expect them to go lax on either of you despite what you can bring to the table. So anticipate restrictions on your speech and movements—there’s a high probability that they’re gonna place bugs and trackers on you. The same goes for your online footprint.”

At that, you and Bakugou wordlessly nod in unison, the gravity of what you’re about to get yourself into finally sinking in. Shortly after, Moriyama goes through a few more technical details before announcing that they have another meeting to attend, and just like that, and with a promise to get in touch soon albeit clandestinely, she and Asahi exit from the very door they entered what seemed like an eternity ago.

Leaving you and Bakugou.

Alone.

Which is something you’re going to have to get used to for what lies ahead.

But that shit can wait until tomorrow, when the mission officially starts.

And so with much vigor, you quickly gather the purse you barely managed to bring with you when you got dragged out of your apartment earlier this evening, and stand. Bakugou’s head tilts up to look at you when you turn to regard him, an eyebrow raised in question.

“What?”

You force a smile. “I’m looking forward to working with you, Bakugou-san.” Not. “See you tomorrow, then.”

And, before he can say anything in return, you spin on your heel and leave without looking back.

˗ˏˋ while likes are appreciated, they don’t do much on tumblr! if you want to support me and writers in general, reblogs, replies, and tags are the way to go. feel free to drop an ask, too—i’d love to chat. have a nice day! ´ˎ˗

[btsgirlypop]

THE NEW MANAGER

Pairing - MYG x Reader, Rockstar!Yoongi x Manager!Reader, HardDom!Yoongi x Virgin!Reader

Genre - Hardcore smut

WARNING(s) - DUBCON, NONCON, FORCED SEX, ROUGH SEX , MANIPULATION , DEGRADATION, HUMILIATION, CONTROLLING,FEAR KINK,POWERPLAY, DOMINANT/ SUBMISSIVE, SPIT KINK, CHOCKING, DRUGGING, COMPLETE SUBMISSION,DARK FUCKED UP SHIT.THIS DOES NOT REPRESENT BTS OR OUR BABY YOONGI IN ANY WAY. BOTH OF YOU ARE LEGAL IN THIS.

CONTAINS DARK THEMES!!

PLEASE READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!

again - not edited so kindly ignore minor mistakes.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BLURB - Fresh out of university, you landed your first job – BTS's new manager. Although most of the members were kind and welcoming, Yoongi particularly seemed to dislike you. Calling you an immature little girl, making sarcastic comments at your slightest mistake. The others tried to make you feel better, but it still hurt. Especially because, deep down, you had a big crush on him.

At the afterparty celebrating a major win, your seniors unexpectedly assign you to take a very drunk Yoongi home. A drunk yoongi was even scarier than the usual one—but to your surprise, he cooperates, even seems a bit sobered up when you both reach his apartment. He invites you in and you hesitate. But one look from him, and your feet carry you inside. Locking the door behind him, he suddenly holds your waist sniffing your hair "hmmm..... I always wanted to do that." You freeze but don't tell him no. He took you by your hands and makes you sit on the couch, offering a glass of water to calm you down, unknown to you slipping a pill inside.

You start to fell dizzy while he caresses your arm, not refusing his touches. He leans closer, his tongue licking your cheek, leaving a trail of whiskey and saliva in his wake. His other hand gripping your chin, forcing you to look at him as he whispers "I can feel how much you want this, baby girl, how much you need me to take control and show you your place."

"mmmm..... stop it, yoongi" you protest lightly as he pulls you towards the bedroom and throws you on the bed.

He rips open your blouse, and immediately starts squeezing and slapping your tits as he pulls your nipples. "You've got such a hot little body, don't you, baby? I bet you're just aching for me to fuck you hard and raw, to claim this tight cunt as my own personal fuck toy."

His other hand slides down under the hem of your skirt, pulling your panties up making the lace of the fabric rub against your soaking slit roughly while laughing at your weak form. Grinding your pussy in the fabric, he suddenly pushes your panties aside as he plunges his fingers into your pussy.

"Fuck.....no no please st-opp." You scream in pain.

he groans as he feels your wetness on his fingertips. "Fuck, you're soaked, you horny girl. I knew you wanted this, wanted me to bend you over and fuck you like the dumb little slut you are." He spins you around, making you lay on your stomach, and removes your skirt and panties in a single move. Removing his clothes off, he admires your naked body, beautifully spread on his bed. You feel his body crushing you with his full weight, as he teases the thick head of his cock at your entrance.

"Last chance to back out, baby doll," he taunts, knowing he never gave you a choice. "But I think we both know you're not going to. You need my cock too badly, don't you? Beg for it, you little whore. Beg me to fuck you hard and raw, to ruin this tight slutty cunt for anyone else."

Unable to move your body, you try to speak "s-toppp , stoppp it, I'm a v-irginnn, plee-ase...."

 He pauses for a second, his eyes widening slightly in surprise at this new revelation as a slow, wicked grin spreads across his face. "A virgin, huh? Well, well, well... looks like it's my lucky day then. I've always loved breaking in fresh, untouched pussy. You don't have to worry, babywhore. I'll make sure your first time is unforgettable....Mmmmm..... fuck, look you made my dick so hard. I'm gonna be the one to ruin you for all the other men, you filthy bitch. You'll be daddy's cumwhore for the rest of your life" He grinds his hips slowly, his hard cock sliding between your ass cheeks, teasing you. He reaches around to rub your clit furiously with his fingers as he teases your dripping entrance with the tip of his cock, as his other hand wraps around your neck.

"Beg for it, virgin slut. Beg me to take your innocence, to claim this tight little cunt as my own personal fuck hole. I want to hear you scream for my cock as I tear and breed your virgin pussy. BEG" he yells.

"Plea-see don't" you struggle to move your drugged body, trapped under his heavy weight.

Hearing your small no's, his hand tangles in your hair, pulling your head back, forcing you to meet his cold, unhinged eyes. "You're even dumber than you look, bitch. I'm gonna fuck you, fucking dumb virgin bitch, and there's nothing you or anyone else can do to stop me. So stop fighting it and accept your fate." He slams his hips forward, burying his thick, hard cock balls-deep into your pussy in one brutal thrust. He groans, pulling himself up to look at the blood on his cock, again pushing his dick harshly in your cunt.

"Ahhhh......"

"You're mine now, baby girl," his tongue licks your spine, before biting down hard on your neck. "Ahhh....yes yes, fucking dumb slut. Look at your bleeding pussy, from now on, you're my property, you don't need to work.  Ahhhh..... just focus on pleasing your daddy by being stupid little cumslut for me.....cockwarming me whenever and wherever I want.....Ahhhhh...fuck yes, whore." The obscene sounds of skin slapping drowns your painful whimpers and his grunts of pleasure.

"You want to act like a big girl, huh... baby? Then you're gonna have to take my dick like a big girl. I think you need a fucking reminder of who's really your boss, your master, your daddy, your god..... ahhhh......yes.... you stupid fucking slut" pulling your hair, he forcefully turns your head as he kisses you violently, biting your bottom lip hard enough to draw blood, plunging his tongue deep in your mouth as metallic taste fills his mouth. He pulls your mouth off, by pulling your hair, spitting bloody saliva in your mouth and again kisses you as you remain unresponsive, dominating you completely.

"Fuck, you're a stubborn little bitch, aren't you? But I like that. I like a challenge. And I'm gonna enjoy breaking my innocent fuckwhore, making you my perfect little pussy." he slams his hips violently into you, pushing your face on the bed, pushing your head with both hands.

"stop s-top please" your voice muffled and body struggling painfully.

"Stop? Now why would I do that, you little teasing whore? You've got me all worked up, stopping your tiny little slutty body in front of me since you came and I'm not gonna let you go until I breed you. Stop fighting it, you dumb cockwhore. I can feel how much your tight little cunt is loving this. Ahhhh.... Yes fuck....this whorish pussy belongs to me now." he smirks knowing that despite your protests, your body is responding to his touch.

"Mmmm.....mmmm"

"That's it, baby girl. Let go and give in to the pleasure. Stop being such a fucking prude and remember the feeling of my cock splitting your tiny smelly pussy becoming my own personal fuck hole. C'mon, be my cocksleeve, and you won't have to work a day "he says while laughing at your pathetic naked body, enjoying his cock.

"yes.... Yess.... I am your cocksleeve..... daddy" you finally surrender.

He flips you, now laying you on your back and pulls you to the edge of bed with your ankles. Without giving you a minute, he again pushes himself inside with a single hard thrust, burying himself to the hilt inside your virgin heat, his nails scratching from your tits, to bruised hips. He bites your right nipple, pulling it with his mouth while his hand gropes your left tit. "fuck this what I like, fucking tiny little clueless bitches like you" he laughs sadistically as he slaps your cheeks and pulls you up by your nipples and dropping you again on the bed.

"Mmmmmm.....yes yes-ss, daddy-yy" you thrash your head from side to side, back arching off the bed as you push your bruised tits towards his face, trying to escape the overwhelming stimulation.

But he just chuckles darkly, his hot breath tickling your bouncing tits. "Fucking love breaking in tight little prudes like you. Where do you think you're going, baby? You're not going anywhere until I say so. I'm not done playing with my favorite cockslut yet"

"Mmmmm....." you mumble incoherently.

He touches your tits gently while pounding into you brutally..."Look at these pretty little tits, so perfect and untouched. I'm gonna enjoy marking them up, leaving my brand all over this abused creamy skin. Everyone will know you belong to me when they see my bites and bruises all over your body." he smirks cruelly, like a predator trapping you under him as he enjoys your fucked out face, still thrusting wildly.

"Fuck, this cunt is gripping me so tightly. You think you can survive out there on your own, baby doll? A pretty little thing like you, with no one to protect you?" he chuckles darkly, "answer me.... whore" His hand chocking your throat, forcing your drunk red eyes to meet his piercing gaze as he speaks possessively.

"mmmm.....mmmmm"

"You can't even speak, bitch. Look at you getting yourself fucked forcefully. You need someone like me, sweetheart. I can protect you from the scumbags out there who would love nothing more than to take advantage of a sweet, innocent thing like you."

"really??? you'd sav-ee mee????"you speak while crying, starting to lose your mind.

"Aww, there there, baby doll. Don't cry, sweetheart. Of course daddy will save you. You just need to follow daddy" he speaks tenderly while thrusting his dick like an animal, abusing your already swollen red pussy, making you feel dizzy from his continuous assault.

"Listen up, you dirty little slut," he slaps your cheeks and tits continuously, jerking you awake. "No one else will ever want a fucked-out whore like you. They'll take one look at this used up cunt and turn their noses up in disgust. Be mine, baby doll. I'll keep you safe and warm and always filled with my dick, like the perfect little cock slut you were always meant to be. Isn't that what you want, sweetheart?"

"Yes yes yes..... daddy I do. Please daddy fuck me, use me, ruin me, break me... just ple-ase don't leave me"

He spits on your tits, smearing his saliva all over your body. "That's right, scream, cry for me, you dirty little fuck doll. Let me hear those pretty little whorish cries sobs as I ruin this virgin cunt Ahhhh.....fuck fuck.... so tight for me, horny slut. Such a needy little whore, aren't you? Begging me to fuck this virgin pussy like a disgusting desperate slut you are. I fucking own this dirty used-up pussy. You're mine now, my personal fuck toy, my sex slave and I'm going to use you whenever and however I want."

He licks your tears as he traps your thrashing body tightly under his weight, not letting you escape his cock. He grabs a marker from the bedside table, and with a wicked grin, he starts to write filthy, degrading words over your limp bruised body, 'Yoongi's Fucktoy' in block letters across your collarbones, 'Slut' on the forehead and 'Cock Sleeve' in a circle around your nipples. He traces the marker down your stomach, pressing his hands over the bulge as you cry, pausing to slap your left tit hard before writing 'Whore' in bold letters across your pubic bone.

"These dirty words on your skin will be a constant reminder of who you belong to. And every time you look in the mirror, you'll remember who owns this pussy. That this body is mine to use as I see fit."

"Ye-ss yess... daddy" he senses you're in subspace, realizing that your past abuse has left you vulnerable. "Yes, that's right, baby whore. Give yourself to me completely. I'm your daddy now, I know all those other boys just wanted to use you, to fuck this slutty little pussy raw and leave you pregnant and alone. They didn't care about you, sweetheart. They only wanted to use you like a cumdump and toss you aside like trash," He realizes he can easily manipulate you when he sees the desperate hope on your ruined swollen face.

"Ahhh..... dadd-yyy pleas-ee don't leave-eee meee" you beg him, far gone in subspace.

"I'm not like those other boys, baby. Of course, I won't leave my sweet girl. But you must understand, baby doll that you brought this upon yourself. You came to me, begged me to make you my free use slut, to ruin you, to fuck you in ways you'd never been fucked before." He puts his weight on you, grinding his hips against your swollen clit as he whispers on your crying face as you try to breathe under him, confusing and manipulating you.

"You wanted this, sweetheart. You wanted to be daddy's cumwhore, to be owned, to be fucked so hard that you'd forget your own name. And now that daddy has given his dumb slut what she desperately needed, you can't blame daddy for forcing you." He sees a flicker of doubt in your face. 

"but daddy....."

He slaps your face, pulling his cock out and sitting upright on the edge of bed dragging your weak body, and impaling you on his cock, thrusting upwards deep inside your pussy "You wanted this, you attention whore. Don't try to deny it. You came to me, throwing yourself at me like a bitch in heat, begging to be mounted and bred like the desperate little fuckhole you are."

You flinch, tears streaming down your face" im sor-rryyy, dadd-yy, sorr-yyy", craving your daddy's love.

He pulls you down, tightly wrapping his arms around your small body, pounding his hard dick harshly in your cheap broken cunt "You wanted to be raped, didn't you? To be used like a cheap, disposable fleshlight by a famous man like me, who would take what he wanted and leave you broken and dripping in the aftermath." He chuckles darkly, pushing you back still holding your both arms, before slapping and spitting on your face. "Well, congratulations, sweetheart. You've found your man. And now that I have you I'm going to use this tight little cunt until you can't even remember your own fucking name."

"sorr-yy daddy... I forgot everythin-gg. i'ts my faul-tt, daddy. Im sor-rry im sorr-yyy"

He looks at you with awe, realizing how lucky he is and smirks triumphantly as he realizes he has completely broken you, molding you into his perfect, obedient plaything. He kisses you brutally and you respond with the same passion.

"yes, yes, ahhhh....that's right, baby doll. It's all your fault," he snarls, mocking you as he pulls back from the kiss. Before you can even catch your breath, he brings his hand up and delivers a stinging slap to your left tit, bruising your whole body in red. He grins as he sees you flinch and cry out, cumming hard on his cock, back arching off and pushing your bruised tits towards his face, triggering his own orgasm.

"Sorry, Daddy. I'm so sorry for being such a bad girl. I'm sorry for wanting to be raped by you, thank you for punishing me and making me your slave, daddy."

He pulls out of your abused cunt, smirking and looking at your destroyed face, makeup smudged, red and full of tears and his spit as he speaks mockingly. "Forgive you? Oh, baby doll, you don't get to be forgiven, not for being the filthy little slut you are. No, what you need is to be fucked, humiliated and punished, until you understand that you'll always be inferior than me. My pretty little slave."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TO BE CONTINUED

Part 2 contains darker themes (more than this one)- so consider this a trigger warning

I'M NEW TO THIS SO PLEASE FOLLOW MY WATTPAD & TUMBLR ACCOUNTS!!!! WOULD LOVE TO CHAT WITH ALL OF YOU SO MSG ME!!!!!!

[arisewanekosuki]

TLH -Extra-: A Novel - Yae Miko (Feat. Inazuma boys x Fem!Reader)

Finally finished this idea ٩(๑❛ワ❛๑)و Sorry for any mistakes. ------------------

Miko lately was bored, whenever she would come to your TeaPot there would be something going on, but lately… It's too peaceful for her liking.  It seems many boys have been very busy the past few days, so she can't watch how they are fighting against each other for your affections.  But she came up with a plan. A plan that can bring some chaos and mora to her pockets at the same time.

You were sitting on the sofa, looking through some artefacts. You already told others how you can see stories in them or see if the artefacts are good to make others stronger, but for them it just looks like you're intensely looking at the piece you're holding with serious expression. Yae Miko chuckled at that, you didn't even notice her approaching.  -"There is my little helper~" she said, placing both of her hands on your shoulders from behind. -"Ah?!" you screamed and turned to see the Kitsune lady. -"M-Miko! You surprised me!" Miko chuckled at that. -"You should be more aware of your surroundings little one~" -"Huh? But here is the safest place in whole Teyvat?" -"Hmm?~ Are you sure about it?~" She smirked "Anyway I was hoping you can help me with something, do you have time now?" -"Oh sure! Should I go get Aether?" -"Ah, there is no need, only you can help me with this anyway~" you looked confused at her but still agreed, but this was something you never expected you would be doing.

At Narukami Shrine, stood you and Miko with another Shrine Maiden that was looking through Kamera. -"Is this really necessary?" you asked, feeling embarrassment. You are wearing a Shrine maidens' outfit with cat ears on your head and tail. -"Of course! Our model got sick and we can't wait till she will recover." Said Kitsune Lady, smiling at you, while other Shrine maiden took photos that will be used as references for artists... or so you were told. "Can you now change your pose? Hmm, maybe some cute cat pose?"  -"Something like this?" you held one hand a bit higher than your head, while the other closer to the chest. -"Yes! That's a good one!" clapped Miko. After more poses and taking photos you thought that would be it. -"Now please change into this~" Miko said, handing you a very lovely looking kimono. -"Oh what is this for?" you asked. -"It's uchikake… traditional Inazuma wedding Kimono." -"HUH?!" -"This is for novel about ninja lady who assassinated her 'husband'" -"You… have very interesting novels here haha…"

It was evening when you came back to TeaPot. Paimon was the first one to welcome you and ask where you have been. -”Ah, with Miko, she asked me to help her with… something… But! Look! I got mora from it!” You showed the bag filled with golden coins, proud that you earned mora without help from anyone. The rest of the evening you spent with Paimon wondering what you two should buy with it.

Some weeks have passed, you even forget about this whole thing but you become unaware of what started to happen in Inazuma because of your little job.

Thoma was the first to notice it. While passing the stall of Yae Publishing house he saw something… or rather someone on one of the covers of novels. Coming closer he was sure, the person on the cover was you! The cute cat ears atop of your head added to your adorableness. He quickly took the novel and asked how much it was. -”Ah it's a special limited edition so it costs 15 000 Mora.” Kuroda smiled. Thoma couldn’t help but gulp. -”Alright… I want to buy this one!” He placed a bag of mora, knowing it will hurt him financially this month. -”Of course! Ah, would you want to check the other special limited edition of another series as well?” Kuroda placed the other novel in front of the housekeeper. On the cover you wear beautiful uchikake. Thoma’s cheeks became red, seeing you in a wedding kimono makes wonders to his heart. -”H-how much…?” he asked, scared of the price. -”This one has more extra illustrations, so 20 000 Mora.”  the editor smiled devilishly. Thoma sighed, thinking that this month he will have to eat less but for this limited novel with you on the cover it’s worth it. -”I’m buying this one too!” 

Itto was chilling with Genta and Mamoru when they suddenly saw Akira running towards them. -”Haha what got you in such hurry? “ Itto laughed, looking at Akira who was trying to catch his breath. -”B-boss… there… Yae Publishing House…” he tried to say while catching his breath. -”What’s up with that?” the gang leader asked. -”There is a novel with (Y/n)’s image on the cover!” he finally said. -”WHAT?! AND YOU DIDN'T BOUGHT IT?!” Itto shouted. -”Well… It's a special edition so it’s expensive- Oi Boss wait!” Itto didn’t wait for his gang member to finish sentence and rushed towards the city. …  When the guys reached Yae Publishing House, they saw Itto pleading with Kuroda . -”Don’t be like that, man! I will pay! Just I need time to get mora!” -”No, the only thing I can do is save those two copies for now, but you have one week to pay, if not I’m selling them to the next person!” Itto smiled after hearing that. -”Thanks man! Don’t worry! I will pay it soon!” With that the Oni went to his gang.  “Did ya hear? Time to gather 35 000 Mora!” His gang sighed, knowing where this would go…

Heizou caught another criminal, because he was working alone he had to bring the guy to the police station himself.  When he was passing two men he couldn’t help but notice something in one of the guy's hands. A novel… with the image of you. -”Excuse me sir, may I ask where did you get this from? “ the self proclaimed detective stopped to ask. -”Oh, um, from Yae Publishing House, it's a limited edition.” -”Humm, I see~” Heizou looked at the criminal. “Well some walk will do you good, after all you will spend some time in jail~” he smiled, the criminal looked at him confused. -”Huh?” … -”Thank you for your patronage, good sir!” Kuroda said, giving Heizou two novels. Heizou chuckled, looking at the covers.  -”Ah~ She is so stunning, don’t you think?” Heizou asked the tied up man. -”Uhh.. yeah…?” -”You didn't say it with conviction… Take a better look!” Heizou brought the novel closer to the guy’s face. “She is soo dreamy~! Such a beautiful, wonderful woman!-” -”Um… can you just take me to the police… please…”   … -”What took you so long?” Sara asked Heizou, who just came back to the police station with the criminal. -”I had to take a small detour~ Now excuse me, there is something I have to do~!” He said with a big smile. Before the Tengu warrior could ask where he was going he had already vanished. She looked at the door and then the criminal, confused. “Did he solve another case?” she wondered. Heizou of course wanted quickly to come back home and enjoy his new treasures.

Gorou came to bring the responses for the That's Life column, he hates meeting the Guuji so he prefers to bring it to Yae Publishing House himself. -”Thank you Gorou-san, Aratani will take care of them.” Kuroda said. -”No problem! …Huh?” the Watatsumi general saw the novel behind the editor. On the cover was someone very similar to you. “Is this (Y/n)? Impossible… why would she be on the cover of some novel.”  -”Ah, are you interested in this one? “ Kuroda placed the novel in front of him. The boy took a better look at it. -”Wait… it is (Y/n)!?”  He was shocked. Not only is it's image of you but you have cat ears and tail, being in a shrine maiden outfit too. He covered his mouth with his hand, face red already. You look so cute to him.  -”I can tell you’re interested in this one, don’t you?” the man smirked, seeing how General tail started to wag. -”...Y-yeah, how much?” “It's a special limited edition so… 15 000 Mora.” Gorou grumped at the price. -”Alright-” -”But wait! There's one more!” Kuroda showed the novel with you wearing uchikatte. Gorou gasped. “This one is for 20 000~” Gorou tried to tell himself that he doesn't need it, but with one look he couldn’t help himself. -”I will take this one too…” -”Haha thanks Gorou-san!” Gorou held both novels close to his chest, ears flat on his head and cheeks tainted with red. “I just hope this Kitsune won’t see me like this…” What Canine Warrior didn’t know was that Kuroda will tell Miko about his and others' reactions.

The Crux stopped in Inazuma for a week. After helping Beidou, Kazuha thought of going for a walk to enjoy the scenery of his homeland. Before leaving Beidou’s side, one of the sailors came running towards him. -”Kazuha!! Isn’t this your lass?!” he showed the novel. Both Beidou and Kazuha with curiosity looked at the cover of it. The capitan whistled. -”I didn’t know (y/n) became a model! Where did you get that?” Beidou asked, smirking at Kazuha whose cheeks clearly became a bit red. -”They are selling it in Yae publishing house, I won the lottery so I got this one for free but I saw there is another one too! If you want to get it, better go now! They don’t have that much left!” -”Alright, thank you, Drake.” -”No problem! Just go!” With that Kazuha ran towards Hanamizaka. Beidou then looked at his crew mate.  -”I never saw him run that fast. Do those have more illustrations?” -”Oh yeah! There are plenty of them!” -”Hoo~! I wonder if Kazuha let me read them too.” Beidou laughed.   ... After buying the novel Kazuha found a quiet place to read it. Every time there was an illustration he couldn’t help but admire it. There were moments that he got so immersed in your beauty that he forgot what was happening in the story. The character wasn’t anything like you but this doesn't stop him from imagining the stories where you in other circumstances both meet and fall in love with each other. The samurai sighed and closed the novel. “That should be for today or next time I see her I won’t hold back from confessing.”

In the evening Thoma was reading one of the novels he bought. In this one the Heroine is a half Yōkai that wanted to become Shrine Maiden. At some point in the story she fell in love with a commoner boy. The housekeeper couldn’t help but imagine you two in those scenarios. When there was a moment in the story where the maiden saved the boy from bandits showing her true nature, Thoma heard a knock. -”Thoma-san, Ayato-sama is asking for your assistance.“ after this sentence Thoma’s blood went cold. -”Alright, thank you.“ With nervousness he left his room and went towards Ayato’s bedroom. After knocking and asking if he could come in, he heard the permission. -”Ah Thoma! You're probably wondering why I called you at such an hour.” Ayato smiled, placing something at the table.  They were both special limited novels. Thoma tried to not show nervousness, pretending to be surprised. -”Is that…?”  -”Yes, (Y/n) was the model for this and I wanted to share it with you. Here.” Ayato placed two more books. “From your reaction I can assume you didn’t know about this right? So I got those for you.” Thoma was surprised, he wasn’t sure what game Ayato now plays. -”Thank you very much, my Lord, but I’m not sure if I can accept those.” -”Of course you can, I’m sure you’re interested in them.” -”Then thank you. Is there something more you need, my lord?” Thoma took both novels and smiled at the head of the Kamisato family. -”No, you can go… and enjoy the present I gave you.” Ayato mischievously smiled. Thoma excused himself and left the room. “He knows that I got them already! For sure!” Thoma was panicking, last time Ayato made him work so much that every night he was knocked out from exhaustion. Now he wonders what kind of ‘punishment’ he will face now… Meanwhile Ayato smiled, he was a bit angry that the housekeeper didn’t inform him about the novels but it’s alright now. After all, he bought all of the limited editions that were available. He doesn't want any more people to see your lovely image in these novels. As for Thoma… Ayato won’t do anything, he knows that his servant is panicking now, wondering what the head of Kamisato will order him to do and this is his ‘punishment’.  Young lord took one of the novels looking through the pages he couldn't help but let out a chuckle. -”Guuji -sama is a really mischievous person. I wouldn't be surprised if others got their hands on other copies.” Ayato continued reading where he stopped before. Looking at illustrations he thinks about buying you some more lovely clothes that will suit you. 

In the morning people could hear someone shouting from excitement. -”Thank you Shinobu! You’re the best!!!” Itto said holding both novels in his hands while the boys were victorious dancing around him. The gang’s deputy only sighed.  -”Don’t forget that you still have work to do.” -”Yeah yeah don’t worry!” The Oni already stopped listening to the person who helped him get those novels. Shinobu glared at him, she swiftly took the novels from his hands. -”O-oi I haven't seen everything yet! Ugh-!” Itto took a step back after seeing the young woman's eyes. -”After you finish your work I will give them back to you.” With that she left. -”Shinobu! Don’t be like that! Hey!” Itto and guys followed after her, hoping they would persuade her to give back the novels. She didn’t. 

At some point it became lively in TeaPot. You noticed that guys from Inazuma started to visit it frequently. There is one thing that bothered you. Heizou and Kazuha would give you big smiles when seeing you. At first you thought they were just in a good mood. When you asked what made them smile so much they mysteriously would respond with “Nothing~! Just good to see you!”  Then there was both Gorou and Thoma. When they would see you both of them would blush and excuse themself. You wondered if you did something wrong but when confronted them Gorou would sutter and find excuses just to leave, while Thoma would awkwardly smile at you saying that you did nothing wrong. You are sure you saw Thoma slapping himself when he thought you weren’t looking.  Itto seemed like he wants to talk to you about some novel, but whenever he tries other guys would stop him, distract him with TCG and beetle battles. Ayato on other hand started to shower you with pretty kimonos and yukatas, it wouldn’t be that weird if you didn’t find a shrine maiden's clothes in one of the presents… 

Miko was drinking tea with Ei, enjoying the chaos she created. -”Miko… you did something didn’t you?” Ei asked, enjoying her dango. -”Me? Why you think so?~” -”You make that face again. Don’t make problems for (Y/n). ” -”Oh Ei… I’m just helping her and some of your subjects~” Ei looked confused at her friend. Miko continued. “It’s like in those novels you read too, if they want to win someone over they should do their best~.”  Ei looked at you, you were smiling while playing TCG with Oni, other guys watching the match and complimenting you. The Electro Archon was in deep thought. -”Like in this one where the protagonist had many wives?” she asked suddenly. Kitsune couldn’t help but chuckle. -”That would be even more interesting~ But not sure if the guys would like such an idea.” 

--Extra-- -”Oh is that (Y/n)?! She has cat ears!” Klee exclaiment looking at the photos. Albedo smiled and nodded. “Uwaa!! So many paintings! Albedo, will you show (Y/n) them?” The Spark Knight asked innocently. -”Not yet, Klee, but maybe one day I will.” Yae Miko commissioned Albedo to draw illustrations for two novels. He didn’t expect to see your photos in the letter he got from her. At first he thought about declining but after reading that you agreed to be a model for it, that it will be only for limited editions and he can keep the photos, he eventually agreed. Normally it takes longer for him to finish illustrations but painting you brought inspiration and finished all needed drawings in two days, with some extra ones he didn’t need to send to Miko.  Next time he will meet you he will ask if you want to be a model for his painting.

[yes-no-maybe-soo]

Hello, I hope I'm not bothering you with this message, but I wanted to ask you something.

I recently started playing Love and DeepSpace a few weeks ago. I actually downloaded it because of Sylus—his edits kept appearing on my feed, and I was instantly drawn to him. However, after downloading the game and going through his chapters, I found his behavior toward the MC quite problematic.

One of my friends told me that Sylus isn’t like the typical dark romance characters from today’s BookTok trends, which honestly made me even more excited to explore his story. But when I watched Long-Awaited Revelry, I was honestly shocked by how he was handling the MC. I couldn’t help but wonder—is this really the same man who once sacrificed himself for her?

I tried my best to dig deeper into his lore, and I genuinely found his character to be selfless and sacrificial. But I’m struggling to understand how someone so selfless could hurt the MC in the main storyline. I can overlook many things, but one scene in particular really gave me a huge ick—when he takes her to Philip's shop. If I remember correctly, he uses his evol on her body, and she even says, “It hurts.” Then he replies with, “You will hurt even more.” That scene truly unsettled me. How could he say that when she clearly expressed she was in pain? Isn't that physical abuse?

Please correct me if I’m misunderstanding or wrongly labeling it as abuse. I just can't seem to make sense of that moment, especially after immersing myself in his backstory. It feels like the writers did him dirty in Long-Awaited Revelry. I mean, if someone could sacrifice their life for the person they love, how could they ever intentionally hurt them—even to remind them of the past?

It’s really hard for me to connect the version of Sylus we see in that scene with the one from his 5-star memories, where he seems like a completely different, much softer person. I genuinely love him a lot, and that’s what makes it even more upsetting. I usually adore dark characters—the kind who would burn the world for their beloved but would never hurt their beloved. Sylus doing this in the main story was unexpected and, honestly, kind of icky for me. 🥲

How do I come to terms with his redemption arc after knowing what he did in Long-Awaited Revelry (especially that physical hurt while taking her to the shop)? Is there a deeper context I might be missing—something that justifies his behavior? I really don’t want to dislike him, but it’s hard to reconcile such a hurtful scene with the selfless man his backstory shows. And again im saying i do not hate him but its just hard to overlook that scene especially knowing that he loves her so much and is willing to do anything for her. It seems like the Sylus who is shown in the long awaited reverly is not the same Sylus who is shown as so selfless in his myth and in his recent soft memory cards.

So I've already gone into this a bit in two previous asks that you can find here and here. But I can delve into it again, though my answer will be the same just more in depth I guess lol ^^

Ok so here are my main points

I don't at all think that this is a case of bad or inconsistent writing by Sylus' creative team. Sylus is a carefully – meticulously, even – crafted character who'd been in development for at least 5 years before he was introduced in the main story. I guarantee that his team know what they are doing with him and that they'd never do him dirty. They love him as much as if not more than we the fanbase do.

It's important to remember that we lack a lot of lore and context. We don't have all the puzzle pieces yet when it comes to Sylus or his relationship with MC. We're missing a huge chunk of backstory starting from their escape from the nebula up to Sylus' Anecdote. It is very possible that something happened in that time (or perhaps in another myth?) that can provide further explanations for Sylus' behavior in LAR. We'll just have to be patient and see.

For now though the simplest and most logical explanation to me is that Sylus is acting out of character in early LAR because he is in emotional distress. He is hurt, distraught, frustrated, desperate, possibly even fearful. He did not at all expect for things to happen the way they did, for the love of his life to not recall him at all even after coming face to face, for her to hate him, nor for her powers to be weak. I think it's pretty clear that he worries something was done to weaken her during the time that he wasn't observing her from afar – hence why he takes her to Philip and why he asks him if "someone put in a suppressor". Her suddenly deteriorated power makes him anxious for MC's future safety, and his fear has good reason – he is aware of the dangers posed to her by EVER.

He is also just simply desperate for her to regain her memories, which is also understandable. His pain and grief and frustration over his literal soulmate being unable to remember a single thing about him makes even more sense now after Death and Rebirth and the Timelock Key event. I'm ngl I wouldn't handle the same scenario well at all either, but would probably have a major crashout, especially if I'd done and been through all that Sylus has. In early LAR Sylus is basically a person who is desperately trying to remind a loved one (a literal chosen soulmate at that) with amnesia of their past and of themself. (An example of his trying to jog her memories is this part right here where he is recreating an environment mimicking the arena they fought in as kids).

To put it simply, Sylus isn't calm or rational or gentle because the situation he is in is deeply emotionally distressing and unexpected, and in his distraught state he is willing to cross lines he would not in normal situations. He loses himself, going as far as to override his core principle re: MC (her autonomy and consent). In this instance of raw hurt and desperation he thinks that the ends justify the means. This alone shows that he is not in a good or normal state of mind (and again why would he be?)

Now, that being said, does Sylus' emotional distress excuse his actions or make them justifiable? No. Because what he did in LAR simply isn't justifiable and isn't meant to be.

Like I've said before, you'll never catch me defending his actions or making excuses for them regardless of Sylus' reasonings. His behavior was wrong, and is portrayed as such by the narrative. We are meant to be uncomfortable and upset by those scenes. And we are meant to take MC's side and empathise with her as the victim of harsh and fucked up treatment, (while we can also with the context we now have also empathise with Sylus' emotional pain and anxiety – but we shouldn't excuse or justify him). Sylus himself realizes that he went way too far and obviously deeply regrets it – that's why his behavior changes notably afterwards. He is never again forceful or coercive with MC, but on the contrary always walks at her pace, and is twice shown to be prepared to let go of her. And I think his character is all the more beautiful for the fact that he is capable of learning from his mistakes and of bettering himself.

So in summary; Sylus behaving out of character in those early chapters makes perfect sense considering the circumstances and is imo an instance of good and realistic writing rather than bad or thoughtless. The writers were not in any way doing Sylus dirty, but were showing us a character that is flawed and emotionally hurting and capable of fucking up royally in certain situations, but who is also capable of real self reflection and of learning from his mistakes. The early chapters in LAR are integral to his character development, adding layers and depth and vulnerability to him and thus, ironically enough, make him more "human".

This is my perspective anyway, and I hope that it provided some food for thought ♡. I do want to say though that if you still feel the same re: Sylus' behavior, or if you have a completely different perspective from mine, that's ok and understandable. As always I am simply stating my own personal thoughts and interpretations, nothing more nothing less. Not trying to influence or change the way anyone thinks or feels or stating that my interpretation is the "correct" one. I am just working with the material we currently have and trying to piece the pieces together in the way that makes most sense to me, but which inevitably might not to others.

[gayleviticus]

i saw a post today on r/openchristian where someone asked if people there believe in the trinity and there was a reply that was like 'how could anyone? have people not read the scholarship?'

and i think it crystallised something about progressive christian spaces that has bugged me - and it's not 'people spout heresy' 'people say things i dont agree with', but rather than i think for progressive christians (esp online) there's a bit of a 'problem of theological method'. and by that i dont even mean like, people are using methods of interpreting scripture i dont agree with.

but i think there's a bit of an issue where, for example, conservative evangelicalism explicitly teaches people to read scripture in a v specific way. inerrancy is a clearly defined doctrine. lots of resources model prooftexting and mustering up the bible as evidence for certain positions. there's lots of apologetics that teaches tactics for deflecting errors or inaccuracies in the text. bart ehrman and his ilk are peddlers of lies.

and i think when people step out of that bubble, there isn't really an obvious alternative method for them to read scripture theologically. and so people might often turn to the kind of secular historical-critical work that was forbidden in evangelicalism and go ham with that.

i don't have anything against secular historical-critical academia; i think at best it deepens our understanding of the human side of the Bible and at worst it makes conjectures that are perfectly reasonable from a purely naturalistic perspective if not from the eyes of faith. but it's not an approach designed to nurture faith or approach the Bible as a theological text; Bart Ehrman is not the arbiter of people's faith.

i think progressive methods of reading scripture theologically certainly exist (whether orthodox or not), but i think compared to say, evangelical inerrancy, they are much more implicit and subtle. they aren't as explicitly defined and taught to people, and people can use similar phrasing to mean quite different things.

and i feel like within progressive christian circles that can sometimes put people talking past each other, because one person is reading scripture totally metaphorically, one person is reading it according to a historian who said the last supper is fictional and Paul never existed, someone else is still using an evangelical inerrancy framework, someone else is interpreting through the ecumenical creeds as filters for the core literal non-negotiables of the christian story (what we could call creedal orthodoxy perhaps).

and in a way i think this can be harder to navigate even than like, catholic vs protestant discourse, bc in those debates there's more meta-language around differences in perspective (e.g. sola fide, sola scriptura). but i feel like progressive christian circles lack this kind of consistent meta-language that can lead to people talking past each other entirely

(heck, even 'progressive christian' is vague - i've always used it as the broadest possible umbrella term for christians w left-leaning politics, and 'liberal christian' more for people who deny supernatural elements of the religion etc. but some people will do the total inverse and swap the terms around)

edit: while i'm making this post i'll plug the podcast 2 feminists annotate the bible, which imo does a great job of modelling (if not explicitly teaching) a good solid progressive approach to the bible that isn't just relentlessly ceding ground to secular scholarship but also genuinely tackling the text while respecting it's value. (probably what we might call an inclusive creedal orthodox approach). i think it's pretty goated

[driftingaway342]

i wrote a thing! i've been writing a lot behind the scenes but ultimately, I don't know *much* about how to make it all resolve well. I wrote this in two hours and it began as a series of lamentations, and ended with a vague blueberry erotica from the second person. I wrote it intentionally vague, hoping it would be compatible with almost anyone. Enjoy.

Story below the cut btw.

It was never as they talked about in the stories, the books, the videos and forums of what it would be like. Why would it be? They were all just speculating. You were the real deal now, and no one would be able to debate you on how it felt. You’re becoming a blueberry, and you’ll find out exactly how it feels. 

You hold a small, round, blue almost ‘disc’ of gum. It squishes gently in the center. You look yourself in the mirror, the most ‘blueberry’ outfit you could throw together in your hasty excitement. You tried to hold back, remind yourself that the outfit you ordered would be here soon. Soon would never be soon enough. You need to do this now. 

You hold the gum between your thumb and pointer finger, rolling it around, looking at it as if just the simple act of viewing it would do what you most desired from it. You brush it against your cheek, nervous tension holding you back from what you knew it needed from you. It’s texture drags roughly over your skin, the gum being so soft in your fingers, you nearly drop it to the floor. You don’t, however. 

You stare it down, it’s staring back at you. You drop it from your fingers to your palm. You stare at it. It stares at you. It beckons you. It taunts you. You feel a pulsing mass of bratty energy well up inside you. You stare at it more intensely, it stares back just the same. “It looks like gum…” You say, mustering up the brattiest tone you can, and toss it into your mouth. “...and gum is for me.” 

The flavor is…disappointing. It’s not an ultra concentrated blueberry. It’s not even normal blueberry flavored gum blueberry. It’s just a mildly floral, mildly fruity candy flavor. It frustrates you. You chew more intensely, smashing it with your tongue against the roof of your mouth, trying desperately to extract any flavor from this stupid fucking gum. It gives no ‘hidden’ flavors. Its flavor grows only slightly more intense, before waning back even less than it was before. 

You groan. Go figure. Stupid online retailers and their ‘genetic alteration gum’ that claims to do something that usually takes a month or two in a night. You feel stupid. It’s not even real, you’ve never met a berry in person, let alone seen one in passing. You look at yourself in the mirror. You’re still hot, that won’t change at least. You make this outfit look good. You pose a bit in the mirror. 

You feel like a gum chewing brat. What else are you now? You’re touching yourself like you’re a supermodel and you’re getting off on your own reflection. You might just be a brat now. You think about going into your phone, posting some pictures of yourself to a friend, and enticing them to come break the brat. 

You giggle and get closer to your mirror, looking at your face. You still hold the faintest shred of hope it’s going to work. You see nothing. You roll your eyes and grab your phone. You stand in defiance, open mouth chewing the gum that killed all your hopes. Is it hope? You hope you become a blueberry right? You definitely don’t need to be one. You definitely don’t stare yourself down in those blueskinned edits on your phone, desperate to take your true self into reality. 

You decide it’d still make for good pictures. You get in close to your mirror, hold up your phone, blow a large bubble with the gum that you now hate, and you snap the picture. You blow it up bigger. You snap another picture. You blow it up even larger, and snap that picture. You blow more into it and-

Pop.

You take that picture too. You work at the burst bubble with your tongue and attempt to pull it all back into your mouth. You can’t. You set your phone down, you pick it all back off your face and stuff it back into your mouth, still chewing with your mouth open. Like a fucking cow. You pick your phone back up, looking through your pictures. Something catches your eye. 

Your thumb. It’s…blue-ish? You spread your hand out, looking at all your fingers. Your fingertips are all the same shade, blue…ish. You look in the mirror, a vague blue blush has formed on your face, your nose a brighter blue. You step back, using your phone to confirm what you now know to be true. You’re going to become a blueberry. You accidentally snap a few pictures. 

It’s a flood of emotions that hits you square in the gut. You want to watch it spread over you like moss in a forest, you want it to stop before it’s too late, you want to see just how big you’ll get. It’s a peak of emotions, all emotions. You shudder slightly as each one dies off. You’re not worried about what they think anymore. You’re not scared of what might happen to you. You’re not angry about how long the gum took to work on you. 

You’re left with only impatient expectations. You need this to happen faster. You look at yourself in the mirror again, lifting your shirt to reveal a soft blue glow over your stomach, giggling in a pure, bubbly kind of way. This is real, this is you. You are finally who you see in the mirror. You want more. You need more. 

You feel a warm, gentle pressure in your gut. Different from your little emotional spasm a moment ago. It feels comforting, like the feeling of a warm beverage on a cold night running down your throat and into your stomach. The feeling grows, seemingly swelling up inside your gut. It’s heavenly. 

You look down at your stomach and lift your shirt again. You watch the soft blue color intensify as it spreads, and you feel your waistband tighten. You wouldn’t wear anything that wasn’t quite stretchy for this obviously, but you feel it move, rubbing against your waist as your stomach becomes more and more visibly bloated. You rub it with your other hand. It catches your eye for a moment.

Your hand, seemingly a second ago was a mostly normal looking hand with blue fingertips, and now you’re staring at a rich, deep blue hand. The pressure in your gut never stopped building though, and you can’t help but take your blue hand and rub at your own stomach, seemingly radiating warmth. You give it a little poke, it ripples like a water balloon. You feel your ankles under more pressure than usual. You look at your foot, it too has turned the same deep shade of blue. 

You try to remember every interpretation of blueberry kink fiction, art, anything to tell you what might happen now. It’s bugging you. Your gut is slowly building this pressure, visibly bloated, but what comes next. You feel the pressure build, it grows mildly uncomfortable. You feel bloated, desperate to relieve the pressure. It bunches up inside you, you sit in your chair and clutch your swollen gut. You feel the warmth spread all across your skin. You look at your arms and they too are now growing to be the same deep shade of blue as your hands. You glance over at your mirror and see a blue face staring back. 

You groan as the pressure reaches what feels like a climax. You feel yourself start reaching the same. You try to reach at yourself but your gut keeps you pinned under yourself. It feels heavy on you. You press your hand into your gut only to find it has nearly no give at all. You struggle back onto your feet to get a better look at yourself, and to maybe grab a picture. You look hilarious. You look like you’re trying to sneak a basketball into a movie theater.

It’s a gut that honestly? It makes you look overdue. It makes you look like you should split open at any minute. It’s the type of gut that would make a buffet owner ban you forever. You smack it again, it ripples only gently, and with no serious motion. You’re very full. You’re groaning in something between tension, pain, and pleasure. You want more, and you want to just fucking swell up already! You want to be a blueberry! Not some overbloated pregnant looking bitch who happens to be blue! Where’s the rest! Where’s your swollen chest and fat ass and juicy thighs and your fucking blue horizon made of yourself??? Where is it???

You throw your head back and moan loudly, working yourself up like that has a cost. The heat in your face and the frustration in your mind seem to melt away as you feel the swollen gut you now hold with both hands, seemingly to keep yourself from exploding, soften up. You feel it start…melting? Like your gut was an ice cream, slowly melting back into a liquid that sits on your waist and really emphasizes how funny you look. Huge gut that wobbles around like jello, too distracting to feel your thighs thicken up too. 

I mean, like, really distracting. You stare at it, poking it, prodding at it, jiggling it around, finally understanding how nice it is to be this big. Your ass can’t help but join too, soft, round and juicy. Juicy for sure anyway. You grab your gut, lift it as much as you can, and drop it. You stumble forward, knocking you out of your belly induced trance. 

You’re big now. Your thighs wobble with each slight movement, packed into your pants like sausages. Your ass threatens to burst the seat of your pants with any sudden moves. You turn, ever so gently, not ready to ruin the pants, and out of an abundance of caution with your new, out of balance frame. You stare at your ass in the mirror, shaking your head to convince yourself it’s you, and to keep from becoming entranced by it too. You shake it, it ripples around like jello, tearing at the back seam of your pants slightly. You groan in frustration, you miss how good your tight gut felt. 

You take an arm up to rub your gut again, now visibly sitting as though you were several hundred pounds heavier, and notice the sheer heft. You look at the swollen, flabby, juicy arm that you now possess. You move it around a bit, and cause your whole body to go off balance. Stumbling around, you hear a loud sloshing noise. 

“That wasn’t me, it couldn’t have been me.”, You say, to no one, the fear again returning to your mind. It was you, dumbass. You’re a blueberry, you’re filled with juice, and you slosh now. You regain your balance and hear the sloshing quiet down. You take a step, your ankles screaming in pain now, quickly quieted by a warmth. You look back at the mirror and realize just how wide you’ve become. You look like you put on half a ton of body fat in seconds, and visibly were gaining more before your very eyes. 

The warmth in your gut seems to become a red hot poker as you feel a sudden surge of swelling in your entire body. It’s goodbye to being just a half ton blue person, you feel your knees lock up, your body coated in a warmth that brings as much comfort as it does fear. Your legs swell like mad, you can’t even bend them at your pelvis as you nearly topple over. Your arms swell in this way too, forced outward, locked up, your gut, legs, and juicy ass all merging together in a giant swollen ball of juice. 

You barely maintain balance in all of this. You’re stuck watching yourself become just like those blueberries online you’ve been so jealous of, swelling outward, watching your body become little more than a sphere with some hands, feet, and a head sticking out of it. You look so fucking cute too, you forget where your clothes were as you stare at a wall of deep blue flesh that takes up most of the mirror now. Your concentration breaks as you see the wall of blue flesh creep into your vision. 

It’s…you. You’re blocking your own sight with your own juicy body. You giggle, causing your whole body to slosh around. You feel it all move over your insides, unlike anything before it, and it feels incredible. You moan loudly as you try in vain to move your arms, kick your legs, anything. You know it’s never going to happen, you take some comfort in your body. It’s yours. You are a blueberry. You’re swollen with enough juice to fill a swimming pool and you can’t even help yourself. You’re just too big for that now. You’d have to be juiced to just leave this room. 

You feel that same pressure as before, now growing. You feel your skin grow taut, the tension building as you try to writhe around, your body encasing you in a feeling of pure ecstasy. It’s not enough, you want to relieve all this pressure. You want to feel yourself shrink back down in one orgasmic spurt of juice, only to blow right back up, repeating the cycle until something gives out. 

Very suddenly, the gum that had lost most of its flavor burst forth with the flavor of fresh wild blueberries. Sweet, fruity, you could almost taste the meadow they were picked from. You press the gum into the roof of your mouth again, desperate to taste more. It’s still bland and flavorless. You press it on your tongue, pressing it on your upper lip to discover what you deep down already know. You taste like that. You taste like fresh picked wild blueberries. 

The tension in your gut snaps back into focus, and you moan, the gum falling from your lip, down to whatever passed for a neck at this point. You feel your cheeks heavier on your face than before, you don’t need a mirror to tell you how juicy they’ve become. You rock back and forth gently, the sloshing, the tension, the rocking sending currents of juice around your insides, all of it adding into one massive orgasm. You moan loudly, the shallow walls of your head’s divot echoing the sound around you. 

You’re blinded for a moment by the sheer pleasure of it all. You finish, again and again, thrashing your hands around, rubbing your face into your divot, anything to get touched a little while you cum your blueberry brains out. It’s maddening how no one’s touching you right now, even if just to rub you. You gasp for air, each successive orgasm having been more powerful than the last, and seemingly over for now. You blink lazily, your mind clouded by the feelings and their aftershocks. You stare outward at the blue wall of flesh around your face, looking left, then right, mildly confused. 

“Hellooooooo! Won’t someone juice me already?”

[nebrasska-alasska]

I saw that you updated the Shape of Water tag. Which I think personally is where everyone is getting confused in regards to Sonic and the Kraken. Because when I originally started reading I was a bit bummed out honestly by that tag. Mainly because the film itself is quite...um explicit in certain scenes Lol! So i figured your story would eventually become either Mature or Explicit. I was like omg please don't make shadow eat a cat like the creature did in the film!!! 💀😭😅

Anyway love the in-depth explanation you gave on that previous post over Sonic's relationship with the Kraken. Because I can see what you're trying to do with the fic. Or I see the vision Lol! Looking forward to the rest!! 😊

Yeah, that one is on me lol. I mentioned this elsewhere, but basically, I watched a heavily edited and censored version of the movie on an airplane, so I missed like, all of the sex scenes without realizing it. Oopsie-poopsie! And here I was thinking that this award-winning film just had a really bad editor ROFL XD

But yeah, since the basic premise of the plots are similar, I still wanted to keep it mentioned somewhere in the tags even though the two stories are actually decently different. So I think that saying that it's "inspired by" is a happy solution!

And don't worry, I will never change the rating on you guys! Literally everything I write will be rated Teen for Sonadow, no higher, and probably not lower either tbh. I don't read or write smut, so you won't be seeing any of that from me personally!

Lastly, I'm glad you like my plans for the fic! Really hoping I can execute it, but the specifics of the vision I have are probably going to have to wait to be explored until the final act. So it will take some time, but I'm hoping that the final product will reflect my goals! Thanks for your kind words and excitement! <3

[jiraisupportgroup]

Update on a few things!

Firstly, I'm really sorry for the lack of content lately. It will continue for a bit longer, T-T I've been working more hours, and I'm in the process of moving, so I'm just doing a lot right now aaaaa. Eventually, I will sit down and try to queue up the blog so it's not just the manga edits (looking at the 3 manga edits posted in a row is upsetting to me honestly T-T)

Second! Anons are back on. In light of that, please remember that I am a person & not just a happy little Tumblr blog for you to bully. Most of you guys are super super SUPER kind in there, and it really warms my heart, but I got a weird influx of very specific hate anons about stuff that I haven't even posted about on this blog, so... that was disconcerting. Anyway yeahhhh.

As it stands, there are about 120 requests in there & I plan on trying to sit down and build up as many as I can sometime soon when I have an actually free day to do stuff, so please forgive me! Content will still take a while to get going again, but I'm not abandoning the blog or anything like that, it's just been a really busy few weeks for me T-T

Finally, I just want to remind everyone, since I have been asked about the topic and haven't said in a while: I do my absolute best not to discuss drama or other users on this blog. This is a space where I try to keep things lighthearted and generally safe. These are things I might discuss elsewhere, like on my personal blog, but those are not topics which I feel like belong on this blog, regardless of my own personal opinions regarding the topic. I have to set that hard limit of having this be a place that is free from that kind of stuff so that it continues to feel safe for everyone. I do not offer endorsement nor condemnation of any particular user or situation here. I appreciate that you guys think of me as a sort of figurehead in the community to address things like this, but that kind of thing is not what I want to do on this particular blog, especially for situations in which I am not involved. Thank you for understanding that boundary of mine T-T

That's it! Thank you guys, I hope you all have an amazing week ahead of you ˗ˋˏ ♡ ˎˊ˗

[liuisi]

Your little story snippet got me curious, so if you don’t mind me asking: who are Mariam and Olivia? :0 I’m so so intrigued!!

!!!!!!! you dont know how much this means 2 me i am always thinking about these guys forever and ever....

okay SO. mariam and olivia (and eli, though he appears only a bit in the snippet) r my silly little ocs (that are MAYBE adapted from a dsmp fic. shhhhhhhh they are so much more 2 me now).

mariam and eli are brother and sister and olivia is like... a really close childhood friend, pretty much a sister at this point. their story as I've developped it in my mind so far is: (under read more cause this got LONG)

they live in the same small-ish town and olivia is over at their house a LOT... like pretty much living with them, bc [nebulous part of the story that i have yet to develop but that basically keeps her dad away a lot]

at some point though that [nebulous event] comes to an end and olivia starts seeing them less and less bc frankly. her dad is not a Good Man (and all the implications that come with that)

the snippet i posted happens a few years later when olivia shows up at their door bc its the place she feels the safest in, yk?

they sort some legal stuff out, olivia starts living with them For Real

and THEN there's a whole arc that happens when she leaves 2 go to uni but thats whole other story LMAO

but yeah that's the basic idea!! now for characterization olivia is the Definition of repression. she LOVES repression its her favourite hobby... she's the type that can talk a lot and make you feel like she's not able to keep a secret until you realize that 4 all she talks she doesn't really Say Anything About Herself. she's also the type that convinces herself that since she Understands, objectively, what she's gone through and that it was wrong, she doesn't have to actually deal with it bc like. it happened. it was bad. she got out. what's more to say? surely this will have no impact on her psyche [VERY LOUD INCORRECT BUZZER]. (a huge part of the story after she gets to uni is about how she's terrified of people thinking that what happened was her fault to the point of distancing herself from everyone who knows about it)

mariam.... mariam is so special 2 me always... she's the oldest, the "adult" and she cares about these kids SO MUCH... it's maybe not obvious outwardly bc she's not really the demonstrative kind but she shows it in her own way. her instinct is always to be very.... business-like with it? not quite the word but basically she does her gestures quietly and without fanfare and then you find out about it like 3 weeks later and you're like oh...... she really does care a lot. but also worth mentionning she is more mature so she does know that people have different needs when it comes to knowing that they're loved so with eli she does make an effort to be more Obvious with it. she's also SO scared all the time... she's terrified that something will happen to them always but she doesn't show it because she doesn't want to freak them out :(

eli.. i know you didn't ask about him but i still will answer because hes just so perfect 2 me... he's the youngest (in the snippet i would say he's 13? maybe? haven't figured out timeline yet). he feels everything so strongly all the time he is FULL of emotions. him and olivia understand each other in a way where they dont really talk about it ever because they don't Need to (or so they think. ahem). he's also a mischevious little guy.. loves exploring and disappearing for hours at a time and almost giving mariam a heart attack. he loves so strongly it physically hurts sometimes ... my little guy :(

anyways heres another snippet for u..... in thanks

[reyrdemils]

(this grew too unwieldy to be a comment, my apologies!) Specific to AO3, the Collections functionality can be tricky. If you're a brand new user, my personal rec is not worrying too much about Collections and pick it up as you go—here's a bit of info below. https://www.reddit.com/r/AO3/comments/1l09ds1/what_do_collections_mean_exactly/ https://archiveofourown.org/faq/collections

If you're on tumblr, consider putting your URL into your AO3 profile This can be a little scary, as you're providing readers with a more direct line to you and your inbox, but it can help interact with readers, especially if you're comfortable with posting updates/ideas on tumblr. Other social media links can be added as well obviously, but be mindful of your privacy.

(Following that, I'd recommend responding to all kind comments, even with just a little 'thank you!', and maybe ignore rude comments entirely.)

Pasta did mention this, but there are some authors that might not want to be directly linked using the Related Work function, and I'd personally rather find that out by leaving a comment on the original work to ask the author. When someone wants to use the Related Work function, the author will be has the option to not allow the new work to be formally related to the original. Depends on your tolerance for rejection lmao https://archiveofourown.org/faq/posting-and-editing#relatedworks

Not AO3-specific, it's good practice to be considerate of those who use screen reading or text to speech software. A common example is scene breaks that are formatted using a heap of decorative symbols (like, twenty asterisks in a row) which are sometimes read aloud individually by the software. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByJ99-38hkQ https://www.tumblr.com/cripplecharacters/752469963111022592/

And PERSONALLYYYYYYY, when using multiple point of view characters, fourth-wall breaks like <Matt's POV> are very jarring to read, and could otherwise be incorporated into the structure of the story. But! That's my literal personal preference.

hey Pasta! I’m new to posting on AO3 and wanted to ask a veteran - I was inspired a LOT by you and TRT to start posting my own writing, and I noticed there’s an “inspired by” option. authors don’t find it weird when you reference them, right? like I would be flattered, but that’s just me :) is there any etiquette that I should be following or tips you have for new AO3 authors?

feel free to answer privately if you’d prefer! I hope you’re having a good brain day! 💕

HELLO FRIEND!

First I am SO so happy TRT could help inspire, I fucking love that, and it feels like a lovely way of keeping the chain going from the fic authors who help inspire me to start posting my stuff!

So I can only speak for me for the 'inspired by', but I have absolutely NO issue at all and I'm always super, super delighted when I get that AO3 email that says there's a new work inspired by mine! I can't think of any other authors I know who'd be weirded out by it either, if it helps. There's a reason that function exists on AO3. If in doubt you could ask of course, there's no harm in that either. But yeah at least for me I'm always incredibly flattered and happy that my work could inspire someone.

I'm also happy to share some AO3 tips and etiquette things I've learned over the years!

Etiquette Rules TM I've discovered:

Make sure you're only marking a fic as 'complete' when it's actually complete. Some folks are posting WIP and chapters and have it marked as complete because 'each chapter is done'.

Only tag your fic with things that are actually relevant. So even if there's a background ship that gets 1 line referencing it, I wouldn't tag that ship. You'll just upset the people who are (understandably) searching for that ship and read your fic only to find they get a single line.

No posting 'fic coming soon' or idea placeholders. I've seen this pop up more and more lately, and not only will it get your fic taken down, but it's considered a huge no-no in terms of AO3 etiquette.

This one is a little subjective, and you'll find a few debates about it, but generally speaking, the etiquette rule is that it's better to risk spoiling something if it means you're tagging the fic with relevant warnings and tropes, versus leaving an important tag out to keep things surprising. Examples might be pregnancy, main character death, or self harm. Not only are there people who are hunting for that type of fic (meaning you should be tagging it so they can find it) but it's usually considered rude to just let someone walk into that blind. If you really don't want to have any of those tags, use the 'Author Chose Not To Use Warnings' and then add a tag about how you're choosing not to tag things so that it won't spoil anything. Basically warn them that they could find anything inside the fic.

At the same time, don't blow the page up with 50k tags. That'll annoy people in the opposite direction. There's a fine balance. I generally tag: major relationhips and characters, the genre, major tropes (found family, slow burn, etc), any major triggers, and then a few flavor tags ('human disaster Matt Murdock'; 'watch me make up legal shit', etc). For anything smaller, if it's a trigger I just warn about it in the author's notes.

Do not link to anything like a Ko-Fi or Patreon or anything that involves money in the author's notes. Not only is it against the site rules but it's considered very bad etiquette.

Do not do not do not change your story's publication date after the fact to keep 'pushing' it to the front page, holy hell is that a big etiquette no-no.

Tips TM I've Learned:

Slashes between character names are for romance. & between the character names are for platonic relationships

Summaries can be a bitch to write, but try anyway! And whatever you do, do not put 'lol this is bad' or 'i suck at summaries'. I realize the self-deprecation makes it a little less scary, but you'll absolutely get less people reading (in part because if you imply you're bad, plenty of people will believe you and won't bother reading). Give people a brief sense of what's in the fic, or even a snippet from the fic itself!

Don't bother tracking Kudos-to-Hits too closely, especially as time goes on. Each reader can only leave a kudos once but every time they re-read, they add another hit to the counter.

Sometimes what does well and what doesn't isn't really logical. Over my years on AO3, I've seen fics that logically should do well (massive active fandom, popular ship, well written) have terrible numbers where fics that logically should do terribly (inactive small fandom, less popular ship, writing banged out in 30 seconds at 5 am) do amazing. So as you go forward, be prepared for occasional ???s in either direction.

The Tagging System is your friend, learn the tagging system, love the tagging system! The tagging system is both how the people who DO want to find your work will find it, AND how the people who do not want to read your fic can avoid it. As above, I've found that generally you want to tag the major characters, relationships, tropes, and triggers, because they are what people are either looking for (hooray! your target readership!) or avoiding (why would you want them to open your fic, see it's not what they want, and immediately back out?).

If you're writing your draft in AO3's text editor and saving it as a draft, PLEASE KNOW IT WILL EVENTUALLY DELETE AUTOMATICALLY, IT DOES NOT STAY THERE FOR MONTHS OR YEARS. Safer to write using something like ellipsus (what I use) or docs, or even your phone's note taking system.

Formatting is occasionally wonky when being transferred from one location (say, docs), to AO3's posting system. Always make sure to preview it before posting, to make sure all your italics and paragraph breaks haven't been fucked up. This is an issue that's been here for ages, we just deal with it at this point.

Those are the things I can think of off the top of my head, I hope they help! There's definitely a little bit of a learning curve when it comes to AO3 but it is SO worth it, there's nothing quite like it and it's been amazing as a writer to grow with it!

[valkugo]

"He loved it not because it looked like a gentle, thoughtful young man, but because it was ghastly and awful and loathsome, and beautiful all at the same time. He loved it the way people love evil, because it thrills them to the core of their souls." — The Queen of the Damned, Anne Rice.

[vynnyal]

I've been having a delightful time stumbling over my emojis being used in random servers, so here's more

[teyrnacousland]

I've seen the headcanon that Lucanis' mother, Caterina's perfect heir, was actually similar to Illario in some ways. That she was calculating, ruthless, ambitious, obedient... all the things Caterina overlooks in Illario because Caterina sees her favourite daughter's deep brown eyes and quiet, controlled demeanor and careful planning in Lucanis.

But I am also attached to the idea that the opposite is true too. That Illario's mother shared similarities with Lucanis; that she was empathetic and stubborn, with a slight rebellious streak. But she was always outgoing and charming, was more impulsive with her emotions, and was always sharper with her tongue than with a sword, so Caterina only sees her in Illario.

I just love the idea that Caterina can't look beyond the surface and see who her grandsons really are because on some level she can't see past the ghosts reflected in their eyes. She can't see that the quiet brown eyed boy is is more of the gentle hearted rebel, and the one with blue eyes and a shining, fake smile is the ruthless leader who would do anything she asked.

[fudgecake-charlie]

CHEERING AND WHOOPING I finished @applestruda's DTIYS! This took. so long.... first finished painting in over a month though so I'm very happy :D

Closeup (and a phonescreen version, this is already desktop sized!) under the cut

[molathesunfish]

my limbus bugs mainly based on characters that may or may not show up later... and one mystery feature for your guessing fun:]