#i mean it's probably not actually THAT spicy but it's definitely more than i originally planned

[justablah56]

scamster shipping besties,.,..,.,.,., I started drawing them and they are getting spicier than I meant them to,..,. why must they do this to my aro-ace ass,..,.,.,

[vcnillazelda]

Hey Zelda , I love your writing and I was wondering if I could request tf 141 x gn!reader who was kept away from society so when 141 find them, they know nothing about the outside world. I’m thinking soap says something like “let’s have pizza for dinner” and reader is like “what is a pizza ?“ lmao 🤣 only if you don’t mind. Cheers 👋-👽

141 with an isolated s/o!

tags: can be read as established relationship but it’s not actually stated, fluff, days out

characters: johnny, ghost, alejandro, rudy, price, gaz

a/n: tysm for the kind words and i hope this is okay 😭 (and i’m so sorry this took so long!!)

✞———————❖———————✞

johnny

loves teaching you things, no matter how big or little it is

but sometimes he does forget you’re not as experienced as him

“pass me some of the salt, please?”

“salt..?”

“the white stuff”

you handed him a dishrag- it was blue (“is this it?”)

loves taking you out to places so you can learn about certain things

his favourite place to take you is the shops because everything is labelled (and he likes to spoil you)

if you’re not scottish, you probably end up pronouncing things like him despite your original accent- you get so confused when people laugh at you

gets you some books, albeit they look kind of childish- yet they help you a lot

he’s trying his best- yet sometimes he doesn’t know what you’re trying to explain to him and you’re sat for 10 minutes playing a charades trying to figure out what you saw today

-

ghost

when you two first met, he didn’t realise how severe your isolation was

takes you to a professional straight away considering he’s not very well equipped

sits with you when you’re anxious with your new surrounding, sometimes reads to you or just talks about things

doesn’t mind your questions at all, yet doesn’t give very detailed answers

“what’s that?”

“a tv”

“oh..!”

he doesn’t mean to, he just forgets you don’t know as much as he does

if someone tries harassing or laughing at you he gives them the biggest death glare- like if looks could kill that person would be in their casket already- he’s super protective

likes watching your eyes light up when you learn something new

there’s something so innocent about you, so he silently vows to keep you safe no matter what <3

-

alejandro

adores teaching you things

takes you on little trips out to museums, aquariums and zoos

over-explains absolutely everything

cooks you all types of food to learn your preferences

keeps you close when you’re out and about so you don’t get lost

gets little flash cards to teach you things more effectively

documentary nights are a must, makes your favourite foods and lets you curl up next to him on the couch

no question is a stupid one in his eyes, so ask him anything you want to

he even teaches you mexican-spanish to use in las almas so you can communicate with people other than him and rudy :)

loves seeing you get along with rudy too

takes you to cafe’s so you can test certain foods

-

rudy

much like alejandro he takes you out to places so you can learn things there

buys you all the books he can with his spare money to help you :)

asks alejandro for help a lot too, he doesn’t want to mess up anything

keeps any and all dangerous things away from you

if you like spicy food like he does he’ll literally order as much variety as he can just to watch your eyes light up when you like something

teaches you little mexican-spanish phrases, but not a lot of it like alejandro does

writes stuff down with the definition of it in a journal so you can read it later on

at the end of every month he does a little recap test to see how much you remember :)

doesn’t mind your little quirks, but does correct you if you use something wrong

loves your fascination with his phone, he downloads a few games for you too <3

if there’s something you want to know but he’s forgot the word for in english you both have to go to alejandro (help this man)

rudy wants the best for you and does his absolute hardest to give the world to you :)

-

price

protective mode activated

i hc that his second choice in occupation was actually going to be a history teacher (because he’s a history nerd) but he decided on being in the military to follow in his father’s footsteps

you are in the safest hands

like simon he takes you to a professional and to a few doctors too just to make sure you’re completely healthy

loves sitting down and talking about anything you want to

teaches you how to cook so you can be a little more independent for when he’s not around

also buys you a phone just in case there’s an emergency and you need to contact him

he doesn’t necessarily go on days out, he’s a stay-in kind of guy, but he does sometimes plan little day trips to landmarks or just little places he thinks are nice

you end up learning basic things but also a lot of in depth history because price loves talking about it

if you find any interests he will spoil you rotten with everything he can find in that interest

never acts like you’re dumb either, he’s super supportive

“i found this today! :)” shows him a rock you picked up in his garden

“that’s amazing!”

instead of shielding you from them, he teaches you about dangerous things to just to prevent any accidents

-

gaz

similar to johnny, he’s enthusiastic to teach you about things; especially all the little facts he picks up from price and kate <3

unlike johnny, he’s so gentle with teaching you

doesn’t want to overwhelm you at all

he tries to shield you, but also tries to let you learn some cautions naturally i.e when the showers too hot/cold

you’re very precious to him, he adores watching you watch documentaries that he’s already seen

never gets bored of answering your questions :)

adores going out with you no matter if it’s walking, to cafés, to parks, people watching, ect

loves lending you kate’s books (with or without permission we’ll never know)

[mcdonaldsplayground]

| actually the worst | bonus part

aged up ao’nung x f!reader (18+)

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | bonus part

summary: a few years after meeting the metkayina people (and quaritch trying to kill your entire family), you finally get a chance to bring ao’nung to see your former home. however, there’s more to think about than just touring him around the forest.

includes: 18+ content (not anything actually spicy, just more suggestive), teasing, swearing, suggestive remarks, ao’nung being a cocky bastard again😮‍💨

word count: 5.4k

a/n: okay so in this universe neteyam is still alive because i simply cannot process complex emotions at this time😀 also please note that i made up the general plot here just to fit the story but obviously it’s probably gonna be very different in the next avatar films😅 ALSO, i’m so sorry to anyone who was expecting smut or like, in-depth descriptions, but this is as spicy as my writing is gonna get for now hehe. hope you enjoy this lil’ bonus part. i’m gonna get to writing some other stuff soon:)

“Okay, everyone! We’re leaving in ten minutes so if you’re not ready by then, you’re flying by yourself!” Your father called, looking frantic as he saddled up his ikran and tried to herd everyone over at the same time. Jake always went full dad-mode before these trips.

Since the battle on the ship with Quaritch a few years ago, things had finally calmed down and allowed your family the ability to travel back home to the forest and the Omatikaya clan. However, the island had become your home too, so you tried to split your time between each. As much as you loved returning to the forest, though, there was someone that you found increasingly difficult to leave behind.

Ao’nung. The most annoying person you had ever met. Also, often to your chagrin, your boyfriend. The past few years together had been whatever your guys’ version of domestic bliss was. Mostly a lot of playful teasing and sometimes borderline bullying. A lot of flirting, too. Your family and friends often called the two of you childish, but that was just your dynamic, and you loved every second of it.

Recently, though, you’d been a little disappointed. Not with Ao’nung’s treatment of you, definitely not, but with how busy he’d been with his duties. You knew it wasn’t his fault, he was the son of the Olo’eyktan, after all. It was just that between going out hunting, Olo’eyktan training, and working on completing his warrior rites, you felt as if he was becoming a stranger that you were watching from afar. You couldn’t even remember the last time the two of you had been alone.

“Hey, I’m sorry that Ao’nung can’t come, [Y/N].” Neteyam said as he packed the last of his things and strapped them to his ikran, shooting you a sympathetic look. You sighed to yourself, trying not to let your disappointment show.

“It’s no big deal,” You shrugged. “It’s not like we’re leaving forever.” It was true that you wouldn’t be gone as long as usual this time, but it was certainly long enough. Not only would you be away from Ao’nung, but you would miss the completion of his Iknimaya. He was supposed to finish up next week, which was the only reason he wouldn’t be able to come with you like you had originally planned months ago. Actually, you'd been begging him to go along with you for a while, but it had never worked out with his schedule. This time seemed to cut the deepest, though.

“You keep saying it’s not a big deal, but I don’t think you mean that,” Neteyam pushed, coming over to stand next to you. His presence was a comfort, especially because he had inadvertently become the person you always went to for relationship advice. “It’s okay not to be okay, you know.”

“Yeah, I- I know…” You trailed off, unconvincing. “I just wanted to be there when he finished his Iknimaya. He’s worked so hard, Teyam.” You bit your lip, staring hard at the ground. “And-” You cut yourself off, suddenly feeling embarrassed at your own thoughts.

“And?” Neteyam’s tone was gentle, encouraging. You sighed.

“And I just keep worrying that he’s going to get tired of me being gone all the time. Once he’s officially a warrior he gets to choose a mate. I know it’s really horrible of me to think it, but, what if he doesn’t choose me?” You involuntarily imagined coming back from the forest to find him mated to another, your heart rising to your throat.

“I hear what you’re saying, but I have to tell you that’s impossible, [Y/N]. If you could see the way Ao’nung looks at you, you would know.” Neteyam grinned as you flushed, fighting a smile of your own. Before you could say anything in response, your dad declared it was time to leave. Your heart sank back down, and you turned to mount your ikran.

“Wait! Wait up! You’re going to forget your favourite, most handsome possession!” The deep voice sent a familiar shiver of longing down your spine, though his words made you roll your eyes. There was only one man in the world who could do that to you with just a sentence.

You whipped around, wide-eyed as your big dork of a boyfriend sprinted over to your family.

“Miss me, forest girl?” He was grinning like an absolute fool as he finally came to a stop a few feet away from you, panting slightly. You were quick to hide your extreme joy with a glare, lest you show just how much power he held over your emotions.

“Aren’t you supposed to be taming a skimwing right now?” You raised an eyebrow. “You know, so you can prove that you’re a man or something?” You held back a smirk as he narrowed his eyes.

“Alright, then. If you didn’t want me to come you should have just said so.” He said, nonchalantly shrugging as he turned to go back. You knew he was goading you, but you couldn’t help it as you jumped forward, catching his wrist.

“No! Don’t.”

“Oh, so you do want me to come?” He simpered, eyes dancing with mirth. If you weren’t in front of your family you probably would have jumped his bones right there. Something about that perpetual conceited attitude did things to you.

“Can you not be a dickhead for like, one second?” You asked, eliciting a chuckle from him. That was when you noticed the tattoo.

The sweeping intricate black lines spanned a good portion of the left side of his rib cage, swooping slightly up and around the curve of his back. It was gorgeous, but the ink looked incredibly fresh, the edges of the elegant piece slightly raised. You gaped, your fingers twitching with the urge to reach out and touch it.

“What is that?” You breathed, flicking your gaze up to meet your favourite ocean blues.

“I’m surprised you don’t know what a tattoo is considering you’ve lived here for-” You glared daggers as he spoke, indicating that now was not the time for witty banter. He cracked a wide grin, holding his hands up in surrender. “Alright, geez. I wanted to surprise you.”

“Okay but-” Suddenly everything fell into place in your mind and you gasped, your eyes growing wide. “You finished your Iknimaya?”

He nodded. “Just call me the greatest warrior who’s ever lived- woah!” He laughed deeply as you barreled into him, wrapping your arms around his neck before he lifted you off the ground and spun you around.

“Ao’nung the mighty warrior.” You could barely contain your smile as you peppered a few kisses along his cheeks. “I am so proud of you!”

It wasn’t like either of you to show such blatant affection in front of others, especially your parents, but it seemed impossible not to in this moment.

“That’s why I’ve been so busy lately,” He admitted, pulling back and setting you down in front of him, maintaining a loose grip on your waist. “I had to beg my father to let me work overtime, and it was a pretty tight schedule. I technically finished yesterday, but I woke up before dawn this morning to get my tattoo done.” You could have sworn the only other time Ao’nung had smiled this big was after your very first kiss.

“Oh, Nung, I’m so happy for you! Thank you!” You leaned in to kiss him, but you were rudely interrupted by your youngest brother, who was standing a few feet away with your family.

“Oh, Ao’nung! I’m so proud of you, mighty warrior! Let’s kiss in front of everyone and waste a whole bunch of time being gross!” He mocked in a high-pitched voice, rolling his eyes. Lo’ak may have gotten older, but he still loved to make fun of you two. “I hate to break up your guys’ little love fest, but we were supposed to leave like, ten minutes ago.” He huffed. Tsireya may not have been around to chastise him, but your mother certainly was. She smacked the back of his head, glaring at the boy.

“Lo’ak! You should be happy for Ao’nung! He is a warrior of the clan now.” Neytiri turned to look at Ao’nung, smiling proudly. Ever since your parents had found out about you and him, your mother was very supportive. She’d grown to love him like a son. Your father, however, was not so fond. You and him had been through many arguments in which he claimed you needed to wait until you were old enough for a mate in order to be with Ao’nung. Even now, when this had suddenly become possible, Jake looked a little disapproving.

“My love, Lo’ak is right. We really do have to get going.” You frowned at your father’s lack of enthusiasm, but nothing could truly drag your mood down for long as you thought about finally getting to show Ao’nung your precious forest. Even the days-long ikran flight didn’t seem all that bad anymore.

After you and Ao’nung clambered onto your ikran together and took off, you sighed contentedly, leaning back into him when you had a chance to relax a bit. You could feel the low tenor of his voice through his chest as he spoke, his hands placed on your thighs as he rubbed slow circles along them with his thumbs.

“I can’t wait to see this great forest you’ve been raving about for years.” You grinned at his words, biting your lip as you fantasized about showing him every inch of your former home.

“I can’t wait to see what my grandmother thinks of you.” You snorted. The image of her scrutinizing gaze making the usually overconfident Ao’nung sweat had you giggling.

“She’ll love me. All the ladies do.” You could hear the smirk in his words.

“I hated your guts when we met.” You reminded him, hoping to humble him even just slightly. It was a futile attempt.

“And now?”

“Maybe I still do.”

“Is that so?” He bent his head down to whisper into your ear. “It’s interesting that you hate my guts but yet you love when I rearrange y-”

“If you finish that sentence I will push you off this ikran so fast, Ao’nung.” You warned, a nervous laugh threatening to escape your chest.

“You’d miss me if you did that.”

“Unlikely.”

“Oh, you'd definitely miss me."

“So what is this boy’s name, again?” Your grandmother questioned as you helped her prepare food for dinner. You couldn’t help but smile as she squinted her eyes in the direction of where your brothers and Ao’nung were talking around the fire a little ways off. You all had arrived at the forest late, so everyone was just resting for the remainder of the night. Exploring would have to wait until tomorrow.

“His name is Ao’nung, grandmother.”

“Hm. Well, he could do with an attitude adjustment. But he looks to be a strong warrior, no doubt.” She pursed her lips, still appearing to scrutinize him.

“Yes. He actually just completed his Iknimaya,” You tried your best not to sound like you were gushing over him. “He is very strong, indeed.” The image of his toned arms flashed through your mind. The way he could lift you over his shoulder and carry you. The way his muscles tensed when he gripped your hips as he kissed you. You couldn’t help but flush, shaking your head slightly to clear it. Your grandmother was staring at you, the smallest of grins tugging at the corners of her lips.

“So you are mated, then?” She questioned, and you almost choked on air. You supposed you should have expected the question sooner or later, but it still surprised you. Your heart sped up at the thought.

“Oh- well… no.” You mentally cursed yourself for stuttering.

“You sound unsure, child. Do you not want to be his mate?”

“I- It’s- Yes. Yes of course I do,” Your gaze drifted over to him, watching fondly as he laughed at something Lo’ak had said. Despite the obvious stupidity of it, you still couldn’t shake the thought of him possibly choosing someone else to be his mate. It was like some deeply hidden fear you didn’t know you had until now. “It is just a matter of whether or not he wants to be my mate too.” You finished your thought quietly, looking down at your hands in your lap.

“I would think that would be the least of your worries, my dear.” Your grandmother spoke softly, placing a gentle hand on your knee. “He may be a mighty warrior, but even I can see his weakness is you. His eyes betray him every time he looks at you.” This was the second time recently someone had told you such a thing. It made you slightly dizzy with childish giddiness, the idea of you having such an affect on the aloof and confident male.

You were unsure how to respond, but you smiled widely to yourself, a little embarrassed. Your grandmother just chuckled and turned to call everyone over to eat.

The food was almost painfully good after eating pre-prepared meals over the course of your trip. Even Tuk, normally the pickiest eater ever, was scarfing every last bit down. It also felt great to eat together with your family, just enjoying their company as you leaned into Ao’nung’s side, his free arm wrapped around your shoulders. It didn’t take too long for everyone to finish and start turning in for the night.

Your family all slept in a group of hammocks nearby one another, but Ao’nung had been given a spare hammock a little ways away in order to give him more “privacy”, as your dad said, but you figured that he just didn’t want the two of you sleeping near each other. He was very protective and hypocritical considering everything he got up to with your mother when they were young. He was also naive if he thought that sending Ao’nung off by himself was going to keep you two apart.

Once everyone seemed soundly asleep, you silently slipped out of your hammock and crept away to find Ao’nung. It wasn’t too difficult as he appeared to be struggling to lie down comfortably in his hammock. You giggled quietly, sneaking up beside the warrior.

“Do you know how stupid you look right now?” You whispered, quickly slapping your hand over Ao’nung’s mouth as he yelped. You could barely hold in your laughter. “Shut up, skxawng! You’ll wake the whole clan!”

“Very funny, you little brat.” Ao’nung’s expression was sour, especially as he continued to struggle slightly with his hammock.

“You know, I’m very good at helping people who ask.” You smirked, folding your arms across your chest as you watched him try to stop swinging from side to side.

“Fine.” He huffed, glaring up at you.

“Fine what?”

“Seriously?” Ao’nung shot you an annoyed look, but you just stood there, enjoying the power you held in this situation. When you didn’t respond, he finally huffed, resigning himself to what he knew you wanted.

“Would you please do me the favour of helping me figure this stupid thing out, your all-knowing royal highness?” The last bit was a snarky joke, one meant to annoy you, but it only made you grin.

“Why didn’t you ask sooner, Nung?” You made your way over and steadied the hammock, fingertips pushing lightly on Ao’nung’s bicep to indicate that he should move over. When he shifted, you took the chance to climb in beside him, a look of pleasant surprise overtaking his features. The hammock stilled once the two of you had found a comfortable position facing each other, close enough to breathe the same air.

“So this is what you came here for?” Ao’nung questioned, his eyebrows raising as his signature cocky smirk settled onto his lips.

“It’s like you want me to punch you.” You scoffed, tracing the familiar patterns of his skin with your finger, particularly the glowing constellation of freckles that spanned his broad chest. He shivered beneath your touch. However, when you accidentally grazed over the edges of his new tattoo, he hissed. You quickly pulled back, cringing.

“Sorry!” You apologized hurriedly, worried that you had hurt him.

“No, it’s alright. It’s just still a little sore.” He admitted, offering you a gentle smile. You returned it, but did not place your hands back where they were.

“So, you can choose a mate now.” You finally said after a few moments of silence, peering through your lashes to try and gauge his expression. This was a conversation you had been dying to have for days, but it hadn’t seemed like the right time until now. Even so, your heart began to race slightly.

“Yes.” Ao’nung’s tone was low, serious. Maybe it was because of your nerves, but you found it difficult to read his expression.

“And?” You bit your lip, waiting impatiently for him to say anything. Your irrational fears were screaming in the back of your mind.

“And?” He quirked an eyebrow. “What do you want me to say?” You heart plummeted into your abdomen, unable to stop yourself from frowning deeply as you flicked your gaze down so you could avoid eye-contact. You swallowed thickly as your throat constricted. You felt like such a baby for reacting this way, but it was like you couldn’t stop it. The next words coming out felt like someone had stuck a branding iron down your throat.

“Do you want to mate with someone else?”

“What?” Ao’nung sat up slightly in shock, confusion and worry written all over his face. “What are you taking about?”

You just shrugged, afraid you would truly start crying if you spoke or even looked up from your fidgeting fingers.

“[Y/N].” His tone was firm but soft, a plead for you to explain. You felt ridiculously stupid.

“There’s lots of beautiful women of the clan. Many who would make a great Tsahìk some day,” You managed quietly, letting out a short breath. “I don’t want to hold you back just because we have been together so long. Besides, I know what your mother thinks of me, and maybe she is right. I still act like a child sometimes. I am gone so much visiting home. And I am not-” Your voice broke, a few warm tears finally spilling over onto your cheeks. “I am not Metkayina. I am not like you.”

It was painfully silent for a few torturously long seconds. Finally, you felt Ao’nung’s fingers tilt your chin up so he could look at you. His gaze was giving you the all-too-familiar impression that he was seeing you intimately, seeing beyond just your face.

“I do not want anyone else.” He breathed, moving to cradle your face in his hands, brushing away your tears with his thumbs. “I have the most beautiful woman here in front of me. And for some reason, Eywa forbid, I think she likes me.” He grinned and you felt your heart lift.

“You might be right about that.” You said quietly, earning a low chuckle from him.

“[Y/N], I need you to know that I do not care if my mother doesn’t approve of you. The other women of the clan do not tease me. They do not make ridiculously funny faces when they’re annoyed. They do not have the courage to stand up to me and call me a jerkwad when I’m being mean.” The two of you laughed faintly at the memory of you calling him every English insult you could think of. “I love you because you do all of those things. And I love you because you are just as much Metkayina as anyone else in the clan, even though you did not grow up knowing our ways. You were not born into your place there, you earned it, and I can only hope I’ve earned even a slight chance at being worthy enough to be your mate.” You were staring hard at each other now, barely breathing as you hung on to every single word he said. You slid your hands behind his neck, tugging him closer to you, your lips ghosting over his.

“Whether I like it or not, you own my heart, Ao’nung.”

His lips crashed to meet yours with an intensity that set your heart racing. The kiss was all heat and desperation, tongues and teeth. Ao’nung bit your bottom lip, smirking when you gasped. His fingers then found your waist and he smoothly flipped your positions so that he was over top of you, groaning as you placed kisses along his neck and jaw.

“I can’t believe you were worried about me not wanting to be your mate when I’m so fucking in love with you.” He said between sloppy kisses, his hands sliding slowly up and down your thighs, positioned on either side of his body. You shuddered at the way it made your stomach tighten. “As if I would let anyone else hold my heart in their hand.” You whined as he fingered the waistband of your clothing, sucking on a sweet spot just beneath your ear.

“I can think of something else of yours that I would love to hold right about now.” Your eyes glinted as you gazed at him, a quick flash of surprise passing over his face before he broke into a smirk.

“Be my guest, love.”

The mid-afternoon sun shone brightly as you excitedly made your way up the hallelujah mountains. You and Ao’nung had spent the morning around the forest with your family, but you’d really wanted to show him some of your favourite spots by yourself, one of which you were heading to now.

"Hurry up, slow poke!" You found yourself calling out, a laugh bubbling from your chest when Ao’nung groaned behind you. You turned your head back to grin tauntingly at him.

"When you said you were going to show me your home, this is not what I pictured us doing." Ao'nung frowned, glancing warily over the side of the vine you both walked upon.

"No? What exactly were you picturing, then, Nung?" You queried and Ao'nung's lips split into what you could only describe as a suggestive grin.

"Oh, you know, maybe a little less dangerous hiking and a little more finding a secluded spot to-"

"Oh my Eywa!" You yelped, shaking your head. "Just keep walking, you sick bastard."

"Just putting ideas out there.." He chuckled, suddenly pushing forward to catch up to you. He slung his arm around your waist, pulling you into him like it was the most natural action in the world.

You leaned in closer, standing on your tiptoes to whisper into his ear. "You're so desperate, Ao'nung." He shivered.

"Only for you, forest girl." As the words left his lips, you suddenly felt as if you’d experienced this moment before, down to the exact details. You furrowed your brows, trying hard to remember why it felt so familiar.

“Oh!” You gasped out loud, nearly sending your boyfriend toppling over the side of the vine as your memory came into focus. On instinct, you reached out quickly to steady a confused looking Ao’nung.

“Are you trying to kill me, woman?” He asked incredulously, placing a hand over his heart. “What was that?”

You flushed, unsure of what to say. It was such a strange experience to have to explain.

“Um, it’s nothing.” You laughed breathily, trying to sound as casual as possible before continuing your trek up the mountains. Unfortunately, that was not satisfactory enough for him. He grabbed at your waist, pulling you back into him so you were both were facing forward, your back flush against his chest.

“Tell me.” He whispered in your ear, sending goosebumps along your skin.

“It’s weird.” You chuckled, turning your head so you could meet his eyes. They were alight with interest.

“Like you don’t already say weird things all the time?” He asked, laughing as he earned a gentle punch to the bicep. You turned fully to face him.

“Do you remember the first night we went to the cove of ancestors? The night Kiri had a seizure?” You questioned, playing with your fingers as they rested on his chest, feeling his slow breaths beneath your touch.

“Of course.” He furrowed his brows slightly, as if playing through the memory in his head. “The first time you let your guard down around me.” His lips split into a small smirk, though it was more fond than cocky.

“Yeah, whatever,” You smiled softly. “Well, before all that crazy stuff happened, I had a vision when I connected to the tree. It was- well… it was this.” You bit your lip, spreading out your hands to indicate the scene around you.

“The mountains?” He questioned, not entirely following.

“Yes. But us, too. The exact conversation we just had a few minutes ago. It felt so familiar while it was happening, but I couldn’t remember why until now.” You felt awkward explaining it to him, avoiding eye contact and instead trying to read the rest of his face.

“So you knew this was going to happen?” It was a loaded question, indicating both the general situation and your relationship as a whole. A smirk was tugging at his lips.

“Kind of…” You said slowly. “But at the time I still thought I maybe hated you, so it freaked me out. I didn’t know if it was actually going to come true or not. I was working up the courage to talk to you about it before everything went to shit.” You laughed a little, thinking back on all the chaos of those first few months living on the island.

“I want you to be my mate.” Ao’nung said suddenly, staring down at you with a rare completely serious expression. You snapped your head up quickly, confused at the sudden turn in conversation, though a flutter of excitement settled in your stomach.

“I know,” You smiled softly. “I can’t wait until we get back home-”

“No, now.” His voice was firm, his mind already made up. Your eyebrows shot skyward. “I don’t want to waste anymore time not being officially bonded. We can go tonight,. I think Eywa has given us a sign through your dream.” He grabbed your hand, gently lacing his fingers with yours.

“But- what about our parents?” You asked, trying to ignore the rising giddiness inside of you. “I mean my dad will probably burst a blood vessel in his eye. And don’t even get me started on your mom… She already has enough reason to hate me.”

“It’s not about them, my love.”

“But you are the chief’s son, Nung. There are rituals and ceremonies for you and your chosen mate-”

“Me and you.”

“Yes,” You breath hitched slightly, blushing. “Us. Your parents won’t be pleased if you do not complete them in the traditional way.” You were speaking to deaf ears, reiterating things he already knew well.

“We’ll have our own stupid rituals.” He muttered, his fingers skating along your arm, bringing them up to trace the outline of your jaw. “Ceremonies and parties and disapproving parents can wait until we return.” He searched your eyes, desperately hoping for you to be feeling the same immediacy as him. The same all-consuming desire to be one after waiting so long. Despite your feeble rationale behind why it was a terrible idea, you had to admit that you wanted to do it just as badly.

“Tonight, then.” You finally caved, an excited buzz settling under your skin. Ao’nung grinned, picking you up to swing you around before pulling you into a hug. You could feel his excitement in the air around you, making you bite your lip to keep from smiling too wide.

You woke to the sun already shining brightly, pleasantly warming your skin. A pair of strong arms were wrapped around your abdomen, your legs tangled together with two other, longer and broader ones. It could have been any other morning after sneaking out to be with Ao’nung.

It was not.

You could feel the mating bond even now as your mate lay sleeping beneath you, his soft breaths tickling your skin. Nothing about your feelings for the warrior boy had changed, you still felt the deep love that had claimed a stake on your heart years ago, but it was like it had been fortified, made immortal under the gaze of Eywa. Your soul was tied completely to his, two halves to make a entirely new whole. His eyes fluttered open as you stared at his sleeping form, admiring his peacefulness. He smiled sleepily.

“Good morning, my love.” His voice was slightly raspy from sleep, and you felt your stomach tighten, suddenly replaying every euphoric detail about the night before. You clenched your legs together, letting Ao’nung sit up and pull you into his lap while running a hand slowly up your thigh. Once you were comfortably sitting on top of him, he began to place sweet kisses along your neck.

“Ao’nung.” You tried (failed) to sound stern, placing a hand on each of his biceps in a weak attempt to stop him from caressing all along your body. “We have to go back.” Your words got lost in a moan as he nipped at your collarbone, looking up at you in a desperate sort of way. You shuddered, unable to stop yourself from dipping your head down to place a kiss on his pouted lips. He kissed back fervently, one of his hands sliding to the back of your head while the other danced along your ribcage, dangerously close to eliciting another moan from you. If you didn’t stop now, you knew you never would.

“Alright, alright. Don’t make me smack you, dipshit.” He groaned in annoyance as you pulled away, your lips already slightly swollen from the kiss.

“C’mon, [Y/N].” He whined, his ears flicking back in disappointment. “You're my mate, now. Can we not just enjoy this time?”

You chuckled, tracing your thumb over his bottom lip. “I’m sure you got more than enough enjoyment last night. Now it’s time to for us to deal with the repercussions of that.” You quickly placed one more soft kiss on his lips before sighing and untangling your limbs from his. He unhappily followed your lead, holding your hand to help you up. As the two of you slowly began your walk back home, you smiled to yourself, feeling more content than you ever had before. Even the thought of confronting both your parents seemed but a small inconvenience, an easy price to pay for the sheer elation you felt at the bond you now shared with Ao’nung.

“I still think we could have stayed longer.” He frowned, swinging your intertwined hands back and forth slightly.

“Doubtful. It’s pretty much a miracle they haven’t sent out a search party already.” You laughed, guessing it was already mid-morning. Your family had probably been awake for hours.

“What should I say to your parents?” Ao’nung questioned.

“Well, you should probably start by begging my dad for mercy,” You deadpanned. “Though I doubt that will help.”

“Thanks, I’m so glad you’re confident in me.” Ao’nung quipped back sarcastically, rolling his eyes. “I’d like to remind you that I’m a warrior now.”

You grinned. “You’re about to be a dead warrior.”

“Well, at least my last great memory is of you on your knees last night-"

You cut him off with a light punch in the gut. It was like hitting the bark of a tree, but he did you the courtesy of pretending to feel it, at least.

“Geez, someone’s touchy about that.” He smirked, amusement flickering in his gaze.

“Just save the cockiness until after we talk to my parents. I know you probably don’t know to be humble, but-”

“Oh, I’ll be humble. I’ll be even more humble than Neteyam when he gets a compliment.” He spoke of it like a challenge, and you giggled.

“Speaking of that, I forgot to mention that my brothers are probably going to kill you, too, you know. Then maybe even Kiri. You’ll be dead four times over.”

“You’re lucky you’re worth all this murder I’m about to experience.”

“Just remember that this was your idea, genius.”

“Yeah, yeah. But who’s the one who loves me too much to have said no?”

“Shut up.”

“Fine. But only if you give me a good luck kiss before we get back because I’m starting to get nervous now.”

taglist:

@luvlykrispy @foreverfolkloregirly @findingourtreasure @tiddybiddy @nao-cchi @goodiesinthecloset21 @elegantkidfansoul @azaleaniath @cloakedvengeance @philiasoul @aonungmybf @joshuahongsfuturewife @shartnart1 @ayanamire @tireytesulineytiriite @bigmama123 @fucksnow @seashelldom @melsunshine @littlethingsinlife @thesheelfsworld @in-luvais @perseny @minkyungseokie @acrobatcheeks @theblaxkbird @sakura-onesan @1-800-not-simping @srrybroo @ellasully @trulynotavailable @dreamergirljen @ipoopedmypants47 @hangezoes-wife @scarletrosesposts @kaealowri @eggnox @spiceyhotsherbet @awkward-halfhug

[mrszeoxin]

Cupid Parasite Sweet and Spicy Darling Review

This is the first time I’m playing a game as soon as it comes out! I’m super excited since I just finished the original game this week. I love fandiscs since I love fluff. This does have a new character though, so I’m curious to see what that’s like, but definitely more excited for the main guys.

Merenice

I decided to start with the new guy to get him out of the way. I typically don’t like new routes in these fandiscs, but I’m willing to give it a shot. From what I’ve read he can see people’s future, which is very cool. But kind of like Edward from Twilight, MC is the only person whose future he can’t see, which grabs his attention. I’m hoping this route will be fun.

Honestly I wanted to like this route, and I tried to have an open mind, but I couldn’t get into it. I just don’t like it when they introduce new characters you can romance that weren’t in the original game, and it just felt so rushed and out of place. HOWEVER, this gave us the closest we’ll ever get to an Owen route, and I’m through the roof with joy. The Owen Ending was so good, I love Owen 😭, it’s a crime they didn’t give him a full route in the original game or this one.

Gill

I decided to play the original guys in case order, so that means we start with Gill. Which works for me because I actually liked Gill in the original game (although I now know that not everyone shares my sentiment). Right away, I already noticed the music in this route is much better than the first one I did, which is kind of a relief. When I was playing Merenice’s route I thought the music was way worse than the first game, which made me depressed, but I’m starting to think maybe it was just a his route thing.

I love Gill. No surprise, I really enjoyed his route in this game too. I love how crazy he is, like the things he builds is so nerdy, and sweet, and insane, it’s just so great. I also got some good laughs from his route. Being in an Agape-Agape relationship irl, I really loved when they talked about how self-sacrificing love isn’t the same as straining/suffering for your love, rather it’s being willing to give up certain things mutually and it’s satisfying to love each other like that.

I did play all three endings since I wasn’t sure what to expect. But Sweet and Spicy = Best Ending, Sweet = Normal Ending, and Spicy = Bad Ending, based on what I saw. So I probably won’t do anymore Spicy Endings, as I tend to not like bad endings, but Gill’s Spicy End was very similar to the vibes from that popular Jumin Bad Ending and DLC.

I also really loved his short stories! I love getting to see the male lead’s perspective and thoughts in otome games and books. So it was super fun to get into Gill’s head again and see more of his past.

Shelby

Next up is Case 2, Mr. Shelby Snail himself. Unfortunately he was my least favorite in the original game, so I can’t say I’m super excited. But honestly, I still think his will be cute since at least they are already married. I just need him to not act like a wimp like last game lol.

Okay, this was actually surprisingly fun. As someone who Shelby is my least favorite love interest, I still had such a blast playing his route. It had so many funny scenes, and was just overall so fun to play. I love how real yet hilarious many of the situations in this route were. Like they had a fight, they had doubts, they had *cough* problems in the bedroom *cough*, and it was so funny and entertaining to play. I am a little bummed we didn’t get a SS Cupid joke, since new Cupid’s initials are also SS, but overall super fun to play. I’m pleasantly surprised!

Raul

Next up is Raul! I’m excited since I liked his original route a lot, and he’s about tied with Gill as far as me loving the character. I’m excited to see what we have in his route, I’m sure it’ll be extra fun since we have the whole him being a celebrity trope, plus he knows she’s Cupid. So I’m sure this will be super fun!

Oh my gosh I love Raul so much 😭💕. Raul and MC are just so cute together, and I love their dynamic so much. This route was just so fun. It had so many moments that had me laughing so hard, and others that had me tearing up because it was so sweet. Raul is so wholesome and sweet, which is so counter to the trope he plays. But I love him and his himbo golden retriever energy. I also think the plot for this one was so ridiculous and fun to play. Plus I love his reaction to meeting her dad. Everything was just so sweet.

Ryuki

Let’s go! It’s my favorite from the first game, I love Ryuki and his route so much 🥹💕. I’m so excited to get to play his route in the Fandisc! I hope we get to see him get all flustered again, but I also would love to see him be a little jealous again😅. He’s so cute, and I’m sure I’m going to love this route!

Ryuki is so cute, I can’t 😭💕. As I suspected I loved this route, Ryuki was just as cute as usual, and him and MC have such a cute and authentic “young love” vibe. It’s just so cute and sweet, it was so fun to play! Also when he dyed his hair back to its natural color, that really got to me, I can’t explain why but it got to me. He’s so amazing! Don’t even get me started on his bonus episodes 😭 ahhh I love him so much!!!

Allan

Unfortunately, I’m not super excited for this route. Given I didn’t like Allan that much in the original, I have a feeling I probably won’t love this route. However, I did enjoy Shelby’s in this game, so maybe if this route is funny I can at least enjoy that. I’d also enjoy if they gave MC a bigger change in appearance given she’s a demon now, because the original kinda felt like a cop-out, but I guess we’ll see.

So, I don’t like being a hater, especially since I know Allan is popular, so I’ll try to keep it short. I did not like this route at all. It was not enjoyable for me, I couldn’t get into it and it felt like it was dragging on forever. I just didn’t have any fun, the time skip makes it so we can’t see any of the characters we know in the game which is a bummer, and honestly them living forever just triggered my existential dread of dying. I’m glad she finally looked like a demon at some point, but honestly I just couldn’t get into it. If you like angsty stuff and love Allan you’d probably like it, but I just don’t. The Orpheus and Eurydice parallel also made me upset as someone who loves that myth, because Orpheus turns around BECAUSE his love is so strong, so I didn’t like the implication that somehow Allan’s love is so strong he wouldn’t turn around. Like that’s not the flex the writers think it is, I also didn’t like that Satan plot. They also did my boy Robin dirty in this route. I don’t know, maybe I’m alone here, but this just wasn’t it for me.

Peter

Last route! Let’s go! I’m excited for Peter’s route, he was my second favorite in the original game and so I think I’ll probably enjoy this route. I think it’ll be fun to get to see more of them being Jupiter and Juno, plus Peter is such a cutie I’m sure it’ll be good.

This was a good route! I didn’t love some of the later plot, but I love Peter and so it was enjoyable. He’s so sweet and I love his relationship with MC, it’s such a unique dynamic. I thought it was really enjoyable and fits well as a last route to play for the game.

Overall

I think I really enjoyed this fandisc for the most part. I liked pretty much all the routes, with two making me genuinely laugh a ton. A lot of the CGs were really good too, and it’s fun to see a more domestic life for the couples. However I didn’t like the music as much as the first game, it wasn’t bad, but the first game had such iconic songs that really captured each character and moment. I don’t feel like the music this game felt as special, and there was this sound and song that played that would get on my nerves so bad. But even with the music, I still think the game was super fun. I also loved Robin and his character a bunch. For some reason he reminded me of Yamato from My Forged Wedding, which is my first otome husband, so that made me like Robin even more. Honestly kind of wish we got a Robin or Owen route instead of Merenice. I think if you liked the first game and its humor you’ll probably love this game.

It was really fun getting to play a game when it released, and I’m glad I could post this but too long after. As of now I only played the Sweet and Spicy endings, if I go back and play the other endings later I’ll post an update! Next review will probably be a while until I post it since I’m going to be pretty busy soon.

But I’d love to hear your thoughts on this game if you’ve played it yet.

[atopvisenyashill]

Which asoiaf characters would like chocolate?

WELL chocolate in Westeros wouldn't look like the chocolate you buy in stores. Chocolate - or cacao in its original form - was used as a drink for most of history because actually making chocolate sweets is kind of a laborious process even with a steam engine and cultivating cacao is much harder than most people realize (that's......um, probably why it's so infamously tied to slave labor eeven in the modern day. shout out tooney's chocolate tho). it was considered a delicacy but the spaniards hated the bitterness of it originally, so they added honey, and then understood why half the americas had lost their damn mind over cacao. so while it’s likely there’s some sort of chocolate in Terros, they probably drink it!

Arianne Martell/Dornish chocolate - there’s two types of “chilate” drinks (this one is central american the other is mexican), I think Arianne would like the spicier version, which involves adding chilies to spice it (and you use a masa drink base like atolli, mix that with the cacao, then add chilies), and I think she would make Myrcella drink it super spicy just to fuck with her and then pull out a sweeter version when Myrcella is like “oh you think you’re so slick making fun of me bc i’m white well you’re right give me the honey”

Myrcella - I think she’d love a good cinnamony drink ya kno. The other version of chilate is served cold, basically the same concept cinnamon and sugar. I think she’d find it very refreshing with the hot Dornish weather.

Tyrion/Westerlands/Crownlands - another way they drank cacao is using the bitter white part of the bean as a fermented sugar for alcoholic drinks and personally, not only do I think the tricksters of House Lannister would be allllll over that, I think Tyrion specifically got introduced by Genna and brought it back in style everywhere he could because he loved it.

Cersei Lannister - refuses to partake because Robert also thought the chocolate alcohol was tasty BUT she WILL drink the version of it that the Spaniards loved which was spicy but add vanilla AND honey AND sugar, and it gave all those spaniards a lil tummy ache, and it definitely makes Robert’s stomach hurt but Cersei will down a keg of it without blinking on spite alone.

Sansa Stark - the second chilate drink, the one Myrcella likes, I think Sansa would also love that. Rice milk + cinnamon + chocolate + sugar girlies, besties for life, plus it’s usually eaten with a fritter of some sort and we know Sansa loves her lil cakes.

Ned Stark/The North - one of the earliest ways of using cacao was to use the whites as part of a frothy, bitter drink and I think that screams Northerners to me and I think Ned would unironically love how bitter it is. He makes sure to invest in some bee agriculture when Cat moves north so she can have honey tho

The Reach/Alicent Hightower - the fact that one of the popes said that drinking a chocolate drink doesn’t count as breaking a fast is so funny so i FULLY believe that the Faith went WILD AF for chocolate, which means Alicent introduced it to KL and got half the population hooked bc it’s the only think she and Aemond can drink when they fast so they need a constant supply just in case they gotta be super catholic about something

Baelor the Blessed - real talk though, a drink made with masa & water or rice & milk, is probably more filling and a little better for your body, so Baelor drank chocolate drinks but ONLY the spicy kind because it was punishing to his white people sensibilities

Naerys - I can’t imagine she did much fasting considering how sick she was but we know she was religious AND close to Baelor, so she’d like drinking it to feel closer to her faith and Baelor. Plus, again, both Spain and Indigenous Americans thought chocolate was the shit they used it during religious ceremonies and considered it a delicacy, so I can see chocolate really catching on in court after having back to back Alicent/Baelor/Naerys chugging it all the time.

Ser Duncan the Tall - chocolate is very much a rich people (or religious) delicacy pre industrial revolution so Dunk likely hadn't had any until after he meets Egg. I like to think he had like the chocolate milk type drink and it rewrote his brain chemistry lmao. I actually think it's likely that Egg shies away from it and sees it as sort of an example of the social stratification between the nobility and smallfolk, but probably couldn't help but get Dunk some every time he could.

Daenerys - Dany definitely takes it spicy and cold, I really think she'd get a kick out of it, she seems very interested in trying different flavor profiles and I think the play of flavors in typical chocolate drinks would fascinate her.

[pallastrology]

what i read in 2023

hello! here's what i read over the last year, including some stuff i read/re-read for uni. all in all, it was a great year for reading, despite having a newborn who didn't sleep much lol. i haven't been able to write detailed reviews because i never take notes (oops) but here are my thoughts on what i read. hope you enjoy :-)

the prophet, kahlil gibran - 4 ⭐️ i originally rated this a 3.5 but have revised that rating... reading anything deep when sleep-deprived with a newborn is not a good idea, although i believe this was a lovely novel, i can't remember it all that well and will have to read it again to write a fair review.

lady chatterley's lover, d.h. lawrence (audiobook) - 4 ⭐️ i think i would prefer to just read this myself, rather than listen to it as an audiobook. i'm not really one for "spicy" books but this is very tame going by today's standards, and the story was gripping. when you consider the historical significance it makes it all the more interesting too in my opinion.

the professor, charlotte brontë - 3.5 ⭐️ i usually love anything brontë but was a little bored reading this. i didn't really like the protagonist and just found the plot a bit dull. not a bad novel by any means, but not my cup of tea.

watership down, richard adams (audiobook) - 5 ⭐️ beautiful!! just beautiful. i watched the film as a kid and was slightly traumatised, but the book runs rings around it. it's something that can be enjoyed by all ages and balances fantasy with reality. as a bunny servant, i really appreciated the level of detail the author went to to ensure he wrote rabbits correctly too!

the turn of the screw, henry james (audiobook) - 3.5 ⭐️ didn't hugely like this. i'm not a massive horror fan because i'm sensitive lol, but i find classics like this aren't too much for me. if anything i almost wished it were a bit more intense at times, it felt more sad than anything.

the time machine, h.g. wells - 4.5 ⭐️ really interesting story with a thought-provoking ending. i read it over the course of a day and it stuck with me ever since. it's also become inextricably linked with joanna newsom's album divers for me, with its themes of time travel, war and walking through ruins. would definitely recommend!

the fellowship of the ring, j.r.r. tolkien (audiobook) - 5 ⭐️ a completely and utterly beautiful book. i could probably write a whole book myself on how much i adore the lord of the rings, but now isn't the time or place. i was hooked instantly and as someone who grew up with peter jackson's trilogy, it was lovely to get to know the hobbits more at the start and explore the world more fully.

the cats of ulthar, h.p. lovecraft - 4 ⭐️ sinister and gripping short story. it takes something like ten minutes to read so i'd recommend it to anyone to be honest, especially if fantasy or horror are your cup of tea. i haven't read anything else by lovecraft to compare it to, but as a fan of lots of games that borrow from his lore i think the story probably fits into his world nicely.

the two towers, j.r.r. tolkien (audiobook) - 5 ⭐️ the opening to the second novel in the series was just heartbreaking, but still, i was glad to be back in middle earth. again, the level of detail in the books compared to the films is just astounding, and i found myself going back to relisten just to take it in fully.

a room with a view, e.m. forster - 4 ⭐️ i started this years ago and ended up putting it down. i'm glad i came back to it, though i still found it hard to get into actually. it was definitely a slow burn for me, but i do really enjoy books about the lives of regular people.

the return of the king, j.r.r. tolkien (audiobook) - 5 ⭐️ cried a little bit when i finished this. i truly love lord of the rings and this first listen to the audiobooks will hopefully stay with me forever. this year i hope to read the physical books and dive into middle earth all over again.

icons of the iron age: the celts in history and archaeology, susan a. johnston (audiobook) - 4.5 ⭐️ only because i listened to this through audible and sometimes found the presentation a little hard to follow. very informative and a great intro to the subject of the celtic peoples.

the silmarillion, j.r.r. tolkien (audiobook) - 5 ⭐️ definitely one to reread later on down the line, with a notebook so i can take notes, it’s so detailed and dense that it’s hard to remember recurring plot points and characters at times. but a beautiful book depicting a mythology.

the lifted veil, george eliot (audiobook) - 3.5 ⭐️ an interesting but, for me, unmemorable novel. i think i'll come back and read it again before i write anything significant about it however.

the last of the wild days, volume one: the howling hunt is nearing..., daniel j. loney - 3.5 ⭐️ a lot of potential, with engaging characters and intriguing lore and story, but lots of technical errors and issues with pacing and wordiness. looking forward to more instalments, but the book is definitely in need of an editor.

ogwen blues, george veck - 4.5 ⭐️ very dark, very gritty. left me feeling quite depressed afterwards to be honest, though the novel was an excellent and immersive read. not something i'd usually pick up but i'm glad i did.

cranford, elizabeth gaskell - 5 ⭐️ a really lovely little book. very quaint, exactly the kind of thing i love, just the goings on of regular people. i really enjoyed it, especially as 'brain bleach' after ogwen blues.

tender is the flesh, augustina bazterrica - 3 ⭐️ a quick and intense read but not a book i can say i’d recommend… very well-written but the content is highly unpleasant and not for the faint-of-heart. an interesting and horrifying commentary on the meat industry and, i suppose, how far humanity will go to keep up appearances of civility.

sir gawain and the green knight, pearl, and sir orfeo, j.r.r. tolkien - 5⭐️ really beautiful translation, with especial care taken to retain the alliteration of the original poems.

sir gawain and the green knight, brian stone - 4.5 ⭐️ loved it, but skipped through much of the original text section as i can’t read medieval english (maybe someday).

[deltaengineering]

Summer Anime 2023: GoHands saves anime

Sugar Apple Fairy Tale S2

I wasn't really all that impressed with S1 of Sugar Apple, but it was fun enough. There was a chance it would do away with its naive ruminations on chauvinism and slavery, after all. And yeah, it did that. But maybe I should have stated more clearly that that bland nonsense also needs to be replaced with something better, and that part certainly did not happen. The show fills the vacant space with two things: The kind of completely uninteresting worldbuilding and politics that were all over S1, weren't good there either, but were so insubstantial they weren't worth of note. Well, now they are. The other is that we get a ridiculously evil over the top villain that's amusing for one episode, but gets old really fast. Not to mention that everyone (outside of the designated villain, which is why you know he's bad) seems to love Anne now, especially Challe. So the spicy romance interplay is gone and Challe is now an edgy white knight that tips his fedora to m'lady. And the big finale is that Anne inspires a dozen pretty boys to invent Christmas, somehow. This one just is very poorly written and as of S2 has optimized out all things that distract from that. 4/10

Noble Farmer

The appeal of Noble Farmer isn't what the show does, but what it is: Notable action shounen mangaka Hiromu Arakawa telling a few anecdotes about her growing up as a farmer on Hokkaido. Of course we've known that since Silver Spoon, but it's still enough of a novelty to just barely carry this short series. Sometimes it's funny, sometimes it's not. As usual, a short doesn't actually need to be all that good to be an easy watch, but I've seen better ones. 5/10

Instead Of Zom 100 You Get NieR:Automata Ver1.1a

Why hello, we have a vacant 5/10 spot for mysterious reasons. Let's talk about a production disaster from the season before that just managed to end in this one. To be honest, I've already forgotten about Near A Tomato Service Pack 1 (Backer Beta) so I'll have to patch it up with my knowledge of the game, which is probably for the better anyway. Or is it? I am one of the few people that don't think that Nier Automata is the pinnacle of storytelling¹, so one reason to even give this a chance is to see if the story clicks better if it's told in a more straightforward way. But then it just seems that the opposite is true: Yes, it is indeed the main plot of Nier Automata, but the lack of nonlinearity and other assorted participatory/environmental storytelling just points out that there isn't all that much to that, especially towards the end when it's just about beating up the big monster, but in a sad way. The few things that it does change or add either don't amount to anything we didn't already know or have their payoff pushed onto the sequel. At least the music is still fantastic but it's just literally the game music, so that's nothing new either. This anime is probably for the fans, but even the fans will quickly realize that it's inferior to the real thing - though for them, inferior to the BEST. STORY. EVER!!!! is likely still plenty good enough. 5/10

¹ Before a million salty Yoko Taro fans jump down my throat, it's pretty good, okay? Just not as exceptional as you think. Thank you.

Yohane the Parhelion -SUNSHINE in the MIRROR-

So why does this exist. I can only imagine that Numazu has a bit of surplus marketing budget now, so here we go, Aqours is back... In the form of an appealing, but pretty bog standard children's show. Sunshine already wasn't the most profound Love Live show, nor did it have the most multidimensional characters, but naturally this is a shallower version of that - with the curious exception of Mari, who somehow is a more well-rounded character here than she originally was (though what that means is left as an exercise to the reader). Yoshiko herself of course has a bit more going on, but she better have, given that this show is very definitely about her and her problems - and it's still not really enough. All of this of course is expected from a children's afternoon show where the big bad is a vague "calamity" that doesn't even get defined as much as being made out of people's negative emotions or something like that. No it's just uh, bad (and by bad I mean purple), and then gets defeated by friendship and good vibes and an Aquors single. This show should have really done more random nonsense like Chika and her sisters randomly having a Sentai team and Dia being Kamen Rider for tedious IRL reasons, but that quirkiness is so minor it feels more out of place than anything. I don't want to be too harsh on this because it's still fundamentally a good time, but there really just isn't much to it. But I guess that's just how it goes with entrenched franchises, right? 6/10

GoHands presents the GoHands Power Hour featuring The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses and The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today

Before I get to the details of these shows, there's quite a bit they have in common, and that is, obviously, being made by GoHands. I have a pretty complicated history with GoHands. Yes, I did watch the whole Handhakersverse mostly because it was unbelievably ugly, but on the other hand, there is something to be said about an unique, consistent aesthetic: GoHands is dreamcore. I don't think it's pretty, but I do think it's fascinating, which is why I wasn't amused when every Anime Opinion Haver immediately wrote these two off as being unwatchable and took cheap shots on Ecks Dot Com. So I'll watch them. I thought. That'll show em.

The punchline was obvious: Neither of these shows are crassly ugly in a meaningful way. They're a bit overdone, but honestly they're more reminiscent of some SHAFT productions. Really, outside a few meme gif shots in the first episodes, there's nothing special about the looks apart from an overreliance on postproduction gimmicks like particle and lighting effects and stifling color correction, and everyone loves those when KyoAni does them. So there goes the reason to watch them... Except then, in a truly GoHandsian further twist, they're actually good. I'm as puzzled as you are.

Well, "good" is maybe a bit much. Glasses Girl is definitely watchable though, mostly just because Mie is remarkably cute. Of course, this being an entry in the "my classmate is wacky and I can't deal with it" genre, the same cannot be said of Komura, whose React-Man antics are most charitably described as "occasionally not annoying". The show gets a lot of credit for actually finding new ways to make the one joke that is in its title reasonably fresh, and it even manages to elicit some d'aww feelings towards the clumsy kid romance it develops into. I can't tell a lie, it's fine. 6/10

This one honestly is pretty good though, even though the absurd wish fulfilment setup of "I'm a lonely dysfunctional office lady but my cat is actually a perfect homemaker" seems thoroughly sketchy. To be honest, Yukichi actually does act like a cat, so I can only assume this is indeed written by a lonely dysfunctional office lady. As far as surreal daily life comedies go, this one's a winner though. It's cute, it's funny, and all that. A rather simple comedy about a very obvious joke setup, but there's enough going on in the periphery to make it not boring - and then there's hooks like half the female cast having a crush on Saku, which if acted upon would instantly make this one of the dankest yuri shows of all time. One can only dream. 7/10

BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!!

It's always the same with these gacha franchise shows. Even when they're good, they're always bloated by too many characters, too many established plots, too much desire to make everyone equally likeable, and a strict adherence to the status quo. Over the years, many a time I have written "but what can you do". What can you do, indeed?

So here comes MyGO, where the plan apparently was "how about THIS time we just don't do any of that". Now, this part is interesting only for people like me who watched this show as part of the franchise. Nobody else would (or, honestly, should) care that this franchise show breaks the mould uncommonly hard — only whether it's good. Thankfully, MyGO is also just one of the best teen drama shows around, franchise or not. I guess it really helps if you make a show that a writer would actually want to write and not just a bunch of corporate mandates, but Ayana Yuniko takes it no the next level and does things that even "regular" shows in a similar lane don't attempt; for example, Tomori completely fixes the problems I had with Bocchi (of The Rock fame) by being treated appropriately seriously. Now, I don't want to oversell this show, you won't get the next Kids on the Slope here - it's still a small-scale anime about a bunch of drama kids that produces not one, but two marketable bands in the end. But within this framework, it really is about as good as it gets. Every character is complicated and has major personality flaws, which seems very risky but extremely worth when it pays off like here. In short, it's textbook character drama. It's a bit silly at times, but I'll accept that as yeah, teen girls in bands can be pretty goddamn silly. It also doesn't have an ending, but I'd question whether a low-key drama like this even can have a proper ending. They manage to make their disastrous teen band work for a bit, what more can you expect?

I guess I should mention the looks also, which are nothing particularly special when you know the fairly high level of CG animation Sanzigen have consistently been doing. Of course this serious show doesn't have much of the cartooniness, but makes up for it with select instances of really good direction — MyGO has a particular knack for uncomfortable wide angles.

In the end, MyGO is an uncommonly legitimate character drama with low stakes. It can dip into melodrama but not any worse than these shows always do. Ironically the most questionable aspect is that there will be a sequel based on the other band, Ave Mujica, which work extreme well as a joke about how they are everything MyGO is not. But that makes them an awful band full of awful people, and I'm not sure if I want to actually watch that. It's certainly a tall order, but then again, I didn't expect much from this show to begin with. For now it's an 8/10

[vt-scribbles]

Y'know I know ask games are for people to, y'know, send in asks. But I don't see people often just. Fill it all out themselves. Fuck it I'll help out the shy people.

SO ASK GAME BELOW 'READMORE' LET'S GO

1. Art programs you have but don't use: MS Paint, Blender, I used to have WAY more like this one painting [like actual paint] program.

2. Is it easier to draw someone facing left or right (or forward even): Left is easiest, Right is in the middle, and forward is the hardest of those three for me.

3. What ideas come from when you were little: I was fascinated by G/T from like. 3 years old. I blame Super Mario Land 2 LMAO

4. Fav character/subject that's a bitch to draw: Handheld, perspective, monsters/creatures, and massive scale

5. Estimate of how much of your art you post online vs. the art you keep for yourself: Uhhh probably about 50/50? A lot of things I draw are spoilers, shitposts, and other study art I don't bother sharing.

6. Anything that might inspire you subconsciously (i.e. this horse wasn't supposed to look like the Last Unicorn but I see it): Not that I can think of? My art doesn't get analyzed super often. I think people think I study anime more than I do.

7. A medium of art you don't work in but appreciate: Charcoal, watercolors, sculpture, oil pastels, acrylic, copic markers

8. What's an old project idea that you've lost interest in: Originally I was going to make an AMV with my two characters, Nonny and Felicia, to the song 'shut up and dance with me'. These two aren't active OCs anymore, and the project was WAY too ambitious for my skill level 9 years ago lmao.

9. What are your file name conventions: 1: Name of song I listened to on loop while drawing. 2: An inside joke. 3: Literal rep of what's on the canvas like 'Hema doodles Aug 2023'.

10. Favorite piece of clothing to draw: Body suits, capes, scarves

11. Do you listen to anything while drawing? If so, what: TONS. My fave lyrical music, videogame soundtracks, sometimes just ambiance if I'm overwhelmed. Usually tho it's the same song on loop till I get the inspired piece out of my system.

12. Easiest part of body to draw: Eyes!

13. A creator who you admire but whose work isn't your thing: A lot of NSFW artists who I won't list here LMAO. I don't go to that school, but their art skills are top-notch.

14. Any favorite motifs: Mirrors, doppelgangers, leaving 1 eye absent for emotional effect, feathers/wings, falling, sinking into water, eyes, dark palettes with bright accents/light sources, glowing eyes, flowing hair, size difference/scale, fucked up version of self vs real version

15. *Where* do you draw (don't drop your ip address this just means do you doodle at a park or smth): Starbucks, home, parks if I'm feelin spicy, anywhere I take my tablet for the day.

16. Something you are good at but don't really have fun doing: A lot of my niche/kink stuff tends to get pretty dredge-y for me. I may be good at it, but it's not where my passion lies. That's in animation, fantasy, dramatic stuff, storytelling, etc.

17. Do you eat/drink when drawing? if so, what: Water or Snapple for the drink, milk if it's bedtime so I can settle down, and then usually the snacks are just whatever my lunch is for the day since we don't have a table.

18. An estimate of how much art supplies you've broken: Not many! Less than $100 I'd say. I'm very careful with my supplies, and I don't believe I've ever broken a tablet. The worst I've done was I busted 1 or 2 cheap tablet pens with stupidity.

19. Favorite inanimate objects to draw (food, nature, etc.): Definitely nature. Tree trunks and swirls therein, flowers, grass.

20. Something everyone else finds hard to draw but you enjoy: Humans! Not that it's an 'everyone' thing, I just run in some furry circles where human artists are a rarity. Eyes, too. Some people find expressions rly hard.

21. Art styles nothing like your own but you like anyways: Uhhh man damn, I don't follow a lot of art styles that aren't something I took inspo from? But I guess Wolf Walkers is my biggest one.

22. What physical exercises do you do before drawing, if any: Sooometimes I stretch, but I don't do it nearly often enough.

23. Do you use different layer modes: Yep! My most common ones are Multiply, Glow Dodge, Add, Add Glow, Overlay, Pin Light, and Color.

24. Do your references include stock images: Absolutely! Reference is important.

25. Something your art has been compared to that you were NOT inspired by: Not much! Most of my inspirations are pretty clear-cut and strong. Avatar, SU, Disney, Dreamworks, FMA, some Warner Brothers' movies, etc.

26. What's a piece that got a wildly different interpretation from what you intended: God, so, the G/T gif of mine that makes the rounds a lot? The one where VT finds someone small and it's their POV and he helps them and puts them in his shirt pocket??? Most people were completely normal about that post. But then there's one chuckle-head who was calling it pocket-vore, and I wanted to scream. I even chastised them like 'hey uh, no. That's not what this is.' and they argued back with 'well it's up to the eye of the beholder more than your opinion.' and I was like 'UH NO. I MADE THIS. MY OPINION IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOUR WEIRD ONE???' I've also RAAARELY had people call my characters underaged when they're all well over 21, so those are always gross/wild LMAO.

27. Do you warm up before getting to the good stuff? If so, what is it you draw to warm up with: Sometimes! I usually do an anatomy study, brush stroke warm-ups, or just doodle something personal first.

28. Any art events you have participated in the past (like zines): I think Multi Animator Projects [MAPS] would count here! I was part of Starclan's Chosen, Change Your Mind [Brambleclaw], Levitating, Family of Me [fallenleaves], Goosebumps Warriors MAP, Pay No Mind MEP, LA Devotee [never finished], White Rabbit, and Fear Garden! Among others :>

29. Media you love, but doesn't inspire you artistically: Not much! Pretty much everything I love inspires me artistically. I guess some anime styles?

30. What piece of yours do you think is underrated: Pretty much any of my animations. But I only feel that way cuz they take THE MOST dedication and work time. Also kiiiinda my writing? But a lot of people have trouble getting people to respond to literature, so.

[just-a-creep-babe]

may i ask for yandere jeff, toby, and masky when their darling tries to escape, but claims it was only because she wanted more attention from them? you can include nsfw too if you’d like <3

Requests are closed but commissions are open!

Masterlist: x

Jeff the Killer

SFW

He’d be pissed

But honestly, anger’s practically the only emotion he expresses, so it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Even if you say you did it for attention, it‘s not going to sit well with him

And after his initial outburst, he’ll prolly lock you up in the basement to make sure you don’t try anything like that again

He might also deprive you of food as a punishment—in addition to all the possessive cuts & bruises he’ll burn into your skin

Homeboy just wants make sure that if—somehow—you ever do manage to leave, you’ll always bear his marks as a reminder that you can never truly escape~

He’s also gonna be sO 👏 much 👏 mOre 👏 paranoid around you, which also means he’ll be wAy more intense than he already was

BUT, on the plus? side, you will be getting more attention

Because, deep down, he knows he’s not the best at taking care of other ppl, especially not when that person is entirely dependent on him

And whose fault is that, Jeffery? Smh

And, hell, if all it takes to keep you happy & complacent is a bit more attention, then he’s all for it

So after the many,, behavioral corrections, he’ll try to stick by your side more often than not

Which, honestly, only results in him damaging you physically & mentally more than he already had 😅👉👈

If you’re going to try to escape, you need to do it properly

The consequences for failing are pretty intense; it’s definitely not something you should do for attention

NSFW

Right, so, I’ve already briefly gone over some of the consequences he’ll dish out when you fail to escape

But especially after you say it’s because you wanted more attention?

Those initial punishments will turn into something extra spicy in the bedroom real quick 😳😳

Even if you tell him you just wanted more cuddles or non-sexual affection, he won’t take the chance

He’ll cover all his bases 👀

So he will absolutely be rougher & more physically demanding of your limits

Partly because he thinks it’s what you want, and partly because he’s frustrated you’d ever try to leave him

The first time he fucks you after pulling your little stunt leaves you sore for days

You bet he brings in a whole lot of knives, ropes & other various “toys” to help discipline you

He will want you scared, bloody & shaking beneath him while you repeat fruitless apologies between desperate moans and whimpers

If you beg for him & say his name a lot & thank him for fucking you senseless, he might end up going slightly easier on you

Just because he’ll feel softer thinking you didn’t actually intend on betraying him

But, yeah, overall? Trying to escape makes him hella more rough, demanding & possessive

Expect a lot more scars from him in the bedroom 👀

Masky

SFW

Poor baby is hurt

He‘s done nothing but try his best for you, and this is how you thank him? By trying to escape?

He will flat-out refuse to let you see how hurt he is tho

And instead, his sorrow will immediately manifest into rage

You might be able to quell his anger by telling him you wanted more attention, but similar to Jeff, the excuse won’t spare you from his initial outburst

Like, it already would’ve taken a lot of time & effort to get him to let his guard down in front of you

So if you’re trying to get on his good side, you very well may have tripled the amount of work it would’ve originally taken :/

In the heat of the moment, its likely that he’ll take your punishment a tad too far

He’s just so furious that he can’t control his temper—and the guy wants to make your betrayal hurt

After he’s left your body broken & battered, he’ll leave for a few days to cool off

And, honestly? If you can still manage to walk, you can probably escape him for real by this point

But if you’re too broken, or if you’ve developed a dependency towards him and you decide to stay, he’ll feel super guilty once he comes back & sees that you haven’t left

He might hide how guilty he feels, or he might use it to his advantage, depending on the kind of relationship you have

Like, he might pin the blame on you, saying that it’s not his fault he‘s busy & has to deal with work all the time—he can’t sacrifice everything for your happiness

Or he might otherwise throw a pity party, saying that he’s a monster & that he’s irredeemable until you have no choice but to comfort him

On the other hand, if he knows he can’t play up on your sentiments, he’ll act really cold & indifferent towards you

Either way, he’s a manipulative emotional bomb

Likely considers killing you because he‘s just a wreck & doesn’t know how to deal with you

Dealing with this manses is not easy—the whole thing is definitely not worth it

NSFW

So, unlike Jeff, he probably won’t immediately take the punishment to the bedroom

Depending on what kind of relationship you have—whether or not he knows he can manipulate you/be more vulnerable around you—things can go either way

He might be rougher & meaner with you during sex

Like, you can expect a lot of marks; handprints, scratches, bruises, cigarette burns & more

But then there’s a chance he’ll actually be... softer & kinder?

Especially if you mention that you tried to escape because you wanted more attention—he’s gonna try to take better care of you & your needs in the bedroom

It’ll be to the point where he’ll almost be... making love to you?

No matter what, he will want you to be submissive & compliant

Wants you to prove that you know you’re his, that you’d never actually dare to leave him

If you reciprocate the affection, he might not hold a grudge

And tbh, his outbursts happen fairly often, so he’s likely to forget about this one when another one happens instead 😬

Hoodie

SFW

This manses? Truly a master manipulator *chef’s kiss*

He’ll be able to tell almost immediately if you’re lying about wanting more attention

And he'll 100% use whatever excuse you came up with against you

Like aw, poor baby wanted his attention? No worries, he’ll be extra sure to always stick by your side from this point on

And when he’s away because of work? He’ll set up cameras all over the cabin so he can keep an eye on you & text you if he notices you getting lonely :)

So, hey, if you’re being honest, he’ll give you what you want

But if you’re lying, it’ll definitely backfire on you

Unlike most, he’s not going to be upset when he catches you

If anything, he might be amused

Boy thrives on the cat-and-mouse games between the two of you, so trying to escape just adds fuel to his obsession over you

His punishment will really just have him tangling you up even further into his twisted little web

He’ll also boost surveillance & safety measures so that you can’t run away again—or at least, not w/o some added difficulty ;)

But he’s not gonna hurt you physically, which is almost somehow more concerning?

Because he will play more mind games with you

I hope you like being his lil toy, because that’s all you are to him as his darling :)

NSFW

So, quick correction—for the most part, he won’t hurt you physically

In the bedroom, it’s a slightly different story

Deep down, he’s still kinda upset that you tried to leave him, and that’s gonna come through when he’s fucking you

Boy’s got a HUGE dacryphilia kink, and he will wanna make you cry

Might call you names & say the nastiest shit to you until you’re overwhelmed & crying

Or he might deny/overstimulate you until you can’t help but let it all out for him in ugly, messy sobs

Just loves watching those tears stream down your face—nothing gets him harder :)

He’ll also wanna humiliate you in some way or another—and will probably film it for later use as well

Honestly, he might seem unassuming, but he can be super cruel during sex

He’ll fuck you until you’re either broken or until he knows you won’t try something like that again

Part of the reason why he likes the cat-and-mouse games is because it gives him the most perfect reasons to fuck you in a punishing way

He won’t even try to hide how much he’s enjoying your torture

Will proudly grin down at your pathetic shaking & crying mess of a body

“This what you wanted, right baby? More attention? Don’t worry, we’ve got all night together~”

Ticci Toby

SFW

Gets vEry emotional

Definitely the most emotional out of all the others

His tics will be going wild when he catches you—and he’ll be so upset he won’t even speak

So you’ll be faced with an unnaturally quiet Toby that’s twitching and looking extremely unhappy

Which, needless to say, is absolutely terrifying

But once he’s gotten you to a safe location where you can’t run away again, he’ll explode

Maybe with anger, but probably more so with sorrow

He’ll look to you for comfort & do a damn good job of guilting you

Will almost feel better when you say it was for attention, but then he’ll just get upset all over again

How could his little Angel betray his trust like that when all you had to do was ask him nicely? :(

Won’t really punish you, but dealing with his messy emotions will be punishment enough

AND the added security measures will definitely be more of a hassle :/

If he reacts with sorrow, he’ll probably be the most lenient out of the others ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

But if his anger comes out first, he’ll end up getting almost just as brutal as Masky—he’ll wanna see you scared and hurt

It’s not pretty, either way :/

NSFW

So Toby tends to be pretty sweet with his lil Angel

Unless he’s having a breakdown, in which case, things gets... messy

BUt, like Masky, the next love-making session can go two ways; it might be extra sweet and loving, or it might get a bit more... dangerous

Except, unlike Masky, it’s nearly impossible to tell which one it’ll be

And he might switch the mood up on a dime—his emotions make him super unpredictable

He might pepper you with soft, ginger kisses & quiet promises that he’ll do better

Or he’ll use his ax to toy with you while he’s straddling you, looking abnormally calm and cold and collected

OR he’ll be super upset & emotional, fucking you roughly until you’re begging & crying that you’ll never hurt him again

The rough fuck-session will end up being pretty therapeutic for him tbh :)

He’s also bound to forget about it sooner rather than later because he, once again, like Masky, is kind of an emotional bomb

These things happen a lot, where he wrestles with his emotions, so his meltdowns kinda ultimately blend together

Might bring it up in the future to keep guilt-tripping you about it tho :)

[panicattheattic]

Falling Asleep on Them Headcanons

Lucifer

So you were in trouble right?

Yup, you aren't even sure what you did this time.

But here you were.

In Lucifer's room.

Getting a talking-to that's been going on for like 3 hours now.

At this point you were sitting beside Lucifer on his bed.

Kinda looking towards him, but not really paying attention.

But he just kept going on and on.

Eventually you started to get really sleepy.

Ah that's right, you were in trouble for staying out so late...

You tried to fight the drowsiness fearing you'd just get in trouble again.

That didn't work so well.

Soon you were slumped over, fast asleep.

Lucifer felt your weight on him and he knew immediately you had fallen asleep.

That may or may not have been part of his plan.

To be fair, he originally was just going to give you one of his extensive speeches about following the rules.

But once he saw you were barely staying awake, he decided to take advantage of it.

Can you blame him?

You look so adorable when you sleep.

Just don't be alarmed when you wake up tomorrow in Lucifer's bed all snuggled up in his sheets.

Mammon

He was over at your room.

Again.

You were watching a compilation of the best Lord of Fools moments from the TSL anime.

Mammon was crying, but that's besides the point.

You held on to his arm in order to comfort him.

"I-I'm fine, ya dummy! Ya think the great Mammon needs someone to hold him??"

You managed to convince him it was for you instead of him, so he let it slide.

Not that that was something difficult for him to do.

The warmth that radiated off of him was calming, so calming infact, that you couldn't help snuggling into his side even more and drifting off to sleep.

At first when he noticed, Mammon nearly freaked out.

"W-Wha' do ya think your doin'?!"

But upon confirming that you really were asleep.

And since no one else was around.

He let his true feelings show.

He gently moved your hair from your face as he gazed upon you lovingly.

The position might have not been comfortable for either of you, but he didn't dare move for fear of waking you.

He didn't want the moment to end.

Leviathan

You were watching an anime from the human world.

The original Dragon Ball.

You wanted to show it to Levi because you thought he'd enjoy it's quirky humor.

But you didn't have the same magical energy that "Master Otaku Leviathan" had.

You really couldn't stay up all night as much as you tried.

It was well after midnight when your head fell on his shoulder.

You fell asleep without meaning to.

To say that Levi nearly died would be an understatement.

What was happening?

What were you doing?

This sorta thing only happens in animes!

And not to guys like him!

Right?

Yeah, if you woke up you'd probably be upset at him for allowing this...

B-but maybe not?

Levi was happy, scared, excited and mortified all at the same time.

He tensed up so bad that he was in more muscle pain than you when you woke up.

Satan

So this was a pretty usual occurrence actually.

Whenever you would read together, all cuddled up, it often ended with you falling asleep with your head on his chest.

Depending on the book (like if he knew you actually liked it) he'd stop reading and set the book aside.

He'd hold you and stare at you, mesmerized by the soothing rise and fall of your chest.

He'd stay wherever you were until you woke up, sometimes falling asleep himself.

But if couldn't sleep, he'd stroke your hair and enjoy the simplicity of your breathing.

Asmodeus

You were sharing a bath in Asmo's super cushy bathroom.

You were wearing bathing suits, something Asmo half-heartedly pouted about.

He was going off about style and devilgram drama.

As much as you wanted to listen to him.

Because he was undeniably cute when he was honestly passionate about something.

You were starting to feel incredibly sleepy.

Probably because Asmo had kept you up the entire night before.

Just doing each other's make up and gossiping. (Get out of that gutter, please.)

You were kinda worried you'd drown if you fell asleep in here, but you knew Asmo would keep you safe.

So you eventually gave in to sleep.

Asmo noticed when you sank a bit lower in the water.

"MC? Are you-- Ooh~ How adorable!!"

He tried to keep his squeals of delight as quiet as possible.

He failed.

Thankfully you were well an truly down for the count at this point.

He wanted to let you sleep so he could just watch your cute sleeping face.

But he didn't want your skin to get pruny and dry so he did his best to carry you back to his room without waking you.

You did wake up, but just slightly.

All he could make out from your slurred, half-awake talking was his name.

He could have died from the cuteness then and there.

Though, not gonna lie, he was really curious about whatever you could be dreaming about.

Pushing that thought aside (for now) he set you down on a towel which he had placed on his bed and, after getting dry, laid down beside you.

He couldn't help but stroke your face as he too drifted off to sleep with a smile.

Beelzebub

Okay, so you know how after you eat a lot you get really sleepy?

Well there was a big meal today, since Simeon showed up offering to cook Celestial realm food, and you jumped on the chance to stack your plate with heavenly goodies.

Through the meal, you were very aware of Beel eyeing your plate as he ate across from you.

You knew what he was thinking.

There was no way you could finish all that food.

And usually he would have been right.

You felt just about ready to burst.

But it wasn't every day you got to eat Simeon's cooking and, damnit, you were going to enjoy it!

It also didn't help that the way Beel kept hungrily eyeing your food made you all the more possessive over it.

It was your food!

And you were gonna eat it!

And that was a mistake.

You ate way too much and after your stomach ache went down all that was left was sleepiness.

And so that led to Beel checking up on you while you laid on your bed in receding pain.

He was reasonably worried after watching you eat much more food than you should physically be able to handle.

When he asked you how you felt you only responded with a groan and beckoned him over.

When he sat down on your bed, you placed your head in his lap.

Beel felt warmer than after eating a super spicy double cheeseburger from Hell's Kitchen.

So he happily let you sleep as he rubbed your back, hoping to help you feel better.

Belphegor

You honestly have no clue how you ended up falling asleep quicker than Belphie.

Well, you were pretty tired already from studying so much.

And your tutor did keep insisting on being a bad influence.

And when the person who's supposed to be helping you learn is purposely trying to lull you to sleep, going so far as to put his favorite cow patterned pillow under your head...

It's kinda hard to stay awake.

Belphie was really upfront about having no interest in studying, preferring to just cuddle and nap.

But when you persisted he "agreed" to help you study.

He knew sleep better than anyone, so putting you to sleep would be easy.

By the time you did fall asleep however, he hadn't expected to find your head on his arm rather than on his pillow.

Not that he was complaining.

He was definitely not complaining.

But now that he had you, he wasn't planning on letting go until he was no longer sleepy.

So if you don't like cuddling, you might want to get used to it.

~Aqua

[robininthelabyrinth]

Prompt~ hoping you'll like it ♥️

Things between the Nie brothers are not always nice and happy, they fight, just like any other pair of brothers, and sometimes things are said, sometimes these things are heavy and painful. Sometimes they're said in the wrong moment (maybe at the eve of a battle? Sunshot campaign?) and huaisang doesn't know what to do with the broken look his brother gives him before leaving the unclean realm. Because what if he doesn't return? What if the last thing he said to him was how much he hated the man he became?

Labyrinth - ao3

“But I didn’t mean to wish him away!” Nie Huaisang cried out.

“That’s really too bad,” the goblin king said, looking pleasant and humble and charming the way he always did, even in his cape of glittering gold and high-browed hat. “I wish there was something I could do for you, but the rules are the rules. You wished him away, and I took him.”

“Aren’t you supposed to only take babies?” Nie Huaisang demanded.

“Your brother’s enough of a crybaby to count, it’s close enough.”

“It is not!” Nie Huaisang wrung his hands. “You don’t understand, the last thing I said to him was that I hated him! Meng Yao, please!”

“It’s Jin Guangyao,” the goblin king corrected. His smile looked a bit strained. “Listen, do you think I’m happy about this? He’s my sworn brother! I’m only doing what I have to –”

“Oh, save it for Lan Xichen,” Nie Huaisang growled. “Show me the labyrinth already.”

“You’re going to face the labyrinth,” the goblin king said. His voice was very polite, and yet still expressed significant doubt. “You.”

“Yeah, me!”

“You remember that it goes ‘through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered’, right? Not ‘through a nice teacher and a forgiving grading system’?”

“Yeah, well, your father is a fragging aardvark. Let me at the labyrinth already!”

-

“You know what,” Nie Huaisang said thoughtfully. “Thanks, but no thanks.”

The life-sized animated puppet blinked at him. “You – don’t want my help?”

“Nope. I’m good.”

“You haven’t even gotten into the labyrinth yet!”

“It wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t have a chance to get in,” Nie Huaisang said, patting around his sleeve and pulling out a fan. “So I’m just going to walk over and beat at the wall till something happens.”

The puppet followed him, staring blankly. Quite a change from his original apologetic ‘I’m sorry, I’m busy with my own things, I really can’t help you, also it’s too dangerous and you shouldn’t go’ response.

“You were blackmailing me to help you just a moment ago,” the puppet said after a little. “Don’t you need a guide?”

“Listen, I’m bad at memorizing things and I’m a little useless, but I’m not actually dumb,” Nie Huaisang said, fanning himself. “Jin Guangyao is a demon of the mind above all else, and the labyrinth is supposed to be ‘fair’ – which means, more than likely, that the labyrinth is a reflection of the subconscious, specially tailored to each person’s strengths and weaknesses. And that means that you, who sound exactly like Lan Xichen, are almost certainly a set-up sent by Jin Guangyao to ‘reluctantly’ aid me and then betray me.”

“Uh,” Lan Xichen-the-puppet said. “My name’s Hoggle, actually.”

“Whatever makes you feel better, er-ge…A-ha!” Nie Huaisang beamed at the gates that automatically opened. “Perfect!”

-

“Oh, don’t go that way,” the worm said. “Never go that way. And are you sure you don’t want to come in for a cup of tea?”

“No time,” Nie Huaisang said. “Thanks a lot – wait.”

The worm blinked at him.

“You’re a pretty attractive worm, in a slimy sort of way,” Nie Huaisang said, frowning at him.

The worm blinked again. “Why, thanks!”

“No, that’s not what I meant. Is your name Su She, by chance?”

“Definitely not!”

“Mm. Oddly vehement of you. Never mind. Just, quick, could you tell me exactly why do I not want to go that way?”

-

“I don’t suppose straight ahead is an option?”

The hands-faces stared at him.

“I’m just saying, I feel like most of my problems so far have come from the fact that I decided to accept the whole concept of turns. It seems like a mistake.”

“…it’s a labyrinth,” another set of the hands said. “You have to make turns!”

Nie Huaisang shook his head mournfully. “I should’ve brought Baxia or something and just – ZIP. Gone straight through. You know what I mean?”

“I’m dropping you in the oubliette regardless of your decision,” the first set of the hands said. It sounded a bit like Sect Leader Yao. “Just so you know.”

“My life is so hard,” Nie Huaisang sighed. “So hard! Do you know what it’s like to be overlooked by everyone? Do you know how hard I have to work at being this useless?”

“Drop him,” the set of hands that sounded like Sect Leader Ouyang said, and the set of hands that sounded like Sect Leader Yao said, “Yes. Now!”

Down Nie Huaisang went.

-

“I can take you back to the beginning of the labyrinth,” Lan Xichen offered.

“What, and waste all that time? I have a time limit, er-ge!”

“It’s better than being stuck in an oubliette. That’s where they put people to forget about them, you know.”

Nie Huaisang’s eyes filled with tears. “You want to forget me, er-ge? You think I’m useless, don’t you? A good-for-nothing, who’ll never amount to anything –”

“Please don’t cry.”

“ER-GE! WHY DON’T YOU LOVE ME!”

“Please stop crying!”

-

“So what’s the point of you?” Nie Huaisang asked the Wise Man with the Talking Hat.

“Not everyone exists to contribute to your storyline,” the Talking Hat snapped at him. “Some of us’ve got our own problems. Now hand over the candy!”

“Don’t be mean,” the Wise Man said. He had a white cloth over his eyes, and was smiling like he found the hat funny.

“Awww, but daozhang…!”

“Different plotline entirely, I guess,” Nie Huaisang decided. “Probably just here as a foil. Shall we keep going, er-ge?”

“I can’t believe you scammed me to get out of the oubliette,” Lan Xichen mumbled. “I can’t believe…”

-

“Oh, leave him alone, he’s just sensitive!” Nie Huaisang snapped.

“Am not!” the upside-down creature snarled, curled up on itself and trying to hide from all those that had been hitting him. Its fur was a vivid sort of purple. “Go away!”

“Don’t you have some sort of special power to help you here,” Nie Huaisang asked him as he tried to get him down before the goblins came back with weapons. “Rocks, maybe?”

“…lightning?”

“Well then get to it, will you?” Nie Huaisang frowned. “Wait. Lightning, constantly being tormented, terrible at communication, and purple? You’re Jiang Cheng, aren’t you?”

“…maybe.”

“Well then get down faster! I need to copy someone’s notes here!”

-

“Leave me aloooooooone!” Nie Huaisang howled, running away from the measuring snake.

-

“Wow,” Lan Xichen said, holding his cheek. “You kissed me.”

“You saved me from the snakes,” Nie Huaisang said. “Can we focus on how we’re in this awful stinking bog?”

“It’s not that bad!” a voice piped up. “I don’t smell anything!”

Nie Huaisang turned to stare, then pinched the bridge of his nose. “Of course you don’t,” he said. “I bet the total absence of a sense of smell helps when you eat spicy food, Wei-xiong.”

“There’s nothing wrong with spicy food!”

“You’re short,” Nie Huaisang informed the small goblin-like creature with the big grin and the red ribbon in its hair. It looked vaguely fox-like, or possibly like certain large breeds of rabbit.

“Why you..!” Wei Wuxian crossed his furry little paws over his chest. “Just for that, I’m not going to help you.”

“Uh-huh,” Nie Huaisang said. “Really. That’s awful…oh no! A dog!”

Wei Wuxian jumped high into the air. “A dog?! Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan! Save me!”

Much to Nie Huaisang’s surprise, a furry dog immediately darted out of nowhere – only Wei Wuxian didn’t seem afraid of it, but rather hid behind it, teeth chattering.

Truly, Nie Huaisang reflected, the eyes of love are blind.

“I think the ‘dog’ is gone now,” he said. “Your brave and noble Lan Wangji must’ve scared him away.”

Wei Wuxian’s head popped out from behind dog-Wangji. “Well, Lan Zhan is really cool…hey. Are you trying to manipulate me?”

“Is it working?”

“No!”

“So you won’t help me?”

“No!”

“Not even if it means you get to figure out a really tricky puzzle?”

“No – wait. A puzzle?”

“I can’t believe this is going to work,” Lan Xichen muttered from behind Nie Huaisang. “I mean, I can. But also…Wangji…I love you, but you could do so much better than this.”

-

“Ugh,” Nie Huaisang said. “I’m so thirsty.”

“Have some Emperor’s Smile,” Lan Xichen said, offering a jar.

“Amazing,” Nie Huaisang said, accepting it and taking a swing. “I had my doubts, you know, but you’re actually good for something after all, er-ge –”

-

The golden bird was Nie Huaisang’s favorite.

He’d worked so hard to bring it back to his aviary – it couldn’t be forced, he knew; it would play along at first but in the end it would turn on you and bite you. It had to be coaxed with gentleness and kindness, approached indirectly so as not to spook it, convince it that you really did mean well – that you were harmless, that it had no reason to fear you. It was arrogant, too, proud of its shining feathers and ashamed of the brown plumage of its chick days, which still remained visible on its tender underbelly. Ironically, that was Nie Huaisang’s favorite part of it, the soft and gentle part; it might not be as pretty as the gold, but it felt more genuine.

Nie Huaisang smiled as he brushed the beautiful feathers, and the golden bird allowed him. He felt cherished, treasured. So what if he had to hide all the sharp parts of himself to get this close?

It was fine. He didn’t like to be sharp.

He wanted to be soft. Soft and gentle, careless and free, relaxed and without effort, good for nothing –

Wait.

No!

-

“It’s all junk,” Nie Huaisang hissed at the pile of burning fans, tears in his eyes. “I want my da-ge!”

-

“You’re all right!” Wei Wuxian exclaimed, helping pulled Nie Huaisang up.

“Huaisang-xiong,” Jiang Cheng said, looking relieved. “You’re back.”

“We have to go to the temple beyond the Goblin City,” Nie Huaisang said, teeth gritted together. “We have to. I won’t let that bastard…we’re going to go there and throw all his damned tricks right in his face!”

“Just us?” Wei Wuxian asked. “I mean, I’m awesome, Lan Zhan is fantastic, and of course Jiang Cheng is great, too, but…uh…there’s a lot of goblins in the city.”

“We’ll sneak in,” Nie Huaisang said. “He thinks he’s sidelined me entirely – he thinks I’m useless. He won’t be expecting me to get this far.”

“I can get help,” Jiang Cheng said. “I have friends.”

“…not to be rude, Jiang-xiong,” Nie Huaisang said. “But – really?”

-

“You know what,” Nie Huaisang said, eyeing the pile of rocks following Jiang Cheng around, each one painted with a name. One of the names was yellow. Two were in white, with forehead ribbons. “This is fine. I feel like it says something really rude about my empathy for and interest in our junior generation, or lack thereof, but you know what? I don’t care. It’s fine.”

-

“You saved me,” Nie Huaisang said blankly, looking at Lan Xichen, who shrugged, abashed. The remains of the mechanical temple guard were scattered all over. “Over – him?”

“Huaisang –”

“No,” Nie Huaisang said, holding up his hands. “Don’t. Don’t…I don’t want to hear you talk.”

Lan Xichen’s head dropped down and he looked at the ground. “You knew from the beginning what I was like,” he murmured. “I never tried to hide it –”

“I forgive you for being what you are,” Nie Huaisang told him, and Lan Xichen looked up at him, startled and pleased. “I forgive you for not having the backbone to stand up against Jin Guangyao for me – or for da-ge. For being willfully blind for so long, for needing someone else’s proof of his ill-intentions, for always picking him first, for never trusting me…I forgive you, even if you’d never forgive me for the same.”

He dashed away the angry tears in his eyes.

“I just wish this wasn’t a fucking metaphor.”

-

Nie Huaisang left the fighting to the people who knew what to do – Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji, Jiang Cheng, even the rock-juniors – and went to the temple at the center of the city alone.

Some things, he knew, needed to be done alone, even if it was the type of alone when you were surrounded by other people. Even when those other people stood by his side and made him promise that if he needed them, he would only need to call. Some things…

“I want my da-ge back,” he said to the maze of stairs.

“Then go and find him,” Jin Guangyao replied, looking smug, and Nie Huaisang had to go up and down all those fucking stairs, because Jin Guangyao was nothing if not predictable with his trauma, looking all over, looking for –

Looking for pieces.

“It’s just a metaphor,” he whispered to himself, ignoring how tears were streaming down his face. “It’s just – I need to put him back together, it’s fine. I’m not too late – I’m not too late –”

-

Jin Guangyao held Nie Mingjue’s head in his hands, blinded and gagged and bound with talismans, pulled out of whatever oubliette he'd shoved it into to forget about what he'd done. “Beware, Huaisang,” he said, still smiling. Always smiling. “I’ve been generous up until now, but I can be cruel.”

Nie Huaisang laughed, scoffing. “Generous? What have you done for me that’s generous?”

“Everything! Everything you’ve wanted, I’ve done – I cared for you, I gave you attention, I got you out of work, doing your schoolwork for you and coming up with excuses to get you out of saber training. I gave you presents, fans and pretty clothing, and when that brute of a brother of yours tried to take them from you, I rescued you. And then I even managed your sect for you, answered all of your questions, any time you had – Huaisang, I’m exhausted trying to live up to your expectations of me. Isn’t that generous?”

Nie Huaisang bared his teeth. “Half of those are burdens that only fell on me because of you. Why should it matter to me that cleaning up your own mess and satisfying your own guilt is hard? Why should I pay such a price when all I wanted was to be your friend? When all da-ge wanted was to be your friend? How dare you, Meng Yao!”

“Huaisang…” Jin Guangyao shook his head mournfully. “Huaisang, the last step here is to say the words to break the spell. But you were never good at memorization, were you?”

Nie Huaisang bit his lip until he drew blood.

“Through dangers untold, and hardships unnumbered,” he said. “I have fought my way here to the temple beyond the goblin city –”

“Huaisang, stop! Look at what you’re risking here. You know how everyone loves me – do you think anyone will forgive you for taking me down, for tricking them all? You’ll be all alone!”

I already am, Nie Huaisang thought.

“My will is as strong as yours,” he said. “And my kingdom is as great…”

His voice trailed off.

“I ask for so little,” Jin Guangyao said beseechingly, convincingly, looking just like he always did, like the man who'd been their friend. “Just let me fool you, and you can have anything you want. No responsibilities, no stress, a life of your own. You can even have Lan Xichen, if that’s what you want…”

What’s the last line, Nie Huaisang thought, hating himself for being such a poor student, for cramming things into his mind without any order, for never being able to retain a single drop of it no matter how hard he tried. What is it? Why can’t I ever remember?

“It’d be so easy,” Jin Guangyao crooned. “Much easier than this. Just fear me, love me, believe me, and I’ll be your slave.”

Sharp teeth in a false smile.

Nie Huaisang shook in terror. He couldn’t – his da-ge needed him – he couldn’t be afraid, couldn’t be a coward, couldn’t be good-for-nothing – couldn’t let Jin Guangyao win – couldn’t let him –

That was it.

Nie Huaisang raised his head until his eyes met his enemy’s.

Sensing something wrong, Jin Guangyao’s eternal smile dimmed, and he began to step forward, reaching out, but it was too late.

“You have no power over me,” Nie Huaisang declared, and the world within a world collapsed.

-

Nie Huaisang opened his eyes.

-

Nie Huaisang sat in his desk in the Unclean Realm, trying to amuse himself by trying to figure out what exactly he’d eaten the night before that had given him such bizarre dreams. It was not successful, on account of him being alone.

Alone, just as he had been every night, and every day as well, since the success of his scheme at the Guanyin Temple.

Just as the dream-Jin Guangyao had threatened.

It wasn’t that Nie Huaisang regretted what he had done – the dream was clear enough about that; he’d do it all again in a heartbeat if he had to. But in the dream he’d been working alongside his former friends, with Lan Xichen betraying but then returning to him, with Wei Wuxian dragging Lan Wangji around, with stone-faced Jiang Cheng and the rather interchangeable junior squad behind him…and in his dream, in the end, they’d let him go to take his revenge, telling him that if he needed them for any reason, he could just call.

Just call, and they’d come back to him. Instead of turning from him in disgust, they’d stand by his side…

“Stupid subconscious,” Nie Huaisang mumbled to himself. “What do you expect? That I'd write to them and say ‘for no real reason at all, I find that I rather need you’?”

Silence answered him.

“Well, I do,” he said with a sigh, putting his chin on his hands. “Does that make you happy? I do need you.”

“You do?” Wei Wuxian’s voice rang out, and Nie Huaisang jumped nearly out of his skin. “Well, why didn’t you say so?”

Nie Huaisang turned, staring: it was Wei Wuxian at the door, the human version of him, and of course there was Lan Wangji right before him, and Jiang Cheng, and the (still mostly interchangeable) juniors, and – and even Lan Xichen, who Nie Huaisang was sure had gone into seclusion with no intent to leave.

“What are you doing here?” Nie Huaisang squeaked. And why hadn’t any of his sect disciples warned him?

“We just bullied our way though the door before anyone could stop us,” Wei Wuxian said cheerfully, answering the unspoken question first. “As for the rest – it turns out that I had the strangest dream the other night, really, truly bizarre, and obviously I had to tell Lan Zhan all about it, except it turned out he had a strange dream too.”

Nie Huaisang’s jaw dropped. “But –”

“I felt da-ge’s qi woven into the labyrinth,” Lan Xichen said quietly. “I thought it’d have long ago dissipated or been locked away, but – it was there, in every stone, in every turn. Every obstacle that didn’t really hurt you, every goblin that was more silly than scary…he was there. It was unmistakable.”

Nie Huaisang swallowed. The story of the labyrinth, baby-stealing wish-granting goblin king and all, had been one that Nie Mingjue had told him as a bedtime story, when he'd been a child in need of comfort; he hadn’t thought of it in years before last night. “But…why…?”

“Because Chifeng-zun has a demented sense of humor?” Jiang Cheng suggested, looking irritated.

“Jiujiu means that he hasn’t had that much fun in years, and also that you should throw a party,” Jin Ling said. “You are hosting all three of the sect leaders of all the other Great Sects. Also, why were we rocks?”

“Uh, no idea,” Nie Huaisang said. “Da-ge’s weird sense of humor, no doubt! Anyway, did you say party? I can do a party!”

He rushed out of the room, calling for his servants, calling for them to bring food and wine and tea, and as he did, he looked out of the window – a golden bird was flying away, looking hunted as if something was chasing it, and even as he watched, it crossed the borders of the Unclean Realm and suddenly dissolved into a fizzle of golden dust.

Nie Huaisang put his hand on the stone wall, and felt a familiar echo.

A very familiar echo.

“Oh,” he said, to his servants, feeling somehow simultaneously sheepish and filled with joy. “And while you’re at it, can you bring me my saber? I seem to have – misplaced it…”

[detectivehannibal]

Pretty as a Picture

__

Hannibal Lecter x Fem. Reader

Warnings: Implications of smut.

A/N: Why do I keep disappearing from this blog?? I’ve had this idea for FOREVER. Fun fact about me, I sometimes recycle my works from other blogs. So if you’re curious, this is from my Harry Potter blog @seriouslysnape and here’s the original work.

Word Count: 1,738

“It’s not much...just a little something for your birthday.”

__

On the surface, surprises don’t really seem to come to mind when you think about Hannibal Lecter. The esteemed psychiatrist always came off to you as an open book. He was usually willing to share all aspects of his life with you, which naturally left you believing that there weren’t any secrets lurking further within himself. 

Oh, how wrong you were.

Despite all the things that you didn’t know about Hannibal, you knew him well enough to know the sorts of things that he has a fancy for and the things he doesn’t. As high maintenance and temperamental as he is, he is shockingly easy to please. It’s a bit of an ironic statement, but still the truth nonetheless. 

You could gift Hannibal with something as simple as a pair of socks or with something as extravagant as a brand new luxury suit, and he’d always have the same genuine, appreciative reaction. If something came from you, he would surely love it with his whole heart. 

This gift, however, was on a whole new level.

The idea had honestly come to you at random when you were brainstorming birthday present possibilities. Even though he would never admit it, he was a bit bored of you buying him a new tie for every occasion. He had a tie for every color, pattern, and even he could ever dream of. You wanted to think outside of the box this time. You wanted to come up with something that he would never ever think of. 

On the flip side, you also wanted to be sure that it was something that he could have for a long time and something that would have some real meaning to him. You could always go down the culinary appliance route, but he already had absolutely everything he’d ever possibly want or need. You were in a bit of a rut, but that’s when you got a wonderful thought.

Hannibal didn’t own many personal pictures. Most of the photos in his house were custom made art pieces that were worth more than the price of your left leg alone. Hannibal never struck you as the kind of man to have plethoras of pictures of loved ones, but you still found it odd. It’d be a win-win in your eyes. You’d supply Hannibal with some photos to hold on to, and it’d be a thoughtful gift.

Then your plan took a sultry turn.

You had picked out a large photo album that would match the aesthetic of his house, and an album that would have plenty of pages to fill up. You kept it stashed away in your closet until you were ready to put pictures inside of it when another idea came to mind. 

What if you made a sexy photo album for him?

At first, you were a little sheepish at the idea. Boudoir style pictures showing off only the dirtiest of contents? It seemed like that might be too much and even a bit weird. The longer you thought about it, though, the more and more the idea sounded good. Maybe Hannibal wouldn’t necessarily jump at the gift, but at least he’d have something to jerk off to when you weren’t around.

You assembled as many outfits as you could, some coming from your personal collection and some were purchased as a specialty to the production of the photos. You’d need some help actually having the photos taken, which is why you recruited one of your closest friends.

You could’ve had them professionally done, but you weren’t sure how comfortable you were with a photographer and group of modeling experts studying over your naked body for an entire day. Your friend was stoked for the project and dedicated a whole afternoon while Hannibal was at work to help you out. 

You took probably about a hundred pictures, all with varying poses, outfits, and locations around the house. You even took a few more innocent photos of you just smiling or doing candid things. You figured that you needed some sweet to balance out the spicy. 

You decorated the pages to add some pop and flare, ultimately thrilled with the final product. Hannibal’s birthday was only a few days away, and you were itching to show him what you had made for him. 

“You’re fidgety tonight.” Hannibal spoke from where he was laid out underneath you on the living room sofa. 

It was true, you had been extremely jittery for the last hour and a half, trying to compose yourself. Hannibal had told you that he had wanted nothing more than to have a quiet evening in for his birthday, which you found as a blessing because he’d definitely want to stay around the house after seeing his gift.

“Sorry. Just excited.” You admitted, seeing this as the perfect opportunity.

He raised a brow, looking down at your frame that was practically trembling with explosive animation. 

“I feel as if I don’t need to inform you that my birthday comes around every year,” He joked; “What’s gotten you so elated?”

You smiled up at him with a brightness that was almost blinding. You scrambled off of the sofa at your cue.

“Wait right here. I’ll be back.” You announced as you dashed up the stairs.

Hannibal chuckled to himself, already guessing as to what you were plotting. You returned shortly after with the picture book in hand, complete with a bow on top. You sat with your legs crossed in front of him, eagerly handing it to him.

“It’s not much...just a little something for your birthday.” You explained.

Hannibal sat up from where he was settled into the cushions, eyeing over the cover carefully. It was a beautifully crafted book, the dark leather was absolutely gorgeous. He pushed the bow off of the sides, opening to the very first page to see a sweet note you had written him, signed with your signature and all. He turned to the first page to actually contain photos on it, and a smile of pure joy spread on his face.

You had put all of the non-sexual pictures in the first two pages to disguise the actual reason for the book. You were smiling happily in each of the first several photos, wearing different casual outfits and in different places. 

“Darling, these are wonderful,” He complimented; “They’re stunning, they-”

His heartbeat quickened when he made it to the third page, and he noticed they had taken on a new theme. The scandalous photos were enough to knock him speechless. For the first time ever, you saw Hannibal’s cheeks break out into a deep blush. His fingertips trailed over one in particular where you were wearing one of his white work shirts with all the buttons undone. The only thing you were wearing underneath was one of his ties settled between your breasts. 

In other photos, you were wearing different sets of lingerie. There was one lacy, red colored set that almost made him faint right then and there.

He was knocked speechless, unable to string together a single sentence. You were beginning to feel a little self conscious, and you went back to your original worry that this was a bad idea. You had honestly expected him to completely attack you with feverish kisses or fuck you right then and there. The fact that he was completely silent was unsettling, because Hannibal Lecter always had something to say. 

Your voice was thick with uncertainty as you spoke to break the silence.

“Hannibal, do you...like them?” You wondered aloud.

His eyes never steered clear from the book in his hands and the photos presented in front of him. He turned to the next page, a rush of arousal flushing over him at one in particular where you were completely naked, stretched out on the massive kitchen counter and giving a look so seductive that it made his belly flutter. The sight of you naked in his culinary world where he spent so much time was a sight to behold.

“[Y/N], I love them. These photographs...they’re beautiful, well produced, and so, so sexy.” He breathed out.

You exhaled a breath of relief, feeling a sense of anticipation as he continued to rake over them. He turned to a new set of pictures, his hot blush growing even deeper onto his cheeks. He couldn’t look away from the scandalous photos, each one becoming dirtier than the last. He was riled up and he was already looking forward to having this book at his disposal.

His lips parted slightly ajar as he loomed over them. Your waiting was patient as he finished looking through them, his pupils dilating more and more by the minute. He closed the book once he was finished, his eyes finally flickering up to you. He had grown a very prevalent erection, and his eyes were filled with an intense amount of lust. Your suspicions had been correct after all. 

He was going to rock your world.

Hannibal usually didn’t try to make the first move. He always wanted you to initiate sex first. He believed that sex was a passionate, romantic connection that shouldn’t always be fueled by burning want and desire from outside resources. Based on the way he was looking at you though, you could tell that he wanted you BADLY. 

He nonchalantly rolled his hips forward to create some kind of friction. The sneaky grin on your face was almost maddening. The way that your body leaned in and your lips brushed over his just ever so was intoxicating. Your lips traveled to his ear as you purposefully let out a wanton moan to tantalize him. 

“Touch me, Hanni. I know you want to.” You coaxed.

That was all he needed. 

Hannibal lunged forward, smothering your body with his and suffocating you with hot kisses. He kept your hands pinned above your head, leaving open mouthed kisses on your neck as he intentionally drew the most wonderful sounds out of you. 

“What are the chances of you wearing one of those outfits under this sweater?” He said in a steamy voice.

You squirmed against his hands, but to no avail. When Hannibal didn’t want you to go anywhere, then you wouldn’t. You bit down on your lip in a seductive way, breathing out your response to send him into full on love making mode.

“Why don’t you find out?”

[mahou-furbies]

Here’s the results from the open comment field for “Favourite magical girl” from the magical girl survey from a few days back. I originally intended them to be a place where you could express your complaints if your desired option wasn’t available, but sure we can go with listing your favourite and least favourite characters too! For individual mentions, Homura was mentioned the most.

Longer comments and comments that aren’t character specific:

I’m more for the magical warrior class using the power of friendship, hope and love(all kinds) to save the day/save the world

In a combat-based magical girl show, I’d love to see an active rather than a reactive magical girl. Example, one who tries to figure out where the enemy will strike next, rather than stumbling upon it; or one who tries to figure out where the bosses flee to after they send the Monster of the Day out.

Mami Tomoe most definitely. She's kind with a hint of selfishness that means no harm. She also uses her magic in mundane and creative was such as turning the bat Sayaka brought to fight witches into a weapon that would actually harm them, and

I like emotionless characters than learn to open up as blatant metaphors for depression.

Free fall style attacks :)

I love Magic Knight Reyearth aesthetics. I love Sailor Moon but I wish her character development didn't keep disappearing at the end of each season

Tie. Madoka (for a more traditional style magical girl) Homura (for more of a dark mg)

My favorite magical girl is probably sayaka miki from Puella Magi Madoka Magica, I really like the idea of exploring the self harm/destruction one could do with magical powers. Especially at such a confusing and stressful time in your life as teenage girlhood

I think either Ichigo from Tokyo Mew Mew, Sakura from CCS or Ahiru from Princess Tutu. I really like the witch type of characters but have not watched any show like that so far, I need to remedy that ! (Sorry, english is not my first language)

I just love when a character covers up insecurities with a rude persona - both the loud ponytail girl/biker gang type (like kyoko Sakura) & snooty rich girl that secretly cares about her friends (think mew mint & to a lesser degree cure spicy)

Idk really i think mostly i just like magical girls that have a good dose of flaws

Right now, it's probably Ichigo Momomiya/Mew Ichigo from Tokyo New Mew. I love cats so much.

My first magical girl anime was Tokyo mew mew and my favourite was Mew Mint, I don't have a top #1 magical girl in general

Ichigo from Tokyo Mew Mew! She's silly but grows so much. Might be the nostalgia talking though LOL

my answers make me seem like i just like dark edgy things and i guess thats true to an extent but i love the "in spite of" element of things like that   _(;;v;; 」∠)_

I really like Precure, so I’d say any of the Hugtto girls? Also the boys from Tokyo Mew Mew Ole may not be exactly this but I love them.

My fave has to be Tecna (Winx Club). She opened my path of loving most purple MGs (Like Saturn for eg.) or ones that use unusual magical girl items as weapons (like Homura with her arsenal of weapons). Would love to see more magical girls use technology as their power (that isnt reduced to just electricity tho).

my first favorite magical girl will always be usagi but also i loved michiru a lot as a child, like i wanted to be her. later on, sayaka from pmmm became one of my favorite characters of all time because her emotional torment is very similar to what i went through

Tsuyuno from MGS, Seira from Daybreak Illusion, Homura from PMMM, even Black Rock Shooter, that character type overall.

i'm a simp for cure beat

Cure Flora is my role model

Cure Custard my beloved

One of my favorites of all time has got to be Lapis Lazuli the 2nd from MGRP!

I really love Tokyo Mew Mew and Mermaid Pichi Pitch.

Ojamajo Doremi

Tokyo Mew Mew and Houkago no Pleiades.

Futago Hime

Futago hime as a second favorite

Total mentions for character names:

Madoka franchise: Madoka (x3), Homura (x7), Mami (x2), Sayaka (x5), Kyouko (x5), Kagami Masara, Momoe Nagisa, Awane Kokoro

Sailor Moon: Sailor Moon (x4), Sailor Venus, Sailor Mars (x2), Sailor Jupiter (x2), Sailor Saturn (x2), Sailor Neptune (x2)

Precure: Cure Blossom, Cure Sunshine, Cure Moonlight, Cure Beat Cure Flora (x2), Cure Custard, Cure Milky

Tokyo Mew Mew: Mew Ichigo (x3), Mew Mint (x2)

Magical Girl Raising Project: Snow White, Hardgore Alice, Lapis Lazuline

Magical Girl Site: Tsuyuno

Daybreak Illusion: Seira

Black Rock Shooter: Black Rock Shooter

Revolutionary Girl Utena: Utena, Anthy (x2)

Ojamajo Doremi: Aiko

Winx Club: Tecna

W.i.t.c.h.: Irma

Princess Tutu: Ahiru (x2)

Cardcaptor Sakura: Sakura

Sugar Sugar Rune: Chocola

Cutey Honey: Cutey Honey

[weirdmarioenemies]

Name: Space Invader

Debut: Space Invaders

Can you believe it? We have covered so many iconic enemies on this blog, but perhaps not the most iconic video-game enemy of them all! Sure, the Pac-Man Ghosts, the Minecraft Creeper, Plugg, they’re all pretty high up there, but when you think about it the Space Invader has to take the cake! How many video-game enemies have their own emoji? 👾

Heck, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say this creature is synonymous with the very concept of Video-Games! This is the kind of little guy who would flash on your television screen as you play a computer game with a little joystick with one big red button on it. This is the kind of little guy who I would print on a T-Shirt and Beanie to prove to the world that, yes I game! I can press buttons! I know that Super Mario Bros. 2 was originally called Doki Doki Panic because the Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2 was deemed too difficult for America!

The Space Invader’s sprites are so ingrained in our memories that we don’t often think about the aliens on the actual arcade game’s art, huh? Well this is a perfectly good Alien Monster! A furry man like the Wookiees from Star Trek, but dark and ominous with harsh red lighting! This guy definitely looks like he’s got some invading to do! 

I say this design isn’t too well-known, but apparently it is iconic enough to get its own figma! Wow! You can really see the fur in this one- without a doubt, this is a mammal! I bet it has six teats under there. 

But if you ask me, there is just no beating the look of the sprite! It’s vague enough to leave a lot to the imagination, but there’s plenty here to love! The little dot eyes and the insectoid antennae! the little arms/mandibles/alien tentacles (if you’re feeling spicy)- a mammal this certainly is not! This is an absolutely ideal Little Guy, a computer creature to blow up on your screen. We’re so accustomed to seeing it that I think we all forget how Awesome this is! And look at how it jumps for joy! 

Do you know what we aren’t accustomed enough to, in my opinion? It’s the other aliens from Space Invaders! The middle alien is quintessential of course, but they can’t Space Invade alone! They need the help of their friends! The Squid invader hangs out at the top of the screen, perhaps because they are the smallest and most vulnerable of the three. How thoughtful!

And the Octopus invader! This image is smaller than the last one but trust me when I say they are wider! And they have two, count ‘em, two, pixels for their eyes, so I interpret them as having closed eyes and being dozy or a little sleepy because that is cute. They hang out at the bottom because they are the best defense! 

Now hold on! If the big and little invaders are confirmed to be Squids and Octopuses, what the heck is the medium invader? The answer is: Crab! It was a crab hiding under our noses all along! This was all apparently confirmed through a 40th anniversary interview revealing original concept art, but do you know what? I’m not a fan! And you know we love any and all crabs here, but I think the sprite is quite fun in its mystery, plus it is very un-crablike! Only four limbs, without distinct claws? And don’t get me even get me started on the lack of eyestalks! This isn’t amateur hour! So I continue to headcanon the medium invader as something not-crab. You can’t control my life, Toshihiro Nishikado!

Also, this concept art for Octopus really looks like a jellyfish, which got me thinking: there are a lot of Japanese aliens that are just vague jellyfish/cephalapod monsters huh? 

It’s almost the default there compared to the typical gray alien, and if you ask me it is way better! Meeting another sentient race and finding out they are like humans but grey and with big eyes? Snore! Meeting another sentient race and finding out they are talking jellyfish people? Awooga! This is also the second time we have used Pretty Cure and Rhythm Heaven as examples in the same paragraph, but probably not the last? There’s definitely more examples of this trope I can’t think of, so Please send us any funny jellyfish aliens you have. I’m begging you.

Er... anyway! The last member of the Invader Crew is the UFO, and I wasn’t sure to count them but why the heck not? They are presumably just a flying saucer, which don’t get me wrong is always fun, but what if they are also a creature with many eyes? You can’t say for sure!

Actually, when I said they were the last member two sentences ago, I lied! This is Shapeshifting Cuttlefish, from Space Invaders Part II! First of all, what a name! Second of all, this doesn’t look like a cuttlefish in the slightest! But it is very funny and looks like an emoji with feet, so I forgive it. Plus, they have the special property of splitting into a smaller guy when you shoot them! Cool! 

The Cuttlefish’s concept art is even weirder! This DEFINITELY isn’t a cuttlefish! It is more like... a little man with hair. I mean, I love it! But what the heck? 

While Space Invaders (1978), was definitely “groundbreaking” or “influential” or whatever, let’s not kid ourselves- their most important role was in Pixels (2015), also known as The Movie Where Josh Gad Breeds With Q*Bert! What do they do in this movie? I assume they invade! I will no longer discuss Pixels (2015).

In conclusion: all the Invaders are great friends, and they love to hang out in rows of eleven and move slowly downwards and sideways, while doing their little dances. Don’t interrupt them! They’re having a good time! 

[thickenmyblood]

hey maca :)) I have sth that I’d love to hear your input on! (wall of text incoming so beware- I’m absolutely not mad if you don’t want to answer lmao). Basically it’s about how you portray women in your works and to what extent you see that portrayal mirrored in the canon books. I have noticed that a lot of writers tend to go a traditional route with for example daughters not being heirs like you also mentioned in an answer for a wtsioa ask on here. Considering the cultures Vere and Akielos are based on that’s obviously very logical and a lot of authors (including you) make it work fantastically! Yet personally I never got the vibe of Vere and Akielos being as patriarchal in canon, mostly because the Information we get is kind of confusing. On one hand damen is a walking manosphere (and. all of Akielos in general as well) without any prominent female figures in his life but on the other hand damen only ever speaks appreciatively of for example the female vaskian warriors. Both countries seem to ban women from the army yet Damen also refers to a warrior queen. The regent is a total misogynist but with the wording Laurent uses it almost seems like that is more the exception and not the general rule of veretian court life. Both countries also have ties to Vask, an exclusive matriarchy and Akielos is said to be similar to Patras which Pacat has stated is also partly a strong matriarchy due to vaskian occupations in the past. I could go on for a lot longer but I guess that damens overall positive attitude towards women and especially stereotypically spoken masculine women is what sticks out the most to me. It just seems kind of misplaced in a world that supposedly is as sexist as the original cultures from our world. Which is why I’d say both countries do have gender roles but are overall a lot more egalitarian than their respective real world og cultures. But that’s only my take and I’d love to hear more on what others think about the portrayal of women in canon and how they chose to portray it in fanfiction. Love you and your new work, hope you’re doing well❤️

HELLO!!! Thank you for asking me interesting stuff :, ) you always have the best questions and my sad little inbox is open to you any time, friend. I divided this into parts, so:

My portrayal of women: I need to work on this a lot lmao. I’m not proud of any female character I have ever written for this fandom, and I’m also not proud to say I struggle horribly when it comes to writing female OCs, especially if the story is not about a female character that is a literal projection of me. Or Bella Swan (yes, Twilight literally shaped my sad little brain and the way I write and consume fiction).

Authors writing female characters in a “traditional” way (for fantasy settings): I can’t speak for other authors but I definitely think, in my case, that using the “it’s a patriarchal society, women have no rights, women can’t be heirs, etc.” blueprint is a matter of being lazy. It’s quick, and easy, and it’s been done before so we all know how it works and a) it’s unlikely that you’ll mess it up (in the plot hole kind of way) and b) it’s obvious that most readers know how the usual system works and so you don’t have to spend paragraphs or even chapters explaining it to them. I am very lazy when it comes to world-building for fics. Why? Because when I’m writing fanfiction I don’t give two shits about the world, I just care about the characters doing Things and having Feelings. The moment you start to question these issues (a society where women can join the army, where they can be heirs, where maybe they can have multiple husbands, etc.) a billion issues arise because it’s not the “usual way” and so you’ll have to deal with “unusual problems”. See: plot holes, info-dumping, etc.

Vere and Akielos in canon: I think the books get very, very confusing at times when it comes to gender roles in that specific world. They also get very confusing about how royalty works, in my opinion. So:

Damen never mentions female influences in his life, not even nannies or wetnurses or anything. He mentions past queens and his mother, but even then… It’s always struck me as “what the actual fuck” that we get no information on Egeria. In TSP, he doesn’t even read as curious to me, especially when I think of that line that goes something like “oh, well, he’d never asked how tall she was”.

Then you have Jokaste, who is highborn and also… perhaps trained in politics? It’s unclear to me if she’s ever been directly involved in meetings or been an active member of the Council or even been allowed to study these issues. Clearly, she’s smart and capable and cunning, but like… how? Did she have private tutors? Is she a self-made woman? Like, what’s up with that? Are women allowed to engage in public politics? Are they allowed to be kyroi?

IMO, Damen complimenting the female warriors in Vask has to do with how appreciative he is of war-related stuff. Like, he thinks people with his own qualities are neat. We see this time and time again in the books—having honor, being brave, respecting one’s family, protecting those who need protecting… He compliments these things when he sees them in others, especially in Laurent. Obviously one of the big changes in Damen as a character is that he goes from being daddy’s boy to being like “well, actually… maybe war isn’t always the answer, and maybe war isn’t always honorable”. The Vaskian warriors prove themselves worthy of praise in a “manly” way, if that makes sense. (In the same way, Laurent proves himself in the Okton, not so much to Damen but to other Akielons). So, in essence, War > Any issues he may have about women doing Stuff.

Don’t judge me for this but I can’t remember the Regent talking about women. Do you have any quotes about that? I feel like Book 1 is super rich when it comes to world-building stuff and yet it’s the book I remember the least. I know he obviously has a preference for boys and not girls, but I don’t recall him having interactions with Vannes or ladies at court? I’M SORRY I’M SO STUPID but I don’t own the book so I can’t exactly word search my way out of this one, and so instead of saying stupid stuff, I’m asking anyone reading this (lol, you and my mom probably) to please tell me what canon says on this issue.

Ties to Vask: Er, yeah, I mean… They’re clearly not at war with Vask and have some sort of economic deal (there are Vaskian pets in Arles? Which makes me wonder if they, like, buy them from Vask? Or if the pets are Vaskian and turn into pets in Vere? Slaves are not like pets so I don’t know?), BUT just because they have deals with this kingdom/are on good terms with the ruler does not mean they necessarily approve? Like, maybe they’re like “yeah, it’s weird they give women so much power, but also I need that silk/leather/WHATEVER, so I’ll shut up about that”.

“Akielos is said to be similar to Patras which Pacat has stated is also partly a strong matriarchy due to Vaskian occupations in the past.” Is this in the books or is this something she said in an interview/post-releasing the trilogy? I know in the books there’s a quote that Akielos and Patras are similar because they both have slaves, but other than that I can’t quite remember anything about Patras? Like, I don’t recall Pacat giving us extensive and thorough world-building on either nation, at all. Once again, I am asking you for more explanations on this because I literally don’t remember.

4. My opinion and a Stupidity Disclaimer: As I’ve said above, there’s a lot of stuff I don’t remember and so I’m not trying to preach to anyone reading this or even saying that I hold the truth about… anything. I’m answering questions as I see fit and asking more questions when I run out of answers.

I believe world-building is not one of Captive Prince’s strong points. I will not elaborate on this because this is already long enough but there is simply, in my opinion, not enough material to reach any solid conclusions when it comes to world-building questions such as the role of women in Vere and Akielos, how compulsory homosexuality affects the development of highborn men and women in Vere, exactly what makes Akielos’ view on women different from Vere’s (if there’s any difference at all), the history of gender roles in this world and how it’s evolved up until canon, how Lamen can solve the heir issue without recurring to, once again, “the usual stuff” (concubines, bastards, marriage to women, etc.). It’s clear from what I’ve read that Pacat has come a long way as a writer and that her new trilogy has a lot more in-depth explanations to world-building questions, but this is not the case with CP, and so I’m afraid my answer to most of this is “I don’t know, and I don’t think anyone can know for sure”.

Lastly, I think I struggle a lot with understanding the role of women in this universe because I simply did not see enough women doing stuff, so I don’t know what’s permitted, what’s unacceptable, what’s illegal, what is straight-up execution worthy, etc. This is not me complaining about the lack of female characters in CP, at all, which I know is contradictory to stuff I’ve said in the past (I answered a couple asks a year ago about how I’d wished we’d gotten Vannes’ POV or Jokaste’s POV in the short stories). I’ve changed my mind, and so I think Pacat is entitled to write whatever she wants, just like I’m entitled to talk shit about KR with any living soul who will listen lmao.

To end this on a spicy note, I think sometimes we consume the wrong media and then complain because it doesn’t have what we wanted. If you’re looking for a trilogy with strong, fleshed-out female characters, Captive Prince is not for you. If you’re looking for a trilogy on female struggles and, I don’t know, defying… the male gaze… Captive Prince is not for you. There are plenty of books out there that focus exclusively on female characters, featuring sapphic relationships, and dealing with gender issues. WHICH IS NOT TO SAY WE SHOULDN’T BE HAVING THESE DISCUSSIONS. This is not about this particular question, but more about a lot of posts I’ve seen floating around… complaining about Pacat’s writing and the themes she didn’t explore.

If anyone has made it this far, thank you for reading, and know this is NOT me telling you what to think. This post is an open question that anyone can engage with, although I hope people will engage with this directly and on this platform, instead of… taking it somewhere else where I sadly can’t engage back! Unlike what happened with our awesome fat Laurent discussion, I will be replying to any questions I get on this (Note: I did not reply to most of those questions because a long time had passed and they were sort of repetitive).

[not-poignant]

45 43 36 48

I love that this looks like a secret code to something e.e

45 can you remember what happened yesterday?

Yes, actually! This is a novelty for me because I can't always, and there was a period of my life where I couldn't at all (thanks DID). But I can remember yesterday pretty well, I can remember what I ate and what I did and what I watched. That's actually pretty amazing :D

43 what’s your take on spicy foods?

Love them. (I'm going to assume that spicy here means 'heat' and not 'general spices from all over the world' but I love both).

I actually lost the ability to eat them completely during head/neck radiotherapy for cancer, because it killed my tastebuds. And then when you're tastebuds start to grow back after radiotherapy, it's like your mouth is 'baby mouth' and you have as much spice tolerance as a newborn. I had to really kind of slowly condition my mouth again. (Like literally, my mouth would burn and ulcer and bleed if I tried to eat spicy food, even foods with too much salt or pepper could cause injuries to the tender skin).

One of my favourite dishes in the whole world is bun bo hue, which is a Vietnamese spicy noodle soup that is one of the most amazing comfort food dishes ever (especially in winter). I'm back to my previous radiotherapy spice tolerance so I can now really enjoy this dish (with extra chilli even) again and I'm happy.

I'm not one of those people who kind of attaches symbolism to the ability to tolerate spice (i.e. the machismo of some dudes around being able to handle hot sauce is honestly like... :/ like just say you're a masochist and go). And I don't like foods so hot you can no longer appreciate or taste the original food. But I do think chilli and hot sauces and chilli oils etc. can add layers of flavour and complexity that weren't there before.

I'm also not one of those people who thinks everyone should appreciate spice? I don't really like folks who are like 'omg just TRY it' or 'you'll get used to it.' No, let people enjoy what they enjoy. Some people just don't want to hurt or feel any discomfort when they eat, and that's normal.

36 how many times have you changed your url?

Never!

48 when did you first try an alcohol beverage?

Gosh, probably when I was like 2 or 3 years old. I was raised with Dutch grandparents who always had port and beer in the house, and had a very casual attitude towards letting young children taste a shandy that's mostly lemonade with a little beer, or having a sip of port with ice cream.

I've never actually liked the taste of alcohol much, and I don't drink now, but I was definitely exposed at a really young age, and probably encouraged to drink a little on the weekends I saw them. It was never more than a sip, like I wasn't being given whole glasses of anything (though I think I was given a glass of shandy when I was around 8-9, I just didn't like it, lol).

-

From this meme!