#i played buried stars recently and enjoyed it

[callofender]

[sttoru]

‘you finally got the results to your recent exams back — all which were passing grades. when breaking the happy news to your boyfriend, he comes up with a way to reward you for your hard work.’

☀︎｜tags. older bf!gojo satoru x female reader. age gap (reader early 20’s, satoru early 30’s). fluff & smut. kinda porn with plot, kinda not. soft dom satoru; vanilla, praise, dirty talk, cunnilingus, p in v -> unprotected, body worship kinda, spooning position, little bit of breast play, mention of premature ejaculation kinda, creampie, size difference, reader gets called ‘princess, baby, pretty, adorable’. reader wears a short skirt. not beta read because i’m tired.

“oh my god!” you almost drop your phone from the pure shock you just experienced. your hands shake as you look at the unexpected results reflected on the small screen.

satoru, who was minding his business in the kitchen, hurries into the bedroom the moment he hears your shriek. he was prepared to help you out with whatever had caused you to yell so loudly, though was surprisingly met with your beaming smile;

“oh, what got my princess so happy?” he asks with a grin of his own, stepping into the room. his gaze darts from the phone in your hand to your face and back again. satoru chuckles as you suddenly run up to hug him. he joyfully reincorporates the embrace; your happy mood being contagious.

you giggle and babble on about how you passed your two exams and how you ‘didn’t think you’d be able to attain such high grades’. your boyfriend hums and strokes your hair whilst you ramble, kissing the top of your head with a proud expression, “as expected of my smart little girl. i’m super proud of you.”

there goes the praise again — making your heart flutter in ways that no one else had done before. you sigh in content and bury your face into his chest. satoru pulls back after a moment, tenderly cupping your face so he could look into those pretty eyes of yours.

you’re his weakness. he knows you are — he’s always known you are, yet that adorable look on your face whenever you gaze up at him through your eyelashes never gets old.

that same look also makes him want to do unspeakable things to you; things that would have you crying from pure pleasure. you deserve to be shown what a true man would do for you out of love — what a true man like your lover would do to you for your own satisfaction and pleasure.

“i think my pretty girl deserves a reward for doing so well on her exams,” satoru whispers, slender fingers trailing from your jaw to your neck, brushing over your collar bone, “would you like that? a reward just f’you.”

you weren’t born yesterday. you knew exactly what he was indicating. you could tell by his loving yet lustful gaze, his fingers that sensually dragged along your skin and his tongue that darted out to subtly lick his lips. as if he was preparing to devour a five star meal.

which he was.

“f—ngh, satoru!”your legs were wrapped around his head, his mouth and tongue working their magic on your sopping cunt whilst his hands were holding you down by your hips. satoru hadn't wasted a single second after you agreed to his proposal. he instantly lifted your skirt up, pulled your panties down to your ankles and dived right between your legs.

your thighs were clamping down on his head—almost forcing him to continue pleasuring you. not that your lover minded; he'd gladly do this again and again if he could. satoru leaves sloppy kisses all over your pussy, drenching it in not only your own bodily fluids, but his own saliva as well.

“mm, a little needy, aren't ya?” he mutters whilst softly kissing up and down your slit. he was admiring both the sight and the noises — your back arching, hips stuttering and voice shaking with need. the older man certainly did enjoy the view of your cute little face contorting with pleasure each time the top of his tongue teased your clit, “yeah, c'mon - let me see your face while i eat you out.”

you hesitated, however eventually removed your hands that tried (and failed) to hide your flustered expression. satoru lets out an almost inaudible whine at the revelation; his cock begging to be freed from its confines. he wanted to fuck you into oblivion, but today was your day. he longed to satisfy your own desires first.

satoru was nasty with it too. the unmistakeable, erotic and wet noises of him slurping up your juices mingle with your moans and whines. the white locks of his hair brush against the insides of your thighs and right above your clit—tickling you in all the right ways and adding to the pleasure you were receiving.

“fuck,” the older man curses under his breath and the warmth against your pussy makes your lower body twitch. his big hands squeeze around your hips, silently warning you to stay still so he could properly enjoy you, “you're gonna make me cum before i can make you finish.”

his words were true. satoru could get off from simply watching and hearing his girl enjoy herself. he has no shame in admitting that fact; he can't help it when you’re this incredibly gorgeous. he grinds his crotch against the soft mattress whilst his mouth continues to eat you out in a painfully slow yet tender manner.

“t-toru, g'nna cum.” you whimper and try to grind your cunt against his tongue in search for that last push that would send you over the edge. your high-pitched voice sounding so extremely whiny sealed the deal for your boyfriend. he pulls his head away from your tingling cunt - which is a second away from reaching its orgasm - and sits up on his knees.

satoru smirks once he hears your mumbled complaints. one large hand settles on top of your head and gives your scalp a few relaxing rubs whilst the other hastily undoes the zipper of his pants. he tilts his head to the right, glancing down at your squirming form with a lopsided grin, “d’ya want another treat, princess?”

of course, you nod. you were aching for that release that'd been building up in your lower stomach— needing to reach that long awaited climax. your eyes follow satoru's movements as he pulls his pants down. again, as painfully slow as possible.

“just a nod? tha’s all i get?” your partner pouts, nonchalantly revealing his lengthy cock for you to feast your eyes upon. he sighs dramatically before trailing two slender fingers down to your cunt, gathering your slick and using it to coat his tip. the pre-cum mixes with your own fluids and the erotic sight makes your mouth water, “i know for sure that my smart little girl can use her big words to get what she wants — let me hear ‘em.”

whilst you gather your thoughts and words, satoru lays down behind you, helping your body onto its right side. you’re facing the wall and thus couldn’t see that cocky expression he had on. his arms pull your back flush against his chest, positioning your hips the right way and lifting one of your legs up properly.

“p-please, i need to have you inside me. can’t wait any longer, ‘toru.” you manage to beg in the end. the warmth radiating from your lover’s body from behind you only increases your sinful craving. he teases you by kissing your nape whilst his hands get rid of your top—fingers then immediately fondling your tits.

his husky voice whispers a 'good girl' in your ear and that’s all you got as an answer before you felt his cockhead prod at your entrance. satoru hisses at just the slightest of contact—not sure if he could last long this time. he feels like he will explode the moment his tip glides inside your gaping hole.

“so beautiful, can’t believe how lucky i got.” the white-haired man grunts as his lips refuse to leave your skin. from your neck to your shoulders and upper arms — he didn't leave a single inch uncovered. it was almost tortureous: the way he grinded his tip against your pussy as he touches the rest of your body with his hands and mouth.

you whine and rub your hips back in the same rhythm. you were indirectly begging him to put it in already and satoru took notice of it. since you had begged once before, he won't coax you into doing it again.

with a light moan, he slides his throbbing cock all the way up the tight space. the squeal you let out at the sensation of being stretched out to your maximum capacity, made satoru murmur a few more words of praise in your ear.

“you're doing so good - taking me so well,” his voice was smooth like honey, the same goes for his soft thrusts. the way your pussy grips onto his cock makes him see stars. your boyfriend never gets tired of making love to you because the hypnotising feeling of being inside you doesn't ever get old. it feels like the first time he had stuffed you full of his cock over and over again.

you were feeling light-headed by now; your eyes rolling back as your mouth formed an 'o'-shape—the cockdrunk look satoru loves to see on you. the squelshy 'flop flop flop' noises echo throughout the entire room with every deep thrust of his hips against the plump flesh of your ass.

satoru's long fingers go from playing with your nipples to groping your hips and ass. his eyes gaze downwards, watching as the fat of your bottom ripples after his pace quickens. you were trying your best to keep up, but the overstimulation of all your senses made it hard to match your movements to his.

“aht aht. you've worked hard enough on your exams already, princess. just lay back and allow me to do everything.” satoru (jokingly) scolds you. this was your reward and he didn't want you putting in any effort if your body couldn’t handle it. he wants you to relax like you deserve after a stressful period of exams and assignments. he’ll happily do all the work instead.

“oh, mmh! too good — fuck!” you mewl. your fingers curl around the bedsheets that moved back and forth with your bodies. a bigger hand settles on top of yours — intertwining your fingers and holding onto them tightly. you could feel satoru smiling against the skin of your shoulder as he kisses it, absolutely enjoying your little reactions to his thrusts.

“yeah? am i doing well?” he asks in a teasing tone. he didn’t have to ask that question; he knows he’s doing well judging purely by your bodily reactions. your back arches and your limbs shake uncontrollably, “am i pleasing my baby well enough?”

you can only moan out a couple ‘yes’’s, but that is enough of a confirmation. the older man is on cloud nine as he drags his thick cock in and out of your desperate cunt. every time he pulls out he can feel your pussy try to swallow him back in — it drove him nuts.

“i love how you look whilst i stuff you full of my cock. so innocent, yet so.. lewd at the same time.” satoru comments through another groan, the hand on your hip holding your body still so he could fuck his dick deeper into you. the tip of his cock nearly reaches your cervix due to the angles he uses to move inside you.

your long-awaited and much deserved orgasm was right around the corner. your moans increase in frequency and volume which was enough of a sign for satoru to increase the pleasure. his fingers trail down your hips and to the center between your open legs—thumb putting pressure on your clit.

the extra stimulation has got you biting into the pillow beneath your head, your lower body writhing around as your lover rubs the small bundle of nerves in circles and from side to side. his hand moves fast—its mission being to help you reach that intense orgasm you were chasing after.

satoru is feeling it himself as well. his cock aches and twitches as it gets ready to drain its balls inside your pussy, “cum with me baby—fuck—cum on my cock whilst i dump my load all the way into your tight little cunt.”

that was all the encouragement you needed. your eyes roll back and your body convulses as the waves of pleasure come crashing down all at once. you could feel satoru’s hips desperately push against your ass, filling you completely with both his dick and hot spurts of cum. you could feel the warm essence leavings its evidence in your womb.

the bedsheets underneath your two bodies was drenched in your slick after you calmed down a bit. your boyfriend continues to place comforting kisses all over your naked body, trying to show his appreciation for you in all the ways he could.

“you did so well. you deserved this, princess.” satoru utters softly, the hair clinging onto his forehead. he gently pulls his soft cock out after a minute of making sure that every drop of his cum stayed inside of your cunt. he loves the feeling of fulfilment that it gives him — loves the fact that he filled his girl to the brim.

you smile weakly. you were fucked out: completely and utterly. it felt good and you were satisfied with your reward. it even gave you enough motivation to do well on future exams, “thanks, ‘toru. ‘m feeling sleepy though.”

satoru snickers. you were always so adorable and vulnerable around him after the two of you partake in such activities. he loves it and it makes him want to take care of you.

“you deserve plenty of rest, so go ahead.” your lover smiles gently, kissing the top of your head after you close your eyes. one of his hands hold yours whilst the other rubs your side soothingly, “i won't leave. i'll stay right here with you whilst you sleep. i promise."

satoru knew you needed to hear those words in your vulnerable state. and surely enough, you smile once more and nod. your body falls asleep the moment his strong arms pull you into a loving hug.

his lips attach to your ear in the form a chaste peck. his smooth voice was the last thing you heard as you faded into an unconscious state;

“i love you so much.”

🏷️: @marimogf @osaemu @screampied @sukuette @sachiyoh @giannitaa @morinuu

[tiredmamaissy]

Ralak te Sepwan ieyk’itan: Special Episode II 

Concurrent Tides

An Illustrated Collaboration with @zestys-stuff

Masterlist ; Rut/Heat/Knotting Info

🔞 minors, do not interact 🔞

Hyperlinks are attached to specific paragraphs that when clicked on will lead you to its illustration by Ralak's creator @zestys-stuff. Most illustrations are now on her patreon.

Characters: Metkayina!Ralak (24) x Sully!Omaticaya!Reader (19) Warnings: nsfw, smut, fluff, profanity, age gap, aggressive rut cycle, heat cycle, dom/sub dynamics, jealousy/posessiveness, knotting, marking, scenting, praise kink, breeding kink, size difference, p in v, mating/bonding, multiple climaxes, creampie, ralak is a bit of a meanie in this, let me know if I forgot anything? Word Count: 10k Requested: Yes || No Author’s Note: the second special episode is finally here. sorry it took forever to get it out, but better late than never :') i hope you guys enjoy <3 theres another part to come after this one! 🤍 Synopsis: what happens if you and your new mates cycles sync? 

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——

“Only I knot you.”

That was the first time you’d ever seen Ralaks eyes shift in colour. That same night right after he pulled you out of his memory of his first rut. A beautiful, deep blue, glistening before your honey glazed orbs. It’s barely been a week since that night, yet it replays over and over. Day and night. How he looked at you with nothing but unadulterated greed, hardly catching his breath as he tried to steady his galloping heart. It was something deep-rooted and primal. 

Something animalistic. 

Since, you’ve longed to see him fully immersed in such a state. A state where self control and sexual desire no longer coexist. He’s always too concerned with you and what he thinks you can and cannot manage that he never allows himself to do what he truly wants. The level of restraint you feel through the bond is indescribable. A level you nor any other na’vi could conceivably attain. Regardless, most nights you find yourself fantasizing about this ‘lack of control’ right before bed. 

Nights like tonight. 

Where the stars shimmer so brightly that you need to draw the curtains, and the air is exceptionally cold and crisp that you need to huddle closely together for warmth. When your nose is buried so deep into his chest that there's no other choice for his scent to fill your lungs. And tonight he smells extraordinarily good. The salt of the sea mixed with leather hide. And oddly enough, he smells like… home. The forest and its greenery. It’s quite ironic but perhaps it’s Eywa’s way of saying that this man is truly yours. It's so comforting and right. Like a cup of hot tea on a stormy night, never failing to put you to sleep. A remedy that works in seconds — but not tonight. 

Tonight you’re restless and he can sense it. 

“What is it?” Ralak husks, shifting his position to hold you a little closer. “Cold?” 

Truthfully, you’ve been feeling a little off. Your body has been restless and haunted. As if it could sense some sort of change of shift in the atmosphere. Or perhaps it was between the two of you. “No.” You mumble, lifting your head to look up at him. “Just can’t sleep.”

Ralaks ears twitch, a little surprised his typical soothing techniques aren’t working. He sits up quite quickly, bringing you up with him as he scoots back into frame of his bed. His brows lower when he ponders about what could be keeping you so on edge. He takes note of your flushed appearance and the minute changes in your eyes, they’re glowing a little brighter recently. 

His brows jump when the realisation dawns on him. 

Could it be? He knows it’s close but is it really already affecting you? How is that possible? And does that mean it will be even more severe this time around? 

He had every intention to stay but perhaps it’ll be more difficult than he expected. He should really tell you, but he knows exactly how that would play out. You would get your way as per usual, it was hard for him to deny you of anything you wanted. A quick swish of your tail and it was yours. Ralak took pride in caring and providing for you. But not for this. This was just plain dangerous. And therefore he couldn’t allow you to figure it out. It’s ultimately safer that he keeps it to himself, at least until you’ve adjusted to him a little more. Your intimate moments together are very few in number after all. 

“Why is that, tanhì?” He asks in a low, steady tone, fixing his mask of indifference tightly to his face. 

You may be a slow learner, but you weren’t slow. You could sense that he wasn’t being all that transparent with you. 

“I don’t know. Something feels off about you.” You say in an almost accusatory tone, finally sitting up to look him in the eye. He’s pale in the face and his breath becomes raggedy. “Tell me, Ralak.” 

You watch as his pupils constrict, leaving nothing but a black dot in an open sea of blue. Within a matter of seconds, they deepen in colour and his eyelids flutter shut. He clears his throat, and waits a few seconds to open his eyes. They’re back to normal but you could’ve sworn they looked different. Just like they did a few nights ago. 

“What just happened to your—” Your heart begins to race as you utter the words, only to be cut off by Ralaks hasty voice. 

“Inland. Tomorrow morning. Overnight hunting trip.” He grinds them out as if it physically hurts to say the words. Anything to keep you from figuring it out. 

What? Is he — lying to you? 

This isn’t like him. He avoided trips inland at all costs. Anything to stay with his tanhí. He’d even go as far as faking an illness, despite rarely getting ill, to get out of accompanying Tonowari. Especially for overnight trips. 

“And why did you not tell me earlier?” You manage to squeak out a closing throat, backing away to create a little distance.

He shakes his head as he blinks rapidly, staying put to allow as much space as you need. “I was hoping I did not need to go.” He utters, dropping his head to lock his gaze on your twiddling thumbs. His eyes trail up your dark blue frame, taking note of how your body is already almost trembling —already responding to him— all out of your control. He bows his head, hiding his face. “But it seems that I cannot get out of this one. I am sorry, my paysyul.” 

For a fleeting moment, you really thought this was the beginning of something bad. Something deceitful. But, his words instantly bring you comfort, slowing your leaping heart and putting your mind at ease. 

But the funny thing is that there was no lie. 

There was really an overnight trip inland with Tonowari. One that Ralak arranged himself. Tonowari was especially taken aback by Ralaks suggestion of a hunting trip and immediately queried if he was alright, putting a firm hand on his forehead to determine if he had some sort of fever. But once Ralak explained himself, Tonowari was smiling and laughing, smacking a few blows on his back as a form of approval, teasing him yet again about ‘the love story between an Akula and an ilu’. 

Your sigh brings Ralak out of his deep thought, chin leaving his chest to witness you sliding back into bed, turning on your side and backing up onto him. A smirk pulls at the his lips as he joins you, enveloping you in his warmth once more. A wave of relief washes over him as he rests his chin on the crown of your head. He’s thankful that you didn’t press any further. Otherwise, he would’ve had to reveal his best kept secret. 

His upcoming rut. 

—— 

The harsh thump of Ralaks heart rouses him to the sight of his mate clung to his chest. He admires your beauty, allowing his eyes to fall on your chest, watching closely as you breathe slowly. He gently pulls back the thin sheeting covering your body, exposing your puffy nipples to the cool morning air. When they stiffen into peaks, saliva pools in his mouth. At this point he would have looked away because of basic na’vi decency, but this morning is different. 

He allows himself to stare. To take in every detail on your chest. To sear it into his memory so he can visualise you just like this as he relieves himself. Exposed before his eyes, supple skin glistening as the rays of sunlight reflect against your freckles, exposed, stiffened nipples, that act as the perfect bait to lure in a hungry predator. 

Predator.

That’s what he’ll be in a matter of minutes. Nothing but a slave to his own urges and instincts. Ravenous. Insatiable. Voracious. With not even a sliver of self composure left to hold onto an ounce of rationality. He can already feel it creeping up on him, the hunger deep in his core turning him into the beast that he appears to be on the outside. It’s always been like this. A little too much. Too overwhelming. 

Too aggressive. 

And as the years passed it only worsened. Six unmated years. With no one but himself to make it through the tortuous few days. He just knows that he would be too rough with you. It’s his biggest fear, after all. To have no self control. To hurt the one thing he loves more than Eywa’s gift of life itself. He would sacrifice his own (life) if it meant to save yours.

He was hoping to endure it. Bite his tongue through it and be by your side. Perhaps take a long bath in the lake and crawl into bed after you’ve gone to sleep and relieve himself as quietly as he can. But now that it’s here in full bloom, he’s already having a hard time containing his urge to spread your legs and use you as his own personal fucktoy. 

But you’re more than that to him. 

And this is why he’s choosing to leave before you wake. Before he can no longer contain himself to just staring at your bare chest. Before he pulls the sheet down even further and parts your legs—already trembling from his leaking pheromones—and has a taste of his sweet, sweet tanhí. Rather, he uses his last shred of self composure to plant a firm kiss on your forehead before quickly gathering his gear and heading out the door. 

Unbeknownst to him, you were awake the entire time. 

You could feel his eyes bore into your tiny frame as the crisp morning air grazed past your nipples, just like you could feel the roughness of his kiss right above your brow. You wanted to open your eyes but the way his pheromones waft up your nose had you in a foggy trance. Your eyes burned under your eyelids and your body felt so heavy and hot. 

You couldn’t help but think, is this his rut?

To be influenced by his cycle? You had felt it before. His first rut in the flashback, but it was nothing like this. Sure, it had you shivering and a little on edge but this was to another level. You could barely open your eyes, much less get out of bed. This entire time your body has been sending warning signals that its mate was peaking in his cycle — restlessness, clinginess, the nesting. You had unknowingly gathered enough fruits and grains to last you a few days. Even in this murky state of mind you finally manage to link the pieces of the puzzle together. 

Listening to his footsteps as he walks out the marui, you muster up as much strength as you can to open your eyes. It’s blurry and honestly all just one blob. You could only make out a few colours trailing behind this gentle giant—green, blue and orange. All of which mix together and move like the aurora in the night sky. If one could see what a pheromone looks like, this would be it. When you finally get enough strength to part your chapped lips to mutter his name, the colours disappear as the marui flap closes behind him. 

You really thought that once he left and the room aired out, that the influence of his pheromones on your body would lift as well. But you were wrong. Instead, the heaviness of your body grew tenfold, making it hard to breathe. It’s as if your lungs were filled to the brim with cold water, yet they burned as you squirmed around to fill them with air. The fire in your lungs quickly spread to your extremities, leaving your entire being in a sweltering inferno. 

This feeling is familiar, yet foreign all at once. A desire so extreme it burns from within. The desire to be connected with your mate on all levels known to the na’vi. To satiate the itch of your empty, fertile womb by filling it with his seed. 

Why did you have to get your heat now?

You call for Ralak a few times in your dazed state, only for you to be reminded by nothing but the crash of the waves that he’s gone. Soon the heavy rumble of the waves is drowned out by your whimpers and whines as you call for your mate to no avail. All you can manage to do in your feverish haze is kick off whatever cloth is stuck to your body, curl into a ball and rock to ease the unbearable sensation between your legs.

All until you hear a familiar, husky voice. 

“I was doing some sessions with Ronal and—”

“R-Ralak?” You call out in relief, hoping your prayers have finally been answered. You roll onto your side and squint at the figure in the door frame. 

“Uh. Not quite.” He quickly mutters under his breath, moving his forearm to shield his nose from your strong pheromones wafting his way. “Eywa—” He mumbles the great mothers name like a curse as he looks around the marui for your mate. “Where is Tak?” 

Tak?

The more you squint your eyes, the more you’re able to make out who this figure standing in your doorway is. Your blurred vision clears just enough to reveal the unforgettable, brawny features of no other than Ka’ani. 

“Ka’ani?” You say the name slowly, unsure if you should believe your eyes. 

“Hah. What do you know…” Ka’ani scoffs, moving his arm from his face to lean in to get a better look at your condition. You’re panting yet shivering, glazed in your own sweat and slick. He smirks a little as he pulls back, spitting out the words, “…bitch in heat.” 

“What are you... d-doing here? You should leave!” You try to shout, although it comes out more as a hoarse cry. 

“Why should I? It looks like you need a hand.” Ka’ani jesters, physically extending his hand towards you as he wiggles his thickset fingers. 

“Haa. I really don’t.” You pant, hugging your knees to your chest even tighter.

“You’re sitting in a puddle of your own sweat.” Ka’ani’s voice is harsh, yet laced with concern. “And whatever else is coming out of you.” His jaw clenches and unclenches as he looks away from you, seemingly out of — respect? He catches sight of the full bucket of fresh water at your bedside, along with empty drinking bowls.

Has she not been tended to all day? Not a sip to drink? Ka’ani thinks to himself, concerned as to why Tak’s mate would be alone, uncared for and in heat of all things. 

You finally muster up the energy to tug the sodden sheet over your naked body and scoot back further to the frame of the bed. “Ralak said he will be back soon. You should leave if y-you want to live.” You lie, feeling a little threatened that a male na’vi has barged into your marui while you’re in heat. 

“Yeah, I don’t believe that for a second, y/n. None of this makes sense.” Ka’ani speaks, taking a few steps towards you. 

You shuffle even further back only for your back to make contact with the bed frame. A rush of fear surges through you. The type of fear that has your heart twisting behind your ribs. You cross your legs over one another, bunching up the sheet between them and beg with trembling lungs, “P-Please, Ka’ani. Don’t.” 

Ka’ani stops dead in his tracks, seemingly offended by your assumption that he’d be approaching you to do something that the great mother herself would look down upon. Sure, he tracked your scent last time, but he was here atone exactly for that. 

“Syor [relax]. I would never do such a thing.” He says through gritted teeth, storming towards the bedside and quickly pouring you a drink. “No matter how strong your scent is. Although, you don’t smell all that great now that you’re mated.” He chuckles lightly as he hands you the drink. Your eyes jump between him and the cup in his hand before you struggle to sit up. His hand instinctively reaches out to assist you, but you bat it away and continue to pull yourself up. 

“Just — let me help you.” He snaps, supporting your back when you finally give in. “Drink.” He commands, plunking the cup in your hand, taking a step back and crossing his arms.  

You gulp down the water greedily, finally quenching your thirst and hoping it will provide some level of relief to your febrile condition. You hum to yourself as the water makes its way down your throat, but groan when you feel no better. Meanwhile, Ka’ani takes in your state, feeling a twinge in his heart for you when he sees how you’ve been suffering. You look more than uncomfortable. You look like you’re in pain.

“You’ll be alright, y/n. Just tell me where he went and I’ll go fetch him.” He speaks in a more gentle tone, taking the empty cup from your hand.

“I-I don’t — haah. He said he went… He went inland to hunt.” You blubber out, feeling your body heat to a dangerous degree. It has you shaking as you ease yourself back into a more comfortable position. 

Ka’ani shakes his head a bit, “Inland to hunt? Really? When his mate is in heat? Tak would never. The only time he’d ever do that is if he is also… in rut.” Ka’ani stalls on the last few words that slip off his tongue, tasting them in his mouth as the realization sets in. Ka’ani quickly fills the cup, sets it next to you and bolts to the door. Before he ducks under the flap of your Marui, he looks over his shoulder and reassures you.

“Sit tight, forest girl. I know exactly where he is.”

— —

It’s been a few hours since coming to his usual spot — the waterfall with the coldest water known to the reef people. It is Ralaks most private and intimate place aside from his humble abode. A place where only a select few people know about. He’s most drawn to the low temperature of the water, making it a perfect environment to endure the heat of his rut in. 

Despite doing this for the past few years, each cycle gets a little more intense. And this one is certainly no exception. 

Ralak sits underneath the overhang, right in the dip of the plunge pool, and allows the water to beat on his back. He’s maintained this position for the past few hours, only releasing himself when the pressure in his core grows too much. A pressure so immense it would have his body acting on its own accord — a wandering hand finding its way to his swollen cock. 

Truth be told, he hated the feeling. 

He hated feeling so out of control. To be nothing but a slave to his own primal impulses. He’d fight it as much as he could, just like he is now, until the sensation is just too intense to ignore. Until he’s grunting and squirming with a body so heated it has him grinding his teeth. 

He quickly stands up, tilting his head back and covering his face from the stream of the water with his hands. At this point his cock is so swollen that it’s outright painful, throbbing and pulsing from the lack of attention. He thinks of you — your thin tail and tiny stature. The way you lay in bed this morning before he left. Naked and exposed before his eyes. Eywa, how he wishes you were here. How he could finally spend his rut with his mate, but he just knows it would be too much for you to handle. 

The thoughts of you make this no easier, sending his hips thrusting into the air — the running water stimulating his thudding cockhead. He groans from the immense pleasure a little water brings him. He’s neglected himself so badly to the point that he feels like this could really make him cum. But how many times has he cum by now? 

Once? Twice? Thrice? 

He lost count after the fifth time, not that he was keeping track anyways. If anything he was downright denying himself the pleasure, and convincing himself that he remained in control. But fuck, the image of your delicate body —the possibility that he could break you if he weren’t careful— pushes him over the edge. Before he can stop himself, his hot cum is spilling from his slit all over the length of his cock and he’s unable to keep his noises at a minimum. 

“Mmmph.” His deep growl rumbles, a hand grabbing a firm hold of his jumping cock. 

He squeezes what’s left out of his slit, finally looking down to see the state of himself. It’s red and raw — spikes fully erect and balls drawn so close to his body they’re practically hiding behind his thick knot. He lets out a loud sigh. 

Relief. 

Finally, he leans back against the rocky wall and slides down into the plunge pool, immersing himself chest deep into the water. He lightly treads back to the bank and makes himself comfortable — allowing his head to rest and body to relax. He takes a few deep breaths and tunes into the burble of the waterfall. 

All until he hears the click of a — 

Ka’ani?

“Tik-Tak.” Ka’ani clicks melodically, cautiously approaching the giant submerged in the waterfall. Ralak doesn’t budge. He remains fixed in position, eyes shut, head and elbows resting on the edge of the river. His chest heaves harshly as he attempts to remain in this less than tranquil state. “Never thought I’d see the day Ralak leaves his mate in heat. To be soaking in a waterfall of all things.” 

Perhaps Ralak heard wrong. Leaving his mate in heat? Ralak would know if his mate were in heat. He would sense it. Whatever rubbish he’s spewing out, Ralak doesn’t have the time, nor patience, for it. 

“Skxawng, what are you on about? Leave me be.” Ralak huffs, wiping the sweat from his face with a quick hand movement.

“Just as I thought. You’re all hot and bothered too, aren’t you?” Ka’ani chuckles. 

“Leave.” Ralak says angrily, his purplish-blue eyes finally snapping up to meet Ka’ani’s. “I have just calmed.”

Ka’ani’s brows knit together, offended and a little confused with himself for being upset from the way Ralak is shooing him away. 

“Oh c’mon brother. All I’ve been told today is to leave!” Ka’ani’s hands fly up as he takes a step forward. “First your mate, and now you. Am I really that unwanted?”

Now he’s got Ralaks attention. 

Ralak gets a whiff of your sweet, sweet pheromones on him. As if he’s been around his tanhì. Scenting his tanhì. Touching his tanhì. His primal urges devour him once more, eating away at him until nothing but a possessive beast remains. One of pure territorial instinct. 

“What did you do?” Ralak growls through a clenched jaw as he jumps out the water and approaches Ka’ani. “Scenting my mate again?” His voice booms as it increases in volume, yet lowers in depth. “Answer me. Did you touch her?!” 

“No!” Ka’ani blurts out, now taking a few steps back with his hands splayed out in front of him. “Is that what you both really think of me? This is the last I ever do some—”

Ralak remains silent, taking quick, calculated strides directly towards Ka’ani, who is now backing up into a tree. Once his back hits the scaly bark, Ralaks' balled fist slams into the trunk, barely an inch away from Ka’ani’s skull. 

“Alright! Alright. I know what I did before. I-I’m sorry. I came looking for you to apologise for that but I found her in heat. Okay? I came here as soon as I realized.” 

Unsure of whether or not to believe a word coming from this skxawng’s mouth, Ralak steps away from his prey, bloody knuckled and full of uncertainty. But the one thing he is certain about is the fact that he wants no other na’vi to find you if you really are in heat. With a huff of defeat, he pushes past Ka’ani and bolts for the shore. 

——

The trek back to the marui is twice as quick. Your pheromones are thick and potent, affecting him even a few feet away from the marui door. And when he steps through the marui door, he’s completely inundated with the thick fog of your pheromones. He feels lost in himself, struggling not to succumb to his instincts. Struggling to regain control.

“Ma’ L-Lak?” You mewl shakily.

You can smell him, just like he can smell you. It only drives you further into your heat, your trembling body now shaking a little more. Sensing that your mate is in close proximity, your scent glands release more of your aphrodisiac to lure him in. In turn, this has its effects on your body — sending you into a submissive state where you feel too heavy to even lift a finger. You lay there, legs splayed out and glossy fingered. 

You watch through blurred vision as the tall and thick silhouette quickly makes its way towards you. Ralak grabs and firmly holds your legs back as he leans in close, making the confirmation that his mate is indeed in heat. He lingers a little longer than he can control, taking everything in him to pull away and calm down — panting and out of breath. 

“It is true.” He huffs, towering over your tiny, shivering frame. “In heat.” The two words drip off his tongue, much like the thick nectar dripping from your slit.

“Lak. Oh — lak. ’ts you.” You cry out in relief, clawing at his thigh to bring him back to you, “‘m so happy it’s you ‘nd not someone else.” His teeth grit as your hand grazes his thigh, but he remains fixed in place, unsure of his ability to keep his composure if he allows himself to give in to your touches. 

What is he supposed to do now? 

He didn’t think this far into his plan… for once in his life. Typically he’s quite calculated and certain of his next move but now — now he’s not sure how he’s going to deal with this. He just knew that he couldn’t leave you alone. Not for another man to find and claim you in the way that only he should. But he has to remain himself. For you. He swallows down his uncertainty before speaking. 

“I should have stayed.” He looks down at the flushed, puffy flesh between your legs with a rapacious glint in his eye. “I am sorry.” 

“Don’t be. Just p-please. It’s to-o much. T-Too hot. It aches, karyu.” Ralak winces when you groan the last few words, it’s almost painful to resist you at this point. You go to claw at this thigh once more, only for him to shift away. “No, don’t do that. Not right now. N-Need you so ba—”

“My rut came. This morning.” He’s quick to cut you off with a strained, yet monotonous voice, unable to peel his eyes away from your swollen cunt. 

“I-I know.” You pant, earning a twitch of Ralaks brows. “‘nd t-that’s good. Ngh—that’s really good,  I-I can help you too.” You mumble, sticking your hand between your legs to fondle with yourself. With the way he grimaces one side of his face, it seems as if he wants to look away, but can’t. 

“No, tanhì. We spoke of this.” His accent is thick as he struggles to string the words together, “No control. Trying hard…” he inhales quickly, eyes plastered to the sight in front of him, “…not to lose it.”

At this point the haze of your heat has you lethargically shaking your head from side to side, mumbling whatever frustrated-fueled words that first come to you “…haven’t cum yet…”, you squirm around to find a position that allows your wandering fingers better access to your hole, “…need to cum.” You slur the words as you barely slip two fingers inside you and you quietly sob when they provide very little release. 

“Ralak!” You cry loudly enough to at last lure his gaze up to yours, the night sea finally meeting the roaring flame. Your voice quiets down into a soft whimper, “Please. Just t-try. Please.” 

A moment of silence passes where you and Ralak stare at one another, hearts pounding and chests heaving, understanding exactly how the other feels. The burning desire to come together. The resistance, yet the lack of control. The eternal flame within. The heat. 

Ralak breaks eye contact to glance at your slender fingers working as hard as they can. He breathes a heavy sigh, feeling a pang of guilt for leaving you when he sees just how raw you are from being in heat all alone. He’s responsible for you even being in this bad of a state, isn’t he? Leaving you before sunrise with nothing but a kiss on the head. If anything that only made it more intense for you. He wants to — no, needs to care for you. It’s what every part of himself is urging him to do. 

“The thought of another finding you… like this.” Ralak rasps as he closes in on you, “so vulnerable… it makes me — haah.” He cuts himself off with a shaky sigh and a clench to his jaw. Beads of sweat ball on his temples, slowly rolling down his angular jaw to eventually meet and drip from his chin onto your stomach. He looms over you, his hair flowing forward when he suddenly grabs and tugs at your wrist in one swift move, yanking your fingers out of you. 

“Ss-ah!” You hiss with a wince, heart skipping a beat when you realise that he’s barely there anymore. “I-It makes you, what?” You ask quietly — nervously, even. 

A bestial growl begins to rumble in his chest, causing a shiver to ripple through you—hardening your nipples into peaks within seconds. Jawbone fluttering from his reluctance to answer, he harshly cups your pussy with his hand, causing you to gasp. His sharp, intimidating stare locks with yours, brows tensing as he allows two, thickset fingers to slip down to your slickened opening. His growl fades into a single, drawn out word. 

“Nìfmokx. [jealous]” 

His admission slips past his lips just as his fingers sink into your aching core, leaving your mouth agape and hot tears spilling over your cheeks. Jealousy isn’t an emotion Ralak is used to feeling. Much less something he would subject you to experience with him. But you could see the raw emotion in his eyes, as they flicker from a dark blue to something even deeper. It’s the way his stare bores into your innermost being as he fills you up with his digits alone, telling you that you were his, and his only. 

He hooks his fingers right into your gummy walls, holding his position as he moves his hand in an up and down motion at full tilt. The tips of his fingers repeatedly slam into your swelling sweet spot, coaxing out broken, filthy noises from your throat. He hums with pride, yet his face remains stone cold, minus the occasional twitch of his jawbone. He’s trying so hard to keep at a steady pace, and not to be too rough with your fragility. 

“Oh f-fuck.” You curse under your breath, both hands grabbing a firm hold of his forearm. You’ve been unintentionally edging yourself all day that you’re already almost there. And no matter how hard you squeeze and claw at his now-veiny arm, he remains unmoving. 

“Go on, then.” He huffs impatiently as he looks down at you, feeling your walls clamp down on his fingers. Your heels sink into the bed when you push your hips into the air, fingernails digging into his skin as you near your first release. You begin to whimper, bucking your hips to chase the feeling of relief. It’s right there. It’s so close; and you just need to allow it to wash through you. You tense up so badly your whole body shakes, sending your teeth chattering and your bottom lip quivering. You swear you can see the stars from the night sky litter your vision and feel your heavy lids flutter shut.

“Look at me.” Ralak demands in a sharp, gruff tone. Your glossy eyes shoot back up to his, and you start to sputter out whatever gibberish comes from your mouth — a few curses mixed with his name and your fathers’ mother-tongue. He continues to glare down at you with a rigid face, tensing his jaw as he wills himself to be gentle and patient with you. “Good. Now cum, little one.” 

Your pathetic noises suddenly fade into a sweet, little cry. A cry of relief when your frustration washes away as you finally come undone on his fingers. The alleviation is so intense that it’s almost consuming; “T-Thank—” you collapse back down onto the bed, “—you. Thank you—haah, thank you karyu.” You pant repeatedly, his forearm ripping from your grip when he unexpectedly wrenches his fingers out of you. You squirm from the sudden emptiness, “Wait—” 

“Do not thank.” He spits the accented words as he stumbles back to create some distance between the two of you. He pants as he attempts to recollect himself, his face of stone finally screwing into something of a grimace. “So…if another na’vi found you, would you thank him too? Hm?”

“Lak. I… N-No.” You stutter, unsure of what to even say. 

“You are mine. My mate…” he growls through thinned lips, “My duty. Understand?” 

“Yes.” You nod quickly, feeling your cheeks heat up. It arouses you to see him so jealous. So possessive. So assertive. 

Ralak slams his eyes shut and gulps so hard it’s audible —visible even. You could see the bump in the column of his throat quickly undulate, his chest heaving harshly and his shoulders dramatically rising and falling with each breath he struggles to take. And for a while, there’s nothing but silence and his heavy breathing that you feel the overwhelming need to break it. 

“Ralak.” 

Your trembling, tiny voice snapping his head back up to you, once tightly closed eyes now flying open to reveal the most beautiful shade of mauve. They pierce into you like a spear through an unsuspecting prey, full of nothing but pure, unadulterated greed. 

You never thought you’d see them again except in that vision. You get lost in them for a little, studying how the gold ring around his blown pupils still remains even in a sea of indigo. 

You sense that he’s in the thick of his rut now and you need to relieve him soon, like he did for you. Or only Eywa knows what will happen. You allow yourself to finally take in the man before you in full, eyes trailing down his sweaty, muscular physique — perfectly carved v-lines and six fingered tattoo — until they land on his aching cock. 

Oh, fuck. Is he bigger? You think, admiring his mushroomy head and erect spikes. It’s oozing and dripping, unable to keep still from how hard it’s pulsing. It’s at least an inch bigger than usual. 

You look away to study his facial expression and by the way he’s looking at you, you can tell he’s waiting for your command, trying his hardest to prevent himself from pouncing on you and fucking you senseless right here and now. You’ve never seen him this way before. Straining so hard to keep himself in one position and struggling to keep his hands to himself. 

“Ralak… More.” You spread your legs as wide as they can go, holding them apart by the bend of your knees, exposing yourself completely. His heavy lidded eyes widen almost as much as your legs, pointed ears flicking upwards in excitement when he sees you assume such a vulnerable and submissive position. 

“Y/n.” He groans, voice thick with arousal and want and maybe a little desperation as he takes in the sweet sight of your still-pulsing and swollen clit poking out between your folds. “I am… losing control.”

Hearing your name fall from his lips in this way — this tone, instantaneously reignites the flame in your core. In seconds your slit is practically dripping, forming a pool of your slick underneath you. “Good.” You pant as you stare up into his slit-like pupils. You swallow quickly before mustering up the courage to invite the beast in. “Now…remind me who I belong to.”

How could he resist now? 

With the way you’re talking and your pheromones so pungent that they fill his lungs to the brim with no space for any other option but to fall into the thick of his rut. Before you can formulate another thought in your foggy state, Ralak has your legs pinned back and is diving nose first into your cunt. 

He wastes no time to have his fill of you, lapping up your juices so desperately your body moves from the force of his licks. He has been wanting to taste you ever since you made a mess on his fingers, fuck — ever since he got a whiff of your scent from outside his marui door, but denied himself the pleasure in the case he couldn’t stop himself from going any further. But now, all restraint and denial is now left out at that very door. 

The flat of his tongue trails up your inner thigh and then back to your folds, tasting a mixture of the sweetness of your slick and the saltiness of your sweat. He groans when his tongue finally grazes past your clit, feeling it throb against his taste buds. He lingers there for a while, swirling and sucking on you until he unlatches to come up for a quick breath of air. 

“Fucking ftxìlor [delicious].” He gasps out a curse, shoving your legs even further back to have seconds of his meal. 

It becomes evident that he’s doing this for himself. Because if he were doing this solely for you, he would have made you cum by now. He’s eating you out as if he’s been starved for weeks, sucking and popping off your clit just to lap up the sweet, sticky nectar seeping from your hole just to coat his tongue. 

He’s nowhere near as quiet as he usually is, grunting and groaning as he swallows your juices. His fingernails dig into your thighs as he tries to keep himself from being too rough with your tiny, dainty body. But, his attempts prove to be futile once you feel your hips lift off the ground from his grip tightening around your thighs. You stare at the sight of your mate between your legs, crinkling his forehead and squeezing his eyes shut as he can’t stop himself from indulging in his urges. 

“Fuck me!” You let out a frustrated moan, your heat having you so on edge you need to cum again. 

His eyes fly open, and within moments he’s tucked under your hips, pelvises flush together as he rests his throbbing, neglected cock between your folds. His tip touches your belly button with ease, beads of precum oozing out of his slit one after the next. 

“This is what you want, yes?” He bucks his hips into you, the tip of his cock smearing his slick all over your deep blue skin. 

“Fuck, yes.” You whisper shakily, chin meeting your chest to look at the masterpiece he’s painting on you. “I want my mates cock.”

He only responds with a rough growl, flipping you over and pushing you onto your stomach.

“Oh shit.” You mutter under your breath, a little afraid of what you’ve gotten yourself into. But you trust Ralak. 

You know that even in rut he would never hurt you. Not intentionally, at least. Of course this is not to say that he would be gentle —you expect that anything but.

With a firm hand to your upper back, his body is pressed against yours and his face nuzzled into the crook of your neck. He breathes in deeply through his nose, holding it in his lungs, and then letting out a hot, shaky breath against your skin, finally allowing himself to really take in your scent. 

He almost becomes drunk off it— at least it feels that way for him. Your scent has him feeling like he’s downed two full bottles of fermented fruit with no chasers in between and he simply can’t get enough of it. 

Hand moving swiftly from your back to your head, he pins your face to the bed as he trails his tongue along your jawbone to the nape of your neck. He lingers a little longer than he can help, suckling on and grazing his pointed canines against the skin. It sends shivers down your spine until your tail curls into the air and back arches in complete submission. You push back into him, feeling his hardened length pressed between the swell of your ass and base of your tail. 

Fuck, you just want it inside you already. 

“Lifting your tail for me, hm?” He huffs, puckering his lips against your skin and suckling tenderly. You can feel the emptiness creep back in, and that maddening itch deep in your womb. You moan softly, like a low hum under your breath, which only riles him up more. He feels like he wants to make you his all over again.

To mate with you. 

To mark you as his in every way so that no other man would even dare look your way. Without warning, Ralak pushes up off you, his sinewy arms caging you in with one hand binding your wrists and the other keeping your head pinned to the bed. His legs hold yours down, his knees locking your ankles in place. 

“You belong to me.” He growls next to your ear, his hand abruptly leaving your head to reach for the base of his skull for his kuru. With a quick tug, he brings it over his shoulder and pops it into his mouth to hold with his teeth. He reaches for your kuru that lies innocently in the dip of your back, and brings it towards his mouth.  

A wave of anxiety washes over you when the image of Ka’ani finding you earlier in your own mess flashes before you. You can’t help but wonder if he would see that if he made tsaheylu right now. Imagine how he’d react when he realizes Ka’ani saw you naked and covered in slick? Your body squirmed at the mere thought, only making Ralak tighten his grip on you. 

“Wait!” Is all you could blubber out before you feel the connection —the bond. Your eyes bulge when you feel him surge through you, two minds becoming one. It takes you by surprise, he’s never one to hastily or unexpectedly make tsaheylu with you. But tonight he makes the bond as if you were a tsurak to be tamed. 

What he sees next drives him further into his territorial urges — your interaction with Ka’ani. The way Ka’ani barged into his home. How he saw your naked, vulnerable body. The fear that you felt when another man invaded your space. When he helped you. Innocently touched you. 

“He touched you.” He says between pants, a mixture of emotions washing over him all at once. But the sharp pang of your heat transferring through tsaheylu has him entirely succumbing to his own urges and carnal instincts. 

He’s simply not there. 

His hips start bucking uncontrollably and his cock is poking and prodding at your puffy folds. The crown of his cock jabs at your clit a few times before finally parting your folds and with a quick snap of his hips he’s probing your entrance. 

It stings when his swollen cockhead breaks past the resistance of your tightness, and he can’t help but lay hold of your hip and hiss from how tiny you feel. This is the first he’s ever had his cock stuffed inside a pussy during his rut. The feeling is all-consuming and he unapologetically yearns for more.  

Hips snapping back, he pops his cockhead out of you only to shove it back in again. And again. And again until he’s repeatedly using your tight, little hole as nothing more than a fucktoy for his own self pleasure. 

He leans back to take in the hazy sight, admiring the way your hole stretches perfectly to accommodate the sheer thickness of his cock. And when he sees the mushroomy part of his head slowly emerge he can’t help the way his hips stutter just to sink it back inside you. 

It’s torturous, not having all of him inside you when that’s what your body is pining for most. He’s so much bigger than normal and you know that this is an itch that only he can scratch. “God—” You whine the foreign word, “—just fuck me already!” 

“Agh. Quiet.” He lets out an irritated grunt, both hands flying to your hips to shove you down onto his cock — a loud, audible smack permeating the air when your sticky pelvises collide. 

It almost overpowers the hoarse yet piercing cry that escapes your quivering lips. You’re so tender that the sudden stretch is too intense and with no time to adjust to his size you find yourself shuddering like you did after he took your innocence —your virginity. 

His head dips back in ecstasy just when his tip kisses your cervix, his eyes screwed shut as he tries not to spray his seed inside your womb right now. His fingers sink into your skin, surely leaving bruises behind that will last for weeks. 

“Hngh — woman.” He groans longingly, dropping his head forward and opening his ineberated eyes to witness how your cunt is sucking in every single inch of his cock with glee. 

He grinds himself inside you, tugging at your hips and pushing against the resistance as if he were trying to stuff more of his cock inside you. Your high-pitched shrill fades out into a pathetic little whimper, your wobbly elbows and knees struggling to keep you up.

It’s all too much and your fucked out mind goes blank. You can’t even process how your body is submitting to its owner and his rough touches, opening itself up to be bred already. You sense what’s coming next. Your back bows, elbows and knees burying into the softness of the bed as you try to ground yourself for Ralak to use you for his own relief. 

He does exactly that— hunching over you and shuffling his knees closer so he can gain more leverage to fuck into your slippery cunt. He puts all his weight on you, his fingernails almost piercing your skin when he begins rutting into you like his life depends on it. 

He sets a merciless pace right off the bat, pounding into you as if he were angry with you. He huffs and puffs from trying to catch his breath but fails because he can’t stop himself from humping at you. His body won’t let him, not until he’s ensured you're full with his seed and will bear his child. 

Hands quickly leaving your hips, he grabs your wrists, binding them together once more and the other grips your kuru and yanks it back. Your neck is exposed and your mouth hangs agape as you’re given no other choice but to take the jackhammering of your life. He’s never fucked you so hard or fast and perhaps it’s the haze of your heat but you just want more of him. 

“F-Fuck. FuckFuckFuckmeFuckme— yes!” You beg deliriously, pushing yourself back onto him. You can feel the way his cock is bulging from your lower stomach, but you couldn’t care less because you just want it even deeper inside you. Fuck, it hurts even but it feels so good that you can’t stop begging for more. “Deeper — oh, yesyesyes!” 

Ralaks groans become drawn out and he’s burying his hot face into the crook of your neck as his pulsing tip bullies its way past your cervix. It’s like white hot pleasure surging through your entire being and it has you so lightheaded you may actually pass out before he’s finished with you. 

His cock heats up inside your cunt, becoming so veiny you could practically feel each vein press against your gummy, slimy walls. He’s now panting open mouthed against your throat, his tongue darting out to lick your skin. He shoves your head down so he can access the back of your neck—a hot spot for your pheromones— and grazes his canines against you. Every fiber of his being is urging him to sink them into your skin and see if you taste as good as you smell. His fangs throb in his mouth at the mere thought, his hot saliva dripping off their length and down your neck. 

You’re so overwhelmed and overstimulated that you can’t form a coherent thought much less process the fact that you’re quickly nearing your climax. It’s as if you’ve surrendered all control over your body to him and he’s dictating what happens next. Your pussy walls tighten around him so much it aches and he outright whimpers. 

“Sst-ah.” He pulls away from your neck and slams his eyes shut, grimacing from the way your cunt is gripping his cock. At this point you’re so on edge that you’re just pinching him, locking him inside you and almost cutting off his blood supply. It’s more than painful for him, and he becomes peeved that you won’t ease up. 

Irritated, he aggressively slams himself into you so that you stop with your pathetic little pinching, but all that does is tip you over the edge. Next thing you know your cunt is helplessly fluttering around his cock and your pussy juices are trickling down your thighs.

“Mmm-fuck I’m cumming!” You moan the words so quickly they jumble together, “Cu-cumming! Cumming!”  

You throbbing around him has his eyes rolling into the back of his head but the more your body convulses underneath him the more he grows frustrated with you. How could such a little thing put on such a big performance? Why won’t you just stay still?

So he thrusts. And thrusts. And thrusts. 

Taming you in the only way his body knows how. Fucking into you without mercy or sympathy. He lets out a hiss, the first he’s ever directed your way, and tightens his grip. “Keep…” He pulls out of you until only the tip is left inside, “...still.” Ralak’s deep voice rumbles next to your ear as he slams every inch cock into your cunt, the mere force of his thrust almost knocking you onto your stomach. You let out a broken whimper, coming down from your high and already feeling the coil in your stomach wind and heat up again. 

“Haa—‘nna…make you swell.” He groans the fragmented sentence like a dying man, grinding so deeply inside you that his swollen balls rub against your puffed up clit. Your bruised cervix feels so good against his cock as he uses it to massage the most sensitive part of his tip. 

Experiencing nothing but absolute rapture, Ralaks head slumps into the crook of your neck, where he’s flooded by your scent. He only grinds harder. And harder, until he’s panting like a viperwolf against your skin.

“Fuck — please…” You beg through a shaky whisper, trying to free your hands from his undying grip, “I j-ust c-came.” 

He’s just so fucking big and deep that he’s touching parts of you that have never touched before, and he’s only getting more aggressive the more you push away his advances. Right now, you’re just a squirming, noisy bitch in heat that needs to be put in her place. To surrender and submit. And the pheromones wafting up his nostrils only drive him further into his bestial urges to claim you as his.

His teeth and gums throb in his mouth once more when the urge to mark you as his becomes indubitable. Much like the urge to keep you still enough to make you into a vessel for his seed. He indulges himself, yanking your head back to expose the bend of your shoulder. He hovers open mouthed over your flawless skin and gives you a kitten lick before ruthlessly marking you. 

Your eyes bulge and pupils constrict into nothing but dots when you feel his lengthy fangs plunge into your flesh. The wail evading your throat is deafening and only gets higher when you feel your shoulder set ablaze. His jaw locks into place and he holds you still as he incessantly claims you as his in more ways than just marking. Your eyes start to water and your body stiffens when you feel it. 

He’s bulging inside you. 

Stretching you out until your shoulder isn’t the only part of you on fire. You lash around, clawing at whatever’s in your way until your nails are dull but the more you move the more it burns. “Y-You’re getting bigger inside me!” You release a high pitched squeal, your elbows and knees finally collapsing under you. Now all his weight is on top of you, pinning you flat to the bed with nowhere for you to go. He begins groaning low and deep, drawing it out until it turns into a depraved growl. It feels as if he’s swelling inside you, as if he were doubling in size. As if he were — oh fuck. 

“You’re — you’re knotting me, lak!” You yell when you come to the realisation. It feels like there’s two of him inside you, stretching you to unfathomable lengths. Despite your continuous attempts to get him to let up, he continues to bulge inside you. “You’re knotting me.” You repeat the words in a weakened, croaky voice of defeat, finally giving in and accepting your fate. 

Riding out his high, his hips stutter out of his control — a familiar sensation now flooding your core. A rush of warmth inside you. It’s his hot seed pumping inside you, his cock thumping with each spurt. He groans and moans until you’re so overloaded with his cum it begins to drip down your thighs and mix with yours. 

He unlatches from your shoulder, lapping at the wound to prevent it from bleeding too badly. He plants a few rough kisses on the double crescent shaped mark and works them up to the lobe of your ear. He’s panting and sweating and he can feel the fog lifting now that he’s had his release. “‘m sorry.” He mumbles between wet kisses, now trailing them back down to the fresh wound to lap at it some more. “‘m sorry.”

“Ralak, I-I” You stutter, overloaded with all these new sensations. It’s burning worse than a hellfire wasp sting but at the same time it’s everything your body hungers for. “Haah.. it-it hurts” You whimper quietly, looking behind you to see the most inebriated eyes you’ve ever seen on this man’s face stare back at you. He releases his pheromones to help your body calm down and feel less pain, ultimately scenting you all together.  

“Mawey.” Ralak huffs, trying his hardest to stay still now that he’s quickly coming to the realisation that he’s knotted and marked you in one go. “Doing… so well, tahnì.” He tries to praise you but truthfully he’s still in and out of it, dazing off when he feels the occasional throb of your walls. 

“Am I? Am I helping you too, lak?” You ask in a surprisingly optimistic tone, proud that you were able to do what you were told was unmanageable. He musters out a nod, grunting as he finishes emptying himself in your womb. 

Feeling some level of sense and rationality, you ask him a question that’s been on your mind. “I’m going to get pregnant, aren’t I?”

“Mm.” He hums, nodding his head as he nuzzles himself into the dip of your shoulder, inhaling your seeping scent. 

“Is that what you w-want?” Your breath hitches as you flinch from his cheek resting on your shoulder.

“Mm.” Another grunt, followed by an unexpected, fervid thrust — his body answering your question on his behalf by ensuring every last drop of his essence is inside your fertile womb. 

You focus on steadying your breathing now that you’ve gotten your answer. 

“Irayo, muntxate [thank you, wife].” He says weakly, finally rolling you both onto your sides for some much needed rest. You chuckle. A weak one, but a chuckle nonetheless, and repeat his own words back to him.

“Do not thank.” You say with a smile, getting yourself as comfortable as you can for the long night ahead. 

—— 

[bodyelectr1c]

hiii i have a request can u do austin teasing reader during events pls?

tease

reader has enough of austin’s relentless teasing

a little bit of plot, but majority is just filthy

warnings: smut, teasing, semi public, sort of sub austin? oral (m+f receiving), bathroom ‘sex,’ whiny austin, overstim. probably more but idk

thank you SO much for the request!! i hope i did it justice, but if i didn’t, feel free to ask again, and delve into the idea more, or any other requests y’all have, i’ll try to fulfill them. anyways, enjoy!

you’d been used to austin testing the limits at events; finding a darker corner to quickly paw at your boobs, or subtly brush past you and angle his hips forward in the slightest, pressing his clothed length against whatever you’d been dressed in that night; it was his way of telling you how pretty you looked, and how desperate he was to fuck you into the mattress as soon you you both got home.

the idea of being caught turned him on, without a doubt- but he knew better than to take any of his teasing to another level. his career was unimaginably important to him; it wasn’t up for compromise, and he took pride in the work he accomplished, always feeling a ripple of unabashed confidence whenever complimented by someone- especially you, on his efforts and devotion to the characters he plays,

little did you know how much the praise made him want to fuck you dumb, bury himself deep in you and beg you to tell him how good he was at it. you only took notice of this after he came almost instantly after you somehow thought to bring up a recent award show nomination of his during sex, whining about how you were so proud to have a “famous boyfriend who fucks me so good,” squirming as he drilled your pussy into the mattress.

this made you extra sure to praise him as often as you could in the days leading up to the award show. it boosted his ego in a filthy way, and you relished in the fact that your words had such an impact on him

when the day of the award show finally arrived, and you’d both made your way through a myriad of cameras and interviewers on the red carpet showering austin with compliments of the work on his nominated role. these visibly improved austin’s already ‘over the moon’ mood for the night, and they accompanied the dirty remarks you’d been purposefully making in the last few days, most recently whilst bouncing on his dick babbling about how you were “taking the cock of a hollywood star,” as his eyes rolled back in his head.

you both found yourselves sat in a relatively close proximity to the stage, the table in front of you laden with a dark cloth, which austin immediately took advantage of, putting his hand to work tracing abstract patterns on your thighs through the slit in your sleek dress. you were used to this, and he never took it farther than this, but he was relentlessly needy with all the commendation that had been thrown his way thus far in the night.

in an attempt at subtlety, he brought his hand up from its prior position, and interlocked his fingers with yours, giving you a pleading look before squeezing your hand gently to communicate his sexual desperation to you:

“please baby- please, i need it so bad,”

he whispered against the shell of your ear. you’d decided to leave him almost writhing, not because it turned you on (which it did,) but because you knew how loud he could be, and at this point, after the array of compliments he’d gotten, even touching his cock over his clothes would exude whines and groans too loud to not draw attention to you two.

after sensing that you were not going to comply, he let out a barely audible whine, before resuming his previous task, this time with more vigour, his fingers hastily made their way up your leg and circled your inner thigh. you gave him a disapproving look, but didn’t have the self control to stop him. somehow, nobody had noticed yet, but you were sure your dress looked bunched at the mid riff as he lifted it higher tasking himself with pleasing you, maybe as a reward for complying and feeding into to his recently anointed cockiness.

his fingers pushed past your already scarce underwear, moving it to the side before working his fingers around in painfully slow circles, pushing deeper into your folds progressively.

“austin, stop- fuck, we’re gonna get caught,” you feigned confidence, failing and whimpering slightly as you leaned in his direction.

he only leaned in closer, breath hot against your skin: “can’t help it baby, you’re driving me crazy.”

as he continued his pursuit, it became clear that you were finding it harder and harder to control yourself, letting out occasional hums of pleasure and bringing your hand up to your mouth in a somewhat swift motion to stifle any escaping moans.

to allow himself to get deeper inside you, austin shuffled his chair closer to yours before planting a soft kiss to the corner of your lips, which, to anyone around you, would look like a quick act of endearment. frankly- having a ‘dirty little secret’ turned you on more than you’d like to admit.

his fingers stilled when another person you were too occupied to identify walked up to the your table, commending austin for his hard work, reaching out to shake his left hand all while his right hand remained still on your thigh, glossy with your slick

“thank you,” austin replied with a laugh, voice steady despite the situation unfolding below the tablecloth. “i really appreciate it.”

after they’d walked away, you’d decided you’d had enough teasing and abruptly got up, leaving austin’s hand slapping softly against his clothed leg as he looked up at you, big blue eyes laced with confusion and clouded with lust. he didn’t bother questioning as you mindlessly dragged him to the closest bathroom, figuring you both had enough time before anyone noticed you were gone

“baby, you look so divine i can’t keep my hands off you,” -austin practically melted against your body as he closed the door behind you both, locking it swiftly. he raked your dress up, making sure your skin was always touching in one way or another, hands desperately stroking up and down your thighs. he felt breathless without your touch, and you couldn’t bear to see him upset, drifting your hands up to messily tangle in his hair (his stylist would be sure to write you a personal death threat later)

he panted as he placed sloppy, open mouthed kisses all over your exposed neck. you finally gave him some friction.”i need you so bad baby, please touch me- please.”

untangling one of your hands from his hair, you outlined his prominent bulge through his pants. he stilled.

“fuck- fuck, please baby i need your mouth so bad- fuck!” austin whined, writhing for your touch, your warm mouth, your approval. he was too fucking far gone to narrow it down to one, he just knew he needed every single part of you.

you’d die before denying him, and you slid your hands down his now tight pants as you lowered yourself to the cold tile floor on your knees, before palming him, eliciting a string of praise from a very desperate austin, who, on a whim, grabbed your hand and pushed it harder onto his cock, throbbing with need.

“baby, i know you need it bad, but you gotta be patient,” you reassured him, coaxing him through the incessant yearning his hardness had left him with by finally undoing his dress pants and sliding them down enough to pull out his leaking cock. austin brought his hand to your cheek and cupped your face gently, looking at you with a filthy mix of adoration and lustful desire, eyebrows quirking up softly as your hand brushed against his length.

“i need you now, please pretty girl,”

you wasted no more time, taking his tip, red and leaking with anticipation, into your mouth. you gave him flat tongued licks from the thick shaft to the head as he groaned deeply, eyes screwed shut and mouth hanging open in pleasure. it was fucking lewd honestly, and you knew you didn’t have much time before someone came knocking at the door of the small bathroom.

“fuck baby, you’re s’ good, ‘s like you were made for me, your mouth feels s’ good” he was drunk on arousal, words slurring as he babbled barely coherent praises. his fingers tangled in your hair, guiding your head as you took him deeper into your mouth, your tongue swirling around his length, the tip red and weeping with precum. the sensation was fucking overwhelming to him, and he bucked his hips forward slightly, unable to control himself.

“god- fuck, yes,” austin let out a breathy groan, his voice a low rumble. “just like that, baby. you’re so perfect, s’ good for me.”

you hollowed your cheeks, sucking him harder, feeling his cock twitch against your tongue. the obscenity exuded from the mix of his desperate whines and groans mixed with the gagging and wet noises coming from you bobbing on his thick cock only brought him closer. you could tell, and you wanted nothing more than to push him over the edge, to make him come undone right there, right then. you moved faster, taking him as deep as you could, your efforts accompanied by austin pushing your head farther on his cock until he hit the back of your throat, your nose nestled in the patch of hair above his shaft.

"please, don't stop," austin whined, his voice high-pitched and desperate. “i need it so bad. pleasepleaseplease.”

you didn't let up, your pace relentless as you took him deeper, faster. his moans turned into almost pitiful whimpers, each sound making you more determined to make him cum. you could feel his cock throbbing against your tongue, the tension building in his body. austin’s breathing grew ragged, his grip on your hair tightening. “i’m gonna cum, baby. fuck, i’m gonna cum.” with a final, deep thrust and a particularly breathy groan, he spilled into your mouth, his moans filling the small bathroom. you swallowed every drop, savoring the taste of him, before pulling back and looking up at him with a satisfied smile.

before you could process, austin grabbed you by your wrists and gently pulled you up to your feet with a gentle kiss, pupils dilated and eyes dark with lust and genuine adoration for you. “need to make you feel good, please, you’ve been driving me crazy all night, baby” he whispered against your lips, his hands caressing your body. “wanna make you cum,” he panted against you, hot breath fanning across your skin making you shiver in anticipation.

after lifting your dress with one of his hands, he dropped to his knees wordlessly, warm breath ghosting over your already dripping core, sending shivers up your spine. your panties were fucking soaked, and he audibly groaned at the sight before him, basking in the glory of making you so wet without even touching you. he mouthed sweet kisses on your thighs, sucking and biting marks onto your skin as he used his other hand to tug at the sheer waistband of your underwear bringing it down, prompting you to step out of it. he effortlessly tucked your panties into the pocket of his dress pants after you’d stepped out them, making you moan out of just how dirty this whole situation was.

“austin, please, i need you baby, please touch me.” you whined, desperate to chase your release after seeing how good you’d made him feel.

without hesitation he latched onto you, his tongue moving with loving precision. you gasped, your hands flying to his already tousled hair, trying to keep yourself upright as waves of pleasure washed over you. his tongue worked it’s filthy magic, alternating between gentle flicks at your clit and slow, deep movements inside you. you were a babbling mess, your knees weak as you practically rode his face, his stubble brushing against your thighs as you clamped your legs around his head as much as the position allowed you. he relished in your moans, drinking up everything you were giving him- metaphorically and physically. the obscene noises coming from you, and his tongue swirling around your soaked clit were enough to make him insanely hard again. his hands help your hips gently but firmly to keep you steady, determined to make you cum.

“austin, fuck- i’m gonna cum” you tried to warn him, but the words dissolved into a cry of pleasure as your orgasm swept through you, your body shuddering with the intensity of it. every muscle in your body was tense, hands anchoring themselves in his hair in an attempt at staying upright. your breathing became progressively laboured, and loud- ragged, each inhale and exhale a struggle as you tried to maintain some semblance of control. he made it impossible. his fingers dug into the fat of your thighs occasionally, attempting to ground you the way he held you was almost reverent, as if he was worshipping you, savouring the way your body responded to him. as he continued, he hummed softly against you, vibrations adding another layer to the already intense sensation. his eyes would occasionally flick up to meet yours, displaying a filthy mix of arousal and adoration. something about seeing you like this, completely undone because of him drove him fucking insane; the way your back arched, the way your head fell back, the way your breath hitched with every movement he made—it drove him wild.

your legs began to tremble uncontrollably, your body on the verge of giving out. the sensation was too much, too intense, and you could feel the edges of your orgasm building, threatening to crash over you. you tried to tell austin how close you were, but all that came out was a string of broken moans and gasps. he seemed to understand, though, tongue moving impossibly faster around your swollen bud, more insistent, as if he wanted to draw every bit of pleasure from you.

just as your body decided you couldn’t take it anymore, giving into the stimulation, he changed his technique, skilled tongue pressing flat against your clit and moving in slow, firm circles. the change in pressure and speed was your undoing. your body tensed, every nerve ending on fire, as you finally tipped over the edge. your orgasm hit you in relentless waves, crashing over you, pulling you under. you cried out against austin as your legs gave out, hands clamping around his shoulders. your whole body shuddered, convulsing with the force of it.

austin didn’t stop, didn’t let up, drawing out your pleasure, making sure you felt every second of your release. his tongue continued its assault, gentler now, easing you through the aftershocks, lapping at your clit to catch anything your body would give him. he murmured praises against your skin, voice soothing, grounding. you could feel his hands still holding you, steadying you, as your body slowly came down from its high.

as the waves of pleasure subsided, you were left trembling, weak, your body boneless and sated. austin gently kissed his way up your body, his touch tender, loving. he looked up at you, his eyes filled with a mix of pride and adoration, his lips glistening with your arousal.

“you taste so good baby, like fucking candy” he whispered, his voice husky, filled with affection. he kissed you hungrily, letting you taste yourself on his tongue, the intimacy and sheer dirtiness of the moment almost overwhelming to you.

with a final, lingering kiss, he helped you back up to your feet, your legs still shaky from the intensity of your orgasm. “we should get back," he murmured, his voice a mix of laugher and satisfaction, a smirk lingering on his face as he chuckled at your fucked out state. “before anyone notices we're gone."

you nodded, still in the process of catching your breath, and began to straighten your dress, smoothing out the wrinkles left by austins desperate touches, and making sure you looked presentable. austin followed suit, his fingers running through his hair, fixing it as best as he could. his eyes never left you, a soft, lingering smile playing on his lips as he watched you.

“you look stunning baby,” he professed softly, his voice filled with awe. “even prettier now; fucking perfect, all for me.”

he opened the bathroom door slightly, peeking out to make sure the coast was clear. satisfied that no one was nearby, he took your hand languidly and led you back towards your table. the sounds of the beginning of the ceremony began to fill your ears, a stark contrast to the obscenities of the bathroom.

as you approached your table, you could see that no one had noticed your absence, the guests engrossed in the ongoing ceremony. you slipped back into your seats, austin's hand never leaving yours. he’d lost all his nerves about winning the award at this point, satisfied that no matter the outcome of the night, he’d fuck you into oblivion as soon as you both got home.

[turnfires-secret]

" Experiment "

ALBEDO X MALE READER SMUT

Bottom Albedo, Aphrodisiacs, Biting / Marking

Sex with Albedo is never boring. Being an alchemist, he comes up with all sorts of strange devices, elixirs and creations. Most recently, he had developed an enhancement elixir. One that could boost the taker’s combat and elemental abilities. The only drawback, however, was that before the effects begin to take effect, the elixir basically worked as an aphrodisiac. Since this was his latest creation, and creations needed testing… the amount of intercourse the two of you have been having had increased significantly. 

 Its calm in the living room of your shared house, reading wasn’t usually one of your hobbies but on certain days it just feels right. From within the room Albedo had turned into an at-home lab you could hear some light crashing and the sound of something, or someone bumping into things. It wasn’t too uncommon of a sound. Though, 2 minutes later Albedo walks out of his lab looking more dishelved than usual. His hair that was usually done up and tidy had strands out of place, the result of running his hands through his hair. The collar to his blue button up shirt was undone aswell. 

He looks dazed as he walks over to where your sitting, taking the book from your hands, closing it and gently setting it aside. It’s cute how he straddles your lap and cuddles into your shoulder. You can tell his body is starting to burn up, his breathing is deeper than usual. Tell-tail signs that he had been experimenting with more aphrodisiac. 

“Again? I’m starting to think your just experimenting with that stuff so you can have sex”

Theres a small audible groan from him before he replies.

“Flase, While i do enjoy engaging in such acts with you, i have infact been making significant steps in my research…”

“Mhh~ whatever you say”

Using one hand, you push him backwards against the couch and pin his hands above his head. Your free hand goes down to work to unbutton his shirt. You decide not to take off his shirt fully, leaving it unbuttoned, and hanging off his shoulders. The blond haired man lefts out a small hum as you kiss his neck while your free hand fumbles with his belt and the zipper of his pants. His neck has always been one of your favorite places to mark, to kiss, to bite. Though Albedo doesn’t particularly mind the way small bluish-red bruises seem join the star that has marked his neck since his inception. It was pleasurable, a sign for your bond to him, a constant reminder. 

Freeing Albedo’s cock from the confines of his boxers, you reach down to his hole to find that Albedo seems to have already prep-ed himself for this. How cute. Using some excess lube, you lean down into his neck and slowly start to jerk him off. Using your full hand, then just afew fingers to play with the tip, then just your fingernail to run against the small slit at the top. Compared to your own, Albedo’s cock was smaller, was is strange to think that was hot? Repeating these motions, over and over rewards you with the blond haired man’s breathy moans in your ear as you work your ‘magic’. By way of the aphrodisiac in his system, he cums quicker and more than he usually would. 

Getting back up from where you were previously in te crook of Aledo’s neck you undress yourself, you push his legs forward in order to gain easier access to his hole. Leaning down, you let your lips meet his before slowly pulling away and pushing in. You find yourself buried in his neck, kissing and biting as you set a slow yet rough pace. Your hand comes down from pinning his arms, now more focused on keeping yourself stable. A pace that the chief alchemist clearly enjoys by the way his nails dig into the skin of your back and the small pleasured hums that escape his lips. It was slow but rough and hard. It jolted Albedo’s body back every time. It made it feel like every time you pushed in, it’d hit deeper and deeper. Each thrust was like clockwork, your cock hitting so deep inside that he swears he could feel it in his head. It sent the equivalent of a shockwave of pleasure through his body every single thrust.

“M-mh~ Ah~ Y-You can go a-a bit faster”

You do and the small hums turn into audible breathy moans and whines. This new faster pace only served to intensify it all. The pace, forceful and rough was almost violent. Despite this Albedo found his aphrodisiac infused body enjoying the sensation to the fullest. Usually it’d feel like his body was being ripped in two, however the aphrodisiac worked it magic making this near-violent somewhat painful pace you set feel like celestia on earth. 

Albedo had moved on from simply digging is nails into your back, now he was holding you against himself as a way to stabilize himself, as a way to not stray too deep into pleasure. However, you can tell the alchemist is close by the way his insides clench around you, the way he gets louder. 

“Ah- Mh~ aah~! I’m going to- mh~! Y-Y/N~”

With such an angelic voice like that, how could you resist? Fucking him just abit harder you both eventually cum in tandem with each other, both of you taking afew second to catch your breath. Albedo, the ever hard worker, uses his arms to prop himself up as you slide your dick out of his body. Staring down as your cum begins to leak out, ee lets out a almost tired sounding hum before mumbling something along the lines of:

“ Be a shame to let this go to waste, perhaps i could use it in an experiment…”

He turns his attention to you, kissing you gently before getting out from under you, his pants left disgraded on the living room floor and his shirt unbuttoned. He was always so resourceful, weather that was a good thing or not way yet to be seen… 

Oh well… It’s not like you could be mad at him for too long. 

[alzvxs]

“you are like the stars” ft. Portgas D. Ace

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~🪷 a/n: C.ai have been inspiring me WAY to much recently😭. anyways dropping some fluff since not in the mood of hc’s today sorry yall :(!!

~🪷 my masterlist<3

~🪷 SUMMARY: F!reader teases Tired!Ace, by comparing him to the stars at night, while cuddling in your hammock.

y/n: orange text

ace: red text

w/c (word count): 1,208 (short😕)

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my pretty star♥️

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IT was a though day for both of you. WhiteBeard purposely giving tasks to clean the ship, since the whole crew was at the bar all day.

FINALLY it was night. you were laying on your hammock, reading a book. Ace walks in all tired and grumpy from the tasks, which brings a chuckle out of you. Ace tried his best to hide his smile when he heard your sweet little laugh.

“Cmere lay down.”- you said patting your stomach. nothing eased Ace more, than sweet cuddles and you using your sweet voice to talk about everything. isnt he just a pup?

he immediately laid down, burying his head in your stomach, wrapping his strong hands around your chest.

you snickered at him as you ran your fingers in his hair. Ace smiles even more as you run your fingers through his hair. The feeling made him feel like a very content puppy, and you could see his eyes flutter with every stroke of your hand through his hair. His body relaxed as he enjoyed this feeling quite a lot, and you could see one of his hands wrapping around your chest tighter. He lets out a content sigh and leans more into your body, his body warming up slightly from the heat of your hand running through his hair.

“and you deny that you are like a puppy.”- you teased him. he wasnt the type to admit his clingy and follows you around so he can ‘protect’ his woman, but in reality, he just wants to spend time with you.

Ace just rolls his eyes and chuckles again as he responds in a teasing tone.

"I'm not like a puppy at all. Psh. I'm way bigger and more handsome than any puppy could ever be. And I definitely do not enjoy being treated like a cute and adorable little pet, nor do I also enjoy being spoiled by you."

“then get off of me if you dont like it.”- you sounded like a mom, too tired to argue with her teenage daughter. your other hand was turning to another page of your book.

"Hmm... no."- Ace answers you, but he doesn't move to do what you say. His playful and flirty tone makes it seem like he doesn't mind being on you at all, and you can tell he even enjoys playing this game with you. His body stays in its relaxed position as he doesn't see any reason why he would move to get off of you.

“aw, my pretty bipolar princess.”- you replayed to him, a cocky smirk already printing on your face, as you stroked the back of his neck.

Ace sighs softly and relaxes even more when you caress his neck. His body is completely relaxed at this point, and you can tell this is something he is enjoying because of the way his eyes are already starting to shutter a bit more as he gets more and more comfortable with you holding and caressing him.

“you know you are like the stars.”- you broke the silence, trying to be sweet for once. not that you arent already sweet like a lollipop to him, but still.

This sudden confession and compliment makes Ace chuckle and he rolls his eyes before giving you a smug grin.

"Me? Like the stars? You could come up with any cute analogy, and you go with that? You've got to be kidding me."- He chuckles again, but you can see even now he is still relaxed as you caress the back of his neck. He seems as if he isn't going to bother moving from this position, as his tone still remains playful and flirty.

“oh my gosh, im trying to be sweet for once! hear me outttt!!”- you pouted, already annoyed. your reaction just making him laugh more and more.

“okay okay, fine. hehe”- he continued chuckling, but after around a minute calmed down. “you can continue now, sweetheart”

you sighed, continuing your statement. “wanna know why?”

"Sure, I wouldn't mind hearing why you think that. But, don't expect a sweet response from me if you do tell me."

“you are just unbelievable.”

“okay, fine, fine! im stopping. sorry, beauty. continue, please? i wanna hear it, i actually got interested, hehe.”

“because in the day you hide your emotions, all serious and stuff..like the stars. but at night you are relaxed more expressive and more loving..you shine at night..like the stars.”

when he hears your confession (or a little poem idk), he is speechless for a moment when you give him this analogy. In a way, you kind of had the right idea about what his personality was really like. During the day, he was stoic and cold, but when the night came, he was more relaxed and in a way even cuter than he usually is. He eventually smiles softly and chuckles a little.

"I didn't know you were as perceptive as this. Well, let me tell you this. You aren't wrong about me being more relaxed and affectionate at night. But, you aren't allowed to tell anyone else this."

“oh yeah? what if i tell someone?”- you spoke a little bit louder, a cocky smirk appearing on your pretty face.

“im gonna wipe this smirk out of your face!”- he barked back teasingly, his cheeks getting redder and redder.

“how?”

“by..”- he forgot his comeback, which made him only even more embarrassed.- “touché.”- he continued, his lips forming a pouty expression.

you pecked his cheek.- “you can never outsmart a woman, love.”

as much as he hated being defeated, he enjoyed seeing you all cocky and smirk-ish, cuz of your win. when you pecked his cheek, he closed his eyes and smiled goofy.

The night continued with both of you talking about the future, books, music, the ocean and etc. overall he is in cloud nine with you. after all every star needs their moon, innit? well you were his moon, and heck..he never was more happy. he wouldnt trade you for the world. he loved his moon way to much..his little precious moon..the best moon..the only moon for him was you..and no one else.

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i hope yall enjoyed♥️ (follow for more :3)

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[thatone-brightstar]

More than all the stars (Carmy Berzatto x Fem!Reader) (The Bear & The Fox Series)

Chapter 1: Peelers, pears & 'I'll be there's

Words: 3.8k

summary: Packing up the old, to bring in the new.

a/n: Hi, hope you enjoy! Remember comments, likes and reposts are truly appreciated even in old chapters. Also a lot of fluff cuz i think these two are missing it lol

Prologue.

Carmy had left a few hours ago, before sunlight could even break through the frosted windows and with you almost not noticing it. He made it past your bed and to the opened door on soft steps, but the heel of his boot scraped the wood unnecessarily hard; and a light shuffle from the bed followed the noise instantly.

“Carmy?” You asked quietly, voice muffled by the thickness of the comforter. 

You shuffled again to push yourself up as Carmy made his way to your side, leaning over you.

“Hey, yeah sorry- I didn’t wanna wake you…” He gently pushed your shoulder back to the mattress and watched you tuck both palms between the pillow and your cheek. “I gotta go in early, but you get some sleep, okay?” 

He leaned down to place a soft kiss over your temple, making you smile and move closer to the hand coming over your hair.

“Okay…” You mumbled back without bothering to open your eyes. “I’ll go visit later.”

“Yeah, sure. Get some rest.”

Carmy gave you a final kiss and before he could pull his hand away from your face, yours reached for it, giving it a light kiss on the discolored ‘S’ under his knuckles.

“Love you, Bear.” You said letting him go and pulled the covers over you once more.

“Love you, Bear.” He repeated without a thought.

His boot scraped the wood again once he noticed the naturality of the words and a sudden wave of cold anxiety washed over him in fear that you might have heard them. He turned his head to the cocoon of blankets you were buried under- undisturbed- and let out a breath of relief. He quickly made his way out the bedroom and past the apartment door into the hall, pushing back the crazy thought that has haunted him for later.

The freezing Chicago weather had kept you in bed for as long as possible, afraid of the chill that would seep through your socks once your feet stepped on the wooden floors. Still, you couldn’t stay more than usual once awake and instead forced yourself up and out to make something of your only day off. With a cup of fresh coffee in your hands and your hair still wet from the warm shower, you took a seat in front of your recently arranged studio in Carmy’s living room- your shared living room.

It still felt strange to call it that, because despite the fact that you had been sleeping at his place for a while now, living together was a whole different situation. You felt like so much had happened in a short period of time that there was still a lot you tried to wrap your head around. From the money, to Joyce’s wedding, to moving in with Carmy, all in under a month.

As your mind wanders away in all the ways your life has changed, your attention is swept away by swirls of light yellows, greens and reds that bounce bright over a shimmering lake. Carmy’s stereo plays one of the usual acoustic songs you use to fill the room while you work on the details, back hunched over in concentration. A few vertebrae pop in protest once you finally straighten your posture and move to rinse your hands of the paint.

Twenty minutes later and despite the cold, you shut the main door to the building and turn in direction to the one coffee shop Carmy likes, the one he always boasted about having the best hash browns in the city, and wait your turn in line to order.

You hadn’t been able to help as much at The Beef, the gallery had been buzzing with patrons since the charity event, that you rarely got a chance to leave the building before sundown. Many times you thought you’d reach the restaurant in time, but as everyone was leaving, covered in grime from head to toe, a part of you grew guilty for not being able to help as much as you’d like. So your contribution would come today in the form of coffee and lunch, because knowing Syd and your boyfriend, eating was probably the last thing on their mind.

Once your order is done and you have to juggle the sandwiches and steaming cups in your arms, the idea to go back for the car pops into your head. But you haven’t tried driving on your own yet and it doesn’t sound so appealing the more you think about it. Instead, you rearrange the paper bags and cup holders into a more comfortable grip and walk the twelve minutes it takes you to reach The Beef- ‘The Bear’ you correct in your head.

By the time you get there, your nose has grown red from the cold and your gloved hands almost lose their grip on the flimsy cup holders.

“G’mornin, hands please!” You yell once you manage to pry the front door open, in hopes that anyone is close enough to hear you.

“Me! I got hands, I’m comin’!” You hear Neil shout from where the steward section used to be, then you hear his shoes and the jingle of his keys move quickly towards you. “Ooh, is that chorizo!?” He asks sniffing around, taking the bags from your hands.

“Yeah- dude you got a good nose…”

“Thanks, my bro says I’m like a Bloodhound when it comes to food- can I?”

“Yeah, go ‘head.”

“Sweet…”

“Hey-” Syd greets you as she enters the room and offers you a quick side hug. “How’s apartment hunting?”

“Fuckin’ nightmare…” You grumble and carefully hand her the Chai with her name scribbled on it, then yell “I brought family! Come get it before Fak eats it all!”.

Ignoring the small ‘I’m not gonna eat it all’ from the man beside you, you begin pulling the aluminum wrappers and gently stack them over a paper bag to avoid the dust. One by one, the guys come littering in, with tired expressions over their faces, greeting you and grabbing a cup.

“Why don’t you just stay where you are now?” She asks, unwrapping her sandwich.

“Cause Carmy’s landlord’s an asshole.” 

“Carmy’s an asshole?” Marcus jokes, walking past you with a smile and ruffling your hair the way an older brother would.

You roll your eyes and swat his hand away. “Y’know, I’m really lovin’ all this contribution to the conversation.”

“Why’s your landlord an asshole?”

You sigh deep and take a sip of your cup. “Since it states in the contract that it’s only being rented for one person, a.k.a. Carmy, me being there is a violation, which breaks the contract, which means he can raise the rent cause he’s an-”

“Asshole.” Marcus finishes up for you and you point towards him in agreement. “Got it.”

“Wait, he can’t do that, can he?” Syd asks through a frown.

“I guess, I don’t know, I don’t know any lawyers.”

Her head immediately turns to Gary, whose attention is fully involved in the blueberry muffin in his hands. He raises his head at the sensation of your stares and after a few seconds asks;

“Is it rent controlled?”

“No.”

“Carmy bother to ask for a copy of the contract?”

“...no.”

“Then no. Sorry.” He answers with a shrug and digs back into his muffin. “...man I love these things…”

You sigh and look at Syd again, your eyes travel down to the familiar shade of blue, recognition cocking your head lightly to the side. “Is that my sweater?”

She looks down from her sandwich and shakes her head, stretching out her arm so you can see the little embroidered name on the sleeve. “Matching one’s , remember?”

“Oh, yeah…” You say with a head, remembering the day you bought the matching sweaters, along with the dress for Joyce’s wedding. “I like the little pattern.”

She swallows her bite and gives you a proud smile, posing from side to side so you can see the design better. You snigger at her little movements while everyone falls into a soft hum of conversation, mostly discussing the things that they still have to finish. You’re half way through your coffee when Carmy and Natalie finally walk into the room, immersed in a heated discussion over not having enough budget to cover the cost of ‘some stupidly ridiculous door knobs that no one’s even gonna notice, Carmen.’ 

“I’m gonna notice, okay?” 

“Yeah, well if you’ve got six grand to spare, go pick ‘em up from Italy yourself, they’re a no Carm- hey hun.” Natalie cuts off the conversation by greeting you, leaning in to give you a hug and missing the frown over her brother’s face. 

She sighs into the hug, holding on to you longer than usual. You don’t make an effort to move away, instead you rub your palms lightly over her back and ask a quiet ‘Everything okay Nat?’ into her hair.

“Yeah-” She says, pulling away and clearing her throat. “-yeah. Just that time of the month, y’know.” 

Natalie brushes your worry away with a thin smile and turns to grab her lunch. Your eyes follow her through the room until she disappears into the kitchen, then you look back to the untouched cup of coffee with her name wrapped around the middle. 

You can feel Carmy’s presence lingering beside you and the warmth of his hand on your center back sparks a smile over your lips. “Hey.”

“Hi.” He repeats, bright eyes darting around your soft features as his palm rubs timid circles between your shoulder blades. 

Carmy isn’t one for a public display of affection, instead he enjoys the quiet touches. The lingering looks across a crowded room and wrapping his fingers over your soft hand when he thinks no one is looking.

“I brought you hashbrowns.” You say and push a grease stained paper bag in his direction.

“Oh. thanks.” He says only letting you go once the savory scent reaches his nose. You notice the familiar chase of blue again, except now keeping your boyfriend warm and you smile to yourself. “Kasama?” He asks.

“No- I wish, but they’re closed today. It’s Minelli’s from down the street. Second best…”

“Yeah-” He chuckles lightly. “-second best. Thank you.” 

Your grin grows to your tinted cheeks, blue irises drawing you in and you look away in fear that your cheeks might burst from cuteness. 

“Yo, everyone say thank you for the food?” Carmy asks loudly around the room.

A chorus of jumbled up yes dad’s and thank you’s echoes back and makes you laugh. “It’s no problem. I was planning on helping out today anyway-”

Carmy shakes his head and chews faster, wiping the crumbs of the hashbrown off his hands and onto the sides of his jeans.

“Thank you, but no- you’ve already done enough-” He tries to dismiss before Syd cuts him off.

“That’s perfect actually- I need someone to finish packing dishware.”

“Yeah, I can do that-”

“-No…”

“-Carmy-”

“-Syd-”

“-Carmy.” You interrupt in an overly sweet tone that has his eyes darting in your direction. There’s a shuffle of movement as the staff take their food and slowly begin to shuffle away, leaving only you two. “Why not?” 

“It’s your day off. I don’t want you spending it stuck in here…” He answers with a sigh. 

“It’s just dishware…” You shrug and tilt your head slightly, hoping that he gives in with the look you’re giving him.

Carmy searches around your face for a few seconds then pinches the bridge of his nose and nods. “...okay fine, just- don’t hurt yourself… everything’s fuckin’ gross right now.” He runs a hand through his hair and watches you agree happily. “Alright, I gotta go talk to Nat ‘bout some stuff, but I’ll check on you later.”

Carmy reaches out a hand to gently knead your forearm, then quickly turns around. 

”Hey-wait-” You call out to him, lowering your voice to a whisper. “Don’t you see somethin’ weird about your sister?” You ask, eying her suspiciously through the little window that peeks into the kitchen.  

“What? What d'you mean?” Carmy answers. 

“I dunno. She just seems… off.”

“Stress… I guess- I dunno. Probably nothin’.” He brushes off, but you eye her for a few seconds longer as he moves again towards the back.

**********

There isn’t a part of you that’s not covered in a thin layer of dust or sweat since you got to The Beef- The Bear- 'Dammit.’ It’s a strange situation to see, you had never known the place could be so quiet, gloomy or empty. 

The walls had been stripped of any trace of personality, leaving only the dusty shadows of frames marking the white paint. The front windows were patched with old newspapers, blocking out the light and giving the space a more depressing feel each time you climbed back up the basement stairs. 

You have spent all afternoon packing up utensils and throwing out silverware that had known better days. Carmy had passed by a few times and insisted you should save yourself before the place swallowed you up, but all he got was a snigger and a soft pat on the cheek. ‘It already has.’ You say with a smile, before moving to tape up one of the boxes. 

Between scrolling through apartment listings and packing most of the dishware up, you hadn’t noticed you were almost working in the dark until Richie flicked the switch and you were startled by the change in lighting.

“Thanks.” You say with a head nod that he reciprocates. “You good?”

He nods again, though mostly by inertia. “Yeah- yeah I’m good. Just, um, dropped off Ava at her mom’s.”

“How is she?”

“Oh I dunno- I didn’t see her-”

“-I meant Ava.”

“Oh, she’s great!” He answers with a new found glow over his face. “Yeah- she’s been really getting into painting recently. Oh, you should see her- she’s so good! I’ve been thinking about signing her up for classes, but they’re fuckin’ expensive, y’know?”

“Why don’t you just put her in mine?” You state like it’s obvious and shrug, sorting out the last pile of forks. 

“Yo-wait, seriously?” Richie asks in a perplexed tone.

“Sure, I can talk Marge into a family discount or somethin’, if you want.” 

“Yeah- no that’d be great, I’ma go tell her the good news… thanks.” You shrug again and offer him a smile before he turns back around. Then you hear his familiar voice from inside the kitchen shout “Yo cuz, your girl’s The O.G.!”

His excitement causes you to shake your head and a small chuckle to escape through your nose as your attention falls back into the silverware. The repetitive action keeps you busy enough in your head that you don’t notice Carmy’s steps moving in your direction.

“Here.” He says, placing a glass of water by the pile of stained forks and quickly leaning down to peck your hair.

“Oh, thanks.” You say back with a small smile and crack your strained knuckles before holding the glass up and taking a sip.

“I think I’ll be a bit longer, Syd wants to talk menu. You don’t mind?” 

You nod and swallow the fresh liquid. “No, don’t mind.”

“Y’sure? It’s pretty late and I don’t know how long it’ll take.” He asks again, one hand pushing back the stray hairs that have fallen out of your ponytail throughout the day. “I know you’re probably tired, sorry.”

You shake your head and reach a hand up to rub the stubble on his cheek. “ Carm, you’re good. Go take care of the menu. I’ll finish here and you can look for me in the office once you’re done.” You smile up at him and give him a gentle pat.

Carmy wraps his hand carefully around your wrist and turns his head to kiss the heart of your palm. There’s still a faint scar of your accident with the pears and the peeler, but he tries not to mention it. He lets go of your hand with a shy smile and a sigh and moves back into the kitchen, where he’s spent most of the afternoon.

The rest of the silverware doesn’t take you more than fifteen minutes to finish and you only notice the slight protesting ache coming from your knees while dropping off the last box downstairs. Rolling out the tension on your neck, you move into the empty office and slouch over the old chair that you hope they replace in the future.

With only the dim yellow desk lamp illuminating the room and the sudden fatigue falling on your shoulders, the corners of your vision begin to blur. You fold your arms over the desk and rest your head above it with eyes closed, getting ready for a short nap. Carmy would wake you up in a few minutes anyway and you’d finally get to go home.

**********

A sense of guilt deepened the frown over his face when he saw the uncomfortable position you were sitting in, one outstretched arm holding your head while the other hand curled under your chin. He didn’t expect for the first ideas of the menu to take that long- half an hour at most- but when he pulled his phone out to show Syd a reference photo, the clock read ten minutes to midnight and his brows raised in shock. He called it a day and promised Syd they’d continue tomorrow, then scrambled to the office where he found you heavily asleep.

He moves towards your slump body and crouches down to your side, hand moving away the pieces of hair that have fallen over your face.

“Honey...” You grumble softly and hide your face deeper into your arm. “Baby, c’mon let’s go home.” 

Carmy tries to stifle the smile that forms from his words and from the cute noise you make in protest.

“What time is it…?” You ask, finally opening your eyes and stretching out your numb arms.

“Almost midnight- m’sorry, I didn’t notice the time.”

You blink your eyes several times to try and refocus your gaze, then smile lightly when you catch his stare. “What’s wrong?”

His grin turns slightly down in confusion. “Why, uhm, why would- why would you think that?” He asks in a low voice.

Pushing yourself off the desk, you prop up your elbow and rest your head over your palm, sleepy eyes set on him. “You’re over apologizing again.”

Carmy's eyes widen lightly then shrink with a grin, turning to the floor. He looks back up to your amused smile and points a finger to your nose. “wow…” He whispers and leans his forehead against yours.

After a few silent seconds, Carmy takes in a deep breath and pulls away after kissing the space between your eyes.

“So what is it?” You ask again and watch him straighten his knees and lean beside you on the desk.

“Turns out we might be over budget…”

“Over the whole 300k?” You repeat in slight surprise as he nods. “How much?”

“‘Bout 130k and counting.”

“...shit.” Is the only appropriate response that comes to mind.

“Yeah…” He agrees absentmindedly. 

“So… Jimmy?” You say after a while. knowing the answer before he even finishes pinching the bridge of his nose.

“...yeah. He’s comin’ in tomorrow mornin’.”

You slowly nod back in acknowledgment, then push away from the desk to stand beside him. Your head drops to his shoulder and his’ immediately follows yours. “You’re gonna need a killer pitch.” You mumble and he responds with a short laugh.

Carmy wraps an arm around you and guides you both out the office, switching off the light and closing the door. 

“Before I forget, I have some places for us to check out next week, you’re sure you can make it?” You ask him once outside the warm building, wrapping your jacket tighter around you before your teeth begin to chatter.

“Yeah, I’ll probably have to meet you there, though.” He answers as he finishes locking the side door.

“That’s fine- I just wanna make sure you’re there… I don’t wanna choose somethin’ you’re not gonna like.”

“I’ll be there.” He assures with an insistent nod.

Carmy notices how the peaks of your face begin to dust with a slight pink and he leans closer, putting an arm around your shoulders, for warmth. You look up at his face with a soft smile, eyes tracing over his features- mostly hidden under the shade of his baseball hat- and your hand holding onto his arm. As simple as that, you believe him.

**********

Taglist: @pearlstiare @teteminne, @beebslebobs, @harrysmatcha, @yum-yahgurt, @pussy-f41ry, @kirakombat, @redsakura101 , @hobisunshine13 and that’s it lmao

[fuckyeahbaldursgate]

Bhaal's errant progeny and BG3.

Hey all, just some witterings from me that I really wanted to post about a particular encounter because it just super irked me. This post contains spoilers for Act 3 and specifically the serial murders quest.

My overall view is that most of the returning cast from the original BGs have been treated fairly respectfully and consistent with their character arcs in BG1/2 however, there is one unfortunately that I just don't like and that's Sarevok. Yep he's back for a brief encounter where he's revealed to Orin's granddaddy and he's going to smack your butt for funsies. Now while I enjoyed the fight itself the overall conversation / plot points were kind of disappointing for the following reasons:

1.) No Kevin Michael Richardson. Given the guy recently starred in Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear and is a fairly prolific voice actor I have no idea why they didn't ask him to do this role and given his distinctive voice, it's really noticeable. I appreciate with the other returning characters haven't got their original VAs either but I think Jaheria and Minsc's VAs do a good impression of originals and in some ways can hide behind the accents of the characters.

2.) Ignores the impact of Imoen's soul. It's referenced in the conversation that the fairest Bhaalspawn resurrected him so that implies that BG3 assumes it was Imoen who gave a bit of their soul to revive him in Throne of Bhaal. Now there were a few conversations that touched upon the fact that Sarevok was actually mildly influenced by this (he has cravings for sweet things and other strange things etc.). I'm not saying that this would have completely turned him overnight into a good guy but his re-embracing of Bhaal seems contrary to this.

3.) Inconsistent with conversations with Sarevok in BG1/Throne of Bhaal. In my view, the game is fairly clear that Sarevok's goal was never to serve the Lord of Murder but to become him. Furthermore, in TOB he actually seems pretty accepting of the fact that he failed to achieve that and is almost regretful in places, particularly in relation to Tamoko's fate. Why has he gone back to serve the Lord of Murder no less in BG3 when he wasn't really a true believer in the first place.

4.) Inconsistent with Sarevok's epilogue at the end of Throne of Bhaal. Sarevok's arc in TOB revolved around the nature versus nurture argument. One of the big challenges the Bhaalspawn faces is the revelation that Gorion had the opportunity to take either you or Sarevok and it was pure luck that you were chosen instead of him. The question for the Bhaalspawn is: would you have turned out exactly the same as Sarevok had you not lived in the relative safety of Candlekeep? Sarevok is given an opportunity to do things differently at the end of TOB. His epilogue notes that he never settled in one place for too long, routing an army of orcs before he conquered an entire city by himself only to then mysteriously vanish. The epilogue concludes that he actually returned to Kara-Tur to bury Tamoko and never returned, which ultimately suggests that Sarevok is a changed man at the end of TOB.

So yeah it seemed really lazy to me that he's just back as another mook of Bhaal for you to mow down. Now I've been playing a fairly neutral drow wizard who turned down the offer of becoming an assassin of Bhaal so maybe this comes across better if you have more time to talk to him but yeah was left feeling a bit sad by how he ended up in BG3.

[isagrimorie]

I'm reading sections of Fifty Year Mission -- the book documenting behind-the-scenes of the Trek franchise, and of course, being me, I skip right to Voyager and then right into Seven of Nine's introduction.

And oof.

It is a wonder how any good Trek is made, more so, that Seven of Nine is as good as she was. It was oof the way the character and Jeri were discussed behind the scenes.

A lot of fans know this, of course, but it's a wonder Jeri Ryan has any confidence because the way she's described as 'Walking Tits' was just terrible.

Seven of Nine enduring and becoming a favorite as much as she was is a testament to Jeri Ryan as an actor. Writing is part of it, but without Jeri to bring Seven to life she wouldn't have been memorable.

And, of course, there's the large part Kate Mulgrew played in how miserable Jeri was during those years.

Kate made Jeri so miserable that she hasn't watched (as of the book) Voyager Jeri ended up hating Star Trek because of her experience. She's grateful for playing Seven of Nine, and the rich canvas she was able to do with it but... I think after Voyager she thought she was done with Star Trek.

It's why, no matter what people think of Star Trek Picard as a whole, I am grateful for the whole production for bringing back both Seven of Nine and Jeri Ryan.

Especially Jeri Ryan, who finally had positive experiences on a Star Trek production. In a way, I'm glad the TNG cast kind of adopted Jeri Ryan into their cast since the TNG crew was the tightest crew during '90s Trek and beyond.

But also, because of Jeri's experiences on Voyager, she's always made sure to make the new people welcome, and as Evan Evagora (Elnor) mentioned in a recent interview, Jeri was like his big sister on set. She's always willing to speak up for people from crew to a guest day player.

In the Picard S3 commentaries, I love how Frakes and the others went quiet in Bounty once she started talking about Voyager, and they all said, in awe, how sneaky good Jeri Ryan was.

(Also, Jeri loves Frakes because of her time on Leverage, and vice-versa. There's a lot of cross-pollination between Leverage and the Trek productions).

(I know, too, some Trek fans here hate Terry Matalas -- which, as a 12 Monkeys fan, is... a strange state to be in -- but another reason Jeri enjoyed working on Star Trek Picard so much is how Matalas is one of her best friends. Jeri and Terry started Voyager the same year, and he was one of the few people who was kind to her.)

To Kate Mulgrew's credit, she took ownership of how terribly she treated Jeri.

In Hollywood, not a lot of people would own up to bad behavior and make amends, which she did.

Time away from the show and an overdue long heart-to-heart conversation between Kate and Jeri helped bury the hatchet. I don't think they'll ever be best friends but at least all the bad blood is under the bridge, and they made it to the other side.

Anyway, I am glad Jeri Ryan re-experienced Star Trek in a more positive light.

Also, Jeri is kind of tired of the catsuit questions anytime it's brought up in interviews you can hear that she's over the question.

[evilminji]

I recently read your DPxDC post comparing the Ghost Zone to Yggdrasil.

Ans I've been playing Elden Ring again lately, mostly because the Lore in it keeps dragging me back.

And I think you'd like the concept of Erdtree Burial. It even matches up with your post.

Imma try my best to explain the concept so Spoiler starts here:

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

Anyways, so Erdtree Burial means to take a recently dead body of someone who committed grand feats and/or is worthy of honor, and place them to rest amidst the roots of the Erdtree (which is basically Yggdrasil vut legally distinct).

The Tree itself will then take the soul and memory of the deceased and etch them upon itself, preserve their soul and remember them.

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

What if the Erdtree is that world's link to the World Between Worlds?

So, can you imagine all these Elden Ring Demigods, Honourable Dead and Great Fighters occasionally taking a leisurely stroll out of their Afterlife Home amidst the branches of the Erdtree to go visit the Ghosts that live in the Zone?

Random giant dude passes by, twin Greatswords at his back, and goes to grab a whole 20 barrels of ecto-ale to bring back to his friends.

Danny, coming back from visiting Clockwork, has to do a double take, and ask the bartender some questions.

"While was that guy? He looked a little too golden to be a Ghost"

"Ah, that's just Radahn. He says he's a General or something. That he once held back the stars all by himself. Apparently fought some wars, and they still needed like 20 great warriors fighting together to put him down after he went senile. Hogwash, if you ask me."

Danny hears that the guy used to throw hands with celestial bodies regularly, and knows exactly where he'll be for summer vacation.

If the Tarnished player character is already Elden Lord by then, I can definitely see Danny coming back wearing the Twinned Armor set.

(Especially if it's my Strength/Faith/Arcane character. She used the Butcher's Knife greataxe, with the Stormcaller Ash of War and a Bleed enchantment, plus Rot Dragon and Black Flame spells)

Hello yes! I DO enjoy this thought! You were ABSOLUTELY correct!

Haven't played the game? But? Now? I CAN NOT get the idea of the Zone itself being The Erdtree out of my head?

Great and endless. With roots and manifestations, that may or may not reach into the world it cradles, that will imprint upon itself souls of those buried close. That it may cherish them FOREVER.

Are we within in it? Held by it? Consumed? It is not for our mortal minds to know. Perhaps not even for gods to know.

But, oh. OH! What made Danny so DIFFERENT? No answer found in his world. No answer found anywhere near it. Yet? Here they know it. A simple answer, given freely. It feels almost unfair. Like he has been cheated of catharsis. As though he should have had to fight and scrape and FORCE them to speak.

They can not even begin to understand, what it is like. Being so alone.

Or maybe... maybe they can.

He's not sure which he wants more. Which he fears is true.

For what was the portal? If not sharp blade cut into the celestial earth? Plunging into starlight soil and primordial soup, to the tangled roots of something greater. A tree. THE tree. Dragging back that soil and nicking those tightly woven, buried things. A welling of ichor, golden and green and DIVINE.

A plunging of that blade into his heart.

His lifeblood with the tree's.

A pathway where none could ever have been.

Oh, what rituals we blindly perform. Our ignorance of their meaning does not give them less power, only leaves us unguarded. It does not have to be on ancient stages and with ancient things, to be a ritual. It can be a laboratory. A machine instead of a ritual blade.

Still a thing forged by Father's and Mother's hand, that killed the Son.

And then Again, through the twist of Time, by dear friends hand, first in ignorance now twice in knowing, killed again.

Twice Half Dead, Is A Corpse. And Thus, With The Tree.

Cradled and loved. Etched forever into itself. Perhaps even a bit more so, for the difficulties of his birth. For how rarely does the Erdtree bleed. How rarely the Zone spill its Divine blood. A little starlit snowflake, flitting along its many paths. Cradled in its heart. So clever and bright.

The problem, I imagine? Is that such a Divinity? Has a very distinct nature. You give unto them. They take. They cherish. They do not return.

And Danny is being a Trouble Child. Sneaking off into Worlds, mostly his own, and NOT staying in the Zone. The Tree's domain. Other Gods have power in those places! Child, cease! That is dangerous! It is like a mermaid deciding to go climb the alps. Even if she CAN make legs for herself, that is WAY to far from the safety of her God's domain! Are you mad, child!? Have you heard of acceptable Risk?!

Danny has. It made a whooshing noise as he tossed it out the window.

[goshdangronpa]

Sayaka Maizono!!

Hi, anon! I'm so glad someone asked about her, she's always fun to think about. A character you can really play around with in different contexts and interpretations. It's weird that I haven't written a story about her yet.

Sexuality Headcanon: Sayaka is straight-up gay. I saw that one bit from Danganronpa S, they're no way she could like Makoto as more than a friend!

Gender Headcanon: Cis, but the type who's actually thought a lot about gender rather than passively assuming that vagina = girl. I believe she'd support a transfem idol ... so long as she remains the Ultimate.

A ship I have with said character: I recently wrote about a couple of reasons why I find ikuzono so appealing! It can be a real mutually healing relationship, with two people who've hurt and been hurt finding solace and sympathy and redemption in each other. It can also be a relationship where they bury bodies together. I've also read a truly great (and tragically incomplete) series that anyone who likes Sayaka, Mukuro, and good writing in general should check out: Sing Me a Song of Despair!

A BROTP I have with said character: Sayaka's goal is to be an inspiration for girls and women. All girls and women. As a transfem Chihiro supporter, I quite enjoy the idea of this embodiment of femininity helping Chihiro reconcile some of her gender hang-ups. Women with strength don't have to be ripped like Sakura, athletic like Aoi, or scary like Genocide Jack. They can be beautiful, sweet, girly, confident, and determined like Sayaka. I think her support would really shake Chihiro's worldview ... though Sayaka might still agree with her that it's a dog-eat-dog world out there.

A NOTP I have with said character: Sayaka is virtually the only female Danganronpa student I wouldn't ship with Ibuki, mostly because I'm really committed to a rather detailed sayabuki arc that ends in turmoil. Two teen girls hit the big time at the same time, and their managers get the bright idea of pairing their acts in a summer package tour. As they travel across the country and work hard to one-up each other's performances, they show each other the weirder sides of themselves that the public doesn't get to see. They bond over a mutual passion for music ... and, one night, discover a mutual passion for girls. It doesn't take long for them to start exploring their sexuality together, snatching kisses and cuddles in the rare moments when they can evade their bandmates and entourages. Ibuki lets herself fall wildly in love ... but Sayaka's keenly aware that the tour will end. One night, after sneaking onto the roof of a supermarket after hours to have a truly private moment and watch the stars, Sayaka asks, "You know this won't last ... right?" She lays it out: idols aren't allowed to date anybody, much less someone of the same sex, and she won't compromise her career or her dream over a little summer affair. Ibuki’s devastated. It proves to be the last push she needs to drop her own pretenses and be her true, freaky self, ultimately splitting the band and creating the rock iconoclast we know and love. Sayaka would still think about her sometimes, even listen to her new singles when few former fans would, wonder if that girl was right that prioritizing her career over her relationships may bring success but not fulfillment ... She doesn't regret anything.

A random headcanon: Sayaka didn't accept the invitation to Hope's Peak immediately because she feared it would eat up precious time in a career that's already expected to end in her late 20s at most. She eventually accepted for precisely that reason: that Ultimate status will open doors long after the industry stops seeing her as youthful enough to sing on stage.

General Opinion over said character: I'm of two minds, and both are extremely positive. 1) How can anyone possibly dismiss Sayaka as a loathesome snake when the entire goddamn point of that first murder trial is that the killing game, one of the most stressful and extreme situations a human being and especially a literal kid could ever face, could compel even an otherwise kind person to commit murder? You don't have to like her for her attempt at murdering Leon and framing Makoto, but if you don't buy that Sayaka was ever a nice person, I reckon you've missed the point of Danganronpa. 2) Sayaka has a devious and coldly pragmatic side ... and that's fun. I like the idea that she's generally kind and sweet, but a bit of a sneaky bitch when she really wants something or really doesn't care for someone. In a non-despair AU, this would be ripe for drama and especially comedy! Let her be little a snake, as a treat🐍

[nonexistent-introvert]

Birthdays (paper stars 9)

Paring: Joel Miller x f!reader

Word count: 4K

Content: Joel’s birthday, Sarah and Joel’s dynamic. Swearing (Im not sure my brain isn’t working.)

A/N: I went for HSLOT recently and idt I’ve truly recovered. Anyways enjoy this long chapter that is more messy than anything bc I’m writing this at 1am to deal with the fact that it’s a weekday tmr.

Paper stars masterlist

Tommy wanted to bury himself six feet under. The atmosphere, the tension and the sullen looks on Joel and your faces made him incredibly uncomfortable. He had spent almost an entire week before he managed to convince you to hang out with him and Joel. He had spent the same week assuring Joel that he would help make things right between the both of you. Tommy could not keep up a conversation between the three of you, he could only have a single conversation with one person at a time while the other drifts off into space.

You were trying your best to mask your emotions. The various notifications from Joel still sat unread and unnoticed on your phone. Tommy could tell that you were trying your best to keep the mood up with smiles that never quite reached your eyes, polite smiles that you had given to everyone. Joel used another strategy to masked his emotions, he didn’t hide his true feelings behind smiles but simply a blank and unreadable look. Preferring to withdraw himself.

“I fucking give up. What the hell happened between the both of you. You guys have never been this distant with each other before.” Tommy snapped, folding his arms over his chest. SImilar to an adult trying to settle a disagreement between two children. Joel glanced at you, his eyes shining with vulnerability. You looked behind Tommy’s shoulder, shuffling your feet with a small smile on your face. “It’s nothing Tommy.”

“Nothing?” Tommy huffed, “I could have been catching up on sleep today but I decided that i would play peacemaker between the two of you and this is what i have to go through?” tommy complained. “I never asked you to play peacemaker.” Joel muttered. A comment that earned him a single cold glare from you to which he looked away after. “Well, I’m sorry then. I’m sorry for always sticking my big fat nose into your affairs Joel. I guess I would always be the younger brother trying to kiss his older brother’s ass to you.” Tommy spat. Joel was losing his patience, paired with the lack of sleep and constant worry from the past few days, it was an understatement to say Joel was losing it. “Yeah? I’m glad you realised-”

“Enough already.” You pushed Joel away from Tommy. “Fucking hell.” You ran your hands through your hair. “Yes, something happened between us but as you can see none of us here is ready to talk about anything.” You told Tommy calmly. Tommy clenched his jaw, sparing a glance to you before he closed his mouth again. Biting back any remarks he was going to make. He quickly hailed a cab, slamming the door before the driver drove away.

“What the hell has gotten into you?” You shouted at him. Shaking your head in disappointment. Joel stood still, his eyes casted onto the floor. You pursed your lips, how much of him have just been a projection from your past? You turned your back when you heard his heavy footsteps. He held your arm with a firm grip. “Can we talk? Please.” He asked, his eyes boring into yours. You looked at him, contemplating an answer. He looked down, trying to find the right words. “You have been ignoring me and everything I did to reach out. Just listen to me this time and I’ll stop bothering you.” You didn’t miss the hurt look that flashed across his face when you wrung your hand out of his grip.

“What the hell was that to Tommy?” You asked, feeling unjust for your best friend. Tommy was trying to lift the mood, he didn’t deserve receiving those comments from Joel. “Fuck, I just- I just snapped at him. I’m sorry- I. Fuck I’m just a mess.” he laughed cruelly at himself. You leaned against a railing, inviting him to do so too. “Hey, just-calm down.” You comforted, Joel was sweating, his breaths was uneven. He already had enough health issues to worry about.

“I-. I meant to say that I’m sorry for standing you up. I didn’t mean to I swear. I just got carried away with the drinks.” “With another girl?” Joel’s eyes widened, did you see him? “You saw me?” You sighed, “I walked past the bar on my way back.” Your heart sunk, Joel had just confirmed your suspicions. “No, you got it all wrong. She’s Tommy’s girlfriend. I was with Tommy that day.” Joel let out a shaky breath, “Tommy asked me to go get drinks with him, he wanted me to meet his girlfriend. Her name is Maria.” You opened your mouth to ask for a further explanation. Then all the thinking you did for the past few days hit you, him drinking with another woman shouldn’t bother you. “I-I honestly don’t care that you’re drinking with others Joel. I was just upset that you stood me up without a further notice.” “I’m sorry, I know it doesn’t help but I just got carried away. It won’t happen again.” You turned away from him, a heavy question on your mind.

“Would there even be an ‘again’?” Joel tilted his head in confusion. You closed your eyes, swallowing the lump that was forming in the back of your throat. “What was that dinner even for Joel?” It was just another phrasing for the cliche question, “What are we?” He would notice if he knew how to read between the lines. Joel furrowed his eyebrows, the wrinkles making their presence known. He knew exactly what you meant, but the doubts that formed that day was present today again. “It’s just a simple dinner.” He replied. You nodded, chuckling lightly at his answer. It was all in your head all along. “I see.” You replied. “Thanks for clearing it up.” You smiled to him, a smile that seemed so distant.

“Are we… good?”

“Yeah, I guess we are.”

Joel knew he gave you the wrong answer as he watched your figure retreat into the distance. He kicked the ground frustratingly. It was for your own good. He told himself.

=================================

It was anything but good. Everything changed after that. You stopped coming around for dinner, Joel stopped coming around at night. The only time you talk to Joel is when Sarah is around. You started keeping yourself busy with work and other friends. Joel focused on his business and Sarah. It was like you guys had started waking your own separate paths.

Tommy noticed of course. His relationship with Joel went through a rough patch after that day too. It eventually evened out, like all the rough patches he had with Joel. At first he thought that the both of you just never resolved whatever happened. However, Joel wasn’t his distracted self, he was in fact even more focused than before. You started smiling and laughing more carefree, grinning from ear to ear when he sees you around or through pictures of you on social media with your friends.

“We settled it.” Joel had told him but your absence in Joel’s life made him realize that even if it may be resolved, something big had happened.

“Uncle Tommy.” Sarah snapped Tommy out of his daze. Tommy tightened his grip around Sarah’s hand, leaning down to ask her what’s wrong. “Do you know what happened between Dad and -“ Tommy’s loud sigh cut her off. He didn’t need her to finish her sentence to know. Sarah had always been an observant kid. Tommy shrugged, “Been wondering the same thing too.”

“It’s just- it’s dad’s birthday in two days. I want all of us to celebrate it together with him but Dad and her seem weird around each other.” Sarah confessed. “Weird how?” Tommy opened the truck’s door for her. “Their conversations seems very forced and awkward now. But Dad still looks at her like a lost puppy. I caught him looking at her from our kitchen window.” Sarah laughed at how Joel insisted that he was just in a daze. Tommy chuckled, “If Joel hears that, he will be whining non stop about how he’s not.” Tommy buckled his seat belt, “Just do it. The only thing I know for sure is that they would do anything for you.”

================================

Tommy was right. You couldn’t decline Sarah’s invite no matter how much you wanted to. When she showed up at your door, a handmade invite to come for Joel’s birthday. You agreed immediately, not realising the consequences of your actions. You rubbed your face with your hands as you stood in the store, stressing over a gift for Joel. Joel is the person you had fallen for ever since you were young, from a crush to feelings. Then he disappeared for a few years but his presence was always there with you and now you stood in a store stressing over a birthday gift for him after he had snuffed out any hope that he had feelings for you. Even if you were still struggling to come to terms with that fact, you still had to suck it up and celebrate his birthday because you didn’t want to deal with Sarah’s disappointment.

“Are you looking for a gift for your lover?” Lover, you almost scoffed in reply. “No, he’s just a friend.” You told the older lady who had came up to you. She smiled, “Hmm, but he is not quite just a ‘friend’ is he?” You rubbed the back of your neck, were you that obvious, what if you were thinking out loud? You mentally cringed at the last thought. “Pardon me if I am overstepping.” the old woman apologised upon witnessing your silence. “Oh um, you’re sort of right. He’s an old friend but..” You admitted with a sheepish smile. She shook her head in amusement, “I recognise that look. We tend to have the worst dilemma when it comes to picking out presents for the people we love. Simply because we want it to be perfect for them.” She continued, admiring the various items on display. “I’ll give you a tip. I’m sure he’ll appreciate something that shows off more of you.” You gave the old lady a questioning look. She chuckled warmly, “I used to be the same as you, but one day I didn’t know what to get him so I simply wrote a card for him. My old man cried and up till now, he still keeps the letter tucked in his work desk. He says he reads it whenever despite how many times I told him to get rid of it. It’s embarrassing.” The old woman eyes crinkled as she thought of her husband, a look of adoration evident on her faace.

You pursed your lips, deep in thought before a look of realisation dawned upon you.

“Thanks! I think I know what to give him now.” You grinned, bowing a little to her.

The paper stars, you’ll suck everything up and just give it to him.

“We have enough of these trinkets home.” A voice interrupted the conversation you were having with the old woman. She smiled at the man who had came up to him, the very same look of adoration was given back to her despite how he had just complained and you knew immediately that this old man is the same man she had just mentioned. “I was just having a conversation with the lovely lady here.” She clarified. The old man eyes drifted to you to which you gave him a meek wave. His look changed, as though he recognised you. You brushed it off, smiling at the couple before you. “Oh dear, we got to go back. I have to cook dinner tonight.” The old woman reminded as she glanced at the watch on her husband’s wrist.

“Have a nice day.” the man bidded. “I wish you luck. You’re a lovely woman, I’m sure he will notice that soon enough.” The old woman said. You nodded as you waved to the old couple, envying them. Their body language, how they treated each other. You could tell from miles apart how deeply in love they were with each other.

“Darling, did you know who she was?” The old man questioned, the old woman shook her head. “No, she just reminded me of how I looked when I was younger and trying to pick a gift for you.” She admitted with a laugh. The old man stared, trying his best to recall where he had seen you. “Oh!” He exclaimed. Excitement shined in his eyes, “Remember Joel? I think she is the woman he was talking about then, with heart eyes.” The old woman face brightened up too, “Oh, the lady in the picture!” She said, thinking back of when she had questioned the photo he had kept in his wallet. The old man nodded enthusiastically. “Well, I really do hope that she’s referring to him then.” the old woman sighed before retelling the conversation to him. He grinned, “It probably is him. His birthday is tomorrow.” The old woman smiled, “I hope everything goes well.” The old man nodded, thinking back on the boy who had came up to him and pleaded for a job back then. “I wonder how he’s doing. He was of great help. A quick learner and a great man. I think he helped attract a few more customers with his looks too.” The man laughed which earned a slap from the woman. “We ought to have him over for dinner someday.” The man nodded in agreement. “Maybe he’ll bring her along too.” She giggled

==================================

“Happy birthday Joel.” the words repeated in your mind. A constant reminder in case you panic and end up a stumbling mess in front of him when he opens the door. You were late, you tried your best but it just had to be today that you had difficulty getting away from work. The door swung open and you blurted the word ‘happy’ before Sarah’s face greeted you instead. “Dad’s late.” she told you, disappointment evident in her voice.

You walked in, pressing on your phone. “I’ll pester Tommy.”

Tommy picked up, “Hey,Thought you were Sarah.” He greeted. “Are you with Joel?” “Mhm yeah, man would not get out of his office. I tried multiple times but he’s stubborn.” Tommy complained from the safety of his own office. “What is he doing?” You questioned. “We got a big customer recently, its a make or break one. Joel is giving it his best plus he has been pretty focused on work these past weeks too.” Tommy said. You sighed, “I bet he forgot that it was his birthday.” He always did, he was never one for birthdays. Tommy stretched from his seat, “Yeah. How’s Sarah? It’s pretty late.” Tommy glanced at the clock. “Disappointed, I was late too.” You told him. He sighed, “I’m trying my best.” You nodded, reassuring tommy before hanging up.

“He’s swamped with work isn’t he?” Sarah asked, you sighed, noticing the disappointed look on her face. “Yeah. Are you tired?” you sat down next to her as she flipped through the channels on the TV. “Kinda. But I’m fine.” “Sleep first then. I’ll wake you up when he’s back.” You suggested. “No, I’ll last.” She insisted, her eyes fell to the box beside her. “That’s the watch?” You asked excitedly, trying to avert her thoughts away from the disappointment. She handed it to you, “Do you think he’ll like it?” You smiled looking at it. It was a pretty ordinary watch except for the green strap. The green that reminded you of Joel. “Maybe he will actually start being on time for things now.” Sarah laughed. “You have a good eye.” You complimented, gently placing the box back onto the table. Sarah groaned as she stared at the clock again, you listened to her complain about Joel but you know that despite her complaining, she knows deep down that Joel was doing this all for her. “What did you get for him?” She asked. You handed her the large jar of paper stars you had brought him. “Paper stars?” She questioned. “Yeah, it’s stupid I know.” She grinned, “No I didn’t mean it that way. Just asking if there is a hidden meaning.” She asked,. You stared at Sarah, only just realising that she had the same brown eyes he had. “Hmm, it’s a stupid meaning too.” She stopped boucning around, stared at you and gave you her fullest attention.

“I liked him when I was younger but I thought it was a crush. I figured that everytime he did something that made my heart flutter I’ll fold a paper star for him. When one day it fills up, I’ll confess. If it doesn’t then it would just be a crush.” You simply explained. Her eyes lit up. “You like Dad!” She exclaimed in excitement. You blushed, you couldn’t bring yourself to deny it. “But you never told him?” She questioned, admiring the paper stars that you had so pain painstakingly folded. “I moved away before I could.” You told her, deciding to leave out the part that he had also just gotten together with her mother.

“So are you going to confess to him today?” Sarah asked, “Cause I would definitely accept if I was him.” She added on. You shook your head, “It will just ruin his birthday and my day.” Sarah frowned, “Your dad, he-he doesn’t see me that way. Never did it seems like.” Sarah hugged you, catching you off guard. “I honestly doubt that.” She muttered. You smiled, her hug was consoling you. You hoped that she was right too.

==================================

Sarah was lying on your lap fast asleep. Your legs were becoming numb but you still stayed still. The sound of keys made you quickly nudge Sarah awake. “I think he’s back.” You muttered. She rubbed her eyes groggily before she processed what you told her. Sarah sat up, you could tell that it was taking all her control not to open the door for him. The moment Joel;s figure peeked out from the door, Sarah tackled her father. You heard Joel chuckled heartily.

“Happy birthday Dad!” She exclaimed, long forgotten that she was disappointed a few hours ago when she realised Joel was late. “Can’t join in. Only managed to get him home by doing the remaining work for him. Enjoy.” Tommy messaged. You typed out a quick reply before looking back at the door. Joel had picked Sarah up, you quickly helped him with the door as he placed his suitcase by the wall and removed his shoes. Sarah’s excited words and Joel’s calming voice fading into the background as your heart pounded in your chest. Why were you nervous?

“Hey.” He smiled to you, you nodded meekly. Even in the dark, his smile seemed to glow, it seemed brighter than usual today. “You guys were just sitting in the dark?” He laughed, using one hand to flick the lights on. “How else were we supposed to surprise you? Plus it saves us electricity.”

You didn’t miss how the smile on Joel’s face falter. He didn’t want Sarah to worry about the bills at home. “Happy birthday Joel.” He grinned at you, his eyes becoming small as he smiled so widely as he put Sarah down. “Sit down!” Sarah led him to the couch. He placed his arm over the cushion and directly behind you. You stiffened slightly at the contact. He casted a worried glance towards you, cautious to not overstep boundaries but you leaned back anyways. Your body slowly relaxing in his touch. Sarah thrusted the box to Joel, his gaze narrowed at her. “What’s this?” “Just open it” you laughed.

Joel eyes widened at the sight of the watch. “Well you keep complaining about your watch.” Sarah started, eyeing Joel carefully for his reaction. Joel plucked the watch out from its box delicately and put it on. A proud grin spread across his features as he stared at the watch, it suited him well. “You like it?” Joel hummed. “Honey, it’s nice but-“ “What?” The panic in Sarah’s voice was evident. You looked at the watch, resisting the urge to roll your eyes at Joel. He glanced at you with a mischievous look. He tapped on the watch, “I think it’s stuck.” Sarah grabbed his arm over, glancing at the watch. “No, no.” She rolled her eyes at Joel’s antics “oh haha.” She replied sarcastically, shoving Joel’s hand away. “You’re so annoying.” You remarked. He simply laughed. “Where did you even get the money for this?” “Drugs. I sell cold hard drugs.” Sarah laughed, snuggling to your side. Joel admired the watch further. “Great. You can start helping out on the mortgage then.”

You gently sat up, “Where are you going?” Sarah asked. “I’ll take a picture of the both of you.” You smiled. It was simple, no cake, not even dinner. Joel probably loved this, a tiny feeling made you feel like you were interrupting a private moment. “No. You haven’t even gave Dad your gift.” Joel raised his eyebrows in surprise, you wanted to scoff at his response. Sure you were a bad giver but he expected nothing? You pursed your lips, your jar of paper stars felt silly after a watch. It was as though your gifts had been swapped.

“This is stupid but here.” Joel looked confused by the jar of paper stars. Then it occured to him that it was the same jar from that day when you chased him out of your house. The very same that he fumbled with. “It’s not stupid.” Sarah defended, she wished you had more confidence in yourself. “So that was what-“ “No, kinda. Long story.” You clarified. “I ruined your surprise didn’t I?” Joel asked, his eyes boring into yours. “No. It’s just-“ you wished you had a way with words. Joel would have made a teasing remark about how you should have kept the surprise better but he was smart enough to realize maybe now was not the time.

A silence fell between you two. A silence that made everyone uncomfortable. Sarah was panicking inside. “What would uncle Tommy do?” She wondered in her head, only he will be able to break the ice. “Let’s take the picture.” She suggested instead. “I’ll take it.” You offered but Sarah dragged you down. “Join the photo.” Joel suggested. You looked at Sarah who nodded enthusiastically.

Sarah sat on Joel’s left after hitting the timer while you were on his right. His arm was behind you while he pulled Sarah tighter. His hand hung over Sarah’s shoulder, the watch she had bought him in full display. The jar of paper stars were balanced between your lap and his. Sarah posed with a peace sign and Joel pulled you closer, earning a grin from you.

The photo soon joined the frames of photos that was decorated around Joel’s house.

============================

The paper stars now stood on Joel’s nightstand. He had glanced at it, wondering what was the significance behind the paper stars. You were never one to buy just random gifts, plus you had it for months. There was definitely some kind of sentimental value. He sat down on the bed and pried off the lid. Staring and gently shaking the jar as he watched the stars move around. There must be a memory, maybe from childhood? He cursed his ageing memory.

He flicked on the lamp on his nightstand. His arm accidentally brushing the lid off to the floor. He sighed, picking the lid up. His eyes widened in surprise. There was a letter on the floor, he stared back at the lid. It had been taped onto the underside of the lid before.

He leaned against his pillow, staring at the letter that was titled to him. He admired the handwriting of his name, wondering when you had written this.

“Dear Joel, you’ll never read this but-“

Joel’s eyes drifted close before he even finished the sentence. Exhaustion catching up with him.

[pinkomcranger]

(another messege on saga)

The saga hate is 100% racism, sadly, and its sad how these ppl refuse to accept it. Like, i wasnt sure about thr beggining - i waited for a sequel for 13 years and now i have this new character taking the larger role in the story. But the game was good, story was good, she was fine. But now these ppl want her gone or erased, "only alan parts were good!!" What??? They are the same!!! I loved alans gameplay (execpt the teleporting enemies) but i dont believe you would hate sagas gameplay if you loved that one, its like, the same.

As in all recent gaming sheres, it makes me mad becuse there are critiscsm to talk about, real discussion, but it gets buried under these fuckers. Cant tall about my issues withiut some stupid guy busting in to complain about black pepole in his games, thinking we are the same. Im so more confident in my decision of cutting on all these sites.

I can't see any other reason to ignore Saga than racism, and I was FULLY aware it would be a problem, but I only expected it from gamer bros crying that it was Alan Woke now, and their fav white man was replaced with an unnecessary black woman. I could handle that because I've been seeing it for YEARS, but I always discounted them just for the fact I knew that they would never see beyond their surface level woes and wouldn't actually be in the fandom proper.

Their racism was loud and proud but it didn't hurt me or concern me. It elicited nothing more than an eye roll because nothing was going to satisfy them the second Saga was created anyway, even if she WASN'T black. I'm not even going to get into their reaction to Abby from The Last of Us 2.

Covert racism is the shittiest because you're thinking, ooh tumblr! this is where I'm going to find the GOOD stuff, this is where I'm gonna see people that played the game, are content creators and are going to overthrow the gamer bros because they're not blinded by the white man being joined by a black woman who's equally awesome.

I was wrong. I was a case of not being nervous at the idea of Alan being replaced in his own game after waiting 13 years because I didn't get to play AW1 or AN because I didn't have an Xbox. My older brother did, but I could only play at certain times, so I just didn't bother with AW.

That changed with AW2, the funny thing is that I didn't have the time to buy it until last month. I've focused solely on watching playthroughs, so Saga was written so well that I didn't NEED to play the game to be able to relate to her and adore her.

I'm not the least bit worried about the gameplay and I KNOW that's just an excuse to complain about Saga. It sucks that the content creators obsessed with FBI Alex Casey won't just admit they don't find the black woman appealing. I think that's a stupid as fuck opinion and not worth entertaining but at LEAST be honest about it!

FBI Alex Casey wouldn't be even a tenth of a bit interesting if he wasn't paired with Saga for the majority of his time. And that's the rub of it. I love Saga's Casey, but I wouldn't enjoy him if he was on his own, or if he and Saga's places had been reversed.

Saga could star in her own spin-off game dedicated solely to her backstory and her problems independent of Alan, and you'd find a treasure trove of things to talk about with her. But you're not getting that now, because "ohmergerd Alan is so hot with Casey!" When that was never the point.

[storytellersumayyah]

THE GUIDE AND THE LIGHT: SEASON ONE, EPISODE FOUR

The Guide and The Light are a series of comedic, romantic and soft short stories detailing the representation Muslims want but are never allowed to have. We all deserve to see ourselves fall in love and keep that love. We all deserve to have our beliefs respected and celebrated, instead of treated like a joke or insulted.

It’s about giving my community what they want and turning conversations that shouldn’t have happened in public into something we can all smile at. I hope you enjoy. (Also yes, this is a lot more than a month later since the previous episode, is anyone surprised? Updates are now sporadic e.g. they will come when the episode after is finished)

read on wattpad instead! | rewatch previous episode | play next episode | view full series

EPISODE FOUR: THE TROUBLE WITH NICKNAMES

SYNOPSIS: IT'S BEEN SAID THAT SOMETIMES, THE MEDIA ENCOURAGES PEOPLE TO DO SILLY THINGS. TRYING TO GIVE YOUR NEW SPOUSE A NICKNAME WHEN YOU CANNOT KEEP A STRAIGHT FACE WHILST CALLING THEM WIFEY OR LOVERBOY MAY FALL INTO THIS CATEGORY, BUT YAHYA AND NOOR ARE DETERMINED TO DO IT!

It starts, as most things tend to, with Yahya and Noor watching a show together. Noor has her feet resting on Yahya’s lap. She keeps adjusting the way her head is positioned. Yahya knows it would be more comfortable if it was resting on his shoulder. That’s how she falls asleep the easiest.

“You can sit in my lap if you want,” he blurts out.

She blinks a few times. “Huh?”

“You don’t need to. But you don’t look that comfortable. And if you’re in my lap, you can rest your head on my shoulder.”

Noor thinks about it for a second, and then Yahya can feel her hair brushing his neck.

He picks up the remote and rewinds twenty seconds.

“Little star,” the person on screen says.

“Nicknames are cute,” Noor comments.

Yahya stops the drama and switches it to an English cartoon to give them some background noise.

“Would you like a nickname?” Yahya asks.

She shrugs. “It could be nice. But I only want one if you have one,” she says.

“I’d expect nothing less,” he replies. “So, what do you want to be called? Buttercup? Sugar muffin? Love?”

Noor starts laughing. “No, no. None of those. They’re all awful. It’s like if I suddenly started calling you macho man.”

Yahya choked on air. “That is the worst thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Right!”

“I don’t even want to know how you ended up hearing that name,” he says.

She shrugs. “Things happen when you and your uni friends stay up too late.” Before she can expand more, she’s yawning into his shoulder.

Yahya laughs. “I think it’s time for bed.”

She shakes her head. “But I’m comfortable here. Don’t want to move.”

An idea comes into his mind. He knows he can do it. If he can’t, they’ll let it go. It won’t be shameful. Nothing is shameful with Noor, it’s just things they tried that didn’t work out the way they were supposed to. So as she shifts closer, her eyes closed and her breathing starting to slow, Yahya moves the hand that was originally playing with hers. Noor makes a sound of protest. Yahya shushes her gently and slides it under her legs, standing.

Noor’s hands immediately loop themselves around the back of his neck as she screams. Yahya lowers his arms so he can hold her more comfortably, but she shakes her head and turns to hide her face. For a moment, he’s worried she’s actually scared, but then he sees the faint colour in her cheeks and he knows she’s just flustered by the fact that she likes it.

“What are you doing?” She asks, head buried in his neck.

“You didn’t want to move,” Yahya says, as though it’s all the explanation in the world that’s needed.

Noor giggles, a soft and light sound. Yahya is still learning how she laughs. Sometimes, it is a loud and obvious thing. That’s when something is funny. Other times, it is a short thing- only half there. That’s when it’s not funny, but she refuses to rock the boat too hard. And recently, it has been a soft and light thing. That’s when Yahya has done something to disarm her. When he’s flirted back and she hasn’t quite known how to cope.

“Well, then carry me to bed,” she tells him.

“Whatever my princess wants,” he teases, both because it’s the natural nickname and because he has a sneaking suspicion that-

“Do not ever call me that again,” Noor says, but she doesn’t ask to be put down so Yahya just laughs and does as she asks.

They fall asleep the way they always do. With Yahya’s arm slung around Noor’s shoulder, her head nestled into the crook of his neck. Her hair smells like cherry blossoms. It’s the last thing Yahya smells before sleep takes him.

His alarm goes off for Fajr. Noor stirs, but he runs a hand over her head and gently pulls the duvet back over her. It’s getting colder, which means the prayer times are getting later. He knows he won’t sleep, but he wants to be cosy, so he gets back into bed and reads until Noor’s alarm goes off for work. He turns his own- set for ten minutes later- off.

She mumbles a Salam. He responds in kind.

An idea pops into his mind. “How did you sleep baby?” He asks.

She shakes her head. “Absolutely detested that one.”

“I had a feeling you would. Answer the question!”

“Good, I guess. Weird dream though. Remember that book I used to love as a teen? I was asked to be in the adaptation, but then I had to pick five celebrities I wanted to make appearances but it took me too long so they kicked me out,” she says.

“That is weird. I don’t actually remember my dream,” he tells her.

She shrugs, still a little too tired for real conversation. She kisses his cheek before she gets out of bed.

He gets started on breakfast whilst she showers. When she comes into the dining room, dressed for work, her hair is still loose.

“I’m probably going to need to change the bedding tonight,” she says. “So dinner may be delayed.”

“If you go to the bathroom, let me know if it does. I think I’ll be back before you today, I can do it. And I can make dinner. You just wash your hair.”

“Are you sure? You would’ve changed it on Saturday. And you cooked last time- we’re supposed to take it in turns.”

“We do take it in turns. But I don’t want you washing your hair and then cooking, and I also don’t want you to delay it,” Yahya explains.

She smiles. “You’re the bestest ever.”

He shrugs, and ducks his head, knowing it’s futile when Noor coos at his cuteness.

Whilst she double-checks that everything is where it should be in her bag, he goes to change. He comes down as she’s putting her shoes on.

“Be safe,” he says, as he always does.

She kisses his cheek. “I will. You too. See you tonight, sweetheart!”

He’s left stunned by the nickname. He regains his bearings as the door slams shut. After closing the porch door to keep the warmth in, he grabs his phone.

Let’s not stick with sweetheart.

She replies a few minutes later.

It sounded awful. I realised. As soon as I said it.

Have you made it to the station?

She responds with a selfie. She’s standing on the platform, smiling and with a thumbs-up.

You look beautiful.

Thank you. I’m glad you appreciate. Someone saw me and gave me the most unimpressed look. Now pay up.

He rolls his eyes affectionately and responds with his own selfie.

Thank you. Looking very cute!

You’re the sweetest.

And then he leaves himself.

As expected, the kids are obsessed with hearing about the honeymoon and everything that has happened since. Although Yahya is a private person who doesn’t enjoy the spotlight and would prefer to keep the details of his outside life contained to outside school, he indulges them because it is Noor. After they have done their work.

He ends up getting home before Noor. She had messaged earlier saying their bedding needed changing. He gets out her fresh towels, then puts everything in the washing machine, ready for her to switch on after she’d washed her hair and put the clothes she’d worn to work in. He starts to make dinner when he hears her key in the lock.

It has become one of his favourite sounds.

“Honey I’m home!” She says.

When he opens the kitchen door, she doesn’t look impressed with herself.

“I was going to say. Abhorrent. How was work?” He asks.

“You can’t just go around saying abhorrent. The same. How are the kids?”

Yahya smiles softly. “They’re good. Wanted to know all about you. Also, yes I can.”

“That’s cute. Like you- I said it first!”

He sighs. “I suppose I have to let you beat me every once in a while.”

She grins. “Right, I’m going to wash my hair.”

Whilst Yahya checks his phone to double-check how long the chicken needs, he’s struck by a moment of inspiration.  

Noor comes racing down the stairs, her hair still slightly damp. Yahya had heard the hairdryer going for several minutes, so he doesn’t say anything. She won’t get ill, and the curls will keep for a few days.

“Beautiful flower,” he tells her.

She starts laughing. The proper laugh. The real one. He knows it’s not meant to be mean, but he feels his cheeks go warm.

“Did you google nicknames for your wife?” She asks.

He wants to ask her why she would know that, but he’s not quite sure it’s a story he wants to hear in that very moment so he just shrugs.

She wraps her arms around his waist. “You’re so sweet for that.”

Noor goes to set the table. It’s just the placemats and the glasses, so Yahya is a little confused by what’s taking her so long.

He gets his answer a few minutes later when the kitchen door opens. She leans against the fridge.

“Hi loverboy,” she says, and the words have barely left her mouth before they’re both laughing.

He comes over, a hand to her waist enough to shift her ever so slightly, just so he can get the salad out of the fridge. Whilst he doesn’t want it warm, he also doesn’t want it straight from the fridge levels of cold.

“Did you also google nicknames for your husband?” He asks.

She nods.

“I’m not sure I like that it’s boy,” Yahya says.

“Loverman,” Noor teases.

“Oh no. That’s worse.”

“So much worse!”

It’s a comfortable meal. She tells him about the strange things that happened at the law firm, as well as the details of some of the cases she’s involved in researching. A lot of it goes over Yahya’s head, but he’s learnt that she doesn’t necessarily need him to understand. She needs him to take an interest. And he finds it fascinating. Not because he cares about the law- he does, but not in that way. Because she’s invested. He tells her about the things the kids said and the mistakes they made with their titrations. He also confesses that he also hates how precise one needs to be. And then he makes her swear that she will never tell them that if she happens to ever meet them.

“Do you want me to dry or wipe down?” Yahya asks. He cooked, so Noor wouldn’t dream of making him wash up.

“Wipe please. The stuff can dry and get put away tomorrow I think,” she said.

He smiles. “Okay, wifey.”

Noor’s face twists into something Yahya never wants to see again. “Oh god no. As much as I like being your wife, I think I hate wifey.”

“Yeah. As soon as I said it, it felt wrong. Why is this so hard?”

“Let’s just take a break. We’ve got the rest of our lives to work it out.”

It’s a lovely thought.

“I like that,” Yahya says, ducking his head so Noor can’t see how that single statement had his cheeks rising with colour.

“I know you do.” There’s a pause, as though she’s contemplating what to say next. “Cutiepie.”

Yahya pretends he’s going to fling the cloth at her.

He realises a few days later that they haven’t actually been on a date. They’ve been spending time together and existing in the same space, and they’re doing perfectly, but he’s been busy with marking the first set of tests and she’s been helping the new trainee solicitors, so anything more has just simply not been feasible.

So he makes the plans. He tells Noor the day before, having double-checked throughout the week that she had nothing else going on- that he was taking her out. She’s kind enough to pretend to be surprised.

When she comes back from work, a lot earlier than he was expecting, his surprise shows on his face.

“I left early. My actual work was done, so the only thing I would have been doing was supervising the newbies. Someone else can do it,” she says.

It’s something he’s always reminded her about. “Yes, they can.”

“What time did you want to leave?” She asks.

“Seven?”

“Perfect. I’m going to go make myself pretty for you.”

He knows it’s meant as a joke. And if not a joke, then it’s a learned habit from her youth. But she’s helping him unlearn certain things society taught him. He can do the same. “You know I always think you’re beautiful. With or without make-up. It’s in your eyes and your smile and the way you treat me.”

He’s never been good at choosing the right words, and all he can do is hope he’s not said something that’s going to make her think he’s acting like she’s wrong for the way she chooses to present herself.

But she smiles. “I know you do. I- with work it’s different. But when I wear make-up outside of it, it’s because it’s fun. And I think it’ll look nice. I know that if you took me on a date to a fancy restaurant and I didn’t wear any make-up, you wouldn’t be ashamed. Neither would I. But it’s been so long since I got to wear make-up for fun and I want to. You don’t need to worry.”

The thing about Noor is that she always knows what Yahya needs to hear. He pulls her in for a hug, his lips pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head before he lets her go and get ready.

He’s going through one of the boxes of stuff that is in the spare room to find a particular pair of shoes when she comes in.

“Ta-da!” She says.

He turns, and his face breaks into a wide smile. He’s wearing a formal shirt and trousers because he doesn’t know how to wear anything else, but Noor has pulled one of the shalwar kameez she was given for the wedding out. It’s simple, and it may not have been a big deal for anyone else, but it is for them.

She notices him smiling and twirls until she stumbles slightly. And just as he always will, he steadies her.

“You look more than beautiful, my light.” The words come out without him meaning to let them slip. “I don’t- it’s never meant as a form of ownership. Because I don’t own you. Nobody does. I said it because you’re so bright it’s blinding sometimes. And because you let yourself be mine. In a way that is wonderful because it’s your choice.”

“Yahya. I know. I want you to call me that for the rest of our lives.”

“I will. I promise. So, shall we, my light?” He holds his arm out, and the date goes perfectly. Or, as perfect as life can be.

Her sadness comes from the fact that she doesn’t have something to call him. But like they both know, they have the rest of their times together to find something that fits.

It comes.

Noor’s sat in his lap. She feels comfortable there. Safe and warm and cherished.

Her head rests on his chest. Through the thin fabric of his shirt, she can hear his heartbeat. It’s steady and certain. Something feels different though. Not strange and not wrong. But different. When she brings her hand to her own chest, she realises what it is.

“Your heartbeat is synced with mine,” she tells him, looking away from the screen and into his eyes.

“Huh?” Yahya sounds confused.

Noor smiles. “Your heartbeat. It’s synced with mine.”

“That’s cool,” he says.

“It’s because you need to know mine really well. Since you’re the keeper of my heart,” she jokes. And it really was meant to just be a teasing remark. But Yahya bites his lip in an attempt to stop a full smile from breaking out across his face, and his cheeks go slightly warm.

And Noor knows.

“My heart,” she whispers. “That’s it.”

Yahya nods. He tilts her chin up to kiss her. “My light.”

Their heartrates stop syncing as Noor’s starts racing.

[starreadssstuff]

A web of love - Miguel O’hara

warnings- I think we can all say for certain we know this it pure fluff.

Authors note- I love Miguel so much I have been on Spiderman TikTok for so long so it's really not a surprise I've written a fic of him.Im also not sure if I got his personality right but I really hope you enjoy this! love, star ♥️

The crisp autumn air brushed against your cheeks as you walked through the bustling streets of New York City. The leaves were turning vibrant shades of red and gold, adding warmth to the city's concrete jungle. As you strolled along, you couldn't help but smile at the thought of seeing Miguel O'Hara later that day.

Miguel was not your average guy. He was Spider-Man, the Spider-Man of 2099 to be exact. You had met him during one of his time-traveling adventures, and since then, you two had formed a deep connection. Miguel's wit, intelligence, and caring nature had captivated your heart.

You arrived at the meeting spot, a quaint café tucked away in a side street. The scent of freshly brewed coffee and pastries wafted through the air, inviting you in. As you entered, your eyes scanned the room until they landed on a familiar face.

Miguel sat at a corner table, his face buried in a book. His dark hair was neatly combed, and he wore a simple yet stylish outfit. You approached him, a soft smile playing on your lips.

"Hey there, Spider-Man," you greeted him, sliding into the seat across from him.

He looked up from his book, his chocolate brown eyes meeting yours. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Hey, you," he replied, closing the book and placing it aside. "I've been looking forward to this all day."

You blushed at his words, feeling a flutter in your chest. "Me too. It's been too long."

The two of you spent the afternoon lost in conversation, laughing and sharing stories. Miguel recounted his recent battles with various supervillains, while you told him about your everyday life in the present. The chemistry between you was undeniable, and the café seemed to fade away as you focused solely on each other.

As the day turned into evening, the two of you decided to take a leisurely stroll through Central Park. The sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm glow over the trees and pathways. You walked hand in hand, relishing the tranquility of the moment.

Miguel stopped near a small bridge, its iron railings framing the shimmering water below. He turned to face you, his gaze filled with affection. "You know," he began, his voice low and tender, "ever since I met you, my life has changed in ways I couldn't have imagined."

Your heart swelled at his words, and you couldn't help but lean closer to him. "I feel the same way, Miguel. You bring so much joy into my life."

He brushed a strand of hair behind your ear, his touch gentle and warm. "I want to be there for you, in every way possible. To support you, protect you, and make you feel loved."

A soft breeze rustled through the trees, creating a magical ambiance around you. The world seemed to disappear, leaving only the two of you in that special moment.

Miguel took a step closer, closing the distance between you. His lips grazed yours in a sweet, tender kiss. It was a kiss filled with promises and unspoken emotions, sealing the bond between you.

As you pulled away, a wide smile graced his face. "I've wanted to do that for so long," he admitted, his voice tinged with a hint of vulnerability.

"And I've wanted you to," you confessed, your voice barely above a whisper.

The night grew darker, but the city lights illuminated your path as you continued your walk through the park, hand in hand. The world felt a little brighter, a little more hopeful, with Miguel by your side.

Together, you weaved a web of love and companionship, facing whatever challenges may come your way. The future was uncertain, but as long as you had each other, you knew that everything would be okay.

[acquiredmen]

I've been replaying Red Embrace: Hollywood, so I've got some ideas for the boys and their vampire houses. This is strictly RE:H, I'll probably do another categorising once Paradisus (and their "fourth house") comes out

I'm going with the idea that they were human-ish before. Demons don't exist in the RE:H universe, vampires can't have kids, so they all have to be turned humans

Shiki - Golgotha

It's one of those things that I can't explain to anyone who hasn't played the game, Shiki is just so Golgotha. You don't even know how and when he was turned, he settled in so well, you'd think he was born into it

His visions would be of the recent past or present, hidden details about people that let him read them like an open book. Think MC's visions, needles for a drug addict, a red flame for someone with a fiery personality, a man buried in cash and gold because he's been stealing money

Turned willingly. Or was he?

Mage - Mavvar

Maybe it's cliche to say Mavvar because "hurr gurr the rowdy ones", but given how he tells Ritsu that he doesn't hate her for what Maxxis did, that she is her own person and her father's deeds aren't hers by default… Yeah, Mavvar.

Mavvar are very "I follow my own rules", and more community focused. They tend to stick with the people they care about through anything

Turned willingly, and he's greatly enjoying the vampire life

Urie - Iscari

Urie is Iscari, he just is. It helps that he has literal hypnosis powers. As if the others don't, but you get my point

He does live in façades and deception, uses his lust deal to get what he wants. Does it make sense if I say he feels safer being in control?

Turned willingly, but it's in the nature of many Iscari to lament the loss of their humanity, so sometimes he really wonders if he made the right decision

Lindo - Mavvar

I'm leaning towards Mavvar because of the temperament, yeah. But also how he fights to protect Ritsuka. Yeah, he keeps her in a bubble, but outside of that bubble, he goes out and fights himself, he doesn't stay hidden with her. He fights to protect what he loves and I'd say he needs his community, no matter how small

Turned… in less than ideal circumstances. Whether he was coerced or just grabbed and turned by force, I can't say, but he's not happy about it. Maybe he's a Stryx, "a human with exceptionally appealing blood". The game says "Strices tend to have… rather extreme reactions to being turned" but we don't see a turned Stryx, so I can't say for sure

Rem - Iscari

Rem… Rem was a bit more complicated

The key thing about RE:H is that vampires don't get turned "just like that"

A vampire shares common traits with their house because they likely chose that house themself. They got along with someone from that house, then they were turned in that house. Because otherwise, there are unpleasant consequences for everyone. Suicide, revealing vampires to humans, or whatever creative punishment they might have for their sire, it's never a good time

So most Iscari are sad star-children who are stuck in the past because they mostly turn humans who were already like that. Most Mavvar are rowdy and easily swayed into a mob mentality because they were like that as humans. And most Golgotha are the "everything else" weirdos because they were already "everything else" (whatever that "everything else" is, Golgotha is the most varied house in Hollywood in terms of that)

When it comes to Rem's house, Glax already gives me BIG Iscari vibes. Relying more on trickery and threats than brute force, but not enough trickery to be Golgotha. Golgotha are also described to "crawl from the dirt when there's an uprise", taking the opportunity to take the lead rather than making that opportunity themselves

Glax's trickery and threats (to me) are calculated, planned out, not an instinctual "I just felt like doing it." The Golgotha's deception in game (again, to me) is also about the process, not just the end result. Randal says "Golgotha would cheat a blind man at dice", but I feel like it's because they also enjoy the game of dice, you know?

And Mavvar want a leader who will speak for them. As Randal puts it, "50 voices shouting at once makes negotiations hard. But one guy speaking for the group, now that's how you achieve something."

Glax does not seem like the kind of leader to do that. Glax feels like he has his own ideas that he wants people to follow, rather than "speaking for the group". And I don't think he'd want to be part of the group either, to have someone else speak for him

So, I feel like Glax would choose to be Iscari. In the game, Iscari in general tend to be the leaders of a coven, just because they turn more people who need to have control over their lives

Even in the first Red Embrace game, the BL one, the factions are called Helgen and Serei I think? But the devs revealed that Bishop, the leader, is an Iscari, and the two vampire love interests are, classified by RE:H houses, Mavvar. So it's just that more leader-type people end up as Iscari

Back to Rem, I feel like he wouldn't choose to be a vampire. He would like to live his life as a human. But with Glax choosing Iscari, Rem would be dragged into it too

Status: He prefers not to think about it

—

I don't know Roen enough to categorize him. Could be either Golgotha or Iscari. And I want to see Ritsuka as a Mavvar