#its been so delightful seeing you update a bit more on your life on your sideblog and im always so happy to read what you have to say <3

[kellystar321]

@rhinoyo MY BELOVED LEMMY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! lots of love!! <33

[aria-ashryver]

Woven Threads and Winding Roads (Pt 1&2)

Book: Blades of Light and Shadow Pairing: Tyril x f!human!MC (Raine) Words: 2.2K Ratings/Warnings: General; mention of (Nesper) pregnancy

Summary: Five times Tyril attempts to braid Raine’s hair; and one time those threads begin to come together again as they should.

A/N: Written as a gift for @thosehallowedhalls as a part of the Choices Secret Admirer event! It was such a delight to write for BOLAS again. Also participating in Choices February 2024 with the prompts Eros, Philia, and Pragma. Thank you Caro for letting me borrow your lovely Raine! 🌷🎀

Raine bit down on a laugh as Tyril strode into their bedroom, a scowl biting deep into the angular lines of his face. She rose to meet him, settling a hand against his cheek.

‘There’s the frown I fell in love with,’ she teased, laughter bubbling out of her as his brow furrowed further at her words. ‘We’ve had so little to trouble us these past few weeks — I was beginning to worry you’d forgotten how to brood.’

‘I am not brooding,’ Tyril brooded. 

He sighed, wrapping his arms around her waist, closing his eyes and leaning into the kiss she pressed to his jaw.

‘Thank the stars Adrina has the stomach for these tiresome nobles and their courtly swill. The entire Venesterium seems determined to vex me. The sooner we escape this evening’s ball, the better.’

Raine grinned. ‘Mal and Imtura have been rubbing off on you.’

Tyril’s eyes snapped open. ‘How dare you.’

‘They have!’

‘I… forgive me.’ Tyril paused, stepping back to take in the sweep of silver-blue silk swathing Raine from head to toe. His face softened. ‘Here I am complaining about the nobility, when I should be telling you how utterly radiant you look. You are dazzling spring water beneath the noonday sun, a pure vision of Bakshi come to life. You are the very stars themselves, beloved.’

Raine’s chest glowed. She tangled her fingers with his, swishing her shoulders back and forth.

‘Look,’ she said proudly. ‘My dress has a cape!’

Tyril chuckled.

They were still getting used to life in Undermount. To peace. 

To not being woken by Imtura’s snores, or the quiet cadence of Nia’s morning prayers; to the soft bed linens they’d traded up from hard-packed earth; to days that held no more danger than social faux pas and politics, instead of threats to their lives, to their friends, to the realm itself.

Well. Realms, plural, Raine thought. 

All that time running back and forth across not one but two different planes hadn’t exactly left much time for updating her wardrobe — that, at least, was one aspect of their new life together that Raine had quickly adapted to. Every last seamstress and tailor in Undermount was vying for House Starfury’s patronage. Raine had wasted no time taking advantage. 

‘You’re looking rather handsome yourself,’ she told Tyril, running her fingers over the ornate metalwork embellishing his robes. ‘What’s all this?’

Tyril’s face flattened into a frown again. 

‘Adrina’s doing,’ he groused. ‘House Starfury has been steadily regaining our former standing. Our coffers are stable, our contracts are shoring up, Father has been able to rehire the staff he let go with considerable bonuses. My dear sister, in all her brilliance, has decided that means I needed to look suitably ludicrous for our re-entry into elven courtly society.’

‘I think you look lovely.’

Tyril’s face pinched in distaste. ‘Have you seen the size of this ring? It’s a House Starfury heirloom.’

Tyril flapped his hand before Raine’s face — rather unnecessarily, in all honesty; there was little chance she’d have missed seeing the ring, given that it was the size of a small continent. There, on his left pointer finger, was a sparkling affair of curlicued silver and diamond, set with a sapphire so immense, its sale could have supported the entire population of Riverbend for a solid year or more.

‘Can you imagine what our roguish friend would say if he took one look at me in this get—up?’

‘Mal would call you a prissy elf boy and probably wet himself from laughter, yes.’ Raine pursed her lips, trying not to grin. ‘I take it Undermount’s finery and flattery isn’t to your liking any more, then?’

‘The flattery never was,’ Tyril said, his eyes trained on Raine as she slipped into a seat at the vanity and finished applying a kohl liner to her eyes. ‘The fineries?’ He hummed thoughtfully. ‘I’ll admit, the novelty of clean sheets and dry boots is wearing off faster than I’d expected.’

He stepped up behind her to run a brush through the silken gold of her hair.

Raine closed her eyes, leaning into his touch, remembering for a moment the mornings Nia had done the same. She had no problem braiding her own hair, of course, but sometimes she and Nia had helped each other tease away the tangles and road-dirt, fixing one another’s hair in readiness for travel and combat. 

It had grounded them both. Anchored them in the present, in the living pulse of their Light. Soothed them on the days when the darkness was too heavy to speak through.

Raine met Tyril’s piercing, blue gaze in the mirror over her shoulder. He raised a brow in silent question.

‘Would… would you braid my hair for me?’

A soft smile lit his face. 

‘Whatever you would have of me, I would give to you.’

The minutes passed in silence as Raine gave herself over to the gentle touch of her lover’s hands. He’d almost finished a passable —if slightly uneven— braid, when his ring snagged on her hair, pulling a section loose at the front. 

‘Drat! Apologies, this ring is impossible. I’ve never seen a piece of jewellery so cumbersome — Gods forbid it’s wearer deign to lift a finger to do anything for themselves. Though, I suppose that’s rather the point, isn’t it?’ Tyril clicked his tongue. ‘I haven’t the faintest idea how I am supposed to hold a sword with this monstrosity on my finger.’

‘Tyril…’ Raine caught his hand, holding his gaze for a long moment. ‘You don’t need to anymore.’

‘Oh.’ His eyes grew round, unguarded. ‘I suppose you are right. Yes, I don’t… right.’

Standing, Raine fixed the end of the braid with a simple leather band.

‘You’ve no wish to fix the snag?’

‘No, it’s fine. I rather like it.’ Raine glanced at the fall of hair that had tugged loose. ‘We don’t want to be too put together for the smarmy nobles, do we?’

‘We do not.’ Tyril cupped Raine’s face, his thumb sweeping over her cheekbone, sighing fondly. ‘You are exquisite, Raine. Do you know that? You are perfect. Celestial. I almost want to keep you all for myself. You know… we could just stay here, tonight.’

Laughing, Raine swatted at Tyril as his gaze grew hooded.

‘Tyril!’

She was rewarded with the sight of one of his rare and dazzling smiles. A secret sight, just for the two of them. It still caught her stomach up in swooping knots every time Tyril smiled.

‘Fine,’ he said, warmly, ‘let us away. But we are leaving as soon as the dessert courses are over.’

Raine’s hand found his.

‘Deal.’

‘Why do you get a cool half-cape?’ Raine grumbled, as they wound their way through the cool expanse of the public gardens. ‘I want a cool half-cape. Instead I get idiotic, too-long sleeves.’

Tyril’s face remained impassive as he nodded at a passing head of house; the gardens were bustling this morning, the lush greenery offering a cool respite from the late-spring sun. Raine greeted the elf in kind with a cordial wave —or, she tried to— the gesture botched by the yards of gauzy fabric tangling about her hands.

‘I hate everything!’ she shrieked under her breath. ‘I am this close’ —Raine raised a hand, snarled when her sleeves got in the way again, flailed her arms about until her hands were free, and pinched her thumb and forefinger before Tyril’s nose— ‘to ripping these awful sleeves off and shoving them into that fountain.’

Tyril smiled, tucking his hand against the small of her back and steering her neatly away from the aforementioned fountain. They walked instead toward a cluster of chatting nobles whom Tyril would rather have avoided, but knew he ought to greet.

‘Adrina is close to closing a significant contract with House Moonchaser,’ Tyril said quietly as they neared. ‘It would be a shame to offend their head of house by destroying the gift she bestowed upon you. Damaging such a gift would be perceived as a deliberate snub.’

‘Godsdamn it all to the blackest reaches of the Three Hel— ah, that is— hello, Lord Frostcrow! Yes, the gardens are looking splendid this morning, you are quite right.’

Their welcome ball had been pleasant enough. Raine had bewitched the gathered masses with her effortless radiance —not that Tyril was surprised; his lover stole his breath with every passing heartbeat— though none had been more taken with her beauty than the Lady of House Moonchaser. The elven matriarch had insisted on gifting Raine a custom-made dress from her personal seamstress as a show of welcome from their House.

It had been delivered late that morning — a heavy concoction of lurid pink velvet and silver embellishments, complete with decorative pearls, ribbons, and something Raine had described as “a headache masquerading as fashion” to be woven into her hair to match.

Raine had thought the whole thing garish… but, it would do well to be seen wearing the garment publicly at least once, so here they were.

Tyril had tried his hand at braiding her hair again that morning. Raine had humoured his attempts —there was something intimate and tender in their stolen moments of quiet together as he worked the ribbons through her hair— and for a time, he’d been rather proud of his efforts.

At least, until they’d made the journey from their small manor in the hills and into Undermount proper, and the whole thing had begun to unravel under all the weight. The imperfection irked him. Damn it all, he wouldn’t stop until he was the single most talented personal hair stylist in all of Undermount!

‘Stupid elven politics,’ Raine muttered, blowing a strand of hair from her face as they continued on with their stroll. ‘I look ridiculous. I’ve slept in war tents with less fabric than this dress. How am I supposed to defend myself in a swordfight with these sleeves?’

‘Were you not the one reprimanding me for my obstinate refusal to relax?’ Smiling, Tyril dropped a gentle kiss to the top of Raine’s head. The braid sagged a little further. ‘Perhaps you might take your own advice. We are safe, beloved. There aren’t any agents from the Ash Empire hiding under the magnolias, waiting to ambush us the moment we—’

‘A MISSIVE! A MISSIVE FOR YOU, LORD STARFURY!’

Heart in his throat, Tyril spun on instinct to find the point of his dagger hovering mere inches from the face of a wide-eyed courier. Beside him, Light crackled in Raine’s palms, her stance poised to strike, her expression nothing short of thunderous.

‘Apologies!’ The courier squeaked. He pinched an envelope between his trembling fingers, prodding it meekly toward them as the colour drained from his face.

Sighing, Tyril flicked his wrist in a practised motion; the dagger slid smoothly from his palm to tuck itself inconspicuously in his shirtsleeve. 

He really ought to thank Mal for showing him that particular trick, Tyril thought. He wouldn’t, of course, on account of that would mean actually thanking Mal for something, but the gratitude was there all the same.

He tugged the letter from the courier’s hand. The shiny, wax seal bore a small paw-print in the centre.

‘An urgent missive from the most humble Threep Percivacurus Pompedorfin and the magnanimous Loola Coriandropolis Dupopodolis, dispatched via high-speed drake-courier service out of Whitetower,’ the courier recited breathlessly. He swayed on his feet.

‘I think you should go and sit down for a minute or two, buddy,’ Raine told him, clapping a hand on his shoulder. ‘Drink some water, catch your breath. Maybe have a think about whether or not it’s a good idea to sneak up behind people who were recently involved in the harrowing trauma of saving the entire Godsdamned realm from certain doom and yelling at them, you know. Turn that one over in your head a couple times.’

‘That— I— yes. Sound advice, my lady.’ 

Bowing stiffly, the courier departed, tripping over his own feet in his haste to get away.

‘By the Light,’ Raine muttered. She sounded as tired as Tyril felt.

‘Every day I think to myself, “the general populace couldn’t possibly grow any more dense”,’ Tyril murmured, watching the terrified courier wobble away, ‘and every day, they find new and fascinating ways to prove me wrong.’ 

‘Um… Tyril?’

Caught by the horror in her tone, Tyril turned to see a sheepish Raine inspecting her hands. Two smoking, fist-sized holes burned clean through the trailing sleeves of her dress.

She winced. ‘Just how important was that contract with House Moonchaser, again?’

Feeling a headache coming on, Tyril scanned Threep’s letter. His mouth dropped open.

‘Oh! Never mind that — Raine! Threep and Loola are expecting!’

Raine clutched at his hands, giddiness sparkling in her eyes. She squealed.

‘You’re joking. Baby nespers?! How adorable!’ Her eyes bugged in her head. ‘Oh, Gods, wait. An army of Threeps…’

The budding warmth in Tyril’s chest flipped to alarm. ‘Oh no… Oh, we need to start stocking the larder, yesterday.’

Stricken, Raine nodded. ‘I’ll place an order for a few bushels of dried anchovies.’

‘Whatever number you are thinking,’ Tyril said, ‘double it.’

Click here for: [Next - Pt. 3&4]

Tagging: @choicesficwriterscreations @choicesfebruary2024 @choicesfandomappreciation @thosehallowedhalls @lilyoffandoms @stars-are-within-me @jerzwriter

[swifty-fox]

I would just like to say that "my kingdom for a kiss upon your shoulder" tears me up every time you update (in that good way that really good fanfiction makes you feel of course).

You like perfectly write not just the kind of collective headcanon for Gale as a character but perfectly describe not just the inner thoughts and feelings of what you would expect from a character in that period and in that situation but also that kind of feeling of selfishness and dissatisfaction that a lot of LGBT+ people (especially young ones) get when they are crushing on someone and you question every single little interaction with them. Like, "oh, they touched me! Could they-? No, of course not, what a stupid thing to think." You like fantastically write this in Chapter 3 when John leans in to help Gale up and Gale starts to berate himself after for expecting him to do something. Like

"That John deigned to touch him at all, even in friendship, was testament alone to his character. How greedy of him, to still wish for more."

Jesus Christ, my heart, Gale's heart! 😭 I can't take it. (But like please don't stop on my account 👀👀 just saying.)

This fic has been such a passion project (and continues to be so!) and I'm just so delighted people are responding so well to it!!!

Gale is so interesting to me because he is so reserved except when we see these small bits of extremes. Anger, fear, tenderness. He's only able to express himself when it becomes impossible for him to mask it which says to me there's a LOT going on underneath. Especially in the context of trying to re-integrate back into civilian life....its just so fun.

It's funny to bc I'm so much more obsessed with john as a character (callum turner ur too hot stop it) but Gale is just SO fun to poke around inside of. Its like the car you like to look at vs the car you actually like to drive.

Gale was raised with a lot of shame for even existing. Compound that with a sexuality that could get him arrested or killed the idea of any sort of desire would have to terrify him. Would have to feel so beyond taboo. Especially when he already feels like John has done too much by simply not hating him/reporting him for being Gay. How could he not feel greedy and ungrateful? predatory even.

[rebelrebelwrites]

Another week, another…

Fic Friday! ❤️ Weekly Fic Recs

Let’s dive in.

This week’s recs are…

As always, please mind the tags on any recommended story for your own personal preferences.

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The Classic You’ve Heard Of But Somehow Haven’t Read Yet: Like Calls Unto Like by Elahrairah_Inle

What you need to know going in:

Oof, this fic. If you haven’t been reading it, where you been, fam? It’s been a while since it’s been updated, but don’t let that deter you — this S1 continuation begins with Gal and Hal in Eregion pre-reveal, then progresses to a full-blown post-S1 epic that is just that: epic. In addition to a spellbinding narrative, steamy AF smut, and captivating characterization, the thing that strikes me most about this fic is the love and care the author clearly takes with the plot. It’s intricately woven, and I am SO excited to see where they take it. This is a fic that’s worth waiting for, however long that may be.

WIP, Explicit

Read the story.

Follow the author on Tumblr and AO3.

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The AU You Need to Immerse Yourself In Because, Well, Wow: a dust like thine by @mortaltempless

What you need to know going in:

Agh! Recently completed, and I’m still basking in this fic’s beauty and perfect execution. (Also, be prepared to see mortaltemples on this list a few times; everything I’ve read of theirs has been 🤌.) This fic follows a BatB-style fairytale premise in the First Age, with Galadriel bargaining with Sauron for her brother Finrod’s life: he can have her, instead, as long as he’ll also help her overthrow Thingol in Doriath. The resulting story is thrilling in its pace and intensity — every moment builds and crests so that you’re constantly on the edge of your seat with the dynamic set between these two, which sees a very measured but mercurial Sauron and a very lovably impetuous Galadriel who has zero qualms making herself… we’ll say at home in Sauron’s fortress. I don’t want to say too much more for fear of spoilers, so just go read it/bookmark it. You won’t regret it.

Complete, Explicit

Read the story.

Follow the author here on Tumblr and on AO3.

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The Complete But Never Forgotten Masterpiece: the nameless by @bimmyou

What you need to know going in:

35k words, one chapter. Folks, I was intrigued, to say the least, when I stumbled upon this lengthy one-shot — reason being, I’ve become more of a minimalist as a writer/reader in recent years, so that WC made me curious, and I admit, initially a bit hesitant. Let me tell you… every. Single. Word. Was. Incredible. Absolutely not one wasted in this stellar masterpiece; I think I said in my comment something to the effect of Tolkien not being able to do it better, and I meant it. Before I spend too much more time waxing poetic about how absolutely incredible this one-shot is, I’ll give you the long and short of it: it charts Sauron and Galadriel’s story through to the Third Age after they meet on the Sundering Seas, and the care and consideration given to their characters, to the tragedy of them and all of Middle Earth as a result, is nothing short of harrowing, and spectacular.

Complete, Explicit

Read the story.

Follow the author on Tumblr, Twitter, and AO3.

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The WIP That Will Wreck You (In the Best Way): dig up the bones (but leave the soul alone) by @wyrd-syster

What you need to know going in:

Listen, it’s so damn hard not to start every summary with an embarrassing noise of both delight and anguish because every story/the talent in this fandom is incredible? I’ll stop wasting words with my nonsense and get on with it: Post-S1, in which Galadriel accepts Sauron’s proposal, and takes up the mantle of his Queen with a ferocity and strength of will you just don’t see in most fics, and it’s glorious. The expansion of orc culture and overall world-building in this is sublime, and even heartbreaking in the unflinching view it takes, always at the pitch perfect moment. The battle for dominance between Gal and Sauron in this, for me, may be my favorite so far I’ve read. It’s breathtaking. And did I mention that the smut and sweeping narrative is also stellar? Well there you go.

WIP, Explicit

Read the story.

Follow the author on Tumblr and AO3.

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The Can’t Stop Consuming No Matter What Time It Is Fic: a man is a god in ruins by eye_of_a_cat

What you need to know going in:

This is another case where you can expect to see this author’s works recommended more than once, but I believe it was a man is a god in ruins (and the larger series) that I fell in love with first. As stated, this 5-chapter completed fic is part of a larger series where the author explores different ways for Sauron’s identity to be revealed, and I urge you to read the entire series as well, but this specific story takes the opposite approach: the one time Sauron successfully maintains the guise of Halbrand. I don’t want to give too much away apart from that, so the rest I’ll say is that the sense of foreboding this fic builds is terrific, and masterfully done. Coupled with undeniable romance, scorching smut, and a series of twists and turns that will make your heart palpitate hard, you will be riveted the entire time, and blown away by the end. That I promise.

Complete, Explicit

Read the story.

Follow the author on Twitter and AO3.

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🤩🤩🤩

Me at all these fics:

Don't see your story on this list yet? Keyword: yet. Please don't fret! I can only recommend so many each week, but I am always looking for more stuff to read, share, and generally shower with love, so please feel free to reply with your own fics or your personal faves. I have plenty more to recommend... ❤️

Until next week!

[penny-anna]

Just thought I’d let you know that your onslaught of Back to the Future content inspired me to rewatch the movies this weekend, which was such a delight :)

Do you have any fic recs, by any chance?

ah glad to hear it!

*rubs hands together*ohoho let's see what i got here

Like Water Flowing Underground by Kleenexwoman

Marty struggles to fit in with his new reality, but is any other world a better fit?

i read this one back in 2015 and come back to it every so often. just beautifully done.

Becoming Marty by butchcassidy

Scenes and glimpses from Marty's childhood and how he came to be Marty.

obligatory trans marty rec!!

Time is a Wave and a Particle by Kleenexwoman

Another one of those "Marty has trouble dealing with living in an alternate universe" fics.

heavy content warning for mental illness & specifically psychosis on this one!!

beautifully written, absolutely gutwrenching, this one is gonna haunt me ):

Alternates by Wildgoosery

Marty's life isn't at all like how he left it.

i eat up post-canon 'marty deals w being in a new timeline' fics like candy nom nom nom

wish someone would tell me who to be (ready to try anything) by Adanska

(“Fashion cycle,” Doc had explained, looking more ‘50s than anything else. “The Eighties just came back around in a big way for kids your age, you shouldn’t stick out too much—people will just think you’re hipsters.” “What, like the pants?” “No, a nostalgia-obsessed movement—ah, nevermind.”)

lesbian marty & jennifer visiting Actual 2015 its great give this one a read!!

we can't live in the present forever by ideal_girl (trainwreckdress)

Marty wonders if Doc has the same problem; histories overlapping, memories colliding in the space of a single, shared moment. He hopes not.

a 'marty deals with having 2 contradictory sets of memories' story

Inevitable by nbfutureboy

It's a bizarre twist of fate. When they’d found out they’d been expecting twin boys, Jennifer had suggested, sensible and sweet, that they pick out two new names. No comparisons to the kids of the first 2015 - they could be their own people, without having to compete with a future memory. 

very sweet fic about trans marlene mcfly!!

The Man in the Box by makesureyouwashyourhands

People said the strangest things about the McFlys. They said that Marty McFly went to bed one night and woke up a different person. Or, the two Martys: how they differ, and how they're the same.

*throws another post-canon new timeline fic at you*

The Human Body Is Incredibly Faulty by ThePhenomenalStingray

Written for the ask, "For that headcannon prompt, Doc is a complete mother hen mess when Marty’s hurt".

cute!! <3<3<3<3

First Impressions by Kristen Sheley

To say that he had been surprised when the kid had showed up that evening at his doorstep was an understatement. He hadn’t ever imagined anything so fantastic, and his was a mind that had visualized a lot of unrealistic and fantastic things! But a seventeen-year-old time traveler from the future was never one of them. Equally surprising to him was that this kid was apparently a friend of his. What a sixty-five-year-old was doing hanging out with someone so young, Emmett could only wonder. Maybe Marty was a student of his, from the University.

an oldie but a goodie!! absolutely banging bit of missing scene work from the first film w doc & marty adjusting to each other in 1955

The Longest Odds by leaper182

Marty McFly just had two more years to go before he could start thinking about the future.

But then the odds shifted, and the only future he has to think about now is whether he'll make it home alive.

wip not updated since 2016. not a whole lot of this one as it looks like it didn't really get off the ground but the central concept (tribute marty + former victor mentor doc brown) is just gutwrenching and im going to be rotating it in my brain forever!! ETA: totally failed to clock the ship tag on this one oops!! its tagged doc/marty but i don't remember anything shippy happening in the chapters posted. read at your own risk ig.

that's all for now!! i got more stuff in my to-read so stay tuned hopefully!!!

[hils79]

2023 Dramas Watched

I watched a lot of dramas last year, but not as many as I did in 2022. It was mostly a good bunch, which is generally why my to watch list is mostly things people have recommended to me (or I've seen gifs on Tumblr that look revlevant to my interests.

I'll put the list under a cut. It's mostly for my reference anyway

1. Vardy v Rooney: A Courtroom Drama - My housemate wanted to watch this because Michael Sheen is in it. I don't even have that excuse, although it's always nice to see him in things. IDK I wasn't obsessively following the court case when it happened, but my boss kept giving us updates because she found it highly entertaining. I think it was just something silly to focus on to distract us all from the shit that's going on in the world. Anyway, the cast were great and it was highly entertaining. I don't think we were supposed to laugh as much as we did but it was kind of ridiculous.

2. Ghost Doctor - This is one I've been group watching with friends over the past few months. It was a lot of fun. A rather silly concept (brilliant surgeon is in a coma after an accident and haunts the hospital where his body is) with a surprising amount of heart to it. I enjoyed it.

3. Dragon Age: Absolution - I loved this! I don't know how well this would stand up if you haven't played the games. It's mostly a stand alone story with a few nods to previous canon. I, however, have played the games and they are pretty much my favourite game franchsise. So, yep, this was great. Very much in the vein of the games. Everyone is gay and it's delightful.

4. The Eclipse - This was okay. It was in a similar vein as Not Me in terms of being a BL drama about social justice, but it lacked the maturity and tight storyline that Not Me had. The two main leads were both excellent it just lost its way a bit towards the end. Still very enjoyable.

5. Welcome to Chippendales - Honestly this show wasn't even on my radar until Jacqui was looking for something to watch and saw it on Disney+. She told me she'd watched a documentary about the founder of Chippendales a while back and gave me a brief synopsis. It was such a wild story that I had to watch this. It was really good! The cast did a phenomenal job

6. About Youth - I'd had this recced to me a while back so when my Saturday group watch gang suggested we watch it I was all in. It was great! Incredibly sweet, occasionally heartbreaking. We all really enjoyed it.

7. Hotel del Luna - I enjoyed this a lot even though I cried WAY more than I was expecting to. I thought it was going to be a wacky comedy about ghosts, and there are lots of funny bits, but there's also a lot about death, grief and making peace with your life. I think I cried at least once in just about every episode. Do rec though. It was good.

8. Roommates of Poongduck 304 - This is one I started group watching before Christmas with some friends and never got around to finishing. It was cute. Nothing amazing, and not one I'd particularly want to watch again but it was fine.

9. Choco Milk Shake - I did enjoy this. It was very cute and funny in places. It was also WAY sadder than I was expecting and I ended up crying a lot. I wish they'd spent a little more time explaining the mechanics of everything (basic premise is a guy's childhood dog and cat come back in human form because he's lonely) and the ending was a little bittersweet. But overall I think I did enjoy it.

10. The Blood of Youth - I absolutely loved this! It had a lot of of the classic wuxia tropes in it, but an interesting enough story that I was hooked. The cast were great, the characters all had fantastic chemistry. I definitely want to check out some of the other dramas the lead has done because he was great.

11. Until We Meet Again - This has been on my to watch list more or less since I started watching East Asian dramas back in 2020. I've been avoiding it because it deals with some quite heavy topics (the premise is two male lovers in the 80s take their own lives because their fathers disapprove of their relationship and in present day they meet again having been reincarnated into two students at the same college) but I'm glad I bit the bullet and finally watched it. It was very sweet, and was all about healing and forgiveness. I liked it a lot. I think Not Me still holds the top spot for my favourite Thai drama but this is a close second

12. The Guest - I really wasn't sure about this one when I watch the first episode. I don't mind TV horror generally but the first episode was a lot and I had to mute it a couple of times because it was freaking me out. Luckily they toned it down a fair amount after that and the rest of it was fantastic! Really enjoyed it. Definitely one of the better dramas that I've watched this year so far. If you're looking for a k-drama that's in the same vein as The Exorcist/The Omen/Supernatural then you'll like this one.

13. Overworking Man - This was a genuinely pleasant surprise. I watched it because the lead is one of my tomb show actors and I had pretty low expectations. I was expecting some sort of cringe sitcom in the same vein as The Office. What I got was a bonkers little web drama full of queer subtext where there's actual character development and life lessons. I really enjoyed it!

14. Midnight Museum - This was a very odd little drama. It was made by GMM who makes a lot of my favourite BL dramas. This one is not a BL, but it uses all of the BL tropes. The two male leads keep talking about how they want to be together forever and they keep risking their lives to save each other. I guess as bros? It starts off as a horror drama (premise is a barista ends up getting a job at a museum that houses cursed objects, which then get stolen, and they have to recover them all) but then halfway through it turns into this weird religious cult thing where they examine the nature of free will vs God's plan. I think I enjoyed it? But it was definitely a bit weird.

15. Cupid's Last Wish - I've been group watching this with some friends over the past couple of months. I enjoyed both leads in A Tale of 1000 Stars which I watched last year. They were good in this too but the story didn't hit quite as hard. It was fine but the ending felt rushed and anticlimactic

16. Sell Your Haunted House - This was really fun. It reminded me a bit of Buffy just in terms of general vibes and ass-kicking female lead. There were some genuinely surprising plot twists and I had a blast watching it

17. Ghost Host, Ghost House - This had a nice twist to it that I didn't figure out until I was partway through. It was cute and interesting.

18. Stupid Boys, Stupid Love - This was cute. I haven't watched much Vietnamese TV and this was very diverse even for a BL drama. There were gay boys, gay girls, height differences (the tall biker girl and her small nerd boyfriend were my favourites), butch women, femme women, bisexuals. The characters were young and, as the title suggests, pretty stupid. But overall it was cute and fun and it was only an hour long in total

19. A League of Nobleman - This was fun. It was quite silly, buckets of queer subtext and some political intrigue thrown in for good measure. It wasn't particularly deep or heavy going but I enjoyed it a lot.

20. Between Us - This is a spinoff/sequel to Until We Meet again. It was very sweet, and I enjoyed my favourite character from UWMA being the main role in this. Didn't quite have the same emotional impact as UWMA but I very much enjoyed it

21. Reset - Finished this while I was at the treehouse last month. It was one we had been group watching and it was nice to get to finish it in person. It was an interesting drama. A lot of unexpected twists which I liked, and a timeloop story is always fun

22. Our Dining Table - Absolutely one of my favourite things that I have watched this year. It was so sweet and soft. Usually I'm not a fan of kidfic but this was really lovely and the kid in question was adorable

23. Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938 - I was a bit dubious when I heard they were doing a sequel to Tale of the Nine-Tailed but it was perfect. Time travel shenanigans, an awesome woman with a huge sword, brotherly bonding, an OT3 polycule. I had a great time.

24. The Eighth Sense - I liked parts of it. The main couple were cute, the two best friends were awesome. I did not care for the unnecessarily bitchy ex-girlfriend and her best friend who was equally awful. It went a little two hard on the 'everyone must have a happy ending' idea so a bunch of characters ended up getting apologised to who really didn't deserve it

25. Popular Indie Creator Nekoyashiki is Making His Yearning for Approval Worse - This was kind of weird, but also really fun. Everyone was so extra and dramatic but that just tied into the comic themes. I actually really enjoyed it.

26. The King's Avatar - This one got recommended to me literally years ago. Right back when I first started watching Chinese dramas and asked for recs. I definitely should have watched it sooner I absolutely adored it. Like I want to write fic levels of adored it. It had such a good group of characters, found family feels all over the place and was just generally soft and lovely.

27. My School President - A very sweet high school BL drama. I wasn't massively emotionally invtested in it but I enjoyed it

28. Love Tractor - Absolutely adorable! It's just very soft and I enjoyed this so much I watched it a second time so I could show it to one of my friends

29. The Director Who Buys Me Dinner - Got to love a drama where the premise is 'if we don't date you will die'. It was funny, but also kind of heavy with one of the protagonists being immortal and the the other being a reincarnation of his dead lover.

30. Oh No! Here Comes Trouble - I don't watch a lot of Taiwanese dramas but this was fantastic! Really funny, also really tragic, and full of really interesting folklore. I loved it!

31. Mysterious Lotus Casebook - Hands down one of my favourite dramas of this year. I keep toying with wanting to write fic for it but I haven't quite got there yet. I loved the cast, I loved the story. I was wonderful.

32. Moonlight Chicken - I really enjoyed that this was a BL drama about actual adults instead of the usual ones about high school or college students. I'd seen the two leads in a couple of other dramas and I really enjoyed them in this too

33. Goblin - This is one of those dramas that gets recommended to me all the time so I finally sat down and watched it. I enjoyed it, but probably not my favourite. I think the whole 'immortal being falls in love with high school student' would have resonated with me more in my Buffy fandom days.

34. Cross Fire - Apparently this year is the year I watch all the esports dramas. This was nothing at all like what I expected. It had loads of twists that I didn't see coming and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

35. Our Flag Means Death S2 - Loved it. Just what I wanted from a second series. No notes.

36. Good Omens S2 - It was fine. I enjoyed it. It's not one of those dramas that I go feral for but the two leads are fun and it had some nice surprises.

37. He's Coming to Me - A very sweet BL that doesn't entirely resolve the fact that one of the protagonists is dead but it's left with an openly hopeful ending.

38. Stay By My Side - Another sweet ghost related story but both protagonists are alive in this one. One of them can hear ghosts, and the voices only go away if he touches his roommate. Feelings happen. It's adorable.

39. Strong Woman Do Bong Soon - I think I expected to enjoy this more than I did, but I think my disatisfaction comes from me wanting the drama to be resolved with an OT3. Instead there was just a lot of queer baiting where the two men almost kissed but they were drunk so no homo.

40. Fairyland Lovers - I was way more invested in the side couple than I was in the main storyline. The main couple really didn't interest me at all even though one of them was Bai Yu.

[faceless-conspiracy-buff]

A Bit of an Update

[ Hi everyone! It’s been a while, hasn’t it?

Since I haven’t posted anything new in the past... four months? Ish? I thought I’d take a moment to let you all know where things currently stand with regard to my life, this blog and its future.

Fair warning, though: I’ve got a lot to say. ]

[ Let’s start with the obvious: I haven’t posted anything new since December, and even then, I wasn’t posting very regularly.

There are reasons for that. Four big ones, to be precise.

The first (and biggest) of those is my job. I might have mentioned it before, but I started my first full time job last summer. It’s not a fun or fulfilling position and I plan on leaving it as soon as I possibly can, but right now, it’s the only source of income I’ve got. 

It also takes up most of my free time. Back when I was in university, I was able to answer multiple asks each day. Now, I’m lucky if I draft a new post once a week. 

Secondly, this blog has gotten a lot more attention than I ever expected it would.

As I’ve said many times before, I started faceless-conspiracy-buff as a passion project. I just wanted to try my hand at writing Q and maybe respond to a few questions from my friends. I had no idea that I’d end up with nearly three hundred followers. 

And I’m grateful for the attention! It’s really, really flattering to know that so many people are interested in my art and writing. 

But it’s also a little intimidating, which brings me to my third point: I’m trying to prioritize my mental health. 

I’m an anxious person by nature and the past year has been quite rough on me. Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is challenging under the best of circumstances and since my circumstances aren’t the best... I’m sure you can see where this is going.

Things have been slowly improving. I’ve been practicing self-care, spending more time with friends and family, and generally trying to deal with my issues in a healthy way. 

I’ve also been trying to cut out sources of unnecessary stress and, unfortunately, writing for this blog can be quite stressful. 

I want to learn to manage that stress before I dive back into my inbox, y’know?

Finally, I’m working on a couple other projects right now. My dad’s a writer, and his number one piece of advice has always been “make your own stuff”. He understands the appeal of fan fiction, but he has always stressed the importance of having full creative control of your work. 

And while I’d like to think that this version of Vic is uniquely mine, in the same way that Gail Simone’s Barbara Gordon is uniquely hers, I don’t own him. I can’t put any of my asks in my portfolio, or submit my flash fiction for publication. 

I like writing Q, but I think it’s important for me to create original stuff too.

All of this is a long way of saying that there were legitimate reasons for my absence this time around.

I don’t want to abandon this blog. I don’t intend to abandon this blog.

I may eventually decide to throw in the towel, but I don’t plan on leaving without giving my boy a proper send off. 

Q is still a major source of inspiration for me and a huge comfort character to boot. He is, for lack of a better term, blorbo from my shows. I love him.

And I love you. All of you. The mutuals, the strangers. The long-time followers, the newbies. The AIs, and the Riddlers, and the Dannyzens, and the vampire hunters, and all the people who send me in-character messages and delightful fan art.

I love you all.

Working on this blog has been hard, but you guys make it worthwhile.

Expect some kind of... something, in the near future. The issues I mentioned will probably keep me from settling into a schedule, but I’m going to try to put something together for all you kind, patient people. It’s the least I can do. ]

[futuresconnected]

January 1st, 2024: Kiryu Quest Continues

Happy new year everybody! Hope you all enjoyed your Holiday Week!

I had the week off from work, and set a goal for myself to beat Yakuza Kiwami 2. It took me most of the week, even though my final playtime only came in around 32 hours, it somehow felt much longer. Big thoughts up top is that that game is an absolute blast, easily my fave of the series that I've played so far, and I think it does a lot of interesting things with its position as "remake sequel to a remake sequel to a prequel". I want to dig into that a little bit more, so bear with me here.

Now that I've played all three, its interesting to look at how Yakuza 0, Kiwami, and Kiwami 2 essentially form a trilogy that let RGG Studios look back at the story and characters that they built over the years and give the whole thing a new foundation. For me, I think that the clearest way that they accomplish this is with Majima. Goro Majima is a side character and recurring boss from the first couple of games in the series that grew a solid fanbase over time because who doesn't love a fucked up Joker man (I know I do), becoming popular enough to warrant RGG making him one of the protagonists and playable characters in 0. Here the players get a chance to meet Majima before he goes completely Joker-mode and get a better understanding of what kind of person he is beyond his later obsession with Kiryu and general mob boss-ness. His relationship with Makoto, a woman that the whole plot of 0 essentially hinges on, was something that I felt was really compelling, and his internal conflict between getting back into the Yakuza (killing Makoto) and helping this woman escape her situation and find a good life was something that had me holding my breath the whole time.

I bring this aspect up specifically, because the fact that RGG took the prequel story they made and built a ton of new connections to that into their remade first and second game stories is something pretty unique in the world of video games. Kiwami 2 is full of payoffs for this, from the very fun reprise of the cabaret club management game in Sotenbori and appearances from old Majima substory characters, to my personal favorite scene in the game where Majima reconnects with Makoto and both of them are able to get some closure on the mess they went through 20 years prior. These games usually don't get me too bad, but I was crying that whole time!

All that being said, this game was also intensely silly in ways that I loved, so here's a collection of good screenshots from times where Kiryu voice acted in a Yaoi game, runs into an impostor, and struggles to put together coherent sentences when various hot girls are on screen:

That's the Yakuza Update, I have also installed Yakuza 3 and played a couple hours of that, seeing Kiryu in full tropical dad mode is lovely, though I know that sadly will not last. Another exciting thing that happened this week is that I got the opportunity to help a friend of mine learn how to play Path of Exile!

For those who don't know, Path of Exile is a Diablo-style isometric loot-based RPG that was made for absolute freaks when it comes to character progression, player economy simulation, and pure visual clutter and chaos. It's by all accounts an insane game that you need to be a little insane to enjoy. I also have nearly 1000 hours of game time over the ten years its been out. When my friend Wes told me that he was going to play through at least the first five acts due to some end-of-year fantasy draft obligations, I offered my services as a guide and with a couple hours of instructive gameplay and conversation we managed to get his character build up and running, much to his delight. PoE is a game that is incredible easy to bounce off of if you don't know how the game is "supposed" to be played, or how to make a character that works, but I think at this point I've got him on the hook for at least a full Act 1-10 playthrough, and maybe a touch beyond that. I've never had the chance to play this game with a friend before, its been a lot of fun so far! And seeing someone experience the pure dopamine joys of filling the screen with bullshit that kills hordes of monster while zipping around at high speed has been a true joy.

That's all for me, I'll probably take a brief break from Yakuza Quest so as not to burn myself out, hopefully I'll get to play a good chunk more of Path of Exile, and the end of this month begins the 8 week Gamepocalypse of Yakuza 8, Persona 3 Reload, FF7 Reunion, and a bunch of other stuff I'm certainly forgetting. See you later!

[eulaties]

MAHOYAKU FIC RECS ★ CAIOWE ★ #31

fics that have an asterisk (*) in front of them are my personal favorites!

this list was last updated on 7/9/23.

NOTE: these fic recs contain the ship cain/owen.

if you want general mahoyaku fic recs click here

if you want ozfiga fic recs click here

if you want lenofau fic recs click here

*rather, its base and apex are curvilinear • one-shot

SUMMARY: "owen has done part of the stealing, an eye for an eye, a gift for a theft. and it is the humans, as ever, who plunder the rest. no man could be a knight and a wizard, and no man ever wanted to be near a wizard. so the knight is knight no more.”

TAGS: non-linear narrative, recurring references to owen’s past, owen taking cain’s eye, angst, blood and injury, meeting again, developing relationship

*get a hold of you • one-shot

SUMMARY: “owen is still staring in on him from the other side of the window, and all cain can see is a reflection of himself. it’s his own face, angular and boyish, and his own hair, red in a manner that whispers of shattered pasts, but the smile that sits atop the illusion of himself is wide and close to sickening. the eyes, his eyes, are the same, but it has been that way for years. it’s familiar now, against his will.”

TAGS: set before 1st anniversary story, developing relationship, eye trauma, cain working through his feelings and owen being a little bit of a cunt (the usual)

*at the point of the sword • one-shot

SUMMARY: “you also forget, mister knight, that i am a wizard of the north.” he violates cain’s space, as he delights in doing: his breath ghosts over cain’s face, cain’s own caught in his throat, his eyes locked on this unwanted matching set. “i could kill you,” owen whispers, barely moving his mouth, much less his body. it feels like his gloved finger has slowly traced cain’s jaw.”

TAGS: character study, developing relationship, a fic revolving around owen’s deaths and subsequent revivals, the sheer homoeroticism of sparring with your mortal enemy, owen-typical blood and injury, wanting someone you love to kill you can actually be so personal

*axis, tilting • one-shot

SUMMARY: "hey, owen," murr asks one day, eyes wide and voice lilting, sing-song. "what’s it like to die?"

TAGS: set before 1st anniversary story, owen character study, tension, developing relationship, owen pushing others away but slowly learning to open up.....we love to see it, i really like the pancake scene bc i could totally envision it happening, fluff

*dust and gold • one-shot

SUMMARY: “cain, who’s an idiot and will probably die soon, who comes asking for magic tips even if his teacher is supposed to be the stronger wizard alive. owen looks at him, auburn in his hair and spring in the way his lips curve upwards, and thinks fool, and also dunce. it’s full of fondness, which scares and irritates him in equal parts.”

TAGS: owen character study, fluff, angst, developing relationship

NOTES: i love how this fic discusses owen’s past in regards to his life after he was “set free” and before he was summoned as a sage’s wizard!! its rare to see caiowe fics focus on that

*ceux qui rêvent • one-shot

SUMMARY: "if you need saving, i'll come running, you know." there isn't a smile on his face, but there's something glimmering in his eyes, owen notices. "i'll be by your side, owen. i told you i would be." 

TAGS: spoilers for 1st anniversary story, fluff, light angst, comfort, owen singing, trust, mutual pining, true love right here...

NOTES: i could literally go on and on about this fic its perfect and i love it so much. highly recommend

*the heart of a ghost • one-shot

SUMMARY: “a moment of silence trapped both of them, with nothing but the faint sound of the music seeping through the cracks. a slow but beautiful song meant for lovers, its tranquil tempo highlighting cain’s erratic heartbeat. maybe cain would get blasted off the balcony and would end up ruining arthur's gardens below, but the proposition so easily rolled out of his tongue like it had been kept safe somewhere, tentatively waiting.”

TAGS: fluff, romantic ballroom dancing, mutual pining, soft vibes, i always imagine a pink evening sky when reading this

NOTES: this fic is amazing omg.....made me feel like i was the one pining

*a farewell, to all woes I was meant to sow • one-shot

SUMMARY: “cain decides to confess to owen everyday until he gets a proper answer.”

TAGS: character study, owen-centric, angst, they both go on a mission to the north, first kiss

NOTES: the sequel to “the heart of a ghost”!

*everything is a western wizard’s fault • one-shot

SUMMARY: “every time he waved at owen and tried to approach him, owen scowled and cast a teleportation spell right away, leaving a mystified cain behind. bradley and mithra also seemed awfully keen on gifting him alcohol and inviting him out to drink, both with knowing grins on their faces. just what in the world happened last night?”

TAGS: fluff, mutual pining, the wizards drinking in the lounge, cain being a little dum, flustered owen, humor, so cutee

*a moment of peace • one-shot

SUMMARY: "owen scoffed, ignoring him. 'o so brave mister knight got bit by one of the poisonous spiders in this area. isn't it hilarious?' yet owen's voice seemed to lack any humor. cain thought it was quite soothing when owen talked so close to his ear, like a whisper. or maybe he wasn't thinking straight anymore.”

TAGS: established relationship, fluff, cain sleeping on owens lap and owen singing to him....real disney princess moment

*there's nothing for the sky to offer • one-shot

SUMMARY: “don’t go,” those words slip past cain’s lips before he could think, like a plea he had been holding back, a phrase he failed to swallow down his throat and bury deep inside him where no one can reach. just like that day. their eyes meet, a mix of blazing ruby and shimmering gold, a blend of conflicting desires that neither of them understood, remaining at the tip of their tongues to rot. and almost like a moth drawn to a flame, owen stays.

TAGS: prose, relationship study, set around winter holidays (festive season), spoilers for 2nd anniversary story, mutual pining, i love the vibes of this fic, also the yearning here....... 

NOTES: deadass this fic made me cry like. its not even supposed to be sad but the writing was just that good

*bittersweet • one-shot

SUMMARY: “i’m saying that," his voice is unusually quiet as he continues, "i have two eyes, but there's only one of you.”

TAGS: the mortifying ordeal of being known, emotionally repressed owen, confessions, first kiss

*lent lily • one-shot

SUMMARY: “owen has never been one to indulge in emotional desires. except for when he's around the knight.”

TAGS: character study, developing relationship, fluff, comforting hugs

*kiss with a fist • one-shot

SUMMARY: “of course i know how to dance, you dumb knight,” owen scoffs, taking cain's hands off the sage and grabbing his wrists.

TAGS: developing relationship, romantic tension, owen is good at waltzing

crisis mess • one-shot

SUMMARY: “the day after the tree was set up, the sage furthered owen’s misery by announcing what they called a secret santa.”

TAGS: secret santa, light angst, fluff, i especially liked the restaurant scene it was so cute, they care about each other......

la di dah • one-shot

SUMMARY: “the courtyard is a good place for singing and dancing.”

TAGS: fluff, dancing in the courtyard to happy music, friendship, set before 1st anniversary

my dove • one-shot

TAGS: owen transforms into a dove to visit cain, fluff

irreplaceable • one-shot

SUMMARY: “what cain could remember about his very first impression of owen, even before the attack started, was laying his eyes on the man and some part of his brain telling him very clearly that’s a corpse.”

TAGS: cain’s pov, developing relationship, character study

behind these golden eyes • short drabble

SUMMARY: “owen always hated the color gold.”

[winterscaptain]

pretty/drunk

Aaron Hotchner x Fem!Reader a joyful future fic

a/n: this doesn’t have any gendered pronouns, but some of the content was fairly fem-coded and i didn’t want anyone to experience anything triggering/unpleasant, so i tagged it fem. all my gals, gays, hes, and theys can be pretty and wear fancy underwear!! (i can always adapt a super super gender neutral version if anyone wants it! or hell, even male-coded. we’re inclusive in this house!) also my smut taglist is...not updated. yikes.

words: 2.5k warnings: alcohol use, drunk!aaron, smut (oral w/reader receiving, penetrative sex, creampie)

summary: “compliments cost nothing, yet many pay dear for them.” - thomas fuller

masterlist | a joyful future masterlist | ajf faq | requests closed!

“You’re so pretty,” Aaron says, his words only slurring a little. He’s followed you into the bathroom at Will and JJ’s like a lost puppy and can’t keep his hands to himself. 

You laugh, pulling his arms further around you. “Aaron, honey, you’re really drunk.”

His brow crinkles. You can see it in the mirror. “Do I… not tell you you’re pretty when I’m not drunk? Because I should do that.”

“No,” you assure him with a pat to the back of his hand. “You do, but you have less of an agenda when you’re sober.”

He laughs in that delightful little way he does when he’s drunk and he knows he’s been caught. “That’s not true. I always have an agenda.”

As if to make his point, his mouth drops to your neck, finding that spot that makes you sigh. You can feel your heartbeat in your bits at this point, but you won’t give him the satisfaction. 

You turn, holding his face in your hands. His eyes are only a little glassy - he’s playing it up because he knows it makes you laugh. “You’re not very subtle, sweetheart.”

“But you’re so pretty,” he grumbles, tucking his face into your neck again. 

“Okay, love. Let’s go. C’mon.”

You eventually get him back down the hallway and into the living room. 

Emily smirks at you, but you only roll your eyes and shake your head. 

Don’t be ridiculous. 

She shrugs. Not the first time it woulda happened. 

Fair point, your eyebrows say. She laughs. 

Jack’s running soccer drills with Henry in the backyard - still full of energy despite the ridiculously late hour - and JJ’s offered to have the boys over at her place tonight. 

“You’re sure?” 

“Pfft, absolutely. What’s one more? Jack’s easy.” 

You laugh lightly. “Can’t argue with that.” 

“And,” she adds, “I figure you guys could use the night. You know, sober up and stuff.” 

Squinting at her, you say, “I’m not drinking tonight.” 

“Just sayin’.”

With a roll of your eyes, you take Aaron by the elbow and lead him out the door and into the car. He’s terribly floppy when he’s just passed buzzed, but you know he’d never get drunk enough to actually make you babysit him. 

He’d explained it to you once. 

“Sweetheart, I’m not in my twenties anymore so wicked hangovers are an inevitability. And it’s inconsiderate.” 

+++

He’s particularly handsy as you walk up to the apartment, impeding your forward momentum as he drags you back against him, grinding playfully against you at every opportunity. 

“Aaron, quit!” You whisper-shout at him, mindful of your neighbors. It’s much later than your usual arrival time and you’re actually aware of the sleepy nature of the suburban apartment complex on a Saturday night. 

You finally let yourself into the apartment and lock the door behind you, setting the alarm as soon as you take your shoes off. 

Aaron’s leisure is apparent - he’s taking his time with his winter trappings (though you’re pretty sure he’d trip if he went at his normal pace). You watch him methodically place his shoes into the rack and hang his coat, brushing imagined debris off the sleeve. 

When he’s done, he turns back to you with a look he might think is smooth. Really, he just looks rather undone. 

Delightfully undone. 

You sigh and cross the room, pulling his lips to yours and winding your fingers in his hair. He moans into your mouth and you’re violently reminded of the other perk of an inebriated Aaron: while already vocal, his lowered inhibitions increase his volume in… almost every situation. 

“Come to bed, baby,” you whisper against him. 

You can feel his smile. “Okay.” 

Taking him by the hand, you drag him to your bedroom and close the door behind you out of habit. 

He presses you against the wall, his hands wandering down your ribs, your hips, your ass, up your shirt as his searing kisses poke holes in your desire to sleep. 

You pull back, your head against the wall. “I have something for you. Wanna see?” 

His eyes are firmly stuck on your mouth, but he nods. 

“Wait for me. I’ll be right back.” 

With a wolfish grin, he steps back (carefully) and starts to undo his belt buckle. As nice a visual as that is, you know you have a limited window before he crashes. 

Drunk Aaron often means Sleepy Aaron. If your estimation is right - you have about ten minutes. 

Slipping into the bathroom, you dig around in your side of the cabinet until you find the little bag you’ve been hiding. It’s lingerie you bought last year on his birthday, but hadn’t had the occasion to show him - between cases and Jack, there was never an opportune time. 

You change somewhat leisurely, giving yourself the time to get really worked up, thinking about the way Aaron’s hands and mouth feel on every square inch of your skin. When you’re well and truly warm, you open the door -

And find Aaron completely zonked, naked, halfway-under the turned-down covers. 

Looks like it was more like five minutes. 

You can’t help but smile at the sight. He’s adorable with his face all squished into the pillow, curled toward your side of the bed. 

You strip, leaving the treats back under the cabinet, and slip under the covers wearing nothing at all. 

+++

You’re sure you’re having the best sex dream of your life. Getting all worked up before bed often had its own consequences, but you find yourself waking before you can really grab onto the feeling. 

A bit frustrated, you rouse yourself and realize Aaron grinding against you isn’t part of your dream. You reach back, tangling your fingers in his hair - not enough to pull, but enough to let him know you’re awake. 

“Aaron?” 

“Hmm?” 

You let out a shaky breath and arch your back, sending your ass right into him. He groans and you feel his hand wander from your abdomen to your center, aching and soaked all the way to your thighs. 

His talented fingers wander over your heated skin, circling your clit and dipping into you but not enough. You wiggle against him impatiently, but he shushes you, laving your neck and shoulder with languid, wet kisses that leave you squirming. 

Your eyes flutter shut as he ducks under the covers, his kisses traveling down the curve of your spine, to your waist. You squeak when his teeth sink into the soft skin above your hip, immediately soothed with his tongue. Letting him lead, you wait until his fingers wrap around your knee before you swing your leg over his head. 

His pleased hum is audible and it sends a shiver down your spine. 

Your heel slides up his shoulder in your attempt to get him where you want him, but you can feel the muscles of his back ripple as he resists you, pillowing his head on your thigh. 

Aaron presses kisses to the crease of your thigh until you’re well and truly squirming. 

He lets out a drawn-out moan as his tongue makes contact with your slit and you swear he drinks from you before sloppily licking and mouthing his way to your clit, rolling the little nub on his tongue. 

“Perfect,” he whispers against you, wrapping his lips around you and sucking for a moment before taking one long pass from stem to stern with the flat of his tongue. 

You whimper, pressing the back of one hand to your mouth while the other tangles in his hair, holding him in place. 

He lifts, even against the pressure of your hand, and looks up at you, his nose, mouth, and chin glistening in the low light. “Nobody’s home, baby.” He drops a kiss to your clit. “Let me hear you.” 

You keep your eyes on his as he positively devours you. After what seems like forever, he drops his gaze, giving you a breathtaking view of his long eyelashes resting against his cheekbone. 

His arms slide over your lower back, wrapping around you to hold you steady as he rocks his face into you. It’s sloppy, loud, and immaculate. 

Closing your eyes and relaxing everything you can, you focus entirely on the sensation of his tongue against your clit, the way the whole lower half of his face burrows as far into you as he can get, ever seeking something more, somewhere closer. 

Your walls flutter on their own, pushed to the brink by his ministrations. Your hips buck a little and you let out the breath you didn’t know you were holding in a huff. 

“Fuck, Aaron. You’re so good.” 

“Mhmm.” His hum doesn’t leave your skin, but he still sounds way too full of himself. When you yank on his hair in light admonishment for his own self-awareness, he lets out another groan from deep in his chest. 

It rumbles through you, all the way to your bones. You can’t help but shudder again and his arms tighten around you.  

You can feel his muscles pull and flex under your calf as he chases friction, grinding into the sheets. His expression belies none of it - there’s not a grain of tension in his forehead, his eyebrows sit relaxed when they’re not pulled together in surprise or pleasure. 

One of his arms slides out from under you, running his fingers over your thigh before lifting his mouth from you. He wets his fingers, pulling them slowly from his lips and dropping them to tease your entrance. 

He raises his eyebrows expectantly, meeting your eyes. 

You give in. 

“Please.” 

With a smirk, he runs his fingers from your bundle of nerves to your slit, slipping them inside you with unbearable lack of haste. You wiggle against him and he relents, diving back into you with more than enthusiasm. 

Your voice is somewhere between a gasp and a whine. “Aaron, you’re gonna make me come.” You twist, but his arms hold you fast as you curl into your pillow. 

He doesn’t falter for a second, going down on you like it’s his favorite thing to do (it is, actually) until you’re overcome, shaking and overwrought with pleasure. His gentle guidance through your peak only prolongs it, sweetening the pleasure until it hums through your body. 

Finding his way back to you, he takes the same route he took on his way down, kissing his way to your knee, taking your leg back over his head, and wandering up your back with his lips and tongue. 

He settles behind you again and wraps you in his arms, pressing kisses to your neck. 

You turn your head and he meets your lips with his own. It’s an awkward angle, sure, but sex by definition is awkward - what’s one more element? 

You kiss the taste of yourself off of him, his little pleased noises only egging you on. Impatiently, you reach behind you and wrap your hand around his cock, stroking just the way he likes it (with a twist of your wrist at the tip) until he stops you with a hand over yours. 

“Either I come inside you or not at all.” 

With a little laugh, you release him. “By all means, darling. Be my guest.” 

Aaron’s got a stupid little smile on his face you can only see half of, but you make it clear you have no intention of moving, arching your back again to give him more access. 

Positioning himself between your thighs, he runs his cock over your heated flesh, between your lips, still sensitive from your orgasm. You relax into him with a shaky exhale, rocking back and seeking friction. 

His breath is hot at your ear as he eases into you, the angle from this position new and tight. You move with him, meeting him inch for inch as he slowly gives you more and more with each thrust. 

He brings his hand to your waist and you can feel him trembling. You bring your knees closer to your chest and he shifts so the top of his thighs are flush with the back of yours. 

You whimper as he finds that place inside you, and hits it over and over and over with alarming consistency. He’s bottoming out with every thrust and you’re seeing stars. 

The arm underneath him snakes under your pillow and around your shoulders, his fingers splayed over your chest. The arm at your waist sneaks down to your clit and you do him a favor - lifting your knee as close to your shoulder as you can get it. 

He loops his arm around your thigh, holding you open for him, while he drowns his fingers in his handiwork from before. It’s been almost two years and he's mastered that angle on your clit - the one that has you nearly in tears within seconds, gasping little sobs leaving you as you’re once again pushed to the breaking point. 

“Harder,” you tell him. “More.” 

His lips glued to the slope between your neck and shoulder, he pounds into you faster, harder, the sound of his hips snapping to yours filling the bedroom. 

Your orgasm crests over you all at once and you can’t even thrash as your vision whites out and your legs violently shake - his hold on you is tight and all-consuming. He well-and-truly fucks you, chasing his pleasure while riding you through yours. 

He gasps and you know he’s close. You bring your hand behind you to his hair again and hold him to you, the softness of his ungelled hair grounding you as the rest of your body continues to alight with sensation. 

“Fuck, I’m -” His brief warning is rough, breathless, and relentlessly hot. You look in front of you, seemingly for the first time, and realize your mirrored closet doors are right there. 

Your mouth drops open as you watch Aaron drive into you, deep, and unlatch from your neck, his eyes squeezing shut and mouth open, a groan leaving him. You can feel him inside you, warm and full, as he releases, his hips barely leaving yours as he shallowly ruts into you. 

You can’t tear your eyes from his reflection. He’s beautiful - perfectly undone and entirely blissed out. You clench and flex, milking everything you can from him until his body seems to melt into yours, the tension drawing out of his fingers, arms, then finally his brow. 

He hooks his chin over your shoulder, laying his cheek against yours. A low hum leaves him and a content smile curls at his lips. 

Yours matches, and you lace your fingers through his, pulling his arms tighter around you. “Did you tick off all your agenda items?” 

His eyes remain close as he answers with a little nod. “Mhmm.” 

“Are you still a little drunk?” 

“Hmm…” He actually thinks about his answer for a second. “Only a little. Mostly wanted to make you laugh.” 

You’ll have to go clean up eventually, but he snuggles impossibly closer, still inside you as he softens, and kisses your cheek, sweet and chaste. 

“You’re so pretty.”

tagging:  @quillvine @stxrrywildflower @ughitsbaby @rousethemouse @criminalsmarts @shrimpyblog @genevievedarcygranger @ssaic-jareau @angelsbabey @writefasttalkevenfaster @venusbarnes @ogmilkis @marvels-agents100 @hotchslatte @risenfox @mrs-dr-reid @captain-christopher-pike @dwellingsofrosie @pinkdiamond1016 @aaronhotchnerr @violentvulgarvolatile @mooneylupinblack @ssareidbby @ssa-morgan @violet-amxthyst @capricorngf @pan-pride-12 @mandylove1000 @joanofarkansass  @cevanswhre @infinity1321 @zizzlekwum @popped-weasels @mandylove1000 @jeor @capricorngf @missdowntonabbey @nuvoleincielo @ssahotchnerr @bwbatta @roses-and-grasses @winqhster @the-falling-in-the-danger @iconicc @mangoberry43 @crazyshannonigans @ceceguajardo-blog @deagibs

[tomhiddlestonfanfic]

On My Own Terms

TITLE: On My Own Terms NUMBER OF CHAPTERS/ONE SHOT: One shot WHICH TOM CHARACTER: Actor Tom PAIRING: Tom x Reader GENRE: romance AO3-link Picture Credit: @prislaa​

Taglist: @waddlenut​

Dedicated to @twhiddlestonsstuff as a belated birthday gift! Happy birthday darling!

On My Own Terms

You looked at yourself in the mirror and smiled at what you saw. For once, you were satisfied with your outfit, hair and makeup. You felt ready for what would be your fifth date with Tom. You had been seeing each other on a once weekly basis for some time now and you longed to hear about what had happened in Tom’s life since the last time you saw each other. He was a true gentleman and a delight to be around. He was often in a good mood which was infectious and he was very kind to everyone he interacted with. Over the course of the last few weeks, you had grown very fond of him and was hoping that he felt the same about you. You hadn’t had your first kiss yet. You suspected that it had to do with the fact that you had told Tom that you wanted to take it slow.

Before meeting Tom, every date you had would at the beginning say that they were okay with taking it slow, but then they had all gotten frustrated over the fact that you didn’t want to have sex with them because you barely knew them after a few dates. Tom was not at all like that. He wasn’t pushy or demanding. He was sweet and respectful of your boundaries. But still, you felt a bit worried that he would grow tired of taking it so slow with you.

The doorbell rang. You smiled at yourself in the mirror before going to open the door. You were met by the sight of a beautiful bouquet of colourful flowers, Tom’s warm smile and tender gaze.

“Wow. They’re beautiful,” you said happily as Tom held out the flowers towards you.

“I’m glad you like them,” he said and came inside, shutting the door behind him.

“I’ll just put them in a vase, then we can get going,” you said smilingly and brought the flowers with you to the kitchen.

You felt happy inside and admired the flowers once they were in place on your kitchen table. You looked up to find Tom standing in the door opening smiling at you. You walked up to him and hugged him hard.

“I’ve missed you,” you said.

“I’ve missed you too,” Tom replied as he embraced you.

When you got outside, Tom opened his umbrella and you walked close to each other underneath it. It was pouring outside, but you didn’t mind it. You liked it when it rained.

“I love the smell of rain,” you told Tom and he nodded agreeing.

“Me too. It’s refreshing,” he said. “What do you think about the scent of old books?”

“I like it,” you smiled. “It makes me think of how nice it is to sit by my window underneath a blanket with a cup of tea and just read.”

“Right, you have this nice window seat in your apartment,” Tom remembered. “I can imagine that it’s nice to sit there with some tea and a book. Especially on days like this.”

“Exactly. I love watching the rain and hearing it lightly tap on my window,” you told him.

“It’s nice that you enjoy rain so much,” Tom said. “Most people I know don’t seem to like it. They tend to see it as an inconvenience.”

“Precisely,” you agreed. “But it rains quite often here, so it would be more convenient if people decided to embrace it instead of hating it.”

“I agree,” Tom replied. “Thanks to you, I’ve become better at appreciating the good things about rain. I even find myself enjoying it.”

“I’m glad I could help,” you said with a smile. You truly enjoyed your walk with Tom and it felt nice that you were getting to know him better.

You went to a bookshop café and sat down by a window with your cups of coffee. You spoke about all kinds of things, updating each other on what was going on in your lives.

After a few hours of walking around and looking in different shops, your date was nearing its end. Tom walked you home and followed you up the stairs. You stood by the door and were about to say goodbye to each other. When Tom leaned in for a hug, you just felt like this was the perfect moment for your first kiss. You put your arms around his neck, pulling him closer towards you and then you kissed his soft lips. You could feel Tom’s smile against your lips and you began to smile too. Tom pulled you closer and deepened the kiss. You enjoyed every second of it and afterwards, you couldn’t stop smiling. Tom had to leave to do something work related, so you decided to see each other again soon.

You felt great joy as you went inside your apartment and went to admire the flowers in the kitchen. Your face felt a bit sore from how much you were smiling, but you couldn’t and did not want to stop smiling. You felt like everything about the date was perfect. You had initiated the kiss and Tom had responded to it just the way you had hoped he would. You no longer felt worried that he would grow tired of taking things slow. He seemed to enjoy it as much as you did. You felt great about dating him, because with him, you truly felt like you were doing things on your own terms.

[arvinsescape]

The Princess and The Guard.

A/N: Sorry for the late update, I had my first vaccination and it made me really sleepy so i couldn’t bring myself to write! There is a time skip in this to move their relationship along but I hope you enjoy! The next chapter will have much more angst as things are starting to happen! I would love to hear your feedback and i will accept construstive criticism. 

This series is not historically accurate and is not intended to be so please bare that in mind when you are reading, I am no real expert on how royalty works (even if I am from England).

This series will contain misogynistic language and views, violence, death and nsfw content. I will always put the relevant warnings into each chapter!

Teaser, Chapter one, Chapter two, Chapter three, Chapter four

Warnings: Language, Smut (Minors do not engage), thigh riding, talking of first orgasms. I think that’s it for this chapter!

W/C: 4K.

Chapter Three:

You sat around the dinner table as you were forced to converse with the Duke. This was the first time you’d been forced to spend time with Oliver for longer than a few moments, you quickly grew bored of the conversation and his constant moaning about the poorer people, along with his bragging about his achievements. Your mind couldn’t help but go back to the last few months with Tom and how things had changed between the two of you, if your parents knew they’d probably disown you.

Harrison’s wedding was a beautiful affair, everyone was enjoying seeing the happy couple, it was a rare occasion where the staff where able to celebrate in their own quarters and given the night off. Your parents watched in pride and delight as Harrison and Ellie danced around the ballroom, completely captivated by one an another. It was almost like no one else was in the room, your eyes consistently found Tom’s. He was one of the only members of staff able to celebrate with the rest of you as he was Harrison’s personal guard.

It was getting late as Harrison and Ellie retired to bed, most of the nobles had left by now, your parents having gone to bed a while ago. As you said your goodnight’s to the remaining people, you headed into the corridors and towards your bedroom, you were quite tipsy by this point, Harrison having encouraged you to ‘live a little.’ Your thoughts had drifted to Tom and how he walked you back to your room a lot these days, as if he was thinking the same, you heard his voice, a smile making its way onto your lips.

“Princess. Allow me to walk you to your room.”

“I would love that Tom.” You smiled as you looked back at him, watching as he fell into step next to you.

“Tonight was a beautiful night. You looked beautiful.”

“Thank you Tom.”

You walked in a comfortable silence until you reached your bedroom door, as it always seemed to be the case when you and Tom did this, no other staff where in the corridors and you couldn’t be more thankful for that fact.

“I’m glad Harrison found his happiness, I truly hope you do to.” He smiled as he spoke to you and you bit your lip as you looked at him.

“I hope you do too Tom.” The alcohol in your system was making you slightly more brave. “Nightcap?” You asked as you pointed to your bedroom, gesturing for him to come in.

“Princess-“ Tom went to say, apprehension clear in his tone.

“No one will know, I’m in charge of getting myself ready for bed tonight.” You almost pleaded with him, you wanted to spend more time with him, he was becoming addictive. He nodded slightly as you both made your way into your bedroom, you made sure to shut your bedroom door, knowing that if anyone was to disturb you now they’d have to knock.

You poured two glasses of wine, handing one to Tom as you both took seats at your small table, one your mother insisted you needed in a bedroom. He looked slightly uncomfortable, this would be the first time he’d ever been into your bedroom.

“Tom, relax.” You laughed. “No one is going to know.”

“Sorry, I just, I never expected to be here.” He said and you smiled.

“Most men would jump at the chance to be here.” You teased and now it was his turn to smile.

“I enjoy spending time with you princess, but this is improper, as much as I like being here and with you, it’s improper.” The nickname was making your heart beat faster, he really was the only person who could call you that and it didn’t make you want to roll your eyes.

“Can I ask you something?” You asked and he nodded, you felt bolder than usual, moving closer to him. “Do you want to kiss me Tom?” You asked and Tom visibly gulped.

“I think you know the answer to that question.” He spoke, his tongue darting out to wet his bottom lip as you looked at each other.

“That’s not a yes or a no.” You whispered, faces incredibly close. You heart was hammering in your chest, although this would not be your first kiss, it would be the first kiss that meant anything to you. The tension between the two of you was thick, Tom’s eyes had darkened slightly as his eyes flicked from yours to your lips.

“Yes.” He answered confidently and you smiled.

“Then please, Tom, kiss me.” You whispered back and that was all it took before you felt his lips on yours. It felt too good to be true. His lips were softer than you’d imagined. You felt as his hand placed itself on your cheek, it was soft, caring, almost as if he was frightened of hurting you. The kiss was innocent and sweet until your thoughts drifted elsewhere and you found yourself pushing your lips harder against his, deepening the kiss.

Tom didn’t hesitate to kiss you back, just as firm, his hand slipping into your hair as he carefully removed your grip, your hair falling around you. You couldn’t help yourself as you moved to straddle his thigh and your mind became clouded with lustful thoughts. You’d never done anything above a kiss with another man but you were not naive, you’d been educated on the sexual side to relationships.

His hand had a firm grip on your waist as your hands slid into his hair. You pulled back slightly for some air and Tom took the opportunity to plant kisses down your neck, you moved your head to the side, sighing in pleasure, it felt good, a kind of pleasure you’d never experienced before. You felt a need grow between your legs, a need that felt as though it needed to be shifted, this was new and exciting to you. You ground your hips against Tom’s thigh, the pleasure felt like nothing you’d ever felt before, you moaned.

Tom hummed against your neck, before pulling away. “Y/n.” He said and you reconnected your lips, cutting him off. You moved your hand down his chest, hand falling into his crotch as you felt his hardened length and he moaned. “Y/N/N.” He said again before pulling back completely, you looked at him with furrowed brows, halting your movements.

“Have you ever done anything like this?” He asked seriously and you shook your head. “I’m sorry, I need to go, I don’t want to take advantage of you.” He said as he moved you off him.

“But Tom, I started it. Do you not want to?” You asked, embarrassment settling in your chest.

“It’s not that I don’t want to. Fuck, I want nothing more than to have you fall apart on me but you’ve been drinking.” He said as he cupped your cheek in his hand, he smoothed his thumb across your cheek before dipping his head down and capturing your lips in his, the kiss sweet and soft. “Goodnight Princess.”

You’d had countless dreams about that night, ones had you going further. You’d wanted to do it again, the pleasure you’d felt was like nothing you had before and it intrigued you. You’d asked Annie about it, her cheeks growing red as she answered your burning question of what happens after.

“It’s what happens before you orgasm, your highness.” She said, cheeks redder than a tomato.

“Does it feel good?” You asked her and she nodded.

“Forgive me, Princess, but why do you ask?” This time it was your turn to feel embarrassed.

“It doesn’t matter, I was just curious is all. Some of the women were talking about it.” You lied, you were well aware of what an orgasm was and how sex worked but you were never told how truly pleasurable it felt and how it ignited excitement and passion in you.

“I’ve found you have to do it with the right person for it to feel the best it can.” She added as she brushed through your hair.

“You’ve done it more than once?” You asked and she nodded.

“I had feelings for a guy I used to meet in the bar before well.” She cut herself off, you knew she was talking about Tuwaine, she’d never admit it but you weren’t blind. “I found it always felt better with him.” She added.

“Did you ever enter a relationship with him?” You asked.

“No, he wasn’t the relationship sort of man.” She answered.

You’d found yourself wanting to do it again, it had you seeking out the brown haired guard, trying to find him alone. Tom made you feel things no one ever had before and it wasn’t just aroused, he made you laugh and smile, made you feel like the most beautiful woman in the world to him just by looking at you. You’d found yourself in the library with him two weeks later.

Tom’s lips were on yours, you’re not sure how you got into this position, pressed up against a bookshelf as Tom kissed you like his life depended on it. You’d bumped into each other on another one of your late night ventures, you practically jumped at one an another, the tension between you both was thick.

“You look amazing.” Tom said and you almost accused him of being a liar, the silk of your nightgown being no where near as flattering as some of the gowns you wore but you were too wrapped up in his lips trailing down your neck.

“Tom.” You breathed and he hummed. “I want to-“ you cut yourself off suddenly feeling embarrassed, he pulled back to look at you, hand cupping your neck.

“What? What do you want?” He asked and the look he gave you made you feel safe, like he wouldn’t judge you for anything you were going to say, you suddenly felt a surge of confidence under his stare, he really did make you feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.

“The other night when we- It felt good.” You said and he smiled. “I want to do it again.” You added. “Please Tom.” You almost begged and he nodded.

“Not here.” He spoke and you nodded, suddenly remembering where you were, anyone could catch the two of you. He took your hand in his and laced them together, carefully, and quietly manoeuvring you both through the halls and towards your bedroom. Once you were both sure no one was watching you both you entered your bedroom.

“Are you sure you want to do this? That you want it to be me?” He asked and there was a vulnerability to his question that you didn’t like, sure you weren’t supposed to be doing this but it didn’t feel wrong, it felt so right in a way you couldn’t explain.

“Tom, I’m sure.” You reassured him as you cupped his cheek and kissed his lips.

“You’re so perfect.” He said as he smoothed out your hair. “If you’re sure?” He asked and you grasped his hand, moving him to sit on the chair he had two weeks ago, a sense of déjà vu hitting you. You moved to straddle his thigh again, his hands instantly finding your waist as he softly gripped them. A sudden feeling of vulnerability settled in your chest, you knew he’d done this before, what if you weren’t as good?

“Have you done this before?” You asked and he furrowed his brows as he moved a hand to smooth out your hair.

“Yes, I’ve had sex before, but never with a woman like you.” He said and the sincerity in his eyes had you feeling more secure instantly. “Don’t think about them Princess, I’m not. Now let me make you feel good.” He grinned and you reconnected your lips, the kiss growing deeper quickly.

He licked your bottom lip and asked for entrance which you happily granted, your tongues entwining together as Tom took control of the kiss, his hand slipping to cup your neck as yours found his hair. You felt your need for him grow as you felt yourself dampen at your core. You ground your hips against his thigh and sighed in pleasure.

“Feel good?” Tom asked as he placed a string of kisses down your neck and you hummed in response. His hand moved under your silk nightdress as you continued to grind into his thigh, his fingers leaving a hot trail in their wake. He moved to your underwear and guided you to move it to the side, your core making contact with his clothed thigh, you moaned quietly, this felt so much better.

Tom moved his hands to your waist as he started to guide your movements and you gasped at the pleasure, this felt better than anything you’d ever done before. Your forehead rested against his as he watched your movements, seemingly entranced by you. You hand fisted his hair as you moved against his thigh, small moans escaping your lips. Tom’s eyes connected with yours and they’d noticeably darkened.

“You look so hot like this.” He spoke and the words went straight down south, making you wetter than before, you were sure the evidence would be on his thigh, but you couldn’t find it in you to care. You felt a knot forming in your stomach as Tom guided your movements, taking full control as he moved you towards your high. You were sure this couldn’t feel any better and Tom proved you wrong as he tensed his thigh and you moaned louder than before, Tom’s hand shooting up to cover your mouth.

“Fuck Princess, you sound so hot but we can’t risk anyone hearing, you need to be quiet.” He spoke and the tone was something new, you’d never experienced this stern tone from Tom and it only served to turn you on more. “I can feel how wet you are through this material, so wet for me. Gonna make you come all over my thigh.” He spoke again and you moaned against his hand.

The knot in your stomach was foreign but it felt good, it had you wanting to move yourself against him faster.

“Tom, I’m. I don’t.” You stuttered over your words, they were muffled by his hand. “I need more.” You settled on, you were unfamiliar with what you needed to do but you were becoming consumed by the pleasure you were feeling, everything felt good.

“You close baby?” He asked and you just looked at him innocently, unsure of exactly what that meant and he groaned as he took in your expression. “Fuck, you are.” He said as he tensed and relaxed his thigh in a rhythm that had you almost seeing stars. The coil in your stomach felt ready to snap, you were convinced that it couldn’t wind any tighter. Tom must have sensed this as he pulled back to cup your face with one hand, looking you straight in the eyes as he spoke.

“I’ve got you Princess, you’re safe. It’s okay, come for me. You’re safe with me.” He spoke again and you threw your head back as you moaned louder, his hand covering your mouth again. The coil snapping as pleasure consumed everything. Tom continued to move you against him and you became more aware of how loudly your heart was beating as your vision blurred slightly, it felt amazing.

Slowly your vision returned to normal as did your senses, you looked and saw Tom already looking at you, you smiled lazily at him, a sudden sense of tiredness taking over. His hand cupping your cheek as his thumb smoothed over it. You were on cloud nine and you were so sure nothing could ruin this moment for you.

“Thank you.” You spoke and Tom smiled.

“Anything for you Princess.”

You’d done it a few more times over the past few months, you even took it a step further and brought each other to orgasm as you ground your crotches together. Watching Tom fall apart became something you found intoxicating, everything about him looked hot when he did it. You hadn’t gone any further than you learned was called dry humping but you felt like you were ready for more, ready for him to touch you with no clothing there.

“Y/N?” Your mother broke you from your trance. You looked at the rest of the table and found everyone looking at you expectantly.

“I apologise, I was distracted for a moment.” You said and your mother shook her head in annoyance as Harrison bit back a smile, you remember the day he found out.

“Y/N, I know.” Harrison spoke vaguely as he entered your room, you furrowed your brows as you looked at him.

“What?”

“About Tom.” He said again.

“I-“ You stopped yourself unsure of his reaction. “How did you know?”

“Little sister, I have been aware of his infatuation with you for years, he is my closest friend, I’ve noticed how much happier he is. It didn’t take much for me to figure out something was going on. Then I caught the two of you kissing in the library last week.” He said, smile on his face.

“Wait. You’re not mad?” You asked.

“Mad? No. Does he make you happy?”

“Yes.”

“Then honestly, that is all I care about. Be careful though, mother and father must never find out.”

 Harrison was incredibly supportive, he was much like you, he didn’t believe that you couldn’t have happiness in order to perform your duties. Having Harrison know made it much easier on you and Tom, Harrison helped sneak Tom into your room so he could hold you until you fell asleep, he also made sure Tom was gone from your room before anyone else arrived.

  “I asked if you wanted to go for walk down by the river next week.” Oliver smiled, there was something off about him, you just couldn’t put your finger on it. His smile was sweet but almost sickly sweet, like he was forcing it but not in the way as though he was uncomfortable, it was strange and you couldn’t put your finger on it.

“Are you asking me on a date?” You said, almost bored.

“Yes, I suppose I am.” There was that smile again, almost as though it had an ulterior motive behind it.

“I will think about it.” You said.

“She will go.” Your mother interrupted.

“What?” You protested. “I just said I will think about it.” You snapped.

“You are being rude.” She snapped back.

“Forgive me but I do not see how that was rude. I said I would consider a date with him, I did not insult the man.” You snarled, Harrison laughed and concealed it with a cough.

“That is enough.” Your mother suddenly stood from her seat. “I apologise for my daughters incredibly bad manners Oliver. I will be in touch later in the week but right now I believe we need a family meeting. Y/N, Harrison, study now.” She snapped angrily as she made her way out of the room, you, Harrison, and your father in tow.

You all made your way into the study, your mother angrily slamming the door behind you all.

“You have read too many story books. Life for a Princess does not play out as those children’s stories do. You do not marry for love, you marry because it is expected of you and you marry to carry on the family name and lineage. I have heard enough of your excuses and we shall be choosing your suitor promptly.” Your mother spat at you as tears slipped from your eyes. You were thankful your parents didn’t know about Tom and what you’d been up to.

“But mother-“

“That is enough! I have stood by and watched you make a mockery of this Royal family for long enough, you will be like your brother, you will behave and you will get married by the end of the year.” She interrupted as she made her way out of the room.

“Father, please.” You pleaded with your father, he looked guilty for a second before he composed himself.

“My daughter, I have always wanted what is best for you. I have always wanted you to be happy but your mother is right, you cannot continue this path of rejecting every man who asks. It is decided, we shall be choosing who you marry.” He said as he followed your mother out of the room, leaving you and Harrison stood there.

“Harrison, what do I do?” You cried as your brother took you into his arms and tried to comfort you. “I love him.” You concluded and Harrison nodded.

“We’ll figure this out, I promise. If I was King, I’d allow it.” He clenched his jaw. “You deserve to be happy but we need to be smart about this. If you and Tom have any shot at a future, we have to be smart about this.”

You found yourself in your room that evening crying uncontrollably. You heard a soft knock at your door as you tried to compose yourself. You got up from your bed as you answered the door to be met with Harrison.

“I thought you could use a pick me up, don’t worry no one knows we’re here.” You furrowed your brows in confusion before Harrison practically shoved Tom into your room, shutting the door quickly. You looked at Tom for a second before you felt the tears again, you couldn’t control yourself as you practically fell into his arms and cried into his chest, his arm wrapping around your waist as his other ran through your hair.

“Hey, hey, hey. What’s happened?” He asked as he held you.

“My mother, she’s insisting that I marry, she’s going to chose a suitor and I don’t want her to. Tom, I want you.” You cried and he held you tighter.

“Baby, you knew as well as I did that this couldn’t last forever. You were always someone I could never truly have, not forever.” He said into your hair and you only cried harder.

“It’s just not fair.”

“I know it’s not fair but it’s the reality, I’m sorry Princess.”

“But Tom, I love you.” You said as you pulled back and sniffled, wiping your nose. It was the first time you’d said it out loud but it was the truth, you truly did love him. He smiled sadly at you before picking you up and moving onto the bed with you, cuddling you into his chest, you felt safe, almost happy to be back in his arms.

“I love you too Princess. I always have.” He said and like you, this was the first time he’d said the words. “It sounds harsh on those women but they could never fill the void you created. I don’t think I’ve known a moment in my life where you haven’t consumed my thoughts.” He spoke and your heart warmed, he felt the same.

“I don’t care what happens Tom, I really don’t. I want you and I’m going to try and find a way to keep you.” You said as your tears subsided and he pulled you closer.

“Even if we’re not together Princess, you’ll always have a part of me. You’ll never truly lose me.” He whispered as you felt a wave of tiredness wash over you, letting yourself fall fully into the comfort of his arms.

“I’ll find a way Tom.” You whispered.

“Shh.” He whispered back, hand running through your hair as you fought to stay awake. “Get some sleep Princess. I always knew I couldn’t have you forever but I sure as hell will cherish what we have together forever.” He whispered into your hair as you succumbed to sleep.

**

Taglist: @allthisfortommy , @bi-lmg , @bigassnocash , @thoughtfulfireangelpersona , @aidinniram , @minejungwoo , @hommyy-tommy , @nellabellaa 

If you would like to be added to the taglist, please let me know!! 💕

[wangxianficrecs]

Follower Recs

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Hi! First of all, thank you so much for running this blog, It's become one of three reasons why I haven't yet committed arson (I jest but the Feeling is true). [Hee, hee, hee.] I have a rec for you! It's called "wholesome life usurp immediately" by comfect on ao3 and it's. So good. It's unfinished but the author updates it literally every other day if not faster! It's a lovely fic, I hope you enjoy it. 🌻

Wholesome Life Usurp Immediately

by Comfect (T, 55k, yunmeng sibs, qingli, wangxian, WIP)

Summary: Wen Qing examines Jiang Yanli at Cloud Recesses and has a cure for her poor cultivation.

Now there are Three Prides of Yunmeng.

Everything kind of fixes itself from there.

~*~

hello mojo!! I would really like to recommend standing still (but we keep going) by lwjromantics!! it's really good!!

standing still (but we keep going)

by lwjromantics (justfantaestic) (T, 5k, wangxian)

Summary: Lan Wangji supposed that if having to take care of little A-Yuan and Mo Xuanyu and having to look at the reminders of Wei Ying in their habits and mannerisms was punishment for his actions, he would willingly take it and flay his own back open.

— There are children in the Burial Mounds.

~*~

hii mojo! I just read this cute fic and I loved it so I wanted to rec it :) 

Word Up, Talk the Talk

by Larryissocute (G, 2k, wangxian)

Summary:  It wouldn’t have been a problem (it really wouldn’t) if they weren’t best friends. Wei Wuxian doesn’t know what good deeds he did in his past life to be blessed with Lan Wangji as a friend nor does he know what evil things he did to be cursed with being only a friend to Lan Wangji.

Or the one where Wei Wuxian kisses Lan Wangji and then runs away.

~*~

Hey! Love your account — and proud of you for taking the hiatus you needed.  [Lol - it was really nice!]  Idk if you take fic recommendations, but I'd love to rec Roots by ardenrabbit. Fantastic characterization, I really love it!

Roots

by ardenrabbit (E, 46k, wangxian, WIP)

Summary:  After Wei Wuxian's duel with Jiang Cheng, he finds that stab wounds aren't so trivial when he doesn't have a core to heal them. He wakes to find Lan Zhan in the Burial Mounds with him, already beloved by the Wens and making himself at home. When Lan Zhan tells him that he wants to stay and offers more help than Wei Wuxian knows how to accept, he fears that it's only too good to be true.

Lan Wangji knows that Wei Ying is doing the right thing, and he couldn't live with himself if he let him do it alone. For everything Wei Ying has sacrificed, Lan Wangji is determined to give something back to him.

Hanguang-Jun has turned his back on the clans to join the Yiling Wens and their demonic cultivator leader, and every clan has a different opinion on the matter.

~*~

Hello! I wanted to rec a fic on ao3 called "Restoration" by jelenedra. It's complete, an alternate universe of the sunshot campaign told nonlinearly. It has strong fairy tale and fae elements, with a touch of mystery. Bit of a fix it. Some delightful one liners, and the final ending imagery is just LOVELY. The fic deserves much more love. There's also some YilingWei, wwx not raised by Jiang, and sentient Burial Mounds elements. Enchanting read that keeps you enthralled and curious and intrigued.

Restoration

by jelenedra (M, 85k, wangxian)

Summary:  They say he was thrown into Luanzang Gang by the man who killed his parents; they say that he is an immortal cultivator who had been in a deep trance until the Wen sect disturbed his rest and incurred his wrath; they say that he is the fierce corpse of a cultivator who had somehow regained his mind and his spiritual powers.

When Lan Wangji sees him for the first time, he understands why people talk.

Meng Yao wants safety. Xue Yang wants vengeance. The Sunshot Campaign wants victory. Yiling Laozu provides, for a price.

~*~

I usually read all your recommendations. Thanks for gathering all good recs of wangxian. I am in love with every single story your recommend especially the favorites. [I’m so glad!]  I just wanted to suggest a fic i came across while searching for phoenix!wwx. Its a new story I think as author has published it today. The first chapter was very interesting that i thought ill recommend it you and know your opinion. The legendary phoenix and his dragon -Devipriya and Hidden Path to Love by ShadowTenshiV

Hidden Path to Love

by ShadowTenshiV (G, 78k, wangxian)

Summary:  Wei Ying is a servant working at the Gusu Lan castle. One day he enters through a secret passage way connected to the library where he meets a Lan for the first time. He may have left quite an impression, gaining the other´s attention and slowly becoming friends. They would like to become something more, but a servant can´t be with a prince, but maybe his secret can change that.

~*~

hello mojo! i was wondering if I could make a fic rec? it’s called “and the calm is deep where the quiet waters flow” by izanyas. it used to be on ao3 but the author has since moved it to eir own website and has started posting updates there. i was wondering if this could also act as a signal boost bc some old readers on ao3 might not have known that it is now on another website.   Author's been through a tough time so I think it deserves a lot more love.

For new readers, please mind the warnings in the prologue and the beginning of each chapter! it’s omegaverse and a very heavy read as it deals with (possible spoiler) off-screen rape that results in an unwanted pregnancy, as well as secondary gender oppression which runs deep, but for people who can bear it the writing, worldbuilding, and emotions are truly spectacular.

and the calm is deep where the quiet waters flow

by izanyas (E, 270k, wangxian, WIP, link is to WordPress rather than AO3)

Summary: Cangse Sanren was the first of her kind to become a cultivator. Talented, passionate, free-spirited, she bested everything that ever came her way until the very end.

Jiang Fengmian refuses to see her son deprived of that same freedom.

~*~

Hello Mojo! I dunno if this's been recced before, but here's another ficrec for you? It's complete, on ao3, "The Third Young Master of Qishan Wen" by KouriArashi. It's 'if wwx was raised by dafan wen, but gets recognized as 3rd heir due to his skill' scenario. Some really nice banter and characterization. Wwx and lz get together before the sunshot campaign. Story follows the live action but diverges into au, and does some cool callbacks to original canon. Love Meng Yao in this!  [Oh, I know KouriArashi from my last fandom, I love her works!]

❤️The Third Young Master of the Qishan Wen

by KouriArashi (T, 139k, wangxian, my post)

Summary:  The fic where Wei Wuxian is adopted by the Dafan Mountain Wens instead of the Yunmeng Jiang.

~*~

Hi Mojo! I can count the number of times I’ve spoken on Tumblr on one hand (I’m shy heh) but I found this fic that I think you and others would really like? I’m a sucker for emotional hurt/comfort and this was just too sweet for me not to share (did I go through 20 pages of bookmarks just to make sure you don’t already have it? Maybe …) [Aww, you can do a sidebar search in the bookmarks for the author’s name.  But I hope you found other good fics by carding through the whole catalog!]  It’s “Close Your Soft Eyes” by timetoboldlygo! I also wanna say thank you for all the hard work you put into this blog! It’s a treasure beyond compare. :D [Thank you so much!]

Close Your Soft Eyes

by timetoboldlygo (G, 12k, wangxian)

Summary:  When Lan Wangji woke, the first thing he noticed was the slip of paper, folded and tucked between his index and middle fingers, not Wei Wuxian’s absence. His fingers trembled as he unfurled the paper. A donkey with a little smile beamed down at him.

-

On the nights that Wei Wuxian was gone, Lan Wangji woke to gifts on his pillow.

~*~

Hey Mojo! I love your blog it is beyond awesome! [Thank you!]  I was wondering if you would consider reading JaenysBloodcourt series "A Bond to Takes us home"? The summary is weird but I like the fics and would love to hear your opinion on LWJ POV (it's part 2). Part one is Mingxian but part two (Wangxian) reads as a standalone for the most part. Anyways, thank you for all your hard work! <3 [I’ll put it on my list!]

A Bond to Take Us Home

by JaenysBloodcourt (T, 10k, mingxian - nmj/wwx, wangxian, series in progress)

Summary:  Wei Wuxian has two soulmarks. He has two soulmates that seem to be the opposite of him. During his first life he meets both of them, loves only one and longs for the other. In his second life, the one he loved first is dead, and the one he pined after is pining after him.

These are the many tales of his soulmates and the raucous they made across the cultivation world.

Some are dark, some are light. Beware.

~*~

I forgot to send this in for Mother's Day a few weeks ago, but have you read dragongirlG's "into the light of a dark black night"? It's a short canon divergence where Mama Lan escapes the Cloud Recesses after spending one last, heartbreaking night with her sons. It's so beautiful and bittersweet! [Oh, ouch.  I just read this author’s time travelling juniors au, but hadn’t seen this one.]

into the light of a dark black night

by dragongirlG (T, 3k, Madam Lan & sons)

Summary:  The night that Wu Yuhua, formerly known as Madam Lan, plans to escape from the Cloud Recesses, she runs into an unexpected complication.

That complication comes in the form of her younger son A-Zhan running up to her door and kneeling in front of it, hushed whimpers escaping from his throat.

Wu Yuhua knows it's not the full moon, knows that it's not the one day a month she's allowed to see her children—but like hell is she going to leave her six-year-old son out there trying to stifle sobs in the snow.

She opens the door. "A-Zhan," she says, bending down and reaching out a hand. "Come in, my sweet boy."

On a snowy night in the dead of winter, Wu Yuhua, formerly known as Madam Lan, unexpectedly spends one last night with her sons before escaping from the Cloud Recesses.

~*~

Hello queen I’d like to recommend for ur follower rec posts Avatar: The Untamed Waterbender by KouriArashi. Banger of an ATLA au, def the best one I’ve seen. It’s a WIP but the author updates pretty regularly and it’s all around an A+ fic [Oh, yes, I’ve been waiting for this one to finish before I jump in.]

Avatar: The Untamed Waterbender

by KouriArashi (T, 123k, wangxian, WIP)

Summary:  You know the drill. Long ago, the four nations lived in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.

100 years later, Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli find Wei Wuxian sealed in an iceberg.

Featuring: avatar WWX, waterbending JC, firebending Wens, airbending Lans, earthbending Nies and Jins, Jiang Yanli in possession of the brain cell, et cetera.

~*~

[My ko-fi.]

[starlightrows]

In The Eye Of The Beholder

Chapter 1

Next →

Pairing: Commander Wolffe x reader

Word Count: 2k

Warnings: brief description and mildly graphic medical jargon about losing an eye and having a prosthetic implant placed

Summary: Shortly after the events of the Battle of Khorm, the Kaminoans don’t see the value in moving forward with treatment for Commander Wolffe... you, the GAR doctor on the Coruscant disagree

“I don’t remember asking for your goddamn opinion ambassador!” you shout up at the pale long necked Kaminoan, who’s been passively berating you in an attempt to get your patient taken off life support. Your communicator goes off loudly, and you feel no shame in looking at it instead of listening to the Kaminoan ambassadors retort.

“I’m sorry ambassador, but this discussion is over. The requisition for the cybernetic prosthesis has gone through and whether you like it or not, I am going to give that man a fighting chance. He didn’t lay down his life to be tossed out with the garbage. Now get out of my med bay,” your turn on your heel, and begin speaking into your comlink to arrange for the surgery to get underway immediately.

The procedure took nine grueling hours to fully clear out the wound, put in the prosthetic eye and reconstruct the damage to the soldier's facial structure. He stood a good chance of making a full recovery if the cybernetic innervations healed correctly. Now it was just a matter of letting him rest and wake up in his own time.

Most clone troopers in the GAR hospital didn’t get many visitors, most didn’t stay long enough to need visitors though the ones that lived through their ordeals usually recovered on transports back to the front line. But this trooper had a frequent visitor, a Jedi.

“He must be a very good commander for you to check in on him so often,” you comment one afternoon, standing by the door. The tall Kel Dor turned to face you.

“He is. A dutiful, loyal, hardworking commander. But that is not why I come to see him,” he says

“Why then? Certainly a Jedi Master and a General in the Grand Army of the Republic has many duties and responsibilities to see to,” you approach the bed with your tray of fresh wound dressings for his eye.

“The same reason you advocated for him when the Kaminoans wanted to let him die. He is a person. An individual. He is a good man. And he is a member of my team,” he explains while you work to remove the bandages that keep the stitches and cybernetics clean.

“You care for him,” you say with a smile, applying a layer of bacta gel to the stitches with a cotton bud.

“Indeed. I care for him, and all of his brothers that serve under my command. I am not the only one who worries after his health,” The jedi steps around you, trying not to be in the way.

“Well that makes two of us. I don’t even know him, but I want him to live. And not just to keep serving the republic,” you finish applying the bacta gel and begin rewrapping his head with clean bandages.

“You have a good heart doctor, and better view of the troopers than most. I think he’ll like you when he has the chance to formally meet you,” the jedi says

“I should hope so, he’ll have to come back fairly regularly for check ups and case study updates. He’s the first living being with this particular model of prosthesis. If he doesn’t like me, it’ll be a very unpleasant couple months until the study is complete,” you’ve finished wrapping his head, but find you can’t stop looking at his handsome face. True you’ve seen thousands exactly like his before, but right now it’s as if you’ve never seen anyone like him.

“I’ll be the first to admit, he’s stubborn and a bit gruff. But he’s not so bad once you get to know him, he’s fiercely protective and hates to feel weak. This will be a difficult recovery for him, but I have confidence in him. And in you doctor,” you tear your gaze away from the commander and smile at the jedi.

“Thank you master jedi,” you give him a small bow of your head out of respect.

“Plo,” he says “No need for such formalities,” you wonder briefly if he is smiling beneath his deoxygenator, it certainly sounds like it.

“And him? They don’t include their chosen names in their identification codes, just CC and CT numbers. I doubt he goes by his CC number day to day,” you pack away your equipment, unfortunately other patients are waiting, as much as you would love to stay and chat with the kind jedi master. Plo tracks your movements, he senses your rising anxieties about having to leave and attend to other matters in the hospital. Just as you’re about to leave without getting an answer, Plo speaks up.

“His name is Wolffe”

—

Much to your delight, Commander Wolffe does wake up within a few days. And he’s every bit the stubborn, defensive, and unwilling patient Master Plo promised he would be. He keeps getting up and trying to leave despite obviously being in immense physical pain, he’s already ripped his stitches once, and he’s down right refusing to let you get near him to check the wound and change the dressing.

“Commander Wolffe I am at my wits end here. I’m going to step out to allow you a visitor, and when I come back you will be laying on that bed, I am changing those dressings, you are taking your medication. Is that that clear?” You bark at him. He glares at you with his one amber eye but does not respond.

You push the door open and see Master Plo waiting on the other side.

“He’s all yours General, talk some sense into him if you can,” you toss the comment over your shoulder as you head down to the nurses station for a cup of water.

Master Plo enters the patient room, and finds Wolffe pacing against the far wall. His head snaps up, and he visibly struggles to bring the newcomer into his field of vision.

“General!” Wolffe says in surprise, straightening his posture

“Wolffe, your doctor tells me you’re refusing care,” Plo closes the door behind him.

“I should be out there,” Wolffe growls “Kriff… I shouldn’t even be alive right now. They’re keeping me alive to keep me in a box!”

Plo senses that there is something more, something he’s holding back, beyond wanting to be released from med bay.

“You know better than most that withholding the truth can be the determining factor between life and death,” Master Plo says carefully, approaching Wolffe with slow movements “but this truth is one that needs to be shared,”

Wolffe’s shoulders drop and what little color he’s managed to regain drains from his face. His knees give out and he sinks down onto the floor, tears stain both his good cheek and the bandage. Master Plo moves to join him on the floor.

“Good soldiers don’t lay around in hospital beds and weep over superficial pain,” Wolffe says weakly “Soldiers that don’t recover quickly… get decommissioned and sent back to Kamino in a box,”

“You are already recovering quickly, and your doctor can give you something for the pain so you can heal faster,” Plo says cooly “You are not being sent back to Kamino. Your doctor made sure of that,”

“What?” Wolffe was surprised to hear this, up to this point all of his conscious interactions with you had been rather gruff and none too friendly, he can’t imagine why you weren’t doing everything in your power to get him out of your hospital and out of your way.

“A Kaminoan ambassador came to assess treatment at this hospital and saw your condition, they incorrectly assumed that it would be more beneficial to cease all treatment. Your doctor, shall we say, violently disagreed,”

“Violently sir?”

“They were furious she went ahead with the surgery. Believe me, if someone had recorded it on a holo I would show it to you. It was quite the spectacle,” Master Plo laughs “She was adamant that you deserved a fighting chance,”

—

Later that evening after General Plo had left, you returned to Wolffe’s room with a tray of equipment to change his dressings, and medicine to help with the pain.

“Commander Wolffe if I come into this room and you throw something or scream at me, I will have you physically restrained,” you say sharply before fully entering the room. He’s sitting on the bed facing away from the door.

“I won’t yell,” he replies quietly without turning around, his tone is decidedly gentler than before. Whatever the General said to him must have done the trick. You approach him cautiously, rounding the end of his bed so you could get a good look at him. His face is set in a harsh grimace.

“Are you in pain?” You ask. He nods but doesn’t reply. “I am going to change those dressings and we’re gonna test out that new eye. I think with a good dose of anti inflammatory medication, and some intraocular movement you’ll feel better,”

He nods again, you drag a chair over and sit in front of him, he doesn’t bat your hand away when you move to unwrap his bandages. The silvery white cybernetic eye under the protective padding is downcast to match its whiskey gold twin. The stitches are finally healing up with the help of the bacta gel.

“Good news Commander I think you’re healed enough you won’t need a fresh bandage. Now let’s see how well this prosthesis works. Can you look at my nose?” You remove a penlight from your pocket and shine it in each of his eyes.

You run through a series of tests asking him to stare straight ahead at you, follow the light with his eyes, and tell you when he can or can’t see you moving the end of the pen out of his vision. Pressure and tightness on his left side subsides he continues moving his eye around.

“Your reactions look normal, how does it feel?” you click off your penlight and tuck it away.

“Hurts a bit less,” he quietly admits “I’m sorry about before,”

His change in demeanor is a surprise but a welcome one, far better than him trying to escape or aggressively get away from you. You give him a small cup with the anti inflammatory medicine in it, and second small cup with water. He takes the pills without complaint. You remain seated in front of him, to maintain this comfortable closeness.

“It’s okay. I know this isn’t easy,” you give him a sympathetic look.

“General Plo mentioned that you advocated for me, I would be dead if it wasn’t for you…” he falters “thank you,”

That familiar feeling you had before when he was still on life support crept back up on you. Heartbreak for how much he and his brothers have to sacrifice, longing to show him the appreciation he deserves, and something else, something you can’t place.

“This war won’t last forever. You deserve the chance to live in the freedom and peace you fight so hard to protect,”

He’s a bit stunned. Sure he’s heard a handful of politicians advocating for clone rights, but he’s never heard anyone say something like this. He can tell your words are genuine and heartfelt.

“Is there any way I can repay you, or thank you for sticking your neck out for me?” He asks “It takes guts to stand up to those soulless bastards,”

“Well ah… don’t thank me too fast. I know you didn’t exactly sign up for this but your prosthetic is a brand new top of the line prototype. By default you’re a participant in the longitudinal study of its effectiveness,” you admit sheepishly. He raises an eyebrow and peers at you. “On the positive side, you’ll get a bit more shore leave to come in for appointments,”

“Well that’s certainly nothing to complain about. My offer still stands, can I take you out as a thank you?”

You smile warmly and quirk up a brow to match him. “Take me out? Hm… I get off in a couple hours and you’re being discharged from med bay today, I’m game if you give me a chance to run home and ditch my scrubs,”

“It’s a deal,”

[cursedwriter]

Cursed! Part 2 - Gojo Satoru

Part One // Jujutsu Kaisen Masterlist 

Synopsis:  After running some errands you’re caught off guard by a curse user. Unbeknownst to you, he has something up his sleeve that would mean a fate worse than death to you. How will you get out of this? And what role does your boyfriend - the Satoru Gojo - play in all of this?

Warning: Slight spoilers concerning Gojo’s technique, I gues... but it’s also mixed with a lot of my own bullshit, so it fits the story. Keep that in mind, please. I’m not trying to be one hundred percent accurate. 

Words: 1.4k

Author’s Note: Thanks for all the feedback! I decided to release shorter chapters, so I can update the story more frequently. Hope this keeps you on your toes! Let me know what you think! 

“Wait a second.” Gojo held his finger up to signal Ichiji to shut up for a bit. He was rambling on about that under no circumstances he was to be late again or the principal might actually kill him this time. He heard that speech about a million times already and after so long, it kind of lost its threat. Not that he ever really felt threatened by it anyway. What could he do, after all? Throw an army of puppets in Gojo’s face? Right… Except the dolls did kind of creep him out. Well, no matter. The fact remained that he didn’t really care either way. The only thing or the only one to be exact he cared about was not with him right now, but calling him on his phone. He’d drop everything to hear your voice, no matter the consequences. “Miss me already?” Satoru laughed as he picked up the call, though, it was him who already missed you. He wouldn’t dare to admit that, though. “That was quick. You weren’t even gone for two hours.”

“Oh, he picked up.” Gojo’s eyes narrowed. Instead of hearing your melodic voice on the other side of the phone, he was met with the one of a stranger. He was momentarily dumbfounded – which didn’t happen often – and he didn’t immediately follow up with a quick and witty retort. The man on the other side took this as an invitation to speak again. “Gojo Satoru, I believe I have something of yours in my possession. Please be so kind and pick it up, okay? She really can’t wait to see you.”

Before he could say something, the call ended. It took him a while after that to lower his phone, deep worry lines edging themselves into his forehead as he tried to make sense of what just happened.

“Everything alright?” Ichiji asked and brought him back to reality.

“Stop the car,” Gojo commanded. His tone left no room for interpretation: he was pissed. So pissed, in fact, Ichiji was sure there was smoke coming out of his ears. He immediately pressed down on the brakes, not willing to stand between Gojo Satoru and his wrath. That was a sure death sentence. Whoever had been on the call, must’ve really set him off in the wrong way. What a fool!

“What – what about the – the meeting?��� Ichiji stammered as Gojo yanked the door open and got out of the car.

Before closing the door again, he leaned down slightly to look at Ichiji, mouth pressed into a thin line, eyes hidden behind his usual black blindfold. “I don’t care about the damn meeting. Send the principal my regards, I won’t be coming! If he has a problem with that, he can take it up with me later!” He slammed the door shut and Ichiji accelerated the car almost immediately after. Despite not being sure what just happened and why his demeanor did a full one eighty in a second, Ichiji knew one thing and one thing only, he needed to get away as fast as possible. A pissed off Gojo Satoru was no laughing matter. Whoever angered him had one hell of a storm coming for them.

Gojo bit the inside of his cheek as he watched Ichiji drive off into the distance. What the hell was that call all about? It was apparent that you were in trouble, but they didn’t even give him a location or anything. What’s up with that whole thing anyway? A hostage situation to get to him? Highly likely, but still… a lot of questions remained. How did you even get caught? You were a special grade sorcerer, no low level could’ve done this. Maybe this guy had an especially tricky technique… And what did he want with him? A curse user who wanted to make a name of himself by defeating the great Gojo Satoru? Or was it something different entirely?

Gojo scoffed. This sucked! So many questions were bouncing around in his head and no answers in sight. Where was he even supposed to start looking? He scratched his head in order to remember what you’d told him about your plans this evening. You had wanted to run some errands, but you were so cryptic about it that he never really got a straight answer. He believed that you wanted to buy him a gift or something – his birthday was coming up after all - and didn’t press on further. Now, he really regretted that.

“This was exactly what I was afraid of!” he mumbled, fingers wrapping around his phone in a deathly grip and right before he was on the verge of breaking the device, he got a notification. Your name lit up his screen and he almost sighed in relief, thinking this was probably just a stupid prank and you finally wanted to come clean… but when he clicked on your message, his blood froze momentarily. There was a picture of you attached, standing stiffly like a statue. He couldn’t see your eyes, because they were hidden behind a blindfold. From the background it looked like you were standing in a park and upon zooming in on the picture he immediately recognized the pond in the upper left corner.

[7.33 pm] Y/N: You better hurry xoxo

At this point, he wasn’t just pissed off. No. He was seething. Blood boiling in his veins with hot rage, he was afraid he could explode. Whoever did this, would pay dearly. Preferably with their life.

Not wasting any more time, Gojo warped himself to the location, appearing in front of the culprit and you in mere seconds, materializing out of thin air.

“Ah, there he is!” A man with a scar on his cheek appeared from behind you, clapping his hands together in delight. “For a second I was afraid you might not show up. That you actually didn’t really care about her.” He laid one hand on your shoulder and Gojo wanted to eliminate him right then and there but you’d be in his immediate line of power, so all he could do was stand there and listen to this psycho. He guessed that he knew that Gojo couldn’t do anything for as long as he stayed close to you.

“What the hell do you want?” Gojo asked through clenched teeth. “Do you have a death wish? I can help with that.” His voice was dripping with malicious intent; one could almost taste the blood lust in the air. Gojo reached for his mask, tearing it off his eyes. Immediately his senses were flooded with all kinds of information about his cursed energy and technique. Gojo hissed. That bastard! Mind manipulation. It was a rare technique and a real pain in the ass when you were at the receiving end. Good thing, it didn’t work on him. His cursed energy barrier protected him from mind tricks like these.

“What did you do to her?”

“Ah, right. You already know everything there is to know about me and my technique.” The guy smiled mischievously, perverse glee shining in his eyes. Gosh, did he have to be any more annoying? “Good, saves me time explaining. Sadly, I can’t stick around for the grand finale. You’d just kill me, right? So you understand that our ways part here.” Seriously what was with this guy? “Well, Y/N, dear?” Gojo took a step forward upon hearing him say your name. It made him sick. If he just moved one step to the right he could blast him into oblivion and be done with it! So move, bastard. Move! “You know the plan?” You nodded.

Immediately you lifted two fingers up in the air. “Emerge from darkness, blacker than darkness, purify that which is impure,” you said. And while Gojo was relieved to hear your voice, he didn’t like the sight of the veil coming down from above.

“Now, then,” the guy ripped your blindfold off. Your eyes flitted over the area, taking in your surroundings until finally they settled on him. He tried to smile, reassure you that everything would turn out okay. Your mouth was pressed into a thin line and your eyes had lost their usual glimmer. All that remained was a blank expression.

Suddenly your eyes opened wide, as if something within you had woken up. Something that wasn’t there before. Tears were streaming down your face immediately after and a raspy scream ripped through your throat. “No! Gojo, run! Run!”

What the hell?

But you already knew it was too late. The veil was almost completely down now. This would be the place in which one of you would find their end. You hoped with all your heart it wouldn’t be him.

The guy whose name you never knew laughed in the distance. The sound sending chills down your spine, not fitting the situation in the slightest. “At last! The grand finale, ladies and gentlemen!”

***

Part Three

[princesssarcastia]

2021 Harry Potter Fanfic Primer

im here to point fingers at the incredible authors that have enabled my new interest in HP content.  im still conflicted and upset about it, tbh, but for now we’re leaning into the curve.  we’re getting out our shovel and finding out just how deep we can make the hole we’re in.  hand in unlovable hand my beloved <3.  anyway, these fics are wonderful, their authors are wonderful, and you should go read their stuff. if there’s a star next to it that means im losing my mind over it and always will be.

Creatively Maladjusted, by elumish on AO3, 101k  (they also have a wonderful writing advice blog on tumblr, @elumish, which I recommend following if you are a writer) 

A very excellent re-telling of harry’s first year at hogwarts if he were sorted into Slytherin, plus some more not!fic or piecemeal re-tellings of his second and part of his third year.  Harry, in this, has a slightly different trauma response to growing up with the Dursley’s.  He’s a bit quieter, and the signs are a bit more obvious to the people around him, and I enjoyed that immensely. 

Honestly, if you’re going to get sucked into something you have absolutely no business getting sucked into, elumish is the way to go, their fic is incredible. their teen wolf fic is also immaculate, if you’re so inclined. 

Dissonance, by ImpishTubist on AO3, 2.5k (@impishtubist on tumblr)

Set during fifth year.  Oblivious!Harry has always been a delightful trope when well executed, and this is well executed.  Plus, some angst between Remus and Harry over what Umbridge has been doing to him.

I would certainly recommend a lot of ImpishTubist’s other hp work on AO3, like Lacuna.

blow us all away, by rexcorvidae on AO3, 23k (@rexcorvidae on tumblr)

In progress (like, updated last week in progress).  Currently in the beginning of Harry’s first year.  Fem!Harry, Indian!Harry.  Hagrid puts Harry in touch with Remus when she has questions about her parents, and they become reluctant, traumatized, angst-ridden pen pals who keep missing each other’s true intentions like ships in the night.  hot DAMN do I love this fic.  there’s hints of the way the dursley’s treat Harry peaking through in her letters, and I appreciated the attention to “hmm, her experience as a girl of indian descent in britain under the thumb of a bunch of white people who like being Normal may not have been gucci”

Definitely comb through the rest of their HP fic, too, I may or may not have gone feral over it.

Where the Heart is, by silver_fish on AO3, 15k (@kohakhearts on tumblr)

Woof.  This one said, “hey, harry was probably SUPER depressed in the summer after fifth year.  like, clinically.  maybe someone should do something about that.”  Fuck yeah.  Then this one said, “that someone was Snape.”  You all know my opinions on Snape; generally, Bad.  But damn if this fic didn’t wholly convince me by the end of it.  I thought it was a very realistic way for Snape to start seeing Harry as a person all on his own, and not a proxy for Snape’s angst over James and Lily, respectively.  The angst is wonderful, the ending is even more so.

*bernie sanders voice* I am once again asking you to read through the rest of the author’s HP fic.  a lot of them have similar themes; there’s actually a great one with Molly that i’m not reccing here, Wonder.

☆Bindings, Bindings, by Quietlemonhush on AO3, 60k (@quietlemonhush on tumblr)

WORDS CANNOT EXPRESS TO YOU HOW MUCH I ENJOYED/AM ENJOYING THIS.  If I had to pick a single fic and say “you, it’s your fault I’m stuck here,” it would be this one.  Anyway Lily in the afterlife is So Very Angry about how Petunia is treating Harry, and how Sirius is rotting in Azkaban, and how Remus is alone, that she literally brings herself back to life and drags James and Regulus with her.  All three of them are there to chew bubblegum and fix everything that went wrong after they died—and would you look at that, they’re all out of bubblegum!  There’s only Fury left.  That inciting premise is very crack, but every moment after that is very much not crack.  Lily and James love harry more than anything, the way a child should be loved; James and Sirius have the epic friendship of a lifetime; Sirius and Remus have staggering amounts of resolved sexual tension and take turns keeping each other in check; Regulus, though he realized that Voldemort and his family were shit before he died, is still unlearning all his racist bullshit and, also, years of trauma.  Actually, they’re all traumatized, but hey: now they have one another again and not a damn one of them seems inclined to let go anytime soon.  Quietlemonhush went, “hey, HP has a lot of Awful people in it, and a lot of Righteous people in it, and many of them are Very, Very Powerful; also, love is the most powerful force in the universe” and i said “hell yes tell me more right now.”  And then they did!

Quietlemonhush writes Sirius/Remus in a way that makes it sooo much fun to devour, so the rest of their HP fic is most certainly worth a look, if that’s your thing.

Rebuilding, by Colubrina on AO3, 113k (@colubrina on tumblr)

Hermione/Draco (*shrug emojis into the abyss* yeah, yeah, like none of us have ever been there before).  Takes place during Hogwarts 8th year, and while the beginning is, IMO, a little unfair to Ron, it gets much better.  Tells the story of Hermione and Draco clearing the air, learning to like each other, having some hormones over each other, and then falling in love.  Also tells the story of Hermione and Theo Nott becoming friends; the story of how every single 7th and 8th year student is fucked to hell by the war and the Carrows; the story of how they start an emotional support group about it and all become friends; and the story of, what the hell do you do with yourself after that kind of trauma?

I’ve been dipping in and out of Colubrina’s HP since before I was even on tumblr; I actually found them in those dark yesteryears when the only fandom interactions I had were on fanfiction.net.  Of such fame as Green Girl, which is an HP fic staple, and has also written a lot of wackier, crackier, and darker things than that.  If you don’t take yourself too seriously, I highly recommend many of their big HP works, though I imagine it’ll press some people’s buttons.  Colubrina’s work really does take up a corner of my mind whenever I’m in an HP mood, and will take up yours if you let it.

☆ all waiting is long, by shuofthewind on AO3, 149k ( @shu-of-the-wind on tumblr)

This is so well written that I can’t stop thinking about it.  It is occupying my mind when I lie awake at night, you know?  It’s one of those.  Hermione messes with something she probably shouldn’t have in Grimmauld Place, so when Sirius is sent through the Veil in the Department of Mysteries, she gets thrust into an alternate universe...in 1975.  Instead of handwaving it away, shuofthewind actually gets into the mechanics of it in a way that makes sense, to emphasize that hermione is never going home.  ever. The world she finds herself is shifted slightly to the left, quite a bit darker, but in a “the author is treating the idea of a society-wide conflict over blood purity much more seriously than JKR ever did” way, not a sensationalist way.  Now, Hermione has to grapple with all her grief at losing everyone she’s ever loved or known, the moral/ethical/magical implications of sharing what she knows about her future in an alternate world, and, you know, a goddamn war with people who want to murder her for being who she is.  This Hermione is smart, and she’s kind, and she’s powerful, and she’s making real friends.  If you hate JKR’s guts I’d go read this right now, because it delivers in all the ways she failed us.  It’s plotty, its got great world-building, and it pulls back the white curtain on the wizarding world to show you that, like real life, it’s multicultural and full of queer people...and the discrimination that comes with both.

shuofthewind write epics, mainly for the MCU, and I’ve read some of them a looooong time ago, so this fic kinda seemed out of left field for me but im SOOOO GLAD it exists.  If you want MCU fic you can sink your teeth into, go for it, but alas, they do not have any more HP fic (.......yet?)

Speak Now [+] Listen Now, by mrsfrizzle on AO3, 33k altogether

Harry reaches out to Remus for support because Umbridge is getting to him with her literal torture.  Remus, being a former professor, former mandatory reporter, person who loves Harry and has since he was born, and all around good man, tells Harry he has to tell someone, or Remus will.  It’s everything any adult looking back on that time in HP canon ever wanted, which is for an actual adult to say “what the fuck, those are literal chidlren” and then do something about it.  Then, a far more dangerous task: Harry trusts Remus enough to go to him about the Dursleys.  Harry and Remus’ relationship develops SO WELL, and there’s a bit of exploration about how Sirius may not exactly be guardian material, because he did in fact spend 12 years of his life getting tortured instead of growing up.  I think I’m actually going to go reread this right now, because it speaks to my id.

they do have some other HP fic which did not appeal to my hyperspecific wants, but may appeal to some of yours.  I think they’re also a published author, there should be a link on their profile page.

chase the stars, by Duskglass on AO3, 101k (@felix-duskglass on tumblr)

When Harry is five years old, a picture of him ends up in the Daily Prophet, and Sirius Black, Terror of Ministry Officials Touring Azkaban everywhere, gets a hold of that issue.  He then, in order: breaks out of Azkaban; crosses the countryside to Surrey; Finds Harry: Kidnaps Harry; Breaks Into Remus’ Apartment; starts processing (or maybe just acknowledging) his trauma from Azkaban, the war, and his childhood; and pines after Remus.  It’s a little plotty, and deals a lot (sometimes through flashbacks) with the specific awful things that happened to Sirius—largely because, after years in the constant presence of Dementors, those are nearly literally the only memories he has left.  It’s a wonder he’s got the strength to love Harry and Remus at all.  But then, maybe it isn’t.

This is a Very Serious Fic, but the rest of Duskglass’s HP work is actually just cracky enough to tickle your funny-bone, while still making you think “okay but why couldn’t we have done that in the first place.”

So!  That’s it for recs, for now.  These are all things I’ve found and read in the last month; if any of y’all are interested in my old HP recs, let me know and I can make a post for that, too.  While I’m still very conflicted about my choice of current fandom, I am not in ANY way conflicted about my taste in fic and authors.  Send these guys some love, read their fic if you’re so inclined, and leave some nice comments at the end of it.