#like. waiting for someone to actually tell me it's good first rather than getting invested when i have no idea if it's worth it

[hamofjustice]

who's ready for the indigo disk, a $35 DLC required to finish the story the $60 base game of pokemon scarlet and violet started because corporate rushed it out too early, to not be allowed to acknowledge any of nemona arven and penny's virtues, deeper problems, and motivations, if not just outright contradict or mock them

who's ready to never have nemona hit level 100 or use EVs/held items, never make food with arven, never... uh... do anything fun with penny, never adventure with them again once the new story's over despite it being a coded and previously used feature in the game that introduced the union circle, never get to call anyone on the phone we supposedly have their numbers registered on, never get to do emotes together with anyone but other players, and never get to say what or who our own treasure was when nemona's was us

who's ready for the story to not acknowledge that ditching our friends but especially nemona to transfer schools to another country in pursuit of New Content, right after she basically opened up to us about her secretly being a horribly lonely neurodivergent disabled kid trying to fight her "gifted" label and we promised to be with her forever, would be extremely traumatizing

who's ready to still not have a real postgame without crowdsourcing it from other players with the internet connectivity that they're going to take offline a few years later

for my health, i must be prepared for all of these things rather than writing a big fluffy post getting my hopes up about how they're going to utilize some of the realest characters in pokemon (though i can do that too if you want)

especially when the company seems too afraid, secretive, or unprepared to advertise the damn thing and haven't shown or mentioned those three main plot driving characters again in the entire 9 months from DLC announcement to release as if they simply won't be in it at all (which is stupid, of course they will)

i just wanna see the rest of the beautiful story they were trying to tell before three year cycle hell made a bit of a mess of it and the cast suddenly vanished or became statues when we were just about to hang out and live happily ever after. i would've really appreciated the anime actually being about them, too (horizons isn't even really about Paldea lmao)

[anxious-lee]

|| Ramshackle Tickle Headcanons ||

A/N: just watched the pilot last night and read the comic this morning, I'm ready 💪. I can tell these three are gonna be my new beloved found family. as far as I can tell, there isn't a whole lot of fan content of this on tumblr so I'm really scared this is gonna find its way to the normies 😢

---

Vinnie

- chaotic ler

- usually the first one to initiate a tickle fight

- fights to WIN (and have fun with her friends)

- the roughest tickler of them all; squeezes, scribbles, and pokes anywhere and everywhere she can reach. she will the loudest laughter she can out of you

- skipp is her easiest lee; he'll start a chase and everything for the game of it, but he doesn't fight too hard once he gets caught

- stone, however, is the hardest lee, but we'll get to that later; despite how difficult he is to corner, she likes the challenge; besides, somebody's got to make sure that sad twig boi smiles

- once she finds your worst spot, she's not leaving

- teases with evil laughter and playful mockery; "no mortal can escape the clutches of the TICKLE MONSTER MWAHAHAHA!" "You wanna get away? You wanna get away?? Well you're not gettin' away~"

- when tickled, she SCREAMS and CACKLES but will NOT beg

- doesn't mind being tickled, doesn't love it; it's all in good fun

- ^ you wouldn't know that based on how hard she fights her ler; kicking, clawing, flailing, you name it; she does not like to lose

- in fact, she'd rather have her face turn purple than call it quits; the ler just has to know when to stop on their own because she's sure as hell not going to tell them

- most ticklish spot is her armpits

- do not try to outrun her because she is so damn persistent. she will catch you; tackles and pins you down before she tickles you

Skipp

- lawful lee

- has the goofiest little giggles in the world; a real "teehee" lad

- can't and won't hold back his laughter

- by far the happiest to be a lee

- actively likes tickling and WILL admit it

- most ticklish spot is his sides

- he can tickle if he thinks one of his friends needs it but he mainly prefers to be the lee

- doesn't wiggle that much; all the energy that would go into squirming goes into giggling instead

- cups his pink cheeks and gives tiny feet kicks 🥰

- will squeal if you tickle his neck

- a lot of teases don't work on him because they rely on being embarrassed, and he's not embarrassed about tickling

- the teases that DO work are baby talk, since it adds to the silly feeling

- pokes tickle him the most

- his giggly laughter is laced with mangled outcries; "HEHEHEHE WAITHEHEHE STO- HEHE NOT THERE HEHEHE"

- if skipp gets in stone's personal space one too many times, stone'll wreck him (he knows skipp is doing it on purpose)

- isn't that invested with winning or losing a tickle fight; he's just happy to be there

- tries to get stone to loosen up about tickling (explanation later)

- gets ganged up on by the other two the most

- falls for those old tickle tricks, not because he wants to get tickled, but because he is just so obliviously trusting

Stone

- HOOOO BOY

- the one we've all been waiting for

- I'm gonna let yall know right now this ones going to be the longest (SUE ME OKAY?!)

- neutral lee-leaning switch

- will swear up and down on his life that he's not ticklish (it's a lie!) until the other two little gremlins finally decide to prove him wrong

- he's very embarrassed about being ticklish; skipp doesn't understand why and tries to get him more comfortable with it, which causes stone to turtle-up and shut down the conversation; vinnie takes a less gentle approach and just tells him to "loosen up, dude!"; it seems like a childish thing to him, like something he should have grown out of

- despite how embarrassed he is about his weakness, he's not actually embarrassed about saying the word; he can say "tickle" all day long, he just can't admit he's ticklish

- he repeats the same three words everytime someone asks: "I'm not ticklish"

- if he thinks for even a second he's about to get tickled, he sprints like his life depends on it; this means the first ten times his friends have tried to tickle him, they failed, no matter how stealthy they were.

- finally, on try eleven, they managed to overtake him; he wouldn't laugh for the first two whole minutes; vinnie was straddling his waist while skipp kept him from kicking and bucking her off; eventually, he did crack; it only took a random squeeze at his death spot for him to slip up: his thighs; vinnie caught on right away and went to town, and then poor stone couldn't keep himself together; if he laughed any harder, he swore he'd crumble to pieces; his arms waved around, too jellied up to put any real force behind them; his eyes were still squeezed shut, but his smile was brighter than the motherfucking sun; it even put skipp's to shame; he looked uncharacteristically like a little baby, laughing and shrieking

- vinnie and skipp's eyes practically filled with stars; neither of them had ever seen this side of stone before; but that was about to change

- he can't claim he's not ticklish anymore, but he'll still go to any lengths to avoid talking about it

- stone didn't know he had a death spot until that moment, nothing ever came into contact with his thighs so he had no way to know

- his laugh is very high-pitched, differing from his usual deep rumble; pure belly laughter with a side of hiccups (no not hiccup laughs, ACTUAL hiccups. it's the cutest thing I swear)

- within thirty seconds of laughing, he's lost all ability to save face; cries out a lot of "please"s if vinnie goes hard enough

- the tops of his cheeks will go red while he's being tickled; not full tomato, but just enough to shatter his pride

- he's the most adorable lee 💓💓💓

- he is SO HARD TO CATCH THO

- he's got the reflexes of a cat

- doesn't like being teased, then he gets a little too embarrassed

- the only comments that ARE acceptable are ones of curiosity; like if skipp goes "hmmm I wonder if this spot is ticklish?" or vinnie says "dang bro I didn't know you could laugh that hard"

- if he's comfortable with anyone tickling him, it's skipp; he knows he can trust him to not laugh at him

- as much as he'll deny it, he doesn't hate tickling as much as he wishes; in fact, it might even be a little bit fun <3

- as a ler, he's pretty skilled

- where vinnie is a very rough and sloppy ler, stone is very careful and methodical

- starts with light traces to amp up the tension, then goes in for the kill

- tickles skipp the most, because there's a significantly smaller chance of skipp fighting back

- he tickles his friends in an older brother sort of way; mostly its when they're bugging him

- teases with "ya learnt your lesson yet?" "that doesn't sound like someone who wants me to stop tickling" "you were practically asking for it, being a pain in the arse and everything"

- specifically teases skipp because he knows he likes it; "having fun, down there? i can see that smile, mister, you ain't fooling me"

- most of the time though he'll just watch the other two tickle fight and watch boredly

----

IT TOOK A LOT OF RESTRAINT NOT TO RAMBLE

AND I DID ANYWAY!!!

I'll save the rest of my thoughts for potential fics

Hope you enjoy!

[izvmimi]

cw: fluff. you and todo are besties, somehow. you're thinking about someone else.

“If I’m gonna be seen out in public with you, I’m gonna need you to act sane, Aoi,” you offer, huffing. He barely looks up, still taken by the convention programme in his hands and you sigh, not bothering to repeat yourself as you pull your knees to your chest. It’s cold, and Todo is warm, so you rest on his shoulder and he’s kind enough not to shrug you off (or perhaps too distracted by the chance to see his ultimate waifu to). 

In another world, you’d be jealous, but you’ve long gotten over the potential of romance, settling comfortably into a platonic sort of siblinghood over the past year. God let you dodge that particular bullet and you’re thankful for it, although you’re staring down the barrel of Cupid’s shotgun. You shake your head away from thoughts of the pink-haired ray of sunshine, and look at your own schedule, wondering how Todo convinced you to come to camp out here this early in the first place.

You yawn loudly, raising your head up to see the sunrise along the horizon, past other huddled bodies dotting the streetside. Rather than be upset at Aoi for having such delusional aspirations, you should be glad that despite all that you’ve all been through in the world of curses and worse, he can still invest in something as ridiculous as fanatical love. Even normal, attainable love terrifies you to the very core, chilling you more than the winter frost trying to seep into your bones.

“If you’re going to ignore me, I’m not doing this again,” you say out loud. Todo looks at you finally, but instead of meeting your annoyance similarly, he grins widely. 

“Ha, actually, can’t wait till you come out with me for the international tour!”

You glare at him, then check your watch.

“Wasn’t this shit supposed to open hours ago?” You ask.

Todo shrugs, eerily calm. “I’ll wait hours for her.” Your nose scrunches in disgust.

“Okay, you might, but what about me?!”

Todo gives you a look, shrugging his broad shoulders again, something that irritates you. “Love is patient, you know?”

“Okay, that’s enough.” 

You get to your feet and he considers reaching for you, then remembers you don’t have the heart to ditch your friend anyway. Crossing his legs and resting his face on his planted elbow, he waits and watches you. As expected, you stand and make to leave, but turn on your heels and sigh before sitting back down. For the next few minutes, you don’t say anything additional until finally Todo glances at you. 

“Text Yuji back.”

You blink.

“What do you mean, ‘text Yuji back’?” 

Todo has intermittently pulled out a boar bristle brush and smooths down his edges, preening in the mirror, and you can’t believe how many hair products are in the small pouch he brought with him. You wait for him to respond, blood pressure rising as he takes his time, then places his brush down on the camping blanket.

“He’s worried about you.”

You grimace.

“Tell him to mind his business.”

Todo looks at you sideways. “You are his business the same way Takada is my business.”

You would argue with him that Takada, again, is not going to fuck him, but it would involve admitting that the unaddressed part of that statement is true.

“I respect you-“

“Debatable,” you interrupt, but Todo continues as if you haven't said a word.

“But that’s my brother, you know?” 

By now, Todo is spritzing perfume on himself, enough to make you choke. You’d strangle him if his neck weren’t so thick.

“Tell your brother I don’t like him,” you murmur. 

Todo pats his face with overpriced lotion. “I’m not lying to him.”

“Aoi, I swear to God.”

He rummages through the bag again, and spritzes you this time, a floral scent that has you swatting the air.

“Are you fucking serious?”

“I can’t have you cramping my style. Takada needs to know that my friends smell good too.”

You can’t believe that you woke up early to do this, but bite your lip and decide not to rage further. Before you can ponder what exactly to do about the friend of a friend who very clearly is in love with you, the gates open and Todo has packed up in a millisecond, warning you not to slow him down. 

He’s fanatical in love, and while you’ve once wished someone would adore you to this extent, it’s been more than you can handle to have even a fraction of this type of adoration pointed towards you.

[prof-ramses]

A Mammon Analysis Written By A Mammon Kinnie! :8D

It's time to make y'all love this magnificent bastard even more than you already do so we can finally have something just happen in this fandom!

First off, the analysis.

A lot of people seem to think of Mammon as "dumb" or "oblivious", when he's far from either. Mammon is actually a very intelligent and attentive person, but just like most subtle things about him, it can be hard to notice because of his eccentricities.

As far as I see it, Mammon views everything he does as an investment to some extent, whether it be a literal monetary one or one of time, effort and/or attention. This is also one of the big things that make him so relatable to me. It's also worth noting that as a flipside to this, he also sees any option he's presented with in terms of physical or emotional value and trying to maximize said value as much as possible.

Mam doesn't interrupt "Two Minutes Notice" not because he's stupid, but because insults don't truly detract from the value of him or anything he has, not to mention the fact that he could tell that a lot of people would be willing to buy the song, just look how many are hanging of Fizz's every word when he describes having a crappy boss.

Likewise, criticizing Fizz's weight is something Mam solely does because it helps profits and has no genuine personal issue with Fizz potentially getting chunkier.

This shows something else interesting about Mammon, he doesn't really want to do destructive things, people just keep giving him every reason to do so, he's not dangerous on his own.

Every action Mam takes that makes Fizz uncomfortable is a direct result of him catering to what the consumers want, whether it be religiously watching his spokesman's weight for the sake of keeping the skinny sex-bots accurate, or forcing a mentally unstable person to spend a lot of time socializing to get people to pay admission for a meet-&-greet.

There's also the fact that he runs Greed in such a way that benefits Hell as a whole way more than Ozzie and Bee do. Admittedly, he over charges for his products, but said products are up to snuff, you'd expect him to peddle cheap junk that falls apart almost instantly, but no, he makes quality products and just charges extra. He really is a shrewd businessman when you get down to it, and that's something a lot of people have sadly overlooked when discussing our favorite spider.

Which brings me to my next point, Mammon being a spider is actually really clever, assuming what I'm about to describe was intended and not just me reading too much into a cheap Australia joke. Spiders are often shown as eerie and a way of reminding the viewer of a piece of media that nature can be scary, and though they do some really weird and freaky stuff, that's also the beauty of spiders. They have some of the most innovative and distinct hunting patterns in nature, they're more of a neutral presence, just like greed itself.

I've seen many people claim in their analysis of Mammon that "greed can't be good" which is just demonstrably untrue, greed is really just any action that prioritizes bettering oneself, it's only destructive if you are willing to be destructive, but even then it can lead to innovation and broad positive change, even if someone is worse off because of it.

Lastly, I want to discuss Mammon's obvious need for personal affection, the big guy is blatantly touch starved and craves a close connection, I have a rather headcanon-y idea about the origin of this behavior and I plan to link to it once I post about it in detail, but that can wait. However, this does reflect that idea of value and investment, Mam has yet to find someone who is both pleasant for him to be around and whose company has a reasonable "price". I see many possibilities for exploring this facet of his characterization and look forward to seeing the discussion about it grow.

Stay tuned for my HCs and theories about his Stinginess! ALL HAIL MAMMON!

[oh-shtars]

RFTS!AU AskBox #4

Me to @signed-sapphire for the legendary number of 50 Questions Galore they sent me:

Heads up though, you might notice there’s certain questions skipped. I’m either not able to answer some of the asks at all OR they’re either some art requests that I haven’t finished and will post in future posts. So I had to skip them for this post unfortunately…. I apologise as such. 😅

Anyways, let’s get speeding through them shall we?

1. How do you plan to show the songs?

It should be question 6 of this post here. :)

……

2. How many songs do you plan to have in RFTS?

4 or more. Depends on what I come up with.

……..

3. What ‘vibe’ would each song have?

Uhhhhhhh, idk tbh. I’m really just going with the flow of what this story brings me. You can’t wait to see what the RFTS!plot has in store? Yeah, me too.

……..

4. Who’s voicing Valentino and the main cast?

For Valentino, I’m not sure. I’m debating whether it should be younger Bambi or Ronno’s VA. But he basically has an actual kid’s voice this time rather than a deep-sounding one. (Because honestly, I found that a bit weird personally). For the the other characters, I don’t really mind the voices they have canonically.

And I think I’ve mentioned this before, but even though Sueño can’t speak, I could hear him singing this in this voice hypothetically.

………..

5. Write or draw any cute interaction between Ashueño!

Mk :3

………

6. I know Asha will have a different outfit by the end, but do you have different designs for anyone else?

Yeah, I do actually. Some characters have a different outfit to better reflect their current context. (Like how Sakina would have work clothes similar to Asha.) But I don’t want to reveal most of them at the moment since I would like to keep them a secret for now.

……

7. Some Gabo doodles, if you don’t mind. I rarely see the short king in any Wish Art.

Fiiiiine.

His design makes a lot more sense if you were me and you knew the context. Take this art with whatever theories you guys can throw at me 😂

……. 10. What made Amaya fall in love with Magnifico? What changed?

Amaya had a family who greatly discouraged her interest in studying magic and potions since it’s against what their family has done for generations. Meanwhile, Magnifico who was adopted as Rosas’ prince, is expected to learn magic but COULDN’T because he struggles to do so since he hasn’t moved on from his trauma.

When these guys were around 16-15 years old, they were mutual best friends. Mag offers Amaya to read from his magic books while he finds comfort in just having a genuine friend who doesn’t remind or push expectations onto him that he hears everyday in the castle. She’s like an escape from the stresses he has in there.

In their future years, Amaya grew to fall in love with someone who promised her the world if she only asked for it. She finds bits of herself in Mag, as both were people with crushed dreams that deserve better. (In their POV anyway.)

Falling in love was not at all what she expected since she used to believe sympathy would only hold her back from exploring the limits of magic. But you know, Amaya’s as much as a tragic character as Magnifico is.

…….

11. Who fell first and who fell harder between those two?

Is it possible to say that RFTS!Magnifico is both?

……..

12. Any fun fact about the Royal Couple? (You can tell who I’m most invested in. lol.)

The only reason Espino, the royal cat, is in the castle is because Amaya wanted him around. Otherwise, if it were up to Mag, that cat is out to the streets. He’s not very fond of animals and he considers them as pests. Though, Espino gets small bonus points from Magnifico just because he keeps the castle clear from mice which he especially hates.

(Good to know you’re enjoying ‘Grand Despair’ while it lasts :)

……

13. This may be weird but…Body Swap! How would Hopes and Dreams react?

Asha would have zero idea how to get star magic under control. Meanwhile, Sueño finds an interesting realisation.

……..

14. What’s your favourite fanart piece of your AU?

I LOVE all of them so much!! They’re all made by very amazing artists!! I’m so happy to see these silly characters I’ve made be brought to life in someone else’s style. 💖💖

Mere words can’t express this joy enough. I hope you all would love the final chapters once they do come out as much as you loved seeing content of them now. X3

……..

15. Are you telling your story via writing or art of word dump?

I’m planning to share it in chapters like how Anny and everyone else has been doing. Plus some more sketches I would keep making of them obviously.

………

17. Draw Ashueño dressed as another Disney couple!

Hehehehehe guess whooo~ 🙃

………

19. Young!Sueño!

Which one? 🙃

Awww, good times back then when the little guy is still figuring out the forms he likes….

…… 20. Young!Royal Couple!

Mini Magnifico would rather drown himself or drink snake venom than call Oliver his dad- ………

22. Give some more lore on Asha’s father. Are you keeping him as close to the source material as possible? Will we see him in flashbacks or something?

You’ll definitely get to see Tomás at certain points in the story. Either in the short prologue, mentions and flashbacks. He’s generally a friendly guy but at the same time, is also assertive to defend what he thinks is wrong. But even though his life was cut short, Tomás ended up inspiring more people than he thinks. Especially his old friend, Sabino, who hasn’t given another wish or attended any more wish ceremonies after his death.

I don’t think we really knew much about Asha’s father at all in the canon movie, but I’ll pretty much be close to what is depicted there already with some more detail on how he made an influence in the lives of those he loves.

………

23. Give Sueño a stuffed toy for him to cuddle with. He deserves it <3

He adores it so much 💖💖

……….

24. More lore about the Astral Realm!

Not all Wishing Stars have the strong desire to venture down into the human realm someday and that’s completely fine. They can still guide their wishmaker from above. But for those who do want to, they need to answer one important question first:

“Why do you grant wishes?”

Since they would be going down to earth by themselves ALONE with none of their elders to guide them this time, their answer to this question serves as their anchor in case they get lost or distracted. Answers do vary and some may be the same among stars, but that’s fine. As long as they’re sincere with all their core on their answer. Some examples may be: “I like to see them reach their very best and reap their deserved rewards.” Or “I like watching them journey and discover themselves.”

……….

25. SNEAK PEAKS!!

This scene is one of my dotpoints I came up with but I’m not so sure anymore if that would still fit in and whether I should scrap it. Regardless, I thought this would be a nice little thing to show you all. Proof that I’m indeed working on it 😅

(Actually, this sounds so cute to draw. Feel welcome to try and do so if you want to, my fellow artists ^^)

…… 26. How does Magnifico’s magic work?

I made a whole post on this :3

………

27. Where did Amaya learn potions?

She’s self-taught mostly. But I also did mention that Mag generously lets her borrow what is meant to be his books of magic soooo, he played a role on that as well.

……

29. What’s Amaya’s opinion on the other Wish AU Mags?

I’m not exactly sure how different her opinions would be on each of them since I think we all decided to have our fun with Magnifico just being a shameless show-off and fun evil villain. I’ll try though.

Amaya would think KOW!Mag reminds her a lot of her own husband, also short-tempered and a disgustingly sweet romantic at times. She’s kind of a play-hard-to-get girl though 😂. One thing she does notice is that what WRTS!, Wish Granted! And KOW!Mag have in common is how loud they are with their ceremonies. Is that a universal Magnifico thing? Eh. There sure is a lot of interesting knowledge to learn from these universes. Hmmm.

TKoRaT!Maggy has that same pained look that falls on RFTS!Mag whenever he’s sulking by himself and needs time alone. Usually it’s because of his old village trauma. It’s an intriguing but ever so familiar cycle she recognises well.

Meanwhile. TFS!Mag is……different, she would say. Not exactly good different. I kinda imagine her eyeing this guy like a cat. This Mag just gives off a very different vibe of non-ruthlessness(?) that she’s not used to.

……..

30. Same for Mag, but vice versa.

RFTS!Mag gets very very very familiar vibes with KOW! And Wish Granted!Amaya. He finds it slightly amusing since it feels like his wife just became a part of some triplets. (He jokingly asked RFTS!Amaya if she had any sisters she never told him. The woman wasn’t amused. She doesn’t really like being reminded of her family.) I’m sorry TKoRaT! And TFS!Amaya, but you’ve made the decision to adopt Asha as your daughter and so he thinks lower of you now. Although…the TKoRaT!couple might just get to redeem themselves for that since they sound interesting enough. They’re going to have the ditch the girl though at some point.

WRTS!Amaya just feels off. He doesn’t know what exactly though? Is he losing his mind or something? Ugh, I think he could use devouring another Wish Bubble just in case…

……..

31. You know what, for Asha and Sueño too!

Oh boy, here we go. 😂

Asha will NOT be able to handle Wish Granted!Star’s energy. It’s so different from the silent but still lively conversations she has with her Starboy. Star just can’t bring himself to stop talking, can he? 😅 Asha thinks WRTS!Aster and TKoRaT!Star are adorable. Cielo may be a bit much at times with his light teasing and flirting, but she’s aware he means well.

I could see Asha’s non-hesitant empathy, patience and genuine concern to Haedus would be a huge comfort for the poor guy. (Trust me, she’s done this plenty before.) She’s a bit surprised to see Naos and Nembus but I think they’d get along just fine. She’s pretty good with playing with kids from her experience with a mischievous Valentino. And lastly, KOW!Aster is a total sweetheart that she jokingly comments could rival Sueño’s. (That comment caught Sueño’s attention quickly lmao.)

MEANWHILE:

Sueño is more hesitant and unwilling at first to approach humans by his own accord. He’ll still keep a short distance buuuut… if they’re just another version of Asha, it can’t be that horrible, right?

KOW!Asha’s drawings are a familiar sight for him and he’s impressed that she could bring her own drawings to life. Same goes for WRTS!Asha with her magic wand. Maybe they’re friendly… Maybe they could both do that together :D He’s neutral with Wish Granted! And Aled’s Asha for now until he gets to know them better.

Sueño recognises that same shyness and timid nature in TKoRaT!Asha. (It’s weird how she does the same thing RFTS!Asha does of turning their head away and hiding behind their hair when he innocently just looks her way.)

And then there’s…….HER. TFS!Asha. Cielo talks about her a lot….😬. But you know, that girl scares him.

Unfortunately, Sueño is staying a relatively farther distance away from the last two Ashas I mentioned. Why? Idk, probably the fact that they’re the daughter of Mag and Amaya-

……….

32. *Gives Sueño an iPad with Duolingo on it* Here my child. Learn Spanish.

I have a feeling you did this so he could finally find out what his name, ‘Sueño’ translates into. Lol, nope. Not yet he’s not.

He still appreciates the gesture though, but the guy got distracted by the other cool features and apps this weird magical mirror-tablet thing(?) had and completely forgot all about the Owl app.

……

33. Will Asha ever attempt to learn Celestial? Maybe with a candle? Like Morse Code? Idk.

Idk. Speaking Celestial is really just stars exchanging screechy sound waves to each other telepathically like words, while their glowing sequences indicates the mood and tone of what they’re saying. Maybe if Asha comes to learn how to harness light magic on her own, she’ll be able to at least convey emotions such as happiness in it by controlling the brightness and duration of each flash.

…….

35. How are you planning out your story?

I usually think of what main message I’m trying to get across first and build the story around it. After some character and world-building stuff (that I keep adding to because procrastination), I put the key scenes I could think of in bullet-point format and then just think up some in-between scenes that could occur between those points.

Usually though, the most usual process is that a random concept/idea pops into my head and then I immediately type it down so I won’t forget it. It’s basically my thing now to organise the giant mess of reminders into comprehensive plot lines.

I’m not writing the story at this point. The story is choosing to expose itself to me XD

Another main thing I do is listen to my Spotify playlist of this AU, read the Wish Artbook, or rewatch a movie that has inspired the RFTS! plot in some way.

……..

36. Are there any kisses in your story?

Hmmmmm….. *glances at Ashueño and Amnifico*

Oh well, since you’ve asked me, I gueeeeess I’m unfortunately now going to have to remove all the kisses I had included since y’all are so desperate to know….. (/jk)

……..

38. Will the Royal Couple have villain transformations?

………..

39. What’s your take on the ‘eating wishes’ thing?

As I’ve mentioned in my last post on how the magic system works in the RFTS!AU, Magnifico eats wish essence to reverse the costly effects of using Curse Magic. To put it simply, he uses them to make him more mentally stable.

.,,,,,,,,

40. What Easter Eggs are you planning to put in your story?

Awwwww, where’s the fun in that? Find them yourselves >:)))

And who knows? Maybe certain fellow creators in the Wish Rewrite Fandom will make a reference in some of the chapters. Keep an eye out 😉

……..

42. What exactly does Asha’s job entail?

Being a king’s apprentice is a way to gain experience and learn how to use magic by the king himself, so you could use the attained knowledge as to however you want. Share the talent with Rosas or Go out into the world.

However, when Magnifico’s reign started, he forbade magic usage other than he and his wife with the claim that it’s for the greater good and safety for Rosas. (He kinda had a point since criminal activity and accidents did decrease in number after that rule.)

Since Mag doesn’t really need an apprentice, Asha is more of an assistant now, following in her dad’s footsteps before her. She’s tasked to do help with whatever Mag might need around his study such as keep the fire going or organise his papers. But Mag doesn’t really like having her around a lot, (since she asks a lot of questions about his wish-keeping system) so he purposefully tells her to go carry out outside tasks such as go into the garden and help the gardeners or something.

……..

43. Did Magnifico make Sueño’s bonds?

If I told you, would that make you more blood-thirsty enough to gather pitchforks and torches for his head? Because if you are, please don’t. I still need this guy to stir up conflict in my story :((

(You can have him all you want though once I’m done with him. Lmao.)

………

44. How was Rosas founded?

Nearly a century ago, the kingdom was first built. I’ve read in the Art book that Rosas was apparently named to reference ‘Beauty and the Beast.’

Like, ok….?

Anyways, I found that roses are meant to represent love, rebirth and beauty. So I decided to add more onto that than just have it as another reference. The kingdom’s founders wanted Rosas to be a place where people who are wary and feel outcasted by their homes can find and start a new beginning. To ‘Rebirth’ and have a second chance to find the ‘beauty and love’ in their lives again,

Blue and white were made the royal colours because the blue was meant to stand for trust and reliability and white for new beginnings. Symbolising the past kings and queens’ responsibility to have their talents in sorcery be used to serve the people who come here. Thus, Rosas’ citizens all are in a variety of different cultures.

……..

45. Over how many days does your story take?

I’m thinking within one month. It’s a race-against-time sort of thing where Asha needs to find out how to confront the Royal Couple before they do something horrible on Rosas’ celebration of its 100th anniversary, which is literally just a month away.

…….

46. What was your favourite part of Wish? Are you translating that to your AU?

I really really loved how Mag’s magic looked and how he went all evil-ish green as a tribute to past Disney villains. If we ignore the awkward transition he had from sympathetic to just plain psychotic, it’s a cool magic display. I kinda wished they went more full out on the final battle because it just felt so underwhelming asf.

I’m keeping the magical final battle but with more magical funsies. :D

…….

47. Least favourite part?

I’m frustrated how bland and empty the character interactions and emotional beats are since those kinds of moments are usually my favourite when it comes to movies.

Magnifico’s tragic loss of his village? “Pfft- What tragedy? We don’t need that in the movie’s 2nd half.”

Asha’s dead father? “Eh. We only needed him for a few mins and he’s non-existent from that point on.”

Valentino claims to be Asha’s helpful animal sidekick. “Did I mention I have a deep voice? Oh, and my butt’s a funny thing too. Did I already mention that my voice is loud and soooo deep??”

Simon’s betrayal? “Oh wow, that was a shock…. Anyways, wanna start a rebellion?”

OMG, Sakina’s wish is back!! “What was the wish about? Idk who cares.”

Asha’s friendship with Star doesn’t even feel that special to me?? GUYS, I felt more chemistry between Rapunzel and Pascal. COME ON, BUILD IT UP. DON’T JUST SAY ‘Awww, you and I are thinking the same thing~’ AND EXPECT ME TO BUY THAT.

……….

48. What’s your favourite aspect of the TFS!AU?

Idk why, but I like how there’s a unique twist in your AU on how Wishing Stars don’t have the best reputation to humans. It’s a nice subversion that makes it stand out a little more. :)) Because usually, the idea of wishing on stars is always seen as a positive thing but that’s not the case in this story. It’s intriguing to watch characters slowly realise that not everything is what it seems.

That, and the hilarious dynamic you’ve got going on between Cielo and Asha and how deep in denial they both are, even though it’s clear as day to the other TFS!cast. 😂

(Wouldn’t it be funny if TFS!Mag and Amaya also noticed? They may be going down a dark path but they’re not blind, girl.)

……..

50. What’s a boring fact about you?

Uhhhhhh…. I like organising stuff by colour for fun...? Like, I used to pour out a box of legos and sort through them as a kind of pastime. I still organise coloured pencils in rainbow order if I could too. 😅 ………

@annymation @uva124 @your-ne1ghbor @ficsinhistory @rascalentertainments @gracebethartacc @spectator-zee

It’s a long read, but I think you guys would enjoy going through it regardless. I hope so anyways.

Btw, thx for all the fun questions Bo! 💖 Might post some more regarding your other doodle requests that I’ve put to the side for now if you don’t mind. :))

[harrisonbrainrot]

Scarlet Begonias - M!Han/Reader

MDI 18+ due to a legal but questionable (implied for now) age gap

A/N: This has been my project for, like, two months now? This is essentially an intro to the whole thing. The POV switches in the next parts. I've got like 50k words invested into this fucking thing. Tell me if you like it and I'll post more. I'm feral about this man me and @panicpixieplaygirl came up with. He's great, I love him, I hope you do too.

-

You hadn't even wanted to go to this frat party, but you were forcibly dragged along by your friend group. You refused to dress up for this, you didn't even want to be there and you hated these guys. In fact, you purposely dressed down for this shindig, jeans and a ringer shirt. By the time you got there, the party was in full swing and your friends literally ditched you at the first sight of a Sig Pi guy. It really pissed you off, you could probably walk away right this second and they'd be none the wiser. It was a very tempting idea, too tempting. It was a nice night and spending this night in a hot, half destroyed frat house with an inch of beer in the basement sounded foul. You balked at the idea of even being within five feet of a frat guy, they all thought they had game, really all they had was the clap. With a resigned sigh, you stepped inside, at least you'd get a free beer or two before you went home.

Inside was a pit of debauchery. You couldn't help but shiver at the thought that some of these people enjoyed this party, because it was kind of lame as shit. Half naked guys dancing poorly on some poor girl. You searched for any of your friends, you found one pinned on the couch under an especially handsy dude you recognized from the baseball team, maybe? It might've been soccer, you didn't actually give a fuck. 'Free beer, free beer, free beer. Then I leave.' was the mantra you kept repeating in your head. You approached the nearest cooler, grabbing two beers.. budweiser.. great, they didn't even have good beer? At least it was fucking free. You popped the cap off the first bottle using the nearest counter and drank it greedily, scoping out the party. A frat guy approached just then, you stopped drinking to blink at him plainly.

'Yes?' You stared at him with severe disinterest, hoping he was smart enough to at least understand social cues. He was not. Typical.

'You wanna smoke? Just got this shit, it's the best and I need a pretty girl to smoke with me-' You cut him off before he finishes his statement, putting your hand up.

'Absolutely not, I would rather suffer through another final right now than do anything with you.' You turned and started to walk away from him, hoping for the best outcome of tonight, going home immediately. You heard him call you a bitch under his breath but paid little attention because the next beat he was talking to some other girl with the same line. Fucking dumb..

You went to walk through the threshold when a gaggle of girls came in, ignoring you, making you step out of the way. Which, of course, you stepped on something causing you to stumble. However that something turned out to be a someone. Strong hands gripped both your arms, steadying you and setting you on your feet. You wanted to give whoever it was a piece of your mind, but as you turned you saw him. He was older, definitely not a fraternity member. Definitely not a student. You looked at him with confusion, for probably a second or two too long.

He was tall and scruffy and had these eyes.. everybody has eyes, yes. Everybody has unique eyes, yes.. but you thought these eyes would exist only once in human history and they were his. All hazel and pretty and dangerous, almost. Just almost. He was blinking back at you, probably waiting for you to speak, to literally say anything. He broke the staring contest.

'Y'allright?' His voice brought you back, all you did was nod. God, he was hot. So fucking hot.

'Yeah, thank you. I was just leaving. This party sucks.' It's his turn to nod, he glances around for a second before glancing at you again.

'Been to better, been to worse.' Oh fuck, you're hooked. You move away from the open door, moving out to the porch, you distinctly needed a minute. Holy shit, did you need some air. The handsome stranger walked out to the porch as well, stepping over to you. He had long legs, it took two steps and he seemed like he closed the gap immediately. You leaned against the rail, staring across the street at some of the buildings on campus, the streetlights giving everything an orange hue. The trees tall shadows and the crisp air had the faint reminder that fall was around the corner. You risked a glance at the man, seeing him lean against the rail, staring out like you were. He was handsome, his profile felt timeless. He could've been anything, in any lifetime and he'd fit in. You bit your lip, looking down at your hands.

'My name's Han..' Han.. you swallowed before speaking, trying to keep anything embarrassing down and out of the way before you opened your mouth. You told him your name and he smiled at you, it was crooked and his face nearly glowed in the white glow from the porch light.

'You got a pretty name, darlin'... What're you doin' in a place like this?' You responded with a scoff and rolled your eyes. No, no, no.. he was hot but you weren't that easy. 'Hey, I'm just askin'.. Jesus.' You looked to see him look mildly offended. Oh. Maybe he was making idle conversation. Okay, you'll bite.

'Dragged along to be abandoned by my friends, not even really what I wanted to do tonight. Actually, I definitely didn't want to do this tonight.' Good thing I did because I would've never seen this man. Even seeing him was enough. You watched him scratch that almost beard absent-mindedly. You casually wondered what it would feel like against your thighs. College guys were so boring. They were either pretentious, trying to be mysterious and mature, or total fucking idiots. But Han? He wasn't a college kid. He had the vaguest twang of an accent, he was older.. he had this air of well traveled, 'been there and done that' that no college kid could ever have. You sighed, looking away. Then you figured you should ask why was he here? 'Well, what about you? You seem a little old to be at a Sigma Pi social.' He laughed softly and you stared at his Adam's apple bob as he did.

'Oh, I am. They just buy a lot of weed.' Well, that explains it. He sold drugs to college kids.

'Gotcha. Then I've probably smoked some of your weed, because I buy my weed from Sig Pi.' You laugh, looking away. What a small world.

'You do? Wanna cut out the middle man?' You looked back to see that fucking smug smirk and you wanted to wipe it off his pretty face. You wanted to throttle him, his neck seemed perfect to wrap your hands around. That's when he pulled out a cigarette, Marlboro red 100s. 'Cowboy killers', that's what your dad and grandfather always called them. You used to steal them, because you weren't a cowboy, so they couldn't kill you. He watched you watch him, in silence. When he exhaled out of his nose, you breathed in. You could've sworn you could taste him on the smoke.

'I could cut out the middle man.. they charged me fifty bucks for an eighth..' He scoffed this time, shaking his head.

'Didn't even give ya the pretty girl discount? Real bastards.' He gave you that softer version of his smile and you were enthralled. God, did he have you hook, line, and sinker. That's what you get for taking the bait. He notices your shirt now, you aren't sure if it's because he was actually reading it as you turned to face him, or if it's because he stared at your tits.

'You actually listen to them?' He points to your shirt with the two fingers holding his cigarette. You stared at his hands. His nails were short. Fuck. He knew what he was doing.

You nod along at his question. 'Yeah, I love the Grateful Dead.' God, you felt stupid when he laughs softly. That changes when he smiles at you, okay, maybe he liked that.

'What's your favorite song?' Was he really going to quiz you? You leaned against the rail, staring off again.

'Friend of the Devil..' He grinned at you, all teeth and interest.

'Solid answer. I like Scarlet Begonias.' You nodded at him with a smile. Holy shit, I like him. You continue to drink the beer you nearly forgot you were holding, offering him the other one. He smiles, taking it and murmuring a soft 'Thank you'. You watch as he opens the beer with the most beat to shit zippo you've ever seen. He drinks, he drinks so beautifully. You watch the muscles in his neck move with every sip, you blink dumbly. He had you stupid into him. You saw how his hand wrapped around the cool bottle, his fingers just long enough where you could imagine they'd feel astounding in so many places. You were so screwed.

-

You finished drinking your beers, he smoked two more cigarettes. 'You want another beer?' You did say you'd get a free beer or two tonight..

'What the hell, sure.' You shrugged, expecting him to go inside and grab some, but as a guy wearing some Greek letters walked by with a six pack, he snagged two, the idiot didn't even notice at first. When he turned to confront Han, he just shook his head and walked inside. He opened both, handing you one.

'Does every frat guy here know and fear you?' He laughed and shook his head, looking at you with amusement.

'Fear me? No. But if they piss me off, no more weed.. no more acid.. no more shrooms.. you get the idea.' Your eyes widened. The most you had done was smoke, drink, and occasionally get stoned. Hearing that this guy sold that shit had your interest.

'I've never done those before..' He raised his eyebrows mid-swig.

'Oh.. want to? First time's free, second time'll cost ya.' You thought about it, but could you even trust this guy? He could see the conflict. The next thing you noticed was him holding his phone out to you. 'Put your number in, I'll give you a call sometime. I gotta head out.' You felt marginally disappointed he was leaving so soon. Then again, you hadn't even wanted to stay. It's not like you had any claim over this guy at all. Who knows, he might do this every night. He probably has a roster. Despite yourself, you put your number in his phone. Han drained his beer, stepping off the porch, down the steps. He walked away, but right at the edge of the light, he turned to face you with that smirk. 'I'll see ya.' As he disappeared down the street you realized you didn't even have his number. Even if you wanted to reach out you couldn't, if he never reached out to you, he was gone forever. You debated running after him, but that felt pathetic. You finished your own beer, tossing the bottle like Han had into the nearest container that would count as a trashcan. As you stepped down the stairs, all three of them, you felt.. like you missed him. Something about him. You didn't know what it was. When you got to the edge of the yard, you could see him still walking down the sidewalk, that very distinctive swagger made your heart beat a little harder. A little faster. Maybe he'd text you? Maybe he'd call, he seemed more like the calling type. You looked at your feet, feeling disappointed but glad you came, in a roundabout way. You went to walk home, realizing you had to go the same way as he did. You bit your lip, debating catching up to him. You decided to just walk normal, a nice pace. Maybe a little faster than normal... maybe. Fate apparently decided a nice, broken red light would help your situation, because he was stuck at the light waiting for the crosswalk light to appear across the street. You approached quietly, but he seemed to notice you immediately.

'What're you doin' here, doll? Followin' me?' This caused you to giggle. Giggle. Who were you? You smiled at him, maybe a bit more eager than you wanted to seem.

'No, I live down the street from here. You were headed the same way.' He nodded with a 'uh-huh' that made you think he didn't believe you. You rolled your eyes, huffing slightly in annoyance. God, he was so charming one second and irritating the next.

'Whatever.. Were you really going to call me?' He looks at you, slightly taken aback, his brows furrowed.

'Uh, yeah? Is this some kinda trick question?' Huh, maybe he did like you..

'No. I mean.. I just wasn't sure if.. forget it.' He grinned as you blushed, looking away. He reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. A bold move that made you flinch slightly, but he didn't pull away.

'You're cute. Why wouldn't I call ya?' He looked both ways, no cars. He started across the street, looking back at you. 'Get over here, girl, traffic ain't gunna wait on ya.' Your body instinctively moved closer to him, taking his outstretched hand. Something about that made you tingle all over. You shuddered. 'You don't live on campus, do you?'

'I have an apartment.' You left it vague, after all he was a stranger.. and you were still holding his hand despite being on the sidewalk. You let go, he let you. He looked down at you with this look. You couldn't place what it was, attraction? Interest? You didn't know him well enough to tell, but you knew he had looked at you this way the whole night.

'I'll walk you to it, unless my place is first. Then.. I dunno.' You fell into place beside him. Oddly enough, he was a gentleman. Flirty, but nothing that would push you away or turn you off. His house was first, it was small and old, clearly being worked on but it wasn't totally nice yet. You passed by that house everyday without knowing who lived there. Small world. 'This is me.. Unless you wanna come in?'

You debated it. Go into a strangers house? Your mother would have a literal fit. You sighed and he saw the internal debate.

'Don't worry if you don't. My feelings won't be hurt either way.' You felt like he might have been lying about that. What the hell, you only live once. You nodded, looking up at his handsome face.

'Okay. For a minute.' He smiled. A big genuine smile.

'I got a whole vinyl collection you can go through.' That made you excited, you loved that stuff. That was.. that was your shit. He liked the same stuff as you. Wow. You followed him through the gate, to the front door. He let you in and you realized his house smelled distinctly like weed and cigarettes.. maybe a hint of incense? The house seemed to be untouched from the 70s. You saw the horrendous wall paper and this ugly couch in the living room you walked into. It had a certain charm, it fit him. This was distinctly him.

However, the second the door closed behind you, you heard the biggest dog you've ever seen run across the house. He was massive. He noticed you and immediately became wary. He stayed by the couch, mumbling a low growl. Han looked at him with an exacerbated expression. 'Chewie, c'mon, we talked about this.' Chewie..

'Uh.. nice dog. I'm not going to ask if he's friendly.' Han laughed softly, placing a hand on your shoulder, leaning in to whisper in your ear.

'He's friendly when you know him. He's got.. issues. He's a rescue.' You nodded in understanding. Han strolled over to the dog, completely unphased. He crouched, and you got the most amazing view of his ass in those tight Levi's he wore. God damn.. you reminded yourself to thank Levi's for creating the 501 button fly. You watched him use both of his massive hands to nearly manhandle the dog as he pet him. 'You're a good boy, ain'tcha, Chewie? Good dog, buddy.' He stood and faced you again. You finally got a moment to admire all of him. The half buttoned shirt with the sleeves rolled, his forearms looked strong. He looked strong. He was.. built in the kind of way a man gets when he does physical labor. But this guy sold drugs? What could he doing as a day job?

Chewie stood, walking to you with a purpose that made you freeze. He sniffed you, and you didn't dare move. Han came closer, which made you even more nervous. Chewie wasn't phased, he just nudged your hand with his massive head, requesting (demanding) attention.

'I think he chose me, check your tone.' You teased him, he laughed softly but when you met his gaze, there was a fire in his eyes. You swallowed as he smiled at you.

'Did you just steal my dog?' Han stared at you, blinking as you proceeded to love on Chewie. His brown fur all sorts of tones and shades of brown, a little black, some tan.. he really was gorgeous.

'God damn, you got an attitude..'

[edosianorchids901]

Long Term Investments

For @book-omens-week Day 1! Prompt: character design

Crawly bent over the puddle, getting a better look at himself. Not bad. Not bad enough, honestly. But what should he change?

Someone stepped in the edge of the puddle, ripples distorting his reflection, and he hissed in annoyance. “Hey, come on. I was using that.”

“You were using a puddle?” a familiar but slightly mumbling voice asked. “For what?”

Crawly looked up into a familiar face, too. The other man-shaped being didn’t actually seem to have recognized him, although that may have been because Aziraphale was distracted by popping one berry after another into his mouth. “It’s me.”

“Who?” Aziraphale asked politely, as if there was anyone on Earth right now other than them and two humans, with a third human on the way. Then his eyes widened a little. “Oh! Hello, Crawly. Making some changes?”

“What makes you say that?” Crawly asked sarcastically.

Aziraphale pursed his lips and gestured to him, as if mildly annoyed that he had to ask. “Well, for one thing, you have legs now.”

“Good observation.” Still not completely used to them, even though he’d had them for days now, Crawly shifted his weight. His feet squelched in the mud, and he made a face. “Rainy again today, eh?”

“Well, not much actual rain currently. There was a fair bit earlier, though.” Aziraphale popped another berry in his mouth.

“Yeah. Anyway, I’m doing…” Crawly frowned, studying himself in the once again calm puddle. “Character design, I guess you could call it. Playing with this human shape. I can’t very well slither around forever, can I?”

“Well, the snakes seem to do really quite well at slithering around.”

“Well, yeah, but I don’t think the whole serpent gig is gonna cut it with the humans again.” Crawly gestured vaguely in the direction of the spot near the river where the humans had set up camp for now. “They’d probably stomp on me or something if I just snaked into their camp and started talking them into sinning again. Or trying to talk ‘em into it, anyway.”

“I suppose it would be difficult to talk anyone into anything if you were being ‘stomped’,” Aziraphale said in a somewhat baffled tone.

“Right?”

“But why would you want to talk them into sinning again in the first place?”

Crawly shrugged. “It’s my job.”

“Ah. I suppose it is.�� Aziraphale stood there awkwardly for a bit, eating berries while Crawly stared into the puddle. Then he gave a quiet huff. “I don’t know what you’re obsessing about. You look quite human. Well, aside from the eyes.”

“I mean, yeah, but I need to look a little more demonic.” Crawly glanced up, taking in his opposing number’s overall soft edges and lighter colors. “Darker hair, that’ll do it.”

He wiggled his fingers in a complicated gesture, then nodded in approval at his adjusted appearance. That was more like it, much more properly demonic, and a good contrast to the enemy still eating berries next to him.

“That looks nice,” Aziraphale said.

“It looks imposing and demonic, hopefully.” Crawly grinned at the angel. “Mind, I won’t really have a chance to do much on the job front for a while, not many humans to tempt. But it’s better to be prepared. Long term investments and all that.”

Aziraphale gave him a slightly startled look, as if the idea of being prepared had never occurred to him. It kind of made sense, given that he still seemed pretty invested in Heaven’s propaganda about ineffability and all that.

But then again, he had given away his flaming sword on what seemed to be a complete whim. So maybe his lack of planning ahead was more to do with impulsivity rather than because he was waiting for Heaven to tell him what to do. Or both.

Either way, he was interesting, unlike most of Earth right now. Crawly suspected that looking at plants and animals while waiting years for the humans to populate the area could get pretty boring pretty fast.

While Crawly was still contemplating that, Aziraphale ate the last of the berries. He raised his hand to his mouth anyway, then frowned down at it disapprovingly. “Oh. I’ve eaten all my berries.”

Crawly gnawed on his lip for a minute, conflicted, and then decided to dive in. This might turn out to be a good long term investment, too. “Let’s go look for more together.”

Taken aback, Aziraphale stared at him for a moment. “Why?”

“Do you see anything interesting to do? Anyone else to talk to?” Crawly waved a hand vaguely at the new world around them, which distinctly lacked good options for mental stimulation. And Crawly had never been very good at boredom. “It’s just us, eh? Makes sense for us to hang out.”

Aziraphale looked around thoughtfully. “Well, there are the humans. But they’re a bit busy right now. I’m not supposed to talk to them until they get settled in.”

“Exactly. So.” Crawly flashed a triumphant grin. “Berries it is.”

That seemed to do it. Aziraphale smiled a little and headed back towards the berry bushes, and Crawly fell in step beside him. They chatted as they sloshed through the mud, immediately getting into a fascinating debate about the morality of eating all the berries in the area, and Crawly allowed himself a moment of self-satisfaction. Yep. Spending time with Aziraphale would definitely turn out to be a good long term investment.

[theanonwriter]

friends close, enemies closer: part 2

A/N: expect weekly updates!

-

Summary: When your parents unexpectedly become wealthy from good investments, you're forced to leave your old life in the Cut and move to Figure Eight.  Right when you finally start to move on (thanks to the help of your best friend, Sarah Cameron), your old friends are suddenly forced into your life again. Getting comfortable with them means discovering their new lives and making amends for the past. And just when things couldn't possibly get any more complicated, you have to deal with your lingering feelings with a certain hot-headed blond. 

word count: 2.6k

warnings: swearing, that's basically it

“Doesn’t look like you have chicken pox to me,” Sarah stated, searching your body for any red pox marks. “Or a shark bite either.” She looked around suspiciously. “Wait- were you lying to me?” She feigned shock and held her forehead in one hand while she leaned her body onto her white jeep.

“Oh, the horror.” You deadpanned, dragging your feet across the front gravel to get to your driveway. “Plus, you knew I was lying. You wouldn’t have come if you thought I was actually sick.”

She lifted her body back upright and scrunched her nose in thought. She nodded. “Yeah. Probably not.” She chuckled at the look of you, face miserable while you hauled a much-too-big beach bag over your shoulder. “You pack for the apocalypse?” 

“Haha.” You looked at her with frustration and walked past her to put your shit in her trunk. 

It was much too hot for the first Saturday of June. The air felt sticky, which wasn’t a new sensation on your skin, but definitely one that you didn't enjoy. Your hair would frizz up, sweat would bead and drop down off your forehead, and the odor of low tide was worse than ever. 

“I packed all my bathing suits. I’m tan, but not summer tan, so I don't know which one will look the best. Plus, I don't know if they’ll still fit like I want them to.”

Sarah helped you shove the shit in the back before she looked over her shoulder. “Is this concern over making a good second impression? Or looking good for a certain blond?” She replies as she sees you almost tumble out of the passenger seat. 

“It’s not! Can a girl not want to look good for the new tourists?” 

Sarah giggled again, making sure you had your seatbelt on, and then started the minute drive to her house. You promised last week that you would hang out with them soon, and so you were here. 

“I’m nervous!” Sarah groaned, gripping the steering wheel tighter and turning her head to look at you. “What if they think I’m stuck-up? Or a bitch because of what I did to Kie? Or, oh my god, what if they think I’m ugly?” 

She looked petrified. The idea of anyone thinking of Sarah as ugly was unfathomable. She was undoubtedly stunning. She had the perfect face and ideal frame, not to mention that she had matured into the kindest woman you had ever met. 

“Sarah.” You looked at her with gentle eyes. “You are the furthest thing in the world from ugly. I’m being serious. They may think you're stuck-up and a bitch, but that's why you hang out with them. You can show them the reason why John B likes you. Not as a rich Kook who wears a uniform to school every day.” 

She smiled back, but she didn't seem convinced. 

“Plus, if it makes you feel any better, if they gonna make fun of someone, it’ll probably be me.”

When you hit a red light, she finally turned back to see you. “Maybe. But at least we have each other.” You flicked her shoulder jokingly as the light turned green again. 

“Ugh, that's even worse.”

-

When you finally finished your makeup and picked your outfit, you felt like you were going to be sick. The nerves had kicked in, if they were excited or anxious butterflies you couldn't tell. This could be the start of something new for you. A reconnection with people who you treated like home at one point. 

You had a basic tee shirt and blue jean shorts on, rather than the cover-up dress that Sarah told you to wear. Although it had been a couple of years, you knew that they would mock you if you came to chill with a dress on. 

Plus, you wanted to look familiar to them. Maybe, if you dressed the way you used to, it would be like a white flag. You nonverbally telling them that you were willing to just go back to the way things were, rather than pretend like nothing ever happened at all. 

“They’re here!” Sarah yelled, racing out of her bathroom while sinking an earring through her ear. You followed her into the sunroom and watched her lace up her new black converse, embroidered with purple butterflies. 

You ran over to the lace curtains and slowly peeked out from behind them. You saw the Twinkie, the gangs busted minivan, waiting in front of Sarah’s horseshoe driveway. You had to bite your lip to stop yourself from laughing out loud. The minivan looked so….out of place. Is this how your family looked the first year you moved?

“Ready?” Sarah asked, hand on the doorknob as you strode away from the window.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” 

Sarah opened the door and ran out to meet John B. She found her way into his arms, and you watched from afar as they laughed about something. She gestured to her Jeep, and they both started to walk toward the connected garage. You went to follow them, but John B saw you.

“Oh, we don’t need help, do we Sarah? It’s too hot. You can just go and find a seat in the Twinkie. Hope you don’t mind being a little squished.”

You smiled politely and turned away, heading in the direction of the car. You could already hear the music coming from the speakers, and you swear to god that the car shook from the intensity of the bass. You walked up to the handle, and opened it slowly, trying to focus on anything other than the fact that you were going to vomit.

As soon as you opened the door, the talking ceased. Three pairs of eyes all focused on you, all displaying different emotions. Kie looked giddy, excited about whatever they were talking about before you came into the car. Pope had the same look of confusion that you remembered from your childhood. He made you feel like you were the stupidest person ever with just one look. You would call it a superpower if it hadn't offended you so much.

And of course, sitting in the chair by himself, was JJ. He looked irritated, cheeks puffed out and arms crossed over his chest. When his eyes met yours, they hardened before he quickly looked away. You could tell he was mad at you. You just hoped it wouldn't be too awkward. 

“Hey girl!” Kie chirped, giving you an awkward hug as you tried to maneuver through the car and to your seat. 

“Hi, babe. Uh, hey Pope. Hey JJ.” You mumbled, putting on your seatbelt as you looked up to see them. 

“What? Don’t trust John B to drive you now? Too used to your personal driver?” JJ mused, moving his legs farther from yours as he pulled out a joint from his pocket. You looked at him with unhappy eyes, but you knew this was just part of the process. Of course, they would be hurt. You were too.

“That's not it-” You tried to interject, but Pope cut you off. 

“Ignore that, Y/N. JJ’s on his period today.” He lifted himself further off the seat and turned towards you. “JJ, watch this,” he reached his hand towards you. “Hey, Y/N. Long time no see! How’ve you been?” You shook his hand firmly, keeping eye contact as a smile spread across your face. 

“I’ve been good! Just doing my thing. How have you been?”

“As good as one can expect from a dirty Pogue.” He looked at you with his eyebrows raised. You gaped back in shock, mouth starting to drop open before he spoke again. “I’m just kidding. I’ve been good!” He laughed, and you let go of the breath that you were holding. 

“Good to know that you’re still cracking jokes.” You breathed out, listening to your heartbeat in your ears. You knew that you were gonna be the butt of the joke for a little while, but you genuinely thought you were gonna have a heart attack by the end of the trip. 

Pope and JJ started to fight over who was going to get more leg space, and Kie looked over at you, bothered. “Sorry about them. They’re idiots.” 

You bit back a laugh as you spotted John B strolling back to the car with Sarah, him struggling to hold both you and Sarah's bags. “So what your telling me is nothing has changed?”

She giggled again, throwing her head back and sighing as she grinned at you. “Yes and no.”

You heard Sarah pop open the trunk, and shifted yourself in your seat to make eye contact with her. You tried to signal something with your eyes, but she just looked at you smiling. You wanted to leave. The Twinkie was too full of not only people, but memories. 

You watch silently as John B and Sarah slipped into the front, sending flirty glances to each other over the center console. You rolled your eyes to yourself, knowing that watching them flirt was going to be your own personal hell. 

As you started to drive, you noticed that it was much too quiet. You looked over at JJ, who was mouthing something to Pope. He grinned while he talked, his tongue-in-cheek and eyebrows raised. When he caught your eye, he instantly stopped and made the 'kill sign' to Pope. You glanced over at Pope, but you couldn't tell what they were talking about. 

“Secret secrets are no fun, unless shared with everyone.” You sing-songed, tutting as you shook your head at them. Pope shyly smiled at your comment, but JJ just scoffed. 

His lips set into a thin line. “Wouldn’t have been a secret if you actually talked to us.”

You walked into that one. You instantly shut your mouth and turned back around. Kie rubbed your shoulder gently, and you could feel JJ’s eyes burning a hole through your face. The fact that he was, at one point, your best friend shocked you. He seems like he couldn't be more of a stranger. 

“Kie, why are you consoling her?” JJ sputtered, shaking his head in disbelief. His attitude had never changed. When he started mumbling at the window, the whole car groaned in protest. 

“Oh, of course, I’m the bad guy.” JJ muttered, eyes looking far out of the car. 

“C’mon, man. Remember what I said.” John B urged, tapping the steering wheel in rhythm with the radio. 

You feel your phone buzz in your pocket, and you use it as a way to ignore everyone else. 

SAR-BEAR:

wtf 

why is he being like that

you: 

it’s JJ so idek 

SAR-BEAR:

when i got in the car i was like 

hot damn 

maybe i picked the wrong one 

but then he opened his mouth…

such an ick.

You laugh out loud at her text, quickly putting your hand over your mouth to muffle the noise. Sarah's head whipped back instantly, eyes wide open as she stared you down. 

“Did you just fucking SNORT?” Sarah yells, disbelief wrapping her features. You try to deny it, but everyone in the car erupts. 

“You most certainly did!”

“Don’t lie!”

“Is there a baby dinosaur in the car with us?”

“You still do that?”

You look over at JJ, his features softer than you’ve seen them all day. He looks like a kid, like he just learned something new for the first time. 

“Yeah. I guess some things never change.” You look away quickly, eyes darting anywhere but his face as you feel a blush start to light your cheeks. 

You wish you could say that JJ wasn’t attractive to you anymore, but he was. His skin was still tan, and a light sunburn brushed across his cheeks. His face was more chiseled than you remember, and he looked much more built than he did only 3 years before. 

The car ride passed with quiet conversation, all friendly and polite. You mainly talked to Kie, catching up with each other about family issues and Kook events. It was nice to be back and just hanging out with them again.

When you finally got to the beach, you all spilled out of the side door and stretched your limbs. As many memories you had in the Twinkie, you couldn't lie and say that you were glad you were back in it. The air conditioning was broken, the seats were worn, and the general smell made you glad for your “new car” air freshener. 

You didn’t bring your board, which you regretted when you saw all of the Pogues with theirs. You knew Sarah didn't have one, but John B would probably let her use his board. You picked your bag from the trunk and turned back to Sarah and Kie. 

The girls were chatting quietly, and there didn't appear to be much tension. It wasn't a beautiful reunion, but no one was bleeding, which you took as a win. 

“You didn’t bring your board?” JJ asked, tousing his hair with the hand not holding his belongings. 

“No, I thought we were gonna go on JB’s boat. No biggie though, I’ll just tan or something.” You responded, looking into his eyes and shielding the sun with your hand. 

“Oh. Well, if you get bored or something, you can, just like-” he glanced over his shoulder at Pope, who was observing your interaction intently. “swim around us, I guess.” He shrugged his shoulders slightly, cheeks reddening faintly. You knew he was just getting hot, but you secretly wished it was more. 

“Oh. Thanks, Jay. I’ll think about it.” You smiled shyly. You watched him leave with a quick nod, and you went to go catch up with Sarah. 

You spent the first part of the day on the sand, watching as the group fucked around in the sea. Because it was broiling today, you were sure that your towel was probably wet from the sweat pouring off you. When you got tired of pitying yourself, you got up and started to wade into the water. 

Talking and hanging out with everyone felt normal. With Sarah in the group, there was an even amount of crazy and kooky. There was never a dull moment, and everyone seemed more at ease than you had remembered. 

When you finally were dropped off at your house, your back was a faint pink and your hair was filled with salt. Taking a shower hurt like a bitch, but your mother always said showering with hot water after getting a burn helped the day after. 

When you got into your bed, your phone suddenly beeped.  You saw a notification from a new group chat that had everyone from today's rendezvous, including JJ. You couldn't help but smile at your phone, seeing what John B was typing. 

JB: 

Hey Y/N

Welcome back to Pougelandia

Kie: 

YAYYYY

Prettiest Pogue EVER!!!

Pope: 

ok 

rude

*SAR-BEAR liked a message.*

you: 

hiya

whats going on

John B: 

NEW GC!!!!

Sorry

That was Sarah

SAR-BEAR: 

we need one if we're all going to hang out again!

JJ: 

Welcome back. 

-

TAGLIST: @totallynotkaibiased @jsbaby @midnightrqin @siriuslysmoking

[rawliverandgoronspice]

Hey, just wanted to say I love reading your analysis and thank you for being a ‘pioneer’ in TOTK critique on tumblr haha. Lately I started seeing more criticism videos popping up on youtube that are solid, but your analysis is still much more detailed and presents original and valid points. You really helped me to define and put down into words some subconscious feelings that I had about the game. I feel really bad for you (but not in a pitying way) when I see blogs like ‘zeldadeservesabreak’ who come at your analysis skills and are just so unreasonably rude unprovoked (aside from being just factually incorrect at times).

My theory is that it’s their maturity. My theory is that this happens because there are younger fans of the series who seek to have a deeper analysis and discussion about the narrative and aim to sound like a worthy debate opponent who is certain about their position and due to beginners confidence and inexperience in debate come off way too strong. Another small point to add, it peaks my curiosity seeing such devotion to a corporation (Nintendo). I ‘technically’ know why and how it happens, but I’m still always surprised to see someone being so devoted to defending and speaking for Nintendo.

Just wanted to assure you that there are us who greatly appreciate you sharing your thoughts and STILL engaging with questionable Asks after this. I wait for each post or reblog with anticipation and will share your blog with my friends as soon as they finish TOTK as they were really intrigued by the imperialist Rauru depiction. On the other hand, please don’t feel pressured to continue posting if it all gets too much at any point! Thank you for reading all of this if you did! Sorry for any mistakes and poor vocabulary, English is not my native language.

Hello!

Thank you so, so very much for this very kind ask. <3 And I'm sorry it took me a little long to get around to it, I am sick and my brain is not very cooperative. :(

I am really glad to know that there are more conversations happening outside of this little sphere. I scoured for these criticisms on Youtube in the first month and then pretty much gave up when they weren't coming up. I'm glad the conversation is widening, and I hope it keeps on happening over the years --not to hurt the game or its community, but just to encourage critical thought for one, and also just so Nintendo does a little better next time.

It might be maturity, but I am not... How do I put it. I don't think it is so much a question of age or even life experience than it being a question of, well, willingness to see yourself get destabilized a little bit. To me, a lot of the hostility that I've seen directed at these kind of theories are often extremely dismissive of the place they come from; they assume either overzealousness ( = you are seeing problems where there are none for ??? profit??? or just to pretend that you are morally purer than everybody else, which is a statement that never once looked like projection), confusion ( = don't you see the game tells you that this is good and this is bad ?), or bad faith ( = you are here to stir trouble for no reason, you are a troll). Very rarely do they actually engage with the arguments, but rather with the aesthetic quality of it; the way it rings to their ear, the way it is presented, and the intent they assume that led to these arguments being made in the first place. The best counter-arguments I have heard thus far who actually take what is being said into account can either be boiled down to: "I see your point, but it just doesn't bother me that much because of X, Y and Z who really touched me emotionally and I got invested in that (which is great and super valid in my opinion)", or: "I think Nintendo just didn't think about the effect of this decision and the way it weakened what they wanted to do, but I think the overall story of what they wanted to say overrules the way they achieved it, and I prefer focusing on the first rather than the latter (which is also completely legitimate)". I have not, so far, seen a better rebuttal than: it does not bother me personally for X or Y reason, but I am not denying that these might be problems to somebody else.

But yeah. It is the childhood, it is the safe space, it is good and uncomplicated, and so anything that hurts that wonderful piece of innocence that remains must be there with bad intentions. I assume this plays a huge role in the Nintendo Protection Squad, even when the criticism is honestly pretty mild all things considered.

(Also, if I may and as I close this subject: I think this is pretty interesting how it's only unreasonable to ask for a stronger narrative. If the combat had been subpar in TotK, I would not have cared that much personally honestly, but I'm pretty sure a *lot* of people would have complained and been extremely pissed at that, and this would have been an acceptable complaint to have --like the lack of dungeons was an acceptable complaint to wage against BotW. I don't think a great combat system with a lot of variation in approach is particularly more "the spirit of Zelda" than a simple, solid and well constructed story, but a lot of BotW players would probably disagree. Which is fine, the series is evolving, new standards are introduced! But why is this one the only standard that seems to be a reach too far, an unrealistic demand, something that *should* stay a non-priority even though it once clearly was one? Gamers and their approach to storytelling will forever perplex me honestly, which sucks given it's my job but whatever, you make your own hell etc)

But yeah. To be honest, I think a lot of people who don't really understand the "imperialist argument" do not lack for media literacy or analysis or maturity (I kind of am super tired of people throwing the "you have no media literacy!" at each other while never defining what they mean by that or never actually discussing what they actually disagree about), but maybe they do lack a little bit of political culture; especially culture about political communication. Which makes sense not to have or focus on a lot when you play a Zelda game, so. It's fine. vOv

It also does not escape my notice how a lot of the reticence to accept criticism gets the most virulent around the portrayal of power dynamics and race; even though I don't think any progressive fandom faced with a story that could be boiled down to "the good kingdom of the blonde, petite, blue-eyed heroes is invaded by a huge evil man from the desert with very racialized features who forcefully rules his all-women warriors in harem garbs" should bat an eye when some people say this sort of premice makes them uncomfortable and so should be handled very carefully, especially given the global rise of fascism, anti-immigration, and deadly islamophobia everywhere right now. It boggles my mind that this is even considered a controversial statement.

Like, discussing the shade and depth of Rauru's goatman *fur* as a way to counter the criticism that what birthed the character of Ganondorf is 5 racist tropes in a trenchcoat and should be navigated with more care than this is 2023 is so... deeply unserious to me. You know, sometimes things are a little iffy and can be acknowledged as such and then you can still like the Thing and it's fine, you don't even have to engage with the parts that make you uncomfortable, it's fine it's fineee.

But no need to worry about the effect of these kind of interactions on me, though it is very sweet to do so! <3 Let's say I'm not going to bed every night worrying about my critical thinking skills, my media literacy, or wondering whether or not I understand interactive narration haha

I am a little tired of talking about TotK in general tho, to be fully honest. I feel like I've kind of scraped the bottom of my takes, and I don't have a lot more to add --so the asks will probably slow down just by virtue of not repeating myself eternally, and wanting to extract myself from some of the discourse happening (also I just don't care enough about the game to put this much energy into it, it was never really meant to happen I just started receiving tons asks for some reason??? (thank you all!! it was really an Experience!!!! but thank you!!!) and then I replied to them, and then that got me more asks, etc etc, but yeah I never planned to talk about TotK that much haha)

But thank you so very very much again!

[tlbodine]

So You Need a Blurb…

If you publish a book, the time will come in the process when your publisher will ask if you have anyone in mind to blurb/endorse your book. And then you will feel foolish telling your publisher that you don’t know anyone or maybe have no idea what a blurb is so you surreptitiously turn to the internet for help. Then you find this post. I gotchu, fam.

What Is a Blurb?

In publishing, “blurb” can mean a lot of things, from the jacket copy to your elevator pitch. But most often, if you’re asked to get a blurb from someone, that means an endorsement from another author or reviewer.

It’s the text on the back or the book or the first few pages where it says, “Fantastic! Five stars!”- some person

What is the Point?

If you ask around, basically nobody cares that a book has a blurb in it. It’s not the thing that will make or break your book sale. But they are a sign of legitimacy, that you are Someone, and that you are part of the community rather than a nobody from nowhere. They’re more important (and common) for lesser known writers breaking out. And they look nice on marketing materials.

How Do You Get Them?

You ask. Sometimes your publisher asks for you. But mostly you will be emailing authors and asking if they can blurb your book.

That Sounds Terrifying

It’s not so bad. For the most part, authors are flattered that you thought of them, especially if they’re midlisters that aren’t huge names. A blurb can give you both a little boost. And sometimes these conversations can stir up further relationships in the community. Writers buy books from each other. They generate buzz. If someone asks me to blurb their book, I’ll feel more invested in its success and might talk it up to others. And getting friendly with other writers is a good way to get invited to conventions, contribute to anthologies, etc. Sometimes authors recommend their pals to their agents. Sometimes they remember you when it comes time for award nominations and votes. So it’s worth it to swallow your fear and reach out.

OK But Like. How?

Step one: pick an author. Actually, pick several, because you’ll want multiple blurbs and not everyone will say yes. Pick people you think would like your book. This means knowing what they write. Aim for someone a few rungs up the ladder from you in experience. Yeah, you can ask Stephen King too, but the big guys are less likely to respond.

Step two: contact them. Track down an email address if you can. If they’re agented, you might need to go through their agent. Do not go into their DMs or tweet them publicly. Write a simple, professional email:

“Hi (author); my name is (name) and I really love (book they wrote that you liked). I have a new book coming out (date) and want to ask whether you might be able to provide a blurb? The book is about (one sentence hook). I would need any blurb back by (deadline you cleared with your publisher). I totally understand if you’re too busy, but if you’d like to take a look I can have my publisher provide an ARC in (format). Thank you for your time!”

An ARC is an advanced reading copy. It’s a not-finalized version of your story that can be sent to readers to start building buzz. Small publishers will usually only have digital arcs in pdf, mobi, and epub. Bigger publishers will have print arcs.

Fire the email off and wait. One of three things will happen:

1 - they say they’re too busy, sorry

2 - they say that sounds great

3 - they never reply

If you never hear a reply, it’s okay to send one follow-up after a couple weeks, then let it go.

After you’ve supplied the ARC, let them sit on it and then email to check in a week or two before it’s due. If they send it in late, it’s fine. It can’t go on the book cover but it can go on the Amazon page and marketing materials. Late is better than nothing.

What Will I Get?

Usually they’ll email you back a nice sentence or two that’s very sound-biteable. These are fun to write and authors can get clever with them. Usually you’ll get a larger one and can cut it down if necessary but it’s obviously bad form to take stuff out of context.

Sometimes they’ll shout you out on their socials. Sometimes you have to make the neat graphics yourself for your socials. You can ask them to share a cute graphic you made but don’t be pushy about it. They did their part.

Did They Actually Read My Book?

Yes. Probably. Mostly. Maybe they skimmed it. Authors are busy. Usually they want to say something nice even if you’re not their favorite style of writing. No matter what, thank them for their time (again!) and just don’t use blurbs that you don’t like.

Tips for Success

- be nice and polite, always. You don’t have to be mega formal. But you should hew on the side of politeness.

- maintain some kind of presence online so people can scope you out and see if you’re a nazi, obnoxious, a serial killer etc. Usually this means Twitter. But something is better than nothing.

- pick writers you like. If you like their writing, they’ll probably like yours. Also check them out online to be sure they’re not a nazi or sex pest or have any scandals that look bad on you. Due diligence!

- it helps if you’re friendly with them or have casually interacted in the past. Remind them about it if you have. “We met at this convention” or “we had x good talk on Twitter” but you don’t have to know them.

Hopefully this helps. Good luck in your quest!

[nursc]

subspace rhapsody canon divergence

i really enjoyed the ep. i love musicals episodes, the good ones and the bad ones. and there were great moments in this one - the first song, christine and uhura’s solos, the pike song moment which made me yell out loud. it was not perfect, there were some cringe-ass moments which i felt could have been written better, but on the whole, i can’t wait to have access to the soundtrack so i can put some of these songs on repeat.

however, we do have something... weird going on here with christine which i'm not sure i like, or will be acknowledging.

let's go back to spock amok, where we get christine's line about relationships:

You're supposed to put her ahead of your duties. That's what being in a relationship is, it's mutual sacrifice. Pretty much why I avoid them.

we see that she keeps her relationship with the lieutenant from the other ship light, and runs away the second he tries to make it into something real.

by keeping the relationship not very serious, making it a long distance thing, based on physical compatibility rather than emotional one, christine could stay safe. which is the opposite of the relationship that was being built with spock.

she talks to him, listens to his problems, becomes involved in them, shares personal things about herself. we see that she is building there a relationship based on trust, that she is actually invested in.

when they finally enter into a relationship, it is after she acknowledges she has serious feelings about him, that go way beyond friendship. she puts saving him before the fellowship, forgets about the interview. it's m'benga who has to remind her.

we see she is struggling with the relationship, trying to take it slow in the next episode, and that using a convoluted metaphor, she is able to explain herself to spock and they seem to be in a very good place by the next episode from background shots.

boimler scares her with his knowledge about the future. how she is not a part of it (let's take a second and appreciate jess right here, and the way christine tries to smile for a second because she can't let someone see her shatter but fails and looks away from him):

but they are working on their communication problems! at the end of the episode, we know that she talked to spock because he confronts boimler about it:

her fear of intimacy and letting herself get hurt. his vulcan emotions, they are making it work by communicating with each other.

in the next episode, which deals with war trauma, once again we're hit with a wrench but the??? context?? is so specific? this is about christine's war trauma, the probable promise she made to m'benga never to tell anyone about what happened on the moon and what he did. she can't be open about it because the wounds are fresh, and it is not just her secret to tell. which makes sense, and even couples with excellent communication skills would probably end up having some troubles within this context.

however, the writers used this problem as a pretext for what happens on episode 9 which i think is completely different. this is about work. three months back on earth to work on a fellowship.

christine's first thought is how excited she is. her second one is that she needs to tell spock and talk to him.

but... they never do. somehow she has time to tell sam??? but she doesn't have time to tell spock?? yes, they are working on something, but i don't believe that she couldn't have stolen a moment away between meetings to tell him about the fellowship.

instead, we get several instances of miscommunication. it is not even problems in communication, it is simply the show doesn't even allow them a second to try and talk about it. we get spock seeing korby's name on the communication log and then walking in on christine celebrating. two improbable, probable moments which felt forced in order to make this work.

the thing is, christine, always, always, sacrificed herself until now. we see that for spock, for something that's serious and matters, she is willing to put herself on the line. at the end of spock amok, serene squall, we get moments of them talking through the problems of the day, or christine giving him the out he needs. when he is ignoring her at the start of the season, in charades, she does call him out on it, showing that she is hurt by his actions. during all those who wander, we see her chasing after him when he is hurt in order to provide him comfort.

christine is not good at communicating because she has intimacy issues. but christine is always willing to work, and put other people's needs ahead of her own. she did not want to face her feelings for spock until his life was on the line (charades). so her hurting him this way? the way the song ends on a callous note and she doesn't try to find him like she's done multiple times before? feels out of character.

christine can hurt people with her intimacy issues, but never this way. she knows herself, she knows that when she is in a relationship, she is the one who makes the sacrifice, the one who puts the other person ahead of herself. so now that she is with spock, she wouldn't just accept the fellowship and not tell him immediately.

i feel like the events of this episode were contrived for spock to have his song about being an ex, instead of letting it develop naturally.

in my interpretation, she would find a way to tell him very quickly. not because she is afraid he'll hear it from someone else, but because she is excited and wants to share it with him. her song is all her excitement that she's gotten the fellowship. why wouldn't she want to share it with her partner.

again, if she had time to tell sam, she would have time to tell spock.

christine can never be callous. she can be emotional, and angry, and determined, but callous? if the song is about her truth, it should have been about wanting to talk to him, while also wanting to explore her passions.

tldr. christine talked to spock before her song and told him she wanted to do the fellowship, but that she would be able and they'd stay in touch ( if that's what he wants, she would add ). she would fight against her own instincts of keeping everything bottled up because she could never hurt him in such a callous, stupid way. at her core, she is someone who would rather hurt herself than hurt another.

[junniepop]

JJK men and a male reader

So I died and came back. Now my inbox is filled with a lot of Jujutsu Kaisen stuff with a male reader, so I looked around and noticed there aren't a lot of male writers or even gender neutral ones, meaning that's what I'll be doing for awhile. This first request is...

before I get started, if you'd like to request something, then please see my masterlist

JJK boys with a male s/o

Warnings: aged up and language oh and some nsfw stuff cuz that's what they wanted.

Characters: I. Yuuji, F. Megumi, G. Satoru, N. Kento, R. Sukuna, T. Aoi

I. Yuuji

Isn't hung up by you being male, I feel as Yuuji got older, the more open minded he became. His sexuality was something that evolved as he aged and had a big change in his mid teenage years when he was exploring himself. Into his late teens he began seeing people of all types of representation, he simply did not care how they presented themselves.

That leads us to you, our gorgeous male that has Yuuji simping. All seriousness, this man loves entirely, some might even find it to be smothering. He is the type to text you paragraphs of good morning and goodnight texts, always leaving something for you to eat in the fridge, brings something home because it reminded him of you, and always always makes time to call you before a mission.

Yuuji always has random thoughts about you. Like, "Should I make his favorite tonight?" "I wonder what he's doing." "Oh....that would look so cute on him, should I get it?" "AH this charm has our initials on it! that means it was meant to be!"

If you're a sorcerer, Yuuji d e m a n d s to be your partner on missions and he will have a fit if someone says no. Is constantly stressing himself out over your well being, even if he knows you can handle yourself. always asking about your technique and is amazed every time he sees it. Very protective, stands in front of you a lot and when he see's you struggling he doesn't hesitate to get the curse's attention regardless of his own situation.

Also just because I feel like he would: Yuuji gave you a promise ring when he realized you were the one he wanted to be with for the rest of his life.

He has this need to prove to you that he is a fit partner, Like showing you he can cook, has his own place, very responsible with his money and what not.

The type of guy to send you a million snaps a day. He will literally show you everything he did that day and wants the same in return.

Every date with him somehow includes a physical activity. Going out to dinner? chances are Yuuji will see an arcade and more specifically the DDR in the background.

NSFW

In terms of sexual stuff, Yuuji seems like a top, but has definitely thought about bottoming and upon trying it- was not into it. Does not matter if you're much bigger than him or not, he will top you. However, Yuuji is rather submissive when it comes to his partner, he will say yes to whatever it is you want. You want him to be soft and gentle, he'll do it. You want him to absolutely wreck your ability to walk, he'll do it.

The first time Yuuji tried stuff with a guy, he for sure looked up if it would hurt and read that anal could be very painful, was TERRIFIED that he would hurt the guy. Definitely was asking with every movement if he was okay. With you he's more confident, but still askes if you're okay throughout the event.

Man is simple, likes very intimate positions where he can see your face. Heavily into pleasing you, he tries any kinks you're into even if he's not that into it. Loves being praised, it just does something to his brain, in that same line- any sounds you make go straight to his dick. Really enjoys marking, is proud to cover you in them too.

The type of guy to enjoy eating you out, like fully sit on his face. Plus it helps his dick slide in smoother.

Yuuji will lose his mind if you say you want to milk him. Yuuji usually never thinks about his own pleasure, so when you want to pleasure him until he's empty, mans is not readyyyy. Just stutters out an okay and proceeds to go stupid when you start.

Conclusion

Yuuji loves you entirely. Trusts you 100% and would do anything to keep your life stable and happy. Yuuji just wants to grow old with you tbh, so in love with the idea.

If you were to break up with him, he would be devastated, unable to continue on for a long time. I mean he placed his everything into you, why would you do this to him?

all in all, it is a very stable relationship as long as you don't take him for granted because he is prone to letting people use him.

F. Megumi

Definitely did not care you were male. Megumi cares about a person's mentality, their goals and dreams, the way a person carries themselves. When Megumi met you, he found you quite attractive, your drive is what lured him in and from there his feelings developed.

Megumi is subtle in showing his affection. Little touches here, sticky notes meant just for you, always carrying 'extra' snacks. It actually might take you awhile to notice his affections for you, simply because it is so subtle. Megumi seems like the person to wait until you confess. However. Megumi would confess if he gets pushed to or knows he won't get rejected.

Once he confesses, his love is soft and soothing with a hint of awkwardness. Megumi in the beginning would be showing affection through words and small acts of service, always telling you how much he appreciates you and doing things for you. Some of these things would be things like picking up snacks for you, doing your laundry, leaving you some of his clothes. He likes to do these things without you knowing because I think it lessens the embarrassment he feels doing it.

Even if you are in a long term relationship with him, he always gets flustered by you. Megumi is naturally reserved, so telling him I love you with sincerity will cause him to malfunction. Poor boy freezes and stutters around his words while avoiding eye contact.

Now, physical contact in this relationship is a tell tale sign of how much Megumi trusts you and loves you. Megumi is the type of person to reserve physical touch for someone he completely trusts, so with you, this will let you know his true feelings.

Touch would start with closeness at first, just grazing hands or bumping knees, but would develop into hours of intimate cuddling because he's touched starved. KISSING, oh my lord- his kisses tell you everything he feels. so intense, no matter how soft he kisses you.

if you're a sorcerer, Megumi is the type to go on missions with you, but doesn't complain if he can't go with you. However, worries a lot and contemplates going after you. Unlike Yuuji, who would go to literal war, Megumi trusts your strength a lot. The only time he is like yuuji is against a particularly strong curse. Loves fighting together though, it shows how much you trust him.

NSFW

Megumi gives me verse energy. Like he was a top for a long time, asked you if he could bottom once and was surprisingly into it. So now when the mood arises, its whatever you guys are in the mood for. You guys often take turns.

His first time was with you- Megumi just seems like a late bloomer and you were the only person he did stuff with. He's very gentle because he knows it can be painful, I think sexually his fear is not being good enough for you, so give him as much reassurance as you can.

Now this boy is rather kinky despite his personality. Loves when you beg, drives him mad to hear your pleas and whimpers. Likes the pain of you needing something to hold onto when he tops which results in scratches down his back and the pulling of his hair. Doesn't think condoms are necessary because you're the only person for him in his eyes- aka likes breeding. When he bottoms, he enjoys riding and wants to see your face as he does. Do not get it twisted though, he's very much into you messing him up and railing him.

SEND THIS BOY NUDES. DO IT. Mans will sprint home if he has to. Don't do it too often or he'll get used to it. Maybe like once every two-ish weeks. Or better yet do it while he's on a mission. Megumi always tries to answer you, so expecting something serious, he short circuits when its just a pic of you in some underwear he thought he ripped the last time you guys were intimate.

Conclusion

Shy boy into some kinky things with his partner. It might take him some time to develop a deep relationship with you because he's scared you'll leave, but as long as you provide him the security he needs, he'll stay by your side indefinitely.

If you were to break up with him, you're just like his dad in his eyes and the betrayal would result in him locking many people out. Unlike Yuuji, who's emotions pour out of him, many wouldn't know Megumi is barely scrapping by.

G. Satoru

Gojo doesn't give a rats ass how you present yourself, he lives by the motto "a hole's a hole." What truly would make Gojo invest in more than casual hooking up is your personality. Gojo needs someone who doesn't need him and doesn't care about who he is in the sorcerer world. Someone like that would capture his eye rather quick and this man is like "Eh? I'm GOJO SATORU, you know top dog?" and you would just blink and go back to whatever it was you were doing.

Shows off so much trying to impress you. "ne ne (Y/n) did you see me squash that special grade into dust?" *sigh* "Yes Gojo, I also saw you split one into a thousand pieces and turn another into a ball." so unamused by his abilities.

The one time he saw amazement cross your features is when he was playing the piano (I feel Gojo's other talents were never looked at and everyone saw him as this god like being, all he wants is someone to look at other things he can do.) and his heart skipped a beat. Because his first goal was just get into your pants, he was quite surprised you were more interested in his normal talents. This is where he begins showing you his real side, still a teasing man child, but he begins asking you about your interests and seeing what you have in common.

The more he learns, the harder it is for him to find a way not to commit to you. You see Gojo subconsciously looks for a reason to leave, he hates being tied down and is super flighty. Then there's you, ticking all his boxes without even knowing it. There's only been one person to do that.

So he takes a leap and goes for it. He's still scared that he'll get burned like last time, but he's willing to try.

One of the requirements to being with Gojo is you need to be strong in your own right. Gojo is an extremely powerful man with many enemies, so his partner must be able to handle themselves. Being a sorcerer, Gojo would B E G you to go with him on literally every single mission and would throw the biggest tantrum until you say yes. Sometimes when he's being particularly childish, he'll stop fighting the curses to watch you do it. "You can do it (Y/n)-chan, if you win I'll give you kisses." Takes everything in your power not to launch your technique right at him as he sits there with his shit-eating grin.

This man in the beginning of your relationship is immediately extremely handsy. Just all up on you all the time, but little do you know is, this is really a protective measure for when you're out of the house. At home, he's still handsy, but you can just feel how different it is. He'll come and fall asleep on you, stand behind you when you're doing your skincare routine, always following you around the house.

Overtime, you'll become his place to rest when he needs to recharge. You're the only time Gojo gets a break from being at the top. It makes you wonder if he ever truly gets to be normal.

Overall, Gojo's love is deceptively delicate because his personality is quite childish, he uses it as a mask to hide how he's really feeling. So you might think everything is going swimmingly until he ups and leaves you. Once he starts showing you that real side of him, that's when you have him wrapped around your finger.

NSFW

This man is incredibly horny. His stamina is very high and he's very kinky. Gojo is a dominant verse whore. It doesn't matter if he's taking or giving, he's always in control. Honey you were not first and you might not be the last, this man is very confident in pleasuring you.

Gojo like I said, is incredibly kinky. He enjoys degrading you, overstimulating you until you beg him to stop, he wants to break you and make you only crave him. Seriously, you might want to think about a safe word because this man won't stop until you're not even speaking coherent sentences. In saying that there are somethings that you can try (key word 'try') to do to make him lose his mind. One of those things is a blowjob, his dick is incredibly sensitive in certain areas, so he'll become a mind-numbed mess if you're good enough. Another is softly begging in his ear and saying how he's the only one who makes you feel this way aka call him your god in bed and he'll bust right then and there.

Phone sex. Legit will call you if you guys haven't been together for a few days and all you hear are his whines and groans. "Guess what I'm doing cutie~"

THIS MAN- you're never safe to answer your phone because one time you opened the snap and it was him lazily jacking his dick. You have a small heart attack every time the notif is a snap from Gojo, just praying you can open it in public and 9/10 you can't.

The type of guy to get handsy in public places. Just in your ear like "Baby pleeeeasssseeeee can we fuck in public, I promise you'll still be able to walk when I'm done."

Conclusion

Gojo is a rollercoaster of a relationship that needs it's rider to be okay with a lot of distance for awhile and sudden disappearances. Without the right criteria, the relationship is doomed to fail.

If you were to break up with him, he would immediately sleep with as many people as he can to numb himself from the pain of having a hole ripped right through him. He'd go back to that childish personality, but you can feel the edge in his words despite his tone.

N. Kento

Nanami gives me 'gave up on the sex of my partner ages ago' energy. Like he has tried relationships with a lot of people and realized all people suck. So you being a man means nothing to him, you just have to prove to him you're not shitty like everyone else.

The type of guy that takes you out on proper dates in the beginning. It's usually dinner because of his job, but sometimes he'll ask you to lunch. Nanami will bring you small gifts like flowers or Knick knacks he thought you'd like.

Nanami likes someone a little younger than himself, probably around 23-24, they still have that idealistic thought process but with realistic foundations. He likes someone who can be serious, but still enjoys things like joyrides or going out bowling.

Nanami is a very uptight guy, so you're going to have to work to get him to relax. When you do, this is when he starts to see you as long time partner rather than someone who is just for fun. Literally goes from stick up his ass, to a big softie that just wants to curl up in bed with you. He'll start smiling more and doing intimate things like bathing together.

Nanami would probably rather have someone outside the sorcerer world so he doesn't have to think about work when he sees you. He wouldn't complain if you were though, gives him a lot less to worry about since he knows you can handle yourself. Doesn't even stress when you go on missions by yourself, he respects your strength.

NSFW

Now Nanami is moderately kinky. He's definitely a top and will not change. He's into ddlb (dom daddy and little boy for my innocents out there.) Very much into control and making you take it, he's not one for brats and will tame that shit right out of you. Doesn't need a safe word, he's very good at gauging your reactions. Really really into deep throating and you better learn how to breathe or you'll be struggling. Likes breeding, so he would be glad you can't have children.

Conclusion

Nanami’s love is traditional and straight forward. He likes routine to a certain degree and that degree ends at stable relationship, everything else is not that fun without a level of risk to him, but he likes that when he comes home, you'll be right there.

if you were to break up with him, Nanami would sigh and say he told himself so. He's hurt, but it'll solidify that people are still and always will be shitty.

R. Sukuna

Sukuna does not do love. period. The only way I could see him giving notice to someone is if they are powerful, someone who can bring him amusement. Sukuna only does thing for his own entertainment end of discussion.

I’m going to be using post-Yuuji Sukuna, so he’s restricted by Yuuji himself and can’t outright cause chaos at all times. This way Sukuna has to spend more time with people than he’d like to, normally he would just kill something once he’s bored, but now he has to deal with them.

Noticed your technique through Yuuji and was amused, much like Megumi, he thought your curse technique had a lot of potential to be devastating. As Yuuji spent more time with you, Sukuna began noticed more things about you, like that you cooked better than Yuuji, were extremely versatile in battle with your technique and so on.

The type to notice your attraction to him and act on it. He can’t really do much since he’s in Yuuji’s body, so he’s going to work with what he’s got. Didn’t care if you’re male or female, he just likes a strong partner so he can go harder during sex.

Your relationship would start with being his toy, something to bring him pleasure that is all. With Sukuna, you must both respect him and not fear him. He’s very big on respect and trust, but hates when someone he views as ‘important’ fears him because they’ll betray him the second they can. Everyone else can fear him, he doesn’t care.

Sukuna is also highly unpredictable and unstable, be prepared for death at a moments notice tbh. He’ll kill you if he feels like it. In a deeper relationship, Sukuna is a hard pressed tsundere, saying things quite harshly. Saying things like, “Here brat, I don’t need you breaking just yet.” “Dumbass, that curse was stronger than you.” “I took care of them because you’re weak.”

Trust between Sukuna and you is a game of high stakes chess, one wrong move and you’re nothing but trash to him. However, succeed in earning his trust and you’ll be rewarded with a loyal man. Though Sukuna hates showing vulnerability, so he’ll treat you the same in public places that he would treat anyone else. Alone, he’s alright with whatever as long as it doesn’t annoy him.

Surprisingly protective. He’ll kill curses he deems are a problem to you or rip a person limb from limb if he found a hair missing from your head. Doesn’t understand why you don’t let him handle it, he’s way stronger than you.

Is almost never soft with you unless he’s extremely tired or just waking up. Holding you as close as he can and telling you not to go. Don’t bring it up either, he’ll end you if you tell anyone.

Will never tell you, but likes touching you, you’re very soft compared to him. He’s the type of guy to have callous from years of fight and doesn’t really care about his skin to much because he’s a God in his eyes.

Would rather surrender himself to a church than admit he gets slightly giddy when you remember small details about him. Like this man has a lot of history, so when you know a tiny random detail about him, his non-existent heart shutters a little.

Nsfw

This man is extremely kinky during sex. I pray for your well being because honestly I don’t know if you’re going to live through sex with him. A dom top period, that last person to even insinuate they could top him was added to his innate domain permanently.

He’s into completely dominating you and make sure you know he owns you. B I G into impact play, slapping you a lot until you’re a beautiful red. Degrading and humiliating you, honestly would let people watch so they know that you’re his property.

Actually really likes his partner to be a brat, man loves breaking you and turning you into a submissive bunny just for him. Honestly he just likes pushing people beyond their limits, like really into emotional play, he wants to see your expressions when he does something. Ooo objectification, will use you like a foot stool and sit on you. Man in general will work you hard.

In saying all that, immaculate aftercare because he knows your mind is too far gone to remember him being this caring and soft for you. Literally bathes you and gets you into bed curled up on him. Also makes sure your body didn’t sustain a lot of damage during sex.

Do. Not. Taunt. Sukuna. It will not end well. “Huuuh? You think you can handle more little boy?” Eyes narrowed and smile too tight. You’ve awoken the beast and he’s not going to leave anything unbroken.

Conclusion

Sukuna’s love is... well a bike ride through hell? To be honest you’ll never know if he loves you. Everything about him is highly unpredictable and dangerous, you could end up as worm food in seconds.

Breaking up with Sukuna... you’re joking right? You don’t have the balls to tell a man who could split you into a million pieces with a flick of the wrist, you’re breaking up with him , right?

Seriously he’ll kill you, no hesitation. It’s either realize you’re stuck with him or die. I think most people would assume he never cared at first, but he did care and now you want to leave him? Absolutely not. He set everything down for you and he’ll be damned if he lets you live without him.

T. Aoi

(First and foremost- why is it so hard to find Toudou headers.)

Okay, I’m sorry but Toudou to me is a straight guy, so I can’t really see him with a male. But, if it were to happen, I think it would go like this:

Being childhood friends with Toudou, you were used to his eccentric personality and sometimes extreme antics.

This man is EXTREMELY comfortable with you. You guys grew up together, so some of the things you guys do together would definitely be seen as way too much for friends. I’m talking sharing the same bed, bathing together, using each other’s things without permission. To you guys, you’ve been doing this since you were little, so neither of you think twice.

I think there would be a trigger that would make Toudou realize he’s more into you than being friends. Like maybe someone flirting with you, he’d at first think he’s being replaced as a friend, but it’s much deeper than that. Definitely debates in his head about what he’s feeling toward you. After going back and forth with his type of girl in his head, he’ll come to terms with it.

This is when he’ll start noticing things he’s never payed that much attention to before. Things like how small you’re compared to him, the way clothes fitted to your body, how pretty you actually were and most important difference- how he’s never noticed you have the fattest ass he’s ever seen.

Seriously this man’s sexuality went from women to women + you.

Toudou isn’t the type to wait either, as soon as he knows how he feels, he confesses. He’s the type of guy to say “take it or leave it, that is how I feel.”

You kinda just stand there. Like, huh? Toudou are you feeling okay? Have- have you been cursed? There’s no way, Toudou middle name pussy pounder Aoi just said he was into you romantically... right?

After the shock, you reciprocated his feelings and began dating.

Now, this man- S U P E R affectionate and devoted. Always wanting to hold hands or link arms. He loves cuddling and playing with your hair while you sleep on him. Puddy in your hands if you give him a massage.

Toudou is immensely dedicated. He knows your favorite foods down to the amount of salt you use on your fries, knows what sizes you prefer for hoodies, shirts, button ups and so on, and this man knows your favorite movies by heart.

He’s the type to buy you something simply because you said it was starting to give you problems.

Lovvvvessss dates. I mean he’s a hopeless romantic, he wants to take you on really cheesy dates that you’d see honeymoon couples go on.

The type to want to match clothing or jewelry.

If you’re a sorcerer, he’s wanting to train everyday, he likes seeing you in action. Double points if you can match him in strength too. He respects your strength enough to not worry about you, he’s confident in his S/o’s abilities.

NSFW

Top. Enough said. Ok but seriously, he wants to clap you cheeks so bad.

Toudou has the biggest size kink too, I’m talking like he’s the type to point right at your navel and say “I’m right here baby~ can you feel me filling you?”

His definitely into railing. His favorite position is the mating press, allows him to hit deeply and as hard as he wants.

Lovesss when you whine and beg. He wants to see how much you can take before your begging him to let you cum.

The type of guy to leave your ass a nice reddish purple color. Just two big ass hand prints on you ass and hips.

✨i m m a c u l a t e✨ aftercare. It’s almost like he’s worshipping you when he’s cleaning you up and making sure you’re taken care of.

Conclusion

Being with Toudou is like being with an Aries, he’s high energy and can get easily bored. He enjoys someone who excites him both mentally and physically. Loves a challenge. Toudou’s love is like a concentrated ball of sunlight, it’s hot and bright. He’s overly devoted to you and tells you how much you mean to him all the time.

If you break up with him, he’s the type to hold his head high until he’s alone and then he breaks down, crying into his hands. Thinking, “Was I too much?” “Maybe I wasn’t enough?” He’s confident, but he’s still a person with insecurities.

[mypoisonedvine]

𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙮 𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 (𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘐) || sub!bucky barnes x dominatrix!reader

𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙮 || every client is different, with different needs; but this client is, in every way, exceptional.

𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩 || 5k

𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 || smut (cnc), dom/sub relationship, ‘mistress’ title, pain kink, cockwarming, orgasm denial/control, use of a cockring, slapping, objectification/degradation, some angst and hurt/comfort, crying after sex, touchstarved!bucky

new parts posted on thursdays!  join the taglist here

"And you can promise complete and total discretion?” the deep and husky voice on the other end of the line repeated, low enough that it was almost a whisper.

You laughed a little. “Of course,” you answered. Most clients were serious about privacy, but this guy was next level. He must be famous, you thought to yourself, or married. Or both.

But just as much as your clients wanted to keep you separate from their personal life, you would rather they know nothing about who you are. Of course it was always a risk, since nobody could hide their face and you had to work out of your apartment, but you did what you could to keep your job just that— a job.

You told your friends you were a consultant, because people didn’t question that. Sure, it was hard to keep up the lie sometimes when you got last-minute bookings and had to cancel plans, but it was worth it for the money these men were willing to pay.

And this new guy? He was shelling out all kinds of cash, on a long set of conditions. Including an NDA. You wouldn’t have given him up either way, but if the contract made him feel better (and made him pay more) then you were happy to sign it.

“So it’s all anonymous, then? No ID, no credit card…?” he pressed.

“I mean, if cash is easier for you—”

“It is.”

You were starting to worry that this was a major red flag, as if he didn’t want to be traceable back to you at all. It was almost a dealbreaker, until you glanced down at the legal pad you’d written his offer on and remembered that you couldn’t afford to turn him down. “Then cash is fine,” you decided, making a note to yourself to have 911 already dialed when he came by in case his aversion to ID was really about a desire to get away with something.

“When can we start?”

“Um, well the soonest I can do is tomorrow at seven” you explained.

"Great, I'll be there," he answered firmly, apparently about to hand up.

“Hey, hey, slow down!” you chuckled. “Can I at least get a name?”

“I didn’t think we needed to do names.”

“We don’t… but if you’re willing, I’d like to know something to call you.”

“James,” he answered after a tense pause. “James is fine.”

“Alright, James, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Upon opening the door, you instantly noticed three things about him: he was tall, he was big, and he was sexy.

You had sort of been hoping that his appearance wouldn’t match his voice, but it did, and it was going to make this so much harder.  Maybe easier in a few ways, but overall worse.  It was important that you didn’t get too emotionally invested with your clients.

His eyes were dragging over you like he was just as taken aback.  Which was odd, because he must have seen your picture online before he called you.  

“James,” you greeted. “Glad you made it.”

You stepped aside to let him enter, guiding him to take a seat in your living room.  Before clients came by, you hid any signs of life and kept the space as neutral as possible, which was why the only furniture was the white couch he sat on, the black chair across from it, and a glass table in between.

You sat in the black chair and crossed your legs, noticing with pride the way his eyes studied your every move.

“It’s important that we have a discussion about boundaries and limits before this goes any further," you explained sternly, and he nodded slightly.  "Tell me what you do and don't want."

“Uh, well, I guess I was just looking for… somebody who can administer, um, discipline… you know, someone who sets rules and enforces them.  But could also be kind of, uh, sweet I guess, to.  Not too sweet, just… not too mean either."

You smiled a little; he sounded right up your alley.  "I can do that."

"You should know I… I have a… disability.  My left arm it's, um, it's a prosthetic."

"How would you like me to accommodate that?"

"Just don't say anything about it, please.  Treat it like a normal arm.  And, uh, if you could ignore my scars, too…" he added awkwardly.

"Of course,” you nodded, “I would never want to make you feel insecure."

"Well, I mean, I'm not against degradation," he admitted sheepishly, making you smile a little.

"Right: that's different.  Anything else you're distinctly not against?"

“I can take a lot of pain,” he explained matter-of-factly.  “However much you think I can handle, double it.  I wanna feel it.”

You could almost hear the words he wasn’t saying: I wanna feel something.

“Okay, we can do that.  You’ve probably heard of the color system," you posited.

“I haven’t.”

"Oh."  That threw you off slightly… how new was he to this scene?  “Well, it’s traditionally green, yellow, red; like a stoplight.  Red means stop.  Yellow means proceed with caution.  Green means continue.”

“Sounds simple enough.”

“Too simple for me, in fact.  I have my own version: ‘red’ will make me stop what I’m doing, but only ‘black’ ends the scene entirely.  And then there’s ‘blue.’  That means you want more.”

He smirked a little; a strong show of emotion compared to his stoicism so far.  “I think I’ll use that one most.”

“Just don’t be afraid to use anything else, alright?  I’d never be disappointed in you for safewording, or even just needing a break.”

He nodded.  “Can we get to it then?”

“You’re rushing as always,” you laughed.  “I’m not charging you for this part.  We have plenty of time— don’t we?”

“Yes, but—” he sighed.  “You look really… I walked in and, I guess I’m just really looking forward to this.”

You almost would’ve smiled at the compliment but you thankfully suppressed it.  “And what is it that you’re looking forward to?  What do you want me to do to you?”

His jaw tightened as he looked away from you.  “Um, there’s a lot.”

“Enlighten me.”

“Ropes.  Strongest you have.  I can buy you stronger ones if you need them, for next time…”

He’s already thinking about next time?  He’s already thinking about buying me things?

“Alright, I can do ropes: wrists and ankles?  Or more than that?”

He seemed a bit confused by that question.  “Is there anywhere else?”

“Torso,” you enumerated, “neck—” you stopped because you saw his reaction to that, and it made you smile a bit.  “Okay, so maybe the neck is something to try.  Do you like being choked?”

“I… I don’t know…” he sighed.

“Have you ever been choked before?”

“Not… sexually...”

You felt your eyebrows rise, but didn’t want to press; a story for another time, perhaps.

“We’ll have to discuss silent safewords and signals so you can tap out, but if you’d be willing to try it—”

“Yes.”

You laughed.  “Eager, are we?”

He swallowed, and you wondered if you shouldn’t have let your ‘dom voice’ slip out in that moment… but he looked so good flustered like that.  He adjusted himself slightly in his chair and you hoped he was already hard.  And with that thought in mind, you couldn’t stop yourself from teasing him further.

“Do you like being called certain things?” you asked, voice lower as you leaned forward.  “How do you feel about ‘pet’?” 

He almost kept up his poker face, but his gaze faltered at the same time he moved in his chair again.  “Um, ‘pet’ is okay.”

“Baby boy?”

“Not really my speed,” he shrugged.

You slipped out of your chair and stood up, approaching him slowly as the click of your heels echoed across the tile.  He watched you with wide eyes and quickening breaths.

“What do you like?  Tell me,” you demanded, though you kept your tone light.

“Uh,” he paused, watching your hand as it rested on his leg, “I like… I like being called a good boy.”

You grinned as you pulled your hand away, watching him tense up with disappointment.  “I can do that,” you agreed, lifting his chin with a finger until he looked at you with those beautiful, desperate eyes, “if you actually are being a good boy for me.” “I will,” he promised quickly, “I’ll be so good.”

“Mmm, I bet you will,” you purred.  “So willing to please…”

“Tell me how,” he sighed as your hand trailed from his chin down to his chest, slipping under the loose collar of his henley and rubbing his chest.  “Tell me how to please you.”

“Well, for starters, I have a name, too: Mistress.”

He sighed like the wind had been knocked out of him, but nodded.

“And if I ask you a question, I expect you to answer ‘Yes, Mistress’ or ‘No, Mistress’.  Is that clear?”

“Uh-huh,” he agreed before suddenly correcting himself, “um, yes, Mistress.”

“I’ll let you have that one,” you frowned, “but further infractions will be punished.”

“Yes, Mistress; I’m sorry, Mistress,” he moaned, melting under your touch as your hand moved down to rub his thigh through his jeans.

“Now, just for fun,” you smiled, leaning down until your lips were nearly brushing his ear, “tell me what you want.”

“Please touch me, Mistress,” he sighed.

“But I am touching you.”

“Touch my… touch my cock," he clarified, adorably embarrassed. "It’s so hard for you…”

“We’ll get to that eventually.  Let’s go to the bedroom first, okay?”

However good he looked standing in your doorway half an hour ago, it was nothing compared to how he looked naked and hard and tied to your bed.

Yes, the prosthetic and the scars that attached it to his body were hard to ignore.  He had failed to warn you that it was metal, so you couldn’t hide the slight shift of your face when it caught the light; you hoped he didn’t think it was a look of judgment or disgust, because you truly didn’t think it was anything upsetting.  Maybe the scars were a little worrying… but they didn’t seem to bother him now, at least physically.

But truly, if anything was distracting about his body, it wasn’t the arm.  It was his muscles— no wait, it had to be his cock, right?  It’s tough to call: on one hand, his entire body was toned and hardened beyond the peak of human conditioning, his thick thighs making your mouth water already, his chiseled abs almost making you jealous; but on the other hand, between those lovely thighs and curving up against those perfect abs was a cock that rivalled anything you'd ever seen before, with a blue vein running up one side and a drip of precum rolling down the other.

You finally sauntered up to the bed and ran your fingers over the taught ropes, pretending to ignore him watching you impatiently.  It was almost hotter knowing that he could pull out of the ropes if he really wanted to.  More than most, he was choosing to submit to them and to you.

“How’s this knot feel?  Too tight?” you hummed, tugging the rope just beside his wrist and watching his hand move limply with it.

“No, it’s good.”

You stepped back to the foot of the bed and stripped slowly, peeling off your black dress to reveal a matching lace set underneath.  You left your heels on as you stepped out of the dress and kicked it aside.

Turning back to face him, James looked like he was all but drooling.  You could see in his eyes how much he wished the ropes weren’t holding him back so he could run his hands all over your body.

But you could tell he craved being denied what he wanted, by the way his cock flexed of its own volition.

You let yourself smile as you crawled your way up the bed and over his body, like a panther stalking its prey, and boy did he look ready to be devoured.

"Are you scared?" you asked quietly.  He shook his head.  "Are you ready?"

He nodded.  You sat up as you straddled him, positioned just right such that no part of you was really touching him, and watched with delight as he tugged against the ropes slightly to try to get closer.

"So needy," you grinned, somewhere between praising and scolding him.  Your fingers ghosted over his chest and he shivered; he asked you to treat his prosthetic like a normal arm, so you dragged your nails down the metal and watched his eyes flutter shut.  When you pulled your hand back and left him untouched again, he whined slightly.

“Aw, poor thing,” you pouted as you examined him, desperation emanating off of him in an invisible aura.  “Your cock is all red and leaking… it must hurt, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, Mistress,” he groaned.

“What if I touch it a little?” you offered.

“Please…”

You traced your fingers lightly up and down his length, tickling the skin and giving him the least pressure that you could.  He whimpered and you chuckled mockingly.  “I said I’d touch it a little, sweet boy, are you not satisfied?”

He bucked up into your touch as best he could, causing you to pull your hand away.  “Baby, please—” 

You cut him off with a slap to the face, as hard as you could muster.

“Mistress!” he corrected with a whine.  “Mistress, please… please wrap your hand around it.”

“Around what?” 

“Around… my cock.  Stroke me, please…”

“All you had to do was ask,” you grinned, finally tightening your hand around him and moving slowly up and down the shaft.  His head fell back with a soft moan, just from that.  Your teasing had certainly helped get him this worked up, but you knew it wasn't just that… he was plenty sensitive all on his own, apparently.

It made your mouth water.

"Does this feel good, James?" you asked huskily.

"S-so good," he whimpered, "please can you… stroke it a little faster, please, Mistress…"

"Hmm, not yet," you decided, feeling him tense up beneath you.  "Relax," you instructed with a free hand rubbing his thigh gently.  

You continued to teasingly stroke his length, never quite giving him the pressure or speed he needed to get closer to his release, savoring every whimper and whine and sigh from him along with the satisfying weight of his cock against your palm.

It felt like you'd never get tired of wielding so much power in your hand.

"Please," he sighed, "I need more…"

"You want me to stroke you faster?" you pressed, already knowing that wasn't what he meant.  He shook his head and you grinned, leaning in closer but letting go of his cock. 

Slowly, you let the lace covering your core rub up against his shaft, and his eyes nearly rolled back in his head.  "Ohhhhh," he moaned, "oh fuck, Mistress…"

You grinned and kept rocking against him, easily feeling the warmth of him through your panties— meaning he, in turn, could feel the warmth of you.  "How does it feel, baby?" 

"Good," he choked out, "really, really good… fuck, I want more, I need more, please…"

"Are you my good boy, James?" you asked in a low purr.  He nodded eagerly, Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed nothing.  "Do you want to be inside me?" you finally whispered against his ear, letting a finger run lazily up his spine and feeling him shiver so hard it was more like he was convulsing.

"Please, Mistress, I'll do anything…"

You didn't touch all of your clients sexually, due in part to the fact that they usually wanted a lot more pain than pleasure.  You'd only had sex with one or two of them, and it wasn't a routine thing.  Before today you never would've imagined doing this with a first-time client, but to be completely honest… he was fucking hot.  The kind of guy you'd be spreading your legs for instantly if you weren't at work and he wanted to buy you a drink or grab lunch.  And he was here, at your disposal, begging you for more.  How could you say no?  

You pulled your panties aside and gripped his cock tightly to guide it to your entrance, studying his face twisted in anticipation before sinking down and watching him gasp and sigh all at once, somehow.

It took a lot of effort to hide your own pleasure when he was stretching you out so perfectly, but you managed to suppress the desire to moan and just smile at his fucked-out expression instead.

Finally, your hips met with his and you got to sit there and enjoy the look of dawning agony as he realized you were staying completely still.

“Move, please,” he sobbed, “oh god, Mistress, please move…”

“But I thought you wanted to be inside me?  Isn’t this what you asked for?”

He whined and tried to wiggle his hips; all that got him was two hard slaps to the face.  

“No whining,” you instructed through your teeth.  “Good boys don’t whine.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he whimpered, “‘m your good boy, I promise.”

“I know you are,” you grinned, “or at least, I know you can be.  Show me how good and patient you are.”

Reaching to the side a bit without getting off of him, you pulled a vibrator from your drawer.  His eyes went a little wide when he saw it, and you laughed.

"Don't worry, this isn't for you.  It's for me," you explained as you turned it on, inserting it between your body and his to touch the toy against your clit.  He winced as you sighed contentedly.  "Fuck, it feels good.  Can you feel it on your cock?"

"A… a little…" he hissed.

"I bet it feels good for you too," you posited, "but not good enough to make you come."

After a little pause, he nodded breathlessly.

"Good," you smiled.  "I just wanna come with your cock inside me.  I wanna know how it feels to get off with my favorite toy while being full of my newest toy."

"Fuck," he groaned.

"Do you like that, pretty boy?  Do you like me using your cock, being your Mistress' dumb little fucktoy?"

"Yes," he sobbed, hips shifting ever so slightly beneath you as he sought more stimulation from your flexing walls.  Shifting the vibe to hit right on your clit, you cried out— and he did too, at the feeling of you tightening around him.

"God, you love being Mistress' dildo, don't you?"

He nodded, biting hard on his lip until you worried he'd hurt himself.  He moaned again as another jolt of pleasure forced your channel to clench on his cock.

"You're making too much noise for a fucktoy, you need to be quiet."

He opened his mouth for a second, but closed it again and nodded instead.  

"You can do it yourself right?" you pressed, seeing him nod.  "You don't need me to gag that pretty mouth?" 

He whined but shook his head, keeping his lips pressed together.

That went on for a few more moments as you teased yourself with the vibe, hoping to draw this out for the sake of his struggle.  Wanting to up the ante, you took the vibe off your clit and turned it off for a moment.  "I think this would feel better with a little lube… will you get it wet for me, James?"

You brought the toy to his lips and he eagerly wrapped them around it, sucking lightly on the silicone with those pretty lashes resting on his cheeks.

"There you go, that's a good boy," you praised, pulling the toy from his mouth, "that's my good boy…"

"Yours…" he repeated weakly, "wanna be good for you, just for you…"

This time when you turned it on and pressed it to your clit again, you instantly gasped and felt your walls bare down on him; turning up the vibration, you actually moaned aloud and saw him wince.  "Oh, can you feel it now?" you asked tauntingly.  He bit his lip and nodded.

It really wasn't even intentional but you felt your hips start to rock, making him gasp as his eyes shot open.  For a guy who had been begging you to move not too long ago, he looked pretty overwhelmed by it now.

"Fuck, I'm gonna make myself come on your cock… do you wanna feel me come, baby?"

He seemed conflicted, which was exactly what you were going for.  You wanted him to struggle, just enough, between his need to satisfy himself and his desire to please you.  "I… I want to make you come, Mistress," he finally choked out, notably answering a slightly different question than the one you'd asked.  

You smiled and leaned in to whisper in his ear: "Are you afraid that if you feel me come around you, you won't be able to hold back?  That you might accidentally come inside me?"

He made a needy little groan and nodded.

"Don't worry, baby, I'm gonna help you," you promised sweetly, but of course as soon as he saw you grab a cockring from your drawer he changed his tune.

"N-no, Mistress, please," he begged with wide eyes, "I'll be good, just not that— don't put that on me."

You smirked and sat up, pulling off of him and slowly slipping the ring on his throbbing length as he quietly pleaded for mercy.  He winced when you pushed it down to the base of him, his cheeks burning hot red now.

"Is it a little too tight, baby?" you cooed, grinning when he nodded.  "Good."

You sank back down into him and let your hips grind on his, working your clit with the vibe and even kicking it up to the next highest setting.  He jolted beneath you, clearly feeling the vibrations strongly now, and you let the view of his beautifully broken facial expression egg on your own climax.

"Mm, I'm close, baby," you whispered, "just stay still and let Mistress use you like a good little boy."

He made a small noise through his teeth but seemed to manage okay, even when your walls began to pulse rhythmically around him and your head fell back, your free hand palming at your breast through the lace bra just to add that last little edge of sensation.

"Oh fuck, fuck," you moaned, "that's my good boy…"

You shakily pulled the vibe away and turned it off, still a little numb on your clit but feeling your channel still rippling slightly with aftershocks; he seemed to feel them in spite of their subtlety, if the panting breaths that filled his muscular chest rapidly were any indication.

As slow as you could manage, you pulled your body off of him and sat back on his legs to stare at his cock.  The remnants of your orgasm left plenty of lubrication to stroke it, focusing on the head which had turned almost purple now.

"M-Mistress," he groaned, writhing under your touch.

Amazingly, his cock was already flexing in your hand, and a growl of pride and hunger echoed in your chest.

“Oh fuck, can you come for me, James?” you moaned, pumping him so fast your hand was a blur.  “Can you be my good boy and come right through the cockring?”

“Yes,” he sobbed, “gonna come, Mistress, please—”

“Come right now,” you demanded, watching his face instantly fall slack as he spurted out onto his own chest and stomach, cock flexing and pulsing in your hands as his legs quivered and his hips thrusted wildly.

And the tears were flowing soon after.  You weren’t sure if it was sub drop or just the power of his release, but between weak sobs he whispered broken apologies.

“You did so good,” you cooed as you slipped off the ring and wrapped your arms around him, subtly trying to reach over to untie the ropes.  But you didn’t need to; he flexed his arms and the restraints popped like floss.  He embraced you in return as you let his head fall onto your chest.  “You’re so good, it’s okay,” you continued, stroking his hair.

“I’m sorry,” he repeated again, breathing quickly and wetting you with his tears.

This, you realized, is what he had made you sign the contract to protect.  It wasn’t that he was excessively embarrassed about his sexual proclivities, but that this was his space to be soft, and weak, and broken.  Apparently he wasn’t ready for anyone else to know that he wasn’t steel all the way down.

“Shh, it’s okay… you’re okay…” you breathed, indulging him in this moment even though it was more intimate than you preferred to get with customers.  Aftercare was an important part of your job, certainly, but so was enforcing boundaries.

He began to soothe as you kissed his forehead gently, whispering well-deserved affirmations and praise.  As his breathing slowed and moved back to normal, he pulled back and looked up at you.

“I’m sorry,” he repeated one more time, but not as wavering as before, “I didn’t think I would… that was unexpected.”

“No, it’s somewhat normal,” you exaggerated slightly, “this kind of thing… it’s taxing, I pushed you to your limits.  You were really tough, and it’s all very vulnerable.”

“Thanks,” he sighed, sniffling and wiping his eyes.  “And sorry about your ropes,” he smiled as he noticed the frayed ends coming off of where his wrists were still tied.

“Let me help you get those off,” you smiled, loosening the knots and sliding the binds off of him, quickly massaging the places that the rope had constricted.  “Blood flow’s okay?”

“Yep,” he nodded.

“You numb anywhere?” you pressed.

“Uh, just my dick.  And my brain is all fuzzy…” 

You smiled.  “Can’t help the first one.  Let me get you some water for the second.”

“No!” he yelped suddenly.  “Um, don’t go yet, please…”

“Of course,” you smiled.  “I’ll untie your ankles, then.”

He still seemed disappointed, as if he expected you to hug him for hours and never move.  He let you go this time, though, and loosened his grip so you could slide down to the foot of the bed.  

"Was that sort of what you were hoping for when you called me?" you asked as you untied the ropes slowly and took a moment to massage the skin underneath, hoping to restore any lost blood flow.

"So much better than what I was hoping for," he admitted with a breathless chuckle.  "You're… really good."

"Well, thank you," you shrugged, "it comes with practice and experience.  You held your own, too."

"I wish I could say that was from practice and experience.  I didn't want to say anything before but I've, uh, never actually… been to a domme before."

You smiled slightly, coming back up and being pulled into another embrace.  "Um, I'll admit I can kind of tell…" you mumbled.

"I'm not supposed to touch you like this," he realized quietly, relaxing his grip on you and pulling back.  "I'm sorry."

"No, it's alright, just don't get too comfortable because we only have—" you glanced at the clock— "eight more minutes until you need to leave."

"I'll get up and get dressed soon," he offered with a sigh as you got up and quickly slipped on a robe, grabbing him a damp washcloth for the drying come on his torso.

You tilted your head as you watched him clean up, and you wanted to offer some touch that was a bit less intimate than a hug, so you found yourself blurting out: "do you like having your hair played with?"

"Um, I don't… I don't know," he admitted as he reached up to card his fingers through the hair in question.  "No one else has ever really touched my hair before."

"Really?" you laughed, getting back on the bed to sit beside him.  "It looks pretty luscious.  I figured any girlfriend of yours would want to get her hands on it."

"Oh, well, the last time I had a girlfriend… it wasn't long then," he explained, and you kept on your best poker face.  His hair looked like he'd been growing it out for at least two years, unless it grew crazy fast or something.  How long had he been single?  With a body like that you could barely believe that he was single now.

"Do you mind if I touch it?" you offered quietly, and once he gave you a nod you reached forward and combed your fingers through it, reaching deeper to scratch at his scalp, occasionally pulling the strands lightly into loose braid-like patterns that fell away almost immediately afterwards.  He sank into your touch until you found yourself supporting his head against your chest, mindlessly playing with his hair until you noticed his eyes were shut, his breathing was slowed, and his body was limp on top of yours.

He fell asleep.

You laughed silently to yourself, realizing that you couldn't get him off of you without his cooperation since he was so heavy and you had no shot at lifting him.  And, of course, his cooperation required his consciousness… which required waking him up.

And, for some reason, you couldn't bring yourself to do it.  He just looked too peaceful, for a guy who had never seemed truly relaxed around you.

Was there any other way he could relax?  Cause it kinda seemed like he really, really needed this.  And you were in the business of meeting needs, to say the least.

So, with an apologetic text to your last client of the night that you needed to reschedule, you let James sleep on you as you closed your eyes and drifted off as well.

[peterpparkrr]

art is to feel (ch. 3) | A Bridgerton Series

Series: art is to feel

Paring: Anthony Bridgerton x F!Reader

Summary: Anthony Bridgerton has only one goal for this upcoming social season. To find a wife. What will he do when a young woman with no desire for marriage comes waltzing into his life? 

Word Count: 2.6k

Warnings: N/A

A/N: Horseback riding and even more Benedict! What more could you want? (maybe even more anthony x reader but uhhh that’s not really how a slow burn works, sorry!) I want to know all your thoughts about this chapter!

(Chapter 1) (Chapter 2) // (Chapter 4) (Chapter 5) (Chapter 6) (Chapter 7)

In a miraculous turn of events, the sun was shining in London. It was situated high in the sky and beaming down on Anthony Bridgerton as he sat on his stead, staring out across Hyde Park as he waited.

“Oh, Lord Bridgerton, I did not expect to see you here,” You said as you trotted your own horse up to the gentleman, feigning surprise.

The look on Anthony Bridgerton’s face is priceless. “I’m sorry I was under the impression-”

You laugh as you take in his stricken expression, “It was only a joke, Bridgerton, I simply meant to tease you,” You tell him, hoping to assuage his embarrassment. Men like him hate nothing more than to be embarrassed, especially by a woman. “I am glad you are here, shall we ride?”

But without waiting for his answer you press your heel sharply into your stead’s side and take off at a gallop that is far from appropriate (and also rather risky when riding sidesaddle).

You laugh as you turn your head to see Anthony struggling to push his own horse to catch up to yours.

Once you slow your horse down to a more comfortable trot a conversation between the two of you can actually be held.

“I’m told you are the most accomplished debutante of the season, so how does it feel to be the incomparable of the season?” He asks, the small smile playing across his lips indicating the teasing nature of his words.

You wrinkle your nose slightly, “Did Lady Danbury tell you that?”

“It was my mother, actually,” He replies.

“Well, it’s good to know that all of society is invested in my marriage prospects,” You huff. “Gigi, Lady Danbury that is-”

“Gigi?”

“Well, that’s her name,” You tell Anthony after a moment, wondering why he’s so surprised.

“I just never considered that Lady Danbury might have a first name.” 

“You’re impossible. Yes, her first name is Agatha, but I couldn’t pronounce it as a child so I’ve just always called her Gigi. I thought that was common knowledge, I didn’t realize I was exposing some sort of state secret,” You tell Mr. Bridgerton with a shrug.

“I don’t think I’ve heard anyone call her anything other than Lady Danbury. Unless they’re calling her an old-”

“Now that’s just rude!” You protest, cutting him off. 

“Gigi,” Mr. Bridgerton repeats after a moment, chuckling to himself.

“What else would I call her? I can’t very well call her Lady Danbury every day,” You ask, exasperated by this conversation.

“I guess I’ll have to secede this argument to you, I don’t believe I have a chance of winning against you,” Anthony replies with a bemused look on his face, clearly enjoying how worked up you’re getting. 

“No, you do not,” You tell him with a smug smile. 

The two of you continued your ride, making pleasant small talk about the weather, and the recent gossip spreading around the town.

“You are not at all what I expected Ms. (Y/L/N),” Anthony says as the two of you return to the entrance to the park.

“Nor are you, Bridgerton,” You reply as you glance over at him. 

You think about it for a moment before trying to phrase your question. “Would it be too forward of me to ask to see you again? You are a refreshing change of pace from the men who seem intent upon courting me. I think I rather like spending time with someone who does not wish to trade for me like I am some broodmare.”

“I rather think we’re already far beyond the confines of polite society when just the two of us,” Anthony replies politely. “I will call on you this week when I can find the time.”

“Until then, Miss (Y/L/N),” He adds with a rather devilish smile.

“Good day, Lord Bridgerton.” You reply wryly.

Anthony smiled to himself as he watched Miss (Y/L/N) and her groom depart from the stables. (Y/N) would be the perfect Lady Bridgerton. Now he just needed to convince (Y/N) of it. 

“Why exactly do I have to come?” Colin complained as he and Anthony made their way through the gates of Holbourne Hall 

“Because,” Anthony sighed, “Miss (Y/L/N) is practically a member of our family. It’s the proper thing to call on a close acquaintance.”

“Then why are we here with every other dandy in the ton?”

“When else would a young lady be in more need of a friendly face?”

Colin rolls his eyes but silently follows his elder brother up the house's grand staircase.

Lord Wirthford was droning on and on about his family’s large estate in Derbyshire when the Bridgertons arrived. You had already listened to him explain the rather intricate details of his family’s barley farms. Normally you would have risked the potential impoliteness incurred by ending this mind-numbing conversation, but Lord Wirthford was an incredibly important man.

He had the power to end a person's social life if he thought they wronged him. And if Lady Danbury was an accurate source on the topic (which she was, given she was an accurate source on all issues relating to members of the ton), he had done it before, and would certainly do it again. He had the political and social sway to end an aristocratic life in London, and no qualms about doing so.

“Miss (Y/L/N), do you have any familiarity with the fertilization process on a farm?” Mr. Wirthford asked, peering at you oddly.

“I can’t say I do,” You replied, slightly taken aback. Less so by the rather unfortunate topic, but rather by the question, Lord Wirthford had not asked you a single question since he had sat down and begun regaling you with long-winded monologues about his life. 

“It’s a fascinating method, it all begins with...” Mr. Wirthford began his new treatise. You quickly zoned out, whether it was simply from boredom or some base-level self-preservation from the understanding that listening to Mr. Wirthford for too long would leave your brain and melted pool of mush, you were not entirely certain.

While you were feigning attention to Mr. Wirthford, Mr. Bridgerton caught your attention out of the corner of your eye. He made his way slowly over to where you and Mr. Wirthford were sitting and stood expectantly in front of your pair, waiting for his chance to cut in.

You glanced up at him before turning back to Mr. Wirthford, hoping to transition the conversation gently to its end. “Pardon me, my lord-”

“It’s actually much more complicated than one might assume at first glance,” Mr. Wirthford continued, wholly ignoring you.

“Is there a problem, Lord Bridgerton?” You asked as you turned away from him, instead directly yourself more clearly towards Anthony. 

“I believe that is my seat,” Anthony interrupted.

“I’m nearly finished, Bridgerton,” Mr. Wirthford replied haughtily.

You interjected yourself before either man could have the chance to open their mouth. “I believe you are finished, Mr. Wirthford,” You told him sharply. “I knew nothing about fertilization practices before today, so for that educational lecture, I should thank you. With how much work it takes to manage farms I should think that you are a very busy man and that you must have business to attend to before the afternoon is over.” 

“Have a good afternoon, Mr. Wirthford,” You add, just in case your meaning had not been clearly communicated.

Mr. Wirthford sat stunned for a moment by your outburst before nodding and beginning to say something about a great many meetings he had with other important men in London.

“She’s almost as terrifying as Lady Danbury when she wants to be,” Colin quipped in Anthony’s ear as he watched the poor man bid his farewell after being so soundly dismissed.

Anthony nods, “Well, she had to learn it somewhere.”

“What an odious man,” You mutter as the aforementioned gentleman takes his leave. “You do not need to save me, Lord Bridgerton, I can take care of myself.” You add as Anthony comes to sit down next to you. 

“I hope that you or Mr. Bridgerton have something more interesting than barley farming to entertain me with,” You add.

“I don’t know, I think that I have a pretty enthralling tale about Anthony and a pile of manure that you might enjoy hearing,” Colin replied as he sat down, causing Anthony to instantly regret dragging his brother along with him.

It seems that Anthony Bridgerton has finally set his sights on a potential bride. The courtship is not official, but anyone with eyes can see how clearly smitten the young Viscount is with Miss (Y/N) (Y/L/N). And this writer can certainly concur that they make a very handsome couple.

Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers, 4 April 1914

You had been in the sitting room working your way through a new volume of Shelley’s poetry when Lady Danbury had joined you.

“The Viscount has graced our sitting room with his presence every other day this week, and I hear he has also taken to frequenting Hyde Park,” Lady Danbury says after a few minutes of companionable silence. “Lady Whistledown has many, many thoughts about it. And the two of you.”

Lady Danbury was right, of course, Anthony had called on you almost every day that week. And you liked it. It was nice to be able to talk to someone without the overtures of courtship smacking you in the face at every turn. 

With the understanding that Anthony was not interested in you, and that you had no desire to marry him, Anthony didn’t have to prove anything about what sort of man he was. And you didn’t have to worry about seeming polite and ladylike. It made your friendship easy. 

You set your book down before replying, “I can only imagine, whoever that poor woman is, it’s impeccably clear that she has no life of her own.” 

Lady Danbury just stares at you, clearly unamused. 

“I suppose I haven’t kept track of his whereabouts,” You add after a moment, realizing this topic is not going to be dropped any time soon. “Well, ask me what you want to ask, Gigi,”

“Are you truly considering a courtship with Anthony Bridgerton?”

“We just enjoy each other's company, Nothing more,�� You tell her plainly. “I can assure you that there is nothing going on between the two of us, we are merely friends.”

“If you say so, my dear,” Lady Danbury replied after a moment. Her eyes never leaving yours, as if she was waiting for a different answer. An answer that you most certainly will not be giving her. “I just have never seen Anthony Bridgerton spend more than a few minutes with a young woman who isn’t his sister.” 

“And I am sure he sees me as just that,” You reply. “A sister.”

“Hmmm,” Lady Danbury hums as she goes back to reading the new Whistledown.

The sky in London is once again downcast, though even the less-than-perfect weather can’t dissuade your mood.

Lady Danbury, Mrs. Bridgerton, and even the younger Bridgertons can’t help but notice your uncharacteristically positive attitude as you continue the tradition of joining Lady Danbury and the Bridgerton clan in the royal gardens.

“Would you like to promenade with me?” You asked Benedict.

“An audience with the incomparable of the season, I do say, whatever could I have done to deserve such an honor?” Ben teases as he offers you his arm, stepping away from your guardian and his mother, your Ladies-maid in tow.

“Do not be impertinent, Benedict, it’s not becoming of you,” You quip back at him as you intertwine your arm with his and lead him down the path. “Besides, it’s all part of my mischievous plan.”

You gesture to Martha once you are certain Lady Danbury and the Dowager Viscountess Bridgerton are far enough away that they won’t notice anything out of the sort and she produces the sketchbooks you’d asked her to bring along for you.

“Thank you, Martha, I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“Much less mischief, I assure you,” Martha replies, not unkindly.

You laugh before rather unceremoniously seating yourself on the ground. You’re close to the water, and it’s a pleasantly sunny day, which means many of the birds and other creatures of the park are out and about where you can see them.

“Lady Danbury said it would be improper to invite you to my studio at home. Something about a boldness that would be unbecoming for a debutante. So I figured I would have to bring the studio to you.” You saw with a dismissive wave of your hand, “You really are a marvelous talent, Ben, I hope you don’t mind that I’ve stolen you away from my own selfish purposes,” You add.

“You are perhaps the most bizarre lady I have ever made the acquaintance of, (Y/N),” Benedict says after a moment of silence. “And here I was thinking that you were going to attempt to seduce me in the bushes.”

You scoff at Benedict’s stupid joke and hand him a charcoal pencil. 

“Look at the way the light reflects off the pond,” You say after several minutes of silence. Both you and Benedict \deeply focused on your own sketchbooks.

“How is it that you manage to capture light and movement without second-guessing yourself?” Ben asks as he looks over at your sketch and then out at the pond again.

“Hope.” You reply with a small grin as you glance over at Ben before turning back to your own work. 

“I heard that your brother is in search of a bride this season. Has he selected the poor woman he wishes to trap yet?” You ask Benedict, trying to school your features into polite disinterest, never taking your eyes off of your own sketchpad.

“Why? Will you be jealous?” Benedict asks. 

“What? Of course not!” You protest. “I simply wish to ensure that it is not me. Lady Whistledown seems to think we’re courting, hell, even Lady Danbury things that we are, no one seems to believe me when I assure them that we are not, so I’m simply hoping that he makes his decision soon so that I may be left out of the gossip.”

Benedict looks at you from over his sketchbook with a quirked eyebrow.

Damn these Bridgertons. 

“What?” You ask as you throw your arms down and turn to face him.

“It just seems like you might get a little jealous if I were to tell you that it’s not you,” Benedict tells you with a knowing smirk.

“I have zero interest in a courtship with Anthony,” You tell him plainly. 

Ben rolls his eyes, “I’ve seen the two of you together. The laughing, the little touches… I am not blind (Y/N), and neither is the rest of the town.”

“Merely a harmless flirtation, and nothing that could imply any sort of attachment,” You reply. “If you’re so concerned, remind your brother that I have no plans to marry.”

“It’s not him I’m worried about, (Y/N), it’s you,” Ben tells you gently, something swimming in his eyes as he looks over at you. An emotion that you hate to realize is pity.

“You don’t have to worry about me,” You remind him. “I can handle myself perfectly fine. I have been for some years now.”

“You are so much like Eloise, it truly astounds me.”

“I am going to take that as a compliment,” You huff as you turn back to your sketch.

“I knew you would,” Benedict replies, shaking his head in amusement.

(next chapter)

[thefanficmonster]

hi i hope this isn’t too much of a bother but can you write a tinakitten x reader where reader gets jealous and tina just comforts them?

Of course hun! I hope you don't mind the headcanons format, it's so that you don't have to wait so long for a full fic. Enjoy 💕

Pairing: Tina x Reader (Gender Neutral)

Warnings: Jealousy, Minor Insecurity

Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, RPF (Real Person Fic)

- Tina and you were long time friends before you took a swing at dating, acting on your mutual feelings

- It was far from being a first relationship for either of you but you could both agree that this is the first time you've been so serious

- You especially

- Your previous flings were in high school and college and were more physical rather than emotional

- That deep connection that you lacked in all your previous relationships is exactly what you found with Tina

- Automatically, that means that you've invested a lot more of yourself in this relationship than you ever have before

- And, the more of yourself you invest into something, the more vulnerable you are

- The more likely you are to get hurt

- Unfortunately, you hadn't calculated that risk when you dove in head-first, but you hit the bottom soon enough

- And it came in the form of an intense wave of jealousy that capsized you and your composure quite a bit

- It wasn't anything to be actually concerned about, just some harmless flirty banter between Tina and her friends, but it was the first time you had felt something so strongly

- First time jealousy bit away at you

- And man, was it hard to suppress it all within you and not say anything about it

- After all, the relationship was fresh and you didn't want to come across as the clingy jealous type which you really aren't

- You're just fearful

- Fearful Tina might realize she deserves better

- Someone with interests more alike hers

- Someone in the same line of work as her

- Someone who can make her laugh with ease

- Now, that doesn't mean you don't make her laugh

- Nor have the other two arguments ever mattered before

- But you couldn't help but think of exactly that when you saw/heard how close Tina is with some of the other streamers

- Afraid of the hurt that would come when she realized it finally, you started putting up a wall and distancing yourself

- Something that obviously didn't go by unnoticed by Tina

- She, unlike you, was straightforward about it and questioned you right away, putting you on the spot

- You were sweating and stuttering enough to disprove your own claim that 'nothing is wrong' so she didn't let up until you finally broke

- "Fine! Ok! I feel guilty! I feel guilty cause I think I trapped you in this relationship when you can be with someone way better. Someone more your type, someone you deserve and who will treat you better."

- To say Tina was dumbfounded would be an understatement

- Her jaw was on the floor and she couldn't find a single word to utter

- At least not until she saw the tears in your eyes

- She wrapped her arms around you, pulling you in a tight embrace as you cried

- "Hey, hey, where is all this coming from? Why would you ever think that? Why do you think you don't deserve me? Y/N, you're the one and only person who's been by my side through literally everything. You've never not understood me and you always are there for me when I need you, even when I try to push you away." She told you softly, her words reassuring and only strengthened by the soothing caress of her hand on your hair, "Every time you feel like you aren't good enough for me, tell me - I'll never get tired of telling you how much I love you and how much I despise those insecurities of yours. That little voice conspiring against you, against us, yeah, I hate it. You hate it too, don't you?"

- You nodded against her shoulder, still engulfed in her embrace

- "Exactly. Then why do you listen to it?" She asked

- And suddenly your insecurities made no sense at all, not that they ever did

- That's the power Tina has over you

- It's literal magic

[angstyantoinette]

Yandere!Howl Jenkins Pendragon x Reader Headcanons

Warnings: Slight NSFW [mention], kidnapping, manipulation, toxic relationships. 

We all know that Howl is very much a ladies man; he knows exactly how to pull women in, and captivate them so that they fall in love with him easily. 

For Howl, it’s all a game. He catches the eye of a girl, no interest on his part of course. She just happens to be in his line of the game. He knows what to say, how to present himself to perfectly fluster and simultaneously intimidate every other person there. He doesn’t venture outside the castle often, and when he does, there’s an air of fear; there’s such awe left in his wake. 

And he loves it. This drama queen feeds off it.

But we also know that Howl is a runner. He cannot commit to anything, hating the restricting nature of feeling tied down. I mean, he abandoned his apprenticeship. With this in mind, Howl makes the most unlikely yandere. But he actually is highly dangerous, although he doesn’t really look like it.

He’s afraid of himself in a way. He understands that he is quite powerful, and after practically going rogue, Howl gets his kicks with spontaneity, with the complete unexpected in life. 

When he meets you, he expects you to give him all your attention, like everyone else. But you brushed past him, looking at his fancy clothes, his blonde hair, sapphire eyes, green jewels swinging from his ears, and the beautiful pendant around his neck. He was picturing it now in his mind, getting ready for the look of adoration, the tense of muscles, the scarlet blush upon your cheeks.

But you looked away. You gathered your belongings, perhaps stowing them away in your satchel, and you just looked away.

What?

Is that it?

You weren’t even interested in him. Howl was still so stunned he had nothing to say, no suave and seductive voice to tempt you into his charms. He was in awe of you; you looked at him with such indifference it made his head hurt. Not with heartache or pain or anything like that. But he could not deny that he wasn’t curious.

Well, of course, not only does this not sit too well with Howl, he is very much a delusional person in this kind of state. However, he is incredibly smart and calculating and he balances these two personalities scarily very well. 

Like I said before, Howl is a very dangerous yandere, and he thrives on his blantant misinterpretation of a mere womanizer to scamper away, unsuspected, unscathed, and free to do what he likes.

Howl doesn’t really hold on to grudges that much, or anything; when he loses interest, he tosses things away. Not all though. 

You, you, YOU. 

Why won’t you leave his weary mind after days of being apart? Why is his  conciousness telling him to look for you, and not relent until he’s succeeded in doing so? Despite all the signs, all of the telltale signs that shows he’s just a little too invested in you, he writes it off as his bad habits resurfacing to play another game. 

And, of course, Howl Jenkins shall oblige!

Howl is a patient man, make no mistake. He finds it enjoyable to watch things go down for a while; no matter how trivial, poking fun in plain sight at innocent civilians never gets old. 

When he finally gives in to trying to find you and play with you for a little while, Howl pushes aside all distractions to do so. That means traveling through counties and villages, towns and cities until he’s found you again.

Howl is desperate for love and affection that isn’t because of his looks. He really wants someone to love him, not the image he puts across, not just above the surface with his tantalizing blue eyes that pull you in and trap you. 

You saw through that. You barely gave him a second glance and while it peaked his interest initially, it annoyed him for days on end. Usually being teasing and indifferent to Calcifer’s complaining, he found himself snapping and getting easily annoyed. Markl began to subtly keep his distance on bad days. 

Now, though, he’s become delusional. In Howl’s mind, you are to blame for his interest, for his inability to keep his mind off of you. You are the sole reason for his burgeoning obsession that seems to be running the show. He tells himself that when he finds you, it’ll leave. This painful, utterly agonising sensation of having you in his grasp, playing his game will go far away. He’ll seduce you, definitely, take you to bed and have a good time and his obsession and all-consuming desire to play the game, just you and him will just...go. Poof.

Except when Howl does find you, he doesn’t feel like letting go of you. 

Ever. 

And while this does take him by surprise, it all starts to make sense for him. 

Because looking at you now, bundled up in his arms, crying in anger and confusion, he sees in the stars that this was meant to be. 

He waits until he’s sure you’re asleep [more like passed out from exhaustion-] to really, really get a good look at you. He notices for the first time your cheeks and how they’re squished against his pillows and wrapped up in his sheets so perfectly, it’s like you’ve been here many times before. He notes how relaxed your closed eyes seem to be, no furrowed brow or scrunched tight eyelids; just complete and utter serenity. 

You’re just so perfect. Could you be a god, some kind of deity perhaps?

He’s in love for the first time in a long time. He may have let it slip by then, selfish and uncaring, but now?

Oh no, Darling, you don’t stand a chance. Howl will do anything to keep you hidden from those bastards’ eyes  protect you, to love you and most of all, make you see that he’s the one for you.

 Always.

You sat in the boiling water filling the bathtub, limp and tired, unresponsive as Howl bustled around you, his task completely focused on getting you ready for bed. Once upon a time, you would have refused to call him by name; instead you settled for ‘bastard’, ‘prick’, and ‘I hate you’. 

You even tried to sleepily mutter these things under your breath, not caring now that you were being lifted out of the bath, and dressed in a white gown. You cared even less when feeling your mind slip away into a soft sleep, curling into your body with comfort, clinging onto Howl’s pillows.

However, in front of his ‘housemates’ [ you could only guess what a talking fireplace could have to do with his wacky moving castle ], you were frightened. Howl didn’t even have to say a word; he had you smiling and  acting somewhat normally in front of ‘Calcifer’ and the little boy, Markl, you thought his name was. 

But you could always feel the sliver of magic take a hold of your wrists from behind, a little voice telling you that staying here was for your best interest, what more could you want? It promised you eternal love, devotion and affection, coated with a sickly sweetness only Howl could pull off. 

All in all, you stopped resisting after a while. Howl was annoyingly patient it seemed, and it frustrated you to feel as though you were a child all over again. He smothered you, insisting on doing the most trivial of things for you, never snapping back at you, never doing anything to remotely answer back at you in the same manner whenever you resisted his help.

It didn’t click until you had cursed at him mercilessly, screeching and crying, pulling at your combed hair, that by acting like this; he looked better than you. He looked above you. Compared to your tantrums, Howl looked calm and collected and completely willing to help you in any way possible. 

But why was he doing all of this? 

Why did you wake up in his bed, with his lanky arms draped all over you as if you were lovers? Why was he spoiling you, letting you wear his clothes, feeding you? What was he trying to convince you of? 

“Darling, I have some new nightclothes for you. Do you want me to help you into them?” He was slower, more gentle tonight as he strolled around his room. He was delberate though, not forceful exactly, but it was more of an atmospherical warning. You could just tell; if little Y/N tried anything, something would happen. 

Some kind of spell, or perhaps even a curse to teach you a lesson.

Ah, there it was. Another gift. 

Did he think you’d simply tolerate him because of his lavish, his blatantly excessive gift-giving?

Why did he look at you with such sickening adoration on his flawless features? 

At last, his bustling seemed to cease and he took a longing glace back at you. He probably only meant it to last a few seconds but the longer he gazed, it just became a cold and glassy stare. 

You knew the feeling of ‘zoning out’ well, but his eyes became darker and darker. Some kind of shadow must have passed over him or something, because he snapped out of his eerie trance and threw himself onto the bed. 

You yelped in surprise, pulling your hands to your sides, hastily spreading them out on the soft quilt like spiders, your legs pushing your body back ever so slightly, eyes wide. 

Howl chuckled, but it was filled with a sinister undertone that you weren’t used to at all. He snapped his head to the right, his hands already unraveling a silk-encased package. 

“I saw these while in the town today and couldn’t help myself.” 

Pulling out the brand new nightclothes, you unwillingly let out a pleased gasp. It was a set of matching pyjamas. They were satin, smooth to the touch and a beautiful shade of emerald, not too bright at all, but not dark either. 

Sometimes, you enjoyed this sort of treatment from Howl, albeit, very guiltily. He was always polite, courteous and kind, willing to help you with anything, but you also couldn’t help but feel a sense of horror, lingering long after you fell asleep. As if it were some kind of parasite. You just couldn’t for the life of you place your finger on it. 

You had learned to never keep him waiting for anything; he was a busy man and as much as he liked to have free reign of his work, he liked to be organised too.

This time you had apparently spent too long admiring your gift rather than answering him.

“Isn’t it lovely, Y/N? I thought it would suit you divinely.”

“Y-yes, it’s beautiful, thanks so much H-Howl.” 

Not wasting any more time, he sat up from his previous position on the bed, and somehow managed to gracefully snatch the nightclothes away from your trembling hands, and shooting you a look as if to say, well, take your clothes off. That was the less sinister version. Howl’s eyes took on a new darkness that growled, or I’ll do it myself. 

Your hands flew to your neckline, undoing the small ribbon that held the soft cotton on you, and allowed Howl to thread his fingers through the material, travelling towards the bottom of the garment and pulling it over your head whilst you lifted your arms, feeling the comfort of the soft sleeves peel off your arms. 

The blush on your face was unmistakeable. It was another embarassment being bathed by him, but this? Stripping you out of your clothes? It didn’t help that he was aware of your inner battle, and having an annoying, but otherwise barely noticeable smile on his face. 

His hand reached over with the satin nightclothes, urging you to take them. You did, carefully so, slipping them on against your flushed body, his cerulean orbs watching intensely. 

As if he didn’t want the image to go away. 

When you had finished dressing yourself, you stood up and  tentatively walked to the mirror, even slightly stumbling on your feet, and gasped in pleased surprise. You looked...beautiful in the nightclothes. The satin felt so smooth on your skin, and the emerald shade brought out your e/c eyes nicely. 

A few moments later though, you gasped for a whole different reason. Howl slipped his hands around the front of your torso, letting them wander further and further down, reaching your thighs with a renewed urgency, pressing you back against his body.

“I didn’t hear a ‘thank you’, darling.” His tone was teasing, but you could detect a hint of anger, annoyance was it? As quickly as the shadows came they departed, leaving you at the mercy of the wizard Howl. 

“No matter,” he rasped against the nape of your neck, placing soft, heated kisses against your skin,”You can say thank you, whilst begging on your knees.”

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

sorry about that ending, it just needed to come to an end before i drove myself mad with the procrastination :)

but what did you think of it?? there really isn’t enough Howl’s Moving Castle fics, let alone yandere ones, but i like how it came out. 

to the person who requested this, Howl, is 100000% the gentle dom we ALL NEED OKAY