#marek reader

[skywalkerandmarvelfan]

Everything Will Be Fine (Platonic Yandere Darth Vader with Starkiller's Twin Sister Reader)

A/N: This is a small work I thought of, but didn't want to put on my AO3 account, so I thought of putting it here. I rarely see platonic yandere Vader content, so I made some, even if it's short.

Vader placed your body into a becta tank that was in his Fortress on Mustarfar. You weren't in good condition, far from it, but he would make sure you got well.

After he made sure your vitals were stable and fixed himself up from the fight with your brother, Vader would make sure Palpatine thought you were dead. It was essential that the Emperor thought you were and continued to think so. If he suspected you were alive, he would have you killed. The Rule of Two allowed only two Siths, and not only that but you might also be viewed as a weakness of Vader’s. Vader made sure you were in this condition and if he wanted you dead you would’ve been, and Palpatine would know this as well.

There were a few times Vader thought of killing you and one time he almost did. When he found you and your brother as children, he thought of only taking Starkiller and doing away with you, but there was a chance you were stronger within the force, so you were taken as well. When it was shown Starkiller was the stronger one Vader planned on killing you, but when he was about to you gave him a fearful look as if you knew something bad was going to happen. It normally wouldn’t sway him, but the look you gave resembled the one Padmé gave on Mustafar, and when you whispered a frightened ‘master’, Vader couldn’t continue with his plan, seeing Padmé in you. 

As you grew older you showed traits of Padmé and him when he was Anakin. Vader wished you just had traits of Padmé, but that wasn't his luck. You could be reckless and at times rebellious. However, Vader quickly learned that threatening your brother got you back in line. You had a strong relationship with Starkiller and he returned that bond. The two of you were a fierce duo when you went on missions together, but it could also hurt the goal of the mission if one of you got into a life-threatening position. Neither of you wanted to lose the other so the mission was practically on hold if either of you were in such a situation.

This was why it was critical to keep you sedated until Vader was repaired and could deal with you better. Once you knew your brother was dead it would undoubtedly cause you to rebel and seek revenge against Vader and the Emperor as soon as you could. If you got too wild the Emperor would discover you and would want to kill you himself to make sure you were dead. Vader couldn't have you dead, no matter how much he would try to deny it.

He would never admit this to anyone, but you had become like a daughter to him. When Vader began seeing you as his child he didn't know, maybe it was when he saw traits of Padmé and himself in you, maybe it was the time he was about to kill you, or the time you got seriously injured. It really didn’t matter when, all that mattered now was that he does, and he refused to lose another child.

Vader wouldn’t lose you, not to death, not to the newly formed Rebellion, not to anything. You would stay by his side whether you liked it or not, and if anything threatened to take you, Vader would destroy it. He would tear the galaxy apart if he had to. Palpatine was no exception to this either, Vader would find a way to kill Palpatine in order to protect you and keep you by him. 

You were his daughter, which meant it was Vader’s duty to protect you. He failed to protect his biological child, but he would right that wrong by not failing you.

“You will be fine youngling.” Vader said, more to himself than to you, though he hoped you heard him so you would know things were fine. That it didn’t matter if your twin was dead, because you had him, and even if he was going to punish you for betraying him in order to join Starkiller in trying to free the Rebel leaders and kill him and the Emperor, everything would be fine in the end.

Everything would be fine, Vader would make sure everything would be fine, no matter what he had to do to achieve it.

[m1ckeyb3rry]

Hiii Mickey! B4 I request smt I just wanna congratulate you on 500 (u deserve sm more) your writing is literally heaven. Shakespeare who? 🤔 Anyway, b4 I completely forget what I came to request and start yapping on about how ur a literature god, may I pls req jealously hc on SitH characters?

Sincerely,

friedrichswifegirlfriendfiancesidechick

── SOMEBODY'S JEALOUS!

Synopsis: Headcanons about how some of the SitH boys act when they are jealous.

Event Masterlist

Pairing: Colt x Reader, Friedrich x Reader, Hadrian x Reader, Marek x Reader

Word Count: 0.9k

Content Warnings: 3/4 of these characters are ocs from a specific fic i wrote so that ig?? also friedrich is a menace but what's new

A/N: you're too sweet anon AHAH thank you so much!! i can't believe you like sith sm that you want to request for it...that's actually so crazy to me but means sm thank you again!! i wasn't sure which characters you wanted so i just did my favs hehe

Additional: part of my 500 follower event! see the event description and rules to make a request of your own.

Colt Grice

i think he would be the pouty type of jealous if that makes sense

like he's not going to say anything outright but he lowkey acts like a child

becomes super clingy in the moment

afterwards is all like "why don't you love me anymore 🙁"

"what does he have that i don't 🙁🙁🙁”

he's cute about it though like you can't even be mad at him because he's genuinely so worried that you like this other person more

definitely would try not to make it your problem though like he recognizes that it's his own issue to deal with so he's not going to get upset with you just for talking to someone

will probably refer to himself as your boyfriend in front of whoever he's jealous of just so that they know their place and he WILL be petty about it

he's a pretty chill guy overall so i don't think he would be too horrible but he definitely has his moments of insecurity and doubt

would not hesitate to fight a man if you expressed that you were majorly uncomfortable though. he literally goes to the gym JUST to be able to beat a man up if necessary

otherwise though he trusts you to handle it

just be prepared for him to be extra affectionate afterwards

Friedrich Visser

unlike his best friend he turns into a supervillain if he's jealous

like friedrich 99% of the time is this sweet, adoring boyfriend (setting aside how sassy he is and how much he definitely teases you)

he jokes around a lot and is relatively unserious most of the time so you literally get whiplash when a guy starts flirting with you and all of a sudden your goofy bf is replaced with his evil twin

he's very tall and he will use that to full effect

modern au friedrich is a boxer so he gets bonus intimidation points for that and canon friedrich is a warrior candidate so at that point any guy might as well give up LMAOAO

he's also creepy looking (STILL HANDSOME GUYS I PROMISE HE'S HANDSOME HE JUST HAS A CREEPY VIBE TO HIM THAT FREAKS PEOPLE OUT) and normally he wishes he was more approachable but now?? it's exactly what he needs

he'll start whispering quietly in a foreign language and the person thinks he's cursing their bloodline (he's literally just reciting the irregular verbs in the preterite tense in spanish)

a glarer. he has a crazy death stare and he will take advantage of it

creates such an inhospitable atmosphere that the person literally just runs away out of fear

then he's back to his regular self and asks if you want a sweet treat or something

he's paying ofc because he's the best boyfriend in the world and you could never dream of wanting someone else. right??? 🤨🤨🤨

Hadrian Amata

to be honest i cannot see him being jealous or at least acting like he is

he is far and away the most emotionally mature person on this list (and probably in the entire sith-verse tbh)

like if someone is hitting on you he'll literally agree with them and tell them he thinks you’re pretty too

he might hold your hand or hug you or something in front of them just so that they leave you alone, but that's about the extent of it i think

he’s not a pushover though. if someone isn't taking a hint he will tell them to leave and then escort you away himself because he doesn't want you to have to deal with that kind of bs

he was raised with a sister so he knows better than to be possessive or controlling

he wouldn't want someone treating xanthe like that so he's not about to treat you like that yk??

major green flag but that was to be expected from him

Marek Birdwhistle

this depends on what universe we're looking at

if it's a modern au where he doesn't get scarred or pre-athyae then he's funny and lighthearted about it

he is canonically the best looking character in the story (besides y/n) pre-athyae incident so if we're talking about a world where he doesn't get tortured and whatnot then honestly just the sight of him near you will be enough for people to back off

like no wayyy are they flirting with you when MAREK BIRDWHISTLE is right there

honestly you might be the one who gets jealous i bet he gets mad bitches 😭

but he pretty much ignores all of them...he only really has eyes for you so although he's friendly to anyone he'll (very politely) reject anyone who makes serious moves

if someone does have the guts to approach you he'll lowkey judge them

he's going to be subtle about it but he won't hesitate to point out their flaws and ruin their self-confidence

now if this is in canon, especially post-athyae...i don't think he gets jealous necessarily because he literally just hates himself so much that it would only make sense if you want someone else

i’m not going to describe his injuries in this because they're pretty horrific and you’ve all read the chapter but yeah. he genuinely does not believe that you love him when he looks like that

he went from constantly being praised for being handsome to people being horrified by half of his face (which is generally kept bandaged but still) so it is a HUGE change for him

he would require reassurance that you are with him for more than just his appearance and that you don't find him hideous at all

omg pls be nice to him fr he deserves better i think the only characters who can claim to be treated as poorly by the narrative as him are the haas twins 😔

[galenmarekstan]

forgot to post the last update but there are two more chapters of my galen/reader fic up now!!

ao3 link

[malikselfindulgence]

Got a request last night that im gonna start working on right nowww :33 leave me some more to do throughout the day please!! Both art and writing requests open, and you can see examples through the tags on my pinned !!!

[sweetestflow3rs]

finished the book. all i have to say is: good for grigor

reading lapvona by ottessa moshfegh and i had to share this scene with the class

[dear-mimii]

ambessa x queen!reader

pairing! ambessa x wife!reader

about! are you the only person in that council who takes politics seriously? the stress really got to you this time…

cw! just fluff😚

word count! 504

an! what pictures could possibly match ambessa😭 anyways, a little fluff with ambessa is what we all need in life, right?? anyways… im also looking for suggestions, so feel free to send in asks!🫶🏽🫶🏽 also do y’all want me to make a master list??

gods, you swear some of these people could be utterly insufferable. usually, you didn’t mind sitting in for ambessa during council meetings. but my gods, you felt like the only competent person in there. a collection of warlords from the south western region of Noxus were basically in a muscle measuring competition, where for at least the last 15 minutes, they were arguing about whose weapon was the coolest? you were holding your head by the temples, rubbing circles in a futile attempt to calm yourself and unclench your jaw. finally, you balled your hand into a fist, slamming it on the table to get everyone’s attention.

through a clenched jaw, you spoke, “i do apologize for the interruption, but perhaps we should get back to the topic at hand?” your voice was strained, rising slightly with every syllable.

two of the warlords looked at each other in silence for a few seconds, before bursting out in boisterous laughter.

awarlord covered in furs, Marek, looked over at you and said, “looks like the wife isn’t just a paperweight after all! we all deeply apologize, we’ll get right back on track, hah!”

you just hated the way they belittled you, acting as if you were just a stand in for ambessa instead of a woman who is actually involved in politics. after a bit more laughing and muttered comments, the warlords eventually focused back on the meeting, albeit begrudgingly. you definitely wouldn’t say it went without a hitch, but nobody could control those brutes 100%.

back at home, you stripped out of your clothes without a second thought and changed into your usual comfort staples: a burgundy silk robe, loose black wool pants, and nothing else. you couldn’t be bothered. in the bathroom, you caught a glimpse of yourself in the mirror and immediately felt it—the tight pull of your hairstyle, like it had been clenched all day. you were already annoyed, already frustrated, and the tension headache it was giving you only made things worse. you didn’t even try to be gentle. you just started yanking out the rubber bands and hair ties, one by one, not caring if it hurt.

that’s when you caught ambessa’s gaze in the mirror. she had clearly just come home, still in her usual regal yet militaristic garb. ambessa stood in the mirror, watching your frenzied movements.

“…sweetheart.”

ambessa took a firm step, reaching for your hands and guiding them away from your hair. ambessa was never the best with expressing her love in words, but you never doubted her love and care for you. she took your hands in one of her own, rubbing over your knuckles with her calloused thumb.

“gods… what battlefield did you come from?” her eyes were wide with worry; not frenzied, but concerned.

ambessa brought one of your hands to her lips, letting it stay there for a long while before embracing you, gently pushing your chest against hers and stroking your hair.

“come now, you need relax for a bit.”

[ofstarsandvibranium]

Light the Fire

Fandom: Star Wars - The Acolyte

Pairing: Qimir x F!Reader

As requested by anonymous: Hi love! I am obsessed with your Qimir fics 💕 the way you write him is just so good! May I request something with him where he gets jealous seeing reader interact with someone else and it leads to a confession ??? Maybe like a friends to lovers ? Thank you so much!

A/N: if you're wondering how im coping with the acolyte news, im in denial and pretending its not real. :D

Qimir Masterlist

(this is how i imagine Qimir to look when he's jealous)

Qimir watched you with careful eyes across the cantina. You were speaking with your bounty. You requested the aid of your old friend just in case. This bounty was high profile and worth a lot of credits. Although you are very capable, you wanted to have some back up just in case. Hence why Qimir was keeping an eye out from across the bar.

He couldn't help the stirring in his stomach as he watches you pretend to be interested in your mark. How you laugh, how you touch him, how you press your body against his. Qimir knows it's not real, he knows you're only doing it to get close to your mark, but damn did it not stop him from feeling jealous.

The mark excuses himself to go to the refresher and you lock eyes with Qimir across the way.

You whisper into the hidden comm in your dress, "When he comes back, I'm taking him to the room. You go first. I'll be there in ten minutes."

Qimir nods his head and gulps the rest of his drink down. Setting some credits onto the counter and leaves the bar area and head upstairs to the rooms offered to bar patrons.

With the extra keycard you got him, Qimir enters the room and hides in the shadows waiting for your arrival.

_________________

Your mark comes back from the refresher and sighs, "Well, ready, baby?"

You give the older man a sultry smile, "You tell me," you trace your finger along the color of his shirt. He gives you a drunken grin that makes your skin crawl, "Lead the way, sweetheart," he gives you a pat on the ass and you giggle, despite wanting to punch the guy in the throat.

You slip your hand into his clammy one and guide him away from the bar and up the stairs towards the rooms. With your keycard, you door to your room slides open. You continue to pull your mark into the room and towards the bed.

You push him onto the bed and straddle his lap. He gets giddy, his disgusting hands running up your thighs to grip your ass.

You give a fake moan, grinding against the man and the act excites him.

You suddenly hear the buzz of a lightsaber and the room illuminating in a red hue. Your mark looks over your shoulder, eyes wide and full of fear.

"Wha-What is this?! What's going on?!"

You roll your eyes and punching the guy in the throat, causing him to gasp for hair. You immediately climb off him and turn to Qimir. He's donning his cortosis helmet, one hand gripping his saber, while the other is clenched in a tight fist.

"I didn't give the signal."

"Didn't need to. I could tell you were uncomfortable," he replies, his voice hidden by the modulator.

Your mark sits up and crawls back towards the head of the bed, "Wait, I have a credits! I'll give you everything I have, just don't kill me!"

You pull out the hidden syringe needle you kept in your thigh holster, "See, that's the thing, Marek. Those credits that you have, they don't belong to you. You stole them and Darius Nox wants them back, as well as to punish you for your insolence."

You also take out the puck you were given, the holo displaying Marek's face.

The older man gulped, "N-Nox sent you."

You pocket the puck and nod, "Yup. And I'm going to bring you to him."

You take a step towards him and he immediately scrambles off the bed and towards the door.

Qimir shoots his hand out, using the force to stop Marek in his place. You shake your head, "They never learn."

You go over to Marek's frozen figure. His eyes are wide. He's helpless and, boy, do you love that look of helplessness and fear in your targets.

You immediately punch Marek in the gut and give him an upper cut punch to his chin. He lets out groans of pain and you smile, "You disgust me." You then jab the syringe into his neck, the poison entering his system. You watch as he tries to fight it, but eventually his eyes flutter close and his head drops to his chest.

_____________________

Qimir isn't careful at all when he helps you bring Marek to your ship. He practically throws him in the little cell that you have for your marks. After ensuring that he's well locked up, you excuse yourself, "I need to wash all that guy's sweat off me. So fucking handsy, that one," you shudder as you pass Qimir, missing his clenched jaw and pissed off look on his face.

Fifteen minutes later, you're scrubbed clean and wearing more comfortable clothing.

You go to the cockpit to see Qimir sitting in the co-pilot's spot, staring out into hyperspace.

"What's with the face?" you ask as you kick your feet up onto the console.

"I really want to kill him."

"Well you can't or else I won't get the full payment. Anyway, why do you want to kill him?"

He doesn't look at you as he speaks, "I didn't like the way he was touching you or how he looked at you when you were talking to him. You thoroughly convinced him that he stood a chance, with your smiling and touching." His hands roll into tight fists as he recalls your actions and behavior tonight, "I know it was all an act, that you didn't mean any of it...but at some point, I started wishing I was Marek. Then I wanted to rip the guy's head off."

You lean in closer to him, a smirk on your face, "Jealous?"

He side eyes you, clenches his jaw and murmurs, "No."

"Sounds like you are."

"I am not."

You stand from your seat and go over to Qimir's. You plop yourself right onto his lap, causing him to widen his eyes in surprise, "Just admit it. You were jealous," you hook your arms around his neck, face an inch away from his

He glances down at your lips then back at your eyes, "What do I get if I admit it?" he murmurs.

"Anything you want."

"Fine. I was jealous."

You grin widely, "Nice to know. Now, what do you want?"

His hands go to your waist and he holds you still, "For you to tell me how you feel about me."

"I feel safe when I'm with you. I feel free, accepted. I feel...loved."

Qimir leans closer, his forehead resting against yours, "I do love you. Sometimes I wish I didn't, especially when you pull the shit you did tonight. I sometimes wish you didn't light a fire inside me every time I'm with you."

"Qimir?"

"Hm?"

"Kiss me."

And without a second thought, he does.

That's when you really feel the emotions within him, the passion and desire he holds for you. It's a flame now growing into a roaring fire. All because of you.

And you feel the same. Two flames fanned, growing bigger, brighter, and stronger. Together.

[timefall-if]

SO EXCITED FOR THIS IF IT LOOKS SO INTERESTING <333 anyway…fun facts about the ro’s? 💜💜 (I love the purple theme so much 🙇‍♀️)

thank you so much for the kind words!! <33

M - has green hair, i feel like this is one of the most important things to say haha,, more often than not has a patch on their nose because it's always broken and bloodied from all the fighting. very protective of MC and anyone they consider family (so only MC and Marek lol). doesn't like to dance at all but would be very good at it if they tried. tough cookie with a crazy sweet tooth !!!!

R - they have piercings everywhere, and i mean everywhere. likes to lie for fun. protective only of themselves. is extremely good at dancing and will dance to the music in their head sometimes. big party animal, knows all types of alcoholic drinks to ever exist (and they like the cheapest ones). always has a knife inside their boot.

S - dimples !!! another one with a crazy sweet tooth, give them all the sweets in the world and it still wouldn't be enough. does not know how to cook and will burn water. gets cold easily. thinks taking one sip of alcohol makes them cool and edgy. extroverted but a bit of a scaredy cat!

C - a big reader, doesn't go to sleep without reading something. dark circles. they came into their role as the most influential member of the Order really young. i’m talking, like, 15 or so. quiet but has angry outbursts from time to time,, patient but gets bored easily. do not bring sweets or cheap alcohol near them they will throw up.

[is-today-tomorrow-in-nz]

Uprooted vs Grishaverse

I finally finished uprooted and I wanted to share my two cents on where Naomi Novik delivers while LB fails.

Warning: spoilers

Backgrounds:

1) Both the stories were written in first POV of the protagonist.

2) Both are dealing with an immortal, youthful looking male wizard(/grisha) and a reluctant, low self-esteemed, female protagonist.

3) Both are set up in a war torn country with an expanding evil element threatening to swallow the country whole.

However the similarities end there.

1) First POV:

Although Noami uses First POV for Agnieszka, it is not restrictive like Alina's. We can see the universe clearly through her eyes and how she views the magic system. We could also read the other characters and see their strengths and flaws through her eyes. This is completely lost in the Grishaverse. We only see Alina's low self-esteem rambles, her unhealthy attachment to Mal and her judgemental censure of others characters We don't understand the universe, or the true nature of the characters. This makes the Grishaverse restricted universe, although we know how vast it is.

2) Strong female lead:

Agnieszka is a village born, free thinker and an independent girl. She is passionate and compassionate. She cares for her family, her best friend, her village and its people. Although she did not expected to be picked she does not stagnate as the story unfolds. At first she is reluctant and useless in learning magic but once she understands why she needs the magic, she pulls the magic by its horns and masters it. Unlike Alina, she practices and fails and yet she does not give up. Nieshka is by no means a girlboss but she knows what she wants and is unafraid to seek it. She knows when to standup and seize her power and when to let go. Naomi handles her beautifully that we want to know more about what's going on in her mind. Nieshka's life is lived by her rules. When Sarkan flees from his tower she does not run after him. She lets him go. She understands his nature and she also understands hers. She chooses to stay behind and heal the forests around her. This, right here, is proper feminism. Not Alina's ballerina farm.

3) Strong characters:

Sarkan, Solya, Kasia, Alosha, Marek, Vladimir and many others. We see them all through Nieshka but Naomi has portrayed each one of them beautifully. They are not one dimensional. We see how Sarkan is withdrawn from the world with the weight of immortality, choosing to surround himself with books and magic instead. We can see Kasia's pain, her love for Nieshka, her jealousy and the hurt of her mother's betrayal. We can see Marek's boarish nature, his hot headedness and love for his mother which ultimately led to his downfall. Every character has a story arc and a journey to fullfil on their own and Naomi does it wonderfully. We see them through Nieshka's eyes but we see the whole person not just her characterization. LB fails in this aspect. After book 2&3, we see many characters simply as an extension of Alina. They all profess their fealty and choose to stay with her even when she does not show them the same respect. Alina is labelled as virtuous although we see no evidence of it. In other words, the characters in Grishaverse are mere mindless, plot devices that are supposed to love Alina because she is the protagonist. They seize to exist outside of Alina which cripples the story telling in Grishaverse.

4) Vastness of the universe

One of the key nature of a fantasy story is the vastness of the universe. The reader when journeying through the story must feel the endlessness of the universe. Eg. The Lord of the Rings. This offers the readers a real submersive experience. We see it lacking in the Grishaverse. Although there are different countries and people, we can feel the boxed nature of the universe. This when combined with Alina's restricred POV, one dimentional side characters(spanning across different countries) and blatant favouritism shown to some characters we feel suffocated inside the Grishaverse. Naomi's universe feels vast, unexplored and unending making it a true fantasy experience.

5) Sarkan

We can see plenty of similarities between the Darkling and the Dargon. A lonely wizard, fighting alone against evil(/corrupt government). The people and the Royal family don't like him but keep him around as a neccessay evil. However, we can see the stark contrast in how Naomi handles Sarkan. For one, she does not think a seventeen year girl knows better than an age old wizard. Sarkan and Nieshka's magic are different but Naomi finds a way to blend them and makes them work with each other. She lets Nieshka form her own judgement of Sarkan instead of force feeding it like LB did to Alina. She gives a chance to the Dragon to tell him his story which gives us an additional understanding. Naomi shows and tells while LB just tells.

There are so many other intricate details which made Uprooted more enchanting to read. Naomi as a writer made me want more. Her universe has potential and Naomi handles it very effectively. The same, however, could not be said about the Grishaverse. The Grishaverse had immense potential compared to Uprooted but due to LB's restrictive story telling, it leaves the readers with a huge disappointment and fails to live upto it's potential.

[syoddeye]

i really just want you to talk more about how you visually see simon in "like i'm winning it." like...........please. i need it. i need you talk more about him.

top to bottom, from his hair to his toes, please tell me your headcannons. thank you.

-b

hiiiii b! 🧡 thank you so much for asking! i hope you won't regret it based on my ramblings below. link to like i'm winning it series page.

two things:

the most obvious details first—ghost is big. big and tall. lots of muscle mass. always masked, whether it's full face or half. basic universal truths.

second—some components of his appearance are from cyberpunk 2077.

facial details

thick brow

dark eyes*

buzzed head, blond hair

an old scar along his hairline

"puffy" ear as reader refers to it, cauliflower ear which will come up in later chapters

a 'neuralink' at the base of his skull, think like a telephone jack or an ethernet port

shard slots behind his right ear like so:

body details

still has that mess of a sleeve tattoo

no other tattoos

broad shoulders perfect for anyone's legs to rest on

lots of scars, old and new, on his torso and back

obvs a big dick, no mods needed

modification details (non-exhaustive; only what you can see)

some context: ghost is loaded with implants and body modifications known as 'cyberware'. i don't think i've referenced it as 'cyberware' in the fic, because i find a lot of cyberpunk's lingo corny. (that's a me thing). without spoiling anything, he's accumulated it through his line of work under employer sponsorship. it's expensive stuff.

*optics: eyeball implants! when inactive, they appear as a natural dark brown. when certain features are in use, they're bright red

subdermal grips on his massive hands

gorilla arms, credit to marek madej for the first pic:

(also this clip is LOUD, but this is what is looks/sounds like when tearing open a door with gorilla arms. drool-worthy to ME.)

because his arms and legs have been replaced/modded completely, the skin on them is far more resistant to damage. therefore, they don't appear as chewed up as his chest, torso, and head.

i toyed with the idea of making him more like adam smasher, but ultimately, i was not brave enough to write cyborg sex. (strict machine doesn't count). maybe one day.

editing to add: the fourth and sixth images on the board i made for ghost = visual examples of the bulk i'm talking about. and another. BIG. BIG MAN.

[stromuprisahat]

Prince Marek from Uprooted is an improved Nikolai. Besides the narrative not shying away from showcasing his worst qualities and consequences from his actions,I could believe he was at least partially well-intentioned when he attacked Sarkan's tower. Whereas Kolya was way too much of a Gary Stu and not very different from crooked politicians nowadays.

Yup!

It's all about the writing.

Where one author isn't afraid to flash out a three-dimensional character with true vices and imperfections, the other's too busy persuading the reader about their character's niceness to even admit what's already on paper.

LB's too afraid Nikolai might resemble the Darkling, she ignores his tunnel vision and makes him as toothless as it gets. As a monster or a man.

edit: It's partly about character's likeability. LB wants us to ~like~ Nikolai. I didn't get the feeling Novik's that concerned. I don't like prince Marek, but I like his writing and I appreciate his character. I won't buy his poster to nail it above my bed, but I would name him among well-written side characters from books I've read.

[ts2cambremon]

Questions 1, 2, 4, 7, 11, and 13 for the Simblr Story Process Ask! I'm dying to learn alllllll about your writing process! :D

Hiiii @esotheria-sims! Thank you 🥰

And shout out to @thegingernerdist who also asked for 13! I also answered question 7 in the previous post!

1. Do you hide any secrets in your story that only a few people will find?

Hmm... I mentioned in an earlier post that I like to sneak in some foreshadowing, so I guess that could also fit this question!

2. Sims writing has a visual component. How do you utilize color/objects and setting in your story?

I use it a lot! Every character has a favorite color when it comes to outfits, and their magic is also distinct (Ren has green blasts, Andra's got fire, Inna the lightening, the Baranims have white bolts...) which comes through in battle scenes. Inna has a changing color scheme, although she prefers to dress in pink she sometimes dresses in white to appear more innocent than she is when she's trying to manipulate people. Kadja also usually dresses in orange, but she went for blue to "fit in" the monastery.

The architecture is also a big one. In my original idea, Cambremon was actually an underground city but that's just not practical gameplay wise. I try to create closed spaces with stone walls or dark wood. The hub is supposed to feel very dark, as opposed to the bright white snowy wastelands.

Some objects have become motifs, like Kadja's painting representing Ren's obsession, the creepy slave pillars representing the Cambremon's harsh rule, and the red dress representing Ren's one-sided desire for Kadja. There's also the portrait room which is a recurring setting, and usually alludes to the weight of the first generation and of the Cambremon name on the second generation.

Another little color detail: a lot of scenes with Bone Spirit have a purple light effect because the Sun n Moon candles with mana powder have a purple light!

4. What scenes do you find hardest to write?

Hardest to pose are definitely the group scenes! My computer can't handle more than 10-12 sims on a lot, so I have to get creative with deco sims (but the lighting on them is usually a bit wonky, or they get covered in snow like other objects! Argh it's a struggle)

Hardest to write... well that's actually descriptions, which is why I love the simstory format, I can focus on just dialogues 😁 I also find that I edit dialogues a lot, usually to cut them down to the essential. I feel like I now have a much better grasp of the characters and their voices, so it's getting a little easier to write them!

11. What are some elements you think are becoming cliché in the genre you're writing?

Honestly couldn't say, I'm actually a big fan of tropes when they're done right or subverted. One thing that I personally love as a reader is when there are real consequences for characters' actions, so I guess not a fan of stories with extensive plot armour or deus ex machina twists to get the main characters out of a bad situation.

One thing which does annoy me is when sexual violence is either swept under the rug or exploited for cheap thrills in fantasy stories. On one hand, it's definitely an aspect of any unjust, hierarchical society, but on the other, not something that should (in my opinion) be used just for "shock value". I sometimes struggle on the best way to adress this within the bounds of Cambremon, and I've settled with indirect allusions, as with this Simstober post.

13. What characters do you feel most connected to? Why do you feel connected to that character?

That's a tough one. Depends on the day, but it's a tie between Kadja, Inna, Bruk and Marek. They're all interesting characters to play with, and I'm also invested in Cambremon eventually becoming a better place, so hoping the "good" faction wins out! (But the evil faction makes for juicy drama haha)

[frankensaffytaffy]

self-indulgent TMA statement fic<3

CASE: #0180803

Back again, aren’t I? I thought that, with everything that’s been going on around here, I should probably make a statement about the Leitner which got me hired at the institute in the first place.

Statement of Marek, A. Szafran, Head Librarian at the Magnus Institute, London, regarding a book belonging to the library of one Jurgen Leitner. Statement recorded by subject, March 8th, 2018.

Statement begins.

I know what you’re probably thinking (though, not in the “all knowing eye" sort of way) “it’s just another cursed book, we have enough of those cases already,” why pile on even more work onto the backs of the research team? To be fair, my own team of assistants at the library usually deal with the categorisation and recognition of Leitners, so the archivists need not worry…too much.

Apologies for the slight tangent, I have been prone to those throughout my life, but they’ve been incessantly more common these days. Anyhow, as you should well know, I was removed from my childhood home at age 17. That led me to seeking solace at my Godfather’s home, here, in London. He cared for me, but remained of the belief that I should earn my keep in some way, despite the fact that I shortly moved into my uni campus anyway.

Finding work is immensely difficult, by the way, far tougher than the stories our grandparents tell of simply walking into a building and receiving honest work from pure will and force. Youth cannot be hired without any sort of previous working experience, but we cannot gain working experience if we’re not hired in the first place…I’ll share my grievances with systemic capitalism another day. What I meant to say is, I couldn’t get any job, apart from a less-than-minimum-wage-paying bookshop position; which meant that whenever I wasn’t studying seminars or writing literature essays, I found myself stocking books, hauling them from delivery vans, and reading.

If you’ve ever worked at a bookshop, you’ll know how deliveries work, and how the amount of copies of any given text is tracked. At some point, I was in charge of the process when I noticed the presence of a particular book that I had not seen stocked in our shop before. I did, however, recognise the cover as that of a book that I had planned on reading the year prior, back when I had more free time. It depicted a doorknob, seemingly covered in circular ridges, as well as the title: “House of Leaves,” by Mark Z. Danielewski. “Polish, then, like me,” was my first thought, after which my eyes shifted to the book's contents. Some pages were visibly written backwards, others had the words printed in spirals, or completely removed from the set structure.

This wasn’t unusual, as I remembered from my previous research, this particular book was meant to be ergodic literature. The story itself sounded like something the Head Archivist would enjoy exploring, actually; an academic satire written in a way that is purposely difficult for the reader to decipher. There was only one copy in that delivery, as well as in the bookshop as a whole, which was odd. I didn’t think much of it, though, because that same night I used my employee discount to take the thing home with me, and thereby started reading immediately.

Another thing that struck me as unusual, which I now view in perfect clarity, was the fact that this copy of House Of Leaves seemed to have been used before, it even contained an embossed stamp on the front page: the all-too-familiar “from the library of Jurgen Leitner.” Had no idea what that meant at the time, of course, so I- well, I kept on reading.

People have said that the book had made them insane before, reviews commented on the immense difficulty of the text as well as the sinister feeling it gave them after months of reading; but my connection to this edition went far deeper than that. I started hearing voices, those of film directors, lecturers, and the deep-voiced “good job” of a supposedly comforting tattoo artist. You could argue that I have some mental disorder or another, but both then and now doctors confirmed my health to be in perfectly valid condition. Mostly.

Eventually, I also began hearing unusual sounds. I had always had issues hearing people’s breathing rather loudly when I was overwhelmed, but now the breathing was heavier, wetter; I felt as though I could hear a person’s organs shifting, lungs inflating, deflating, inflating again, across the room from me. Then I heard the Minotaur.

He was a thing of great strength, the sound of hooves solid on the ground, and the harsh whip of its tail slashed through the air multiple times, as though battering off a swarm of rigid flies. I never saw the Minotaur, but hearing enough proved that it was a mass to be reckoned with, a jagged, meaty build made to chase me. The premonition seemed to be that he wouldn't stop searching until I was no longer within his labyrinth; only issue being that my body was not physically present in said labyrinth. Hence, it began combing through the folds of my brain, each ridge explored like the walls of a corridor, my thoughts could never escape the Minotaur. Evidently, its purpose can only be fulfilled once I'm no longer in this…symbolic? labyrinth. I must either be driven insane, quite literally "out" of my mind, or dead.

It’s been chasing me ever since, in the back of my mind, behind my back, I can almost see it in the mirror when I brush my teeth or curl my hair. I tried to throw the book out, destroy it, burn it, desolate the thing. No use. So I came here; the book is in the archives now.

I feel as though it’s still driving me mad. Because in its place, by the desk where my second bookshelf used to be, I found a new yellow door. I dare not open it, lest the Minotaur decides to end the hunt, my lungs pierced by his twisted horns.

Statement ends.

yeahhhhhh, little statement I wrote up about two years ago, thought tumblr might enjoy it! there's a few more pieces on my ao3 account, dziewczynka_z_chryzantemami :)

[galenmarekstan]

i'm back in my star wars obsession so i got an ao3 account to continue my starkiller fic

ao3 link :)

[polycraftory]

Dragon Falls (How to Tame a Husband) by Davis Lavender

Reviewed by Meghan 💜

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5/5 | 🌶️🌶️ 2/5

GENRE: Cozy Portal Fantasy REP: mlm, achillean demi male mc, gay male mc, queer scs CW: mentions of cheating, manipulation, minor injuries LENGTH: 357 pgs

If you are looking for a sweet and funny gay romcom in a fantasy setting, I highly recommend this book! It manages to deliver an interesting isekai / transmigration narrative with a cast of incredibly lovable characters. This is exactly the sort of novel I had wanted when I was growing up looking for queer romance in a fantasy setting. Added to that just a little bit of spice and a whole lot of humor. It's technically an adult novel, but it's a lighthearted one that is also light on the smut. Also, I desperately want this to be a new au setting so fanfic writers please read this. Overall, this is a delightful indie book that I am very glad I got. I really love this Rainbow Crate @rainbowcrate edition from their Cozy Fantasy box.

Below the cut you can find my full review! You can find more reviews like this on my Storygraph or in our "meghan reviews" tag. Check out our pinned post for links!

If you want to avoid spoilers skip the section labeled "The End".

The Main Characters / Core Romance Feliks is an incredibly relatable and very sweet ADHD hot mess. He isn't explicitly neurodivergent, but the way he describes his "brain squirrels" and the everything else about him was deeply relatable to me (my whole household is some flavor of neurodivergent). He is an absolute ray of sunshine, and he gets isekai-ed into a dragon riding warlord with the Ruthless as his moniker. It is incredibly funny to watch him try to do damage control on all the awful things that the old Ryszard did. To differentiate them both in the narrative and for the reader, Feliks has people start to call him Rys. I found him absolutely charming, even though he so often speaks before thinking and puts his foot in his mouth. I thoroughly enjoyed watching him win over everyone, including his husband. Also! He's demisexual and demiromantic! I have literally never read a book before where I saw myself represented like that! It was honestly so wonderful and validating even though its inclusion is very subtle.

Marek is a classic and wonderful example of the grumpy half of the grumpy/sunshine dynamic. He has incredibly good reasons not to trust his husband, who reappeared after being presumed dead for two years. Yet, he can't resist Rys' charm no matter how much he doesn't trust his husband's new polar opposite personality. From his best friend Kasia to the denhands he teaches, I enjoyed how much he cares for everyone despite being so very grumpy. I feel like that personality type tends to be portrayed as a loner, but Marek is at the heart of his community and they all adore him. The relationship between him and his dragon is also incredible, and there is quite a lot of humor in how infuriated he is that his dragon suddenly adores his husband who used to treat them both horribly. Rys calls their dragon Honey Bunny despite there being a Whole Thing (TM) about Dragons not being owned and therefore not being named. It does not at all infuriate Marek that his dragon now only responds to Bunny! Don't be ridiculous!

Their dynamic is everything you'd expect from this sort of grumpy/sunshine pair up, especially with the added component of Rys often saying exactly the wrong thing to Marek since he doesn't know their theoretically "shared" history from before he transmigrated into the story. Rys has absolutely no knowledge of the plot or world he gets thrown into at all, so it leads to quite a lot of unintentional hurt. Still, they have an incredibly sweet romance and both work hard for their happily ever after. For me, this was a very low spice book but I didn't come here for that.

The Worldbuilding I had to give this it's own section because the worldbuilding is so fun and I want people to immediately adopt this as a new fun AU setting for fanfiction. Only nobility can become Dragon Riders. In order to be a Rider, you have to court and marry yourself a Dragon Tamer. Each Tamer has one Dragon that they tame and train. Tamers can be anyone who earns the position, and they often start out as Denhands (basically, like, squires; they help with upkeep around the Den and help care for your dragon). Denhands get adopted by a Tamer and a Rider, so their entire family structure is based around the dragon riding system and I just think that's such a fun build! Once a Tamer and Rider get married, the Rider starts to bond with their dragon and learns how to ride. Once you are done training as a Rider, you have your final test which is the Claiming Ceremony. You take a leap of faith off the cliff and if your dragon catches you, you are a fully fledged Rider. If they don't, well, you fall to your death. Womp womp. Until their Claiming Ceremony, Tamers must protect their Riders from all harm so you get an extra layer of bodyguard romance. Seriously, I need this as an AU setting for every ship I've ever seen immediately. The Plot Very straightforward! Rys thinks his only way back to his world is to survive till his claiming ceremony so he can reuse the whistle at the top of the Falls to reopen the portal. Most of the narrative is a combo of the training leading up to the ceremony, the building romance, and Rys figuring out how to be a good husband (and father lol they adopt a kid. Damon/Demon I adore you). You also see Rys unravel all the harm the character he took over did to all the people of this training camp and home city. It has plenty of found family vibes, and honestly I loved the whole main cast. Overall, this was a very lighthearted plot even though murder / being trapped in another world / falling to his death were all theoretically on the table. The humorous tone keeps the plot from getting dark or serious. It has a good pace and was exactly the right amount of plot based on what I was expecting, which is basically a romcom in a fantasy setting.

The End Spoilers time! It almost goes without saying, but this is a nice, easy, unequivocal happily ever after. I was pleased that there was still plenty of book left after the climax. We got a really nice falling action with the main characters getting together and figuring out how to stay together. Also, this nicely side-stepped any of the usual portal fantasy or transmigration angst from having to choose between returning to their world and staying with their love interest. Feliks/Rys gets to have the best of both worlds since he has a portal he can open and close with the whistle reforged. I do wish we got to see Marek meet his brother and mother, I am dying to know how that went. Also, my edition had a nice little bonus story, The Trouble With Tybald, about two of the side characters getting together as well as a closer peek at the side romance between Demon (Rys and Marek's son) and the son of the bartender. It was a fun little surprise snack at the end, even though the bonus content wasn't for the main couple!

[semper-legens]

85. Lapvona, by Ottessa Moshfegh

Owned?: No, library Page count: 304 My summary: All is not right in the village of Lapvona. Marek, the disfigured son of a shepherd, seeks punishment and absolution at his father Jude's hands. Jude sinks deeper into lies. The wetnurse cures her blindness with a horse's eyes. Agata, nun and mother, experiences an apparently immaculate conception. The local lord's decadence threatens to starve the town. And through it all, the seasons turn, and one day changes to another… My rating: 5/5 My commentary:

What a weird book. What a weird, weird book. And I mean that as the highest of compliments. This was actually recommended to me by a colleague just because of how weird it is. And, I gotta say, it was a really good pick. Surreal happenings in a medieval town, strange and unsightly characters wandering around, corruption and decadence at the heart of a small community, misinformation and coverups running throughout…this is exactly the kind of thing that I am here for, and as such, I wound up really, really enjoying this book. If you're down for something a little more offbeat, this would be my perfect recommendation for you.

Where to even begin with this book? Well, I started by saying it's weird, so let me qualify that. You're thrown into the life of Lapvona, starting with the execution of a bandit who killed some of Lapvona's children, then pivoting to a sensitive and troubled boy named Marek who tried to forgive him. The point of view fluctuates throughout, usually by one character interacting with another and 'passing on' the narrator's duties, so to speak. So from Marek we go to his father Jude, then back to Marek, then onto midwife Ina, et cetera. The result is a fluctuating, somewhat dreamlike state where sequences of events roll along with all the inevitability of destiny, as we learn the exact reasons why things turn out the way that they do. It took me a little while to get into the groove with Lapvona, but when I did I found that I was comprehending it pretty well, understanding the rich veins of characterisation that ran under every strange occurance. Things just seem to…happen, in this book, but here I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. After all, what is seemingly random at first is given greater significance later, weaving a tapestry of complicated, deeply flawed humanity.

Because this book is brutal, make no mistake. There's blood, there's anger, there's pain and death. The incompetent lord, Villiam, essentially starves the villagers for his own childlike greed. Agata, Marek's mother, is brutalised throughout the book by literally everyone. Marek kills another boy by accident in the first section. And yet, it never quite felt cruel - more that the dreamlike atmosphere changed to a surreal nightmarescape, the kind where bad things happen and all you can do is stand paralysed and watch. There are few 'good people' here, everyone's out for their own needs, but the book doesn't really moralise it - not in as many words. Instead, we the reader are left to understand that, good or bad, these are the people here. These are their lives, and these are their choices. And there's something powerful in that, I think.

Next, the real history of pirates.