#modern inheritance short

[modern-inheritance]

Modern Inheritance Short: Family Diplomacy

(A/N: In Modern Inheritance Cycle, Arya does not reveal her parentage to the rest of the Varden post-Eldest, but keeps it secret until she is forced to use Right of Blood to compel Blödhgarm to assign three of Eragon and Saphira's guards to the Nighthawks on rotation after Murtagh attempts to capture Nasuada post-Dras Leona, which is where the extended war timeline really begins in full. This call occurs a few hours after the initial war councils, a bit of rest, and a whole lot of explaining elven hierarchy and democratic election of monarchs rather than primogeniture. Nasuada wants things out in the open with Islanzadí, and this call is the result.)

~~

MIC SHORT: FAMILY DIPLOMACY

Nasuada completed the traditional greeting and allowed Arya to carry out her own before bowing her head once more in a gracious tilt. “Forgive us for the intrusion, your majesty. A matter has come to my attention that requires discussion with you at the soonest convenience. Immediately, if possible. Though I do not want to impose if you are in an ill defended position.”

Islanzadí lifted her chin slightly, golden eyes bright as ever in the shaded tent. Nasuada felt more than saw the queen flick her eagle-like gaze to Arya standing at a stiff At Ease over the Varden leader’s shoulder, as if attempting to gauge the situation from the young elf. Then she nodded the barest amount. “Now is acceptable, Lady Nasuada. Please, speak. I hope nothing is amiss.”

“Very well. Please, forgive my bluntness. But it has come to my attention that you and yours have been keeping rather important secrets from the Varden. Not only that, but members of the Varden, including members of my own council, have been bound to oaths to prevent them from speaking freely on this matter.” Nasuada did not turn when Arya shifted slightly, breaking decorum for a few millimeters of movement. 

‘Good. Squirm. At last, some leverage to keep you in line!’ The thought made the young leader bite the tip of her tongue. Arya wasn’t exactly a troublemaker for the Varden. But, at the very least, having a way to slow the whirlwind of a warrior down, even for a brief second of reflection, was a Gokukara sent miracle. The mere idea of being able to hiss ‘What would your mother say?’ before the elf charged off in a dangerous stunt was not only amusing but useful. 

Most of the amusement vanished as summer lightning flared in Islanzadí’s eyes as they narrowed in insult. “Bluntness not forgiven, Lady. You and I know full well that secrets, even among comrades, are precious indeed. Any oaths pertaining to my people that yours have taken were not extracted under duress. If you will not trust my word on this, then consultation with Eragon, Brom, Saphira, and–”

“Oh for fucksake this is stupid,” Nasuada and Islanzadí’s eyebrows shot up in unison as Arya’s poorly hidden mumble reached their ears. The young elf leaned over the Varden leader’s shoulder, hand braced on the desk, and half sighed, half growled, “Mum. Nasuada knows.”

Islanzadí’s brows damn near disappeared into her hairline, mouth opening in her mild shock as her head tilted to the side just so. In that moment Nasuada found herself cursing not seeing the similarities sooner. There certainly was some resemblance, though only in the tiny flickers of unbridled emotion that the Queen so quickly swept away. 

 “Ah. She knows that.” A quirked, slow grin crept across Islanzadí’s port lips, and damn if Nasuada didn’t fully expect to see the tip of a frighteningly large canine peeking out before the smile was gone. “Pardon my brash language, Lady Nasuada, this is for my daughter. It’s about bloody time, Arya.”

“Oh, spare me the lecture! I’ve had far too many in the last twelve hours.” Arya flicked her hand off the desk, the gesture obviously some sort of elven insult if the sharp flurry of Common Elvish and withering, familiar parental glare that followed it was anything to go by. As was Arya’s subdued mutter of, “Yes, ma’am.”

[fujoshirat]

₊˚⊹♡ Children Guide! ₊˚⊹♡

Haru and Aki - 9 years old (twin boys)

Yuu (Yuuri) and Yue (Yueru) - 7 years old (twins, male and female)

Hana - 5 years old female

₊˚⊹♡

Shouto does not cry often.

Ever since you've known him, even as a high school teenager at U.A., you had hardly seen him cry.

He cried after defeating Dabi.

He cried at graduation, worried that he would never see you again.

He cried at your wedding.

And he cried every time he held a new bundle of joy in his arms.

You and Shouto have five beautiful children. Two sets of twins and a daughter. Out of all of your children, Hana was the most sensitive. Practically a carbon copy of you (a miracle because all of your other children looked like your husband), the five-year-old inherited your empathy and sensitivity. She was the sweetest one with the biggest heart but when she cried, it seemed like it would never end.

As the youngest, especially the youngest daughter who just so happened to look a little too much like you, Shouto was wrapped around her little finger. Sure, your other daughter Yue loved attention from her father, but she preferred showing off how "cool" she was to her uncles (Shouto was and is still very worried about how she'll grow up in the future if she keeps hanging around with Katsuki, but oh well).

Every night, after dinner, Shouto carries Hana up the stairs of the traditional yet modern Japanese family home and helps her get ready for bed.

₊˚⊹♡

One night, while reading a book in bed, you hear the door open as usual. Not bothering to look up, you continue reading.

"Are all of the children in bed already?"

You wait for a response, but nothing comes out of his mouth. Your ears perk up at the sound of shuffling, and you look towards your husband.

"Shouto? What's wrong?"

He looks at you with a pout on his face, his teeth biting his bottom lip. You quickly put the book down and quirk a brow.

"Baby?"

Shouto just sighs and gets into bed. He tucks his head into the crook of your neck, his short hair (shorter than it was in high school) tickling your chin.

Suddenly, you hear the faintest sniffle and feel something wet on your collarbone.

Just like that, Shouto erupts into tears. After a few minutes, the top of your nightgown is soaked and the fabric is bunched up in his hands.

"Shouto, baby, talk to me please. What's wrong, my love?"

You gently cup his face in your hands and tilt his head up to face you. Did something bad happen at work? Is his family alright? He cheeks are stained with tears and his eyes are red. Your husband sighs.

"I failed as a father."

What??? You stare at him in disbelief and shake your head. "Shou, honey, you did not fail as a father and you will not fail as a father. We talked about this before having children. Yo-"

"Hana doesn't want me to carry her upstairs anymore!!"

Your jaw drops as he continues quiet-sobbing in your chest. That was what he was moping about? Your hand gently pats his back, and you have to tilt your head up to stifle a laugh.

"Shou, you're sad about that? Why?"

He looks up at you with an unamused expression, face still adorned with a pout. "Hana doesn't want me anymore."

₊˚⊹♡

After finishing her dinner, Hana clumsily puts her plastic utensils on her plate.

"Hana-chan," you called out while washing dishes, "go get ready for bed, okay?"

"Okay mama!" Taking that as his usual call, Shouto gets up from the couch and walks over to his youngest, whom is already at the stairs. He begins reaching out for her to pick her up.

"Hana, are you ready to-" "Papa, Hana is a big girl now! I wan' to go up by myshelf!" The little girl slips out of his embrace and climbs up the stairs, leaving Shouto slack-jawed and flabbergasted.

"A-ah... alright darling, I'm coming..."

₊˚⊹♡

"Babe, you're still her father. She's five! Maybe she wants to be a little independent like Yue." Shouto grimaces at the comment. Another female Katsuki Bakugou running around in the household? No thank yue (get it? hahahah/j ok nvm im not funny ig).

You kiss his forehead tenderly and look him in the eyes. "Our children won't stay children forever, okay? Hana must grow up sometime, and we felt this way when all of the twins began becoming independent. But just because they are growing up doesn't mean that they don't want us anymore. I still care for my parents and you still care for yours." His heterochromatic eyes gazed at yours, mesmerized and captivated by your beauty and words. Finally, he lets out a quiet sigh and hugs you.

"You are right. Thank you, my love."

₊˚⊹♡

"Bye darling! Have a good day!" Reaching up on your tiptoes while your unfairly tall husband reaches down to meet you halfway, you tenderly kiss him on the lips before he leaves for work. The Haru and Aki fake-gag at the display of affection, making you chuckle in response. Closing the door, you shift your attention to your youngest, busy eating apple slices. You could tell that Shouto was still a little upset about the day before, but he managed to hide it well. You shook your head and went to the kitchen window to water your hydrangea bushes when suddenly you got an idea.

"Yuuri! Yueru! Could you two come here for a second please?"

₊˚⊹♡

"I'm home."

"Papa!!"

As Shouto closed the door, your children rushed to him like a wild herd. A chorus of "Papa!"s and "Guess what!"s filled the room, making Shouto laugh.

"Now, now, one at a time. I missed you all." He picks up Yue as she excitedly rambles about her day. "Papa! Guess what! Mama let all of us take Hana to the park!"

"Oh wow, really? Did you have fun?"

"Mhm! We played tag and ate dango after!" In the corner of his vision, he sees you walk into the living room with the same, breathtaking smile that you always greet him with. Putting his chatty daughter back down, his hands find your waist while his lips press against your forehead.

"Welcome home, my love. Sorry, I was finishing up something."

"You don't need to apologize, darling. Thank you." Taking his hand, you lead him to the dining table. "All of the children except Hana already ate, so you can eat." You turn to look at your youngest, who surprisingly finished her food already.

"Oh? Are you finished, Hana-chan?" The little girl nods tiredly, her chubby cherub cheeks puffed out slightly. Shouto's heart clenches at the sight, but he can't help but notice a subtle shift in your expression, the slight upward quirk of your kissable lips. He watches you approach the five-year-old and help her out of her chair.

"Aw, you don't want some of the cookies we baked two days ago?"

"No mama, Hana's too tired." You giggle softly at your daughter's cute expression and nods. "Alright baby, thank you for finishing your dinner. You made mama and papa very happy." Both you and your husband watch her give you another sleepy nod as she looks up at Shouto.

"Papa, I'm ready for bed." Shouto hesitantly walks closer to his daughter, worried that she'll do the same thing again and reject him.

However, Hana just looks at him with sleepy doe eyes and arms outstretched to him. Her little body stays planted to the ground.

"Papa, I'm waiting. You're s'pposed to carry Hana."

You mentally facepalm at the sassy response and third person referencing while speaking, no doubt one of her classmates taught her that at kindergarten, though you suppose that you can let it slide just this once when you see Shouto visibly tear up. He not-so-subtly brings his left hand up to cover his eyes as his right hand gently picks up Hana as if she were made of glass. As his little princess wraps her arms around his neck and rests her head on his shoulder, he chokes on his words.

"Ah, yes my darling, Papa will always carry you."

You watch your husband walk up the stairs with your youngest, tears spilling from your own eyes.

Well done, (Y/N). Well done.

₊˚⊹♡

The next morning, Shouto appears to have gotten a week's worth of sleep in one night. Extra excited and happy (and clingy), he wouldn't keep his hands off of you. As he put on his boots, however, he hears faint giggling coming from the kitchen. Quietly, he walks to the open archway connecting the kitchen and rest of the house. There, he sees both sets of twins, Haru and Aki and Yuuri and Yueru, as well as you opening your reusable grocery bag and pulling out two chocolate bars. While giving it to the twins, Yue lets out a loud cheer, Aki kicking her shin and shushing her. He observes his pretty wife as she lets out a quiet laugh. "Thank you, my darlings. You really made your father happy."

₊˚⊹♡Extra, prior to the shenanigans₊˚⊹♡

"Yes mama?" The twins say in unison. Your eyes sparkle with a glint of mischief as you lean in close to whisper something.

"I need you to drain Hana-chan's energy today so that she is very sleepy after dinner. I'll give you both a bar of your favorite chocolate if you do this successfully."

Yue, ever the overenergetic twin (who really is just hungry for chocolate), excitedly waves her hand around. "Ooh! Ooh! I know! We'll take her to the park to play tag!"

"Excellent idea!" You clap your hands in agreement and look at Yuu. "Yuuri, darling, could you ask your elder brothers if they would also like to join in?" The more sedate twin nods and starts walking to his elder siblings.

₊˚⊹♡

A/N: Guess who's back from exhaustion and the dead (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶) I cannot believe I have been inactive for almost two months and I apologize ToT Hopefully this short fic of mine will make up for the lost time! This idea was hilarious and super fun to write!! I hope that you enjoyed and that it wasn't too hard to follow. I love writing for Shouto I just love that fine-ahh man, so this was super self-indulgent.

October was a mess for me, both physically and mentally. Hopefully by the middle of November will I be less busy. Thank you, readers, for bearing with me and my inactivity, and I hope that you continue enjoying all of my works ♡♡♡

[allpiesforourown]

I know people hate “bully/victim” ships so IM SORRY theres just a silly modern au bully bingge idea i’ve been thinking about a lot lately .

cw for the above mentioned dynamic!!

Luo Binghe getting into some exclusive academy after finding out about his family’s inheritance. He immediately hates all these out of touch rich people… all of them except for Shen Yuan. 

They have a basic meet cute. Shen Yuan spills Binghe’s coffee and offers to buy him a new one, giving him a tour of their campus while they’re out. He introduces him to the librarians and the office staff. Binghe is certain this is way too good to be true, and Shen Yuan has got to have some ulterior motive. 

One some base level he knows Shen Yuan is a good person that is being kind for him for no particular reason. He’s seen him do the same for other people. But the idea of him being just one of the many people Shen Yuan is friendly with makes him feel bitter and self-conscious. So he’s like fuck it, I hate Shen Yuan actually he’s gotta be a green tea bitch or something (because if he’s not it will literally shatter his world-view if he finds out not all people are greedy and bad) 

Hear me out . listen. Pushing someone around is something that can be so homoerotic

Bingge picking on Shen Yuan and being super, super aroused the whole time. He’ll dump water on shen yuan as a joke, then ignore everyone else laughing bc shen yuan’s shirt is sticking to his skin and his nipples got hard because the water was cold-

Or he’ll take shen yuan’s glasses and hold it above his head so shen yuan has to stand on his tip toes and come really close to try to grab it back (one time he even tripped and fell against binghe’s chest!!) Because he’s nearsighted, sometimes Shen Yuan will even forget to put distance between their faces and be within kissing range while he argues with Binghe. 

Once he snuck into the changing room and stole shen yuan’s clothes so he would have to walk back to his dorm in his swim trunks. He definitely didn’t take pictures of Shen Yuan’s blushing face walking back to his room half naked and he definitely didn’t keep the clothes and sniff them like a weirdo haha…

It’s an average day for them (Binghe takes shen yuan by the wrists and holds him against the wall and calls him a fragile little princess and taunts him by saying he’s not strong enough to break out of his hold. Prime bullying tactic for someone you’re in love with 1. Binghe gets to see live reaction of sy’s face when he’s pinned down and struggling and can save that image for later use 2. Physical closeness, they’re practically pressed together 3. Shen yuan bruises easily and seeing binghe’s handprints on his wrists for like a week is super satisfying 4. Binghe can call him romantic pet names like princess or wife and shen yuan will just think binghe is calling him effeminate as an insult) 

Luo Binghe even lifts Shen Yuan’s hands above him to catch both wrists with one hand and says, “You can’t even get out if I only use one hand?” It makes Shen YUan flush red from humiliation in suuuch an adorable way. 

So anyway, Binghe is picking on shen yuan in the back room of some office somewhere, doing his whole routine because he’s been hurt too many times in life to be vulnerable with someone again and this is his only way to achieve intimacy with the person he loves. He’s been saving the “are you sure you’re a man? Maybe I should check” card for a long time and he’s so excited to use it. He’ll even say something about Shen Yuan’s dick being so short, he should just wear a skirt and become a real man’s wife, and that’s BULLYING, it’s NOT a kink, binghe does NOT jerk off to the thought of Shen Yuan wearing short dresses and greeting him home, he DOESN’T. (he does) 

Before he can fulfill this amazing plan, Liu Qingge, another man in their year, barges in?? Obviously, they fight and Binghe’s chance to feminize his crush slips through his fingers

The worst thing is ??? Liu Qingge rescued Shen Yuan like some righteous prince saving the damsel in a fairy tale. Shen Yuan is not allowed to have a storybook romance with someone else! He hates Liu Qingge so much it’s unreal

It becomes impossible to corner Shen Yuan and get some time alone. He and that Qingge guy are together more and more often. Liu Qingge is in the library carrying Shen Yuan’s books now? Now they’re always hanging out on the grass having lunch?? They’re discussing what electives they can take together?!?! 

It’s been like a month since he’s gotten to properly tease shen Yuan and he needs it bad. If he doesn’t pull down shen yuan’s pants in public to embarrass him (and see his ass) soon, he might actually die. 

Then he spots him: Shen Yuan walking to class. Unaccompanied.

Luo Binghe is so overcome with exhilarated relief, he doesn’t even think about what he’s gonna do. He just runs over, ignores Shen Yuan’s screaming, throws him over his shoulder like a bag of rice, and carries him away. 

Shen Yuan freaks the hell out because, okay, petty insults and light fighting are one thing, but he’s straight up getting kidnapped?? That’s not bullying anymore, that’s a crime!! 

Binghe knows he only has so much time before Qingge manages to find them. He needs somewhere he can hide – he races back to his room before he can plan any further. He throws Shen Yuan on the bed, locks the door, and sighs in relief. 

Shen Yuan is sure he’s gonna die. He has no idea what he ever did to piss Binghe off so bad. Yes, he spilled his coffee, but he got him another one! 

Binghe takes a seat on the bed as well. He averts his eyes away from him bashfully, but glances back periodically like a maiden trying to play coy. Shen yuan has no idea how to navigate whats happening. He backs up on the bed until he hits the wall and holds up a pillow like a shield, except- there’s something underneath. 

It’s the cucumber patterned gag boxers he got as a joke from airplane. No one in the world would buy them. “Is- is this my underwear?” 

Binghe lunges at him to knocks the evidence out of Shen Yuan’s hand, but instead pushes him onto his back and ends up with his hands on either side of Shen Yuan’s head. 

Shen Yuan is shocked in place. Binghe, on the other hand, is in bullying-cute-boy withdrawl. He sees Shen Yuan's beautiful face flustered by their position, on Binghe's bed, and POUNCES.

Now that Shen Yuan finally understands his feelings, Binghe has permission to torment him! And he does. For hours, with various tools and against every surface. 

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Compelling Characters

Characters & Goals

“Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.” –Kurt Vonnegut

Characters should almost always have clear goals, even if these goals are not immediately made obvious to the reader.

Without goals, characters lack motivation—that is, they have little reason to do anything interesting.

For this reason, many writers connect the main character's goals to the main conflict in the story. This generally means that the main obstacle to those goals plays a key role in the plot as well (for instance, in the form of a villain).

Often, the main character is most interesting and when confronting his own shortcomings in pursuit of his goals.

There are a few ways to construct this character-plot connection:

CHARACTER-FIRST APPROACH

Constructs a story’s plot for a character that already exists.

It asks a writer to build a character that they find interesting and then assemble the plot around them.

Example: A character who is struggling to overcome a phobia might, as a plot element, come into contact with the thing she fears. Success in this instance would mean that she doesn’t let the fear overcome her.

PLOT-FIRST APPROACH

Starts by defining the major conflicts the writer wants to include in a piece of fiction and then builds a character who will be motivated by those conflicts.

Example: A writer could decide to explore the effect of a catastrophic storm on a city before writing a main character. A character that would feel motivated by this conflict would be one with a connection to the city or to someone living in the city. Therefore, the son of someone who went missing in the storm would likely be a good focal character for this story.

Small Goals & Big Goals

Though it’s important for characters to have at least one big goal, it can be boring for the reader if a character is totally preoccupied with a single motivation.

Strong characters generally have two or more goals of varying sizes that they might confront separately or at the same time.

The reader excitedly anticipates your character's success or failure in achieving their goals.

Believability

Another factor that can contribute to a successful character is an element called “verisimilitude,” also called “believability.”

When writers talk about believability, they talk about whether the constituent parts of a character make sense and feel cohesive.

Example: We might expect a character who gets paid minimum wage to struggle to pay her bills, so if we see her driving an expensive car or spending several hundred dollars on a meal at a fancy restaurant, we would question these details.

There are, of course, stories in which these situations could exist, but the reader would need to know what allowed them to happen (inheritance from a late relative, perhaps, or an irresponsible approach to personal debt).

Suspension of Disbelief

Stories that take place outside of a realistic modern setting will generally require some extra work on the part of the writer to make them believable.

This is because of an idea called “suspension of disbelief.”

This refers to the tendency of readers to challenge details of a story that seem out-of-place, but not to question those details if they are presented with enough contextual justification.

Example: A story contains people who can fly with human-size wings. The reader would need to learn early on that this is a normal event that occurs in the story world. A reader who unexpectedly encounters flying humans three-fourths of the way into a short story could easily be baffled by this development, and might also consider it a cheap cop-out if it's used to resolve a plot conflict.

Adding Physical Detail

In addition to planning your characters thoughtfully, you must also sketch them coherently on the page.

Careful selection of physical and environmental details will make some of your character’s traits visible to your reader without you having to tell them outright what you mean. Examples:

A character who is disorganized might have wrinkled clothing or might consistently arrive late to appointments.

An introverted character might bring a book or notebook everywhere they go and might also stay out of crowded spaces (or feel uncomfortable in those spaces).

Symbolic Meanings

Be aware of the other meanings that a detail can bring into a piece.

A physical detail, especially one that appears multiple times within a work, might also develop symbolic meanings in addition to its literal meaning.

Writing Exercise

In a short vignette, and using only physical details (e.g., characters' clothing, appearance, or body language), make it clear to a reader that a character is experiencing one of the following conditions: worry, hunger, grief, joy, confusion, lack of sleep, anxiety, homesickness.

The word you chose should not appear in your vignette, nor should any synonyms.

Adding Personality

Broadly, “personality” refers to the collection of beliefs, thought patterns, and other mental qualities that dictate a character’s actions.

A personality trait could be the character’s bubbly disposition, their self-deprecating humor, or the fact that they’re always nervous.

When constructing a character, it’s important to think about how she would react in a number of situations.

Here are some questions to help you discover your character’s personality traits:

Is he fond of attention, or does he avoid it?

Is she curious to learn more about a topic/location/person, or does she keep to herself?

How big of a role does fear play in his day-to-day activities?

How does this character react if things don’t go the way she wants them to?

Does he think that he’s more intelligent/less intelligent than others around him?

Does she think she’s average? How would she define “average?”

How does he feel about making decisions?

Does she make decisions quickly or slowly?

Does he tend to regret decisions they’ve made?

It’s helpful to connect these traits to elements from the character’s life or past.

Example: A character who grew up with a controlling parent might have difficulty making decisions once they start living on their own.

Personality traits might also overlap with physical traits.

Example: Talking too loudly or too softly or interrupting others.

It’s also important to make sure that your characters aren’t good at everything they come across.

Doing so will reduce your story’s believability because—let’s face it—no one is good at everything.

To this end, you should allow your characters to fail at something, whether that something is huge or inconsequential.

Writing Exercise

In a short vignette, deliver some news to your character.

The news can be good or bad.

It can affect just the character, or the entire world population, or any number of people in between.

How does this character react?

Who do they tell, if anyone?

How do they interact with the space they’re in (e.g. punch a wall, hug a stranger)?

Try this exercise several times with the same character but different contexts (e.g., the character receiving the news alone versus receiving it in a public place) to see how they react under different circumstances.

CAUTION: Using Fictionalized Versions of Real People

It’s common for writers to borrow details from real life—the shape of a stranger’s chin, a classmate’s clicking of their pen during a quiet exam, or the restaurant server’s shrill laugh, to give just a few examples—but a writer should be wary of recreating an entire person on the page.

There are legal reasons not to do this, of course, but there is also the danger that a story filled with too many real-life people and events will be flat and boring.

Fiction should generally be a healthy mix of the ordinary and extraordinary.

If the mix is skewed too far in one direction, the reader can find the piece too unbelievable or too boring.

Source ⚜ More: Writing Notes & References ⚜ Writing Worksheet: Conflict Lists: 170 Character Quirks ⚜ +600 Personality Traits ⚜ 100 Sensory Words

[croquis-el]

Naruhodō vs Art

As we well know, our lawyer is not only distinguished by his sharp mind, but also by his sharp tongue. He can be very categorical in some things, such as correct pronunciation or moral principles. However, the objects of art receive the greatest share of criticism from him. And he has the right to have his own opinion on this matter, especially since he graduated from the Faculty of Arts. (jp. 芸術学部 [geijutsu gakubu] )

Let's look at his comments in the original.

Painting in the office

The first thing that shows us one of the striking traits of Naruhodō's character is the painting that hangs in the reception area of ​​the office where he works. You can only interact with it in Case 1-2 of the first part of the game. I know that many did not pay attention to it because of the rush and disturbing music, so I'm showing it here.

大きな絵画だ。

モダン・アートというのだろうか。

It's a big painting.

Is it called modern art?

ぼくには、ただの 失敗作にしか見えない。

To me, it just looks like a failure.

Here Naruhodo uses the word 失敗作 [shippaisaku] - failed creative work, flop, dud

This is a very specific and rude word for something man-made. Literally useless trash that is not worth even a second chance

Now do you understand HOW much he dislikes this painting? And the fact that his work station in the office reception area was at the table that stands directly in front of this huge "something" tells us that for Naruhodo, his days were spent under pressure on his sense of beauty.

Now tell me, what are the chances that he threw this painting to hell when he inherited the office? I believe he got rid of it without regret.

___________________________________________

Tasteless Christmas decorations

和風のたたずまいに、悪趣味なクリスマスのかざりつけ。

A Japanese-style atmosphere with tasteless Christmas decorations.

悪趣味 [akushumi] - bad taste, vulgar, gross

Naruhodo doesn't mince words at all, as you can see.

___________________________________________

Magnificent screen

リッパなビョウブだ。

ずいぶん古そうに見える。

That's a splendid folding screen.

It looks pretty old.

････お経････のようなものが書かれているな。読めないけど。

It looks like a sutra. I can't read it though.

立派 (リッパ) [rippa] - splendid, fine, handsome, elegant, imposing, prominent

屏風 [byoubu] - folding screen

As you can see, he not only scolds, but also admires art. And even gives high marks to the folding charm in the Ayasato estate.

___________________________________________

Horrors of handicrafts

あそこに捨てられてる

粗末な木バコは、もしかして････?

That crude wooden box that was dumped there, could it be...?

(仮面マスク････いっしょに盗んであげればよかったのに)

(Mask... You should have stolen it with you)

粗末 [somatsu] + な [na] - crude, rough, plain, humble, shabby

Naruhodō was shocked to see the wooden box for the urn, and even when he learned that Mayoi made it, he did not change his mind, and only wished for Mask to steal the urn along with the box.

___________________________________________

Painting in the defendant's lobby

“絵を見る”というココロのゆとりすら、なかったんだ。

I didn't even have the mental space to "look at the picture."

ゆとりを持って、あらためてゆっくり鑑賞してみよう。

Take my time and appreciate it again.

たいした絵じゃないな。

Not a great picture.

Naruhodo says that the painting is not 大した (たいした) [taishita] - considerable, great, important, significant, a big deal

He literally says that it was not worth his time. It was nothing. And he should have continued to ignore it, as he did during those years.

Naruhodo also uses very interesting words 見る [miru] and 鑑賞 [kanshou]

And if 見る [miru] means to see, to look, to watch, to view, to observe, then 鑑賞 [kanshou] implies appreciation (of art, music, poetry, etc.)

I suggest you read a short explanation from an archived article from Studio Ghibli from January 7, 2006, titled:

見ると観るは、どう違う？(What is the difference between "miru" and "kanshou"?)

While "miru" means to see an object through one's eyesight, "kanshou" seems to mean to get closer to the truth while looking at it from a bird's-eye view. There is no point in just casually looking at the picture being drawn. You have to observe the whole picture from the details to the smallest details and think carefully about what is necessary for the picture.

(https://www.ghibli.jp/ged_01/10log/000231.html)

In other words, Naruhodo says that he didn't have time to even "miru" (look at) the painting, so he'll do it now. And not just look at it, but appreciate it. And... he didn't like it. It's a shame about the time he wasted.

Based on the above, one can make a modest assumption that Naruhodo is more attracted to traditional Japanese art (plus check out his posts with comments on authentic things).

I hope you found it interesting and learned something new about the main character.

[lillithsalvatore]

new beginning

pairing: single dad!jacaerys x actress!reader summary: in which jacae finally think its time for you to meet his son, aegon velaryon warning: modern au, jace being a single dad. english is not my native language!! please be nice!!

You’ve been dating Jacaerys Velaryon for a little over a year now, and it’s been nothing short of a dream. He’s kind, intelligent, and carries himself with an effortless charm that always makes you feel at ease. But beneath his warm smiles and easy-going nature, there was one thing you knew was important to him above all else: his son, Aegon.

From the beginning, Jace had been upfront about his life as a single father. He told you about Aegon on your first date, his eyes lighting up with pride as he spoke of his son. You’d listened, intrigued by this man who spoke so openly and lovingly about fatherhood. It was clear that Aegon was the center of his world, and you respected him even more for it.

Over the months, Jace would occasionally share stories about Aegon—a funny thing he said, how well he was doing in school, or how much he loved to play soccer. The two of them had a bond that was unbreakable, and you admired that. But for as much as you knew about Aegon, you had yet to meet him. Jace was protective, wanting to ensure that any new person in Aegon’s life was there for the right reasons. And you understood that, never pushing him to take that step before he was ready.

But now, after a year of building your relationship, Jace had decided that it was time.

"I want you to meet Aegon," Jace had said one evening as you were cuddled up on the couch, his voice steady but with a hint of nervousness. "If you’re ready, that is."

Your heart had fluttered at the thought. Meeting Aegon meant that Jace saw a future with you, one that included not just him but his son as well. You’d nodded, a smile spreading across your face as you reassured him that you were more than ready.

The day arrives, and as you stand outside Jace' home, your nerves are a tangled mess. You’ve visited his house many times before, but this time feels different—more significant. You smooth down your dress, trying to calm your racing heart as you take a deep breath. This isn’t just about impressing Aegon; it’s about showing him that you’re someone who will care for him just as much as you care for his father.

Jace opens the door, his familiar, warm smile instantly putting you at ease. "Hey," he greets, pulling you into a hug. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you," you murmur against his chest, feeling a bit of the tension ease away. He presses a kiss to your forehead before pulling back, his eyes searching yours.

"Aegon’s in the living room, probably playing with his Legos," Jace tells you with a fond smile. "He’s really excited to meet you."

You nod, letting out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding. "I’m excited to meet him too."

He takes your hand, leading you inside. The house is filled with the cozy warmth you’ve come to associate with Jacaerys—a space that feels lived-in, full of memories. You can hear the soft clinking of Lego pieces being shuffled around, and your heart skips a beat as you realize that in just a few steps, you’ll finally meet Aegon.

As you round the corner into the living room, you see him—a small boy with curly brown hair that’s unmistakably inherited from his father, sitting on the floor with a concentration that makes you smile. He’s building something intricate, his little hands carefully placing each piece with the precision of an architect.

Jace clears his throat gently. "Aegon, buddy, I want you to meet someone."

Aegon looks up, his wide brown eyes—so similar to Jacaerys’—flicking from his father to you. There’s a moment of silence where he studies you, and you can see the wheels turning in his young mind, assessing who you are.

"Hi, Aegon," you say softly, kneeling down to his level. "I’m Y/n. I’ve heard so much about you."

He tilts his head slightly, curiosity evident in his gaze. "Dad talks about you a lot," he says after a beat, his voice small but confident. "He says you make him really happy."

Your heart melts at his words, and you glance up at Jace, who’s watching the interaction with a soft, almost shy smile. "Well, your dad makes me really happy too," you reply, your voice warm and sincere.

Aegon considers this for a moment before nodding, seemingly satisfied with your answer. "Do you like Legos?" he asks, holding up a piece of the spaceship he’s been working on.

You chuckle, nodding. "I do! I used to play with them all the time when I was your age. Maybe you can show me how to build something cool?"

His face lights up at the suggestion, and he scoots over to make room for you beside him. "Okay! I’m building a spaceship right now. Do you want to help?"

"I’d love to," you say, sitting down beside him. You can feel Jace watching the two of you, and when you glance up, you see a mixture of relief and joy in his expression.

As you and Aegon work together on the spaceship, you find yourself relaxing, the earlier nerves dissipating. Aegon is bright and inquisitive, asking you questions and explaining the different pieces with the seriousness of an expert. You listen intently, genuinely interested in what he has to say.

After a while, the three of you move to the kitchen where Jace has prepared a simple dinner—grilled cheese sandwiches, at Aegon’s request. The evening flows naturally, filled with laughter and easy conversation. Aegon warms up to you quickly, his initial shyness giving way to excitement as he shows you his favorite toys and talks about his friends at school.

As you sit at the table, Jace reaches over to squeeze your hand, his thumb brushing gently over your knuckles. There’s a look in his eyes that tells you everything you need to know—he’s happy, and so are you.

Later that night, after Aegon has gone to bed, you and Jace find yourselves back in the living room, the remnants of the Lego spaceship still scattered across the floor. He pulls you close, wrapping his arms around you as you lean against his chest.

"Thank you," he murmurs, pressing a kiss to your temple. "For today. For being so amazing with Aegon."

"I love him already," you admit, your voice soft as you rest your head against him. "He’s an incredible kid, Jace. Just like his dad."

He chuckles, a sound that vibrates through you. "You’re incredible too. I knew Aegon would love you."

You smile, feeling a sense of contentment settle over you. This, you realize, is what you’ve been waiting for—a family, a future with the man you love and his son.

As you sit there in the quiet of the night, you can’t help but think that this is the start of something beautiful. The three of you, together, just like this.

[sunshinehaze1]

Unwrapped

Pairing: Joel Miller x f!reader (f. Marcus Acacius & Lucilla Aurelius)

Summary: You attend your friend Lucilla's annual holiday party and meet someone new.

Warnings: 18+, MDNI. Modern AU, no outbreak or battles in the colosseum, meet-cute, fingering, unprotected PiV (do better), creampie, no use of y/n

a/n: This is my Secret Santa gift for my beautiful friend @ak-vintage. Her Pedro faves are Joel, Marcus A., and Din. I hope you like it, Ash! ❤️ and that you'll forgive me for not elaborating further on the party bathroom smut 🤭 tysm to @80ssong for the beta! 🥰 and big time thanks to @pr3ttynpiink for organizing! ❤️

word count: 4,386

ao3 | ml

As you walk up the driveway, you admire the lights trailing along the edges of Marcus and Lucilla's house. They live in a large, luxurious home decked in over-the-top opulence. Roman columns frame the front porch, wrapped in garland and accented with gold bows and lighting. Glittery white lights perfectly line the edges of the house, and more are draped meticulously over the immaculately trimmed shrubs. Their house practically lights up the whole neighborhood. It's hard to imagine their electric bill; you're thankful you don't have to pay it.

You met Lucilla earlier this year while volunteering at the local food bank. You decided to volunteer to meet people after moving to the area recently. Lucilla comes from money; her father was the CEO of a local business, and she inherited a large amount of money when he passed. So she has plenty of free time to give back to those in the community who are less fortunate.

After one of your volunteer shifts, Lucilla invited you for coffee. You found her to be surprisingly down to earth. It's not typical of your experience with people who come from money and have had things handed to them. She's very grounded and wise. You quickly became friends, and she's like the big sister you never had. She has at least a decade on you, and you've often turned to her for advice as you assimilate to Austin. It's comforting to have a support system in the area.

You've been invited to her beautiful home for dinners numerous times and met her handsome husband, Marcus. He's around Lucilla's age with soft, greying curls, always perfectly coifed. His face is framed with Romanesque features and a prominent nose. Having retired a couple of years ago as a general in the Army, he still maintains a thick, sturdy physique that offers an intimidating presence. He's anything but. You've only seen him as soft, gentle, and welcoming. You've spent enough time with them that you've been able to observe their relationship quietly, and it's nothing short of "relationship goals." You hope to find a loving relationship like theirs for yourself one day.

They throw these holiday parties every year, and this is your first time attending. You're bound to have a great time based on what you've heard about past years' parties. And you look forward to meeting new people. Who knows, maybe you'll meet someone.

Lucilla and Marcus go all out. The outdoor decorations were only a precursor to what awaits you inside. It looks like a Christmas store blew up. Garland is wrapped around the staircase banister and the fireplace mantle with perfectly placed ornaments. Every door frame is adorned with mistletoe dangling over the threshold, waiting for unsuspecting guests to pass through. Santas and snowmen of varying sizes sit on tables and shelves. Silvery snowflakes decorate the walls, and you spot not one but three different Christmas trees. Each has its own theme.

The expansive kitchen island has a beautiful spread of charcuterie, wines, and liquors and a punch bowl of spiked egg nog; holiday songs, clinking glasses, and the smell of mulled cider waft through the air.

--

Joel is a good sport. He's not a fan of large gatherings. He'd much rather hang out in the backyard with a beer, catching up with his brother. Or when Sarah was still at home, a night on the couch watching a movie. Nights that would end with Sarah falling asleep halfway through the movie and Joel carrying her upstairs to bed. With his reserved nature, he tends to be a wallflower at parties and a quiet observer. This one, which his employee, Marcus, invited him to, is no different.

He's found himself in a corner, making small talk with another partygoer who, unfortunately, found out what Joel does and has since been bending his ear about house renovations. Joel spots you as you walk through the door, ignoring the man in front of him, who continues to prattle on how he can't decide which faucet to place in his half bath.

Joel finds himself gawking at you. You're a vision in your eggplant velvet wrap dress with a satin sash tied into a bow on the side of your waist. The dress hugs every curve of your body, with a skirt that falls to your mid-thigh, providing Joel a view of your shapely legs. The dress's neckline cuts into a deep v, hinting at what's underneath. You're a fucking knockout.

He observes as you juggle a wrapped gift box for the white elephant exchange and a hostess gift in your other hand. It's a lavender-scented candle. You've noticed Lucilla wears the scent often. You greet Lucilla with a hug and kiss on the cheek. Offering her a wide, glowing smile. Oh god, you're beautiful. Joel is shaken from his enamored haze when the sound of broken glass interrupts his thoughts. He must find a way to talk to you before he leaves tonight.

--

Over the last hour or so, you've had a chance to meet everyone at the party—neighbors, family friends, Marcus's old Army buddies, and their spouses. All of them were very nice, but the small talk was exhausting, so you're thankful when you hear Lucilla quiet the guests with a shout, "ALRIGHT EVERYONE TO THE LIVING ROOM! It's time for the gift exchange."

You enter the living room and look for a place to sit. Various chairs are lined up around the couches, almost all already taken. You decide to remain standing rather than scramble to find an open seat.

While Lucilla explains the rules, a basket with small pieces of folded-up paper is passed around the room, with numbers 1-30 written on each. You select yours and pass it to the man beside you; rough fingers graze your hand as you complete the handoff. He thanks you, and you turn to get a better look at the owner of the deep, gravelly voice.

You're struck by how ruggedly handsome he is. A sharp nose, plush lips, and patchy facial hair sprinkled with greys. He's wearing a crisp light blue button-up and dark jeans that hug him just right. It seems you haven't met everyone at the party yet. How did he escape your notice?

He catches you staring, "What number did ya get?"

"Um…" you look down at your paper, "29. How about you?"

"Looks like I got lucky tonight," he turns his piece of paper around to show you, "30." He winks.

Uh oh. He's handsome and charming. You're in trouble.

"Name's Joel. How do you know Marcus and Lucilla?"

You introduce yourself and tell him about your volunteer work and how you met Lucilla. "And you?"

"Marcus works for me." Your surprised reaction amuses him, and he continues. "After he retired, he was looking for part-time work to keep himself busy. I own a contracting business."

That explains his rugged appearance and calloused hands. You take in his broad shoulders and biceps, which cause the seams of his shirt to work overtime to stay together. Lucilla interrupts your thoughts, "OK, now that everyone has their number, we'll go ahead and get started!"

A woman named Simone starts things off. After selecting a gift from under the tree, she tears the wrapping paper to reveal a cat-shaped ice cube tray. The crowd erupts in laughter when she shows it around the room. It's not a very appealing gift, which likely means she'll be stuck with it. You doubt anyone will want to "steal" it from her, but at least it has practical use. 

The game continues with half the participants taking their turn. Lucilla's son, Lucius, is next. You met him briefly when Lucilla introduced you earlier. He's in town to spend the holidays with his mother. After over a decade apart, he reconnected with Lucilla a few years ago. The relationship is still in repair but moving in the right direction. You know how important it is to Lucilla to have him here.

You haven't gotten the full story from Lucilla, but you know it's a sensitive subject for her, so you've never pressed too hard. You've left the door open for her to share if and when she's ready. He and Marcus seem to have an agreeable relationship and get along fine, which you're happy to see. Stepparent and stepchild relationships can be pretty fraught. He's a handsome kid who resembles Lucilla, but you think he inherited most of his looks from his father.

Lucius takes his turn and decides to steal a gift that was already stolen, securing it himself. The game continues as the room works through the numbers. A steady din of laughter echoes through the room as the exchange becomes more cutthroat. It's all in good fun, though.

Finally, it's your turn. You walk over to the tree where two gifts remain. One is a box covered in teal wrapping paper with a gold diamond pattern and embellished with a twine ribbon. The other one is a tall, slender gift bag that is the perfect size to hold a bottle of wine. You choose the box and return to your spot next to Joel.

All eyes in the room are now on you as you unwrap the gift. Pulling the paper away, you squeal when you see it's a Funko Pop figure. You try to remain calm when you remove the rest of the paper and recognize it is The Mandalorian and Grogu.

This is a score, and you can't believe your luck. You love Star Wars, especially The Mandalorian. And it's not just because you have a crush on the actor who plays him. You love the storytelling and the world-building. This isn't something you'd buy for yourself, but you'll proudly display it in your home. With Joel as the last person left, you hope your brief interaction with him has earned you enough favor that he won't steal your gift.

However, you don't know that Joel and his daughter watch The Mandalorian over Facetime every Sunday night. It's a way for them to stay connected now that she's miles away. They're on their third rewatch, and he treasures these nights with his daughter. He eyes the Funko Pop in your hand and thinks Sarah would get a kick out of this cute figure. Even if he has no clue what a Funko is.

Joel hems and haws, trying to decide if he should go for the last gift under the tree, which he suspects is a bottle of wine. He wouldn't have much use for it as he's more of a beer guy. Or steal your gift and potentially derail any opportunity he may have had to get to know you better. After a few moments of quiet deliberation, he opts to steal.

You huff in defeat, bummed that you lost out on your gift, and hand the box over to Joel. You know it's all in good fun, and Joel had no malicious intent behind his decision. You retrieve the last gift from under the tree, confirming your suspicion of what was inside.

After the gift exchange is complete, the guests disperse throughout the house. You're looking over the wine's label when you feel an elbow nudge your bicep. Your attention turns to Joel, who has a sheepish look. "Sorry for that. My daughter and I love The Mandalorian. We watch it together every Sunday night while she's away at school," he sighs.

Now, how can you be upset about that? Of course, he had a heartwarming reason behind his decision to steal. "Oh, it's no big deal. I'm just happy he's going to a good home."

Joel chuckles. "Would you like a drink?"

You nod and follow him into the kitchen.

--

With your cup of eggnog, you settle at a threshold out of the way of party traffic. He tells you more about the contracting business he owns with his younger brother. You share more about yourself and how you moved to Austin for a job opportunity. He's incredibly handsome, and you get lost in his brown eyes. His quiet confidence and sense of humor are extremely sexy.

Joel recounts a time when his brother screwed up an order for a job. He ordered the incorrect size of lumber and set the project back a week. Joel took over placing orders after that. He shares his hunch that his brother purposefully messed up the order, so he no longer has to do it.

His retelling is endearing. Through it, you get a good sense of his love for his brother, but as with most sibling relationships, some things drive him crazy. You can relate.

A silence falls between you two for the first time since you began talking. You're not even sure how much time has passed. However, it's been long enough to cause a crick in your neck since you've had to look up at Joel this whole time. You tilt your head, rolling it back and forth to stretch it out. When you open your eyes, you're frozen as you realize where you and Joel have been standing. Your chest begins to warm at the implication of where this could lead.

Joel follows your gaze to see what's caught your attention. He gulps when he spots the leafy instigator. His palms sweat as he straightens, and you make eye contact.

The warmth in your chest has moved up your neck as Joel's eyes lock with yours. The swirl of the party moves around you two, and you feel frozen in time. At this moment, it is just you and Joel. A soft smile appears on his face. "Welp. Do you know what this means?"

You swallow, take a deep breath, and offer an inviting smile. "It can only mean one thing."

Joel leans in. You feel his hot breath as his face nears yours. This sweet, funny, handsome man is about to kiss you, and you remind yourself to breathe. His index finger lifts your chin toward him, his lips brushing over yours. It feels like hours have ticked by at this standstill when only seconds have passed. But your patience still wears thin, "Well…what are you waiting for?"

Joel laughs and finally closes the distance. His lips capture yours in a chaste kiss, aware you are not alone. You press your lips to his and let out a soft moan. The sparks you've only read about in novels start to fly, butterflies flutter around in your stomach, and you see fireworks shooting off behind your eyelids. You keep them shut out of fear that you'll wake up from a dream if you don't.

You blink back as you pull yourself away from Joel. Knocked on your ass over a kiss. If his kiss can feel like that, you can only imagine what more would feel like. And you would love to find out.

Wide-eyed, you coo, "That was a really good kiss."

Joel nods, brushing his thumb along his bottom lip. "Yeah, I wouldn't mind doing that again."

"Me either," you giggle, feeling bold, "and maybe more?"

Joel quickly grabs your hand, determination in his eyes, "Follow me."

--

There's no shortage of privacy in a house of this size. The large amount of guests allows you and Joel to sneak off unnoticed. With your hand in his, he pulls you behind him in search of a more conspicuous location. At the end of the hall, you spot an open door that leads to a beautifully appointed bathroom: marble countertops, travertine tile, and a glass-enclosed shower with a waterfall showerhead. Large mirrors with an intricately designed gold frame sit over each sink. This is just the guest bathroom?!

He whips you around to face him and pulls you in for a kiss, not chaste this time. This kiss is brimming with passion. A mix of tongues dancing around, exploring each other's mouths. Playful nibbles leave their marks on each other's lips.

Your palms flatten against his firm chest, and you grip the lapels of his shirt and yank it open. The top buttons fly across the counter's surface and bounce every which way—ping, ping, ting—until they land flat on the surface. Hiding your giggle behind your hand, you look up at Joel apologetically. "Hey! I liked this shirt!" he bemused.

You walk your fingers up his now bare sternum and pinch his chin mischievously. "Oops, my bad!"

"Oh, you're fucking trouble, aren't you?!"

"Only one way to find out," you tease.

"Oh, honey, you bet your sweet ass I will." His hands caress your waist and hips, enjoying the feel of the velvet over your soft curves. "But first, I want you to see how gorgeous you are." He kisses you before he turns you to face the mirror.

Joel stands tall behind you. His hands roam along your body when he captures your gaze. With pleading eyes, he asks, "Can I unwrap my gift now?"

You nod. He pulls down the neckline of your dress and frees your tits from the cups of your bra. You let out a small gasp. He looks at you in the mirror while he kneads them, tweaking your nipples between his thumb and index finger. He nuzzles into your neck and ascends with featherlight kisses to your earlobe, and whispers, "You're so fucking gorgeous."

With a gentle squeeze of your breasts, "gorgeous tits." His husky voice sends a shiver down your spine.

One of his hands moves down your body. His fingertips trail up the back of your bare thigh and underneath your skirt to your ass. A sly grin appears on his face when he doesn't feel any fabric impeding his exploration. You decided to wear a thong tonight to avoid panty lines with the way the fabric of the dress clings to your figure. With a firm squeeze of your bare cheek, "gorgeous ass."

You whimper at his attention and praise, overwhelmed by his adoration of your body. Both hands make their way to your neck, and he turns your face toward him, "gorgeous lips," and he devours you in a toe-curling kiss.

He hisses when your ass backs into him in response. His hardened cock straining the front of his jeans. You suck in your breath, apologetically, "I'm so sorry."

He chuckles, "It's ok, baby." He brushes his lips over your nose and tilts back with a glint in his eye, "You can make it up to me."

You quirk your eyebrow, "oh yeah, how so?"

He doesn't answer you. Silently, he grips your hips to turn you back to face the mirror. He grabs your hands and places your palms flat on the cool marble. He watches your tits bounce in the mirror and feels his cock get impossibly harder. "Stay. Just like this."

You feel the arousal pool in your belly at his command. His hands travel down the sides of your thighs and up under the skirt of your dress. His fingers slip under the elastic band of your thong, and you hear the lace fabric rip.

He slides a calloused finger through your slick lips. A growl escapes him as he feels how wet you are. "This pussy's just drenched for me, isn't she?"

You whimper out a strangled "yes." Overwhelmed by the feel of his thick fingers through your folds, teasing your entrance and brushing against your clit.

Finally, he shows mercy and slides a finger inside you. You clench around his thick digit as he enters you to his last knuckle, his fingertip reaching that spongy spot just right, sending an intense wave of pleasure through your body.

He leans forward, his whole chest pressed against your back. The heat from his body envelopes you. His husky voice vibrates in your ear, "Fucking dripping."

You groan when Joel pulls his finger out to taste you. "Such a sweet fucking pussy. I can't wait to make a whole meal out of her."

He breaches you again with two fingers, and you buck forward at the pleasurable stretch. He begins to thumb against your clit while his two fingers thrust inside you at a steady pace.

"Fuck. I can't wait to get you out of here. I want to take my time with you. The things I want to do."

"Tell…" breathless, "…me."

"I want to eat your pussy until your legs shake." he continues his exploration of your cunt. "Suck on your perfect tits. Fold you in half while I fuck into you until you scream my name."

"Yes, fuck…Joel, I want all of that." Your imagination is running wild at his ideas, the tension is building, and you're ready to snap.

"You'll get it, but I need you to come for me, darlin'." Desperation in his voice, "My cock needs to be inside this perfect pussy."

His words were all you needed to push you over the edge. You brace yourself on the counter as your orgasm moves through you, your walls fluttering around his fingers.

As you come down from your high, Joel quickly unfastens his jeans and lowers them along with his boxer briefs, releasing his throbbing cock. You feel his length bop against your ass. His fingers run through your pussy to coat his dick with your arousal. He lazily strokes his dick while bunching up the skirt of your dress over your waist with his other hand.

His palm runs over your bare ass cheek and slowly navigates your curves to your other cheek. You whimper when he pulls his palm away, already missing the warmth of his skin against yours. The unexpected strike of his palm causes you to jolt forward with a whine.

"Fuck! This is a juicy ass," he growls as his fingers dig into your flesh.

"Do it again. Harder." you pant.

You catch his devilish grin in the mirror as he lifts his arm with a flattened palm. The din of the party muffles the sound of it moving through the air before it lands on your other cheek. Harder. Just like you asked. You feel another wave of arousal rush through you.

"Oh, baby. We're going to have so much fun."

Joel takes his cock and runs the tip through your folds, You haven't seen it, but you can feel it's big as he teases your entrance with just the tip. Your mouth begins to water as you fantasize about taking him between your lips, the heavy weight of it on your tongue as you take him down your throat.

You're so distracted by the thought of choking on his dick that you yelp in surprise when his cock enters you with a forceful thrust; his pelvis slams into your luscious cheeks.

"Oh, she's fucking…" Joel pants, "she's fucking, tight."

He begins a steady pace of fucking you. His hands gripping your hips, fingertips digging in with a bruising force.

He reaches around your waist to rub your clit while he continues a relentless pace. Your walls clenching around him. Breaths increase, and your chest is slick with sweat. His thrusts push you into the counter, driving into you while he rubs your clit. The marble cooling your heated chest. "C'mon, baby. I feel you squeezing me. Let go for me."

You wail out his name as your climax takes hold. He pulls you up against his chest, his hand cupping your breast as he fucks you through your orgasm. Hot breath against your ear as he seeks his release. You wrap your hand around his neck and pull his head toward you. Your lips brush against his ear, and with a whisper, eyes fixed on him in the mirror so you can see his reaction, "Fill me up. I want to feel you dripping out of me."

Joel whimpers. He fucking, whimpers. He's at the precipice of his orgasm and grasps onto your tit tighter. You squeak at the pressure. One. Two. Three more thrusts before he spills into you, drenching your pussy with his seed.

His forehead collapses onto the back of your shoulder; his labored breathing begins to even out. When he looks up, your eyes meet his in the mirror. You both are completely fucked out. Half dressed, tits hanging out, disheveled hair, smeared lipstick. He leans back to get a good look at his spend leaking from your pussy. A boyish grin expands on his face into a toothy smile as he pushes his cum back inside with his finger. "Gotta keep my gift wrapped up."

You roll your eyes and laugh.

Joel grabs a clean washcloth from the towel bar and runs it under warm water. He gently runs the damp cloth over your inner thighs and sensitive folds, cleaning himself before tossing the washcloth in the hamper.

You notice it's after midnight, and you'll need to get home soon—even though you don't want the night to end. You both scramble to dress. Joel stops short when he realizes he can't button his shirt back up all the way. He looks around to find the loose buttons on the counter and pockets them. Softly, you brush his forearm and coo, "I can sew those back on for you."

He winks and kisses the tip of your nose. "Worth it."

--

You accept Joel's offer to walk you to your car, but not before you say your goodbyes. The two of you part to find Lucilla and Marcus to thank them for the party.

When you find Joel again, he guides you toward the door, holding his gift in one hand and the other against the small of your back. He leans toward your ear and teases, "We'll need to discuss visitation arrangements." shaking the figurine in the air.

You playfully swat his chest at his teasing.

You and Joel are unaware that Marcus and Lucilla are watching this exchange from afar. Lucilla turns to Marcus and wonders, "Now, why didn't we think to set those two up? They're perfect together."

"It doesn't look like they needed our help anyway." Marcus wraps his arm around his wife and kisses her temple. "Another successful holiday party, my lady."

Lucilla rests her head on his shoulder and lets out an exhausted but contented sigh. "Until next year, my love."

--

Thank you so much for reading! I'd love to know what you think. Reblogs and comments are greatly appreciated. 🫶🏻

I've got an idea brewing to revisit these two (four)...if I get a wild hair, I may take a swing at it. 😏

npt for folks who were interested in this WIP: @baronessvonglitter @kilamonster @half-moon16 @peepawispunk

[underhell69]

Villain type character for my AU, Otis

Also, I should mention that the canon name for the hetaloids in my AU is 'Embodied Nations' so ill be referring to them as EN for short form.

Otis was born about 5,000 years ago, and he had his whole family murdered by Ivan - who went by the name Goliath at the time (due to his immense stature as a Flesh beast): Goliath was looking for a worthy human to fuse with, as he caught word from other flesh beasts the benefit of fusing with a human, but he didn't just simply wanted to find a random human; He wanted to have some fun with it. So, he told his worshippers that the man who kills the most people would be a worthy sacrifice and would spend their afterlife in paradise. One man managed to slaughter his entire village, however, he was forced by Goliath to kill his own family: the man couldn't do it - Goliath urges him, trying to convince him that his family would see the same afterlife paradise as he would. The man attempts to kill, but the cries from his children prevent him. Goliath gets inpatient and obliterates the man’s family right in front of him, then stating that he made up the whole thing about him and his family going to heaven and that he killed all those people for Goliath’s amusement, just for added nonsensical cruelty. Then he fuses with the man.

However, from sheer luck, one child survives of the family - that being Otis. Goliath, now Ivan (Still goes by the name Russia or Russias embodied nation in modern times) in his new human form and mind, has no urge to kill the child. He finds it odd, it is the first time he's never had an urge to kill (not in the way that he inherited the man’s compassion for his child, more so the human baseline cognitive state of not wanting to kill a child), so he lets that kid go roam the tundra. Otis was then eventually found by Pangea’s cult, and then over time he became the high priest, he still believed that the cruelty inflicted by the Flesh beasts/ENs were for a good reason - The memories of Goliath slaughtering his family was very foggy due to his very young age at the time, and viewed Ivan setting him free to the tundra as like. Some divine plan or some bullshit lol. 

But over time Otis and the rest of Pangea's Cult kept being ridiculed and mistreated by the ENs (example: ENs held a human taxidermy contest using the cultists, telling them that sacrifices would go to heaven if they participated) Otis eventually saw the EN’s as the parasites they are, and disbanded from the cult for the new purpose of eliminating the EN’s - believing that if they destroy the ENs, world peace is brought forth, essentially believing all despair, greed, power hungriness, turmoil, war, famine, climate change and the very human sin is caused by humanities' connection with the ENs.

Otis started to study their biology or any weakness they might have had. However, the cult grew smaller and smaller with time, as they lost hope in ever trying to overthrow literal god-like beings and found it easier to simply live under their rule. Otis never gave up; however, his old age was getting the best of him… desperate to continue his work, he found ancient fossilized flesh beasts and started experimenting on himself by injecting small amounts of it into him. Over time, like the process of building venom immunity, the flesh beast material didn't kill him, but in fact made him somewhat immortal. He doesn't have the super strength of an EN nor the super healing, only being able to live forever. He is somewhat like a living mummy, as his skin and organs atrophied over the centuries of injecting the flesh beast material. In modern times, Otis is the only surviving Pangea Cult member, and while the EN’s are MUCH tamer than they are in modern times, he still has the belief that by removing them - the world would be way better off - as well somewhat motivated by revenge against Goliath/Ivan.

Pangea cultist designs - high priest being Otis pre fossil injection design

Bonus comic of Otis capturing Ivan - showcasing ENs only weakness (from non-ENs) is high voltage, which causes them mild paralysis. There was more to the comic where theres an exposition introducing Otis and his motivation, Ivan scoffs at him, finding it amusing at the very least. He's never seen a revolution from humans like this before. However, he slowly grows more concerned as he's unable to break through the restraints, and Otis able to inflict wounds on him due to him using the remains of long dead flesh beasts to make his weapons.

So as I'm working on some actual plot for my little au, I also wanted to share some notes about Matthew/Canada that I dont think ive shared here yet (besides the fic that I drew fanart for which shares the same idea of his angst being an embodied nation/immortal pseudo god) which is that Matthew hates being what he is. He wants to be a normal human. He even larps on college campuses pretending that he is one

so we have Otis, dude who wants to destroy hetaloids.. and we have an hetaloid who wants to be a human.. and is desperate to be one...and could be potentially taken advantage of under the guise of being transformed into a human and not as a research subject to be used to destroy hetaloids... food for thought.

[modern-inheritance]

Modern Inheritance: Cracked Armor (Short) (Extended War Timeline)

(A/N: This devolved into Saphira and Glen quietly squeeing to each other while Eragon and Arya have a camaraderie moment completely oblivious to the possible deeper meaning of Eragon being so understanding of Arya's connection to Fäolin and Arya being so touched by it. It started out as a touching piece where Arya feels vulnerable about Fäolin and Eragon is, as said before, very understanding of it, but I had to run an errand in the middle and we ended up with this badly toned, no one is consistent with previous characterization slop. So take it with a grain of salt.

Also, if you ask Arya if she's superstitious, she'll say no. However, she finds many things the Varden soldiers do to honor their fallen friends a good way to respect the memory of the dead, so she follows some of their traditions. She also wears Fäolin's dogtags on her belt, muffled by magic ofc so they don't jangle around.)

CRACKED ARMOR

Glen looked over when Arya let out a soft curse. “Ah, damn it all.” The familiar sound of an armor release clip clicked into the still dust laden air as the younger elf undid the fastenings at her right forearm. “Fucking Wardbreakers. I can’t fix this out here.” 

The dismay in her tone was enough that Glen leaned over his battlemate’s shoulder to take a look at the damage. The bracer was dented in significantly, enough that a dark bruise was already blossoming up on Arya’s forearm as she lifted the sleeve of her combat suit to check for any bleeding. Cracks shot out from the divot in the mix of spidersilk and aramid weave, all the way down to the interior layers. The thin sheaf of spongy aerated gel peeked through in places, a shimmering, foamy white among blued steel and matte black.

Mentally mapping out the angle of impact, Glenwing racked his brain. He was sure at some point he had–

“Ah!” The medic looked down. A blob of malformed metal was embedded in the abdominal region of his own armor plates. “Was wondering where that ricochet came from.” 

“Are you alright?” That she had asked him was telling, at least in their odd little language. The round must have stung on impact, enough that she was worried it had not slowed enough to prevent him from being harmed. He would have to look at her arm, but for now he was pleased she was moving it without any wincing or restricted range of motion. 

Having made his own assessment, Glen waved away Arya’s increasingly troubled frown. “Barely felt it. Looks like your armor’s the most damaged of all of us.”

Frown eased, the disappointed air returned to Arya’s face. “Yeah. Better the armor than any of us, but…” She trailed off, fingers tracing the damage. 

“You two okay?” Eragon was tugging off his helmet as he approached. He had caught the concern in the voices of his companions and, leaving Saphira in Blödhgarm’s capable hands to finish up the final nicks and scrapes, went to investigate. “Sounds a bit depressed over here.”

Arya held up the damaged bracer. “We took a casualty.” Eragon took the armor piece and let out a low whistle. “Don’t know who the hell fired it, but it was definitely a Wardbreaker.” Her expression soured further, eyes oddly soft despite the obvious annoyance. “I can’t repair it out here. Rhunön’s the only one who can fix something this broken, and who knows when we’ll go back.” 

Eragon passed the bracer back. “You have spares, don’t you?”

The elf shrugged. “For this one in particular, yeah. I guess it’s lucky in that regard.” 

“Oh.” Glen’s voice was muffled as he slid his chestpiece over his head. Once free he gave his currently wild silver mane a good shake to clear his eyes and tilted his head in condolences. “It’s that one.” 

At Eragon’s raised eyebrow, Arya rubbed the back of her neck. “It’s…a good luck charm. It’s not my original bracer.” Glen rolled his eyes and not-too-subtly kicked the side of his battlemate’s foot. “Fine! Fine. It’s Fäolin’s.” An unexpected blush met Eragon’s gaze when he flicked his eyes from the damaged armor back to Arya’s face. “Some…old tradition a buddy of mine taught me. Even if our dead stay dead, they can protect us in a way. I might have taken that literally.” 

To the elf’s surprise, Eragon was smiling at her when she finally looked up. A genuine, gentle smile that lit his face. Shit, why did he suddenly look so much like Fäolin in that moment? Not really, not his appearance, but the feeling he was giving off, that warmth? 

“That’s a wonderful idea.” The Rider touched Arya’s shoulder. “I know I’m not much on the whole repair side of things, but if Rhunön made it, then perhaps her spells from forging Bris–my sword. From forging it could help?” 

Glen didn’t move. This was a moment. Don’t breathe, don’t move, let them have it. He could feel Saphira’s mind hovering at the edge of his, questioning, and he let her in to explain and show what exactly was going on. The pleased amusement that radiated into his thoughts echoed his own, though far less tense in anticipation. 

…These two dorks were fast becoming a fascination for the dragon and medic alike.

“Thank you.” Arya’s hand covered Eragon’s at her shoulder, genuine appreciation thickening her words with emotion. “That…that you offered means a lot. But Rhunön’s armor spells are different from her weapon spells.” 

Ah! Glen could see another hint of blush on both of them now. He shared his internal excitement with Saphira. The equivalent of a draconic high five buffeted his mental form in equal elation.  

“I see. Well, if you do want some help with it, just let me or Saphira know.” Eragon shifted his grip and gave Arya’s hand a quick squeeze before pulling back. “I think Rhunön did pack me some aramid repair tape when she was going through Saphira’s saddlebags. Would that help?”

“Immensely. Thank you!” The gentle squeeze was returned and just like that, the two separated. 

Glen hastily busied himself with unlatching the hidden clasps at his left bicep, a grunt of dismissal all Eragon got for a goodbye. The difficulty wasn’t entirely false, the armor never having been altered to fit over his prosthetic properly, and it provided the perfect cover to hide his smile.

A bit too tight still. Damn it. Okay, now he actually couldn’t–

“Oh, come here.” Arya reached up and seized a handful of his combat suit, giving the stretchy material a firm yank. Glen hit his knees with a whuff of surprise, eye to eye with his friend and giving her a sheepish grin. “If I get you out of this without taking your arm off, then will you tell me what the hell that weird look you were giving me and Eragon was?”

“What look?” He may have sounded the picture of innocence, but the open handed cuff to the side of his head made clear that his face was betraying him yet again. “It was nothing! I just hadn’t realized that you and Eragon had talked so much about Fäolin.” 

Arya rolled her eyes and, with practiced ease, teased the stubborn clip open with a satisfying clatter. “Uh huh. You looked like you had eaten some fermented mango again.” 

“I did not!” A teasing smile had started at the edge of Arya’s lips, her fingers finding the next clasp in the system out of pure habit. At the positive sign Glen lowered his voice. “Okay. I really didn’t know how you two were getting along. Neither of you mention it, but the Bloodoath is almost two years past now. You both seem…better. Even better than before.” 

A softness flitted across his battlemate’s eyes as she lifted away the medic’s bracer. “He’s really grown up. Saphira too. They’ve both matured a lot.”

“Yeah.” 

The silence between them grew until Arya had finally shimmied the armored glove off Glen’s prosthetic. She regarded the final piece with a thoughtful look before turning back to her bestest of friends and, as gently as gently got with Arya, whapped him on the side of the head with it. 

“Stop being so weird about me and Eragon, weirdo! We’re friends! Stop making it weird!”

[mymoshangthoughts]

something something modern au but this time SHANG QINGHUA is the slut next door

look, he's an outgoing and sexually curious dude with a lot different /ahem/ research he'd like to do for his writing. and sex is fun and he's just your average slutty dude with a few sex friends and a few successful one night stands

and mobei jun is Suffering

the walls are thin and wow oh wow does he not want to hear the sound of the guy he's miserably crushing on getting laid multiple times a week. in fact, he would very much like if shang qinghua's sex noises were something that only he ever heard

sure, he could move out. it would be as easy as bowing his head to his shitty uncle and regaining access to his inheritance. which would suck for trauma reasons, but it wasn't like he was stuck in this shitty little apartment. but if he DID move out, what excuse would he ever have to meet shang qinghua again???

they only meet during random neighborly moments. taking out the trash or getting the mail or coming home from work, that sort of thing. he doesnt have any real connection to shang qinghua. just the knowledge that his smile is sweet enough to make mobei jun's heart just about melt and that he has the cutest nervous rambles and that he's a gigantic unrepentant slut

what sort of torture is this?! mobei jun isnt slut-shaming (he's a little bit slut-shaming) but does anyone really need to get their dick wet that often?!?! and it's insane because mobei jun can't get a handle on shang qinghua's type either. bc when he shamefully looks through his peephole to see who is leaving shang qinghua's apartment, the types vary WAY TOO MUCH

men, women, tall, short, muscular, skinny, refined, grubby--just what exactly did shang qinghua like about these people?! and how the fuck was mobei jun supposed to get shang qinghua to look his way if he couldnt pin down what he actually LIKED????

one day shang qinghua forgot a book in the lobby and mobei jun, desperate by this point to learn anything more about shang qinghua, had picked it up and brought it home

EXCEPT IT WAS A WEIRD PORNY CULTIVATION NOVEL WRITTEN BY SOME AIRPLANE GUY and oki it's actually kinda fun, mobei jun is a little invested in the plot, BUT THIS DOES NOT HELP HIM TO FIGURE OUT JUST WHAT SHANG QINGHUA IS LOOKING FOR IN A PARTNER

altho he's beginning to suspect that shang qinghua makes an active effort to try out some of the more outrageous positions from the novel, judging by the noises that come from nextdoor.

meanwhile airplane thinks that his stuffy neighbor hates his guts this whole time bc every time they meet, mobei jun glares at him and is really short with him. his impression of mobei is "hot, scary, and mean. prolly shouldnt approach if i wanna keep all my teeth". all of mobei jun's desperate pining is completely lost on him. but MAN mobei is really hot, so shang qinghua is pouring all of that horny energy into sex with other people LOL

[jeanxarminweek]

Hey, jearmin nation!

You asked for it, and you got it: our jearmin fic rec list is finally here!

Small disclosure: this list is by no means exhaustive and contains a small handful of fics in both canon and alternate universes. Only complete works have been included, and we've done our best to include a diverse selection of writers. If we're missing any of your absolute favorites, feel free to suggest them so they can be added!

Lastly, be sure to mind the ratings and the tags.

CANONVERSE

This section will include works that take place in the canon AOT universe. This does include a mix of post canon, canon divergent and canon compliant fics of various ratings and lengths.

love, hate, and the language of violence by pylons

T, oneshot, 21.2k

There is Safety in His Arms by Insomnia_with_dreams

E, oneshot, 2.2k

to see another tomorrow by orphanedaccount

M, oneshot, 6.3k

Obelisk by corbaccio

E, oneshot, 6.3k

Paint Tomorrow Blue by batwake

M, oneshot, 41.9k

Survival by suchakidder

M, oneshot, 4.4k

In For a Penny by fizzydreamer

E, oneshot, 4.2k

For as Long as We Have Left by xajie

E, oneshot 7.5k

Water Will Hold You by onewhodiedyoung

T, oneshot, 1.6k

the knot by orphanedaccount

Not Rated, oneshot, 1.7k

give me your strength (our life is so short) by itspointydumbass

M, oneshot, 1.2k

Torrential by malfxy

E, oneshot, 4.4k

Nightmares by MissErikaCourt

M, oneshot, 5.3k

I'll Be Seeing You by bitchbot3000

M, oneshot, 5k

Nimbostratus by imriel_montreve

E, oneshot, 2k

Stay by jearminbrainrot

E, 2/2, 16k

Worthy of You by bees_n_sunshine

E, 8/8, 34k

The Night Will Keep Our Secret by UntamedValleyOfThePatriarch

T, 4/4, 3.8k

Before / After by LoneSweetPea

M, 17/17, 36.1k

In Moments Between Battles (we find peace) by AceofAliens

Not Rated, 16/16, 27.5k

AU

This section will include works from various alternate universes.

Wicked Inheritance by wordsforjearmin

M, royalty AU, oneshot, 9k

In the Tent by xajie

E, cowboy AU, oneshot, 2k

homeward bound by yeokseobam

G, farmer AU, oneshot, 7k

Growing Pains by little_miss_jearmin

G, modern AU, oneshot, 3k

Duty’s Price by malfxy

E, royalty AU, oneshot, 4k

please take what i can give by likeanoldcardigan

Not Rated, university AU, oneshot, 1k

in shades of red and gold by aster_rain

T, modern AU, oneshot, 11k

Meet Me at Midnight by levicoffee

T, university/serial killers AU, 8/8, 30k

Cowboy Like Me by justalevisimp/levicoffee

M, cowboy AU, 6/6, 52k

No Strings Attached by cinnamonghost

E, modern AU, 26/26, 93k

Copy-Room Romance by fandomette

E, university AU, 19/19, 129k

Different From the Rest by arminloverfae

E, modern AU, 33/33, 126k

Peaches by vidnyia

T, cowboy AU, 10/10, 32k

Rockin’ Your Heart by simpingsuzuki

M, modern AU, 28/28, 229k

Wind in the Sails by vidnyia

T, 1800s/sailor AU, 16/16, 60k

Blood Like Ice by luna_trancy/porgatino

M, detective/criminal AU, 28/28, 87k

Orange Sorbet & Summer Sea Breeze by bees_n_sunshine

E, modern AU, 25/25, 116k

seven years by harrystyleshotpocket

G, university AU, 4/4, 5k

A King and His Knight, Whose Hearts Become One by simpingsuzuki

G, royalty AU, 3/3, 20k

bite the hand that feeds me by likeanoldcardigan

Not rated, modern AU, 11/11, 16k

[requinoesis]

do the sharks in your universe go through parthenogenesis? if they do, do they have control over the pregnancy or does it happen at random?

That's a very interesting question! I thought about it and yes, parthenogenesis happens to the sharks in my universe. One of the characters, the zebra shark called Aria, is the fruit of parthenogenesis.

As for the cause, even for our science today, it is still unknown how this works or whether the female shark has control over it in any way. It is not known whether the females trigger the phenomenon or whether it happens spontaneously. I haven't found much information either; it's something very new to us. Recently, a stingray in captivity became pregnant by parthenogenesis, for example. Stingrays belong to the same family as sharks.

As there are few answers at the moment, I decided to take inspiration from a fantasy idea about this. What I'm going to tell you now is a fictional vision of the origin of parthenogenesis:

My shark people theorize that parthenogenesis is a kind of "Shadow of Decline", an ancestral ability inherited by female sharks that withstood mass extinction events in the primordial ages of the planet.

They theorize that there were probably times when the male shark population declined, so the females who were able to adapt to create "backups" of their genes through cloned daughters prevailed, while those who lacked this adaptation became extinct.

In short, they theorize that females, in situations of stress and prolonged absence of male sharks, trigger a clone as a type of genetic reserve. As she gets older, she transfers the responsibility to her cloned daughter, who may have a better chance of finding a partner to pass on her genes and ensure the survival of the species.

In the context of civilization, the conditions for parthenogenesis to take place are still unknown. But my sharks link the phenomenon to a stress response and prolonged life without producing offspring.

Maybe it's not a good comparison, but it would be a kind of menstrual cycle that instead of happening monthly, happens randomly between 10~20 years after sexual maturity. (I used as inspiration a female blacktip reef shark that developed a fetus in her uterus after 10 years of living in an aquarium without the presence of males).

Modern shark society offers full support to females who don't want to go ahead with parthenogenesis and are given full assistance to carry out abortions. But there are also many females who choose to accept the phenomenon, go ahead with the pregnancy and become the mothers of these children, while some females give birth but hand the newborn over to "kindergartens", which act like orphanages/schools/universities that provide full support for the child to grow up and become independent or be adopted.

A reminder that children born from parthenogenesis will always be girls and with identical genes to their mother. Because of this, some females are afraid to go ahead with parthenogenesis, as they fear that their daughters will suffer from the same physical or mental health problems as their mothers.

In the case of zebra shark Aria, her mother has a neurodivergence and she feared that her daughter would suffer as much as she did, but she decided to go ahead with her daughter's parthenogenesis. Despite having the same neurodivergence, she views it with a completely different approach to her mother, which gives her hope and support.

That's it! I'm sorry if I've written too much or if my English is strange, I got carried away, maybe I'm missing more details, but that's what I've thought so far. Any other ideas to enrich this would be welcome!

It's a very interesting creative exercise to imagine how parthenogenesis would be viewed in a civilized society like ours.

[spirkkock]

A (NSFW) Modern AU where Nedward and Jopson are a cute little married (?) couple getting their house restored and Tozer is a thirsty contractor who gets swept up into a steamy throuple??? Hello??? can anyone hear me?????

Ned and Tom inherited a Georgian or Victorian home from Edward's grandmother or something, but it needs serious work, like needs to be taken back to the studs (or the Victorian equivalent) almost. And Sol comes in to rewire the ancient (fire hazard) electrical.

Down-on-his-luck Sol (having recently lost his job with a construction company) and knows way more about building than just being an electrician is like... hey.... you know they ran all this plumbing wrong here and you can easily salvage the shaker wall paneling in this room instead of tearing it out.

So Ned and Tom are like.... yes? tell us more? so Tozer is just kind of like "well I've got a guy (Morfin) who can run this plumbing again for a really reasonable price, and frankly I could do a better job of retiling this kitchen, and I know a guy (Bridgens) who is really into restoring old Victorian toilets and bathtubs if you need one. Oh by the way - these plaster and lath walls on the first floor don't even need to be removed, I could install some picture rails here so you don't damage the plaster when you hang stuff on the walls."

so they fire the shitty company they had before and put all of their faith in Sol and his mismatched team of contractor friends.

and it's a miracle for Sol because he's had a really unstable couple of months, what with losing his job and then getting booted out of a horribly fucked up polycule and losing his housing stability to boot. So he throws himself into this job which is so much better than just working as just an electrician.

And pretty soon the house becomes (sorta) livable, so Tom and Ned move in while he's still working on it - and then shit hits the fan.

Mostly because Tom works from home and likes to watch Sol with his unnerving blue eyes and walk around in shorts that are, frankly, obscene while also (not-so) subtly bending over to put paint swatches on the wainscoting or whatever. And whenever Ned is there (Saturdays) he's always trying to be helpful but doing a miserable job of it and then moping around with his big sad eyes and his fuck-me lashes while Sol does the heavy lifting.

And this is a Big Job, and a long one, so it's months and months of this, until eventually Ned and Tom are asking Sol to stay for dinner or join them to watch the game against liverpool or whatever - and they're both driving Sol up the wall because he's so horny for both of them he could die but they're MARRIED.

and then one horribly hot day (when Sol is working on re-installing the newly restored windows on the second floor so that the central AC the HVAC guy (Peglar) put in can actually start getting used) and he's stripped out of his shirt and is sweating obscenely - Tom brings him up a sandwich and some cold water and nearly drops the plate when he sees Sol glistening and flexing like that. And it obviously results in Tom on his knees (don't worry, he's using Sol's kneeling mat to protect his lovely delicate knees from the unfinished floor) giving Sol the sloppiest, filthiest blowjob of his life and it melts Sol's damn MIND.

Only this is a huge problem because now all the sudden he's fucking Tom half the time instead of working, and he can't look at Ned in the eye because, Christ, he's been banging this guy's husband in nearly every room in their house. And now Sol is a nervous wreck because Ned is always trying to coax him into staying for a beer or some takeout. And Sol isn't even picking up on the way Ned's hands linger when he claps him on the shoulder or the long knowing looks between Tom and Ned whenever Sol goes red and looks away from Tom's ass or that pale sliver of skin where his shirt rides up.

Sol is totally going to lose this job and never be able to use them as a reference.

Until one Saturday Tom corners Sol in the upstairs bathroom while hes installing the beautiful clawfoot tub and crowds him up against the recently restored sink to shove his hand down Sol's pants. And Sol is like, "Wait-please-Tom-don't --- ohhhh god - Ned is -fuuuuuck - NED is DOWNSTAIRS" but of course Tom just cuts him off with a vicious kiss and keeps stroking him off.

And the stairs creak - which mean's Ned is coming up but Sol can barely register it because Tom's hand feels so good and his lips are so hot and demanding. But then Tom pulls away and Sol makes eye contact with Ned over his shoulder and - oh fuck - he's cumming so hard into Tom's palm that it nearly makes his knees give out.

And there's a long moment of horrified silence where Sol is frozen, cum cooling on his stomach, Tom's hand still around his prick, and Nedward is looking at him with wide dark eyes and his stupid pouty mouth open in shock. And Sol is white knuckling the sink so hard he thinks he might rip it right out and ruin all the beautiful work he's done. This is it - he's cooked - this whole thing is crashing down around his head now, while his cock is out and the tub isn't even all the way installed.

But then Ned's pink tongue is darting out to wet his lips he palms himself with one of his big hands and his voice is low and gravely and totally filthy as he says, "Christ, Sol - you two look just as hot as I imagined."

And Tom is leaning in and snickering against his throat, and Sol doesn't know if his brain is just fully been scrambled but he doesn't understand what is happening at all. But then Tom is kissing him, and when he comes up for air there's a second pair of lips there to meet him, and it takes him a moment to realize that they're Ned's. And fuck his kiss is so hot and wet and Sol is moaning.

Needless to say he's a wreck of a man and so confused to find out that Ned has known all along that Sol and Tom were fucking - duh - there was a coordinated effort to try and get him into their bed, but that Ned was convinced Sol wasn't interested so he had backed off and just been satisfied hearing about it second-hand from Tom.

So Sol gets to have hot threesomes with two beautiful men all the time now as he finishes up the house and he takes some convincing but eventually Ned and Tom get him to agree to move into one of the spare rooms (although their bed is big enough for all three of them so it rarely gets used, actually)

and maybe Ned uses a little bit of that inheritance to loan Sol and friends what they need to start an honest-to-god historical restoration contracting company.

NOW EXPANDED: [[PART 2]]

[galactic-glamour-girl-posts]

The Animaniacs Shared Universe (A.K.A The Tooniverse)

It goes deeper than you think!

(I put way too much thought into this lol)

Tier 1 - Mutually Canon (They definitely share a universe)

I'll be separating each property mentioned into tiers (hey I told you I put too much thought into this). This tier is for properties where characters from Animaniacs have shown up in them as themselves, and vice versa. These have to be more than just references. No parodies, knockoffs, cases where the characters exist but are fictional in universe (as in they're not toon actors, they're fictional cartoon characters with no thoughts of their own), etc. These are part of the ASU, no question.

Tiny Toon Adventures

First, there's the fact that Ralph debuted in Tiny Toon Adventures, before he became a recurring character in Animaniacs, although he was unnamed at the time:

Then, once Animaniacs started, characters from Tiny Toon Adventures would often make cameos, and Animaniacs characters would cameo in Tiny Toons' post-series specials:

Before I move on to the next property, although most of the properties mentioned in this post don't always adhere to continuity, I still only want to provide evidence from content that at least could be considered canon, so while I feel obliged to acknowledge the existence of "Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain", given that it isn't canon, it's depiction of how these characters share a universe doesn't really matter.

Pinky and the Brain

A pretty obvious pick, given that Pinky and the Brain were initially just Animaniacs co-stars before getting their own show:

Their spin off series has plenty of references to Pinky and the Brain's adventures in Animaniacs. Also, Phar Fignewton, Billie, and other Animaniacs characters all make appearances (with Billie and the Warners appearing multiple times):

Those in addition to the series finale ("Star Warners"), where the cast of Animaniacs reunite to do a sketch that parodies Star Wars, make it clear that the spin off definitely takes place in the same world as Animaniacs.

Freakazoid!

This show is more removed from Animaniacs than the previous two properties, but Wakko and Brain show up in Freakzaoid, and Freakazoid shows up in Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain, so it's in the ASU alright.

Space Jam/Classic Looney Tunes

I realise that Looney Tunes in general doesn't really have a "universe", just various iterations/reboots. So the versions of the Looney Tunes I imagine exist in the ASU are the ones in the Space Jam movies/classic shorts (or pretty much any version of them that are toon actors in the modern world).

The Looney Tunes appear or are at least mentioned in Animaniacs multiple times:

Space Jam is alluded to in the Pinky and the Brain episode "Inherit the Wheeze", and the Warners are in Space Jam: A New Legacy (their water tower is even placed in Looney Tunes World in the movie).

There's also the fact that Tiny Toons is an official Looney Tunes spin off, so presumably if Animaniacs shares a universe with that show the Looney Tunes should therefore exist as toons in the ASU.

Tier 2 - Implied/Headcanon (They could share a universe)

For cases where Animaniacs or another ASU property implies that they share a universe, but this isn't done the other way round (for example, if a character from the property appeared in Animaniacs, but no characters from Animaniacs appear in their franchise). This can be done via references, cameos, mentions, etc., but they have to come off as more than just references/jokes, they have to imply characters from those properties really do exist. Basically, the Tooniverse may consider them canon, but the feeling isn't mutual (yet, at least).

Mickey Mouse & Friends

For this franchise, when I say they might "share a universe" it's assuming the context is that Mickey and Friends are also toon actors in the real world, like the Warners, Slappy, Bugs, etc. I'm also including Goof Troop stuff, Donald Duck universe stuff, etc. WB cartoons reference/take shots at Mickey/Disney ALOT, so I'll only talk about a few references that imply that Mickey, Minnie, etc. are real people in Animaniacs.

Slappy mentions attending Daisy Duck’s bar mitzvah in a season 3 segment called "Gimme a Break", so that implies Daisy, and therefore the rest of the gang, really do exist and aren't just fictional characters. She also mentions Huey, Dewey, Louie in the same episode. She mentions these characters while delirious, but one of her gimmicks is being reminded of younger versions of other cartoon stars she's met, so who's to say she hasn't actually met them?

Dot says "Why don't you go bug the kids on Goof Troop?" to a nanny in another season 3 segment called "The Sound of Warners". Again it's just a mention (and a sarcastic one at that), but it does imply that they are real people in their world.

DuckTales has been mentioned a few times; by Pinky in "Opportunity Knox" ("Egad, this is better than a DuckTales episode.") and Yakko mentions the DuckTales reboot in "Suspended Animation - Part 2".

These references alone don't imply Scrooge, the triplets, etc. are real, but alongside the previous references, it does seem to imply that the cast of DuckTales are animated actors in this world too (Animaniacs, the show, exists in-universe too yet the Warners are real people).

All these and more just seem to repeatedly hint that Mickey and his pals are toons in Animaniacs just like the Warners, but since they're from another studio we can't see them onscreen.

This is supported by the possible presence of…

Roger Rabbit

Ralph greets Roger as he enters the lot in the limo (presumably with Jessica) in Tiny Toon Adventures, and although we don't see Roger's face and he's wearing grey gloves rather than yellow ones, Ralph explicitly refers to him as "Roger":

He shows up again later:

OK I admit this one's kind of a cheat because this guy could count as a knockoff (different clothes), but think about it, if he is just supposed to be a knockoff, why hide his face? Why make sure we never see him up close? He's one of the only supposed knockoff characters they do this with. It just implies that this is actually supposed to be Roger, but for the sake of copyright they keep his face away from the camera, since Roger Rabbit is considered a Disney property.

Mickey, Minnie and more appear in WFRR, which goes perfectly with the implication that they are toon actors in Animaniacs. It’s also one of the only properties where both Bugs and Mickey exist (or in Animaniacs' case, Mickey is implied to exist) in the real world as themselves and not parodies or fictional characters. I'm just saying, Animaniacs and Who Framed Roger Rabbit being taking place in the same world would make sense, considering they are both about toons in the real world.

Plus, Steven Spielberg directed Who Framed Roger Rabbit and even voices the "knockoff". I think it's only fitting the movie that got him invested in directing animation shares a universe with the rest of his animated work.

Tier 3 - Reaches/Outside References (It's possible they share a universe, but unlikely)

For cases where a property implies/shows that Animaniacs/ASU characters exist in their world, but this has not happened the other way round. This tier is also for cases where the property has no canon and hence can't share a universe.

Histeria!

Some of the character models that were used in Histeria came from Animaniacs (like ones for caricatures of historical figures such as Michelangelo and Ludwig von Beethoven), and some Animaniacs characters are mentioned/seen in Histeria!:

So why isn't it in Tier 1?

Two reasons. First, in regards to the character models, this seems to be a case where they just reused background character designs rather than intentionally putting an established character in a different show. For example, the World's Oldest Woman was not given a name until Histeria! and was slightly redesigned, and Ludwig von Beethoven has a different voice in Histeria!, so they're not really official appearances of those characters as their Histeria! selves. Yes that's a similar situation to Ralph, but the difference is that the background characters have completely different roles in Histeria! whereas Ralph is the WB security guard in both Tiny Toons and Animaniacs and looks exactly the same (Frank Welker even voices him in both). In the case of the historical figures, two properties depicting the same historical figure does not mean that they share a universe.

As for the Animaniacs references, Histeria has no canon. It's not like Looney Tunes and Space Jam where there's at least a duology of films where one continues the story of the other. There are recurring characters and gags but each episode is completely standalone (different settings, time periods, etc.), unlike most of the other properties which are episodic, but do have continuity (Miss Flamiel is hired in her debut episode and continues to be the Warner's teacher in later episodes, Snowball buys Microsponge in season 1 of PATB and still owns it in season 4, etc.) Histeria! exists in it's own little reality-warping world. Therefore any references to Animaniacs are just that: references.

Teen Titans Go!

Yes, really.

Starfire mentions that the WB water tower is where "the Animaniacs" live in "Teen Titans GO! To the Movies".

(Yes they make the mistake of calling the Warners "the Animaniacs" when that name is meant to refer to the entire recurring cast of the show, but to be fair official Animaniacs media has made this same mistake so whatever.)

And before anyone thinks "Well she's an alien who probably doesn't understand that cartoon characters aren't real", TTG is yet another show where toons are actors in the real world. This is confirmed in multiple episodes, such as their Warner Bros. 100th Anniversary special:

So Starfire knew exactly what she was talking about. The thing is, the Warners themselves don't appear in any episodes of the show, neither inside or outside the water tower. However, the Animaniacs cast may still exist as toon actors in their world. This is implied by:

TTG'S ACTUAL CROSSSOVER WITH FREAKZOID. Granted, he is sort of treated as a fictional character, but in a meta way that would fit right at home in an episode of Freakazoid. The toon actor reasoning can still apply. The point is he's interacting with the real world and doesn't only exist within a TV screen. However, until TTG itself is referenced in some way in either official Animaniacs media or some other ASU property, these are just references.

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I realise most of these were probably just seen as fun cameos and/or references and nothing more, but the idea of the Warners and Bugs Bunny canonically being co-workers who have known each other for years, or something like Dip actually existing in their world, etc. just feels right. Helps the world seem...larger, and more developed! (Goodnight Everybody!)

Ahem. Anyway, this was post fun to think about, and only slightly less fun to make (f#@% the 30 image per post limit).

[kamyru]

The only time you heard Kuchel cursing (Levi Ackerman X Reader) Modern AU (Shorts)

Author's note: I mentioned money here and think of them as USD or Euro. It's the most familiar currency I could think of. Also, this fic is in the same universe as my previous Levi Ackerman one. So yeah, they are high school teachers.

Summary: You are enjoying a calm evening with your husband, until a parent of one of your students sends you an email about how bad-mouthed your husband was. So, you go down the memory lane, trying to understand what was the reason behind Levi's way of expressing himself.

Word count: 808

You loved your job, you definitely did. It wasn't the most well-paid one, or the easiest, but you still loved it. What you didn't were the parents who had no idea how to educate their kids and thought it was your sole responsibility. So, here you were, in your comfy house, looking at your comfy husband, cooking your comfy food, and getting an email from a not very comfy parent. You already forgot how many times they messaged you since you became their offspring’s homeroom teacher. But this message was different – it made a little bit of sense: the parent was complaining about a certain teacher's foul mouth that was sticking to their pure high-school baby.

So, you looked at your husband who was mumbling curse words at the oven who didn't seem to cooperate. And for the millionth time since you knew him, you asked yourself from whom did he inherit that mouth? Kuchel was the most soft-spoken person you have ever met. You knew her for more than half of your life and never heard her cursing even… No. You heard her cursing once and it made you remember why Levi was the way he was.

The only time you heard Kuchel Ackerman cursing was at the beginning of your marriage with her son. You couldn't call yourself rich back then, but definitely didn't have any problems with the money and even saved some for different occasions. And sometimes even tried to help your parents, but none of them accepted. Until one day.

It was during a middle of semester vacation that you and Levi enjoyed together, cuddling and lazing around – as much as you could laze around with someone like Levi. And it was getting so comfy that both of you started to doze off. Only when your husband's phone buzzed, you came back to reality.

“Who is it?” you asked while trying to look at the screen.

“Mom,” Levi showed you and answered the call, putting it on speaker, thinking Kuchel just wanted to check on you. But after exchanging pleasantries, you understood that there was something else.

“Levi,” she started in a barely audible voice. You looked at your husband, who was just as confused as you. “I want to ask you a favour.”

“Of course, mom,” Levi said tentatively, afraid to scare her away. It was rare for Kuchel to ask something from him.

“You see… There's this thing… I lost my card and made a new one but the bank has some problems and can't transfer me the money I had on the previous one… And I thought that everything will be fixed by now, but it's not and I have to pay the bills…”

You could see a vein popping out of your husband's forehead and were sure that as soon as he finished his call with his mom, he wouldn't only curse the bank, but also go and make a scandal at their headquarters. Who knew how much time ago Kuchel lost her card and was living on whatever money she could find in her old house?

“How much do you need?” Levi hissed while pinching the bridge of his nose. You took his hand in yours and started to caress it, to help him calm down. He kissed your temple as a thank you.

“I can't say this sum out aloud,” Kuchel whispered. It was breaking your heart, thinking about all the flashbacks that were running in front of your favourite Ackermans. You hugged Levi tighter.

“Four hundred is enough?”

“No,” Kuchel answered in a barely audible voice.

“Six?”

This time Kuchel didn't answer, but both of you knew it was still too little.

“Okay, mom. I'll send you one and a half thousands,” Levi finally made up his mind.

“How many? Levi, you have such a big amount of money on you?”

“Yes, mom. I have a stable job.”

“And you can send them to me?!” Kuchel wasn't happy, she was genuinely confused. You pressed your head against Levi's chest.

Levi mumbled in approval and soon closed the call. Your husband looked at you and opened his bank app. He pressed some numbers and showed the screen to you. You had a joint account and understood that he was asking for your approval to send five thousands to his mom. Without saying a single word, you pressed “Send”. Levi didn't take away the phone from in front of you, so it was you to see the message Kuchel sent back immediately: “Holly fucking shit!”

You looked back at the email from the parent that was complaining about the way Levi talked with the kids. You weren't going to tell her this, but you now were sure that learning the first curse words at high school from the teacher was probably a privilege that Levi Ackerman didn't have.

[frozen-waters]

modern rdr hcs

• when Sean gets up to go to the bathroom at night he doesn't turn on any lights and just stumbles around in the darkness

• Karen is a nail tech

• I know I said in my johnigail hcs that John would work at an auto shop but I’m starting to like the idea of him being a carpenter yk

• at cookouts Pearson is on grill duty and Sadie walks past him and critiques how he’s grilling the hamburger meat

• Mary-Beth is an Animal Crossing fan and plays with Tilly and Kieran

• Javier does that five second pause anytime he starts recording something

• Miss Grimshaw was Tilly's foster mom

• Tilly did soccer throughout school and Arthur was the official chauffeur for getting her to and from practice

• Mary-Beth always sleeps with two blankets and one big comforter and a heating pad

• the scariest movie Hosea ever watched was Jaws

• Mary-Beth and Karen buy vapes for each other and constantly switch with one another

• the bluetooth in Karens car can never work properly

• Mary-Beth fucking loves Chappell Roan

• Sean collects Burger King crowns

• Arthur grills his hot dogs, Charles boils them, John microwaves them

• Micah is under house arrest a lot

• Uncle sells fireworks

• Molly has a drivers license but never drives

• Molly also dressed kinda like Heather Mason from silent hill when she was a teenager

• John exclusively listens to Rob Zombie and Colter Wall

• Sadie does the bikini top + swim trunks combo

• Sean just normally wears swim trunks as normal shorts all year round

• -> Sean is also an avid flip-flop wearer and if hes not wearing those hes wearing some ratty old shoes

• Mary-Beth’s biggest fashion icon next to Chappell Roan is Draculaura from monster high and Daphne from scooby doo

• Sean has one of those little hula dancers on his dashboard

• Mary-Beth played volleyball in high school

• Karen does her makeup in the car

• the thing that keeps Mary-Beth up at night besides social media is her watching Shark Week

• Isaac has an unreasonably high score in subway surfers

• Charles has an old Sarabi dog named Taima (🤯)that he takes almost everywhere

• Lenny and Hosea do puzzles together

• the Marston daughter has those rubber band rainbow loom bracelets halfway up her forearms

• the Marston daughter also inherited Abigail's, Tilly's, and Mary-Beth's old Barbie dolls