#primarily thinking of the chokehold

[tyrannuspitch]

aou did very very little for thor's character and is sometimes slightly painful to watch. but at least thor looks a little bit evil sometimes. where would we be without thor looking evil

[romance-rambles]

my brain: you should write lars fluff

me, a huge fan of identity shenanigans: say no more *already pulling out a comically large folder of lars WIPs* so here's what i was thinking: blah blah blah blah blahblah blah—

*spongebob narrator* a few moments later

me: —and so that's how he starts suspecting—

my brain: yeah, yeah, whatever. what if you wrote clarence though

me:

me: you know what. you're so right. gonna go smooch the archmage brb

[yayasvalveplay]

https://www.tumblr.com/yayasvalveplay/783890766123663360/

ABO Alpha Megatron bitching Alpha Optimus has me in a fucking mental chokehold ngl (so im just going to dump what I've been imagining here for yall to enjoy lmao) love some Alpha on Alpha or rather 'Not So Alpha Anymore'

Especially if Optimus is seen as peak alpha physique by labourframe standards, a real hunk but by warframe standards he's a butch twunk

Warframe omegas tend to be slender speedsters like seekers & racers so they can scarper the second something becomes a threat to their bitty while labourframe omegas tend to be bulky so bitties has plenty of padding while they keep on trucking,

the alpha labourframes being more agile to weave between the omegas on their Convoys but still big enough to haul sparklings & other precious cargo around, while alpha warframes are massive to dominate the battlefield & draw attention away from their more delicate omegas

Betas of both frameclasses tend to have a mix of traits, but primarily fulfill the supportive roles in child rearing such as teaching, guarding, & scouting areas for threats, being quite small in labourframes they're about to get into tight places to retrieve troublemaker sparklings or help them hide while warframes are flexible able to act as escorts to new flyers & racers or expecting omegas in their Battalion, keeping pace & being better able to tank hits from crashes or provide battlefield backup to alphas

So when Megs starts bitching Optimus with BA's help he starts gaining more seeker traits & oftentimes gets mistaken for a warframe beta until a bot gets close enough to catch his scent & smell how fertile he is & the alpha's claim, meanwhile to Optimus's Megatron's massive frame reads as ideal for carrying a big litter

Also means that a beta autobot like Blurr setting off all the 'is peak warframe omega' bells to alpha Shockwave, who has plans on helping the speedster reach his 'full potential' by bitching him now that he knows that it can be done, BA has helpfully given him a recipe for the necessary medication he can mix into his agent's rations, Blurr has no idea what's happening to him when he starts sprouting weapons system like his energy saw & assumes he must be some kind of omega Con sleeper agent whos failing suppressants are letting a heat bring his warframe coding to the front, the dilemma tearing him apart does he continue to live as an intelligence agent as if nothings wrong or turn himself in to his omega superior Longarm,

It would be real fun if Blurr's timing glitch meant things progressed much faster then Shockwave accounted for leading to Blurr going into an unexpected heat exposing himself as a warframe omega to someone else in AHC who blackmails & exploits him, or maybe multiple bots are present & take turns putting their new warframe breeder to good use since breeding Starscream to produce the jettwins worked so well

Optimus' alpha coding conflicts with his developing heat coding & demands he fight off the rival alpha (Megatron) & mate with the omega in heat that it can sense so close (himself) so he's super horny & feisty & Megatron thinks its so cute when he confusedly & angrily alternates between trying to maul Megatron & trying to mate him, just rutting up against the leg or closed panel of the larger bot, the first time he goes into a heat Megatron opens up his valve panel & lets Optimus work himself into a frenzy because no matter how many time he knots he can still smell an unsatisfied omega in heat, he's chewing at Megatron plating in frustration Megatron pulls his face up with a claw only for Optimus to latch onto it & start suckling like a starving mech, Megatron spends a few minutes pumping his digit into the Prime's throat until it makes him cry

Which is about when Megatron wrestles the smaller mech into a pin & prys his valve covers open with the tip of his spike before plunging in & giving the omega coding the alpha knot it's looking for, when Optimus sobers up & comes back to himself he's still stuck panel to panel with Megatron as warframe knots take a lot longer to unlock since warframe omegas are so flighty they can be hard to catch/corner even while in heat

Maybe BA could have been there taking notes & samples for her research & can tease Optimus about how cute his blissed out face was when Megs made him overload on his knot, Optimus' alpha coding still recognised her as a beta from his Convoy so let her get close & do whatever she wanted while he's in rut/heat so she has plenty of vials of different fluids, transfluid, energon, coolant etc, she says she's going to have to figure out a way to artificially induce his heats so she can collect samples as the process progresses

When Optimus tries to argue with her Megatron starts waxing lyrical about how much he enjoyed watching the prime struggle to take his claw & wondering how much more he'd struggle to take Megatron's knot in his intake while massaging his spike where it makes Optimus' protoform bulge, she says that would probably break his voice box so they'd have some peace & quiet

I have some other ideas for what other designations bots would have, alpha lugnut, beta blitzwing, omega starscream, alpha lockdown, omega bulkhead, beta prowl, beta bumblebee, beta arcee, omega ratchet, alpha grimlock, omega soundwave, beta jettwins, beta cliffjumper, alpha ultra magnus etc

Lockdown would definitely wanna bitch Prowl & tried to make Ratchet & Arcee part of his Convoy before, both Prowl & Ratchet have nightmares about waking up tied down to a lab table & tied to the bounty hunter by his knot

_Cu🐗

Imagine waiting for the right moment to fuck your pretty little Omega. Only for his heat to come unexpectedly, And now suddenly everyone is fucking the Omega, because They are all horny, and now Longarm has to rescue Blurr, umm, right after watching him getting transfluid all over his plating.

Ad when He is saved, well He's getting Blurr to purge any transfluid that made its way into his forge, so he can have a clean slate so he can fuck his pups into him, and not random bots.

And because Optimus transformation from Alpha to Omega is slower then Blurrs transfomation, He is going to go haywire, and think an Omega is in heat when in fact it's him. He's the one going into heat, and not a rut.

And Megatron is very smug about this fact. He is so fragging horny, but he wants Optimus to be in a frenzy before he knots him.

As for the Lockdown- It's only a nightmare. Because he will NOT get to them. Drift and Jazz will make sure of that.

[pickyourpoisonandevolve]

Boyfriends to Have Boyfriends Headcanons, pt 5

Look guys, the brain worms say we gotta get through them all before we can eat, okay? IM SORRY.

(Also please let me know if you’re still fucking with this at all!)

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

——

Ahem, where were we? Oh yeah, the other half of this coin, huh? Simon, Simon, Simon, the devils favorite. He fell into a similar boat as Price in your mind, higher ranking, more important than you, and best if you stay out of his way. A “no news is good news” kind of guy. Unfortunately he was a FUCKING WEIRD GUY, and he made it damn near impossible to ignore him.

People don’t talk enough about how genuinely scary it would be to have a man who ranks higher than you just kind of saunter in a meeting in the MILITARY, in a MASK, say little to nothing, then leave. For like, months. Just straight up ignore you or one word answer you. Were you messing anything up? Is he racist? Does he hate women? Does he hate you??? The other three were less than no help. “That’s just how he is.” “Oh, you’ll get used to him lass. Trus’ me, if he didn’t like you, you’d know.” “Mind your own business.”

The only thing you could do was stare, if only to know where he was so he’d stop scaring the shit out of you. Sneak a glance in a common room, only to meet his eyes staring at you, then scampering off. Stare at his ass on a mission, making sure to follow his every barked order, and not fuck anything up. Pretend to not stare as you wait alongside the mats for your turn at hand to hand training with him. He noticed you looking at him almost immediately, but thankfully didn’t start returning the favor till you were a little more settled in. Eventually he’d catch eyes with you for longer periods of time. In the transport, for literal hours. You tried to stare him down in return and fell asleep doing so. In meetings, when you were giving parts of your report, unwavering. In the field, looking into your soul damn near after you were rocked by a flashbang. At the back of your head as he had you in a chokehold, legs around your waist, muttering softly “come on, there are bigger guys than me out there. Think.” Johnny put in his first formal complaint that day, saying you got special treatment cause you were the only one Simon didn’t outright yell at.

Eventually it became a little less unsettling. He was being a weirdo, but he was listening, that’s for sure. Assessing. Checking. Caring. About what exactly, you weren’t sure yet, but you knew you had his attention, front and center when it happened.

Well, the mission happened.

Some throwaway thing in Belgium Price sent Ghost, Gaz and you on. Capture some files from some guy, stay lowkey, kill as necessary, blah blah blah. Tits up, immediately. Markarov’s guys crawling all over some historical building with a million hallways and secret doors. Real Scooby Doo vibes. Everyone has a bad day in the field, and Simon’s hasn’t come up in a while. But for some reason he was a beat behind. Not reacting fast enough, not shooting quite on the mark. He was clearing a hallway alone and heard footsteps behind him a beat too late, seeing you come out of a doorway in front of him. Before he could yell, a knife thrown by you an inch from his ear into the face of an enemy. Followed by shooting down the hallway to another faceless goon. You took a breath and had the AUDACITY to look at him, almost pityingly, saying “On your six, L.T.”

Karma moved quickly, by the end of that mission you took a stab wound for him and a remote bomb threw you into a brick wall and promptly into concussion city. The heli ride back was pin drop silent, and as Price held the door as you entered the debrief room, you didn’t see Simon shoulder check two grown men further into the hallway and slam the door. A small click before you were the one doing the staring, primarily into a wall this time.

The next 45 minutes were largely static in your mind. Audible static as Ghost absolutely laid into you about safety, recklessness, ego, etc. Visual static as he slammed his hands into the table, paced around the room and got in your face, mostly in a loop for that period of time. But somewhere in between “You’re gonna get yourself and everyone else fucking killed” and “Do you remember what chain of command means you fucking cunt”, was something else. A real blink and you’ll miss it moment.

“Do you think we’d just move on if you died out there? Do you not see how I— how the team needs you? You selfish bitch, only thinking about yourself out there, thinking I need saving. Like I wasn’t meant to take bullets for you—“ You were already tuned out, but now for a different reason. In the sheer exhaustion and fear settled a weird warmth.

Price was waiting for you as Simon stormed off, giving you a bemused look in the hallway. “We’ll do it in the morning. Get some rest.” A pat on the shoulder and a miserable walk to your room later, you took a shower and washed off the blood and shame. Throwing on some shorts and a top, you waited till it was late enough to head towards the common area to get something to eat that wasn’t crow, as hands came out from the darkness, holding your mouth and subsequent scream as well as your hips. You felt a mass behind you as his arms sunk you into his chest and thighs and warmth. He held you long enough to feel you relax as you realized who it was.

He allowed you enough space to turn around as he squished you back into his chest, face now in his soft mask. Eyes a little less steely this time, he looked down before he gave a covered chaste kiss to the top of your head. “If you ever do that to me again, I’ll stab you in the heart slow and make you watch. Do you hear me?”

You would have been more in the moment if you didn’t feel his cock harden between your thighs. As best as you could muster being held between his pecs, you squeezed out a barely audible “Yes, sir.”

[emeryhiro]

My thoughts on The Book Of Carol Episode 1

-Spoiler-free edition-

I know that some information about what was discussed during the panel has already been posted online, but I personally will try my best to refrain from posting about it since that was what was requested before the episode showing, and the panel.

Setting the tone for the rest of season 2

Firstly, Episode 1 immediately starts the season with huge emotional implications, primarily focusing on Carol and her current mindset. I truly believe that if they keep at this pace, we will have Daryl and Carol on an even field within the spinoff by the end of season 2.

Over the seasons of the main show, we got the chance to see so many layers of Carol, but since the screen time on that show had to be shared with so many other characters, we never got to go as far into Carol's mindset as we wanted to. But after watching this episode, I now know beyond a doubt that Melissa has the talent and Carol has the depth to be a brilliant leading character. She can fill an entire episode with her storyline, and there would not be a dull moment; on the contrary, during the showing, I constantly had chills because of the absolute power of Melissa's performance.

Storyline split ratio

As Norman has already said, The Book Of Carol will not be an exact 50/50 split between Daryl and Carol. There will naturally be slightly more of a focus on Carol, which I found was already so evident in Episode 1. The heavier focus on Carol was done beautifully, and like I said earlier Melissa fulfilled the role of a leading character so perfectly that I couldn't help but be a little disappointed whenever I saw that a scene had changed away from her.

Carol's mindset

Carol's mindset and emotional state had me in a chokehold this episode; I don't think there was a single scene between Carol & Ash that didn't bring me to tears or leave me with chills. As Melissa mentioned in her behind-the-scenes interview for Daryl Dixon episode 6, Carol's journey is about her mindset and how she needs to know that her friend is okay.

This theme is already heavily touched on in episode one and delivered in a way that brought me to tears repeatedly. They utilised a few vital flashbacks and some moments where we find Carol alone, going through some powerful emotional moments that opened old wounds and addressed certain things that were never fully resolved on the main show.

One of the most heartbreaking moments we see of Carol alone revolves around a song that Carol sings along with (to herself); even though the song itself has very simple lyrics, I immediately thought that it fully explains why Carol is prepared to do anything to get Daryl back.

Even before watching the episode, we knew that Carol would do anything for the ones she loves, but this current situation with Daryl truly asks more from her than anything she has ever done before. Still, there is no hesitation within her about how many lines she is willing to cross to find him again.

In all this Carol also showed some immense growth, especially in how she handled guilt and loss compared to her actions and mindset in season 10.

Daryl's change

This is mentioned in the new season's synopsis, so I no longer classify it as a spoiler. The synopsis stated that "Daryl struggles with his decision to stay in France" which appeared to be very true to me in episode 1.

I saw a colder, more aggressive, and mentally exhausted side to Daryl, which is evident in how he handles all his conversations with people from the Nest and how there seems to always be an slight undertone of resentment in his words that he is trying to hide.

Additionally, while watching season 1 of Daryl Dixon, I noticed that the longer Daryl is away from Carol, the more he regresses into his trauma. It's like all progress is being lost, and he's slowly turning back to his old ways, not standing up for himself and hiding in Merl's shadow.

Additional quick takeaways:

Ash is an angel and must be protected

Genet looked scary and really creeped me out at one point, which was really thrilling and showed the possibility of a really interesting villain for the season 2 arc

It appears that (according to Norman) we'll be getting more screen time with some of the other characters, like Sylvie and Losang

Some of the nest members' scenes evoked a sense of impending doom and eerieness, which suggests that there may be more to the Nest than meets the eye, with perhaps something sinister hiding within it.

This episode had gorgeous cinematography, which I personally liked more than season 1's, and I found that it felt richer too.

Episode 1 of TBOC is now, by far, my favourite episode from any of the spinoffs. It shows that when a show about Daryl and Carol is true to its characters, it becomes a natural success and a beautiful piece of the story.

Melissa's voice and influence are clear in how Carol's story is told in this episode. And Melissa herself seemed very proud of the work that had been done for season 2.

Norman teased one of his favourite upcoming scenes, which is of Daryl and Carol bickering like an old married couple, and Melissa teased about her favourite location where they slept and woke up surrounded by horses (I'm just imagining Norman waking up and immediately being terrified)

Melissa was absolutely glowing in person and exceeded any and every expectation that I may have had of her

Conclusion and final thoughts

If episode one is a good example on which to base my opinion, then I'd say that season 2 looks very promising, with the very likely possibility of surpassing the main series in ranking as my favourite show.

It has planted seeds to potentially resolve many of Caryl/Daryl's storylines that were left unresolved in the main series, in a way that's true to who Carol and Daryl are and how even we, as viewers, envisioned it should be.

And in Melissa's words from the panel:

"12 years of The Walking Dead, there was a lot unsaid... we picked some of the core issues and built on that"

All I gotta say to wrap this up is get excited!! The future of Caryl is looking bright!

~~~~

I have also written a full spoiler version of my thoughts, which goes into a further in-depth analysis of specific moments and their significance. However, I will post that once season 2, episode 1, is officially released in September.

[scarletwritesshit]

♠️ Aventurine x Reader ♠️ Under the Gun

For a man who was betting a ton of credits, he looked unusually confident.

He could just be bluffing. You hoped that he was bluffing. But, from the nightmares described by various IPC members, as well as a bit of personal experience, you had to agree that perhaps, Aventurine was indeed a menace to deal with.

Among the complaints of varying degrees, Topaz’s gripes stuck out the most. She constantly mumbled about him being a slimy, unsavory bastard, and despite the two of you being on less than positive terms, she wouldn’t wish his presence upon you in a thousand Amber Eras.

Did you ever heed her warnings? Clearly not, as you were face-to-face with Aventurine in a two-person game of Belobog Hold’em. From the dastardly look on his face, he seemed to have a plan. And that plan was to completely drain you of whatever credits you had left in your pockets with his next move.

He rested his head on his hand and smiled at you, his eyes piercing your soul through his rose-tinted glasses. Aventurine’s smirk was that of a confident man who knew what he was doing, and perhaps nothing you could do could stop him from winning this game. Keeping your composure at such a sight was proving to be a challenge, especially considering how your hand wasn’t exactly the best. Aventurine could practically see through your hand, it felt like, and he was secretly amused by the almost guaranteed loss you were staring at.  To have this much confidence, he must either have ended up with a practically unbeatable hand from the sheer force of dumb luck, or he knew how to, quite literally, play his cards right.

Or, perhaps he could see that you were not quite paying full attention to the game, and your focus lied primarily within Aventurine himself. It was a sense of morbid curiosity to see if he was as truly awful as the rumors and tales had described that inclined you to play a one-on-one private game of poker with him. To Aventurine, it was all another one of his “business deals,” and he had business of lining his pockets with the spoils of your failure.

You had put so much money in, just to see how far you could take this game, but with every credit wagered on the table, his smile grew ever more confident. Perhaps you should’ve quit early to minimize your losses, but there was something about seeing that dastardly smirk that caused you to stray from your real goal of satisfying a basic curiosity.

Or did this “curiosity” extend beyond the simple urge to meet him alone?

The realization of your impending losses began to set in, and you were looking back and forth between your awful and Aventurine’s confident gaze. You couldn’t let things end here, but you knew that he had you backed in a corner and that a second round with him just wouldn’t be possible.

“Well?” he said with a little laugh, “What’s the holdup?”

You said nothing, as you attempted to maintain a cool and collected expression to hide the despair in your hand.

“Cat got your tongue, my dear?” he said, waving his cards mockingly like a fan.

“No,” you said, forcing your eyes off of him.

“Ah, then…what’s the holdup? Thinking a little too hard, perhaps?”

You didn’t want to allude to the awful position you were in. Not to him, especially, but at this point, what more could you do? No matter how hard you looked at your final hand, all combinations of cards were beyond awful. Aventurine could play the most underwhelming hand and he would still have you defeated like a sore loser, and his smile told the entire story.

That was a face of a man who knew he had won, one that had a chokehold on you.

Shaking your head, completely defeated, you placed your cards down on the table. Aventurine was all too happy to place his down with the same smug look that had been taunting you since the very beginning of this game.

You didn’t want to see just much Aventurine won by, so you merely concentrated on your own depressing cards as you flipped them over. A pair. There was no way you were winning anything with that.

“Well… it seems like I win this one,” Aventurine said.

After taking a deep breath, you finally convinced yourself to look at his cards. You knew he had you beat quite badly, but you didn’t want to see just how badly.

Four of a kind. It would’ve taken some immense luck on your end to beat that, something that you simply did not have. And now you found yourself down more credits than you actually had.

You should’ve heeded the warning of Topaz and the others. Aventurine was not one to be taken so lightly in the very game he specializes in.

“Another round might satisfy you, perhaps?” Aventurine asked, picking up a chip and fidgeting with it in his fingers.

“As much as I would love to continue playing with you, first I need to figure out how to pay you back,” you admitted.

“Pay me back? You mean to tell me that you kept betting with credits that you didn’t have?”

You nodded your head. You knew it wasn’t the brightest idea, but hearing Aventurine flat-out expose you in such a manner provoked some sort of irritation within you. The problem was, you couldn’t tell if you were more frustrated with yourself or him.

“And in a game with an IPC member, too.  What-ever could you have possibly been thinking? Did you maybe, want to go into debt or something? Did you want me to go after you?”

You were supposed to be the one going after him, but Aventurine took advantage of your blunder and turned things against you. Except, he wasn’t curious about some rumors, he wanted to collect his rewards. And a debt you did indeed owe to him, one he was all too happy for you to owe. It was as if he was awaiting this moment the entire time, as if he had a surefire way of making sure he would end up on top.

A method such as rigging the game, perhaps.

“Go after me? In what sense?” you asked.

“Hmm, how do you think? Relentlessly pursuing you until I get what I am after? Haha, though I have got to admit, I was fully expecting you to hit me up for one more round, maybe to try and win everything back. Takes a lot for someone to finally admit defeat.”

Was he complimenting you? Surely, he couldn’t be complimenting you, if anything, it was a snide commentary on how well you’ve managed to dig yourself a hole.

“Thanks?” you said, at a genuine loss for words.

“Ah, well, I know you’re thinking that you’re going to have to pay up eventually, but I can’t help but be curious that there was something else you were after,” he said, ceasing the fidgeting of the chip in his fingers and began smiling with devious intent.

“After what, exactly?” you asked, trying to clear up exactly what he was implying.

“Something that, to you, must be more valuable than any singular credit in all of Penacony. Something that was clearly enough to deviate your focus from the game and instead direct it to what was in front of the very cards that determined your fate.”

“You mean like the chance to wipe that insufferable look off of your face?”

“Oh, if only I could believe that you would do such a thing.”

You could challenge him to yet another round of Belobog Hold’em anyways, but he was well aware that your pockets were heading deep into the negatives, and the risk of falling even further into debt was greater than the reward. Your options were ultimately limited, but you weren’t willing to back down so easily. Especially not to someone as insufferable as Aventurine.

“Want me to prove it?” you said, glaring into his eyes.

Aventurine put the poker chip that he was fidgeting with prior down on the table.

“Now you’re getting awfully bold for someone who finds themselves deep in debt. I’ll have you know, it doesn’t matter if we’re talking about my IPC duties or playing cards, because I always hit the jackpot.”

“Jackpot?” you said, snatching the poker chip out from under him. “Can you really say that with such confidence, especially when foul play is involved?”

You held the poker chip up to one of your eyes, and closely observed Aventurine through the other. His confidence was not diminished by your revolt, and his grin seemed to grow ever slyer by the moment. He either knew that, despite you catching on, he had gotten away with his trickery, or Aeons be damned this man truthfully knew how to play his cards right.

“Luck and foul play do not equate, my dear,” Aventurine said.

“Do you want to run that by me one more time?” you said, moving the poker chip down from your eye and squinting at him.

With a teasing laugh, Aventurine stated, “I said, luck and foul play are not the same, my dear.”

He was driving you to your wit’s end. Aventurine had to be hiding some kind of dirty secret to never lose in such a manner. You were determined to fight the answer out of him, whether it truly was some form of hidden skill or everything now and before was rigged. Sometimes, the best way to counter foul play was to break the rules yourself and knock the self-declared king down the hierarchy.

Aventurine would spend the entirety of the evening waving his winning hand in front of your face if that is what it took for you to back down.

At this point, you didn’t have the patience for any more of his antics.

No roundabout way of making him confess his dirty little secrets would cause him to crack any time soon. Not to mention, you were nearing the point of wanting to choke him out.

You slammed the stolen poker chip on the table, which Aventurine looked down at the cards and chips rebounding from the force.

“Getting a little feisty now, aren’t w- “

You reached out while Aventurine was focused on the disturbed table and slipped your fingers under his choker. Before he had a chance to react, you pulled him forward across the table, knocking over what remained of the stacks of chips and cards. You held him firmly in front of you, giving Aventurine almost no other option but to look directly into your eyes.

“Two can play at that game,” you said, tightening your grip on his choker.

Despite the situation Aventurine now found himself in, he was strangely calm about the entirety of it. The smile on his face, though dastardly, was tainted with some sort of twisted joy.

“Ha, I can’t say I’ve ever played a game that ended with me in such a tangle,” he said.

“That’s an awful surprise considering how insufferable you are.”

“Insufferable? Coming from you, of all people? I’d argue that you’re doing this strictly on purpose, to study my ‘tactics’ up close and personally.”

“Because I am, so I can catch you in case you try to pull a fast one on me.”

“By looking at me ever so closely? Why, I’d argue that you’re more interested in me than that little bet you claim I’ve won by illicit means.”

You tugged on his choker a bit, to try and shake a little sense into that man. However, Aventurine’s smile never dissipated; his eyes only grew more focused with a kind of hunger only a man seeking his reward could have. He should sensibly be threatening you to hand over his payment, yet he had not uttered one word of demand for his credits this entire time.

Could he actually be finding some form of enjoyment from this? Enough to forgo the temptation of the hefty balance of credits that was being dangled in front of him like an earthworm worm to a fish?

“And for a man with the promise of becoming rich, you seem awfully distracted from your bounty.”

“Becoming rich?” he said with a laughter muffled by your grip, “Oh, sweetie, I have more money than your mind could possibly comprehend. It’s not often that I get as much enjoyment out of a simple game of poker as I am right now.”

It would appear that your theory was right. Aventurine was deriving some sort of sick enjoyment from your threats. Perhaps, he wouldn’t mind it if you stepped things up a notch, then?

“This isn’t a matter of it being a so-called simple game of poker,” you said, pushing aside the cards and chips that were in your way.

“It’s more of a game between us now.”

You pulled Aventurine even closer to you, close enough to where you can feel his breath on your face. Any further, and he would be pulled out of his chair onto the table, or even worse, a bit too close to you.

“Now? Are you sure that it wasn’t always between us?”

“Very clever of you to think such absurdity, though it would explain how horribly you were playing. Or, perhaps you’re just naturally awful. But I couldn’t blame you regardless, as I am quite the charmer, after all.”

“You want to repeat that, pretty boy?”

“Pretty boy. I do like the sound of that.”

You wanted to tug Aventurine even closer, but you physically couldn’t, unless you wanted him directly against your face. The most you could do is grip his choker even tighter, wearing at the leather with the sheer force of your fist.

“Quiet now, you scoundrel,” you snapped.

“Pretty boy? Scoundrel? Make up your mind,” Aventurine taunted.

He was indeed a pretty boy, but at the same time, he was a scoundrel. He had a way with words, a way with looks, and unfortunately, a way with cards.

“You’re keeping me awfully close for someone who thinks I’m a scoundrel,” he continued, “Aren’t you afraid I’m going to cheat you out of a little more than your money?”

“What could you possibly do with this quite literal chokehold I have on you?” you said.

“Repay the favor, of course,” he said, lifting up one of his hands that he used to steady himself.

You braced yourself for a hostile retribution. Repay the favor how, exactly? Did he have a genuine suspicion that you were trying to kill him? Out of sheer instinct, you grabbed your pistol with your free hand and held it directly against his head, flicking off the safety and finger almost desperate for the trigger. Even in the face of death, Aventurine did not flinch, and his smile was as dastardly as ever.

To your great surprise, he simply brushed some of the hair that had fallen in front of your eyes away. Despite the gun armed and ready to blow his brains out should he attempt something clever, he paid no mind to the imminent threat to his life.

“That’s it?” you said, completely deprived of words. “Not even with a gun aimed directly at your vitals?”

Aventurine nudged the gun away from his head, aiming it at the ceiling directly above him. You didn’t bother to reposition yourself, though you still kept the safety off, just in case.

“Oh, I know you couldn’t bring yourself to do such a thing,” he taunted.

Unfortunately, Aventurine was right. As much as he was getting on your nerves, it didn’t warrant taking his life. You slowly lowered your pistol onto the table, still keeping it close, just in case.

“Ha, you’re quite the pretty one yourself, even when you’re acting all scary. It’s almost enough to distract a man as sharp as me.”

“Almost? With the way you were eyeing me up, I could almost believe that you were too focused on me to even think twice about cheating.”

“Oh, back on that again, are we? Isn’t there something you’d rather focus on, instead of whether or not you can trust a little ol’ member of the IPC?”

Almost impulsively, you pulled him ever so slightly closer, to the point where he was agonizingly close to you. Hardly even a single inch of space separated you and him.

He was right. With him so close and in your grasp, you could care less about all of the credits you owed to Aventurine. Though, every time the topic of the debt was mentioned, Aventurine brushed it off almost as quickly as it came up. In a way, it was almost as if he could care less about what would be pocket change to him.

“Focus on what, exactly?” you asked.

“Who else, other than the bastard you have in your grasp right now? The one who you absolutely refuse to break eye contact with, the one you claim to despise so much?”

“Despise enough to not back down from, but…not enough to reject his company.”

“My point exactly,” he whispered while running his finger across your cheek, gently brushing the edge of your lips.

“Now what are you playing at?” you snapped, in an indirect way to ask for clarification on Aventurine’s intent.

“It’s something that I want, something that we both want, more than the truth behind the legitimacy of a back-alley game of poker,” Aventurine said, with a smile that suddenly went soft.

“Long story short, you mean each other. You think that our intent for allowing this game to spiral out of control was to win over each other, and not for the spoils of currency?”

“Judging by your poor performance, I’d say it’s far from an improbability.”

“And your constant diversion from the topic of the money,” you said.

“Perhaps.”

Your grip on him suddenly softened, allowing Aventurine a bit more freedom to move. Certainly, you weren’t expecting this to happen just because you wanted to fight back a little, but if that were really the case, then perhaps you were a bit too rough with him? No, Aventurine was clearly indulging himself in the pleasure of someone bold enough to step up to him. Someone who knew very well of his dangers, yet still faced him head on.

Everything about that gaze, that smile, those bastardly mannerisms of his had you so entranced.

And you so very badly wanted to put him in his place.

“Giving up already?” he said, disappointed at your sudden withdrawal.

“What? Did you want me to choke you out?”

“Ha, you like me too much. But feel free to tug me as close to that pretty face of yours as you wish.”

Obedience was not exactly what you were so eager to show Aventurine, but the chance to tug on him even more was not something you were going to pass up. You forcefully pulled him even closer, once again reducing the distance between your faces to hardly a single inch. The two of you were locked in a stare, closely watching for each other’s next move.

“Well? What are you waiting for? Don’t tell me you’ve gotten too shy all of a sudden.”

“I’m not, it’s just, is this really what you want out of me, Aventurine?”

“What do you think I’ve been trying to pry out of you this entire time, sweetheart?”

It would be comedically cruel to toy with him further, but also a wait that you could no longer bear. With no resistance from Aventurine himself, you yanked his collar further until your lips met at long last. Yet, you did not free Aventurine from your grasp the entire time, but he seemed to care not, as he had finally hit the jackpot he was alluding to throughout the entire game.

Once you two had drifted apart, you rested your foreheads against each other, though your fingers were still gently hooked on his choker.

“You freein’ me now that you’ve had your fun?” Aventurine said.

Sighing, you unhooked your fingers, allowing him to relax back into his chair. He stood up, and in one swift, graceful swoop, Aventurine collected the scattered deck of cards, even snatching your depressing play right from under your nose. The chips were neatly stacked and set to the side, no longer accounting for what either party had on the line.

“What about the debt?” you said, looking at the pile of now neatly organized poker chips.

“Debt? What debt?”

He didn’t forget about those credits at all, but Aventurine could care less as he simply won something far better than any form of monetary value.

“Don’t be afraid to hit me up if you ever feel like throwin’ down some cards again,” Aventurine said.

“I can’t guarantee that it wouldn’t end with me throwing you down on the table.”

“Are you threatening me with a good time?” Aventurine said, turning to look at you with a smirk. “Because if that’s the case, why don’t we skip the card games and head straight to the fun?”

[writerblue275]

Pet name headcanons for Jayce/Viktor

My first Arcane headcanon! I FUCKING LOVE THIS SHOW and I hate that it took me so long to watch it, but I can’t wait for next year for season 2!

Inspiration: A. Being a full simp for Viktor. B. Secretly also being a simp for Jayce (LMAO). C. Listening to the beauty that is the Arcane score.

Genre: Headcanon

Category: Fluff!!

Gender: Primarily Gender Neutral reader. Some of Jayce’s definitely are more gender specific but I can’t help but think he’d use them (as long as his partner was alright with it of course).

TW: Swearing because I have the mouth of a damn sailor.

Viktor

(The way this man had me in a CHOKEHOLD the second he walked on screen! LOML.)

Pet names for his partner:

Viktor’s intelligence and you think he’s using boring pet names for you??? Absolutely not.

Come now…you know him far better than that…this man is far too creative to be limited by "babe" or "baby" (no offense meant to anyone who uses those, I also use them for romantic partners so I get it).

Ok, maybe early on in your relationship as he was opening up to you, he used some simple classics. Ones like “my dear” or “honey.” These are the main ones he'll also continue to use in public. He's just a private person and I can't see him using any crazy pet names in public with his partner.

Once he’s settled into his routine with you in it and you two spend more time alone/on dates, he starts to have fun, seeing what reactions he can draw out of you with different pet names. (Viktor is surprisingly adept at flirting and playful teasing. It's that sharp wit. He's just so good at banter.)

He figures out the ones that make you smile and the ones that make you blush. Those are the ones he keeps.

There are a few “traditional” ones that Viktor keeps using for you because he loves how they turn your cheeks pink (especially when he says them with a cute little side smile, smirk, or chuckle).

“My darling,” “my love,” “my heart,” or “sweetheart” are the main ones in that category. (I feel like he is such a romantic under all that workaholic, he just needs to get out of the lab and LET IT OUT.)

Others would be cute, but unique. “My sunshine,” “my owl,” (if your sleep schedule is also fucked) “my sunflower,” “butterfly,” ”my flower,” "otter," or “birdie” would be some examples of what I mean. (LMAO Jayce is never hearing him call you any of those. Viktor is 99% sure he'd never hear the end of the teasing from his lab partner.)

If you’re also in academia/research/work at the academy, Viktor would teasingly call you “my most esteemed colleague” or if you’re in sciences specifically, “my fellow scientific genius.”

Pet names from his partner:

As you and Viktor get more comfortable in your relationship, he'd really come to enjoy pet names from you. He just needs to get used to the affection (I'd imagine he's not the most experienced with romance). I think he'd like the funnier ones earlier before the more romantic ones.

(For those in academia/research/at the academy) You and Viktor really weren't super open to other people about starting a relationship (neither of you felt the need to be, but like you would tell people if they asked).

In these early days, "My most esteemed colleague" was a cheeky way for both of you to very subtly announce your affection in public. (I have such a cute idea for a headcanon/drabble based on this oh my GOD.) Even though more people definitely know about your relationship, both you and Viktor still use the pet name when you walk into each other's lab/classroom/office.

When you go to try and collect him from his desk so he can take care of himself, tease him with "genius," "smarty pants," or "bookworm" (especially if you find him with his nose buried in his notes again).

Viktor is a fairly private person, so "honey" is probably the sweetest one you'd normally use in public. But if you do want to see his ears turn pink, feel free to throw "love" out there every once in a while.

In private? As I said, under all the genius is a romantic, so get as soft and sweet as you want.

It surprises him how much he loves hearing you call him "handsome." He's never been super vain about his appearance (though he always looks pretty put together), but knowing that you find him handsome makes him stand up a little straighter.

Just as Viktor uses "my darling," "my heart," and "my love" for you, he loves it even more when you call HIM those. It's the easiest way to drag him away from the lab when the teasing pet names above don't quite do the trick: Come up behind him while he's at his desk (obviously not while he's doing something dangerous), wrap your arms around him, and softly murmur "my love..." into his ear. You can visibly see his resolve break and you know you've won.

Love love LOVE the idea of using the Russian diminutive of Viktor's name: "Vitya." It makes a lot of sense for a romantic partner to call him that.

Jayce

Pet names for his partner:

Ok, so one of my best friends and I give Jayce quite a bit of shit when we text each other about Arcane (he’s a bit of a himbo, your Honor).

BUT I actually think Jayce would be a great romantic partner and the pet names he uses would be very sweet.

He’d definitely use the classics like “baby” or “babe” for you. I don’t think he’d go mushy classic though (think “my darling” or “my love”). But "babe" and "baby" are definitely the most common ones he'd use when you two are out in public.

Can also see him using cute ones like “sunshine,” “shorty,” or “peanut.” (I mean hey, 6' (as confirmed by Riot) is a pretty good height.) Those last two are loving teases. He never means "shorty" in a mean way.

And when he’s about to envelop you in a hug (I imagine Jayce gives EXCELLENT hugs) he’d call you “squish.” Ex: “C’mere squish….” (When he gets home after a long day of being a councilman.)

“Sugar” or “sweetheart” are also on the table. This very big man has a very soft side. We even saw examples of this during season one.

Now that he’s put House Talis on Piltover’s social ladder, he’s understandably proud. What he’s done doesn’t happen often. Very rarely does high society make room for others to enter at all, and now he's the de facto head of Piltover's Council.

The fact you’re willing to stand with him? He’s honored really. But the way he shows it through pet names is interesting. It’s almost a little….teasing? But the intent is genuine. He never wants you to doubt that.

Here’s what I mean (Heads up: gender-specific language incoming): Jayce would smirk and call you “my lady/m’lady” (think Cat Noir’s nickname for Lady Bug from “Miraculous: Tales of Lady Bug and Cat Noir” and especially how he says it, which is often very playfully) or “m’lord.” He’d also use “(my) prince/princess,” especially when he buys you gifts. (I feel like he'd love to spoil his partner omg.)

Pet names from his partner:

Jayce LOVES when you use pet names for him. Honestly it makes him smile. And he loves how creative you’ve gotten with some of them.

Classics for you to use in public would be “babe,” “baby,” or “honey.” Simple and quick, definitely easy to get his attention with those.

If he’s ever talking about HexTech with you, feel free to lovingly tease him with “smarty pants” or “big brain.” (Please listen to this man talk about HexTech. It’s far more interesting than council shit.)

While Viktor is definitely running the lab now that Jayce is a councilor, Jayce is still the face of HexTech (and Piltover’s “Golden Boy” <- call him that to tease him btw), so he’s the main one who tries to secure funding for the lab’s future. This means rubbing elbows with Piltover’s elite and giving speeches at fancy parties and banquets. Honestly he kinda hates it. He gets really nervous beforehand, but, he’s very good at it. Only you and Viktor know about Jayce’s nerves in these situations.

When he’s successful at this schmoozing, use “superstar,” “hotshot,” or “you charmer.” (Ex: (After he comes back from a speech, you’re straightening his tie after kissing his cheek.) “Way to go, hotshot…I saw potential funders pulling out their checkbooks before you were even finished.”)

Ok listen, we’ve all see the forge scenes…Jayce Talis is physically FINE AS FUCK (though OSHA would have something to say about him being shirtless in there 😂). Being a house known for forging tools comes with its physique benefits, so feel free to feed his ego on this point.

He loves when you call him “sexy” or “handsome.” He does like knowing you find him physically attractive.

Whenever he calls you “shorty” or “peanut” feel free to fire back with “big guy.” (I just…Ex- Jayce: *pulls you into a hug and murmurs* “Hey peanut..” You: *smiles and murmurs back* “Hey big guy..” 🥺 FUCK that is just so cute to me.)

He may not call you “my darling” or “my love,” but he LOVES when you call him those. When you do, he is wrapped around your little finger and ready to do whatever you ask of him.

Thank you so much for reading!!

I had such a blast writing this and I’m sooooo excited to get into writing more stuff for Arcane because I really love the show. Shoutout to my bestie (mentioned in Jayce’s first section lol) for also loving Viktor and being excited to read my writing in all its draft-stages!

[centrally-unplanned]

Gonna make this a quick one since I just don’t have the spoons for a really big effort post: Pre-CCP 20th Century China Did Not Have Feudal or Slave-like Land Tenancy Systems

Obviously what counts as “slave-like” is going to be subjective, but I think it's common, for *ahem* reasons, for people to believe that in the 1930’s Chinese agriculture was dominated by massive-scale, absentee landlords who held the large majority of peasant workers in a virtual chokehold and dictated all terms of labor.

That is not how Chinese land ownership & agricultural systems worked. I am going to pull from Chinese Agriculture in the 1930s: Investigations into John Lossing Buck’s Rediscovered ‘Land Utilization in China’ Microdata, which is some of the best ground-level data you can get on how land use functioned, in practice, in China during the "Nanjing Decade" before WW2 ruins all data collection. It looks at a series of north-central provinces, which gives you the money table of this:

On average, 4/5ths of Chinese peasants owned land, and primarily farmed land that they owned. Tenancy was, by huge margins, the minority practice. I really don’t need to say more than this, but I'm going to because there is a deeper point I want to make. And it's fair to say that while this is representative of Northern China, Southern China did have higher tenancy rates - not crazy higher, but higher.

So let's look at those part-owner farmers; sounds bad right? Like they own part of their land, but it's not enough? Well, sometimes, but sometimes not:

A huge class (about ~1/3rd) of those part-owners were farming too much land, not too little; they were enterprising households renting land to expand their businesses. They would often engage in diversified production, like cash crops on the rented land and staple crops on their owned land. Many of them would actually leave some of their owned land fallow, because it wasn’t worth the time to farm!

Meanwhile the small part-owners and the landless tenant farmers would rent out land to earn a living…sometimes. Because that wasn’t the only way to make a living - trades existed. From our data, if you are a small part-owner, you got a substantial chunk of your income from non-farm labor; if you owned no land you got the majority of your income from non-farm labor:

(Notice how that includes child labor by default, welcome to pre-modernism!)

So the amount of people actually doing full-tenancy agriculture for a living is…pretty small, less than 10% for sure. But what did it look like for those who do? The tenancy rates can be pretty steep - 50/50 splits were very common. But that is deceiving actually; this would be called “share rent”, but other systems, such as cash rents, bulk crop rents, long-term leases with combined payment structures, etc, also existed and were plentiful - and most of those had lower rent rates. However, share rent did two things; one, it hedged against risk; in the case of a crop failure you weren't out anything as the tenant, a form of insurance. And two, it implied reciprocal obligations - the land owner was providing the seed, normally the tools as well, and other inputs like fertilizer.

Whether someone chose one type of tenancy agreement or the other was based on balancing their own labor availability, other wage opportunities, the type of crop being grown, and so on. From the data we have, negotiations were common around these types of agreements; a lot of land that was share rent one year would be cash rent another, because the tenants and market conditions shifted to encourage one or the other form.

I’m doing a little trick here, by throwing all these things at you. Remember the point at the top? “Was this system like slavery?” What defines slavery? To me, its a lack of options - that is the bedrock of a slave system. Labor that you are compelled by law to do, with no claim on the output of that work. And as I hit you with eight tiers of land ownership and tenancy agreements and multi-source household incomes, as you see that the median person renting out land to a tenant farmer was himself a farmer as a profession and by no means some noble in the city, what I hope becomes apparent is that the Chinese agricultural system was a fully liquid market based on choice and expected returns. By no means am I saying that it was a nice way to live; it was an awful way to live. But nowhere in this system was state coercion the bedrock of the labor system. China’s agricultural system was in fact one of the most free, commercial, and contract-based systems on the planet in the pre-modern era, that was a big source of why China as a society was so wealthy. It was a massive, moving market of opportunities for wages, loans, land ownership, tenancy agreements, haggled contracts, everyone trying in their own way to make the living that they could.

It's a system that left many poor, and to be clear injustices, robberies, corruption, oh for sure were legion. Particularly during the Warlord Era mass armies might just sweep in and confiscate all your hard currency and fresh crops. But, even ignoring that the whole ‘poverty’ thing is 90% tech level and there was no amount of redistribution that was going to improve that very much, what is more important is that the pre-modern world was *not* equally bad in all places. The American South was also pretty poor, but richer than China in the 19th century. And being a slave in the American South was WAY worse than being a peasant in China during times of peace - because Confederate society built systems to remove choice, to short-circuit the ebb and flow of the open system to enshrine their elite ‘permanently’ at the top. If you lived in feudal Russia it was a good deal worse, with huge amounts of your yearly labor compelled by the state onto estates held by those who owned them unimpeachably by virtue of their birthright (though you were a good deal richer just due to basic agriculture productivity & population density, bit of a tradeoff there).

If you simply throw around the word “slavery” to describe every pre-modern agricultural system because it was poor and shitty, that back-doors a massive amount of apologia for past social systems that were actively worse than the benchmarks of the time. Which is something the CCP did; their diagnosis of China’s problem for the rural poor of needing massive land redistribution was wrong! It was just wrong, it was not the issue they were having. It was not why rural China was often poor and miserable. It could help, sure, I myself would support some compensated land redistribution in the post-war era as a welfare idea for a fiscally-strapped state. But that was gonna do 1% of the heavy lifting here in making the rural poor's lives better. And I don’t think we should continue to the job of spreading the CCP's propaganda for them.

There ya go @chiefaccelerator, who alas I was not permitted to compel via state force into writing this for me, you Qing Dynasty lazy peasant.

[xmunsn]

get to know your mutuals

thank you to my creature queens @strang3lov3 and @cum-a-calla for the tags 🖤🖤🖤

whats the origin of your blog title my og url was eddiemunsn and i was primarily a stranger things blog, but then i revisited my x-men phase and started rb’ing more multi fandom stuff so i changed it to xmunsn recently

what’s your favorite fandom boy howdy…i don’t have a favorite fandom because honestly they’ve all been mostly poo poo in one way or another. however, the fandom i’ve found is the easiest to be apart of is the culkin babes. the little bubble i have wandered into is very nice 😊

otp(s)/shipname me x eddie munson, shipname is idiots

favorite color purple, but not the super pinky purples. i like a nice lavender, an amethyst can be nice depending on the undertones :<

favorite game dragon age origins forever baby. baldurs gate 3 and animal crossing are special mentions. plus the 1200+ hours i have put into star wars: the old republic 😎

what song is stuck in your head ‘witching hour’ by venom. the “hells breaking loose” at 1:51 specifically

what is your weirdest habit/trait i talk weird and the way i text/type is a grammatical nightmare (sorry ashleigh fuck you)

what are your hobbies crocheting, beading, smoking a lot of weed. i used to be really good with pottery but i haven’t done it in years :-\

what is your profession being sad, stoned, and horny in my backyard

if you could have any job which would it be i want to open up a coffee shop and have it be a little queer commie community hang out spot with free literature and resources and all that good shit. if i made sufficient money from it i’d build myself a pottery studio at home so i could bring even a semblance of warmth to my cold black heart

what is something you’re good at baking ;>

what is something you’re bad at cooking :’<

what is something you love my cats ! one of them is dead tho 🤡

what is something you could talk about for hours off the cuff star wars. specifically the clone wars era….don’t look at me (@artooine)

what is something you hate fascists

what is something you collect little figurines! like those tiny critters you get in the miniatures section at craft stores

something you forget EVERYTHING

what’s your love language insulting you, then sharing my food with you. or in @l-adynesta ‘s case, beating her ass at 8ball and calling her a slur 🤭 and then i send her a stevie pic 🖤

favorite movie/show always sunny, and god dammit i love little nicky. i was obsessed with that movie when i was just out of diapers, i liked the dude with the tits on his head

favorite food i bounce between panang curry w soft tofu and chicken shawarma w greek fries

favorite animal bears :3

are you musical i can hit notes but that doesn’t mean it sounds good all the time. i always wanted to play an instrument but i have horrible rhythm

favorite subject at school art and english

least favorite subject at school math, except freshman year when i had a teacher who actually knew how to teach it

best character trait i’m would like to think i have some good advice and a top of the line bullshit detector

worst character trait i’m a temperamental cat. life would be easier (for everyone around me) if i had ears and a tail so ppl could get some sorta warning before i bite. also my autistic sense of justice is incredibly inconvenient when i live with a raging bigot

if you could change any detail about your day today what would it be i wouldn’t’ve played fucking skip-bo i hate that stupid fucking game fuck skip-bo

if you could travel in time who would you like to meet hmm….i think george michael would be fun

recommend one of your favorite fanfics (spread the love) dragons lair by @glassbxttless has me in a chokehold 😩

and a small list of honorable mentions : @superhoeva @saradika @sweetpeapod (my beloved friend who has written me so many things i love you) and of course the beautiful ghouls of the @cum-a-calla and @strang3lov3 who are incredibly talented and make me feel funny and provide a safe space for less……’conventional’ kinks ;-3

no pressure tags @superhoeva @sweetpeapod @l-adynesta (loser)

[roseshower]

Who Would've Thought A Crack Pairing

—would have me in a chokehold like this??? Seriously, in what world (this one) would I have ever come across a Damian Wayne x Marinette Dupain-Cheng fanfic and loved it to the point where I'M writing about them??? Dear God.

Alright so. Hey. Shameless call out for a ficlet I'm writing about (okay so I KNOW I haven't been updating my other ones...). Wait before I continue—look. My favorite of all the Batfam is Damian Wayne. He's like. My kid. My child. Sure he stabs the shit out of his family at first but he ain't do nothing wrong bruh he's just misunderstood fr. And then there's Marinette. My favorite character from back when I was in middle school. I thought it would be silly to look up some MLB x Batman Fics and. Jesus Christ. I found MANY. (Not enough.) And then I saw "Damian Wayne/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug" and I thought??? No fucking way??? IS THIS REAL

I read the fic. Which fic? I won't gatekeep. "No, Mr. Wayne, You Can't Adopt Me!" by ggomoz (ggomo_springtime) on Ao3 is a FUCKING BANGER I read it for shits and giggles because I was like "hah???? NO WAY" and my god. My GODDDD it was AMAZING. I know I sound like I'm glazing rn but my god y'all have to read it if you guys like Damian x Marinette shit. And also Marinette having great interactions with the BatFam. Primarily Bruce Wayne, as you can see by the title.

But yeah. Holyyyy hell. That was one of the fics that inspired mine. The other was "the reports associated with my existence have been significantly misconstrued" by davidstennant on Ao3 and ANOTHER was "for us to collide" by LadyLiterature on Ao3.

ANYWAY. Enough rambling. The whole reason for this post was to present to you the fic I've been working on...

Help! My Boss Is In Love With Me!

Synopsis:

Rumors say that the youngest son of Bruce Wayne is in love with his assistant. Marinette immediately debunks these rumors—her grouchy boss has no love in his body for anyone, let alone for her. So then, if it's just a rumor, why does she keep catching him staring at her like she's just hung the moon?

Or, Damian Wayne accidentally acquires feelings for his lovely assistant Marinette, much to his frustrations and everyone else's delight.

Now... I know what you're thinking... "Ana what the fuck is this" and to tell you the truth I DONT KNOW??? DAMIAN X MARINETTE IS BEATING THE SHIT OUT OF ME

but yeah if you guys want a lil taste for what you may be reading, I'll throw a crumb rn

Internally, he wilts at the sight of her perfection.

The feelings have grown more over the years he's had the luck of having her working for him, and they came to a head months ago in the middle of a cumbersome night of dealings he wonders how his father dealt with all on his own.

And it's because he saw her run into the damn glass door of his office.

[lotus-pear]

So I think I'm relatively new to you and your stuff (at the very least that's how it feels still), but just to get this out of the way: your art is gorgeous wtf. I haven't seen all of it and most of it seems to be ShuAke or Soukoku, but it looks amazing all the same. (Also how do people mistake ShuAke for Soukoku? They don't even have the same hair. (this is primarily in jest. I'm sure there's a reason if it's happened so often))

Now for the other reason I’m sending an ask! In all honesty I feel kind of awkward doing this, and also I saw that Persona 5 has you in a chokehold right now, so you’re probably focused on that. Buuuuut I’ve seen that you’re into both Bungo Stray Dogs and Madoka Magica. And though I haven’t played it myself yet, P5 is a thing I’ve had on my list for a while now. So considering the shared fandoms already, I’ve decided to throw my current hyperfixation at the metaphorical dartboard and see if it sticks. *ahem* Lotus have you played Fire Emblem: Three Houses? if not do you at least know of it? (bc you should play it it’s great and fun and I’d explain it better but that would make the whole ask too long)

hello!! first of all ty for the long ask i enjoyed reading all of it and also ur so right abtnthe shuake-confusing-for-skk people i hope they feel better soon /hj u should play persona if u liked bsd and pmmm there's a lot of elements that are incorporated into the game that takes from both those medias

also yea i've heard of fe3h! my friend is chronically addicted to it so i watch her play sometimes, i think my fav character is probably robin??

[bewitchingbloom]

April reads! I got through quite a bit this month (largely because I primarily listen to audiobooks and three of these clocked in at less than ten hours.) It was also a month that really ran the gamut on quality too lol

Ratings and brief thoughts below the cut.

The Gilded Crown - 4.5/5 - Probably my favorite read of the month. It was actually the perfect combination of what I wanted from two of my most disappointing reads from last year (Belladonna and The Bear and the Nightingale), with a fun toxic yuri plotline to boot. I loved it so much that I immediately put the sequel on hold at the library when normally I would hold off on doing that for a while, so yeah...I loved it. I do think its cover does it no favors, though.

Not a Happy Family - 1.25/5 - My book club's pick of the month and...ugh, if it hadn't been for that, I would've DNF'd. Actually, I probably would've never picked this up at all if it weren't for that. Choppy writing and questionable character descriptions, as well as a predictable murder mystery. There are ways to make "everyone's lying and no one's likeable" fun, but this wasn't it.

I am Made of Death - 3.75/5 - I loved the first third of this book, it was tense and Andrew did a great job of making the characters compelling. I thought I knew where it was going and was super excited, only for it to pivot in the second half and become an unofficial sequel to Andrew's previous books, which I haven't read and honestly probably needed context for to understand the significance of what was happening. Still, it was well-written, I enjoyed Vivienne and Thomas as the main characters, and it was an interesting enough premise that I'd rather pick up her earlier novels than write her off completely.

Never Whistle at Night - 4/5 - Like every anthology I've ever read, there were high and low points with a bunch of mid stories in-between. That said, I think the writing of the stories overall was top-notch, there were only two stories I flat out didn't like, and many that I really did. My favorite story in the anthology was Collections, which was also the penultimate in the book. It had me in a chokehold for the entirety of it, leaving me unsettled in a way I definitely appreciate in horror stories.

In the Dream House - No rating (memoir) - Brilliantly written memoir about an abusive relationship. Machado's prose flowed so beautifully, and the narration painted a unique picture that found my heart breaking alongside hers in the patchwork dreamscape of her memories. Mind the content warnings, but definitely worth a read if you don't mind second-person POV.

Tread of Angels - 3/5 - This novella was written by Rebecca Roanhorse, who wrote one of the short stories I really enjoyed in Never Whistle at Night. The premise was interesting, but ultimately I think the short length did it a disservice. There was a lot of good lore, as well a great theme, that could've been served well if it had been told in full-fledged novel. As it was, the story was too short for me to get emotionally invested in the world or characters, so it was pretty much just a quick, fun read and nothing more. I am looking forward to reading Black Sun eventually, still.

Monstress Vol. 3 & 4 - both 4.75/5 - I continue to absolutely love Maika Halfwolf, and her story is one I'm quickly becoming so invested in. I love the world Marjorie Liu imagines and Sana Takada brings to life with her art; even though it's an incredibly dark story, it's also so lush and gorgeous that I can't help but love it.

[batsplat]

the way tennis to motogp pipeline is definitely a thing…….

switching to motogp really does highlight how a lot of those atp guys are just soooooo freaking boring in comparison. and I’m talking about big 4 and 00’s players here. current gen is so so much worse. horrible. abolish atp

*nods in agreement* I mean it's not a completely one-way street - obviously I'm never going to stop following tennis, I'm never going to stop PLAYING tennis, I want to do more coaching again in the future... and this stuff does come and go in waves, like 2019-2022-ish I was definitely drifting more from motogp to tennis again (minus going crazy on the motogp archives during the pandemic). but at the start of this year I did have a moment where I was like... no. enough. I do still follow women's tennis very closely!! but the state of the men's game looks SO dire right now headed into next season that I cannot even pretend to be mildly excited about the australian swing (which I usually am every year, in charlie brown trying to kick the football fashion)

but yeah honestly every time I revisit motogp it's this kind of... man, I am operating with crumbs when it comes to tennis, and then motogp is kind enough to hand you an entire buffet. and admittedly valentino does deserve a lot of credit here, also makes the other blokes more interesting, can't imagine what the sport would be like without him. but crucially, you do just end up with a far more interesting slate of guys. it's a shame because, again, I might be biased but I fully believe tennis as a sport has insane amounts of narrative potential. it's just... yeah, idk what's happened. it IS also a men-specific problem, like obviously noughties wta cooked insanely hard by every metric and the women's game is still plenty engaging since then. but still!! frustrating

also my thing is. okay so the women's game right now obviously also isn't feuds galore, the top girlies mostly get on fine and there's not TOO much of an edge there. but I still far prefer it to the men, and not just because I think the women generally have way more personality. it's also just... idk, I sometimes joke with my friends that I have a chart in my head with two axes that goes. x axis = skill; y axis = evil. or maybe not EVIL, just like. capacity for drama. and draw a line across the chart. and if you're under that line, I just can't deal with you. I love underdogs, I still root for a bunch of scrubs on the men's side who are journeymen or chokers or just kinda mid. same obviously with the women. but then at the top of the men's game, it's just?? these guys who dominate SO much and are SO good, but who quite frankly do not have enough narrative juice to sustain that kind of dominance. (okay maybe rather than 'evil', let's say 'narrative juice' as the y axis.) I'm not saying they're ALL so boring that I'd hate them if they were ranked ten positions lower, but given the chokehold first the big three then this current lot have had on the game... simply not good enough

whereas with the women, we've obviously had a chaos era or three, but now we have these women who are all like... really strong, really pushing each other forward, but also deeply imperfect! and I mean that in the best way possible. igatha with her rigidness and fragility and inability to step back when she's returning - who's so fucking good, but also constantly seems to be walking a mental tightrope and is currently in a bit of a crisis where her game is at. sublanko with her history of semifinal choking and serving yips and who's constantly visibly fighting herself on the court. the fascinating contrast that particular rivalry provides, not least in how they behave on the court. gauff, who constantly appears to have a major part of her game falling apart whether it's the forehand or now the serve - and who is overcoming that primarily by just making herself ridiculously hard to beat. I could go on, I mean where do you even start with ryba... all these current stars of the sport who really feel like they're here to stay - yeah, they're not cooking up complex feuds so it's never going to be COMPLETE brainworms territory for me, but I still find it deeply deeply compelling!! I love watching them play, I'm rooting for them to figure their shit out... but also not. like. too much. it's great to follow in sporting terms!!

and if you are going to be so dominant over the sport, so unyielding, so unblinking in your refusal to allow new major competitors to emerge for such an extended period of time... well, then, as far as I'm concerned you'd better be motogp alien levels of deranged. like, that's the bar for me. sure, then I can accept it. none of this awful 'oh well, the less talented guy lost his five hundredth consecutive slam final, what can you do' business, if you're going to suppress the less talented then at least do it with the ruthlessness and affinity for existential horror that valentino displayed towards sete. enough with pretending like crowds booing your opponents for having the temerity to challenge you is something you don't even notice - at least weaponise it like valentino did. tennis as a gentleman's sport is unbearable... I'm not a gentleman, I want mess. and if you're going to dominate, at least attempt to beat each other to death with hammers!! god. is that too much to ask for

[midsummer-semantics]

Tagged by @hornedqueenofhell

this is exciting!

divider by @/saradika-graphics

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

37

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

552,698

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Stranger Things primarily, but I have written for Harry Potter and Marvel

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

- Free-Use Healthcare - Forehead Kisses - Big Dick Energy™️ - cherry on my lips - Gold Rush

5. Do you respond to comments?

I didn't really respond much in the beginning but I try to respond every time now. Even if it's just a heart or "i loved this," I want everyone to know that I appreciate them taking the time to read AND leave a comment.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

holy palmers' kiss I suppose has the angstiest ending considering it exists in the canonverse. At the very end, Steve thinks "Maybe we can save each other," but we know from a fan perspective that Eddie dies because Steve isn't there to save him that Steve and Eddie live happily ever after.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

This is entirely personal opinion because I really only do HEAs lol It's either my big boy The Fool, The World, and Everything in Between because Steddie fight to live as normal a life as possible in the wake of s4 and end up getting engaged at the end, or it's Best friends, ex-friends ‘til the end (better off as lovers) because they bonded, like, a day into being reunited because they were soulmates.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Aside from one comment from someone being marginally racist about how Italians aren't darker skinned (Steve is Sicilian in one of my series and Sicilians are notoriously darker skinned), not really. But I recently heard that some people use priv bookmarks to make sure they avoid reading something again, and while I think that's counterproductive to the bookmark count, I don't really want to know if it's happened to me.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yep! Almost exclusively, but I do have a few fics that are smut-free which I'm always surprised by. All Steddie, all gay, and it ranges from soft love-making to filthy, dirty, wet and messy sex.

10. Do you write crossovers?

The only crossover I've written was for Marvel, and that only counts on a technicality that it was a crossover between Eternals and Daredevil.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of, but I haven't actually scoured the internet to check. I hope if something was stolen, the people reading it still enjoyed it.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I think so? I had a HP fic translated into Russian but I never followed up on the website to see if it ever got posted.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

When I wrote the Marvel fic, yes. I was working on and Eternals Ikaris/OFC while my best friend wrote a Daredevil/OFC and my other friend wrote a Jessica Jones/OFC, and we had them all in the same room multiple times.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

Steddie, hands down. Nothing has had be in a chokehold quite like this.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will?

So many, and I've lost interest at the moment in one I was actually posting, but I'm hoping to pick it back up after the Big Bang is finished. Probably with massive re-writes.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I'm funny, so I would like to say I have a lot of really solid lines in fics that make people laugh out loud. Also my world-building tends to be extensive (so much plot in my porn every damn time), but I don't want to classify that as a weakness so strength it is.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I don't tend to plan things out. I usually have a scene or two in mind and then I write around them and piece it together like Frankenstein's Monster. It's worked out for me so far, but I wish I planned things better sometimes.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I've done it a few times. For my Italian Steve/Mexican Eddie series I have both boys speaking second languages but not well lol I just make it part of the bit because, like Eddie in this, I also speak Spanish but not well. This is my official request that if you do speak another language that I've written in and it's wrong, feel free to let me know lol

19. First fandom you wrote for?

My Chemical Romance. I was 13. We don't talk about it.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

I'm really attached to The Fool, The World, and Everything in Between because it's a chonky boy (107k words) and it took me 9 months to write, but We'd rather be six feet under (than be lonely) is a very close second because I really got to play with Steve's inner monologue there and I think the approach I took to the fake dating trope was really original.

non-pressure tags: @tedewitt @malikat24601 @mojowitchcraft @lexirosewrites

[fatuismooches]

hi :) i see your responses to my asks :) i see your reblogs :) i am absolutely not about to add sodium to the tea i am having rn :)

in all seriousness though oh my goodness smooches ;; i am glad i decided to take a little break from writing for now and be greeted with an influx of notifications alongside your responses to my asks and reblogs to the little thingies i published, just the perfect obliteration my heart needed to perfect my night <3

in response to your excitement about my kabuki series, ME TOO !! good god you don't know how over the damn moon i am just thinking about tomorrow like .. i should probably get a breather because this much excitement, while not new to me because i'm always excited, is about to annihilate my heart lmao

and now in response to your reblog of my fatui kuni drabble, yes. fucking yes. sorry excuse my language BUT. I GET IT. dearest when i tell you it's something i think about a lot — that drabble is actually what i wrote back when i was taking a walk near the seashore about i believe two weeks ago! but that aside, walks around snezhnaya with scara are like everything to me. like imagine him accompanying you to town or along the outskirts — very and i mean very attentively listens to you musings about everything and nothing because he doesn't have much to offer in comparison to what he wholeheartedly believes to be heaven in your eyes as you talk about very simple things ( i shall cut my rambling there because i have a whole series for fatui kuni that is primarily themed around that concept hehe ).

as for the 'nushi thesis...............

oops ~

no but this bitch had me on a chokehold for SO LONG, that i ended up writing not only lore but many, many other things as well from the small to the big deadass ended up being a presentation because i have arranged a design sheet and even chose a fucking theme for him. but king deserves it so (⁠~⁠￣⁠³⁠￣⁠)⁠~

there is so much i could say right now, so much i can express but bloody hell i like, can't because i have successfully melted into a puddle out of sheer joy :')

YOUR HCS FOR KABUKI BTW ARE SO SO REAL !! SPEAK YOUR TRUTH QUEEN !!

goodness .. dear smooches, dear mutual, dear fellow tea addict /lh lover, to say that your responses have made my night would be one of the biggest understatements i've ever made in life :') like omg i am thinking of a way i could respond to every little thing you mentioned in your responses to my asks and in your reblogs, but i think the bright smile painting my puffy face rn is more than indicative of how genuinely thankful and happy i am 🤍

thank you and incredible lot. i hope mundanities with kabukimono hits in all the right ways and you get to enjoy it as much as i enjoyed writing for it. i cannot wait to walk this journey with you and many others <3

— signed with much ( platonic ) love, ayame.

( don't tell kuni that i almost cried because tumblr ate the ask i previously sent you, please and thank you :') ).

the way i am actually about to cry because tumblr keeps having the ask i sent you just a minute ago as a meal............. i swear to god if this one gets sent unlike the other i am going to swallow a biscuit whole /j /nsrs

AYAME NOOOO IM SO SO SORRY TUMBLR CAN BE AN ASS LIKE THAT SOMETIMES 😭😭 But i am so glad to have received this ask from you omg, i love it sm ❤️ And you don't even need to thank me, I'm always happy to support and gush over your writing :)) I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND ABOUT BEING EXCITED TO POST there have been a bunch of times when i wanted to just post something at that instant instead of waiting (kabukimono series was an example when i literally posted back to back instead of spacing it out, i was SO READY 😭)

AND NGL YOU LITERALLY OPENED MY MIND TO SNEZHNAYAN WALKS WITH KUNI... i never thought about it before but. MWAH. i love the idea because i love walks and the cold especially if Kuni will be there to keep me warm hehe. Him being a silent listener is so so cute and real because you think he doesn't listen but then he brings up something random you said weeks ago and your heart just goes boom. (I propose to you now, you and Wanderer visiting Mondstadt/ Dragonspine and walking along the snowy path there too! Wanderer just has so much overflowing memories of the two of you doing the same thing in Snezhnaya, but you don't remember :( but at least he has a second chance with you to make new memories)

OH MY GOSH THE KURONUSHI STUFF EBWDBEWF bro. i so understand because when i saw him there i was excited beyond words. like FINALLY we were getting some Scara lore after like a year or something?? i also remember being sad that the furniture for the teapot wouldn't change to his picture :( but omg i love your dedication to him sm ITS SO SWEET I CAN'T WAIT TO READ MORE ABOUT YOUR THOUGHTS ON KURO BC IM SO INTERESTED.

AGAIN IM REALLY GLAD MY SILLY RAMBLES MADE YOU SMILE!! *HUGS YOU* AND I TOO CANT WAIT TO EXPERIENCE YOUR KABUKI SERIES!! ILY TOO!! ❤️❤️

[theunluckiestdevil]

Ask Game: 18 & 24

18. What is your OC's biggest irrational fear? Do they know its irrational?

Tomas:

They have developed a very strong fear of the Zee, primarily in terms of Zee Monsters and movement in the water. They don't like being on deck for extended periods of time (though more recently they've been trying to work past this), and Will Not walk near the railing unless it's absolutely necessary. They think it's perfectly rational considering their track record. They may have a point.

Mel:

He's really really scared of another devil noticing that he is in fact a rogue devil of sorts, and capturing him to send back to Hell for proper education. HE HAS NOTHING TO BASE THIS FEAR OFF OF. He doesn't know a lot of devil culture. This is currently being tangled with recent ?? religious ???? crises ?????? So anyways no he doesn't think it's irrational it has him in a chokehold every moment of the day.

24. What would your OC's pizza delivery order look like? Are they good at ordering pizza? How good do they tip?

Tomas:

Doesn't order pizza because the workers never understand them through the phone/mask. Would order a simple cheese and sausage pizza. Would tip extra high if the delivery person doesn't make small talk.

Mel:

Would be hesitant to spend the money on a pizza delivery tbh. He would devour a meat lover's pizza though. Maybe with a honey drizzle? Tips in loose change and a tart.