#the quotes are definitely ooc but they were more for making me laugh

[enhanced-operatives-division]

Hello LGBTQ+ community. I redesigned prism a little

[silvia7272]

Miraculess Ladybug Salt AU: You Always Liked To Play With Fire ~ The Prologue

Hey everyone, this is a new story I wanted to introduce to you all.

I’ve been putting everything in a massive word doc because I had so many ideas and finally settled on putting it out today because it's my birthday. 29th, I may have updated it late.

Yay.

So as a special treat, here’s a new series with a few original characters, ones you know or have been changed ever so slightly to fit, in a Miraculess world. (haha, you see what I did there? No… I’ll leave)

Also for anyone new, I’m a multi-shipper so I ship my characters with a bunch of other people, as I like Lukanette (Fandom Version), Daminette (Fandom Version), Felinette (PV Fandom Version), Marichat (Fandom Version) and I guess Rosannette. What’s Rosannette? Well, I guess you’ll have to find out, won’t you? (also no that’s not a typo, it is Rosannette)

Also, I guess this will just have the usual salt, maybe more, I don’t know. I kinda want it to just be about these two.

Word Count: 3912

Note: I haven’t tagged anyone just in case, this is a different series from my other, I just got really excited and wanted to write it. If you still wish to be tagged for this story please say and specify.

Also: This is a salt story, it will have OOC moments from everyone so it will be classed as an AU. If you don’t want to read that’s fine, and have a nice day.

Well, I hope you’ll enjoy it.

This is for all the people that might prefer Rosinette (like from the songfic) instead, I don’t mind but it won’t be in my main series, so I hope this will satisfy you.

(Word of warning, I believe this will be an AU where the Miraculous don’t exist, and non-canon to my official story and I believe mentions of a panic attack might be lightly mentioned, don’t know if it is, but if someone could check and I’ll make the warning clearer that would be nice)

Summary: 

(Fire doesn't exactly have anything to do with this story I just really liked the title)

Note: This book contains OOC scenes of Miraculous Ladybug as well as a ton of salt, so if you don't like that stuff you may scroll past and have a nice day.

In a world with no Miraculous, no Hawkmoth and no Ladybug, how does our little heroine do?

Well, it usually would be hanging out with her friends, as any other teenager would do...

But, of course, this wasn't normal. 

This was reality. It was cold, hard and definitely not welcome.

So, when this girl wishes to have some kind of adventure in her boring, mundane life...

How long does it take for her to regret it?

***

Memories, it's such a simple word yet it holds so much meaning. One could either wish to forget everything from their life, and simply move forward so they could pursue their dreams. Or, simply relish in the past when they remembered how great it was, all the friends they had made, all the moments they had which were too good to let go.

.

But, I guess sometimes, you did have to let go. But let go of what exactly? Let go of all the happiness once you knew how it would end? No that would be too harsh and you’d turn bitter. Let go of all the sadness? But, wasn’t it an important life lesson to learn, sometimes, you just have to be sad because of the situation at hand. No amount of croissants or macarons would be able to lift your spirits back.

.

Or maybe that was too much of a specific example.

That was what Marinette had thought, staring at an empty glass so intently the man behind made himself disperse from the amount of time the unblinking woman just stared and never flinched.

She guessed it hadn’t all been bad, she at least had some form of happiness before it was violently ripped away, but part of her wondered, what would’ve happened if she never felt that type of happiness before? Would she have felt like she had for so long, was it the fact that she knew what being happy was like before worse? Because, as depressing as it sounded, if she hadn’t been as happy, would she have been as upset?

She would never know, she couldn’t go back in time since that was impossible, but the thought always came and went whenever she was alone with her thoughts.

So… Maybe it was for the best, that she was able to remember what real happiness felt like.

The tight feeling in your chest, butterflies in your stomach, face being so red anyone would worry if the bluenette had caught a cold instead-

Wait- this was an oddly specific kind of happiness she felt, surely she must’ve gotten mixed up with some other felling right?

Right!?

So, how come she was feeling this- incredibly bright heat from her cheeks when she felt a hand on her shoulder?

We may need to go back several years.

***

In a classroom in Collège Françoise Dupont, a young pigtailed girl sat at the back, tears silently falling onto her knees and bawled up fists. She didn’t see any use of wiping them away, since they would just come back anyway, and it would be useless to just repeat that endless cycle. She hadn’t looked around to see anyone else’s faces, they would either just ignore her, or taunt her for just crying, for just being human.

Now you may be wondering why she was so upset? What possibly could’ve happened to make our very cheerful and sunshiny girl become so hunched over she was practically crying her eyes out? Well, the answer lies on the one girl at the front. The one girl sitting in an all too familiar place. The one girl who just ruined all of her newfound friendships.

Lila Rossi.

And boy had she hated that name.

She couldn’t stand that smirk, that thief, that scandal!

And what exactly did she do?

.

She lied.

Now you may be thinking that may not have been all that bad, but it was.

Every time she opened her mouth, everyone would fawn around her, even Alix, the one who seriously couldn’t care about anything to do with glamourous celebrities, was hanging on the edge of her seat to hear one of Lila’s so-called stories. She just had to guess Lila held up a treat over her head to keep her being obedient enough.

She hated Lila so much because she was just using everyone to get an easy life at school, the fastest way towards popularity she guessed, but why she thought this was the fastest way was beyond her.

She hated Lila because she had spread so many lies, so many rumours, all about her. All so out of the realm it was such a surprise they all believed her without a shred of evidence.

It had happened so fast, one day, they were all friends, smiling and laughing like there was no tomorrow, the next, she was surrounded by those faces, those faces of disgust and hatred. As if she had committed even the worst of crimes, more so than Chloé, speaking of, who was absolutely enjoying this show.

But undoubtedly. What she hated about Lila the most.

.

Was that technically, she didn’t have to do that much.

After so many sessions of crying, and just not believing that they could possibly leave her, a friend, like that, she started to reason with herself, that maybe it wasn’t just Lila that pushed them all away.

She thought back to before.

Before they were friends, before Alya even came to Collège, she had been alone. Chloé had always gone out of her way to relentlessly bully her, and no one wanted to be friends with her with Chloé around. So she accepted it, just hoping one day, karma would seek justice and she’d be put in her place.

So she waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And-

Gave up.

She accepted defeat after all the years. After the meaningless conversations with teachers that she should try and be the bigger person and rise above all of her hatred for her. Simply because they couldn’t do anything. They had no power over the mayor's Daughter. So they just let her continue her reign over the school.

She didn’t have any powers to stop her.

.

But then, a light of hope came.

The new girl, with ombre brown and red hair, glasses and hazel eyes. A striped t-shirt and an undeniable Aura that reeked of confidence.

As Marinette was being targeted by Chloé yet again, she came in, and for once, stood up to her. Chloé! No fear in her eyes as she, Alya, grabbed her, Marinette’s, hand and walked off to the desk at the front.

She couldn’t believe it, someone stood up to Chloé! She thought it had only been a myth, a legend, but that right there, it was real.

They became friends faster than the speed of sound.

And soon, she too was able to stand up for herself. Reclaiming her original seat back, and citing a quote her new friend had said… Then everyone had wanted to become friends… And, she felt ecstatic.

Finally. It finally came. The day she had prayed for had come. She felt nothing but pure joy.

And she didn’t want that feeling to go away.

She was terrified that the feeling would go away.

So, she thought of making sure that feeling wouldn’t go away.

That’s why she made so many ‘spare’ macaroons to give away, she didn’t spend her free nights staying up and making them, no way.

That’s why she provided so many free gifts to her friends. What? Her hand has a plaster, no she just tripped and hit herself, it had nothing to do with the gifts. Don’t worry, try your gloves on, do they fit?

That’s why she was late for class. Huh, no I’m fine, I’m not tired… But I might just rest my eyes for a bit, wake me up when something important happens.

That’s why she was so happy to realise Adrien wasn’t as bad as Chloé, the small gentle soul that he had, to graciously provide her with his own umbrella, how selfless.

And that’s why she held onto the idea of Adrien so much. The idea that he was perfect. The idea that she was in love with him.

So, she held onto it.

No, she clung to that idea because she didn’t want any chance to let go. So, she may have gone a bit overboard, with the whole, schedule thing, and the phone… And the schemes. But she believed it was harmless. No one else seemed to have any problems with it, so she believed she was in the clear.

Until she wasn’t.

And Lila used that to her advantage.

She remembered that day so vividly, just like all those other memories. The day she came. The day she would find herself in the same predicament from before, it hadn’t been that long since she had been friends with everyone in fact. She was still getting used to it, and her feelings grew as each day passed by.

She remembered when Lila introduced herself to the whole class, and at first glance, anyone would just think she was an innocent little girl. But behind that smile, behind those eyes, held a sinister intention.

She, in less than an hour, had everyone wrapped around her little finger.

Even her.

She’d been on a private jet?

Had a song written about her?

And saved Jagged Stone’s cat?

There was no way Adrien would fall for her now.

…So maybe she had been jealous of that girl before she had done anything. But she had every reason to. She, Lila, was pressed against Adrien who was happily talking to her. The love of her life! She had to do something, even if Alya had given her a disappointed look she just had to stop them from confessing their love to each other, it was inevitable now, so she followed after them to the park. If they even got too close, she was sure she could just conveniently interrupt, she just had to wait for the perfect moment, she only had a couple of hours before they would fall in love, get married, have three kids and a hamster named-

“Wow Adrien, you’re so nice to me. Y’know I really thought moving here would be just like all the other times. But you’ve really made me enjoy my first day Adrien.” She smiled so sickly sweet Marinette wanted to hurl, how dare she just hold onto his arm like that, so affectionately!

“Its no problem Lila, that’s what friends are for.” She smiled, hugging him so fast they almost lost their balance from sitting on the bench, before seemingly giving him a quick peck on his cheek, only for Adrien to turn his head towards her.

And they kissed.

However, it wasn’t a simple quick kiss, by all means, Adrien should’ve realised his mistake and pulled away.

But he didn’t, what felt like forever lasted a minute. One minute to realise that it should’ve been an accident. But they stayed like that.

It- it was over, wasn’t it? This wasn’t her being melodramatic, she just knew how it would turn out. They were going to fall in love so soon, she wouldn’t have a chance.

If only she had seen the look Lila gave, spotting her retreated form from behind a small trash can, the smirk would’ve given her shivers.

***

Getting back to Collège had taken longer than expected. Maybe it was the small amount of dread knowing she may have lost her love for good. Sure, there might have been Kagami as well, she had tried to sabotage her chances with Adrien too, but it always worked out in the end, Adrien always smiling as Kagami’s cheeks burned with redness. But to say they were friends afterwards.

Marinette would cringe at the fact she always felt so relieved afterwards reflecting years later at her choices. But she had always believed she would still have a chance.

Until today.

Lila came, and took him away, within hours.

And she couldn’t stop it.

Walking along the stairs to her class she had to keep her head held high, if she showed weakness, that would mean she was sad, she wasn’t sad, she couldn’t be sad. She still had all of her friends after all.

Maybe now, they could do more activities, after crying and eating a ton of ice cream of course with cheesy movies to brighten her mood up.

But, this would only be the beginning of that negative feeling.

Opening the door, she would be fully aware of something terribly wrong. At the front of the classroom, a crowd had formed, and a crowd that would soon become a routine in this classroom.

But a crowd formed around a girl, the new girl, Lila. She had seemed to be covering her eyes, water dripping down her eyes, no wait they were tears. What had happened?

She didn’t realise she had spoken those few words before heads turned around, looking- no glaring at her, why were they-? What had she done?

“Marinette I knew you could be a tad jealous but to actually do something like that” Huh? Oh no, Lila must’ve noticed she followed them, how embarrassing, and definitely not the best first impression she could’ve made.

Before she could apologise, before she could explain she really didn’t mean any harm. She didn’t have time to.

“To threaten her to never talk to Adrien again because she likes him. Well, I never thought you’d put your jealousy out like this.”

What!?-

No- she didn’t- she, just saw them kiss.

She didn’t even speak with her.

Why would she say this?

Why didn’t she say anything?

Why wasn’t she defending herself?

Why was she letting them believe that so easily?

Why

Why

Why.

.

Why was it so hard to breathe?

Running out of the classroom was easier than looking at all of those faces. Those accusatory faces. She hated it, she couldn’t do- defend- explain.

She- just-

She-

She-

She-

She was in a room?

The bathroom.

It didn’t matter why, as long as she was alone, she could cry to her heart's content.

The fear seeped over her just like that first time, knowing Chloé had won and would never stop, she had lost and lost everything.

Everything she had worked so hard to obtain.

Everything she had worked so hard to keep.

To make sure she didn’t have to let go.

And now it had gone.

Because it was then Marinette realised. That girl, those tears hadn’t been real, there she saw her eyes hadn’t been red or puffy, the tears’ dried up rather quickly, and the inconsistent wails made it very likely she was only doing them for effect and sympathy.

That girl. Was lying!

That must’ve been it.

No way could she be telling the truth. And no way could ‘I saw her around me and Adrien’ be translated to ‘she threatened me, I’m so scared of her’

Maybe, maybe with that, there was hope.

If she could just simply convince her friends that she was lying, then everything would be all sorted.

And maybe she and Adrien-

Wait, she was getting a little ahead of herself there.

Wiping her tears away she proudly opened the door, ready to face her fears.

Too bad her fears were much much stronger.

No matter how many times she would try to prove her innocence, it became worse.

When she tried going to the teachers, they bat an eye with her responses. Obviously not taking her seriously, and just believing it to be some teenage drama, she was pushed out of the classroom and told to try and just be nicer and make friends with her.

That was harsh but expected.

She tried talking with Alya, she turned away from her. Not wanting to hear anything come out of a crazy stalkers mouth.

That had hurt.

She tried talking with any of her other friends, y’know, the ones who ‘always’ had her back.

They too turned from her. Believing Lila without a doubt, I mean, they knew how jealous Marinette could get, it wasn’t that much of a stretch to think she would jump to that, considering the situation.

That felt like a punch to her gut.

She tried talking with Adrien, even if she did stutter and always lose her words around him. But this was more important, than a silly crush.

.

She wasn’t used to saying that.

But, the way he looked at her, it felt like- pity.

He told her he already knew.

He already knew? Wait- then why didn’t he say anything?

Because, as the naïve little boy stood so tall and ‘innocent’ he simply wanted to help her through his own way.

“She was only lying for attention,” He said.

“Once she finally makes some real friends, she’ll stop,” He said!

“In the meantime, you should really drop this, it would be just awful if you were to hurt Lila again. After all, she hasn’t hurt anyone, she doesn’t mean any harm”

.

.

She stood in shock.

This was the boy she had fell for?

This spineless- foolish- Son of a-

“So please Marinette, don’t cause too many problems for her, you shouldn’t be so harsh on her. If you really value our friendship, you’ll do it.” He smiled before walking off, leaving her to her thoughts.

That felt like someone had walked over to her, ripped out her heart and squashed it in the palm of her hands, all while grinning.

Why, why wasn’t she able to see before? Did her heart want to deceive her by falsifying all of his qualities? Was she just blind to bear witness to him not being as perfect as she made him out to be? Was it because she just couldn’t entertain the thought of letting go?

She didn’t know, she just hated this negative feeling. It felt so familiar. She wanted it to go away.

Unfortunately, that feeling would only grow for months.

And it was about to be worse.

“Huh? Marinette? Why are you crying? If this is about what happened this morning, don’t worry, I’ll forgive you” She was crying? Huh, when did that happen?

Whatever, more importantly.

“W-What, no you don’t have to forgive me because I did nothing wrong” Lila’s worried expression faltered for a bit before she grew ‘scared’

“H-Hey, I didn’t realise you felt like that. Oh, you poor thing” Her eyebrow snapped, she seriously didn’t like being called a thing.

“Save it, I can’t prove it but I know you’re just lying to everyone here. And you need to stop, you’re going to hurt everyone when they find out. You need to confess” Her face faltered again, but it never recovered, her once innocent eyes hardened as she smirked, a look that seemed almost natural, as if she had perfected it by looking into a mirror countless times.

“Oh, so you’ve finally figured it out? Figures, I was told you were the smartest one, and it seems like I wasn’t wrong”

“What?” Lila sighed, maybe she had put too much faith in her being the smartest.

“Ugh, you’re so young Marinette. I haven’t told the truth all my life, why the hell should I start now?” Marinette was stunned, why, why was she telling her this?

“Honestly, and I thought Adrien was naïve. Look, I’m not here to play games, I have this whole routine wrapped up. So just sit back, stay out of my way and I might consider making another lie that would benefit you.” It was an offer any reasonable person wouldn’t refuse.

Unfortunately for her, she didn’t want a reasonable offer.

Marinette stared, she was- she was fully aware of what she was doing?

“B-But you’re going to end up hurting everyone, you need to stop, please!” She begged.

Lila frowned.

She was just like all the rest.

“I don’t care”

Huh?

“I said I don’t care, seriously don’t you get it yet? I’m here to win by all means necessary. You were in the way so I took you out. They are just little trophies to remind you of my victory. You had your chance”

She stood still, this situation felt so familiar, but she had to stay strong, she couldn’t give up now. If reasoning with her won’t work, then maybe understanding might, and she could work with that.

“Why are you doing this, do you really not care about when you get caught? About how everyone will feel when they know you promised nothing in the end?” She hoped she would see some sense. They were good people, they shouldn’t be manipulated into this, she was sure they would’ve been friends regardless of what she had promised.

“It’s because I can”

.

“What do you mean?”

“What I mean, dear sweet Marinette, is that because I am able to, I can. I’ve had years of practice with this, and the result always has me at the top, all that oppose me either stay at the bottom or beg for mercy from moi. It's always a delight to see their hope diminish. To realise they would do anything but to be alone.”

Alone- that word, that word stuck with her so much.

She didn’t want that- but she didn’t want her friends to be tricked either.

“Besides, you made it so easy for me, in reality. You only have yourself to blame”

“What- I didn’t even-” A finger was wagged in front of her face.

“Ah ah ah. You really should know better than that. A calendar full of Adrien’s schedule? A box full of presents for Adrien? Sabotaging dates? You’d think I’d have made it all up, it only made the end result so much greater. Seriously Marinette, I don’t even know if I’m the bad guy here, what you’ve done really isn’t appropriate behaviour. But I do know of a great therapist, they helped me through such a hard time” Lila continued to talk as Marinette zoned out. She was the bad guy? No- no that couldn’t be, that was just a harmless crush, that was just what normal teenaged girls did.

But- if it was. Then why didn’t anyone tell her it was wrong, she didn’t mean for it to be wrong. She just didn’t want them to leave, she just didn’t want to be abandoned again.

Why didn’t they say? Why didn’t she realise?

Why did she know?

Lila must’ve seen the shock as she giggled, not at all innocent.

“It was so easy manipulating all of them into telling me about this ‘crush’, once they realised just how crazy it actually was, they had no problem seeing you for the crazy stalker you are.” Lila flicked her hair up away, only for it to come back, but it didn’t matter, she made her point.

Not having the energy to look up, she would’ve noticed Lila had left her behind, laughing too, because no one had been there to overhear their absolutely private conversation. Her overall plan would not be undiscovered today, tomorrow, or the next. It wouldn’t be discovered ever.

Because she was in control.

Marinette, wasn’t in control.

Just like before, that hollow feeling from before, it was back.

And so much worse.

.

She hated Lila, because she made her realise, she was right. All along. And she just had to accept it.

And gave up trying.

She reverted back to how she was at the beginning of the year.

The quiet girl that no one paid attention to, alone, in the back, with nothing but her sketchbook.

Gone were the childish pigtails, it was for the better, no one said anything about then anymore.

Because she realised.

She wasn’t a child anymore.

She couldn’t be, not after this.

***

Hey, so I guess this was more like another prologue, so I’ll have to apologise if it seems just like the other one, but the premise is still the same so yeah.

And I think I might like the idea of a non-Miraculous world; it seems interesting since I feel like Marinette wouldn’t have as much of a confidence boost since she wouldn’t be Ladybug, please tell me that would make sense.

I think it’s interesting for how much would change and stay the same, and my OC will be making an entrance next time, however, here they are all like 13-14. The next chapter will have a time skip of 3 years, oh and Lila came in late, like around Season 3 late ok? So they already know about Kagami and Luka.

Also if you’re confused about anything feel free to ask any questions.

Cya next time.

Note: Please tell me if I should add anything else to the card, there will be one of these cards for all 15 chapters, however, because I have uni work all updates will be slower because I really need to focus on the uni stuff, then I might be able to upload quicker.

[voidcat]

– a case of bad luck

2. a deal (with the devil)

m.list ; prev ; next ; wc: 2.1k

a/n: society if i could w r i t e,,, anwyays i feel im making mafia dazai ooc? i hope not, ive just began the light novels dsfdg uh yea i'll probs update once a week (depends on how often i can write)

Insisting he leaves you off at the station, you let out a breath of relief for the first time in hours. Unsure he may still be following, you change directions few times, walk fast and use shortcuts only locals of the neighbourhoods know to get him off your track. Just in case.

The next day he doesn’t show up, neither does he the day after. Not knowing how to feel or what to think about this, because there is no way he will let you slide off this easily, you do your best to resist the relief.

And soon later, it blurs back in your head, like smoke dissolving, like a bad dream.

But the unease never leaves. Neither does the feeling of being watched.

Then one lunch break, your eyes get fixed on a spot by the sidewalk and you can swear it’s the same clothes, the bandages, the posture and the look and everything crashes down back on you again. You do your best to linger and change directions as many times as you can on the way home that evening. Nothing goes wrong that night, or the day after or the day after that. If the false of sense peace were to go for few more days, you think you’ll forget all that happened again, too focused on school or whatever your friends recently bringing up.

A bell to mark the school hours ending, walking outside, caught up in whatever you’re discussing and he just stands there, like it’s nothing, like he belongs to his peer group, missing some of the bandages you saw on his face before, clothes not sticking out like you thought they would.

He stands there and smiles your way.

You think, you’ve never wanted to punch someone in your life as you do in this very moment. Just to erase that smile off his face.

In your view, he only gets bigger with each step, the flock of students you’re stuck in only walking towards where he waits and you look around for a way to sneak out but nada! Nothing! And your friends have grown suspiciously quieter than the usual. Stealing glances from one another and from you, the snicker like they’re sharing this little surprise for you.

Shorter than calculated, you find yourself standing right in front of him.

No words on his end and the expecting looks on you make the air tense.

“Hi… Dazai!” You say at one point, fake enthusiasm clear, not that they seem to mind nor realize. “What brings you here?”

“I was just in the city as you see. And decided, what better time to surprise an old friend than now?” The smile vanishes for a moment, the forced school play act making you want to roll your eyes but he puts a hand on your shoulder suddenly, you wince and shake his hand off, and he continues. “So, have you got the time to show me around and catch up?”

“Do I have a choice?” Followed by a dry laugh, you look back to your friends who only seem satisfied, makes you wonder what kind of lie he sold before he got here. His smile grows wider in reply.

You sigh and start to walk by his side, taking a step a second later than him to keep a distance and to see where you’re headed.

“What did you tell them exactly?” your curiosity takes the best of you as you reach a traffic light.

A little ‘huh?’ coming from him, he turns back to glance at you, the sun behind his head makes his height apparent. The short lived look of asking he gives you dies as he tilts his head “I only told them a cliché story, assumed they’d fall for cheesy scenarios such as that.”

Red turns green.

You take a step by his side, no more following behind. “Which is?..”

“That we were old friends with a shared history of potential intimacy and I wanted to take you out now that we are back together again!” He says it like it’s so usual.

The two of you reach the pavement and continue to walk, never faltering.

Letting your eyes linger on him for a while, you turn your gaze back on the streets as the sense of familiarity begins to vanish. “I didn’t take you for the romcom type.” You say at last as you stop.

“I’m not.” He doesn’t spare a glance this time. “I just know someone who likes them.”

The number of people around decrease with each step, the air gets colder –maybe it’s your nerves. The light starts to fade and not a word has been spoken for quite some time. Not that either of you were dying for some get-to-one-another.

When he speaks again, you don’t hear it at first. “Your ability-”

You halt with a stomp of your foot. “I don’t have one.”

He narrows his eyes in annoyance, “Your ability must be based on some form of speech, as Akutagawa served a good example that night.”

The name barely rings a bell in your memory.

“Question is, what kind of speech it requires? Does it rhyme, should commands work, shall it be sang, like a siren?”

“These are all excellent questions, except for one big missing piece…” you answer. The mention of something missing seems to get his attention. “…That I do not have an ability.”

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he huffs, the ever growing annoyance levels can tell alone you’re pushing the little bit of luck you have.

“Then how did Akutagawa pass out exactly?” hands back under his coat.

“There was blood on him? Maybe he’s sick? He definitely looked the part.” You say as more of a suggestion than an answer.

“The men inside the building. The one with his internal organs out.” Words get colder with each breathe.

Yours fade as his grow colder, “Maybe the other captured guy did it?”

“You don’t sound sure, weren’t you right next to him?” suspicion of a knowing parent hinted in his voice almost, he already must’ve figured it all out that night.

“I…” the pavement looks gray, stones crooked, countless fights must’ve gone through here before.

“I don’t know.” From the edge that connects the floor to the walls, you try inspecting each dull color behind the lifeless filter, not acknowledging him standing there doesn’t feel any safer but it’s preferable to those eyes.

His lips don’t move but the ‘You don’t know?’ is heavy in the air.

“I don’t know! I don’t remember!” someone’s yelling reaches your ears. “I just!-“

The yelling was yours, your arms fall back, go back up and you hold yourself, “I was… singing? To calm down… And the rest is just a blur.”

When you look up, he looks as disinterested. You consider yelling, asking for an explanation, what he’s thinking; it’s not that hard to piece it all, you think, but this demeanor rubs you the wrong way. The longer the silence goes, the eerier it becomes, the emptiness of the alley you’re standing in stands out. The lack of people, noise, light, it’d almost crash down on you if it wasn’t soin the open ever since he showed up.

“The words you spoke to Akutagawa. Are they from a song?”

“The ‘go to sleep’ you mean?” you finger quote the lyric, “it’s from Beach Life In-“ you stop with a shake of your head, “it’s from a song, yes.”

When you look again, it feels like an adult waiting for a child to connect the dots in front of them, like you’re the only one in the world who hasn’t figured it out already.

“But it makes no sense.” Hands on hips, eyes focused on a pebble near your foot, “I mean- it’s not like I haven’t sung before?” You turn then, start to pace, a hand on your forehead to push back the few strands brushing against your forehead.

It starts to warm up, or feels like it, each strand of hair just there, existing, leaving its weight on you, tickling, annoying, bothering; suffocating-

He cannot be right, can he?

Sure, self-awareness can change for each person but something so important as an ability shouldn’t be missed that easily… being a stranger to yourself when a stranger figured it out in mere seconds- it’s ridiculous, it simply doesn’t make sense, he must be wrong or confuse you with someone else, how can it be that bad, how can my perception be that bad, what else did I miss if all this is true and happening-

“Despite how the Port Mafia appears,” his voice pulls you out of your head, “ability users is not such a common occurrence. And surely the ability to affect your surroundings, or make people act certain ways is one we cannot let go of.”

I should drink some water, a part of you says when you gulp at his implications, ‘we cannot let go’ just gets out of his mouth and stays right in front of you, in bold jet black letters.

“What you should ask yourself is if you felt anything during all these times of singing…” silence feels enough of an answer, hyped up or not there isn’t much to feel, much to wish for. “Or if the words you snag back then were for you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” “What did you feel that night?”

“Typical fight or flight response? Adrenaline, instinct to survive?”

“Stop assuming and start being more confident.” (like that night) a part of you yells, in his voice, though his is devoid of any emotion. You don’t want to learn how he sounds when he yells.

“I wanted to get out.” You try again. “Not to survive but to avoid death or whatever was awaiting me until that.” Sounds more like you, you straighten your back. “I didn’t want to stay any longer to see what they’d do to me so I found a way out.” He almost seems pleasant to hear the change in you, maybe it’s time to surprise him a little more.

“So let’s say,” you start pacing again, less like rambling and more like an animal circling, not a prey but a threat, because that’s what he is, what he has been and will be, “that I have an ability that I can use only when my emotional capacity is at a certain level… why would a mafia executive want me to have a better understanding of it?”

The radius decreasing with each step, you end your steps right in front of his face “what makes you think I won’t use it, right now, on you?” each pause between the words to make it clear this is a threat, no more of the power balance he held over you for too long. Your back to the beginning of the alley, you’re ready, in case he is one of them –if not, he might still have a gun.

He doesn’t falter, not a hair on him moves. Until he chuckles, at you and your words.

The vibration in his voice, nor the laughter reach his eyes.

“There are quite a few reasons why this won’t do, like how you cannot use it.”

The confidence in his voice makes the truth more unbearable.

“And besides, even if you managed to use it, it wouldn’t take me long to stop you.”

“Are you that fast?”

“Are you?”

This marks the end of it, as much as it pains to admit he is right, a part of you doesn’t want it, doesn’t feel the same sense of danger and survival to run away.

And regardless of all the threat he possesses, he doesn’t seem all too willing to get rid of you.

Rolling your eyes, you turn and walk away to the blinking store lights from the street. A second set of footsteps catch up to you in few long strides.

“So what is this then? You’re going to help me use my ability and leave me in debt?” reaching the traffic lights, you step onto the road without batting an eye.

“Why would I agree to something like that?” the car drives by, almost brushing your back. The sun has begun to set already, the colors mixing together.

The wind carries away his words but you catch them just in time: “You have a family and a cat, don’t you?”

You stop and look up. “Not a cloud in sight. Was it a sign of a rainy day to follow?” ignore the implications, don’t think about the faces. “A cloudy day perhaps, I always mix up the tells of the sky.”

“I’ll be around.” And he leaves with that.

[bookofmirth]

I’m really interested to hear your thoughts on acosf and how would you rate it from 1-10

I guess I haven’t really done a general review, so here goes! 

Enjoyment - 10/10. Maybe 9/10 because sometimes I would stop reading and go “wtf” at the plot, but overall, fun to read, sexy, got the Nesta development I wanted, got to see Cassian caring for everyone, got to see the IC from a different perspective that wouldn’t automatically be generous, couldn’t stop reading, laughed out loud, loved the new characters.

Plot - 5/10. Uhhhh this was not the strong point of this book. Towards the end with the Blood Rite and stuff I was on the edge of my seat, but overall it was weak. Probably the weakest plot she’s ever written, imho. As I’ve mentioned in other posts, a majority of the plot was very obvious maneuvering in order to get characters in the right place at the right time, or to get them to certain emotional points. And yeah that’s kinda always how it works, but it was very, very clunky. I felt like I could see Sarah pulling the strings in this one. 

Prose - 7/10. She’s just never going to be my favorite in terms of prose, but this was definitely an improvement over acowar!!! tbh I’m being a bit generous with this one, to me her prose is just okay. Whenever people make edits and such with quotes, it’s always like the motivational poster style quotes, or very romantic. It’s not because the words themselves are well-crafted, if that makes sense. But that’s also a big personal preference, especially when a large portion of my reading is literary fiction in which the prose can be poetry-adjacent.

Characters - 9/10. This is why we read her, right? Or least why I know a lot of people read her. The character development was *chef’s kiss* I’m so glad to see Nesta grow without compromising who she is. And again, I’m just glad that we got to see some characters from another POV that doesn’t idolize them the way that Feyre does. I’m glad that characters weren’t always idolized, that they reacted in realistic ways to relationships changing and growing, becoming distant from people you never expected to, and then sometimes coming back together. I do have some slight reservations about her characters and the way that we should really *not* be having some of these arguments about who they are if sjm had put more effort into making them fully-fleshed out people, but... that’s an sjm issue, not an acosf issue.

Ships - wtf/10 😅Obviously nessian is not included in that because they were great, and I wouldn’t judge another series based on this but. Along with characters, why else are we here??

I had some definite criticisms besides the plot - I am really a bit.... annoyed at how Mor’s character is being handled atm. Rhys made me mad several times, for reasons that seemed OOC. Obviously the pregnancy thing was dumb af. 

But I think that overall that comes out to a 8/10? Pretty good!

[intheseautumnhands]

Sorting Hat Chats: Oxventures

Hey look, I finally actually got a sorting post written! .... and it's one that I'm pretty sure interests absolutely nobody else, because I don't think anyone else in the Sorting Hat Chats community is into Oxventures, and also the reverse. But the brainwanderings will go where they wish and they don't ask me for permission, and I've been marathoning (and sleeping to) a lot of Oxventures lately, so let's go.

Just in case anyone does choose to take a look, I'll do a brief sum up of both system and canon, so that no one's lost. System first, because I have some other thoughts about canon I want to mention. The full rundown of the basics is here, but just so we're all on the same page:

A VERY BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE @sortinghatchats​SYSTEM

Your Primary house is your motivations, values, and why you do what you do. 

Lion Primaries do it this way because their gut tells them it's right.

Bird Primaries do it this way because the system they've put together to guide them tells them this is what's right.

Badger Primaries do it this way because it's the best thing for the community as a whole, or for the most people.

Snake Primaries do it this way because it's the best thing for the people they prioritize.

Your Secondary house is how you approach the world, the methods that come most easily and naturally to you.

Lion Secondaries charge. They attack problems head-on and directly, and they're in their comfort zone when they are their authentic selves.

Bird Secondaries plan. They collect tools, skills, and information, and they're in their comfort zone when they're prepared for the situation.

Badger Secondaries toil. They put their nose to the grindstone or they build connections to get things done, and they're in their comfort zone when things call for steady, consistent work.

Snake Secondaries improvise. They're adaptive and quick on their feet, and they're in their comfort zone when they have the wiggle room to go with what comes to them.

Other terminology may come up as well. I will try and link to posts that explain it better if I end up using anything.

A VERY BRIEF EXPLANATION OF OXVENTURES

Oxventures is the D&D Actual Play show done by the youtube gaming channels Outside Xbox and Outside Xtra, DMed by Johnny Chiodini from the tabletop game channel Dicebreaker. They've been going since fall 2017, first in-person and now streamed. It is an extremely fun show with a group of very entertaining players that have been basically learning to play as it goes. If you're into D&D shows and not too bothered by a very hand-wavey approach to rules, I greatly recommend it.

There are, however, some things that make it difficult to sort. It's a comedy show, and while I don't think this is true for every comedy, in general, it's very easy for characterization to occasionally get passed over for a laugh. It's sometimes hard to tell what jokes are being thrown around OOC versus IC. And the D&D format means there is no going back and editing anything; characterization is developed on the fly, and there's already been discussion that talked about how some of the characters changed as they were being played. Also, it's action-driven -- you don't always get a lot of information on what's going through people's head, so motivation can be hard to pin down.

So it's a little difficult and I've gotten wobbly on a lot of them. Which makes it a great choice for my first sorting!

(...To be fair, it's my first sorting post. I've been watching this system and sorting things to myself for -- *checks when I first mentioned it* wait hold on five years? Really? Okay, cool. Excuse me while I sit and have a mental montage to How Far We've Come as I remember all the fine-tuning it's been through in that time.

Anyway, I've been sorting things to myself for five years, so I'm not new to this, I'm just new to trying to explain my whys, so I hope this comes out understandable. I'm sorry for the rambling, because we're already 750 words in and I haven't even started.)

   ANYWAY LET'S GET TO THE SORTING.

Corazón de Ballena, human pirate rogue  Corazón, oh Corazón, what... do I even do with you. He's clearly not a Badger -- fairness and other people's needs are not his priority. Between the obvious Jack Sparrow riff and the "pirate seeking glory" thing, my instinct is to say a Lion Primary, probably a Gloryhound Lion in specific. I could see a Bird Primary, just because there is something extremely constructed-feeling about Corazón -- I think his truth would look very Snake-like, prioritizing himself and the people he chooses, but I could see it.

But I'm going to lean into a full Snake Primary, I think. While he doesn't care about most people, he does care very much about the people who do matter to him -- see his whole complicated relationship with his father, even after his father tried to kill him; see his burning down a guy's house because he's mean to Prudence; to some extent, see his attempt to help end his old crew's curse. He puts people above anything else, but only the people he chooses to (or where can't help it, in his father's case) I think he'd almost like people to believe that he's Burned and doesn't care about anyone else, but he very much is not, though he doesn't seem to let new people into the circle often or easily, either. I could still very much see a Gloryhound Lion, but in the end I think if asked to put the party first or fame and fortune first -- he would complain, he would never let them hear the end of it, but he would also choose the party every single time.

For Secondary: Corazón would really want people to think he's a Snake. If he could read the descriptions and pick his own, I'm pretty sure he'd say he was a Snake. Adaptable, cunning, deceitful -- and it's not that he's not these things, but the way it manifests itself feels much more like a rapid-fire Bird Secondary. He's analytical, he learned magic entirely from books, and I haven't actually counted, but I would bet you that he makes more investigation rolls than anyone else. While his quickly thought up plans do work, they often tend to rely on things he already knows -- disguise self and minor illusion come up often, hiding and evading, etc. He seems to be one of the party that gets the most non-combat use out of his various magical abilities. It's a very quick and jack-of-many-trades style of Bird, but it's still very Bird.

Dob, half-orc bard  Dob is quite possibly the loudest loyalist primary... just, that I have ever seen, ever. To start with, I'm just going to drop this quote here: "I know there's good in you, jailor I just met!"

How about the way that he's first introduced as a bard who goes from town to town playing the lullaby his lost sister used to sing to him, searching for her. Or his habit of, to quote TV Tropes, "engaging in random acts of adoption". Or the time he tried to learn spells to apologize to the dead orphans. Or how he still managed to forgive the skeletons that killed the orphans. Or the time he forgave the cult that almost got them all killed. Or giving the cultists (from a different cult) relationship advice. Or the time he ended up listening to the jailor's marriage woes. Or....

Look, I could keep going but I think we've got enough examples. So: Badger or Snake? On the one hand he definitely seems to worry about saving his particular people first when there's danger... but, there's a level of guilt about innocent people who have died on his watch, and that habit of taking in random people on multiple adventures, that really makes me lean towards a Badger Primary. Dob seems to genuinely care about everyone they cross as a default, and of all of them, he's the first I can see coming to the aid of an enemy who he has no prior positive experiences with.

As for a Secondary, Dob is the master of quick plans, quicker lies, and steamrolling NPCs into going along with things. The entire party ends up thinking on their feet more often than not, but he seems to do his best work that way, as a Snake Secondary often does. Sometimes he goes so fast that he forgets something and makes a mistake -- which is how "don't be a Dob" has become a thing -- but his impulsive ideas actually work out more often than it doesn't, and he's also very good at connecting with a wide variety of people. On the page for Snake/Slytherin Secondaries, the SHC site says, 

"Slytherins will adapt to their own best advantage without thinking about it. They’ll walk into a situation and things will work out to their benefit without them quite knowing what happened or what they did to influence it." 

-- and doesn't that just fit with Dob's ridiculous amounts of luck?

He does seem to spend a fair amount of time in his neutral state, or at least adapting in a non-conscious kind of way. There is something generally blunt about Dob a lot of the time, enough that I considered Lion pretty heavily -- but in the end, he works best when he's running on the fly and making shit up, in a way that feels extremely Snake to me. And he's not only so good at lying, but so quick to default to it, that Lion doesn't feel accurate.

Egbert the Careless, dragonborn paladin Poor Egbert, the worst paladin. While his original order really seems to prioritize a very classic Paragon Lion Primary, Egbert barely seems to have a model of one -- it's more of a performance, which is being chipped steadily away by the rest of the party. He tries, but I can't see a genuine Lion Primary from his background killing people so casually. Or hitting an old man with a cursed mace over and over until he turns into a seal. And then keeping the seal as a pet. Or just... saying "maybe crime is good!" because he likes the food at the crime den. He's trying, but he's really not good at it. So the question remains: what is he?

I think it's hard to place him because, one, he really want to be that Lion. And second, whatever he is, I think the values that motivation is set on are... kind of in flux? I don't think he's super burned; I think he might be lightly charred at best. But: if he's a Bird, he's in the process of losing the truth of "whatever the Order of the Dragon Door says is right" to something that comes more from the party and probably more genuinely. If he's a Badger, he's in the process of changing communities. If he's a Snake, the Order is getting pushed more and more out of his inner circle, replaced by the party.

I was leaning Badger, but the more I think about it, I think that's the remnants of the attempt to play Lion. I think Egbert's a Snake Primary who is starting to shed his old skin. (There's like three layers of bad joke in that, and I'm sorry.) The Lion priorities made that Snake look a little more Badger-y, but he does so, so many things that just don't strike me as caring deep down about need. Like the thing where he turned an old man into a seal. I just keep looking at that incident and I either need to completely ignore that incident -- which is hard, when Seal Gaiman is still hanging around -- or go with something else. His reaction to Dana's bigotry in Snow Mercy does feel a little more Badger-y to me... but that could still be that Lion Performance flavoring, and/or a symptom of how the party as a whole gets pissed about anti-tiefling sentiment coming out in sympathy of another maligned race. I also feel like a Badger would be working a little more actively on atonement and stop getting distracted.

He is, however, a very loud Lion Secondary. While the party as a whole does a lot of ploys that involve deceit or talking their way into things, Egbert is rarely the one doing that part. He doesn't bother with subtlety, or with doing any of the many things he can as a paladin, which is how we got the whole glorious "you've been able to teleport for how long?" moment. He does sometimes manage to make connections that move the story along, and he always does it by being himself.

But most of all, I can't think of a better word to describe how Egbert attacks a situation than charging. I'm just going to quote again from the site: 

"their problems are met head on rather than subverted, negotiated, or cajoled. They have an efficiency so direct it’s almost combative." 

And that seems like Egbert to a T.

Merilwen, wood elf druid Merilwen is a Badger Primary whose version of "people" is "animals, my community, and also I guess these four now". She doesn't really seem to care about what would traditionally be considered "people", and Ellen (who plays her) has spoken about how Merilwen's morals towards non-animals is pretty much entirely influenced by the party --  but with the things she cares about she strikes me as extremely Badger. She's absolutely ready to throw down everything for the party, but when they're not in danger from it, she will also absolutely fight the rest of them for an animal -- see that incident where she talked everyone out of fighting the Owlbear. "Animals are hurt" or "you hurt my friends" is the fastest way to bring out her viscous side.

She could also maybe be a Snake who includes all animals in her circle, but: one, I very much feel like she'd choose whether to prioritize her friends or an animal over who needs her more. Two, the way she interacts with her family and her community in Elf Hazard seems very Badger to me. Her worry about not being able to see her family again, her unwillingness to disappoint them and decision to take a new name to make them happy, even after the danger is past. Things like Merilwen's Meat-Grinder also strike me this way -- specifically, her willingness to do massive damage to save the party and subsequent discomfort with having done it, even though she doesn't care that much about the people who were hurt even after having done it. "Fair and loyal" seems like a good way to sum up her morality in general. Her being so close to Dob and understanding each other so well also adds to this (even if a lot of that likely has to do with Ellen and Luke (who plays Dob) being so close as much as anything, but if I try to separate out things that are OOC-influence I will be here forever).

I'm torn between the foundational Secondaries for her: Bird, or Badger. There is something about her likelihood to fall back on "I turn into a [cat/bear/octopus]" as a plan that feels a little Bird-like to me -- that fallback on the favored, most well-used, best-understood tools, even in situations where it takes a little forcing to make them fit. On the other hand, she seems to be the one most likely to see a job that's not being done as part of the plan, and go fill that role. She's certainly steady, trustworthy, quiet, and consistent. I don't think she has a problem with shortcuts on many things, but could see her raising objections about things she actively cares about. She also often solves things by connecting with animals, which fits when you consider her people/community largely being animal-based. I'm still a little back and forth on this, but in the end, I'm going to lean towards a Badger Secondary.

Prudence, tiefling warlock I'm having a hard time putting my finger on Prudence. I think this is partly Jane's play style -- I feel like she's the least likely to go into what's going on in Prudence's head or why she's doing things, and she doesn't really have a driving goal we're aware of except "do things to make Cthulhu pleased", but that's mostly along the way. She's not a Badger. I would lean towards not a Lion; I guess it's possibly she's a Lion whose gut morality is about hedonism, "I should have what I want", or something like that, but I really don't get the impression that she has much of an internal morality overall. "Some things are just wrong and you can't talk your way out of it" (to quote the Lion/Gryffindor Primary page) absolutely does not sound like something Prudence would ever thing.

So again we're between the decided Primaries: Bird or Snake? I could see her being a Bird, but I have no idea what her truth is at this point. Still, I want to lean towards Snake Primary, specifically one that was burnt. We're going into how-IC-was-this-anyway territory here again, but there's a moment early on, in Brawl of the Wild, where Jane is narrating Prudence hurling herself in front of two of the others and stops mid-narration to ask "wait, why am I doing that" -- it feels incredibly like a Snake who's found themselves unburning while they weren't paying attention and now is trying to figure out how this happened. She's also pretty open with how fond she is of the party, pleased as punch when Corazón burns down the house of a guy who's an asshole to her, even more pleased when Egbert seems corruptible, seems genuinely happy that the group has gotten more lax about killing, and of course there's "You'll never leave me, Corazón, I'll kill you first" and hugging the Egbert-statue after he's been kidnapped when no one can see her.

But more than the party, what makes me lean towards Snake is her relationship with her warlock patron. There's nothing cold, nothing business-like, it's not even worshipful: Cthulhu-dad is kind of a joke, but... it's also not? Even if the actual fatherly-ness of it can be read as joking, she still genuinely seems to have warm, loving feelings for him, and that particular set-up really strikes me a loyalist thing.

(That gives us an all-loyalist party, but honestly, considering they're not the most moral people around and how quickly they all bond... that kind of works?)

Bird Secondary -- her plans tend to be the most practical, she has her favored methods for handling things, and her interest in all things magic strikes me as very Bird-with-a-favorite-thing. Her Bird seems pretty good at reading people, too, particularly knowing the party's strengths -- which is often chaos and making things up. She's not quite a rapid-fire as Corazón, but she's pretty good on her feet if need be... it's just that her lack of interest in what's morally right means the plan she usually pulls out is "eldritch blast". To be fair, it usually works.

IN SUMMATION:

Corazón: Snake Primary/Bird Secondary (possible Snake performance)

Dob: Badger Primary/Snake Secondary (possible Badger model)

Egbert: Snake Primary (attempting to model the Order and possibly Shattershield's Lion Primary, which comes off weirdly Badger-ish in the end)/Lion Secondary

Merilwen: Badger Primary (whose "people" are animals, the elf community she grew up in, and now the Oxventurers)/Badger Secondary

Prudence: Unburning Snake Primary/Bird Secondary

OXVENTURE IN THE DARK BONUS ROUND:

Very recently they've begun an Oxventure spin-off series, playing Blades in the Dark instead. We're only two episodes in, and since part of the plan is to rotate who's in each episode, most of them are only in one -- and since we've gotten so little of the new group, and so much can change as the players learn their characters and find their feet, I can't confidently sort them right now. But I think it'd be interesting to share some initial impressions and see how they hold up down the line. Spoilers for both episodes if anyone's behind, I'll put Lillith and Barnaby last just to be sure.

Edvard: If Edvard the inventor is not a Bird Secondary, I will eat my hat. I could see him going the way of the traditional SHC impulsive scientists who do things For Science, and ending up in Lion/Bird territory, or going towards Bird/Bird; at the moment I don't think he'll be a loyalist, but we'll see!

Zillah: I think we know less about Zillah than anyone else at this point, but we do know that, one, she's doing crime to get money for her family, and two, she seems pretty level-headed. I'm thinking maybe a Lion Secondary, leaning away from Bird Primary but at this point could see anything else.

Kasamir: Between his class/playbook being about having his fingers in a lot of crime pies, Johnny saying he's not really good at anything besides crime, and his slight mentor-y vibe in episode one, I'm getting Badger Secondary or Bird Secondary vibes -- leaning Badger right now, but we'll see. (I'm also getting Mozzie-from-White-Collar-but-more-physical vibes, but I cannot find the sorting that Moz used to be under, unfortunately. I want to say either Badger/Bird or Bird/Badger.) He doesn't strike me as a Lion Primary at this point, but we'll see.

Lillith: I was going to say Bird Secondary because she's leaning so hard into the intellectual, but so far she has tried to solve problems by befriending a ghost girl and convincing the workers to start a union so.... I'm feeling some Badger/Lion or Lion/Badger vibes coming off her at this point. She might slide into a more Bird-y role in the future, or it might end up looking more like a model.

Barnaby: Despite having gotten through two episodes now basically saving the day by being himself, I don't get Lion Secondary vibes from him -- actually, I'm thinking he could end up a Badger Secondary, just extremely far on the Courtier Badger side of the scale, and one that’s very full of himself. Not sure on that yet, though. Primary: no idea, but probably not Badger.

[rabbitlover1027]

Cassian's Ban from the Summer Court

I wrote this using a Reedsy prompt where the last line of the story needed to be I am never going out with you again. Mor is definitely ooc but it was fun to write, hope you like it!

“So,” Mor began, “I had work to do but no one from Summer Court would be able to meet with me over the weekend. I asked Cassian if he wanted to come to Adriata and spend a few days in the sun. Warm his wings for a few days, that kind of thing. And it was a terrible mistake!”

Nesta lifted her eyebrows.

“I’m probably not supposed to tell you this story, but Cassian saw these two females and decided he was male enough that he could pull off getting both of them.”

Nesta laughed now, of course Cassian had decided he was fae enough for two females at the same time.

“He invited them to go to dinner with us, at this gorgeous little bistro near the water, not there any more, of course. Who knows why they said yes, but they did. Cassian was trying so hard, he ordered all these delicious seafood delicacies with dripping butter and garlic. And so much wine. Everytime we finished a bottle, he would order a new one. So, we are all drunk sitting on the patio looking out at the water and these two tall males storm the place.”

“Why?” Nesta prodded, entertained by Mor's story.

“One of the females had just been discovered by her mate. And her family was thrilled, so excited, because I guess this male who said he was her mate came from this really good family. So she promised her parents she would accept the bond and that she was going to go and find this male, but ran off with her friend instead. I don't even know, maybe she was going to find him eventually, but she'd decided she wanted to like, live it up first before accepting the bond with this complete stranger.”

“I can't blame her,” Nesta laughed a little.

“And the mate showed up at her parent's hoping to get to know her better but she wasn't there, her parents were all she went to find you, we thought she was with you, and everyone starts freaking out because no one knows where she is. So, everyone calmed down enough to have the mate track her with the bond. And, like, everyone's bond is a little different, I guess, I don’t know, I’m not bonded, but the mate can pick up on her being drunk and with a male. Who is not him clearly. The family lost it because their daughter is, quote, ruining her bond and the male himself fell into this crazy, jealous, overprotective rage males can get at the beginning. So by the time they find us, they are worked up.”

“And?”

“Oh, Mother. The mate and the dad are both yelling. The dad's yelling at this female and he’s yelling at Cassian, and the mate is yelling at Cassian and he keeps asking the female if she's rejecting the bond to be with Cassian. She starts crying and she's yelling at her dad and this mate. Her friend kept giving me this look like she wanted me to somehow get her out of there. Cassian's drunk so instead of keeping his stupid mouth shut he starts yelling back at the dad and mate.”

Mor shook her head and laughed, “None of this should be funny, but the other patrons are just throwing money on their tables and taking off. Not even asking for their checks, just trying to get out before they get caught in the middle of these four fools all yelling. The bistro owners are trying to calm everyone down but its not working. Cassian is up now and he starts walking towards these two like he's going to fight them, and I'm still sitting at the table with these females, both crying now. The mate goes full rage and picks up a table, just up over his head, and flings it at Cassian.”

“Cassian has never told me this.”

“Not his finest day! So, anyways, Cassian sees this table flying thru the air and drunkenly assumes its going to hit the three of us behind him so he blasted out his siphons. Like the time you saw during the battle, how he can just make this giant red bubble of safety shield. Except he was drunk. So not only does this giant red bubble protect us from the table, which I still say was not going to hit us, but he like went into overprotect mode. He sent out a wave of energy outside the bubble too, to attack. Thankfully the owners ended up in our bubble and the top floors of the building were day offices so they were all empty because his power just shattered everything above us.”

“I think he was just trying to destroy the table cause his energy all went up and over, but instead, it just decimated this whole building that bistro was in. Gods above must have been watching out for faes that day sending his drunk Cassian wrath upwards, because as soon as Cassian lowered the shield we were in this terrible broken brick crater, but everyone was ok. Even the dad and the mate somehow but, like, all that was left of the building was this giant cloud of dust and just mounds of broken building all around us.”

Mor just kept quietly laughing, “It was so awful, all this broken building dust falling down like snow. But those two mates were finally holding hands, just checking each other over next to her dad and the other female was creeping backwards away from us towards them. The owners started yelling then and Cassian just looked around at this tiny, terrible crater he created and said he thought that maybe I should winnow us back home right then. You could hear all these fae outside the rubble yelling trying to make sure everyone was ok and I thought he just might be right, that maybe staying any longer was a very bad idea. So I took his hand to winnow us out and I looked him dead in the eye and I told him, ‘I am never going out with you again'".

[snarkwrites]

"I learned so much more just being out in the world, you know, and a little bit in jail." This quote made me laugh, and now I wonder what kind of headcanons you'd come up with on that theme. (Maybe something with Rick & Shane?) 🌻

I had so much time to think about this whilst sick, my darling sunflower anon and... This is what I came up with. No real appearances of my original character Evie here, btw, so I’m sorry in advance if you were hoping for that? Anyway... This is merely a what if... What if Shane hadn’t gone into law enforcement? What if he’d given into the dark side much much earlier?

If you’ve ever found yourself wondering that, by all means, keep reading.

Is it wrong that I’m tempted to write an AU of walking dead where like... it starts out like this? Maaybe.. But I doubt I do it, lmao.

WARNING:

Heavy on the angst. Mentions of Rick being shot, a bank robbery, several wrong choices in life made by Shane.. Possibly OOC, idk though.. ANGSTY AF.

TAGGING:

@rampagewriting - I guess maybe you’d wanna see this idk? @chasingeverybreakingwave - bc I know you like Shane so I thought maybe this would be of interest... @missjennferb - i thought you might like this idk... 

If anyone wants to be tagged, add yourself to my multifandom doc, otherwise I don’t tag.

OTHER STUFF:

[ masterlist - about - tag list doc ] 

Everyone always told them both “You’re going places, kid.” For Rick, it was surprisingly simple. The world, for whatever reason, deemed him as someone who had great things ahead in life. Rick seemed to rise above and beyond everyone’s expectations. Even those of his father, which were astronomical because the old man was nothing if not a perfectionist. A trait which was definitely passed down to Rick in spades...

-- Shane, not so much. Having a rough around the edges drunk burn out former football star for a daddy only means one thing... Either you get out of his footsteps and you do better, you go farther than the old man, or you succumb to all the pressure and the negativity the old man feeds you and you wind up crushed under it’s weight. 

-- At first, it certainly seemed as if Shane Walsh were destined for great things like Rick, his chosen ‘brother’ from another mother. All-Star on their high school’s football team, took them all the way to state two or three years on the team... But even having that damn State Championship ring wasn’t enough. The harder Shane Walsh pushed the world, the harder the world pushed back until that fateful game day senior year when Shane Walsh finally pushed too fucking hard. The end result was an injury that left his football aspirations shattered on the ground. 

-- Rick did everything he could to keep his best friend uplifted. He was at every single procedure and every single therapy session but Shane was really starting to give up. To lose any shred of hope that he ever held. As a result, he started to resent Rick’s success (and the fact that Rick was the one that their coach chose to fill Shane’s spot didn’t help matters any)... Shane’s father didn’t help either, what with the constant remarks about Shane having never been anything but trash, destined for the same life he lead.

-- Rick went on to the police academy after his own injuries put a stop to his dream of playing college ball. His father was more encouraging. Caring... Despite neither man being able to show emotions all that well. Rick knew he had the love and support of his family, this is something that Shane probably never knew the feeling of.

-- I firmly believe that if Evie were an actual character during this whole universe, she would’ve TRIED and fought like hell for Shane but ultimately, Shane would’ve pushed her away just as he did Rick. I know, I know... This is the only mention I intend of putting about Evie in here though. Anyway, yeah...

Shane goes career military. And at first, he’s fine with it. But he’s sent overseas and he’s exposed to nightmarish conditions, he’s forced to choose between his humanity or caving, giving into darkness and corruption even further. Doesn’t help that during this time, a high ranking officer takes the young man under his wing and basically turns him into a glorified killing machine, puts him into situations that will later spell disaster for the young man.

-- Shane goes awol after a mission goes wrong and he’s left with mild PTSD in the days and weeks following. 

-- I know this wouldn’t happen IRL, but.. for whatever reason, the government chooses not to pursue the rogue officer Shane Walsh. Shane goes back home to King County and he’s a changed man... Darker... More cynical.. Angrier. With time, this grows and festers to a point where Shane is now living an almost sub-human life, taunted by the lives he’s taken and seen taken in front of him. He turns to a life of crime.

This, of course, all comes to a head when Shane’s accepted into a group of known thieves. The bank heist nearly goes off without a hitch until Shane is face to face with his old pal Rick... He freezes, which is a stupid.. stupid.. thing to do. He has to choose between shooting a friend that he still very much cares about and losing that last shred of humanity or running for it, knowing Rick will find him and he will take him into custody. 

-- I say he has to choose but it turns out that he doesn’t. See, one of the guys, a guy named One Hand Fred... He makes the choice for SHane. Shoots Rick in the chest. Shane is then torn between leaving with their score and his ‘crew’ or staying to make sure Rick sees safety.

-- Shane chooses to stay. This is how Shane’s story ends, with him taking the fall for the entirety of the bank heist and being sentenced to prison. Rick knows the truth. Rick TRIES to fight for a better deal, a fairer sentence.. Doesn’t work. Rick asks for one last favor from his co-workers, and that’s that he gets to be the one who escorts Shane to prison... On the way in, the two have a long and deep conversation in which your quote comes into play. Rick asks Shane if he’s really learned anything at all about the path he’s taken in life and all Shane can do is throw up those walls again and shrug it off. “Dunno, Grimes. Ask me again in 15 to 25 years, man.”

[ourloveisforthelovely]

To the Ends of the Earth 16

A/n: AU!Supernatural. OOC Gabriel 

Link to Chapter 15

Pairings: Gabriel x Reader, Dean x Cas

__________

Over the next week the relationship between Gabriel and yourself seemed to be floundering pathetically. The two of you had barely spoken a word much less made an effort to talk about the conversation in the car. Gabriel decided that he wasn’t sleeping with you for the time being. In fact, he wasn’t sleeping at all. Now he had taken up staying up with Cas all night.

One morning number whatever it was, you were woken up by Dean knocking on your bedroom door.

“What do you possibly want at 7 am?”

You muttered as Dean tried to pry the pillow off of your head. Dean sighed.

“Jack and Patience broke up. I figured you would be the one to talk to the kid. He’s devastated. Sam and I are just going to say something stupid.”

You slowly sat up and pushed your messy hair away from your face.

“So you decided to send me in? Is it because my relationship seems to be falling apart right now?”

Dean winced.

“Well, the two of you can empathize with each other? Y/n, come on, you and that big baby in there will be just fine. He just has to come down off of his pedestal a bit.”

You stood up and began to attempt to fix your wild curls.

“Wait a minute! Last night you said that you agreed with Gabriel! Now you are wanting him to come off of his pedestal?”

Dean smirked. He sat down on the bed before giving you an exasperated expression.

“I only agree with him on the two of you not needing a nephilim. That is what I agree on. Hell, I would agree on that subject if he was just some normal human guy. Neither of us need a kid.”

“Sam has a kid.”

You said with a cold scowl. Dean held his hands up.

“Exactly and he didn’t need one! Now we have to keep an eye on the rugrat. Not that I am complaining. I really enjoy playing the fun uncle.”

“Screw you! I’m the fun aunt! Let’s face it, Dean. You and I...we just aren’t meant to be parents. That doesn't mean that we would suck at the job though. You did just fine with me. You’re right, Dean. So is Gabriel. You don’t need a kid and neither do I. This lifestyle...it isn’t conducive with fairy tale normal lives.”

Dean’s amused expression faded. You had a point. Dean being with Cas definitely meant no children were coming from that. Dean stood up. He crossed the room and pulled you into one of his best “big brother” hugs.

“Y/n, you may be right there but you have every right to want normal things. If it makes you feel better, you do pretty damn good with Jack and Amelia. I mean, think about it, Amelia has been here a little over a week and a half and the kid is glued to you. You’re going to be the closest thing that kid has to a mother. I can tell you right now Sam really appreciates everything that you are doing to help out.”

You smiled, feeling somewhat better.

“Yeah, well, let’s go deal with Jack.”

Walking into the library, you felt bad the moment that you looked at Jack. The poor kid looked beyond devastated! You glanced at Gabriel, who was sitting at the other side of the table. He was looking at his nephew with an annoyed expression. You had to fight back the urge to tell Gabriel to just leave if people’s feelings were bothering him so bad. Clearly, he couldn’t empathize with anyone in the room at the moment. He couldn’t understand how Jack felt because he sure as hell didn’t seem to care how he was making you feel (and he was bonded to you).

Jack looked up when you stepped in the room.

“I don’t want to talk about it, Y/n. If Sam or Dean told you to come talk to me...they can just go suck an egg.”

You smirked. The kid was taking up your vocabulary so well! You pulled out a chair and sat down.

“I’m not going to make you do anything. I don’t have really good relationship advice to give you since mine is kind of a dumpster fire at the moment.”

You said, carefully. You didn’t even have to look at Gabriel to know that he was glaring at you. Without even looking at the archangel, you could feel his golden eyes burning a hole through you.

Jack finally looked up. He frowned as he looked between Gabriel and yourself.

“She said that I wasn’t open enough and she needed space. She has her own space...we don’t even live together.”

That didn’t take long.

You thought. Your plan was just to talk idly until Jack caved. It took all of 45 seconds.

“Jack, maybe Patience is going through something right now. You both have a lot that you are learning about yourselves. I’m going to save you the whole relationships are hard speech because no one wants to hear that. I know you’re hurting. Maybe right now it’s best to just give Patience some room. I hate quoting Jurassic Park at a time like this but life finds a way. If it's meant to be it will happen. In the meantime, we can find loads of stuff to do to keep your mind occupied.”

Jack was quietly considering your words. You glanced at Gabriel who was looking at you with a shocked expression.

“You just quoted Jurassic Park when that girl broke up with him?”

You nodded.

“It sounds better than whatever Dean had cooked up and probably whatever you were going to say to him.”

Gabriel rolled his eyes.

“I wasn’t saying anything because it wasn’t my business.”

“Dean told me there were plenty of fish in the sea.”

Jack said, interrupting the budding argument between Gabriel and yourself. You spun around to face the poor kid. What you didn’t see was Gabriel was giving him the same expression.

“Oh Christ! You don’t want another fish. One fish is enough!”

You muttered before getting up to go yell at Dean. Gabriel remained seated at the table as you stormed out. He shrugged and looked back down to his hands. Gabriel had to fight all of the mixed up feelings that were going through himself at the moment. On one hand, he was right. The two of you didn’t need to think about creating some banned creature (regardless of the fact that his nephilim nephew was sitting across from him). On the other, he felt awful for the fact that you were so upset with him. It didn’t take Gabriel being in love with you to realize that you were hurt. He knew that every day that he didn’t apologize was another crack in your heart.

“Are the two of you fighting too?”

Jack asked, tilting his head. Gabriel didn’t look up.

“Sure looks that way.”

“What’s wrong?”

Jack asked. Gabriel shook his head.

“Your aunt is on one of her female driven spells that I don’t understand in the slightest.”

“You said something stupid didn’t you?”

Jack asked. Gabriel looked up.

“Not in my opinion. You don’t need to be worrying about this anyway. You have your own disaster to worry about.”

Jack stood up. His facial expression hardened a bit. Yeah, this was one of his worst days and he was in inner turmoil about the break up with Patience but his family was more important. You were the one that was there for him from the beginning. You were the one that he had bought a Mother’s Day card for because his own mother was dead. Jack had no issues with sticking up for you. Now seemed to be one of those times!

“Y/n is the closest thing that I have to a mother. She took time out of her own pain to help me with mine. You’re just sitting here like an emotionless rock. If you would think about her feelings for a change and not just how things are supposed to be the two of you wouldn’t fight as much. If you would just give her feelings one ounce of respect the two of you wouldn’t fight as much.”

Gabriel’s golden eyes rolled up to Jack’s face.

“You’re just a kid. You wouldn’t understand these things.”

Jack shrugged.

“I understand a lot more than you think. Y/n has a lot on her plate. She has to take care of everyone around here. Not to mention, she is worried to death about you and your stupid brothers. I knew she was with you a long time before Sam and Dean did. It was the first time that I had seen her happy in a long time. Now you’re spoiling that! It's no wonder that Y/n thinks that you only want her for sex. If you gave her just one drop of love and wasn’t so dismissive...everything would be okay.”

Gabriel sat looking at his nephew with a scowl. Had it been another angel that said that to Gabriel, he would have probably smacked the shit out of them!

“Again, you’re young. You don’t understand everything. You haven’t seen the things that I have.”

Gabriel laughed bitterly making Jack look a bit confused himself.

“What’s so funny?”

Jack asked. Gabriel ran a hand through his messy curls before crossing his arms over his chest.

“If you had seen half of the things that I have seen, your little break up would be the last of your worries. I have to keep Y/n safe from a lot of horrible things that will kill her and she wants to sit around and play house. I have better things to do, kid.”

Gabriel turned and walked from the room before he exploded. The moment that he stepped outside, he immediately regretted his decision the moment that he saw you a few feet away. Amelia, meanwhile, was sitting in a pile of leaves playing with some of the new toys that Sam had bought her. The little girl was blissfully unaware that everyone else around her seemed to be in some kind of chaos.

You had gleaned over your shoulder but had quickly turned around. Gabriel expected to sense some kind of hostility coming from you but there wasn’t. Your feelings were eerily calm. Gabriel stood a moment before considering Jack’s words

“If you gave her just one drop of love and wasn’t so dismissive...everything would be okay.”

Gabriel sighed before stepping closer to you.

“Y/n?”

Your green eyes rolled to him after a few moments.

“Yes?”

Gabriel stood quietly for a few moments. Why was it always this discussion? Why was it always him apologizing for being an angel? He figured by now you should have been used to his “ways.” Changing after millions of years in existence was going to be a slow process.

“I understand why you are mad at me.”

You decided not to respond to that. Whatever you would say would sound extra sassy and Gabriel would only get mad at you again.

“Y/n, I know you don’t think so but what you want is a bad idea. I’m not saying this to hurt you. I don’t want to hurt you. If we do that...you are just going to end up hurt all the way around and I can’t. Sugar, you don’t know all of the things that I have done.I have done bad things to other angels who have created nephilim. I’ve never told you because I don’t want you to stop loving me. Y/n, I have killed other angels for creating nephilim...a lot of other angels.”

You kept your eyes locked on Amelia. The little girl didn’t seem to even notice the conversation going on between Gabriel and yourself. It wasn’t until Sam stepped out and called Amelia inside did you turn to Gabriel.

“I know what you’ve done. Raphael told me a lot of things...I think in hope to discourage me from wanting to be with you. Gabriel, that is who you used to be not necessarily who you are now. Furthermore, I never said that I wanted to go create a nephilim. I just don’t think that some absent God has the right to dictate our lives. I don’t think that you give me much credit, Gabriel. I’m not afraid of what you are or used to be. What I am afraid of is that Michael and Raphael are going to use this as a weakness against us. They know what your past is and they know that you want to protect me from everything...yourself included. They are going to find some way to twist that and if we don’t work together...they are going to win. We’ll fall and they will tear everything apart.”

Gabriel was silent for a few moments. He looked at you with the most serious expression that you had ever seen on his face.

“No, they aren’t tearing us apart. They aren’t going to win. I won’t let them.”

Gabriel reached out and pulled you into his arms. You pressed your face into his shoulder. Normally the closeness gave you some promise of everything being alright. This time, however, you honestly didn’t know how things would end up.

______

@brokencasbutt67-writer

@shaylybaby2032

@authoressskr

@fandom-trash-worth-it

@sprnaturallover

@hankypranky

@summer-novak

@maggiolim

@mycuddlycorner

@shitfaceddaniel

@stuckinsaudi1

@marichromatic

@tas898

@li0nh34rt

@knight-of-gleefulness

@wontlookaway

@deanwherescas

@emiwrites3reads

@shadows-and-padlocked-hearts

[swamp-spirit]

So! A lot of people have trouble with fic summaries, and, to be honest, a lot of fanfics lose me at the summary, so I thought I'd offer my (biased by my personal taste) tips. Fic is for fun, so if you're not worried about it, don't, but if you're looking to bring in readers, a good sumary is your first date.

The type of summary you need is based on genre. A 40K drama has different needs than a 1K fluff.

But, in my opinion, here's the basic ingredients of a summary:

WHAT A SUMMARY SHOULD TELL ME

What type of fic is this?

Fluffy, steamy, horrific? The summary should set the tone. I don't want to see plot summaries about A and B's complex emotional tension when the tags make it clear it's all smut (or vice-versa). Your summary should give me a good idea what kind of tone you're setting.

What is this fic about?

This seems like it should be the basic of any summary, but I'm amazed how many fics miss it. You don't need to summarize the entire plot, but give me the basics of who is there and what sort of thing they're doing. Don't make me go to the tags to get the most basic details Word definition summaries and quote summaries are a common “okay, but what is this fic actually about”, but even things that try and touch on plot... don't. Think the statement paragraphs you probably had to use for essays. There are a whole lot of ways to say a lot without actually saying anything.

'A tries to save the world, but everyone tries to stop them' – What is A trying to do? Who's trying to stop them? How?

Again, this might not mean getting into details. For example, “A joins the school, but things aren't what they seem” sets a bit of a tone, but “A joins the school, but the teachers seem to be hiding something. Why won't anybody talk about the missing student?” pulls me in more.

For a fluff, this might be as simple as “A and B get groceries and run into an old friend from school”

What makes it special?

Big fandoms tend to have trends. Criminal AU or Coffeshop AU, it's often safe to assume your reader has already read 20. Your summary should make yours stand out. There are some bad ways to do this (see 'breaking the 4th wall' below), but put something in the summary that shows your special flavor.

Imagine your reader has read twenty 'A and B work in a coffeeshop' fics. They are probably happy to read 20 more, but if your summary just gives that, you'll look like a watered down version of something they've already read.

Like adding a little pop of color to a dull outfit, this doesn't need to be a plot shattering twist. The little details can make all the difference. Is B working at a coffeeshop to pay their way through beauty school, or do they hope to own the cafe someday? Is it a soulless churn of a job, or a friendly local atmosphere?

What's the hook?

1K fluff is exempt, but this is one of the biggest things a lot of summaries miss for me.

What is the tension? What are the obstacles? This is part of what gets your reader in. How will they defeat the giant lizard beast without their weapons? How do they convince their warring kingdoms to let them marry? How can they learn to love themselves when the world around them treats them like trash? And why in the world is their soulmate tattoo a squid crushing a watermelon?

SOME THINGS NOT TO DO (in my opinion)

“Basically”

Starting your summary off with a nervous conversational filler is not a strong way to go.

Typos

You already know typos are bad. As a reader, I'm actually pretty chill about typos, but the summary is your chance to pull me in. If it's riddled with obvious typos, it gives me two warnings A) This fic might be unreadable B) This author hasn't put in much effort

If you're like me, it can be hard to find typos in your own work, so I recommend showing it to a friend. If you're writing in your second language, ask a native speaker to take a look. Summaries are short, so it's a smaller ask than looking for a beta, and it can really make a difference.

Apologies

“I'm not very good at summaries” is a pretty famous way to tell your readers not to read your fic. Even if the fic really is amazing, almost nobody is going to take your word for it, and a bad summary will always get more eyes than just telling people summaries are too hard. (Not to say you should never complain about summaries being hard. They are. Just don't do it in your summary)

I understand the anxious impulse to warn the reader so they won't laugh at you, but hold is back. No “B might be kinda OOC”. Definetly no “this isn't very good, I'm sorry”. I'd even avoid “this is my first fic/fic in this fandom/long fic, please be nice”, at least in your summary. This is your pitch to the reader! Don't start it trying to lower their expectations!

On the flipside, your summary is also a bad place to get aggressive with potential haters.

And no, don't shuffle your apologies to your tags either.

Breaking the 4th wall

I 100% violate this in one of my fic summaries, shhhh, but keep the summary about the story, not the kind of stuff you'd talk about in an author interview. This includes

-What inspired you (“based on a dream I had”, “based on an RP”, “wrote this while bored”) Exception: It can be good to nod what works your fic is based on -Your various beefs with canon and other fics (“made this character less of a wimp”, “wrote this because not enough people ship it”)

Ending questions

This is the most personal taste thing, but I tend to find a lot of “end on a question types” really cheesy, especially when it's an easily answered question. Questions should pose the mysteries and struggles of the story, not read like a clickbait headline. Here's some examples by genre.

Romance -

Makes me read - “What future is there for a spaceship in love with it's pilot?” Makes me skip - “Will they be able to find love?”

Makes me read - “Why does nobody else seem to see the ticking box on floor five?” Makes me skip - “And what's with that mystery box?”

Makes me read – “What chance does she have against an entire school with powers?” Makes me skip - “How will she show everybody she's the best?”

The clickbaitiest is ones that ask not the concerns of the story or character, but 'what will happen' (ex: “How does he prove to everyone he's the best? You'll see.”) Not a question, but imperitives to read also hit this nerve. I click away extra fast for anything that ends in “read to find out”. But maybe that's just me???

ON USING QUOTES

For lots of fic writers, a chunk of text from the fic itself is a good way to ease into a summary. I don't think this is a bad idea, but it follows the same rules as any other summary.

Chatfics are especially bad about choosing a random section of text the author finds insightful or funny for the summary without paying attention to if it actually matches the tone, themes, or even the characters the fic focuses on.

“I'm not sure we can make this work,” said X. “I thought we were doing okay, but when was the last time we actually enjoyed one of our dates?”

“So we're just giving up?” asked Y.

“I don't know.”

Tells me what the fic is about. I can expect a dramatic interpersonal fic about the relationship strain between X and Y. I have tone, plot, main characters, and a plot hook.

So, in short, if you use a quote:

-Can I tell who is speaking/thinking?

-Is the speaker or subject the characters I should be focusing on?

-Does the quote give a clear idea of the themes, tone, and/or tension of the story?

[eirist]

Hi! How are you? Hope you are really good! I really love your fics (but the first time writing to you :3). So, I have this prompt: Late night, a drunk Zoro and a drunk Nami meet unexpectedly in the kitchen, looking for some water. Thanks so much! Looking foward for more fics!

LITTLE BITS AND PIECES OF HEAVEN

DRINK YOU SOBER

One-shot #: 17

Disclaimer: One Piece (and its characters) belongs to Eiichiro Oda-sensei. Title is from Bitter:Sweet’s steamy song.

Reminder: I have no beta-reader. Any grammatical and spelling errors are solely mine.

Warning: OOC possible. One shot.

Rating: T

Note: For @marafuego. Hope you enjoy this!

And… I apologize for the delay as I haven’t been able to get around the prompt requests for some time. Truth is I kinda got stuck. But reassured I will deliver the other ZoNa requests as soon as I can.

Summary: “I’m drunk… and you’re drunk as well right? Can we just leave it at that?”

“Well, hello stranger.”

Zoro flinched at voice and immediately drew back from the Sunny’s fridge, knocking his head on the overhead tray in the process.

Frowning, he swiveled around and found Nami leaning against the far end of the counter separating the kitchen and dining area, with a cheeky smile on her face.

“What do we have here?” She asked in a singsong tone. When he didn’t answer, she propped her chin on the palm of her hand. “Looks like someone’s stealing from the supposedly locked fridge.”

Zoro cursed under his breath while rubbing his head. “Shut it witch. I’m just getting some water.” He stuck his hand back inside the fridge and grabbed the pitcher.

“I’m surprised you know the code.”

He smirked as he slammed door shut and snatched a glass from the counter rack. “Ero-cook’s THAT predictable.”

Nami’s lips formed a perfect ‘o’ at his remark.

“Why are you still awake?” He asked as he poured himself a drink.

“Why are you lurking in the dark?”

They both asked at the same time. Nami grinned while Zoro cocked an eyebrow at her.

In the silvery moonlight streaming in from the galley’s portholes; they stared at each other, both waiting for an answer.

When neither one replied, Nami then straightened up and was about to make her way towards him when she blindly bumped the corner of the counter.

“Ouch!” She whined. “Why the hell didn’t you switch the lights on Zoro?” She made a clicking sound with her tongue to show her disapproval at his decision to skulk inside the galley in the dark.

“Don’t need it,” the swordsman grunted.

“Well some of us do!”

“Not my fault you can’t find your way in the dark cat burglar.” She didn’t miss the way he emphasized her epithet.

Nami made a face as he downed his water in one gulp.

“Slow down with the water idiot! You’re not the only one who wants to drink some!”

"Not so loud Nami!” Zoro hissed. “You’ll wake the others up!”

“Ooops. Sorry,” she mock-whispered. Then she giggled. “I’ll shush.” She placed her forefinger on her lips.

The tall swordsman raised both of his eyebrows at her reaction. He scrutinized her curiously, wondering why she was still up and about… and boisterous.

He silently observed her as she approached him. And he noticed that she seemed unsteady; her stride was careful but he can see that she was tilting a bit and her hand never left the kitchen counter.

“Are you drunk Nami?”

She stiffened at his question. “Excuse me?”

“You’re staggering,” Zoro pointed out.

“No I’m not!” She vehemently denied. “Just had a feeew drinks is all…” She stuck her tongue out at him. “You of all people should know that I don’t get drunk that easily.”

He looked unconvinced. Few for Nami usually means almost ALL the liquor stock available. “Uh-huh. Is that why you’re using the counter for support?”

Nami puffed her cheeks. She was now near enough for him to note that her face was flushed and her eyes, a bit unfocused.

Not drunk my ass alright. He thought with a scoff.

“I am not drunk Zoro!” She poutily declared when she heard the unbelieving sound he made. She let go of the counter to place her hands on her hips—the way she usually does when she was about to chastise him. However, the sudden defiant movement made her wobble a bit and Zoro automatically reached for her arm to steady her.

“Not drunk my ass,” he voiced his earlier thought.

“You’re the one to talk.” Nami grumbled while holding on to him. She drew closer and sniffed. “You reek of alcohol swordsman.” She scrunched up her nose in disgust.

Her insult didn’t even faze him. With a shit-eating grin he said, “I should say the same to you.”

Her brown eyes widened in horror. She looked offended and mortified at the same time. True, he can smell the liquor on her, enough for him to deduce that she probably drank more than just a feeew (to quote her) drinks as she was claiming.

Nami smacked him on the arm lightly. “Not as much as you do baka! Did you take a bath with sake or something?”

Zoro just chuckled at her attempt to drag him in a midnight banter. As much as he wants to engage in their usual verbal play, his head is already buzzing from all the liquor he drank.

He was already following her down the road to inebriation and ready to pass out anywhere.

He was done with this night.

Nami must’ve sensed it given the way a sly smile appeared on her lips.

Grabbing his shoulders for support, she tiptoed so they were almost face to face. “You are drunk too, aren’t you Zoro?” The mapmaker whispered in his ear.

"And what if I am?” Zoro drawled.

She threw her head back and laughed. “So you do get drunk!”

“You wish witch.” She laughed again and his arm instantly went around her, just in case she topple-over from dipping her head back too much. He can just imagine the havoc it will cause when she falls and crack her skull on the floor of the Sunny’s kitchen while with him.

Ero-cook will definitely murder him before dying from a broken heart if that happens.

All of a sudden, Nami grabbed his face.

“Oi!”

The orange-haired girl huffed. “Don’t deny it Zoro. You look like you’re about to fall asleep on your feet.”

“Hnnn…”

A mischievous smile appeared on her face, as her thumbs gently rubbed at the corners of his eyes. “You know, your eyes slant more when you had too much alcohol,” Nami told him in a soft voice. Then a frown marred her features, as she traced the scar running over his left eye. “Or in this matter… your eye…”

His breath got stuck in his throat. He had no idea that she actually paid any attention to him. He can feel his face heating up and it’s definitely not because of the booze in his system.

She proceeded to cup his face in the palm of her hands. “And you would smile more. Probably because all that liquor you chugged down help loosen your stoic smiling muscles.” Nami daringly use her thumbs to push the corners of his lips up in a lame attempt to make him smile.

Zoro just stood there staring at her, completely perplexed.

Then Nami clapped her hands with his face between them.

“DAMN IT NAMI!”

“Hahaha! Oooops you still felt that!”

“Temee…” With a growl he grabbed her wrists, in case she decides to repeat the action again. “Of course I did!”

“Oh alright,” she said in a condescending tone. “I guess you’re not really drunk… just supeeer close to it.” She mimicked Franky’s voice while patting his arm with her free hand to appease him.

“Why would you even think that?!” Zoro snarled at her.

“Why else would you be here in the middle of night, in your sleeping trousers and raiding the fridge?”

“I just wanted some water!” Zoro explained through gritted teeth. The one damn bad thing about this feisty cat thief is that she can really be insufferable… sober or not. “I’m gonna go nap,” he mumbled before their conversation turn into a squabble. He doesn’t have the energy for it to be honest.

“Hah!” Nami snickered. “There it is. Your own version of ‘I’m drunk’.”

His good eye narrowed.

“Your eye is slanting so much more now Zoro!” She chirped. “Getting drunker by the minute?”

“Shut it witch or I’ll pour all the remaining ice cold water on you to sober you up.” He threatened.

He was rewarded with a snigger and she took a step back. It was then that he realized that he was still holding her.

Zoro let her go and made a grab for the pitcher to refill his glass. He ignored the fluttering feeling in his chest from their exchange earlier.

“Hey. Why didn’t you join me tonight Zoro?” Nami nudged him with her shoulder to get his attention.

It was his turn to be startled by her question.

“We could’ve have drunk the whole bar under the table you know,” she continued on. “And I could’ve taken home more berries from the bets if you were there.”

Of course she would be interested in money more than anything, as usual.

“I know you’d just find a way to get your hands on my winnings if I drank with you,” he muttered glumly.

“Damn right of course!” Nami beamed at him. “Though you should be thankful it’s just your money I want to get my hands on.” She said rather suggestively, poking him on the chest.

Zoro nearly choked at her statement. What the hell did she mean by that?!

He coughed to clear his throat. Turning away from her, he seized his glass and drank the water in one gulp. He decided to just ignore what she had just dropped on him. “Good thing I decided to drink in another bar then.”

She feigned a sad look at that. “Ouch. I’m hurt Zoro. You’d choose isolation over a friend?”

“Nice of you to think I drank alone.”

Silence suddenly enveloped them.

Nami quirked an eyebrow at him. “The lone wolf finally learned how to make friends?”

Zoro snorted.

“Oh,” she looked a bit astounded. “You mean you… you like… went somewhere where you can…”

They blinked at each other for almost a full minute before her implication dawned into Zoro. “What?! No!” He looked just as stunned as her. “Of course I wouldn’t… it’s not…” he stuttered, unable to give her an explanation.

Well that suddenly sobered both of them up a bit.

The former pirate hunter felt all his blood rushed up to his face. This is embarrassing.

He rubbed a hand on his face before clearing his throat. “Usopp and Luffy joined me for a while. Then Franky, before he headed back here. Then Brook. That’s what I meant by I’m not alone.”

It’s not like he owed her an explanation but he didn’t want her to think that he actually hang-out in bars to pick women up…

… Or that he deliberately goes in brothels to get laid.

Nami worried her lower lip looking deep in thought. “Oh okay…”

Damn it!

“For a moment I thought you’d rather spend time with a stranger than with me.”

A disgruntled sound escaped his lips and he swiftly averted his eyes to avoid her gaze. How do one respond to that? What should he say?

Should he tell her that he actually wanted to spend time with her? That he wanted to accompany her at the bar where she went earlier and spend all night sitting beside her as they drink the stocks empty and win every single drinking competition thrown their way?

But that he didn’t? Instead he forced himself to look for another pub or tavern far away from her.

Because recently, he realized that being with Nami… was a bit disconcerting.

She stirs up certain emotions inside him that he was not too familiar with.

And it was throwing him off. Because he had no idea how to deal with it or how to handle it.

He shook his head to brush all the thoughts in his mind away.

This should be dealt with some other time. When they are both sober and in their right minds.

Tonight was not the night for this.

Nami suddenly pressed into him.

“Hey!” He glanced down, his lone eye meeting her half-lidded ones.

Great. The alcohol already took its toll on her. Nami looks like she’s about to pass out.

“I could use some water too Zoro,” she murmured, resting her forehead against his chest.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he felt the familiar, warm sensation crept slowly all over his body. She was too close for comfort now.

“Go get your own glass then.” He grumbled.

He felt her pout as her lips touched his bare skin. “We can just share.” She suggested in a tone that he knows so well. He recognized it as the one she constantly uses whenever she wants a favor from the cook or any other man she wants to twist around those devious fingers of hers.

He scowled. Like that would work on him…

Then he felt his resolve crumble a bit when she shifted closer and the scent of mikans mixed with alcohol assaulted his nose.

It was enticing. It makes him want to try and see if she tasted like she smelled.

His thoughts were cut off when she suddenly grabbed the glass in his hand.

Ever alert, Zoro held on to it.

She lifted her head up and their eyes locked. Nami tugged at the glass and he tugged back. She was no match against his grip of course. But he had to give her points for bravely trying.

Then she did the unthinkable. She wrapped an arm around his waist and pushed him back so she was now essentially pinning him between her body and the kitchen counter.

“Nami!” He rumbled the moment he felt her bountiful chest against him.

Nami smiled cheekily at him and she quickly snatched the glass out of his hand. “See it’s not bad to share Zoro.” She tossed back the glass’s content before placing it back down the counter.

He answered her with a glare. She has yet to get herself off him.

Nami was gazing up at his face, smirking at her victory. Then he watched as it slowly disappeared as she blinked up at him. Nami looked like she was pondering about something.

“Zoro,” she called his name in a way that it set off every single nerve in his body, sending it into overdrive.

“What now?” He asked in a raspy tone.

She was silent for a few seconds. But there was a gleam in her eye that he wasn’t sure he liked. “I’m drunk… and you’re drunk as well right? Can we just leave it at that?”

His eyebrows drew close to each other. “What are you even say—”

And she cut him off by capturing his lips with hers.

Just a fun suggestion. Try listening to Bitter Sweet’s Drink You Sober. The music is perfect for a ZoNa sexy time. It will help you imagine what possibly took place after the last scene. Unless I’m able to write it as a bonus one-shot. Hahaha!

[tgastaff]

I’ve been talking about putting this out for a while now, and before we get into the sexcapades that are the TGA Exams, I wanted to finally get this dropped so that we can all work on our characterizations. So you’ve come up with a character name, a faceclaim, and you���ve decided whether they’re a sub or a Dom- what next? 

It’s easy to assume that the smut is what draws people to TGA and what has kept me in the admin seat for ten years, but I have to say tha isn’t the truth. The reason that I believe TGA has always been so active and enjoyable is the fact that it has been home to some of the most original, fully developed characters that I’ve ever seen. 

So how do you get that yourself? What do you do in order to flesh out your character and make them stand out? These are my ideas, based on my own experiences and what I’ve seen as admin. Feel free to answer these questions privately to yourself, semi-privately for just the group in our ooc discord server, or publicly on your blog for the world to see. You don’t have to answer all of these--- or any of them, this is completely optional. 

SOME WARM-UP QUESTIONS TO GET IN THE MOOD:

What is their character archetype? Do they have one? Do they fit into any stereotypical label? (If your character has specific thoughts about character archetypes, feel free to add that too.)

What or who would your character dress up as for Halloween?

Who do they look up to? Do they have a hero?

If they could call one person for help, who would it be?

What is their favorite fairytale? What fairytale do they hate? Do they believe in happy endings?

What is their perception of redemption?

If your character could travel through time, where would they go?

What are they good at? Do they like being good at it? Is there anything they wish they were better at?

When did they last lie? What’s their view of lying? When did they last make a promise? Did they keep or break their last promise?

If your character could only save one thing from their burning house, what would it be?

HOW THEY TALK AND PORTRAY THEMSELVES:

*This is going to be the best section to use when it comes to making your characters look, sound, and feel like different people instead of the same person with different faces. Remember that yes, some diction is the same across the board for a lot of people but we’re all individuals and choose to use even the currently trendy vocabulary in our own ways. 

The first thing anyone is going to see is how your character talks. What makes them different from everyone else? How do you distinguish one of your characters talking versus another talking? 

What words or phrases do they overuse? Do they have a catchphrase?  Is there anyone that they quote?

Are they more optimistic or pessimistic? Are they introverted or extroverted? 

Do they ever put on airs? Do they ever pretend to be something they are not? This includes pretending to be brave or pretending to be strict. (For example, many people play Sebastian Smythe as a character that is putting on a sex shark, suave, cold façade in order to fit in. Santana Lopez and Quinn Fabray could also be seen as putting on airs, sometimes, depending on where they are in their story arcs.)

How do they want to be seen by others? How do they see themselves? How are they seen by others? 

Strongest character trait? Weakest character trait?

How do they react to praise? How do they react to criticism? Are they most likely to fight with their fists or their tongue?

What are their political views? What will they stand up for? What do they consider an overrated virtue?

How do they treat Dominants? How do they treat submissives? Do they have any preconceived notions about poor people or rich people?

What bad habits do they have? 

CHARACTER INTERESTS, LIKES, AND DISLIKES:

What is their obsession? (Example: Rachel Berry is obsessed with Broadway, Quinn Fabray is obsessed with successful perfection, etc)

What is their guilty pleasure? (This doesn’t have to be embarrassing, even if by definition this is something they would hide.)

What are their hobbies? (Remember that these can lead to club activities, which can lead to reasons to be active and make connections)

What are their idiosyncrasies?

What makes them laugh out loud?

What are their pet peeves?

Do they make snap judgements or take time to consider?

What is their greatest fear?

Are they indoorsy or outdoorsy?

What is the most offensive thing they’ve ever said?

FAMILY, LOVE, AND OTHER HUMAN CONNECTIONS:

Is their family big or small? Who does it consist of? How do they define family?

Did they grow up rich or poor? Did they grow up nurtured or neglected?

What were they like before their mark, right after they woke up marked, after they got used to their mark, and approaching time to go to the Academy? Did any of these D/s mark related moments change them as a person?

What advice would they give their younger self?

What was their childhood ambition? Has that changed?

How do they display affection?

What quality do they most value in a friend? Describe their ideal best friend a little bit.

Who are their natural allies?

Who are their surprising allies?

What do they think about love? Has your character ever been in love? Have they ever had their heart broken?

DAILY LIFE AND USING IT FOR STARTERS/CONVOS:

*All of these can be used to help you decide what to write as a starter, how to connect with other people, and where you can find more connections. Remember that all Dom/mes have the right to make a submissive help them through their daily life! So if your Dom/me character has an answer down here that they could use help with (i.e. their morning routine, cooking meals, cleaning house, organizing, etc-- if your Dom/me character only has condiments in their fridge, for example, a sub could be a big help in getting them to go to the Dalton kitchens to get real food! And all characters are highly encouraged to interact based on clubs, classes, and daily life.)

What are their eating habits? Do they have any allergies?

Describe their dorm/suite. Are they minimalist or a clutter hoarder?

What do they keep in their fridge? Their bedside table? Their purse/bag?

What do they do first thing on a weekday morning?

What do they do with their weekend?

Are they comfortable with technology?

What is their greatest extravagance?

What is their idea of perfect happiness?

What is their view of ‘freedom’?

What clubs and classes are they in? What does their weekly schedule look like? What would they like to start doing? Maybe something they could use a little push to get into?

[marshmallowgoop]

senketsu raped ryuko in their first scene together. shipping them is gross.

It’s fair if you feel it’s a bad pairing.

However, what does sending this rude ask essentially calling me a disgusting person for shipping them accomplish? I’ve written a plethora of essays about how much I hate Senketsu’s first scene, how I don’t fault anyone for disliking the relationship Senketsu and Ryuko share as a result, and how I wish his introduction had been handled differently. 

Please don’t act like I don’t recognize and acknowledge the problematic aspects of what I enjoy. I do. If you had attempted to look for this subject on my blog at all, you would see that.

If you’re really interested in a discussion on this, I can link you:

Senketsu’s First Scene*Further Analysis*Even More* Final Thoughts* 

What Changes Would You Make to Senketsu’s First Scene?

8 Reasons Folks Can’t Get Down with Pairing a Girl and Her Sailor Uniform Together: Masterpost of Rebuttals to Common Criticisms Against Ryuketsu* (point 5)

Do People Actually Ship Ryuko and Senketsu?

Ryuko’s Choice to Wear Senketsu

Or, to address your main point, I can quote what I’ve already written. From the “Even More” post:

The question of whether or not Senketsu “technically raped” Ryuko is likely something that it is utterly dependent on what you define as “rape.” From what I understand, laws vary everywhere about the issue. Here’s just one article discussing the confusion, for a small, small example of the problem. With a million different definitions about what counts as what and what counts as what where, the terms are blurry. Add in shaky and dangerous ideas about consent, and it’s no wonder so many have to ask, “Wait, was I raped?”

I can only really offer you how I personally view this matter. My definition of “rape” lines up with a generic, dictionary.com definition: “unlawful sexual intercourse or any other sexual penetration of the vagina, anus, or mouth of another person, with or without force, by a sex organ, other body part, or foreign object, without the consent of the victim.” Applying this to Kill la Kill, then, I don’t think it’s fair to say Senketsu raped Ryuko. They did not have sex. He is not penetrating her. In my personal opinion, I think it’s almost offensive to define this as “rape.”

Is it a rape joke that’s completely and totally disgusting? Absolutely. Is it what I would consider sexual assault? Yes. Senketsu removes Ryuko’s clothing, gropes her breasts, and forces her to wear him when she doesn’t want to. But I wouldn’t categorize it as rape. It’s like forcing someone into a bikini or a leotard when they don’t want to wear it. Awful, yes, harassment, yes, but it irks me to call that “rape,” which is something very serious in my mind that shouldn’t be made light of.

But, really, I’m just getting into semantics. The real question is: Do you think Senketsu’s actions are forgivable, given the situation? This is fantasy. Senketsu’s created from parasitic Life Fibers that want to hurt humans—just take a look at Junketsu and what happens to Kinue. His actions in his introductory scene follow this line and are completely against his characterization for the entire rest of the show. He’s clearly not in his right mind nor himself when this occurs.

From the “Senketsu’s First Scene” post:

… that first scene? That’s something Senketsu is so incredibly afraid of being. It’s probably his greatest fear of all, a fear that’s even reflected in the battle theme “Before My Body is Dry” with the line, “So help me to stay focused so I don’t fall apart.” He really, truly doesn’t want to be that forceful monster he is then. It’s horrifying to him, and that’s the way I think the scene should have been played—as horrifying.

And it’s not like Trigger is incapable of this. The scene where Satsuki first puts on Junketsu is a scary, powerful scene that really shows the monstrous nature of Life Fibers. The scene where Ryuko is forced into Junketsu is also much the same—scary and frightening.

The only reason I can think of Senketsu’s scene being played in the way it is is to show that Senketsu’s not really evil, since the whole thing’s treated as a joke. But… it’s just so jarring. What he’s doing is just the same as what Junketsu’s doing. It’s not funny in the slightest. Add in the not-so-subtle rape joke and it’s plain offensive.

But it’s not like this is an issue just with Senketsu’s first scene. This is my biggest beef with Kill la Kill in general—it, like a lot of anime and media these days, has a nasty habit of playing off sexual harassment and abuse as something hilarious. Personally, I don’t know why Senketsu’s first scene is always used as the worst example of this, since it’s shown to be pretty OOC for him early on and he never acts remotely like it ever again.

Meanwhile, characters like Mako and Aikuro do similar things to Ryuko when they are in their right minds. Mako gropes Ryuko’s breasts in her Hallelujah in episode 3, takes off her bra in the one in episode 5, and constantly invades Ryuko’s personal space and grabs onto her when it clearly makes Ryuko uncomfortable (see the motorcycle scenes in episodes 8 and 17). Yet, this is seen as funny, cute, and romantic. Then there’s Aikuro, who completely disrobes Ryuko in episode 2, immobilizes her with needles while she’s naked, and flirts with her when he’s her teacher and when doing such is completely inappropriate and brings Ryuko a lot of discomfort. And this, again, is seen as funny.

That’s not to say that I want to bash on these characters or pairings. I just ask why it is that these scenes and behaviors are excused as funny and cute when they’re very clearly not, while Senketsu’s first scene is—as it should be!—almost universally agreed to be disgusting and uncomfortable. Ryuko and Senketsu are one of my most favored relationships in all of fiction, but I would never dream of saying that their first meeting is anything adorable or hilarious. I honestly find it frightening that a lot of similar behavior—unwanted touching and removing of clothing—is brushed aside and laughed at because the perpetrator is a sexy teacher or a cute girl.

Of course, Senketsu’s first scene is a lot more intense, and I’m not stupid. I know exactly what they were referencing with it. It deserves to be controversial, and deserves to be spoken up against. But I think the hate against Senketsu for it is pretty… misguided, to say the least. Again, it’s not that it happens that makes it so bad in my eyes. It’s that we’re supposed to find one of Senketsu’s greatest fears hilarious. We’re supposed to think it’s funny that he’s hurting Ryuko, when his character is so utterly devoted to her and so terrified at the thought of bringing her any harm. This is something that I see as really sad, and it’s so disappointing that we don’t get to see Senketsu grapple with it or apologize for it.

Now, “not being in control!” or “not being in his right mind!” aren’t excuses for what Senketsu does, and it will always be awful and unacceptable. Even if he did apologize for it, it doesn’t erase what he did, and I think it’s a fair argument to say that you should stay away from people who have harmed you in the past. Personally, though, I don’t necessarily believe in that. I think people change all the time. Who I am now is different than who I was five years ago, for better or for worse. It’s the now that matters most to me, so in Senketsu’s case, he’s pretty much a darling sweetheart for the majority of the series, which I place a lot more importance on than his actions in a terrible, OOC-introduction scene where he’s overpowered by primal urges and not himself.

There’s definitely something to the idea that some actions are unforgivable, but when it comes to Senketsu, I lean against that. Still, I’m not going to argue with anyone who does feel that way—that’s just as valid as my feelings.

This got quite a bit longer than I intended. Basically, I hate the scene, but mostly because it’s framed as a joke. As someone who has been subjected to sexual harassment, I can firmly say that there’s absolutely nothing “funny” or “cute” about it, and I think it’s really disappointing and gross that the show plays Senketsu’s nasty behavior towards Ryuko in that way. Not only that, but it’s just so against his character, and is thus something incredibly tragic to me. Had it been played as the nightmare that it is to Senketsu, I don’t think the scene would be so widely hated, but instead seen for exactly what it is: a horrifying moment that must cause Senketsu great pain and fear.

From the “Final Thoughts” post:

I just personally am uncomfortable with categorizing Senketsu’s actions in his first scene as rape. Others may very well have their own valid reasons for defining it in that way.

But if the issue is indeed sexual assault, this is a huge problem in Kill la Kill in more ways than simply Senketsu’s introduction, since the show, unfortunately, falls into this common trend of playing off that kind of behavior for laughs … 

And believe me, I understand and think it’s totally fair if Senketsu’s behavior in episode 1 makes his relationship with Ryuko uncomfortable or unacceptable to some. But I also think that this conversation needs to be extended more often. Senketsu and Ryuko’s friendship—and Senketsu himself—get so absolutely vilified in amounts that I don’t see concerning Aikuro and especially Mako, which, personally, strikes me as unfair and a double standard. These characters also disrespect and assault Ryuko throughout the series—and when they’re in their right minds, too.

Of course, I don’t mean to accuse you of anything, Anon! I just feel that this issue is so, so much bigger than Senketsu and deserves to be talked about more. It really irks me that I retread this argument so many times whilst similar behavior coming from other characters is hardly called out, instead getting hailed as “cute” and “romantic.” In my opinion, if you’re comfortable pairing Ryuko with Aikuro or Mako and believe her relationships with them can grow and be healthy even after past instances of disrespect and harassment coloring their interactions (as I do!), then I don’t see any reason to think differently concerning Ryuko and Senketsu’s relationship.

And, finally, from the “8 Reasons” post:

In my mind, there are bigger issues with the series’ handling of assault than Senketsu’s first scene, but beyond that, Senketsu is honestly probably the most respectful character towards Ryuko in the entire show. He never forces her to wear him when she doesn’t want to—and the fact that Ryuko does take him off multiple times across the series when she doesn’t want to emphasizes that her wearing of him isn’t her being a poor prisoner, but her choosing to be with him—and Senketsu values Ryuko’s thoughts and opinions, openly communicates with her, and constantly considers her wellbeing.

As I once put it, “[Senketsu] is nothing like that first scene in all actuality, and Ryuko and Senketsu’s relationship is built not on nonconsensual behaviors and violence, but on respect and understanding.”

tl;dr, please stop acting like I don’t acknowledge the problems in Ryuko and Senketsu’s relationship. I can like something and understand that it’s not perfect. I can like something and understand that others might hate it and think (fairly) that it’s offensive. 

I don’t want to make assumptions, but considering I’ve only been getting these mean-spirited asks since I wrote out my thoughts on Ragyo and got attacked for it, I figure there’s a connection. Please stop acting like my criticisms of Ragyo were somehow unique to her. I probably have more criticisms about Ryuko and Senketsu’s relationship than even the biggest haters of the pairing, and I love them to pieces.

You can like something and also understand that not everyone will and might even find it problematic. Please stop sending me nasty, personally insulting messages about what I like when I have never, ever shamed you (or anons who think like you) for liking Ragyo.

[fancykraken]

Here are more in-depth thoughts about Thor in Endgame because I need to barf some feels about it now.

To start off with I’m just going to say that I think they went the right way with Thor in this movie. Now, when I say that—because I know a lot of my fellow Thor lovers are not happy at the moment and to an extent I am too—I am not meaning the surface of what was seen by others and a lot of the audience. 

I went into the movie knowing what was happening with him, so it wasn’t a big shock for me to see it (just the visuals were a bit surprising at first because I didn’t know what it would be like). I’m glad I knew going ahead of time because my knee jerk reaction would have been ‘oh, hell no.’ 

So what I mean by how I think for the most part they went the right way with Thor is this:

SPOILERS FOR THOR IN ENDGAME BELOW

[eta] um, didn’t realize how long this would get so if you do read it all I appreciate it and also have a cookie. <3

I think it was the right thing for him to completely fall apart and let the depression, PTSD, and trauma take over. I think that was a very clever part of letting people see underneath the surface of the King of Asgard. How could he not be fucked up by the end of Ragnarok and events of IW? It’s not possible, only a person completely devoid of empathy and emotion could just go on with their day. Not Thor. His heart is so big and so caring that he fell apart because of it. 

The delivery of the line “I went for the head” gutted me. You can hear how utterly broken he is. Kudos to Chris Hemsworth for that because damn, that was heavy. You can see him lose touch with reality in a sense after that, the final nail in the coffin of his guilt. So to see him in New Asgard, much heavier, drunk, dissociating, and suffering was pretty much the only path you can take (not meaning physical details here just the overall concept).

It’s a very real and hard look at what someone like him has been through and the results of it. It’s like Tony in Iron Man 3 with his anxiety and PTSD. How can you not go through something like that and come out on the other side all sunshine and roses?

This is what I really think they did right with him in this movie. This is more the reality of the aftermath of trauma and while yes it is presented in a very flippant and comedic way it is still very good underneath all of that. Strip it down and you see how broken he is. I think Chris Hemsworth played it very well. While his performance was still more geared for comic relief, the pain, the denial, the fear, the guilt, the sadness was still there just underneath the surface and could clearly be seen. He was muddled, rambly, defensive, moody, which for me as someone who deals with depression and anxiety illnesses on a daily basis I can 100% confirm that these are some of the symptoms of these things.

The scene with Frigga was the right move because I think that no one except Frigga could help him tip the scales of him starting to heal. I know that Thor would have been able to do it himself, but having Frigga there for him to confess to was perfect. He couldn’t tell anyone about what was really inside him because no one except Frigga would understand. Odin could have to an extent, but he’s about as comforting as a thorn bush. And Loki probably could have understood a hell of a great deal as well, but he’s gone and he has his whole host of problems and self-loathing. Frigga was the right choice for this. And I know the fat jokes were there, the only one I personally will let slide is her saying ‘eat a salad’ because that is what mum’s do. I don’t think it came from a standpoint of Thor just being heavy, I think it was more just to have him healthier and clearer headed. He’s pretty much been drunk for 5 years straight, boo needs some vitamins and good nutrition.

Also, him summoning Mjolnir at the end of their encounter was so beautiful, I thought. He really did not believe he was still ‘worthy’ and despite Odin telling him in Ragnarok that Mjolnir was basically just a hammer and Thor had it in him the whole time it’s very real that depression strips that all away. You feel like a failure, a fraud, and not worthy to anyone. To have Mjolnir come back to him like that and his face light up was just so lovely. I wish he didn’t have to have that validation, but I think it was something he needed at that moment. Need to see physically that he was still Thor and worthy of all that he is and has to offer to people.

Now, having said all that and taking away the layers that were on the surface, the surface was... not great. I don’t mean as Thor himself and the performance, but the way the movie, story, other characters treated him. And I think a good part of it was there wasn’t time to go into it. The movie did need comic relief and release of all that tension in the room. Thor was just the unlucky guy to be tasked with almost all of that.

There’s an article here that kind of goes into the thought process of the filmmakers and while I agree to an extent, I also think they went about it the wrong way.

This quote, in particular, made me think a lot:

This was their way of showing how survivors are suffering and punishing themselves after the Snap. This was a physical way of manifesting the grief and regret Thor feels. But how do you punish a deity? How do you show that someone who looks like Chris Hemsworth has let everything go?

They made him a trainwreck.

I think the real problems I had with Thor and I know a lot of others in this was that whole movie concept of ‘show, don’t tell’. They went the very, very showy route.

The weight gain honestly was a bit surprising at first when I heard about it, but really I couldn’t give a fuck. I love him no matter what. I’d still glad drag him to bed if I were given the opportunity. I just wish they could have done a better job with the actual weight on his body. Hemsworth is obviously in peak physical shape, so the obvious thing was to just slap a fat suit on him and call it a day. I really don’t think they put enough thought into how fat would have distributed on his body and frame. It’s almost as if there are *gasps* no fat people in Hollywood to talk to about this. *rolls eyes* They really could have done better with the physical aspect of his body.

The fat jokes... well, as someone who has been fat their entire life they can be very triggering for me and I honestly had one or more anxiety attacks after hearing that he would be heavier for the duration of the film before seeing it. While the fat jokes aren’t really blatant fat jokes (it’s kind of hard for me to explain to people who haven’t had similar situations like me), I was okay. I’ve heard the fat jokes before, I’ve been the victim of many fat jokes before, so while I would have preferred not to have any, I think they were the milder of what you could have. If that makes any sense.

I am very tired of the trope that the fat people are only there for the comedic relief. I wish they could have toned that down a lot because I am tired of the way media treats fat people. Tired that fat people don’t get to be superheroes unless they’re a villain or just there for the laughs or laughs as a side character that helps out the superheroes. In this way, the movie let me down and let Thor as a character down. I think Ragnarok set up very nicely the balance of Thor’s comedic side and serious side. He was funny but not funny as to diminish him as a character or the storyline. This just felt he was there to be the funny one, like Drax in GotG Vol. 2 and I haaaaaated him in that. 

One good thing they did right by him in respect of his weight is that they didn’t change it. He stayed the same during the whole film and didn’t have any special powers or short cuts to make him buff again or ‘right’ again as a large part of the toxic beauty/health industry/society has taught us. He was still the mighty Thor only with an added beer gut. 

While I felt like his final battle wasn’t as epic as it was in Ragnarok or IW, I still think he kicked a lot of ass and took a lot of names. 

And his Magical Girl transformation at the end... hoo boy I needed a moment there. The hair and beard with the braids it was just... ghnnnn amazing. It was true Nordic Viking God Thor right there. 

Overall his arc in this movie wasn’t as deep as I was expecting. They definitely gave that to Tony and Steve. Thor’s journey was more there for the comic relief. I’m still not sure of how I feel about the end and the way he took off with the Guardians. It felt wrong but also like it was needed in a weird way. I’m still thinking over that. What I felt was wrong is that it severely throws out what was done in previous movies about Thor and his leadership, love for his people, and him being king of Asgard. That felt like a big slap to the face for me. When I first heard of that I felt so angry, so hurt that they would throw out everything that was built up for Thor and his overall character. After seeing it I’m less of that mind, but those feelings are still there. I think it may have sat with me better if it wasn’t just Thor literally handing Valkyrie the keys to New Asgard and buggering off. Because on the surface that’s what it was. I think it would have been better if it was presented as Valkyrie as temp ruler of Asgard while Thor went off to heal or find himself, which he is doing and I want him to do, or even find a new planet to be Asgards home, but not like that. The utter devotion and care for his people was such a key point for him in the previous movies. He’s better than that and to strip that all away and just hand it off to Valkyrie even if she is technically the better leader at the moment hurts. It could have been handled so much better and have Thor not feel so OOC at the end.

I really, really hope that this isn’t the end of Thor’s story because it feels unfinished. They left it open ended for more unlike with Tony and Steve. The Guardians still have another movie and I am really wondering if Thor will still be a part of that with this story. Will he be there to tie in Angela if she is introduced? I don’t know, but I want more, not just because he is my fave but because I feel as if his journey isn’t complete. It’s like there’s something missing and he needs to have the final say and find this inner peace. Tony and Steve were given this complete circle and that circle has been closed. Thor’s has not and while I can understand we may never get that as tight as the others, I think there’s definite room for it.

After seeing this I really hope the rumours of a Thor 4 will come true, especially with Taika. I can see a really fun movie of Thor healing and learning to live with the past. Will he be out there looking for Loki? Will he be with the Guardians? Will he be out there just him doing him? Who knows.

They tried to hold onto that humour from Ragnarok and some moments they did, but ultimately they failed spectacularly with pushing it way too far. If they pulled it back some and tweaked some things with the way others interacted with him then I think it would have been a lot less jarring.

If you’ve read this far then kudos to you. I know this may seem kind of a convoluted meta and thoughts about him in Endgame and I’m still very much in a mindset of that. I loved some of what was done for him/to him in the movie and hated other things. I need more time to digest.

tl;dr version: I love Thor so gd much

[tr33-g1rl]

"You've... you've done something," he accused, fingers finally finding their ways into fists. "You've ruined me."

From ‘Can’t Fucking Stand You’ by frozenCinders on AO3  

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7354351

Pairing: ShigaDabi

Reason I love this quote: This is so in character for Shigaraki and I adore it. Just everything about this story was perfect, and this quote made me both laugh and say “awwww!” Just tsundere!Shigaraki makes my day, especially when it’s so in character!

Do not fret... I've never presumed to think of you as mine.

I only know that I am yours.

From ‘Show Me...’ by CrazyLabRat on AO3

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16278545/chapters/38068457#workskin

Pairing: KakaIru

Reason I love this quote: How could you not love a quote as powerful as this?!?! It’s so open and vulnerable, but the context in which it’s said is so guarded that you can’t help but crave more! And when I say more, I mean you want everything to come to light. You want the open wound unwrapped so you can look at it and marvel at it before cleaning it and stitching it back up and letting everything be alright. This story is a classic and completely gives a new take to the ‘secret admirer’ trope. It’s easily one of my top three fanfictions ever!

“You were amazing today, mophead.”

That’s it. No mockery, no sarcasm. There’s a little breathiness in his voice and Tomura wonders where it’s coming from. He wonders whether today’s one of those days when Dabi likes to take his time, pretend to court him before shoving him against the nearest surface and kissing his mouth like he can never get enough of it.

From ‘special’ by chuuyafucks on AO3 (Rated E)

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16052693

Pairing: ShigaDabi

Reason I love this quote: I love the image of Dabi as the same cool, badass character but he’s got this little obssession with crush on Dabi that he doesn’t even bother hiding! It’s everything I ever wanted! Especially in this allies-with-benefits kind of relationship! The author writes the characters so well and I’m in love with it!

“Thank you,” he mutters, nearing incoherence. “Thank you so much, mophead. I’d worship you like this every day, if you’d let me.”

From ‘special’ by chuuyafucks on AO3 (Rated E)

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16052693

Pairing: ShigaDabi

Reason I love this quote: Yes I’m putting another quote from this fic! It’s so nice to see Dabi like this, especially when he’s showing it so willingly to Shigaraki! The author writes him so well and keeps him in character that these little bits of adoration feel not just real, but like they’re even part of his character! Not to mention, quotes like these just make me swoon.

"I do, but I mean it. So unless you do too, I'd appreciate it if you would refrain."

And that just made no sense at all.

"What is it that you mean when you do it, then?"

His eye curled up into a smile as his fingers released my wrist.

"You already know."

From ‘Like A Brat’ by CrazyLabRat on AO3

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16717613

Pairing: Kakairu

Reason I love this quote: It’s such a pivotal point in the story and it’s handled so well! The short sentences and subtle actions make really creates a tension in the scene that hits the scene home and clues the reader in as to what’s going on! While Iruka is only further submersed into darkness onto what Kakashi means, the reader finds everything becoming clear as day, and it makes the reader fall even deeper in love with Kakashi, who is just too clever (in a unique way). This is a very cute take on a simple act that I thought I’d always hate.

“Ever Slytherin knows that there are two ways two control a scandal,” Yamada answers, slumping back into his chair. “One way is to keep it a secret. The second is to announce it to the world.” Hizashi gives Shōta a sharp smile, and for the first time Shōta truly sees the Slytherin in him. “And I’ve never been good at keeping my mouth shut.”

From ‘Star-Bright’ by KuriKuri on AO3

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7805674

Pairing: EraserMic

Reason I love this quote: This entire story is a gem, but I can’t help but love just how well this quote explains Hizashi’s seemingly thoughtless actions throughout the entire story. It also shows just how good of a Slytherin Hizashi makes, and it’s now an idea I adore. This story is a really good read with an ending so sweet and satisfying that I can’t even find anything to compare it to.

"Stop that," Iruka commanded, a little rattled from his behaviour. If OOC for Kakashi meant he was back to teasing Iruka, he was having nothing of it. "And your mask, it's almost off." Without thinking, Iruka re-sheathed his kunai and stepped forward, grasping the edge of the stretchy black material, hauling it up back over his nose. Kakashi blinked at him and then grabbed Iruka's hands, staring at them intently. Then, he rubbed his face against Iruka's palms, and made a sound like a large, contented cat.

From ‘Responsible, forever, for what you have tamed’ by megyal on AO3 (Rated M)

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/111529

Pairing: KakaIru

Reason I love this quote: This scene is just too cute for my dead, cold heart. I can’t help but giggle and blush like a kid with a crush when I read this scene. I love this little paragraph with my entire body and just how it shows Kakashi’s adoration for Iruka.

This ninja had naturally bronze skin that had been darkened further by the sun. His black eyes, black hair, and black eyelashes looked like accents added to an ink drawing, but overall his features were blunt and square. Compared to Kakashi, he had a core like a tree trunk. If he appeared in Icha Icha, it would be as a virtuous farmer. Kakashi would have been happy to follow him home.

From  ‘The Full Umino Experience’ by pentapus on AO3

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2772086

Pairing: KakaIru

Reason I love this quote: Unlike most fanfics, this author takes a more lifelike approach to their writing, and doesn’t absolutely romanticize the characters into models. This description is just so realistic and perfect to the character! It doesn’t make him absolutely gorgeous and, to me, that makes the story itself even more beautiful. Though this quote isn’t the only thing I love about this story, this part really stuck with a younger me who was definitely the type to romanticize everything. It’s definitely the paragraph from any fanfiction that’s had the most impact on my own writing, and I really appreciate all it’s done for me. I highly recommend this story to everyone, but especially writers who want to really improve!

He bends over into a half-bow over him, which confuses Morisuke to no end. Does he want him to bow back? What? Morisuke glances at Kuroo, who makes a petting motion.

Really? He wants to be petted? Morisuke reaches up to ruffle Lev’s hair—it’s silky, even with sweat dampening it—and Lev jerks a little but then stills. “You did well,” Morisuke says, ignoring the way Kuroo’s sniggering.

From ‘Yaku and the Beanstalk’ by Mysecretfanmoments

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2765213

Pairing: Yakulev

Reason I love this quote: This is wayyyy too cute for me, and I can’t help but coo at this scene like it’s a newborn puppy. This is too precious and pure and adorable and it makes my heart happy.

(Might add more later)

[annalane]

Touch the Dark (Audiobook) Reread

Fave Moments:

Ch 5. Karen Chance mentions Marlowe dropping in to visit Mircea at Tony’s in chapter five!!! WHAT.

Ch 8. “You are not human.” It wasn’t a question. 💯 (fave quote)

Ch 9. The men all waiting for Cassie to come out of the bath really makes me laugh. Just imagining all those powerful men like, she wants to clean herself so we have to wait. *Elevator music plays.

Ch. 12. Mircea’s ooc sex scene: So I’ve thought about this a lot. More than is healthy, probably. But maybe...from his POV...he has just learned his little Pythian candidate has paid off! And is sexually attracted to him?!? Well, I guess he figures it’s now time make his gambit and whore himself out in order to save his brother and wife in the future. It was probably even a little bit of a let down that this part of history was repeating itself. Him + sexing up a Pythia hasn’t worked before but at least this one is embedded in his family. It can’t hurt to try again. He has been using his body and seduction in his pursuit and has been acting way more like an incubus than our favorite half demon most of the time. He says “had I known...I would have arranged something more appropriate” meaning her robe outfit but also I think, the entire affair/seduction. He’s acting strange because - it’s an act. This has been something he’s put on for hundreds of years (smh still hurting over that). I think he eventually realizes that Cassie doesn’t want an act or simply orgasms. He has to actually become invested (explaining his more genuine/ttc sex scenes later) before she gives in (and the geis does a lot of that work for them). Plus, I mean, speaking as a completely objective third-party observer with absolutely no personal interest in the matter, I think it’s just a sexy scene. Sex sells, baby.

Also - According to Mircea, Marlowe thinks she might have as devious a mind as him and can’t wait to meet Cassie. Just a fun line from this chapter.

MVP: Tomas for being sexy as hell in his mesh top. And for being touched that Cassie still cares that his face was burned. And for being naive enough to think he could keep Cassie safe if he aligned with Rasp and Tony. [I’m surprised you guys didn’t say ‘Billy’ for finally stopping that Mircass sex sesh]

Unanswered Questions: Was Mircea upset with the idea of LC and Cassie because he planned him to be his daughter’s boyfriend?

Why did we stop calling the mages dark and white knights? I kinda liked that.

Unpopular Opinion: I don’t hate Mircea (at least not in this book). I think he’s hot. I think them discovering their sexual attraction in book one is compelling. It’s so bold and unexpected for them both. They’re in this room with all these other powerful beings who are probably thinking ‘wtf there’s more important stuff going on.’ Rafe is uncomfortable, Pritkin is disgusted, Tomas is jealous, LC is um, there. I know what Mircea is doing is problematic, but in this book he’s honestly the one who treats her best. LC is a goof who acts like she’s a complete wimp. Rafe is probably in a weaker position than she is and sees her as his little Mia Stella anyway. Tomas has been feeding on her without permission making him very possessive and has been in cahoots with the enemy. Pritkin is trying to kill her, calls her and her mother a ho, etc. Mircea is the only one who comes close to seeing her as an equal and is the only one who actually gives her information about her past and the Pythian position (granted it is difficult for her to get it out of him). It makes sense that she finds herself drawn to him, childhood crush or no.

I do think he was grooming her to be a servant like any vampire would to any potential asset in order to create a loyal servant, but not as a sex partner. He says something like, “you were mine since you were 11” and he carries her around like a swaddled baby for almost an entire chapter so I can definitely see the ick factor although I do tend to think he sees her as a trinket/service/a surprise tool that will help him later. I think the interest he was socked with was genuine, despite being geised and despite his ulterior motives. All that being said, I’m still super mad at him and disillusioned with his character (as much as I was rooting for Pritkin, what Mircea did to Cassie - I took that shit personally).

[fmdxsujiarchive]

summary: stage k interview regarding fuse choreography. date: june 21, 2019  location: stage k filming word count: 525 words. ooc note: june schedule self-para.

her manager grabs her out of her waiting room as she’s the next member for the interview. frankly, when the news of them judging for stage k came out, suji was uncertain about a lot of things. she wasn’t the best dancer, and she constantly struggled with her own choreography so who was she to be judging somebody else? surely, some of her antis would laugh, and so she hadn’t done too much talking during the shoot. she kept her reactions to smiles and claps, hoping that nobody would ask her on the technicality behind their dances. she wouldn’t know how to answer anyway. 

she gave the cameraman an ‘ok’ sign, signaling him that she was good to start. using her hands as a slate, the interview officially began. the first question was on their favorite fuse choreography. this was one of the easier ones to answer, in her opinion. 

“personally, i had the most fun with ‘red flavor’! a lot of people may think that it’s one of our easier,” she put air quotes around the word, “dances, but it’s a lot more difficult than it looks. it wasn’t the moves that were hard but more the way our members had to move with one another. i remember there was a lot of bumping into one another when we first started learning the choreography. anyway, it’s probably my favorite because of how fun it just is! and i think it really fit the mood of the song well. a lot of people also told me how easily they could dance along to it which definitely helps in making it my favorite!” 

suji realizes that she’s probably spoken a bit too much, but it’s not like she was going to be broadcasted that much anyway. surely, they would be using the words of one of the dance-line members over her’s, and so she decided to not think so deeply when it came to these questions. 

“hardest choreography is most definitely ‘rookie’. it was fast. like really fast. if i blanked out for even a moment, i would surely miss the next move. there was a lot of moving around on stage and just a lot of moves in general, so it definitely was the hardest choreography for me.”

she remembers practicing for rookie and how she would have to stay behind to make sure she could keep up with the rest of her members. even today, she has a difficult time keeping up because of how fast everything in the song is. 

“i think our most memorable choreography is ‘be natural’. the fact that we got to remake out ceo’s song was memorable in itself, but the chair choreography was really refreshing to me! i wish we got to perform it more often, but i’m not sure how well i would do with it now!” 

with a thumbs up, the interview had ended, and she bowed towards the staff members that were assigned to her. suji was certain none of it, minus perhaps the last bit about ceo bang, would be broadcasted, but she still answered her best. that’s all that mattered to her anyway.