#this would be so cool in the rogues pov

[bg-brainrot]

Day four of Astarion x Rogue!Tav winter fluff for the BG3 Winter Holiday Challenge!

Prompt: Mulled Wine

Featuring: Astarion x Rogue!Tav

Series: Fits into Love at First Knife, AO3 link here

Premise: Astarion walks into you making mulled wine. He doesn’t understand why you must ruin wine for the sake of winter. When he refuses to see your point, you find another way to show him.

Tags: POV Second Person, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Fluff, Holidays, Alcohol, Kisses, post-cannon

Word count: ~1k

“Darling, what are you doing to that red wine?” Astarion walks into the kitchen, turning his nose up at the concoction you’re stirring.

“I’m making mulled wine,” you say, turning to smile at him. “What do you think I’m doing?”

He gives a single sniff and turns his lips down into a grimace. “My nose tells me that you’re ruining a perfectly good bottle of wine.” You drop the smile and give him a glare.

“What do you mean ruining?” you ask, incredulous. “I’m following the instructions that Gale gave me to the letter. Though I guess I am skipping over some of his longer-winded tangents…” A quick glance over at the notes on the counter confirms your accuracy.

The vampire shakes his head at you and walks up to the stove where you’re still stirring. “I have no doubt that you’re executing it perfectly, dear. You’ve made poisons that require more finesse than this. However, adding all of those spices– and oranges? What was wrong with the original wine?”

“Nothing was wrong. I just wanted to make something seasonal,” you say, feeling the need to defend your creation. You look down at your mixture, at the various pieces of seasonal flavors swirling as you stir, and you’re almost positive that it will taste perfect on a cold winter’s day like today.

“Why not a nice buttered rum? I don’t mind if you torment the rum.”

You roll your eyes at this, knowing full well now that this line of questioning was meant to be entertainment for Astarion. He was likely just bored and wondering why you were spending so much time in the kitchen. “I don’t want buttered rum. Why are you so against mulled wine– when was the last time you even had mulled wine?”

A moment of silence passes between you, and you turn away from your pot to look at him, suddenly fearful that you accidentally struck a nerve you hadn’t meant to. However, he just looks pensive, a single finger tapping his chin thoughtfully. When his answer finally comes, he just says it with a sense of awe, “You know, it’s likely been over 200 years.”

“Oh,” you respond, pursing your lips. You gesture at him with the spoon you’re holding. “Maybe it would be like a brand new experience?”

“It could be,” he responds, and while there’s some hesitation to his tone, he does sound more amenable to the idea now. He wafts the steam from the pot toward his nose, as if a better sniff might change his mind. Instead your lover physically recoils and places a hand over his face. “Gods, what are these spices?”

“Let’s see... cardamom, cinnamon, and star anise,” you recite, looking back at the paper Gale wrote you.

Your lover makes a face at you before he chokes out, “Star anise? That’s where the pungent smell is coming from. Darling, as the resident connoisseur of scents, you should have asked me for your spices.”

“Ah,” you breathe out, understanding dawning on you. You point the spoon at him excitedly, “I got it!”

“Got what?” he says, staring at you blankly. You can feel his assurance in your ability to make mulled wine deteriorating by the second. No matter– you know how to fix this.

Scooping up a bit of your brew in the stirring spoon, you blow gently on it to cool it down and hold it out to him. “Try it.”

“Oh no,” he immediately says, taking a step back. “I refuse to be your test subject.”

“Fine then, let me try it first.” You sip the mulled wine out of the spoon, savoring it on your tongue. It’s sweet, it’s spiced, and it tastes just like cozying up to a fireplace– your face breaks into a wide grin at its rich flavor. As you suspected, the star anise only gives it a subtle note, none of that strong licorice smell it typically has. Astarion wouldn't remember that after hundreds of years away from drinks like this. “Mmm, it’s perfect.”

Astarion looks at you for a second, as if waiting for your composure to crack, your body to convulse with disgust. When nothing happens, he only asks, “What does it taste like?”

“Would you like to try it?” You’re beaming at him now, absolutely certain that this will change his mind about mulled wine.

He still seems cautious, probably wondering if this is all some ruse devised by you and Gale.

Sensing his worries, you scoop another spoonful for yourself, take a drink, and close the distance between you. “Mmm mm,” you say to him, behind closed lips.

“What?” the man asks, raising a single eyebrow at you.

“Mmm mm!” you repeat, pointing to your lips, which you’re emphatically puckering at him.

Your request clicks in his head a moment later and he can’t help the laugh that escapes him. “My love, have I told you that you’re utterly ridiculous lately? Because I feel like you’re overdue.” Nevertheless, he takes a step forward, placing his hands on your waist and pulling you close as he meets your pursed lips with his.

The kiss, much like the mulled wine, starts off sweet but quickly comes with a kick of spice. Astarion’s tongue traces your bottom lip and you open your mouth to allow him in. One of his hands finds your face and angles it to deepen the kiss, locking his mouth with yours to try to keep the wine from spilling.

You feel a few trickles of liquid fall down your chin, but you find that you don’t mind– in fact, the only thing on your mind is the way Astarion’s tongue is relishing the mulled wine. The vampire gives a low hum as his tongue circles yours, tasting the liquid fully. He has yet to run away in revulsion, so you’re pretty sure he likes it. Or at the very least likes kissing you.

When he finally pulls away, a bit short of breath, his lips stained with wine, he gives you a smirk. “I think I finally understand the appeal of mulled wine.”

“So does that mean you liked it?” you ask him, equally breathless.

Astarion swipes his thumb down your chin, wiping away the wine that dribbled down before bringing it to mouth. He gives you a dark, lidded look as he licks it off and gives a rumbling hmm. “I’m not sure yet. You’ll have to give me another taste.”

It’s slow going, but you enthusiastically ensure that your lover gets his fill of mulled wine.

[wangxianficrecs]

places under the sky by narie

🔒 places under the sky

by narie

T, 17k, Wei Wuxian

Summary: Wei Wuxian braces himself for what might come next, the story of how this man died by the Yiling Patriarch's hand—at Nightless City, at the Burial Mounds, as the rest of the sects tried to bring that great villain to account. "What was his name?" Uncle Gan sits back, twiddles his thumbs as he thinks. "Well, it'd be Wei something, of course." "Wei Changze, wasn't it?" chimes in a new person, and if anyone agrees or disagrees, Wei Wuxian does not hear them. His wine bowl slips from his grip and the sudden clatter of it barely registers over the unexpected sounds of his father's name. Wei Changze, slipping so careless from a stranger's mouth here in small Taozi, here of all places under the open sky. Wei Changze. - Wei Wuxian meets his grandmother. No, not the immortal one. The other one. Kay's comments: The first comment under this story just read "Oh. Oh. This was heart breaking" and yeah. I couldn't have said it better. Absolutely heart-breaking, devastating and sad, but like in the best way possible. Not a happy story at all, but instead one that leaves you feeling as if your heart has been clawed open. The Untamed canon where Wei Wuxian accidently meets his grandmother, on his father's side of the family, during his post-canon travels, while he pines away for Lan Zhan. Surprise grandma, but he can't bring himself to burden her with the truth of who he is and so simply introduces himself as Mo Xuanyu. Excerpt: "Did your sect know they had a son? He was born here, in this house. Little a'Ying," she adds, effortlessly, thoughtlessly, smiling at him. The name in her mouth is unfamiliar, a warped version of those that have claimed him before. A'Ying is a child's name, the most childish of them, and although of course it's supposed to be his, he doesn't recall ever having been that. He's been a'Xian to shijie, to Uncle Fengmian sometimes, and he is Wei Ying to Lan Zhan now, nothing else. It's not a name he owns, and he does not like the way it lingers in the small space between them: innocent, untroubled, unaware, reaching for him and offering to tie him to this place. It's instinct to look away to avoid it, to busy his hands and his gaze with his teacup, to reach for the final cake. Yet he can't stop his hearing from betraying him, he can't not hear Zhang Rufen as she continues, "They always took him with them when they went wandering, all three of them were very stubborn. I used to tell Chang'er to leave the boy here with us, but neither he nor his wife would hear of it. He would not have been so much to feed, and we were doing better by then, we could have used another pair of hands to help with the orchards as he grew up." There it is again, this possibility, this other life, offered to him with fully unhesitant regard. He tries to avoid it, but it unspools in front of him, so bright and clear, almost tempting: the seasons, the harvest, the river, the cool moist soil settling under his nails and around them, working its indelible way into every groove of his fingers, a different sort of ink. Tending life, instead of rending it. A good life. Maybe it would have suited a'Ying, whoever that boy would have become.

pov wei wuxian, post-canon, the untamed compliant, the untamed, rogue cultivator wei wuxian, canonical character death, grief/mourning, closure, sad wei wuxian, wei wuxian has a family, funerary rites, family dynamics

~*~

(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for this hard-working author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

[ash-rigby]

Moonlit Blooming (Merfolk) [M/M]

Featured Characters: A gay, black human man and a bisexual merman.

Description: After spending some unfortunate time apart due to a run of bad weather, a lighthouse keeper spends a calm, clear night on the beach with his merman lover.

Contains: Nonhuman POV, Slit Play, Tentacle Dicks, Diphallia, Handjobs, Oral Sex, Fingering, Frotting.

Character Ages: Aster is 28 and Malik is 31.

Completion Date: November 28th, 2023

-

There is something different about the moon when you’re in love. Aster had enjoyed it well enough before; a pretty thing that was a constant no matter where he surfaced when the whim arose. With Malik had come a shift.

Maybe it was because all the poems and songs about the moon resonated now. Perhaps it was seeing its light reflected in the eyes of someone whose gaze he never wanted to leave him. Or playing off of skin he wanted to kiss. Either way, Aster lived for cloudless nights spent laying out on the beach, basking in the cool glow with the man he loved.

Aster had a particular liking for a secluded spot near the lighthouse that Malik kept with his older brother. He had washed up there not long ago; frightened, confused, and in pain after getting hopelessly tangled in a rogue fishing net. The sun had been harsh, beating down and suffocating.

He may have died there had it not been for Malik rushing down, gently but urgently cutting him free, and keeping up a string of reassurances despite not knowing if the merfolk shared his language. Aster remembered being carried back into the sea, his arm around his rescuer’s shoulders as he looked up into his handsome, focused face.

He had turned tailfin as soon as he was able and swam away without a word; whether it was because of the residual fear or embarrassment, he did not know. It took a few days for Aster to work up the nerve to return to the area and thank Malik properly. And not long after that to confess his adoration for the man; a human, no less. Aster had grown up on cautionary tales about the two legs but never really bought into the idea that they were all so terrible. Now he knew for certain.

Aster was pulled out of his reverie by the sensation of a gentle hand running from his upper to lower back. It paused just where the silvery scales of his tail began. The scents of his lover and the salty sea air mingled pleasantly in his nose. They hadn’t been able to be together in a while due to a run of horrid weather; the sad reality of a love between one of the sea and one of land. As much as Aster enjoyed quiet, close company, he couldn’t ignore his urges.

His own hand and memories—however vivid and wild—had far from satisfied him those two weeks.

He hummed, smiling wide and moving his fingertips over the dark brown skin of Malik’s chest. As they slowly trailed, he took in every detail; the mole between his pecs, the small scar over a rib he still didn’t know the story behind. The breath was calm; he would fix that.

Aster moved lower, hearing a sharp inhale as he reached the waistband of Malik’s bright pink shorts. He toyed with it, slipping slightly underneath.

“Are you just going to count the stars all night?” he asked.

The smile was obvious in Malik’s voice.

“Why would I when the only one that matters is right here?”

Aster chuckled. Big sap, he thought as warmth fluttered through him. He lifted his head from Malik’s shoulder to speak in his ear, lips close to brushing the shell.

“Can I touch you?”

Malik nodded nearly imperceptibly, throat working. “Yeah.”

Together, they worked Malik out of his shorts and underwear, leaving him naked on the sand. Aster teased his hand over Malik’s abdomen and down his thigh, watching the base of his cock twitch from the simple touch. He took it into his webbed hand and began to slowly stroke.

As Aster laid his head back down, his keen senses picked up on the quickening of Malik’s pulse. Always so excitable, he thought. Especially after some time apart. Aster was one to talk; he could already feel a needy throb beginning to overtake the deepest parts of his slit. From this angle he could look down his lover’s chest and stomach to watch his hand moving up and down the thickening shaft, teasing in its languid pace.

Malik took in a breath, releasing it shakily. A moan followed it as Aster brought his mouth to his neck. He kissed and licked under his jaw and down the length of it. Aster’s nostrils flared as he ravaged the heating flesh, his eyelids flickering; if there ever had to be a warning about the two legs, it should have been about the potency of their pheromones. The heady scent of his arousal was thrilling, leaving Aster gasping even before he began to grind his leaking slit against Malik’s hip.

“Aster,” Malik breathed. “Getting so worked up just from touching me? You’re already soaked.”

Aster whimpered as he felt himself dribble more. “Missed…you.”

“I know…I know…me t—fuck.��

Malik’s cock was full; heavy and hot under Aster’s palm. He began to lightly thrust into the slick, webbed grip. The movements of his hips screamed for a quicker pace and Aster obliged, pulling a louder moan from him. Beads of precum leaked down over Aster’s fingers with every upward stroke. A slick, rhythmic noise filled the air. The increased wetness aided the motion, the slight twist of Aster’s wrist made smooth and seamless.

Malik began to pant. He choked on a gasp and suddenly gripped Aster’s arm, not hard but imploring. “Babe…babe, stop.”

Aster obeyed, fixing him with a quizzical look.

Malik grinned, chest heaving.

“Don’t…don’t let me get too far ahead of you,” he said.

Aster smiled and brought him into a deep kiss, letting himself be guided into laying on his back as their tongues nudged and glided over one another. Malik pulled away and straddled him to hover for a moment. He was utterly captivating; haloed in a silver glow, lips parted around his breaths, adoration and lust in his deep brown eyes.

Aster reached up and cupped Malik’s face in his hands, running his fingers through the short scruff of his facial hair. The back of his left hand was gently captured. A warm, attentive gaze locked onto his as Malik kissed the inside of his wrist. The same affection found his collarbone, moving lower over his chest and continuing to his slit.

His bright, blue-white scales carried an extra sheen from his excessive leaking. Malik ran his tongue up the wet line of it, giving an appreciative and aroused hum when Aster moaned in response. He brought his thumbs to either side of Aster’s slit, pulling it open to expose the tips of his swelling inner folds.

Aster knew how much he was already twitching. He could feel the pulsations that were slowly working their way to his sheathed cocks. He was glad Malik could see it; what he did to him.

Malik hissed a curse and delved in, licking and sucking at the needy slit. Aster’s hands found his lover’s hair. His hips quickly gave in to a shallow buck under the fervent mouth. Hot breath panted against him, Malik’s deep groans vibrating into sensitive flesh.

“There…m-more,” Aster moaned. He cried out, feeling Malik begin to fuck his tongue into the tightly-squeezing space between the two sets of folds. “Fuck, Malik!”

He gasped as there was a shift inside him, the throbbing becoming more intense. Desperate sounds tumbled from his lips around quick breaths. His tail shook, fins quivering. All at once, his internal folds emerged from him in a motion not unlike a blooming flower. The wide, sturdier ones locked against his scales, doing their job of holding his slit wide open.

Aster’s deeper parts were exposed; the dual sheaths sitting side-by-side in the lower portion of his slit. A finger found them near-instantly. Malik’s fingertips teased the weeping holes, caressing the rims and smearing slick. Single digits slid into both of them effortlessly and began to pump. Aster’s mouth was open, his voice only managing short, choked-off moans as his head spun.

Malik scissored his fingers, heavy awe in his tone when he spoke. “Wow. You’re…you’re so much hotter in here than usual.”

Because it’s you. Because I’ve been so lonely without you. Because I can’t cum without you anymore and need this so badly. Aster wanted to say all those things, but the pleasure was addling those thoughts somewhere between his brain and tongue. I love you. I love you. I love you.

Aster whimpered, his sheaths fluttering around Malik and, in turn, around his cocks. He cried out as Malik thrust to the second knuckle and nudged their sensitive heads. The wet, sucking sounds his own body was making only aroused him more, feeling how eagerly it took him.

Malik’s other hand moved and went to his mouth. The motion captured Aster’s attention, eyes locked on his lover’s burning pupils as he sucked on his pointer finger. When it was glistening, he lowered it and found Aster’s third hole a few inches down from his slit. Aster bit his lip through the initial shallow probing, back briefly arching as Malik’s finger fully entered his ass.

Aster’s fingers dug and scrambled at the sand. Malik was hardly being rough with him, but Aster’s noises might convince a voyeur otherwise. Even the moderately paced thrusting had him loudly moaning like a beast in heat. His head tossed back, chin angled at the night sky. He felt pressure building in his slit, something hot and about to burst. It throbbed and surged like a storm until ecstasy claimed him.

Fluid gushed from his sheaths. There was no cum. Just a copious, clear slick spurting around Malik’s fingers and dribbling down Aster’s sides. He slumped, hands mindlessly pawing at his chest and hair and he panted. His body shivered, slit still ablaze with need. Malik exited him and there was another gasp-inducing shift; Aster’s cocks following him out. Only the leaky tips emerged. The stubborn things still needed more coaxing even after all of that.

Malik looked shell-shocked. “What was that?”

There was no disgust; more of a ‘How did I make you do that so I can make it happen again?’ sentiment. Aster only held his arms out to him.

“Malik,” he whined. “I need you.”

Snapping to action at the pleading voice, Malik scrambled up and aligned his dick with Aster’s slit.

“Right, right. Fuck that; who cares right now?” he said quickly.

He brought them together as Aster’s hands lighted on his shoulders. The whole of his length was throbbing; the show had clearly been lovely. Precum leaked from him at the first touch and joined the wet mess. Some of Aster’s folds curled towards him, lightly clinging to his cock. He began to thrust through the ample slick which aided his movement.

Those sweet moans returned as Malik chased his pleasure, winding in with Aster’s. Lust mixed with a deep concentration on his face; always so focused on what he was doing to start out. Aster loved to watch that slowly melt away. To see his lover’s body give in to instinct.

It didn’t take much of the sensation of Malik’s dick grinding against his slit for Aster’s to slip out. Long, tentacle-like appendages slid from his sheaths. He groaned as they did, perfectly aligned to rise up on either side of Malik. They were dripping more than they typically did, twitching in time with his heartbeat. His conscious control of their movements clicked into place and that was always electrifying. With only a sly grin as a warning, he wrapped them around Malik’s cock.

Aster kept the space tight; perfect to thrust into. Malik paused, seeming to just enjoy being buried in that throbbing sleeve. He leaned down for a hot, desperate kiss, leaving them moaning into each other’s mouths as he started to move again. His hips were graceful, a slow undulation to drag it all out. To etch every detail of this feeling into his memory. To save for the next rainy day.

But as Aster moved his warm, slick cocks around him, that gradually changed. He thrust faster, groans punching out of him. His balls slapped against the wet, quivering slit beneath him. Sweat poured from him and his scent was an ambrosial whirlwind. Aster panted, drowning his senses with it. He dragged his hands down Malik’s back, feeling the flex of his muscles and digging his nails into the meat of his ass.

“Mmm, yeah,” Malik moaned. He slowed down, trading the pace for longer thrusts and a steady voice. “You’re so damn gorgeous. Every—ah—every part of you turns me the fuck on. Love how you wrap around me like this…twitching on my cock…shit.”

Aster looked to where they connected. At the hypnotic way Malik’s dick pushed through the tight cling of pulsing tentacles, turgid flesh on both sides shiny with slick. His eyes roamed back; over the heavily-working, sweat-speckled chest and up to that beautiful, euphoric expression on his lover’s face. He squeezed Malik’s ass, a weak grunt sounding in his throat as he tried to rock his hips beneath the weight.

“You’re perfect…perfect,” he gasped. He pulled Malik down against his slit; he needed it faster. Brown eyes went wide. “Mess me up…make me drip with you.”

Malik fucked with renewed vigour. He almost felt harder in Aster’s clasp. His noises ceased any restraint. Like he didn’t care who heard him. As his thrusts became less coordinated, he dropped his head to rest in the juncture between Aster’s shoulder and neck.

It was almost too much; Aster’s currently-sealed gills lined his neck and were uniquely sensitive in that state. His eyes rolled as Malik’s nose brushed against one of the lower ones, a whimper overtaking his moans. Even the panting breath ghosting over them made him shake. His arms moved, one to bring a hand to grip at Malik’s hair and one to drape over his stuttering waist.

Aster lay there, pinned as he was ground against. His cocks were a mess, heat tingling through the lengths as they writhed and squeezed around Malik. They rapidly throbbed, down to their bases and beyond to those four, compact glands deep inside him; they were aching to release. Sudden jolts of pleasure would find him, accompanied by more of that spurting from his sheaths. Every movement grew audibly sopping wet, slick clinging to their bodies.

Malik suddenly seemed to be holding his breath through a few particularly quick thrusts, letting it go alongside a loud, shaking moan as his hips briefly stilled forward. His cock pulsed heavily and Aster felt thick cum splattering his chest. Malik continued, fucking through his release and lifting himself back up with his hands firmly on either side of Aster.

Though breathless and clearly spent, he kept moving. His oversensitive cock twitched in the tentacled confines. He looked down at Aster, face awash with what had to be bordering on too much pleasure.

“Aster,” he gasped. He sucked in a breath, pushing through and thrusting as fast as he could manage. His eyes rolled a little. “Cum..cum for me. Cum for me.”

Aster felt stars burst in his head at the sight his lover made. The scent of the seed scattered across his skin drove him wild. His cocks flew over Malik’s; gliding and twisting frantically, spurring two voices to rise together in ecstasy.

“Only for you…only—only for you!” Aster cried. “Ahhh—Malik!”

His entire body quivered as he came, his tail slapping against the ground. He squeezed Malik’s dick in a final, desperate, throbbing grasp. Cum pumped from him in excess; even for his dual endowment. Relentless spurts covered his heaving, moaning form. A single shot reached his lower jaw to end it all.

His mind felt like it was floating circles around him. It took a moment for him to perceive the sensation of Malik’s tongue running over his stomach and chest, readily lapping up their mess. He felt his cocks retracting back into his sheaths, the internal folds following and re-entwining inside him. They were still lust-swollen, so the outer sides of his slit domed slightly with them underneath.

The mound continued to pulse with pleasured aftershocks. Especially as Malik cupped a large, reverent hand over it and dragged a finger along its line in a final tease. Aster moaned, weak and whimpering. The noise was caught by a kiss that tasted of their combined release. He relaxed into it but still gasped as Malik pulled away, a line of spit connecting their tongues for a moment.

Soft lips brushed his cheek, then his forehead. Malik’s eyes were warm and adoring as they shared a silent, breath-catching moment together. Out of all they had just done, this was what made Aster’s heart skip. To have such beauty look at him this way as they shimmered in the afterglow.

“Dip in the water to clean off?” Malik finally suggested.

Aster hummed affirmatively. It didn’t take long for him to feel uncomfortable sitting in all the fluids involved in on-land love-making. He reached out to rest his hands on Malik’s shoulders.

“Carry me, my prince?”

Malik chuckled. “I’ll never get tired of it.”

He gathered Aster up into his arms effortlessly and steered them towards the nearby shoreline. The sea welcomed them in her calm, cool embrace. They walked out until Malik was chest-high in the water. Aster slipped from his grasp and under. He swam a tight circle around Malik’s legs, tenderly caressing a fin over his calf before returning to the surface in front of him.

They were in each other’s arms a second later, Malik spinning them gently in place. Aster gave in to dumb, love-struck laughter and kissed him, feeling the smile against his lips. The moonlight reflected in flickering ripples around them; Aster’s home turned paradise by the presence of his love.

End

Masterlist

[temnurus]

More Wangxian Faves: Post-Canon & Canon Divergent

This list was made to honor the request in the notes on my WWX recs post from @100percentserenity for some more fics featuring Wei Ying set in canon or canon divergent fics. Now, not all of these are strictly from his POV, but they all feature him at his quick-witted, charming, & hopelessly oblivious best. Canon divergent can be a pretty wide category, so do keep that in mind if you see a rec & think, "This isn't very canonical.." Haha. There are two repeats from my first Wangxian rec list, but they fit the ask & are both excellent & worth mentioning twice! Now, in no particular order, may I recommend:

Far Away You Are by cqlorphan (E, 17,358)

Thoughts: I absolutely loved the idea of the esteemed Hanguan-jun being this not-so-secret purveyor of comfort hugs & heartache advice. Wei Ying’s shock upon finding this out was so funny I couldn’t help but laugh, & my amusement only intensified when he made the scary Yiling Laozu face while asking who broke Lan Zhan’s heart, only to be told it was him who’d done so. I wanted to hug all the Juniors myself. They’re all so very precious. This was a lovely story where very little hurt in the end, & sometimes that’s just nice after the gut punch that canon gives us.

my age has never made me wise by idrilka (E, 63,439)

Thoughts: I absolutely loved this. It was pretty CQL (The Untamed) compliant & told the post-canon story of Wei Ying wandering alone as a rogue cultivator after the events of the show. Of course he was pining after his zhiji the entire time, so when he heard gossip that the Chief Cultivator might be married by summer's end it nearly undid him. The angst was excruciating, but One Brain Cell WWX Strikes Again fics somehow always manage to be fun at the same time. I've read several post-canon, wandering Wei Ying stories, & this one was particularly good.

Not What We May Be by brooklinegirl (E, 29,222)

Thoughts: I love Wei Ying’s cleverness in this. He’s his usual irreverent, chaotic, charming self, & I never get tired of how wonderfully his mind works. The odd phenomenon occurring in the town he’s staying in was an interesting mystery to solve, & I had to laugh when Lan Zhan arrived with the usual Lan Juniors ensemble in tow. Watching them all work together to figure out how to fix the issue while also dealing with the healthy side helping of oblivious Wei Ying & searing sexual tension between him & Lan Zhan was a fun treat.

All Caught Up by brooklinegirl (E, 36,934)

Thoughts: Wei Ying proposing to Lan Zhan to get him out of an arranged marriage he didn’t want is so something he’d do. There is no character more quintessentially chaotic good than Wei Ying. You can’t change my mind. The practice kissing was a lovely regular feature from this author, & my particular favorite thing in this fic was Nie Huaisang’s cameo as their pseudo wedding planner with his classic meddling while insisting he’s useless shenanigans. This was super cute. I liked it a lot.

love, in fire and blood by cicer (E, 360,042)

Thoughts: This was an example of a cool MDZS-specific trope I hadn't seen before, & in it Wei Ying, the infamous Yiling Patriarch, was a cultivator who had achieved immortality (aka, he's OP as fuck but in a fun way). The great sects enlisted his help to win the Sunshot Campaign, & what did he demand in return? Lan Zhan's hand in marriage, of course! It was a fantastic slow burn in which poor Lan Zhan suffered the mortifying ordeal of falling in love with his own husband. An amazing & complex plot, chock-full of angsty goodness.

Birthday Party by waffles_4_breakfast (E, 100,123)

Thoughts: I loved the idea that Wei Ying would actually get to attend Jin Ling's one month celebration, but I was, of course, still concerned about the continued danger he'd be in. This fic nicely showcased Wei Ying's sharp wit, charm, & ever-present sass. I also loved his dramatics when it came to his interactions with Lan Zhan (and in general, of course, haha), but their sweetness together was ultimately my favorite thing about them. The continued threat to Wei Ying's life & all the plotting surrounding it was interesting, but the best things about this fic were the characters & their bonds with each other.

Fentao-laoshi's Guide to Cut-Sleeve Pleasures by occultings (E, 31,775)

Thoughts: This was set during the Cloud Recesses Study Arc, & it was so, so good. The sexual tension between them was just simmering the entire time, & the idea of them “practicing for marriage” on each other was fucking hilarious. Their banter was top notch, & I absolutely loved Lan Zhan’s nearly overwhelming desperation for Wei Ying, not to mention Wei Ying’s bullshit getting him in over his head (as usual, but this time in a fun way, haha). The feelings were actually very sweet, too. I enjoyed this a lot.

wide enough and wild by impossibletruths (E, 64,120)

Thoughts: I love the tag “Noping Out Of Society With Your Boyfriend And Your 50 Wen Refugees: The Novel”. It made me laugh before I’d even started the fic. While this was set during the time period in which Wei Ying frees the Wen refugees, they didn’t end up in Yiling this time. I won’t get too specific, but they still ended up rebuilding their own little settlement & farming to survive, basically. Lan Zhan found them & decided to stay. The slow burn was so good, & I loved the pining in particular. I cried a couple of times in this. It really was just that good.

your problem as a mountain. by cupofwater (E, 30,989)

Thoughts: It was so cute to see the difference between Wei Ying’s & Nie Huaisang’s fantasies, & Wei Ying’s turning out to be more vanilla & romantic in nature absolutely cracked me up. I nearly hurt myself laughing when Nie Mingjue sent Lan Zhan some of the letters by mistake, & I was delighted by Lan Zhan’s reaction. I won’t spoil it, but the smut was lovely & despite the misunderstanding our boys definitely both got their happy ending, haha.

The Vermilion Ribbon by Unforth (E, 233,368)

Thoughts: This sat on my Marked For Later list on AO3 for the longest time, & I really did myself a disservice by not reading it sooner. It was absolutely fantastic. The world-building, pacing, & intricate plot were all brilliantly done, & Wei Ying being in the Wen clan was nothing like I imagined it was going to be in this. Instead of his core family being the Jiangs, we get Wen Qing in Jiang Yanli’s role & Wen Ning in Jiang Cheng’s. Now I’ll warn you that this got super heavy in some places, so mind those tags & take care of yourselves. Nothing was graphic enough that I had to stop reading, but it didn’t shy away from the serious subject matter it covered either. The whole fic was a real emotional roller coaster, & I can’t recommend it highly enough.

[frostycatblr-fandom-files]

Hello! I was wondering if I could request Wrecker x reader where they sneak off really late at night for a cute little walk because they haven't been getting enough alone time. And it's a new relationship, so everything's still all cute and giggly. Maybe they think they are being quiet when they are sneaking back in, but something funny happens and reader is like dieing laughing and Hunter walks in like wtf is going on. Idk, feel free to ignore. Ily ♡

Warnings and Information: No real age warning for this one. 2nd person POV, undescribed Reader that can be read as gender neutral. Little sprinkling of Mando'a. Minor language (everyone say "thank you, Crosshair!"). It’s all the giddiness of a new(ish) relationship with the powerhouse of Clone Force 99 that is Wrecker. 🩷 Impromptu date late at night. Decided on a Modern!AU for this one where (most of) the Bad Batch work as a construction crew, and there's a few cameos of other Clones too. Hope you enjoy what I came up with! 

Word-count: 4,544

Setting your bag down on the welcome mat, you thread your house key into the lock with an eager sigh. You're pretty tired. You finally have a free night, thankfully, and you've been away from home all day. 

You're looking forward to just vegging out on the couch to catch the season finale of your favorite show for the next hour and crawling into bed as soon as you finish trawling the 'net for other people's impressions of the finale. There's a lot of speculation regarding the dashing rogue of the series, and whether or not they'll finally pluck up the courage to share this big secret the show writers have been dangling over the fans. You just hope some news article doesn't show up in your social media feed only to come along and spoil it in the headline. 

"People really need to learn to tag their kriffing spoilers… It's not that hard." 

You bump the door open and hoist the bag back over your shoulder just as someone calls out your name. 

"H-hey! Wait up!" 

You pause in the entryway, cheeks pinching with a large smile. "Hey Wrecker." The way he's doubled over, hands pressed into his knees while he pants for air, you can guess Wrecker had likely jogged over to your place from his. He lives not too far from you, and it's a jog he's made several times before, but it has been a slightly warmer than average day that has only just begun to cool off in the last few hours. Tech, one of Wrecker's brothers, calls the phenomenon the "heat island" something or other. Effect? (If that wasn't right that sounded close enough.) "You okay? Here, come on in. Would you like some water?" 

"B-but- Weren't you jus' leaving?" Wrecker manages between slowing pants. He used the edge of his sleeve to mop the sweat from his brow once he's upright, fixing you with a woozy smile when you hook your fingers around his own and lead him inside. "Oh, no, I just got home, actually. How come?" You fill a glass from the cold tap and rummage around the freezer for some ice to make it a little more refreshing. Wrecker just ran so hot sometimes you were surprised he didn't pass out on some of his job sites as a construction worker. 

"I- oh, thanks, cyare." Wrecker greedily gulps down a few mouthfuls of water to relieve himself of his thirst, careful not to spill down his front or all over your kitchen floor. 

The intimacy of the pet name makes your ears flush with warmth, and your cheeks pinch a little more with a tender smile. "You're welcome." 

The worst of his thirst now quelled, Wrecker could explain why he thought he had caught you leaving the house. "I, uh, I came over to ask if you wanted to go do something. Together. Jus' the two of us. Worried that I got off work too late or took too long to clean up a bit and I caught you about to leave. I know it's nearly eleven, but it's been a while since we had a moment to spend time together… just to ourselves." There was good reason for the emphasis on the last three words. In the infancy of your relationship with Wrecker, you have only had one date together that wasn't interrupted in some way by his job, or one of your day to day priorities, or one of his brothers. 

You liked his brothers well enough thus far, but sometimes they really needed to learn when to butt out. Or what was appropriate for company. 

"Wrecker, have you seen my live specimen?"

"Hunter! One of Tech's kriffing specimens got loose again! Can't find the damn thing!" 

"Oh Maker…"

"L-let's leave, cyare. It's not a dangerous specimen or nothing, but it's jus' creepy." 

You smiled at Wrecker, and to him, those smiles could have thawed out an ice planet like Hoth twelve times over. Smiles that could get Crosshair, even in his most sour of moods, to return the gesture even for a fleeting moment. "Time just to ourselves sounds very, very nice… What'd you have in mind? I'm down for anything." The minute you pulled him across the welcome mat you decided you wouldn't mind watching the final episode of the season another time. Wrecker was here, and by happy coincidence, your schedules were completely free for the weekend. You could stay up as late as you liked.

"You wanna go for a bite? Or maybe go take a walk?" Wrecker offers. You like the idea of a casual walk, now that it's cooler. You glance at your footwear, a pair of sandals, and think for a moment it'll be smart to put on a pair of closed-toed shoes. "A walk sounds nice," you reply brightly, "You wanna go… uh, how about by the lake in the park?" 

Wrecker grins at the idea. He's got such an infectious smile that gives you butterflies in the pit of your stomach and a booming, boisterous laugh that you just loved. "Sure, tha' sounds nice! Been meaning to go see it one'a these days, but I'm busy helpin' my brothers with work most of the week." He'd love to go check it out with you, he says. 

Going to the lake took you past Wrecker's house, all dark save for two windows. Tech's, of course, and you believe the second is another brother of Wrecker's who's moved in only recently. 

You haven't had the opportunity to meet him yet. You hope to, one day, when he's ready. 

"He's… been through a lot. One'a our other brothers thought it might be a good idea if he came and lived with us for a bit. Quieter. Less people." 

"How many brothers do you have, Wrecker?" 

He had laughed, scratching nervously around the back of his head with a great shrug. "I dunno, honestly. I have a lot of brothers. But, I get along best with Hunter, Tech and Cross… So I hope I get along with Echo too." 

"I'm sure you will, Wrecker. You're friendly and kind and sweet… a-and um…" Your mouth had gotten away from you, then. You had only been friends back then, and you'd slowly grown closer, grown feelings for this gentle giant. You were that close to blurting out that you thought he was handsome, cute even, down to the scar and replacement eye that was a result of an accident on one of his very first job sites. He had said your name with that same jovial laugh and winning smile and, jokingly, asked, "What? You gonna say I'm cute or somethin'?" 

That's all it took. Just a few months later, here the two of you were, playfully bumping into one another as you entered the park hand-in-hand, making jokes and laughing together. 

"No-no-no, that's not what the joke means!" you insisted, feeling the ache in your sides growing the more you laughed until you were nearly breathless. "You realize Cross is messing with you, right?" 

"Yeah, 'course I do!" he replies, "But so am I! It's jus' how the two'a us are. It's a lot of fun to purposely misunderstand a joke and see how long it takes before Tech can't take it anymore. Our record was two hours. Hunter even joined in!" 

"But I thought he hated it when you and Cross goofed off on your job sites." 

Wrecker grins through mischievous laughter. "Naaah. Hunter goofs off on job sites just as much as us when we can get away with it, but he's more… subtle about it. Unless he wants to show off to our older brother Cody. He's a contractor and the one who suggested the job to us; so we try an' behave a little more than usual when he comes to check on how construction is going." Wrecker explains. They've been part of the crew who initially came in to renovate some very old apartment buildings here in this little, growing city, but overnight the sign that had previously said "RENOVATIONS UNDERWAY" for the first few weeks became "DEMO AND REBUILD". Now you know why; Cody's the one who made the call on that, and you wonder why the sudden change. 

"Oh, huge infestation that went untreated for too long. I don't remember what Tech calls them or what they are, but Cody said it was gonna be better to scrap everything and build fresh. I ain't complaining!" 

That was something you appreciated Wrecker for. He complained about very little. He was often optimistic and in high spirits. Happy to do almost anything he was asked so long as he was with his brothers and didn't have a want of food. All that manual labor makes a person hungry, so it doesn't surprise you to find him snacking on something if he's left to his own devices and the thought comes over him. 

Actually, in fact, you hadn't just walked past his house on the way to the park: you briefly came inside so he could throw a few things into the cooler bag he takes to his job sites (he, Hunter and Cross bounced between at least two or three sites if Cody needed a few more hands for something on a particular day) and have a little picnic on the grass with you. You both took care to be quiet so as not to disturb his brothers. Wrecker did however bump into Crosshair in the kitchen, who took one look in the lunch bag and said "Unless you plan on drinking that kriffing disgusting lake water, I suggest you take something to drink, too." before he snatched a few slices of cold pizza from a box in the fridge and shuffled off. 

Not much of a talker, Crosshair. But that's okay. 

"How's this for a spot?" you ask, coming across a bench after walking roughly one half of the man-made lake. Walking and talking with Wrecker was enjoyable, the late-summer air carried by a gentle breeze across the water was cool and soothing here. Not too far from the water's edge, and you could hear some of the lake life, little frogs, croaking and singing in the reeds and lily pads from here. Wrecker nods approvingly, setting down the cooler bag. "Perfect! Here, made this for you. Sorry if it's a little smushed or if I forgot a condiment." 

He offers you a brown paper bag, and inside, you find your favorite sandwich you often throw together when you need a quick bite to eat. "Aww, you made this for me? Wrecker that's so sweet of you, thank you." You bite into it with eager anticipation, and it's definitely the way you like it. "Oh Maker," you moan blissfully, chewing slowly to savor it, "that's a good sandwich." Wrecker smiles bashfully as he takes a seat beside you on the bench, unwrapping his own sandwich. 

"Did I-?"

"No, not a single missing condiment." you tell him. Shyness and uncertainty turn to pride for the man beside you. 

"Oh, good! I made it kinda quick-like from memory so we could get goin' without bothering my brothers." He takes a bite of his own sandwich, and allows himself to chew thoroughly before he speaks again. "I, uh, I make everyone's lunch in the mornings. Except for Tech's sometimes, he's pretty particular about what he takes to his lab." 

You think back to what Tech's job is, but the proper name for it escapes you. "He works in the… preservation department at the local museum, right?" 

Wrecker bobs his head as he takes another bite of his sandwich, smaller this time. "Yeah. Works in at least three labs. Real smart. Like scary smart. He'd get bored if he worked in just one lab. And because I don't remember what lab he goes to on what days, he and I agreed it'd be best for him to make his own lunches most days. Oh, I almost forgot! Here!" He reaches into the cooler bag again and pulls out one of your favorite, non-alcoholic, bottled beverages. "That's for you. Can't have a proper picnic without something to drink." 

Wrecker's attention to detail, his memory of things he's learned about you only very recently, it all makes you feel giddy and warm inside that he's so incredibly attentive to your likes and dislikes. Other romantic partners, whether they had been potential or well and truly established, had not been quite so aware like Wrecker. What had taken others five months or more to remember that you did not like on your pizza, Wrecker had remembered in just five days. 

Hunter had called your name from the kitchen, ready to place an order from a little place new to town called Gregor's Grub-hub and asked what toppings you liked on your pizza, apologizing for not remembering what you had taken from the assortment of pizzas the crew offered to share with you when you stopped by Wrecker's job site to return the comically oversized jacket he loaned you. 

"That's okay, I remember!" Wrecker had declared from the couch as the two of you sat together, trying (and failing) to take this board game seriously. It was just so much more fun to bend the rules or try stacking all the game pieces. Whatever silly idea possessing the pair of you was swiftly entertained. 

It was just so easy to have fun with Wrecker. He found joy in the little things. And he cared so deeply about his brothers. He cared so deeply about you. 

You crack open the bottle, and together the two of you mock-toast to this late-night, lakeside summer picnic the pair of you took on a whim. You're so glad to be out here with him. Just the two of you in the light of the full, silver moon hung in the sky above this beautiful park, serenaded by the frogs and distant cicadas in the trees.

"Thanks Wrecker. Cheers!"

"Cheers!" Wrecker laughs brightly, the sound as bubbly as the lapping waves of water against the shore, and as distinct as the ping from the phone in your pocket as your phone begins to blow up with news about the final episode of the season you originally planned to watch tonight. (Damn. Maybe the dashing rogue will pluck up the courage next season.) You can't even be mad about the spoilers. 

You're enjoying this rare evening together with Wrecker far, far too much to be annoyed about that. 

"Nice night for a date…" you murmur fondly, leaning into Wrecker's side as you sit on the bench and eat some of the other snack foods out of the cooler bag now that the two of you have finished your sandwiches. "... thanks for the late, lakeside picnic, Wrecker." You giggle softly when he shyly asks if you're okay with a little kiss on the cheek. He kisses the top of your head for good measure as well, emboldened by the smiles and giggles. "Yer welcome. We should do this more often." he says, looking out over the glimmering water with you. 

You should do this more often. Maybe the next time you come here, you can take him here in the sunlight and come feed the waterfowl on a day that his brothers could get by without his help. Crosshair didn't need help the clambering up onto the scaffolding so he could do his job as a roofer, but he often let Wrecker help him because it eased his brother's fear of heights, or the fear that Cross was going to fall from the scaffolding again after a really nerve-wracking incident, more rather. 

A strong gust of wind had ripped through the construction site before the structure had been secured against the frameworks, and his brother had lost his balance. Wrecker had been there to catch him in the nick of time. 

"Maybe it gets under my skin a little that my brothers make fun of me for my fear of heights," Wrecker admitted somberly to you in private shortly after the scare. "But I'd never willingly let my brothers fall. I'll always be there to catch them… if I can." 

Once the two of you have finished most of the food from the cooler bag, you diligently pack away all of your trash until you pass by another trash can. "Let's finish walking around the rest of the lake. Then let's maybe call it a night." you suggest. It's too nice a night not to. You just hope the city police don't come along and spoil the moment by suggesting that you need to leave, since park lock-up happens at 12:30. It's only midnight, and the rest of the lake won't take long to walk at a decent pace. 

Common opinion is that some of the force can be overly stern, even how the chief of police is characterized as "heartless", but you've come to understand that these officers with red police cruisers (an unusual color choice) are decent men. They're just chronically overworked. You feel for them, now. They're only doing their jobs, however unpopular it might be. 

Thankfully, where you'll complete your full circuit of the lake with Wrecker is not too far from one of these entrance and exit gates that are found along the wall of the gated park. 

Joking and laughing with Wrecker once again puts a pep in your step, now that the two of you are comfortably full and content with the late-night meal. 

Wrecker suggests walking a little closer to the water, just before you leave. Give the lake a closer look, maybe see if he can't get a picture of one of the frogs for Tech. "He could probably tell us all about 'em! Tech loves that kinda stuff… sharing what he learns with people." Wrecker says with a grin as he quickly snaps a photo of a plump frog resting on a lilypad. He's carefully crouched on the edge of the bank in order to get it. You creep down closer to the waterline so you can take his phone for him so he can use both hands to pull himself back up the slightly steep bank. The water is deep here, and you're both hoping to avoid falling in.

"Here, I got it." you offer, holding out your hand. 

You slip on a slick patch of grass and mud as you collect his phone, and as luck would have it, the sandal slips off as you stumble and it falls into the lake with a splash.

Wrecker had caught you before you fell in as well. "Gotcha, cyare! Are you okay?" 

"I'm f-fine," you assure him with a tiny stammer, glad you hadn't dropped his phone or fallen in. "Just lost my shoe. Thanks for catching me." 

"Of course, cyare. Didn't think I'd only be there to catch just my brothers, didja?" He's teasing, of course, but the question makes you flush. No, of course you didn't think that. 

Wrecker peers down into the water, trying to see if he could spot your sandal. Man, why didn't you change into something with laces? You'd thought about it and everything, but you were just so excited about spending time with Wrecker that you dashed out the door without giving it a second thought… 

A car door closes in the distance. It sounds like it's from a car parked near the gate. Uh oh. What time is it? 

"Wrecker, we need to go, I think the-" 

He's up to his elbow in the lake water, carefully swishing his arm around while seeing if he can't find your shoe. "Just a second, I'll find your shoe and then we can go cyare." Wrecker promises, trying to settle your nerves. He's so focused on being sweet and helpful that he doesn't hear or notice the officer starting down the path. 

"Wrecker, c'mon, it's okay. It's just a cheap little sandal, we really should go!" 

The way Wrecker is hunched over the water on his hands and knees in the dim light of the moon, the officer mistakes the position for a starting dive and he calls out in warning. "Hey-! There's no swimming in the lake!" 

Wrecker falls in with a great splash, startled. He surfaces shortly, the water up to his chest. Okay, maybe the water wasn't as deep as you thought. "I'm okay!" Wrecker splutters, coughing up lake water. "I found your sandal!" 

You turn to the officer now standing on the edge of the lake, glowering down disappointedly at Wrecker. "I'm so sorry, sir," you say, "he was just trying to get my shoe and then I think you startled him an- O-oh, Officer Fox! I didn't realize it was you, I'm so sorry!" Fox didn't realize it was you, either, turns out. He speaks your name with great surprise, then takes another look at the sopping wet figure carefully climbing out of the water with your wet, muddy shoe in hand. "Wrecker?"

"Yup!" 

Officer Fox removes his peaked cap and scratches his salt-and-pepper hair with a weary sigh. "... I thought the two of you were a couple of kids or something. Got a call from a "concerned citizen" about some "hooligan youth" in the park. Some busybody of an old man who's constantly inventing problems for me because he has his mind made up that I don't have enough to do…" 

You grimace sympathetically. "Mr. Sheev, again?"

"That old bat's still alive?" Wrecker asks disbelievingly. No one's quite sure how old Mr. Sheev is, but he looks like he's been dodging the grim reaper longer than it should be natural. 

There's a mutter from Officer Fox that sounds a lot like the word unfortunately before the cap is replaced and he has to do his job. 

"C'mon… park's locking up for the night, soon. And since you're wet," he nods to Wrecker, "and you're half barefoot," Officer Fox nods to you this time, "I'll give you a lift in the cruiser." 

Officer Fox takes you both back to Wrecker's place, watching the two of you from the car as you're huddled on the porch, wrestling with the ring of house keys. Darn things seem to make themselves invisible or slippery when they get the slightest inkling that you might be in a hurry to get inside. 

Wrecker says he'll have to mop up the water in a second, trying and failing at threading his house key into the lock with shaky fingers. Lake water was cold and he was soaked to the bone trying to do a kind thing by retrieving your sandal for you. 

Fox, the chief of police for the city, calls from the cruiser that Wrecker better get into some dry clothes soon, and not to feel bad about getting the seats wet. "Shit like this happens more than you think. I gotta ask Cody if he's the guy I gotta talk to about getting a proper walking path around the lake… as soon as I'm done with all this other kriffing paperwork. Goodnight." You help Wrecker get the key into the door and thank him for the lift. "You too, Officer Fox! Thank you again!" 

As the two of you try to squeeze inside, someone knocks over the coatrack bearing three high-vis vests and a crisp lab coat. "Whoops!" Oh stars, that clatter was sure to wake someone up… It was nearly one in the morning now. 

Wrecker's foot slips in the growing puddle of water, and trying to help him, or make sure that he's okay, you yourself trip over the coat rack and fall on top of him with a yelp. Once again, he breaks your fall, and tries to break the nervous tension with a corny joke after you both frantically apologize to one another. 

"Guess we're a couple'a angels if we keep fallin' for one another, huh, cyar'ika?" 

You can't help it. The joke is so silly and undeniably sweet coming from someone like Wrecker that if the coat rack, and then the two of you falling over and on top of one another didn't wake Wrecker's brothers, your laugh certainly would have. Four pairs of feet plod down the stairs at varying speeds, Hunter the fastest. He's fresh out of bed in nothing but a pair of red and black boxers, face wracked with confusion. Wrecker is soaking wet and smells like algae. And you're now damp after having landed on top of him. Hunter was told the two of you were just going for a walk, how the hell did his brother and his date end up getting wet?

"The kriff are you two doing on the floor?" Crosshair yawns from up the stairs. 

"And why are you wet?" 

You smile apologetically up at Hunter, "Wrecker fell in the lake trying to get my shoe for me. I was trying to keep his phone dry after he took a picture of a frog for Tech and-" Your eyes dart further up the stairs when you hear Tech excitedly ask "A frog?" from behind Cross, and you spot the brother who must be Echo behind him. He's a little paler and his face is gaunt compared to the others. He looks rather disoriented and anxious after you probably woke him up so unexpectedly. 

"Oh… hello there; are you Echo?" 

He nods timidly. "I am. And you are…?" He seems surprised to hear you know his name, but he doesn't seem to recognize you. You wait as he carefully makes his way down the stairs, one step at a time. The horrible accident Echo had suffered from was some time ago, but three of his limbs haven't quite been the same since. Minor weakness and numbness, to your memory. You waited until he was closer to put out the appropriate hand to introduce yourself with a polite smile. "Nice to meet you. Officially." Echo manages apologetically. "Sorry, guess I didn't recognize you because I've only ever heard Wrecker talk about the person he's started dating." 

You smile reassuringly at Echo, and flash Wrecker a cheeky look when you hear he's been talking about you to his brothers. You're sure he would look just as flushed as you if the light from the kitchen wasn't so dim. 

"I'll get a mop and clean up the water," Wrecker promises Hunter when his brother takes a look at the floor by the front door after Wrecker picks up his cooler bag and dumps all the trash into the kitchen's garbage can. 

Hunter shrugs lazily. "Nah, don't bother. You two should go shower or something. I'll take care of it. Besides falling in the lake - apparently - was your walk nice?" 

"Oh yeah!" Wrecker says with a giant grin that you return when you share a look. "I think the two of us might do it again soon. This time without losing any shoes." 

You can only nod and laugh softly in agreement. The next time you go on one of these late-night walks with Wrecker, if this becomes a regular thing in your relationship, you are definitely going to start wearing better shoes with laces.

Note from Frost: The idea of Palpatine being a nosy cranky senior citizen who calls the police over "hooligan youths" having fun came out of nowhere but it tickled me too much not to include it lmao. (Poor Commander Fox...)

[Masterlist] [Requests: OPEN]

[tarisilmarwen]

Rebels Rewatch: "Ghosts of Geonosis"

Packaging this two-parter as one big episode because shut up, you're not the boss of me.

I could have sworn I had a live reaction version of this already, but I can't for the life of me find it. Oh well.

This cue here sounds like it comes from TCW, maybe Saw's theme if he had one, anyone wanna confirm that for me?

This whole opening interaction between Ezra and Sabine is cute, she watches him as he plops down into her seat, gives a long-suffering eye roll, and dope slaps him across the back of his head for asking a stupid question and aside from a silently-mouthed "ow" he doesn't object to any of it lol.

Sign of the tightly-written continuity, we are returning to Geonosis to check out the missing populace and also pick up a Saw Guerrera guest appearance post his prominent role in Rogue One. (Out of text-wise that is.)

Empire cleaned up their mess pretty well.

Early establishing of the plot complications of the underground tunnels blocking comm signals, which features throughout the episode as a major element. The GFFA equivalent of establishing "no cell service", essentially.

The sandstorm also obscures things, visually and sensor-wise. And provides us with much humor as Sabine complains about it frequently.

Ho man, I remember how much I loved the banter and dialogue this episode, it was so much fun. Felt like a return to the early days of the show.

This episode was another really great one for subtly showing off Kanan's blindness. He mentions the stillness of the air, his hearing picks up on Klik-Klack before anyone else does, Saw has to let him know to watch his step...

As we already know, abandoned helmet = they 100% dead. The showrunners would use this visual shorthand very effectively in the promo image they did for "Heroes of Mandalore", with a whole pile of empty Mando helmets littered across a scorched landscape.

Kanan plays the voice of caution here, almost like he's the genre-savvy one in a horror movie, lol. Fitting, some aspects of the episode are played up like one. (We got the "Monster POV" shots, we got the cryptic remains left behind, we got no cell service, we got a storm.)

Badass boys shot. <3

Unlike Kalani's decrepit troops, these B1s and Destroyers have been better maintained and repaired, and give the group a bit more of a hassle until Saw shows up.

There's excellent teamwork between all the hero parties involved, Kanan and Ezra work smoothly as oil to slice up the Destroyer once its shield is gone, recalling Obi-Wan and Anakin from TCW.

Something I loved about this season was that characters would offhand mention, "Oh, we don't have this." or "The Rebellion really needs this." and then a couple episodes later they would manage to either acquire them or have them come into play.

Some examples: Proton bombs, this shield generator, spacesuits...

Ooof, was I the only one who caught the similarity between Saw urging them forward to satiate his obsession, Ezra agreeing, and Kanan choosing to trust him and, well... [gestures vaguely to the whole Malachor thing with Maul].

The tension this episode is great, the communication problems lend a sense of urgency and anxiety during both groups' separation and you get a feeling like the messages are coming almost too late to save them.

The Zeb and Sabine banter. <3

Kanan asking Ezra to look for him. <3

There he go, lol.

Kanan is really impressive, Force-wise, this episode, tossing Ezra aaaaaall the way across that chasm, separating and levitating that bridge for Saw and Rex to cross, and still somehow having enough energy and stamina to leap across himself.

And the Force theme that accompanies said above is lovely. <3

Ezra's pretty cool himself, using Force sense to find Klik-Klak when it seems like the bug has given them the slip. His theme is even excerpted a bit.

(Possibly he actually forms a connection, because he's very empathetic towards Klik-Klak after this and defends him from Saw repeatedly.)

Already having some Concerns about Saw's methods lol.

I love how this show depicts Ezra's compassion as one of his major strengths. It's natural for most Jedi and combined with Ezra's natural affinity for connection it's practically a superpower. Ezra's really sweet with Klik-Klak. :)

DEATH STAR-SHADOWING. Oh man the Dramatic Irony was painful, like any time TCW alluded to or called forward to Order 66 and a mental scream rings in your head and you want to yell at the characters and shake them as if that can somehow help them avoid the inevitable doom. Same feeling.

Saw, those binders do NOT have a tracker in them, don't lie.

Obligatory "Stab the TCW fans in the heart" moment.

Ezra seeing shades of himself in Saw's grudge against the Separatists, god his face this whole scene.

Once again touching on those Star Wars archthemes about breaking the cycle of revenge, about not turning your internal pain outwards on the rest of the world, no matter how righteous your cause, about not becoming a monster in your efforts to slay the dragon, about showing compassion to everyone, even your enemies. Saw is representative of the Well-Intentioned Extremist, and even though his ultimate goal is noble--destroying the Empire, exposing their secret superweapon so that the galaxy will finally wake up and deal with the tyranny they've come to complacently accept--Saw loses parts of his humanity in the process, emotionally and ultimately physically. He becomes almost like Vader in the bitter end, for his efforts. (And he's also a shadow of Thrawn.)

Brunsen! I love her.

Saw's personal grudge against the Separatists in general for killing his sister and his squad is blinding him. Ezra points out that Klik-Klak is basically the only survivor of a planet-wide massacre and is understandably a little defensive about invaders, trying to live up to his name again and "bridge" the differences between the two factions, only it doesn't work this time because Saw is too fanatic.

"Saw, we had this argument back at Command." Oh DID YOU now, Rex? Really could have forewarned the team that Saw might get a little deranged in his quest for truth.

I love Saw, he's the best example of an actually Morally Gray character in Star Wars. Unlike Thrawn, his "greater good" reason for going to such extremes, doing whatever it takes to achieve the goal, is actually directed outwards towards the whole of the galaxy, he doesn't selfishly focus inwards on his own interests. Part of it is of course that Saw has already lost his people and planet, so there's nothing left for him except to prevent it from happening to other people. We're encouraged to sympathize with his pain and sense of loss, but not necessarily be comfortable with his actions.

The narrative both condemns his extremism and, ultimately, vindicates him in regards to the Death Star. There's the same sense of futility about him in that neither he nor the Senate and Jedi before Order 66 could uncover the plot quick enough to avoid their fate.

Back to the action, though. Love how the Ghost is so infamous now that their capture/destruction leads to big promotions lol.

This music cue sounds full of adventure, I like it. :)

Klik-Klak trusting Ezra because Ezra was nice to him aww.

"Neither have yours." Saw has a reputation, oof.

It's cute how Klik-Klak keeps tugging on Ezra's wrist.

Yeeeeeeeah I don't think we're supposed to sympathize with Saw in this moment. It's very deliberate, they even have him throw Ezra across the room.

"Your methods are soft, Jedi." Shades of Tarkin much, Saw? I know this annoys people to hear but even if you're fighting fascists, there are lines you don't cross. Saw points a blaster at a baby for heaven's sake. You do not become like your enemy in order to destroy them, because then you're just taking their place, exchanging one kind of cruelty and violence for a different one, for your particular flavor of one.

War is hell but you don't have to become a demon.

Saw's long hesitation after Ezra uses the word "family", Ezra got to him a bit I think, lol. Rex reinforces that tactic, ha ha.

My only minor nitpick this episode, the show once again using the Empire as a Diobulus Ex Machina to make Saw play nice with the others. One more Persuasion Check would have done it I think.

Cue a very excellent action setpiece.

IIIIII think I heard this cue before, back in "Imperial Supercommandos" when Rau ambushed Ezra and Sabine in the shuttle. Interesting choice.

A nice little badass moment for Ezra. :)

And a hero shot for Sabine as we prepare to show off her new jetpack.

He adores her.

Kanan's the only one who can't see how awesome she is. :(

Her little "That's cute." shoulder pat when Ezra says he wants a jetpack too. <3

Love how this Imperial's hat gets sent askew slightly from Brunsen's slap.

HHHHHNNNNNN ONCE AGAIN THE DRAMATIC IRONY IS MENTALLY SCREAMING IN MY HEAD, NO NO THAT'S NOT WHAT HE MEANS.

Saw listens to Ezra this time, next time we see him he's even more apathetic towards the beings in front of him who need help now.

HOW AWESOME WAS IT FOR HERA SLICING THROUGH THIS LIGHT CRUISER? Eh? Eh?

You get such a sense of the speed here.

Ugh, the pictures of the canisters aren't enough, ow, that feels like some kind of Politically Relevant commentary.

And as I said before, the narrative lets Saw get off (this time) with some stern looks from the others, but it's still not completely approving of his actions. He's not the Empire, yet, but he'll come closer and closer to their tactics and methods.

This two-parter episode is almost perfectly paced and it's really well-written. Everything about it works so well.

Solid Rebels content. <3

[embracetranquilityson]

Playing Hogwarts Legacy as an adult, a different POV. (Possible SPOILERS ahead, please beware)

Okay, hear me out:

When the game was announced I was super excited about the Dark Arts path, so of course as soon as I was able to play I immediately headed for that route.

But then that scene where you have to duel Sebastian happened and I thought "damn, OC is an insane duelist!" soooo... I guess my mind kind of spiraled from there because I somehow got this headcanon that OC was actually undercover at Hogwarts.

Oddly got their letter at a later age, mad skillz™️, really polite and mature... Makes sense, right?

But I don't want to be an Auror. I want to be EVIL!

So, how about an Ashwinder? Victor Rookwood is a pretty cool villain: charismatic af, kinda good looking; I can see us chilling while watching dragons fight- no wait, I hate poachers with a passion. I love magical beasts. No way my OC would ever harm one or stand by and watch as one gets hurt.

And theeeeennnnn... I met professor Aesop Sharp. 10/10 "your daughter/son/adultchild calls me daddy too". I'd like to say it was love at first sight but it was the whole "acknowledging responsibility" speech that got me.

And before you call me weird... I'm in my twenties and as much as I love the "companions" that the game lets you have, I can't physically bring myself to ship my OC with a teenager. Big no no. Weirds me the f out.

So behold, the ultimate headcanon that has been living rent free in my head since the release:

OC is a rogue ashwinder who betrayed the - organisation? Cult? Club? Ah whatever you get it - and somehow found a way to disguise themselves as a student to avoid repercussions. After all, hogwarts is a pretty safe place. They could easily stay under the radar until things had calmed down a bit.

Unless... Unless some students decided they were tired of poachers and ashwinders and decided to take the matter into their own hands. So what was oc supposed to do? Just look the other way and hide while kids got slaughtered?

Nope. Their conscience was screaming enough as it was, they couldn't let it get any louder. So they help Poppy and Nat and try their best to keep Sebastian safe while he dabbles in the dark arts (after all, they know first hand how futile it is to try and smother that fire. You need to get burnt to learn.).

Until they go too far, they become a problem. Rookwood is pissed. Avada Kedavra pissed. Life or death. Their young and foolish friends or them.

It's an easy choice, really.

They drop the spell/potion/ancient magic/whatever that made them seem younger, so the focus is on them. Rookwood's rage is on them.

The shock, the drama.

Your trusted hogwarts companion was an Ashwinder all along. Former ashwinder, but does it really matter to a teenager who only sees the world as black and white?

Would it matter to the professor OC fell for? To the other professor, the one who guided them through the keepers' trials? Or to sweet professors Weasley and Garlick, who went above and beyond to teach them everything they knew?

Would it matter to the aurors who would eventually capture them?

Ladies, gentlemen and fine people, this is my headcanon. This would be my OC (if I was a skilled modder).

Thank you for coming to my -delirious- TED talk.

(and if you have similar or opposite headcanon, please drop them below. I would love to read them!)

[lovecanbesostrange]

X-Men '97 keeps being amazing. Now one more episode to nail it all. Not gonna put everything in tags, so let me ramble on about Tolerance is Extinction Part 2:

What I love most already is that every decision makes absolute sense from a character's pov. Which kinda is the most important thing. Tensions are running high, emotions are cranked up to 11 and some words hit like very painful slaps. But everything makes sense. And this isn't about one character being totally right and the other being totally wrong (except Bastion of course, the ultimate villain and all).

Oh yeah, starting with him. When he cries in the opening you want to spit on him. He is responsible for all the suffering the Prime Sentinels - including his mother - are going through. But wow, when he says that everything is silent, because the blackout has killed all electricity and in that moment Bastion knows a new kind of peace? Great. Jumping ahead here, gonna be honest. If my great plan to save the world would hinge on putting some tech on my very powerful oponent, I would put the teleporter on that team. I'm not saying this lightly. I love Second Coming very much and the panels of Nightcrawler's death in X-Force #26 still haunt me. So I don't want my precious Elf anywhere near Bastion, but... I mean... he has the best chance to use the element of surprise, while Jean would deal with a powerful distraction. Which didn't happen because of Sinister, but from a planning stage Kurt was more needed there. He didn't even go up against Rogue in space to hammer on the connection there.

Now, I'm glad to see that Magneto's worldwide EMP does have consequences. This is however the second thing I'm a tiny bit miffed about. Thousands upon thousands people are probably dead because of this total blackout. Just think about every ICU in any hospital anywhere just for starters. And the truth is, Magneto did kill mutants with that move as well. He sure saved some by shutting down the Sentinels, yes, but also mutants are definitely among the... collateral damage. And this is where "Magneto is right" is very important to me. I think a lot of people like to run with that slogan, but don't see that what Magneto is right about is his fear. Not his methods. Charles is too idealistic, believing in the very best of humankind to win. He is too naive. Magneto is proven right over and over. And that is a sad thing, nothing empowering about it.

What I like is how Erik describes his feelings, how he focuses on Leech. That little mutant boy clinging to him in his final moments. Who believed that Erik could save him... Magneto's anger makes sense. Ultimately his actions fall under cool-motif-still-murder, but oh the motif is heartbreaking (I will not steer into real world territory and the topic of radicalization).

So Rogue is my fav. She is my absolute favorite character in any superhero comic I have ever read. She is one of my top tier alltime favorite characters in anything ever. I have been with her through a lot with so many writers and so much bs... AND I ENJOYED EVERY SECOND OF HER THIS EPISODE!!! Starting with the costume, which is just asdksdnfälsdmrfäüwe4foip34jtfpowmf I LIVE for her green hoodie outfits, from her villain era to later variations. To step away from THE 90s costume (which was put back in the comics, because it is her most iconic look), uhuhuhuhuhuhuhu I knew something was up. Again I do believe that ultimately Magneto is doing far more harm than good, but I understand why Rogue went with him. The one unfair thing was that Kurt was actually there with her on Genosha. He even saved Magneto and Rogue from a blast. But she kinda ignored him and adressed everybody else. But the one thing she's been living with is that yes, she chose Magneto when offered to be with him on Genosha as his chosen Queen. BUT romantically after that dance and kiss, her heart chose Remy. And poor Gambit died without even knowing. I am very happy with how they retconned the whole prior Rogue and Magneto encounter into it all. His dreams of a mutant island nation and Rogue wanting to see such a place. For a few minutes they had all of that on Genosha. It would have meant to leave the X-Men. Which would have been interesting. To leave behind her spot on the superhero team, but Kurt was part of Genosha, also Madelyne. I like the way they greeted each other in Ep 5. Rogue was ready to change the whole direction of her life once again -- even though her heart definitely belonged to Gambit. And then there was death everywhere.

I like that Rogue and Cyclops both question the Professor, but come to different conclusions on how to deal with it. I have to say it, while it was fun when the whole stick of Professor Xavier training a few mutant teens was examined more and the dark underbelly of what he was doing was revealed, it was refreshing. But a part of me is soooooooooo over all the shady-Charles-stuff over the years (ugh, Krakoa... DUDE). The character was crushed under the weight of his pursuit of peace. I like when there is some nuance and a spotlight on how he is the embodiment of "meaning well". One person alone can't fix everything. Humans (mutants) make mistakes. All this to say I liked the talk Charles and Scott had. That Charles believed so much that his old friend Erik could be persuaded to try (he was right, it did take a whole genocide to push him over the edge, that's something) and that this sorta betrayal would push a door open for Scott and Jean to walk away. To have a life. He acknowledges that he put so much burden on them... but he miscalculated. Scott can't walk away from responsibilities. He couldn't sit back and raise a son when the world was still on fire (even if nothing bad had happened with Nathan). It's too late. Charles already raised him to care.

When Roberto stepped forward to go with Magneto I wasn't surprised. He hid his powers for so long, always in fear of what his parents might say - and they fucking let the Sentinels take him. Wow. Of course he feels betrayed and this peaceful talk from the X-Men... it's hard to not choose violence. But it was even better that when the time to fight came, it was clear he never wanted to hurt Jubilee. Or really any of the others. Not when he knows people. And oh, poor Jubilee, burned up his card (Claremont Avenue, I saw that XD ), because of course from her perspictive he's just being dumb.

I have a question about that Muir Island base - do the mannequins for Cyclops and Wolverine have wigs under those masks? Who sat down and made those for Storm, Jean and Rogue?? Also kinda funny to see those costumes, when... well Rogue was already wearing a version of that. (AND SHE WORE GAMBIT'S COAT THAT SHE LEFT BEHIND OMG THE FEELINGS I HAVE...)

Anyway, Storm and Jean - the mutant wives!!!!! Aaaaahhhh, even more feels. Storm was... not treated well this season. I mean the depowering story is great, but she was missing from so much stuff, that was terrible. But when she is on screen, she is her best version, love it. And I also loved how angry she was when the tech to take away a mutant's power was mentioned. So personal. This is the true meaning of "wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy". A Goddess! With this Storm it's even possible to portray someone who is Lawful Good to a fault.

And then they casually pull Fatal Attractions out of the hat. Well, parallels work before that. Gambit's death compared to Illyana's in the comics, so Rogue takes Colossus' place. And now Wolverine had the displeasure of the adamantium being ripped from his skeleton. Fuck. They used so many storylines this season (for the record, I am waiting for Apocalypse and am also in the camp of people who believe he might bring Gambit back as Death).

So many things happened. Morph as Hulk was a treat. That they are able to copy physical traits, thus powers, makes them S-tier. And yet, I would have put Kurt in that spot. That Morph thought disguising themself as Sinister would get them close was sorta funny. "that cowardly weasel would never"

Then there was Jean vs Sinister and Cable. AND HOW SHE TALKED TO CYCLOPS. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh The emotional pummeling left and right...

But really it's great that everybody has a reason for what they are saying and doing. Including Wolverine, being the best at what he does - a SNIKT in the back when the fight is too dire. Although killing Magneto is a problem if you want to save earth (yes, hallo, Polaris, we could need your help).

[criticalrolo]

i INSTANTLY need to know more about cormorant da-ge

im sticking nie mingjue in a house by the river run by two lesbians with their younger siblings so he can make friends with some birds and be wildly overprotective of the kids to his hearts content

anyway here's what's going on to get NMJ sent to the seaside for his health like a jane austen character

JGS is making noises about how much more convenient his life would be if someone would Rid Him Of This Turbulent Sect Leader, Henry II style, and JGY has the idea to try out this cool new composition called the Song of Turmoil

Except he's never tried to kill someone with the Song of Turmoil before, and apparently those songs are powerful enough to kill people within three notes if played by a master! and this is a Modified Version that could conceivably do... Anything

So the first time he decides to try out the song. well. instead of a slow poison he's got a half-dead da-ge spitting blood on the floor 50% of the way into a qi deviation

PANIC. drag his sworn brother to the Koi Tower Basement to see if your half-baked stygian tiger amulet can do anything

the song is still in NMJ's head causing problems so he works out a plan with XY to try to just. erase the song and the memory of that afternoon. see if that does the trick

NMJ wakes up and says what the fuck. where am i. who are you

FUCK SHIT FUCK okay. we're going into crisis mode since we obviously can't send an amnesiac da-ge back to Qinghe when we were SUPPOSED to be doing medical care

Xue Yang go dump this guy in a river to get him as far away from here as possible while JGY does some DAMAGE control to make it look like NMJ left Lanling like expected and possibly disappeared on the way back home

1 terrible trip down the river later, local Yunping fisherman's cormorants find a body in the weeds. he fishes the biggest dude he's ever seen out of the water and OOPS this guy is still alive!! good thing his sister's "very good friend who shares a room with her and is raising a child with her" is the town's doctor!

Cue frantic life saving scene where eventually This Guy wakes up and tells them he doesn't remember anything about himself or his life. oh no he must have fallen off a boat somewhere and hit his head really hard :(

Doesn't even know his own name. He's pretty sure he can remember being called Da-ge by someone though

They'd feel bad if they just set this guy wandering off with literally Nothing to go on in the world. plus he can reach the top shelves in their house without having to get a chair

He can stay with them if he helps with the farm animals, learns how to fish, and helps out the family business. And even though his meridians are all fucked up he's got a little bit of cultivation ability so he can help their daughter build up her golden core. He's pretty good at this training thing!

They've got nine cormorants named after the Nine Sons of the Dragon. Baxia the cormorant is fucking obsessed with Da-ge for whatever reason

Domestic life continues with Da-ge out on a boat during the day and helping the cultivators out with developing their golden cores, training they normally wouldn't really have access to

One day the doctor says her cousin is coming to visit! she hasn't seen her since the end of the Sunshot campaign and she's excited to reconnect with her. oh look here she comes!! hi luo quinyang it's been forever since we've seen you!!

POV: you are Mianmian, you left the cultivation world a year ago and you're traveling around as a rogue cultivator now. You visit your cousin. Fucking Chifeng-Zun is in her front yard. He's been presumed dead for the last year. what the actual fuck do you do

meanwhile JGY is desperately trying to convince NHS back in Qinghe to accept that his brother is dead for his own sake <3 for his own closure so he can lead the sect in his brother's memory <3 please god stop looking into this <3

NHS: "haha yeah you're probably right sang-ge. anyway im going to go look into all of our historical records to see how i can get access to Dead People's Spirits to Find Their Bodies and maybe this will lead to me bringing my dead necromancer friend back from the dead. xoxo"

anyway eventually they reunite and it's a whole debacle. this is actually a v long way for me to make NMJ and mianmian accidental friends because I think it would be funny

[cat3ch1sm]

🌲| hey guys im back!! my internet wasn't working for a while and so i was unable to upload, but i got it fixed now:)) thank u all for ur patience! in the meantime, here's a fem!reader x machi oneshot with slight nsfw! enjoy:))

pov- you attempt to ignore machi

"Look, I know I haven't been giving you the most attention lately, but it's childish to ignore me."

You turned away from Machi and continued typing on the laptop on the desk in front of you, doing nothing in particular except focusing on acting like your girlfriend didn't exist. She was exactly right about her not giving you attention. Machi was always running off with the Spiders or participating in rogue missions with her "magician" friend Hisoka- which she thought you didn't know about. And then when she came home, she'd barely acknowledge you and go right to bed. Yeah, okay. Now she would get a taste of her own medicine.

You heard Machi sigh from behind you before her footsteps approached you, and then she was at your side; from your peripheral vision you could see her arms were folded. Still, you put on your best poker face, staring straight ahead at your screen.

Machi scoffed. "So I don't exist, huh?" Her tone was low and flippant; something about it made you tense up. Nonetheless, you remained silent.

She chuckled, and you could practically hear the smirk in her voice. "Hm- so I guess you won't mind if I... sit right here?" Machi lowered her body slowly onto your lap, her cerulean eyes on you the whole time. Your teeth clenched, and it took all your will to keep your face from heating up. Machi had never done this before- convenient it was now when you were trying to ignore her that she wanted to tease.

Despite this, you somehow managed to keep your face stoic- you could already feel your annoyance at Machi begin to dissipate, and your attempts to recall the times she'd shown you no affection to reignite it were fruitless.

"Was that an eyebrow twitch I just noticed, baby?" One corner of Machi's tinted pink lips turned up in amusement. "I know you won't be able to last much longer- not like this."

Damn it. She really didn't miss a thing. Your toes curled in your shoes in frustration. Well, the eyebrow twitch would be all she was going to get out of you.

Machi's breath was cool, her cotton candy colored hair tickling your skin. "But if you're still gonna ignore me, then how about..." You felt her hands come to your shoulders, slender fingertips blushing red. "How about I take my hands... and run them down your body..." Her hands slid down your shoulders and down your neck, stopping to tease your breasts with soft rubs to both before brushing by your hips, roughly gripping them. "...till I get to your pretty thighs." Finally, her hands stopped at your upper legs, squeezing them abruptly as her lips spread into a sly smile, her gaze never leaving you.

Fuck. Your stomach was already fluttering, and your breathing was getting harder to control. However, you kept your gaze averted, busying your fingers by hitting random keys on the keyboard. At this point, it was all you could do to keep from guiding her hands further down.

"We both know you're not doing a damn thing on that computer, baby." Machi lifted one of her hands to scoop up both of your wrists and gently lower them down to your lap. Her eyes looked you up and down, a glint of mischief in each of them. "I also know that you don't wanna ignore me anymore."

Nothing from you.

"Oh, so you still wanna act up?" Machi cocked her head tauntingly, taking your thigh again and rubbing small circles with her thumb. "I'm being nice right now, Y/N. But I'll only give you one more chance..." she leaned her head in, the tip of her nose brushing your neck just beneath your ear- "...before I go for your weak spot. And we both know you're pretty ticklish."

Now you were really flustered. Your cheeks were flaming and it took everything you had to keep your eyes lowered, unable to even look straight ahead anymore lest you catch a glimpse of Machi's face and completely throw your mission away. Begrudgingly, you pursed and unpursed your lips, blinking rapidly and letting out a long breath.

"Hm- you're pretty good at this," Machi noted coolly. "But what if... I  brushed my lips...just below your ear..." Her words trailed off as she stopped to kiss the spot just below your ear, her lips plush and tantalizing as she left kiss after kiss all the way down your neck, pulling the neckline of your shirt down to reach your collarbone. Just below it, Machi began to suck gently, teasingly twirling her tongue over the spot as her hands slowly slid back up your hips and waist until they reached your breasts, where they began to tenderly massage them. You could feel her heavy breathing on your increasingly sensitive skin, her eyes lifting at every kiss to look at you coyly.

A pleasured sigh escaped you, and you couldn't resist running a hand through Machi's hair, your head rolling back to allow her more space. "Machi..."

"There you go." She lifted her head to meet your gaze, her hands still caressing your chest. "Finally decided to stop acting like I don't exist, pretty?"

You let out a tiny whimper as her fingertips brushed over your hardening nipples through your tank top, looking away from Machi. "Machi, you know that isn't fair."

"Isn't it. You and your little whines say otherwise." Her voice was low. "Tell me you don't want me to keep going. Tell me you don't want me to make you sorry you ever ignored me."

Mind her, you definitely wanted to tell her. But the way her lips felt and the way her hands felt- she knew exactly what she was doing.

"Nothing?" Machi smiled. "Good girl."

[edutainer2022]

It's Mother's Day, so here's a little Thunderbirds AU thing. It's a rogue idea I've been entertaining any time I think about Jeff's tragic abrupt widowship and later the need to cut off all ties and ship his orphaned sons to a super secret isolated location. (In my headcanon Alan was about two, when they lost Mom). Kayo's POV.

mother, should I build the wall?

The boy was about Alan’s age. A couple of years younger, maybe. And he looked unnervingly like Scott at fourteen - in those last photos with their Mom - bar the sheen of auburn in the dark wavy hair. That was one of the reasons Alan and Kayo lingered in the hospital waiting area, having delivered all survivors of the earthquake-turned-rockslide they could dig up in between themselves and two pods. It was an all hands on deck rescue in South America. Scott, Virgil and Gordon were wrapping up in the village several miles away. Even John came down, alternating comms coordination, liasing with authorities, and helping out at a triage point Virgil set up with the local services. The boy was trapped by the wall of the local school and badly battered. Alan squeezed through an opening in the jumbled bricks and stayed near, talking him up to stay awake through a massive concussion, and staving off bloodloss as best he could, till Kayo figured out a way to clear the debris and not kill them both. The rest of the kids in his homeroom didn't make it. That was another reason they hovered at the hospital eventually. Alan was visibly shaken and exhausted, so Kayo preferred they stayed somewhere in the vicinity of medical assistance too, other than having to explain to Scott and Virgil a baby brother succumbed to shock. They had to wait for the conclusive reports on injuries and casualties anyway, the GDF would be on Scott's case the moment IR cleared the area. A disaster of that magnitude was a paperwork nightmare in the making, among other things.

Kayo was keeping an eye on Alan’s half-hearted attempts at grounding exercises, when a woman stormed the reception lounge. Middle-aged, likely not local, judging by a smattering of freckles over fair skin, curly graying hair in a disheveled bun, eyes frantic and voice desperate - she was looking for her son among the victims extracted from the collapsed school. Kayo vaguely remembered Alan's chatting with the boy they saved - his Mom was American, a music teacher at that same school, off at a piano contest in the neighboring town for the day. Kayo shifted her stance instinclively to shield Alan, largely still out of it and shivering, from the sight - as the woman was pointed to a gurney among the chaos of the ER and all but threw herself over the frail form of the injured teenager. Kayo knew she and Alan shared that wound - the ever present phantom pain of not knowing a mother. They were surrounded by a sea of love, of course, it was easy to drown out the longing for something they only ever knew by proxy and hearsay on a good day. But today was not a good day. Kayo was ready to turn away, the moment between a mother, out of her mind with fear and relief, and her child almost too intimate to intrude on, yet too mesmerizing to relinquish, when the woman moved up to take a better look at the boy and shifted to brush stray hairs from his forehead. Tears, flooding her eyes, caught in the corner of the smile, streaming down. Kayo was grateful for all the rigorous training her father put her through and she picked up along the way on her own or working with Penny - never loose your cool, never give anything away, never break composure. She did feel her head swim a little bit, chalking it up to ten hours of gruesome rescue. Maybe she was imagining things. But she was schooled to recognize a face by the slightest of features, even in disguise. The safety of those she loved depended on her skill. Besides, she would know those eyes anywhere - electric blue to rival the sky on a cloudless noon in July, and dimples flanking a soft smile.

Kayo braved a glance over at Alan, considering her options. Her next string of actions was decided by Scott's hologram popping up on Alan’s wrist, face worn out and haunted, not too subtly glancing Alan over for injuries and demanding status report. Kayo took that as a cue to propell Alan out of the noise and bustle of the overflowing ER and into the subtle comfort (and much needed distraction!) of the big brother being there for him, and made her way to the reception, asking for the patient manifest. The IR uniform and logo was key to a well of information to be obtained discretely. If she still had any doubts, the answer Kayo didn't know how to begin to process or comprehend, was staring her in the face among a list of casualties admitted to the ER from the danger zone - the woman that just ran in, the local music teacher, as a friendly receptionist helpfully supplied, was looking for her son. Donald Kent Slayton*...

TBTBTB

To snatch a piece of discarded blooded gauze on her way out, past the mother and son, engrossed in their own little world, was the easy part. To run a strictly classified DNA test in a GDF facility where a lab technician owed her a favor or ten - was slightly trickier, but doable. As the results turned out the way she knew deep down they would, Kayo pulled on all of her composure and deposits of reason to reserve judgment till she knew all the facts. Till she knew all the facts and rationale firsthand, and looked that person in the eyes. That was the least Kayo owed her sons. After everything they had been through.

The hardest part was completely hinged on Eos and her ability and willingness to not only keep a secret, but to lie - even to John. There was no certainty how the brothers would all handle the truth. Or even if they should.

With that in mind Kayo waited for Eos to dig up top secret files of GDF witness protection program.

--------

*Donald Kent "Deke" Slayton - one of Mercury Seven.

[tildeathiwillwrite]

All of your WIPs seem cool, so imma ask about 3 (sorry if I get some names wrong)

Of Wings, Blade and Shadow

The Fallen Cyborg

The Watcher and The Thief

:)

(in response to this post/ask game thingy)

*claps hands excitedly* oh boy!

I haven't thought about Of Wings, Blade and Shadow for a while now (aka had to go through the folder to actually remember what it was about), I created the concept doc in 2020 and last touched it in 2022. It's about these three characters in an modern fantasy setting who learn about a cataclysmic event that would destroy the city they live in. The main POV character, Jean, has angel wings and runs a bookshop. The secondary character, Gerik, has a sword that talks in his head (named Justine), and the third character is a morally-gray shadow sorcerer named Nels. I actually had a loose outline worked out, complete with plot and character growth, but I didn't end up writing very much of it before forgetting about it and jumping to what later became The Hunter the Myth and the Cure.

When I started The Fallen Cyborg in January 2021, I had the intention of finishing the first draft by the end of the year. Life happened and I didn't end up getting that far, but looking back I'm impressed I got as much done as I did! It's a sci fi novel about this lab experiment (known as number 49) who has been enhanced with numerous cybernetic implants and training to be a supersoldier. That is, until he discovers that he is considered a "failed" experiment and will be shortly terminated. Naturally, he escapes with the help of a hacker known as Qanan piloting a cleaning bot. It basically involved him attempting to start a new life and being chased by the government. I don't remember why I called it The Fallen Cyborg as a working title, but I still like it. I had a complete plot, a prologue, and 3.5 chapters drafted before I shelved it sometime in August 2021 (according to Google Docs). I intend to revisit it eventually but I am a very different writer than I was in 2021 so it might involve a complete rewrite of those 4.5 chapters.

I'd mentioned this before but The Watcher and the Thief began as a story about how my and my brother's D&D characters met. I played a Beastmaster Ranger and he played a Rogue. I ended up dropping it after 8 chapters for a couple years before picking it up again and reworking the plot to fit into Tales of Valaria (changing the magic system, the Rangers became Watchers, complete role changes, etc). One of the most significant changes is that my character became the villain and multi-classed to wizard. The story's about this Watcher, Hector, whose apprentice, Luc gets cursed by a magician. The only way to lift the curse, naturally, is to seek out another magician. Meanwhile Rift (my brother's character), attempts to steal a priceless gem from the Draigo (which used to be just straight-up dragons. Idk why I changed it. They can still breathe fire tho). And Octavian has a terrible horrible no good very bad two weeks.

[fatalism-and-villainy]

More thoughts about how Clarice Starling might be incorporated into a post-canon scenario (i.e., a season 4 that exists in my mind palace). I know the creators wanted to adapt Silence of the Lambs, but honestly, a scenario I’d be really interested in would be featuring Hannibal (novel)-era Clarice - i.e. not a fresh and up-and-coming ingénue, but older and more jaded. I’m thinking in this timeline she would have had her career-making success without Hannibal’s help, and is encountering him (along with Will) for the first time. Probably in pursuit of some other Big Bad, and forming an uneasy alliance.

I’m interested in this because I a) do not think Hannibal is a good novel, and b) really do feel strongly about some of the threads it hints at but never fully develops. And this is especially true wrt Clarice! Like, the badwrong hypno romance with Hannibal at the end gets all the outrage, but frankly I’m less bothered by that than the casual sidelining of her character throughout the novel. We have this implied arc of woman’s career stagnating because of corruption and sexism, the woman becoming persona non grata in Washington after a scandal and sort of going rogue in deciding to rescue Hannibal… not to mention the details about her background and her craving for finer things and fascination with wealth and luxury (which, in contrast to the dissatisfying time she’s had with the FBI, actually would have sown the seeds for her possibly being compelled by going off with Hannibal, if the book had taken care to develop it). But that’s all effectively dropped! She straight-up disappears for a good chunk of the novel, and then when she reappears, despite her decision to rescue Hannibal, her importance to the story is so concentrated on her unknowingly being used as a lure for Hannibal. She doesn’t drive the plot the way she should.

So, I think it’d be cool for the showverse to explore that character arc for her, at the point in her life when she’s angry, guilt-ridden, and disillusioned. Encountering Will and Hannibal overseas could come as a result of her going vigilante for whatever reason, the way Jack does wrt Hannibal in s2-3. And there’d be an interesting overlap between the pseudo-therapy sessions she and Hannibal do in the novel Hannibal vs. the more subtly threatening/antagonistic brain-picking he engages in with her in SOTL - how would an older, more experienced Clarice respond to that SOTL routine for the first time, while in a worse emotional place than the idealism and optimism of her younger self?

And there’s a lot of interesting stuff going on in the landscape of Hannibal-the-novel where so many players in the game are corrupt and only interested in monetary gain, and the people who are actually concerned with justice - Clarice, Jack, to a lesser extent Ardelia - are fairly powerless - and then there’s Hannibal, a villain who actually has values and standards and beliefs outside of shallow materialism, twisted as though they may be. I like the idea of the post-canon story of the show Hannibal contrasting whatever weird arthouse villainy fest is going on overseas with the moral corruption and bureaucratic drudgery of the FBI back at home - I think that’d be broadly in line with both the show’s themes and premises of the novel - and see that reflected in Clarice coming in contact with Hannibal and Will (and possibly being susceptible to being swayed by Hannibal’s POV, if only temporarily.)

[moonstone27ls]

X-men 97 thoughts so far...

Gonna give one spoiler warning....

.....

.........

.........

Why? Because if reviewers haven't spoiled it, most youtubers have dozens of dozens of clips. Literally no point in me saying it much....

Sooo... that pretty much it....

.....

...........................

.....Spoiler warning....ends.......

............................................now....(Also warning I do not have a Disney+ account. I'm on a budget I'm relying on clip unfortunately)

So my thoughts initially when I was hesitant to really look at it. Not so much because Disney owns this now. Its just been a long time. I kinda quit watching the original cartoon I wanna say before the last two seasons.

First ep didn't really grab me. At first the animation turned me off. I can't give a definitive reason why. Just something about when they first talked. And also.... did everyone suddenly get paler? oO No I'm not accusing them of whitewashing Storm. I'm referring to in general. I mean even Magneto looks a bit bleached.

It at best seemed decent. Ep 2 was shown and I was intrigued to see Magneto was apparently in Charles will and just gave him everything. Either he loved/had faith in Magneto more than he showed or just dang he pulled a 180 as they say. Lol I kid, I do think Xavier did all that out of good faith.

That one grabbed my attention a lot more. To see Magneto struggle against what he's use to. To try and be better for Xavier and the X-men. I admit seeing Storm lose her powers was a shocker. But I don't believe she'll stay human forever.

As hard as it is sometimes to see the other side. The show did actually attempt to show a pov for humans. (And no not referring to friends of humanity group). Its just a youtber pointed it out, that although Storm was protecting Magneto, yeah through a humans' eyes the powers could look more terrifying. And although it was stupid of the doctor to refuse aid to Madelyne (Jean's clone, sorry warned earlier on spoilers).

I've watched enough hero shows to see... the doc had a point. DC's Ace accidentally killed her parent as a baby. Cyclops has had accidents. So the fear wasn't totally without cause. Still cool though that Rogue could absorb medical knowledge and the nurses complied.

Enjoyed Wolverine's face when she said the baby was coming. Baby Nathan was cute. And the monologue Magneto gave the UN was really well done.

Ep 3 came and well wasn't entirely shocked the Jean, Cylcops had a baby with would turn out to be her clone. I dunno if it was everyone guessing or the comic reference. Hmm for me it was her face in the background. I swear Madelyne looked more angry than shocked.

And also dang that was good moment to show us they could let go of some restraints. Besides the excellent animation in both their fears being shown and Goblin Queen's fight with X-men and Magneto. And I'm gonna say it... Jean's talk with Wolverine. Very sweet moment, it made me a Jean/Logan shipper. And I recall as a kid I wasn't really into it.

Though will it happen... dunno. Probably not. But I wouldn't be entirely against it. Especially watching that whole ep. Just neither one can remember when they got switched. Just awkwarddddddddd. And while it was sad Cyclops had to say goodbye to his baby, granted I had not read the comics but was told enough to know it was gonna happen. Changed obviously but cartoons does their own thing.

Ep 4 was okay, Jubilee's okay but stuff with Mojo was never my thing. I just enjoyed it when her and Roberto finally became an item. Super cute. Though surprised that the X-men just basically bent over when Magneto said "no" to Jubilee's birthday wish. I mean granted yes he owns their group?/or home. But they all literally wanted to enjoy/and give Jubilee a birthday party. Just surprised not even Wolverine offered to take them out.

Storm's arc was so far ok(waiting for part 2 to full give opinion). Felt sorry for her the entire time cause she clearly missed her powers. And was a bit surprised Forge made those weapons... (dunno if thats a direct ref to the comics).

Then on to ep 5... the one I think so far has clearly blown our minds. I'm not gonna lie part of me saw what happened with Genosha coming because I follow people who explain comic history. So moment the place was mentioned I thought "oh boy what are they gonna do". I am a bit surprised Cable attempted to stop it. Or warn others of it? Sooo... is Madelyne dead? Went to fast to show if she survived.

Action scenes were intense to say the least. Not gonna lie I will be super pissed if they killed off Remy just so Rogue can run back to Magneto. Yes I know what the robot said and everyone's all "Magneto's dead".... but considering how this ended I wouldn't be surprised if he's shown alive later. Guess just a bit surprised people died in general. I mean its not Invincible level but you get the idea still surprising.

Any personal notes... okay what I liked. Voice acting's good, glad they got back the original actors, animation, music even pretty good, some of the story has done fairly well. I like some of the new characters.. I mean I guess.. its been 5 episodes I can't say there's been a lot. All of the cameos and easter eggs.

Anything I don't like...the love drama. Cyclops love rectangle(had to add Wolverine). Not sure were the writers are planning to go with this. And Emma Frost is here, as a character I dunno. But her role with Cyclops I DO remember. Please people don't add more. Lol. After this ep I can already see his variables. One, Madelyne's alive and he choses her. Two, Madelyne's dead and he wants Jean back as a rebound; though she's clearly in my opinion should be given space instead of being asked to choose whom to love right now. Or three she's hurt and he drags his feet in between both. Which sucks.

Honestly although I know Logan turned Jean down. I would prefer Jean go "I need space". She finds her space and she just asks Logan on a date. Just to see where it goes.

Then there's the one I REALLY didn't ask for Rogue/Magneto/Gambit. Yes I know this was in the comics but even then I didn't like it. But onto the show version. Don't like it cause there was no hint of it in the series. And secondly felt like the story was trying to give us Rogue/Gambit as a couple. So to see them trying to find their footing and then shoehorn this love triangle in was EXHAUSTING. I mean I love Magneto as a character both hero/antihero and villain. But I don't ship him with Rogue. He's old enough to be her grandfather and the animation doesn't really do well of hiding it either. He's a cool grandpa but still grandpa to me.

AND yes I know this is a revival. But even their attempts to give it justification felt off. Their background made it more awkward. I'm giving my opinion to be clear. You don't like it don't read it. From what I can tell Rogue was kicked out as a teen. And according to the wiki she was 13.

She met Magneto (according to this revival ) sometime after Mystique took her in. What time? I admit it doesn't say. Given how she's in her mid 20s in the show. We still have to assume she was still a teenager when they met.

Again can't give a precise age besides the fact that it was vague on purpose. Secondly, the animators made her look her 20s age even when she met Magneto. And I'm not buying that. I get it they're attempting to not make this triangle so out of the blue.

But doing it like this now and then I'm gonna be blunt watching his actions/and that dance felt wayyyy more predatory than it did romantic. At least Wolverine wouldn't put Jean on the spot so he could get into her pants. I mean come on writers Magneto could literally have ANYONE else without making it feel predatory BD;.

I'll say it again, I will be PISSED if Gambit is killed and Magneto lives. And just so we can push a may/December romance NOBODY asked for. And at Gambit's expense.

Thats it. I'll write my opinions when the rest of the eps are shown. Later till then!

[oatmealcrisp-freak]

The pattern to who saiki kusuo beats up is either

A) self defense

B) theyre in the wrong in some other way

C) an accident he seems to feel guilty for or the narrative would need to find another reason why this hasn't come up before besides, "I didn't want to remember that"

D) self defence but also that's just the way that power works for some reason

Which means that the narrative has likely chosen to make him likeable by making him morally correct, and a server of justice. Part of the comedy is him giving people their just desserts. A bulk of the remaining comedy is him either getting unlucky (ie putting him in situations that conflict with his goals) or getting his own just desserts for being an asshole himself, because narratives often seek ways to make overpowered characters likeable by bringing them down in some way.

Saiki kicking Toritsuka’s ass would work a lot less if Toritsuka wasnt Like That. Saiki kicking his brothers ass to the point Kusuke is bloody and swollen would work a lot less if Kusuke didn't attack first. Same with Kuniharu. The narrative is structuring these characters for a reason. A big part of the reason appears to clue the audience in on who we're allowed to smack.

Let's look at a joke in the first episode

Kuniharu is locked out of the house by his wife.

Kuniharu tells his son to commit crimes.

Kuniharu picks a fight with his wife.

Kuniharu is served a shoe for dinner.

The pattern implies the shoe is punishment for Kuniharus behaviour.

The narrative puts Kurumi in the position of morally correct by having her kid credit her as the reason he hasn't gone rogue, and then with her encouraging him to do good. The narrative puts Kuniharu in the position of the morally incorrect because. Well. Encouraging your kid to rob banks usually isn't considered upright behaviour. Also his eyes are censored by the text in one of the first scenes he's in?¿?? Usually thats felon treatment akdjwh

Compare to how the narrative introduces kusuo saiki himself. The first time we see him is after he saved a dogs life. It's standard shorthand for, "this is a good guy who you're supposed to like" and since he's the POV character introducing everyone, he's also the one introducing everyone. He's our key informant. How the narrative seeks to use that information matters.

How a character is introduced matters a lot. It sets the stage for them. The story then has the option to, usually, follow through on that, build on that, or subvert that. Some things end up getting subverted along the way but for the most part, Kusuos introductions stay on lock. Everyone stays pretty true to how he introduces them. Example, teruhashi is universally acknowledged to be the perfect pretty girl, therefore saikis not into it. They toy with that concept but teruhashi never wins him as her romantic partner. She is the perfect pretty girl, therefore saikis not into it. Even being in her presence is in direct conflict with his goals of not being the center of attention. Toritsuka introduces himself. He's a monk and he has a cool design with pure eyes. Turns out he's a pervert.

Then he gets his ass beat on. Kusuke is introduced spying on his family without their apparent knowledge in an ominous dark room, then he gets his ass beat on. Kuniharu is introduced as a pathetic and lazy dad, then he gets his ass beat on. Nendo is introduced as a well meaning idiot who Kusuo wants to kill and.....doesn't beat on. Kaidou is introduced as a chuuni who has an inner strength who Kusuo....doesn't beat on (well he slaps him one time in the time loop but tbh that oocness is part of what makes its so funny tbh asfgiduaushs). Hairo is introduced as a pushy but upright guy, Kusuo sorta threatens to murder him, but doesn't. A guy pickpockets a bunch of people at a festival, including Kusuo, gets his ass served to him and turned into the police. Some yakuza try to kidnap him, they're traumatized for life. Some thugs corner him and Kaidou, he curses them. Some thugs try to sneak up on them and mug them in endsville? Put through a wall. Chono is a smug street performer, doesn't get beaten. Everyone hates Matsuzaki, he doesn't get beaten. Kurumi doesn't get her ass kicked by him. He rolls the gang who tried to kidnap Aiura into a ball. A guy takes advantage of Kaidou and then he screams and then there's an ominous hole in the wall and the room is trashed so he probs got his ass, like, str8 up nuked LMAO

Like

Ysee where I'm going with this?

Kusuo beats up the nasties, not the goodies, unless you're akechi one time by accident and then hes traumatized forever. Ergo...

The stage set for Kuniharu is that of a pathetic and lazy man who relies on Kusuo for everything, and Kusuo says that he can't spoil him, making him sound like a dadlier figure than his dad. By and large, Kuniharus role in this show is not to subvert this standard. His appearances involve him meeting those standards, by and large. Him being a bad dad and getting just desserts is the point of his character.

If Kuniharu is a good dad, what the purpose? And how is he a good dad i want reciepts

It's either to lift up Kusuke (and then be the butt of the joke), or to teach his kid a lesson he wouldn't otherwise get. The latter happens, like, once, and it's the best way to do that story since it hinges on kuniharu, since it's using kuniharus birthday to set the conflict.

I mean I guess you could say he's a good dad in the non traditional role of serving his purpose in the narrative pretty well by being a bad dad but again

If he's a good dad, what's the story? For kusuo, all powerful psychic, who saved a dog in his introduction and is sad he doesn't know the joy of hard work, to kick the ass of a hard working provider for? No reason? Except a man punching you is a pretty good reason, like....idk how people say that's good dad behaviour...........the writing isn't even on the wall it's scene by scene

The exact opposite of saving an animal to show you're a good character the audience should like is to beat or kill an animal. We root for John Wick cus those motherfuckers killed his dog. A lot of us say we'd do the same. The next step up from there is usually to beat or kill a kid - double points if the kid is yours or otherwise in your care. Trunchbull is hella charismatic but that doesnt change the fact that shes one of the main antagonists whose public humiliation by the kids she abuses serves as a massive victory. A lot of anime plays by that rule too. If you're a protagonist and you have an abusive parent/caretaker they are probably gonna be canon fodder. Like. They're not gonna have a good end. Even that super grimdark happy sugar life show something killed or jailed or abused all the child abusers, including the ones who were legally still minors dhfahfshrs The only time this doesn't seem to be the case is when the narrative needs child soldiers sometimes which entails a level of neglect, or its WAY hella dark. Or you're Naruto, but the show doesn't pretend he's a good dad.

Child abuse is traditional bad guy territory. Understandably.

And u kno what?

Usually it's the same for people who beat their parents for 'no reason', from breaking bad, to that one show with the animal head mask death game where the first guy got killed cus he abused his mom, to Itachi, to lotsa others. So usually to make the kinda person who'd do that likeable, you gotta give them a reeaaaallly good reason. Itachi was sorta a victim of a coup and then he died. Guts's dad was a true piece of shit. Lelouch's parents are bad guys. Etcetc

Unless he's a cat and then it's an accident but known cat lover Kuniharu should know better than to get into a strange cat's face too tbh. Offer your hand first and ask permission :/

And thus, Kuniharu hits his kid with weapons, fists, and feet, and seeks to undercut Kusuo emotionally and otherwise to become The Bigger Man. Buddy even tries to steal his kids new years money. Kuniharu is not a good dad so morally upright by comparison Kusuo can punish him. Kuniharu needs to hit Kusuo first, or Kusuo can't hit him, and he canonically does, and then Kusuo canonically kicks his butt. If Kuniharu isnt actively taking joy in his kids suffering or beating him, Kusuo isnt picking fights with him. Kuniharu needs to be a prat so he can take prat falls. The narrative needs him to be a pathetic and lazy dad just like hes introduced as so it can punish him for it.

And how is he a good dad, I want reciepts, nobody ever brings me reciepts. You're allowed to have problematic faves you know your characters don't need to be paragons of purity for you to enjoy them in the story

This is all there in both the anime and the manga. The key difference in how this goes down is one scene with the shoulder massage. In the anime kuniharu stops hitting his kid for revenge after a pipe and wooden sword. In the manga he also gets some brass knuckles :)

[thestaredown]

Reasons this could be some Jughead scripting the world.

The sudden and easily accepted changes in universe.

Constant contradictions to serve the narrative

Ambiguous pasts that are never mentioned in depth unless they fully happened off screen.

Everyone conveniently knows information and is neither shocked or too concerned with it.

Most supportive and totally cool exes ever,maturity has never been so wide spread

Magic besties (not complaining about the sudden B&V…but it is sudden…and the investment V has in ba is very strange)

No one that can help is available during corresponding episodes, or get somehow incapacitated.

Jughead is in the bunker, in some parallel world so is another Jughead who is writing. That Jughead decided to keep the vale’s status quo and keep the couples as is. If he’s stuck writing forever he might want to “spice up” the narrative…with say witches and superpowers.

That other Jughead would only be able to use what he knows so he makes them behave as he sees them behave (in his pov) and then in crucial moments gives words to make things work. (Queue the nearly word for word speech given by Archie that was a copy paste that we very recently heard this season, and the fact the flash backs were also,apart from one, exclusively from this season, or completely new)

Shits weird and if other Jughead is basically entertaining himself by playing with life size dolls and went rogue just to write something different, I don’t blame him. Best guess is he thinks it only affects the vale…and that is not the case. Things may not have gotten fixed the way initially thought.