#He's not on the list YET because I'm not positive where I'll put him

[kakusu-shipping]

My wonderful beloved boyfriend Zayne gave me his copy of Pokemon Platinum so I could finally play the Good Gen 4 game and I'm having so much fun with it

but also every time Cyrus is on screen I am instantly overwhelemed with affection and for a hot minute I was worried it was ~Romantic~ like jesus christ I can't become the guy who smooches all the Team Leaders I'm not strong enough

And it took a while to realize I Don't want to smooch Cyrus on the mouth and make him my depressed boyfriend. Ever sense the Masters Event with him and Sophocles being Friends he's just been slowly infecting me with the same cuteness aggression as I get with my baby cousin Soffy

So he's adopted into the family now because I say so

#He's not on the list YET because I'm not positive where I'll put him #Probably Cousin with Soffy #Like Cousin in Law #Gently ships Soffy and Cyrus I think they'd be cute #Me/Molayne/Sophocles/Cyrus big Polycule <3 #For me <3 #I do love Cyrus he's very cute to me #Kissable forehead #He has Permaregressed vibes #Angy babie. #Yeah. Yeah that's the vibe I'm reading him with

[tossawary]

Hi,.....if you don't mind me asking, can I ask your top 5 (or top 3) favorite characters from SVSSS? And why do you love them? And your top 5 favorite moments from the novel? Sorry if you've answered this question before....Thanks....

Hi! Thank you for asking! I can use this to reflect on my SVSSS reread some more and mention some things I didn’t bring up in my other posts. I don't think I've ever explicitly rounded these things up into a list, so this is a fun thing to think about while I've run out of work and my supervisor isn't messaging me back. I'll try to focus on just the main story of SVSSS, because I haven't reread Volume 4 yet, and if my opinions change after reading the extras collection, then I'll come back and say so.

Long post ahead! Favorite characters and scenes!

Favorite characters:

Shen Yuan! I can't remember where I would have ranked him the first time I read SVSSS, but I always liked him just fine, and I've found a new love for him with the reread, being reminded of just how funny he is and how asexual he seems! He also just wants to be nice to people. I enjoy how much he enjoys food and reading and just chilling out chatting to people. He enjoys life! He fucks up several times, quite badly, but he's not unreasonable for assuming that Binghe would want to kill him, and I think it's compelling how the sheer overwhelming panic of his impossible situation wouldn't let him take a step back from the fast-paced nonsense he's forced to go through that often isn't his fault.

Luo Binghe! He's one of the main characters and he's such a sweetheart, when he also isn't a murderous emotional wreck or cold bastard, which is just fun to read about. Despite everything (being pushed into hell, being possessed by an evil sword, watching his teacher self-destruct and blaming himself for it, being able to take the world on a bloodied silver platter and then getting his ass kicked by his birth father), I feel like he turned out surprisingly well! I like how he just wants to dote on Shen Qingqiu and be doted on. He is trying SO hard to communicate with someone who keeps running away from him, but he doesn't know how. Crybaby demon emperor who abandoned having a harem in order to chase just one guy is still funny.

Getting to side characters... I like pretty much all of them! A lot of them are pretty evenly ranked for me, even though I like them all for different reasons.

Shang Qinghua probably has to take the top spot of side characters here, partly because I am deeply influenced by the Airplane Extras and all the fanfiction I've written for him, but also because I still think he has such a fascinating position as the author of this world and story, and he's such an irreverent ass to Shen Qingqiu at the same time that he does occasionally go through significant effort to help him out. His conversations with Shen Qingqiu are extremely funny. I'm glad that Shen Qingqiu has someone who knows about the truth of his background. Whatever the fuck is going on with him and Mobei-Jun in the background is funny and I fully understand why people read only the main story and then go, “WHY THE FUCK ARE SO MANY PEOPLE FIXATING ON THEM??? MOBEI-JUN HAS LIKE TEN LINES OF DIALOGUE!!!”

Then... uh... I don't know. I guess I'll put Tianlang-Jun and Zhuzhi-Lang next, together as a pair. They're both so eccentric and charismatic, although in very different ways, and I enjoy them as villains. They kill SO MANY people and do NOT care. Zhuzhi-Lang in particular has the weirdest fucking morals and I dig how he’s clearly a person but also very much NOT HUMAN. They're both very funny in the jokes they make and in the scenes they're in. Their backstories and fates are also terribly sad. Tianlang-Jun having the truth of Su Xiyan’s death revealed to him is a little heartbreaking even if he’s an ass. I like how powerful they are and how they weren't a part of the PIDW published story, so they can blindside Shen Qingqiu and mess everything up.

The character I was struck by the most on this reread was Gongyi Xiao, so I'll put him next. Though I do like Liu Mingyan, Sha Hualing, Yue Qingyuan, and Liu Qingge. Hmm, maybe I'll tie him with Sha Hualing for this particular reread.

Gongyi Xiao was good because of how genuinely good he's trying to be, despite the fact that he's stuck as a part of Huan Hua Palace, with a Palace Master and a Little Palace Mistress who seem worse than useless. He's trying his best to keep things civil and avoid falling into mob mentality. He spares Zhuzhi-Lang when Shen Qingqiu points out the demon hasn't done anything, so he's willing to view demons as not being entirely evil, and then he gets tragically killed off when Zhuzhi-Lang decides to mark him as an enemy and he's just in the wrong place at the wrong time. He helps Shen Qingqiu escape the Water Prison because he thinks the man is being sexually and physically abused by the new head disciple, Luo Binghe. I also like the jealousy he can invoke in Luo Binghe and I think there's an interesting potential connection to Su Xiyan, which also has cool fic potential.

Sha Hualing was good because she's just so obnoxious and dangerous and at the same time a little pathetic. I mean, I still wish that SVSSS did a little more with their female characters, because even if some of them have interesting personality quirks, they're a little flat and don't have much power over the plot. But Sha Hualing does at least have a hand in launching a few important events and scenes, pretty much because she likes causing trouble and has great ambition, even if she keeps getting her ass kicked. I like the fact that she apparently backstabbed her father, because that couldn't have just been because of Luo Binghe. I like the fact that Liu Mingyan's face apparently left her speechless. I like the fact that she keeps losing the fucking top of her stupid skimpy outfit and flashes her breasts several times and still won't change it. It's just for comedy, I know, but I can still use it to build up my vision of a horrible little gremlin woman who wants to conquer the world but has gotten stuck with a shitty boss, and maybe doesn't so much want to conquer the world as she wants to be fawned over and start shit.

Favorite moments from the main story:

This is also kind of hard to decide, because there are a lot of good moments, and they're good for lots of different reasons. It's difficult to rank comedic moments against tragic ones against action scenes against the more sentimental moments. And I'm obviously not able to rank objective quality when tastes are so subjective. So this list won't actually be properly ranked and will be more a little random as I struggle to remember particularly striking moments, focusing more on genuine sentiment than the comedy.

Just before the Immortal Alliance Conference, when Binghe is 17 and recently returned from a mission, and Shen Qingqiu asks him what he would be willing to go through in order to be strong.

I like this sequence because it shows off the level of affection between Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe. It shows off how Luo Binghe has flourished under a teacher who cares (and we know that Binghe has been training as a demon for the past few years as well, so there’s some intrigue going on) and introduces us to the Zheng Yang sword. It shows us how much Shen Qingqiu trusted Binghe with as his head disciple, when he's just leaving admin work to Binghe without needing to look it over, and how Binghe is kind of a workaholic (due to his desire to prove himself worthy) and how Shen Qingqiu is so laidback and content when he's allowed control over his own life. There are lots of soft moments in these scenes. There are some funny moments.

We learn that Shen Qingqiu has resolved to distance himself from the protagonist, so that pushing him into the Abyss will hurt less, and then he keeps failing because he can't help but praise and reward Luo Binghe for his efforts. It shows off Shen Qingqiu's dread over the Endless Abyss. How much he doesn't want to hurt Binghe but how he's convincing himself that it's necessary for the protagonist's development. It shows off the compartmentalization that Shen Qingqiu is doing. And yet Shen Qingqiu can't help but try and prepare Binghe in some way, and it's fascinating to imagine what Binghe must have been thinking in that moment and after that moment.

There's a lot of fascinating character and relationship stuff being done in these few scenes, compelling our attachment to them by showing their affection, and upping the tension by showing Shen Qingqiu's dread.

Mobei-Jun and Shang Qinghua's first appearances, in the middle of an Immortal Alliance Conference going terribly wrong. Yes, I'm pushing their introductions together.

Look, I'm biased towards these two, and maybe the scenes rise above the others partly with the benefit of hindsight, but that's fine! Shang Qinghua is striking from the get-go if only because of his apparent cheerfulness in the middle of a horrific invasion, after we’ve just witnessed several disturbing and violent disciple deaths, and Shen Qingqiu reveals him to be the logistics lord of Cang Qiong and a spy. And THEN MOBEI-JUN APPEARS, an ice-cold badass from the get-go, the protagonist’s future right-hand man showing up five hundred chapters early to open the Endless Abyss! He gets a kickass fight scene first with Shen Qingqiu, then with Luo Binghe, wrecks Luo Binghe’s life, and then leaves because...??? He’s interested to see where this goes? He’s bored? He’s decided that he’s started enough shit? He’s a total wildcard. We have seen so much horrific violence and death here, and it is squarely Shang Qinghua and Mobei-Jun’s fault! They’re both such villains! It’s very fun.

These scenes are also fun because of the worldbuilding they do for the PIDW story (Luo Binghe’s future as Demon Emperor), the monsters, the Demon Realm, Cang Qiong Mountain Sect, and the cultivation world in general. They also launch Shen Qingqiu’s relationship with his fellow transmigrator, which is one of my favorite relationships in the story, even if Shen Qingqiu only tells us that he’s realized Shang Qinghua is a transmigrator after the story is over.

Yue Qingyuan revealing his full history with Shen Jiu and apologizing to Shen Qingqiu (Shen Yuan), who makes it clear to Yue Qingyuan that he’s not angry but gently puts some distance between them, because the person who should hear this is no longer present.

The Yue Qi and Shen Jiu story is a very sad one. I like how these reveals recontextualize Shen Qingqiu’s relationship with Yue Qingyuan. I like how it’s revealed to us that the Xuan Su sword saps away Yue Qingyuan’s lifeforce, that he damaged his own soul trying to save Shen Jiu, and that he was imprisoned in the Lingxi Caves. It’s all very compelling and tugs at the heartstrings. It feels rewarding to me to get this backstory. And Yue Qingyuan is apparently possibly dying at the time that he reveals all of this to Shen Qingqiu.

And for all the trouble that Shen Qingqiu (Shen Yuan) has caused Yue Qingyuan by his miscommunication and flailing around trying not to die, I think that he handles this incredible difficult situation pretty well despite the intense pressure that they’re all under. (The Demon and Human Realms are merging! Cang Qiong Mountain Sect is set to merge with the Endless Abyss!) Shen Yuan is sad that Shen Jiu can’t hear this. He very obviously pretends that he didn’t hear any of this, essentially telling Yue Qingyuan that he will have to live if he want to talk about this later, so don’t die, Yue Qingyuan! He makes it clear that he’s no longer angry at the same time that sort of... rebuffs Yue Qingyuan’s attempts to treat him as Shen Jiu? He makes it clear that their relationship will never be that intimate again, even if he has no hard feelings.

Because Shen Yuan feels like if anyone should be hearing this and offering forgiveness, then it should be Shen Jiu, and that it’s not his place to step forward and take over that particular relationship speaking for Shen Jiu. He’s pretty graceful about it. He took over someone else’s life and he can’t tell anyone (at least that’s how I’ve interpreted it, and I don’t blame Shen Yuan for not testing his luck against a System that has spent the past few years threatening to kill him if he doesn’t perform adequately to its standards, doing things he doesn’t want to do, in extremely high pressure situations). And Yue Qingyuan has to accept this rebuff gracefully as well.

Shen Qingqiu carrying and protecting an unconscious Luo Binghe in the Holy Mausoleum, fighting against the last-breath candles and blind corpses, then fighting against Qiu Haitang and the Palace Master.

It’s kind of funny to reach the point where Shen Qingqiu stops running away from Luo Binghe, because despite the cold shoulders and the miscommunication and the previous trust in the protagonist halo, Shen Qingqiu just can’t bear to let Luo Binghe die. He can’t bring himself to risk it. He’s so aghast at Tianlang-Jun for not giving a shit about his son. He kind of even seems angry about it.

I like the worldbuilding done in the Holy Mausoleum, even if parts of it are a little confusing to me. I enjoy a lot of the traps in this particular dungeon. I think that the last-breath candles are enchanting little creatures. I think that paring them with the blind corpses makes for an interesting threat and a compelling series of horror scenes. I think the state that the Old Palace Master and Qiu Haitang is pretty freaky in a fascinating way. I think that the Old Palace Master’s death at the hand of those little plants attracted to spiritual energy is disturbing, and that it was a clever move on Shen Qingqiu’s part to get the man to kill himself.

And the scene of Shen Qingqiu kissing Luo Binghe’s forehead in the coffin, in order to hide the light of his demon mark, is pretty striking.

Shen Qingqiu’s confrontation with Luo Binghe in the Water Prison and then escaping the Water Prison with Gongyi Xiao.

This is where we get even more insight into Luo Binghe’s post-Abyss mindset and I think it’s where we get the first bit of real insight into Luo Binghe’s difficulties with the Xin Mo sword. His conversation with Shen Qingqiu is frustrating and alarming, because Shen Qingqiu just won’t talk and Luo Binghe is angry even if he doesn’t want to kill Shen Qingqiu. There’s intrigue with how Luo Binghe became the new head disciple of Huan Hua Palace. There’s intrigue with how Shen Qingqiu intends to get out of this and how the Sun-Moon Dew Mushroom will be involved in his escape. On one hand, I don’t want Shen Qingqiu to stick around and die and it would be fun to see him in a plant body, but on the other hand, I do think Luo Binghe deserves some explanation.

And then the whole thing with Shen Qingqiu losing his clothes because of the Little Palace Mistress’ whip and Luo Binghe offering his outer robe, which is funny as hell. Because Luo Binghe is hot for his teacher and then angry that Shen Qingqiu won’t even accept this much from him. And Shen Qingqiu is thinking, “Hey, this is the robe Luo Binghe would offer to his love interests after having sex with him. I can’t possibly put this on??? It’s inappropriate.”

Which leads to Gongyi Xiao assuming that Shen Qingqiu is being physically (yes) and sexually (no) abused by Luo Binghe (no), and breaking Shen Qingqiu out of the Water Prison. Because he’s a good boy!

I definitely chose those scenes pretty randomly, but they’re scenes I liked! I don’t know if I can rank things in a definitive order.

Honorable mention to the stuff in Jin Lan City, which is also all fun. It’s very compelling and disturbing and intriguing. And meeting Master Wu Chen in Jin Lan City, who has lost his legs from like the knee-down due to the plague. When we meet Master Wu Chen again later in the series, when the sects are meeting to discuss what the fuck to do about Tianlang-Jun, Master Wu Chen has prosthetic legs now! That’s cool! After all the action at Maigu Ridge is over, Master Wu Chen (who is the one who helped Su Xiyan) helps take Tianlang-Jun back to Zhao Hua Monastery to help him with his broken plant body! Where’s my Wu Chen / Tianlang-Jun rarepair, huh? They’re at the very least bros.

Anyway, this has been fun! Thanks!

#elaine2895 #ask tossawary #tossawary svsss #tossawary rereads svsss #shen yuan #luo binghe #shang qinghua #gongyi xiao #tianlang jun #zhuzhi lang #sha hualing #wu chen #yue qingyuan #spoilers #character death

[quills-of-freedom]

Pole Position 🏁👯‍♂️

The race to win your attention & affection

Porco Edition 📖

Female Bodied Reader X Porco

I'm going to turn all of these into fics with characters, because well I can and I want to.

Next: Jean (Just for you lovely who requested more Jean <3 )

Upcoming: Reiner, Eren, Levi & any requested.

Based off my headcanons you can read here

CHARACTERS WHO AREN'T PORCO MAY BE OUT OF CHARACTER FOR THIS FIC

Tag list:🐙

@greeniegreengreen @dreamerdeity @XOYOURONLYAMORRXO @koo-detat @5feetofwrath @lilshades @setangel

Also @eddiesbongwater I know you're not on a tag list, but you'll want to read this based on your comment earlier :') <3

Warnings: Erotic dancing. Smut. 18+ only. Alcohol consumption.

My old dancing playlist for the mood 🔥

"ID please."

The gruff-looking bouncer standing out in the warm glow of neon lights looks like he'd had a rough night - his expression not the best pleased nor did it sound like it was going to get any better, as a fight breaks out across the street at another club.

Porco's head swivels to watch the ruckus as his driving licence is being read, three bouncers all diving on the two men who were throwing fists. Seemed a little bit of an overkill - but hey, Porco doesn't know what else they'd seen within the sin that was carved into these streets. Various music from different establishments boomed and pumped, the vibrations travelling through the pavement and into his feet as the bounce nods.

"No trouble. No touching."

Porco enters and waits as his friends get their identification verified. The music coming from the floor upstairs told him that's where all the action was, so he took this time to pull out his phone.

His heart sank a little when he hadn't yet gotten a reply from you; his earlier text enquiring if you were out in town that night.

She's probably asleep. It's 2am after all.

He reasons even if he's slightly intoxicated, shuffling over to the counter to pay for entry once his little posse had gained access.

With a small sigh of defeat, Porco begins to ascend the stairs. He knew the chances of you being out tonight were slim, but he didn't want to take any chances. He made sure he wore his most expensive cologne, his favourite shirt and that his hair was immaculate. Porco got a lot of attention when he was out, but there was only one woman who had stuck the flag of interest into his heart. And his dick.

As the music grew louder with each step, so did his excitement. They did his favourite whisky here and it'll give him a break while his friends go for their dances.

"You gonna get a dance this time, Pock?" Eren sneers, drunkenly putting his arm around his neck.

"Nah, it's not my thing. I'll watch you make a fool of yourself though."

Eren lets out a chuckle. "No different to any other day then, huh Jean?"

"Shut up Eren." Jean rolls his eyes as they climb.

"At least you didn't jizz in your pants like Floch did that time." Connie notes, the group's laughter erupting but then being drowned out as they open the doors and enter the main room.

The group walks up to the bar, being eyed immediately by dancers - it was always better when attractive men came in and boy was this group full of lookers.

"I'll get this one." Porco calls over the music as he flags down the bartender.

Eren turns and leans against the bar his eyes scanning the room that is brimming with gorgeous, half-naked women. "Why couldn't Floch come out, again?"

"He said he had work in the morning." Connie replied, head close to Eren's ear so he could be heard better. "Bullshit me thinks."

"Yeah, probably." Eren nods, catching the eye of a dancer walking by in her kitten heals. "Hey --"

Porco turns around with the tray of drinks to see the group were already at a table with some women. Don't waste any time guys. He thinks, turning back around to the bar tender. "Better add four more shots on here for the ladies."

It wasn't long before Eren, Jean and Connie were gone from the table getting their private dances, leaving Porco alone with his now female escort.

"Sorry, I don't wanna waste your time but I'm not after a dance tonight." He leans into her neck, making himself more audible.

"Oh that's a shame, honey. Isn't there any girl here who takes your fancy?"

"What, do you have a catalogue?" He jokes.

She places her hand on his large arm as she laughs at his dumb joke, professionalism at a high standard.

"Unless you have someone with (your hair colour) and the most beautiful (your eye colour) eyes you've ever seen, then no. Sorry, I don't think there would be."

"I'll see what I can do." She hums, getting to her feet. "Thanks for the drink, sweetie."

Porco nods, bringing his glass to his lips. He's just happy to be alone for a moment, checking his phone once more. Nothing.

"Get a grip." He whispers to himself in annoyance.

His self indulgence didn't last long as Connie comes over, face flushed red and a red lipstick mark on his cheek.

"That was fast." Porco noted.

"Yeah I uh... I was getting a little too wound up."

Porco lets out a laugh, handing Connie a tequila. "Here, that'll help."

"Mention you're military and they go wild." Connie blows out his cheeks, preparing himself for the searing liquid he was about to ingest.

"Hey girl." Your work friend struts over. "There's someone over by the side wall who mentioned he'd like someone who had your hair and eyes. Maybe it's worth going over and see if you can milk him dry - he's being tight with dances."

"Oh?" You frown, curious peering over to the other side of the large, crowded room. Your lips part when you catch a glimpse of Porco in his chair, laughing at Connie who just choked on his shot, spitting it everywhere.

Oh my god.

Reaching inside your purse you check your phone to find three unread texts.

"Hey, we're on leave now a few of us are going out. You out with Mikasa or Sasha tonight?" "We're in Blue bamboo if you are!" "Come ouuuuut."

Your heartrate increases and those beautiful butterflies start fluttering within you. Things have been wonderfully weird with Porco recently, having both been getting closer and spending more alone time away from your friend group.

"How do I look?" You ask, fluffing your hair.

"Gorgeous. Go get him." Your friend smiles as you take a deep breath and begin walking over to your friends in your heals.

Connie is still spluttering when he sees you first. Porco is taking a drink and looking down at his phone when Connie frantically chokes some more, pointing at you and patting Porco's arm.

"What, Nimrod?" Porco laughs, looking at his friend to see if he's still breathing. His gaze follows his pointed finger to you, his jaw slacking.

Error 404 is all that's in his brain as you flash your beautiful smile, taking a seat next to them.

"Hey, sorry I've just now seen your texts." You explain, totally ignoring Connie who is now quietly dying and trying to catch his breath.

"Wh- wha? What are you doing here?" Porco stutters, not knowing how to feel or how to react. An etch of rosy pink was colouring in the bridge of his nose, trying his best to keep his eyes on your head; you were showing a lot of flesh.

"It's great money." You shrug. "Saving for that new car. You know the one I have now is on its way out."

It was true. Only last week you'd called him to pick you up as it had conked out just before the highway. He came to your rescue, gladly.

Without looking at him, Porco starts to give Connie a couple of whacks on his back as he seemed to still be drowning in his alcohol.

"I mean, yeah sure but..."

He doesn't know how to respond. It's not like he has anything against someone working here but... it's you. He doesn't want you around shady people. He's fully aware of the shit some guys give the dancers.

Connie finally catches his breath. Before he can comment, Porco is on his feet and gently pulling you up by your arm.

"What time is your shift over?" He mutters in your ear with a frown.

"Whenever I like."

"Okay, I'm taking you home when you decide to finish up."

"You've been drinking."

"We'll get a cab. There's something I want to talk to you about."

"Hey, y/n!" Connie waves, leaning down to see you past Porco's large form.

"Is it important?" You ask, flickering your gaze to Connie's dumb smile and giving him a little wave.

"It is to me." His frown tugs deeper.

"Then of course." You reply, heart-tugging at how his eyes were pleading at you. "But one last dance... come on, it's on the house."

"Wh-what"

You pull him towards the booths, Connie gawping like an idiot fish out of water.

Porco went along with it after a few moments, thinking you were going to sit him down and prank him or something. There's no way you'd give him a dance. Right?

Right?

You sit him down, closing the curtain over the door way. The music was a little quieter here so it was easier to hear what the other was saying. Or in Porco's case, easier to hear the hammering in his head as you turn to face him in your sexy clothing, your hair done to perfection, flashing him come-to-bed eyes like something from a dirty dream.

Of course, that would explain it. It was just a dream. He'd wake up soon, alone in his apartment.

You begin to sway your hips to the music, Porco gripping the arms of the chair, sinking his fingers pretty deep within the faux leather, his jaw tensing.

A heavier song begins to play and the strobe light begins to flicker, making it look as if you're moving in frames as you throw your hair back to match the new song's rhythm, your back bending elegantly, your long-heeled legs lifting and swinging to the side.

Porco is mentally and physically blown away as he watches your goddess-like form move like liquid smoke to the music, the strobe stopping and suddenly your face was really close to his, your breath blanketing his neck.

"Ah ~" he gasps involuntarily, his chest heaving as you press yourself against him and slide down his body through his splayed legs, giving his shirt a nip with your teeth on the way down.

That pink etch has spread into a full crimson face, trying his damned hardest to tame his stirring beast as you place your head down by his crotch, placing your hand above his groin and sucking your thumb, gorgeous eyes flickering up at his, making it look like you were sucking his fat cock.

The months and years of yearning for you peaked in this moment, his brain unable to rein in control of his now quickly hardening dick, a staggered breath escaping his vocals.

You feel movement under your wrist and forearm as you then stand, turning around and sitting your beautiful ass down on his crotch, grinding your hips up against him, feeling his size as it grows and hardens.

A flush of heat rushes down you knowing Porco was getting hard for your form.

"Sh--it..." He hisses, eyes wide and insane as he watches your movements, hands gluing to your hips.

You stand up and place yourself back near his face. "No touching, Porco. I thought you'd have more self-control...I'm disappointed."

His eyes rapidly search yours, still blown away into the realms of awe.

You reach behind yourself, about to free your perfect breasts, when Porco stops you, leaning forward and putting his face close to yours, his eyes darting from your eyes and lips.

"No... you're coming to my place." He breathes into you, sending heat crashing and rolling over you. "I can't hold back much more..."

"So, how was it?" You both hear a girl exit the booth area as you wrap up your dance.

"Hey, are you uh... you're single right? We should go o-out sometime..." Jean is heard whimpering pathetically, voice breaking as if he were going through awkward puberty all over again.

Your eyes meet with Porco's before you both erupt into laughter.

"Come on, get changed." He orders, getting to his feet.

Porco had waited for you outside in the fresh air as you got dressed and cashed-in.

"So, how much did you make?" He asked as you take his arm, starting your journey to the taxi-rank.

"Well, it's ten for every three minutes in a dance." You explain. "I started at ten, it's now what... 3am? I made 800 in five hours, including tips of course."

"Jesus." A small laugh escapes him. "Are they hiring?"

You laugh at his dumb joke. Not because you were at work, trying to get money from him. But because this is Porco. You cared deeply for him and his dumb little jokes. You were so comfortable around him it was as if you'd known each other all of your lives, when really it'd only been a couple of years.

All it takes is that one special person to pull you from the depths of sin and seduction. Why would you want to seduce others when you have the perfect man waiting for you at home? For money? Each to their own, but you were more than happy to -

Woah. You stop your thoughts. I'm thinking as if we're together. We're not a couple.

"Do you want a drink or anything?" He offers as you step into his apartment, relishing the thick scent of him within the room.

"No, I'm good thanks."

"You'll need one..." he breathes, immediately grabbing the back of your neck and pulling your lips to his. The door had barely closed behind him when he pounced, the sounds of smacking kisses in the air as he pushes your form against the door with his body, pinning you there.

"Porco~!" You gasp in pleasant surprise.

"Your name, I'm crazy about you." He confesses, pulling his head away.

"Is this what you wanted to talk about?"

He nods, eyes lowering back to your lips. "Yeah..."

It takes a second for it all to sink in. You didn't expect him to move so quick.

"D-do you not want... this? M-me?" His voice waivers, devastation awaiting him if you rejected his feelings for you.

You answer him by closing the gap between you, your fingers running through his thick strands. His pleased grunt and furrowed expression enough of a cue to indicate his joy in your answer.

The tip of his nose folds back a little as he kisses you while simultaneously trying to lead you to his bedroom, multi-tasking not being the best skill he has.

He stumbles, tripping over his own feet. A mixture of nerves, excitement and the little bit of alcohol he's had tipped him off balance. With a hiss of annoyance, he scoops you up, bridal style, into his arms, carrying you towards his room.

His cologne pleasantly chokes your senses, your mouth softly kissing his wide, muscular neck as he moves, his eyes now heavy-lidded as he makes haste to his large bed.

Closing the door with his socked foot, he places you down gently on the bed before immediately mounting you, pushing you back with his deep kisses. He laughs softly as his mouth moves to your neck, tickling you slightly and making you giggle. He's just over-joyed you feel the same and he finally gets to have you like this. Sliding your tongue into his mouth, your fingers hastily unbutton his shirt, his solid pecks and abs becoming bare and the sight alone was enough to get you hot and bothered.

His needing hands pawed you wherever they could, hungrily grasping your thighs, your ass, your breasts... anything he could claim, he would touch.

"You're so perfect ~" He sings in whisper, before his teeth nip at your earlobe.

You'd hardly done anything yet and Porco was already a mess at your mercy. His face was flush; his hair sticking at odd and end places, his chest heaving and eyes were already glazed with the predatory gaze of feral lust.

You push his open shirt down over his large arms, his eagerness is apparent as his fingers begin fumbling with his belt to feel free of his constrictions.

You both freeze when the sound of the front door opens with a loud slam; Eren and Jean's laugh loud and booming down the hall.

"Oh shit." Porco spits, hanging his head. "I forgot I said they could crash here tonight."

"It's okay..." You swallow through your heavy breaths, nodding.

"Stay right here..." He instructs softly, leaving a soft kiss on your forehead before he goes to leave.

He then stops at the door, hand on the wall with his head bowed.

"Are you oka-" You begin.

"Yeah." His vocals are pulled tight. "Just... pulling myself together."

Just as those words left his lips, the loud sound of someone puking could be heard.

"That'll do it." He fumes, flying out of the door.

"Who's bright idea was it to give Connie half-pint Springer tequila?!" Jean could be heard from within the bathroom.

"...My bad." Porco grimaces as now the sound of the toilet flushing rung out down the hall.

You frantically begin to smooth down your clothes and clear your throat as you hear footsteps padding towards the bedroom, and you knew Porco was helping Jean with Connie.

Eren appeared in the doorway, his head looking down the hall towards the living room, full arm over his eyes.

"Your name, are you decent? You want some pizza?"

"Get out of my room, Eren!"

You stand, laughing and accepting defeat. "Yeah you can look, doofus."

Wrangling three drunken men while sober was a task in itself; Connie placed on the floor with a blanket over him passed out, and turned onto his side; Porco's unused salad bowl near his head - just in case.

Jean and Eren were on the three-seater and you were snuggled up on the loveseat with Porco, a blanket covering you both as you watched TV and ate pizza with your friends. The lights were out and the various flashing colours from the TV encased the five of you snuggly. Your legs were draped over Porco's and his large palm sat on your thigh, his thumb lazily running in circles on your skin.

"How did you know I was here?" You ask Eren.

"Connie told us... right before he -"

"Right before he projectiled across the entire table, and we got kicked out." Jean finished his sentence. "You shoulda seen it, your name. World record for sure."

"Ah, I feel bad now." Porco mutters.

"It woulda happened either way." Jean waved his hand dismissively without looking away from the glow of the TV.

"Speaking of 'woulda's' sounds like you were a little smitten back there with Roxy, huh?" You tease.

Porco gives your leg a squeeze as a laugh emits from his throat.

"What?!" Jean's face glows within the darkness, contrasting against the screen.

Eren chortled; "Happens every time we go in."

Porco took the time to take in the moment after the movie to drink in his current level of happiness. You'd fallen asleep with your head against his still bare chest, your skin warm and soft. Connie was still away in the realms of debauchery, he hadn't moved since he was placed there, his snores gaining in volume told Porco it was time to go to bed. Eren and Jean were now asleep too, Jean's head hanging back off the couch arm and Eren curled up like a puppy at the other end of the sofa.

With a deep sigh, Porco silently cherished his friends and now, his new girlfriend, picking you up with ease making you stir.

"C'mon sleeping beauty." He whispers. "Let's get you to bed."

He takes the long way around the couch, looping by Jean to push his head up with his foot - he'd have the world's stiffest neck in the morning if he just left him that way.

As he got you into bed, his eyes darted over to his digital clock on his bedside. 5:30am

The sun will be coming up soon.

Stripping his trousers down to his underwear, he climbs into bed with you with a deep sigh. Sure he didn't get to fuck you. But he's just so happy you felt the same. His large arms wrap around your form and he buries his head into the crook of your neck, inhaling your scent.

"mmm..." You hum sleepily, pressing your ass against his crotch and slowly rubbing yourself against him.

"H-hey, you should sleep." He laughs nervously, any and all effects of alcohol now out of his system.

You reply by simply grabbing his hand and sliding it up your dress onto your bare breast.

He chokes on his own saliva for a moment, taking a short intake of breath before coughing.

"I want you, Porco..." You hum into the pillow before turning to face him, your eyes blinking at him beautifully.

"Yeah?" His eyebrow arches, planting a kiss onto your mouth. "You... want me to make you feel good, huh?"

You nod, his mouth still glued to yours, only removing to speak. His hand glides up your thigh and to your panties, warm hand placing itself onto your covered bloom, his palm now slowly rubbing it with trembling movements.

His mouth moves down to your neck. "mmm... let me... make you feel... good, baby..."

He pulls your dress up and over your head, his brow becoming more sewn together as he takes in your near-naked form.

"Porco, make me yours..." You plead still fired up from your frictions earlier.

"Oh, I will..." He smirks, tearing the cloth down your legs. "Besides, you're already mine now, anyway."

Still laying on your sides he grips the underside of your thigh, lifting up your leg as he snakes down the bed, his tongue lapping the length of your slit.

"Ah ~!" Your eyes clasp shut as he begins to sensually and slowly make out with your sex, your toes curling as he groans into you.

"W-we'll have to s-stay quiet...~" You remind him.

Porco didn't care, of course. Fuck his friends waking up. He had you and he was going to ruin you.

Your claws grip his hair as he pinpoints your clitoris, fiery jolts of electricity shooting through your entirety as he relentlessly invades it with his warm, textured tongue. Your hips jerk a little while he leaves your thigh suspended in the air, his fingers now sliding inside of you with a beautiful fullness.

You hum, you gasp, you sing with whispers as he works you, finally having Porco Galliard feeling beyond wonderful as he curves his fingers and hooking into you, pulling on your sweet spot.

You wonder with awe where he'd learned all this - you knew him well enough now to know he didn't get much action. Not that he couldn't, the ladies loved him. He just for whatever reason, chose not too. You'd figured he was one of those who didn't really chase anyone until he had built up feelings for them.

You'd seen him once on a date with some woman not long after you first met, but nothing seemed to have come of that.

Little did you know, Porco fell for you at first sight and he couldn't carry the guilt of continuing something with someone else while he was simmering into a boil for you - not having anyone since.

Porco tears himself away, his balls swollen from the accidental teasing early, on top of the purposeful lap dance you'd given him. His dick throbbed and was weeping, crying to be pushed snuggly into you as he pushes you by your ass so you were lying now on your other side.

Taken by surprise at his assertiveness, you figured he was beyond the realm of his shyness by how fired up he was feeling as he circled his head at your entrance. His fingertips dig into your ass cheeks as he pushes himself inside of you, the resistance of your tight insides making him groan and hiss, his hips immediately beginning to pound into you.

Your voice is lost and your eyes roll as his fat fullness pushes its way eagerly deep within your core, his erratic panting like music to your ears.

"N'ah ~ ah... N'uh..." he wimpers. "You feel so good, your name... ah, ah, ah..."

He pulls out to pull your leg open so he's now in between your splayed legs, and not just behind your gorgeous rump. Without a word he grabs your hips and returns to his thrusts, pulling you down by your waist like you were his sex doll, your tits bouncing beautifully with each hard pound.

You could scarcely describe the pleasure that was flowing through you, your insides flexing and tensing with glee as you watch his gorgeous, sculpted form work you, his abs rolling and the tops of his cheeks etched blood red. His muscular broad shoulders roll and flex with each pull of your body, his expression of amazement and awe not once leaving his face.

He's spoilt for choice as he now throws you firmly yet carefully around on to your front, the slick sounds of your soaked and puffy lips echoing throughout the room as he nestles back into you, his lips caressing the back of your neck in between his heavy breaths and whimpers.

"Your name... shit, ah..."

"Porco, I'm getting close." You inform him, your hands gripping the sheets for dear life as you feel the building wave beneath you, rolling higher with each push of his delicious cock.

He whimpers loudly at the news, picking up the pace and grabbing handfuls of anything he could from this position, mainly your hips and ass.

You gasp as he exits you, once again pulling you around onto your back, his hasted movements and trembling arms placing your legs over his shoulders, dipping himself back within you, this time much deeper than before.

You cry out as he grazes your cervix, the patterns of your internal spasms becoming more erratic as you near your end - the golden feeling of it going to be huge as it just keeps building from beneath the surface.

"I want you to look at me when you come undone." He smirks, face flushed red and his lids heavy. "Look at me while I take you into heaven, baby."

All you can do is nod as he keeps dipping himself deeply within, the feeling so full, it was almost like he was in your throat too.

"I'm close ~ N'ahw..." His pitch heightens and his eyes plead at you.

You orgasm so hard, your vision is black as you turn deaf, blind and dumb, swirling weightless in the void, your entire body tingling and sheer pleasured euphoria bombards and assaults your body from every angle, Porco crying out loudly from somewhere beyond your veil of dark fog, circling the drain of insanity as your nails sink harshly into his arms. Your back arches, still not back within your body as your silent scream is deafening, legs trembling at Porco's mercy. The orgasm begins to leave after what feels like a short eternity, your vision returning as Porco's thick, hot mess is still erupting into you, his high pitched whines almost pathetic in the sexiest way possible, his grip on you certainly going to leave marks as he tumbles down his own rabbit hole of pure, undiluted bliss.

He wheezes and pants as he falls down onto you, his sloppy and desperate kisses covering your lips, cheek and neck.

"Ah ~ shit... your name... that was..."

He'd not had sex since he'd met you and if he had to wait all that time again for another orgasm that powerful, he sure fucking would - his eyes watering and flushed face rubbing into your neck.

"Ah ~ god I love you..." He whines.

He'd filled you up so full, it was already beginning to leak with his thick, goopy seed even though he was still plugged up within you.

"I love you too, baby..." Your voice is barely audible, your empty stare into the ceiling evident that your brain was still suffering from its short circuit.

"Oh Porco, I'm sorry..." You then whisper, noticing the nail marks in his skin.

"What? Oh... don't worry about it." He pants, the biggest, dumbest grin spreading across his face. "War wounds, huh?"

"Shut up." You laugh, playfully hitting your love.

#porco smut #porco x reader #porco x y/n #porco imagines #porco x you #snk porco #attack on titan porco

[captaindarkiplier]

I am both confused and curious , depending on the endings ,do you see engineer and darkiplier become a couple sort of ? Or is it complicated ? Since engineer is either actor or the true engineer guy

That's a really good question. And I'm glad to answer it early on rather than later, because I've actually thought about Darkhenge being read that way ahaha, and it's not exactly my intention, but I'll get deeper into that because it's more nuanced

Short answer:

I'd be fine if people see it as anything, honestly. My AU isn't fleshed out to the point where it's entirely removed from the source, and the nature of the source is... you can project onto it! Canon Captain and Head Engineer are depicted as a friendship, but people can easily ship them if they want to. So that's how I feel about my AU as well- except it's much different in genre of ""romance"" or ""friendship"" LOL (due to Dark HATING Mark- But that's the catch- this isn't the "same" Mark!)

Long answer:

I'll get into exactly what I think Darkhenge to be. First, before getting into it: The AU name Darkhenge is structured as a ship name, but I don't really ship within the binary of romantic nor platonic, it is just a duo/pairing system to me pretty much. ISWM is a story that goes heavy on the platonic emotions, and tends to be unconventional/bizarre in ways, in the storytelling, characters, etc. Such bizarre things as killing your friend or having your friend try to kill you or seeing your friend as hundreds of different people. It's fun. I think I held onto that aspect more than a concept of a standard relationship. I guess I happen to be unconventional in my tastes.

Now, I will dig into Darkhenge as I conceptualize it. It's kind of making me nervous to finally put an official description of it out O__O" alongside my art of it! I've talked about it a lot privately but never spilled the beans on what it IS...? (a little excited)

Dark is put into a compromising situation, though not like he isn't used to that, and he has to fend to secure his position of power. So, it is fortunate that he's a Captain with Mark as a self-sacrificial subordinate. That's Dark's comfort zone, to have control. But, (to have (Actor) Mark as his friend,) it's not his normal. But for us, The Viewer, it is. So that creates a dichotomy internally that Darkiplier has to account for. ... Darkiplier doesn't typically share the emotions that The Viewer does, and if he did, I think he has a fair chance of it not getting in his way, since he's always repressing conflicting emotions anyways. But that depends. If Darkiplier "wins the game" like I explained in my previous post... He witnesses the story of ISWM. This might not influence him- as explained! Why would it? But there is some more weight to the experience for him, regardless. It's something he would think about for at least a moment, maybe yet another thing that weighs him down forever, even if it doesn't subtract from everything he has going on canonically. (The whole revenge and hate thing) ... So finally, the weight in question: Head Engineer, in my AU, is Actor Mark, but not exactly- his character is modified in this story specifically, just like how The Viewer/Darkiplier is modified to have fused for the duration of ISWM in my AU, and then would split after they finally resolve the paradox; so everything canonical still applies in the overarching universe & stories. Head Engineer is an Actor Mark who, unlike the other Marks, hasn't just deluded himself into "believing the story he acts out..." or wanting something in the House... -- he's literally a different Mark. That's how it was written canonically, and I'm reading it this way for fun: He's Actor Mark, but an AU version. I know Actor Mark transcends the AU logic like Warfstache, but before Mark was an Actor he was Mark- and that's the idea. Maybe you get it, maybe you don't... so here's a list:

Damien and Mark were good friends, until Mark was taken by his ego and the influence of the House.

The Viewer and Mark have a deep friendship.

The Captain and Head Engineer are on good grounds to have a close friendship as well, thanks to whatever circumstances of their respective characters preceded the story of ISWM.

Darkiplier hates Actor Mark, and his hate is hinged entirely upon what Actor Mark did in WKM, via influence of the House.

The Head Engineer is Actor Mark, except before he would do any of that in WKM.

The Head Engineer is Actor Mark before he became Actor Mark, so just Mark- except an AU version: he's evidently a space engineer instead, with a humbled ego and no awakened desire to act. Yes, Head Engineer does have a smaller ego than Mark had, I imagine Mark was a bit egotistical and theatric even as a kid. Head Engineer is Mark if he turned out different. "I could've been an engineer..." haha And this can be circumstantial or "genetic" - but I like to think it's mostly circumstantial, because I still see the other Marks' traits (including Actor) in Head Engineer's character, especially with how carried away Head Engineer can get about the warp core. It's the same phenomenon of the house. And I know that's just the House, but I like to think that there's a theme shared between Actor and Engie that they're both the type to get carried away with a creative vision or incentive of investigation and revenge... (Kind of like Abe and Dark, which is why I see that it can be just the House's global influence) ... It's a hc of mine that I find enriching to the AU Engie's character.

So, to Dark, other than any potential heartstrings it could tug on his very dead and perhaps nonexistent heart, this is a surprisingly uncomfortable situation. But The Viewer makes it more tolerable by eventually resolving the situation, regardless of how much Dark might have wanted to fight those routes, or how many mistakes each of them made to get bad endings. If the Captain and Head Engineer never made up, the story would likely never end- because, well, we tried every other route, and it didn't really end there... So, The Viewer is essential. Mending the friendship is essential. If Dark has any heartstrings pulled, it's probably Damien's... but I think this Dark is rather muddy in his "original" identity by now (plus the addition of the D/A as The Viewer... Damien isn't even getting the chance to talk to the D/A in headspace, I feel like ISWM feels super fast for them all, barely conscious), so it'd be vague and buried. I like the hc that Dark and Warfstache both forget, but Dark remembers a bit more, and he's sentimental, but very reserved about it and would only stop repressing it only around people he trusted. That's a complicated thing, and I think ISWM is not about resolving Dark, but is about resolving the story and nothing else. But you could argue otherwise if you wanted to. Maybe part of him could have been happy.

A silly analogy would be taking a criminal to a class meant for teaching toddlers to play nice, and not letting them argue with the teaching, just teaching them the lesson until they submit and actually succeed to be nice. Then the criminal is let free from the class to do whatever he wants, again. The memory of it might be uncomfortable... or maybe irrelevant, because it could be happening all the time! Maybe this isn't Darkiplier's first rodeo in the multiverse, nor the last. ... I like to think that he explores, since everyone technically can within the illusory world in the House/Mansion. Stuck but free all the same.

Ah... I like to think how ironic it would be if Darkiplier had to go to this universe & possess this body of all possibilities just to get the warp core... It's funny.

The most important aspects of the dynamic to me is the duality of comedy and horror/tragedy, and the anomalous third act is the profound sappiness in the original media that would not at all fit Actor and Dark's dynamic- it's the contrast and impossibility that I love about the situation.

If I had to romanticize them, I think it could be done nonromantically, for the record. I, myself, am not traditional with the genre of romance. I guess I fit into the grey area, and that influences how I think of Darkhenge, as well. I also think the word "romantic" doesn't necessarily have to mean dating, since you can romanticize pretty much anything in life. And I think this AU is a pretty good example of how I can romanticize things! A lot of fiction is a kind of romanticization, but the romanticization doesn't usually indicate what you would feel about it if it happened in real life. So yeah, I think I do a lot of that... A lot of media I read can have villains or dark themes that I will play around with conceptually, knowing that if they were real, I'd hate them. Lol.

I like love stories that go like this. I mentioned Madoka briefly before, and that's honestly my top inspiration to even my own surprise because it nails the nuance perfectly- it's commended as a great Yuri but it's not actually a Yuri, it's just written so well around those two characters that it can be commended as a great story with Yuri characters/undertones in it.

So yes, I like stories like this, and they tend to be best written as love stories... but they don't necessarily have to be love stories. They can just be tragedies... but I think love is an important element when writing about the bigness of life. Whatever form that love might take. So whether it's platonic, romantic, or neither, is none of my concern nor consideration, because it's about something more nuanced, bigger... Everything and nothing is taken into account at once, if that makes sense.

Even some of my Darkhenge art ideas (that haven't yet come to fruition) seem a bit romantic, it's just a grey area. I think I am in love with the AU itself, and that's why... I hope it makes sense why I am in love with it- if not, I'll just keep trying to show why...!!!! ( •̀ ᄇ• ́)ﻭ✧

Well, I think I have explained it properly...? Feel free to ask more questions, though. I'm a little sleepy while typing all of this, so I could have missed something.

For the record! If someone shipped my AU characters romantically, I would likely be fine with their headcanons/interpretation, but I encourage them to ask about boundaries if they plan to post about it.

Thank you so much for the question!!! I'm glad someone thought to ask it. :)

#asks #so hard to put the raw feelings into words!! #I'll probably yap about these same things numerous times until I get a good “angle” on what I mean #Drawing DH art is just as difficult with precision but sometimes expresses it more vividly #Multiple pictures- multiple facets- a gallery like a timeline of events or memories #I'm sure the same could be done in writing via poetry or fiction but I'm not experienced #darkhenge #text

[be-the-glenn-to-my-maggie]

First of all, no worries lol. It's taken me literal months to respond to people sometimes, and not for any good reason so I'd say you're fine.

Anyways, with that out of the way let me just say I find that interesting. Kiri, to me, has always come off as someone who attaches herself to one place. In my experience, there's a difference between being able to adapt/connect anywhere you go and truly being a traveler at heart, and Kiri strikes me as the former. She yearns to dig deeper into her knowledge and connections regarding her home and thrives on the familiarity of the people, plants, and animals around her whereas I feel like Lo'ak needs to travel, needs to get out from under his father and brother's shadows. To just exist and be himself, find himself and his place without all of the history surrounding his birthplace. That's not to say I think Kiri doesn't like experiencing new things, I just see her as a very nostalgic and sentimental person who finds peace in the plants and animals and people she's known her whole life.

Ikr! I don't know why I haven't seen a single fic about it yet, but rest assured I have a doc opened rn (I feel like my wip list is just getting longer and longer dude). Little fun fact about me: I took horseback riding lessons for a good 5.5 years and so I'll be leaning heavily on those experiences for how Spider approaches his own riding experiences as a human (with obvious differences). There's something to be said for the feeling of a creature so much more powerful than yourself under you, having to be conscious of its every move, every action---the flick of its ears, the position of its head, etc.---- without being able to know for sure it's true thoughts or emotions but trusting it anyways that brings you closer to it in a way I can't explain, even with the ones you don't get along with. And I want that for Spider, I want him to embrace his humanity in this.

He doesn't end up in Awa'atlu at first for the ilu racing one, no. I've got a good idea what I want from this fic in the beginning, but what happens after he escapes is something I'm still pondering. I know for a fact I wouldn't want this to be a story where he stumbles upon Awa'atlu, though, if I end up writing it. I'm thinking maybe he ends up back at that one village and goes from there?

And I figured I'd tell you about another fic I'm working on as we speak because I'd love your thoughts: a world where Paz actually died back on Earth, but per a contract she signed giving away her memories (which she logged regularly) she was revived in an avatar body and put in the newest program. In this program, males and females are paired together to have children (for less than wholesome reasons). A big part of this is Paz being haunted by her experiences on Earth and not wanting to be a mother because of it, and she struggles to come to terms with it over the course of her pregnancy and the early days after Spider is born, along with being in this alien body that doesn't feel like hers. I think that by the time she's gotten pregnant with the 2nd child (they're going for a boy and girl per pairing) and is coming out of her numb fog, she's begun to truly think about the horrific future that awaits Spider and her unborn baby (spurred on by the threat of killing it if it's not a girl) and ends up plotting their escape and running away. Throughout the story thus far she's bonded with the other women in the program and comes to learn about motherhood and what it means to her, and when she escapes she takes the others with her and they make their own little family before eventually running into the Omaticaya and slowly becoming friendly. I'm playing around with timelines and stuff because I think it'd be interesting to compare her and Neytiri's and Grace's experiences with motherhood, which would be so interesting to write about (Grace doesn't die until later in this world, don't wanna give away the death I'm leaning towards though). I'm taking inspiration from the poetry book 40 Weeks and more, and I love the concept but am still working out the kinks. Thoughts? Still very much in the early phases.

Also, I saw you briefly mention my memory-loss idea and I'd like to say that that brought me literal physical pain. Why, you may ask? Well because my one and only doc of the draft I was merrily working on (around 10+ pages of gorgeous notes/early rough-draft work, which for me is astounding since I tend to just ball) was deleted??? And I don't know the fuck how???? 1000 emotional damage points.

And I'm so happy to hear you've taken inspiration from fmdttpt's world! Your idea sounds so fun!

~ CherryApollo

Haha, thank you, and I'm sorry I've done it again. I've been so busy with my new job that I am swamped all the time, lol. I'm bad at responding anyway but my job is making it even worse.

BUT ANYWAYS. I love your interpretations of the characters, I just love when people think of or experience characters differently but in a way that still fits to me. For Kiri, I've just always seen her feeling at home anywhere that Eywa is, and wanting to experience every part of her. Every way she can feel her or be expressed, explore different plants and animals and nature and study and be a part of it the way her mom would've wanted to. And I just think Lo'ak gets bored easily lol.

I looove the horse comparison, it's shocking no one has written this fic yet! You have a ton going but it's okay because I'm excited for all of them. Humans are experts at taming and riding shit, why can't he, especially something as intelligent as an ikran.

Hmm, okay, the village makes sense. They would be able to tell Tonowari and therefore the Sully's real fucking fast through, so it would be kinda similar to him finding Awa'atlu. You coullllld have him escape in the forest and find the Sully's missing? I've always wanted one of those fics.

That's a really interesting idea! I personally don't care much for Paz as a character, or stories about her, but that is a very cool idea and I'd definitely check it out to see where it goes.

NO NO YOUR MEMORY LOSS FIC IS ONE I'VE BEEN SO EXCITED ABOUT, THAT'S THE SADDEST THING I'VE EVER HEARD. Google doc man, I only use google docs.

And thank u for being chill with me getting inspired by/using it! I'm trying to catch up on all my asks today (answer but not post, I schedule those), so hopefully I'll be faster to answer you next time! I'm excited to hear how your works are going!

#i swear the asks are coming i'm catching up and i'm scheduling them i promise #kiri sully #miles spider socorro #lo'ak sully #spider socorro #spider sully #paz socorro #grace augustine #tonowari #ronal #avatar #avatar the way of water #james cameron avatar #melissa's asks #melissa on avatar (cameron)

[wilanserulia]

I love making OCs, but as I keep refining the design of my newest one I feel the struggle of giving good representation to all of them.

Some of them I haven't drawn in forever, while some are new and need more art to express themselves. Some are old favorites of mine who I'll draw every now and then, and some used to be favorites of mine but I haven't had new material for them in forever. Some were fun to design but they were used in short adventures and I never explored them too much. Some I used to like but I look at today and feel they'd be in need of a re-design. And some were conceptualized for adventures that haven't yet took off the ground, and maybe never will. I'm ashamed to say there's even some others I sometimes forget about.

I've decided to compile a short list, more or less in chronological order. Most of them are from DnD games or other TTRPG settings ranging from Fantasy, Cyberpunk and even Steampunk, but I'm including my two FFXIV characters in here as well as honorary OCs because of how much I've written about them.

Sorcerer of draconic descent, whose family has been killed in the Crusade's effort to close a gigantic planar rift over the Abyss, leading him to swear vengeance against demonkind.

A veteran traveling paladin, who despite his old age still puts himself in harm's way for what's right.

A swashbuckling adventurer, whose tongue is as sharp as his sword. Second-born to a rich family of bankers, he left home to pursue a selfish desire of indipendence.

Born from an accomplished barbarian king and his spellcasting trophy wife, the young McLut is slowly being overcome by a creeping sense of inadequacy as over the years he keeps failing to live up to his family's legacy.

Warrior of Light and hero of the people, Wilan slowly buckles under the ever-increasing weight of the responsabilities that come with his many titles, despite having become an adventurer over a decade prior simply moved by a simple desire of seeing the world.

Refugee from a colony of the totalitarian empire of Garlemald, Delen is slowly trying to rebuild her life in the free realm of Eorzea, where she would forge meaningful connections and, once she's come out enough of her shell, embrace the adventurer's lifestyle.

A half-elf girl who, in spite of a harsh childhood of domestic abuses and a delinquent adolescence, has managed to grow up into a cheerful, optimistic young woman thanks to the positive influence of her found family.

First-born daughter of an old aristocratic family and latest bearer of a family curse, Jane dedicated her life to academic studies and became an accomplished archaeologist. The only thing preventing the curse from taking effect is an old pact with a devil, the same devil who whispers in her ear to temp her into accepting more power.

A once successful arcanotech engineer, Roy's life fell apart after a tragic accident led to the death of his very young daughter and, subsequently, losing his job and divorcing his wife. Suffering from depression, he's adopted an unhealthy, self-destructive lifestyle both as a way to feel something and to put himself through punishment.

Hailing from a remote archipelago in the middle of the ocean to the east, Chiyu is an elf who is training in a temple that curiously fuses martial arts with percussion music. Chiyu took a sabbatical decade away from her training because she wants to experience more of the world before she's 100 years old.

Known as "Don Raskar", he's a militaristic cleric stripped of his rank and relocated to a different region of the world for abusing his authority. Determined to rise the ranks again, Raskar is not shy to throw the weight of his social status around to get what he needs.

A nomad barbarian of the robot-infested wastelands. Being born too close to a planar rift made her into a tiefling, granting her an appearance resembling a balor and command over electricity. Despite being one of the many freaks of the region, she's nonetheless an accomplished mercenary and capable fighter.

Heir to a prominent family in the airship industry, Julian has witnessed his father's empire being ripped apart by competing families following his early death. He appropriated one of the airships, the Luminaria, and fled the city to live outside the law as a sky pirate.

Despite being a naturally creative and imaginative girl, Hoshiko has put aside anything she considers too childish to meet the many, many expectations placed on her and dedicated herself to the academic study of magic. That is, until a botched familiar summoning ritual conjured forth an otherwordly magical cat, who is bound to bring chaos into her life and maybe help her reconnect with her more genuine self in the process.

#OC #dnd character #DND OC #pathfinder character #pathfinder OC #TTRPG character #TTRPG OC #ffxiv character #FFXIV OC

[aclearing]

short mun introduction. hellooo i'm tan (they/them, gmt +10) and jihyung here is my only muse so far! if u would like to plot, please give this post a like and i'll msg you 🫶

short muse introduction. chu jihyung, 30, asst. manager at hanhwa resort (🍅💥). moved here 3-4 months ago from a stone's throw away over at jeju city, but he isn't entirely new to the place as this is his dad's hometown and he spent his summer/winter breaks here almost yearly until he graduated high school. i've got jihyung's profile here, bulletpoint bio here, and something of a moodboard here 8)

possible plots. fellow hanhwa staff!!!, childhood friends, family friends, distant cousins, and so on he's always out and about town so i'm sure we'll figure something out <3

prompt answers are under the cut!

SET A

list your muse's three favorite songs.

big fan of ballads commonly belted out at the noraebang: same thought by shin hye sung, rainy season by jung in, song request by lee so ra ft. suga

describe your muse's wardrobe.

at work: cotton dress shirt, slacks, and a coat, all pristinely-ironed. appearance is always crisp and absolutely neatㅡa product of rigorous standards from tenure at a five-star international hotel chain + michelin star resto

off work: likes his fabrics soft and comfortable, fitting lean (because he's broad enough as it stands) but not too form-hugging. no sense of color-matching so he gravitates towards black and white staples. been watching men's fashion tiktoks though so maybe there's hope for him yet? victim of the gene that makes guys like flashy sports shoes

what is a color, word, and emoji that you feel describes your muse?

chestnut (#954535). sturdy. 🏠.

three strong likes and dislikes for your muse.

likes: effort, sincerity, compassion / dislikes: insolence/thoughtlessness to the detriment of others, passing the blame/not taking accountability, malicious gossipmongering

three positive and negative traits for your muse.

positive: reliable, decisive, earnest / negative: workaholic, critical, strict

three talents and shortcomings for your muse.

talents: able to connect with people easily, remembers details about people (not necessarily just in his line of work! more of a personal trait that he just gets to capitalize), and not to sound like a cv but his sense of composure/patience/alertness under pressure is otherwordly

shortcomings: too focused on work pls breathe! live a little!, tries to give too much of himself to too many things at once, makes other people's business/problems his own even if they don't ask/need/want him to

a relevant goal or arch for your character to overcome.

personally: jihyung's spent most of his life putting his younger siblings and his mother first—as archetypal a third parent as they come TW / DEATH especially after his father passed away END TW so now that the baby sibs are All Grown Up and mom's found a new life companion in the form of hotshot dentist bf (aka jihyung doesn't have to worry about them (as much) anymore), he's slowly acclimating to the concept of living for himself! and working on not feeling like such an empty nester at 30 years young

professionally: make the most of his new opportunity/position @ hanhwa and learn as much as he can about front-of-house operations. as someone newly in a managerial role he'd also just! like to able to use his position of leadership/authority to cultivate a good working environment and hopefully make a positive impact where he's at. call him naive but he's really kind of set on making that happen

SET B

when did your muse first arrive in yuseong bay?

the literal answer would be when he was about six months old! his parents had settled down in jeju city (mom's hometown) but yuseong is where his dad grew up and where his paternal grandparents lived. dad brought him over as soon as he was deemed ok to travel as a baby so his paternal grandparents could see him

as mentioned previously he also spent nearly every summer/winter break in town alongside his siblings, so he was in yuseong quite a lot growing up!

more recently though he'd moved here as a bonafide resident just last year, early december, following his employment to hanhwa resort (🍅💥). staff housing was offered but his grandparents' house was just accumulating dust TW / DEATH now that both of them had passed END TW so he took it up instead. jihyung has a lot of fond memories there.

what does an average day look like for your muse?

starts his day reaaaallyyy early and is one of those people who are just unironically kind of cool with being up at 4am. unabashed abt his obsession with reaching his daily step goal so he starts the day by jogging/walking; delegates about an hour for it (plus around 20 mins for the assorted chitchat and small talk he's sure to encounter on the way). should be back at home by 5:30am to prepare for work, and by 6:30am he's out the door.

work day starts at 8am officially but he'll be doing his rounds beginning 7am, inspecting the cleanliness/condition/readiness of the facilities + checking in with the staff. he's very hands-on and present; has a bit of a rep for being very strict/eagle-eyed but if people have concerns they wouldn't hesitate to approach him. keeps his office door open for that very purpose but you wouldn't even need to go to his office to ask because he's always on the floor helping out with operations. leaves most of the mtgs with corporate/"highly important" shareholder emails to the big boss general manager but he's always being told that he'll have to learn to tolerate the corporate formalities if he intends to 📈 move up 📈 in the industry

his strength and background is primarily in dining service/food and beverage operations so he's trying to expose himself more in rooms/other recreational outlets to be well-rounded! does have general experience from working at the marriott resort in jeju city but he's a lot closer to it here in hanhwa now sooo there's a lot for him to pick up and learn. divides his workday accordingly. it's challenging but he enjoys it.

(since he starts his workday early he clocks out right on the dot for that quote unquote work-life balance)

after work: most often catches a meal and/or a drink with other hanhwa staff/old friends from childhood/new acquaintances ever since he moved. even if he's having dinner alone he'd rather dine outside than at home. ends the day by checking/replying to the fam/siblings group chat or falling asleep to the tv/music/a podcast

where can your muse usually be found?

boring but true answer's the resort 🚶‍♂️ outside of it, he jogs by the coast and residential areas almost every morning + spends dinnertime at the local food spots or by the coast. does his errands during weekends so he'll be in town to pay for his bills or at lemon martes for his weekly groceries

how does your muse feel about hanhwa resort?

having been raised in a family whose main fare heavily relied on touristification (mom and dad were hotel chefs and were able to make a stable living because of the industry), ngl he comes from a bit of a biased background/perspective. he knows it's about the corporate bottomline at the end of the day but he sort of just dulls the buzz at the back of his head (what one might call a conscience) by thinking there's good that comes from it, too. he's met a lot of good people here. it's not perfect but realistically speaking not much else is

in that vein he tries his best to be people-oriented in terms of the culture they're building here and "give back" to some capacity, i.e. actually respecting and encouraging work-life balance, hiring more island/town locals instead of shipping in folks from other cities, partnering with and sourcing from local businesses, etc

is there an aspiration for your muse to stay in or leave yuseong bay?

he's got more motivations to stay, focal among them his career growth. it's his first managerial role and he's got a good mentor here so even though it's an island property, he knows it's got a good place in his future/the big picture. also heavily swayed by the convenience/comforts/nostalgia of living in town. he's what u would call a simple guy with zero frills so everything's just right for him, and he'd loved all the parts of his childhood that he'd spent here, so for the time being, he's intends to stay.

#yshqs:intro #( absurdly late SORRY i wanted to make the prompt answers short like. SO BAD. there was an internal struggle. however the yapper won #( ANYWHOOO pretty pls let's write <3

[salamanderinspace]

10 Best Ship Pairings in the New Pokemon Game

Here's ten pairings of named NPCs in Pokemon Scarlet / Violet, with some prompts and headcanons on what might make a good story for each! This post is rated M (but like, a softer, milder M) and will have some minor spoilers. No one is being shipped with a pokemon and there are no adult/minor relationships on this list (I think? It's hard to know some peoples' ages.)

Eri / Carmen - These two are obviously very close. Carmen is the only one who can talk Eri down and yet is also willing to put her body inbetween danger and her leader. It's adorable! They seem to be in the 16-18 range but I can see them getting married and running a business together and raising a whole family of baby Riolu. It might not be all sunshine and rainbows though--they do have a fraught backstory which would be interesting to explore.

Arven / Katy - They share a real passion for food! Katy appears to be a couple years older, which is fine, because Arven clearly needs a bit of mothering to be his best self. With Mabostiff in their supporting cast, these two cooking anime protags could share a fluffy romance that would be a delight to read about.

Raifort / Saguaro - He gets pegged. Ok, I'll expand on that. These are, like Barbie and Ken, two people who are so gender conforming that they tumble right over the bar into queer camp. Saguaro talks about struggling with the performativity of his masculinity, and I can see him wanting to experiment with a (incredibly gorgeous) strong woman like Raifort. She's very in control of her classroom, isn't she? Now, the way people act outside the bedroom is not necessarily indicative of the way they act in intimate moments. However, consider: he gets pegged. Argument made.

Geeta / Nemona - Big "notice me sempai" vibes between these two. Nemona is clearly at the end of her education, probably around 17-18 years old, and Geeta's face and frame puts her in her twenties--though her butch confidence and sharp fashion sense maybe makes her seem older. At any rate, the tension is there! A real power couple.

Mela / Iono - A crack ship in that they don't interact in canon, however, these two would be absolutely perfect for each other. Mela's snarky attitude would interact perfectly with Iono's cheerful personna and SPARK. They share off-the wall fashion styles and high energy combat styles, each prefering to be in charge of their own little realm. The fights would be epic. The make-ups would sizzle.

Clavell / Rika - I know what you're thinking. "Rika is clearly a butch lesbian." You are correct. This isn't about attraction and it certainly isn't about love or romance. It's about two people in positions of authority who clearly enjoy power and structure. It's about mind games and taking on different roles. It's dark and it's cruel and no one needs to know (except me. I need to know everything.)

Tulip / Dendra - Dendra lost a bet and now has to do whatever Tulip wants. This is classic fanfic trope territory. Please, I beg you.

Penny / Cassiopeia - Without getting too much into story spoilers, there is potential for something intricate and dark in this pairing, a sort of psychological exploration. Penny is always on her own and she needs someone who understands her. She can be nervous where Cassiopeia is decisive. And they have a lot in common. There's potential for love, hate, angst, and maybe even peace. Someday.

Hassel / Brassius - Two high drama art-gays who get overly emotional about EVERYTHING. If you haven't been through all the classes yet, I suggest doing so--these two have a passionate friendship and are practically proclaiming love in the scene they share. They inspire and aggravate each other. It's beautiful.

Jacq / Grusha - They don't have a ton in common except for being around the same age, being successful, and being underexplored in the story. I suspect Jacq is the one who gives you the Shiny Charm (not there yet, but I'm guessing) and I can see Grusha being interested in that. And I like the snowy aesthetic. If I was writing it, it'd be set at Christmas. <3

#pokemon scarvi #pokemon sv #pokemon scarlet violet #eri x carmen #arven #nemona #headcanons #prompts #meta

[aromanticbuck]

Moustead + “it’s not that i don’t like my life, it’s that i don’t have the energy to enjoy it.”

this is kinda sorta post-white knuckles but reading that first is not necessary

Jay kept his eyes on his phone when he felt the bed shift beside him, especially when he felt the warm body so close to his. The was a privilege, being allowed so close, feeling that presence in his space. He didn't want to do anything that might startle it away, not after it took so long to earn. Besides, he was in the middle of reading an email, an automated notice about an opening in another unit - it wasn't that far from Mouse's apartment (their apartment, he had to remind himself even two months in), and it would mean finally getting out of a patrol uniform again. He could only stand to pick up shifts for so long without a direction to move in.

"Why did I decide to go back to school again?"

With a small smile, he turned off the screen and glanced down at his boyfriend, trying not to give in to the urge to shake his head. The idea was one that had been brought up their first weekend, one of the many things on the list of what ifs that they had to consider. Mouse had gotten lucky, picking up a few courses at the local community college just before registration for the term closed. Hours before, if they were being completely honest. The timing worked out well for the chaos that had put them on that path at all, and they were both grateful for it. Or he'd thought that, before the first week of classes actually started.

"You can't possibly be ready to give up again yet. It's day four."

"No, I know, I just..." Shaking his head, Mouse sighed and looked up at him from where he was lounging in the pillows. He looked tired, that much was sure, but not any more than he did when they were working with Intelligence. And this was supposed to be better than that. "I forgot how much it takes out of me, you know? I have to go to campus, and sit in a lecture, and then go to a lab and work with a partner. Can't you be my lab partner? You don't drain my social battery."

Jay let out a chuckled and shifted so that he could lay down, too, putting them at eye level. They didn't really need the blankets, not when they had each other to keep warm, and it wasn't like they were really going to sleep any time soon. "Is that what this is about? You don't like your life choices because they make you tired?"

"It's not that I don't like my life, it's that I don't have the energy to enjoy it." Instead of pulling away to make up for their change in position, Mouse got closer, resting his head on Jay's chest until they could both feel the steady thrum of a heartbeat there. It was calming, grounding, a reminder of where they were instead of where they used to be. "I'm too tired to even suggest sex. Me. But if we do, I'll be even more tired when I have to go to class in the morning, and you have a patrol shift tomorrow, and who does that help? No. Let's just turn on a movie or something and call it an early night."

Letting out a satisfied sigh, Jay moved so that he could wrap an arm around the now perfectly placed shoulders, gently hugging his boyfriend closer to him. "That sounds perfect. What were you thinking of turning on?"

"Scream?"

"Mouse..."

"It's a good movie. Besides, you love Scream. You've watched the entire franchise three times."

"Because you made me watch the entire franchise three times."

It was supposed to be a complaint, an aired frustration, but he couldn't even force it. It came out too light, too easy, too fond. He was too full of love and warmth to even be annoyed. Because Jay liked his life, too, and he wouldn't trade it for anything.

[ dialogue prompts ]

#answered #kit tag #kitthekazoo #jay halstead #mouse gerwitz #greg gerwitz #greg mouse gerwitz #moustead #cpd #chicago pd #one chicago #fanfic #alex writes things #405 wip #me? writing a white knuckles sequel a year and a half later? yes #4x05 fix it fic my beloved

[imaginethreehouses]

Hi 👋 just read that Hubert poly ask and it was so cute, lover it❤️ (adore that grumpy affection starved mage)

Do you mind writing something similar with poly Ferdinand/Hubert/gn!healer!reader? Maybe white mage reader trying to keep boys on a battlefield alive?

Hey Anon, I'm so happy you liked that post 🥺🥺 I really do love Hubert so I'm always worried I might not do him justice. I really love to think that he's really insecure about himself when it comes to his appeareance and mannerisms. I think he likes being the way he is, but is aware that he's not the kind of romantic partner that people tend to consider ideal when there are guys like Ferdinand or Jeritza around that look like they were pulled straight out of a fairytale. Like I said in the other post, I think Hubert could see himself as able to compete against Jeritza since the guy will greet potential partners with "hi, i'd like to have you kill me, or perhaps i'll be the one to kill you" LMAO, but when it comes to Ferdinand? He's grown into such a dashing man during the timeskip, I think Hubert would think that he has nothing to offer to a partner that Ferdinand can't offer tenfold. It's easy to imagine him as feeling that you and Ferdinand would probably be better off without him, so it would take a bit of work to show him that it's not the case.

❤ Poly relationship with Ferdinand and Hubert:

Even though you were supposed to serve the entire strike force, you always ended up as your two guys' personal healer. Why? Because they were the two most likely to be reckless on the battlefield.

Ferdinand was no longer so caught up in surpassing Edelgard, or in living up to the ideal of a perfect noble, but that did not mean his spirit had dwindled one bit. If anything, his flame seemed to burn even brighter now, especially when you and Hubert were on the battlefield. To protect the two of you, he would take on a thousand enemies, a hundred times over if neccessary. And a hundred times over, you would have to rush to his aid, before that battle turned out to be one battle too many for the corageous young man.

And Hubert? You didn't often have to aid him on the battlefield, but rather, after. It was always an effort to get him to admit that he had gone far over his limits once more, and an even bigger effort to get him to actually stay put and get some rest.

It was hard to blame him, though. He had so much to compensate for. His lack of a crest, the weakness of his body... heck, even when it came to his area of expertise, he lacked the natural talent that others like Linhardt possessed.

And now that much to his dismay he had agreed to try his hand at romance, of all things, the list only grew longer still. His demeanor, his appeareance, and the fact that his heart and soul were already devouted to a certain Emperor and her war efforts.

In this context, he felt that he had to burn himself a hundred times over to hold up a candle to Ferdinand von Aegir.

You often wondered how the two of you could have possibly convinced Hubert to agree to an arrangement like this. Each day, at the beginning, you both though he would walk out of it. But each day, he proved you wrong.

Having something other than his devotion to Edelgard take a central position in his life was a new and strange feeling to Hubert, but something inside of him clung to it even as he himself tried to reject it. He was human, after all. He did want his own life to live.

Thankfully, the two paths he walked were conveniently laid besides each other. You and Ferdinand were loyal servants of the Empire. Ensuring your safety and furthering Edelgard's ambitions were two tasks that could be dealt with in one fell swoop.

Or so he thought, until it came a moment where inevitably, he had to choose who he would fight alongside on your thoughest offensive yet. He chose Edelgard, of course, and that battle was easily won. But his heart nearly stopped beating when he learned Ferdinand had barely survived his own fight.

When he saw the two of you, he could barely face you. To make matters worse, keeping Ferdinand alive long enough to get more help had taken a heavy toll on you, too. He learned that day, in the harshest way possible, that the two of you did need him by your side.

It was, in fact, the same time the two of you saw Hubert cry. You saw that he had brought a gift for each of you—a bouquet of flowers and a teddy bear, even though it remained unclear which one was intended for each, since he never actually gave them to you.

He just felt so stupid. Ferdinand gestured for him to come closer and held his hand, then smiled. You put a hand on the sorcerer's shoulder as well, and another on his forearm.

"This is war, Hubert." Ferdinand told him, with his voice not hinting at any sort of resentment, or anger. "We chose this. It is not your fault."

But, was it? For a moment, Hubert's mind went back to the days you shared at the academy, and wondered what your lives would be like if Edelgard had never started this war.

Had there truly been no other way? How long until the two of you would eventually be sacrificed in its flames?

It was a brief thought, but it shook him to his very core. Never, in his life, had he doubted Edelgard before, not even for a fleeting moment such as this. It scared him. It terrified him, that he was even capable of having those thoughts.

So he left, leaving the gifts on a nightstand. You and Ferdinand looked at each other. Dealing with Hubert wasn't easy, but neither of you were willing to trade him for anything in the world.

#hubert x reader #hubert x you #hubert von vestra x reader #hubert von vestra #ferdinand von aegir #ferdinand von aegir x reader #ferdinand x reader #fe3h x reader #fe3h scenarios

[mccall-muffin]

Love vs. Hate - Part 6 // Joe Liebgott x OC

Previous Part Summary: Technical Sergeant Olivia Stark knows the military. Raised in a military family, a graduate of military school and OCS herself, she is transferring from the 82nd Airborne Division to the 101st. Between new friends and what appear to be foes, she becomes a part of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th PIR.

Warnings: Language, Drinking, Shots, a little violence

A/N: Already number 6... And of course, hoping that you still enjoy it ;) xx

Here is my Masterlist

Tag List: @brassknucklespeirs

February 26, 1943 - Fort Benning, GA After another drill in which Captain Sobel screwed up, I walk the campgrounds with Don, Skip, and Penk. We are told that we will be transferred to Camp Mackall that afternoon. Suddenly, however, I see a familiar face. "You've got to be kidding me," I shout, and the man looks up and then starts grinning big. "For fuck's sake, I didn't think I'd see you again so soon, Harry, or should I say, Lieutenant Welsh," I call out and run up to him before giving him a big hug. "Wow, it's good to see you, Kiddo," he returns and lifts me briefly before putting me back down.

Don, Skip, and Penk stand behind us, confused. "What are you doing here?" I ask Harry, and he grins. "I was transferred here. 101st Airborne Division, 2nd Battalion..." "If you say Easy Company now, I'll scream," I say excitedly, and Harry covers his ears before I yelp in delight and give him another hug. "Oh my god! I'm so excited!" I let go of Harry again. "You're going to love it. Except for our CO. He's... special and not particularly capable, but we'll work it out somehow." "What do you mean not capable?" "He gets all nervous in field exercises and can't read a map."

I take a glance behind me. "Oh, by the way, these are Privates Donald Malarkey, Warren Muck, and Alex Penkala," I introduce my friends, taking a step forward. "Guys, this is Lieutenant Harry Welsh. He's from the 82nd and is with us now." "Sir," the three of them say, and Harry nods. "Do you know which platoon yet?" I then ask, but Harry shakes his head. "No, not yet, but I should meet with the XO now." "Ah, Winters... In there," I say, pointing to a barracks. "Could be you're taking over Lt. Nixon's platoon. He's been promoted to intelligence officer." "We'll see about that, kid," Harry says, then walks away before waving at me again.

I turn to the guys, who all look at me questioningly. "What?" Don raises his eyebrows. "I told you guys about the soldier who was always nice to me, right?" I ask, and the three nod. "Well, that was Harry. He and I were in the same company in the 82nd until they transferred me and sent him to OCS." "Well then. A friend of yours is a friend of ours," Skip grins.

A little later, we get ready to board the train. They are moving us to Camp Mackall. I'm just throwing my bag on the wagon and heading back to Don and the others when Joe Toye waves me over. "Hey Liv... Do you know where we're going yet?" he asks, shaking my head in amusement. "You know full well that even if I did, which is highly unlikely, I wouldn't be allowed to tell you, right?" I kneel down with him, Shifty, Cobb, and Popeye. "Spoilsport," Joe grins, and I smile at him. "I don't think even the officers know where we're going. Except maybe Nixon, but that's his job."

"I hear you know our new guy. Welsh?" asks Cobb then, and I nod. "What's he like?" "As far as I know, he's got what it takes. Better than you know who." "That's not hard, is it, Blondie?" asks Cobb, and I look at him with raised eyebrows. The relationship between him and me is strained. Very different from Liebgott because I have no positive feelings left for Roy Cobb. He's just a dick. "Shut up, Cobb," Joe now interjects. "Ah, you gotta admit, he's got no chance. Either the Krauts will get him or one of us," Cobb says as Liebgott joins us. "Who, Sobel?" I nod.

"He screwed up one maneuver," Shifty says, and I look at him gently. Good-natured, naive Shifty. "Oh, Shifty... You always want to see the good in everyone, don't you?" I ask, and he looks at me. "Ah, you know, I'm always fumbling with grenades. It would be easy if one went off by accident, you know," Liebgott says, and I look at him briefly.

"Well, now, they must have put him in charge for a reason." "Yeah, cos the Army wouldn't make a mistake, right, Shift?" We're all silent for a moment, and I spot Lipton next to us, who must have heard everything. "Very well," I say and stand up. "I'll see you guys later."

June 23, 1943 - Camp Mackall, North Carolina We have been at Camp Mackall for several months now. Here we have been doing more field exercises, and it is becoming increasingly clear that Sobel is incompetent and will probably get us all killed. At this moment, I'm lying next to Don in a ditch. "Petty. Map. Come on," Sobel calls to Petty. The latter gives me and Don a brief annoyed look. "Oh, Christ." "What is that idiot doing?" I hiss to Don, who shrugs. "2nd platoon, move out," Winters informs us, and I look up in shock. "What?" Muck also asks, confused. "Tactical column," Winters says, and we do as he says. We have to. "Fuck," I grumble and follow the others out of the ditch.

It doesn't take long, and the enemy team in front of us emerges from the bushes. "Dammit," Don grumbles next to me. "Captain, you've just been killed, along with 95% of your company. Your outfit?" asks one of the observing officers. "Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th," Sobel says, and you can tell he's not too happy either. "Leave three wounded men on the ground and report back to the assembly area." "Goddamn it. You, you, you," Sobel says, pointing to three soldiers.

Together, we make our way back. "Jesus, it would be so easy," I whisper to Don, raising my gun ever so slightly. Of course, I know it's not loaded, but it's all about the gesture. Don begins to chuckle beside me. "This man will be the death of us; I'll tell you that," Skip then interjects. "Well, a little birdie told me he probably won't last long if we really jump into action then," I say, and they both look at me. "Better him than us," Don says, and we nod.

September 6, 1943 - Brooklyn Naval Shipyard, NY "Okay 2nd Platoon, listen up," Roush calls to us, and we line up in formation. "We still need certain inoculations for embarkation and seasickness pills. Sergeant Stark, make sure your people have all reported in and everything is orderly," he demands, and I nod. "Yes, sir." He presses a handful of identification cards into my hand. "The medical IDs. They'll have to be carried on one after this. See that the men fill out their medical information, Sergeant." I nod, and he steps down.

"Okay, listen up, guys. Squad leaders on me and get the IDs for your men. You're responsible for ensuring your men are vaccinated when we board this ship, understand?" They nod, and then Lip, Bill, and Chuck come to me. I hand them the identification cards. "Have the men wear these on them. I assume this is a security precaution." The three nod and go to their squads. "Private Bain, Corporal Roe, you're with me." The medic and radioman approach me. "Here." I hand them their IDs. "You'll need to turn these in when you're vaccinated and then wear them on you, okay?" They both nod, and I look briefly at Bill, who nods to me, signaling that we are ready.

Together, we walk toward the rooms where they are administering the vaccinations. Slightly nervous, I sit in the chair and knead my hands. "Are you okay, Olivia?" Gene asks me, and I look at him. "Yeah, why? What should be?" "You seem nervous." "Well... I wouldn't say I like shots, to be honest. Never have." Gene smirks. "Didn't think so now." I shrug my head, then smile at him. "Don't worry; it's just Typhoid, Smallpox, and Tetanus. It's not that bad." "Oh yeah, my last tetanus shot made my arm hurt like ass for a week," I laugh, and Gene shakes his head.

When I'm called on, I look to Gene again. "Wish me luck," I grin at him, and he shakes his head again. I am led into another room where several curtains are hung to shield the soldiers. I continue to knead my hands and then take a deep breath. You can do this, Liv; you're going to war; a little needle isn't going to be a problem.

"Is someone afraid of needles?" I hear a voice and turn around. Liebgott looks at me mockingly. He is also waiting for his injection. I squeeze my eyes shut but say nothing. "What, lost your tongue, Stark?" I turn back to him. "Can't you just let it go for once, Liebgott?" I ask, and he shrugs. "Sergeant Stark?" I am then called. I walk up to the nurse, who eyes me curiously. "Watch out, Stark, if she misses, your arm will fall off," Liebgott calls after me. "Shut up, Liebgott!"

September 10, 1943 - The Samaria - Somewhere on the Atlantic We have been on the stinking ship for four days now—about 5000 soldiers. We are crammed together, and it is just hot. There are not many places of space for yourself other than your own assigned bunk or, if you are lucky, on deck. Most nights, there aren't a lot of soldiers upstairs, so I often get up there and spend a few quiet minutes. Otherwise, if you want to stretch your legs, you have to fight through the men's scramble, which I try to avoid as much as possible. The constant shouts and catcalls are getting on my nerves.

This evening I lie comfortably in my bunk and smoke a cigarette. In the other hand, I have a book that Web has lent me. Finally, Don and Muck return and lie down in their bunks, where Don immediately opens a magazine. "Where have you been?" I ask, and he looks at me for a moment. "Oh, on deck. I needed some fresh air." "Understandable." Discussions keep coming up among the men that we're being shipped to Europe, not the Pacific, as we are now. "Hey, guys, I'm glad I'm going to Europe. Hitler gets one of these right across the windpipe; Roosevelt changes Thanksgiving to Joe Toye Day and pays me ten grand a year for the rest of my fucking life," Toye says, holding up a knife. Above us, Smokey speaks up. "What if we don't get to Europe? What if they send us to North Africa?" "My brother's in North Africa; he says it's hot," Bill now says, lying in the bunk in front of me. "Really? It's hot in Africa?" asks Don sarcastically, and I nudge him.

"Shut up. Point is, it don't matter where we go. Once we get into combat, the only person you can trust is yourself and the fella next to you," Bill continues. "Hey, long as he's a paratrooper," Toye says. "Oh, yeah? What if that paratrooper turns out to be Sobel?" now George, who is climbing into his bunk, interjects. "If I'm next to Sobel in combat, I'm moving on down the line. Hook up with some other officer, like Heyliger or Winters," Pat, who is lying above me, now joins in. I smile at their discussions. In the end, everything will probably be different than we imagine anyway. "I like Winters, he's a good man, but when the bullets start flying, I don't know if I want a Quaker doing my fighting for me," Bill says again, and I sit up. "How do you know he's a Quaker?" I ask. "He ain't Catholic." "So what?" "Neither's Sobel," Don now says, and I look at him angrily because he just contradicted my statement.

"That prick's a son of Abraham," Bill continues, and I sit up. "Are you serious?" "He's what?" now Liebgott, sitting across from us in an upper bunk, interjects. "He's a Jew." Great, now it's over. I rub my hand over my face. Liebgott's gaze briefly meets mine before he tosses his smoke to the floor and jumps off his bunk. "Oh, fuck. I'm a Jew." "Congratulations. Get your nose outta my face," Bill says, pushing Liebgott away from him, which he doesn't put up with, and lunges. Some men are quickly on the spot and try to separate the two. Of course, I can't help trying to push myself between them. "Are you fucking serious?! You're fighting over Sobel?! Fuck! How stupid can you be?" I shout and push Bill in one direction and Liebgott in another, but they ignore me.

Suddenly I feel a sharp pain on my nose. I stagger backward and immediately grab it. Blood streams down my fingers, and tears shoot into my eyes. "Fuck, Liv!", I hear someone shout, and then I feel Don next to me. "See! That's what you get! Fucking idiots!", Don shouts angrily, and I can only see Bill and Liebgott looking at me in shock. "Shit, sorry Liv!" I hear Bill say. One of them must have caught me.

"Hey Liv, let me see," I hear Gene's voice. He and Don lead me to an empty bunk where I sit down, and Gene examines my nose. "It's not broken, so that's something," he says as he gently puts his fingers to my nose. Then he takes a handkerchief and holds it out to me. "Idiots," Don mutters next to me. "There's probably going to be a bruise, Liv. He got you real good. And you're going to have to change your OD's. They're pretty fucked up," Gene then says, pointing down. I also look down for a moment; all my OD's are full of blood stains. "Great," I grumble. Next to us I can hear the others discussing. "Come on; I'll take you; I have to go that way anyway," Gene says, and I give Don's arm a quick squeeze.

Gene and I make our way upstairs when suddenly Winters and Harry are standing in front of us. "Jesus Christ, Liv, what happened to you?" asks Harry immediately. "Just a little accident, Harry. It's all right," I say, smiling at him. "Doc?" now Winters asks, addressing Gene. "Two of the men got into an altercation and Liv got in the middle of it. An elbow hit her nose, sir, but it's not broken." "I just need new OD's, sir," I now say and Winters nods. "Okay, I'll let Sergeant Roberts know. Wait here a minute," Winters says and disappears. "Who was involved?" asks Harry then. "Guarnere and Liebgott," Roe says, and Harry gives me a knowing look. "Figures... Are you okay, Liv?" I nod. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just waiting for it to stop bleeding." Then Winters comes back with Supply Sergeant Roberts and presses a new top into my hand. "Clean yourself up and any further incidents will be reported to me immediately," says Winters. "Yes, sir," I say nodding to Gene and Harry.

In the restrooms, I change briefly. My nose is still bleeding slightly, but it's not that bad anymore, but there is already a nasty bruise forming beside my nose. Then I go up on the deck and sit against the railing on the floor. It's already fresh, but I don't care right now. I can't go back below just yet.

When my nose finally stopped bleeding, I put the rag next to me, cross my arms, and stretch out my legs. I close my eyes and lean my head against the railing. Suddenly, I notice someone standing next to me. When I look up, I am surprised that it is Liebgott. "How's your nose?" he asks. "It's been better if I'm honest," I return. He takes a deep breath. "May I?" he asks, and I nod as he sits down next to me. "I'm sorry." "What?" "I'm sorry I hit you. That... I didn't mean to." Now I realize that, in that case, it was Liebgott who did it. "You were standing there and my elbow... Well, as I said, I'm sorry."

He lights a smoke and holds it out to me before lighting one for himself. "It's all right. It was an accident." Liebgott bites his lips and looks down at his legs. "It's just... Guarnere's comment was totally out of line." I nod. "I know. I agree with you." "Really?" "Yeah. I mean, why does it matter where someone is from or what their religion is? At the end of the day, we're all here for the same reason, right?" Liebgott says nothing, and we sit there smoking our cigarettes for a moment. Then Liebgott rummages in his pocket and holds out a bottle to me. "Here, as an apology." I take it. "Okay, wow. Where did you get that?" "That's my secret," he says, taking out another beer bottle. We open it and cheer the bottles together.

Silently, we drink our bottles. The stars shine above us, and you can hear the water lapping beside us. I don't think the two of us have been together so long without arguing. I keep catching myself giving Liebgott little glances, but always careful that he doesn't see me.

"Ah, there you are!" Don comes up to us, grinning. "I was beginning to think you'd jumped ship." "Sorry to disappoint you, Malarkey. You're still stuck with me for a bit." As he comes closer and spots our beers, he falters. "Are you fucking serious? You have beers, and you don't say anything!" "Sorry, but this is my apology gift," I say, taking another sip. "Cut the crap and hand over the bottle, Stark," Don laughs and sits in front of us. I hand it to him, and he takes a sip. "Oh, this is just great." He hands the bottle back to me. "Your nose looks like shit, by the way." "Thanks for the flowers, Don. I know... Liebgott did a great job." "Hey, I said I was sorry, okay?!" "Don't get your panties in a bunch Liebgott; it was just a joke. Even though the bruises on my face would deny that."

#Band of Brothers #I'm still going strong #Joe Liebgott x OC #Joe Liebgott #Ross McCall #bob #bobedit #hbowar #hbo series #Fanfiction #Part 6 #love the gif #he's just too hot

[madame-ellunas-moonlit-readings]

SVSSS - Vol. 1 - Chapter 1 - Scum

Part 1

So I reached the first break line and wow, this MC is really something.

After reading up to the bit Shen Yuan where first faints after his transmigration, and I gotta say......his poker face? Legendary. His nigh instant adaptiveness? Amazing. His ability to subtly, quickly and easily settle his mind? Absolutely envious. Stellar acting skills and memory too.

Really makes me curious about his background. How he spent his life on Earth. I mean, I know he's the youngest son and second youngest child of a wealthy family, but surely it takes more than that.

I'll admit I prefer the donghua opening to this one. The bitchiness just makes it. But this one is good too. I have to agree with Shen Yuan (SY) on the harem aspect, I wonder what happened to all those women. Makes you curious about the other plot holes and red herrings he mentioned.

As for the upset over cultivators still eating and sleeping, I'm going to put it down to hedonism and the preservation of ones humanity and sanity. I mean, can you imagine a life without dreams or chocolate‽ Is it possible? Yes. Do I really need them? No. Am I going to stop anytime soon? Not a chance in hell.

It's interesting how they made Luo Binghe (LBH) a little bit crooked even before he meets the main villain, the first Shen Qinqqiu (OG!SQQ). It means the man doesn't have full blame for what became of the child. A lot of it, maybe even most of it, but not all of it. Now Shen Yuan as Shen Qingqiu (SY!SQQ) gets to deal with the ramifications of that.

I love how SY has a game plan for a potential transmigration. Now there's a fan for you. 😁 Interesting how it says SY suffered a high fever that made him sleep a while. I could swear I heard it was a qi deviation.

That System siren sounds awful. 100 police car sirens and a herd of divine beasts. Ouch. 😬 Poor man. Good luck with the OOC function. Guess that memory of his will be put to good use.

And Yue Qingyuan (YQY) seems to be a bit of an abuse enabler. A sweetie to SQQ, but a leader who's both knowingly and willingly allowing a child of his sect to be abused by a member of authority. I don't know if I like him yet. We'll see.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The rest of the chapter (3 more parts) is under the keep reading link because 4 parts made for a long post 😅

Part 2

I love SY just internally squeeing at LBH despite how terrified the poor man is. Fanboy much? Such fancy compliments, if only Binghe could hear them.

The comparison of OG!SQQ to a courtyard-complex concubine is interesting. I wonder if he feels trapped. He's certainly bitter. And fearful for his position since the medicine excuse worked. How curious. It'll be fun to see where the story takes that character.

SY's thought process is funny. So dramatic. 😂 And at the same time as admiring LBH he's quietly analysing the situation and characters. Not to mention digging up the System's loopholes. He's quite the multitasker. Sharp minded.

Both LBH and Ming Fan are just there in the background going 'wtf is going on here, what happened to shizun'. If only they knew.

Part 3

"Shen Qingqiu was an easygoing person" No honey, you're a 'fuck it, so be it' person. Seriously though, adopting that name as his own already. So adaptable. I know I said it earlier, but this part really does show how well he assesses and breaks down a situation before setting up a clear game plan. He's definitely intelligent.

It'll be fun when he unfreezes the OOC function. Especially since others are already noticing his odd behaviour as it is. Not only was there Binghe and Ming Fan earlier, now his other disciples are looking at him with "wavering faces".

I know he said it was for self-defence, and he listed some very good reasons, but there is no way him wanting to try out is sword nigh immediately after an extensive cramming session wasn't him being a big child getting excited over a cool fantasy weapon. Boys and their toys, really. He went for the sharp leaves pretty quickly too. The leaves show his genuine love for worldbuilding too. Guy saw the MC woo ladies with a cool spell and went 'cool, what else can it do?'. Scared the shit out of himself with both too. 🤣

Ngl, it's hilarious watching him compare LBH to the side characters. Looks at Binghe, 'wow, what a mind, what a heart, such enlightenment, so bright I can barely look at him', looks at Ning Yingying (NYY), 'so young, so silly, little EQ, little IQ, so sweet but so slow', looks at Ming Fan and crew, 'very dumb, dumb and dumber, too pampered, headed for ruin, rip children'. Then there's his view of OG!SQQ. A creepy, old, lecherous hypocrite worthy of castration. A terrible authority who likes beating up young boys and trying to assault Ning Ying Ying. Best of luck Shen Yuan. That's you now.

His take on NYYs behaviour with LBH is curious. I wonder how much of it comes from his little sister, from PIDW or from webnovel tropes in general. I'm guessing it's mainly his sister from how he went into how little girls want a something of their crush's to feel special. There's also LBH's short responses towards her.

And PIDW, wow. I'm kinda curious how the author kept the story going for 200+ years. There's an achievement right there. Not to mention binging that brick in just 20 days. That's what? 10 years worth of story per day? And he still remembers these details? Even if they're a little suppressed at first that's impressive. I wonder what happened in those 200 years for SY to be so focussed on the fake jade pendant, sad origin story aside. LBH must have found it eventually for the frame of reference to exist.

It's kinda fun seeing him speak all fanficy, lingo wise. It's not something you usually see in a novel. He definitely reads fanfics. If he's not read any PIDW fics yet it's only because he died before he could get to it. You can't convince me otherwise. Don't even bother.

I am noticing the distance he's putting between himself and the story. Like when he watched the fight scene from the novels and treated it like peeking into the filming of a screenplay. He still seems fairly focussed on LBH though. And his expected behaviour being to abuse children. Compartmentalisation? If so that's interesting. That's a habit more common in those with anxiety, trauma and the like. So unless the transmigration is the trauma, that says something.

LBH has started noticing him back. First the medicine, now he's caught onto the bloody leaves.

Swapping one green treasure for another.

Part 4

Poor Shen Yuan. He's got his first beginner mission. No more laying about for him. At least he'll be able to shrug off the OOC restriction soon.

It is nice that SY has been able to relax and recuperate thanks to the Sect Leader's (in my opinion, overbearing) doting, and that SY is taking comfort in all the brotherly love. Unfortunate that he still can't see YQY as a person rather than a character. The man straight up got called a mission giving NPC. So the emotional distancing is definitely still there. Wonder how long that'll hold. It's fair enough though, it would be a difficult transition.

Ming Fan is surprisingly capable too, if he has some level of control of all the Peak's runnings. Guess he wasn't just given a good rank because OG!SQQ liked his bullying tactics. Pity he's a dumbass when LBH's around, or worse, when Ning Yingying's around. Guess he's at his 'dumb for girl' teen stage. Well, everyone gets a free dumb teen pass. Not for bullying, but considering the authority in charge isn't just ignoring or encouraging the behaviour, but straight up instigating, he at least gets a little leeway.

The random practicality that comes with the living part of living in a fantasy world is funny. Poor SY doesn't get to play with the flying part of his sword just yet. The System snarking back at Shen Yuan using Harry Potter and flying brooms as an example just makes that scene. And him asking if the System was involved with that story too. I love it.

I'll have to go look for some HP/SVSSS crossover fanfics later.

The worldbuilding that comes with that practicality is right up my alley. Love worldbuilding. Love adding feigned realism to utterly unrealistic fantastical stories. Love seeing the organisational systems of our main groups. Love seeing the interactions and impact of story elements on the world.

This part gives us why people don't fly anywhere, how and when the disciples of Cang Qiong Mountain Sect get their swords. Which showed us the practicality of passing down swords vs each member getting a fancy new one. That must save so much money. And a more developed if crude, Harry Potter-esque explanation on how and why the sword choosing works. Did anyone else read that 'the sword chooses the disciple' bit in Ollivander's voice?

We also got the idea of how the Sect travels with carriages and horses, their influence in the world, and their wealth. We're peeking into the wider world now too. If they're the top, who's under them? The trip to the city will show us more of the common world. And the new demon, the Skinner, that even Shen Yuan doesn't know anything of, will give us a good glimpse of what the cultivators are up against and what they consider training-wheels level.

This brings up five points, a look into OG!SQQ, behaviour on Qing Jing Peak involving LBH, the Skinner demon, Shen Yuan himself and the System as part of the world. I'll start with OG!SQQ.

This trip showed us what was normal for that man, or in Shen Yuan's words, the 'original flavour'. Several tea-sets, a jade chess set that goes everywhere despite it's rare use, any and all manner of comforts that shocks even a self-admitted wealthy second gen kid. Could just be me, but this guy reeks of a bourgeoisie. Not just the technical definition but the cultural one. The sort that gets rich after a poor or mundane life and overcompensates so hard they make a complete ass of themselves to everyone in what they think is a normal or acceptable display of newfound wealth and power.

Then there's the Skinner demon. We've not seen much of this one yet so I don't know much, but it is freaky. And also curious. 9 deaths thus far via a brutal method where the skin is removed from a body so cleanly it would make a surgeon jealous. Which is what got me curious. Do you think a Skinner demon could focus that skill on smaller selected parts for surgery? Like skin grafting or removing it out of the way for organ surgery. Especially if it can put it back just as cleanly. What a gruesome case for our sheltered MC to start with.

Next there's what counts as usual and acceptable behaviour on Qing Jing Peak under OG!SQQ's command. The disciples treat extreme abuse of Binghe as an expected everyday behaviour. No wonder PIDWs LBH was so vicious. When Shen Yuan found a natural way to put an end to it the ringleaders nonsense, he thought it was an encouragement of their behaviour. Which he then added onto later, moving from taunting to abuse, kicking up dirt into him and terrorising him. We also saw Ning Yingying felt perfectly safe and confident to call SQQ out on his bullshit to his face. LBH also showed us the effects of it, like his blanking face when waiting for more abuse from SQQ. The trauma is strong with this one. Followed by everyone's shock when LBH got a free pass onto the carriage.

Which leads us to Shen Yuan. He is sneaky smart. He was probably sassing the System because he's a ball of sass, but he was paying very close attention to how it worked, what he could and couldn't get away with. He did so well he even had well enough idea of it's weak points to flat out defeat it in an argument and get his way. It sulked later, that -5 points was pure pettiness on its part, but what a job well done. As sassy and critical as he is (poor NYY, may you never hear his thoughts), he's also such a fanboy! If only LBH could hear him, compliments everywhere and any excuse to see or help him.

My guy, you are not just scared of him.

Nor is Binghe for that matter. Such pretty and effusive descriptions of his good-looking Shizun. And the little heart prickle at Shizun's laughter and smile. Awwwww, so cute. You don't know what that feeling is yet but you will.

Lastly, there's the System and its place in the world. Thanks to SYs efforts we're getting an idea of its priorities and how it interacts with the world. He's even managed to get more information out of it. So now we know that the world isn't just the polished (published) version of PIDW, but also the notes, stories and whatnot that didn't make the cut. Having to experience all of it sounds ominous. The System also gave him mission information via files. At first I thought they were computer files but SY said they were all over his desk. Were they scrolls? Manilla files? I'm picturing manilla files. It'd be funny if so.

It's a very scary, knowledgeable and controlling existence with surprising humanity in its communication style. I swear it felt more rote-like earlier. Is it adapting to SY!SQQ?

In Conclusion

So in short, I am loving the worldbuilding, the characters and I find the System fascinating.

I think the MC, Shen Yuan, is intelligent, sassy and very adaptable, though is hiding being one hell of a mental block. Luo Binghe is in various stages of shock and is only in for more, The other disciples are also floundering at signs of what will be the new normal. Ning Yingying is very confident and bold, even in the face of her supposed abuser, though the story says that's naivety.

The System is spooky scary but also fun and interesting. It's also petty but that may or may not be part of what I suspect is it adapting to its user, Shen Yuan, partially through mirroring.

I'm also looking forward to how much this deviates from Shen Yuan's PIDW since the System said he would also see the unpolished, unpublished bits. I mean, I know Binghe becomes a hardcore monogamist for Shen Yuan, but outside of that.

#madame ellunas moonlit readings #svsss #mxtx #vol. 1 #ch. 1 #reactions #read along #Scum Villain Self Saving System

[childofaura]

How do you feel about Sam Riegel and Eden Riegel? (I don’t know if it’s possible to do two but I hope it’s alright for the VA Review)

I'm willing to do both of them at the same time, it's not often there's siblings in the voice acting industry. The other ones I know off the top of my head are Brian, Paul, and Michael Dobson (No relation to the infamous Dobson). And I only know Michael and Paul from the Bionicle movies.

So Eden and Sam Riegel are brother and sister, and both are in FEH. Sam plays Stahl, Donnel, and Raigh, and outside of FEH is known as the second (And better, in my opinion) voice of Teddy in Persona 4. Eden plays Genny, Nah (my daughter in law), Sumia, and fills in for the female voice of F!Kana (though for some reason FEH lists her as Claudia Lenz); Not yet in FEH but still in the FE universe, she plays Fleche, whereas outside of it, she's well known for playing Devola and Popola in the Nier series, and Marie in Persona Golden.

Let's start with Sam.

Performance-wise, Sam does a great job as all three characters, and REALLY shines with Donnel's accent. Raigh, from what I can hear of (because I never actually used Raigh and sadly I can't find his voice clips on Youtube, so I'm going off what I remember) comes off as a little more angsty than his brother Lugh, a bit... I wouldn't say surly, but definitely has the tone of a preteen dragging his feet. Stahl, I feel SO BAD for saying this, but Stahl doesn't stand out as much in the Awakening cast, but that's not his fault! He's literally the most normal and balanced of all the characters while everyone else is just overly quirky (but written well at least), so his voice for Stahl is very mild and welcoming. He sounds like the only Shepherd you could sit and comfortably talk to without getting into hijinks, so I'll note that as a positive for Stahl's character. Donnel is... Donnel, the choice for the heavy western accent was so perfect for his character and really adds flavor to the acting. Can't say there's an unsatisfying performance from any of his characters, it's just a damn shame that none of them have gotten alts yet.

I think he fits everyone too, especially because his Raigh sounds VERY close to Michael Johnston's Lugh, which works since they're twins.

I think Sam's got great range! Stahl and Donnel, coming from the same game, are drastically different from each other even if you can hear his voice in them.

For Sam, I'd put him at a 9.999999/10. Just give his character some damn alts so we can hear some updated acting!

Now for Eden:

I think it's interesting to note that in FEH, both Nah and Sumia are not listed with any actor despite it clearly being Eden, while Genny and Kana are both listed under a pseudonym, Claudia Lenz. I don't know if this is another Stanbra case where people assumed it's Eden but let's treat those roles like they're hers for now. Performance-wise, I adore Eden's roles for Nah and Sumia, two of my favorite female characters from Awakening, as well as doing a great job for Genny, and I think she filled in well for Danielle Judovits in Kana's case (being that most of Kana's voice clips were just recycled from one of the Corrin voice choices, and actually Danielle's voice was the one I chose for my Corrin avatar with the flat-chested form). Nah's shrill little dragon shrieks are always fun to listen to, and Sumia sounds just like a Disney princess with how light and hopeful her voice is. Genny is quiet and reserved, and I think it's cute how Kana pronounces "Papa", especially when she talks about missing Corrin and not crying.

I think Eden was a perfect fit for all of these characters, especially Nah, Sumia, and Kana.

Range is... I think it's pretty good, but I don't know if some people would disagree with me or not. It's pretty clear that Nah and Sumia are the same actor, but I think that Kana and Genny sound pretty different from them as well.

So overall, I'd realistically give Eden an 8/10, though she's a 9/10 in my book personally.

TL;DR: The Riegel siblings get a W in my book.

#Fire Emblem Heroes #FEH #ask game #Sam Riegel #Eden Riegel #It's really a shame that Sam hasn't gotten any alts to voice for his characters yet #And It's really weird that Eden decided to be uncredited/go under a pseudonym in her case #I mean that's her choice though so I'm not trying to be mean

[septembersghost]

It's so funny that when tayjoe were together swifties(not you sweetie😘😘) were literally sh*tting on harry and made fun of him for writing 'I love you'(which was sweet af) and looking sad at bbmas. And when tayjoe broke up they were calling him YB(🤢)and making poor man jokes. Yet after m*** h**** happened they are literally begging for both of them lol. And the amount of people I have seen who are predicting a haylor reunion is insane. I always thought no one took their relationship as anything beyond a fling yet even people in reddit(biggest anti haylors and the ones who hate harry ) knows about the 2014 phase and thinks they would give it a shot. I am not overly invested as in I'll be happy if they date but I will support any relationship they have(as long as it's not matt Healy). But I definitely didn't know people thought of haylor as anything beyond pr and I am shocked in the best way possible.

is now an appropriate time to say how horrendously some fans treated joe for actual years over nothing? calling him a nepo boyfriend (what does that even mean), calling him poor/jobless/boring, accusing him of all sorts of baseless things (the DV hand signal, for example), anons on here harassing blogs by saying she didn't care about him and he was a joke, i've never seen someone treated so badly for quietly minding his business and trying to stay in his lane. idk how tuned in he ever was to any of that noise, and i hope not at all, but that alone would become unbearable for a lot of people after awhile. and like i said before, we have no idea what happened between them and it's not our place to know (unless she decides to tell us), but there's no concrete reason to believe he betrayed her in some massive way right now. people grow apart. the dissolution of a six+ year relationship is going to leave hurt and scars and wreckage even if it WAS somewhat amicable, because you're losing a whole life you've built together, and whatever plans you might have had for the future. so of course she's hurting, i'm sure he is too, but i'm just not ready yet to skewer him and put him on the list with JM, JG, and CH as this terrible partner when all we knew was him being a good and decent and kind one for years (from more commentary than just taylor's). the tweets begging for joe to fight for her and to come back are funny, but also very sad - it's like the epitome of you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone. (i also don't think ANY of us were prepared for this massive of a shift in one month's time. during tour. with a re-recording coming soon. it's a lot to process.)

then with harry, i've never understood making fun of what he wrote if you're a fan of what she writes, because they're both drawing on confessional personal experiences? where is the logic? he's the only instance where we've gotten the other side of the conversation! i think the (totally idiotic) pr accusation started to really die down several years ago as more and more people got into the truth of their relationship and when he repeatedly praised her songwriting (the only people who accuse them of that now are detached from reality akljsdkljf). but yeah it's quite the mood switch to see the subreddits bringing him up in a positive way and acknowledging that he's a sweet and talented guy after ripping him to shreds for no reason last year. :/ although that's what he deserves to have said!

i've also never seen swifties and even people who don't like her so united in an opinion as they are in collectively being in shambles over this development. 😭 and as i said before, there's a difference between a bad boy edgy persona and actively causing harm with bigoted words/actions - you can only use racism as "satire" so many times before it stops being a joke, or make sexist comments and follow someone like andr*w t*te without being legitimately misogynistic. i just. *head in hands* someone on the sub said, "people keep saying 'let her live her life' - and i absolutely am, but i don't have to be comfortable with the way she's doing it when it involves racist boys, and i don't have to support it," and someone else said, "being hurt can make you do crazy things, and she is only a human just like all of us," and i honestly feel there's room for both thoughts here. we can understand it wholly and let her live, and that doesn't mean we have to support it ourselves.

meanwhile let us just keep manifesting haylor friends era. anything feels possible at this point!

#i've been mad about the way people discussed and treated joe for years and even without him and in light of everything i'm still pressed #because it was unfair and never warranted #i don't believe T & H will ever get back together but honestly who even knows what might happen everything feels unreal #i would not have a problem w/ m@tty if there wasn't a laundry list of things to have a problem with. #idc about him consensually kissing fans idc about him eating raw steak as performance art though it's gross to me personally #idc what he looks like that's mean/subjective. #but everyone who's unhappy bc of the legitimately upsetting comments and actions has a reason for that #sorry this is more into gossipy areas than usual but we're going through A Time! #anonymous #letterbox #thrown out speeches

[sanjarka]

an unnecessarily long analysis of the song my limb by hayley williams within the context of katniss and peeta's love story that no one asked for

DISCLAIMER! THIS IS CHAOS AND I'M SLEEP-DEPRIVED.

/i have a very detailed everlark playlist that is currently the most important thing in my life, and i've always wanted to discuss more about why each song made the list because they are all genuinely special to me. i do have few pretty short posts that touch on this, however this song is too good for me to not overanalyze it/

verse one:

if you gotta amputate, don't give me the tourniquet

you wish that i would run away, sever what isn't working

but i'll let my body bleed out, leaning to my left side

if your part of me is gone now, do i wanna survive

the key subject here is a sense of codependency that exists in this particular relationship [from hayley williams ➛ whether it’s with the band, whether it’s in a relationship, i can’t see the beginning and the end of myself and the other. and that is what “my limb” is about]. it's about being so intertwined with someone that you might as well consider them a literal part of you - your actual limb. and how you can't cut it off and move on without it even though it's bleeding out and putting all of your other parts at risk.

➛ because if he dies, i'ill never go home, not really. I'll spend the rest of my life in this arena, trying to think my way out

this type of imagery appears repeatedly throughout katniss and peeta's love story. while the behavior described in the song is meant to be damaging to oneself, it's crucial to note that the codependency that does happen in katniss and peeta's relationship does not come from a toxic place. their wound is external. it is not their own nature that is unhealthy, but rather the nature of the world in which they live in. there is no conditions for healthy relationships in their current reality.

these two children have a genuine bond that they are continuously being forced to break and resist. they are continuously put in life-or-death situations, where they have to chose who gets to live and who gets to die. and yet, despite the obstacles, they both keep putting each other first.

the fact that this is something that has remained consistent in their relationship, that they choose and protect each other even when they shouldn't, is not only sensible given their circumstances, but also quite powerful, and gives this verse a more ”positive” interpretation.

chorus:

my limb, my limb, my limb, my limb (don't let go)

my limb, my limb, my limb, my limb (let go)

my limb, my limb, my limb, my limb (don't let go)

my limb, my limb, my limb, my limb (don't let go)

the repeating lyrics of the chorus continue the theme of self-sacrifice. they are a direct mirror of the berries, the beach, and the suicide kiss - all of the pivotal everlark moments that confirm that they aren't letting go of each other.

verse two:

funny, of the two of us, you always were the gentle one

shy little rabbit, teething on a shotgun

or the tragedy of peeta's hijacking and how he was unconsciously preparing himself for it.

i am not implying that it was his fault or responsibility, and i don't believe it was necessary, nothing was. however, there is a reason why certain narratives include certain people.

and when we look back at the story, we can see how it was almost predictable. that it was foreshadowed, not only by the conversation on the roof in the first book, where he tells us that he wants to prove that the capitol doesn't own him, but also by who he is as a person. then we can see how his hijacked and true selves are entangled with one other.

/before i go into my thoughts on how the two are linked, i think it's important to briefly (don't trust me) talk about how i perceive peeta, as well as how frequently he is misunderstood and why this occurs/

because of the unconventional portrayal of their personalities - which stems from the fact that they are not restricted by their gender - both him and katniss are frequently characterized as a "surprise" in ya and literature in general. they definitely go beyond our preconceived notions of how men and women should behave.

however, i've noticed that when certain people (mostly the mainstream media and the more casual fans) try to delve deeper into this topic they end up reinforcing stereotypes rather than breaking them. they say - she's the tough one, he's the gentle one, and any other characteristics placed onto them rarely stray far from these two images.

but no one is just one thing. by failing to recognize that there is just as much softness in katniss as there is roughness in peeta, you are just merely making them switch gender roles instead of going beyond them.

/and like. i get it. obviously, those who have just seen the movies or read the books once aren't going to dive that deep into who katniss and peeta are, but such viewpoints are still prevalent, and they certainly don't help them/

then there is the infamous you could live a hundred lifetimes and not deserve him quote.

peeta tends to be often looked upon as some sort of a saint with no flaws that never does anything wrong. which, apart from the fact that it isn't true, also provides you a very dull and unreleastic character to work with. when he is described in this way, he loses his complexity, which he has a lot of.

maybe we can partially blame some of those feelings on katniss for putting him on a pedestal at times, but then we create a whole new problem in the general perception of thg because of people's unwillingness to understand that katniss's point of view is flawed, just like she is, and that it isn't the absolute truth.

that pedestal exists, not to say that peeta is actually perfect and that she can't deserve him, but rather, as a reminder that she feels in debt to him - because he saved her life and continues to do so. as a reminder that young people in love tend to idolize each other a little, that understanding other people comes from understand yourself too and that she has just started that journey! her perception of herself is damaged and just plainly wrong at times.

that pedestal exists because at the end, katniss is quite a sad girl with an utter lack of self worth who doesn't see herself as being deserving of goodness that she so clearly sees in peeta.

so, while absolutely wonderful, and kind, and good, he is not without flaws. he isn't perfect.

and neither are his feelings for katniss (and he exists outside of them). it doesn't make them any less complicated because he was aware of them in a way she wasn't. they don't make his narrative any less confusing and painful. it doesn't mean he is any less afraid of them. katniss runs away from them because she already knows what love can do. peeta is seeing love for the first time, trying to prove to himself that it does exist and that he doesn't have to be like his parents.

although he appears to be more emotionally mature than katniss he is still just a child. a traumatized, insecure, stubborn, lonely, prideful, scared child that is also just trying to survive. his emotional maturity wasn't created from a good and safe place. he grew up with an abusive mother, a father who repeatedly betrayed him by failing to protect him, distant brothers, and as a result of that he feels insignificant and unneeded.

much as katniss survived by numbing herself out, in the years after her father's death, by letting her feelings happen outside of her, i feel as though peeta did the exact opposite. that he grew fixated on attempting to comprehend everything and everyone. that he became obsessed with overthinking and overanalyzing his thoughts rather than feeling them. his drawings and paintings are an escape form and his ways of surviving is escaping.

there is this sense of loneliness that follows him, is stuck to him, that affects the type of relationships he builds with other people - distant ones.

/unpopular opinion i think/ peeta has always struck me as more closed of than katniss. sure, he is social, and friendly, and calm and funny and confident but that's the image he shows to other people. every time katniss mentions seeing him at school, she always says how he was surrounded by friends, yet they never show up, and we don't even know their names. even his friendship with delly doesn't feel like anything more than an ancient childhood memory to me. he doesn't appear to have someone he can confide in or count on. he doesn't let people in. he too has walls.

it's just that, while katniss's walls are so obvious, peeta's are unexpected and hidden. regardless of how far away we think katniss is from others, she still enters this story as part of a team. gale and her are reliant on each other. they are partners. while i doubt they spend much (if any) of their time talking about their feelings, they are aware that they are needed - by each other and their families. peeta does not have an equivalent to that.

so when i think of him, i don't picture a guy who wears his heart on his sleeve and is naturally open. we can see how good of an actor and liar he is, so him being open is him making conscious decision to do so and not something he can't control.

peeta goes through life hiding from others whilst katniss hides from herself.

it takes actual hard effort for him to let people and in many ways i think that katniss is the first one with that privilege. that she is his exception. and that it wasn't instant. that it did happen slowly.

we may be inclined to think the opposite considering how fast he admits to his crush for her, but that isn't the same as actually opening up, and he isn't admitting it to her but for her. he admitted his feelings to the capitol, not to katniss because they were useful for protecting her.

and then it's them talking on the roof, and protecting each other in the arena, and the cave kiss, and not wanting her to die or for him to die as a liar, and the berries and thinking that it's real (because it was), so he confesses to them in a way (still not directly) and when he is met by an extremely confused katniss he shuts her out for 6 months before apologizing and admitting to them again. (repeating) it was a conscious choice on his side.

other people see his love for katniss, not because he doesn't know how to hide it, but because he wants them to see it - it's the only time honesty was beneficial for him.

/and because he wants her to see it too. because even when he believed that her feelings for him were platonic he couldn't escape that he felt safe with her. he notices how protective of him she is and realizes that no one has ever protected him before. no one had ever looked at him like he was precious, but she did. so he wanted her to have his trust. and there is still so much he keeps hidden. he is still opening up slowly.

we rarely see him being comforted by katniss and being the "weak" one. and it has nothing to do with her. he's the one who isn't prepared for it. he is apprehensive about being looked after. katniss may be challenging in this area too, although not as much as peeta. because her home was once a happy and safe place and being with peeta reminds her of those times while peeta is experiencing feeling safe for the first time. that's terrifying. he must be strong and and he must be capable before he can even consider himself worthy of love. so it will take a long time for peeta to break that, to allow himself to show sides of him that are fragile,messy and ugly.

➛ his face takes on a special look when he concentrates. his usual easy expression is replaced by something more intense and removed that suggests an entire world locked away inside him. i've seen flashes of this before: in the arena, or when he speaks to a crowd, or that time he shoved the peacekeepers' guns away from me in district 11. i don't know quite what to make of it.

there's a reason this is one of my favorite quotes. you can see that (still slow) progress here. to me, katniss is indirectly saying that she wants to be a part of his inner world. that she recognizes its intensity and desires its privilege even if she doesn't yet completely understand it. and peeta is on his way to granting it to her/

previously i highlighted a few of his flaws, but what is the loudest is this tendency to hide from others which results in bottling things up and letting them fester inside of him, particularly anger.

i keep thinking of that scene in cf where he finds out katniss and haymitch have been lying to him and he smashes a lamp across the room. and, unlike katniss, we almost never see peeta lose control of his emotions and that isn't a positive trait really.

he, like the rest of us, never learned how to express anger in a healthy manner because, after all, it's supposed to be terrible, right? however, this is not the case. anger should not be associated with hurting or lashing out at people. the way to deal with anger is to let yourself feel it. not to repress it. but how can i expect peeta to be any different when the first attribute he associates with his mother is anger? and the one thing he wants to prove to himself is that he isn't like her. he can't be like her because he isn't like her, so he buries it deep within himself, leaving us with a flood of rage that is begging to be released.

and that is what worked so well in his hijacking. this is it. this is the shy little rabbit teething on a shotgun.

his hijacking is a tragedy, not only because he dreads becoming a piece in their games as a form of defiance, but also because it creates a complete lack of self control in a character who prides himself on it - the one thing he's certain is entirely his.

you take an abused boy and abuse him some more, then you take away his agency, rendering him powerless over emotions that aren't even his, while giving an outlet to those that are, that had been waiting for a moment like this one. you take that anger, that he is so deathly afraid of, and you make it his primary way of communicating. you make him hurt the one person he trusted the most, felt safest with and then you blame her for everything. you make his hurting her fault and her responsibility.

and clearly, we know that the only real culprits of this crime are snow and the capitol and no one else but them, but hijacking works with the already existing insecurities and fears of its victim. it feeds off of its host. and considering that, it couldn't have found a better one.

verse two:

guess we were collateral damage, kissing in the crossfire

limpin' over dead leaves, i wish that they would cover me

THE! SUICIDE! KISS! i will literally never shut up about its importance.

by that point in mj katniss has avoided confronting her feelings for peeta, attempting to keep them hidden - even warning us that if necessary, she will murder him. however, when the opportunity to fulfill her promise presents itself, rather than becoming his killer she becomes his savior. despite the fact that ”betraying” him at this point would have been a forgivable act to do, she resists it by stomping on all of her previous words. she places his life before hers and begs him to stay with her. it reveals katniss's desperation to save peeta when being forced to pick sides - and how every single time he wins. how he, along with prim, is her greatest downfall.

for peeta, no other event has had such a tremendous impact on his current state. his episode is over in a matter of seconds, and he is more alert than he has ever been during mj. the significance of stay with me is that is tied to the moment in cf where katniss asks him the same thing. but what is it about this particular moment that wakes peeta up and that influences his recovery in a such a positive way?

well, before that scene in cf, katniss has told us that her choice and freedom is with gale, but when she is under the effect of sleep syrup and is forced to let down her barriers, the person she asks for is peeta. she shows that she does want and does need peeta, but that she believes she isn't allowed to, as if her desires aren't her own. she "surprises" us, again, as she did in mj (by saving peeta). she tries to fight against herself, her hopes and impulses both times, but she fails - and peeta notices that!

i believe it was the first time peeta trusted in katniss's (romantic) feelings for him. from this point on they've (k+p) begun to change in subtle ways and they look like more of couple - spending more time together, the impossibly good embrace they share on the train, the rooftop scene, the fact that during the quell, katniss is completely unconcerned about cameras in relation to her feelings for peeta...

so, he slowly allows himself to believe that what they share is real (it always was). and that's why the memories of that moment bring him back in mj.

essentially, both scenes show us the separation of katniss's words, actions and feelings.

both scenes consist of peeta choosing to believe katniss again after a period of feeling ”betrayed” by her and of katniss unconsciously freeing herself from the limiting expectations that she and others had built for her.

that is why the ''suicide'' kiss serves as the ultimate testament of their devotion for each other and the one that puts everything else into perspective.

!BUT ALSO! this part (in the song) kills me since it's obvious that the relationship in the song is doomed. that it never actually had chance to survive. and how scary it is that that was almost katniss and peeta's fate.

some may believe that katniss loving peeta was a safe decision. snow wanted it, demanded it so it should've protected her because it would have made him happy or ”slowed” down the revolution. but that's simply not true.

the revolution, the war, were always going to happen. it was stirred up by the berries, definitely, yet it existed before that, it was unavoidable (for good reasons) but even if we ignore that, even if by ”convincing” snow of her love for peeta katniss could have stopped the war they are still prisoners to snow. they are still awaiting a destiny not unlike finnick's one.

and it is hard to imagine all the ways snow could've used them just to prove it. it would still be heartbreaking to go through that with one another even if they didn't love each other.

but they do! so it would be even worse.

in the canon universe they are in so much pain during because they do love each other. intensely. it was never a safe choice. it was never an easy way out. they can't win.

/from the valley song, the bread, the dandelion, the berries, the pearl, the beach it is always real. ultimately katniss and peeta were both punished by katniss showing how much she actually did love him/

their love was stolen from them. taken, tainted corrupted and transformed into something evil. it was twisted so that they couldn't want each other. so that they can't choose each other because it would be for snow and not for them.

/but it cannot be!!! actually loving someone and showing it can never be for snow. those berries are an act of defiance for him because they are an act of love. their love is freedom/

so while they did they did get the best possible ending, there was still so much that was taken away from them. you can't escape the feeling that they deserved much more than they've got. that they were cursed from the moment they were reaped. that their love story will always somehow be a bit of a tragedy.

/but it will be okay. they have each other/

anyway... if you're still reading, thank you and i'm sorry.

/and obviously these are all just my opinions and you may not see it like i do and that's fine. this has been living inside of my head for way too long so i'm just glad it's finally out/

#thg #everlark #everlark: meta #everlark: playlist #katniss everdeen #katniss everdeen: meta #peeta mellark #peeta mellark: meta #jana talks #mine #mine: thg

[foreverfallingforthestars]

here's a fact. hating someone is exhausting [part 2]

Thank you for all the love on the first part!! I'm sorry this is late - I was expecting to be able to post while on vacation but that didn't happen oops. As usual, please let me know you'd like to added/removed from the tag list. I'll be working on more TOG fics soon!

Word Count: 3621 Content warning: explicit language, implied sexual content Read on AO3

Part 1 | Part 3 | Part 4

~~~~~

Technically, it didn’t happen again.

It wasn’t like she kissed him in the elevator of their office building again.

Aelin didn’t know how she got to this position, but she wasn’t exactly complaining as she watched Rowan’s back muscles shift as he was putting on his white button-up shirt. She leaned against the bathroom’s doorway, her eyes watching his every movement, and she knew that her want for him would be clearly written on her face the second he turned around. 

Sure enough, he turned around to find her and smirked. “Oh, are you still not satisfied?” he asked, a teasing quality to his voice. He hadn’t bothered to finish buttoning up his shirt, and his pants were slung low on his hips thanks to the lack of a belt. Instead, he walked over to her and wrapped an arm around her waist. Her hands snaked around his neck and tugged him down for yet another kiss. 

The only reason she hadn’t bothered to hide the attraction she felt towards Rowan was because she knew he was barely holding himself back when he climbed out of bed to change when he saw her grab an oversized t-shirt to wear for bed. She didn’t think there was a need for her to wear anything underneath.

As Rowan’s hands started roaming everywhere over her shirt, Aelin tried to lose herself in the kiss because this wasn’t going to last. It was a one-time thing, and it had to stay that way.

Somehow the one elevator kiss had turned into one where he pressed her up against a column in the parking lot, and then her date was forgotten, and he had followed her car all the way to her apartment under the condition that this was a mistake that they wanted to get out of their system.

Next thing she knew, his body was wrapped around hers, the sound of their grunts and moans filling her bedroom as clothes littered the ground all over her apartment; wandering hands and lip-locked mouths as they moved in sync, chasing the high that was brought on by a long time of arguments, hatred, and the pent-up desire simmering underneath.

It was a painful bout of pleasure and everything she needed.

He wasn’t staying the night, though. He couldn’t stay the night.

The reminder that Rowan had to leave had Aelin pulling back from him. They didn’t stray too far from each other, however. It was a strange magnetism that she was feeling in his presence. The attraction had always been there but giving into it with the first elevator kiss and the sex made her feel like she was giving some part of herself up for Rowan to crush. It was making her vulnerable, and that was a very bad idea when they were competing for the same job. Not to mention what an HR nightmare that would end up being.

Aelin licked her lips as she pushed herself away from him and moved to pick up all the clothes that had been strewn across the apartment, and Rowan took the hint to finish dressing himself. The first thing she saw was her underwear that was torn entirely from the seam on one side — one thing that was obvious was that Rowan was impatient when it came to seeing bare skin and so frustratingly patient with driving her fucking insane. Her bra had somehow ended up under the bed, and she saw her dress draped carefully over the sofa, no thanks to Rowan. He had nearly ripped it in haste to get her naked, but it was an expensive dress, so there was no way she was going to risk destroying that. She made the executive decision to take it off herself, and it was intensely satisfying to see Rowan’s expressions change as she revealed more and more of her skin.  

He had made stripping the other into a competition, and she certainly wasn’t going to let him win.

“Alright, Aelin Galathynius, I guess I’ll see you on Monday,” Rowan’s voice came from behind her. Aelin turned around with a smile. She may or may not have popped a few buttons off his shirt while pulling it off and it was evident from the incomplete button up job. His tattoo was fully visible, and she took the chance to drink the sight in considering they'd never turned the lights on until after they had finished. It was a pattern of swirls that emerged from what looked like the sun. 

“Yeah, I suppose. Although, you might want to run a hand through your hair. Unless you’d like to leave it like it is?” It was very clear that he was not coming home straight from work with the way his hair had been tugged on and pulled in every direction.

“I’m good. Everyone who sees me as I leave this building should know that I just had sex with the uptight Aelin Galathynius.”

Rolling her eyes, she pointed towards the door to her apartment, “Get out.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

~~~

“Don’t you have anything better to do than be an annoying sexist?” Aelin demanded as she didn’t bother looking up from her keyboard. He was standing over her shoulder as he watched her clean out the memory of her work laptop in an attempt to make it work faster. 

“What the hell are you talking about now? Do you just go around blurting shit?” He was so lucky that it was past official working hours because she could’ve just reported him to HR for inappropriate work language. 

Aelin rolled her eyes instead, resisting the urge to elbow him in the dick. She did have the perfect angle for that. “You’ve been watching me like a hawk. I get it that I’m a little slow with this stuff, but that doesn’t mean I need a big, strong man to make sure I do this right.”

“Wow, why do you have a stick up your ass? You would think that getting laid would help reduce the stiffness.”

“Would need good sex for that,” she retorted.

“Your screaming indicates otherwise,” he responded smugly, walking back to his desk before she could go through with her plan to elbow him in the dick.

Aelin just scowled at him, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of finding her flustered. They had found out this morning that the interview for the CCO position was in one month, and she couldn’t afford the distractions. 

No matter how good looking they were.

“Stop biting your lip.” Aelin jerked her head up, surprised at the sudden harshness in Rowan’s voice. He was looking at her from his seat, eyes boring into her with a heated gaze that made Aelin swallow. She wasn’t even aware that she had been biting her lip.

“Or what?” she asked. 

“I’ll do it for you,” he threatened, and she could tell that he didn’t entirely mean it. They would never do anything at work — barring that one time in the closet last week — and she wanted to see him lose it. She wanted to beat him at this competition that they had inadvertently started. She wanted him to be as distracted as she was. Ever since they had sex, they kept driving the other up the wall, wondering who would be the first one to break.

A competition at work and out of work.

“Sure, but you’d be making the first move.”

“Oh, so this has become a competition?”

“Isn’t everything between us?”

“No.”

“No? That was a very confident response.”

“The sex definitely isn’t because you would have no chance at winning otherwise.”

Aelin raised an eyebrow. “Why?” she asked, humoring him.

“For every one orgasm I have, I make sure you have at least two. There’s no way for you to beat that.”

“That’s a bold claim for one time.”

“Well wouldn’t you like to find out if it’s true or not.”

Aelin finally locked her laptop and placed her palms flat on her desk, using the force to push herself out of her chair. She walked over to Rowan, her heels clacking on the tiled floor. 

“I think,” she breathed as she got closer to him, brushing her lips against the shell of his ear, “that you just want me too much. I can indulge you, if you’d like.”

He caught a hold of her neck, tipping her head down closer to his lips. This was dangerous. Someone could be watching the cameras, but that just made it that much hotter.

“And if I say yes?” 

“I’d say, no,” she responded, immediately pulling away from him and starting to pack up everything from her desk and putting it away in her bag. Aelin had to force herself to step away and not turn around as she felt Rowan’s searing gaze on her the entire time as she walked away and over to the elevator.

~~~

Clearly Rowan had been personally offended in some way because when she walked into work the next day, the man had decided he was going to murder her slowly over the course of the next eight hours. Rowan was wearing a form fitting gray blazer and pants suit set with a navy tie. While they did wear business clothes for work, she had rarely seen him wear the full set with the blazer on top, and she was probably better off in the long term for it because she swore she was about two seconds from having heart palpitations. The man was dangerous, and Aelin wasn’t sure she was going to win this competition. 

The only saving grace was that it seemed like he was trying to get her to give in, which meant that he wanted her just as much as she wanted him. Truth be told, the rough sex was probably just what she needed to blow off the extra stress she was feeling because of the interview, and so it didn’t seem like that bad of an idea to say yes to another round (or several) with Rowan anymore. 

It was that thinking that had her cornering him outside the building while he was walking to get his lunch from…somewhere.

“What?” he asked, sounding irritated. If he stopped her from buying lunch, she’d bite his head off, so that was fair. 

Aelin put her hands up in a placating manner. “I’ll be quick! I have an offer for you.”

“What?”

“I think that it’s about time we end this little game of ours.”

He raised an eyebrow, and she could read the intrigue on his expression. “Game?”

“Yeah. Clearly, we both need the stress outlet, and the sex wasn’t awful,” she said, lying because the sex had been some of the best she’d ever had. “So, I was thinking we could just do a friends with benefits situation except it’s more of an enemies with benefits thing.”

He just looked at her, and Aelin wondered if he was reading her expression to see how truthful she was. That’s what she would do in his position, and she wondered how they had gotten to a point where their relationship was so full of animosity that the other couldn’t trust a word spoken. 

In hindsight, it seemed strange that it would all be brought on by a bunch of snide comments, but she supposed that was what happened when two stubborn people started working together and vying for the same position. 

“Enemies with benefits. Sounds better than friends with benefits,” Rowan commented, a slight smirk gracing his lips. 

“It does,” she agreed. “Plus, it doesn’t come with the potential of falling in love.”

That brought on a full wicked smirk from him, one that showed off his teeth and the ferocious glint in her eyes that would normally have her crossing her legs, but she was focused on his response. “Don’t tempt me, Aelin.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, Rowan.”

“I’ll swing by your apartment later tonight,” he simply offered before walking away.

It was strange, though, because she normally dreaded seeing his face during work hours, but seeing the same man in her personal space? It thrilled her.

Rowan showing up at her apartment seemed like a normal occurrence when he knocked on her door, and she opened it to let him in. Aelin didn’t know if she should offer him water considering she didn’t exactly have favorable feelings for anything beyond his physical abilities and his working habits. It wasn’t uncomfortable per se, just incredibly unnerving for him to walk into her apartment gazing around the living room, to see the photo frames with her friends and family lining the walls with her floral decals filling up certain empty spaces on the wall. He looked over to the paused Netflix screen, the remote on the sofa arm with a rolled-up fleece blanket where she was sitting. It felt like she was baring herself to him without getting anything in return.

Biting her lip, she rocked back and forth on her toes while he took off his shoes and blazer, carefully folding it up and setting it on the back of the sofa. He was still wearing his work clothes, and he hadn’t even unbuttoned it even though it was almost 9PM, and she wondered where he was before she remembered that she had basic manners. 

“Oh, um, I can take that and hang it up?” Aelin awkwardly asked. He sent her a small grateful smile as he handed the blazer to her, and she hung it up in the coat closet. As Aelin turned away from him, she mouthed what the fuck to no one, because what the fuck was happening. 

When Aelin turned around, Rowan was suddenly in her personal space, and she stumbled over her own feet, feeling herself fall backwards. Thankfully Rowan quickly caught her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her flush against him. 

The feeling of his body against her ignited every nerve in her, reminding her just why he was there, and her lips connected with his. He must’ve eaten a mint or chewed gum right before coming over because she could taste the peppermint on his tongue as he swept it into her mouth. 

She took advantage of his hands being occupied in keeping her upright to move her hands up from his chest to the collar of his shirt. She wanted to kiss his tattoo with the lights on this time, God damn it. Aelin was nearly successful in taking his tie off and unbuttoning the top two buttons before he had even moved on from her lips when his phone rang, startling them apart. 

At first the two of them just stood in front of each other, confused, but Rowan’s phone rang again, and he pulled it out of his pocket. He glanced down at the caller ID before looking back up at her, and she read the hesitation in his eyes. Aelin decided to give him privacy and stepped into the kitchen, and Rowan took that as a sign for him to answer. She filled two glasses with water and took them to her bedroom, not wanting to eavesdrop, but hearing parts that filtered into her bedroom anyway.

“Father,” she heard Rowan say. Aelin started fixing random things that she was finding in her room that looked even slightly out of place to distract her, as if they had designated spots. She moved her makeup brushes slightly to the left, the sponges slightly to the right, and then contemplated just stripping down and waiting for him in bed. But then, she heard Rowan’s voice get louder.

“Seriously? Why do you want me to work for you now?” There was a pause for a bit as Rowan listened to what his father was saying. Aelin wasn’t surprised that Rowan was rebelling against his family, but it wasn’t like it was her place to say anything about. She’d just make snide comments as usual. 

“Look, if I’m only useful to you now that you realize how important a data science degree can be instead of an MBA, then that’s something you should’ve considered earlier. I’m not working for you. Where was this support when I said I wanted to study whatever I wanted to study?”

Oh, so maybe this wasn’t what she was assuming. Instead of continuing to blatantly eavesdrop into a conversation that she was pretty sure Rowan didn’t want her to hear, she went to her phone and connected her earphones, just loud enough to drown his voice out. It didn’t feel like they should be having sex after something like that, but what else would they do? I guess she could tell Rowan that he could stay for coffee or something before leaving, but that would also be awkward considering he threw it out that first day. 

Aelin was fretting over her clothes for tomorrow when Rowan softly knocked on the partially open door, looking visibly more disheveled than he was when he had first arrived. His hair was messy, the tie was missing, and he looked haggard. 

“Hey,” she greeted, trying to pretend she didn’t hear anything as she pulled her earphones out. “Everything okay?”

He walked into the bedroom, eyes roaming over the furniture just as they did in the living room.

“Yeah, I guess. How much did you hear?” he casually asked as he opened up the buttons on the cuff links of his shirt and rolled the sleeves up while walking further into the room. Sighing, Aelin sat down on her bed, and he followed, looking at her with an amused expression rather than being mad at her.

“I didn’t want to listen in,” she started off, immediately defending herself, “but I heard something about your dad wanting you to work for him. That was about it.”

Rowan laughed softly at that before looking down at the hardwood floors, face scrunched up in concentration. His dad’s words must’ve hit him hard. “Yeah, that’s about it. Does that change your mind about me?”

Aelin snorted. “Are you kidding? You’re still just a rich kid who rebelled against his family. You just have reasons to rebel that are valid.”

“At least some things don’t change,” he mused. “You’re still assuming things, and you know what they say about people who assume things.”

“That they have great asses.”

Rowan stared at her before barking out a loud laugh. “You’re annoying.”

Maneuvering herself so she was sitting on his lap, she wrapped her arms around his neck, moving her lips down to his neck. There wasn’t anything she could do to console him considering they didn’t have that relationship, and she didn’t think he would open to it anyway, so Aelin did the one thing she knew she could do to distract him. 

“But you like it,” she said into his neck, and continued to kiss and lick at his skin while unbuttoning the rest of his shirt. Aelin finally got her wish as she moved her lips to his tattoo, tracing the swirling pattern. It was mostly located on the upper right side of his chest, beginning right above his ribcage and stopping at the collarbone. Rowan sighed as he moved his hands to her hips and up to her ribs before back down, continuing the up and down pattern. 

“And you really like that tattoo,” he breathed as she viciously sucked at the skin at his collarbone, right where the tattoo ended. He would probably end up with a hickey, and she didn’t even care. It’d be covered by his shirt, so it wasn’t like anyone would see it anyway.

Aelin grinned up at him. “What can I say? I like my men with tattoos.”

“A lot of them?” he asked, seeming genuinely curious as he tilted his head slightly down to look at her better. Seeing him all comfy and completely at her mercy made him look a lot like a puppy, and Aelin wasn’t sure what to do with this mental image. If they weren’t sending each other biting remarks, he was fun and comfortable to be around.

“Not really. Even that was an exaggeration,” she responded, pulling back to look at him completely this time. “It depends on the person and the design, so if it works for me, it really works.”

“Good to know,” he laughed, pulling her mouth down for a kiss, and she broke away soon enough to move out of his lap and down onto the floor, her knees inches from his feet. “Any specific reason for the tattoo?” she casually asked as she unzipped his pants, hands lingering. He helped her take them off before capturing her lips again, and she rested her hands on his thighs.

His hands went to take her shirt off once they broke apart, and he responded as his gaze darkened, eyes focusing on her bare chest. “I wanted to remind myself that there’s still light in the world somewhere, even if it’s not where I am.”

Aelin didn’t know what about that statement set her off, but she was seeing him in a new light that made him seem infinitely more attractive because he seemed more human. He was like her, struggling to get to where he was because he didn’t have the proper support system. She had monetary issues while he had familial issues, but either way, they both worked their asses off to get to where they were.

Instead of verbally saying any of that, she decided to use her mouth for a different purpose — because she would only do what she could in their weird, messed up relationship that bothered her as much as it pleased her — and took his boxers off.

~~~~~~~

@morganofthewildfire @fireheartwhitethorn4ever @story-scribbler @swankii-art-teacher @larisssss @thegreyj @vasudharaghavan @aelinchocolatelover @tomtenadia @live-the-fangirl-life

#throne of glass #rowan whitethorn #aelin galythinius #romance #hating game au #tog fic #throne of glass fic #office romance #enemies to lovers