#and even then it's usually immediately undermined

[cookinguptales]

my favorite thing about wwdits is how utterly uncool every single character is, even when they're actually being cool. 

vampire media has too long suffered from Being Cool. we needed these fucking dork-ass losers.

#wwdits #the only one who ever gets to be Legit Cool is Guillermo when he's vampire slaying #and even then it's usually immediately undermined #by him being a lil piss drinker #or a vampire making fun of him for going jedi #....or a vampire being like WE HAD TO DO OUR OWN LAUNDRY

[frostbitebakery]

If Obi-Wan were prone to dramatics, he might wish to be on a battlefield instead of PR’s attempt to drum up war support from the public.

“I forgot to tell Waxer to check the supply line order before sending it out—“

So does Cody, if he had to guess.

“Turn that frown upside down, Commander,” the photographer says cheerfully and continues to click away, equally as cheerfully.

Cody does something to his face Obi-Wan theorizes must approximate a smile under torture.

“On second thought,” the photographer paddles back airily, “a serious look is just as appropriate!”

Cody’s face falls into its usual expression with the additional pain of PR responsibilities.

“General,” he gnashes out between his teeth, “the supply line order is incomplete and we’ve officially just lost the chance to do it. We’re going to be out of DC15 chargers in another month and I have to stand here—.”

“B3,” Obi-Wan interrupts before Cody can spiral further.

Cody halts in entirety, stare boring into the camera and making the photographer start to sweat. “…B2.”

Obi-Wan hides his too pleased smile behind a hand. “I told Waxer to check the supply line order. The order status is complete and languishes through the many hindrances of bureaucracy as we speak. C3.”

“A3,” Cody shoots back immediately. And narrows his eyes. “Did you finish signing off on the battle plans for Dxun V this morning? I know you wanted to reread the exfil plans—“

“Commander, look here!”

“— and we need to get them to the admiralty today if we want any hope of meeting the timeline.”

“Gentlemen, serious, not angry! Or like a stunned tooka, General.”

Obi-Wan has, in fact, forgotten about the signature entirely, the blank line getting buried underneath all the other pressing minutiae somehow necessary to run a systems army. He waves at the photographer, polite smile in place. “If I might suggest a pose? Is that appropriate? I do not intend to undermine your professional experience.“ He gets an enthusiastic nod in response. “I hold this here data pad and act like I am signing important documents. Like so? Splendid.” He turns back to Cody. “Of course I have. A1.”

Cody visibly chooses not to comment and Obi-Wan smiles brightly at him. Cody shakes himself out of his thoughts after less than a second. “We are allowed our pads? I’m getting mine.” He pauses, sly eyes creased in humor. “Also, C1. I win.”

Obi-Wan can feel his smile growing even more.

“Gentlemen!”

in cohorts with @adiduck on this one

#codywan #commander cody #obi wan kenobi #star wars #star wars the clone wars #my art #GQ Coruscant strikes again #courtesy of Adi and me playing tic-tac-toe #frostbitebakery art

[transmascissues]

god, stuff like this is such a punch to the gut. i usually don’t feel that emotionally affected by comments like this other than being angry at them, but it’s so different when it’s someone i genuinely really respect, who seems to be very conscious of these things, who’s making a point of being a vocal ally, and they still just don’t see how people really treat us.

so much of the current legislation against trans healthcare (i would argue the vast majority of it, if not literally all of it) is founded upon denial of our bodily autonomy and fearmongering about our transitions. people call us predators and abusers for having and feeding our children. a huge number of people pretty recently jumped on a singular incidence of violence as “proof” that testosterone turns us all into evil monsters. people talk about how we’re stealing our bodies from them and say that if they could just grope us or have sex with us, we’d see that we’re really women. we ask for something as simple as the use of language that includes us so that we can better access the healthcare we need, and even that is asking too much.

but sure, people don’t really have a problem with us being men, so everyone can just stop bothering with affirming that we are who we say we are because clearly people are already on board with that idea, right?

and of course, it’s upsetting on a personal (one might say parasocial) level because it just sucks to see someone you respect openly state that they don’t think the things happening to your community are really happening. that was the initial reaction i had — i know this is one person, a fallible person, who i have no true relationship with, but it still feels like a betrayal of some sort to read that.

the thing that really gets me, though, is that there are a lot of people who trust him (whether rightly or not) to be a good source of info, and a lot of those people are going to see this and just take it at face value. they’re not going to look into it, they’re just going to accept that people really don’t have a problem with us and they’re going to feel empowered to look the other way when we’re under attack. i’m sure he wouldn’t want people to take the things he says at face value without fact-checking them, but the fact remains that most people will do just that and will proceed to not give a shit about us because they don’t think they have to.

it’s one thing to see this coming from some random person. it’s another entirely when it’s someone you already liked and respected, and who has a large audience who are likely to trust the things they say.

and it just…would’ve been so easy to not say it, to just say “they’re men!” and let that message stand without immediately undermining its importance.

#i dont give a shit about what garden variety transphobes think but shit like this? yeah that hurts #i usually dont love ‘trans men are men’ being The Ally Statement but god. the implications of even That being seen as overkill #like no!!!! we need people saying MORE than that not justifying why they dont have to say anything at all!!!!!!! #examples of transandrophobia #transandrophobia #transandromisia #transmisandry #virilmisia #virilphobia #anti transmasculinity #transmascphobia #trans men #transmascs

[blckbrrybasket]

ᯓ★ 𝐒𝐨𝐚𝐩 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬

MDNI

SFW

- Soap listens to The Northern Boys religiously.

- Soap is a firm believer in gold star stickers. He can and will be bribed with them.

- Soap has the coldest feet known to mankind and constantly puts them on everyone. No one is safe.

- Soap will do something dumb or cheeky and grin at someone until they notice what he did. (Ghost is usually the victim of this)

- Soap jumps up and smacks the door frame even when he can just reach up to tap it. He stumbles more times than not when he does this. (Ghost comes behind him and just raises his arm to hit the frame)

- Soap is an avid apple juice lover, but NEVER eats whole apples. He’ll strictly eat apple slices or drink apple juice.

- Soap mindlessly does the angry mom lips when he’s focused on something or spacing out. He also sticks the tip of his tongue out the corner of his mouth but accidentally bites it.

- At night Soap stretches and sticks his feet out of the blankets then jerks them back because ‘something might touch grab in the night.’ When he was a kid he refused to get off the bed at night so the ‘bed monster’ wouldn’t get him. He stills shuts the lights off and runs to his room.

- Soap turns around all the stuffed animals you own when you’re going to have sex. He also covers their eyes, or where their ears would be, at anything he deems to be unholy. Most the time its when you’re playfully cursing at him.

- Sprawls out on any surface; floor, bed, couch, you name it and his entire body is covering it. Even you. He’s a big guy, perfect to be your blanket! (Please let him be your blanket he gets so happy when you do)

SFW (serious)

- Soap was catholic for a long time as a kid. He had a hard time sitting still during services which led to him getting into trouble often. Nowadays he still labels himself as Catholic but he doesn’t actively practice anymore. He isn’t sure if he can after what he’s done in the battlefield. If Soap took the time to sit down he’d realize he isn’t very religious, but he still wears a cross necklace. He feels like he needs to.

- While he likes keeping things lighthearted he understands the importance of being serious. If you have a problem he jumps on trying to fix it immediately, slipping a joke or two to lighten the mood, but he never undermines your feelings.

- When he gets home from being deployed he needs to take the first day to be near you. If you’re on the bed or couch you will not be getting up for hours. When you do he has his arms around your waist and shuffles after you. Soap is a lot quieter, but is usually closer back to normal the next day. He needs to grow back into being himself at home.

- Soap enjoys being the funny friend but when he slowly realizes to some people that’s all he’ll ever be he hates it. He so badly wants to be seen as a multilayered human being, but he feels that he’ll only be seen as the “funny/impulsive one.” Soap isn’t proud of his impulse issues. It reminds him of his dad.

- Soap is a huge family man. Lots of sisters, close to his mum, yet when his dad left he wasn’t too torn up. There were too many mixed feelings to navigate it. Some nights when he was younger he laid awake loathing his dad for leaving. Other nights he wanted the ideal version of his dad that had once been in his head to be real. No one took the absence easy, but if he said it didn’t bother him still, he’d be lying.

- ADHD. He was undiagnosed as a kid and got into trouble frequently, but when it didn’t go away it became a problem. Eventually he was diagnosed with ADHD and it explained some of it. Soap has trouble navigating with it. He can be too upfront sometimes and has scared off a few people by not picking up on social cues. Soap truly doesn’t mean to and it becomes one of those memories he thinks of late at night, filled with regret. On those nights he longs to be ‘normal’ or adjacent to.

NSFW

- Soap is the easiest to get hard out of 141. He has a high sex drive, but not to the point its overbearing. You want to fuck? He’s always down.

- He’s also the most open to new things. Soap tends to get rough sometimes, but he always knows the line. Anytime he wants to be rough he walks through whats good and not. It’s honestly funny seeing him clasp his hands on his lap all serious like when he asks if he can fuck you rough.

- He craves to hit it raw. This man is the definition of “doggy style, sideways, frontwards, upwards, backwards, upside down, tilted, 69, from the back, 360 degrees no condoms, skin on skin.”

- Give him an inch and he’s running a mile. You mention a toy you want or a kink you want to try out? He’s on it!

- Soap does have a small secret though…and if you request for him to dress up in a pretty lingerie set you’d discover it. The delicate lace straining against his bulging muscles as he squirms to not rip or tear it. Chefs. Kiss. It’s one of the quickest ways to get him to sub. He’s so pretty he doesn’t want to go to waste!

- He’s lowkey nasty - in the way that if your makeup or hair isn’t wrecked he hasn’t done a good enough job. Soap doesn’t care how ‘messy’ you look in his eyes you are as beautiful as ever. When tears of pleasure collect in your eyes he could cum from that alone.

- Have I mentioned yet that he can cum untouched? It’s happened multiple times where you’ve talked a big game only to end up in bed with him shooting ropes of cum across the sheets at you kissing his neck. Don’t worry though, he recovers quickly and has stamina for days. He would never leave you hanging.

- He does aftercare, there’s no way would he wouldn’t, but he also is quick to fall asleep. Once he’s set you up and made sure you’re doing the best you can he’s out. If you turn away for one second you’ll hear snores coming from your side, where he lays on the bed.

#call of duty x reader #john soap mactavish #soap mactavish #soap x reader #soap x you #soap mw2 #call of duty modern warfare #modern warfare #john soap mctavish x reader #john soap mctavish x you #john soap mctavish smut #call of duty headcanons #soap headcanons #headcanons

[floylia]

ELYSIAN ♫

04. Take a risk?

Vulnerability is a demanding feat for Scara.

In fact, vulnerable Scara is a privilege not many have seen. He does not allow himself to slip through the harsh mold he sculpted for himself.

So imagine the bewilderment on your face upon finding your dear friend lying in the comfort of your bed, face down on the once perfectly, cushioned pillows, with his phone sitting atop the edge.

You inched closer before settling near his sleeping frame.

Scara has not changed. His purple hair retained its fluff, while some strands draped over his closed eyes. He looked at ease—so different from how he usually presents himself.

Years have passed since you’ve last seen him in person, but this was not the reunion you were expecting. Instead, you anticipated a snarky Scara, complaining about your overpacking skills while undermining your decision-making abilities before force-feeding you his favorite Inazuman cuisine as a show of hospitality.

How wrong you were.

Because this was a better sight.

“What are you doing?” Scara’s eyes flung wide open.

Shit.

You cleared your throat, before standing up and feigning ignorance at your earlier actions, “Dhouldn’t I be asking you that question? I entered the room to see you sound asleep in my perfectly made-bed with your outside clothes on.”

“I don’t even know what happened,” he responded while rubbing his eyes and tousling his hair.

What a domestic scene.

“Get out of my bed. You messed it up.”

“You’ll live,” Scara responded as he removed himself from your bed before spotting Bambi lying on the spacious couch across the room with his favorite stuffed bunny neatly wrapped around his feet. Scara pointed at your cat, “You actually brought him?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

He shrugged, “Because you’re an awful cat owner.”

You threw the perfectly cushioned pillow at his face, “Be careful with your words.”

The light thud of the pillow landing on the floor after hitting his face, roused your once asleep rag doll. Immediately, Scara sat next to Bambi, expecting your cat to sit on his lap, ready to be petted. But you knew better, Bambi despised affection—or so you thought, because your cat gladly took Scara up on that offer and made himself comfortable.

You scoffed at the scene while Scara smirked at your reaction, “It seems Bambi still likes me more than you.”

You rolled your eyes, “He’s probably the only entity in this world to tolerate your cocky ass.”

“My fans would beg to differ.”

You decided to humor him, “Yeah, I’m sure they’d get down on their knees for you.”

“They better.”

“I hate this conversation.”

He chuckled slightly, catching you off-guard, still in disbelief that you were in the same proximity as him, bantering as always as if distance was never an issue.

“You started it,” he said before grabbing his phone, “So what do want to eat?”

“What? It’s twelve in the morning, aren’t you leaving?”

He scratched his head, “Oh, should I go?

No. I missed hanging out with you.

Yes. I’m exhausted.

I don’t know? But I have questions you need to answer.

Fuck it. “I want a bowl of Shimi Chazuke.”

His face brightened up, “Oh, that’s my favorite.”

I know. “What a surprise.”

He continued to scroll on his phone, dedicated on scouring the internet for his favorite midnight snack, “There’s one restaurant open for delivery. Even better—it’s ten minutes away,” He glanced back at you, “Anything else?”

You shook your head, “Ayaka and Thoma already spoiled me today.”

Not only did they feed you, but Ayaka gave you an “Inazuman goodie bag.” You have yet to open it.

“The food should be here in thirty minutes.”

That should be enough time…

You hummed at his words and made yourself comfortable on the bed with a pillow resting on your chest acting as support for your arms as you scroll through your phone before saying, “Then while we wait, do want to finally explain why you brought me here?”

You glimpsed at your friend. Scara froze for a second before shifting his posture on the couch, “Straight to the point?”

You nodded, “Why not? That was part of our “deal,” right?”

Scara recalled your conversation.

You found it strange how he kept fidgeting and adjusting in his seat while holding your rag doll like a stress toy. You’re aware of Scara’s sporadic generosity, but was he up to?

Finally, he cleared his throat, “Are you willing to take a risk?”

Notes:

I’M SORRY FOR THE LACK OF UPDATES

i don’t like this chapter, but i hope you do?

i had another non written alternative for this one saved in my drafts, but it felt unnatural, so i scrapped it

next chapter is the last written chapter for a while

shimi chazuke is scara’s special food

Synopsis: After 7 years of enduring the media’s relentless pursuit of painting you as a villain, you’re forced to go through an indefinite hiatus with a tainted reputation on your head. However, just when you thought your career was over, a certain 5WIRL member wants you to feature on his solo career. Surely, this won’t affect your reputation once more, would it?

Scaramouche x fem!reader

masterlist | previous | next

Taglist (open!): @aruatsu @magicalink @featuredtofu @scarasbaby @veekoko @v4lerixxq @scaranthropy @the-ghost-0f-t0m0 @vernith @thystarsshine @lily-lmao @lovemari @mellowberrie @kunikuzushis-darling @skyoverkill1 @alatusorrow @kukikoooo @kyon-cherri @keiiqq @tzuw1ce @xiaossocksniffer @kaitfae @infinitetrashbag @lvnalxve @lovelypadisarah @ulquiorraswife @sketcheeee @atyour-kitchencounter @pirate-of-the-dark-seas @neiiuna @sn1perz @kazioli @inelenastyle @hearts4shu @wisheslost @Kazeyozuha @kazumiku @Eostopiastar @chemiru @bananasquash @mujiwuji @danhenglovebot @chocolatesandvanilla @boomie-123 @kookiibun @help-whatdoimakemyusername @vavrin

#genshin impact #genshin imagines #genshin impact x reader #genshin fanfic #genshin x reader #genshin fluff #genshin idol au #genshin modern au #kunikuzushi #wanderer x reader #genshin impact modern au #genshin smau #scaramouche x y/n #scaramouche x you #scara x y/n #genshin scara #scaramouche imagines #scara #scaramouche #scaramouche x reader #scara x reader

[musashi]

ace attorney popped the fuck off by doing that thing where certain characters have ‘hidden’ sprites that you only see once in the whole game, usually it’s an emotionally closed off character offering a smile in the final hour of their story to show a sense of peace and closure, but ESPECIALLY they popped the fuck OFF by having franziska von karma break down crying in hers.

‘the angry/mean character is actually deeply emotional and using anger to keep it at bay’ is an incredibly common character archetype but it is so often done in a more shallow manner. like they will just bust out their tragic backstory in the 11th hour and we’re supposed to sympathize because awww they’re sad :( but we already know everything there is to know about franziska pretty much immediately. we know she is a child prodigy, we know she is a genius, we know she is fierce and dedicated and that she loves what she does. and we know she’s lost her father, and we know she’s upset with her brother and wants to see him again. but she does not invite pity, because she does not want it. she lays these details out clearly and concisely when they’re relevant to what is being discussed--they simply are. she remains as she is, and she fights the same way she always has, for what she believes in.

franziska goes through it. we watch her go through it. we watch her lose everything, and then we watch her have to be confronted with the fact that her brother disappeared on her and is utterly remorseless about it aloud. and then we watch her get shot by a violent hitman, and kick and scream and fight while she’s bleeding out because she wants to go to court. she has to be dragged to the hospital by force. never once does she back down an never once does she present anything other than this steely determination and resolve. until the very, VERY end. until POST CREDITS. she doesn’t even crack until AFTER THE CREDITS HAVE ROLLED!

and it is KINDNESS that breaks her! it is softness that makes her cry. i feel like to a lot of people what miles says to her in that scene might seem cruel, but it isn’t about what he says, it’s about what he does.

by franziska’s own admission she has abandonment issues. one of the few single insights we get into her pain is that people tend to discard her and make her feel left behind. miles fled back to his home country and left her all alone in germany to pursue his career, and he wasn’t wrong to do that, but it obviously hurt franziska and she felt neglected and like he didn’t bother to keep up with her. and then when he took his dramatic fucking sabbatical, he refused to loop her into that, too. miles decided without the consent of the people who love him that he was not worth it. he was unbelievably selfish to disappear the way he did, blinded by this idea that he is not loved or worth love. franziska loves him more than anything, and he did that to her on the tail end of her father’s incarceration. she lost both of her favourite people in the span of a few months. 

she ran away at the end of JFA and intended to give up on everything. and she ran away from him because if she abandons him first, he cannot abandon her. but nothing miles says in that scene undermines the fact that he chased after her. he could look her in the eyes and tell her she was scum to him but the fact of the matter is he followed her. he loved her enough to not be content just letting her give up and run away. he chased after her. can you imagine what that must’ve meant to her? 

he didn’t have to chase her. and he didn’t have to bring her whip back. and when he said ‘if you stop being a prosecutor, this is where we part ways’ i think we all knew he was not being literal. i think we all knew he was full of shit. i think what miles meant by that was to light a fire beneath her. to say that he had no intention of stopping, that he would keep on fighting, and that he wanted her to fight alongside him. they’ve always been rivals and they have always pushed each other to do better and be better, and miles knows that rivalry drives franziska unlike anything else. she doesn’t actually want to stop prosecuting, she’s just emotionally vulnerable and struggling to cope and throwing a bit of a tantrum about it, and so he pokes at an old button he knows will clear her head. franziska is a difficult person, but miles edgeworth knows her more than any person in the world, he knows how to love her and he does. he loves her so much.

she has seen a lot of pain in JFA. she has seen a lot of wicked words thrown her way, a lot of pushback, a lot of antagonism and banter and bickering, but the one thing no one shows her is kindness and love. phoenix tries, when he brings her flowers, but he gets nervous and backs out at the last second. gumshoe tries, but he does it out of earshot where she can’t hear. every nice thing someone says about franziska, they say while she is not there to listen. miles is the only person who looks her in the face and says he loves her. 

it is love that allows her the space to fall to pieces. it is love that shatters her veneer and turns her into a sobbing mess. she’s literally just a little girl who was forced to grow up too fast. she’s 18 years old and everything’s so hard. she just needed a fucking hug. 

no scene in ace attorney will ever, ever, EVER mean more to me.

#wordy wendy #pwaa #ace attorney #franziska von karma #miles edgeworth #man. #wendy rambles #kin ramblings #wendys best

[tonowaritrash]

LMAO okay i’d like to apologise in advance for this fic. i have no idea what happened but it went in a completely different direction than when i first planned it. it’s different from what i usually write but i was thoroughly entertained.

pairing: tonowari x reader

tags: mean ao’nung, divorced wari (it’s vague but it was on amicable terms i promise!), p in v sex, gentle wari, oral (fem receiving), reader is 23/24, inexperienced reader…

summary: tonowari approaches reader at a celebration

minors dni

you were not a warrior.

born as the middle child, your head just wasn’t made for stalking and killing large animals. a spear felt heavy in your hands, and it felt uncomfortable to wield over time. it made it difficult to make friends and growing up you were teased by ao’nung and his ilk even though he was three orbits your junior. you took his insults in stride and valued yourself for being the mature one and walking away. but he challenged you at every opportunity because you were an easy target.

names were thrown your way. when you were eight he called you dumb. when you were thirteen he called you weak. when you were eighteen he called you a bitch. but now that you were twenty-three he called you unmateable. that no man in the clan would ever consider bedding you unless they were insane, because you were incompetent. it made your blood boil.

you’d wanted to go to others to complain about his behaviour. but you’d thought that approaching them would only solidify ao’nung’s words and the teasing would only increase.

anyway, you were useful in other ways; you could identify kelp quickly, you knew exactly which coral in the reef was dangerous to touch and on more than one occasion you’d been able to successfully figure out where to find fish based on their migration patterns. the clan praised you each time. but ao’nung? he called you a new word.

nerd.

it was aggravating to be treated like this for years by a man younger than you, to be undermined because you found it difficult to swim as fast as the others. most days you took it in stride. but some days, oh, some days you wanted to do everything in your power to wipe that smug smirk off his dumb face.

you really hated him. you needed to teach him a lesson.

you wanted revenge.

you didn’t have a plan though. not really, anyway. there wasn’t much that could be done. he was bigger than you and had tons of influence as the son of the olo’eyktan. girls flocked to him just to have a piece of him, guys were jealous of his natural talent. no one would believe you if you told them how he was like behind closed doors.

you sighed, looking at your empty cup as the fire roared in the middle of the village. people were singing and dancing and some were more than a little drunk. you were alone, your friends having left already. you enjoyed the warmth of the fire, the steady thrumming of the drum and the rhythmic pitter patters of dance steps. they offered a welcome distraction to your thoughts.

although, you noted looking up at ao’nung who was laughing with his friends, drunk already, the company could certainly be better.

“all alone?”

you turned, snapping out of your reverie to see who’d interrupted your musings. a small gasp escaped your mouth and you stood up immediately at the inquisitive blue eyes that looked at you.

“tonowari, i didn’t see you there, i apologise.” quickly you introduced yourself, giving a gesture of respect.

he shook his head and motioned you to sit. “please, no need to stand on my account.”

you blushed as you sat, trying to suppress a smile. you’d liked olo’eyktan for months now. after he and ronal had separated a few years back you’d slowly become more and more fascinated with him. what first started as a girlish crush had blossomed into admiration and now a deep longing.

he sat down next to you. “no one should celebrate alone.”

“my friends just left,” you explained. “i wanted more time to take everything in before i turned in for the evening too.”

tonowari nodded. “nothing wrong with breathing in the atmosphere. a good atmosphere is good for the spirit.”

“and your company makes for good atmosphere?” you ask and he smiled.

“i should hope so. it wouldn’t be good for the leader of the clan to sour the mood, would it?”

“no, i suppose it wouldn’t.”

you looked at him, now. his eyes were full of mirth and he had smile that looked so much like his son’s. but his was a lot warmer. friendlier. inviting, even. it was such a soft expression you wanted to caress his face.

it took everything in your power to stop yourself.

“i’ve seen you somewhere before but i just can’t seem to place it,” he muttered. “that’s the reason i came here, actually.”

your heart skipped a beat. you didn’t know tonowari. not really, anyway. and he’d never seen you together with ao’nung, that much was certain. but, could it be a possibilty? perhaps he did know you? maybe he actually knew the tension between you and his son and he wanted to smooth things over?

“i don’t see you on hunts, do i? or fishing?”

that…was surprising. you shook your head. “i don’t…i’m not good, actually… spear never felt quite right in my hands.”

it was embarrassing to admit. mortifying, even. but you couldn’t lie to him. not about this, anyway. it was something that could easily be disproven.

there was silence afterwards and you wanted to crawl into yourself. he probably thought of you the way his son did. that you were an insult to his people.

“you don’t hunt? i could have sworn i recognised you.”

you shook your head again. “i’m afraid not. i just take care of things here; help with foraging, direct the fishermen to the right spots…”

his eyes flashed in understanding. “you told us where to look for ttryll last year, when we’d thought they hadn’t come to the reef for the summer.”

your blush deepened and you hoped he didn’t notice. “yep, that’s me. you remembered that?”

he laughed. it rolled through him, starting deep in his stomach and it was a beautiful sound. you’d found that you wanted to hear it forever. “ao’nung had said we should give up. when it turned out you were right he was miserable the whole day.”

you frowned at his name leaving his lips, but you couldn’t help but feel happy that you’d proven him wrong.

“i should have thanked you then,” he said now. “we thought we’d have to rely on other fish then. you really helped the clan.”

a shy smile graced your lips at the praise, the words making you feel warm. you never knew hearing him say things like that made you feel so good and you wanted nothing more than to hear more.

“i have many talents. if you need me to identify kelp or tell you the difference between teal moss or turquoise moss, i’m your gal.”

you laughed together softly and you noticed that you were a lot closer than when you’d started chatting, at how easily conversation flowed. talking to other guys always seemed so difficult for you but despite your nerves you found yourself enjoying chatting with tonowari. maybe it was the cup of alcohol you’d emptied before he’d arrived, maybe it was the casual setting of the celebration, maybe your attraction to him far outweighed your nerves. you didn’t know. and frankly you didn’t care.

this next question would either make or break whatever vibes were being made here. your heart was thrumming in time to the drum but you figured that you’d never get a chance like this again.

to hell with it. you lose all the chances you don’t take, right?

“do you want to get out of here?” you asked.

his eyes widened and you held your breath as he regarded you for a moment. maybe you were wrong. you could never look at him again if that were the case. you hadn’t thought this through. stupid alcohol.

“yeah. my marui’s close.”

your heart skipped a beat and it was a wonder how you managed to take the hand he offered you to help you up without falling on your face.

what the fuck?

what the fuck?

the two of you slipped away without being noticed by the boisterous party behind you. the waves washed over the noises pretty quickly as tonowari led you to his home.

bioluminescent seaweed lit your path and you noticed a few creatures scuttle across the sand in surprise as you tried to suppress your giddiness. or was it nerves? it was impossible to tell and by the time you did get there you still felt like your brain was scrambled.

“water?” he offered after welcoming you in. you sat down as you took in his home as he walked around.

you shook your head, too nervous to drink anything. you were scared you would spill it on yourself or, with your luck, on him.

he sat down next to you after having fussed around his home a bit. it was oddly adorable.

“about earlier…were you being serious about what you’d said? i don’t want there to have been any misunderstandings.”

“no!” you said abruptly. “i mean, yes! to your first question. no misunderstandings here.”

he looked down and you followed his gaze, slowly getting more mortified as you realised you’d grabbed his hand. he hadn’t pulled away though. instead he started rubbing your hand with his thumb in soothing circles.

“good to hear,” he said softly before leaning in to kiss you.

the initial surprise of it melted along with you into the kiss. this wasn’t the first time you’d kissed someone. despite what ao’nung thought there were many heated moments you’d had with some boys you knew in your teenage years. but as you got older and more mature you’d wanted something more than frantic groping and coral reef quickies.

you crawled into his lap, breathing heavily as you straddled him and hands shaking like a leaf in a hurricane. you felt him smile against you and ask “is this okay?”

you nodded enthusiastically, stroking his biceps, feeling him chuckle as you gave them a firm squeeze.

he kissed down your neck, surprising you and—oh.

…oh…

he chuckled against you and you only realised then that you had moaned aloud. it was embarrassing and you were going to apologise until he sucked the sensitive spot on your neck softly.

you hissed, squeezing him, gasping, the feeling shooting straight to your core. you bit your lip, feeling your skin light aflame with a pleasure you didn’t know was possible.

this was nothing like the coral reef quickies.

“you sound so pretty, sweet girl,” he said softly, making you shiver. your breath hitched at the praise and he seemed to notice if the sly smirk you started to grow to love was of any indication.

he moved his mouth away from you and tilted his head. “do you like that? when i say things like that?”

you nodded dumbly, not trusting your voice to stay steady. he kissed you again in earnest, helping you undo your top.

“you’re beautiful,” he breathed, kissing your shoulder. “and so smart. so, so smart sweet girl. helping out the clan when you did.”

you moaned as he kissed lower, until he was at your inner thigh. you bit your lip as he removed your loin cloth with his teeth and gasped as softly bit your thigh.

“tonowari…” you moaned.

“wari,” he muttered.

“what?”

he looked up at you. “i prefer wari with my friends. and since we’re…” he thought for a moment, “more than acquainted at this point, you might as well call me that too.”

“okay, wari,” you said.

he grinned. “good girl.”

the praise shot right through. you had no idea two words could make you feel so good. you blushed and looked away only to gasp when you felt his tongue lap at your clit.

“w-wait! what’re you doing?”

he paused again and looked up inquisitively, another thing about him you’d found adorable. “what do you mean?”

“you can’t…do that.”

he rubbed your thighs with his palms thoughtfully. “you’ve never had sex before?”

the question was so out of left field you would have fallen if you hadn’t been lying down already. “what? no, i’ve had sex.”

he frowned, as though what you’d told him confused him. “but you’ve never had someone do this for you?”

“no! i mean, no that…no one ever…we just…you know…and sometimes i’d…with my mouth….when they’d asked but….”

“and you enjoyed it?”

you avoided his piercing gaze. “it’s…sex is sex. right?”

he sighed and kissed your thigh. “the boys in this clan have a lot to learn it seems,” he muttered. “let me take care of you, okay?”

you bit your lip, and nodded, trusting him. then once again you felt his tongue graze your clit and you gasped. an indescribable pleasure burst through you, way better than any tryst you’d had before.

his tongue skittered around your bud, making your thighs tremble on their own volition. you moaned as he licked your cunt, letting out a soft sob when his breath blew softly against you. you’d never been so wet in your entire life.

he guided your hands to his head and you bit your lip again as you grabbed his hair threading between your fingers. your hips quivered and you panted, swearing when you felt what could only be his fingers enter you.

he sucked your clit softly and you swore, fucking yourself against his fingers and grinding into his mouth.

you came quickly like this, shaking and moaning against his face. he moaned too ad you realised he’d been touching himself the whole time, his fingers now squeezing the base of his cock as though trying to stop himself from coming.

when you relaxed, panting, he came up to kiss you, making you taste yourself. you pulled him as close into you as you could, desperately wanting to feel more of him, drunk off the feeling of pleasure he’d given you.

“you did well,” he said softly. “my sweet girl.”

you looked at him, still horny as hell even though he’d given you the best orgasm of your life. you squirmed under his hands and he chuckled. “yes?”

“need you inside me,” you said shyly.

he looked at you for a moment and sat up, kneeling in front of you. “since you asked do nicely.”

he lined himself up and you clenched your fists in anticipation. tonowari first slid his cock between your lower lips, not entering you but teasing.

you took a shaky breath you didn’t know you were holding and tried to relax as he slowly sheathed himself inside you. your walls eagerly took him in and they fluttered at the gentle friction, sending bolts of pleasure through you. your eyes shut tight as you took him in and you felt him flush against you, panting. holding still.

“wari…” you whined.

“sorry,” he said softly. “give me a moment, sweet girl. i almost came right then.”

fuck. fuck, that was hot.

he leaned down to kiss you, thumbing your clit as he did so and making you squirm. you panted, back arching when he nipped your nipple.

slowly he began to thrust deeply. his muscles rippled as he connected his hips with yours rhythmically, and you sighed under him. it felt nothing like what you’d had before. he made your toes curl, paid special attention to the kind of movement you seemed to like and genuinely seemed to enjoy it himself.

“fuck,” he muttered, “you feel so good, sweet girl. i’m barely holding together as it is.”

“harder,” you said. “need it harder. please.”

he swore again, your begging clearly his weakness before he picked up the pace. you held on to him, nails scratching his back as he fucked you into the bed, moaning for all the clan to hear.

soon it all erupted and the pleasure rocked through you, making you milk his cock with your walls. he bit his lip, clearly at his limit before he gave two particularly hard thrusts and came inside you.

he kissed you everywhere as his orgasm rolled through him, and after it ended until he collapsed next to you, panting with you.

he rolled over, threw his arm over you and nuzzled into your neck with a happy sigh. you stroked his arm, sleep dangerously close to taking over.

“i honestly just wanted to have a conversation with you when i first approached you.” he said softly.

you snorted. “what changed?”

“we continued talking.”

your heart flip flopped. “really?”

he chuckled. “you are a compelling person. i hope…” he paused, choosing his next words carefully, “i hope this isn’t the end of it.”

now it was your turn to chuckle. “are you kidding me? you’ve ruined me for all men.”

he sighed happily and closed his eyes. “good.”

-0O0-

the next morning you’d woken up before tonowari and walked around his marui to find food for the both of you. you couldn’t help but feel giddy as you placed some dried fish and grains into a bowl along with a fruit you’d found just outside.

noticing the water jug was empty, you exited the marui quickly to go to the communal water hole to grab some more for breakfast.

you hummed as you opened the door to exit but as you left, you bumped into a very hungover looking ao’nung who looked like he was coming back from a long night of partying.

“watch it, nerdy bitch,” he muttered, not in the right state of mind to insult you properly.

you frowned, but chose not to retaliate until he called for you to stop.

“what’re you doing here anyway?” he asked

you gritted your teeth and counted to ten, forcing yourself to relax. one day he was gonna learn. one day he was gonna get his comeuppance. one day—

wait.

you grinned as it hit you. this was it.

“i said what’re you doing here with our water jug?” he asked again, more firmly.

“what am i doing here?” you asked innocently. then you took a step closer to him, and whispered into his ear.

“i fucked your father last night.”

you felt him freeze and you cackled, turning and leaving without another word. you didn’t even look at his face. you didn’t need to.

“eywa thank you for rewarding me for my patience,” you sang as you skipped to get water.

#atwow #avatar the way of water #tonowari #atwow tonowari #atwow smut #avatar smut #tonowari x reader #tonowari x you #tonowari x y/n #aonung

[starlostastronaut]

DAY 05 | MORE THAN THIS NOW

PAIRING: bang chan x reader

GENRE: fluff

WC: 1.17k

CW: nothing i think

PROMPT: accidentally saying they think the other one is pretty

i am terribly sorry for the delay, but tuesdays are the worst in terms of free time (but its almost 10:30pm here so i didnt technically fail lol). but we should be back to your regularly scheduled program for day6 ;)

my personal hc is chris being a confident flirt until it comes to his own crush. like he's a mess. so anyway, don't think too much about the storyline here, there really isn't one lol. i just wrote what came to mind to get it out for you. i hope you enjoy haha <3

title from crushcrushcrush - paramore

general masterlist here

<< previous | mctc masterlist | next >>

Your eyes skimmed over the closet and ended up on the pile of clothes on Chan's bed. You had stayed at the dorm so often that the boys decided to keep some of your clothes there for emergencies such as this. It was your annual movie night, where you met up with the boys and their girlfriends (if they had them). The night went on as usual without a hitch, until it didn't. But to be fair, someone should have predicted Jeongin tripping over somebody's legs and spilling his drink all over you. They were apparently used to accidents like these because Chan immediately went to pick out a new shirt for you while Felix's girlfriend helped you clean yourself up. Chan came by the kitchen, telling you he left some clothes in his room so you could change in private. 

Yet there you were, completely ignoring the carefully picked-out shirt in favour of Bang Chan’s closet. Looking at the black shirts, you felt as if they were calling you. What harm would it do to wear one of Chan's shirts, right? You have worn his jacket hundreds of times when you were cold. But this was something different. Wearing his shirt unprompted indicated that you were his. You ignored the excited fluttering of your heart as you picked out a shirt you knew Chan would recognize. So maybe you had a tiny crush on the singer. Damn you for indulging a bit, right? This was harmless fun, and if you were to be completely honest, you looked forward to seeing Chan's reaction.

When you came back to the living room, a few people turned around to stare at you. Changbin and Minho shared a knowing look before they went back to organizing the snacks. You didn’t miss the smirks on both of their faces. The rest too looked away again one by one, focusing on whatever activity they were doing. Well, everyone except Bang Chan. You felt his eyes follow you as you walked across the room to sit next to Jisung, who began filling you in on what movie they picked out while you were changing.

Chan was at a loss for words. He couldn't take his eyes off of you in his shirt. Of course, he recognized it. How could he not? Firstly, it wasn't the one he laid out for you, and secondly, you yourself bought him that shirt not so long ago. There was suddenly something different about you, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He couldn't help but wonder what even caused you to wear his shirt. Did you not like what he picked out for you? Did you lose some bet and the whole accident was scripted? Or did you just decide to be a tease for no reason?

The movie night resumed in the meantime, and when Chan finally tore his gaze away from you, he noticed the film was already playing. He tried his best to catch up on the plot and characters, but his efforts were severely undermined by the fact that he kept glancing in your direction. He usually managed fairly well in your presence, having mastered the sneaky looks and “No, I definitely don't have a crush, why would you say that?" But today was different somehow. And then it hit him. He liked seeing you in his clothes, acting so casual about it. It sparked a certain sense of possessiveness in him. To an outsider, it would look like you’re his partner. 

Realizing staring was rude, Chan turned his attention back to the TV. It didn't stay that way for long, though, because every time he tried to focus on the movie, his eyes always found their way back to you. Your laugh, the way your eyes sparkled, and the slight blush that appeared on your cheeks after Jisung whispered something to you. It all captured his attention like never before.

“Chan? Are you okay?”

Your voice seemed to bring him back out of his trance, because he blinked a few times to snap out of his dazed state. “You're gorgeous,” he blurted out, catching his mouth in the following seconds. “I… I mean…” he stuttered, hiding his face in his hands, silently admitting defeat. He missed the way your cheeks went red and a smile appeared on your face. “Sorry.” Chan quickly stood up and ran out of the room, the embarrassment too high to manage.

You were left there, hopelessly looking in the direction in which Chan disappeared. “Go after him,” Felix and his girlfriend said in unison. They stood up, each taking one of your hands and pulling you up. “Go,” Felix urged you and pushed you in the direction of Chan's room.

“Alright, I'm going. I'm going.” You held your hands up in mock surrender, but you did go after Chan.

Without knocking, you entered and found Chan sitting on his bed. “What's wrong? Why did you run away?” you asked, sitting down next to him. He raised his head when he heard you.

“That was not how I wanted to say that,” he murmured.

“Say what?” you questioned, tilting your head to the side.

“That I think you're pretty? I don't know. I guess I imagined something more intimate than a room full of our nosy friends.” He chuckled at the irony. This situation was pretty close to his vision of an intimate situation. Shame it happened this way, he thought.

You stayed silent, confused by his words. This wasn't like him at all. Chan was a natural flirt; he said things like that all the time. It was just a word, so why was he making a big deal out of it? Sure, it couldn't have been because he might have felt something for you. Or could it? Now that you have thought about it, it would make sense. He seemed to always find you, even in a crowded room. He stayed by your side at every social gathering, keeping you company and then making sure you got home safe. He was always there when you needed something. You chalked it up to him being a good friend, but what if there was something else behind it? You voiced your theory.

Chan's bitter laugh rang through the room. “Was I that easy to read?" He tore his eyes away from you. “Look, can we just forget this? I don't want to ruin anything.”

You pretended to carefully weigh the option, but you decided the moment he confirmed having a crush on you. “We could do that,” you nodded. “But I have a better idea. What about we discuss it somewhere else, preferably on a date?” You winked at him, which sent Chan into another round of laughter, but this time a much happier one.

“Your flirting sucks, but you're hard to resist,” he smirked, all of his previous mood gone. He was back to the playful Chan you knew. “So when you're free?”

taglist: @stayconnecteed @saintriots @vivioluh @ivaneedssleep @jazziwritesthings

©starlostastronaut 2023 | do not repost/translate my work without permission

#moony's countdown to christmas #mctc #stray kids x reader #bang chan x reader #bang chan #fluff

[duskandcobalt]

Echoes in the Hallway

Elain didn’t know why it bothered her so much. Yes, she’d been prepared for a cozy night in with her nephew - just the two of them - but an additional presence in the house wasn’t usually something that would set her off like this.

Typically, she’d welcome having someone else around. She knew she wouldn’t be feeling like this if it was Cassian or Mor that had stayed back with her.

But Azriel…

….

18+ pls

Azriel finds himself playing chaperone again, this time for the girl he’s been avoiding for months…. What could possibly go wrong?

This is like 7.7k words of shameless angst and smut????? enjoy!!

…

Read on AO3

“Azriel.” Rhys’ voice broke through Azriel’s concentration. Their eyes met as the Shadowsinger looked up from the reports he’d been diligently reading for god knows how long, reclined on a couch in Rhys’ office after their morning debrief with Cassian.

Azriel raised his eyebrows at his brother, already wary of the conversation they were about to have based solely on the seriousness in which Rhys had addressed him.

Rhysand leaned against the corner of his desk. “We’re all going to the Court of Nightmares tomorrow…”

Azriel nodded, shuffling his papers together and setting them to the side so he could sit up straight.

“I know you were supposed to come but something’s come up and I’ll need you to stay here.” Rhys continued.

“Why?” Suspicion laced Azriel’s voice.

“The twins aren’t available and Elain…” Rhys paused, carefully watching his brother’s reaction.

Azriel tensed at the name, frustration immediately building under his skin. He hadn’t let himself even think about that name for almost nine months now.

Solstice felt like a fever dream - a night that had gone so wrong, so quickly that he deigned it easier to just try to forget any of it had even happened. Even if he’d quickly realised that was easier said than done.

“Elain is staying back to watch Nyx.” Rhys finished. He was still studying Azriel, waiting for a reaction that wasn’t coming. Anger flowed through Azriel but he pushed it down, wouldn’t let that icy exterior that he’d spent so long perfecting crack.

It had been Rhys after all that had put an end to everything before anything had even had a chance to begin.

“And you want me to stand guard?” Azriel inquired, quiet and steady, no sign of that underlying anger as he spoke.

“No.” Rhys sighed. “But we need Nesta to come with us and Cassian refuses to let her out of his sight after everything happened with the Blood Rite. Feyre’s already stressed about leaving Nyx for the night, with everything that’s happening. Elain and Nyx, leaving them for the first time… she insisted you be the one to stay back.”

“Why me? You told me…”

“I know what I said, Az.” Rhys cut him off. “And please don’t get any ideas. I stand by what I said.”

“So then why me? Why not someone else?”

“Because Feyre trusts you, Az.” He took a deep breath before continuing. “We both trust you.” ‘

“Do you?” Azriel scoffed. It was the first obvious display of emotion he’d let Rhysand see during this conversation.

They’d both be lying if they said things hadn’t been a little tense between them since that night where Rhysand had exercised his power, his ranking, in a way he hardly ever did. And for him to use that ranking to call Azriel off for a matter of the heart… Azriel had struggled to move past the decision even if he had done his best to obey.

“You are my spymaster, Azriel.” Rhys leaned back into his chair but his eyes stayed fixed on Azriel. “ You are my spymaster and my brother, of course I trust you.”

Azriel said nothing, only dipped his chin in acknowledgement of the clear sincerity in Rhysand’s tone.

“Don’t do anything to undermine my trust, Az. Just be here tomorrow night and keep an eye on things. There is to be nothing more. Is that understood?”

“I’ve stayed away, haven’t I?” Azriel stood, gathering his things before rolling his shoulders back and allowing his wings to flare behind him. A slight show of power to let his brother, his High Lord, know exactly how he felt about the situation.

“Is that understood, Azriel?” Rhys ignored the display, repeating his words with that same sense of command that he'd used on Solstice.

“Yes.” Azriel replied, words sharp as he swiftly exited the office and made his way out of the house.

…

“I just don’t understand why I need a chaperone when I am the chaperone.” Elain grumbled, avoiding even looking in Azriel’s direction.

They were in the kitchen, Nyx balanced on her hip as she bustled around getting a bottle ready for his first feed of the night. Azriel was standing across the kitchen from her, one scarred hand braced on the counter as he flipped through a thick stack of paper with the other. Also avoiding looking at her.

More reports. His distraction for the night.

The rest of the household had just left for the Hewn City mere minutes ago. Rhys and Feyre had chosen to only inform Elain that Azriel would be accompanying her and Nyx right before they winnowed away.

“It’s a safety precaution, with everything going on…” Azriel replied, his voice barely above a whisper. His hazel eyes stayed focused on his papers.

“Ridiculous. This house is protected within an inch of its life.” Elain threw back, her words cutting.. She saw him tense out of the corner of her eye, clearly unused to hearing this tone of voice from her.

Good.

Elain didn’t know why it bothered her so much. Yes, she’d been prepared for a cozy night in with her nephew - just the two of them - but an additional presence in the house wasn’t usually something that would set her off like this.

Typically, she’d welcome having someone else around. She knew she wouldn’t be feeling like this if it was Cassian or Mor that had stayed back with her.

But Azriel…

She couldn’t even justify being upset at Rhys and Feyre for not telling her sooner. Why would they have thought to warn her? How could they possibly know that spending even a moment alone with the Shadowsinger wasn’t exactly high on her list of enjoyable activities these days?

Having him in her space after all these months apart had completely thrown her off, had her fumbling as she tried to put together a simple bottle. She cursed under her breath as she attempted to screw the top on for the third time. Nyx was entirely unhelpful as his little hands tugged at her hair, pulling curls loose from her braid and further distracting her from the task at hand.

“Need some help?” His low voice was closer than anticipated. She hadn’t noticed him come up behind her.

Alway so damn quiet - something that she’d found endearing once upon a time.

“I’m fine.” She bit back, silently willing her hands to stop shaking as she tried yet again to get the lid on the bottle.

“Elain.” Azriel sighed. Gods, she’d forgotten what her name sounded like on his lips. The effect it had on her body. “I know you don’t want me here. At least let me make myself useful.”

She set the lid down on the counter and turned to face him, making eye contact with him for the first time that night. For the first time since Solstice, really.

It’s hard to make eye contact with someone that seemed to do everything in their power to avoid her.

She could see the exhaustion in his hazel eyes but his face was as beautiful as always. The summer months had leant him a healthy glow, his already tan skin a couple shades deeper, a few freckles dotting the bridge of his nose. His dark hair was just a little longer than she remembered and a slight curl had developed along with the length.

How she had once ached to run her hands through his hair.

Anger flooded her veins again, a fresh wave, this time at herself for even allowing herself to think of him like she used to do.

He was infuriatingly expressionless as he watched her, patiently waiting for her to say something.

“I’ll take him to the great room. Bring the bottle and a cloth.” She relented, shifting Nyx in her arms as she quickly stepped around Azriel. His wings retracted to let her through.

…

Azriel took his time putting the lid on the bottle and grabbing a cloth in order to give Elain a little space.

He felt terrible about this - about having to be in this house, a looming presence that she very clearly didn’t have any desire to be around.

He didn’t know what else he had expected from tonight. He certainly didn’t think things would be like they used to be, back when she’d welcome him into the house with a shy smile, when they’d spend hours quietly talking to each other in the garden. He hadn’t even expected for them to exchange more than a few words.

He just hadn’t been prepared for the anger that radiated off of her.

It was so unlike her, so different from the girl he’d come to know. Of course, he knew that Elain wasn’t as quiet or demure as everyone seemed to think. She was kind, yes. Soft spoken compared to her sisters, yes. But she was also intelligent and sharp and funny in a way that often caught him off guard.

He’d seen her upset in the past, seen her frustrated, but he couldn’t remember ever seeing her like this. So angry that the same raging fire which had once been a constant presence in Nesta’s eyes now infiltrated Elain’s.

He took a deep breath in, picking up the bottle and taking a cloth from the cupboard, steeling himself to face Elain again.

Multiple centuries of life - all those terrifying people and places he’d dealt with in his line of work - and somehow he still felt wholly unprepared and nervous to interact with Elain Archeron.

Azriel found her in the great room, as promised, sitting in a large navy velvet armchair. Her feet were tucked under her, her skirts a never ending cloud of soft pink fabric around her. Nyx was cradled in Elain’s arms, the fire in her eyes nowhere to be seen, her features soft as she babbled back to the babe happily babbling to her. The last bit of light from the setting sun streamed in from the glass doors that led out to the river, illuminating them from behind and Azriel’s breath caught - she looked ethereal.

Elain saw him then and watched as Azriel approached her, flames immediately igniting again as she met his gaze. He held out the bottle and she reached for it, careful to avoid touching his hands in the process. She looked away finally, adjusting Nyx against her chest and watching as he latched on to the bottle.

Azriel found himself fighting back the emotions that came to the surface at the sight before him. Of Elain with a winged babe in her arms, humming softly as she fed him. It was a glimpse into what might’ve been. In another life. Another universe. What he might’ve had if the cauldron had only deemed him worthy.

He tried to push the thoughts down, attempted to let them frost over in the depths of his soul as he shook out the cloth in his hands, doubling it over once before tentatively stepping forward and leaning down to drape it neatly over her shoulder - matching what he’d seen Rhys do for Feyre time and time again. He didn’t miss the way Elain stiffened, the way her breath hitched until he was standing upright again. He hadn’t let his hands so much as graze her skin, as much as he might’ve wanted to.

“I’ll be in the kitchen.” He mumbled, one hand coming up to run through his hair, turning on his heel and heading out of the room before she even had a chance to reply.

He couldn’t take it.

There was a reason he’d stayed away all these months and he was quickly remembering just why he’d taken to hiding himself away at the House of Wind with Nesta and Cassian. It was too much - being near her, being surrounded by her scent. Not being able to talk to her, not being able to touch her. Seeing her with Nyx. This unspoken tension between them. It was all too much.

He thought that the months apart would’ve helped, that the pull he felt towards her would’ve lessened with time. He hadn’t realised how wrong he’d been - hadn’t realised just how much he still yearned for her.

Azriel took a seat at the dining table, hands dragging over his face once as he attempted to focus on his reports. It was utterly useless, all he could think about was the female down the hall from him.

He had no idea how he’d make it through the night when the pain of this longing was eating him alive.

…

Nyx’s wailing had been echoing through the house for a couple hours now, so loud that Elain was concerned that the windows would shatter regardless of the countless wards Rhys had placed on them.

The poor babe had refused to settle, only sleeping for a few hours before he awoke just after midnight - tears streaming down his sweet face even after Elain had rushed down the hall to him, picking him up and cradling him to her chest.

She had tried everything - changing him, feeding him, singing to him as she sat in a rocking chair. She was at her wits end, bouncing him anxiously in her arms as she paced the nursery, only the moonlight streaming in from the balcony window providing her with just enough light to watch Nyx as he all but screamed in her arms.

She’d done her best to ignore the shadows at the foot of his crib. They’d been there all night, silently laying on the floor where they typically monitored Nyx whenever Azriel was in the house. She glanced at them now and saw that they were gathered together, a cloud of darkness that seemed to keenly watch her, just waiting to be acknowledged. Elain had a feeling they’d been instructed to mind their business and let her handle things tonight but she could tell that they had a different opinion on the subject.

“Go get him, then.” She rolled her eyes, frustrated enough to give in to what she knew they were itching to do. If she wasn’t so overwhelmed she might’ve laughed at the speed at which they vanished, off to find their master.

Azriel appeared seconds later, stepping through his shadows, fully alert with Truthteller clutched in one hand. His hair was a mess, dark circles beginning to form under his eyes. He was still dressed in his leathers so he clearly hadn’t made it to bed yet.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, eyes scanning the nursery - the empty crib, the corners of the room, the balcony, before settling on her.

She saw him relax slightly once he realised that Nyx was indeed safe but then his eyes were taking her in - ever so slowly grazing over her - head to toe. She couldn’t help the heat that spread through her at his gaze. His eyes burned into her skin as he took in her unbound hair, the thin silk of the nightgown she wore, her feet bare on the plush rug. She was too exasperated to care that he was seeing her in this state of undress.

“I… I don’t know.” Elain rasped, her throat scratchy from being abruptly pulled out of her slumber. “He just won’t stop crying. I’ve tried everything, I don’t know what to do.”

“May I?” Azriel stepped towards her, holding out his arms.

Elain paused for a second, looking up at him before gently maneuvering Nyx into his uncle’s outstretched arms.

Azriel took him, those beautiful scarred hands cradling the still screaming babe and bringing him up to rest against his leather clad chest.

She had watched Nyx fill out over these past few months and had often felt that he was growing too quickly for her liking. But now, seeing Azriel with him… Elain couldn’t believe just how small Nyx looked in the arms of the Illyrian warrior. How tiny his body was in those large hands, how fragile he seemed against that broad chest.

Azriel’s hand rubbed smooth circles over Nyx’s back - in between the tiny wings that were beginning to strengthen.

Just five or ten minutes later, Nyx’s wails finally began to die down, his cries fading into small whimpers as he nuzzled further into Azriel’s chest - one tiny fist clutching at his leathers.

“Go to bed, Elain. I’ll stay with him until he sleeps.” Azriel glanced up from where he’d been walking back and forth in front of the window. Elain peered up at him from the rocking chair that she’d fallen into once Azriel had taken over - fighting the exhaustion that threatened to send her to sleep in favour of watching in quiet awe as Azriel managed to calm Nyx down.

“How did you…?” She started.

“I think it’s the wings.” He shrugged. “They can be quite uncomfortable when they’re growing. Mine were so itchy when they were healing after Hybern. I’d imagine it’s even worse for a babe.”

“I didn’t know.” Elain remarked. “I had no idea how to help him.”

“How could you know? It isn’t your fault.” Azriel said softly, fingers still gently rubbing over Nyx’s back. “The leathers probably help too, feels familiar to Rhys.”

“If I’d been here alone…” Tears were gathering in her eyes, the exhaustion of the past few hours hitting her.

“You’d have figured it out.” Azriel cut her off, crossing the room towards her. “Please sleep, Elain. You’ve been with him all evening. I’ve got this.”

He adjusted his grip on Nyx, holding him firm to his chest with one large hand so he could extend his other hand out towards her.

She sighed, her eyes focused on his outstretched hand before she gave in and took it - doing her best to ignore the spark that coursed through her at the feeling of his hand wrapping around hers and pulling her up until she was standing in front of him. He didn’t let go even as Elain went up on her toes to peer at Nyx. Her other hand pressed into Azriel’s chest for balance as she leaned in to place a kiss on her nephew’s cheek.

“Sleep well now, sweet boy.” She said softly before backing up and finally letting her hand drop from Azriel’s chest.

“Goodnight.” He gave her a small smile and let go of her hand, motioning towards the nursery door with his chin - beckoning her to rest.

…

Elain couldn’t sleep even though she was utterly exhausted. She’d been laying in bed, staring up at her ceiling for hours now, her mind racing with seemingly no end in sight. She couldn’t stop thinking.

The way Azriel had looked at her was burned into her memory - the scan of his eyes over her hair, her nightgown clad body, the way his gaze softened as his alert eyes met her exhausted ones.

She pictured him with Nyx, that icy exterior of his melting as the soft side he kept carefully hidden came to the surface once his nephew was safe in his arms.

She thought of the feeling of his hand around hers - his scars grazing against her skin as his fingers wrapped around her delicate wrist. She remembered the feeling of his leather clad chest under her fingers, how the heat from him melted into her even through the thick material… how that heat made her want more - made her want to press her fingers to his bare skin, to feel the muscled chest beneath those leathers.

She pictured his full lips, how’d they once been barely an inch from hers - one hand on her throat with his fingers grazing her jaw to tilt her face up towards his, his other hand buried in her hair. She pictured what it would be like to have those hands of his on her neck again, on other parts of her too.

That all-too-familiar ache swept over her, settling deep in her bones just as it had for months now - night after sleepless night. The anger that coursed through her body during the day always seemed to shift into an unquenchable longing once the sun gave way to the moon and she was alone in her bed.

She knew it was wrong. Knew she had no right to think of him like this, to want him, need him like this. Not when he’d told her it’d been a mistake - even if the way he’d looked at her tonight had said otherwise.

She closed her eyes, breathing deeply to will away the ache in her chest, the ache between her thighs. She tried her best to try to find sleep until her keen hearing picked up on the sound of a door opening and closing.

Elain barely even realised what she was doing but suddenly she was out of bed and rushing to open the door to her room. She scanned the dark hallways until she found him standing at the top of the stairs. Azriel paused at the sound of her door opening but his shadows continued down the stairs without him.

“He’s asleep.” He turned to face her, those eyes once again quickly scanning her up, down, then back up again. “Why aren’t you?”

She took a second to look at him. Studied the way those leathers clung to him, perfectly contoured to every lean line of his toned body. He was so tall, so statuesque as if one of the gods had carved him out of stone with their very hands. His shoulders were so broad that they blocked out what little fae light carried up the stairs from the lower level of the house.

Elain ignored his question, months of that ache and anger suddenly coming together faster than she could even comprehend, combining into an emotion she couldn’t label. The words spilled out of her before she could even think it through.

“You haven’t spoken to me in months.” She seethed. “You told me I was a mistake and then you left me standing at the bottom of those stairs.” Elain gestured behind him. “You all but disappeared until Nyx was born. Even then, you stopped coming to family dinners, you only ever show up at the house for meetings with Rhys and Cassian and then leave the second they’re done. You go out of your way to avoid me, you refuse to even look in my direction. What did I do wrong?”

Azriel still hadn’t moved from where he had paused at the top of the stairs, his eyes fixed on hers in shock as he took in what she was saying.

“You…” He shook his head. “You did nothing wrong, Elain.”

“Then why?” Her voice broke as she took one small step down the hallway. “Why have you avoided me like this? You almost kissed me, and then you said I was a mistake…”

“I never said you were a mistake.” He took a step towards her. “You were not the mistake, Elain. I was the one who made a mistake by thinking I had any right to touch you.”

“Because you were with her? With Gwyn?” Elain’s hated how timid she sounded voicing the fear that she’d kept to herself all these months.

Azriel’s face fell.

“She was wearing my… I saw her wearing the necklace.” She corrected herself, leaving the rest unspoken. The crippling fear that Azriel had feelings for Nesta’s beautiful friend.

Elain had seen the necklace around Gwyn’s neck a few months ago when Nesta had invited her to the House of Wind to have lunch with some of the priestesses that she was training. She had done everything in her power to smile at the kind priestess, to try to make polite conversation and not break down in tears when she’d caught a glimpse of the stained glass rose sitting just under Gwyn’s collarbones.

She had willed herself not to think of how that necklace had ended up in Gwyn’s possession but had utterly failed. Had sat in silence, her mind racing as Nesta laughed with Gwyn. The priestesses' musical laughter like a soundtrack to the thoughts infiltrating her mind in that moment - had he looked at Gwyn like he’d looked at Elain that night? Had he put the necklace on her? Had his hands lingered on her throat? Had he kissed her like he’d almost kissed Elain? Did he visit her in the darkest hours of the night? Did she share his bed?

Jealousy swelled within her, the roaring in her ears so loud that she could barely even hear him when he spoke.

“Gwyn is a friend, Elain.” Azriel took another step forward, one hand coming up to land over his heart in earnest. “I help train her and we’re friends. There’s nothing more, I swear.”

“Then why?” She still didn’t understand, couldn’t work out how things had changed in a single second that night.

“I don’t know - I wasn’t thinking clearly after Solstice and I ran into her that same night and we spoke. Then I found the necklace with my gifts…I didn’t know what to do but I couldn’t keep it. So I went to the library and asked Clotho to give it to her, to any of the priestesses. I shouldn’t have done it, I know that now.” This was the fastest she’d ever heard him speak, his hands balling into fists at his sides as if he didn’t quite know what to do with them. “I don’t even think she knows it was from me.”

“No. I meant…” Elain shook her head. “If you weren’t seeing Gwyn then why was it a mistake? Why was it a mistake to almost kiss me?”

“You have a mate, Elain.” Azriel’s expression faltered. Even in this dark hallway, she could see the pain in his eyes.

Elain laughed. Just one single exhale of air at the reminder of her mate. Red hot rage once again seeped through her.

“That means nothing to me.” She shook her head. “I am so sick of everyone telling me that that means anything.”

“But it does.” Azriel replied. “The mating bond is… it’s rare and it’s a gift to be treasured. There’s nothing like it. To not acknowledge it, to not try at the very least, would be… it would be a mistake.”

“I don’t want to acknowledge it.” Elain’s throat felt like sandpaper, her frustration building with each second that passed.

“He’s a good male, Elain.” Azriel’s shoulders dropped in defeat as he broke eye contact with her, gazing at the floor before dragging his eyes up to meet her searing gaze once again. He looked defeated. “He’ll be good to you if you give him a chance.”

Elain took three steps forward, the distance between them becoming smaller although the was still so painfully far away.

“He may be a good male.” She paused, a shaky breath escaping her. She was unable to stop the tears that were falling from her eyes, didn’t have the strength to hold them back anymore. “He may be good, but he is not you.”

‘Elain…” Azriel tried to speak but she held up a hand, silencing him.

“He is not you, Azriel.” She sobbed.

…

Azriel’s knees threatened to buckle under the weight of her words. His ears buzzing as he desperately tried to focus on Elain, beautiful as ever in the moonlight despite the tears cascading down her cheeks. The tears that were there because of him.

Azriel.

She’d never said his name before. Not that he’d ever heard, anyway. Maybe she’d used it in conversations with the others but she had never once, in the last few years, ever used his name when speaking to him.

He is not you. He is not you, Azriel.

Those words, the way she said his name, ricocheted in his mind.

He took two long strides towards her, the distance between them minimal now - if he simply reached forwards, he’d be able to touch her.

“Azriel.” She repeated his name, her eyes searching his own. He still hadn’t said anything. “Did you hear me?”

He nodded, opening his mouth to say something but there were no words. He couldn’t think of a single thing to say. Could only stare into the depths of those brown doe eyes, glazed with tears, and listened as she continued to speak.

“Lucien… he tries with me because he feels like he has to. He tries because of the bond. He’d have no interest in me if there wasn’t this thing between us.” She was fighting to speak, her words interrupted by deep, heaving sobs.

Azriel fought every instinct that was roaring through him to reach out to her, to hold her against his chest and wipe away her tears.

“No one has stopped to think about what I want. They think that just because there is this bond, I must give myself over to him. That he is who I must be with. It’s not right. It doesn’t feel right. The bond is there. I can feel it and it is like a knife in my side. There is a pull to him, yes… but I’ve always felt a pull towards you, too.”

Azriel couldn’t believe what he was hearing, could barely keep up with everything she was saying as she bared her soul to him. Not even his shadows were there to guard him, to allow him to shroud himself in the safety of darkness. He was left to face her all on his own as she confirmed what he’d long suspected. That she felt that same pull, felt that energy that seemed to radiate between them since they’d first met.

“I felt drawn to you long before I was forced into that cauldron. You were there for me from the very beginning. You were the only one - the only one - to listen to me, to sit with me, to see me. They all thought I was losing my mind. I thought I was losing my mind. You were the only one to know. The only one to understand me.”

Azriel could tell she had thought this through - over and over again. Every word, though pained, was spoken with clear intent. He could tell that this wasn’t just hysterics in the heat of the moment. Elain meant every word she said and it rendered him absolutely speechless.

“My life was taken from me.” She went on, her voice quieter now as she took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “I lost my fiancé, I lost my humanity, I lost my father. So many choices were stolen from me the second I was changed. Do I not deserve to have a say in what I do now? Do I not deserve to have a say in who I love? Do I not deserve to have a say in my own happiness?”

“It’s complicated, Elain.” Azriel finally spoke, his voice barely a whisper. “You deserve a choice but that choice comes with endless costs…there is already so much tension between the courts.”

“I don’t care!” She took another step closer until there was no space between them at all. Her hands reached for his and though he should’ve taken a step back, should’ve pulled away, he let her take them, let her intertwine her perfect fingers in his.

“You came for me once.” Elain’s voice was soft as she looked up at him, her eyebrows knitting together as she stared into the depth of this soul - forced him to recall when he’d risked his life to rescue her. “You fought for me then, will you not fight for me again?”

Tears were still streaming down her face but her sobs had subsided, her voice stronger as she challenged him.

“You know I would, but it’s just… it’s complicated.” He reiterated.

“Do you not want this?” Her face fell, her hands dropping from his as she went to take a step back. The confidence that she had exhibited just a second ago, faltering.

Azriel moved without thinking, one hand landing on her hip to keep her with him.

She gasped as his fingers pressed against her, calluses snagging on the smooth silk of her white gown, the feel of his skin through the thin material warmed her from the inside out.

His other hand landed on her neck, just as it had months ago - his thumb tracing a gentle path along the soft line of her jaw.

“Of course, of course, I want this.” He shook his head as if he couldn’t believe she’d even had to ask. His voice was so low he wasn’t sure she’d be able to hear him despite her face being mere inches from his. “I will always want this.”

Her eyes searched his, her shoulders dropping as all the tension she’d been holding in her body flooded out of her, causing her to slump against him. Azriel fingers flexed, his grip on her hip tightening, keeping her steady.

“I want you.” Elain whispered, tilting her face to look at him properly. “It will always be you.”

She was on her tiptoes then, her hands sliding up his torso until they were on his chest for the second time that night - her nails pressed into his leathers until her lips were just barely against his.

“Please, Azriel.” She all but whimpered.

Her plea cracked something in his chest and he could no longer hold back. All the work he’d done to stay away all these months, all these years, all of it was undone in a single second at the sound of his name on her lips. At the feel of her body against his.

Every wall he’d worked so diligently to build, came crumbling down faster than he could even comprehend.

Azriel closed the distance between them, his hand still on her throat as his lips brushed hers for the first time.

…

There was no going back from this.

The second his lips pressed against hers, tentative and sweet, Elain knew in her heart, in her very soul that nothing, no one, would ever compare to this. To him.

Every thought, every worry, every doubt she’d ever had slipped from her mind as Azriel finally kissed her. His lips were soft as they moved against hers, gentle and careful. He was committing this moment to memory just as she was - both of them desperate to remember every second of this, every possible detail. His tongue slid against her lips and she opened for him without a second thought, allowing him to deepen the kiss as she met him stroke for stroke.

Elain couldn’t get close enough to him, her hands frantically coming up from his chest to tangle in his hair, fingers tugging him down in a silent request for more, more, more.

His groan as she pressed her body tight against his reverberated through her and she couldn’t help the desperate moan that escaped her in response. Every ounce of blood, every nerve in her body seemed to be screaming for him - for his attention.

“Touch me.” Elain begged. His face was buried against her neck now, his lips and teeth and tongue grazing the sensitive skin causing her to arch further into him even though there was barely any space between them to begin with. “Please, Azriel.”

He relented, his hand slipped from her throat, one finger slowly skimmed along the delicate neckline of her nightgown before traveling lower. After what felt like a million years, his fingers grazed her peaked nipple, circling once, twice, before his large palm covered her breast and squeezed gently. His other hand released her hip to slip behind her, gripping the generous curve of her ass and pressing her firmly against him - allowing her to feel exactly how hard he was for her.

Her head tipped back, exposing more of her neck to him as her mouth fell open, eyes fluttering shut at the sensation of him in between her thighs. Elain rolled her hips against his as if it was second nature, seeking out that delicious pressure against her core again and again all while cursing the few despicable layers of fabric that separated her from truly feeling every inch of him.

His lips were on hers once more, all his previous gentleness nowhere to be found, replaced instead with pure heated passion as he claimed her with bruising kisses. She was dizzy - all she could feel was him, all she could taste was him, all she could smell was him - the combined scent of both of their arousal was heavy in the air, permeating every square inch of the hallway.

Azriel’s hands slipped under her ass as he continued to kiss her, bunching up the silk of her gown until he could get his hands on the back of her bare thighs. He let his thumbs drift over her soft skin once before lifting her up easily. She wrapped her legs around his waist, her arms draped around his broad shoulders. He carried her with him, walking backwards until he could set her on a small console table in the middle of the hallway.

That familiar energy between them sizzled, only amplifying with each pass of his lips over her lips, her neck, her collarbones. She could’ve sworn there was a glowing aura around them as he lowered his face to her breasts, tongue laving at her nipples over her slip. The sensation of the damp fabric sliding against her skin was enough to have her seeing stars.

“Azriel.” She pleaded again, unsure what she was even asking for.

“Tell me what you want, Elain.” His mouth was still on her chest, hands raking her nightgown even further up her thighs as he raised his eyes to watch her. “Look at me and tell me what you want.”

Cool air hit the heat of her core at the exact same time she met his eyes.

The sound that she let out at that moment was almost embarrassing, her face and chest flushing. She felt him smile against the curve of her breast as he watched her. His eyes were darker than night, darker than she’d ever seen them. His tousled hair fell over his brows, casting shadows that only added to the darkness. Despite their darkness, there was a certain softness, a reverence in his gaze that she knew was reserved just for her.

She still hadn’t answered him. How could she possibly form words when his lips were on her breast? When his fingers were pressing into the flesh of her thighs? She couldn’t think straight, not when the soft ridges of his scars were sliding over her sensitive skin, going higher and higher with each pass as her legs widened for him on their own accord.

His eyes bore into hers as he straightened, raising up until his face was inches from her face. Azriel watched her carefully as he dragged a knuckle up her bare center - an absolute tease of a touch, so light that she almost wondered if she’d imagined it.

“Is this what you want, Elain?” His breath fanned over her as he spoke, their lips almost touching.

He pressed his forehead to hers. “Tell me.”

“Yes.” The word left her mouth in a gasp at the sheer command in his voice, at the brush of that same knuckle over the nerves at the apex of her thighs. She clutched at his neck, nails surely marking his skin as she kissed him.

Azriel kissed her as if he’d never get the chance to kiss her again, a searing kiss that caused a whole new wave of arousal to crest through her. But even his hot mouth pressing over hers couldn’t distract her from the feeling of two of his fingers slowly sliding through her, parting her, before his middle finger dipped into her just once.

“Look how wet you are for me.” He murmured in awe, pulling away just enough so he could bring his hand up between them. Azriel studied his fingers, the way the moonlight caught the wetness gathered there and made it glisten.

Her eyes went wide as she watched him take that finger into his mouth, his lips wrapping around it. She blushed when his eyes fluttered, savouring the taste of her.

“Do you have any idea how good you taste, Elain?” He returned his finger to her core, adding another, and then sank them into her once more in one slow thrust.

She couldn’t say anything, didn’t have the opportunity to when his fingers curled inside her, searching her upper walls until he found what he was seeking.

Those nimble fingers stroked a place that she hadn’t even known existed within her and Elain’s moan echoed in the hallway, her chest arching up into him - the friction of his leathers against her nipples only adding to the feeling of ecstasy that coursed through her.

Her hands roamed, grasping frantically at his chest, at his back. Azriel continued to steadily move his fingers within her. She needed to feel more of him. Needed the warmth of his skin.

“How do I…?” She whined, frustrated that she couldn’t find a single button or zip on his leathers. He’d have to do it. “Take this off.”

“No time. They’ll be back soon.” Azriel took her lower lip in between his teeth, tugging once before letting it go. “Just let me do this for you.”

She started to argue but Azriel kissed her again, increasing the pressure of his fingers as he stroked her over and over again.

“Another time.” He whispered, moving his lips to her neck and biting down lightly at the same time his thumb circled her clit.

“Fuck.” Elain cursed, immediately blushing as Azriel laughed against her throat - both of them surprised by her choice of words. She swallowed her embarrassment, choosing to focus on the desire burning low in her stomach instead. “Do that again.”

Azriel obeyed her order, running his thumb in smooth circles over her as he pumped his fingers into her, maintaining that same rhythm and ensuring that the tips of his fingers bumped against that spot inside of her with each pass.

Just a minute later, before she even knew what was happening, Elain’s vision blurred, her eyes squeezing shut as every nerve in her body came alive. She clutched at his hair, grabbing fistfuls of the silky strands as she clenched hard around his fingers. Her mouth fell open in a silent scream as she came for him.

Seconds, minutes, hours passed before she regained her sense of self. Azriel’s fingers had slipped out of her but he’d pressed himself against her instead, alleviating the emptiness that she felt without his fingers filling her. Azriel’s arms were wrapped around her, holding her tight to his chest, one hand in her hair as she attempted to catch her breath.

“That’s it, Elain.” He whispered into her hair, hands drawing soothing circles low on her back. “You did so good for me.”

“That was… I’ve never…” Elain breathed against his neck.

“You’ve… never?” Azriel stilled, his hand paused its circles but he continued to hold her against him.

“I mean, I’ve had…” Elain said quickly, trailing off. Her words were muffled as she spoke into his skin, “But no one’s ever done that for me. I’ve never…”

“Finished?” Azriel completed her sentence.

She nodded, face still tucked in the space between his neck and shoulder. Despite what they’d just done, she felt shy admitting this to him.

She pulled back slowly when he didn’t say anything further. The sweat from her body caused her slip to stick to her.

Elain swallowed her nerves, looking into his eyes - searching them for any sign of regret.

She found none. Only saw simmering lust and adoration.

“You deserve to feel like that every time, Elain.” A small satisfied smile tugged at his lips. Some primal part of him secretly fulfilled at the knowledge that he was the first person to make her come. He tucked a strand behind her pointed ear. “You should really go back to bed now.”

Elain’s eyebrows furrowed together. She wasn’t ready for this to end, wanted to stay here, safe in his arms, in this blissful bubble, forever. But besides that, she could still feel him - impossibly hard - where he was pressed firmly against her.

She kept her eyes on his as she reached down in between them, fingers itching to feel him but Azriel’s hand wrapped around her wrist, stopping her before she had the chance to touch him.

“They’ll be home soon.” He shook his head, bringing her hand up to his lips and pressing a kiss to each of her finger tips. “We have to save something for later.”

His words warmed something deep within her.

Later.

The promise of more.

“You won’t disappear again?” She allowed herself to voice her insecurity. The worry that things would go back to how they were before.

“No.” He didn’t hesitate. “I’ll seek you out. We’ll find a way. There’s more I want to do for you. With you.”

“Okay.” She nodded, leaning forward to kiss him again.

“This has to be just between us for now.” Azriel’s face was as serious as his voice. His large hands moved to cradle her face, fingers tracing softly along her cheekbones. “I’ll figure out how to make this work but for now… just between us.”

“Just between us.” She promised, repeating his words back to him.

She’d take whatever she could get. For now, this would have to be enough.

To have him in secret was better than not having him at all.

Azriel kissed her one last time before he backed out from between her legs, fixing her night gown to cover her before helping her down from where he’d perched her on the narrow table. His hands stayed on her waist, brushing over her curves until he was sure she was steady on her feet. “Goodnight, Elain.”

“Goodnight, Azriel.” She gave him a soft smile before walking away from him and back to her room.

The Shadowsinger watched until Elain’s door shut behind her and then he sighed, smoothing a hand over his unruly hair as he tried to figure out how the hell he was going to get the scent of them out of this hallway within the next hour.

#elriel #acotar #azriel x elain #acosf #mine #azriel #elain #elain x azriel #elriel fanfiction #elriel smut #azriel smut #smut #angst #fic rec #writing #my writing #elain archeron #post solstice

[mazeinthemiroh]

I have a request thats kinda angsty but could I ask for a Stray Kids reaction to catching someone sneaking food you’re severely allergic to into a dish and they are very dismissive saying things like ‘how bad could it really be’ ‘they're just overreacting’ ‘that’s not a real allergy’ ‘I only put in a little’. Thank you!

stray kids reactions to someone not taking their s/o's allergies seriously

genre: general, slight angst?

warnings: mentions of food/allergies, cursing

a/n: it's still so surprising to me that there are people like this that actually exist and still do these things?? if this is something you go through anon i'm really sorry, people should know to have their boundaries and not brush things off as being only a 'minor allergy'. i have a friend who suffers from serious allergic reactions and its something that needs to be taken more seriously :/

bangchan

he just wouldn't let this happen. at all. even if they are persistent or undermine just how allergic you are to what they've brought with them, he immediately shuts it down. chan has made sure to know everything about your allergies, and if you are hyperallergic to something then there's absolutely no way chan is gonna let even one molecule anywhere near you.

lee know

minho is like chan in this way. he is very protective of you and your health is his top priority. he'll give this person one of his signature deathly glares before raising a sharp eyebrow. he doesn't feel he has to say much; just the stern look he gives them is enough to get them to back off with the food. he'll keep an eye on what food you will have for the rest of the night, just in case.

changbin

changbin is glaring daggers at this person. after politely reminding them of your allergies, if this person still is persistent and DARES to call you over-dramatic, changbin feels himself getting hot. "over-dramatic, huh?" changbin would quirk up an eyebrow "well it's time for me to be 'over-dramatic' now. get tf out" and will show them the door. he doesn't usually like making a scene unless it means defending you.

hyunjin

all that's going through hyunjin's mind is how inconsiderate and cruel this person is? he can't tell if they are just joking or whether they really just have that much audacity. he'll be so passive-aggressive with them and reinforce the fact you are severely allergic to the food they have brought with them, something he honestly never thought he'd have to explain so fully to someone.

han

he honestly thinks the person is joking at first when they start saying 'how bad can their allergy really be' because bitch?? it's an allergy get tf out. he's so ready to fight them to be honest like he's done with their bullshit from the minute they shrug off your very serious allergy. he will literally laugh in their face before telling them to either get rid of the food or get rid of themselves.

felix

felix is always mindful of other people and is generally good at adhering to people's needs. he knows of your allergies and, because he bakes a lot, likes making recipes that you can eat and enjoy without suffering?? yk like a normal, nice person would?? when he hears this person defend why they have brought this food in and say it's no big deal, he is appalled and stands up for you immediately.

seungmin

seungmin would peacefully and subtly pull them aside and explain your allergies to them in extensive detail. because lord knows he has thoroughly memorised everything you can and can't eat. and when the person still protests he's stubborn and firm with it; he's not going to let their carelessness hurt you in any way. "they can't have that, end of story." he'll be so stern when it comes to your health.

jeongin

jeongin knows you can take care of yourself but he does get quite defensive and protective with regard to your allergies because he knows how severe your reactions they can be. it's only natural for him to care for you. if this person still brushes it off and acts like they don't care, he takes matters into his own hands and resorts to throwing the food out himself.

#stray kids #skz #kpop #stray kids reactions #skz imagines #skz scenarios #stray kids imagines #stray kids scenarios #kpop imagines #kpop reactions #kpop scenarios #chan #bang chan #bangchan #lee know #lee minho #felix #lee felix #seungmin #kim seungmin #jeongin #yang jeongin #han jisung #han #hyunjin #hwang hyunjin #changbin #seo changbin

[1shirt2shirtredshirtdeadshirt]

I woke up this morning and saw I had a message in my inbox on AO3, presumably about by new fic, and was excited to see the feedback.

When I read what they wrote it was a small comment that said "stop using sudowrite".

Had no idea what that even means, so I had to look it up and found out it's some form of a writing AI.

Absolutely fuming.

I want to make something abundantly clear right now:

I have not been hand writing and editing all of my own stories, hundreds of pages worth of personally hand written or hand typed content for the past 16 years, only to get accused of using any form of lazy ass writing AI now.

This is what I love to do. For fun.

I put in a lot of unpaid time, creativity and energy into my writing and editing. The only thing I ask for in return is participation from the fandoms I love, be it via thoughtful feedback or valid criticisms.

But this is neither of those things. This is just an outright, baseless lie against the art that I have worked so hard to make myself, and I won't be undermined or discredited.

There's anger, and then there's whatever space I am occupying well past it right now.

It's infuriating to pour hours of my love, thought and creativity into original content only to have someone come out of nowhere and try to tell me I've been having an AI do it, especially 16 years deep.

Bitch please.

I also found out that app came out in 2020 . . . As I mentioned, I published my first K/S story in 2008 as Ruby JW on the K/S archives, and my first fanfic on fanfic.net was published in 2007 as luigi_is_stellar.

I invite anyone to peruse my decades-long collection of independent content that I have single-handedly accomplished well before such an app even existed, then come back to me and try to tell me that what I do here isn't authentic.

I don't usually get spicy, but when it comes to the art I spend hours writing and drawing independently with my own blood sweat and tears, yeah. I'm going to get spicy.

I do far too much unpaid work out of passion and love for this fandom to have such a serious accusation flung my way out of nowhere.

It's the first time in my 16 years of writing for this fandom that I've ever been accused of plagiarism, and you best trust and believe that I don't take that accusation lightly. I work too damn hard to let someone discredit the work I do personally in such a baseless manner.

Anyway, that was discouraging AF. I am boggled to learn that AI writing is even a thing, no less someone coming out of the woodwork to try to accuse me of using it 16 years into story publishing when I literally teach academic honesty and writing ethics in my line of paid work as an English professional.

Genuinely: Do you know who you're talking to?

A bit of background on me:

I come from a not-so-wealthy family who could not afford to pay to put me through school -- I paid for that all on my own. I had to earn my University English degree, one of four University degrees I hold on my own work and pay alone, without so much as a tutoring session or handout from home.

Not once would I have jeopardized everything I worked so hard and paid for out of my own pocket as a poor ass uni student working two jobs and doing night classes just to phone it in plagiarizing, not on one ounce of my work.

That was all me.

I've handwritten 3 MLA essays in under three hour exams BACK TO BACK, immediately followed by back-to-back Biology exams & a final lab where I ALSO had to write multiple essays and switch from MLA to APA mode within the span of 6 hours.

Those were all bound in handwritten yellow booklets well before we ever had Google Docs, Grammarly, formatting suggestions, or even regularly brought/had access to laptops in UNI. I did my work by hand.

I earned my degrees in English and Biology AT THE SAME TIME before I even turned 24. I earned a double major handwriting my own work papers like my life depended on it, and you actually think I'm about to phone it in now?

Step to me like that again, young blood. I ain't the one.😂

Anyway, I digress.

Ya girl ain't here to fight BC y'all know I tend to be very easygoing, full of humour, and I love to joke around in the fandom. I'm pretty wide open to opposing opinions or even criticisms. But this is unfounded slander, and I won't be taking that on the chin.

When it comes to my work, I take that very seriously, and I don't play around. My late father once told me that "The work you do and the degrees you earn are yours and yours alone, they can never take that education from you." I live by that sentiment, and have done so by putting forth honest work.

Be it paid or unpaid work, it's my work. Periodt.

It is an unfathomably disheartening and insulting message to receive as someone who writes all their own stuff themselves, draws all their own fanart themselves, does their own photo edits themselves, edits their writing themselves, and has never even used so much as a single outside beta reader/editor for my work. Not once. The art, the writing, the editing -- It's all me.

Bottom line:

Say you do or don't like my work, that's cash money and we good, whether it's your cup of tea or not.

Butt know that it is my work.

I will not put all of this free time, effort and love into my work only to be accused of lazily ripping the content that I have spent hours writing and personally editing from somewhere else.

And on that note, consider my PSA rant ended.

#FUMING #feeling muy picante #like . . . you put in so much goddamn work wroting editing drawing #only to have some arsehole come out of the woodwork and give all the credit to a ROBOT #hell to the no #1shirt2shirtredshirtdeadshirt #my art #rant #plagarism #slander #k/s #spirk #oc #my fic #fanart #fanfic #spirk fanfic #so so so mad #fanfic writing #the struggle is real #you think someone left a nice comment about the work you've been meticulously working on and editing #only to get THAT GARBAGE in your inbox😤

[otakubimbo]

Checkmate

Yukuza Sukuna x F!Reader

Ch 2: Fool's Mate

You and the King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna have come face to face with each other. What will you think of him? What does he think of you?

OB Note: Sorry, this has taken so long, I've been going through emotional turmoil while also getting settled into my new job but hopefully we will be on a better schedule. Ask if you would like to be tagged in the next one. Mwah!

masterlist

previous chapter | next chapter

Sukuna realized that if he wanted something done right, he would have to do it himself. There was no way that getting information on or from you would be so difficult, you were just a civilian girl after all. That’s what led him to go to where you play chess with all those old men, he didn’t want to scare you off by approaching you in one of the more secluded spots that you inhabit occasionally.

Even if Toji failed, he knew that he wouldn’t. He was the King of Curses after all, the most feared man in the Japanese underground and incredibly handsome and charming on top of that. Assuming this would be easy when you spot your stall as you approach your usual group. That was until your eyes narrowed and a scowl appeared on your face as if you were disgusted with his appearance. Huh, so this is what Fushiguro meant when he said that you were immediately unimpressed. But he still assumed this would be easy, due to how the old men talked about you.

They spoke as if you were sunlight itself, a delicate flower in the cracks of a city sidewalk. The men referred to you as their ‘sunshine’.

“Hey there sunshine,” His voice smoothed, laced with confidence as you approached the group. He had a lazy smirk on his face as the old men started to goad you into playing a match with him.

This used to be a pastime of his before he became the head of the family, now he didn’t have time for such trivial things as playing a game of chess. It was a game of strategy that required foresight and the ability to make quick decisions. These were important skills to have when you were the head of a yakuza family.  He had already beaten the old men at the table, which won them over quicker than he expected by the reports he got from his men with how standoffish they were with them.

This was going to be easy. He was going to make you comfortable enough with him to tell you everything about that compound you visit every day. He always got what he wanted, and what he wanted was whatever information you had that would stop the damn Zennins from continuing to push into his territory without having to go to an all-out war.

As you sat across from you, you looked irritated at his intrusion but put on a fake smile to appease the uncles you play with daily.  

“Sure, I’ll play him” You respond directly to them not even acknowledging the pink-haired man's presence in front of you. This was your one time to just relax and not have any thoughts but now here comes a man trying to ruin it for you.

He was disgustingly handsome and the tattoos that adorned his face didn’t help with how attractive he already was. Although, he carried himself with a self-assurance that irritated you. Just like a man. But maybe he wasn’t that bad since the uncles let him sit and play, they usually scowl anyone away who tries to join them wanting to keep their ground small but someone he wormed his way into the group and quickly at that.

“I’ll go easy on you sunshine,” He says with that cocky smirk you can see on his face from your peripheral vision, making your eyes immediately roll as you turn to face him not even pretending to put on a fake smile. You scan his face and then the board, trying to decide how to play this would you play the fast and aggressive game to end this early or drag it out to undermine and humiliate him?

As you look up from the board, coming up with a few strategies on how to play this you saw the most annoying cocky smirk on his face as if he was looking down on you. That’s when you made your decision, it was going to be the latter.  A small smile graces your face as you figure out your game plan in your head on how you are going to destroy this man.

There are many misconceptions with the game of chess. Most people think that the best way of attack is to capture as many pieces as one can to allow a checkmate but that’s not true at all because it only takes one piece to check or checkmate your opponent. It is not a numbers game, it’s a game of strategy, it’s a game of knowledge of yourself and the moves of your opponent. And that’s exactly how you crushed the man in front of you.

You allowed him to capture most of your pieces, putting yourself in what he thought was a dangerous position, but that wasn’t the closest thing to the truth. You had moved pieces around the board haphazardly, or so he thought, allowing your pieces to get captured which made him careless leaving several opportunities for you to check and checkmate him. But you didn’t want an easy win, you wanted him to believe he was capable of beating you and then show him how wrong he was and that his confidence was just a facade.

He was so focused on moving his pieces toward your end of the board and capturing yours that he didn’t notice your corning his king. You had him in a position that wouldn’t allow his king to escape you had him in check and in one move in a checkmate but you waited, you would wait until y ou could really crush him. And just as he spoke those words you were waiting to hear faking a dejected look as you were cackling inside.

“Check”

The words slip form his mouth so effortlessly as he sits back, smug in the way he thinks he has you defeated. You take a deep breath in as you look up at him with a sad expression that just increases his smugness.

“So, what’s your next move sunshine?”  confidence was oozing from every single one of his pores as he looks across to you. As you exhale the breath you were holding, a devilish grin spreads on your face and you tongue slides across the bottom of your teeth.  Your hand reaches across the board as you put your queen in the checkmate position towards his king.

“Checkmate. Sunshine” You say as you get up, proud of yourself as you see the confused look on his face as he looks at the board. If he wasn’t such an arrogant jerk this whole game, it would have been slightly attractive how his jaw tightens at the realization that he lost and from his own arrogance.

“Oh and by the way, two things.” You comment as you gather your things to leave. His eyes lock onto you as you look down at him, holding the same breath of confidence and arrogance he held earlier.

“First, I could have checked you after your first two moves, you made the most rookie mistakes in chess. The fool’s mate. Second, don’t call me sunshine.” You huff with a smirk getting ready to walk away before he calls after you. You turn your head over your shoulder, not fully facing him.

“Then what should I call you,” He asks more intrigued with you than he should be.

“Ha,” You chuckle, adjusting your tote on your shoulder, “Nothing, don’t even address me.”

That was the last thing you said to him before you walked off to where he assumed was either that café or the library. Oh you intrigued him, you really did. He never thought that someone like you would be associated with the zennins, they didn’t value women or their opinions.

Especially one not as headstrong as you seemed to be, but maybe they were making expectations, maybe they were changing. You had a brilliant mind for strategy it seemed and a dangerous mouth on you. He needed to know more about you, he needed to understand how your mind worked, he needed you. For the purpose of undermining the zennins of course, that was the only reason he was so interested in you. The only reason.

#smut #jjk #jjk x reader #angst #jjk sukuna #jjk gojo #jjk fanfic #jjk x you #jjk smut #jujutsu kaisen #fushiguro #jujustu kaisen #sukuna ryomen #ryomen sukuna #sukuna #mafia au #yukuza au #jjk au #naoya zenin #toji zenin #zenin #zenin clan #jjk toji #toji fushiguro #chess #chesspieces #jujutsu sukuna #uraume #ryomen x reader #sukuna ryomen smut

[lurkingshan]

A Time Called You: A Great Reminder to Go Watch Someday or One Day 

This past weekend Netflix dropped a new kdrama called A Time Called You in its entirety, and I became particularly interested in watching it as soon as I realized what it was: the Korean remake of Someday or One Day I knew had been in the works for awhile. If you’re not familiar, Someday or One Day (SOOD) is a beloved 2019 Taiwanese drama that is widely considered to be among the best dramas the country has ever produced (there is also a 2022 film version of the story, but that’s less relevant to this post). Now, I love Korean dramas, and I know that countries remaking each other’s best shit is very common in the Asian media landscape, but I couldn’t help but feel protective of the original work and a bit resentful of the choice to adapt something that was so original and unique and specific and put that generic kdrama sheen on it. Taiwan has a small film industry, and this is one of its jewels. We didn’t need Korea’s take on it.

And having watched the adaptation in full now, I am feeling pretty justified in that initial feeling. Let me just say upfront: A Time Called You (ATCY) is a perfectly good drama with a solid cast and competent storytelling. Had I seen it absent the knowledge of what it was adapting, I probably would have liked it a lot. But I have already seen and loved Someday or One Day, so I feel compelled to break down why it is the better version of this tale, both for my fellow SOOD devotees who are wondering how this adaptation stacks up and for folks who have only seen the kdrama in the hopes that you’ll decide to watch the original. As usual, I did the most, so reader be advised that this is long (tagging @troubled-mind as promised and @smittenskitten because I saw you were looking for a comparison of the two dramas). TL; DR: if you liked ATCY, or have seen neither version and are wondering which to watch: go find Someday or One Day, because it’s an overall superior and more satisfying execution of the same story.

The Vibe

Let’s start here because it’s the most obvious and immediately striking thing as someone who has seen both versions. SOOD has a bit of a rough and unpolished feel, which makes it feel more grounded in reality (important when you are getting into fantasy elements like time travel but you still want the characters to feel like real people). We open our story in 1998 in a record shop with a young girl playing Last Dance by Wu Bai and China Blue, a 1996 mando pop rock ballad, and thus setting the tone—this will be a somewhat raw and bittersweet story about grief and hurt and longing that will invite us to wallow in our feelings. And that melancholic vibe stays throughout the drama, even in the explicitly happy scenes, because you are always aware that the joy you are seeing has already been lost. 

By contrast, ATCY feels… emotionally flat. Don’t get me wrong, it is a very faithful adaptation. The early episodes are practically a shot for shot remake of the original drama. But it’s too polished, too shiny. The filmmaking is bog standard kdrama fare; everything is soft focus and warmly lit and too beautiful and consequently nothing feels real. It feels right in line with the standard aesthetics of recent mainstream Korean dramas, and that choice undermines the emotional weight and grit of this story.

A great example of this can be seen in the way the two dramas handle the iconic scene where our female lead runs in the rain, looking back over her shoulder to smile in delight at the male lead before continuing on her way. This is a moment of realization for him about his feelings for her—one he will later immortalize in a painting that becomes part of the mystery of the past she is trying to unravel. In Someday or One Day, this scene takes place on a regular street, in the utterly mundane surroundings of their everyday lives as they walk home, and she runs down the middle of the road as puddles gather in the uneven pavement; in A Time Called Love, they are in a picturesque park for this scene, surrounded by green and encased within a grove of giant trees, and she runs right down the middle of a tree lane that looks like it came straight out of a fairytale. One story is very much about a love grounded in a reality we can recognize; the other is pure fantasy romance.

The Music 

I already mentioned the song that anchors the Taiwanese drama above. Last Dance is hugely important to the story, both thematically and as a plot device, and in its ability to set the mood and tone of the drama. 

The Korean remake similarly uses a real 1996 ballad as its main song and time travel mechanism: With My Tears by Seo Ji Won. And, uh, the vibe is a bit different. 

Discerning listeners might recognize this as one of the many classic love ballads performed by our favorite doctors by day, rock stars by night over on Hospital Playlist. It’s a perfectly fine song. But it sets quite a different tone for our story, doesn’t it? It also is meant to be a song that a teenage boy is hankering to listen to on cassette, and listen, I wasn’t living in Korea in 1996. I have no idea how culturally accurate that may be. I’m sure there were in fact baby Lee Ik Juns running around trying to get their hands on this cheesy love song. But the edgier sound of Last Dance definitely sounds more in line with something the teenage male lead would listen to and what the music is meant to convey. And frankly, since we hear this song about 30 times in the drama, it matters that Last Dance is just an objectively better song. 

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, because beyond the classic song each version chose to use as its centerpiece, there is also a stark difference in the quality and tone of each drama’s OSTs. Here is a compilation of the Someday or One Day tracks, including the utterly gorgeous main theme by Shi Shi. The music is hugely important in the Taiwanese drama and is used to set the mood as well as emphasize its themes, and the tracks feel specific to this story.

And here is a compilation of A Time Called You OSTs.

If you’re familiar with kdrama OSTs, you will recognize most of the artists on here, as well as some new covers of old songs. And again, the vibes are quite different. Whereas SOOD was very intentional and specific in its music choices, ATCY just sounds like every other kdrama. There is nothing on this tracklist that stands out or evokes the kind of feeling that the SOOD tracks do.

The Main Couple

The name and timeline situation in this show makes this section unnecessarily difficult, so let me just make a little reference sheet here: 

Someday or One Day

Alice Ke plays Yu Xuan (2019) and Yun Ru (1998)

Greg Hsu plays Quan Sheng (2019) and Zi Wei (1998)

A Time Called You

Jeon Yeo Been plays Jun Hee (2023) and Min Yu (1998)

Ahn Hyo Seop plays Yeun Jun (2023) and Si Heon (1998)

All of the actors here are seasoned and very good at their jobs, so I am not casting shade on any of them—they are executing their performances based on writing and directorial choices. But I cannot deny that the Taiwanese version of these characters are more compelling all around. In SOOD, the main characters have a real spark; despite the melancholic undertone of the story, there are moments of genuine joy and when they connect with each other, you feel why this bond is strong enough for them to find each other through time and despite all the trauma they endure. In ATCY, however, the characterizations are muted.

This is most evident in the difference between Quan Sheng/Zi Wei and Yeon Jun/Si Heon. Greg Hsu plays Zi Wei as magnetic, playful, mischievous, utterly lovable, and very intense about his feelings for his lady. He has a real joie de vivre about him that clearly brightens up Yu Xuan’s life considerably, and his devotion to her is not just shown, but deeply felt. Experiencing their memories, you understand immediately why Yu Xuan can’t move on from his death; he was the joyful, relaxed counterpoint to her more ambitious and serious personality. Si Heon, though? He is a nice dude and a generous partner and he is very good looking. But he doesn’t have the playfulness or the intensity that his Taiwanese counterpart does. His personality is just more moderate all around. One great example of this: upon discovering that he has traveled forward into the body of the person that would become Yu Xuan/Jun Hee’s boyfriend, Zi Wei (in Quan Sheng’s body now, are you still with me?) actively decides to find her, love her, and try to solve this time loop quagmire they are in; Si Heon (in Yeon Jun’s body) waits for a moment of fate to give him a sign, and only makes the decision to pursue Jun Hee after running into her by coincidence.

Similarly, Jun Hee is not quite as spunky and sassy as Yu Xuan and Min Yu is not as dark and awkward as Yun Ru; when Jun Hee travels to the past and takes up residence in Min Yu’s body, the differences between the two characters she is playing are not as evident. In SOOD, I could tell at a glance who is in Yun Ru’s body; in ATCY I need more context to be sure. Where Yun Ru had more of an edge, Min Yu simply reads very shy. It’s not as compelling. One scene that really stands out as an example of this: when Yun Ru is pretending to be Yu Xuan in 1998 and looks in the mirror to practice smiling, it looks downright creepy and sinister; when Min Yu is masquerading as Jun Hee and looks at herself in the mirror, she just looks awed and happy, if a bit awkward. It’s subtle, but it changes the way you feel about the characters. 

The difference in Jun Hee and Yeon Jun’s characterization also affects the couple chemistry, which is just not nearly as strong in ATCY. The characters are more muted and thus the expected sparks are more like smoldering embers. The relationship feels cozy and warm and nurturing, but it doesn’t feel vital. It doesn’t feel like the kind of relationship you would fight through time or break the rules of the universe to return to. I recall gasping or crying or laughing out loud throughout SOOD because I was constantly taken aback by Greg Hsu’s arresting presence and the chemistry he and Alice Ke generated was just emotionally riveting. When Yu Xuan told Zi Wei (as Quan Sheng) that they were officially together, that man literally jumped for joy and shouted out his love for her; Si Heon (as Yeon Jun) reacts to the same moment with a quiet smile and a hug. When Zi Wei saw Yu Xuan in Yun Ru’s body again in the finale, he knew instantly that it was her and the smile overtook his face as he reached for her; Si Heon initially called Min Ju’s name before getting closer and taking several beats to realize it was Jun Hee (ruining this iconic moment is perhaps this remake’s greatest sin against romance, my god). 

Everything between the couple in SOOD was just more, both in happiness and in despair. I liked Jun Hee and Si Heon, and Ahn Hyo Seop and Jeon Yeo Been are very competent actors whose performances I have loved in other dramas, but they didn’t achieve that level of chemistry here, the writing and directing choices worked against them, and I didn’t feel that same desperation for them to figure this out that I did with Yu Xuan and Zi Wei. 

The Story 

The Korean version is a very faithful adaptation overall (I haven’t mentioned Jun Jie and In Gyuk because his character and story is more consistent across the two shows), but does make some small tweaks to the story, some of which seem to be out of necessity due to a shorter run time (one episode and a couple hours total less than the Taiwanese original) and some just… because? The shorter amount of story time does lead to them having to cut corners on some aspects of the mythology and time travel lore, making it all a bit less clear for folks who don’t already understand what’s going on, and they put in a few nods to typical kdrama tropes like amusement park dates and hand of fate stuff that we really didn’t need—they are already trapped in a time loop together, we get it!

ATCY also messed with the timelines and ages for reasons I don’t really understand and that don’t really track. In SOOD, Zi Wei traveled forward from 2002 to Quan Sheng’s body in 2010, met Yu Xuan, and then died in 2018. In ATCY, Si Heon traveled forward from 2002 only to 2007 and did not die until 2022—but the relationship dynamics are all the same. It made sense for a young couple who had been together about 7 years and who were in their mid-20s to be having the kind of relationship problems they did—fighting about prioritizing careers and time abroad and whether it was time to get married. But a couple who has been together nearly 15 years? Who are in their mid-30s? They would have already been married probably and had a couple kids to boot. The choice to change the timeline like this had me scratching my head and accomplished nothing for the story. 

But neither of those things are the change to the story that is weighing on me most. That occurs in a very small and brief backstory for the real Yeon Jun, where the drama introduces an original character who has no counterpart in SOOD: Tae Ha. 

In SOOD, the real Quan Sheng is a closeted gay teenager who meets a tragic end: he confesses to his crush, gets brutally rejected, then gets bullied when the crush tells others about his sexuality, and ultimately decides to walk into the sea in an attempt to end his life, a choice that leaves his body in a coma until Zi Wei’s consciousness takes it over. In ATCY, this backstory changes and Rowoon is brought in for a brief but impactful cameo as Tae Ha, Yeon Jun’s cram school friend. We see that the two have mutual feelings for each other but are both struggling to confess. One day as they are driving together, they finally explicitly acknowledge their feelings, holding hands and smiling at one another—and then immediately get hit by a Truck of Doom (easily one of the most tired kdrama tropes), Tae Ha dying on impact and Yeon Jun ending up in a coma with Si Heon’s consciousness eventually taking over his body like in the original story. 

Now on first glance, you might be inclined to give the show some credit for including a new gay character and giving the original Yeon Jun a happier experience with his crush. Explicit gay representation? In a mainstream kdrama? Still very rare and a big deal if done right. But if you think for a moment longer you’ll realize we can’t give the show credit for this, because this is a textbook execution of the Bury Your Gays trope and the narrative punishment that befalls gay characters who act on their attraction. Essentially, what the Korean remake did here was reveal these two characters are gay, killed them both immediately after they decided to pursue a relationship with each other, and then had the het male lead character take over the body of this gay man and use it to enter into a relationship with a woman. Some aspects of this plot were present in the original tale, but this choice to add an additional gay character only to kill him and tie it to their moment of acknowledging their mutual attraction? Made it significantly worse. It was badly done and I will not applaud the drama for representation when they did it in such a cruel way. 

The Ending

SOOD ends on a hopeful but somewhat ambiguous note, with Yu Xuan in 2020 finding a way to go back and save Yun Ru (and Jun Jie by extension) and then breaking the time loop, sacrificing her relationship with Zi Wei in the process even as it breaks her heart (because the only way for them to meet and fall in love in 2010 was to stay in the loop). She sacrifices their romance, and all their memories together, because it’s the right thing to do—she inadvertently destroyed Yun Ru’s life with her time traveling, and she couldn’t live with that knowing there was a way to fix it. We are left with a broken time loop, original teen Zi Wei meeting child Yu Xuan again in 1998, and the hope that they will find a way to make their fates align again and be together without time travel complications. It’s just the right bittersweet touch to end the story on; their previous relationship was lost and their sacrifice was real, but there is hope for another version of a happy life together, someday.

By contrast, ATCY goes for a more explicit happy ending: Jun Hee makes the same choice to go back and save Min Ju, and to break the time loop and sacrifice her relationship with Si Heon, but in ATCY we then jump forward to 2011 to a happy epilogue to see Si Heon and Jun Hee meet as adults. And look, I love a happy ending! But what I said above about the sacrifice Yu Xuan and Zi Wei made in SOOD really resonating because of its bittersweet ending? That’s absent here, because ATCY decided they needed to put a bow on it and reassure us they would get back together. ATCY was just never willing to let us stay in the grief or commit to the darker and sadder aspects of this story, and as a result, the whole thing loses some of its impact.

#someday or one day #a time called you #tw drama #kdrama #long post #why yes i did write a 3k word post for the ten people on this website who care about both these dramas #shan shouts into the void

[samijey]

broke my promise to myself and actually watched the jey/gunther match and let me tell you... whoever booked that finish wanted jey to look like an idiot. mega rant under the cut which you should honestly read im not your mama but you should read it

he splashes gunther after getting dominated for 80% of the match and an (honestly underwhelming) spear and we're meant to believe the +2yr champion who's beaten virtually everyone on the roster (including drew who recently beat jey TWICE) was about to be defeated right there?......okay............ but it gets worse

when the referee (for no real good reason) stops the count at 2 after jimmy rings the bell, jey "forgets" about gunther and turns his back to him, allowing gunther to get back up almost IMMEDIATELY (remember we were meant to think he was about to be beaten 5 seconds earlier) yet jey quickly superkicks him BUT THEN decides to dive at jimmy on the outside instead of going directly for another splash (girl help) so ofc when he does go for the splash, gunther gets the knees up, and to add a cherry on top of this shit sunday, pins jey right there after performing no extra offense - doesn't even roll him up, jey just lies there flat on his back and gets pinned (while michael cole screams "GUNTHER ROLLS UP JEY USO" to make me even more mad, apparently, as zero actual rolling takes place in the ring - just a leg hook & weight on the shoulders combo... and not a particularly vicious one either) I just ??????

and of-fucking-course as the TV feed gets cut, cue cody and punk who come out all smiles ready to do the usual fanservice routine for the live crowd and suddenly jey is mostly done selling what just happened and is smiling along with whatever you wanna call it - sending the crowd home happy?? since when did that become mandatory for broadcast shows??? why can't emotionally devastating moments count just as much when it comes to delivering a satisfying ending to the live crowd??? are you telling me they couldnt have had jey walk to the back WHILE SELLING the heartbreak/frustration of what happened and THEN send cody out to do the fanservice thing??? fuck maintaining suspension of disbelief I guess - you can't even argue that "it's fine it was just a treat for the live crowd" because WWE has posted the footage everywhere and promoted it heavily.

imagine if after the camera stopped rolling at last year's rumble, sami had got up, undone kevin's handcuffs and they both hugged and cut a cheerful promo at the crowd - everyone would've blasted wwe for undermining the impact of that finish and not letting the moment breathe.

here's another, even more similar example - remember what happened after summerslam when jimmy attacked jey? he sold the devastation of the moment all the way until he exited the arena, so why is this any different? because it's "just" TV and not a PPV? nah, i'll tell you why: because wwe does not give a shit about this current version of jey's character - he's there to spew the same catchphrase 100x an hour (because it sells merch and pops the crowd let's be honest), display a grand total of two personality traits, and rub his popularity off onto the people wwe actually consider stars

for comparison - you cannot tell me that if it was cody in this position (just lost an important match thanks to the most important person in his life + got attacked by them on top of it) wwe wouldn't have had him look devastated or cut an emotional, tearful promo that would've then been posted and promoted everywhere

"chill, it's not that serious" my apologies for wanting something i love (and KNOW can be so much better with minimal effort) to have a basic level of logic and thought put into it, it's not like wrestling booking is rocket science and we know wwe is NOT incapable of actually delivering good stuff 🤷??? the standards for this show are so damn low and seeing no one else be bothered by it does my fucking head in ouch ouch wheres the aspirin bye

#jey uso #wwe #the usos #jimmy uso #i fr wasnt gonna tag this at first #but fuck it i'm mad and yall will hear about it #if you consider yourself a jey fan in any way shape or form... i genuinely think you should read this

[shitpostingfromthebarricade]

what are your honest opinions on Les Mis 2000

Before receiving this ask, I had only seen a little under half of Les Mis 2000 (French version). In order to provide a fair and complete response to this question, I started over and watched the entire show from beginning to end over the course of 5/6 weeks.

I will provide more details below the cut, but my completely honest opinion on Les Mis 2000?

Looking at the show as a whole, without considering adaptational value, it's scattered and confusing. A lot of storylines get picked up or dropped with little to no explanation, the characters and their motivations make little sense, and the time skips are inconsistent at best (Félix abandons Fantine when she is still pregnant, JVJ is released after Cosette is already 4yo and just being left at the Waterloo Inn/Fantine is already on her way to Montrieul-sur-Mer, Immortal Gav is 12 for ten years, meanwhile Javert undergoes a dramatic appearance change many scenes into the time skip, Cosette ages up when I assume the time skip takes place, and Depardieu [I refuse to call him Valjean] never ages until after the wedding). If you look at the context, it makes sense: they decided to (rather than dubbing after the fact) shoot everything in French and then again in English, so of course performances are going to flag, editing is going to be a mess, and the storyline is going to get lost in the changes they've made while shooting two shows at once.

Which takes me to my next point: as an adaptation, it's also incredibly weak. I don't know if I should be blaming the writer, director, or a terrible combination, but so many elements are not only not accurate to the book (fair enough, if you want book accuracy watch '25 Les Mis or '64 I Mis, or '72 Les Mis for accurate barricades specifically) but seem to totally miss the messages of the book altogether! Fantine was always in trouble before she gets fired (undermines Hugo's message that even doing everything "right" Fantine was still put in an unwinnable position), Javert gets his usual "obsessed with JVJ specifically and also treated as unusually cruel by everyone else" treatment, Gillenormand looks out for this fellow old man who was a gardener and has now been joined into his family by marriage, and Depardieu's character is going to get an entire section below. The Thénardier sex scenes are a lot but ultimately harmless compared to, say, the part where Javert cuts his hair (?) and attends law school with Marius and Enjolras as himself (?), and then later arrests the entire class for treasonous speech. This kind of belongs in the previous editing section, but a lot of the reveals (Marius knowing his neighbors are the Thénardiers, the Thénardiers recognizing the old man in the sewers, Cosette knowing her dad saved Marius, Gillenormand and Marius knowing Cosette's dad's background, Depardieu's character knowing about Javert's death) happen WILDLY out of sequence, and since they are plot-driving sequences, the motivations become confused, the choices make no sense, and you get scenes like Éponine trying to coerce Marius into having sex with her. I kind of liked the switch from jet beads to stinging nettle fabric except again, it didn't matter because Fantine's downfall was so badly done (forget that she turns to sex work immediately, only later selling TEN TEETH and her hair to make ends meet — Javert threatens to [and later does] arrest her for the completely legal profession of sex work before showing her where she can sell her teeth???) and Madeleine was so opposite from everything his character is supposed to be and show.

Which brings us to our next point: yes, in both the English and French versions, Depardieu's performance falls flat, but more importantly, there is an inherent misunderstanding of who and what Jean Valjean is at each phase of his life. I'll be honest, there was a lot going on when he was in prison with Javert tormenting JVJ for fun and the fire that Cochepaille needed saving from and Myriel announcing that he was buying JVJ the same way Judas sold Jesus and Cosette already being with the Thénardiers, so I don't have much feedback about JVJ's characterization or the paper that was yellow like sunshine at that point, but (ignoring the fact that Fantine apparently shows up in Montrieul-sur-Mer with no established factory in sight) then he becomes the most corporate businessman possible, with no regard for the wellbeing of his employees or town who spends all of his time running numbers? The hospital is underfunded, he only rubs elbows with other government officials/bankers, he is painfully out-of-touch with the people of his town, and apparently he doesn't even pay enough for Fantine to be making ends meet even before she is fired. A big part of what JVJ goes through in the book is that he feels like he cannot safely express his feelings about the system to anyone, leading him to act like a scared animal after Petit-Gervais, living in constant fear of being kicked ( @secretmellowblog has a great post about this here), but this Madeleine is CONSTANTLY venting and complaining to anyone who will listen. Not only that, but after he leaves M-sur-M, the police admit to Javert that they knew who he was and just decided to ... leave him be? This isn't a man who's living in fear, and this isn't a man who has to make hard choices in order to do good and help his fellow man. For some reason, Sister Simplice seems to be like 85% of his morality? (and we are very much skimming over the romance subplot that was going on there) So it doesn't even feel like he helps Fantine altruistically, it feels like Sister said "Please help" and Depardieu sighed and went, "Fine, I'll see if I can't pull some strings." When he gets Cosette and begins taking care of her, it feels ENTIRELY self-serving and creepy, and he later confirms with his own words from his own mouth that his feelings for her are not fatherly. He cares about prison reform because he experienced it, not from any sense of altrustic human kindness, and Toussaint ends up robbing him for having taken a chance hiring an ex-convict? (because ofc this Toussaint is a mute manservant, not a maid who can actually help Cosette, because all of Depardieu-Dad's choices are to serve himself, not to keep Cosette safe or happy). By the time Marius is sending Depardieu's character away, it's the only only adaptation that you're cheering on Marius, because this man calling himself Cosette's father who bought her for 1500 francs and still sometimes shares a bed with her and locks her in various rooms and has just admitted his love is not fatherly needs to LEAVE.

Finally — and I will freely admit that this is the pettiest section — the historical accuracy is in shambles. Electricity in the 1820s? 1840s fashions in the 1830s? The hair and makeup are given as errors, but how do you have accurate men's shirts and repeatedly let them wander around without cravats? And no one, not a single person, thought to check 1800s French currency? Sending Cosette off to buy bread with FIVE FRANCS (~$100USD)? Leaving one hundred thousand francs for the funeral of someone who canonically doesn't even have a marked grave? Even the part where Fantine sells her teeth: these were simple numbers they could have checked (two teeth, one napoléon aka twenty francs each — not ten for four each). All of the prices and amounts were in the book. It is not that hard to call the imaginary coin being passed between two characters a sous instead of a franc: we couldn't even see it.

I spent a lot of time thinking about how I would respond to this ask before finally answering, but ultimately, I was asked for my honest opinion, and this is it: it missed the mark for me in every way. I'm sure there are some people who enjoy it, and I am happy for them, but it is not an adaptation that I would recommend to anyone looking for a good Les Mis adaptation or a well-executed show.

#I try very hard to be objective under the cut in my reasons for this opinion #but it is multiple paragraphs and may feel a bit harsh so opting out after seeing the tldr .gif is totally fine #answers and shitposts #salieri27 #les mis 2000 #les mis

[articdelilah]

Hello! I really loved the Ikemen Prince x Teen!Reader concept. Could you please make a Gilbert, Keith and Silvio version of this? Thank you <3

✮ A Little Trouble ✮

Hi Anon!! Of course I can!! I’m been waiting for a Keith request so Thank you!! Sorry for the wait as I’ve had quite a busy few days and no ideas but I hope you enjoy 💞 I only wrote about kind!Keith🕊️

Foreign Princes

Platonic!Ikemen Princes x Teen!Reader

˖⁺‧₊˚ ♡ ˚₊‧⁺˖

(Keith is so sexy oml) At the Goodwill gala, Keith was very confused at the fact such young nobility was attending. He didn’t immediately have any suspicions however.

Nevertheless, he struck conversation with Belle. Asking her how she’s enjoying the gala and where she was from. Both parties enjoyed their conversation, talking about books they enjoy and such.

Belle had asked Keith if he’s interested in the study of plants to which he smiled and said yes. The girl expressed how she always wanted to travel to Jade and learn about plants in their top schools, but simply never had the chance too as she had to stay here to help her family.

Keith only shook his head and told the girl he would teach her everything he knew. And not to give up hope of course!!

Keith decided to stay a couple of days because of Belles interest in plants and herbs, wanting to teach her more about them. They made plans practically everyday, usually spent in the gardens, talking about all types of useful plants.

Keith made it sound all so simple and was a great teacher. He was patient and answered all questioned the girl had (even silly ones) (because my husband is perfect duh)

Another activity that would bring the two closer is doing each other’s hair. Keith braiding Belle’s hair and Belle putting small charms and flowers in his.

Keith found out Belle was well Belle from Silvio and he wasn’t surprised. However he told Silvio he wouldn’t use that information against Rhodolite, after all why would a King’s death be held above their heads? They were grieving (they are totally so sad) and he didn’t want to add to that.

Dill absolutely loves Belle! The bird is always trying to get the girls attention which embarrasses Keith extremely.

Tall trees towered over the greenery of the lush forest. For many days now Keith has been teaching Belle about herbs and flowers therefore she really wanted to repay him. Belle had taken Keith out for a walk in her favourite forest when the girl felt herself suddenly being drawn to a patch of small white flowers. Belle crouched down in front of them, brow raised at the flowers she’s so used to seeing. She never payed them much attention before but the Prince had shown her how important every plant was, even the ones you usually think nothing of. “What are these?” She asked, too busy inspecting the plant to look up at Keith who held a gentle smile on his lips. Her fingers stretched out to hold one of the tiny flowers. Twirling it for a little before she saw grey haired man again in the corner of her eye. He too had crouched beside her, observing the flower with his gentle gaze before giving her an answer. “Feverfews. They are good for-“ “Giving a few fevers?” The girl giggled at her pun and Keith couldn’t help but chuckle along with the horrible thing.

Silvio didn’t want be around snotty chil-Wow this girl knows a lot about trade and economy

Silvio knew Belle was being taught about such things at the castle but he couldn’t help be impressed at how actually knowledgable she was. She knew a lot about Benitoite and how important they were as well as not undermining the importance of Jade and Rhodolite, Silvio liked that.

That was the reason Silvio chose the engage in conversation with the young girl.

Silvio can have anything he wants, but Belle had taught him how true feelings could not be bought with money. She was patient and not pushy, though a bit bratty at times of course.

Silvio and Belle really like picking on each other. Poking fun of one another whatever chance they got, laughing cruelly at the other. Obviously in good fun!

Silvio already had his suspicions on the girl being Belle so when the news broke, he really wasn’t surprised.

Belle was in town with Silvio, sitting inside a small tea shop as the words “I always wanted to visit a Benitoitian beach” blurted out. She hadn’t even realised what she fully said when Silvio asked her to focus on her food.

This does however give him the rich prick an idea; he speaks to Sariel about it. Sariel thought it through, but the diplomacy of the country came first then his moral rights from wrongs so he agreed. He wanted to send Guards but Silvio simply paid them to not follow, and they were kind enough to take the money and shut up.

Belle was shocked at the news of being taken for a trip however she simply thought it was in Rhodolite. The girl didn’t know what was in store for her!

“You get back here girl!” Silvio snapped as the girl started to run away from him. He was lying on the light blue towel, trying to soak in the warm sun when the girl decided to bring a bucket of icy cold ocean water, pouring it on the Prince’s face before quickly retreating. Silvio’s eyes sprung open and her laughter filled the afternoon air. He wasted no time to stand quickly and sprinted right after her. The bright sun smiling down at the two; Belle however didn’t get very far, mainly because of how hot the sand was. She had tried to run to the cool salty water but it was ultimately useless as Silvio had already caught up with her. His large hand covered in rings of pure gold and gems worth millions came down to ruffle her soft hair, his other arm bringing her into a (gentle) chokehold. Silvio wasn’t exactly mad, his face held a pleased grin as the girl laughed and tried to wiggle out of his grasp. He couldn’t get it out of his head how he’ll have to travel back to Rhodolite to leave her.

Gilbert already knew Belle was Belle.

Let’s be honest! He has spies all over and the fact that Rhodolite had chosen such a young girl interested him deeply.

He struck conversation right away with his calm smile. It creeps Belle out at first, he IS Gilbert from Obsidian after all.

Gilbert decides to stay in Rhodolite and he started to appear everywhere the girl was. In the kitchens, the library and the gardens!!

Overtime, his smile was Belle’s favourite features about him.

As she grew closer with the Prince, Belle and Gilbert both kind of rubbed onto each other. Belle unconsciously started to speak a little like him.

Late night walks with Gilbert in the gardens aren’t uncommon but Sariel was definitely not happy about it. Sariel knew what Gilbert was capable of doing, Belle did too, so he warned her day and day out.

Belle however was determined to impress and such, so she didn’t listen to Sariel (sorry Sariel). Gilbert was very pleased at this, not like Sariel trying to stop him would ACTUALLY stop him

Belle was practicing her dancing alone in the dead of night. The girl unaware of the beast which lurked within the shadows of the palace. His cane hit the door, letting a thud echo through the empty ballroom

He laughed and offered his hand.

It was cold and dark in the now abandoned ballroom. There were no stars in the sky, the moon hidden behind clouds as if scared of the beast that had sneaked on Belle. Instead of mauling the rabbit, he offered her a dance. He couldn’t just stand as the girl tried to waltz alone. Gilbert’s hands rested on the girl’s, guiding her through each step of the dance. The empty room was large and illuminated by a singular white candle; its flame dancing along with them. It flickered and rocked, trying to match their steps. One glide to another, each motion carefully guided by the black tiger. He talked through each move and even with Gilbert, the dance was still hard. “This is so difficult!” The [H/C] girl sighed defeated. She knew this wasn’t the only dance she had to know, but she was tired and Belle could see the crack of dawn outside the stained panes of the big windows. She always muddled the steps, timing or direction. “The Waltz is the easiest dance of the many you’ll have to learn.” The Prince of Obsidian laughed at Belle’s increased sour expression. Her nose wrinkling simply at the thought of learning another dance. The two spent hours within the cold room, their shoes clinking and echoing bouncing off the walls. Let’s just say Gilbert wasn’t pleased when he had to leave Belle behind.

If you like my work, please feel free to request!! Anyways Goodbye Doves! Til next time🕊️🌙

Can you tell I really like Keith?

#ikepri #cybird ikemen #ikemen prince #ikemen mc #ikemen series #x reader #ikeprince #ikemen prince keith #keith howell #prince keith #ikepri keith #gilbert von obsidian #ikemen keith #ikemen gilbert #ikepri gilbert #ikemen silvio #silvio ricci #ikepri silvio #ikemen prince silvio