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braxlrose · 10 months

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maybe hcs about Bill's childhood and a bit of Tom's (twins in general)? I wonder what they liked to play and what damage and chaos they caused (☠️) it can also be somehow connected with the reader who is their friend and partner in crime! in the devilish era sense (if u can its would be nice if reader was Bills love interest/ i sm love childhood friends to lovers trope☠️😭) i love ur hcs and fics!!! lmao all those fights with bill would be so much fun😭 also the guy would definitely make a fake wedding with the reader..i know that🤷🏻‍♀️ besides the very concept of living with horny boys growing up lol.. Dayum ☠️ (srry 4bad engilsh)

↑wtf why Bill look so tall.. anyways they all look soo CUTE 🫡 baby GUS oh my ????🤭 and tom LMAOO 😭

a/n: they were adorable as children and I love this idea!! I haven't read Career Suicide yet, so some of these may be inaccurate, but again most are just headcanons that I don't have much to back up on besides their personalities

devilish headcanons

1996-2000

• you became friends with Bill and Tom when you were seven years old and bill had the biggest crush on you. he thought you were so cool and was even more happy when he found out you played guitar so he asked you to join Black Question Mark. you obviously said yes and you had so much fun rehearsing and hanging out with them

• one day at school bill asked you what your favorite cookie was and he practically begged his mom to help him bake those cookies for you. when he brought them in the next day he was so happy when you got excited for them.

• as you guys got a little bit older, you and tom would protect bill from bullies even if you got bullied too. but before you guys knew about what they were doing to bill, you would always clean up his cuts and kiss his bruises. after that, you would always walk with him, holding onto his hand tightly and try not to pay any attention to them.

• bill would pick flowers for you on valentines day because him and tom would pick them for his mom, and now that you were around, he'd get you some too

• when tom and bill looked more alike, you'd help them switch places in class and then act all surprised and be like "What do you mean? That's tom, Frau Schiller."

• they were little menaces, so when you were brought into the mix, they teachers all hated you. but they couldn't actually prove you were doing anything, which made it 10x more fun

• you and tom would always laugh about getting better grades in singing classes than bill and bill would just sit there like "🙄".

• you and bill had skipped class together (its like 4th grade, yall are like doing 4x8 idk why yall so lazy 🙄, but anyways), you guys did Stein, Schere, Papier (rock, paper, scissors) and Tom lost so he had to stay in class and pretend to be bill 💀. you and Bill were just walking around the halls when bill got the brilliant idea to pull the fire alarm. you two almost got caught but you were quick enough to run outside and get in line with the rest of your class.

• you and their mom are like best friends so you bake recipes with her all the time. like Puddingbrezel, Apfelstrudel, Apfelkuchen, Käsekuchen, Pfefferneusse, etc.

• you and tom tagged a couple buildings with spray paint

• you, tom and bill have sleepovers all the time and you guys would make a pillow fort and watch tons of movies.

• bills a very cuddly person, so he'd always end up wrapping his arms around you after you guys fell asleep in the fort

• you guys went CD shopping all the time and get tons of cds for your collection

• you would take nail polish from your moms collection and help bill paint his nails

• you moved to Magdeburg just around the time Bill and Tom's dad moved out. Bill wasn't as upset as tom was, but you still comforted the both of them. if your parents were divorced to, you'd also be able to empathize with them

• Bill and Tome step dad would invite you to go fishing with them on a boat on the lake whenever they went. you were basically apart of the family because you hung around so much so he didn't want to leave you out

• you and bill would play with his mom's makeup all the time and give eachother makeovers

• you, tom and bill once got caught trying to sneak a beer can out of the fridge and you guys all had to sit in time out. honestly, that just helped you guys be more sneaky about getting it

• if you have long hair, bill begs his mom to teach him how to braid hair so he can braid yours. he did this in the first place because you laughed at tom for not knowing how to braid hair and you were all like "you know how to braid hair, right bill?" and he was just like "😃😄😃 yeah."

• you three all used to have bonfires in the backyard. you guys would throw in paper and wood and all that shit and then go steal a lighter from the house. then you'd all grab some marshmallows and roast them

• when you guys were eleven years old, you walked in on him jerking off and you had literally no idea what he was doing at first so you just opened the door and stood there like "wtf 😀"

• you stole some cigarettes from your dad and you, tom and bill all smoked them outside of school for the first time. you were all coughing your asses off because you guys have never smoked before

• you three would all go to weddings together and play music for them.

• you and bill would play dress up all the time and you'd scream at anybody who said something to him about wearing a dress

• at nine years old, you and bill had a wedding and after that, he would always call you his wife and he was your husband. like if a teacher didn't partner you two up together he'd be like "but she's my wife!"

• his mom and your mom became friends too, since you guys spent so much time together and they'd be like "if those two don't get married one day, I'm losing faith in all love."

2000-2004

• you were up on stage, playing on the guitar with Tom and Bill on the night when Georg and Gustav came to see you guys. you were a bit hesitant at first, since you were used to only bill and tom, but you guys needed a bassist and drummer, so you agreed.

• after that, you guys all became a friend group pretty quick. even though at first the age difference was weird, you guys got past that and kind of forgot about it

• you five would go to the corner store all the time and would sneak candy in your clothes. even if you had enough money 💀

• movie nights 24/7, and you guys had to watch labyrinth. it was a must and bill would force you guys to watch it

• you and bill were already super close, but the older you got the more close you got and the more your relationship progressed.

• you had to be careful when walking around the house at first because you didn't know if you'd be fine, or you'd turn the corner and one of the four boys would be sitting there jerking off

• the more time passed, the more you got used to it and it got to a point where you'd just walk into a room looking for something and if one of them was jerking off you'd just walk right past them.

• they're literally saying the dirtiest, nastiest jokes all the time and you'll just be sitting there like "🙂 wtf man"

• they're a bunch of horny, pre-teen/teenage boys so hanging out with them can be a handful but they always treated you like one of the guys and never made you feel any different.

• even bill, even though you were his gf you were still his bestfriend so you guys would roughhouse and do dumb shit together and all that kind of stuff

• you sat and listened to bill all day while he practiced singing It's Raining Men for Star Search and always helped him out with stuff

• you went to Star Search with Bill, his mutter and his Oma and was so excited to see him on stage. when he came out you were smiling and cheering and clapping your hands as loud as you can. his singing voice is amazing

• you held him for a long time after he got second place. he was really sad and bawling his eyes out because he promised you and his Oma that he'd win for you guys

• you made sure he knew it was okay, and that second place is still amazing. but he still moped for days once you guys got home.

• you and gustav would make food together too. like cookies and milkshakes. it was tons of fun baking with him

• when you first got your period, the boys were super confused because you were holding your hand in front of your intestines (and yes its actually where your intestines are, your stomach is way higher than you think 😨 but back to this) they didn't have any idea what was going on until Georg was like "she probably got her period."

• the rest of them all looked back at him like "wtf is that?" and georg was like "it's where girls bleed out of their vaginas." after that, tom and bill thought you were dying or something because georg did a terrible job explaining what a period was 💀

• once their mom got home and say they were freaking out and she asked what was wrong and they were like "Georg says Y/n is bleeding out her vagina! She's dying!" and their mom just started laughing her ass off and grabbed you a heating pad.

• tom and bill were mad at their mom for a bit before she explained what was actually happening because they thought she was just gonna let you die. but then she explained it happens to all women and its just shedding the lining of a woman's uterus. and that you were laying on the couch like that because periods cause awful cramps that can hurt as much as heart attacks.

• they were extremely nice to you after that

• bill went to the store and bought you some chocolate and then rubbed your back for you. his mom was just standing in the doorway of the living room as you two sat on the floor watching a TV show with a bunch of pillows and blankets as bill rubbed your shoulders.

• you guys got high on weed all the time and you'd be laughing your asses off while bill would just be sitting around, super fucking paranoid about everything

• you and tom were little assholes in school, especially in science class💀 you two would fuck things up on purpose when doing experiments and your teacher hated you guys so much

• you, bill and tom once started a fire at school and you all got grounded for 2 weeks and suspended from school for 3 days

• you and bill would get matching clothes together

• when tom had sex for the first time at 13, he told all of you right away and you just started laughing 💀 he was super offended and was like "uhmm..wtf bro?!" and you were like "I just feel bad for the girl who had to sleep with a guy with a 3 inch dick who still has voice cracks." and his jaw dropped and went on a rant about how his dick was huge and that he didn't have voice cracks. his voice cracked like 6 times during that rant btw.

I hope you enjoyed this!!

taglist: @hearts4kaulitz @burntb4bydoll @spelaelamela @bored0writer @fishinaband @billsleftnutt @tokiiohot @bluepoptartwithsprinkles @saumspam @5hyslv7 @killed-kiss @memog1rl

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schrijverr · 5 months

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Batman Fatale

While on a mission with the Justice League, Batman (who hasn’t revealed his secret identity) pulls out his Brucie voice, shocking the others.

Inspired by Head Problems by That_One_Curly_Haired_Fangirl on AO3.

On AO3.

Ships: none

Warnings: none

~~~~

The Justice League is going for stealth, something Bruce didn’t think they were capable off, but so far he’s been pleasantly surprised. Though, maybe the promise of a good brawl later is what is keeping them quiet.

They’re infiltrating into Luthor’s office, underneath which he is building a robot army to overtake the world in the name of peace. Hacking in to disable them means sounding the alarm and Bruce has already calculated that it will take too long for him not to get swarmed by them, before he can take them out. Hence, the League, who will keep them off his back while he works.

However, they’ve run into a bit of roadblock in the form of the security guard, who is manning the front desk during the night shift.

Everyone has thrown out ideas to take him out, but Bruce wants to attract attention as late as possible and there are likely human operatives further down as well. They’ll notice if the guard were to disappear.

Besides, the guy, Amir, cleared his background check when he was planning this mission. He doesn’t know what he’s guarding and is just trying to make ends meat.

So, he holds up his hand and the whispered deliberation quiets down. As he pulls out his phone, he says: “I’ll handle this. Wait for my orders.”

They all shoot him confused and wary looks as he sets to dialing on his phone, keeping the screen away from them. He can say that it hurts that they don’t fully trust him, but he doesn’t care. He has his own family/team back in Gotham and if being a mysterious prick keeps his kids safe, he’ll gladly play the part.

He knew this roadblock might come up, so he prepared in advance. So, within seconds he is bringing the phone to his ear, while the others continue to look between him and the guard that’s on the other side of the glass doors.

Bruce mentally laughs, they probably expect assassins to swoop down and drag the man into the shadows.

Which is the opposite of what happens, because instead Amir startles then looks down at his now ringing phone. He smiles, then looks around a bit, checking that the coast is clear and completely missing the League, before picking up.

As Amir looks around, Hal hisses: “What the hell are you doing, Spooks? You don’t call the guy you wanna sneak-”

He shuts him up with a hand over his mouth, because Amir has picked up now. “Hey, hi, uhm, how are you doing, John?”

John is the fake name he used on the dating profile with the doctored photos. He feels a little bad about catfishing him, it’s slimy and Amir is actually cute too. Still, can’t be helped, so he puts as much Brucie charm into his voice as he flirty replies: “Hi, Amir, I’m good, just lonely. Would be better if you were with me. I’m practically indecent here for you.”

Immediately all the League’s heads snap his way, but he ignores them in favor of observing Amir. He is blushing, but looks pleased, before he sags a little. “I would love you, you’re so handsome-”

“I’d prefer pretty,” Bruce interrupts. “If you’re letting me down, at least call me pretty so I’ll know what it’ll sound like from you.”

Now Amir’s darker skin gets even more dark as he continues to blush. He stammers: “No, no, no. Not letting you down. Fuck. You’re so pretty, John. Of course I’m not letting you down. I’m just working, pretty boy, just working.”

“Booo,” Bruce whines, knowing how to sound appealing instead of annoying, albeit a little spoiled. “Can’t you just have a little break? Where do you work? I can come over, little blowie in the ally on a smoke break never hurt anybody.”

Amir groans at the offer, leaning back in his chair and looking at the ceiling, feeling a little despair by the look on his face. “I could get fired,” he protests, but it’s weak. Got him.

Bruce knows that he’s going to get fired anyway for letting them pass, but at least like this he’s out of harm’s way. He’s planning on offering him a job anyway. So, he insists again: “Promise I’ll get you off before they notice. It’ll tide me over until they let you go and you can show me what a proper good time is.”

Now Amir is looking around, no one except the League (who are all still staring and he wishes they’d stop) to see. So, he relents: “Alright, I work at the Luthor office. Uptown, you know it?”

“Oh my god, you’re kidding?” Bruce laughs in his most ditzy Brucie voice. “I’m literally at one of the bars down the street.”

“And what are you doing there?” Amir asks, trying to sound flirty, but coming across as a little insecure. It’s cute on him.

Bruce imagines himself twirling the phone cord at this point as he bats his eyes through his voice as he says: “Feeling lonely and thinking about you.”

Amir looks relieved at that, straightening up again as he asks: “Well, I can change one part of that for you. How fast can you get here?”

“Like two minutes,” Bruce answers.

“Meet you in the alley on the left then,” Amir says. “See you soon.”

“See you soon, handsome,” Bruce greets back, before hanging up. The second the line is dead, he reverts back to Batman’s voice and grunts: “Get ready to move.”

“What the fuck was that, Batman!” Hal is unsurprisingly the first to break. He never does know how to keep his mouth shut during stealth missions.

“Are you still Batman? Please tell me you’re still Batman. Because if you’ve been replaced by some alien, shape shifter or pod person, I don’t know what to do with myself. So you have to be Batman, even though Batman is creepy and mean and stand-offish and not flirty and-”

“Flash, quiet,” Bruce cuts of the rambling of the speedster. He’s not in the mood.

“You can at least tell us how you know the guard,” Clark speaks up, going for firm leader. Bruce can respect him for trying to lead these people who are all obviously not used to working as a team nor good at it. But the boy scout act sometimes gets on Bruce’s nerves.

He’s sure his kids and Alfred will have something to say about it, pointing to his trust issues that makes him perceive everything as an interrogation, but they aren’t here right now. Plus, he knows Damian at least will be on his side. He has people in his camp.

… Though that might not be a good thing. Hm, should he talk to Damian about it?

“It seems familiar somehow,” Oliver comments and Bruce hopes Amir moves soon. The last thing he wants is for Ollie to figure out who is under the cowl, the man is insufferable enough as it is.

“Batman?” Clark prompts, apparently he’s been quiet for long enough.

Falling back on one of his contingencies, he says: “Everyone should have skills in the acting and grifting department. Contact is sometimes unavoidable. I study people and I plan ahead. This is planning ahead.”

Right at that moment, Amir finally moves. Bruce feels a little bad about standing him up, but is glad to grapple away from the rest of the League. He hopes there will be a fight soon, because that way no one can ask him more questions.

#rr writing #batman #bruce wayne #brucie wayne #clark kent #superman #hal jordan #green latern #green arrow #oliver queen #flash #barry allen #justice league #jl #jla #dc #dc comics

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002yb · 5 months

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Dick doused with one of Ivy's more potent pollen 👀

Usually Dick's immunity towards rogue-made toxins of any sort is monstrously high; he's not often affected, which is why it's so alarming when this one takes him the fuck out with horniness

Just Dick recognizing that something isn't right with himself and realizing that he needs to get away. The general antidote they have does fuck all and Dick can feel how his own blood burns in his veins so he stumbles away from an ongoing fight - removing himself from the situation before he becomes the fight his family has to worry about

And it's alarming once the dust settles and everyone realizes that Dick is MIA. They know he was hit; that he went to ground is telling of the damning potency of the new pollen though and concerns ramp up tremendously. Especially because Dick won't respond (he can't) on comms.

Fortunately: tracking.

Problem is: Dick fled to the Alley. Notoriously Jason's territory and saying that the family's truce is tentative is g e n e r o u s.

Still, it's an emergency. With how far out everyone is; with how they still need to make an antidote that will neutralize whatever it is Dick is experiencing - they need help.

Enter: Jason.

Who can and will use this favor as leverage. 'But he's your brother,' the family tries to argue, to which Jason scoffs because, 'that's convenient.' Just Jason antagonizing Bruce and co. even as he goes to the coordinates that were rattled off to him.

'Just get an antidote,' Jason tells them, 'I'll make sure Goldie stays out of trouble.'

The joke being that Jason is trouble and Dick will be buried to the hilt in him soon enough so Dick really isn't staying out of anything lol

Anyway, Jason tracks Dick down to the fire escape of some condemned building. It's a precarious place to hide, but what's that bit of danger to someone who loves to be in high places and seeks the thrill of a fall?

So Dick sits on the fire escape, body drawn taut and curled small as Dick fights to keep himself controlled and contained.

Meanwhile Jason is on the floor of the alley looking up and wow, isn't this nostalgic? Though usually Jason would see Robin flying between the narrow gap between buildings, not hiding out on a rusty fire hazard of an escape.

There's no passing up on tormenting Dick given how pitiful he looks. So Jason whistles low and watches close how Dick's muscles seem to jump; how Dick's fingertips dig into his shoulders and neck when Jason gets ornery and intones, 'You're a bit far from the nest, big bird.'

'So are you.' Dick quips back and Jason rolls his eyes. Good ol' Goldie must not be feeling too bad if he can fire off retorts like that.

And Jason is ready to scoff and sulk and be petulant; he's ready to start a fight to distract or manhandle Dick to a safe house, but Dick shifts to peek at him and Jason stops still - hairs on the back of his neck standing on end because he senses danger

The intent and focus in Dick's gaze is heavy. Jason hasn't felt like easy pickings in a long time, but in that moment under Dick's attention? Jason remembers what it is to be hunted. That Dick is the hunter though is - hot disorienting.

It reminds Jason of Dick's mean streak from back in the day and he shudders at the memories. Fond in hindsight. Anticipatory, even.

Because Jason has had fantasies with this sort of set up: Dick dosed with pollen and Jason conveniently there to ease an itch

Ain’t no way Dick would actually want Jason, unfortunately, so fantasy will stay fantasy.

Jason heaving a sigh and clasping the back of his neck as he figures his plan of action. Being put out because no matter how he tries to justify being Dick’s warm body for a few hours and living out that fantasy of getting violated by an unrestrained and insatiable version of his undying crush…there’s no way Dick wouldn’t be the one suffering.

'Keep looking at me like that and I'll get the wrong idea,' Jason would taunt as a means of diffusing the tension. A joke to settle his own nerves.

Only Dick throws him for a loop, because he keeps looking and in a low rasp murmurs, 'Good.'

And Jason just - what!? Σ(⊙ロ⊙)

Like this boy is slack jawed, wide eyed with cheeks flushed because surely he heard wrong, right? There's this loaded silence and stalemate of a stare down and Jason starts to sweat because Dick isn't backing down and ( ꩜ ᯅ ꩜;)⁭ ⁭

Jason talks a big game with his deepest and darkest and most depraved fantasies, but at heart? He's a damn maiden. His heart is about ready to beat out of his chest!

Curiosity killed the cat and it's Jason's twisted curiosity on what it is to be loved in any capacity that kills him, so...

'You gonna do anything about it, Goldie?'

It's entirely on Jason for provoking the chase. It's also on him for the sick attraction he has for danger - the way it makes his heart beat faster and his blood sing in his veins

Not gonna lie though, Jason bites off more than he can chew with Dick. Even in the throes of the side effects of Ivy's pollen, Dick is hot as fuck. But also? He's fucking terrifying.

Just Jason laughing through the fear because Dick is a fucking monster nipping at Jason's heels as they run through the Alley. He tells Dick as much, too. Through the panic and adrenaline Jason might mention any number of other things, too.

Endless rambling about how Jason wants to be chased in a cute, romantic way; this night terror shit isn't what he signed up for, get back demon omfgggggg

More rambling that give Jason away because Dick doesn't need to chase him so hard to get Jason's heart racing; if Dick wants to take Jason's breath away he can just like, stand there, as opposed to this cardio nightmare

And through all of Jason's complaints, Dick eventually burns through the pollen.

Fun thing is that Dick doesn't clue Jason in on this. He just keeps chasing Jason because Jason's being really fucking cute about it.

Which Jason only realizes after Dick tackles him clear out of the skies and they tumble across a rooftop. And Jason is ready to throw down. Their first fuck ain't going down like this, so Jason bares his teeth and throws a punch.

Dick catches it and pins Jason's arm down. Then the other. And it's only when Jason catches Dick's gaze that the panic settles because -

Because Dick is smiling. Laughing!

And Jason is (⁄ ⁄•⁄Д⁄•⁄ ⁄) because he's been utterly exposed

Queue banter and playful teasing

Only this time the joke is on Dick, because what residual pollen was on his costume comes off on to Jason and Jason wasn't blessed with the same resistance to all the rogues' gimmicks as Dick

So Dick is hovering over Jason, very much in his space in a very intimate way. And as they're bantering Dick starts to see the tell tale signs that Jason is very much not okay and oh, he's actually so damn alluring? Uh oh. SOS.

Because Jason is all cheeks stained a pretty pink, fringe matted to his forehead not just from their impromptu sprint through the city, but also because Jason is burning up from the inside. Just sweaty and dazed, chest heaving and with the most sinful little gasps pulling past his lips and -

Is this how Jason looks when he's being fucked? It has to be.

'Keep looking at me like that and I'm gonna get the wrong idea.' Jason quips, head turned to seek some reprieve from the cool ground beneath him, but all it really does is bare Jason's neck and Dick really wants to blame the pollen for how affected he feels because fuck.

'Good,' he breathes.

And lbr they probably don't fuck because this relationship is defined by UST, but if they did? 👀

For real though, Dick gives Jason the courting experience this maiden man was bitching about during their game of chase. Jason wanted to be chased after in a cute way? Dick makes it such a cutesy slow burn experience that Jason takes it back. He wants to get down and dirty immediately. Where's his night terror demon bird man at?

#dickjay #jaydick #dorks in love #prerelationship vibes #ivy's pollen shenanigans #maiden!jason

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a-local-idiots-shitpost · 11 months

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Mc keeps the Dateables up at Night

Diavolo:

you wanted to stay up all night long, without him???

what a crime, he should throw you into the dungeons! just kidding but he does not appreciate that you wanted to stay up the entire night to play games with Leviathan

to make it up to him you should stay awake with him :)

you could do a lot of fun things in the Castle, tour the Gardens at night, listen to the screams of the Damned, running away from Barbatos because both of you should be asleep or sneaking some snacks into his room

if it wasn´t for the fact that Barbatos would kill you if he found out Diavolo didn´t sleep you would be up for it

but know you have to find a way to get him to sleep

Barbatos:

this man just doesn´t sleep, or maybe he just does but you never notice it

considering it´s Barbatos both could be a thing

while he didn´t appreciate your stupid little stunts as long as they didn´t wake Diavolo he doesn´t care what you do

and if your already awake you can help him with cleaning the Demon Lord´s Castle

by hand of course, no magic or anything allowed :)

maybe you should have thought twice before thinking about bothering Barbatos, the worat part was the torture chamber

man cleaning this alone was a form of torture

but Barbatos made you whatever you wanted as a payment so I guess it evens out

Solomon:

you put a pipe bomb into his cauldron, you were actually hoping the explosion would knock him out and render him unconscious, the only way you can get Solomon to sleep

but all you achieved was blowing up his cauldron

and he was even a bit proud of you for pulling this of without him noticing

but you did ruin his newest experiment without even thinking of how difficult it was to get them

good for him that he has such a capable apprentice who would love nothing more than help him :)

unless of course they want to experience the worst curses he has who won´t do them major bodily or mental harm :)

which means they get to experience the fun adventure of diving into the deepest ocean in the Devildom to gather scales of an incredibly hard to escape from predator, climb the highest mountain to gather feathers from a Human eating species of birds, getting a flesh eating plant which could easily burn your flesh of and many more wonderful (terrifying) things

Simeon:

you did something really simple

you pulled the fire alarm and watched him run out in panic

it was really funny until it wasn´t

turns out Simeon didn´t think it was so funny to wake him up so early

good for you he didn´t find the mega phone and air horn that you wanted to use when he fell asleep again

but yeah he did not appreciate you waking him and he appreciated it even less when he found out you wanted to keep him up just for fun

as punishment you weren´t allowed to come back to Purgatory Hall for one month

and of course you aren´t allowed to eat anything they made during the month (unless it was Solomon, then you have to be the sacrificial Sheep)

#obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me imagines #obey me headcanons #obey me diavolo #obey me barbatos #obey me solomon #obey me simeon

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poorlittleyaoyao · 4 months

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An Exhaustive Explanation For Why Qin Su Took Her Life Of Her Own Volition

(Or: For God's Sake, Please Just Let Her Have This One Thing)

Okay, so let's leave aside the fact that Wei Wuxian is an unreliable narrator. At the point in the novel at which he insists that Jin Guangyao must have forced Qin Su to kill herself somehow, Wei Wuxian has also insisted that Lan Wangji would totally hate it if he knew they'd made out while drunk. Let's also leave aside that Wei Wuxian himself will reassess his opinion of Qin Su's death later on, and IIRC says nothing about it either way in the drama, because the people who insist that JGY Definitely Killed Made Her Do That sure do. A narrator being unreliable doesn't mean we can't trust anything they tell us, after all; it just means we need to compare their views to outside evidence, the way you would with a primary source document.

AND WHEN YOU DO THAT

IT STILL MAKES ZERO SENSE

Picture all this from Jin Guangyao's standpoint. Let's assume for funsies that you don't care about your wife who is also your half-sister, and have no compunctions about killing her to keep the incest secret. Wouldn't you just... do that? Wouldn't you kill her the second that little paperman flies away and you hear the alarm?

"He obviously couldn't do that! The paperman saw her alive so it'd be weird if she suddenly was gone!" Yeah, and everyone at the cultivation conference saw her alive when they came into the treasure-and-torture room, and it would be even weirder if she suddenly stabbed herself to death in front of them.

"Ah, but he needed to know who sent her the letter! He can't afford to kill her!" Wow, hey, that's right! You, Evil Jin Guangyao, have just spent the preceding scene wheedling and then threatening Qin Su so she'll tell you who send the letter, and she stood firm the whole time! So forcing her to kill herself in front of everyone when she still hasn't told you that important piece of information would be PRETTY DUMB, wouldn't it? (Almost as dumb as giving her the opportunity to interact with all the people you're trying to keep the secret from, but hey, maybe it took you longer to hide da-ge's head than anticipated.)

"Maybe he'd given up on getting her to tell him anything so her killing herself was to divert suspicion away from him!" Okay, first of all, how is "your wife (whom nobody but you has seen recently) kills herself with no warning" going to make things look LESS suspicious? Second of all, things were going JUST FINE. You hid da-ge's head. People were buying your "this cursed cabinet is where I keep my former boss's soul-stealing knife" story. You haven't even subtly brought up Suibian to change the subject. The narrative misogyny means that nobody has directly talked to Qin Su and "of course my wife also hangs out in our house, lol" is flying just fine as an explanation. You had almost put out this fire! Why would you throw gasoline on it by making Qin Su kill herself?

Honestly, the smartest thing for you to do in this situation would be to knock your wife unconscious and move her to her sleeping chambers or a couch or something in the main part of the palace. That gets her out of sight and renders her unable to talk in a way that won't raise suspicions, and gives you the option of going "omg guyyys my wife is sleeping :( this totally unwarranted search of our home is gonna wake her up :(" to make people leave!

But, okay. Let's shift our perspectives here. Jin Guangyao has a history of making deranged choices when he's in Panic Mode. Maybe his brain short-circuited and, somehow, he decided that MAKE QIN SU KILL HERSELF IN PUBLIC was the best course of action. Wei Wuxian himself tells us that she wasn't under the influence of talismans or anything, so somehow Jin Guangyao convinced her to do this with his words. Never mind that we just saw Jin Guangyao deploy an ungodly combination of feigned ignorance, gaslighting, actual sincerity, veiled threats, and manipulation with zero impact. Somehow, he used his words successfully.

What could he possibly say?

Picture all this, now, from Qin Su's standpoint. Your entire world has been shattered. Your husband who is also your half-brother has been lying to you for your entire marriage, has done nothing to reassure you that he didn't murder your son, and has sealed your meridians to prevent you from fleeing. He then brought you into a secret room in your home that you didn't know existed and which, you discover, houses his sworn brother's severed head. All you know is that you cannot tell Jin Guangyao who gave you the letter because you're certain that he will have her killed. Shit's real fucked and you have nobody to help you.

Now every sect leader in the jianghu--including your husband's remaining sworn brother, your young nephew, and your nephew's maternal uncle--has shown up to search your husband's home. His top priority in this moment is quashing their suspicions so they leave him alone enough to regroup.

One of three things must be true for you.

1.) Your top priority is survival. You don't want to die. If you care about your reputation, you know that you're as screwed as he is if word of this gets out, and unfortunately the only way to survive is to play along with your husband's weird shit, at least for now. In that case, the best way to assure him that you're on his team is to help him assure the other sect leaders that Everything Is Normal And Fine. If you don't want to die, then you're not going to be susceptible to any insistence that you kill yourself.

2.) You're so furious that you don't care what happens to you or your reputation as long as you take Jin Guangyao down with you. In that case, you'd tell him whatever he wanted to hear and then IMMEDIATELY scream to the other sect leaders where Nie Mingjue's head is currently located, or you'd drop the incest bomb yourself hoping that the paperman is somewhere in that room and can back you up, or you'd grab that dagger and stab your husband, or some combination of all three! You're not going to quietly kill yourself at his request, because you've suffered enough for his bullshit!

"Well, maybe he didn't threaten her. She's going to be worried about Bicao and her father. Maybe he threatened one of them!" Yeah, maybe, but that's a threat to get someone to cooperate. You can't make sure they're still alive if you're dead! And if you're convinced that this guy has lied to you constantly for the past 10+ years, you're not going to believe him when he says"kill yourself and I'll be niceys to them." There is nothing at all that he could say to make her harm herself if she hadn’t been so inclined.

And that leaves

3.) You're in such despair that you actively want to die. You can never trust your husband again. You can never trust anyone again, honestly, because he wasn't the only person you loved who kept this secret from you. You don't trust that the other sect leaders will do anything to help you, just as your mother didn't trust that anyone would do anything to help her all those years ago. (When they barge into the palace and walk straight past you as though you were a piece of furniture, your distrust is confirmed.) Maybe, despite everything, you still love your husband too much to kill him. Maybe you fear that, without evidence, he will be seen as an innocent victim and you will be seen as his mad, murderous wife. Maybe you don't care what happens to anyone else, but you know that you don't want to deal with this anymore, and you are the only one you trust to help yourself escape it.

The tragedy of Qin Su is that she is never permitted to make a fully informed decision about her life. At least let her final action be something she knowingly chooses.

#qin su #jin guangyao #should be obvious but this is about novel and drama canons #in this house we do not acknowledge the donghua #mannn what if I made something with that one cassius quote. what then.#that said an IDEAL outcome would be her haunting the shit out of him and then out of everyone else bc THEY CONTRIBUTED #she's not trapped in a dagger she's having a Lucy Gray Baird moment ALEXA PLAY 'YOU CAN'T CATCH ME NOW' BY OLIVIA RODRIGO

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trashpandato · 6 months

Text

Dinner

For as much as Kara loves food, thinks about food, talks about food, dreams about food, she’s not very good at actually making it herself.

It’s been a thing for as long as she can remember. Several of her childhood memories of Krypton involve Alura shooing her out of the kitchen after Kara managed to spill key ingredients in her attempt to help her mother make dinner. In Midvale, Eliza straight up banned her from the kitchen at some point. Granted, it only happened after the fifth visit from the fire department, but Kara still feels a little sour about it. All she wants, all she has ever wanted was to learn how to cook a few basics: pasta, cookies, maybe a pie or two. But for some reason, almost all of Kara’s attempts to learn have resulted in unmitigated disasters and a general unwillingness of others to try and share a kitchen with her.

So now she mostly orders take-out, buys pre-made meals that she only has to heat up, or relies on others to do the cooking for her. At the same time, she still really wants to learn.

When Lena cooks her dinner for the first time, Kara’s mind is blown. In between mouthfuls of creamy, delicious risotto, Kara swoons.

“Lena! This is, it’s so good!”

Lena chuckles. “You sound surprised. I don’t know if I should be offended.”

“Yeah. I mean, no! It’s just, I didn’t know you could cook.”

“I don’t have a lot of time, but I do enjoy it. It’s relaxing.”

The question comes out before Kara can control it: “Would you teach me?”

“Teach you? To cook?”

Kara puts her fork down to avoid flinging bits of rice around. She’s known to gesticulate wildly when she’s excited about something and has learned that it’s better not to do that with utensils in hand.

“Yeah. I, um, I’m kind of terrible at it. So terrible, in fact, that I’m not allowed anywhere near Eliza’s kitchen anymore.”

Lena doesn’t seem too surprised at this admission.

“But you still want to learn?”

“I do! It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Just something simple that I can make for myself at home.”

Lena hums, seemingly weighing her options, but then she smiles and nods.

And that’s how Kara finds herself in Lena’s kitchen two weeks later, kneading fresh pasta dough on the marble countertop. She’s been following Lena’s instructions carefully, taking notes, and so far, the only item she has broken is a wooden spoon which splintered under Kara’s excited grip when Lena brushed her hands along Kara’s back as she walked behind her to grab the eggs.

“You know, I really don’t understand why everyone says you’re such a disaster in the kitchen,” Lena muses as she watches Kara roll out the dough as per her instructions. “You’re doing great.”

Kara can feel the skin on her face heat up at that.

“Well, um, usually there are charred things,” she admits sheepishly. “And ruined pots and pans. And, um, the occasional visit from the fire department.”

“Really?” Lena laughs. “I would think Supergirl could get that under control herself.”

“Well, okay, the fire department thing only happened when I was younger. Before I was Supergirl. But I’ve definitely ruined several of Alex’s good pans, so I’m not allowed to touch them anymore.”

Lena shakes her head, amusement clear in her features as she takes a sip of her wine.

“It’s a good thing that I’m a billionaire, then. I’ll gladly buy some more pots and pans if necessary. But I have faith that we won’t need to go there.”

In the end, Lena teaches Kara to make the pasta and pair it with zucchini, mint, lemon and cheese and it’s among the best dinners Kara has ever eaten. Kara decides that Lena must have the magic touch and asks if they could do this again.

They do, and the pie that Kara tries to make ends up burnt, but this time, it’s not because of anything Kara does. It’s because Lena starts kissing her, first lightly, then fiercely and Kara forgets about the pie in the oven until the smoke alarm goes off and she has to scramble out of Lena’s grasp to use her freeze breath to take care of it.

Kara starts to apologize, but Lena is right there and she’s laughing but then she’s pressing her lips back to Kara’s and whispers:

“You can burn down my entire kitchen, I don’t mind. Just keep kissing me.”

#supercorp #kara x lena #supercorptober2023 #supercorptober

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piratefishmama · 5 months

Text

Beware The Thorns | Part 9

Robin Buckley made it her job to know things about people in Steve Harrington’s life. That was something she’d always done. Ever since they’d been bound to chairs back to back in a basement, ever since Steve had goaded, pushed, and insulted their captors, spitting vitriol, forcing them to focus entirely on him leaving her with barely a scratch, a sore jaw from where one of them had slapped her across the face but that was it.

Steve had been hospitalised for over a week with his injuries.

And in that time, the senior Harringtons had laid waste to the entirety of the group that’d held them captive, and had forged an odd little friendship with Buckley&Buckley, a P.I husband and wife duo who were endlessly grateful for Steve’s sacrifice to ensure their daughters survival.

A friendship that continued for years after the senior Harringtons passed their empire onto their son in their passing.

She wasn’t even supposed to be there, she’d taken it upon herself to investigate something to prove that she could. To prove that she was ready to join her parents in their work. Wrong place, wrong time. But it gained her Steve, he was worth the nightmares.

Which was why she spent her Monday morning going to a coffee shop she didn’t actually enjoy on the east side of the city, drinking overpriced black ‘artisanal’ sludge, which usually she’d be an advocate for, fuck Starcucks an all that jazz, but this place?

Dumpster fire masquerading as a ‘hip new coffee joint’, ran by a douchebag in a beanie with a moustache that didn’t fit his somewhat misshapen potato sack face shape.

All to meet with one very pretty young lady, who seemed to actually enjoy the coffee the shop served.

“I need to know where he’s going to be.” A very pretty lady, who held her coffee cup to pursed, painted red lips, bright blue eyes on Robin’s face. “And I need to know if he’s already locked down a new client, I’m assuming these are things you’ll know… as his friend.”

“Mmnnn, I mean. You’re not wrong.” She took a sip then placed her cup back down on the cork coaster provided. “I do know where he’s going to be, and I do unfortunately know his hook up schedule, but what makes you think I’m going to tell you any of it? As his friend, it’s kind of my job to keep that information on lockdown, isn’t it?”

Robin liked Chrissy. She’d always liked Chrissy, same as Robin always liked Eddie, they had similar vibes. Wearing a mask of thorns to protect the pretty petals from those who’d do them harm. She didn’t know how they knew each other, didn’t know enough about Eddie to make assumptions as to where they’d met, but Chrissy was the closest thing Eddie had to a best friend, as far as Robin knew.

Chrissy was the only friend that Robin could get to without it immediately getting back to Eddie. Eddie’s little game friends, Gareth, Jeff, and Dougie? They’d tell him the second she reached out, would sound an alarm and she’d never get anywhere near him, claiming they were ‘being good friends’, but Chrissy was smarter by far. Chrissy was just enough of a best friend, to know when Eddie happened to need something that he didn’t want to admit to needing.

Just enough of a best friend to be able to tell him he was being an idiot, and not just immediately side with him.

Like Eddie’s very own Robin.

“It is, but I’m hoping that I’m right in the fact that he’s probably been miserable since he ended things with Steve, right?” It all kind of hinged on that. On Eddie’s real feelings behind his little mask. “Steve’s pretty miserable… it’s depressing”

“So miserable he’s sent you out to track Eddie down? Or are you doing this sniffer dog bit on your own initiative?” Robin opened her mouth to reply, but Chrissy continued as if she hadn’t asked a question, asking another instead, “what makes you think he’d be miserable?”

“Which question am I answering here?”

“Mmmmm second one please.” Chrissy took another sip, so nonchalant. She had an energy about her that Robin felt strangely familiar. A countenance Robin had only ever seen in one other person.

“I know he was acting, I know there are sides to Eddie that Steve never saw, that Eddie never let Steve see—”

“Like all the sides of Steve that Eddie never saw?” Robin tensed, brow furrowing “oh unclench, Robbie, the Cunninghams and the Harringtons go back generations, pretty sure Steve and I would have wound up in some stupid arranged marriage had the Harringtons not been against it.” Robin didn’t like not knowing things, why did she not know that? How had she missed Chrissy of all the potentials to have told Eddie about Steve’s life? How did she not know that Steve ought to know Chrissy? “I never said anything to Eddie and I don’t intend to, but… why should I let Eddie be dragged into such a messy life? There’s so many fish in the sea, Robin, why should I let my best friend be dragged down by a shark?” At least now Robin knew why Chrissy’s personality, her eerie calm felt so familiar.

She was Steve in prettier packaging.

“I’m at a disadvantage here, aren’t I?”

“Oh very much so, but you’re very cute so I’m letting you off.” Robin blinked once in surprise, then did her best to quell the pleasant buzz that thrummed through her veins at the not-so-subtle compliment “Please answer my question, why should I give you what you want?”

“He… Steve… He loves him, Chrissy… Steve has done bad stuff, don’t get me wrong, he’s done awful things to people, but I’ve never seen him like he is whenever Eddie’s around. It’s like he’s drowning in the dark and Eddie’s just… a light at the end of the tunnel, an if Eddie loves him too, which I think he does… why should they be apart?”

“And now the real reason, not the Hallmark movie one?” Chrissy raised a brow in boredom.

“I… I don’t know, Chrissy. I don’t know. I don’t. I’m running on best friend fuel. Steve needs him, or at least needs closure from him, and as his best friend I’m duty bound to try and get that for him. I’m sure you don’t love Eddie’s job. Right? He wouldn’t have to do any of it if he just—”

“Gave up his freedom and all the work he’s put in to establish himself in his field for a slim chance at happiness with one of the most dangerous men in the city?” Chrissy leaned back in her chair, one leg crossing over the other as she crossed her arms over her chest, coffee cup left to rest on the coaster.

“Better the devil you know though, right? Wouldn’t you rather him be with someone you know won’t hurt him… than with someone you don’t?” Chrissy’s eyes finally left Robin’s face, dipping down to the right as she thought about it.

Eddie wouldn’t be alone for long, he’d find a new client, he’d be on someone else’s arm, and he’d continue his life unchanged with a risk of being hurt.

Or… or he could have what he wanted.

Chrissy knew what Eddie wanted. They’d spent more than enough evenings on his couch with ice cream mooning over Steve Harrington and while she’d have loved to tell him that he was trash, he was a monster in sheep’s clothing… he just wasn’t. So she’d kept quiet.

She let Eddie pine away for a life he could have if he took a chance, never telling him why he shouldn’t.

“What if this new client wouldn’t hurt him?”

“Let’s be real Chrissy he’s probably already planned on reaching out to Tommy to fill in the gap in his schedule, you and I both know what kind of trash heap Tommy Hagan is.” An easy cash grab that’d probably make Eddie feel like shit. “Do you want to risk Eddie’s happiness on a what if, or do you want to tell me where he’s going to be so Steve can be there and sweep him off his feet?”

In retrospect, Robin should have probably been suspicious when Chrissy sat up straight, when she looked at Robin as if she was assessing her, and she definitely should have been suspicious when, with a short “Alright then,” Chrissy plucked a pen from her bag and a little notepad, and jotted down an address and a time. But with a small victory in her hands, and a front row seat to Chrissy’s perfectly perky… ponytail retreating for the door with their business concluded.

She really wasn’t thinking all that hard.

#PirateWrites #BewareTheThornsFiclet #No Upside Down AU #Steddie #Escort!Eddie #Shady!Steve

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sturn1olo-ffics · 7 months

Text

- INTO IT -

pt. 1 | pt. 2

- Chris Sturniolo x Fem Reader (she/her pronouns used)

- Warnings: pining???, use of y/n, maybe swearing, pretty sure that’s it for right now in part 1

- About: Reader goes on a trip to Florida with Chris, Madi, Matt, Laura, and Nick while trying to hide her feelings for Chris, but soon fails when they get alone.

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(Y/N’s POV):

Chris and I had been friends for about a year or so before I realized I had feelings for him. The realization came when I was hanging out with Nick, telling him all about my day with Chris. March. Matt and Nick had caught the flu, so I got Chris out of the house for the day so he wouldn’t be around them too much. “No bro I know. Then Chris’ shirt got caught on the fire alarm and thank GOD I noticed before he walked too far and it pulled it-“ I began with Nick staring at me. “Y/n.” He interrupted. “Huh?” I questioned, confused as to why Nick was all of a sudden serious. “‘Chris this… Chris that… Chris this… y/n you’re so obviously in love.” He laughed, mocking me. “I am not, we just had a lot of fun and I wanted to share, but no never mind.” I sassed back, turning to grab the door handle in his room. “Ok… well when you realize it, don’t come crying to me. Actually—do come crying to me, I wanna hear about your boy problems.” He said, looking down at his phone. That was the night I realized. As I drove home, I couldn’t help but feel guilty for having feelings for Chris. He was one of my best friends and I knew that if I messed our friendship up, it would mess up my friendships with Matt and Nick as well. I couldn’t risk it. So I never told him That is, until now. June. The weather was warm and the sun set late in the evening. Laura booked an AirBNB in Florida for a week. It was about halfway through our trip when Matt started to notice tension between Chris and I. “Y/n what the hell is up with you and Chris?” Matt questioned. “What?” I responded, obviously confused. “I see y’all staring at each other all the time and y’all haven’t been apart for more than like… an hour the whole trip.” He started. “I don’t know, I mean I don’t think anything’s going on?” I said, walking towards me and Madi’s room to get dressed for dinner. “Alright, just asking.” He responded, walking off to the boys’ room. I did my hair and makeup and decided on an outfit to wear for our dinner reservations Laura made. After everyone was dressed, we walked down to the restaurant, which was just outside of our condo, and sat down at the table. “Hey, we should go to the arcade after this. It’s just down the block.” Nick suggested eagerly. “Yeah that’s good with me, what about you y/n?” Chris looked to me. Matt gave me a knowing look as I answered. “Yeah! I need to go grab my portable charger from the room though, my phones at 2%. Anyone wanna come with?” I asked. Before anyone could answer, Chris jumped on the opportunity. “I gotchu.” Chris nudged my shoulder and Matt looked disgusted at the action, almost like he wanted to laugh. We finished eating and the rest of the group headed down toward the arcade while Chris and I headed toward the room.

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A/N: Hey y’all! I’m going to be writing a lot the next few days so lots of fics will be dropping. This was the one y’all wanted first according to the poll, so hopefully it lives up to expectations 😭 Love u baes Part 2 out immediately after this is uploaded - I had to break it into two because my laptop is broken so bad 😕

#sturniolo triplets x reader #chris sturniolo x you #sturniolo triplets #fluff #christopher sturniolo #chris sturniolo x reader #chris sturniolo fluff #chris sturniolo #matt sturniolo #matt sturniolo imagine #the sturniolos #matt sturniolo fluff #nick sturniolo x reader #matt sturniolo x you

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snickerdoodlles · 23 days

Note

Loved your answer to the: "How would you rank the Theeranyakapuls in terms of clinginess?" ask. Can we have Kittisawats as well please?

(prev) (and ❤❤!!)

if the theerapanyakuls are "everything i've let go of has claw marks" boys, the kittisawats are "i will cling until it shatters in my grip"

Porsche: man does not let anything go except grudges. the only reason why he doesn't hold grudges is because he's too busy trying to hold onto EVERYTHING ELSE. Vegas is shooting him but Porsche refuses to lose a friend. Kinn fucks up crossing lines but Porsche won't let go of his cute smile. absolutely never would've taken up Kinn's demand he runs away because it'd mean letting Kinn go. bows to mafia recruitment before giving up his childhood home. Porsche is still holding onto a promise he made to his mother when he was like six years old max. i maintain the only reason why Porsche tells Arthee to go away is because he was already negotiating his mafia contract in his head and couldn't risk anything on Chay's safety because he knew he wouldn't be around, he never would've let Arthee just walk out of their life without those special circumstances. honestly this is such a large part of why Kinn and Porsche work together so perfectly, neither of them ever want to let go of their people and they collect people under their umbrellas at a downright alarming rate.

Chay: also clings to things until they shatter except he is extremely choosy in what he clings to. he has to be, he doesn't have a choice given how hard he loves and how little he has. as furious as he is with Porsche leaving him to join the mafia, he will bow and accept all of Porsche's choices so he can keep his brother. there's no other choice to him really. Chay's already shown he's willing to give up everything else for Porsche, from their home to his dreams to their uncle, and he can't have already drawn that line and then give up Porsche too right after he got him back. he clings to Kim just as hard until Kim shatters it-- i will always maintain Chay approaching Kim after the mafia reveal was just to confirm if he was reading Kim's feelings correctly (he was). Chay would've accepted the mafia and the scheming in a heartbeat so long as Kim's feelings for him were real (they were). Kim walks away from him then, but even then, that isn't what shatters them-- when Kim interrupts him at the club, Chay lets Kim pull him away. he is more than willing to hear Kim out then, he just wants to know if Kim cares (he does). except instead of explaining himself when Chay demands an explanation, Kim says "fine, i'll stay out of your business from now on." that's when Chay gives up Kim, because Kim keeps showing that he cares but claiming the opposite, and Chay can't hold onto someone to his typical degree of sacrifice if he doesn't think they'll stay in the end. that's why he blocks Kim. that's why "why don't you stay" is the perfect apology-- the song that first brought them together, the song they worked on together, the song where Kim lays himself bare to say "i have nothing to offer, i can't drag you into my mess, i desperately want you to be here with me anyways." of course that would reach Chay, who's only wish in life is that his two people stay with him through hell and fire and let him take care of them as much they take care of him. of course that'd open the door back up with Chay, who just wants Kim to explain how he cares and stay.

the kittisawats' clinginess is actually the heart of one of my most favorite kp story concepts ever, which is pushing the mafia aspect to the point where it shatters something in Chay and he has to leave. because Chay will give up so much to stay with Porsche. if he's pushed to the point where he leaves Porsche, either Chay has Kim to fall back on or Chay has nothing, and both options are so much fun for different reasons. and then for Porsche...oh my god, Porsche. Porsche holds onto everything, but his top priority is still Chay. a large part of why he can hold onto everything else is because Chay works so hard to make himself okay and hold Porsche back, so having Chay hit a point where he can't would destabilize Porsche so bad. sure, he has everything else, but what does that matter if he doesn't have Chay? Porsche and Chay are so tightly intertwined and so desperately clingy in the same way that even just straining their relationship brings all this out. "what happens when you can no longer hold onto the person you'd give up everything for?" is a delightfully crunchy story question and so good for these two especially ❤

#kinnporsche #kimchay #wow hi i still have SO many feelings about chay esp <3 #but seriously i love how fiercely porsche and chay love #they're 10x more clingy than the theerapanyakuls if only because the mafia boys *had* to learn how to let things go or otherwise shatter #porsche and chay would lose their hands before they willingly let go #i love these boys <3<3 #ask game: headcanon gacha

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howtofightwrite · 5 months

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Sorry if this is an odd question but my intro to this blog was a post about invisibility and how it affects combat. This query is also a bit wordy too.

Say there's this super-powered person whose ability is that you forget them after breaking sight of them and only remember the person along with the instances of meeting them after seeing the person again.

- There's a brief period where a person still retains their memory for 6 seconds before the amnesia hits.

- By contrast, the process of remembering them is immediate.

- Looking at them in photographs, video footage, and reflections follow the same rules.

- Obscuring themselves like wearing masks or something also doesn't affect how it works. They cannot turn the ability off.

How difficult would it be to fight against something like that?

My first thought is the Arcane background from Mage: The Ascension. Though, in the case of Arcane, it also tended to wipe out physical records of the Mage in question. At low levels, other characters would remember the mage existed, but details would become fuzzy, and records of the Mage's existence, would become harder to track down. An example was that if your character had a pink mohawk, witnesses would be able to say, “oh, yeah, it was that guy with the hair,” but wouldn't be able to remember anything more specific than that. Photos, school or work records, would go missing. With a high enough Arcane score, video cameras would fail to reveal the Mage, you couldn't take their finger prints, because the cards would go missing almost as soon as you took your eyes off them.

Arcane was an extremely powerful utility option for a mage, but it didn't have a lot of combat applications. And, that's kind of what you've set up here. At high enough levels (well beyond what normal mages would ever reach), it would even become a significant advantage for stealth, as people wouldn't even notice the mage was present, and then proceed to hit them with their cars. That last part isn't, really, a joke, as that was a downside for characters with a staggering number of points in the background, and by that point they'd lost the ability to voluntarily turn off the ability. Normally characters would cap out at 5 dots for their backgrounds, the 6 to 10 dots are extremely potent, but actually create a kind of horrific situation where the mage is progressively less able participate in the world.

So, some weird quirks with your version. It wouldn't directly affect combat, but it would make it a lot easier for the character to break and escape from combat. However, the instant recollection means that if your character was spotted, even momentarily, after they escaped, then their enemies would immediately set off an alarm, and might even jump straight to shooting at them, while they tried to escape.

The amnesia (especially if firearms are involved) would likely create a bit of confusion in the moment that would make escaping even harder. Their foes wouldn't know what they were looking for, but they also wouldn't be worried about advancing on the position they were just firing on. While that's exploitable, that's also extremely dangerous for your character.

If the scope of the power was fully understood, an antagonist, with henchmen armed with HUD systems, could just flash a small image of your character onto their HUD every four or five seconds to, “refresh,” their memory, and effectively negate it.

With the perspective of having known multiple individuals who have issues with impaired object permanence, your character is going to have an extremely lonely life. They can't be in a relationship with someone, because, literally, six seconds after they walk out the door, their romantic interest will kick their mental status back over to single. Again, speaking from personal experience, that's fucking rough.

They may have more casual friends, but it's going to be a case where they literally only matter to someone while they're in the room. Which, again, that's a pretty demoralizing way to live your life.

Worse, your character probably can't hold down a job, meaning they're going to be in a rough situation financially. I mean, it's pretty hard to land a job if the recruiter forgets you exist 6 seconds after you walk out the door, and even if you land the position, it's going to be pretty hard to get on the schedule if your manager has 6 seconds to put you down for a shift, before they forget about you completely.

Ultimately, yeah, this wouldn't help that much in a fight, you're unlikely for the ability to function during combat. It might help escape from pursuers. But the psychological costs would be astronomical. So, you know, it's a good idea to play with, but this is more of a utility power than a combat focused one. And the implications of it are absolutely soul crushing.

-Starke

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#writing reference #writing advice #writing tips #how to fight write #starke answers #urban fantasy

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soufcakmistress · 10 months

Text

Temptress

Pairing: Erik Stevens x Thick Black OC

The intricate oil painting hanging on the wall threatened to fall by the incessant pounding of the bed frame. “I wonder what they’re serving at the pub tonight…” Sybil Freeman pondered as this sad soul rutted away between her legs. The Viscount Peters was one of her frequent visitors, and always tipped well. A lackluster lover, but always super sweet. The viscount shuddered and finally expelled into the sheepskin condom, with sighs of much awaited relief. Her corset has her abundant breasts grazing her chin, which have now spilled out from the romp that just ensued.

This is the part that the men come for. “Ooooh, the Viscount is feeling very frisky this evening. I’ll be sure to put those juniper berries in your wine every time we meet, sugar.” The short and dumpy nobleman always moseyed down her street for a bit of loving. Black and white men alike patronized the house—a house of nothing but Black bawds and whores.

London is a long way from colonial Charleston. Sybil Ravenel was one of eleven children to an enslaved couple working the indigo crop on Edisto Island. Keen on her surroundings and fierce about her family, one particular overseer would always harass her. She was very shapely and purposely wore baggier clothes to conceal her body. She’d managed to make it this far without getting whipped or separated from her family. The overseer was tired of Sybil spurning him. Easter Day came and the slaves were able to take the day off for once. While everyone was congregated by the fire, Sybil was caught off guard and gagged and pulled around the tobacco barn. Little did that overseer know that Sybil had been preparing for that day.

She sharpened this stick every day and hid it in the waistline of her skirt. Today, she made good on her intentions and shoved the stick into his neck. “I the last Negro woman you try to push up on. Bastard.” Blood drenched her apron and bonnet, and she wrenched them off and hid them under her skirt. Scrambling to the slave quarters, she gathered up the few clothes she had, tied them up and ran towards the harbor with all of her might in the dead of night.

Sybil understood sex and how easy men were guiled once it entered a dynamic. Men had few motivations and if it didn’t involve money, food or sex, Sybil found they didn’t have much use past that. She wasn’t entirely sure of her age, but she was a woman full grown. She had no education but she had the will to live and extremely limited means to do so. Offering what she had between her legs was how she was able to convince the captain of a nearby merchant ship not to ring the alarm for a fugitive slave on the run. She sucked his pecker so good as a matter of fact, he gave her her own cabin, left to be undisturbed until the ship docked.

The manifest was set for London Harbor, with a large store of indigo posed for shipping to the British Isles. England outlawed slavery years ago and all Sybil can remember being in awe of how Black folks roamed so freely. London was expansive, a different feeling versus Charleston. Attempting to navigate the streets, she bumped into a striking woman, with incredible cheek bones and dwarfed almost every man. “Careful, darling. Yuh ‘ave to actually look where yuh walk in this city. Before yuh get trampled.”

Needless to say, her life was changed from then on out. Bellemere Almodovar. Born in Jamaica, she was purchased by Spanish spice traders in exchange for bushels of saffron. She was so beautiful that she was whisked away from the auction block to accompany a lord in the Spanish court in the Spanish royal seat in Madrid.

Bellemere took Sybil under her wing. Showed her the ropes, how to keep herself safe, how to articulate herself, and recognize what the means to the end was. Fuck the frogs until you find the prince. A marquis or a lord having you for his mistress meant security and stability. A binding contract between the two of you kept the relationship mutually beneficial at all times. You provide the cunny and ego stroking, he provides the lifestyle. It’s plain and simple as that.

Until then, Sybil would stack her money. Her and Bellemere have expanded their stable, with an extremely diverse group of Black women with various treasures to offer. Lola and Liza Ibeji, the Sierra Leonan twin Amazons liked to play with the kinky politicians on Downing street on every bank holiday who liked to be tied up and degraded. Sarah Macenroe was a biracial beauty from Ireland, looking for a new home since her last bawd kicked her out. She was a contortionist, and petite like a nymph who loved to stick her finger up a John’s bum. And Sybil’s best friend Janie Smith from Trinidad, always quick to cuss her in patois. She was plump and shaped like you and that brought you both closer. Janie learned that she did not have a gag reflex, allowing any man to aim his prick down her endless throat with no resistance.

And Sybil. Sybil’s prized possession was between her legs. It was wetter and tighter than anyone around, and was guaranteed to make any man lose his pride before he wanted to. Her blue fingertips were a marvel to gaze upon and added to the fantasy. These English nobles ached for the chance of sleeping with a liberated Negro woman from the colonies. Her life was easy now. Fuck her regulars, and live good. She was free. Free to eat in any cafe of her choosing. Led her girls into any social gathering with their heads high and guaranteed to garner whispers and gasps. Music to her ears.

As of late, Sybil had been bored to tears of the social scene. Janie had just snagged her keeper, and she’d been whisked to the northern countryside for the next month. On this particular occasion, Sybil’s carob skin emitted radiance unknown to this world with the midnight blue gown hugging her body close. Her scalp itched under the powdered wig, and she daintily threw back her 6th drink of the night. Her girls worked the room as always, prowling for the next kill, and yet Sybil couldn’t give a fuck about any of these men.

She grabbed her sachet, picked up the ends of her dress and sashayed to the terrace. Some fresh air was needed. A cigarette she already rolled was pulled out and heavy footsteps lurked behind her. “Is this seat taken?”

A puff of tobacco smoke billowed in front of her cherubic face. A pleasant surprise that a Black man with a familiar accent met her. “Do as you like.”

The strange man quietly observes Sybil’s appearance. Their eyes finally meet and she’s enraptured and forgets to mask her intent. He’s very handsome, with a sterling smile and dashing garments. And an American accent. Interesting. “What’s a southern Belle doing mingling with English society?”

“I could ask the same of you. You’re like a fly in a glass of milk with this crowd. American?”

The gentleman wore his own hair out, a beautiful tangle of curls, and an emerald green suit that was immaculately crafted. His scent was alluring, and made Sybil want to know how deep his pockets went. “Yes. I was formerly enslaved, just like you. My father was African however and fell in love with my mother on a trip to the colonies. He bought us and we went back to his country to live. I grew up and wanted to explore this world. So for the moment, here I am..”

He took her cigarette out of her hand and began to puff on it himself. “And how would you know that I was enslaved? I could have been born free for all you know.”

The gentleman blew out the tobacco smoke, and gently placed her hand in his. The indigo dye. Permanently marking her as a piece of chattel. A former piece of chattel, for that matter. He kissed every fingertip on her left hand, and Sybil gulped. Her eyes became glassy, and she pulled away. She adjusted her dress, and stabilized her towering wig. “I didn’t catch your name, miss.”

Sybil took the cigarette back from him, taking a harsh pull. Why did this man make her feel like this? “Sybil. Sybil Freeman.” She had to get out of there. As seemingly progressive as London purported itself to be, Black men were almost never gentlemen and of the ton. He exuded high levels of breeding and class. His skin was gorgeous and he had piercing eyes that never left her….and roamed all over her body. He was clearly different.

“Good evening, sir.” Sybil gave the stiffest curtsy and zoomed away, flustered and confused. Something told her that that wouldn’t be the last she saw of him..

A/N: I totally forgot that I had most of this written up already LMAO. Please let me know if you want me to continue this story. Pleaseeee reblog and comment, love yall!!!

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#soufcakmistress #erik stevens #erik killmonger #erik killmonger smut #killmonger fanfiction #killmonger smut #killmonger x black oc

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nobody-expects-the-inquisitorius · 11 months

Text

TBB Incorrect Quotes, Part 13

Crosshair: *sighs* Wrecker: You bored? Crosshair: Yeah. Wrecker: Wanna start drama for no reason? Crosshair: I thought you’d never ask.

Tech: Phee and I are no longer dating. Phee: Tech, that’s a horrible way of telling people we’re married.

Omega: This is a safety pin. *cuts off end* Omega: It is now a danger pin.

Echo: *trying to get five seconds of sleep* Tech, poking Echo’s arm: Echo. Echo. Echo. Echo. Echo: WHAT? Tech: …We’re out of Capri Suns—

Hunter: I didn’t know that air fryers are a real thing. Used to think that they were made up by the internet as a funny joke and that their purpose was to “fry air”. Omega: WAIT, BUT IT FRIES THE AIR TO FRY THE FOOD?? Hunter: I DIDN’T KNOW IT WAS A KITCHEN APPLIANCE, MY FIRST ASSUMPTION WAS SOMETHING AKIN TO AN AIR CONDITIONER! Crosshair: IT’S NOT LIKE AN AIR CONDITIONER???? Tech: You guys clearly don’t own an air fryer.

Crosshair: If I say yes am I joining a cult? Tech: Possibly. Crosshair: I’m in.

*the Squad cleaning up* Tech: Pick up the nearest piece of trash and throw it away. Echo, to Crosshair: Aight, which bin do you wanna go in—

Wrecker: *hiding something in his coat* I think we should adopt another kid! Hunter: No. Wrecker: Why not? Hunter: Because when you say “kid”, you mean “cat”, and we already have fifteen of those. Wrecker: *unzips coat* Sixteen.

Tech: Okay. Hypothetically speaking, how mad would you be if I burned a hot pocket so badly it could probably fall off a ten-story building and be completely fine? Hunter: Tech, what did you do? Tech: Take a guess.

Crosshair: PEASANT. I REQUIRE SUSTENANCE. Echo: You know there are other ways to say you want McDonalds. Crosshair: FOUL PLEBEIAN. YOU DARE SPEAK AGAINST ME— Echo: *sigh* What do you want? Crosshair: Chicken nuggets please.

Omega: Tech, what if there are monsters? Tech: Don’t worry, we’re top of the food chain. Much later… Omega, lying awake at night: I am the monster.

Omega: Wow, I really think I would’ve gotten along with young Crosshair! Crosshair: I know. That’s why I decided to change everything about my life.

Crosshair: *clicks pen* Tech: *clicks pen in response* Hunter: Stop that. Crosshair: Stop what? Hunter: You’re talking about me in Morse code! Crosshair: Yes, that’s what we doing. In our very limited time, we took a class on a very outdated, very unnecessary form of communication just so we could talk about you in front of you. Congrats, you figured us out! *later* Tech, to Echo: That’s actually exactly what we were doing.

Crosshair: It's not like I try to blow things up, exactly. It just sort of happens. You've got to admit though, fire is fascinating.

Hunter: Can I stay with you tonight? Wrecker: Sure. What happened? Hunter: Well, Crosshair and I got into a fight, and now he's been watching “How to Get Away with Murder” ever since. Wrecker: … Hunter: … Wrecker: … Hunter: I don’t feel safe anymore.

Wrecker: I want a bf. Tech: Do you mean best friend, boyfriend or bread feast? Because you’re being really vague here.

Echo: According to the footage here, you shook the vending machine and when the shake alarm went off, you punched the glass and broke it. Wrecker: …I was hungry.

Tech: *venting endlessly to Crosshair about his week* Crosshair, every once in a while: *in a monotone* Wow, that is so wild.

Crosshair: People always shoot down my ideas and I’m sick of it. Two sentences in and everyone’s always shouting “what the fuck? that’s illegal!” and “you can’t do that!”. Like, c'mon, let me talk!

Wrecker: No problemo! Wrecker, internally: But it was all problemo.

Crosshair: We’ll get back into there or die trying. Hunter: No one’s dying. Crosshair: Not with that attitude.

Omega, over radio: Testing. Testing. Tech, can you hear me? Tech, standing next to Omega: I’m standing right here. Omega: You’re coming through good and loud. Tech: ‘Cause I’m standing right here.

Hunter: Are you packed for the trip? Wrecker: Yup. Hunter: Then where are your bags? Wrecker: All I’m bringing is a good attitude and a sense of adventure. Hunter: A change of underwear might be nice.

Crosshair: All of your existences are confusing. The Squad: How so? Crosshair: Your presence is annoying, but the thought of anything bad happening to any of you upsets me.

Crosshair: BE A BETTER PERSON! Hunter: WHY?! Crosshair: BECAUSE SOMEONE NEEDS TO HAVE MORALS IN THIS FAMILY, AND IT SURE AS FUCK AIN'T GONNA BE ME, SWEETHEART!

Crosshair: My life is a mess. Echo: Go get a beer. Crosshair: I don’t want a beer. Echo: Who said it was for you?

Omega: I believe in you, Tech! Tech, to himself: God, I must suck. The nicest thing Omega can think to say to me is that she doesn't doubt my existence.

Echo: Do you see yourself as a glass half-full or glass half-empty kind of person? Hunter: Half-full, definitely. Hunter: Half-full and constantly rising. Hunter: Soon the water will escape its container and consume us all.

Hunter: So we're gathered here today for a very special reason and I think you'll all agree with me here. Hunter: And if you don't well then fuck you. Hunter: I'm looking at you, Crosshair, you jealous mop.

Echo: working in a flower shop and minding his own business Crosshair, storming into the store and slapping $20 on the counter: HOW DO I PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVELY SAY “FUCK YOU” IN FLOWER???

Wrecker: Can I borrow five dollars? Echo: If you’re only borrowing it, does that mean you’ll pay me back? Wrecker: Of course. Wrecker: Not directly, but with my love and affection. Echo: So that’s a no.

Omega: Is Crosshair always like this when he loses? Tech: Oh, yes. You should've been there for the Great Jenga Tantrum of 22 BBY. Crosshair: You bumped that table and you know it!

Crosshair: You don’t deserve me. Hunter: At your worst or your best? Tech: I don’t have a worst. Tech: Because you’re already at your worst?

*out grocery shopping* Wrecker: *takes a free sample twice* Wrecker: Robbery and Fraud. I am a Rebel.

Crosshair: If you don't stop talking, I'm going to jump out of that window. Wrecker ...We're on the ground floor. Crosshair: I know but I want a dramatic exit.

Omega: Okay, two person huddle. Echo: You can't huddle with two people. This is just a hug.

Echo: Is he stupid? Crosshair: Yes, but he prefers to be called Hunter.

Wrecker: Can we get a birthday cake? Hunter: It’s not your birthday. Wrecker: The cake won’t know!

Echo: I'm a nice person, but I'm about to start throwing rocks at people.

Echo: We all have our demons. Hunter, grabbing Crosshair: This one’s mine!

#tbb incorrect quotes #incorrect bad batch quotes #the bad batch #tbb #star wars #incorrect quotes #techphee

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lavender-rosa · 1 year

Text

Kny characters + most traumatizing internet experiences

(modern au obvi)

That time Nezuko sent Tanjirou a text that said "look at this adorable video of a puppy and a raccoon being friends!!!! :0 🌸" but then when he clicked on it, it was the music video for the song "never gonna give you up" by Rick Astley. Why would Nezuko do this to him?

When Douma left his laptop open for Akaza to accidentally read some of the replies to his most recent tweet. He doesn't even know what those comments meant, but they were scary.

When Douma texted Akaza and Kokushibou a link to an article that talked about a gruesome murder that took place in the town like thirty years ago, with the caption " omg do u guys think ur house is haunted ? O-O" Akaza replied "Douma why are you being so ridiculous" but Kokushibou, who has always been personally convinced that his house is haunted, felt a chill run down his spine...

That time Shinobu sent Giyuu a text that said "giyuu have you seen the latest mitski mv" but then when he clicked on it, it was the music video for the song "never gonna give you up" by Rick Astley.

Sanemi taking the "Am I Gay?" quiz at 3am and then promptly deleting his browser history and attempting to set his computer on fire for good measure, setting off his smoke alarm and waking up the entire house, for which he had no good explanation other than the wholly unbelievable lie that he was trying to lit a scented candle but his hand slipped and landed on his computer keyboard instead.

When Zenitsu made Tanjirou listen to some of Kaigaku's soundcloud rap and instead of finding it funny like Zenitsu assumed he would it gave Tanjirou such a bad migraine he actually started crying.

When Gyutaro is accidentally in the background of one of Daki's selfies and a couple of her ig comments are "who's that guy behind u ????" leading him to fear that they would track him down, invade his home and tear him apart like a pack of wild animals. Daki said "uh...that's definitely not going to happen" but based on what he knows of her following, he maintains it's a likely possibility ok????

When Tanjirou had strep throat and couldn't read aloud to Muichirou like he usually does and Genya, out of the kindness of his heart, offered to sub in, and Muichirou made him read all 38 chapters of "My Immortal" to him, insisting that Tanjirou would do this for him, and therefore if he doesn't that means he is a bad friend.

That time Uzui sent Rengoku a text that said "hey i read this article regarding an unlimited free pizza coupon winning competition i thought you might find interesting, tell me what you think" but then when he clicked on it, it was the music video for the song "never gonna give you up" by Rick Astley.

And last but not least: When Kaigaku left his laptop open for Zenitsu to accidentally read his latest reddit post. Terrifying stuff.

#kny #demon slayer #kimetsu gakuen #kimetsu no yaiba #tanjiro kamado #zenitsu agatsuma #giyuu tomioka #sanemi shinazugawa #genya shinazugawa #kny headcanons #kaigaku #akaza #doma #kokushibo #muichiro tokito #kyojuro rengoku #uzui tengen #gyutaro #shinobu kocho

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kendsleyauthor · 3 months

Note

I really like your new ocs- 5 for Godlike?

RELUCTANT GIANT

Godlike Universe (Brielle, Cameron, Nikolas)

~1200 words

G/t dialogue prompt list

Thank you for the prompt!! This is a continuation of DEITY OF IDIOTS 🍂

Brielle struggles to calm down a newly-giant Cameron. Their predicament escalates when Nikolas crosses their path.

@marydublinauthor 🌸

Brielle tried to give Cameron some grace and not compare his handling skills to those of Nikolas. After all, Nikolas had hundreds—if not thousands—of years to be accustomed to his towering height. Cameron had less than ten minutes of experience being a giant, and the fact that he hadn’t dropped her was success enough.

How can this not be a dream? she wondered.

Whenever she peeked up, she fully expected to find that she was actually in Nikolas’ hands, and that she had dozed off on his palm with Cameron by her side. But alas, it was Cameron’s face that hung overhead each time she looked. Not that she particularly minded the view.

“Are you in pain at all?” she asked, noticing that the pinch in his brow hadn’t eased. “From the transformation?”

“Not at all.” And she believed him. The anxiety of the situation was more than enough to keep a frown in place.

“I’m sure it’ll be alright,” she said, though her own thudding heart hadn’t relaxed.

“What if this is permanent? What’ll I do, Bri? I don’t…”

His steps in the direction of the Autumn Manor slowed to a stop, which was a relief seeing as his hurried pace made her stomach churn. He lifted her a bit higher, his impossibly large gaze rife with worry. His rapid pulse pounded against her legs, and she wanted nothing more than to draw him close and comfort him.

There was no time to coax him into bringing her closer.

Nikolas’ stunned voice came somewhere from behind them. “Who—”

Cameron turned abruptly to the side, making Brielle squeal in terror as she was tossed onto her side in his palm, half-falling. As she kicked her legs to heave herself back to safety, Nikolas’ eyes landed on her—presumably not getting a good look at Cameron, given his reaction. She spotted the precise moment that a fire entered Nikolas’ gaze.

“Bri!” Nikolas lunged toward them with horrific speed, and the world became dark and cramped before Brielle could see him close the distance.

A pained cry flew past her lips as the confines of Cameron’s grasp tightened—any further, and he would surely break something. Raised voices rumbled outside of her prison, but she couldn’t focus on the words as she struggled to move, struggled to breathe. She could so much as open her mouth or thrash a single limb to get Cameron’s attention.

Nikolas’ voice became clearer. “—hurting her!”

Relief flooded through her when Cameron’s fingers sprang open. She gasped for breath in his palm. The light seemed harsh compared to the darkness of his hands, but as her vision adjusted, she was greeted by two massive faces staring down at her in alarm. Camer looked beside himself.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he breathed. “I-I was startled, and I was trying to…” He lifted her higher, staring hard in search of injury. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m not hurt,” she assured, though she doubted her breathless voice was convincing. She suspected she’d awaken with soreness tomorrow morning, but she certainly wasn’t going to inform him of that. She frowned at Nikolas, smoothing her skirt. “Well, it’s enlightening to see that your penchant for slightly overreacting hasn’t abandoned us.”

Nikolas looked thoroughly offended. “You were in distress in the hands of a person I had never seen before. I reacted appropriately, thank you very much.” His eyes slid up from her to regard Cameron, a little smirk lifting the corner of his mouth. “You ate the fruit. Are mortals ever not predictable.”

Cameron’s fingers twitched closer to Brielle in frustration. “You knew there were such things out there? And you didn’t think to warn us—”

“Cam!” Brielle pushed at his index fingertip. “You’re shaking again.”

Remorse swiftly replaced Cameron’s annoyance. “I’m sorry. I’ll try—”

“Here, I’ll take her.” Nikolas raised a hand and offered it beside Cameron’s.

She worried for a second that Cameron might flinch at the approach or try to hide her again, but clearly he was willing to say goodbye to the stress of holding her life in his hands. Nonetheless, the conflict on his face was plain to see—her knight, handing her off willingly. Her heart melted slightly at the realization of how much he had come to trust Nikolas, exasperated with him as he was at the moment.

Carefully, Brielle moved from one palm to the other. The difference was immediate—the steadiness, the surety. She tried not to make her relief too obvious, lest Cameron see it. Falling to a seat, she willed her heart to stop fluttering as she looked up between the two giant men.

“The fruit?” she prompted.

“Ah, yes. You see, I didn’t think there were any more left in the forest. They take hundreds of years to grow, and I stopped cultivating them long ago. The fruit is produced from plant life that has absorbed my blood.”

Cameron pulled a face, as though this information added a new flavor to the fruit he’d readily eaten. “How delightful,” he deadpanned.

“I try not to bleed in the forest these days,” Nikolas said with a shrug. “But for the fruit to exist now, it must have occurred centuries ago.”

“And you say you used to cultivate them,” Brielle asked. “Whyever would you do that?”

“A different era,” he said with a dismissive wave of his free hand. “Mortals who gained favor with my siblings or myself would occasionally be gifted such a fruit. We eventually agreed it was far more trouble than it was worth.”

Brielle’s blood ran cold with the thought of what a person would want with the gift of being deity-sized. At least Cameron was a reluctant giant rather than an arrogant or vengeful one—even if he did decide that snatching her up was the wisest course of action upon waking up at this size.

“So, it must be temporary,” Cameron said a little desperately. “A temporary gift?”

“Of course.” Nikolas seemed to latch to Cameron’s tone, stepping closer with intrigue. Brielle found herself having to crane her neck more to keep either of them in view. Nikolas brushed a curious hand against Cameron’s cheek. “By morning, you’ll be back to your adorably petite self.”

Though he scowled, he didn’t push away Nikolas’ touch. “You realize I am taller than you?” They already knew that from all the time Nikolas spent at human height, but Brielle was certain they could all agree that this situation was… different.

Nikolas’ fingers trailed lower to take Cameron’s chin and turn his face this way and that at his leisure. “You can pout all you want,” Nikolas said, his voice dropping lower. “Deep down, part of you must be enjoying this.” With that, he leaned in and pressed a kiss to Cameron’s lips, holding Brielle in perfect view.

The tension in Cameron’s face eased immediately as he kissed Nikolas back. Brielle found her perch wobbling dangerously as Cameron leaned in with more fervor. She clutched Nikolas’ thumb, but didn’t speak a word of protest.

When they stopped and pulled away, faces still a breath from each other, Brielle let out a pent-up shudder of a breath. Both giants turned to her—Nikolas enthralled and Cameron flushing. She stared, slack-jawed and almost lightheaded with giddiness. “Might you do that again?” she all but whispered.

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