#(ooc: also. processing that you d i d give me the opportunity to put this in separate continuity... but since this is their first mention +
Text
Private lesson
Sumarry: Janus try to decieve himself into a timeline where he can save his friends. He does not expect reality to offer him an opportunity to prove himself.
Word count: 3127
Characters: Janus Sanders, King creativity Sanders
Warnings: Sword fighting?? Idk please tell me if you think something else should be added here.
Author’s note: MY FIRST ONESHOT EVER COMPLETED! Yes! And the honor goes to @rondoel ‘s King!AU! ( @kingcreativityau ) :D Now: are the characters OOC in this? Most probably. Do I really care about it? Only a tiny bit. I only started to post Sanders Sides content here recently, but I’ve been a fan of the series for a few months now so I had time to read a lot of fic... however I’m still not sure on what I got wrong so if you have any criticism, positive or negative, please let me know!
Lastly, this was at first supposed to be an animatic (on the song called ‘This is war’) but I have NO TIME to draw and lot of time to write so enjoy! When I do get time, I might try to animate a certain part of it that I don’t think I nailed that well in the fic. Anyway, I’ve been rambling for long enough. ENJOY!!!
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Janus stood there, in the empty training room. Since King's return, he felt very conflicted, and he hated himself for it.
The king was merciless, he cursed Patton to make him look like a toddler, he removed Logan's vocal cords, he cursed Virgil into torturing himself into deadly downward spirals, and...
And he was very spiteful, he was angry... because he'd betrayed him.
Janus clenged his fist. He couldn't help but remember the look of betray and rage that his King gave him when he discovered his team-up with Logan. Those orange eyes that could burn him down on the spot. Those oh so intense eyes... Damn it, he was back at it again. This is over now. His king was gone. Now it was the King. The tyrant. The side who hurt his friends.
He was standing in the empty room, looking at his reflection by the mural mirror. His now half-half face looked so tired. Was he really this tired ? He was probably very very tired... but he'll rest later, as the memory of his most recent wound was still fresh in his head, replaying this utter humiliation, he just couldn’t sleep. Anger soon filled him up.
He could have tried to stop him. He could have tried to save his friends, and instead he just... froze. He just let it happen like he couldn't do anything. And he knew how to fight ! He knew how to defent himself for crying out loud ! He could've done something, and instead... Nothing ! He recalled the scene, bit by bit. How Logan stood at his left, how virgil was just behind, how the king was looming over them, despite being 10 feet away from them. He remembered every movement, every word, and every second of that moment like it was written in his metaphysical blood.
And in a second, it was like he was dragged back to this hell again.
And he would not let it happen a second time.
He summoned his cane and raised it up at the memory of King. His mind wandered off now. He had to imagine how he would've react. Would he summon his sword or take full creative control to just trap him ? He wanted to think he had a chance, so he chose the sword scenario.
And just like that, the imaginary fight was on. Step forward. Left. Right. Dodge. Go protect them. Put up a fight. He would have rushed toward the tyrant and aimed for the head, the sword would've get in the way and he could uses the top of his cane to project himself back to the group. Go. Dodge. Pare. Block and Dodge and Move fast and Dodge again and Block and pare and send it back. The world was spinning around him and the fight got more and more intense. He may have his eyes closed, but he knew perfectly where he was in the room, and he was completely in his daydream. Left and Right and Block again and Forward and Left and Block and backward and spin and swing the cane for it to stop only an inch away from the face of his enemy. He would have been a threat, and he would have been able to save his friends from the King.
He didn't expect, however, to be met with the actual King in front of him when he opened his eyes.
Janus' eyes widened and he immediately cursed himself for backing up. Great. He was all about putting up a fight and a second later, he was cowering. ‘Talk about blowing smokes.’ He at the very least kept his glare from fading away. He couldn't be scared of him. He couldn't show it. He was simply surprised... He had to make that a challenge for him, Deceit was not a side you could see right through, after all.
« You seem to have a quite... Interesting dancing style » King spoke, an almost mocking grin showing as he looked down at Janus. Crap. Did he knew ? Was he there the whole time ?
As the tyrant lift his hand, Janus snaps back into reality, setting his guard up and putting a stronger grasp on his cane. Only for the object to sudenly float in the air, shining with bright light and transforms into a sword that Janus grabbed back before it falls on the floor. This left only more confusion in the half-snake, confusion which turns into alert when he lifts his gaze back at the King only to be met with another blade. He jumps back.
« W... What ? » Janus was lost.
« Wouldn't you try and learn an acutal fighting technique ... » King's voice was composed, but also slightly amused at Deceit's confusion.
«... instead of the poor travesty I just witnessed ? » until it all vanished in favor of annoyance.
Janus tried to process the words as King switched his position for a dueling one. His sword in front of him, his torso on the side and his feet dug on the ground. Was he.... what ? What was happening ?? One thing sure was that he invited Janus to mirror his behaviour. And so he did, taking a deep breath, and standing still while carrying his sword to cross the others. And before he figured out what to do next, King took three blows and sent Janus' sword flying through the air and crashing on the ground.
« Whoa wHoa WHOA ! Hold on ! » Janus lifted his hands in defense and gulped as the blade of his enemy got dangerously close to his throat.
He then heard a chuckle, and the blade finally got away from his neck. « It was just too tempting. » He snapped his finger and the sword flew right back to Janus' hand, who was still confused.
« Alright, for real this time, I let you give the first blow. »
Janus hesitated, still not sure if the scene before him was really happening, but quickly composed himself. He came back to mirroring King's posture and came with a serious expression. He quickly analysed how he could start and how he could win the fastest. When he assumed to find a way to win quickly, he lifts his sword up and went for it.
Boy, was his assumption wrong.
He thought he'd move faster, but the moment the sword swingged on the left, King's weapon caught him off guard, and it only took two quick slays for Janus' to fly in the air again. He felt baffled and humiliated. And the amused smile from his opponent didn't boost his ego at the moment.
« How ? » He didn't understand. Even his instincts weren't nearly as fast as the King, and the tyrant didn't get the chance to train in years !
He only got an arrogant giggle in response before the sword flew back to Deceit's hand. Janus frowned deeper and dug his feet in the ground, ready to jump. King did not miss, nor cared for deceit's threat.
« Again. » He simply ordered. He only had to move his arm to be back to his initial position. Was there a point to it ? Or did his tyrant just liked to put him through this childish show of superiority ?
For some reason, Janus obeyed.
And lost.
Again.
« Try again. » the King ordered.
The other obliged.
After the 4th time the sword flew back into the yellow side, he had to face it : This was happening. King was training him to sword fight. And he just... accepted it ??? What ?? How was this happening ? Usually, he would try to bite back, make some remark, try to hurt him, but here he just... went along with it. And King seemed pleased with that. He looked...content. He looked satisfied with giving Janus private lesson. This moment... against all odds... felt... not as bad as he expected.
The more they fought, the less cold the tyrant was, and the less tense they both get. King stopped trying to bring him to his knees and instead looked like he a professor, excited to give his student something to work on.
Of course, he would never admit it, but in this instant, in this moment of intimacy and challenge devoted from any animosity... It was calming, it was like a fresh wind coming after a heat wave of chaos, and the adrenaline that came from the fight was giving him enough energy to savour every second of it.
Wait.
No.
No no no no no.
He wasn't enjoying it. He wasn't enjoying it at all. He could not appreciate what was happening : the sadistic bastard was bellitling him and humiliating him right now ! And worst part is ? He couldn't even do anything about it ! Because King is so freacking good at sword fighting and Janus' main weapon has been turnd into a sword for crying out loud. There was no time to lust over past relationship !
And another game lost.
« I told you to pay attention to what was happening high up. Looking at my chest is not going to do much if you want to predict where or when I'm going to hit next. I thought you'd know that. »
« I was simply lost in another train of thought, I hope you could forg- »
DON'T.
FINISH
THIS WORD.
'You be submissive, god dammnit.' He thought to himself before clearing his throat and returning to his cunning voice. He had to keep his distance.
« I don't need you to tell me that. I was simply lost in thought. Do you really I am this much of an idiot ? »
« Well, you didn't prove me otherwise yet so. » He chuckled low and got ready for yet another one. « En garde. »
Even though he couldn't hide the joy he was feeling at the moment, he could mask it behind his usual calm appearance.
« And how many times are we going to do this ? » He asked, his tone playing between teasing and bored
«Until you get some actual fighting skills. » King answered, playing along.
« Ouch. I think I prefer the wounds caused by your sword. »
« Well then hurry up and grab your weapon. » Damn it. Why did they seem to get along of all sudden ?
« As you wish. This was merely a warm up. » he lied
« I do not doubt it any second. »
And just like that, the conversation became non-verbal again.
…
Truth be told, neither knew how long they've been fighting. Was it an hour ? Three hours ? 20 minutes ?
Truth be told, neither cared.
All janus knew is that he was getting better and better, almost becoming a challenge to the King , and the other side seemed glad to step up and fight with more intensity.
And both completely forgot to hide their excitement.
Janus started to tease king, even when he was clearly losing, and the other responded with as much sarcasm and complicity. The two glared at each other with malice and playfulness the whole time. And both couldn't help but smile.
And just like that, it felt as if they never left each other.
When he was younger, Janus and his king would play around with wooden swords, roleplaying like two ennemy seeking vengence in the most childish way. Janus sometimes would fake losing so he could see his king's proud smile which was worth losing 10 times again. His king would sometimes lose and janus would feel a feeling of acomplishment that was very strange to him, in a pleasant way. And at the end, they would most of the time lay down on the green grass and just talk about everything and anything.
And right now, he felt like he was playing with his king. Only the swords weren't made of wood anymore, and it was more professional. But still, it felt the same.
And it felt ...pleasant.
He could hear himself laugh just like when he was younger, and if he listened closely, he could feel king chuckle just like his king.
And it felt … nice.
From the talk, to the movement, both were on edge, calculating every move and waiting for an opportinity to strike. It was an amazing strategy game combined with pure raw strenght. And King's fighting style was both very classical and yet creative. He was very crafty and Janus only had to rival with his own tricks. They were in the moment, living fully the present.
And it felt...
And dear lord, it felt so, so good.
He could feel himself fly as he dodged, he could feel fire in his vein when he was about to strike down, he felt his head spinning, yet everything around him was so crystal clear, it was like a dance. A disturbing, aggressive, cold and passionate dance.
A dance...
They used to dance before.
His king and himself.
Most of the time, when they were done fighting, they would lay down on the grass. Most of the time.
Sometimes, he could have the biggest honor of all.
'Now, my dear, would you enjoy a waltz with me ?' his king offered his hand
-'I don't want to step on your foot again'
-'I told you you didn't hurt me ! Come now, it's not your job to be scared.'
despite his defensive approach, he adored those dances.
-'Alright, I'll dance with you. '
How did it go again ?
1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3.
Left, right, right, wait no, was it left again ?
1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3
step up, forward, step back, and one turn and another. His king would have his hand on Janus' shoulder and Janus would have his hand on his king's waist. And they would dance, and the music filled the air, and his king would have made a room just for them to dance.
1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3
Turn around, then left then back up.
1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3
Then caught in their trance
1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3
They would just spin around, and turn and spin and spin again and everything was spinning around them and they could only see each other and the whole world was spinning and it was just them. Just the two of them.
And they would smile and they would laugh and everything was still spinning around them and it was blissfull, passionate, affectionnate and in they would join their hands once more and their finger would interlace and once their hands was only one thing, they would lift it in the air with bravery as a victory for their hapiness.
And he would lift his hand in the air, with his king.
And they would lift their hands, hold together, in the air.
And they would yell a victory choir.
King's sword fell on the ground.
And he had his hand on King's chest.
Oh lord, he was too close to King.
Their faces were only two inches apart.
And Janus visibly forgot how to breath.
King was staring with wide eyes, clearly not expecting Janus to send his sword flying nor getting this close. None of them dared move an inch, and none of them could breath.
What... what just happened ?
How could Janus get so caught up in his dreams that he erased whatever was happening in front of him ? And how did this stupid dance from years ago helped him beat the King to his game ? And how could he, despite everything, try to search for his king's eyes in the tyrant that stood in front of him ?
Right now, the King's red and green eyes were flickering into orange glimps and his look was just tearing Janus up from the inside. He looked ready to cut his throat open if he had his sword in hand.
And yet …
For only a moment, only for a single instant, did Janus find his King shining through the side in front of him.
Sadly, this bloom inside of Janus' heart got cut fast as thorns grapped him and pulled him far away from his The King, and before he realized what was happening, the thons just gripped tighter and tighter, making Janus unable to hide the jolt of pain.
He struggled, trying to get away from the grasp, but they only tightened and eventually, he stopped, gasping for air. He tried to look back at the tyrant, who was simply observing with a serious expression, the joy of the past moments seemingly dissapeared the moment Janus got too close. And now, he was back to being a threat. Without looking away, he move forward, with slow steps. Janus tried to manage a sentence but the pain was too high for him to form anthing coherent. Eventually, The King was in front of Janus, and the yellow side swore he was about to get killed right on the spot, but instead he just kneeled down, grapping back the sword that flew away.
Oh.
He got up and, with the other hand, brushed over the blade. Without looking away from it, he spoke : « You fought well. » He lift his eyes to meet Janus, struggling not to faint, and determined to look at him with rage. The corner of his lips twiched into the smallest of smirk and he turned back, opening the gap between the two.
And as the King took his steps, Janus' eyes widened, realizing what King was about to do.
'No.'
'No. Not again.'
'Don't leave. '
'Please'
'Don't leave me again. '
He turned into a snake to got away from the thorns and rushed towards him, ready to grip his cape. Anything. Anything but that. He was so close...
But the thorns got Janus back before he could make it.
He couldn't even hear his own grunts of pain. All he could listen to was the sound of footsteps, and a windblow that made King dissapear. Janus froze in place.
And the silence that grew in the room was deafening.
After what felt like an enernity, the thorns let go of Janus, who simply fell on his knees shaking. He hugged himself as hard as he could, and curled on himself.
He tried to fight back tears that wouldn't stop to threaten to fall.
And none of them ever left his eyes. Just like no wound ever left his heart.
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WHOOOOOO What a ride! This was really fun to write and the challenge of putting words on the visuals your head come up with is certainly something. Now, I hope you didn’t expect things for them to get better just like that, huh? ;) There is too much they need to discuss before being close to make peace, so that’ll have to wait! I have other ideas for those two so I’ll see if I get motivated to write it out. Hope you liked it!! :D
#Sanders sides#fanfic#janus sanders#king creativity#Kingceit#fanfiction#King!AU#rondoel#swordfight#The begining of Janus being a pinning disaster with a lot of emotional bagage#probably OOC#not a happy ending#Janus being a nostalgic little man#and King being conflicting as always#most probably screaming internally at the dramatic disaster in front of him#It's not easy being the king of a himbo's brain
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Donflamingo x Crocodile x fem!reader NSFW scenario of your choice, please? :D
Alright, here you go! I hope you’ll like it :) And I hope I didn’t write the characters OOC :)
Thanks to @reneotomegirl for betareading again!
You watched with feigned interest as the red wine in your glass swayed from side to side, ignoring the hungry gaze from your lover as you took a sip.
A dark chuckle made you look up to the man on whose leg you were sitting, “I knew there was more to you than what meets the eye. Seems like there’s a reason you seduced not only one, but two samurai.”
Stifling a laugh, you licked over your lips, savoring the taste of the delicious wine, which you got from Doflamingo as a present, answering in a playful tone while shooting him a seductive look, “Otherwise I wouldn’t be sitting here, darling.”
His smile spread as he leant backwards on the massive couch, “I agree. Just a tad less devious and you probably wouldn’t be sitting here.”
You let out a huff before taking another sip from your glass, looking up at him, “Then we just have to wait until he arrives.”
“The letter came from you. I doubt he’ll let us wait long.”
Some time later the door sprung open, disrupting the conversation between you and the samurai and revealing Crocodile slightly sweaty and out of breath, shooting a snarl the taller man’s way, “You know, if you invite me to your place you might tell your guards to let me pass so I won’t have to decorate the floor with their insides.”
The smile on Doflamingo’s face widened as he opened his arms, “But if I’d do that, where’d be all the fun?”
Crocodile’s frown deepened for a moment before his attention was drawn to you, calling out to him, “You seem tired. Why don’t you come here?”
Your outstretched arm paired with the warm expression on your face made all the negative feelings disappear. The way you invited him, a silent promise to protect him, to take care of him. It made him feel safe and content while Doflamingo did nothing other than watch the smaller man make his way over to you, still seated on his lap, taking another big sip from his wineglass before putting it away.
Due to the height you were sitting at, Crocodile was only slightly taller than your sitting form, giving you enough opportunity to cup his cheek in your hand and press a kiss to his lips, short and sweet. The heat in his eyes was unmistakably your doing, the letter you sent containing enough descriptions to visualize it clearly.
“Do you really want to do this?”
The worry in your voice was clear but his cocky smirk was already enough to answer you, “Do you really think I’d be here if I didn’t?”
Your smile turned into one of mischief as you playfully replied, “Then let’s hope you’re ready for this”, before tugging him down harshly by his shirt and pressing your lips to his.
With a smirk on his lips Doflamingo carefully took the glass out of your hand and placed it next to his, placing his other hand on your hip, caressing it lightly while his usual grin spread further, enjoying the show.
In the meantime you used your now free hand to move it over the still clothed chest of the smaller samurai while the other wandered from his cheek to the back of his head, tugging on his hair harshly to pull him back, both of you breathing hard. A smile spread over your face at the image of Crocodile in front of you, cheeks lightly blushing, panting and with his hair disheveled. It truly was a sight to behold.
But you didn’t want to make Doffy wait too long, as he wasn’t known for his patience. So you let go of the man in front of you, tracing a finger down the side of his face, over his lips, tugging slightly in the progress.
Looking him directly in the eyes, you ordered in a stern tone of voice, “Get rid of your clothes.”
He blinked a few times, gaze wandering up to the other man who was still very much amused with the display before him, head propped up with one arm and grin still prominent on his face.
Crocodile looked at you again and was met with a mix of desire and encouragement, making his worries go away. He sometimes was wary that you had that much power over him but one look at you and suddenly it didn’t feel like a big deal anymore.
Without thinking further about it he started to undress, leaving him completely naked in front of you. He even took off his hook, exposing the stump where once had been a hand. The sight of him made you switch positions as Doflamingo’s bulge started to grow under you, leaving you now sitting between his legs, leaning against his now more sensitive part.
You looked the man in front of you up and down, feeling your own arousal growing and you were glad you came prepared, with no underwear under your dress as you ordered him, “Kneel.”
Crocodile visibly swallowed, his internal conflict clear on his face and his hesitation fighting with his desire. Your smile softened, giving him the encouragement he needed as he knelt down in front of you.
No words were needed as you opened your legs, his eyes fixated on your womanhood, hunger prominent in his eyes. Another look at you, which was answered with a nod and his face was buried between your thighs, hands on your hips while he was licking you up and down with fervent strokes, causing moans and pants to slip from your mouth as you closed your eyes to further relish the feeling.
Almost completely lost in pleasure already, you didn’t notice that the man behind you started to move, startling you for a moment. Doflamingo unfolded himself from his position and stood up.
As Crocodile left his position between your legs to see what was going on, his head was shoved back down again by the other man, causing him to groan between your legs.
“Do what you’re supposed to do. Don’t get distracted.”
He didn’t even try to hide the sadism in his voice as he walked around further until he was standing behind the kneeling man. Squatting down, Doffy let his fingers travel down the other samurai's spine, causing goosebumps to spread on Crocodile’s back and his muscles to tense.
“Shhh. Don’t worry about what I’m going to do to you. Focus on her. That’s what you’re here for.”
You felt the shaky exhale against your folds as you buried your hands in his hair, disheveling it further. Not knowing what the taller man had planned, you kept your eyes open, wanting to see the show.
The next moment Crocodile let out a mix of a groan and a growl as his hands were taken from your hips and bound together on his back, white strings decorating his skin. Just one look at the familiar hand gesture the other man was doing and you knew Crocodile wouldn’t get out of there easily.
But even as he was teased relentlessly by the other man with featherlight and teasing touches, he never stopped his ministrations on you, having you nearing your edge already.
“Yes, this is where you belong, below me, below her. That’s all a failure of a pirate such as yourself could ever achieve.”
Another grunt left his mouth at Doflamingo’s words as you silenced the taller man with a sharp mention of his name, leaving him silently laughing to himself.
But he didn’t want to miss out on all the action happening, so he discarded his clothing as well before returning to his position behind the other man again. His smile was still prominent on his face as he took Crocodile’s hips harshly in his hands, hoisting them up and changing the angle of which he was pleasing you, causing you to moan and the other man to grunt in displeasure.
You tugged on the hair of the man between your legs harshly, crying out in pleasure as your orgasm hit you. Crocodile continued with broad, languid strokes of his tongue to let you ride out your high before the other man licked over his hole, causing him to moan. Shaking lightly at the overstimulation, you pulled him away from your core, both of you panting hard.
But the man behind him didn’t slow down with his own ministrations, continuing to let his tongue play with Crocodile’s opening, hands groping his hips harshly, coaxing groans out of him.
Still coming down from your high you watched the expression on the face in front of you, clearly enjoying the attention on his back entrance. You put your hand on his cheek again, caressing the skin with your thumb as Crocodile looked up at you, vulnerable, pleasure-lidded eyes connecting with yours. It truly was a sight to behold. The normally so composed Sir Crocodile, completely vulnerable in front of you.
As the other man now added a finger to his ministrations, his head fell against you, moaning out loudly in the process, clearly not used to being penetrated.
Doflamingo looked up at you, still in a slight haze, and teased “Don’t tell me you’re already finished?”
You shrugged as you answered in a playful tone, “What can I say, he knows what he’s doing.”
Clearly not satisfied with the answer, a vein started to pop up on his forehead as he replied in a now more annoyed voice, “Oh really? Then let me show how fast I can work.”
To emphasize his words he added a second finger and curled them, coaxing a loud, involuntary moan out of the man in front of him. Crocodile’s whole body tensed before relaxing again, leaving him now also panting with his head lowered on the couch right before your core.
You let one of your hands thread through his bangs, trying to calm him down, to make him more comfortable with the foreign feeling.
It stayed like this for a little while, Doflamingo preparing him, coaxing moans and groans out of the other man while you raised his head up on your lap, caressing him and calming him down.
With a simple look from the taller man and you knew he’d finished his preparations. You lifted Crocodile’s head up, gave him a quick kiss on the lips before asking, “You ready?”
A small noise of approval left his lips, you didn’t know if he was even able to say anything coherent at the moment so you left it at that. One last kiss on his nose and you stood up, finally getting rid of the last piece of clothing as you looked at Doflamingo standing as well. Only Crocodile was still kneeling on the floor, arms still bound behind him.
“Doffy, could you cut the strings?”
Even though he was reluctant, clearly displeased with giving even a resemblance of power back to the other samurai, he cut the strings, allowing the other man to stand up as well.
Trying to keep the relaxed atmosphere you immediately went to lay on the couch on your back, holding out your hand for Crocodile who seemed to remember what the original proposition was in the letter you sent. He crawled on top of you and looked you in the eyes, raising one eyebrow.
A small laugh escaped your lips as you answered the unvoiced question, “After all we’ve done so far, you’re really asking now?”
A low snarl left his mouth as he lined himself up with your entrance, looking as smug as the moment he came into this room.
Let’s see how long it’s going to stay that way.
A moment later he pushed himself inside of you, drawing moans out of both of you. It didn’t take long for you to get accustomed to his length and for him to move, but before he could speed up a hand grabbed his waist, holding him still. Doflamingo’s presence made itself noticeable again as he grabbed the other man’s neck harshly with his other hand, whispering dangerously in his ear, “Don’t forget we’re three players playing this game.”
Crocodile visibly gulped as he felt the taller man line himself up with his entrance as well. Not known for being gentle, Doflamingo pushed himself inside, not particularly fast but not slow either, only giving him some time to adjust as he was buried to the hilt.
The other man buried his head in your chest, clearly overwhelmed with the sensations and you stroked his hair again, drawing little patterns across his shoulder blades, clearly signaling the man behind him to wait with the look in your eyes. Even though reluctantly, Doflamingo did as you asked, wondering to himself which events took place that he was listening to a mere woman like you. It would be so easy to get rid of you, but on the other hand he’d miss your snarky remarks, the way you drove him up a wall by acting sassy in front of his crew. And in the end, he wouldn’t trade it for anything.
As Crocodile’s breathing returned to normal again and he lifted his head, the man behind him took it as a cue to immediately start his ministrations, pushing in and out at a rather fast pace, causing all three of you to moan.
The man in the middle started to move his hips in sync with the other, knees already shaking from the massive amount of stimulation. He wouldn’t be able to last long.
In the spur of the moment you took his face in your hands, pressing your lips to his and getting lost in the kiss. So lost you almost didn’t notice Doflamingo leaning forward to give you an uncharacteristic peck on the cheek before leaning his head against the other man’s neck.
As much as he’d tried to hide the arousal he felt as Crocodile was crumbling before him from only his fingers, his stamina did betray him.
It didn’t take long for the three of you to all be close to release and in your case, again.
Not able to handle the massive amount of stimulation, Crocodile came inside of you, hard, but Doffy didn’t slow down, chasing his own high, overstimulating the other man’s prostate, coaxing loud groans out of him. Crocodile was shaking, completely lost in the haze of pleasure as the man behind him continued his pace. But even through his haze he didn’t forget you, so, while he pulled out, he used the thumb of his hand to rub your clit, trying to bring you closer to your second orgasm of the night.
While he was still using his fingers to pleasure you, the man behind found his high, gripping the waist of the man in front of him so tightly, it was sure to leave bruises as he released inside. Doflamingo muffled his groans by biting into the other’s shoulder, relaxing after the last spurt of cum left his member, although not pulling out immediately.
Seeing clearly again, Crocodile’s movements were more controlled now and brought you to orgasm without much complication, your body coming undone in front of him as moans left your mouth.
All of you stayed in that position for a little while as you spoke up, “So, who’s on cleaning duty?”
#one piece#op#donquixote doflamingo#doflamingo#crocodile#n//sfw#doflamingo x reader#crocodile x reader
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Goooooood afternoon guys, gals, and non-binary pals! Admin C here coming at you with our first Dalton Sanctuary event announcement! We are looking to kick off the organization and sanctuary-run plot points of this RP. You will find events such as these peppered throughout the RP. They exist to help writers create impactful and lasting plots, to help keep things ebbing and flowing nicely, and to encourage character and connection building. All writers are encouraged to communicate about this event and any plots stemming from it in the OOC Discord server! For easy reference, the IC event announcement post can be found here. One point I’d like to call attention to is the specification that Director Sue Sylvester does not write the announcement letters herself. This is because, while Sue is a great leader and is wonderful at the management and organization aspects of her position, her demeanor unfortunately makes it difficult for her to pen professional sounding documentation. This is why any communication received in this format will have been penned by Director Sue’s personal secretary. Moving right along, I want to take a moment to call further attention to the fact that the classes offered at Dalton are quarterly, meaning that each class lasts for four months at a time. Class Registration Fairs will be held at the beginning of each new quarter. Not every class is offered every quarter, so no matter the duration of your character’s stay, he/she/they will have plenty of opportunity to take a variety of courses. Classes are a very important part of life at Dalton Sanctuary, and are offered on a variety of topics to aide in healing, growth, and learning. They serve to assist each Resident and Visitor in exploring the meaning of their culture, marks, and lifestyles. They promote and educate on topics geared to help each member become as healthy, happy, and safe as possible. Please note that clubs covering material falling outside the range of D/s practices and lifestyle are offered as well!! Players should note that the announcement letter can be viewed via the TDS Staff blog. This blog will act as a place for players to approach TDS staff IC to ask any questions they may have about the goings-on at the Sanctuary. Here, characters can interact with the Santuary Director Sue Sylvester, Head of Counselling and Therapy Emma Pillsbury, Head of Athletics Roz Washington, and Head of the Arts Will Scheuster. If your character chooses to utilize the TDS Staff Blog, please remember to indicate which staff member he/she/they are attempting to reach out to, so that the appropriate person may respond! As always, feel free to come to either admin OOC or IC with any questions or concerns. We are here for you, loves! Now, without further adieu, under the cut you will find a list of all classes being offered this quarter at Dalton Sanctuary, along with a brief description of each. Reminder: Residents will have the option to take only four courses, and may join two clubs. Details on contesting this cap can be found in the announcement letter linked above. Happy writing, friends!
Quarterly Course Offerings July-October 2020
Introduction to Dominance: This is an introductory course to Dominance. The course covers basic topics surrounding Dominance, dominating, and its role in our society and everyday lives. This course is a prerequisite for both Intermediate and Advanced Dominance. Meets in Room 120A of the Academic Wing.
Introduction to Switching: This is an introductory course to Switching. The course covers basic topics surrounding Switching, its role in our society and culture, and the stigmas and challenges that come with it. This course is a prerequisite for both Intermediate and Advanced Switching. Meets in Room 120B of the Academic Wing.
Introduction to Submission: This is an introductory course to submission. The course covers basic topics surrounding submission, the role of the submissive, and its role in society. This course is a prerequisite for both Intermediate and Advanced Submission. Meets in Room 120C.
Intermediate Dominance: This is a mid-level course that will provide the first academic look into kink. This course is made up solely of kink and kink-related topics to ensure each student is appropriately educated on set-up/safety, engaging in kink, and aftercare utilized during general kink/play. This course is a prerequisite for Advanced Dominance. Meets in Room 121A of the Academic Wing.
Intermediate Switching: This is a mid-level course that will provide the first academic look into kink. This course is made up solely of kink and kink-related topics to ensure each student is appropriately educated on set-up/safety, engaging in kink, and aftercare for a plethora of kink classifications. This course is a prerequisite for Advanced Switching. Meets in Room 121B of the Academic Wing.
Intermediate Submission: This is a mid-level course that will provide the first academic look into kink. This course is made up solely of kink and kin-related topics to ensure each student is appropriately educated on set-up/safety, engaging in kink, and aftercare for a plethora of kink classifications. This course is a prerequisite for Advanced Submission. Meets in Room 121C of the Academic WIng.
Advanced Dominance: This is an upper-level course that will delve further into the world of kink, and will provide students the opportunity to learn about specific kinks. This course also includes a deeper look into the non-sexual aspects of D/s, building upon topics discussed in previous courses. Meets in Room 122A of the Academic Wing.
Advanced Switching: This is an upper-level course that will delve further into the world of kink, and will provide students the opportunity to learn about specific kinks. This course also includes a deeper look into the non-sexual aspects of D/s, building upon topics discussed in previous courses. Meets in Room 122B of the Academic WIng.
Advanced Submission: This is an upper-level course that will delve further into the world of kink, and will provide students the opportunity to learn about specific kinks. This course also includes a deeper look into the non-sexual aspects of D/s, building upon topics discussed in previous courses. Meets in Room 122C.
*Note: Switches are put in class with their peers (other Switches) twice per week to cover their courses listed above; Dominants and submissives only take these courses once per week. This is so that Switches are able to devote the same level of attention to both sides of their role.
D/s Relationships: This course will cover the various types of traditional D/s relationships, and what each typically entails. Meets in Room 123.
Alternatives to Traditional D/s Relationships: This course will delve into the less common types of D/s relationships, including but not limited to Pet Play and M/s relationships. Meets in Room 124.
Coping with Trauma through D/s: This course will discuss the various ways that D/s relationships and dynamics can aid in the trauma recovery process. Meets in Room 125.
Claiming Information Class: This course will cover the process of getting into a claim, what is expected of those involved in claimed relationships, and will discuss and provide a variety of resources on maintaining a healthy claim. Meets in Room 126.
Human Anatomy: This course discussed human anatomy of all genders and types. This course is activities and labs based, meaning that much of the work will be hands-on. Meets in Room 127.
Psychology of D/s: This course will delve into topics of psychology as they relate to D/s dynamics, as well as topics unrelated to D/s. Meets in Room 128.
Bondage: This course will discuss the mechanics of bondage, and will demonstrate appropriate and safe rigging techniques and aftercare. Meets in Room 129.
Impact Play: This course is a deep dive into the preparation for, action of, and aftercare of impact play specifically. This particular type of play is afforded its own class as it has been proven to be one of the easiest ways to mistakenly mishandle a submissive. Meets in Room 130.
Advanced Kinks: This course will cover kinks considered to be ‘harsh’, as they are considered to be more shocking than others. This particular course is offered separately due to the sensitive nature of some topics covered. Meets in Room 131.
Recreational Clubs- Offers and Guidelines
It should be known that all clubs are open to being led by characters in the roleplay. Simply tag or interact with the @tdsstaff blog to make requests. Players may also ask for clubs/activity groups to be created in this same way.
Art Club (taught by @ellisanderson)
BDSM Performance Art
Book Club
Cooking Club
Dance Club
Drama Club
Music Club (while @duvaldomnick is not the club leader, he works closely with the club and offers group and 1x1 vocal lessons)
Sewing Club
Sports Club (club members play numerous sports together)
Swimming Club
Track and Field
Weight Lifting/Gym Club (supervised by @judehudson)
Yoga (taught by @switchuponastarchild)
Finally, we want to denote how class schedules will work at Dalton Sanctuary. Each class progresses on a week-by-week basis. This means that each week will present a different topic; characters attending a class on Tuesday, for example, will learn the same things as another character taking the same class on a Thursday. Characters are free to attend their chosen courses any day of the week. This is to keep class sizes and stress low, while giving players the opportunity to bend reality to make their writing work for them. Educational courses run Monday-Friday, clubs are free to operate on the weekends. Players are encouraged to send copies of their character(s) schedules to the TDS Staff blog, however this is not a requirement. Writers may also utilize their character(s) channels in the OOC Discord server to have record of which courses they are taking.
Wow! Thank you for sticking with me on this very long, very important journey! Once again, please don’t hesitate to contact either myself or Admin S with any questions or concerns! Blessings and light to you all, lovelies!
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Dying to hear your opinion/recap from last nights ep!
I’m so sorry for taking four days to write a review haha but here you go! My thoughts on 8.01 :)
Ok so a fair warning going into this: I’ve endeavored to be more positive on my blog during this season because it’s the final one. It’s the last time we will ever get this rush of new episode premieres, the active fandom, all of it. I also still love the show in spite of its flaws and mistakes, and I don’t hate D&D. But this episode made a lot of character mistakes that I don’t feel I can overlook. I spent the past few days making positive show content hoping to mitigate my negative feelings about the episode, but they’re still here, so I’m going to post this analysis and be honest about it. If you don’t want to see any GoT negativity, turn back now! There’s good and bad in my review, but a lot of bad. There’s also a lot of tangents to past episodes and plot points, and a healthy dose of ranting. But it’s all relevant, I promise :P Also, please don’t interpret any of this as character hate. As I try to make clear in my analysis, I feel the problem is that people are being written OOC, so when I don’t like what they do, it’s because I feel it’s not true to who they are. I love all of the remaining characters, so this isn’t “anti” anyone. Except maybe David Nutter lol.
The episode opens on the procession into Winterfell, and I loved the callback to 1.01 where we saw Arya rushing to see Robert’s forces marching through the gates. This time, Arya is all grown up and watching another child excitedly reacting to the soldiers.
I really enjoyed this opportunity to see the scene through Arya’s eyes, because it was so clear to me that she was happy for Jon, and that she was thrilled by the dragons. The moment where she sees Jon and beams with joy, but is too nervous to call out to him, was an early gut punch to my feels and really set up the suspense for their eventual meeting. I also liked that even while the other Northerners were running around panicking about the dragons, Arya was calm and looking up at them in wonder. It was an important moment to the tone, because it established that the Northerners’ fear is misplaced. Arya, who trusts Jon, knows he wouldn’t bring anything dangerous to Winterfell.
I also liked how this scene showed little clues of the intimacy of Jon and Dany’s relationship. The last we saw them was boatsex, and there were a lot of unknowns about the time skip and where they would stand as a couple or partnership in the aftermath. But the scene (and the whole episode) really put their romantic relationship front and center. They ride side-by-side as equals, a total “royal couple” image. When the Northerners are wary of Dany, Jon is right there to comfort and reassure her, basically telling her he expected this reception, and trying to keep things light. I also love that when she seems down about the Northerners’ glares, the dragons do their flyover and it brings a smile to her face. The dragons have been a source of comfort to Dany in rough times since 1.01 with Drogo, way back when they were just little eggs :) I’ve seen some antis saying her smile at the flying dragons is a sign of madness because she’s smiling while people scream. But I disagree. The scene is showing that even when she’s sad, the reminder of the dragons–her children–strengthens her and lifts her spirits.
We also get to see Missandei and Grey Worm during the march, and this scene in particular really struck me. @goodqueenarya made a great gifset of the moment and rightly captioned it as racism and xenophobia from the Northerners. I realize it’s uncommon to apply those terms to a medieval context but it is clearly what’s at play here. The close-ups on Missandei’s face, her uneasiness bordering on fear, Grey Worm’s concern, and the open hostility of the Northerners in the crowd, are all working together to show that this moment is upsetting to Missandei and Grey Worm and possibly reminiscent of their time as slaves. Remember, the entirety of Dany’s army is made up of people who aren’t only foreign, they look it, and this clearly seems to be a factor in the Northern hatred. It effectively set the tone for a whole episode of tension between Team Dany and the North.
When the shot cut to Tyrion and Varys, I was excited, but the very first bit of dialogue is about Varys’s balls (or lack thereof). This was the beginning of an episode fraught with weird writing that didn’t deliver imo. I love the humor on this show but Tyrion’s joke wasn’t actually funny so I wouldn’t even qualify this as effective humor in this instance. There are so many things they could have been discussing at this moment that would have been interesting exposition: Jon/Dany, how Tyrion will react to seeing Sansa again, the Northern hostility, ANYTHING. But we got balls.
The scene when everyone finally arrives inside Winterfell was kind of an emotional rollercoaster for me. I noticed the musical parallel–the same music was used during Robert’s arrival. It made Jon and Dany seem even more the royal couple, which I appreciated. I also liked how the arrival was much more informal than Robert’s. There was no kneeling involved, which emphasizes Dany as a different sort of ruler. Jon seeing Bran and immediately dismounting his horse and kissing his little brother on the forehead … it was beautiful, and we saw so much raw emotion and happiness from Jon. I didn’t love Bran’s response, though I do think it was fitting writing in-keeping with his robotic characterization since s7. Still, that characterization makes me sad. I wanted Jon to have a warm reception from his family, at the very least, and for there to be at least some catharsis in seeing Bran for the first time since 1.02.
This brings me to one of the things I most hated in the episode, the reception from Sansa. I was happy to see Sansa and Jon hugging, showing that things haven’t completely deteriorated between them despite the long absence and her disapproval of his choices re: Dany and bending the knee. But when Dany comes over to greet Sansa, and greets her with what I considered to be genuine kindness, I absolutely hated Sansa’s response. Jon and Dany are in love. That much is certain, and even from this early in the episode, both Jon and Dany have been happier than we’ve ever seen either of them in the whole long history of the series. I bring this up because I fully believe that Dany was eager to make a good impression on the sister of the man she loves. I don’t think her greeting to Sansa was an empty courtesy. And for Dany to attempt genuine kindness and be rewarded with Sansa’s prolonged up-and-down glare and reticent “Winterfell is yours, Your Grace,” is just unnecessarily cold.
I understand that Sansa cares deeply about Northern Independence. I also understand that she doesn’t know Dany or what she stands for, who she is as a person, or what she’s achieved. She doesn’t know how Dany saved her brother’s life, or how Dany will be invaluable in saving every life in the North and beyond. Regardless, Sansa is smart. She’s studied under political masterminds like Cersei and Littlefinger for the greater part of her adolescence and she’s learned hard lessons. I was surprised to see her display such obvious dislike to a visiting monarch right out of the gate. Additionally, I believe that Sansa does, to some extent, trust Jon’s judgment, so I expected her to use that trust to give Dany the benefit of the doubt. And as we can see from later moments in the episode, she doesn’t. This is what I was talking about when I mentioned above that I have problems with the writing. I don’t think this level of pettiness is actually in-character for Sansa.
Going further into the episode, I feel the same way about Sansa’s other scenes as well. The scene in the Great Hall exasperated me for multiple reasons but I’ll talk about the issue with Sansa first. Again, I want to emphasize that I believe Sansa to be intelligent and good with political maneuvering. She successfully covered up Lysa’s murder in the Vale. She successfully saw through Littlefinger’s treachery in s7. I would think this would lead her to approach her dislike for Dany with some delicacy and subtlety. Instead, the writing decides it would be more fun to have her unleash petty and biting remarks at Dany for fun. The bit about how she is going to feed the army was incredibly stupid writing for two reasons:
Dany is coming from the South, an area with more agriculture. She would have easily been able to collect and then transport food to feed her own armies. Additionally, she was able to feed her armies while on a literal rocky, mountainous island at Dragonstone. If she managed it then, she obviously would have planned for the North. For the writing to insinuate that Dany didn’t plan to feed her people is ridiculous since Dany has been a queen feeding the Unsullied and Dothraki who follow her throughout their travels since season 3. By failing to acknowledge or mention this the writers essentially guaranteed a conflict that makes no sense.
Similarly, Sansa has known that they would need Southern allies since 7.02. Her line about how she didn’t plan to feed Dany’s forces doesn’t line up with past events. She knew that more armies would eventually need to come North, AND she knew specifically that Dany and the Unsullied and Dothraki were coming North ever since Jon’s letter in s7. So it is similarly bad writing for Sansa, and also another example of unnecessary cattiness on her part. The delivery of those lines was clearly directed the way it was for a reason, and it makes Sansa come across as spiteful and not the professional noblewoman we saw in s7 lining breastplates and planning grain storage. And whether she planned for the Targaryen forces or not, she needs them. Treating them with scorn is stupid and helps no one. Additionally, I found it oddly telling that the sequence of dialogue goes something like this: Tyrion mentions the Lannister army is also coming North.This is when Sansa interjects. When she complains of feeding the greatest army ever, she complains of feeding the Unsullied and Dothraki only and doesn’t mention the Lannister army, even though the Lannister army is what Tyrion was talking about at that moment. Gotta love how it’s only a problem when it’s Dany’s forces and brown people. That’s the issue for her, not the Lannisters, the family who have been killing and oppressing the Starks for the better part of a decade. Where is the logic for this dialogue? I genuinely feel Sansa was written out of character in this sequence because I think of her as kinder and more tactful.
After this bit Lyanna Mormont steps up to berate and belittle Jon Snow, because why not? I found this scene to be ridiculous. These people in the North purport to want Jon as their king, and yet they treat him with no respect. I’m not saying that subjects shouldn’t be allowed to disagree with a ruler, or that there shouldn’t be open discussion in meetings like this one, but the way she talked down to him was just absurd. When have we ever seen any leader addressed this way? No monarch has ever been spoken to this way. Even at the Night’s Watch, Jon wouldn’t abide being spoken to this way. But because it’s Lyanna Mormont and it’s cute, it suddenly makes sense for her to stand up and shame Jon and say he is “nothing at all?”
And this is one of the things that makes me so angry: no one ever really listens to Jon. This particular point isn’t one I consider a fault of the writing because it isn’t anything new so I believe it’s consistent and is done on purpose, but I hate how selfish everyone around Jon is. Jon Snow has lived selflessly for the entirety of the show. He meekly accepted secondhand status in the Stark household as a boy, and quickly acclimated to the fact that he wasn’t special at the Wall, either. While at the Wall he protected Sam, something that he did for no reason other than his inherent goodness and concern for others. After learning about the Freefolk he treated them with respect and forced the Night’s Watch to do the same at great personal cost. After his death he agreed to take back Winterfell FOR his family. He had no desire to enter into the Battle of the Bastards. He wanted to head South, but he stayed and he fought for the Starks to retake their birthright, something he believed he would never really be part of. When he was named King in the North he didn’t want it but he accepted it and did his best to rule with honor and bravery. When Dany asked him to bend the knee, it would have been easier to immediately agree, but he was thinking of his family and his people first. He endured political tensions with a possible ally and spent a great deal of time in the South because he was trying to do what he thought was best FOR OTHERS. He only swore to Dany when he became certain that she would be a good queen to his people. Regardless of how the fandom wants to spin things against Jon, he’s always put other people first. And after everything Jon has done, and everything he’s sacrificed, he is still constantly being criticized and attacked by his people. Dany’s people, by comparison, trust her judgment for the most part. There have been exceptions, but her core group–the Unsullied, Dothraki, and her ruling council–see her actions and they follow her willingly out of admiration for her deeds and her ideals. Jon’s people see his actions and his kindness and take advantage of it, constantly questioning his judgment and speaking against him both behind his back and to his face. I literally don’t understand why these people are mad that he bent the knee when they so obviously do not have trust or faith in him as their ruler.
Anyway, I appreciate Jon doing a little to defend his choice in bending the knee to Dany, but I didn’t like the way that was handled either. Because what Jon said isn’t completely true. He didn’t bend the knee only to save the North. Dany agreed to save the North BEFORE he bent the knee, so he did it because he believes she would be a good ruler for the North. He did it because he admires her leadership and because–as he has now expressed at least five times–he doesn’t want to be king. That’s what I wanted to hear from him, not, “Oh, I had to do this to save the North.” He is saving the North. He is. But he wasn’t forced to bend the knee, and the Northerners need to know that. It would help ease them into trusting Dany.
I also would have liked to hear from Dany herself in these moments. I realize that she didn’t want to overstep or make things worse, but other people spoke for her all throughout the episode, and it irritated me because I believe Dany’s natural leadership and pragmatism could appeal to Northern sensibilities given the chance.
Additionally, I also think it was out-of-character for Dany to sit back and let Jon be harangued on her behalf this way. I have brought up this scene dozens of times now but it bears repeating here: in season 6 Dany granted independence to the Iron Islands and allowed Yara to be a sovereign monarch, a queen. She allowed this after knowing Yara for all of five minutes. And when Tyrion asked her, “Are we going to give everyone who demands it their independence?” Dany replied with something like, “She didn’t demand, she asked. Others are free to ask as well.” This, coupled with Dany’s last line of dialogue from s7, “I’m not going to conquer the North, I’m going to save the North,” led me to believe that Dany would, in fact, allow Jon to remain King in the North, or allow the North to remain an independent kingdom.
Let me be clear to all my fellow Dany stans reading this: I don’t think there is anything wrong with Dany wanting to be queen of all 7k. If she decided never to allow Northern Independence or even Independence of the Iron Islands, I would be fine with it. There was one, absolute ruler of all 7k for centuries. Dany deserves to want the same thing, and I know she would be a good queen. BUT Dany has consistently said she wants to make the world better than it was, to “break the wheel.” Those ideas, coupled with the dialogue mentioned above from s6 and s7, make me think it’s more consistent with her character at this stage for her to decide that it doesn’t matter if Jon is King or Warden of the North, so long as there is a good person leading the North. And let’s face it, Jon is a good person, Dany knows this, and she’s in love with him. Additionally, she has seen the Army of the Dead firsthand. She’s one of the only people who has. I think it would make far more sense if Dany, being the person she is, and having seen the Night King, would put the Northern bickering to rest by assuring them that she isn’t taking their sovereignty and that she will allow them to be an independent kingdom under Jon if they so choose after the war.
I realize that Jon doesn’t want to be king. But if he is so averse to it that he would say no to a crown even if Dany offered it to him, then he needs to say that. That needs to me made clear, so it doesn’t appear that Dany is taking away Jon’s and the North’s rights or independence against his will. By keeping her silent on these matters the writing left a lot unsaid that needed to be said. And when Dany did speak I didn’t always agree with what the writers chose for her, either. I’m talking specifically about her saying, “I’m her queen. If she can’t respect me …” about Sansa. Did they really need her to ominously trail off? I mean, really? Dany is not this scary, ominous person. She just isn’t.
Moving on, Jon’s reunion with Arya was absolutely beautiful and made my cry. The running hug, Jon’s face, all of it was what I wanted. I’m glad they got the moment alone they deserved. I also loved them comparing swords, and the dialogue about Jon not surviving the knife in the heart. When Jon asked her if she’d ever used Needle, Maisie’s acting was so perfect because it showed Arya’s reluctance to remember just what she’d used Needle for. The past hurts her just like it hurts Jon. They’ve both been through hell and grown and changed, but they still love one another deeply. Which brings me to my one issue with this scene. Why did Jon and Arya’s reunion have to turn into Jon insulting Sansa so that there is an opening to Arya defending her? Jon and Arya were always ride-or-die bffs, they were each other’s favorite. The way Arya said she and Sansa were defending their family as if Jon isn’t doing the same just rubbed me the wrong way and I don’t feel it was necessary to the scene, and neither was Jon’s negative comment about Sansa. I’ll be interested to see how Arya handles Dany’s presence moving forward, since Arya wasn’t around for the scenes addressing everyone’s explicit displeasure at Dany being in the North.
Arya’s reunion with the Hound wasn’t what I wanted, but it could’ve been worse. Being who he is, I do think Sandor calling her a bitch was something of a grudging compliment. He hides behind a mask of cold callousness himself so to recognize something similar in Arya was meant to be the closest thing to kindness he could manage, I guess. But I loved their dynamic in the past, and the moment when Arya was in the House of Black and White and Jaqen hit her for lying about wanting the Hound dead. I knew she didn’t want him dead, not really. I knew they cared for each other. I would have liked to see a little more of that. I’ve liked the little interludes of people who were mentor figures in Arya’s life, like how Lady Crane resembled Catelyn. I think Sandor was something of a weird father figure for Arya so I was expecting a bit more warmth in their reunion.
Her reunion with Gendry, though, was PERFECT. It was absolutely everything I wanted and more. Everything about it. I wouldn’t change a thing. It was shippy without being cheesy, cute and flirty while still completely in-character for both people. I was smiling so hard the whole time and I literally can’t want to see more Gendrya. 11/10 would watch again haha. Joe Dempsie is sexy and Arya is getting Gendry in his prime and I am 100% here for it. Arya flirting is something I never knew I needed in my life but I’m so glad it’s here haha.
Speaking of shippy things, I can’t believe I’m saying this as a rabid Jonerys stan and mainly Jonerys blog, but I didn’t love the dragon scene. It felt incredibly sudden to me, and wildly out of place in the episode. Everything about the dragons in the episode confused me. Earlier in the episode when Bran told Dany about Viserion, the moment was all but ignored. I feel like it was literally added in post. Like they forgot to include it in the original script and didn’t film a reaction, so they just had Isaac say it later and added it in lol. It was that weird to me. That should be a huge bombshell, to EVERYONE. Yes, Dany in particular, but everyone should be distraught that there is now a DRAGON on the enemy’s side. But only Dany reacts, and she barely reacts at all beyond a brief moment of concern.
She seems much more concerned when the Dothraki tell her the dragons aren’t eating much, which leads me to the dragon scene. The whole reason that Dany and Jon are approaching the dragons is apparently because they aren’t eating, but that subplot is completely dropped, she doesn’t address it beyond saying “they don’t like the North,” and then she mounts Drogon as if nothing is wrong. As a shipper, I loved the cute teasing that came next, and Dany trying to keep a dry sense of humor about it while messing with Jon as he considered riding Rhaegal. It was absolutely adorable and I can’t overstate how much I loved seeing them happy. I was basically yelling every time either of them smiled. But that doesn’t mean the scene made sense. I’m sorry, but it didn’t?
Jon and Tyrion are the only people in the show aside from Dany to ever even touch the full-grown dragons. Jon touching Drogon in s7 was a HUGE deal. Dany was amazed, Jon was literally crying with wonder, the music was serious and emotional. It was a beautiful and momentous scene and the directing made sure it felt that way. But when it comes to riding a dragon, everything is suddenly slapstick humor, and the scene has literally no setup at all?
I am NOT opposed to Jon riding a dragon. I’ve always wanted him to ever since I found out about R+L=J in like 2011 lol. But I wanted there to be a reason he attempts it. Dany is the only person in over 100 years to ride a dragon, and for no reason other than her teasing, Jon is suddenly going to attempt it? Ideally I would have liked it to be AFTER the Targ reveal, but I do understand why it was before. In “Inside the Episode,” Benioff comments that only Targaryens can ride dragons, and that Jon is “slow on the uptake.” So they did it beforehand to make it more believable for Jon when Sam tells him he is a Targaryen. That’s fine. But couldn’t they have at least contextualized why he attempts it beforehand? Couldn’t Dany have said, “Hey, we now know the Night King is riding Viserion into battle. The stakes are somehow even higher. We’re going to need all the air support we can get, and I trust you to try and ride Rhaegal. I need you to try it so we have a better chance in a fight.” That would have taken literally 30 seconds and it would have made a lot more sense. Instead, we are given, “Hm. My dragons aren’t eating and are unhappy. I’m going to ride one though. You should do it to. Learn by doing. XD”
And the scene itself felt so cheesy. Again, I’m not opposed to humor, but to have Jon dangling off and everyone in the Winterfell battlements gawking at him was just … silly? I wanted it to be a badass moment, I guess. A memorable and intense and iconic GoT moment. And I was let down. I do appreciate that they show dragon-riding as an acquired skill, and that Dany’s an expert. But I didn’t appreciate the silliness.
Anyway, when they landed at the waterfall I liked it better because it was the fluff I was waiting for. The dialogue was cute, and the makeout was super hot. I was grateful for that, even the goofy cutting to the dragons watching them. It was only the dragon riding that rubbed me the wrong way. But as a shipper I couldn’t be happier that they gave us fluffy, happy, totally in love, beaming-with-joy Jonerys. I’ve probably watched that bit 20 times already haha.
But of course, that joy just has to be short-lived. This leads me to my least favorite part of the episode: the Tarly drama. Randyll Tarly is a piece of literal garbage. He sent Sam to the Wall on threat of death. He used to chain Sam up in a dungeon. In the show, we’re shown that in addition to this, he is racist toward wildlings (despite living nowhere near the Wall???) and he calls Gilly a whore, as well as constantly fat-shaming and verbally abusing Sam. He also betrays the Tyrells and sacks Highgarden with little to no urging from the Lannisters. In the episode preceding his death, he encourages Bronn and Jaime to flog tired and wounded soldiers who can’t march fast enough. There is almost nothing else that could be done writing-wise to establish how badly Randyll Tarly sucks. And Dickon Tarly, for all his supposed innocence, bore witness to all of the above. He was complicit in everything that happened to Sam and fine with it because he would receive Sam’s inheritance. So after s7 finished up, John Bradley, who plays Sam, gave an interview wherein he said that Sam doesn’t even consider himself a Tarly anymore. He also said Sam would never get between Jon and Dany about his father and brother’s deaths because he wouldn’t be that upset. This was, of course, before Bradley was given an s8 script. But I think it’s worth noting that these were his thoughts before being given a script and forced to stand by the show’s writing. It makes no sense for Sam to be as upset as he was at receiving the news of Randyll’s and Dickon’s deaths. He can be sad about his brother, sure. I understand that. But it’s what he did next that drives me crazy.
Jon’s parentage is one of the biggest bombshells of information in the entire series, if not THE biggest. I’ve been waiting for eight years to see this scene. But Sam isn’t prompted to tell Jon out of the goodness of his heart or concern for his friend. He goes while emotionally compromised about his family’s deaths, and that motivates the conversation and taints his entire message. He doesn’t even tell Jon the circumstances of Randyll’s and Dickon’s death. Hell, the writing doesn’t even give Dany a chance to tell Sam the circumstances. Sam just tells Jon that Dany executed them, without giving a reason at all. It’s not because they refused to bend the knee. She doesn’t just burn people for refusing to kneel. They were TRAITORS!!! Why is that being ignored? In 7.01 Jon and Sansa argued over traitors and how seriously they must be punished. It was established that the penalty for treason is DEATH. Why is Dany being maligned for that? Why are people discussing the incident without using the word treason? WHAT IS THIS WRITING????
And since the writing doesn’t mention the important underlying circumstances of the Tarly deaths at all, Jon’s Targaryen heritage becomes more about opposing Dany than it is about Jon, his identity, or his feelings. Literally what prompts Sam to tell Jon, is that Jon says Dany is the queen, and Sam says she “shouldn’t be.” This is so beyond fucked. Sam is Jon’s best friend, and he isn’t selfish. Sam is one of my favorite characters. But it is so wildly out-of-character for him to use this moment for his own personal anger and bias against Dany. Yet he does, and when Jon finally believes it, when he tells Sam that he isn’t/doesn’t want to be king, Sam presses even further insisting that Jon is and must be king.
I know that in the past Sam showed faith in Jon’s leadership by nominating him as Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, but this is different. Jon has said so many times how he hates ruling. Even Robb didn’t want to sit on the Iron Throne. No one who knows Jon would think he would ever want it. No one who cares about Jon would push him toward it. So this ties back to a point I made earlier in this post about Jon being surrounded by selfish people. It seems everyone except for Dany and Arya and Davos want to use Jon for their own ends. Sansa and the North want him to maintain Northern autonomy and Sam wants him to usurp Dany’s claim because he’s mad about his family. Everyone is selfishly ignoring Jon’s own desires for how he wants to live his own life, and more importantly ignoring Jon’s strategy for literally saving the world and fighting the Army of the Dead. It’s getting very old.
What Bran said early in the episode should have been the title of the damned episode, because the episode skips so many important conversations and facts that I feel like the writers themselves were the ones who decided “we don’t have time for all of this!” Yet, at the same time, they’re wasting precious time with conflicts that shouldn’t even exist. I wanted to scream with relief when Davos finally suggested a marriage alliance with Jon and Dany. We all know that if the writing weren’t trying to milk every drop of drama out of Northern Independence and the parentage reveal that they possibly can (drama they’re milking at the expense of YEARS of characterization and development) that Jon and Dany would already be engaged. S6 ends with Dany breaking up with Daario to form a marriage alliance when she arrives in Westeros. She arrives in Westeros and falls in love with Jon Snow–a king, her equal, and an honorable man. Jon wants to help Daenerys and wants her help, and Jon falls in love with her, too. The only problem is her desire to be queen and its conflict with Northern Independence. If they married, all of this would instantly go away because they would both become royalty and the North would have its chosen representative literally ruling alongside the queen as a king himself. And again, I can’t repeat this enough, the fact that they’re literally in love should only make this solution even more obvious.
But until that solution is reached I fully expect the Northern plot to continue being out of character for literally everyone involved, and I fully expect to continue being upset about it lol. And where the hell is Ghost?!
Anyway, I don’t have as much to say about the incidents outside Winterfell. The Theon/Yara scenes were actually my favorites of the episode. Gemma and Alfie are honestly amazing and their expressions in every scene were perfect. I cried when they hugged on the deck and Yara told him their house words and added “but kill the bastards anyway.” THAT was good writing. Perfect. A+. It was everything I wanted and more and I’m excited that Yara is still going to be in the game somehow (which I assume since she mentioned aiding in Dany’s forces’ retreat from the North if needed) and that Theon is going to Winterfell.
The Cersei/Euron bits just made me sad and confused. I was sad for Cersei because she looked so miserable and reluctant to sleep with Euron. The idea of even more sexual coercion on this show is sickening to me. But then I was confused because afterward it felt almost like she was kind of into him? Until the end of the scene, anyway, when he mentioned wanting to get her pregnant. I do believe she is pregnant already, so I guess they’re setting up something where Euron might think her pregnancy by Jaime is his (assuming her pregnancy lasts)? I do think it’s funny how the elephant thing became such a meme. And I also expect her to send the Golden Company–elephants or no elephants–North immediately. When Qyburn mentioned other plans for Dany, I assumed Cersei was going to try to kidnap her when the Golden Company attacks the North. We have multiple stills from the next episode but none outside Winterfell. I’m thinking maybe they can’t show anything elsewhere because it might spoil the GC leaving to head North. But this is just a theory.
Speaking of Qyburn, the Bronn scene was trash and I can’t believe in s8 we’re still having to look at pointless prostitute sex scenes. But the bit about Cersei asking Bronn to kill Jaime or Tyrion was chilling and I guess I expect him to at least attempt it at some point. That’ll be interesting.
The scene at Last Hearth was another I actually really enjoyed. Edd’s line about Tormund’s blue eyes was hilarious and I love both characters so much. Most of all, the gruesome display of Ned Umber’s corpse and all the severed limbs was genuinely terrifying and I was so scared when he woke up and started screaming haha. It was great horror and a necessary reminder that the White Walkers are still around and are still a serious threat.
The ending with Jaime and Bran was a great sign-off to the premiere and provided excellent meme fodder all week. I have to say the one good thing to come from robo-Bran has been the memes. The Curb Your Enthusiasm one is my personal fave of the week.
Tldr, the good: Jonerys kisses and smiles, Jon and Arya reunion, Theon and Yara, Last Hearth creepiness. The bad: Everyone up North is OOC, with Sansa, Sam, and Dany standing out to me especially in this regard, pretending Viserion didn’t get turned into a wight basically, weird jarring tonal shifts throughout
Overall I obviously didn’t like the episode but I don’t want to dwell on that. I’m looking forward to more and hoping they will be better. I hate to be this negative about it because I love Game of Thrones. It’s my favorite show of all time and writing and talking about it is pretty much my favorite hobby these days. I went into the season expecting to love it, and I still do, but even after sitting on 8.01 for days, I still feel let down by it and I want to be honest about that. That being said, I don’t want to simmer in negativity so this is hopefully the last I’ll be complaining about it. I don’t want to answer a lot of negative asks on it (sorry for being so behind on asks, by the way :( I’m trying to balance making content and working and it isn’t going well haha). Here’s hoping Sunday’s episode is better.
If anyone actually read this far, thanks and I hope you enjoyed the episode more than I did do disagree with me, that’s ok, too! These are just my opinions, and they took hours to write. So please be civil haha.
#game of thrones#got#8.01#episode review#got negativity#got critical#answered#if brevity is the soul of wit#then i'm an idiot lol
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PROCESS HACK: Seven Tips for Starting Your Own Game
So, I have a lot of asks sitting in my inbox about how to start / run / write a LARP game. I’m going to give it my best shot, but I’m equally aware that there are many wiser than me out there who likely have their own opinions, and I look forward to learning and reblogging from people who want to add to or disagree with anything I’ve said here. The post is a bit of a monster, so buckle in!
1. DECLARE YOUR INTENT
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Your policies on diversity & inclusion / equality and accessibility should be the first thing you think about and the first thing you publish when you start making material public, not an afterthought.
Photo from the first event of Pioneers, by @tomgarnett
Now Read On....
It isn’t good enough to write some airy-fairy “~~everyone is welcome at our LARP~~ ^_^” rubbish either. You’ve got to get real with this stuff. This is a statement of principles that your entire game needs to live up to. You have to start considering now:
What the practical limitations facing you are, and
What sort of game you want to run vs. what sort of game you can run.
Is your intent to run a game where everyone has equal access to all IC spaces? Then you can’t put any of those IC spaces in areas only accessible by stairs. Is your intent to run a game where people of all genders feel welcome and included? Then you’d better be prepared to back it up in your setting material by including specific representation of multiple genders in different roles, otherwise your intention means squat. Is your intent to run a game where everyone can participate in combat? Then you need to have a serious chat with yourself about hard vs soft skills.
The statement of principles that you start with will influence every aspect of your game, from setting, to system, to what sites you can and can’t use. It isn’t set in stone - there’s nothing wrong with coming back and revising it later, adding elements you’ve forgotten or clarifying how it relates to your game; indeed I heartily encourage it! But you need to understand now what sort of game you intend to run, and for what sort of people.
Unpopular opinion time: It is not inherently evil to run a game which is not equally accessible to all possible players. LARP is a physical hobby, some variants more than others - it is not wrong to run a game where it’s easier to play a fighter if you have 20/20 vision and the use of both legs; it is not wrong to run a game where it’s easier to play a mage if you are highly numerate and can speak fluently in public. It’s not even wrong to run a game at a site that’s impossible to access by wheelchair, especially if that’s the only site available to you.
What is wrong is not clearly signposting those restrictions up front in your publicly accessible game material, and making whatever reasonable adjustments you can to compensate. It is worse to be welcoming and “talk the talk” in your advertising material, then fail to follow through on the field, than to state simply and clearly what access restrictions your game comes with - your players need as much information as possible to decide for themselves whether the game is right for them.
If you want some examples of what an “OC policies” or E&D / accessibility statement might look like, try these:
Death unto Darkness OOC policies
Profound Decisions Accessibility Policy
Profound Decisions Equality & Diversity Policy
Tales out of Anchor Event Rules
Photo from the first event of Falling Down, by @tomgarnett
2. WRITE FOR THE SITE
Now that you understand what inclusion and accessibility requirements you need to meet, you can pick a site!
If you’re a university or small-town LARP, this decision may be from a very small pool indeed; you may even find after looking at your options that you need to go back to your accessibility statement and revise it or manage expectations. That’s fine - you can only work with the resources you have; just make sure that you’re doing site recce & viewings with accessibility in mind.
If you are mobility impaired or have a friend who is, they may be willing to help you out by conducting an accessibility survey of your potential site. Don’t assume they’re obligated to help you, but there’s nothing wrong with asking politely.
It is important that you match the game to the site, not the other way around. My LARP career is littered with examples of start-up games which had a fantastic concept of the world they wanted to run in, and which implemented shockingly badly in play because the site they eventually found didn’t match up with their requirements.
What do you have? A lot of single-use mixed-terrain woodland? Then small-party linear adventures can be an excellent feature of your game! A big open empty field with nothing in it? Have some linefights, or a big friendly diplomacy-heavy IC camp! An abandoned glue factory but no outdoor terrain? Claustrophobic space-prison survival horror it is!
At all costs, avoid marrying yourself to any particular gameplay style or type before you know what site you’re working with.
Photo from the first event of Regenesis, by @tomgarnett
3. GAMEPLAY BEFORE NUMBERS
Start thinking about designing the mechanics and working parts of your game the same way the military plans operations: Begin with the effect you want to achieve on the players and then think about the tools you can use to get there, not the other way around. A lot of people who write and run LARP games are mathematically clever and get excited about creating intricate, clever systems like D&D; that’s fine, if that’s the sort of game you want to run, but you need to be focused on what the players get out of it and how it works in play as the first priority, not as an interesting side effect.
Your “system” - the crunchy numbers bit, the magic, the calls, the death counts, the bean bags, the Nerf guns, whatever it is - is a mechanism to create the kind of gameplay you want, not an end in itself.
Once more: System is a mechanism to create the kind of gameplay you want, not an end in itself.
Photo from the first event of Slayers LRP, by @tomgarnett
4. PLAYTEST THOROUGHLY
Take every possible opportunity to playtest. Give your mechanics, your setting, your character creation and your fight system to fellow LARPers. Give them to LARPers whose opinions you disagree with, who like a different type of game to you, who you argue with on the internet. Give them to friends and family. Give them to total newbies and ask them how accessible they are. Ask them to murder your darlings. Swallow your pride and take all feedback with equanimity - use it to hone and refine your game. Don’t feel the need to change everything someone objects to, but understand where the objection comes from and how you would meet it from a paying customer.
Don’t try to please everyone “just enough” (unless you are trying to run a national, professional-level game you intend to make a lot of money from, or a local system in a town that has no other LARPs and which you want to have a wide appeal to local nerds); please your target audience as much as you can, and make it very clear who that audience is and what sort of game you are running. Hard work during the playtest will help you articulate these things, and clearly signpost who this game is designed for - and who it’s not designed for.
One useful project management system that my friends Crazy Donkey LARP use when receiving feedback about games is the Stop, Start, Continue heuristic. They ask their audience segment to tell them about things they didn’t enjoy (that they should Stop doing in their games), things they felt were lacking that they should Start doing, and things which worked well which they should Continue doing.
Photo from the first event of Split Worlds, by @tomgarnett
5. THINK ABOUT THE BUY-IN
What is the minimum amount someone needs to know to functionally play this game, and how long will it take them to absorb that information?
If you really care about your game setting, you’ll be overflowing with cool tidbits of history and costume advice and setting material. That is great - and all to the good for stoking the fires of keen from already keen players! But a huge volume of game material (such as, much as I love it, the Empire wiki) can be really offputting for a new player. It’s in your interests to boil down “the basics” as far as possible, and present them in a clear, obvious one-pager which allows a new player to quickly and easily absorb them. This also helps accessibility for people who have issues reading, or absorbing, a large volume of text at once.
The “At-a-Glance” pages for the six Cultures of Odyssey LARP (now, tragically, ended) are a really good example of how the game writers used a single format to boil down a high volume of culture-specific setting material into a series of representative fragments that gave a new player all the information they need to quickly play a character from that IC culture. Here and here are examples.
In system terms, this is a pretty successful attempt to collate several pages of Odyssey rules into as-basic-as-possible summaries for the reader in a hurry.
The Empire Game Overview is another good page, and the Combat Rules page for Empire is an example of the “Bullet Point / Expand” format that can make it easier for some people to absorb complex rules and system information.
Photo from the first event of Tales Out Of Anchor, by @tomgarnett
6. KIT & COSTUMING
When contemplating what costume looks like for your setting, you should be thinking on two levels: Firstly, what makes the characters look cool and iconic (and, assuming your setting has different classes, nations, professions or cultures which are distinguished by kit, what is obviously different about each one); but secondly and more importantly, what do your players have access to?
Once again here, understanding your target audience is key. For a small, local weekly game that runs for a few hours on a Saturday and targets university students, your costume briefs need to be realistically achievable by people with a low budget and time constraints. For a £250 three-dayer in a castle, you can probably assume your target audience has a bit more spare cash to splash out on frock coats or chainmail or EL wire. If your target audience already has a certain type of kit in abundance - Medieval armour, or Roller Derby kneepads, or leather jackets - build that into your briefs.
Do your best to provide photographic examples of costumes in advance so that players can see what sort of “look” they strive for. When writing costume briefs, pick one or two clear, simple, iconic and easy elements for each brief - like “wide sash around the waist” or “brightly coloured headgear” - and try not to crowd the brief with too many elaborate suggestions for the perfect look. Your players will pleasantly surprise you.
Be aware of body shape and size accessibility when writing your costume briefs. “Empire line” or “broad shoulders” or “ethereal, floaty, elfin clothing” may all sound iconic and straightforward to you, but they are all examples of clothing which disproportionately favours particular body shapes; steer away.
Think about where your monster/crew kit comes from; do you expect crew to self-costume or will you be buying kit for them? What does a properly stocked crew kit room look like? How does that affect your budget?
Photo from Hades, by Oliver Facey
7. SEPARATION OF POWERS
When you’re putting your game team together, clearly define what each role means - who’s responsible for what - and write down those responsibilities somewhere everyone on the team can see them. An amorphous blob of “the refs” which slowly evolves into proper working practices is unlikely to be as efficient as starting out with a head of site & logistics, a head of setting coherency, etc.
You can always change and modify these terms of reference as you go on, but setting them out clearly at the start will cut out an awful lot of drama later down the line.
Try to avoid having any individual make big important setting, system or plot decisions on their own; everyone, no matter how authoritative, should have their work checked by at least one other person who has the power to veto or bring their material to discussion.
If you can, appoint a “conscience” early in the game design process. That person’s job is to stand behind you every time you’re about to make an important decision or rules call, or finalise a plot, or do something you think is really cool, and ask “What about player agency?” and “But how do the players interact with this?” and “What effect does this have on the players?”
Photo from Gruntz, by Oliver Facey
8. CREW
Where is your crew from? How do you keep crew coming back for more? How many crew do you need to run a successful game?
If you’re starting up a local small linear style system, inculcating an early culture of “crew one / play one” is a good way to keep a regular stream of crew available for more. For medium systems, you might implement a “crew lottery” where people who crewed the last game get favourable placement for tickets for the next event, or discounts on future tickets. You should also do your best to include crew incentives - you’d be surprised how little “bennies” like hats or t-shirts help cement a sense of group identity and belonging among your crew cohort.
Out of the number of crew you need to run your ideal event, 2/3rds will book, and half of that number will actually show up. Be prepared and write your encounter based on low crew numbers as a contingency.
All photos from this set are from the first games of new systems, or one-off games.
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