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wntrs0ldier · 11 months

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An Offer II: Safe Haven · 01

pairing: mob!bucky x reader words: 5,3k warnings: typical mafia (dark themes, language, violence, etc.), a/n: if you see any mistake, please, close your eyes,,

series masterlist

series summary: The ride was bumpy, but in the end, you got your husband. Your marriage gave you protection, and your new husband shared with you his life, his Family, his wealth. His demons and his enemies. Only time can show whether it was worth it.

Although his scent had managed to wash off, you loved walking around in that soft, far too large robe of his. Leaving the bedroom – where you hadn't even slept an hour together, let alone the whole night – you put one over your shoulders and tied the belt. And, as you do every morning, you went to the kitchen, which, in practice, was your shared kitchen; except that not at the same time. You prepared the coffee, and with a mug in your hand headed to the living room; you leaned against the entrance frame and fixed your gaze on the couch, or rather on the person occupying it – Jerry. This time you remembered the name. You lifted the mug to your mouth, but your lips did not come into contact with the bitter, hot surface of the drink.

Was there any limit to the amount of time you could miss someone who, given the short period of knowing them, shouldn't mean that much? And what could you be capable of to drown that feeling of abandonment?

A little more than a week was still missing and you could safely cross out the third month of Bucky's absence. This was not how you imagined the beginnings of your marriage, but you consoled yourself with the knowledge that it could have been much worse. On the other hand, it could also have been much better. To some extent, your life resembled the one you had led before your marriage and even before your father's death – you didn't have to worry about business; it was secure and had regained its former fluidity. Enough to calm Tony Stark down. You were able to concentrate mainly on your gallery, spend weekends with your friends or with Suzie. Everything went on with the old rhythm, with a few exceptions. You didn't date anymore, and turning down potential lovers came more easily to you. And you devoted Sunday afternoons and evenings to your new family – Winnifred would invite you to tea or dinner, and these activities became your marital duties. But you really felt more like a new purchase of the Barnes Family than a wife to Bucky – after all, you spent more time with them than with your husband.

But he still tried.

He called at least once every two, sometimes three days. You would have loved to call him every day, but you never did – you didn't want to disturb him, because you knew he was working hard. You heard how tired he was, so each time you asked him to get some sleep; you kept telling him that your day wasn't that interesting. But Bucky never relented – he claimed he liked listening to your voice.

Jerry twitched, opening his eyes, which automatically fell on you. For a split second, he seemed deathly terrified; you guessed that his mind sensed your gaze, and raised the alarm as a result. But Jerry was safe. At least for now.

“Did you sleep well?” You smiled slightly, perhaps a little meanly, then took a sip of coffee without dropping your gaze.

The young man immediately sat up and rubbed his face. “Oh God…” he gasped. “Don't tell Bucky. He’ll fucking murder me.”

“Don't worry. It can happen to anyone.”

“Has it happened to someone before me..?” he asked with hope.

You wrinkled your nose and shook your head, which made Jerry groan with dissatisfaction.

“Would you like some breakfast?” You raised your eyebrows.

“After something like that? No way, I'm out of here.”

You walked Jerry to the door.

“Please. I'm begging,” he said, almost hanging on the doorknob. “Don't tell Bucky. Don't tell anyone, because it will definitely get to him.”

You sighed heavily, holding back from rolling your eyes. It seemed to you that Jerry was exaggerating, but on the other hand he was white as a sheet, so you didn’t want to scare him more. “I won't tell anyone. I promise.”

“What..?” Connie stared at you with curiosity, and the fork on which she had scrupulously scooped one of each ingredient of her salad hung not far from her mouth.

As befits a wealthy wife abandoned by a husband absorbed in work, you had a lunch date with Connie and your two other friends, Victoria and Holly, who were close enough to you to know some of your secrets. As in the case of Connie, you didn't share with them all the details of your life, you didn't get them into the business you did, but they knew who you were. They also knew the character of your marriage; it was impossible to keep it a mystery when matters of the heart were an integral part of your conversations. And even if you could pretend that you and Bucky had something more in common – something by which people usually decided to take such a binding step as marriage – your girlfriends would have figured you out right away.

“Who’s Jerry?” Holly furrowed.

You couldn't remember if she was there when you mentioned him for the first time. However, you didn't have a chance to dig up this information in your head – Victoria rushed to explain: “He's some sort of bodyguard. Is that right?” She glanced at you, and you nodded.

Some sort of bodyguard was a surprisingly accurate term for Jerry and the rest of the boys. Since Bucky was away from home and unable to look after your safety himself, he ordered his men to do so. With that, you got to know a handful of Bucky's most trusted soldiers, and every evening one of them sat in a car parked outside your apartment, watching the building and its surroundings. Every morning one of them drove you to work, in the afternoons they escorted you home or wherever you pleased. You were never alone. Even now, sipping wine in a fancy pub, you were under the watchful eye of one of them; he was sitting a few tables away and going over the menu for the fifth time, glancing in your direction from time to time. He took a seat at the other end of the room to avoid being noticeable, but your friends were fully aware of his presence. Besides, they weren't the only ones; he was quite a flashy item in a restaurant filled mostly with women dressed in pastels and beiges.

“Are you still okay with that? All that following?” Holly continued.

“They don’t follow me.” You rolled your eyes, smiling lightly. It's not that you had been brainwashed into accepting the possessiveness or the desire to control your every move; you just understood what rules applied to your and Bucky's world. You also understood that your friends were not as aware, so your husband's security measures may have been deceptively similar to red flags. “Following someone tends to be done in secret from the person who is being followed, you know?”

“What's up with Jerry?” Connie interrupted. “Did you sleep with him or not?”

“No, of course not,” you calmly denied. But instead of continuing to speak, you paused for a moment – a memory popped into your head; a memory of Bucky's prettily pink, parted lips as he savored your wet warmth. You swallowed hard, sinking your teeth into your lower lip. “He slept. On the couch. Alone.”

“A bodyguard should sleep on the job..?” Holly asked doubtfully.

“In theory, no. But whenever I was able to forget Jerry's presence somewhere around, I heard sneezing or sniffling.” You raised your eyebrows. “I was afraid that if I left him in the car overnight, he would faint from a fever or something. I invited him inside, or rather convinced him to come in, and he fell asleep on the couch. That's it.” You shrugged.

“You shouldn't have done that,” Victoria said, her forehead creased in worry. “You shouldn't invite strangers into your apartment. What if he would hurt you?”

“Uh, that's not exactly what bodyguards do.”

The rest of your lunch followed the pattern repeated at every meeting you've had for almost the last three months. Your girlfriends expressed their concern toward your relationship, and then smoothly moved on to other topics. This time a party you had little idea about. Not because they didn't include you; you just didn't hear a word. Absorbed in your own thoughts, you completely disconnected yourself from the place and the company. You reflected on the fact that you spent far more time with them, and even with the previously mentioned bodyguards, than with Bucky. It shouldn't have affected you on the scale it actually did – you were purely business partners who happened to have sex a few times. But all those things you promised each other before he left...

On the one hand, they were somehow groundbreaking. On the other, they became blurred in this long separation. Besides…

Your eyes involuntarily rested on your hand. Despite being married, you still didn't have rings. You wore at least an engagement ring – an apparent sign of being taken, but Bucky? You couldn't be sure – away from home, away from New York, away from you – he wasn't taking advantage of the lack of a wedding band. Maybe he only called you in the evenings, drained, because his other life was consuming all his time and energy? You knew he couldn't be so vile to you, but maybe he was trying to protect you? Had he found someone in Italy and didn't want to break your heart? Maybe the bodyguards were not there to protect you, but to keep you from any potential surprise visit?

A sudden flash of sanity made you realize that you were becoming paranoid. You didn't have Bucky around; you couldn't look at him or talk to him freely, so you kept thinking about him. This, in turn, led you to newer and newer conclusions that you wouldn't normally even consider. Timothy got his way – he effectively punished you, because you were going through a living hell.

“Y/N? What’s wrong?”

You were so deep in your own thoughts that you didn't even know who had spoken to you. All three – Connie, Victoria and Holly – were looking at you.

“Hmm?” you muttered, raising your eyebrows questioningly, although you could hear perfectly well what they wanted to know. “Oh, it’s… It’s nothing.” You shook your head with the abashed smile of someone caught in the act. “It's just... I miss him. Very much,” you said in order to justify your drifting away. You just didn't tell the whole truth; you didn't intend to torment your friends with your fears, because these were taken from panic, not a rational perception of things.

“Do you like him in that way?” Holly smiled provocatively.

Before you could explain that you would probably miss each of them just as much during such a long separation, Victoria cut you off again: “This is so sweet…” She almost melted. “Maybe you're not telling us something? Maybe you are at the boyfriend-girlfriend phase? Things like this can happen when two people are close. Even in a not-for-real-marriage, right?” She looked around at your faces for some confirmation of her words.

“I would know if we were at that phase,” you said immediately.

“Not necessarily. This phase is not always clear. Not all people ask directly about dating, like, you know, as a couple. Sometimes you just fall into it. Unconsciously and naturally.” Vicky shrugged.

A short silence settled over the table. You reached for your glass of wine, and, staring unseeingly at some random point, emptied the rest of the drink in slow sips.

“I'll see you this weekend?” you finally spoke.

“As always. But maybe you should invite Jerry this time?” Connie grinned with amusement, and you gently kicked her under the table.

“Are you okay?” Steve's voice filled the inside of the car.

“I won't throw up here, if that's what you're asking,” you answered, taking your eyes off the side window to look at him. Steve’s mouth curved into a slight smile.

You doubted that picking you up from a nightclub was his ideal scenario for a Saturday night, but at least he didn't waste the whole evening babysitting you. Admittedly, he was up for it, but you managed to convince him to give you some freedom. You still didn't mind round-the-clock security, but you got the impression that your friends were starting to feel a little uncomfortable. You couldn't accept that they weren't able to relax and enjoy your girls’ night out, and if you had any power to do so, you decided to use it. In return, you promised Steve that – after the party – you would wait for him like a good girl you were, and let him drive you home without saying a word.

Your head was still buzzing from the pounding music and people shouting to each other, and you felt this unpleasant dry stickiness in your mouth. It wasn't the worst state you could get yourself into, because although you hoped to get rid of the annoying, uncomfortable thoughts, you didn't want to completely knock yourself out of consciousness.

You were haunted by the same problems; fueled by longing and the absence of Bucky, who could ease your doubts. Besides, for the past few days you couldn't push away what Victoria said – leaving aside your marriage, could you and Bucky have been more than that? Before he left, he behaved as if you were, but did he allow the possibility or did he do all this because he felt an obligation to act as a husband should? Moreover, you didn't even know why you felt the need to find out all this; after all, you weren't hoping for anything. Other than an inherent affection, a weakness, an incomprehensible attachment and a natural human desire, you had no deeper feelings for Bucky. So what was your problem?

Mindlessly, your eyes wandered to Steve again. Sometimes you would return in memories to Bucky's words; to the moment when he joked that he could recommend you to Steve – you wondered how your life would have turned out then. You would certainly have experienced a completely different dynamic, because while Bucky was patient with you, Steve exceeded all expectations. But unlike Bucky, he behaved a little too formally, politely in your company; as if he didn't allow himself to show any flaws. This, in turn, partly let you guess what Bucky meant when he said: ‘I'm not a guy you marry. Steve is.’ With the warmth, caring and calmness radiating from him, Steve was something of a last step – he just reassured you that he was the right, safe choice; that he would create a stable environment not only for his potential wife, but also for his children.

Bucky, on the other hand, oozed the aura of a charming, slightly unpredictable boyfriend; he made everything still exciting and fresh; he allowed the belief that you both still had enough room for mistakes.

You closed your eyes and let out a heavy breath. Steve glanced at you, raising his eyebrow questioningly. “Still not throwing up,” you stated. For a brief moment, you had an urge to bombard Steve with questions; you wanted to know if Bucky had ever been in a serious relationship; if he thought Bucky would last in one. But that would only deepen your paranoia; besides, you weren't convinced about the idea of getting to know Bucky through the eyes of others.

When the car stopped in front of the apartment building, you got out, grabbing your purse and the high heels you had taken off earlier. You intended to make your way to the apartment barefoot, because you couldn't even imagine putting on those uncomfortable shoes again.

“Oh, sorry. I left some glitter in your car,” you said, noticing shimmering specks from your dress on the seat. To be fair, you also had glitter in your hair and on your skin, so you thought you were equally victimized. “Well, a lot of glitter actually…”

“Don’t worry about it.” Turning off the engine, Steve gave you a smile.

“You don’t have to walk me to the door,” you asserted right away, seeing him getting ready to leave the vehicle.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. A security guard is sitting inside, there are also some cameras…” You shrugged. “I’ll be fine.”

Steve didn't insist – he kept providing you with this illusory sense of freedom. So you said goodbye and headed to the entrance, having previously promised to text him as soon as you crossed the apartment threshold. Steve's car disappeared only when you got inside the building. On your way to the apartment, you were thinking mainly about the contents of the fridge; for the last few hours your stomach had been getting only alcohol and salty snacks in really small portions – so now you were craving something decent.

As you slid the key into the lock, it refused to turn – the door was open. A wave of uneasy heat immediately swept over you, your stomach dropped. For a second you wanted to go back downstairs; perhaps Steve wasn't so far away yet, you could call him and wait with the security guard. Or outside. Anywhere, but not there. At the same time, you tried to keep a cool head and think rationally – what if you simply forgot to lock the door? After all, such things could happen. But there was no room in your life for such incidents. Bucky had you watched for a reason.

In the end, you decided to take possibly the stupidest, yet least dramatic step – you cautiously went inside. There was pitch darkness everywhere, which normally didn't scare you, but now you had no idea what was hiding in it. Too paralyzed by fear, you didn't even think to locate the light switch. You moved ahead – telling yourself repeatedly that it was probably just your paranoia, that you had actually forgotten to lock the door. If not, you had an open escape route – all you had to do was run down the corridor and get out of the apartment, then take the stairs, not the elevator.

Noticing a small red light smoldering in the darkness somewhere from the living room, you froze in stillness. Your body went numb, so unable to make any further movements, you stared at the spot. A recognizable rustling sound reached your ears, and immediately afterwards the vivid light of a lamp burst in the room, shining down on the silhouette sitting beneath it. Your tired, frightened, alcohol-soaked mind refused to believe that it was Bucky in the chair. Not only because, given the length of his absence, you hadn't considered his return in the nearest days – he also looked a little different than you remembered. The first thing that caught your eye was his thick beard; technically, it covered half of his face. Still, you could easily see his mouth stretched in a lazy, amused smile. His hair also got a little longer, and he looked even bigger, even more beefy, but these changes were not so drastic – you picked them up because you knew Bucky's body very well.

He let out a puff of smoke from between his lips, then put out his cigarette in the crystal ashtray placed on the armrest. “Hi,” Bucky spoke, his voice a bit muffled by the smoke coming out of his nostrils.

All negative feelings and real concerns were gone, but your heart was still racing like crazy. However, you weren't sure if it was due to the fear slowly leaving your body or at the sight of Bucky. You wanted to feel happy; you wanted to be able to get excited about the much anticipated return; you wanted to throw your arms around his neck, but in reality you felt really weak – on the verge of passing out. You dropped your shoes and purse on the floor, and rested your trembling hand on the doorframe.

“I scared you, huh?” He slightly tilted his head to the side.

“Yes,” you replied quietly; your voice still didn't feel steady enough, and your throat remained painfully tight.

“Good. You'll remember to take someone with you next time.” Bucky sounded strict and lecturing; as if he was about to bend you over his knee.

You watched each other – you looked at him a little warily, not sure where you were really at, what you should say or do, and Bucky was sizing you up in no rush; he studied closely your skimpy, not very covering dress with a deep neckline.

“Where were you?” There was no hint of possessiveness, jealousy or anger in his voice; only pure curiosity. Just as during your phone conversations over the past months, he wanted to know about your day; he wanted to know everything. He could have asked his people, but he trusted you to tell him the whole truth.

“At the club. With my girls.”

“Were there any guys..?”

You nodded, not taking your eyes off him. “As it is in clubs.” You shrugged. “Full of guys.”

“Poor fellas. Wish I could have seen their faces when they realized all they could do was look at the prettiest girl in all of New York.” Some boyish delight surfaced in his smile, and a pleasant warmth spread over your body. Why would he say all these things if there was any chasm between you? There was no chasm.

He didn't seem impatient, but watched you with gentle anticipation, and soon patted his thigh in an inviting manner. Without a second thought, you moved from your spot and finally straddled him. In all this longing, you forgot how good it felt to be surrounded by the warmth of his body, his scent; how much your body fitted into his, as his thighs felt like the most comfortable place in the world.

“I was kind of hoping you would be happy to see me.” Bucky winced barely noticeably. “Is this about me scaring you? I'm sorry,” he said with remorse, although just a moment earlier he was eager to teach you a lesson. He placed a tender kiss on your cleavage, and your skin burned in that spot.

“I am happy,” you replied, smiling softly. You couldn't let him think otherwise. “I just-”

You wanted to confess all your fears to him, because you knew he would either confirm or get rid of them. But when Bucky lifted one of his hands to your face for a purpose you had no chance to know, your eyes caught the movement and registered something else. You quickly grabbed his wrist and pulled his hand closer to get a good look at it. Bucky was wearing a wedding ring. And it appeared that he didn't put it on on the plane or right after he arrived; he must have already worn it in Italy, because when the ring slid a little higher, you noticed a pale, untouched by the sun mark that stood out on his tanned hand.

“Got one for you, too.” Bucky smiled with satisfaction, but that gesture was sprinkled with a bit of caution. “And a few other things. But first, I'd rather hear what’s bothering you.”

You knew you should tell him; after all, a couple months earlier you yourself had made it clear to him that you needed to speak your minds more. But you didn't want to ruin the peaceful atmosphere. You were both too tired for this conversation. Besides, with or without explanations, you were no longer worried about your relationship – Bucky was here. Right by your side. And there was no sign that he was about to break your heart; unless he was about to crush it with affection.

“Nothing is bothering me,” you claimed with another tender smile, hoping that was enough to distract him from further attempts to get the truth out of you. “You surprised me. I thought I would be able to get ready for you coming, but instead, I'm a mess. A little bit drunk, sticky mess,” you said, which came easily, because you weren't actually lying; you imagined the conditions under which you would celebrate Bucky's return a little differently. Even with all your worries. “I thought it would be more, I don't know,” you shrugged, “perfect maybe..?”

Bucky seemed to accept this version. Perhaps because – considering his exhaustion – you produced far too many words for him to process. “The next time will be more perfect.” The smile lingering on his lips took on a lazy expression.

You shook your head at his words. “There will be no next time, not in the near future,” you said with conviction, as if his unconventional schedule depended on you. “You're not going anywhere, because I'm not letting you.”

He let out a quiet laugh. “In that case, I can go out and come in again.”

“Alright, but you'll have to wait until I hang the banner and inflate balloons.” You raised your eyebrows. The lightness and playfulness surrounding you made you forget the past months. Your concerns and insecurities blurred in the way Bucky looked at you. “Now, show me what you brought me,” you added with theatrical excitement.

“You little materialist…” Shaking his head with just as exaggerated disapproval, Bucky reached outside the chair and grabbed a paper bag. He placed it between your bodies, but you had no pressing need to look inside it. Instead, you watched Bucky almost with fascination; his movements as he slid his hand into the bag. When he pulled it out, his fingers were embracing a small, velour box. Having taken the object carefully, you opened it; the ring Bucky mentioned was waiting inside – a little narrower than the one he wore, but otherwise looked basically identical. “May I?” His gentle tone immediately caught your attention. Without thinking, you turned the box toward him; he pulled out the ring, grabbed your wrist gently to stabilize your hand, and slid the ring onto your finger.

You stared at it, and when you lifted your gaze back to Bucky's face, you caught his eyes stuck on you. “Thank you,” you whispered.

“It's just a little something I should have taken care of much sooner, huh?” he said, and the bag rustled again. Your lips parted in surprise and amazement when this time he took out a scented candle. He laughed softly as you grasped it right away, almost snatching it out of his hands; you guessed from its size and neat, minimalist label that it was one of the more expensive ones.

“You remembered…” Still stunned that he had bought something with you in mind; something almost personalized, you glanced at him, but quickly returned your eyes to the tag. "Tuscan Dream of the Sun..." you read out loud, raising an eyebrow. You opened the lid and brought the candle to your nose.

“Is this how you imagined a Tuscan dream of the sun?” Bucky furrowed his forehead. In response, you moved the candle closer to his face. “I smelled it earlier,” he protested, nevertheless, he inhaled the scent instinctively. “I'm not sure what dreams of the sun smell like, but this smells like oranges. And vanilla.”

“Ohh, right,” you replied, enlightened by the answer you were looking for. “You're right…” You pulled the bag in your direction to put the candle back in it. In the process, you spotted another velour box. “Did you buy another ring? For your mistress?” you asked provocatively, but not angrily.

“Mhm.” Bucky nodded with a sly, lazy smile resting on his lips. “You can take a peek. Tell if she will like it.”

So you reached for the box – a little bigger, flatter than the previous one – and opened it. To your eyes appeared a necklace – a thin, delicate chain with a gemstone in a light, icy shade of blue.

“And?” Bucky asked softly. “Does she like it?”

Without taking your gaze off the necklace, you nodded. “It's really pretty,” you answered in a hushed voice and looked at Bucky. “What's the occasion?”

“No occasion. It's just a gift. So I can keep an eye on you.” He shrugged gently, lifting the corner of his mouth in a not particularly enthusiastic expression. Only then did you realize what the color of the stone reminded you of – Bucky's irises.

For a brief moment he said nothing more, watching you put on the necklace; how you fastened it in front of your face and then turned the lock back, making the pendant rest on your neckline.

“I'm sorry,” he spoke in a more serious tone. His hand slid over your bare calf, and combined with the contrite, even pained expression on his face, the gesture seemed extremely tender to you. “For not being here. You agreed to marry me, and then I left you alone. For so fucking long-”

“Hey.” You put your hands on his cheeks, casting a determined look on his helpless eyes. “You had no choice. Okay?” In response, Bucky nodded barely noticeably. “It was hard for me, that's true. But the fault doesn't lie with you. It never even crossed my mind,” you stated firmly. You chose to ignore the fact that a bunch of other, more or less disturbing things popped into your head while he was gone. “And I'm not saying this because I'm your wife, and it's my job to support your every decision. I'm saying this because you didn't do anything wrong. I'm saying it because I understand.”

He turned his gaze away and chewed on his bottom lip nervously. There was still a look of worry on his face telling you that Bucky didn't quite believe your words. He was completely different when you found him in the apartment, and you didn't know what had happened during those several minutes. Maybe he remembered all the responsibility and effort that comes with being a husband? Whatever it was, it spread in his mind like a poison you didn't know the cure for. You couldn't get into his mind, and he didn't want to make his thoughts available to you in any other way. Or, perhaps, after all, he sensed that there was something you didn't want to tell him, and he returned the favor?

Despite your slight resignation, you plastered a weak smile on your face and tucked a strand of Bucky's hair behind his ear. He closed his eyes, accepting this tender gesture; absorbing its warmth. “You’re tired,” you remarked. “You should go to bed-” You rose gently with the intention of getting off his thighs, but Bucky's hands quickly found their way to your hips; he held you down, pressing you back against his body. He gazed at you again, a little calmer this time, and with a visible exhaustion that you were absolutely right about.

He reached up to touch your cheek, his fingers slipped into your hair. He pulled you in carefully, then pressed your lips together in a delicate kiss; as if testing whether you still accepted his mouth on yours. When, without much thought, you welcomed and reciprocated the kiss, he slipped his tongue into your mouth – he remembered your taste, and when he realized how much he loved it, he let out a low grunt. Pleasant warmth spread throughout your body in a devastating wave – it almost completely washed away any barriers.

He soon pulled away from you. “You are tired, too. And a little drunk, right?” He asked, studying your face intently.

You nodded, not intending to deny it. Bucky drew you to him again; this time he placed a tender kiss on your forehead. You dropped your eyelids, feeling a peace spreading throughout you. He may not have been your boyfriend, or your not-for-real-husband, but he was your home, your safe haven.

a/n: feel free to share your thoughts, they are more than welcomed 🥰

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greenishness · 2 years

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sorry i'm gonna talk about stranger things for a second but my favorite thing about steve is that he doesn't just look after the kids because he's the adult in the room and has a strong sense of duty, he does it because he genuinely enjoys spending time with them. he doesn't treat them as People Lite whose worth is tied to his own status as their protector, he considers them his friends! he enjoys their company! he is aware of the fact that they are less mature and more vulnerable than him and still respects them as complex human beings in their own right. my women lesbians and children respecting king let's kiss 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩

#stranger things

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theresattrpgforthat · 3 months

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Hi! I'm on a regency binge at the moment and while Good Society is on my list, do you have any more regency games/systems to recommend?

THEME: Regency Games

Hello friend, I think I have a nice little selection for you to take a look at!

One thing to note is that some of these games are very gendered, providing roles such as “Matron”, “Nobleman” or “Countess” that is rather unavoidable. Sometimes this is simply part and parcel of playing in a specific era of history, and sometimes it is done purposefully, as games can often be commentary about certain issues that were prevalent at the time.

While I think you could likely make a non-binary character in these games if you really want to, I think that one of the appeals of playing in the Regency era is the strict social structures that created such rigid gender boundaries, and so I’m not surprised to see those boundaries enforced in these games.

Vicious, by Budget Versailles.

Vicious is a game set during the Regency period about scandalous gossip told via letters between three or more players.

Players roll dice to generate scenarios and gossipy twists to pass on to the next player until everyone has been deceived with shocking slander and hearsay.

If you’re a fan of the epistolary phase of Good Society, Vicious is probably worth looking at. Watch a piece of news twist out of your control as your letters get flavoured with gossip. You can roll for inspiration for various scenarios, as well as for juicy gossip to make those scenarios even better - but the game ends with one player sends out an invitation to determine how many of the accusations that have been sent around are true.

I think Vicious is also an excellent add-on to pair with another game of your choice, especially since it could be played in between sessions, cooking up drama for the players to hash out in an in-person confrontation.

Hazelwood Abbey, by stevehatherly.

Downton Abbey meets Hillfolk. Players play an aristocratic family in a player-led dramatic game of emotional needs and wants for 4-5 players.

Hazelwood Abbey uses Pelgrane Press' DramaSystem rules engine to create a story of high-stakes interpersonal conflict. During the session, you will create family members with conflicting needs and goals. And then you will find out what happens.

To play this game you’ll need a good understanding of how the DramaSystem works. The author recommends referencing a copy of Hillfolk, although you can also check out the SRD for free to see how you feel about the system.

The DramaSystem is all about relationships, and give and take. Your characters all need something from each-other, something tied to an emotional reward. When interacting with each-other in a dramatic scene, tokens will be gained or spent by following prompts specific to your playbook. In Hazelwood Abbey, your characters are split between the upstairs and downstairs, just like in Downton Abbey. The upstairs playbooks will wrestle with ties to family, tradition, and duty, while the downstairs playbooks commonly struggle with ambition, social inequality, and precious secrets. If you deny another person what they seek, too many times, they may force an emotional concession from you by spending tokens.

I think this is a great example of dramatic tension, and while I suppose Hazelwood Abbey might be slightly later than regency era, it might give you some of what you’re looking for.

Sense and Sensibility, by Armanda.

YOU ARE A DEAD GUY’S SECOND FAMILY IN 18th CENTURY ENGLAND. Your mission is to get one of your sisters to marry well, since you’re all women and can’t live without the favor of a man. You have no rights other than the right to marry and be a mother. In this game, you’ll explore the terrible vicissitudes of British bucolic countryside life and deal with neighbours and city people coming to visit the various families in the area, where gossip and marriage (and love, in the best of cases) are the order of the day.

Since this game is built off of Lasers and Feelings, I’d expect it to also be fairly easy to pick up if you’re familiar with other works in the same system. You have two stats and a number somewhere between 2 to 5 that tells you how good you are at one of those things, and how bad you are at the other.

I think this game is more focused on family relationships than some of the other games on this list, because your entire family’s well-being depends on the success of finding a wealthy match. Battle gossip, defend your honour, and possibly even sabotage your rivals in an attempt to find some security for yourself and your loved ones.

The Season, by Rue.

It's London season and you're in for a ball!

The Season is a GM-less RPG about elevating your status and keeping up your reputation during the fabled Regency Era social season.

This is a competitive RPG that takes place over the course of 10 rounds. Each characters’ goal is the same: to end the game with the highest Reputation. To chip away at your rivals’ reputation, you’ll have to demonstrate your own social graces, spread rumours, or meet gossip with the perfect amount of composure. You just need 2d6 to play, although you’ll probably want a few roll-tables for inspiration if you don’t consider yourself that good at improv.

This is another game that might benefit from being played alongside something bigger, or perhaps using some established lore from another setting.

Teacup Masquerade, by Sam Scribbler.

A one-page cozy social game about getting revenge on your enemies. Inspired by Regency-era romantic dramas such as Bridgerton with a vengeful twist. Create a character, discover your rival's secret, and become the darling of high society.

This is a simple game meant to fit on one page. You have three basic stats, and a gradient scale of success. You gain a random social advantage and a random personal shame, which you’ll want to try to hide as you go about discovering the secrets of your rivals.

There’s not a lot of guidance for this one, which is pretty common for one-page games. It might be a good fit if you have an idea of the kind of story you want to tell, or if you have your own set of home-brew rules that you want to add onto an existing premise.

The Social Season, by Scott Sexton.

In this single page role playing game inspired by the works of Jane Austen, you and your friends play as high society characters navigating the treacherous London social season.

To save your family from ruin, you must land an advantageous marriage proposal by the end of the season. Will you outwit scheming rivals and jealous suitors to make a fortuitous match, or will you become embroiled in scandal and depart London in disgrace?

This is a Honey Heist hack, pulling you between the two extremes of Composure and Scandal. Since it’s built off of a familiar system (to me), I can expect this game to be rather light-hearted, pushing your characters to vacillate between following social graces or deliberately doing something considered… untoward. This is certainly a chance to put on your stuffiest airs, flutter your fans dramatically, and describe your attempt to kiss your beau on the back of their hand.

The London Season, by Stéphanie Dusablon.

The London season of 1874, a perfect time for the aristocracy to advance the marriage prospects of their offsprings, entertain themselves through various social engagements and, naturally, gossip to their heart's content.

We were also taught that once we attained marital bliss, our husband would take ownership of our wealth, property and body. They probably would have passed a law to ensure our mind became theirs as well, had it occured to them that we might actually have one.

Create your young lady, decide if you hope to secure or avoid an engagement this season and carefully navigate 8 fortnights of glamorous events, social engagements and secret messages.

As a solo roleplaying game, The London Season is an examination of the social inequities present in the Regency era, as well as a love letter for a time of secret messages and glamorous events. You’ll mostly be drawing cards to answer questions, receive secret messages, and navigate both welcome and unwelcome engagements, journaling each step of the way. At the end of eight fortnights, your young lady will have either achieved or lost her goal. Whether that goal is marriage or something else is up to you.

Games I’ve Recommended In The Past

Le Bon Ton, by RobotFrancis.

Pride and Extreme Prejudice, by Grant Howitt.

Eyes on the Prize, by ira prince.

#tabletop games #game recommendations #indie ttrpgs #dnd #asks #indie ttrpg #regency

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appleinyoureye · 1 year

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JJBA p.2 │ The Tongue of My Love Takes Many Forms

Summary: love language headcanons! what they have to offer and how to make their knees weak!

Fandom: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure

Characters: Giorno Giovanna, Mista Guido, Narancia Ghirga, Trish Una

Word Count: 787

Type: headcanons

part one

Giorno

Giving: words of affirmation, gift giving

Giorno is a master with words. He knows what, when and in which way should he tell you to make your day brighter. With a soft smile and reassuring glance, he tells you a compliment or two when you need it the most, and it makes you feel like the most special person on the whole freakin’ planet. Very often you don't hear these sentences directly from him – Giorno usually sends you a butterfly with a message spreaded on its wings, or a puppy that has your favorite snack tied to its collar. He is not afraid to use his stand to make the one he loves feel even more adored.

Receiving: physical touch, words of affirmation

Gio often drifts away with his thoughts, his mind busy with developing new plans and ideas. It may be tiring for his smart brain, and nothing helps him in these moments like your soft touch, grounding him to reality again. Your fingers brushing his cheek and catching his jaw, sweet words leaving your mouth are always enough. Whenever you see him struggling with anything, catch his hand in yours and watch the sparkles dance in his precious eyes.

Mista

Giving: words of affirmation, physical touch

My favorite boy, baby boo, the love of my life is all about adoring his loved one. He makes sure that you know your worth, and that your insecurities poof! go away. Mista is always, always telling you how good you look, how smart you are, how amazing you do things, and, uhh, how perfect you are! And be ready for a lot of hugs and kisses! He has to maintain physical contact with you almost all of the time. Brushing your hair every morning, tracing small circles with his thumb on your skin in public places, and hugging and spinning you after a long time apart. That’s how Mista shows he’s in love with you.

Receiving: physical touch, acts of service

Okay, I think we can all agree that this boy way too often gets his cute ass into trouble. Always somehow surviving, he comes to you vulnerable with scratches, cuts and all sorts of wounds. And your duty is to help him. Gently caress his body with a cotton swab, wrap the damaged skin in bandages, put cute band-aids on his face, massage sore spots. Just pamper him like a baby! He knows he can do it all by himself, but your hands just do the magic, you know?

Narancia

Giving: acts of service, gift giving

Sometimes you think that your boo has two left hands, but it’s the thought that counts, right? Narancia makes you breakfast, but always burns one side of a pancake or makes the scrambled eggs way too dry. He cleans your desk, but accidentally throws away an important document (don’t worry, later he’ll duck in the trash can so he can find it!). He wants to make it up for his clumsiness by giving you all sorts of trinkets! He’s like a magpie. Anything that looks like something you may like (or is sparkly) he gets for you because I can’t say that he buys everything…

Receiving: words of affirmation, gift giving

He’s your good boy, your cutie-patootie, your boo-boo-bae-bee. Tell him that. Praise him. Narancia needs it, and you know it! Remind him how much he means to you. How brilliant his ideas are, even though sometimes they make no sense! Just appreciate his efforts, and I can promise you, that you will see his imaginary tail wagging. And if you tell him how much he means to you, and then give you something to eat? Sheesh! The boy may even cry from happiness.

Trish

Giving: quality time, words of affirmation

She’s not the best at showing it, but Trish cares for you. She surely does. That is why she suggests that you should take her more on dates! Like, c’mon, how could you not think that Trish wants to spend more time with you you to take her on yet another date this weekend? That she deserves it? Pfft! You can still make it up to her by watching a movie marathon with her. And if you notice her hints, she may even praise you!

Receiving: gift giving

Okay, now, I sure hope you know what to do with her. Give her gifts that she deserves! Trish feels the most loved when she’s appreciated. She may give the vibes of a gold digger, but it’s totally not that. Trish is reassured of your feelings when you put an effort when choosing a gift she may like, when she gets something she’s told you once and you still remembered! It’s the thought behind the gift that counts the most, plus, who doesn’t like pretty things?

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magicalbats · 8 months

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Kinktober Day 5: Omorashi

Rating: R-18+

Word Count: 3150

Afab!reader, shibari, piss, master/servant dynamic

⭐

Your lord told you to stand there and look pretty until he was finished with his work, and that is exactly what you did. Even when the chill of night slowly creeps in and settles deep inside your bones you stay right where you are without complaint or resentment for that fact. Even when your legs start to cramp and the muscles in your lower back begin to ache, still, you stay obedient. Loyal to his whims and wishes.

It’s only when the pressure in your midsection eventually reaches critical mass do you finally start to waver.

Hours have gone by in this fashion with you standing outside in the small enclosed garden attached to Ayato’s own personal bedchambers while he sits at his desk and steadily works through the seemingly never ending stack of paperwork next to him. You’re afforded a perfect shot of his profile from this vantage point and you’re sure he must likewise be able to see you just as easily, but not once has he looked up since he’d settled into place. His focus doesn’t seem to drift in your general direction at all as he carefully reads over one set of documents, takes up the finely carved brush at his side and signs where it was needed before moving on to the next. It was as if you weren’t even there at all, but you knew any dereliction of your duties would be sorely noticed if you did happen to find the courage to speak up. You didn’t want to disappoint him.

Not that you knew what your duties were, exactly, but he’d given the order and it was your responsibility to carry it out. Ayato was your lord and master, your powerful benefactor, and his will was as good as any god’s in your eyes. Whatever he wanted, he would have it. No task was too great for you to fall short of his expectations, you try to tell yourself, determined to hold your ground on this, but you can’t deny that he’s left you in a rather … unusual bind.

Tying you up was not quite so out of the ordinary for him, when he had the time and the predilection to do so. It was well within his rights, as far as you were concerned, even though it did embarrass you a great deal to have him slowly undress you and then take his time methodically twining lengths of stiff rope around your body in whatever manner or pattern he saw fit for the occasion. You suspected it was relaxing for him, therapeutic somehow. It was nice to see the tension slowly leave his shoulders over the course of these activities, especially and most notably when he’d finish by spilling sticky seed over your stomach or the arches of your feet. You were more than just a bit mortified by the whole thing, but it was well worth the shame if it meant providing him with what he needed. Whatever he needed.

This time, though, he hadn’t undressed you as he usually did. Instead, he merely disrobed you down to the bottommost layer, leaving you only in the thin and flimsy nagajuban, before carefully working a set of scarlet red ropes around your breasts to push them up and out, nipples cutting into the fabric in sharp, seeking points. Across your shoulders and down your spine to secure your bound wrists low at the back and stringently maintain your posture, everything wound so tight you could neither bend nor turn in place without shuffling your whole body around to accomplish it. Over your stomach he’d fastened an intricate diamond pattern, one end circling around your waist to further secure your hands, while the other was fed between your legs, flattening and moulding the breezy cotton against your puffy cunt, pulled up between the cleft of your buttocks and then tied off at the small of your back.

That was how he’d left you standing there. This was how you’d stood for hours now, struggling just to ignore the constant squeeze of the rope that shifted against you with every labored breath, the way it dug into sensitive flesh and heightened your senses to the point of overwhelm all at the same time. It was like constantly being stroked, groped, caressed by a cruel, taunting lover and never being able to act on it.

You had done well though, up until now. If only your bladder didn’t suddenly feel like it was going to burst at any moment you would have still been doing just fine. It’s hard to say if it’s the pressure squeezing in on your midsection, putting too much strain on your body to hold it in any longer, or if it’s the simple fact that you haven’t relieved yourself in some time now but either way … regardless of the reason, you couldn’t allow yourself to stoop to such a humiliating low.

Softly wheezing, you impatiently shift your weight from one foot to the other. You regret it immediately when it makes the rope pinching around your cunt and your tits tighten, both making the need to go all the more pressing. But you ignore it though — as best you can — and try to be still. No use. You weren’t sure how much longer you could last like this, and you desperately cross your legs to try and stave it off instead. But pressing your thighs together as tight as you can only works for so long though and you start to feel lightheaded. A bit nauseous. Loosing a haggard moan under your breath, you quickly unhook your ankles from one another and cross your legs in the opposite direction this time. Dangerously, you start to teeter to one side and then catch yourself before you can fall, huffing and puffing as you plant your feet to steady your balance again.

This was bad. You really had to go.

“My, my, what’s all this fussing and squirming about?”

Freezing in place, you jerk wide, rounded eyes up to find Ayato standing in the doorway, one hand on the edge of the paper screen door and looking out at you with a secretive little smile. Your bladder almost gives out right then and there at the sight of him. This was not the kind of surprise your vibrating nerves needed right now, and you can’t help but feel a bit ashamed that you hadn’t even noticed him moving to get up. You should have known better than to get distracted like that, no matter the reason.

“W - waka … my apologies. I did not mean for you to see me in such an — unbefitting state.”

“Oh? Is something the matter, little dove?”

Your cheeks feel like they’re on fire. Even the chill in the air is not enough to lessen how very hot you are, burning up from the inside out. It had been bad enough when it was just the rope constricting you, making every inch of your body feel over-stimulated and tortuously receptive, and it had only gotten worse as the pressure in your pelvis gradually increased. Now, though, with him looking at you like this, you felt liable to combust.

“Of course not, my lord. I won’t — you don’t need to worry about me shirking my duties. I swear it.”

Humming very softly in acknowledgment, Ayato simply stands there for a prolonged moment, just eyeing you across the scant distance. You think that will be enough to reassure him, that he was going to turn and go back to his work. But to your stiffening surprise, he eventually moves to step down off the porch. He slips his feet into a pair of waiting sandals, and the subsequent shuffle they make against the stone path when he approaches has you desperately clenching your pussy to fight back the bodily need to relieve yourself. Not like this … not in front of him.

Biting down on your lower lip, you watch him come to stand in front of you and then reach out. Idly, he slips a finger into the chest portion of the complicated rig he’s tied you up in, testing the tightness and the give to ensure everything was still as it should be before trailing those elegantly poised fingers down your front. He runs them over the diamond pattern across your stomach almost affectionately, fondly, and lower still until they finally slip into the space between your legs.

You jolt at the contact, eyes going big, when he brushes against swollen, puffy cunt lips, your nagajuban plastered so firmly to the skin it feels like he’s touching you directly. A sharp, faltering gasp cuts through the air and it takes you a prolonged beat to register that it had been you who made that sound. Ayato’s smile only grows though, his expression so serene and placid even now that one would not think he was up to no good if they couldn’t see what his hand was doing. Whimpering rather pathetically, you force yourself to square your feet on the cool paving stone under you and stand still while he lightly caresses over you, making your pussy buzz with sensation.

“Is this what’s causing you so much distress right now?” He murmurs in the soft, knowing tones of someone who already knows the answer but wants to hear it spoken out loud anyway.

Swallowing hard, you give your head the briefest shake. There was no way you could tell him the real reason. Not without humiliating yourself far beyond the point of redemption, anyway. “No, m - my lord. Not at all. I only — ahh!”

He applies just enough pressure to dip one fingertip into the meaty slit of your body, pressing the fabric up in the process, and you jerk so hard it nearly sends you toppling over. Panting raggedly now, you stumble a step but his opposite hand comes to rest along your hip and steady you. Holding you in place. You hadn’t realized it before, between the pinch of the rope and the swell of trapped blood flow, but you were soaked. No, drenched. So much so that for a split, horrifying second you actually have to wonder if you’ve already wet yourself. The thought alone almost makes your bladder give out.

“Well, isn’t that interesting,” He murmurs softly, amusement dancing in his always polite and genteel voice. “This does indeed seem to be the source of your current predicament. Surely you weren’t lying to me, were you?”

“N - no,” You whisper into the night, only to twitch when he drags his finger up to just barely stimulate your clit.

Ayato takes his time with it, petting over you with the slow, sure motions of someone who knows exactly how to turn your body against you and how to do it well. You hiss through tightly clenched teeth and unconsciously judder your hips at the sensation, torn between arching into it and presenting your cunt for him to play with however he saw fit or angling away from it. The former was dangerous. Toeing a fine line that promised mind numbing pleasure on one side and withering humiliation on the other. You knew if you tempted it too much you would soon find yourself unable to hold it back any longer, but the way he stiltedly rubs you is so inviting … so suggestive you can’t help but want for more.

“My lord — please! I - I can’t … I won’t be able to stop it!”

“Then perhaps you should just let it out then.”

A shudder wracks through you with enough force that your trembling legs nearly give out right from under you but he’s quick to slide his arm more securely around your waist and hold you there. You seem to shake uncontrollably as you turn your eyes up at him again, more than just a little surprised to find Ayato still looking right at you. Watching. Observing. Waiting?

Surely he didn’t really mean that … did he?

Flexing against the ropes with a renewed sense of urgency now, you can’t seem to stop from whimpering, whining low and frantic in your throat as you helplessly buck in his hold. He just keeps caressing you though, even when you try to squeeze your legs shut and block him out. You kick and arch, and twist, fighting to maintain your threadbare control but it was useless. The come hither motion of his finger just seems to encourage your muscles to relax and give way under the pressure, slowly drawing it out of you just as a snake charmer entices his serpent out.

You’d seen one once, in the city. An old man from Sumeru who didn’t say a single word to the crowd that gathered around him in curiosity. You and Thoma had been out shopping together for groceries, discussing what he should make for dinner, when all the fuss and excitement caught your attention. The two of you stopped to see what was going on, having no idea what to expect or anticipate when the old man took up his strange looking flute and started to play a sensual, inviting melody. The very last thing you’d expected was for a snake unlike any you’d ever seen to come slithering out of the wicker basket situated in front of him, everyone stumbling back to a resounding chorus of gasps and startled shrieks. The golden brown serpent seemed to be in a trance though, so completely spellbound by that lilting, almost playful music that it didn’t even appear to notice and could only heed its exigent summons. Answering its siren’s call even if it was at the cost of its own life and wellbeing.

That is exactly how you feel right now, your thighs shuddering so violently they can no longer hold you up and Ayato’s firm arm around your middle was the only thing stopping you from collapsing. You couldn’t tell if you were going to cum or evacuate your bladder, the two feelings so horribly intermingled and blurred that you can’t separate the two anymore. You couldn’t stop it though. The pressure in your pelvis was simply too much, the ache of it so intense it makes your toes painfully curl and scrape over the stone paver when you writhe. You wanted to scream — would have screamed, if it wouldn’t have alerted the entire manor to your illicit activities.

But even as you loose a hushed, frantic sound that seems to ride the line of hysterics, he still doesn’t stop. Like he isn’t at all worried about the possibility of you wailing into the night sky above, either trusting that you would somehow control yourself or otherwise trusting his own abilities to take care of the fallout afterwards. You weren’t sure which possibility was more ludicrous, tears stinging your eyes when you finally give up and jut your hips out, weakly humping against his hand in your desperation.

Cramping muscles flutter and give out at long lost, and you allow yourself a tiny, deeply humiliated mewl when the dribble starts up. It’s slow at first after holding it in all this time, but it quickly devolves into a full on stream as urine rushes out to soak through the nagajuban. You feel it running down your legs in hot rivulets to pool around your jerking feet and yet he still does not stop. Even when he noises a quiet little ‘oh’, Ayato just keeps rubbing your clit while you piss all over yourself and you feel a distant pang of horror when your eyes start to roll back.

You cum, gasping and shuddering, even while you continue to urinate uncontrollably. The rapid flex of tightly clamping muscles actually seems to make it worse, in fact, and the sensation of your squeezing cunt spraying a stream of piss straight through the sodden fabric just leaves you withering in shame. The orgasm is unlike anything you’ve ever felt before though, so hot and wet that it stretches well past the point of pleasure and straight into discomfort.

Archons, were you ever going to stop cumming?

You do, eventually. Finally. It feels like eons have gone by, clenching and writhing in his hold, but at last you slacken against him and go boneless with a haggard groan. Ayato’s finger stills over your clit and hovers there for a moment before carefully withdrawing from the seam of your body. Fresh tremors immediately assault you when he presses his hand flat against your pudgy cunt and softly pets you like that, unconcerned by the way you hiss in shame as well as overstimulated sensitivity. Now that the hazy afterglow was starting to fade, you just felt incredibly, horribly embarrassed.

“Waka, I — I’m so sorry. Please forgive me, I - -“

“Hush. There’s nothing to forgive you for, is there?” His voice is as soft as ever, but you don’t miss the sly inflection in it by a long shot. Sometimes it was easy to forget that cruel minded, sadistic streak he harbored was always lurking just below the surface and there was never any telling what would ultimately set it off. Your lord was always so polite and well mannered, it almost didn’t seem to fit. Like it was another Ayato holding you against his chest now, softly caressing over your piss soaked cunt as if nothing were out of place.

In retrospect, you probably should have known that this would please him a great deal. The enjoyment he got out of watching others squirm and writhe in shame and agitation alike was something you should have been quite familiar with by now, but it still manages to catch you off guard when his gentle petting slowly turns into something a bit more deliberate.

“Waka!”

“There, there. It’s alright, isn’t it? I’ve got you.” Softly cooing, Ayato applies a bit more pressure to press his long fingers flat across your slit. You seethe at the sensation of not only his hand pressing into you but also the rapidly cooling fabric of your robe, toes flexing weakly against the ground. “If you’d needed to relieve yourself all you had but do was say so. Were you really holding it in this whole time? What a silly girl you are.”

Softly clicking his tongue, he starts rubbing you with a purpose again, centering the slow drag of his fingers directly over your clit where it’s hidden away behind swollen lips and stimulating all the nerve endings in the process. You give a harrried, gutted little squawk of surprise when your body reacts immediately, just like he’d no doubt guessed it would, and try to twist in his hold. It was no use though. He had you effectively trapped.

“Let’s make sure you’ve got it all out, hm? We don’t want you holding it like that anymore, do we? Just relax.”

⭐

Crossposted here

#genshin impact #kamisato ayato #ayato x reader #self insert bullshit

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dr3amofagame · 6 months

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speaking of how Weird c!sam is about c!dream, one of my fav things abt c!awesamdream in canon is definitely how they. don't see eye to eye on this? like c!dream doesn't get it and a point is made of how he doesn't get it again and again--the most glaring example, of course, being how sure c!dream is that he'll die if he gives up the book versus c!sam being just as sure when he tells him that he won't die (but, somewhat paradoxically, sounding just as sure when he says that he was looking forward to getting the book so he could kill dream and be done with it)

because in strictly pragmatic terms, once c!dream gives up the book, it's game over for him. there's no reason for c!sam to want him alive, in his mind, from any rational perspective--that was literally the whole reason why he was put in the prison, for god's sake. c!dream makes sense of what c!sam does in terms of practicality--the torture was to get the book, he can understand that, whatever. he takes issues with c!sam's being a hypocrite, but can understand c!sam in terms of himself as something with literal value (the book, 'financial benefit', the works.)

but as much as c!sam dresses up his actions in terms of practicality, he's. very much tied his identity to c!dream-as-prisoner in a way that is so far removed from purely his duty as the prison warden. his complicated feelings on dream's life in his hands are a testament to this--he has to keep dream alive, he hates this, he doesn't let dream die, he promises to keep dream alive if he gives up the book and he believes it, he looks forward to getting the book so they can finally kill dream and be done with it, the first time he brings quackity into the prison is on the heels of a fantasy of pinning dream to the ground and killing him, the last time he escorts him out is because he can't let quackity in with the knowledge that doing so will be dream's death sentence, he reacts to knowledge of dream's death by calling it freedom, he would let his dog and his significant other and damn near the whole fucking server burn for dream's life. dream speaks of his value in sam's life in terms of rare magical items and monetary profit and sam grapples not with how much dream is worth, over and over again, but what he can and will admit to himself

and. god. i keep thinking about scrapped lore, and the two different descriptions of it we got from cc!dream and cc!sam because god i feel like it. really does reflect this. like dream describes his character as "manipulating" sam and specifically mentions doing so by telling sam to "prove that you're not like [dream + quackity]", echoing daedalus, as well as promising not to attack sam or quackity etc etc etc. and it's so interesting to me because...as far as this goes in terms of a method of convincing sam. it doesn't. like sam doesn't need to prove to dream that he's different. even if we look at daedalus in specifics, the most sam really goes is grouping dream with himself (which is. crazy to be clear tho) by asking about dream using the prison for Someone Truly Evil, as in, someone not "like us." the furthest sam goes in daedalus is the consideration of dream as...someone with reasons, and therefore maybe less True Evil. he never actually admits he's a "bad person". and hell, in scrapped lore, quackity is specifically invoking daedalus by telling sam that this is revenge For The Death Dream Gave Him down to finding the exact murder weapon in order to return the favor. sam has every reason to want revenge, and dream's attempt at manipulation doesn't look particularly favorable when we consider sam's motivations.

but when we look at sam's same description of events, it goes as follows: "Dream would like, plead for me to like, save him. And I would." and it's so crazy to me because sam makes zero mention of dream's "reasons", his list of all the specific things he has to offer sam to make his life worth it, not the book not justifications of morality not dream's promises to leave him alone. all of it gets boiled down to what dream is asking for--to be saved, and to be saved by sam. at the heart of the matter, dream is asking for his life. and when it comes down to it? that's enough. that in itself is enough. sam doesn't bend himself in half describing all the moral reasons why he makes the choice he does, doesn't weigh it all on a scale of what is deserving and what is justice and what is "good" and "evil"--dream asks for him to save him. and he would.

like. and it's like, c!dream's side of c!awesamdream is also pretty damn significant--c!dream chose c!sam as his warden, literally put his life in his hands, like. their relationship predates the prison and c!dream's feelings about c!sam are evidently complicated. i'd go as far as saying that c!dream, post-prison, shows a certain degree of familiarity and even comfort with c!sam's presence in ways that aren't really true of just about anyone else--daedalus in itself includes more 1 on 1 c!dream + c!sam time than his interactions with just about any other character post-prison. even when we see c!dream with c!punz, the first interaction we see of the two of them together immediately post-prison is very short, and the streams in the finale involve quite a lot of posturing in front of c!clingy (the saw trap still makes me laugh.) daedalus isn't entirely honest, obviously, but between c!dream going "yes i'm an evil guy but i have reasons" and telling tommy that he's (checks notes) tortured vikkstar + lazar for months and decided to kill everyone to become immortal with punz and is going to kill one of c!clingy as an experiment to see how "dying a hero" influences limbo (?????) i'm kinda willing to bet that the former is a little bit more truthful to what we know about c!dream's character. but all of this makes sense,,, obviously. trauma bonding is a hell of a drug and c!dream spent a whole ass year together in the prison--his messy relationship with c!sam (and Insistence on calling them friends, which, although obviously used ironically is still kinda crazy considering) gives me brainworms, but is far from unreasonable considering the circumstances.

c!sam, on the other hand, has built his entire fucking identity around dream at this point . and the kicker is that dream doesn't even recognize to what extent this is true. they are so

#c!awesamdream #not even talking abt them as a ship rn LMAO but ill tag it anyway #c!awesamdream /p <- i jest i jest #thinking about them ...

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pen-and-umbra · 8 months

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idk if everyone checked out latest halloween special, so SPOILER alert ahead. why do you think sephiroth stuck w/ shinra for so long with all the crap they out him thru? i mean ec is EXPLICIT abt sephiroth suffering mistreatment at hojos hands, not to mention those lies shinra created abt him being this hero figure. and he only starts thinking about *maybe* quitting on the eve of Niebelheim mission, like whyyyyy??

Who can say? There could be numerous reasons.

For one thing, I believe Sephiroth understood he couldn't truly escape ShinRA's clutches and sever all ties with the organization. He was too valuable to lose, the pinnacle of ShinRA inventions, a source of non-degradable cells; they wouldn't let him go. At best, he could hope for a life like Aerith's: loosely free but on a leash, watched over by Turks and whatever other means of surveillance were available. It doesn't help that half the places in the area have a strong ShinRA presence, and Sephiroth is a well-known public figure with an eye-catching appearance. He couldn't just blend in with the crowd because he was too famous and well-publicized. Perhaps Angeal and Genesis were not the first SOLDIER members to desert active duty, and younger Sephiroth witnessed other deserters being chased to hell and back (I have a theory that the FS trio might eventually face this fate). If such an incident occurred, it could have left an indelible mark. After all, living under constant surveillance or a threat of pursuit is not exactly the normal life Sephiroth desired.

One could argue that ShinRA couldn't do anything against him if he chose to quit or flee. I disagree to a point. They did manage to bring down Zack — it took an army, but they did it, and Zack, mind you, held his own against Genesis. Now Sephiroth is on a whole other level, but he is still human — at least before Nibelheim events. He requires sleep, sustenance, water. If a direct confrontation is out of the question, ShinRA could always resort to subterfuge. Poison, gas, sedatives, in water/food/air when he's less vigilant — you name it. The only issue left would be containment. If they wanted him for cells and tissue, they could just arrange something to keep him comatose. Not to mention that the remake makes it abundantly clear they have no regard for collateral damage. They could burn down an entire town just to get to him. ShinRA most likely had dirty tricks up its sleeve that could cause problems even for SOLDIER members — not necessarily in the form of firearms or other weaponry.

Another reason could be one of existential nature. Sephiroth had been raised his entire life to be a killing machine. He lacks both the vision and the skill set to be anything else. Ever Crisis openly states that Sephiroth had little prior experience with people prior to his first field mission with the FS trio, meaning that it was mainly lab and training staff that influenced him during his formative years. As a true psychopath, Hojo is a master manipulator; in FF7R, it is he who suggests using psychological torment to break Aerith, so it's fair to assume a young child might have also received a chunk of that. Knowing Hojo, I wouldn't be surprised if he made it a point to instill this belief in Sephiroth: you're only good for killing, and without ShinRA, you're nothing (or maybe it was even more personal, with Hojo substituting ShinRA for himself). Those ideas are very likely to have become absorbed into the very core of Sephiroth's sense of self as he matured. And once something has been drilled into your head since childhood, it is difficult to break the mold. When you combine that with the fact that his legend began as a deceptive marketing ploy, you have a potentially damaged sense of self-worth. You'll get someone who is confident on the battlefield but lost beyond it. Fighting, as short-sighted as it was, gave him a sense of purpose. It sufficed for a while, being as good a reason as any other.

There's also the matter of belonging. Sephiroth's obsession with finding his family stems from a sense of rootlessness and an unsatisfied need to belong. The game is subtle about it, but it's still there: it's his sense of being different from others, his inability to relate to normal experiences (having a hometown, for example), his sensitivity to cyborg comments (the implication here being that the question of his own nature was salient for Sephiroth already back then), and his reaction to "it's not cool to ask about mother" (which implies that people teased or berated him for wanting to know). Still, as bad as ShinRA was, it gave him purpose and provided whatever meaningful relationships he had. It gave him stability. Unlike the world outside, it was a known variable, and as the saying goes, better a devil you know. As far as my guess goes, Sephiroth was in no small part simply reluctant to shift the status quo and go for drastic changes, which is very human in hindsight. Humans are conformists by nature; uncertainty generally frightens us, so we avoid it. To him, the outside world may have appeared to have no place for him: no place to belong, no place to mingle, no skillset for a living other than wielding a blade. He eventually considers leaving once he realizes that whatever anchored him to the company is no longer there, with his friends gone and ShinRA completely discrediting itself with human experiments.

It's tragic in retrospect, too; as Ever Crisis points out, Sephiroth knew the company was using him from a young age, but his need to belong and have a purpose was strong enough for him to willingly turn a blind eye to its questionable ethics.

#sephiroth #final fantasy 7 ever crisis #ffvii ever crisis #ffvii #ff7 #final fantasy vii #final fantasy 7 #words are cheap.#ffvii@luv fandoms

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lucllle · 2 years

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CW: (CONSENSUAL) somnophilia

You and Xiao had been lovers for over a century, the fact that both of you were immortal contributed to your compatibility. Xiao didn’t display affection publicly, but when the two of you were alone, he was like a grumpy cat that yearned for your touch.

If there was one thing that Xiao valued the most in the relationship, it was trust. So, it’s needless to say that he was especially flustered but thrilled when the two of you started having intercourse. The vulnerability you displayed for him while you were at his mercy was quite literally heavenly; it was this that turned him on the most.

Over time, the two of you began to experiment with things like overstimulation, and Xiao discovered that your tears and sobs of pure bliss made him weak in the knees. However, because the two of you were usually occupied carrying out the duties bestowed upon adepti, Xiao usually arrived to you sprawled across his bed; unconscious. You didn’t require slumber to survive, but you found it to be a pleasurable experience, even if it was only for a short while. Unbeknownst to you, Xiao took these moments as an opportunity to appreciate your beauty, often staring at you until you woke up.

—--------------------------------

You walked to the balcony, sensing Xiao’s presence in the area. You jumped up to the roof, finding the adepti staring off into the sky. He looked over to you, greeting you with a small smile. You sat down next to him, returning the gesture gladly.

“ Uhm, Xiao, I was thinking… “ He turned his head to look at you curiously.

“ What is it? Is something troubling you? “ He stiffened as negative thoughts clouded his mind, but you quickly grabbed his hand.

“ No, no- Nothing like that. I was just thinking that I wouldn’t necessarily mind you taking me in my sleep. You do understand what I mean, right? “ You rubbed the back of his hand with your thumb, snapping him out of his daze.

“ In your… sleep? Do you really trust me to such an extent? “ He spoke quietly, his cheeks reddening a bit at the thought.

“ Of course I do. I’m not saying you have to, though, but I think it might be something worth trying out. “ He remained silent, his eyes unfocused while he seemed to be imagining the scenarios you suggested.

“ Xiao? Are you alright? “ He looked up at you, his face now completely red. He swallowed audibly, his adam’s apple bobbing. You cupped his face with your unoccupied hand. “ Xiao, just what’re you imagining in that head of yours, hm? “ He flinched at this, but then leaned into the warmth of your hand.

“ You know very well the effect you have on me… How will I know when I can touch you? “

“ I’ll let you know by the number of hair ties on the headboard. 1 would be for touching, 2 for bringing me to “completion”, 3 for entering me, and 4 for… “ Your face heated up at the thought. You leaned toward him, whispering in his ear while you interlock your fingers with his. “ …when I’d like you to finish inside of me. Do you understand? “ Xiao stilled almost completely, but he did squeeze your hand. You backed away from him to look at his face, smiling.

“ ….Must you be so tempting? “ He wrapped an arm around your waist, pulling you close to rest his head in the crook of your neck. “ I’ll keep your words in mind. “ The two of you enjoyed the moment, appreciating each other’s presence.

—---------------------------

You arrived back at the Inn, relieved that you had finally completed your duties for the day. You traveled to the balcony, staring at the sunset. Your chest fluttered at the thought that you and Xiao could at least be looking at the same thing if you weren’t together. You soon retired to your room, sitting on the bed of your shared bedroom. You laid down, heaving a sigh. You glanced at the end table, specifically at your hair ties that were on it.

It had been a few days since you and Xiao first mentioned him taking you in your sleep, and even after that he asked questions about it, mostly questioning if you were sure, but he would also discuss consent with you. You smiled, sitting up and grabbing your hair ties. It had been the first time you’d used them, and you didn’t plan on holding back. You grabbed four, wrapping them around a corner of the headboard before you went to sleep.

Not long afterward, Xiao arrived at the inn as well. He spent a few minutes on the rooftop before wandering into your bedroom, looking around to find you sprawled on the bed. He sighed, relieved to finally see you. He crawled into bed next to you, sitting down. His attention soon went to the headboard, his mouth going dry at the sight of the four hair ties. He looked down at you, eyebrows furrowed, as if he was deciding to take initiative or not. The thought of it became terribly tempting, his hardness pressing against the fabric of his pants.

Xiao made up his mind, carefully gripping your shoulder before he made you lay on your back. He crawled over, sitting up between your legs. He took the blanket off of you, being met with the sight of you in your small shorts and tank top. He put a hand on your thigh, slowly caressing the flesh. Occasionally, he would indulge himself and grip the fat, absolutely enamored by its softness. He worked his way under your shorts, feeling the lace of your panties. His breath became unsteady, glancing up at your face to make sure you were still asleep.

He extracted his hand from under your shorts, instead going for their waistband. He pulled them down your legs slowly, lifting them by the back of your thighs before sliding them off completely. He kissed your calf before putting your legs down carefully, now focusing on your torso. Since you were simply wearing a tanktop, he lifted your shirt just enough to expose your chests.

Both his hands started caressing your torso, one of them gripping your waist while the other cupped one of your breasts carefully. He was close to practically cumming just at the sight of you like this alone, but if he were to cum tonight, it’d be on or inside of you, not his pants. He grunted at the feeling of his cock rubbing against the fabric, quickly freeing himself of his clothes. He placed your legs over his thighs, resting his cock against your lower belly while he leaned in. He left feather light kisses all over your body, occasionally nipping at your flesh.

Xiao placed your nipple between his middle and pointer finger, rubbing it slowly between them. He worked his other hand down to your panties, sliding under them to circle your clit. He enjoyed hearing your small whines while he touched you, but made sure not to wake you up just yet.

Eventually, his hands completely left your body while he moved further down the bed. He leaned down, his face dangerously close to your heat. He pushed them to the side, spreading your lips with his thumbs. He kissed your clit, staring up at your face, examining you carefully. He wrapped his lips around it while his hands traveled elsewhere. Xiao’s left hand gripped one of your thighs gently, the other one busy prodding two of his fingers inside of you. He inserted them slowly and carefully, watching you as you stirred in your sleep. Once you were calm, he slowly thrusted them in and out, sucking at your clit.

He felt your walls flutter against his fingers when he scissored them inside of you, your quiet gasps and moans driving him into a daze. His cock twitched when you finally came, almost as if he couldn’t wait to enter you. He lapped up the last of your juices before sitting up in front of you, hooking your left leg around his waist while he lifted the other one to rest on his shoulder. The fact that Xiao could simply spread you as much as he wanted turned him on even more, though he didn’t plan on going many rounds tonight. He was just testing the waters, after all.

He rubbed the side of your hips, waiting until your body mostly recovered from your first orgasm. Once you were calm, he wrapped his length in his hand, stroking it while he gripped your thigh. He sped up the pace of his strokes, and soon started to thrust into his hand, desperate for some sort of release to ‘even the score’. He soon paused his movements when he looked at your unoccupied hands, letting out a shaky breath. He grabbed one of your hands, carefully wrapping it around his shaft. He inhaled sharply before he started to thrust into it while holding you in place, staring at your face. Your thumb moved slightly, rubbing against his slit when he thrusted. He came right then and there, letting out a groan.

He looked down at your stomach, which was where most of his cum had landed. Some of it made it up to your chest, though, and he couldn’t help but think it looked sexy. He let go of your hand, slowly placing it back at your side before he took it in his own hand again. He positioned the tip at your entrance, prodding it inside of you. He shivered when he felt your velvety walls around it, biting his lip to hold back his voice. He looked down at you while he pushed himself inside you, inch by inch. It took at least a minute for him to bottom out inside of you, since he wasn’t going to throw caution to the wind just yet.

Xiao went out of his way to soothe you by rubbing circles into your hip again, making sure you wouldn’t wake up as soon as he started thrusting. He pulled back slowly, and then thrusted back inside of you. He practically whimpered at the feeling, gripping onto your hip. His head fell forward while he thrusted in and out of you, slowly picking up speed. You started to wake up when he reached a moderate pace, which he didn’t fail to notice. He decided that he wanted you partially awake when he finished inside you, though, so he didn’t necessarily mind.

“ Xiao… “ You moaned out his name, reaching out for his hand that gripped your hip. His other hand moved to hold the back of your leg before pressing it to your chest. He leaned down, kissing you before he rested his face in the crook of your neck.

“ It’s alright… This is a dream, you don’t have to do anything. Be good and take it, okay? “ You nodded desperately, clenching around him. He kissed your neck, his arm sliding under your back to wrap around your waist. You reached up to grip his hair, letting out a whimper when he bit your flesh. He sucked at your skin, giving you a hickey before backing away. He lifted your leg to his shoulder like before, staring down at you. You felt tears welling up in your eyes, already sensitive from your last orgasm. You wiped some of his cum off his stomach before you licked it off your finger. He slowed down when you did this, probably to watch you more carefully.

“ You’re doing so well. Don’t worry… I’ll take care of you, just… “ He moaned mid sentence, thrusting into you shallowly while he spoke. “ Be good for me. “ You could feel your warm tears streaming down your face when he started thrusting into you faster, pursuing his high. You gripped your leg around his waist tighter, pulling him closer to you. Xiao twitched inside of you, his movements growing ever so sloppy.

He leaned in a bit, taking your hand and wrapping it around the back of your leg to hold onto. He let go of you, instead placing his hands beside your head. He started plunging into you at a rapid pace, whimpering when he felt you reach down to the base of his cock. You spread two fingers around it, making sure they rubbed against Xiao everytime he thrusted into you. Eventually, he frantically bottomed out completely, the two of you moaning when he painted your walls white. He continued to rut into you until you had completely milked him dry, letting out a sigh. He leaned closer to you, wiping your tears from your face before he kissed you. Xiao finally pulled out of you, watching his cum seep out of your cunt.

He laid down next to you, wrapping his arms around you before he used one of his hands to caress your hair. “ You can rest now. I will take care of the rest. “

The next morning, you woke up completely clean. He had washed you carefully in your sleep, but even in his sleep one of his hands had traveled to grip one of your breasts. It wasn’t often that Xiao slept, but it was a beautiful sight.

#alatus xiao #xiao smut #xiao x you #xiao x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact smut #genshin impact #cw: somno #smut #female reader #afab reader #xiao genshin impact

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bg3fandomcritical · 1 month

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Minthara and Halsins inclusions are not comparable. Minthara has direct ties to Orin with Orin being obsessed with her and an abuse story there (she was mind controlled into having a relationship with Orin for those that have not recruited Minth). She is directly tied to the whole cult in general and has an extremely motivated goal of toppling it. She wants to use the nether brain for her own gain and to take over the world with you. For people new to DND she properly introduces them to what drow are and reveals fun, interesting, eerie etc drow lore. She’s a companion that isn’t another damn human or elf. Evil and nasty though she is she has a lot going on. She was a desperately welcome companion to me, to flesh out the evil route and for racial diversity. You know in the dozens of fantasy races game. Halsin is meanwhile a mess. He’s supposed to be a wise mentor people look up to, yet abandons his people to adventure with you because he hates responsibility. Which, okay, this could have been interesting had it been properly committed to. But then he leaves you anyway at the end even if you forged a relationship with him! He’s supposed to be experienced in bed but loses control and shifts into a bear at the first sight of a naked body. Just, what? It’s all so incongruent. He has no reason to be there in act 3 despite his inclusion being so late. I don’t hate Halsin but surely his story would have been way more meaningful if he was a short fling. He joins for a bit, guides you through his quest, will have a fling with you if you want but will confess it can’t be something serious and long term because he has other duties and he can’t escape them, though this short bit of freedom and release he had with you meant the world. It would be such a bittersweet romance and representative of a different kind of relationship, not all can last forever and a lot are painful. Temporary Halsin joining would have been more meaningful and made more sense. Then we could have perhaps had Helia instead - the scrapped werewolf bard companion. Perhaps she could have been another evil locked character to actually flesh that route out as it desperately needs it, and since you lose so many characters for that route, she’d replace the losses more and give more replayability and just more motivation for people to play evil in general! And again, she’d be better racial diversity, as she is a halfling and we don’t have a single short race character. The werewolf aspect could also lead to really interesting stuff between her and SH. The goblins should have also become NPCs that follow you along like the tiefs, they’re borderline treated as worthless animals by the story and characters despite being PEOPLE. If SH, Astarion, Lae, Minthara etc are all worth exploring even if messed up then you cannot tell me not a single goblin in that camp isn’t the same.

Tl;dr the evil route is severely lacking and Halsins a damn mess.

#bg3 critical

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dolphin1812 · 1 year

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Hugo’s really stressing Gillenormand’s age here, as if to point out that, as old as he is, the ideas he represents haven’t disappeared, either. He was “young” at 74, and even now, his hair is “gray rather than white.” Gray hair is still associated with aging, but the fact that it won’t turn white suggests that he clings to youth in some ways, with his persistent longevity and fixity in his ways resembling the resilience of the monarchy linked to a regime literally called the “old regime.” His “youthfulness” is probably meant to be comical as well, but his energy also feels ominous because of the order he represents. He’s able to enforce his will and beliefs so strongly precisely because he’s aged while remaining in excellent health.

This isn’t to wish bad health on Gillenormand because of his age; most of the elderly men in this novel are caring figures open to change. The bishop, for instance, may not stop being a royalist, but he was still willing to talk to the Conventionist and did learn a bit from his words. Like Gillenormand (and perhaps even more than Gillenormand, as an actual aristocrat), he had good reason to distrust those tied to the French Revolution and resisted engaging with this person because of it, but ultimately, a higher principle won out for him (his religious duties). To Gillenormand, his highest principle is adherence to the “old order,” making him inflexible.

I think this also ties into the way he “barricaded himself against every one.” Characters like Myriel are somewhat dynamic because of their communal ties. The suffering Myriel sees in his community inspires him to communicate and search for solutions, leading him to be an exceptionally compassionate and understanding bishop. Even his visit to the Conventionist was motivated by his sense of duty to his community. Gillenormand rejects community, preferring to isolate himself and the family members that are stuck with him. The image of a barricade also implies that there’s something threatening outside worth barricading against, transforming opportunities for connection and new perspectives into dangers (probably because Gillenormand sees disagreement as threatening; republics make him faint). The comparison is quite ironic as well, given the use of barricades in popular protests that the aristocratically-minded Gillenormand would find abhorrent.

It would be remiss to not acknowledge that there is another major character with a family who isolates himself: Jean Valjean. He does so for more legitimate reasons than seeming “fashionable,” fearing arrest if he is around people, but it still has consequences. He and Cosette may be safe and relatively content in the convent now, but the convent was compared to a prison several times. They’re safe, but they’re also trapped. Of course, Jean Valjean doesn’t reject community as a whole like Gillenormand does; he tried to build it as mayor, even if he didn’t really participate in it himself. But if isolation is a prison with Jean Valjean, who at least respects community in theory, then how bad can it get with Gillenormand, who chooses to avoid it out of adherence to an older social order?

#les mis letters #lm 3.2.7 #gillenormand #jean valjean #bishop myriel #technically people can visit gillenormand at night #but that only allows for people who share his ideas to come #it's not the general social engagement of the others #where even if they don't align entirely #(myriel will never stop being a royalist but can respect attempting to improve people's lives)#there's still chances to learn and change #gillenormand doesn't want that #not to go along with hugo's linear view of progress because it's really flawed #but gillenormand is literally stuck in the past

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chromotps · 5 months

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Do you have any favorite acelu headcanons/tropes/dynamics?? All your works of them are so gorgeous and amazing and wonderful that it’s got me curious on what other thoughts you might have for them. （●´∀｀）ノ♡

AHHH thank you!! From you, it means a lot--I love so many of the details and backstories woven into your works for them!! TwT

I barely know where to begin with this bc like. Everything about acelu is my favorite. But I've also sort of been in a brainrot for them for so long now that my brain is entirely mush when I even think of them. Where do I start???

I guess, I love all the Ace-Lives-related headcanons. Anything about him finding more of a sense of self after Marineford, now that he's reckoned with the fact that he really is unconditionally loved... I personally adore any storyline where Ace kind of mellows out, like, his life isn't about proving he deserves to exist anymore, so he isn't as unforgiving with himself. I actually wanna link this comment thread between me & @to-a-merrier-world bc the headcanon of Ace getting a Stawhat tattoo makes me go wild. It just makes so much sense—his Whitebeard tattoo was on his back as a sign of worth and labor and duty, but the Stawhat tattoo over his heart would place more emphasis on his joys and dreams and jusT gosh. I need to lie down. This idea also ties into your to be deserving fic and Ace allowing himself more like, purely whimsical adornment?? Especially if it's gifts from Luffy??? I can't quite word it now, but the way it could symbolize him just loving the parts of himself that aren't just for fighting makes me. weak. I think it's why I like drawing post-timeskip Ace ideas so much (I already have another sketch I'm planning to post 😂)

hhhh okay that was a lot of Ace Talk. On Luffy's side... tbh Luffy is always harder for me to pin down. But I always love the idea that he needed Ace as a kid just as much as Ace needed him. Like this hc (from another comment 😂)—"Ace needs someone to prove unconditionally that he's lovable, and Luffy needs someone to prove that his love is important, and not easy to abandon." tbh acelu reminds me of my old D&D character, where basically, she was always pretty cheerful and resilient, but felt isolated—like she was always too alien to really relate to others. But then, this other character loved her as she is, and I think Ace did something similar for Luffy in the end? Like, in a world where Luffy never got Ace, I wonder if he'd still be as emotionally secure and kind. Probably! But... ahhh. This hc is more indulgent, but I really love the idea that Ace helps Luffy remember who he is beneath all the power and bravery. Where most of the One Piece world loves Luffy for being a liberator and a fearless captain, Ace loved him before all that—when he was just a kid who loved to laugh and share a meal and marvel at the world.

Oh my goddd I'm rambling. uuuuhhhh there's so much more, I love both when people write Ace as cool and suave, but also when he's a giant lovesick dork... The enemies/annoyance-to childhood friends-to lovers trope works in every world, I'd love to see it in AUs as like a bodyguard + celebrity/royalty plot, or arranged marriage—or pretty much, any story where Luffy wins Ace over with his terrifyingly stubborn love. I also love the fact that their dynamic is so playful!!! If an acelu fic/art doesn't imply that they can—and love—laughing together, then it's out of character to me. 😂

I don't know... they just have it all.... the depth and "I would die for you" level of devotion. But also the ridiculous "we're two feral gremlins who dare each other to eat doritos soaked in mountain dew" shenanigans. It's that mix of both.

#acelu #meta #headcanons #i'm going to stop now #but i COULD keep going #my god could I keep talking #part of me wants to do an annotation of every song i put on each of their playlists #maybe... another day...#also i didn't really touch on it but #the whole 'brother' thing #part of me loves that they mean so much to each other that #they chose to make each other family #but also they're so wild that of course they don't stick to the rules #they use the word 'brother' but i also could see them not even blinking at #realizing they have romantic feelings for each other #sure ace might hem and haw over it a bit but in the end #one word they chose when they were kids never really captured the entirety of what they mean to each other #OR not to totally out myself but #i've shipped siblings before and like #there's something about transgressing social norms bc the devotion to each other is just that strong #that always gets me #but i don't need to get into that right now #it's a long way to say that i would absolutely read a fic where #ace and luffy are brothers related by blood who run a gang or something #and have and would kill for each other #and also kiss sometimes

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l3viat8an · 1 year

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Heyyyy, cryptic pregnancy anon here again! I just wanted to say you were right; there’s no way the brothers wouldn’t all sense MC was in labor, or at least in a great deal of pain.

So here’s my better, more accurate hcs (with NO bloody details dw)

* Lucifer is probably the first to notice something is up, followed by Satan, then Mammon and Asmo, then Beel and Belphi, and Levi is the last to catch on, let’s be real here.

* Satan is the one to do all the, erm, medical stuff, because he has the most knowledge; he tries to tell lucifer something seems off about the baby (something about there being gold on the baby?), but lucifer is either too busy or the room is too loud for lucifer to properly hear him, and he’s more focused on Levi who’s looking rather feint. Lucifer focuses on keeping everyone else calm and barking orders at them. Mammon runs and gets the phone to call a real doctor, Asmo brings the fluffiest dry towels (warmed on his heated towel wrack to keep the baby warm ofc), Beel brings ice chips, Belphie holds MC’s hand to keep her calm, and Levi…is passed out on the floor atp. Beel and lucifer carry him off to a corner of the room so he doesn’t get stepped on or tripped over lmao.

* Once things have settled down, and the doctor has determined MC and the baby are ok, Lucifer orders everyone out of the room so MC can have some peace and quiet (everyone complains but ultimately comply when they see how haggard she looks). When they’re alone, Lucifer finally pulls her into his arms so he can hold her and get a good look at the new edition to the family.

* He damn near faints when he sees the little wings and horns just barely peaking out from their head and back. They’re both too small to have much shape yet, but the tips have an unmistakable gold coloration. And when he gets a good look at the gold triangular pattern on their little arms when they flail out of the fluffy towels bundled around them (Satan is very capable in a lot of areas, but probably not so good at swaddling a squirmy baby, so the swaddle was a little loose lmao), he knows immediately who the father is.

* Lucifer practically leaps from the bed and frantically pulls his DDD out to call Dia. He’s frantically speaking in infernal (so MC can’t hear him), and he looks like he’s about to cry. Not because he’s jealous or mad, but because he know how this could hurt his lovers.

* He and dia manage to work it out, but the like of paperwork on both men’s desks is historically tall. Barb and the brothers pitch in as much as they can, but even then the pile seems never-ending.

* With all the older bros and dia and Barb tied up with paperwork, Dia and luci decide it would be best for everyone to just stay where they are until the living arrangements can be properly sorted out.

* It’s hard on everyone, but when MC brings the smiling, cooing bundle into Lucifer’s office so Luci and Dia get a chance to bond with the baby too (Barb too but not as much since he takes over paperwork duty so the boys can hold the baby and whatnot), everyone decides it’s all worth it. Bonus thought for this one too: sleepy luci with a pen in one hand and the baby tucked snugly against him in the crook of his arm, fast asleep, while he does paperwork. Dia comes up behind him and kisses his forehead, and demands baby time.

* Speaking of dia with the baby: he’s a baby hog. He has them cradled in his arms as much as he possibly can. The way they yawn and snuggle into the warmth of his chest melts his heart and he genuinely starts crying every damn time.

* luci and dia can’t always take care of the baby tho bc of paperwork, but that doesn’t mean mc is alone in this; Uncle Asmo to the rescue! Asmo and Beel are basically co-parents atp. Beel loves bottle-feeding the baby, and Asmo loves bathing them and planning their outfits bc he gets to pamper them; no, really, this baby already has a 10-step skincare routine at two weeks old 😭🙌. Asmo isn’t as fond of diaper changes and spit-up, but he cleans them anyway because he genuinely worries about MC’s sleep, or lack thereof.

* Mammon tries to take care of the kid, but is too nervous to do it alone so he usually helps out in other ways, like cleaning the bottle when the baby falls asleep in beel’s arms so Beel can’t do it himself.

* Levi refuses to even be in the same room with the baby at first, but after a while warms up enough to try to talk to them and coo back at them. He nearly died of happiness when MC took them to his room when the baby was fussy and couldn’t sleep, but fell asleep as soon as they were in his room (Levi’s room is very blue and dim, both of which are calming to toddlers and babies, so it’d be a prime nap spot for a fussy baby).

* Speaking of naps: belphi is always there when it’s time for the baby to sleep, even if it cuts into his own nap time, so he can make sure the baby gets to sleep easily. MC has to buy a second bedside bassinet so the baby can sleep with belphi lmao (we promote safe sleep in this house! Even for titanium-strength royal demon babies!)

* Omg I just thought of when the baby is old enough to eat solid foods! Barb, Simeon, and Luke all have a “Baby Bake-Off” where they make baby-safe desserts for them to try, and whichever one they like the most wins! (C’mon, it’s dia’s baby, we all know Barb has this in the BAG, and wins every round lmaooo. He does remember what the young master liked as a baby, after all. Luke complains he has an unfair advantage).

* Context I forgot to mention earlier: I hc baby demons have little round stubs for horns and wings when they’re first born; both with sharpen and gain more size and definition/shape in about a week or so.

Hiiiii anon!!!

Satan being the most responsible and being the midwife is honestly so fitting-

I Absolutely lost it for a second at Levi passing out lmao because yea, we all know he would-

God all the paperwork is definitely a nightmare for everybody, Lucifer is skipping sleep the most tho and MC has to drag him into bed all the time (and he’ll only sleep an hour or two before going right back to work)

But whenever Lucifer has even a second of time he’s cooing over the baby and playing with them and letting MC get a break.

Diavolo is such a baby hog!!! He wants to constantly hold the baby, even doing paperwork or in meetings, whatever. He’s sure he can do everything one handed and keep the baby snug in his other.

Barbatos wants more time with the baby and he’s always asking Asmo for little pictures and update. For the young mater of course! It’s actually for a baby book or something- cuz yes Barbatos would be that uncle-

Another cute thing is Belphie and the baby go to Levi’s room for naps all the time!! Like if the baby is crying or MC needs a break and it’s Belphie turn to watch them he’s grabbing the baby and bassinet, going to Levi’s room and settling in. It’s just quieter, then the rest of the house and like you said the lighting is softer and relaxing. The baby sleeps almost the whole time and it gives Levi a chance to watch over them a bit too!

Ya know how they say a healthy baby has glowing skin? Yea this baby has glowing skin for life, with the way Asmo’s pampering them and making sure their sink is already flawless!

Mammon is constantly buying the baby little stuffed animals and toys whenever he’s out and see one he likes. Like the kid has sooooo many toys from uncle Mammon-

the baby bake off would be so cute and Barbatos half cheating by basically raising Diavolo is so funny to me hsjs

Ahhh there’s so much that could be added!!

Like, Dia and Lucifer arguing over baby outfits and if matching outfits with the baby is tacky or not dkhsks-

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caffedrine · 1 year

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Was playing memories of Christmas Chevalier Michel and the way he thinks about his grandfather. I him mc baked him a cake and cared about his health. Meanwhile

chevalier: the doctor told me you will soon die

Grandfather: my current condition now since I’m feeling better is a few more years

Chevalier: that is a long life span …

Mc: I’m glad your doing better

Grandfather: is all thanks to you 🥺*towards MC*

Chevalier:….

I like was mind blown is like chevalier can’t wait for him to keel over and die bruh then he’s like perplexed as to why his grandfather is so taken with MC instead of him his own blood ????

Bruh

Haha, Chevalier being Chevalier is a hard one to crack.

Keep in mind, Chevalier doesn’t have many (any?) good memories of his maternal grandfather. I think - possibly in the same event, Chevalier remembers how his mother brought him with her to visit his grandfather. Essentially it was uncomfortable, no one would talk, they would eat dinner in silence, and that would be the visit.

He doesn’t hate his grandfather the way he hates his father, but I get the sense there wasn’t any love there. He saw his grandfather, and his grandfather’s title (and all the duties associated) as one more responsibility to bear. It’s less that he’s waiting for his grandfather to die as it is him trying to figure out when he will need to administer the Michel lands and duties.

It’s not until Chevalier brings his Mc with him on a visit to his grandfather’s estate that it occurs to him that there could be a relationship worth salvaging there. My sense was that Chevalier was less surprised that his grandfather liked MC than he was that MC thought his grandfather was someone worth spending time with socially.

It’s why I like event Chevalier so much. He’s going from someone who barely sees family ties as worth the trouble, to someone who is discovering what it means to be a human with a support system. He’s learning how to rely on those closest to him and slowly open himself emotionally up to and be vulnerable around them.

I think also, Grandpa Michel is grabbing on the opportunity MC is providing to bond with his grandson. While it helps that MC is polite, well spoken, and easy to get along with, what Grandpa Michel really likes is her ability to bridge the emotional gap between him and Chevalier. I think, thanks to MC, grandpa Michel is able to see his grandson not as the monster his daughter feared, but as a good person who sees the world differently than most people.

He also probably wants great grandchildren.

#ikemen prince #ikepri #chevalier michel

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wutheringskies · 9 months

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

Hey! Thanks for your ask. I've never before really thought of ranking them all but here we go:

Top Five Characters (and WHYs)

1. Lan Zhan

"Lan zhan, are you hurt?" / "Of course not." | Just thinking about why Lan Zhan is my favourite makes my heart come out of my throat; but the things I absolutely love is: he's such a handsome beauty; so pretty, the zen-like state, the way he speaks so calmly, the "Mn, I'm here," the assurance and stability he possesses, the way he wouldn't even glance at people who are not worth his time, wordlessly he will help everyone he can without asking for anything, the true empathy he has, his dry humor and his displays of love, and his childish behavior and cuteness and just how strong he is; and just how he faced terrible, terrible shit and still decided to be kind.

for Lan zhan, I think of him, with his eyes soft, standing tall; taking in 33 strikes yet not admonishing wei ying who is gone, demanding to add wen Yuan to the Lan An line, drinking yet only hurting himself, not others, kneeling for 2 days for punishment for getting drunk (when he's injured) and willing to accept more punishment for injuring himself; think of his patience, gentleness, righteousness and his great sense of duty.

how he doesn't wish to indebt wei ying, how his love is so pure. "sunlight over snow"; I just feel like Lan Zhan is so good, so pure, and I love how he's so well rounded with giving him all these kinks, and passion and cold anger. I love him.

2. Wei Ying

Genuinely one of the most charming characters I've ever come across, definitely the one who suffered the most in the book yet could smile about it. he's confident, he's willing to face things, he's brave not for lack of fear, he teases and whines but is so comforting? his presence in the book is like, "don't worry, he's there. he will figure it out." though even he has limits.

just showing up to his own death planning party with 3000 cultivators asking and shouting for his demise and speaking out his mind; about righteousness and wrongs. I like to think of wei ying putting on his armor and marching straight to battle, the fire to Lan Zhan's ice. The darkness to his light and the smile to his sorrow.

3. Wen Qing

in my head I've already written such a long AU of wen qing being summoned back to life haha. i love tsunderes. i love girls. i love protective older sisters. i love doctors. wen qing is that, and more.

her genius is constantly downplayed in this fandom, but along with Wei ying, she was one of the brightest minds of their generation. i think of how brave you have to be, standing up along for your branch of people against a tyrannical relative you have, even in the throes of war, sticking to your duty. never harming, only healing. think of how she fainted when she wen ning dead, how she cried, how she was burnt to death to fulfil her duty to wei wuxian - she was one of the righteous ones. she could have killed WY and JC in the middle of the golden core transplant, dumped them to the Wens and asked for protection. but she went with crazy as fuck ideas; she helped build a home on a cursed hill. she adapted to everything and gave up everything and was kind, was nice, was fun, was brilliant and was loving.

My fourth favourite would be Mianmian (servant girl rose up to high ranks during the war, abandoned it all for a righteous cause, now goes where the chaos is with a husband who loves her, being hot and pretty af, gods) followed by Wen Ning (ah... Wei gongzi I'm sorry... I might have killed a couple hundred people) followed by the juniors.

Top 5 Favourite Moments

It's really hard to rank the moments because the plot is very well-tied. But, going by instincts:

1. If he catches me, I'll...

The whole scene beginning from the point wei ying and Lan zhan decide they don't wanna deal with the shitshow of insulting JGY and instead go to the night market, Wei ying wanting to show lan zhan every detail about his childhood, "i climbed this tree!" / "you have climbed every tree on our way here (fond)" / "but this one is special!!" and Lan Zhan asking "did it hurt?" (broke my heart goodness) and Wei Ying just having a flurry of thoughts and jumping down and saying yes it did, but now you caught me WHICH IS THE WHOLE THEME AHH.

2. Nightless City

Fuck. I'm sorry. Wei Wuxian is fucking breaking right now; it's his descent. We've seen him go through thing after thing and now he's finally shattering. He stood up against 3000 cultivators who wish to kill him, wearing robes dark as the night and he's crying and laughing and throwing back arrows and talking about right and wrong and I just. damn.

"Oh,” Wei WuXian helped him analyze, “If he wanted to to kill me, he didn’t have to think about whether it was a fatal blow or not, and if I died, it’d be my own bad luck. If I wanted to protect myself, however, I had to think about this and that not to harm, unable to take even a single strand of hair away from him? In conclusion, you all could pull a siege on me, but I’m not allowed to fight back, am I right?”

Wei WuXian’s voice dripped in ice, “Just who is the one mixing the black and the white? That’s right. If I wanted to kill him, I would’ve done it a year ago. I didn’t have to keep him until now. Or else, I’d forget such a person in no more than three days, much less a year.”

the fact he gains back control of his corpses and STOPS. he finally stops fighting back!!! just like everyone wanted!! because of which Jiang Yanli dies.

and then he snaps.

sexy.

3. Phoenix Mountain Hunt Kiss

there's something about Wei Wuxian throwing flowers at Lan Zhan, shooting blindfolded, proudly accepting the challenge to hunt like that, and going up a tree after taking 1/3rd of the prey to play Wangxian, and Lan Wangji just having enough, unable to reel his desires in and kissing him; something about Wei Ying stopping his resistance because the "maiden was trembling," and his legs being weak, about him finding Lan Zhan and Lan Zhan losing it and shouting, "GO AWAY", and Wei Wuxian's eyes getting teary and feeling insecure before his heart, which has always been soft for Lan Zhan, asking about him, if he's fine and "tell me if something is wrong :((" and Lan Zhan calming down and Wei Ying mourning the loss of his first kiss and probably thinking it could never be Lan Zhan.

4. Koi Tower

sorry I just think it's supremely hot to walk into the koi tower, take the alcohol they were forcing upon your pretty little boyfriend and throw it back down your throat and talk respectfully and then impatiently and then be a man with no status and yet scare the fuck out of everyone and walk out with your to be lover chasing the sight of you and asking "was he wrong tho"

5. Everyday is Everyday (Extended Chinese version scene)

"No need of sorry and thank you between us" followed by all the yearning for two decades resulting into a messy tumble and idk their dynamic just shines here; "you could pin me, you could - narrates explicitly what he wants to be done to him - and I wouldn't be able to resist!" -> Lan Zhan making him pay for every word -> Lan Zhan losing control and apologizing and bejng confused if Wei Ying wants it or not before understanding -> Wei Ying asking Lan Zhan for sex advice (relax...) -> their smiles and the teasing and the dialogues and the kisses and Lan zhan being jealous about that kiss and the revelation about his burn mark 😭

Hkdjsjsk I feel like I'm missing so many scenes here like the "I'm sorry for being presumptous / no, I was out of line" or the "Let losses and gains remain uncommented upon" or the whole conversation they have in Yueyang "I cannot comment without the whole picture / Lan Zhan, I admire you" or the "I was only gone for a few hours..." (I LOVE THIS ITS TOP 5 IDK WHERE BUT). Also the "ah, he doesn't know what to do after retirement? don't worry I will think for you... so we will get a house and he will cook..." or Lan Zhan drinking an empty cup of tea because he's panicked gay or Wei Ying running circles through his mind over "1 bed? 2 rooms? 1 room? 2 beds?"

Hehe! this was really long. Thanks for such a good ask, it was really fun to answer. Have a good day!

#ask #mo dao zu shi #mdzs #wei wuxian #lan wangji #wangxian

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