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ellecdc · 2 months

Note

Her darling

I was wondering if I could request Sirius black with a short gf? Something cute and fluffy or generally anything you like to go with because your writing is just immaculate.

(I’m not even sure if 5’3 is counted as short but I’ve always been the shortest among my friends so yeah)

Love you and your wonderful blog 🩵🩵

Hahaha I’m 5’3 too - stopped growing first out of all my friends so that was devastating lol. Thanks for your request babes!! 🫶

Sirius Black x short fem!reader

CW: teasing about height, fluff

Sirius was beginning to regret agreeing with James, Remus, Peter, and Lily to go to the muggle amusement park. Sirius was already one of the shortest amongst his friends, save Pete and Lily who both clocked in at 5’8, meaning most of his day was spent trying to climb onto Remus’ back in order to spot you in the crowd.

“For the love of Merlin, Sirius, I am not that short.” You seethed as you snagged Sirius’ arm, pulling him down (rather roughly) from Remus’ hips.

You could tell Remus didn’t particularly appreciate Sirius using him as a human stepladder, but he couldn’t help but appreciate the teasing opportunity it lent to the group.

“Poor darling,” Lily murmured in faux sympathy, “we’re going to have to find you one of those child leashes that parents attach to their child’s wrists.”

“Sod off, the lot of you.” You groaned and crossed your arms petulantly over your chest.

“Uh oh, almost nap time?” James commented, which earned him a kick in the shin. “Ouch! Okay, okay. Merlin.” He muttered as he moved well out of your kicking range.

“Sorry dollface,” Sirius sung to you, not sounding sorry at all. “I just worry; don’t want to lose you in the crowd.”

You moaned again but didn’t bother gracing him with a response.

You’d been waiting in the summer heat for the newest rollercoaster that was all the rage of this little town when you were nearly at the front of the line.

“Okay, quick. Y/N, stand here – we need to make sure you’re tall enough.” Peter called. And now you were mad – even Peter was taking a go at you!

“Are you- I will not!” You sputtered.

“Ma’am, please step forward.” The bored teenage attendant said, causing everyone in line to turn and look at you.

You burned with shame and more than a little bit of rage as you stepped forward obediently, standing beside the cardboard height measurement tool in the shape of cartoon giraffe which had a speech bubble above him reading “riders must be this tall to ride!”

Sure enough, you were indeed tall enough to ride, and were told to return to your spot in line with the same bored tone as you were beckoned forth in.

You moved back to the group; Remus, Peter, and Lily all looking as if they were about to suffocate under the effort to restrain their laughter, Sirius and James having no such qualms were laughing boisterously.

You spent the rest of the time in line with your arms crossed, pointedly ignoring any of your friends attempts to converse with you.

“Oh my love.” Sirius cooed and stepped up behind you, hooking his head over your shoulder and wrapping his arms around your middle, using his hands to try and pry your own arms from your body. “I’m sorry, dolly. I didn’t think the attendant would join in.”

“You’re an arse.” You muttered back.

“I’m your arse.”

“That’s not a romantic thing to say.”

“What would be a romantic thing to say?”

“That you love me.” You admitted shyly; glad that he couldn’t necessarily see the state of your cheeks, though he could likely feel the heat emanating from them from his place on your shoulder anyways.

Sirius cooed again and turned you in his grasp, peppering kisses all over your face. “I thought that was a given?”

You moaned petulantly again. “No. You’ve been so mean to me.”

“I’m sorry, lovie.” He cooed, sounding slightly more sorry than he had before. “If I was nice to you, that would mean I didn’t love you. That’s why I never make fun of Remus.”

“Oi!”

“I love you.” He proclaimed, ignoring Remus’ outcry. He leaned in closer, whispering so only you could hear it. “I’ll even beat up the attendant for embarrassing you – how about that?”

You considered his offer, eyeing up the bored worker ushering riders through the gates.

“Probably best you don’t – looks like a student’s summer job. You could end up in muggle jail for assaulting a minor.”

Sirius hummed in acknowledgement, lips attached to your forehead. “Worth it to avenge my little lovie.”

“Out of all of us, do you really love me the least?” Remus commented, interrupting your conversation.

“Of course not, Moons. I obviously tease Evans the least.”

“Hey!”

#ask elle #marauders era #marauders fanfiction #reader insert #self insert #sirius black #sirius black imagine #sirius black fic #sirius black x you #sirius black x reader #sirius black fluff #sirius black one shot #sirius x reader #ellecdc fics

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venus-haze · 15 days

Text

Power Play (Soldier Boy x Reader)

Summary: So, you lost focus and had a consensual workplace relationship. It happens all the time. Maybe not quite like this.

Note: Female reader, but no other descriptors are used. Crazy ass 80s Vought debauchery. I might be a little rusty, but it was fun getting back into writing readerfics after two months🖤 Do not interact if you’re under 18, terf or radfem, or post thinspo/ED content.

Word count: 1.5k

Warnings: Power imbalance, cheating (Soldier Boy’s with Crimson Countess). Mentions of drug use. Soldier Boy is his own warning. Sexually explicit content involving elements of forced intox, semi-public sex, breeding kink.

You were dizzy. With Vought’s investor gala rapidly approaching, you spent the better part of your day camped out in your office, flipping back and forth through your rolodex to call and confirm catering, entertainment—you still couldn’t believe the board of directors actually approved Duran Duran’s booking fee—and transportation, off the top of your head. You already told Stan Edgar you were taking the following week off, which he had no qualms about—so long as the gala went off without a hitch.

You nearly jumped out of your skin when you were interrupted by a knock at your office door, which you’d left open in an effort to be available in the lead up to the event.

“Don’t tell me Edgar’s got you working tonight,” Soldier Boy said, walking in when he saw he had your attention.

“The most important night of the year is less than a week away and I still have a to-do list as long as your dick, so, yeah.”

He huffed out a laugh. “Must be pretty busy then.”

“How about you? Where’s Countess?” you asked.

Soldier Boy probably would have sought you out even if Crimson Countess were around, but from what you’d been hearing through Vought’s extensive grapevine, they were in yet another rough patch. Though, it seemed to you like their relationship was one long, extremely rough patch with some calm once in a blue moon. You weren’t afraid to admit to yourself that you ate up the gossip of their relationship like candy, especially when the other members of Payback—including Countess herself—would rant to Edgar about it. Since your office was right next to his, and most supes had little to no sense of subtlety, you could hear just about everything.

“She’s at one of those wildlife charity things, pandas or some bullshit.” He rolled his eyes. “Bitched at me because I wouldn’t go. She won’t be back until Friday.”

“Soldier Boy, I can’t just—“

“Sure you can. I mean, I’m technically your boss too, aren’t I?” he asked. “So, I say there’s no harm in taking a ten, fifteen minute break. Relieve some stress.”

You sighed. It had been a while since you actually got up from your desk. “Alright. Fifteen minutes, tops.”

He grinned. “Now we’re talking. You keep that minibar stocked?”

“Pick your poison.”

“Whiskey?”

“Sure.”

At least, you were pretty sure. The minibar in your office served as a nice gesture for the variety of people who’d come into your office for meetings related to all of the aspects of event planning you were in charge of. Over the past few weeks, though, you’d been reaching for bottles of whatever you could find to relieve the stress. Powdered your nose every so often, but tried not to make that a habit—not that you blamed your coworkers who did. Working at Vought was brutal and demanding, but hell, who else got to work with superheroes? Especially handsome, smarmy assholes who knew just how to fuck the lingering thoughts of any deadline or event planning out of your mind if you played your cards right.

He handed you a shot glass. “What should we toast to?”

“To taking next week off.”

“Yeah? What’ve you got planned?”

You threw back your shot. “Nothing.”

“That’s no fun. How does a few days in Miami sound?”

You nearly scoffed. Of course he could make something like that happen on such short notice. For forty years running he was America’s superhero and Vought’s cash cow. After a night of schmoozing at the investor gala, he could very well clear out his schedule and fuck off for a week of sun, sand, and sex, too.

“I might need some convincing.”

“Then make yourself comfortable,” he said, walking back to the minibar to pour another shot for each of you. Almost comical, he’d have to drink the whole bottle and then some to feel the same way you did after two shots.

You glanced at the open door. “Someone might see.”

“Are you gonna make me repeat myself?”

Sparing the door one more glance, you worked at unbuttoning your blouse, tossing it aside. You shimmied out of your skirt and let it fall to the floor.

“Heels stay on,” he said, his back to you. “Everything else off. Everything.”

With a hesitant huff, you unhooked your bra and pulled off your panties, throwing them in his direction when he turned around with the shot glasses. You made yourself comfortable on top of your desk, pushing some of your belongings aside to accommodate you.

He whistled lowly as you quickly finished off the second shot he gave you. “Look at you sitting pretty for me.” His green eyes burned a hole through you, though your gaze was fixed on the prominent bulge in his pants. He brought his shot glass to your lips. “Drink up, sweetheart.”

And you did, forcing the alcohol down as your vision blurred with tears at the unrelenting burning in the back of your throat. Felt some whiskey dripping from the corners of your mouth when you drained the shot glass. He collected the excess from your lips with his thumb, sucking it clean as he kept his eyes locked with yours.

“See how much fun we have together?” he asked, leaning over you until you laid back on top of your desk. “Could do that all next week.”

He kissed you, hard and mean like you needed him to. Perfect teeth that caught your bottom lip between them for a moment before releasing. Whiskey on his tongue that went to your head even though you knew he could hardly feel it. Rough hands feeling up your breasts, giving your nipples a harsh tug that made you moan in his mouth.

“You’re soaked,” he said, his voice husky as he rubbed his fingers between your slick folds with tantalizingly slow strokes. “If you wanted it, all you had to do was ask.”

“Fuck,” you whispered.

“What was that?”

You groaned in frustration. “Just fuck me already.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice.”

His mouth was on yours again, nearly distracting you from the sound of a zipper, the your gut clenching in anticipation as he pulled his cock from his pants.

It’d been a while since you had to brace yourself to take him, but you were wet, and maybe a little more than tipsy, so your body gave little resistance when he slid his cock inside you. Though, if Soldier Boy were anything, it was a guy who took what he wanted anyway, giving you hardly a second to get used to the feeling of how his cock stretched your pussy before he was pounding into you with harsh, unforgiving thrusts that made you grip the edge of your desk.

Sometimes you forgot how strong he was. Hell, so did he, and there was little else you could do but lay there and take what he gave you. In all honesty, it was nice letting someone else take charge after having to hold it together all day. Let him fuck the stress out of you and replace it with all the aches and bruises that came with having sex with the strongest man on earth.

“Harder,” you forced out, pushing that damn rolodex onto the floor.

“I go any harder, I’m gonna break you in half, and I don’t wanna do that until I’ve got you locked away in a hotel room for a week.”

“What are you gonna do to me?”

“Whatever the fuck I want. Not like I don’t already.”

You moaned. “Soldier Boy—”

“I’m not pulling out, so you better be on the pill or say your damn prayers,” he growled, his hot breath kissing your skin. You were on the pill, but nevertheless your hips bucked at his words, pussy clenching around his cock. “Oh shit, you want that, don’t you?”

“Yes—oh my god!” you cried out, muscles cramping as your orgasm pulsed through you, pleasure stealing your breath, choking you gently enough to leave you dizzy. “Yesyesyes—fuck!” Your heart was beating so fast you thought it was going to explode in your chest, especially as he kept mercilessly pounding into you, chasing his own release.

He soon came with a groan, his cock twitching inside you as he bottomed out, practically knocking the wind out of you with a particularly hard thrust.

You felt empty and sticky when he pulled out, and you didn’t want to think about the poor soul who was gonna be cleaning the mess you and him left behind the following morning, because you sure as hell weren’t in any shape to clean up the cum that was leaking out of you and onto the floor.

You put your hands on your chest, trying to catch your breath as he stood over you. The guy hardly broke a sweat, and you felt like you just ran the New York City Marathon. Super stamina. God fucking bless America.

“Hey,” he said, waving his hand in front of your face. “You good?”

“Sure,” you managed to answer. “Except now I don’t know how I’m gonna walk out of here, let alone get home later.”

“The ride up to the 99th is quicker. And if you need more convincing about Miami—“

You pursed your lips, considering the work you still had left to do before you could reasonably call it a night. But you were tired, and admittedly drunk, and Soldier Boy was already hard again. “I might.”

#soldier boy x reader #soldier boy the boys #the boys x reader #the boys #the boys amazon #the boys tv #the boys soldier boy #the boys imagine #soldier boy imagine #soldier boy smut #im a feminist i promise #but do you ever think about how that man could literally break you in half if he wanted to?

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killerlookz · 2 years

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Ok, another for the celebration. I never told you what I do for a living - Eddie Munson, using his cuffs on his gf for the first time (or maybe letting her use them on him?? or both?? dealer's choice!)

oh goodness this request is.... whew.... mighty hot! thank you for requesting :))

this request was part of my 1.5k celebration, want to join? look here!

Gag Gift | Eddie Munson (NSFW)

content: 18+ ONLY!, f! reader, play fighting, kind of noncon use of handcuffs (pls don't be alarmed hahaha it's of absolutely no distress to the reader!!... youll see what i mean lol), dirty talk, very brief grinding, implied smut, brief mention of drug use

word count: 1k

"Y/N, I swear to god get your ass back here," Eddie shouted, trailing not all too far behind you as you run the length of his trailer. You couldn't keep your panted giggles to yourself as your feet hit the floor below, Eddie's cassette of Metallica's Ride The Lightning in hand.

The pair of you had been sitting in some lawn chairs lounging just outside the trailer since morning, smoking a joint and soaking in the nice summer day- well, it would have been a nice summer day if Eddie hadn't been playing that damn album over and over and over again. You had no qualms with your boyfriend's music taste, but you were pretty sure you were going to lose your god damn mind if you had to hear James Hetfield's screeching voice over the scratchy, blown-out speakers of Eddie's boom box one more time.

So, naturally, you did what any rational person would do, instead of simply asking Eddie to change the tape which he was very unlikely to do, you hurried over to the boom box and snatched the tape right out. Leading you to your little predicament now,

"Come and catch me," You tease, racing towards Eddie's bedroom. You flick your head back for a split moment, noticing just how close to you Eddie's long legs had taken him- even despite his head start.

You'd found yourself having made it to Eddie's room, stepping beyond the entryway you move to shut the door behind you to keep Eddie out. But Eddie is too fast, slipping himself through the doorframe just as you were about to slam it shut. You were fucked now. One of Eddie's arms lurches forward, capturing the wrist of your empty hand in his firm grasp, pulling you towards him.

The two of you are laughing profusely as Eddie tries to keep up his tough-guy act with you, struggling to take the tape from your hands as you hold it behind your back.

"Come on y/n, give it back!" He says, swiping his free hand forward to try to reach behind your back and take the tape.

"No, that ruins the fun," You giggle, screeching slightly when Eddie's hand swipes a little too close to the tape.

"God," He sighs, exasperated as he makes another attempt to snatch the tape away from your squirming body. His attempt fails once more as you flinch, turning away from Eddie's hand.

"Ooh" You taunt, "Too slow!"

Eddie shakes his head before his eyes flicker to the wall next to the two of you, a small smirk landing across his face. Before you can even process what he was smirking at, you feel your arm being pulled forward, Eddie using all of his strength to get your body close to his. Swiftly, as he yanks you to him, you're being turned so your back is pressed against Eddie's stomach, his arm reaching forward, locking you against him with his forearm.

"Eddie, let me go," You whine, writing against his grasp,

"Nuh, uh uh," He hums, now being able to easily scoop the tape from your distracted hands. You pout, knowing you've been defeated when you feel the plastic leave the loosened grip of your fingertips. There's a faint thud as Eddie throws the tape onto his bed, leaving it completely out of your reach.

Eddie's forearm pushed against your stomach as he pulls you closer to him, leaning over to whisper in your ear, "Think I need to take some extra precautions to make sure you don't go stealing anything else," His voice is low and gravelly- the tone sends shivers down your spine as his hot breath falls against your neck. Despite sensing that there is still a lightheartedness to Eddie's voice- the change in pitch, the way he's holding you, the feeling of his breath against your skin all has you feeling a certain type of way. You stop writing against Eddie as your fluster starts to take hold of you, arousal already beginning to creep up against your thighs.

You can hear the sound of metal clinking as Eddie brings his free hand forward, grabbing hold your non-captured arm and forcing it backward. Now that he's got a firm grip on one of your hands, he lets go of your middle, still, you barely put up a fight as he moves his now free hand to grab your other hand and bring it to your back. He tugs at your arms as he pushes your wrists together before you feel a cooled metal latch around one of your wrists, clicking, and then the other.

Your eyes shoot open wide at the realization of what Eddie had done, you'd seen those novelty handcuffs hung up on Eddie's wall a million times over again. You remember the first time you laid eyes on them, teasing Eddie about being kinky for having them and him telling you that they had been a gag gift he was given one year for his birthday by a past Hellfire club member.

Eddie had never expressed an outward interest in using them sexually, and you didn't either, in fact, it had never really been brought up between the two of you again. As far as you were concerned, they were there strictly for decoration- but as the metal tightened around your wrists, there was a certain thickness that began to build in the air. The small act that had started as just a jokey way for Eddie to get back at you for stealing his things had suddenly turned into something more.

You bite at your lip, throwing your head back ever-so-slightly to lean against Eddie's shoulder, your back arching to press your ass against Eddie's crotch.

"You gonna teach me a lesson, huh big boy?" The words fall out of your mouth salaciously, low, almost mocking as if they were something straight out of a porno.

Eddie's grip falls from your hands now that the metal is locked tightly in place. Eddie takes a deep inhale in, pushing your back even farther forward. You deepen your teasing position against Eddie's crotch, shifting your hips back and forth, grinding your ass against Eddie's thighs.

"Mhm," Eddie mumbles, moving forward, his mouth resting just under your jawline, "Gotta make sure my baby learns how to be a good girl."

A familiar tingle began to creep up into your lower stomach at Eddie's words, a signal that the fun was only just getting started.

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson smut #joseph quinn #stranger things #eddie munson drabble #anya's drabbles

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pochipop · 1 year

Note

Hi! I'm not sure if you write for Black Clover(?) or if the artist s/o headcanons were just a one time thing, –but I was wondering if I could get a oneshot of Zora who mistakingly thinks the reader is a royal when she actually just has pretty strong illusion magic and gives off a more sophisticated/elegant vibe?

＃BLACK CLOVER !! ♡ — LOVER, FIGHTER (ZORA X READER).

#. synopsis! — zora has never liked royals, -but he does like you .

#. characters! — zora .

#. warnings! — mentions of canon-typical violence/injuries .

#. word count! — 2.5k .

#. alt accounts! — @ddollipop (nsfw) @yyolkchi (reblog/spam) .

#. others! — navigation & masterlist .

#. a/n! — sorry for being really inactive, my first semester of university just finished today and i've been struggling with some depression since the cold weather moved in; but i'm hoping to find the motivation to finish up at least a few stories during my winter break. :)

"You're tougher than you look," Zora comments, turning his sharp gaze toward you with a little sparkle in his eyes that you've never seen before.

You're not sure what it means or represents, but you don't have the nerve to ask, either. Zora doesn't exactly intimidate you, —that might be a bit too bold a word to use, but you do feel anxious around him. Like you have something to prove, even when you know you really don't. Sure, he's technically your superior, but so is Finral, and you don't have any qualms about speaking to him. Or Gordon, or Magna, or Vanessa, even captain Yami himself. . . This is a feeling reserved specifically for Zora, and you don't fully understand why. Maybe it's that mask he wears, which is as admittedly cool, but also mystifying. It shrouds Zora in a layer of the unknown. Maybe it's those razor-sharp teeth lining his mouth. Maybe it's the fact that he's a complete and utter menace around the base from time to time. Or, maybe it's something completely different altogether. . .

"Do I look weak?" You ask in reply.

"No," he shakes his head, not even pausing to think about it.

That makes you oddly happy. It's not praise, but from what you understand, Zora rarely, if ever, gives that out, —and his words feel close enough to a compliment to have to count for something. At least to you, anyway.

"Not weak. Just. . . Elegant, I guess is the right word for it. You don't look like you'd be wielding illusion magic."

"Well, that makes one of us," you answer jokingly, "you look exactly like someone wielding trap magic."

For a moment, you worry your joke has fallen on deaf ears. Or even worse, that it's fallen on ears that heard it, but actively disliked what you'd said.

Thankfully, he offers you a small chuckle in response. It's a nice, smooth laugh that makes your heart jump in your chest a little. This is the first time you've heard him laugh over something you said, and it fills you with some semblance of pride that you didn't have before.

"Didn't know you had the nerve to make a joke like that," he notes, "—does that mean you're not scared of me anymore?"

Your gaze flickers to the ground in embarrassment as you try to laugh the question off. It sounds painfully awkward in your own two ears.

"Who said I was ever scared of you?" You ask a question of your own in reply.

"You didn't really need to. I have a bit of a knack for picking up signals, and yours have been on high alert around me for. . . Well, for forever, I guess," Zora shrugs.

He doesn't seem particularly upset about it. His comment is more observational than anything else, —like he's pointing out a fact that he's utterly indifferent to. You're relieved that his feelings weren't hurt by your actions, deliberate or not, but you still have to wonder how he managed to see right through you so easily. Up until now, you figured you'd done an okay job concealing your nerves around him since he'd never commented on anything of the sort, and you knew him well enough to know that he didn't mince words with anyone. It was fair game if he could sense it, at least most of the time.

"I-Its not so much fear, really, I just. . ." You pause, hoping that the right words come to you quickly like a dog to your beckoning whistle.

They don't.

"Hey," he laughs, turning around to face you completely as he stops in his tracks.

"It's fine. You think I'm not used to reactions like that by now? Come on," he gives your shoulder a small push for emphasis.

It's the good one, —the one he knows you didn't get hit in during the battle. The other is fine, just a little sore and a dull ache lingers in the muscles there; but he still chose to avoid it, and something tells you that it was very intentional. You realize then that Zora likely pays a lot more attention to not just you, but his entire group of squadmates, more than he'd ever be willing to fess up to.

You feel your body relax naturally. Not fully, but enough to be noticeable, and you give Zora a small smile.

"Thank you for your help back there," you say to him genuinely, "I really appreciate it. And I'm glad that Yami paired us together for this mission. . . I feel like I know you better now."

"Enough talking, princess," he quips, turning opposite of you and quickly walking away, long legs striding in even steps, “—if we actually want to eat something for dinner, we’ll need to get back soon.”

Heat rushes to your face at the nickname. Of all the things he could have said, —why on Earth did it have to be that? A part of you wants to believe it has something to do with that elegant comment he made, but another part worries that it represents something much more unsavory. Zora doesn't like royals. . . So why would he be calling you a princess as any form of compliment, or even observation?

Before you can think too much of it, you feel something move on your shoulder. Your head snaps to the side, only to be met with the painfully familiar stripes of a rainbow stink bug, —the kind Zora loves to place on people at random just for the heck of it. You make haste of flicking the insect off you, but you're a little too late.

"Zora!"

As time goes on, Zora no longer spares you from his pranks. Asta remains his favorite person to antagonize, of course, but you just might be a close second. Even so, you don't really feel like his actions come from a place of malice. . . They're never damaging in the long run, just playful antics that he (and you as well, sometimes,) can get a laugh out of. Looking back on it, you almost feel better about the fact that he doesn't exclude you from his hijinks anymore. Maybe it's a sign that things between the two of you are moving in the right direction! More team unity can't be a bad thing.

Sure, it might get a little annoying flicking rainbow stink bugs out of your room every once in a while, but Zora's loyalty makes up for that, —especially in battle. His help never goes unnoticed. He often has your back before you can even think about having his, and it shocks you every time, though you should probably be used to it by now.

"Are you alright?" He questions, giving you a sideways glance as he stays alert, just in case anymore enemies try to come at him sideways.

You're sitting upright against the thick trunk of a tree, breathing slightly ragged and lungs aching from the strain. Your ribs hurt like never before. It was unusual for anyone to fight so roughly in close combat, but you'd been taken by surprise along with the other members of the Black Bulls, and now you were just trying to stay out of their way. It was very unlike you to be taken out in battle, —in fact, it hadn't happened once since you were a newbie and Yami directed you out of the line of fire in order to protect you just in case. Even then, it was more about having the opportunity to watch and grow than anything else.

"I'll be fine," you tell Zora a little breathlessly, arm coming around to clutch at your throbbing torso, "just go. Make sure everyone else has backup."

"Don't be stupid," he snaps, still not looking your way, "—Luck and Magna will be fine on their own, and Asta has to be there with them by now. If I left you here alone, you wouldn't be able to defend yourself, and then what?"

It really isn't that he's looking down on you. Much the opposite, he seems to hold enough respect for you to know that you'd want to do things by yourself, but is actively refusing to let you for your own sake. And maybe for his own to a certain extent as well.

"They need you more than I do," you answer, "I just need to catch my breath. Just go, and I'll catch up with you."

"Shut up!" He scolds, turning to lock eyes directly with you.

You've never seen this side of Zora before. He's mad, —angered in a way that feels so unfamiliar. A million times over you've heard him tear royals apart with his harsh words, and you've seen him slit through enemies with the same intensity, but to have it directed at you feels like a loaded gun is being held to your head and you're just waiting for the trigger to be pulled.

"I hold my tongue when it comes to you because you don't rub being royalty in anyone's face, —and I like that about you. But you don't always get to play the hero," he rants, each word more lethal than the last.

You open your mouth to speak, but he doesn't give you the chance. He's mad, and that much is more than obvious, but he's also. . . Worried? Scared? Anxious? Maybe all three and more, or nothing and less. You can't seem to put your finger on it. All you really know is that this side of Zora is frantic and explosive, but definitely not uncontrollable. You don't feel threatened by him in this state, —just surprised.

"Your magic is strong, and we both know that, but you aren't invincible. You have to know when enough is enough, or you'll drag everyone else down with you in the long run. It's useless to fight when you're way past your limits, and this just is what it is right now. If being protected by a lowly little commoner like me makes you feel like your high status has been stripped away, then cry about it later, because right now, you don't have any other options."

"Zora—" you try, but he refuses to let you get a word in edgewise, assuming you're going to argue with him on this.

"No!" He exclaims, "just sit there! I know the grass isn't fancy silken sheets, but you'll just have to get over it. I'm not asking you to leave this alone and just let me take care of it, —I'm telling you that's what's happening, and if you have a problem with that, it's just too damn bad."

Before you can manage to process everything well enough to respond thoughtfully, a familiar face is rushing toward the scene.

"Oh gosh," Noelle huffs, "just stay still y/n, I'll heal you as well as I can."

"Zora! A little help over here?" Vanessa calls out irritably.

"You can go," Noelle tells him before he can protest, "I'll stay here with y/n. The sooner we get rid of these guys, the faster this can all be over and done with."

He hesitates, but knows he doesn't have a genuine excuse to stay any longer now that Noelle is here. There's so much you need to say to him, —so much you need to explain. But now isn't the time for that, so you watch with half lidded eyes as Zora spares you a small glance before rushing off to assist Vanessa.

"Zora?" You approach him later on as the day bleeds into night.

He frowns.

"You should be resting," he comments bluntly.

"I know," you acknowledge, "but. . . There's just some things we need to talk about."

"If you're about to scold me for what I said earlier, —don't bother. I know it was harsh, but it was true, and I won't apologize for saying something I believe," he tells you matter-of-factly.

That is so achingly like him. It's almost amusing.

"I'm not looking for an apology," you shake your head, "—you were right, at least somewhat. I should be more aware of when enough is enough so I don't get in everyone else's way. I understand that."

You swear you could see a glimmer of pride in Zora's eyes, one that was both for you as much as it was for himself. Still, you don't comment on it.

"But I need to tell you that I'm not royalty, and I'm really not sure what gave you that impression of me," you say.

He pauses, blinking silently. Of all the things you could have said, he was taking that the hardest. It dawns on you that he more than likely had his entire impression of you built on the assumption that you were of a noble bloodline. This must be hard to swallow, and you're not naive enough to deny him that.

". . . Really?" Zora finally asks, eyes squinting at you in confusion.

"Really," you nod, "—I'm from a small town east of the Capitol. Not necessarily in the sticks or anything, but nowhere near being a city. My parents are both farmers, and I was born and raised a commoner."

The look on his face tells you that he doesn't believe you, or at the very least that he's having a rather difficult time processing all of this new information. Somehow, the worst part of it all in his mind is that he liked you way too much even when he thought you were nobility. You weren’t like the wealthy, high class royals that always poked at him, and worse, his father, every chance they got. You accepted him in a way he’s not sure anyone else ever has; —stink bug pranks and all.

In a rare show of vulnerability, he reaches out to graze his fingertips against your own.

“I didn’t mean to make unfair judgments about you,” he notes. “For once, I didn’t even mean that I thought you were a noble in a bad way. I saw the intensity of your magic and just assumed you were one, but I still. . .”

When he pauses, you dare to press for a continuance.

“Still. . .?”

He almost clams up, but the words come tumbling from his lips before he has the chance to filter or water them down somehow.

“I still had a lot of respect for you, and I ended up liking you anyway.”

Your eyes widen in surprise at his admission, but you can’t help the way a smile tugs at the corners of your lips.

“Like in what sense?” You inquire.

Zora’s stunned by your display of boldness for a moment, but quickly shakes his head.

“No more questions,” he dismisses your inquiry, reaching out to clutch at your wrist. “You shouldn’t even be out here asking me things, —you should be resting. So go do that instead of bothering me.”

In spite of his words, his grip lingers on your wrist for much longer than need be. You take his advice and make your way back to your room, but each time you let your mind wander, it travels back to Zora and your heart flutters happily in your chest.

#black clover #black clover reader insert #black clover x reader #zora #zora ideale #zora x reader #zora ideale x you #zora ideale x reader insert #zora ideale x y/n #zora ideale x reader fluff #black clover x reader fluff #black clover x you #black clover x y/n #zora x you #zora x y/n #zora x reader fluff #black clover zora #black clover zora x reader #black clover zora x reader fluff

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cohandshake · 2 months

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I’m aware that this is going to be a horrendously unpopular opinion—which is why I’m doing it on a dead side blog rather than my main

I honestly don’t understand people who listen to artists whose whole shtick is “I’m an awful person and everyone I know leaves me because I use and abuse them”, and then are shocked when the artist turns out to be an awful abusive person. Like, what were you expecting?

I keep seeing all these people saying “well, how was I supposed to know he was bad? How was I supposed to be able to tell?” And then they’re all like “ohhh woe is me, I can’t believe I loved these albums! I’m going to have to get rid of all this stuff I got and completely rearrange my whole life!” Like??? If you liked the songs so much that your whole room is plastered with posters and merch… surely you listened to the lyrics??? At no point was he ever trying to hide the fact he’s like this, it’s all over his songs.

One thing that also gets me, it’s that everyone is now like “if you support or like his stuff you’re a terrible person” and like. That’s valid. But YOU liked his stuff where he made no qualms or effort to hide this, before. Does no one have any kind of critical thought? Like, when you hear the lyrics, you just think “oh yeah, this is a totally normal line” and move on? To say that “oh he tricked all of us into listening and liking his stuff and being a rabid fan”, like you weren’t tricked. The only trick he played was being a “hot guy online” that everyone seemingly collectively decided was great because of that.

or is it being faced with the actuality that’s horrifying? by your own logic, you’re also just as complicit. — this isn’t to say that I don’t understand standing in solidarity with victims that have spoken out, and the purging of his work being part of that. I just think it’s a little hypocritical to get on your high-horses and say everyone is a peace of shit if they don’t immediately disavow his stuff, since the signs have been there from the start.

And this also isn’t to say that I didn’t like his music. I did and I do. In fact, I only know of him BECAUSE of his music (I found him when he was still covering pat the bunny and wingnut dishwashers union). I’ve had no illusions of him being a good guy, and still consumed his work— did I know just what kind of piece of shit he was? No. Maybe because I’ve only known him for his music that makes me so critical of most of the reactions. I didn’t have the chance to be pulled in by a “nice guy act” online like so many people seemingly have.

Speaking of his online personas, it does make me wonder how no one apparently thought he was bad before this? Like I’ve read some fics (not enjoying Minecraft doesn’t mean the fics aren’t good) and people generally and routinely portrayed him as this manipulative, erratic, controlling guy — even when writing him as the good guy, they still always included elements of these personality traits in the work. And now, I see artist after artist discontinuing and deleting works (and if this is what makes them feel better, fair play) saying that “they cant continue writing/drawing his character now they know the truth about him” but at the same time they were always so vocal about “I write about the c! not the cc!” Like if you were truly separating the character from the actor, would so many of you be speaking this way? Looking at the rampant amount of Harry Potter fanfics (not even starting on the manacled debacle), then no — the artist and the work are only connected when it’s live action amateurs.

And also, if you’re THIS distraught over some guy YOU DONT KNOW turning out to be terrible, get some help, that’s not normal i don’t think — or it shouldn’t be, the internet and social media has normalized being strangely attached to strangers and celebrities that you otherwise wouldn’t be.

#wilbur soot #wilbur situation

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cursedvibes · 4 months

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Can I ask your top 10 fav fics ever (from any fandom, if you don't mind)?

Also, just curious, is there a story behind your name "cursedvibes "?

I called myself "cursedvibes" because I thought that's the kind of impression the fics I want to write give off. My first beta reader @kaitakushi agreed (hehe) and so it was decided. As for fanfics, I'm not really gonna rank them but more list them by fandom...

JJK

Complicity by SenZen_Travers

Mahito/Kenjaku and my favourite fic of their ship. The characterization is really good and this might sound silly, but I'm glad Kenjaku is allowed to bottom here for once (very rare with Kenjaku ships in general unfortunately...)

King's Ascent by Acromos

Unfinished, but best Sukuna/Uraume fic I've ever read. Uraume is asexual and nonbinary. Love the world building and general prose here. Most of the chapters are focused on how the two grew up and they only really meet in the last one, but it's still incredibly good.

CSM

Well Prepared by Gay_as_fuck

Fic about Santa Claus and Tolka, his feelings for her and how she used him and gradually turned him into a weapon. There are only two fanfics about Santa Claus on AO3, but I'm glad this is one of them, it has exactly what I'm looking for. It's sweet, but also eerily creepy.

Houseki no Kuni

Shards of the Two of Us by undeadrabbit

Technically Kongo/Phos, but their love is platonic. Absolutely wonderful, kind of like someone wrote down all my thoughts about what happened between scenes or you got some additional canon material. Very heartbreaking to see them slowly drift apart and hurting themselves and each other despite still caring about the other.

Naruto

xenograft by Misfit_McCoward

AU where Sakura becomes Orochimaru's student while he's in Konoha and they do lots of experimentation together, on humans and animals alike. I like how Sakura slowly gets sucked in deeper in Orochimaru's machinations and loses any moral qualms she would otherwise have about the research they are doing, going so far as to compromise her own health for it. Just the sort of Mad Scientist story I like.

Be It Ever So Humble by Orochimartyr (ffnet)

A civilian enters one of Orochimaru's abandoned bases and inspects what has been left behind. I love stories that show the horror we are often familiar with in a story from the perspective from an outsider, especially if it involves the discovery of medical malpractice. There's a creeping sort of terror as we discover with this person what happened and piece together what horrible acts have been committed here. It actually really influenced my writing and was what I always aspired to write as well.

JJBA

can you tell that I like the Pillar Men?

I'll Follow You by Opus_Love

A Kars and Pillar Men origin story with Fix-It elements to it, since this is the 37th version of Kars we follow and this time he has the chance to make things right and not lose everything only to be cast into space. I especially love the slow development of Esidisi and Kars relationship and the little tidbits of information we get about the society they originated from.

We turn that old wheel round again by dratinigirl

AU where Kars lands on Earth again after being shot into space, but it's present day and Esidisi has been incarnated as a regular human, which gives Kars quite the culture shock. Very sweet, a bit angsty, but all ends well.

Youth, Man, and Father by dratinigirl

Another Pillar Men origin story. What can I say, I love the whole culture and society people come up with and I'm a sucker for EsiKars slowburn.

Monster

Five Roads Home by Lindra (ffnet)

Post-canon. Dieter and Johan bond over the child abuse they suffered and how it affects them even now. Johan is being cagey of course, but still more friendly than during canon events. It feels in-character though. Also found it nice to see Johan living as a woman now, but removed from the identity of "Anna".

#order of fandoms doesn't mean anything either it's just how I have my bookmarks organized #asks #jujutsu kaisen #chainsaw man #houseki no kuni #naruto #jjba #naoki urusawa's monster

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tio-trile · 8 months

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Curious about your opinion on something. GO is one of my favorite books. I liked S1 well enough despite the annoying character differences. S2 was like…you know when you start reading a fanfic and halfway through you realize it’s bad, but not SO bad that you can get over the sunk costs, so you kind of lazily skimread to the end? That is S2 to me.

Anyway - I love Tennant & Sheen (Staged is the best show to come out of Good Omens) but while Sheen really sold the romance, I just did NOT get it from Tennant in S2. Some dialogue, sure, but the actual acting? Didn’t see it there. Which made the confession even more out of left field. Do you think that’s a deliberate character choice, bad writing/development, or just some lackluster acting (God forgive me)? Or another thing?

Like…if you wanna give me fanfic, give me horny fanfic. Feels like Sheen is the only one who Gets It. To me.

If a fanfic opened the same way as S2 did and called itself "canon-compliant" I straight up would not have continued reading it because that is not a setting or trope I enjoyed. I only finished the season because......it's Good Omens season 2 after all, and idk, I still had hope that that it'll get better or it'll wrap up nicely. (Look where we are now LOL) As to what you said about Tennant's performance -- I honestly didn't think there was anything wrong with the acting aspect of it? I think he did a similar job performing in season 2 as season 2, if not better. The qualms I had with the season were purely from the script and the dialogue that the actors were given.

#ask #anonymous #good omens critical #good omens season 2 #gos2 spoilers

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yonemurishiroku · 11 months

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Give me a list of all your Nico ships,I don't care how long it is or even who you ship him with,I want to know (Favourite Nico Ship?)

Yeah I want to know too.

No seriously. At this point I can't even keep track of my pairing list. It also doesn't help that I can practically eat everything that has Nico in it - regardless of... everything else. Jesus Christ.

But since you asked, I gotta try my best. I guess it's also a good chance for me to wrap up my own messy thoughts too---

Welp. Let's see. A list of Nico ships I actively contribute in because I have no idea what I know of at this point:

Solangelo, Jasico, Percico: have written about/ have plans to write about

Nico/Alabaster: tons of ideas and headcanons but have yet to decide on a writing plan. I could kill for them tho.

Thanatos/Nico: written one fanfic. Would love to write more but I run out of ideas

SELFCEST NICO. I'M SERIOUS FIGHT ME.

Eros (Cupid)/Nico: once unhealthily enjoyed making Love-you-like-an-enemy headcanons. Still do.

Erebus & Nico: I wouldn't say this as a ship... unless the term 'platonic ship' exist. I prefer to think of them as... soulmates? What do you call two lonely souls seeking each other's company?

Now to the pairings which I leech from others' content, meaning: consume but yet to contribute

Magnus/Nico: It exists and it's true and it's AWESOME

Pollux/Nico: There're at least two fics out there that had me in a chokehold

Child of Persephone x Nico ahsdjkahdkjahdka it was just one fic C'MON

Cecil Markowizt/Nico: Again. ONE fanfic. And it was Portuegeues.

Lukico

Or just platonic in general because there's potential and no one's seeing it so I'm taking it.

primordial god! chronos x ananke! nico courtesy of @avaetin. I fell so hard for it and I'm not even ashamed

Poseidon/Nico: all's Happy's fault. Like. Really.

Nipollo ajdhsajkda Brig shares the blame ok fine I'm crazy about it too and just bc Apollo's a hoe----

Anubis/Nico: thank you @/LapisLazuli13 on AO3

Dionysus/Nico but only if it's by @/robindrake93 on AO3. They have a distinguished figure for Dionysus and I'm neck deep in it

Minos/Nico: shout out to @/silenttoad on AO3 because it's the softest thing ever omfg 😭😭😭 Just for the record, their Minos is worlds different from the canon one. He's actually really nice.

Tons of crossover ships: Arthur/Nico (legitimately my RELIGION), Ciel Phantomhive/Nico,... That time I say Nezha and Nico could be friends. Like I don't... quite ship them but akdsaksaj this proves that you should never hope anything from me

I'm sure this is not all of them... I mean. I have read more. And probably forget a bunch...

I wouldn't say I have a favourite ship... well there're times that I would invest more in a specific pairing, but that doesn't mean I like other ships any less. I have 5 drafts for Jasico and then I have a Nicobaster week and then a Percico-marathon. Generally speaking though, I would say I usually... prioritize (?) the rarepairs. Since you know, the canon one and the more popular ones alr have people building the empire for them. I might be the only one invested in a Son of Persephone with Nico, for example, so I tend to gravitate towards it, in hopes of contributing a small brick for this little tent compared to their nation; or sometimes it's just because there's someone else more invested in me and their dedication fuels me (yes you @drksanctuary).

Anw I hope this gives you an insight into how wild of a being I am LMAO. I'm a proshipper. I have no qualms when it comes to enjoying fiction - as long as I enjoy it. Be free. Trust me.

As I've said, I forgo everything when it comes to Nico. He's my exception. He's always right. If he's wrong I have a few words to Rick------ jk lol or maybe not---

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m1d-45 · 7 months

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hello!! i’ve been lingering on your blog for a while, but i’ve been too scared to request/reach out until now jfnfksk. before i do, i wanted to say that you’re one of my favorite writing blogs. all of the works i’ve read from you are beautiful and profound and, in my opinion, you have a great way of words and storytelling. your blog was one of my introductions to sagau in general, so thank you for that, too.

i’ve been having a lot of thoughts about sagau and fontaine recently, particularly revolving around the 4.1 archon quest. lyney and freminet are both amongst some of my favorite characters, and i have pulled for/have them both, and i use them both often. i personally disagreed with many of the traveler’s (which i’m assuming was the creator’s main vessel during it all?) actions, how we dealt with lyney and wriothesley and how we seemed to be neutral with both of them after. i definitely did not, and do not, like wriothesley after everything that happened, and i wished we were a bit more hostile/cold towards him at least. he put lyney and freminet especially in states of extreme distress and had no qualms about it, even if he never intended to hurt them physically.

how the traveler went about it all just felt very wrong to me. i would not have been so docile and friendly towards wriothesley afterwards, and quite frankly, i would’ve been way more worried about lyney and freminet than we were. i, personally, am on lyney’s side 100%, and i wish we weren’t forced to be in a weird state of limbo between our “loyalties.” i have none to wriothesley, and i wish i could’ve made that known.

in the event that we’re going with the creator being more omnipotent and a third party (such as in your piece “wandering”) rather than isekai’d, do you think that the characters would be able to feel/tell/hear the creator’s frustrations? considering that the creator’s vessels are supposed to be controlled by them, how do you think that would work — the creator mostly disagreeing with the actions their vessel have chosen, but basically being helpless against them? would that align/be possible with how you view sagau and its dynamics?

this could be viewed as a more formal request or just a rambling ask, depending on if you find it interesting/agree with it/wish to write for it or not; i don’t mind! my apologies as well — this got a bit longer than i intended. (also, could i be added to the taglist if that’s not too much trouble?)

oooh this is an interesting point!

now, from a gameplay standpoint, while it makes sense to have two kinds of dialogue when interacting with npcs—sort of like a nice and rude option to give players some room—a canonical single storyline for the traveller is much simpler and far easier in the long run, especially for the kind of story mhy wants to tell. this being said, i do agree we should have more flexibility in dialogue.

i do believe that even if you don’t verbally say something, they can still feel your emotions, such as frustration. the extent changes—i think too much about this game good lord—but the point is that they could tell that you’re dissatisfied with the actions you’re taking. the end conclusion could be anything from “the device they use to connect with this world isn’t perfect. they must not have regained enough power to fully control it.” to “still being kind even through their anger…. our lord truly is gracious” depending on the situation, character, etc. that being said if you out loud disagreed with something you’re doing, it would be pretty universally accepted that the limits of your influence are a Bad Thing. this serves as motivation to find a way to restore your full power; whether that means “we gotta motivate them from afar! how far can we push these boundaries?” or “ok. we have to bring them here.” depends on your flavor of sagau.

that should cover everything i wanted to say. thank you for the compliments, and i’m glad that you liked my writing. feel free to send another ask if you want to clarify or add on, and have a good day!

#m1d : [chats]#m1d : [sweethearts]#i’m so sorry if this is written questionably-#i am not the person you should have come to for this—#i spoke WAY too much about shit that doesn’t matter WHOOPS #like half of this post was deleted because i was just Saying Shit #over half*

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ginnyw-potter · 4 months

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A recap of 2023

so this is the year I wrote. I wrote more than I have ever done and so I thought it would be nice to look back on 2023 and look a little further back as well.

I used to write fanfic, I think I started about 14 years ago. I am not a native speaker and my English definitely needed some work then. I also have so many qualms about my old writing (I apparently hadn't found out about paragraphs yet), but we all have to start writing somewhere.

I stopped writing little by little, feeling burned out and completely stopped in 2018 (for various reasons). I don't think I wrote anything at all in 2019 or very little. In 2020 I dipped my toes in again with a few oneshots.

End of 2021 is when I started writing again and finally came back to writing Harry Potter fanfic. I started out with a longfic of 70K words! It was a struggle and I think it's like a muscle that wasn't being used. A Guiding Light is the fic that got me back in and I posted it throughout 2022.

And then I started two new fics because I was inspired again. I started posting those at the end of 2022/start of 2023. Knight of Mine and Peverell's Progeny have both surpassed the word count of Guiding Light with ease. It was never my purpose to get to a certain word count, and it is not what I focus on, but going from nearly 0 words in 2020 and slowly increasing, it's amazing to see myself putting out so many words.

And as well this year I focused less on what things I think people want to read and got a little more self-indulgent and it is so rewarding. It really makes me enjoy writing it even more.

My mental health has been shit before and it really took a nose dive in 2018, but this year I finally started feeling like myself again. My anxiety has gotten so much better and in turn I have been sick way less (although I did knock it out of the park at the start of the year with about 5 weeks of various illnesses) so I feel like I can enjoy life more in general. I am not sure if my writing helped me get there or if I am writing more because I am feeling better. All in all, I think writing has been helping me get through various things and it is one of the only things I enjoy doing consistently.

I haven't kept exact track of how much I wrote in the last year but based on my AO3 statistics as they are today (26th of Dec), I think it's safe to say that 2023 has surpassed all the others before.

You can see the majority of what I wrote, 414K of a total 541K, has been posted in the last year. It's crazy to think about. A lot of people found my writing as well this year and it's been so amazing getting that feedback ...as well as crazy paternity guesses with emojis, begging me for horse smut (that is still a no-you know who you are) and bribing me to update early... they really do make my day and some of you are too funny for your own good.

Looking ahead a little, I want to see what else I can achieve in the upcoming year. I am not setting any specific goals for myself other than continuing to work on my ongoing fics and not starting too many new ones (*pushes Pirate AU back under the bed*) Buut I am curious how much writing I actually get up to and so I made myself a little tracker.

Bullet journaling is the only other hobby aside from writing that I seem to be able to do consistently. I just kind of fell out of it in the summer of 2022 and finally picked it back up again for 2024. I think when I wasn't writing, it was a good different outlet for me and I still enjoy it. It simply slipped out of my habits, especially when I moved out on my own last year and I was too focused on keeping up with chores and other stuff. Now I am a little more organised, so I do hope to keep it up. It will also force me to do something else than writing once in a while, which is probably healthy for me.

This tracker looks a little chaotic, I know, but i wanted to get everything on one page. Maybe next year I can tell you exactly how much I wrote.

And word counts are nice but I think improving is also important and I do feel like I have managed to learn a lot of things this year and I will continue to do so in the coming year. I take great inspiration from other people's writing. I always get inspired when I read an especially good fic (which often ends up with me starting a new WIP, send help) and I discover new ways to put in descriptions or how to phrase something a certain way. And talking to other fic writers on here, or discord, is also where I learn a lot. A ton of you are so talented and it is such a joy to be able to discuss things, pick your brains and get feedback. Sometimes I just learn things by reading along to someone else's discussion. Sometimes you find answers to questions you didn't know to ask!

I also want to thank my beta readers, who have read so many words this year. They are so FAST and then apologise for being slow. I cherish them so much.

If you read up to this point, thank you! If you've read a fic of mine this year, thank you as well. If you left me kudos or comments, recced me... you get a little kiss on the forehead.

If you have achievements of your own this year that you are proud of, do share them! (Reblog or send me an ask, I want to hear about it!) Let's celebrate all the work you put in!

#writing #fic #personal

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pangtasias-atelier · 10 months

Note

Hey there, can you write Byleth having the ability to make fertile land when eats and Rhea learning about this forced into immobile blob with nice big moobs and thick thighs too?

Well this got ridiculously long ajbsnsjbs

Kinda tried this in my former like style of describing time passing instead of doing like snippets now. And kinda enjoyed it and might do it some more for other requests. I hope you enjoy it!

Warning: This is a fetish story!

“Rhea, I insist that you reconsider. These delusions must stop,” Seteth stares at the Archbishop, expression stern as he awaits her hopefully repentant response.

The Archbishop of Fodlan’s chambers vacant save for three individuals, the large room’s doors are completely sealed. Despite the tense nature of their companion, the other two remain impassive as they usually are.

“All I plan is for an experiment of sorts. If I am proven to be wrong, then I will cease looking into this matter. Do you not find that fair?” Rhea holds her hands together, smiling at her personal aid.

Seteth scoffs and adjusts his collar, as if affronted by the very question —which he very might well be considering his observant, impartial nature. He gestures over the last occupant of the room; a less concerned occupant who is more concerned about finishing the food —a plate of grilled herring that had been recommended to him both by Seteth and Rhea before becoming a favorite of his as well— in front of him than the conversation that should concern him the most. “And what of Byleth’s opinion? Have you asked him about his thoughts, Rhea?”

Byleth finishes his current mouthful before responding, at least aware of some common decency after fully awakening. “I don’t really care,” Noncommittal shrugging, the always stoic hero simply follows what is asked of him. Though his own near rapturous state in which he simultaneously stuffs himself while trying to savor each and every bite shows his real stance of only satisfying his cravings. Paired with Byleth’s current state of being rather heavyset, his body saddled with a generous amount of flab from the onslaught of dishes he’s imposed on himself, his true stance on the issue if even more apparent. Byleth’s upsized clothes handle his shapely figure well. So well that they accentuate his new, curvaceous shape. A sizable tummy added to his former stick slim figure, the flabby ball of fat that is outlined by the taut draping fabric of his top helps make the large newly grown breasts seem even larger. Byleth’s soft, doughy chest warps the pink design on his upper chest; the triangular shapes pushed to the side by breasts that are clearly a size too big for the current apparel. The rest of Byleth’s larger upper half is concealed by his oversized jacket. His lower half similarly spared by his oversized, draped jacket, the bit of his thighs that are exposed do reveal his hourglassed shape, Byleth clearly having the same body as both the archbishop and her assistant. His girthy left thigh even pushes the slit of his top further to the side. Unlike most of the rest of his concealed figure, his high collar does squish his pudgy neck, the bunched up flab drawn attention to as well as his softer, more rounded out face that’s paired with a set of flabby cheeks that have lost all sense of angularity to them; Byleth’s cheeks now have a flabby curve to them, now rounded out as if mimicking his usually stuffed appearance now.

“Then I believe that solves this matter,” Rhea speaks, smiling at Seteth after easily winning their argument.

Byleth crams the last few forkfuls of food into his mouth and eats the rest of it as quickly as he can with a stuffed mouth while also following Rhea.

“Fine, as long as Byleth consents then I guess I can have no qualms about this,” Seteth clears his throat, willing to rip the bandaid off and ask the second most important question. “And when do you plan to test your hypothesis?”

“Now,” Rhea seemingly glides from her position, heading for the door.

The doors now open, Seteth holds back any comments and simply walks with them in silence.

All in the monastery leave the three alone. The trio are only briefly interrupted by passing greetings and thanks. It takes the three only a few short minutes to reach the edges of the monastery’s grounds; the area barren of its former lush, green beauty, all that remains is the dirtied, scorched soil from the war. A scant few dry yet new patches of grass that try their best to grow are the only things that accompany the burnt, lifeless area.

“And what is it that you propose to prove your theory, Archbishop?” Seteth standing beside Rhea, the tense grip he has on his crossed arms loosen ever so slightly as Byleth walks forward without so much as a response from the overweight male.

Byleth takes a few steps towards the Eastern edge of the area, where a massive stone planter manages to have a single lead budding from a tiny almost withered stem at its edge despite its surroundings. Focused on his earlier, private conversation with Rhea, Byleth simply focuses on his task. He completely fails to notice the touch of greenery that sprouts under the heel of his boot.

Seteth’s eyes widen. Arms now at his side, he offers a glance at Rhea who only continues to stare at Byleth with a knowing smile. By the time he looks back up Byleth, the man has already joined them, face impassive even after reviving the withered plant enough to sprout another few leaves and plants.

“Come, I’m sure we have much to discuss in my chambers,” Rhea heads back without another word or glance at the other two.

Seteth turns back to look at Byleth, being met with nothing more than a shrug by him before walking off as well. Left alone for a quick respite, he huffs to himself. He stares at the results in front of him, the bleak, ash gray area revitalized by the slightest newest additions of grass doing nothing but to reaffirm the results of the experiment. Rhea’s suspicions confirmed true —as well as his own despite how much he wished to be wrong— Seteth only gives one last glance before heading back.

And when he enters Rhea’s chambers, he holds back a sigh at the sight in front of him.

Three others already discussing with Rhea, not a single one of them holds a single concern or issue. Hanneman, Manuela, and Alois all part of the monastery staff for several years even before the war, all three of them are already privy to the true nature of Byleth along with Rhea and Seteth’s.

“Seteth, now I can explain my plan to all four of you,” Rhea gestures for Seteth to join them, which he does so with hesitation. “As you are all now aware, Byleth has inherited the goddess Sothis’ ability of creation. Granted, his are much more limited in scope as it seems so far,”

Hanneman is the first one to break up Rhea’s explanation. The older gentleman has his personal notebook, the prior page already scattered by barely legible notes before he switches to an empty one that he immediately begins to take more notes on. “So Sothis had the ability to create vegetation from her size?”

“No,” Seteth intercedes on Rhea’s behalf. “Remember Byleth’s strange circumstances regarding his birth. Any ability that he could inherit from Sothis is bound to be affected in some strange ways. Though, this is certainly bizarre. Ah, where is Byleth by the way?” Seteth finally notices the strange absence of the one at the very center of the situation.

“I passed by him on my way here. The man seemed to be in a rush as he entered the dining hall,” Alois heartily laughs to himself, remembering the sight of the not so usually nimble man.

“He has taken to his new duty very well then. As I was getting to, I plan for us to take Byleth around all of Fodlan now that we have confirmed his newfound ability,” —Rhea gestures to each individual as she continues— ”Hanneman will be in charge of researching and understanding the extent of Byleth’s new ability. Byleth’s health, not that there should be any complications, will be Manuela’s task. Alois will stay and protect Garreg Mach. And Seteth will help with protecting everyone in the off chance we need protection since we will be leaving immediately,” Rhea stands up after doling out everyone’s role.

“Wait, Rhea. You can’t possibly—” Seteth is pulled back as someone loops a thin arm around his shoulder.

“Oh come off it, Seteth. You of all people should know how the Archbishop gets when she sets her mind to something,” Manuela leaves with a mischievous smile, the expression followed by laughter.

Seteth sighs. Manuela and Hanneman have followed after Rhea. “I would rather not indulge her behavior,”

“Come now, Seteth! You heard Archbishop Rhea. It is your duty to ensure the carriages are safe. Let us be off to honor her wishes,” Another arm wrapped around Seteth’s shoulders, Alois leads him down to the ground floor and to Garreg Mach’s Eastern entrance. The area is the very same where Rhea tested Byleth’s ability.

By the time the two arrive, Alois’ eager insistence is far from rushed. The entire area is already set up with carriages and with drivers ready for the voyage. The two carriages at the very center stand out amongst the rest; the two large vehicles are clearly designated as Rhea’s, though the other carriages still carry the emblem of the Church of Seiros and are far from being throwaway carriages with their own large sizes. The entire area is devoid of many actual Knights of Seiros, only a couple required with Fodaln peaceful enough now with the eradication of those who slither in the dark.

“We will be using my personal carriage. Our route should allow us rather common lodging along our many stops,” Rhea gestures to her carriage; she waits to enter last, ready to give the command for the voyage’s start. Alois waits in the distance, doing his best to hold back his tears from being unable to join despite having his own important task in Garreg Mach.

Seteth stops after the other two board the carriage. “And Byleth? He—”

Some heavy wheezing and huffing sounds out behind him. Byleth appearing after his light lunch, the man’s belt is completely undone around his waist. His stomach audibly gurgles from his feast; his belly wobbles with each tired step he takes, the slow pace accompanied with a blushing face. Already heavyset, Byleth appears even larger than he did before his lunch. Extra pounds added to his frame, Byleth’s clothes completely struggle against him. His side of his stomach is exposed on the side where his top drapes over him. The soft, jiggly mass shakes with his tired, full waddling. Byleth no longer wears his coat. He has the black coat draped over his arm, the fabric swaying back and forth much like his jutting stomach. Byleth’s top is close to shredding from his even larger breasts, the black fabric closer to a transparent gray from its tautness. Byleth’s pants sturdy, he has them unbuttoned. The open flaps to his pants are barely visible under his belly. Byleth has no expression besides looking ready for a food coma despite having gained a not so insignificant amount of weight. He steps into his own carriage —with assistance getting up by a knight— without speaking a word to Rhea or Seteth. Byleth’s carriage is much larger than the rest, but no one questions. No one but Seteth.

“He will need space to grow along the journey. How else will he be able to restore the destroyed areas of Fodlan?” Rhea answers Seteth's bubbling question without bothering to explain Byleth’s sudden growth. “Knights of Seiros! Today marks our expedition to assist all of Fodlan. Our fellow people are suffering along with the land and we will see to it that we ease their pain. Let us be off, for Fodlan!’ Her miniature speech finished, Rhea drags Seteth into the carriage, the entire entourage now on the move to fulfill Rhea’s mission.

And so, the group’s mission begins in earnest the instant they step off the holy grounds of Garreg Mach and into the rest of the Fodlan. Byleth’s ability weaker the smaller he is, the journey starts off in the relatively undamaged Leicester Alliance. Rhea somehow having the foresight to plan her expedition even before confirming Byleth’s strange ability —whether from actual understanding of the situation or from being another one of her bizarre, unethical ideas— the focal point of her plan is well taken care of. And extremely well fed.

Byleth is fed nearly around the clock. Not that he needs much encouragement; Byleth rather ravenous a few days into unlocking his ability, the growing swordsman greedily devours every last morsel handed to him. Told to stay in his tent at all costs, lest he waste precious calories that could go to his waist, Byleth happily complies. The minty haired man allows his already flabby figure to become absolutely ruined. A fact that is hidden from the rest with Byleth always shrouded in the comforts of his enormous carriage. Only those who bring him his meals see his enjoyment. Those being Rhea and her trusted helpers: Seteth, Manuela, and Hanneman. Their assignments nothing more than false advertisements, even Manuela and Hanneman are barely required to do anything despite having the more important tasks. Hanneman’s leisure comes not from his own decision, the elderly scholar forced by Rhea to be patient and wait to return to Garreg Mach before starting his research in earnest. Instead, all four stand by to do nothing but hand Byleth his meals. But even that task is mostly taken care of by Rhea. The Archbishop does all in her power to ensure a prosperous voyage. Byleth the way to achieving such a thing, Rhea treats him like a prized hog all throughout their journey.

By the time they reach their first main stop, Daphnel, Byleth is already a rather hefty 400 pound. The visit by the very Archbishop comes as a shock to the county. But with budding gardens and crops that lose their former pallor, their surprise turns into amazement over Byleth’s talents. The people’s words and rumors spread quickly, even faster than the entourage can move the growing Byleth. Their exploits and talents in the Duchies of Reigan and Goneril, arrive at their last stop in the County of Ordelia. The church is welcomed with even greater excitement than usual, Ordelia facing the largest issues from bordering the Adrestian Empire. And so, while the church helps rebuild the destroyed homes and structures, all Byleth needs to do is sit back and eat.

Now 500 pounds, the obese formerly slim war hero is nothing like his former self. Byleth wears a pale imitation of robes, the white fabric draped around his enormity and pinned in the back. Walking around to spread his gift of fertile land, the flabby, wobbling man is welcomed with banquets of food that each town can offer up. Not a single ounce of food goes to waste. By the time Ordelia is far better off than before and the group leave for Adrestia, Byleth’s cart is chock full of offerings.

The Adrestian Empire takes the longest for the group to travel through. Not quite as welcomed as when they traveled through the Leicester Alliance, Adrestia the loser of the war they started, it doesn’t take very many stops before the attitude changes. A change that correlates with the environment. The route along the coast allows Byleth the numerous, near endless opportunities to try the hearty seafood cuisine presented to him. Byleth packs on a staggering 200 more pounds a little less than halfway through the journey. And still, his sheets for clothes are only expanded upon by more bolts of fabric pinned to the existing drapery. Byleth an absolute beast of a man, his breasts and thighs remain the most impressive thing about his figure. His thighs make it especially difficult and tiresome for the morbidly obese man to walk around. With each thigh large enough to smother a chair and then some, each ponderous step Byleth takes is followed by heavy wheezes and the profound shaking of his entire body. His breasts are offered no support by the fabric. The two pendulous breasts sway even as Byleth sits in the comforts of his increasingly cramped carriage, each bump in the road sending his figure into a jiggling mess.

The fervor for the incredibly fat hero only grows as his waistline does, the land growing in its abundance along with his figure. By the time the group manage to finish their entire route through the Adrestian Empire, the numerous offerings for Byleth compounded with Rhea’s enhanced food leaves him nothing more than an immobile mess. A tremendous 1,000 pound man is far from a shock to anyone as they enter the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. The naturally cold climate of Ferghus able to nip at unaccustomed foreigner’s skin, Rhea’s route thankfully has them travel through the emergence of Summer. The still chilly Spring’s snow only lightly dusts the countryside’s roads and forests. Byleth so incredibly fat now, the immobilized man has nothing to worry from the light cold. His own mass of blubber warms up his obese figure. So large now, the grass along their route leaves a trail for them; the very edges of the road seem even more revitalized than before, the now stronger soil leaving nothing but potential for later. The visibility of their route only increases as they travel more of Faerghus. The shock of a half ton man is only replaced by amazement soon after seeing Byleth's innate abilities. So much food is handed out at every stop they take. With Byleth so fat that he can no longer feed himself, the group takes turns staying with him. Rhea takes the longest shifts, insisting upon feeding such a large man that now struggles to even fit within his carriage now.

Byleth’s carriage has to be restructured after only two thirds of the way through Fearghus. Parts of the wood carefully are torn off to give him room; the only structures that remain afterwards are a single plank of wood on each side and an oversized tarp to give him some privacy. Byleth mindlessly eats throughout the entire remodeling process. Byleth’s massive thighs prove to be a struggle for the carriage the entire rest of the journey. Despite being magically reinforced by Manuela and Hanneman, Byleth’s enormous thighs that are large enough to serve as their own personal bed take up the entire width of his carriage. They press against the wood, the planks bent and warped around the avalanche of flab that still grows by the day. Byleth’s thighs eventually sag off the sides of the carriage, bits of his creamy bundles of lard held by the sturdy tarp that tries its best to contain such a large man. Byleth’s thighs are ridiculously large; the two immense legs seem to even rival his surging stomach. Byleth’s knees are caked in a heaping layer of flab from his thighs, the joints completely inflexible like the rest of his enormity. Even his ankles and feet are swathed in flab, Byleth resembling more a round blob of lard that he is more than the war hero he used to be. Byleth’s stomach is still respectable in its own right; the mass of fat is large enough to be used as a personal seat for a couple of people to use comfortably.

By the time the group reaches their very last stop of Fhirdiad, Byleth’s carriage is a creaking, groaning mess that seems lucky to still be in somewhat working condition every day. And yet, Byleth feasts throughout the entire day, his body only being forcefully stopped by needing to sleep. And Byleth makes up for the lost hours of food. Each breakfast he has lasts him more than enough time to go right into lunch. And lunch is almost the same, his light lunch —consisting of food that even four men would probably be unable to finish in the time it takes Byleth to— followed by periodic snacks that eventually lead to his dinner and dessert. Byleth’s ability is further enhanced by his enormity. Unable to leave the caravan more than a thousand pounds ago, a sweeping vicinity around Byleth is affected by his potent ability. So fat now, the soil itself sprouts even without the assistance of any seeds whatsoever.

Weighing a ton, Byleth no longer resembles himself anymore. Not that most recognize him for his physical feats anymore, all now thinking of an immense blob of fat upon hearing his name. Not when Byleth weighs more than an entire ton of pure lard. The journey back to Garreg Mach is one of near frenzy. The group moves the fastest they can, several horses needed to haul Byleth’s immense self. The tarp to his carriage is completely blown out and distended, his encroaching flab held back by the fabric. As if with the Goddess’ blessing, Byleth’s carriage makes it through the entire journey back.

“Lady Rhea!” Completely unfazed by the bulging tent of fabric for a carriage, Alois rushes —with as much propriety he can muster— over to the Archbishop. “The construction you asked for is complete. We can-”

The sound of wood groaning catches everyone's attention. On its very last breath, Byleth’s carriage gives out as if recognizing its finished journey. Despite the harsh cracking and breaking of wood, Byleth emerges completely fine after people rush to remove the tarp off of him.

Completely exposed, the swordsman is completely unrecognizable. The only similarity he shares with his former self is the bright, minty hair. Not that many can spot the pop of color against a near landscape of lard. Byleth’s mass blankets the ground around him, fat surging in all directions from no longer having to be so confined. Byleth’s stomach is a blanket of flab. His large gut churning from his multiple meals, the turbulent mass of flab is still wobbling from his fall. His gut alone nearly rivals the rest of the group’s carriages, the huge pile of flab still yearning for more food. Byleth’s breasts show off his ability of fertility; the two enormous breasts practically rival the size of his gut. The sagging chest has a surprising amount of shape to it despite the rest of his expansive rolls that line his entire corpulence. His breasts seemingly lurch forward, the two tits that are larger than an entire person now forced to sag down Byleth’s large figure by gravity. His breasts even manage to make the way and almost touch the very upper rising bits of Byleth’s thighs. His thighs are the largest feature about him. Each hedonistically sized thigh is large enough to need three carriages put together to just barely hold him. So many rolls riddle his thighs that the boundary of where his legs and stomach flab end and start are near indiscernible. Byleth’s ass rises high behind his figure. The enormous rear is composed of two meaty bedframes of flab. His ass has the barest semblance of a shape, the distended, rounded out sagging flab large enough to almost reach as high as Byleth’s arms and face. His arms are almost the same as his thighs; the two enormous pancake stacks for arms are forced to the sides of him. The two massive piles of flab have a small indent at the top of each, right where Byleth’s sunken hands are, the digits so fat he can no longer even move his fingers. The two piles of flab are parted by another pile of flab that makes up his neck and face. Byleth’s neck is now a ring of fat; his neck is buried under hundreds of pounds alone, his multiple chins also not helping. Two bulging cheeks round out the mound of flab making up his neck and face. His face wobbles as he still continues to eat with regard, a magical feeding tube now immediately inserted into his mouth with no longer having to worry about the carriage.

Into the newly constructed open structure in the distance. Byleth transported to the newly created farmland, he is at the very center of the acres of field. “We will allow him to rest and enjoy himself here first before we set out again,” Rhea’s words are always final, and she heads over to Byleth.

Along with Byleth’s size is his ability. Directly touching the ground, the very land itself immediately responds to his presence. Already nicely kept grass grows longer and fuller, the area close to resembling overgrown. The out of season flowers bloom, a myriad of flowers packed to the brim in their planters.

“Stellar work Alois. I knew I could depend on you,” Without so much as telling the rest about her plan, Rhea uses her magic. The soothing faith magic envelops Byleth. The very air itself warmer, as if the ambience were light and airy, Rhea warps Byleth away.

Byleth already eating away, his half lidded eyes don’t even bother shifting attention away from his feeding tube. Instead, he guzzles away at his food, the farmland already growing and reacting from its generous —and generously sized— patron, Byleth all too happy to embrace his new ability.

#fat emblem #my writing #male weight gain #ssbhm #feeder emblem #fat fiction #maleweightgain

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naffeclipse · 1 year

Note

I feel like I might have had the wrong reaction to “The Lost Episode” because the whole time, I was just like:

(But also my heart ripped out at the realization that y/n won’t ever see the sun again ;; at least they still have their Sun)

I owe you so many comments on your fics, and I’m so sorry for taking this long to get to them 😭 Maybe I should make my New Year’s resolution leaving comments on all the fics I haven’t gotten to. I promise I will get to loving on each of them eventually! 💜 It’ll give me a good excuse to binge read new fic and reread some other fics hehe

Also, I have a bit of a research question for SJ for reasons 👀 I might have missed it while reading the series, but is there a time estimate for how long it took Moon and Sun to join the police academy after they left the daycare and Eclipse began running around with gangs? And when would you say Eclipse rose to power and became a mob boss? Were Sun and Moon detectives by that point or still a lower rank?

Typing that out just made me curious about how Eclipse did become a mob boss and how he got a gang, and I’m restraining myself from sending you a bunch of lore questions. So I’ll just imagine him sending out fliers with his face printed on them and a caption that promises a competitive base salary. Just ignore the super fine small print that says there are no health benefits with this job

Hope you had a nice holiday as well, Naff! You’re a freaking powerhouse with all the writing you’ve been getting done, so I hope you’re taking care of yourself and resting too! Much love <3

PFFFT LUMI!!! Nah, I love all reactions, it fuels me and I'm glad you enjoyed hehe ♥

No, don't apologize!! I get it! I'm behind on reading/commenting on fics, too ;-; but ahhh, I do look forward to when you do comment!! You always leave such nice ones ♥

Oh ho! Research you, say? I am gazing directly at you, Lumi!

Okay, I'm really bad with timelines and dates so I'll try my best to keep this coherent and hopefully non-contradictory with the main storyline!

15 years after the boys left the daycare, Sun and Moon were finally able to join the police academy while Eclipse was digging deeper into gang activity. Now mind you, Sun and Moon were attempting to join the academy much earlier, but due to politics and human-animatronic relations still being tense despite animatronics being legally recognized as individuals with rights, they were discriminatorily barred from joining the program. It took Eclipse calling in favors, owing a favor or two himself, and offering a lot of bribes to those in charge of the program to get Sun and Moon in. At that current time, Eclipse was climbing the ranks. He was gaining a reputation and a name for himself, but he was still a thug working under someone else's command.

Eclipse didn't control his own gang until after Sun and Moon were detectives and after the Afton Family's fall, but by then, the brothers weren't in contact with each other. Learning that big brother was a crime lord was something the detectives discovered in their work. It was disappointing, but not surprising—just a lot to think about piled on top of everything else.

Fun fact! Eclipse killed his gang leader and took the man's gang for himself. It happened after he learned the crime lord was conspiring against him (funny enough, this was due to others looking towards and being loyal to Eclipse due to his ruthlessness and efficiency, which spooked the gang leader so he thought it would be wise to act preemptively, but ah, Eclipse was not amused to see his loyalty repaid with betrayal.) Eclipse had no qualms with reigning in control and very little resisted his takeover. Eclipse did take care of those who stay loyal to him, but he ran a tight ship. Great risk, great reward.

Wow, sorry, I just went on a ramble there, but I hope that helps answer your questions! But you're absolutely right, there are no health benefits in Eclipse's gang. *Shrek voice* They don't even have dental.

Thank you, I hope you had a nice holiday as well! Ahhh, thank you so much! I've been taking breaks, don't worry, babe! ♥ Much love *smooch ya on the head*

#sorry this is giving me thoughts and feelings now #because remember that moon tells y/n about them being promoted to detectives and #they come home to eclipse trying to stash evidence of a crime in their apartment #and they all have a huge fight over that like:#Sun: you can't hide illegal crap in our apartment #Moon: we're police officers—detectives now—we don't tolerate this #Eclipse who knowingly did everything to make sure his bros got their dream job of catching criminals: *surprise Pikachu face*#anyways thanks for giving me an excuse to babble Lumi take care! ♥#sleuth jesters #luminitewrites

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storiesofsvu · 1 year

Text

A Redemption Earned Epilogue

Heather Dunbar x reader. Jackie Sharp x OC Warnings: language, alcohol minor mention of weed consumption, your regular dose of chaos.

If you are somehow new to this universe.. do not just dive in here..covers “home for the holidays” for bingo

Welp... this is it. This is the final chapter that I wanted this trilogy to wrap up with MONTHS ago, but i simply did not have the energy to do it. I really just wanted everything to come full circle and wrap up with a nice little bow which I think this does. I am not opposed to writing for this universe in the future, in any stage/dynamic and TBH i can't lie, I lowkey have some thoughts about head canons on "prequel" type situations, on how and why Heat ended up like she did so those might pop up eventually....

Everyone was more than well aware that Christmas was likely going to be a bit chaotic this year. It was the first year in your and Heather’s place, the first year that you were involved with hosting, and it was already a larger crowd than normal. It was also the first year there would be someone under the age of ten attending, which meant that the entire schedule of the day shifted around, it wouldn’t just be dinner, drinks and conversation.

Heather had no qualms with hosting, knowing she had you by her side to help and you were more than excited to lend a hand, this of course being the first Christmas you were officially, part of the family. The family group chat had been incredibly active as everyone had talked through plans, finding out what Lily usually did with Cody considering her parents were down South now, and what her thoughts were for this year. In the end, she was rewarded a very blessed, child free Christmas Eve while Cody tore up your and Heather’s place, watching Christmas movies, making gingerbread houses and helping wrap some last minute presents before leaving out milk and cookies for Santa and finally climbing into bed.

The plan for the morning was for the three of you to open up stockings from Santa and have a nice little breakfast before people would start to trickle over through the day. Lily ended up being the first, arriving basically at the same time as Rob (who of course had Steve in tow) the two of them claiming they simply didn’t know what to do with the morning to themselves. Naturally, Heather did have stockings prepared for everyone, letting Cody hand them out (Rob was pleasantly surprised, giving her a warm smile when she even had one for Steve).

Rob almost immediately made a beeline for the kitchen to make sure things were running smoothly in there, helping out and doing what he could. Coffee and baileys was the go to for the adults while Cody had an endless supply of hot chocolate or apple cider to choose between, Christmas cartoons playing on the television while he showed off his gifts to his mom. Heather had to shoot her a small apologetic look at just how overboard she’d already gone and Lily waved her off with a smile, a look in her eyes reminding the older woman that she’d missed out on eight years with her grandson, she didn’t need to hold back at Christmas.

The party easily flowed between the living room and the open kitchen and dining room, people moving through to grab fresh drinks or some snacks from the finger foods Heather had laid out on the bonus sitting room table. Since she did know just how early Cody had gotten up she did toss some dinosaur nuggets in the air fryer for him, making sure he got an actual lunch and wouldn’t be starving before dinner. Lily was pleasantly surprised when he actually sat down at the table to eat them, thinking that the excitement of the day and all the people would get him riled up, but instead he sat there with Rob, rambling on and on about the adventures they could go on this year.

Becca and Sarah arrived not too long after that, arms filled with bags of presents they had yet to drop off, extra bottles of wine, a pack of seltzers, a tray of pigs in a blanket, spinach dip and fried mac and cheese bites to join the array on the table. They moved through the space, greeting everyone, receiving countless congratulations on their engagement and much fawning over Sarah’s ring before finally making it into the kitchen.

“Merry Christmas!” Becca greeted with a warm smile, wrapping her mom into a tight hug before quickly giving you one and Sarah repeated the pattern as the two of you returned greetings.

“Glad you could finally make it.” Heather teased with a grin, offering them drinks, “I was about to start setting the table, am I going for eight or nine?” She raised a brow toward Becca, knowing the younger girl would know exactly who was planning on showing up.

“Uh..” she tugged her phone from her pocket, swiping to the most recent text chain from Nat, “nine, they’ll be here in forty five give or take, just wrapping things up. Oh!” She suddenly exclaimed and Heather couldn’t help but tense, “they say thanks about your realtor too, their new place is fucking gorgeous!”

“Alright.” Heather shifted forward, pressing a kiss to the top of the girl’s head, “you two head back to the living room, I’m sure Cody will want to give you your stockings.”

The girls darted off and you reached out, squeezing at Heather’s hand, giving her a reassuring smile when she looked up at you.

“What?” She asked with a fake laugh and you rolled your eyes before stepping toward her, cupping her cheeks in your hands and kissing the tip of her nose.

“I can practically feel the anxiety rushing off you.” You laughed, leaning in to kiss her softly, “you’re doing a fabulous job hosting, and everyone here loves you.” You squeezed at her cheeks gently, “if Jackie doesn’t behave, we’ll kick her out, it’s not like she’s the VP anymore.” Heather let out a soft sigh, her hands coming up to your wrists, moving your arms to her shoulders as hers wound around your waist.

“You’re right. And thank you.” With a gentle smile she leant in, stealing another kiss.

“Besides, with a kid around? Everyone’s gotta be on their best behaviour.” You kissed her cheek, “how about you go out into the living room and relax for a bit, I’ll start setting the table, and god know Rob is gonna be in here checking on the food every five minutes anyways.”

“You’re not wrong.” She chuckled, kissing your cheek and scooping up her mimosa glass before vanishing off into the living room.

Sure enough, just as you’d pulled the stack of festive plates down from the cupboard Rob was wandering into the kitchen, shooting you a grin before he pulled open the oven to check on the meat. You exchanged a bit of small talk, laughing over jokes before he deemed everything in good shape and cracked another beer and headed back out, leaving you to finish the table in somewhat of quiet peace.

Steve’s barking echoed through the house from the foyer, signalling that the final two of the party were likely arriving, a knock bouncing off the front door as Cody let out an excited squeal of more friends. Lily managed to scoop him up before the door opened and you got to the foyer in time to grab Steve’s collar so he didn’t go running outside.

“Hey.” You greeted with a warm smile to Nat and Jackie as they returned the greeting, passing of bags of gifts and a couple bottles of wine with the thank you of hosting before stepping out of boots and hanging up coats. Unsurprisingly, it was Cody who piped up over the small talk first,

“Aren’t you the president?” He asked and Jackie laughed.

“Almost, and not anymore.”

“You really didn’t want to run for the head spot?” You asked, nudging Steve back toward the living room.

“Fuck that.” She laughed her eyes suddenly widening as they darted back toward Cody and Lily, “oh my god, I’m so sorry. You must be Lily.” She extended a hand that the younger woman accepted,

“Yeah, and it’s okay.” She laughed, pressing a kiss to Cody’s cheek, “he knows not to repeat that, right bud?”

“Yup!” He exclaimed, “that’s a bad word!”

“Exactly.” Lily booped him on the nose before setting him back on his feet, “why don’t you go show Mimi that new lego set?”

He darted off without another word right as Becca popped into the entrance with a squeal, racing to wrap Nat in a bear hug.

“I’m so glad you guys came. It’s so nice to finally fucking see you again.” She quickly hugged Jackie, “drinks? Wine? Seltzer?” She paused to eye Nat for a moment, “brownie?”

“You know I’m not a member of office anymore, it doesn’t have to be a brownie, right?”

“Oh thank fucking god.” Becca laughed, “because I’ve got a massive joint in my bag and it’s always better to smoke before eating than eat.” Her eyes swept between the rest of the people in the foyer, “Lily?” The blonde hesitated with a small laugh before you nudged at her shoulder.

“Go. If you want to of course. You’ve got plenty of family willing to keep an eye on Cody, have a fun Christmas.”

“You know what that does sound fucking great.”

“Perfect.” Becca grinned, reaching for her coat as she leaned back into he living room, “Sarah! C’mon!” Her fiancée raised a brow but moved through the space as you turned to Jackie.

“Drink? We’ve got mimosas, wine, beer, seltzers, something stronger?”

“Wine would be great, thank you.” She smiled softly, following you into the house, giving a small hello and merry Christmas to the rest of the crew, her head tilting in surprise at the sight of Heather on the floor, Cody in her lap as they built legos together.

“Hey!” Heather called out to Becca, “where do you think you’re going, dinner will be ready in twenty.”

“That’s kind of the point!” Becca called back before the group of girls disappeared through the front door and you couldn’t help but laugh, Heather’s gaze directed to you, her brow furrowed as you knew something she didn’t.

“They’re going to...” you raised your fingers to mime out the action and Heather let out a small huff, rolling her eyes before returning her attention to Cody, not that she was overly surprised.

You were pleasantly surprised with the small talk you and Jackie managed to start up, although you were never the one she’d had problem with. She complimented the house, mentioning something about being thankful to use the same realtor and you replied that Becca had said their new place was stunning. It naturally resulted in a mini tour of the two of you got a little more acquainted before making your way back to the living room and things got settled amongst the adults.

The group reassembled right as timers were going off and everyone started shifting into the dining room and kitchen, hands were washed, side dishes were plated up and Rob started carving turkey and ham into slices. Pleasant conversation and laughter took over the table, compliments given out over food, and wine glasses were on a bottomless refill stream (Cody’s filled with sparkling grape juice in order to feel fancy). It was only natural that the conversation steered back towards work, Jackie congratulating Becca on her new fancy big girl job as Nat had referred to it.

“What about you?” Becca asked “are you really not gonna gun for the Oval? Or are you just on hiatus for a few years?”

“Oh, god no.” Jackie laughed in return, “eight years was enough, once that inauguration hits, I am officially retired.”

“You’ll find it is much more enjoyable than expected.” Heather commented and Jackie raised a curious brow in her direction.

“Are you no longer working?”

“No.” She laughed softly, “the firm’s still in my name, I’ll show up to board meetings every couple of months but that’s about it.”

“Are you retiring?” Becca kicked at Nat’s foot under the table, using her fingers to put quotations over the last word of her sentence and the other woman shrugged.

“Not sure. We were thinking of taking at least a year off to travel for ourselves for once but I wanted to see if you two had set a wedding date yet?”

“Oh god!” Sarah and Becca both laughed, “that’s at least a year away yet! We haven’t even started any planning.”

“Looks like we have plenty of travel time then.” Jackie smiled, her hand coming to squeeze at her wife’s before she glanced over to Heather and Rob, “you two didn’t happen to sell any of those vacation properties when you divorced, did you?”

“Where do you think I spent the first year and a half?” Heather replied with a laugh, watching the way Jackie and Nat glanced between each other, “and yes, we can give you keys to both if you’re headed out that way.”

“Where are they?” Nat asked.

“Barcelona and French Alps.” Becca replied.

“And they are both absolutely gorgeous.” Sarah noted.

Cody jumped in with a comment about vacation, asking his mom if they could go visit gramma and grampa over spring break, that he wanted them to meet Mimi and Pops and the conversation shifted on from there. You discovered you were one of the only ones at the table who’d never actually been to Florida and definitely hadn’t had the childhood experience of going to any of the theme parks and the entire thing got the ball rolling on a larger family vacation come spring.

Bellies were full, the mood was happy through the room, laughter and joy swirling through the warm indoor air. It was out of sheer instinct that you started to tidy things up, stacking up plates and moving serving bowls of food back to the kitchen island. You smiled warmly when Cody immediately jumped up to help, collecting cutlery and carefully helping load up the dishwasher. Steve had no complaints happily trotting along after the kid, eager to get whatever scraps he could before they got tossed in the garbage. Heather made a round to make sure everyone’s drinks were refilled before pulling out stacks of Tupperware so everyone had food to go home with. Once the dishwasher was started Cody turned to wash his hands and let out a gasp when he looked out the window into the backyard.

“Mimi! It’s snowing!” He let out an excited squeal, turning back to the dining room, “mom can we go play outside?!”

“I think everyone could stand to burn off a little bit of energy.” Rob replied as Lily smiled with a nod.

It wasn’t that cold outside but the snow had been coming down all afternoon, thick and fluffy enough to coat the backyard in a blanket of white. The air still had a balmy warmth to it and was the perfect temperature to be outside after being cooped up indoors with the oven going all day. Rob found the perfect excuse to turn on the outdoor fireplace and dig up a couple of large cozy blankets for the outdoor furniture.

Cody happily ran around the yard, chasing Steve or being chased by Steve, running through the playset and tossing snowballs around the place. He roped Becca into a game of tag and before they knew it all the big kids had been enlisted into a snowball fight. Drinks got switched out for steaming mugs of hot chocolate, coffee or apple cider with players choice of booze inside while the snowball fight began to die down.

Heather found herself back in the kitchen, handwashing a few of the now empty wine glasses before drying her hands on a dishtowel. She glanced up at the sound of someone coming around the corner from the washroom and both her and Jackie stalled when they realized they’d been caught alone together.

“Uh.. did you get a cider?” Heather asked.

“Is there bourbon to go in there?” Jackie asked with a near smirk and Heather couldn’t help but laugh.

“Of course there is.” She poured a mug of liquid for the other woman, letting her measure out her own liquor.

“Thanks.” Jackie replied, blowing on the steaming beverage before taking a sip, “you know…never in a million years did I think I’d be saying this, but… grandmother-hood really suits you.”

“It really has been a very refreshing breath on life.” Before Jackie could reply, Cody was bounding into the kitchen.

“Mimi! We’re making a snow man; I need a carrot for the nose!” Heather chuckled, opening the fridge to pull one out,

“Anything else?”

“He’s gonna need eyes. Maybe brussel sprouts? They’re icky, no one’s going to eat them.”

“Okay…” She laughed, reaching back into the fridge for the required vegetables before he raced back out into the yard with a yell. Heather glanced up to Jackie, who was watching the boy shove back on his boots on the back porch.

“God I do not know how you do it.”

“Hmm?” She picked up her mug of cocoa, following the other woman back onto the back porch.

“I mean even for me it’s like I’m suddenly flashing back thirty years ago, this must’ve been hard for you.”

“It was a hurdle at first, that’s for sure. But I like to think of it like the second chance I never got with Jordan.”

“That’s sweet.” Jackie smiled, “he really loves you. They all do. You and y/n are so lucky to have each other.” Her gaze drifted out into the yard before turning back to the other woman, “I’m really happy for you Heather, truly. You really did realize what you were missing out on and worked your ass off to make things right. You’ve managed to create this beautiful family, and…. I am thankful to be part of it.”

A small silence over took the porch as the two of them truly let the words sink in, watching the rest of the group play. Rob had broken out the cigars, watching the chaos from the comfort of a large patio chair while Becca and Nat were cozied up on a lounger, they were snacking on something and there was no doubt it was a brownie. While you, Lily and Sarah were happily helping Cody make what was turning into a snow family.

“Thank you.” Heather finally spoke, “it really does mean a lot. And I do have to thank you for stepping up as godmother while I was gone.”

“It was nothing.” She chuckled, “easier when I can have an intellectual conversation with her.”

“Doesn’t hurt you married her best friend.”

“No. It doesn’t.” Jackie laughed and the two of them felt the little layer of ice that had been hanging in the air begin to thaw, melting away finally on a night full of love and family.

Across the yard, Nat’s hand suddenly clamped around Becca’s wrist, thus silencing her mid sentence.

“What?”

“They’re talking…” she stated, nodding up to the porch, “and that’s like, genuine, happy conversation with real smiles and laughs, not fake political bullshit style talking.”

“It’s a fucking Christmas miracle.”

“Oh… my god…”

“Are they about to hug?” Becca’s whisper was hissed, “how drunk are they? Is hell freezing over right now?”

“Holy fuck they’re really hugging.”

“Girls…” Rob chuckled from across the fire pit, “everyone is allowed to make amends, remember?”

“Yeah, I just never thought…” Becca trailed off.

Heather glanced up at movement on the small set of stairs, her head tilting at you and Cody hand in hand before he ran ahead inside.

“Bathroom break?” She asked.

“No.” You sighed with a smile, “there has been another request for The Grinch.”

“We just got out here!” She protested with a laugh, gesturing to Jackie and herself and you shrugged, stepping closer to her to steal a kiss.

“Who am I to tell a kid no on Christmas? Even if we have already watched it three times?” With a small giggle you pressed another kiss to her lips, “feel free to stay out for a bit, I’ve got him.” Behind her, Heather could feel Jackie disappearing down the stairs into the yard, no doubt to give the two of you a little bit of privacy.

“It would be nice to have a tiny bit of adult time.”

“I’m pretty sure we’ve tired him out, he’ll probably be asleep within the hour.”

“Alright.”

With a soft smile she cupped at your cheek, leaning in for another kiss, her lips gently meeting yours and you couldn’t help but let out a happy hum against her. Your hand squeezing at her waist softly as you reluctantly pulled away from the kiss.

“I love you.” You murmured softly with a warm smile.

“I love you more than you could ever imagine sweetheart.” She grinned back at you and you could feel all the unspoken words flowing through the air, laughing softly and kissing her once again before disappearing into the house.

Heather watched you go through the door, the excitement in your voice as you greeted Cody in the living room before she glanced through the yard. Never in a million years did she think that her life would turn out like this, never did she think that something so welcoming, so homey, a night filled with love, laughter and affection would be a Christmas in her household. Yet here she was, with her own little found family creating the greatest thing that she never would have expected. She was happy, beyond happy, and so head over heels in love she nearly didn’t believe it herself. Everything was perfect, it was finally perfect, yet it was so drastically different from her previous thoughts on perfection.

So when she finally said goodnight to the last guest to leave, knowing that everyone else was set up in a guest room for the night and she flicked off the light on the main floor, she knew that she was exactly where she needed to be. She may have been to hell and back, she may have put people through hell and back, but she had grown, she’d become the better person she needed to be, and she now had the life she had always dreamed of and would never forget. She crawled into bed that night feeling happier than she’d ever felt in her life, smiling happily as you rolled in her arms, awake just enough to kiss her gently, wishing her a merry Christmas and reminding her just how much you loved her. In return she pressed a kiss to the tip of your nose, repeating that she loved you, and how thankful she was for you, and for her family.

“I love you Heat… I always will.” You murmured, burying tighter into her embrace as you let out a happy sigh, “don’t ever forget that.”

“Believe me… I never will.”

________

@mickey-gomez @naturalxselection @yesterdaysgone @hbkpop @giftedchildturns40 @anya-casablanca @svulife-rl @swimmingstudentchaos891 @alexusonfire @red1culous @oliviaswifey @mysticfalls01 @cmmndrwidw @bumblebear30 @svushots @yourtaletotell @cerberus-spectre @emskisworld @ex-uallyactive @addictedtodinosaurss @imaginaryoperaglovess @multifandomlesbianic @bookpillows @drduckthief @whimsicallymad @mmmmokdok @momlifebehard @mmemalwa @holycrapraewth @poisonedcrowns @wannabe-fic-reader @when-wolves-howll @dead-of-niight @borg-queer @godard-muse @itisdoctortoyousir @brooklynmhm @emilyprentiss4life @httpjupiterbby @summergeezburr @thatesqcrush @daddy-heather-dunbar @evilregal2002 @alcabots @wandsmxmff

#heather dunbar #heather dunbar x reader #house of cards #jackie sharp #jackie sharp x oc #a redemption earned #classified affairs

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prosperdemeter2 · 10 months

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Perspective flip for stuck?? Maddie Bobby Shannon - I rlly don't care who bc god do I love that fic you're writing is amazing :)

collision chapter one

“Did you notice he talks in his sleep?” Over her shoulder, she could see that Evan was no longer sleeping, instead looking at Christopher with a concentrated frown while he explained patiently whatever he was doing with his video game character on the television screen. It took everything within Maddie for her to not turn around and march her way back into the living room to sit with him. Evan wasn’t vulnerable in the Diaz household, she knew that - it was as much his house, now, that it was theirs - but Maddie was… Maddie was used to being the person he turned to when he was hurt or scared or… or anything really.

She didn’t know how to feel about the fact that her absence and replaced her with Eddie.

It wasn’t that Eddie was anything bad. Maddie loved him, even, if only because of the way he made Evan smile. She appreciated his brutal honesty, at least, even if it stung whenever he threw it in her direction. Evan would never hold her verbally responsible for what Doug had done to them, Eddie didn’t have any qualms. Maddie chewed on her cheek and wondered, absently, if Evan needed another pain killer. Eddie snorted and shook his head, pulling her attention back to where he was… lingering, tapping his fingers against his phone and wearing that look on his face that Maddie knew he only wore when Shannon had been particularly difficult.

She didn’t know how to broach that topic with him (with Evan, either). There were some startling similarities to her own relationship with Doug that had her reeling - Shannon wasn’t violent, not that Maddie knew, but she had such a grip of control that… that Maddie didn’t know how to warn him away without causing more damage. “I’ve been sharing a bed with him for the last six months.” Eddie answered sarcastically.

Maddie tried not to blush at the implication. She knew her baby brother was sexually active, thank you very much. She had lived in an apartment with him for the better half of a year - Eddie had spent plenty of time in that same place behind a locked door that Maddie tried her hardest not to pay attention to the noises coming from (not that they were loud, but Maddie wasn’t dumb, she knew what a locked door and the sound of a squeaking mattress meant). “Actually,” Eddie stood up straighter. “Can I ask you something?”

Maddie blinked - it wasn’t all that often that Eddie went out of his way to continue a conversation with her. Not that she was complaining - Evan loved him and Maddie didn’t plan on going anywhere any time soon, she would have to get to know the man that her brother cared so much about (and it wasn’t a chore. Eddie was nice, an enigma but a nice one). “Of course.”

“Buck doesn’t have any idea who he could be talking about.” Eddie explained. “Everything else he can explain.”

Maddie screwed up her face in curiosity. “Okay.”

“Who’s Daniel?”

It was an innocent question but it slapped Maddie back about twenty-five years. It wasn’t that Maddie floundered at the name every single time she heard it - Daniel was a popular enough name and she had been a nurse and currently was as 911 operator. But it had been years since anyone had drawn the line between Daniel and Evan that wasn’t her. There were so many ways to answer that she didn’t know which to stick with. She wanted to tell him the truth - she had a feeling she could, that Eddie wouldn’t hold it against her more than she held it against herself.

But it was like Evan had asked her himself - there was no telling Eddie and him not telling Evan. It was just how the two of them worked (and it wouldn’t be fair of her, to ask Eddie to keep her secret because their parents had taken the words from her and buried them in Daniel’s little wooden casket). Where’s Dan’y? Evan had asked it again and again and again and their parents had never answered except to tell him not to ask. Maddie had held him all through the funeral, hugged one brother while they lowered the other into the ground, and when their mother had tried to take Evan from her arms Maddie had held on so tightly that it had almost given little-Evan bruises on his soft flesh. He had tried to crawl Daniel’s casket, had put his pudgy little hand on Daniel’s cheek and asked her with teary blue eyes why he wasn’t waking up. For two years they had had a combined birthday party - Daniel had sat Evan on his lap and served him cake and he had laughed when Evan had smeared frosting everywhere. Their parents had hated it but Maddie had been so happy… she had never been so happy ever since….

She could tell him. Maddie wouldn’t be breaking the promise to their parents if she told Eddie and Eddie told Evan for her. He found out in a roundabout way, Maddie could defend.

But when she opened her mouth to tell him, a lie tumbled out instead. “A kid that grew up down the street from us, I think.” Maddie explained with a forced pleasant laugh. “I’m surprised he even brought him up. They used to have play dates when Evan was, like, two years old.” Eddie didn’t believe her. Or, he did believe her, but he knew she wasn’t telling the entire truth. Of course he did, Maddie wasn’t shocked, she lied the same way Evan did. It was how she was always able to catch him in it.

Maddie wanted to scream at him to call her on it. All Eddie had to do was push just a little bit more and she’d be spilling Daniel out on his kitchen floor.

But he didn’t and the ghost of Daniel she clung to in her chest screamed at her to let him free and so… she bid her goodbyes, lingered a moment longer than was necessary, perhaps, with her lips pressed against Evan’s birthmark (she had told him, when he was too young to understand and remember, that it was Daniel’s fingerprint. A way for their brother to stay tethered to him even when he was gone).

She held her breath all the way to the ocean and then she stood out on the rocks and screamed at the waves until they screamed back.

#ask tag #rewrite #buddie #maddie buckley #the misery of Daniel

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badassbarmaid · 2 months

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My initial thoughts on Rebirth.

Disclaimer: I shouldn't have to do this but I know how toxic the fandom has become in some ways, so know this is my opinion only, you don't have to agree or disagree, and I'm not here to say anyone who feels differently is less than. I'm just sharing my own thoughts as I process what I experienced playing through the game the first time.

I'm going to first go over what I loved about this game.

The world building. I was blown away with how large and complex each village/town/city was. Kalm, Corel, Costa Del Sol, Under Junon, Nibelheim...these were tiny little areas in the OG. I was in awe as we entered the spaces, got introduced to so many new characters and side stories, it was wonderful. This approach made me fall in love with Cosmo Canyon especially. This historical and regional intel quests have been amazing, too, in that it gives so much more inside into this universe. I'm still working through the side content to expand on this, but so far, I have been really enjoying the storytelling. Also - chocobo riding is SO FUN.

The characterizations. Just like in Remake, we get personalities for all the characters, main and NPC. Even for the glimpses we get of Cid and Vincent, I love how they are portrayed and make you already drawn into who they are and how they could fit into the story in part 3. This game made me really enjoy Yuffie and Cait Sith especially - characters I mostly ignored in the OG because I didn't like their personalities or gameplay mechanics. The smaller characters, from townsfolk in Nibelheim, other rebels in Junon, the GI tribe, or even the Black Robes...it's all so interesting and complex. I loved it. Getting the chance to see Myrna, Ifalna, Zangan, and even Tifa's father...peak narrative writing right there.

The relationship building among the main cast. I also loved how deep the primary relationships got among the characters. We see bestie scenes with Tifa and Aerith, bonding between Barret and Cloud, Nanaki and Aerith...it's all so real and deep and funny. The banter is hilarious, especially where Yuffie is involved or Cait Sith, but not obnoxious.

The additions to the battle system. I really like the synergy combinations. I thought that was a fun new mechanic and really makes you want to flesh out your parties. I also really like that they make you split off into different party combos throughout the story, which forces you to play with everyone but not so much that it hinders anything. Now as I am in post game, I'm really having fun swapping people in and out, unlike during the OG when I kept it to really only a core party.

The easter eggs to the OG. I loved the Fort Condor minigame/3D brawler nod to the polygon vibes. The hints to different areas of the OG game we haven't seen yet, the music choices, the direct lines. It's so evident that the developers wanted it feeling like we were going into our old stomping grounds, but with some new tweaks and twists, much like Remake. I'm going to enjoy seeing more as I do more of the sidequests.

The balance of the "romance". Of course we all know I am a cloti fan, but i think they did a good job balancing it all out throughout the game/ The first half is very Tifa heavy, the second half is more Aerith heavy, but it shows the complexities of these relationships and that they aren't cut and dry. Now, I will say though that it does seems to be tipped more in Tifa's favor, but I personally find that making more sense overall, but that's me. Independent of my own preferences, I think they did a good job not shoving one over the other in the main story.

I LOVED being able to play as Zack and have him and Cloud fight together, as brief as it was, because it was just so nice to see.

Okay, now onto the things I have concerns/qualms/issues with.

The pacing was rough at times. We would go through stretches of heavy, dense plot, to random long bouts of minigames. It was jarring at points in the story and seemed out of place besides Gold Saucer (Costa Del Sol, the moogle houses, the Queen's Blood game, etc. seemed odd). While I love minigames, it felt bloated. Clearly they needed filler in the game to make up for not doing the whole story plot.

It pulled a FF15 with plugging in characters and plot that required you to know the side stories like homework before playing. While I played Intergrade, I never played Ever Crisis/First Soldier so despite doing my research, I'm still confused over Glenn and that whole side plot. I felt for people who didn't play those games too, or if someone hadn't experienced Yuffie's DLC.

The ending was convoluted and confusing. It's evident that this game knew it was a middle child, so I knew there would be no resolution, but I am so confused by their narrative choices. The fusion of worlds? Aerith may be dead or may not be dead? Zack is still bouncing between realities? While I didn't know if I wanted Aerith killed off or saved, the fact that we don't have a committed decision on it and it's now vague...I don't like that.

The lack of reaction by characters to bizarre behavior. I know I wasn't the only one confused by the fact that Cloud would very obviously act out of character and folks seemed ignorant of it, beyond a few comments. He slaughtered people, spoke unlike himself, and nearly killed Tifa and Aerith, yet no one really bat an eye to it. On top of that, when Sephiroth did appear to more than just Cloud, folks didn't seem to react much at all to it. There were times in the last few chapters of the game that my partner (who watched me play) was very much like what the fuck?! It's one thing to have but muted in the OG because they had limitations...but this was just strange.

The buggy mechanics suck. I wish I could stick to chocobos; I hate navigating the buggy; the controls are just god awful for me. The load in and out time is long, it's hard to make turns or even stop, and I can never tell what terrain i can actually go on or not.

The puzzle mechanics also suck. I hated the sequence as Cait Sith in the ShinRa manor and the Temple of the Ancients. I felt like they were tedious or confusing and also bloated the story out too much.

Ultimately, I loved the game. I like the story choices, the music, the visuals, the exploration....as someone that has loved this story since I was 10 when it came out, I am very happy with it overall and will be replaying it a few times to catch everything I missed.

My partner said it best when he alluded that this has Nomura all over it. I hope the third game answers these questions and gives us a proper and committed resolution, whatever it may look like.

#ooc #DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T BEATEN THE GAME.#if you wanna chat with me about it please DM me so no one is spoiled in the notes here. thanks!

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