#and the premise has a chance to return in a future chapter

[partystoragechest]

A story of romance, drama, and politics which neither Trevelyan nor Cullen wish to be in.

Canon divergent fic in which Josephine solves the matter of post-Wicked Hearts attention by inviting four noblewomen to compete for Cullen's affections. In this chapter, the banquet begins.

(Masterpost. Beginning. Previous entry. Next entry. Words: 3,620. Rating: all audiences. Warnings: brief mention of murder/decapitation, very close to the end.)

Chapter 24: The Banquet - Part 1

Trevelyan’s dress was not plum.

Her plum dress, sent oh-so-specially by her mother, was currently indisposed.

‘Indisposed’ here meant that it was, at this moment, being washed—quite thoroughly—by the laundresses. Because after it had been pressed and prepared yesterday, it had gone mysteriously absent—only to be discovered hours later, by Trevelyan herself, stuffed inside a sack of sugar.

And so, while the Baroness wore a sleek golden gown, and Lady Erridge one of ruffled green gossamer, and the Lady Samient an outfit of breeches and doublet—black, with striking red panels—Trevelyan wore simply her silk shift, and burgundy surcoat.

“You’re sure you saw her?” Lady Samient questioned, as Trevelyan recounted what had led to this. It was certainly one way to pass the time, whilst they waited to enter the Great Hall.

“It was her,” Trevelyan confirmed, “that Sera.”

Because whilst scouring for the dress her ladies’ maids had failed to find, Trevelyan had seen someone. Certainly, it was dark, and they were dressed like any other servant—but she swore, in that glimpse, she recognised her. Sera.

“You ought to report it!” said Lady Erridge, who had strangely been the most furious about the matter—even more so than Trevelyan. “Tell Lady Montilyet!”

“No,” said Trevelyan. “If this is her response to one act of disclosure, then I should hate to find out the consequences of a second.”

Because it all fit too well, the idea of Trevelyan having told about the swapped sugar and salt being met with a dress covered in a such a substance, hours before it was due to be worn.

Besides, the only injured party was Trevelyan herself, rather than the dozens it would have been for the salt and sugar swapping. The laundresses did have some extra work now, but they were happy to do it, by way of apology for letting the dress out of sight in the first place.

“That is for the best,” the Baroness said. “You shall not stoop to her level. Play with the mabari, and you shall win only fleas.”

Trevelyan was suddenly quite grateful Sera had not resorted to covering her dress in fleas. But there was little time to think of that:

“Presenting Baroness Touledy of Val Misrenne; Lady Samient, daughter of Duke Samient; Lady Erridge of West Coldon; and Lady Trevelyan, of Ostwick!”

The crier’s call was their cue to enter. One last look of understanding passed between the Ladies. No matter how it had started, they would enjoy the rest of tonight.

The door opened, they entered. The frown was wiped from Trevelyan’s face, and replaced with awe.

It seemed not only they knew how to dress for an occasion—the Great Hall had been decorated to perfection, under the guiding wisdom of Lady Montilyet.

Every other candle had been left unlit, resulting in an ambient warmth like a campfire’s glow. Tapestries and banners were of a rustic weave; mounted game became focal points of the scenery. This grand space, which had once played the role of an opulent ballroom, now transformed, to an intimate country manor.

The guestlist reflected such intimacy. Only thirty attended—including the Ladies themselves—which the Great Hall made seem an even smaller number, with its size. Their gazes felt as intimidating as a hundred, however, as they applauded the Ladies’ entrance.

Trevelyan cast her eyes across this congregation in turn, seeking faces she recognised; the anchors of safety she would cling to.

Naturally, it was Dorian she saw first. He sported a black tunic, laden with gold embroidery, and stood beside the Inquisition’s flame-haired Spymaster, who wore a contrasting blue gown. It was so tight to her body, Trevelyan wondered how she concealed the doubtless many weapons she had hidden within.

Varric, meanwhile, wore half a very nice shirt, and was entertaining a few fans. Lady Montilyet glided on by, ever the consummate professional. Her dress was of a muted blue-grey, that almost blended with the stone—intentionally so, most likely. She would not outshine her guests.

And that was all Trevelyan recognised, having done dreadfully little mingling in these sorts of circles (and more in the mage kind of Circles).

Apart from, of course, the Commander. She spied him standing awkwardly, as was his wont, beside a chattering noble (whom he appeared to pay little attention to, as was his wont).

It was the first Trevelyan had seen him in a day. Lady Erridge had told her, of course, that his stubble had grown, but it appeared he must have trimmed it back since then, for he looked delightfully like his normal self.

Not so pale, not so weak. Normal.

Good, even, for he was finely dressed. He wore a sort of doublet, sleeveless, to expose the arms of the fine shirt beneath. Odd, though. Trevelyan struggled to find any other word to describe the colour of this waistcoat than… plum.

How fortunate that Sera had played her prank, then. Trevelyan chuckled to think of what might have happened, had she attended wearing that dress her mother had sent. They’d have matched! How embarrassing it would have been. She’d have to thank Sera for the favour.

If only she could have tricked the Commander instead, into staying away somehow. For as well as he looked, Trevelyan still did not think it best for him to be in attendance. More and more, she was drawn to the suspicion that the person he treated with most contempt, was himself.

“Lady Trevelyan,” the Baroness said, stealing her attention away, “look over there.”

She nodded towards a small group of nobles—clearly Orlesian, going by the elaborate fashion—and indicated in particular a woman in a mask of turquoise, and a ballgown of silver. With pale yellow lace? Definitely Orlesian.

“That, is Comtesse Bervard.”

Ah.

Trevelyan had been told much of the Comtesse before their arrival. Like how one might learn all the types of wild animal that stalked a road, before travelling down it. And just as that information might make one terrified to leave their home, so did the Ladies’ warnings of Bervard make Trevelyan nervous now.

The Comtesse, she had been told, was a skilled player of the Great Game. Translated, that meant that she was callous, quick, used others for her own entertainment, and gossiped more than the Randy Dowager. Anyone who didn’t like it, would have a nice little visit from a bard.

“Why invite her?” Trevelyan wondered, very, very quietly.

“Because should this banquet be a success, all of the Heartlands shall hear of it within a week,” Touledy explained. “Everyone has their uses, your Ladyship. Though, to that point: do not say anything to her you do not wish the entirety of Thedas to know.”

Lady Samient smirked. “Do not say anything to her at all,” she corrected.

Trevelyan nodded. Like a bear, then. Do not look at it. Do not get close. Do not make eye contact. And if it sees you, pray.

Gladly, however, chamberlains arrived to lead them away from the Comtesse Bervard, and towards their seats.

The banquet was to take place across two long tables, that flanked the Great Hall’s central walkway—and like the Hall, they had been decorated with care. Evergreen wreaths made up the centrepieces. Ripe red fruits—possibly candied—nestled betwixt them. Pewter dishes lined the edges; precisely-laid cutlery surrounded them. Rustic enough for Fereldans and Marchers, quaint enough for Orlesians. Montilyet was good.

To her relief, Trevelyan and the Ladies were escorted together, to the leftmost table. However, upon their arrival, their respective chamberlains split apart, and they were each seated two or so spaces away from the others. So, perhaps Montilyet wasn’t that good.

At least Trevelyan was placed at the end of the table, her back to the garden door. In case of emergency, she could make a run for it.

But she would at least wait to see who sat beside her, first. A chamberlain pulled out the neighbouring chair, with a scrape so quiet it was barely a ‘scra’. Still, the movement caught Trevelyan’s eye, and she watched as a devastatingly handsome, incredibly clever man, took his seat.

“Dorian?” she said, quite gladly. “I see you made it.”

“I wouldn’t miss it,” he lied, already reaching for his glass. “Reminds me of home.”

Oh, she quite understood that. “Well, it’s lucky we’re sat together, at least.”

“Luck...” Dorian muttered, “or a direct request.”

“Ha! I’m flattered.”

“As you should be.”

Trevelyan smiled and left him to his drink, giving her attention instead to the arrival of further guests. A couple of Banns, one Arl, some Baron. And of course, the Commander.

Where he sat, and indeed, where all of the guests at this particular table sat, though tedious to describe, would be important for events to come. Therefore:

Lady Samient was to the far left of Trevelyan, at what might be considered as the ‘top’ of the table. Two places down from her, was the Baroness Touledy; and near-opposite Touledy, was the Commander.

Two places down from Touledy sat Dorian. Opposite him was Lady Erridge, and next to Lady Erridge, there was an empty chair.

The empty chair was to be surprisingly important, in the farce that followed. And it started with Baroness Touledy.

“Lady Trevelyan?” she called. “May I exchange seats with you? I need more space, for my leg and cane to rest.”

Though reluctant to abandon Dorian after he had so specifically sat with her, Trevelyan would not leave a friend in pain. And she was at least confident that he would not find the Baroness a dissatisfactory conversational partner.

“Of course,” she said, rising from her chair.

Dorian sighed. “Well, that lasted.”

Trevelyan laughed and walked away, passing a grateful Baroness on her journey. Now seated more centrally, she took in the new landscape of faces around her. Most notably, the Commander’s, right in front of her.

She gave him a little smile. He reciprocated, and began to ask, “Lady Trevelyan, are you—?”

“Commander,” came Lady Montilyet’s hurried voice. She appeared behind him, and leant down to whisper something Trevelyan fully intended to hear: “The Marquis du Vert refuses to sit next to Bann Royton. Would you be able to sit in his place?”

There was a barely-contained look of exasperation on the Commander’s face. But nevertheless, he rose, nodding once to Trevelyan as he did so, and went to the empty chair beside Lady Erridge.

She seemed quite startled by this. Quite startled indeed.

“Lady Trevelyan!” she called down the table. “Would you switch places with me? I cannot speak to Lady Samient from here.”

Trevelyan considered it for a moment. A long moment. But dutifully, she nodded, and got up from her seat.

“Thank you,” said the giddy Lady Erridge, as they passed each other by. Trevelyan smiled, and went to her new seat.

Quite by coincidence, she was now sat shoulder-to-shoulder with the Commander. She looked to him, with a smile and a shrug, and a little laugh that escaped her mouth. He managed a smile in return.

“Are you well?” he asked, seemingly retaining some of that shyness from their previous encounter.

“I am,” she told him. “Are you?”

He nodded, and let the thread of the conversation dangle there. It was like talking to him for the first time, again. But Trevelyan was practiced in this by now:

“That is a nice waistcoat,” she said, indicating the plum doublet.

“Ah—er, yes. Lady Montilyet chose it—or, rather, the one she chose was in green. This one was brought to me by mistake.”

“Then a happy mistake it is. I think this colour suits you quite well. Certainly better than green would have.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Thank you, you… too?”

“What?”

“You, you look nice. As well.”

“Oh. Thank you.” Trevelyan brushed her skirts so they hung correctly over her legs, which was certainly not an excuse to escape eye contact. “Though I think—”

“Commander,” came Lady Montilyet’s voice once more, even more frazzled than the last time. “The Comtesse wishes to switch tables, and the Marquis now says he would rather sit with the Bann than near her. Would you..?”

Trevelyan held her mouth to stop herself from laughing, because this had to be a joke.

And yet, deadly serious, the Commander rose again. “Forgive me,” he muttered, as he followed Montilyet back to his original seat. The one he left behind was soon taken up by a man in a fanciful white mask.

And not long after, Lady Erridge leant forward. “Lady Trevelyan, would you—?”

Trevelyan sighed. “Lady Erridge, unless it is a matter of life and death, I shall not move from this spot.”

Erridge relented, and sank back into her seat. “Never mind.”

And so, it ended, with Erridge in the centre, and the Commander opposite her. The Baroness sat where Trevelyan first had, at the end of the table, next to Dorian. Trevelyan sat opposite, relieved that she was still, at least, not far from the garden door. Lady Samient had not moved at all.

Yet there was one seat left, across from her in particular. And the arse it waited for finally arrived.

Turqoise mask, silver dress, yellow lace. The Comtesse Bervard settled into her chair. Poor Lady Samient.

“Top of the table,” said the Comtesse, her voice dripping with Orlesian glamour, “as it should be.”

The Baroness snorted into her goblet. Trevelyan rolled her eyes. This was going to be a long banquet.

“Friends and allies of the Inquisition!” Lady Montilyet called. She stood between the two tables, and addressed all upon them. “Thank you all for coming, to solidify our bonds, and to forge new ones. The Inquisition has much to give to Thedas, and we hope to demonstrate that tonight, with warmth, mirth, and good food. Please, enjoy!”

She clapped her hands, and doors opened. An army of kitchen staff filed into the room, each one carrying a plate of steaming food. Well-rehearsed rows were formed around the tables and, all at once, the plates were laid.

Pleasant sounds came from the guests. The first course appeared to be some kind of baked fruit—but presented in fine slices, and with cuts of meat and cheese. A balance of Orlesian tastes, and Fereldan simplicity.

Any conversation quieted, as people began to eat. Polite mouths kept closed, the only sounds those of hummed approval. Until, that was, a fork clinked down onto its plate at the other end of the table.

The Comtesse Bervard leant forward, and gazed down its length. “Who am I eating with, hm?” she asked. “I see new faces here. Introduce yourselves to me.”

The Baroness shot Trevelyan a look, but she needed no prompting. She sank back into her chair, hopeful that the extravagant mask of the Marquis du Vert next to her would do enough to hide her face.

And it did. Because it was not Trevelyan whom the Comtesse spotted first. “You there,” she said, pointing at Erridge. “Your Ladyship, is it?”

It was clear Lady Erridge was nervous, to anyone who knew her. For anyone who knew her, knew she did not miss an opportunity to speak. And yet, when the Comtesse addressed her, she merely nodded in reply.

“Well, what is your name? You must have one.”

Erridge tried to straighten. “I am Lady Erridge, of West Coldon.” When the Comtesse continued to stare at her, Erridge added: “In Ferelden.”

“Ah, I see why you were so keen to hide it. You need not be so embarrassed to be Fereldan here. We are all easy company, I am sure.”

Lady Erridge nodded.

“But I admit, I have never heard your family name before. How delightful to increase one’s knowledge of the world.”

“Well, you might have heard of us,” Erridge muttered, gaining a little sense of pride. “My family are quite prolific traders, in stained glass, particularly.”

The Baroness grimaced. Lady Samient tensed. The Comtesse’s stare narrowed.

“Oh, I see,” she said, speaking as one does to a toddler, “you are in trade. How sweet.” Addressing the table more generally, she went on: “This is why I am so grateful to the Council of Heralds. In Ferelden, they give titles to anyone.”

Chuckles rippled through the other Orlesian guests at the table. The mocking little chorus was cut short, however, by the screech of Samient’s fork against her plate. Accidental, of course.

The Comtesse turned on her. “Lady Samient, you have forgotten your manners.”

“Oh, have I?” Samient replied. “I suppose we left them in the same place.”

The Comtesse laughed. “Still a little spitfire, just like your mother.” She dabbed her mouth with her napkin, and muttered, “And I hear you like the stables, just like your mother.”

Oh no. If she was referring to what Trevelyan believed she was referring to, then it was best to brace for whatever would come next.

Yet to Trevelyan’s surprise, Lady Samient chuckled along. “Yes, the ones in Skyhold are very well-kept for their location.”

A Bann nearby agreed, and began to talk fondly of the Inquisition’s horsemaster. Trevelyan exchanged a glance with Touledy, all too relieved that was over. They both turned their attentions to Erridge.

The ever-cheerful and bright Lady Erridge sagged as if a candle that had been snuffed. Her food was half-eaten, currently being idly pushed around her plate. Had Trevelyan not already been disposed to intensely dislike this Comtesse Bervard, she would certainly hate her now.

Servants came to clear plates, providing enough distraction for the Baroness Touledy to see to Lady Erridge’s mood. Through whispers behind Dorian, and a little blown kiss, she managed to put a smile back on dear Erridge’s face.

But Trevelyan was not quite satisfied with this. ‘You ought to be loosing fireballs upon the sky’. She waited for the servants to return, and for the second course they brought with them.

Plates were set before the guests—some well-cooked meat with a selection of fine vegetables, in a rich sauce. Everyone, naturally, reached for their cutlery. And as the Comtesse reached for hers, Trevelyan performed just a teensy-weensy bit of magic.

“Oh!” gasped the Comtesse, dropping her knife the moment she touched it. “It gave me a shock!”

Trevelyan bit her lip to conceal the absolute smugness with which she wished to smile. Though she expected a reprimanding glare from Dorian, when she caught his eye, it seemed he suffered the same struggle.

And Maker, if only that had been the end of it. But there were still two more courses. And the Comtesse Bervard was determined to talk through each of them.

“How does your gracious father find the increased Chantry tithes?” she asked Lady Samient, in the midst of riveting discussion about how healthy the Bervard finances were. “My people have been whining, despite all the Chantry does for us in these uncertain times.”

“If there has been complaint,” said Samient, “I haven’t heard of it.”

Nothing to entertain her in that answer. So she turned on Touledy.

“I would ask you, Baroness,” she called across the table, “but you do not have a Chantry to tithe. I expect your people don’t even pay tax.”

What bait! Touledy composed her response carefully: “My people do pay tax, and gladly. For unlike the Chantry tithe, it has some use to them. The roads are well-kept, the commerce flows, no child goes hungry, and my guard is strong.”

The last part in particular caused an unpleasantly confident tip of the Comtesse’s head. “Really? For I have heard your guard was put quite to the test, recently. A skirmish on your land.”

“And they saw it off, did they not? That is proof, I would say.”

The Comtesse had no answer to this, it seemed. She relaxed back in her chair, and continued speaking to a nearby Baron.

With her distracted, Trevelyan whispered to the Baroness: “A skirmish?”

“Bandits,” Touledy replied, reassuringly nonchalant, “though more organised than the usual louts.”

“That shouldn’t be allowed,” Dorian commented. “If they’re smart enough to organise themselves, then they’re smart enough to do something more useful. Become a dancing troupe, perhaps.”

The Baroness laughed. Trevelyan had been quite right that the pair would get along; they’d been doing so famously for the last two courses.

Smiling, she decided to leave them to it, but felt an odd sense of cold as she withdrew. Like a stare.

“And who might you be, on the end there? I do not recognise you.”

Well, shit.

Trevelyan turned, and saw the Comtesse Bervard leaning over the table, her piercing mask pointed directly at her.

There was no escaping this now: “I am Lady Trevelyan, of Ostwick.”

“Really?” Though her eyes were nearly concealed, her glare was petrifying. “I have met all the Trevelyans of Ostwick, and I don’t recall your face. I am a regular attendee of Lady Lucille Trevelyan’s balls, you know.”

Touledy swept in: “Lady Trevelyan is the Bann’s seventh child; she attended the Circle in Ostwick for some years.”

There was a laugh from that mask. A cold, wicked laugh.

“Oh, you’re the little apostate. How intriguing to meet you here.”

Trevelyan put on her best smile. “Charmed, I’m sure.”

“Naturally,” said the Comtesse. “Though I wonder, if you were truly there, could you tell me something about Ostwick Circle?”

“What is it you wish to ask?”

The Comtesse leant further forward, and in a voice that echoed a thousand times through Trevelyan’s head, asked: “Is it true that the Templars sent the heads of mages to the First Enchanter as trophies?”

The candles began to flicker.

Oh, no.

#unwanted #unwanted fic #cullen rutherford #cullen x trevelyan #commander cullen #so despite struggling with the original part 1 of the banquet #i already had about 60% of the banquet part 2 written #(across like 5 different docs lol that was fun to stitch together) #so as a dragon age day treat i gave myself the day to just write #and see if i liked it more if we started here #and i did #but dont worry #the ideas from the unseen chapter are already being threaded through these ones #and the premise has a chance to return in a future chapter #anyway that comtesse bervard huh???

[albywritesfiction]

After The End

Premise 

Your former fiancé and heir apparent of the Aurelian Kingdom, Prince Ædan, has married the love of his life, the fair Saintess Helene. As the nation celebrates their union, you are left alone to pick up the pieces of your broken heart... until you receive two letters. One is an invitation to the office of Prince Ædric, the crown prince's younger brother and rival for the throne. The other is a letter filled with concern from your childhood friend and secretary-in-training, Cyfrin, who is currently assisting your father at your family’s ducal estate in the countryside. Each letter contains a proposition that will change the course of your fate forever.

Which one will you choose?

Features 

Play as the male lead’s abandoned betrothed of a historical fantasy romance that has reached ‘The End.’ You will be able to customize your character’s identity and appearance with a variety of options. 

Choose between two routes for your next course of action. Will you accept the offer of an alliance with the crown prince's younger (and more capable) brother and become the monarch you were always meant to be? Or will you take a step back from the noise and hubbub of high society in the capital and return to your family's estate in the countryside, where your best friend promises to arrange such a great vacation for you that you’ll forget about your ex in no time? 

Characters

The Second Prince: Ædric Aurelius

Ædric is known throughout the kingdom as the Dark Prince, not just because of his ebony black hair, but also because of his unsociable disposition. While it is true that his deep violet eyes and usual scowl can be intimidating, he has been nothing but kind to you in all the years that you have known him. Sometimes you would catch him looking at you with a small smile on his face, but he would always deny it ever happened.

(Ædric's introduction post)

The Future Secretary: Cyfrin Galanthus

You have known Cyfrin your entire life, and your father has known him for even longer, given that he discovered your best friend on the doorstep of your home when he was just a baby. Even though he is the older one between you two, he often trails behind you like a duckling following its mother when his break times align with yours. He has often been compared to a dog: always eager to spend time with you, fiercely protective and loyal, sullen and moody whenever you are apart.

(Cyfrin's introduction post)

The Crown Prince: Ædan Aurelius

Handsome and charismatic, Ædan is the definition of a fairytale prince… just not your fairytale prince. With his golden blond hair and crystal blue eyes, he easily captured the hearts of the people upon his social debut. When he unleashes his soft smile upon a crowd, there is a very high chance that more than half of those present will swoon. You, too, were once enchanted by that smile, back when you thought your love would last until the end of time.

(Ædan's introduction post)

The Fair Saintess: Helene

If your world was the setting of a typical romance novel, there would be no doubt who the protagonist would be. People say that her beauty is a blessing from the gods, and that her silver hair and golden eyes were meant to set her apart as the Favored One. Helene may have almost the entire kingdom wrapped around her little finger, but you know that her true colors are lurking just beneath the kind and naive front she puts up.

(Helene's introduction post)

Status

Chapter 1, Part 1: releasing on January 5, 2024 9:00 PM EST

Chapter 1, Part 2: in progress, estimated release in April/May 2024

Chapter 1, Part 3: in progress

(MC's introduction post)

(Frequently Asked Questions)

Game Link

#interactive fiction #interactive story #interactive novel #twine #twine if #twine game #twine wip #status: wip #if wip #wip if #upcoming if #romance #after the end #ate-if #ate: mc #ate: ædric #ate: cyfrin #ate: ædan #ate: helene #alby's if intro

[patolemus]

Sterek fic recs: Time Travel AU Edition

As I promised @oldefashioned here is the start of my unending sterek fic reccing. I’ll go by category because this post will never end otherwise.

1. song of the phoenix by graveltotempo

In a last ditch effort to save Beacon Hills after everyone else has died, Stiles channels all of his energy and magic into cleansing the Nemeton and the magical core of the town. But he is more powerful than he knows, more connected to the Nemeton than anyone can guess, and a group of kids, teenagers and adults wakes up in the middle of the night ten years earlier with a second chance they didn't know they needed and a bond they don't understand. Stiles though? Stiles wakes up with a little more.

Notes: It's just. So good. It's kinda hard to explain but basically no one knows what's going on but at the same time it works. Kinda. They're working on it. Stiles is awesome in this, I especially love his relationship with the Hales, because of course I do. It's ongoing.

2. Twice And For All by novasillies

“Derek,” he said despite himself. The werewolf’s eyes sharpened. Scott gave him a distressed look. “Do I know you?” He asked tensely, and Stiles grinned in return. “Oh, no,” he answered, “Not yet.” - In which a well-timed conflict between the magic of the Ghost Riders and Stiles' spark sends him back to the day Scott got bitten. Stiles pointedly changes nothing and so God complexes, needlessly complex romantic drama, and pure, unbridled silliness ensue. (Updates every Thursday wink wonk)

Notes: This is to date one of my favorite time travel fics of all time, across multiple fandoms. Stiles in this one is just *chef's kiss*. Completely unhinged, I love him. Also, the sterek? Easily one of the best dynamics I've read. It's ongoing, only four chapters left!

3. Fly a Little Faster by mirrorkill

Everyone knows when you go back in time, you shouldn't step on an ant, just in case you accidentally kill your own grandparent or something. But what happens when you go back in time and, uh, accidentally interrupt the one event that apparently made the Grumpiest Alpha in Town into a ball of mindless manpain?  Well, if Marty McFly can do it, so can Stiles Stilinski. All he has to do is get Derek and Paige to fall in love before he gets pulled back to his own time. And before he makes anything worse. That's easy as pie, right? Right?

Notes: I liked this one because it's not the typical Stiles travels back in time after everyone else in the pack dies. It's got a different premise, still somewhat canon compliant (maybe??? canon enough), and it's amazingly done. It's complete.

4. Daybreak by TheObsidianQuill

"There . . ." Stiles swallowed and looked down at the bottle in his grasp as he slowly swirled the amber liquid inside. "There's really nothing left. For me. Everyone is . . . gone, and it feels like I haven't thought of tomorrow in years." His words rang in the air like a gunshot, he took another heavy drink. "I would trade every last breath I take to just have another shot—not even a guarantee, just a chance to make things right and bring back even one of them." ----- The pack was gone. He had nothing left. He had no one. With nothing to lose, Stiles puts everything on the line to go back in time to try to prevent the future from becoming his past. Broken, guarded, and haunted by his past, only one overgrown-pup of a wolf seems able to get past his defenses. Changing the future? Easy. Finding a place for himself in the Hale Pack? Impossible.

Notes: So good! Stiles is a traumatized bean and the Hales are just everything! It's complete.

5. The A Spark of Hope and the Butterfly Effect series by Phlinting

It's been eleven years since Scott was bitten by a feral werewolf and, despite his pack's many victories along the way, Gerard Argent's influence lives on. As the knowledge of the supernatural spread to the general population so did the hatred and fear of the unknown. The McCall pack has been picked off one by one and Stiles, Sheriff Stilinski, and Peter Hale are the only three left, on the run and barely surviving. But Stiles has found a spell. He has the magic, the spark, and his belief. He has his dad and Peter to help power it and he has the will and desperation to succeed. He's going back to the Hale fire and this time he's going to stop it ALL before it starts. It's the perfect solution. Too bad things never go quite according to plan...

Notes: The Sheriff and Peter are *chef's kiss* here! I really don't know how to explain all that happens here but it gets a little out of control in the best way. It's complete.

6. The The Long Way Round series by exclamation

A magical accident sends Stiles back in time. Now he's stuck in New York, living with Derek and Laura, and the only way to get back to his own time is to learn to use magic. Meanwhile, he must figure out how much he can tell them about their future. Can he warn them about the dangers they face? Can he change his own past?   And can he trust the creature known as Bookworm, who seems to know him better than he knows himself?

Notes: This series had me in a chokehold, I cried so much but it was absolutely worth it! Stiles doesn't plan to travel back in time on this one, this just... happen, and it all spirals a bit out of control. But don't worry! You may have no idea of what's going to happen, but the author certainly did and they did an amazing work. It's complete.

7. It’s Happening by isthatbloodonhisshirt (wasterella)

Derek stopped listening to him, brain going a mile a minute.   Derek, it’s fucking happening! Derek, please!   He would recognize that fucking voice anywhere. Two years. Two fucking years had passed, and now this little shit was standing in front of him, speaking his name, and grinning like an idiot. “It’s you,” Derek said, earning him a confused look from Stiles. “The phone call. Two years ago. It was you.” (SNYE - January 2nd - Time Travel)

Notes: This is not canon compliant. It's a whole other universe, actually, and it's so good. Good ol' Derek is losing his mind over here, but it's alright! Things work out just fine. It's complete.

These ones are not time travel, but dimensional travel. It’s similar enough so here you go.

8. The play it again series by metisket

In which Stiles goes along with one of Derek’s plans and ends up in an alternate universe as a result. He should’ve known better. He did know better, actually, and that means he has no one to blame but himself. “Laura wants to lure the kid in with food and kindness and make a pet of him, like a feral cat. Derek wants to have him arrested for stalking. They’re at an impasse. (And the rest of the family is staying emphatically out of it in a way that suggests bets have been placed.)”

Notes: I honestly don't know how to show the whole of my appreciation for this series. I think I've read this about five times since I found it last year. Stiles lands himself in a whole other dimension, where the Hale House fire never happened and Scott is human. It goes about as well as you can expect. It's technically not complete, but the main piece is.

9. The Home Across The Universe series by TricksterShi

You can lose your home and spend your whole life looking for it, sometimes you may even find bits of it again. But sometimes home goes out searching and finds you first. ~ The day he loses his father and his pack, Stiles is transported to a parallel world where his counterpart is nine years old and seemingly small changes have had a huge impact on the course of events in Beacon Hills. At first sticking to the shadows as a vigilante to protect his otherworld father and younger self, Stiles is soon drawn out into the light and onto a path that forces him to confront the traumas of his past so that he can make a place for himself in this new world.

Notes: Just. This absolute beast of a universe is seriously so well done, and so good. Imagine play it again, but much more depressing and waaaay longer. The angst is on point! The Stilinskis are the best in this one. And Derek and Laura have my heart, love my pookies. Stiles is not having the best times, but he'll be looked after, don't worry! Also technically not complete, but all the pieces in the series are done.

10. The Ley Lines series by forestofbabel

Stiles is back in town after many years, angry and bitter and disconnected from anything you might call pack. It might as well be a tradition at this point that he gets drunk and wakes up in the woods. Only, this time, something is different.  The ghosts that have weighed in his heart are alive and well, and Stiles gets to witness a life that could have been his. There is one thing he knows, though. No matter how much he may want to stay, he has to go home.  If the ley lines you should follow, and your dwelling at the end, and find your presence has been hollowed, your hereafter is to amend." *** Stiles is faced in this new world with someone he had been avoiding for a long time. Himself.  The Double Walker cannot survive where the Double Walker dwells *** Derek had an itch under his skin. There was something missing. He knew exactly what it was. Who it was. His regrets paraded themselves in a steady stream, and he had to watch as Stiles left time and time again, knowing it would be the only way to let the ley lines heal. That didn't make it hurt any less. Still, some part of Derek hoped.

Notes: I honestly just read the first part, but I thought I'd add the whole series so people know what they're getting into. The first part can be read as a stand alone, so if anyone wants to stop after that they absolutely can. The fic itself is a bit sad, but it has a happy ending! Stiles travels to another dimension, and shenanigans follow. The series is complete.

#hope you like this! #fic recs #sterek #stiles stilinski #derek hale #eternal sterek #one day I'll come here and post my own time travel sterek fic #today is not that day #time travel au #teen wolf #sterek fanfic #ao3

[ninapi]

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- ̥۪͙۪˚┊❛ Faded Reality ❜┊˚ ̥۪͙۪◌

Premise: Being the strongest wasn't always ideal, finding love and building a family behind closed doors not an easy fit, but you were worth it and the seed of that love had to be protected no matter what.

Word Count: 3087

Note: This is the second chapter for my "Infuriating Beauty" story, I named them differently just because lol, but you can read the first installment here~

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Life can change drastically in within hours, that is a fact.

Satoru’s life has always been monitored, controlled even, he’s never had the chance to do as he pleases, even if to others, he does what he wants, but truth is he only does what he’s allowed to, he just has a longer leash than others.

The Gojo clan was not allowed to fall in love. They had one purpose only, and the council would make sure things would remain unchanged. 

His future has been planned since he wasn’t even born, and the moment his inheritance was confirmed, he became another toy of the higher ups. No matter how strong he was, he was still being controlled by them.

But this time things were more complex.

The moment Satoru returned home from his mission, he saw two very distressing scenes going on at the same time. As soon as he went into the house he saw a notification in his mailbox, the fact that it was an envelope completely sealed to only be able to be opened by him worried him to his core, but the moment he stepped in his living room and saw Megumi holding your legs up on his lap, rubbing your belly, his brain shut down.

Jealousy was painted all over his face, that was until he saw Megumi’s face. He had clearly not been sleeping for who knows how long, and you…you were pale, asleep, yet very much uncomfortable. 

“What happened?” it’s all he managed to mumble out, he wasn’t angry anymore but worried.

“You happened…” the angry teenager face was just lasting way too long for Megumi, it normally makes him laugh, how sour he could get, but not today…”What do you mean…? Who did this to her…?”

“YOU did!”

“Shhh you’ll wake her up! What do you mean? What did I do now?” he was honestly confused, whisper-yelling at his adoptive son.

“We think she’s pregnant…” 

All color left his face. He should be happy, he actually was, very deep down in his heart. Having a child with the love of his life seemed like a blessing, and would have been if he was a normal dude with his darling wife, but he wasn’t, this would bring chaos and potentially harm you if he didn’t do something, fast.

Going up immediately from your side, he went back to the letter he got from the council. While it wasn’t about your pregnancy, thankfully, it was regarding his now official engagement, he was to meet his future wife next Saturday, a party would be held as a thoughtful gift from one of the higher ups.

They really knew how to mess up people’s life…he just got to know he’ll be a father in a few months, only to be told he has to marry someone else, not the mother of his child but someone he’s never met before, on the same day.

“Toru…?” your voice was raw, your morning sickness has been too rough in your body and the sleepless nights just weren’t helping at all.

“I’m here baby. How are you feeling?” he burned the letter to ashes in seconds before heading back your way. He’ll think about how to get rid of that stupid engagement later, you were more important right now.

“I’m fine, it’s just a bit hard to keep things in my stomach…” Megumi was helping you sit up, wrapping you in a warm blanket; he was truly an angel.

“She’s been throwing up nonstop, she barely sleeps and doesn’t want to go to the doctor, doesn’t even want Ieri-san in the house…” he was tired, his eyes were barely open and the bags under his eyes were as dark as his hair.

“Why, my love? We need to get you checked, what if you’re just sick?” he was now by your side, holding your hand to his lips. 

“I have your child inside of me, Satoru…I’m their mother, I feel it…Ok? Don’t question me…” your angry outburst startled him, you’ve always been so sweet to him, specially after a long mission.

“You see? She needs a doctor but nobody listens to good old Fushiguro…” 

“I’m fine Gumi…I just need to sleep…Toru baby I’m sorry, I’m just a bit grumpy…my mood has been all over the place lately.” you were curling into a ball, clearly distressed by the entire situation, worrying Satoru.

“It’s fine, but I need you to see a doctor, love. It’s not that I don’t trust you, mothers are always right…I just want to make sure you and my baby are fine…can you do that for me…?” gathering you in his arms, he was more than sure you were right about it, he just could feel it, as weird as that sounded, he knew you were right.

“But what if someone sees or hears that I am pregnant? Isn’t that dangerous? What if they find out is yours?”

“You can say it’s mine…” Megumi was blushing madly, playing with his fingers. Even if it wasn’t the reality he wished it was, he wanted to at least be helpful to you in some way.

“Gumi, my angel, I would end up in jail if we say the baby is yours…” his cute idea made you chuckle, knowing you had both of them by your side willing to protect you and be with you all the way made you feel so full, tears were pooling in the corner of your eyes, proving your mood was indeed all over the place.

“Can’t Ieri-san see if she’s pregnant?”

“Unless a curse was the one impregnating her, I doubt Shoko would be of any help…”

“Well a curse did impregnate her…the worse curse there is…”

Satoru just hissed at Megumi, before placing soft kisses to the side of your head, “I’ll get someone I can trust. We need to make sure the baby is fine.” his word was final, even if you were the one pregnant, the child was his too, he had the right to demand his child's safety.

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Facing the council was one of the things Satoru hated the most. They never listened to him and he would always end up throwing threats here and there until they would allow him to get away with whatever he wanted.

However, this time they were fully immersed in the argument, not giving the chance to fight back. They wanted him to marry this woman he knows nothing about, just because a rumor said he was bringing a girl home.

If they ever got to know this said woman is very much indeed his woman and currently carrying his child, not only your relationship will be in danger but your life and the one of your little seed of love too.

“I am not marrying that ugly wench, you hear me? I am Gojo Satoru, I am not letting you decide who gets to go in my pants and who doesn’t.”

“You disrespectful child…You’ll do as you’re told, end of the story.” 

“I won’t, and that’s final. Stop believing in stupid rumors, you know me, I don’t get attached, it’s all a baseless rumor and I won’t let you ruin my life for something as little as that. Now if you excuse me, I’m going in a little vacation, I’m sick of all your bullshit.” leaving the meeting behind, Satoru, who already had his and your bags packed and in a car outside, went out and straight to the airport where you and Megumi were waiting for him.

The doctor he took home to check on you confirmed you were very much pregnant, and warned the two of you of how it was probably going to affect you, recommending as much rest as possible to avoid loosing the child.

The idea of stress putting his baby in danger made Satoru want to leave the city as soon as possible.

Memories of how much fun he and Suguru had in Okinawa made him want to take you there.

Yaga knew about the situation and allowed the both of you to take a break disguised as a mission. It was all planned, he would say he’d spend a few days off by the beach on his own, then go off to this long mission. When in reality you’d be in the same resort as him and then move to a safe house in the other side of town until the baby was born.

And it all went surprisingly well, the elders stopped bugging him as he made them remember his past and who he was, it did sound a bit ridiculous, tying the man down over a rumor they weren’t able to prove.

But the pregnancy wasn’t as beautiful.

The stress was there, no matter how much he tried to distract you.

He was always on edge, checking the windows and locks constantly, while you missed Megumi dearly.

Hence the entire pregnancy was filled with stress, sorrow and pain from how big the child was. All this without being able to leave the house for months, was just souring your mood constantly.

Satoru loved you and his son. He would do anything to protect you, even if that ended up stressing you further.

“Toru come and rub my belly, your son is as stressed as you are right now…” he’s been kicking you all morning to the point that your hips now hurt in discomfort. He did feel when his daddy was on edge, they had a weird connection, one that scared him badly, what if he is also born with his infinity? Will the council take him away from you? Will they make you suffer as much as they did to his mother?

“I’m not stressed, babe. Just making sure everything’s ready…he’s coming soon and we gotta get him out safely…” he leaned on the couch beside you, gently rubbing the little protruded foot on your side, placing soft kisses all over your heavily swollen belly. “Our son is almost here, aren’t you boy?” listening to his daddy’s voice just made the child even more impatient, the kicking going wild. “You having a party in there, young man? Give your mama a rest will ya?” With his loving nuzzling and after humming a tune or two, the baby finally stopped moving, reminding Satoru how hard would be to keep the child hidden once he’s out.

“Feeling any better, babe? He’s a tough one, huh? Just like his daddy~” even with all this uncertainty, he was excited to meet his son, to bring life to this world, life coming out of the purest act of love, the only pure thing he’s ever created, his baby boy.

“Mhm…thank you. He really takes after you, I wonder how problematic will that be.” even if you were just talking about his little hyper self, Satoru’s mind was running a mile an hour, he would definitely have his powers. He suddenly remembered the tales of how uncomfortable his mother was when he was still inside of her, how sick she got, how she almost dies in child bed. He didn’t want that for you, didn’t want that for his child.

Being the strongest is great, but its also very lonely.

He doesn’t want his child to go through all he had to in his lifetime, so he’s got to do something.

“I’m going to kill them all (Y/N)…” his comment confused you, to say the least.

“Who baby?” reaching over to caress his face, you brought his head to rest on your chest. Satoru had this moments when his mind wasn’t as clear, when insanity took over all rational thought, and you couldn’t blame him, he had been through so much and he’s still so young.

“Everyone in the council, those old farts are a danger to my family. I must protect you and our son…they’ll always be a threat, they’ll never let me be happy, to have a normal life… I want to marry the woman I love, the mother of my son..be a normal dad take the kid to school, play catch, you know normal stuff, grill some meat on our yard, go to the zoo…They’ll never let us do that babe…” he was having one of his breakdowns, that much was clear to you, but this time he was right, there was nothing you could say to make him feel better.

“You can’t just kill them all, love. Even if you do, you won’t be able to do all that with us, because they’ll throw you in jail…” his face was now completely buried on your chest, his voice just a muffled whimpery mess. “I hate them…”

“I know you do, my love..I do too…but we can’t just do that and you know it.”

While you had permission to stay hidden while the child was born, you were to return to the school as soon as possible, both of you, as it would be suspicious to have you out for so long, it would draw too much attention.

“I will do what I can to get you two a normal life…”

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The baby was as beautiful as his dad, his white hair shinning in the sunlight, his big blue eyes would make the sea go jealous of their beauty.

A true Gojo.

While you were thrilled of having a tiny Satoru in your arms, he was terrified. He feared they would try to take his son away, that they would get to you, his treasure, and get rid of you.

“Toru…your son is getting restless, remember, he feels your anxiety…” Satoru was now holding his baby boy in his arms, his eyes were so full of love, he was so tiny, so soft, so beautiful. Even if he looked just like him, he had your smile, and those adorable cheeks of yours he loves to bite so much. He never thought being a dad would feel like this, he felt so emotional, he would die willingly to protect his son.

“I’m sorry sweetpea, daddy was just thinking about something, that’s all.” kissing his tiny forehead while his son held his hand to his chest made him remember how much of a happy man he was.

“We have to go back to school next week, Yaga called, they’re starting to ask questions…” to this you just nodded, you knew this would happen but having to leave your new born home wasn’t something you wanted to do this fast.

“Can we take turns? I don’t know who we can trust to take care of him…”

“I’ll talk to Yaga, baby. I’ll go back to work first, you can rest a while longer.” forging a report on a five months long mission would be a pain, specially being Satoru in it, he could kill any curse in seconds, but he had to come up with a plan, something that would give you more time to rest, to give him more time to figure things out and see how he could give you two the life you deserved, not the one you currently lived in, in the shadows.

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Satoru hated having to hide his true self from everybody, he wanted to tell the world how much he loved you, how beautiful his woman looked while pregnant, all rounded and fluffy, how cute and perfect his son is.

He hated having to go every so often to bars and clubs, to fake a ‘normal life’ just so those bastards would leave his family alone. He felt dirty, it was all just so wrong, having those women fawning over him, bringing him alcohol, when all he wanted was to cuddle his wife and son to sleep in his very comfy bed while watching Disney movies.

Having to live a double life just to please those who wanted him to have an ill fated life was starting to become too overwhelming and dark thoughts came hunting him once more.

It would all be fixed in seconds, all he has to do is get rid of them all. Then he’d take you to another country, learn the language and live as Frank, Jane and little Steve who lost their passports at sea…

“Satoru…you look awful…” Yaga was chewing on his sandwich, his worries have been growing as time went by, he was just not himself anymore, always down or angry, you were also not as bright as before, tired, sad even.

“If I said I wanna kill them all…would you help me?” he wasn’t thinking clear anymore, he was just so sick of everything.

“Easy boy, I know it’s difficult to live this way, but you should have thought about this before getting her full with child…”

“DON’T YOU TALK TO ME LIKE I REGRET IT! I love my son, I love my wife! I want them to have a normal life, I WANT A NORMAL LIFE. I want to eat my wife’s warm dinner every night, sleep in her arms, play with my son, read him a story! Why do I have to go drink with whores, go kill stupid curses? I’m sick of this…so sick of all this bullshit…I didn't ask to be the strongest, I didn't ask for any of this....why can't I just be happy with my family? Is that so wrong for me to do...?” he was crumbling, his mask shattering to millions of tiny pieces, pieces only you were able to glue back together with your love.

Heaving a deep sigh, Yaga patted Satoru’s back, “Let’s kill them all….”

Trying to give you a perfect life was difficult, nobody said it would be easy.

But he would do anything for you.

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Masterlist Next Chapter

Note: this ended up being too long, so I decided to split the idea in two and now there will be a third chapter lol

#jjk #jjk fanfic #jjk x reader #jjk fluff #jujutsu kaisen #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jujutsu kaisen suguru #jujutsu x reader #jujutsu gojo #jujutsu sorcerer #gojo satoru #jjk gojo #gojo x reader #gojo saturo #gojo x you #jujutsu satoru #jujutsu kaisen x you #jujutsu kaisen x female reader #jujutsu fanfic #jujutsu fluff #fluff #angst #slow burn

[missmaywemeetagain]

Broken Glass Chapter 3 (Elvis/Austin!Elvis x OC Reader)

Character/Fandom: Elvis Presley - Elvis (2022)

Read More Here - Broken Glass Masterlist! 💔🥂❤️‍🩹

Prompt: You are Dolores Cannava, a young Italian-American nurse desperate to make her own way in the world and break free of her dysfunctional mafia-connected family and traumatic past. Elvis Presley is just returning home from his two-year stint in the Army, looking more handsome than ever, but feeling the pressure to successfully find his way back to the stratospheric career he was forced to leave behind. In a twisted turn of fate, Elvis finds himself in the hospital where your paths cross. Forced to harbor his potentially career-ending secret and needing to escape a terrifying future in New York, you are pulled into his unusual world and must endure a begrudging fake relationship with Elvis in order to protect his reputation (and his life). 

TW: Sexual assault (not described in too much detail). Dissociation. Mentions of physical abuse. Coercion. The Colonel. Some historical inaccuracies.

Tags: Fake relationship. Slow burn. Angst. (Sort of) enemies to lovers. Hurt/Comfort.

Rating: R (but this story will eventually be Mature/NSFW, 18+, so minors Do NOT Interact)   ||     Word Count: 5.9k

A/N: Happy Broken Glass Wednesday, y'all! 💔🥂❤️‍🩹 I'm going to try to put out a chapter a week on Wednesdays (we shall see if I can keep up lol). Thank you for your lovely responses to Chapter 2 and I'm so glad people are finding the premise and E's health to be as fascinating as I do!

Please read the trigger warnings for this chapter. While not super graphic or in detail, this chapter delves into some dark things related to both sexual and physical assaults that are the catalysts for Dolores' decisions going forward and could definitely be triggering to some readers. It's not the whole chapter by any means--the actual moment is very short, but it is referenced in her desperation to forget what has happened to her and to escape her situation.

As always, I love and live for your reactions, comments, asks, and reblogs, so thank you in advance for both reading and giving another one of my stories a chance! 

I imagined it with Elvis in mind, but Austin!Elvis works here, too, whatever floats your boat.

Apologies in advance if there are any grammatical errors or TW that I didn't catch.

I’ve used the tag list from Pink Scarf, and added those who requested it, so please let me know if you’d like to be added or removed!

Story is cross-posted to my Wattpad and AO3, if you prefer those reading experiences! 

Usually, the subway threatens to rock you to sleep after your night shifts. It is rather quiet in comparison to the trains headed into Manhattan, filled to the brim with workers of all kinds who are headed in from the boroughs. A bonus of working nights has been the less crowded and frenzied rides as you are heading out of the city while everyone else is going in. But this morning, every time you close your eyes, those brilliant yet stormy sapphires stare back at you with amusement. You can’t even focus on the book you’ve brought without your mind wandering back to the strange encounter with Elvis, wondering why he’d chosen you of all people to bother.

Heat flares through you again at how maddening he was in such a short amount of time, but you are self-aware to recognize that while the heat is mostly frustration at his actions and the repercussions they caused you, it also speaks the tiniest bit of how his pointed, beautiful gaze made you feel a little off kilter. You are annoyed that you can’t seem to forget how lovely he looked asleep in the bed.

Not asleep. Unconscious.

And that reminder strikes dread in your heart. The words in his chart (which I shouldn’t have looked at in the first place) make you feel uneasy because this secret is likely to cause untold repercussions if discovered. Considering the fervor surrounding his draft into the Army, you can only imagine the emotions of the female populace if they learn the truth about their beloved idol’s health.

You shift in your seat uncomfortably, the weight of your knowledge an unwelcome pressure on your psyche. It’s your own fault of course. But the empathy that serves you well in the hospital also has you feeling sad for the poor man, despite your annoyance. You may not be a fan, but you can’t deny the man’s talent and impact on the world. Thousands, millions even, will be devastated when…

No. It’s none of your business. You shouldn’t even know who the VIP is, much less be worrying about the man’s future. You have much more pressing things to worry about.

Those worries take hold with each step towards the house where you live. It’s certainly not a home, not anymore, and hasn’t been for a very, very long time. Your mother’s untimely death assured that.

Part of the excitement of getting into nursing school, even one as close as Bellevue, was that you were required to live in the dormitory. Four whole years in a tiny closet of a room, clad with only a single bed and a tiny desk and a small sink. For many of the girls it was torture but for you it was sweet relief. Peace. Safety.

But the day after graduation, you’d been forced right back into the viper’s nest, unable to find a place to share with anyone else, certainly not before you’d secured the job you now are desperate to hang onto, the one thing that will hopefully secure that freedom for you.

A heaviness settles over you the moment you hit the doorway and you say a silent prayer that you are late enough to have missed breakfast. Another bonus to nights is the fact that you have a viable excuse to not interact with your volatile father, Pop, because he, along with your younger brothers, are often gone by the time you trudge through the door.

But said door is unlocked, a sure sign that you’re too early and the dread you’d felt on the train about a man you barely know is nothing compared to the fear that settles in your stomach at the sounds of breakfast in the dining room.

You tiptoe down the hall in an attempt to remain unseen, your breath held as though it will somehow make you invisible. It’s only two big steps past the open door of the dining room but those steps might as well be a ravine. You make a break for it all the same.

“Dolores!” Pop’s voice sends you ramrod straight, but the tone of it is not the usual gruffness and distain. No, this is the voice for company, the one that covers all the dirty little secrets that permeate the walls of this house.

“Look who stopped by! Aren’t you glad to see our old friend?” Pop says in that saccharine voice.

You pull your gaze up and right into the black eyes of another man you don’t want to see but have to act as though you do.

“Hello, Gianni,” you force out of your mouth as neutrally as possible, but you grip your purse tight enough that your knuckles turn white.

“My beautiful Dolores! It’s been too long, bella,” Gianni coos at you, rounding the table to press an unwanted kiss to your cheek. He lingers too long, his hands like heavy weights on your biceps. Every ounce of you wants to push the snake away but you cannot, not here in front of Pop and your brothers. Gianni is too important in the community and disrespecting him would have consequences.

“You are a hard woman to get ahold of, Lori,” he purrs in your ear, using the nickname that is reserved for close relations and friends. This angers you but you are tired and weary and correcting him would only spell trouble.

“I was just telling Gianni how that hospital is working you to the bone, keeping you up nights, and that’s why you haven’t returned his calls,” Pop says pointedly, the clear message underneath being “Why the hell haven’t you called him back?”

Your heart sinks into your stomach. You hadn’t called him back because you are avoiding him like the plague. Because you know he’s going to ask you out on a date and the result will be him asking you a question you do not want to answer.

Gianni has had his sights set on you since you’d hit puberty. Thankfully your youth saved you, as the seven years between you two was a great enough span that even your father did not approve of it in those early years. Then, nursing school kept you out of the fray, beyond a few well-chaperoned dates.  But now that you’ve come of age and are back home, you’ve felt the crawl of him under your skin, getting closer and closer.

The fact that he wants you at all is crazy. Gianni’s father Salvatore is one of the “pillars of the community,” the Consigliere—the right-hand man of the boss of this crime family. He’s one of the most important figures in this dysfunctional community you live in. Being a woman, you aren’t supposed to know any details, of course, but it is impossible not to know at least some of what goes on in the famiglia. Especially when your father has been coming home covered in blood and bruises and smelling of gunpowder since you were a small child.

You aren’t supposed to know your father is a soldier, a violent underling sent to do all the dirty work for the boss. It’s hard to deny, though, since his temper and aggressiveness are never just left at “work.” Unfortunately for you, Pop’s somewhat lower position in the hierarchy has not disqualified you from being courted by Gianni; in fact, with approval from his father and the boss, Gianni has every right to pursue you.

However, to the dismay of all parties, you do not want to be pursued. Not by Gianni. He is handsome with his dark hair and olive skin, yes, but ruthless, set to devour anything in his path. He wants to possess you. Own you.

His near-black eyes shine with it even now, this need of his to collect what he believes is his due. You are well aware that he has intentions to marry you—the beauty and intelligence you inherited from your mother has seen to that. And since it’ll raise Pop’s stature in the famiglia, he has been pushing you towards Gianni one way or another since Gianni took an interest. Only your mother had been hesitant, but when she died, all hope was lost.

An arranged marriage in a modern world.

So, no, you haven’t returned Gianni’s calls because once you do, he’ll take you out and then he will propose, and you’ll be expected to accept. That has been made crystal clear by your father. Once that happens your life is over. Nursing will be over. Any independence you’ve gained will be gone, and you’ll be shackled for eternity to another cruel man and forced to bear his children and look pretty and happy while you do it.

Which means the fact that Gianni is here, now, is very bad news indeed.

“Sorry, I’ve been busy with so many shifts. The new nurses get nights,” you say, as though you didn’t love the night shift.

“Of course, of course,” he tuts, “which is why I am here to take you to breakfast.”

It is not a question.

Your heart drops so quickly it makes your stomach queasy, like you are on a roller coaster you cannot get off. The trapped feeling has panic swelling in your throat. Pop looks at you expectantly, with both warning and excitement flashing on his face.

You cannot refuse the invitation.

“I-I’m a mess, Gianni, and I haven’t slept,” you sputter out in a last-ditch effort to escape this.

The way his hand trails down your arm to grasp your hand makes your skin itch and you resist the urge to yank away from his grip. “You have to eat, bella. Go fix yourself up real quick, I’ll wait. And I’ll have you home at a decent hour,” he finishes with a wink.

You don’t trust yourself to speak because the bile rising behind your panic threatens to give your feelings away. Instead, you just nod and smile before heading up the narrow stairs to your room.

A quick change into a nicer dress, along with a wash-up and unpinning your hair is all it takes to make yourself presentable, but you find yourself stalling for as long as possible. You wish you could be tittering with the excitement that every woman deserves when they get engaged, but Gianni is a man you do not and will not ever love. You can barely stand to be in his presence, much less marry the man.

The walk down the stairs is more like marching to your funeral rather than a date. You manage to plaster a half-pleasant look on your face, but it doesn’t reach your eyes.  

Gianni is the picture of patience standing next to your father in the foyer in his expensive suit, reeking of Acqua di Parma cologne. It makes you nauseous.

“Oooh, Lori’s going on a date!” your youngest brother Paul teases as you walk by him. This sad spectacle has gathered a crowd of your 18-year-old twin brothers, Tony and John, and 16-year-old Paul.

“Stai zitto, and get outta here! Go get ready for school!” Pop hisses at the boys and they scatter, but not before Tony gives you a knowing look that only you catch. The glance is as full of trepidation as you are.

Pop practically pushes you into Gianni’s waiting arms with that deferential, schmoozing smile and betrayal boils in your blood. A father is supposed to protect his daughter, not serve her to the wolves on a silver platter.

But your betrayal is quickly replaced by repulsion when the heat of Gianni’s hand resting on your lower back bleeds through your dress. He leads you outside and into the back of the waiting car, then slides in next to you, too close. Ignoring the driver, he makes small talk on the way to the restaurant, one that should be closed at this hour, but for the son of the Consigliere, it is open and staffed, though you are the only customers.

You resist the urge to balk when he orders for you and are monumentally uncomfortable being alone with him like this. His predatory eyes are focused solely on your every movement, so you attempt to be the picture of congeniality, as your culture has trained you to be since birth: pleasant, polite, demure. Underneath the façade, your heart pounds against your ribcage because you are unable to stop the collision you know is coming.

Barely able to eat the food in front of you, you resort to tiny bites and pushing the rest around the plate as inconspicuously as possible.

“You don’t need to be nervous, bella,” he states, seeming almost amused by your anxiousness. He flicks his wrist and the waiter appears out of nowhere to clear the plates. “And I know you are tired from slaving away all night at that hospital, but soon you won’t need to worry about any of that.”

The surety of that statement makes your stomach roll. Gianni pulls a small velvet box from the inside pocket of his coat and places it in front of you on the table. Your heart is a jackhammer against your sternum. You think you might pass out.

“My bella,” he purrs, getting up, then sliding into the booth next to you, trapping you in, “I think you know I’ve had my eye on you for quite a while now. Of course, I had to let you finish your schooling, let you grow up into the lovely woman you are now…”

Let me? you bristle internally, as if it were ever up to him, as if you ever needed his permission in the first place.

“But now it is time to let me take care of you and give you the life you deserve,” he finishes, opening the box in front of you to reveal a ridiculously large and gaudy diamond ring.

You are frozen, wanting so badly to tell him where to shove his ring and flee as fast and as far as possible. But instead, you can’t seem to move to stop Gianni from grabbing your shaking hand and placing it upon your trembling ring finger.

“Be my wife,” he says.

A command, not a question. One to which you don’t respond. Gianni takes your silence as acceptance, however, taking the single tear that spills down your cheek as one of happiness and not distress. He brushes it off your face with the backs of his fingers and you want to flinch, scream, anything that will tear you away from this union, but all you do is give him a tight smile and try not to sob outright.

Fight, goddamnit! your mind screams. But you can’t. You are imprisoned in your fear and despair, trapped by propriety, shackled by the responsibility to your family, to your brothers. Because a refusal would blow back on them as much as it would on you.

So, you don’t pull away when Gianni’s hand grips your chin or when he presses a kiss onto your lips. You’ve only been kissed once, by the boy who took you to the prom. You’ve been far too busy to date these past few years, much less kiss anyone, but at least that experience was enjoyable and coupled with butterflies. This kiss is devoid of anything other than a feeling of disgust. It seems to mark you as his possession, his cold lips making your stomach turn once again.

The rest is a blur as he brings you home, inviting himself inside. For once, you wish your father was home because the hungry look in Gianni’s eyes promises nothing good for you as he walks in behind you, into the too-silent house.

You fumble for the right words, the words that will make him leave so you can mourn the loss of your freedom in peace, but once he realizes the house is empty, he turns to you and pushes you into the wall. He is much taller than you, his muscular limbs so much stronger than your flailing ones as he pens you in.

The next kiss is hard and rough, all teeth and tongue. You press your arms against his chest in an attempt to push him away, but it does nothing but urge him on. Dizzy from the effort and drowning in the heaviness of his cologne, you barely make a dent in defending yourself against the assault of his lips on yours.

“Gianni, stop,” you finally breathe out, but he seems to take this as encouragement, nuzzling into your neck, his lips pulling and nipping at your skin. You can’t find the strength to push him off, to scream, to do anything other than whimper while his hands grope and wander places on your body that no man’s have gone before.

You pray for it to end. And when he grabs your hand and forces it down, down, down to feel the hardened length in his slacks, you go far, far away. You disappear into the same fog that takes you every time Pop goes ballistic, only realizing the truth of what happened when you come back into yourself later, feeling the pain of the bruises on your ribs, or seeing them on Mama, back when she was still alive to take them for you.

So, it shouldn’t be a surprise when you wake up much later in your bed, on top of the covers, your clothes in disarray. It’s not until you register the heaviness on your ring finger that you remember your engagement and the feel of Gianni’s meaty hands on you.

Barely making it across the hall to the bathroom, you vomit up what little you managed to eat for breakfast at the restaurant. Once the heaving stops, the shaking begins.

But you do not cry.

Rinsing out your mouth and splashing water on your face, you don’t, no, can’t, think about what may have happened once you faded away. You push away the thoughts of why your body feels sore and bruised in places it shouldn’t and why you can still smell the stink of his expensive cologne lingering on your dress and your skin.

No, no, no.

Disorientation makes you blink slowly as you come back into yourself and into the present, and you make your way back into your room. Your eye catches the clock and suddenly you feel wide awake.

Dammit!

You slept too long and are close to missing your train into the city for work, which today starts earlier than normal due to the fact you stupidly agreed to cover the end of your friend Sally’s shift so she could go on a date.

There is no time, then, to linger in despair. You race to rip off your dress and throw on a clean uniform, one thankfully already pressed and ready to go, pushing away the dark thoughts threatening to consume you. A pass of a comb through your messy locks and a few pins help you look somewhat put together and you slip on your white shoes, grabbing your bag.

The sparkling on your finger makes you pause long enough to tear the ring from your hand and throw it onto your vanity. If anyone asks, you don’t want to wear a ring like that into the city.

Flying down the stairs, you avoid the questions budding in Pop’s mouth with a “I’m late!” as you rush out the door. By the time you reach the station, you are breathless, but are just in time to make your train.

Exhaustion weighs on you as the adrenaline in your blood wanes. You slept today, but do not feel rested, and you pretend you don’t know why that is. It’s the last thing you want to think about.

Engaged. I’m engaged. To a monster. And he hurt me.

Your breath hitches in time with the rocking of the train, panic creeping its way back in.

No. Not now.

The urge to climb out of your skin, or at least scrub it raw under the locker room showers at work, must wait. You are grateful that you have to hit the ground running as soon as you step through the front doors of the bustling hospital. One emergency leads into the next and you barely have time to think past the next crisis, much less worry about what happened earlier today or the terror your future holds once you leave this hospital tomorrow morning.

“Nurse Cannava!” Nurse Hunt calls for you, her voice dropping once you approach, “Dr. Paulson is in with our VIP patient, and he is needed urgently. Go get him for me, and don’t get distracted by our patient this time, will you?”

“Yes, Nurse Hunt,” you say quickly, the dig not even bothering you. You’d take a lifetime of them in lieu of what waits for you outside this hospital. Fingers tittering nervously, you find yourself hoping that Elvis does not blame you for what happened last night. Though the way this day is going, you wouldn’t be surprised to find him combative towards you. And perhaps you deserve it after the way you treated him (even if he was being an ass).

The scene you are met with when you arrive at Elvis’ room is not what you are expecting, however.

“L-L-Little bird,” Elvis stutters, but it is not with the air of confidence he exuded last night. It is not aloofness or displeasure.

Your annoyance at the nickname, along with the smallest bit of relief that he is up and talking, quickly turns to apprehension. Much to your confusion, Elvis seems almost reverent as he stares at you, like you’d descended from the heavens or something.

Must be the head injury, you think, trying to make sense of him.

The other three men crammed into the tiny room all turn to stare at you at once, eyes wandering over you far longer than necessary, as though you are both interrupting something important yet are expected at the same time.

Why in God’s name are they all looking at me like that?

Elvis’ churning oceanic eyes lock onto yours and are loaded with such emotion that you can’t begin to sort through it, and you have to tear your gaze away. You manage to sputter out Nurse Hunt’s request to the doctor and instead of replying, the lot of them turn to Elvis, as though he has any say in it.

The silence sits heavy, and Elvis’ pale cheeks turn a little pink, almost bashfully, as you look at him again. He stares at you in an unreadable way, as though taking in every bit of you, as though seeing you for the first time. Confusion rushes over you in a self-conscious wave.

Have I done something wrong? Is this about snapping at him last night?

You shift uncomfortably, trying to piece together what is going on. But with everything that has happened in the last 24 hours, your brain can’t seem to put anything together other than that this group of men have lost their minds.

“I’ll be right there, Nurse,” Dr. Paulson finally states, looking back at you almost regretfully but you don’t take the time to try and figure out why. You are just grateful to be dismissed and leave the strange scene. In fact, with one crisis after another on the ward this shift, you put it out of your mind completely.

Until Dr. Paulson pulls you aside in the early morning hours, that is.

The doctor looks uncomfortable, his face in a grimace, when he leads you into a quiet corner.

Oh, Madone, I’m going to be fired. As if this day can get any worse. Your heart pounds and you fight back the tears that prickle behind your eyes.

“Nurse Cannava, I know this is going to be unorthodox…” he begins, and suddenly your mind jumps to another, equally disturbing place. The man is wearing a wedding ring, for God’s sake. And is old enough to be your father. You’d never taken the doctor to be that kind of man, but he interrupts your thoughts by continuing, “…but are you interested in private nursing?”

Now that is not what you were expecting. Relief floods through you, followed quickly by bewilderment.

“Excuse me, Doctor, private nursing? What do you mean?”

“Well, um, you see, Mr. Presley is going to need some discreet and rather specific care going forward,” he whispers, “and it seems as though you, um, fit the bill, so to speak, to take care of him exclusively.”

You fight to hold back the laugh that wants to escape your mouth at the pure absurdity of the situation. Elvis wants you of all people, the nurse who nearly took his head off last night, who sent him into respiratory distress, to take care of him exclusively? A day ago, you would have told him to shove his offer where the sun don’t shine.

But things have changed dramatically for you in the last day.

“I know it sounds strange, and certainly you’ve done great work here, but might you be willing to discuss this with his manager?

You cross your arms and worry your lip in between your teeth. The words fall out of your mouth before you can think too much on it.

“Yes, I’ll speak to him.”

Dr. Paulson sighs and nods, walking you down the corridor to a small waiting room. Your heart pounds in your ears as you are led inside.

“Colonel Parker, this is Nurse Cannava,” Dr. Paulson says, in a bristled tone that insinuates he doesn’t particularly care for the portly, balding man standing near the window you assume is Elvis’ manager. Colonel Parker turns to you, and you immediately get the sense the man is not to be trusted. Being around criminals who pretend they aren’t ones your whole life has given you a sixth sense for this sort of thing.

“Ah, Nurse Cannava, how lovely to meet you. We have much to discuss. I’m Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis’ manager.” Colonel Parker motions for you to sit in the chair across from him. He attempts to wave off Dr. Paulson, but the doctor does not go, choosing to stand in the doorway instead, seemingly wary to leave you alone with this stranger, and for that you are silently appreciative.

“And of course, this conversation must remain completely private, no matter what you decide. I’m sure a smart girl like you can understand the sensitivity of the situation,” he continues, leaning back in his chair, his casual position in direct contrast of his words.

“Of course,” you nod.

“Good. Now I’ll get right to it. After speaking with your supervisor, I know you are already aware that Elvis is quite…unwell.”

An understatement, to say the least.

“Yet I’m sure you also know how important Elvis is to so many people like yourself. Are you a fan, Miss Cannava?” he asks suddenly.

“Um, not especially, Mr. Parker,” but you rush to add, “It’s not as though I dislike his music, I’m just not one of those girls who, uh, fawns over him, sir.” You try and remain as neutral as possible because you get the feeling this question is some sort of test.

“Hmm,” is all he gives you in response. He looks you up and down with a careful beady eye and you resist squirming in your seat. Instead, you straighten your spine and lift your chin, your only tell being the way you tightly grasp your hands in your lap. His look is not a leer so much as an assessment as he takes in every inch of you.

After a moment he nods—you seem to have passed muster.

“This is an incredibly unique situation, my girl, which I’m sure you can appreciate. Elvis needs discreet, around-the-clock care, according to Dr. Paulson here,” he says with distain, “but we can’t have the world knowing that Elvis is ill. It would do irreparable harm to both his career and his fans.”

He is talking as if Elvis will have a career with his diagnosis, you think in surprise.

Colonel Parker must read this on your face. “You must understand, he loves his work, my dear, and nothing will keep him from it. Or his fans. Which is where you come in.”

“I assume I would just be there to take care of Elvis when he needs it, and to make sure he takes his medications and such?” you say.

“Well, it’ll be much more involved than that, my dear.”

You look at Dr. Paulson, who’s mouth is set in a line, as though he’s attempting not to add something to that statement.

“What do you mean, involved?” you ask.

“Firstly, you will need to live and travel with him,” he starts.

You nod. You figured as much, which is honestly why you are even considering this in the first place.

“But you see, no one can know you are his nurse. Elvis must appear, for all intents and purposes, the picture of health.”

Narrowing your eyes, you ask, “I’m sorry, I’m not sure I’m understanding, sir. How am I supposed to live and travel with the man to administer medical care without anyone knowing?”

Colonel Parker looks at Dr. Paulson, and then at you, a strange smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “You’ll be his girlfriend, of course.”

You choke at that. You can’t have heard him correctly. “Excuse me? I’ll be his what?”

“You will play the roleof his doting girlfriend, while secretly being his nurse. It was love at first sight, you see. Our handsome soldier comes to from a simple bump on the head and falls instantly in love with a beautiful young nurse, sweeping her right off her feet and into his life. Quite the storybook fairytale, wouldn’t you say?” he smiles that shifty smile.

Your heart flutters as fast as a hummingbird’s. “You…you can’t be serious. I—he—” you stutter.

“Oh, I couldn’t be more serious,” he says, the smile falling from his face. “I’ve been told this situation is life and death, my dear, and Elvis needs someone like you to help keep him alive.”

Silence falls and you can’t help but gape. But your mind whirls with the possible implications and how they might get you out of your current situation. If you weren’t desperate, you’d laugh in this man’s face, but your situation, and Elvis’ for that matter, are both quite dire.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

“Of course, you would be extremely well compensated for your trouble. That’s in addition to room and board, since you will be staying with Elvis. But you will have to leave your current life behind to sell your relationship both to the public at large and to both his and your friends and families for this to work,” he adds.

It’s completely, utterly insane. You don’t even like Elvis, so you’re not sure how you’re supposed to pretend to be in love with him, while at the same time having to secretly tend to his medical needs. You can’t in your right mind see how this will work. You are no actress.

But that fraught voice in your head is thinking about your survival, about that engagement ring sitting on your vanity and the expectations that go with it. About what has already been taken from you because of it. You push those thoughts as far back as they will go, but the fear remains because you know that if you stay, any scrap of independence you have will be gone, and you will live the rest of your life with a horrible snake of a man.

You’ve been wrestling with a way to escape since Gianni put that ring on your finger, claiming you as his, against your will. But as a single woman with hardly any money and nowhere to go, your options to run are limited. And if you run, with the resources of the famiglia, you know you would be found quickly and your punishment would be painful, if not deadly.

But with Elvis, you’d be cared for—you’d have money, you’d be travelling, and you assume that with his fame, Elvis has a wealth of protection at his disposal. As long as you are close to him, and with the relationship being so public, you realize Elvis might be the only one who can protect you from Gianni and your father.

They wouldn’t dare do something to me if I’m Elvis Presley’s girlfriend. They won’t be able to touch me.

You choose not to think too much on how you still would be giving up some of your freedom. How you will still be tied to and at the mercy of a man. You don’t think about how long you might need to keep up this act and what might happen if you decide to leave. No, all you know is that as much as Elvis might annoy you, he seems like a decent man. He does not seem the type to hurt you, and you’ll be his employee, not his true girlfriend, anyway. You will still be nursing and earning money while doing so.

I can figure out the rest later.

“Perhaps it is asking too much. I know not every woman would be up for the task—”

“I’ll do it,” you interrupt Colonel Parker.

His eyes widen with surprise, which you get the impression is hard to do with this man. “You will?”

“As long as Elvis approves and that we have a contract with established rules and such. I think I’m safe in assuming I won’t be required to, well, beyond playing it up in front of others I won’t be required to…to do anything untoward,” you say, not being able to keep yourself from blushing at the implication.

“Of course not, of course not, my dear!” Colonel Parker hurries to say once he picks up on your meaning. “It’ll all be on the up and up and respectable. We would never ask you to compromise yourself like that.”

You nod, trying to still your shaking hands. You don’t trust Colonel Parker as a person, but if there is a legal contract, he can’t force you to do anything you don’t agree to.

“Then I will do it. When do I start?” You hope it’s as soon as possible. Frankly, you’d leave this hospital with the lot of them right now if it meant you didn’t have to go back to that house again.

The smile that spreads across his face unnerves you but does not scare you. Not like the other men in your life.

“Excellent, my dear. I will get that contract set up for you immediately, while Dr. Paulson apprises you of your medical duties. You’ll begin as soon as you sign on the dotted line,” he says. “Then we will get you in with Elvis. You both will have a lot to talk about, I am sure.”

You gulp and your heart flips in your chest. Part of you fears all the things you don’t know about what you are walking into: about Elvis, his lifestyle, and what you will have to do to convince the world you are Elvis Presley’s girlfriend. But it will all be worth it if you can get away from marrying Gianni or staying with your father.

Mother Mary, they will be furious.

But by then you’ll be long gone, safely tucked away by Elvis’ side.

And, strangely, that gives you more comfort than you could have ever hoped for.

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[harleybeaumont]

Never Have I Ever

Chapter 6 - Watch and Learn

Book- TRR

Series- Never Have I Ever

Pairings- Bertrand x MC (kind of)

Chapter Synopsis- Riley shows Bertrand porn for the first time.

Chapter Warnings- language, mentions of sexual acts, masturbation

Rating - Explicit

Word Count- 1,785

A/N- Thanks @angelasscribbles for giving me the idea that ended up being the premise for this entire chapter!

Chapter 6 - Watch and Learn

In a couple days, the Beaumonts would head to Applewood for the next event of the social season. They usually had a week between events to return back to Ramsford to rest. Most of Riley’s “downtime” at the Beaumont estate was spent studying courtly procedures, brushing up on her dance moves, and doing anything else Bertrand deemed imperative knowledge for a future queen.

But when Riley wasn’t learning from Bertrand, she was teaching Bertrand.

Riley stretched out on her bed, while Bertrand sat stiffly across from her in a plush wing chair. “So have you ever seen anyone having sex before? Like on the internet?”

Bertrand humphed and turned his head away. “I’ll have you know that I’ve seen.. things before.”

“Things? You mean like porn?”

“Pornography?! Heavens no!”

Riley turned to him in surprise, “You can’t expect me to believe you’ve never watched porn! Every guy has watched porn at some point in their life!”

“Well you should know that Bertrand Beaumont is not ‘every guy’. I could never watch two strangers having.. Intercourse!”

Riley considered for a moment before a mischievous grin alit her face. “What about watching someone who isn’t a stranger having sex?”

Bertrand’s jaw dropped, “Wha- That may be even worse!”

Riley chuckled and actually looked slightly embarrassed. That was something that Bertrand had never seen from her despite the intimate moments they had shared. “I’m going to tell you something that I haven’t told anyone before... I, uh, may have made a sex tape when I was in college.”

Bertrand swallowed hard. The first thought that popped into his head was that this video needed to be destroyed immediately. If she were to become queen and that video was leaked it would be disastrous! But another thought crossed his mind. 

He.. kinda wanted to see it. Just for educational purposes. He had never seen anyone actually having sex before and out of morbid curiosity, thought that maybe it might be helpful.. Ya, that’s why. For educational purposes. He quickly scolded himself. Who am I kidding? That’s not why! I’m an outright pervert!

Before he could say a word, Riley gave him a nervous smile. “I’ll let you watch it, but you have to promise to never tell anyone about it.”

“Lady Riley.. Do you think there is any chance that I would ever in a million years tell anyone about anything that we have been doing?!”

“I guess not,” she grinned. “So that means you wanna see it?”

He stammered, “I-I uh.. That is.. If you think.. For educational reasons-”

“Read you loud and clear,” she smirked and pulled out her phone. “I saved it on the cloud, so it should be easy to find.”

“It’s saved on your iCloud account?! Oh dear God, anyone could hack into that!”

“Well, I didn’t know where else to save it!”

Bertrand sighed, “Ok, after this I’m going to help you either delete the video entirely, or find a more secure place to store it so that someone doesn’t get their hands on it.”

“Wow, Bert! That’s actually nice of you.”

He huffed, “I can be nice.”

Riley playfully glared at him. “Ya? When you’re yelling at me about my outfit choices or drilling me on names and titles of everyone in court? Is that when you’re nice?”

“Well.. I admit that at times I can be a bit brusque, but it’s all part of preparing you to be-”

She moved forward, quickly inhabiting his personal space with a sly grin. Her tongue slid out to wet her plump lips and she watched his face hungrily. “Maybe you’re only being nice because you want me to kiss you..”

She leaned forward, barely grazing her lips against his, and Bertrand released a shuddering breath. “I..”

She trailed her hand down his chest slowly, slowly making her way down to the growing bulge in his pants. Gently palming him through his slacks she leaned in to whisper in his ear, “Or maybe you’re being nice because you want me to feel you up..”

His breath was coming out in gasps now, but he was still speechless. Riley nibbled his ear, “Did you want me to take hold of your hard cock and jerk you off? Is that why you’re being nice?”

He gasped as she grabbed hold of him beneath his boxers, slowly moving her hand along his shaft. His eyes flew shut as she continued to stroke him. “R-Riley..” She quickly removed her hand and stepped back. Bertrand let out a pathetic whimper before he attempted to regain his composure. “What.. what was that?” 

“That was me seducing you. Did you learn anything?”

“Um.. I may have, uh.. learned.. uh.." Bertrand shook his head, “I apologize, but I’m not sure I can think straight at the moment.”

Riley chuckled, watching him thoughtfully for a brief moment, “So.. ready to watch a sex tape?”

____________________________________________________

While Bertrand waited for Riley to cast the video to her TV, he took a moment to reflect on his current stage of life. Who was he anymore? He had always done his best to be the respectable person he believed a Duke should be, but now here he was in a woman's bedroom about to watch her having sex with someone! He should be utterly ashamed of himself. 

But he wasn’t. 

“I’m having second thoughts..” Riley said, pausing the video just as it began. She and a young man had just walked in front of the bed and started kissing. “What if it’s too cringy? I don’t know if I can watch it!”

“Have you not seen it before?”

“Not since right after we made it.. That was probably four years ago!”

Bertrand, still eager to see the video, but not wanting her to know, offered a solution. “Well.. I could watch it while you wait on the other side of the room. Would that be easier?”

Riley nodded, dropping the remote next to him on her bed. “But turn it off if it’s horrible. I’ll wait downstairs in the kitchen.”

“The kitchen?”

“Ya, I’m a nervous eater. Thankfully I don’t get nervous very often, but for some reason, the thought of you watching this is making me nervous! Just text me when you’re done.”

“O..kay.” Bertrand picked up the remote and hesitantly pushed play once Riley had vanished through the door. 

________________________________________________________

Riley sat at the kitchen table, tapping her foot nervously. She had already eaten leftover chicken wings, two oatmeal cream pies, and drank a root beer float.. Any more stress eating and she wouldn’t be able to fit into the clingy, satin dress she and Max had purchased for the Apple Harvest Ball. When she couldn’t stand waiting any longer, Riley decided she would go check on Bertrand to make sure he hadn’t run out of her room in terror at what he had witnessed. She chuckled quietly to herself at the image in her head.

Riley quietly turned the doorknob and saw Bertrand still watching the TV with his back to her. But she quickly had to stifle a gasp when she saw what he was doing. Soft moans fell from his lips while his hand moved rapidly in front of him. Feeling like she was a creep for watching him jerk off, Riley started to back away and leave, but his groans of pleasure kept her rooted in place. She gently cracked the door open a little wider and saw him watching the TV with rapt attention while her past self fucked the man on the video into oblivion. Her ex boyfriend, Devon, who clearly loved having sex on film, because he was currently in the porn industry. Not that she had ever watched his videos or anything.. well, not recently.

Bertrand’s hand motions increased and his breathing was becoming more ragged. He was clearly very close... just from watching her! The thought put a fire in her belly that she couldn’t extinguish. She squeezed her thighs together for some kind of friction against her aching cunt as she watched this normally composed man losing himself into ecstasy while he watched her. Suddenly Bertrand moaned loudly, gasping as he came undone. 

Riley released a soft moan of pleasure watching him, and Bertrand immediately twisted his body to face her. “Oh my God, Lady Riley! This isn’t what it looks like!”

She hurriedly entered and locked the door behind her. “Bert, relax! It’s ok, I promise.”

With one hand still on his dick, he brought the other one up to cover his face. “This is humiliating. I’ve never been so ashamed of myself! I’m such a concupiscent cad!”

To stop him from spiraling, Riley quickly took his hand and slipped it into her panties. “Do you feel that?”

“Holy..” Bertrand gasped loudly.

Riley leaned toward him and smirked, “I didn’t mean to watch you. It was an accident at first, but it turned me on so fucking much. You see what it did to me, right?”

Bertrand was shell shocked. “I- Really?”

“Yes, obviously!” She chuckled and removed his hand. “Now let me help you clean up.”

Bertrand hopped up and rushed into her bathroom. “No, I got it. You shouldn’t have to clean up my mess all the time.”

Riley leaned against the bathroom door frame, watching Bertrand wash his hands. “Why are you always so put off by your semen?”

Bertrand cringed, “Because it’s.. I don't know! It’s sticky! And.. and messy!”

“Well.. just so you know, I’m not put off by it. Quite the opposite, actually.”

His face flushed a deep scarlet. Women weren’t disgusted by that sort of thing? He looked down while he scrubbed his hands harder, his cheeks on fire. 

Riley handed him a hand towel when he was done washing. “So Bert, I was going to suggest that we try oral sex next, but I’m not sure you’re ready for that.”

He gulped loudly and his heart skipped a beat. “O-oral sex? With me?”

“Well ya. That’s usually the next step. But you seem to be put off by fluids, so maybe we should skip it. That is, unless you want to try it?”

“Yes!” Bertrand threw his hand over his mouth in surprise. He hadn’t meant to yell it out. He was such a simpleton around her, and the day had been one humiliating event after another for him.

Riley smiled brightly, “Oh, so you do wanna try it!” She looked way too amused by his witless reaction. 

He ran his hands down his face. “I.. think I do. I mean, I need to learn, right?! For.. Savannah?”

She nodded, reaching out to smooth out his shirt. “Then that will be our next lesson.”

#bertrand x mc #the royal romance #trr #bertrand beaumont #trr fanfic #the royal romance fanfic #cfwc fics of the week #never have I ever

[lyquynhnhu]

Thinking positive: the happy ending makes sense

Premise: the title is not sarcastic. It’s true that I have mixed feeling about the ending, but that’s not for the ending itself, rather for the execution. The latest chapters felt “approssimative” more than “rushed”. I mean, it’s like watching a recap episode of an anime.

Like always, I’m trying to logically find explanation about some unsaid things.

Introduction

So, many people are upset because the dead came back to life, making their death less impactful.

But the point is that nobody was supposed to be death.

In the original timeline, Mikey was the only one who died. The others characters lived their own life, probably never meeting each other. We really need a spin-off about everyone life in the original timeline, but I guess that most of them went the wrong path.

Just watch at Baji, in the original timeline he didn’t go to school and didn’t care for anything. Mikey was the center of their friends group, so his incident had a huge impact on him.

Another example is Draken. Before meeting Mikey, Draken hang out with bad people. If he had continued like that, he would have become like them without realizing it.

People influence each other, if we spent a lot of time with a certain type of people, we get used to that lifestyle. The same happened to Inupi when he join the Black Dragons under Izana.

Conclusion: there is a 90% of chance that in the original timeline, all the characters had a bad life.

The curse

Then, Shinichiro changed the timeline into “Takemichi first timeline”. This timeline was bad because it was cursed.

The first part of the manga can be sum up in “everything bad that happened is Kisaki’s fault”.

In every timeline Takemichi has experience before Bonten, the fact that Kisaki was the mastermind behind all tragic events was clear.

Kisaki was behind Draken murder

Kisaki orchestrate Valhalla, during which Baji died

Kisaki took advantage on Yuzuha to kill Taiju to absorb Black Dragons

Kisaki incite Izana to create Tenjiku, a gang meant to develop in a criminal organization

Kisaki order Hina’s murder

Also, Kisaki committed a lot of crime in the future

Because of all of that, when Kisaki died it was very satisfying. That’s why I was shocked when Kisaki returned and became a good guy.

But could it be possible that Kisaki wanted to be saved? The hint is when he call Takemichi “hero”. What Kisaki tried to tell Takemichi before being hit by the truck could be about the dark impulse.

Kisaki was not a time leaper and didn’t know others time leapers, but with Takemichi he pretend to be one. Kisaki is smart and probably open to supernatural things, so he wasn’t surprised when Takemichi said to be a time leaper. He probably realize the nature of Mikey’s dark impulse and used that for his plans. But at the same time, the dark impulse corrupt and consume him as well. Kisaki could somehow control the impulse and not losing his reason (in contrast to Mikey), but at the same time the impulse amplify his obsession turning him into a psychopath.

Kisaki wanted to be like Takemichi, his obsession with Hina is not because of love. Kisaki saw Hina as a trophy, if she fell for him it means that he has surpassed Takemichi.

About Takemichi and Kisaki becoming friends in the reset timeline, it would be interesting to know if they were originally friends in the original timeline. Just to give more sense to their relationship.

Conclusion: Kisaki kind of took over half of Mikey’s curse. Mikey said that him and Kisaki are similar, I think he refers to their weakness. Mikey is strong at fighting, but has a weak mind. Kisaki is good at scheming, but weak in taking action. In opposition, Takemichi is weak overall but has a strong determination.

The meaning of “revenge”

So, we have two main timelines:

Original timeline, in which all characters are alive (not sure if they are happy, I doubt it) except for Mikey

Takemichi’s first timeline, where all the characters met a bad ending because of Kisaki

With his time leaping, Takemichi tried to avoid the death of Hina but soon he switched in saving everyone.

Just like Naoto suggested, Takemichi could have accomplished his mission by killing Mikey or Kisaki. But seeing what happen to Shinichiro, there is a karma. It’s controversial to save someone over someone else life.

Basically, to save Mikey, Shinichiro created a timeline where many unrelated people to him died as a consequence of his curse.

Bonten timeline, the “best future”, was achieved with the deaths of Baji (wasn’t supposed to die in original timeline), Emma (innocent person, wasn’t involved in gang fighting), Izana (wasn’t supposed to be dead in all the timelines - we can say he is a victim of circumstances).

In my opinion, Takemichi himself is kind of cursed. He got the power directly from Shinichiro, after all. Takemichi’s trauma began because of Toman, which didn’t exist in original timeline. Maybe Takemichi never became a delinquent at all if he never met Shinichiro and he would be happy with Hina.

(It would have been interesting to have a imply about Takemichi’s life in original timeline. Maybe Shinichiro’s time leaping really ruin his life, that would have given more meaning to his revenge)

Toman business was not his business, to begin with. But Takemichi genuinely wants to save everyone. It’s not his responsibility, but he accepted that mission.

With every time leap, the people Takemichi have to save increase. That’s why, an happy ending where everyone is alive is the best. It’s a good compromise between the original timeline (we don’t know much about it, but it’s suppose to be bad) and next timelines (tragic ones (Bonten is good, but incomplete)).

Conclusion: “Revengers” in the title is plural because it refers to

Takemichi revenge on his past regrets (the fact that he gave up and became a coward)

Revenge on the original timeline

Revenge on Shinichiro’s karma/dark impulses

Revenge for all the victims of the curse

Also, many said that “revenge = power of friendship” is lame. But personally, I don’t think “power of friendship” is correct. Mikey’s dream was to create an era for delinquents. Toman is meant to be like a second family. So everyone joining Toman after resolving their issue makes sense.

So, Revenge = New Era = no deaths and happy ending.

#tokyo revengers #tokyo revengers spoilers

[phoenixrising0308]

Agent Phoenix Forged In Fire : Prologue

Books: The Royal Romance 1-3 to Royal Heir and cross-over characters from other choices universes.

Rating: M (18+) Sexual situation and adult themes.

Trigger Warnings in this chapter: Miscarriage and infertility.

Pairing: Liam Rys x  Jessica Garcia (MC)

Series premise: This is a canon divergent series set after TRR 3 Tariq is never found. Liam’s duty to his country forces him into marriage. Jessica and Liam enter into a Cordonian arrangement. Both of them wanted to have a life together. However, various obstacles prevent him from a divorce and having the life they both want together. With dreams of a future crushed, Jessica leaves Cordonia. Despite a five-year absence, they are still heartbroken and unable to forget each other and the life they once shared. When Jessica’s career path takes an expected turn, her duty to her country pushes her to Cordonia, back into the society that burned her, and back into Liam’s sights. Will she rise from the ashes or once again go down in flames?

Detailed disclaimer

Canon Divergence Notes

Series Playlist 

Chapter Summary: Jessica’s fears and Liam’s duties to the crown seals their fate in their Cordonian Arrangement.

Word count: 2,213 *please excuse typos and grammatical errors*

Reading time: 8 Minutes

Song inspiration: House on fire - Sia

The Phoenix is a mythological bird. Every 500 years the phoenix gathers materials to build its own funeral pyre: wood, spices, and incense. Once finished, the bird waits for the setting of the sun to self immolate. The next day covered in its ashes is an egg once it hatches a different manifestation of that phoenix has been born.

She sat at the edge of the tub. She only had to wait five minutes, but it felt like an eternity. Three years passed since she decided to follow her heart, leaving it all behind for a chance to be with him. They found out about their pregnancy after the wedding. It all happened so fast. The timing wasn’t right, but they wanted it so badly, despite what it meant for their relationship. Despite what it would mean for a child born out of wedlock to a couple in a Cordonian arrangement. Not just a member of a noble house but to the man that governs them all as the King of Cordonia. The plan would be the same as it was three years ago. She would move to Greece, and they would raise the child together hidden from the court until she and their child could be given their proper place as members of the royal family. She as his wife and Queen and their child as the heir of their kingdom.

Life changed for them in an instant on a sunny June morning, and the pain of losing a child they lovingly called Koi shattered them both; Never hearing a heartbeat or seeing a small image on a sonogram. They were never cautious, even after that. Hoping it would happen again somehow one day. They would face the consequences again together, just as it was intended the first time.

After weeks away, he returned to their home. The one he slept in every night whenever he was in Cordonia; their home. The palace was no longer his home; it was where he worked. Where they lived, that was his true home was. She hoped that when he came home to her in the evening after work, she would be able to tell him the big news. Their wait was over, and she could give him something that they have wanted to have together since the moment they knew they were each other forever.

Jessica flipped her wrist and looked at her father’s watch; she hardly took it off along with the earrings her mother gave her before she died. Five minutes passed, and she walked over to the sink with a smile on her face, wanting her dream to be a reality: a baby with the man she loved more than life itself. She did what she usually did when she would test. Take it whenever he was at work and not when he was away. So she wouldn’t be choked up with the emotion of not having him near and knowing in the back of her mind that her body had failed again. What he didn’t know couldn’t hurt him. She turned the test upside down so she wouldn’t be able to see it from where she waited, opting to try to make her best attempt at the belief she could once again carry life inside her, this time to term. She picked it up and took a deep breath as she turned it over and read the results.

Two hours later…

She was reminded of the nickname given to her by her adoptive brother, Bertrand. ‘Tungsten.’ Bertrand adopted her so she could stay in Cordonia. It was the only pathway for citizenship as an unmarried woman sponsored for the social season to stay without a betrothal agreement. When she appeared in court, she still made him proud. Standing taller than any other woman in the room, even his own wife. Once he told her, she stood taller than she actually was because her spine was composed of one of the most resilient materials known to man; Tungsten. It was ten times harder than 18 karat gold and four times harder than titanium. This earned his respect. ‘Tungsten’ was what he called her when he needed to remind her who she was to her house and herself whenever she felt defeated or heard people snicker about her as she moved across the room in social events and court. she whispered, “Tungsten you are Tungsten.“ It was all she needed to hear to swallow her tears.

She picked herself up from the bathroom floor. Instead of two beautiful lines, she saw one.

There was no happy news to tell him, but at least he wouldn’t be hurt. She carried enough hurt over her infertility for both of them. All while he carried the pressure from the Royal Council to produce an heir with the woman he hated the most in the world; his wife and the Queen. His marriage to Madeleine was always a farce, and since his coerced marriage, he told her Madeleine may have his name and have a title but she will never own his heart or body. Even three years later he still refused to consummate the marriage. He promised that to her; his actual love time and time again. She had her doubts at times, but he promised there would never be a child in that marriage; he was devoted only to her. Both of them desperately waiting for him to obtain his freedom. To start their real life together.

She decided she would sit in the living room finishing ‘Milk and Honey’ by Rupi Kapur. Last night, she wrote out a quote in ‘The loving’ chapter, feeling that it struck a chord with her. She put it in the book as a placeholder and would save it tomorrow where she would get up and make him lunch and slip him a love note in his bag. She was unsure where she left the book after a brief search and thought she would sit down in the living room alone with her thoughts. She saw her phone flash a red light; it was a custom notification for the tabloids. Constantly pursued by the press for what they thought happened years ago when she was a suitor.

She walked to the phone and clicked on the push notification the ‘Trend’ had an exclusive. “King Liam makes a statement about an heir to the throne.”

Jessica pressed play on the hyperlink. Liam was getting off the Royal Jet, and Ana De Luca asked, “So, when can we expect news of an heir?”

Liam paused and a soft smile formed as he responded, “Her Majesty and I are excited about the possibility of children as a happily wedded couple, and we know that the people of Cordonia are really excited to see their future leader grow up right before their very eyes. But as much as we all want a Crown Prince or Princess, there are things that even a King can’t control.”

Madeleine came into the frame of the camera and said, “I can assure you that we are certainly enjoying our alone time EVERY second we can. I look forward to joining my husband in Paris, the city of love, in the upcoming weeks.” Madeleine then gave Liam a lingering kiss. Published along with the story were several pictures of Madeleine and Liam during the trip. They were photographed holding hands and kissing in public, all the things she and Liam couldn’t do in Cordonia in public.

Sometimes Jessica and Liam would travel together. Jessica was always under the alias ‘Riley Brooks’ to avoid suspicions by the press or Madeleine. They sought romantic sanctuaries outside their friends’ homes, such as Signore Francisco’s Villa in Italy, Valtoria, and private crown properties across Europe. Jessica suggested coming with him on that very trip, but Liam informed her that there would be no free time and that he didn’t want her to be trapped in a hotel waiting for him. They often spoke when he was away, and he withheld this information from her. If he did this now, it would only get worse with a statement made. Pretty soon reporters would follow her all over asking about the statement as they did with every single thing that happened in the Royal Family. It almost felt that they were always on the verge of uncovering who she was to Liam; it would only serve to further damage her reputation. In Cordonian society, men are forgiven for their indiscretions but their lovers are not.

Jessica felt the tears in her eyes and the sinking pit in her stomach seeing the news. Seeing what she wished they could have. Sharing news that should have been theirs to share.

After a few seconds of hurt, she went to the part of her that kept her by his side despite their difficulties her love for him. Jessica decided that she needed to leave, not because perhaps he wasn’t unfaithful to her and because he managed to break her trust again after promising not to, but because if Liam was trapped in a loveless marriage, he could find comfort and happiness in his children…Children he would need to have with her. She couldn’t rob him of fatherhood; he would look at children with a twinkle in his eye and have sweet daydreams about them. He would share his hopes with her when they thought of a life free of their arrangement.

The statement he made sealed their fate as she got up and started packing. All the while trying to keep her tungsten spine intact.

3 hours later…

Drake and Jessica stood at the Cordonia international airport, and she held her one-way ticket back to New York in hand along with her passport, waiting to board her flight. This time, she was going back home. It wasn’t some idle threat, a part of an ultimatum she wouldn’t follow through with. She wouldn’t tell Liam her intentions this time so he could convince her to stay.

Drake looked at her with a sad expression, “Jessica, you don’t have to do this. You don’t have to leave. Why don’t you just talk to him?”

Jessica’s voice wavered as she spoke, “Drake, I just can’t do it anymore. It seems we take one step forward and then take two steps back. The council has been very clear that Liam will not be granted a divorce. I’ve been through a lot here. I need to leave this life behind. I sat through the engagement tour, the scandal, the search for Tariq. And if that wasn’t enough, I stood there and watched the love of my life marry someone else. I don’t see a future here. It’s been three years, and I can’t keep being his dirty little secret. Holding on to dreams, being lied to, facing disappointments and suffering losses.”

Drake’s chocolate eyes glistened with tears as he said in a whisper, “But this is your home, Garcia. Shit… You’re like family to us. You weren’t born here like me, but you made it your home…Think about it, talk to him, maybe build your life somewhere, and in time maybe you’ll give a guy like Rashad or someone else a chance.”

Jessica turned to him with tears in her eyes and said, “It’s just going to be too painful to watch him next to her. She won’t divorce him. He is sparing us with the details. He married her for the crown and country. Why wouldn’t he give the people what they want …An heir? It’s all they want.”

“Garcia, you can’t be serious. You know that he doesn’t love her, and he is still working on ways to be with you. Talk to him!”

Jessica replied, “I have. I did it countless times, and this story doesn’t have a happy ending. The possibility of it was stolen from us.”

“I just can’t believe you won’t at least call him from here and say goodbye.”

Jessica shook her head before answering, “If I do, I will go running back to him and this mess. I love him, but I can’t be with him. This was a temporary arrangement; the end result was us being together. Now, it seems I’m just hanging in the background, waiting while he gets Madeleine pregnant. Once that happens, we will be totally done.”

Drake said, “There are two things in this world the man loves. Yes, it’s Cordonia, but it’s also you!”

“Drake, we spend all the time we can together, but it always leaves me wanting more. Our relationship isn’t enough anymore. Please give him this letter.”

Drake’s voice cracked. “Jessica, don’t do this; you’re asking me to give my best friend a Dear John Letter.”

Jessica touched his cheek and wiped his tears. “I’m asking you to help me let him go. I will never love anyone the way that I love him, and if I stay here, I will be missing out on the normal things in life that anyone would want for themselves.”

“I need you to be happy. I can’t be afraid like I was the day he got married… Or the day Madeleine tried to arrest you to hurt him.”

Drake and Jessica held each other in a long embrace, both crying. They formed an extremely tight-knit bond, just like a brother and sister or even best friends. Jessica got through Drake’s tough exterior while he supported her when the other nobles snubbed their noses at her. They both understood each other. Sharing smores over campfires, talking to each other late at night over whiskey, playing pool, or going to dive bars even during the social season.

As they heard her flight being called, he kissed her forehead. “Once you get settled in, check with us. We want to know how you’re doing.” Drake stood looking out the window watching Jessica’s flight takeoff. He cursed under his breath as tears fell from his eyes in his car. It felt like losing his sister Savannah all over again. Only this time, he had to break his best friend’s heart as well. He could take it and accept her decision in time, but Liam would be devastated beyond repair.

He took a deep breath and drove to Beaumont’s, dreading having to break the news to his best friend.

7.30.21 Original posting date of this revamped prologue

6.30.2019 Original posting date of the first chapter

[pridepages]

Role of Attraction: The Atlas Six

I finished The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake. I have thoughts...

Here there be spoilers!

Olivie Blake’s series opener The Atlas Six is an amalgam of several different adventure stories that all broadly fall under the label “dark academia.” On the one hand, we have a motley crew of six unlikely heroes--Libby Rhodes, Nico de Varona, Reina Mori, Callum Nova, Tristan Caine, and Parisa Kamali--all tapped to join a secret society based around the historical tragedy of the lost Library of Alexandria. On the other hand, all of these characters are also supposed to be the most talented magicians, “medeians,” in their world and are, I guess, meant to be developing those powers? The purpose behind protecting the library is rather vague beyond “we’re super special and get to know things others don’t.” The need for such protectors being magical is less clear beyond “it’s cool.” The mission is literally for all of them to...spend two years of research fellows before they can leave and do whatever they want? Oh, except for one unlucky initiate. The chosen one has to die by some kind of ritual sacrifice at the hands of the others.

Then, at the eleventh hour, it gets more complicated. It turns out the leader of the Alexandrian Society, Atlas Blakely, may in fact be a shady character who has recruited this “class” of initiates for his own nefarious purposes. And the people who oppose him have decided to throw a spanner in the works by kidnapping Libby Rhodes in order to prevent a terrible future from unfolding at the hands of Atlas’s chosen six.

Convoluted as hell, right? I may sound super down on it, but I want to clarify: the book is a really enjoyable read. But it’s not about the world-building or the plot. The magic here is the characters.

The story is told through alternating chapters that take us into the point of view of each of the six. We see how they feel about themselves, and we see how they feel about each other. These relationship dynamics are the power source of the novel, and they become a real case study into why people are the way they are. There are many aspects of human nature that are explored in Blake’s novel, but one that I’m still trying to make sense of is what role attraction is meant to play.

On the one hand, we as readers are set up with an easy premise: Libby Rhodes and Nico de Varona are introduced as rivals with high-octane chemistry and a tendency to bend the laws of nature when they rile each other up. It almost screams sexual tension...but it isn’t. Nico came to the Society a little to annoy Rhodes, but mostly to help someone else: his...roommate, Gideon Drake. In Nico’s most intense moment of vulnerability, he shouts “Haven’t you figured out by now that I want your problems? Your pain is my problem, you idiot prince.” It’s a nickname that we later learn that Libby taught Nico, and Nico uses it to express his frustration with Gideon. But that frustration could not be more clearly coded as at the very least a crush and, whether he’s ready to see it, probably romantic love.

Then we have Parisa Kamali. Parisa is a telepath who can see what the world thinks of her--and it likes what it sees. She’s gorgeous. And she’s unapologetic about using both her mind and her body to get what she wants. She’s also the most explicitly queer, admitting to Libby and Tristan that she’s had affairs with other women. When asked why, Parisa says “Men in particular are draining, they bleed us dry. They demand we carry their burdens, fix their ills. A man is constantly in search of a good woman, but what do they offer us in return?” Having an affair with a woman then becomes a chance to “experience rapture without being someone's other half, and therefore beholden to their weaknesses, to their faults and failures and their many insufferable fractures--then we're free, aren't we?” What’s notable here is that Parisa paints love between women as a rejection of the experience of loving men. Which, it inescapably is. But that isn’t all women can be to each other. There’s also the experience of positive attraction to each other, of sensing that  “You are someone worth knowing well, and fully, and perhaps deeply.”

The need to see and be seen by someone else plays out even more clearly in the will-they-won’t-they of Callum Nova and Tristan Caine. Callum is an empath, able to see and manipulate the emotions of others. And that absolutely has an impact on how he experiences attraction:

“Being desired was Callum's favorite. That was smoky...but more sultry, cloaked and perfumed in precisely what it was. It smelled like tangled bedsheets. It tasted like the flicker of a candle flame. It felt like a sigh, a quiet one; concessionary and pleading. He could always feel it on his skin, sharp as a blade. Piercing, like the groan of a lover in his ear.” 

Callum clearly wants to experience attraction, but because he can feel what others do, for him it’s always going to have a mirror effect: he wants to BE desired more than he cares about desiring the other person.

Tristan, by contrast, is a kind of anti-illusionist. He can see through magic--and even reality--to the absolute essence of nature. Tristan cannot escape the hard truths...including a sense of his own flaws. Caught between what appears to be the cat-and-mouse flirting styles of both Parisa and Callum that are being used on him, Trisan feels drawn to both and resents it: “It was one thing to be understood by someone else, to be exposed by them, and another (however inevitable it was) to be misused by them.” But the person his ability causes him to be hardest on is unquestionably himself. Callum observes: “You are not accustomed to being desired, are you? As a friend...as a person. As anything.” Tristan is used to desiring, but because he’s always waiting on some level for the other shoe to drop he cannot just let himself have someone else entirely, let alone allow himself to want that in peace.

All that said...what is The Atlas Six trying to tell us about the role attraction plays in the human experience? I think the point is that the answer changes depending on who WE are.

For the Nicos who are highly chemical, volatile, physical, attraction is a force--or an uncontrollable passion that drives.

For the Parisas, attraction is a means to an end. They want someone--or someone wants them--and whatever the reason is, they can choose whether or not to act on it as best suits their goals.

For Callums, attraction is both window and mirror on the self. Through inspiring and seeing attraction, they get a clearer picture of who they are...at least in the eyes of the world.

For Tristans, attraction is a weakness. By experiencing something that creates vulnerability, all the other soft and ugly parts of the self come into play and create discomfort.

For Reinas...well, I don’t want to be reductive but Reina is able to identify attraction experienced by or between other people without being moved in any way by it herself. She seems to acknowledge it as a thing that exists and moves on. If Reina comes out as asexual in the next book, I won’t be shocked.

For Libbys...here is an uncertain question. Libby is so caught in her own anxieties and inferiorities that there’s really very little room for real attraction in her mind. Maybe that’s the point: sometimes the noise in people’s heads is so loud that there isn’t room for other people, which attraction requires. I know that’s what I went through, and part of why I was such a late bloomer.

In the end, the most important takeaway is probably this: the world constantly tries to tell us what role attraction should play in our lives. People state definitively what attraction feels like, what it is. But the truth is simply this: there are as many ways to experience desire as there are people to feel it.

#the atlas six #olivie blake #lgbt reads #queer lit

[deliriumsdelight7]

40 Questions: 10, 15, 17 and 37

I answered 15 already, but I can do the rest!

10.) Which fic has been the easiest to write?

Absolutely none of them. Every fic I write involves a lot of time and effort trying to wring every last word out of my mind.

17.) Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?

Start to finish. I'll jot down notes for how a future scene will go down so I don't forget, but that's it. When I write, the characters have a tendency to surprise me by doing something I hadn't planned, which often changes the course of the story. So I have to write start to finish.

37.) Talk about your current wips.

All 20 of them? Oh god no, I'll be here all day. I'll talk about my HellCheer ones. If someone wants to ask me about my Rumbelle ones, be my guest.

We Could Be Invisible: this is a rewrite of season 4 where Chrissy survives the Vecna Incident, which causes certain changes to canon. Her survival will make it easier to clear Eddie's name and (spoiler alert) give him a happier ending than canon gave him. I'm having a hard time with this one because I can't bring myself to rewatch the show to get material. I've got the next chapter like 1/3 written.

My Blood Is My Own Now: I started writing this before Volume 2 came out, so this is basically a post-S4 AU where Volume 2 went entirely differently. It takes place after the party defeats Vecna, and the Hawkins Lab scientists manage to create new bodies for Vecna's three victims. The goal, if I can get this damn fic moving, is to follow Chrissy while she deals with not only the trauma of her past abuse, but also her death and torment under Vecna, plus the adjustment of being in a body that's hers but not. Basically I had a vibe and started writing without a plan. Whoops.

One More Time, Steal My Breath: Pure, soft BDSM with idiots in love. Basically an excuse for me to write these two being soft and horny, over and over and over. This next chapter will feature misunderstandings and semi-public sex.

Searching For Those Wasted Years: Someone on my discord server asked for Persuasion with HellCheer characters. This is... not that. But it was inspired by the premise. There's going to be angst and misunderstandings and fighting and revelations and messy emotions. I'm working on Chapter 2 now.

Hold Me Like You Held Onto Life: Vampire fic that takes place like 30 years post-canon. Eddie was brought back as a vampire by Vecna, and helped take him down. He leaves Hawkins to live a solitary life, because he's still wanted for the murders of Vecna's victims. 30 years later, he returns to Hawkins and finds a girl who shares Chrissy's name and her face. This is basically me giving Eddie a second chance at love, and Chrissy a chance at a childhood that wasn't abusive and traumatizing.

#fic ask game #ask answered

[ziezie13]

I need to talk about Dark Rise theories with people please! So we know that one of the questions Pacat asked himself when writing this trilogy is: “What happens when you grow up told that you are destined to be the villain? Will the story of the past play out again or will you forge your own path?” Now I am on the side that Will is very much going to forge his own path and do like Kylo Ren and kill the past. Like fuck that shit Will is going to do what he wants and not what people expect. I think it is also safe to assume that Will is going to be going up against Simon’s dad in the squeal. Though I am not sure how I feel about this one of my few criticisms about Dark Rise is that Simon never felt like a real threat to me. I figured out early on that Will was the Dark King and so the match up of the Dark King vs the Dark King’s spoiled brat of a great great great grandson just never felt like a fair fight and I don’t see how Simon’s father could fair any better, but I am sure Pacat won’t let us down. I am very excited to watch Will battle his darker impulses and finally get some insight into whether or not he actually cares about doing the right thing or if doing the “right thing” in the past has just happened to be the option that would work out best for him. You know, “let me interrogate James because everyone else here is too emotional when it comes to him and I can be a neutral party.” Bitch please, ain’t no one in that room with a more emotional connection to James than you. And who were you trying to fool with that "chance encounter" with Kathrine? Honestly, I think it is a mix. James was right when he said Will was more clever than anyone gave him credit for. He is ten steps ahead of everyone else and he is far from innocent or naive. But I also don’t think he wants to repeat the past all over again. I mean look how that turned out for him the first time. He might even hate the Dark King. I don’t think he was faking it when he yelled at Cyprian about them following the Dark King’s will this whole time. The boy does not like being manipulated and that includes being manipulated by his past self. Ok so on to my theory. One of the things that bothered me as I was reading is the lack of egalitarianism in the world of Dark Rise. The Stewards have hoarded magic for centuries under the pretense of protecting it. When Will and Violet visited London for the first time after spending three months with the Stewards they were disgusted. Violet was shocked with how grey and ugly the city was, repulsed by the smog and grime, and sickened by the food. Being exposed to the magical world of the Stewards has changed her and the whole time I was thinking how sad that no one else even knows what they are missing. Their lives are completely devoid of magic and isn’t that a tragedy. Even the Stewards only have scraps of the ancient magic that remains. But then something Cyprian says later made me perk up: “When the Dark King returns, he’ll bring the dark past with him, returning magic and subjugating our world!” So what if Will does that. What if Will brings magic back to the world, magic back to everyone? Only instead of repeating the past, he uses his power to forge a new future. That is a premise that I have yet to see explored. It would be like if at the end of Harry Potter the Wizarding and Muggle Worlds merged and honestly that sounds fascinating to me. I don’t know if that is where Pacat is going to go with this but if the squeal is anything like that last chapter I am fulling on board.

TLDR: I think Will is going to try and kill the past for good, and also bring magic back to the world for everyone. Please discuss.

#dark rise #dark rise spoilers #spoilers #theories and speculation

[lokiondisneyplus]

Most Marvel post-credit scenes hint at the future. Loki opted for a blunter approach: the God of Mischief would return in season 2.

Based on the final turn of events, there was really no other choice: Loki (Tom Hiddleston), having journeyed to the furthest point in spacetime with his variant Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) to meet the founder of the TVA, a scientist-turned-survivor-of-multiversal-war known as He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors), finds himself zapped into a new reality when his lady self slays the omnipresent being. The mind reels!

Creator Michael Waldron takes delight in the endless possibilities of Loki’s core premise. And as a veteran of Rick and Morty, he knows what anchors a mind-bending show, and what will keep Hiddleston’s character hurtling through his chaotic, rewritten future. Below, Polygon talks to Waldron about landing on the key choices of Loki season 1, what to expect from season 2, and a bit on his next project, the wrestling drama Heels, which is set to premiere on Aug. 15.

Did you know there’d be a second season of Loki from the beginning or was that choice made later in the process?

Michael Waldron: We always knew that it was a possibility. We always knew that we wanted to propel Loki and these characters out into the MCU after this, into further stories. But that didn’t really crystallize as a sure thing until we were in production and everything. And as we were really figuring out the finale.

So you were still cracking the ending as you shot the show?

There was a hiatus due to the pandemic. So things were constantly being retooled because of that. I think, by and large, everything with He Who Remains and the Sylvie-Loki conflict was always there. But that cliffhanger was the sort of thing that suddenly became a really appealing opportunity, a chance for that to lead into a second season.

What element of the series helped you crack the macro story of Loki, and made all the other pieces fall into place? Each episode almost feels like a standalone adventure, similar to Rick and Morty, but what helped it all click?

The first couple of weeks in the writers room was just laying out the individual episodes. It was very important to me that each episode stood on its own, and you could say “This is the Lamentis episode,” “This is the apocalypse moon episode,” “This is the Void episode.” I didn’t want it to just be cut up chapters and have one long continuous story. Obviously, we had to figure out the time travel for things to slot into place. I think a big idea for us was the way you get around the TVA by hiding in apocalypses. That felt like such a big, cool, exciting idea that it drove the action of episode 2, episode 3, and in a way it’s like Alioth is the ultimate apocalypse that He Who Remains is hiding behind. That sci-fi idea cracked a lot open for us. I know that after we had that I went home and I slept a little sounder.

Did adding the multiverse to the Marvel Cinematic Universe feel like blowing something up or expanding it, in terms of narrative possibilities?

In the same way that after the first couple Iron Man movies, and with the first Avengers, suddenly these movies were kind of going to space. Then we had Guardians. I think of the multiverse as another version of that. It’s new ground to cover, and particularly interesting because characters meeting other versions of themselves and other versions of people they know is... cool. That’s just a cool sci-fi concept! But I think with anything, as you expand outward, it only works if the humanity remains. It’s exciting to watch characters dealing with big crazy multiversal conflicts because we can see ourselves in them. I think you just have to hold on to the humanity that makes these stories work in the first place.

Did you go back to the Thor movies for Loki? Was there anything to find in the past of Marvel as you were paving the future?

Absolutely. I mean I watched them many times, contrary to what Twitter might think because I did some bits on there saying that I’ve never seen Avengers and I upset some people [laughs]. I have seen it many times. “Confirmed: Loki writer has seen Avengers and saw it before writing Loki show.”

In fact, I was watching all these movies on a loop in the writers’ room. I gleaned so much because you watch the evolution of the character. Avengers was particularly informative because our story picks up Loki right after that, but I also I found a lot of inspiration in Thor: The Dark World, a maybe sometimes maligned movie that I actually really enjoy. I just think there’s great stuff with Loki being tangentially responsible for the death of his mother, how he reacts to that. That is the start of his journey of that version of Loki’s redemption, so I was inspired by that.

What’s propelling the characters into season 2? Where are you headed in basic terms?

In season 1, you saw a lot of characters reckoning with and questioning their own glorious purpose, and that glorious purpose changing, [characters] realizing that that can change. Everybody except for Sylvie. I think she holds onto hers, which is vengeance, and to the detriment of us all, perhaps. And we’ve got a Loki who, at the top of our show, assessed himself as a villain and, I would argue, at the end of our show, has become a little bit of a hero. There’s nothing more heroic to me than fighting for the right thing and losing. You see that washing over him as he’s there back at the TVA, after Sylvie has knocked back there. And then he gets up because that is what heroes do — they keep going. So I think that you’re gonna see a Loki that looks at himself in a different way certainly that at the top of this.

Do you hope to explore more of Sylvie’s backstory in season 2?

I guess we’ll see. We certainly have our own rich backstory for her, stuff that didn’t get to make it into the show. Elissa Karasik, our episode 2 writer, wrote a lot of amazing backstory for Sylvia and everything. So those ideas exist out there.

And her version of Thor?

Tune in.

How did He Who Remains come about? Did you bring the character to Marvel or was that a character Marvel hoped to introduce?

I was pushing and our team was pushing early on in the writers’ room that it should be a version of Kang up in that Citadel, sort of fusing the mythology of He Who Remains with a little bit of the Immortus mythology. And that was a thing we were excited to do. And it became clear that it actually made sense for our story. The only way we were going to do it was if it made sense, but it was like, who had a better argument for creating the TVA to prevent other versions of themselves from existing then a guy as evil as Kang the Conqueror?

You wrote the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness — did Marvel hire you for that after Loki? Does the movie feel like a continuation of the show?

Yeah, that opportunity came as we were getting ready to start production on Loki. It was a pleasure. I got to work with Sam Raimi, a hero of mine. I was in London for five months making that movie at the top of this year. We had a blast. I think that it’s a continuation in as much as ever every Marvel movie is to some extent a chapter in an ongoing story, but these things are meant to stand alone and the most important thing about Doctor Strange too is making the most kick ass Doctor Strange movie we could.

Is Loki a two-part show now or are you invested in telling a longer story with future seasons beyond season 2?

Time will tell, but I do my hope is that season 1 stands on its own. We always wanted to tell a complete story there. And in whatever the next chapter may be will stand on its own as well.

Your next show, Heels, is already on the way. We got a big preview out of Comic-Con this year, but I’m curious about the scope of this story. You’re starting with two brothers running an independent wrestling franchise, but you’ve dropped the name “Vince McMahon” a few times — is this about the building of an empire? Would you liken it to The Godfather or Breaking Bad?

I always thought about it a little bit of a Scorsese-sort-of rise, and we’ll see if there’s a fall. Starting from humble beginnings and trying to build some crazy. Wrestling was certainly not always the empire that it is and that’s what’s interesting, to watch the evolution of a family-run wrestling business from something you do in your small towns and perhaps a national, even global empire. That would be a really compelling arc for a show over the course of several seasons. I’d be excited to explore that.

What’s the most dramatically fulfilling wrestling moment you’ve witnessed? What’s the bar for the wrestling drama of Heels?

It’s gotta be Hulk Hogan turning heel in the WCW. There was an invasion storyline, these guys from WWF, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, came over and they were the bad guys. It was at a Pay-per-view and and they were beating up on the good guys that you love, and here comes Hulk Hogan in the yellow and red and he’s the hero. “The Hulk’s gonna get ‘em! The good guy’s here!” And then the Hulk just leg drops Randy Savage. That was the original Red Wedding. I just think about the boldness of turning him heel. To a little kid... I wasn’t even like a massive Hulk fan, but he was just such a mythological figure. What a chance that Hulk Hogan took as a performer, as a bankable kind of movie star at that point. That was bold, risky storytelling and it set off two years of amazing storytelling with Hogan just playing a craven, cowardly heel and just being so evil. I really respect the hell out of them for doing that. That was a great storyline.

#michael waldron #interview #loki #s1 #s2

[phoenixtakaramono]

Does Bing gē Have Descendants in ‘The Untold Tale?’

This topic has come up a few times since The Untold Tale takes place in the PIDW universe (post-Bingge vs Bingmei extra), I figured I might as well compile and archive my official answer here for me to refer my AO3 readers to in the future for convenience’s sake. I hope everyone doesn’t mind. :) I’m always happy to answer questions!

TL;DR

Q: Will we see Bing gē having fathered children with his harem of 600 or so wives in TUT?

A: For TUT, the answer is a definite “no.” There were a lot of factors which’d contributed to my decision. I’ll try to explain my reasoning down below.

Context

In PIDW, it is canon that Luo Binghe has a bountiful number of descendants with his harem of 600-or-so wives. It is a detail that has been mentioned even in ch1 of SVSSS and in ep1 of the donghua.

(SVSSS Excerpt - ch1)

(SVSSS donghua - ep1)

I like to plan things ahead of time. So from very early on, I knew this would be something I would have to decide on whether or not to address when I’d finally decided to expand TUT from just a prologue into a full-blown story. And after contemplating it, I decided against adding children into the story. It is because 1) it would make the situation more complicated, and 2) it would take TUT in a different direction that wouldn’t be fun for me to write.

I’m a very decisive writer, meaning when I make my mind up about something, chances are I won’t change my mind. This is because I would have already planned it into my plot outline, which means changing a decision would require me to change other details in the other chapters I have planned for that story. (I’m typically not a spontaneous writer; I try not to write spontaneously because when you’re a writer who rotates through multiple WIPs with different characters across different genres or writing styles, you inevitably have writer’s block because you probably won’t remember all the ideas or the direction you had whenever you return back to a different WIP. To reduce this shortcoming, it helps me personally to have a plot outline. This way I can return to any WIP, read my notes and then transcribe them into legible paragraphs, find a way to transition between the story beats I have to hit for that chapter, and then eventually post the final draft to AO3 when I feel it’s ready.)

Having made a decision, I knew I had to set it up in TUT and give a “reasonable explanation in-story.” Hence, in ch2, we see:

(Excerpt I - ch2)

Basically the set-up is TUT takes place post-Bingge vs Bingmei, but between “the third or fourth book” of the hypothetical PIDW webnovel series aka before Airplane wrote the fanservicey chapters where the luckier of LBH’s wives give birth to children during the harem drama plots and the children are probably rarely, if ever, mentioned again in the story as a lot of stallion novels tend to do.

(Excerpt II - ch2)

(Excerpt III - ch2)

Contrarian Tendencies

You know the saying: Monkey see, monkey do? In my case, it’s monkey see, monkey do not do.

A little fun fact about me as a writer: if I have already seen a fanfic where someone has already written a concept or idea into their story, chances are I will just avoid it entirely in my own stories. I don’t know why this aversion exists, but I’m assuming it’s because of my counterculture hipster inclinations and an intrinsic fear of plagiarism which has been beaten into all of our skulls since adolescence. There’s nothing wrong with being inspired by other people’s works. Technically everything’s been done before in writing so, as a writer, a good rule of thumb is to always try to give it your own unique spin on things. So for me, my brain somehow interpreted this a step further. This is a reason why I try to avoid reading stories from whichever fandom my WIP is from during the writing process of updating a fic, because this is how I get influenced. Once I see an idea or interpretation from another fanfiction, it influences me to not want to write it into my own. This is a very strong unconscious impulse for me. I guess this is just the neurons in my brain’s thinking that this way, it won’t be something my readers will have read before and the story idea will come across as different or fresh, and mine. In a way this is also how I show respect for fanfiction writers in the same fandom—by being inspired to not be inspired, ha. I like to think every story in the world serves a niche audience, so seeing a diverse range of originality and interpretations in a fandom is a good thing. This is also how I feel when I am able to identify certain popular tropes or depictions or patterns in a fandom; 99% of the time, it makes me feel a compulsion to “go against the grain” or write the opposite. For example, you have no idea how long it took me to come around the idea of incorporating the fanon “A-Yuan” into TUT. However cute it is, the moment it dominated the fandom (well, “dominated” is an exaggeration; it’s more like I’ve seen enough, especially in the Original LBH/ SY | SQQ tag), my gut reaction was to nope out of using it. But after seeing a lot of comments in my inbox with readers affectionately calling SY “A-Yuan,” I’d contemplated it for a long time and it wasn’t until ch4 that I decisively decided that yes, I can have Bing gē calling SY “A-Yuan” in TUT—but it has to be at the right moment for maximum dramatic and emotional impact. (See this thread that started it all. And this is the small sneak peek I wrote where LBH will call SY that for the first time.) <- This is the rare 1% where I actually conformed to what’s popular.

In this case, when I finally decided to expand the prologue into a full-blown story, coincidentally I had just recently read a good Binggeyuan (Bingyuan) fanfic which featured a kidnapped Shen Yuan interacting with Bing gē’s harem and LBH’s children/descendants. I’d liked their portrayal and even thought the children were cute. <- However, with me having reading this, the problem came up: I felt the familiar stubbornness in me rearing its head. So knowing myself, if I had included children, it is very likely the direction that I would have gone down for TUT would have been the opposite. To further complicate matters, you have to keep in mind the kind of writer I am. I tend to like grounding stories with a semblance of realism, no matter if the genre is pseudohistorical fantasy, romance, sci-fi, etc. And this writer has seen and read quite a few harem and palace intrigue Chinese dramas/ premises.

For further context, in those types of “historical” C-dramas^, in that sort of environment which fosters scheming, competition, jealousy, etc, it is almost expected to see heirs aka children aka descendants harmed along with the women. Innocent parties are often victims in these sorts of cutthroat premises, to underscore the underlying message the show or novel wishes to present. (See Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Palace. See Yanxi Palace. See The Legend of Haolan. See Nirvana in Fire. See The Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage. Etc.) And me being me, this would be the direction I would take. Remember, while TUT is meant to emulate a legitimate danmei C-novel reading experience in a fantasy world, I do drop pseudohistorical and cultural Easter eggs into the story. So trust me when I say you would not like the direction TUT would have gone down in, had I made LBH have children with his harem. I mean, theoretically yes, we could’ve seen endearing children characters from me, but you would have also seen me addressing a lot of the baggage that comes with (see Comment III Excerpt down below).

The situation with dissolving Bing gē’s harem is already complicated enough. As his romance with Shen Yuan develops, I didn’t want to have an additional headache thinking about how to address the issue of LBH having children already. Divorces in a pseudohistorical context is already a heavy topic—even more so when it’s divorces with children in the mix. Naturally I will still have SY and LBH eventually discuss the matter of legitimate heirs since LBH will essentially become the Sacred Ruler of all Three Realms and it’s a traditional precedent for an emperor to bed his empress, noble consort, and imperial concubines until he has his heirs (plural, because the rate of mortality was high in ancient China). In TUT’s case, at that point in the story SY will remind LBH that he’s essentially an immortal sovereign so there isn’t any need for an heir unless he wishes to retire. Furthermore, he will inform LBH that he could set a new precedent since he’s already different from the other emperors from history (with him being of half-Heavenly Demon and half-human cultivator lineage); as long as LBH is fully aware of all perspectives of the situation, he doesn’t necessarily need to conform to all traditions if this is something he really feels strongly about. But this future conversation(s) is likely the extent of it.

But wait, you say, what about a certain someone who’s going to be transmigrated as an imperial crown prince? Isn’t he going to be in that sort of vicious upbringing? <- Yes. But that’s an entirely seperate matter. In a way, since I’ve decided Bing gē will not have had any children or descendants in TUT, with Airplane, this now presents an opportunity for me to show the consequences of being one of the many children of an emperor with a harem of women vying for one man’s attention—and the power struggle that’d ensue in this kind of environment. It’s an interesting What-If parallel, if you think about it.

AO3 Comments

Although these are just small excerpts from replies I’ve written before, it’s nice and orderly to just compile them here for everyone since these will be buried underneath all the comments as TUT updates:

(Comment I- ch3)

(Comment II- ch4)

(Comment III- ch4)

Because of seeing comments that have asked me for my thoughts on whether or not I will include LBH’s children, I’ve had so much fun seeing theories thrown around: from LBH’s blood parasites being able to control conception, to someone’s headcanon about LBH being a hybrid and all that entails scientifically (think: mules). I will say in TUT, it’s more the former since in PIDW he’s supposed to have descendants; we’re pretending Bing gē doesn’t have any yet (and now definitely won’t, especially after having heard SY’s “prophecy”) because he subconsciously does not want children due to certain fears, trauma, etc. And his Heavenly Demon’s “blood parasites” (blood manipulation) is a convenient story device to explain why no wife has gotten pregnant yet.

I hope this explanation makes sense! Mainly I just wanted to have this archived on tumblr so that I have this post to refer to moving forward.

On a side note: especially since ch4 had been posted, quite a few people have actually mentioned they’ve read my replies to other comments and/or I have seen different people having hopped onto other readers’ comment threads (for example, imagine my pleasant surprise when I saw a reader you lovely person, you helpfully jumping in to respond to another reader’s questions about TUT, and their answers were actually aligned with what I would’ve answered!), so it’s always such a thrill whenever I see this level of engagement happening. I can’t explain why, but seeing this happening is just so cute to me. It really makes this writer feel so warm and fuzzy inside!

#svsss #bingyuan #bingqiu #the scum villain's self saving system #luo binghe #the untold tale #phoenixtakaramono #ask #technically not an ask #but i like to categorize it there #I mainly wrote this lengthy explanation on tumblr #bc I wanted to link this as ref #anytime someone asks me in the future regarding LBH’s kids #lol it’s actually not cinnabar pills hidden in a bracelet #it’s some sort of seeds which supposedly stopped concubines from being pregnant #I discovered this when I rewatched Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Palace #Do you all notice you have a unique writing syntax/ style #that’s how I can identify that you’re all diff ppl in the comments #one time an anon guest wrote something for G&G #and in the comment thread as another guest anon they supposedly agreed with the prev anon #in that case it was obvious it was the same person pretending to be another guest anon #and I can tell because their writing syntax/ voice is identical #which is why I’m so pleasantly surprised to see this phenomenon in the SVSSS fandom #you all have diff writing syntaxes #seeing you all interact with each other’s comments or my comments to other comments #is just such a delight ahhhhhh #I love the SVSSS community #you guys are so warm and welcoming

[staerplatinum]

DBZ, rewritten

while i was brainstorming about my own main au, "From Eden", i was also thinking about a rewritten version of db, another AU i'd like to write someday but for now i just summarized it. you can read it under the divisor!

premise: there aren't ocs or too many headcanons of mine, just some ideas i thought they would've been cool to see instead of the plot we have now. i removed some things but i also inserted some new things i thought they would've been interesting. i didn't add moro or granola's sagas for some reasons i'll explain better later. hope you like it!

Until Frieza Saga, DB-DBZ stays as it is. But, from Chapter 330 of the manga things start changing. Mecha Frieza doesn’t exist, Future Trunks only comes (with a mask on his face) to warn Goku about the heart virus, then goes back to the future.

Although the warning, Goku carelessly dies anyway. Piccolo still trains Gohan and lives with him, the Ox King and ChiChi, who’s pregnant. After the Androids defeat, Piccolo trains Gohan at the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, making him transform into Super Saiyan for the first time. Thus, as in canon, Gohan transforms into Super Saiyan 2 and defeats Cell.

For the 25th World Tournament (and so Majin Buu saga) Goku comes back to Earth for 24 hours and meets Goten for the first time. Goku tries to fight against Majin Buu, but he doesn’t stand a chance against him and is defeated. Goku and Piccolo train Goten and Trunks to make them fuse into Gotenks who, with Vegito’s help, tries to defeat Super Buu, but they get absorbed in the process. All of this happens while Gohan is trained by Shin and Old Kai, who awakens his potential and thus gains a part of Godly Ki. Shin and Kibito use their Potara earring to fuse into Kibitoshin, and helps Gohan to defeat Kid Buu. All the lives get resurrected, Gohan chooses to train with Shin on the Sacred World of Kai, becoming a Supreme Kai apprentice next to Kibito. Yet, still lives on Earth and marries Videl.

At Age 778, Bulma organizes her birthday party. At the same time, Beerus wakes up after his 39 years of slumber to look for the Super Saiyan God. After knowing there is a Saiyan with a glimpse of Godly Ki, he travels to the Sacred World of Kai, looking for Gohan. He isn’t there, so Kibitoshin tells him he shouldn’t disturb his apprentice while he’s on Earth—but Beerus goes there anyway. Vegeta tries to stop him, but he, along with Android 18, Piccolo and Gotenks, is defeated. Beerus only wants to fight Gohan, thus he chooses to try to fight him only with his Unlocked Potential. At a certain point of their fight, Gohan is able to transform into Super Saiyan God, leaving Kibitoshin speechless. After their fight ends in a tie, the birthday party continues and Gohan acknowledges he will be a father.

For formal reasons, Kibitoshin decides to unfuse and Shin continues to work as Supreme Kai, still having Gohan as his student. Since ChiChi has a lot of potential because of her demon origins, Shin chooses to train her, as well as Whis decides to help Gohan with his training too. During Gohan’s training, Vados and Champa pay Beerus a visit. Vados finds out Universe 6’s Earthlings are extinct, thus Champa wants Universe 7’s Earth for himself. They decide to do a Tournament between Universe 6 and Universe 7, where Gohan meets Hit and Cabba for the first time. Gohan doesn’t need to transform into Super Saiyan God, until he fights against Hit and reaches Super Saiyan Blue, leaving Beerus and Shin surprised. Universe 7 wins and, like in canon, Beerus wishes for Universe 6’s Earthlings to be alive. In the same period, Gohan knows Zen’Oh due to one of the gods’ reunions.

At Age 780, Gohan realizes his daughter is starting to mysteriously develop some Ki alone and when he asks Shin to check her, he says she has definitely taken it from him. Gowasu and Zamasu pay Shin a visit and Gohan sees Kibito training with Zamasu for the first time. Zamasu, though, notices Gohan and thinks he’s even more powerful than Kibito--when he sees ChiChi being trained by Shin as well, he starts despising mortals even more and tries to attack ChiChi in front of Gowasu. When Gohan surprisingly blocks him, they start a battle that ends in a tie because both Gowasu and Shin forcibly stop them. When they return to Universe 10, like in canon, Gowasu makes Zamasu see the Babarian population from afar, but Zamasu kills one of them and his master tells him not to do it anymore as they return back home. A new Time Ring is created and when Shin notices it, Gohan starts wondering if it’s because of Zamasu like he previously thought when ChiChi was attacked. Gowasu returns to Universe 7, telling Shin that Zamasu disappeared. In fact, Whis finds out Zamasu has collected all the Super Dragon Balls to wish his body to be immortal. Piccolo and Dende confirm Zamasu is coming back and plans to destroy all humans. Gohan prepares for the fight, as well as Gotenks, while Bulma, Whis and Beerus watch them. During the fight, Gotenks is seriously wounded and Gohan’s Super Saiyan God transformation fades, while Zamasu’s body starts corrupting due to an overcharge of energy. Shin teleports both Gowasu and ChiChi with him, she surprisingly attacks him with the Z-Sword--that only Gohan was able to wield. Zamasu is finally wounded, but with Bulma’s plan, Beerus is able to kill him with his Hakai.

In the meantime, Dende tells Goku about Uub. So Goku teleports to the Sacred World of Kai to tell Shin about him. When Shin acknowledges Uub is actually Kid Buu’s reincarnation, he first thinks he could be a menace--but probably isn’t since he’s good. Gohan brings him to Mr. Satan’s house and meets Majin Buu, who apparently can take the form of the Grand Supreme Kai. Both Shin and the Grand Supreme Kai travel to find Uub, who’s currently training with King Chappa. Shin offers to fight Uub, and surprisingly finds out the child has a great potential. The Grand Supreme Kai is aware of the fact Uub is holding part of his power and suggests him to train with the two deities.

Twelve years later, Pan is thirteen years old and follows the same training as Gohan, who’s now the new Supreme (Demi)Kai. Shin, having now the rank of Grand Supreme Kai, is watching them through the training and Beerus wonders if Pan will ever be as strong as her father, Shin thinks the same about Bra, since she’s trained by Beerus and Whis. Bulma kept the Dragon Balls for another birthday party, but when she and the rest of the group summon Shenlong, a black dragon appears to explain the Dragon Balls have been overused, so they now have a negative energy within them. The Dragon Balls separate into several deities, thus Beerus suggests to send Pan, Bra and Uub to defeat the Shadow Dragons and recover the Dragon Balls in their normal state. Bra is the one who drives the ship, so she decides where to go first. The dragons are all pretty much the same as in canon, but the trio will fight against the last three evil dragons, Uub fights against San Shenlong, Bra against Shu Shenlong, while Pan fights against Omega Shenlong, unlocking her potential as her father did. Once they defeat the dragons, the Dragon Balls return back to normal. Shenlong asks Pan if she wants to train with him, but she refuses and says she soon wants to become Supreme Kai as Gohan did.

#dragon ball #dragon ball z #dragon ball super #dragon ball gt #dbz #dbsuper #dbgt #son gohan #son goku #son pan #uub #supreme kai #supreme kai shin #piccolo #whis #beerus #dragon ball au #dbz au

[cywscross]

From @lightveils on Twitter (free to use wherever!). I’ve been meaning to do this for a while. I definitely have enough fics to fill it lol~

-0-

A Fic You Love Without Knowing The Source Material:

I was born for this by esama (Assassin’s Creed | Altair x Desmond | M)

Juno did her best to lead him to her preferred fate, but the end is coming and Desmond has doubts.

A Fic With A Premise That Shouldn’t Work But Does:

Proposing To Strangers by moonstalker24 (Teen Wolf | Peter x Stiles | G)

At the end of a strained relationship, crime novelist Stiles chooses to hide from the world inside a bar with far too many motorcycles outside it for comfort. Here he'll meet the man of his dreams, eat food and propose marriage, all within the first five minutes.

Peter doesn't know who this kid is, but he's cute and looks like he could use a break. So he feeds him. He's not expecting a marriage proposal, but with what comes after, he doesn't really mind.

A Fic You’ve Reread Several Times:

Hooverville by twothumbsandnostakeincanon (Teen Wolf | Peter x Stiles | E)

Town to town, train to train, tent to tent.

By 1932, the dust had begun to blow and the jobs were gone.

Anonymity was a byproduct of looking for work, which made it both necessary and convenient.

Stiles had enough secrets of his own to know to look the other way when he saw something that shouldn’t be possible.

The ghost of a tail giving enough balance to disembark a moving train.

Near silent Latin whispered on the edge of a tent encampment.

A flash of burning eyes.

He had more than enough to worry about without adding the oddities of others, and besides- having unusually sharp teeth certainly didn’t make a man worse than the ones running from the wife and kids they couldn’t feed.

So Stiles kept his observations to himself. He kept his everything to himself.

Until he met a man. One with eyes so blue they seemed to glow- and then they did.

Stiles tried to look away, but for the first time he was stopped.

“Don’t be like that sweetheart. Aren’t you curious?”

A Fic You Still Remember Many Years Later:

All True-Hearted Souls by mardia (Temeraire | Laurence x Granby | G)

“For God's sake, if someone doesn't talk Laurence out of these constant heroics, I wouldn't bet a farthing on his chances; no, and not ours either.” Four times that John Granby helped save William Laurence's life. Laurence/Granby. Spoilers up to Empire of Ivory.

A Comfort Fic:

Nothing Improper by Bunnywest (Teen Wolf | Peter x Stiles | G)

“How long since someone touched you, sweet boy?” Peter asks, his voice barely a breath in Stiles’ ear. “Days? Weeks? Months?” Stiles nods imperceptibly at that last one.

“After…after everything, after Allison,” is all Stiles manages to get out.

A Cathartic Fic:

Swing by ShippersList (Teen Wolf | Peter x Stiles | T)

Stiles wants to fly.

A Fic You’d Print And Put On Your Bookshelf:

Nose to the Wind by Batsutousai (HP | Tom x Harry | M)

While Harry had been content with his second chance, that didn't keep him from thinking what he could have done different, how many people could have survived if he hadn't been set on the very specific path he'd walked. Third time is the charm, though, right?

A Fic You Associate With A Song (x2):

Strange Duet by BelleAmante, thiliart (thilia) (Teen Wolf | Peter x Stiles | M)

The past three years have been a series of shocking, or not so shocking, successes for 2018 Tony award winner and two time Grammy nominee, Stiles Stilinski. You don’t typically find classically trained opera singers singing alternative folk rock to crowds at Coachella. Nor do you find indie singer/songwriters winning best actor awards at the Tony’s for their Broadway debuts. Stilinski has made it his lifetime habit to defy and exceed all expectations.

-or-

A Steter fic loosely based on Phantom of the Opera

~

Full Circle by Nike Femme (FMA | Roy x Ed | T)

Edward Elric returns with amnesia. He has lived the past four years as Auric, a Gatekeeper. But there are some battles that only he can fight. Will his friends be able to awaken Ed, and what happens to Auric if they do?

A Fic That Inspires You:

Off the Line by esama (FFVII | Cloud x Vincent | T)

In which Cloud gets a Virtual Reality Dream Console – ShinRa's latest in virtual reality technology. Aaand everything pretty much goes downhill from there.

A Fic That Brought You On Board A New Ship:

Me and Mine by linndechir (Fast and the Furious | Deckard x Owen | E)

The last time they'd spoken, Deckard had told Owen that he was tired of cleaning up his messes. But the first thing he did after breaking out of prison was to take Owen to the other end of the world so they could lick their wounds and start planning their revenge.

A Fic You Wish Could Be A Movie:

Moving In (To Every Single Aspect of Danny’s Life, Including the Boring Bits like Dry-Cleaning) by westgirl (Hawaii Five-0 | Steve x Danny | T)

It felt wrong for Steve to sound unsure of his place in Danny’s life. His place in Danny’s life was at Danny’s side, driving him slowly insane. Steve should feel secure about that.

A Fic That Led To You Making Friends With The Author:

Begin and End by Rikkamaru (Log Horizon x HP | G)

This is how it begins: a boy rejected by his family, a boy reunited with his brother by his sister-in-law's intervention. A boy who found a family in an online game. But how will it end?

FREE SPACE:

Reverti Ad Praeteritum by Batsutousai (Fullmetal Alchemist | Roy x Edward | M)

Unwillingly forced to serve as a human trial for a crazy alchemist experimenting with time travel, Edward Elric finds himself standing across from Truth in the moment it takes his leg from him. Armed with the knowledge of what's to come and burdened with guilt for the choices he'd made as an adult, Ed sets out to fix every mistake he ever made and save every life they ever lost, no matter what it takes.

A Fic You’ve Gushed About IRL:

Designation: Miracle by umisabaku (Kuroko no Basket | M)

It's been three years since seven human experiments, called "Miracles," escaped Teiko Industries, alerting the world to the presence of super-powered children. Now they're finally integrating into society-- going to normal high schools, playing basketball, falling in love-- and trying to find out if it's possible to truly escape their past.

A Fic You Associate With A Place (have to self-rec for this one):

Safe Harbour by cywscross (Teen Wolf | Peter x Stiles x Chris | T)

Peter didn't think he'd find a home here. He certainly didn't think he'd find a home with two other men.

Chris and Stiles prove him wrong.

A Fic That Made You Gasp Out Loud (kind of? it was suspenseful):

Sanctuary by DiscontentedWinter (Teen Wolf | Peter x Stiles | E)

The Hale Wolf Sanctuary isn’t just for wolves.

It turns out it’s for Stilinskis as well.

A Fic You Found At The Right Time:

slow increments by Areiton (Teen Wolf | Peter x Stiles)

Peter is enigmatic, egotistical, sometimes barely sane. He's sharp and cutting and takes more time to care for the pack than anyone.And sometimes, John catches him watching Stiles.

A Fic That You Would Read Fic Of:

if you try to break me, you will bleed by Dialux (Game of Thrones | Jon x Sansa | T)

It had been a slash across her chest from a White Walker’s sword that finally ended her life. Sansa’d landed in a puddle of her own blood, and she’d died quickly, quietly.

And then she’d awoken with a gasp, trembling, in a bed that had burned under Theon’s betrayal.

A Fic That Made You Laugh Out Loud:

The Path towards Unwilling Godhood by Sky_King (Bleach | Kisuke x Ichigo | G)

Ichigo has never had the most normal life, and this latest chapter of it is no different.

"I'm not a god!"

A Fic With A Line (Or Two) That You’ve Memorized By Heart:

Atlas by distractedKat (Star Trek | Spock x Jim | T)

Between what was and what will be stands James Tiberius Kirk, in all his fractured patchwork glory. Because saving the Federation was only the beginning.

A Fic That Gave You Butterflies:

The Rest of Our Lives by mia6363 (Teen Wolf | Peter x Stiles | T)

“I don’t know, as a kid I watched a lot of movies, you know? And at first I figured like… I’d be on some great adventure that would take me away from it all, you know? Like Indiana Jones comes around and is all, ‘Hey Stiles, buddy, come with me we’ve got to go save the world.’ Then… you and… everything happened… then I just… I figured I’d die before I was eighteen.”

A Fic That Embodies Something You Value In Life:

The Boy Sleuth by Shey (Teen Wolf | Peter x Stiles | T)

Stiles is eight when he discovers a box of his mom’s old Nancy Drew Mysteries in the back of the guest bedroom closet.

A Favourite AU:

Love What is Behind You by KouriArashi (Teen Wolf | Peter x Stiles | M)

Basically what it says on the label. Hunger Games type fusion. Stiles doing way better than anyone anticipates. Peter finds him intriguing. Ruthless, devious assholes working together to ruin bad guys, as the Steter ship is meant to be.

A Fic You Stayed Up Too Late To Finish Reading:

Of Dwobbits, Dragons and Dwarves by ISeeFire (The Hobbit | Fem!Bilbo x Fili | T)

Bilba has been a slave her entire life. All she knows of the outside world is what she sees from time to time outside the gates of Moria and the stories her mother used to tell her. Stories of a place called the Shire where her mother once lived and a placed called Erebor where, as far as she knows, her father still lives. Stories of dragons a thousand times larger, and more intelligent, than the beasts the orcs rode and of a strange concept called freedom where one was allowed to live as they wished with no one to tell them what they could, or could not do.

The stories meant little to Bilba. The only future she had was to live, and die, as a slave as countless number had before her.

And then the orcs dragged an injured female firedrake through the gates, her rider screaming obscenities behind her as he fought to reach her side...and everything changed.

A Fic That Made You Feel Seen (another self-rec lol):

i am addicted to death (so remind me what it’s like to live) by cywscross (Teen Wolf | Peter x Stiles | T)

Stiles is sixteen years old. He has already died seventy-eight times.

#Fic Rec Bingo #Bingo #Misc Fanfic Rec

[essayofthoughts]

2, 4, 6, 7, 21 :D

2. Tell us about what you’re most looking forward to writing – in your current project, or a future project

Honestly, I’m having a lot of fun with my current Critical Role (Campaign 1) fic project which has the WIP title of “Ghost Cass”. The premise of it is simple and comes out in the first chapter so I don’t feel bad about dropping that minor spoiler here:

When Cass and Percy escape the Briarwoods Cass is shot down - she dies - but death isn’t going to stop her helping the last family she has left. Cass lingers as a ghost, haunting and helping her brother.

The whole thing is a lot of fun and lets me get into some really messy thoughts while closely following canon and thus lets me work out basically ALL of my complicated thoughts and feels about Percy and the general de Rolo family tragedy and a lot of the interpersonal dynamics at play in Vox Machina and how they change. It’s gonna be FUN.

... and long. (It’s almost 300 pages already, unfinished. Help meeeee~)

4. Share a sentence or paragraph from your writing that you’re really proud of (explain why, if you like)

Hnnnng. That’s a hard call. Hmm. Okay we’ll go with this:

There, descending the mountains, is a bright spark of flame.

It’s racing toward them beneath the thunderhead, seeming to almost pull the clouds along with it. It descends apace, burning the ashy grey shadegrass in its wake before the rains douse it - bright embers, black soot, bone-pale ash in a trail behind. The stormfront chases just ahead of it, the drops falling so thick and so fast that even at this distance they can see the rainfall, hear the thunder. 

“Over there!” he bellows, pointing with one hand, readying the pepperbox with the other. The building wind whips his words away and he tries again. “Over there!”

Vex’ahlia is already turning; she’s been keeping a close eye on him since they left town - wary, he supposes, just as her brother is, and he can’t blame her. 

“I see it,” she replies, unslinging the bow from her back and drawing an arrow ready. “Vax!”

The stormclouds thunder towards them, the sky as dark as the shadegrass beneath their feet and so thick they can scarcely see the rising moon. The wind cuts through Percy’s old worn coat, nipping at his skin and sending the fabric whipping around his legs. 

Then the rain hits, an icy deluge, and in it’s wake: the flames, and what follows it.

Shortly after Percy is found by VM and they’re hunting the nightmare. I just really like the description, I’m very pleased with the imagery and the way I snuck a note in about both Vex’s perceptiveness and Percy’s thoughts about that - as much as the fact that he’s noticed it. I’ve been trying to improve on subtlety and the fun of having things simply... there to be inferred by the reader is delightful.

6. What character do you have the most fun writing?

In the last two stories? Percy for balance and the first two parts of RA; an as-yet-unseen original character in Arc3. In the current WIP? Cass. Sometimes it’s so nice to be able to just rag on Percy when he’s being stupid and few are as good at it as Cass has the potential to be. Sibling bonds and the fact they know each other too well to be able to hide much from each other plus the benefit that they don’t really want to hurt each other - it gives the chance to really show Percy’s flaws from the perspective of someone who is affected by those flaws (and has her own) and someone who Percy cares about enough not to be a stubborn prick over it (mostly). In canon he gets a lot of growth thanks to Keyleth and Vex; in this his little sister is going to nag him to improve even before that.

7. What do you think are the characteristics of your personal writing style? Would others agree?

Aaaaaangst.

Also, I just really enjoy discussing trauma and the like, but the general way people interpret this is angst. When it comes to specific style... I like imagery and trying to create an image. I like giving clear focussed visuals for specific events and recurring motifs for intangible actions - the sense of an emotion, or the way one edges around uncomfortable thoughts. I like trying to find ways to put those to words.

21. What other medium do you think your story would work well as? (film, webcomic, animated series?)

Well, if we’re talking about the current WIP... possibly a podcast? Film and the like wouldn’t work; there’s so much going on inside character’s heads that’s very very important and very much the focus (this holds true for my last two stories, the Ripley’s Assistant series and That balance may return, as well). So I think a podcast would have the best odds of working. Chapter by chapter, time to dwell in a perspective, able to switch voices to extra-emphasise some of the POV shifts... yeah I think that’d be the best alternate option.

Send me a question number about my current fic! Askbox Here.

#ask games #cosmonauthill #my fic #fanfic things #ask