#it’s not winter rn but just don’t mention it

[geminisee]

crossfaded on tea and warm blankies

#it’s not winter rn but just don’t mention it #my textpost #tea #crossfaded

[lumi077]

X-Men HCs

A/N: my hyperfixations are not very hyperfixating rn. literally they’re changing so fast. But take some nice little relationship headcanons, and the next Chapter of Winters’ Servants is coming soon!!

Characters included: Logan (Wolverine), Scott (Cyclops), Kurt (NightCrawler), Jean

Warnings: potential OOC, nothing else really. kept it nice and light.

Logan (Wolverine):

Logan would absolutely, if you use them, stretch out your new hairbands for you. If you express that you dislike using them unless stretched, he’ll offer to wear them on his wrists for a day or two till they’re stretched to your liking. It could be the most girly hair ties and he’ll proudly wear three on each wrist. When asked, he’ll happily tell them “Just stretchin ‘em for my woman/man/partner”

Scary dog privileges? Scary dog privileges. He adores making you feel safe enough to wear the most skin revealing or feminine clothing. You want to wear something revealing/very feminine but tell him you're scared? He’ll instantly assure you and tell you to wear anything you want. If someone says something, he won’t hesitate to shut them up before you even hear.

There’s going to be a point in your relationship that you’ll realize he absolutely doesn’t care about any of the gross stuff you do. Burp, Fart, don’t shave? He really doesn’t care in the least bit. Definitely the boyfriend that will go, unphased, into the bathroom while you're on the toilet and brush his teeth or shower without a care in the world. If you are comfortable that is, and he secretly preens when he realizes that you're comfy enough to do that stuff around him lol.

I wholeheartedly believe that when he realizes he wants you to be his forever partner, he’ll gift you his dog tags. His past is very personal to him, because he could never remember it for a good part of it. His dog tags are only second to him getting down on one knee. 

Speaking of getting down on one knee, sorry for all the people who want it to be a surprise, but he won’t make a big deal and will tell you about his plans beforehand. No surprise engagement, and no public one. Not because he doesn’t care, but because he wants to make sure you’re ready and want it too. He doesn’t put much on marriage because it doesn’t change much, and doesn't want you to feel pressured to say yes because there are people there. He’ll love you the same married or not, but he does note how pretty you look with the ring he bought you on your finger.

I personally believe he would be more likely to get in a committed relationship with another mutant. I just think a lot of the X-Men would want to be able to relate to their partner and have their partner relate to them, and Logan is going to live a long life so…I can't truly see him with a normal person. 

If you are apart of the X-Men, while he won’t baby you or anything, he finds himself keeping an eye on you the most. There have been a fair amount of times that you find yourself having a Logan shield on the field, and even more often if you are susceptible to projectiles. 

Dates are a norm at this point, Fridays are always the day he takes you out. It’s usually the same place, but he thinks it’s nice. 

Flowers are also a norm, if you mention you like them. 

He doesn’t do much on Valentine’s day because he already does all the normal valentine’s day stuff it weekly or bi-weekly. Does get cheat food so you guys can eat it and watch stupid rom com movies though. 

Scott (Cyclops):

First and Foremost Scott is such a golden retriever. Anything you want, he obtains quickly and with 0 thoughts of you getting him something in return. He just wants to see his partner happy and healthy, with a smile on their face as often as possible.

He is very big on PDA, likes to hold your hand, or slip an arm around your waist, put his hand in the back pocket of your jeans, etc. Overall he just likes touching you, and just because you're in public doesn’t mean anything.

Adding on to his liking of PDA, I feel like he’s possessive. Like in the one X-Men movie, when Logan goes into the past and stops bad shit from happening and goes to touch Jean and he blocks him? Yeah he does that with you but with everyone. He likes people knowing your his and what’s better than you two being attached at the hip in public?

He likes when you wear his things as well, not so much for people knowing you’re his like mentioned above but just because you're adorable in it. Want his sweatshirt? He’s giving it to you even though it's negative 5 out. His cologne? Just take the whole bottle, even though it’s brand new. He’ll get another one!!

When he’s on missions and away, he gives you so many shirts and even a pair of sweats. Sprays the stuffed animals he got you with his cologne, same with your pillows. He will expect the same if it’s you going away for a long time. Or you’ll come back to him sleeping on your side of the bed where it smells the most like you, his face stuffed in one of your pillows that has one of your shirts on it. 

He is very vocal about being your boyfriend, and you being his partner. Everyone in the world knows, yet no one asked. He’ll gush about you to whoever will listen, the rest of the team is so done but they do admit his devotion to you is adorable.

All the ladies and gents and nonbinary pals who want an over the top surprise proposal, this is your man. It’s super romantic, he pays for your nails if you wear them, getting your hair done, and a new outfit. And you can’t even tell it’s because he wants to propose because he does this all the time. Then he takes you to your fav restaurant and pops the question.

Make no mistake though, he has to be 100% sure that you want him to propose to do so. He’s so attuned to you and your likings he gets your dream ring without having to ask everyone close to you first. Which also assures him no one can spoil the surprise.

He is one of the few ones who probably doesn’t care if you're a mutant or not, because his love is 100% blind. He would probably want a mutant partner, but once he falls he falls hard.

He also won’t baby you if you’re in the X-Men, but if he happens to laser them first? Not his fault.

Kurt (NightCrawler):

He is a very shy partner at first. But once he falls for you, and you make it obvious you have fallen for him it all goes out the window. He is a completely different person around you, confident and flirty. He is just so in love. 

Teases you almost constantly, he’s a teaser with everyone but he loves to see you blush and squirm from his words. 

Loves if you run your fingers through his fur, and almost emits a low purr when you do. If you brush it for him, especially if he doesn’t ask you but you WANT to, he swears he is going to marry you one day. 

He takes you places you told him you wanted to go to when you guys were in the talking stage. Paris? Done, let’s get some baguettes for back home! The Bahamas? Pack a bathing suit, and make sure to bring the detangling brush.

He loves non sexual acts of intimacy, like taking baths together!! Your fingers feel like heaven on his scalp when you massage the shampoo and conditioner in his hair. He also loves touching your body, he’s always careful with the fact he has claws but he would never dream of hurting you.

Big on cuddling and all that stuff in private, but I feel like he would want to keep it behind closed doors. Not because he doesn’t love you, but because he wouldn’t be able to keep his hands on you otherwise. 

Long missions with him are never a problem, he’ll just teleport to you wherever you may be and spend time with you before heading back. 

He’s your call bird, and the gossip you two are able to share with one another? It is divine. He seems to know everything, and you know the most obvious stuff but he always makes you feel like Sherlock Holmes when you tell him things he already heard and was going to tell you about. Which is why he always makes you spill the tea first lol.

For marriage and proposing, I can see him accidentally proposing on a mission. Tensions are high, and he’s worried that one of you won’t make it home to the other. The thought alone makes him dread the upcoming battle, but he grabs your hand and looks into your eyes and states with all the conviction in the world “We’ll get married after this.”

You brush it off, after you both survive the battle, that he didn’t mean it. He just wanted you to know how much he loved you. But oh how wrong you are when you walk into a room with all your close friends and family, Kurt in the middle down on one knee and asking you to marry him. Your face was priceless, and lucky for him everyone took pictures. 

He definitely carries around a photo with you wherever he goes, and when he prays he takes it out and not only asks that God protect him, but you as well because there is no life beyond you. Even if you’re not religious he’ll still do it, just for the peace of mind. 

Jean:

She’s the black cat of the relationship for sure. I mean, she has a lot of issues but she always makes you her first priority. 

She keeps tabs on you constantly. What’s your mood, why? She’ll talk to you in your mind when you’re anxious to calm you, and let you know that she’s there with you. She’s probably an anxious persons’ best friend. You don’t even have to talk, she knows what you mean and changes accordingly. 

She is big on communication for sure. If you do something that bothers or hurts her feelings she will sit you down and talk to you about it. And she has this certain way of doing that doesn’t make you feel guilty. She’s just letting you know what she does and doesn’t like and won’t tell anyone else. These things are very private to her. And she expects you to do the same, and her feelings are never hurt by it. 

Jean’s type of love is selfless. She would put herself in danger tenfold just to keep you safe. Mutant or not, she would be the one to baby you if you’re a part of the X-Men as well. There’s always a kind of bubble around you, that not many but you notice. Hence, people think you’re indestructible because you’re the only one who came back uninjured for the fourth time. 

She wants to be independent, but also loves when you do stuff for her. She will never ask, but her heart warms so much when she sees you did something for her because you wanted too and not because she asked. 

She plans your dream proposal. She is almost a roommate in your own mind, she knows what you like and don’t like. 

Small extra blurb: imagine giving telepathic hints that you want a proposal. She thinks “Why are they broadcasting their ring si-ooooh. I see.”

She is so gentle with you, almost afraid that you’ll break and it’ll be all her fault. The way her hands gently caress you or how she holds your hand is so incredibly gentle.

#xmen #xmen x reader #wolverine x reader #logan howlett #logan howlett x reader #scott summers #scott summers x reader #Cyclops x reader #kurt wagner #nightcrawler #nightcrawler x reader #kurt wagner x reader #jean grey #jean grey x reader #xmen headcanon #lumiwritings

[saintslewis]

❝ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃 | 𝐅𝟏 ❞

pairing: f1 grid (not all) x black fem driver!reader

summary: in which reader takes the f1 pilots to experience her culture and the beautiful country that is South Africa.

warnings: south african slang, cussing, social media environment, mentions of food, borderline chaotic

saint’s team radio 🎀: you have no idea how excited i was to write this. i love my country so so much and to be able to share it with all of you is a blessing. thank you @exotic-iris13 for requesting this! side note, December is in summer so i hope i don’t confuse you! enjoy!

please like, comment and reblog! (i’m watching you)

fc: @/mbbaarrhliii on ig!

tags: @non-stop-imagines @perfecttrashface @mauvecherie-writes @purplelewlew @arshiyuh @yeea-nah @alika-4466 @louvrepool @sheluvsf1

imessage: THE OFFICE 🏎️

y/n: i just got my braids done losers

charlie w a ferrari: but the season’s over, we won’t see it :(

carlito: plus didn’t you already have them done last month?

landinhoooo: no guys december braids usually mean a vacation, so where are you going? 🤨

y/n: firstly, you know wayyyy too much about the braids thing 😭

honey badger: that was oddly specific i have to say, lan

yukibae: yeah that was weird

landinhoooo: wtv 🙄 where are you going, y/n!

y/n: my mother is requesting the presence of all of you so you’re all coming back home with me 🤭

carlito: mi vida, wouldn’t that be too soon? winter break just started

kika’s bf: also how would it work? accommodation, transport, all those things

y/n: are you saying no to an african mother?

lew <3: guys say yes, she’ll show up to your house and force you

alexander!: not to mention it’s summer that side (she kidnapped one of my cats, say yes)

princess george: okay, let’s say we all go. what is going to happen?

y/n: i’m just saying, you haven’t lived if you haven’t never experienced a South African summer

mad max: I don’t know, y/n. just please don’t guilt trip us

mickey schumi: i can already feel her frown from here

y/n: i was going to pay for everything but since none of you want to go, i’m saving money 🤭

landinho: wait

kika’s bf: wait hold on

charlie w a ferrari: why didn’t you say so in the first place?!

honey badger: now that you’ll be our sugar mommy, ofc we’ll all be there

princess george: that clears out so much

y/n: you guys are a bunch of IDIOTS

alexander!: there has to be a catch???

landinho: ALEX SHUT UP WE’RE GOING ON A FREE TRIP

carlito: we’ll even dance to that one music playlist of yours

y/n: all of you have to wear my merch next season and you’ll let me win two races back to back

mad max: now y/n-

y/n: uh oh! looks like max is paying for everything!

charlie w a ferrari: JUST SAY YES

mad max: okay, you’ll win two races and i’ll slow down

princess george: i just did some quick research and y/n, you’re seen as a national treasure??? and lewis is considered Nelson Mandela’s grandchild??

y/n: well, yes! don’t question my country, okay? 🫶🏽

yukibae: yes ma’am 🫡

oscahhh: i went for a run, what did i miss??

landinho: we’re going on a trip and y/n is paying 😝

honey badger: except max, he’s paying for his own things

mad max: i’m not??

y/n: three races and i’ll get you a new console

kika’s bf: CAN I HAVE ONE??

landinho: NOOO I NEED ONE, PLS Y/N

y/n: we all earn millions every race??? get it yourself????

kika’s bf: i’m going to tell kika you’re bullying me

y/n: she’s coming on the trip too along with all the other wags 🤭

yukibae: and where’s YOUR wag, y/n? 🤨

y/n: yuki shhh pls i’ll literally buy you an island

charlie w a ferrari: NUH UH YUKI TELL US

landinho: yuki what do you know

princess george: whoever isn’t y/n’s wag, say so RN

everyone: NOT ME

lew <3: damn

landinho: I KNEW ITTTTTT

honey badger: IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW AHHH

alexander!: I HAVE TO GO TELL LILY

oscahhh: have you guys never seen them interact in the media pen? it’s like they’ve been married for 27 years

logang: and how do YOU know that

oscahhh: mate, you told me

y/n: 🙄

y/n: go pack for this trip before i shave your eyebrows 🫶🏽

y/n’s instagram story

seen by kehlani, ferrari and 34,282,722 others

-

“There’s no way you got cars for all of us.” George and everyone else really couldn’t believe that the lengths you went through to make this trip as perfect as you could. “Not to mention booking out the Four Seasons!” Carmen interjected, walking next to her boyfriend.

You watched as everyone filed into the Mercedes vans waiting for them on the airport runway where the large jet had landed. You couldn’t believe you got everyone to come to South Africa in the first place but guilt tripping them had worked a charm, complaining that you don’t have a home race and that your mom would be pissed.

Very easy to fool these guys.

The skies of Johannesburg weren’t all too clear but you could tell that it was summer. Deciding to rather catch up with everyone at the hotel a bit later, you used a private exit to the airport so that you could visit your mom and sister before anything else. Plus you knew a big deal would’ve been made if you had announced that you were coming home so posting will do for now.

“Bathong, where are your friends? I thought you’d all come here.” Your mother said whilst setting up the extremely long table in her backyard so you were sat on a pool chair just watching her.

bathong - more of an expression of confusion or shock

“It was going to look suspicious if i came here with all these people with the same vans following each other.” You replied. “I booked the Four Seasons, it should be big enough for all of us.”

“Oh okay, that’s fancy. So where’s your boyfriend?” Your mom asked with a grin on her face that earned a head shake from you.

“Ukuphi uLerai?” Where’s Lerai? (younger sister)

“Usaseskholeni. Unfuna ukuyomlanda?” Your mom replied. She’s still at school. Do you want to go fetch her?

“Yeah, i want to surprise her. So let me go and I’ll see you later when I drop her off.” You stood up, saying goodbyes to her as your mom went about what she doing.

Hopping in one of your various cars that you kept in your mother’s garages, you quickly texted your boyfriend when an idea popped in your head.

imessages!

y/n: do you want to cause a bit of chaos

lew <3: sigh

lew <3: what kind?

y/n: i’ll pick you up rn and we’re going to pick my sister up from school 😝

lew <3: should i be scared?

y/n: slightly, see you in a few 😚

-

To say you caused a bit of chaos would be an understatement. You hadn’t realised that your sister’s school was huge and this whole time, you forgot what you and your boyfriend did for a living. Picture this: a Lamborghini Urus parked outside where many high school kids are obsessed with it, you and Lewis stepping out to call your little sister, kids recognise you two, you apologise to your sister with ice cream.

You end the day off with lounging in the room with your boyfriend, laughing at the reactions of your fans to the news of you being in the country. You had planned this whole visit out, wanting everyone to get their rentals tomorrow morning then taking them everywhere.

yourusername

liked by pierregasly, bellahadid and 937,728 others

yourusername home 🇿🇦

view comments

user there’s no fucking way, YOU’RE BACK??

yourusername and i’m with my FRIENDS 🤭

youryoungersister a facetime would be nice next time 🧍🏽‍♀️

yourusername well, no!

landonorris y/n, what is a kota?

yourusername if you’re up for it, we can get some today

georgerussell okay but what IS it

yourusername DON’T WORRY

georgerussell I’M WORRIED

carlossainz55 you didn’t say it was going to be this hot

charles_leclerc she warned us mate 😭

danielricciardo btw max is still hanging out with that cat he found at breakfast

lilymhe i’m obsessed with this place, i never want to leave

francisca.cgomes you’re still in the hotel room 🫤

alexandrasaintmleux i just googled gold reef city, CAN WE GOOO PLS

alex_albon WHATS THAT

loganseargent IT’S AN AMUSEMENT PARK

user i just drove in the four seasons driveway, guys there are so many cars lined up for them 😭

user she comes to the country when i decide to LEAVE??

dbngogo stfu you’re back? 🥹 come to Konka 🫵🏽

landonorris WHAT’S THAT

dbngogo it’s a nightclub 🤭

sza CAN I JOIN Y’ALL

yourusername ofc bae

lewishamilton there’s a flower bouquet that says Mandela’s grandchild for me 🧍‍♂️

user oh fuck he knows the joke

georgerussell told you

f1 y/n bring back our drivers 😣

yourusername bring back kyalami then we’ll talk

user oop-

-

SOWETO

south western township

Not wanting to waste any time, Y/n scooped up her friends to visit her hometown, where she grew up and dreamed of this very moment.

The convoy of extremely expensive cars that sped through the route to Soweto had caught the attention of many people, including the news that announced your arrival.

Briefing the boys (and the girls) on their menu choices of your favourite foods, they all equally decided that they’ll start training when they get back home. With the food place being right across a park with a large parking lot, it was convenient for you.

Being the host for this whole trip, you went ahead and ordered for everyone, speaking through the hole in the wall to specify orders and paying a hefty price including drinks. You watched as all your friends climbed out of their respective cars, leaning and sitting on the hoods of the cars as they all bonded. The vibrant atmosphere of your home country made everything feel like summertime.

Getting help carrying all that food to the group, everyone took their orders and observed them. “So, amagwinya are fat cakes, they’re very filling. A Kota is a uncut loaf of bread with stuff inside like hot chips, sausages and other things that you can specify for your Kota.” You explained, everyone immediately digging in and their faces said it all.

“And for you, Lew, you can have the fat cakes and the hot chips. I have to say, you’ll be full for the entire day.” You turned to your boyfriend who gave you a kiss before trying the food.

Later that day, dinner at your mother’s was a success, everyone finishing their plates and sharing different stories under the Johannesburg stars.

The next day was filled with fun activities, hitting up the amusement park Gold Reef City then late night karting, the friendship between everyone was growing as smiles never left their faces.

a week later

yourusername

liked by patooward, mclaren and 3,728,912 others

yourusername south africa my baby, it’s been amazing 🇿🇦

view comments

landonorris take me back (we’re checking out of Four Seasons)

danielricciardo and what about your gf that you met? 🤨

landonorris she’s coming to the next race 🫡

maxverstappen33 three wins and that’s it

yourusername do you want me to tell on you to my mom?

maxverstappen33 no 😨

charles_leclerc i need another kota

alexandrasaintmleux we’re actually shaking for one right now

yourusername askies 🤣 sorry

loganseargent never thought i’d ever be an avid lover of amapiano

user what multiverse are we in that Logan, the most american person to ever exist, is saying this

user it’s the South Africa effect baby 😝🇿🇦

lewishamilton can we come here every winter break?

carlossainz55 can we please? all my joy is at Gold Reef City

alex_albon i just want her mother’s cooking again, changed my life

f1 y/n, what did you do to our drivers

yourusername if you add kyalami to the calendar, you’ll know 😚

lilymhe someone gave me a painting of you and i will be hanging it in my home

francisca.cgomes to complete the shrine

landonorris to our Sugar Mother Y/n

yukitsunoda i got all the recipes, i’m ready

yourusername we need 20 kotas stat! 🫵🏽

oscarpiastri even your money looks so cool 😭

user if this is not the greatest representation of our country, i don’t know what it is

mercedesamgf1 can we join next time? 😔

yourusername no

tyla I LOVE YOU

yourusername I LOVE YOUUUU

-

saint’s notes: ahhhhhh hope y’all enjoyed! mwah 😝 i tried but it feels sorta rushed?? idk, let me know

#saint writes #☆ ‧₊˚ saint’s media pen #f1 x black!reader #f1 imagines #f1 x you #f1 x reader #f1 imagine #f1 fanfic #f1 fic #formula one x black reader #x black reader #x black fem reader #black!reader #south africa with saint! #Spotify

[meiieiri]

STOLEN MOMENTS WITH THEM [FT. JUJUTSU KAISEN]

❁—CHARACTERS: suguru geto, gojo satoru, nanami kento

warnings: suggestive themes in gojo’s part (bc why not haha), mentions of canon-typical violence

a/n: i’m so sorry for all this tooth-rotting fluff, i’m sad rn so hehe :’>> song inspo: you are in love (taylor swift). am accepting requests/prompts btw, just shoot me a message-

༊*·˚ SUGURU GETO

winter afternoons cooped inside your one bedroom apartment are always special days, commonly consisting of freshly-brewed piping hot tea sitting peacefully on your small living room side table, a good book, and the warmth of a knitted throw blanket. snowflakes fall entrancingly from the sky and make a feather-like landing on the glass windows that peek into your home.

suguru geto was lounging silently on the couch with you, your head on his strong lap as he gently combs his fingers through your hair, a leather bound book in his free hand, his eyes leisurely skimming the yellowed pages trying to make sense of the decadent shakespearean sonnets that liken love to that of honey and flowers. you were just about to fall asleep when suguru’s melodic baritone caresses your ear.

“don’t you think he’s so full of shit?” he asks suddenly. how could one speak with such vulgar words and still make it sound like poetry?

“shakespeare?” you sit up and you readjust yourselves so that you can rest your head on his shoulder, peeking over it to inspect sonnet 55. his arms comes up to pull you closer to him, tucking you into the warmth of his chest in a bid to keep you warm. “i thought you liked his work,” you take the offending book into your hands, scanning through the words.

“i do,” he clarifies, tracing shapes on your shoulder, his cheek resting against the top of your head as he waits for you to finish reading through the passage.

when you look up from the book, you are surprised when his lips abruptly yet softly meet yours in a loving peck. his hand moves to cup your cheek as he deepens the kiss, your lips moving together in a perpetual waltz, your heartbeats in total sync. you thought the kiss would last forever, and you and suguru wouldn’t give a flying fuck, but he pulls away teasingly, his forehead resting against your own, his nose lovingly bumping yours as you both come down from your respective highs.

“not as much as i like you, though.”

you shake your head, rose blush tinting your cheeks, hopelessly in love. he truly was the light of your life, the lighthouse that brings you to safe waters.

༊*·˚ GOJO SATORU

despite the horrors that have long plagued the grounds of jujutsu tech, the school, being tucked away in a remote location deep in tokyo’s forgotten countryside, was actually quite beautiful. the backdrop of the tall cedar-wood and red maple trees in the forest adjacent to the teachers’ dormitories that served as a protective cover from unwanted prying eyes is a particularly wonderful sight and in an autumn evening such as this one, emitted a fresh aroma of sweet cherries and almonds.

“i was wondering where you were,” gojo satoru walks in the teachers lounge just as the electric kettle automatically switches off. he woke up in a panic when he noticed you’d gone missing, your side of the bed having lost all its warmth, indicating you must have been out of bed for a good while now. it didn’t help his nerves to see your bedstand digital clock display the time: 1:58 AM in bright neon green on its screen.

he moves behind you, his strong arms wrapping around your dainty figure as you busy yourself pouring the boiling hot water into the two instant ramen cups you had prepared. “that for me?”

“nope,” you shrug. “it’s for nanami.”

that was obviously a lie — he looks at the label of the ramen cup and scoffs when he sees the indicated flavor: seafood curry, his favorite, now, if that wasn’t enough to convince him, he has to remind himself that his adorable blonde junior hates instant crap like this. but still, you found it endearingly funny to see your husband pouting like some kicked dog when you push past him to bring the two cups over to the nearby dining table. “i’m kidding,” you chortle, beckoning him to join you.

“you meanie,” he sticks out his bottom lip as he follows you to the table. he sits down, his elbows resting on the table as his hands come up to cradle his chin, mirroring the image of a child who’d been told “no” by his parent. “i think i want a divorce now,” he sulks.

you feign guilt, playing along with him. you stand up to take a seat next to him. “i’m sorry, baby,” you tell him. he only responds by pointing to his cheek, silently telling you to “kiss it better” if you really were sincere in your apology. you reach up to place a loving kiss on his cheek and a smile spreads across his lips. “better?” you chuckle when he lets out an amused breath.

having made peace, you move to retrieve your cup of ramen when without warning, he pulls you by the hand, crashing his lips against yours in a passionate kiss, his teeth needily sucking at your bottom lip, the heat of the kiss seemingly warming up the entire room that had been filled with the chill of the autumn night breeze. your arms move to rest on his shoulders, as he effortlessly pulls you into his lap, his hands resting on the small of your back. it’s only when you need to take a steadying breath of air that he breaks the kiss.

“all better,” he winks, the ramen having gone cold, utterly forgotten, as the night peacefully went on.

༊*·˚ NANAMI KENTO

“i knew i should have brought an umbrella,” nanami kento sheepishly rubs the back of his head.

“i’m sorry,” his shoulders slump when a low rumble of a thunderclap suddenly goes off, lightning illuminating the sky in a brilliant glow. the date had gone so well — you visited the best art galleries in tokyo, even saw a performance at one of those cozy hidden gem jazz clubs — kento had thought that his luck would hold out ‘till you got home.

but the universe seems to have decided otherwise. now, here you were taking shelter, stranded under the fiberglass roof of a deserted bus stop’s waiting shed. “kento,” your gentle voice quells the dread in his chest, chipping away at the block of anxiety forming in his throat. “it’s okay,” you scoot over, patting the spot next to you, silently telling him to sit down.

reluctantly, he takes a seat, keeping himself at a reasonable distance from you, thinking that you would, at the very least, be upset at him for this slight mishap. “sorry,” he repeats the apology like a broken record, and a compassionate smile forms on your lips.

you slowly scoot on over next to him, closing the gap between the two of you, your pinky finger reaching for his own, as if you were asking for permission. kento notices the gesture instantly, and takes your hand in his, his thumb rubbing your knuckles comfortingly. “…today was fun, kento,” you tell him, a genuine grin on your face, “seriously. what’s a little rain?”

a burden seems to have been lifted from his shoulders. kento nanami was not a man who put much value into love, with how dangerous his profession is, fighting the lurking malevolence hiding in the world’s darkest shadows, he didn’t have time for the childishness of falling in and out of love. it was inconvenient, and troublesome.

at least, that’s what he used to believe before you came crashing into his life and touched the heartstrings he has long resigned to keep under lock and key with your delicate hands.

he silently takes off his overcoat then to wrap it around your shoulders like the gentleman he was (he wasn’t about to let the love of his life get drenched in the rain), resisting the urge to grin when he sees just how small you look in it. the next few minutes pass by in absolute silence, the sound of your breaths being the only conceivable sound for a long while.

“…i’m glad you had fun,” he looks up at the stormy sky again. “i did, too.”

“next time, let’s be sure to check the weather forecast ahead of time,” you giggle. he joins your laughter, bringing your hand to his lips, his warm breath tickling your skin, as he lets his lips touch your flesh in a quintessentially classic affectionate kiss on the back of your hand like they do in those vintage hollywood movies. he tucks a stray strand of hair behind your ear. “i know how much you hate the rain.”

“…i think i can make an exception,” he says, his voice barely above a whisper.

the decibels of his tenor fight against the loud pitter patter of raindrops crash landing on the fiberglass roof of the waiting shed. but you hear his lyrical confession of love anyway, with your heart’s ear perhaps.

“i have the sun with me all the time, anyway,” kento says, planting a soft kiss on your forehead as the rain washes the remnants of his old world away.

#⚘—eiwrites #jujutsu kaisen x you #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jjk x you #jjk x reader #gojo satoru x you #gojo x you #gojo x y/n #gojo satoru x y/n #geto suguru x you #geto x you #geto x reader #geto x y/n #gojo satoru x reader #gojo x reader #nanami kento x reader #nanami x you #nanami kento x you #jjk fluff #gojo fluff #geto fluff #nanami fluff #geto suguru #gojo satoru #nanami kento #jujutsu kaisen

[vitamindropp]

beomgyu as your (soon to be) boyfriend^^ PT.3

notes:GUY IM DRAGGING THIS OUT TOO MUCH HOW DO I STOP SEND HELP anyways

warnings: cursing, gaslighting (not in an evil way!) reader uses she/her pronouns NOT PROOFREAD!!!

as soon as your alarm went off at 7:30 you sprung out of bed making sure you had enough time to look presentable

you ended up finishing way earlier than you expected so you just decided to head out

beomgyu took a shower and put on his outfit that his friends hounded him all night about and hoped you would like it

just the thought of both of y’all just walking around in the aquarium was way too much for his heart to handle

and if he wasn’t giggly before, he definitely was now that you sent him a message

you: good morning!! ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و

WHY WERE SHE SO CUTE he thought before he responds he texts the gc real quick

beomgyu:SHE WANTS ME SO BAD🔥💯

soobin: she has to be insane if she’s into you

beomgyu: DONT HATE ME CAUSE YOU AINT ME🤫

beomgyu: im sorry don’t leave me im so nervous idk what to do

beomgyu: HELLO?????

he texts you for a bit then decides to head off

on the whole drive there he was practicing what to say to you and how he should respond, his heart was beating so fast he was concerned for his wellbeing.

you get there at 10:45 expecting to be early.. but you see him already waiting at the entrance pacing back and forth while hold a otter stuffed animal

he greets you and you and hands you the stuffed animal nervously while avoiding eye contact, and you say

“Omg tysm its so cute!! how did you know i liked otters?”

he’s fucked. HE’S COOKED. HE FOUND THAT OUT THROUGH YOUR INSTAGRAM LAST NIGHT WHEN HE TOLD YOU GOODNIGHT HE FOUND YOUR INSTAGRAM AND LEARNT YOUR WHOLE LIFE STORY (not in a stalker way!) YOU DIDNT TELL HIM THAT SO THERE IS SO REASON HE SHOULD KNOW BUT HE DOES.

he can’t say that he found out about your insta because you didn’t even give him it so he decided that the best option was to gaslight you

“Oh you told me while we were doing the project in the library!”

“Really? I don’t rememb- YOU DID”

you just choose to ignore it because you most likely did mention it you just can’t remember atm (🤫)

you guys spent the whole day together just talking while walking around and taking photos of everything cute you guys saw and took some photos together as well!

before you guys parted ways to go back home he walked you to where you were parked (GENTLEMEN FRR🙏)

before he could even say anything you grab his collar and give him a kiss on his cheek and told him how you had so much fun today and how you would love to do it again while your cheeks burn up

you immediately rush into your car before he could even speak, because that was so out of character for you but you just couldn’t help it!! he was so sweet and looked so cute i mean how could you NOT kiss him?? it’s not your fault!

he completely forgot what he was even going to tell you and just stood there for a second holding his cheek

as you’re driving through the parking lot you see him again and while barely recovering from the embarrassment and he motions for you to pull your window down

you do so and he yells

“DOES THAT MEAN WE ARE GOING ON A SECOND DATE?”

he had heads turning from miles away with how loud he was and you saw that so you just nodded really fast and drove off before he could make you and redder and you can make another mistake

he drove back home with the biggest smile EVER and just giggling like crazy

you updated the gc ASAP

you: i kissed him.

chaewon: YOU WHAT???

yeri: HUH?????

jiheon: WHERE DID YOU KISS HIM?

winter: NAHHHHHH

you responded to jiheon: i just kissed him on the cheek

chaewon: JUST???

jiheon: oh ok that’s not even that bad

yeri: YES IT IS FYM????

winter: wait what led up to it did you just kiss him or what??

yeri: JUST CALL I NEED TO KNOW IM FOAMING AT THE MOUTH RN

you called the groupchat and explained how your whole date went

little did you know that beomgyu was doing the exact same thing

beomgyu: GUYSSHEISSME

soobin: huh?

taehyun: She what?

beomgyu: KISSED MEEHEH

soobin: is this the demons speaking or did this deadass happen😟

yeonjun: how is he getting more play than me.

kai: i knew she liked you!!

soobin: didn’t you just said earlier that we need to free ___ from beomgyu

kai: shhh that was in the past🤫

beomgyu: YO????

beomgyu: anyways you are all invited to our wedding!

yeonjun: lets votekick beomgyu out

beomgyu: STOP BEING A HATER SMH👎

after the call with your friends he texted you goodnight and how he didn’t get a chance to tell you how he had so much fun as well

you were screaming into your pillow while kicking your feet

you guys talked for a bit then eventually told each other good night

WITH ANOTHER DATE PLANNED FOR NEXT WEEKEND🤭

more notes: stop why am i actually cheesing over this its getting bad out here… anyways! TYSM FOR READING <33

#Spotify #beomgyu soft thoughts #choi beomgyu fluff #beomgyu soft hours #beomgyu fluff #choi beomgyu #txt soft thoughts #txt soft hours #txt fluff #txt x reader #txt x you #beomgyu x reader #beomgyu x you

[brucebocchi]

Winter 2024 anime, Pt. 2: Mixed reactions, the bench, and the gems

hey y'all, this is also up on my ko-fi! it's free to read both here and there, but i'm struggling financially rn so i could appreciate if you'd throw a few bucks my way if you liked it! part 1 can be found here.

And we're back for part 2! Here's all the new stuff I finished this season, and one more I'll get back to later. As with before, these are sorted alphabetically within each category and are not ranked as of yet.

Also as before, the OP for each series is linked in the title. Check them all out if the header images aren't giving you the right feel for each show, but also check them out because most of them were actually pretty damn good this season.

[Solo Leveling OP voice] LET'S GET IT!

Mixed Bags:

Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable!

Your standard, quasi-harem “easily flustered Regular Guy wins over hot girls just by being really nice” shonen romcom. I really don’t have much to say about this one other than if you’ve seen My Dress-Up Darling, you’ve basically seen this already. The only thing that really sets it apart is the setting.

Tsubasa (voiced by Nobunaga Shimazaki, in a FAR cry from his turn as Mahito in Jujutsu Kaisen) is a straight-laced Tokyoite whose family situation lands him in a small city in the frozen boonies of Hokkaido. While looking for the bus to his new house, he runs into a gyaru in the snowy wild, the underdressed, hilariously-proportioned Minami, and they hit it off. It turns out they go to the same school, there are other cute girls there who take a shine to him as well, it’s nothing new.

I ultimately don’t have much to say about Hokkaido Gals, but I do have a soft spot for series like this, and after reading ahead in the manga I felt obligated to see it through. This is all junk food, but it’s all stuff you’ve seen done better in other series. I also have a soft spot for gyaru in anime and manga, and while I do like Minami just fine, she isn’t Marin Kitagawa or Rumiko Manbagi. I don’t really have it in me to recommend this show to many, though, at least not until another season rolls around, if that ever happens. The manga genuinely does get a lot better as it goes on, but the really worthwhile stuff may not happen until a third season, and I just don’t see that happening. 

The manga has issues that the anime isn’t willing or able to solve, chief of which being the visuals. The art style of the manga is wildly inconsistent, and getting a mediocre animation team on this didn’t help matters at all. While the colors often pop nicely against the pretty, snowy backdrops, nobody looks all that great overall. The characters are recognizable, but they just plain don’t look great a lot of the time, nor do they look consistent from one cut to the next; I said that Minami’s proportions are hilarious, but just as hilarious is how wildly they vacillate from one scene to the next for the sake of trying to titillate the viewer.

My biggest takeaway from both the manga and anime was everything I learned about Hokkaido in the process, and if the series is taking subsidies from the island’s tourism bureau, then it’s a job well done. I want some goddamn jingisukan now. The OP is a great time, though. I’m shocked it took over a decade for us to get a proper “Uptown Funk” knockoff in an anime.

Metallic Rouge

I’ll be upfront in saying that this was my biggest disappointment of the season by far. This show had so much going for it, and what we got was… ugh.

There was an unbelievable amount of promise from the outset: This was Studio Bones’ commemorative 25th anniversary production, and coming from the studio that gave us all-timer adaptations like Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood and Mob Psycho 100, not to mention later works from Cowboy Bebop creator Shinichiro Watanabe (including the Cowboy Bebop movie), you can’t fault anyone for having high expectations. It looked to be a fitting production as well: Watanabe’s influence shines through immediately in the gorgeous, lived-in cyberpunk off-world locales and racially diverse cast. Action takes the form of dope robo-tokusatsu transformation fisticuffs, and it’s entirely in 2D animation to boot. The first couple of episodes were killer, too; everything looked and sounded amazing, and there were just enough plot threads teased out that I just had to see how they’d unravel.

It brings me no joy, then, to say that Metallic Rouge collapses into a jumbled mess. I don’t even want to bother talking about what happens in the show because I don’t fucking care anymore. There are few media experiences more sobering than to have it dawn on you over a span of several weeks that “oh… this isn’t actually all that good, is it?” Episode after episode piles on with sloppy lore, weak worldbuilding, warring factions whose names you immediately forget, pointless double-crosses, and the most predictable twist you’ve ever seen. For a while I was willing to accept the fact that I didn’t know what was going on half the time and expected things to become clearer, but now I’m not entirely sure the writers knew either. The stakes apparently kept rising and everything just kept getting more claustrophobic. I’m glad it’s over, if only because if I had to hear “Clair de Lune” one more fucking time, I was going to go ballistic. 

There are several attempts at emotional beats, as the story is rife with tragedy and sacrifice, and every single one lands with a wet thud. Nobody gets enough time, motivation, or characterization for any of these things to feel like they actually matter, and that’s especially a shame because the finale might have been able to stick the landing if the previous episodes were less dense and better paced. Emphasis on “almost,” though, because just before the season ends, we get the absolute most pointless fakeout I’ve seen since The Rise of Skywalker, which is the lowest point of comparison you can make for any work of sci-fi.

This is especially frustrating because on paper, there is so much to like here. Rouge and Naomi are likable-enough deuteragonists with a fun dynamic, and they’d make easy yuri bait in a better show. The characters are all pretty and uniquely designed across the board, and the overall aesthetic, almost a pastiche of late-90’s anime futurism, is undeniable. The toku suit designs are neat and several of the action scenes are gorgeous. The score and soundtrack are outstanding (except for the aforementioned Debussy indulgence). I have few complaints about how the show looks and sounds; the style is great! All of my issues lie with the substance.

Metallic Rouge may have had all the ingredients, but it just needed more time to cook; whether that would have been by doubling the episode count or by more carefully planning the pacing and trimming some of the fat from the lore, I’m still not sure. Probably both. It probably needed better writers, too. Maybe it just isn’t as smart as it acts and there was no way to satisfyingly resolve the clumsy civil rights allegories that bring it uncomfortably close to the likes of Detroit: Become Human. So all of the above, I guess. I tend to adore stories that involve artificially-intelligent beings developing their own wills and emotions and learning to cut their own strings (the likes of Blade Runner, Nier Automata, even a couple of character arcs in the Persona series), but this ain’t it. I’m not even mad anymore. I’m just disappointed.

If there are two positives that will stick with me, though, they would be the absolute banger of an OP and, of course, Naomi Orthmann herself (pictured above, left). Outstanding character design. I’m mildly obsessed. She deserved a better show.

The Unwanted Undead Adventurer

This one isn’t even worth talking about, so here’s a brief synopsis, then I’ll add some commentary, and then we’ll all move on with our lives. 

Rentt, a beloved but mediocre adventurer in a fantasy town, gets lost in the mysterious labyrinth that all adventurers explore for personal gain, gets waxed by a dragon, and awakens as a shitty-looking CGI skeleton. He notices, though, that he’s able to level up better as a skeleton than he did as a human, and with the more monsters he defeats, the more he evolves into something closer to human. The rest isn’t really worth discussing.

If I’m being honest, I should’ve dropped this show much sooner. It looks kinda lousy most of the time, the plot (inasmuch as there even is one) is boring, character designs are forgettable (except for Rentt’s closest ally, Lorraine, holy hell) and it seems wholly uninterested in actually building its own setting. If it returns for a second season, I won’t be there, nor will I feel like I’m missing anything. Each episode felt like a chore to watch. I probably only saw it through because 1) I liked looking at Lorraine, I know what I’m about, and 2) I didn’t want to lump it in with the shows I did drop. The Unwanted Undead Adventurer isn’t as patently upsetting or frustrating as those three, but it just plain isn’t a very good show.

The Witch and the Beast

This show could have been so much more. I was drawn in by the gorgeous character designs and intriguing blend of Victorian gothic aesthetics and architecture with modern infrastructure, and very quickly disappointed by just about everything else. The first episode is an exceptional proof of concept, and almost everything that follows is an upsetting showcase of what could have been.

The story centers around Ashaf, a languid, chain-smoking agent of the governing church with a big-ass coffin strapped to his back, and his partner Guideau, a snarling hyena in a young woman’s body, as they investigate abuses of magic across the continent in search of nefarious witches. Guideau in particular has a bone to pick with witches, as the body they presently inhabit is the result of a witch’s curse, and they remain in furious pursuit of the one who cursed them. The curse can be temporarily undone by a kiss with a witch, allowing Guideau’s true body, a hulking brute confined to the coffin, to escape and wreak havoc. Meaning that on a few occasions we get a girl-on-girl kiss followed by a big dude wrecking shit. There’s also other investigations of serial killings, necromancy, and a cursed sword, and here’s hoping you like those, because the coffin breaks are few and far between.

This wasn’t great! By the third episode I had the sneaking suspicion that the animation talent on hand just wasn’t enough to support the aesthetic. While the character designs are exceptional, almost everyone looks awful in any shot that isn’t completely focused on them. This is especially true of Guideau, who looks so inconsistently off-model from one shot to the next that I’m still not entirely sure what they’re supposed to look like, and that’s kind of unforgivable when we’re talking about a main character. Everything looks too dim and too shiny at the same time, and action scenes look like shit more often than they look interesting. I can see so many flickers of something excellent (or at least really good-looking) in Witch and the Beast, and everything else that keeps those flickers from actually igniting makes it so much more frustrating to watch. Maybe just read the manga instead; the panels I've seen from it were uniformly gorgeous.

Actually, yeah, you should probably just read the manga, because for a season of anime, the pacing is atrocious too. It’s clearly trying to angle for a monster-of-the-week format, but each of these mini-arcs is a little too dense for a single episode, so multiple episodes are dedicated to these one-off curiosities, most of which do nothing to advance the plot or show off what the show does best. And if one of them isn’t particularly interesting, you’re saddled with it for the next two weeks like you've been stuck munching on a mealy apple. And I know you can only adapt so much in a 12-episode season, but the decision to end the season on a flashback arc and a lore dump was baffling. That’s not world-building, that’s lazy, and it made the show’s existing pacing issues feel that much more inane.

I feel like I was sold a false bill of goods. I can only imagine how the mangaka feels about this. Dull and uninspiring all around. What a waste.

The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic

Isekai, unassuming high school boy gains a unique power, impending war with the Demon Lord, yadda yadda yadda. The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic isn’t anything new or special by any means, nor is it particularly well-animated or -paced, but at its best it’s silly and charming enough that it made a nice, brainless palate cleanser on Fridays.

Usato, your standard quiet high schooler, ends up walking home on a rainy evening with the popular, attractive student council president and VP, when an isekai portal happens. It turns out that it was just the seito-kai that was invited along for the ride (and President Suzune, as it turns out, is fucking psyched to get to be in an isekai), and Usato got caught along with them. When tested for magical aptitude, Suzune and VP Kazuki hit the jackpot with electric and light affinities, respectively, but things go awry when Usato’s reading turns up with healing magic. Terror strikes the palace as the intimidating dommy-mommy Captain Rose barges in to spirit Usato away from his new friends and into her squadron of goons to train him as a combat medic.

As character comedy goes, this one is actually pretty solid at times. Shogo Sakata is plenty of fun as the put-upon, lippy Usato (a much louder role than Chainsaw Man’s Aki Hayakawa), and Atsuko Tanaka (Major Kusanagi herself!) is a blast as the uncompromising Rose, a terrifying slave driver of a drill sergeant with a secret soft side. The dynamic between them is great, too; Usato is over Rose’s shit from the beginning and isn’t afraid to talk back to her, but before you know it, this transforms into friendly banter as Rose clearly takes a shine to Usato and knows he can handle any punishment she doles out. Suzune’s also a bunch of fun now that she’s broken away from having to be the competent, popular girl at school and gets to fully lean into being a complete dork.

Wrong Way also works decently as an isekai, because it makes an effort to stay rooted in high fantasy rather than fall back on JRPG mechanics, meaning there are no stat screens! It also avoids the trappings of wish-fulfillment isekai series by having Usato start out as a regular-ass guy; he’s not a Kirito type, just someone Rose sees as a rough gem in need of cutting. There are no cheat skills or OP weapons or anything, just a kid training every day to get stronger so he can protect the people close to him, and that’s the kind of anime protagonist you should want to be.

For better and for worse, I get serious mid-00s vibes from this one; watch the OP if you don’t believe me. Some of the colors pop uncannily in that early-digipaint-era way, and the animation is pretty middling; the most fluid animation we see is whenever Suzune is acting like a creep. Much like those mid-00s anime, though, Wrong Way may have benefited from being weekly (or twice as long) rather than seasonal. There’s a ton of planting with very little payoff, and it doesn’t feel like the actual scope of the story has even been addressed yet. We don’t even learn why the series has the name it does until someone literally says it aloud in the 11th episode. I may have to reevaluate this season after a possible second, if we ever get one, because this doesn’t stand too well on its own.

Of the anime in this “mixed bags” segment, I’d say I enjoyed Wrong Way the most, but it still had enough problems for me to keep it here. It’s not a particularly bad anime, but it’s not especially good either. I guess we can slot it into what Hazel refers to as “good mid.”

On Hold: 

Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! (three episodes watched)

Man, what a title. That was the main draw for this BL series, which on paper is basically a gay version of the Mel Gibson vehicle What Women Want. 

Adachi (a surname that will always make me laugh thanks to Persona 4), a gloomy salaryman, has hit the big 3-0 without getting any, and now he can somehow read anyone’s thoughts just by making physical contact with them. Just as he laments that this is his life now, he accidentally bumps into his handsome, popular coworker, Kurosawa, whom he learns has been harboring a massive crush on Adachi this whole time. Well dang, what now? Kurosawa’s a really nice, thoughtful dude, but Adachi’s never even thought about being with a man before! And isn’t there something wrong with already knowing this secret? How can he even go into the office and look Kurosawa in those big, handsome eyes… every single day…

What I’ve seen so far has been pretty solid, if not particularly well animated. The visuals are really my only gripe here; I just put it off for way too long and didn’t have it in me to finish it on time to actually get this thing written and published. Yaoi isn’t my forte, which feels like a shortcoming on my end as a fledgling bisexual, and I’ve already remarked on the solid LGBT representation this past season, so I do plan on hopping back on this one.

I gotta say, the co-leading voice actors put in serious work this season. Adachi is voiced by Chiaki Kobayashi, who continued his role as Stark in Frieren, returned to Mashle as Mash Burnedead, and contributed to Metallic Rouge’s cluttered cast as Noid. Kurosawa’s seiyuu, Ryota Suzuki (of whom I’ll always be a fan for his masterful turn as Yu Ishigami in Kaguya-sama), also held down leading roles in Bang Brave Bang Bravern and The Unwanted Undead Adventurer. They’ve been great in the few episodes of Cherry Magic! that I’ve seen so far, and they’ll be a huge part of what brings me back.

The Gems:

Bang Brave Bang Bravern

I feel like the mark of a perfectly audacious piece of media is in the moments where I find myself incredulously shouting “WHAT THE FUCK AM I WATCHING” at the screen, and Bravern made me do that at least once per episode. I have so many things to say about what makes this show great but all of it can be summed up as “it fucks so goddamn hard.”

A joint military exercise in Hawaii between Japanese and American mech pilots goes south as a sudden invasion by metalloid aliens portends certain doom for humanity. Just in the nick of time, though, a bombastic, autonomous mech named Bravern arrives from space and insists that ace pilot Isami Ao take his reins. Isami reluctantly agrees, and to his consternation, Bravern goes full tokusatsu on everyone’s asses, complete with fully-diegetic theme music, and keeps the threat at bay. With Bravern continuing to pester him to act as a pilot, Isami is forced to take up the mantle of a reluctant hero as everyone rallies around Bravern to save Earth. Tagging along is blond-haired, blue-eyed American pilot Lewis Smith, who gets to live out all of his Top Gun fantasies, right down to the latent homosexuality.

That last point isn’t a projection or anything: This show is legitimately gay as hell, and it rules. Bravern’s feelings towards Isami feel far more romantic than what you’d expect from a literal robot, and his description of how it felt to have Isami pilot him for the first time, as relayed to a grim-faced military council, is riddled with hilarious innuendo. Isami struggles not only with shouldering the burden of needing to be a hero to all of humanity, but also being beset on both sides by a loud, insistent mecha and a dewy-eyed gaijin, both of whom very well seem to want to get in his pants. Intricate rituals punctuate Isami and Lewis’ angsty relationship as these broad-shouldered, muscular men grow ever closer. It’s also worth reiterating that Isami is voiced by Ryota Suzuki, who also voiced Kurosawa in Cherry Magic!, and that may not have even been his gayest role this season. I’m not super well-versed in mecha as a genre, but I do know that there’s a lot of Warrior’s Bond-type stuff in these series, and Bravern lays it on thick. And hard.

This show looks killer, by the way. CGI implementation in 2D anime is still a touchy subject, but Bravern features some of the best I’ve ever seen. Simple cel-shading goes a long way to the point where, outside of some uncanny motion, Bravern himself feels perfectly blended into the hand-drawn animation. Mecha designs range from realistic military-style tech to otherworldly sentient robots, and battle sequences run the same gamut as the stakes rise. As goofy as all of the above may sound, it’s committed to being a grandiose, big-time mecha showcase.

This is as good as camp gets in anime; Bravern does for the mecha genre what Akiba Maid War did for yakuza film pastiche (I have also heard positive comparisons to Samurai Flamenco, which I’ll have to get on ASAP). It’s an excellent mecha show in its own right, and wildly hilarious to boot. Bravern himself is very genre-savvy and seemingly a bit of an otaku himself; he loves acting like a mecha hero, to everyone else’s chagrin. Several of the villains (also mechanical beings, voiced by an all-star seiyuu roster that includes Kenjiro Tsuda, the aforementioned Atsuko Tanaka, and Rie Kugimiya) are total dorks themselves. A CIA interrogator tries to waterboard a mecha at one point. Bravern is a deeply silly show, but the heart is as firmly on the sleeve as the tongue is in the cheek: For as wacky as it can get, the story still unfolds with a straight face and excellent emotional beats. 

This show also has the most unskippable ED of any anime since Chainsaw Man dropped a new one every week. I will not say what happens. You cannot predict what it is. Just watch it. One of the top YouTube comments on that video says “When I saw this ending after episode 2, I thought I was going crazy.” That’s a ringing endorsement.

Chained Soldier

On the heels of 100 Girlfriends completely rewiring my brain, I was raring for some more good old-fashioned anime trash. I was told that there would be plenty this season, but you can consult the “dropped” section to see how well that worked out for me. Chained Soldier came with some significant hype, and soon enough into the first episode I realized that I’d actually skimmed through this manga before (don’t ask why), so I was on board immediately. Now here’s some nice trashy fun.

The world is in peril thanks to creatures called Shuuki that can advance on our world via portals from another dimension. Women primarily lead the charge against these monsters, as this dimension produces a special fruit that can lend them (and not men) otherworldly powers to help them in the fight. Yuuki, a perfectly normal young man, ends up in grave danger as he stumbles into a portal, where he is saved by the beautiful Kyouka, a commander who is able to subjugate Shuuki at will and use them to fight others. In a bind, she asks Yuuki if she can subjugate him, which he agrees to by licking her finger and transforming into a monster himself, at her beck and call. Because of his utility in battle, Yuuki is enlisted into her squad of baddies (and also an 11-year-old), living in their home as a caretaker and answering directly to Kyouka as her “slave.”

I know, I know, but let's settle down for a second. I put “slave” in scare quotes because Chained Soldier fortunately isn’t going full Shield Hero on us; this arrangement has a give-and-take baked in. See, every time Yuuki completes his service, Kyouka (or whomever else takes advantage of this anomaly) is compelled to carry out whatever suitable “reward” springs from his unconscious, and this is where the ecchi kicks in. Sometimes it’s a kiss, and sometimes it’s something a little more; the reward corresponds to the length and intensity of Yuuki’s contributions to battle, so the heat can turn up in the form of, say, clothed face-sitting, a good scrubbing in the bath, or some nice, casual CBT. All of this is to say that “slave” is a bit of a buzzword here: It’s more of a dom/sub situationship with a lot of extra steps.

Yes, just about everything that isn’t an action setup is full-on harem trash, and Chained Soldier lays it on thick, right down to full-on nudity. Nothing about this show resembles high art, but I can’t help but admire such a high level of commitment to its aesthetic, including the sleaze. It fully commits to the bit and doesn’t even bother lampshading its own trashiness. Chained Soldier knows what it’s about, and I respect that. It also has the good sense not to sexualize the youngest girl, which is a point in its favor that I can’t award a couple other shows previously discussed.

And while this show is plenty fun, the action sequences often excellent, and the character designs usually delightful, there’s not actually a whole lot going on here. As I said with Mashle, I know that battle manga like this can take a minute to really get cooking, and as I said with Witch and the Beast, 12 episodes may not always be a sufficient runtime to adapt enough to break ground, but the debut season feels more like a proof of concept than anything else. That being said, Chained Soldier’s manga has a very effusive audience, and its praises don’t seem to entirely be about the boobs and butts, so I’ll wait patiently for the second season. I think it’s earned that much.

Delicious in Dungeon

This is the one I’m having the hardest time writing about because it so confidently and so completely speaks for itself that anything I could add would feel like scattering sawdust at the beach. Dungeon Meshi (I refuse to call it by its official English name) is a widely beloved manga among those who’ve read it, and for Studio Trigger to do an honest-to-goodness manga adaptation for the first time might as well be front page news among anime fans. 

The story follows Laios, the deeply weird human hero, as he delves back into a bizarre and mysterious dungeon to rescue his sister Falin from the belly of a dragon, along with his misfit party: the neurotic half-elven mage Marcille, the temperamental halfling rogue Chilchuck, and the dwarven warrior-slash-chef Senshi. The party is frequently low on supplies, so to survive the trip they’ll need to subsist on the most abundant resource in the dungeon: Monsters. Senshi’s aptitude in the kitchen helps ensure that everything is edible and sufficiently tasty, regardless of how nasty the monster it came from may have been. With monster obstructions out of the way and their bellies filled, our party delves deeper into the dungeon as the mysteries deepen in kind.

I love the character dynamics in this so goddamn much. Marcille and Chilchuck are frequently put off by the food presented to them, but their consternation is worsened by the fact that Laios’ fascination with monsters annoys the shit out of them. I referred to him as “deeply weird,” but that doesn’t begin to describe his absolute galaxy brain, and I mean it as a term of endearment. Laios is deeply knowledgeable and curious about the fauna in the dungeon, and not just how they taste: He is vocally curious about how certain monster attacks may feel, sings along with siren songs, and even keeps a hardcover bestiary inside his breastplate. He’s one of those people you turn to if you have a question on a hyperspecific subject, but you have to be careful how you ask it or else you’re trapped for the next two hours. And I love him for it.

Even putting the comedy aside, there is a fascinating human element at play in Dungeon Meshi, and I can tell that that surface has barely even been scratched yet. Marcille is just as dogged in her pursuit of saving Falin as Laios is, maybe even moreso (remember what I keep saying about LGBT representation this season?). Chilchuck continues to convince himself that he’s only in the job for his own personal gain, but you can see that mask slipping. And I still wanna know what Senshi’s deal is. Even with the five major players I listed, there’s an increasingly deep roster surrounding them—showcasing a broad spectrum of races and ethnicities, both real and fantastical—each with their own histories and motivations, and I cannot wait to see how they play out and interact with one another. There seem to be much deeper themes at play here as well as we learn more about perceptions and grudges between differing races, oppositional magics, clashing ideologies, and the monetary incentives that drive both the dungeon’s exploration and its very existence. I’m here for it.

I’ve been holding off on reading the manga until the season is up in June (though I could crack any day), but I know a loving adaptation when I see one. Not that Trigger ever slacks off in the animation department, but they absolutely brought their A-game here. As with Frieren, the action sequences aren’t frequent, nor are they entirely what the show is about, but they look incredible every single time. Everyone looks bouncy and cartoony in the way only Trigger can pull off while still looking as close as possible to Ryoko Kui’s source material (as far as I can tell). And the food, of course, looks incredible, no matter how weird. This is practically a cooking anime and a fantasy dungeon anime at the same time, and both aspects are visually on point at all times.

I’m obviously speaking from my own bubble as one of the six people who still uses Tumblr in 2024, but I rarely see new anime make a splash like this on social media every single week, and the ones that I do are usually the monster shonen hits like Chainsaw Man or Jujutsu Kaisen. Dungeon Meshi deserves the exposure and success it’s attained, and I’m excited to see it continue. I’d easily slot this right up there with Bravern as one of the best new anime of the season.

A Sign of Affection

I’ve seen a hell of a lot of shonen slice-of-life romances in the past year and change, so a nice fluffy shoujo like this was an excellent palate cleanser. There were a hell of a lot of Big Action Setpieces and panicky teens and grim dungeon crawlers this season, and at the end of the week I wanted to unwind with a bunch of pretty twenty-somethings falling in love with each other.

The show centers on Yuki, a college student living with congenital hearing loss, making do at a public college after growing up at a school for the deaf. Though she’s able to get by with LINE messages and lip reading, she’s unprepared when a foreigner asks for help, but she’s saved by a handsome and mysterious young man named Itsuomi. He’s able to help out, and takes an interest in her when he realizes his fellow undergrad is deaf, and Yuki takes an interest in kind because he’s really goddamn hot. It turns out that he’s a polyglot and an avid world-traveler, but sign language is not in his purview. This mutual interest sparks the concern of her childhood friend, Oushi, one of the few people in her life who already use sign language, who wants to be sure that nothing untoward is happening. And it isn’t, because this is just a really lovely, low-stakes romance story.

This is pure, unfiltered shoujo at its best. Yuki’s internal monologue is peppered with flowery prose, and everything and everyone looks soft and beautiful. Fashionable, doe-eyed women and pillowy-lipped ikemen abound (seriously, holy shit, the lips on these boys) as the scope widens and the main love interests’ friends explore their own possible love stories. Itsuomi is very much of the “mysterious boy” archetype you’ll find in romance stories in this demographic, but he’s not hiding any sort of dark past like you’d typically expect; he’s just an interesting guy who keeps his personal life close to the vest. He’s a self-appointed world citizen who loves learning about how people of all cultures live their lives, and in Yuki he sees someone within his home turf who happens to live in her own world entirely. And it’s easy to see his forward behavior with Yuki as infantilizing at first (Oushi sure does, and I’ll get back to him in a second), but as they grow closer he quickly becomes much more considerate of her boundaries and learns to accommodate her as he studies sign language and gestures that help ensure her comfort. This is a story about Yuki’s horizons broadening just as much as it is about Itsuomi wanting to be let into Yuki’s narrow world, and that sort of synergy makes for some exceptional romance.

A Sign of Affection deserves some credit for refusing to shy away from Yuki’s disability and making a point of depicting her world as one that does little to accommodate her. Very few people in her daily life ever bothered to learn sign language, she relies on a friend to take notes during lectures, and work is hard to come by. It’s an honest depiction that makes an effort not to be exploitative, which is a breath of fresh air. Not only that, but there’s some interesting meta-commentary in there: The only major conflict in the story stems from Oushi’s jealousy, and his reservations about Itsuomi possibly “taking advantage of” Yuki almost feel like he believes that he’s the only one who knows what’s best for her just because he’s done the bare minimum to accommodate her. He thinks he’s coming from a good place, but he winds up accidentally infantilizing her in exactly the way he thinks Itsuomi might. That’s a particularly interesting bit of irony!

I’ve seen enough shonen-oriented romcoms where an unassuming Regular Guy gets flustered as a way-too-casual girl pushes his boundaries (hell, I’ve already reviewed two of those this season), so it’s nice to see the formula flipped for a shoujo as Yuki and her best friend Rin blush and squee over Itsuomi and his coworker Kyouya, respectively. A Sign of Affection isn’t afraid to get a little silly with it, either; plenty of these moments are punctuated by characters’ faces going low-detail or full chibi, and they are cute as shit every single time.

This one was just cozy as hell. If you’re into this sort of thing, swaddle yourself in it and bask.

Solo Leveling

I let this one collect dust after the third episode and didn’t pick it back up until the season was almost up, and honestly, I was kinda dreading it: The trailers didn’t look too promising, the show was slow to start, and it looked like yet another derivative JRPG-style dungeon crawler that managed to get popular. Turns out, nah, this show actually kinda fucks and the web novel series and webtoon it’s based on are popular for a reason. The story is nothing special, don’t get me wrong, but it’s a perfectly serviceable turn-your-brain-off action spectacle with a bit more lying beneath the surface.

In a modern-day South Korea where portals to mysterious dungeons open up and threaten the populace, those who can brave the dungeons, known as hunters, are an invaluable human resource. Once someone is assigned a grade as a hunter, they have that grade for life, barring some rare occurrences. Sung Jinwoo is at the lowest rung on that ladder as an E-rank, incapable of improvement, assigned the epithet “the weakest hunter of all mankind.” He mostly shows up to portal raids as a warm body to fill a quota, and one such job goes haywire as a secondary dungeon within a portal brutally slaughters most of the raid party, Jinwoo included. He somehow wakes up in a hospital, unharmed, and able to access a digital menu before his eyes that exhorts him to do the One Punch Man workout every day, lest he incur punishment. He gets hilariously chadly in the span of a few days in the hospital, including an inexplicable haircut, and finds access to dungeons only he can enter and levels up within this new system.

This one gets off to a slow start and may have benefited from a longer premiere like Oshi no Ko or Frieren, but once the table is fully set, Solo Leveling really starts to cook. Jinwoo’s titular leveling process is a blast from one fight to the next, and as he moves to work in the dungeons that other hunters can access, it turns out he’s been training with the weights on. He’s suddenly fighting way above his pay grade, and after staving off attacks from hunters taking advantage of portals for nefarious ends, he is recruited by an ambitious corporate scion to make some real coin and establish an independent association of hunters.

While it can feel like there’s a whole bunch of table-setting between portal sequences, it’s some smart worldbuilding on Solo Leveling’s end to establish how portal hunting became a central pillar of this society, and doubly so how political and capitalist interests can leave a wide berth for corruption and bad actors. If there’s money to be made in hunting, of course people will find ways to make even more at the expense of others, both at the corporate and personal levels. There’s a lot of talk in there about “survival of the fittest” and “natural selection” and that… makes me nervous.

Those are terms that can be used to justify immoral actions in the name of money, sure, but Jinwoo also uses them to justify his own actions. To what end is he constantly improving himself? Sure, he's doing what he can to provide for his younger sister and their ailing mother, but I see less and less humanity in him as this goes on. There are constant hints at something far more sinister at play than just a dude getting stronger for himself, not the least of which being “the system,” the UI that implores him to keep taking on these “quests.” Someone, or something, seems to be guiding him. Whenever another hunter turns on Jinwoo, of course his self-defense instincts kick in, but system pop-ups instruct him to defeat X number of hostiles like it’s a normal video game scenario. There’s something eerily depersonalized about these encounters, despite them being full-on mortal combat, that gives me serious Ender’s Game vibes. Consider me intrigued.

I’d heard that the Solo Leveling manhwa’s main draw was its visuals, and though I had my doubts early on, I'm sold now. This is a pretty solid presentation! Hiroyuki Sawano turned in yet another banger soundtrack to punctuate all the action setpieces, helping to stitch together a fairly complete package. Said setpieces are exhilarating and almost impressively bloody, and while the animation is nothing impressive in the day-to-day, it goes absolutely batshit when the gloves come off. Movement is inhumanly fluid and the visuals can go into the same psychedelic territories we’ve seen in the likes of Mob Psycho and Jujutsu Kaisen. If this is the new meta for shonen action, I’m not complaining.

By all rights, this is a pretty decent show, but if I’m being honest, this one just hasn’t stuck with me much. And that’s fine! Sometimes I just wanna see some nutty action stuff and move on with my day. Solo Leveling hits that spot perfectly, and I'll be right back there when it returns for its next season.

‘Tis Time for “Torture,” Princess

I was surprised to learn that the gag manga this is based on, with such a seemingly simple premise, has been running for well over 200 chapters and counting. As the anime progressed, I was far more pleasantly surprised to learn that it actually works.

In a standard anime fantasy world where the forces of good are fighting the demonic Hellhorde, an unnamed warrior princess and her talking enchanted sword are taken prisoner and subjected to torture as they’re squeezed for intel. Said “torture,” as the title’s scare quotes would suggest, is mildly unconventional, as the demon baddie inquisitor, aptly named Torture Tortura, attempts to ply the princess by presenting her with tantalizingly delicious-looking food that she can only partake in if she coughs up some info. Naturally, the princess caves every single time, but her intel is often inane and useless, so the “torture” continues. It’s not all food, though: The princess is soon held out of arm’s reach of adorable baby animals by a gyaru beastgirl, pampered into submission by a spa-loving giantess, and is faced with a tsundere vampire faildaughter, who… tries. 

And you’d think that would be it; the joke wears thin and you move onto something else. Before you realize it, though, something’s changed: The princess and her captors are quickly becoming friends. The premise almost feels perfunctory: These inquisitors are actual people just doing their jobs, and whatever happens after the princess’ myriad confessions is fair game. There’s no malice or animosity, even during the “torture” sessions themselves: Everyone will have a blast and grow closer as friends, and then the princess will voluntarily go back to her bedless cell. It’s like Sam and Ralph after they clock out, except they’re almost always off the clock. Everyone is genuinely looking out for each other in all directions, and the only thing that keeps the torture going is the need for a status quo to return to, even as it grows more elastic. If anything, Time for "Torture" is a good example of committing to the bit without having to necessarily rely on it.

The real irony in all of this is that it becomes increasingly apparent that the princess is having her needs met in captivity far better than she ever did back home. In her proud proclamations about how she’ll never cave to the temptations before her (shortly before she does just that), the princess often talks about her upbringing and her time as the head of an imperial legion, but these stories often betray her lack of friendship or any of the little things that make life worth living. Her life as royalty was one of isolation and deprivation, to the point where she finds more freedom and fulfillment as a prisoner. She truly lives in a society.

Hellholm, on the other hand, has a surprisingly healthy approach to things like work-life balance, food, and leisure, and its most valuable prisoner is no exception. The Hell-Lord himself is a surprising exemplar of this; for as much as he looks and talks like your standard terrifying JRPG demon king, he’s a surprisingly good dude! He looks after his family, employees, and even the captive princess as if they are all one and the same; he exhibits strong principles and an aversion to conflict, sees to his employees' needs and wants alike, and is a supportive, loving father to his unbelievably precious little daughter (who also serves as a “torturer,” to the princess’ delight). He’s also a big time anime dork, and even bonds with a knight attempting to rescue the princess over their shared otakudom before sending him off peacefully. As “villains” go, he’s top tier.

Time for "Torture" is nothing groundbreaking by any stretch, but it’s a cute, silly time and it plays with anime fantasy tropes in the same way a six-month-old German shepherd “plays” with a cheap stuffed toy. How long the premise holds up is entirely up to you, but I had a lot of fun with it. I have no idea how this ended up being one of the better shows this season, but I guess it just scratched the right itch for me.

#anime reviews

[fire-emblem-drabbles]

Day 5

Pairing: Ren Hana x reader

Prompt: Meloncholy

Description: How did you get caught in such a surreal situation? You can't help but feel terrible, so much so that you end up crying. But, your new best friend Ren is here to help!

Rating: sfw

Content Warning: Past kidnapping, imprisonment, non con touching (nonsexual), mentions of hurting reader, collars, ask to tag

Word Count: 872

Notes: Ren is my FAV from bytd I would actually let his do anything to me. Even if I am like, way taller than him. He can be my short king any day sdfjldfkj have I mentioned all these have been written in a row? Thank u queue its 10:30 rn After I get "caught up" these might be longer but I aint forcing nothing

You couldn’t help but settle heavy in the bed given to you, dread and fear weighing you down to the nice duvet under you. You can’t help but curl your fingers into it as you stare out the window, to the winter storm raging outside. You reach up to touch the collar around your neck your body shivers at the memory of electricity running though you.

How did you get into this mess? All you had wanted was a night out but… Ren and that other man… the drinks… being chased and… Ending up here.

You had really wanted to believe he helped you. He was nothing but sweet and polite, so you wanted to return that generosity but… the anklet. The collar you still wore. That he tested on you. This could only end badly for you, couldn’t it? But you had to be brave in the face of this, this…

You feel your eyes tear up. You really don’t want to cry, not now. He was some sort of fox; he would probably hear you sobbing from where ever he went off too but… you can’t help it, your stresses piling up until your fit to burst, leaving you in the little tears that stream down your face. It isn’t long before you’re downright bawling, shoving your face into the too nice pillow in a feeble attempt to muffle your voice.

Obviously, it doesn’t work and it isn’t long before you hear the undeniable sound of feet bounding down the stairs. You attempt to collect yourself in vain, but Ren is upon you before you’re even done rubbing your tired eyes.

“_____? Is everything okay?” His voice is so soft, so very sweet. As if he’s not the cause of all your problems.

“I-I’m sorry…!” You blubber out, scared he might do something else to hurt you. “I-I just…” It isn’t long before you burst into another fit of tears.

“H-hey it’s okay!” You jump as you feel his arms slither around your waist. Ren doesn’t let you go, though, merely pulls you closer into his embrace. “I know you’re probably a little confused… but I’ll take care of you, I promise!” He coos. “You don’t have anything to worry about, okay?” His words provide little comfort to you but you try to convince yourself to calm down regardless, taking slow deep breathes to even your breathing and hopefully stop sobbing.

“There you go, easy…” He hums as you take another shuddering breath. “What’s got you all sad for buddy?” he asks softly, laughing gently. You consider your words carefully.

“I-I’m just… not used to this place, is all.” You mumble softly. It wasn’t a complete lie, but you weren’t sure if it was enough to convince him. “I um, still sleep with a lot of stuffed animals and plushies so… I guess I just got a little lonely here by myself.” You admit softly.

“Oh, is that it?” Ren laughs softly. “If it would make you feel better… I could stay with you?” Your eyes widen at his proposition. Was that an offer you could even say no to? “I’ll even bring down one of my favorite plushies for you, hold on!” Before you can even think to argue, he’s racing off again, up the stairs. It’s silent a moment before you can hear him charging back down, pushing right into your door.

Triumphantly, he hold up something round. In the dark of your room it’s hard to make out but… “Is that a pusheen plush?” You ask softly.

“It is!” He grins, climbing back on the bed and handing it to you. It was covered in… orange fur, you noted, but it was impossible to mistake. You had this same plush back home… It was one of your favorites to cuddle to sleep. “She’s one of my favorites, but I think you need her more than I do.” He gives you a grin, his features softening as he looks at you.

“That’s really sweet of you…” You can’t help but mumble, holding her closely. “I had a plush just like this one, so… yeah.” You don’t know what else to say, look away from him. You definitely feel better then the minutes before but spending time with Ren felt strange. Like you shouldn’t be as relaxed as you feel.

“I’m glad you think so. I just want you to be comfortable here. With me.” The smile he gives you has an edge to it, his voice sweet with a sharpness. “So… don’t hesitate to trust me, okay?” It’s as if he read your mind. Or maybe perhaps, was questioning your motives.

“I… won’t.” You answer softly, laying down in the bed with the plushie protectively held to your chest. You go under the covers and mumble out. “Good night, Ren.” This time, you openly squeal as you feel his hands circle around your waist. He happily cuddled up to you, tail and legs wrapping around your own and head nuzzled atop yours.

“Night _____. Rest well.” His whispered voice in your ear causes you to shiver. You can’t help but think that you’ve only gotten yourself into a worse situation than the one you found yourself in before…

#minors dni #btd ren #btd ren hana #18+ #ren hana x reader #ren x reader #btd 2 #outing myself as gross #just wait it gets worse :)

[lamemaster]

Trade Worth an Afternoon

Genre: Fluff

Pairing: Nolofinwean + Celegorm x Sister Reader

Summary: Ambarussar = 1 Y/n?

AN: My soul said, "WRITE THIS SHIT RN!!"

“Hmm why yes Celgorm, of course, we can come to an agreement,” Aredhel drawled carefully, her voice laced with amusement as she glanced away from where you and Argon sat, engrossed in your toys.  Her eyes twinkled with mischief, a stark contrast to the seriousness of the "trade negotiations" she was proposing.

Stifling a laugh that threatened to erupt, Celegorm replied, playing along.  “2 Ambrussa for 1 y/n.  That is fair trade, Aredhel.”  His voice held a hint of playful arrogance, knowing full well the absurdity of bartering with children.

The mention of your name pierced through your concentration, and you looked up from your game of blocks with wide, curious eyes.  Argon, ever the follower, followed suit, his brow furrowed in confusion.

“You are right, perhaps,” Aredhel conceded with a mischievous glint in her eyes as she turned her attention to you directly.  “What do you think, little y/n?  Do you want to become Celegorm’s sister?”

A small patter of feet echoed across the polished stone floor as both you and Argon scrambled towards your sister and cousin. “No. I am your sister,” you declared bluntly, your voice clear and unwavering.

“Yes, y/n is our sister,” Argon parroted, his voice echoing yours in a perfect unison.  The pair of you, oblivious to the undercurrent of amusement between your elders, stood side-by-side, a united front against this unexpected proposition.

Pulling Argon into a playful embrace, Aredhel feigned a dramatic sigh.  “But you have a sister, me.  Now Celegorm and his brothers don’t have one.  Why don’t we share, just like amil taught us?” 

Argon, ever his mother’s pet and easily swayed by her gentle words, was instantly caught in a moral dilemma.  His brow furrowed as he deliberated, torn between wanting to please both his mother and his best friend.  “No… but,” he stammered, his voice laden with worry as he looked back at you with a helpless expression.

You, however, were not so easily swayed.  You set your jaw with a determination that belied your age and glared at Celegorm, who was trying his best to stifle another laugh.  “I won’t go,” you declared fiercely. 

Celegorm, caught off guard by your outburst, hoisted you into his arms with a playful rumble.  "And why not, y/n?" he teased, nuzzling his nose against your cheek. You flailed your limbs in protest, the urge to pull his hair warring with the ticklish sensation his leather cuffs sent against your skin.

"Finno and Turu won't allow this!" you sputtered, glaring back at him with narrowed eyes.  "And ata loves me more than Aredhel!"  This last declaration was more of a desperate hope than a statement of fact, but it served its purpose. Aredhel's smile faltered for a fleeting moment, a flicker of something akin to annoyance crossing her features.

As for Argon, the very notion of being separated from you sent him into a silent panic.  He looked mortified at the idea of sharing his room with the rambunctious Fëanorian twins, even more mortified at the prospect of leaving his unfinished drawing and the half-built block castle behind.  With a whimper, he tugged on Aredhel's sleeve, his lower lip trembling.  "No, y/n is my sister," he echoed your words, shaking his head vehemently as if denying the very possibility of the trade.

"Uncle Nolofinwe and my father already agreed," Celegorm declared smugly, a broad grin splitting his face. "Unfortunately, y/n, you will be now our sister."

His words hit you like a thunderbolt. Your eyes widened in shock, threatening to spill tears at any moment. "No!" you cried, your voice trembling like a leaf in a winter wind. Tears welled up in your eyes, blurring your vision. "I'm Argon's sister! We promised Amil we'd finish building our castle together! And besides," you hiccuped, rubbing your eyes "Ambarussar are too big for my bed. They won't fit!"

Argon, mirroring your distress, began to wail. He clung to Aredhel, his tiny fists clutching at her tunic. "No! No y/n go!" he sobbed, his voice thick with tears.

"And when my brothers and I return from our next adventure," Celegorm continued adding fuel to the fire in his chaotic ways, "y/n will come with us.”

Argon, his lower lip trembling, clutched you desperately. His only playmate, his confidante. Galadriel was too smart to play with on normal days. 

The room erupted in chaos. You, fueled by a sudden surge of adrenaline, wriggled free from Celegorm's surprised grasp.  "Never!" you screamed, bolting towards the nearest exit. 

Argon, wiping his tears with the back of his hand, followed close behind, his small legs pumping furiously.

Fingolfin, his face a mask of thunder, stood before Aredhel and Celegorm, both of whom shuffled uncharacteristically on their feet. The usual twinkle in their eyes was replaced with a dull sheepishness.

"What did you do?"  Fingolfin's voice boomed.

"Well..." Aredhel began, her usual silver tongue failing her.  Celegorm, notorious for his smooth talk, coughed awkwardly, unable to meet Fingolfin's steely gaze.

And for once both Aeredhel and Celegorm were at a loss for their words. The prank…perhaps had been too harsh. The flushed faces of both Fingon and Turgon, who had spent the entire evening looking both you both were enough to answer that it indeed had been too much. 

And thus, the product of their prank lay in Fingolfin and Anaire's laps. Both you and Argon slept peacefully, your faces streaked with tears that had dried on your cheeks.

"Aredhel," Turgon's voice was a low rumble, devoid of its usual playful teasing. "We scoured the entire city for y/n and Argon. The entire afternoon."  His gaze, usually warm, was now icy with disapproval.

Fingon, his hand resting protectively on your head, patted Turgon's arm in a silent plea for calm.  "What did you even say for them to hide so fiercely?" he asked, his voice stern but tinged with relief.  "They ran away the moment they saw me and Turgon, then vanished for the entire day." Fingon usually retained the position of the most loved sibling for all Nolofinwean siblings.

"Y/n even hid all her belongings, and neither of them showed up for their evening snacks."

This last detail struck a deeper chord.  Evening snacks with Fingolfin were a cherished ritual for the younger members of the family, a time for stories and laughter.  That they would skip it willingly was a testament to the terror they must have felt.

“It was merely a jest,” Aredhel tries to weasel her way out of the situation. 

"A jest?" Turgon echoed, his voice tight with contained fury. "An entire afternoon of frantic searching constitutes a jest to you, Aredhel?"

Anaire, her face pale with worry, finally spoke. "They haven't said a word since we found them," she said, her voice trembling slightly.  "They were huddled together under their bed sobbing hysterically. What did you do to them?"

"We told them that we were going to trade y/n for the twins," Aredhel admitted, her voice barely a whisper. 

The room fell silent for a beat, thick with tension that quickly dissolved into an eruption of laughter. Fingon and Fingolfin, unable to contain themselves, doubled over, snorting with amusement. Even Anaire, despite her initial glare, found a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. Finwe's crooked humor, it seemed, wasn't lost on his bloodline.

"Oh, my poor darlings," Anaire cooed, leaning down to kiss your and Argon's foreheads, a soft smile gracing her features. "That must have been terrifying. But you two managed to hide quite well.” While both the said, elflings barely stirred in their sleep.

Aredhel, relieved by the shift in atmosphere, puffed out her chest with a hint of pride. "They were! We even had them convinced Uncle Curufinwe and Ata were in on it."

Before she could revel in her mischievousness any further, Turgon, ever the serious one, swatted her playfully on the back of the head.

And that is how the infamous story of trading siblings came to be in the Finwean clan. One that often left a sputtering mess of Celegorm and Aredhel. And a slightly offended Ambarussar.

#the silmarillion #tolkien elves #silmarillion x reader #aredhel #fingon #fingolfin #anaire #asks #argon #sister reader #fluff #celegorm #turgon

[mirahuyooo]

Your Grace | myg

[Min Yoongi as a Duke]

— Unseathe your sword, warrior. You are home. in which, once upon a time, there lived a duke of the north and his wife

word count: 1,216 pairing: min yoongi x reader content/s: fluff, romance, angst, mentions of trauma from war, hurt/comfort, implied smut 👀 ambigous place names bc i can’t think much rn lol, possible nobility hierarchy inaccuracies (dont come at me, come after the manhwas i read lol), min yoongi as a husband in aNY AU IS A WIN, Historical Fantasy AU, Marriage of Convenience AU

[masterlist] | more [reactions & headcannons] &  [moodboards]

A/N: excuse me, i need something fluffy to get me through life rn 😭💖 also when people started calling these pics of yoongi as a duke, my brain went “haha, duke of the north male lead type of shii” and i just rolled with it lmAO AHWHAHHA i also thought to make some drabbles out of this AU! Let me know if y’all would like that?? Enjoy!

Also, send me ur headcannons for a duke min yoongi bc i’D LOVE to hear em 🤩💘✨

min yoongi, who is a young duke that took the title after his late father abdicates to travel the known world lol

min yoongi, who governs the coldest region of the kingdom (absolutely hates the climate, but loves his people)

min yoongi, who is a prodigy of the sword and one of the best swordmasters in the kingdom

min yoongi, who is renowned as a war hero that greatly contributed to winning the war against an enemy kingdom

min yoongi, who suffers from night terrors of the people he killed, of the people who betrayed him in battle, of all that blood and gore

min yoongi,  whose hands shake whenever he has to hold his blade, but knows he has to get ahold of himself to do his duties

min yoongi, who hates politics and is known to have a tongue as sharp as his sword in slandering nonsensical members of the court

“Frankly, I think this whole proposal of yours, Lord Lee, is a sham that I’m wasting my precious time on.”

min yoongi, who is very close with the crown prince, and thus, much to his chagrin, is one of his most trusted advisors that’s involved with even more politics and shenanigans

“No, I’m not helping you sneak out, Taehyung. We’re here as a foreign delegation—”

min yoongi, who definitely complains about all of the paperwork he has to do, but does so anyways (he does a fantastical job with it, thank you very much)

min yoongi, who spends a lot of his free time either sleeping, or reading in his enormous library to digest knowledge (he's a curious cat sometimes ok)

min yoongi, who is very much fond of tangerines and imports it whenever its in season (his mother used to peel them for him as a child)

min yoongi, who plays the old piano in the east wing whenever he can’t sleep and learns different music from all around the world, but always tends to play his mother’s lullaby

min yoongi, who is pressured to take a wife and is constantly flocked by lords intending to sell their daughters to him

min yoongi, who, to the shock of the entire court, offers marriage to the eldest daughter of a count to a fairly small province that hosted him during the war—you

min yoongi, who swears it’s only because your family wouldn’t have enough power to interfere with his and definitely not also because you were pretty and nice and helped him through a panic attack all those years ago

“I don’t know much about being a husband, but I do know how to be a man of my word, and I swear no harm will come your way.”

min yoongi who marries you on a beautiful summer day, because he thought it'd be nice for you to have a warm and bright wedding in the capital since you'll be living with him in the north where it's constantly foggy and the winters are harsh

min yoongi, who promises to make the wedding night as comfortable and as quick as he can for your sake (but why can't he help but crave for more?)

min yoongi, who is a pretty chill and attentive husband, actually

min yoongi, who made sure to arrange you lessons that'll help you adjust to your title as duchess in the north and in the social circle as well

min yoongi, who always does his best to eat his meals with you (it’s awkward, maybe you should strike a conversation or two?)

“I, uh, heard repairments are to be done on the east wing?”

“Oh, yes, actually. There’s also a new wainscotting design I saw on the capital that I thought would suit the wall so I thought it’d be perfect to have it done as well—”

(great job! you hit the perfect topic!)

min yoongi, who asks you if you’d like something whenever he has to make a visit to the capital and if you say nothing, he'll come back with something he probably consulted someone with—a new dress? a necklace? a popular novel? (damn it, someone help him out here!)

“Here… I, uh, heard it’s popular among the ladies at the capital…”

{gives you a dress in the rest popular fashion so you stay “updated to the trends” as he says it — regrets it, because youlookbeautifulohno—}

“Thank you, Yoongi,” you shyly smile, “It’s beautiful.”

(dead. he’s dead.)

min yoongi, who becomes furious to hear about the gossip surrounding you and goes into a rant about the pretentious idiots at court

“You are Duchess Min of the north. Do not let them slander you like that. Do not hesitate to remind them of what you represent. I gave you the same power as I have when I married you.”

min yoongi who attends every ball from that season on with you by his side to rub it in their faces that the duke of the north does care for his wife, thanks : ]

min yoongi, who was pleasantly surprised when you brought him peeled tangerines to snack on while he was buried under paperwork

“Would you… would you like some?”

min yoongi, who now also peels tangerines for you whenever you two idly hang out together

min yoongi, who finds it easier to sleep with you by his side, especially after you insisted to stay by him when he had a night terror

min yoongi, who likes to take a nap with his head on your lap because you tend to play with his hair when you think he's asleep (he falls asleep right after because of it aww)

min yoongi, who keeps his hair longer than usual because you said it suits him, and absolutely refuses to let others point out or touch his hair lol

“Your hair’s gotten longer, hyung—”

“Don’t. Touch.”

min yoongi, who beams with pride every time he hears the servants praise how well the lady of the house treats them and manages the household (he's also so, so glad he doesn't have to worry about that anymore)

min yoongi, whose heart melts seeing his people love their duchess and shower you both with praises whenever you make visits to the town

min yoongi, who takes horse rides with you around his territory and will never say a word of complaint even if he’s freezing his ass off (pls make him something warm after you two go back to the castle lol)

min yoongi, who always makes sure you stay warm after he heard you go down with a fever (just how many layers do you gotta wear now? jeez)

“While I appreciate your concern, Yoongi. I don’t think I’d need a third fur coat…”

“But—”

min yoongi, who asks you one night if you, at all, regret marrying him and finds himself anxiously waiting for your response

“I find myself very fortunate to have married a man like you, Yoongi. I don’t think I’ll ever regret it.”

min yoongi, who is very relieved and enamored to hear you shyly say that (his gummy smile is unstoppable, o h n o)

min yoongi, whose heart flutters as he smiles down at your sleeping figure after your late-night talk together

Perhaps, this is a better arrangement than I thought…

𝓽𝓪𝓰𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓽 : @mwitsmejk @dreamamubarak @unknownwalkingobject @bloodline1632​

#i wrote most of these at 3 AM lol #im so soft rn #bts au #bts historical au #bts headcannons #bts writing #bts fanfic #bts fanfiction #bts imagines #min yoongi x reader #bts moodboard #min yoongi imagines #min yoongi headcannons #min yoongi as a duke

[kittencomicslol]

A bunch of Gyutaro x Oc drabbles. Names r only mentioned a few times and if you try, it’s easy to read as an x reader(though my oc is a kitsune so, yknow that might make it a little harder) but give or take!! I’ll add little warnings n such at the top of each one ^_^ this is mainly fluff but there will also be some angst bc yummy. Ignore any typing errors I wrote all of these half asleep at like 12-1AM

Uh there r gonna be some topics in here ppl may not be fond of, angst, death, sex(not actual smut just mentions, buzz off!!) exc. but I am an angsty scencemo 16 year old girl so what do you expect lolz??

Akira sprite^^^ made by my pookie @senei

-Fire burns on

"Mmhgg.. I don't knowww..l'm just.. something is making me feel like… she's gonna get hurrtt…"

____

-This I specifically made as a way to cope w my own problems. I'm going through a lot of seasonal anxiety/depression rn. It's my 4th year being displaced and shut off in the winter and my therapist expressed how even if we don't remember mentally our bodies remember the emotions we felt at that time in the past. So even if we can't figure out why we are upset, something traumatic could have happened in the past on this day that made us like this.

Gyutaro and Ume ofc vaugely of their human life in cannon since Muzan didn't have to take it away bc they already hated humans. So this is playing off of that but basically Gyutaro just can't remember the exact day everything that went down and he doesn't know why he's so worried so we have the snuggles and the kisses and yea :3

☆

A few tears streamed down the demons face. He had been rather distant today, and it was for good reason.

Though you may not consciously remember what happened down to the date, your unconscious brain does. If a severely traumatic event happens, your brain remembers the day even if you don’t. And it’s no wonder Gyutaro had been so easily upset today, as it was the day that he was turned into a demon. The day where poor Ume was burnt alive. Did he regret becoming a demon? No, it was the best decision he had ever made in his life.

But the pure guttural fear he felt on that day as a human, clutching her little body in his arms.. it was so much.. and even though he didn’t understand why he was so upset since the memory was subconscious, he still knew he was upset. So he detached himself from Daki and snuck away throughout the house Daki ran, sneaking off to that one room he finds himself going to over and over. He doesn’t even knock as he enters Akiras room, quickly closing the door behind himself and coming right over to the bed like a lost puppy. Akira sits up in bed with a small yawn, placing the book she had been reading down beside her and turning her attention fully to her lover. A small little chuckle escapes her mouth as she sees this all powerful demon cowering at the foot of her bed like a dog.

“What’s wrong my love?”

She coos softly, patting the bed next to her in order to let him know he could come snuggle up next to her as he had done time and time before. As he got close, Akira quickly noticed Gyutaro was crying. A small little gasp left her mouth at this revelation since she herself had never actually seen Gyutaro cry.

As he snuggled up next to her, she threw the covers over him and pulled him close, her body pressing up against his. Akira raised a hand to his face, gently cupping his cheek as she used a thumb to wipe away some of his tears.

“My darling, what’s wrong?”

She spoke softly as she looked back at him with a genuinely concerned expression. Gyutaro struggled showing any emotions, especially sadness. So to see him cry told her that something serious was going on. Gyutaro grumbled slightly, shamelessly shoving his face into her chest right in her revealed cleavage from the robe she wore.

“Dunno… j’st upset..”

the demon rasped out into her chest, his tears soaking her skin. Akira let out a small sigh as she raised her hand and began to run her fingers through her lovers hair in a gentle comforting manner.

“Well that’s alright.. you don’t always need to know why you are upset.. sometimes feelings just are.”

Akira gently comforted the demon the best she could, knowing that if he was trusting her enough to cry in-front of her, that she needed to do her best to help him.

“Is there anything specific you want? Something I can help you with? Or do you just want to be here with me?”

Her hands gently ran through Gyutaros slightly matted hair, combing through it with her fingers.

“Mnn.. i ‘dunnooo.. I’m just worried.. about dakkii..”

he admitted shamefully as he tried to keep his crying face hidden, part of him still afraid to show any weakness in-front of anyone.

“Hm? Worried about Daki? Why so?”

The kitsune softly pressed, wondering where this concern rooted from since Gyutaro was usually very confident about his sisters safety. In response, she only got some grumbles.

“Mmhgg.. I don’t knowww..I’m just.. something is making me feel like.. she’s gonna get hurrtt..”

he rasped out as tears contained to flow from his eyes, staining now both his cheeks and Akiras chest.

____________

-A quiet night

"I'm fine, just the same old same old. You know nothing really happens around here."

____

-No backstory. No notes needed. Just tooth-rotting fluff. Thats all <33

-Not really finished but there wasn't really a story to wrap up, just fluff.

☆

“Ugh..”

the demon groaned slightly as he snuck into his lover's room and nuzzled up next to her in bed. The kitsune giggled slightly as she noticed that her boyfriend was here to visit her again. Akira didn’t hesitate to turn over to face him, her robe getting all tangled up in the covers as she did so. She reached out her arms and wrapped them around Gyutaro, and in turn he did the same for her. His long slender arms delicately wrapped around her perfectly shaped body and pulled her close to him, taking in her scent as she was close to him once more.

“Mmmm.. so nice..”

he mumbled slightly as he held her close, taking in every little part of her once more just like he did every other night. Though it just never got old seeing or feeling her. Akira giggled at her lovers sweet little words and mumbles, leaning up to place a delicate kiss on his cheek. Despite having done this for years the demon never ever got used to being given any sort of physical affection and it always made his face heat up. Though unlike at the beginning where he would fearfully shift away in concern or self preservation of his cold demeanor, he now accepted all of her little affectionate gestures.

“How’s my pretty boy doing?”

Akira cooed softly in that sickeningly sweet voice she possessed that drove Gyutaro completely crazy every single time he heard her even merely take a breath.

“I’m alrighttt.. just a bit bored.. and youu..?”

Gyutaro leaned down and gently nuzzled his fourhead against her own, placing a gentle kiss on her nose in order to show his admiration for her. He had grown to accept affection and also grown to show affection.

“I’m fine, just the same old same old. You know nothing really happens around here.”

She softly responded as her arms held him close, the two holding each-other in a loving embrace that neither planned to leave any time soon. “Yeaa.. nothing really happens around here… it’s been a while since a demon slayer even came byyy.. isn’t that lucky..?”

He rambled slightly. Usually he used to get upset when there was a lack of demon slayers around, especially Hashira. It gave him an excuse to come out of Daki and do something. Not that he really enjoyed being too far from his little sister, because that wouldn’t be true. He adored her and she was his whole world alongside Akira. But more recently he has gotten quite acquainted with the quiet life of Daki saving humans for him to eat, and Gyutaro coming out each night for a few hours to visit his beloved.

“Yea, it’s nice.. just relaxing. I’ve really enjoyed spending my nights with you’ Taro. I interact with human men all day and though sometimes they can be mildly entertaining, none of them could ever compete with you my love.”

Akira's work days were usually long and tedious. Daki went easy on her since she had a soft spot for Akira that only grew more after Akira and Gyutaro became lovers. But alas Akira still had to clean up the house and keep it tidy. It had been a pretty busy past few months and even though she didn’t even work as a courtesan her beauty was astounding. So when a random man attempted to hit on her, she never was shocked or upset. She rather became excited when a human man attempted to hit on her because in the end if he tried to be too pushy or ended up being gross, she would just get a free meal. Though it also never hurts to have small talk with a polite man even if most likely he would eventually be eaten by Gyutaro and Daki.

Gyutaro moved his hands away from her sides and slid them between the folds of her robe, his hands gently gliding over her bare skin and once again settling down by her sides at her hips. Though it wasn’t in any lewd or sexual manner, despite the many more promiscuous interactions the two had. They were close, lovers after all. So they had both gotten comfortable and accustomed to one another’s bodies. Meanwhile Akiras hands moved up and began to run through Gyutaro’s messy black locks, a sweet smile on her face as the two were practically pushed up against each other in a display of love and affection.

____________

That’s all ^_^ other drabbles I didn’t rlly like and left out r on my wattpad but yuh

#demon slayer #gyutaro #demonslayer #kimestu no yaiba #gyutaro demon slayer #kny #x reader #gyutaro x reader #gyutaro fluff #fluff #fanfiction #demon slayer x reader #demon slayer oc #oc x cannon #gyutaro x oc

[kurolumiis]

𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓’𝐒 𝐁𝐀𝐋𝐋

featuring — scaramouche, luma (oc)

summary — the winter night’s ball has arrived. scaramouche watches his rival flirt with childe with a burning rage in his eyes. he pulls them away and shows them that their relationship was much more.

warnings — scaramouche x oc, smut written by a minor, non-binary!oc with female attributes, harbinger!scaramouche, luma’s a high ranking member of the fatui, mentions of luma and scaramouche’s backstories, genshin spoilers for sumeru arc, basically enemies to lovers, oc has large breasts, breeding kink, virgin!luma, mentions of scara being a bit of a perv at the end

messages from the galaxy — woke up from a high but was falling asleep with this scenario in my mind. when deciding to write it, i then only thought of incorporating the winter night’s lazzo into it, except it’s a ball hosted by the tsaritsa pretty much. also throwback to my post about an alternate universe where luma is sold to the fatui, but due to their training as a kid, they rise up pretty quickly and catch the attention of the tsaritsa and the harbingers (scara mainly). i barely remember much of the video (im also half awake rn) and ik scara’s not in it (idk if it was around when he was revealed in genshin, i would assume so given the 1.1(?) event) but i kinda just made up the reason for the ball occurring) sorry if it’s stupid

the winter night’s ball had arrived. thousands of fatui members, dressed in fancy clothing gathered around to celebrate the tsaritsa gathering all the gnoses.

scaramouche eyed the obsidian-haired beauty as they had such an intimate and close talk with childe. he watched as luma laughed and held onto his arm for support. and the ginger was enjoying the whole thing, including pissing his fellow harbinger off.

luma was a high-ranking member of the fatui due to their intensive training as a kid. they rose in the ranks very quickly and caught the attention of the tsaritsa and harbingers. they worked alongside scaramouche and accompanied him with his journeys and orders.

only thing was, they hated each other. the tsaritsa only tasked them together because they were so similar. if luma had recognized that aspect, they would’ve tried to like scaramouche more because their horrible father and equally horrible aunt had the same hatred for each other. and luma wanted to be nothing like their father.

it seemed like to others that luma might’ve been tasked with childe instead, given how much they seemed to enjoy each others company. not to mention, how flirty they were with each other.

scaramouche angrily sipped the wine in his glass, burning eyes trained on the couple a distance away from him. luma looked stunning in their dress, a blue one with a faint sparkly corset and puffy long skirt. their hair had two braids pulled back into a half up half down with two curly strands framing their face. adorned with natural makeup but a red lip.

“i feel so out of place in this. it’s not usual for me to dress like this,” luma mentioned, shaking their head slightly. “ah, don’t worry sweetheart. you look great,” childe said, winking. he had his own special pet name for them, usually calling close girls ‘girlie’, he called luma something much more endearing to respect that they weren’t a girl but also someone he cherished.

luma let out a breathy chuckle. “thank you.” sighing, they glanced around the large room crowded by fatui members. their eyes landed on scaramouche, dropping their smile. they let out a huff.

“i went through all this just for him to ignore me the whole time,” luma complained, looking down at their dress they suddenly felt extremely insecure in. “hey, if he doesn’t see how hot you look tonight, then he’s an idiot,” childe chuckled, shaking his head.

“why don’t i show you how special you are, sweetheart?” he asked, moving very close to them and trailing his fingers up their arm.

scaramouche watched as childe whispered something in luma’s ear with luma slowly nodding a few seconds later, giving him flirty eye contact. childe trapped them against the table they were standing beside, leaning into their neck.

he watched as luma’s eyes fluttered shut, missing the table and their glass of champagne dropping to the floor.

scaramouche had decided that he had enough, abandoning his drink and marching over to the couple. he yanked childe away and grabbed luma’s wrist.

he didn’t say anything until they made it to a secluded corner in a private area outside the ball. trapping them against the wall, he slammed his palm, making luma flinch. he would’ve apologized, sensing it was a trauma response, but his mind was too clouded with jealousy in the moment.

“fraternizing during the tsaritsa’s ball is a slutty move. i didn’t teach you to be a slut, now, did i?” he whispered against their ear, trailing his hands down the sides of their arm.

“answer me,” he said, sternly. “no,” luma mumbled, averting eye contact. he harshly clasped their chin and stared into their eyes. “i didn’t teach you to run off to childe either. mark my words, i’m gonna fuck you so hard that you won’t even think about that loser.”

they turned towards the doors leading to the ballroom, hearing everyone chant, “to the tsaritsa!” turning back to each other, he spoke. “remember, the tsaritsa assigned you to me. you’re mine.”

he yanked them away, exiting the building and making their way back to the hotel they were staying at.

shoving them into the room, he kissed them roughly, slamming their back against the door to shut it. his hand hiked up their leg, sliding under the long fabric of the dress to grip their thigh.

their moans sounded so sweet to him, cherishing the way they cried out from the slightest touch from him. pulling them away from the door, he guided them to the bedroom, closing the door and flinging them on the bed.

when he got on top of them, he began ripping the skirt of the dress, causing luma to gasp. “shut it, you look better without it anyway,” he mentioned, throwing the fabric on the floor.

he made them arch their back to undo the dress. pulling it off of them, his hands immediately went to grab their large breasts, earning a moan from them.

rutting their hips up, they were desperate for more. “come on, tell me what you want,” he cooed, egging them on. he knew how much luma hated the thought of begging and pleading, not wanting to seem weak in front of their superiors.

“please, i want you to fuck me,” luma stated in a monotone, rolling their eyes. he grinned to himself. “you asked for it.” he loosened his tie, beginning to undress.

“what’ll the fatui think when you’re knocked up with my kid, hm? what will the tsaritsa think?” he taunted, shoving his cock deep inside them. luma let out a loud gasp, eyes widening.

“wait, you can — ah — cum?” luma pondered out loud. “course i can, we’d have to build our legacy when we make our debut as the gods of sumeru,” he explained, rutting his hips against theirs.

“what? gods?” this was the first they had heard of this plan. “yes, it’ll be perfect,” he said, smiling widely. the thought of filling them up brought him closer to release, excitement flooding his veins when he was actually able to do it.

he let out loud groans, leaning his head back as he came. he didn’t hold back with not only cumming but his moans as well. he wanted the whole hotel to know that he was pleasuring miyazaki luma.

luma’s eyes dropped down in pleasure, accepting it all. at this point, they had given up the belief that they weren’t the reincarnation of the goddess of the moon, chandra, because scaramouche had convinced them they were.

their mind was clouded with scaramouche and scaramouche only. his plan worked. they forgot about childe, thinking of him and only him. it was fantastic. they were so tight too, staying loyal to their superior and not sleeping with anyone else.

“you’re mine, got that? all mine.” with those words, luma’s walls tightened as they came, squirting out and making a mess on the sheets below.

he realized they had passed out from the intensity of their orgasm. many nights he had jerked off to the sounds of their moans as they masturbated in their tent. now, finally seeing the real thing was refreshing to him — a great relief.

he laid next to them, pulling the covers over the both of them. he laid their content, holding an arm around their waist so they wouldn’t leave his side. luma wasn’t like the others, he was going to make sure of it.

diorlumx productions, 2023

#—galactic.works #—scaraluma #genshin impact #genshin oc #oc genshin #scaramouche smut #scaramouche x oc #scaramouche genshin impact #scaramouche #genshin impact scaramouche

[idontplaytrack]

Hey idk if you’re taking requests rn but I was wondering if you could write some fluff with one of auli’i’s characters (it doesn’t really matter which one) where the reader is just being the biggest flirt and she won’t take the hint until the reader kissed her

Lost Cause

Amber Appleton x fem! reader

Warnings: fluff, coarse language?

Thank you for requesting! Enjoy:)

“Amber, what is the matter with you? Why are you so fidgety?” Ty asks.

“You know y/n?” Asked Amber.

“Yeah, you’ve mentioned her before. Why?” The guy looks at him confused.

“Well, she asked me to hang out with her tomorrow night. Like go to dinner together.” Amber reveals.

“That’s great!”

“What? No.” Amber was horrified.

“Amber, you are seriously so oblivious sometimes.” He sighs, “She likes you. We only met her one time and it was insanely obvious.”

“That is impossible.” Amber��s eyes widened momentarily.

“Why do you find it so ridiculous that someone has feelings for you?” Ty laughs.

“I mean- look at her.”

“The girl’s been shamelessly flirting with you.” Ricky pointed out, “She was pretty touchy with you and you were so okay with it.”

“You too? My God.” Amber huffs.

“Okay, look- the winter dance is coming up.” Ricky continues, “We know you like her, so why don’t you make a move and ask her to go with you?”

“That is a great idea, Ricky.” Jordan quipped, “It would be the perfect opportunity for a first kiss- very romantic.”

“First kiss? Seriously? I cannot even get a proper sentence out when I see her.” Amber guffaws.

“Exactly. You do like her. And she likes you.” Jordan stated, “It’s easy- you have her number just casually drop her text and ask if she wants to join you. Not that it’s going to be a date.”

“I don’t see how that’s supposed to help- I’m still going to be spending time alone with her but she won’t know I want it to be a date?”

“Oh, Amber. You are a lost cause.” Ricky tutted, “Give me your phone.”

“No, why?”

“Just give it to me. My friends, we’re gonna help Amber ask out her crush.” Ricky announces.

“Yeah, Amber. Don’t let the girl’s efforts go to waste.” Jordan laughed, “Phone.”

“You can check what they type out before you decide to send it or not.” Ty reminded, “Y’know?”

“First thing’s first, do you want to go to dinner with her?” Ricky asked, “That’s what you need to answer first,”

“Do you honestly just always shove your feelings aside and ignore them? She was your roommate. How’ve you not kissed already is beyond me,” Jordan remarked.

“I wish it were that easy.” Amber sighs softly, nearly rolling her eyes. “You guys know I-”

“Yes.” They chorused. “That’s why we’re gonna help you text her,” Ricky added on.

Amber took her phone out and slid it across the table.

————

After school, Amber immediately went to get ready for tonight. She was excited, but more so nervous. She probably cared a little too much about what you thought— that’s how much she liked you. However, given that your little date location was a dinner, she ended up wearing hoodie and jeans. She was seriously deciding on the dress, though. But she didn’t. As you walked up the street to reach the dinner, you see her walk down the street- towards you.

“Hi, Amber.” You gave her a little wave.

“Hey.” She replies.

You two quickly got a seat and were now looking through the menu. “I was going to wear a dress. But I thought that was too formal.” Amber began. Much to your surprise.

You chuckle, “You know, I thought the same.” You were wearing a sweatshirt and cargo pants.

“Well, great minds think alike.” She giggles. Amber was blushing.

“Hey, do you have a date to the winter dance?” You asked, shutting the menu having already decided on what to order.

“Uh…” She looked away for a second, “Um, no. I was- thinking, if maybe…you wanna go with me? Like a date?”

“A date?” You didn’t expect her to make the first move- you were going to ask her. But she’d beat you to it. “With you? I mean-”

“I-it doesn’t have to be a date, but I-”

You interjected, “Amber, relax. I would love to go to the dance with you.”

“Really?” Her face lit up. “Of course.” You smiled, reaching out to put your hand on hers. Amber then pursed her lips together trying to hide her smile but failed to do so.

Over dinner, she slowly opened up- talking to you without too much care at all. Her actually bubbly personality and bright smile made your heart flutter. Amber who such an optimist too, which you loved about her. “Well, I’ve been alone honestly for the last 2 years…no family. Just my friends.” Her closest friends: Ty, Jordan and Ricky were all going to school in the same state or nearby states. So they still hung out sometimes. Pretty often, actually.

There were some rumours going around the school about what happened to her Mom, but you knew her Dad has passed away when she was twelve from a heart condition. You ignored the crap, obviously, knowing it wasn’t true.

“Well, um- you’ve got me now.” You smiled. She does the same back and then proceeded to stab at a little cut-up piece of syrup drenched waffle on her plate.

That night, you walked Amber back to her dorm before you headed back to yours. “Good night, Amber.”

“Good night.” She gave you a shy smile. And as you were about to turn and leave. “Wait.” She stops you, grabbing onto your wrist.

You stopped, looking into her eyes, waiting for her to continue speaking.

“Are we…”

You let a chuckle slip, you cautiously leaned closer to her, your hand sliding up her cheek to cup it, and then your lips met- igniting a spark in both of you that was yearning to make itself known…and Amber, stood before you in shock and delight, slowly reciprocating. She kisses you back, her hands on your back, almost reflexively pulling you closer. Your kisses linger for a minute before you two mutually broke away, just a tiny bit breathless.

“Those that answer your question? Or are you gonna need another clue?” You grinned.

“Mhm.” Amber nodded, her shyness taking over again as she blushed, “Can I kiss you again?”

You nodded happily and obliged, letting her kiss you this time. You loved it- she claimed that she’s never kissed anyone before but she was good, though. “Good night, y/n.” She hugs you with the biggest smile on her face.

“Sweet dreams, Amber.” You cupped her cheek and kissed her on the nose, “I’ll see you again soon.”

#auli’i cravalho #fanfiction #wlw fanfic #wlw fluff #wlw romance #crush #netflix #all together now #all together now netflix #amber appleton #lgbtqia #queer #reader insert #x reader #female reader #drabble #i don't play track answers

[etincelleart]

Penny Polendina’s theme in V8 and V9 (RWBY)

Heyo !! I wrote this long analysis about Penny on Twitter and thought I could share it here as well o/

So this is a little silly analysis of mine about my feeling about how Penny was depicted in V8 and V9 :]

NOTE : 1) Don't take all of that really seriously, this is simply a "fun" little analysis and my OWN view on the subject. This is just how I feel considering the infos we got on Penny during V9 !

2) This is also probably delusional AND I know it

3) So there's not need to come and tell me "shE Ain'T ComInG bAck >:[[[[[[", we can disagree but please give me your opinion and arguments if you'd like to discuss about it ♥

Anyway, for 2 years after V8 finale I felt probably like most people :  "Penny is gone for good, she ain't coming back, this is gonna be a big deal for Ruby in V9 but I guess that's it". I knew that Penny's 2nd death was going to be a big thing for Ruby and I expected it like everyone.

I rewatched Penny's death at the end of V8 and it truly felt like a farewell, a goodbye forever, I mean she got stabby stab from Cinder and chose to ask Jaune to kill her to give the powers to Winter. To me there wasn't any going back after that :[

And even when I'm writing it rn I feel like this thread is probably useless as I can feel how much of a goodbye it felt, and even more with the song "Friend" adding more pain :]] Especially with these lines :

And with Penny's soul linked to the Winter Maiden powers, now linked to Winter's soul, I guess it felt like a point of no return. It *still* feels like it tbh.

But Volume 9 changed my view on all of that and that's not because I'm an Nuts and Dolts shipper aha. I'm truly trying to speak objectively and to take out my ship glasses-

I expected Penny's theme to be huge for Ruby, but I didn't expect it to be THAT huge and present throughout the entiere volume. Almost every chapter we got a reference, an allusion, an element linked to Penny, a vision, and finally an illusion made by Neo.

I'll try to list all of them :

Chapter 1 - It was pretty much expected, but Ruby learned Penny's 2nd death a this moment. The start of her true breakdown I guess-

Chapter 2 - Basically the 1st Nuts and Dolts chapter of this volume lmao One of the main key of this episode was Ruby finding Penny's sword, which added to her pain even if she tried to move on pretty fast after.

Chapter 3 - The guards tell about the swords, the Red Prince ditch the sword and Ruby's not okay with that-

No mention of her during Chapter 4, so Chapter 5 - Ruby finds Penny's sword at the Blacksmith, and there's this weird line and moment I'll talk about later 

Chapter 6 - Penny's reflection in the water, related to Jaune's guilt and trauma over her fate

Chapter 7 - Ruby's PTSD striking while the Jabberwalker attacks her, and she sees a vision of Penny hacked at the Schnee manor, right before they helped her and executed their plan for her and Atlas (also, Jaune talked about his feelings about what happened with her)

Chapter 8 - Penny illusion made by Neo, attacking and talking to Ruby And no mention of her in Chapters 9 and 10. So except for Chapters 4, 9 and 10, Penny was mentioned EVERY chapter.

Now I know what some of you might think, this was mostly to set up Ruby's breakdown and make her spiralling because it's such a big deal for her, and you're totally right. Penny was used mostly to accentuate Ruby's pain.

And I know that I said (in another Twitter thread) that I wasn't fully satisfied with the finale because of that theme not being addressed after having her presence throughout the whole volume, I think I needed a reminder about production and budget. I think I'll feel satisfied with V9 finale if Penny's theme have some closure in V10 or V11 with Ruby, Pietro, Jaune and Winter in Vacuo. I imagine that with V9 finale this isn't just “everyone is so happy”, this is just the beginning of healing.

Anyway, if we don't have any closure in the next volumes THEN I'll say that I'm disappointed, but I doubt this wouldn't be addressed at all after such a volume and how much V8 finale was. But yeah, V9 finale had to focus on Ruby.

So, even if Penny's presence throughout V9 is mostly to add some layers on Ruby and Jaune's pain and trauma/breakown, I truly feel like the message from this volume is still in complete opposition with stuff we knew so far.

Tbh until V9 I really thought one of the main message of RWBY was that life AND death were important, and that death was inevitable and couldn't be avoided, like in our world. That death can be cruel and happen anytime to even the most precious souls. And it is in fact, keep moving forward aren't just some cute words, it's a true motto of the show. But the thing is that for Pyrrha, I never felt we had any hope or confirmation that she could come back, and we had a closure for her in Volume 6 with the scene at the statue. And by learning about the Gods in V6 as well, I thought that no one in this show was probably going to be back (except fo Ozma who reincarnates). 

The thing with V9 is that we discover that the “Gods”, who set up their rules of life and death without any reincarnation and no dead can come back, aren't actually Gods but made by the REAL RWBY God, in a world where reincarnation is THE thing. 🫠

And again, I know that the theme of rebirth was focused on Ruby this volume, that she had to go through that journey to understand that she's human, she's not perfect, she's enough just as she is and can do her best.

But Penny's theme this volume still kinda unsettled me as I didn't expect it to be so present. Truly when you rewatch the Volume idk if it's because I'm biased or something but I see it everywhere. The thing again is that we didn't get any closure for her. We got so much references and scenes for her, and no closure (idk if it's because of budget or intentional tho).

There are a few moments that also seem pretty weird/confusing to me :

1) It was confirmed by the script that when Ruby wakes up on the Ever After, it was Penny's voices calling her 3 times. But those screams are different from the one when Penny and Blake see Ruby falling in V8 finale. I listened again and while one of them seems similar, the others are different. So are those screams we didn't hear as a viewer ? But it still feels weird to add them as if she remembered them when we never heard them. Maybe those screams were just Ruby waking up and her mind mixing everything, but it's still kinda odd to me.

2) Another weird scene and probably the one that interests me the most, is when Ruby meets the Blacksmith in Chapter 5. I still don't really know how to fully analyse or understand this scene tbh-

We know the Blacksmith is a "representation of the Tree", so why does she have Penny's sword ? How does she even have Summer's weapon ? Why does Penny's blade turn into Alyx' dagger ? Why does Penny's reflection seem real and Ruby actually sees it, meaning it's not just an effect to tell us that this sword reminds Ruby or her ? And most importantly, when Ruby asks her how she got Penny's blade, the Blacksmith answers : 

Why does Penny's reflection seem real and Ruby actually sees it, meaning it's not just an effect to tell us that this sword reminds Ruby or her ? And most importantly, when Ruby asks her how she got Penny's blade, the Blacksmith answers : "nothing, no one, is ever truly lost". Truly as a viewer and even when trying not to be a Penny or NND stan, I can't help but think that this opens a lot of doors for interpretation. What does that mean exactly ?

Knowing the nature of the Ever After, does she mean that literally ? That Penny's not lost as we all thought in V8 finale ? Or is that metaphorical ? She then says "And you, are you lost ?" so it feels like the first answer wasn't supposed to be about Ruby but about Penny's sword. Before the Blacksmith asks Ruby if she's lost, Ruby looks at the sword in a pensive expression and she sees Penny's reflection. Almost as if she was thinking about what the Blacksmith just said.

But what is the use of these reflections ? If it's not just an effect for the viewer but also something Ruby can see, what does that mean ? There is obviously a link between weapons and identity/characters here

Another thing that confuses me too is the fact that Penny's sword is changed into Alyx' dagger. So were these weapons only illusions ? Does the Blacksmith really have Penny's sword, of even Summer's axe ?

3) Another thing more subtle that apparently not everyone catched, is the leitmotiv from Ruby's talk about Penny in Chapter 2 that comes back during the finale when Ruby choses herself. I edited the 2 scenes so people can hear it and compare, here’s the link to the video on Twitter :

https://twitter.com/EtincelleArt/status/1652360420462587905?s=20

Why this OST in particular ? We know that Penny is linked to the themes of hope but also choice/freedom. Maybe this is how it is supposed to be a parallel for Ruby choosing to keep her hope and to do her best. But I can't help but think that it is still a bit sus to hear this leitmotiv again in such a big moment during the finale. Especially when we got no mention or vision of her for the last two chapters.

We also had themes that are related to her a lot such a friendship and kindness with Little, souls moving on to their next life (Penny has a soul, "her soul is who she is"). 

I just have this feeling that so much is related to Penny this volume, it feels like it's on purpose so the viewer is grieving her as much as Ruby does :')) But nothing really felt "conclusive" in the end. Again maybe this conclusion will be for later, once Ruby is able to talk with Pietro, since we know he most likely got to Vacuo with Maria as Amity appeared to be fixed and floating in the sky at the end of V9.

But again it links with other thread I've done about Pietro (I’ll probably post it here too on Tumblr) : what about him ? Would he be able to grieve Penny a second time ? How would he handle the 2nd time losing Penny ?

I'm not necessarily saying that Penny will come back blablabla ‘(still praying and high on hope and copium tho), but it's STILL a feeling and I hope that I get after watching Volume 9 when I basically accepted the fact that she was dead in V8 :'))

After V8 I was (and I'm still in someway) part of those who thought that she shouldn't come back a 3rd time, her arc was completed, her death made sense, she made a choice. Truly I couldn't see how her being back would be a good thing. Most importantly, I was scared that her being back again would invalidate everything that happened during V8 and the fact that she chose for herself. It's still one of the reasons for why I'm conflicted about this whole thing :')) 

Depending on how it's done with the writing, NOW that we know what we know about the RWBY lore, the origins, the Tree, the Ever After, the Blacksmith, Ascension, I *could* see it happen. Of course my fan side is like omg yes I'd like her back please please. My writer side before V9 was like "no I love her but it's a bad move". Now I'm more like depending on how it's executed, I might accept it.

I mean, her being back in V7 didn't erase all the pain, suffering and mourning we (as viewers) had to go through with Ruby and other characters. It worked and kept intact all the time we spent asking if she was going to be back or not.

 Knowing how much the theme or reincarnation/rebirth is everywhere in the Ever After, it changes my view on the RWBY universe because life and death aren't just the only options there. There are different rules

She might come back, she might not come back, I just wanted to express how this volume made me feel about this specific theme. It gives us such a different message compared to Penny's death in V8 :']]

I mean of course this volume is brighter than V8 but after a volume where a character just can't escape death even after fighting for SO LONG, we finally have some light and hope about a possibility of MAYBE her being alive could happen.

(Just my own feelings again) From the start during her Atlas arc, Penny :

 - got framed

- was forced to take the Winter Maiden powers she didn't want

- was attacked by Cinder

- was forced to leave her friends to do things she didn't want to

- was hacked by Watts

- was killed again

Her ENTIERE ARC was tragic and even if Penny's character is optimistic, joyful, friendly, she's a fighter and she has hope, she sees beauty in a lot of things, she *still* never got the chance to truly live the life she wanted to live. So with what we got from V9, I see only two options :

- she's revived SOMEHOW and finally get the chance to live as it was kinda implied in V9

- she stays dead and her character stays so tragic and painful aaaah-

As for *how* she could come back at some point, I have my few ideas but I don't really want to get into that rn, it was mostly about how everything about her felt odd in V9 compared to V8 truly.

To finish on a hopeful and delusional word : "things always come in threes" :p

#rwby #rwby theory #rwby analysis #analysis #penny #penny polendina #ruby #ruby rose #rwby volume 8 #rwby v8 #rwby volume 7 #rwby v7 #rwby volume 9 #rwby v9 #spoilers rwby volume 9 #nuts and dolts #thread

[pub-lius]

I just wanna say, DUDE. The majority of what I know about amrev comes from your blog. Your in-depth posts literally have me FOAMING AT THE MOUTHH I don't have much time to read longer books due to school but I wanna feed my obsession so do you have any books on the shorter side or some websites/archives I can research/read a bit quicker? If not it's totally fine.

Also off topic but I'm loving "It Began About Dusk" on AO3 <3

OH MY GOD THE FLATTERY‼️‼️‼️ you’re making me blush here anon. im so glad that you find my posts helpful!!! AND IM SO GLAD YOU LIKE MY FICS i have a chapter of it began about dusk in the drafts rn so you’ll get more content soon

now this is a tricky question because im absolutely insane and ive barely ever read short books. right now im reading His Excellency by Joseph J Ellis and i recommend it!! its only around 2-300 pages which is the shortest history book ive got VSJWBW primary sources can be really good to get in book form, things like Common Sense by Thomas Paine, Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior (Washington’s rule book), and Memoir of Lieut. Col. Tench Tilghman, Secretary and aid to Washington are all primary sources i have on my shelf that are short and sweet.

i also have Hercules Mulligan by Micheal J. Obrien which i haven’t read but is VERY small. there is also James Monroe by Gary Hart which is short but i have not finished (i dont even truly remember reading it but i annotated part of it apparently), The Drillmaster of Valley Forge by Paul Lockhart is a little longer than those others, but still isn’t chernow levels of wrong, but i also haven’t read that one. Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger isn’t the most serious history book, but it is pretty good and an easy read.

as for secondary source websites, start with encyclopedias ie Britannica, which post short articles on different historical figures and events that give you the overview. from there im gonna point you to the National Park Service. this is the best thing the US government has ever made for researchers. this is all your battlefields, winter encampments, historical reproductions, and former capitals. also check out private residences turned museums, such as Mount Vernon, Monticello, and Schuyler Mansion. these institutions have an abundance of easily accessible information on more than just the people who lived there.

now the Library of Congress was a good decision on Jefferson’s part, but it can be inaccessible if you don’t know how to use it well because their website is one of my least favorite things about being alive. so instead, i recommend using Founders Online for any primary source regarding the founding fathers or amrev figures. the Washington Papers are filled to the brim with almost everything that went out of headquarters during all 8 years of the war. founders online is the shit

all of these websites i’ve mentioned are free to access, because i do not pay money on any research tools besides books out of spite for late stage capitalism. also any primary source is 100% accessible online. that includes memoirs and court transcripts, which can be very helpful

also i really do recommend watching documentaries and informational videos on the subjects you’re interested in while doing work or other things if you’re someone who does that (ik some people don’t have background noise but im just assuming you’re as neurodivergent as i am) because you can absorb just a little of that information and it being about a subject of interest can make academics seem a little less miserable!

i hope this is helpful and if you have absolutely any further questions, feel free to ask. i know im very privileged to have the time and resources to read long ass books, which is why i very freely share the information i absorb with the public bc i believe education should never be gatekept by anyone. so if you have any questions, im happy to research them for you, or at least point you in the right direction. love ya!!

#history #amrev #american history #american revolution #books #resources #asks

[dreadwulf]

Hi idk if I’m doing this right, I don’t really use tumblr. I’m 36 and getting into fan fiction for the first time. A Man for All Seasons is like only the 3rd I’ve ever read in my life and certainly the longest/most detailed but I just wanted to tell you I love it so much and I’m so impressed. My husband doesn’t know anything about fan fiction at all but he is into ASOIAF and when I was telling him about the Kings of Winter he was also super engrossed and now he’s reading your fic, too. I’m on The Light chapter rn and can’t wait to see how this ends. Also can’t wait to read all your others. Just wanted to say thank you so, Thank you so much!

Aww, thank you! That means a lot! I love that you're recruiting your spouse to read fanfic, excellent work!

So uh, you're about to read The Light. You're about to be real disappointed to find that I have not updated in a WHILE and I left off with many things unresolved. Unfortunately I had a nasty breakup with the TV show, the kind where I can't even look at images of it without getting angry all over again, and that made it a bit difficult to keep writing. I had to take some time away to write book-canon fics only for a while (and whatever this is) and then life hit me like a freight train and I didn't write at all for a little while.

I started writing again this month and guess this is as good a place as any to mention I'm finishing up my last three unfinished stories now. After the End will be done after the chapter I'm working on today. Then A Simple Twist of Fate will be next, that will have quite a few more chapters to complete. And then, yes, I will complete AMFAS. After that? Well, it'll take me a while to finish them, they're both going to be quite long. But once it's done, I think I'm going to write the novel I've been plotting in the back of my head for a while. Don't know if anyone will be interested in that, but I'll share it here first anyway.

#I love every one of these messages thank you

[rn-zane]

TIMING: recent SETTING: coffee house PARTIES: @vanishingreyes + @rn-zane SUMMARY: two people who happen to work in healthcare meet up and... click.

Zane was late and desperately hoping that his new friend wasn’t the type to show up ten minutes early to a coffee hang out. The thought of Xóchitl having waited for over ten minutes was horrifying enough but twenty minutes? If that hadn’t been even more rude, he probably would have scurried off home to hide from the consequences of his awful time management. Plus, he did like the idea of sitting down with her for a chat. She seemed nice, earnest. 

Cold air followed him into the coffee shop once he finally scrambled through the door, apologizing profusely to the woman who had just been about to exit. A quick, almost frantic survey of the coffee shop confirmed that Xó hadn’t simply given up and left, and that she didn’t look annoyed. “Hi, hey,” Zane greeted breathlessly, smiling apologetically as he sat in the empty chair across from her. “I’m so sorry, time just got away from me and… anyway, good thing I already offered to pay because I’m definitely doing that now.”

Tugging the hat from his head, put on mostly for appearances since the cold didn’t really bother him that much, Zane made a futile attempt to control the disarrayed curls that became free. “What are you having? I’ll go order for us.”

—--

She figured that she could use someone to hang out with who was easy company, and who she didn’t want to sleep with. Not that she assumed Zane was unattractive, but she was rather overjoyed (inasmuch as she could be) at the prospect of maybe having a friend that would start as just that, and not as a hookup of some sort. Plus, he seemed like he needed a friend, maybe even more than she did (not that Xóchitl was readily admitting the fact that she did maybe need a friend, but still. Zane needed one even more.)

“You don’t need to apologize,” she gave a flick of her wrist, dismissing (she hoped) any further apologies that he might have attempted. “But yes, you can still get the drinks for us.” Xóchitl didn’t mind being treated, and she was also fairly positive that Zane would collapse into himself like paper if she denied him his wish, so she’d let him do what pleased him, and then, if this went well, repay him sometime.”

“I’ll have a chai. It’s not super authentic here, but I’m also hardly an expert on that, and it does a good job as far as being an enjoyable drink. What will you have?” Xóchitl tucked her phone into her bag. “You should get yourself something to eat, too. Feels like I should say that especially because of the whole fact that you’re a nurse in the Emergency Department and likely don’t have a whole lot of free time.”

—-

Further apologies died on his tongue at the flick of Xó’s hand but it did little to quell the apologetic smile that was still glued on Zane’s face. Nodding along eagerly as she gave her order, he shrugged off his jacket to hang on the back of the chair, hoping his face didn’t twitch when she mentioned food. “I’m good with just drinks at the moment, honest. Don’t worry, my coworkers are really good at bothering me about nutrition.” He’d had to brush off more worries about his eating habits than he could count, even going so far as to vanish into the breakroom to be able to lie that he’d had a meal there. 

With one last smile, Zane went off to order their drinks, returning with a steaming chai and a cup that looked more like hot chocolate than coffee, topped off with whipped cream, caramel and some tiny marshmallows. “New winter special,” he explained as he finally took a seat, trying to shake off the anxiety of being late. “I’m bad at resisting caramel flavored things. And tiny marshmallows.”

The first sip was wonderful, the texture of the warm mocha with the whipped cream, coupled with a few pieces of marshmallow doing enough to make up for the lack of being able to really taste it. Grabbing for a tissue to wipe off the cream that now smudged his upper lip, Zane chuckled awkwardly, unsure of where to start this conversation before deciding to just dive in. “I’m… really happy you wanted to meet. You seem nice and, well, never hurts to have more nice people around, right?” 

—-

“Just drinks works for me too, I just figured I’d be rude if I didn’t at least offer, and also I did want to genuinely offer. Make sure you’re doing alright and all that.” She didn’t want to care this much, but she couldn’t help it, apparently. Which was a curse itself, but not one Xóchitl was going to get too into at the moment.

“I think you’d be someone without a heart if you could resist such things.” Xóchitl offered him a small smile. Of course, she played at hating sweets as often as she could, but of all the façades she kept up that one the least. It also wasn’t one she saw it fit to stress out over, at least not too very much. Not right now, at least. The last thing she wanted (or rather, one of the last things she wanted) was for people to think that she avoided indulgences because of some health worry. It was all rooted back to trauma, but that also wasn’t something she needed to focus on or let Zane know anything about. “So long as the marshmallows aren’t stale – I like them when they’re actually correctly squishable.”

“I agree entirely. About having nice people around. I’m glad that I seem nice – you do, too.” She offered him one of her far more genuine smiles. “Did you grow up here? I forget if I’ve asked you this before, or not… also, I am glad we finally met. God knows I need more people at the hospital who I can tolerate.” Xóchitl let her smile come mainly from her eyes, that time.

—--

Zane chuckled softly at her encouragement for the sweet drink, even as the comment of being heartless hit a bit too close to home. Of course he still had a heart but it wasn’t really serving a purpose other than simply being. If an education in healthcare hadn’t already proved beyond a doubt that emotions did indeed not spawn from the heart, his current situation would have been a solid example. “Not sure if I need someone supporting my sugar addiction but I’m definitely not complaining,” he joked.

Looking her over, Xó seemed like someone who wouldn’t have a hard time finding company, whether platonic or not. Her smile was infectious and she seemed so sure of herself, much calmer than Zane who was trying his best to not squirm in the seat. “No, just been here a couple of years. Started nursing school and just sort of stuck around, I guess. As good as any other place,” he explained, although being literally stuck felt more accurate. Where else would a solo, freshly turned vampire go? At least here he had a place to stay, a few people to care about. His hand stilled as he realized he’d been pulling at the ends of his curls, unraveling them and making the already messy locks even more disarrayed. 

“I’ll try to keep myself in that group, then.” He smiled, patting down his hair and fighting the urge to throw his hat back on. “Sorry, been putting off a haircut as you can see and, anyway, what about you? No way you’ve been here your whole life.” 

—--

“Well, I’m an independent woman, and I think I can choose to support whatever it is that I please.” Xóchitl grinned, “and listen, if it makes you happy, and it’s not harming anything other than maybe your teeth, why shouldn’t I approve?”

She could feel his eyes looking her over, and for a moment she straightened up even more, doing her best to appear as perfect as she could. Not for any reason other than the fact that she genuinely wanted Zane’s respect. There was nothing other than platonic feelings toward him, but he’d called her nice and kind so many times that Xóchitl absolutely wanted to prove him right. Make sure she was what he expected. He seemed like he needed predictability and consistency, and if she could give that, she absolutely would. Every time. “Well, I’m sure the town’s all the better for you sticking around, I know I’m glad I got to meet you.” She watched him play with his hair.

“I bet you’ll do that no problem.” Another kind smile, another sip of her drink. “Have you ever considered dying your hair? Not saying you need it, and I’ve personally not done it, but I think it could suit you, if you’re trying to be more out there.” Xóchitl should’ve known to expect the next question. She could’ve lied, but it felt cruel to do so. “I was born here, moved away as a kid, and just came back in March. So no, got my beginnings here but haven’t lived here in just over twenty years.”

—--

Zane chuckled, enjoying the easy conspiracy of encouraging bad behaviors of this caliber. A safe thing to joke about but also something that made him feel like he’d known the woman in front of him for longer than the short conversation they’d had online. Definitely a personality trait that came in handy for a psychologist. “Ah, of course. I wouldn’t dream of telling you what to do. Especially since out of the two of us, you probably have better instincts.”

Sometimes, in the presence of kindness like this, Zane tended to feel undeserving. Maybe because of all the secrets he held or simply because he felt more comfortable being the one on the giving end of kind words and actions. That feeling was lingering now, wanting to prompt him into making excuses, try to convince Xóchitl that she wouldn’t feel the same if she knew everything but thankfully, he kept those intrusive thoughts in check. Instead, he settled for an embarrassed smile, one that would have been accompanied by a blush if physiologically possible. “I’m definitely glad, too.”

Her suggestion caught him off guard, the cup of empty calories stilling against his lips for a moment before he finally took a sip. They’d talked a bit about their differences online, Zane’s tendency to stay back, far from the spotlight while Xó seemed to crave the opposite. The idea was just that, an idea, probably just her thinking out loud but it did spark some interest in his chest. “I… haven’t. Until right now.” He smiled, toying with the idea. It would definitely be a point of conversation at work. Maybe even a… confidence boost. “I mean, knowing me I’ll think about it and postpone it until the end of time since I’m not great at spontaneity but it would be fun.”

Nodding along to her explanation, Zane finally raised his cup towards her with a soft smile. “Then let me say that the town is all the better for your return.”

—-

“Well, that’s high praise considering we’ve only just met, but I’ll still take it.” It was easy to like Zane, and it made Xóchitl all the more grateful that someone like him was in the medical field. She knew from direct experience how unfortunately rare that was, and even if she normally just did her best to get through the day without having to interact too much with anybody else. Mostly because work friendships weren’t really her thing. In fairness, friendships of any sort weren’t really… her thing. Despite the fact that if anybody wanted to prove the contrary, they had plenty of evidence to do so. 

She couldn’t help but smile at his smile, and find a certain sort of childlike charm in all of this. Which was a nice change of pace, and even if she wasn’t going to explicitly say so to Zane, Xóchitl could show him with her words and expressions that she in fact enjoyed this, and it was nice to talk to someone where the only possible underlying goal was friendship. 

“I mean, we could do it today.” She smirked and raised an eyebrow. “That would make for a story to tell, don’t you think?” Xóchitl nodded, “no pressure, obviously, but if you want to do it, I’m down. This sort of spontaneity doesn’t hurt anybody and can just be plain old fun, so if you’re down, I’m down.”

She tapped her cup against his. “Well, again, you’re very kind to say such a thing.”

—-

It had been way too long since he’d been in company this comfortable, this stress free. He was meeting people, sure, but Emilio was… Emilio, things were still always a bit tense with Jonas, being around Chris just made him inherently awkward and that last meeting with Wynne had been alright but not… good. Zane would have been tempted to somehow slip in the fact that Xóchitl was gorgeous and kind but far from his type if not for the fact that she seemed to be on the exact same wavelength. An honest to god friend date. Even if this would end up being just a one time thing, he was grateful for it all the same.

Even if this sudden change in conversation was making him a little jittery. 

“Really?” he chuckled, somewhere between nervous and giddy at the thought. Zane did want to make sure Xó had a fun afternoon and he had mentioned that getting outside his comfort zone would be a good thing. “I mean, everywhere is probably booked for the day and I’m guessing this sort of thing probably takes a while and you have places to be…” He trailed off, realizing how gloomy this all sounded. “You know what, yeah. Let’s do it. Or at least try. Worst case, we can get one of those box dyes and hope my hair doesn’t fall off.”

—-

It was nice to just be able to talk to someone. Of course, she had people like Emilio, and like Jade, and Wyatt and maybe even that strange musician, Conor. But to have something fall into it all as easily as this was? Absolutely brilliant. Xóchitl would’ve used the word magical if it didn’t seem preposterous to use. Though Zane did have a pretty ideal sort of magic presence around him.

“Yes really! I don’t usually do things I don’t want to do. Plus, you’re a lot of fun.” Except she could practically feel the cloud that covered him, which only made Xóchitl all the more keen to go out and do it. “Yes! Good. Let’s do it! We can try box dye, or I’m happy to bribe any salon into finding an opening for us.” A mischievous twinkle appeared behind her eye. “It’s really up to you, but I’m absolutely and totally down for anything you want to do. Proud of you for suggesting something that’s a bit wild but also very fun and safe.” Because she didn’t want her possible-new-maybe-friend to get hurt (or die) on their very first hangout.

She didn’t want him to ever get hurt (or die), but it would be especially awful if it all happened at the very start of everything.

—-

Her excitement was so contagious, there was no ignoring it. Zane couldn’t help but wonder if this is what it would have been like to grow up with siblings - well, have siblings and a normal childhood, maybe. Being blood didn’t matter, that much he’d learned over the years. His found family might have been a bit strange at the moment, an odd assembly of such different people that it was a wonder he could care so much about all of them. Maybe Xóchitl could fit in there, be another reason this town wasn’t quite as awful as it regularly attempted to be. 

So yeah, his breath hitched a little when she said she was proud of him for something as silly as this, and it was probably a bit weird that he already felt needlessly protective of her. It didn’t matter because right now, they had a hair salon to find. “Heck yeah.” Smiling, Zane felt light as he dug out some cash to leave as a tip, bumping his shoulder fondly into Xó’s as they moved for the door. 

#writing #vanishingreyes #thread:xóchitl #xóchitl.001