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vctrvn-ls · 9 months

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Saturday •| Niko | •

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summary: you persuade Niko to go clubbing, but things don’t turn out so great

warnings: language, slight angst, alcohol use, kissing(?)

word count: 2.5k

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"The club!?" Niko's eyebrows expressed all his current emotions.

"Yes!" You bounce next to him with an excited grin "It'll be so fun! I used to go all the time!"

"All the time?" He quoted.

"Yess, we'll go together, it's gonna be so fun. Trust!" You beam at poor Niko who's heart rate was through the roof just thinking about clubbing.

"And the cocktails at Fabric are so good! Better than Rosé in a bottle."

"First of all what do you have against Rosé in a bottle?" He referred to your classic Saturday nights, when the two of you would order takeout and have a bottle of Rosé while watching an old horror movie.

"And second of all, FABRIC!?" His voice went high pitched. "The most famous club in England!?"

"Well it's London, and secondly we're turning old! We're only in our early twenties and already spending our great Saturday nights sitting at home." You spoke your mind.

Niko sighs, looking away and not knowing what to add.

"Niko," you purr, leaning onto his shoulder, trying to get him to ease up and approve your desires.

He glanced down at you. He could tell you really wanted to go.

"Fine." He selflessly agrees, making you squeal in excitement and place a chaste kiss onto his lips. He watched you run up the stairs to get ready with hooded eyes, contemplating his decision and wondering how badly it would turn out for him.

"I don't even know what to wear." He walks into your room, eyes meeting your body that was dressed in a black slip.

You turn around, smiling while putting your hair up in a messy bun "Hey." You chirp sweetly.

"Wow, you look," he takes a sharp breathe in as his eyes wonder all over you "Breathtaking."

You giggle shyly and twirl in front of him

"It's cute right?"

"Yeah, it is." He takes ahold of your waist as you spin right into his arms. His slender fingers smoothly glided up and down the fabric on your back, he leaned down to kiss you, hands traveling lower and lower.

"Niko." You say sternly as you break the kiss, feeling him on the small of your back.

He chuckles "Sorry, really can't resist."

You place another kiss on his lips before walking over to the mirror and continuing to fiddle with your hair.

He watched you with a dreamy expression, drowning in your charm, for a second even forgetting about how much he didn't want to go out, tired from the long week and endless days of shooting, but he didn't want to ruin your thrill by seeming boring or, as you mentioned earlier, old.

"A-are you going out like that?" Niko suddenly says in a rather surprised tone, noticing how thin the dress was.

You turn around "Yeah." You shrug "I mean it's Uber there and Uber back. It's warm outside."

You say with such simplicity that it worries Niko.

You slam the door as the car drives away right behind you.

"Kinda chilly." You comment as Niko walks up to you. He settled on a black turtleneck and had his blazer in his hand just in case. He looked so leng that you had to fight your want to get your hands all over him before leaving the house.

You take his arm and lead him to the entrance of the club that looked suspiciously empty.

A man dressed in a dark blue suit stopped you with his palm out "Sorry guys I just sent everyone away-"

You swiftly pull out your phone, showing him a QR code to which he replied with a "Welcome."

As you step inside the leading hallway, you could feel Niko's perplexed eyes on you.

You look up and raise a brow.

"What-Where did that come from?"

You smile proudly "Perks of being an ex-party machine."

"Party machine? When di-"

But his words were instantly cut off by deafening music as you opened the heavy metal door.

You felt a rush of adrenaline course through you as the loud melody boomed through the atmosphere, bass vibrating the floor. Purple and blue lights shimmered and shone all over the walls, crowd and ceiling. Your mouth fell open into a smile as you saw people dancing and energetically jumping up and down, drunk and carefree. Everything felt so nostalgically familiar that you even forgot that you hadn’t been to a place like this in almost a year.

Niko on the other hand was wincing from the wordless noise, he couldn't even think of it as music. People pushed him from left and right as he tried to catch up to you in a hurry.

He shielded his eyes from the annoyingly bright lights that kept coming from every direction, blurring his vision.

"Two Manhattans please!" You yell to the bartender, leaning on the counter and smiling.

He winked at you and nodded, knowing from experience that there was no point in shouting over the music.

"Two what?!" Niko's voice rung through your ear and you turned around.

"Manhattans?" You repeat.

"Isn't that a place?" Niko quizzed, to which you just laugh and turn back to the bar, leaving him in genuine confusion.

Where did this side of you even come from? He didn't know you even partied, let alone knew names of drinks he had never heard of in his life!

You turn around to him and hold up a glass.

Niko observed it, he had never held one of these in his hand before, it was like a usual glass but squished to the top, making it look funny.

'Very Wolf of Wall street' he thought as he saw red liquid with a single cherry floating inside.

"Wha-" Niko was about to ask you what was in it, but he paused in shock as he witnessed you finish your drink in one gulp.

You stick out your tongue and cough from the bitter taste of alcohol, before opening your eyes and turning back to the bar table to ask for another one.

Niko's eyes are as wide as plates at this point, watching you innocently look up at him, like that didn't just happen.

"Try it!" You shout to him with a wide grin on your face.

His looked at the drink in his hand.

"Cmon!" You urged him.

He brought the glass up to his lips and took the tiniest sip, eyes instantly screwing shut as he tasted the insanely strong whiskey that stung his mouth.

How did you just wash that down in an instant!?

You laugh at his cute reaction while taking your second glass from the counter.

"How is it?" You tiptoe so you wouldn't have to shout as loudly, but that didn't help the slightest, instead you felt the alcohol wash over your head, which made you lose your balance and slightly tip to the side.

"Aye!" Niko catches you with one arm, propping you up by the waist.

You laugh at your own clumsiness and begin to drink again.

"Hey maybe it's better-" Before he could finish you were already done, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand.

"Jesus." Niko mumbled as he watched you give away the empty glass back to the bartender.

"You done?" You ask, glancing at his drink.

He shakes his head, not really wanting it anymore.

"Cmon!" You gently push the glass up to his face so he would drink it.

Niko furrows his eyebrows and tightens his lips, shaking his head.

"Nikooo!" You whine, evidently disappointed, which was the last thing he wanted, so he hurried to finish at least half of it, forcing it down.

"Disgusting." He spits, covering his mouth with the sleeve of his turtleneck and putting the glass on the counter.

You smile with your teeth, grabbing his hand and pulling him onto the dance floor, right into the crowd.

The music was so loud that Niko couldn't even recognize the song, while you jumped up and down in unison with the rest of the people around you. As you swayed your hands around you felt yourself bump into something, or rather someone, with your butt.

You turned around seeing an unfamiliar man instead of Niko standing behind you.

"Sorry!" You shouted with a friendly smile on your face.

"It's ok!" He smiled in response, his pearly white teeth glowing under the blue lights. "What's yo-"

But before you could hear the rest of the sentence you felt yourself being pulled away by your shoulders. Your head was spinning like crazy and when you finally opened your eyes you met Niko's displeased face staring at you from above.

You smile lightheartedly and take his hands to make him join your wave of fun, but he stiffens under your touch.

You're confused in your gone state, wondering what was stopping him from having as much fun as you were currently having.

You bring your hands up to his neck and pull him down for a kiss, sure that that'd ease him up. You move your mouth in a messy and, obviously, drunk manner, kissing him like you were touch starved your whole life. With the help of alcohol your feelings enhanced like crazy, lust overtaking as the kiss got hotter.

On the other side, Niko was bewildered by the state you were in. Your hot palms held onto the back of his neck, forbidding him to pull away.

You finally felt his hands on your shoulders and shuddered from the contact on your bare skin, thinking that your idea had worked and Niko finally lightened up. But those thoughts were quickly brushed away as you felt a forceful push. You stumbled backwards, struggling to hold balance, eyes opening in confusion.

"Let's go." Niko pronounces as he pulls on his blazer with an irritated expression painted on his face.

"What?" You laugh shaking your head in perplexity. But Niko wasn't laughing.

He wanted out. Now.

He grabbed ahold of your arm and pulled you after him, pushing past all the people.

You clutched onto his wrist as his grip tightened.

"Ow." You whined with a frown as you finally got outside into the empty and dimly lit street.

"What the fuck?!" You exclaim, rubbing the area, more hurt emotionally than physically, feeling the drunk-anger rise inside you.

Your look shot up at Niko, who’s eyes were darting around the street. But you didn't notice his concern, you were on the verge of being completely wasted and your desire to party was through the roof.

"Niko!" You shout angrily.

"What?" He turns to you.

You spread your arms out "What the hell was that?"

He took a pause before replying "It was time to go."

You raised your eyebrows and laughed dryly "We just got there."

"It was too loud." He pulled out his phone to check the time, clearly lying about his reason.

1am

"Oh my god." You roll your eyes "Are you that lazy? How boring do you have to be to leave as soon as it's 'too loud'?" You scoffed. You didn't mean any of it, you were intoxicated and the alcohol was talking for you, you couldn't control your boosted emotions, struggling to notice Niko's genuinely upset state.

"Hey I-"

"Why'd you always have to ruin everything." You narrow your eyes at him and tilt your head, leaving him stunned by your words.

"Why are you acting like this?" He asked softly, trying his best to not cause a scene.

"Me!?" You exclaim, enraged by how he accused you in response to your own question "You're the one who got me all excited by the fact that we were finally going out. Only to come here and leave in a fucking hour!"

Even though you were drunk, you still had a pretty good grasp on reality and you knew your words were coming off as hurtful and nasty, you just thought that Niko's actions were aimed at you. You though he didn't want you to have fun because you were enjoying yourself too much and he didn't like the way you were too active, especially after his surprised reaction to finding out about how you used to always go out.

"Why can't we just do something interesting for once!?" You huff and look up at him with fury sparkling in your eyes.

Niko scratched the back of his head and sighed, looking away "I just-" he began mumbling his response, but he was speaking too slow for your juiced brain.

"You what? What, Niko?"

"I was uncomfortable!" He raised his voice.

Your eyebrows dropped from the unexpected statement.

Niko? Uncomfortable?

He brought his hands up to his face as he let out a heavy sigh.

"You're drunk, I'm worried, then we also got all the other guys who want to get close to you." He referred to your previous encounter with the man at the dance floor.

"It's loud and everyone's either stoned or drunk. I don't care if you're mad at me. I'd rather you be mad, than me letting you go back in and risking whatever." He motions at the club entrance, with the guard awkwardly still standing there, watching both of you from afar, thankfully not hearing your conversation.

Realization hits you like a bus. You did over do it, you had gotten way too carried away. That realization was enough to make you sober up a little and walk over to Niko, hugging him tightly.

He sighed.

"I'm sorry, Niko." You closed your eyes, pressing your cheek against his torso as his arms wrapped around your back, indicating that he wasn't mad.

"I didn't mean it." You squeezed him.

He nods to himself "I know you didn't." He replies softly. It was almost scary how easy it was to apologize to him, he never held grudges let alone reject an apology.

"You wanna get pizza?" You say suggestively, as you glance up at him with big guilty eyes.

"At 1am?"

You smile "Everyone knows that next to every night club there is a 24 hour restaurant."

"Clearly I'm not everyone."

"Come." You take his hand and lead him, not able to properly walk in a straight line making, Niko chuckle.

“Oh, not bad.” Niko nodded, chewing and looking at the pizza slice that was in his hand.

“Right?” You agree with your mouth full.

The pair of you were sitting outside a small pizza place, eating and enjoying the night atmosphere. It was quiet and the street lamps lit up the roads in warm tones. You sat in Niko’s blazer, practically sinking in its size, every time you moved you’d catch the smell of his cologne, powdery and not too strong.

You talked and talked, about everything, enjoying each others company.

“You know what?” You say, straightening your back and smiling.

“What?”

“We should eat out on Saturdays. That way it won’t be boring and not too crazy.”

Niko nods with a grin “Yeah.” He shrugs “Sounds good.”

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requests r open <3

#beta squad #niko omilana #fanfic #ndl #nikoomilanafanfic #niko x you #niko x reader #niko omilana edit #youtube #chunkz #aj shabeel #king kenny #sharky

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whitexwolfxx310 · 1 year

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Good Morning, Big Bad (White) Wolf

Pairing: Buckyxfemale!reader

Summary: After experiencing a breach at The Compound, Tony sets you up with an apartment of your own....next to Bucky.

Warnings: Fluff, angst, flirting, sarcasm, slight cursing, play fighting, emotional discussions about relationships, Y/N.

Wordcount: 3.2K

Gif: Gif credit goes to c-evans

Previous Part

Masterlist

Waking up the following morning, you swear it was all a dream. There is no possible way that Bucky had admitted to having feelings for you the night before. Opening your eyes, you're overcome by a wave of warm butterflies in your stomach. An instantaneous smile takes over your lips as you stretch out like a cat just waking up from a nap. Looking around the room, it feels familiar and yet completely new. For now, due to a possible safety breach, this is your new home for the foreseen future.

Sitting up in bed, you look around. It's like a hotel room; Simple, beautiful, but nothing personal. The thought saddens you a bit. You get out of bed, walking out from the bedroom and into the living room to find Bucky sitting on the sofa with a newspaper. He's such an old man. Hearing you walk in, he puts the paper down on the table in front of the couch and stands up. "Morning, Sunshine." He says warmly, but doesn't make any forward advancements. It's simple yet complicated just how chivalrous he is. But at the same time it’s comforting, knowing how patient of a man he is.

As if it were instinct, you saunter over to him to put your head on his chest, arms hanging lazily down at your sides. Bucky let’s out a small laugh as he wraps his arms comfortingly around your body, resting his chin on top of your head.

“Not much of a morning person, huh?” He speaks softly, and although you aren’t looking at him, you can tell he’s smiling through the words. Groaning faintly, you nuzzle your face into the crook of his neck. Holding onto you for a few more moments, Bucky starts trying to encourage starting the day by lightly rubbing his hands up and down your arms. As he starts pulling away you whimper at the sudden absence of heat, getting instant goosebumps.

“So…” Bucky starts, taking a few steps back. “I know how you are with ‘personalizing your space’.” He says, almost nervously. “I… went back down into your office and grabbed some of your things.” He points to the tv stand behind you. You turn to follow his gaze and find the picture of yourself and your brother, Luke. Your all time favorite picture. The one you look at every time you miss him. It’s the one thing you use to answer that age old question; If you could only take one thing from your house in the situation of an emergency, this would be it.

Bucky gently puts his arm on your lower back and slowly eases your body to turn towards the windowsill. There you find a vase of the brightest and most perfect yellow sunflowers. Next to the bouquet was a classic record player. He tenderly moves his hands to your shoulders, leaning in he says, “Sunflowers for my Sunshine.” in a low voice. Is this even real life?

In pure excitement you spin around, jumping up into Bucky’s arms, your legs closing around his torso like a small monkey in a tree. He supports your weight by holding you underneath your thighs.

“Is every morning going to be like this?” Your voice sounds just a bit too excited. Bucky laughs quietly “It can be, if you want.” He responds, looking up into your eyes and grinning.

“Don’t say it if you don’t mean it.” You say, half teasingly and half truthful.

He smiles, “My word is all I have.” Returning the smile, your hand runs back through his soft, short hair as you plant a small, dainty kiss on his lips. His reply is to press his lips back into yours.

Straightening your legs to imply you want to get down, he helps ease you down onto the ground. Looking down, your fingers intertwine with each other in front of you. “I um… I was going to try out the gym downstairs. Might as well check out the amenities.” You awkwardly laugh. Bucky smiles and walks over the the island in the kitchen. On the counter is a rather full paper bag. “Good thing Nat stopped by and dropped off some clothes for you to borrow.”

You excitedly walk over and peek in the bag. Oh good, no leather or spandex. They really do think of everything here. Settling for black leggings and a oversized gray Motley Crue band t-shirt, you turn back around, “Thanks.” You say, impressed. “I’m going to go change, would you want to come with me?” You offer, hopeful that he’ll say yes. Any excuse to be with him, close to him, and cracking that exterior shell he hides behind.

“Yeah! I just have to change and take care of Alpine, I’ll meet you down there.” Bucky says with a tiny smile as he heads out of the apartment.

The door latch doesn’t even fully close before you grab the chosen stack of clothes and dart into the bedroom. You start your morning routine. (Well, rather as close as you could get to your typical regimen under the circumstances.) As if the apartment was completely set up in case of situations like this, it was completely stocked. Toiletries, brand new toothbrush, chargers, etc. Changing into the borrowed clothes, you finish by putting your hair up into a high ponytail, performing oral hygiene, and of course, deodorant. (Actually an extra amount for the gym.)

The gym is located back on the first floor. Walking in, you feel a sudden wave of insecurity seeing everyone training. Nebula and Gamora are sparring with one another while Clint and Nat are making small talk as they spot each other lifting weights. Sam is sprinting effortlessly on a treadmill without breaking a sweat. You decide to take the safe option, taking one as well. Stepping up, you press the 'Start' button and break into a casual walk. After warming up, you increase the speed to a light jog. Although, next to Sam it looks like a real life demonstration of The Tortoise And The Hare. But, Sam being Sam, he would never say anything.

"Where's the moody teenager?" He breathes, looking over at you through the mirror in front of you both. A small laugh escapes as you try to control your breathing. "He's a little hard to keep track of." Sam laughs. "You're telling me!"

Finishing up two miles, you hit the 'Stop' button with a little extra force. Normally you would have only done one mile, but Sam made the run look so easy that you decided to push yourself. Stepping off of the treadmill, you lean forward, resting your hands on your knees as the air feels tight in your chest. The sweat is quickly turning into a cool dampness on your skin. Finally feeling like your heartrate is calming down, you stand up to find Bucky. So much for managing my heartrate. There he stands in a plain pair of gray sweatpants and a loose fitted t-shirt.

"Speak of the devil!" Sam calls from a few feet over, still keeping the same pace on the treadmill with an eighth of the perspiration . This is embarrassing.

Being constantly surrounded by heroes, super soldiers, and enhanced individuals didn’t seem like it would be that much of a challenge. You grew up a military brat, constantly having to adjust and then start all over again. This is like apples and oranges. Maybe it was naive to think that they would be similar, but that’s what a learning curve is, right? We all have one thing in common though, how to manage loss.

“You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Sam. For someone who relies on flying so much, you sure do focus on cardio.” Bucky grins at Wilson in the mirror.

“Hey…” you say, pretending to sound offended. “What’s wrong with cardio?!” You tease.

“Not a thing.” He smiles.

“Well then…” you start, walking backward towards the open room filled with padded martial arts mats. “Show me.” You grin, stepping onto the mat. Bucky puts his hands up in front of him in a truce manner.

“Come on, Y/N. I don’t want to hurt you.” He says, sounding concerned at even just the thought.

“I guess you have nothing to worry about then.” You smirk. “Let’s make it interesting… whoever lands the blow gets to ask something personal about the other. Nothings off limits.”

“I could just ask.” Bucky says taking a step onto the mat.

“Yeah but where’s the fun in that?” You say, daringly. Bucky's head rolls forward, a small laugh escaping.

"There's no winning this, is there?"

"Nope!" You say as your hands curl into loose fists, knees bent with feet firmly placed, and your dominant hand closest to your chest. Bucky lazily mirrors the defensive stance, obviously taking this as some sort of practical joke. You take advantage of him only half paying attention and snap forward, pushing his right elbow down and away.

"Wait!" Bucky says, letting his arms hang down. His eyebrows raised, eyes wide, and jaw hanging open just slightly. You let out a small laugh, but don't let your guard down.

"You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Mr. Barnes." You repeat the words teasingly as he had done to Sam. Still stunned, Bucky continues to stand there.

You lurch forward again but this time with a stiff right cross, which to no surprise, he blocks. Still in shock, Bucky is searching your face, occasionally looking at your hands which you use to your advantage. Using a swift kick to the left side of his abdomen. "Ugh!" He exclaims stepping back.

Laughing, you stand up straight. Someone else has joined in the laughter. Looking to the side of the mat is Wilson with his arms crossed, shaking his head.

"Man, what is it with you and getting your ass kicked by women?" Sam says, genuinely amused. Bucky shoots him a look through narrowed eyes.

"Yeah, Buck. What's up with that?" You say innocently taking a step forward and intertwining your hands together, looking up at him sarcastically sweet. Bucky, still flabbergasted just looks between you and Sam, still trying to find words. You take another step in closer with a flirtatious smile looking up into his eyes while leaning in. He does the same, so you utilize his distraction with a quick palm to his stomach. Only so slightly does he stumble back, but you take the opportunity to ever so swiftly sweep his feet from underneath him with your right foot.

He lays on the mat looking up at you in amazement.

"I'd say she's passed initiation." Cap says with a smirk. When did he even get in here?

Looking around, you see that a number of Avengers have gathered around.

"I know who I'm calling in for backup next time. Sorry, Nat." Clint jokes.

You crouch down and offer your hand out to Bucky. A truce. He laughs and reluctantly takes your hand. "I don't know if I should trust you." He says, apprehensively. Helping him up in a show of good faith (not that he actually needed help getting up) you laugh. "I guess I get to ask whatever I want then." You smirk.

Both standing up straight, you grin. "I know it's not just about the cardio." You laugh.

"Alright...everyone go back to....whatever it is you were doing." Bucky says, slightly embarrassed. Grabbing two bottles of water from a fridge on the way out from the gym, you hand one to him and crack open the other for yourself. Of course the coolness is more than welcomed after a nervous but fulfilled gym session.

"How?" Bucky asks, still blown away.

"Listen." You start, shaking your head. "My ego is not big enough to know that you could have laid me out flat in front of everyone. But, thank you for letting me humiliate you for a bit." You smile, nudging him slightly with your shoulder. He smirks in response.

"With having generations of military in the family, my dad thought it would be important to at least know how to defend myself."

"Your father's a smart man." Bucky says in agreeance. There's a small hint of awkwardness in the air.

"So..." You start, walking straight and not looking in Bucky's general direction. "About Sophie."

"What about her?" Bucky asks, nonchalantly.

"The situation still just seems so..." Your hands make little circles in the air, trying to find the right words. "So personal." You admit.

"Ah." Bucky breathes. "Still on that train, huh?"

"No seriously." You stop walking in the hallway. He turns to face you and stops as well. "This isn't meaningless to me, Bucky!" You sigh. "I need to know..." You whisper.

Taking a step towards you cautiously, he places both hands on each of your shoulders and looks down into your eyes. "I didn't-" He sighs. "I didn't know how to approach you about these...feelings." Bucky confesses. "Back in the 40's I would take you to a carnival and out dancing. Within a year we would have a house and be married, probably trying to start a family." Well that went from 0-100... Your face must have mimicked the thought because he starts quickly shaking his head. "Which is not how it works today, I know. I was trying to get an objective opinion from a woman who isn't an Avenger. Aside from you and Sophie, I don't have anyone else I could ask." Bucky admits.

His hands move upwards from your shoulders to cup your face gently. "This...is new for me." He breathes. Your hand reaches up to your cheek, delicately placing it over his. "Me too." You say in a nervous whisper.

"How about we figure it out together then? Just you and me, no one else?" Bucky offers. You nod your head and smile up at him. "Just us." You say in agreeance, placing a small kiss on his lips.

Next part

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hornyforpoetry · 10 months

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Classic 20th Century Japanese Writers I Recommend

Over the past three years, little by little, I have begun to explore the beauty of Japanese literature. I had some reluctance at first due to the fact that the first Japanese I read was Haruki Murakami (no offense to his fans, but his writing style doesn't appeal to me). Even if you try not to be prejudiced, sometimes the brain works against you. I've taken a much further step back since then and decided to get my hands on some classics. I always liked the classics better. An apparently wise decision on my part, as I found some exceptional literary gems. I'm still at the beginning of exploration and it's a slow process (quality translations are few and far between in my country; luckily more and more classical Japanese authors are coming in lately, which brings me nothing but joy), but this is a short list of 20th century Japanese literature that I recommend.

1. Ryūnosuke Akutagawa (1892 - 1927) // Hell Screen (1918) // Spinning Gears (1927)

One of the greatest Japanese authors in history, Akutagawa is known as the "father of Japanese short stories". In my opinion, he fully deserves his title. His short stories are something unique in world literature, developing a wide variety of themes. He explores in his writings both old and new Japan, but maintaining a precious, enchanted air. Its style is easy to understand, but retains a certain poetry. Akutagawa instills in his characters an air of mystery and, in a certain way, grotesque, as if he could sense the dark side of man.

"Hell Screen" is inspired by a 13th-century volume of stories about the painter Yoshihide, commissioned to paint a screen depicting the Buddhist Hell scene. The theme of the artist's obsession with creation is a recurring theme in world literature, and Akutagawa brings it back in a new light. ”Spinning Gears” on the other hand takes place in the modern era and has a certain autobiographical feel to it. The protagonist narrates a series of events that he goes through, but these are often interrupted by his own thoughts and even hallucinations. The line between reality and fiction is finely demarcated, and the fall from one side to the other is sometimes imperceptible.

2. Yasunari Kawabata (1899 – 1972) // Thousand Cranes (1952) // Beauty and Sadness (1964)

The first Japanese to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, Kawabata is an important writer both nationally and internationally. Many of his writings have spread throughout the world. His protagonists are usually respected men, but tormented by a hidden, obsessive side that they try to curb. His style is delicate but concise, being generally devoid of unnecessary literary flourishes. Kawabata's construction is subtle and carefully contoured, knowing when to alternate shots.

"Thousand Cranes" is a short novel about a young unmarried man who has an affair with a woman older than him. Despite the age difference, the young man begins to develop an obsession with the woman, an erotic and even scary fascination in places. It is a story about passion that transforms reason, that brings horrible chimeras out of the human soul. "Beauty and Sadness" revolves around a former affair between a respected writer and a painter. The nostalgic notes of the past merge with the monotony of the present. While the central female figure is resigned and accepts her fate with simple coldness, the male figure seems to degrade at the first push and to live in a slight reverie, throwing himself into the nets of a past that only he idealizes.

3. Osamu Dazai (1909 – 1948) // The Setting Sun (1947) // No Longer Human (1948)

A tragic genius par excellence, Osamu Dazai was obsessed his whole life with the idea of non-being. He had a latent fear of the idea of living among humans. His style is the most similar to that of Western writers among the Japanese authors I have come across so far. Like French decadents, he led a miserable life marked by alcohol, sex and suicidal tendencies. What makes him unique in literature is the way he manages to capitalize on the anguish, anxiety, fear of the human being that he suffers from and expose it in a poetic way in his writings.

"The Setting Sun" centers on a woman in her early 30s who lives with her opium-addicted brother and her widowed and ailing mother. The snake appears as an obsessive idea, a protector and a harbinger of death at the same time. The woman seems to have a corrupted soul since childhood, a tendency towards alienation, towards misfortune, towards darkness. The fear of loneliness is combined here with the fear of closeness. "No Longer Human" is a prose memoir with many autobiographical elements. The protagonist is presented through all three stages of his life, from childhood to adolescence to adulthood. The young cartoonist is terrified of the darkness within him, which turns him into an inhuman being. Despite his desperate attempts, he finds it impossible to be honest and connect with people. His life is haunted by the tragedy of a lonely soul, scared of his own self, terrified that the world will find out about the monster that lies within him.

4. Yukio Mishima (1925 – 1970) // Confessions of a Mask (1949) // After the Banquet (1960)

Every country has that historical character that seems to be taken out of legends, but which was as true as it can be. Yukio Mishima is that character of Japan who is not talked about enough outside the borders. He had a tumultuous life, involved in art and politics alike. He wrote literature, essays, plays. His vocabulary is rich, lyrical, powerful. The images he conjures are terrifying, but clothed in poetry. He was not afraid to express the ideas he believed in, his political views, his observations on society, but he never forgot to express his art in a unique and sublime way. His voice is a universal voice, the meditations are of the whole world, and the freshness of the spirit is eternal. Mishima had a hidden talent for entering the darkness of the human soul and bringing out from there everything that could be both terrible and beautiful.

"Confessions of a Mask" is one of his most famous works. The young protagonist recalls his childhood and adolescence, exploring his homoerotic inclinations and the passion he develops for characters in agony. The images suggested in this prose are jarring, dramatic and aesthetic. Everything from the construction to the wording to the image is beautiful. "After the Banquet" has as its central character a woman in early old age. This is a charismatic character, slightly rude, but charming. Mishima balances the woman's free spirit with her fear of dying and disappearing without anyone to honor her memory, while a political battle rages in the background.

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sunflowerharrington · 2 years

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I just saw your screenshot from your jpm one-shot thing and OH MY GOD PLEASE I BEG OF YOU POST ITTTTTT😫🤤🥵

nobody but you - james patrick march

• summary: after a slight hiccup at the bar on the opening night of the hotel cortez, james shows you exactly why you’re his number one. not his wife, not the other woman, not the maid; hazel evers. nobody but you. and he shows you why he should also be your number one.

• warning(s): james patrick march, possessiveness, jealousy, smut, 18+, sir kink, threatening somebody behind their back, cheating (question mark?), alcohol mention, not proofread, not edited!

• word count: 3223

• notes: i got slightly carried away, love. enjoy 🧡 it’s more of a lead up to sexy time <3 (i’m down bad babes) and i’m trying a new format for my fics, i think they look much better like this. also my kyle fic kinda flopped so i’m trying again with some james march, which is hopefully spicy to you. also also you’re basically in elizabeth’s shoes but like, you actually love james.

• oh, you mean this old thing?

• i advise listening to yumeji’s theme, composed by shigeru umebayashi, but only if you want to. i have a feeling james would like this piece of classical music, and it would be the type of music you would hear at the opening night of the cortez being played on a piano. oh my god how romantic. also, feel free to listen to valse sentimentale composed by tchaikovsky.

Halloween. The one night of the year where people can dress up like a total slut and get away with it. And nobody would blink an eye. And tonight, you’re no exception, and you have a plan up your sleeve, to tease your lover as much as you can while his guests are around. So he can’t do anything about your bratty behaviour until much further into the night when the lights dim and the covers are thrown down to the foot of the bed.

You pull the clear thin straps of your red dress up and around your shoulders, smoothing down the silky, smooth material around your waist, tracing your curves in the mirror as you await your lover. And then you smile, feeling the sensation of two hands holding your waist, pulling you closer, coiling around your waist to lock you in an embrace.

“Dearest,” he mutters into your neck, pressing one kiss to your skin, watching as your neck prickles with goosebumps.

You smile as you and James sway effortlessly to the melody of the birds chirping outside, for the last time before they would go to sleep for the night. James takes your hands in his and spins you around to face him, keeping one hand on your waist, holding you firmly in his slightly possessive grip. And the idea of making him jealous turns you on immensely, and the thoughts of what he might do to you later as a result turns you on even more than you ever thought possible.

“How are you feeling about tonight, my love?”

“Excited for dinner,” you remark, which is the truth, but there is a lot more to it than you’re letting on. You subtly look him up and down as the words leave your lips, and James smirks as he takes your hand, leading you out of your shared bedroom.

Your ride down the elevator is deafeningly quiet to say the least, the only sound being James tapping his wedding ring-ed finger off one of the rails inside the elevator. You were hurt when you first found out he was a married man, to Beverly Cortez; the daughter of the man who helped James create the hotel, but after countless reassurances from him, you decided to stop caring about what other people thought of yours and James’ relationship.

Out of the blue, James places one hand on the back of your neck, and the other on the small of your back. He slowly dips you backwards over his knee, adjusting his arms to brush his fingers under your chin, drawing you closer.

The gesture causes your bottom lip to tremble slightly, and after, his fingers begin moving again, taking your small burst of pleasure away. But all at once, he places the thumb of his free hand on your bottom lip, gazing at you, your mind, body and soul encapsulated by the dark pools of mahogany in his eyes. Your breath stutters as his index and middle finger trail to the pulse point on your neck, pressing down with little force. He turns your face to the side slightly, counting as your heartbeat increases as a result of his actions, your body giving way under his touch.

“Your heart seems to be beating faster than usual, dearest. Are you alright?” He asks, smirking as you gulp down another stuttering breath, hard.

“I feel marvellous, love. Even more so with you by my side,” you say, breathlessly, as you lose yourself in those big black eyes looking back at you.

The gesture is confident, having you tremble beneath his touch, melting each time his perfect fingers caress your warm skin, and he holds for a moment as the breath catches in your throat.

He glances down at your lips, and then back up to your eyes, before guiding your mouth towards his own. Your fingers tremble slightly on his arm, and they tighten as his lips reconnect with yours.

Electricity and internal ecstasy crashes through both of your bodies as you glide your hand up and over James’ shoulder, and onto his neck, pulling him closer to you, and in turn deepening the kiss.

His tongue gently brushes over your bottom lip, which immediately falls open for him, and not a second later his tongue meets yours, gently at first as he pulls you closer against him. Your whole body is on fire, heart racing and skin prickling with little goosebumps.

“Oh, Darling,” he mutters, smiling against your lips, tightening his grip around your waist, tipping you even further backwards.

James’ fingers thread themselves into your hair, gently pulling your head back, deepening the kiss further. And you both smile into the next kiss, after both having let out a moan of pleasure into the last, and as you pull away, you’re giggling furiously, and James is smiling.

He presses another feather light kiss to your soft lips as he swivels you back to stand upright. As you slide out of his passionate embrace, he grants himself some well-earned pleasure and presses a soft kiss to the skin at the base of your neck, just as the doors of the elevator open. And you and James are ready to make your grand entrance.

James holds out his arm for you to take, and you accept, curling both of your arms around his. You walk in sync into the middle of the room, where the guests have arrived in horse-and-carriages and are slowly entering the hotel through the giant doors. All dressed to the nines in their magnificent looking ball gowns and extraordinary suits, tailored by only the best.

You and James go your separate ways to greet the guests; James spending a lot more time with the female guests than you think is necessary, and you spending at most ten seconds greeting each man.

“You would think a gentleman like James would not flirt with other women in front of you. How pathetic. Look how divine you are, Ms Y/L/N.” The bartender, Gracie, says from behind the bar as you walk over to the bar for a drink. “What’s your order for this evening, dolly?”

“Poison, so I can put it in James’ drink,” you reply, deadpanned. You had had enough of his bullshit tonight, and the night has barely even begun. “But then who would run the Cortez? Mrs Evers? You?”

“You, of course,” She starts, stating it matter-of-factly. “I’d advise you to go talk to Mr Valentino who’s standing in the corner over there.” She points in the distance. “Two can play at that game James is playing with you.”

“Oh darling, I love only you,” you say, mocking him. “It would not surprise me in the slightest if he’s having an affair with Hazel behind my back.”

“Oh, dolly. Hazel is not the type of woman he likes. Maybe he’s doing it to make you jealous.”

You nod, though you think poisoning his drink is not the smartest idea, as Gracie swirls around your usual alcoholic drink of choice in a small glass, trying to take your mind off what James is currently doing.

“I was surprised he hasn’t proposed yet since we've been together a year, but after seeing that… I don’t think there’s hope anymore.”

Moments later you feel familiar hands grabbing your waist, pulling you into an embrace, much different than the one in your bedroom ten minutes ago. It’s cold, distant almost, and James already smells like another woman’s perfume.

“Oh, now you want me?” You scoff, shoving his hands away from your waist. “That’s not how it works, March. You cannot go off with another woman and expect me to be okay with it. I’ve dealt with it enough with Beverly and I don’t want to have to do it again!”

James’ lips part, his mouth falling open in shock, breath stuttering as he tries to get words out, but no sound leaves his throat. He swallows the breath that caught in his throat, and his shock went down with it, leaving his frustration.

“I barely touched her, that is hardly the reason why my darling is so upset,” he says to Liz, who tuts at him.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, we were watching you, Mr March. You were all over that woman! I can even smell perfume off you and I know Y/N does not wear Jasmine. Was she even on your mind when you were over there with that other woman?”

James doesn’t say anything, instead leaving the bar in search of you, and he finds you almost immediately; down where the oldest part of the hotel is being renovated.

You didn’t know where you’re running to, but anywhere away from James and the scent of another woman’s perfume lingering on him, and God awful perfume at that. You would think for the grand opening night of the Hotel Cortez she would wear a nice scent at least—

“Darling?” James calls, to no answer from you. “I need to have a private conversation with you before dinner.”

“No, James. Leave me alone—!”

“I am in love with only you, Dearest.”

You scoff, turning your back to him, crossing your arms over your chest. He walks up behind you, trailing his fingers down the curve of your neck, down your arm, down, down, to lace his fingers with yours, unravelling your arms from their crossed position, his lips taking a similar path. “And I will never lay my eyes on another woman again if that makes you happy. I don’t want to hurt you, and I don’t want you to be upset with me.”

Your heart thrums in your chest as his kisses slow down, trailing back up to your neck, stopping to suck on your skin into his mouth, grazing the skin between his teeth, leaving a mark that would surely show up purple by dinner. But you don’t stop him this time, instead leaning into his soft touch, your breath ragged as his grip on your hips tightens.

“And yet you were flirting with another woman right in front of me,” you retort, his grip on your hips loosening so he can spin you around to face him.

“I was simply complimenting her outfit, my love.”

“So kissing her cheek and whispering in her ear is giving a compliment? Wow, March. You’ve got some nerve,” you scoff, trying to push him away, but his grip on you is too tight.

“I want my guests to feel welcome! I want people to come to my hotel, darling.”

“I’m not buying it,” you say, just as an idea pops into your head. Karma’s a bitch, but James has had it coming. A sly smile stretches the corners of your lips upwards, and you take James’ arm in yours. “You know… Actually, I forgive you. Let’s have a lovely dinner with our guests to celebrate.”

“I will not dare look at another woman, my Darling. You are my one and only. There is nobody I would rather spend my life with, until death do us part.”

One and only, you repeat to yourself in your head as you head back down to the entrance with James, to announce dinner will be served in the next ten minutes.

James takes a seat at the top of the table, and you take the seat closest to him on the left, opposite a young man. He looks to be the same age as James, slightly younger, maybe by a year or two. You make eye contact with him and he smiles back at you, a smile so contagious the corners of your lips begin to turn upwards.

“If I cannot look at other women, you cannot look at other men, my dear,” James says, his brows slightly furrowed.

“Oh so it is alright for you to get another woman’s perfume all over you, and yet I cannot even smile at somebody?” Your smile broadens as the crease between his brows deepens. “Are you jealous, Jimmy?” You say, knowing how much he hates it when you call him that in front of other people.

“Never,” he says between gritted teeth, the grip he has on his knife a bit too tight for comfort. “Now, would you be a dear and help Ms Evers?”

“I—“ you splutter, you can’t believe what you’re hearing. “So you’re treating me like a servant now?”

“No, I’m simply asking you to help so everyone can get their food faster. And so we can be back in our bedroom faster.” Liar, he just wants to punish you, and publicly embarrass you in front of his guests for embarrassing him.

“I can’t get up. I can barely move in this dress on my own, it’s restraining me!”

James leans over towards you, placing one of his strong hands on your thigh. “It is indeed a tight one, my darling,” James says under his breath, matter of factly, tightening his grip on you under the table, making you let out a quiet yelp. One of which you were holding in for quite some time, since the elevator.

James chuckles under his breath, turning to look directly into your eyes. He leans in closer to your ear to whisper; “However, I do quite like watching you squirm. So you will do as I say.”

“James… I—”

“Not now, darling. Do you want to embarrass yourself in front of our guests? I thought so. Now, go help Ms Evers.”

You roll your eyes, shoving James’ hand away from you. He frowns again, and it looks like he’s about to stand up himself.

“Please, excuse my angel and I for a moment,” James announces as he stands to his feet, avoiding eye contact with you. “I’m afraid dinner will have to wait.”

He grabs your wrist and pulls you roughly out of your seat, taking you away from the table and back to the elevator. When you get to your bedroom, James pulls you inside and locks the door behind you both as you walk into the middle of the room.

“Dearest…” he says, flicking the light switch off so you’re in complete darkness. “I believe you need to be reminded of who you belong to.”

“James, I— I can’t see where you are.”

“You will know where I am, my love.” He says from afar, and you can hear his footsteps approaching you, his hot breath ghosting your skin. “Just listen to my voice, there is no need to be scared of the dark.”

He lets his lips linger, hovering right on yours, his cold skin contrasting with your warmth. You can feel his breath on your lips. You can almost taste him. And you both can’t bear it. He presses his lips to yours as he curls his arms around you, pulling you against him, walking you backwards against the wall.

He moans as his tongue finds yours, resting his hand on the nape of your neck, threading his fingers through your hair at the base of your neck. He takes a handful of your hair in his grip and pulls gently, making you exhale loudly against him.

“You like that, Darling? Hm?”

You let out a whimpering moan in response, his hand caressing your waist and back as he kisses you deeply, drifting slowly, subtly, upwards, until he could hook his fingers under the fabric of the top of your dress. He hesitates to roam his hands to the zipper at the back momentarily, until you press closer to him, the movement making his hand drop back to your hip.

You take his bottom lip between your teeth as you pull away, letting it go with a quiet snap, making James groan. “Oh, my. Do that again, my Queen.”

And you do, drawing it out longer than the last time, letting out a soft moan of your own, arching your back and pressing your chest against his. Despite himself, and despite how many times he has fantasized about having you all to himself, nothing compares to how it actually feels, how nervous you make him even when he’s the one making the decisions and deciding what needs to be done tonight. But it isn’t enough, he has to get closer to you, somehow.

“I loved this dress on you, Dearest, but I’m afraid it now has to come off.”

His words send a shiver up your spine, and you can feel his eyes on you, looking deep into your soul though you’re surrounded by darkness, and the anticipation of what he will do next. He takes the small zipper on the back of your dress in between his index finger and thumb, pulling it down, and you take your arms out of the sleeves, letting the garment fall to the floor.

“I’m all yours, Sir,” you say, coiling your arms back around his neck. Though in complete darkness, you feel more exposed than ever, feeling the fabric of James’ suit brushing against your skin as he pulls you back into him, bringing his hand up to caress the side of your face.

“My my, all mine,” he replies. “It didn’t take much for you to admit that you’re mine, my beloved.”

“I just wanted to teach you a lesson, Mr March.”

You bring your hands up to where you think the buttons closing his suit jacket are, and you unbutton them, shoving the garment off him, doing the same with his shirt. You take your fingernails down his chest and stomach, and his fingers get to work unbuckling his belt and trousers.

“A lesson?”

“Shh, James… Less talking, more touching.”

As he is doing so, you start walking him backwards to where you think the bed is, and thank goodness James has a soft landing, as his back hits the mattress. You climb on top of him, your lips attaching themselves to his neck, attacking the skin, and you can almost see the purple marks in the darkness.

You rock your hips against his growing erection, hearing what sounds like whimpers coming from the back of his throat. You’ve never heard him like this before, and God, what a sound for sore ears.

A knock on the door interrupts you both, and you brace yourself, knowing James will begin shouting at whoever it is in 3… 2… “Who dares interrupt my love and I?! I’ll cut your arms off so you won’t bother us again!”

“Dinner has been served Mr March.” It's Ms Evers, so thankfully no limbs will be cut off. Tonight, anyway. “We are all waiting for you and your lovely Y/N.”

“Dinner can wait, Ms Evers. I’m quite busy right now,” he says, not leaving his position on the bed, instead encouraging you to kiss his neck again, threading his fingers through your hair again. “Allow us ten minutes of privacy, and then we shall join our guests for dinner.”

“As you wish, Mr March.”

As you wish, Mr March, you repeat in your mind, mocking her. She’s so desperate to be James’ number one that you get second hand embarrassment from it. She never stops.

You lift your head up to look at James, who’s got a little smirk playing on his lips. “Although, what you have to offer me, my love, will fill me to the brim. I will be too full for dinner when I’m done with you.”

@xxlangdon @sympathyforher @quickiesgirl @langdon-cumslut @unlivingdreams lmk if u wanna be added 🧡

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why-so-serious-lucifer · 6 months

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K-pop Discography Deep Dives: Red Velvet (Part ONE)

A Disclaimer: I was planning, when I first started Tumblr, to be a lurker, but then I began an office job and needed something to listen to to keep myself occupied. And then, I started going through entire K-pop groups’ repertoires, album by album, and jotting down my thoughts. And then, I stumbled into K-pop tumblr and decided, you know what, there’s at least four people on this hell site who would read in depth rants about these discographies and at least five who wouldn’t read it and then get mad because it’s kind of our job as K-pop fans. My lukewarm takes should be taken with an entire silo of salt and the knowledge that this is completely for fun and occupying my very bored, very neurodivergent brain. All this to say, for the love of god, I’m a sleep-deprived student and I don’t have time for internet hate, so don’t kill me. With that being said, enjoy!

Here are my credentials: Red Velvet was the first k-pop group I ever loved, even though Blackpink was really my introduction. I became a ReVeLuv in 2019, because of Russian Roulette, and I’ve been a fan since, including of the members’ solo careers (Wendy in particular). But as I’ve gotten more into k-pop and since they come back so infrequently, I haven’t really been keeping up with them and I feel like I’m less of a fan than I once was. So, I’m super excited for their comeback on the 13th (especially with a full album!) and I’m hoping that through this deep dive, I’ll fall back in love just in time for the new album.

Red Velvet is almost a decade old, having debuted with four members (Wendy, Joy, Irene, and Seulgi) in 2014, with the 5th, Yeri, being added the year after. Red Velvet is known for their dual concept: the poppier, brighter Red side and the R & B focused, more sensual Velvet side, which sets them apart from many girl groups of their time that were pigeonholed into either “cute / naive” or “sexy / mature”.

Happiness is their official 2014 debut (again, with four members). While I do like this song, I don’t find myself coming back to it often because it just doesn’t sound like Red Velvet to me; it’s bubbly and odd, but in a similar way to a lot of k-pop; it sounds like many other “quirky” k-pop groups from the same time, and just a bit too young for a group who were all adults at the time. Wendy’s bridge remains a highlight, but like NingNing’s vocal showcase in Next Level, it doesn’t fit the song enough, and I wish it was in a better one so I could love it more.

Be Natural is the balance of sorts to Happiness, a more mature R & B track that’s a cover of the 2001 classic by S.E.S. I love the jazzy background of this one, and the kind of drawn-out pull of the vocals that sound much smoother than in Happiness. It was this song that proved RV could be more than just their debut, and could tackle both more childish and more grown-up concepts. While this is a cover, they put their own spin on it, though I admit I’m not a fan of Taeyong’s part, as I’m almost never in favor of random rap verses in very subdued songs. Also, I’m not a choreo blog, but shoutout to all the difficult work that they do dancing on the chairs, because my back hurts just watching it.

Ice Cream Cake marks the introduction of Yeri, which gives me a fair bit of bias towards this as I’m happy to see them all together. It’s bubbly and bright with almost impressive amounts of aegyo that’s definitely a product of its overly bubbly 2015 k-pop world, especially the rap verse that just jumps in out of nowhere. While it has far more personality than Happiness does (like in the slight creepiness of the playground-esque lalalala’s and the bizarre music video), I think that it’s still very much a marker of the beginning stage of Red Velvet’s career when they were still figuring out their identity as a band. I want to be clear that it’s not a bad song. But it doesn’t stack up to the instant classics that we’ll see in a bit.

Automatic, like Be Natural for Happiness, is the Velvet balance for Ice Cream Cake, and where ICC feels very young, Automatic is far more sleek and graceful in its delivery. It’s a gentle R & B track that glides along like it’s dancing on its tiptoes the whole time. It clearly was put together after the success of the Be Natural cover, and while there are similarities, I prefer Automatic for two reasons: a) Yeri’s there, rounding out the voices well, and b) It sounds more like a Red Velvet song, with a few little quirks. The instrumental is minimalistic, which lets the voices speak for themselves, and it’s the first title in this series I’ve loved on first re-listen.

From the Ice Cream Cake EP, Stupid Cupid was an immediate favorite. Starting off with that Western-movie-esque guitar, its intonation and production is reminiscent of a 2nd gen title, Girls Generation in particular. Normally I’m not a fan of a slight drop between pre-chorus and chorus, but it works here. I even don’t mind the rap verse, as the humor in it fits more with the tone of the song than one usually does. I never gave this song a second thought before, so I’m glad I found it.

Dumb Dumb is the first song that feels quintessentially Red Velvet in this review. It’s very much a “throw things at the wall” track, with that delightfully funky instrumental and a never-stopping drumline that feels like it’s beating your heart for you. It’s a song that feels like it shouldn’t work, between the key changes, the tempo changes, the many repetitions, the chanting, etc, and yet…it does? Dumb Dumb toes about five dozen tightropes perfectly, and I have no idea how. This song has so many things that are genuine pet peeves of mine, but I love it anyway, and if anyone could pull this off (with a random verse honoring Michael Jackson), it’s them.

The Red is almost universally known as an excellent album, and I can’t talk about every song (even though I would!), so I’ll just talk about a few of my favorites: Huff n’ Puff, Campfire, and Don’t U Wait No More. Huff n’ Puff bounces back and forth with an oddly warped instrumental and off-beat clapping, then ties it all together with a great bridge and its titular refrain. Campfire has more sing talk than I normally enjoy, but it’s still melodic and its brassy chorus more than makes up for it. And Don’t U Wait No More has an interestingly clipped call and response in its chorus that is now very much stuck in my head.

One Of These Nights is a surprising choice for a single, especially for 2016. Many reviewers responded with mixed or even negative opinions on it after the delightful bombast that is Dumb Dumb, and I can see why they did. One Of These Nights is not a song for everyone; it’s quiet, melancholy, and honestly depressing, and yet it’s so beautiful and heartfelt that it’s honestly my favorite of their singles. It was made to mark the Korean festival of Chuseok (that is, in legend, the one day of the year where two fabled lovers can reunite, before they have to part again), and that gentle yearning and happiness with an edge of tragedy is so comforting for anyone coming out of grief but still remembering the good times. Red Velvet’s voices are something special; they’re great separately, but together, they’re just stunning.

The Velvet is less critically praised than The Red, but I love both Rose Scent Breeze and Light Me Up. Rose Scent Breeze may seem like just another b-side at first, but it soon goes from gentle melancholy to a furious guitar riff-led power ballad that lifts you up without losing its palpable emotion. Light Me Up is an R & B song too, but has a youthful energy and a joy not found in their other “Velvet” songs. As both a queer person and a huge fan of Wendy’s voice, I admit I like her “La Rouge” version more than the original, though the harmonizing at the end feels like honest-to-god floating.

Russian Roulette starts with a similarly creepy “lalala” to the one in Ice Cream Cake, and was actually the first Red Velvet song I ever heard. It bounds forward with the choppy energy of a classic video game, and between the insane catchiness of its hook and the bizarre combination of murderous Tom-and-Jerry imagery and skyscrapers of aegyo, it’s no surprise it went viral. It both fits perfectly into k-pop cliches and pokes fun at them in the process, zig-zagging between what seems like a sweet love song and the visuals of a gang of expressionless dolls. It is…utterly bizarre, and, just like the first time, I’m utterly enthralled.

What to say about the EP? I love this entire album, and it’s so hard to choose a hidden gem. Lucky Girl, Fool, and Bad Dracula are all excellent tracks, and I love all of the different combinations of doo-wop, synth, and other vintage genres too. I’ve got to say that my favorite is Lucky Girl, though, partially for the delightful catchiness of the song as a whole, partially for the inclusion of actual “shoo-be-doo-wop” vocalization, and partially for the immaculate Girls Generation-esque 50’s/60’s production.

Rookie is not and never has been a song for me. It’s not that it’s a bad song, per se, and I actually enjoy the greater part of the verses. Red Velvet’s voices are great as always, and I also love that bridge. This song, truth be told, annoys me more than anything, because it’s so, so close to being good. But why, why, why, did they have to give it a chanty, aegyo-filled hook? Come on, guys, we were almost there. We could’ve had another so-crazy-it-just-might-work situation like Dumb Dumb, but instead there’s too much crazy and not enough working for me.

From the Rookie EP, I honestly preferred almost every song to the title, but Little Little was my favorite. It’s slow and quiet at first, and during the verses, you’ll think it’s bound to be depressing. But then, like an opposite version of Rookie, the chorus completely changes the song, turning it into a dreamy R & B ballad that’s been a fixture on my sleep playlist for years.

If the last few songs have been upbeat, Red Flavor is practically jubilant. It’s been called THE summer k-pop song, and for good reason. It bounces off the metaphorical walls, full of delight and youthful energy. Even the verses, albeit slower, set up that juggernaut of a chorus with its distinctive “red, red, red flavor” distortion in the post. I’m sure this is just me being a ReVeLuv, but this song is so nostalgic for me and never fails to make me a bit sappy, especially the slightly wistful outro. I don’t mind the rap, but I wish we could’ve gotten more of the singing section of the bridge instead. Overall though I really like this one.

The Red Summer is one of their strongest EPs, and while I wanted to give Mojito a quick shout-out, my hidden gem is, without a doubt, You Better Know. If you’ve read at least one of the disclaimers at the top of my reviews, you’ll know I’m neurodivergent. I have autism, and I kind of didn’t let myself believe it for a while. But one day I was walking outside and this song came on, and its message was just what I needed to finally let go and let myself stim for the first time. If you don’t have autism, it’s almost impossible to explain the pure rush of joy that stimming (especially after so long repressing it) can bring, and so whenever You Better Know comes up on my playlist, I find myself fighting a huge grin and getting the urge to dance. God, I love this song so much. I’m trying not to smile right now.

Peek-A-Boo: this was the song I considered my favorite Red Velvet single for a while, although One Of These Nights currently takes that trophy. From the start it crackles with an odd, tongue in cheek humor and a “well what do you want from me” shrug. The instrumental seems to pop out of random places, between a twinkling piano, snapping fingers, and some kind of chime that I can’t place, which go far better with the vocals then I would have assumed. I wish they’d pushed the voices more to be honest, because they feel a bit subdued here (and not in an expressive way like in Automatic), besides the last chorus, but otherwise this one still holds up for me. Because hey, who doesn’t want to watch five girls in rainbow dresses kidnap pizza boys from their cabin in the woods?

From the Perfect Velvet album, I have one main stand out. Kingdom Come needs no introduction for ReVeLuvs since it’s already practically required reading for anyone looking to get into the fandom. I admit I was put off from it for a while because it didn’t live up to being treated like the second coming of Christ, but I’ve definitely warmed up to it. It’s so soothing and warm, like a cat curled up by a fireplace, and Red Velvet’s voices come together almost perfectly to set the scene.

Bad Boy takes an even greater shift away from the Red side and towards the Velvet. One would think that a song like this would be boring and barely leave an impact, and they would be completely wrong. Bad Boy possesses a self-assured and smooth R & B flair reminiscent of Taemin’s more subdued tracks, and moves forward with an unhurried strut. It’s often cited as the pinnacle of their Velvet side, and I might have to agree. I don’t have a hidden gem for the Perfect Red Velvet repackage, since it’s only a couple songs.

So this is where we’ll take a break, because I think we’re about halfway through their discography. Like in the BTS review, I’ll leave my final thoughts until next time, and invite you to touch some grass and eat some Doritos.

I’ll see you in a few days for a boy group supplemental and then next weekend for the second part of Red Velvet. Tschüss!

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prowerprojects · 9 months

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*nods* I definitely think there are some social cues that the anthros have to be mindful of. But it's probably more 'normal' in their societies than human ones.

(On another note, some fans seem to be on the fence on how yellow Tails at times and try to "fix" that. Yet in some of the Japanese media I've seen, while there is the standard orange ones, I've actually seen plenty of fox characters that leaned more yellow. Arguably the most notable is one named Zorori. Also, red foxes alone actually come in hundreds of different fur patterns, including some that aren't hard red or orange. There's a blog on Weebly that has tons of picture showcasing this.) Imo, I can see an older Tails having fur markings, but very slight ones. Something akin to what Blaze, Jet or Cream has. On his ears and tails.

Heh, I can see the pouncing thing, mainly as a form of play. (There was an old Sonic 2 adaption fanfic that did this.) But who knows, maybe that's how he learn to spin his tails. (His creator actually did a little minicomic of Classic Tails doing this on Twitter; inspired by that one clip of a fox pouncing in the snow. With the caption roughly translating to "Was you like this before Sonic?")

But yeah, the islands likely have vegetation, fish, and fruits lying around; so I'm sure his little baby fox brain managed. (That isn't to say his curiosity didn't get the better of him at times. Probably thought twice before putting a butterfly in his mouth again or going near beehives.)

Haha, there's probably some human behaviours that other species find weird, so it cancels out

You're right, there's a lot of real life foxes with relatively light coats (and no markings on the legs), so there's nothing wrong with Tails. This kind of coloration is probably more common in Japan, which gets reflected in the art, but it feels weirder for the people from other places? (I do enjoy it when Sonic characters have markings on their fur, though I also appreciate how simple Tails's design is)

It's so cute! >o< I wish I was better at navigating twitter so I could find it.

(Awww you just got me thinking about baby Tails 😭)

#tails #sonic #sonic the hedgehog #project.txt #miles tails prower #tails the fox #project.ask

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trashyswitch · 1 year

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Classic Christmas Tales

Christmas is a wonderful time of the year for most, and there are multiple reasons why. One thing to celebrate? The cute little Christmas tales and the songs that come along with it! So, let's sit down by the fireplace with a mug of hot chocolate and a blanket, and watch some classic, fluffy Christmas movies.

Merry Christmas One and All! Santa Pocs is coming to Tumblr!

One of my favorite parts of Christmas, is the old fashioned classic movies that came out in the 60's that both me, and my mom watched as kids. So even though the movies are perfect already, I wanted to add my own little tickle scenes to the classic holiday movies. I hope you enjoy!

You know Dasher, and Dancer, Prancer and Vixen, Comet, and Cupid, and Donner and Blitzen…

But do you recall…the most ticklish reindeer of all?

Rudolph, the famous red-nosed reindeer, was spending time with Hermey a little before christmas. Hermey was painting a couple toys, while Rudolph was holding the toy steady. “So…How are things with that girl?” Rudolph asked.

“It’s going alright. She’s funny, and cute. A really good singer too.” Hermey told him.

Rudolph nodded. “Clarice is a good singer too. She sings all the time.” Rudolph told him.

Hermey went back to painting, and grumbled a bit. “Even though I have the dental office, I still don’t see why I have to keep making toys.” Hermey told him.

“Head Elf and the other elves still need your help.” Rudolph told him. “Besides: You can still work at the dental office overtime if you want to. I’m sure Santa would love to see you working hard.” Rudolph added.

Hermey chuckled and finished the last corner of the toy. “Well…You helping me is keeping me from dropping the paintbrush and quitting again.” Hermey told him.

“Did you want me to paint for a bit?” Rudolph asked.

Hermey shook his head and fixed his elf cap. “The painting’s all finished. Now I just need to wait for it to dry.” Hermey told him. “And then we need to-” Hermey looked over at the unpainted wooden train, spinning top, and the unpainted wooden cars. Hermey groaned and flopped backwards onto the ground. “Nooooo…I thought I was done…” Hermey whined.

Rudolph couldn’t help but laugh. “Come on, Hermey. I’ll paint, and you keep the train from rolling away.” Rudolph decided.

Hermey looked at Rudolph with sad eyes. “...I don’t want to.” Hermey complained.

Rudolph rolled his eyes and looked at one of the brushes. “If you don’t help me, then I’ll just paint you instead.” Rudolph decided before picking up the paintbrush.

Hermey looked at Rudolph, confused. “Paint me? Why? I’m not a toy.” Hermey asked.

Rudolph smiled with the brush in his mouth, and started to walk up to Hermey. Hermey looked at Rudolph with widening eyes, and then started to back up, dropping the paintbrush in the process. “Rudolph, what are you planning?”

Hermey watched with slight nervousness as Rudolph knocked over the pink paint bottle, making bright pink paint fall onto the paper covering for the wood table. Then, Rudolph dipped the paintbrush into the pink paint.

Hermey put up his right hand to stop Rudolph. “I don’t like where this is going!” Hermey warned.

“Thcareth?” Rudolph tried to say the word ‘scared’, but struggled to say it, thanks to the paintbrush being in his mouth.

But Hermey knew what he meant. “Okay, fine! I’ll resume painting! Just don’t paint me pink! I’m not a girl! Boys don’t wear pink!” Hermey tried to reason with him.

But Rudolph just giggled before leaning his neck forward. He painted Hermey’s cheek, and moved the paintbrush around to make it brush up and down his cheek.

“Hehey! Rudolph! Hahahaha!” Hermey laughed. “Stahap, it tickles!” Hermey told him.

Rudolph giggled with the brush still in his mouth, and started fluttering the brush on the sides of the elf’s little neck.

Hermey squeaked and laughed, squeezing his eyes shut and laughing loudly. “Okay! Okahahay!” Hermey laughed. “Ihihi’ll paint with yohohou! Ihihihi prohomihihihise!” Hermey tried to tell him.

“Thoo lathe.” Rudolph replied, still struggling to speak properly. He made the brush flick and caress all behind his right ear, and down again to the underpart of Hermey’s small chin. “Thickle thickle thickle!” Rudolph said.

“EEEhehehehe! Haha! Nohoho! Ihihi sahaid Ihihi’d paint! Ihihi sahahaid I’d dohohoho ihihit!” Hermey laughed. “Whahahat ehelse doho you wahahahahahant?” Hermey asked.

Rudolph hummed the words ‘I don’t know’, and moved the brush up to Hermey’s nose. He moved the brush off his skin, then gave Hermey’s nose a little boop with the brush. “Booph!” Rudolph said.

“Ohoho, yohou are so gonna get it.” Hermey grabbed the nearby brush he dropped earlier amidst his attempted escape, and started fluttering the blue-covered paintbrush onto Rudolph’s chin and neck back.

Rudolph widened his eyes and curled his neck in, giggling with his mouth mostly closed, so he wouldn’t drop the paintbrush. He clenched the paintbrush with his teeth desperately, and squeezed his eyes shut. “Mm mm…Mmmmhmhmhmmm…” Rudolph hummed, letting out muffled giggles.

“Tahake thahat, Rudolph.” Hermey teased.

Rudolph finally bursted out giggling enough to open his mouth, and drop the paintbrush in the process. Rudolph tiptoed his hooves all over the floor, turning into an accidental tap dancer as he tried to get away. “Wahahait! Ihihi’m sorry! Ihi’m soorryhyhyhy!” Rudolph yelled.

“Too late, Rudey!” Hermey declared as he started chasing Rudolph around the whole workshop. Eventually though, Hermey was motivated enough to go back to painting the toys. And soon, they had up to 30 toys painted in that afternoon alone! And the Head Elf was impressed!

Now, what’s another Christmas story we all remember? How about…Frosty the Snowman?

Frosty the snowman, was a jolly happy soul. With a corn cob pipe and a button nose, and two eyes made out of coal! Frosty the snowman is a fairytale, they say. He was made of snow, but the children know that he came to life one day. There must’ve been some magic in that old silk hat they found. For when they placed it on his head, he began to dance around! Oh, Frosty the snowman, was alive as he could be; and the children say he could laugh and play, just the same as you and me.

Play, they did! And laugh, the snowman certainly did!

Frosty was a bundle of laughter all the time! And this time was no different! While Frosty was playing with the children, Karen happened to notice a button out of place on Frosty’s chest. So, she grabbed the coal piece and put it back onto the hole in Frosty’s upper belly. But to her surprise, Frosty let out another big laugh! Though equally joyful, it was more of a surprised laugh this time!

Karen let go of the coal piece, and looked up at Frosty with a smile. “What’s so funny, Frosty?” She asked.

He looked down and chuckled. “Thank you for fixing my buttons, Karen.” Frosty told her. He picked her up and placed her onto his shoulder. “But placing that button back, tickled me a little bit.” Frosty told her.

“Tickled?” Karen asked.

“Tickled?!” One of the kids asked.

“Frosty’s ticklish?!” Another kid asked.

Frosty laughed and nodded in response. Karen laughed in reaction and started giving his neck a little tickle with her pink mittens.

Frosty jumped up, dropping the pipe in his mouth and curled his head over, to stop the mitten-covered hand from tickling him. “Now nohohow- Kahaharen!” He laughed. “Hahaha! Stohohop that!” He laughed, shaking his head around.

A bunch of the kids gasped in unison. “He IS ticklish!” One of the kids reacted.

“TICKLE HIM!” Another kid laughed, jumping for his foot.

“Tickle me?” Frosty asked, confused.

Karen slid down Frosty’s arm and onto the snow again, before giving Frosty a little push. “Lay down, Frosty!” Karen told him.

“Lay down?” Frosty asked next.

All the other kids started collectively pushing against Frosty’s belly and tried to push him down. Though the 6 kids were just no match for Frosty. He was just too heavy!

“Alright, alright. I’ll lay down for you.” Frosty replied, laying himself down onto the snow. He knew he was going to have to re-round himself out again after he gets back up again.

Karen and her 5 friends all climbed up on top of Frosty and started collectively tickling the snowman to their heart's content. The bright, curly-haired boy was tickling his left armpit, while the brown, curly-haired twin brother was tickling the right armpit! The little guy in the green elf costume was tickling his left foot, while the boy in the blue coat was tickling Frosty’s other foot. The blonde-haired girl with the pink bow was tickling Frosty’s neck! and lastly, Karen was up on his belly, squishing and poking his big belly.

Frosty bursted out in gleeful laughter almost right away! He was wiggling around, laughing, giggling and cackling! “WAHAhahahait! Guhuhuhuys! Plehehehehease! Ihihihit tihihihicklehehes!” Frosty reacted.

All 6 of the ticklers stopped tickling right away. Karen looked at the two boys at Frosty’s feet, and gave them the go ahead.

“Which foot tickles more, Frosty?” The little guy in the elf costume asked before tickling the left foot first. “This foot?”

Frosty giggled and covered his mouth to muffle his laughter a little bit. “Yehehehes, ihihit tihihicklehes.” Frosty replied.

The little boy stopped his fingers, and looked at the other boy. The other boy started tickling the right foot next. “Or this foot?” The blue-sweatered boy asked.

Frosty laughed at about the same level as the left foot, but shook his head left and right this time as he laughed. “Bohohohoth ahare ticklihihihish!” Frosty replied.

“Okay! Now let’s test out the armpits!” The twins declared at the same time. Both the boys started tickling the armpits at the same time. And boy, was Frosty laughing up a storm! But he was having a blast! And Karen could tell!

Afterwards, Frosty giggled as he sat up. “And now you all know: I'm even ticklish. In fact, I'm all livin'! I *am* alive! What a neat thing to happen to a nice guy like me.” He reacted proudly.

Now what’s another story…How about…How The Grinch Stole Christmas?

You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch, you really are a heel! You’re as cuddly as a cactus, you’re as charming as an eel, Mr. Grinch. You’re a bad banana with a greasy black peel! Just face the music, you're a monster, Mr. Grinch, Your heart's an empty hole! Your brain is full of spiders, you've got garlic in your soul, Mr. Grinch! I wouldn't touch you with a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole!

Well…Only one person would touch him without needing that thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole. And who was that certain person? Well, it was Cindy Lou Who, of course! And Cindy Lou who grew to really like being with the grinch! And The Grinch grew to enjoy Cindy’s company too!

One day after Christmas day, Cindy was playing with a doll that had lots of functions and buttons on it. One of the functions happened to be on her belly, where it would declare the following words: “Hahaha! That tickles!”

It was an innocent little toy, and Cindy loved it! She loved pushing all the buttons on the little doll all the time! So often, her Dad encouraged her to play with it outside so he and her Mom could catch a break from the repeated button sounds.

Cindy then headed over to Mt. Crumpit, and knocked on The Grinch’s door. The grinch smiled and invited her in. “What’s this doll you have?” The Grinch asked.

Cindy proudly played the different buttons on the doll, showing him what every button does. “I got it from Santa!”

“That’s wonderful!” The Grinch said with a smile. Though, it was unclear if this smile was forced, or genuine. Was The Grinch annoyed to see such a noisy doll in Cindy’s little hands? Or was he genuinely happy to see Cindy enjoying herself? No one could really tell you. If he was hiding his disgust, he was certainly hiding it really well.

Cindy gave the belly another poke, and giggled when the doll laughed. “Hahaha! That tickles!” The doll declared.

Cindy laughed harder and looked up at Grinch. “I’m tickling her!” She reacted, before looking at the doll. She poked it again. “Hahaha! That tickles!” The doll said again. Cindy giggled again, before looking at Grinch and poking him in roughly the same spot. “Tickle!”

The Grinch couldn’t help himself: He jumped and put up his hands in arrest, almost like it was a gun that poked him rather than a finger.

Cindy looked up at Grinch, confused. “What?” She asked.

The Grinch looked to the side. “Uuuh…” He mumbled.

Cindy looked at the doll’s belly…then at the Grinch’s belly.

Then, Cindy gasped.

The grinch widened his eyes at this. Uh oh…

She smiled brightly!

He could feel little droplets of sweat dripping down his hairy, flat forehead.

And lastly, she squealed and dropped the doll! “GRINCH IS TICKLISH!” Cindy declared, grabbing Grinch’s leg and hugging it tightly. “Grinch is ticklish! Grinch is ticklish! Grinch is ticklish!” Cindy declared.

“No I’m not!” Grinch lied.

“Then what’s this?” Cindy poked his belly again, causing a grunt and a hiccup to leave the Grinch’s mouth.

The Grinch widened his eyes and slowly looked at Cindy. And Cindy had this big, mischievous grin on her silly, little face. A grin that was both adorable, and fear-inducing at once!

“Grinch is ticklish!” Cindy grabbed Grinch’s one leg, and pulled it out in front of him. Grinch eventually lost his balance and fell onto his back. With the Grinch now on the ground, Cindy happily crawled onto the Grinch and started skittering her tiny fingers all over the Grinch’s belly and sides. “Tickle tickle tickle tickle tickle!” Cindy teased.

“Wahahait- CIHINDY NOHOHOHO! AHAHAHAHAHA!” Grinch bursted out cackling and laughing right away. His laugh was almost manic! And yet, it was the most non-grumpy she’s ever seen him! ever!

Cindy giggled at his crazy laughter and just kept tickling him. “You’re so ticklish! More ticklish than me!” Cindy declared next.

“IHIHI’M NOHOHOT!” Grinch argued.

Cindy giggled into her hand and took in a big breath. She blew a big raspberry onto his fluffy belly, sending him HOWLING with laughter! “BAAAHAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAhahahaha!” Grinch laughed like the world depended on it.

His strong, loud laughter echoed its way through the Mountain, and out the windows into the whole town of Whoville. Almost everyone with good or bad hearing, could hear the Grinch’s manic cackles and genuine laughs echo throughout the whole town. And…the who’s smiled at the idea of the grumpy ol’ Mr. Grinch, laughing himself utterly silly. They all seemed to enjoy the sound of his laughter! And when the laughter stopped, they almost all frowned with sadness in unison…because that may be the last time they would ever hear him laugh for a long, long time.

But thankfully for those who’s, Cindy wasn’t done her little tickle attack quite yet…

I also want to take a moment to remember those fighting in the war right now. I want to remember those who are alone on Christmas. I want to remember those who are struggling with mental/physical health issues this year. I also want to remember those who are struggling to make ends meet during the Christmas holidays. And lastly: I want to remember those who have lost someone just before Christmas either this year, or in the past. Christmas can be a wonderful time, but it can also be a painful time for many. So even though I don't understand what it's like being in your situation, I still hope you find some hope and peace today. Cause despite our separate religions, our diverse ethnicities, our social classes, and our past...The world can collectively agree that being treated with respect and love is encouraged and appreciated.

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nuagederose · 1 year

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As the Seasons Grey | Chapter Nine: A&W

ao3 link

*actually putting up a trigger warning here

His face emerged to her through the darkness, and she was certain that he had found his way closer to her. He had asked around to find out where the lost souls had resided, and he found her there on the side of the room. She had no idea as to when or how they had wound up on the road together, but she knew that she had her hands on the rim of the steering wheel and her gaze fixed out on the windshield before them. He had brushed his black hair back behind his head until it was nice and smooth, albeit with a slight frizz at the ends, and his streak of gray at the crown of his head seemed to swish back from his forehead like a plume of smoke.

She flashed a glance over at him there in the passenger seat and those long, spindly fingers that snaked up into the overhead handle by the door’s frame. His deep eyes obscured by his sunglasses, and his prominent nose poked out, as if he was about to lead her on to a kiss there. Christine puckered her lips at him and then she returned her attention to the road. The sun remained behind a veil of hazy gray that covered the entire sky, and she drove them along that little backcountry road in a car of robin’s egg blue.

The two of them, like Bonnie and Clyde, ready to escape their old lives and head out west for the Pacific Ocean together,

It was like that split second moment during the thick of a car accident where time slowed down to a crawling pace, and she was left feeling infinitesimal at the thought of being there next to him.

The next thing she knew, shards of glass spread across her face, albeit in utter silence. She turned her head for a look over at him and the look of sheer terror on his face. Confused, she returned to the wheel once again, that time to find that the front hood of the car was engulfed in flames. That beautiful rich blue, so classic and perfect for their getaway, now enshrined in hot flames.

Things became loud right then, and the next thing she knew, they were spinning in circles on the road until they finally reached a ditch on the side, and they rolled over into the cold earth. The flames were hot as they surrounded them both in a vortex all the way down to the bottom. No way out. No chance of escape.

He coughed and gagged. She tried to say his name but no sound came out. They both instead screamed at the top of their lungs.

Christine opened her eyes to find herself back in her bedroom in her apartment. She spread her hands down her chest and her stomach to find that her body was still very much intact. Her skin was as smooth and soft as ever, and her body was warm from the blankets. She closed her eyes and sighed.

It had been some time since she had had a horrifying nightmare like that, and every time she closed her eyes, she envisioned the flames once again. She opened her eyes, and she knew that she had to get up regardless of what she did. Aside from the ghastly nature of the dream, something about it shook her to her core.

She had to do something before it was too late.

Without further hesitation, Christine climbed out of bed and stretched her arms over her head as she gazed out the window to the street, followed by the view of the New York skyline outside against the soft gray sky. Another rainy day in the Big Apple, and one that she knew she would have to undertake for that day when she rolled into school.

At least it was Friday again.

She took the bus to school, and with the hood of her green coat pulled up over her head and her coat over her book bag to protect the outside from the incessant rain, and all the while, she wondered if she could hitch a ride with Greg and Eric at some point over the course of the next week. A little change would do her good.

But she arrived at school with several minutes to spare, which thus gave her the chance to speak to Nelly before she headed off to class and before the kitchen staff had to start on breakfast for the day. She tugged her hood over her head as she made her way up to the door of the cafeteria, and she spotted Nelly right by the counter with a pair of water bottles in either hand and her feathery blonde hair merely tied back in a ponytail.

“You literally just missed him,” she told Christine as she came within earshot.

“Just missed him?”

“Yeah, he was in here not even a minute ago. He looked—frazzled, like he had just ran a couple of blocks.” Nelly set the bottles on the counter next to her, and then she turned to Christine right as she took the hood off her head.

“I have to tell Alex about you,” she said. Nelly gaped at her.

“What! Why?” She held onto Christine’s shoulders and tugged her back away from the counter so they would maintain their privacy while out there in the open.

“I just have this feeling that he’s curious,” she explained in a lower voice. “He has this look on his face like he wants to know why and how I’m coming up to these conclusions about him.”

“But he shouldn’t, though,” Nelly insisted. “That’s how rumors get started, and then it manifests into gossip.”

Christine fluttered her eyelids at that. “What are you saying? You can’t keep a secret?”

“No, I’ll take secrets to the grave with me if I have to,” Nelly vowed. “I’m more worried about him leaking the secret.”

“If he’s spent this much time keeping his relationship a secret from the rest of the world, then I’m sure he can keep a secret about you and me.”

“Besides, did you even ask him? Does he even know that we’re talking about him?”

“I don’t think he does,” Christine told her. “He’s never mentioned anything.”

“Then, why do that? Why make a mountain out of a molehill and betray his trust like that, and most of all, pull me into the crosshairs?”

“He has to know, Nelly,” Christine insisted, to which Nelly let out an exasperated sigh. “It’s also for my own good, too. You know. I’m pretty much doing this solo: those four girls behind me don’t know that I’m talking to him, no one knows. I worry about something happening to me and him and no one would know about it.”

Nelly pressed one hand to her hip and knitted her eyebrows together.

“As long as it’s merely the three of us, I’m okay with it,” she concluded. “But no one else knows about it, though. Not those four girls, not Eric and those two boys, and definitely not your parents.”

“It’ll be easy, Nelly, I promise,” she said. “Today’s Friday, so I’m going to ask him if I can spend the night at his place again tonight. Hope that he doesn’t have a date with her.”

“I hope so, too,” Nelly vowed with a wink, and then she patted her on the shoulder. “Anyway, I gotta get moving. Be careful with things tonight, okay?”

“Of course.”

Christine made her way to Mr. Hansen’s class, where Alex had gone, and thus, she wondered as to where he was substituting for the day. Among other things that she worried about with him was the fact that he still hadn’t landed anything permanent at the school: he was an adjunct as well as a substitute teacher. She looked to her left and saw the vacant desk next to her.

So unlike Eric to miss a day, especially since he had been present there since school started.

But there was something relieving about it, however: she could scout down Alex and ask him for another night at his apartment, especially since she knew where he lived now. She could take the bus back home, and then she could walk back into Brooklyn, to the street with all the trees and find him there.

It was easier said than done, given she had to walk through sheets of drizzle once she had been dropped off in front of her building: once she reached that line of trees, the outside of her green coat was drenched, but at least her bag was dry. She padded up his front steps and knocked on the door panel three times.

Silence.

Christine leaned over the railing for a look into the front window, but came out fruitless given thick ivory white curtains obscured her view.

“Can I help you?” His voice caught her ear right behind her, and she turned for a look back at him on the sidewalk. His face lit up when he recognized her,

“Oh, hi,” he greeted her.

“Is this a bad time?” she asked him as he made his way up the steps towards her. A car whizzed past them and sent a wall of spray up from the wheels: Alex bowed his head even though the spray came nowhere near him or his front step.

“No, no, I just… wasn’t expecting to find you here.” He showed her a smile as he skirted past her for the front door. He reached into his coat pocket for his keys, and Christine could see the droplets of rainwater on the outer rim of his glasses, as if it was barely raining at all. “Is there something you want?”

“I was just wondering if I could stay the night again,” she suggested with a shiver.

“Ooh, I don’t know about that,” he told her. “I have a gig with my trio tonight over in the East Village. We could do dinner, though, if you’d like.”

“I’d love some dinner!” He unlocked the door and held it open for her, and she ducked into his warm, dry apartment. Alex closed the door behind her and hung up his jacket on the hook next to the door: Christine did the same, and then she set her book bag down on the floor next to the couch.

“Smart of you to do that,” he told her.

“What, put my bag under my jacket?”

“Yeah.”

“A little trick I learned from when I was in middle school and I traded a backpack for an over-the-shoulder courier bag like this. I didn’t like how I would walk to school or the bus stop while it was raining or snowing, and the outside of my bag would get all wet, because then my stuff would get wet. I do it with my purse, too, especially when I’m walking around uptown.”

“Would you like me to make you something?” he suggested as he wiped off his glasses with the bottom of his shirt. “I just think how we had takeout last time, and I kind of want to mix it up a little.”

“I’d love to have something homemade,” she told him. “One of these days, you should come on over to my mom’s place, right across the hall from me. She’ll make us something delicious.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “What’d you have in mind?”

“Well, Rosh Hashanah has come and gone—and it takes a while to make matzo balls, too, and I don’t have any schmalz, either—and Hanukkah isn’t for a couple of months. I do have pasta and veggies and mozzarella cheese and a bottle of wine, though.”

“Sounds classy.” Christine then took her seat on his couch with her legs crossed and her right arm up on the top of the couch. She watched him move around the kitchen through that little doorway as if he was preparing something in a cozy restaurant somewhere there on Long Island rather than something personal for the two of them.

“I’ve been meaning to tell you this, Alex,” she began as he filled a pot of water from the sink.

“Go ahead,” he called out once he switched off the water.

“I’m making you something in ceramics class.”

“Aw, that’s so sweet of you,” he told her. “You don’t have to do that.”

“But I want to, though,” she said.

“Well, you know—don’t tell me what it is. I want to be surprised, after all.” Her eyes directed to the rack of guitars next to the couch, specifically to the singular bass guitar at the very front.

“I think it’s so cool that you play bass, too,” she called out as she watched him walk to the fridge.

“You can thank my brother for that,” he told her as he took the cheese and some raw spinach out of the drawer and closed the door with his hip.

“By the way, I just realized you’re making something with veggies and cheese,” she remarked. “I don’t think I’ve ever had baked pasta with veggies, because my mom always makes it with sausage or chicken.”

“Welcome to the fun world of ‘kosher’, dear Christine. I actually do have some sausage in the freezer, but—meat and cheese shouldn’t touch each other.”

“It’s one or the other.”

“It’s one of the other, exactly.”

A knock on the door caught their attention, to which Christine’s heart skipped a few beats. Alex padded out of the kitchen with a dish towel over his shoulder and his plume of gray pushed back over the crown of his head.

“Who’s that, I wonder?” she asked him in a low voice, and he shook his head. He peeked through the peephole and then gasped.

“What is it?” she asked him in a near whisper, and he glanced back at her wet coat on the hook.

“Um—shit. Take your coat and hang it up in the bathroom so it’s not dripping everywhere.” She hastily took the coat and ran for the cozy little bathroom, and she slung the coat over the top of the curtain rung around the shower. She skidded back into the front room where he handed her the book bag.

“Go in my bedroom and hide in the closet,” he advised her in a low voice. “Do not make a sound.” She doubled back to his cozy bedroom, where she spotted the wicker door to her right. She tucked her book bag against the wall and stepped over the pile of clothes on the floor. She was about to close the door when the knock on the door became pounding.

“Alex!” a woman’s shrill voice caught her ear. “Let me in! I’m getting wet!”

“Just a second! I’m cooking!”

Christine slid the door shut and nestled down on the floor next to the pile of clothes, all of which smelled of him. She kept her feet by the door so she wouldn’t dampen his clothes. She closed her eyes and thought about Nelly, and it was right then she realized she forgot to tell him about her.

She could hear their voices right outside of the bedroom door, and she started to wonder if she had made a huge mistake by even coming there in the first place.

“Here, you want me to take you to my room and show it to you?” Alex was asking as he led her to the bedroom. Christine held still.

“I do,” the woman commanded. “Besides, I saw that you are using half a box of linguine. Why are you eating all that pasta?”

“Because I want to,” Alex replied, stern. “I’m starving—I’ve barely eaten anything all day.”

“All of that?” she demanded. “You’re going to eat all of that baked pasta? Aren’t you worried about your weight or your health?”

“Relax, it’s kosher,” he scoffed. “Like I said, I’m really hungry right now…” He rummaged through something that Christine couldn’t see for herself: she could only see the sliver of their bodies through the grated panel before her. She couldn’t even see her face.

“Why do you lie?” she demanded.

“Why on earth would I lie to you?” he asked her.

“I don’t know, maybe because you forgot about me and everything I have done for you.”

“How could I forget what you’ve done for me? You’ve done plenty for me. I gave you everything but you just wanted more. And you still want more from me, too.”

“And this is a bad thing?”

“If you keep getting on my case about it, it is—”

He was cut off by a loud slap. Christine gaped at that, but she put a hand over her mouth to ensure no sound came out. Alex brought a hand to his face to ease the pain, and her face softened at the sight of him.

“Don’t—you—dare,” the woman snarled at him: Christine could see her long finger pointed right into his face, right at the full tip of his nose.

“Don’t hit me,” he retorted, but she opened her hand again for another slap across his face. Christine held still: she didn’t move, she didn’t breathe. She could only see Alex’s stunned face through the gap in the wood.

“Give me the bracelet,” the woman ordered. There was a pause, and then he took something out of what sounded like his nightstand drawer and handed to her.

“I will see you tonight,” she commanded, and she jerked his head closer to her for an open-lipped kiss, to which Christine closed her eyes so she wouldn’t have to witness it. The woman stormed out of the bedroom and back out to the living room. “By the way, tell Matt and Nate they can’t be ushers,” she called out.

“Why not?” Alex demanded, but she had already left the apartment, complete with a hard slamming of the door. “Don’t slam the door!” He let out a low whistle and knocked on the closet door panel. “Christine, you alright in there?”

“Yeah. I think so.” She opened her eyes to find his silhouette on the other side: she reached up and nudged open the door. He had taken off his glasses and bowed his head. She glanced down to find a bouquet of lilies laying on the floor, and she could only make assumptions right then. She picked herself off the floor of his closet and stood before him.

“I don’t know…” His voice trailed off.

“Alex. Listen. If you’re unhappy with her, then why keep doing this to yourself? Why keep it going when it’s obvious that the feelings are gone now?” Christine stooped down and picked up the bouquet: a few of the flowers had lost their petals, but she didn’t too much damage to them.

“I had those in the kitchen,” he explained in a low voice. “She walked in and I gave them to her. She started getting really combative with me, and… she followed me in here and threw them on the floor. It’s weird because it wasn’t that long ago, she’d take them and then kiss me.”

“Well, start from the top,” Christine coaxed him.

“We met through mutual friends. I still remember us walking and talking and going to get Chinese takeout together. I had struck out for years on women, and she just never found the right person. Things were actually pretty great when it first started, like the first few years were genuinely wonderful. I really don’t know what happened along the way there.”

“The honeymoon ended,” she said.

“The honeymoon ended, right. Over time, I started noticing little things. An offhand comment here, a bad morning there. Next thing I knew, I found myself being pushed to the edge some days, like I couldn’t keep up with her and her desires anymore.” He glanced down at the bouquet in Christine’s arms and showed her a small smile. “She pointed out how I never cook for her, and that’s how she got heated.”

She glanced past him to his nightstand, where he only had a lamp, a pad of paper, and a framed photograph of a couple that looked to be his parents.

“I also notice you have no pictures of her anywhere around here,” Christine remarked.

“Pictures of me and her are virtually nonexistent. She tells me she doesn’t like having her picture taken.”

Christine frowned. “What? I don’t like having my picture taken, either, but if someone wants to do that for me, I’ll oblige—especially if it’s with someone whom I’m interested in. Does she not want it taken with you specifically?”

“Pretty much, yeah,” he replied with a shrug. “I’ve photographed her alone before on a few occasions no problem.”

Christine shifted her weight there in her spot. Something about that gave her an odd, inexplicable feeling, as if there was something to that that never sat with her. The sound of the rain outside caught her ear, and it was right then she realized he had left the window open.

“Here—” He took off his glasses and held them before his face. He coaxed her to move in closer to him, and Christine lingered right before his face.

“I want you to kiss me,” she whispered to him.

“Kiss you?”

“Yeah. After what just happened? Yeah, you deserve a kiss.” He shifted his weight and bowed his head.

“Has anyone ever told you that you have the sexiest voice?” she asked him, and he raised those big deep eyes to her, big like marbles, as blue as the ocean.

“If I have the sexiest voice, then why did my girlfriend just hit me?” he asked her, and his voice returned to that husky silky tone that she had only heard once before.

“Because she doesn’t know how to kiss you—” Christine leaned in for his lips, but he moved away.

“You must! You must.” He closed his eyes. She could make out the pain in his face, the pain in his heart.

“You’re a man of lust and leisure, Alex,” she told him. “You deserve it.”

“Leisure, yes—I dunno about lust, though.” She tilted her head to the side as if to coax him. He ran his tongue along his bottom lip to make it redder in appearance. He then leaned in closer to her but pulled back yet again.

“I can’t,” he insisted.

“But… I need you, though. You need me, too.”

“I know, I just…” He closed his eyes again and pursed his lips.

“What?” she asked him in a near whisper.

“I don’t feel right about this.”

“Well, if… anyone asks, tell them we just got together for an evening,” she suggested.

“Men in relationships don’t get together with single women, they have affairs. Especially when there’s booze involved.”

“Then explain the bottle of wine in your kitchen,” she pointed out. “And explain why I’m here, too.”

He furrowed his brow with his free hand. “An affair… so taboo. So beyond me. So unlike me, too.”

“Could you at least kiss me, though? Just to—you know—get it out of your system.”

She reached forward and nudged his hair back from his shoulder. He tilted his head back and showed her his shapely neck for a second, and then he returned his gaze to her. Those eyes, so deep and haunting. She leaned in, and then he did as well.

Their lips met: his reminded her of little cherries at the fruit stand not too far from there, especially the Rainier ones all the way from the Pacific Northwest. She could feel a spark in there as well, a rush of blood to the head as she realized what she was doing. She rested her free hand on his chest to feel his hammering heartbeat inside there, and then she moved it down onto the full, round shape of his belly. She moved back for a glimpse into his face as well as the look of euphoria in his eyes.

“Phew…” He ran his fingers through the gray streak and bowed his head a bit, but she could see the blush in his face. But then she realized that it came from the slaps. She had slapped him in the same spot, and he was probably going to wake up with a bruise there in the morning. Her body wanted him, but she knew that he belonged to someone else, but that someone else was hurting him way too much to even bring love into consideration.

“I feel like such a whore,” Christine confessed, to which he raised an eyebrow.

“You?” he asked her, and he cracked her a crooked little smile in response. “I’m the one who committed the adultery, not you.”

“But I was the object of cheating, though,” she pointed out as she held the bouquet in her left arm.

He glanced down at her body with a sly smirk on his face, but then he shook his head again.

“I don’t know, Christine,” he confessed. “I really, really don’t know. There is some common ground here with you and me: neither of us know what we want really, truly out of life.”

“Except to kiss you?” she quipped.

“Except for a kiss, maybe.” He paused and then he peered past her. “I think the pasta’s ready.”

They headed back into the kitchen, and he whipped up the baked pasta for the two of them: all the while, he served her a glass of rich Bordeaux wine and a few pieces of bread to tithe her over. All the while, she could still taste him, and she could see in his eyes that he wanted another kiss from her somewhere down the line. She hoped that none of this would be seen at school come Monday.

The rain had cleared up once the sun had gone down, and as a result, she decided to walk on home.

“It’s only a few blocks,” she assured him as she slung her book bag over her shoulder, and then she put her coat on over it. “Besides, you’ve had a couple of glasses of wine, Alex. I don’t want you driving.”

“I really have,” he said with a slight hiccup. “I think—Matt’s going to be here like any second anyway.” He nudged his glasses up his nose again and showed her a sly little smile once more. “You should definitely come and see us sometime. Get you into the front row.”

“You know I would love to—”

The last thing she did before walking back out to the darkening street was put her arms around his full, stout waist. He was warm and relaxed, and she knew he would wake up feeling even warmer, especially since she made him forget about the slaps for a bit. She could feel her face growing warm as she picked up the lilies and then blew him a kiss before she headed out to the street.

Christine only just reached the tree right outside his door when she recognized feathery blonde hair over a black windbreaker.

“You’re not going to believe this,” she started.

“I do,” Nelly replied with a twinkle in her eye despite the incoming darkness. Christine stopped.

“What do you mean?”

“Heard the whole thing from next door.” She gestured back to the place right next door to his apartment.

“The whole thing!” Christine gaped at her.

“The whole entire damn thing,” Nelly said with a nod. “Heard every last part of it from the moment you walked in there last night to the moment she showed up to the apartment to the moment she came back to right now.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Christine demanded. “Why didn’t you come in and stop her because she quite literally slapped Alex, not once but twice?”

“Because I’m going to tell you this right now, Chris, especially since you just said that she hit him. He’s not just unhappy, he’s being abused. The first thing that gives it away is the fact you never see pictures of her around his apartment. Girls who love their man, genuinely love him, will want to be seen with him, and they will want to have that moment encased forever in a photograph. It’s all because they look good and they feel good. The fact there’s no pictures of them tells me that she refuses to be seen with him, which tells me she’s hiding something. I’m not saying he’s an angel at all because it’s obvious to me that he’s hiding something, too. It’s hard to say for sure who’s doing it to who, but the fact of the matter is, she refuses to be seen with him but claims to love him. That’s not love, Chris. That’s abuse.”

“And she hit him,” Christine added.

“And now, you caught her hitting him and playing foul, too.” Christine sighed and shuddered at the thought of Alex not only being with someone, but being with someone who hurt him. The warm, soft feeling that she had felt upon leaving had gone, and in its place was a feeling of nausea.

“You have to be strong, Chris,” Nelly advised her. “You must be strong. It’s for him.” Christine opened her eyes and gazed on at Nelly and the soft look on her face, soft despite the golden streetlights around them as well as the pair of headlights that rounded the corner up ahead. Something told her that was Matt from his trio.

“We should go,” Christine told her as she licked her lips. Even after the pasta, the wine, and the fresh bread, she could still taste him on her skin. She knew she would taste him for a while from thence forth.

“Come on, I’ll drive you,” Nelly offered, and she guided her up the street to her car parked right in front of Alex’s car. As far as Matt knew, they were two women just leaving for the evening, complete with that bouquet of lilies meant for that other woman.

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jayextee · 10 months

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Mega Man: The Wily Wars

Because of course my journey through classic Mega Man would take me through the versions officially made for my favourite console ever.

Wily Wars is an odd beast. On paper it's fine; a Megadrive remake of the first three games with some additional content for those who complete said trio of titles. They look fine enough and sound okay (YM2612 variants of the tunes are in my eyes a large case of Your Mileage May Vary™) but they've got some weirdness about them for sure.

To start with, the visuals are usually wonderful in their own way; not really showcasing the Megadrive's visual flair as much as they could, but servicing as a slightly-fancier redraw of the originals. Mega's sprite looks a little weird though, and there's some slight hitbox dissonance that may throw-off fans of the original. By and large, I've no problem with the rest; it's sometimes actually kinda nice to see a large boss sprite without a flat black background accompanying it. But then again, other times have a completely different atmosphere because of this. Again, it's fine.

And they sound fine, too. As in 'okay' -- the Megadrive renditions of the tunes largely being inoffensive and having minimal 'twang' associated with the format; but as a side-effect of this, very few of them are memorable. Indeed, the only tune I can bring to mind right now is Shadow Man's from MM3, because dat Megadrive bass actually does wonders in giving the piece a funky new feel. Most of the rest are serviceable, forgettable, alright.

Gameplay, then; the most-important element of any videogame (ignore the haters, all three of them, it is!). Mega controls fine, perhaps a little on the sluggish side when trying to 'twitch' toward a platform edge for a further jump, but nothing majorly serious. Firing, however, is another story. Most of the weapons function fine, but there's the odd occasion (Hard Knuckle I'm looking right at you) where the speed is so out of whack that it becomes almost unusable as it was in the original game. That, plus the plain old buster shots seem to move in slow-motion, three of them lingering onscreen; especially when running in their direction; for much longer than desired. As if to knowingly 'fix' this little problem, the potential firing rate of them has been slowed down from "almost as fast as you can mash" to something like 1/4 a second. It's not ideal, although it serves as something of an incentive to use the special weapons more, I guess.

It's worth noting that a fan-created patch exists that fixes the buster shot speed among other things. I may play with this in the future, if it improves the proceedings, but I digress here.

So the three games are fine-but-not perfect. If you want a 1:1 recreation of the NES trio, it's probably better to stick to those unless you really want the fixed Top Spin this collection has. But! There's that 'Wily Tower' thing, a whole new minigame unlocked when beating the three main titles, as something of a challenge for those who've mastered them.

Except it's not. The interesting thing it does offer is a user-chosen 'loadout' of eight weapons chosen of any of the game's selections; plus three of the various support items, be they Magnet Beam or the numbered Items or the Rush support tools. However, probably because of this, Wily Tower is actually very easy indeed. It's little more than a curio, and not too interesting one at that; the mix-and-match nature of the weapons extends to the level gimmicks and enemies and gives the minigame more than a little of the same feel a fangame or hack may have. It's there if you want more Mega Man, but it won't absolutely Rock (Man) your (Mega) World or anything. 3/5

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justkeepdancing-nemo · 2 years

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Bird Song: A Game Of Thrones, Bard-inspired Playlist

I'll journey on, I'll sing and dance And the greedy ones can make their stance With pockets for souls they'll never fill With happy heart, I'm smiling still

Walk in the sun, stay in the light And when we're done, we'll take flight Only desire what you have Only desire what you have

So I thought it would be fun to try to find songs that Nemo would actually dance/sing/perform to while he is staying in King’s Landing! Descriptions below~

My Mother Told Me

To me, this song is a ‘prologue,’ and a kind of gather-around-the-campfire or dinner table vibe. Not only is it a classic folk song that many people will know the words to, but it mirrors Nemo’s own backstory as the song talks about a mother telling her son he would “Sail to distant shores.”

Angel’s Flight

This is a lovely instrumental song with some chanting/vocalization in it! I imagine this would be a wonderful song for a troupe of dancers to perform to. Gotta continue our flight motif for Nemo or who would I be tbqh.

Touch The Sky

Ah, from Brave! But let’s all pretend this is another common folk song. What I like about this song is 1. there is the flight motif and also 2. I love that it describes the kingdoms, persay:

“Where dark woods hide secret And mountains are fierce and bold Deep waters hold reflections Of times lost long ago“

As the Old Gods are important to Nemo, I also like how nature is personified in this song.

Bird Song

“Listen to the sound of my heart beat slow Yeah, my heart's like yours, my heart's like yours Listen to the sound, oh it feels like home”

This is a song I imagine that Nemo could actually sing! Once again, it reflects the motif of Nemo as a bird. I also think it represents Nemo’s beliefs as someone who rejects classism and politics and all of that, basically.

Dragonfly Keeper

Another instrumental piece, which sounds lovely and would be wonderful to dance through. The piano is so light and fluttery, like the quick steps of a dancer...or the wings of a dragonfly, represented, say, by a fan ;D I can imagine Nemo using his fan to dance to this one is what I’m saying.

From Father to Son

I represented Nemo’s mother. Of course I gotta throw in a song for Marlin! This is another upbeat instrumental song but I love how boisterous it is. I imagine it’s like Marlin’s supportive and proud voice. This is a ‘get everyone up and dance’ song!

For the Dancing and the Dreaming

Another folk song that I imagine is popular throughout the realm and of COURSE it’s about marriage. I can see this being performed in honor of the marriage taking place in King’s Landing. I also like it because Nemo is a dancer. And a dreamer.

Five Bells

This is the ‘funny’ performance song, though I mean it’s not THAT funny, but it’s that song where you have two people doing a call/response conversation of sorts, it gets people laughing and clapping and chanting along. I like that it talks about travel since that’s a big theme of Nemo’s journey in this au.

Flaming Red Hair

This is another jig. I threw it in here because I like to think the ‘flaming red hair’ is both a slight allusion to Nemo’s og orange hair that I always associate him with, but also of the land of Dorne, the land of the Rising Sun. Fireflies

What can i say i love throwing a bardcore version of a modern-day song. Plus, fireflies are winged insects, much like dragonflies. I just think this song has very Nemo energy and once again feels like a song that perhaps worshippers of the Old Gods play.

Only Desire What You Have

This one is an excellent theme for Nemo’s particular story. He isn’t after money or fame or power. Instead, he values his freedom and he values his religion, and wants other people to have those things. It’s also upbeat and fun to dance to which is very important.

Where No One Goes

We all need an epic closer to any bard/troupe show right??? That’s this song. Big and bombastic, I imagine lots of breathtaking tricks. Lots of flips! Spins in the air! Fire-breathing!!! And of course the lyrics have my two themes: flight and travel. We just love a journey banger.

#yeah i did do his bio first so i could post this #i just love a playlist and we all know it #look... this playlist is good /says that about all my playlists #swyntask #music

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otp-imagines-cult · 3 years

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Imagine your OTP moving into an apartment that they were told already had two beds, but only has one.

#otp prompts #otp imagines #apartment #domestic #bed #a slight spin on an old classic #mod spider

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prokopetz · 2 years

Note

I feel like I should already know this, but do you play straight-up interactive fiction? If so, do you have a preference on types (i.e. parser versus branching-choice-based)? Any favorites you'd rec?

I'm mostly a fan of old-school parser fic, especially ones that play with blurring the line between the parser as a gameplay conceit and the diegetic narrative – stuff like The Gostak and Emily Short's Counterfeit Monkey. If you know my bent for metatextual horseshit in my gaming, this should not surprise you!

I do have a handful of hypertext fics I'd recommend, though. My Father's Long, Long Legs is a classic for a reason, and of course Abigail Corfman's stuff isn't to be missed; she's probably best known for Open Sorcery (and its sequel), though her non-commercial work is very good as well – I particularly enjoyed 16 Ways to Kill a Vampire at McDonald's. I’m going to throw the Emily is Away series in here, too, though a purist would likely insist it’s too graphics-heavy to qualify as proper IF.

In terms of more off-the-wall titles, you might have a look at Ord., a prompt-based hypertext fic whose gimmick is that every prompt, every action, and every response is exactly one word long. It gets more narrative mileage out of those limitations than you might expect. Killing Time at Lightspeed is another great one, playing with the effects of relativistic time dilation on social media interaction. (Fair warning: the latter gets very grim!)

(I'm also going to plug Beep Boop Bitcoin, whose presence here is actually a slight spoiler, as it initially appears to be a crypto-themed parody of a Candy Box style idle clicker. You'll see what I mean if you give it a spin.)

#gaming #video games #video game recommendations #violence mention #death mention #swearing

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strawbxrryneptune · 3 years

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Kinktober day one: Knife play

Cw: slight knife play, exhibitionism, fingering, slight penetration, dirty talk

Word count: 1,210

Watching Scream was a tradition with your roommate, but when his nest friend is involved, it's a bit more....interesting

Movie script is in italics!! Enjoy <3

♡♡

“What’s your favorite scary movie?”

You smile at the line, having heard it countless times.

“I don’t know.”

“You have to have a favorite.”

Your gaze tears away from the television for a second to watch your roommate’s friend, Bakugou, emerge from the kitchen with a bowl of popcorn.

“Scream, really? This shit is old as fuck.”

You roll your eyes, grabbing the bowl out of his hands once he gets close enough and turning back to the screen.

“So, you gotta boyfriend?”

“Why, you wanna ask me out?”

You giggle with Casey as she twirls her hair, sneaking a glance to the blonde next to you who's on his phone.

You wish he wasn't such a killjoy. You would love to be curled up in his strong, meaty arms right now, enjoying the classics of Halloween.

“Somethin’ on my face, Doll?”

You gasp, turning back towards the movie and flushing when you hear his huff of laughter.

“Why do you wanna know my name?”

“Because I wanna know who I'm looking at.”

The doorbell rings suddenly, and you almost piss yourself at the timing. Reaching over to pause the movie, you get up and plop the half empty bowl of popcorn back into Bakugou’s hands and move towards the door, ignoring his grumbles of how annoying you are.

Opening the door, you shiver from the chill outside, before feeling your heart warm at the cute sight of your roommate, Kirishima, standing in front of you with two huge domino bags.

“Hey, y/n, ya miss me?”

You laugh, grabbing the bags.

“Nah, just the food.”

Smiling at his fake pout, you make your way back to the sofa and plop down next to Bakugou, who’s dozing off. You reach over to slap his chest and he catches your hand right before impact, cracking a dark eye open and staring you down, causing heat to erupt in your lower tummy.

“Oh, sorry, I….”

He holds your gaze, lips curled up slightly in a half snarl. His hands are big, alarmingly so, and warm. The softness of them soothes you, and you find yourself leaning slightly forward, watching his eyes dilate and darken, plush lips parting and letting out a sharp exhale, before he retracts his hand from your wrist, turning his head to the side in an attempt to hide the flush creeping up his neck.

You stumble back, flopping onto your side of the couch in a daze, unaware of Kirishima watching you from the kitchen island, a knowing look on his face as he preps the plates and gets drinks.

20 minutes pass, pizza devoured and soda sloshing happily in your belly. You’re resting with your head laid on the back of the couch, lazily watching the movie. Kirishima’s invested , sitting on the floor in front of you wrapped in a Fatgum blanket. You watch Ghostface appear on the screen and, before you can stop it, your thoughts fly out of your mouth.

“Is it just me, or is Ghostface fine as fuck?"

Kirishima laughs, turning his head to look at you.

“You mean Billy?”

You shake your head, sitting up all the way.

"Stu?"

“No no no, Ghostface. The voice, the body, the way you can't tell who's under, it's just really hot.”

Kirishima roars in laughter, turning back around to continue the movie as his eyes tear up.

“So yer telling me yer attracted to fuckin masked killers.”

Bakugou stares at you, earning himself a glare from you.

“Obviously if he wanted to kill me I wouldn't be turned on-”

“Oh, so if i took this,”

You turn your head as Bakugou grabs the knife you were gonna use for the brownies from the coffee table.

“And did this,”

He reaches for you and before you can register what's happening he has his arm wrapped around your chest, knife held to your throat.

“You wouldn’t wet yer fuckin’ panties?”

You let out a shaky exhale, trying not to go dumb as you start to heat up, clit throbbing under your panties as he gently traces the cool metal down your throat.

“You-you wanna kill me?”

He chuckles, leaning down to lick up the shell of your ear.

“Not the answer I was lookin’ for, Pretty.”

He slides his hand down your belly, thick fingers toying with the waistband of your shorts. You whine softly, moving your hips in a circle to get his fingers moving, bumping against his bulge in the process. He makes a punched noise before moaning directly into your ear, hips rolling up.

You sigh and tilt your head back, slowly rocking your hips back against him and pressing soft, tickling kisses to his flushed neck. He’s panting, letting out breathy “hah’s” with every push of your ass against his crotch. He withdraws his hand from your underwear, only to grab your own hand and push it down with his, sliding yours and his finger inside of you. You have to bite your lip hard to keep a moan from ripping itself from your throat, placing your mouth back on his sweaty skin once he begins curling his fingers inside of you.

He brings the knife back up, trailing it along your lower tummy, up your chest, along your throat and stopping just under your jaw, pushing down ever so slightly and making your head spin, eyes rolling back as you jerk your hips to try and get him to put another finger.

"Mmh, you like that, slut? Want me to slit your fucking throat?"

You answer with a garbled moan, fingers twitching when he finally sinks two more of his fingers inside you along with two of yours, the stretch making you whine. Immediately he stops, and you almost whine again when you remember Kirishima sitting inches away from you, the back of his head right in front of your dripping cunt.

"Shit, you wanna get caught or sumthin'? I dunno about you but I'm not too keen on sharing what's fuckin mine."

You shake your head, sinking your teeth into his shoulder and continuing to rock your hips against his hand, eyes knocked into the back of your head as he takes his fingers out to rub slow, lazy circles on your clit. He shuffles a little under you, the knife disappearing before you feel his thick, sticky cockhead glide over your slit, popping in ever so slightly. You shake your head violently, trying to get Bakugou to stop.

“Bakugou, nnngf, it’s too much, m’gonna cum-”

He shuts you up with a sloppy kiss, saliva dribbling down your lips as he finally gets his tip inside, pushing in slightly farther before you're convulsing, squeezing him so good. The both of you cum just like that, tangled together on the couch behind Kirishima as the last 5 minutes of the movie plays in front of you.

When you come down, the credits start to roll, and you both look at each other in horror. When you hear soft breathing and snoring, however, you loosen up and relax. He was sleeping.

“Lets clean ourselves up-”

“Hah? I didnt get to properly fuck you, idiot. The knife wasn't even real, that shit’s for butter. Sit your pretty ass down and grind on my fuckin’ cock.”

#bakugo smut #bakugou katsuki smut #bakugou smut #katsuki bakugou smut #bakugou thirst #bakugou x reader #neptunetalks🪐#neptunewrites🪐#bnha kinktober #kinktober2021 #neptuneskinktober🪐#tw knifeplay #tw exhibitionism

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fruitoftheweek · 3 years

Text

Little Cherry Book:

Chapter 4:Showered in Sin

Chapter 1 Here / Chapter 2 Here / Chapter 3 Here

Hey guys! I'm sorry that it has taken so long for me to update this. I had an idea of what I was going to write but I had a super hectic week so I wasn't able to write this till now. In order to make up for it, I have given you a treat. A 6,502 word chapter. It kinda beat my ass but I had so much fun writing it. It's sweet, it's spicy, it's all the goodness you guys deserve. I was listening to Duvet by Boa while writing this and I think you should too for two reasons. One, it helps set the mood, but also oh my fucking god it's such a good song. Also, Boa is just a fucking great band. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and message me if you would like to be added to the tag list! Love you guys

Pairing: Spencer Reid X reader

Chapter Plot: After a game of drunk never have I ever after a long case, Morgan locks Spencer out of their shared room. Shenanigans ensue and you and Spencer share a couple of firsts.

Series TW: 18+, smut, degradation, piercing, choking, knife play, mommy/daddy kinks, spanking, exhibitionism, Will update as time goes on

Chapter TW: smut, slight mommy kink, having body piercings, choking, slight blood kink (not really, it's just hard to explain), Shared masturbation (male and female receiving), pleading, multiple orgasms, cumming in pants, shower sexiness, aftercare

Word Count: 6,502

Your deep cherry lipstick painted the white seal of the wine bottle you held in your hand as you laughed at something Elle said. Spencer couldn't help but let a small smile pass his lips as he took in your form, hot from the day's work, small strands of your hair sticking to your forehead, a dewy glow illuminating your rosy cheeks.

After a long week, they had found Carl Arnold before he had been able to kill the Dunken family and even coerced a confession out of him. With spirits running high, Elle had suggested some much-needed relaxation before taking off the next day. Since you were rooming alone, you volunteered to host in your room. Morgan had arrived at your hotel room with two bottles of some sort of liquor, one clear and one amber, JJ trailing in toe with your bottle of red wine you had asked for. You pulled out your little corkscrew with the face of an old man on it, knowing she hated his weird little face. You brought it with you on trips, just in case the occasion arose.

And it did arise as Elle suggested a drinking game. Hotch had retired early after calling Hailey to get an update on his very pregnant wife, while Gideon preferred the solitude of a good book late at night. The rest of you sat on the floor surrounded by drinks and snacks. With the supervision gone, it almost felt like a high school party with no parents. You all had all settled on a classic, never have I ever. "We haven't played this in a long time because we already know so much about each other, but it's fun when we have a newbie around," Morgan said giving you a cheeky smile and bumping your shoulder. Already pliable after the couple of drinks you had while Elle explained the game, you nodded before tipping your lips to the cusp of Spencer's ear. "I'll try not to make it too hard for you, pretty boy," you said. The small puffs of air that left your mouth made Spencer's hair stand on end and his feet curl.

He knew you were teasing him that night and he loved it. He decided to keep his knees tucked to his chest for the rest of the night as to not expose the predicament in his pants. He watched the way you lightly sucked on the wine bottle as you tipped it back, a thin river of cabernet leaking from the corner of your lips and trailing down your neck. Spencer wanted nothing more than to lean over and lap it off of you just to see how you would react, but he knew it was the drinks talking. Despite your earlier comment, it was quite obvious that you were targeting him as his head started to spin gently.

"Never have I ever had sex with someone much older than me," Garcia said through her video feed with a cheeky smirk. Derek had insisted on including her even though she wasn't physically present. She sat bundled up in a comfy blanket in her office with a mug of some sort of alcoholic beverage. "HEY! No targeting! Plus, I told you that in confidence at ladies night. How much is much older?" You said, swaying your bottle towards the computer set up on the floor."You know how much older I mean sweetheart." Garcia said with a giggle as you groaned and took a sip."How much older is much older?" Morgan said with a cocked eyebrow, somewhere between impressed and surprised." I was a college student, experimenting with my professor. Not like an old man, but he was 20 years older than me. Definitely not my style anymore though." You said with a grimace remembering him.

Spencer had learned a lot about your sex life during that game, but some part inside of him smirked, knowing that the rest of the team would never know you as he knew you, not unless they too had read your journal. It was the only thing keeping his head clear of the idea of you with anyone else. Not that you were with him in any capacity, but the idea still made him feel something in his stomach. Not the sweet butterflies that came with your smile, but something more like idiotic hornets dangerously bumping against the walls of his stomach.

Spencer hadn't even noticed the uproar of everyone else around the circle at your comment and the second revelation that Morgan had drunk too. He was too busy watching how you had shyly tucked your hair behind your ear, finally letting it down out of your clips for once. You were wearing your pajamas, just a tank top, slouchy sweater, and flannel pajama pants, but somehow you looked more radiant than ever. He had come back down to earth after hearing someone call his name."Y-Yes?" He sputtered out, realizing you had been trying to get his attention."It's Morgan's turn, pay attention." You said, gently smacking your hand down on his thigh.

If he was riled up before, he was unbelievably undone at the slight sting from where your palm had just been. Light enough that it wasn't noticeable, but hard enough that it erupted a Shockwave through his body, centered on the location of the contact. He bit back the whimper threatening to escape his lips as he turned towards Morgan, trying desperately to not watch you from the corner of his eye.

"Never have I been a virgin at 24," Morgan said, beaming in his direction. Spencer took a big gulp from his glass of whiskey."You always do that one, I don't know why you think it's so funny, you're just trying to get me to drink" he said abashedly. He looked over at you, nervous for your reaction, but you seemed unfazed. "Hey, that's a wonderful gift to have, there's something so special about virgins. Maybe it's the idea that everything is new, but I like it. I love virgins." You said, taking a sip from your bottle, gently swaying. You had given up on never have I ever and just decided to drink whenever you felt like it. Maybe it was because you were tipsy, maybe it was the warm flush that decorated Spencer's cheeks, maybe it was the way he was looking at you with sultry, half-lidded eyes. You couldn't tell, but something made you want to find an excuse for you two to be alone.

"Geese, we seemed to have caught a succubus tonight." Morgan quipped."A suck-you-what now?" You said, cocking an eyebrow at him. " A succubus, it's a demon or supernatural entity in folklore, in female form, that appears in dreams to seduce men, usually through sexual activity. According to religious traditions, repeated sexual activity with a succubus can cause poor physical or mental health, even death. In modern representations, a succubus is often depicted as a beautiful seductress or enchantress, rather than as demonic or frightening." Spencer shot out. "Wow, even when you're drunk, your big brain keeps chuggin' along," you said, sloppily ruffling his hair "A beautiful seductress or enchantress, huh?" That time it came out low, inaudible to the others, but it pierced Spencer like a knife."Do you think that's accurate bout me?" you asked, staring up into his eyes, closer than you have been before. Spencer let a cartoonish gulping noise escape his lips as he held back his urge to lean into your touch.

"Ah, it's my turn," you said, leaning back into your spot in the circle and sadly, away from Spencer." Never have I ever done something naughty at our work," you said, looking straight at Spencer "I'll know if you're lying, I can sniff out a liar from a mile away," your cocky smirk leaking out of your mouth. Everyone except you and JJ took a shot."Wow, really you guys? Even you Spence? " JJ said in disbelief, looking around the circle."Never have I ever, my ass" Spencer mumbled under his breath, just loud enough for you to hear, looking over at you, thinking about your pantieless escapades.

"Look at that, Doctor Reid, you need another drink, let me go fix you one," You said as you grabbed his glass in one hand, leaning and gripping hard into his shoulder with the other. It wasn't seen by the others, but between that and the fiery look in your eyes, it sent an obvious message,' keep your mouth shut or I'll shut it for you.' You used him as leverage to get up, nearly pushing him over as you gracefully stumbled to the hotel fridge. He knew what you meant, but he didn't care, your grip on him went straight into his imagination as he envisioned what that grip would feel like in other places. He kind of wanted to push his luck, just so he could see what he had in store.

And push it he did as you handed him the glass, reminding him that it was indeed his turn to play never have I ever. "Never have I ever slept with my professor," He said, obviously targeting you with a glint of mischief in his eyes."Oh yeah, well never have I ever been a virgin at 24." You said, swaying as you sat down."Morgan already said that, dummy. Never have I ever worn stupid dark red lipstick" He retorted, equally as drunk as you. At this point everyone else had zoned you two out and were focused on other things, refreshing their drinks, counting the ceiling tiles, humming a sloppy rendition of My My Miss American Pie, or in Penelope's case, all three."Yeah, well never have I ever been a complete and utter mommas boy!" You continued, the statement turning Spencer beet red. You watched him clench and unclench his hands, you had obviously struck a nerve. Just as you were about to apologize, he cut you off. "Never have I ever had nipple piercings!" He shouted, pointing at your chest, now drawing attention to the obvious balls framing your nipples that you had once been covered by your long-forgotten sweater.

As he said it, it felt like the world went in slow motion. You could see the instant regret on his face as you dropped your bottle in surprise. It had landed on Spencers discarded whiskey glass and both shattered, wine and whiskey mixing with glass to create a slurry on the ground between them. "Fuck! You Guys!" Morgan said, "You got it all over my clothes." "Me too," Echoed Elle as they both stood up in their soaked clothes. "I think that calls it a night." JJ said, closing the laptop on the image of an already sleeping Garcia." Bye you guys, sleep well," you called after them as you and Spencer rushed around looking for towels to clean up the alcohol with.

"Ow! Son of a bitch!" Spencer cried as you dropped the last of the glass in the garbage can. As you rounded the corner, you saw Spencer pulling a rather large shard of glass that you must have missed out of his thumb, blood pooling at the tip. Without thinking, you crouched down and sucked his thumb into your mouth." A-ah! What... What are you doing!?" Spencer asked breathlessly, looking down at you with a deep hunger in his eyes. You pop off his thumb and squeeze it at the base, slowing the blood flow."Shut up," You said," This helps slow the bleeding. The sucking applies pressure. My mom used to do this for me... And no, do not psychoanalyze that." You said, wrapping your mouth around his finger, sucking to provide some pressure to slow the blood flow. You could taste the iron in your mouth, but you didn't mind, knowing you were helping your friend.

You were helping alright, helping in more ways than you would ever understand. "Yeah, like I'm the only one here with mommy issues," he said distractedly, too busy surveying your lips wrapped around him. You slapped your hand down on his thigh once more, eliciting a small whimper from him. He couldn't help it, you were a sight of beauty, you always were, but looking down on you right then, Spencer wanted to bottle that moment forever. The tops of your breasts peeking out from the top of your tank top, your eyes filled with a hazy glow, looking up at him to make sure he was ok, and your cheeks hollowing out around his thumb as you delicately sucked on his wound. It was as close as Spencer had ever gotten to anything sexual. He could feel your tongue swirling around the cut, lapping up the last couple drops of blood. He couldn't help but imagine what it would be like if it was another appendage and not his thumb. You sucked on his thumb one last time, harder than you had previously, and before he even knew what he was doing, his hips bucked up, rubbing his hard cock against his pajama pants, finally relieving his mounting orgasm.

You let go of his finger with a pop as your tongue trailed off of the underside of his thumb. Spencer looked anywhere but you, as a wet patch formed through his thin underwear and pajama pants. He hurried to cover it with his sweater, shooting up from his seated position."Um, Um, I'm g-gonna go shower and go to bed." He said, hurriedly scurrying over to where he had left his room key." Sorry partner, I saw Morgan accidentally grab both of your keys on the way out. He's probably asleep by now." You said languidly, leaning back to take in the sight of the soft boy in front of you. Totally flushed with heat, small beads of sweat peppering his forehead, his hands twiddling suspiciously into his sweater in an attempt to conceal crotch, trying and failing miserably to hide his rapidly cooling cum.

He whined a little, lighting a fire in you. He looked so thoroughly fucked out, and all you had done was suck his finger. You knew that you just had to play with him some more. "You know, you can use my shower, doctor." You said, and he let out a small sigh of relief, heading towards the bathroom. "There is one condition, though," You smirked coyly as he halted his motions, his body facing away from you. It was almost as if he was ready to run away at any moment. You walked over to him, slowly, taking your time to tease him. The silence hung heavy in the air as you looked up into his eyes questioningly, waiting for him to ask. "Wh-what is the condition." He said, unable to return your gaze, hands fisted in the hem of his sweater, pulling it down even further. You smirked, dipping your hands up and under his sweater, nearly brushing his spent cock before gently placing them on his bare stomach, just above his waistband. He sucked in a tight breath as you gently swirled your fingers in the short hair that lead from his belly button down to happier places." Before I ask, do you know about the color scale?" you said, fingers smoothing out over his little stomach." Um, k-kinda?" He said, heat flushing his cheeks."Green means good keep going, yellow means slow down, and red means stop right now, ok?" You said, looking up at him as he nods."Come on pretty boy, I need verbal confirmation. I need to know that you understand, got it." You said with a little pinch to his tummy. "Y-Yes, I understand!" He blurted out, standing stiff as a board." Good boy. Now, for my condition. You can shower if you show me what you're hiding." You said, leaning close enough that if Spencer breathed, your chests would meet each other. "What color, Spencer?" you said, languidly drawing lines up and down his torso with your nails."G-Green, Very green." He sputtered out, finally meeting your eyes."That's what I like to hear, sweet boy." You said before your fingers danced below his waistline, now somewhat crusty from his cum."W-wait!" He says, just as you were about to take him in your hand. You instantly stopped and looked up at him gently."We can stop here baby, it's not a problem." You said, beginning to remove your hand from his pants. He grabbed your hand through his pants, stopping your movement."It-It's not that. I don't want to stop, I just want... well..." He said and looked down shyly. "What do you want baby, anything," You smiled up at him. "Um, I haven't had my first kiss yet and I kinda... Well... I kinda..." He said, shuffling his feet, face beet red. Your eyebrows shot up quickly in surprise before letting out a gentle smile."Do you want a kiss, pretty boy?" You said, gently brushing the hair out of his face. He nodded, and you grabbed his chin, bringing him close. "Use your words, pretty boy. What do you want?" You whispered, breath gently ghosting Spencer's lips as he took you in up close. He could see every little pore and dimple of your skin and every color hidden in the depth of your eyes and he knew he needed to have you.

He shakily leaned forward, lips gently meeting yours, so light that if you hadn't seen his actions, you wouldn't have even known if you had touched. You moved your hand down to his throat, giving a light squeeze."Come on genius, use your words," you said as he whimpered. "Please, can I kiss you, please, please?" He begged, leaning into your touch, pleading for you to squeeze again. His efforts shoot straight to your heart. You indulged him in a kiss, not as spicy as the situation would permit, more of a sweet heat. He came in too hot and heavy at first, but you kissed him languidly, gently stroking his cheek to get him in the rhythm. His arms were straight out at his sides, hands clenched as if he was willing every muscle in his body to not touch you.

You let out a small laugh as you melted into his kiss, soft, puffy lips dancing across yours. "You know you can touch me," You said, pulling back, smiling at the smear of your lipstick, now staining his lips, and the endearing puppy dog eyes he was giving you. "Where can I touch you?" He whispered out as if he were telling a secret. "Wherever you want, baby. Wherever your heart desires." You replied, bringing your arms up to wrap loosely around his neck, pulling your bodies closer. He was as stiff as a board as his hands flitted around trying to find a good place to land. He finally settled on weaving his arms around your waist and up to cradle your neck, gently carding his fingers through the hair that fell at the nape of your neck. There was something so sweet in the way he cradled your body with feather-light touches as if you would disappear like smoke if he lingered too long. You reveled in the feeling of you two pressed together, slightly uncomfortable at the stiff material of his pajama pants on your stomach.

"Hey sweetheart," You said, pulling away as he chased after your lips, "I'm feeling kinda sweaty from the day, would you like to join me in the shower? What color?" "G-green, yes please." He said, tentatively pressing a kiss to your collarbone, exposed as the strap of your tank top had fallen down. You unwound from him, taking his hand delicately in your own, instantly missing the warmth his body provided.

You lead him into the bathroom, carefully stepping over the wine-soaked towels discarded on the floor before shutting the door and turning to face him. "I don't want to take this too fast for you because I know it's all very new so always tell me how you are feeling and if everything is ok. I want this to be good for you baby, ok?" You said, squeezing his hand that was still intertwined with yours. "Ok, th-thank you," He said shyly.

"Now, what do you want to do first? You're probably pretty uncomfortable in those pants, do you want me to take them off you?" You said, hooking one of your fingers into his waistband, pulling on in slightly creating a much-needed separation between his sticky cock and his uncomfortable pants."Y-Yes please" He said as you turned on the shower, allowing it to warm up in preparation for cleaning him off before turning back to him. You gently grabbed the hem of his sweater and pulled it over his head, leaving him shirtless in front of you.

Lean muscles were hidden under a layer of peachy soft skin highlighting the gentle trail of dark curly hair leading from his belly button down past his pants. His arms curled around himself as he watched your eyes carefully, ready for some sort of judgment. "I know I'm not really that s-strong or anything but I can work on it-" You cut him off with a gentle kiss right above his belly button, startling him. You looked up sweetly into his eyes and gave him a soft smile, saying "You are so beautiful, Spencer. Morgan calls you pretty boy, but he truly has no idea. I would have you no other way than you are right now."

You gently peppered his chest with feather-light kisses, making him blush. He finally understood why people liked hickeys because as you trailed down his chest, the little wine red lipstick you had left on your lips left marks trailing down his chest. Some part of him wished they were permanent, showing off to all that could see, and they would know exactly who he belonged to. You dipped your hand into his waistband, asking, "What color?" "Green, very green," he choked out as your breath ghosted across his abdomen. You looked so beautiful, kneeled on the floor in front of him, taking care of him so gently and treating him so sweetly that he could feel his cock begin to harden again.

You looked up into his eyes as you pulled his pants down. He let out a soft sigh of relief as he was uncaged from his unfortunate trouser situation. His cock flipped down out of his pants, nearly smacking you in the forehead as you looked up at it in awe. Even though it was only semi-hard, it was bigger than any you had ever seen before. Spencer looked down at you shyly "it's not that much, I-I know but I've been researching techniques to make up for it in order to give sufficient pleasure for you- I mean for whatever partners I may have, not that I am saying that I won't please you, I dream of pleasuring you! ... I'm digging myself a hole aren't I."He rambled, rubbing the back of his neck worriedly. "Spencer, you are huge. Way more than I have ever had before. See?" You said, standing up, gently lifting his cock in your hand, measuring it against your stomach.

Maybe Spencer hadn't noticed because it was proportionate to his body and his big hands, but being held in your petite hands and measured against your stomach, he finally did see how much he would fill you up. The tip of his dick just barely reached past the gems that decorated your belly button piercing. "W-Woah." He said growing harder at the thought of pushing so deep into you. He looked up to your face, which was preoccupied with looking down at how far he would reach up in you.

Tearing your eyes away from him and up to his own, you flushed, knowing that he had caught you staring. "What would you like me to do next?" You spoke softly. Despite being the only two in the room, you two both talked in hushed tones, worrying that anything more than that would burst the delicate bubble you two had created. "Can we match?" He said, and you instantly understood him, despite the odd vernacular. You began to slip off your shirt, but he stopped you with an arm on your shoulder. "C-Can I do it?" He said shyly. "Of course, pretty baby," you barely get out before he drifted his hands under your tank.

He slowly lifted your top over your head as he took in the soft smooth feeling of your skin against his, goosebumps pricking up wherever his fingers trailed. You stood in front of him, shirtless as he took in your form. He had imagined what your breasts would look like. Nipples always hard due to your piercings, what your jewelry would look like, but nothing could prepare him for the glimmering moonstone gems that adorned your nipples and navel. Everything matched exactly, including the delicate necklace you wore around your neck.

The only thing he liked more than the perfection of your body was the features that made you, you. Some might call them imperfections, but to Spencer, all he could see in you was beauty. The gentle bruises on your skin from tangles with unsubs, the soft stretch marks that adorned your hips like little valleys and winding rivers, the slight blemishes, and hairs. He loved it because you were the embodiment of the confidence he wished for in himself. While he was always nervous about his body and how others perceived him, you loved yourself for exactly who you were, and you loved him for exactly who he was.

He pulled down your pants, gently following the twist and turn of the stretch marks as they winded down your hips, making sure to kneel down to pull them all the way off of you as you delicately stepped out, gently grabbing onto his hair to keep your balance as you swayed. He moaned softly at the gentle tug of your fingers while he stared up at you in awe. You took his hand in yours, coaxing him to stand.

You both stood there, taking in each other's forms for a moment, hands still connected as if by a thread at the pinky before you spoke. "We shouldn't waste water. Let me clean you off, sweetheart." He nodded before following after you into the gentle spray of the shower, steam now filling the room. He marveled at the way that the water droplets cascaded down your body, gently running down your curves. "Come here," you said, pulling him into a gentle embrace under the hot water.

Your two bodies pressed gently together, and Spencer couldn't help but think that you were molded for each other. Not in the way that a sculptor may stick two unmatched pieces of clay together with slip, more like one rock that had been split by the earth finally returning together. Something about your touch felt like home as you gently cradled him under the water.

He was so enthralled in your being that he didn't notice you gently scrubbing him with a washcloth until the scent of your body wash permeated the air. You gently scrubbed his back, washing off the sweat of the day and replacing it with you. He melted into you as your hands reached up, lathering his hair with shampoo. He wasn't sure if it was because he realized you should probably be getting washed too or because he desperately wanted to ride his hands along the planes of your body, but he decided to lather up his hands and wash you as well. "You are such a good boy. Thank you for cleaning me up" You said, resting your head gently on his chest, softly swirling the soap around his back, now finished scrubbing all you could from that angle, waiting to turn him around.

He moved carefully, avoiding your butt, still too nervous to touch. "Make sure you get everything, sweet boy. I like to be clean when I go to bed." You said, gently grabbing his hand and pulling it down to cup your butt. He inhales a sharp breath as he indulged in a gentle squeeze, continuing to wash you. He washed your back but his hands would occasionally drift down to your ass, growing more confident as he unknowingly rocked into you slightly with every squeeze, letting out soft keening noises.

You peeled yourself off of him as he rutted into the air, whining at the loss of friction. "Slow down, naughty boy. Bad boys don't get to touch. Are you a bad boy?" you asked as you placed a finger on the tip of his cock, swirling it in the precum pooling there despite the water's efforts to wash it off. "No, no! I'm a good boy! You're just so pretty, and you feel so good, and you smell so nice, and I wanna touch you, and I want you to touch me, please." He blurted out, looking at you with hungry eyes, begging for more friction. "Where do you want to touch me baby?" you asked as his eyes raked over your body, taking in all of his options. "I want to touch your boobies and your- your-" "My what? You can say it, naughty boy." You cut him off in his stammering. "Your pussy, I want to touch your pussy." He said, the hot water spreading the blush from his cheeks down his chest, tingeing his cock with a pretty pink hue. "What naughty words from such a pretty boy. You can touch-" he cut you off, lunging towards your body before you grabbed him by the throat, squeezing experimentally. Not too hard, not too soft. He moaned, and you felt the vibrations traveling up your hands."Let me finish what I was saying. Naughty boys don't get to touch. They get spanked." You said as he mewled." What I was going to say before I was so rudely interrupted was that you can touch, AFTER I wash you and after you finish washing me. Only after, you got it?" you said, squeezing a little tighter. "Y-yes." he croaked out. "Good boy," you replied.

You washed out the shampoo in his hair, replacing it with conditioner as he did the same for you. You squirted more soap onto your washcloth, preparing to test him. You took the washcloth in your hand, slowly working over his legs, arms, and chest, teasingly brushing over his overspent cock before returning to cleaning him. He washed you thoroughly, taking care to wash your legs before making sure your stomach and belly button piercing were thoroughly cleaned. Finally, he reached up to wash the leftover makeup off of your face. He touched you like a porcelain doll, worried that you would crack under even the slightest pressure, making you giggle. He flinched, thinking he hurt you, but you grabbed his face in your hands, delivering him a kiss that covered his face in soap.

You both stood there, laughing for a second, relishing the moment before you let out a shy smile. "You can touch my chest now, but make sure you clean my piercings carefully." He looked down at your chest, and now that he'd been given permission, he didn't really know what to do. You could see the puzzled look on his face so you grabbed one of his soapy hands in yours and brought it to your breast. He squeezed experimentally, and you let out a gentle moan. You had been keeping in your arousal to draw out his teasing, but you couldn't hold yourself back as you felt his large hands grasp around your chest and roll your nipple in his fingers.

There was a sweet dichotomy in the harshness of his grasp on your boob, coupled with the gentle twist of your nipple. It was as if he was worried to hurt your piercings, so he made up for it in his grasp. You brought the washcloth down to his cock, hard against his stomach, and began to work him. He whined at the harsh material. "I need to clean you up, baby. You still have a cummy cock. If you beg hard enough when I'm done, I will touch you." You said into his ear as he rested his head on your shoulder.

He was overstimulated, and you could tell, so you decided you wouldn't take as long as you wanted to tease him. But you would still draw it out for your own pleasure. He was bucking and mewling into you as you roughly got him off. It shot you straight to your core, the heat from the shower mixed with his grasp on you, physically and visually, had you closer than you wanted, and deep down you just wanted him to touch you.

When you deemed him clean enough you let the rag drop to the floor. "Beg" you moaned out. "Please, please touch me, I want your hand on me, that's all I want." He whined, bucking into the air. You took pity on him, grasping him with your soap-covered hand. He hissed as your soft touch replaced the rough rag and you could tell he was close. "Touch me, Spencer." You said and his hand shot to your core. His tentative moves giving way to a natural confidence. As he slipped a hand between your folds he could feel you dripping with desire. "O-Oh my god," was all he could stammer out before sinking two of his fingers into your depths, thumb circling your clit. You knew his fingers were long, and you had even fantasized about this exact moment, but nothing could prepare you for his actual length. He had said he did research but that was proven by how quickly he found your g spot and clit. You doubled over in pleasure as his fingers thoroughly fucked you out.

"Spencer, I'm so close, baby. Be a good boy and make me cum." You said, slumping against his shoulder, rubbing yourself against his hand. "Mommy, I'm cumming." He said, looking into your eyes as his body shuttered. His words ricochetted around in your brain, sending you over the edge as you cum all down his hand. You bit into his shoulder to muffle your scream, just as he matched you, cumming down your hand.

You came down from your high as Spencer nearly collapsed onto you. You took extra care in making sure he was all clean before helping him out of the shower and into a towel. He leaned against you the whole time as you got him ready for bed. You forced him to brush his teeth before dragging him to bed.

He sat at the edge, eyes bleary with sleep, taking in the events of the day. You sat behind him, gently toweling off his hair before brushing it and putting lotion on his body. He leaned into your touch, appreciating being cared for, feeling as if everything had been a dream. "C-Can I sleep here? I mean Morgan locked me out and I don't have pants and-" You cut him off with a gentle kiss."Of course, sweetheart, do you want to cuddle? It's ok if you don't or if you want this to be a one-time thing, it's all up to you, baby." You said, gently sweeping his hair out of his face as he looked up with eyes the size of dinner plates. "We can do this more than once? You'll let me? For real?" He asked. "Only if you want to sweetheart. This is all about you." You said, giving him a small smile tinged with a slight sadness. "That's not very fair, I want it to be about you too. What do you want?"

The question knocked you off guard. You're not used to people asking what you want. Usually, people just take and give none in return. The fact that Spencer Reid, your adorable virgin coworker was asking you what you wanted with such a sincere look, caused tears to prick into your eyes. "No one has asked me that in a long time," you smiled, "I would love to do this, and more again with you Spencer. Whenever you want." He wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you down so you were lying next to each other on the bed. "Whenever we want" He corrected, cuddling into you.

You surveyed the bite make you left on his shoulder, running your hand over it. "Sorry for marking you up, I didn't mean to hurt you." You said softly as he blushed. "I-I was actually wondering... well... could you maybe give me a hickey? I like that you marked me." He said. You obliged him, giving him long kisses and sucks, gradually working up your force until a large purple bruise had formed on his collar bone. He was gently moaning the whole time, but you didn't want to work him up again as he had already cum twice that night and you didn't think he could handle more. He looked down at it as you pulled away, and you could see a question lingering on his mind.

"What's up?" you asked, smoothing his hair with your hand. "You said you hadn't been asked what you want in a long time, and I was wondering, well... who gave you your piercings?" he asked tentatively and you laughed." You have been reading my book too much, how many chapters have you read?" You said and he looked up at you surprised."You knew? and... well... only 3 chapters. I didn't want to pry into your private life." He said. "You just pried enough to know I want to get pierced by someone?" You asked raising an eyebrow. Before he could get an excuse out, you cut him off. "Well for a genius, you obviously didn't read it that carefully. I said I WOULD like to be pierced during sex, meaning I have not before. These are just standard piercings from a piercing shop, not a big deal, I just like the way they look." You said and he let out a sigh of relief. "Why? d'you get jealous?" you questioned him. He looked down and nodded shyly.

"I can be a lot of firsts for you but if you play your cards right, you can be a lot of firsts for me too. You already gave me a first tonight. You called me mommy. No one's done that before but it was really hot. I liked it a lot." You said matter of factly. "But that is a conversation for another day. It is 2 am and we need to be on a flight at 7:30, so let's get some sleep." You said, turning off the lights and cuddling up close to him. In a matter of seconds, you both were asleep, tangled into each other's arms, both of you feeling, for once, safe and sound.

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Chapter 1 Here / Chapter 2 Here / Chapter 3 Here

Well wasn't that a doozy. I had so much fun writing that and I think it paid off for sure. Shoot me a message if you want to be added to my beloved tag list, speaking of which.

@spencer-reids-slut @ya-triedit @reidstoychest @flipperpenguins @thatsonezesty13 @jbbarnes-loki @big-galaxy-chaos

#spencer reid smut #spencer reid imagine #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid blurb #spencer reid fluff #spencer reid angst #criminal minds smut #criminal minds imagine #criminal minds fanfiction #criminal minds #sub spencer #spencer reid fanfic #spencer reid #sub!spencer #pervspence #pervespencer #perve spencer reid #perv spencer reid

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