#also nice work with getting metal shine right!
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Fate
Pairings: Yoongi × y/n
Genre/tags: Arranged marriage
Warning: 🔞🔞🔞 mention of blood/violence/drugs/trafficing, trauma, mention of killing, kidnapping, gun, mention of food/eating/weight, cursing, sensual touching, making out smoking, smut (but not this chapter)
~~~~[lmk if i miss anything]
Words: 5.2k
Disclaimer:
- this story is just made up
- english is not my first language, please be nice 😊
Note:
Part 1 - Prisoner
Part 2 - Escape
Part 3 - Twilight
Part 4 - Fate
A/N: again... im really sorry for being a slow writer/update for this mini series🙏🏻 i can't help it. 😭 I do get msgs asking for updates & i feel bad... so sorry 🥹 I try my best to have time to get into the story/characters whenever i have free time. I work full time and have a 2nd job too so it takes all my energy. I'm really... really sorry.😭
But yeaah, thank you for everyone liking my yoongi fanfic. 🖤🫶🏻 thank you for the patience😭
I hope this chapter is okay ♥️
****
(Prologue/Flashback)
"Sshh..." she covers your mouth for you to stay quiet and not make any noise. She reminds you constantly to keep it together or else they will find you. "Just a little bit more, Yoongi." She whispers. "Calm down..."
You try your best to do what she says because you want you guys to survive this. To escape. However you are a kid and you are terrified. And you can't stop yourself from shaking like a twig. Also you are rapidly breathing through your nose. Tears even start to fill your eyes as you look into her eyes.
"You'll be fine..." she says to you. "Noona, will protect you."
"I'm scared..." You whisper grabbing onto her long braided hair.
You two are a few inches apart. If she could only embrace you, she will. However there are metal bars between you two and she is.... injured.
"Me too." She wants to cry to as she must be as scared as you or maybe, more. But since she's the eldest between the two of you she have to be brave for you. "Just go to sleep... I promise... the moment you wake up...when the sun is shining after the storm tonight... we'll be safe... we'll already be at home..."
"P-promise?"
She tries her best to not break down because she knows that she's promising something that's very unrealistic in your situation right now. Both of you are held captives, kidnapped and waiting to be saved.
"I promise." She sniffs "Just hold onto this for now..." she meant her hair and then reaches her hand to you slowly even it's causing too much pain for her. "Go to sleep... Noona will be right here..." the tip of her fingers barely touched your cheek. "I will protect you..." she adds
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[Present]
The silence between you two is very deafening. Even the staffs at the mansion notices how both of you are very distant to each other.
Odd right? They should be used to this situation since Yoongi is the silent type or the one who does not talk that much especially to you.
However for you, maybe this is out of character as every one is not used to you being like this. Well THIS silent anyway.
You usually talk and greet them or make small talks with them or Yoongi even if it's just a random question to make him just...talk. You do anything to make him speak to you. You make small efforts to chase his attention just to get him look back at you per say. Like a dog.
But now, since he made sure to leave you the moment you got vulnerable with him during sex and mentioned a feeling you have, which in the first place you had no idea you have, really hurt you this time. Big time. It is a rejection that you never thought would bother you this much.
"You two are awfully quiet." Mrs. Min says as soon as she puts down her cup of coffee on the table. "You two are both quiet originally... I know... but..." she looks at you and Yoongi back and forth twice. "Did you guys had a fight?"
No one answers.
"Guessing...silence means yes?" Mrs. Min looks at us again, hoping someone will speak up. "What did you do?" She asks Yoongi.
But he didn't open his mouth to speak. He just continued on chewing on his breakfast while his eyes are glued to you.
He has been eyeing you since the two of you left the mansion. He have been silently watching you move along, react and walk from your back. You don't notice it as you are trying to achieve to ignore him completely today. And so far, you are a gold medalist at it. You don't even bat an eye on him.
"Fine... not gonna ask anymore questions..." Mrs. Min gives up. "Anyways, after this lunch... I'll have a meeting with Hannah."
Yoongi flinches, finally reacting and gets interested to whatever his mother is saying. "What for?"
"About the private resort project that she is building... she wants my opinion about what brands to use for the decorations. She have a final lists of candidates of brands and she wants to know my say to it."
"Really...."
"Yes... and as soon as it opens... she says you two can go there... and celebrate... as her gift. Since she missed going to your wedding."
"Celebrate?" You finally spoke after how many years. Even Yoongi whip his head to look at you.
"Yes dear," Mrs. Min smiles so brightly and holds your hand. "You're 2nd anniversary... next month... right?"
"Ah, yes... right." You try to smile it away. But deep inside, you are not looking forward to it.
Why would you? Last year Yoongi didn't even greeted you Happy Anniversary. He probably didn't care back then so why would he care now and celebrate this year? This marriage is nothing to him.
"Is she coming here?" Yoongi asks his mother, changing back the subject to Hannah
"No... I am meeting her at her office."
You are holding on for dear life on your gold medal for 'Ignoring my husband award'. You are so curious to look at him. To see his beautiful face, how he reacts when they talk about her. Hannah. The girl you saw more than a year ago. The girl you saw on the driveway, talking to your husband while she hooked her arms on his'. The girl that Yoongi seems interested about. The girl he seems to.... like.
"How about you guys? What are your plans today after our brunch?" Mrs. Min asks
"Hmm.." he sighs heavily and then takes his phone from the table. "Probably fuck my wife " Yoongi answers nonchalantly making you and Mrs. Min almost choke on nothing. That sentence made you even look at him with wide eyes and red cheeks.
"Omo..." Mrs. Min is too stunned to even comprehend what she just heard. "Well... okay... too much information but..." she then takes a sip of her coffee. "You do you."
"I'm sorry..." you apologize to your mother-in-law.
You are embarassed. This topic should be a private matter. Everyone in the mansion already seem to have the idea what you two do on a regular basis but you do hope that outside, no one has to know.
It's not that you are embarassed of having a sex life. It's normal. Yes. But to have to talk about it to his parents, oh dear god, no.
"Why are you apologizing?" Yoongi's face looks so damn serious. "We are husband and wife right?"
You scowl at Him. You don't like how he acts or portrays like sex is just a hobby for him and it's nothing to be embarassed about. Especially in front of his mother while you are present. He really does not treat you like you have any feelings. He is evil.
"Okay... children...children... don't fight about this... it's okay. You already have issues before we got here so... it's fine." Mrs. Min tries to sooth the situation up.
She's so nice to try. Though she does not know the real reason why there is a huge distance between you two today. It's not that simple. You don't even know if she knows how his son treats you.
***
"Sir." Mr. Kim bows as both Yoongi and you arrives at the driveway, about to leave Mrs. Min's property.
"Get in." He orders you
You glare at him then roll your eyes away. You are in no mood now. You have scowled at him earlier already so why not do it more now that he is irritating you.
"Hold on..." he suddenly grabs you by the arm, stopping you from getting in the car. "Did you just fucking roll your eyes at me?" He scoffs
You try your best to pull your arms from his grip but he is stronger than you. "Let me go." You grunt
"What are you doing?" He asks, "You've been.... acting up lately..."
"I don't know...what you're talking about..." you finally freed yourself from his grip.
"Don't act innocent on me... I know you."
"Know me?" You snap. "How? We barely talked these past two years... You only look for me when you want something done and someone to fuck...besides that, I am nothing to you. So how the fuck will you know me?"
Finally! You've said something. However you can't lie to yourself how terrified you are right now. Your legs are shaking. You have never risen your voice like this before. Not with him. Plus Yoongi is so freaking silent. There was no reaction from him not like Mr. Kim who just coughed because of the sudden tension.
Is he in shock? He must be surprised to hear you speak out after all this time. He had never heard you talk like this before. You can't even read his expression. He is just looking down at you, straight on.
"Ahm... Sir... Miss... I'll leave you two... alone." Mr. Kim finally broke the awkward silence. "Just message me if... we're going home."
You glance at him and bow. Also giving an apologetic look since the situation got a bit serious.
And as soon as Mr. Kim is gone from our sight, Yoongi takes a step forward closer to you, making you back up and your behind bumping on the car. "Is that... what you think?"
You glare up at him. "Yes."
"You think... I don't know you?"
"Yes."
He chuckles. "I know you more than you know..."
You frown. "You only see me when you are horny... you don't even talk to me unless to I ask you... unless you tell me what to do and what not to do... so, how would you know anything about me...?"
He scrunches his face. He looks irritated "I see you more than you think." He mumbles. And then he took a step back and looks at you and watch you tremble,"Do you regret it?" He asks
"W-what? Regret what?"
"The sex... do you regret it?"
"W-what? What do you mean...?"
He then puts both his hands on the car, trapping you between. "Just answer the question... do you hate and regret the sex?"
You look away. "No...."
"Do you want us to stop fucking?"
You sigh heavily. "Why are you focusing on the sex?!?" Your brows are furrowed. You are really showing your frustration. "It's not about the sex, Yoongi! There is nothing wrong with the sex... what I just want is... I just..." you look back at his face and you see an empty expression from him. Does he not get what you are saying or is he ignoring the other parts of what you told him. That the only thing he thinks about is your sex life. "Never mind..." you lower your gaze. "It's not like my opinion matter..."
"Y/N..." Yoongi begins. You look back st him waiting for whatever he's about to say. You think he was about to response to you or maybe say what is on his mind as well. (Maybe.) However, both of you got suddenly distracted by the honk of a black sedan car entering the property.
You have seen that car before. It is familiar. And then when it stops and someone steps out of the car...
"Yoongi?" The woman that came out of the passenger seat, is Hannah. "What are you doing here?"
She is smiling ear to ear. Her smile is as bright as her tear drop pear earrings that is perfectly shown under her tucked bob hair. She's... so pretty.
"Oh... Hi..." she waves at you when she finally notices you
"Hi." You try to smile as brightly as you can.
"You must be Yoongi's beautiful wife." She is sweet. She looks like a friendly and easy going person. "I'm Hannah by the way... I'm Yoongi's friend since we're... toddlers..."
"Nice to meet you." You bow
"What are you doing here? Mother said..."
"Ah... yes... we we're supposed to meet at my office but I just came from another meeting and since we will pass by the house I decided to just meet her now..." she explains
"She must be in her room now.. preparing to meet you."
"Oh. I see... well, I guess I'll just surprise her." She grins. "Are you guys leaving?"
"Yeah... we just had brunch with her..."
Fuck. What is going on?
Just a second ago, you're having a serious confrontation with your husband. You guys are about to talk about the situation between you two. Yes, it may not be the ideal 'talk' but it is a start. But then, here you are. Hannah arrived and stole his full attention. Literally, she have all his eyes and ears. You suddenly became a shadow.
Then you are also hearing Yoongi converse. You are hearing how is he when he's not alone with you. You are hearing a side of him that you are not familiar with. 'Fuck Y/N, stop it.' You say yourself
Maybe, you just need to stop. Just stop complaining about his attention and him not liking you. Maybe he is not the problem. Maybe.. it's you? They forced him to marry and got stucked with you. YOU are the problem. You are NOT the person he wanted to marry. You just got selected just because.
You are the problem. As always. Like what everybody says to you.
"I'll just email you my thoughts after..." Hannah says
"Why not discuss it now?" Yoongi suggests
"Hmm...but you're about to leave..." she glances at you
"It's okay." Yoongi then pulls out his phone and messages someone. "I asked Mr. Kim to come... wait for him... I'll be quick." He says to you
You look at him for a second before you turn your back on him. "Sure." You sound lifeless. You sounded like you've given up already.
"Y-yoongi... you're going to make her wait?" She whispers to him but you care definitely hear it
"Let's make it quick. I don't want to work over the weekend."
He's more worried of working on the weekend but not making you stay and wait all alone.
They start to walk away. You could see their reflection through the windows of the car.
They left you alone.
He left you alone.
Then as you are standing there, waiting for Mr. Kim to come back, you slightly bend over your torso, holding onto the yourself as soon as you felt a little uncomfortable feeling on your lower abdomen. It's not painful but it is a bit of discomfort.
"Fuck..." you hiss under your breathe.
You should be careful now. Atleast until it's fully confirmed. Yes, you are pregnant. Well, that's what the PT told you a few days ago.
You took the test, in your bathroom, scared and shaking like a twig. You have never felt this terrified in your life. Ever. And the freaking 3mins of waiting felt like forever whilst you are in there, sitting on the floor.
But yeah, after the torture of waiting, the test did show two lines. It was a faint but it is positive. And during that moment, your world suddenly stopped spinning. You had to gather your thoughts and emotion within the span of 30mins that you have. (Because your maid will enter your bathroom to help you get ready after 30mins). That was one other toture you had to endure. And to add more spice on this never ending problem is that you were all ALONE. You had no one to hold hands or hug for moral support.
You are, all by yourself.
After testing, you did processed the result in your mind and managed to get back right to reality and decide by yourself to be... okay. To take it as another good day. Because this is not something bad. It is a miracle. It's a life.
Though, you can't lie. It was a whirlwind of emotion. And you don't know what to feel yet about it. You are not even sure if you are able to share it with anyone, even Yoongi since you still need to see a doctor to really confirm it.
Confirmation.
You fucking need that final 'yes you are pregnant'. Because your further decisions in life will revovle around that one thing. Decisions that might affect this marriage and basically affect your whole life. So, you really have to find a way to get a doctor's appointment in secret. For now...
"Miss?" Mr. Kim arrives and sees you slouching, "Is everything alright?"
You turn around, stands up straight and smile. "Yes..."
"Are you hurt?" He asks
"I'm fine... but I just think... my stomach feels heavy a bit from eating... I did ate quite a bit." You lie.
"Okay, let me bring you home quick so you could rest." He says
"Thank you."
****
[Yoongi's side]
Yoongi can't sleep. He got home earlier just an hour after Y/N got home. He asked the maids to call her, to have dinner with him, but unfortunately Y/N was already fast asleep.
He waited for her to wake up from what he thinks is just a quick nap. But whenever he asks the maid if she's up, they just shake their head and say sorry.
They fought. He thinks. It felt like they fought. It's his first time hearing her talk to him like that. She have been always timid and her patience with him is very long. However, she finally have had it.
How can you make your wife, who is clearly showing you that she's falling in love with you, start to hate you?
Well, Yoongi knows what he did and is doing to her. He is very controlling, cold and distant. And these are the traits that can't be part of your life especially of you are married. However, this is how he is. As a child no, but ever since the incident happen fifteen years ago, the trauma and the life he had to put through made him, This.
Outsiders might call him as the devil or the punisher of the Min Family because of all the work he is doing inside the office and outside. He is a fighter and his hands are always covered with blood. Though what he's doing is not a crime. The Min's business is not illegal. They control everything that they can do end everything that is illegal in the most legal way possible. If that makes sense.
They were just a business before. A typical rich family. But yeah, since what had happened to them years ago, they changed their rules and how they do it now.
And that's why Yoongi have this cold exterior. He needs to show to everyone who's watching him that he can't falter. That no one could try to even break him like how those monsters break his father. How those monster took them and made them hostages.
10 million. That's all it takes, for some uneducated humans do the most horrendous thing in this world. To hurt and kill an innocent child. A 16yrs old girl and a 14yr old boy.
Their parents were willing to give the money and even more, just for them to surrender their children. However, the fear in them when they know that the children saw their faces, made them decide to end it all.
Yuna, his older sister, sacrificed her life to save Yoongi. She is one brave young lady. She managed to push his brother just in time to fall on the edge, to roll down small hill and get away through the woods. She got shot and died on the spot. Yoongi saw everything but didn't had the time to grieve then and there because he had to survive yet. To run.
It took two more days before he was found. How he survived? No one knows. But since that day, the happy and cheerful little boy grew up and became the cold Yoongi everyone knows now.
He knows that what he have been through is not an excuse to treat his wife so coldy like this. She was only forced the marry him. She didn't even know him. Which is his fault as well because he didn't allow her to enter his bubble. Up to now...
However, through all the times that he have been with her little by little, as per his therapist's words, 'You are slowly breaking.' She said.
She said that before, whenever she asks him about his wife. He is usually nonchalant or indifferent. Like he's just talking about someone he randomly met. But then one day, the therapists said, she saw a glimpse of change in his eyes the moment she asks about his wife. His expression is the same but his eyes started to shift like he's thinking about it more before he speaks.
'You care. You just don't know how to show it' she said to him.
At first, When Yoongi heard that from his therapist, he got worried. Not because He is starting to have this feeling for his wife. No. His wife is never and will never be a bad thing that happened to his life. He is worried because, what if he breaks his cold exterious and somewhere out there in the world takes advantage of it and what happened years ago will happen again?
That is his only concern. That is why, he added more men. That's why Y/N can't leavr a house alone. That's why he always tracks her phone wherever she is. That's why he can't sleep without know if she is fine or not.
If only... he never had these issues, these traumas from the past, maybe... it's easier.
"Please... don't quit on me..." he says out loud as he closes his eyes, imagining the smiling face of his wife. "Don't... leave me..." he mutters
****
After what it seems like a very, very long day for you you're finally home. You are so tired that the first thing you did after getting changed is sleep. It feels like this is the longest you've slept in like forever.
You keep turning and waking up every now and then but your body kept forcing you to not wake up. It's like its telling you that you needed this. After all of the worrying you have been having these past few days. This sleep is for you.
But then maybe after hour five of sleeping, you felt something cold touch your skin. It didn't sting. It oddly felt good.
Slowly opening your eyes, you see a blurred figure in front of you. He's so close that you could actually smell his scent. The smell of baby powder.
"Yoongi?" You ask softly as your eyes slowly adjusted to the little light of your lamp shade. But no one answered back. You then rub your eyes to wake yourself up a bit more. Just to be surez you saw what you saw.
No one. There's no one there.
"Did I... just dream about him?" You ask, looking at the ceiling. "But I swear..." you trail off. "How funny... even in my dream... I see him..."
But you swear you smelled his scent. Your imagination of him is getting stronger. Your memory of him is getting move vivid. Even the smell now. That's how longing you are of him.
You miss him. Even though he is there you miss him. Oddly, you miss the time that both of you are just sitting down together in his home office and just reading. You miss casually asking him questions. You miss hearing him talk even though he's talking about his work and not to you. You miss him even though you just saw him earlier. Even though... he hurt you.
His scent. The scent you really, really like. His smell whenever you two have sex. It's not strong but it's there. Whenever you close your eyes and drift away from the high, you know you are okay as long as you could smell and hear him.
Fuck. Is this how being in love is?
Just thinking about him makes you want to cry. You are frustrated at him but at the same time frustrated to yourself as well. Why is communicating is so hard? You know that's the issue. Both of you are not good with talking nor expressing yourselves. Well, that's what Taehyun told you earlier.
Yeah, you went on a side trip earlier before going home, to meet your friend at his work. You needed someone to talk to and you know Taehyung is always there ready to listen to you.
You poured your heart out earlier, crying and all. You were sorry for disturbing him at work but you needed that cry and that hug. You had to told him your feelings about Yoongi. You have to say it out loud for you to truely understand the situation and yourself.
You needed someone's opinion to point out the obvious so it could stick in to your brain.
Growing up to a family where your opinion does not matter took a toll on you as well. Especially to an adoptive family. A family that only needed you for money.
To them, you always feel left out and does not deserve a voice. They always tell you that they only gave you a roof above your head and food to eat because you are what they needed. A piggy bank.
Your parents died in an accident years ago, when you are just 12yrs old. There was a police chase in the highway that rainy day. Every one is on high alert and giving way. But well, the criminals weren't exactly running away and trying to avoid cars. They hit quite a few vehicles during the chase and one of them was your parent's. The crash caused an explosion, killing them in an instant.
And like any drama stories on TV, yout aunt took you in because of your parent's insurance. They are not big but it is a decent amount. However, they could not actually touch it since it is saved for your education that's why the first month of you staying with them was torture. They beat you, make you work and starve you from time to time because they said, 'you don't deserve to eat unless you work for it'.
One reason why starving yourself was easy for you when you need to.
But then things changed a bit when someone knocked on the door one day and gave your adoptive parents a good amount of money. You remember the man saying 'this is for the trouble and lost we caused your family during our battle for saving our children.' You do remember you aunt, being a good actress that day, crying and all. You even saw them be in a good mood. Everyday because of that money. So since then, whenever you have a part time job or one good seasonal job, you save up and give it to them.
You do this not because you want them to be happy. You do this because you wanted peace for yourself. They will not hurt you if you give them what they need.
This is one reason too why you accepted this marriage. Even though, you know you will have trials too. But atleast you know, no one is going to hurt you physically anymore.
Though, you are having troubles now too.... it is still different. Like you said, it is the communication.
Is it all Yoongi's fault? No. Taehyung said that maybe, since I'm very submissive and him being very dominant, grew up giving orders or not listening to anyone because he is who he is, it affected the talking part in the relationship. Though he cannot say that it is a hundred percent fact. Because he explain, everyone have different stories of growing up and these affects every facet of their whole being when they get old.
Well, that's what you got from all his talk. Half of it, you are numb from all the crying and can't hear properly.
Though that talk with Taehyung,you needed that. Now all you have to do is talk to Yoongi.
If.... you have the courage too.
It is so hard to start a conversation not knowing how he feels about you. It is scary and a risk. But you are hoping it will turn out good especially now that you are expecting.
"Oh, right! The result!" You got up immediately and grab your phone.
You visited Taehyung in the hospital and he got to help you get a blood test to confirm. You forgot to talk to him about the result because you two are busy with doing friend therapy. He said, he'll just email you the result.
But then as you were scrolling scrolling through your emails your stomach growls. "I'm hungry..." you mumble and pause. "Taehyung said that if I am really pregnant... I need to eat properly now..."
And you haven't eaten dinner since you just slept since you came home. You need to eat.
Looking at the time it's pass 10pm already. Everyone must be asleep now or getting to bed so you must go and make yourself food yourself.
"Just one toast." You say as you push your blanket away. "Or two..."
You walk along the hallways as quietly as you can and then take the stairs instead of the elevator, going to the upper ground, so you could not disturb anyone.
There is still minimal light coming from the kitchen area. 'Maybe someone is still there?' You thought to yourself and hoping it is one of the maids so they could help you grab the things in the pantry. Since you don't really know how they organize it.
But then the second you turn to the corner, to enter the doorway
"Ah!" You hit your head first at something. Or at someone
Then after collecting yourself from bumping on someone, you look up to see who it was. "Sorry, I wasn't looking at--"
Fuck! It's not Yoongi nor anyone of the staff.
You tried to run back and scream but it was too late. He was quick to cover your mouth with a cloth. A scented cloth. The smell quickly pierced your nostrils and immediately made you feel dizzy and sleepy.
You are barely awake but you know he carried you over his shoulder. You could see the floor and the lights slowly to flicker. You are about to loose it.
'Help... Someone.... Yoongi... please...' You say to yourself before totally loosing consciousness.
-----
Taglist based on the replies last post 🖤
@gaby-93 @goodbyetwenty @baechugff
@amyz78 @qeen123 @armystay89 @bangtannie7 @daisies-and-dandelionpuffs @corruptedmistress @ot72025 @cheezwiz
@xkh0 @eli-deville
#yuyu1024#bts min yoongi#bts yoongi#min yoongi#yoongi fanfic#yoongi smut#yoongi x reader#yoongi angst#yoongi fluff#mafia yoongi#bts fanfiction#bts imagines#bts x fem!reader#bts x y/n#bts x reader#kpop fanfic#kpop au#mafia au
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Winter 2024 anime, Pt. 2: Mixed reactions, the bench, and the gems
hey y'all, this is also up on my ko-fi! it's free to read both here and there, but i'm struggling financially rn so i could appreciate if you'd throw a few bucks my way if you liked it! part 1 can be found here.
And we're back for part 2! Here's all the new stuff I finished this season, and one more I'll get back to later. As with before, these are sorted alphabetically within each category and are not ranked as of yet.
Also as before, the OP for each series is linked in the title. Check them all out if the header images aren't giving you the right feel for each show, but also check them out because most of them were actually pretty damn good this season.
[Solo Leveling OP voice] LET'S GET IT!
Mixed Bags:
Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable!
Your standard, quasi-harem “easily flustered Regular Guy wins over hot girls just by being really nice” shonen romcom. I really don’t have much to say about this one other than if you’ve seen My Dress-Up Darling, you’ve basically seen this already. The only thing that really sets it apart is the setting.
Tsubasa (voiced by Nobunaga Shimazaki, in a FAR cry from his turn as Mahito in Jujutsu Kaisen) is a straight-laced Tokyoite whose family situation lands him in a small city in the frozen boonies of Hokkaido. While looking for the bus to his new house, he runs into a gyaru in the snowy wild, the underdressed, hilariously-proportioned Minami, and they hit it off. It turns out they go to the same school, there are other cute girls there who take a shine to him as well, it’s nothing new.
I ultimately don’t have much to say about Hokkaido Gals, but I do have a soft spot for series like this, and after reading ahead in the manga I felt obligated to see it through. This is all junk food, but it’s all stuff you’ve seen done better in other series. I also have a soft spot for gyaru in anime and manga, and while I do like Minami just fine, she isn’t Marin Kitagawa or Rumiko Manbagi. I don’t really have it in me to recommend this show to many, though, at least not until another season rolls around, if that ever happens. The manga genuinely does get a lot better as it goes on, but the really worthwhile stuff may not happen until a third season, and I just don’t see that happening.
The manga has issues that the anime isn’t willing or able to solve, chief of which being the visuals. The art style of the manga is wildly inconsistent, and getting a mediocre animation team on this didn’t help matters at all. While the colors often pop nicely against the pretty, snowy backdrops, nobody looks all that great overall. The characters are recognizable, but they just plain don’t look great a lot of the time, nor do they look consistent from one cut to the next; I said that Minami’s proportions are hilarious, but just as hilarious is how wildly they vacillate from one scene to the next for the sake of trying to titillate the viewer.
My biggest takeaway from both the manga and anime was everything I learned about Hokkaido in the process, and if the series is taking subsidies from the island’s tourism bureau, then it’s a job well done. I want some goddamn jingisukan now. The OP is a great time, though. I’m shocked it took over a decade for us to get a proper “Uptown Funk” knockoff in an anime.
Metallic Rouge
I’ll be upfront in saying that this was my biggest disappointment of the season by far. This show had so much going for it, and what we got was… ugh.
There was an unbelievable amount of promise from the outset: This was Studio Bones’ commemorative 25th anniversary production, and coming from the studio that gave us all-timer adaptations like Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood and Mob Psycho 100, not to mention later works from Cowboy Bebop creator Shinichiro Watanabe (including the Cowboy Bebop movie), you can’t fault anyone for having high expectations. It looked to be a fitting production as well: Watanabe’s influence shines through immediately in the gorgeous, lived-in cyberpunk off-world locales and racially diverse cast. Action takes the form of dope robo-tokusatsu transformation fisticuffs, and it’s entirely in 2D animation to boot. The first couple of episodes were killer, too; everything looked and sounded amazing, and there were just enough plot threads teased out that I just had to see how they’d unravel.
It brings me no joy, then, to say that Metallic Rouge collapses into a jumbled mess. I don’t even want to bother talking about what happens in the show because I don’t fucking care anymore. There are few media experiences more sobering than to have it dawn on you over a span of several weeks that “oh… this isn’t actually all that good, is it?” Episode after episode piles on with sloppy lore, weak worldbuilding, warring factions whose names you immediately forget, pointless double-crosses, and the most predictable twist you’ve ever seen. For a while I was willing to accept the fact that I didn’t know what was going on half the time and expected things to become clearer, but now I’m not entirely sure the writers knew either. The stakes apparently kept rising and everything just kept getting more claustrophobic. I’m glad it’s over, if only because if I had to hear “Clair de Lune” one more fucking time, I was going to go ballistic.
There are several attempts at emotional beats, as the story is rife with tragedy and sacrifice, and every single one lands with a wet thud. Nobody gets enough time, motivation, or characterization for any of these things to feel like they actually matter, and that’s especially a shame because the finale might have been able to stick the landing if the previous episodes were less dense and better paced. Emphasis on “almost,” though, because just before the season ends, we get the absolute most pointless fakeout I’ve seen since The Rise of Skywalker, which is the lowest point of comparison you can make for any work of sci-fi.
This is especially frustrating because on paper, there is so much to like here. Rouge and Naomi are likable-enough deuteragonists with a fun dynamic, and they’d make easy yuri bait in a better show. The characters are all pretty and uniquely designed across the board, and the overall aesthetic, almost a pastiche of late-90’s anime futurism, is undeniable. The toku suit designs are neat and several of the action scenes are gorgeous. The score and soundtrack are outstanding (except for the aforementioned Debussy indulgence). I have few complaints about how the show looks and sounds; the style is great! All of my issues lie with the substance.
Metallic Rouge may have had all the ingredients, but it just needed more time to cook; whether that would have been by doubling the episode count or by more carefully planning the pacing and trimming some of the fat from the lore, I’m still not sure. Probably both. It probably needed better writers, too. Maybe it just isn’t as smart as it acts and there was no way to satisfyingly resolve the clumsy civil rights allegories that bring it uncomfortably close to the likes of Detroit: Become Human. So all of the above, I guess. I tend to adore stories that involve artificially-intelligent beings developing their own wills and emotions and learning to cut their own strings (the likes of Blade Runner, Nier Automata, even a couple of character arcs in the Persona series), but this ain’t it. I’m not even mad anymore. I’m just disappointed.
If there are two positives that will stick with me, though, they would be the absolute banger of an OP and, of course, Naomi Orthmann herself (pictured above, left). Outstanding character design. I’m mildly obsessed. She deserved a better show.
The Unwanted Undead Adventurer
This one isn’t even worth talking about, so here’s a brief synopsis, then I’ll add some commentary, and then we’ll all move on with our lives.
Rentt, a beloved but mediocre adventurer in a fantasy town, gets lost in the mysterious labyrinth that all adventurers explore for personal gain, gets waxed by a dragon, and awakens as a shitty-looking CGI skeleton. He notices, though, that he’s able to level up better as a skeleton than he did as a human, and with the more monsters he defeats, the more he evolves into something closer to human. The rest isn’t really worth discussing.
If I’m being honest, I should’ve dropped this show much sooner. It looks kinda lousy most of the time, the plot (inasmuch as there even is one) is boring, character designs are forgettable (except for Rentt’s closest ally, Lorraine, holy hell) and it seems wholly uninterested in actually building its own setting. If it returns for a second season, I won’t be there, nor will I feel like I’m missing anything. Each episode felt like a chore to watch. I probably only saw it through because 1) I liked looking at Lorraine, I know what I’m about, and 2) I didn’t want to lump it in with the shows I did drop. The Unwanted Undead Adventurer isn’t as patently upsetting or frustrating as those three, but it just plain isn’t a very good show.
The Witch and the Beast
This show could have been so much more. I was drawn in by the gorgeous character designs and intriguing blend of Victorian gothic aesthetics and architecture with modern infrastructure, and very quickly disappointed by just about everything else. The first episode is an exceptional proof of concept, and almost everything that follows is an upsetting showcase of what could have been.
The story centers around Ashaf, a languid, chain-smoking agent of the governing church with a big-ass coffin strapped to his back, and his partner Guideau, a snarling hyena in a young woman’s body, as they investigate abuses of magic across the continent in search of nefarious witches. Guideau in particular has a bone to pick with witches, as the body they presently inhabit is the result of a witch’s curse, and they remain in furious pursuit of the one who cursed them. The curse can be temporarily undone by a kiss with a witch, allowing Guideau’s true body, a hulking brute confined to the coffin, to escape and wreak havoc. Meaning that on a few occasions we get a girl-on-girl kiss followed by a big dude wrecking shit. There’s also other investigations of serial killings, necromancy, and a cursed sword, and here’s hoping you like those, because the coffin breaks are few and far between.
This wasn’t great! By the third episode I had the sneaking suspicion that the animation talent on hand just wasn’t enough to support the aesthetic. While the character designs are exceptional, almost everyone looks awful in any shot that isn’t completely focused on them. This is especially true of Guideau, who looks so inconsistently off-model from one shot to the next that I’m still not entirely sure what they’re supposed to look like, and that’s kind of unforgivable when we’re talking about a main character. Everything looks too dim and too shiny at the same time, and action scenes look like shit more often than they look interesting. I can see so many flickers of something excellent (or at least really good-looking) in Witch and the Beast, and everything else that keeps those flickers from actually igniting makes it so much more frustrating to watch. Maybe just read the manga instead; the panels I've seen from it were uniformly gorgeous.
Actually, yeah, you should probably just read the manga, because for a season of anime, the pacing is atrocious too. It’s clearly trying to angle for a monster-of-the-week format, but each of these mini-arcs is a little too dense for a single episode, so multiple episodes are dedicated to these one-off curiosities, most of which do nothing to advance the plot or show off what the show does best. And if one of them isn’t particularly interesting, you’re saddled with it for the next two weeks like you've been stuck munching on a mealy apple. And I know you can only adapt so much in a 12-episode season, but the decision to end the season on a flashback arc and a lore dump was baffling. That’s not world-building, that’s lazy, and it made the show’s existing pacing issues feel that much more inane.
I feel like I was sold a false bill of goods. I can only imagine how the mangaka feels about this. Dull and uninspiring all around. What a waste.
The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic
Isekai, unassuming high school boy gains a unique power, impending war with the Demon Lord, yadda yadda yadda. The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic isn’t anything new or special by any means, nor is it particularly well-animated or -paced, but at its best it’s silly and charming enough that it made a nice, brainless palate cleanser on Fridays.
Usato, your standard quiet high schooler, ends up walking home on a rainy evening with the popular, attractive student council president and VP, when an isekai portal happens. It turns out that it was just the seito-kai that was invited along for the ride (and President Suzune, as it turns out, is fucking psyched to get to be in an isekai), and Usato got caught along with them. When tested for magical aptitude, Suzune and VP Kazuki hit the jackpot with electric and light affinities, respectively, but things go awry when Usato’s reading turns up with healing magic. Terror strikes the palace as the intimidating dommy-mommy Captain Rose barges in to spirit Usato away from his new friends and into her squadron of goons to train him as a combat medic.
As character comedy goes, this one is actually pretty solid at times. Shogo Sakata is plenty of fun as the put-upon, lippy Usato (a much louder role than Chainsaw Man’s Aki Hayakawa), and Atsuko Tanaka (Major Kusanagi herself!) is a blast as the uncompromising Rose, a terrifying slave driver of a drill sergeant with a secret soft side. The dynamic between them is great, too; Usato is over Rose’s shit from the beginning and isn’t afraid to talk back to her, but before you know it, this transforms into friendly banter as Rose clearly takes a shine to Usato and knows he can handle any punishment she doles out. Suzune’s also a bunch of fun now that she’s broken away from having to be the competent, popular girl at school and gets to fully lean into being a complete dork.
Wrong Way also works decently as an isekai, because it makes an effort to stay rooted in high fantasy rather than fall back on JRPG mechanics, meaning there are no stat screens! It also avoids the trappings of wish-fulfillment isekai series by having Usato start out as a regular-ass guy; he’s not a Kirito type, just someone Rose sees as a rough gem in need of cutting. There are no cheat skills or OP weapons or anything, just a kid training every day to get stronger so he can protect the people close to him, and that’s the kind of anime protagonist you should want to be.
For better and for worse, I get serious mid-00s vibes from this one; watch the OP if you don’t believe me. Some of the colors pop uncannily in that early-digipaint-era way, and the animation is pretty middling; the most fluid animation we see is whenever Suzune is acting like a creep. Much like those mid-00s anime, though, Wrong Way may have benefited from being weekly (or twice as long) rather than seasonal. There’s a ton of planting with very little payoff, and it doesn’t feel like the actual scope of the story has even been addressed yet. We don’t even learn why the series has the name it does until someone literally says it aloud in the 11th episode. I may have to reevaluate this season after a possible second, if we ever get one, because this doesn’t stand too well on its own.
Of the anime in this “mixed bags” segment, I’d say I enjoyed Wrong Way the most, but it still had enough problems for me to keep it here. It’s not a particularly bad anime, but it’s not especially good either. I guess we can slot it into what Hazel refers to as “good mid.”
On Hold:
Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! (three episodes watched)
Man, what a title. That was the main draw for this BL series, which on paper is basically a gay version of the Mel Gibson vehicle What Women Want.
Adachi (a surname that will always make me laugh thanks to Persona 4), a gloomy salaryman, has hit the big 3-0 without getting any, and now he can somehow read anyone’s thoughts just by making physical contact with them. Just as he laments that this is his life now, he accidentally bumps into his handsome, popular coworker, Kurosawa, whom he learns has been harboring a massive crush on Adachi this whole time. Well dang, what now? Kurosawa’s a really nice, thoughtful dude, but Adachi’s never even thought about being with a man before! And isn’t there something wrong with already knowing this secret? How can he even go into the office and look Kurosawa in those big, handsome eyes… every single day…
What I’ve seen so far has been pretty solid, if not particularly well animated. The visuals are really my only gripe here; I just put it off for way too long and didn’t have it in me to finish it on time to actually get this thing written and published. Yaoi isn’t my forte, which feels like a shortcoming on my end as a fledgling bisexual, and I’ve already remarked on the solid LGBT representation this past season, so I do plan on hopping back on this one.
I gotta say, the co-leading voice actors put in serious work this season. Adachi is voiced by Chiaki Kobayashi, who continued his role as Stark in Frieren, returned to Mashle as Mash Burnedead, and contributed to Metallic Rouge’s cluttered cast as Noid. Kurosawa’s seiyuu, Ryota Suzuki (of whom I’ll always be a fan for his masterful turn as Yu Ishigami in Kaguya-sama), also held down leading roles in Bang Brave Bang Bravern and The Unwanted Undead Adventurer. They’ve been great in the few episodes of Cherry Magic! that I’ve seen so far, and they’ll be a huge part of what brings me back.
The Gems:
Bang Brave Bang Bravern
I feel like the mark of a perfectly audacious piece of media is in the moments where I find myself incredulously shouting “WHAT THE FUCK AM I WATCHING” at the screen, and Bravern made me do that at least once per episode. I have so many things to say about what makes this show great but all of it can be summed up as “it fucks so goddamn hard.”
A joint military exercise in Hawaii between Japanese and American mech pilots goes south as a sudden invasion by metalloid aliens portends certain doom for humanity. Just in the nick of time, though, a bombastic, autonomous mech named Bravern arrives from space and insists that ace pilot Isami Ao take his reins. Isami reluctantly agrees, and to his consternation, Bravern goes full tokusatsu on everyone’s asses, complete with fully-diegetic theme music, and keeps the threat at bay. With Bravern continuing to pester him to act as a pilot, Isami is forced to take up the mantle of a reluctant hero as everyone rallies around Bravern to save Earth. Tagging along is blond-haired, blue-eyed American pilot Lewis Smith, who gets to live out all of his Top Gun fantasies, right down to the latent homosexuality.
That last point isn’t a projection or anything: This show is legitimately gay as hell, and it rules. Bravern’s feelings towards Isami feel far more romantic than what you’d expect from a literal robot, and his description of how it felt to have Isami pilot him for the first time, as relayed to a grim-faced military council, is riddled with hilarious innuendo. Isami struggles not only with shouldering the burden of needing to be a hero to all of humanity, but also being beset on both sides by a loud, insistent mecha and a dewy-eyed gaijin, both of whom very well seem to want to get in his pants. Intricate rituals punctuate Isami and Lewis’ angsty relationship as these broad-shouldered, muscular men grow ever closer. It’s also worth reiterating that Isami is voiced by Ryota Suzuki, who also voiced Kurosawa in Cherry Magic!, and that may not have even been his gayest role this season. I’m not super well-versed in mecha as a genre, but I do know that there’s a lot of Warrior’s Bond-type stuff in these series, and Bravern lays it on thick. And hard.
This show looks killer, by the way. CGI implementation in 2D anime is still a touchy subject, but Bravern features some of the best I’ve ever seen. Simple cel-shading goes a long way to the point where, outside of some uncanny motion, Bravern himself feels perfectly blended into the hand-drawn animation. Mecha designs range from realistic military-style tech to otherworldly sentient robots, and battle sequences run the same gamut as the stakes rise. As goofy as all of the above may sound, it’s committed to being a grandiose, big-time mecha showcase.
This is as good as camp gets in anime; Bravern does for the mecha genre what Akiba Maid War did for yakuza film pastiche (I have also heard positive comparisons to Samurai Flamenco, which I’ll have to get on ASAP). It’s an excellent mecha show in its own right, and wildly hilarious to boot. Bravern himself is very genre-savvy and seemingly a bit of an otaku himself; he loves acting like a mecha hero, to everyone else’s chagrin. Several of the villains (also mechanical beings, voiced by an all-star seiyuu roster that includes Kenjiro Tsuda, the aforementioned Atsuko Tanaka, and Rie Kugimiya) are total dorks themselves. A CIA interrogator tries to waterboard a mecha at one point. Bravern is a deeply silly show, but the heart is as firmly on the sleeve as the tongue is in the cheek: For as wacky as it can get, the story still unfolds with a straight face and excellent emotional beats.
This show also has the most unskippable ED of any anime since Chainsaw Man dropped a new one every week. I will not say what happens. You cannot predict what it is. Just watch it. One of the top YouTube comments on that video says “When I saw this ending after episode 2, I thought I was going crazy.” That’s a ringing endorsement.
Chained Soldier
On the heels of 100 Girlfriends completely rewiring my brain, I was raring for some more good old-fashioned anime trash. I was told that there would be plenty this season, but you can consult the “dropped” section to see how well that worked out for me. Chained Soldier came with some significant hype, and soon enough into the first episode I realized that I’d actually skimmed through this manga before (don’t ask why), so I was on board immediately. Now here’s some nice trashy fun.
The world is in peril thanks to creatures called Shuuki that can advance on our world via portals from another dimension. Women primarily lead the charge against these monsters, as this dimension produces a special fruit that can lend them (and not men) otherworldly powers to help them in the fight. Yuuki, a perfectly normal young man, ends up in grave danger as he stumbles into a portal, where he is saved by the beautiful Kyouka, a commander who is able to subjugate Shuuki at will and use them to fight others. In a bind, she asks Yuuki if she can subjugate him, which he agrees to by licking her finger and transforming into a monster himself, at her beck and call. Because of his utility in battle, Yuuki is enlisted into her squad of baddies (and also an 11-year-old), living in their home as a caretaker and answering directly to Kyouka as her “slave.”
I know, I know, but let's settle down for a second. I put “slave” in scare quotes because Chained Soldier fortunately isn’t going full Shield Hero on us; this arrangement has a give-and-take baked in. See, every time Yuuki completes his service, Kyouka (or whomever else takes advantage of this anomaly) is compelled to carry out whatever suitable “reward” springs from his unconscious, and this is where the ecchi kicks in. Sometimes it’s a kiss, and sometimes it’s something a little more; the reward corresponds to the length and intensity of Yuuki’s contributions to battle, so the heat can turn up in the form of, say, clothed face-sitting, a good scrubbing in the bath, or some nice, casual CBT. All of this is to say that “slave” is a bit of a buzzword here: It’s more of a dom/sub situationship with a lot of extra steps.
Yes, just about everything that isn’t an action setup is full-on harem trash, and Chained Soldier lays it on thick, right down to full-on nudity. Nothing about this show resembles high art, but I can’t help but admire such a high level of commitment to its aesthetic, including the sleaze. It fully commits to the bit and doesn’t even bother lampshading its own trashiness. Chained Soldier knows what it’s about, and I respect that. It also has the good sense not to sexualize the youngest girl, which is a point in its favor that I can’t award a couple other shows previously discussed.
And while this show is plenty fun, the action sequences often excellent, and the character designs usually delightful, there’s not actually a whole lot going on here. As I said with Mashle, I know that battle manga like this can take a minute to really get cooking, and as I said with Witch and the Beast, 12 episodes may not always be a sufficient runtime to adapt enough to break ground, but the debut season feels more like a proof of concept than anything else. That being said, Chained Soldier’s manga has a very effusive audience, and its praises don’t seem to entirely be about the boobs and butts, so I’ll wait patiently for the second season. I think it’s earned that much.
Delicious in Dungeon
This is the one I’m having the hardest time writing about because it so confidently and so completely speaks for itself that anything I could add would feel like scattering sawdust at the beach. Dungeon Meshi (I refuse to call it by its official English name) is a widely beloved manga among those who’ve read it, and for Studio Trigger to do an honest-to-goodness manga adaptation for the first time might as well be front page news among anime fans.
The story follows Laios, the deeply weird human hero, as he delves back into a bizarre and mysterious dungeon to rescue his sister Falin from the belly of a dragon, along with his misfit party: the neurotic half-elven mage Marcille, the temperamental halfling rogue Chilchuck, and the dwarven warrior-slash-chef Senshi. The party is frequently low on supplies, so to survive the trip they’ll need to subsist on the most abundant resource in the dungeon: Monsters. Senshi’s aptitude in the kitchen helps ensure that everything is edible and sufficiently tasty, regardless of how nasty the monster it came from may have been. With monster obstructions out of the way and their bellies filled, our party delves deeper into the dungeon as the mysteries deepen in kind.
I love the character dynamics in this so goddamn much. Marcille and Chilchuck are frequently put off by the food presented to them, but their consternation is worsened by the fact that Laios’ fascination with monsters annoys the shit out of them. I referred to him as “deeply weird,” but that doesn’t begin to describe his absolute galaxy brain, and I mean it as a term of endearment. Laios is deeply knowledgeable and curious about the fauna in the dungeon, and not just how they taste: He is vocally curious about how certain monster attacks may feel, sings along with siren songs, and even keeps a hardcover bestiary inside his breastplate. He’s one of those people you turn to if you have a question on a hyperspecific subject, but you have to be careful how you ask it or else you’re trapped for the next two hours. And I love him for it.
Even putting the comedy aside, there is a fascinating human element at play in Dungeon Meshi, and I can tell that that surface has barely even been scratched yet. Marcille is just as dogged in her pursuit of saving Falin as Laios is, maybe even moreso (remember what I keep saying about LGBT representation this season?). Chilchuck continues to convince himself that he’s only in the job for his own personal gain, but you can see that mask slipping. And I still wanna know what Senshi’s deal is. Even with the five major players I listed, there’s an increasingly deep roster surrounding them—showcasing a broad spectrum of races and ethnicities, both real and fantastical—each with their own histories and motivations, and I cannot wait to see how they play out and interact with one another. There seem to be much deeper themes at play here as well as we learn more about perceptions and grudges between differing races, oppositional magics, clashing ideologies, and the monetary incentives that drive both the dungeon’s exploration and its very existence. I’m here for it.
I’ve been holding off on reading the manga until the season is up in June (though I could crack any day), but I know a loving adaptation when I see one. Not that Trigger ever slacks off in the animation department, but they absolutely brought their A-game here. As with Frieren, the action sequences aren’t frequent, nor are they entirely what the show is about, but they look incredible every single time. Everyone looks bouncy and cartoony in the way only Trigger can pull off while still looking as close as possible to Ryoko Kui’s source material (as far as I can tell). And the food, of course, looks incredible, no matter how weird. This is practically a cooking anime and a fantasy dungeon anime at the same time, and both aspects are visually on point at all times.
I’m obviously speaking from my own bubble as one of the six people who still uses Tumblr in 2024, but I rarely see new anime make a splash like this on social media every single week, and the ones that I do are usually the monster shonen hits like Chainsaw Man or Jujutsu Kaisen. Dungeon Meshi deserves the exposure and success it’s attained, and I’m excited to see it continue. I’d easily slot this right up there with Bravern as one of the best new anime of the season.
A Sign of Affection
I’ve seen a hell of a lot of shonen slice-of-life romances in the past year and change, so a nice fluffy shoujo like this was an excellent palate cleanser. There were a hell of a lot of Big Action Setpieces and panicky teens and grim dungeon crawlers this season, and at the end of the week I wanted to unwind with a bunch of pretty twenty-somethings falling in love with each other.
The show centers on Yuki, a college student living with congenital hearing loss, making do at a public college after growing up at a school for the deaf. Though she’s able to get by with LINE messages and lip reading, she’s unprepared when a foreigner asks for help, but she’s saved by a handsome and mysterious young man named Itsuomi. He’s able to help out, and takes an interest in her when he realizes his fellow undergrad is deaf, and Yuki takes an interest in kind because he’s really goddamn hot. It turns out that he’s a polyglot and an avid world-traveler, but sign language is not in his purview. This mutual interest sparks the concern of her childhood friend, Oushi, one of the few people in her life who already use sign language, who wants to be sure that nothing untoward is happening. And it isn’t, because this is just a really lovely, low-stakes romance story.
This is pure, unfiltered shoujo at its best. Yuki’s internal monologue is peppered with flowery prose, and everything and everyone looks soft and beautiful. Fashionable, doe-eyed women and pillowy-lipped ikemen abound (seriously, holy shit, the lips on these boys) as the scope widens and the main love interests’ friends explore their own possible love stories. Itsuomi is very much of the “mysterious boy” archetype you’ll find in romance stories in this demographic, but he’s not hiding any sort of dark past like you’d typically expect; he’s just an interesting guy who keeps his personal life close to the vest. He’s a self-appointed world citizen who loves learning about how people of all cultures live their lives, and in Yuki he sees someone within his home turf who happens to live in her own world entirely. And it’s easy to see his forward behavior with Yuki as infantilizing at first (Oushi sure does, and I’ll get back to him in a second), but as they grow closer he quickly becomes much more considerate of her boundaries and learns to accommodate her as he studies sign language and gestures that help ensure her comfort. This is a story about Yuki’s horizons broadening just as much as it is about Itsuomi wanting to be let into Yuki’s narrow world, and that sort of synergy makes for some exceptional romance.
A Sign of Affection deserves some credit for refusing to shy away from Yuki’s disability and making a point of depicting her world as one that does little to accommodate her. Very few people in her daily life ever bothered to learn sign language, she relies on a friend to take notes during lectures, and work is hard to come by. It’s an honest depiction that makes an effort not to be exploitative, which is a breath of fresh air. Not only that, but there’s some interesting meta-commentary in there: The only major conflict in the story stems from Oushi’s jealousy, and his reservations about Itsuomi possibly “taking advantage of” Yuki almost feel like he believes that he’s the only one who knows what’s best for her just because he’s done the bare minimum to accommodate her. He thinks he’s coming from a good place, but he winds up accidentally infantilizing her in exactly the way he thinks Itsuomi might. That’s a particularly interesting bit of irony!
I’ve seen enough shonen-oriented romcoms where an unassuming Regular Guy gets flustered as a way-too-casual girl pushes his boundaries (hell, I’ve already reviewed two of those this season), so it’s nice to see the formula flipped for a shoujo as Yuki and her best friend Rin blush and squee over Itsuomi and his coworker Kyouya, respectively. A Sign of Affection isn’t afraid to get a little silly with it, either; plenty of these moments are punctuated by characters’ faces going low-detail or full chibi, and they are cute as shit every single time.
This one was just cozy as hell. If you’re into this sort of thing, swaddle yourself in it and bask.
Solo Leveling
I let this one collect dust after the third episode and didn’t pick it back up until the season was almost up, and honestly, I was kinda dreading it: The trailers didn’t look too promising, the show was slow to start, and it looked like yet another derivative JRPG-style dungeon crawler that managed to get popular. Turns out, nah, this show actually kinda fucks and the web novel series and webtoon it’s based on are popular for a reason. The story is nothing special, don’t get me wrong, but it’s a perfectly serviceable turn-your-brain-off action spectacle with a bit more lying beneath the surface.
In a modern-day South Korea where portals to mysterious dungeons open up and threaten the populace, those who can brave the dungeons, known as hunters, are an invaluable human resource. Once someone is assigned a grade as a hunter, they have that grade for life, barring some rare occurrences. Sung Jinwoo is at the lowest rung on that ladder as an E-rank, incapable of improvement, assigned the epithet “the weakest hunter of all mankind.” He mostly shows up to portal raids as a warm body to fill a quota, and one such job goes haywire as a secondary dungeon within a portal brutally slaughters most of the raid party, Jinwoo included. He somehow wakes up in a hospital, unharmed, and able to access a digital menu before his eyes that exhorts him to do the One Punch Man workout every day, lest he incur punishment. He gets hilariously chadly in the span of a few days in the hospital, including an inexplicable haircut, and finds access to dungeons only he can enter and levels up within this new system.
This one gets off to a slow start and may have benefited from a longer premiere like Oshi no Ko or Frieren, but once the table is fully set, Solo Leveling really starts to cook. Jinwoo’s titular leveling process is a blast from one fight to the next, and as he moves to work in the dungeons that other hunters can access, it turns out he’s been training with the weights on. He’s suddenly fighting way above his pay grade, and after staving off attacks from hunters taking advantage of portals for nefarious ends, he is recruited by an ambitious corporate scion to make some real coin and establish an independent association of hunters.
While it can feel like there’s a whole bunch of table-setting between portal sequences, it’s some smart worldbuilding on Solo Leveling’s end to establish how portal hunting became a central pillar of this society, and doubly so how political and capitalist interests can leave a wide berth for corruption and bad actors. If there’s money to be made in hunting, of course people will find ways to make even more at the expense of others, both at the corporate and personal levels. There’s a lot of talk in there about “survival of the fittest” and “natural selection” and that… makes me nervous.
Those are terms that can be used to justify immoral actions in the name of money, sure, but Jinwoo also uses them to justify his own actions. To what end is he constantly improving himself? Sure, he's doing what he can to provide for his younger sister and their ailing mother, but I see less and less humanity in him as this goes on. There are constant hints at something far more sinister at play than just a dude getting stronger for himself, not the least of which being “the system,” the UI that implores him to keep taking on these “quests.” Someone, or something, seems to be guiding him. Whenever another hunter turns on Jinwoo, of course his self-defense instincts kick in, but system pop-ups instruct him to defeat X number of hostiles like it’s a normal video game scenario. There’s something eerily depersonalized about these encounters, despite them being full-on mortal combat, that gives me serious Ender’s Game vibes. Consider me intrigued.
I’d heard that the Solo Leveling manhwa’s main draw was its visuals, and though I had my doubts early on, I'm sold now. This is a pretty solid presentation! Hiroyuki Sawano turned in yet another banger soundtrack to punctuate all the action setpieces, helping to stitch together a fairly complete package. Said setpieces are exhilarating and almost impressively bloody, and while the animation is nothing impressive in the day-to-day, it goes absolutely batshit when the gloves come off. Movement is inhumanly fluid and the visuals can go into the same psychedelic territories we’ve seen in the likes of Mob Psycho and Jujutsu Kaisen. If this is the new meta for shonen action, I’m not complaining.
By all rights, this is a pretty decent show, but if I’m being honest, this one just hasn’t stuck with me much. And that’s fine! Sometimes I just wanna see some nutty action stuff and move on with my day. Solo Leveling hits that spot perfectly, and I'll be right back there when it returns for its next season.
‘Tis Time for “Torture,” Princess
I was surprised to learn that the gag manga this is based on, with such a seemingly simple premise, has been running for well over 200 chapters and counting. As the anime progressed, I was far more pleasantly surprised to learn that it actually works.
In a standard anime fantasy world where the forces of good are fighting the demonic Hellhorde, an unnamed warrior princess and her talking enchanted sword are taken prisoner and subjected to torture as they’re squeezed for intel. Said “torture,” as the title’s scare quotes would suggest, is mildly unconventional, as the demon baddie inquisitor, aptly named Torture Tortura, attempts to ply the princess by presenting her with tantalizingly delicious-looking food that she can only partake in if she coughs up some info. Naturally, the princess caves every single time, but her intel is often inane and useless, so the “torture” continues. It’s not all food, though: The princess is soon held out of arm’s reach of adorable baby animals by a gyaru beastgirl, pampered into submission by a spa-loving giantess, and is faced with a tsundere vampire faildaughter, who… tries.
And you’d think that would be it; the joke wears thin and you move onto something else. Before you realize it, though, something’s changed: The princess and her captors are quickly becoming friends. The premise almost feels perfunctory: These inquisitors are actual people just doing their jobs, and whatever happens after the princess’ myriad confessions is fair game. There’s no malice or animosity, even during the “torture” sessions themselves: Everyone will have a blast and grow closer as friends, and then the princess will voluntarily go back to her bedless cell. It’s like Sam and Ralph after they clock out, except they’re almost always off the clock. Everyone is genuinely looking out for each other in all directions, and the only thing that keeps the torture going is the need for a status quo to return to, even as it grows more elastic. If anything, Time for "Torture" is a good example of committing to the bit without having to necessarily rely on it.
The real irony in all of this is that it becomes increasingly apparent that the princess is having her needs met in captivity far better than she ever did back home. In her proud proclamations about how she’ll never cave to the temptations before her (shortly before she does just that), the princess often talks about her upbringing and her time as the head of an imperial legion, but these stories often betray her lack of friendship or any of the little things that make life worth living. Her life as royalty was one of isolation and deprivation, to the point where she finds more freedom and fulfillment as a prisoner. She truly lives in a society.
Hellholm, on the other hand, has a surprisingly healthy approach to things like work-life balance, food, and leisure, and its most valuable prisoner is no exception. The Hell-Lord himself is a surprising exemplar of this; for as much as he looks and talks like your standard terrifying JRPG demon king, he’s a surprisingly good dude! He looks after his family, employees, and even the captive princess as if they are all one and the same; he exhibits strong principles and an aversion to conflict, sees to his employees' needs and wants alike, and is a supportive, loving father to his unbelievably precious little daughter (who also serves as a “torturer,” to the princess’ delight). He’s also a big time anime dork, and even bonds with a knight attempting to rescue the princess over their shared otakudom before sending him off peacefully. As “villains” go, he’s top tier.
Time for "Torture" is nothing groundbreaking by any stretch, but it’s a cute, silly time and it plays with anime fantasy tropes in the same way a six-month-old German shepherd “plays” with a cheap stuffed toy. How long the premise holds up is entirely up to you, but I had a lot of fun with it. I have no idea how this ended up being one of the better shows this season, but I guess it just scratched the right itch for me.
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Marooned: Chapter 16
Kid x FemReader x Killer
Warnings: Rape, torture, gore, violence
Jetsam
Between ransacking the girls' extra clothes and collecting the pants owed to you, a decent outfit was finally made, complete with undergarments to boot! You had a dark-gray, sleeveless crop top, a pair of green, baggy pants with a lot of pockets, and some old, worn boots. You would have preferred if the pants were waist level. They sat low on your hips. Beggars can't be choosers. Honestly, you were surprised they were small enough to stay up on their own. In anticipation of getting your gun back, you also fastened your holster. You tied your hair back in a low pony to keep it from sticking to your face while you were working.
Currently, you were fixing some knots halfway up in the rigging that weren't up to your standards while the sun beat down on your back. You had been avoiding Killer since yesterday. A few more days and you would be free to do as you wanted.
"That's not your job, Rookie," Wire shouted up at you.
You hopped to the deck with a solid thud. "Do you want the sails to break free? " You folded your arms. "Your deck crew needs work."
Wire looked at you with an unreadable expression. "I'll double check them." He didn't trust you as a person. However, your deck work was immaculate. Wire knew he would probably find that you were right when he checked the ropes later. Even when he wanted to give you a hard time, there were no mistakes to harp on. "Captain requires your attendance in his workshop." Well, there was one mistake. Wire noticed that the knots you used on deck were the kind taught to marines. No pirate he knew tied knots like that. He almost pitied you, knowing you were walking into the lion's den.
Wiping your brow, you knocked on the door to Kid's workshop. You glanced towards Mini, who was sunning herself on the deck. There was a slew of metal tinkling sounds followed by a crash, then after a few curses, the captain's voice told you to come in. Looking around, there wasn't anything amiss. Must have cleaned it up with his Devil Fruit. "What do you want, Eustass? I'm busy keeping this ship afloat, since apparently no one else knows how."
He gave you a funny look. "That so?" He tapped the corner of his workbench where your gunblade and log pose.
Your eyebrows shot up, shocked that he actually gave them back to you. You swapped out the glass eye you made with the log pose, after a quick spit-shine. Setting down the eye and picking up the weapon, you tested it in your hands. "You fucked with it."
"Hah?! I balanced it perfectly! Ya should be thanking me!"
You frowned deeply. "Thanks for fucking it up. That better?" Flicking your wrist, you checked to see if it was loaded. It wasn't. "Didn't even load it for me," you mumbled. You spun it around your finger, nearly losing control. The weight was all wrong. You groaned and rolled your eyes. It was going to take practice to regain your finesse with it. You shoved it back in your holster and looked back at Kid, whose darkened eyes gave you a black look. This was different from other times he's glared at you, with playful, enticing, bright, embers. This made you uneasy. This made all the hair on the back of your neck stand up and your mouth to get dry. It was a foreign feeling, feeling like a prey animal. You were no longer questioning why he gave you back your weapon. It didn't comfort you to have it. What was it going to do against him? He only took it in the first place until he knew you would play nice with his crew.
In a low voice, Kid asked, "How did ya fix Killer's mask?" He rolled the small glass eye around on the table. "And this.. ya made this. How?" He held it under his thumb, crushing it without much of an effort.
Watching your right eye be pulverized under his thumb triggered something in you. Your fists tightened until your nails dug into your skin and your heart was pounding. How many pieces of you had to be destroyed? It was traumatic enough when it had been taken from you the first time. Your teeth clenched so tightly that your jaw popped. The frightened look in your face was replaced with a resolute one. "Why the fuck does it matter?! Nothing about me has anything to do with you or your crew, so stop trying to pry information out of me. All I wanted was to be taken off that island and put on a different one. I didn't do anything wrong! I didn't hurt anyone who didn't deserve it! Fuck sake, did I not save Killer's life? And do you want to know something else? I did it the same way I fixed his mask!"
"Oh, but yer mistaken," Kid taunted, getting up from where he sat and stalking towards you. "Ya did do somethin wrong." He wrapped his hand around your throat, in spite of you trying to block his hand, and pushed you against the door, hard. "Ya lied to Eustass 'Captain' Kid."
You threw a punch at him that was swiftly caught with a scrap of metal. The same thing happened when you tried to kick. "Go to hell! I CAN'T WAIT TO GET OFF THIS FUCKING SHIP!" You spat at him, struggling to get out of his grasp.
Kid's grasp tightened until you saw spots. "YA SPYING MARINE BITCH." The door gave way behind you. In only a matter of steps for him, you were at his mercy over the ocean as he held you by the throat above it. "Ya want off so bad?!" His lip curled. "FINE!" He didn't let go. A flash of uncertainty came across his expression.
"Do it, coward." You had already done this song and dance once before. You weren't scared, disappointed that you didn't get to carry out your revenge, but not scared. It was hard to talk when you were barely getting enough oxygen as it was. "My name is F/N L/N." The brief interval where Kid processed that information was enough to wrap your unrestrained hand around the wrist holding you. There was a yellow flash at the contact and you were falling. Bull-headed until the end, you were going to go on your terms, not anyone else's.
The water hit your back so hard that it seemed to burn your skin. Maybe it had peeled off, the way the chill seeped into your flesh and directly to the bone. Even if you could swim, the way the ocean sapped your energy left you unable to even hold the remainder of air in your lungs, which were already searing their way out of your chest. Silver bubbles pried themselves from between your lips. Less and less light was reaching your eyes as you sunk toward the blackness below. With your last conscious thoughts, you pictured Minerva and hoped they wouldn't hurt her.
You sat in the dark, on a damp floor, breathing heavily, but trying not to. Every labored breath caused blood to seep from the bullet holes in your side. You slipped from consciousness periodically, usually being brought back to something horrible being done to you. Once it was a knife being twisted into one of the bullet holes. Another time it was being kicked in the head, in the gut. Other times your pants were around your ankles and someone was on top of you. They learned quickly to stay away from your mouth, after permanently disfiguring someone's manhood. It was truly a blessing that you couldn't stay conscious for long.
Your skin was more blue and purple than your actual skin tone. And even if there were unbruised areas, they were probably encrusted with the deep maroon color of old, dried blood. It was agony just to roll onto a different side of your body. It was impossible to say how long you had been down there, in the brig of your own ship. It was impossible to say how long your crew had been plotting against you, if or when they were bought off. You had to believe they were bribed somehow. To admit to yourself that maybe they weren't would be devastating. Did they hate you that much? Were they ever truly loyal? You had been asking yourself these questions throughout your misery.
Boot steps echoed in the hallway, getting louder as they approached. The creak of the cell door made you tense, unsure what to expect. You were jerked up by your hair and forced to look at the man in front of you, already made difficult by your nearly swollen shut eyes. It was Von Kossa. He wasn't the mastermind behind the clandestine trading operation you had unwittingly discovered, but he was the meanest of the upper ranking participants.
"You know it's really a shame you're so much trouble." He ran his thumb over your bottom lip. "We could have sold you for a pretty penny," his grip on your hair tightened, bringing tears to your eyes. "But you can't behave and now you're starting to look quite unattractive, so it's not even worth keeping you alive." Keeping a tight hold of your hair, he dragged you through the open cell door and along the wooden floorboards, towards the deck. The wood scraped your skin. You could barely feel it since your body was in a constant state of pain anyway. "Your screams are just so satisfying, I think I'd like to hear them once more before you're gone. How's that sound?"
Your hands and feet were tied so you couldn't struggle, not that you had the will to. "Sounds bad, Captain Fuckass." The hoarseness of your voice startled you. His swift kick to your stomach had you vomiting blood.
"See you just don't know when to quit." He made a noise of disgust. "Look what you've done. Got blood on my uniform." Red specks sprayed the white of his marine uniform.
On deck there was a mix of what appeared to be pirates and marines. You knew now that it was a collection of purely marines. For an instant in time, maybe they had stopped being marines, though they were certainly back to their roots. Von Kossa had intercepted your ship, and you let him. What was unexpected was that the second you made a move to attack, your crew was not behind you. Physically, yes, they were behind you, and about to help subdue you. Figuratively, they stopped being behind you whenever Von Kossa had persuaded them to his side.
He dragged you to a basin with some kind of liquid in it. You didn't want to guess at what it was. You knew you would find out shortly regardless. He lifted you up like a prize-winning fish. "Let this be a lesson to anyone who thinks they can interfere with our business. Even the 'Marine Killer', 'The Sea Snake', or as we know her Ex-Captain F/N L/N was only a mild hindrance. Look at her now: a worthless, ruined, shell of a person." He dropped you to your knees, coming to one knee himself next to you.
The reflection you saw in the liquid was unrecognizable as you. It some other person there, some other person that was getting their head pushed down into it. So why was it you that felt excruciating, white-hot pain on half of your head? Was it the other person screaming or was it you? Your voice was so different, you couldn't tell. The pain vanished as quickly as it had appeared. You saw pieces of skin and floating Y/H/C tendrils in the liquid when you were pulled out, though not for long, as they disintegrated. Blinking, you tried to open your right eye. It was open, you felt with your fingertips. To your horror, it felt sticky, goo-like. There wasn't a lot of time to process what had just happened before blacking out. After that, you only remembered darkness, being cold, and then waking up on an island.
#y'all wanted angst#kid x reader x killer#one piece#massacre soldier killer#eustass kid#marooned#eustass kid x reader#killer x reader#tw: torture#tw: sa#tw: rape#tw: gore
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Sampo with a reader who does metal music- and bonus if they have like this stern and angry personality 😍😍😍😍😍
tysm btw your works are really nice
-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈ hard rock
⊹ character(s) - sampo koski
⊹ word count - 954
⊹ notes - gn!reader, reader is part of serval's band (implied to be more of a contract member than a permanent member tho), post-belobog storyline, reader is also implied to be friends w/ both serval and gepard
hi anon!!! thank you so much for the req, it sounded so fun I just had to do it right away! and thank you for the sweet words (₌♥ᆽ♥₌)
As someone who remains in the shadows—as said himself, "People like us are more suited to being shadowy comic-relief"—Sampo didn't exactly expect to get tangled up with someone who shined so brightly in the spotlight.
You were blunt, almost rude, with a fiery personality that clashed with plenty of people.
Sampo's... conman-styled disposition also clashed with people, sure, but not in the same upfront way yours did.
Needless to say, when you two first met, opposites did not attract.
"I've half a mind to go tattle to the guards now! 'Savior of Belobog' or not, I don't care!"
"Hey, heey! No need for all of that, huh, sweetheart?"
"Call me that again and you'll be scamming the demons in Hell next, you filthy leech!"
So maybe Sampo had tried to sell you a counterfeit electric guitar, and maybe you weren't quite as gullible as he thought you looked weren't interested.
Can't blame a guy for trying, eh?
But still, your reaction and intuition interested him somewhat.
Despite the situation with the Supreme Guardian and the Stellaron clearing his name a bit, Sampo was still pretty universally despised by the Silvermane Guards, and they still had it out for him
So walking around the Overworld wasn't quite the walk in the park he sometimes made it look like...
But still, he found himself considering paying more visits to the overworld Belobog, hopeful to catch a glimpse of you.
You, meanwhile, actually found yourself in the Underworld more often.
The people were less uptight, less noble, and far more able to take your rough and tumble personality.
Plus, there were far more enjoyers of the metal music you loved putting on shows for.
Sure, you'd still play with Serval in Belobog when she had a show going, but the Underworld was a different type of crowd.
However, more than once, you'd notice an unpleasantly familiar head of blue hair enjoying your performances.
So finally, you confront him.
"What are you doing here, Koski?" You'd heard plenty about him from Gepard by way of Serval.
"Aw, just coming to appreciate the beauty of your music!"
It was rather irritating how his eyes raked up and down your form on emphasis of "beauty".
"Aren't these free-for-all concerts? Can't blame a guy for trying to find some good entertainment down here, huh?"
"Just don't cause any trouble with my fans."
"But I'm also one of your fans, Y/N!"
Eventually, Sampo wormed his way into your company by way of sheer annoyance.
It didn't take long for you to become reluctantly used to his company, allowing him to hang out after concerts and show you the ropes of the Underworld.
He got on your nerves, but you tolerated him.
Sampo, meanwhile, enjoyed your presence a lot. You were rough around the edges, sure, but he saw that hidden sweet side occasionally.
As you put up with him, he started to grow on you, too.
A conman, sure, but he always repaid his debts just as he claimed. Not to mention, he was a pretty good audience member for your shows.
Though you still got on his case if he tried to scam you, you quite frankly scared him a bit.
Soon, sometimes, you'd pretend to go along with his scams. When you were quick to transfer him some credits for his latest scheme one time, it freaked him out so bad that he stopped trying his tricks on you.
In fact, he had showed up to your doorstep with a bouquet of flowers and a deeply nervous grin.
"H-Heey, Y/N! Sorry again about that... little misunderstanding with the product link, ahaha... I thought these might make it up to you!"
"Flowers? Really? Do I look like the flower-enjoying type?"
Please spare him... he's already at his wit's end.
"Take me out to dinner instead. Your treat."
Oh?
"Then maybe I'll forgive you for that little stunt."
Oh?
Sampo had had plans to ask you out formally, but you kinda beat him to it.
He honestly thought you'd be more difficult to catch.
"All thanks to my endless charm!" he would preach months into your relationship, to which you would bluntly remind him that he annoyed his way into your life, and that you were the one with more charm here.
After that night, it was clear to everyone that you and Sampo had begun dating. You were quite the odd pairing to most, though.
Gepard even asked you if he was extorting you or anything, and if you wanted him to beat Sampo up on your behalf.
But no. In fact, Sampo was quite a gentleman as a partner.
You didn't go on dates all too often, but he was always your loudest supporter at every concert.
He already took a real shine to your music, but after getting together, he had a newfound appreciation for your work.
You also taught him to play, though he wasn't the best at most instruments. His voice isn't too shabby, though.
You found yourself worming some lyrics into some of your newer compositions that had to do with him.
Somehow, it felt like the songs that were subconsciously about Sampo were a bit easier to write.
Serval took a habit of teasing you whenever your lyrics would get mushier than usual, and as though reflecting your hot-headed embarrassment, the next several lines would be loud and raging.
Still, Sampo appreciated what you did.
In spite of all his flaws and unsavory ways, you could at least be thankful for that.
Besides... running up prices on ticket resales to your shows was a way more lucrative business opportunity!
He got a smack over the head for that one, though.
#honkai#honkai star rail#hsr#hsr x reader#honkai star rail x reader#honkai x reader#anon#sampo#sampo koski#sampo x reader#sampo koski x reader
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my idea was each of the valo mommies walking in on the reader changing and their reactions HAHAHAHA
say LESS also sorry this took a long time i was busy with life HKJSDHFSF but here you go!
ACCIDENTAL WALK-IN | FADE, REYNA, SAGE, VIPER
words: 1650
warnings: nudity, some sexual themes
FADE
Fade opens the door to your room with a mug of coffee in her hand and her tablet in the other, entering without a single care in the world.
She does, however, come to a dead stop when she sees your naked back and you pulling a pair of pants over your hips.
Fade shuts the door with the back of her heel, dropping her eyes down to her tablet and turning to the side to give more privacy, and yet, her gaze lingers across the skin along your spine, the dozens of little scars collected from years of being on the battlefield.
“Jeez, what is it with you people and not knocking?” You remark, grabbing your bra and pulling it over your head.
“Your door was unlocked. Not my fault,” Fade replies, taking a sip of her coffee. There’s a faint tint of red on her cheeks, one she could easily pass off from being the steam rising onto her face from the mug. You bark out a laugh, turning around and putting your hands on your hips.
Fade’s eyes drop down immediately to your stomach, not so subtly admiring the muscle and curves you own.
You snap your fingers, a smirk in the corner of your mouth. “Don’t get too distracted.”
Fade averts her eyes, a scoff coming from her. “Put a shirt on.”
“If you insist,” you reply, fetching one from your dresser. “But don’t think I didn’t see that blush on your face, Fade.”
She sips her coffee. “No idea what you’re talking about.”
“Right, sure. Now, what was so important you had to come to my room?” You walk closer to her, folding your arms over your chest with just the hint of a smug look in your eyes. When you get close enough, you pluck the mug out of Fade’s hand to take a sip, putting your arm above Fade’s head on the door.
Fade chokes on her words, her mismatched eyes wide with shock. Then, she grabs her coffee right back and shoves her tablet into your hands. “Came here to show you a potential new agent. Sığır.”
“Did you just call me a jerk?” You snort, glancing down at the tablet. “Not very nice of you.”
Fade glances at you once. “No. I called you beef.”
“What?!”
REYNA
It’s late one night, after a day of training and paperwork. You’re back in your room, finally.
You’ve pulled off your shirt and you’re in the midst of pulling the belt from your pants when you notice the slightest sound of shifting, like clothes rustling in the wind and metal sliding on fabric. Looking at the reflection in the mirror on your wall, you see purple eyes and a saccharine, sharp smile.
It feels like your heart drops straight through your ass. You spin around, watching Reyna as she slips out of her transparency, materializing against the wall with her arms crossed and a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.
“Fucking hell, did you just walk through the door behind me?” You say, putting your hand over your heart. Reyna’s laughter is an affirmative indication of your answer, and you ball up your shirt in your hands to throw at her. “You dick!”
Reyna catches your shirt without even looking. “Forgive me, mi cariño, I couldn’t resist.” She brings the shirt to her nose, the gold of her earrings shining in the light. Her eyes flare with light when she inhales the smell, and then she casts a gaze to you. “Not bad.”
You scoff. “Not bad? I’ve been working all day, unlike you.”
“I know.” Reyna isn’t phased by the jab. Typical. She tosses your shirt aside, the sharpness of her nails catching your eyes. “Don’t stop on my account.”
This level of bold flirting isn’t unexpected— if anything, you’re not even surprised she’d take the opportunity. She’s always had a thing for you, whether or not she cares to admit it plainly.
But you won’t let her have it so easily.
“Says the woman who entered my room uninvited. Try again, Reyna,” you reply, leaning against your dresser.
Reyna doesn’t respond, yet you see the gears in her head turning. She pushes herself off the wall, walking to you in slow, calculated steps.
You’re utterly surprised when she drops down to her knee, tugging on the laces of your boots and pulling them loose. She holds down on the heels for you to step out of them. Warily, you do so, waiting for the next move when Reyna pulls them aside.
And then her hands move to your belt, and her eyebrow crooks upward.
You’d be lying if you weren’t interested in where this was going. Something about the sight of Reyna on her knees is captivating.
“Go on,” you say, and Reyna’s feral grin sends heat rushing down your spine.
SAGE
Sage walks into your room on sheer accident while you’re in the midst of suiting up for a mission that she’s also on. With Sage being the squad leader, you’re her second-in-command.
Finding your door unlocked, Sage walks in, the words she wants to say die in her throat. There, she sees your lean back, followed by you leaning over to pull on your pants. You tug them over your hips, buttoning them into place, before turning around.
Sage immediately averts her eyes to the other wall, a flush rising to her cheeks. “I apologize. Your door was unlocked, I thought you were ready.”
You laugh. “It’s fine. You don’t have to look away.”
But despite your insistence that it’s okay, Sage doesn’t look. She’s a respectful woman. Or, at least, she tries to be, but the urge to glance over wins over a few times— Sage tries to hide the blush on her face, but she finds it to be fairly difficult while subtly admiring your battle-hardened beauty.
She looks over your strong shoulders, watching you pull your hair back and out of the way for the mission. She counts all the scars across your back as you pull on your bra. When you glance over your shoulder, Sage turns her head away.
“Ah, shit, forgot my shirt,” you say, walking over to your closet near Sage. Upon seeing her red face, you tilt your head to the side and ask, “You okay, Sage?”
“I’m fine,” Sage replies, nodding once. She retrieves your jacket from your desk and holds it out to you. When you pull it on, Sage grabs the hem and slides the zipper into place. You find yourself surprised at the gesture, smiling softly at yourself as Sage adjusts the collar.
Usually, you go through the routine of mission preparation by yourself, but you continue to be surprised when Sage puts your bulletproof vest over your jacket and locks in your shoulder guards. When you go to snap in your thigh holster for your pistol, Sage does it herself. You have to hold your breath when her hand slide around the inside of your thigh.
“What was that for?” You ask, looking at the focused face as she fixes your utility belt into place.
Sage considers her words, before shrugging shyly. “I simply felt like it.”
You grin. “Thanks. I’ll return the favor next time.”
The healer smiles at you. “I’ll hold you to that.”
VIPER
Viper walks into your room with a clipboard in her hand, flipping through the papers. Upon looking around, your room is empty, but Viper hears the running water of the shower located in the adjoining bathroom, so she leans against your desk to run over the results of her latest test again.
She looks up for a brief moment when the door opens, and swallows thickly when you walk out of the bathroom, towel wrapped around your body and your hair freshly washed.
She forces herself to look back down. “The results of your blood testing came in. You’ve got an exceedingly high amount of Radianite floating around in your blood with no powers to show for it.”
You nearly jump out of your own skin, almost dropping the towel as you spin around to look at Viper. “Jesus fuck, this couldn’t have waited? Christ, I almost got a heart attack.”
“Science doesn’t wait,” Viper says, pulling a paper up to read the printed results. Knowing better than to question her, you sigh and walk over to your dresser, turning your back and dropping the towel to quickly pull on a pair of shorts.
Viper exhales quietly through her nostrils when she glances up mistakenly.
“You better not be looking,” you remark, snapping the waistband of your shorts on your hips. “Seriously, can we talk about this when I’m not half-naked?”
You don’t expect Viper to walk behind you, and you certainly don’t expect her to throw the clipboard on the dresser. The noise would’ve scared you if it weren’t for the fact you could see her in your peripherals.
“You have non-toxic Radianite in your blood. This is a game changer. I need to do more testing, this is— this could save Lucia,” Viper says, and with the way she speaks, you know she means business, but it’s a little difficult to be serious when you’re, quite literally, tits out.
And since Viper doesn’t seem to get the point, you turn toward her and put your hand on your hip.
Viper’s eyes drop down.
“Can I go put on a shirt now or are you going to keep talking?” You say.
Viper, to your utter surprise, shoves the clipboard off the dresser with a firm “No.” Out of her mouth. You yelp when she leans down, grabbing the backs of your thighs and forcing you to jump and hold onto her waist.
She sets you onto the dresser, a steely gaze in her eyes. “Testing begins now.”
Your face burns with the insinuation, and you know you’re in for something truly wild.
~~~~~
A/N: happy halloween everyone!
#fade x reader#viper x reader#reyna x reader#sage x reader#fade#viper#reyna#sage#fade valorant#viper valorant#reyna valorant#sage valorant#valorant x reader#valorant imagines#valorant#valorant headcanons
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And so Kader rushed off to gather the materials needed for his gift. His sister smiled. Seeing Kader be this excited about something made her happy. Considering all that had happened recently, she knew Kader needed something like this to keep him distracted. Clover headed back towards her room, humming the soft tune her mother used to sing to the both of them.
All the staff in the Whimsain Castle could see was the young prince moving with pace around the grounds. Nobody wished to question what he was doing but could see that whatever it was, it brought him joy. It was a nice sight to see. He'd been incredibly distraught after what had happened so this was the first they had seen him smile in a while.
First, Kader gathered some oak wood, taken from one of the trees in the nearby forest. He frequented the forest when he was young, going with his father on long walks. Next, he collected some of the metal scraps the Terrestrians traded to his kingdom. This trade involved an exchange of rare candies for metal parts. His kingdom was well known for baking the levelling up treats.
He asked two of his staff members, Ted the carpenter and Josey the blacksmith, to assist him in making the parts. There was some parts where he was unsure where to start but he knew he would be given help. Ted, the oranguru, laughed when the young prince decided to use the wrong type of saw for what he wanted to do and decided to take over for a bit. Embarrassed, Kader sat patiently and watched the oranguru work, marvelling at his skill. Ted had been in his family's service for years, crafting gorgeous furniture which were spread throughout the castle. The box had such a brilliant finish to it and Kader was given the opportunity to create some engravings on it. Working with care and precision, he finished after a good few hours. He pulled inspiration from the designs scattered around his kingdom. The tiny stars and swirls were a common pattern found engraved on many of the stone worked buildings. He was impressed. It wasn't as good as his sewing work but he was satisfied with the outcome.
Next came the metal pieces to be placed inside. Josey, an armarouge who had recently come over from Terrestria, had a knack for making delicate and intricate metallic structures and was able to shape the parts needed easily. It was lucky she also had some expertise in music and this definitely helped with getting the pieces to make the right notes. Kader wasn't a big fan of the heat needed for this work but appreciated the time it took her to make what he needed. She smiled at him as she pulled out the cooled tiny metallic tube and comb-like piece from the moulds. They looked perfect and had such a lovely shine to them.
Finally, with some assistance, he was able to piece everything together. It looked fantastic. He was so proud of what had been created. Testing it out by rotating the tiny handle, it sounded amazing. Each note reminded him of both of his parents. He practice singing with it a couple of times, though he soon realised he wasn't the greatest at singing. Regardless, he kept at it until he was able to get the song almost perfect. After carefully selecting some wrapping paper and ribbon to go around it, he wrapped the small box up, quite excited to see the reaction of the Pokémon he was giving it to. He sent a message to the star sending Pokémon, informing them of where to bring the recipient of his gift and what time. Everything was sorted. Now time to get himself ready.
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This Pokémon really was something. A Pokémon that could create portals to different places. Kader wondered if he would be able to learn of this power someday. He pushed that thought to the back of his mind and stepped through the golden ring. He arrived in the Golden Oak Forest, the same location where he got the wood for his gift from. He just hoped the other Pokémon was able to make it in time.
Sitting on the bench was a Pokémon he has never seen before. She looked a bit like a gardevoir and so figured that she may be a regional variant of one. He had heard about regional variants from the stories told by the guardian. He approached the Pokémon, a slight nervous tremble in his step.
"Excuse me," began Kader, looking down at the Pokémon, "Are you by any chance the one known as Magpie?" She indicated that she indeed was, which allowed Kader to breathe a small sigh of relief. "It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Prince Kader of the Kingdom of Whimsain, located in Arkaedia. I am glad you were transported to this place without getting lost. Seems the star sending spirit did its job well. I must admit, I don't believe we have your species of Pokémon in our or any of the other kingdoms. I would love to ask you some questions but that's not the reason why I'm hear."
Kader carefully handed the box to Magpie. He waited in anticipation, hoping the gift would suffice. When the wrapping had been removed, Magpie held up a small music box, with small engraved patterns on. Looking inside, the carvings continued and tiny, intricate metal part stood still, eagerly awaiting the twist of the handle to sing its simple song.
"So, I saw that on your list, you wanted something related to music. I am going to be honest, I'm not the most musical Pokémon. However, my mother was. She was a wonderful, kind Pokémon who used to sing many beautiful tunes to my sister and I. I figured that I could share one of those songs as my gift to you. The music box was made with the wood from one of the trees in this forest. I helped with the engravings but my carpenter shaped the box. The metal parts inside were made by one of my blacksmiths. I'm not the best when it comes to work like that so I decided to leave it for her to do. I, with the instruction and guidance of my carpenter and blacksmith, constructed the box together. I hope you like it."
Kader sat down on the bench next to Magpie, shuffling to get himself comfortable."
"Before you take the music box away, I wish to share one of my mother's songs with you. It is a tune she used to sing whenever my sister and I were feeling blue. It used to cheer us up and I hope it will bring you cheer too in dark times."
He was incredibly nervous about this. His mother always made this tune sound wonderful and he knew he wasn't as good as her. However, he knew he needed to try. He cleared his throat and levitated the music box with his psychic abilities.
His voice was soft as he sung. He tried to copy how his mother would have approached the song. The music box sang its melody and Kader felt a sense of joy from it. Finishing the tune, Kader took a deep breath in. He was worried he may have been slightly out of tune but he enjoyed singing it.
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Mod note:
So, this is my star sending for @idolmelodies ! I was so excited to get you! As soon as I saw your character wanted something related to music, I knew I needed to make a song. Gonna be honest, I have no musical knowledge so it was a challenge creating a tune but I enjoy figuring out the notes anyway! It was fun considering what Kader would do. Of course, having a mother who loved music certainly helped and when you're royalty you have access to a lot of resources. I hope you have a happy holidays!
#pokestarsending2023#pokestarsending#pokemon ask blog#pokemon#pokemon askblog#pokemon oc#ask blog#ask the royal absol#kader the gardevoir#clover the gallade#magpie the meloetta
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A bad bitch's guide to practical fashion
Hello! Just some realistic tips and tricks I've learned through living life to help me with some of my conditions while still slaying. Things I deal with that you may be able to relate to-
Anxiety, Adhd, Sensory Issues, Heavyset, Lite Eczema, Acne
Keep a spare change of clothes in your car/bag
Sometimes, I want to wear an outfit that's outside of my comfort zone. Maybe it's wearing something that shows off my curves more, or a fabric that I can barely tolerate. And I push myself out of my comfort zone to try something new! But sometimes I realize halfway through the day that if I don't change right this second, I will have a panic attack and die. Keeping a pair of SAFE clothes in your car/bag is always a good idea! I have sweats, a sweatshirt, and shorts in my car at all times. Also great if you are chaffing/having a bad skin day and need to change unexpectedly.
Buy clothes that fit you
I have this problem of always trying on things and thinking hmmm... maybe it'll fit in a year, once I start working out, loose some weight... NO! Clothes fit you, you aren't supposed to fit clothes! If you do loose some weight, then you get to go shopping again :) and buy more clothes. But you are shopping for present you right now, your beautiful, amazing, fashionable self.
Cut your tags/clothes up
I was told by my parents to not cut my tags, and I was always afraid to. But I'm telling you, you bought those clothes, these are yours, do whatever you want with what you own. Cut the tag if it'll make you feel better. If the arms are too tight cut a slit. On the same note, if you want to tie something shorter with a hair-tie, fucking do it! If it's not short enough crop it. I promise the clothes police won't come after you.
don't put up with terrible fabrics
Don't buy something if you know wearing it is going to be a chore b/c of the sensation. Also, here are some tips for some fabrics
leggings under jeans if you can tolerate leggings > jeans
fishnets under jeans w/ holes if fishnets > jeans
colorful sweatpants (neon green, orange, red, ect.) as a comfy fashion statement
a nice turtleneck under a t-shirt if turtleneck > shirt
long socks (men's section rocks) to avoid blisters on ankles
don't put up with terrible jewelry
I personally love jewelry, but can only keep some things on for so long.
try gloves instead of rings. you can make gloves out of fishnets/tights
try woven/braided bracelets that are not removable w/o scissors > metal clunky bracelets (anklets too)
try skin markers/henna > annoying hand jewelry
If you are trying to branch out but are self-conscious, try to find a safety jacket
just a jacket that you can slip on and off, something light, that you can zip up if you get self-conscious and will make you feel better, but something you can carry/tie around your waist if you are feeling yourself.
My makeup if I'm having bad acne/can't handle the feeling
Concealer- over redness
Body stick/blush- on eyes and cheeks, and nose
Vaseline/Chapstick on lips, can put Vaseline on eyelids for shine (can clog pores be careful)
Mascara
Takes like 15 minutes also if ur in a rush!
For my fellas with boobas who hate bras
here are alternatives!
Trans tape- havn't tried but have heard good things
Breast petals- personally they are expensive, so I mostly use bandaids. Always a toss up if you are going to rip up the nip. NOT FUN! DO NOT RECCOMEND! Only do so if you don't care about having scabs on the girls. Or are poor, like me, and have to use bandaids.
Just don't wear a bra. I mostly go for this option, I feel so free. Very gender affirming, love a bad-bitch who doesn't wear a bra. I save so much money. You have no idea. SO MUCH MONEY. I also love never feeling the pain of a bra, the idea of putting one on is so foreign to me now. I never realized how much pain I was in b4.
This is my advice for now, hope it helps! If you have anything to share pls feel free to! <3
#text post#fashion advice#mine#practical fashion#fashion#sensory issues#living with adhd#adhd post#anxeity#eczema#beauty tips
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Hey what if you did a short lil thing about Rain playing with Dew’s hair and they both get horny?? I love your writing btw it’s so freaking good and wonderfully descriptive
okayyyy lets go!
Rain looks gorgeous when he emerges from the lake, dark hair slicked back, eyelashes dark and damp stuck together in doll-like clumps. The scales on the tops of his shoulders and the crown of his forehead shine like opal in the bright light of the summer sun, shifting and disappearing before Dew’s eyes as they camouflage back under more human-like skin.
On the grassy bank, Dew lies outstretched on their shared blanket taken right off of the water ghoul’s bed, drying off from the dip he took a little earlier. Droplets of water stick to the insides of his thighs, mingling with beads of sweat. His hair fans outwards, messy like a golden halo around his head and still stringy and damp with the texture of the lake. The little hairs along his hairline have long gone white with the sun. When Rain comes back to him, shaking the water from his hair like a dog after a bath, he pushes himself up to make room for the water ghoul. His hair falls lazy in front of his face.
“You looked comfy, I didn’t mean to make you get up,” Rain says as he settles back down on his place on their blanket. One of his hands reaches up to comb golden locks back behind a pointed ear, but his fingers get stuck in tiny knots and it's almost useless to even try. He doesn’t want to pull. Dew gathers it all in his hands and tosses it behind his shoulder.
“I can’t lie, I would’ve loved to see you stand over me for a little while more.”
“I bet you would.”
Both ghouls laugh, staring out into the calm surface of the lake while Rain leans back on his elbows to bask in the heat and Dew worries with tiny tangles stuck in his earrings. For a while he lets him work at them in silence, pulling and picking and pinching at hair until it unravels and returns back to its natural state, but Rain notices the way that the fire ghoul is becoming increasingly irritated and frustrated. He huffs, curses under his breath when one tricky knot refuses to come apart and Rain knows he won’t ask for help, but he’s also not going to let him tear his hair out of his head, either.
“Let me help?” He asks, still reclined in case Dew shrugs him off. “Pulling at it is only going to make it worse.”
Dew gives it one more try, pulls at the knot with the sharp tips of his claws, and actually manages to tear a few strands. They float down into the grass like fallen feathers. Rain is up on his bottom before Dew can do any more damage.
“No, nuh uh, stop. You’re going to hurt yourself if you keep yanking on it like that.”
Dew ceases his trying and silently gives in, dropping his hands into his lap and maneuvering his body perpendicular when Rain lays a hand on his shoulder and guides him into a better position to help. Rain begins with the knot in his earring, carefully unwrapping the remaining strands from around the metal and leaning in close to untangle that stupid knot that caused him so much trouble. It comes apart easier than he expected, and with only two more strands lost. He’ll mourn them anyways.
Dew sighs when Rain combs his hair back and out of his face. His claws rake nicely over his scalp and tickle at his skin. It sends a shiver down his spine that makes Rain chuckle and do it again to get those runaway strands that fall around his temples. He combs through golden hair carefully with his fingers and consciously tries to avoid the trickier knots when he runs his hands from his nape to the bottom of his back where his hair stops. With a little bit of tedious work and lots of patience, he gets it nice and smooth and combs it back over his scalp once more so he can separate it into three equal sections and begin to braid it.
He gets about a third of the way through when he notices how quiet Dew’s gone. He sits with his face tilted towards the sky and the beginnings of a pink burn high on his cheeks. He’s so pretty like this. These are the moments that Rain loves most with the fire ghoul. He resumes his braiding, twisting the sections over each other in their pattern and grabbing more hair from behind his ears to add to the braid. Dew hums, pleased with the feeling of his hands in his hair, and Rain laughs through his nose at the noise. The fire ghoul cracks open an eye.
“What’s so funny?”
“You look like you’re enjoying this.”
Dew shrugs, “Yeah, well I can’t help it. Feels good. So what if my dick thinks so, too?”
Rain pauses his ministrations and stares at the back of the ghouls head, his brows furrowed in confusion. “Huh?”
“What?”
Rain leans forward with the half-finished braid still held between his fingers and peers over Dew’s shoulder to look down into his lap, and he shouldn’t be as surprised as he is to see the fire ghoul generously tenting his swim shorts.
“You’re ridiculous, you know?” He tuts with feigned annoyance and leans back again on his ass, resuming his braid and flying towards the end with precise, quick fingers. The whole time Dew sits there and palms at his crotch, reveling in the feeling of a million tiny tugs at his scalp that concentrate themselves in his balls. “You try to do something good for a guy…”
When Rain gets to the end he ties the end with his own personal elastic from his wrist and scoots in closer, stretching his legs out to either side of Dew’s hips and pressing his chubby cock to the small of his back. Dew hums again, pleased, and opens his mouth to make some smart remark, but Rain stops him when he wraps Dew’s braid around his fist and pulls hard, jerking the ghoul’s head back and onto his right shoulder. Now, so, so close and staring directly into the harsh light of the sun, Dew squeezes his eyes shut and moans nice and pretty when Rain’s other hand trails up from his chest to rest snug against his neck. Rain’s still slightly damp. Droplets of water stuck to his chest transfer themselves to Dew’s back and the wet fabric of his shorts leaves a wet patch up against his ass. Dew waits, sighing against where Rain has begun to nuzzle against his cheek, open-mouthed and lazy. He brushes his lips over Dew’s and drops his chin to nibble gently at his bottom lip, making him whine for real touch and a taste of his mouth.
“Promise me one thing, Dew?”
“Hmm?”
“Leave the hair pulling to someone else…”
Dew doesn’t even get a chance to answer before Rain pulls again and connects their lips.
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Chapter 8: June - Part Two
☾ Pairings ➼ Levi Ackerman x fem!mute!Reader (she/her pronouns), set in a modern semi-fictional world
☾ Summary ➼ Due to childhood trauma, you find yourself an adult without the ability to speak. After years of working on it, you have found ways to live without a voice. Now here in your late 20s, you are 5 months in getting used to a new town. On a fateful day in late November, you and your adopted sister visit a local bookstore-café, unaware of the friendships about to blossom. Throughout the months, one friendship in particular develops into something more.
☾ Content/Warnings ➼ fluff, slowburn, oblivious feelings, romance, angst, mention of minor character deaths, trauma, illness, adoption, mentions of fire, disabilities, alcohol use, very light nsfw mentions, references to child abuse, smoking and alcohol abuse mentions, domestic violence mentions, light assault
☾ Author's note ➼ AAAAAAAA okay last part before shit starts ramping up. I HOPE Y'ALL ARE READY. This one might be a little rough as it's still some set up but hey, that's what makes slow burns so good right? See y'all with the next part soon. But in the mean time, beach episode anyone? :3
ALSO IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN MY SUMMER EVENT CELEBRATING 250 FOLLOWERS YET PLEASE GO HERE!! I AM ACCEPTING REQUESTS UNTIL JULY 31ST!
☾ Word Count ➼ ~7.1k (whoops)
The smell of cooking meat wafts into your bedroom, waking you up gently from your deep sleep. You pop an eye open and are greeted by bright sunlight shining through the open glass door, the salty breeze making the sheer curtains around it dance. Shrieks of laughter make their way up to you from the beach below. Reaching over to your phone, you check the time and see it is barely past three in the afternoon.
Considering you didn’t get back to bed until late, you’re not surprised to have slept in so long – though part of you wonders why no one had come to wake you earlier. You turn onto your back and stare up at the ceiling, a smile creeping up your face. Last night was nice, strolling on the beach with Levi in the dead of night. You recall the way he said goodnight to you softly before closing his door in front of you.
You lie there for a moment longer, focusing on the noises coming from the other side of the bedroom door. The sounds of metal pans and dull chatter slip under the crack, too muffled to really make out words but there’s a few bursts of boisterous laughter from Erwin. You hope Levi got to sleep in as much as you did.
It takes a bit to assemble yourself, humming to yourself as you do. You even make your bed, thinking about what Levi might say if he saw you do that. The thought makes you blush. Once dressed, you do a double take in the mirror then nod to yourself before throwing the bedroom door open.
At first glance, you see Hange busy at the stove, their hair pulled up in a messy ponytail. Levi is at the bar drinking a cup of tea as he scrolls through his phone. His eyes slide over to your movement in his periphery but says nothing. Instead, he leans over and pours another cup of tea, dropping in a couple spoonfuls of sugar as well as some milk. He slides it to the seat next to him on the bar then goes back to his cup, not looking your way.
“There you are!! Good afternoon!!” Hange yells over to you while they flip what looks like a piece of grilled chicken.
After sitting down on the stool next to Levi, you give him a grateful smile. When you take a sip of the warm tea, you sigh internally at the smooth flavor. Levi knew how you liked your tea and never failed to get it perfect every time - you adored him for that. Setting it down carefully, you look around the rest of the living space.
‘Where’s Erwin?’
“He’s on the phone.” Levi says, pointing behind him.
You follow his finger and find it pointing to the main balcony attached to the living room. Erwin is pacing back and forth as he speaks through the mouthpiece, his best customer service smile brightening up his face. A laugh shakes his upper body as he continues to converse.
‘What is he doing?’
“Who knows with him.” Hange cuts in as they take the grilled chicken out of the pan and place it into a glass dish sitting off to the side. There are already a few pieces of the same chicken piled into it.
“They had a little farmer’s market this morning out in the square that I just had to visit. I saw a flier for it in the elevator yesterday. You would not believe the things they were selling.” Hange says cheerily. They reach over to you and set down a small bowl of mixed fruits before plucking a blueberry off the top and popping it into their mouth. “Speaking of, I know what we’re doing tomorrow night and you and Levi are not allowed to say no.” Hange then turns around to check on the sizzling meat.
You eye Levi, curious to see if he had any idea what Hange meant but he just rolls his eyes, grumbling something about ‘shitty-glasses’ under his breath. You shrug to yourself and start digging into your fresh fruit starting with the plump strawberries hiding at the bottom.
The sound of the sliding door opening and closing behind you makes your ears twitch. You swivel in your barstool mid-bite to the sight of Erwin walking over with a big smile. He’s wearing his light blue button down that matches his eyes perfectly, unbuttoned to show his white t-shirt underneath.
“That should be the last of the plans and reservations made for this week.” Erwin chirps. The weariness he wore yesterday is completely dissolved. In place is the essence of pure joy.
“Nice! Good job, Erwin. But uh- what are these ‘plans and reservations’?” Hange inquires as they lean against the island with their chin sitting in their palms, the spatula they were using currently dripping oil all over the counter. Levi scowls and shoves a paper towel underneath.
“Well, tomorrow we’re going to visit Liberio’s local museum. They have a lot of history and culture here that I think we would all be interested in. Then there’s a block party in the town square to celebrate the beginning of the summer. Hange should have told you that already, though.” Erwin chuckles as he sits himself down on the last barstool next to Levi. He pulls his phone out and starts scrolling for something.
You take this chance to side-eye Hange, shooting them a raised eyebrow. They lift their hands up in defense and turn to focus on the last chicken breast currently popping in the pan.
“Hmmm. Oh!” Erwin sits up as he finds what he was looking for. “The day after tomorrow, I scheduled a lovely all afternoon spa date for you two.” Erwin’s crystal blue eyes flick up over his phone screen to look at you and Hange, though their back is still turned.
“I can’t imagine you scheduled the spa for us, Erwin?” Levi mutters over his teacup before taking a sip.
“As much as I think it could be fun, no. You and I are going golfing.” Levi sputters on the dark liquid, staring at Erwin in disbelief.
“Seriously?”
“Just a small game. It’s been a while.” Erwin says nonchalantly as he continues to scroll through his digital itinerary.
“Just let me stay here.” Levi’s tone is dry, but you can’t help but laugh internally at the bratty disposition he gave off. His eyes narrow at his blonde friend.
“It’s too late, we’re both reserved for the course at 9am.”
Levi only huffs in return.
“Then we’ll meet up before going out to dinner. I’ve seen nothing but great reviews at this one place down the street. Apparently, the owner’s eighteen-year-old son is a prodigal chef.”
‘Oh yeah, I read about something like that before we left home. How did you get reservations so last minute?’ You pop a raspberry in your mouth while you eye him with surprise.
“I had these reservations set months ago. I just had to call and ask if we could add a couple more chairs.” You don’t press after that, pinching your lips together in a thin line.
“Last but not least is the Liberio Summer Festival.” He continues. “After that, we have one more day to rest up before we fly back home to Paradis.” Erwin locks his phone before placing it down onto the marble countertop.
“I think these are all great ideas.” Hange comments with a smirk. Your blond friend scoffs in amusement.
“You thought of half of them, Hange.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ve been thinking about stopping by some local shops too. Sounds like we’ll have time to do that tomorrow afternoon, huh?” Hange says as they shut the stove off and then turns to wiggle an eyebrow at you.
You’re in the middle of wiping off the sticky colorful fruit on a napkin as they direct the attention to you. You shrug but shoot over a reassuring smile regardless. You’ve never been one for shopping, but it made Hange happy and that was enough for you.
The rest of the conversation dwindles into today’s plans for the beach. Hange cuts in and excitedly showed off the chicken that they had just finished cooking. They were happy to announce that they just needed a little more time to prepare but then you all could leave. You hear them mention something about a beach picnic for dinner, but your ears quickly tune them out as you find your mind wandering elsewhere.
Levi’s steely gaze falls on you for a moment. You both exchanged a look. At the time, you think it’s from the ridiculous antics your sister was up to as usual. But if you had looked harder, you would have seen there was something else there dancing in his eyes. He looks away and back down to his almost empty teacup as he grumbles something to Hange.
You excuse yourself a bit later to gather your things for the beach and Hange follows so they can grab their own bag from their messy corner of belongings. You note their bathing suit top peeking out from their loose shirt and wonder how long they have been up.
“Don’t forget to change into your bathing suit.” Hange shoots you with a finger gun and then slips out of the door, shutting it and leaving you in silence. Your hands hung midair as you were signing to them before they had left. They drop to your sides as you roll your eyes.
A sigh escapes your lips as you walk over to your suitcase sitting on the floor. You had stuffed your swimsuit in a small compartment meant to separate it from the rest of your clothes in the off chance it was still wet when you packed later. Reaching in, you feel the soft texture and you’re instantly suspicious. This isn’t the bathing suit you had packed.
When you pull it out, your fears are confirmed. Sitting in between shaking fingers is the pink two-piece Hange had semi-jokingly gifted for your birthday last month. You don’t know how they found it considering you had shoved it so far back into your closet.
You thrust your hand back in the same pocket to check just in case and come up empty. You dig through the rest of the neatly organized suitcase to make sure you didn’t place the original somewhere else. You find nothing.
Long gone is the black set you had packed a couple days ago, leaving you with this abomination as your only option. Considering you had to leave soon, there was no time to go out and buy another. If you had a voice, you would have screamed your now dead-to-you sister’s name. Instead, you stomp your feet and take a shaky breath. You resign yourself to your fate and start changing.
.
By the time you all make it down to the sand, your phone reads a few minutes before 4:30 in the afternoon. It had taken a little longer than planned to get the beach-side picnic packed. Hange had found a large wicker basket the owners currently used for blanket storage that they claimed would be great to transport food in. Levi had adamantly disagreed, but Hange promised they would clean it out before putting the blankets back in. That was that.
Now, you sit under the protection of a comically large umbrella in the comfort of your baggiest clothes. Levi sits next to you covered up about the same. He hadn’t worn shorts since you all had gotten here so seeing his extremely pale legs in the sunlight was almost blinding. Before you had even left, he covered himself in sunscreen, grumbling under his breath about ‘not taking any chances.’ He didn’t appreciate the laugh he got out of you for saying that.
The beach wasn’t too packed to begin with, something you and Levi both sighed in relief at. There was enough space in the back to find the spot you all settled into easily. A couple walks by as they swing their toddler between them, tiny giggles escaping into the summer breeze. A few teens scream in delight a little way off, laughing and yelling at each other. Erwin and Hange are digging around in the wet sand looking for shells in front of you, the sound of their chatter getting lost in the summer breeze.
A loud rumbling comes from your stomach as you stretch your legs out onto the beach blanket. Your face heats up from embarrassment at the noise and you hope it wasn’t loud enough for Levi to hear. Unfortunately, he has sensitive hearing.
“Hungry?” He looks over to you, his eyes shaded in black sunglasses. You can’t tell if he’s even looking at you.
You give him a small nod, puffing your cheeks out. This is what you get for only eating a bowl of fruit for lunch. Levi’s hair flutters in the wind, pushing it back and out of his face. You can already see the sweat sheening on his face from the excessive summer heat.
“Oi! Shitty-glasses!” He shouts to Hange who was currently on their way to you as he spoke.
“What, shorty?” They grab the water bottle they had set out earlier and unscrew it as they sit down on their towel a few feet away.
“When’s dinner? Your sister’s stomach is about to eat her from the inside out.” He points to you with a thumb.
“I’m thinking about another hour. Can you hang in there until then?” Hange frowns to you with concern.
You didn’t want to interrupt their fun, so you sign a ‘yes’, resulting in a wild grin from your sister. You could wait a little longer, you hope.
“Great! You two are missing out. Get your asses up!” Hange tucks their bottle under their clothes to keep it from the sun and push up from the ground.
Erwin trots over, saltwater dripping off of him with every step. With his blond hair slicked back, you could have sworn he was made for the beach. He resembles what you would imagine the god Apollo would look like. Meant for the sunshine.
“Why are you two still sitting here, fully clothed at that? The water is this way.” He points behind his shoulder. He beams his award-winning smile down to the two of you as he waits for a response. He doesn’t get much from Levi other than an eye roll. You fidget with the blanket underneath you, curling your fingers into the cloth. The anxiety you had pushed down from earlier starts to bubble up again.
‘I’m just keeping Levi company.’ You sign what you believe to be half-truth. Before you all had left Paradis, Levi had warned he wasn’t going into the ocean. He had said something about it being gross and that fish defecated in it all day. So, Levi wanted to stay on the blanket, and you decided to stay with him.
“Then I guess Levi has to go in.” Hange glances over to Erwin with a smirk. Erwin starts to step over to Levi, still dripping wet from his plunge earlier.
“Don’t even think about it.” Levi’s voice comes out in a low warning. You can already see the gears turning in everyone’s head and you were afraid of what might happen if you let things continue. In a hurry, you stand yourself up and place your hands out to calm everyone down.
‘Fine, fine. I’m coming. Leave Levi out of this.’ You sign with shaky hands. You dreaded this the moment you saw yourself in the mirror before leaving. Hange nods in approval and crosses their arms as they wait. The corner of their lips twitched in anticipation at what they knew was about to happen.
Your fingers tremble as your thumbs lock into the belt loops of your shorts. Carefully, you slide them down your legs, being careful not to fall over as you step out of them. As if you were pushing off the inevitable, you fold them neatly and place them on top of the beach bag that sat next to the food basket.
Taking a deep breath, you grip the soft fabric of your shirt and lift it over your head. You hear a sharp intake of breath followed by a little cough and you don't have to look over to see who did it. Your face is about the same shade as the bathing suit you had so desperately tried to hide.
Now, the suit was really cute, you won’t deny it. And it was very flattering on your body as well as against your skin tone. But it was not a style you would have chosen yourself nor like anything you’ve ever tried on before. It was salacious in nature despite the fact that it covered the important bits.
The top has built-in cups that push everything up and together, giving even those on the smaller side an illusion of a heavy bust. You were afraid that any wrong move you made would result in a spill out from how low cut it was on you. Your bottoms were high waisted, much to your relief. But with the high waist came the high hips so your thighs and most of your ass was on full display. It hugs your body just right, and you never felt more vulnerable.
Hange wolf-whistles at the sight of you, prompting you to use the shirt you still had in hand as a cover up. You can’t bring yourself to look at anyone, mortified at the unwanted attention.
“See, what did I say? She looks cute, does she not?” Hange wraps her arm around your shoulder, almost knocking you over. You hug the shirt closer to your chest as you stare down to the sand your toes are currently digging in.
“Hange, why do I have a feeling she didn’t pack the suit?” Levi’s voice cuts in. Your eyes flicker to him quickly before looking away. Despite Levi’s casual tone, the tips of his ears are bright red and you’re pretty sure it’s not from the heat.
“Okay fine, I swapped it out. But she looks good!”
“Her comfort is important, Hange. She’s obviously not comfortable.” The way Levi dismissed their question while simultaneously coming to your aid makes your heart jump.
“Okay you guys, there’s nothing to be done about it now.” Erwin looks to you now, a gentle smile gracing his also rose-colored cheeks. “You don’t have to go in. We can stop for another suit before the next beach day.”
You were uncomfortable, yes. But…
Your eyes glance over at the waves crashing towards the shore. Multiple people splash around with joy, indicating the water must be nice today. You were looking forward to this day, and you would be mad at yourself for allowing your discomfort to ruin it. You fold your shirt and place it on top of your shorts before putting on a smile for everyone.
‘No. I’ll be okay.’
“Thatta girl. Let’s get you slathered up with sunscreen first.” Hange walks around to one of the beach bags and grabs one of the aerosol sunscreen cans they had bought earlier in the day. Even for a hot day, the impact of the cool mist hitting your skin creates goosebumps all over your body. You cough at the chemicals going up your nose after they spritz your face.
Once satisfied, they toss the can back into the bag before turning and jogging back into the clear ocean where Erwin currently floats in. You twist around to face Levi, ignoring the palpitations your heart is currently going through. His gaze snaps up to yours, eyes still covered by his dark spectacles.
‘Are you coming?’ You shoot him a soft smile.
“Just go.” He mumbles quietly. His words hold no malice, but you can’t help but internally recoil at his short response. You nod in his direction and take off towards the water. Had you looked behind you, you’d notice that you never left Levi’s sight.
You hesitate as you get to the shore, just as you did last night. The frothy seawater quickly makes its way to your bare feet, crashing over them and retreating just as fast. You laugh to yourself at the feeling of the sand displacing from the rushing water underneath your toes. The water is much warmer than when you had first greeted it so many hours ago. With a child-like grin, you run into the opposing current.
.
You had been splashing around with Hange for about 20 minutes when the sudden dizzy spell hits you. With the waves bouncing you up and down, you feel tingles in your feet that were currently suspended from floating in the salt water. You needed to get out.
Without saying anything to your companions, you start wading back to the shore as best you can. You didn’t realize how far out into the ocean you were until now. With each stroke you made back to land, the more static that filled your head. You blink hard a few times trying to fight the lightheaded feeling as your feet dig in the wet sand in an attempt to push yourself forward more.
By some miracle, you’re able to make it back to where the waves just crash on land before your legs collapse from under you. You’re able to catch yourself so you don’t face-plant into the firm sand beneath you, but your arms are shaky and the water slamming into you doesn’t help. Hange’s and Erwin’s shouts from behind come to you muffled. You shake your head, trying to knock back the nausea that came from feeling like the earth was spinning.
Suddenly, there’s a hand on your back as another pulls your chin over to look into the stormy gray eyes of Levi. His face is laced full of worry as his eyes scan your weary features. The blood rushing to your ears is almost as loud as the ocean and because of that, you have a hard time understanding anything he’s saying now. It takes a moment for you to realize he isn’t even talking to you, and instead to the people coming up from behind you.
Your eyes shut tight as you feel him lifting you off the ground and into his arms. He holds you close to his chest as he starts speed-walking back over to the spot you all had claimed. With the motion of his steps mixed in with the world already spinning around you, your nausea grows worse.
You grab the shirt Levi still had on in a tight fist, hoping it will help ground you. You notice his shirt is currently getting soaked from your wet body, adhering to his seemingly toned chest underneath. If you weren’t on the verge of throwing up, you would have been more aware of how fast his heart was racing holding you so closely with such little clothing on.
“Don’t worry about it.” Levi grunts down to you. He kneels into the soft blanket and sets you down gently before reaching over into the basket. Pulling out a soda, he makes quick work of popping it open and bringing it to your lips. You blink a few times at him. The worry behind his eyes is ever present as he watches you carefully. Your hesitation, however, makes him scowl.
“Drink.” He orders.
If you weren’t on the brink of passing out, you would have found this situation embarrassingly intimate. You put your mouth on the metal lip and Levi helps to tip it for you, carbonated sugar dancing on your tongue as it goes down. It’s like this for a couple minutes. Levi tipping it back every few minutes, and you're staring anywhere but his face.
Eventually, the world feels like it’s slowing down. The sounds around you trickle in with clarity and you’re finally more aware of your surroundings. Your eyes trail back over to Levi, still on his knees next to you with the can in hand. His eyes haven’t let your face, nor has the concern lessened. You shift around to get comfortable and notice that your shirt has been placed back over your head somehow.
Gently, you place your hand over Levi’s and push it down and out of your face.
‘I’m okay, now. I think.’ You sign, your hands still visibly shaking.
“You dumbass, this is why we should have eaten earlier.” Levi’s voice is gruff. He shoots daggers over to where your sister currently sits.
“I didn’t pay attention. That’s on me, I admit. We’re eating now, though.” Hange’s voice is drenched with guilt. They nod over to Erwin who was currently pulling out plates as well as miscellaneous covered dishes filled with what you expect is dinner.
“How is she?” Erwin asks as he pops open the top of the chicken salad Hange had made earlier.
Levi’s eyes meet your gaze again, waiting for your response.
‘Better.’ You offer a small smile. In truth, you did. The soda brought your heart back to a normal rhythm and you could finally feel your fingers.
“She says better.” Levi mumbles. He sits back down on the blanket before gingerly rubbing at his knee he had been kneeling on.
“Good, let’s dig in then.” Erwin smiles over to you as he hands you a plate filled with chicken salad, crackers, and various chopped up veggies.
Hange crawls over to you, most of their skin now dry from sitting out in the sun during this whole ordeal. They lean against you, resting their head on your shoulder. You can’t see their face very well from this angle, but you suspect they might be frowning.
“Sorry, my little berry. I’ve messed everything up for you today.” You see Levi open his mouth to say something, but you subtly shake your head. He closes it quickly and looks away.
You pat Hange’s head in reassurance with your other arm, feeling the grainy sand that currently sits between their hair strands. Erwin starts talking about something marine life related and you find yourself checking out as you slowly eat at your plate. And just like that, the group is back to silly conversations and taunting statements. The whole time, you find yourself throwing appreciative glances over to Levi and sometimes he’ll catch you, but he says nothing about it.
.
The sun hangs lower by the time you all finish cleaning up after yourselves. There were probably a couple hours until sunset. Erwin had asked if you wanted to come back into the water with them but denied their offer, instead opting to use this time to sunbathe. In all honesty, you still needed time to recalibrate after almost passing out. They were much more understanding and left you to your own devices. And Levi, of course, stayed behind with you.
Unfortunately, with the absence of Hange, you struggle a bit with the sunscreen. You were able to get everything in the front but when it came to getting your back, you found yourself fighting with the canister. That is, until you feel slim fingers taking it from you after you spray your hair for the third time.
“Tch, if you need help just say so.” Levi grumbles from behind you. Your heart jumps by his sudden proximity to you, his voice practically right by your ear. You hear him shaking the can before quickly spraying a layer of mist along your back, making sure to get your shoulders well covered as well.
“Some of the sunscreen isn’t sitting right. You might need to rub it in.” You glance back at Levi, eyebrow raised. You raise your hands to where he can see without having to turn around.
‘I can’t reach back there, dummy. Will you help?’ You keep a calm and collected face. Internally, however, you were freaking out at your request. With Hange gone, you had no one else to ask. A moment passes. Just as you think he had left in refusal of your bold invitation, you feel his slender fingers rubbing the oily sunscreen into your soft skin.
This isn’t the first time Levi has touched you, recalling the brief hand holding in the past. Not to mention him carrying you an hour ago. But this is the first time he did it with the sole intention of touching you, even if it was to help you stay protected from the sun. You’re not sure if he was doing it deliberately or not, but the pressure his nimble fingers used to massage the oils in was enough to make you shift your weight in an attempt to fight the feeling that was burning at your core. Levi’s fingers leave you all too soon.
“How’s that?” His voice comes out thickly. You turn back around to face him with a forced smile.
‘Great, thank you.’ He nods stiffly and turns back around before curling back up under the umbrella. You stand awkwardly before remembering why he helped you in the first place.
Taking Hange’s towel they had laid out, you fluff it up to get the sand off before stretching out on top of it. You’re still self-conscious of the fabric that hugs your body, so you find yourself lying face down and in the direction of the umbrella. You fold your arms under your head and rest your cheek against them. A content sigh escapes your lips from the sun rays kissing your skin.
It stays like this. You can hear Levi a few feet away, shuffling in place every couple of minutes. You also hear the cacophony of seagulls off in the distance, probably in search of food. There’s more laughter, some from Erwin’s very distinctive spirited self. All this mixed with the crashing of waves really adds to your blissful mood.
Your mind wanders, gravitating towards Levi as it always does. You can’t imagine this is his favorite place to be right now, despite his willingness to walk with you last night. You pull your head up to where your chin rests in between both folded arms and you stare over to Levi. He currently sits with his feet tucked under him in a crossed position, currently messing with something on his phone. Sitting up on both elbows, you snap to get his attention.
His face raises up slightly, but you can’t tell if he’s even looking at you with how dark his sunglasses were. Had you read his mind, you’d have known he was doing his best not to glance down where your breasts currently sit squished against the towel. His face gives nothing away, but his heart skips a few beats at the sight of you and the thoughts that lingered. Levi clears his throat before sitting forward and setting his phone down. You had his undivided attention.
“What?”
‘Just checking on you.’ You purse your lips at him. You get a sense of simmering attitude just threatening to bubble up in him.
“I’m fine.” He mumbles, shrugging his shoulders.
‘You don’t sound fine.’ You narrow your eyes at him.
“Well, it’s hot and this grainy shit is very annoying.” He sweeps at the sand that had transferred onto the blanket earlier. You raise an eyebrow at him and frown.
‘Why didn’t you stay back then?’
“Someone needed to make sure you wouldn’t drown.”
‘You don’t trust Erwin or Hange?’ Levi huffs at that.
“That’s funny.” He says without humor.
‘Want me to go drown so you don’t have to worry about me anymore?’ You stick your tongue out at him.
“Sure, just make it quick. I think I can fit in some time to clean the kitchen before Hange comes back to wreck it.” Your shoulders shake in silent laughter at his serious disposition. The corners of his mouth quirk up as well. You puff your cheeks out, your smile fading from your face slowly.
‘It’s not fair to you if you’re so miserable, Levi.’
“I’ll be fine. Stop worrying about me and focus on yourself, tch.” Levi mindlessly pulls at the small grains of sand still plaguing the area around him. A moment later, he pushes his sunglasses up so it’s holding his hair back, his whole face on display for you. “Are you having fun?”
You rest your chin in your palm as you eye him, giving him a nod in response. Due to the angle, Levi’s unblinking gaze peers through his long eyelashes. That feeling you had earlier, that burning sensation through your core. It’s ever present as you both continue to watch each other. Your eyes flicker down to his pouty lips before looking away shyly. After some silence between you two, you decide to lie back down, tucking your face into the crook of your elbow.
After a while, your back starts feeling like it’s on fire, so you turn over to give your front an opportunity for some sunlight. You tilt your head back to peep a glance up at Levi to see what he was doing, only to catch him staring straight back. He mumbles a sorry and looks back down at his phone clenched in white knuckles. You can’t help it, a smug smile teases at your lips as you flatten back out. Maybe this bathing suit isn’t so bad, you start to think.
You get about another fifteen minutes of peace until you hear Hange’s quiet laughter. Your first mistake is believing they were coming back for a drink break, so you kept your eyes closed. A shadow passes by and then suddenly you feel a cascade of warm water fall on your face.
You’re in such shock that you sit straight up and splutter at the water that has gone up your nose and straight down your throat. Everything burns from the excessive salt. You wipe your eyes in time to see the culprits running back to the ocean. Hange is laughing so hard that they’re not paying attention and end up tripping on their own feet. They take a nosedive into the surf.
You push yourself up from the now soaked towel and run after them, almost losing footing in the hot, soft sand. You’re still able to find enough momentum though. Erwin’s in the middle of laughing at Hange’s misfortune with his back turned to you that he doesn’t see you in time to stop you from tackling him from behind.
Erwin, of course, isn’t fazed by any of this. He stands almost half a foot taller than you with broad shoulders, so you were not taking him down any time soon. At best, you were able to koala around him.
You’re not sure how he did it but suddenly you were being picked up like a surfboard by his big hands and then tucked under an arm like a football. No amount of kicking and hitting makes him stop his amble into the ocean. During this whole time, your hoarse laughter escapes from your lungs.
Before you know it, he stops just as the water is up to his knees and stands staring off in the distance. Erwin is purposefully oblivious to your protests as he scans the distance with his hand as a visor to block out the setting sun. Suddenly, he stiffly picks you up like a surfboard again and your eyes widen at the realization of what he is planning to do. With your feet still kicking as they dangle below you, in one swift movement Erwin chucks you a good few feet away into the air. You only have time to pinch your nose before you crash back into the blue water like a cannonball.
When you break the surface, you come out laughing and coughing at the salty water you accidentally ingested. Hange is back on the surf and sitting down as the waves crash around them, laughing along with you. Erwin, however, is back at the umbrella talking to Levi. They’re too far away to hear what they’re talking about, but you can tell it’s a calm argument. Much to your surprise, you see Levi getting up just as Erwin turns around to head back. He has a satisfied grin, mixed with slight mischief. This wasn’t going to go well.
Eventually, Levi makes his way down to right where the furthest waves meet the sand and stands next to Erwin. His shoes are off as is his shirt. All that adorns his short stature is a pair of swim trunks and his sunglasses. Lean muscles ripple all throughout his body as he stands with both feet planted into the moist sand. He crosses his arms over his chest, eyebrows knit in annoyance.
“Okay, I’m here. Happy?” He calls out to all of you, voice loud to be heard over the waves.
Hange looks over at the source and raises their arms in excitement while screaming, “Yay Levi! Glad to see you make it. Come on in, the water’s fine!”
“Tch, yeah, no thanks. That water is fucking disgusting.” His eyes land on you as you bob up and down from the waves, his gaze noticeably softening when he sees you smiling at him. Unfortunately for Levi, you were too good of a distraction for Erwin’s antics.
You watch in bewilderment as Erwin lifts Levi up from the armpits like a toddler. The horror-stricken look that blanketed Levi’s face would have been comical if you weren’t so afraid for Erwin’s life. You’ve never seen someone go through the 5 stages of grief in such a short amount of time. Levi accepted defeat the moment right before he’s tossed into the water a few feet from you.
You guard your face from the inevitable splash, mouth agape at the audacity of Erwin’s actions. Hange starts laughing even harder until a wave larger than the others comes out of nowhere and hits them square in the face. Erwin loses it after that.
When Levi resurfaces, his anger is palpable. He starts to wade towards Erwin who was currently doubled over on his knees in a fit of laughter but your fingers clamp over Levi’s forearm to stop him. In a knee jerk reaction, he yanks his arm out of your grip and whirls around on you. The dark look in his eyes diminishes quickly as he realizes it’s you. The anger never leaves his face though, every muscle tense with his jaw locked.
You grip Levi’s arm gently and start tugging him opposite of where your friends currently sat laughing. Keeping yourself afloat in one place was hard enough on your own, but dragging someone behind you was another story. Fortunately for you, Levi doesn’t resist as you trudge through the sand and ocean currents to the shore. Eventually you both make it until you’re ankle deep in water and you turn to face him.
Levi’s face is contorted less so than before, only showing pure annoyance. His eyes don’t meet yours, instead staring off to somewhere off in the distance. You release his arm and reach over with both hands to cup his face in them, twisting his face in your direction. His eyes widen, stunned at your sudden touch.
One of his hands reaches up, three fingers curling around the back of your hand and pulls it down off his face. He continues to hold on to your hand though, refusing to let go.
“Don’t even think about apologizing.” His voice comes out gravelly. His eyes narrow over your shoulder, probably to Erwin if you had to guess. You pull your hand out of his to sign, but you can feel the lingering warmth of his skin still pressing into your palm.
‘I won’t. Are you okay?’
“No.”
‘Do you want to leave?’ Levi’s eyes drift back to yours, and you can see the gears turning in his head.
“The beach or the ocean?” He kicks his feet in the clear shallow water. Levi is obviously uncomfortable. You recall the way he had stuck up for you earlier in his own Levi way, and it was your turn to help him, if he wanted it.
His gaze softens as he stares back at your sun kissed face. He grips your wrist and starts walking back to the group’s belongings, tugging you along with him. As he passes Hange and Erwin who are currently eying the two of you, he flips them both off. You don’t get to see their reaction as you’re being pulled away quickly.
When you both get back, Levi grabs two towels stuffed into one of the bags. He hands one to you before using his own to ruffle his hair dry. When he pulls the towel off, your heart threatens to explode at the sight. Levi’s hair sticks up in different ways and you can’t stop the blush from creeping into your cheeks. He wasn’t being fair, being this attractive.
You walk over to your clothes, planning to pack everything up once you dry yourself off more. He surprises you, however, by sitting down in the shadows of the early evening sun instead of getting his things to leave. His knees pull up against his chest as he looks up to you and offers a hand. Was his face pink from the heat or…?
“I’m fine. Just come sit.”
‘Are you sure?’ You frown down at him as you wring the saltwater out of your hair. He says nothing and instead continues to watch you intently. You roll your eyes at him and lightly take his hand. You lower yourself down next to him, shoulder to shoulder with him facing the horizon.
You were fine spending the rest of your life watching the ocean glitter gold under the setting sun with him by your side. Content, even.
.
You could have sworn you only blinked once, but the bright sands you were once staring at suddenly turned into the soft cloudy lavender sky and the jaw of one Levi Ackerman. He carries you against his bare chest, both arms cradling you in a bridal style. Your eyes blink slowly from sleep, the distance between blinks growing longer with every rhythmic step that Levi took. You were about to be lulled back into sleep. As if one more defiant act, you glance up. Those eyes of his, your favorite shade of steely gray, stare down at you just as you shut your eyelids for the last time. You hear him whisper just as you’re drifting away.
“I’ve got you.”
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a brief list of how to be a compassionate and kind human being: as told by and demonstrated by grayson
○ put yourself in someone else's shoes
"and how exactly am i supposed to do that?" damian asked, trying exceptionally hard not to snap. "i'm damian al ghul-wayne, i can't imagine being anyone but myself."
"you do undercover missions well enough, don't you?" grayson said dryly, fingering through a couple protein bars. the organic foods aisle was not the place damian would have chosen for a conversation such as this, (in fact, he wouldn't have had this conversation at all), but grayson seemed unconcerned as he weighed the 24g protein vanilla bar with the 22g protein chocolate-chip-cookie-caramel bar.
"that's different," damian argued. "that has a purpose."
"this also has a purpose, damian," grayson said, his voice having the audacity to be nothing but warmly amused, nothing but water-softened logs at the bottom of a brook, gently keeping the entire river flowing.
"then please," damian said sarcastically, "enlighten me as to what that purpose is." then, he reached over and grabed the box of 24g chocolate-peanut-butter protein bars and shoved it in the cart. grayson always forgot they were his favourite, and remembered right as he started up the car. best to just remind him now.
○ exercise kindness without people pleasing
"isn't that," damian said, squinting, "the entire point of being kind. so that you please other people."
grayson hummed, tilting his head from side to side as if to say not quite. he was dressed plainly today, his black sweatpants and grey shirt blending into the background of the city park, which is what they needed. but it was so utterly devoid of the life grayson normally displayed, it was a little startling. damian had grown accustomed to ribbon and golden sparks and the wild gleam of a smirk.
"well, people-pleasing and trying to please other people are different things," grayson said nonsensically, "but that's not exactly what i'm talking about."
damian kicked a rock out of frustration, then narrowed his eyes at the gleam of metal in the roots of a bush. "your ten o'clock, i believe it's a remote timer."
"good," grayson said, which had damian glancing at the older man, wondering when he'd spotted it. "one more lap, and then we can head to grastava's to start the stakeout."
damian almost groaned. nobody had ever told him detective work was so boring.
grayson jotted down a quick note on his phone about the position of the possible timer, then continued. "it's more like doing nice things without expecting anything in return. no praise, no gratitude, no recognition. just—being kind for the sake of being kind."
"that sounds like a waste of time," damian said, rounding the corner of the paved hike. keeping an eye out for any more nefarious buried electronics, damian spotted a coke can under a couple leaves by the base of the tree. it shone sickly bright, out of place in the worst way.
"indolent fools," damian grumbled under his breath, then bounded forward to pick it up. there was a trash can on the other side of the pathway, and he darted over to drop it in before returning to grayson's side, missing the proud little grin between the man's dimples.
○ to become compassionate, first practice self-compassion
"i can't get it!" damian cried, training and decorum being the only things keeping him from throwing his bo staff on the floor.
"yes you can," richard said calmly, balancing on his hands with the staff balancing on the arch of one outstretched foot.
"this was never something taught in the league. i don't know this."
in one smooth movement, richard tumbled, carrying the staff with his momentum, then kept rolling forward as the staff flew in the air, spinning neatly until it was caught by one steady hand in an upright position. "that's why i'm teaching you."
using the staff to swing himself over to damian, richard melted down to sit cross-legged in front of damian, his gaze like light shining off the edge of a blade, forcing damian to look up. damian fought to keep the waver from creeping out alongside his voice but, well, this was richard.
"i don't know this," he said, quieter.
"that's why," richard repeated, also speaking around the words like a delicate fruit, "i'm teaching you." with a sigh, he slumped to lean on his bo staff. "you're ten, damian. i don't expect you to know everything. in fact, i'm glad you don't."
"but how else am i supposed to—"
"you're not supposed to do anything, damian," richard said. "you're a kid. i want you to learn, i want you to grow, i want you to try things you don't already know just for the fun of it. or, like now, i want you to try your hand at a useful skill that'll help you in the future, regardless of how much you know right now."
and that baffled damian, it really did. if he didn't understand and master what his trainers taught him as quickly and efficiently as he could in the league, he was punished. it made for the most skillful fighters. nothing more complicated than that. and yet—
"come on," richard said, as if holding out cupped palms to coax a little bird into them, trembling and hooting and terrified. "your follow-through is good, and you've got the momentum down. you just need to work on the timing."
with a stuffy sniff, damian slowly nodded. "just have to work on the timing," he repeated, then hauled himself back up on the training mat.
--
this is so rough oh my god. ghaehgiehigahei i just had to get the idea out so here.
tag list: @woahajimes @birdy-bat-writes @subtleappreciation @catxsnow @pricetagofficial @screennamealreadyused @clamityganon @maplumebleue-blog-blog @sundownridge @thatsthewhump @xatanna-troy @red-hood-redemption @capricorn-stark @batshit-birds @buticaaba @comics-observer @newsical @queenofbooknerds @scattered-winter
#scribbles from the swamp#damian wayne#robin#dick grayson#nightwing#dc#damian wayne headcanon#damian wayne fic#robin headcanon#robin fic#dick grayson headcanon#dick grayson fic#nightwing headcanon#nightwing fic#dc headcanon#dc fic
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Becoming Terrible and Beautiful
It's rather difficult to explain what it feels like to wither.
There's a monster inside Pearl, scraping out her guts and roaring. She supposes that's what anger and fear feels like. Her fingers are black, and so are her wings. Soot peels away from her dress. Sweat drips from her forehead. The breath in her lungs comes hard and fast and her eyelids flutter. Sausage is calling her name; she's calling his.
The last thing she feels is the burning in her heart.
Then her world is sunk in black, and the only light are the pinpricks of stars in the distance. She can't see, can't feel. There's no pain in her wings, or in her stomach, and her limbs no longer feel heavy. Pearl is dead, and this is her limbo.
It's really quite lonely in the space between.
Pearl may not have a physical body to feel, but her heart aches for those left behind. She worries for her pets, and Sausage and Gem and fWip. If Pearl had a body, tears would be streaming down her cheeks and blurring her vision. She'd be scraping her hair out, and struggle to breath.
But she's not. Instead, she floats in darkness, waiting for what comes next. The Void wraps around her, enveloping her in a hug. The world is dark, and she is dead and alone, but that's ok.
Because here's the thing about darkness and death. You cannot come out unchanged. You cannot leave nothing and everything without leaving a bit of yourself and taking some extra. So when Pearl emerges, she feels like she is owed much more than what was taken. The darkness took her mortality, her ties to the living realm. She takes back life, but a different kind, and yanks on a bit more, because is it not what she is owed? Gold and green sparks fill her vision, and molten metal floods her veins.
And the universe whispers who are you?
And she replies I am Pearlescentmoon.
And the universe whispers what are you?
And she replies a god.
And the universe whispers what will you do?
And she replies protect. Give second chances.
Because is that not what happened to her? This is her second chance. But it was not given. No, it was taken, by force and sheer willpower. She has always been a fighter, always with wolves by her side. They crowd around her now, and she's no longer alone. A shepherd's staff materialises in her hand. It is made out of wood, oak, and tipped with gold. It feels right, like it was made for her. A sword is strapped to her waist as well, a perfect replica of the one she used when she was alive. Her golden wings wrap themselves around her, like a hug. It makes her feel complete.
Finally, there's a light in the Void. A tiny dot of light shines in the distance, and Pearl knows it's the end. It grows brighter and brighter and brighter, until it's like looking at the sun. It burns, but she burns faster, harder, brighter. She exudes her energy, and takes control of the reins. But the light still fills her eyes, and she's blind, so she tugs on the reins, left, right, oops-
Then she blinks, and she's laying on the ground. Grass tickles her face, and another body lays on top of her. She closes her eyes. Pearl isn't quite ready to deal with anything yet. Besides, it's nice on the ground. The soft breeze, and the rhythmic breathing of the other person. The sound of voices starts, as well as footsteps landing. She opens her eyes to see Gem? is lying on top of her.
Somehow, she knows. This isn't her Gem. But she'll take it nevertheless.
Pearl gets up, gently shoving the other woman off. They seem to be in a small depression in the ground, a cave entrance to their left. She looks up, and the sun shines in her eyes. Bringing a hand up, she squints up at the rim of the hole.
And twenty-one faces stare back.
¤¤¤¤¤
Alright! This is actually quite long compared to everything else I've posted, so uh hey! Thanks for reading! Once again, constructive feedback is always welcome, and so are reblogs. This was also based on this post by @theminecraftbee (sorry for the pings, mate).
I really worked hard on this one, over maybe three weeks. The sort of thought process throughout this one, is what does a phoenix feel when it burns then comes back? I imagine it would hurt, and then you just... exist until you or someone else pulls you out. And Pearl has always been a fighter (cough cough double life cough cough Xornoth fight) so I think she'd claw and kick and scratch her way out. Of course, she ends up on Hermitcraft, where everyone is a god (or vaguely immortal or not human).
#nightraider writes#writing#night's other blog ask prompt#pearlescentmoon#empires smp#geminitay#hermitcraft#mythical sausage
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December 26, 2023
I adjusted my shirt collar, it fit nicely, it looked nice. It was your typical business casual outfit. I tried to pretend like I wasn't stalling as I stared at the massive building, The Agency.
I took a deep breath and walked through the tinted glass doors. A secretary sat at the front, clicking through emails. I recognized her, Abigail, sometimes I'd bring donuts to work, I always let her get first pick. We didn't talk often but I've always respected her.
I cleared my throat, "Uhm, I'm here to get my license, may I speak with the man in charge?"
She didn't even look up from the screen. "Nope, I can put your name in if it's something important. If you want to get your license you'll have to take the exam after paying a fee and filling out some paperwork."
I sighed, thought something like this would happen. The man is always busy doing nothing. "Well can you tell Mr. M that Chad Harrison is alive and well and that Sunny-D is ready to get back to shining?"
Her head snapped up "Logan!? But you died!"
"Let's just say I got better." I smiled at her and she held her face in her hands. She was snickering but also sounded on the verge of tears.
"Just give me a second." She turned back towards her screen, pushed up her glasses and quickly emailed the boss.
We made small talk while waiting for a response the topic of kids came up eventually.
"I'm sorry we can stop talking about this if you want, I know what happened to your son..." She says apologetically and I quirked an eyebrow. What is she talking about? She's acting like he's dea-
Oh.
Ohh!
Of course she would think that! To them Bennett has been missing for 3 years and the police gave up on his case. Considering he was taken by the same people who killed me, it would only be logical to assume he's likely dead as well.
Now how do I go about explaining that my son is alive and well?
"Don't worry about it, Bennett's okay." I said carefully.
She gave an odd look, "But wasn't he...?" She trails off.
I haven't spoken to her much, I don't know if she's the type to run off and tell somebody what I did. I know she's a mother as well though, if anyone is a half decent parent they'd break the law for their kids. I gave her a serious expression.
"He was taken, not killed. I wasn't going to let my son be taken away from me." All I can do is hope she understands where I'm coming from.
She nodded once, an agreement to keep quiet between two parents. I sighed in relief. She perked up as she saw a new message in her inbox. It was him and it was about damn time as well.
"He says to send you right on up." She chirps, and I grinned.
Finally, my days of relying too heavily on others comes to an end. I can finally help my daughter find out who she is and provide for all my kids. Fucking finally!
Well...that is if the man will take me back...
I told her bye and that it was good to see her again before I made my way up to the elevator. I pressed the button to the top floor and then the close doors button. Deep breaths, Chad. Don't let your anticipation make you impatient.
I then realized I had been non-stop pressing the close doors button until they had finally shut. That's always a good sign.
I audibly groaned, I have too much energy. I have to be professional when I get up there. Stop! Pacing! In! The! Elevator!
I could have kissed the ground when I finally got out of that metal confining hell. I made my way to the back office, I saw a few people turning to others and whispering. Just say something if you want to say it! Ugh... I'm too riled up for this.
I put on a decent performance as I walked into the bosses office. "Hey! Christ, it's been forever!" I spoke to him like an old friend. Get him to remember why he liked having me around. Be nice, don't rock his shit again.
"I really can't believe you're alive, Mr. Harrison." He looked at me with the same awe and wonder as a child looking at an elephant in the zoo. It felt weird being looked at like an exhibit rather than a person.
"I can hardly believe it either, sir." I sat down in the seat across his desk.
"I take it you're ready to get into your old line of work?" He asked nonchalantly as he started filling out some paperwork he had on his desk. Maybe he was good at putting on a show of things too.
"Yes sir, if not for myself then for my kids." That was one thing I was completely serious about. Except I was partially doing this for Noir as well.
I'm tired of him risking getting arrested to provide for everyone. He says he doesn't care but I sure as hell do. I'm not going to see him behind bars as long as I'm alive.
"It's always been a bit of a mystery, Mr. Harrison. So if you don't mind me asking, what did happen to you that night?" He was just curious I'm sure. He doesn't really care what happened to me he just wants to know.
It was just me and Bennett, Noir had been out at an interview. I was watching his interview on TV, I always had taken a bit of pride in how far he had come. It was nice to watch him laugh and talk and answer questions. I wanted to know just as much as any viewer.
I heard something shatter, Bennett was crying. I stood up before I realized what I was doing. I began to run to his crib but I was stopped by a Blonde in the kitchen.
Fast. Fast. Fast.
Everything was going so fast. I was angry enough to kill them with my bare hands. No one was going to take my son from me. But they did. And I'll never forgive myself for letting it happen.
It was late, there wasn't much light to use. They got the jump on me and suddenly I'm lifted off the ground. I didn't have time to think about what had just happen. I look down and I'm bleeding like a fountain. A spike of earth jabbed through my stomach and then pulled out leaving me bleeding out on the ground.
"Th- That smarts." I grimaced and tried to pull myself back up.
I couldn't stand.
I couldn't stand.
I remember trying to crawl, with what strength I had in my arms I wanted to at least make an effort to save him. "Bennett! Don't worry buddy I-I I'll get you!" A boot into exposed flesh and I can hardly breathe.
They picked me up by the collar and grinned at me. "Thanks for babysitting but he's ours now." They dropped me back on the floor. I grasped at the gaping hole in my stomach and I wheezed. Behind her was Noir, in a stunned silence.
They left and Noir ran over to me. He was hysterical and I couldn't blame him. I tried to comfort him, tell him how much I cared with what little I had left in me. Blood loss makes your brain think in strange ways because I do remember thinking about how handsome he looked. I was bleeding out, I should have been thinking about that.
I could see the guilt and panic in his eyes, tears threatening to fall down his cheeks. My vision was slowly going dim and black around the edges. Dying. I was dying.
It felt odd but sorta nice. Every bit of me was shutting down, losing my last bits of control. It was cold and warm at the same time. I could feel Noir's arms around me. I just wanted them to be okay. That was my family as far as I was concerned.
"Harrison."
Then it was all gone. Black, deep nothingness, feeling like I was swimming through an endless pool only to resurface three years later. Gasping awake in–
"Harrison!"
"Ah- Sorry. You were saying?" It happened again, those moments I get so lost in thought I lose sight of what's going on around me. Happened a lot after my parents died. I mean I watched them get blown up. That was definitely not the McDonald's they promised.
"What happened to you? Who killed you?" He pried. I hate this guy so much.
"It was.." I remembered what me and Noir talked about but still I didn't want to say it. "It was Noir... my old sidekick, yah'know? And the Belle's were with him too." It made my stomach churn just saying.
Noir is so sweet, he's hardly a villain. How could anyone be so stupid as to believe he would do something like that?! Fuck them, seriously. As a friend he was always doing some weird thing to help me out and as a partner he's been the most affectionate person I've ever been with.
How many people tell you you're their favorite person every night before you go to sleep?! Or! Or! Tackle hug you everytime you get home and threaten to kill anyone who harms you? Has anyone ever told you that even if the mask is hard to take off they'll always see who's underneath it? Hmmmm???? Don't think so.
He's a wonderful person, he just has a hard time realizing it.
"Ah... I see. That's what the everyone suspected. He made quite the show of 'trying to find the real killer.' Honestly though I don't know why if he was just going to revert right back to villainy."
You need your job, Chad. You have kids, Chad, you need your job.
"That's precisely why I need my job back. I want to be his nemesis and of course money never hurt anybody."
He gave a small chuckle, good.
"We never exactly fired you. We'll have to figure out the logistics but we'd be happy to work with, Sunny-D again." He gave a wink. I could vomit on his face.
"Sounds great, can't wait to be back on the field."
January 14, 2024
I walked out to the mailbox. I wasn't wearing anything special, just some shorts and a T-shirt. It was cold out but not bad. Noir begged me to put on a jacket, even offered me his cloak, but I was only going to be out for a minute or so.
I grabbed a few envelopes, a newspaper (who still reads those?), and a magazine. Walked back in, it was nice and warm. A bit warm for my liking but Noir was cold blooded or something so I didn't mess with the temperature.
"I came back alive!" I called out. I thought it was funny, he didn't.
"Oh shut up." Noir emerged from wherever the hell he was. You could never tell with him, I wouldn't be surprised if I found him hanging upside-down on the ceiling. I mean, it wouldn't be the first time he'd done it anyways.
"I don't mean anything by it, love." I set the mail down on whatever was closest to me and gave him a hug.
"I know..." He murmured quietly as he rest his head on my shoulder. "I just don't like thinking about it."
"I'm sorry, I just– I cope through humor." I tried to explain. I should really be more thoughtful. "I'll try not to do it again." I kissed him on the cheek – it always felt nice to be able to do that. "But hey, I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere. You're going to have to kil–" I cleared my throat. "politely and democratically send me away if you ever want to get rid of me."
He gave a small laugh. "See! It is funny sometimes." I said with a grin.
"Stoppp!" I knew it was half heartedly said though.
I picked him up and he laughed and kicked around as I spinned him in the air. "Put me down you scandal!" He softly hit me on the arms.
"As you wish, my lord." I then proceeded to toss him on the couch. He screamed, more out of amusement than terror. I pounced on him and tickled him until he was weeping and yelling mercy.
Bennett and Cresent peaked around the corner in a bit of fright, I suppose Goon was used to this stuff already.
"What is you doin' to him, Daddy?" Bennett asked, it occurred to me that this might look a bit odd from an outside perspective. To a child it might look like I was doing something dangerous but to an adult...
"Torture!" Noir exclaimed dramatically.
Bennett gasped and I waved my arms in defense. "No! No. There's no torture going on here."
"I think they were just tickling each other." Cresent says, calmly.
"Yes! Thank you, it was just that." I sighed with relief. I'm so grateful that kid has an ounce of sense.
"What's tickling?" Bennett made a weird expression and I couldn't help but chuckle.
"Essentially torture." Noir said, that little bastard!
Bennett gasped again and Cresent shook her head.
"No it's not, he's just being dramatic as usual." I explained with a groan.
Cresent took my side but a bit more politely. Regardless of who was correct though, somehow, Noir managed to convince the kids to all tackle and tickle me.
It was hell, in a really fun way. Goon ended up joining in on the chaos too. It was nice to be there with my family even if I couldn't breathe 90% of the time. After a while they all left me alone so I could catch my breath.
I couldn't quite remember where I had set the mail. I knew I had set it somewhere but I didn't really pay attention to where. After a while of searching, I finally asked Noir who pointed to where it was, in obviously plain sight. I faced palmed but thanked him and he laughed at me.
I picked it up and sorted through it. Not important, not important, magazine, newspaper, not impo- wait that's from the agency.
I ripped it open and there it was, an official document and my license down at the bottom. Work starts the week after next.
Yes!
YES!
"Cresent!" I called out for the girl, she'd want to see this for certain.
@vaporeon2010317 @boredgoon @sirlordevil @the-belle-siblings
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"Elain and Azriel barely had any long conversation + she doesn't challenge him"
So are we gonna ignore this?
It was three by the time the others went to bed. By the time Cassian returned, quiet and brooding, and knocked back a glass of liquor before stalking upstairs. Mor followed him, worry dancing in her eyes.
Azriel and Elain remained in the sitting room, my sister showing him the plans she’d sketched to expand the garden in the back of the town house, using the seeds and tools my family had given her tonight.
Just because we didn't get to read what they talked about doesn't mean they didn't have a conversation and not important (it is, if we're going to consider the build up for their book). This is just one out of all those scenes where Azriel led Elain to the garden alone and had a conversation.
Realtalk, Azriel always initiates contact with Elain. Reaches out to her and she willingly accept him. But he never felt it like an obligation, never felt this kind of regrets:
His shadows had not warned him. It was too late to bank without appearing like he was running
He answered Elain right after her first question , even being too poetic for his own good,
Elain said to Azriel, perhaps the only two civilized ones here, “Can you truly fly?” He set down his fork, blinking. I might have even called him self-conscious.
He said, “Yes. Cassian and I hail from a race of faeries called Illyrians. We’re born hearing the song of the wind.”
“That’s very beautiful,” she said. “Is it not—frightening, though? To fly so high?”
“It is sometimes,” Azriel said. Cassian tore his relentless attention from Nesta long enough to nod his agreement. “If you are caught in a storm, if the current drops away. But we are trained so thoroughly that the fear is gone before we’re out of swaddling.”
But didn't gave the same energy to others
“Fine,” he said, and realized a heartbeat later that it wasn’t a socially acceptable answer. “It was nice.” Not much better.
So he asked “Did you and the priestesses have a celebration?” “Yes, though the service was the main highlight.” “I see.” She angled her head, hair shining like molten metal.
“Do you sing?” He blinked. It wasn’t every day that people took him by surprise, but . . . “Why do you ask?”
With Elain, Azriel readily answered, with others he also did but avoided the question at the same time:
Azriel couldn’t help his soft chuckle. “Yes.” She opened her mouth to ask more, but he didn’t feel like explaining. Or demonstrating, since that was surely what she’d ask next. So Az jerked his chin to the sword dangling from her hand. “Try cutting the ribbon again.”
I don't even remember Azriel lying to Elain but to other people? Easy.
The lie was smooth and cool, as he knew his face was. His shadows peered over his wings at her. The young priestess smiled—and Azriel thought it might have been directed at his curious shadows.
It's not always how long the conversation goes but the substance, the quality, of what Az feels and how he answers that matters.
Love is not even a competition. It's exhausting to always try and prove yourself to someone, but with Elain? We saw Azriel in his most relaxed state, laughing with pure joy, his insecurities being called beautiful by Elain, and in the rescue scene where Az flies and Elain kicked the beast? Or how Elain didn't panic during the rescue scene? It's a proof they work good together. Relationships doesn't always have to challenge one another, there's a relationship where people support one another instead of taunting them to do better. And as far as all the canon Elriel scene we get, Elriel falls on the category of two people down to support and work together as partners.
And for once, can we stop and listen to what the characters really want rather than what WE think they want? Or what we assume they want?
In canon, Azriel and Elain wanted each other. They're adults and capable of deciding for themselves so they know who's right for them. In canon, we didn't even see any hint that Az feels any romantic feeling for Gw*n or vice versa, and even more so of Elain to L*cien.
Elain and Azriel in the bonus chapter, parted with a little miscommunication. And Az likely to stay away at first. In romantic setting (aside from the plot) this follows the Feysand and Nessian pattern where Rhysand and Cassian both tried to stay away at first (crdts to @daisybrekker) 😉. If Azriel would move on simply because "it's too complicated now" then I'm afraid we're not following the pattern.
Azriel if we'll look at canon is not the kind of guy who will move on easily from the woman he loves. And it'll make him a douchebag to jump on the next female available.
And what I really love to point out is this is how Elain sees Azriel:
Azriel, graceful as any courtier, offered her an arm. I couldn’t tell if she was looking at his blue Siphon or at his scarred skin beneath as she breathed, “Beautiful.” Color bloomed high on Azriel’s golden-brown cheeks
And how Gw*n sees him:
The young priestess smiled—and Azriel thought it might have been directed at his curious shadows.
Elain sees Az and his scars and complimented it, Gw*n focuses on his shadows not on Azriel himself, hmmm?
I love Elain as well as Azriel too, and I prefer a woman for Az who sees his scars and still clings to him rather than seeing him for his powers. And I rather want a man for Elain who stayed with her during those long nights and listened and who she wants/loves.
Thanks to @offtorivendell and @ladynightcourt for answering my earlier question!
#pro elriel#elriel#azriel and elain#elain archeron#pro elain archeron#azriel shadowsinger#pro azriel
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Metal Lords: movie review
summary of plot (no spoilers): a dorky awkward kid named Kevin is friends with this wannabe metalhead named Hunter. they're starting a band together but because of their flaws, their progress fumbles a bit. however, after finding out about their schools Battle of the Bands, they start working to prepare for the contest. as they improve their skills, they also improve their social lives and their own personalities
general thoughts: I GENUINELY LOVED THIS MOVIE SM????? god if youre into movies about a buncha flawed misfit friends then this is definitely a movie i'd recommend. the first few bits are a little awkward because you can kinda feel that the actors are still getting into their roles, but sticking it to the end is ABSOLUTELY worth it. all of the characters were so lovable and it genuinely filled that "i wanna see a movie about people just being people" hole in my heart. i still have no idea how to describe those kind of movies, but i feel like if yknow then youll know.
movies "Metal Lords" reminds me of: Theater Camp, I Used To Be Famous, School of Rock, Love Simon
SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT WEEWOOWEEWOO:
in depth but also scattered thoughts bc i cant organize for shit:
I LOVE THE SILLIES SM???? THEYRE ALL MY FAVORITE SILLIES???????? LITERALLY THE ONLY CHARACTER I HATED WAS SKIP (HUNTER'S BULLY), EVERYONE ELSE WAS SO SILLY????? ofc theyre all flawed and there were parts in the movie (especially with hunter) that made me disappointed to see, but the character progression was so satisfying and i loved seeing them all grow. it was genuinely so silly to me i love them all sm
EMILY AND KEVIN WERE SO CUTE TOGETHER???? AND I HONESTLY LOVED EMILY SM??????? JUST IN GENERAL??? LOVED KEVIN TOO BUT MAN I THINK EMILY IS MY FAVORITE. i loved all of her moments sm???? she has a lotta flaws but theyre honestly all reasonable and understandable to me so i kinda just forgive her for them anyways. i also just really love how sweet kevin is to her. like ofc he's not a perfect boyfriend and makes some slipups, but he genuinely really cares about her and i think it's so cute to watch.
more about me loving emily: I LOVED THE FACT THAT SHE DIDNT FORGIVE HUNTER RIGHT AWAY. LIKE IT WOULDVE BEEN COOL TO SEE, BUT THE PAYOFF AT THE BATTLE OF THE BANDS WAS EVEN BETTER. SPEAKING OF WHICH, SHE WAS SOOOOO FUCKING COOLIN THAT SCENE??????? SHE WAS COOL AS FUCK BEFORE THAT (u cannot tell me her cello playing wasnt the most badass thing out there) AND THEN THEFUCKING CCONNNCERRTTT??? IM CRYING I LOVE HER SOMUCCHHCH
i also really loved hunter. like there was a lotta scenes where i wanted somebody to punch him in the face, but he was honestly still lovable even throughout those scenes and he started improving a lot near the end, which was really nice to see. he obviously wasn't completely redeemable since there were still a lot of things he could've done better, but i feel like the fact that he didn't completely become perfect is what made me love his character a lot more. it felt really real to me. he isn't perfect, but he genuinely wants to make up for the shit he's pulled and he's absolutely trying to show it, and isn't that what living's all about anyways? either way, we love hunter in this household <3333
KEVIN'S TIME TO SHINE: that was a lie, i dont have much to say on kevin LMFAO. i absolutely loved seeing him on screen and i just love Jaeden Martell in general, but despite that, there's not really a lot for me to say about him. i just think he's neat. that's enough for me <3333 (emily shouldve been my girlfriend tho smh how dare he /j)
ALSO FUCKING CLAY???? HES SUCH A SILLY GUY. PROBABLY ONE OF MY FAVORITE BACKGROUND CHARACTERS FOR MOVIES IN GENERAL???? HES SUCH A SWEET LITTLE GUY AND I LOVED SEEING HIM SM. KINDA WISH I SAW MORE OF HIM BC OF IT. EITHER WAY, WE LOVE CLAY IN THIS HOUSEHOLD AS WELL <333333
i think thats all i have to say for this movie. either way, PLEAASEE check it out. i swear itll be worth it because the characters honestly all so adorable and so silly goofy goober. we love the silly metal lords here <33333
#metal lords#metal#movie review#school of rock#movies#uhhhh idk what else to put here#silly goofy sillies
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Love was more than just a three worded statement to Zoro, something just to be said. For Zoro, it had to be shown. It had to be earned.
He could never just say that he loved the other Straw Hats. It would never be enough. Zoro had to make sure that they never were in danger and put his life on the line for every one of them. That they had someone to do all the heavy lifting when they couldn’t, even if he may grumble periodically if it’s the Cook. Hell, if needed, he had to make sure that they had a nap buddy. And most importantly, he always liked to listen to them talk.
Zoro never has to say that he loved them. They all know. He never expects for his gestures to be returned. But they always are, without fail.
Luffy always wanting Zoro to play some stupid game with him or even just hanging out while he trained. Using his devil fruit in some of his exercises, something that Zoro didn’t know would be helpful. But Luffy, looking up at him, would shoot him the biggest ear-to-ear grin.
“Well, Zoro needed those resistance bands to work out. I don’t know how those help but I thought I could help better,” Luffy stated obviously but so sweetly as Zoro used part of his arm to stretch his shoulders. Zoro smiled a little softer at the knowledge of how closely his captain listened. How aware of him he was.
Usopp, creating a gadget that was even more durable enough to hold his swords, with Zoro watching behind him. So experimental and dexterous, he messed with the metal of the soon to be fully formed carrier. Making sure it could withstand anything Zoro could encounter. He watched him move, his head tilting to the side as he watched.
“You’re very intent on making sure this doesn’t break,” Zoro pointed out amusedly and Usopp nodded, fixing the final screw of his holder.
“Well, of course. I don’t want you to lose your swords,” Usopp said, the tone of voice also much softer than he’s used to being directed.
Nami and Sanji he would find cleaning his swords, Nami holding Enma in his lap and Sanji holding Kietsu in his lap. Meanwhile, Wado rested on a towel and was practically given a pillow for it to be rested on. He watched the gentle care that Nami and Sanji performed on his swords, treating them like something of care to the both of them. All of his swords have a history, he knew that to anyone else they were a hunk of metal.
Not to his crew. Not to Sanji and Nami right now, unaware of Zoro watching them.
“This oil you picked out is so nice. It makes the swords shine,” Sanji said to Nami, finishing the wiping down the tip of his blade with an intense concentration. Nami was giving him a look that even Zoro couldn’t read and she hummed in agreement, still cleaning Enma down.
“Cleaning and sharpening his swords were also a good idea,” Nami replied, a tone gentle as she stared down at Enma. The two of them sat in silence as Sanji and Nami both cleaned his swords.
“Zoro! Why are you working out now!?” Chopper scolded, staring down at his bandaged torso as he lifted a smaller weight. Zoro finished his rep and he placed it down on the ground next to his feet.
“I need to keep training-”
“Well you’re not going to get stronger if you stay injured,” Chopper said to him with crossed arms across his chest. Despite his frown, Zoro didn’t miss the worried glint in his eyes down at him. His little blue nose twitched as his hoof pressed into his side.
“Alright fine. But I want to keep my swords by my bed,” Zoro requested as they walked to the hospital bunks.
“Nami got you a stand. So you’ll be okay.”
Zoro nodded and when they got to the bunks, Robin was fixing Zoro’s bed and fluffing up his blankets and pillows. When she finished, she sat on the chair and picked up a book on the history of swordsmen. She looked over at him with a gentle smile, a much warmer smile.
“Figured you needed some company, Swordsman.”
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Some memories never leave.
So, I rewrote part 1 instead of working on part 2 of chapter 1, but I think I'm getting somewhere good.
After taking what should have been a fatal blow, Zoro wakes up in an alternate universe in the body of his alternate self, where his two selves fight for control of the body - a child’s body.
(Aka Zoro is sent to an au, where he is younger and the adopted son of Mihawk (and, by extension, shanks) and has to deal with conflicting memories.
What happened? Where am I? These questions raced through Zoro’s mind as he regained consciousness, his breathing kicked into high gear, and his heart pounding. He shuts his eyes tight against the harsh light above him, which was shining down, making his already tender head start to ache right behind his eyes towards the back of his skull. With his eyes closed, Zoro had to rely on his other senses to seek out danger; he didn't remember much before losing consciousness, just that there was a fight against some unnamed pirate crew hoping to take on his bounty. How he lost the fight was uncertain, but he wasn’t tied up and still breathing, so Zoro must have made it out with his life, right?”
There was a movement to his right, causing Zoro to reach for a sword that was no longer there; panic built up in his chest but was quickly sated for some reason Zoro couldn’t place. Whoever it was was close to him, practically at his bedside, was not a threat but a welcomed presence.
“Good, you are awake,” Mhawk’s voice broke the silence; the man sounded relieved, raising a hand to rest atop Zoro’s head. The act itself was strange and out of character for the warlord; Zoro could count on one hand the number of times his mentor touched him without a blade. The slight hesitation paired with the familiarity of the gesture caused Zoro to pause, as well as the sensation of the contact; Mihawk’s hand felt as large as his head, the rough, calloused skin raking through his hair, which also felt longer than it should. Zoro winces when the hand touches a tender spot at the back of his head, one of the reasons for his miserable headache.
“Mi-what?” Zoro’s questions were interrupted by a series of harsh, almost violent coughs caused by his dry, itchy throat.
“Poor dear, here drink,” Mihawk says, holding the cup up to Zoro’s lips, acting as if the younger man could not hold the cup up himself.
Zoro had many questions running through his mind, trying to push through the haze and glaring blind spots in his memory of how he had gotten from where he was to where he was now, wherever that may be. The question at the forefront of his mind now is about Mihawk’s strange behavior. What had happened to make the feared warlord act this tender? During Zoro’s two-year training period, the Mihawk had only ever called Zoro by his last name, never any pet names. Being called ‘dear’ was almost enough to make him spit out the water, but it felt nice on his sore throat. So Zoro kept drinking. The angle at which Mihawk had the cup made it impossible to drink as fast as he wanted to.
That didn’t stop the younger swordsman from trying to gain control of the cup; his hands grasped the cup around Mihawk’s hand, brushing against each other. Another weird sensation that didn’t match was Zoro knew; the mug felt large, his hand barely covering the surface, and the rim touched the tip of his nose. Once Zoro was finished, the cup was pulled back and sat on a nearby wooded table.
While his throat felt better now, the pounding in his head hadn’t stopped. Zoro opened his eyes again, hoping that his sensitivity to light had passed, but it didn’t; the glaring overhead light seemed to stay where it was. A slight whine escaped Zoro’s notice when he shut his eyes for the second time, but it didn’t escape Mihawk’s.
“Is the light bothering you then?” Mihawk asked, and before Zoro could respond, the man was moving again, adjusting something metal off to the side of the bed. The room seemed darker now that the light shone in his eyes, so Zoro opened them. It took a moment to adjust: he could see fuzzy shapes and Mihawk’s figure standing nearby, but the finer details were now lost to him, temporarily.
Once his eyes adjusted, he could see the room he was in; it was likely primarily the Captain Quarters, given the size and layout; he was lying on a large bed occupying a section of the room, and his second instinct was right. He wasn’t on the Thousand Sunny or Kuraiganan island. He was on a ship. Not only was the location unfamiliar to him, but it was also strange as if it was made for a giant.
Zoro looks to his left, where he believes Mihawk to have been, and sure enough, sitting at his bedside watching him was the warlord. Only the last time they saw each other, Zoro had been the same height, if not a bit taller. Now, it looked like Mihawk had grown significantly, or more realistically, Zoro had shrunk to the size of a child.
Which doesn't make sense to him; however, at the same time it did, as if two competing senses of self were fighting for control and causing his headache to worsen into a full-blown migraine. Oneself told him he was not a child but a grown man, and he was Roronoa Zoro, a pirate hunter turned into a pirate's first mate. The other self told him he was a child named Dracule Zoro, the son of the world’s greatest swordsman.
Zoro tries to focus on these memories that aren’t but somehow are his; the pain behind his eyes feels sharp and excruciating, causing tears to swell in his eyes. But Zoro pushes past the pain, trying to think back to how he got injured, but his thoughts are too cluttered.
“Zoro?” Mihawk asked, placing a hand on Zoro’s shoulder, “Darling, you are crying. Does your head still hurt?”
Zoro could only nod his head, the pain making him unable to speak coherent words, only childish babble as he cried harder.
"Oh dear," Mihawk coos softly; he sweeps Zoro into his arms, pressing the boy to his chest and rocking him. Zoro is torn between wanting to fight out of the hold and wanting to bury himself further in Mihawk’s arms, seeking comfort for his pounding head. “Crying will only worsen it, my dear; you must calm down.”
Mihawk was right; Zoro's childish wailing only made his headache worse. Despite wanting to stop, Zoro found himself unable to hold back his tears. It felt cathartic to release his bottled-up emotions and frustrations, even if it meant worsening his headache. It was like a dam that had been building up over time, finally bursting open.
“How’s,’ A new voice startled Zoro,
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