Tumgik
#in a way which was kind of questionable and was often bragged about in their tags about missing 'their family'
a9saga · 10 months
Text
been listening to a lot of luna sea’s LA live album from 2011 lately because a lot of the studio versions of their big hits like rosier, slave, storm etc aren’t available on streaming platforms but the live album is and it’s got me thinking, man. i would probably kill to see luna sea actually.
1 note · View note
gurugirl · 7 months
Text
Just For Tonight | Ch. 2
Tumblr media
Series Summary: Harry spots an angel in the crowd and he can't keep his eyes off of her. And, as if by some cosmic pull, he can't help but ask her backstage. But it's only going to be just for tonight. Or is it?
Chapter Summary: Y/n's pretty sure she'll never see or hear from Harry again. They had a fun night but he made it clear that it was only just the once. Except Harry can't seem to follow his own rules.
Warning: 18+ only, smut
Word Count: 10,501
Commissioned by anon (thank you!! xoxo)
Just For Tonight Masterlist
Having a night with Harry Styles was like having one of those hot-girl secrets that only the most privileged were in on. But what that also meant was that she couldn’t really go talking all about it to everyone either.
She would have loved to have posted on Instagram all about it. Bragged about having seen his cock and then having it inside of her. She would have loved to have seen Dyna’s face when she told her that Harry Styles had eaten her out and spanked her. Dyna was one of those acquaintances in her friend group who was smug and pretty but rude. Thought her shit didn’t stink.
And well, she never would tell anyway. Not only would she never brag about what she’d done with someone during sex, but she wouldn’t want to betray anyone that way.
But it was kind of a bummer that she couldn’t talk about it all. Ady drilled her for information and Y/n had already decided that she’d only spill the details to her best friend, whom she could actually trust. Ady was a work friend at best. She trusted Ady, but not with that kind of secret.
All Ady knew was that Y/n had spent the night with Harry Styles. And when she arrived at the office on Monday morning, half of her co-workers had already heard about it.
“That’s why I didn’t give you details, Ady. You shouldn’t be saying anything to anyone.” Y/n replied as she bit into her sandwich. Ady was trying to extract more information from her.
“But I would never tell anyone those details, Y/n! Come on. Just give me something. Any tattoos we don’t know about? Is his dick as big as everyone thinks it is?”
Y/n rolled her eyes and stood up from her chair, tossing the crust of her sandwich into the garbage, and completely ignoring Ady on her way back to her desk.
After a few days, the gossip had died down and Ady had pretty much given up. Y/n was glad everyone had stopped talking about it and asking her uncomfortable questions.
And while on the outside it had appeared Y/n had moved on completely, on the inside she couldn’t stop replaying the night with Harry over and over again.
Especially when she was alone in her bedroom at night.
Y/n had a housemate. She lived in a two-bedroom bungalow with a microscopic backyard, street parking, and the tiniest closet known to man. And still, she could barely afford to make rent each month. But Brad was nice. And he allowed her to pay a little late sometimes. She didn’t often pay late. Maybe a handful of times over the year.
But it also helped that Brad had a bit of a crush on Y/n. She didn’t want to be that person but it came in handy in this case.
“I’m so sorry. I get paid next Friday and I’ll pay you first thing. Just didn’t keep track of my spending again this month.” It was slightly embarrassing. She wasn’t careless about how she spent her money but that month she had the Harry Styles concert, bought a hotel room (which she didn’t even sleep in), and spent a little extra on her cute new bodysuit. She had saved up her money but overspent just a tiny bit. Okay so maybe she was a little careless with her money at times. And she was getting too old to keep living paycheck to paycheck. It was time to start putting money away.
And she couldn’t do that with her current job and all the bills she had on top of that.
Y/n was going to have to find a second job. Anything so she could get her footing and pay off some loans, and then maybe she could breathe a little.
“No worries, Y/n. I’m good for it until then.” Brad smiled. She could tell he was getting tired of it, though. And for that alone, the embarrassment of having to ask if he could cover her part for a handful of days and to see his expression of pity and probably a little bit of annoyance, yeah. It was time to find a second job.
Her cousin was the floor manager at a posh, expensive restaurant downtown that Y/n would have never dreamed of stepping foot into. Not normally anyway. But there was a job opening for a server spot that her cousin had casually mentioned a week prior. She didn’t know if the position had been filled or not and if they would give her that prime weekend shift but there was only one way to find out.
“Y/n! Hi! How are you?” Laren answered chipper and sweet.
“Hi. Uh… good! How are you?”
Small talk commenced before Y/n finally got into the nitty gritty of why she was calling.
“Oh? The server position? It hasn’t been filled actually. We’ve been interviewing, though. You should come in and apply. I can put in a good word.”
The position was for two weekday nights and rotating a Sunday and Saturday every other week with a draw for the occasional Friday night (the coveted night to serve apparently). It wasn’t ideal but she figured she’d at least apply and see what happened.
Y/n had been a server in college so she was familiar with the work. It was hard, stressful at times, but tips could be good with the right tables.
And part of her didn’t want to waitress again. She was already working 40 hours at her office job. This would leave her with very little free time. But she needed to do something because every time she thought about how she was late on rent again it made her cringe and flush hot with embarrassment.
The interview process was fairly painless. And the fact that her cousin already worked there seemed to be in her favor because the very next afternoon she was getting a call to come back in to begin training. She’d gotten the position.
And it was just as hard as she imagined it would be. Shadowing one of the servers felt strange. She started on a Tuesday night since it would be a relatively slow night. Rushing from her office job to get home, changing into her uniform, and then racing through heavy traffic to get to the restaurant gave her a good idea of how it would be for her on the nights she worked during the weekdays.
Her past experience was a blessing. She only needed to shadow for two weeks before they started letting her have her own tables. Everyone on staff was easy to get along with on some level.
She did learn, though, that Vyra was upset that they were letting her take a weekend night shift so early on. Vyra was also a server who’d been at The Dulcería for a couple of years and wasn’t allowed weekend shifts until she’d been serving for a while.
“Tell them I’ll take your ten top tonight. I don’t think you’re quite ready for the level of service you’ll need to provide.” Vyra placed her tray down and faced Y/n as she spoke.
Y/n had just arrived at the restaurant for her first weekend evening shift by herself. She didn’t even know she had a ten top as she’d only just walked into the door.
“I… okay, well, let me at least put my stuff down. I’ll talk to Mannie and find out what he wants before I ask for that.” She was already annoyed. Not ready for the level of service… Just for that comment alone, Y/n was going to make sure she kept the table and was the best damn waitress that ten top could ever have that night.
“I’m telling you that it’s going to be better for you to just give me the table. We’ll switch off. They’re gonna be here all night.”
Y/n put her purse in the locker and turned to look at Vyra, “How do you know they’re gonna be here all night?”
“Because the reservation was very specific about how long they would be here. Probably someone famous honestly. Just tell Mannie you’re giving me your section.”
Sighing as she clicked the lock into place and tied her apron around her waist she shook her head, “We’ll see.”
Y/n checked the schedule for the night and realized, the only table that she was assigned was the ten top Vyra had mentioned. Which was interesting. Looking at the name on the reservation it didn’t ring any bells for her as to who could be in the party that would require her to stay with them all night but she knew she could take care of the table on her own. Even if they were famous and picky and maybe demanding. There were only ten of them. And it was her only table.
After the first two guests had arrived and were brought to the table by the hostess, Mannie signaled to her to greet them at the table and get some drinks started.
“You didn’t tell Mannie to let me take over. You didn’t even ask. I think it’s in your best int–“
“I’ve got it, Vrya. I appreciate your concern but I’m fine. Really,” she spoke as she neared the private area of the dining room where her table was.
“No. I don’t think you understand, Y/n. You’re new at this–“
Y/n stopped abruptly and Vrya nearly ran into her, “Stop. I’ve waited tables before. And Mannie wanted me to have this one. Just… go back to your tables and give it a rest.”
The pair at the table were dressed extremely casually, which was unusual for the restaurant. Most people entering the doors of The Dulcería wore designer and dressed appropriately in smart casual.
“Hi. I’m Y/n. I’ll be taking care of you tonight. Would you like me to get you started with anything? Wine for the table or appetizers for when everyone else starts to arrive?”
The young woman at the table ordered three bottles of wine to start and a handful of appetizers. Easy enough.
When Y/n returned to the private area with a cart full of wine and water she stopped in her tracks. More of the party had arrived but now she recognized two of them. She blinked her eyes and swallowed as she felt her heart rate pick up before pushing the cart forward again and closer to the table. She could be seeing things, she told herself.
As she neared the party she honed in on the man with his back to her with chocolate brown curls and broad shoulders. Was this…? It couldn’t be.
And yet she was sure it was. Based on the fact that she was looking right at Jeff Azoff and his adorable wife Glenne… She gulped as she parked the cart at the edge of the room and plucked up one of the bottles of red wine to uncork.
Carrying the bottle and a glass of wine toward the young woman who ordered it, she was suddenly aware that all eyes were on her as she turned the label side out toward her. But before she could pour a taste sample the young woman pointed at the man with his brown curls at the other end of the table, “It’s his to taste.”
She let out a quick breath to ground herself and closed her eyes for only a moment before turning to see those bright green eyes already on her. The big grin on his face told her he recognized her immediately. Of course he did.
She smiled, taking a step back, and slowly walked toward Harry to give him the first taste of the wine.
Pouring the liquid into the glass slowly as she stood to his left Harry finally spoke, “I didn’t know you worked here. How have you been?”
Okay. A standard greeting. Even that alone got her heart aflutter. She wasn’t sure if he’d act like he didn’t know her or if he’d greet her kindly. She would assume the latter but of course, one never knows in these circumstances.
“I’ve been well. This is actually a new job for me. And uh, how about you? How have you been?”
Harry sipped the wine and nodded, “S’good. Thank you. I’ll have a glass of this one,” he cleared his throat while she poured a serving for him, “And yeah… I’m great. Thank you. We should catch up soon,” he leaned in closer and finished his thought, “Kind of wish I’d gotten your number.” He spoke the last sentence a little softer so only she could hear.
For the duration of the dinner it was difficult to have any kind of real conversation with Harry while she was taking orders and running back and forth but each time she returned Harry made sure to get in a comment or ask her a question. She noticed the looks from a few of the people sitting around the table.
Heading back into the kitchen to grab their meals she noticed Vrya walking toward her side of the restaurant where the private dining room was. By then, all the servers heard about who was in the private dining room. Most didn’t make a fuss about it but a couple of them were curious.
With the tray loaded she delicately walked back toward her guests and spotted Vrya next to Harry and chatting. Technically Vyra wasn’t allowed to speak to guests at Y/n’s table unless she requested help. It wasn’t a big deal normally, but since Harry was a celebrity, a famous pop star, it would be frowned upon. This wasn’t some Deux Moi tell-all Sunday sightings gossip rag. This was a posh, upscale restaurant where wealthy people and celebrities came to enjoy a quiet meal without being disturbed or spotted. Mannie was not going to be happy about Vrya taking it upon herself to check on Y/n’s table. She couldn’t wait to talk to Laren about Vyra as well. She wished her cousin was there that night so she could vent but she’d be calling her about this later.
Placing the tray onto the stand Y/n frowned at Vrya as they made eye contact, “I was just seeing if everything was going well. Since you’re new and all,” Vrya laughed and looked down at Harry, “Plus having such a big star here we need to make sure service is perfect.”
Harry smiled at Y/n, “Y/n here been more than perfect. You’ve nothing to worry about. I’m sure we all agree,” he gestured toward everyone at the table, “we are in the most capable hands here. Couldn’t be happier.”
The fake smile on the intruder was telling as Y/n began to bring dishes around the table, “Thanks for checking in on me Vrya. It’s unnecessary, though. I’ll call on help if I need it.”
Standing up straight and nodding at Harry she walked behind Y/n and whispered, “His water glass is low,” and then exited the room.
Y/n had no idea what she’d done that would have Vyra acting like such a child. She was polite to Vrya but she really wanted to yank her hair out and shove her out the window for sticking her nose into business that wasn’t hers. But she figured she was better off ignoring the whole thing.
“So, Y/n…” one of the guys at the table spoke up, “We hear that you and Harry met at a recent concert. How did you enjoy the show?”
She felt her neck get hot as she fumbled with the notepad in her apron pocket, “Oh… it was awesome. Yeah. I gave him a pair of sunglasses that he wore that night on stage. That’s pretty much how we met. Brought a co-worker with me. A blast. It was the first concert I’ve been to.” She smiled and then quickly corrected, “First Harry Styles concert that is!”
The look on Harry’s face was cheeky. He was holding in an obvious grin on his face as he gazed at her. She was a nervous thing in this setting. Harry remembered quite well how sure of herself and confident she’d been that night. How she was practically dominating him, leading everything that happened. Mostly.
And even though he made it clear that what had happened was just for that night, he realized he’d been fantasizing about her a lot since then. In fact, every time he touched himself his thoughts made their way to Y/n just before he could come. He hadn’t even slept with anyone since. Not that he’d been holding out for her or anything. He had been thinking about her a lot, though. Missing her even. He was quite delighted that she was his server and that he happened to meet her once again. It felt like fate maybe.
And Harry was a big believer in fate and the universe shifting and creating space and paths for humanity. He was a believer in karma and destiny and intertwined lives. And so because of that Harry was sure this meant something.
When the restaurant was shut down and the servers were calling it a night, Y/n was clearing the table and refilling the last of the wine for everyone. She was told not to rush them, and she had no intention of doing so. She was enjoying the table. Everyone was polite and easy to please. There were no difficult requests or off-the-wall dietary restrictions.
Though Harry was particular with his order (the man was clearly eating strictly healthy which made sense given the state of his body, which she was quite acquainted with) it was easy to accommodate. Plus his presence had set her in a good mood. He was gentle and sweet and everyone in his party was the same.
And the way Harry kept looking at her, as if he knew something she didn’t somehow… a teasing grin, slightly stifled… she was all nerves and butterflies and big smiles. It had been an amazing night at work. It hardly felt like work at all.
Exiting the bathroom after a much-needed bladder release she walked up the hallway but was stopped short when she heard his voice, “What are you doing after you get off?”
His deep rasp had her tummy boiling as she turned and saw him leaning against the frame where the hallway met the corner of the entry to the kitchen. Stepping back toward him she looked up at his sharp green eyes and shook her head, “Going home.”
That smirk, the one that hid what he was really thinking deep down slowly widened until he was grinning full-on, “Where’s home?”
Looking behind her and then over his shoulder to make sure no one was nearby she squinted her eyes at him, “Why do you want to know?”
Harry sighed and softened his stance, putting his arms down to his sides, “Because. I was gonna ask a follow-up question and figured it might be important to know if my place is closer or yours.”
She let out a soft laugh in surprise and now her ears were growing warm, “At this hour… A fifteen-minute drive away.”
Harry nodded and reached a hand out to her apron, pulling gently at the bow, “Got it. Would you be interested in having me over tonight?”
Cocking her head and keeping her eyes squinted in scrutiny she responded, “And why would you want to come over to my place?”
She felt like this was obvious. She could have answered this question on her own. But she wanted to hear it from him. Wanted to be sure she was on the same page as him.
He leaned in and lowered his voice, keeping a finger looped into her apron’s bow, “Seeing you tonight has reminded me of how much fun we had. I know I said it was only a one-time thing but maybe we could make it a two-time thing,” he smiled broadly and shrugged.
Harry was a confident guy. He wasn’t typically turned down. In fact, on the rare occasion he was turned down it usually had nothing to do with him. So he was pretty sure Y/n would be happy to have him. But even as sure of himself as he felt, he was feeling his nerves peak at the idea she would say no.
“A two-time thing. Okay… well I do have a roommate. His bedroom is connected to the wall next to mine. Privacy is an issue. If you’re okay with that then I’d say… sure.”
Harry let out a laugh through his nose, though it was more out of relief than due to anything being funny, “What makes you think I want to be in your bedroom? Maybe I just wanted to stop by for a movie. Or we could bake cookies or something.”
Harry laughed at the obvious nonsense he’d just spewed. They both knew what this was.
“Oh? So you want to like watch a movie and bake some shit? I’m down with that. I don’t think I have the ingredients to make cookies or anything but I’m sure we could stop somewhere and grab flour–“
Harry pinched at her hip and stepped in close, “I was kidding…”
Now it was Y/n’s turn to laugh before she straightened her back as much as possible and put on a serious face. With his proximity, she was bent slightly back to look up at him, “You were? So you mean you don’t want to bake cookies with me?”
Harry’s grin and his hands at her hips were soft, “I don’t want to bake cookies with you. I want to get you in bed again.”
Well okay. There it was. She knew that’s what it was but to hear him say it out loud had her head spinning and her heart pounding.
She nodded, “Right. So… how do we do it? You want me to drive or…?”
Harry shook his head with a laugh, “Give me your number.”
.           .           .
Harry and his crew left before Y/n did. She’d given him her number and he texted her back right away. It was surreal. Just like how she felt the first time she met him. She almost didn’t believe it was happening.
Vyra was cold for the rest of the night but after the huge tip left, Y/n could understand why. Harry’s table had been her only table of the night. Her shift was only four hours but they stayed the entire time. She figured Vyra knew that some celebrities tipped well and wanted in on that.
In fact, the tip had been so big she had to sit down when she realized the number written in the tip line with a small smiley face next to it. She’d have a talk to Harry about this. It was far more than necessary. Even after splitting the tips up between the kitchen and the bussers in the system, it left her with enough money to cover rent and all her bills for a month. Yeah. Excessive.
She texted Harry the minute she parked her car in front of her house. It was well after midnight. She wasn’t sure he’d actually come, still in disbelief about it all. The fact that he was there and that she was assigned to that table felt like pure luck. Fate if you believed in that kind of thing. Which she didn’t. Not normally anyway.
His return text came back quickly.
On my way.
Quickly showering off her sweat and the smell of cooked food then shaving her legs she tried to calm herself down. The night with Harry in the hotel room she’d been perfectly groomed and ready for anything that might happen. Not that she expected it that night, but one never knows. Going to a Harry Styles concert and having the chance to catch his eye wasn’t something she’d half-ass. She never in a million years would have thought he’d have pointed her out while he was singing and then proceed to bring her back to his suite. But he did.
And this evening, she wasn’t fully groomed but smooth legs and clean bits were the least she could offer in such a short amount of time. She laughed to herself as she thought about it all. Wondered if he’d even care if she was a little sweaty. She wasn’t going to chance it.
When he texted that he was out front she took a few deep breaths and looked in the mirror one last time just to be sure before dashing to the front door as quietly as possible (so as not to wake Brad) to let the famous pop star into her small, rented bungalow.
She gestured to Harry with a finger to keep quiet, “My roommate is sleeping. Do you need water? The bathroom?”
Harry’s grin revealed that he needed only one thing. And neither had anything to do with what she’d just offered.
“I take it no baking cookies, then?”
They grinned at each other as she led him to her room.
Her bedroom was cute. She had cream curtains that draped down to the floor, a wooden dresser with a framed photo of Y/n with her family atop, a coaster from a local bar, a box that appeared to be a jewelry case, and a carton of tissues. Her bed was made and the comforter looked fluffy with a pretty pink and yellow flower pattern all over it. Framed prints of plants and flowers on her walls and a standing lamp in one corner. A closed door, which was definitely hiding a closet behind. A nightstand on either side of her bed.
“Cute,” Harry spoke as he looked everything over and then brought his gaze back to the woman he’d been fantasizing about since their last night together.
“Yeah. Uh… this is it.” She shrugged and felt her tummy warm up under his scrutiny. He was staring at her and she knew he was there for one thing only.
Sitting on her bed she sighed and attempted to lighten the mood, “So… that tip was way too big, Harry. I can’t possibly accept such a thing. I don’t think–“
Harry shushed her as he sat down and took her hand in his, “Nonsense. You are an amazing server and deserve every penny of that. Probably more even.”
His light eyes were scalding. Every inch of skin he took in she felt sizzle.
“Thank you. Just feels weird. Especially now that you’re here…” she laughed quietly.
“Now that I’m here? What do you mean?” His fingers wound into hers, his thumb moving along the edge of her hand. Such an innocent gesture, giving her goosebumps. Though she was well aware his intentions weren’t innocent.
“I mean… Like you just gave me a bunch of money and now you’re in my bedroom,” she smiled and tried to maintain eye contact but it was hard with how gorgeous he was.
“This is separate from that, Y/n. You should know that. I just missed you which is why I wanted to come here. You’re just really good,” he looked at the bed and then back to her, “You know… in this setting.” He grinned wide.
“In this setting?” She laughed at his words and shook her head.
The grin dropped from Harry’s face as he brought his free hand up to cup her jaw, “Can I kiss you? I missed these lips so much. I’ve been thinking of them since that first time with you.”
Nodding her head she felt him pull at her thigh just as his lips found hers.
Things had shifted since the last time she saw him. Somehow it felt a little different. Maybe more intimate in some way. It was probably because they were in her bedroom rather than a hotel suite, and this was the second time they’d be seeing each other in this context. But there was something else there too. She was feeling… less sure of herself. She still had the confidence she needed to kiss him back and unbutton his shirt, but unlike last time when she was feeling very forward, this time something kept her slightly reserved.
And Harry noted her softer demeanor. He didn’t mind it, though. In fact, this time he was feeling like he wanted to show her how good he could be. Give her a taste of him taking the lead and maybe have her begging him a bit. He was in a bit of a mood that night. He was glad that he saw her in the restaurant because it’d been a month since he’d gotten laid (and it just so happened the last person he’d had sex with was Y/n) and she was the only girl he could think of that would scratch the itch he had.
Y/n was pressed back into the mattress as Harry pulled her sweatpants off, “Do you want to feel good, Y/n?”
She nodded and puffed a laugh out, “Well… yeah…” She thought that was an obvious answer and the way she responded told Harry she was mocking him.
Harry paused the movements of his hands as he stuck his fingers into her panty’s waistband. He cocked his brow up at her in warning before he popped her thigh with a smack. She laughed and sat up with her mouth dropped open in surprise.
“Behave. I was just asking a question. Wanna try that answer again?”
She swallowed and blinked her eyes, “Yes, Harry. I want to feel good.” She smirked at him. Her answer was still lined with cheek but he’d give her a pass. He wanted to see her.
He smiled and nodded before proceeding to pull her panties down her legs, “Good. Because that’s what we’re here for. To feel good. Take your shirt off for me.”
Y/n was relieved that Harry seemed to pick up where she was lacking. She didn’t know what had her feeling so permissive but they seemed to be on the same page. She peeled her shirt off over her head and Harry spread her legs apart, fitting himself in between her thighs.
He was still mostly dressed. His shirt was unbuttoned and his jeans were undone. Both Y/n’s doing, but that was as far as it had gone with getting him out of his clothes before he stopped her and began to tell her he was going to get her naked.
“Can you take your bra off too? Need it all off.” He waved his hand toward her chest as he directed his sight to the space between her thighs. It felt so vulnerable to have him clothed while she was naked. But she did as he said and removed her bra for him.
The dim lamp in her room kept everything visible. Harry could tell she was already a bit wet. The gleam peeking out from her labia had his tummy on fire. He couldn’t wait to feel her again. Slip his cock right in and drive into her. He imagined he’d need to keep her mouth covered while he was fucking her to keep her quiet because he recalled how loud she was the first time they’d been together.
But before he could indulge himself in feeling the juicy stretch of her around him, he was determined to have her come in his mouth and on his fingers first. She didn’t orgasm when he ate her out the last time and that was something that stuck with him. He had nowhere to be the following morning and given that it was a Sunday he figured she was free as well so they could play for a lot longer this time around. Not that that stopped them from having a good romp and then a quick fuck in the morning the last time, but he planned to take his sweet time with her now.
He smoothed his hands up her thighs and licked his lips, “I’m gonna lick your pretty pussy until you come and then if you’re still well behaved maybe I’ll let you taste my cock for a bit before I fuck you. How’s that sound?”
She nodded and moaned softly, “Mmm… That sounds so good.”
Harry smiled and pressed his thumb over her clit and gently began to rub back and forth, “It does doesn’t it? I missed this with you, angel. Can’t believe I thought it was just going to be the one time. Seems as though fate had a different idea.”
She scrunched her brows and an ooh feel from her mouth at the feel of his thumb on her clit and his soft words.
Harry leaned over her body, the fabric of his shirt dragging over her tummy as he dipped down to wrap his mouth around her pebbled nipple. She craned her neck back into the soft pillow and sighed at the feel of him on her. His lips on her breast and his thumb on her wet nub.
By the time he’d licked and sucked the expanse of both of her breasts, she was completely on edge. On fire. His teasing thumb gently rolling her clit back and forth was making her lose it.
“Fuck… please, Harry,” she whispered as she stuffed her fingers into his hair. He lifted off her breast and looked up at her, “What is it, angel? Please what?”
“I just… I want you to fuck me. Now.”
Harry sat back onto his haunches and looked at where his hand was at her pussy. All wet and shiny for him, “What did I say?” He looked back into her eyes, “Don’t you remember what I said I was gonna do first?”
She let out a shaky breath, “I do. I just thought you could skip it if you wanted. Really want to feel you again.”
He kept his thumb working her clit as he groaned, “I want to feel you too. But I have to have a go at you first. Want to put my mouth right here,” he slid his thumb upward and pressed down, “and make you come.”
Her tongue poked out from her lips as she kept her mouth parted. Heavy lids and wiggly hips.
Harry loved the way she looked. Like she was ready for whatever was to come. She was desperate for him and he already had her saying please. He loved a little begging when he could get it.
“Little tongue coming out to say hello,” he reached forward and pressed his finger onto her pink muscle and she immediately wrapped her lips around his digit. His own mouth dropped open at her desperation. Her tongue pressed into the pad of his finger and she sucked him in.
“Shit, angel. I’m gonna make you feel so fucking good. Okay? Don’t worry.”
He felt her lift upward into his hand and he got the hint. She needed something.
Pulling his finger out of her mouth and taking his hand from her pussy he pulled his shirt off over his shoulders and knelt down, pressing his fingers through her crease, coating his digits in her slippery essence.
He looked up at her face as he plunged two fingers into her hole and then lowered his mouth over her cunt and she bellowed loudly before putting her arm over her mouth to keep herself quiet. She’d have to keep herself in check with the noises but her concern about Brad being right next to her room was slowly dissolving.
Harry chuckled into her labia as his tongue slipped up and down, lapping at her arousal.
It was soft but every time he puckered his lips and ran his tongue up and down her clit she felt a spark lighting up her insides.
Her moans were muffled under her arm. But she was so wet that everything in her room sounded exactly like what was happening. Harry’s lips and tongue and fingers moved through her wet labia and creamy arousal and she wished she could record the sounds to listen to later.
Harry’s heart was pounding in his chest and he curled his fingers and dragged the tips along her soft ridges on the inside. He flattened his tongue over her clit and slurped before quickly sweeping his tongue back and forth. Her little squeak was a good sign. He smiled.
When he felt her fingers in his hair, pulling gently she began to roll her hips into his face. He lifted up to take a look at her as much as he could with her fingers on his head. She was gorgeous. Her wet pussy was smeared all over his face, her tits swayed softly as she arched and writhed, her hair was splayed out across her pillow, soft thighs parted.
Then he noticed the way she was fucking herself down onto his fingers. Her hips began to move faster and her pathetic mewls were falling muffled from her mouth.
Harry lowered his lips back to her pussy and she sighed in relief. But he only applied a sloppy kiss to her mound before looking back up at her. He moved his free hand up her body and pushed her arm off her face, tilting his head up to speak, “Keep your eyes on me, angel. You can be a good girl stay quiet. I know you can,” he pumped his fingers into her as he spoke against her pussy in hot breaths.
She adjusted her body slightly, using the pillow to help keep her neck angled so she could watch him. To keep her eyes on his. She gasped and tried to stifle her moans as she watched him dig in with his whole face.
His pretty green eyes were mostly pupil, dark with only the edges of crystal green surrounding. She put her other hand into his hair and cradled the back of his head. The hand he wasn’t using to finger her had her thigh held down, his fingers pinching into her soft skin.
But then he used his tongue to move quickly back and forth over her clit while thrusting his fingers deep, curling into the right spot. And there was something about his eyes watching her that made her flush hot. His steady gaze seeped into her brain and wrapped itself around all those bits that supplied dopamine and caused a craving that would be hard to shake.
His fingers were stuffed so deep inside of her that she knew he must be getting his knuckles drenched. Probably his whole hand given how wet everything sounded. The bend of his fingers inside of her and the pressure on her clit, when he sucked her, pulled a loud groan from her lungs. But it didn’t stop him from continuing the sloppy lapping and slurping.
Pulling his hair tighter between her fingers she bucked her hips into his face and tried to close her legs slightly by instinct. Harry kept her one thigh pressed down hard and he used his shoulder to hold her other side down.
She cried out, “Oh god!” And threw her head back, removing her eyes from Harry’s just as she felt the spark turn into a harsh current that began to tip her into the edge of her orgasm. She knew it had been too loud. Knew that it might have woken up her housemate but she was too far away from caring about that just then. Her pussy was being snacked on in a way she’d never experienced in her life.
Harry dug himself in deeper when he could tell she was close. Her loud cry and the quiver of her thighs were a good sign. He kept at what he was doing and looked up at her soft tits as she arched her back and moaned his name.
When she began to clamp down on his fingers and her moans moved into a steady stream of whining and whimpering and her muscles tensed he knew he’d gotten her to come finally. He allowed her to have her eyes closed because he could tell it was intense. He’d have her watching him next time he made her come on his cock.
Which reminded him of what sort of state he was in. His hard dick was painfully achy. But the anticipation for what was to come had him reeling as he licked her through to her end, keeping his fingers inside of her, working her until she slowed her hips and loosened the grip on his curls.
He sat back, grabbing her hands from his hair, and looked over his handiwork. Her pussy was ready to be fucked. She was ripe for more. He knew she’d be good for another orgasm. Her body was made for this.
When she finally opened her eyes she giggled as he leaned over her frame. His face was all wet. His chin, his cheeks, and his nose were shiny with her. She followed him with her eyes as he climbed over her.
Somewhere in between her coming and right then, he’d removed his pants and boxer briefs. His cock hung heavy over her face, “Open.”
She was flat on her back as she opened her mouth for him, reaching a hand up to grasp the base of his cock to guide him to her mouth. She felt his warm tip against her lip, the smear of his precome and her slippery arousal wetting the edge of her mouth before she wrapped her lips around him.
The groan he let out was the sound of pure sex. She had barely done a thing but she was already smiling to herself at the way she made him whine.
Harry held onto the headboard with one hand and used his other to grasp the back of her head as he pushed himself down into her throat. He’d only dip in a few times. Make her swallow and gag around him once her twice because he wanted to fuck her. Wanted to feel her again.
She closed her eyes when Harry’s tip dragged against the back of her throat. He pumped himself into her a few times and she swallowed as she gagged around him. The whimper he let out made her brain swirl. She was thoroughly enjoying having her throat fucked. He wasn’t going in too hard but he was taking control of her and dipping in until she was coughing and drooling.
He pulled himself out and looked down at her, moving his hand up to her cheek with a grin, “My god, angel. Just so fucking perfect.”
She was still catching her breath. From her orgasm, from having his cock in her throat, from the intensity of the moment…
She could hear him ripping the condom wrapper open before he was back in view. He sat between her legs on his haunches as he softly moved his palms over her thighs and up to her hips, “Gonna give me another one? Come on cock this time?”
She planted her gaze on his and nodded, “Yes…” her words were a whisper.
The cheeky grin Harry returned to her had her heart fluttering. He was so painfully attractive she felt like this was all a dream.
“Good. Need you to keep your eyes on me this time, okay?” He paused as she nodded, “Want to watch your face when I make you come. Might have to cover your mouth if you get too loud like you just were. Is that okay?”
Another quick nod and a moan told him she was on board.
Harry moved his hands up her sides, pressing his fingers into her soft skin and up to her breasts, kneading at them for a moment before lining himself up to her hole, “Look at me.”
They kept their eyes locked as he slowly pressed in past her tight opening. Harry knew that if they went without a condom he might come inside of her and not want to pull out. If she felt as good as she did with a condom, he knew he’d be falling in love and down on one knee if he felt her without.
Her puffy, juicy pussy was taking him in just as he remembered. He had to work himself in and out a bit before he finally got himself into her balls deep. He would have loved to tuck himself in further but he was halted from his thick, full balls.
“Feel that, angel?” He groaned quietly as she nodded nodded in gasps. “Yeah? It’s so fucking deep, isn’t it? Love the way you spread open for me,” he rocked into her and pulled back, listening to the slick sounds it made.
He put his palms on the mattress with his body leaned over hers, using his strong back and thighs to fuck into her as deep as he could. He just wanted to be stuffed inside of her guts, fucking into her as far as humanly possible. And she felt that too. It was deep. The sharp ache made her keen but the drag of his pelvis against her clit felt otherworldly.
Her thighs were pushed back, bent at the knee as Harry laid himself into her over and over again. Thick, deep, languid strokes.
“Ahhhh!” She cried when he smacked into her, pushing her upward slightly.
Harry groaned and kept his eyes on hers, “Yeah? It’s that good, huh? Gonna have to cover your mouth now because I’m about to go a little harder.” She wanted harder. Liked soft too, but hard stuck around for days. Loved the feeling of having her pussy fucked so good she was reminded of it later on. Just like the first time they were together. She felt him every time she sat down or stood up for two days. Felt the leftover ache on her thighs and the burn on her bottom.
Harry angled himself down, pushing her thighs apart further with one hand and covering her mouth with his other. And his sudden punishing thrusts had her eyes going wide. It hadn’t been expected so quickly but he got right to it.
He could feel the vibrations of her moans against his palm as he buried himself in and pulled back to his tip before he hammered back into her repeatedly. Long, deep, fast strokes.
She was already rolling her eyes into the back of her head. He wanted her to watch him but he’d give her a small break and make her open them when she was coming. He wanted to watch her face and her eyes as she reached her peak.
Her bed creaked and the springs danced loudly. Muffled sounds of moans and the wet slap of skin filled her bedroom. Harry didn’t necessarily want her roommate to hear them but he did enjoy all the noises that came with sex. And in all honesty, they were both being as quiet as possible given how hard he was fucking her.
His thighs burned from the thrusts and his back muscles held himself steady over her, “Listen to that, angel. Our bodies connecting like that. How wet you are for me…” he moaned his words as he watched her face screw up in ecstasy. Her muted noises were stifled with his palm as he wrecked her insides.
She felt every inch of him taking her. Every slip and thrust, drag and pull, every deep nudge inside… She opened her eyes to see him already looking down at her and she nearly lost it. His hair was in his face, curls swaying, sweat building at his temples, his arms were flexing as he held himself up over her, his chest flushed and glistening from the intensity of his thrusts into her. He was so strong and so overpowering she felt like a rag doll under him flopping and grunting under his hand. She was just a hole to fuck as she clenched down on him when he pasted his hips to hers and rocked inward sharply.
“Keep those eyes open, angel. I can tell you’re about to come on my cock and I need you to look at me so you know who’s making you come,” he spoke his words through gasped breaths as he pushed into her deeply, slowing his thrusts so he could control his own orgasm. He was too close and he knew she was nearly there.
He rocked his hips into hers he ground himself down when he stuffed himself in fully, making sure her clit was being smushed against for friction. Repeatedly he fucked her little hole with slow plunges and smoothed against her clit. Every time he screwed into her to the hilt he felt his balls pressing into her bum, being wetted by her creamy arousal. He keened at the feel of her around him. Every little ridge of her insides taking him in like they were made for that very thing had him spinning.
Harry removed his hand from her mouth. He wanted to see her whole face as he fucked into her. Wanted to watch her mouth drop open as she creamed on his cock when she came, wanted to hear her cries, fuck anyone else that might hear. In that moment it was all about his angel and how good she was feeling. All he cared about was that she was being taken care of and that he was making her feel as good as she deserved.
“Harry, please… oh my god please…” she gasped as she clung tight to his back. His cock inside of her felt full and had her walls tingling and fluttering. She was reeling with pleasure and having him inside of her. Never wanted that feeling to go away. If she could bottle it up and take it with her she would. So she tried to stave off her orgasm for a moment longer.
“Begging me, baby? Want to come so bad don’t you? But it feels so good like this doesn’t it?” He used a hand to hold the side of her face as if he were being gentle with her. As if he wasn’t fucking into her deep with harsh ruts inward that had her gasping for air. His words and his soft touches and his hard cock were doing her in.
She tried. She really did. She wanted to have him fucking her like that for hours but she couldn’t hold on any longer. She began to moan, starting with a low, quiet sound, until she was crying out his name and shaking under him.
She kept her eyes open but found the task difficult as she started to come. And she realized that watching Harry while she came only intensified her orgasm. Her head swirled with his handsome face hovering over hers, looking directly at her as he made her come felt like she was being dominated in a way that she’d never experienced. He hadn’t tied her up or whipped her or anything like that, but it was the sensation of being watched while she was coming that made her feel like he was taking control. The experience of having the man who was making her come as he looked down at her at that moment felt like he’d claimed her as his. He was watching his own work come to fruition and it was a dominant act.
“Fuck, angel. Just like that. Come all over me. She me how good it feels.”
Y/n babbled an unintelligible response and moaned around her syllables and vowels. She didn’t know what she was saying as she forced her eyes to stay on his.
And it had been worth it to keep her eyes open when she saw Harry’s face pinch up and his mouth drop open. She could hear his groan and the harsh thuds into her cunt before he stilled and clenched his teeth as his cock throbbed inside of her. He was coming and she got to see it on the tail end of her own orgasm and it was the hottest thing she’d ever seen.
“Ahhh!” He panted as he sucked in a deep breath and choked out a loud moan. The release was heaven. He came so hard he wondered if it could be possible to leak out of his condom. He pumped and throbbed and worked himself to his end as he looked down at the pretty angel under him all fucked out and smiley on his cock.
His chest heaved as he twitched the last little bit and his features relaxed on the comedown. He kept himself over her as he began to smile, “You okay?”
She was melted below him, a soft smile on her lips as she nodded, “So fucking good. Oh my god…” she whispered.
Harry gently pulled himself off of her and checked to verify that he hadn’t in fact leaked out of his condom before pulling it off and tossing it onto the floor. He’d deal with the cleanup later. In that moment he needed to hold her and kiss her for a while.
She felt her body pulled against his and then his lips caressing over hers. Soft and reassuring. Her orgasm had been intense. Maybe the most incredible orgasm she’d ever had. The eye contact was something she hadn’t expected. She thought it would feel silly. At first, it made her feel vulnerable but when she could tell how much he needed it, needed her eyes on his it felt like a rush. Adrenaline coursed through her veins and she came so hard.
She kissed him back and put her hands up to his shoulders. Lazy and soft and sweet.
Harry pushed his nose into hers and spoke softly, “That was really, really good, Y/n. You don’t mind if I stay the night here, do you?”
Shaking her head she scraped her nails against the nape of his neck, “I want you to stay. Please.”
.           .           .
Waking up in her bed with Harry next to her felt like a wild fantasy. She considered pinching herself as she fluttered her eyes open and saw his sleeping face smushed into her pillow. The night before he’d been a sex god. A man so fine with a masculine and well-muscled body that he made her mouth water and her clit throb. He’d fucked her so good and it was so hot it gave her goosebumps just thinking about it. But there he was lying in her bed asleep, pink lips and glossy eyelids, small puffs of breath coming from his nose, and adorably messy hair. She couldn’t quite wrap her brain around how he went from the man who took control of her the night before to the soft, cute, sleeping beauty the very next morning.
He asked if he could stay. Said he wanted to be with her a little longer. And that was the part that really stuck with her. Sure he was handsome and then some. They got along so well and everything felt so compatible with him. And that was a problem. Because he wasn’t just some guy. This was Harry Styles. She couldn’t go getting her feeling too mixed up in everything. But he made it hard with the way he treated her and handled her. Like they’d known one another for an eternity.
On their first night together it was clear that what they were doing was just something fun and that was it. Which she was fine with. She happily accepted his terms then. Just as she happily said yes to him staying the night this time. Whatever he wanted she was fine with it. Well, she hoped she’d be fine. Because she was sure he’d never get his feelings mixed up with sex when it came to her.
Gently putting her fingers into his hair she saw his eyelids move and then slowly he graced her with his gorgeous eyes and then a soft smile.
He didn’t say anything before he dragged her the short distance to rest her head on the pillow his head was on and kissed her.
And it went from a quiet soft morning make out to Harry’s erection poking into her hip and then scrambling for a condom with messy hair and soft sighs to a slow break of day fuck.
The springs in her bed bounced gently with every thrust of his hips. Harry kept his mouth glued to hers as he drove into her soft, wet pussy. All of her blankets had been kicked to the floor in a rush for the condom and switching positions on the bed and now it was just two bodies at the center finding relief and catching an early orgasm before their day began.
Harry rocked into her, his cock so hard and thick she felt every single inch of him moving into her and slipping back before he languidly pushed in until his hips met hers. She had her ankles crossed over his back and Harry had one hand cradling the back of her head, his mouth covering hers while his other forearm kept himself held up slightly, his chest against hers.
She gasped under him, reaching for breath every time he thrust into her. His own panting grew more desperate and soon the first sound of his voice was heard for the day, a whimpered moan falling from his throat as he felt her walls taking him in with a decadent squeeze and wet squelch.
Morning sex was always Y/n’s favorite, but it turned out it was Harry’s too. It was less fussy really. Just two tired bodies wanting to connect and feel pleasure in the golden morning light. No preamble or big to-do. Just soft morning sex and a delicious orgasm to get the day started off right.
The moment Y/n’s moan grew loud and Harry felt her cunt spasming and pulling him in deeply he let go, spurting into his condom and licking into her mouth as he throbbed in ecstasy.
And just like the night before and the first night she’d spent with him, she was amazed. Maybe it was the shape of his cock or their natural chemistry. Or maybe it was just Harry, but somehow the sex with him was beyond just good sex. She was going to be haunted by this man.
When he pulled out he held her thighs apart and lapped at her gently, just for a taste. Just to enjoy one more little squeal from her throat, which she immediately gifted him.
“Harry stop! I’m too sensitive!” She pushed at his forehead and he smiled up at her before collapsing onto the bed next to her.
He hated navigating relationships because being famous already put his life under a microscope. Most of the time it wasn’t worth it to keep seeing someone for sex unless it was a person he knew feelings would never be a problem with, and they could both have the understanding that it was just sex. But that was rare for him. Harry was all or nothing with sex usually. It was either a one-time deal or he’d want a long-term committed relationship. And the latter was complicated for someone with his lifestyle. His last long-term relationship was something he’d take with him forever. He considered it a lesson learned. And for him that meant needing to be very picky and selective about whom he let into his heart.
No more mixing business with pleasure and then taking on the guilt of having a public break-up. No more women with super complicated lives that he could get mixed up into.
He felt like he was treading dangerously with Y/n. He didn’t want to hurt her and he didn’t want to get himself hurt either. But he could see himself being with someone like her. He liked her spice and her straightforward demeanor. She was confident and funny. She wasn’t the type that he’d be able to keep his feelings separated from the sex with. He was already getting attached.
“What?” He asked her. She was lying next to him, they were sharing a pillow and she had a small smirk on her face as she gazed over his features.
“Nothing. It’s stupid,” her grin didn’t fall off her face.
Harry brought a hand up to her jaw and he thumbed gently toward her temple, “Tell me. I like stupid sometimes,” he laughed.
She bit her lip and looked away from him for a few moments before putting her eyes back on his, “Your song, Watermelon Sugar. It’s about cunnilingus?” Her smile widened feeling ridiculous asking him such a question but she couldn’t get it out of her mind. Ever since the night before when he made her come from eating her out (a rarity for her) and then that morning after they’d had sex when he went in for a quick lick.
Harry laughed and nodded, “I guess. Yeah. Why?”
“Cause you just seem to really like it.”
Harry took in a deep breath and moved his hand down her side, “I love it. Is that okay?”
She looked at him like he was crazy, “Of course it is. Very much so.”
She wasn’t ready to say goodbye. Harry had been fun and sweet. And to know that this famous man could have anyone he wanted yet he chose to spend the night with her felt like something quite special. Something she wouldn’t get the chance to do ever again. To have him in bed at all was a crazy notion. But to have it happen twice?
“I want to see you again. When I get back to LA in a couple of months. Is that okay?” He said as he pulled her in for a hug before they left her bedroom. His car was waiting for him.
His words shocked her. Again?
“Oh. Yeah… Sure. That would be fun.” She was surprised. Stunned. If he wanted to see her again what did that mean? Was he thinking of her as more than just someone to have sex with?
“Well, geez. You don’t sound very enthusiastic about it,” he laughed as he pulled back from the hug.
Shaking her head she grinned, “Just didn’t expect you to want to see me again. You’re gonna be gone for months. I mean… I’d love to. Of course. But you know… No pressure.”
“Of course, there’s no pressure. I’m just saying I’d like to see you again if you’re free when I return to LA. That’s all.”
Letting out the breath she’d held in she nodded, “Yes, Harry. I’d really like that.”
Harry smiled softly and put a hand up to her face to press his palm over her cheek as he looked her over, “Gonna miss you, angel. Wish I could take you with me.”
Feedback/Thoughts | Support Me! | Main Masterlist
Thank you for reading! I appreciate any support so remember to comment, reblog, & like 💕
Tags: @daphnesutton @princessaxoo @lilfreakjez @indierockgirrl @harrystylesgirlie @hermionelove @becauseheartsgetbroken-hs @stylesfever @satellitelh @buckybarnessimpp @stylesmoonlight12 @violacavs520 @kathb59 @be-with-me-so-happily @michellekstyles @yousunshineyoutempter @tenaciousperfectionunknown @golden-hoax @swiftmendeshoran @luvonstyles @tiaamberxx @lukesaprince @dirtytissuebox @closureesny @lhharrylilpumpkin @justlemmeadoreyou @itsgigikay @angelbabyyy99 @lllukulele @lanadelharry @novasblogofstuff @gills-lounge @damnasstyles @malwtilda @walkingintheheartbreaksatellite @0oolookitsme @babybunharry @anothermannharry @love-letters-to-uranus @itjustkindahappenedreally @kelly-fushiguro345 @harrys-foxy @ssaama @onlyangellucifer @harryistheonlyoneforme @butdaddyilovehim-hs @reveriehs @lc-fics @mema10 @carmenxharry
850 notes · View notes
topmalereaderblog · 9 months
Text
You deserve better // Miguel O'Hara 🌸🚨⚠️
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Theme(s): Fluff / Angst / Mature
Warning(s): Infidelity, abuse, realization, jealous Miguel, happy ending.
Summary: Miguel hates it when people have everything and are still ungrateful for what they have that person being his co-worker, your husband.
Parts: Part 2 / Part 3
Words: 1.6k
Tumblr media
Miguel hated when people were ungrateful it got him upset, and today, he was upset at his co-worker, your husband. You and Miguel met at an Alchemax event. You were alone but held confidence, and when he got to know you, he was surprised, to say the least.
How did someone like your husband end up with some like yourself? You were both complete opposites. You looked well built, confident, a little intimidating, sure but kind no the less. As for your husband, well, he was a chum he was well built like yourself, but his attitude was distasteful, just like a lot of the other jerks that worked here, and as you both talked through the event he got to learn more about you.
(Flashback)
"Can I ask a question?" Miguel said hesitantly.
"Sure," you smiled at him.
"How did you and C/W/N meet? I mean, you don't have to tell me. I'm just curious."
"No, it's fine. we went to the same college together, and I know it might sound touché but we pledged the same frat house."
"Mm, sorry for asking. It's just that you're both so-."
"Different," you finished for him "Yeah he wasn't always like this. We have our good days and bad days like any other couple he's a good guy to me for the most part of it. I guess I just need to try harder," you said, turning to look at your husband he was chatting with a woman.
Miguel could only remember your face that day. You look a little sad, and the more he got to see the way your husband treated you, the more it made him mad for you. You were a catch, at least that's what Miguel thought you often brought your husband lunch, which he usually gave away or through it out in the garbage.
According to Miguel, he felt lucky to try your food after his co-worker offered him the lunch you made for him and fuck was it good.
"Miguel, do you want it? I was gonna through it out but might as well ask."
He started at the lunch box in front of him, "Sure."
"Cool, just give me the box afterward. My husband tends to over due it on lunches." He said, walking away.
When Miguel opened the box, he was impressed the food smelled good, and there was clearly a lot of dedication and love put into it. He picked up the note that was on top of one of the tupperware.
*Love you so much C/W/N I have a late shift today at the station, so I might take a while to get home ill see you later maybe if your up to it we can go to the gym when I return or watch something anyways love you have a good day at work - ❤️❤️❤️ *
Miguel placed the small note to the side, re-reading it periodically while he finished the lunch you prepared.
"Here it was amazing." Miguel said, handing the lunch box back.
"Oh, that's good."
"He also left you this," he said, grabbing the note from his pocket.
"Can you through it for me? I have somewhere to be right now," he said, walking away with the lunch box in hand.
He didn't through it he kept it in a small drawer even though it wasn't for him. The note was sweet he often day dreamed of you bringing him lunch instead of C/W/N. Wait, day dreamed what was he thinking you were a married man and taken he can't be think of you this way but he was as the day went by he often got to eat your prepared lunches keeping the notes you left inside.
The part that made him get annoyed with your husband was when he was bragging about you to his colleagues.
"So wait, he just does whatever you want?"
"Meh, sometimes if I ask for something like massages, he does it, but things like sex are rarer. He is not bad, both top and bottom, but doesn't mean I can't have some side action, " your husband said while the other laughed.
"He's such a stupid guy," one of the colleagues said while they continued to laugh.
Miguel only reacted when he felt the ink in his pen start to spread in his hand, cleaning himself up before it tried.
One day, Miguel bumped into you in the grocery story, and gosh, you looked amazing. You were wearing your cop uniform as you recognized him.
"Hey Miguel, right?" you said, extending your hand out to him.
"Yeah, nice to see you again. How are you?"
"I'm good for the most part. I just got out of a shift, so I'm free for today. I was gonna spend time with C/W/N, but he went out with a friend, but anyways, what about you."
"I've been here and there, nothing much really."
"Mm I- I was gonna get ice cream your welcome to join me if you want."
"Sure, but I'll probably have to leave. I've been really tired this past week." He said walk with you to the cash register bags in hand.
"That's fine. Everyone needs a break sometimes. You look tense. Maybe you should go to a chiropractor sometime it could help."
"Never thought about it."
"Come to my place. I'll give you a massage."
"I wouldn't want to intrude. You're probably gonna be busy later."
"No, I insist I'm basically free this weekend, and C/W/N is gone to. It'll be nice to have a friend around, " you said, smiling at him.
"Okay," he signed out. "At what time I don't mind going after we get ice cream, but I'll need to leave my bags at my house."
"That's fine, how about 6 pm."
"Sounds good," he said as you parted away to get to your cars.
After that day you and miguel became good friends often going to the gym togther since your partner didn't want to go but not only that, somewhere within Miguel, jealousy sprouted, he was jealous of what his co-worker had.
Your place was homey and comfy after the massage you made dinner, and it was amazing, but he also felt pain knowing he didn't have this someone who would treat him like this someone to look forward to. You were amazing, and you deserved better.
It took a couple of months, but one day, you invited Miguel over he was oblivious to what he was gonna walk into as he made his way over to your door and knocked. No answer.
He thought you forgot and started walking away till he heard something fall quickly going back to the door and opening it with force he walked in on you on the floor with blood on seeping from your head as your husband had a belt he landed a whip but before he could do it again Miguel stopped him.
"Calm down," he said, raistraining your husband.
"What the fuck are you doing in my house." He said struggling to get out. Miguel let him go and went to aid you. we have to get him to a hospital, and he'll need stitches.
"Do whatever you want." Your husband said, leaving.
Miguel visited often in the hospital his co-working was bo where to be seen for the past couple of days, and a police report was made for what he did to you.
"Hey," Miguel said, entering your room.
"Hi," you replied. "How has work been?" you asked.
"Good, nothing exciting," he said, taking a seat.
"I caught him," you said, looking forward while your head rested. "He was cheating on me. I started the divorce process. it's my fault." You said he could hear the quiver in your voice and the way your eyes filled with tears.
"It wasn't your fault" Miguel didn't know what to say he didn't know what to do either right now he just felt sympathy for you how a big strong and confident guy like you looks so valuable.
"Wasn't it if I wasn't a bad husband if I was good enough, maybe-"
"You aren't." You were cut off by Miguel. "M/N, I know we only know each other for about what half a year, and in that time, you were the most caring husband I've ever met hell alot of the other spouses don't do what you do." He said, placing his hand on your thigh.
"I know this is a bad moment, but if I'm being honest, I- I was jealous of C/W/N after the event I paid more attention to him, and you. He gave me your lunches. I was gonna tell you about it but I didn't know how. I would read the notes you left him they were cute and sweet." He said, looking down.
You stared at him, and you didn't know what to say.
He took a deep breath. "What I'm trying to say is you deserve better, and I want to be the one to prove to you that I know it too soon." He said getting up.
"All I ask is that when you're ready, give me a chance." He said, walking away with his head down.
"Stay," you said, stopping him from leaving. "It gets lonely here without someone."
"Are you sure I would want to intrude."
"It's nice to have a friend around," you said, scooting over a bit and patting the spot next to you in bed.
This is it. Miguel smiled at you as he walked over and got in bed . He tucked his head under your chin and rested.
"You know you were basically my personal Spiderman," you said, looking down at him.
"Maybe I am," he said, staring at you.
"Well, in that case, you need to wear the suit more often," you said, laughing to yourself.
"Miguel, I'll give you a chance, but I want to move slowly very slowly."
"I'll wait for along as it takes." And with that, you both feel asleep holding each other close, Miguel resting his head on your pecs.
Tumblr media
776 notes · View notes
kirain · 2 months
Note
Bg3 companions as college roommates?
Tumblr media
Wyll: Despite being a legacy admission, he isn't at all what you expected. In fact, he causes you to reexamine your own personal biases. He's rich, but humble. Privileged, but generous. Popular, but not because he's the son of a duke—in fact, he keeps that detail close to his chest—but because he devotes most of his free time to charity work. He also throws the wildest parties.
Tumblr media
Lae'zel: A foreign exchange student. She's often crude and standoffish, constantly bragging that her education is superior. You don't get along at first, but you soon realise she's homesick and completely out of her element. You offer to help her adjust and she reluctantly, though gratefully, accepts. While you aren't sure if that makes you friends, she at least stops calling you "kainyank".
Tumblr media
Karlach: This woman is insane. She doesn't take her studies seriously and always crams before exams, but somehow she always passes! You feel a tinge of jealousy, since you lack the same good fortune, but you can't hate her. It's impossible. She's a sweetheart who teaches you the definition of fun, often helping you unwind when you need to most.
Tumblr media
Astarion: You don't get much of a chance to know him, as he sleeps all day and only attends night classes. What's worse, he gets expelled within the first week of attendance. You never figure out what he did or why, you only know that the chancellor seemed deeply, deeply traumatised.
Tumblr media
Gale: Kind, attentive, eager to help you with your homework. He's a stellar roommate in every single way ... except for one. He has a habit of running questionable experiments in your dorm, often late into the night, which deprives you of valuable sleep. But he always apologises with a home-cooked meal, so you let it slide. Plus he has a cat.
Tumblr media
Shadowheart: She's very tight-lipped and always turns out the lights, even when you're studying. You're not sure how to feel about her when you first meet, as she's rather aloof and melancholy. Halfway though the semester, however, she suffers a debilitating crisis of faith, which you happily help her overcome. When all is said and done, she considers you her new family.
Tumblr media
Jaheira: She's more like a mother than a roommate. You learn quick that she's a strict taskmaster; you will not leave a mess around the dorm. Cleanliness shows dedication, after all. But you appreciate that. She cares. She wants you to succeed, despite barely knowing you, and she's always willing to listen when you need a shoulder to cry on.
Tumblr media
Minsc: Heavens above, he's the dumbest man you've ever met. Part of you wonders how he even passed the entrance exam, until you discover he didn't. He failed. He's not a student. He just hangs around because he likes you. Yet, for some reason, you find that strangely endearing. Loud and clueless as he is, you feel safe when he's about, and you're quite fond of his hamster.
Tumblr media
Halsin: He's the true definition of a "gentle giant". A chipper jock with a passion for nature and activity. He often drops keen wisdom that aids in your schoolwork, as well as your personal life, making him a near perfect roommate.
...If only he stopped bringing home dates for his late night hanky panky. You can't sleep.
Tumblr media
Minthara: She isn't a roommate, you're just in her room. You should count yourself lucky she tolerates your presence at all. And you better not slack off, because if you do she will report you to the dean. School isn't a joke, and she expects you to take it seriously. Some people would kill to be in your position.
181 notes · View notes
avelera · 1 year
Text
Hob Gadling - the absolute maddest of immortal lads
One of the things I love most about Hob Gadling as a character (and as a result, do my best to capture in fic) is how unique his reactions are to immortality and to Dream, and how he so often does the opposite of what one would expect from the genre of "humans granted immortality" but also what the average person and most of the audience expects that they would do with immortality, lending well to the concept that Hob is, genuinely, unhinged and a truly supernatural creature in his own right, which is often lost when the character we see him most often juxtaposed against is Dream, who is even more odd and unhinged if in very different ways
(I've decided to be systematic about this and go through meeting by meeting so strap in, folks it got long, as usual!)
1389 - First of all, Hob simply bragging at all that he doesn't plan to die. OG hipster right there, loving life before it was cool. But also, ok, loving life after being born less than a decade after the Black Plague ended. And in the midst of a great many Black Plague aftershocks! The latter half of the 1300s was a truly abysmal time to be alive, with huge social upheaval, war, plagues, "two bloody Popes fightin'" and in the midst of all this is Hob motherfuckin' Gadling, cheerfully announcing that death is for suckers and he doesn't intend to ever do it.
The man is a soldier! You'd think he'd be more accepting and philosophical about his inevitable death given the time he lives in, the profession he has chosen, the fact that most young men his age were wiped out at age 9 by the second wave of the Black Death, and just, in general, doing all of this while having the misfortune to live in England at the time.
And then when Dream comes up to him, like a complete weirdo, and challenges him on this, Hob is actually pretty nice to him! He gives him a side eye but he also goes along with the question, tells him to ignore his friend's jibes, and cheerfully accepts the wager! I cannot express to you how many turns in the road there are between what a normal person would do and what Hob Gadling does in that moment.
1489 - This one bugs me because the most unexpected thing Hob does is seemingly regress in maturity despite now being 100+ years old.
Now, I'm a huge fan of the theory that he's conning Dream right now and putting on the innocent chucklehead routine to put Dream off from kidnapping him to Faerie Land in exchange for his immortality. HOWEVER, since that's just a headcanon, let's take Hob as he is on the page!
Hob has a job. A Freaking Job. He used to be a bandit and a soldier, things that kind of make sense to do as an immortal (like The Old Guard) when you can't die! You could theoretically make BANK there just by taking dangerous jobs. But Hob doesn't?? He gets a normal-ass job, though in that day's equivalent of getting a job at Microsoft or Apple before they became big, Caxton is like one of the first modern startups in essence, a new technology that made TONS of money once it was imported, and Hob was on the ground floor. Still. HE GOT A JOB as an IMMORTAL. He doesn't seem to have this immortality thing figured out yet? And he doesn't ask Dream hardly any questions about it either! You'd think he'd be frothing at the mouth to better understand wtf happened to him, but once Dream clarifies that he's not the Devil and Hob's soul isn't in danger, that's it! No further questions, your honor! WHAT??
Also, just when you WOULD expect him to beg for death (that IS the genre savvy thing to do, Dream's not wrong!) he DOESN'T. He's more in awe than ever, he seems to be experiencing a second childhood over the fact. He's just vibing and living life. That's so, so unusual in this genre.
Hob also hasn't done any of the savvy things an immortal might do after 100 years! He doesn't actually seem all that angsty about why is he immortal, beyond a bit of fear he might need to pay the piper (Dream) now for this gift. Most vampires in an Anne Rice novel would have gone through about 20 stages of grief after they dealt with the first 100 years of everyone they know and love dying but Hob seems to not only be unbothered but actively gearing up for the next century. It's so bizarre. IT'S SO BIZARRE and I love it because I LOVE characters who DON'T do what you'd expect!
1589 - Hob has a family. HOB HAS A FAMILY. Who in their right MIND would start a family, knowing you'd have to bury your spouse and your children? HOB MOTHERFUCKING GADLING that's who! It's incomprehensible! He does it anyway! It's why I headcanon that he planned to support and nurture his family throughout time, like it was all very deliberate to found a dynasty, but it need not be! Knowing him, he just saw a pretty girl and married her! He didn't even CONSIDER his own wife and children getting angry and jealous with him for having immortality he can't share with them? He didn't even CONSIDER the heartbreak?? WHAT?! Who knows! He just did!
Now, this Hob HAS begun to do SOME of the things one would expect of an immortal - like build up generational wealth, BUT he has a KNIGHTHOOD. What immortal in their right MIND would draw that sort of attention to themselves?? HOB, THAT'S WHO. What are you ON, man, that's INSANE! No wonder he got drowned as a witch the man had ZERO CAUTION AT ALL.
1689 - the man is destitute. HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN IF YOU'RE AN IMMORTAL? This is AS puzzling as anything else. Theoretically, Hob could just take a dangerous job with a high fatality rate for quick cash and rebuild his fortune pretty quickly, but he DOESN'T. What went wrong? The possibilities are tantalizing and painfully human that maybe he did do that and failed anyway, or hit even WORSE strings of truly abysmal bad luck.
But somehow, at 300 YEARS OLD it's not until 1789 that we hear Hob has begun socking money away for a rainy day! How does it TAKE YOU that long, sir?? How is that NOT something you figure out in your first century? I've seen a lot of fan writers ascribe a certain amount of immortal savvy to Hob but it's REALLY not there on the page! The guy is NOT genre savvy about immortality AT ALL he doesn't do ANY of the things one would expect, it's absolutely WILD that he falls this low after 300 years after completely failing to, theoretically, CONSIDER this possibility! And then, AND THEN, the guy STILL wants to live. I mean, this one hardly needs saying, that's nuts after what he went through, it's on the page that he's NUTS for this. But the guy is literally in the gutter dreaming of the stars, he is unstoppable I love him so fucking much what a force of nature.
1789 - OK, we've already mentioned that it took until 1789 for Hob to start saving money for a rainy day but let's talk about the fact HE'S NOT ACTUALLY CAREFUL ABOUT BEING CAPTURED?? Again, least genre savvy immortal EVER. You can't die so you'd THINK that being captured or imprisoned or god forbid, thrown down a mine shaft would be the SCARIEST possible fates when you don't have death as an escape, but the guy doesn't even blink at the thought of getting captured by an occultist like Johanna Constantine, dude's totally unbothered! DREAM has to tell him after 400 YEARS that maybe he should be worried about this? THE GUY GOT DROWNED AS A WITCH, picked himself up, dusted himself off, got into some crimes against humanity, and MOVED ON apparently without learning a single goddamn lesson he hasn't had since 1389 which is how to kick ass and look good doing it BUT HE'S NOT EVEN A PROFESSIONAL FIGHTER AS A CAREER, he's just a gentleman of means!
He just... lives a normal human life and seems to expect weird things like being kidnapped by occultists to not happen so long as he stays within those boundaries and you know what? IT SEEMS TO HAVE WORKED! Because to be fair, how many of us outside the bounds of fiction would ever expect the wild stuff like kidnapping to really happen? It's statistically quite vanishingly rare! And that's been all Hob has needed, presumably, to not need to stress since the damn witch trials about his immortality! So yeah, I read fic where Hob is like this very savvy immortal but by 400 YEARS he's BARELY learned to have a savings account under a different name and he STILL doesn't seem too bothered by the possibility of getting hurt or captured! Like, AT ALL?! Absolutely class act right here, top lad, unbelievable, no notes. HOW do you SURVIVE like this as an anomaly, Hob?
1889 - By now, it SEEMS like Hob has bought a clue. He's pretty understated, he's made some amends, SEEMS to have resolved to be less of a shithead, and he's got this immortality thing figured out. It only took him 500 FUCKING YEARS. But again, Hob ISN'T fabulously wealthy as far as we can tell. He's not a megalomaniac and he STILL seems to be vibin' as just a dude doing Just A Dude things like HAVING A JOB and if we borrow from Hob's Leviathan a bit, he's STILL just jumping between industries, just living life down at the normal human level. He hasn't detached from humanity, he lives in the day to day on a level that's just INCONCEIVABLE for a being that's 500 years old.
1989 - Ok, moving on a bit from Hob being an immortal, because getting excited about technology like his brick phone is absolutely so charming I want to squish his cheeks, but he's hardly the only immortal to get excited about that. What I want to talk about is how HOB FORGIVES DREAM for 1889. Because, look, Dream is a prick there. Hob could have been more diplomatic but Dream could have waited for the apology and he didn't.
I have seen SO MANY TAKES where Hob would be MAD after 1889 and RIGHTFULLY SO. But he's NOT. He's not! There are so many fics where he has lingering hurt over it but that's just NOT what the character does! He blames himself! Guy did pretty much nothing wrong except maybe choose his words poorly, but he's blaming HIMSELF for making Dream uncomfortable. Absolute legend. Saints have nothing on this man, that is saint-like behavior. I'd be furious. Hob just misses his friend and BLAMES HIMSELF that Dream isn't there. Not an a single, microscopic trace of anger in sight.
2022 - And then, AND THEN, when he has EVERY REASON to flip out when Dream shows up, finally, after 133 YEARS, after Hob has APPARENTLY stuck around the area just in case, WAITING for him, what does this fucking legend say? "You're late."
THAT'S IT! He's not mad, he totally has a right to be! He doesn't jump out of his chair in shock, that would be a totally expected reaction to! He glances up! He acts like Dream is 5 minutes late instead of over a century WHAT IS THAT?? WHAT IS THAT?! HOW?!! They just settle back with a pint after that like it's nothing. That's not what I would do. I don't think that's what almost any human would do after a shock like that. I still can't wrap my head around it.
So anyway, Hob Gadling, absolutely FASCINATING character from the perspective of just not doing a single fucking thing you'd expect an immortal Just A Dude to do. Goddamn legend right there. Worth remembering for those like me who are obsessed enough to write this guy in fic. He is just so... opposite of everything you'd expect and that is so fucking sexy of him wow
1K notes · View notes
xjulixred45x · 2 months
Note
I see a lot of Kusakabe talk lately. Can I please ask for General relationship HCs for our resident lazy sorcerer <3
FINNALLY SOME NEW CHARACTERS!!! I don't like Kusabake that much, but Def His memes makes me laugh so considerate it done. Thanks for the Request❤️
Atsuya Kusakabe General Dating Headcanons
Genre: Headcanons
Reader: neutral
Warnings: typical canon violence, some spoilers of the manga.
Okay, for starters, YOU CANT TELL ME THAT HIS S/O IS NOT ONE OF THE REASONS THIS MAN VALUES HIS LIVE SO MUCH!
We all know that Kusakabe, although he is quite strong, does not really want to risk dying and prefers tasks that do not endanger his life, such as evacuating civilians and facing minor curses.
partly because he appreciates his life...and partly because I don't think he wants to cause pain to the few people he loves (reader included).
He wants to LIVE HIS LIFE with his s/o, he doesn't want to die prematurely and leave them alone!
I firmly believe that if he had a partner they would probably be a civilian, because 1- then he wouldn't have to worry about them dying because of sorcery work and 2- he can finally have some normality and peace of mind.
TELL ME THIS MAN IS NOT LOOKING FOR TRANQUILITY WHEN HE IS THE TEACHER OF A GROUP OF SUPER POWERFUL CHILDREN. OF WHICH *TOUDO* HIMSELF IS A PART
I imagine him in part as a boyfriend-father, who, although he is usually quite serious, usually shows that he cares in other ways, such as asking if you have eaten, buying food if you haven't, going for a walk to clear your head if you feel overwhelmed. . that kind of things.
As I said before, he is someone who appreciates tranquility a lot compared to his rather hectic life, so I think he would meet his s/o somewhere where he often lives as a civilian, perhaps (similar to Nanami with the girl at the bread) from some place where he goes to eat after his missions.
You could say that seeing his s/o gives him a hit of dopamine.
THERE IS DEFINITELY NO WAY YOU LET YOUR STUDENTS KNOW ABOUT YOUR S/O. he wants to save himself from Miwa's constant teasing and questions.
although maybe after a while (and only to Miwa) I show ONE (1) photo and brag a little about them.
There is also a possibility that he ends up talking a little about his s/o to Panda in Shibuya, just to calm down and not be so stressed, you could say that is the effect it has on him.
I can see him as a protective boyfriend, more than anything because just as he appreciates his life a lot, he appreciates his s/o's A LOT MORE, and will give him priority over that of others (he thinks it's appropriate, they are civilians after all).
There's not much chance that he'll end up running into his s/o during a mission, but that can either automatically lower his stress level considerably or raise it to unimaginable levels.
If it were a normal mission, it is most likely the first case, since there he can simply greet his s/o and have them go somewhere else for "safety issues" and be reassured that they are away from danger. even if it is a lesser grade curse.
Now, if his s/o were involved in a mission like SHIBUYA he's definitely losing his shit trying to protect them. and he is escorting them all the time with Panda to wherever it is safe and far from danger.
He grows green gray hair, as we say in my country.
It doesn't mean he's against his s/o going to see him at work! Quite the opposite, but he prefers that they go see him when he is a teacher.
I think he would especially like it if his s/o brings him food (whether made by them or bought) or something like that (more cigarettes/candy) and he is very grateful.
Although he doesn't like to share his love life with his students, he is DEFINITELY bragging to his workmates about how he DOES HAVE TIME for good things and that he doesn't regret anything >:)
He's like "that's what happens to you for not doing things the easy way, not like me, I even have an INCREDIBLE and very pretty partner😎" he's shameless.
I would say that his main language of affection would be compliments in a certain way, he knows what to say to get his way in situations where it is required, but with his partner that translates to what he knows what to say to cheer them up or make their day better. .
apart from the fact that he is much more attentive than one would think due to his vague nature.
He remembers his partner's main dislikes well, although he sometimes uses that against them to joke with them (for example, if they don't like bugs, he will chase them with a spider around the house) but he never takes it too far. It's just a little fun between the two.
Apart from that he knows very well when his partner really likes something or if he only says he likes it so as not to hurt his feelings, which is nice, but he prefers sincerity in those types of aspects.
very direct.
Let's say that just as he greatly appreciates his life and KNOWS that he could die at any moment, he doesn't want to waste time, so he is going to be as direct as possible with his s/o if what he wants is something lasting or something temporary, he will do it. which is very good for the relationship honestly.
I think his Achilles heel with the relationship would be PDA, I mean, he doesn't mind things like holding hands or kissing in public, but I don't think he does much more or at least with people around.
low key his s/o will be the one who initiates physical contact at the beginning.
The dates are usually either somewhere preferred by both (anywhere where salmon eyes don't work, please) or right at home watching ridiculous movies to disconnect a little from reality.
or even just be silent for a while with your s/o, at PEACE and let things flow in your head, this is what you do more than anything on a particularly bad day at work.
Sometimes he blurts out sudden thoughts about thoughts he's keeping from work to his partner, it's completely unintentional, but it helps him open up more honestly to his partner.
He's generally pretty open about almost everything, EXCEPT his job, so his s/o has to appreciate those kinds of moments of vulnerability.
As for issues of, for example, settling down, I think he wouldn't be against it at all.
His job already causes him enough stress, it is not unreasonable to think that one day he would like to retire and function alone as a teacher or some other common job (anything seems like baby play compared to cursing).
Along with that, I can see him in this case proposing to his s/o, wanting them to be in his life permanently and "officially" so to speak.
As for the children...I don't think he would want in the first place. He just doesn't see anyone he likes (he can barely stand his own students, my God), so he could be fine with an s/o who has that same opinion.
Did you see that Kusakabe has a sister named Usami? the one who was devastated by the death of her son so they gave her something similar to Panda.
I imagine that Kusakabe would take VERY much into account if his sister likes his s/o to continue the relationship, Usami is one of the few people he cares about and believes that it is appropriate to have his approval.
Can you imagine if Kusakabe had met his boyfriend through his sister? That would be nice
Probably his s/o is also one of the few people with whom he confides secrets like about his sister's son, I don't think he reveals important things about work, but he definitely lets his s/o know that it is for the greater good and especially for their safety.
I saw on the wiki that apparently he likes fishing, it would probably be a hobby that he normally likes to do alone, but if his s/o shows interest, he will try to teach them the basics in a decent way and have them form their own opinion about it.
He secretly hopes that they like it, but no pressure.
Kusakabe wants them to share the hobby because they both like it after all, he doesn't see the point in it being just to spend time together if they don't enjoy it :/
Now, going to the elephant in the room, a s/o sorcerer or part of the academy.
It would be more useful in the aspect of seeing each other often, since they would constantly see if their s/o is a teacher in Kyoto as well.
They could even do joint classes to teach their students an ear of tricks (and that way he doesn't have to give it all alone). ironically the students would respect the s/o more than their normal sensei.
Even if the s/o was from Tokyo, it's not that there would be a serious problem in seeing each other, they send him on missions nearby often, so they could take advantage and see each other after finishing work or better yet, go on missions together.
The problem would be that his more protective side comes to light, which is not necessarily bad, but it can be somewhat annoying.
always puts the s/o behind or does the work before the s/o can do his part, especially if it is a mid-grade curse.
which can be irritating because HELLO, they are of the SAME RANK, they are supposed to be able to do the same things.
Kusakabe should learn to stop being so scared when his sorcerer s/o goes on a mission with him and let them do their job.
Even if we're honest, after that phase, they make a good combo, especially if your s/o encourages you to get out of your comfort zone and not be so lazy.
It would be like the dynamics of "no energy" and "a lot of energy" in short.
He finds it adorable that they believe in him so much, but at the same time he thinks they should be less naïve before the world of Jujustu swallows them alive.
He still liked the idea of settling down, but in this situation it will have to be his s/o who takes the first step. It's a feeling.
In general, if you are one of the few people this man cares about, rest assured that he will not take your affection or your company for granted. He will appreciate it as much as he can and APPRECIATE you as much as he can.
He just wants to live another day. hopefully with you.
Tumblr media
Shares, reglogs and comments are very welcome!
Thanks for the Request ❤️
54 notes · View notes
maoam · 1 year
Text
DISSECTING SAKURA - WHY IS SHE SO TERRIBLE?
Tumblr media
INTRO
I promised to write a post about Sakura’s character long time ago so here’s that now. If you want to read my Hinata post it’s here.
Sakura is a character that is very hated in the Naruto fandom. Many people acknowledge she’s one of the worst female characters in anime. And yet, she also has many dedicated stans that defend her character and insist she is simply misunderstood, that she’s actually a good shinobi and a person, or not as bad as people think. While there are many videos and essays about Sakura, my issue with them is that they often either praise Hinata who isn’t any better than Sakura or they do not acknowledge Sakura is supposed to be the way she is. She is intentionally written as an unlikeable person and she was never supposed to be inspiring or a positive character. I will try to explain this to you the best I can by dissecting her character. As usual, if you’re a fan of her character you might not want to see what’s next. This will be tagged under the anti tags so if you see it in the character tag that is not intentional.
SAKURA AS A SHINOBI
I will first focus on Sakura as a shinobi and her skills in fights since Naruto is a battle manga. Sakura is, as it's often acknowledged to the point of memes, pretty useless. A lot of her stans don’t understand why. She might get to punch once every 200 chapters or heal fodders but in the end she is featless. She is placed in many important situations where she does nothing to contribute or even gets in the way. This is not acceptable for a main character that has a lot of screentime. Naturally, this is something that annoys many people but it’s made even more annoying by the fact Sakura is constantly talking about how much stronger she has gotten and how she wants to be on par with Naruto and Sasuke.
Tumblr media
In the beginning, during the bell test, Sakura doesn't even attempt to get the bells from Kakashi and only ends up fainting. In the Land of Waves, because Sakura was able to climb the tree due to her chakra control, she became smug and overconfident and thought she doesn't need to train. Which is funny considering she does nothing except stand around during an actual fight while Naruto and Sasuke actually contribute to the fight with the main antagonists. She's tasked to protect Tazuna, yet she can't do that either, but Kakashi has to intervene and get injured. It’s also worth mentioning Kakashi pointed out that during the tree climbing Sakura was able to control her chakra better because she had little chakra to begin with. Thus Kishimoto establishes very early on Sakura as someone who brags and overrestimates her own skills.
Tumblr media
In the Chunin exams, Sakura hopes that Naruto and Sasuke aren’t foolish enough to cheat during the written exam, and she’s sure that she can answer the questions based on her knowledge. But what she doesn’t realize is that the real intention of the test is for the takers to use their observation and deductive skills to gather information and cheat. We find this out in the same chapter through Sasuke. Sasuke, unlike Sakura, realizes that the test makers want them to act like a shinobi. Sakura is book smart and a rote learner, but as we have seen in the Land of Waves and what we will see in the rest of the Chunin exams, being book smart won’t help her on the battlefield. Kishimoto wanted to show us that Sakura is just someone who brags and thinks she’s got everything under control, despite the fact she’s not the right kind of smart to be a shinobi, she doesn’t think like one.
Tumblr media
In the Forest of Death, we then see she isn’t able to actually put anything into practice and Naruto and Sasuke again do all the work, while Sakura does nothing except stand around, scream and cry. Sasuke even has to yell at her to stop merely standing around. Eventually though, when Naruto and Sasuke are knocked out after the encounter with Orochimaru, Sakura has no choice but to protect them from Orochimaru’s henchmen. But she of course fails. She sets traps that fail, and gets mocked for her amateuristic skills by her opponents. We see characters like Kiba are able to put up traps that actually work, but Sakura who is supposedly smart isn’t. Then Rock Lee arrives to her rescue. After he gets beaten up, Kin grabs Sakura by her hair and calls her out on her vanity and tells her she should have trained more, which is basically what Sasuke did at the beginning of the arc, when he told Sakura if she has time to flirt maybe she should use that time to learn a jutsu or two. In the chapter cover she is also seen brushing her hair in front of a mirror in the forest, so Kishimoto makes it pretty clear Sakura is someone who cares a lot about her looks even during a mission. Kishimoto uses the villains to point out Sakura’s flaws, since the main characters can’t do that considering she is one of the main characters. So we see Dosu point out Sakura’s lack of observation skills and talent, and Kin point out her vanity and boy chasing personality. Sakura then dramatically cuts her hair and gives a speech on how she wants to walk in front of Naruto and Sasuke and wants them to look at her back. Despite the little fight she puts up, she is easily beaten down and is saved by Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji, before Sasuke wakes up and beats up Orochimaru's henchmen, driving them away. Sakura acted like this was going to be her moment, yet it wasn't at all. She had five other characters, 4 of them supporting characters, all of whom showed much better ninja skills than her, come to her rescue.
Tumblr media
During Sakura and Ino's match, Sakura starts boasting how Ino is nowhere near her level. What happens is despite her bragging, she falls right into Ino's trap. Unlike Sakura, Ino actually used her wits and shinobi like strategy during the fight, using Sakura’s ego against her to successfully trap her. But because Naruto yelled Sakura's name, her inner Sakura somehow interrupted the fight and it ended in a tie. I think Ino should have won this fight but regardless it didn't make Sakura look good, just an overconfident brat who got lucky.
Tumblr media
The rest of Part 1 Sakura spends moping over Sasuke and getting one-paneled by Gaara in the Konoha crush arc where she again becomes a damsel in distress to no one’s surprise. Her uselessly holding a kunai has become a meme because she does it many times during the series. Despite being a liability to her team she never thinks about how to better her skills nor tries to train. After Sasuke leaves and Sakura fails to stop him, she goes to Naruto and begs him with tears in her eyes to bring Sasuke back. Considering how many support characters have contributed massively in Part 1, a main character like Sakura achieving nothing just puts it into perspective how useless she really is. She has been a damsel in every single arc. When Naruto fails to bring Sasuke back, Sakura decides to ask Tsunade to train her, and tells Naruto next time she will go with him to get Sasuke back. The thing is, she should have had the resolve to train and change herself already before Sasuke left. She should have realized she put her team constantly in jeopardy by being weak. She read all about what life of a shinobi entails yet she seemed to treat it as some playground where she can play damsel while everyone around her protects her. It’s only when her crush left and Naruto failed to bring him back that she bothers to make an effort.
Tumblr media
At the start of Part 2, Kakashi gives Naruto and Sakura yet another bell test, and Sakura shows some potential by showing off her chakra punch. But in the end, they manage to finally get the bells due to Naruto's plan. Some people act like Sakura is the smart one in team 7 yet she constantly fails to showcase this smartness of hers. Next, team 7 is assigned by Tsunade to rescue Kazekage Gaara. Sakura swears that this time, she will save both Naruto and Sasuke. Again, she sets up a high goal for herself, only to never achieve it. Sakura does however, mix up an antidote to heal Kankuro after he got attacked by Sasori. Next Chiyo and Sakura get ready for a fight with Sasori. Notice how this is the only fight where Sakura actually manages to not fail? It's because Chiyo is literally directing her moves, both verbally and physically. But I will give her credit for using the antidote to survive Sasori's poison, and taking the hit for Chiyo. Sasori was also apparently suicidal and didn’t avoid the last hit but I don’t dwell on that too much.
Now I need to mention something that is very important to note when it comes to Sakura’s character writing. Whenever Sakura does anything she’s complimented countless times by Kakashi, Chiyo, Sasori, and basically everyone she comes across. Kakashi starts to talk about how she might be able to surpass Tsunade, just because she punches the ground once in front of him. Chiyo hails her as a girl who can surpass Tsunade as well, before even seeing her fighting abilities. Hashirama thinks her power might be greater than Tsunade’s despite not even seeing what his granddaughter can do. And this goes on and on. This is Kishimoto intentionally raising up the audience's expectations, only to later intentionally bring them down. Superficial readers think she is smart and could possibly surpass Tsunade because other characters say so, but people who actually read the manga and pay attention can see that Sakura never lives up to the expectations placed on her.
Tumblr media
Right after this arc, Sakura goes back to being useless and not contributing much especially considering the screentime she gets. Despite being able to avoid Sasori’s attacks with the help of Chiyo, in the Tenchi Bridge arc she gets first knocked out by Kabuto's flying butt because she's not watching where she's going, and needs to be saved by Yamato. Then she doesn’t let Yamato do his job and gets knocked out by Naruto's 4-tailed form, and needs to be saved by Yamato and healed by Kabuto. When they finally meet Sasuke she charges at him with no apparent strategy and needs to be saved by Yamato again, who gets injured in the process.
So after the entire part 1 of being useless, and 15 chapters of not being useless, Sakura needs to be saved multiple times by Yamato while contributing nothing. To people who paid more attention when reading the manga, this arc made them realize Sakura was never gonna change and this is how her character would always going to be. But others were still starstruck by the previous arc, and would only realize it later.
Tumblr media
In the Akatsuki Suppression arc she pretty much does nothing worth mentioning. She is tasked to go help Shikamaru but the latter has already taken care of Hidan by himself. In the Itachi Pursuit arc she doesn’t do anything either, but only follows the dogs tracking Sasuke’s scent. In the Pain arc a lot of characters contribute in the fight against Pain, even Konohamaru who is just a kid manages to defeat one of the paths of Pain, while Sakura is again shown crying and screaming for Naruto. What was that about saving Naruto and Sasuke? If she’s so strong as she acts like she is she could have at least tried to buy some time for Naruto instead of crying like a total whimp.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
There’s also a constant pattern of Sakura trying to demonstrate her "powers" or "strategy" and failing. This happened again in the start of the Five kage Summit arc when she tried to fight with the Kumo warriors, got immediately facekicked to the ground and had to be rescued by Naruto yet again. And this is not even the worst. In the same arc she attempts to take down Sasuke by herself, drugging her teammates so they can’t help her, and ends up failing when Sasuke figures out what she’s trying to do and she needs to be saved first by Kakashi and then by Naruto. As always, she aims too high and falls flat on her face. She ends the arc moping how she can’t do anything except to trust Naruto. Of course, Kishimoto doesn’t forgot to mention that Sasuke is resistant to poison, so Sakura’s attempt of killing him whether she succeeded stabbing him or not would have been futile either way. Again, she is failing to come even close to her own goals she set for herself. She is once again a liability that needs saving. And so the audience is frustrated and annoyed with her character. They are thinking, why is this girl who is constantly bragging about her skills constantly making a fool out of herself, crying pathetically and needing to be rescued? Well, that would be because she is supposed to be a person who is completely misguided about her own skills.
In the war arc, Sakura isn’t any better. The war arc only amplifies what we already have seen and know. That Kishimoto uses subversion to show Sakura’s character as overall irrelevant, and to show she’s all talk. In part 1, Sakura is said to be smart and she boasts about her skills yet she can’t do anything in an actual fight, but has to be saved by multiple characters, including Naruto, whom she considered inferior to herself. This of course made people annoyed with her character. When part 2 started, other characters were again commenting on her potential and how she had supposedly grown. So many people got hopeful that she had actually grown a lot and changed. And yet, as I have pointed out, she tried to show off many times and failed miserably. Which made people even more frustrated with her. Because they had gotten their hopes up. The Five Kage Summit arc was definitely the ultimate breaking point. After Sakura’s ridiculous attempt to manipulate Naruto, her drugging her teammates while leaving them defenseless on the ground and her trying to take down Sasuke and failing, she was certified as the fandom’s laughing stock. But some of her stans still remained, and thought she would redeem herself. Somehow.
Tumblr media
Then comes the 4th shinobi war. Sakura has mostly been in the background healing people, but when Sasuke shows up, she is suddenly motivated to show off for real. She even gets pissed when Naruto is about to go with Sasuke and suggests to her that she could take a break. Sakura insists she is also part of team 7 and that she surely can keep up with the two of them. We have a panel hyping up Team 7. Then Sakura gets a moment to make a big punch after which she boasts and thinks she’s better than Tsunade, insulting the latter in the process. But she’s not paying attention to her surroundings and needs to be saved by the boys, after which she starts to boast how she will steal the Hokage seat from Naruto and how now they will all fight together with their backs to each other. She then reaffirms herself that she has finally caught up to Naruto and Sasuke. This level of arrogance needs to be backed up, otherwise the audience will get annoyed. And it did annoy a big portion of the fandom, considering they had seen for the past 600 chapters or so Sakura talking about how she wants to be on par with Naruto and Sasuke, how she won’t be a liability anymore and it all leading to nothing except disappointment after disappointment. Sakura’s confidence and ego are greatly disproportionate for someone of her capabilities, which a big part of the audience notices, whether consciously or subconsciously. And this is of course intentional.
Tumblr media
She is left on the sidelines again when Naruto and Sasuke are too busy being ”the main act” and fighting perfectly in sync. Sakura has to ask Hinata what is even happening with the two of them. Sakura keeps healing people, but eventually Naruto’s chakra starts to help her with the healing.
Tumblr media
Then we get to one of the most infamous moments with Sakura, that resembles another infamous moment in the Five kage summit arc, when she tried to take down Sasuke with a poisoned kunai. In this moment Obito is asking Sakura to stab his rinnegan eye with a kunai. In both moments, she can’t come up with a resolve to use her kunai but just trembles centimeters away from her target. Taking her time shaking she then gets attacked by her opponent, and ends up being saved. In both cases, she wastes her chance because she’s a total whimp who has no resolve to do what she pretends she can do. And thus, the audience is annoyed once again. And the people who always knew what she was like make fun of her.
Tumblr media
But Kishimoto won’t stop there. In the very same chapter, when Sakura is trying to heal Kakashi, Naruto takes over and not only heals him but also gives him a brand new eye, something Sakura of course isn’t able to do. Healing was the only thing she could do and even that was taken from her! So much for her being a relevant member of Team 7 who is on par with Naruto and Sasuke.
Kakashi then starts reminiscing about Team 7, and it ends with him reminding the three about his first lesson, which was team work being the key to success. So what happens?
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Sakura begans to once again nurse her own insecurities and tries to show off to satisfy her own ego by charging at Madara and telling the boys to follow her. She has no idea of Madara’s strengths and weaknesses and what would you know, her punch is stopped and she gets stabbed in the chest and is once again rescued by Naruto. And what does she do? Mopes that Sasuke doesn’t pay attention to her nor seems to care. She cares more about showing off to Sasuke than defeating Madara, even when this is about a threat to the whole world. What a great shinobi. It’s a callback to part 1 when she moped over the fact Sasuke didn’t care about her climbing the tree. Just like with her shaking with the kunai, it’s just another moment that shows she never truly changes. Not in ways that matter.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
And then we see Naruto and Sasuke actually fight Madara, and Sakura literally just stands there in awe of them. She’s shook by Madara’s power which she obviously had no clue about. Of course Sakura still tries to go after the boys but Kakashi stops her and says it’s pointless to do so unless she has a plan. And she stops, and stares at Naruto and Sasuke’s backs as they disappear. Hah. She once again, has failed to achieve the goal she sets for herself. Kishimoto hyped up team 7 yet constantly showed Sakura failing and being left behind, despite how much she claimed she could keep up with the two of them. The way Kishimoto writes her, by making Sakura herself or others hype her, and then showing she’s actually lame is very consistent and relentless.
Taking into consideration that she’s a main character, and all the times that she’s promised major improvement, what we received was just pathetic. When you add it to the fact that she’s a member of such an over-achieving team, it makes her look pitiful in comparison. But it’s supposed to be. Don’t even think this is unintentional from Kishimoto. Sakura was supposed to be someone who never changes.
SAKURA’S PERSONALITY AND HER RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS
Now a little more on Sakura’s personality and the way she interacts with others which is definitely one of the reasons why many people hate her.
Tumblr media
In the beginning, she is introduced as a shallow girl who is focused on her looks and getting the attention of the popular boy in the class, rather than being a good shinobi. She gets called out on her vanity by not only Sasuke but also by her enemies. She is pretty quick to give up on the bell test which annoys Sasuke. One wonders why is she even a shinobi when her resolve is so weak. She beats and berates Naruto and is only able to treat him better by mimicking Sasuke. Despite Kakashi’s comments on all of them maturing Sakura hasn’t changed at all at the start of the Chunin exam arc but she keeps asking Sasuke on dates instead of training and also squeals for him like a fangirl. She mopes that she’s not good enough for the Chunin exam and only gets motivated when Sasuke compliments her. This type of shallow and weak characterization made many people instantly dislike her.
Tumblr media
In the chunin exams we also find out she broke her friendship with Ino after she found out Ino liked Sasuke as well. This is something that gave more background to her character but at the same time made people dislike her even more, since Ino is someone who reached out to Sakura and helped her build her self-esteem yet Sakura simply dumped her and started a catty rivalry over Sasuke. In Part 2, they only interact once, and during that moment Sakura wants Sai to call Ino ugly. You can’t really call it a beautiful friendship when Sakura is constantly shown as catty and the only person who does anything for the other is Ino. It’s Ino who reaches out to Sakura. It’s Ino who comes to her rescue in the Forest of Death. It’s Ino who compliments her after their match. What has Sakura done for Ino other than wanting her to be called ugly and teaching her kid to keep Ino away from Sasuke?
Tumblr media
During Sakura and Ino’s match, Kakashi says Sakura isn’t the type to brag and bully others, even when we have seen her do both constantly. Already in the Land of Waves she bragged how she doesn’t need to train despite not being able to do anything in a fight. She also constantly berates Naruto and acts superior to him, aside from punching him all the time over nothing. Sakura having a bloated sense of superiority and tendency to brag about her skills is a consistent character trait of hers. But she never manages to truly back up her arrogant attitude but comes off as weak and overall irrelevant, which is yet another thing that makes her an unlikeable character in the eyes of the audience. In the war she also insults Tsunade, the one who taught her, while boasting how she is better than her like she’s some badass when she is far from it. When has she created her own jutsu or made anything revolutionary? During the same chapter she also brags how she’s gonna steal the Hokage seat from Naruto. Yes Naruto, the guy who keeps saving her useless ass all the time.
Tumblr media
Speaking of Kakashi, he is a character that Kishimoto used in his writing as someone who treats Sakura with kid gloves and coddles her. This is one reason why some people defend her character, and why some people ship the two of them. If you’re a Sakura stan, it must feel validating when some character constantly defends your fave’s stupid behavior. But Kakashi is someone who not only admits to not understand Sasuke, but also someone who clearly doesn’t understand Sakura, as we see from the earlier image how Sakura’s behavior contradicts with Kakashi’s claims since the beginning. Basically, if you need to know how Sakura really is like, just flip what Kakashi says about her and you’ll know. Since Sakura is part of the main team, Kishimoto needed some character to defend her behavior so she wouldn’t be confronted about it too much. But smart readers aren’t fooled. It’s also worth noting that Kakashi tells Sasuke Sakura still loves him despite the fact Sasuke tried to kill her, while conveniently omitting the fact Sakura went there to kill Sasuke herself. This makes Kakashi look hypocritical but Kishimoto needed some character to do this because of Boruto, and it’s not like he was gonna use Naruto, the one he himself called Sasuke’s ally.
Tumblr media
Then we have Sakura’s hypocritical behavior, that Kishimoto also consistently portrayed. During Sakura and Ino’s match, Sakura says Ino is a girl who is focused only on her looks and that she wouldn’t want to be on the same level with her, despite the fact Sakura herself was shown brushing her hair in the Forest of Death and getting dragged for her vanity. She also got upset and hit Naruto when he tried to pee in front of her, saying she’s a lady, yet thought to herself how she would like to see Sasuke pee in front of her. When trying to plead to Sasuke to not go, Sakura says revenge won’t bring anyone happiness, but when it doesn’t work she flips completely on what she said and asks Sasuke to take her with him so she can help him. Even if she acts like she cares about Sasuke’s well-being, what she really cares about are her own feelings. Sasuke unsurprisingly finds this annoying as do many readers. Sakura makes fun of Naruto and insults him, yet gets enraged when Sai calls her names and she proceeds to hit both him and Naruto. She also gets mad at Konohamaru and Naruto for their sexy no jutsus, yet when Konohamaru showed her hot boys naked, one of them being Sasuke, she went all gaga over it.
Tumblr media
Sakura is also introduced as a bully who beats Naruto up and mocks him in front of Sasuke who then proceeds to call her out on her terrible behavior. In this chapter, Kishimoto made Sakura call Naruto ”annoying” and then made Sasuke throw her own insult back at her when Sakura mocked Naruto, by calling her annoying. Something that is worth noting is that while Sakura also reacted to Lee badly at first, after he saved her she didn’t do anything bad to him anymore. Yet while she later realizes she was wrong about Naruto’s resolve, and that he cheers for her when she needs it, and that he saved her countless times, she keeps beating him up over nothing and berating him. She still keeps calling him stupid and acting like she knows better. This is why whenever she cries for him, it’s hard to feel any liking to her, because she comes off as more like a poser who will surely soon bash his head in if he dares to behave like himself, or drop him for the sake of Sasuke. Her treatment of Naruto is unreasonably bad at times, but it’s easily explained. In the beginning we find out Sakura dislikes Naruto because she thinks he comes between her and Sasuke. And we see many instances where this notion is amplified by the text. But Sakura is too delusional to understand the reason there is distance between her and Sasuke is simply because Sasuke isn’t interested in her, she’s too shallow and juvenile for him to pay attention to.
Her fake confessing to Naruto and trying to manipulate him made a lot of people lose all respect for her. She also showed she knew so little of Naruto she accidentally managed to tap into all of his insecurities in her confession. She also somehow believed Naruto was really chasing Sasuke for her sake and that he would give up if she offered herself to him.
Her second confession to Sasuke is also very telling of her jealousy of Naruto and Sasuke’s bond. She yells how she can’t exchange blows with Sasuke, how she can’t get close to him, how the only thing she can do is cry and beg. Considering how Naruto is the one who is about to exhange blows with Sasuke yet again, and how Sasuke after their fight talks about how Naruto kept coming closer to him, Sakura is clearly thinking of Naruto when she is having this meltdown. Sakura was shown to be jealous of Naruto’s improvement and skills in Part 1, but she is also jealous of Sasuke’s care and love for Naruto, which she wants for herself and thinks she is entitled to. Even at the start, Kishimoto said Sakura thinks Naruto stole Sasuke’s first kiss which she thought belonged to her. It’s no different at the end of the series. Her outburst is her fighting for what she thinks is rightfully hers, Sasuke, despite the fact he has given no indication that he loves her. But this makes sense. Afterall, we see Sarada come between Ino and Sasuke while Sakura laughs nervously in the background. Despite everything Ino has done for Sakura’s sake, she still sees her as a threat, to the point her own kid is doing the dirty work for her.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Let’s talk more about Sakura’s relationship, or lack there of, with Sasuke. We know Sakura was portrayed like any other fangirl of Sasuke in the beginning, who liked his looks and how cool he was. She never tried to approach Sasuke as a friend but only kept asking him on dates despite his blatant rejections. She never says why she loves him, or even likes him. According to herself Sasuke never says anything to her. Her first confession showed how little she understood Sasuke. She was the girl with everything, with family, while Sasuke and Naruto had nothing. Yet she had the nerve to say if Sasuke left she would be just as lonely as he was. She’s comparing the massacre of Sasuke’s family to a boy she never talks to leaving her, while disrespecting her own parents in the process. How juvenile that must have sounded like to someone like Sasuke. In Part 1 Sasuke occassionally protects Sakura because she’s too weak to protect herself, and in part 2 Sakura probably wanted to entertain the thought Sasuke would still have this consideration for her. But in Part 2 Sasuke treats Sakura like a fodder ninja. She doesn’t manage to get a proper reaction out of Sasuke who focuses on Naruto everytime he meets up with his former team. Sasuke also leaves Sakura to die couple times while choosing to save Naruto instead. Despite all this, Sakura still thought she’s entitled to Sasuke, and in her second confession she started to yet again scream how much she loves Sasuke and how much she hurts due to it. In both of her confessions she is guilt tripping Sasuke and trying to make him pity her. In both of her confessions she makes everything about herself. She admits to herself she can’t do anything for Sasuke, yet she tries to win him over by pity. But she annoys Sasuke once again, and he puts her in a murder genjutsu. Sasuke then says they have no reason to love each other. And he’s right. What does Sakura know about Sasuke? Clearly nothing, considering she said the worst things she could have said during both of her confessions. She heard Sasuke talk about wanting change, yet she started to scream how if Sasuke stays with her, things can go back to how they were. It’s like the most basic things she doesn’t understand. She’s just an overemotional child who has nothing of worth to say. Kakashi who coddles her tries to talk to Sasuke on her behalf as well, insisting Sakura suffers for loving him. Sasuke then thinks of his family and says perhaps those are ties to a failed past. As in Sakura literally lives in the past. And she does. Despite the fact everything has changed, she thinks about the moment when Sasuke thanked her, and ignores him calling her annoying for her ignorant comments, or the fact someone who wants change obviously doesn’t want to go back to the way things were. This brutal rejection though still won’t slow Sakura down, but after Sasuke is leaving to his atonement trip Sakura blushes like a school girl and asks to come with him. After him mocking her and putting her in a genjutsu, this is what she does.
And Kishimoto still won’t stop there. After all of Sakura’s boasting that ended in failure, after the brutal genjutsu and her being made mostly irrelevant, we see her destroy her own house because her kid asked about her marriage with Sasuke and she got insecure. I have to ask how do some people not realize Kishimoto despises Sakura and writes her as a terrible person? She is a bad daughter who doesn’t understand how lucky she is but is ready to ditch her parents for an indifferent boy’s sake. She is a bad student who disrespects Tsunade for no reason. She is a bad friend who treats Ino and Naruto badly out of insecurity. She is a bad person who treats the target of her crush like an object instead of a person. She is a bad shinobi as well who is most of the time a liability. And she is a bad mother as well. When she’s insisting to Sarada that Sasuke cares about them, she’s sweating and looking nervous, she’s clearly not confident in what she says. Kishimoto also drops two implications that Sasuke never kissed Sakura. Because that is apparently important for us to know. Sakura then tries to insist a forehead poke is better than a kiss. Yet when Sasuke is leaving, she is waiting for a kiss and not a poke. And she is rejected, and looks like a wet rag just like everytime Sasuke rejected her before ever since she was a kid. It’s hard to think of a female character that is more pathetic than her.
And yet, we have SS insisting Sasuke surely knew Sakura could take care of herself, that’s why he left her to die and saved Naruto instead, who didn’t need saving. Surely Sasuke thinks about Sakura as an individual and not just a member of team 7. Despite the fact we have never seen Sasuke think about Sakura outside of team 7 context nor say anything about what he likes and admires about Sakura. Surely Sakura is the most important person to Sasuke, that’s why Kishi wrote Sasuke say to Hagoromo, to Naruto and to himself that Naruto is the only one he still cares about. That’s why Kishimoto wrote Sasuke say Naruto is the only one who never gave up on him. That’s why he wrote Sasuke say Naruto alone saved him. Despite the fact Sakura wanted to be part of saving Sasuke with Naruto, Kishimoto would never let her. Because he doesn’t like her, or SS.
As a final note, a lot of the manga revolved around the importance of family and bonds, yet Sakura, the girl who had parents unlike the rest of her team, is shown to disrespect them everytime she brings them up. And she’s never redeemed on this. This is also intentional from Kishimoto, of course. Sakura is too selfish, too ungrateful and shallow to understand what she has. She’d rather chase a guy who keeps rejecting her like he’s some trophy she owns, all the while trivializing his pain over the loss of his family, by acting like she understands. And she’s ready to throw away her parents, her friends, and her dignity for the sake of this guy who was never interested in her. What’s worst is she had many opportunities to change and mature, yet she choose not to. And thus she remained the same self centred, superficial person she always was.
Actually this is the final note: @sneezemonster15 is a co-creator of this post. She has also talked about Sakura on her blog, for example that war arc part here. Another example is here (but you can just generally go through her anti-sakura tag). But I wanted all this on one big text since certain people are very stubborn about us “picking” supposedly minor things to bash Sakura for when this is throughout the whole manga. And since tumblr doesn’t let her add more than 10 images to a post for some reason I decided to write this down.
475 notes · View notes
Text
Yumichika Ayasegawa (Bleach)- Oneshot
Tumblr media
You weren't certain how it happened.
Truly.
Ichigo warned you that he had some crazy friends. Usually you just pretended that they weren't there. With two jobs, you really didn't have the energy to be worrying about crazies in old fashioned robes.
That's why you tried your best to get rid of him. But he just kept coming back.
Like a parasite.
"If you'd like I can give you some tips. Your hair is a mess."
An irk mark appeared on your forehead at the few of many insults that this annoying reaper had directed at you.
"IF I'M SUCH A MESS YOU COULD JUST STOP COMING YOU CRAZY REAPER!!"
Screaming in the middle of the street at a man only you could see probably wasn't doing you any favors. You huff, storming off.
"I'm just trying to help."
He jumped down from his once elevated position, landing right beside you as he walked in step.
"Why are you here anyway? Aren't you reapers supposed to be guards or something? You're pretty casual for someone on a mission." You grumble.
"Things have quieted down since the war. Our head captain just wants to make sure it stays that way."
You nod.
The war.
It's crazy how casual they always speak about those things. While you could see spirits, your fighting ability wasn't anything to brag about. Surely not to be of any use in a war. A part of you felt it. When the war started. You hadn't seen Yumichika or Ikkaku for a while. When they finally popped up to freeload in your home, you acted pissed, but truthfully you were relieved. Because you knew lives were lost.
"Is it scary, fighting all the time?"
That question was presented a bit quietly and Yumichika glanced at you. He could see your hesitance to even propose the question. Sometimes he needed to remind himself that you weren't a fighter like them.
"War is war. Fear is just a reaction to the unknown. I'm not sure if there's a word I can use to truly describe it."
The very serious response was not what you expected.
"However beautiful beings like me don't have to worry about such things."
He then persisted to pose in which you just walked away.
"Hey wait up!!"
Yep, that's how a lot of your encounters went. As agitating as he was at times, you enjoyed his company. You also appreciated him checking in on you every now and then.
"Geez, I'm exhausted."
You dropped onto the couch, not even kicking off your shoes. Yumichika smiled.
"Did you overdo it today? Your wrinkles seem more visible than usual."
"Don't make me end you."
Yumichika laughed nervously at the threat, and you just sighed, lifting your hand as you stared at it.
"Things like beauty, it isn't made for people like me. Just the thought of all that cutesy stuff is exhausting."
Although you say that, you haven't completely banished the prospect of dressing up and going on dates. It was just hard. Most guys wanted a girl to dress up and act a certain way. You did like dressing up every once in a while, but you couldn't see yourself changing your entire wardrobe just to appeal to a guy. You liked baggy clothes and cool sneakers.
Yumichika's eyes are trained on your form.
"Is there a human that you're interested in that you would be willing to do that for?"
You fully expect him to be wearing some kind of mocking expression or follow that up with another poke at your attire, but when you move your hand, that's not what you read at all. Your cheeks tint red at how intensely he's looking at you. It's not often that he's stoic.
You jump upright, bashful.
"What the hell are you talking about! A-As if I would be!"
You don't know why you're getting so defensive. It's not like he accused you of anything. You rise, heading for the kitchen.
"I-I'm going to make food!!"
Marching off stiffly, Yumichika watches you with a small smile.
He'll admit that your meeting wasn't exactly under the best circumstances.
He'd been in Karakura to help up with the increase of hollow activity. 
Back when Aizen was still gathering his army. Ikkaku and Matsumoto had taken one section and he'd planned to cover the next.
"Yumichika!"
Ichigo's call pulled his focus and he was stunned to see Ichigo carrying a woman in his arms.
"She's hurt, I need you to get her back to Urahara-san."
Yumichika didn't need much more instruction. From the worried look, this was clearly someone Ichigo knew. He handed you over, but your hand gripped Ichigo's robes and they both froze.
"I-Ichigo.."
For a moment they both took notice of the fear in your eyes. Ichigo offered the best smile he could muster.
"I'll be fine."
You were hesitant, but you finally released him. He gave one last reassuring look before he disappeared. Yumichika didn't waste any time. He took off himself, glancing down to ensure you were still conscious. Your eyes seemed distant. Your body was covered in bruises. What he could assume was a hollow attack.
"Please..promise me that you'll look after Ichigo. H-He's all I have left.."
Your words were solemn, and Yumichika was the last one to make such a promise. But watching you so helpless, it did something to him.
"I have his back."
At the time, that seemed like the right thing.
It helped you.
When Yumichika got closer to you, it was mostly as a source of entertainment. You were around all the time it seemed and you always had the best reactions whenever he flaunted his beauty. The more he saw you, the more he felt protective. The frequent trips to Karakura were welcomed whenever they had a mission. He was able to do his job and see you. The longer he was around, the more he learned.
Like your relationship with Ichigo.
What he initially assumed as romantic love was just a brotherly bond you'd formed when he saved you from a river as a kid. 
A detail he felt comforted that you openly told him.
"How come you always drop by just to piss me off."
You looked angry, and Yumichika had to admit it was cute. He'd never tell you, but sometimes he just loved to jab to get a reaction.
"I was merely saying you may never get to my standard of beauty, but you're still exceptional in your own way."
"Why does that sound like a compliment and an insult all wrapped in one!!" You fire back.
Yumichika laughed from his position on the roof and you just folded your arms, turning your head in the opposite direction. Nights like this were nice to just sit and watch the stars.
Considering that Yumichika could literally fly, you knew such a view wasn't anything extraordinary to him. It was still nice that he decided to entertain you.
"If I'm so beneath your level then why waste your time."
It was just an angry little ramble, but Yumichika turned. He could tell that you weren't truly upset. But he realized then that you may not actually know how he sees you.
"If I really thought you weren't worth my time I wouldn't even look at you."
The statement makes you turn, and you swallow. Because he's wearing that expression again. Soft and a bit paralyzing in a fluffy sort of way.
"I've made it a rule of mine never to look upon ugly things. What I see before me is quite beautiful."
Your eyes widen at those words. The heat crawls up your cheeks before you can stop it.
"Y-You're just messing with me again!" You point at him accusingly.
He smiles, and it does something to you. When he moves closer, he takes hold of your hand, and it lowers slowly into your lap. 
You're in awe.
"Not so feisty anymore, are you?"
The confident smile on his face is disarming. Especially with the lack of space. You clench your hand into your lap.
"W-What are you doing Yumichika.."
It's almost a whisper. It's when his hand cups your cheek that you feel your heart hammer.
"I thought I was clear, I'm claiming something very beautiful."
His lips descend on your own and you clench your eyes shut. You can't believe you let someone like Yumichika mess with you. Much less kiss you. Although you can't deny that it feels really good. His lips feel so soft, and you've never realized just how good he smells. You feel his hand shift from your lap, sliding over your waist as he pulls you closer. Your blush darkens and he deepens the kiss. At this point you're just barely able to think, much less do much but reciprocate shyly. When his tongue brushes against our own, you pull away with a gasp, covering your lips.
Yumichika licks his own lips.
"W-What was that!"
"That was a kiss, would you like another?"
"N-No you sneaky pervert!!"
In all honesty, you're not sure your brain will be able to function properly if he kisses you again. Your protests are merely to save face. 
This is embarrassing to say the least.
You don't expect it when he picks you up. Letting out a soft squeak, you grip at his robes.
"What the heck are you doing!!"
"I already told you."
He says nothing more, just flash steps into the house.
"W-Wait I'm not prepared!! K-KYA!!!"
It looks like you never had anything to worry about.
22 notes · View notes
pjshermann · 19 days
Note
Why does Lucien's daughter hate Jude? When they meet, I think it is at the hospital, she says something like "Look who it is, Daddy's pet" and Jude is embarrassed. The other daughter tells her off and is friendly toward Jude. Did Lucien over praise Jude? Brag of him during family dinners because Lucien was Jude’s workplace law mentor/boss ? Jude is, of course, disabled and did this make Lucien over protective? Lucien's narky daughter has attended rehab and isn't a lawyer like her sister, so perhaps she sees Jude as some kind of family interloper, a cuckoo, the 'son' her dad wanted (and Harold feels a ping of jealousy when Lucien visits Jude in Greene Street after Caleb's attack). Using the word 'pet' too in a negative way feels like she is mocking Jude and giving him a low status. Just thinking of this brief scene.
I was very confused by this passage as well, especially since it just felt like it came out of nowhere. But I think you’ve answered your own question already haha there are certainly two scenarios for why Portia hated Jude in this scene
We all know Lucien and Jude had a very close relationship that went beyond just a simple boss-employee or mentor-employee bond.
Lucien was always the one to tell Jude how proud he was or how significant his case winnings were. He was the one who recognized Jude’s extraordinary abilities and recruited him to Rosen Pritchard. He was always telling Jude to take care of himself, to go eat or sleep after a long day of work. Lucien came to visit Jude after Caleb nearly killed him, and Lucien often visited him in the hospital after his suicide attempt. He called multiple times just to talk to him, just to chat. He cared for Jude’s health a lot, but he never treated Jude like a child or as someone to be babied. He recognized Jude’s want to prove himself capable and to be treated as an adult and respected that as much as he could.
But even as much as he respected Jude’s independence, he still took on a very parental role towards him. Before Jude begins dating Caleb, he’s one of the people who pester him about being single. He even says to Jude “I just think that I’d like to see you settled down with someone.” which is very similar to Harold’s own words of “We’d like to see you with someone.” Now that’s sort of abnormal for a boss to care about, isn’t it? But Lucien and Jude were close, and Lucien saw Jude as a responsibility of his, possibly even saw him as a son. Lucien’s admiration and care for Jude was so obvious that Harold even noticed and felt a little jealous that someone else had taken on such a parental role towards Jude.
So yes, one possible reason for her attitude towards him is Portia is jealous of Jude, or jealous of her father’s relationship with Jude/how much her father admired him. She could even see Jude as being an intruder of sorts, poking in on what is meant to be a family affair when he isn’t family.
But I also think that perhaps Portia was just feeling upset that day. After all, her father is in the hospital after suffering a debilitating stroke. Not to mention her own life doesn’t seem to be going well, seeing as she’s constantly going in and out of rehab. Jude mentions that he’s met Lucien’s daughters before, and even the younger one obviously recognized him enough to call him by name and express her condolences for Willem. He is surprised when Portia looks at him with hatred, which could possibly indicate that she’s never held animosity towards him before, at least not outwardly. She might’ve just been snappy that day and found a target to take her anger out on. Maybe her words were what she actually feels towards Jude, maybe she just wanted to be snarky. We just don’t know enough about her character to make a certain conclusion.
This ask reminds me of how I was thinking just the other day about how much I love the background characters of A Little Life, the ones who show up for just a split second or so. Shout out to Felix i love u and your punk rock band ! Shout out to Judge Sullivan for being a fat fuck !
23 notes · View notes
waterfallofspace · 8 months
Text
~Ask List~
Let's Drop The Stigma And Talk About It
A little list of questions/asks that people may be wondering, but aren't sure if it's appropriate to ask. Or that creators worry would be 'bragging' or 'complaining' by talking about. Let's throw out those thoughts, and just talk about it~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1) What's one piece of feedback you would give someone starting out? (writing, drawing, wav making, etc~)
2) What’s one piece of advice you see often that you don’t find works for you/helpful?
3) What’s one thing you wish you knew when you started making content?
4) What piece of work are you proudest of? Why are you proud of it?
5) What piece of work are you not proud of? Is there anything you could do to change your feelings on it?
6) What’s a part of sharing your work that you really enjoy?
7) What’s a struggle you face with sharing your work?
8) What feedback do you most enjoy receiving?
9) What feedback, if any, do you not enjoy receiving?
10) What feedback do you enjoy giving?
11) What feedback, if any, do you not enjoy giving?
12) Do you believe you deserve what you’ve gotten, or that it’s not been earned? Either way, why?
13) Which asks do you like getting the most?
14) Which asks do you wish you got more of?
15) Are there any asks you don’t like getting?
16) Do you find it easier, or harder, to get a lot of feedback on content?
17) What kind of requests, if any, do you enjoy getting?
18) What kind of requests, if any, do you wish you got more of?
19) What kind of requests, if any, do you not enjoy getting?
20) Free Square: Tell Us Anything~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
58 notes · View notes
single-malt-scotch · 11 months
Text
Bdubs' typing style
saw a post that i felt did Not describe bdubs' typing habits correctly at all so i needed to make a post about it.
OLD typing style (like 2011 early years) bdubs kinda sucked at typing and grammar lol. He was a slow typer and spelled stuff wrong a lot (mostly big words. he would often voice how he didnt know how to spell sometimes as he did it. and then he'd spell it wrong lol). would type abbreviations too like bbl, brb, lol, np, etc. Sometimes he would type ones like "lol" in all caps. He would also shorten some words/spell them an alternate way like "gunna" instead of "gonna" or "lil" instead of "little"
He didn't really use emotes too much other than a basic :) or ;) usually. you could maybe throw in a :P or :D if you wanted but i mostly see the former.
He would not use other punctuation like apostrophes much if at all, sometimes use commas where needed, and not capitalize his sentences. would use periods if typing more than one sentence in the same message, and using question marks where needed, and sometimes exclamation marks if he felt the need (sometimes more than one if hes "mad"). he'd even use "..." in his sentences (usually without a space between words).
examples from mindcrack
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
NEW typing style- Bdubs is technically better at typing (lol). One of the issues with new videos though in order to find chat messages is that people often cut out any kind of chatting in edited videos. But i will describe what i can based off what we do see- (its not much different tbh)
A bit faster of a typer now but if you watch him actually type in videos/streams, you'll see him get stuck sometimes as he tries to figure out his sentences. but he does spell things correctly now for the most part.
Interestingly I would sometimes see in old videos where id see him typing some sentences in a more ~proper~ manner. ex one being "i look forward to seeing such things as these" at guude when he said he was recording something. In hermitcraft charity stream last year he whispered to etho "of course! with our prefect prowess" (screenshot below). which is not at all his *usual* way of typing, its more exaggerated on purpose.
this is funny to me that i have noted it so long ago, and then we have a guy who seems very into settings that would lend that kind of speech (all his bwb kingdoms, the king arc with ren where its VERY apparently used). that said he doesnt do this much- dont go overboard on this one! i feel its mainly when bragging about himself, or a few times where he thinks it would be amusing- he can be pretty sarcastic sometimes (outside of the king arc roleplaying)
He still doesn't use emotes much (i cant think of many new videos where he does, but i dont have as much reference in these new videos. i would play it safe and stick to the simple ones mentioned above. While he still doesn't punctuate his sentences as much and still doesn't capitalize, I feel like he types a bit more how he talks? using exclamations more to finish his sentences, sometimes a "?!", maybe more than one exclamation even- and usually when sounding "mad" in chat he will use all caps. sometimes a multiple !! or ??
from hermitcraft streams
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
sooo i hope that gives a good idea.
77 notes · View notes
littlewomenpodcast · 1 month
Note
I saw your answer to @fandomsarefamily1966's question whether Meg is "vain" or not, and it made me wonder. Do you think Alcott shows some internalized misogyny in portraying Meg's desire for pretty clothes and status as "vanity"? Do you think subconsciously at least, Alcott was being anti-femininity and judged Meg more harshly than she deserved?
That is a good question. I have never seen Meg as a vain character, I always thought that the "Vanity Fair" chapter name, was intented as criticism for the Sally Moffat's and the likes, and I love that Meg is having inner conflicts.
There is a part of her who enjoys being pampered, but she also feels (and knows) that these girls are not real friends, they speak gossip about her, they make fun of her being poor and spread rumors about her and Laurie.
I have read quite a few times that Louisa May Alcott, enjoyed beautiful clothes, and when she had extra money she liked to buy new clothes and hats. It doesn't sound like a person, who is against having nice clothes and material things (in reason).
Also, Louisa loved to write about clothes. She is often describes the fabrics and laces (Rose in Bloom is another example where this happens).
I do think there is some unconscious criticism against femininity. It's almost like there is guilt for liking pretty clothes, when you have a reputation of someone who is "not like the other girls" type of tomboy.
In the "under the umbrella" chapter, it's almost sad, because Jo feels guilty for having romantic feeligns for Friedrich, she is afraid that people are going to laugh at her, when she is going back on her words of being above marriage and all kinds of romantic feelings.
Another thing that I believe is unconscious, is the religion. The transcendentalist believed to the idea of person constantly transcending and evolving as an individual. Thoreau has some criticism of men and women who were bragging with their clothes so much, they were being ridicilous. Louisa has some similar statements, when we see Jo mockering the way how much money Laurie spends on gloves. They believed that person's value should not only be based on their wealth or how much money they have, but on their actions and how they treat others. This is an idea that we can find already from early Christianity and especially from Protestant Germany, which is where transcendentalism originates. This is also why in Little Women poor characters such as Fritz and the Hummels are portrayed in a good light. They maybe poor but there is richness of the heart.
Having money is not directly seen as a bad thing, but bragging with money is condemned in the Alcott's world. Even when Louisa herself became rich, she continued to be critical of other rich people who bragged with their money or were "vain". In London she saw Charles Dickens, her former idol, but she was dissappointed, how dandy he was.
13 notes · View notes
bluexiao · 2 years
Note
requesting for single dad hcs?? maybe with diluc, zhongli or childe??
fluff, crack
—i assume that the reader is like their significant other right nonnie? so yep this is not child!reader okay
—also, side note that their child is gonna be a daughter, it’s not mentioned if she’s biological or not.
Tumblr media
CHILDE
Spoils his kid so much that the kid is probably pretty haughty and confident sometimes, much like her father. Also, where did those punches and kicks come from? Did she learn it from her father too? Either way, she is pretty tough and strong for a kid.
He is quite annoying, honestly, but adorable at the same time.
He’d proudly boast about his daughter very much to the point that his subordinates would be so used and numb to all of it.
“As expected, sir Harbinger,” “She is truly your daughter, my lord,” will be their automatic responses, echoing each other with praises for the child. In all honesty though, most of them are rather merely showing their loyalty and fear to the Harbinger. Nonetheless, it would not be a lie to say that his daughter really is almost, if not as, skilled as her father.
It would actually not be a surprise if she would act spoiled and confident, as she is respected all the same. And as much as CHILDE would hate to expose her to the Fatui, it is not possible as she refuses to be left at CHILDE’s own home back at Snezhnaya and would like to travel with her father a couple of times.
Although he does try to hide her a couple of times too, and only a few Fatui Harbingers actually know he has a daughter. It would be dangerous, after all. So probably only a few of his trusted subordinates would know as he has to have someone protect his daughter when he is not there. He probably even assigned someone—one of his Fatui subordinates—to babysit her especially in the first few years.
His daughter is also the only one he lets defeat him. He’d give up easily if it meant he could see his daughter smile in victory. And besides, it’s not like it’s his loss, he wins the moment she smiles, even if she does try to brag to everybody that she just won against him.
You? Well when you come in the picture, the two; father and daughter would probably compete against each other for your attention, I swear. Caught you kissing CHILDE on the cheeks? Ah! You should give her too! On both her cheeks! Saying “I love you” to her father? Tell her you love her more!
Now, he finds it difficult to compete with his daughter for you, but at least you two were getting along, and that’s all that matters. (Admittedly though, it hurts his pride whenever he sees his daughter win when it comes to you, but well he loves both of you)
DILUC
Is very vERY protective of his daughter. Would probably never let her join him at his work nor at his batman duties and insist she stays at home.
As she is the only child, the kid often gets lonely… but at least there are maids and her father’s subordinates around the mansion, and the place is quite big so she gets to play a lot!
Although it would not be a surprise if she suddenly becomes quite rebellious sometimes. She would sneak out once or twice a month to capture more crystalflies or just look around the area to explore. Spoiler: she never gets caught. Plus, the butler is totally on her side.
DILUC is also on the quieter side, so the child may have gotten that kind of personality as well, which meant that she probably did not mind her father being too quiet… but she still feels neglected whenever she tries to bond or talk with her father and he does not respond back with the same energy as her or the others who will do that for her.
As she is quite isolated inside the mansion and probably does not have any other kids besides her, she probably does not know what it means to have another parent as DILUC was the only one she has. The moment she does learn about this, however, she will be questioning her father about this and the man would have a hard time trying to explain to her that it will just be them this time.
Maybe because of this she became quite curious of the outside world even more. And maybe if you passed by the Dawn Winery just because it was a part of your path home and accidentally met his daughter all alone while she was in one of her rendezvous, she immediately took interest in you. It would no be long until she takes your time with all her questions about the outside world and soon inviting you to have dinner with her back at her house.
And let’s just say that it was how DILUC met you—and of course, how his daughter was reprianded because of this.
ZHONGLI
Is quite the doting father. Actually, not too lenient, not too strict, but is quite protective—not too much as well. He also does know how to communicate well, thus it became something that the child also had gotten used to.
His daughter is well spoken. Very, actually, that you yourself will be surprised and in awe that a child would be more well spoken than any children you know.
She is very respectful too, probably the type to intimidate someone with her words even if all she said were facts and lessons that her father used to tell her.
In the early years, he thought he would need a babysitter for her, but as he took notice, his daughter was very independent and behaved. To the point that he thought he could leave her for the meantime while he is working.
As a single father, he does have repercussions and hardships, as this is something he did not particularly have experience with. He is someone who relied on his experiences, as he had many, and observations.
He would probably read a lot of books about parenting, especially in the early years, but I swear he would still have those books as his daughter grows—teens are quite hard to raise, after all. They are prone to rebellious phases and acts, to which he could somehow see in his daughter, but he does know a lot about his daughter, and he’d know how to react with those phases, if she ever has one.
When it comes to you, it pleases him to know that his daughter was working it out with you as soon as she learns he wanted to date you. Actually, his daughter might even teach him how to court you because “Father is very dense sometimes,” “You should pay attention to how you treat them compared to others. They would not be feeling they are special if you treat them the same as you treat others, father.”
Sometimes, ZHONGLI does wonder how old his daughter’s soul is.
But anyway, she was making good points and in the end, it was thanks to his daughter that he got to know a few things he never thought about.
Tumblr media
Reblogs are very appreciated~
TAGLIST (fill the form to be added/removed) 
@softlybeloved @icecappa @sushiyay @scaraslover @beastielevi @rviden @thesatanofpizza @izayanna @stellumi @coco-goat-milk @nonniechan @m3gitsune @chuubear @kiyoobi @catisnerd @ventislatte @weakestpoint @pinkfeiry @aweebstuff @zhongchi14 @windwheel-aster @irethepotato @squiddaloo @scaramunch @cruxdou @favonius-captain @aqualesha @kazuhas-alphabet @astreankitsune @lordbugs @itsghostgirlyo @his-simp @meumorio @tkooooop @fiona782 @my-goldfish-is-not-gold @lisalanding @ezra0000 @extrakuli @kazu-topia @rayskyee @b1loop @kanattac @basicsofdying @windwheel-aster @serenenation @hadesgift @kazewhara @lilikags @solaaresque @yuremini @chichikoi @mooonluv @cloudysky0 @lunaeire @corlapisminer @hahakoharu @myrenbworks @brazilian-anon @k-a-z-u-h-a  @kaeyaheart​ @irethepotato @disa-ster @hoshikistarlette @itsactuallylina @astrothighology @sinhasfluffyheadfur @nejibot @myaaki @kaedelove @nejibot @sarahyumiko2 @kaerui-kaisen @loyal-to-my-dilf
678 notes · View notes
frozenjokes · 8 months
Text
Signing Back In, Apparently - 17
Prev/Next
Impulse didn’t like the Kestrels, and honestly, if (probably) Mumbo wasn’t in horrible danger right now, he’d be happy to watch him destroy the entire island, along with the rest of the place. Granted, Impulse didn’t know many of the other pirate factions very well, but if they were anything like the snobs playing pirate for sport, he wouldn’t feel differently. It wouldn’t be exactly untrue to say Impulse didn’t like pirates at all, however hypocritical. But he never really wanted to be a pirate. He never wanted to be a criminal making counterfeit coins before becoming one either, but he had bills to pay and sick friends that needed caring for. Friends that didn’t end up making it regardless.
He remembered Scar, ever charming, sidling up to his booth in the town square and admiring his weaponry for sale. It was a craft Impulse loved, but one that he couldn’t keep up with, not enough to put food on the table at least. Scar was a piece of work, so obviously a conman looking for a cheap deal Impulse had nearly turned him away, but the day was slow and he just so happened to be quite bored. Impulse had let him chatter away, complimenting his work and buttering him up with practiced charisma. Scar was good. He drew Impulse in, inviting more nuanced conversation than only small talk, and really listened to the answers Impulse gave to the questions he posed. It was a moment of human connection that was so rare , so special. The only shock was when Scar said goodbye, leaving without another word. He hadn’t even asked to buy anything. Just bizarre.
Skizz hadn’t been impressed. “People like that, they always want something, he’ll be back.” Well, he was right. Scar did come back a couple days later, supposedly to chat, and he was gone again as quick as he came. On his third visit, he had bet Impulse he could sell his most expensive item for a higher price, and Impulse had rolled his eyes saying if he managed he could keep the extra change. Well, Scar had done it within the hour, returning smugly with a small bag of coin.
“Now I won’t take a thing, seems like your guy back home needs it more,” Scar had said.
Impulse hadn’t even remembered telling him about Skizz. Maybe in passing mention, maybe that a friend was sick. Well, Impulse didn’t forget. He didn’t forget the medicine for fever dropped off at his booth the next day either, although Scar had denied it was him. Scar became a friend. He was dodgy about his past, but that wasn’t abnormal for a traveler as Scar often bragged about being. Scar liked to stop through at different towns, meet new people, have a good laugh; at least that’s what he said, but Impulse had no reason to doubt him besides that mischievous glint in his eyes. Eventually, Scar was his shoulder to cry on when Skizz passed. A support he desperately needed when his life came crumbling apart. It was then when Impulse found out what Scar wanted. He wanted him on his crew, his pirate crew, which currently had no members. He didn’t just want Impulse either, he wanted to find other people who needed a second chance at a new life, a life with no ties to a society that couldn’t support them.
Maybe that was just a long winded way of expressing that he hated it here. He hated that this was something fun , like some sort of adrenaline seeking venture. Well, if Impulse was being honest with himself, that’s what it had always been to Scar. At least before, Impulse thought there had been a kindness behind his intentions, a determination to bring other people together. Maybe at some point, that was the case. But he needed to refocus on the present now. Scar was leaving, leaving to find Mumbo and threatening the wholeness of the family they had built once again. Impulse couldn’t stop him the first time. This would be different. It had to be. Impulse only hoped Mumbo found catharsis in turning this place to dust in the meantime. If the monster on the Kestrel Island was Mumbo. He couldn’t shake the feeling that wasn’t quite right.
“Alright, Grian, we need a plan here.”
“Impulse, Scar and Mumbo are going to be dead by the time we-”
“If you get too riled up or act too recklessly, both of those things you are prone to doing, we’ll be in just as bad shape. That’s why I need you to get the ouija board. I will deal with Scar.”
“Wh- what? Impulse, I can’t just carry stuff around! Not even Pearl can do that! When we find her we can see if-”
“Grian, if Pearl knew Mumbo was in bad shape and was trying to help before this happened, she could be in trouble too. The fact that we haven’t seen her yet is… Pearl isn’t the most level headed ghost. The thing is, we don’t know what’s going on and I’ve never been able to interact with the real world like you can. Just, try your best. I’ll try to get Scar to his room, and if he sees that it’s disturbed, he might understand. Sooner or later he’s going to realize where his injuries are coming from, and he will need us.”
Grian’s expression was strangled at the mention of Pearl. “Do you think..? Could Mumbo have hurt her? Do you even think Scar will listen, even if he understands?” There was no challenge in his tone now, only deep worry. Impulse knew that look, the helpless feeling inside him that needed a positive affirmation. It was a comfort Impulse couldn’t give him.
“I don’t know, Grian. But we have to try. Let’s not waste time, we can both teleport to Scar, and then you can go ahead.”
Grian only nodded, concern for Pearl seeming to level out his panic for Mumbo. At least for now, he was stable. Impulse squeezed his hand, letting go before focusing on Scar’s location before leaving the restaurant. He was already on his boat, making the short trip back to the Kestrel Island. Gunshots, yelling, and loud crashing sounded across the water, and a cloud of dust was beginning to rise above the island. Scar was leaning over the wheel, a pained expression crossing his face as he sustained another injury. Cleo had bandages, working quietly to curb some of the bleeding. At least it wasn’t much, the blood on Scar’s shirt looking far more frightening, but Impulse couldn’t help but wonder how much longer Scar could take this. He looked away, deciding worrying too much wouldn’t be productive. Grian appeared beside him, hesitating before flying off to the tavern. Impulse took a deep breath. Time to get to work.
Impulse stood in front of the wheel, beginning his frantic pointing and miming ‘ No’ at the destruction. In this more sensitive state, Scar seemed more willing to pay attention, but he was no less standoffish.
“Yeah, I know it’s a bad idea, but I don’t plan on letting whatever’s over there see me, I’m not an idiot. You guys took care of Grian, are you just drawing this out to spite me? Hoping it kills me? Looks like it might be your lucky day,” Scar replied flatly, looking bored.
Impulse waved his hands defensively. He pointed at the silhouette of the creature as it came into view, drawing a line across his neck. Pointing back to Scar, he made the same gesture. “If it dies, you die,” he tried to enunciate clearly, but Scar had never bothered to practice reading lips.
“Uh huh, I know it wants to kill me,” Scar rolled his eyes. Impulse yelled into both of his hands.
“What are they saying?” Cleo perked up, looking in the entirely wrong direction.
“Just Impulse. Hell if I know. Anticipating me getting snapped up and killed, probably. That’s the usual.”
‘NO,’ Impulse attempted to make his miming very clear, but Scar only yawned.
“You don’t seem all too concerned, given your possibly imminent death.”
Scar shrugged. “It’s never bothered me. It’s not that I don’t care, just that.. I’m not really scared. Never have been. Consequences don’t mean anything to me until they happen, y’know? Get ready to dock, Cleo.” And just like that, with someone else to talk to, Scar was ignoring him again.
“Interesting. I can’t say I ‘do know,’ though, I think that’s just a you thing, bud.” Cleo grabbed the docking rope and Scar slowed the boat, ready to jump ship. Impulse tried multiple times to block his path, but Scar just walked straight through, mumbling about ghosts being pests. Honestly, Impulse wasn’t sure if he was talking about him, or the monster destroying his home. Either way, he didn’t seem too concerned, not even when Sausage came running in his direction.
“ Scar, do you know anything about this? Did you do this?” Sausage panted, his long hair in complete disarray. Both men flinched at the sound of another loud crash, followed by yelling. Sausage shook his head. “Some Kites jumped on the opportunity for battle, but we’ve barely slowed it down! You need to take care of this.”
“Okay, okay, I know this looks bad. I’ve been treating them well, Sausage, promise! They’ve had a grand ol’ time without me this week, and I was under the impression they were doing well!”
“So it is a ghost.”
“Well, to be determined. Given the two others are losing their minds, I would say it’s likely. I still need to take a look.”
“Draw your sword then. Let’s go.” There was something deeper in Sausage’s eye, in his tone, that Impulse couldn’t quite parse. Had Scar caught it too? One way or another, Impulse was starting to think Scar’s time at the Faction Isles was coming to an end, one way or another. He couldn’t help but feel relief, almost immediately flattened by the looming idea that one of those ways ended with the loss of (possibly) Mumbo or Pearl, and that outcome was looking more and more likely. Impulse was glad Grian wasn’t here. He was spurred back to reality as Cleo walked through him, taking her time while Scar and Sausage ran.
Scar stopped dead when he saw the monster, his mask dropping in a moment of realness Impulse rarely ever saw. Sausage yelled once he realized Scar had quit running, but Scar wasn’t listening, and Impulse took the opportunity to get in front of him again.
“That’s not Mumbo,” Scar spoke with such certainty, Impulse couldn’t help but trust his judgment. “That’s- wait, ” Scar squinted, stepping forward, “No, there's.. He’s there but.. Impulse. Where is Pearl?”
Impulse was so surprised at being directly addressed he hardly reacted, just staring dumbly with wide eyes.
“Have you seen Pearl? Yes or no? Is she here?”
Impulse shook his head, but then realizing the gesture was a bit vague, gave Scar a thumbs down.
“Ohhoh!” Scar laughed, his smile sliding back across his face, “Well then, that is not just Mumbo my friend. At this point, I see new ghost tricks every week, so I suppose ghost fusion wasn’t completely out of the question for me.” Scar kept walking now, keeping a brisk pace. Impulse didn’t know what to say. Sausage’s irritation was palpable, but Scar either didn’t notice or didn’t care, continuing to speak to Impulse. “No wonder! Come on, we both know Mumbo doesn’t have the heart for destruction like this. And she’s so big- she? He? Them? I don’t suppose it can talk and tell us its pronouns huh? Well, they need a name! I’m not just going to call it Mumbo and Pearl, we need something succinct! Ah, well they look all smashed together, how about Mearl? You know, that kind of sounds like it’s short for Merlin! I like that! Do you think they’d agree? Do you like it? Thumbs up or thumbs down?”
Impulse’s expression was twisted in a look of helplessness, reflected completely in Sausage’s face. Scar laughed it off, continuing on his way. This was the most energetic Impulse had seen him in months, even as more phantom injuries appeared across his legs. Sausage seemed to notice, but didn’t say a word, presumably afraid that Scar might go off on another tangent and lose track of the task at hand. Suddenly, Impulse realized this might be his best chance at keeping Scar away, but by the time he got back in front of Scar to give a thumbs up, his attention was already elsewhere. All Impulse could do was follow as Scar got closer to impending doom.
Scar’s line of thinking, however erratic, made sense. Well, it didn’t actually make much sense at all, but it would at least explain Pearl’s absence, and maybe even the violence. If their bodies were unstable, maybe they got stuck together. When Grian had become.. something else.. he had at least recognized the rest of them, but maybe things got more confused with multiple minds. Maybe they weren’t even themselves, but a new entity entirely. Whatever the case, Impulse was a little relieved that Scar gave them a name; it felt wrong to think about them as ‘monster’. Merlin was better.
It was only a couple more streets before they properly reached the fighting, Merlin hooked upside down to the now crumbling dining hall, wings flared. It roared as another shot was fired, disappearing into its mane. Given the lack of injuries on Scar’s face and neck, Impulse guessed it was quite thick. Pirates Impulse didn’t recognize were scattered in the street, but he assumed most were Kites or other faction members, since many if not most of the Kestrels held back with firearms. Martyn stood with his daggers among the Kites, but turned as Scar approached, almost like he sensed his presence.
“Well hello there!” Scar waved without standing in direct view of Merlin. Impulse tried to block him from standing much further in the open, frantically waving his hands, but he was beginning to lose hope. Scar looked sheepish as the other Kestrels turned to see, but the distraction only lasted seconds when Merlin jumped from the dining hall, crashing into the road and hammering the ground with his forearms. The shaking earth made many stumble, while others reared forward, swords raised. Scar drew his own, clearly looking for an opening, but didn’t get the chance before multiple lacerations crossed through his legs, the surprise causing him to cry out. Scar stumbled, looking from Impulse to Merlin. He paled. His blood dripped to the pavement.
“Do you finally understand?” Impulse stressed, nearly yelling as if Scar might hear him.
“This.. This makes things a little more complicated, doesn’t it,” Scar said, taking a step back. Impulse saw his brain working, his eyes flicking back and forth. Looking for a way out. Impulse pointed in the direction of the tavern, trying desperately to tell Scar they needed to talk. At another step back, he ran into Cleo. From the look she was giving him, Impulse was pretty sure she’d also figured it out.
“They’re going to kill you, Scar.”
“No one saw.”
“I saw. Scott and Sausage have seen, they just haven’t put it together. Or maybe they have.”
“I have a plan,” Scar pushed past her before she could question him, walking in stride to Sausage. Impulse couldn’t suppress his anxiety at the small trail of blood he left. He looked up to see Martyn staring, lowering his daggers before stepping out of the fight behind a pile of rubble. Impulse looked frantically to Cleo, then to Scar, but they were completely focused on Sausage. Damn it.
“The ouija board,” Scar’s hushed voice caught his attention, “It’s how I stopped the ghost last time this happened, but it left a toll on me, as you could see with the seizures. That’s how this starts. That’s how it ends. I’ll be back before you even miss me, and honestly, my presence here is only going to piss that thing off.” Relief washed over Impulse in waves. Scar had understood, or at the very least he had realized himself they were going to have to work together.
“I don’t like this. Even besides the use of the ouija board, you aren’t known to be the reliable sort, Scar,” Sausage crossed his arms, eyes narrowed.
“Then come with me,” Scar gave a little start, as if realizing at the last minute that wouldn’t work. Scar had always been an actor, but years of knowing him made these tricks easy to see through. “No, you need to stay here, you’re one of the only gunmen. Have someone else come. Cleo, maybe.”
Sausage huffed, but was stopped in his tracks by another loud crash. Merlin had jumped back to the dining hall, and the ceiling was now caving. In a moment of panic, Sausage shook his head. “ Fine. Go. You have ten minutes.”
Scar didn’t waste any time before hopping off, breaking into a run with Cleo hot on his tail. Impulse lingered for an extra moment, looking for Martyn. Nowhere to be found. Shit, he really should have kept a closer eye on him, but it was too late now. He’d just have to tell Scar over the ouija board.
As they approached the tavern, Scar studied Cleo with cold intensity. He put a hand on the hilt of his sword, and Impulse was certain for a moment Scar was going to kill them while their back was turned. But instead of fully drawing his sword, he spoke, “Why didn’t you tell Sausage or anyone else, Cleo? You care about this island, don’t you? If killing me would stop Pearl and Mumbo, why wait?” Scar stopped in his tracks. Impulse pulled at his hair. They were so close. Why did Scar always have to make things harder?
Cleo stopped, confusion in her gaze until she saw Scar’s hand on his sword. Confusion turned to irritation. “No need to be touchy now, keep your sword away. I wouldn’t care if it was just you, but the ghosts attached to your hip didn’t do anything wrong. Listen, I’d be willing to cut my losses if the three of you kicked it, but I don’t believe this is hopeless. Your other ghosts might have some ideas, and if not, I know an island full of freaks that are starting to get bored. They’d jump on a project like this.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Well, Scar, if it’s death or another visit with Cub, what are you going to pick?”
“That’s a toughie. I’ll cross that bridge when I get there,” Scar made a show of taking his hand off his sword, throwing both arms in the air. Cleo rolled her eyes, walking beside him. Impulse let out a deep breath, running ahead to enter the tavern first. He was relieved to see Grian at the bottom of the stairs. Emotion overtook him seeing Grian stand over the ouija board looking all tired and proud, and he ran forward to wrap him in a quick hug. The relief of even getting to this point made his knees weak.
“It’s not over Grian, but Scar is here. He’s going to talk to us. We also- we think the, uh, the moth creature, we think it’s Pearl and Mumbo. Together. Scar recognized parts of Mumbo, but not all of it if that makes sense? Something could have gone wrong when Pearl found Mumbo, or.. I mean, I won’t pretend to know what happened.”
Grian took the information in quietly, brows furrowed. “That’s.. I don’t know. Concerning? Worrying? All of the things,” Grian sighed, putting on a small smile, “Hey, are you saying you made me move this stupid thing all the way down here when Scar could have just gotten it himself? Do you know how tiring it is to try and move stuff on purpose?” But his tone was light, eyes playful.
“Well you did a great job!”
Grian snorted, but stopped as the front door opened, Scar dramatically gesturing for Cleo to go inside. She flicked his hats off his head as she went, giggling as he squawked and reached down to gather them.
“Oh look at that, they’ve already pushed the ouija board to the bottom of the stairs!” Cleo said, bending over to examine the board. “I’ve never used one of these, can you believe that?”
“ Wow, Cleo, that was very nice and polite of my ghosts to do,” Scar still clambered around in the doorway, restacking his hats. “So very unlike you. You, who is very rude. Very very rude. Don’t you know to respect a man’s hats? These are important! They’re-” Scar stopped short, Cleo laughing.
“I’ve always wanted to do that. I was not disappointed,” Cleo lingered in her smile for a moment, frowning before looking back to the door when there was no response, “Scar?”
Impulse blinked, looking up from where he was chuckling with Grian over the ouija board. Scar stood halfway off the ground, Sausage’s gun pressed to the back of his head. Martyn stood next to Sausage, eyes narrowed and sword drawn.
“Sorry Scar,” Martyn finally spoke, expression unreadable, “This really isn’t personal.”
23 notes · View notes
megsiepoo · 3 months
Note
Can you tell us more about your aus? The ones that you keep coming up with and you clearly want to be asked about? :eyeemoji:
Pls owo
Lolol thanks for asking Kat!
I'll spare everyone on talking about Hard Drive cause I think I've rambled enough about that. But the new ones!
Ok, so the main one I thought of I nicknamed The Salty Bastard AU cause I couldn't think of anything and also it's funny. It's kind of a character study on Kallamar? But it's mainly more of a what if scenario where he's way more cunning and sadistic than people give him credit for. Afterall, he was Shamura's first sibling, right? I think his character is way more complex than just "uwu coward wet beast baby." But he knows he's not got a chance following Shamura's orders so he leans into his fears, cause he totally still is a coward just not to the extent we see, in the hopes the Lamb will spare him. They don't, which bummer, but then he gets indoctrinated to the Lamb's cult. So he plays along, being an exemplary follower by running the medbay and stuff, slowly gaining the Lamb's trust in the hopes he can eventually steal the red crown for himself.
The other one lowkey came about because @huskyremix said that Kallamar is like Edgar from Aristocats, and just, yeah. It's the Grave Encounters AU which to sum it up very simply is a bishop found family AU but if it was set in 1800's Victorian England. Shamura works at a university but is bored by how boring and stuffy higher academia is and how unwilling people are to take risks. They're very much a "knowledge gained at any cost" type. They meet Kallamar while touring a hospital and he's being bragged about as an up-and-coming brilliant doctor, highly impressive for being rather young in his field. After some questions about gaining volunteers for experiments, Shamura is suspicious and asks to see his records where they discover he's forged the documents. He's like "oh no I'm in trouble" but Shamura pulls a "surprise I'm into it" and starts funding him because in their mind his methods are evil but serve a far greater good. Later on he starts bragging about some young teen named Narinder who's impressive with grave robbing and supplying bodies. Shamura insists on meeting him, and is of course absolutely infatuated and wants to take him in and teach him. Kallamar is against it at first, but Shamura argues "brilliance does not recognize class" so they take him in after all. He becomes a mortician, continuing to supply bodies to Kallamar and helps with experiments, also studying and doing his own research with Shamura. This is kind of the main stuff I've thought about so far. Heket gets surrendered by her family to the hospital and Kallamar discovers she's a bright little girl with a "hunger" for more. She's joins and becomes a star chef, her best meals often containing the choicest cuts straight from Narinder's mortuary. Leshy is in a similar position Narinder was but is way younger, and Narinder immediately is drawn to him and demands he gets taken in. He later becomes an incredible botanist with an affinity for poisonous plants. There will likely be some yada yada about Narinder becoming upset with his position because morticians don't get the same praise and he's kind of supplying most of his siblings anyway.
But yeah! Again, thanks for asking! I'm hoping to post some stuff once I finish the one-shot I'm currently writing.
9 notes · View notes
supervillainny · 2 years
Text
Some interview advice
My sister has asked me to help prepare her for a job interview, and I kinda ended up writing a guide to answering common interview questions. Thought some of you might find it useful. XD
Key advice? Write down examples they are likely to ask about, or times you have used the skills outlined in the person spec. It’s not cheating; they are often impressed that you’ve prepared!
Interview questions:
Likely questions include:
Describe a time when you have worked as part of a team
Describe a time when you have worked independently
Tell me about yourself
What can you bring to the company?
Why do you want this job?
Tell me about a challenge you’ve faced at work, and tell me how you dealt with it
How do you prioritise your work?
What’s your greatest weakness?
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Do you have any questions for us?
Describe a time when…
Have specific examples of times you have done things, especially working independently, working as part of a team, and liaising with other teams or departments. Focus on the way you personally contributed to the success of this thing. Talk about the skills that you have used in order to create that success.
Independently - pick an example where you had to prioritise a workload, make a decision or deal with an issue/challenge
Team - pick an example where you helped someone else improve what they had done, or facilitated a decision-making process
Liaising - pick an example in which you were able to communicate effectively, establish the other team’s needs, and get everyone what they wanted. 
Tell me about yourself/what can you bring to this company?
Focus on your strengths here, and where possible tie them directly to the role and the person specification that you have been given. Make every hobby a point that you are making. E.g. “I really like to be informed about current events, so I listen to podcasts regularly. I’m a quick learner, so I find this really allows me to find new areas of interest.” It’s an exaggerated example, but that kind of thing, where everything becomes about how your hobbies develop your skills, and how your skills will serve the company. “I really enjoy collecting clothes and when the amount becomes overwhelming I really enjoying selling them on vinted and depop. I’ve managed to develop my skills in photography and communication because of my experience selling, and it’s developed my use of search engine optimisation.” That kinda thing. But, like, subtler. :D 
Why do you want this job?
Be specific here. Use some research. Tell them something they’re doing that you’re excited about, and what you might have to offer within that field. Think about what your place could be in contributing to that. Healthy balance of ‘what the company is doing that I’m interested in’ and ‘here’s what I can offer in that specific area’ here. 
Tell me about a challenge you’ve faced and how you resolved it.
Honestly one of the best pieces of advice I’ve got here is to tell them you’re not afraid to ask for advice, to Google, to watch a YouTube tutorial, to read blogs of people who’ve dealt with this and learn from them. They want to know that you’re not going to be paralysed with indecision. Emphasise the ability to keep calm in a crisis, work under pressure, and provide the best solution in difficult circumstances. It’s entirely possible that they’ll tie this question into the pandemic, so think about how your work has changed and how you’ve handled those changes. 
How do your prioritise your work?
This is one for you to answer, but I would suggest making sure that company policy/current priorities/time pressures are good things to think about. 
What is your greatest weakness?
And we come to the humblebragging. :D The thing is that interviewers know a humble brag when they hear one, so saying something like ‘sometimes I work TOO hard’ is not going to fly. Instead, give them something that you can then talk about how you’ve progressed and put in strategies to deal with it. An example: I mentioned that I can be a bit of a perfectionist, and that can mean I spend too long on things trying to make them perfect. To counter this, I set myself criteria that will be ‘good enough’ and a deadline by which to try to meet this; I can then use any additional available time to add the bells and whistles. Shows you’re reflective, and always working on improving, which are excellent qualities for an employee. 
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Ugh I hate this question. Talk about developing, talk about advancement within the role you have applied for, try to make it specific to the job. 
Do you have any questions for us?
Make sure you have some. I tend to go with ‘how will you develop me within this role’, ‘what’s your employee retention like’, ‘how do you think your employees would describe you’ that kind of thing. Get a sense of them, but also show that you’ve thought about what to ask and prepared for this. :) 
131 notes · View notes