Tumgik
#my earlier work is not my current writing style
waywardstation · 5 months
Note
May I share a small idea?
You could use the poll as some sort of list for some future WIP Wednesdays. The most popular choice is first and then the next in line comes on the next Wednesday when you got the time and so on.
It could save you plenty of time to prepare something and may lessen the pressure a little!
Obviously it’s up to you but I’m leaving the suggestion here for you to think about.
Hope you’re having a good time and remember to stay hydrated and take care of yourself~!
Oh this is a fantastic idea!! I think I will do this!! (Though I am hoping at least three of the options on there will be going up within the next several weeks, all of them are so so close to completion!!)
I will do this though!! Thank you very much for the suggestion friend, it’s a great idea!!
16 notes · View notes
daisynik7 · 6 months
Note
“Earned it” by The Weeknd for Levi Ackerman- Smut + Fluff
thank you
Earned It
Tumblr media
Pairing: Levi Ackerman x f!reader
Rating: Explicit – MINORS DO NOT INTERACT
Word Count: ~7.0k
cw: yakuza au, modern setting au, adult themes, gang-related violence, mentions of blood, explicit language, fluff, smut – fingering, cunnilingus, PIV sex (doggy style), cream pie, unprotected sex
Summary: Levi is the current leader of a Yakuza organization called the Ackerman Clan. Fearless, ruthless, cold-blooded. Your deadbeat father owes a debt to his Uncle Kenny after borrowing a sum of money to gamble on horse races many years ago, a debt that hasn’t been forgotten. He has since abandoned you and one day, the Ackerman Clan tracks you down, claiming that you are now the owner of this debt. Without the means to pay for it out of pocket, Levi employs you to be his personal housekeeper until you’ve earned the money to pay it off. 
Author’s Note: Wow okay my first Levi fic EVER and I totally got carried away! I had so much fun writing this one, so I hope the rest of you enjoy it! Thanks for the request for the y2k karaoke party! This gave me the perfect excuse to finally write for Levi. MDNI divider credit to @/cafekitsune. Thank you for reading! Tagging @crazychaoticizzy!
Tumblr media
It's an average Wednesday when you receive a call from your mother in the middle of your workday. She usually doesn’t call unless it’s important, so you answer, already nervous for what she’s about to tell you. “Mom? Are you okay?”
Her tone is somber. “Honey, please come home. Now.” You can hear other people speaking in the background, alarm bells immediately ringing in your head. It’s been you and your mother alone for the past decade now, abandoned by your father before your high school graduation. You have no idea who would be in your home at this time. Freaking out, you ask, “What’s going on? What’s happening?!”
Before she can respond, there’s shuffling, then a man you don’t recognize on the other line. “You should listen to your mother.” His voice is cold, terse, sinister. It sends a chill down your spine.
Immediately, you excuse yourself from work, briefly describing a family emergency to your boss. You hop on the closest train, jittering in your seat, sweating bullets, stomach tight with anxiety. All you need to know is that your mom is safe. As soon as you’re out of the station, you remove the heels off your feet to run home. When you arrive, you notice a black car with tinted windows parked in the driveway and the front door already swung open. Winded and out of breath, you double over with the impulse to vomit, already expecting the worse. You swallow down the urge, collecting yourself, and walk inside.
You’re met by three strangers: two men and a woman. She looks young, gaze cold on yours, studying you carefully. The taller of the men is significantly older, hunched over, lanky, with a cigarette between his crooked smile. The other is short, but his domineering presence seems to overwhelm the rest of them. The cold gaze, the stagnant frown, the tightness in his brows. There’s an aura to him that shows he’s not one to be messed with. Before you can even confirm, you know that this man is the one who spoke to you earlier on the phone. Their leader. 
Your mom is seated on the couch, cowering in fear when she calls out to you. “Honey!”
You step towards them, wanting to approach her, but you’re stopped by the woman, staring daggers at you, her hand concealed inside her jacket, ready to attack if necessary. It’s a warning: Don’t come any closer or else. “Mikasa, relax. She ain’t even armed,” the older man says. He points to her, winking at you. “Sorry about my niece; she’s got some anger issues. Runs in the family, actually.”
Without removing her gaze from you, she mutters, “Shut up, Kenny.”
He laughs, puffs of smoke escaping his mouth. He removes the cigarette, tapping the ashes onto the hardwood floor of your living room before stepping closer towards you. “I should be the one upset here.” His eyes scan your figure up and down, smirking. “Right, Levi?”
You shiver from his wicked expression, glancing at your mother who stares wide-eyed at you in a panic. “What’s the meaning of this?” you ask shakily. 
The shorter man, apparently named Levi, comes forward, glaring at you. “You owe the Ackerman Clan money. Two million yen with all the interest that’s been accruing for the past ten years.” 
“We never borrowed money from you!” you argue. 
“You didn’t. But your father did,” Kenny interjects. “The dumbass didn’t know how to gamble on the right horse. Lost each race and came crawling back to me for more and more money. I gave him two years to pay me back without interest, but I suppose he ran off on you and your poor mother before he could pay it. Now, it’s way past due. I need my money back.”
That no-good, deadbeat father of yours. Of course he’s the one behind this. He’s always had a gambling addiction, ever since you were little. Borrowed money left and right from distant relatives, friends, coworkers, and apparently strangers. You thought he’d at least have the decency to pay them off on the occasions he actually scored big, but who are you kidding? All he spent his winnings on was more booze to drown out the fact that he never cared or provided for his family. You shake your head, tears welling in your eyes. “You should be asking him for the money, not us.”
Levi’s eyes narrow. “You don’t think we already tried looking for him? We can’t find him. He’s gone. Someone else has to be responsible for it now. And that means his wife and his kid. You.”
“We don’t have that kind of money just laying around,” you say, hoping that somehow, this Yakuza gang is nice enough to forgive the debt.
Kenny barks a laugh. “Well, you’re shit out of luck then, huh? Just like your lousy father.”
You wince at his harsh words, simultaneously agreeing with him. Levi sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. “If you can’t pay off this debt within the next three months, we’ll be forced to take more severe action.”
“What do you mean?” you stutter. A variety of cruel punishments flash through your head, causing your knees to wobble in fear, though you manage to stay upright. 
“You don’t want to find out,” he threatens with a dark look.
You swallow loudly, unable to hide your dread any longer. Crying, you fall to your knees in a begging position, peering up at Levi with weepy eyes. “Please. I’ll do anything. Just don’t hurt my mom. Leave her out of this.”
Your mother sobs into her hands, your name muffled against her palms. Even through your blurred vision, you notice Levi’s expression waver just the slightest. 
“Maybe she can work for you,” Mikasa suggests. Her tone has changed to one of sympathy, unexpectedly considering her intimidating demeanor moments ago. 
Levi scoffs. “And what would she do for me? I doubt she can fight.”
There’s a pause as you watch them contemplate your fate. Kenny is the first one to offer an answer. “Housekeeper. She can be your housekeeper!”
Levi grimaces at the suggestion. “Excuse me?”
Kenny walks towards him, ruffling his nephew’s hair, much to his dismay. Levi swats him away, scowling as his uncle explains, “You spend so much goddamn time cleaning your own house, it’s about time you hire someone to do it for you. You’re the leader of the Ackerman Clan now. Time is money. You can’t be wasting it dusting when you can just make someone else do it for you.” He squats, legs spread wide, meeting you face-to-face. “Can you clean?”
You wipe away the tears streaming down your face, nodding.
“Can you cook?”
You nod again, more confidently this time. 
He slaps his knee. “Well, there you go! Looks like we found the solution. You’re hired. Levi will pay you at the end of each day. Your wages after three months should be enough to cover the debt you owe me. If you work overtime, you’ll earn extra cash. Sound good?” He sticks his hand out, waiting for you to shake on it. 
Three months of housekeeping and cooking for the leader of a Yakuza gang, who already looks like he despises you? It’s either that or whatever punishment he originally has in mind, which sounds much more painful and ominous. 
Before you agree, you ask, “What about my regular job?”
He strokes his chin, thinking. “Damn, forgot about that. Well, Little Levi here can compensate you for that as well. You’ll have to quit it in the meantime, but this gig is much better, don’t cha think?”
Levi raises his voice, angry now. “Don’t I get a say in this?! Who said I have the money to pay her?!”
Kenny waves him off, smirking. “You don’t drink, you don’t gamble, and you don’t fuck. So what else are you doing with all that money?”
At this, Levi gapes at his uncle, blushing. “I’m the fucking captain here, aren’t I? I won’t allow this.”
Kenny rolls his eyes, standing up to stretch his back. “Fine. Got a better idea? We don’t have all fucking day to argue about this, you know.”
After a few more disgruntled huffs from Levi without any other real suggestions, you are officially hired as Levi Ackerman’s housekeeper. 
~~~
Levi doesn’t need a fucking housekeeper. He’s the cleanest goddamn person in this entire godforsaken planet. Sure, he spends at least two hours at the start of his morning doing household chores to ensure that everything in his home is spick and span. But what’s so wrong about that? It’s the only solace he finds in this cruel world. The only aspect of his life that he can control. 
So, when his new hire arrives to his house seven o’clock sharp the very next day, Levi’s already in a bad mood. And when she smiles brightly at him, greeting him, “Good morning!” in an all-too-cheery voice that drips with enthusiasm and spirit despite the shitty situation she’s in, he can’t help but become even more irritated. She can’t possibly be excited about this. It’s all a façade, an act. Fake. He’s seen it before, from so-called friends, family members, strangers on the street. People only connect with him if there’s something to gain from it. And in this case, the money to pay her father’s debt is her end-goal, and nothing else. He reminds himself that she’s not here for him. No one ever is.
He doesn’t respond to her, turning on his heel to lead her inside. Without saying so, she removes her shoes, tucking them into an empty slot on the shoe rack, following him. Unfortunately, Kenny’s been here since half an hour ago, taking his usual breakfast: a cup of black coffee and a frozen waffle, toasted until lukewarm. And of course, there’s already crumbs on the table, but Levi ignores it, knowing that she’s responsible for this mess now, not him. 
“Morning,” Kenny drawls, raising his mug to her. She waves, still nervous around them, naturally, but her smile stays on. 
Levi hands her a sheet of paper, typed out with proper instructions. “Everything you need to know is on here. Unless you’re illiterate and can’t read, I won’t need to explain anything to you, right?”
She scans the document quickly, shaking her head at the end. “Seems simple enough.” 
“My nephew here likes things spotless,” Kenny adds, spit flying out of his mouth as he chews the rest of his breakfast. “Total clean freak and perfectionist. He’ll be on your ass about a simple speck of dust.”
“It’s not clean if there’s still dust,” he emphasizes. 
Her attention goes to the fridge. “What about meals? What do you like to eat?”
“I’m not picky. I usually don’t eat breakfast and lunch is brought to me at the office. So dinner is the only meal you have to cook. Like I said, I’m not picky. But it better not be instant ramen or something. I’m not paying you to feed me that processed shit.” Truthfully, he already eats that junk for lunch, often opting for fast food because it’s quick and easy while he’s out on a job. But what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her. He shoots a glare at his uncle when he notices him snickering to himself, clearly aware of his less-than-ideal diet. 
After a brief tour of the house, not including his bedroom, which will remain off limits, him and Kenny leave to start the day. Levi is reluctant at first, unsure if she can live up to his high standards of tidiness, but even he can admit that it’s more productive when he arrives to their headquarters on time. 
The day goes by smoothly; the extra two hours that Levi gains by entrusting another person to his usual morning ritual proves to be beneficial for both him and his gang. They are able to add an extra stop to their daily rounds, collecting owed money from sleezy businesses and seedy underground organizations. They only resort to violence once, with Levi squeezing a man’s head between his shoe and the pavement until he coughs up the dough. In his eyes, today was a good day. 
Kenny drops him off back home around eight when it’s already dark out. The lights are on, glowing through the shaded windows. He digs into his pocket for the keys, retrieving them to unlock the door, his nostrils immediately hit with a sensational aroma wafting from the kitchen. Sliding out of his shoes, he steps further inside, following the scent. 
She’s leaning over the stove, steam puffing from whatever pan she’s cooking in. He drops his keys on the counter, clearing his throat to make his presence known. 
“Hello, Mr. Ackerman,” she says, turning to face him. “Perfect timing. Dinner is just about ready. I’ll serve it to you now.”
He slides a chair out from the dining table, taking a seat, watching as she moves around the kitchen. She scoops white rice into a bowl, then the food onto a plate, setting it front of him. It looks delicious; glazed meat scattered with a variety of fresh vegetables. “It’s chicken stir fry,” she explains. “It isn’t gourmet or anything, but it’s hearty and filling. I hope you like it.”
He remains silent, holding a piece of broccoli at the end of his chopstick, blowing on it before putting it in his mouth. The sauce is savory, pairing well with the typically bland vegetable. He digs into the chicken, enjoying how juicy and flavorful it is. It’s nothing he hasn’t had before, but still; it’s tasty. 
She stands beside him, watching him eat with a small grin on her face. “What would you like to drink?”
He swallows, replying, “I like tea. Hot tea. Decaf.”
“On it,” she says, heading back into the kitchen, filling a kettle with water to heat on the stove. Within ten minutes, she returns with a cup in one hand, the kettle in the other, pouring him freshly brewed tea. 
It’s quiet, Levi eating peacefully while she continues to observe him. He’s not quite sure what to say; do they make small talk? Does he compliment her cooking? How do people engage with others during a time like this?
Her stomach growls loudly, which he immediately notices. He raises a brow at her, pointing his chopsticks towards the kitchen. “You should eat too. If you’re hungry.”
“Is that alright?” 
He nods, looking down at his plate. “It’s better than watching me eat while you’re starving, right?”
She laughs, going back into the kitchen once again. “Yes, of course.” She comes back, sitting across from him to start eating. Not knowing what else to discuss over dinner, Levi asks her about the chores she should have accomplished today, to which she reports back in detail. It sounds as if she went through eat item on the list, though the true test will be when he inspects it himself. Their conversation flows well; he usually hates conversing with people when it isn’t necessary. He can’t remember the last time he shared a homecooked meal with someone else. He’s always at home after work, alone. Mikasa is too busy with her own family, and Levi can hardly stand his uncle’s presence to begin with, so he always preferred being alone. 
This, however, this he doesn’t mind. Surprisingly. 
Before he gets too comfortable with the idea, he reminds himself once more that this is simply the deal they agreed to. There’s no room for sentimentality. She’s here because she was forced into this role, not because she wants to be here. This is business. This is temporary.
And with that in mind, Levi strengthens the integrity of the walls he barricades around him, determined not to let anyone but himself in.
~~~
Your first month of employment go by as smoothly as you hope it would be, given your circumstances. Every day, you arrive at Levi’s house seven in the morning on the dot, greeting him with a smile. You figured it wouldn’t do you any good to show your fear of the Yakuza in front of the leader himself. And, in all honestly, you weren’t actually that scared of him. While he’s cold and blunt most of the time, he hasn’t done anything to frighten you yet, aside from your initial meeting. It helps that you only see him for a few minutes in the morning when he lets you in, and at most an hour at the end of the day, when you share dinner together. Before you leave, he hands you an envelope with your day’s wages, and that’s that. Based on the lack of criticism, you assume that you’re doing a good enough job.
On the second month, you begin to make lunches for him in addition to your usual routine. Uncle Kenny had mentioned several times in secret that Levi eats fast food because of the convenience. Sometimes, he skips a meal all together when they’re especially busy. 
When you arrive to his home, you greet him with your usual smile, while he gives you a curt nod, avoiding your gaze. He shouts behind him, “Kenny, let’s go!”
Before he walks out the door, you stop him, saying, “Oh, Mr. Ackerman! Before you leave, I prepared lunch for you.”
He whips around to face you, eyes narrowed as if you just insulted him. “What?”
Nervous now, you stammer, “I made you lunch. I heard that sometimes you skip meals, so I thought – ”
He steps towards you, glaring, not letting you finish. “This isn’t part of the list. I don’t need it. I don’t want it.” He turns on his heel, leaving you stunned as he heads for the car, slamming the door shut. 
You scurry into the kitchen, face hot, reeling over his unpleasant reaction to your simple gesture. Kenny leans back in his chair, feet up on the table, chugging the rest of his coffee. “Morning.”
“Hi Kenny.” You wash your hands at the sink, processing what just happened, growing increasingly upset. 
Kenny gets up, sliding his used mug beside you. “Thanks, darling.” Not wanting to waste your efforts, you call out to him, opening the fridge to retrieve the bento you prepared, handing it to him. 
“What’s this?” he asks, smirking.
“I made it for Mr. Ackerman, but he doesn’t want it. I don’t want it to go to waste,” you explain.
He smiles, genuinely grateful, the expression you were mistakenly expecting from Levi. “Thank you. Take care.” 
When he’s gone, you take a minute in the kitchen to relax, reminding yourself to stick to the list and not do anything extra just because you think he’d appreciate it. You’ve leaned your lesson based on today: Mr. Ackerman doesn’t appreciate anything or anyone. And you won’t be an exception.
~~~
Levi sulks silently in the car with his arms crossed over his chest, staring out the window while Kenny drives them to HQ. He’s replaying the interaction from earlier, recalling the hurt look in her eyes as he spat those harsh words to her. He’s an idiot. All he could have said was no thank you. He shouldn’t have berated her for doing something nice for him. At the same time, he didn’t want to appear vulnerable, like he needed her to do it for him. He doesn’t need her pity. He doesn’t need anyone to take care of him.
He catches Kenny shooting glances at him, but doesn’t say anything, knowing better than to rile his nephew up when he’s in one of these moods. They make it to headquarters as normal, and Levi goes about the day, almost forgetting about the incident. Almost.  
Around noon, Kenny drives Levi and two of his henchmen across town to collect money from a client who’s been skipping out on payments recently. Levi doesn’t expect to resort to violence, so he stays inside the car while the two muscles go out and fulfill their orders. Kenny reclines, reaching his long arm towards the backseat, retrieving a small bento box. “Grub time.”
Levi scowls. “What are you doing?”
“Eating lunch, what do you think?” He uncovers it, licking his lips as his picks up a tamago sando from inside. It looks delicious, from the soft bread to the golden yellow filling. Levi’s stomach growls as he stares at his uncle bite into it. “Damn, that’s good!”
“Where did you get that?” he asks, already knowing the answer.
He shrugs, engulfing the rest of the sandwich into his mouth. “Your housekeeper. Said you didn’t want it, so she gave it to me instead. Shit, that’s good!”
Levi huffs through his teeth, annoyed, but also very hungry. He snatches it from his uncle’s lap, inspecting it himself. Kenny doesn’t protest, only chuckles, licking his fingers. It’s truly an enticing sight, much better than the typical burger and fries he’s used to. He picks it up delicately, relishing how pillowy the bread is between his fingers. It’s devoured quickly, and Levi regrets watching his uncle eat part it, hoping he had it all for himself. In the bottom layer of the bento box are baby carrots and sliced cucumbers, which Levi munches on until his crew comes back, knuckles a bit bloodied and a stack of cash in their hands. 
At night, Levi enters the door, a pang of guilt in his chest. He doesn’t plan to mention it; he’d rather forget and move on, pretend it never even happened. Tonight’s dinner is yakisoba, a meal she has since perfected since starting a month ago. She serves it to him, pouring hot tea into his mug, then takes her usual spot, her expression neutral. She reports on each task she completed today, starting with the kitchen, where she cleans up whatever disgusting mess Kenny leaves at the table. She scrubs the counters until they’re sparkling, mops the floors, reorganizes the refrigerator, unloads the dishwasher from the night before. Next is the living room, where she vacuums the carpets, dusts all the drawers, wipes each and every appliance with a specialized solution to prevent streaks. Then It’s laundry, and she never mentions the splatters of blood that are sometimes on his dress shirts depending on what kind of day it is. She uses the exact method he uses to wash them until they look good as new, as if he isn’t part of the gang life. 
She finishes her list, looking at Levi, waiting for his nod of approval, which he gives. She’s done a decent job so far; in fact, his home looks just as tidy as it did when he spent two hours each morning doing it himself. He stares down at his plate, eating the rest of his noodles in silence.
“Mr. Ackerman?”
His jaw clenches at the sound of his name, anticipating whatever she’s about to say. Without looking up, he mutters, “What?”
She clears his throat nervously. “Earlier today, about lunch. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to overstep my boundaries. I hope you can forgive me.”
He senses her gaze on him, but he’s too embarrassed to meet it, slurping the rest of his food without responding. She doesn’t say anything else, leaving it at that. When he’s done, she gathers the dirty dishes and loads them into the dishwasher, starting the cycle. Levi goes into his room, stuffing her payment for today in an envelope, staring at his reflection in the mirror. Just say it. Don’t be an asshole. She doesn’t deserve it.
She waits for him at the doorway, coat and shoes on, ready to leave. He hands her the money, keeping his grip on it when she accepts it. “You don’t have to apologize. I ate it, and it was delicious. So…thank you.” He looks at her this time, wanting to convey to her that he truly means it. 
Her eyes widen, clearly surprised by his sudden change in demeanor. He’s surprised himself; he just couldn’t let her leave thinking she didn’t anything wrong. “I’m sorry,” he adds. “For the way I reacted. I’m not used to people doing things like that for me.” He knows she doesn’t need an explanation from him, but he tells her anyways. 
She smiles. “It’s okay. I’m happy to do it. I prepared another one for tomorrow.”
Nodding, he lets go, watching her slide the envelope into her bag. “Goodnight, Mr. Ackerman.”
He opens the door for her. “Levi. You can call me Levi. It makes me feel old when you call me that. We’re around the same age, right?”
She giggles, making his chest swell. “Right. Well then, goodnight Levi.”
He waits until she disappears into the distance, heading to the nearby train station. With the door shut, he leans against it, sighing heavily, his heart beating rapidly.
This is bad. 
~~~
On the third month of working as a housekeeper and cook for Levi Ackerman, something extraordinary happens. 
You’ve gotten more cordial with each other in the past few weeks, ever since you began making lunches for him on a regular basis. You know he isn’t picky when it comes to food, but you’ve noticed subtle differences when he thanks you for the meal, which he always does now. If it ends in a simple thanks, you know that it was ordinary. If he adds in a compliment, you know that he really likes it. So, you cook more of the foods that he particularly enjoys. 
You’re still getting used to calling him by his first name. It still sounds foreign out of your mouth, almost like a treasured word you’re only supposed to say on special occasions. You still mostly call him Mr. Ackerman, though he doesn’t seem to mind. 
Other than what you see of him in the mornings and nights, you have no idea what Levi gets up to the rest of his day. It’s an unwritten part of the deal; you keep your private life to yourselves. And, knowing he’s in the Yakuza, maybe it’s better you don’t know. 
Tonight, you finish cooking dinner before Levi comes home. You cover the pan, keeping the oyakodon you prepared warm until he arrives, all the plates set up on the counter, ready for him. You sit in your usual chair, checking the clock: 8:30 PM, thirty minutes past his usual time. By nine, you start to worry. And by ten, your finger hovers over his contact information on your phone, tempted to call him, to make sure he’s okay. You debate with yourself for several minutes if you should go through with it. You were given this number only to use for emergencies. Would this be considered one? Surely, he has an entire team of people who look after him, being the leader and all. Why would he need you, his lowly housekeeper, looking out for him?
Deep down, it’s because you care. You care about him. You want him to be happy. And it’s not because he pays you at the end of the day. It’s because you truly, genuinely believe he deserves it. Even in the short time that you’ve known him, it’s plain to see how miserable he is in this life of crime. Dead eyes, permanent frown on his face, tense muscles from having no moment throughout his day to relax. No one, not even a Yakuza leader himself, deserves to be under this much stress.  
You’re about ready to dial his number when you hear the distinct jingle of keys from the front door. Levi walks in, hunched over with his jacket tossed over his shoulder, big splotches of blood painted on his shirt. You can see it clearly even from the end of the hallway. He doesn’t greet you, doesn’t look at you, as he drags his feet into the living to plop himself onto the couch, sighing. 
“Mr. Ackerman?” you call out, trembling. You’ve never seen him like this before. Is he injured? Or is he the one who did the injuring? Does it matter to you what the answer is? All you know is that you’re concerned about him and you want to be by his side. 
~~~
Levi hears her but doesn’t respond. He sinks deeper into the couch, eyes shut, hoping she ignores him, not wanting her to see him in this sorry state. He listens to the sound of her footsteps approaching closer, then feels her sit beside him. With one eye open, he peeks at her, surprised to see her staring at him with genuine concern, a steaming mug of tea in her hands. “Mr. Ackerman,” she repeats.
“What do you want?” he asks tersely. He doesn’t mean for it to come out rudely. Or maybe he does to push her away. He doesn’t want her to witness this vulnerability, this weakness.  
“I brought you some tea,” she answers quietly.
Before he can spit out an argument about how the caffeine will prevent him from sleeping, she adds, “It’s decaf, of course.”
He’s speechless for a moment, unable to come up with a smart response. His heart beats against his chest and he’s not sure what’s happening to him. Is he going into cardiac arrest? Or is this something different? Something good? Too exhausted to maintain the same frigid persona he puts up for her, he relaxes, reaching for her hands to grab the handle of the mug. He grazes her fingers wrapped around the ceramic, lingering for a second longer, then brings it to his lips, blowing air across the surface before taking a sip. It’s hot down his throat, filling his tired body with warmth and comfort. 
He peeks at her once more, focusing on the gentle smile on her lips. “What are you so happy about?” he asks, taking another sip. 
She looks down at her lap, shy now that she’s been called out. “I’m just happy you’re back in one piece.”
He scoffs, displaying his bruised and stained knuckles. “You call this one piece?”
She stares at his hands with terror or fascination, maybe even both. Levi can’t tell. All he knows is that she isn’t flinching away from him like he’s some monster; she leans closer, inspecting it carefully. “Hold on,” she says, standing up to retreat back into the kitchen.
Levi rests his head against the couch, stomach grumbling with hunger. He hasn’t eaten since lunch, and beating the shit out of people takes a toll on him. But the job is done and now he’s home. And for the first time, he realizes how grateful he is not to be alone. 
Minutes later, she returns with a tray, carrying a steaming bowl of oyakodon and two warm towels beside it. She sets it next to him on the couch, kneeling on the floor in front of him, beside his knees. He gulps, suddenly aware at how compromising this position may seem. Though, he doesn’t mind it. He slowly reaches over to grab hold on the chopsticks, digging into the bowl of food to take a bite. It’s warm and soothing in his mouth, exactly what he needed. 
“May I?” She peers up at him, pointing to his other hand, holding the damp towel. 
He’s hesitant at first, aware that she’ll be touching him. This is definitely crossing a line, right? However, the thought of being pampered in this moment when he’s so fucking tired is too enticing to refuse. He stretches his arms out, offering his fist to her. She surrounds him in the soft fabric, rubbing gently between his knuckles, wiping away all the grime from tonight’s violence. His skin is on fire from her indirect touch and he can’t help but wonder what effect she could have on his body if she were actually touching him. 
Skin in pristine condition, despite the temporary bruises, she switches to the other hand once he’s finished with his meal. He watches her in silence, holding back a moan, embarrassed at how much he’s enjoying this. She finishes him off with the second towel, the clean one, giving both hands a little massage. “Is that better?”
He nods, muttering a tired, “Thank you.”
She smiles, gaze flickering to the stains on his shirt. “I can wash this for you tomorrow. Just leave it in the laundry room.”
He nods again, unsure what else to say. She gets up, carrying the empty bowl and soiled towels back into the kitchen to clean up. It’s almost eleven now when Levi flips his wrist to check the time on his watch. Trains stop running by midnight, so he shouldn’t keep her here any longer. “You should head home now. It’s late,” he says, loud enough for her to hear. He stands up, slightly limping towards his bedroom to give her the payment. He slides an extra couple of bills to compensate for working overtime. Noticing how horrid he looks with blood all over him, he strips out of his shirt, thankful none of it seeped directly onto his skin. Without thinking, he rushes towards the front door, where she waits for him in her coat and shoes. 
He hands her the money. “I’m giving you a small bonus today, just in case you’re wondering why there’s more in there.” 
She glances at his chiseled abs before looking down at her feet. Heat rushes into his cheeks, finally aware that he’s shirtless in front of his housekeeper. This is definitely crossing a line. 
“It’s okay, I don’t want the extra money,” she says.
“Take it. You’ve earned it,” he insists.
“I didn’t do it for that. I did it because I care about you. I want to - ” She gazes at him, swallowing hard, afraid to finish her thought. 
There’s a flutter in his stomach as he steps closer to her, eager to hear it. “What?”
“I want to take care of you, Mr. Ackerman.”
It happens so fast that as soon as he realizes it, his lips are already on hers, kissing her passionately. His immediate reaction is to stop because he’s sure this isn’t what she intended. But when she places her hands on his chest, clinging to his bare skin to deepen the kiss, he can’t resist. 
~~~
Clothes are discarded on the way to his bedroom. By the time you’re lying flat on his mattress, you’re both completely naked, him on top of you, caging you between his muscular arms. He kisses your figure, from your neck trailing down to your chest, his lips puckered at your nipple, sucking on it until it’s taut in his mouth. One hand travels along the curve of your hips, then the plush of your inner thigh, until he’s pressed to your throbbing clit. “Can I touch you here?” he asks, his voice low and trembling. 
“Yes,” you breathe out, completely enraptured by him.
He flicks your bud with his middle finger, tapping on it until it’s puffy against him. He glides down to your wet slit, collecting your arousal to smear onto your clit, rubbing it faster. Pleasure courses through you as you whine into his mouth, kissing him sloppily. Soon, he slips inside you, pumping two of his fingers in and out of your pussy. You squirm for him, so close to your climax.  
“You like my fingers inside this fucking cunt, huh?” he growls into your ear. He pulls out, stroking your clit with his wet digits. “How about here? You like them on your little clit too, right pretty girl?”
Your tongue lolls out of your mouth, eyes glazed over in a daze. “Yes, Mr. Ackerman. Fuck.”
“Levi,” he grunts, circling your bud. “I told you to call me Levi.” He slips back in, pummeling your pussy while his thumb taps on your swollen core. 
You grab the bedsheets beneath you, clenching it between your fists, bucking your hips towards him, approaching your orgasm. “Coming,” you manage to whimper, unraveling. He slows his pace, riding it out with you until you relax in his hold, spent and blissed out. 
There’s a wild look in his eyes, animalistic almost. He removes himself from you, bringing his wet fingers to your mouth, inching them past your lips. “Taste yourself for me.”
You obey, opening wide for him to swipe your own cum across your tongue. He sticks it further down your throat while you surround him, sucking your slick off. His erection is hard against you, begging for attention. You slide your hand between his thighs, palming at his stiff cock, twitching at your touch. 
“Fuck,” he swears under his breath. You start stroking him, his cock hot and pulsating in your fist. He bucks into your grasp, moaning as you rub your thumb over his glossy tip, making him shudder. “You’re driving me fucking crazy, fuck. Get on top of me. Please. Need to taste you.”
You obey, readjusting yourself to straddle his face, lowering yourself carefully until your pressed to his open mouth. “Just enjoy it, sweetheart. You’ve earned it,” he says before lapping you up greedily. You ride his face, dragging your pussy lips across his flattened tongue, moaning when he puckers around you, suckling on your swelling bud. He’s sloppy and noisy, exactly how you like it. You find yourself unraveling quickly above him, convinced you can come just like this, without him entering you at all. He senses this, grabbing firmly to your ass cheeks, guiding you to rock against him faster. “That’s it, princess. Come for me,” he muffles against your skin, slurping at your leaking cunt. No longer able to resist, you moan loudly, reaching your climax, gushing all over his face. He smacks your ass, licking off every drop of your arousal before removing himself from you. “I need to be inside you. Need to fuck this pretty pussy right fucking now.”
All control lost, you whine, “Fuck me, Levi. Fuck me, please.”
He positions himself behind you, dragging your bottom towards him, rubbing his erection between your ass cheeks. “Think you’ve earned this cock? Think you deserve it?”
You nod frantically. “Yes. I’ve been so good.”
He chuckles, guiding himself inside you, stretching you out slowly as he inches his way deeper. “You’re right. You’ve been very good. You are good. So fucking good to me.” He pounds into you, fucking your sweet spot, chasing that high you’re both so desperate to reach. After a few more thrusts, your pussy squeezes around him, coming once more. He follows with his own orgasm, shooting his load inside you, filling you up with his cum.
He pulls out, rolling beside you, breathing heavily. You turn to your side, facing him, your senses gradually returning. He glances at you and breaks into a smile, the first you’ve ever seen from him. “Don’t look at me like that.”
You grin, scooting closer to nuzzle your nose with his. “Like what?”
His eyes gaze into yours, flickering down your lips. “Like you want to kiss me.”
You inch closer. “Why is that so bad?”
“Because I won’t be able to stop,” he whispers, closing the gap, kissing you.
~~~
On her last day, Levi leaves her final payment on the top of his dresser. It’s next to a thicker envelope that she’s collected the entirety of her father’s debt in, ready to hand over to Kenny first thing in the morning. She could have paid it off sooner, a week sooner, to be exact. But she decides to finish the remainder of the month employed as Levi’s housekeeper. She doesn’t explain why, and he doesn’t ask. 
They snuggle together in his bed, ready to sleep after fucking each other stupid just minutes earlier. This is another added part of their routine. Sometimes, she leaves to check in on her mother back home. Other times, she stays the night, which Levi prefers, though he won’t admit it out loud. It’s the best sleep he’s gotten in years.
He can tell she’s on the verge of sleep by the way her eyes flutter closed and how her head falls into his chest, relaxed. His mind is racing with thoughts, so he’s wide awake, wondering what tomorrow will hold. Will she say goodbye to him forever? Is this really over? What will he do when she’s gone?
He realizes his true feelings for her almost immediately after they begin sleeping together. He’s never relinquished control to anyone else before. But for him, giving it to her was easy. Maybe because he knew he could trust her. Though, now with her employment coming to an end, he’s not so sure what to think.
“Levi?” Her soft voice surprises him. 
“Hey,” he whispers. “Go back to sleep.”
She tips her chin up, peering at him. “Not yet. I want to say something to you.” 
He stares at her, confused and anxious, listening. “I care about you, Levi. I don’t want this to stop just because whatever arrangement we had before is over.”
He swallows hard, trying to maintain a neutral expression as his heart races with joy. “So, what then? Do you want to keep being my housekeeper? I already feel weird paying you because of what we do.”
She giggles, shaking her head. “I don’t want to be your housekeeper. I want to be your girlfriend.”
“Girlfriend?”
“Yes, Levi. Your girlfriend,” she reiterates, smiling. 
He lets out a small laugh. “That sounds so normal.”
She cups his face, squeezing his cheeks. “Well, maybe Mr. Ackerman deserves a little something normal for once.”
He chuckles, nuzzling into her touch. “So, how is this going to work, then? You being my girlfriend.”
“Well, I’ll get my old job back. And in the meantime, I can move in here so I can still do all the cooking and cleaning.”
“No,” he interjects. “Together. We’ll cook and clean together. Like a normal couple.”
She beams at him. “Alright. Together it is, then.”
He allows himself to smile completely now, pressing his forehead to hers. “Can it really be this simple?” 
“I think it can,” she replies. “It’s worth a shot, right?”
For most of his life, Levi has never had it easy. Thirty years later, he finally has a chance at something normal, something good. Does he deserve it? With her by his side, holding his hand so lovingly in hers, he actually believes it. “Yeah. You’re absolutely right.”
1K notes · View notes
yourelliewillms · 28 days
Note
Heyyy so I just discovered your works recently and I was wondering if you don't mind writing an Ellie with a fem reader who is latina and works as a makeup artist please? I just think the idea doing Ellie's makeup while sitting on her lap being so cute and being on my mind 24/7 currently- no pressure though <3 (Sorry for the awkwardness this is my first time requesting something 😭)
doing ellie's makeup !
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
sfw, fluff, reader is latina !! (i'm not sure if i did this well bc i'm latina but i didn't want this to fall into stereotypes or smt like that😭😭) alsooo i made a little playlist with songs that i think ellie'd love (argentinian songs, sorry that's all i listen to 💔💔 if you have any recommendations pls tell me !!! and if you don't speak spanish lmk if you liked any of this songs just because i'm curious <3)
ellie's favs !
☆ persiana americana - soda stereo
☆ tus ojos - los cafres
☆ tu geografía - indios
☆ prófugos - soda stereo
☆ 743 - miranda!
☆ ritmo y decepción - miranda!
being a makeup artist means you have to practice all the time. new styles pop up on the internet everyday and you have to catch up on them.
every night, when you're finally home after a long day of work, you'd put all your makeup on the table, sit in front of the mirror, put on some music (specially those songs in spanish that ellie loves) and start letting your imagination flow as you try to create a new and unique makeup style.
hours practicing, you're too concentrated trying to do that graphic eyeliner you've been seeing in all the internet to notice that your girlfriend has already arrived from her work and is on the other side of the door probably getting comfortable after her busy day.
she's in the kitchen having a snack to get her energy back but as soon as ellie hears the music coming from your shared room, she'd drop everything she was doing and open the door to see you just a few inches away from the mirror trying not to mess up your eyeliner.
ellie looks at you for a few seconds and immediately starts "singing" the spanish songs (she's just mumbling but she manages to pronounce some of the words because you've been teaching her spanish since you two met). the way she blows kisses at you from the distance not to ruin your makeup just melts your heart and you blow the kisses back at her.
"can i admire you from here?" ellie definitely loooves sitting on the bed behind you and look at you from the reflection of the mirror. she's with her mouth half open and her eyes follow every move you do, that she even forgets to blink. she's just mesmerized.
you turn around and show her the final result and her face lights up. you close your eyes as she examinates every little detail of your makeup and quickly steals a little peck from your lips resulting into you two giggling and stealing little kisses from each other finally getting the physical contact you craved throughout the day.
"would you..." she mumbles "would you like to practice with me?" her eyes locked with yours and her cheeks turn crimson matching the red lipstick stained on her lips from the kisses she stole from you earlier.
the excitement you feel can't be hidden at all as a wide smile spreads on your face. you quickly sit on the bed beside her but her hands reach your waist and you feel her arms lifting your body just enough to make you sit on her lap.
your eyebrows rise and your face turns all shades of pink. you are used to that kind of behavior of hers although it always makes you feel those butterflies inside your stomach.
before starting, you decide to change the music to one you know she likes. you've made her listen to all the songs in spanish you've heard in your entire life so she has a few favorite ones.
your hands brush her cheeks caressing them before grabbing one brush in your hand and start doing her eyeshadow.
"what color is that?" ellie asked with her eyes closed. she couldn't see the makeup you were using for her eyes. that wasn't the most important thing right now but she wanted to catch up with you.
"gris" you answer in your mother tongue chuckling for yourself as you see her confused facial expression struggling to remember all the words you've taught her in spanish.
"hm..." she hums but she has no idea what it means "brown?"
you giggle "gray."
"yeah, i was going to say that. you didn't let me finish."
after a few minutes, you finish doing her eyeshadow. it was a more dark style since you know that's her favorite, it's not like she asked you to do it that way but you just wanted to do something that she'd like wear.
when she opens her eyes you almost melt at the sight of the green in her eyes being highlighted by the color on her eyelids. gray eyeshadow with sparkles and black eyeliner that added that sexy detail to her look.
she smirks at you when she notices you are totally distracted by her gorgeous eyes. she's right though, your mind is completely blank and the moment her hands squeeze your thighs you go back to reality.
"so pretty" you whisper before planting soft and sweet kisses on her lips.
the moment you have to put her lipstick on, you already know it's going to be the hardest part of the makeup. she's wouldn't stop mumbling the songs, talking to you and laughing when she was supposed to stay still.
as soon as you finish putting her lipstick on, you move your head back to take a look at the final result and all you can see is a bewitching but totally messy makeup on her face that makes her look more kissable than ever.
you can't even let her see the final result because you've already kissed every inch of her cheeks, forehead and nose and now she's covered in the red lipstick from your lips.
HI ANON SORRY FOR MAKING YOU WAIT TOO MUCH 😭😭 i hope you liked it though <33
i didn't know how to end this, i feel like it's weird but that was the best i could do,,,
122 notes · View notes
bun-lapin · 8 months
Text
Confessions
Summary: Vil confesses his love to you.
A/N: Fifth one shot complete and this time it's back to Pomefiore with Vil! This was a very nice one shot for me to write. It definitely got me thinking about more abstract topics such as beauty but also respect and self-worth. I know that some people might not agree with me but I've always viewed Vil as a stern but ultimately nurturing and caring person. Especially after reading his dorm uniform vignette <3
Confessions series: Rook, Kalim, Idia, Floyd, Vil, Silver, Leona, Trey / AO3
Tumblr media
The late afternoon sunlight pours in through the windows of Pomefiore’s dormitory hallways and your steps, brisk up until then, slow for a brief moment to take in the beauty around you. The soft glow of towering candelabras and the golden light of the sun mix in the air luxuriously and send dazzling lines of radiance everywhere your eyes turn. Your vision is filled with the sparkle of gold and the gemstone hues of violet and deep red. Breathing in deep, you notice the faint smell of perfume and for a moment you feel like you are inside a priceless jewelry box.
You continue down the hallway and finally stop in front of a familiar door. Your hand rises to knock and announce your presence, but before you are able to, the door swings open unprompted. The smell of perfume you had noticed earlier seems to rush out through the open door and swirls extravagantly around you and the beautiful figure before you.
“You’re here,” Vil states evenly. Holding a variety of robes and shirts in his arms, he smiles gently at you before stepping back from the door to invite you in with a small wave of his hand.
You step into Vil’s room and take in the new sight of several clothes racks, filled to bursting with various styles of garments, lining one side of the room. You make your way to your usual seat in front of Vil’s ornate vanity table and sit facing him. “I got your message. You said you wanted my help picking an outfit for an event?”
Vil stands in front of a full length mirror and studies his reflection as he alternates holding an expensive looking tuxedo and an equally expensive looking dress against his body. He glances at you through the mirror’s surface and says, “That’s correct. The event is a small, somewhat informal event. An opening ceremony for a local theater company. I'm going as a courtesy to a director I've worked with before.” Not satisfied with either choice, Vil returns both to their spots on the clothes rack and begins making another round of selections.
You raise an eyebrow with curiosity as a sudden thought flashes in your mind and you ask, “Why me? Why don’t you get Rook to help you?”
Vil turns to face you and crosses his arms over his chest as he studies you carefully for a moment. Raising one arm to his face, he slowly taps one finger on his elegantly tinted lips as he seems to consider your question until finally, a quietly alluring smile blooms over his mouth. He answers simply, “Because I only want you.”
You feel a light blush spread over your cheeks and you smile a little shyly and self-satisfied from Vil’s straightforward response. Turning to face the vanity, you try to distract yourself by examining the various makeup products before you and ask, “So when is the event?”
Vil gracefully strides across the room and sets himself on a small chair next to yours, facing the vanity mirror. “It’s this weekend.” He reaches out across the table, selects a feather soft makeup brush and lightly dusts it in a container of fine powder. With gentle and deliberate movements, he swipes the brush across his cheeks and quietly asks you, “Would you like to go with me?”
You briefly think about your current plans for this weekend, which are just to sit in your room and study. After weighing that plan against a night surrounded by designer clothes and beautiful celebrities, you smile appreciatively at Vil and answer, “I’d love to go with you.”
Vil returns your smile through his reflection in the mirror and continues to silently apply the makeup brush across his face. You turn your head to study your own reflection and trace your eyes over the familiar curves and bare skin of your nose, your brows, your chin. You watch a thoughtful expression appear on your face as you hesitantly ask, “Do you think I need to wear makeup?”
The soft brush in Vil’s hands comes to a sudden halt at the sound of your question, pressed lightly against his cheek. After carefully setting the brush back in its original spot, Vil turns to face you and lightly touches your shoulder with a kind and reassuring gentleness. Although he smiles warmly at you, there is a touch of sadness in his voice and behind his eyes.
"My dear, as I have told you before, makeup is not about need. It's about want. Do you want makeup on yourself? For some it can be a tool to accentuate and emphasize. For others, it is like armor to give strength and self-confidence. At the end of the day, no matter what anyone says, it is your face, your body, and you alone have the right to do with it as you wish. Always remember this, my dearest one."
In silence, you carefully turn Vil’s words in your mind like precious jewels. The obvious care in his voice and in his soft smile cause a feeling of warmth to steadily radiate out from your chest like sunlight and you smile genuinely at your reflection and then at Vil’s in the vanity mirror. You whisper softly, with an indescribable mix of emotions in your voice, “Thank you.”
With his important message delivered to you, the undercurrent of sadness drops from Vil’s face and his smile now is only serenity and quiet adoration. Turning his gaze briefly to the vanity table, Vil selects a beautiful crystal bottle of scented oil and then holds his empty hand out to you in an expectant and familiar gesture. You softly place both of your hands into Vil’s upturned palm and wait for him to begin.
After carefully placing two shining drops on the backs of your wrists, Vil sets down the bottle of oil and begins to lightly press his fingers in a series of graceful, swooping movements into your hands. The pressure he uses is gentle but firm and the tension you had not even realized you had been holding in yourself, begins to melt away under his expert attention.
Vil smiles, satisfied, as he watches your shoulders droop and your eyes soften with relaxation. With a few final strokes of his fingers against your skin he finishes your small ritual and holds your hands, warm and tingling from his touch, in silence for a few moments. You watch his eyes, dream-like and mysterious, sweep over your entire face. He sighs softly, almost with longing, and murmurs, “Light of my life, you’re even lovelier than you realize.”
You feel an intense blush bloom over your cheeks and you turn your face away from Vil’s gaze with a small shake of your head. You start to stammer out some excuses, denying the label of “lovely” when you suddenly feel the tips of Vil’s fingers under your chin. With tender gentleness, his hand guides your head back to face him and you see a small frown delicately wrinkling his brows. Vil’s eyes shine with determination and his low voice is almost heartbreaking, tinged with quiet worry and want.
"Please don't look away from me. Please don't ever look away. Gather me up completely with your gaze and treasure me the way I treasure you. My darling, you're more than a jewel, more than fame or fortune. You are a miracle. You are everything."
With his hand still under your chin, Vil draws his face closer to yours and your vision is filled only with the pale smoothness of his skin and the gently sparkling lavender of his eyes. His voice, softer than twilight, whispers, “Dearest one, don’t ever deny the irrefutable fact that you are lovely. More than that, you are breathtaking. Soul and body, you are beautiful inside and out. The most beautiful of us all.”
Your eyes widen at the weight of his words and the depth of feeling you see in his face. From the touch of Vil’s hand on your chin, to the scent of perfume and oil, all of your senses are awakened in a way you think should make you feel dizzy but in reality, you just feel completely present. Surrounded in elegance and beauty, in care and tender attention, you feel like a radiant jewel shining out from within a magnificent crown.
Raising his hand from your chin, Vil gently traces the curving lines of your face with a gracefully extended ring finger. His deliberate movements subtly outline your nose, your brows, your chin, and you feel the devotion and desire in him like flashes of sweet summer lightning from his fingertip. After a few more moments pass like this, Vil lowers his hand and softly calls out to you, as if addressing a divine revelation.
“Light of my life, remember always that I love you. Now and forever.”
274 notes · View notes
adriennebarnes · 2 months
Text
Daydreams
Pairing: Lead Singer! Mike Hellraiser x Hispanic/Latina! Reader
Summary: Mike Winchester formed a band with his college friends and got a record deal after graduation, he is currently dating Y/N, who is his biggest muse. When I tell you Mike is down bad for his girl, he is down BAD
Warning: spelling and grammar errors, no translated Spanish, inaccurate music writing and recording process
A/N: got the idea of giving Mike the Winchester last name from @littlefreya and Henry does look like the missing Winchester brother, like he could be Sam’s twin since they’re close in age. I also had this song stuck in my head for a few days, thank you booktok
Tumblr media
Mike was in his home studio daydreaming about his girlfriend, thinking about their date last night, the black lace dress she was wearing, hair done beautifully, makeup so pretty that he was dying to ruin it, it was all good until he felt someone hit his head.
“Hey, what the fuck, Chels?” Mike asked, soothing the part of his head where she hit him.
“Can you stop thinking about Y/N for two seconds and focus? We need one more song and we complete the album.” Chelsea said.
“Leave him, Chels, he’s clearly thinking with his downstairs brain.” Derrick said.
“Oh like you don’t think with yours when it comes to Allison? I have writers block, guys, I can’t think.” Mike said, throwing his notebook to the other side of the room.
“Do you have any cords in mind?” Chelsea asked, trying to be helpful.
“I have nothing. I think once i get the lyrics down, I can work on the melody,” Mike said, he checked his phone and saw it was almost 7. “Shit, Y/N is on her way, you guys need to leave.
“Oh come on, Winchester, we met her, she already moved in with you despite many of our jokes at your expense, I think she’s a keeper.” Derrick said.
“Haha, seriously, I need to give Y/N my undivided attention so you two need to get out of here so I can set everything up.” Mike said.
“You give her all the attention even when we are around.” Chelsea said. Mike looked at her. “Alright, fine, we’re leaving, we’re going to work on a few melodies for the new song though, see if any of them fit your lyrics. Let’s go.” Chelsea said and her and Derrick left the home studio through the kitchen door to leave through the backyard. Mike immediately changed, styled his hair back a little, and got the bouquet of roses he purchased earlier to put them in a vase on the counter. He was spraying cologne when he heard the the door open.
“There’s my girl, how was work, sweet cheeks?” Mike asked, kissing Y/N on the cheek, taking the take out bag out of her hands to put it on the counter.
“I have no words. Being a vet tech is fine, the pet owners get hysterical sometimes but it is what it is. How are things going with the band?” Y/N asked, placing her coat in the closet, walking back to the kitchen.
“Well i have writers block and we need one more song for our album.” Mike said, pulling out a chair to sit.
“I know something that might help you with your writer’s block.” Y/N said, leaning close to where he was sitting and started kissing and nibbling his neck.
“Oh, you know how much I love that, doll.” Mike said, sighing.
“I do. How about we do more of this after we eat. I stopped by that Peruvian restaurant that’s near in-n-out and got us the pollo a la brasa with extra rice, obviously, and anticuchos, jalea de mariscos, we are set for 3 days.” Y/N said,
“Thats perfect, princess.” Mike said, they kissed and began to eat.
After eating, Mike and Y/N went to their bedroom. Mike laid her down on the bed and Y/N gave him fuck me/doe eyes.
“Don’t look at me like that, doll, you know what it does to me.” Mike said, leaning in to kiss her, smiling into the kiss, she closed her eyes to enjoy the kiss even more.
Y un dos tres, tuki tuki, they did the deed, Mike was hugging Y/N, rubbing her arm.
“Why do you have writer’s block anyway? I thought you had a whole process when it came to songwriting o algo así, no, muñeco?” Y/N said.
“I do have a whole process but nothing is helping me. I haven’t had such writer’s block since I wrote ‘heaven angel’. Remember when I played that song for you?” Mike reminded Y/N.
“Oh I love that song. It was so good.” Y/N said.
“Of course you love that song, it’s about you.” Mike said.
“I know and I love it. I remember you dedicating that song to me when i went to your show. Muñeco, I love seeing you live, I really do, I hope you find some inspiration.” Y/N said, she kissed his cheek and went to the bathroom because she didn’t want a UTI.
The next day, Mike woke up and saw that Y/N wasn’t in bed. He put on his boxers and went to the kitchen and saw Y/N making breakfast, singing one of his songs, he smiled,
“Come and turn around 'Cause it's not just a figure of speech.” Y/N sang.
“You got me down on my knees, It's getting harder to breathe out.” Mike sang back, hugging Y/N from behind and she let out a little Yelp of surprise.
“No me asustes así, Muñeco.” Y/N turned around to hit his shoulder and Mike made believe it hurt him. “Did you sleep well?” Y/N asked, serving herself pancakes.
“I did, do you have work today? I wanted to do something with you.” Mike said, also serving himself the pancakes that were already done.
“No, the vet I’m working for said he wasn’t going to come in for 3 days so I have 3 days off. What did you want to do?” Y/N asked, sitting down at the table with her fork and knife, placing the syrup on the table.
“I think I’ve been putting to much pressure on myself to write this song. Maybe I have to…” Mike started, as he sat down
“Tienes que despejar la mente, calm your mind, wait until the idea comes to you. I get it, what did you have in mind?” Y/N asked, cutting a piece and eating it.
“Remember when we first started dating?” Mike asked.
“I met you when you after you performed at the Santa Monica Pier, we literally went out on a date that day.” Y/N said, Mike got up to stand behind Y/N, leaning down to whisper in her ear.
“You don’t want to go to the Santa Monica Pier today? We could play skeeball, I’ll put my hand over yours to guide you like old times.” Mike said, taking Y/N’s hand in his.
“Mira este, alright, fine, we’ll go, do I pack us food?” Y/N asked as Mike sat back down at the table,
“Y/N, babygirl, you’re starting to sound like your mom. If we get hungry, we’ll buy food there, I’ll pay for us, it’s fine.” Mike said, eating his pancakes.
“Fine, are we taking the jeep or the bike?” Y/N asked.
“Mm, as much as I love having you holding onto my when we’re on the motorcycle, we gotta take the jeep, I wanted to hit the beach too.” Mike said.
“Alright then, we finish eating and I’ll pack the beach bag. So we’re doing the rides first?” Y/N asked.
“Of course, the Ferris wheel, the coaster, the shark frenzy thing, then we can skeeball, and we’ll stay at the beach for the rest of the day, it’s 9:27, we’ll leave at 10.” Mike said.
“I’ll get ready then.” Y/N said.
They finished eating and Y/N was putting on her swimsuit in the walk in closet that connected to their room when Mike walked in. When he saw her in the suit, he did a wolf whistle and she turned around.
“Mm i Don’t think we should go to the beach anymore, I don’t want any other man to see you in this suit.” Mike got closer to her, grabbed her by the waist, and pulled her in for a slow and sensual kiss.
“Que tiene? You get to see what’s under my suit and you’re the only one who gets to please me.” Y/N teased, giving him a sweet, innocent smile.
“You are such a tease, sweet cheeks.” Mike said, shaking his head.
“But you like it.” Y/N said,
“Well you’re not lying there,” Mike said, Y/N puton her jeans shorts, a tank top, sneakers, tied her hair up in a ponytail (let your hair down if you have short hair), and wore her sunglasses. When she went to the living room, Mike was dressed in shorts, a t shirt, sneakers, a baseball cap, and sunglasses, he had their bag in hand. “You think anyone will recognize me in this?” Mike asked.
“If we learned anything from marvel movies, apparently no one will recognize you.” Y/N teased.
“Wait, my fans know we’re together, you gotta wear a hat too.” Mike said.
“The shit I do for you.” Y/N said and went to the walk in to grab her Yankee baseball cap. “Okay, let’s go, muñeco.” Y/N kissed him and they got into their 2021 jeep wrangler.
When they were in the car, Mike had his hand on her thigh, there were times where he would hold her hand, Mike’s love language was clearly physical touch. Once they made it, they got out of the car but left the beach bag since they were going in the rides. As they walked around the pier, a few people came up to take photos with Mike, Y/N happily took those photos for his fans. They went on the rides, Mike bought some cotton candy, feeding pieces to Y/N, they played skeeball together and they went to their car to get the bag and hang out on the beach. When Y/N took off her top and shorts, Mike just stared.
“Wow, wow, wow, I am LOVING the view, sweet cheeks!” Mike said as he was setting up the chairs on the sand. Y/N smiled at him and went closer to him, they kissed.
“You think you can rub sunscreen on my back?” Y/N asked.
“Of course I can, baby girl, I would love too.” Mike got the sunscreen from her bag and apply it on her back. “You ready, baby? You wanna go in the water with me?”
“Yeah, let’s go.” Y/N said and instead of walking like normal couple, Mike carried Y/N over his shoulder and both were laughing like crazy until they made it on the water. “Ay, está helada, it’s so fucking cold, no puede ser.”
“I’ll warm you up.” Mike said, hugging her. They were like this for a while until Mike went back to his chair and saw his phone ringing. “What up?”
“You’re telling me you’re having a beach day instead of writing a song?” Chelsea asked.
“Oh my god, Chels, I can’t write music under all this pressure, I’m sorry that I’m not the best song writer, do you have anything written, hm?” Mike asked,
“Don’t use that tone with me.” Chelsea said.
“Look, I am with Y/N right now and if it’s any consolation, I just thought of a line that we could use but you need to write it down, okay? ‘She knows she’s a tease’, you got it?” Mike asked.
“Mike, we’re not making another song about your girl.” This time it was Derrick on the phone.
“THEN THINK OF SOMETHING BETTER!” Mike hung up the phone and both Derrick and Chelsea on silent. He sat on the chair and he sees Y/N getting out of the water, walking towards him with water droplets on her body.
“Who was that?” Y/N asked as she straddled him. Mike put his hands on her hips.
“Just Chelsea and Derrick, they’re on my ass about the song.” Mike said, he leaned in to kiss her. “Oh, my brothers are going to come over tomorrow.” Mike was going to kiss her again but she pulled away. “What?”
“Your brothers are coming tomorrow and you didn’t think to tell me until right now? I have to buy ingredients to bake a pie for Dean, make a salad for Sam, clean the house, we gotta go.” Y/N said getting off his lap and drying off with a towel. “Pack this up in the car while I go change.” Y/N said. She went to the changing room, put on her clothes, and she walked back to the car to tell Mike to go change. She Waite sun til he came back and started the car. “We have to go to the supermarket to get apples, cucumbers, carrots, spinach, and we need more eggs.”
“Yeah of course, I’ll pay, they’re my brothers anyway.” Mike said.
“I’ll make baked chicken with rice, I have all the spices to make the marinade and let it sit. And we need potatoes to make the French fries from scratch, and chicken thighs and drumsticks. So tomorrow, I need you out of the kitchen, work on the song, okay. But how the hell do you tell me last minute? I respect your parents, I really do, but what the fück?!? Is this how you had Mary? Telling her shit last minute like a fücking elementary school kid that forgot to buy poster board?” Y/N asked angrily.
“The point is I told you now, it’s not late at all, you have time to leeos es everything.” Mike said.
“Thats where you’re wrong, muñeco, it’s 5pm, people are getting off work, there will be traffic.” Y/N said.
“We can handle traffic, just don’t be mad, okay.” Mike said.
“When did your brother tells you they were coming over for dinner?” Y/N asked.
“I Don’t know…it was last week, I remember because you made lasagna.” Mike said and Y/N gave him a zape.
“I can’t believe you had a whole fucking week to tell me, sabes que, you’re staying in the car while I get groceries.” Y/N said. “Why should I suffer? You’re getting the groceries, I’ll text you the list.”
“Yeah, of course I’ll do it. You want me to buy something else?” Mike asked.
“Just get what’s on the list.” Y/N said. They were quiet for the rest of the ride, Mike parked in the Shop Rite parking lot.
“I’ll be right back.” Mike said, getting out of the car.
Mike went to shop rite and bought what Y/N had on the list, plus a few snacks he knew Y/N liked and ice cream because there should always be ice cream in the house. He paid for everything and got back in the car to drive home. Once home, he brought in the groceries while Y/N just brought in the beach bag.
“Okay, out of my kitchen, I need to make the marinade.” Y/N said, pushing him out.
“Wait, I’m hungry, I need to eat.” Mike whined.
“Then heat up the leftovers, no puedo hacer nada if you’re here.” Y/N said. Mike walked away in surrender.
“Im sorry for not letting you know.” Mike said.
“It’s fine, just let me do what I need to do.” Y/N said.
It was the next day and like promised, Mike was in the home studio with Chelsea and Derrick.
“I have something down, ‘she’s all I breathe when I should be breathing air’ i think it could be part of the chorus.” Mike said.
“Ugh, why are you so obsessed with her?” Derrick asked.
“You have never been in love and it shows. Besides? I think our new album is missing a love song, this could be that love song.” Mike said.
“Fine, if you insist on writing a song about Y/N, how does she make you feel? I already know that all you do is daydream about her but how would you describe her?” Chelsea said. Mike started thinking how to put what he feels into words.
“You know that feeling when you know they’re the one? Like you know that person is all you’ll ever need, that one else could even come close to being like that person.” Mike started.
“That’s good, that’s good.” Chelsea wrote the idea down.
“Metaphorically speaking, how would she be?” Derrick asked, sitting down on the couch.
“Like your favorite song you have playing on a loop, it’s all you’ll ever listen to, nothing else’s but that song.” Mike says.
“Isn’t that basically ‘replay’ by Iyaz?” Chelsea asked.
“Shit, you’re right.” Mike said,
“You’re on the right track. Let’s think of something else, um…” Chelsea started and the three of them started thinking of something else to compare Y/N to.
“A book! What about a book?” Derrick asked.
“That could work, Y/N LOVED reading, there’s this book called ‘beautiful disaster’ that she’s always reading, it’s so worn out but it’s her favorite book of all time, it’s all she read when she’s bored.” Mike said.
“That’s it! Okay, here’s the music sheet I made, um, start playing it and I’ll say the lyrics I’m thinking, alright?” Chelsea said.
“Yeah, de una as Y/N would say.” Mike said as he picked up the guitar to play the notes, Chelsea started humming.
“She’s all I read, she’s all the literature that I’ll ever read.” Chelsea sang.
“That’s perfect! Im writing it down right now, okay. That’s really good, Chels.” Mike said.
“Okay, we wrote that Y/N is literature, what kind of literature would she be?” Derrick asked.
“She makes me feel so many things. I remember when we first started dating, I would text her poems every morning.” Mike said, then an idea sparked on his head. “That’s it! Okay, the notes, the notes, there it is, okay…’she’s all the literature I’ll ever read, she’s poetry, but she’s like the good kind that doesn’t make me sleep’ how does that sound?” Mike asked.
“Finally you being whipped has brought some food to the band.” Derrick said jokingly.
“Haha.” Mike laughed sarcastically and threw a paper ball at him.
“Alright, we have the first verse done, that’s good, this is great progress.” Chelsea said.
Y/N was in the kitchen, she has the rice, chicken, and salad done, she opened the over door when she heard the doorbell ring.
“Fuck.” She muttered as she took the pie out of the oven. She wiped her hands on her apron, walked through the dining room, living room, and opened the door. “Sam, Dean, come in!” Y/N said, hugging Sam and Dean Winchester.
“Hey, sweetheart, where’s our brother?” Dean asked.
“He’s in the studio. I’ll get him, but please, sit, make yourselves comfortable on the couch, did you guys come in the impala?” Y/N asked.
“You really love that car, don’t you?” Sam asked.
“It’s a beautiful car, I’ll be right back.” Y/N said, she knocked on the studio door. “Muñeco, your brothers are here.”
“Im coming, sweet cheeks, I’ll just finish up.” Mike said and he heard Y/N walk away.
“‘Muñeco’? ‘Sweet cheeks’? You are whipped.” Derrick commented.
“Do we stay?” Chelsea asked
“No, you don’t have to, I’ll try to finish the hutías tonight though, have a safe trip back.” Mike said and the three of the left the studio, Chelsea and Derixk leaving through the backyard. Mike walked into the living room and saw his brothers. “Sammy, Deano!” Mike said, hugging them.
“Nice to see you too, Mikey.” Sam said.
“How’s the little rockstar? Working on a new song already?” Dean asked as the four of
Dinner went really well, they talked about what they’ve been up to, Dean complimenting Y/N’s cooking, especially the pie, Dean took the pie with him when Sam and Dean left.
“Dinner went well, don’t you think?” Like asked.
“It did.” Y/N said as she cleared the table but Mike held her wrists.
“I’ll clear the table and wash the dishes, okay? Hey ready for bed.” Mike said, kissing her forehead.
“What about you?” Y/N asked.
“Im not tired yet, I’ve also been on a roll with the lyrics so I’m gonna see if I can finish.” Mike said.
“Does that mean I’ll be able to listen to the song tomorrow?” Y/N asked.
“Maybe, go to bed though, you’ve been cooking all day” Mike said, kissing her again.
When Mike was finished washing dishes, he brewed himself a cup of coffee and took out a concha from the box that Y/N got this morning from the bakery. He went to his studio.
“Alright, no dicking around, how do I continue this song?” Mike asked himself. He started humming, thinking about Thursday night how Y/N looked at him with those eyes that drive him crazy. “I really gotta stop daydreaming.” Mike said, sipping coffee. “Okay, her eyes are what..? Lust? Love? A movie? Maybe an x-rated one by the way her eyes get me…that’s it!” Mike exclaimed, writing down his thoughts. “Her eyes are porn and she knows it, won’t shut her eyelids till she gets invited” Mike sang as he thought back to all the moments Mike and Y/N had made love.
Mike’s writing process was like this for a few hours until he had the whole song written. He played the whole song a few times to make sure it all sounded like a real song. But mans is too tired so he called Chelsea. She answered after 3 rings.
“Michael August Winchester, you better have a good reason for waking me up at…3 in the morning?!? Why the hell are you calling me at 3 in the morning?” Chelsea asked.
“I finished the song, i need you to hear it, I need to know if it’s a good song.” Mike said.
“Why can’t Y/N listening to it?” Chelsea asked tiredly.
“Im not going to wake up my girlfriend at 3 in the morning, don’t be ridiculous.” Mike reasoned.
“You woke me up at..! You know what, doesn’t matter, I’ll call Derrick and we’ll go over the song before we call Teddy to have him hear the song. I’ll see you later.” Chelsea hung up.
Half an hour later, Chelsea and Derrick showed up, knocking on the kitchen door, Mike answered it.
“You know what time it is?” Derrick asked.
“Just listen to the song. I think it sounds good but I need you guys go play your parts too.” Mike said and they walked into the studio. Chelsea looked at the lyrics.
“Not bad at all, let’s see how it sounds.” Chelsea said. She picked up the bass and Derrick went to the drum set. After playing, Chelsea was smiling and so was Derrick.
“Winchester, the song is great. We’ll call Teddy later in the morning, like 10am, which is a very fucking reasonable hour by the way, we’re gonna crash on your guest room.” Derrick said, getting off the drum set chair.
“That sounds fair, you guys know where it is, goodnight, thanks for coming over.” Mike said.
“No problem, we’re all friends here, goodnight.” Chelsea said, putting down the bass. The theee of them left the studio, going to their rooms. Mike got in bed, spooning Y/N and she stored awake.
“Muñeco? What time is it?” Y/N asked.
“Don’t worry about, go to sleep, baby.” Mike kissed her cheek and both fell fast asleep.
The next day, the band is at Ellemar records with Teddy Price.
“There they are, there’s my favorite band! I heard you had a new song for me?” Teddy asked.
“Yes we do, Mike stayed up until 3am writing it, we think it’s great but we definitely need your expert ear.” Derrick said.
“Say no more, get into the recording booth, your instruments are all there, let’s see what you got.” Teddy said. He sat at the soundboard and gave the band the go ahead to start playing. Teddy was impressed. “Amazing song! Did you write it about your girl, Mike?” Teddy asked through the soundboard mic.
“Yeah, she’s my muse.” Mike said with a lovesick smile.
“I think we got a hit here so why don’t you guys take a break and we’ll record the instruments. Later Mike will hop into the recording booth and get vocals done. They will be your most popular album yet, take 10.” Teddy said.
A week later, they finished recording the song. A fee months later, after discussing the album cover, what songs go on the album, and tweaking and mastering the songs, they finally have a release date of the album.
“Our album comes out May 17!” Mike exclaimed, hugging Y/N before lifting her up and twirling her around.
“Que emoción, are you excited?” Y/N asked.
“Beyond excited! Especially because Teddy also got us a spot at Coachella! We’re going to be on the main stage on Saturday for both weekends.” Mike said.
“No way! You’re playing Coachella, that’s huge! Becky G was at Coachella last year, I wonder who else is part of the lineup.” Y/N said.
“I don’t know either but Teddy is managing everything, he got us booked in this fancy hotel, or he’s working in it, and of course since you’re my girl, you’re coming with me.” Mike said, kissing her.
“Will we get to enjoy the festival? Like when you’re not performing?” Y/N asked.
“I think we should be able to.” Mike said.
COACHELLA comes and the band is getting ready to perform.
“Everyone give it up for We Three!” They announced, the crowd starts screaming like crazy as the band got out.
“Hey everyone, we’re We Three and thank you so much for coming out here!” Mike exclaimed. We’re going to open the show with a song from our new album going out May 17. The song is called ‘Daydream’ and it goes out to my girl, I love you, you’re my dream girl, hope y’all like it.
She's all I read
She's all the literature that I'll ever need
She's poetry
But she's like the good kind that doesn't make me sleep
Her eyes are porn and she knows it
Won't shut her eyelids 'til she gets invited
We're not keeping score, but she's winnin'
Likes it when I'm singin', as long as it's for her
Daydreams, they feel like livin' when I'm dreamin' about her
She's all I breathe when I should be breathin' air
She knows I'm weak, yeah I
Daydream every day about the things we do at night
She likes the word, "Please"
But not the polite kind, the one in the sheets
She knows she's a tease
She's here for a good time then she's gonna leave
She'll start a war and she knows it
Won't stop her fighting 'til my flag is rising
We're not keeping score, but she's winnin'
Likes it when I'm singin', as long as it's for her
Daydreams, they feel like livin' when I'm dreamin' about her
She's all I breathe when I should be breathin' air
She knows I'm weak, yeah I
Daydream every day about the things we do at night
Daydreams, they feel like livin' when I'm dreamin' about her
She's all I breathe when I should be breathin' air
She knows I'm weak, yeah I
Daydream every day about the things we do at night
The crowd SCREAMED, they went crazy for the song, whether it was the lyrics itself or Mike’s guitar, the crowd loved it. They finished their slot and they went backstage, Mike saw Y/N with a teasing smile.
“Im your dream girl, huh? You daydream a lot about me?” Y/N asked, wrapping her arm around his neck.
“I daydream everyday about you. Whether it’s you in your lingerie, you cooking, coming home from work, you eating ice cream, I daydream about you.” Mike said.
“You’re so sweet.” Y/N said, leaning in to kiss him. Mike groaned into the kiss. “Wow, you really are weak.” Y/N laughed.
“You know I am, I could never say no to you, let’s go get some food because I’m starving, you think there’s tacos?” Mike asked.
“There should be, Coachella valley is heavily populated with Hispanics.” Y/N commented.
The End
Taglist: @warriormirkwood @shellyshellshell @marieksg
If Walter in general is called “Oso”, Mike who is bien caribonito, such a pretty boy, his nickname is definitely “muñeco”. What should Henry’s nickname be? Obviously besides the classic amor, mi vida. Maybe more Henry and Mike one shots in the future
60 notes · View notes
oathbips · 8 months
Text
Keep Up
Tumblr media Tumblr media
summary: stuck at school after forgetting to bring your umbrella, you meet the ace soccer player everyone has been raving about and he offers to help you get home
word count: 1.6k
content: gn!reader x chigiri hyoma, fluff, bookworm reader, running is not for the weak, a hint of comedy if you squint
author's note: I said I wasn't going to write another one for a while cause of school but this idea suddenly popped up in my head and I ended up writing it in one sitting when I had some free time last night.
Tumblr media
You didn’t expect it to be raining this hard right now. The weather app you checked earlier today said it would be cloudy at most, so you didn’t bring an umbrella. You’re currently standing behind the school’s door, taking cover. 
You stayed back today for some additional studying for one of your classes. When you got done and were making your way to the school's front gate, it started pouring hard, leaving you with no choice but to run back into the school’s building. 
“It’s really pouring down. It doesn’t look like it’ll stop anytime soon either.” You thought. This starts making you feel a little stressed. You had to be home before 7 to help your parents with some errands and this rain is going to delay you for possibly who knows how long. Pacing back and forth the door, you start brainstorming on ways you can make it back on time with this storm. However, no solutions were coming to your mind. You didn’t have an umbrella, you only had this thin school uniform cardigan, and your backpack was too heavy to be carried above your head. You start thinking of just making a run for it but your house is like 15 minutes away by walk. 
“Ughh, seriously.” You grumbled and that’s when you saw another person walk up to the door and peek out the windows. If it wasn’t for how famous he was around the school, one could mistake him for a girl at first. The long, silky red hair was styled up with a braid on one side. He had long lashes and marbled red eyes. Of course, only those pretty features could belong to none other than Chigiri Hyoma, the ace soccer player. You never got the chance to talk to him around school due to the fact that he was always busy with soccer or was too into his own thing for anyone to interrupt him. That didn’t stop others from trying to befriend him though. There was always someone wanting to create that special friendship with him. He was kind you guessed. Or should one say, he was indifferent? Yes, he was kind in regards to the way he responded to people and helped out whenever he needed but you’ll never catch him being the first to reach out to anybody. He talked but kept his distance. 
“Hm, I didn’t bring my umbrella today.” He said as you see him digging into his bag. 
“I forgot to bring mine too.” You said, striking a convo. 
You’d be lying if you said you never wanted to talk to Chigiri Hyoma. There’s this enchanting aura around him that one just can’t help but be drawn into. However, you never wanted to disturb his peace. To you, it felt like the two of you were in different leagues. There wasn’t really a need to talk to him even though you wanted to. You figured there just wasn’t anything you both had in common. You two were too different. 
“Really? I guess we’re stuck here for a while.” He replied and sat down on the floor near the door. He then proceeded to take out a book and read. You gasp at the sight because he’s reading one of your favorite books.
“You know that book?” You eagerly asked with fleeting hints of excitement. 
“Yeah, I take it that you do too?” 
“It’s one of my favorite books! And the author is one of my favorite authors.” 
“Oh? This is my first novel from this author. It’s really good so far. Can you give me recommendations for their other work?” 
“Of course!” You exclaimed and gave him a list of all the books you enjoyed by that author. 
“Thank you. I’ll get to these soon after I finish this one first.” 
“I didn’t know you enjoy reading novels, Chigiri.” 
His eyes widen at this and his expression starts turning bashful. “Sorry, this is really embarrassing on my part. I apologize but… Have we met before?” 
That’s when you realized, you had just addressed him by his name already when you both haven’t even introduced yourselves yet. Embarrassed, you try to find a good explanation so you don’t look like some weird stalker or fangirl to him. 
“No, sorry! We haven’t met before! I’m sorry for addressing your name right off the bat like that when we haven’t even introduced ourselves. I’m not a stalker I swear! It’s just…. hard not to know who you are when everybody around me talks about you… I’m sorry again.” 
“Ah, I see. No worries, there’s no need to apologize. It’s nice to meet you, uhm…?” 
“Y/n! I’m L/n Y/n.” 
You joined and sat in front of him and the two of you began to chat a bit more, mostly about the novels you both have read and you were surprised to learn that Chigiri and you actually share something in common. He didn’t seem like the type to be into reading. You always thought soccer was all he ever thought about. 
Getting carried away by the unexpected conversation with the red-haired boy, you started to lose track of time until a notification from your phone reminded you of the time. 
“Ah! The errands!” You yelped and quickly got up.
“So sorry, Chigiri. I gotta run some important errands for my parents at home.” 
“But it’s still raining hard outside.”’
“I know but it’s really urgent. I guess I just have to walk home in the rain.” 
“You’ll catch a cold like that.”
“Yeah, but still-“ 
“I have an idea.” 
“Oh?” 
“Are you up for some running?” 
Silence immediately fell after he asked that. Is he serious? Running? With him? That’s like the Tortoise and the Hare except the tortoise actually doesn't win the race this time.
You blinked at him, baffled. “… Don’t tell me you want me to run with you. You are aware of your capabilities compared to others right?” 
He laughs at this. “I know. Don’t worry, I won’t run too fast. I’ll match your speed.” 
“Then that’s a walk, Chigiri.” 
To that, he gave a belly laugh which made you blush a little because even his laugh was pretty too. 
“I know you can run, Y/n. Here’s the plan, we’ll run and take cover at any nearest cover we find and continue to the next cover we find. That way, we won’t get as wet. Just be careful because the roads can be slippery.”
“That sounds like a good plan. Okay, fine. I’ll run.” 
You two open the school’s door and scan around the area. The school gates were up ahead and near the school gate was a bus stop shelter. You pointed at it and said, “There. That can be our first cover.”
“Good, let’s go,” Chigiri said and on a count of 3, you both started running towards it. He said he was going to match your speed. He probably is trying to match your speed but without even applying any effort into his running, he still runs abnormally fast. It’s more like he has to put in effort if he wants to match your speed instead. You weren’t a slow runner, more average you would say but compared to someone like Chigiri, it’s beyond slow. 
To no one’s surprise, he made it to the cover first and you soon followed, 4-5 seconds behind. 
“What a way to match my speed, Chigiri.” 
He sheepishly rubs the back of his neck before saying, “Sorry, I tried.” And you couldn’t help but laugh at that. 
“It’s fine. It was expected anyway. Let’s find our next cover.” 
“That one over there.” He pointed at a shop nearby with an awning cover. 
“Okay. Ready, one, two, three!” You both start to sprint again but before you have the chance to run, Chigiri reaches over to your hand and grabs it, pulling you along with him as he runs. Your head does a hard whiplash at the sudden jolt of speed and you nearly yelp at how fast you suddenly had to run. 
“Chigiri! Ahh!” You yelled out.
He managed to successfully drag you to the shop faster than you can ever imagine. You were panting at this point after having to match his speed. He releases his grip and lets you crotch down for some rest. 
“If I can’t match your speed, you’ll have to match mine.” 
“That’s not how it works?! I’m human!” 
“… I am too, Y/n.” 
“This was a mistake. I knew it was a bad idea as soon as you brought up running.” You said through pants. Man, were you tired but you have to admit, this was really fun. It’s just something about running around in the rain with someone that gives you that giddy feeling. It’s so cliché but it’s so fun. You let out a laugh at this thought. 
“Finally rested up? I found our next cover.”
“Heh. Chigiri, Thank you. This is really fun. We should do this again sometimes.” You suggested. You wanted to do something like this again with him. You felt happy. Happy that you finally got to talk to the Chigiri Hyoma that everyone always raves about. Happy that you two actually have something in common and learning he was much more than just soccer. Happy that he genuinely seemed like he enjoyed your conversations and that it wasn’t forced upon him. 
“We can’t be doing this every day now. I’ll catch a cold and that’s not good for a soccer player… But I don’t mind doing something like this again. Without the rain.” 
You look up at him after he said that and chuckle. He looks down at you and cracks a smile.
“Ready now? I’m not slowing down for you this time.” 
“Bring it on, princess.”
148 notes · View notes
alexa-fika · 4 months
Text
Tough Swordplay ( Mihawk x gn!winged!child!reader)
A/N: We’ve got a slightly older Reader in this one, around 10? Enough for them to reach that sass stage 🙄 IT’s BREWING GUYS, THE IDEAS ARE BREWING, MY BRAIN IS OVERFLOWING. I have ideas for more Dracule!Reader Shanks!Reader , Bro even Donquixote!Reader (of the better brother of course 😳) and even more fandoms!
I also wanted to take a small second to thank you guys, it has been my dream to have my little group of people who I can share my writing with and receive reactions from, to share opinions on! So thank you!
Dividers by @/saradika
Tumblr media
They jump out of the way just in time to evade their father's attack only to miss the very next attack and end up falling to the ground
“Ow, I almost had it.”
Mihawk sheathed his sword as he watched.
“Hm, you are improving; your reaction time is better... You still need a lot of improvement” He said flatly.
They pout pulling two more long feathers from their wings, wielding them like swords as they got into position once again
“That’s much better... You’re finally starting to understand the difference between defending and attacking. Your footwork could use some work.” He said rapidly unsheathing Yoru.
“Your feet are too heavy and are slowing down your balance and agility, and you overcorrect when you are pushed off-balance. The moment my attack forces you back is the moment you have already lost.” He points out
“You are too eager to make your next attack. When defending and attacking there is a window of opportunity. When your opponent attacks, that is your window to strike.”
They frown, dashing towards him, ready to strike
He waited patiently for their attack while his own hands were in a position. As they struck, Mihawk used their own momentum to redirect the attack over himself before he countered, forcing them to stumble.
“Your form of attack lacks a proper flow. You should not be predictable. Instead of dashing at me, try to mix your movements.”
“Don't let your opponent know your next move. Be fast, unpredictable, and most importantly, be ready to react.”
“Agh! If you want unpredictably, you got it, idiot!” they growl as more feathers fall from their wings and are sent their father's way, immediately regretting both the action and their words.
“Oops…W-Wait, dad I din’t mean to,” they chuckle nervously
Mihawk narrowed his eyebrows but couldn’t contain his smile.
“... Impressive.”
“Just as I expected, you are improving,” Mihawk replied as he was finally able to be pleased.
“Your unpredictability was great, but... You are still rather obvious as your attacks tend to be slow and your footing heavy.” He added in.
They sigh in relief at their words only to wince at his following words
“However, I thought I had told you this was sword training. Did I not warn you against using your other attacks and focusing on your sword? And what was it that you call me earlier?”
“H-hah w-well, it was just an accident, a slip up!”
“Accidents are just convenient excuses for a lack of commitment,” Mihawk said, sharply approaching his kid.
A sharp wine can be heard across the training ground.
“Dad, it has been an hour of me practicing this sword move, can I please stop now? I learned my lesson!” They whine, a bump prominent on the back of their head part of the punishment they had received for their slip up; currently they were serving the second part of their punishment, stuck doing the very same sword movement repetition with a wooden practice sword
“... Another hour.”
“Come on! I said it was an accident!”
“An accidental misuse of your power is still a misuse in my book. I warned you about mixing up your attack style and you disobeyed what I said. You are too reliant on your wings” Mihawk replied, not moving a muscle, now sitting nearby with the newspaper
“Accidental misuse,” they grumble mockingly
Mihawk doesn’t flinch as he continues reading the newspaper.
“I heard that,” Mihawk said sharply without looking away from the newspaper.
“Just for that, make it three hours.”
“Come on!”
They pout, continuing their movements with the wooden sword
‘Jerk,’
“Five.”
“W-w- But I didn’t even do anything this time; I din’t even say anything!”
Mihawk raises an eyebrow with a small smirk appearing on his face for a brief second before disappearing.
“Im you’re father. I raised you, and I know what you are thinking just by your expressions.”
“Sorry, Dad” they mumble, getting back to their sword practice
Mihawk sighs, now with a small smile on his face.
“I am merely trying to help you improve. You cannot afford any mistakes. You must be ready for anything. You know full well that the world isn’t like some practice room, and even the slightest mistakes in a fight against your enemy can cost you everything,” Mihawk said, his voice being far kinder than before.
“I know…
“Good,” Mihawk replied as he watched over their kid.
“I know that I may come off as harsh at times, but that is because I care about you. The last thing that I would want is for you to end up dead because of a mistake or for some weakling to look down on you.” Mihawk said with a sigh.
They smile at him
“Thank you, dad”
“You're welcome... But it still does not diminish the length of this punishment.” Mihawk replied with a smirk.
“Seriously?! After all that?! That's so stupid!”
“…What was that?”
“W-wait!”
“OW! THAT ONE HURT! IM SORRY!”
They jump out of the way just in time to evade their father's attack only to miss the very next attack and end up falling to the ground
“Ow, I almost had it.”
Mihawk sheathed his sword as he watched.
“Hm, you are improving; your reaction time is better.”
“... You still need a lot of improvement, however.” He said flatly.
They pout pulling two more long feathers from their wings, wielding them like swords as they got into position once again
“That’s much better... You’re finally starting to understand the difference between defending and attacking.”
“However... Your footwork could use some work.”
“Your feet are too heavy and are slowing down your balance and agility, and you overcorrect when you are pushed off-balance. The moment my attack forces you back is the moment you have already lost.”
“You are too eager to make your next attack. When defending and attacking there is a window of opportunity. When your opponent attacks, that is your window to strike.”
They frown, dashing towards ready to strike
He waited patiently for their attack while his own hands were in a position. As they struck, Mihawk used their own momentum to redirect the attack over himself before he countered, forcing them to stumble..
“Your form of attack lacks a proper flow. You should not be predictable. Instead of dashing at me, try to mix your movements.”
“Don't let your opponent know your next move. Be fast, unpredictable, and most importantly, be ready to react.”
“Agh! If you want unpredictably, you got it, idiot!” they growl as more feathers fall from their wings and are sent their father's way
“Oops…W-Wait, dad I din’t mean to,” they chuckle nervously
Mihawk narrowed his eyebrows but couldn’t contain his smile.
“... Impressive.”
“Just as I expected, you are improving,” Mihawk replied as he was finally able to be pleased.
“Your unpredictability was great, however... You are still rather obvious as your attacks tend to be slow and your footing heavy.” He added in.
They sigh in relief at their words only to wince at his following words
“However, I thought I had told you this was sword training. Did I not warn you against using your other attacks and focusing on your sword?”
“H-hah w-well, it was just an accident…”
“Accidents are just convenient excuses for a lack of commitment,” Mihawk said, sharply approaching his kid
A sharp wine can be heard across the training ground
“Dad, it has been an hour of me practicing this sword move, can I please stop now? I learned my lesson!” They whine, a bump prominent on the back of their head part of the punishment they had received for their mishap; currently they were serving the second part of their punishment, stuck doing the very same sword movement repetition with a wooden practice sword
“... Another hour.”
“Come on! I said it was an accident!”
“An accidental misuse of your power is still a misuse in my book. I warned you about mixing up your attack style and you disobeyed what I said. You are too reliant on your wings” Mihawk replied, not moving a muscle, now sitting nearby with the newspaper
“Accidental misuse,” they grumble mockingly
Mihawk doesn’t flinch as he continues reading the newspaper; he glances up at them, narrowing their eyes.
“I heard that,” Mihawk said sharply without looking away from the newspaper.
“Just for that, make it three hours.”
“Come on!”
They pout, continuing their movements with the wooden sword
‘Jerk,’ they think to themselves
“Five.”
“W-w- But I didn’t even do anything this time; I din’t even say anything!”
Mihawk raises an eyebrow with a small smirk appearing on his face for a brief second before disappearing.
“Im you’re father. I raised you, and i know what you are thinking just by your expressions.”
“Sorry, Dad” they mumble, getting back to their sword practice
Mihawk sighs, now with a small smile on his face.
“I am merely trying to help you improve. You cannot afford any slip-ups. You must be ready for anything. You know full well that the world isn’t like some practice room, and even the slightest mistakes in a fight against your enemy can cost you everything,” Mihawk said, his voice being far kinder than before.
“I know…
“Good,” Mihawk replied as he watched over their kid.
“I know that I may come off as harsh at times, but that is because I care about you. The last thing that I would want is for you to end up dead because of a mistake or for some weakling to look down on you.” Mihawk said with a sigh.
They smile at him
“Thank you, dad”
“You're welcome... But it still does not diminish the length of this punishment.” Mihawk replied with a smirk.
“Seriously?! After all that?! That's so stupid! You’re stupid!”
“…What was that?”
“W-wait!”
“OW! THAT ONE HURT! IM SORRY!”
Tumblr media
GUYS AM I COOKING OR WHAT?! We got the wholesomeness, we got the tough love, we got the small smiles and smirks from Mihawk TELL ME I DIN’T COOK RIGHT HERE.
Taglist:
@imaginarydreams
106 notes · View notes
Text
HOW TO WRITE A FINAL DRAFT
(From Someone Who’s Been Working on the Same Book for Over Ten Years)
Tumblr media
Listen, I know what you might be thinking: “why the hell would I want advice on how to work on my final draft from someone who can’t even get her shit together for her own book?”
However, because I’ve had to re-draft my own novel so many times (Primarily due to poor outlining, lack of time and inspiration, and my own insecurities as a writer), I’ve learned a lot over the years on when to know if your book is done (or not!) and how to keep motivated. 
Just a disclaimer that these are my own tips and tricks that you may not agree with, and that everyone’s writing process is different! Don’t feel pressured to do things my way if you feel like it doesn’t work for you as a writer; everyone’s experience varies, and there are always exceptions!
1. Know If You’re Ready to Start a Final Draft
Some vocabulary for writers to know:
Content editing is a form of editing that revises the overall style, substance, and content of a story. Copyediting is a form of editing that revises grammatical, spelling, readability, continuity, and factual errors within a story.
A way I would know if I’m ready to make a final draft is if I am no longer doing major content editing on the book. This means I am no longer making major changes to the plot, characters, setting, and other facets of the book. There isn’t any re-writing of entire scenes, or major plot holes that require an overhauling of the entire book.
You know you’re ready for a Final Draft if your primary concerns are copyediting. 
Of course, with copyediting errors such as continuity, there will inevitably be some re-writing required, but I personally would not want to start a “final draft” at a stage where the book’s major plot points must be constantly changed during the editing process. 
This varies so much, from writer to writer; so my best advice is to start your final draft when you think you’re ready!
2. Consider Getting Some Beta Readers
Again, this is an incredibly complex process; some people like to have beta readers on their earlier drafts, while others like to have beta readers for their later drafts.
A beta reader is someone who reads a work of fiction before it is published in order to mark errors and suggest improvements, typically without receiving payment (although it’s nice to swap stories and beta read for each other!) You can find people willing to be beta readers all over, especially on tumblr!
Having a round of beta readers is a great opportunity to have unbiased eyes on your work, and to have people pointing out plot holes and inconsistencies that maybe you hadn’t noticed! It also gives you a much-needed break from writing your story, and helps you come back to it with fresh eyes once everyone is done.
I personally am waiting to finish my current rewrite before having a round of beta readers, and after they look it over, doing a draft of my own editing before moving on to a final draft.
(Things don’t work out the way you think they will, though—that’s life! Take as long or as little time as you need!)
3. Consider Taking a Break
In my opinion, the best way to start editing a final draft is doing so with fresh eyes. After finishing your second-to-last draft, shelf your project for a few weeks (or maybe a few months!) and move on to another work. Then, you can come back to your story as if you were a new reader, and catch mistakes that you may have missed if you were still in the groove of writing!
This can sometimes be dangerous for writers who struggle with inspiration and getting back into things, though, so do whatever works best for you!
4. Tips to Keep Inspired
How to Overcome Writer’s Block
How to Write Consistently
Writer’s block and lack of inspiration will be your greatest enemies on your final draft! Oftentimes, people lose steam once they see the finish line is ahead. Check out the tips in the above post to help keep you on task!
5. Learn How to Stop Editing: It Will NEVER be Perfect
You are your own worst critic. You will always find something to tweak every single time you comb through your own writing; hell, even published authors sometimes read their own books and think of ways they could’ve improved certain sentences or scenes! Understand that “Final Draft” does not mean “Devoid of Flaws.”
Sometimes, the best thing you can do for your book is to know when you need to stop overworking it and send it out to the world. Writers who struggle with liking their writing can find this especially difficult, which is why it can be helpful to have beta readers or a writing buddy who can put their foot down and say: it’s done! You’re ready!
Hope this helped, and happy writing! I believe in you!
119 notes · View notes
kilojulietsierra · 2 months
Text
Letters From Home - Syverson x OFC (WWII AU)
I know I haven't posted in for friggin ever, but I am writing. I promise!
This particular one I blame on my current obsession: Band of Brothers (which in case you were curious, yes I have stories in progress for that too) and my constant love for Captain Syverson lol So it's kind not exactly a crossover but it's def inspired by!
Summary: Set during WWII. Noah Syverson like many others joins the Army and volunteers for the paratroopers. Just before he ships out he runs into a girl who asks if she could write him while he's off fighting.
Warnings: 18+ content, no smut but less than appropriate behavior and language, mentions of death, war, nightmares, PTSD, mention of pregnancy, happy ending
Tumblr media
~~~~~~~~
Joanna was jogging down the steps of the courthouse, done with her work for the day and her mind already on her plans to go dancing tonight with her friends, and paid no mind to the two men in uniform walking down the street until she ran straight into one of them at the bottom of the stairs.
"Easy there." The one she ran into caught her around her upper arms as she bounced off of him.
She looked flustered as she got her feet under her once again, "Oh geez, sorry." She faltered a little as she looked up at the man still halfway holding her upright, just in case.
"You're alright." He gave her arms a gentle squeeze and stepped out of her way.
Joanna gave each of the men a polite smile, eyes darting between them. Both tall and wide with easy, matching smiles and nearly identical blue eyes. Their uniforms clean, sharp and their posture proud. When she continued on her way she spared one glance over her shoulder to where they had just started walking again.
As for the men they strode on down the sidewalk past the regal old, southern style courthouse and towards downtown. The older of the two glanced back at the retreating girl, "Wasn't that Henry Garrisons little girl?"
The man's younger brother scoffed, glanced back for himself, most folks still referred to her as that simply because compared to her four, older brothers, she was still very much the 'little girl' of the Garrison Family. "Yeah, it was."
"Bet you wouldn't mind bumping into her again, huh?" His older brother gave him a good natured shove.
Noah Syverson gave his oldest brother a shove right back. Not that he'd admit it out loud, but no, he wouldn't.
Luck was on his side because later that night he did just that. Allbeit a little less accidental than the first time. "Well, hello again." Syverson came to stand close behind her at the refreshments table.
To her credit she didn't flinch of anything, just turned to face him with a smile.
"So this is why you were in such hurry earlier?" He smirked down at her, his back straight and his eyes drilling into hers.
"Maybe." She smirked back at him before turning back to the table and accepted a glass of punch. "When do you ship out?"
"Train leaves tomorrow mornin'." He shook his head when the woman behind the table offered him a glass.
Joanna nodded, "Two of my brothers are already over there," Her face was softer, her smile a little less bright. "Where are you headed?"
Sy hadn't really thought out what he might talk to her about, but he hadn't expected it to be the war. He gestured off to one side, silently asking her over to a quieter side of the hall. "First to training. Won't tell us anything 'till after we make it through that."
She sipped at her punch and nodded, "One of the ladies at work said you and your brother both volunteered to be paratroopers."
His smirk grew a little wider, imaging the ladies at the courthouse gossiping about the local young men over the clack of their typewriters. "Yes ma'am. Didn't realize it was town news though."
Joanna had the good, Baptist decency to blush and look the tiniest bit embarassed. "Just gossip for now." Her eyes flicked back up to his, such a pretty, Irish, green. She was smirking again against the lip of her glass as she added, "They won't run it in the paper until y'all jump into Germany."
That got an honest chuckle out of him and he liked the way her eyes sharpened as she gave him the verbal jab.
Joanna Garrison had been in the same grade as his youngest brother, Able, both of them graduating high school just last year. He vaguely recalled the few times he had mentioned the Garrison girl. The one that came to mind just then was how Able had told him about her having to stay late for a week during their ninth grade year. She'd been been made to clean chalkboards as punishment for talking back to a teacher, one too many times. She was spunky.
"So how long have you been working at the courthouse?" Noach redirected the conversation away from himself.
"Just since school. Dad pulled a couple strings to get me in the typists pool while we wait to hear back about college." Mr. Garrison was the Sheriff and a military man himself back in the first World War. Joanna followed up her answer with a question of her own, "Why the paratroopers?"
Syverson sucked his bottom lip between his teeth and thought for a minute. "Everyone says they'll be the first ones in." He knew that wasn't much of an answer but he didn't really have a better one to offer her. "You know where your brothers are?" Noah redirected the conversation away from himself once again.
She must have noticed, but didn't say anything. Instead she gave a slight shrug and scanned the crowd packed into the hall. "Junior is in Italy, Greg was in North Africa somewhere last letter we got but that's been several weeks. Then, uh, Sean is in basic training right now and Connor is waiting for orders."
Sy nodded. Wondered what is was like for the parents and the sisters, or the brothers too young. He wondered what it was like for her to have the brothers she'd grown up with all ripped away and thrown overseas. He tried not to think about his own mother. What it meant for her to have her own sons not only to be leaving for war, but to have volunteered for the hardest and most dangerous profession they could.
"You sure have a lot of letters to write." Sy gave her a grin, sneaking a look at her, up and down, trying to memorize they way she looked standing there in front of him with a kind smile and those pretty green eyes. He wouldn't be any more forward than that. He had no right to be. He barely knew the girl but she was pretty, and smart and he was leaving tomorrow.
"I don't mind." She cocked her head slightly to one side and smiled.
He caught her giving him a once over of her own and had to fight back the urge to push his luck.
There was no need because she added, "I wouldn't mind writing one more."
Sy nearly broke out in a wide smile at her indirect and nearly cheeky offer. Instead he licked his lips and ducked his head, with his back straight and his hands behind his back, he stepped just a bit closer and stood at her side. "Just be sure not to use any big words. Remember, I'm just a simple, country boy."
She smiled and even rolled her eyes, and boy did that please him. Joanna locked eyes with him, "I'll do my best."
~~~
Noah,
I have to admit, I'm nervous to write this letter, I'm not sure what to write at all if I'm honest.
I realize now that we really, hardly know each other at all. I do hope to change that though, and so I will write. Even if i'm not sure what to say.
Hopefully your training is going well. I read an article in Life Magazine this week about Paratroopers; the training you will have to go through and though it sounds hard for certain, I have faith that life on a west Texas ranch has probably prepared you better than some of your fellow soliders.
You'll have to tell me about them. I have to admit I''m curious what all kinds of men you'll be fighting with. What kind of man decides to go and do this dangerous thing?
As far as home goes, it is mostly the same, and I'm sure not nearly as interesting as the training you are doing.
I hope you are well and I hope you are able to write.
Joanna
~~~
Joanna,
I was glad to get your first letter. Don't worry about what to write. I'll be happy to read whatever it is.
I'm lucky to have a pretty girl from back home writing me. I hope I can keep your attention long enough to get more.
We've been told not to write home about much of what we do but I can say the training is hard yet satisfying and we have a good bunch of boys here. From all over. Country boys like me and plenty from small towns and big cities like Chicago, New York and San Francisco.
I'm sorry this letter is so short. Something you should know about me is I'm not a man of many words. But, I promise I look forward to your letters and will write whenever I can.
All goes well, by the time you receive this I'll be an Airborne Paratrooper.
Noah
~~~
Dear Noah,
I was so happy to receive your letter, as short as it was. There's no need to apologize for that. I can only imagine there's much more for you to do there than just write to me.
I ran into your mama in town the other day and she was beyond pleased to tell me about her sons the paratroopers. She's very proud of you. I iamgine we all are here, in our little town so far removed from what you are about to do.
For what it is worth I am very proud of you.
I feel a little foolish telling you that I'm about to go off to the teachers college in Austin. Considering where you are about to be off to. But I do feel much safer telling you than anyone else, that i'm scared I'll find I'm not as smart as some have led me to believe. I guess we will find out. I've also never been so far from home. I realize how silly that sounds in a letter to you, all things considered.
Truthfully I find some strength in that. If you can go across the country, across the sea to the other side of the world to jump out of planes and fight Nazis, well, then surely I can survive a few years at a big, fancy college.
I'll include my address at the dorms so your letters can still find me. I've read that the paratroopers will be shipping out soon. If that's true I hope that you and the boys are strong and brave and as superior as we all believe you to be.
Until your next, Joanna
~~~
Jo,
We are staging in England for now, more training.
I never would have guessed I'd be jumping out of airplanes. It's terrifying but I enjoy it.
The area we are in reminds me a little of home, except much cooler and greener. But the people are friendly and it's farm country. From here Lord only knows where we will go. There's lots of talk but that's all it is for now.
You'll do fine at college, I'm sure of it. I'd rather jump out of a plane with no parachute. I know you'll do well.
I can see you as a teacher. But if you'd been mine you'd probably get sick of trying to get me to pay attention. None of the teachers I ever had were as easy to look at as you, I know I'd have been in trouble.
I don't know how often I'll be able to write after this but I hope you'll keep writing. It will give me something to look forward to, catching up on all your letters.
Noah
~~~
Noah,
College is much different than I imagined. Some days I think I would also prefer jumping from a plane with no parachute. My classes are okay, for the most part. Except for maths, I've never been good at it and to be completely honest could care less. The professor is not my favorite either. That does not help.
I read about the invasion of Normandy in a paper at the Library and I pray that you are well and safe and fighting. It seems to be the only thing people are talking about right now. Part of me will be holding my breath until I hear from you and know that you are safe. As safe as you can be at least.
From what I've heard you were trouble in school to begin with, even with the 'not so easy to look at' teachers we had in our little hometown.
But, I admit I enjoy knowing knowing you seem to think I'm distracting.
Your friend, Joanna
~~~
Noah,
I'm tempted to quit reading the papers because they only make me worry.
You asked me to write and so I will continue to write, until I get a response of some kind.
College has gotten easier, or rather I've settled in I suppose. I've made friends with a few girls on the floor in my dorm. All of them from small, middle of nowhere towns like you and I. They're nice girls and I'm glad I found them.
I'll be going home for Christmas soon and I plan on dropping in on your folks if that's ok.
Will y'all be able to celebrate? Do you even feel like celebrating? Hope to hear from you soon,
Joanna
~~~
Noah,
I think more than anything I'm writing this letter for myself. To say the things I can't say anywhere else.
My brother Gregory has been killed in action.
They notified my parents yesterday morning. Dad called me and had to tell me over the phone.
I've never heard him sound the way he sounded on that call and that nearly broke my heart. Even more than the loss of my brother. Hearing the pain in my fathers voice was so painful I could hardly breath and I feel as though my head is empty. I could not bring myself to go to class today. What's the point?
I'm so angry. I don't even know who I'm angry at. War? Can I be angry at war? I find myself so angry that all I can do is cry. I sob and weep until I feel sick to my stomach and then my head goes all fuzzy and empty again.
I don't know what else to say other than I hope you are okay.
Joanna
~~~
Jo,
I'm sorry it's been this long and I'm sorry to hear about your brother.
I know more than most you see everyday that there are no words. Your brother was a good man and I'm sure a good solider. You should be proud of him and you have every right to be angry. Just promise you will take care of yourelf.
I'm fine. I survived the jump in Normandy and a dozen other engagements since. I was shot in the leg not that long ago in Holland, nothing serious but it got me a scar and a purple heart. It was the stay in the hospital that let your letters catch up to me so I am glad for that.
The way things are going I don't think we'll get much of a Christmas. I hope that you are able to spend the time with your folks and find some peace in that. I
know I haven't been able to write but I do think of you. In the little, fleeting moments those of us on the front lines get. We try not to think about home much, but when I do I think of you. I hope that's okay.
Noah
~~~
Noah,
Your letter was a relief. More than I could have imagined. I'm glad you're okay aside from the new scar.
I leave for home tomorrow morning and won't be back at school until after the New Year. I think the time back home will help but it will be hard.
I'm sorry I don't have much to say this time.
I promise I will write you more when I am home.
And yes that is certainly okay. Reading that you think of me made me smile for the first time in a week. I think of you often and hope to hear from you soon.
Joanna
~~~
Noah,
Merry Christmas!
The holiday has been hard. Church was nearly unbearable with everyone offering condolances. I prayed for you and for the boys. I hope you are all well but especially you.
I went and visited your folks today. I'm sorry, but I hope that's okay. Your mama was sweet and fed me lunch even though I insisted I had just eaten. She told me all about you and your brother the paratroopers. Especially you. She said that I'd like you the best and she'll invite me over for dinner once you're home again. I
didn't mention that we'd been exchanging letters since you shipped off. I'm not quite ready to go back to school yet but I also can't imagine staying home for much longer either.
Can you tell me anything about where you are and what you're doing? If not I understand. I think I might like to know.
Hope to hear from you soon,
Yours Joanna
~~~
Jo,
I've never been as cold as I've been this winter. I can't write much about where we are without the Army blacking it out or pulling my letter all together. Just know that going is hard but we keep going. A couple of my buddies caught me rereading your letters while we here huddled up in a foxhole trying not to freeze to death. They gave me hell and made me tell them all about you.
It took our minds off things for awhile. They're still riding me about it. About my girl I've been keeping a secret.
I know I have no right to think of you that way let alone talk about you that way. But I do, consider you my girl.
Damned if I hope you don't hate me for it.
Noah
P.S. Everyone here calls me Sy, the only time I hear or see or even use my given name is in these letters.
Noah,
It's funny you should say that. Just the other day, in the library, a girl was sitting with us and prattling on about how she was so scared for her boyfriend who was working as a clerk for some officer in Paris and how he told her he might have to go with him to some station close to the front.
I was sleep deprived from studying and on edge and... well I may have snapped a little. Went off about how my boyfriend had jumped into Normandy with the Airborn and was wounded in Holland so her boyfriend could sit safe and sound at some desk and suck on his paper cuts.
I'm not proud of my behavior I admit, but I will admit I feel better knowing you might not be too awful upset with my actions.
Tests are coming up and I think the stress has been getting to me. I'm almost looking forward to the summer just so I can go back to my job at the courthouse typing in the pool. But then, I suppose, I'll just have to go back and finish the second year before I can work as a teacher. I hope that by then you will be home.
Your girl,
Jo
~~~
Jo,
I probably told every guy in my company about what you said to that girl in the library. Every one of them laughed, even the CO. He says I'm a lucky guy. He's right.
We had a rough go here recently but we are somewhere relatively quiet now and we are sleeping with a real roof over our head. When we cleared the town I may have taken the COs advice and sent you a package. It cost me 2 packs of cigarettes to get it mailed so be sure you let me know that you got it.
I don't think we'll be here long but we are trying to make the best of it we can.
Don't be mad but I did get wounded again, nothing major, just a chunk of shrapnel in my side. It tore through my canteen so it didn't do as much damage as it could have. Our doc fixed me up so I didn't have to go back to aid station.
I'm trying to make it home in one piece. I promise. Noah
~~~
His letters were less frequent after that but they still came and she was grateful for each of them.
She had been shocked when the first package of silver trinkets had arrived. There were several of those through the next year. Beautiful hand mirrors, cups, cutlery and once an ornate silver picture frame that had taken her breath away.
Her roommate had watched her open that package and made a snarky comment. "Does your Lieutenant boyfirend have any fellow paratroopers looking to send some spoils of war home to a nice girl from Dallas?"
Jo had included that in her next letter, smirking as she had written it.
Sy had even responded that she should be careful what she wished for.
There was a long gap in his letters after that. Though she continued to write, knowing from experience that if he were alive the Army would eventually get her letters to him.
Finally one came, shorter than nearly all the others. In it he told her he'd been promoted once again, to Captain now, and he had no idea how or why. The way he saw it he was still just a simple country boy from Texas there to do a job.
In her response Joanna had pointed out to him that if she had to guess, the promotions were becuase he did his job and did it well.
She was in her last semester of college when she got this biggest package of loot she'd yet recieved and quite possibly the longest letter he'd ever written her.
Jo, I
don't have the words to describe to you the beauty of where we are now, but I promise you one of these days I'll do whatever it takes to bring you here to see the mountains.
They're something you have to see to believe.
Some of us have never seen anything like this place. It doesn't even feel like we are fighting a war anymore.
We were able to take control of a town, nearly every house in it was packed with fancier shit than we had ever seen. I won't even tell you what it cost me to send this package but me and the boys, we couldn't help ourselves. As always we were the first ones in and there was no chance we weren't taking everything we could carry.
Some letters from my ma caught up to me here and in every one of them she mentions you. You made an impression.
The picture you sent was a pleasant surprise. Just as beautiful as I remember.
Part of me hopes the war is really over and if I could I'd be there in time for your graduation I would. I'm proud of you.
A few of the guys in my company have had a hard time with their girls back home. Letters stop, or worse a letter comes telling them she's tired of waiting. A couple guys have even found out their getting divorced by letter.
I'm grateful for you and your patience. Believe me when I say that when I come home I'll do right by you. God willing that's soon. It feels like it might be.
Noah.
~~~
It's the week of the county fair when Sy finally comes home. HIs older brother is the one that convinces him to put their uniforms on and go to the street dance that night. He wouldn't admit it but he was looking for her the second they stepped out of the old truck. He and his brother had been bogged down by boys and men alike shaking their hands and wanting all the stories. Sy let his brother do most the talking, that's how it had always been, and that gave him the chance to look around.
When he finally saw her she was with a group of girls off to the side, a big group 7 or 8, most the girls hanging on every word some weak chinned little privates were spewing. Not her though, she was sipping her punch and smiling politely, eyes glazed over and a million miles away. Setting his jaw he gave his brother a pat on the back and headed that way.
She didn't notice him right away, not until he came to stand behind the privates and straightened his back. "You boys given these ladies a hard time?" One of them turned around to smart off but they both immediatly snapped to attention and answered, "no sir" Sy nodded his head to the side and they slunk away, defeated. The women fawned and blushed, everyone of them batted their eyes and given him their prettiest smile. Not Jo though, her eyes were narrowed, then flicked briefly back behind her eyelids as she smirked. She did blush after he'd held her gaze a little too long but on her it was the most beautiful damn thing. "Miss Joanna, I was hopin you'd walk with me a bit, maybe let me have a dance."
After they had left the gossiping group of girls safely behind them, Joanna spoke, "I don't know how many letters I wrote you but now I feel like… with you here in front of me I don't know what to say." She chuckled a little at herself.
"You don't gotta say nothin' if you don't feel like it. I'm perfectly happy to just walk with you."
She blushed again, smiled and looked down at the ground, "So am I."
They had walked the length of their little hometowns main street and had turned around again. The music growing louder as they came up to the edge of the crowd. Joanna looked up at him almost shy, "You mean it earlier when you said you'd like to dance?" Sy had pushed her around the street to the next song and his chest puffed out when at the end of that song she had shooed away a young man asking for the next dance, wrapping herself around Sys arm instead.
This song was slower and Sy took the opportunity to finally get her talking. She'd always had so much to say in her letters and he had looked forward to hearing her ramble on the way he knew she would. Thus far she'd been holding back on him. "Y'know I bet I hadn't been home half an hour before my Mama was tellin me all about that good Garrison girl down the creek that had been stoppin' by."
Jo laughed and rolled her eyes a tiny bit, "Is that so?"
"It is." Sy tugged her a little closer, "Tellin me all about how pretty she was and sweet, smart too, sayin' she's just graduated from the teachers college and everything."
"Sounds like a hell of a girl." Jo was fighting back a smile, her cheeks still the half embarrassed pretty pink color they'd been since he'd stood in front of her earlier.
"That's what I said." He was grinning now. "She backhanded me for cussin in the house but she said she's plannin' on inviting this girl to dinner Sunday after church and I better be on my best behavior."
That finally got a real laugh out of her, "And how did Captain Noah J. Syverson take that?"
The song stopped but he didn't let her go, "Like any good southern man would," He paused not able to hold back his smile, "I said yes ma'am" Both of them laughing he guided them out of the crowd to a quieter spot against the brick wall of the bank. He watched her lean back against the wall and tilt her chin up at him smiling and her eyes bright. "God you're gorgeous." He pulled his lip between his teeth and studied her intently, "I was worried, it had been so long maybe I had built up this…fantasy of you, readin' your letters and thinkin' bought you."
Joanna's eyes went wide, her heart pounding all the sudden.
"You're so beautiful Joanna, I mean it."
She shook her head, her words not coming right away and Sy had got the slightest bit nervous, "You called me Jo in your letters." She smiled softly and his nerves settled
Understanding Sy nodded, 'I'd like to come by tomorrow, visit with your folks. Would that be okay?"
"Why you wanna do that?"
Sy smiled, "You've had the last few yaers to get on my family's good side, I got some catchin' up to do."
~~~
He didn't really have that much catching up to do.
When he showed up at the ranch in his uniform with his paratrooper patch, captains bars, jump wings and ribbons, that had been enough for her father. And lord knows every 'yes ma'am' and clumsy wink as her mother refilled his coffee cup was gaining him ground.
Sometimes Jo would get twisted around. They'd been writing like sweethearts for years, but now every time they were together she felt like a silly, little girl. Nervous and blushing. She'd nearly forgotten how tall he was and how handsome. He'd put on muscle too and his face had changed. Not the look of it but his eyes mostly, the way he set his jaw and the way his eyes were a little harder than other boys in town. The ones that hadn't seen what he had.
It felt like they were getting to know eachother all over again, only in person this time. Syverson was a patient man though, and gave her time. He'd known he was gonna marry her from that day in the freezing fucking forest of Bastogne. Swore up and down to himself that if he made it home, he'd marry her.
She came around fast though, got more comfortable with him. Soon she was rolling her eyes at him and cracking jokes.
She was the one that kissed him first even.
They'd gone to the next town over for dinner and when he'd opened the door of his truck for her she turned. Her hands grabbed him by the collar and pulled him down to kiss her.
Sy had been nothing but a gentleman those first few weeks but when she pulled that stunt his resolve faltered.
WIth a groan, one hand still braced on the truck door, he wrapped his free arm around her and held her close. He felt the air rush out of her as she reached up to wrap her arms around his neck. When she opened her mouth to his he groaned again, nearly a growl, and she gave up the sweetest little moan when he had backed her up against the seat of the pickup truck.
WIth both hands he touched her. Some decent part of him reminding him to keep it together. Only holding her hips or her waist, until one hand vetured up to softly cradle her neck. His touch there made her moan again and this time he felt it in his fingertips.
Finally he pulled back and just looked her over, his thumb under her chin keeping her face tipped up towards his. Her eyes opened slowly and when they did, and met his, she grinned. Biting her lip she tried to look away but he brought her right back. She licked her lips as she fought to hold his gaze.
"C'mere darlin'." Sy watched her eyes slip close and her mouth open before he could even claim her lips again. The way she let him press up against her and nipped at his bottom lip was driving him crazy.
The sound of a slamming car door down the street startled them both but all Sy could do was laugh. Looking over his shoulder to locate the source of the sound before ushering her up into the seat. His broad back blocking her from view he stole one more kiss. "Could do that a long time." He murmured against her lips.
Jo kissed him back but looked a little bashful again. "Yeah?"
Cautiously, he put a hand on her thigh and gave it a squeeze over her skirt. "Mhmm." He took another quick kiss. When he pulled back, looked her in the eye, she was smiling. "I love you, know that right?"
She reached a hand up to his jaw and ghosted her fingers over the scruff of the beard he was growing, "You sure?"
He chuckled, grabbed her hand and pressed a kiss into her palm, "Pretty sure darlin'." Sy winked at her and forced himself to step back, close the truck door and walk around to the drivers side.
When he climbed in and pulled his door closed she slid across the bench seat and kissed him again. This time her hand was braced on his thigh and Jo took charge. Sy let her, with a groan and a hand on her waist to keep her steady as she very nearly was in his lap.
By the time Joanna pulled back Sy was trying to catch his breath and his dick was getting hard, so close to where her hand laid on his thigh. Lifting his hand to her face he pulled her back, "Damn baby," He kissed her, sloppy and quick, and pulled her closer. "What's that for?" He swiped his tongue into her mouth, letting her know he wasn't complaining.
Her lips diverted from his and settled near his ear while her hand left his thigh to lay flat against his chest, "Love you too." Then she sat back and stopped touching him entirely.
WIth a groan Noah clenched a fist around the steering wheel and fought the urge to adjust himself in his pants. When he looked at her she was just stilling there, middle of the seat looking pretty and sweet, innocent as could be if it weren't for her swollen lips and flush on her neck and cheeks.
"Not sure if that was you being sweet or bein' real mean sweetheart. But fuck if I didn't like it." Sy laughed and started the truck. He smiled when she laughed too, not flinching at his foul mouth.
She simply slid back and closed the little distance between them on the seat. Settling into his side as Sy started the truck up and draped his arm over the back of the seat and around her shoulders. "You better get off your ass and marry me soon then Syverson."
Sy barked out a laugh, taking his left hand off the wheel to shift the truck into second gear rather than move his right from around her shoulders. Steering properly again he looked over at her, "Oh yeah? Or else what?" He tugged slightly at the end of her braid where it hung long and neat over her shoulder.
"Or else I'll start bein" really mean." She winked at him, before kicking her long legs up on the bench seat and leaning back against him.
Taking his hand off the wheel again to shift the truck up into third as he got them out on the highway, he smiled when he felt her lace her fingers through his and he gave them a squeeze. "Roger that."
~~~
Joanna wiped the ornate, silver frame gently with the rag in her hand. Thinking about how far the thing had traveled and how it had came to be in a little farmhouse in Texas. Taking a moment she looked at the picture in it. Noah in his uniform, pressed and sharp, decked in ribbons, and her in her wedding dress. Her mind wandered and she didn't hear him come up behind her.
His arms wrapped around her waist and his lips landed on her neck, "What you doin' darlin'?"
"Thinkin'."
He kissed her neck again, "'Bout what?"
She set the frame, stolen from some Nazi's home in Austria, gently back on the shelf. "What if I hadn't ran into you leaving the courthouse that day?"
Behind her Sy stood up straight, turned her around and set his hands low on her hips. "What'ya mean?"
"You barely knew me from Adam." She looked up at him, set her now empty hands on his broad chest and appreciated the way he had filled out in the years he'd been home. "If I hadn't come down those steps and bumped into you, we might never have been here."
Sy sucked his bottom lip between his teeth, as he often did when he had to think on his feet, "I'd have seen you at the dance."
"But you'd seen me at dances before. I know it. You never spared a look at a me." She arched her brows and challenged him.
"Now that," He reached down and grabbed a handful of her ass, "Is not true." He drilled his eyes into hers and leaned in close. "I spared you plenty of looks before. You, on the other hand, didn't have the time of day for me 'till you saw me in uniform." He gave her ass a swat this time as he chuckled.
She shoved at him playfully but licked her lips and met his gaze headon, "That…" she started before cracking a laugh of her own, "Is beside the point."
"I knew it!" Sy barked as he grabbed her up by the thights and carried her to the dining table, where he set her down and stepped between her legs. His hands stroking up and down her thighs as he leaned back down to kiss and nip at her neck. Smiling against her soft skin as his beard tickled her there. "All I know," He began still mouthing at her neck before moving up over her jaw and across the apple of her cheek. "Is I'm damn glad it all happened how it did."
Jo smiled against his lips as he kissed her deeply. She smiled even wider as she felt his hands slip under her sweater and his thumb stroke over the very beginning of the swell in her belly.
~~~
If he were honest, her question a bit ago had thrown him. What if she hadn't bumped into him that day?
Given the time to think about it later, with his pregnant wife naked and dozing draped across his chest, her hand resting on the scar in his side. She always paid the most attention to that one, and her fingers always found it as she bregan to drift off.
He wondered if he would have had the guts to approach her at the dance. He liked to think so.
Sy wouldn't ever tell her, but in his mind if she hadn't bumped into him on the courthouse steps that day... well... He might not have spoke to her ever. And when he thought of that he always wondered if he even would have survived the jump into Normandy. Or would he have froze to death in a foxhole without her letters to give his mind a break from the looming dispair.
Would he have been the leader he was if she wasn't on the other side of the world to be proud of him? Would he still have been the man that could charge German lines and command the respect of men enough to do the same?
Possibly worst of all he thought would have been if he had survived the war, but not had her to come home to. Would the nightmares and the lonlieness been too much for him alone?
How could another girl who hadn't been with him through it all understand the way he could stare across the pastures, not really seeing? Would another girl have tolerated the nights laying in bed beside him shivering, his body still thinking he was in that frozen forest? Or the way even now he would still sometimes flinch at a loud noise, expecting and incomming round that never came? Could another girl stand beside him at a funeral of a brother that came home but never really came home?
In her sleep Jo's hand flexed at his side and it brought him out of the spiraling thoughts. Instead he focused on her steady breathing and peaceful face. When he fell asleep that night there were no dreams, just the warmth and comfort of her beside him.
~~~~ The End ~~~
This is the first time I've written for Sy and i'm very attached to it! I have a few other ideas for him floating around so if y'all might be interested sure to let me know!
Thanks for reading!
46 notes · View notes
steamberrystudio · 5 months
Text
Tumblr media
19/11/2023
Hey everyone! Time for the bi-weekly tumblr update for Steamberry stuffs!
Summary
Finished writing all routes up through the end of chapter 9
Started working on editing for now
Added in-game achievements
Received some new BG art
Ramble
Okay, so writing-wise, I wrote Yren's content up through the end of chapter 9. Also revamped my end-route summaries for Yren and Raif.
The current word count is 426,000 words.
But I decided to hold off on finishing the endings for the four remaining routes. The main reason for this is that I have planned a lot of early-story changes that are going to shift the trajectory of the route endings. And I was really struggling with how to construct the route endings with those planned changes in a more nebulous state.
I usually try to avoid working out of order because I find it is not conducive to forward progress. But there are some points when you have to break the rules and go back to make important edits because you need them there in order to be able to move forward.
I'm kind of at that point.
So I decided I would fully edit Asher's route, which will allow me to inject all those planned changes into the story which will make it much easier to construct endings that call back to that earlier foreshadowing.
So writing-wise, that's what I've been doing this week. I am currently up to Chapter 6 in the edit (which means I'm a little less than half through the route).
Other Stuff:
I have received new BGs of course. Those are coming in at a fairly steady rate of 1.5 - 2 weeks each.
I also have decided to add in-game achievements to WSC. I've been thinking about it for a while but putting it off since I know that one more screen (like an achievements gallery) means more tweaks to the UI. But I finally sucked it up and did it anyway.
I've also been playing with a colour slider for Wil's sprite. I'm not going to go into detail about it here because I've talked about it more in depth on Patreon and will continue to post most of the details there.
But the idea is that instead of choosing from 3 skin tones and 2 hair colours, there would be colour sliders allowing for a much greater range of selection. One of the big concerns with colour sliders is whether or not the recolours can be made to look as good as recolouring manually - which has always been why I've stayed away from them. 
The more complex shading styles have always struggled with colour sliders. But a developer friend - Feniks - has made a really cool and dynamic shader that actually can recreate even painterly or non-outlined art styles with incredible accuracy.
Using a slider is really useful because it increases the variations the player gets while *reducing* my work load. Instead of having to recolour manually, I would actually only need to colour everything once in grey scale.
Of course, it's not as easy as just dumping in the code and art. It requires some experimentation and learning but right now it is looking like I will be able to make it work. So I may be able to show off some examples in the future.
Screenshots:
None this time...
Upcoming Weeks:
I am currently editing Chapter 6 of asher/common routes and there are some pretty substantial edits I have to make.
It's always tricky to estimate what I will get done editing wise because editing does not flow at a more or less even pace like writing. Chapter 5, 6, and 7 had (and will have) major updates and changes so it may take a while to get through them. Though I'm already through with Ch 5. So...that's one of three.
Anyway.
And I'm also working on the GS lore book, still (LoL. 🙃). Someone today reminded me that I still need to go through all the deleted content to see if anything is salvageable for the lore book too.
😭
Thank you so much to that person (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE. And you need to answer for your crimes, my friend.) 👀
54 notes · View notes
actuallyacerrr · 6 months
Note
can you please do a movie Lloyd X reader basically this takes place after the movie so everyone in Ninjago city knows that Lloyd is the green ninja but back to the plot Lloyd is currently going through the Oni and dragon equivalent of puberty so he is growing 2 new arms, horns, Wings and a tail and the reader always visit and Lloyd is starting to feel insecure so the reader shows Lloyd all the messages on her phone and all of them are from there school saying that Lloyd will always be the city green ninja and so on and Lloyd is happy that everyone will accept him and the reader and Lloyd end up cuddling and then garmadon walks in accidentally and processed to embarrass Lloyd in front of the reader and the reader pushes garmadon out of Lloyd room and the reader locks the door so both the reader and Lloyd can have cuddling in peace and the reader says that she loves him no matter what he will look like
Helloooo! I wanna say thank you to who sent in all those requests although i’ve only decided to do two of them ^^’ I still appreciate it!! I am excited to write this one hehe. I’m a sucker for comfort stuff (thought this turned out more like a hurt comfort tbh) so I hope this does the request right! (cause it kinda deviates from the request a bit) I apologize for how long this took to get out. 😭
Tumblr media
“In my eyes, you are everything”
Type->
One-Shot
Pairing ->
Movie!Lloyd G. x F!Reader
Warnings ->
Blood mentions, OOC Lloyd(?)
Summary ->
After the events of the movie, Y/n and Lloyd officially get together and often sneak into each other's houses. But one thing Lloyd just so happens to forgets to mention is the fact he has Oni and Dragon blood. And Y/n only finds out when she stumbles upon Lloyd panicking over going through changes. Aka Y/n comforts Lloyd going through Oni/Dragon puberty.
1.7k Words | Masterlist
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Footsteps trudged against the pavement of Ninjago city. Today had been a long day for Y/n, but work was always exhausting. What made it worth the wait though was getting to see her best friend and boyfriend, Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon.
Her pace quicken the second she saw that familiar apartment complex. She rushed to the alleyway as soon as she reached it and found the usual fire escape. Rusty as it was the fire escape was surprisingly sound. Climbing past the first…second…third, and finally on the fourth floor.
There wasn’t much to see through the curtains but if Y/n was right.. the window slid open with ease and she climbed in. The room was nice, surprisingly messy but overall organized. She scanned the room even with how familiar it was. Yet there was no sign of Lloyd.
“Must be getting a snack or something..” she mumbled plopping onto his bed starfish style. The feeling of soft sheets let her sink into the familiar mattress sighing contently. She always got jealous of this because seriously?! How does he get one this comfortable!
Y/n stared at the ceiling, more specifically as the spinning fan. The clock ticking in the background producing a rhythmical melody. A minute passed and Y/n got a little curious but stayed still, then another passed, and another. Still remaining comfortable until about five minutes. That’s when She began to worry. Had she misread the texts? Were they supposed to meet at her house?
Rolling over and pulling out her phone to opening their conversation from earlier. And right there, clear as day it confirmed they were in fact supposed to meet at Lloyd’s…but where was he? Y/n concerned shot him a text asking if he was okay and where he was. She put her phone down afterwards resuming staring at the ceiling.
A noise came from the bathroom, like something got knocked over and a pained hiss followed behind it. Worry flooded her systems as she hastily rushed to the bathroom door. Y/n knocked calling out “Lloyd? Is that you?” No answer. “Lloyd” and again there was no answer. So she tried the door handle, unlocked. She peeked in before swinging the door open. There stood Lloyd facing the mirror, hands messing with something on his head, and a box of bandages spilt over on the floor. “Lloyd..” Y/n moved closer but he just turned away like he was ashamed of something. “Whats wrong Lloyd? Are you hurt?” Y/n questioned, her voice soft.
Lloyd turned his head slightly and Y/n places a hand on his shoulder, he turned towards her hesitantly. Finally, as the two stood face to face Y/n cupped the teens cheek looking him over. There was dried blood matted into his hair, on his fingers and under his nails, on his forehead too. Two horns were visibly poking through his hair. And without a second thought he was pulled into a hug, tightly but not to tight either. She could feel his tears soaking her clothes but didn’t care.
Lloyd was gripping her hard, she still did not care, only pulling him closer. his knees felt weak as they both slowly sank to the floor. She rubbed circles into his back and ran fingers through his messy hair. “You wanna tell me what’s going on?” Y/n asked pulling away now holding Lloyd’s face in her hands. He didn’t say anything at first.
“Puberty..” Lloyd mumbled which led to a slightly confused look forming on her face. “Puberty?” She stated and Lloyd nodded. “Oni…Dragon? Puberty” Lloyd added and Y/n nodded “mmm.” She pushed his hair out of his face, wiping away the tears. “How do you feel right now?”
“Weird and and scared, scared of how people will see me now that not only am I, a Garmadon, but also..a monster.” The last part was spoken softly as he adverted his eyes from her. He didn’t want her to see the forming tears.
“Monster? No no no. Lloyd. You are not a monster. You’re changing and that is okay. I remember this story..The First Spinjitzu Master..he was the mix of Oni and Dragon..right?”
Lloyd nodded, not seeing why that story was relevant.
“and he had two sons, one of them being Garmadon, your father.”
Again, Lloyd nodded starting to catch on.
“It’s because of your heritage is it not then?”
For a third time Lloyd nodded.
“Then there is no reason to call yourself a monster. You should be proud to wear these. A symbol of your heritage and a reminder to yourself and the people that even now there is still a great person protecting them. This realm, and everything you stand for.”
Lloyd glanced back at her, sniffling.
“Mhm… I think we should probably get you cleaned up.” Y/n said referring to the dried up blood. She watched Lloyd awkwardly smiled and nodded. Getting up she looked around the bathroom.
“Sink cabinets.”
“Thanks” Y/n replied crouching down, opening the sink, grabbing an excess cloth before going to damp it with water. Getting on the ground she pushed Lloyd’s hair out of the way again and pressed the cloth to his forehead wiping the blood.
Lloyd hummed as if holding in the pain. “I know, it’ll hurt for a bit..once I get the blood off i’ll need to clean it so it doesn’t get infected.” Y/n explained continuing her work. She finished with his forehead moving on to his fingers and under nails. That was much significantly easier to clean. Y/n turned back to the sink’s cabinets for the med kit, and grabbing rubbing alcohol. “Ok, this will hurt. I’m gonna count to three so brace yourself.” She warned getting the gauze ready.
“Ok, 1, 2, 3” she began to clean the wound as Lloyd hissed trying to pull away. “Moving is only gonna make it worse.” Y/n warned..again.
Lloyd mumbles trying to not move as much.
Y/n finished and dressed the wounds. “How’s that?”
Lloyd nodded, “better thank you..” He watched his girlfriend nod and peck his forehead.
“Cmon, let’s go get comfy.” Y/n pulled up Lloyd and they walked back to the bed to get comfortable, maybe watch a show or something. She plopped down by the top while Lloyd sat at the edge near the bottom. Something was still bothering him it seemed. So she flipped over putting her head in her hands.
“You feeling any better?” Y/n asked.
“not really..” was the reply.
Y/n sat up, “come here.” She patted the place beside her. Her boyfriend moved closer and leaned on her. She pulled him closer. Her fingers brushing through his hair once again.
“I love you Lloyd, nothings ever gonna change that.”
Lloyd nodded “I know that..I love you to, so much. I’m just scared how others will see me” he spoke. “That they will no longer see me as their green ninja..that i’m..” He didn’t finish his statement.
Y/n gave him a look “Lloyd.”
Lloyd continued “different enough to be shammed, that I reflect my father more than my uncle or or the First Spinjitzu Master. I don’t want people to be afraid of me-“
“Lloyd-“
“What if they start being afraid of me!-“
Y/n pecked his lips. “Lloyd!” He just stared at her “You are and will always be this cities green ninja, you are this cities hero, They are not afraid of you, they love you Lloyd.” Y/n cupped her boyfriend’s face.
“You are my hero, you are my favorite person in all of Ninjago, because you are you.” Y/n began pecking his face, starting on his forehead, eyelids, nose, cheeks, lips. “I love every inch of you. In my eyes, you are everything. You’re my world, heart, and sun. I smile every time you text me, every time I see you, your appearance will never change that.”
“How would you know that?”
Y/n looked confused, “what do you mean?”
“How do you know they don’t hate me.”
Y/n shows him her phone, she had Chirp pulled up. On the trending page were #GreenNinja, #Weloveyougreenninja, #LloydGarmadon, etc. She turned her phone away to click on one of the hashtags and turned it back scrolling through all the chirps. hundreds, thousands, of them about how the cites green ninja and hero. How they love him, congrats on saving the city and many more. That wasn’t all, she pulled the phone away and opened Instabook. Scrolling through hashtags related to him, even showing post from many of the students and school.
“They don’t Lloyd, they love you, as do I. Don’t forget that okay?”
Lloyd stared at her before tackling her in a hug. Causing his girlfriend to giggle, Y/n paused not even realizing till now “you have four arms?”
“…you don’t mind them?” Lloyd asked.
“What? No! they’re awesome! I mean like with four arms just think of all the things you could do, climbing faster, fighting faster! Plussss you can give me more cuddlessss.” Y/n said booping Lloyd’s nose. She pecked him and began to run her fingers through his hair.
They fell into a comfortable silence, just her and Lloyd together. Everything was alright in the world as if it remained only them two. Lloyd falling asleep on her as she falls asleep holding him.
Y/n looked down with a small smile, Lloyd looked half asleep by now. Especially in all this peace and quiet-
The door slammed open.
“Guess I spoke to soon..” mumbled Y/n
Lloyd shot up looking in the direction of the door and groaned plopping back onto Y/n. “Go away dad”
“Oh, did I interrupt something?” Garmadon spoke with a teasing tone and a raised eyebrow.
Lloyd’s face turned red which Y/n got a glimpse of. Burry his face into her more. Y/n just giggled at his response.
“You know you should really lock the door, son” Lloyd groaned “daddd.” All Y/n could do was giggle at this interaction.
Another head peaked through the open doorway. “Honey we should leave the kids alone. Let them have their fun.” Koko, Lloyd’s mom, winked.
“Moooomm not you too!”
Koko laughed. “Okay okay, we’ll leave you alone. Cmon you.” His mom dragged away Garmadon.
“Thanks Mrs. G!” Y/n Yelled out as Lloyd used his elemental power to shut and lock the door.
The two got comfortable again, cuddling up and laughing. Eventually falling asleep together, embracing themselves in each other’s warmth and arms.
Tumblr media
84 notes · View notes
foxykatie425 · 2 months
Text
Jedi: Fallen Order - The Musical (Act 1)
Wait, hear me out…
Alright look, I am fully aware that trying to turn Jedi: Fallen Order into a musical is a dumb idea. I am fully aware that Star Wars in general would probably not benefit from the musical treatment. And I am fully aware that even when people hear me out, there’s not a single human on this earth that really cares or has interest in this idea. And honestly, why should they? It’s not even like I have songs to offer, because despite my music degree, I am a really lousy songwriter!
However, all that being said, I really enjoy the problem-solving challenges that come with adapting a story for a very different medium than originally intended! And when I get my stupid ideas, I want to share them and get them outta my head! So while I have a captive audience, I’m gonna share some of my main ideas for Act 1 of Jedi: Fallen Order - The Musical! If anybody actually cares to read, please like this post, leave comments, reblog or whatever so I can find my drive to finish writing out my main ideas for Act 2! (And if you are not interested in reading 4500 words of my incoherent brainstorming, go ahead and keep scrolling. I will not be offended!)
Act 1
To start the show off, I think it would be somewhat poignant if, at the end of the overture, a single light comes up on Cal and he says the line “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” before immediately transitioning into Bracca.
I imagine the introduction to the scrappers guild to be a Newsies style dance number, although perhaps not quite as happy.
The opening scenes on Bracca need to lay the foundations for the audience: who were the Jedi? What happened to them? And what is the current state of the galaxy? We have to assume, to an extent, that the audience has no background knowledge of Star Wars.
We also need to establish Cal’s current state of mind- fearful and alone. His only goal is to stay alive. He doesn’t trust anyone, but at the same time he does have friends that he cares about, such as Prauf.
Speaking of Prauf, odds are he’d be adapted into a human or humanoid character for this show. There’s nothing saying his character has to be an Abednedo, and it would be a lot of work to turn an actor into this alien character when said character is killed very early on. The actor would likely join the ensemble for the remainder of the show.
Let’s talk about Cere. Not much about her character would need to change, but without video game restraints confining us to Cal’s perspective, it becomes easier to flesh out Cere’s character arc a bit more. We can have the chance to see inside her head, and we can also have one or two scenes where she has the stage to herself.
Cere’s backstory can also be expanded on. Not only would I have her tell the story of how she tried to lure the imperials away from Trilla a bit earlier in the narrative, I would also have the scene play out onstage from Cere’s perspective so the audience actually gets to see young Trilla (and it foreshadows later when we get to see the exact same scene from Trilla’s perspective). There could also be two or three scenes throughout the first act where we get to see more flashbacks of Cere being a master. Perhaps as she gives advice to Cal, she reflects on times she had to give the exact same advice to Trilla (which could also have the added side effect of making Cal and Trilla interesting foils to each other).
Now Greez you could portray on stage a few different ways. I probably wouldn’t turn him into a humanoid character like with Prauf, because 1) he’s in the show for a lot longer, and 2) if all of your main characters are human it makes it difficult to portray the setting as “a galaxy far, far away.” For an alien species that’s meant to be so short in stature, you could potentially do him as a puppet, kind of like the way Olaf is done in Frozen the Broadway Musical, but I’d probably lean away from that because with a story as serious as this one, some strong emotions could get lost in translation. More likely, I’d try to cast an actor who is shorter in stature (most likely not quite Greez sized, but we just suspend our disbelief) and give him some prosthetic makeup and an extra set of arms that can be puppeted to mimic his real arms. (You might also be able to create his short stature by having the actor on his knees, like Lord Farquaad in Shrek the Musical, but again, you start to risk turning the character into a joke.)
As far as Greez’s character arc, it unfortunately comes off as a bit of an afterthought in the game (aside from the Haxion Brood level) but there is a bit that can be expanded on. He started off accepting Cere’s charter in an effort to pay off his debts, but he eventually comes to believe in her and in her quest. It’s not highlighted very much in JFO because a lot of that growth happened before Cal came into the picture. The most we get to see is his underlying dislike for Cal at the beginning grow into respect and eventually care. In a stage show, his arc would still have to be secondary to Cere’s and especially Cal’s arc, but he could definitely be played as a Han Solo-type character who took a job for money that slowly comes to mean more to him.
You can’t have a Jedi game, or a Jedi musical, without Cal’s best buddy BD-1. Now being a droid, and a very small droid at that, BD-1 would be puppeted onstage by an actor in a similar style to the characters in Avenue Q or Finding Nemo: The Musical. I tend to imagine BD-1 being played by a petite young woman (namely, a dancer) but nothing says it has to be. Since BD-1 doesn’t speak English (sorry, Basic!) it would be a silent role with BD’s beeps and trills being produced by a soundboard, probably controlled by someone in the booth rather than by the actor. However, the actor would bring life to BD-1 through their motions and facial expressions. And despite being a non-speaking and non-singing role, I do imagine BD-1 being front and center in every dance number!
The puppet for BD-1 would need to be lightweight and maneuverable. Due to the distance between the stage and the audience, it would probably need to be larger in scale than BD-1 is necessarily meant to be. It could feature some color changing lights that would likely be controlled by the actor. The entire puppet would be independently controlled by the actor rather than being attached to Cal’s back, however there could also be another version of the puppet that could be strapped to Cal’s back for scenes where BD-1’s absence wouldn’t make sense but a lack of contribution to the scene would make the presence of the actor onstage somewhat awkward (for example, some more personal scenes between Cal and Merrin).
Next character to discuss is Eno Cordova. He would likely have about the same level of involvement as he did in the game, although some bits of his instructions may be altered somewhat to make his quest a little less of a wild goose chase. (I mean let’s be real, he coulda just said “you need an Astrium to unlock the vault, there’s one on Dathomir, go get it.”) He would probably not be a singing role, but he would be portrayed by an actor on the stage, with the hologram effect being achieved by simply highlighting him with a blue spotlight.
Okay, now we get to the bulk of the story and our three main planets: Zeffo, Kashyyyk, and Dathomir. There’s a lot to talk about with these three locations, both individually and collectively, but let’s start with set design. For any show that features as many different locations as this one, you’d be best to have a unit set that doesn’t move that can function as all of those locations. I imagine this show having a large set with several different levels of platforms (it is a “platforming” video game after all) and the primary visual indication that we’ve changed locations would be different colored lights illuminating the cyclorama, the white backdrop at the back of the stage. Likely the choice of color for each planet would match the color of each planet on the holomap in the game (green for Kashyyyk, red for Dathomir, etc). There can also be props brought onto the stage that help indicate a change of setting, such as bringing out Greez’s pilot chair when we return to the Mantis.
As I hinted at before, Cordova in the game basically sends Cal out on a wild goose chase. Yes it’s meant to test him, but ultimately the only one of those three planets where Cal actually retrieves something tangible he needs to complete his quest is Dathomir. Now that works for a video game where there’s things for the player to do along the way, but for a passive audience who is watching rather than participating in the story, there needs to be a better reason for Cal to go to each planet. That’s not to say that Cordova should give him all of the answers, but perhaps there is something that Cal needs to retrieve from each tomb. Perhaps the Astrium comes in three different pieces. Yes, there are two tombs on Zeffo and none on Kashyyyk, but Cordova was here first after all. He wasn’t going to put back whatever pieces he found, but he also didn’t get all of them because he found another Astrium somewhere. Cal knows this because he found that Astrium destroyed in the vault. So he goes to Zeffo and through the Tomb of Eilram only to find that Cordova already took the piece that was there. BD plays the recording where Cordova talks about Tarfull and Kashyyyk, leading Cal to believe Cordova left the piece there and that Tarfull would know where to find it. He goes to Kashyyyk and fights alongside the Partisans, but he is unable to find the piece without Tarfull’s help, so he will have to return when the Partisans find him. Out of other leads, Cal remembers Cordova saying something about Dathomir, so he decides to search there. When he reaches the Tomb of Kujet, he finds that he needs the other two pieces of the Astrium to enter so he can retrieve the third. (Because in this context we can’t really use game mechanics like double jumping as a reason for why we can’t continue.) At the same time, Cere hears about Project Auger being restarted, and they return to Zeffo to search for the Tomb of Miktrull. Beyond this, the sequence of events would largely follow the remainder of the game.
Zeffo would probably be the hardest of the three planets to adapt to the stage because, with the exception of Cal’s confrontation with Trilla, not much really happens there. Much of your time on Zeffo in the game is spent traversing the land and solving puzzles in the tombs, all of which is less than exciting for a passive audience. Some kind of story beats would need to be added to Cal’s time on Zeffo (especially the first visit) that makes up for all the combat and platforming that doesn’t really translate to the stage. The story of JFO already has the slight inconvenience of being largely concentrated in the second half of the game, while in most musicals the first act tends to be longer. (And the game provides a perfect built-in spot for an intermission when Cal gets captured by the Brood, so I don’t really want to change that either.) There aren’t a lot of people for Cal to meet on Zeffo, so you could create a new character(s) and give them their own little subplot, but that runs the risk of creating one too many plot lines for the audience to follow as well as having little impact on the overall story. So more likely you would use that time to teach the audience about the Zeffo and have constant communication between Cal and Cere.
Believe it or not, at one point I considered cutting Kashyyyk entirely. But it’s important to show the early stages of rebellion against the Empire and have Cal get a taste of fighting back. Plus, the Partisans create an opportunity for a pretty fun dance number! However, I probably would cut out Saw Gerrera, simply because the more iconic the character is, the harder it is to translate them to the stage. (Obviously we’re gonna run into that same problem with Darth Vader, but we’ll discuss that when we get there.) Instead, I’d probably single out Mari Kosan as the leader of this group of Partisans, but mention that she is working under Saw. The great thing about Mari is that she’s so minor a character in the game that she can be a completely different character in an adaptation. You might even call her a completely new character with only her name being borrowed from a background character in the game. In this sense, we’d get to see the extremist side of the Partisans through her actions rather than Saw’s, but probably not until Cal returns to Kashyyyk in Act 2. (Also, if it proved necessary for the narrative, you could get away with killing off Mari, something you couldn’t do with Saw.)
I talked about iconic characters not translating well to the stage. Well, let’s talk about Wookiees and Stormtroopers. We certainly can’t go to Kashyyyk without seeing some Wookiees, but we’d want to keep their stage presence to a minimum. Creating their look in a live setting, while certainly possible, is not necessarily easy, and it quickly runs the risk of appearing fake to the point of being distracting, thus breaking the audience’s suspension of disbelief. Stormtroopers, on the other hand, would be a very easy, iconic look to recreate. Too easy, in fact. Despite the fact that they tend to be the butt of every Star Wars joke, the presence of Stormtroopers still needs to be felt as a threat, and that threat can be very quickly undermined if they are overused onstage. Not to mention, the moment you put Stormtroopers in a dance number, it becomes Star Wars Weekends at Disney World. So we’re gonna leave the dance numbers to the scrappers, the Partisans, and maybe the Dathomirians.
Speaking of Dathomir, we have to get there early. Obviously in the game you have the option to go there early on, but you don’t have a story reason to go there until much later. In the game, the crew returns to Zeffo right after they first visit Kashyyyk because Cere gets word of the Empire finding the other tomb. But in this case, let’s say she doesn’t hear about that until after Cal first visits Dathomir. We need to get to Dathomir early because 1) Merrin is far too important a character to be introduced in the second act, and 2) as previously mentioned, the second act is very story heavy and we need to shift some of that into the first act to make it slightly more balanced.
Finally it’s time to talk about Merrin! Her character in the first game was so underused and this adaptation offers the chance to expand on her story. (Although I need someone to hold me back a little, because she’s my favorite character but I need to be reminded that this is not her story. She cannot be a bigger character than Cal or Cere.) Introducing her earlier gives the audience more time to think of her as an antagonist, as they watch her repeatedly reject Cal’s attempts to reach out to her.
Let’s talk special effects, because Dathomir is where that really gets fun. Much of the appearance of Merrin’s magick can be achieved with the use of clever lighting and purposeful staging. Her ability to teleport can be mimicked by having her enter the stage in darkness and then using green lighting and perhaps some fog to illuminate her. Magick flames in her hands can be a combination of lighting and some classic magician props. (Disclaimer: Serious safety precautions would have to taken if we’re considering playing with actual fire though!) And the effects of her magick on her eyes and mouth can be achieved with black-light makeup that is invisible in regular lighting.
Now if there’s one person that tries to convince Cal that Merrin is a threat that can’t be reasoned with, it’s Malicos. As in the game, Cal would encounter this “wanderer” on the path to the Tomb of Kujet. He tells Cal that he was marooned on this planet when he came to study the Dathomirian culture, and that he has been hiding from the Nightsister, who he claims has repeatedly tried to kill him without hearing what he had to say (much like she tried to kill Cal upon their first encounter). Cal offers to help him escape the planet, but Malicos rejects this offer, stating that he has not yet completed his research on the planet (red flag # 1). Cal explains his mission, and Malicos explains that the ruins are surrounded by darkness and the magick of the Nightsisters. He tells Cal that Merrin will throw everything at him to keep him from entering the Tomb, and he tries to convince him that the only way to complete his quest is to kill her before she kills him (red flag # 2). But Cal, beginning to suspect he has ulterior motives, dismisses him and continues on to the Tomb. What Cal doesn’t know yet is that Malicos is also pulling the strings on Merrin’s side and actively trying to pit them against each other in the hopes of solidifying his control over whoever came out on top, as well as to keep them from uniting against him, which he knows would likely happen if his lies to Merrin about the massacre were exposed.
I debated a bit whether I should try to work in the romance between Cal and Merrin. Putting them together in Fallen Order definitely runs the risk of coming off rushed, and the way it was handled in Jedi: Survivor was perfect and probably could not be outdone. However, musicals don’t tend to get sequels (unless it’s Love Never Dies) and especially if we’re expanding on Merrin’s character, you can’t really write her and Cal together without there being sexual tension, and the audience will want to see that resolved, so I guess we’re going for it! (And besides, it’s my musical and I want to!) However, I still want Merrin to be an antagonist for most of the story, and prior to fighting Malicos I don’t want slip into the overused tropes of “he saved her life” or “they had to work together to survive.” The dynamic I’ve come up with instead bears a slight resemblance to Rey and Kylo Ren (cuz let’s be honest, Merrical is everything Reylo wishes it was!). Their first encounter is basically the same as the game, where she tells him to leave and sends the Nightbrothers after him. Take note that when I envision this scene, I have Merrin standing above Cal on one of the higher levels of the set (she had the high ground!). However, I’ve created a new scene between them in Act 1 while Cal is making his way back to the Mantis to return to Zeffo. He stumbles upon her praying to her fallen sisters for guidance, having taken off her hood and cloak. (Metaphorically, it’s almost like he catches her indecent.) Caught off guard and scared, Merrin prepares to defend herself, but Cal shows her that he has no intention of fighting her right now, and Merrin, knowing she wouldn’t win any fight she started in this moment, stands down. This scene gives an interesting visual representation of the power dynamics between the two of them, because where she stood high above him in her first scene, they now stand on the same level, which is made even more interesting if the actor playing Cal happens to be taller than her. Cal explains that he is leaving, but will return, and Merrin proclaims that she will be ready to face him when he does. He tells her about his mission and informs her that the Jedi have been wiped out, but importantly it never comes out that she believes the Jedi killed her family. They sing a counterpoint duet detailing their differing points of view, with Merrin stubbornly refusing to believe Cal’s Jedi “lies.” (This is actually the only song I’ve named: “Fool Me Once.” Fill in the rest of the saying.) By the time the scene ends, the audience should not yet be thinking that Merrin will eventually become Cal’s ally. However, the scene would definitely include noticeable sexual tension during their argument, mostly being in each other’s personal space for a hair too long and some extended eye contact.
Now that I’ve beaten that scene into the ground, let’s go back to Zeffo. Cal explores the Tomb of Miktrull and finally finds the first of the three pieces of the Astrium before encountering (hang onto your hats) the Second Sister, aka Trilla Suduri, Cere’s former Padawan! (Dun dun duuunnnn!!) Nothing super noteworthy changes in this section of the story except that Cal doesn’t encounter Trilla until after he explores the Tomb.
Remember those flashback scenes I was talking about with Cere and Trilla? This is what they’ve been leading up to. In the game, when Trilla takes her helmet off, the only reason we know who she is, is… well, she says so. However, if we see flashbacks of Trilla earlier in the show, now the audience recognizes the face under the mask. Now I know what you’re thinking: “won’t the voice give it away?” Not necessarily, if you’ve got a good enough actress. For all intents and purposes, Trilla and the Second Sister, much like Anakin and Darth Vader, are two different characters and should be treated by an actor as such. A good actress could make her tone and delivery so different between the two characters that first-time viewers wouldn’t put them together (as long as the playbill doesn’t give it away). But even if the audience does figure it out, I don’t think the fact that Trilla became an inquisitor is the biggest revelation in this scene. Because let’s be honest with ourselves, in terms of Star Wars plot twists, that one was a little predictable. But no, the bigger revelations are that Cere betrayed Trilla by giving up her location, she used the dark side in the aftermath, and perhaps most damningly, she has been keeping secrets from Cal.
Alright let’s talk stage combat. For this fight in particular, much like the game, it would get cut short and end up being more talking than fighting. But in general, stage combat tends to be more dance-like movements than martial arts. We’re not going for prequel-style lightsaber duels here. Plus, on stage, you only get one take, so you can’t exactly afford for anyone to get hurt halfway through. We’ll talk a little bit more about lightsaber effects later, but suffice to say, the stage combat, while important, comes second to the emotions surrounding the scene.
So BD-1 cuts the fight short by activating a laser gate between Cal and Trilla. Trilla reveals her past and sings about how you can never trust anyone before leaving. Now on stage alone, Cal finishes out the song by briefly lamenting why Cere didn’t tell him the truth. He hears another disturbance just offstage and prepares to defend himself before being hit by a stun grenade and knocked out by an unknown bounty hunter. Blackout.
End Act 1
So those are my notes on Act 1 of Jedi: Fallen Order - The Musical. I’ll be posting my Act 2 notes in the near future, but before I go, I want to quickly discuss the vocal ranges of each of the characters.
- Cal: Being a classic male hero, Cal would almost certainly have to be a pretty high tenor. However, he shouldn’t be like a squeaky tenor, for lack of a better phrase; his tone should be more round and even. (I’m just gonna say it- Cal probably shouldn’t have gay voice! I’m sorry, I don’t mean that in an offensive way, I just don’t have a better way of describing what I mean!)
- Cere: She would definitely be a low alto. (If we’re talking Broadway, I’m picturing Heather Headley or someone similar.) Not only would that be a good match for Debra Wilson’s voice in the game, but a lower singing voice is often used to portray age. It helps give the audience the impression that she is older and wiser than Cal.
- Greez: He’s a little tricky, but I’d probably put him somewhere in the mid-range, maybe a high-end baritone. I’m not locked into that though, I could also possibly imagine him as more of a low tenor.
- Merrin: Okay some people are gonna disagree with me here, but I would not make Merrin an alto. She can’t have the same range as Cere. That’s not to say I think she should have a super high singing voice, more like low mezzo soprano. But her voice should be powerful; I’m thinking like an Idina Menzel-style belter. (I mean, she is a witch, after all!)
- Trilla: Lemme start by saying that Trilla would not sing with her helmet on, so her first song probably wouldn’t be until the Act 1 finale. I imagine her having a very similar range to Merrin, with perhaps a slightly darker tone.
- Ninth Sister: We’ll talk about her more in Act 2, but she would definitely be a very low alto. She’s a big character, and generally the bigger the instrument, the lower the pitch. She also leans very heavy on the melodrama.
- Malicos: Now odds are he wouldn’t sing until Act 2, but he would definitely be a low baritone, if not a bass. I’ve been comparing him to Claude Frollo from Hunchback, both in terms of his character and his voice. So I would definitely imagine his voice sounding a bit aged, although the actor would also need to be able to do at least a small amount of stage combat, so he might have to be slightly younger than we might imagine the character.
- Sorc Tormo: Speaking of Hunchback, here we’ve got our Clopin Trouillefou. Eccentric and dramatic, Sorc Tormo would be the one to have that squeaky tenor voice that I didn’t want for Cal. (Now HE can have gay voice!)
- Jaro Tapal: I’ll throw him in because I haven’t decided whether or not he would sing, but if he does, he would most definitely be a bass.
One other note about casting: I am in my mind imagining the characters being played by actors who look similar to the actors in the game, with Cal, Greez, and Merrin all being white, and Cere and Trilla being people of color. However, the beautiful thing about a story like this is that there is absolutely no reason that you couldn’t colorblind cast every single one of the characters.
But I think I’ve rambled on enough for now. If anyone is actually still reading up to this point, thank you for indulging me! You are my favorite! Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments, because I have no one to discuss this topic with and it would make me really happy… 🥺🫶
Act 2 coming soon!!
34 notes · View notes
acesamateurart · 1 month
Text
Spring 2024 Commissions are Open!
A like, reblog, and share go a long way!
Tumblr media
Thanks to my incredible community, I was able to obtain some different style pen grips to make writing and doing art a little less painful! And that means: my commissions are once again open!
It also means that, since my quarter one bills are paid and I've obtained the accessibility items I was looking for, the first $100 of these commissions is going directly into mutual aid. The first $50 will be given to 10 GoFundMe campaigns out of Gaza (found and verified through Operation Olive Branch), and the next $50 are going towards menstrual products to donate to my city's Free Store (a place where people in need can "shop" for free, and hygiene items are currently on the donation list).
I am, of course, Just Some Guy™, so if you don't like my art style or don't trust internet strangers to follow through, I do highly recommend checking out Operation Olive Branch. They're doing incredible work with finding and verifying Gaza GoFundMe campaigns, and even if you can't afford to donate, spreading the word helps!
Read on for more commission info, or check out the commissions carrd.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Instead of doing a flat overall number of slots, I've decided to set a number of slots available by color options. So, there are 4 sketches, 3 flat colors, 2 full shadings, and 1 color line art with full shading.
As it currently stands, I think 2 full shading and 1 color line art is the maximum of those types of commissions I can accept for the next few months, but this is subject to change. The sketch and flat color commissions, however, are easier to do, so when I finish one from those categories, a slot will be renewed. To see what slots are available, check the Ko-fi module, or see what's in the current commission queue.
Tumblr media
Please read the rules and TOS closely! Mistakes happen and there is grace, but repeatedly crossing rules and boundaries (requesting blacklisted ships, content I stated I won't draw, using my art in commercial graphics without telling me, etc.) will result in my no longer doing business with you. I reserve the right to turn down any commission I'm not comfortable with, be it skill-wise or content-wise.
You can request a deadline earlier than 60 days through the Ko-fi module, and I will let you know if a deadline feels unrealistic (e.g. giving me 3 days to do a full shading with color line art piece, I would tell you I need at least a week, etc.) so that we can make a plan that works for both of us.
As I said earlier in the post, if you don't like my art or don't trust strangers on the internet to give money where they say they will, that's a-okay! Here are the GoFundMe campaigns that I will be donating to:
Medical/Disabled Line 9: Fadi and His Family
Medical/Disabled Line 11: Rezeq's Family Freedom
Medical/Disabled Line 13: Yousef, Omaya, and Family
Medical/Disabled Line 32: Haya, Mother, and Family
Prenatal/Postpartum Line 35: Khaleel, Hadeel, and Newborn
Prenatal/Postpartum Line 36: Yesmeen's Family
Prenatal/Postpartum Line 39: Alladaa Family
Prenatal/Postpartum Line 45: Fedaa and Children
Mutual Aid Line 3: Salam & Solidarity
Mutual Aid Line 6: Medical Tent
30 notes · View notes
lilyginnyblackv2 · 1 year
Text
Ryo’s Gun & Jane Austen
Tumblr media
It’s hard to see, but in the OP Ryo’s gun (and it is Ryo’s gun, I made the mistake in a previous post of thinking it was Kazuki’s, whoops! But I have noted that correction in a reblog, so definitely check that out - I’ll link it below) has a quote on it from, what Google is telling me, is Jane Austen. The quote is:
I want nothing but death.
Those were her last words. 
Seeing those last words on Ryo’s gun in the OP with the current situation and the Episode 11 preview and everything - it can certainly seem scary. 
But, I’m going to focus a bit on Jane Austen as a writer, what her styles and themes are, and what that might mean for Buddy Daddies or how it might be reflected in Buddy Daddies. Since Kazuki’s VA did mention that we should think about what message the director is sending in this last act.
So, let’s take a look. I think the main two ways that Jane Austen’s style and themes can be seen in Buddy Daddies, is how her writing was considered realism and with a lot of emphasis being placed on “the everyday” that was accompanied by comedy:
Tumblr media
Text: Jane Austen's (1775–1817) distinctive literary style relies on a combination of parody, burlesque, irony, free indirect speech and a degree of realism. She uses parody and burlesque for comic effect and to critique the portrayal of women in 18th-century sentimental and Gothic novels. Austen extends her critique by highlighting social hypocrisy through irony; she often creates an ironic tone through free indirect speech in which the thoughts and words of the characters mix with the voice of the narrator. The degree to which critics believe Austen's characters have psychological depth informs their views regarding her realism. While some scholars argue that Austen falls into a tradition of realism because of her finely executed portrayal of individual characters and her emphasis on "the everyday", others contend that her characters lack a depth of feeling compared with earlier works, and that this, combined with Austen's polemical tone, places her outside the realist tradition.
(From the Wikipedia Article on her style, which will be linked to below).
We see aspects of this with Buddy Daddies. In Episode 4 we have a critique being made about the ridiculous levels of paperwork and prep work that needs to go into sending a kid to daycare.
Tumblr media
While we get depictions of everyday aspects like Kazuki cleaning or Rei and Miri playing games together. 
Another aspect of Jane Austen’s writing style is about character’s growing to become “better” and more moral versions of themselves.
Tumblr media
Text:  Her plots are fundamentally about education; her heroines come to see themselves and their conduct more clearly, and become better, more moral people. While Austen steers clear of the formal moralizing common in early-19th-century literature, morality—characterized by manners, duty to society and religious seriousness—is a central theme of her works. Throughout her novels, serious reading is associated with intellectual and moral development.
We see that happening in Buddy Daddies as well, through scenes like Rei’s thoughts on how he just mindlessly killed in the past:
Tumblr media
Or with the discussion and prevalence on change:
Tumblr media
There are other elements and themes to her writing as well, like the focus on women, of course. But I don’t think we can really speak on that aspect too much until the series is said and done. 
Of course, the quote is likely also there due to Ryo’s curiosity with death, final words, and the reason for why humans exist. But, I would like to think that this quote wasn’t picked solely for that reason either.
Also, I’m not super well versed in Jane Austen stuff (I know some of my moots are though! Though I don’t know how versed they might be with Buddy Daddies), but if anyone who is more versed with her as a person and her works wants to chime in or add to this (or correct me on anything I may have gotten wrong!) please feel free to do so in a reblog, comment or even in the tags. I always love to see what others write or contribute to the conversation! <3
125 notes · View notes
sawrinwrites · 2 months
Text
March Content Plans (Long Update)
As it is now the 25th here in frosty England, it has officially been 2 months since I published my first piece of fan fiction. In that time, I've released:
A one-shot containing my first ever attempt at both monster smut and an explicit F/F sex scene (which is currently my most popular work????)
A low angst (I know, I can't believe it either) romantic one-shot from the POV of a golden retriever
4 chapters of an emotionally intense story that is so far from my usual writing style I have to re-read earlier chapters to remind myself how to write it (a deliberate stylistic choice but boy, am I paying for it)
3 chapters of what was meant to be a fun side project and is quickly turning into something deep and dark and wonderful in its own right
All in all, that's 4 bodies of work spanning 57.7k words released over a period of 9 weeks (not including the 15-20k which got rewritten / replaced / outright cut). Which is, for me, insane. It's also a pace that I won't be able to maintain going forward, so for the sake of setting expectations (my own, more than anyone else's), here's the current plan for March:
The Monsters At My Side And In My Shadow Ch 1-3 update Given that this has gone from "werewolf smut hiding in a multi-chapter fic" to "multi-fic exploration of abuse with a healthy dollop of smut", I want to revise what's already been released to better align with what I have going forward. There won't be any plot / event changes, scenes that get altered will be getting either an expansion or a rewrite, depending on the work needed (which will include adding more smut-adjacent content because it's currently lacking and I want it to be better).
Untitled - An Ember POV Story to Celebrate 1yr Since The Bees Kissed (March 25th) @reeves3 put the idea in my head and now I have a collection of outlines covering various points in Yang and Blake's relationship all told from the perspective of the Best Girl. They won't come out in chronological order as I'm looking to line them up with various events, but the current plan is that March 25th will cover the introduction of a new member into the Xiao Long-Belladonna pack.
Additionally, I'd like to release the following chapters but I am forcing myself to accept that these will likely get bumped to April:
The Monsters At My Side And In My Shadow Ch 4
Shattered Divinity Ch 5
There's a few reasons for the (temporary) slowdown in content:
I am supposed to draft 1 - 3 OC novels this year (the mistake of mixing alcohol with an empty resolutions boards and the word "bet") and I need to dedicate more time than I have done to those projects to have any hope of doing that.
Rather than wait for the fan fic writer's curse to hit, I've gone and done it to myself by buying my first house. The offer got accepted yesterday, so now I have to deal with the joys of legal and financial paperwork. And start prepping for a move. And every other stressful time consuming thing that comes from this period. Don't get me wrong, I am fucking ecstatic, not least because it means me having an actual bedroom for the first time in almost 4 years, but the next steps are going to take a chunk out of my usual writing time.
@kaelidascope is about to drop a veritable feast of content. Look, I'm not subtle about how much I enjoy her work. She's my favourite fan fic writer. She's probably one of my favourite writers period on account of the emotional damage and veritable joy Mightnight Menagerie has brought me. And I'm not just saying this because she's been exceptionally complimentary of my own work (which, by the way, I am still freaking out over). She is one of the main reasons I started writing fan fiction. If it wasn't for the original Beestfic, I'd never have written The Hunt. Which means I'd never have had the concept ideas that initially led to starting The Monsters At My Side And In My Shadow, and without that fic, I wouldn't have had the 3 experimental scenes between Yang and her grimm which ended up inspiring the idea to write Best Laid Plans from Ember's POV. So I will be setting aside some time (translation: every waking moment I have during release weekend) to thoroughly immerse myself in the relaunch. Also there's two Menagerie chapters due and the previews are already threatening my analytics brain and unfortunately it takes time to launch that kind of assault on AO3's comment section.
So yeah. A few things going on in March. I'm gonna try and do this as a rolling monthly thing going forward in lieu of trying to have a timed release schedule. Hopefully the April one will be a bit lot shorter.
22 notes · View notes
alderwoodbooks · 4 months
Text
Tumblr media
Currently Reading: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
oh my god. I'm 60 pages in so far and I'm already just absolutely falling in love with this book. I read The Secret History by Tartt earlier in the year and it quickly became one of my favorite reads of the year, it felt like a text I could sink my teeth into and just get lost in. The Goldfinch feels similar. I love how Tartt is able to build suspense so easily in her work, and her writing style is so up my alley.
Tumblr media
like that highlighted passage?? her use of words to really drive home just how wet and damp and gross the rain is and how its soaking through everything is just so good, I could talk about it for days, and the line "Of course the texture of that morning is clearer than the present..."
Excuse me??? the TEXTURE?? what the hell is she on about? I don't know but it makes sense in my brain and I'm obsessed with it and I love it. This book is so fun to annotate and dive into and get lost in, and is such a good brain break from a lot of the nonfiction I've been reading (and am still continuing to read!! Don't you dare stop thinking and talking about Palestine!! I sure as hell haven't!!!)
38 notes · View notes