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fangirleaconmigo · 1 year

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It's been awhile, Geralt x Jaskier enthusiasts, but here is your newest installment of...

Otherwise known as...

Things that sound like Geraskier fic writers made them up, but that are, in fact, book canon.

This time with commentary on the original Polish wording from @cherrypoison1889! Thanks, Cherry!

Today we're talking about dopplers, otherwise known as shape shifters, also called vexlings in the world of The Witcher. Dopplers are often used to expose the fact that Dandelion is a vulnerability for Geralt, that he loves him.

There are quite a few Geraskier fics that play with this trope. (I will give you a rec or two at the end of the post.)

It makes sense! Plus, the show used a doppler, (more on that later) so the concept is right there!

But does the concept of using a doppler to reveal Geralt's true feelings for Jaskier just exist in the fevered imagination of Geraskier fic writers?? Is this pure fanon? Or canon?

Well, you may have guessed (since I didn't write all this out for my health!)...

It is canon.

In The Witcher book, Sword of Destiny, we meet a doppler called Dudu, who turns into Dandelion (Jaskier) to protect himself from Geralt. He even has a few choice words to say about what he sees in Geralt's thoughts.

Want the details? Of course you do, you've read this far, why not?

When Geralt meets Dudu in this story, the doppler is in the form of a halfling called Dainty Biberveldt. Dudu has bonked Dainty on the head, stolen his shit, taken his form, and is running around Novigrad making business deals with his ill gotten gains.

Dainty wants his shit back from the doppler, but does not want to turn Dudu over to the city guards because Dainty is a decent person who knows that they will murder the doppler in an absolutely horrific way that I will not describe to you. Novigrad is rife with violent bigotry towards non humans, and dopplers in particular have been slaughtered to near extinction. They've been subject to genocide, basically, just because they creep people out. (I could write a thesis just on the way this short story handles themes of racism)

But anywho. That's how we get Geralt's involvement. Geralt is pitching in to get Dudu under control so they don't have to involve bigoted law enforcement. (We stan Dainty ACAB Biberveldt in this house)

This particular scene opens when Geralt has pursued the doppler into a crowded marketplace and has finally cornered him in a tent. Dandelion is elsewhere in the market, being a slut, so he is nowhere to be seen. When Geralt corners Dudu, they are alone, and the doppler panics. He can't get away. So, he decides to be crafty.

First, he turns into Geralt as a way to protect himself. The book describes Dudu changing into Geralt, down to the last detail. Now there are two identical witchers in the tent. Then Dudu speaks.

"Don't come any closer," the second witcher said huskily and smiled. "Don't come any nearer, Geralt. I won't let you lay your hands on me."

So now he looks just like Geralt and has his husky voice. Perhaps he is hoping Geralt will not be able to harm someone who looks like himself. Perhaps he just wants to be equal to him physically.

Either way, Geralt's self esteem is too low for the first one to work. Here is how Geralt responds to an exact copy of himself.

"What a hideous smile I have," thought Geralt, reaching for his sword. "What a hideous face I have. And how hideously I squint? So is that what I look like? Damn."

So, Geralt reaches for his sword immediately, and the only reaction he has for himself is disgust.

Here is where I asked Cherry for her thoughts. Is Geralt as mean to himself in the original Polish? Hideous is pretty strong a word! Here is what she said:

Cherrypoison1889: Geralt is indeed very harsh on himself, when he sees the doppler transform into him. In Polish, he uses the word "paskudne" to describe himself, which is literally hideous. However, he also calls his face "gęba" which is a more vulgar word for face, which in Polish is "Twarz". So he's even harsher on himself, I'd say.

Oh noooo. But just when you think Geralt's low self esteem is going to be a strategic advantage, it betrays him. Why? Because when Dudu says, you can't defeat me, because I am you and I know everything you know...

"I am you," the doppler repeated. "you will not gain an advantage over me. You cannot defeat me, because I am you!"

That is where Geralt starts to lose ground. Why? Because Geralt of Rivia says, no, you can't really copy me! Because you are a good person, and I'm a bad bad bad man. I kill people. I'm a killer. You cannot relate. You cannot even begin to understand the mind of a bad evil killer man like me.

"No," the witcher countered, "you are not. And do you know why? Because you're a poor, little, good-natured doppler. A doppler who, after all, could have killed Biberveldt and buried his body in the undergrowth, by so doing gaining total safety and utter certainty that he would not be unmasked, ever, by anybody....But you didn't kill him...Because you're a poor, little, good-natured doppler, whose close friends call him Dudu...you only know how to copy what is good in us, because you don't understand the bad in us."

Geralt isn't saying this to be strategic. He truly believes it! He knows Dudu has seen his thoughts! Listen to what he says next...

"you aren't capable of defying me, because I am what you are unable of copying (sic). You are absolutely aware of this, Dudu. Because you took over my thoughts for a moment."

So, Geralt is like, you saw what a mess it was in there. You know what a killer I am. You may as well give up now.

I thought 'took over my thoughts' was a little bit of an awkward phrasing, it almost implies thought control, when I feel like the context is thought reading, so I asked Cherry about that. She said:

Cherrypoison1889: As for the "taking thoughts over" bit, it is the same in Polish, I am afraid. the word Sapko uses is "przejąć" which means exactly that, although I assume that the "take over" in English was meant to be understood as "acquiring" although I can't be sure of that. It sure does sound a touch awkward.

But back to the story, Tellico (Dudu) has now been inside Geralt's head. So he knows that's absolute bullshit, even if Geralt doesn't. He has seen what is in Geralt's heart, which prompts him to take another shape.

Tellico straightened up abruptly. His face's features, still those of the Witcher, blurred and spread out, and his white hair curled and began to darken.

"You're right, Geralt," he said indistinctly, because his lips had begun to change shape. "I took over your thoughts. Only briefly, but it was sufficient. Do you know what I'm going to do now?"

Do you? Do you dear reader, know what he's going to do now? I'm going to let you make a guess.

The leather witcher jacket took on a glossy, cornflower blue colour. The doppler smiled, straightened his plum bonnet with its egret's feather, and tightened the strap of the lute slung over his shoulder, the lute which had been a sword a moment ago.

Well, if you've read the books up to this point, we all know who's form he has taken. Cornflower blue, egret's feather, lute....smart doppler.

"I'll tell you what I"m going to do, Witcher," he said, with the rippling laughter characteristic of Dandelion. "I'll go on my way, squeeze my way into the crowd and change quietly into any old body, even a beggar. Because I prefer being a beggar in Novigrad to being a doppler in the wilds."

He then has a powerful monologue about being subject to extermination and genocide. About hunger and fear and freezing to death. He makes a very touching plea to Geralt, asking the Witcher why he is denied the right of survival, granted to everyone else, just because he is a doppler. It is about a page and half long and I HIGHLY recommend people read Sword of Destiny, because this is good shit. He says he will stay in Novigrad.

"As a resident of Novigrad, I'll trade, weave wicker baskets, beg or steal; as one of you I'll do what one of you usually does...."

The Witcher said nothing.

Now, Dudu, in Dandelion's shape, having seen Geralt's thoughts, takes his gamble. And boy does he have guts. He tells Geralt about himself, about his supposed bad bad heart.

"Yes, as I said," Tellico continued calmly. "I'm going. And you, Geralt, will not even try to stop me. Because I, Geralt, knew your thoughts for a moment. Including the ones you don't want to admit to, the ones you even hide from yourself. Because to stop me you'd have to kill me. And the thought of killing me in cold blood fills you with disgust doesn't it?

The Witcher said nothing.

Tellico adjusted the strap of his lute again, turned away and walked towards the exit. He walked confidently, but Geralt saw him hunch his neck and shoulders in expectation of the whistle of a sword blade. He put his sword in his scabbard. The doppler stopped in mid-step and looked around.

"Farewell", Geralt, he said. "Thank you."

"Farewell, Dudu," the Witcher replied. "Good luck."

Dudu wins that one, quite handily.

The doppler turned away and headed towards the crowded bazaar, with Dandelion's sprightly, cheerful, swinging gait. Like Dandelion, he swung his left arm vigorously, and just like Dandelion he grinned at the wenches as he passed them.

As he walks away, Dudu even plays the lute and sings "exactly like Dandelion". Then he shouts back advice for Geralt to pass on to the bard.

"Pass that on to Dandelion, if you remember," he called. "And tell him that Winter is a lousy title. The ballad should be called The Eternal Fire. Farewell, Witcher."

Dudu has seen Geralt's thoughts EVEN THE ONES HE WILL NOT ADMIT TO EVEN THE ONES HE HIDES FROM HIMSELF, and his next choice was to turn into Dandelion.

Now, do I think that the author meant to imply that Geralt is trying to hide his love of Dandelion? No. Slim chance of that. However, it isn't like it's a secret that Geralt hates killing creatures who do no harm or who cannot fight back. So there is still something a bit fuzzy to me about the thoughts that Geralt hides from himself.

It is ripe territory for a Geralt x Dandelion enjoyer to exploit, cultivate, and use for their fics and headcanons.

I asked Cherry for her thoughts about this, about what Geralt's hidden thoughts are having read the original Polish, and she said this:

Cherrypoison1889:

I feel like Dudu used Geralt's self-loathing against him, in a way. As in, if Geralt were to kill Dudu-as-Dandy, he would admit to himself that he is a ruthless, horrible person, who kills "intelligent" beings, despite what he claims, which would also make him a hypocrite. And we know Geralt is a big softie, so he wouldn't do it anyway. I think changing into Dandy was an additional precaution, just an extra measure in case Dudu turned out to be wrong.

I really liked this story, I don't remember reading it back when I read the books (it was ages ago, so I might be wrong anyway). It's really funny, and Geralt is babbie. Darling boy, he just bought himself a new jacket and it got ruined in the frenzy...

Babbie Geralt, that's our darling.

It is sad that Geralt has so much self loathing that it didn't help Dudu to look like him, but it is very sweet that Dandelion is such a point of vulnerability for Geralt, and that Dudu had his number.

Dudu wins this round soundly. The story isn't over. I won't spoil it in case you guys want to read it. But it has a great ending. It is definitely one of my favorites.

I will just never get over how easily he gets the upper hand on Geralt here. Geralt of Rivia, legendary monster hunter, defeated by little Dudu because of his low self worth, his mushy heart, his solidarity with non humans, and his love of a slutty bard.

Now, recommendations.

The Doppler Effect, by @a-kind-of-merry-war This is the first doppler fic I read in the fandom and it has alll the delicious emotional drama, pining, and sexiness that you want from a fic like this. It is excellent.

Images of You, by @pherryt This one is a delightful 'continuation' of what happens in Sword of Destiny. After Dudu learns about Geralt's feelings, he essentially matchmakes Geralt and Dandelion eventually receiving a sexy thank-you of his own.

Them, by @gilligangoodfellow I feel like dopplers and Dudu in particular is so ripe for exploration in fic. So it is wonderful to see a fic like this. It's a short character study of Dudu as gender fluid, with the doppler coming out to Zoltan. Seriously, try it.

Alright, thanks for reading, folks!

For more Geralt and Dandelion "I can't believe it's not fanon..."stay tuned. I am organizing a master post with all of the posts I've done. So keep your eyes out. (in the mean time, most of them seem to show up in the tag, just not all of them)

And lastly, THANK YOU CHERRY! I love having a partner to do these posts with!!

#the witcher #geralt of rivia #jaskier #dandelion #geraskier #gerlion #the witcher books #i can't believe it's not fanon #canon or fanon

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spenzitz · 1 year

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Heyy!! I sincerely love what you write and I would love to see what toge would do if y/n pretended like they don't understand what he's trying to say!!, It'd be a really fun reaction :D

WHAT?

you pretend to not understand inumaki >;( inumaki x gn!reader, pre-relationship, pouty inumaki

a/n ~ i'm so sorry i never got to this my love, this really was so cute though :( words ~ 943

inumaki is a massive baby. anytime he gets a scrape or bruise, you know he's going to whine and complain for days. not to mention when his throat is sore from a long day of missions, the second years will never hear the end of it. he loves to complain.

for a guy who can barely communicate verbally, inumaki loves to talk. he's always texting one of you or blowing up the group chat with gossip about the first years that literally none of you care about. poor yuta gets woken up at 2 am more often than not by inumaki's rambling. he just doesn't have the heart to mute the group chat, he misses you guys!!

since yuta has been away, you have been inumaki's primary companion. he texts you practically every hour of the day and definitely every day.

you were the perfect target for his ranting. you and inumaki were usually paired together for missions and training, and he had the biggest crush on you.

most days, he followed you around like a lost puppy, and, as maki often pointed out, you never stopped him. this may or may not be because you also had a crush on him, but you'd never admit that.

one day, you wake up late for training. not uncharacteristic of you, but you didn't make it a habit either. when you finally show up to training you're groggy and still half-asleep. everyone could tell you were still tired with the bags under your eyes, sloppily thrown on uniform, and constant yawning. inumaki must not have cared.

just like every morning, he's immediately on you(figuratively) and blabbering rice ball ingredients while simultaneously blowing up your phone. usually, you get the general idea of what he's saying, but this morning you just can't.

"what?" you say, staring at him blankly as if he had the ability to elaborate further. he rolls his eyes and returns your blank stare. "tuna," he says, pointing to his phone. "salmon cod roe." he then points to your phone. "ok, fine," you sigh, taking out your phone and reading his thesis on why nobara and maki are 'totally made for each other' as inumaki put it. you giggled at his seriousness over such a trivial topic. he was, no doubt, a hopeless romantic, how cute.

as you text him back and forth while exchanging glances here and there, you think about frustrated he was when you didn't get what he was saying. this made you wonder how he would react if you... messed with him a little.

your plan was simple. you just wanted to see how long you could go pretending to not understand him and how he would react. you decided to include the second years in your plan but kept the first years in the dark, per panda's request.

it didn't take inumaki long to figure out what you guys were doing, and he was having none of it. no matter how many times he points to something or someone and yells, "bonito flakes!" or "tuna!" you all just give him confused looks and ask him what he means.

after a while, inumaki goes and pouts on the couch in the common room and spams yuta with messages complaining about you guys. while inumaki is definitely playing it up for sympathy, he still feels isolated. suddenly, he's back to feeling like a little kid who didn't have any friends.

he puts his phone down and sighs. he knows yuta is asleep right now. fuck timezones, he thinks. he's alone. inumaki knows you guys are just messing with him, and he doesn't want to seem weak to you, so he just rolls over and pouts on his own.

sometime throughout the day, you had all lost track of inumaki. he just up and disappeared. you all texted him to ask where he was, but he didn't respond to any of you. you decided to all split up and look for inumaki. you were only teasing him, but if he wasn't begging for attention, then there was probably something wrong.

eventually, you find him laying on the couch in the common room, dozing off on his own. he was laying on his side facing the back of the couch. you thought he looked so lonely like that. inumaki was always joking around, it was hard to imagine him being so down like this.

he hears you walk up to him and kneel beside the couch, but he doesn't budge. he's trying to pretend he's asleep so he doesn't have to face you, but it's no use.

you gently wrap your arms around his curled-up body and rest your head on top of his. a blush slowly creeps up inumaki's face as he realizes what's happening. he's glad he's facing away from you.

"i'm sorry," you say quietly as you squeeze him a little tighter.

"it was my idea, and it was cute at first," you start. inumaki's eyes widen, still facing the couch, face fully flushed and heart racing. you were hugging him and calling him cute. he just might explode.

"but we took it too far. i'm really sorry toge." you sink your head lower as you start pulling away. you were going to leave him be now that you said your peace, but inumaki didn't really want that.

you try to pull away, but inumaki grips your arm wrapped around his front and says, "bonito flakes."

he wanted you to stay.

"ok," you whisper out, pulling him closer to the edge of the couch so you can hold him closer. "I'll stay."

you always understood exactly what he meant.

i'm the worst :(

masterlist

#inumaki x reader #toge inumaki x reader #inumaki toge x reader #inumaki fluff #jjk x reader

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heart4reigns · 11 months

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UNTOUCHABLE, jey uso.

next chapter

warnings: curse words, cigarettes, alcohol, substances, parties, flirting, platonic relationship, implied sexual activities

tags: it’s an all girls-all boys campus party bash! college!au, and all those campus things… (y/n) isn't like other girls she's emo leave her alone, 10 things i hate about you situation

summary: you were totally untouchable to him

BEING in an all-girls campus was probably the worst decision your parents had ever made for you. you were in another state, far away from your comfort zone. it was your third year, one more year to go before you could escape this hellhole. “HELL YEAH, 86 BABY!” your thoughts were cut-off by your best friend’s voice. “that's what you get for studying non-stop." you smiled. "fuck, i'm finally free from mr. smith's wrath... my saturdays are gonna be wild again!"

the campus ground was divided by several groups. to your luck, you were put in the girls building with all of your sorority girl friends. on the other side of your ground was the boys building. the barrier didn't stop them from throwing huge parties, inviting everyone the could see or talk to. your roommate, becky, was one of the most popular girl you could ever think of. contrary to the 'it girl' image she had, she was a sweetheart. her boyfriend, on the other hand–was a lot. the lovebirds were your closest friends, you'd take a bullet for them.

people couldn't believe that you were in damage ctrl, the college's top sorority. truth be told, you were dragged by becky since her mother’s sister was the one who founded the club. you took a role in academics, helping everyone with their grades–you were quite the tutor for everyone. even the members of the fraternity respected you and occasionally asked for your help.

outside of your studies, you didn't have the presence that becky and seth had. sure, people turned their heads when they see you, but no one ever had the guts to talk to you. except for this mullet emo dude chewing his pasta in front of you. "you should start selling these, (y/n)." dominik praised your cooking skills. "can you please shut up, i'm trying to study." you groaned in despair. "we're literally hanging out and you still choose your books over me?" dominik was your first friend, a year older than you. he was in the same year as seth, finishing up his thesis. "i am looking up qualitative theories for your thesis, do you want me to help you or not?" "right, comrade. i'll just shut up."

"are you coming tonight?" it was a rhetorical question. of course you weren't coming to seth's party. "no, i am not." becky came to the park after her classes, she was sitting on the grass with you and dominik. "see, told you she wasn't coming." dom rolled his eyes. "she never comes to the bloodline frat parties." he continued. "that's because i stopped partying when i was 18." you used to be a party animal back in your younger days, you grew tired of the scene. "boo, i wish we were friends in high school." "dominik, i went to an all-girls private school."

"i mean, jey's definitely gonna be there." becky winked at you. "becks, that was like 2 years ago." you rolled your eyes. "shit, right. i remember you having a crush on him. that was so funny, he's like... totally not your type." you threw your book at dominik, earning a groan. "ow, that hurts! i'm telling the truth right here." you had flashbacks during your first year where you fawned over a certain senior who had arms covered with tattoos, always wearing a chain necklace, and a stupid fucking smile that made your heart beat faster than usual.

the three of you continued the conversation, when all the sudden you heard a menacing laugh coming from behind you. you immediately knew who it was. "SETH, IF YOU PULL MY HAIR ONCE AGAIN, I WILL ACTUALLY SMACK YOU!" right before he could lay his hands on your hair, he backed off. "awwww, that sucks!" he went over to sit next to his girlfriend, giving her a kiss. "hey babe, we were just talking about your party." becky said. "(y/n) is coming?" you shook your head. "as usual. what are your plans for tonight then?" he asked. "i'm going to town to pick up some books professor heyman asked me to get."

seth was the top frat boy of the bloodline. everyone knew the bloodline threw wild parties and tonight? it was one of the biggest since they were all going to graduate soon. "well, if you change your mind the password for tonight is 'don't tell my mom i fucked cody rhodes last night'." he winked. "was originally gonna be '(y/n) (l/n) helped me with my thesis' but we don't want you to kill us." dominik chuckled. "fuck off." you groaned. "we know you love us, (y/n)."

you were getting ready for your short trip to town. you looked at the mirror and fixed your outfit; dom's black jacket (that you took when he wasn't looking), a black tanktop, your favorite corduroy flare pants, and a pair of boots that becky and seth gave you for your birthday present this year. "you look too good to go to a fucking library." becky shouted from her room. "who knows i might meet a hot professor there?" she cringed at your sentence. "be careful okay? oh, no one's gonna be home because we're all going to the party." you nodded. "don't forget to leave the keys inside the flowerpot."

and like usual, becky forgot to put the fucking keys inside the flowerpot. you cursed under your breath, trying your best to call the entire sorority, only to receive nothing but voicemails. you had no other choice than to go there. "here goes nothing." you muttered. the walk to the frat house was thrilling. you had to hide behind a bush, a trashcan, and a tree because of the night-guards.

“password?” the frat boy asked. “don’t tell my mom i fucked cody rhodes last night.” you replied, remembering the password seth gave you earlier. the frat boy opened the door and you knew that you were going to have a very bad time. you scanned the crowd, looking for your orange-haired friend as she was nowhere to be seen. you spotted similar faces, trying your best to avoid them.

people were confused when they saw you stepping inside the house. it was a very rare occurrence for you to be spotted in a function. “oh shit dude, that’s (y/n).” you heard whispers when you passed by. “fuck, where the hell are you becky?” you were still trying to call her to no avail. you did not care about the people staring at you, you really needed the keys. the music was loud, it smelled like weed, and everyone was just having the time of their lives. everyone except for you.

you were squinting your eyes, looking for your friend, until a certain mullet-boy pulled the back of your jacket. “familiar jacket you got there, what are you doing here pretty girl?” you were relieved to see one of your closest friends in this fiasco. “thank god you're here, i’m looking for becky!” you shouted. “why are you looking for her?” he furrowed his brows. “she has the dorm keys!” you replied. “everyone’s here and i can’t fucking go back!” you continued.

“just stay in my room, here are my keys!” he pulled out his carabiner full of keys. you shook your head. “your room smells like weed and piss and the last time i slept there were roaches.” you joked. “hey, i have the cleanest room in the boys dorm.” he defended himself. "can you please help me look for becky? please?" his grin turned menacing. "okay," dominik paused for a second. "if you enjoy your time here."

hence the cup in your hands, you were still looking for your best friend. dominik dragged you around, his hands intertwined with yours. everyone thought you were dating him, but it was totally a long-running joke between you, seth, becky, and him. "dom! you brought your girlfriend out of her shell?" you rolled your eyes when you saw the blond man. "shut up cody, i helped you pass your lit classes last month." you barked at him. "you're right, sorry. it's just weird seeing you here." he spoke louder. "i'm looking for becky, have you seen her?" cody shook his head. "i saw her when the party started, i think she's with either seth or kota!"

dominik patted your back, "poor you, it's okay we can find her." you were stressed out. you took a sip of the alcoholic drink in your cup, feeling the alcohol down your throat. "that's my girl!" dominik smiled, mimicking your actions. "fuck." you sighed. "yo, dom! come here!" one of his friends called him. "i'll help you find becky, stay right here." before you could say anything, he left you alone on the couch.

you felt someone sitting down next to you and you turned your attention to them. you made eye-contact with him, it was the frat leader, the final boss of every single fraternity of this town, jey uso. your heart skipped a beat. "and who are you?" his voice was loud and clear, despite the music blaring loudly. you furrowed your brows. of course he doesn't know me, you thought. you met him once during orientation, which was probably like 3 years ago. other than that, you didn't have any interactions with the leader.

"i'm (y/n)." you replied shortly, not paying attention to him. "shit, you're the one who helped seth with his thesis? the outcast damage ctrl girl?" you took offense in what he said, so you chose to ignore it. you were focusing on your phone, still trying your best to text the groupchat. "hey, you didn't hear what i said?" you looked up from your phone, facing jey again. "what?" you barked. he had this amused expression after he heard your tone. jey smirked as he knew that you weren't fawning over him.

everyone wanted him. everyone, but you.

to be honest, you couldn't really careless about the boys in your college. ever since you had a little crush on jey (which was a long time ago), you never took interest to any of them. if they approached you, you knew you could just say you were dating dominik. he was your wingman. "i said, who did you come here with?" jey repeated his question. "dominik." you were still focusing on your phone. "you're his girlfriend then?" you only nodded in response. "you know," jey paused for a second. "you can't really lie to me. your 'boyfriend' is literally flirting with rhea right now." you squinted your eyes, seeing dominik flirting with one of your friends. "shit." you muttered.

"i never see you in our parties, what brings you here, pretty girl?" it was clear that he was flirting with you. "i'm looking for becky." you admitted, hoping that he would have an idea about her whereabouts. "lynch? she's upstairs!" your eyes widened in surprise. "oh, thanks." you stood up from your seat, only to have him follow you. "i don't need you to help me, jey." you glared at him. "baby, this is a frat party. everyone's either drunk or horny, of course i'm gonna be a gentleman." he winked at you.

turns out, becky wasn't upstairs. you couldn't find her. you spotted your friends and asked if any of them had the dorm keys, but to your luck, becky had all of the keys, being the head-girl. "fucking hell." you muttered once again, still having jey following you. "you look like you need a drink." he passed you a red cup. you decided to let your guard down for a bit. might as well just get shit-faced while looking for becky, you thought. "don't try to get me drunk, uso." you glared at him once again. "i'm not! just offering you a drink." you took a shot of the alcoholic drink.

jey didn't know why he kept following you. earlier, he had girls swarming around him, wanting his attention–but as soon as he spotted you, all his attention diverted to you. he actually knew who you were. (y/n) (l/n), contradicting to all the assholes frat boys, he admired you. you were a year younger than him, but you were smarter than everyone in this frat house combined. “hi jey, you busy now?” one of the girls greeted him with a wink. “yeah, with (y/n) now.” he replied, nudging you. you side-eyed him, not knowing what to do.

“fuck was that?” “it’s tiring being most wanted.” jey replied with smirk. the people around you were unfamiliar, you saw a couple of your girls leaving with their boyfriends. you sighed as you took another sip of your drink. “you know what, i’m just gonna stay at the library.” jey immediately shook his head. “and do what? helping mr. heyman with his chores? fuck that, come on. have fun, it’s seth’s last party here.” he was right. seth was graduating soon and you didn’t even attend his parties till now. “i guess you’re right.” you replied, earning a grin from him.

the alcohol got a bit in your head. “i should stop drinking now.” jey noticed that your face was slightly red, he didn’t want you to go full drunk and have nowhere to stay, so he took your cup. “right, enough break time, you still wanna look for becky or do you want me to get dom?” you shook your head, feeling a bit fuzzy. “no, no! don’t get dom. he might take me to his weed-ridden room.” you pouted in annoyance. “please help me find becks.” jey couldn’t resist your stupid fucking pout. he helped you get off the chair, dragging you around–he felt bad now.

you were never one to go out a lot with your sorority girls, so pity flared inside him. you just wanted to go back. “yoooo, who are you with?” you turned your head around and spotted his twin. jimmy uso, college heartthrob that asked you for help in last year’s chemistry. “oh shit, (y/n)! you’re with my brother now?” jey shook his head. “nah man, trying to find becky or seth for her.” jimmy saw your tipsy state. “dawg, i hope you find them soon. last time i saw them was like 2 hours ago, you know how good they are in hiding.”

the situation became slightly overwhelming for you. you dropped jey’s hand. “jey, bro. it’s okay, enjoy the party. sorry i bothered you. i’ll just stay in the library till becky comes back, thanks for your help though.” there was a slight disappointment in his eyes. “it’s getting kinda crowded here too, you wanna bounce?” he stepped on his cigarette.

so there you were, in his car, driving up north to the nearest city beach to watch the sunrise. at first you declined, wanting to stay behind in the library as it was open 24/7. but it wasn’t safe. it was a public library and you were tipsy. you had no choice but to trust this frat boy who was bopping his head to mf doom. you were closing your eyes, your phone died, and you had no hopes in reaching becky. you just hoped that she was somewhere safe with her silly boyfriend.

“you alright there?” you opened your eyes. “yeah. shit, we’re here?” jey nodded, unbuckling his seatbelt. “come on, the sun is about to rise!” he smiled, opening the door for you. “god, calm down! i’m having a headache.” his hands intertwined with yours as he guided you to the beach. it was empty and you felt really comfortable. the warm breeze of the ocean tingled your skin, making you shiver a bit. “here, take my jacket.” you rolled your eyes and proceeded to chuckle. “that’s kinda cheesy, but i’ll take it. since it’s fucking freezing out here.”

the two of you sat in silence, the sounds waves filling up your eardrums. “you know, i like this beach.” he blurted out. “huh?” “i don't take people here. it's kinda like a secret spot when it gets overwhelming. i know i give off a fuckboy vibe or so, but i like being alone too. despite all the gossips about me, i’m just a law student trying to get my degree.” he chuckled, pouring his heart out. “and why are you telling me this?” you asked, feeling confused.

“don’t know, just feel like i needed to clear things up about myself.” you nodded at his statement. since you were already talking to him, you might as well spill your heart out. “i had a crush on you back in my first year. saw you during orientation and i thought ‘damn, that dude is hot’ but you were still dating… what was her name? felicia? yeah.” you admitted, feeling your cheeks heat up. you didn’t know if you were drunk or not but you just had to say it. “you’re lying.” jey stated. “am not! ask dominik, he knows all the tea.” you added.

“if we’re being honest with each other now,” jey played with the sand using his shoe. “i actually knew who you were. that talk at the party? that was all bullshit. i just wanted to talk to you, but you’re so untouchable.” jey confessed. he saw you as one of the girls he wouldn't mess around with. jey could get any girl he wanted, but you? with all of your achievements and this 'cold' persona? he didn't want to mess with you. the crush he had on you was pure and genuine.

you made eye-contact again with him, this time–he had a smile plastered on his face. “of course i knew who you were! damn, do you realize you have a lot of people looking up to you?” he questioned. “no, i do not.” “fuck, (y/n). all the boys want you.” the man sighed. “that doesn't matter to me.” the sun was rising up, causing the two of you to break eye-contact.

the scenery was breathtaking. jey uso was nervous, for the first time in his life. “gotta be honest, i had a crush on you too. i think it was your second year? but i thought you were dating dom so i backed off.” “no way, the dominik effect worked on some people.” you joked. the atmosphere became warmer as you felt him move closer to you. “i think my biggest regret was not talking to you in my remaining college years.” jey sighed, knowing that his time with you in the campus ground was limited.

“well, since we know each other now, how bout we start from the beginning? i’m (y/n), med student. a part of damage ctrl, i can probably do any assignments and can help you with all of your classes.” you offered him a hand. “and i’m jey uso, head-boy of the bloodline. i’m failing my classes and i recently developed a crush again on one of the sorority girls who can definitely kick my ass.” the two of you laughed at each other.

you continued talking to him about everything; life, academics, love, friendships, even your weird cousins. "it's getting so fucking cold, we should go back." jey suggested. "but becky..." you muttered. "you can stay in my room, i'll sneak you in from the window. the security won't check my floor. i can stay with jimmy." he sat up, brushing the sand from his pants. "actually, thinking about it. i wouldn't mind a jey uso right next to me in bed."

a/n: first time writing jey how are we feeling heart4reigns nation?? hope u enjoyed it as much as i did!! feedbacks/requests are highly appreciated!!

#the usos #wwe #wwe imagines #paul heyman #jey uso #wrestling #jey uso x reader #jey uso imagines #jey uso imagine #jimmy uso #cody rhodes #seth rollins #becky lynch #dominik mysterio #usos imagines #the usos imagine #roman reigns imagine

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everything-fine-n-peachy · 1 year

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chrysalis (l.jn) pt. 1

pairings: lee jeno x reader genre: angst (read: longing, so much longing) summary: arts high school au where dance major jeno works with creative writing major y/n for his senior recital. she falls first but he falls harder

You almost regret falling for Jeno. Almost.

No matter how many times you try and scold yourself, it always works for a little while until you feel breathless from laughter at his jokes, light-headed from being under his gaze, and warm from the smile he would give you every time he executed the story into choreography, and for a few moments you think, you can’t regret something beautiful like that not even when you knew this was all fleeting.

You remember your professor’s quirky expression before he assigned you to work on the project.

“the story needs a little fixing here and there for the stage, but I think this is right up your alley,” your professor explained as he handed you the manuscript.

“Chrysalis?” you asked. “Like being in a cocoon?”

“It’s a bit dark though, morbid if we’re stretching it and,” he paused for a second, “well, just don’t get too caught up with Jeno.”

For all the opinions the entire campus had about Jeno being cold, too serious, and careless about other people’s emotions, you think, he was so much more than the Casanova archetype that everyone was projecting onto him.

Watching him make the studio his playground, soft movements, slow tempo, then all at once fiery, intense, and swift, you discover this man is as much an oxymoron as his carefully curated piece. He was driven and relentless for sure, but he was also very considerate to the younger dancers on his team, polite to the staff, and very much kind to you.

The more you got to know him, the more he let bits of himself slip into the conversation. Suddenly you know about his pet cats, the chocolate stash he has hidden under his bunk, and even his guilty pleasure, gaming. Later on, he’s talking about how he adores his mom’s cooking and how he dreams of being able to see the world and perform everywhere.

And so you find yourself spending more time at the dance studio, preferring to work on your own final project there and staying late after rehearsals were done to watch Jeno polish his jumps.

Much like today, you relish in the quietness of the moment. You’d like to think nothing else mattered. Not your feelings, not graduation, not anything. Just laying next to Jeno. You close your eyes and take a big breath. You feel the hardwood floor beneath your back and the breeze on your face from the open windows.

“Hey, did I lose you?”

You turn your head slowly, opening your eyes only to find him already staring back. His index finger finds its way to your open palm right next to his, tracing circles on them, an unconscious habit he’s formed in the past months you’ve been working together. Jeno begins to say something but you’re already looking away so the words die in his mouth.

“Nope, I just realized that your final recital’s in a week,” you answer with a tiny smile. You feel the excitement in the way his eyes crinkle at you. The way he visibly squares his shoulders with a knowing smirk.

“Are you proud of me?” he says playfully, shifting his body weight off the floor with his arm supporting him as he half hovers above you. “Say you’re proud of me.”

Your head shakes in disbelief and try not to look too long into those deep pools of black because the last time you did, you almost did something really stupid. Almost.

You chuckle making it a point to push him away, sitting up with your legs crossed. “Of course I’m proud, I mean you’ve worked hard.”

“It’s your story though, I’m just in it.” You turn at the sound of his voice, looking back at him still splayed on the floor with his arms cushioning his head.

“This is literally your thesis, Jeno. I just helped you write the stage play.” Smiling, you reach over to boop at his nose. Unexpectedly he catches your wrist before you can pull away. You aren’t sure what to make of the way he’s looking at you, only that it makes your heart beat a little faster than it was a second ago.

You think it’s ironic, the way your penchant for finding meaning in the most mundane of things is what brought you to Jeno and yet it's the very same thing that keeps you in a loop of suffering.

Ever since you were a child, you’d made a home for yourself within the bedtime stories your mother used to tell you, falling in love with secret worlds and strange creatures. And so you grow up to build yourself your own realm of metaphors, stanzas, and rhythm, content to be whoever you wanted to be and go where you wanted to go, at least in your story.

You never expect to meet a lonely prince on top of a mountain, the world at his feet. His kingdom, a campus full of pretentious teenagers, too dumb for their own good, who were either afraid of him or in so much awe they forget that he’s only a boy. It’s quiet and the silence is heavy with something yet to be spoken of. You watch him rub patterns on your wrist with his thumb. He closes his eyes and a contented sigh escapes his lips. You can’t deny the number of times you’ve wanted to just give in to the inexplicable pull you felt, to just lean in and kiss Jeno. For the umpteenth time, you find your body moving on its own accord and you jolt your head back, whiplash taking over.

“It’s getting late,” you murmur, pulling away. Jeno blinks, confused at your suddenly icy tone.

This is nuts, you think. You almost did it again. Hastily, you stuff your belongings into your bag, eager to put a healthy amount of distance between you and the boy who made your chest feel like it was about to explode.

Maybe if he wasn’t receiving offers from schools so far away, you’d actually give this a chance. But you knew better than to kid yourself into thinking that you were part of Jeno’s world. His was a realm of glittering lights and roaring crowds. You were just part of the chorus of applause.

You feel Jeno, instead of hearing him approach. The warmth behind you feels like a siren’s call. And so you try to distract yourself.

“I just remembered that I need to talk to Mr. Kim about…” you huff in exertion trying to pack your things as fast as possible. “The senior book launch is also in a week and-”

Before you know it Jeno pulls you in, to face him. You’re too shocked to register what just happened. Your mouth hangs agape but before you can even say anything Jeno is the first to break the ice.

“Why do you always pull away?” you feel his palm coming up to gently caress your cheek and feel the urge to smoothen the frown that’s formed on his regrettably handsome face. It’s a mistake to meet his gaze because when you do, you realize they’re expectant of something you don’t know or rather, are too afraid to actually name.

You close your eyes instead, trying to at least regain some rationality. Jeno breathes out an exasperated sigh before leaning his forehead against yours. His scent, a mix of mint and Jeno, inevitably fills your lungs with the proximity. You feel yourself relent a little, leaning into his touch wanting so badly to just stay this way for a little longer.

Everything about this boy was tempting. The crescents staring back at you when he was laying his head on your lap in between rehearsals, the way he was so attentive to your input during the entire process and the feel of his hands on your waist as he taught you certain parts of the choreography, insisting it was part of the creative exchange.

You find yourself glancing at his mouth, transfixed by the way he runs his tongue against his lips. He stares back at you with hooded eyes and you’re about to close the distance when a shrill yell from the outside douses you like cold water from an ice bucket and you quickly extract yourself from Jeno.

You grab the last of your things, not even bothering to put them inside your bag before heading for the exit. “I have to go,” you mutter before walking past him.

Jaemin smiles at you, clueless about the exchange that just took place seconds ago. He greets Jeno with a big bright hello which dies in his throat as soon as he sees how crestfallen his best friend looks.

But you don’t have time to think about that. You’re already running out of the studio, thoughts churning at the rate of light speed. You had almost kissed Jeno. Almost.

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evilhasnever · 6 months

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any mdzs thoughts for previous jobs u have held for an au? (badly worded ask for the specific au ask game)

Private University AU:

Lan Xichen is an art history professor as well as the Dean's nephew, and he relly wanted to be an artist fulltime but his family never allowed him to entertain the possibility. Now he paints and does little solo exhibitions as a side gig, but he does not have nearly enough time to dedicate to them and he is almost... embarrassed about doing art halfheartedly, or so he sees it. Fortunately, he likes people though his feelings on teaching are simply neutral. Also, he can see Meng Yao every day... he tries to stay positive!

Lan Wangji doesn't want to be a professor, and fully expected nobody to sign up for his music theory classes because, for the most part, he does not speak - he puts his slides up on the projector and then plays the music in question. He is both shocked and strangely pleased when students consistently show up - not many, but the same little group every time. He overhears in the corridor that they think he is "the coolest".

Wei Wuxian works at the university cafe. LWJ finds it infuriating that he has no interest in pursuing a PhD, because Wei Ying's thesis on the psychology of music changed his life. (the big reveal is that WWX is still working on his research, just on his own time and using uni credentials to access the library and borrow sources because they never revoked his student account). The university cafe is open to the public as well, and some kids from the nearby elementary school wander in sometimes because WWX gives them whatever pastries are left.

Meng Yao is an assistant language teacher working for a multinational dispatch company. He works part time, but spends pretty much his entire day at uni prepping materials and doing his own research. Lan Xichen makes a point to invite him to eat in the student cafeteria with him every day (the first time he asked, he mentioned taking him to a restaurant right outside campus where he often eats, but Meng Yao looked terrified at the prospect of leaving campus even for 30 minutes, so LXC course corrected!) JGS keeps saying the family visa will come through eventually, but in the meantime he needs to get by on a provisionary work visa which means he literally cannot quit his job at the dispatch company or he will be deported. Lan Xichen doesn't know this, and thank god, because otherwise he would immediately offer to marry him for a spouse visa and things would get even more awkward.

Nie Huaisang has been a student for six years and still hasn't finished his bachelor's degree. In fairness, it's because NMJ chose it for him and would not allow him to switch majors! NHS's idea of passive resistance is to do the bare minimum to stay in uni, but waste as much time (and money) as possible in doing so. He spends all of his time in the cafeteria playing geocaching games and swiping dating apps without doing anything about it. Sometimes he goes to classes that are entirely unrelated to his studies (like Lan Xichen's) just to hide away and people-watch, and because he knows LXC would never rat him out. Also he may be writing rpf of LXC and Meng Yao because he sucks. ;)

#Writing this was very painful because my life sucks and has always sucked #I have been all of these people at one point in time #ask box #au meme #xiyao #lan xichen #meng yao #jin guangyao #nie huaisang #long post

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joesalw · 5 months

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Man it's literally embarrassing how Taylor Swifts PR tries to manipulate and convince everyone she's bigger than Michael Jackson or the Beatles. Like given the narcissistic vibes this woman gives me she probably enjoys the comparsions and wants to be seen as bigger. But if you really look into it. It's bullshit.

Like her having 3 number one albums or something this year. Yeah she also released 3 albums. Not saying it's not impressive. But Mj did like one album every 5 year. He had admitted countless of times that he is a high perfectonist and doesn't get the product out until it was perfect. Why else does he have tje highest selling album (Thriller) and second highest selling album by a solo artist ( Bad). He has 5 out of 6 albums to sell over 20M.

He also wrote like 120 songs per album. So if he wanted to get like 3 or more number one albums he easily could have. But if you know a little bit how he was you would know that being just good wasn't good enough for him. With that man everything had to be perfect. That's not something I think just the fans it's knowledge of the general public in general.

Second the 1 billion Tour gross. Yeah impressive. But what about her attendance. MJs Tickets were cheap. Even for todays Standards. 16 Dollars back then or 20 Dollars and he also gave some of them away for free.

What matters actually is attendance. But ofc they never want to talk about that. MJ had a 12.4M or 13M attendance in a span of 3 solo tours. Taylor Swift has 9.7M in the span of 5 tours excluding the Eras Tour. So probably will have a higher attendance in total eventually but what he could done with 3 tours ( 2 of them not even touring in the US) she had to do with 6 tours.

And it MJ didn't Tour in the US during his History Tour where he pulled 4.5M attendance.

Second is that bullshit Eras suprassing This is it. First This is it which most normal people know can't even be a concert tour because he died before doing any show. Second Eras only grossed more in the US. Globally he is far ahead.

He has a top ten hit during 5 different DECADES! 6 if you included the Jackson 5.

And some said that she sells 1M albums (not specifically said which ones) per week. Which is very hard to believe. Couldn't find any data on that. The only thing I have that she sold like 13 or 14M in this year. MJs Thriller ( one album) sold like 1M for a week for a year. Bad sold 7M in the first week.

Like nobody cares how much money she makes or how many albums she gets to chart on billboard during the streaming era. It just shows how money hungry and chart obsessed she is.

And they still think they can speak on him. I saw some mjfans on twitter putting swifties in place as well as arianators rihanna fans and other fandoms for various reasons.

Like Rihanna is the best selling female recording artist in the 21th century. Rihanna made like 8 studio albums and Taylor Swift 10 so far. On top of that Rihannas last album came out in 2016.

But the only thing Swifties hear is Billionaire 1billion gross, economy. (Do they seriously think MJ never had an influence on the economy? The guy who saved MTV from bankruptcy? They guy who filmed They don't care about us in Brazil to showcase the poverty and had had a huge influence into making it a better place?) What has Taylor Swift done with her suppossed influence? Huh. Why does he have statues around the world and got crowned King somewhere in Africa. Taylor Swift ain't doing that. The only thing she does is ruining the planet with her carbon emissions of her private jet and stay silent on a literal genocide. Or weaponizing the word feminism ( I want to read a thesis how this woman puts feminism back instead of forward. Like I swear by misusing it for her damn white feminism and influencing her impressionable stupid fans she's actually doing more harm than good. )

#anti taylor swift #swifties dni #michael jackson

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tojikai · 8 months

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OH GOD KAI… (sorry in advance for the thesis that is this message)

I know that Satoru always plays it safe with condoms/plan B but birth control isn’t 100% 😭 she could still be pregnant 😭

I’m going to find comfort in the fact that Satoru probably would’ve had a more emotional reaction on the spot if Naomi was pregnant. (I’m coping so hard right now) I’m hoping that Satoru finally cuts his mother out for good and let’s his father know how fucking disgusting she is.

I can’t imagine what Satoru was thinking. The woman that raised him using him as a security blanket for her own selfishness and then the woman he thought he could have a companion in proving that she’ll do whatever it takes to tie him to her even if it’s not what he wants. aside from himself… who does he really have as a support system? he has his therapist yeah, but that’s not the same as having your person. my heart definitely goes out to him.

What the fuck was Naomi calling his mom for??? “Hey I tried to r*pe your son and it didn’t work and he’s really angry what do we do now?” YOU made the decision to follow through with it knowing damn well he doesn’t love you, you own it. don’t try to blame literally everyone else for your cruel actions because no one forced her to do anything. she made the decision to take the decision away from satoru and for that, she’s scum 🤷🏽‍♀️

i sincerely hope Satoru does put Naomi behind bars… and his mom, or at least gets a restraining order on the two of them. they’re horrible people worth less than the ground they walk on and i hope satoru’s dad lets him rain hell on them two.

now toji… i’m happy they’re both open about not being each others first choices but that’s Yui’s dad. he has every right to be uncomfortable with the fact that Satoru has openly confessed his love for y/n but i hate that he invalidated her feelings of being uncomfortable and told her to get over it when it came to a pet name she didn’t wanna be called. y/n even said it’s not the fact that he talks about his late wife in general, it’s about HOW he makes her feel when he does mention her. there’s a big difference because he only does it in a way that compares the two. and then weaponizing her pain to drive home his point??? that’s definitely not cool.

it’s safe to say the honeymoon period is over and now they’re going to be dealing with the baggage of their past relationships. satoru is always going to be a presence in their lives and so will megumi’s mother (through toji’s words) whether they like it or not. i kind of hate that satoru is willing to give up time with his daughter to make sure toji doesn’t get upset (don’t punish yui 😭) communication is going to be key and they’re going to need to see if they want to work through it because love isn’t enough sometimes.

i wonder what y/n would do if satoru told her what naomi and his mother tried to do… i think she probably should know since it involves yui’s grandmother and who knows what that crazy bitch will do (to yui) to keep satoru. personally, i think that y/n should beat the shit out of her, for EVERYTHING that woman has done. to y/n, to satoru, to yui, to satoru’s dad? i know for a fact she wouldn’t let him deal with everything alone if she found out and part of me hopes they can rely on each other for this.

i’m still hoping for a gojo endgame with a reunited family myself, but i mostly just want everyone to be at peace regardless of what happens 😭 i think satoru has shown actual progress and willingness to ensure y/n and yui’s happiness at the cost of his own and i’d love to see them reunite and get through this stronger than ever 🥹

you killed it again kai! i have so many emotions and thoughts and i can’t wait to see what happens next. thank you for sharing your work and i hope you have a fantastic week! much love 🥰

OMGGGG i enjoyed reading this a lot !! esp. the part where you pointed out how yn's problem was not just toji mentioning his late wife. but rather, how it makes her feel. it wasn't a surprise to her that he'd talk about her at times since she knows about his past, what made yn sad was how it seems like he was trying to tell her to do what she does. that's why she said she felt like a 'placeholder.' :'(( and yeah, the betrayal satoru felt when he found out how his mom spoke w naomi abt it is just too much, and the fact that he has to bear it by himself too :((( as for him giving up their time together w Yui so as to not upset toji, does not only show selflessness but also his hopelessness. he's thinking abt long term, like the school events thing mentioned, which implies that he really thinks that he's got no chance w yn anymore yet he's still trying to make it all up to her 🥹 i feel like satoru's been through too much during these past few chapters😭 anyways, thank you much for sharing your thoughts and for your support <33 it took a bit for me to respond to asks, but i hope you're doing well~ take care !!

#🍭—kaitalks #f: sundered

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player1064 · 1 month

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If you're still doing prompts: I just saw the rooney pic set and the beckham with carra and just either of Carraville being a hot commodity? Other people having crushes or being into them? And maybe them being obvious because they only have eyes for each other or so? Or being possessive

alright lads I am BACK (the essay uh. dont even worry about it.) I've been distracted from drabbles with a) my beville wip which is getting. long. and b) making a gary character thesis statement video which is also getting. LONG.

Anyway I was gonna do a Gary half to this (w/ Stevie and Michael Owen) but it's already at like 1.2k words with just the Jamie ones so if anyone wants me to write the Gary half u will simply have to send more asks adksjfkjdasfsvdsa...

---

Wayne is young, and excited, and he’s scoring a lot of goals.

England is fantastic, it’s a break in the routine, a chance to play with new people. A chance to prove to the whole world that he’s the best there is, that there’s more to the buzz around him than just talk. And there’s so many United players in the squad, there’s no fear of feeling lost or out of his depth.

Except, the United players are all senior United players, that little gang of Phil, Butty, Scholesy, and of course their ringleader Gaz.

Gaz is great, but Wayne has to put up with him every day of his life and he’s not sure he can stomach spending his free time at England camp listening to his ranting when he could be doing literally anything else.

The first time he’d been called up he’d still been with Everton, and being the only player at the club to get in the squad he’d not known anyone when he got to training camp. The Liverpool lot – or rather, Jamie Carragher and his less enthusiastic mates – had adopted him, but now just a few months later everything is different, because now he plays for Manchester United.

It’s stupid, really. The club rivalry stuff. The ‘stick with your own teammates’ stuff. David Beckham doesn’t play for United anymore, but he’s still sat at their table every day, saying stuff that’s not even that funny but that makes Gaz do this stupid over the top laugh that Wayne never hears at any other time.

Gaz’ll have a go at him for it, but he’d rather go sit with Stevie and Carra.

They’re sat at a small table in the canteen, just the two of them and Mo. Except Carra’s not sitting next to Mo like he did last season, there’s no easy banter flowing between any of them. Wayne ignores the tension, or maybe he just doesn’t notice it, and he takes the long awaited opportunity to sit right next to Carra.

Gaz likes to complain about the Scousers, and about Carra in particular. He can’t stand him, thinks he’s after his position in the squad or something, like anyone would want to be a right-back. Last time they’d played Liverpool, Gaz had sat in the dressing room moaning about how Carra was a ‘pathetic little whiny bitch’ and how ‘he’s the most miserable looking footballer I’ve ever had the misfortune of meeting’.

Wayne’s not sure where Gaz is getting that from, he’s always thought Carra was quite nice. Friendly, even. And he smells nice, which is unrelated but feels like it’s worth mentioning.

Even now that Wayne’s at one of his club’s biggest rivals, he still gives him a little smile and an “alright, Wazza?”

There’s a little flutter in his chest, and he grins back. “hiya, Carra. How’s things in Liverpool?”

Carra squints at him. “Did Neville send you over to spy on us?”

David is under a lot of pressure.

This was meant to be his last tournament, one last chance for him to finally do it, and now he’s sat in the dugout and every newspaper in the world is asking what his job is meant to be, exactly. He’s not a coach, his latest injury ruled him out of the squad months ago, but he’s still here, and everyone is still watching.

It’s weird, to be away with England and not have Gary by his side. He’s in a hotel in South Africa and he should be going out, enjoying the fact that for once he doesn’t have to be fit to play, but instead he’s staring at the door wishing Gary would walk through and complain about something.

It’s probably not fair to say that he misses Gary (you’re the one who left, you prick), but well – he does miss Gary. He always misses Gary. It’s a world cup, he should be here.

If he’d known, four years ago – if he’d known. He’d’ve done better, tried harder. But what thirty year old thinks they’re at the end of their international career?

So he’s here, now. He’s not a player, not a coach, he’s just David Beckham. Apparently that’s enough. The squad is changing, shifting into something unrecognisable. The senior players don’t bother with the club rivalry thing so much anymore, there’s not enough of them from each club to really justify it. So at lunch he sits with Frank and JT and Gerrard. And Carragher, who’s not got enough caps to really be a senior player at England, but who’s too old now to count as anything else. He’s always around, anyway – sticks to Gerrard like his shadow.

And sometimes – sometimes, David finds himself looking.

He’s all alone out here. He’s under a lot of pressure.

It’s been years, since he’s done anything like that. Four years, in fact. And it’s not that he’s just substituting one defender for another, but he sees a lot of Gary in Jamie. Always cross about something, always moaning. Always pushing himself in training as hard as he possibly can, always pushing the others to do the same.

And he’s not bad to look at, either. Though David’s not sure if that’s a point in his favour or not, he’s always had a bit of a soft spot for the awkward, ugly ones. Or maybe just for that one specific awkward ugly one.

He’s not quite sure how to broach the subject, spends a few days agonising over it before deciding to just get on with it and go knock on the man’s door.

Carragher squints at him when he opens the door. “Does the manager need me for somethin’?” he asks cautiously, like maybe he’s not sure what David’s job is meant to be either.

“Nothing like that, just wondered if we could talk.”

Carragher doesn’t respond, just crosses his arms and waits for David to talk.

“Um, I was thinking more like – in your room?” he says, trying to load as much meaning as he can into the words since Carragher seems a bit slow on the uptake.

Carragher waves him in and he walks ahead to sit on the end of the bed.

“If this is about that fight I had with your mate a few weeks ago, he’s the one who fuckin’ started it.”

“I – what?”

David’s not quite sure when Jamie would have had opportunity to fight any of his mates, or even which mate he might mean – they don’t exactly run in the same circles.

“I swear, he’s always in the referee’s ear, mouthy cunt.”

Ah. Gary.

He wonders when the last time United played Liverpool was. He wonders when the last time was that he asked Gary how a game went.

“We have nothing to do with the referees,” he says automatically, before remembering that he’s not really part of the we anymore, hasn’t been for a long time.

“Yeah, yeah. Well tell your little boyfriend that if he still ‘as a problem he can say it to my face, but it was his man who dived, not mine.”

“That wasn’t why I – you know what, never mind.”

#do i even tag this as carraville. does this count as carraville.#people showing interest in jamie and him immediately being like. this seems like it has to do with gary neville (it never does)#carraville #drabbles

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laurasstufff1 · 2 years

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Hiii! I have a request for Rúben Dias if you don’t mind😊 Y/N is a university student and she does an interview with the city boys for her thesis (studying to be a physiotherapist), that’s how they meet. Rúben instantly likes her and gets her number. Y/N is really insecure ( being a midsize girl and not the typical footballer girlfriend) and afraid to get in a relationship with Rúben, but he is a sweetheart, giving her time and coming up with cute ideas for dates and he is really supportive.

A matter of time.

Warnings: Mentions of sex?. I also don’t have a clue about physiotherapist, not proofread, so sorry for the mistakes beforehand!

Word count: 1.4k

Hope you like it! 😚

It was actually a dream. Not only to be there, in the Etihad Campus, but to be there to work on your thesis, with the staff and also the players. Who would heave told you you were going to meet him there.

It wasn’t love at first sight, not for you. Of course he was pretty and attractive, but he was way out of your league, both metaphor and literally. But Rúben kept trying. Jeez, he tried hard, talking so much time with you you had to come back the next day to finally finish your interview with the rest of the players. Little did you know was all his plan to see you again.

“Here’s my number” he said stopping you just when you were about to walk out the door, with your notes in hand “just in case you need anything else” he said making you laugh, he already told you so much the previous day. Still, you couldn’t help but take the card with blush cheeks due to his sweet actions, thought you left the building thinking about his true intentions.

You called him not even a week later. You didn’t understand one of his physical problems, it didn’t made sense to start playing just the day after a severe knee injury and it was messing with your whole thesis.

“I was waiting for you to realise” he laughed when you met at the coffee, indeed, he did it on purpose, he just wanted to see you.

“Rúben!!! I cried so much when I realised it didn’t make any sense!! I thought my whole thesis was wrong!!” You laughed now, although you did stay up all night trying to understand it.

“Fuck, I’m sorry” he worriedly said, but still took the chance “let me take you to diner on Saturday. Just to make it up for you”. It was at that time you confirmed your suspects, but you felt strange. Happiness and fear were both feelings present in your chest. “Just as a friend” he talked again seeing doubts in your eyes. You nodded agreeing with his words, feeling calmer. But deep down you, as well as him, knew it was a matter of time.

And Saturday dinner went great, as great at Tuesday’s lunch or Wednesday night walk. Two weeks passed and it all became became a routine, both of you would walk or talk or eat together, even if it was just on a phone call. You were just friends, you talked about everything and anything with him, though your eyes betrayed you more than once, when you caught him staring or he caught you… It was obvious.

It was during another Saturday nigh dinner when he asked you go on a proper date and be his girlfriend. “Rúben, I don’t know… just give me time. I need to finish the thesis and-“

“No no no. It’s fine, sorry, I shouldn’t have ask you now” he said cutting you off.

“But hear me out. Are you sure? I’m not like the other girls you-“

“Don’t focused on what you aren’t. Focused on what you are, what you want to be. Which is much more, much better” he talked already knowing your insecurities as well as you knew his, they were a constant topic on your “dates”, when you would ask him repeatedly if he didn’t have better things to do than being with you ‘as if you weren’t enough’ he always said making you blush before saying the same old speech about self confidence.

“Just give me time” you concluded thinking it was the best option and he nodded, respecting your decision.

Despite that you didn’t stop seeing him. It was just what you needed to get away from your computer, even if it was just for a minute, talking on the phone, going on little hikes, Saturday markets with hats and sunglasses because he didn’t want to be recognised, he just wanted to be with you.

Or when he surprised you on Friday night. You cancelled your plans with him last minute when you realised the due date for your thesis was closer than expected. Truth was time just flew by with him.

That night you were working on your desk, typing your work and revising your notes when the door bell rang.

“Hello Miss physiotherapist” he smiled with a bag of food in his hands.

“I’m not a therapist still” you rolled your eyes back laughing letting him in. “I still have a week left”

“It’s almost done, this is just the last push” he cheered you up walking around your apartment until he reached the couch, ”Let’s eat this and then you can finish, okay?”. And so that’s what you did. You were expecting him to leave after dinner, but he stayed staring at you when you sat on the desk again.

“What?” You chuckled watching him look at you like that.

“Your glasses. They look good on you” he smiled laying back on the couch, but his eyes still fixed on you. “You’re blushing” he laughed,

“And you’re stupid” you said trying to change the topic. You didn’t approached that goal.

Thank God John called him in that moment. He left the room with his phone in hands, but you could still hear him talk ‘Nothing is going to happen’ ‘I’ll leave as soon she finishes, I don’t want her to overwork’ ‘she looks even cuter with glasses’.

Then you heard him walk in again and next thing you saw was him falling asleep in the couch.

—————

There was no better way to wake up than with breakfast, and you were so glad Rúben knew that.

“I’m sorry, it wasn’t my attention to fall asleep here” he talked while eating his scrambled eggs.

“I know” you said remembering his words with John. “It’s all good, I’m just worried about your back, the couch isn’t too confortable”. Just as you said that, both of you realised there was an easy solution to that. “I could give you a massage” you shrugged.

“You could, but you don’t have to. I don’t want to force you into anything, you said you wanted time and-“

“Ruben, it’s my job” you laughed at his nerves “It’s nothing erotic, I swear” you said and now it was his time to blush, but he ended up accepting, laying shirtless on you bed as you worked with the knocks of his back.

“Just make sure you don’t fall asleep again” you said as softly as if he was already sleeping, thought you knew he wasn’t when you heard his mumble.

The week passed by in the blink of an eye. Friday came and you handed your thesis before heading to Etihad Campus, where the boys were training. You just wanted to thank the directives, the own physiotherapist that worked there and of course the players for giving you the time and confidence and let you work on your thesis with them.

“She’s here!!” John shouted when he saw you walk in. They all greeted you and hugged you, Rúben was the last person in the queue.

“Hey there Miss physiotherapist” he laughed welcoming you in his arms, though tis time you didn’t correct him, you only hugged him tighter when you felt his lips on the top of your head. “Congratulations” you headed him say and you mumbled a ‘thank you’ into his chest, maybe he didn’t even hear it. “Dinner tonight to celebrate?”

“We always have dinner even if there��s nothing to celebrate” you rolled your eyes back laughing

“But I mean proper diner, like date dinner” he nervously said, but his face rapidly showed a smile when he saw you nodded. “Really?”

“I’ll see you tonight then” you smiled as big as he did, ready to leave the room when his hand on your arm stopped you. It was all so fast you didn’t realised his hand on your cheeks and his lips on yours, you couldn’t even tell how your hands reached his neck, but it was surely a good thing and a gesture his teammates celebrated cheering and clapping, until you pulled away smiling and hided your face directly in his neck.

“Shut up guys, she’s shy” Ruben shouted making the whole group burst into laughter, you included.

“I’ll see you tonight” you repeated before leaving, this time without any more interruptions, to get ready for the date you’ve been craving since that evening at the café.

#ruben dias #ruben dias imagine #ruben dias fanfic #ruben dias x you #ruben dias x reader #football #football fanfic #football fantasy #football imagines #manchester imagine #manchester city imagine

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tennessoui · 2 years

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Hello! I am a huge fan of your work and very obsessed with all of your AU's. Originally, I was going to ask about 'a funny thought' I created for Fae!Anakin AU where Qui-Gon tries to bond with Anakin by procuring him a rare plant from his homeworld only for it to be the equivalent of how Anakin's people reproduce thus the sudden and unbeknownst (by even Obi-wan) appearance of the twins. Like thumbelina children or something. Anyways, I wrote 4K words just trying to explain it (very embarrassing tbh). It seems silly to ask what your thoughts are since my thoughts have 0 respect and and no chill to just run away with your baby like this, so instead I will take this time to say 'Thank you!' I literally live Kit fic to Kit fic. 😄

Also, I commiserate so hard with having too many wips that you end up working on new ones instead of the ones you want to work on. Let's join in solidarity and write a 10 page thesis on why this is okay and should be touted as really beautiful and strong of us actually!

eyyy that's sweet!!! i always struggle with how to bring the twins into an au where anakin and padmé have not and will not sleep together, but i love this solution, especially for fae!anakin. if you ever wanna publish it on ao3 i'd absolutely be stoked to read it, with proper credit for the og situation (which feels silly to ask for, as i am probably not the first fae!Obikin au fic idea in this fandom, please)

i love the idea of suddenly parent!obi-wan, especially in the fae au because he was suddenly spouse!obi-wan too!! he cannot win!! he will never be eased into anything, but both twins look at him like he's the center of their world when he holds them (they're just being babies tbh), so he's ike. well.....maybe this is...ok?

and anakin and qui-gon actually bond just a little over the baby giving plant. anakin is like 'omg how did you know!!" and qui-gon is like 'ah well. i did not. but i will next time. so fascinating'

-------

but also dude the wip struggle is real and wild i sorted my fics out the other day and im like 'ok. technically i only have 12 wips on ao3, out of 49 fics so that ratio is like. pretty good.' but then im also like. omg. 12 wips. hoy fuck. that's a lot of wips lol

#asks #not even counting my 'should be a fic one day list'#which is of course a huge list rip #thank you to those who join me on my wip journey tho #like literally thank you so much your interest never fails to spark my interest #but also to those who don't and or can't i literally understand so much no worries

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xxscarletxrosexx · 1 year

Text

The Art of Seduction - Chapter 2: Charmed

Chapter Summary:

Loid had once overheard Yor confiding with her coworkers that she had never had any experiences with any man, at least romantically. But Yor never once said she had (somewhat) successfully seduced her senior, Mirage, during a practice run for a premeditated assassination.

aka

- Klaus needs to go to get bonked and sent to h**ny jail

- Yor was caught with a premeditated vendetta

- Twilight/Loid Forger can't parse Yor Briar Forger no matter what she does

- TwiYor should have more domesticated fluff moments

Read it here:

AO3 | Fanfiction.net | DeviantArt

A/N:

I'd like to give a shout-out to... @fluffmelange: for your creative input and inspiration. Also, for identifying my grammar during VC xD @lizzisgeek: For advising me on Loid/Twilights's character and behavior and steering me away from OOC. @undercoversleepover: For being encouraging, patient, and supportive every time I cried in VC about why I kept torturing myself with more ideas when I wanted this chapter to be shorter than it was supposed to--but hey, I finally did it!! @taser-dude : For literally (art) WIP-ing me in shape. Thank you for inspiring me with your art WIPs of future TAoS chapters--but I swear to God I'm trying to catch up TwT To my best friend John for his impressive knowledge of firearms. I was genuinely shook that he recognized Sylvia's gun so quickly.

The original plan was to write about Yor's flashback > Loid seeing Yor > Good night. I had estimated it to be around 2,500 words, but here we are at 5,000+ words because I couldn't resist writing about Sylvia (can you imagine how happy I was when Endo-san posted a Sylvia-centered chapter?! It felt like a good omen!) and mentioning Yuri too. Also, I poured a bit more TwiYor moments in this fic to balance the attention Klaus got lol Also, the main reasons why this fic took a long time were: (1) I had rewritten Loid's mission 3 times. The first was a bit OOC (and re-written with @lizzisgeek's guidance and suggestion) and the second rewrite disrupted the pacing of the plot, so I ended up scrapping it for this chapter, but it will be recycled in a future chapter. (2) The plot bunnies wouldn't shut up, but I have no qualms with it. (3) The extensive research I put into firearms, fashion wear, and character analyses was long but we made it guys and gals!

The next chapter may take up to a month again since I will be occupied with my thesis research project and will be biting the bullet to submit the report. I'm hoping to graduate with my master's degree come mid-May! Hopefully, I can be called Professor Scarlet soon :^3 Thank you for reading! ^^

Fic Summary:

There was a subtle change in the air that Loid Forger sensed around Yor since reuniting with her childhood friend, Klaus Kraus. Her form seemed straighter and she carried herself more confidently which heavily contrasted with her usual negative sense of worth. She was more attractive, bold even. He didn't know what to make of these changes. What he did know was he didn't like the idea of someone holding his wife in such an intimate way.

#spy x family #spyxfamily #the art of seduction #scarlywroteathing #twiyor #twilight #loid forger #yor forger #yor briar #thorn princess #oc

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thirteen-abalone · 2 years

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Schroedinger’s Horror

Having reflected on the Deuxmignon arc some more, I am having more Thoughts about the Rusalka’s lore dump.

First off, the thesis is this: an unknown horror is always more terrifying than a known horror. If you hear something moving in the dark at the bottom of the stairs, you freeze. You picture everything it could possibly be. But the moment the monster appears, whether it’s a ghost or a serial killer or a man in a hockey mask, your fear collapses down into the fear of that one thing. That One Thing can still be terrifying, but it is a different (lesser) kind of fear. Thus, Schroedinger’s Horror.

For a moment, let’s step away from the horror/fear of the unknown and talk about secrets. In Skyjacks, secrets are a hugely important narrative device, from Dref’s identity as Alistair Youngblood to Gable’s past with the Sovereign and the Morning Star. The tension between Knowing and Not Knowing is extremely juicy--when it’s done right. Timing those reveals can be the most difficult part of story crafting when you’re writing a novel, let alone playing a completely improvised game on air. Up until this point, I will say that I think all of the reveals have been done well, at a narratively appropriate moment that impacted the characters. From the moment Gable touched that feather and Hildred saw what they’d done, there was a ticking clock on that secret. It amazes me they managed to put it off 2 whole episodes to reveal it, honestly. When Travis plays his game with the Morrigan, we do get some answers about his past, but we’re left with so many more questions that the tension is actually heightened rather than released.

The exception to this success is, of course, the Rusalka’s monologues in Deuxmignon. The reveal that she is the first Fallen? Excellent twist, unexpected but delicious considering that her obsession with the Changeling’s tale is what caused her Fall. Her telling the True Changeling’s tale to Travis? Also earned, although I think James could have leaned harder on Rusalka’s own past and current connections to said tale. But her casual reveal that the Cutting Stone are Fallen souls bonded to mortals? That they maintain the border of the River even though that’s literally also Her Job?

Bad. Unearned. Completely unrelated to the situation at hand. Why is she telling the party this? If anything, because the Cutting Stone was present and nearby, she might talk about their job interfering with her own. Rusalka does not strike me as the kind of Luminary to share. At least, if she has to talk about it, make the party pressure her into giving away that knowledge.

The Cutting Stone has been a lurking horror ever since Tiberius Youngblood lost an eye rather than stop casting the spell that summoned them. They’ve been lurking ever since Travis touched the feather that was held on the Civility, an unknown and dangerous force. To collapse them down into a known horror in a scene/situation that had nothing to do with them is a big misuse of their secret. Of course we were going to learn what they were eventually. It is inevitable that secrets be given away, that’s how stories work. It just feels Not Good to have that done by Word of God rather than players investigating or risking...anything at all.

#luminaries #skyjacks #spoilers #this plays into the whole 'there were no stakes' beef i have with this arc

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todayisafridaynight · 10 months

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RIGHT YEAH I was also thinking about the scenario of Jo accompanying Masato in relation to this, in the vein of… that'd solidify that the whole lie was always about His Family and not The Family right… because what can Jo even DO for the family while he's away? He's more than a glorified accountant.

Though thinking about it, he probably wouldn't have been away too long, at least compared to a prison sentence for murder. Because Masato only faked his death in 2004 (at the very latest, I guess; it's when the news went public) and Bleach Japan was founded "almost 20 years" prior to 2019, at which point Aoki and Ogasawara had already graduated and returned to Japan.

That and Aoki wasn't in a wheelchair anymore when he met Ogasawara at Harvard, so perhaps Jo would only really /need/ to stay for the procedure and Aoki's physical therapy and all, though of course I can see him staying longer. Still, not too long, all things considered.

So this scenario's kind of the worst of both worlds, because perhaps those first couple of years it's Arakawa's own stubbornness, and then the rest of his family has to go away anyway. And he's so sure in that time what he needs is to be with his family again and he'll at least feel less alone, miss Ichi less.

But then Masato's Aoki now and only really staying in touch to use him and the Arakawa Family's resources for his own gain, and Jo--as you perfectly put it--doesn't know how to emotionally take care of him. So things he should be ecstatic about--seeing his son walk on his own two legs for the first time and having his right hand man back in action--end up bittersweet at best. Aiiieeeeee……

OH YEAH SHINJI I half-remembered there was a visit in 1 but not who actually went to visit Kiryu sorry for doing you like that my boy </3 still counts as part of a pattern to me though… subordinate visiting his aniki…

SPEAKING OF KIRYU. Yeah. Typical Kiryu L. Kazuma Kiryu you have blood on your hands and NOT in the funney Reddit meme way… ABSOLUTELY DERANGED to blame Ichi for anything in the ending whatsoever though like WHAT. He got him immediate medical attention and WE AS THE AUDIENCE don't even have time to react, let alone anyone living the fucking moment good god my blood pressure is spiking

ALSO THE JO POST… YEAH… yeah yeah yeah that's the shit I'm talking about… and like. This is where localization frustrates me so Bear With My Complaints a moment but his very last line is mistranslated in both versions, the sub in terms of what he was actually saying and the dub in terms of giving him this bitchy, flippant tone that doesn't convey his intent. So I'll cut them down the middle and say it's "[The] legit [way]? The word has never crossed my mind, not once."

There's just something to it as a clear thesis for his whole life and his eventual fate. Like of course Adachi means in terms of going through the proper legal processes, but words like proper, legit, decent, these also have clear connotations of adequacy. So for him to literally say NOTHING he's done has been adequate in his eyes perfectly illustrates what you were saying. Like he's always taken it as a matter of fact that nothing he could do would be enough, like that's a truth woven into his existence so tightly he never even thought about it. And now there really is nothing he can do.

i have my own theoretical timeline on masato's stay in america, but even with what we have there's a lot of variables involved with for exactly when certain events happened

under the assumption masato was to enroll at harvard in the fall of 2001 (assuming he was somehow able to be approved for a lung transplant as soon as that year), then jo would- at max- might only have to be abroad for (assuming they leave in january) nine months (to account for the time it took for masato to get approved for surgery and then the surgery itself plus the potential 3-6 month recovery period afterwards)

alternatively, if masato had to wait a year- two max if we're being optimistic so he could graduate on time under an accelerated 2-year academic schedule to get surgery- then jo, similarly, would have to be abroad for a similar amount of time.

the time gone doesn't matter too much i guess: arakawa will still be left alone for a long time, and that really couldnt have been easy either way. the time his family's gone only makes their comeback all the more bittersweet, as you put it (´▽｀;;)

OH BUT YEAH NO THE Y7 BIT THAT SHIT PISSED ME OFF SO MUCH WHEN I READ IT like mates were trying to be smart about it like 'wow ichi way to go showing how much you love aoki and how you'd do anything for him 🙄' like God Forbid a human character acts human and imperfect what the fuck you want him to do he aint got no goddamn spidey sense how the shit was he supposed to know (;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`)(;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`)(;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`)

but yeah.. speaking of Doing The Right Thing jo's never ending feelings of inadequacy are my favorite </3 cause its like.. it's a reason why i love jo so much if i can be weird to say: what he did wasnt something that you can confidently forgive or try to say 'he's done the most to rectify this' or anything like that because putting a baby in a coin locker's like.. a lot of steps are involved to do that.. not really a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing that would have grounds to forgive yourself for.. so the fact jo knows this and just has that intense guilt- it's my bread and butter to say the least 😔

#long post #snap chats #i didnt mean to ramble about my masato timeline OOPS. i havent mentioned it in months tho.... i do like thinkin a it....#thats not even to consider the idea of jo staying abroad all four years to make sure masato was getting along fine #and to make sure he made it back to japan alright- but for the sake of giving masato some independence for a bit #we can also say jo went back when he was 'no longer needed' and just let masato live how he wanted to #but again i guess the exact amount of months and years dont matter too much #as for Jo's Suffering though i can't explain why i love it so much #i think its just cause like. its nice that a character acknowledges they did something unforgivable #like even if aoki did get the lung transplant and he's fine- or WAS fine rip- that doesnt negate the 24 some years he had to be miserable #i cant explain it im very bad at explaining things can we tell #its just such a weird situation. because again what jo did isnt something you can excuse or forgive yk #like masato's critical years and his early adulthood were severely impacted by his disability #to say half his life was altered by jo's actions is an understatement- and jo knows that right #even if he made sure everything that could be done for him to make his life better was done #there was probably always that thought of 'this extra work wouldnt be necessary if i didnt do that' yk what i mean #so i guess im just glad he's dedicated to acknowledging that and trying to take responsibility for it now #idk idk i cant explain it but i hope we know what i mean. dear god i hope we do words arent my strong suit #but yeah again.... now he cant do anything to continue righting that wrong in his eyes #now its just guilt with no means of alleviating it and THAT. hurts the soul in a good way. me thinks anyhow

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joeycontextual · 1 year

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The text | have chosen is from the book, “Monster Theory” by Jeffery Jerome Cohen. I think the overall theory being given by Cohen and the collaborative authors is that monsters are narrative tools to explore and dissect cultural reactions of social and personal identity. The reason I have chosen this book to look at is because I was interested in why “the other” had been likened and made into monsters, and how we as a culture find it to be “more digestible” to remove humanity at will if someone is out of the norm.

I have chosen three different sections of Cohen’s “Seven Thesis" on monster theory that I found interesting and wanted to focus on, specifically in regards to gender identity and sexuality:

The first, “The Monster's Body is a Cultural Body”, meaning that the monster is a manifestation of cultural fear, desire, and anxieties giving the monster it’s own identity, it’s form literally existing from culture.

The sixth, “Fear of the Monster is Really a Kind of Desire", where he explains that because the monster can give a person a way to live out fantasies usually considered “forbidden", and that the monster tempts us to enact those fantasies. He also mentions that although we feel scared of the monster, there is an excitement as we know there will be a resolution where good triumphs evil. This desire can manifest in terms of a sexual attraction to the monster, or a desire to behave in a way that the monster does. An example I like to think of is monsters like vampires, and how they are always depicted as seductive beings, usually centuries old and/or from a far away land. Something about unobtainable times or worlds being another part of desire, exoticising the monster.

And finally, the seventh, “The monster stands at the threshold of becoming.” The edge of what the monster is becoming is human. Not in the narrative sense of a monstrous character becoming human or “assimilating” into a “non-monstrous" society, but in the way these fictional monsters create a real life discussion and dissection on the human nature of the treatment of the “other".

The art I've chosen to look at is the novel The Hellbound Heart (1986) and it’s film adaptation, Hellraiser (1987), both written by Clive Barker, the latter being directed by him. I have spoken about Barker’s work in the past, and when thinking about the aspect of “the monster being continually linked to forbidden practices", I couldn’t help but think of Hellraiser and its novel. I’m not sure Hellraiser paints a picture of a sympathetic and morally just monster however, it depicts two different types. Frank Cotton, a man who purchases “The Lament Configuration" in a quest for the ultimate pleasure that man cannot comprehend, after doing everything to try and achieve it. The second being the Cenobites, alternatively named “The Order of the Gash", a group of beings living in a world only obtainable through the box. The Cenobites, lead by one later named as Pinhead, are the archetypal villains of the story. I believe there is an argument to be made that as they are of another world, their sets of morals are cloudy at best to us, especially when we know nothing of these beings. Their appearances frightening, their leather clad bodies having a non gendered silhouette. Their faces, emotionless and unreadable. The usage of the word Cenobite stemming from religious orders or communities. They lack the ability to differentiate pain from pleasure. We are so far removed as humans from this, you would think.

The story, written by Barker, a gay man who knew the BDSM and gay scene of the 70’s and 80’s, during the rise of the AIDS crisis and the push for gay liberation. During this time, queer sexuality was seen as a certain contraction of AIDS, and in that a certain death. In other words, the pleasure of sex and the pain of contracting AIDS being indivisible to an ill informed conservative culture. I think the Cenobites represent this ideology, and their design and attitude being Barker's satirical comment on this ideology.

I think if Hellraiser and it's novel weren't written by Barker, without his experiences, the monsters would not have been so confrontational. “These monsters ask us how we perceive the world, and how we have misrepresented what we have attempted to place. They ask us to re-evaluate our cultural assumptions about race, gender, sexuality, our perception of difference, our tolerance towards its expression. They ask us why we have created them.” (pg. 20)

Clive Barker’s illustrated Hellraiser poster.

Pages 4, 16, 17, and 20 of Monster Theory

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euphoricfilter · 1 year

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hi honeybun i’m back!! i’ve been on depression shit and i fucked up ny sleeping schedule again (only bc i’ve been getting high every day which i normally don’t to sigh) but just wanted to say hi to my fav<3 recently it became colder where i am and it’s just making me wanna cuddle with all seven gorgeous men, but hobi just would be the coziest <3 i saw a lil video promo for his doc and he just looked so fluffy and cute. wanna hold him !! you probs have already answered this but i’m a bit new so i wanna know, who’s ur bias in the group? for me it’s namjoonie but the rap line has my entire heart<333 ofc i luv all of them evenly but my babies :((( also i declared tae to be my twin flame only bc we are literally born a day apart (on a calendar basis he’s like a few years older than me lmao) but i just luv capricorn men so much and we have some sort of the same personality we r basically the same!!!! jk and jimin are my babygirls they r so cute :,))) and as for jin, the man is too beautiful i would just stare at him he intimidates me sm i would be like pls have mercy on me. i would literally be this emoji 😦 if i ever saw him !!!! gonna go dive into some fluff bc im feeling a bit down and then head to sleep soon bc it’s 5:20 am for me and i haven’t slept so gn/gm bae <333 luv u sm :D-🌙

omg you’re back!!!!! honestly me too 😭 since i’ve been visiting my friend i think my sleep schedule has been wonky but alas i’m still alive, i was slowly teetering on the edge of a depressive episode a couple of weeks and and i just 🧍‍♀️somehow pulled through and i’ve been doing okay recently

fave? babes you’ll give me a massive ego, i’m simply existing

koreas been colder than shanghai has been recently but it’s not unbearable so i don’t mind it, yesterday was pretty nice considering how cold it was when i first got here

i saw the documentary video teaser, hobi’s so cool i wanna levitate 🫶 i’m really excited to his creative process, and how he like organized the album, kept up with the schedules for it, just like a deeper dive into jack in the box and what happened behind the scenes, i always find stuff like that really interesting

noo it’s okay, i think i’ve only mentioned it once like ages ago, idk if it’s obvious by everything i reblog but i’m jungkook biased 🫶 that man can get it, there’s no way a man should be that pretty and get away with it, like i want to be him. i could write a whole thesis about why i love that man and why everyone in the world should love him too and he’s so pretty star cutie 🫶

namjoon is 100% my comfort person, i see him and i just ☹️ words aren’t enough to explain how much i adore his existence, if namjoon had to be an emotion then it would either be comfort or reassurance, simply having him there is reassuring enough that you’re doing okay, that simply living is enough and by some weird miracle, he doesn’t know what we all look like but you feel seen 🫶 anyways i love joonie too i just 🫶🫶🫶🫶 if i could only ever say one thing to him i think it would be thank you

idk which members count as compatible? is that the right word, with my star sign. i know me and hobi are both born in february but that’s it 😭

jungkook is the personification of the word baby girl, you can’t tell me otherwise, there’s just something in the way he holds himself that screams baby girl and i love him so much 😭

me if i ever happened to be in the same room as jin 🧍‍♀️

i literally wouldn’t even know what to do with myself except run in the opposite direction

i hope you feel a little better later!!! and have a good day <3

MWAH 🫂🫂 ily <3

#ask #🌙anon #HONEYBUN 🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶#IM GONNA SELF IMPLODE #secrets out #im a sucker for cute petnames #like whyd you have me giggling and kicking my legs 😟

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