#that somehow has this little key that feels like it is personally tuned to you and your joy and catharsis

[emeraldhaven]

Celebrating You and Only You

V hated birthdays.

Another tick of the clock towards inevitability, a step towards the end of a life she loved so very much. She didn't hate them purely because of this of course - she also didn't like the expectations that came on a day like today. Gifts, parties, celebrations of her life which, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't all that important. She'd much rather head out on her bike, drive by some Tyger Claws or Maelstrom and fry their brains to a crisp using her cyberdeck than have to accept gifts from her friends that, bless their souls, would be trying to make this year a "year to remember".

"Jesus V - could you be any more depressin'? Cheer up, live a little!" Johnny whined, appearing on the sidewalk beside V. He was looking wistfully over the Watson community centre, leaning on the handrail exactly the same as she was.

"C'mon Johnny, you've been trawling through my memories, you know why I don't like today." V said, looking over to see whatever Johnny was also looking at. She didn't really see anything other than a few people drunk or high stumbling along the sidewalk. She breathed in deeply, held it and closed her eyes, the stale Night City air burning her lungs, then dropping her shoulders and breathing out slowly, her hand gripping tightly onto the railing.

Johnny shook his head and scoffed, pushing off of the railing and crossing his arms.

"Hey, I'm not sayin' you need to like today, just at least visit the people who care about you most. Quit bein' a little shit and make people feel like you appreciate their efforts."

V sighed. She really didn't want to go and see anybody today, but maybe Johnny was right - maybe she ought to go see some of her friends? Taking out her phone, she opened up the contacts menu and scrolled down, tapping on So Mi.

The phone rang, and rang, and rang, and rang.

"Huh. Why isn't So Mi picking up?" V wondered. It's quite unlike her little Songbird to not pick up the phone when she called, given everything that happened between the two. Granted, she'd just come back from her little trip up to Tycho, and any kind of operation is going to be taxing on somebody - maybe she wasn't feeling up to chatting?

V tried to contact her other friends: Kerry went straight to voicemail; Judy was on do-not-disturb; Panam was "out of cell range" - whatever that meant; River was "at work". Tapping her phone against her chin, V hummed out loud some familiar tune that was stuck in her head whilst she thought why every single person she could possibly want to hang out with was suddenly completely unavailable.

She hears a ping from her cellphone - it's a photo from So Mi and it's of the front door to her apartment. The caption reads:

"Come home."

V's heartrate shoots up - what does she mean, come home? Songbird has no idea where her apartment is, she'd never gone there during the whole Dogtown event, instead staying at the various safehouses that Reed and Alex had set up. It was a worrying thing for So Mi to know both where she lived and that she was there - it wasn't a particularly safe megabuilding.

Hopping on her Kusanagi, she turned the key and kicked off the pavement, pulling the throttle hard and speeding off to her home. After some incredibly reckless driving (Judy calls it "literally asking for trouble"), she arrives in quite possibly the shortest amount of time it's ever taken for her to drive across Night City. V practically jumps up the entire flight of stairs in front of her block, somehow leaping up 4 stairs at a time to reach the elevator, barely even registering the small red-electrical glitch on the TV screens, and once it arrives at the top sprints towards her apartment door and opens it.

The first thing V notices is that it's too quiet. Taking a quick scan around her apartment with her eyes, she can't see anyone and even her Kiroshi's aren't registering anything out of the ordinary. It takes one, two, three steps into her home before anything happens. A red glitch takes over her vision; quite similar to how the Relic would give her trouble, but she feels completely fine; until it all starts to clear and…

"SURPRISE!!" A loud cacophony of voices and cheers and party horns and poppers go off, showering her in a sea of noise, warmth and a shocking amount of confetti. V blinks away the odd bit of static to see all of her friends standing before her: Panam, Mitch, Judy, Rita, River, Kerry, Misty, Reed, Alex, Jackie, Viktor, Takemura and right in the middle as though she was illuminated by the stars themselves, So Mi holding a cake with the cutest little artistic (and quite edible) depiction of V at work, Mantis Blades in hand.

"Guys, you didn't have to do all this!" V exclaimed, shocked that they could have even set up something as elaborate as this without her really knowing.

"V, choom, we wouldn't have had it any other way." Jackie said softly, walking over and placing a hand around her shoulders. "Now kick back, relax and grab a cold one - it's time for celebrating you, and only you, today. None of this back and forth shit."

V looked up at Jackie and back towards her friends, her eyes starting to well up from all the emotions. She started to see all the little details - the cake, the small pieces of ribbon around the apartment, the bunting celebrating her 24th birthday, and all her friends dressed up and here for her. It wasn't something she was used to, but it was definitely something she could grow to enjoy.

As the party started, Jackie left V to go talk to Viktor and Takemura about some boxing thing that V didn't really know a whole lot about. She walked over and sat down next to So Mi, dressed in an immaculate jacket and jean combo that was quite similar to what her Relic-form had actually looked like. She was stunning, truly a beautiful woman in her own right, but since she got back from Luna she had this sparkle in her eyes that made V's heart flutter.

"Hey V - didn't see this one coming did you?" Songbird smirked, her soft lips accented in a beautifully red lipstick. V felt almost unable to take her eyes off of them, flicking down between her two newest vices: Songbird's eyes and lips.

"Uh, um, n-no no I didn't actually. How long have you known?" V stuttered.

"Ha! Well, it was a combination of everyone really. I got back from Tycho and, well, I got contacted by Panam - something about you not really having a lot of time celebrating your birthday in the past?" So Mi took a sip from her drink, lips wrapped around the straw in her cup.

"Ah I shouldn't have gotten drunk and chatted life with Panam - didn't realise that I'd have left something like that slip." V chuckled. "What was your little part to play in all this, Song?"

"The whole fact you couldn't see anything - hooked into the Relic and altered your visualware for the whole effect. Might have spruced other things up, as well, but y'know that's just for personal fun." Song couldn't have looked any more smug, nor more beautiful given that it seemed like, to V at least, that she was literally glowing.

"You're beautiful." V muttered, completely unaware that she'd said that out loud.

Songbird blushed a deep red. "Thanks V, that means a lot coming from you." She started to play with the top of the typical red cup she was holding.

V's eyes widened and her own scarlet blush creeped across her face, the tips of her eyes going ever so slightly pink. Taking a swig of her drink, she placed her hand on top of So Mi's, their pinkies ever so slightly hooking onto the other's.

"No, thank you Song - for all of this. I really, really appreciate you being here, and I'd want nothing else." V smiled softly at So Mi, flicking down to her lips again. She suddenly got quite aware of how close they were actually sitting on the couch.

"V… I-"

"Hey V! Come check out this sweet new gear that Judy's got!" Panam called over, rushing to grab V's arm and pull her away from Songbird. V looked back guiltily at Song, mouthing out "I'm sorry, talk later!" towards the redhead who smiled back and nodded in return.

The party would continue into the late night, and one-by-one people said their farewells and see-you-laters until everyone had left except for Jackie and Songbird.

"Alright V, I'd best be off - got a cute date with Misty in the morning, and I don't wanna miss it." Jackie said, slapping his legs and standing up. V walked him over to the door and hugged him.

"Thanks Jack - I had a preem time today." V said, choking on the last few words and giving Jackie another hug before he left.

"And then there were two." Songbird chuckled, lounging back on the couch, heels off and feet up on the couch, arms outstretched over the couch's spine.

"Well it was one at some point right, back when you were just a cute ghost in my head?" V chuckled, the room slightly swaying. V stumbles over and flops down onto the couch, falling right into the space between So Mi's side and her outstretched arm. V's back is suddenly warm, the machinery within So Mi's body heating up as the alcohol within their systems work independently, but seemingly together.

So Mi wraps her arm around V's chest, slowly stroking her abdomen, fingers raising and dropping at the curves of her abs. "Mmm - only a cute ghost? I seem to remember a certain someone thinking quite a lot about other things that involve the 'cute ghost in her head'." So Mi giggled, squeezing softly.

"Would be a gonk ass move to think too much nowadays though; pretty sure I was getting quite visceral feedback myself." V looked up at So Mi, gazing back into those captivating eyes. "Couldn't help it, Song, you had me when you invited back to that bench."

So Mi hummed, a multitude of thoughts, feelings and pure emotions coursing through her head. As her heartbeat ramped up, the whirring in the motors in her spine lowly increased, and V noticed.

"Not gettin' too mushy on me, are ya' Song?" V giggled back, placing her own hand on Songbird's, the dark glow of both her apartment and Night City from her window illuminating the two.

Songbird shook her head and then slowly, softly and with the most care anyone has ever given to V, leant down and kissed the top of her head. Burying her nose in the plushness of V's soft, delicate stained-red hair, she exhaled in complete comfort.

"No V, I'm just as mushy and as happy as I want to be right here, right now, with you. Spending as much time as I can while we still have it to spend in whatever ways we want. Happy birthday, V." Songbird murmured, closing her eyes.

Taking a minute, V calmed her screaming heart and said quietly: "It's, um, it's Valerie. My real name is Valerie."

"Then happy birthday Valerie - you deserve it." Songbird affirmed.

V hummed happily, sleepily planting an ever softer kiss on So Mi's hand, entwining their fingers and drifting off, her eyelids fluttering closed as the comforting embrace of Songbird enveloped her in her wings.

Maybe V didn't hate birthdays after all.

#cyberpunk2077 #v cyberpunk #phantom liberty #songbird cyberpunk #songv #fanfic #long post #my work #happy birthday v #last minute no editing oop #song so mi #everyone is here #2000 words of almost pure fluff

[te-pu-si-ti]

The Persephone Un-loop

Inspired by:

Lily Jo Ockwell | Mallory Gracenin | Stephanie Nightingale | Fania Grigoriou | WenHsin Lee | Yilin Kong | Anna Finkel

Sam Booth | Eric Jackson Bradley | Ali Goldsmith | Folu Odimayo | Carl Harrison

The man in the grey suit steps out into the town square, singing. "It's a lonesome old town, when you're not around. I'm lonely as I can be..."

He picks up a bouquet of narcissi from the flower cart. He carefully sets down the flowers one by one on the ground of the Trojan square, then he returns to his office and shuts the door.

Outside, a spotlight is moving slowly across the length of the square, from the office to the flower cart to the department store, finally settling on a well in the corner. You'd hardly notice it, if you didn't know it was there.

The spotlight lingers. The music begins to swell. Just then, a woman bursts out of the water. She looks around, her hair dripping, her eyes large and uncertain, examining her surroundings.

She climbs out and lays her bare feet on the bricks, leaving behind puddles. With inquisitive eyes, she picks up a daffodil, and another, and another, breadcrumbs leading her... somewhere.

She walks by a man dressed in rags who seems to recognise her, but she flinches away from him. She continues following the flowers, and they take her to the office door, underneath the blue light. She knocks.

The man in the suit opens the door and takes her in. "Welcome home, my love," the strange man says.

"Home?" She shakes her head. "I'm sorry, I don't remember..."

"The waters," he says coolly, "It's the waters. Give it time." He wraps her in a blanket and sits her down in a leather armchair.

She looks with consternation at the framed photo on the side table. It's... her. And him. He holds up his hand, showing her the ring on his finger, and pointing to the matching ring on hers.

"What's going on? What is this place?" She stands up, and looks at a painting on the wall, so dark, so terrible, and yet...

She shakes her head. "Where am I?"

"It will come back to you. It will all come back to you."

"The keys to the city," he says, nodding towards the rack of keys on the wall. "Don't rush yourself. You have all the time in the world."

She walks over, examining the keys, and the little wooden puzzle toy on the table. A labyrinth with a tiny metal ball inside. Seven keys, each hanging from their own hook, each on a keyring. A horse, a bull, a flower...

He's grabbing his coat. "Where are you going? Can't you stay?"

"I have to go," he says. "You have to find your own way." The only person she has in this strange city, and he's already leaving her alone.

He shuts the door, and she's alone with her thoughts and the sensory overload of waking up cold and wet in a strange world, with a strange man, who seems to know her even though she does not know him. But he is kind to her, and he shows her love, and somehow, she trusts him.

The more she thinks about this situation, the less it makes sense. The more she looks around this room, the smaller it feels, the more trapped she is. She spins around in the empty office, gasping for air, adrift. Blue lightning flashes outside the windows as the power surges, as if in tune with her. She would scream if she could, but there's not enough air.

Thunder rumbles. Discordant piano. Gasping, spinning, turning, choking, it's too much it's too much it's much too much --

She's exhausting herself. She goes to the desk, sits down, and counts backwards. Grounding. One thing at a time. One foot in front of the other.

She leaves the office, into the city, and finds a fashionable-looking shop. No one is working there, and she has no clothes of her own, so if nobody's looking then nobody can mind... She takes a red jumpsuit that fits her perfectly, and a pair of shoes, and a lovely fur coat. In the pocket, there is a torch...

In the alleys of the city, she finds a map pasted on the wall. Shaped like the wooden toy from the office, an intricate maze - no, a labyrinth. Labelled with strange names.

Hesperides? She sees the sign lit up above her head. She wanders into a beautiful flower shop, with roses and greenery dangling from the ceiling and every type of blossom you could imagine laid out in the corner. Once again, it's empty behind the counter.

So she searches for clues - What is this place? Where, and when? How does she fit in? Did she once belong here? She rifles through drawers, papers, a box full of... feathers? A portrait of a Grecian goddess? It's all so strange.

A man in a yellow velvet suit comes up to the counter. She freezes. Act natural. "Hello," she says, "...How can I help you?"

The man gazes around idly with large, round eyes. "I'd like a bouquet," he says softly.

"Sure!" she says. There's one right on the counter. "Here you go."

He chuckles and shakes his head. "I was hoping for maybe... that one, by the mirror?"

"Of course." She goes over and retrieves it. The flowers are beautiful, but they're all fake. Such a large shop, is there such a high demand for faux flowers?

She lays down the bouquet for him and he smiles. "Actually, could you add something extra for me? Something special. Your choice."

The charade is wearing thin. She doesn't actually know anything about flower arranging. What flower would suit? She looks around at the stems on the counter, and grabs the one that catches her eye. A fluffy pink peony, a splash of colour in the pale bouquet.

She unwraps the bouquet to add in the extra flower. But there's something else inside... a paper parcel falls to the counter as she's unwrapping. She sets it aside so her customer cannot see.

She wraps up the bouquet in some fresh tissue paper, with a green ribbon cut with an unnervingly large pair of scissors. "Here you go," she says, relieved that she has not been found out.

He examines the bouquet and sniffs the flowers. "Oh, uh," the woman says, "You do know they're fake, right?"

The man in the yellow suit, blue neon reflecting off his skin, smiles. He picks a business card up off the counter. "Yes," he says, "The finest." Hesperides: Finest Fake Flowers.

She laughs uneasily. "Right. Of course. Have a good day!"

The man pauses as he leaves. "Have a good night," he corrects.

She lets out a sigh after he walks out. How did she get into this mess? But something about the little paper parcel intrigues her, and she unwraps it. It's some kind of bureaucratic form, SPECIAL PERMIT. Inside, there's a little metal horse figurine. And on the paper, someone has scribbled an address: PEEP BAR, 3rd ~ C / 3rd Division / UW.

She takes her torch back into the alleys, reading the strange names on the posters and flyers and neon signs of the city. Philotas. Sikinnis. Terpsichore. Who are they? HIC HABITAT MINOTAURUS. What?

She emerges into a square, and she can hear pounding music from across the way, and she sees the sign for PEEP. There it is! And she wouldn't mind a drink to settle her nerves. So she goes in.

It's a wild and debauched place, this strange bar draped in velvet. Ghostly faces leer at her and cheer at the dancer on stage. It is a tall, thin creature in a black catsuit, beckoning one of the emcees on stage with a clawed finger. The emcee jumps up eagerly, and the dancer licks their lips, pulling their victim closer and then choking them and shoving them to the ground.

She finds a seat, and gasps at this dark entertainment that is driving the crowd wild. But there's something incredibly alluring about it.

The dancer leaves the stage to raucous applause and gives her a wink as they pass. She sips her drink and wonders if she should leave, when suddenly...

The door opens. The bar host drops their martini glass in surprise. "We have a visitor. A friend? A presence. A gift! A surprise guest has descended upon us!"

It's the man in the grey suit again. He gets on stage, and the bar hosts kiss him on each cheek. Unprompted, the band starts to play.

She decides to stay for a little while longer. Is he a performer too, like that slithering dancer dressed all in black? He doesn't seem the type at all.

"If the sun should lose its light,

and we lived in an endless night,

and there were nothing left that you could feel...

That's what it would be would be,

What my life would seem to me,

If I didn't have your love, to make it real."

He's singing to her. She doesn't know him, not really, but he knows her, and he's serenading her with this strange and beautiful song.

"If the stars were all unpinned,

and a cold and bitter wind swallowed up the world, without a trace,

That's where I would be! That's what my life would seem to me!

If I couldn't lift the veil... and see your face."

The lights swing around to light her face in red and blue. She feels herself blushing. All this for her? Why?

"To make it REAL! ...Real!" During the instrumental break, he fills the time with a cute little shuffling dance. He blows her a kiss - overcome by this whole sweet gesture, she catches it.

"If the sun should lose its light, and we lived in an endless night, and there was nothing left that you could feel...

If the sea were sand alone, and all the flowers made of stone, and no one that you hurt could ever heal! That's how broken I would be, that's what my life would seem to me... if I didn't have your love... to make... it... real..."

"Well. Shoot a speeding arrow through my tiny, tiny heart." The hosts of Peep pop up through a trap door behind him and usher him off the stage.

The man comes down and puts his arm around her shoulder. "That was wonderful," she says, brimming with sincerity. "Nobody's ever done that for me before."

A beat. "...I have," he replies. "Let's go."

He pulls her through the square with an odd sense of urgency. But she wants to see, she wants to know this city that he claims is her home - and why is this young man drawing a circle of chalk in the square?

But there are sirens blaring, it might not be safe, so she turns and heads towards the office. Another man, in a long leather coat, scared, desperate, is turning the corner just then and collides with her. He rushes away with hardly a chance for an apology. She scurries into the office, her makeshift home.

The man in the suit guides her to the desk. He offers her a pair of headphones, which she gratefully accepts. Anything to drown out those terrible sirens.

Take a deep breath and exhale for 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...

He hands her a papier mâché pomegranate from a wooden bowl, which she clutches as she closes her eyes and sinks to her knees.

Close your eyes and picture yourself in a meadow, on a beautiful May morning. The air is filled with the scent of wildflowers. All around you things are growing, blossoming, bursting with life. Feel the grass between your toes, the sunlight on your skin. Now, open your eyes and know that the sunlight is with you still. Even in the middle of the darkest night, it shines forth from within you, awakening life around you. As the world turns and season follows season, everything is unfolding exactly as it should. You have all the time in the world. All you need is here.

Slowly she opens her eyes and rises up from the floor. The pomegranate in her hand is real, fresh and juicy.

"Did I just...?"

The man claps his hands and has a broad smile on his face. "Yes, my love! You did!" He takes one side of the fruit, and together, they split the pomegranate in two.

"You're... you're my husband."

As she disappears into the cabinet, he smiles dreamily. "That's my wife," he says with affection.

Inside the cabinet, she moves backwards. Time rewinds, and she finds herself at a table, facing a pinboard of clues, speaking into a tape recorder.

"Meditation tape number... 572. Take a deep breath and exhale for 5, 4, 3, 2, 1..."

"Don't panic. Every time you panic, you lose yourself."

Frustrated, she shakes her head. "No, that's not right. You can't just tell someone not to panic. That'll make you panic."

"Take a deep breath, and exhale for 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. The mind is a maze, isn't it? The mind is a dark, mysterious maze of winding streets that are only seldomly lit by knowledge, and experience, but ultimately, memory. Memory lights our way through this dark maze.

And every time I come back, it's as if the power has gone out. As if I'm drowning in a sea of darkness. It's as if I am dead.

But every once in a while a glimmer of light shines from around the corner. An object, or a song, or a face... Your face. That feeling guides me the most.

I hate that it has to be like this, but show me the light and I will come back to you every time, my love, like a moth to the flame.

I can feel the seasons changing, and I know that I will leave you soon. I hope this tape can be a beacon for you, the way you are for me. Know that I will come back. I always do. Always."

She's not sure where to go next. She wanders back to where she started: Alighieri's department store. As she passes, her husband looks down at her from a balcony - she waves shyly, but hurries on.

Her next clue is the special permit border pass and the tiny pewter horse. She sees a sign - BORDER CROSSING AHEAD, HAVE PAPERS READY. So she crosses over.

She rummages around the border crossing station, finds other border passes like her own - or, the one addressed for Judith Kore. The one she has claimed as her own.

She wanders into some sort of store room, cold and deserted, full of massive wooden crates. In the corner is one covered in horseshoes. This must be the place.

On the floor of the crate is a horse, splayed out, motionless. She sits beside it for a while, looking for signs of life. Instead, she sees a coin resting on its head.

Harsh torchlight shines into the crate.

"You. Out. Papers?"

She slips the coin into her pocket as she marches out, not wanting to cause any trouble. She hands over the only papers she has.

He looks them over with suspicion. "You shouldn't be here. It's not safe. Go, now." The Watchman waves her away.

She heads back to the city - to Troy, judging by the poster plastered over a wall, reading TROY WELCOMES YOU. Troy doesn't feel that welcoming... it's dingy, a bit rough, with all the graffiti on the walls and the yellowing papers wheatpasted one over another. And in the corner of the square is a man, huddled up in his rags: by all appearances, a beggar.

But he looks... familiar. Yes! He was the first face she saw in this place! He takes her hand, spins her round, and... snatches the silver coin from out of her pocket.

"Hey!" She runs after him, chasing him to the doorway of a hotel - The Elysium. He holds out his two fists and nods for her to pick one. When she does, he opens his hand to reveal a key. Another link in this strange chain of events.

Then he stands stock-still, and points her into the hotel. "Rrrrrrring, rrrrriiing," imitating the sound of a telephone. She steps inside the cramped hotel reception area, and picks up the receiver.

She listens for a moment to the voice on the other side.

"Hello? ....I don't know. I can't remember."

"OK, fine. There was this big party, a chandeliers and caviar kind of thing. I felt... out of place. So I got a drink. A martini, I think. And there was this beautiful woman, covered in sequins, and she walks up to me and asks to read my palm."

"She traced her finger along the heart line, and said I was a hard girl to pin down. That I'd find love later down the line."

"Then she reads my head line, and she said I was... I dunno... Forgetful or something."

"And then she read my life line, and that's when things really got weird. She looked at me with her big smiling face, and she said, well the funny thing is, according to this, you're already..."

The line goes dead.

She goes back to her husband's office. He's not around, so she has a chance to search out clues.

She lays her border pass out on the table, and notices some stationery on the desk. His cards and letterheads all say HH, 9th C, 1st D, UW.

H, H? U, W?

She rifles through his papers, finding magazines, punchcards, music scores... Nothing helps.

She looks back to that haunting painting on the wall. Those lost souls, falling into darkness. 9th C, UW... 9th circle...?

The address on her pass matches. "Welcome home, he said... I am Judith Kore?"

Her husband walks in, and she hastily puts away what she's been searching through.

Judith scoots to the edge of the room and changes the music that's playing. She puts her arms around her husband's neck and sways gently. A solitary piano grows into a sultry tango.

And they dance.

Slowly, closely, until they find each other's rhythm. Then it grows. They are a whirlwind together, this tiny office cannot hold them.

They burst out of the door, and the city opens up before them. And though she's never done this before - or maybe she has - she feels like she's always known these steps. It's effortless.

She runs, she jumps, he catches her, they really must have been something, mustn't they? Back before she lost herself. They're so in tune.

Almost in tune. He's under her spell, so she can lead him back in the office, and he's so blinded by her that he doesn't notice her hand slip into the key case. Judith holds the bull key behind her back as he picks up a flower and presents it to her, like a shy little schoolboy.

She accepts it and smiles warmly.

"It's beautiful," she says with sincerity.

"It's fake..."

"I know." She gives him a kiss on the cheek, and turns to leave.

"Come back to me..." he says weakly.

"Sure, I will." She'll find her way back eventually.

But first... find the bull. She hears pounding music up above - something big is happening. She climbs up the stairs into the hotel, down the long, dim hallway, into a terrible scene.

She can see it through a large window, glowing red. A gruesome gang are holding a man down, looking up hungrily at a tall, thin woman in a fur coat. The woman bends down, screams, and claws at the poor man's face. She triumphantly holds up two bloodied eyeballs.

"Shit." Judith backs away, aghast at the horror. But there's the bull, or rather, a golden idol, a man with the head of a bull, with compartments in its chest. She unlocks one to find a tiny plant, inside a glass dome. Small enough to fit into her pocket. It must be another clue.

The blinded man gets dragged into the room by a stone-faced woman. He crawls along the ground, pitiful, sobbing, alone. Crying for help.

"Come here," she beckons. "I can help you. Follow the sound of my voice."

There is a bowl of water and a cloth already there, as if waiting for him. The bloodied weeping man scoots over to her and she wipes his eyes, his injuries seemed so serious but all it takes is a few passes of the rag, and he is restored.

She wanders the halls of the hotel, and there is a strange feeling around her, as if the entire city is moving at once. As if something is dawning.

The next door she opens takes her into a room with a greenhouse inside. I thought we were in a hotel? But anyway, a greenhouse is where plants belong, so she must be on the right track. She retrieves the little plant from her pocket.

As she pokes around in the greenhouse - a strange greenhouse, where there are no plants, only barren trays of soil! - the man in the yellow suit arrives.

"Oh, hello again!" It's good to see a familiar face.

But he cocks his head. "Again?"

He's probably trying to save her the embarassment of their prior encounter...

"Is this your greenhouse? Maybe you can help." She show him her little plant. He smiles, goes to the back of the greenhouse, unlocks a safe. A safe? What does he need to lock away...?

It's another plant. Bigger, stronger, but still a seedling, and clearly precious to him. He hands it to her with reverence, and moves out of the way, as if he knows what's about to happen.

Because when she takes the plant - when she runs her fingers through its soil - she feels a connection that she has never known in her life. Or maybe, has never known since she forgot everything about her life.

Judith feels the earth between her fingers and she knows what she was made for. This is the root of her power, here in the soil. She finds herself, in the roots and the stem and the leaves.

Energy travels through her, electrifying her from toes to spine, and she bends back, taking it in, absorbing it, letting it return to her. It's terrifying and thrilling and yet it feels right. It's overwhelming, but she knows she can handle it - it's part of her. It was just waiting to awaken.

The florist looks on in awe. "Your majesty, welcome home." He bows deeply.

Your... majesty...?

He presses a baggie into her hand. "New life for Troy," he says softly. The bag is full of tiny seeds.

She thanks him, promises she'll keep them safe, and continues on her journey. Somehow, this raised more questions than it answered. But she feels she's on the right path.

She sees the man in the ragged coat, who helped her once - maybe he will guide her again. He takes her by the hand and spins her around, then holds her against the wall. With a piece of chalk, he traces her outline. Draws a pomegranate in her hand, and a crown on her head.

After this, he leads her over to a chair, and pours her a cup of tea. Sure, tea would be nice. The radio is playing; a chipper announcer is speaking.

"Hey! Thanks for tuning in. We're asking for your best party stories, we'd love to hear yours!"

"Hello? ...I dunno... I can't remember..."

Wait.

"There was this beautiful woman, covered in sequins, and she walks up to me and asks to read my palm."

The potter stretches his hand out, asking for hers.

"She said I was... forgetful, or something..."

Judith smiles, rolls her eyes, OK, very funny. Great prank.

But the man continues, tracing his finger over her palm, and she continues hearing her own voice over the radio, "And that's when it got really weird."

"The funny thing is..."

Judith cuts in. "The funny thing is, according to this, you're already dead."

The beggar holds up a candle and looks around. As he brings the light higher, ghostly figures appear out of the darkness. One by one, their pallid, motionless faces emerge from the mist. Judith staggers back.

"It's OK," the man says softly. "They don't do anything. They just watch."

She steps forward and brings a hand up to one, gently touching its face. Have they been here all along?

She takes a step, they take a step. She walks away, but they follow her. She turns a tight corner and ducks into the back entrance of a bar. Still, they pour in after her.

She tucks herself into a corner, finding a stool, and beckons the barman for a drink.

"There's so many of them..." Ghosts fill the bar, cramming themselves in, their eyes fixed on her. "There's so many of them."

"Just the right amount, I think," the barman says, oblivious, admiring his array of bottles on the wall. He pours her a drink.

Judith examines their faces, looking back at her attentively. "Maybe they're just lost," she muses. "Wandering in the darkness."

"We're all a little lost," the bartender says agreeably.

"Cheers to that. The funny thing about darkness, you know... You need the darkness to see the light. From darkness comes light, from night comes morning, from winter comes spring, from death comes rebirth... hopefully." She downs another shot of sake. Zagreus takes the empty cup and spins it on the counter.

"Over and over and over again. Circles and cycles and circles and cycles... they keep going, on and on... but do they ever break?"

The barman shrugs. "Everything breaks eventually." The spinning cup comes to a stop.

"Hey, I remember you!"

He looks back blankly.

"I recognise you, I do. We crashed into each other, remember?"

The bartender looks puzzled. "We've only just met. I've never seen you before."

"C'mon, you must remember... Nevermind. Thanks for the drink."

Judith rushes off, out into the square - outside the entrance to Peep. Familiar music is playing.

"Hey, they just played that song an hour ago! Is it just me, or is everything repeating? Going in circles, round and round?"

"I can see you... and you can see me, right?" The shade nearest to her nods.

"Right, so if this is all happening again, that means he'll be there, in there, and he'll know what to do! He can explain everything! Let's go!"

She rushes into Peep, and sure enough, Kampe is dancing on the stage again.

"Give it up for Kampe! They really glisten when they move, don't they? That reminds me..."

The emcee drops their martini glass. Judith catches it, a smug smile on her face. She nods, assuredly, "And now he'll come in... He'll come in... Where is he...?"

"...We have a visitor. A friend? A presence. A gift!"

The Peep hosts look down at her. They hold their hands out to her and hoist her on stage. They each give her a kiss on the cheek.

"No, this isn't right... It's not supposed to be me..."

The band begins to play.

"I... guess I do know this one. I think I remember the words. I can try, anyway."

"Something about... if the sun should lose its light? And we're in endless night? And a veil lifting up to see a face?"

"And if the sea were sand alone, and the flowers made of stone... Flowers made of stone? And no one that you hurt could ever heal?"

Everyone forgetting. All the flowers fake. All the water dried up. Morning never comes.

"That's... That's what this is. That's where we are. That's what this is!"

The hosts pop up from the trap door. Just like before. "...they're behind me, aren't they? I'm sorry, I have to go..."

"Well, shoot a speeding arrow through my tiny, tiny heart..." But she's already rushing off, back home, back to Hades House, the office where she hopes she will find him.

And she narrowly avoids running into the barman, because she knows he will be passing through at that moment. She swings open the door, where her husband is preparing a game of checkers for them.

A game? When outside, people are risking their lives? In a war that may be artificial, but is so very real to them. She saw the fear on the barman's face.

So they sit down, Judith and her husband, inside Hades House, and prepare to play a game.

"You see them now, don't you?" he says.

She nods.

It's a simple game, checkers, draughts, whatever you like to call it. One move after another, wait for your opponent to give you an opening. Faster and faster they trade moves, until Judith is sick of it all - she throws her keys down on the board. Look what I've accomplished, no thanks to you.

War is screaming outside. She screams with it.

He shrivels, he falls to the floor. She rips open the curtains, forcing him to see the blood that has been split.

What is this horrific place? And how do we figure into it, you and I? We are both a part of it, and not a part of it. They all forget. They all can never heal. You and I persist. What is this?

It's a shock to his system - perhaps he didn't expect her to work it out so quickly. He's frozen, stiff, curling up into a little ball, such a tall proud man now vulnerable. She softens, goes to him, picks him up. She reminds him of their bond, tangoes him to the desk, and finds...

Their pomegranate.

The one that she created. The one she gave life to.

She stands tall over him, pushes him down onto the desk. She takes the juicy fruit and squeezes, drips it down into his mouth and onto his face, the ruby seeds sparkling in the light, feeds him this product of her power until he believes again, until he begs for mercy.

Her demands are simple: "Show me."

"I'll show you," he replies, "I'll show you everything."

They pass through the rubble of the invaded city. A princess laid out, shroud over her head. A Watchman, picking up the pieces. Judith's husband hands her a lantern, and she lights her way.

A domestic worker freezes, caught in the light. Everyone here prefers darkness.

One of the arcade cabinets is full of black sand, with tiny figures inside - figures of her and her husband.

Hades hands her the final key. He points to the stage door.

She chooses a few shades to be her companions. Ones that have been with her on this journey all along, ones that have been paying attention. Ones who will see it through until the end.

They go up the steps, together. They look out onto the city, together.

Judith goes out onto the balcony.

"Is our city not fair and vast? It shines for you, all for you, dear Judith."

"Fair and vast is your city." "Yours, Judith. Yours forever. Here, multitudes reside. They'll be your companions forevermore."

"Fair and vast is your city..."

"Here is a handmaiden, loyal to us both." A young woman in red, barely more than a girl, looks up. "Here, a vial to catch tears of sorrow, tears of joy, dropped from the eyes of time's fleeting shadows."

"The streets of your city are marked with blood. Blood runs down the walls, blood stains the paving stones. The clouds above throw bloody shadows. Who has bled for the sake of your city?"

"See, but ask me nothing. Look, but ask no questions."

"I only remember one thing: I came here because I love you. But I will not have a single door held shut against me."

"Take care Judith, you're ahead of yourself. Why hurry? We have all the time in the world."

"Not a single door held shut against me. I demand it."

"I will show you everything. All in good time."

"All in good time… In a world where time seems to stand still..."

She turns to look behind her. "I was lost when I arrived, just like you. Lost in the labyrinth of these streets. But hedged by gloom, a garden. Our garden. Filled with lifeless flowers. A fallen horse gave me solace and made me rich. Rich with abundance, rich in brain and body. I am the sunlight. So many of you, wandering in the darkness. In a world filled with cruelty, torture and war, I heard your city sighing. I heard your kingdom crying."

"...city sighing, I heard your kingdom crying."

City sighing, your kingdom crying. City sighing, your kingdom crying.

There is a crack in the record. It begins to skip. She wasn't speaking, it was only a recording.

Now... The recording is over. She walks her own path.

There is a display case in this room. It holds a record player needle.

She opens a door and finds an ancient Greek pot in another display case. On one side, a scene of violence she has seen play out in this city. On the other side, a key.

Another dark room, another case of pottery. But there is much more ground that needs to be covered, and not much time.

"Run!" she calls to her ghostly followers. Down the halls, through the strange museum, until she finds a locked door, and a daffodil laid in front of it.

This must be the place.

The last door. The last key. She steps inside, and feels sand under her feet. She walks slowly, the lantern lighting her way. She picks up a stick of chalk.

Nothing but darkness ahead.

"It's the strangest feeling... I can feel it all coming back."

A straight path. One foot in front of the other. Don't panic.

"If the sun should lose its light, and we lived in an endless night..."

She begins to draw on the wall of the long corridor, organising her thoughts.

"and there was nothing left that you could feel... If the sea were sand alone" -- she draws the waves on the wall. Not a drop of water in this place, only sand. "And all the flowers made of stone..."

"And no one that you hurt could ever heal..." She draws an infinity symbol on the wall, tracing it over and over until something breaks in her.

I

RE

MEM

BER

"I remember..."

She walks on, past more walls with more chalk scribblings, and more, and more, flowers and waves and infinities and labyrinths and I REMEMBER over and over and over and over and over, layered one over top of another.

Proof of the years gone by, proof of the seasonal cycle, proof that she always, always comes back, and she always remembers, and she's always been capable, and she's always been able to find herself again. The power was within her all along.

"My name is Judith Kore, better known as Persephone," she says, to herself and to her lost souls. "Queen of the Underworld. Child of Earth and Starry Skies. My people are heavenly, and yours are too. I grant you safe passage into the land of the shades."

She emerges, with her shades, through a curtain into a sharp dagger of light in the middle of No Man's Land, Mycenae. Iphigenia-turned-Hecate delivers to her the last tears of Patroclus before she murders him. Agamemnon ascends the stairs triumphantly to his doom. Persephone sees it all laid out before her in perfect order, ticking along exactly as it should, as it always has since time immemorial.

She heads back towards Troy - She must find her husband, Hades, and take her place on the throne alongside him. He tried to hide this from her because she had to find it herself. Would she really have believed him if he had told her from the start?

On her way to the border, she crosses paths with the Watchman. He has a talent for making things grow - he holds the last vestiges of new life in this country - she knows this. So she entrusts him with the seeds that Askalaphos gave her.

Something is brewing when she arrives in Troy Square - Hades is setting up a new cycle to begin. Or end. What's the difference, really?

They embrace. He knows that she knows. He points her to the office. One last secret?

She trusts him.

Persephone enters, puts the headphones on, and hears her own voice. She has been guiding herself all along.

"Get up," the voice tells her. "Stand up." More insistently: "Up. Higher. Higher..."

So she climbs up onto the desk.

"Now. Take a deep breath. And look around. This is where you need to be. Where you belong. There is power within you, feel it awakening deep inside you. Growing, flowing, and blossoming in spectacular profusion. You are the sunlight. This world is beautiful. This city is yours. From the highest heights, down to the darkest depths. Yours. All yours."

"When you are ready to go deeper, deeper, deeper, deeper..."

The darkest depths...

A floorboard is loose. She bends down and lifts it up, revealing a cellar, with dozens of vials of tears, exactly like the one she has around her neck.

"The history of the world in teardrops, Judith. Tears of sorrow, tears of joy... Mortal emotions, immortalised. Preserved. For us. Forever."

They kiss, finally reunited, finally themselves. She hugs him close.

"Thank you for coming back to me," he says quietly.

"Always. Always."

She goes to the record player, and lifts the needle.

"I love you..." "I love you too. Are you ready?"

Hand in hand, they emerge from the office. There are a few final orders of business.

He presents Hecuba with her coat; she wipes off her blood-stained hands.

At the end of everything in Mycenae, she finds the last soldier standing, the whole remains of the Greek army. She wipes the sweat from his brow, and points his way to join the rest of the lost souls.

The last of the music starts to fade. She throws down the rag with the sound of a gong.

There they are, the fall of the damned, rolling down the grand staircase to greet her. They are naked, broken, identities fading away, becoming one mass of the Dead, her faceless nameless subjects. She continues upwards, head held high, exuding power. She knows herself now, she is a goddess of two sides: life, yes, plants, yes, but death too. She knows both sides of the cycle. She too has died and been reborn, every six months she resets back to the start, and comes back stronger for it.

So she ascends, to meet her husband Hades, ruler of this underworld, harshly lit on that long, cold stone table.

Hades & Persephone find their spot to watch the proceedings, the last gasp of this world as it dissolves into nothing. The souls race around, Clytemnestra reaches out, desperate for any connection, but she cannot reach them.

What a beautiful piece of theatre he has built for her. She looks out with him, and points, cueing the dust to fall.

They break open a new pomegranate, each bringing a seed to their mouth. They kiss, and the lights fade.

What a beautiful record. Rips your heart out every time.

With thanks to everyone who worked on this show to make it as magical as it was.

#the burnt city #the burnt city spoilers #punchdrunk #persephone #hades #immersive theatre #writeup #tbc oc

[i-think-i-did-it-again]

Drunk

Prompt from @creativepromptsforwriting: ‘We’re roommates and you drunkenly passed out in my bed; move over I’m coming in.’

Warning: swearing, smut, drinking

The alcohol is coursing through your veins so strongly that you feel like you’re buzzing. The music is pumping and your body is swaying in tune to the beat. You scream the lyrics out at the top of your lungs, your two best friends joining in wholeheartedly. This whole night has been so much fun. You can’t remember the last time you enjoyed yourself this much. It’s been so long since you were single and you’ve been able to go out for a girl’s night.

Your ex had this ridiculous idea in his head that if you went out on a girl’s night, you were automatically going to end up cheating. The one and only time you went on a girl’s night while you were together, you ended up leaving early because he wouldn’t stop texting you. You’re glad to finally be rid of that controlling, self-centred, asshole.

You’re enjoying single life. Hanging out with your friends, doing whatever you want and not having to worry about how your choices will affect someone else. If you want to stay out until 3 in the morning, drinking and dancing, then that’s what you’re going to do! You usually text your roommate, Colson, out of courtesy to let him know if you’ll be home late or not but he always just sends back a thumbs up. You let the rhythm of the music take control and it’s like there’s no one else in the world right now.

……………..……………………………………

“Hey, I think it’s getting kind of late!” Your friend yells at you over the music.

You pull out your phone to look at the time, closing one eye so your drunk ass can read the time. You’re shocked to see it’s already 2:46am. You want to argue for one more drink but you know your friend has a work thing and your other friend is getting on a plane tomorrow night for her cousin’s wedding, so you agree to leave. Your friend orders the Uber and you each put in your own separate addresses.

A black SUV pulls up and you all pile in. You talk and laugh through the entire car ride, knowing that your loud voices are probably pissing off the driver but a little too intoxicated to care. You’re the first destination so you pull your heels off so you can make a quick jump from the car and into your apartment building. You wave and blow kisses to both your friends before stumbling into your building. You have to concentrate really hard on pressing the right floor number for the elevator and you stick your head out just to make sure you’re really on your floor.

You fumble for your keys and practically fall into the dark apartment. You drop your shoes, shushing them when they make a loud clattering noise. You tiptoe down the hallway to your room, not bothering to turn on any lights because you don’t want to disturb Colson. When you get to your bedroom, you’re surprised when you trip over a pair of jeans on the way to your bed. You’re not a neat freak or anything, you just can’t remember the last time you wore jeans. You pull your dress over your head, not bothering to take off your bra and panties, and slip beneath the sheets. The bed feels different somehow but you’re sure it’s just your drunk mind playing tricks on you. You close your eyes and hum with contentment.

“What the fuck are you doing?” you hear Colson’s confused voice, followed by a blinding light. You pull the blanket over your eyes and groan.

“Colsonnnn, turn the light off, it hurts,” you whine and you hear the light switch flick. “Thank you.”

“Have you been drinking?” He chuckles, flicking on the soft lamp and sits on the edge of the bed, kicking his Vans off.

“No officer, I swear. I’m as sober as a reaaaaaally sober person,” you laugh drunkenly.

Colson laughs and you hear the sound of his zipper, which makes you immediately remove the blanket from your head and sit up. The room spins and suddenly you don’t feel so giggly. You lie back and groan.

“Baaaaaad tequila.”

“Must’ve been a lot of bad tequila because you’re in my bed.”

You stare at Colson and his face is lit up by the glow of his phone screen. You look around the room and you can realise that he’s right. The walls are covered with his posters, photos of his friends. The floor is littered with his discarded clothes and his chest of drawers sits opposite the end of the bed. No wonder the bed felt different to your own, because it is.

“Oh shit, I’m so sorry,” you apologise profusely.

“Don’t be. There are worse things than finding a half naked woman in your bed, especially one that looks like you.”

Is he flirting? It feels to you like he’s flirting. His eyes dip downwards and you’re immediately aware of the face that your pink, lace bra and breasts are on full display. Your insecurity screams at you to cover up but your mind is too fogged with alcohol to do it. His eyes trace back to your face and the look in his eyes makes your stomach drop and liquid pool in your panties. He licks his bottom lip as he studies your face.

“So, are you going to let me lie in my own bed?” he stares down at you, shirtless, his briefs hanging very low on his waist. The tight material leaves nothing to the imagination and you gulp.

You scoot over to make room for him and he climbs in beside you. You know you should excuse yourself and go to your own bed but the look on his face makes you stay. You’re also not too sure how stable your legs are at this point and it would be super embarrassing to fall out of his bed. You follow Colson’s lead and lie down beside him, your breathing ragged and your eyes staring at the ceiling.

“How drunk are you?” Colson asks hoarsely.

“I’m feeling very sober all of sudden,” you confess, refusing his eye contact.

You feel movement under the sheet and the tip of Colson’s finger trails up the side of your thigh, rubbing against your pantyline before running back down. Your breathing stutters and you bite your bottom lip to keep from moaning.

“You know, sometimes I’d wake in the night to hear you and that douche of an ex fucking,” his finger continues to trace your thigh as he talks. “And I could tell he never once made you finish. You’re a very good actress to the untrained ear.”

“I…I don’t kn-know what you’re talking…about,” you have to concentrate so hard on every single word, willing them out of your mouth.

“He couldn’t make you cum,” his lips are suddenly at your ear, whispering the filthy words. “2 years is a long time to go without an orgasm.”

Oh fuck, oh fuck! Colson’s words are causing your insides to quiver and your skin to erupt in goosebumps. You know he’s trying to take it slow, tease you but he’s right, 2 years is a long time. You roll over so you’re facing him and the movement causes your boobs to spill from your bra a little more. Colson can’t help but let his eyes fall back on your plump cleavage. He licks his lips and takes in his own shuddering breath. You trail your index finger down his chest, outlining his tattoos.

“Do you think you could make me cum?” you ask innocently.

Colson swallows hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. You like the way his jaw tenses at the feel of your fingertips on his skin. He’s warm and you’re pretty sure it’s not because of the blanket.

You didn’t realise you could have this effect on a man, especially someone as “active” as Colson. It never really bothered you that Colson tended to be seeing a different woman every weekend. He was discreet enough to not allow any awkward breakfast conversations with his overnight guests and you were grateful for that. You do not do small talk.

You lean forward to lightly press your lips to his chest, grazing the black ink on his skin. He tilts his head back to allow you better access to his chest and neck and you take the invitation gladly. You kiss up his neck, the feel of his rough stubble on your lips. You kiss along his defined jawline, stopping just below his earlobe. You trace your kisses back down, feathering your lips over his own.

You tease him a couple more times before he finally grows impatient, tangling his fingers in your hair and demanding your lips to attach to his. He moans into your mouth at the contact. He pulls you on top of him and you straddle his waist. You can feel his hardening cock pressing against your core and you purr at the feeling. Colson notices your reaction and begins to grind his hips upwards until you're squirming. You’re not even sure how it’s possible but you can feel an orgasm building just from the motion of Colson grinding your clothed pussy on his hard cock. You try to hold back but he can feel your control waning.

“Cum for me Y/N. Soak your pretty pink panties for me baby,” he moans.

You whimper, trying to resist but you lose all your control when he grips your hips and pushes you down on his dick, hard. You throw your head back and cry out as an animalistic orgasm tears through your body. You see stars as your high builds to a place you didn’t even know was possible.

“Fuuuuuck,” you growl as your body shakes. “That was, holy fuck.”

“Oh baby, I’m just getting started,” Colson grins and your inside quiver.

He flips you so you’re now on your back, his large figure towering over you. He traces his index finger lightly down the length of your body, stopping at the waistline of your underwear. He hooks his fingers into the elastic and pulls them down your body. He stares at your exposed pussy for a few seconds, drinking it in like he’s trying to save a mental picture. Colson slips a finger in between your folds, gathering the juices that have flowed out of your core. You gasp as he accidentally grazes your sensitive clit. He smirks at you before repeating the motion again and again. You’re practically raised off the bed at this point, need completely overtaking you.

Colson leans down to kiss your hip bone, one at a time. He lays himself flat, wrapping his arms around your thighs to hold your legs open. You’re not sure what he’s planning to do until out of nowhere, his face is buried in your pussy. You cry out as he eats you out like a starving man with a hot meal. You’re writhing, wriggling and convulsing all over the bed while his skilled tongue works you. He slips it in and out of your hole, licks up and down your slip, flicks and sucks your clit and makes your stomach tingle. He hums against your sensitive skin and the vibration travels right to the top of your scalp. Colson slips a finger inside you and curls it against your tight walls. You contract on his long finger, feeling a second orgasm building in your stomach.

The ropes in the pit of your belly begin to tighten and tighten as you chase your high. Colson slips another finger into you and begins pulling them in and out of you at a faster pace. Your eyes screw shut and you steam as the ropes snap and your orgasm ripples over you. You pull at Colson’s hair as your eyes roll into the back of your head.

“Oh my fucking god, Colson!” you sob as aftershocks rock your body. “What the fuck did you just do?”

“Please don’t tell me that your boyfriend never gave you head before?” he looks at you cynically and you shake your head in confusion.

“I didn’t even know girls could get head. I always thought it was the other way around,” you admit, feeling a bit silly now that you let that asshole convince you for 2 years that oral only went one way.

“I have so much to teach you.” Colson smiles and shakes his head. You sit up on your elbows, looking as innocent as possible while you stare up at him.

“One positive, after 2 years, I have a very skilled mouth,” you purr, licking your lips seductively.

The smile is completely wiped from Colson’s face and you smirk proudly. You pull him down to you, kissing his lips passionately. You can taste yourself on his tongue and it’s oddly intoxicating. You flip your positions so you're on top of him again and repeat what he did. You trail your finger down his body, stopping at the waistband of his briefs. You hook your fingers in and pull them off. His dick springs free and you gasp at the sheer size and girth of it. Now wonder he’d been able to keep so many women satisfied.

You kiss the tip gingerly and he flinches slightly. His dick twitches as you kiss the tip again, then down the length of it, following the lick vein underneath. You kiss back up and notice Colson’s head has fallen back against the pillow. You grip him with one hand and without warning, you swallow his whole length in one go.

“Uhhh fuck! Yeah Y/N…don’t fucking stop,” he squirms on the bed, grabbing your hair and calling out your name.

You bob your head up and down, sucking hard. You push him so deep that the tip of his dick hits the back of your throat but you control your gag. You keep up a steady rhythm and you have Colson in heaven. Your mouth works him with expert precision and without warning he pulls you off him.

“If you keep deepthroating yourself on my cock, I’m going to cum and I haven’t cum from head since the 8th grade,” he scolds you playfully and you snicker.

“It’s not my fault I came prepared,” you counter him, kissing his cheek delicately, the complete opposite of what your lips were just doing. He grabs your face in his hands and forces you to look at him.

“No but I want to fuck you,” he confesses, all joking tone gone from his voice. He stares at you, waiting for permission to continue. You nod and that’s all the approval he needs.

Colson pulls you down to the bed and rests his body on top of yours. He lines himself up with your hole and eases himself in. He’s even bigger as he’s filling you than you realised. It’s been a long time since you felt pain during sex but fucking hell does it hurt! You can tell he’s trying to go as slow as possible and once he’s all the way in, he doesn’t move allowing you to stretch for him. Once you’re feeling more comfortable you nod for him to move and he withdraws from you. He doesn’t pull all the way out and he pushes back inside of you.

After a few minutes, you’ve completely loosened for him and he begins to work you at a steady pace. You’re clawing at his back as he hits all the right spots. He reaches places you didn’t even know you had. You’re panting, writhing and moaning as he plows you again and again, each time tapping against your g-spot. It’s not long before the ropes in the pit of your stomach begin to tighten again. You’re breathing so hard that you feel as if you’re gasping for air and then just like the last two times, the ropes snap and an orgasm crashes over you.

“Ohhhhh fuuuuck yes. Oh my god, I’m cumming baby,” you scream as you carve your nails into Colson’s shoulder blades.

“That’s it baby, cum for daddy,” he whines in your ear and you spasm beneath him.

Colson slows his pumps and you tense every time he fills you again. He leans back on his haunches to look down at you, placing his hand in the centre of your chest as he continues to grind into you.

“I’m going to fuck you so hard,” he tells you between gritted teeth. You tense at the idea but your heartbeat begins to quicken your body can’t wait for him to start.

He allows you to catch your breath before slamming into you. He pounds you so hard and deep that you can barely make out his cock. It’s a blur of movement. As he continues to ram you, you cum one more time from his deep, hard thrusts, before he can’t take it anymore and he pulls out, exploding on your lower stomach.

“Ahhhh fuck, fuck, fuck!” rope after rope of cum spurts out of his tip and even he looks shocked at the size of his load.

He collapses on top of you and you both lie there, trying to regain your breath. After a little while, Colson lifts himself away from your body and reaches into his nightstand, pulling out a packet of baby wipes. He cleans your stomach and the tip of his dick before discarding the used wipe in the trash can near his bed. He kisses you again, softly this time but with a fire still burning behind it. He lies back beside you and you turn so you can continue to trace his tattoos.

“Feel free to mistake my bed for yours anytime you want to,” he states with a lopsided grin.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” you snicker before resting your head on his chest, being lulled into a deep sleep by Colson’s soft humming.

#colson baker #machine gun kelly #mgk #tickets to my downfall #mgk imagine #ttmdf #colson x reader #colson baker imagine #machine gun kelly imagine #mgk x reader #mgk smut #mgkxx #mgk fanfic #mgk x y/n #colson baker smut #colson baker x reader #colsonbaker

[nonsenseships]

(Reverse)Harem AU Life, Dynamics & Other Stuff! Pt.1

So, I mentioned that I like to reality-base my selfshipping, right? When I'm doing AUs though, I tend to step away from that and get as over the top as my brain takes me! Walk with me. Waaaalk with me, babe.

NSFW somewhere

✕ACCOMMODATIONS✕

If you took a look at my roster, you'd see why I call this 'the heftiest harem'. That's many a' man for certain. For that reason, I felt there was no other choice than for me to set them up in the most prodigious lodging imaginable.

A disgustingly opulent 15br villa out in the middle of nowhere, to be exact.

Mine. Someone died and left it to me in their will. I never met them but I'm using their villa for debauchery! I hope they're proud of me. Anyway, I invited them to move in one by one to join the arrangement after some time of dating them individually. They're allowed to decline but it's my imagination, so why would they?

I have my own bedroom, of course. There are some guys that room together, some that sleep alone. There are some that I couldn't convince to move in full-time but do visit when the mood strikes or they're just dying to see me. OH! There is one spare room that doesn't belong to anyone but does have its use-- but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Roommates: Satoru/Suguru Simeon/Lucifer Takayuki/Masaharu (currently MIA) Reiji/Tokiya Barbatos/Diavolo Beelzebub/Mammon/Satan

Solo Sleepers: Osamu Masato Akira Natsuki Zayne Choso

Visitation Only: Pickles Saitama Charles

Although the villa's overall design is as above, each bedroom was later redesigned to reflect the tastes of the housemates. I wanted them all to be comfortable. Shared rooms were a bit trickier but I got the roommates to work together to come to an agreement on what they'd like or what they wouldn't like in their rooms before settling on a final design. In cases like Barbatos and Diavolos' though, Barb didn't mind what the room looked like so long as Diavolo was satisfied with it.. which is just like him.

Who gets to sleep with me? Generally, I sleep with the person I've spent the day with but sometimes, when dates are shorter, I just call up whoever if I'm not wanting to sleep alone. I can sleep wherever but generally speaking, unless I'm looking at someone who isn't opposed to sharing (ex, Satoru & Suguru) where I can sleep in their shared room together and there be little jealousy issues, I tend to prefer my room or that of the solo sleepers. Rarely do I sleep in shared rooms.

There is also the live room as a sleeping option but it also has other uses. Let's get into it. Shall we?

The Room is a perfectly normal bedroom, just as beautiful as anywhere else in the house except just a couple years ago, it underwent a bit of a redesign to appeal to a few more naughty... shall we say, curiosities? Some of the guys wondered often what it was that the other men did that made me want them. Why was I not satisfied with just one? Hypersexuality or simply being insatiable were not acceptable answers, apparently. That was when our resident weasel Mr. Yagami came up with the idea of watching me with the other guys. Somehow, over time, that idea transformed into outfitting one of the spare bedrooms with cameras that provide an optional live feed that could be watched from anywhere.

Here are a few important instructions:

◈Feeling like an exhibitionist? Enter the room, switch the key near the bed and you're in control of the live feed. Anyone with a screen, the stream's current wifi connection and the feed code can access the stream at any time. You can even set the system to record your session and auto-send to your device for safe keeping!

◈Feeling like a voyeur? Make sure you're connected to the secure, stream-only wifi, enter the code emailed to you (random each time someone switches the key) and tune in. You can save other people's sessions if they've set their session setting allowing people to do so. Screen recording is NOT permitted.

◈If you're ESPECIALLY proud of a session, you can burn your session on a dvd and store it in the library for later retrieval. Movie night anyone? Be sure to date and name it properly so that you know what you're looking for.

It cannot be stressed enough how optional and consensual The Room is. The housemates CHOOSE to take me there, they CHOOSE to turn on the feed and others CHOOSE to view it. Still, this has given rise to plenty of jealousy.

There are some frequent users of The Room, which is not always the same as the frequent viewers of The Feed. Then, there are some housemates that wouldn't touch either with a ten-foot pole and obviously, I would never attempt to persuade them.

✕RULES, EXPECTATIONS, ETC.✕

There is a lot that goes into making this arrangement work. Most of the established rules are sort of understood but unspoken. There are rules set for the boys as housemates but then there are also rules for us pertaining to our arrangement.

◈No favoritism. I'm not to show one partner favoritism over any of the others in any capacity. That's what I promised them before they moved in. Well, the lie detector determined that THAT was a lie. It's not something I do intentionally. It just happens.

◈Wait your turn. Time is scant with a roster this big and everyone's itching for their turn. I wish I could clone myself so that I could be with everyone at all times but alas... They all agreed, originally, to never interrupt anyone's date/alone time with me. A common courtesy. But still, it does happen from time to time. They just get antsy seeing someone else parading me around, I guess? I don't suppose The Room helps that at all.

◈If you break it, fix it. If you can't fix it, arrange for repairs to get done. There are a few handymen in the house, talk to them. Outside handyman invoices are the breaker's responsibility. Naturally occuring household damages, ie. appliance problems, plumbing issues, etc. comes from the allocated household funds. Anything else from your own pockets.

◈If you dirty it, clean it. There are cleaners that stop by once a week to help keep a handle on the tidiness of the villa because, well, there are 23 people filtering in and out of there. However, everyone is still expected to do their part in the meantime.

◈If you don't get The Job done, someone else can and will. 'Nuff said.

◈Grocery runs are twice a week. Everyone has to add what they need to the online checklist by the deadline and if you miss it- better luck next time.

◈Unless you're Beel, don't eat anyone else's stuff. If you are Beel, at least leave a little bit for the rightful owner.

◈Everyone (except Natsuki) is scheduled with at least 3-4 other housemates to cook breakfast and dinner daily. Everyone must complete their scheduled shift or submit a reasonable explanation as to why they cannot to Lucifer at least two days in advance. Outside plans and dates will be taken into account when the schedule is made monthly.

◈No physical fighting. Physical fights will result in suspension from the house for a period of time specified by me based on severity and reasoning.

Part 2.

#ns-reverse harem au #nonsenseships info

[straighttohellbuddy]

Okay, I'm always interested in learning more about 'but you're talking in your sleep'. Obviously lvjy song and the mc's/your interest in literature are two important story details. How did you decide to intertwine those? Like, did you read you are jeff and decide to make a fic off of it, or did was it the songs that inspired it? Why did you decide to do both? Idek if this makes sense, tbh. But I'd love to know your though process, in general, regarding that fic.

oh YO this is perfect I love you im gonna ramble for a bit !!

also context; read but you're talking in your sleep (Wilbur/Sister-Innit!Reader)

So initially I was hyperfixated on Pebblebrain when it came out (weren't we all) and my song flavour was Oh Yeah, You Gonna Cry? and the very first idea I had was about the reader and Wilbur being best friends and former FWB after the reader starts dating a fuckboi, which I realised I've already kind of talked about here, but I'm happy to reiterate that the line 'say my name in her sleep/i thought you knew her better than me' and Wilbur just being the cockiest motherfucker without a shred of self awareness that he is very in love with the reader and that's the main reason he hates her boyfriend (who is also just a tool).

the idea to intertwine the lvjy and specifically siken is so unbelievably self indulgent; he's my favourite poet and has been for years, and Litany In Which Certain Things Are Crossed Out has been my favourite poem for a very long time. as for You Are Jeff, i can't remember exactly, but I think I saw the first few lines of the last stanza in like a webweave while I was looking for inspiration and I realised 'you're in a car with a beautiful boy, and he won't tell you he loves you, but he loves you' is the most precious, perfect summary of reader & wilbur's dynamic in the fic. this was also the basis of the part of the reader's characterisation where they always used allusions/implications/other people's words when they were afraid of speaking the truth. a few of these moments that i want to point out;

the first one is of course Do I Wanna Know?

literally all of the lyrics for this song. i tried to pick a few but holy shit all of this song -- the first time the song's mentioned when it's Y/N's karoke choice and then immediately calling Wilbur right after they'd chosen it I think the key lyrics are; 'Have you no idea that you're in deep? / I've dreamt about you nearly every night this week / How many secrets can you keep? / 'Cause there's this tune I found / That makes me think of you somehow an' I play it on repeat / Until I fall asleep, spillin' drinks on my settee

the second time the song is mentioned is when Y/N and Wilbur go out to a pub with his flatmates in brighton and she starts humming it when they head to his bedroom, and it's just the whole second verse; So have you got the guts? / Been wonderin' if your heart's still open / And if so, I wanna know what time it shuts / Simmer down an' pucker up, I'm sorry to interrupt / It's just I'm constantly on the cusp of tryin' to kiss you / I don't know if you feel the same as I do / But we could be together if you wanted to

the one that personally might break my fucking heart that Y/N is very familiar with Jubilee Line, which is already a fucking bleak song especially since she lives in London, and later has some implications about how if she didn't leave London she was going to jump in front of a train, but there's a little moment in the first chapter when she's on the phone with Wilbur right before she decides to come visit him --  “I’m everywhere. My mind’s everywhere. The walls shout back, I didn’t realise they could do that, or start the argum- I’m not making sense. I’m sorry.” -- it's such a blink and you'll miss it allusion but she's making a point to hide the truth she knows about Mark and her relationship by reference Jubilee Line and the lyrics 'shout at the walls because the walls don't fucking love you'.

In the final part, when Wilbur comes to pick up Y/N from the french cafe, and she's quietly moved by how much he cares about her in a way other people in her life seem not to -- before turning and beaming at him, thanking him again for coming all this way, adding that he didn’t need to worry; ‘no cause for concern’ is how you worded it, deliberate. -- Because 1) 'We ain't gonna hurt you' but also, as much as there is a more romantic final chorus to that song, she is also like 'you could knock the wind out of my breath / you could knock the teeth out of my head / and still it's no cause for concern' like she loves this boy who drove to another country for her, he can do whatever he wants forever in her books.

and one other one off the top of my head is the fact that the name she'd hidden Wilbur as in her phone is Pandora as a reference to the text conversation when they'd reconnected, yes, but also because He Gives Her Hope.

and now, on this already long post, im going to talk about the lovejoy lyrics that were "inspired" by Y/N in the fic (when its really the other way around)

Sex Sells gets an in-canon one; But the song he’d written about how Mark doesn’t love you he just loves that you’re his, that you hate him but you keep going back to him for reasons Wilbur still doesn’t fully understand, and now on top of it all you know that Wilbur can’t stop fucking thinking about it, about you, even when he’s trying to sleep? It’s accurate, and everything tastes like ash in his mouth for several bitter moments. How’d it go again? How’s it feel to be so loved, yet so alone? He’s got his answer, can hear it in your sobs as you sit on the steps of your boyfriend’s apartment two hours away.

So lets go through Pebblebrain

Oh Yeah, You Gonna Cry? is obviously a huge one lol, with a lot of what i drew Fucking Mark from;

You got the same eyes as your father / And you carry the same kind of temper too / But what a shame for the people of the community -- which ties directly in with another of the songs i'll get to, and this line from a flashback; “It’s a good school, though, I’m glad I got in, and Mark, he’s- he’s really sweet. It’s brave of him to move, even though I’m on campus and he’s not; none of his family’s lived outside of Nottingham for generations,” the face you’re making is close to a smile, to anyone else they might mistake it as such, but there’s a wrinkle in the bridge of your nose, a tightness at the edge of your smile, “he’s training to go into the same line of work as his dad, he’s just glad he can do it here,” you laugh, but there’s no humour in it.

But I quite like your girlfriend! / How the fuck 'd she end up with you? -- i think this speaks for itself

And she told me that she fuckin' hates you -- regarding the moment; Later, he’ll ask the question that’s been plaguing him, ask if you even like your boyfriend. Later, you’ll be wrapped up in his sheets, stretched out on his bed as your whole face scrunches like you’ve bitten a lemon, and he’ll have no idea what you mean when you tell him that that hasn’t mattered in a very long time.

the whole song is about Mark in this fic. the whole song. i love it so much.

Model Buses could also be arguably about Mark in some respects but I've held myself back from putting that thought into the fic.

I don't think Concrete has any real connections to the fic either, however.......

PERFUME, BAYBEEEEEEE

in the context of the fic, it's written mostly after the reader goes home from brighton after their affair with wilbur where they're clearly in love with each other and he's struggling to deal with that in a healthy way by writing the song. i could add analysis for LITERALLY EVERY LINE but i wont. just know it's all Y/N

It's 3:45 (AM) / And I just bite my tongue / Update me on your life / And now you've found the one / But I don't like his eyes -- hence his building almost resentment whenever they call him when drunk and insisting that mark's not as bad as he seems

And I can still smell her perfume -- because it's on his damn pillows.

You say your ex-boyfriend's a policeman / Well, I say you need better standards -- you remember how i said a line in OYYGC links to another song, well it's this, now, because with Y/N talking about Mark training to go into the same field as his dad, we also get this reveal, despite not drawing attention/connecting it to the earlier mention of Mark's chosen career being the same as his dad's; “Mark’s dad’s been chief of police in our town for as long as I can remember,” Tommy says with a sigh.

Why can't you be a dick? / Why must you be so nice? / It's hard for me to move on / When I don't really hate you / (I don't really hate you) -- this one's a lot of things, it's Wilbur fully acknowledging that he should not be cool with Y/N cheating emotionally and physically on her partner but still making peace with it despite the turmoil the situation has caused him. it's also him kind of frustrated at how despite Y/N rightfully calling him out for writing such a spiteful song as Sex Sells, they didn't take it as badly as they could have, and so he acknowledges that he doesn't actually believe what the song is saying about them. it's ALSO a deliberate echo of this moment; “I wish I could hate you more for this, but I don’t,” you mumble, soft and a little forlorn, heart not in your words as his aches. He should have kept that song to himself, like his gut had told him to.

You'll Understand When You're Older is an interesting one because I appreciate the actual meaning of the song a lot, but i also like adding my own to it, so the context here is it's half inspired by the Y/N situation and half by current events;

It must be nice to be the reason / His work, it ain't so bleak / That must be what motivates you -- there's spite here as he considers how little Mark appreciates Y/N and her love and kindness, with the veiled implication of 'if Wilbur were in Mark's situation these lyrics would be sincere'.

All he needs is to see you smiling / And well, you light up his whole week -- that implication and subtext moves straight up to text here. Wilbur is just talking about himself here.

Imagine thе kind of things he'd do to you / If there wеren't so many cameras -- calling back to their almost moment when Y/N had sat in on Wilbur's stream in brighton, refusing to reveal their identity;

“If you’ve got something to say,” insufferably smug, he watches you puff out your cheeks. Averting your gaze, you flip him off, hand in frame for the camera to see, “sook,” he teases, “just say what’s on your mind.” For a moment, your mouth drops open as if you’re about to say something, to call his bluff, but your gaze flicks to his webcam. What’s on my mind, you mouth pointedly when you look back to him; something about your expression has turned bashful for reasons he can’t quite fathom. You glance quickly at the camera again before shaking your head, you wish, you mouth, but can’t quite look him in the eye. There’s a serious moment where he considers ending the stream, because this feels like it could be a moment, a chance. He’s a hypocrite, he can’t begin to say what’s on his mind, won’t give himself the chance, getting back to his stream after another brief moment and a deep breath.

and of course;

And you're keeping a dark secret / But you're talkin' in your sleep -- Y/N loves Wilbur, not her longterm boyfriend. wilbur knows this because she talks in her sleep. <3

The Fall again isn't relevant.

and finally, in the fic, a lot of the lyrics and vibes were completed not too long after Y/N and Wilbur reconnected, before Are You Alright was even released, but Wilbur will never in his life (in this fic lol) admit that It's All Futile! It's All Pointless! was a heartbreaking hybrid of his own feelings/experiences, and kind of who Y/N had become in the two years since they'd seen each other, also what he had seen a little bit of after she reconnected with Mark when she and Wilbur had first met, while wilbur still tries to act like he's not in love with her. but it is, and he is.

HOLY SHIT OKAY THATS SO MANY WORDS but also a lot of that ive been holding onto for SO LONG and im so glad i got the chance to talk about it. seriously anything else abt the fic you wanna talk about because I love it TO DEATH. every day i fight the urge to explain the entire 46 song fic playlist. i lov u.

#wilbur x reader #wilbur soot x reader #wilbur imagine #wilbur soot imagine #bytiys #shut ur pretty mouth

[kurim-chis]

For Destiny — HSR Blade

Blade is aggressive and violent - but not in the way you think he’d be. His aggression is cold and razor-focused like the blade he wields. His gaze is frigidly empty, there’s often no emotion you can glean from his eyes.

When he kills a monster, when he cuts down a human, when he’s facing down a Stellaron, when he’s sustaining what would be fatal wounds to another person - there’s no difference for Blade, who has sworn loyalty to Elio and sees himself as a weapon for their cause. Few things can provoke Blade and if someone has the misfortune of managing so and provoking his unrestrained hostility, the last thing they’d see are the wild eyes of a beast staring at them as their head falls off. But most of the time, Blade doesn’t concern himself with those he fights, he doesn’t care.

Death is unattainable and violence is the only thing left for Blade. There had been a time where he had been consumed in misery and agony over his state, but he’s long since stopped caring about it. There are moments of humanity in Blade, such as when he quietly goes along with whatever Kafka plans or has to suffer through babysitting Silver Wolf or the rare antagonistic quirk of his lips when he meets others. The sneer when he meets past acquaintances like Jing Yuan and the surfacing mockery in his gaze as he looks upon his old comrade, taunting him as ordered by Elio and seeing a twisted macabre tune to all of this.

Living for the determined prophecy gives him a purpose, it’s a debt he has to pay with his blood and pain, until the day Elio has promised him arrives (his death).

Hunting after that man is a grievance left unfinished, the hatred and rage towards him is another source of purpose that fills the void in Blade. (we are different types of immortals and i loathe you with all of my being are you going to die first or will i? which of our destinies will come to pass first? let me put you out of your misery before you truly understand eternity i loatheyoudespiseyouhateyouenvyyou—)

But hunting after that man quickly leaves Blade feeling absolutely miserable in the aftermath. Silver Wolf and sometimes Kafka come and dig his mangled body (more because of the environment than that man's fault) out of the pit of a star and they complain and tease Blade, but he ignores them at this point in time. Trying to put an end to that man's pitiful existence is exhilarating but failing to always do puts a bitter reminder in Blade's mouth. The emptiness that returns is worse, somehow more apparent and aching after tasting violent emotions like hatred, rage and bloodlust. It left Blade miserable, like one of the dolls Kafka has unwittingly bewitched, and he loathes it as much as sickelingly craves it -- it's both an unhealthy mechanism to ground himself and part of the orders Elio had given him, after all.

"Corner him until he has no place to go, only then will he go to the place he's meant to be," Elio had said. And thus he obediently, unwittingly herds the pitiful, infuriating man into the destiny chosen by Elio. Blade doesn't know any further information about that man, his location, or his use - probably to prevent his manic episodes from destroying that important location. The person Elio confides in the most is Kafka, but that is because the beautiful woman is a key player in the chosen destiny, holding a different role than Blade's, who is more than content to be a mere attack dog despite Elio asking him about his opinions.

He does know, however, that it has to do with the receptacle kept in hiding by Silver Wolf. That unmoving figure that Kafka often hovers over and asks about. The reason why Kafka would step up for the task if Blade could not and herd that man to the chosen destiny, by force if necessary (Blade thinks it will be a worse experience for the man if Kafka gets her impatient claws on him). The receptacle is the reason why Kafka won't allow mishaps to happen on the path for the "best future". There is little that would deter the longest-standing Stellaron Hunter from her duty, and one of the few things that can make her pause - as Blade notices through the years - is the mention of the receptacle.

“She’s my destiny,” Kafka once tells him, under the camouflage of the night as they travel the stars. She’s very similar to him, that woman — her gaze is vacant, distant, detached in her faux-friendliness and ominous to anyone who dares look deeper into that alluring sea of magenta. There's an abyss inside this woman. There’s nothing she wouldn’t do for “her destiny”.

In her eyes, he sees she’d even murder for the sake of it and think nothing of it (he knows she has done so already). She had crushed broken civilizations and snuffed out the cancer of worlds in her obsession. Perhaps, like him once, she had been a beautiful young woman living normally on a distant star, who smiled and cried and laughed, alluring and enchanting to men and women alike. But all Blade can see now is madness and obsession compacted into one dainty, playful, vacant-eyed creature.

Kafka is an empty, ravenous doll, hungry for something in the distant future and greedy enough to fell kingdoms and stars for it.

Blade doesn’t understand Kafka’s little obsession with the receptacle, he’s never had the misfortune of coming in contact with her, but at the same time he does understand Kafka — and perhaps this is what had attracted him to her, to Elio, to the Stellaron Hunters on that fateful day.

If someone as empty and horrifyingly ravenous as Kafka could find a promised destiny, then Blade, as well, yearns for one.

He wishes to see a linchpin in his unending life, a meaning to his misery and violence and anger and hatred and immortality, something that can validate his existence.

Elio promises him a story. Elio promises him a purpose.

Just for that, Blade will become the sword that slaughters their enemies and snuffs the stars. He will murder, sabotage, slaughter, and carry all the wounds inflicted on him without another thought.

If it's for his purpose - his very own little "Destiny" - Blade will do anything.

.

#honkai star rail #hsr blade #I LOVE THIS GUY'S DESIGN #I intended to make this self-shipping content but Blade ran with it and I decided to leave it at that #I love the characterization that he's violent and spends his free time hounding dan heng #but when he does his passive talent after being damaged and attacks the mobs #he has an EMPTY gaze that looks through the mobs #like he gives no fuck about murdering some mobs #this is me vomiting some interpretation on Blade #i want him to be more than just that murderous asshole that keeps attacking Dan Heng #Ok so he hates Dan Heng's guts and wants him dead #but have you SEEN his empty eyes during his battle animations #especially during his passive???? #oh my baby boy why did you have to become the first banner of your patch #RIGHT AFTER LUOCHA #and I want Luocha so badly too #:c #Kafka #Dan Heng #Elio #kurim hsr

[bmpersonal]

I woke up thinking about this, so now you guys get to have my completely unorganized sleepy brain thoughts about a song

Unpopular opinion apparently: I love listening to The Mind Electric in full

There's little tweaks subtly made in the first half of the song that you don't catch at first, and I think it really adds to the build up to the second half, where the song stops being played in reverse and we now hear it for what it is -- and also when the chattering of layered conversations and arguments and voices stop. The only parts of the reversed segment that feel ALMOST coherent around the chaos

I think the song is written in a way that still somehow holds the same vibe when played backward in the sense that it sets the scene for how this is a Weird Experience, perhaps a slightly uncomfortable one, with it being something we're not used to and something we quite literally can't understand because neither can the character the singer is introducing us to. All while still being a melody we can kinda follow about as well as the actual song

And then, after 3 minutes of hearing a slew of sounds and voices in reverse, we hear a single piano key played in perfect clarity and sharply, like piercing through static. It fades out naturally, then fades back in as the song plays in full proper, the piano note now in reverse in its beginning as the song suddenly starts in a weirdly distorted, "sweetly sung" chorus that glitches out before it can finish, shifting to a court scene of a young man on trial, being condemned to an infirmary after pleading insanity with his voice glitching about

A lot of parts in this song are distorted and off. I get a number of folks prefer it without the reversed intro, but I think the distortions feel very out of nowhere without it. The song doesn't hit me as "a song with glitchy parts." It's the opposite: A song where it's erratic, you don't know what's happening, it hiccups and jumps and changes tune, and in the POCKETS of clarity you hear someone trying to convince the people around him that he's a good person. He doesn't know what's happening to him, he doesn't know what's wrong with his head, he's pleading for sympathy while a voice tells him to cower and pray to them as his lord in a distorted voice almost as clear as his own. Almost.

And then it all ends on a light tune, as he sings about things fading as it wakes, never pondering itself, and how that's "calming if you look at it right"

I love how this song has absolutely zero intent on making me comfortable. It's not meant to be pleasant, it's barely meant to be stable even.

You're following someone who, at the end of the song, pleads the words "Doctor I can't tell if I'm not me." There is no smooth ride to be had here.

#random thoughts #the mind electric #music

[igbylicious]

whichever way [woosan x reader] pt 1

pairing: woosan x f reader

rating: 18+

genre: smut, fluff-ish, neighbours au, friends with benefits

summary: You accidentally walk in on your neighbour having sex with his boyfriend. The boyfriend has an interesting suggestion.

wc: 2.4k

ch. warnings: accidental voyeurism, exhibitionism, dom San, sub Wooyoung, established Woosan, m x m, anal sex, finger sucking, degradation, cumming untouched

a/n: features a soft-bodied, aromantic reader who uses she/her pronouns

masterlist. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

Choi San is the best neighbour you’ve ever had.

He is always kind and polite, he lets you hang out with his cat Byeol whenever you like, hell, he even accepts your packages when you’re not home (and doesn’t steal them). One time he even got you groceries when you were sick, going as far as to make you some soup and check in the next day.

And, the most telling fact of what a considerate neighbour San is; despite the paper-thin walls of your apartment, you have little noise complaints, other than the rare moment when he gets too caught up in his online games in the middle of the night.

Well. No. No, you have to scratch that last one, actually.

The lack of noise was only until he got together with his current boyfriend. After that, everything changed.

San first met Jung Wooyoung a few months ago, and the two have been all over each other ever since. You’ve only seen Wooyoung a few times, but that is enough to know that his personality is as loud and lively as his bright red hair, and clearly that translates into the bedroom.

But the thing is, you can tell that they are trying to keep it down, and you like San too much to rain on his parade. Especially with how well things are going between them, and Wooyoung is never anything but friendly to you.

So; noise-cancelling headphones it is.

(Honestly, your biggest complaint is that you wish they didn’t sound so hot doing it. It’s making you feel like a bit of a voyeur even though you don’t mean to listen in, every muffled moan testing your self-control to not just grab a vibrator instead of your headphones and rub one out in tune with their sounds.)

(It is one part decency that holds you back, and one part the fact that paper-thin walls go two ways, and you don’t know how you’d ever face San again if he heard you in turn, enjoying yourself to the show he obliviously puts on with Wooyoung.)

But you live in blissful silence this week, since San is out for a trip with Wooyoung. Visiting family in his home town, and it was adorable how excited San was about the trip when he told you. Things are going fast between him and Wooyoung, but it seems to work for them. He also asked you to take care of Byeol while he was gone, a task you were all too happy to take on.

This is what brings you to San’s apartment today.

He and Wooyoung are set to return tomorrow, so it is your last evening of feeding the cat. Keys jingle in your hand, and the apartment is quiet as you step inside. San keeps his place tidy, fairly minimalist with plenty of black and white — but there is enough decoration to keep it from feeling bare. A large collage of photographs hangs on a wall in the hallway; pictures of his hometown and of holidays, friends and family, even one of the taekwondo school where he works. On the photo he is huddled together with a group of young students, all wearing big smiles, San’s the biggest and proudest of all.

You can spy more signs of Wooyoung’s increased presence in the living room; the amount of games and controllers by the TV has doubled, and there’s a bottle of soju tucked away in a cabinet, along with a bomber jacket strewn over the couch. (Huh. Was that there earlier this week? You must’ve missed it.)

You hear a muffled thump.

“Byeol?”

The noise repeats itself and you frown, trying to locate the source. It seems to come from the bedroom — did the cat get herself locked in there?

Concerned that Byeol has somehow gotten herself stuck, you head over to the door. Your hand is already on the handle, pushing down, when a small meow pipes up from behind. You turn your head, only to see Byeol stare at you with her big blue eyes.

…Huh. Hang on… If Byeol is over here…then what is…?

But that thought has no chance of reaching its logical conclusion before the door is already opening, and what you see in the bedroom almost has you drop the keys to the floor.

Wooyoung and San.

On the bed.

Where San is fucking the living daylights out of Wooyoung.

You freeze at the sight; Wooyoung is completely naked, but San is behind him with only his jeans unzipped and jerked down far enough for access. San has Wooyoung pulled up against his chest, burrowing his face in Wooyoung’s neck to bite and muffle his groans.

Now you understand why you didn’t hear them; Wooyoung’s mouth is stuffed with three of San’s fingers, drool escaping from the corner of his lips. Reduced to little hiccuping moans instead of his usual noisy whimpers. His body is jostled in time with San’s hard thrusts and his hard cock is fully on display, flushed and leaking. The sheer desperation on his face is lewd, tears gleaming in his eyes and drool trailing down his chin, his bright red hair sweaty and — oh god, is that a new eyebrow piercing?

San is so lost in his goal to litter Wooyoung’s neck with lovebites that he does not even notice you, roughly fucking into his boyfriend with no idea of you standing right there — but Wooyoung’s tearful eyes widen when they catch yours.

You can’t help a choked moan at the moment of contact, the view too much for your frazzled brain to process, but your noise is drowned out by Wooyoung’s desperate whine, garbled around the fingers stuffed in his mouth. It pushes him over the edge, convulsing in San’s hold as his cock twitches, spilling long, messy ropes of cum on the bedspread.

You are vaguely aware of the fact that your mouth has fallen open, but your body refuses to move, refuses to do anything but stare while San chuckles, holding up Wooyoung’s trembling body in his strong arms.

“That desperate, huh? Look at you, I never even touched your cock at all. Is that all it takes to break you, a week without getting dicked down?” San says — your sweet, polite neighbour San — his voice tight from the effort of snapping his hips, betraying how close he is himself. “What a needy mess you are, all fucked up from just my cock.” His fingers slip out of Wooyoung’s mouth, coating his boyfriend’s face with saliva as he goes in for a rough kiss.

Wooyoung shakes his head before their lips can meet, croaking out a weak, “Sannie…” and nudges his chin at the doorway. At you, still frozen in place.

San turns his head, eyes finally landing on you.

“Shit!” he exclaims, nearly dropping Wooyoung onto the bed. Somehow he manages to catch his boyfriend and pulls out, covering Wooyoung with a blanket. Then he quickly tucks his cock away in his pants, ears glowing with a furious shade of crimson.

It’s very difficult to ignore the fact that San is still hard, but you try your best. Not that that amounts to much. Finally the pornographic audio that plagued you for weeks is paired with a visual, and you were not prepared.

To see their bodies so intimately entangled, San’s muscular frame wrapped around Wooyoung, his nakedness leaving nothing to the imagination. Lean body, thick thighs, San’s hand splayed across his stomach, fingers brushing close to Wooyoung’s flushed, pretty— nononono don’t think about that. Don’t get distracted don’t get distracted—

San clumsily shuffles off the bed, and finally you jolt back into action just as he does. Both of you stammer awkward apologies at each other, not giving each other a chance to finish.

“Shit, I totally forgot to text you—”

“I should have realised you were back when I saw the jacket—”

Wooyoung, who is slowly recovering from his orgasm and making himself comfortable on the bed, looks far less thrown by this turn of events than either you or his boyfriend. He has his head tilted to the side, listening to your frantic exchange with the amused interest of someone following the back-and-forth of a tennis match. (A clumsy, comically amateurish tennis match, where both players keep fumbling the ball.)

“I am so sorry about all this—”

“No, I’m sorry! Usually I can hear when—”

Oh fuck. You throw your hands in front of your mouth, forcibly cutting yourself off from the words “when you two are having sex,” but it is too late.

San’s eyebrows shoot all the way up into his hairline, eyes wide with shock as realisation hits that they haven’t been as discreet as he’d assumed. Dammit, of all the days for them to finally get a lock on volume control!

An awkward silence lands in the room.

San grimaces, running a hand through his sweaty hair, while you find yourself contemplating the pros and cons of just turning around, leave the apartment and find a sea to walk into until you can no longer see the shore. Pointedly avoiding eye-contact with both of the men, you notice a half-unpacked suitcase in the corner, and it reminds you of why you’re in San’s apartment in the first place.

“So. Uh. How was your trip?” you blurt out. (What? Who in the world asks that, right now? Why do you keep saying things!)

Yet somehow you appear to have stumbled into the right move; San is so caught off-guard by the casual inquiry that he just goes along with it, running on full auto-pilot. “Oh. Yeah. Good, it was good,” he rambles, while Wooyoung quietly snorts a laugh in the background. “Bit too much rain, that’s why we left early. How’d it go over here? Did Byeol behave?”

“She’s had a rough time of it, honestly. One of her favourite mice got trapped behind the fridge. It was a tragedy,” you say, pinching the bridge of your nose with a dramatic shake of your head. “She was inconsolable until I managed to fish it out.”

San relaxes at your goof, testing a smile on his lips. “Woah, you’re a bona fide hero!” he teases.

“Damn straight! Iron Man’s got nothing on me,” you say, pulling out a reference you know San will appreciate.

He does; his smile is still abashed but a telling dimple pokes in his cheek while he leads you out of the bedroom. The breaking of tension floods you with relief; things will be okay between you. You don’t have to move to a different country to escape the sheer embarrassment of what just happened. Maybe it will be awkward in the hallways for a few weeks, but then everyone will (pretend to) forget all about it and you will be fine.

“Hey,” Wooyoung chimes in, just as you’re crossing the doorway to the living room. “Did you like the view?”

Instantly, you freeze all over again.

Wooyoung is lying on his stomach, resting his chin on crossed arms. Bare legs stick out from underneath the blanket, bent at the knees as his feet swing back and forth in the air; he looks at you with the deceptively wide-eyed innocence of a coquettish femme fatale.

“Well? Did you like it?” he presses when you utterly fail to answer.

“Woo…” San says, a warning in his voice.

“What?! I’m just asking cause it seemed to me she liked it!” Wooyoung protests. “I liked it. We can be honest adults about this, right?”

“How are you being adult about—?”

Someone interrupts San. To your surprise, it’s you.

“…I did like it.”

Maybe Wooyoung’s boldness is contagious. Maybe your brain just isn’t working right anymore. But honestly, what’s the point in denying it? You’ve already dug a hole this deep for yourself; might as well lie in it.

“Oh god,” San groans, hiding his face in his hand. “Is this really happening right now? Why is this happening?”

“San, we’ve literally talked about this!”

“Yes, we talked! In private!”

Hang on, what? They…they talked about this? What does ‘this’ mean? The someone watching them have sex part? The you part??

“So? The next step is talking to her, right?” Wooyoung says, his face going stubborn. “She likes the view, we like the audience, what’s the issue?”

…Oh. It is both parts.

You blink numbly; you are still trying to process the scene that you’d walked into, and now you’re immediately forced to process the next twist of the day.

It’s not that you’re completely shocked by an interest from San of any kind; you did catch him checking out your ass with enough admiration to know he’s not a full six on the Kinsey Scale — or at the very least an equal opportunist when it comes to the appreciation of a fine-looking ass. (Not that he ever was creepy about it; no more than a discreet, appreciative glance.)

Of course, he never acted on any attraction that he may or may not have had towards you, before he and Wooyoung got together. And neither had you, since you aren’t exactly the ‘dinner and a movie’ type of person — and you didn’t want to be too forward about other less romantic activities; why risk ruining a good thing when a helpful, friendly neighbour like San is so hard to find?

But now, with all this new information on the table, a very clear answer to the question of ‘why ruin a good thing’ presents itself, and the answer is quite compelling indeed.

San takes a deep breath, sighs out, and composes himself. “Alright, alright, Wooyoung. You have a point.” He turns to you. “Um—”

“Hey.” This time, Wooyoung is the one who interrupts San; he looks straight at you with the serious expression of someone who is about to impart an absolutely crucial piece of information. “You know, San thinks you have a great ass.”

“Oh. Yeah, I know he does,” you blurt out, running a self-conscious hand over the curve of your rear. All mental filters have abandoned the conversation, apparently.

San begins to stammer again, but his words are completely overpowered by Wooyoung’s loud, cackling laugh. “Cheer up, Sannie!” he says, still half-laughing and absolutely delighted with every turn of event that has happened within the last ten minutes. “I think this will work out just fine.”

You catch San’s eyes, trying to estimate just how on-board he is with it all. The burn of his embarrassment does not exactly fade away; instead, its heat gradually morphs into something else, a darkening smoulder in his gaze as he looks you over. His eyes linger on your hand, still resting on your ass.

Wooyoung is right. This will work out just fine.

#igby’s chatter #ateez smut #ateez x reader #ateez fanfic #ateez imagines #ateez fic #woosan x reader #san smut #san x reader #wooyoung smut #wooyoung x reader #ateez hard hours #kpop smut #ateez #san #wooyoung #ateez scenarios #san ateez #wooyoung ateez #san imagines #wooyoung imagines #san scenarios #wooyoung scenarios

[highnoteblog]

The Age for New Beginnings: 30 by Adele

By Alex Amorado

Adele’s 30, was everything her fans wanted and more. Much like her other albums, it is named after the age she wrote the songs. The age of 30 for Adele was especially significant and filled with profound of emotions as she journeys through life’s complexities following her divorce.  This album can be said as Adele’s best album yet, expressing her rawest and realest form. Narratives of the things she has gone through are found all throughout the album.

Themes of heartbreak, finding oneself, moving on, and love (romantically, for her son and for herself) are evident in the 12 diverse and brilliantly unique crafted songs. 

"Strangers by Nature," the hauntingly beautiful opening track of the album, sets the stage for an emotionally charged journey that lies ahead. With delicate organ chords, Adele's voice soars and echoes over the melancholic orchestral arrangement, creating a powerful yet vulnerable atmosphere. The depictive lyrics of a scene in the cemetery and ends with the line “Alright then, I’m ready” brings the audience in to Adele’s life in the that her marriage and love was something she had to bury for her own peace.

As the album unfolds, each song offers a unique perspective on love, heartbreak, and empowerment. "Easy on Me," the globally acclaimed piano-ballad that has won the hearts of people, as Adele's passionate voice brings to life the heart-wrenching lyrics about the consequences of staying in a love that erodes one's sense of self. It’s a reminder that even when loving other people, we also have to stay in love with ourselves– careful not to lose ourselves in loving others. As Adele journeys through her divorce, she asks her son to go easy on her as she tries to explain why their marriage did not work out. 

The album plays on different subgenres such as Jazz and R&B fusion heard in  "My Little Love"  that draws inspiration from a heartfelt conversation between Adele and her son. The velvety background vocals seamlessly enhance the narrative, a poignant tale shared by Adele about her relationship with her son. Vulnerable and honest, she lays bare her anxieties, fears, and vulnerabilities in this deeply personal piece.

Departing from her signature melancholic ballads, the album takes an upbeat turn with "Cry Your Heart Out" and "Oh My God." "Cry Your Heart Out" surprises with its vocal layering and brass instrumentation, infusing the song with a perky and soulful style that contrasts the introspective lyrics of two sides of the same coin, crying over loss but also happy crying for new beginnings. It’s a song of juxtaposition, where you can happily dance based on the tune and cry while listening to the lyrics. On the other hand, "Oh My God" embraces a playful production, utilizing claps, keys, organ, and bass to create an electro-pop feel that complements the exciting lyrics about the experience of being flirted with after a divorce.

With the divorce, Adele also wishes to find an everlasting love which is something she writes about in the song “Can I Get It” somehow asking if she could actually get that ever-after love she has been dreaming about. It’s a beautifully written song that showcases an upbeat acoustic guitar style accompanied by claps, whistling, drums, and subtle hints of trumpet, resulting in a lively and intricately layered song about the pursuit of everlasting love. 

Is it not like everyone else, when we are going through something it seems a little more bearable when we have wine on our side? The title “I Drink Wine” may give the same idea however it barely talks about the act of drinking but rather it becomes a lot more personal for Adele as it reflects both the repercussions she got from her father’s alcohol addiction as well the divorce she was going through. It’s a simple composition, with just Adele's soothing backup vocals blending with a gentle piano and drum accompaniment that reflects how she was “bounded by choices that somebody else”.

The interlude, "All Night Parking," holds a special place in the album as it features the renowned American jazz pianist Erroll Garner. With its dreamy sound, the interlude encapsulates the phrase "short and sweet," providing a moment of reflection and transition.

After that moment of reflection, we are reminded that self-empowerment and leaving something that is not worthy of you is something that worth celebrating, and “Women Like Me” does exactly that as Adele celebrates the importance of knowing when to walk away from a situation that no longer serves us. Adele reminds us that knowing when we deserve better is so important. But just as letting go can be difficult, sometimes holding on to something is also just as difficult, heard in her song “Hold On”. It’s a song written like a letter to herself about how “it's hard to hold on to something when I’m [she] stumbling in the dark for a hand”. It’s a song of double meaning where she’s losing herself trying to hold on to her failing marriage but at the same time trying to hold on to herself-no matter how little is left of her. The song in particular evokes a feeling of catharsis resonant to its listeners towards the end of the song as the orchestra intensifies to a crescendo. 

Closing the album with its final two songs, "To be Loved" begins with a piano intro that harks back to Adele's past relationship, a reminder of what she had to let go in order to find true love and be loved in return. It is a passionate and heartfelt anthem about sacrificing something that once meant everything. Lastly, "Love is a Game" ends the album with its silky cinematic jazz sound, exploring the notion that love is a game for fools. Adele acknowledges her hesitation to be love and vulnerable again, but ultimately admits that she would willingly embrace love's unpredictable journey.

This whole album is a masterpiece of real emotions transcending beyond the typical heartbreak albums as it touches on real-life complexities, making Adele more human and reachable by her audience. It’s a 5-star album and might I say her best album yet. There is no miss in this album with all very well written and proves and reassures the fact that 30 could indeed be the start of a new chapter with new beginnings. The album is incredible beyond belief, hence being nominated for two Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, and it winning the Brit Award for British Album of the Year at the Brit Awards 2022.

#album review #alex

[buziness101]

Be the Best on Your Own Business Using Smartphones

A lot of professionals have found that having a smartphone bodily nearby really causes us to achieve inferior on tasks than those who’s smartphones were in alternative room. In other words, the mere occurrence of your smartphone lessens your reasoning capacity even if you’re not conscious of the affect. This can provide us with convenience such as the ability to connect with people within seconds, they also facilitate the development of bad habits like having too much entertainment and procrastinating. Entertainment is great for the short term, but it’s a massive drain on our time and has a massive impact on our nonstop progress.

Our smartphones are with us everywhere we go so it’s a great way to check and take some notes on what we do. When we have a better generally understanding of how what we’re choosing to live we can tune and develop it. Tracking what you eat can be one of the best ways to get healthier. Most of us can’t remember what we ate for dinner last Tuesday so that you need applications to help and will do this for you. Other areas of your life can also be covered using your smartphone’s current applications such as writing down your daily moods which can improve your well-being.

Reasons Why we Need Mobile Collaboration in Business

-       Capture And Share an Idea While It Is Fresh: You can note it on your phone, but somehow when you look later, it doesn't have the same freshness. So post it from your phone to a collaboration space, and let your colleagues build on the idea.

-       Deal With Issues on Time, But Avoid Off-the-Cuff Decisions: You get a phone call about an issue that has come up. You feel you have to provide an answer because another phone call is not possible until much later. You are pressed for time; it's a rush but make a decision anyway. After you realize, on reflection, you are unsure that you articulated your decision well and that there could have been a misunderstanding.

-       Create Flexible Time: Mobile collaboration means creating ''flex time.'' With a mobile, in those brief (but previously inconsequential) periods, you can use those little intervals to deal with the many issues that can stack up during the day. Flex time means you can use the otherwise dead time to sweep away all those issues that can be dealt with quickly, so they don't interfere with the more precious, larger chunks of time you want to spend with people, thinking, writing, and the like.

-       Leverage the mobile revolution: smartphones will overtake the number of active fixed-line subscriptions worldwide in 2020. More and more, people use their smartphones more frequently than their laptops and desktops for keeping up to date with events, connecting with others, and sharing Information.

-       Get Access to People You: with this, Information flows better and faster, and decisions are quicker and better informed. Business velocity is greater.

- Today's Collaboration Is Tomorrow's Knowledge: Technology has encouraged us to operate here and now in this mobile age. With that, many of us use the mobile chat in our personal lives. to communicate with our friends and family. Call it "chit-chat." And in business we have been tempted to take that same habit into the workplace.

Benefits of Smartphones to Business

1. Integration with Business Software: It permits participating in a business application with the use of smartphones and staying connected with business activities, and receiving an up-to-date report of your financial and business operations.

2. An Easy Business presentation: A key feature in most Smartphone devices is that they give you video presentation input and output. So this can help you to view a business presentation and videos from your smartphone to any device. This is great for a business user; some smartphones have a great feature and can connect a phone to a TV or computer monitor and present a PowerPoint for any business proposals or display of any kind running on the phone’s display.

3. High Security: it’s all about features, but for business users, the concentration is more on the Security of their data and official information. So they prefer more privacy about business activities. Smartphones nowadays give you more powerful security options, and they can maintain your activities and personalize them according to your desire.

Therefore, our smartphones are with us everywhere we go, so it’s a great way to check and take some notes on what we do. When we have a better generally understanding of how we’re choosing to live, we can tune and develop it. Tracking what you eat can be one of the best ways to get healthier

Get to know more about smartphones by visiting our website at https://www.unlimitedsimplans.com

[smirk47]

#music #<3<3<3 #friends ... do you ever just #go through a year where the world is literally going to hell and some days all you can do is just keep putting one foot in front of the #other and try to have faith that there are brighter things ahead #and then out of the blue you remember a piece of music that you love? #that somehow has this little key that feels like it is personally tuned to you and your joy and catharsis? #music is crazy dude #its just so fucking good the things music can do #anyway #bear mccreary #is great #and i love the BSG soundtracks #and it's been forever since I listened to it #and it makes me happy #so thanks bear

[euthym1as]

I saw you made a post already about Venti and bohemian raspody (I think I spelt it wrong sorry) but do you have any imagines for other songs and other characters? I'm the type of person who always needs SOME sort of song on or brain don't work.

Childe def have something to say about rapustin or its genshin remix. I'd imagine Xinyan would be excited to hear our rock songs. omg if Beidou sang Butch 4 Butch (by Rio Romeo)...

sorry about the slight tangent, this can be cult!SAGAU or just general self-aware

YEAHHHHH okay most of these are going to be songs I listen/have listened to but I will include the rasputin/genshin remix of it bc I have to. mild warning for violence at childes bit talking abt what happened to rasputin

A speaker, a stranger, and songs from faraway places.

VENTI gathers the crowd in Mondstat to listen to a strange box filled with strange sounds- and you come quickly to claim it as yours. Disappointed, the bard hands the device back to you, only for you to strike up a new tune- one he had never heard before...

Fischl is fitting of the middle school kids who called themselves 'emo' and listened to pop-punk, and she would probably listen to Halsey's Badlands album and cry that this person understands her like nobody else does.

Eula demands to hear the music the upper crust of your society listens to, and when you put her on classical music from your time, she seems... bored. The speaker autoplays (somehow) to an early Taylor Swift song- and Eula gets up and twirls around like never seen, crying out that this female bard speaks with the feeling of a thousand hearts. The song is Love Story. Amber is seen in the background holding Baron Bunny in awe.

XINYAN takes the sheet music you hand her and looks it over, amber eyes scanning through the pages. A smile is alight on her face, and she skips back up to the stage, cueing the conductor to start from the beginning. She starts strumming the chords, and she opens her mouth to sing.

I'm in the business of misery,

Let's take it from the top,

She's got a body like an hourglass, it's ticking like a clock,

It's a matter of time before we all run out,

When I thought he was mine, she caught him by the mouth-

Liyuen people have begun to gather, and Xinyan is really getting into the song. Her strong chest vocals fit the song's key very well, and the little way she shakes her head when she hits the chorus sends the audience into a cheer.

Whoa, I never meant to brag

But I got him where I want him now

Whoa, it was never my intention to brag

To steal it all away from you now

She's having a blast, and Yun Jin and Zhongli are both bopping their heads along to the beat. Xingqiu looks like he's had an epiphany. He's holding onto Chongyun's arm, and Xiangling is helping Gouba up to dance on the table. You catch Xinyan's eyes and her expression says everything- thank you, thank you for making my dreams a reality, thank you for believing in me when nobody else did.

TARTAGLIA isn't too far away, and he hears the loud thrums of Xinyan's guitar and smiles. He misses her infectious positivity from the Labyrinth, and he hopes that one day he can be brave enough to tell her the truth about who he really is. She deserves at least that much.

You find him hanging around underneath the red metal walkways, holding a kite from a toy maker, presumably to send back home. He catches your eye and smiles, but the smile has a repressed pain barely kept behind it.

He asks if music meant a lot to your home. You nod, and say that it was one of the things that connected you all the most. Your eyes brighten, and you say that your home had a song dedicated to a lover in a snowy kingdom much like himself. He's confused, and asks you to show him more. So you let him listen to the full four minutes twenty eight seconds of the song, watching as his eyes are sparkling with interest. It's the next part that gets him.

But when his drinking and lusting

And his hunger for power

Became known to more and more people

The demands to do something

About this outrageous man

Became louder and louder

You see him cringe inwardly and bite his lip, almost like he felt scolded. The song comes to a close and he gasps as the lyrics tell of the man Rasputin shot dead.

He asks if that was a real man from your home or just a story. You reply that Rasputin was very real, and his story served as a lesson to those that followed him. Much like himself, you note, Rasputin was loved heavily and capable of so much change. He seems a bit lost. He wasn't as prolific a lover as the man in the song. You sigh, and remember that sometimes he cannot see himself in all his layers the way you do. He can't see himself as you [we, you whisper] see him.

#asks #keeg writes #xinyan #venti #fischl #eula #childe #this was fun whee #sagau #alien reader #this is also not xinyan/childe btw they are familial #just cause they mean something to one another doesn't mean theyre dating #genshin self aware #genshin sagau #god reader #self aware genshin

[tommyspeakycap]

travelling england squad headcanons my exhausted brain just thought of

jordan pickford - won’t forget anything important but will get very confuddled and mixed up with stuff when he gets to boarding. hands his passport at the wrong time, can’t find his boarding pass when it is actually in his hand etc. talks really loud and does not stop talking to the person next to him on flights

harry maguire - won’t let anyone carry his bags for him bc he doesn’t want to be a bother. will have his boarding pass and passport ready to pull out whenever needed but will never just carry it in case it gets lost. mild dad on holiday vibes but discretely and will often be found in disbelief that some of these boys have survived as long as they have. will barely speak on the plane, doesn’t mind being sat next to jp bc he’s learned to tune his voice out.

kieran trippier - dad on holiday™️. will always have his passport and boarding pass at the ready, no muss no fuss, will go at the back of the group to make sure his children (he is responsible for mason, declan and jadon. also jesse but only when marcus isn't there) and he will inevitably pick up mason's passport when he drops it while being an idiot with declan and doesn't notice. will sit with the quietest person and/or alone so he can sleep. will under no circumstances sit with pickers - has to be at least three rows away and will be monitoring behaviour.

jordan henderson - another dad on holiday™️ but funnier (he is instead responsible for jack, phil and trent). gets annoyed when other people are messy/leave mess. probably takes passports off those likely to lose them right after they pass through customs and gives them back only when they approach customs at the other airport. will sit at the back of the plane alone so he can listen to alicia keys in peace.

harry kane - never late but also never quite on time but nobody says anything because he’s never the last one there. will usually congregate with The Dads and doesn't say much (read; he is usually found next to harry maguire both standing and enjoying the silence bc girldads)

mason mount - chronically late, always last to catch up while trippier taps his foot and checks his watch. will do the innocent mason giggle and get away with it. flight attendants think he’s adorable and airport workers love him because he travels with two basically empty bags cos he travels so light. will sit next to declan to begin with and eat all of his snacks while dec sleeps. they end up getting separated by one of the dads when they’re being too loud and/or fighting over the snacks mason has already devoured.

declan rice - waits for mason no matter what, packs extra snacks because he knows for a fact mason will (and does) eat most of his. is slightly scared to sleep on the plane bc of all the things they do to wake each other. he and mason somehow end up with each other’s passports and nearly don’t get through the border. defo has passive aggressive fights with ben over who gets to sit with mason and declan plays the 'I've known you longer' card that gets mason every time.

jack grealish - gets upset when ben and declan fight over sitting next to mason because chilly is supposed to be his bestie so he goes in a huff that hendo has to sort. 100% always has his passport in the front pouch of his bag (put there by hendo) so that when they get to security and he starts patting himself down freaking out and thinking he’s left it somewhere, his dad Hendo can tell him exactly where it is. annoys trippier because he drags his heels everywhere he walks and is constantly found asking; “hey has anyone seen my hairband” when it’s on his wrist.

ben chilwell - very easy going yet simultaneously anxious traveler. does not like how late mason leaves every, is NOT fond of how little he packs and will get antsy when take off time is near and people are still mulling around. he also gets annoyed when people ask him to borrow stuff but will never outwardly show it. he packs for every eventuality and believes everyone should be doing the same. films everyone, is low-key everyone’s favourite to sit with.

phil foden - gets upset when he’s told he not allowed to do keepy ups on the plane, absolutely will not have anything but a window seat, gets funny looks going through security and people often mistake him for much younger than he is. doesn’t mind who he sits next to as long as it’s not someone boring. is generally not a problem for The Travelling Dads except he's easily distracted and is susceptible to being left behind as he is smol plus mason and declan are hard work for kieran.

marcus rashford - oh my days when he’s alone he’s so quiet and then whenever jesse is there as well the two of them are insufferable. between mason and dec and jesse and rashy, jordan is glad for alicia keys through those noise cancelling headphones. will get annoyed with jesse and they WILL end up hurting each other and making up multiple time.

jesse lingard - so fully of energy at all times and nobody can figure out why. annoys rashy when he’s trying to sleep and that’s when they always end up in fights that nearly get them separated by harry maguire who is very used to putting up with their antics anyway. tries to convince them all to learn his celebration and spends the whole time messaging marcus and pouting when his bestie isn't there with him.

john stones - him and Kyle are basically joined at the hip as they r best friends. they always pre-anticipated and planned to sit together on the plane. he has a sixth sense and will physically be able to feel it when they lose phil (was an issue for the time he wasn't in the squad and John was like oh my god we've lost phil!) only to realise he wasn't ever with them. is very protective and always worries about forgetting things that he definitely has.

kyle walker - rarely acts his age but is kind of levelled out by john and can sometimes be very irritating in the same way that people get irritated with jesse because they're very loud. can often be found next to john and reassuring everyone he's faster than Raz. will forget things he define tally needs which pisses off John (because he asked a million times to make sure he had his boots) and gives chilly so much second-hand stress that he gets chest pains.

trent alexander-arnold - probably wants to sit next to hendo but he completely refuses (and sometimes feel guilty for it but he needs his alicia keys alone time). is quite quiet in comparison to some of the other younger ones but is equally as forgetful. will fume about the 'inflation' of the meal deal prices in the airport whsmiths and despite knowing he probs shouldn't cos international rivals, he spends a lot of time texting andy robertson.

#jordan pickford #harry maguire #jack grealish #john stones #kyle walker #marcus rashford #jesse lingard #mason mount #declan rice #ben chilwell #phil foden #harry kane #kieran trippier #jordan henderson #trent alexander arnold

[rek1s-headband]

hi! figured i’d drop a request for you :))! Maybe some general bf hcs for reki and langa? Just in general how they would be as a boyfriend or how they would act in a relationship?

Hi!! Thank you so much for your request, I’ve been excited to do one of these. I hope you enjoy it!

➯ random boyfriend headcannons

➯ characters: Reki Kyan and Langa Hasegawa x gn reader

➯ warnings: none! Just some fluff for these two boys:)

Reki:

-Literally the most enthusiastic person you’ve ever seen. He’d be happy to just sit in silence with you because come on, it’s YOU. There’s no one he’d rather be wasting the hours away with.

-Your biggest hype man, EVER. You post something on Instagram? Get ready for a flood of comments, all from him. You could put your phone down for two minutes after posting, and you’ll come back to 99+ notifications of just reki commenting along the lines of “woah suddenly I’m on one knee” “DAMNNNN” and many, many more.

-Never leave your phone unattended around him. He won’t snoop, but be prepared to come back to your camera roll flooded with just zoomed in pictures of his face, his mouth, his eye, ANYWHERE. Mf is spamming your whole phone with pictures of him for you to come back to.

-He has to always be touching you in some way. Whether it’s holding your hand, your waist, a casual arm around your shoulder, there has to be something. He’ll put his hand on your ass sometimes while you walk in public.

-Honestly doesn’t even think PDA is anything out of the ordinary. Like, you’re his s/o??? Yes you’re in his lap, yes you’re in the middle of the skatepark, so what? You’re his, and he’s happy he can make everyone aware of that.

-I saw a post on here that said he would peel stickers off fruit and stick them to peoples’ foreheads, and I fully stand by this. However, it doesn’t just stop at fruit stickers. Anything remotely sticky, whether it’s tags from clothes, tape from a food box, even random sequins and bits of glitter he finds around, it’s immediately being stuck to some part of your face.

-Loves casual dates. Stopping by food stalls, browsing in clothes and game stores for a few hours, and skating around with you until it’s time to go home is a dream for him. Be prepared for day-long dates, because he will clear his entire schedule just to spend the day with you.

-His family adores you. His mother is always goading him to bring you over more, complaining that she misses her "honorary son/daughter/child". His sisters love you too. Any time you come over there’s immediately three tiny bodies shooting at you, grabbing you by the waist and dragging you over to wherever they’re playing. Reki tries to drag you away, wanting to have you for himself, but you always try and stay for at least five or ten minutes. Secretly, he loves that you get along so well with his siblings, going soft at the thought of how you would act with children of your own.

-He loves playing video games with you. Sitting in his lap, the two of you could spend hours switching from game to game. One minute you could be burning down a village in Minecraft, the next complaining while Reki whoops your ass in Mario Kart. His mom brings you food for your breaks between games, and she’ll even stay for a few minutes to talk to you while Reki shifts underneath you, glowing red from embarassment.

-If you can’t skate, he would beg to teach you. If you accept, he goes all out. He’ll make you your own customised board just for practicing, making sure it’s absolutely perfert for you to learn on. But if you can skate, get ready for endless races and competitions to see who can nail a new trick the quickest.

-Adores when you come to S to support him. He loves looking into the crowd and seeing you there cheering him on before he goes into a beef. If he wins, he’ll race over to where you are in the crowd, picking you up and spinning you around, kissing you without a care in the world. However, if he loses he’s thankful you’re always there to pick him back up and make him feel better afterwards.

-Loves cleaning you up after a big fall, kissing your bruises and cuts better. He’ll carefully wrap each injury with care, telling you how brave you are, no matter how small the cut. Secretly, he loves when you baby him after he falls himself. Seeing you wipe away the blood from a new cut and place a small plaster on it with such tenderness melts his heart in a way only you could.

-Speaking of plasters, this man has one for every occasion. Princesses, pirates, aliens, cats, dogs, sparkles, stripes, you name it, he’s got it.

-The type to sneak you out at two in the morning to get a slushee with him. Honestly, he’s up so late making boards for people he just has no perception of time.

-Spams your phone with TikToks or other funny things that reminds him of you. It could be a very specific thing, or a flower or cloud. If he thinks of you when he sees it(which is fairly often), it gets sent to you.

-Talks with his hands a lot. He’s a very expressive talker, so when he’s telling you a story it feels like you’re right there in the story with him.

-Please just kiss him. His cheeks, his forehead, his hand, his shoulder, his temples, his lips. Anywhere, he’ll melt under you. Mf is touch starved to the max.

-Always knows how to make you laugh. His laugh is infectious, it could get you out of your darkest moods.

-Sleeps with his head on your chest, and one hand in your shirt little perv.

-His social media is like a SHRINE for you. His highlights, his posts, his stories, EVERYWHERE. He’s just so proud to be able to call you his that he wants the whole world to know.

-Kisses in the rain while you run home, skateboards in your hands after the weather forecast failed you once again. He’s just so happy in the moment that he can’t contain himself, so he’s pulling you into him in the pouring rain, kissing you hard while your hair gets drenched.

-You don’t need to steal his clothes, he will literally give them to you because “you just look so cute wearing them”. Occasionally, he’ll take one of your hoodies, and even if it doesn’t exactly fit him, he’ll still keep it near him while he sleeps so he can keep your scent close to him.

Langa:

-This man is so oblivious to obvious hints, but still manages to pick up on the smallest of details? It’s incredible, honestly. He could describe the exact colour of your eyes with the most insane detail, but he still won’t notice when you try and hint that you like him in the first place!

-You two have a bit more of a low-key relationship, but you’ll make your usual appearance in his Instagram posts, or on his Snapchat story with a casual caption like a simple heart, or “my love<3”

-Not very big on PDA, not because he doesn’t like it, but because he doesn’t think of it. However, when he does feel like he’s being too physically distant, he’ll link pinkies with you as you walk along, or rest his head on your shoulder while you watch a video on your phone.

-His mom adores you, which is why Langa despises bringing you to his house. You always seem to leave with seven of his baby photos from his time snowboarding in Canada, a new recipe from his mother that you complimented, another one of his hoodies, and more miscellaneous stuff that you don’t even know how it ended up in your bag. He has a little shelf in your room specifically for this random stuff, and he always adds to the collection when he comes to your house. He’ll leave a keyring, a small toy, a Polaroid, anything honestly.

-Loves dates that you can experience. The movies, aquariums, museums and the zoo are common dates for the two of you to go on, but other than that, he adores going skateboarding with you. He’s been improving, and he loves when you notice little things he’s been picking up on, whether it be a new trick or simply how he balances himself on the board.

-Adores old Disney movies. Yall will binge a ton of them in one day, having full-blown musicals in Langa’s living room. When any of the romantic songs come on, like “So this is Love” from Cinderella, Langa will stand up and offer his hand to you, as the two of you waltz around his sitting room, humming the tune of the song.

-Study dates are frequent with the two of you. If you happen to stay up late studying and fall asleep on each other, his mother will cover the two of you with a blanket, tidying some of your books and leaving with a smile, happy with the knowledge you were making her son the happiest he’s been in quite a while.

-Slow dancing in the kitchen while you cook is a regular. When a particularly sappy love song comes on while he stirs the pot, he’ll turn around and hold you close to him, twirling you around the kitchen.

-Reki constantly jokes that he is a third wheel, poking fun at the two of you, Cherry and Joe, and Shadow and “his little girlfriend back at the flower shop”. He’ll hang out of Miya, whining about them having to stick together since they’re the only two “lone wolves”. He’ll usually get a well-earned thump into the back of the head from Miya, but it’s still funny to watch the whole thing go down.

-Tends to be shy when giving you clothes, so instead of asking you to wear them he’ll leave them out in places he knows you’ll find them, or he’ll come up behind you and plop it in your lap, murmuring about how cute it would look on you.

-Please do this man’s makeup. He will sit so still for you, waiting patiently while you dab eyeshadow at his eyes, trying not to blink so you don’t mess up his mascara. He’ll sit there mesmerised for a few minutes, taking in how he looks, and simply whisper “you do this every day?”

-Evem though he’s not a very openly affectionate person, he is stuck to your hip behind closed doors. He’ll lie in your lap for hours, staring up at you while you mess with his hair, pulling it into little plaits and pigtails.

-I can’t even describe how the two of you sleep. It’s simply a mass of limbs, and no one knows exactly what belongs to who. Somehow one of yall will end up upside down, and-why is Langa on the floor??

-He could talk about his time in Canada for hours, and you’d just lie on his chest and listen to him. Every once in a while he’ll look down at you to see if you’re still listening, and his heart will melt a little every time he sees you staring back up at him, eyes wide with interest.

-This man NEVER gets jealous. You’d literally have to cling to another man for it to click in his brain that Oh. He doesn’t like that.

-He’s not big on texting, but if you call him he will stay on that call with you for hours, even after the two of you fall asleep.

-Whenever he falls(which is quite often), you’ll always have plasters on hand to help fix him up. He always flushes bright red when you kiss his cuts better, and never knows just what to do with himself afterwards.

-When he skates against tough opponents, you’ll always give him a kiss for good luck. Of course, this doesn’t stop you worrying, but you know Langa wouldn’t go out of his way to get injured. And if he does, well, at least he’ll have you there to kiss his bruises better.

#reki kyan x reader #reki x reader #reki kyan #reki kyan headcanons #langa hasegawa x reader #langa hasegawa #langa hasegawa headcanons #langa x reader #sk8 langa #sk8 reki #sk8 the infinity x reader #sk∞ #sk8 the infinity #sk8 headcannons #sk8 x reader #headcannons #sk8 the infinity headcanons #miya chinen #kaoru sakurashiki #kojiro nanjo #reki headcanons #langa headcanons

[eremiie]

a change of heart;

❥ nsfw | 6.1k words | eren x reader

❥ an annoyingly arrogant childhood friend has never seen the light of day in your eyes... until he does. eren jaeger was an anomaly that you thought you had figured out.

❥ content: cum play, choking, slight size kink, rough sex, unprotected sex

saying you liked eren was an understatement. you weren't fond of the boy— like at all.

it was something about him that you couldn't pinpoint, maybe it was the way he always had something smart to say back to you when you made the littlest comments, the way his eyebrows were always furrowed together as if he was constantly upset with you, the way he was just so aggressive— a handful if you must. you never liked the way he acted towards you, or anybody else for that matter so you never tried your luck at getting close to him.

or... maybe you didn't like that slight way your eyes widened when you first met him, or that run of his eyes over you on your first meeting. or was it the way you somewhat hoped to get into an argument with him just so you could bicker? something about your arguments thrilled you and sent a feeling you couldn't pinpoint through your body.

nevertheless, the bigger issue at hand was the fact that you couldn't seem to escape eren jaeger.

you were so unlucky and were deemed even unluckier when your mom happened to be the sweetest person on earth. she was the kind to bake a welcoming gift for the neighbors on your street, the kind to knock next door and ask in a sickeningly sweet voice for extra sugar for a recipe she was whipping up.

she'd done both of these things to your next door neighbor, which happened to be carla, carla jaeger.

once again, unluckily carla also happened to be such a sweet mom and you almost felt bad that she was blessed (cursed) with eren jaeger as a son. she was the type to bake something in return and gladly give you a small container of sugar that you would promise to bring back.

she'd done both of these things for your mom.

there advances were so continuous, and over the course of a couple years they became the most best friends imaginable, indulging in every mom-ly activity you could imagine together. this only forced you and eren to spend every unwanted second together.

you knew eren for only a couple years, yes, and you could still remember when his hair was just draped above his shoulders, an awkward length that you never failed to make weak jokes at just to see him get mad. but what you didn't know— or failed to realize that he would get even more annoying then the first time you met him.

maybe you were getting annoyed with the fact that his hair was no longer that awkward length and you couldn't throw the same lame jokes at him, because the length that it was at now? where it touched his shoulders and he threw it back into this awfully messy bun. maybe you were getting annoyed with the fact that now he was older and more occupied with the summer before college, you weren't forced to spend as much time with him, so you didn't see him much.

over these couple years though, your mom (being the doll she is) never failed to throw an annual barbecue that of course, carla always came to, not only did she come but they practically planned it together and had you and eren help out, unwillingly. they claimed it was an opportunity for you and eren to "actually get a long." because trust me— they knew about the tension between the two of you that they tried to break for years.

one of those annual barbecues seemed to be today, at the very minute, actually. you were standing next to eren, both of you with a tray of food in your hands as you awaited instructions, an irritated expression crossing both of your faces.

"okay, take those over to the buffet table you two, and then before you guys go crawl away to god knows where, one of you grab some utensils, napkins and plates and lay them down at the end of the table, and one of you turn on the speaker, guests will be flooding in soon." you chuckled at carla's comment. that's one thing you and eren had in common— the two of you almost completely hating this event if it wasn't for the good food. you would always sneak away to your room and eren would sit in your chair and mind his business while you'd lay on your bed doing your own thing. "and tell your mom i need her, _____!"

it was never an uncomfortable silence— no, as a matter of fact it wasn't always silent, lots of aimless arguments would arise and sometimes, eren would get really angry, but he never dared to leave the safety of your room rather than be surrounded by adults who claimed they'd known him since he was little.

"what?" eren asked you as you reminisced on the thought while the two of you began walking.

you glanced up at him, snapped out of your own head, him already peering down at you with furrowed brows and a slight frown on his face. "none of your business." that's not even what you meant to say but a smart retort was almost instinctive when it came to eren.

albeit your smart response he didn't send one back as he usually would, he just rolled his eyes and sat the food down on the buffet table, you doing the same. "i'll grab utensils and shit." you murmured in slight embarrassment from your quick comment eliciting no reaction. eren didn't look your direction, so you took that as a hint that he heard you as his body headed towards the direction of the old speaker that you knew'd be blasting old "parent" tunes.

you head inside, the smell of food grilling leaving your senses and the something in the midst of being baked filling them instead. you turned the corner of the dining room to enter the kitchen, your mom closing the oven after checking on the brownies baking. "hey, sweetheart, how's it going?" she asked you, smiling when she caught sight of you, all dressed nicely too, which was rare from your usual style; the black slip dress you wore coming mid thigh and lightly hugging your body. you were only wearing socks though, you didn't see the point in walking around in shoes when you'd just be retreating to the hole of your room and lounging around for as long as possible until your mom called you to help some more or to greet someone familiar.

"fine, me and eren just put down the last of the food already cooked. i'm about to set up cutlery and sh— stuff." your mom raised her eyebrow before nodding her head and watching you open up the cabinet at your feet to grab the grocery bag full of a new box of paper plates and napkins." all for the "save the turtles!" magnet your mom had pinned on the refrigerator. "hey, where are the plastic cutlery?" you asked, questioning its lack of presence in the plastic bag.

your mom turned her head towards you, from where she was wiping at her hands. "hm? oh! sorry, honey— i placed them in that cabinet up there because we had extras from that one family get together we had a couple weeks back.”

 ah, yes. you remembered that family get together. despite it being family, somehow carla and eren found their way into the gathering, and not to mention that being one of the last times you saw eren, and one of the most embarrassing times.

you see, the argument you had gotten in with eren that time was over him accidentally walking into your room in the middle of you changing for the event. you had yelled at him even though it was an accident, and that was one of the first times eren didn't try his hardest to win that argument, his face too flushed red, and his apologies and excuses seeming to not calm down your anger that hid your embarrassment.

but geez, for days after you were reminiscing on the drag of his eyes going down your back and over your ass before flickering back up to your eyes and only then realizing the situation at hand. you were just happy the encounter didn't make the next time you were seeing him, being now, too awkward.

your eyes drifted towards the cabinet above your head, the one your mom was eyeing at, and you sighed. "okay, thanks, and by the way miss carla wants you." your mom's eyes widened before she placed down the rag in her hands and scurried out the kitchen. you heard her speak a few words to someone but you weren't paying much attention as your fingertips began to reach upwards to pull at the cabinet doors. when it swung open a groan left your lips when you almost immediately spotted the brightest blue box of plastic cutlery at the top shelf.

"okay, _____... you can't reach that." you opted for climbing on top of the counter, and you did despite you wearing a dress, the fabric stretching as you propped yourself up on the surface, knees together while you used your hand to try and reach for the box.

your hand barely grazed it, but that didn't matter as eren's hands reached it for you, his back pressed against yours as he used his tippy toes and the stretch of his fingertips to knock the box down and grab it in the air before it could drop to the ground. the warmth of him behind you disappeared as he backed up and looked you over from your position on the counter. "if you couldn't reach it you should've had me get the stuff."

it was your turn to roll your eyes, heat rising to your cheeks before you climbed off the counter slowly and adjusted your dress. "shut up."

eren's arm came out to hand you the box. "since when did you start wearing dresses?" he asked abruptly, once again, those thick brows coming together in curiosity as you grabbed the box from his hands, stepping forward slightly.

"i've been wearing dresses, you're just too dumb to notice." your own gaze gave eren a once-over. he never dressed formally for any of these events like your mom made you. carla could never seem to get him into anything nice. plain black jeans with an almost too tight white shirt, and you could never fail to mention the key necklace draped around his neck that he once told you his dad gave him when you had asked "why do you always have that stupid necklace on?" he had gotten really defensive and only today you realized how insensitive that comment may have been considering the fact that he rarely saw his dad— as did you. you could only recall seeing the man twice, and at one time was at one of the barbecues. "i wore one... last time."

eren's eyes went up to the ceiling as he recalled "last time" realization dawning on his face, but before you could wait for his reply you were walking past him with your head pointed towards the ground as you told him, "you can go ahead and go up to my room, i'm gonna go put these down." and he watched you walk away before scratching his chin and doing just that.

you did what you had to do, placing down the cutlery and slipping past both your mother and carla before they could get you to do anything else.

when you opened the door to your room you were surprised to see eren sitting on your bed, shoes kicked off at the edge. you narrowed your eyes at him as he looked up from his phone at you. "what? your chair's broken." your eyes glanced to the chair that sat idle near your desk before you remembered— it was broken— no it wasn't broken, one of the wheels had just been screwed off and you nor your mom had the patience to fix it.

you lowered your suspicions at eren and merely nodded your head. you really didn't mind actually, the chair was eren's self proclaimed spot, he continued to sit their his self after the first barbecue, you never actually told him to.

"wow, i'm surprised you're not throwing a tantrum." he scoffed as you climbed onto your bed stomach flopping down next to eren who was propped up against your wall. your dress had ridden up in the slightest but you made no efforts to fix it, and you didn't make an effort to grab your phone either which was sat on your desk.

your arms held up your head, elbows on the bed as you looked up at eren with a raise of your eyebrow much like your mom. "you can get out." you half joked, eren looking down at you with lagoon green eyes.

"so you can leave me down to suffer with all those people? hell no, i'd surprisingly rather be up here with you."

you tilted your head at eren. "oh? why the change of heart?"

his stare sent a prickly sensation up your bare arms, and you turned over to your side so that your one arm propped up your head, your other draped across your waist. this was basically the first time you had a simple conversation without the two of you bothering each other, the first time you were somewhat amused by the words coming out of his mouth.

where was the old eren jaeger? this new eren jaeger couldn't help but think you looked... good, not to say he's never thought this before; the subconscious thought always in the back of his head, but now it was prevalent to him. the straps of your black dress so thin, and the way it hugged your body in the slightest was almost tantalizing. you didn't seem to be wearing a bra either, he could tell by the lack of support and straps. "huh?" you added when he didn't respond right away, eren's eyes snapping back up to your face.

he whipped up a quick response; "there wasn't a change of heart. you know i'm always up here... and you're tolerable today." he placed down his phone, interested in the conversation at hand. something was laced between your words, almost taunting, almost aware, more aware than you were earlier when the two of you had that encounter in the kitchen, more aware than you were when he accidentally walked in on you a couple weeks prior.

you felt confident today, you weren't sure if it was the mere maturity between the two of you that seemed to just decide to pop up today, you weren't sure if it was eren's new attitude, or if it was your attire that gave you the confidence you possessed. you always enjoyed you and eren's arguments, you loved seeing him riled, but today the snark to his own comments instead of him getting completely heated sent an even better thrill, if you could call it, down your spine. "hm, then it's not surprising you'd rather be up here with me, jaeger... and what makes me more tolerable today?"

eren let his eyes roll to the back of his head for a split second before deciding that the best response to that question would be no answer, lying wasn't healthy anyways.

"what? is it the fact that i started wearing dresses?" you mocked his earlier words, your hand flying up to create quotations in the air.

that was one reason.

"trying to get your little dick wet eren? that little blondie wasn't doing it for you, yeah?" you joked, but the way his eyebrow twitched and his eyes darkened, lowering as a very small smirk formed on his face told you maybe your joke was more than that to him.

he let out another small scoff, face turning away from you so his jawline was visible, the tiny brown hairs that wouldn't fit in his ponytail skimming his neck and forehead before he side eyed you, then turning his head back to you and not even noticing how he scooted forward as he brought his knee up for his arm to rest on. "little?" was all he could manage to get out. he wasn't gonna lie— your comments felt quicker today, and they were catching him a little off guard.

you flipped back onto your stomach before sliding your upper body and shuffling forward to sit back on your knees diagonal from eren. you weren't gonna lie— eren's comments felt quicker today, and they were catching you a little off guard. "did i lie?"

"yeah."

"i beg to differ."

eren's hand went to his thigh. even though his dick was on the other leg, semi-hard, he wanted to tease you with the leg closer, rubbing up and down the fabric of his jeans. "wanna see then?"

your eyes glanced down to his lap and widened, jesus— this was not the eren you knew, nor the eren you expected tonight. you let yourself fall backwards onto your pillows, grabbing one throw pillow and placing it over your face as you hid your true expression. although your voice was muffled you let out an "jaeger, stop! i'm supposed to hate you."

the bed dipped underneath you as eren shuffled forward until he was peering down at you again, grabbing the pillow with one hand, your hand flying up to grab his wrist, then his coming up to pry your fingers off him. after a small tussle he pinned your hand to the bed, grabbing the pillow and chucking it off the bed to see your face.

your lips were shriveled in an embarrassing smile and you turned your head away from eren, only then realizing the presence of his cold gold pendant tickling your chest, and how close he actually was, his thigh pressed up against your side, and his untucked hairs gravitating towards you. those green-blue eyes seemed even more intimidating up close, and the dangerous slight upturn of the corner of his lips didn't seem to help in you feeling small under him.

eren jaeger, an anomaly. who knew people could change right before your eyes.

"jaeger," you brought your other hand to his chest, pushing at his sternum with as much force as possible which didn't budge him, eren only grabbing your other hand with a low chuckle and placing it above your head, bringing both of your hands together and keeping them there with one wrist. you let out a soft whine of the word "move," that made eren's lip twitch before you brought your foot up to kick him.

"kick me and i swear, ______—" and so you did— well at least you tried, eren grabbing your ankle and holding your flailing limb. you guys looked insanely stupid, and it made your little whines turn into small laughs that seemed to be contagious as eren began to laugh too. your body went limp as you soon realized that eren was pretty strong, which the old eren wasn't.

he let go of your leg, dropping it to the bed on the other side of him so he was sitting between them. "i'll let go if you admit that you don't actually hate me." a small goofy grin was on his face and it made you reciprocate.

"nope," you popped the p, eren quirking his brow at you before letting his eyes wander down. he had you in quite a position; your legs on either side of him, your hands pinned together, and your dress scrunched up just enough so he could see the black underwear you adorned. you watched his eyes trail back up, stopping at your lips, his tongue sliding over his own before coming back up to your eyes. "but it's obvious you don't hate me."

eren let out a small laugh and your stomach churned— so did his. 

"nope," he popped his p just like you. "that's just some weird shit we were on when we were younger... you're not that bad." he hummed, leaning down a bit so he was hovering over your face, and god did he look amazing.

maybe he was right— maybe it was just one of those weird things that leave with age, and you were fine with it leaving, especially if it gave you the eren jaeger in front of you right now. your lips parted in effort for you to speak but you choked on your own words, not sure what to say. but you didn't have to say much because just like eren, you let your realization hit you on how he had you, how he looked, and your gaze stopped at his lips too. he took that as his cue— his face inching way too close, but not like you minded.

"the way you're looking at me doesn't seem like it, ______."

you squeezed your legs on his sides as you felt the fabric of his jeans rub against you from the proximity. "well, i—" he didn't let you finish his lips connecting with yours and you almost forget how to kiss for a moment, eren's lips being the only ones moving until he let go of your hands and you cradled his jaw, kissing him back just as fervently.

eren hummed against your lips in content, them beginning to move together as if the two of you were made for each other. something felt like it was lifted off your chest, and you really relished in the moment at hand. one of eren's hand coming up to your hair and pushing your head more towards him, the kiss becoming rougher while his other hand settled at your side gripping roughly as if you could run away any second.

you felt desperate, practically swallowing eren's lips up, him biting at your lip before pulling away for air. he looked down at you with a lustful expression, his lips parted and flushed red while his eyelids hung low. "finally, you shut up."

you looked up to the ceiling with a smile gracing your face. you didn't know if you were in shock at the fact that he could still throw quick comebacks after such an event or if you were in shock at what just happened. "you shut the fuck up— and come here," 

you lifted your head up to connect your lips back to eren's, your tongue sliding over his bottom lip, and he quickly got the hint, pushing you back down to the bed as he parted his lips so that your tongues could collide gently. the kiss was wet, and passionate, you could practically taste the lust that both of you were so oblivious about for years. you could taste how long he craved your lips on his and you almost wanted to apologize for leaving him waiting for so long.

eren's tongue licked around your mouth, doing all the work while you laid back and guided your tongue to follow his almost like a recited dance. his hips moved with yours, beginning to grind against you to relieve some of the ache in his dick, and he was glad you were wearing a dress. his hand on your hip grasped the black fabric and aggressively yanked it up, your hips lifting to help him out a little bit until your lower half was completely unveiled to him.

his mouth disconnected from yours so he could peer down at you. "fuck..." he muttered. his hand slid under your dress, smoothing over your stomach before nearing your breasts, looking back up to you as if to ask if what he was doing was fine. you gave him that confirmation and let your eyes drift close as his warm palm relaxed itself over your tit. the contact that his fingers made with you nipple as he moved his hand down to toy at it caused them to harden and you to whimper.

eren ducked down to your neck so he could kiss it, nibbling at the sensitive flesh which elicit your hand to fly to his messy brown locks. "yeah..." you sighed, elated with the feeling of him sucking at your skin, his tongue occasionally licking at the spot and his teeth grazing over it as well before he completely pulled off, hoping a distinctive hickey you would have trouble hiding from your mom would begin to appear sooner or later.

his hand slid back down to your side until it went over the curve of your back and trailed down your ass until it met your supple thighs. he grasped at your skin, the fat underneath his fingertips leaving his imagination to wonder what it would be like in between your thighs. he brought his other thumb to your plain black panties, pressing it against your clothed entrance just to get a feel and your head flew back so you were no longer watching him— eyebrows turning upwards and mouth parting as uneven breaths left you mouth.

you were so hot and bothered, you needed him now— any way you could take him.

"need you... right now, eren." you mumbled, your hand retreating between your dress to cup at your own breast.

eren looked up at you another smile playing on his lips, and he would be the death of you. "first name basis now that you want to be fucked by me?"

"oh my gosh, just hurry."

you brought your legs closer to your body as eren's hand came to the hem of the fabric that was the only thing separating you and him. he pulled it over your legs and down your feet tossing it to the side. when you didn't part your legs for him immediately he brought his hand to both of your knees and with some resistance parted them for you, the sight of your glistening cunt going straight to his dick.

you were so pretty to him, yet he didn't want to boost your ego any more so he held his tongue and untucked his lip from his teeth before stepping off the bed, grabbing your ankles and pulling your body to the edge of the bed.

your pussy fluttered as you watched eren fumble with the button and zipper of his pants. he stopped for a brief moment, groaning in annoyance before looking back to you. "i don't have a condom."

your hand flew to your forehead and you felt yourself squeeze around nothing at the thought of eren sliding into you without one. "you're clean right?"

eren scoffed. "yeah."

"okay well then hurry!" you repeated, eren going back to pulling his pants down until they were pooled at his ankles, as well as his boxers. his dick was finally exposed to you, and you stifled a moan when you saw it— pretty, hard, big and flushed red in anticipation for you not anyone else. he took himself into his hands and smeared his pre cum over his length while his head tilted back and his jaw dropped at the slight relief.

"this is about to be the best dick you've ever had." he half joked as he grabbed your hips and pressed at your entrance, leaning overtop of you again.

"we'll see about that, ja—" you couldn't even get the rest of your sentence out as you felt his tip slide more into you, a gasp leaving your throat, your walls clenching his tip causing him to let out a slight moan.

he stopped for a moment, bringing his hand up to steady himself on the bed. "eren, not jaeger."

he pushed in a little more, your hand flying over to your mouth muffling your, "eren!" which caused him to smirk. "shit... you—" a little more, your eyebrows coming together like his as he tried filling you up even more.

"me what?" he breathed out, pushing in a little more.

your back arched and your fingers came to wrap around his wrist beside your head for support. "it kind of hurts." you mewled out. of course you wouldn't tell eren this, but it had been awhile since the last time you had sex, prone to getting yourself off instead, and eren's size wasn't helping either.

"well..." he started, sheathing himself more inside you as your grip on his wrist tightened, and small pathetic half-whines left your throat. "you gotta take it." your eyes screwed even more shut as his words rang through your head. you were practically throbbing for him and you wanted this just as bad. "don't start something you can't finish." and with that the brunette let his length fill you up completely, ignoring your slight displeasure until he bottomed out, shushing you and letting his hand come down to rub circles on your clit to soothe you.

a sigh left your lips and your hand relaxed from eren's wrist. "okay."

"okay?"

"you can move." and eren wasted no time doing just that, his hips moving backwards and sliding against your walls causing you and him to groan at the same time.

when you were fully adjusted, and any discomfort you felt had drifted away, eren moved faster, almost fucking you how he wanted to in the first place. he lifted himself from the bed and put his hands on your hips, dragging you onto him as he pushed in and out of you, basking in your moans of pleasure and the feeling of your tight walls trying to consume him.

"yes," you said with gritted teeth as the way eren thrusted into you with purpose felt amazing and left you wondering why you didn't confess to your attraction to him sooner. "fuck, eren..." his hips stuttered from the way you sounded moaning his name. he wanted to hear it again, and again, wanted to hear it so many times that he could hear it when he fucked his fist to your pretty face. "like that, just like that."

"again." he demanded, and the low octave of his voice ordering you to repeat his name sent your head into a spiral. you grind against him, your wetness smearing on his abdomen. eren brought his hand to your hair again, pulling your body up off the bed and you winced at his tight grip as he continued to fuck up into you nicely. "i said again."

"eren," you repeated more like a plea. he pulled your head forward more, smashing his lips to yours again briefly, just wanting to feel more of you, wanting to feel you crave him.

"what do you want me to do?" he asked. he wanted you to tell him how bad you wanted him, how bad you wanted him to fuck you— and with the way his cock stretched you out so well, fucking into you with ease, like it's what he was made for, you were willing to do just that. "hm?"

"fuck me good, make me cum, eren, please."

"if i do you're gonna stop acting like a little brat when we're together right?"

"yes, yes, yes," you babbled not even realizing what he said that had you nodding your head hastily.

eren chuckled at the lack of hesitance in your response, softening his grip on your hair and letting your head fall back to the bed. "good girl." he murmured while slowing down his pace causing you to roll your hips into his as a silent plea to go faster. eren pushed your dress up some more until it was bunched up right to your chest, then having you pull off the straps to free your tits. he stepped out of his jeans and boxers, pushing you higher on the bed to create space for himself, not leaving you once, leaving your cunt fluttering around him as he did all these motions.

the little sad cries that would leave your lips begging him to hurry up so that he could fuck you again made you sound so stupid for him, so impatient and so dirty. eren didn't mind at all though, when he shifted himself up on your bed and pressed your legs to either side of your body so he could hit deeper, he complied with your wishes. "open your mouth." and you complied to his, parting your lips and sticking your tongue out, eren coming down to let his spit drop into your mouth, and the second his saliva came in contact with the muscle you squeezed his member from inside of you, he could feel you tighten around him and your eyes rolled to the back of your head as you swallowed. he watched your throat bob before wrapping his hand around your neck to create leverage for himself.

when you felt him drag himself out and back into you so forcefully, your body jolting as he continued the motion, fucking down into you. he was drilling that soft spot inside of you, and he didn't stop you when your hand trailed down below his arm to touch yourself, rubbing at your swollen clit while he drilled you. "you're gonna cum?"

you were too incoherent to form words, the nods of your head telling him enough. he was on the verge of coming too, but he wanted you to come first, he wanted to feel you pulse around his throbbing cock, spill your slick all over him. "shit, then cum all over me, _____. right on my dick, let me feel it." you let out a sultry moan, eren letting go of your neck going to grasp one of your bouncing breast the other grasping your thigh and pounding into you hard while you got yourself off with your middle finger.

small cries spilled out of your lips as your orgasm slowly approached until it finally did, your vision blanking out, pussy squeezing eren impossibly tight, and every nerve being pinched in your body. your hand unconsciously flew to your blanket, gripping the fabric tight as you moaned a drawled out sound resembling eren's name. you felt like you were the only person alive, like the guests downstairs didn't exist, like your parents weren't just outside your window along with them, not even like eren was there when your climax washed over your body, blurring your senses.

"fuck, fuck, fuck, yeah—" eren was having trouble holding back, but as soon as he felt your juices coat him, and the sound of his name from you he let go of your thighs and chest, pulling out of your wet heat and jerking himself to completion, hot cum spilling all over your lower stomach as to avoid your dress. "shit.." he panted, watching his seed sit idle on your pretty skin.

he felt hazy, almost in disbelief that he just fucked your lights out, almost quite literally as you hadn't opened your eyes since your orgasm.

eren took it upon himself to gather some of his cum with a swipe of his finger then prod at your swollen lips, you lazily opening your mouth to taste the salty taste of his cum. "good?" and you hummed, letting your head fall back to the blankets and closing your eyes.

eren tucked himself in, leaving to head towards your bathroom, and soon enough coming back to help you clean up. when you felt the warmth of something slide over your lower abdomen, you too out of it to open your eyes, you relaxed against the bed. eren adjusted your dress and slipped your underwear on for you, shaking your arm to wake you up. "your mom was out there. she was about to check on you when i walked out the bathroom. that would've been embarrassing."

you were too tired to respond, blinking at eren before picking yourself up and sitting up in front of him, his height allowing him to still be looking down at you even though you were on a bed. "i'm gonna head down cause i'll probably be leaving soon... i'll tell her you're sleep."

you nodded your head at eren before crawling to your bed and under the blankets, turning away from him. eren eyed you for a moment before coming forward and deciding to press a kiss to your ear, then grabbing his phone and slipping on his shoes. he grabbed the damp paper towel and threw it in your trash, shutting your lights and shutting the door quietly.

eren jaeger, an anomaly you thought you had figured out who happened not to be that bad after all.

maybe you did like eren— just a little bit.

#eren yeager x reader #eren jaeger x reader #eren x reader #eren jaeger #eren jaeger smut #eren yeager #eren yeager smut #eren smut

[anotheranimewriter]

Keys

(A/N: Okay.. okay so I know South isn't the greatest person.. but like after 227, I can't help but feel a slight bit sad for him, I guess.. so don't attack me..)

I've been having a little writers block, so I'm hoping to work and finish request up this week and if not this weekend!

CW: Spoilers! (well really only a character spoiler), so if you aren't caught up with the manga, you've been warned!

Keys:

He fingered the keys before him, slowly and doubtfully, as if he wasn’t sure of what note made what sound. As if the keys were speaking to him, helping him decide what plan would be best suited for the war that was to come by his own hand. Only each note played a tune that was not to his liking, the frustration inside him only began to build up tenfold, because he needed a concrete answer and he wasn’t getting through to the right notes. Letting out an aggravated grunt he lifted his fist to practically mangle the piano in front of him “South!” She yelled out halting his actions as he clenched his fist, as he waited for her to make the next move. She quickly moved beside him, holding onto his fist delicately, lowering it from its origin route as he kissed his teeth, taking her own hand and pulling her into his side.

“Y’know  I’m not a good man. I’ve killed, and I’ll do it again.” He said looking at her hoping to incite some form of fear into her, for her to leave on her own accord, at her own will regardless of the tightening in his chest. She was the last person that he’d ever dream of hurting, but she was also the only person he would never want to put in harm's way, and by her being around him he was doing exactly that. “No one is truly good, South. Remember that.” She replied softly resting her hand on his chest near his heart feeling the beating in his chest.

South would be lying to himself if he said he didn’t enjoy these private moments, he was by no means an affectionate man.The affection had died within him the day his mother was taken away from him, but yet somehow (Y/N), had brought those feelings back, the idea of actively caring for someone other than himself, and at times he hated it, but moments like this, he was more than grateful for her. “You don’t get it, do you girl? I. Am. A. Killer. Got no heart, give no fucks.” He barked as she shook her head placing a soft kiss against his lips.

“Yeah I know Killer. To the outside world, you're all tough and big.” She commented softly as she removed her hand to run her fingers along the keys “But in here. With me. You're just South, the man who watched everything be taken from him, his childhood, his life, his mother, and his passion.” She continued as she felt him tense up at her words.

“I know, this was just a quick hit and dip kind of situation, but I do care about you South, and don’t take this the wrong way. Because I am not going to admit that I love you, cause we both know you aren't capable of that.” She stated as he let a soft chuckle slip out as she smiled at him brightly “But to say you’re a bad guy when you walk into my doors is a lie. When you pass that threshold and sit at this piano, you’re just a big teddy bear. Killer or not, what you do outside of this house, has nothing to do with me. Here you’re safe.” She finished placing her hand back on his chest, resting her head on his shoulder. “Y’know I should kill you for saying that.” He bluffed as she ignored his remark “You're too good to me y'know?” He stated as she shrugged.

“You always say that, as if you didn't save my life South. The treatment I give you isn't unwarranted, I wouldn't be here if you didn't step in that night. So just let me repay you the way I know how okay?” She pleaded as he leaned over and rested his chin atop her head. “That was months ago (Y/N).” He commented as she laughed “And yet you still keep coming back, looking for more than a quick fix.” She replied as he flicked her forehead causing her to playfully whine as he pulled her into his lap before securing his arms around her thighs picking her up from the stool.

“South! Aren’t you tired? We already ha-” He kissed her lips softly “Shut up. It’s time for bed. You always talk a lot when it’s time for bed.” He snapped as she laughed “Gee South, thanks. Jerk. I wonder why I’m so tired!” She exclaimed as he chuckled winking at her as he proceeded to carry her to the bedroom, for them to both catch up on some sleep. South let her words sink into his brain. ‘You're safe here.’ He knew she meant those words, he only wished she didn’t, because with each kind smile, soft kiss, nursing session, and sweet gesture, he would only find it more and more harder to walk away, and he needed to know when he could walk away. He had already hurt and lost so many of those he cared about, and he’d never want to see her added to that list.

#tokyo revengers imagines #tokyo revenger imagines #tokyo revengers x reader #tokyo revengers imagine #tokyo manji revengers #tokyo revengers #tokyo revenger imagine #south terano #south terano imagine #south terano x reader #south terano imagines #imagine #anime imagine #anime imagines #tokyo revenger