#wanted to draw something small for each episode but here I am finishing one (1) like. 10 episodes in | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

jennycalendar · 2 years

Text

as i continue to rewatch btvs, things jump out at me. thus far, buffy and angel’s relationship is a big one.

so there’s what i remember from when i was fourteen -- a kind of lingering delight and warmth at the very real and adorable chemistry that buffy and angel have -- and there’s what i’m seeing now, which incorporates that but also notices in a really big way that this is a story about a young girl dating a much older man. like, this is not a high school romance. angel is not emotionally mature, but there is a serious power difference. my dusty half-a-decade-old memories of buffy/angel involved them being a much more obvious, serious, and committed couple, but i just finished watching them in “halloween” and “lie to me” is starting to come back to me as well and i’m just like ????? my god ????? there is SO MUCH GOING ON HERE and choosing to sanitize this makes it SO MUCH LESS INTERESTING. i am at this point coming out as staunchly against the reading of buffy & angel as True Love™ and it is out of love for their dynamic that i do this.

tracking their relationship: their tentative “this can’t happen” begins to dissolve in “some assembly required,” when it’s established that 1) buffy danced with xander to make angel jealous, and 2) it very clearly worked. the show draws deliberate attention to angel labeling xander as a “kid,” treating xander LIKE a “kid” in multiple places, and simultaneously pursuing a relationship with buffy. buffy herself comments on this! there’s never any actual justification provided because there really isn’t any argument that can be made on angel’s part. if he sees xander as a kid, there is some part of him that sees buffy as a kid. point-blank.

and this continues into “reptile boy,” shows up as well even as early as “angel” -- angel himself is constantly trying to remind buffy that he’s Older than her By A Lot and that therefore this can’t ever be anything. there’s something particularly condescending about the way he addresses her in “reptile boy” when she asks him out for coffee.

the power difference in this exchange alone is crystal clear! i want to dissect it further, because i really don’t want to imply that i think angel doesn’t love buffy. i think angel and buffy indisputably love each other, but the waters are muddied by the fact that angel is constantly removing buffy’s autonomy.

in some cases this is explicit. angel refuses to let buffy ask him out at the beginning of “reptile boy” -- the scene i selected leads into this refusal. buffy herself comments on the way that he handles these situations!

the episode’s joyful conclusion -- angel asking buffy out for coffee -- has some weighty implications: the relationship can only continue when angel has decided that it will. obviously on some levels that’s how relationships work, but the particularly insidious part of this whole affair is the fact that angel’s reticence also incorporates an attempt to minimize any romantic overtures on buffy’s part. he treats her like a child. he asserts that she doesn’t know what she wants, and that it’s his responsibility as The Adult to set boundaries, but he fails to actually do so.

the problem here is the fact that IF angel is inhabiting this role of Adult, it’s his responsibility to fully step back from a romantic relationship with buffy. but he instead decides to pursue this connection, setting up this incredibly fucked dynamic where any kind of progress that they make has to be on His Terms.

"halloween” and “lie to me” both share a really important theme: angel’s past, and buffy’s reticence when it comes to asking about it. “reptile boy” already established that her direct approach doesn’t work: she asked him for coffee -- a comparatively small request for him to meet him on her turf -- and he responded by calling her a conflicted little girl. so in “halloween” she turns to theft, and in “lie to me” she turns to spying, and in both of these situations she really only gets fragmented little pieces of truth. we see her trying to make herself into the girl that she thinks angel wants her to be in “halloween,” only to later be informed that the girl that she IS is more special than any other girl in angel’s age group. we see her witness a meeting between angel and his “crazy ex,” who he subsequently informs buffy that he “broke” back before he grew into the good, loving person that only wants a happy relationship with her.

there is a message in this text, and it’s one that’s worth interrogating, particularly considering where the story goes. everyone and their mother has talked about the implications of angel “changing” after he slept with buffy, but the first half of the season -- at least from what i’ve seen thus far -- seems to suggest that there were a hell of a lot of warning signs.

THAT SAID. i do think that there is a very real connection between angel and buffy. i think that reading can coexist with the fact that there is this incredibly fucked power dynamic between angel and buffy. i think that in some ways buffy’s connection with angel is hugely informed by her trauma re: being the slayer -- we’ve seen with owen and with xander that “normal” boys don’t seem to fully understand her or allow her the kind of judgment-free support that angel definitely does. angel’s status as an Older Man with Supernatural Strength who repeatedly asserts that his first priority is always buffy is pretty much buffy’s dream scenario. she wants someone that she feels like she can rely on, and so obviously it’s going to be an older guy! a teenage boy isn’t going to provide stability when she’s facing death pretty much every day, and angel Has Literally Died Already so she doesn’t have to worry about the notion of him getting vamped.

the chemistry is palpable, the connection they have with each other is clearly very deep and true, and the comfort they share is something that i think both of them really need at that point in their lives. i just feel like there is this really fucked up and interesting part of their relationship that’s getting completely excised when it’s asserted that angel and buffy were a Healthy Connection, because the show itself is not actually framing it as such. the only person who thinks that angel and buffy are True Love is buffy, and it’s underlined multiple times within canon that this is one of the biggest problems with their relationship in early season two. buffy is so caught up in her high school fantasy that she really isn’t paying attention to the reality of who angel is, which makes SENSE! because she is SIXTEEN YEARS OLD! she’s having her first big love!

angel, however, is NOT having his first big love, and his assertions that this is the case need to be placed next to the ghost of darla and the very real presence of drusilla. the fact that angel is adamant about buffy being Special, buffy being Different, when we are shown that this is how he once saw drusilla before utterly breaking her ... the fact that buffy and drusilla are shown in the same dress in buffy’s vision, right before all the angelus stuff kicks off ... the fact that angelus very clearly treats buffy AS his next drusilla. there is so much to unpack there.

#celia's buffy rewatch 2022 edition #i don't wanna tag this as anything because like --#tagging it as pro or anti misses the point i think #i'm heavy w the critique of this relationship's messy power dynamic #but i do want it to come across that i genuinely love them #i think that they are so fascinating and important and so clearly in love #and i think it really makes me sad that there isn't more talk abt this aspect of their relationship #not coming from a ship-bashing place!#it's INTERESTING #that they can be so in love and then also so very text-supported Older Man Dating Teenage Girl #i wanna see more stuff that incorporates that.#peel back the teenage hearts n roses and reveal the ugly underbelly.

31 notes · View notes

violettelueur · 3 years

Text

— JUJUTSU KAISEN EPISODE ONE || RYOMEN SUKUNA

↳ featuring : itadori yuji + fushiguro megumi + gojo satoru + ryomen sukuna from jujutsu kaisen

↳ warnings : mentions of blood + mention of killing + mention of mass murder (word massacres is mentioned) + mention of death + swearing and EXTREME grammar issues

↳ form : story

↳ published : 07 february

↳ pronouns : she/her

↳ word count : 3.8k

↳ synopsis : within the jujutsu world, there were three famous clans to be aware of, the Kamo clan, Zenin clan and the Gojo clan. However, unknown to many sorcerers there was one last family that was known to be apart of the three, only for them to disappear after the golden era leading some to speculate that they had died in battle after the sealing of ryomen sukuna, but....

↳ next episode : for myself

↳ barista’s notes : to be honest with you guys, this little imagine here is such a mess and i had fun writing it since it have me an excuse to watch the first and a tiny bit of episodes one and two of jujutsu kaisen again ʕ￫ᴥ￩　ʔ

BEFORE READING, I NEED YOU TO BE AWARE OF THIS:

1. all the ‘curse spells’ mentioned in this are related to Bleach (their use of Kido - credits go to: Tite Kubo) so these ain’t my original ideas since i started this at like 11pm on a saturday night.

2. there is some dialogue missing since this is from your perspective as a reader and not Fushiguro’s or Itadori’s

3. as you all know, the storyline isn’t mine, it belongs to Gege Akutami

4. this whole thing might be confusing and please don’t expect a part two because i will do it when i am ready or feel like i can at the right time ʕ ᵒ ᴥ ᵒʔ

5. i don’t know, if i am going to add this onto my masterlist since this was just for fun to be honest!

thank you so much for taking the time to read this and i hope you enjoy your free cup of classic black coffee (jujutsu kaisen) ʕ•ᴥ•ʔﾉ♡

“L/N, are you going to come with us?”

Looking away from the window you were viewing out from, you paused sipping from your carton of orange juice before turning your head to quickly discover two female students looking at you with anticipation in their eyes only for you to look at them in some sort of confusion.

“Come one, don’t tell me you didn’t hear about it? Coach Takagi and Itadori are competing!” one of the girls complained, obviously slightly annoyed at your oblivious nature to the news that was going around the school at this moment in time.

“Competing for?” you then questioned, as you stood straight from your leaning position causing the other female student to then rapidly answer by saying, “Coach is trying to requite Itadori for the nationals, so if he wins then itadori has to join the track club to compete!”

‘Huh? What a drag’

“So do you wanna come to the track field with us to see who is going to win?” the two students asked again in a desperate tone, leading you to look at the window you were previously looking from to see the exact location that they had stated. “I’ll watch from here, it has a higher and wider view, so I would have a better look” you replied, before pointing at the track field that was on the other side of the glass causing the students to look out before nodding.

“We really want to see it up close, so we’ll see you tomorrow yeah?” the first female student asked, leading you to smile and nod at them before seeing them rapidly take off to the track field trying to make sure they arrived before the competition started.

Turning your smile back into a straight line, you turn back to the window that you were looking through before being interrupted while placing your drink’s straw between your lips letting the sweet but citrusy juice flow down your throat. Admiring the view, you decided to let your eyes roam free for a bit to see if there was anything interesting to observe before the supposed ‘competition’ started, which then led you to pause at the sight of the closed rugby field down below.

Coming out of the ground was a horrific creature with four arms before climbing up the pole revealing its large teeth leading you to stare at it with complete boredom as you then mentally took a quick note to exorcise it later when the school closed. However, what also came into your sights was a single male student down before staring at the same curse you were observing causing you to continue analysing the situation.

‘Can he see it? I don’t recall a student here having any curse energy’

From what you could tell, the student had black erratic hair with his hands in his pocket but from what you could see that other’s couldn’t, there was a faint but noticeable aura of curse energy surrounding his body generating a feeling of curiosity but nervousness within your stomach as you place your empty carton away from your lips. Suddenly, the male turned around leading you to have somewhat a clearer view of him, only to discover that he also had a pair of emerald eyes which then made you come to the conclusion that he wasn’t a student from the school. How could he? You could tell this ‘student’, and yourself was the same age meaning you would have at least seen him once or twice down the hallways and there was no new information about a student coming in, if there was, it would have been a buzz.

‘Don’t tell me one of the clans managed to find out about me?’ you anxious thought, leading you to take a short step back ensuring this sorcerer didn’t have a vivid view of you when you did of him. Hearing some cheering, you turned your head to the other side to find a small crowd forming with a metal ball being flung as two students ran out to measure the length between the dip of the sand from the coach indicating to you that the competition had started.

“14 metres!’ the one student shouted, leading to a round of applause from the audience spectating the event. However, from what your ears were managing to pick up, there were cheers for Itadori leading you to wonder if you could recall the classmate they were shouting for.

“Ah~ Itadori Yuji ha?” you rhetorically asked the air around you, not expecting an answer in return. Itadori Yuji was a first-year student like you were, member of the small occult research club with second years Sasaki and Iguchi when he could be in any athletic club if he wanted to. However, understandably you knew some people would rather do something than what their natural talents indicated. Once again, you saw the metal ball being thrown - this time from the pink-haired students - only for it to land that the corner of the football goal, yet what was the shocking thing was that the metal of the goal was bent leading you to look at the sight within widened eye - of course, you knew Itadori was fast and strong but not to the extent of what you had just witnessed.

“Wow, no wonder he was called ‘Tiger of the West Middle’,” you muttered under your breath before quickly reverting your eyes to find the sorcerer you were wary of. Surprisingly, he was now on the track field looking upon the competition mixing well with the other students like a little chameleon. Although, before you could continue to observe the student trying to see what his intentions were, Itadori suddenly ran past him with his large backpack on, only for the erratic-haired sorcerer’s eye to suddenly widen the second they crossed each other leading him to reach out for your classmate. However, there was only dust to be collected as Itadori was suddenly out of reach.

“Just what are you trying to gain, sorcerer? It’s already a drag that you’re here,” you quietly mumbled irritation before turning away from the window you were gazing from to collect your school bag from your classroom since you left it there to not have the burden of carrying it on your shoulder. However, what you didn’t notice was the same sorcerer peering up at the same window you were looking from with perplexity painted on his face.

‘Was someone watching me?’

ꕥ

“Don’t tell me someone got a hold of that damn finger?” you angrily stated, as you suddenly felt an immense amount of pressure invade the school causing you to wonder if there was anyone within the school with you right now, as you began to increasingly worry about whoever got a hold of the special-grade object that you found a few nights before.

“I put a protective seal on it, who the hell broke it!?” you muttered, as you panicky ran up the stairs trying to follow the presence of the object you were desperately trying to get a hold of before forcibly pushing a door open leading it to smash against the wall as you continued to sprint across the halls.

As you quickly turned the corner, you saw a large curse blocking the path leading you to instinctively flow your curse energy flow to your hand to the tips of your finger as you began to confidently recite the spell you were about to cast after you had finished drawing the symbol with your curse energy in the air.

“Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini! Look upon yourself with the horror and then claw out your own throat! Binding Curse Spell number nine: Geki!” you chanted, leading to a thin light aqua aura of curse energy to surround the curse causing it to become completely paralysed. However, before you could cast another spell to destroy the curse, there was a sudden interruption causing you to look at the person in complete shock as they flew into the corridor from outside the window only for you to discover it was your own classmate.

“Itadori!” you screamed, only for him to grab what seemed like two people away from the curse as it was still immobilised from your spell leading you to turn to the side to find that it was both Sasaki and Iguchi in his arms causing your eye to further widen only for you to be then distracted by the curse being blown away to your direction leading you to use another spell to make sure you were caught in the process.

“Binding Curse Spell number eighty-one: Danku,” you hurriedly stated, leading to a large rectangular defensive wall to shield you away from the decapitated parts of the curse as well as the technique being used for it to explode the way it did. Unexpectedly, once the pathway was cleared you suddenly came eye to eye with the sorcerer you were peering down on the track field this afternoon causing a wave of uneasiness to consume your body.

“Who are you?” he questioned leading to the two dogs beside him to growl at you showing their sharp canine that could easily pierce your skin if he commanded them to. Slowly, your hand moved to the hilt of your katana that was hanging horizontally on your back, before quickly coming to the conclusion that it wasn’t difficult to slice the two dogs down if you desired to.

“Shikigamis huh? I should just cut the user down before they could reach me, then they would disappear’

“Oh L/N? What are you doing here?” Itadori asked in shock, leading you and the sorcerer to look at him before the sorcerer suspiciously asked, “you know who she is?”.

“She’s a student at my school, she is in the higher class since she’s smarter than me,” Itadori explained, as he took the time to check on his two club members with a sincere look on his face to then discover that they were unconscious with Sasaki in a decent state with Iguchi in somewhat the same condition but with injuries to his face. Letting your shield gradually disappear, you slowly walked up to your senior as you crouched down to hover a hand over his face letting a flow of curse energy begin to heal his wounds.

“Itadori, how the hell did they get the finger?” you angrily questioned the boy while continuing to heal your upperclassman causing him to look at you in shock - due to your acknowledgement of the object - as he caught the cursed object that slipped out of Sasaki’s pocket once he picked her up in a bridal style.

“How do you know about it?” the sorcerer then asked, only to be quickly silenced when you gave him a heated glare only for itadori to then explain that he was the one that picked it up for them since they wanted to sneak back into the school to unwrap the talisman for research for the occult club leading an irk to appear on your forehead. “Wasn’t there like a talisman paper placed on the door? You know like those like sheet of paper with Ancient Japanese writing painted on it?” you asked in a stern tone as you completed the healing process only for itadori to give you a questionable look.

“There was a hint of paper being there, but it seemed like it was ripped off,” itadori answered wearily, leading you to look up at him with enlarged eyes as you let out a breath of complete shock.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN RIPPED OFF?” you screamed as you rushed to your feet before grabbing the collar of his classic yellow jumper. From what you could recall, there was no possible way for the seal to be completely ripped off by the hands of a normal person, not even a simple sorcerer could even go through the barrier you had placed on it leading you to turn to the sorcerer, who was looking at the argument that was occurring right in front of his face.

“Was it you? No, from what I can see, you ain’t even a high enough grade to even go through it...Ah shit,” you cursed as you let go of Itadori’s collar before beginning to try to think of all the possibilities that could have happened that led to this accident.

“So, is this it Fushiguro?” Itadori asked the sorcerer, completely ignoring you as you were in a state of shock and confusion on what was going on. “Yeah, that’s the special-grade curse object, Ryomen Sukuna’s finger,” the sorcerer confirmed with Itadori as he then quickly mentioned, “it’s a miracle that it didn’t get swallowed, thanks to L/N curse technique back there.”

‘Fushiguro huh? Not Zenin, that’s a relief’

“Why would anything eat it? Does it taste good?” Itadori asked in curiosity, leading you and Fushguro to look at the boy with a questionable look on both your faces.

“Don’t be stupid,” you and Fushiguro simultaneously stated causing both of you to look at each other in shock before you then explained, “you’d do it to gain stronger curse energy. It’s dangerous, so hand it over to Fushiguro, it’s best to have him keep hold of it since the seal I placed was broken.”

“Sure, sure,” Itadori casually said, as he outstretched his hand to pass the finger to Fushiguro. However, before the sorcerer could take the object away from Itadori’s gasp, a large hand began to reach down below the two people causing you to look up in fear before instinctively pushing the two boys away from the area it was trying to target.

“RUN!” you screamed, before the ceiling crashed down between both of you, leaving you completely alone and vulnerable as the dust invaded your sights. In a panic, you swiftly grabbed the hilt of your katana to release the blade from its casing revealing an all-black weapon your hands, but once the smoked clear you found Fushiguro trapped in the hands of the curse before being forcibly through to the concrete wall causing a few hints of blood escaping from his mouth, to which lead to the two dogs that were protecting Itadori as well as the two second-year to disappear.

‘Shadows? Don’t tell me…’

However, before you could even complete your sudden thought, there was a sudden flash of lights blinding you before the whole side of the school to be destroyed along with Fushiguro, who was thrown across. In a state of terror, you rushed outside before using your speed to jump up the height needed before stabbing back of the curse’s head with your katana before quickly retreating back, leaving it there as the curse screeched in pain while preparing another curse spell to use to finish off the monstrosity.

“Destructive Curse Spell number seventy-three: Soren Soka-” you screamed, but you were interrupted once you suddenly found Itadori aggressively punch the curse’s head leading Fushiguro, who was laying down on the ground with blood pouring down his face to angrily shout, “Itadori! Why can’t you understand to take those two and run?!”.

“You’re in big trouble yourself!” Itadori screamed back, before being swung around as he then suddenly was being dragged along the metal railings of the balcony before his body was then swung into the air.

“Only curses can exorcise other curses! You can’t beat it!” Fushiguro argued back, only for this attempt to fall on death’s ears as itadori continued to fight against the curse as he masterfully dodged its attacks before playing his own as he kicked its ruby eye.

“Besides, I have my own troublesome curse already!” Itadori declared, causing you to look at your classmate in complete annoyance since you didn’t have a single clue on what he was rabbling about. As of right now, all you were wondering was where the cursed finger was since the last time you had seen it was in Itdori’s possession.

Suddenly, before you realised it, the mentioned cursed object had slipped out of Itadori’s grasp causing you to quickly stand up on your feet to jump across the cure to reach it. On the other hand, it seemed like the curse was blocking your way by how it used both its arms to capture Itadori leading to the student to jump as high as he could to catch the finger by the grip of his teeth.

“You idiot!” you screamed, as you tried to concentrate your curse energy to flow to your palms as your katana was still within the curse’s head. “Hand it over to me or you'll be eaten, too!” Fushiguro yelled in a panic as he finally got up on his feet to chase after the wanted object.

Slowly, you raised your right hand before using your index finger to use it as a guide to where to aim your next spell at the finger without damaging your schoolmate in the process. “Destructive Curse Spell number one: Sho,” you quickly chanted leading to a small amount of curse energy in a concentrated manner to shoot from the tip of your index finger, yet before it even had the chance to hit the finger away from Itadori’s teeth, he threw thing finger up in the air using the force of his head leading your curse spell to be a futile attempt.

“There is a way to save everyone! I just need some cursed energy right. Fushiguro, L/N?!” Itadori cried out, leading you to again attempt to shoot the cursed finger away from where you assumed Itadori wanted it to go, while Fushiguro looked upon the situation in complete fear of what was going to happen.

“Don’t..Don’t do it!” Fushiguro shouted in a hostile tone, only for Itadori to swallow the special-grade cursed object causing you and the other sorcerer to look at the scene in complete disbelief.

‘He’s going to die, that’s a deadly poison..but...there’s a one in a million chance’

Suddenly, the arms of the curse disintegrated into small particles of flesh before Itadori landed on his feet, only for the curse to attempt to attack the salmon-hair boy again, leading to being completely destroyed with a single wing of an arm to which caused your katana, which was stuck within the flesh of the curse, to fly into the air before landing with a loud ‘clunk’.

Yet, that wasn’t your main concern.

Your feet were glued to the ground as you looked upon the sight right in front of you. Fushiguro was staring at the same scene with dread flooding his green eyes as Itadori was now covered with the black markings of what you both come to know from basic jujutsu knowledge.

‘Y/N dear, I’m so sorry for putting you through this, if Sukuna ever comes into this era, it is your duty as a sorcerer and the only offspring of the L/N clan to exorcise him, promise me that please?’

‘Why.....why did you have to die mother?’

“Ah, I knew it! The light feels best in the flesh,” ‘Itadori’ declared, as he then processed to rip his yellow hoodie in excitement before brisking his flesh to the moonlight that was shining right above him. “A cursed spirit’s flesh is so boring. Where are the people? The women?!” ‘Itadori’ questioned before jumping onto the railings as he continued his speech, “what a wonderful era to be in, women and children are crawling everywhere like maggots. Marvellous! It’ll be a massacre!”

Without the acknowledgement of who you deemed to be Sukuna and Fushiguro, you slowly raised your right hand with an open palm as you began to whisper another curse spell to make the exorcism a little easier for you, “Binding Curse Spell number sixty-three: Sajo Sabaku''. As you closed your palm, there was a sudden manifestation of a yellow electrified chain being created as it loosely surrounded the King of Curse before tightly securing its place around his body.

“Ah-” Sukuna said in surprise before taking a step back from the balcony to observe the yellow chains that encaptured him. “L/N!” Fushiguro shouted as he looked at you with widened eyes surprised at how you figured out how to retain him so fast.

‘At this rate, he should be somewhat easier to exorcise, Itadori has only one finger within his system, it’s going to be okay right?’

However, before you could even comprehend what to do next as your tactic you suddenly heard a change in tone of voice. “What do you think you’re doing with my body?” Sukuna asked, only for you to realise that it was Itadori who was speaking at this moment in time, “give it back”.

“How are you able to move?” Sukuna questioned his vessel back, as he was in pure confusion on how the human still maintained some control of his body. “I mean, it’s my body,” itadori answered back, only causing you more confusion on what was going on since Sukuna’s markings were still visible to his body.

“Don’t move! You’re no longer human,” Fushiguro stated in a serious tone, as he crouched down before moving his hand in front of him as he processed to make fists.

“Under Jujutsu regulations, Itadori Yuuji, I will exorcise you as a curse!” Fushiguro announced, causing you to look at him with surprise painted upon your face. However, since you were beginning to lose a certain amount of curse energy, your chains slowly began to disappear leading Itadori’s hands to now more freely while Fushiguro’s worries about you begin to increase.

“Wait, really. I‘m just fine!” Itadori stated in innocence, as he raised his now-free hands as if he was surrendering to the sorcerer while his markings began to fade gradually. “More importantly, you and I are both pretty beat up, let’s go to a hospital,” Itadori declared as he was worried for the male right in front of him. On the other hand, you suddenly realise that there were shadows slowly swirling around Fushiguro leading to your assumption earlier to be true.

‘Fushguro is a Zenin...I..have….to’

“What’s the situation?”

All of a sudden, a new voice came into the area leading you to turn your head to the side to find a rather tall male standing next to Fushiguro. From a quick glance, you could immediately inform yourself that had spiky white hair with a black blindfold covering his eyes, as he carried a paper bag on his arm while wearing a similar outfit to Fushiguro meaning he was another sorcerer.

“Gojo-sensei?! Why are you here?” Fushiguro asked in surprise, as he turned to look at what you assumed to be his teacher leading to the shadows around him to immediately disappear from sight.

“Gojo…” you muttered under your breath as you looked at the two male sorcerers right in front of you in horror as you came to the realisation on the situation you were facing.

‘Mother…..I’ve been found…..’

2K notes · View notes

yurimother · 4 years

Text

Interview: Shilin Huang, Creator of Amongst Us and Carciphona

Shilin Huang ( @okolnir )is a Canadian freelance artist and comic creator, known for her long-running series Carciphona. She has a Bachelor of Music in Performance from the University of Western Ontario. Carciphona is a long-form fantasy story set in a world where demon-magic is forbidden. The series follows a young sorceress named Veloce, and the mythical assassin assigned to kill her, Blackbird.

Shilin’s newest book, Amongst Us, based on the webcomic of the same name, is an alternate universe comic that reimagines Veloce and Blackbird as musicians and girlfriends in the modern world. You can support the physical release for Amongst Us book 1 on Kickstarter today.

The first book of Amongst Us is coming soon. How do you feel about the release?

Eager and relieved!! I had worked for so long to make the web format viable for print format, as well doing all the extra drawings that were necessary--like covers--that I had to keep under wraps, it felt great to know that that part is finally done and I can release my child into the wild. I was very worried too before the launch of the Kickstarter, because though I am the one who made this story, I am not quite a slice-of-life type of person myself, and it was hard for me to see value in this mundane, not-plot-driven kind of story as a printed book. But I was very lucky to have that worry dispelled!

What drew you towards creating comics and artwork? Was it a dream of yours?

I’ve been drawing since before elementary school because I enjoyed it, and somewhere along the way, I wanted to create my own characters, and then I wanted stories for them. It was always just me doing what I felt like doing, more so than something that I aspired towards achieving consciously. If I had to analyze the allure myself, maybe it was because people and the world are so interesting, I’ve always loved thinking about their nature and circumstances, and art/storytelling was the best way for me to explore and share those thoughts.

Could you briefly walk us through your creative process for making a page of Carciphona or an episode of Amongst Us?

Carciphona is a long, plot-driven story, and so the scale of preparation required before the page eclipses the actual drawing of the page itself. [A] small moment has some larger impact in the plot, character development, and accuracy of world-building. So I usually spend about half a year or more writing out an entire volume, read it over many times over the course of the years, before I do the same thing with sketching the entire volume on the computer, rearranging pages and panels and entire scenes for best delivery, before I finally commit to drawing out each page in detail on the computer.

Where Carciphona is like an elaborate set course where I chop up and measure ingredients and time their cooking with a careful game plan so everything can be served as they should, Amongst Us is more like an omelette that I’m making to taste. There is still planning and writing ahead of time, but each episode is much more self-contained, and I do more of the planning of the episode within the episode itself, adding and taking away details as I see fit before I feel like it reads naturally enough for me to fine line, colour, and paint.

You talk about being a self-taught artist, how did you learn to create artwork? What are some of your favorite educational resources?

While I did come across many tutorials, they were mostly short ones here and there made by my peers, so I don’t have any favourites in my mind that I can share ): . I learned by just looking at the art of my peers at the time and drawing a lot myself, thinking about what I could learn from each time I see something great, and what I could try next time to make the next drawing look better to me. When I had just started drawing digitally, the internet was quite new, drawing tablets expensive and uncommon, with no social media to share art or find resources. Over time, I did try to learn more properly by doing studies and seeking out professional tutorials, but I found that I hated it and decided that I’d rather learn and make mistakes at my own pace and be happy than to commit to effective and efficient learning and make myself dislike drawing.

Amongst Us is, of course, an Alternate Universe comic featuring characters from Carciphona. What inspired you to put your characters into a GL slice of life work?

Back in 2006, when I started drawing Carciphona, I had no plans of this frenemies dynamic for the two main characters, Blackbird and Veloce, and when the thought had occurred to me as I continue to tweak the story, canon GL relationships were still rare and rarely accepted. I was even told on many occasions by readers that they hope the two do not end up with some couples dynamic, or they will no longer be interested in the story. Ultimately, Carciphona was a fantasy story about an entire world, and I wasn’t going to risk the story’s reception over a small detail like whether or not Blackbird and Veloce sleep together, so I just played with the ideas of their relationship on the side, in paintings of many different AUs. Eventually, all that did was make me become so attached to the idea that I decided to say, screw it, I need someplace where they could be together, and I’m drawing an AU for real.

Where do you draw inspiration from for your work? Both Amongst Us and Carciphona.

I love a lot of things, feelings, aesthetics, and I eat up all of that and take it back out in the form of my stories. The inspiration is everywhere, from beautiful imagery I witness in pictures and in real life, to [the] lives of people that I hear about or experience firsthand, to the ethics and structures of professions from mechanics to medicine… In feelings, knowledge, and perspective, there’s an infinite amount of things that makes me think, and that thinking is what creates AU and Carciphona, whether or not that line of inspiration can be clearly drawn back to the root of the thought.

What are some of your biggest challenges or fears creating Amongst Us? Was there any realization or advice that helped you overcome those difficulties?

My biggest fear is always in relatability because it’s a difference between me and the reader that I do not and cannot have a solution for because it involves another person. In such a relatable genre as slice of life/comedy/romance, where the readers have more experience and therefore more varied but stronger expectations of a version of life that is relatable to them, I know that even if somehow I become a master writer, I still would not be able [to] say whether I could story that others would get or would be interested in, especially because I am aware I am an oddball when it comes to how I think, how I live, and what I value. What helped me the most was simply seeing that there were readers who did enjoy the stories for what it was, and reminding myself that I’m telling the stories to find those who might enjoy it, not to avoid those who might not. It’s a different perspective, rather than a solution, so the worry constantly resurfaces, but I hope it becomes easier over time as I am proven wrong more often!

Amongst Us readers have gotten to see Veloce and Blackbird as an established couple, and now we are witnessing flashbacks to how they first met. Where do you hope to take the series in the future?

I intend to tell both of these timelines concurrently, so as the couple timeline ended at episode 20, I intend to end the flashback at around episode 40, and then switch again at episode 60, and so on. While this kills the momentum for each arc, I made AU so that I can have the cake and eat it too--I want both their back story and a happy ending at the same time without having to wait 10-20 years for it, like I do with Carciphona’s plot haha!

What is one dream or aspiration you would like to accomplish? Even if it is unrealistic.

My only dream right now is just to finish both Carciphona and AU before my time’s up! Funny how unrealistic is specified, it made me realize that I rarely consider unrealistic dreams/aspirations as worth thinking about as they are unlikely to happen when there are so many other things I want to do that are actually possible. Most of my unrealistic dreams actually revolve around music, a profession I had left behind with an aching heart. I dream to play a concerto with an orchestra someday, or even learn to conduct, but for now, drawing my dreams out feels enjoyable and fulfilling enough a compromise!

What advice do you have for people wanting to create artwork and comics?

The true challenge these days I feel like is rarely in the work itself; there are so many readily available free resources that anyone who is capable of working hard and thinking critically will sooner or later be able to master skills they acquire to some degree. What is truly challenging is finding, and then accepting, what paths work for you. Someone might find great joy in working in a studio with a group on something big, while someone else might only enjoy drawing what they feel. Both, in this current climate, will be compelled to adhere to the standards of drawing what others want to see in order to gain recognition and financial stability, one will thrive, one will not.

I think the most important thing to keep in mind is understanding what you want out of drawing/creating, and why. Understanding yourself is often not as straight-forward as it may seem, everyone has different circumstances that subtly motivates them to sometimes misdirect energy and misinterpret what it is they truly want. Some people need to be understood, some people want an excuse to execute, and some people want fame, money, recognition, validation. Whatever it is, and all valid, understanding and accepting your own motivations to create can tremendously help you find the path forward that is suitable for you, not anyone else, even if it might mean following an impractical path that no one else recommends.

Finally, after the release of the first Amongst Us book, what is next for you? Anything special your fans can look forward to?

My game plan through the decades has always been to just keep going. I did choose long-form projects such as the comics that I draw, and the best thing I can do is to just keep it up and reach those exciting points of the story that I’ve always worked towards, no matter how uneventful that may make my work routine sound. However, I do have a little side thing with a(nother) recurring theme that I’ve been doing here and there for fun whenever I had time, people who keep up with my social media art posts may have noticed. If I ever accumulate enough material, maybe there will be some bonus snacks for my readers on the horizon!

Read Carciphona and Amongst Us online now and be sure to support the physical release on Amongst Us book 1 on Kickstarter today. Also, be sure to follow Shilin on Twitter @Okolnir.

#yuri #news #essay #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtq+#queer #gay #shilin #girls love #gl #wlw #essays #interview #art #artist #comics #indie #carciphona #amongst us

1K notes · View notes

aros001 · 3 years

Text

First time reading through the light novels. Vol. 1 random thoughts.

A while back I'd seen the first episode of the anime and...didn't take it well because of that one specific scene. I was interested in where Goblin Slayer and Priestess would go from there but I was worried about my ability to handle the rest of the series. So months later I asked this Reddit if you guys would recommend I continue and you were very supportive and encouraging. I watched the rest and really enjoyed it. I just recently wrapped up another light novel series (at least the books that were available in english) and figured why not give Goblin Slayer's LNs a try?

These are just some random thoughts I had while reading the first volume. I did the same with Rising of the Shield Hero and it was fun to do, with other fans pointing out things I might have missed and starting discussions about what happened each book.

Right off the bat, I think Goblin Slayer is one of the few series I've ever read that brings up weapons getting dulled and damaged by blood and fat (or even bringing up fat from a slain foe at all). Shield Hero had a little bit that early on but most stories just have weapons that are so high quality that the quality never dips.

Also, back in the anime I'd found it interesting that goblins could make poison when everything else about them seemed so crude. But in a general view "poison" is basically a harmful substance that you don't want in your body. That the goblins can make poison out of their own shit and some herbs actually makes sense and works with the idea that they have the mental capacity of cruel children.

The first kill we see Goblin Slayer make seems to say a lot about him. Pinning a goblin to the wall with his shield before stabbing a burning torch into its face. Efficient yet feeling almost vindictive.He kills it in the most painful way he possibly can at that moment.

The Priestess blocked the one goblin with her staff on instinct and kept it from getting away long enough for Goblin Slayer to throw his sword into the back of its head. I'm curious if that's why he let her accompany him through the rest of the cave or if he would have done the same regardless? If he didn't see her potential would he have ordered her to leave instead of asking what she was going to do?

Are the gods of Truth and Illusion meant to be literal gods or just figurative? Either way, I'm looking forward to hearing more about them and the Earth Mother, Dark Gods, and Supreme God. I like mythology and that includes the party's talk about where goblins come from. I like that they, and we the audience, don't yet have a for-fact answer. All the possible origins they share are from legends, folktales, and stories you tell children (with some racial bias thrown in between the elves and dwarves). It really helps the world feel more real and lived in.

Out of curiosity, do Slimes exist in the GS universe? They mention giant rats and goblins as the monsters a lot of beginners take on and slimes are a famous kind of newbie monster in other fantasy stories, so I'm curious if they have those as well (or if it's a Konosuba kind of case where slimes are NOT a monster beginners should be fighting).

Oh jeez, the anime really wasn't exaggerating with Cow Girl flopping over the windowsill. Why is that so funny to me?

“Yes. A group of rookies are in the southern woods. That one is a request from a village near the forest.”

“Beginners,” he murmured. “Who was in their party?”

“Let’s see...,” Guild Girl said. She licked her thumb and began paging through a sheaf of papers. “One warrior, one wizard, and one paladin. All Porcelain rank.”

...

The day after that, showing no hint of fatigue, he joined Priestess in venturing to the southern woods. Cow Girl heard later that the rookies never returned from the forest.

I might be misremembering or thinking of a different group but the rookies came back alive in the anime, didn't they?

A big thing that helped me get through the anime was the introduction of High Elf Archer, Dwarf Shaman, and Lizard Priest. They brought a lot of life both to the series and to Goblin Slayer himself. He's a man who really needs friends and something other than goblins in his life. What he does is important but spending too long in nothing but that darkness would eventually break anyone. In fact, nearly all the characters help bring some enjoyment to the story. I was afraid Spearman was just going to be another Motoyasu but he quickly proved himself to be, overall, a pretty good guy.

I also like that this novel gives more insight into the extra characters. Not just the humans like Guild Girl, Heavy Warrior, and the Hero (which was a very welcome surprise. I want to know more about her), but also some of the goblins as well, like that one guard of the old elf ruins. Even if they can't talk in a way humans can typically understand, it's cool (and a bit uncomfortable) having a direct show of how an individual goblin thinks.

While it's not as much as Priestess, I do really seem to have a soft spot for Guild Girl. Why she seems to like goblin Slayer is just really appealing for me. She likes him because he's different but not in the traditionally tropey way of "Oh, he's so different from the other guys". He takes the jobs that no one else wants to do, not to brag about it or hit on her, but simply because they need to be done, which means a lot less newbie adventurers have died or worse at the hands of goblins, something she's indirectly seen happen way too many times, even if it's a reality she has to live with. Completely unintentionally, he takes a lot of burden off her heart and mind. I can easily see how her respect and appreciation for him would eventually lead into feelings of affection.

Goblin Slayer = Beard-Cutter? I can understand to an extent Orcbolg and that both names come from a goblin killing sword, but do Dwarves refer to goblins as Beards? And if so, why? Or am I missing something here? This confused me in the anime too.

“I owe it all to you, sir!” Her gaze, her beautiful eyes, bored into him. He caught his breath. What should he say? There was a long pause.

“Not at all,” he finally squeaked out. “I didn’t do anything.”

“You did so much!” she responded with a grin. “You saved me when we first met.”

“But I couldn’t save your companions.”

“True, but...” Her face stiffened for a moment. She couldn’t quite finish her sentence—understandably.

Even he still remembered the awful scene all too clearly. Warrior, Wizard, Fighter, who had all lost everything. Her party had been trodden into the dust.

I really like this. It's be really easy to just make Goblin Slayer a complete hardass who's oblivious to everything and cold to the world (and to an extent he is). But he does still have emotions other than anger. He's at a loss by Priestess' gratitude and doesn't know what to say. He has regret that he couldn't save her old party. He's used to the sight of what happened but still finds it awful. He appreciates the elf, dwarf, and lizardman's help and isn't against partying with them again, even if he won't go out of his way to join them again. He feels truly helpless when he tells Cow Girl he can't defeat the Goblin Lord's army. As the story goes on I imagine it'll be explored how much he's doing what he does to keep the past from happening again vs. him just wanting revenge on all goblins. Which side rules him more?

But all things must end—often too soon.

The end to his idyll appeared in the form of repulsive black blotches on the dew-drenched morning pastures. Trailing mud and excrement across the fields, they were unmistakable: small footprints.

This is the one part I think the anime did a little better, if for no other reason than that we had a lot more times of Goblin Slayer checking for signs of goblins every morning. It was a great Chekhov's gun. It was something the audience knew had to come back into play later...but that you really, really did not want to because you knew what it'd mean. Every time he checked and didn't find anything was a relief but it left worry about the next time, building up that dread and anticipation, until finally we get that morning where he sees all the tracks.

At a table deep in the room, High Elf Archer made to stand, her face a furious red, but Dwarf Shaman and Lizard Priest stopped her. Witch sat on a bench, a slippery smile floating on her face. He glanced at the front desk to see Guild Girl vanishing into a back room in a panic. It occurred to him that he was looking for Priestess.

Awwwwwwwwwww! He does like having her around!

I think the main reason the story works, at least for me, is because it isn't just one of those "Life sucks. The world is dark. F**k you." types of "adult" literature. Yes, the world of GS does get very dark and messed up, but what gets you through it are these very likable and sunny characters who do care a lot about each other. At least with the content of this volume and what was covered by the anime, the draw isn't supposed to be how "edgy" the story can get but rather these characters trying to fight back against the darkness that exists in their world.

Original Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/GoblinSlayer/comments/fq3z9a/first_time_reading_through_the_light_novels_vol_1/

#goblin slayer #random thoughts #reddit repost

11 notes · View notes

sugarmaplewings-fics · 4 years

Text

Partners

Pairing: Bakugou x reader

Warnings: None

A/N:

Okay, so this one has a lot behind it. Technically, this is the first request I ever received (I’d say I got this one around late July?). It was 100% my intent to do all three characters, and it still is, but I got caught up in Bakugou’s and kind of konked on the other two. Also I realized how fricking long this was and thought it would be weird to have as a headcanon-y format.

I spent way too much time strategizing this (I remember literally laying in bed from like 2-4 AM rewatching episodes to get Bakugou’s fighting technique down and taking notes while also thinking about my new OC, who debuts here), but I honestly had the most fun writing this??? Like, I was high key using my brain for this and it was fun. Anyway, I hope it didn’t come out too cringey. If you want to talk to me about my OC, please please please come in my inbox, I am so happy to see you there!

I will finish this request! Sometime! When motivation re-strikes me! I’m about half-way done with Kirishima’s and I have a solid idea for Amajiki’s (different quirks).

I really hope you like this! This was new and experimental for me, and I’m pretty happy with how it turned out!

-Sugar

The class of 1-A stood in a small grouping, facing their teacher, All Might. They were preparing to begin their hero training for the day, anticipating for when the instructor would receive the go-ahead to begin class. Finally, All Might tapped a finger to the piece in his ear, a person on the other end offering confirmation that the grounds were ready.

"All right, young boys and girls," he said. "Today, we're doing some sparring practice in pairs. You will be graded on your tactic and skill."

He began to go over the general rules, which were the same as always; quirks are completely allowed, nothing dirty, he would interfere if he thought necessary. The objective was much like the sports festival where you needed to either immobilize your partner or push them out of bounds, yadda dadda da.

When he finally began listing off teams, you eagerly listened for your own last name to be read off his sheet.

"—Tokoyami and Shouji, (L/N) and Bakugou, Midoriya and—"

There it was! Your name! And a certain someone else's . . . .

Your eyes flicked around your assembled class, easily locating the blond spikes haphazardly sprouting from his head.

If it wasn't your sweet rival, Bakugou Katsuki.

The two of you were at the top of the class, constantly bumping heads on everything from test scores to hero training.

Oh, this is going to be good . . . .

You'd never fought one on one with quirks with each other before, and you already anticipated getting to know how your respective powers might clash. It wasn't as though the thought hadn't crossed your mind before—quite the opposite, in fact.

You felt considerably prepared for your mini battle with how much you'd watched him over the past months; learning his moves, how he thought, anything from what drove him forward to things that made him tick. You'd caught glimpses of Midoriya's hero notebook where he had information on all his classmates, and a part of you cockily doubted that you would even need something like that when it came to how well you knew your rival by now.

Nevertheless, you began to plot out strategies and stretch while you waited your turn, scenarios playing out in your head as you attempted to plan for any move he could try to pull against you.

Your quirk was called Panic. You could affect the fear response in someone's brain with high frequencies. Your signature attacks came from long, loud screams to make someone wet their pants, but you were also perfectly capable of making odd squeaky noises for a tasty sense of looming uneasiness in your opponent. You had learned some combat techniques, but for the most part you did better at long range; trying to immobilize the enemy enough to swoop in unexpected and secure them.

No one was wearing their hero costume, only in their gym uniforms. This would provide a slight disadvantage to you because you didn't have your directional speaker, but it wasn't the most necessary support item. You could function well enough without it.

Every now and then, you'd be knocked out of your meticulous scheming to watch some of your fellow classmates spar. There were a few pairs going at one time, but you were placed in one of the last sets, so you had the advantage of time to strategize. Eventually, however, you were called into one of the training rings, straightening and confidently adjusting your blue and white jacket.

You met Bakugou's fiery red eyes from across the way, teasingly waving at him and smirking. His gaze darted away from yours, stubbornly deciding to glue itself to the floor.

He wouldn't go easy on you. In fact, quite the contrary. You knew he'd give you everything he had and more, and you were more than prepared to do the same for him.

In a matter of minutes, your feet were planted in the loosely packed dirt of the training ring, several meters away from where Bakugou stood across from you, stretching out his arms. Your heart pounded in your chest as you waited for the signal to go, scraping the most important points you'd worked out earlier to the front of your brain.

After what felt like forever, the siren blared in your ears, causing you to tense, ready to begin your round with your explosive rival.

You shot towards him, wanting to get as close as possible. You expected he might try to stay away, keeping a distance so your quirk wouldn't affect him so much. Instead, he stood his ground, holding out his palms to you as you approached. Internally, you faltered, wondering what he was planning to do.

Nevertheless, you kept running forward, getting as close as you dared before drawing in a breath to scream and release your power. You noticed Bakugou flinch as sound began to leak from your throat, but he quickly fired off an explosion in your direction, drowning out the sound.

Of course! You internally smacked yourself. You relied on him being able to hear your screams in order for your quirk to affect him. He would have to use his explosions to drown out the sound.

Your mind began to spin, trying to formulate a new plan, when he began making an advance on you. Loud, crackling explosions danced off his hands, not horribly powerful, but boy, were they loud. You cringed at them, resisting the urge to cover your own ears to protect yourself from the noise. He kept coming closer, heat and smoke flickering over your face, causing you to take a step back, then another.

So that's his plan, you thought, taking another step in the direction of the boundary lines. He knows he can't really fight hand-to-hand, and there's no way either of us are going to admit defeat, so he's trying to push me out.

Your objective was to either knock him unconscious or chase him out of bounds, but this could be used to your favor if you timed it correctly.

Quirks are physical abilities too, you remembered hearing Midoriya say. Even Kacchan has his limits.

Push him to his limits. That's what you had to do.

You let him fire off blast after blast, keeping as far out of his reach as you could while leading him around the arena. He didn't have much choice but to keep going. If he stopped, you would be able to use your quirk on him, and you had a good chance of winning with one as powerful as yours. He simply had to keep a clear head and try to push you further towards the white boundary lines. Every now and then, he would lunge forward, trying to grab at you, and you would shriek at him, smirking as a moment of panic flashed across his face when the piercing noise slipped into his ears. This also served to make him all the angrier, lips curling into a snarl at your dominion over his emotions.

You made sure to keep your distance. You weren't wearing your hero costume, which would have helped in the sense that he wouldn't have been able to grab your mouth from under the directional speaker you wore over your mask, but you were grateful you didn't have to deal with his gauntlets.

You didn't like that he kept moving, and a small part of you was almost certain your fear and anxiety-inducing quirk would make his palms sweat even more, but there wasn't more you could pull against him. You just had to keep going until one of you exhausted yourself.

The smoke wasn't helping you. It scratched at your throat and stung your eyes. The scent of burning sugar filled the air, and you wondered how much more the both of you could take.

There it was, a wince from behind one of the black clouds, a falter in one of the fiery blasts. He was growing tired, but you knew from his expression of blank determination he wouldn't stop no matter what toll it took on his body. Anything for him to win, but you were the same way. Though he'd been focusing on the sound levels of his quirk rather than the force of each blow, it had still been taxing, and you knew that now was your chance.

The whole time, you'd been on the defensive, trying to save your voice and keep out of the way until this very moment, but now was the time of offense. You began to work the two of you over to the boundary lines, hoping to lull Bakugou into a false sense of security that he was getting you where he wanted.

Without warning, you leapt forward, going in to knock his feet from under him. If you got him on the ground, it would be easier for you to secure his hands and grab his head, which would ensure the win for you.

He snarled and leapt back. His reflexes were phenomenal, but in his moment of defense, he dropped from using his quirk. Bingo.

A deafening sliver of silence followed his motion, which you quickly filled with a piercing scream, one of the loudest you could muster.

His eyes widened and he stumbled, another explosion firing off as a flash of fear coursed through his body. You went for his feet again, and this time you wouldn't let up, pulsing high-pitched shriek after shriek to keep him on edge. He tried to keep on his toes, swinging at you almost blindly as you darted forward and dodged.

You'd learned that if you didn't do it enough, the fear and adrenaline of your enemy could work against you, heightening their senses and reflexes, and if you did it too much, your opponent might get used to your effect. Now, however, you knew to work quickly, forcing your influence into his head until he would struggle to think clearly, landing a good blow to his knees.

He crumpled forward, and you straddled yourself on top of him easily, taking his hands in one of yours behind his back and using the other to clutch at the base of his neck. You could feel his heart pounding underneath you, see his eyes rolling in his skull. The thought crossed your mind to pity him.

You loved your quirk, occasionally delighting in how easy it was to assert a certain amount of control over people. But you weren't a monster, and the idea of needlessly terrifying your classmates brought a curl to your lip in distaste. But this was your rival, Bakugou Katsuki. Maybe he deserved to be put in his place. Just a little.

You leaned forward and put your lips to his ear, letting out a final, high-frequency hum directly into his canal. You felt him seize up beneath you, hearing how his breathing changed as he tried to suck in breaths to calm himself. You wouldn't let up, however, and before long, you felt him go limp under your belly.

You stood after making sure he had slipped from consciousness, pride filling your chest. You'd done it. You'd won out over your rival.

You looked around and made eye contact with Cementoss, who had been monitoring your half of the fighting rings. He nodded at you approvingly and advanced to take Bakugou out of the ring.

You flounced back to the room where your classmates had been watching the sparring matches, allowing yourself to relish in the way everyone's eyes turned towards you.

"(L/N) shojo," All Might said. "Excellent job."

The silence of the class was cleared and everyone who was still in the room surged forward to congratulate you.

"You beat Bakugou!"

"That was amazing!"

"You really did it!"

Once everyone had settled, you excused yourself to go to the locker rooms.

On your way, you ran into Bakugou, who had since woken up from the little nap you'd forced him into.

"Oi, Bakugou," you said, the sound of your voice causing his blond head to whip around. You approached him and stuck out a hand. "Good match."

He glared at your hand and smacked it away. Why did his reaction kind of . . . hurt?

"Shut up!" he yelled. "Next time, you won't—you won't beat me so easily, mouse." He nearly choked when he had to admit that you had won against him.

"Still calling me a mouse?" you asked, tilting your head and smirking.

"You still squeak like one," he grumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Don't think I'm done with you. You might have won today, but don't get used to it."

"Oh, I think I just might," you said cockily, breezing past him to slip into the girls' locker room door.

Bakugou growled at your disappearing back. What the hell was wrong with you? More importantly, what the hell was wrong with him?

He gripped at the back of his neck where you'd grabbed him, shivering at the memory of the sensation of your lips to his ear.

He had to snap out of it. You were his enemy. The only place you should have in his mind were in thoughts of how to overcome you, how to pound you into the ground until he came out on top above you.

And yet you wouldn't leave his head, and he found his eyes chasing your form nearly every day he saw you.

Bakugou snarled to himself, snapping him out of these thoughts and pushing himself from the locker room entrances. He would find a way to beat you. He wouldn't stop until he figured out a way to do it.

He wouldn't rest until he sorted out these feelings too, whatever they were.

Bakugou's black boots clicked on the floor as he exited the building. This was only the beginning of your saga together, and the two of you refused to enter passively.

*✲ﾟ*｡⋆♡⁎*✲ﾟ*｡⋆♡

Taglist: @basicaegyo @iiminibattlehero @katsugay @nabo39 @pyrofanatic @sendhelpimstupid @sokkasangel @xoxopam4

196 notes · View notes

spencersawkward · 3 years

Text

switchblade faith // spencer reid - chapter 3

summary: one month after joining the BAU, Clea is still settling in. between solving murders and getting acclimated to DC, the only comfortable thing in her life is her friendship with Dr. Spencer Reid.

word count: 4k

content warnings: mention of rape and victim-blaming (talking about Clea's previous job in sex crimes— not her personal experience).

masterlist

this chapter is drawn from the season 1 episode 17 episode "A Real Rain," which is supposed to be in New York, but I didn't wanna write about New York so I changed it to Boston.

I drop a second sugar packet into my coffee before taking a tentative sip. my face twists in discomfort. previous to working here, I would bring my own thermos from home and it would last me all day, but I've had to up my caffeine intake to two or three cups.

"you get used to it." JJ walks over to me, steeping her tea. despite the fact that it's early, she's perfectly put together. her hair is tied up and her eyes are sparkling.

"how?" I laugh. she points to the coffee pot, which is fresh and yet somehow tastes slightly stale.

"when you've been up for twenty four hours, you won't care how it tastes."

I avert my widened eyes at this.

"you could do what Spence does and just add a bunch of sugars." she tilts her head towards Reid, who is rocking back in forth in his spinny chair with a huge volume open in front of him. he doesn't even notice us staring at him.

"ew, what?" I giggle. JJ nods.

"hey, Spence!" she calls across the office. his head pops up to frown at us.

"yes?"

"how many sugars do you use?"

"five. occasionally six." he says this without a hint of the shame it deserves. my eyebrows shoot up and I take another sip of the bitter drink, trying to ignore the taste. it coats my tongue.

"see?" she smirks. "just so you know, we have another case. meeting in five." she sashays away to the conference room, leaving me standing there with an overwhelming urge to sweeten my drink. I keep it at three and add a splash of creamer to drown out the bitterness, then walk briskly to my desk to grab a few of my things.

"we have a meeting, Reid." I say across the divider between our spaces. he holds up an index finger, slams the book shut, and grabs his things. I wait for him to get collected before we head up.

"what were you reading?" I ask, peeking at his workspace. books are lined up against the divider, loose papers scatter the surface, and there are three uncapped pens littered about. his disorganization surprises me.

"War and Peace." he replies, checking his watch.

it's not even nine am.

...

I'm staring out the window of the jet while Morgan and Prentiss battle out yet another card game with Reid. there's not much to see until we slice through clouds and fly over Boston, which is glittering in the early light. I sigh and turn back to my book, tucking my legs up beneath me.

"this is not how I planned to visit." Morgan notes, looks through his cards.

"I'm looking forward to seeing Boston." Spencer smiles softly. at this, all of us look up.

"you've never been?" Morgan asks doubtfully. Emily snorts.

"we've never had an unsub there." Reid doesn't seem to think this strange at all. Morgan and I share a glance before he speaks.

"Reid, it's an hour-and-a-half flight."

"I'll show you around if we have some time." Emily smiles reassuringly at the boy genius.

"it's an easy trip, man." Derek chuckles. Spencer isn't bothered by our teasing. instead, he draws another card from the deck and focuses on his game.

"I've never been either." I state. the team turns to me with surprised expressions, causing my cheeks to flush.

"you, too?" Morgan makes a face like I've disappointed him.

"I've been meaning to go." I shrug. "there's an exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts that I wanna see."

"what exhibition?" Spencer doesn't look up from his hand.

"uh, Titus Kaphar." I haven't had the opportunity to travel much, so a lot of the art I've seen has been from a computer screen or in class in college. it would be nice to actually get some experience seeing things face-to-face.

"Shifting the Gaze!" Spencer's face snaps up to beam at me, referencing the piece so vehemently that it makes me laugh.

"yeah, exactly."

"I went to his talk a couple years back."

"no way. really?" I shut my book and lean forward while he nods. Prentiss and Morgan are watching our conversation like a tennis match. while Reid rambles about all the things he heard at the lecture, I listen intently. it's good, because I don't really feel like talking right now; my head is pounding all over again, and this is distracting.

"do you ever go to the art museums in DC, then?" I ask once he's finished. Reid gets this crooked smile on his face like he wants to say a bunch of things, but is holding his tongue. his face is animated when he tells me about the other exhibits he's seen at the Smithsonian and apparently abandons his cards. Prentiss and Morgan have lost interest in our conversation; they start their own game and let us talk for the rest of the flight.

when we touch down, I immediately feel overwhelmed by the crush of people around us. our first crime scene is a taxi cab in Hyde Park, where the driver has been blindfolded, shot in the chest, and stabbed right through his ear. the blade, broken off from the handle, is lodged in his brain.

despite the fact that his kills are violent and seemingly random, the unsub definitely isn't disorganized. he carries his MO out the same way each time, which makes all of us question if we've missed a connection between victims.

"it's possible he's a sort of serial killer groupie." Spencer notes as he examines the inside of the cab, which is splattered with a mix of rainwater from the night before and blood. I shift where I'm standing to try to follow his line of sight.

"what do you mean?"

"Lawrence Bittaker and Roy Norris drove ice picks into their victims' heads and broke off the handle." he explains.

"well, if he's doing that, then he's presenting a mixed profile." I frown.

"exactly."

"mixed profile?" the police officer next to me asks.

"yeah. the fact that this guy is shooting his victims first suggests that he needs a quick and effective means of controlling the situation, which means that he probably doesn't think he can overpower them." I say.

"he could have a physical problem-- or maybe he's just not confident because he's small." Reid is still examining the taxi for any further evidence, but it seems sort of pointless.

"plus, he's organized and hunts at night. that tells us he most likely has a steady job."

"so," the cop stares between us with a perplexed expression. "we're looking for a small, angry white guy with a day job?"

the sarcasm in his voice makes me smile a little.

"I know it doesn't narrow down a lot right now, but we know that this guy isn't blitz attacking his victims. it's more of an execution."

the officer nods at this and my phone buzzes in my pocket. I turn to Reid.

"we gotta go."

Spencer nods curtly, straightens, and starts to immediately walk back to the car. I shake my head at his behavior, then follow after.

...

we get called to visit a new crime scene in the morning, this time in a church. Hotch holds the door open for me and I walk in to see a body laid out in front of the pews. an older woman sits towards the back, comforted by a nun.

"how'd they find him?" Prentiss asks the police chief as she leads us to the victim.

"night janitor." she nods to a man being questioned by cops in the corner.

"did he see anything?" I ask her.

"no, but he remembered a parishioner who was here earlier," we walk past the older woman. she stares at us expectantly as the chief talks. "so there could be a potential witness."

we stop at the body of a priest, his eyes covered and a blade lodged in his skull, unsurprisingly. Emily and I stare down at him, realizing the same thing.

"first public killing." she notes as she bends down to examine his wounds. "he's getting bolder."

"the presentation is just as important as the kill." I join her on the ground, snapping my gloves tighter on my hands and turning his head to the side to get a better look at the blade. semi-dried blood coats the tied fabric around his eyes.

"I'm gonna go talk to that woman." Emily leaves. the crime scene agent crouches down on the ground across from me, and I bite my lip before making a strange request.

"would you mind... sliding that thing out of his ear?"

the agent blinks at me in disbelief, probably not wanting to pry a knife out of someone's head, but nods and does so carefully. I squint down at the wound. then I realize something.

"Reid?" my voice carries across the room. Spencer is talking to an officer when he hears me and walks over.

"this doesn't look like a normal blade, but I don't know what it is." I point at the now half-buried weapon. it sits unpleasantly out, the blood catching warm light. Spencer gets down next to the crime scene agent and examines it more closely.

"this is flint." he says slowly, turning to me with a concerned expression.

"like the stone?"

"flint is the symbol for protection and retribution in Egyptian mythology. with hieroglyphics, they used to display dangerous animals like scorpions and snakes being cut with flint knives in order to render them powerless."

"oh." is all I can manage while I process what he's saying. Spencer waits for me to say something else, but instead I bend my head down to pull back the silk tie.

"there's no way that using flint is a coincidence." I reason. the blood is all on the inside of the tie as well, which gives me pause. Reid recognizes this a second later, his eyes lifting to mine. they look almost brown in the candlelight, flecks of gold sparkling in them while his mind whirs endlessly.

"I'm gonna call Garcia to see if any of the victims have been charged with a crime." he tells me.

"good idea." we both stand, the crime scene agent scurrying off to do something else. I head back over to Emily and hope that we're right about this. flint is too specific of a weapon for it not to be intentional, right?

...

we deliver the profile by the end of the work day, our unsub a serial vigilante with a personal edge to all of his killings. my body is slightly shaky from downing cups of coffee without any actual food, so the promise of eating out after we finish makes my stomach eager.

we go to a Chinese restaurant by the station and keep talking about the case, despite having promised ourselves not to do so. I sit between Prentiss and Reid while I dig into my dumplings. I like listening to them swap theories and past cases, how they weave together all their stories.

"you forgot to add something to the profile earlier today, Aaron." Rossi says as he piles more noodles onto his plate. our attention immediately focuses on the Italian.

"what did he forget?" Prentiss has a ghost of a smile on her face. I've noticed that she tends to speak like she's on the inside of a joke that other people don't understand. the intonation of her words feels like a secret.

"I didn't mention the possibility of our unsub being a cop." Hotch takes a sip of his ice water. there's a moment where we all reflect on this information before Morgan breaks the silence.

"I mean, they do know the system."

"they could easily take matters into their own hands, given what they see every day." Prentiss adds. I nod.

"when someone like our victim is killed, police refer to it as a public-service murder." Reid struggles to get the noodles onto his chopsticks, which I notice but don't say anything about. he tries again, the food slipping back onto his plate. Morgan notices this shortcoming of Spencer's and I see that he's about to start teasing him, so I change the subject.

"I saw a lot of rapists walk when I was in sex crimes," I put down my dumpling while I talk. Hotch watches me intently. I haven't spoken much about my previous job with anyone on the team, especially not him. in fact, he barely knows anything about me. "a lot of the victims didn't feel safe pressing charges, or the juries said they were asking for it. it's enough to make you wanna explode."

"it's a long way from feeling like that and actually committing a murder, though, don't you think?" Emily asks.

"not really." I turn my gaze back to my plate and start to feel nauseous. there's a clinking of plates and silverware as we continue in silence. Emily nudges my arm gently with hers and offers me a supportive smile.

I hear Spencer next to me, getting the attention of a passing waiter.

"excuse me," he says in a low tone. "can I get a fork, perhaps?"

Morgan snickers as the waiter takes off to get the utensil. at this point, there's a palpable tension as we wait to see who makes fun of Reid first. he drops his chopsticks into his bowl with a defeated clatter and Derek gently pushes his knuckles against Spencer's cheekbone.

"having some trouble, kid?" he asks. Spencer smacks his hand away.

"don't be mean." I giggle, reaching onto my wrist to grab a hair tie. "here, try this." I wrap the thing around the end of Spencer's chopsticks so that they're easier to use, handing them back to him.

Spencer tries again and it works-- if not somewhat clumsily. he gives me a little appreciative smile and I smile back before returning to my food, listening to the stories that Rossi doles out. he even pays for dinner despite our half-hearted protests.

the entertainment for the evening is pretty nice, but when I've stuffed myself with Chinese food, Emily leans over to me.

"do you wanna go to that museum you were talking about earlier?" she whispers. I peek at my phone to check the time.

"I doubt we'd have much time before they close, but yeah, definitely." excitement bubbles up in my stomach as I realize I might actually get to poke around for a while. Prentiss throws her napkin on the table abruptly.

"Clea and I are going to the Museum of Fine Arts. anyone wanna join?"

I look around to gauge some reactions.

"I'm interested." Morgan nods.

"I've already been several times." Rossi takes a sip of his drink as he politely declines. Hotch shakes his head.

"I have some paperwork I need to finish."

"again?" Prentiss complains.

"I'll go." Spencer sits up straighter as he looks at his brunette friend, folding his napkin neatly on his plate. my eyebrows raise a little, although I'm not surprised that he'd be interested in visiting any museum. we stand and get ready to go; Hotch warns us to be ready to go at seven in the morning tomorrow. a little weight is lifted off my chest as I realize that there will be some reprieve during this case, and then we're wandering out into the evening air.

we ate dinner sort of early, so the sky is still slightly aglow with a bruised shade, preparing to sink into its favorite darkness. after finding the route to the museum, we hop on the train.

Boston is lovely in the kind of way that aches of neat corners and airy lights. stores crammed with antiques and novelty products line the sidewalks, people wander about as they take in a pleasant night. somehow disjointed and cohesive all at once.

whatever bit of conversation we had on the way dissipates into breathlessness once we get inside the enormous entryway. it's cavernous, extravagant, gorgeous. we flip through brochures advertising different exhibits. Emily raves about Impressionism and decides that that must be our first stop, so we head off with the rest of the museum stragglers who have decided to feed themselves with art until they're forced to leave.

my head is constantly spinning to admire something else in the enormous white rooms. it's a bit overwhelming at some points, what with the gargantuan canvases that greet me at every turn. but it's impressive, too, and I find myself hungrily reading all the small plaques. I venture out of the Impressionism vein and into Korean art, my feet carrying me away from Morgan and Prentiss. Spencer broke off a while ago; to where, I have no idea.

I check out vases and pottery, sculptures, renderings of historical events. images from the crime scenes fill my head intrusively. there's no use in trying to shut them out; they've been in my dreams for a while now, the kind that wake me up in a cold sweat. I haven't told anyone about them— I'm sure others get them, too— and I don't want to seem like I can't handle it. every time I close my eyes, I begin to feel the pressure of a knife against my temple.

"a lot of these are from private collections."

the voice causes me to jump, my skin erupting in goosebumps as Spencer stands beside me. he holds his bag against his side and follows my line of sight to the 18th-century bookshelf screen.

"that's interesting." I reply. what else is there to say to that?

"really makes you think about what other art pieces won't ever be seen by the public." he turns and starts walking onto the next work, seemingly done with this conversation. my brow furrows while I watch him go, his posture miserable as a result of his skinny build. he's quite tall.

"what do you mean?" my voice comes out quiet, but it carries in the otherwise empty exhibit. Reid turns around and stops in his place, allows me to catch up briefly. we start to read another plaque by a silver basin.

"you could have a Cézanne just rotting in your attic and it would never be examined by the right scholars." he shrugs.

"I really doubt there's anything nearing that value in my attic." I laugh.

"you ever seen 'Antiques Roadshow'?" he asks non-sarcastically. I balk.

"sure."

"you never know." he's not a man of many words, apparently. I get his message regardless and we continue to walk, him setting out facts for me in neat rows, simple and easily taken in. he's definitely a know-it-all, but not in the way that makes me want to escape his presence. it's sort of comforting, having someone around who just understands everything. his absolute lack of social graces makes him easy to be around, too; I don't need to force conversation because he doesn't care.

we wind up in the mummy section, where the walls tingle with an energy that could only be described as magical.

"spooky." I nod to the domineering sarcophagus lid of Kheperra. a spotlight illuminates all of its intricacies and I make a beeline for it. Spencer trails behind me and we fall into silence as we peer at the exquisite details. it's intimidating, for sure, hulking and made of carved black stone. "you feel that?" I whisper to Spencer, who is enthralled in the image.

the way the spotlight spills over onto him is interesting; it emphasizes the shadow below his jaw and the delicate quality of his bone structure, his cheekbone prominent at the place where his ear meets his face. his lashes are long and lovely, his Adam's apple poking out of a slender throat. he turns to me with a curious expression.

"feel what?"

"the energy change," I smile. "from the ancient dead bodies."

"it's probably just the dark lighting and the media associations you have with mummies." but his eyes begin flitting about the room in a slightly panicked manner. I feel a smirk tug at my lips as I step closer to him.

"are you scared?"

"no," he scoffs and makes a face like I've made the world's most absurd accusation. "why would I be scared?"

"because we're all alone in here..." I use a lower tone to freak him out a little. "who's to stop them from coming out and... snatching us?" when my hand snakes around behind him to pinch his arm, he jumps.

"what the--" he catches sight of the devilish grin on my face. "don't do that!"

"sorry, Einstein." I laugh and turn in the other direction, him following me to the next piece. Spencer doesn't seem to have more thoughts to give on the exhibition, probably still a little creeped out. part of me begins to feel guilty for startling him, even though he constantly does that to me. his footfalls are weirdly soft.

I wonder what Spencer is like outside of work. what he does when he gets back to his apartment. how could someone like him entertain themselves? maybe he just reads books until his eyes glaze over. he definitely doesn't go out often, but maybe he has other nerdy friends. I hope he does. there's something in his eyes that's too viscous for me to grasp, something swimming and pocketed. I'd like to understand it, although that doesn't seem like a great idea to pursue. he barely gives his closest friends information about his life.

we end up at opposite ends of the room, him still examining an entombed husband and wife couple while I check out a canonic jar. the silence in this room is tangible. I wasn't lying when I felt an energy shift— it's like gold and clay and it smells like cracked cinnamon.

I'm trying to get a better look at the detailing when I feel a cold hand wrap around my forearm, easily encircling it. I jolt.

Spencer stands behind me with a playful smile, like he's quite pleased with himself.

"Reid!" I yank my arm away from his long fingers and see him let out that rare laugh. it's pleasant and fills the room with a warmer light as I rub my arm where his fingers held me. I'm surprised he was willing to touch me at all; it's pretty obvious that he's got a problem with germs, which is understandable.

"who's scared now?" he tries to defend himself with his palms when I reach out to gently smack his shoulder.

"you know, I was starting to feel bad for you." I laugh. he smiles brightly and keeps walking into the next room. I realize that the way we move is like two weighted ends of a string. he drifts out on his own, I follow, and vice versa.

I appreciate that he's beginning to loosen up around me, so much so that he smiles at a joke I make in the English Regency section. we walk quickly to absorb as much as we can before the museum closes, but we still don't get through all of it. Spencer isn't much of a conversationalist, and he doesn't really need to be. he listens to me talk, I listen to his erudite observations, smiling when he uses certain terms that sound like they're from someone much older.

by the time a curator tells us we have to go, we've completely lost Prentiss and Morgan and end up meeting back at the entrance. it's pitch black outside; Boston is still bustling, except my legs are tired and I'm ready to crash in bed. we have another packed day tomorrow.

#spencer reid #matthew gray gubler #dr. reid #criminal minds #mgg #fanfic #fanfiction #wattpad #friends to lovers #BAU #slow burn

50 notes · View notes

godsofhumanity · 3 years

Text

ATHENA COMPLEX (WEBTOON) | REVIEW

aight so i’m sure a lot of people have heard about this comic available on webtoon.. i think it’s getting popular again because it’s just come back after being on break for like 3 years lol,, anyways @greekschist recommended this webtoon to me, and now that i’ve finished season 1, i’m here to share my two cents about it :D

OVERVIEW: Suffering from heartbreak after being rejected by Poseidon, goddess of wisdom, Athena, becomes human to seek revenge... but as a high school boy. There she plots to befriend Poseidon’s reincarnation, Adrian, who doesn’t have the slightest clue about the world of the gods. But will her sweet vengeance be thwarted by other opposing forces, or will her own one-sided love hinder her plans?

RATING: 4/10. it’s a little bit weird,, plenty of creative license used in here. if you like cheesy “rom-com” with a dash of heartbreak and trauma, then this is probably the comic for you <3

AVAILABLE ON: webtoon

spoilers undercut!

THINGS I LIKED:

- character designs!!!!!!! i didn’t like everything, but Poseidon’s design was really awesome.. the blue and gold palette worked wonderfully for him. i also like Metis’, Iolo’s, and Ares’ designs ^-^

- cliffhangers. i think something this webtoon does really well is leaving cliffhangers.. little bits of information are very slowly revealed, but without just giving it to the reader in one go.. i think this helps draw the reader in.

- the art. the opening panels that appear to look like gold, resembling depictions of mythology commonly observed on ancient greek pottery are done so well!!! really breathtaking to see.

- fighting scene are also done marvellously,, even if at times i felt the plot was a little wishy-washy, i continued to read just to see the fighting panels because they’re so gorgeous to look at <3

- interesting take on the original mythology. i really like the idea that Gaia curses all the gods because she’s sick of their fighting and can’t take it anymore. i also liked the way the idea of Athena being the prophesised child was dealt with- it’s something i think about a lot, like, what if Athena actually did have a brother who took over from Zeus.. it’s interesting to think about.

- relating to the previous point, i think it’s a cool idea that perhaps the prophecy will still come true- even though Athena is a girl, and the prophecy tells of a male child, Athena goes around parading as a boy on Earth, so in a sense, the prophecy is still being fulfilled, and that’s pretty clever to me.

- Ares!!!!!!!!!!! i know he’s meant to be a piece of shit, but i really like his character arc,, and i mostly continued to read season 1 because i wanted to know what was happening with Dogres.

- the way that no character seems to be painted in black and white- there is no “absoluteness” in this story- no one’s right and no one’s wrong, there’s just perspectives and experiences. i think it’s easy in mythology to just point fingers, but this webtoon avoids doing that, and i really liked that even the worst of the bullies still have sides that might appeal to the audience.

- Adrian being aware of his water blessing.. manifesting Poseidon’s horse and completely bashing those two hunters of Artemis were probably my favourite scenes.. the art for the action scene is done sooo well

- Ares debut panel where he emerges in a tornado of fire,,, we get it Ares

- Apollo healing Shawn. finally some good fucking news

THINGS THAT I DIDN’T LIKE:

- Athena’s whole motivation. it seemed to me from chapter one itself that Poseidon has only ever approached Athena from a fatherly, or brotherly perspective. it’s fine to feel admiration for people, especially older people, who have become father-like figures,, but the way she’s thrown such a massive temper tantrum just because he said that he didn’t return her love in the way she wanted it... idk... seems awfully spoiled of her (and i’m glad Poseidon said no).

- - the way that Poseidon looks so godly, and then Zeus looks like blonde nagito komaeda.... i am NOT a fan.

- adding to the previous- Apollo’s design.. people in the webtoon comments were like “apollo senpai notice me” but he looks so average,,,, idk,, i just don’t get it..

- Nike... she’s kind of annoying,,, and she keeps on changing her mind about what she thinks is good for Athena and idk,, probably the top character that gets on my nerves

- the whole plot where Athena was like “oh sibyl i’m actually only talking to adrian because i like you~”... it felt unnecessary and also weird,, especially the episode where she comes home and nike is like “what’s wrong?” and iolo tells her that “Athena has never taken advantage of a human before”... why start now, Athena?????????

- Athena’s muscular design,,, literally NONE of the other titans are depicted with as much muscle as she is so i just don’t quite understand where it came from?? also Poseidon saying “oh i don’t see you as a woman because you wear armour all the time” but like?????? what????? i know that’s the whole point, but i just... hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

- Athena not even changing her name when she pretends to be human... why would you not just make it like “Athens” or “Athenian”...

- those two huntresses in the last few episodes of season 1 acting all “badass” and hunting down Adrian,, when in fact they were actually just bullies,, using magic on a literal child who has no idea wtf is going on...

- Artemis and Apollo being so cold to each other

- i hate the way Athena seems to be the only one who “cares” for humanity and even then,, she obviously doesn’t care enough because she’s plotting to absolutely demolish a small human child solely because he just happens to be Poseidon’s incarnation (through no fault of his own)

- i mean,,, how is it that there is NO ONE else who even moderately cares for humanity??? is this not a portrayal of the gods of humanity?

#anyways yeah that's my take #i'm probably not gonna read S2.. but yeah interesting.#athena complex #review #queuetzalcoatl

33 notes · View notes

xlovelybeanx · 4 years

Text

✭ This show has completely wrecked my mental game up - so you know what I have to say to that?

...

✭Let’s write cute fan fiction about it in hopes that it’ll cure the sadness right out! (I doubt it..I have been crying over it for the past few months.)

✭Spoilers ahead! If you have not seen past episode 9, please do not read. If you still wanna read, that’s completely fine <3!

✭Also this is my first time writing something like this! I hope you guys like it.

——————————————————————————

Title: “Smile, my sunshine.”

Ship: AshEiji

Summary: Ash’s mind had been torn apart from that night - the night where he had to do such a disgraceful thing to his best friend - and has been restless ever since. Luckily, Eiji knows the right way to keep him happy.

WARNING: This is a tickle fic! There are mentions of death, and grief. Please be mindful when reading! Also, art doesn’t belong to me. (I wish I could draw like that.)

——————————————————————————

“Oi, Ash.”

Eiji pounded on his door once more, his tone growing frustrated with every time he had to come back and pound on this stupid door. The frown on his face was clear to see from miles away and his eyes were narrowed so low that he was afraid that he might end up breaking the door with how intense he was staring at it.

There would be no need for him to feel this way if somebody - Ash Lynx - would actually get up and go on with his day. Of course, if Eiji was in that situation, he wouldn’t want to get out of bed either - but Ash couldn’t act like the world was ending. He had to live on because life was ... just worth living.

And because somebody made breakfast, Eiji thought angrily to himself before grabbing the knob and twisting it harshly. Walking into the younger male’s room, everything looked ... almost perfect. Bed was made, curtains were semi-open, and the rest of his stuff was laying in a neat pile - just the way Eiji liked it.

But that lead the question - where was Ash?

Eiji almost went to call out his name, but stopped as he heard the soft trickle of water coming from the shower. Slowly making his way to the sound, he opened the door to find a sleep deprived child sitting in the tub with only his black underwear on. ... the elder’s eyes almost filled with pity. Walking over, the black haired boy tried to figure out what’s going on.

“Ash, talk to me.. did you get any sleep last night?” he asked, petting the top of his head softly. The blonde shook his head, a blank stare still stuck on his face.

“I couldn’t,” he admitted, wiping his eyes with a force that was even surprising to him. “...I c-couldn’t.. think about anything but him, Eiji...” the younger broke down in sobs, covering his face with his hands, feeling the soft patter of water on the back of his hands. It somehow seemed to comfort him, if only a little.

It would make sense that he didn’t get over Shorter’s death that quickly. But to think, for a guy to be almost broken over something he watches everyday - it tugged at the black haired boy’s heartstrings in a way that nothing has ever done before.

“...you should’ve just talked to me,” Eiji mumbled into his ear, closing his eyes as he rested his head on his shoulder. “I’m here for that reason, you know.” Ash looked up, his jade green eyes filled with an indescribable pain.

“I know..” he said, wiping the last of his tears on his wrist. The other nudged Ash’s arm and pointed toward the door. “...why don’t we cuddle so you can fall asleep?” He immediately shook his head. He looked as if he was going to die if he fell asleep - hence him sitting in the tub and hoping that it kept him awake.

“I’m not leaving you in the tub.” He crossed his arms, standing back up. The other leaned against the wall, blinking a couple of times to force himself to stay awake. Ash immediately looked up at him - there was a bright aura coming from him, as if he was the embodiment of sunshine itself. The other exhaled quickly, standing up with shaky legs. “..woah! Woah, careful now,” Eiji said, grabbing on to Ash’s arms when it seemed like he was going to fall.

“...I’m okay,” he said as he wrapped an arm around him. “Sit down,” Eiji ordered him as he sat on a seat they keep in their room. The younger obliged, reluctantly, watching as he got a towel from the bathroom and started drying his hair.

“...you’re depressed about ..it, aren’t you?”

The question caught Ash by surprise.

“...of course I am. .. he’s always been my best friend - I don’t think I’d be who I am without him. ...but when I saw you getting attacked by him, I knew I couldn’t just.. sit there and do nothing. I-It was so hard to pull the trigger. ..I almost couldn’t do it..” before he had realized it, the gang leader had been throwing out his feelings to the boy who stuck by him the entire time. “...I know I didn’t know Shorter that well,” Eiji started, finishing with his hair and moving down to his body. “...but I could tell how much he meant to you. Probably much more than me,” he said jokingly, hoping to brighten the mood. The blonde’s expression hadn’t changed from the sad frown he had on since he shot Shorter.

... what could I do to make him laugh, Eiji thought as he continued drying. Then he hit across something - something spectacular - and if it was true, well, maybe he would be able to get Ash out of this depressive situation that held him hostage.

“Ash~?”

“Eiji,” he mumbled, trying to be snarky and failing.

“Can I do something?”

“...sure, go ahead,” the blonde yawned as he stretched upwards, his whole body arching into the best stretch he’s ever had. This is when he took the time to seize his opportunity.

Eiji’s fingers travelled directly to his ribs, soft and delicate not to hurt him but to drive him wild with laughter instead. The reaction was instantaneous; Ash let out an unmanly squeak while one arm shot down to protect himself, the other to cover his mouth.

“...ohohokay, mind explaining that noise, Ash?” Eiji couldn’t keep himself from laughing like an idiot - the gang leader’s face was entirely red and he shook it, unable to say anything at the moment.

“Playing the strong, silent type, eh? Lucky for you, I win tickle fights with my sister all the time so I’m prepared. But the real question is, are you?” From Ash being so weak from not sleeping all night, he was actually quite surprised when the elder picked him up to the best of his ability and threw him on the bed, sitting on his waist with a snarky grin on his face.

“Ash, say, do you think you can smile? Just for me?”

“...please don’t,” Ash mumbled, his eyes closed and his whole face bright red - he didn’t want to know what came next.

“Don’t what?”

“Tickle me!”

Eiji’s grin only widened as the boy fell right into his trap. This is exactly where he wanted him to be - and he was playing right into it, too.

“Tickle you? Well, why didn’t you just say so?”

And so 10 fingers descended on the blonde’s poor ribs, ever so gently scraping across each and every singular rib.

“..h-hey! Waihihihit-! Stahahahap that-! N-No!” Hysterical giggles poured out of the blonde’s mouth. Eiji was so surprised by his squeaky laughter that he almost just stopped tickling him to begin with - ...he found it honestly quite cute. The way his head was thrown back, the bright red blush on his face.. it was so cute.

“...oh? What’s wrong? Does it tickle? How badly? On a scale from 1-10?” The teasing tone dripped with every word he said, and it didn’t stop there. “..broken already? My little sister can handle more than you. Beaten by a girl? Seriously? That’s pretty frustrating isn’t it?”

And it made it 100 times worse.

“CUHUHUT IHIHIHIT OHOHOUT! EIHIHIJI! F-FUHUHUCK! STAHAHAP!” The blonde was now squirming profusely, shutting his eyes tightly as tears pricked on the corners. Oh god, what had he found himself into it? Him? Tickled to death by the weakest, most kind, most gullible person he knows? That’s just unfair at that point.

“..hmm, I wonder what happens here.” Eiji quickly stuck his hands underneath of his arms, expecting a small reaction. The reaction he got was anything but small.

Ash shrieked, his hands collapsing on his most sensitive spot and trapping his friend’s hands there. Eiji’s eyes widened in surprise, smirking along with his friend who was basically getting tortured in front of him. “Ah, Ash, ...I can’t do anything when you trap my hands like that, you know. You have to get them out.” He said, wiggling his fingers faster.

“YOHOHOHOHO BIHIHIHITCH! FUHUHUHUHUHUCK!! STAHAHAHAHAHAP!! PLEHEHEHEHEHEASE!”

“...hmm, let’s see, are you happy yet?”

“YEHEHEHEHES! FOHOHOR GOHOHOHODS SAHAHAHAKE, YEHEHES!”

“... and are you gonna come straight to bed so you get enough sleep?”

“I CAHAHAHANT- I HAHAHAHAVE A JOHOHOHOB!”

Eiji dug his fingers into his friend’s underarms, furrowing his eyebrows. Ash jerked, throwing his head back once more as his whole body shook with ticklish agony.

“I said... ‘are you gonna come straight to bed so you can get enough sleep?’”

“FIHIHIHIHINE! WHAHAHAHATEHEHVER! NOHOHOW PLEHEHEHEASE STOHOHOHOP!”

And just like he said, the other stopped with no hesitation, leaving a bright red teary-eyed man laying there, gasping for breath. “...w-whahat.. the hell, Eiji..” he mumbled, covering his face.

“Your laugh is quite cute,” Eiji said softly into his ear. “...Don’t expect me to forget about this~!” The other laid down on the bed, pulling the blonde to his chest as he pet the back of his head, watching him melt into his touches as if he were some sort of animal.

“..can I ask you a selfish favor, Eiji?” Ash whispered, burying his face within his chest. The other nodded, smiling softly.

“...stay.. by my side. Please.”

“You don’t have to worry- even if the world turns it’s back on you, I’ll stay by your side. Forever.” Ash slowly closed his eyes, drifting into a peaceful sleep as he felt satisfied with the answer he got. Eiji leaned down and gave him a kiss on his forehead - something he’ll forget when he wakes up but something Eiji will treasure forever.

“.... always smile, my sunshine.”

——————————————————————————

Hope you enjoyed this! I’ll be doing more in the future when I get more confident. .. thank you for reading! <3.

#tickle community #anime #anime tickling #banana fish #lee!ash #ler!eiji #thesetwoaresocuteohmygod #first post

66 notes · View notes

jamie-leah · 4 years

Text

War of Wolves (9)

Season 1

Episode 9 - Practice Makes Perfect

Bucky x Reader

Summary: You have been on the streets for the past two years, ever since your accident that left you with the ability to tell if someone is lying. You work as an informant for the white wolf and his mob but you had never met him…until you overhear a phone call that leads you to saving his life. Now he wants you to work for him. Its an offer you couldn’t refuse…right?

Word Count: 2491

Warnings: NSFW 18+ SMUT, Violence, Death, Swearing

A/N: Another part lovelies. There is still so much to come, I hope you’re all enjoying and still sticking with it. Tags are still OPEN. I have had a few life changes recently so I am a little slow but the parts are coming :) Enjoy Lovelies!

<---Previous Episode Next Episode--->

War of Wolves Masterlist Series Masterlist Oneshot Masterlist

The next day Bucky had taken off because of the party. You had enjoyed a lazy morning together, but it was soon abandoned as Bucky had asked you a favour.

This favour is what led you to be standing in the gym with Bucky right now. You were putting your hair up already in gym clothes when you ask, “tell me why you want me to do this again?”.

You hand Bucky a hair tie as well and he answers while he puts his hair up, “because it’ll give me peace of mind to some extent that you can look after yourself until I get there at least. I hope you never have to use this stuff, but its important”.

You nod as you both walk over to the mat. You face each other as Bucky says, “I’ll show you a few basic moves and techniques and we’ll practice them”. Bucky starts straightaway, showing you the right techniques to punch and kick and where.

You practice a couple of moves until Bucky is satisfied with your progress. You feel a little flush and sweaty but notice that Bucky looks normal. Once you’ve finished that, Bucky hands you a bottle of water.

After the break he shows you how to use a handgun. He makes you go through cleaning and loading and aiming until you can do it quick enough for his liking.

He ends the training session on the treadmill. As he walks over to them you cross your arms, “you want me to do more?”.

He gives you a half smile, “I just want to see how well and far you can run”.

You roll your eyes and drag your feet as you make your way over to the treadmill next to him. He notices your reluctance with a smirk, “do this one last thing for me and then we can go take a shower”.

You look up at him with a small smile and a raised eyebrow, “James Buchanan Barnes, you sure know how to motivate a girl”.

He openly laughs as the sound echoes around the room, making you smile. Bucky starts the treadmills up and sets the pace. Running was one of the things you were good at, a skill set you had acquired on the streets.

Even though your breathing was heavier than Bucky’s you managed to keep up with him and the pace he set. Once he said you were done for the day you praised the lord. You drank some water and got your breath back.

Just as Bucky was putting his water down, you jump on his back. His arms automatically grab your thighs as they sit around his waist. Your arms come around his neck and you whisper, your lips brushing the shell of his ear, “I think someone promised me a shower”.

You feel his hands tighten around your thighs at the thought, but he decides to tease you instead, “I don’t remember promising a shower…”

You leave small kisses behind his ear and along his neck, “are you sure?”.

You think you hear him make a small groan, but he keeps up the teasing, “I’m pretty sure, yeah”.

You slide from his back and move away from him, walking backwards so you can still face him, “okay, well I’ll go take one by myself then”. You proceed to take your top off, leaving you in shorts and a training bra.

You watch his eyes darken as he comes a bit closer. He chuckles, “I was only messing around, let’s go take a shower”.

You continue to move backwards out of his reach, “no. You said you didn’t want to. You can’t go back now”. You can’t completely hide the smile playing on your lips.

He nods looking defeated, but then he moves as quick as lightning. You yell not expecting it but just enough out of reach to avoid his grasp. You turn and go to run, but Bucky had closed the gap too much and his flesh arm catches you around the waist.

He lifts you up and brings you to his chest as he buries his face into the crook of your neck. You’re laughing uncontrollably as he starts carrying you to the door, “you can’t run from me Doll. I’ll always catch you”.

You hear the smile in his voice as you try and get your laughing under control. Bucky makes it to the stairs still holding you up by your waist when you hear Sam call, “Buck! You’ve got a call, you need to take this”.

Bucky sets you down and turns you around. Before you can say anything, his lips are on yours. Your mouth opens willingly, eager for his tongue to mix with yours. When he pulls back he whispers against your lips, “how about you go run a bath instead? I’ll join you as soon as I can”.

You start walking up the stairs, calling behind you, “don’t keep me waiting, James”.

The use of his real name causes a groan to escape his lips. You hear him walking towards Sam’s voice, “let’s make this quick Sam. It was meant to be my day off”.

You make your way into Bucky’s room and into the bathroom. You go over to the huge bathtub and start to run the bath. You sit on the edge checking the temperature every now and then. You grab the bubble bath liquid and pour it in, shaking your hand in the water to get the bubbles going.

Once the water is high enough, steam rising, you turn the water off. You leave the bathroom and go over to the side of the bed you’ve been sleeping on. You start to take your jewellery off and then your clothes.

That’s when Bucky enters the room. He takes one look at you stripping and does the same. Once you’re both naked he takes your hand and leads you into the bathroom. He gets into the bath first. Once standing in the tub, he helps you in.

He sinks down first and brings you down on top of him. Your legs are either side of his in the hot water as you face him. He looks up at you in an expression that can only be described as adoration, “you’re so beautiful. I’ll never know what I did to deserve you”.

You give him a soft smile as you bring your lips down gently on his. His lips ask for more as his hands travel from your waist and up your back, bring you closer to his body.

As the kiss deepens you feel him harden underneath you. His lips start to wander from yours down your neck and chest, until they find your breast. His tongue circles your nipple before his lips enclose around it. He sucks softly drawing a moan from your lips.

As he continues to suck your nipples you reach a hand into the water between you and wrap your fingers around his cock. You jerk it up and down slowly and you feel him groan against your nipple.

You don’t wait long before lining him up and sinking down on his cock. He lets go of your nipple to gasp. You place your hands on his shoulders as you ride him slowly. He watches you riding him for a while, soft moans falling from both of your lips mixing with the steam in the air.

He pulls you closer to his body as you continue the slow roll of your hips. He brings your lips to his again in a lazy kiss. During the kiss you feel his metal hand find your clit. You gasp into his mouth as he plays with it, causing your orgasm to build faster.

You pick the pace up slightly, but Bucky carries on playing with your clit. It doesn’t take much longer for your walls to clench around his cock. As you spasm around him you feel his cum coat the inside of your pussy.

Once you both come down, Bucky picks you up gently and twists you. He places you between his legs as you lean your back against his chest. Your head rests just under his chin and he kisses the top of your head as his arms come around you.

You stay quiet for a while as you both soak in the warm water. You eventually speak softly in the steamy room, “who called you?”.

Bucky murmurs, “a new buyer. We’re having our first deal tomorrow night. Because its our first deal, I’d like you to come and let me know if something’s wrong. If anyone is lying”.

You nod gently against him, “of course”. He kisses the side of your head again and you stay like that until the water runs cold.

The next night everyone was a little tense. It was a first-time sale, and anything could happen. You were in the car sitting at the back with Steve. Sam was driving while Bucky was in the passenger seat going over the plan again, “okay, hopefully this will go without a hitch, but in case it doesn’t, Steve you cover Y/N and me and Sam will cover each other”.

Everyone nods as he carries on, “Y/N, remember to cough if you hear a lie and stay close to Steve”. You nod as you feel the car slowing down. Its so dark outside, but you make out that you’re pulling into a park.

Its half open fields and half forests. With the headlights on you can see picnic tables and a few cars already waiting for you next to them. Sam parks facing them but a little bit away. The cars behind us following suit.

You watch Bucky, Steve and Sam share a look and you seem to miss the meaning, “what’s wrong?”.

Steve looks at you, “there’s more men here than we were anticipating”.

You all start getting out of the car, a sick feeling beginning to brew in your stomach. You stay close to Steve’s side as Bucky and Sam walk first, then you behind, Bucky’s other men bringing up the rear.

Both parties meet in the middle of the vehicle’s headlights. Bucky and the new buyer converse for a few minutes and you listen closely for any lies but detect none.

You then watch as Bucky motions two of his men forward. They bring two duffle bags to the new buyer and open them up to reveal blocks of white powder. You see the smile spread across the buyers face as he motions his own men to take the bags from them to put in their car.

He then motions a different man forward that brings a large bag forward. He hands it to the buyer who then smiles at Bucky and hands him the bag. As Bucky opens it up to reveal cash, the buyer says, “it’s all there”.

The lie is hard to miss as you cough lightly. You watch Bucky closely and see his posture go rigid as Steve gives you a side look. Bucky’s movements remain casual though as he asks two men forward to count the money into their own bag.

As the counting continues you watch the buyer become more and more restless. As it comes to the end of the money, the buyer draws a gun. Bucky holds his hand up to stop everyone from drawing their own guns.

Your heart thuds painfully in your chest as you see the gun pointed at Bucky. Steve subtly steps in front of you, blocking you from being hit by anything. Bucky starts to talk to the buyer, but halfway through he strikes like a snake. The gun falls to the floor as Bucky punches the guy.

Then all hell breaks loose. Bucky’s men start fighting the others, but there’s an imbalance. Bucky and Sam are doing fine, but the other men aren’t as skilled, and they need Steve to fight as well. Steve turns to you, “go take cover by one of our cars”.

You nod as you turn and dart to the cars. You skip the first one and go to the second car and try to open it, but it’s locked. You go to the third and find that its open. You open the back door to get in but feel someone grab your upper arms hard to pull you out.

You let him pull you out and then twist with your fist raised like Bucky taught you yesterday and you catch him in the face. He swears, and you realise that it’s the buyer that managed to slip away in the chaos.

You go to run the other way, but he grabs you by your hair causing you to cry out in pain. He brings you back into him by your hair as he brings his arm up to your neck, cool metal pressed to your throat.

That’s when you look up to realise the fight had already been won by Bucky. The buyer was the last one standing. Bucky and Steve point a gun at the buyer and that’s when you realise he’s using you as a human shield.

You lock eyes with Bucky and the murderous rage you see in them sends shivers down your spine. Bucky’s voice shouts across the park, threatening undertones evident, “I’ll give you one chance to let her go”.

You feel the guy shake his head behind you, “I’ll let her go a few miles from here. Once I’m away from you”. You hear the lie in his voice but can’t cough in fear of the steel pressed at your throat.

You knew they wouldn’t get a shot if you somehow didn’t get out of the way. You go through the pressure and attack points that Bucky was teaching you yesterday and then decide to just go for it.

The guy starts to talk to Bucky again, about the price being too high for the coke, but you don’t listen. You wait until you think he’s distracted enough and then you bring your boot down onto his foot.

His grip loosens enough for you to dart to the side, a split second later a single shot goes off, followed by a thud. You turn in the direction of Bucky and see him taking huge strides towards you. You feel the adrenaline start to leave you and your legs feel too shaky to move.

Bucky makes it to you in a few seconds, both hands covering both cheeks as his eyes search yours. You murmur to him, “I’m okay, I’m okay”. Once he’s convinced he brings you into his chest for a tight hug, his hand covers the back of your head.

When he pulls back, he has a small smile, “you were listening to me yesterday then”.

You laugh despite what just went down and he pulls you in for another hug before steering you towards the car.

WoW Taglist: @a-really-bi-girl @scuzmunkie @loving-life-my-way @crazyblonde124 @summerwelsh @pequenaguaxinim @paranoid-borderline-insane @lilsonbucky @somanyfandomsblog @broco8 @inquisitor-selvala @k-n-e @ranting-introvert @rinkashirikitateku @duhh-danielly @boundtomyfate @kalesrebellion @booktease21 @whatinthyworld

150 notes · View notes

talesofafangirlwithadvr · 3 years

Text

March 2021 Picks!

Okay, this is pretty shocking. I am actually starting this review with two weeks of March left! However, you will notice that I haven’t watched a ton of stuff this month. Instead I’ve been reading more for my program. I have continued with some favorites though, and even finished some series.

Here come the spoilers....

NANCY DREW

I HAVE to start off talking about the CW’s Nancy Drew because I am LOVING IT this season. Wednesday’s cannot come fast enough (as you have probably seen on this page already). I am SO obsessed that I have actually started re-watching season 1 again (got it as a X-mas present, but available with HBO Max). It’s just SO GOOD! Obviously, I remember how that mystery concludes, but there’s things I’m noticing that I didn’t the first go round and even a few things I forgot. Some of those episodes feel like a lifetime ago because it was a pre-Covid world. Watching this show just makes me so happy. There’s great writing, plot, and THIS CAST! They are AMAZING. It is rare that I can say I like an entire show’s cast. That’s how you know you have a hit. I love the pairs. George and Nick are such a good match and make so much sense. I know they are not canon in the original series, but this show is its own thing and I think the choices they made with George and Nick’s characters are great. I just want George to be alright. She’s been through so much already. I also LOVE the potential of Nancy and Ace and I seriously think we’re headed there with the show. So many breadcrumbs and I am loving them all. I often re-watch a lot of the episodes instantly to make sure I have found them all. (See my page lydia-yougowith-stiles for more gushing on that.) Now we just need Bess back with Lisbeth and everything would be golden.

WANDAVISION

I LOVED the ride that was Wandavision. I have never watched anything like it and I don’t think I ever will get that same experience again. It was so tough to wait for a new episode every Friday and it’s crazy that we haven’t had a new one for two weeks because it’s over. (Haven’t started Falcon and the Winter Soldier yet, but plan to.) I can definitely see myself re-watching the series as a whole in the very near future. I loved all the speculation and fan theories out there after each episode was released. I know some people are upset that they decided not to include some stuff, but I was okay with it. I feel there’s so much potential and we’d love to see it all, but there’s also the hope we can see more of it with Wanda’s character in the future. For an Avenger who was underrepresented in the MCU she FINALLY has the recognition of being one of the strongest people out there. I cannot wait to see where she is headed in Dr. Strange Multiverse of Madness. I feel this is not the end of “Vision” and the boys either. I seriously loved their family and the scene (which I chose the above picture from) was one of my favorite moments of them. We got to see them fight as a family, which made it even heartbreaking later.

SUPERMAN AND LOIS

From one super family to the next, I have been pleasantly surprised with how much I have enjoyed the CW’s latest additional to the Arrowverse: Superman and Lois. While I am feeling the burnout of the CW’s superhero shows, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel specifically for Superman and Lois. The trailer didn’t draw me in, but I decided to still record and watch the pilot. I am very happy that I did. I love the tone of the show and the decision to show an older Clark and Lois raising their twin sons. (Even though I am continually feeling like Tyler Hoechlin is far too young to have 14 year old twins. He’s 33, so that “would” have made him 19, but it still feels like they try to make him look older as Clark.) As a lover of Smallville (which was my first real experience with superheroes), I love being back in the small, farm town and seeing Clark at his roots. Lois is great and very Lois like in her wanting to take down Morgan Edge. The couple has great chemistry and they feel like a family with the boys. I liked the twist (even though I felt it coming) that Jordan has powers and Jonathan is “just” athletic. While I liked that this was a way for Jordan to bond with his dad, I am hopeful that Jonathan will get something later down the line. If not then I hope he becomes more like the Stiles and stays human but can be apart of the team in another way. I don’t want him to go evil or anything because of his lack of powers. I really enjoy his character and how supportive he is for his brother.

BLOWN AWAY SEASON 2

The second season of Blown Away came to Netflix at the perfect time. I was missing this show after watching the first season in the later half of 2020. Glass blowing is something I knew nothing about, but was drawn in by the trailer of this competition show. It was so mesmerizing and satisfying to watch (although, I would never try it myself). With the season being so short, I was ecstatic to discover the show got renewed for a second season. This latest season was just as fantastic and we tried to drag out watching the episodes as long as we could to make it last even longer. Seriously, check this show out if you love interesting competition shows that you’ve never seen before. You’ll be wanting to book a trip to visit the Corning Glass Museum in NY.

VIOLETTA

Well, your girl did it! After three seasons of 80 episodes a piece, I FINISHED Disney Channel South America’s telenovela VIOLETTA. What a fun ride it’s been. From eagerly awaiting the next season to be released on Disney Plus, to adding the songs to my phone. I feel like my Spanish improved, but I’m sure once the subtitles are removed I’ll be hopeless. This was such a fun time with some out of this world stories, but they were so entertaining. While there were times I wanted certain plots wrapped up, I understood why they were dragged out because of the length of the show. Season three as a whole wasn’t my favorite. While the beginning was very strong, the middle was rough and I found myself taking a lot of pauses. (I really felt I needed to finish when my sister-who started long after me-finished the show and I was still on like episode 50.) Despite, all of this, it did pick up in the last 20 episodes and I just wanted to marathon through because it was so good. Once I was finished I felt so accomplished and a bit sad. I want to continue watching South American Disney shows available on Disney Plus, but due to the long commitment I think it will be some time before I do. Plus, right now I would definitely compare it to Violetta a lot because I just finished it and it was my first experience.

15 notes · View notes

factual-fantasy · 4 years

Text

20 MORE asks?? :DD Thanks you guys!!

Bash Buggy would put the entire popsicle in his mouth, bite down and try to pull the popsicle stick out. Usually it works and he would start freaking out because its too cold, he would then try to chew it really fast and swallow it. Just resulting in his mouth being even colder.

He does this every single time despite it usually being an unpleasant experience.

Same here. I was hesitant to draw it at first but eventually gave in. I’m so glad I did XD.

Well, its going better than last time at least. Although people have stopped voting..

Two characters have made it to 5 votes, and most others stand at 3 or 4 votes. I think those are as many votes I’m going to get unfortunately so I’m just going to have to work with what I have.. votes are still open though! :}

Thank you very much!! ♡♡♡ I’m a little better today.

I am self taught, and have been drawing for as long as I can remember. Some of my oldest memories are drawing related. So about 10+ years or so? I know, its a little embarrassing that I’ve only come so far in 10 years. Although I suppose for most of those years I was very young and didn’t know what I was doing sooo...

Anyway, I got some helpful tips from a very talented relative and went to a class that taught me stuff I had already taught myself, but that’s about it. Everything else was stuff I learned myself. :}

No I haven’t heard of him, but now I have and I’m addicted XD

I have 17 Decepticon OCs so far and 1 Autobot that have yet to be drawn.

I haven’t drawn any of the Cons character reference sheets yet, but I hope to someday. The closest I got to drawing a proper picture of one of them was this drawing with Big Blue.

(Big Blue looks like this in alt mode btw 👇)

*You throw a doughnut into the puddle*

*The doughnut disappeared*

*You throw the love into the puddle*

*The love disappeared*

*You hear a pleased hum from the puddle*

You mean these guys? Man.. its been a hot minute since I’ve thought about them.

Well, hmm.. I’m not sure what I can talk about.. Maybe I can refresh you on the general story?

Okay so, the two kids Nokah and Aneal lived on a little island together with their mom and dad. Sometime when they were very little, their mom passed away from some kind of illness. Later on, their dad was killed in a raid where slave traders came in and took all the villagers they could and killed those that stood in their way. Their dad being one of them.

They stuck together thankfully and were brought from place to place until they were eventually sold and were on a ship that was going to take them to their new owners.

While they were sailing, a pirate ship showed up and began to raid the slave ship.

Captain Arthur, the red parrot guy, found these two kids below deck and rescued them. The kids were fed, cleaned and clothed. After they settled, they told the prates their story. The pirates discussed the situation and decided that they cant just keep the kids, they have to bring them to their own kind where they can have a long and prosperous life. Because the life of a pirate is no life for a child.

So off they go, to an island pretty darn far away to take these kids to an orphanage that is populated with with species similar to theirs.

By the time they got there, the kids and the crew got attached to each other. But Arthur pushed on, wanted to do what was best for the children. This part of the story is foggy, but something broke the camels back for Arthur. He couldn’t bare to part with the kids for one reason or another and brought them back to his ship, officially making them pirates and valued crew members.

There’s more to the other characters that I have built.. Like how Arthurs ship belonged to his mother and he grew up on it. Him moms ship is one of 3 very beautiful and rare ships that were way past their time when it came to architecture and technology.

After his mother died, his ship was stolen and sold away to some hawk guy or something. Solomon, the blue parrot, was one of his employees and was put in charge of the ship. Arthur started working for the hawk guy and was eventually promoted to one of the cleaning crew guys who was supposed to clean his moms ship. No one knew the ship rightfully belonged to Arthur.

He gained Solomon's trust and kissed the ground he walked on to make him let his guard down. Solomon wasn’t supposed to leave the ship under anyone else’s watch, but he did. He was lazy and told Arthur to watch the ship for that night. Arthur could be trusted with the ship couldn’t he? Of course he can be trusted. What’s the worst that could happen?

The next day Arthur and his mothers ship were gone without a trace. Solomon’s reputation was ruined and he got a real harsh talking to about how stupid it was of him to let the ship fall in someone else’s hands.

Don’t feel bad for Solomon, he’s a really nasty and narcissistic character, he deserved that. Anyway, Arthur got away with his mother’s ship finally and chose to become a pirate to protect it. He slowly built a crew of people that he considered family and has been sailing the world ever since.

Him and his crew are always on the move, his ship is very desired so its raided very often. And Arthur is pretty sure that Solomon is still out there somewhere.. looking for him. So because of these factors, Arthur ever doesn’t leave his ship. Despite how bad that is physically and mentally for a bird.

His crew will go to an uninhabited island and just take a break for a few days on the beach. But Arthur?.. I mean, he might fly around for a bit or go for a walk on the sand, but ultimately he’ll just stay on deck where he can monitor his ship.

There’s other things too, like how Solomon catches up to them with a small fleet of ships and stuff like that.. buuuut I feel like I’m rambling a bit too much..

I’m very glad you remembered my OCs and were interested enough to ask about them. Feel free to ask any more questions about them if there’s anything else you want to know! ♡മ◡മ♡

Hug??

Also thank you, I’m very glad you love it! (♡´౪`♡)

Thank you! :} My top favorite cartoon shows, 1 being top and 5 being bottom are..

Gravity Falls

Transformers Prime

Spongebob

Octonauts

Beetle Baily

Don’t judge, I know they’re all mostly kids shows... I would’ve added The Three Stooges in Transformers Prime’s place, but that’s not a cartoon..

ALL OF THE THANK YOU’S!!!

I’m so flattered that you think I’m a wonderful artist! I really do try to make things look nice, and I’m glad you see that. :}

When it comes to dedication, I surprised myself with how long I’ve stuck with these characters so far, usually I’d loose passion by now. :o Same with the designs too! I have no idea how I was able to make them. But I’m glad you like them none the less. ,,●ᴗ●,,

When it comes to patience? I guess I just.. I don’t know, XD Normally I don’t have much of it. I guess the real life connection I have to the real cars helps out my patience when it comes to drawing them..? None the less, I’m glad that you noticed!

I know drawing machinery and drawing it consistently can be very hard. I suppose you just need to have a reference on hand and try your best to mimic it.

And yeah, clearly I am very sensitive, but don’t worry about your comment! I took it as a compliment. :} Other people seem to think that I’m a kind and sensible person who deserves happiness, so it must be true! X3

Anyway, thank you for all the lovely compliments and the good luck wish with my job, I’m probably going to need it. I appreciate all that you’ve said and am very flattered! ♡ඩᴗඩ♡

I have heard of the movie and how great it is, but I have not seen it yet. :/ I plan to though! It looks very pretty. :}

Well, a long time ago sometime after the show had been completed, I stumbled into the fandom. I ended up really liking Ford as a character to the point I was convinced to watch the show. And of course, I got addicted XD

When it comes to my favorite episodes? Hmm.. I really like Carpet Diem, and Headhunters. Although I’m sure there are more that I like. :}

Thank you. Honestly my first day was 100% fine, I just got emotional for no reason afterwards and cried a lot. I blame the 2 hours of sleep.

When it comes to my very first OC? It would be impossible to tell.. I have been drawing for a very long time and my memory simply doesn’t go back that far.

So.. I cant show you my first one for sure.. however.. quite a while back, I redrew some really old OCs I found. So these guys are SUPER old. I can show you them at least. :}

Yikes, I had no idea what I was doing back then did I?

When it comes to most attached to, that is always changing so I cant say for sure.

I actually am small enough that I can probably fit in a regular refrigerator freezer, but thank you for offering a different sized one. :}

Also, if the contents of my head are liquid now, wouldn’t making me cold or freezing me be bad?

I have only watched Transformers: Prime and the Bayverse movies. I haven't finished Transformers: Prime yet though, I keep forgetting to..

I considered watching other adaptions once I was finished with Prime, but none of the art styles quite appeal to me..

*You place the bucket and mop on the floor beside the puddle*

*The puddle moves away from the bucket and mop*

*You hear a muffled “I’m good, thanks.” beneath the puddle.*

(Referring to an older ask)

Also thank you, I’m very glad I finally got one. :}

#my response #transformer ocs #my ocs

35 notes · View notes

yurimother · 5 years

Text

Top Yuri Anime Poll Results

Whether it is subtext or explicit, cute or sexy, school love or gay action thrillers I love yuri anime. These series either focus on or contain elements of female same-sex relationships. Pride month is the perfect time to look back and reflect on the best of this genre. I teamed up with OG Man of The Yuri Nation (yurination[dot] wordpress[dot] com/) and together we put out a poll asking what you thought the top yuri anime series were and over 1000 of you responded submitting almost 5000 different entries. We spent hours combing through the data, analyzing and commenting on the results and we would like to share our thoughts with all of you. Enjoy the reflections of me the yuri critic and OG the dedicated yuri fan!

These are the Top 20 Yuri Anime as voted by you

1. Bloom Into You - 692 Votes

OG: Be it East or West the YagaKimi took the world by storm. Citrus and BiY once again taking the top two spots remains unsurprising.There is something undeniably fascinating about our leading ladies consisting of an asexual slowly coming to love her senpai back but restraining herself for various reasons. The biggest one being said senpai having a deep case of self-loathing and a fear of romantic reciprocation, also for various reasons. She is like “I love you but please do not love me back”. Then there is one of the most popular “cursed” lesbians of all time in Sayaka, the fantastic adult side-couple (The world needs an anime starring lesbian adults/mothers) and the various other characters who have their own interesting tales to tell. The series absolutely deserves a spot in the Top 10 though it would not be in my personal Top 3. Oh and as Yurimother said the presentation was fantastic.Visually stunning from start to finish in my opinion. Special mention goes to the criminally underused first-person “camera”. So cool.

YuriMother: I agree with this series deserving a spot in the top ten even if not the number one slot. For me, it was good but not great. Moments such as the aforementioned adult couple as well as stellar art and a phenomenal score made this series enjoyable but they were not enough to overshine the problems of the narrative. For the love of the Yuri Goddess, this series is crying out for asexual representation but insists on carrying on with its confused romance. Enough complaining though, many people love Bloom Into You despite its faults and I agree. The characters are interesting and lovable and it manages to tell a yuri story more real and complex than the typical fluffy girl meets girl narratives.

2. Citrus - 452 Votes

YuriMother: The presence of Citrus and Bloom Into You prove two things to me, the importance of recency, as both anime aired only last year, and the sheer popularity of these series. Both had established and extremely successful manga runs which were adapted into English by the publishing masters of yuri, Seven Seas. Citrus is a contentious series, to say the least, as it includes elements of (non-blood related) incest and non-consensual actions as part of Mei and Yuzu’s “relationship.” However, if you possess the magical power to turn off the part of your brain screaming at you that those aspects are deeply problematic or if you seek a different interpretation then Citrus can be downright WONDERFUL. I actually loved this anime series for its characters, amazing animation, and salaciousness. As OG said, it is an operatic concussion of emotion (seriously everyone in the series needs therapy) but my is it fun to watch. The Citrus anime also holds a special place in my heart, as the first serious piece I ever wrote was a review for it over on Okazu (nice plug)! Citrus is certainly not for everyone but those that stuck with it and overlooked some of the problems ended up loving it.

OG: Here we are again with Citrus at #2. My thoughts on the series remains the same as in the previous two lists I discussed (the Akiba Research and goo Ranking Japan lists), overrated. Good soap opera/telenovela-esque series but my feelings on the cast are mixed (which I imagine was the writer’s intent). My main issue has always been the obstacles repeatedly challenging Yuzu and Mei’s feelings for each other instead of it focusing on “Hey. We like each other but our parents got married. What do we do? Can we keep our desires for each other in check?”. Instead it is one newcomer after another who want to eat either Yuzu or Mei and Yuzu repeatedly asking herself if she really wants robo-stepsister patties? I will give the anime adaptation credit. The story was easier to enjoy animated than drawn. It also helped that I grew up in a telenovela loving family. The characters’ actions, reactions and emotions were depicted better in the anime. I still consider the show’s greatest accomplishment being the humanization of Mei-Tron. In the manga it took a post-epilogue continuation to show readers “Hey everyone. Mei-Tron was human all along.” whereas in the anime I sensed the small bit of humanity quicker than in the manga where I continued seeing her as a block of wood with a brain up to the point where I dropped it. Harumin though is the greatest regardless of anime or manga adaptation. Bless her. Regardless of how I feel about the series I get its massive popularity. After all, were the rest of the story to get an animated continuation I would gladly pick it up...Not the manga though.

3. Sakura Trick - 342 Votes

OG: There are fans who understandably would disagree with Sakura Trick’s praise but I will always defend it and the anime as one of the very best in the genre. First off it aired at a time where animated on-screen close up kisses (specifically consensual ones) between ladies were rare. Haruka X Yuu’s relationship was believable for the most part. Even their season finale resolution, them not getting what being “in love” meant at the time, made sense though I get why it left some scratching their heads. Probably not the best “manga lure/bait” end I suppose. On the bright side Kotone X Shizuku’s story definitely did not have the two doubting their true feelings for each other. I do hope Kaede X Yuzu eventually hooked up in the manga as they too had potential to be a lovely couple.

YuriMother: Sakura Trick has no real narrative, no great insight, and offers little intellectually. As a teacher, it makes me furious, as a fan of yuri, elated. The anime is beloved for its plentiful soft service, presenting a plethora of kisses, cuddles, and awkward thigh shots (ew). However, it was one of the first anime to include this much explicit yuri service without being pornographic. All the characters were cute and fun, even if there was little in the way of development or complexity, it worked for the series. If you want something to make you think or to learn about yuri, pass over this one. But, if you want a cute and meaningless anime definitely watch it.

4. Yuru Yuri - 337 Votes

YuriMother: OG may not be a fan of Yuru Yuri but I certainly am, which is fairly obvious to anyone who observes that a solid 20% of my communications occur in the form of gifs from this series. It is hilarious, cute, and playful. Just like Sakura Trick, this anime is an easy watch with ultimately little substance. However, the part of me that is not rolling of the floor laughing every time I watch Yuru Yuri lives in a state of pained existence with the knowledge that this work of all things ended up being so popular when people are telling interesting stories about queer women and people in actual relationship that manage to still be funny and adorable while having something to say.

OG: The undisputed most mainstream friendly yuri series there is. It is also one of the funniest. My one gripe is that excluding a select few the main draw of the show besides the comedy and yuri is the ship wars, meaning (almost any girl can be shipped with each other). Not a fan of that but hey, it brought Namori the big bucks so who am I to judge? In any case not much else to add. It deserves all the adulation it gets but the free for all shipping irks me. Reminds me of how they botched Chika X Riko in the Love Live! Sunshine!! Anime. If you were going down the Riko X Yohane route from the start then why give us Chika X Riko in the first half? Ship wars yo. Tch. Hopefully I properly explained myself..

5. Kase-san and Morning Glories (Asagao to Kase-san) - 289 Votes

OG: Still wish this got a 12-13 episode anime. The glorious movie showed how much it deserves one. Whether it will happen or not remains to be seen. In any case the beauty of Kase-san X Yamada is how simple their romance is. No strings attached whatsoever. It is as straightforward as a self-proclaimed “ordinary” cutie, Yamada, having a crush on the super cool school beauty Kase-san. Said beauty is revealed to be just as “adorkable” as Yamada. The other highlight is their story not ending once they officially started dating (as is the case with many romance stories) but that being only the beginning, like real life. From then on, side-stories aside, the two biggest challenges for the two is Yamada accepting that it is okay for someone as “ordinary” as her to be the “cool babe”s girlfriend and Kase-san finding different ways to express her love/hunger for the cutie. As for the OVA, cramming the second part of the first series in an hour definitely had the downside of excluding some important moments, yes, but it at least covered some of the best moments in the manga. The first half of the story was summarized in a five-minute music video. One last thing. The animation, though a bit too brought for some, was glorious. It also had some long pauses which were effective (The bus stop scene being the most infamous) but while I did not mind them at all even I will admit some pauses went a bit too long. A small nitpick all things considered. Fingers crossed one day we either get that 12-13 episode anime for the first series, the sequel or both. That is one of my dreams.

YuriMother: At last, an anime that I do not have to react cynically to! Kase-san is one of the single greatest works of yuri animation to ever to be created and its glory is rivaled only by the manga from which it originated. Despite being only a one hour long OVA this adaption told such an engaging and realistic (finally) story of romance and personal growth. We get to skip the meatless girl meets girls arcs and get into the depth and complexity as Yamada and Kase work to further their relationship. They struggle with the fact that they are two different people who want different things out of life and love and have to actually work on their partnership. Kase-san also includes signs of physical affection and love that are never lewd, immature, or gross, I do not even think I could refer to them as “service”. However, for me, Kase-san’s greatest victory (both the anime and manga) is in its escape from school romance, which in this genre is often a shelter from reality, allowing for women to be in relationships without actually being queer. Kase and Yamada instead make an effort to continue their romance and build a life that includes their relationship once they graduate in a triumphant final act. This anime is a slap in the face to the class S stories and sloppily sexualized works which proliferate the yuri genre. Asagao to Kase-san shines as a holy beacon for the greatness that this genre can achieve.

6. Puella Magi Madoka Magica - 286 Votes

YuriMother: Hurray!! For two entries in a row, I get to talk about series that I wholeheartedly adore without having to constantly attach caveats. Puella Magi Madoka Magica is not considered by all to be yuri, and that is certainly not what it is best known for. PMMM is however famous for twisting the tropes of the magical girl genre and creating one of the most cohesive and thoughtful narratives ever put to screen. This series summoned a new era for the magical girl genre (what OG humorously referred to as the “Moepocalypse”) but no other title managed to top Madoka Magica’s runaway success. Every aspect of this work is highly polished including character designs, a phenomenal soundtrack, and superb writing. This is not only the definitive work of its genre but of all postmodern anime. Whether or not one is a fan of yuri every anime fan should give Madoka Magica a watch.

OG: Meduka Meguca. Its impact in the “Moepocalypse” (Shows where cute and sexy girls consistently suffering physically and emotionally. These are usually dark magical girl shows.) genre and legacy are undeniable. It deserves all the praise it gets. It scarred many unfortunate souls, Homura is a legend in yuridom, Kyouko X Sayaka are glorious (Especially in Rebellion), Meduka’s Mom Junko is a Top Tier Sexy Mama, Charlotte the Witch is a very strange girlfriend and of course Hitomi is a walking anti-fun meme. The animation, especially the creepy doodle like monsters known as Witches are memorable. However, it is not my favorite Moepocalypse show. That honor goes to Yuki Yuna is a Hero.

7. Strawberry Panic - 224 Votes

OG: Like it or not Strawberry Panic is a yuri classic. I have a strong feeling that like many readers around my age (31 during this writing) this was their first 100% yuri anime. The cheese is real but it is the yummy kind of cheese and I loved almost every minute of it, except Amane X Hikari. That was the weakest of the love stories going on. Poor Yaya trying too hard (Not saying this in condescending way. She literally tried too hard). It is like a young adult lesbian novel but more fun. I mean Nagisa X Shizuma might as well be “Lesbian Twilight but not crappy”. Let us be honest, Shizuma is a vampire. Chikaru is an undisputed goddess and Kagome is the cutest.

Oh and I will repeat this statement till my last breath…

#TamaoWasRobbed.

YuriMother: I may be almost a decade younger than OG but even for me Strawberry Panic was my first yuri and it more than earns its nickname as the “gateway yuri,” although last year’s Citrus and Bloom Into You may be presenting serious contenders for this title. If for no other reason than nostalgia, Strawberry Panic remains my favorite yuri works but this ridiculous soap-opera of an anime does deserve a fair amount of recognition. I see Strawberry Panic as the culmination of the S subgenre revived by Maria Watches Over Us. However, this work succeeds at both parodying many of the tropes of S and yuri while breaking a few. However, its greatest accomplishment is introducing many of the young western fans of yuri to the genre. Strawberry Panic, you are an overly dramatic mess but thank you for all you have done.

8. Revolutionary Girl Utena - 176 Votes

YuriMother: Another gem of the yuri genre, actually scratch that, if works like Kase-san are gems then Utena is the minerals from which gems form. I think that is how it works, I am not a geologist. My poor analogies and subtle nods to Steven Universe aside, Revolutionary Girl Utena is one of the single most important works of yuri anime, possibly even more so than Sailor Moon. These two works were the dawn of the current age of yuri, an era spurn on by social progress and the internet into a place where more yuri works featuring honest depictions of homosexuality are flourishing. Utena laid the groundwork for queer representation in anime and for that I remain forever grateful to this masterpiece.

OG: I must confess. While I saw the movie long ago and thought it was cool I have yet to sit down and finish watching the main series. I cannot say much about this show other than it is another yuri classic. Possibly one of the biggest. I think I will leave this to Her Holiness because even if I had seen it I do not consider myself someone who possesses the sufficient intellect to properly explain why this is a legendary show.

9. Flip Flappers - 132 Votes

OG: I would need an essay to explain why this show is legendary. Let me see. It is a story of a girl who discovered her gayness thanks to her growing attraction to a lovable idiot/genki. There are references to Western media, dimension hopping (including Class S Hell), self-discovery, a sexual orientation journey, a tree, armored wedding gowns, crazy third wheels, Ku Klux Klan stand-ins…You know what? Just watch Flip Flappers. It is a hot mess of random, crazy, creative and thought provoking awesomeness with a wonderful dose of gayness. Glory be to PapiCoco. However, as Her Holiness mentioned this is essentially Ikuhara-san levels of weirdness (though not as complicated I feel) but as the plot thickens it all (sort of) starts making sense...eventually. That tree yo.

YuriMother: Flip Flappers was almost too strange and abstract even for me, and that is saying something. However, upon further examination, one of the most interesting works of yuri is revealed. This heavily stylized anime delves deep into the sexual maturation of its protagonist while examining the yuri genre and representation in media. Flip Flappers is the perfect marriage of heavy visual style and intellectual substance. Definitely give them one a.. err better make that three watches, as you will want to be sure to get everything out of this beautiful series as possible.

10. Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid - 131 Votes

YuriMother: This series is the closest anime fans have to a lesbian couple having a family that we have, and that is a shame. I LOVE family narratives, outside of the yuri genre Usagi Drop is my favorite anime. To me, seeing women balance life, a relationship, and children is some of the best queer representation there is. However, for every point in Kobayashi’s favor, there is also a glaring fault. Kobayashi is a modern woman in the workforce providing for herself and her “family,” but is borderline abusive to Tohru. Kanna is an inquisitive child being raising by two women, but there are weirdly sexual scenes featuring her. As previously mentioned on this list, if one can silence the reasonable part of the brain this work becomes enjoyable, hilarious, and adorable. Unfortunately, its faults prevent it from being more than an amusement and I seriously doubt that they will fade in the second season. But hey, it sells a ton of figures so… YAY!

OG: This series is one of the closest yuri fans have to a series starring a lesbian couple with a daughter and it is wonderful. Is the tale of an eternally grateful dragon who wanted to repay the human who saved her life, albeit drunk, by becoming her live-in maid. Tohru being a dragon girl had incredible power and could easily crush everyone in sight but preferred to try and understand humanity so she could live in peace with the woman she loved. It of course was hard at times but thanks to Miss Kobayashi slowly growing to accept her back (romantically she had a ways to go) and the two raising the adorable bundle of mighty puff known as Kanna they became a happy family. How long this relationship will last and whether Miss Kobayashi would come to fully love Tohru back romantically remains to be seen. I have high hopes it can and will happen. Kanna X Riko is precious (Yes. Even that scene). We even have a potential BL couple, which is nice. Not a fan of Lucoa X Shouta the shota. Not because of the age gap but it not being my kind of romantic comedy. It is the same reason I have a hard time buying Tsubame X Misha from UzaMaid. Mya-Nee X Hana from Wataten...maybe. At least Mya-Nee showed she is patient. Back to Dragon Maid. Great series. Naughty of course but great.

11. Sweet Blue Flowers (Aoi Hana) - 119 Votes

OG: Megane girl falls for a cutie but has a hard time confessing to her to the point she gives a relationship with another girl a try. Said other girl has troubles of her own courtesy of her own views on what love. Do not get me started on the OTHER girl who likes megane’s girlfriend. I did not even mention megane girl’s first love interest who she herself eventually begins questioning her feelings for the glasses wearing maiden. While this is well known throughout the history of yuri anime Aoi Hana made it clearer than ever that Yuri + Classical Music go hand in hand. Plus the show is quite pretty. Ultimately enjoyment of this series depends heavily on viewers’ patience.

YuriMother: Aoi Hana was ahead of its time in many regards. Most yuri during the early twenty-first century was unrealistic and melodramatic, especially with the revival of S stories. Aoi Hana instead presents a calm and realistic story that we still rarely see in yuri anime today. Instead of relying on tricks like service or comedy Aoi Hana presents a serene and character-driven story which is matched by equally calming scenery. It is certainly not the most thrilling watch, but a slow and beautiful slice of real life that remains one of the all-time strongest yuri works.

12. Yurikuma Arashi - 99 Votes

YuriMother: Yurikuma Arashi is strange, to say the least, but this is not out of the ordinary for legendary director Ikuhara, who also directed Utena. Parallels are easily drawn between this work and Flip Flappers, as they are both complex and encoded with enough symbolism to drown a bear. Yurikuma is one of my favorite works in the yuri genre and I have had more than a few heated discussions about interpretations of the work, including one memorable occasion when I was visiting a college professor and we ended up in a shouting match in the middle of the hall. However, while Flip Flappers holds a high degree of polish the same can, unfortunately, not be said here. Yurikuma Arashi has more than a few scenes of fanservice many of which overly fetishize the characters and relationship and some of the symbols, particularly lily flowers and the word “yuri” are practically beaten to death with an object I refuse to come up with because I am starting to have my fill of symbolism. However, despite some of its sloppiness, Yurikuma is one of the single most interesting and well-formed anime out there and analyzing it is practically a right of passage for seasoned yuri fans.

OG: Yurikuma Arashi is my favorite of Ikuhara-san’s series. To me it was the least complicated of his works but even so I needed help to understand the show. Luckily I had plenty of assistance. The meat of the story is more complicated but put simply it is about a war between a group of bear girls (and some human girls) who want to freely express their love and/or desire/hunger for each other and another group that amounts to Right to Censor from WWF. Like I said it is far more complex than that but that is the gist. The anime is quite ecchi and it has good reason for it. Again the gay bears are the more liberated of the groups and them getting more sexy scenes is meant to showcase that. Our heroine has good reason to be grumpy and a divine entity was introduced alongside a certain someone from a certain dark anime we already discussed.

In the end it is a show starring lesbian bear girls. I love love stories between women and i love bears. It was obvious I would end up enjoying this one. Like other complex stories it is not for everyone. Shows like Flip Flappers, Utena and Yurikuma have something of a learning people will have to get accustomed to in order to enjoy them.

13. Whispered Words (Sasameki Koto) - 88 Votes

OG: To me Aoi Hana and Sasameki Koto were always connected despite the former being a drama and the latter a comedy. Both star a female protagonist struggling with how to best tell the girl she likes her true feelings whereas their love interest for one reason or another makes it all the more challenging to get their feelings across. Both shows aired during a time yuri was not as popular of a genre as it would become over time. Perhaps if they had come out a little later when yuri was becoming more popular in the mainstream they would have fared better…Then again they may have helped set the groundwork for future yuri shows so it’s just as well they came out when they did. In any case both good shows worthy of “best of yuri” lists. SK has the dynamic of the megane in love and her somewhat airheaded love interest who specifically likes “cute girls”. Poor megane has a hard time figuring out what the airhead defines as “cute”. The show also features an amusing side-couple of an ojou-sama and her tsundere girlfriend. Not to mention the somewhat controversial side-girl who plays a more prominent role in the 2nd half of the anime. Heck, even Mr Crossdresser himself is cool. Let us not forget Miss “Ha Ha Ha!” Another really good show that I would love to see the rest of the manga get animated someday but considering most anime are essentially manga commercials and the SK manga ended the odds of a 2nd season are close to 0.

YuriMother: 2009 was a great year for yuri anime, with both Sasameki Koto and Aoi Hana, among other works, airing. But while Aoi Hana sought to resist many of the common tropes of the genre and tell a simple grounded story Sasameki Koto appears to have looked a the list of every convention possible and say “yeah I can do that.” It has melodrama, comedy, one-sided love, friend love stories, I worship this genre but even I think there is a limit. However, Sasameki Koto is one of the most competent yuri anime works of the current era. While all the tropes are present most of the problematic aspects of the genre are not. The story is well written, characters enjoyable, and art that is really well done for the time. I enjoy every watch and if I ever want to quickly download the genre’s tropes into another person's head I need only duct tape them to a chair and throw on Sasameki Koto.

14. Riddle Story of Devil (Akuma no Riddle) - 77 Votes

YuriMother: Akuma no Riddle was highly anticipated back in 2014, sporting a premise of student assassins that, while certainly not unique, was outside the norms for the yuri genre. It promised a dark and thrilling take on the yuri genre that would not become popular until the yuri horror trend a few years later. At first, it looked like this would be successful with an excellent setup and some pretty compelling characters but ultimately Akuma no Riddle fell flat and became more derailed as it continued. The monster of the week style of episodes left little room for complex plots and plans or proper character development, which is a shame because of how engaging so many of the assassins were upon original presentation. However, this show still has some of the best action in the yuri genre, placing it alongside series like Cannan and Utena despite its flawed storytelling. If nothing else, the anime may compel one to read the manga, which expands the story and characters more than the show was given time to.

OG: Professional assassins secretly gathered at an academy in an attempt to take the life of a seemingly innocent cutie to win the ultimate prize, one of whom wishes to protect the adorable redhead. Yes the manga, which is pretty much a Director’s Cut, is better and the anime would have benefited from having 20+ episodes instead of 12 and a delightful beach OVA but the show did a good job of showing viewers what each assassin was like, their motivations (though many of their origin stories were summarized in written biographies during commercial breaks viewers needed to pause to read) were clear enough and the duels, as brief as some of them were, had enough spicy goodness in them to be memorable, especially the ones in the latter half of the show. Oh, and although the manga wrapped up after the anime it had a very similar ending.

15. Revue Starlight - 72 Votes

OG: Gay theater girls who strive to become the top star, meaning the best actress or lead actor of the cast. How do they do it? By working hard and overcoming their personal hardships? Yes. That. What makes this show so wonderful despite being almost a year old as of this writing is not only do the ladies all have interesting stories to tell but so does the stage. Every song, prop, movement, dance, gesture etc. It is like the performers and performances are united. It is like in Spongebob where not only does the person in the boots tell a story but the boots as well.

Oh yes. I almost forgot to mention the mysterious underground theater and talking giraffe. Never forget the talking giraffe from Hell. #Wakarimasu.

Super cool and super gay.

YuriMother: Bushiroad continuously gets better at what they do, creating media franchises of cute girls filled with music and making mountains of cash from smartphone games. Inspired by the likes of Love Live, they created BanG Dream and last year Revue Starlight. However, where these franchises fell short Revue Starlight success. It never twists its characters to tell a story but rather creates compelling arcs around them. I thoroughly enjoyed and agree with its place on this list.

16. Konohana Kitan - 68 Votes

YuriMother: I know of Konohana Kitan for its constant presence at yuri events more so than the anime or even the manga. It is adorable, relaxing, simple, and fun. While it does not add anything super substantial to the genre it does not take anything either or present any objectionable material. The “plot” is nonexistent but that does not matter, as it is not trying to tell a story or make commentary, just be fluffy and simple.

OG: Konohana Kitan to me is a Girls Club (Cute girls doing cute things) and iyashikei hybrid anime. It is visually stunning as it is relaxing with Yuzu pretty much one of the cutest demigoddesses in existence. She of course is a chick magnet but her heart will forever belong to Satsuki.

17. Destiny of the Shrine Maiden (Kannazuki no Miko) - 65 Votes

OG: The other stuff on the show is still not that great but ChiMeko will forever stand the test of time as far as I’m concerned. Top 10 for their love story alone. Yes. I know THAT ONE SCENE continues being controversial and talked about every time curious new yuri fans witness greatness…but I will forever defend Chikane because I get where she was coming from. Would I have done something different? Yes. The thing is you need to put yourself in her shoes and understand what she wanted to accomplish and how far she would go to get it done. Kotoha is best side-character and Souma Ogami is real man’s man who does not deserve the hate. He was an honorable warrior to the end. He fought well and accepted defeat like a man. Plus his yell is inspirational.

YuriMother: My feelings on Kannazuki no Miko are incredibly mixed. It has many of the worst facets of early current era yuri anime, tropes include S, rape and… am I reading this correctly, demon mechs? Worst of all it presents a cycle, a never-ending loop that haunts the characters in the overarching plot and it does not resolve it. If a work ever presents such an element, like Puella Magi did, it must be overcome or confronted at least. Its presence makes the already cringy story feels cheap and lazy. However, I love the two female leads and their difficult relationship. I love the music, especially the hauntingly beautiful ending theme, and the final moments of episode 11 are some of the greatest seconds I have ever seen in an anime. I cannot wrap my mind around my view of this series but at the end of the day, I understand it. I do not believe that work like it would ever be warmly accepted today but for its time it does stand as a breakout piece of yuri anime.

18. Princess Principal - 61 Votes

YuriMother: Princess Principal is one of the best anime of the past few years. It had everything, an interesting premise, great characters, an incredible soundtrack. Alongside all this is the sharp writing and thrilling story. Princess Principal did everything Akuma no Riddle wanted to with an intriguing and action-packed story featuring strong characters. On top of all this, the animation is top notch. A six-part movie sequel is planned which has me somewhat concerned, but I am glad to see that it is being continued as the ending to the series was one of its weakest aspects. Now if you will excuse me, I need to listen to some jazz.

OG: Cute and sexy gay spies in a dramatic British Steampunk setting. What more do readers need? Allow Her Holiness to elaborate a bit further. Currently waiting for the multi-part cinematic continuation.

19. Izetta: The Last Witch - 60 Votes

OG: I am known for loving shows people do not think as highly of. Izetta: The Last Witch is no different. I love this show so much. Besides how certain events transpired some complained about the depiction of WW2. Basically think about people ranting about storylines and content featured in certain Call of Duty and Battlefield games. Here however, it is clearly a fictional great war inspired by WW2. I was invested in the following:

-The cute and sexy ladies.

-Seeing two badass lesbians lead an army against an evil empire.

-FiZetta’s romance. This of course being the major highlight. I love FiZetta so much. My sexy lesbian babies and Anne X Grea’s mentors. They taught them everything they know after all.

It is similar to how I felt watching Kannazuki no Miko where my focus was primarily on the leading ladies’ developing romance. The difference is that unlike Kannazuki I was also somewhat entertained by our heroines’ enemies along with their allies. Basically viewers’ enjoyment of the show depends on how seriously they take their history and are willing to overlook the liberties this story takes with its depictions of the weapons, military and the familiar evil empire. FiZetta are one of my favorite lesbian couples of all time.

By the way, in that famous scene, yes they did. Viewers just have to squint their eyes to see “it”.

YuriMother: Another show that I consider to have squandered its potential. I know that lots of people enjoyed this one, including OG but I could not bring myself to finish this constantly mediocre series. Perhaps I am tired of alternative light-fantasy European-war inspired plots. Trying to stand out in this bloated genre is difficult and Izetta fails. Izetta started strong and hooked many viewers with its amazing visual and auditory polish but this was quickly lost in the plot which, while set up well, struggle to gain any ground of pay off what had been established. On the yuri side, it did not really do anything interesting or satisfying, with plenty of scenes feature the character’s standing next to each other looking cute and one or two moments of actual yuri. I am glad that some of you were able to enjoy this one more than me at least.

20. Maria Watches Over Us (Maria-sama ga Miteru) - 57 Votes

OG: Like Strawberry Panic this is a “Like it or not” classic. Despite being a Class S show it did its own thing and became a pioneer for . It’s also responsible for the many yuri jokes related to all-girl schools in anime.Shimako X Noriko best Grande and Petite Souer! Yumiko X Sachiko were great too as the two grew to better understand each other. Most memorable scene for me was the panda costume. Even Sei is a sleeper icon in all yuridom. Yoshino X Rei had a very interesting dynamic. I actually think they are the real pioneers of relationships between cousins. Thank you YoshiRei. HaruKana, Kaede X Sara and several others owe you two much appreciation.

YuriMother: Another great and significant series, Maria Watches Over Us, took the tropes of early yuri works, Catholic schools, a lack of men, piano scenes, and emotional relationship rather than physical ones and turned the dial up to 11. For better or worse, it single-handedly revived the Class S genre and was copied (and parodied) endlessly for over a decade. However much I complain about S I actually do not think that we would have the current age of yuri without its popularity and proliferation at the beginning of the century so I owe a big thank you to Maria Watches Over Us for that. Ignoring its historical importance and literary significance the anime still presents an engaging plot with wonderful characters and more butchered French than my last trip to Europe. It is certainly worth a watch and worthy of a place on this list.

What do you think should be on this list?:

YuriMother: As I previously said, this is a pretty perfect list. As far as missing titles I can think of the following.

Simoun - not the greatest in terms of plot or animation but it had cute service and a fun action-packed plot.

Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl - This series may be strange and present the dreaded love triangle but it did its best to tell a transgender narrative in 2006, naturally this involved aliens, and I applaud it for its attempts.

Cannan - This series is light on the yuri but heavy on the suspense, action, and amazing character designs. The terrorist plot is exciting and the final train fight featured in the series is one of the greatest action spectacles in anime that somehow manages to remain grounded.

OG:

-Harukana Receive: Best all-female sports anime ever made. Plus the gayness is not subtle at all.

-Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku: Eruna Ichinomiya is an underrated yuri icon. While not the first of her kind (That honor, I think, goes to Galaxy Fraulein Yuna) she set the standard of cool and inspirational badass lesbian protagonists who are proud of who they are and...also happen to be super perverts. Eruna made it cool to be such a protagonist. It is nice seeing a lesbian lead who does not care what anyone else thinks. She is hungry for cute girl booties. While she often loses her control in the presence of pure beauty she, as an inspiration for others like her, has enough self-control to not go overboard (most of the time).

-Symphogear: Symphogear is love, Symphogear is life. Hopefully Season 5 will keep up the good work.

-Rinne no Lagrange: My favorite mecha anime and the reason I embrace OT3s when the signs are there. Not the greatest but man was it fun. Plus Madoka Kyouno is still sexy.

-Yuki Yuna wa Yuusha de Aru: My favorite Moepocalypse anime of all time. Yuna X Togo taught me to love and trust some people outside my closest family again.

-Mouretsu Pirates: If someone were to ask me “Hey OG. What to you is the perfect anime?”. I would tell them Mouretsu/Bodacious Space Pirates.

-Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl. Thanks to the first fan commenting and reminding me of it. Definitely worthy of a spot. #HazumuWasAlwaysFemale

Final Thoughts:

OG: Pretty good list and close to what mine would look like were I to make one. Reason I have yet to do so is because I do not feel confident enough to pick a favorite yuri anime of all time. Favorite yuri manga and couples? That I can do, but anime always seems to give me a hard time choosing my absolute favorites. Like I said though, a potential yuri list of mine would look something like this. I also found it interesting how similar the Top 10 are among both our respective fanbases and visitors to the poll conducted by the Akiba Research Institute.

YuriMother: I may have done most the complaining and left the praise to OG but I actually and really happy with this list. I think that every title presented is a worthy addition and while I would certainly move some higher or lower than their current placing I do not believe that these are too far off from my own opinions, which is surprising for a popularity poll. More than anything I am thrilled to see that works I dislike that I thought to be popular did not make this list. Perhaps I should have more faith in people and their opinions. Everyone did such a wonderful job voting and I am so grateful!

Thank you so much everyone for reading and for voting in the top yuri anime poll. To see the full results of the poll and to support yuri news, reviews, and content, check out the YuriMother Patreon. Happy Pride Month

#yuri #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtq+#pride #pride month #queer #gay #anime #cartoon #tv #lesbian #lesbians #girls love #wlw #gl #poll #manga

5K notes · View notes

lotrificationer · 4 years

Text

Wayhaven Week, Day 2 - Tender

Summary: The detective has hidden her physical problems so far, though she needn’t do so. Nate would be more than willing to help her out.

Pairing: Nate Sewell/F!Detective (Anya Ivanova)

Warnings: None, just a massage and 1 saucy comment lol

Words Count: 1,862

@otomefandomevents

~~~~~

She never explicitly said anything, never outright complained, or even mentioned anything off hand. At first, he wrote it off as maybe just simple quirks that the detective had. She was subtle, he would give her that; only a grimace here or there that would flit over her face for a split second before being covered by her ever present hint of smile. As he grew closer to her, he picked up on how she would avoid certain movements or adjust how one would normally do something. It was on the especially long days that these behaviors would become more prominent.

It was his day to accompany the detective and they had stayed at her office longer than probably necessary as she finished up her work for the town. She stood from her desk and made to walk to the filing cabinet, the action catching Nate’s attention. Reaching the cabinet, she suddenly lurched forward, sucking in a sharp breath. She straightened up as quickly as it had happened.

“Anya, are you alright?” Nate was by her side in an instant, hand gently resting on her elbow.

“Yeah, sorry, it’s fine, I’m fine,” she sputtered out, quickly filing away the report in her hand. When he kept his hand steady in its place, she looked up to meet his eyes. With furrowed brows and worry filled eyes, he looked over her, not at all convinced by her dismissal.

“Nate, really, I’m alright,” she stated, drawing his eyes back up to her face where she had carefully placed her usual smile.

No, not her usual, he thought to himself. It’s almost like there’s a tension at the corners of her mouth. Strained almost.

He decided it best not to press her. He let his hand drop back down and he shoved it into his pocket. With nod and kind smile, he watched her return to her desk, hastily plopping down in her seat.

He had decided to keep a closer eye out for her after that— picking up a dropped item, grabbing her misplaced tea from across the room. Of course, the rest of Unit Bravo swiftly caught on to this. Felix wasted no time in ribbing Nate about it as Mason snickered somewhere in the shadows. Even Adam would make the occasional dry humor comment.

He would always respond with a smile saying, “If it makes the detective’s job easier, I’m happy to do it.”

“Yeah, I’m sure that’s not the only thing you’d be happy to do,” Felix would quip, earning lazy chuckle from Mason.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It wasn’t until Nate was sitting on the detective’s loveseat a few weeks later that he decided to bring it up. She was making them each a cup of tea when she seemed to have another episode, clutching onto the kitchen counter for just a moment before steeling herself. He was at her side in a heartbeat.

“Why don’t you go sit down and I’ll finish up the tea?” Nate offered, giving her a lopsided smile.

She started to wave him off until her jaw clench suddenly. She nodded gently.

“That’d be nice actually,” she shifted away from the counter and made her way to the loveseat.

I have to ask her about this, Nate set his resolve as he finished up their drinks.

“Thank you so much,” Anya smiled as she accepted the cup he handed her. He sat next to her, his own cup warm in his hands as he chewed at his bottom lip.

“Something on your mind over there?” She tilted her head, catching his attention. He lifted his eyes to hers, getting lost in her stormy blue eyes as she held his gaze.

“Anya, are you alright? Physically, I mean?” he clarified, studying her face as her eyes shifted away from his own.

“I’m assuming you’re talking about earlier in the kitchen?” She asked rhetorically. “It was nothing. Really, Nate, don’t worry about me.”

“But Anya, I am worried about you,” he insisted, inching closer to her. “This isn’t the first time it’s happened, but I didn’t want to press it.”

She sighed and took a small sip of tea before responding. “I just—I don’t want anyone to worry about me and it’s not that big of a deal, so I never say anything.”

When she hesitated, Nate subtly raised an eyebrow as a silent request to continue.

“I just have some back problems,” she said nonchalantly and hesitantly continued, “and neck problems… and shoulder problems. But it’s not that big of a deal, really.”

“Anya,” he breathed, “is there somewhere you could go that would help?”

She laughed lightly, “Well, it’s not like there’s a chiropractor or masseuse in this little ol’ town. When I was younger my mom used to give me massages when it got really bad…. When she was around.”

“I see,” Nate nodded thoughtfully, eyes wandering over the afflicted areas. “Is there anything I could do to help?”

“Well, unless you feel like giving me massage,” She smiled playfully before continuing, “no, not really much of anything.”

“Okay,” he eagerly responded. “Would you like one then? A massage, I mean?”

“I- oh- well, um- I was sort of joking, but uh,” she stuttered out, turning a light shade of pink. “I suppose- that is, if you don’t mind- it couldn’t hurt to-”

“I wouldn’t mind at all, Anya,” he cut her off, saving her from having to continue. “Where would you like me to start? With the neck and shoulders, perhaps?”

With a meek smile, she nodded. Grabbing a pillow, she explained how Rebecca would have her sit between her legs on the floor. Nate adjusted accordingly and she set the pillow on the floor. As Anya settled into the cushion and tied up her hair, he removed the two silver rings he was wearing and set them on the side table.

“You know,” he drawled, his tone lightly coated in mischief. “I have been told that I can be quite good with my hands.”

He breathed out a laugh as he heard her heart flutter and saw that rosy color softly tint her ears and what he could see of her neck.

“I- um, well-” she sputtered at first before giving a nervous laugh. “I guess I’ll be the judge of that,” she finished, trying to mimic the flirtatiousness of his tone.

“Then I’ll make sure to step up my game for you,” He responded, voice just about a whisper, but the smile evident in his tone.

He started by simply running his hands over her shoulders, a gentle touch as he felt her warmth through her loose tee. He began to add more pressure, little by little, gliding his hands over her shoulders and down her upper back.

“I promise I won’t break,” she commented when he didn’t add any further pressure.

“As you wish,” he acquiesced, adding more strength to his touch. The more he massaged, the more he couldn’t believe the state of her muscles. For all her appearance of ease and gentleness, it would seem that she was nearly made of nothing but coiled tightness.

Was that the promised price? He thought, This uncaring tension for her unwavering tenderness.

She tensed suddenly as he worked on a particularly prominent point.

“I’m sorry,” he immediately eased up, “was that too much?”

“No, no,” she shook her head, “my body is probably well past due for this. Please don’t stop.”

She sighed as he continued his ministrations, working his way up her neck and back down along her spine. Nimble fingers worked at each point of tension in her muscles, gently forcing them out. The further along he got, the more she seemed to relax into his touch. Her breathing, along with her heartbeat, gradually slowed. As he finished working on what he could reach with her position, his touch became softer. Soothing, almost as an apology for the needed pain of earlier. He smiled as he watched her try to fight off the haze of sleep before succumbing to it as her head unknowingly rested on his knee. Still, he continued. If only to allow her some of the rest she rightfully deserved, he continued. Soon the gentle pressure turned to featherlight touches before gently resting his hands on her shoulders. Still, she did not stir. He brushed a lock of stray hair from her face, willing his touch not to linger. Letting her rest for a moment more, he admired her. The freckles that graced her face, the soft angle of her nose, the subtle curve of her lips. Her heart shaped face could not have been more perfectly suited for her, he decided. The way that her copper hair would curl only around the base of her neck. He concluded that he had never seen a more beautiful sight. And, of course, he was completely unbiased.

She soon took a deep inhale, rousing from her spot. She languidly blinked away the drowsiness, shifting to sit up straight.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she unnecessarily apologized, “I must have fallen asleep.”

“It’s no worry at all, Anya. You seemed to really need a rest,” Nate assured her.

“Wow,” she simply stated as she rolled her shoulders and neck, “I suppose I didn’t realize how bad it had all gotten.”

He hummed in response as she stood from her pillow, casually using his knee to get up. He followed the line of her body as she stretched her tired limbs.

“Thank you so much for this,” She said as she turned to face him. “Really, you have no idea how much I appreciate it.”

“Honestly, Anya, it’s really no trouble at all,” he replied. “In fact, if you would ever like another one, I would be more than happy to oblige.”

She smiled at his offer, a certain warmth sparking in her eyes.

“I might just take you up on that. My lower back still has some problems of its own,” she admitted. Just as he was about to offer to continue, she cut him off. “But maybe another time. It’s getting late and I seem to now be irredeemably sleepy.”

“Of course,” he resigned, standing from the loveseat and gathering his two rings and teacup. As he made to go wash the cup, she waved him away, saying she would wash it in the morning. It was the least she could do after his kind gift to her, she had said.

“I suppose I will see you in the morning then, detective,” he smiled down at her as he stood in her doorway.

“I look forward to it, agent,” she beamed back up at him as the heat seemingly grew between them.

He drew his face down to hers as he placed a lingering kiss upon her cheek, feeling as her hand danced over his before barely wrapping around it.

“Goodnight, Anya,” he whispered against her cheek.

“Goodnight, Nate,” she returned, lazily releasing his hand before he turned and faded into her dimly lit hallway, completely disappearing down the stairs.

Goodnight, Nate… he smiled to himself as he heard her whispered words in the darkness of the night.

#wayhaven week 2020 #wayhaven chronicles #the wayhaven chronicles #twc #Nate Sewell #N Sewell #my writing

35 notes · View notes

saundraswriting · 3 years

Text

S.C. Books Chapter 2

Summary: Eren and Levi spend more time together. Levi begins to see what Hange meant the other day about the shitty hand Eren had been dealt. Eren gets overwhelmed and heads to his comfort place.

Warnings: A graphic depiction of a nightmare and panic attacks

Notes: Hey guys! I hope you still are enjoying this fic. I am trying my best, and I hope that is enough. I have a very rough outline that I am not staying with so this is kinda rough and on the fly! This story references my high school career which ended in 2013 and my college career which ended in 2014.

Read on Ao3

Previous // Next // Series Masterlist

Anime Masterlist // My Ao3 //

Eren took detailed notes as the professor lectured on large muscle groups. The class only had 5 hours a week for roughly 12 weeks to go over all the semester's information. The human anatomy and physiology 1 class was often broken into a lecture and lab portion, roughly two hours long. The discussion today was muscle groups and tendons and ligaments. The class moved quickly, causing Eren to over do his notes and readings to prevent confusion. It helped a bit that he had some art background, he knew groupings, and that he dad (was)is a doctor. Eren knew that even though he was taking good notes and paying attention he wasn't retaining a sliver of information. It was too much too fast but that is why for this class he blocked off extras study hours.

"Okay. That is enough for now. Let's take a quick 15. We still have a lab I want to get through. and it can be a doozy." Professor Nanaba clapped to get everyone's attention and the relief was palpable. Eren and a few others decided a short walk wouldn't be amiss. The science hall was quiet this late at night. There were a couple offices with lights on but not much else. Eren was walking on the second floor while reading and noting his two short stories for the next essay for his English class. The 15 minutes of literature and scrawled first impressions helped shake his mind of the fog that had been creeping in since the beginning of his A&P class.

The lab portion was helpful in reaffirming his knowledge of the muscular and skeletal systems of a human. His art background helped a bit too, he was able to make detailed drawings in his notes. When the lab was finished a short test was given, Eren loved and hated only have one class a week for this subject. It was the advanced class for a reason, meaning the pretty much did a speed-run of a week's worth of learning in a handful of short hours. The pace forced him to pay attention but anxiety sometimes caused him to fixate on the subject leading him to crunch other classes.

Once released Eren headed to the home he shared with Armin and Mikasa. The three of them had pitched together money from each of their inheritances from passed relatives-Armin from a wealthy grandfather and Mikasa and Eren from their parents-to buy a small cheap house not to far from the university. It wasn't anything special, came mostly furnished and they were able to thrift for the rest. It was home and that was enough. All three of them had more than enough to live on, especially with school being completely covered by scholarships, but they had decided in their junior year that life would be better together and better in the future. So they made do now to prepare for a better tomorrow. Eren walked the familiar route home, trying to remember if he had anything to do before getting to bed. He had gotten a lot done at the shop that day, Levi's small unprecedented visit helping a lot with his productivity.

Eren got home and quietly came through the door, trying to minimize any noise he made. 'Why did he pick today of all days to sit with me? What made today special?'Eren thought. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to relax the scrunch he knew he was making. 'Maybe he wanted to be nice? Maybe it was a trick? No, he seemed to genuine to be messing with me. He doesn't often work the counter, maybe he was just checking on me?'Eren thought. A tidbit of the conversation he had with Hange crept into his thoughts. '"I will say, I haven't seen him sit down and enjoy a conversation like today in a very long time. So treasure the fact that you are important to Levi Ackerman, for that is no small feat."' Eren blinked at his reflection in the mirror, shaking his head. There was no way, Levi Ackerman was interested in him. Levi was so smart and witty and intriguing. Eren was a bratty child who lost both his parents in a fit of mental anguish and is only getting by. Eren finished getting ready for bed, feeling uneasy about the direction of his thoughts. He knew he needed to sleep, he hadn't slept well the last few days. He couldn't do it again. Tomorrow was at least a shorter day. He had class solid from 11 to 4 then he was done. Maybe he could sleep in a bit and try to forget that Levi even look twice at him.

Eren didn't remember his dreams, on the days he dreamed that is. Other days he would wake with a burning throat and the sensation of viscous liquid creeping over him, the brownish red color of dried blood all he could see, screams ringing in his ears. Those days he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, the fear and anxiety and guilt forcing him to stay awake and try to not break down. He would sit counting his fingers and breaths for what seemed hours, hands gripping his hair, trying to resist pulling, sometimes he spent the early dawn hours in his and Armin's shared bathroom the shower too hot or too cold or hugging the toilet in-between vomiting episodes. He would sit silently, pushing it deeper and deeper down, until the acid in his stomach could dissolve it into nothingness. The was no trigger that he could find that set of the nightmares, he refused to tell anyone about them or the following panic attacks. He just waved off the rough nights as insomnia and stress from school. Eren knew he wasn't fooling many of his friends, if any, but he knew it was more trouble explaining it then it was worth. Today he was Lucky, he woke up in his bed to his alarm, violently. He was covered in sweat and was shaking, tears on his cheeks and throat sore. It wasn't a good night but Eren had worse ones.

The house empty, typical for a Thursday. Eren went down the stairs to see a message on the board about taking out the garbage, his class last night and breakfast being in the microwave. Eren puttered around the house, doing chores and eating his breakfast and getting ready for class. When it was time to leave Eren made sure he had all of his stuff and headed off to his classes.

He spent the hours he had in class diligently taking notes and meticulously planning his due dates. He didn't have the luxury of slacking for a second, if he missed one thing, he would be scrambling to catch up. He was in his last class of the day, his mind drifting to thoughts of S.C. Books and the hot owner. He was trying to just get through until he could get off campus, the panic attack he had in the morning was lingering in his trembling fingers and jumpiness. He just had to get through his last class. Eren's reputation in his friend group was the hot head that liked to pile on the pressure. He was smart and hard working but didn't know when to quit. He had a tendency to snap on a hair trigger and not much brought him back down. Most of his friends from high school went to Trost on scholarships, a few making the 50% cut instead of the 100%.

Class had just let out, he was the first to the door, blowing off everyone's calls to slow down or watch it, he didn't even snark back at Jean's remark for running into him. He was on a mission, it looked like a million ghosts were on his tail. Jean was known for priming Eren's trigger out of a sick sense of friendship, he seemed to be able to tell when Eren needed to blow off some steam, but he had never seen him look like that. 'Something is up with the dumbass, and I want to know.' Jean sent a text to his boyfriend Marco and made to follow Eren. He only got as far as the quad before he lost him in the crowd so he made his way to his next class.

Eren had blanked as soon as class was dismissed. He needed a quiet place. He couldn't go home Armin and Mikasa would only hover and make him feel worse. Campus was too noisy, he didn't want to risk anyone finding him. There was only one place to go, He could practically smell the tea and coffee and see Levi standing in front of him, small and compact and worried.

"Hey, brat. You okay? You look terrible." Levi's voice cut through the beginnings of him panic. Eren blinked. He was at S.C. Books, he had ran all the way there.

"Levi? How-When. I. What?" Eren could only gasp and stutter. He could feel his focus and awareness fading and brightening as he stood there. He looked around and saw people staring at him, causing him to shake more.

"You two good? I'll handle the brat." Levi didn't look away from Eren who was obviously not fully there. He came around the corner, slow and careful, it set Eren's teeth on edge.

"I am not made of glass. I am fine. Just give me a minute." He snapped. He took a couple deep breaths but could still felt like he was forgetting something.

"Okay. You're fine. That is why you came racing in here like the hounds of Baskerville were on your tail and also why you look like you are a million miles away, cause you're fine." Levi said. He took a few more steps closer. "I don't know what is wrong, but I want to help. You come in here looking like this or like the weight of the world is on your shoulders too much. I want to help you. What do you need?" Levi asked him quietly. The shop was slowly losing interest in their going-ons. Eren relaxed more they stopped paying attention.

"I'm fine. I had a bad dream this morning and it lingered. I got through class and just needed to come here. Sorry for making you worry." Eren rubbed the back of his head embarrassed.

Levi looked at Eren, lightly shaking, eyes glassy and unable to focus, breathing a little too fast, complexion just a shade too pale. 'This kid. He needs someone to take care of him.' Levi sighed, eyeing the way he slouched and curled in on himself trying to be smaller. ' I want to be the one to do it.' He blinked and shook that idea out of his head. "You table is open. If you want to sit down. I can join you if you like. If not, we can sit in my office for a bit. You look like you could use the space." Levi felt his eyebrows furrow. 'The fuck? I never let anyone in my office. What am I thinking' Levi looked at Eren for an answer.

"I would like to say your office, but your face is begging me to refuse that option. I very much appreciate the offer though. I do. I think I'll sit down for a bit and study. Maybe that will help soothe my nerves." Eren shuffled his bag a bit, seeming to hesitate. "Think you could join me? I could use the quiet company." Eren looked shy, like he expected to get rejected.

"Yeah. We can do that. Give me a minute. I'll get us some tea. and a few pastries, you could use with a little more weight on your bones." Levi nodded his head to Eren's usual table. Eren nodded a few times too many, still not completely aware. He flashed a shaky smile at the employees working, Petra and Molbit. Eren sunk down ungracefully into his chair, trying to ignore the gazes of the other patrons, he could feel them on his skin causing his breath to hitch. He began running his hand over the scar on his arm, up and down trying to use the motion to soothe himself.

"Eren, you with me, brat?" Levi asked from several steps away. He knew the kid was not having a good day and did not want to be what made it worse.

Eren looked up, eyes wide and shining, he looked a mix of grateful and pleased that Levi came back. He didn't even look at the two plates and mugs Levi was carrying until he placed them on the table and Levi wasn't sure what to make of that expression that was for him and only him. "Levi, thank you. I am sorry I caused such trouble. I have been coming here for a while, it was the only placed I could think of. I have been dealing with this just fine until now, so I don't know why all of a sudden, it was too much." Eren said, Levi could hear the confusion and frustration in his voice.

"Eren, I am honored that you think of my shop as a safe space. That means a lot. Now, why don't you eat and drink your tea. You need to take a breather and then we can crack open your books or we can talk for a while. How does that sound?" Levi nudged the plates and the tea he had the other day closer. Levi pulled out an iPad and continued working on some orders that he needed to finalize before the end of day. Levi looked over the top of his iPad to see Eren fire off one quick text and then turn his phone off.

Eren cradled the mug like it was the only source of warmth he ever had, it did help ease the trembling in his hands. Eren did as asked, sat silent and still, letting the tension drip off of him like water. After he cleaned his hands-with a small smirk to Levi who pretended to be distracted-Eren broke a few pastries in half, nibbling on some here or there. 'Can't this kid just accept the handouts, like why does he have to share?' Levi wondered.

A few more minutes and Eren looked less like he was going to pass out or be sick, so Levi decided it was time to move on. "Brat, you done?"" After Eren nodded he took away the dishes, paying no attention to his employees. "Do you want to talk or work?" Levi asked. He was fine with either one but couldn't deny he wanted to hear what spooked Eren.

"I have a tendency to panic or freak out when I am struggling, I can even be completely apathetic. Sometimes, I can't sleep. Some days it takes everything I have in me to breathe and some days I am fine. I have gotten better with learning coping skills and keeping busy is a big help but so has finding a place that hasn't been touched by the things that make my bad days even worse. Some times, school or home or my friends or my sister is enough to make a day turn sour. That isn't helped by my nightmares that lead into panic attacks at any given time of the night. Last night was more of the same, and when I got to school it was a little more then I could bear and soon I found myself sprinting to the only place I knew could make me feel better." Eren said. He spoke matter-of-factly, not wanting to Levi to think he was whining over his situation. Eren had come to accept that his life was better than some but not as good as others, but he was surviving. Levi's lack of response made it easier to talk.

"I think one of my friends tried to follow me here, they all worry over my mood swings and weight fluctuations. I don't have it in me to explain everything. I can barely gather the nerve to tell you this much. You've been so good to me for so long, letting me stay late or come in early. You treat me so kindly and don't badger me even though I know you and the others here are concerned. I really can't thank you enough. I don't know if I would be here without you Levi. So many days I have come in here, ready to end it all and then you call me a brat or make your not-jokes with the others and I am reminded all over again that I have everything to lose if I give up now." Eren reached over pinching Levi's sleeve between two fingers. He waited until Levi looked up, eyes shining wetly. "Levi, thank you so much. You are very important to me."

Levi let out the breath he had been holding the entire time Eren was speaking, his whole body softening. Levi hadn't softened for anyone in years, people pissed him off with their selfishness, and germs, and rudeness, and lack of gratitude. But here was this brat of a kid, trying to thank Levi for things he did all the time unconsciously. He could feel the warmth of Eren's gaze and appreciation fill him like the sun. "You're pretty important to me too, brat. Not many people just go along with my shitty humor or terrible honesty or overwhelming idiosyncrasies. I could thank you too. You don't remind me what to live for per se but that it is okay to live." Levi said. Eren blinked at him in surprise, mouth gaping. "Anyway, let's move on. You had class today, and you were pretty checked out earlier, why not get to work. Pick something light and go from there. I'll stick around for a bit. The quiet will do you some good." Levi suggested.

"Yeah. You're right. Today was practically useless, I can't afford to get behind." Eren pulled out his planner, muttering under his breath as he looked through it. Levi settled down in his seat, to wait out the kid who had been dealt a shitty hand. And if sometimes while he was working Levi took exaggerated breaths to help Eren pace his or Eren lightly pressed his fingers to Levi's wrist to measure his pulse, no one was around to comment on it.

#saundraswriting #saundrasays #attack on titan #shingeki no kyoujin #levi x eren #ereri #Attack on titan fanfiction #aot #snk #levi ackerman x eren jeager

3 notes · View notes

waywardodysseys · 4 years

Text

Unconditionally - Chapter Four

Warnings: SMUT, oral receiving (m & f), unprotected sex (wrap it up), cussing, mention of anxiety

Word count: 5.7+k

Author’s note #1: because everyone deserves to be loved unconditionally

Author’s note #2: I included links for a couple of things and they are linked in the story where appropriate! And this is Valentine’s Day overload!

Unconditionally: Chp. 1, Chp. 2, Chp. 3

~ ~ ~

Over the following weeks the days go by quickly like a runaway freight train. Pedro and you are full steam ahead as you spend the days getting to know each other mentally and emotionally, he and you then spend the nights getting to know each other intimately.

He doesn’t want this feeling to end, he doesn’t want to leave for Brazil – he was to begin shooting a movie. Pedro wants to convince you, needs to convince you to join him in Brazil. Maybe even take a short trip down to Chile and visit his father and younger brothers. He wants them to meet the woman who has become, and is, his forever.

José Pedro Balmaceda Pascal is in love. He is headfirst, head over heels in love with you.

From the moment your hand was inside of his at Kendrick’s birthday he had an inkling of emotions towards you. He wasn’t sure what they were but when you two shared the passionate kiss under the mistletoe six months later he knew, without question, he was in love with you. And he barely even knew you.

Walking along the sidewalk, Pedro glances into a store front. Bouquets of roses and red heart balloons fill the window. It then clicks in his mind; Valentine’s Day is around the corner. His mind begins formulating a plan then he pulls out his cell phone.

He waits till his best friend answers with a rough good morning before saying with excitement, “Oscar!”

“Pedro.”

“I need help!”

“With what?”

“A surprise for Y/N!”

“What kind of surprise?”

“I’d rather explain it in person.”

“Come on over. I’ve got the kids though.”

Pedro shrugs and laughs. “Hey! I’m cool uncle Pepe!”

Oscar laughs, “I’ll get the coffee brewing. See you soon.”

Pedro hangs up his phone and begins walking again. He couldn’t contain the excitement inside of himself with the plan he had come up with.

-------

You sit in your usual spot at the café a couple of blocks from the apartment you share with your old college friend. You were staring at a blank document, trying to find the words for the scene you were working on. You kept hovering your fingers over the keyboard, hoping the words would come but they didn’t.

The scene involved a character from Kendrick’s show. She’s based off you, and then there’s her ex, who is based off Will. You had to write a good, no, a great sending off scene for them both because the final episode was going to introduce a new love interest for the character, who would be based off Pedro.

You take a sip of your lukewarm tea and then hover your fingers over the keyboard again. You had no clue where to start but something came forth and your fingers started moving across the keyboard in a flourish.

You are in your zone when your phone vibrates on the table. You sigh and stop typing. You turn the phone over and recognize the number.

Why the fuck would Evans be calling you?

You swallow and hit accept. “Hello?”

“Y/N!” Evans’ loud voice exclaims on the other end. “How are you?”

Dandy. “Good. What do you want?”

Chris laughs, “straight to the point, eh?”

“Move it along Evans. I don’t have all day.” You sigh as you begin bouncing your left leg under the table. Anxiety’s crawling through your body.

You hear the smile in his voice when he says, “I want to direct all six episodes of The House that Built Us.”

What. The. Fuck., you think as your heart races.

“Oh really?” Your voice squeaks out.

“Yes. I do.” Chris pauses. “I want us to get together for dinner. I want to discuss some stuff with you.”

You know he means more than just the show. “Just follow the script Evans. It’s what a director is to do.”

“Come on Y/N. Please. If we are to work on this together, I need to know we are good.”

We’ll never be good, you think.

“Kendrick know you want to direct?” You ask.

“Yes. He said he would call you, but I told him it might be best to hear it from me personally. If you don’t want me to direct, I understand but you do know I’ve wanted to get back into directing,” Chris pauses, his voice is light as he says, “you know this. We were working on a script together. A fantastic script! I know you are still working on the last two episodes, but I want this, I need this!” Chris pauses again. “Please.”

You’re quiet as your eyes dart around the café, then down at your laptop. Your leg’s still bouncing under the table, your heart is racing. If Evans wants this badly then maybe all he wants is to be director of the show. He knows you hate him. He ruined everything, yet he had also freed you from the man, you had slowly begun to realize, you weren’t in love with anymore.

“Dinner?” You ground out. “When?”

Chris smiles, “how about this weekend?”

“It’s Valentine’s Day weekend Chris. I’m busy.”

“Oh, are you with someone?” Disappointment laces Chris’ voice.

“Yes.”

“Who?”

“Doesn’t matter.” You don’t want to tell him who it is because you don’t want Chris to ruin what you and Pedro have. “What about the following weekend?”

“Hold on.” Chris comes back on, “next weekend is fine. I’ll text you a place and time.”

“Good.” Your eyes land on Pedro walking in. Your anxiety is gone instantly. “I have to go Chris. Bye.”

You stand and wrap your arms around Pedro once he approaches the table. You squeeze him tightly and inhale his sandalwood cologne. You’re calm, at ease.

Pedro hugs you tightly back. He then cups your cheek and brushes his soft mouth across yours. “Everything okay?”

You smile, “now that you’re here. Yes.”

-------

“How Pedro handle your history with Evans?” Kendrick asks you the following day at lunch. You two are at your usual spot for your weekly lunch. It’s been a ritual for years, at least when you two are in town at the same time.

You had also told Pedro about Chris calling you. You weren’t going to leave him in the dark about the call or your history with Evans.

“Fine.” You answer.

Kendrick raises his eyebrows. “Spill it Y/N.”

You sip at some water, then sigh. “He thinks Evans wants another shot and I told Pedro that wasn’t going to happen, will never happen because I am with him.”

“Yet you didn’t tell Evans it’s Pedro you’re seeing?”

You glare at Kendrick. “I don’t need the motherfucking asshole to get any ideas Kendrick. Chris doesn’t need to know. All he needs to know is I’m in a relationship. I am off limits!”

“Didn’t stop him last time,” Kendrick whispers.

“Yeah well that fucking kiss between us did happen and I should’ve let it happen.” You hold the tears in. “I almost slept with him Kendrick!”

“Yet you told me you were beginning to fall out of love with Will. You felt horrible because part of you was glad it was over because you couldn’t muster the courage, or strength, to tell Will yourself. As I recall, you told me Chris did you a favor, but you would never admit it to anyone else. Not even to Evans himself.”

Your heart cracks inside your chest. Kendrick’s correct.

Kendrick reaches out and grabs your hand. “You are not a horrible person Y/N. Eventually I would’ve kicked your ass and told you to tell Will.” Kendrick grins. “Just do the dinner with Chris, then go and be in Pedro’s arms. You’ll only have a week with him until he leaves for Brazil.”

“I think he wants me to go with him.”

Kendrick raises his eyebrows. “What makes you say that?”

“He’s been leaving subtle hints in conversations or little things around my apartment, his apartment.” You smile, “the other day he left an interesting drawing of the Brazilian flag on my fridge. This morning there was a small Christ the Redeemer statue on the table in his kitchen.”

“Has he, like, officially asked you if you’d go?”

You shake your head. “No. He’s asked about my passport. What countries I’m missing, which are a lot. Wants to know if I like ocean views, or city views.”

“Maybe he’s mustering the courage to ask, or maybe he wants you to ask him,” Kendrick shrugs as he finishes his sandwich. “What are you two doing for Valentine’s Day?”

“He won’t tell me. All he said was to keep my afternoon and evening open. And to make sure I am at my apartment all day.” You glance over Kendrick. “You know anything?”

“I do not!” Kendrick laughs and smiles. “For once I have no clue what the man has planned. Though I’m sure the evening will end with you both in bed.”

“Oh, god. Please stop!” You smile and laugh. Your mind running rapid with thoughts as to what Pedro could possibly have planned.

-------

On Valentine’s Day at three o’clock in the afternoon, your doorbell chimes. You walk to the door in your favorite hoodie and pair of sweatpants. You open the door to Kendrick, his boyfriend Jonathan, and a woman you have no idea who is.

“Uh, what are you doing here?” You ask with curiosity.

Jonathan steps forward, “we’re here to get you ready.”

You eye Kendrick. “So, you did know?”

Kendrick shrugs. “It was to be a surprise. I couldn’t say anything!”

Jonathan grabs your hand, dragging you towards your bedroom. “Bring in the racks!”

Minutes later you are sitting in your desk chair looking at dresses. “I can’t make up my mind!”

“Hun,” Jonathan begins, “what do you like?”

“Yes, you.” Kendrick states.

“Don’t think of what Pedro wants, or likes. He already has you. He’ll love whatever you wear because it’s on you,” Jonathan states.

You stand and walk down both racks slowly. The colors of dresses range from sunshine yellow to cherry red, then from sky blue to midnight black. You stop once you see an ombre color dress. It weaves black and what appears magenta together perfectly. You pull it out.

“This one.”

Jonathan takes it from you, “let’s try it on!”

A couple of hours later you are standing in front of mirror, looking at your reflection. Your Y/H/C hair is parted on the left side, light waves roll down the soft locks. Your face is painted with makeup, but not too much. Your Y/E/C eyes pop because of the eyeliner and eyeshadow Jonathan used. The dress you picked fits you perfectly, hugging every curve of your body, it sweeps the floor as you walk. You lift up the material to look at the one-inch heels. Nothing too fancy there either, you didn’t want to fall or trip walking in stilettos.

You smooth out the material as Kendrick walks up behind you.

“Lovely as ever Y/N.” Kendrick notes.

You turn and smile. “Thank you. Now don’t you and Jonathan have a date?”

“We do.” Kendrick hands you a jacket. “Stay warm, be safe both out there and in the bedroom!”

“Kendrick.” You ground out as you take the jacket.

Kendrick kisses your cheek. “Have fun love. Talk tomorrow?”

You nod. “Talk tomorrow.”

Kendrick leaves as you put on your jacket. Minutes later your doorbell chimes for the second time of the day.

You let out a breath and walk towards the front door.

-------

Pedro exits the elevator on your floor. He walks down the hallway and rings the doorbell. Seconds later you open the door, standing there looking beautiful and radiant. He knows you are beautiful without the makeup, without the fancy dress.

He steps forward and captures your mouth with his. Drinking you in, becoming intoxicated with you, only you. He pulls you up against him and never wants to let go.

Pedro pulls faintly away from your lips. “Hermosa, mi querida.” His voice is light and enriched with desire, and love.

You smile at his words. You had seen what he was wearing before he pulled you into his arms. “You should wear a tux more often. It suits you.” You add with a laugh.

Pedro grins as he palms your cheek. He loves you. He is in love with you. “Ready?”

“As ever.”

Pedro grabs your hand as you close your apartment door. He pulls you onto the elevator then you exit into the lobby once the elevator opens to the main floor of your apartment building. He pulls you out into a N.Y.C. winter evening, towards the curb where a black town car is waiting for you.

The driver nods his head and opens the back-passenger door for you. Pedro lets you get in first then he settles in beside you before pulling you into his arms once again.

The driver gets in the car and pulls away from the curb.

“Where are we going Pedro?” You whisper resting your head on his chest above his heart.

“It’s a surprise.”

“Not even a hint? Or clue?”

Pedro kisses your temple. “No clues Y/N.”

You sigh and rest against Pedro. You close your eyes and take in his warmth, take in the smell of his sandalwood cologne. You’d recognize the scent anywhere and you know you’d think of Pedro. You listen to his steady heartbeat.

Pedro keeps his eyes on the buildings and once the car approaches the destination, he pulls out a blindfold from his tux.

“Don’t open your eyes mi querida.”

You swallow. “Okay.”

Pedro places the blindfold over your head, making sure it covers your eyes.

Your heart faintly quickens as you hear the car door open. You feel cold as Pedro removes himself from the car.

“Grab my hand,” Pedro whispers as he runs his hand down your arm.

You find and grasp it tightly as you scoot out of the car and into the cold air.

Pedro pulls you up against him as he begins walking.

“Where are we?” You whisper.

“You’ll see.”

You hear the jingling of keys and you’re inside the warmth of a building within seconds. All you can hear is a fire crackling close by. Your nose is tickled with the smells of roses and lavender, and a hint of vanilla. He pulls you further inside the warmth and the wonderful smells.

Pedro stops, so do you. He takes off your jacket. “Stay here.”

Like you could go anywhere. “Um, okay.”

Soft instrumental music begins softly playing and you hear Pedro walk up to you and grab your face in his hands. He brushes his mouth lightly against yours as his thumbs rub your cheeks.

You place your hands on his hands and brush your thumbs over them.

Pedro pulls back and looks at you. He traces a thumb over your soft lips then he walks around you and pulls you back up against him. His fingers roam over the open back of your dress. Your skin is delicate and warm under his touch.

“Pedro,” you whisper as you feel his front against your back.

“Yes, mi querida?”

You laugh lightly, “you do know I still can’t see?”

Pedro smiles, “yes. I want to take you in before I do the reveal.”

Your mind begins to race, and your heart slightly quickens.

“It’s just us. No one else is here,” Pedro whispers against your ear.

You breathe in and out. “I would hope so Pedro, otherwise I think if I was to move out of your grasp, they’d noticed what you have.”

Pedro laughs. Standing behind you and having his arms wrapped around you has given him a hard on. He’s ready to devour you again and again before the sun comes up in the morning.

“Keep your eyes closed Y/N,” Pedro reaches in front of your face and lifts the blindfold up and over your head.

Your eyes are still closed as Pedro wraps his arms around you.

Pedro places his head next to yours, “open them mi querida.”

You open your eyes. You gasp as you take in the view of the East River and the Manhattan skyline through the floor to ceiling windows. The city looks peaceful and spectacular from where you are standing.

You then sweep your eyes around the room you are standing in.

Several blankets make one large rug on the hardwood floor you are standing on. You notice a basket in the middle of the floor. Two champagne flutes accent the basket along with an ice bucket and a bottle of champagne.

You smile as you take in rose pedals strewn around on the floor and the candles creating a path towards the picnic basket.

“This is lovely Pedro,” you whisper.

“You deserve this mi querida,” Pedro whispers back.

You wonder who’s place this is. “Don’t tell me you’ve kicked someone out for the night.”

Pedro laughs as he holds you close. “No. They are elsewhere in the world tonight. Oscar knew of this place, knows the owners.”

You wonder who would want to miss out on this view every night. The Manhattan skyline, the East River, the Brooklyn Bridge. Then with the added effort Pedro put into this place – the romanticism, the candlelight, the music, the picnic, the love.

Every aspect of this evening is perfection, and you know there’s more to come.

You sigh happily as you rest your head back against Pedro, searing this view into memory and all the intricate details as well. In all your years alive this is the first Valentine’s Day you want to remember for eternity.

-------

After eating the picnic dinner and toasting to one another with the champagne, you sit in between Pedro’s legs on the blankets. Pedro’s arms are wrapped around you and as you rest against him.

“This is wonderful,” you sigh contently. “Thank you for this. It’s perfect. You’re perfect.”

Pedro tilts your head and brushes his mouth against yours. He presses his forehead against yours as he cups your cheek.

“I love you Y/N.”

Your heart quickens.

Pedro continues, “all I want is you, all I need is you. Mi amor.”

You watch him lift a blanket and pull out a Tiffany Blue box.

This better not be, you think as your mind flashes with pictures of engagement rings.

You weren’t ready for this again. You and Pedro weren’t ready to take this gigantic leap. You look at him. Could he though?

Pedro holds the box in his hands. “Open it.”

“Pedro,” your voice squeaks, “if this is a ring—”

Pedro presses his lips against your temple. “It’s not but now…”

“Pedro please don’t joke.”

He smiles, “open it.”

You take the box from his hands and place it in your lap. You untie the silk white bow and take off the lid. You turn the box over and out slides a black velvet box.

“Pedro,” you whisper as you open the black velvet box.

Inside is a heart shaped pendant with an olive branch design in sterling silver on a same color chain.

“It’s beautiful,” you whisper as you touch the necklace.

Pedro grabs the piece of jewelry gently, taking it out of its home and unhooks it. He brings it around your neck – its new and forever home.

“I saw this and knew I had to give it to you,” Pedro whispers as he clasps the chain together and kisses the side of your neck. “Olive branch signifies peace and abundance. You’ve told me I am your calm, your peace. My love for you will always be bountiful.”

Your fingers reach for the necklace. You touch it lightly as Pedro stands up.

He holds his hand out for you and wiggles his fingers.

You look up at him and smile.

Once on your feet, Pedro pulls you into his arms and the tune over the speakers becomes familiar to your ears.

The piano and cello complimenting one another as they make a lovely sound.

Pedro begins singing along with the music, “wise men say only fools rush in, but I can’t help falling in love with you.”

Your heart melts instantaneously. You know in this precise moment you are in love with this man.

“Would it be a sin, if I can’t help falling in love with you,” Pedro continues to sing.

This is the song Pedro asked you to dance to at Kendrick’s Christmas party. It was the same one he had the pianist play on your first date.

“Like a river flows surely to the sea. Darling so it goes, some things are meant to be,” Pedro grabs your hand and places it over his heart, “so take my hand, take my whole life too. For I can’t help falling in love with you.”

Tears spring to your eyes. Yes, you are in love. Your heart is calm, you are at peace. You reach up and touch his cheek.

“Some things are meant to be,” you sing in a weak voice.

Pedro smiles at you.

“Take my hand, take my whole life too. For I can’t help falling in love with you,” you sing to him.

“For I can’t help falling in love with you,” Pedro and you sing in unison.

When the music ends, you look at Pedro and touch his cheek, “I love you Pedro.”

“I love you Y/N,” Pedro whispers before crushing his mouth against yours, kissing you feverishly.

Pedro’s heart soars inside of his chest. He has found the one. You.

He knew you were the answer when he first laid his coffee colored eyes on your all those months ago.

Pedro runs his hands down the open back of your dress. His fingers find the zipper and they begin to move it slowly down. Pedro moves his fingers up and pulls down the straps of your dress, which fall freely down your arms.

Pedro faintly pulls away as his fingers run along the collar of your dress. He pulls down the material, pushes it slowly down your chest, revealing you have no bra on.

Pedro moans as he leans down and nuzzles your neck.

You suck in a breath as your fingers reach up and move through his soft hair. His feather light touches are driving you insane. You’re already on fire and he’s adding to the flame.

“Pedro,” you moan.

“Y/N,” Pedro whispers as his fingers reach up and touch the necklace he placed around your neck minutes before, “this is the only thing I want you to wear tonight when I claim you.”

You nod as your hands move up his chest, your fingers touch his bowtie. You reach under the collar of his shirt and unhook it, tossing it to the floor. You begin to slowly unbutton the white button-top he’s wearing.

Pedro keeps you pulled close to him. His fingers running up and down your back as your fingers finally unbutton the last button. Pedro sucks in a breath as your hands travel up his soft stomach and over his chest.

“Y/N,” Pedro whispers as he kisses your temple.

Your hands reach his shoulders. You push the jacket and top off Pedro’s body together. Your hands return to his shoulders and you let your fingers drum against his skin lightly down to the base of his neck. You move your fingers up his long neck and along his jawline.

Pedro pushes your dress further down your body. The dress falls slowly to the floor, pooling around your feet.

His fingers run down your chest, through the valley between your breasts and down your stomach. They trace the waistband of your panties. Pedro palms your core.

“Pedro,” you let out in a soft gasping moan.

Pedro pulls you up against him and runs a hand down your back and over your ass. You are his now and forever.

“Y/N,” Pedro whispers against your ear. “Eres mia, mi amor.”

You smile as you rest your head against his chest. “Eres mio Pedro.”

You and Pedro stand wrapped in one another for a few minutes before you move your hands down his back. Your own fingers trace the waistband of his pants. They unbutton and unzip the material with ease.

Pedro hisses as your hand reaches in and begins stroking his cock.

You moan as you feel his cock harden at your touch.

You use your free hand to push down his clothing. Once his pants are around his hips, you kiss Pedro at the base of his neck then move your mouth down his chest and stomach.

You settle comfortably on your knees as you use your tongue to lick up and down his length then swirl your tongue around the tip.

“Yes,” Pedro grounds out as he runs his fingers through your hair.

You engulf his cock slowly into your mouth, inch by inch. You use your tongue to swirl around the girth of his cock. You moan as it hits the back of your throat.

“Oh—mmm,” Pedro moans as he feels your hand reach up and cup his balls.

His hands try to hold your head steady as you begin moving up and down his cock. Pedro’s orgasm is rising inside of him as he tilts his head back, savoring the way your mouth feels on him.

“Fu—Y/N—mmm—oh—yes,” Pedro pants out as you continue lathering his cock with your saliva.

You move your head up his length and your tongue swirls around the tip fast then slowly.

“I—mmm—let me—mmm—return the favor,” Pedro moans as he places a hand under your chin, making you look up at him.

You release his cock from your mouth, staying on your knees. You move back on the blankets, lying down on them. You kick off your shoes as you watch Pedro push his pants and underwear down.

Pedro kicks his shoes off as he takes in your naked body on the floor.

Mine, is all he thinks as he takes in your glowing skin, your steady pulse at the base of your neck. The necklace laying on your upper chest.

Pedro moves your dress out of the way as he kneels between your open legs. He kisses his way up your stomach, moving his mouth between the valley of your breasts. He flicks one nipple with his tongue, then the other.

He moves up your chest and kisses you along the base of your neck. He reaches up and cups your cheek as he brushes his mouth against yours.

You smile as you pull faintly away. You reach up and trace his mouth with your fingers.

Mine, is all you think as you look deeply into his coffee colored eyes.

You two stare into each other’s eyes. The moment is intimate. Both of you smile as you both know you love one another. All there is in this moment, and for the rest of your days, is each other and the love you have for one another.

You move your fingers along his cheeks and jawline. You reach up and weave them through his hair. You will never tire of him. Never.

Pedro captures your mouth as he smiles. He sees the love in your eyes. He sees the woman he fell in love, the woman he loves.

He roams a hand down your body and palms your core. He moans as he finds you hot and wet. Pedro slips in a finger, glides a finger over your clit.

“Pedro,” you moan as his finger touches your sensitive nub.

Pedro kisses his way back down your body. He moves his mouth over your skin, making sure he glides his cheeks over your skin as well so you can feel more pleasure from the light fuzz on them.

You suck in a breath as your fingers remain threaded in his hair as he moves his mouth further down your body.

Pedro slides his fingers over your folds as he places his head against one of your inner thighs. He looks up at you and you already have your eyes on him.

Pedro grazes his cheek against your inner thigh before he dips his head and begins circling your clit with his tongue.

Your toes instantly curl at the contact and you moan out, “Pedro.”

Your body’s been in overdrive since Pedro told you he loved you. His kisses, his touches along with him gliding his fuzzy hair jawline and cheeks across your flesh has set your pleasure sensors off. They were craving more; you were craving more. You craved him above everything, and everyone else.

Your orgasm crests inside of you as Pedro’s tongue moves against your clit. The pleasure inside of you is at maximum speed and you know it’s only a matter of minutes.

“Ped—Pedro,” you moan as you release one hand from the blankets and weave them through his hair.

You moan loudly as your orgasm crashes throughout you. Your toes curl again, and your hands clasp the blanket as Pedro lightly flicks your clit as the aftershocks of your orgasm make your body tremble.

“Pedro,” you pant as you feel him kiss both of your inner thighs before moving back up your body.

“Y/N,” Pedro whispers as mouth moves across your skin slowly. He wants to savor the aftershocks of the orgasm he gave you rolling through your body.

You reach up and run your fingers through his chestnut brown hair as you catch your breath. Your eyes locked onto his as he moves his mouth up your chest through the valley between your breasts.

Pedro grabs one of your hands and brings your wrist to his lips.

You moan at feeling his mustache tickle your skin.

“Mi amor,” Pedro whispers as he looks into your Y/E/C eyes.

“My love,” you smile at him.

You and Pedro drink in one another.

Your hands travel up his stomach and chest then around to his back. Your fingers moving lightly across his warm flesh.

Pedro sucks in a breath as he leans down and nuzzles your neck.

You pull him close to your body then bring his mouth to yours, not caring about tasting yourself on his lips. You take the advantage to push him onto his back.

Pedro moans as you pull away and straddled him.

He reaches up with a hand. Strokes your cheek, moves his fingers down your neck. He touches the necklace then moves his hand down your chest and over your stomach.

“Hermosa Y/N,” Pedro whispers.

You blush as you lean down and nip at his neck, “and I’m all yours Pedro.”

Pedro places his hands on your hips and squeezes gently, “yes you are.”

You smile as you reach back and find his hard cock. You keep your hand at the base as you rise your hips then slowly sink your pussy onto his length.

“Y/N,” Pedro hisses at finally being inside of your slick canal.

You moan loudly as you begin rolling your hips once you feel Pedro’s cock entirely inside of you. You close your eyes as you move your hands up and down his chest and stomach.

Pedro begins thrusting up into you, meeting the rolling of your hips, matching your rhythm as his orgasm rises inside of him. His hands remain on your hips as he takes you in with his eyes.

He burns this moment to his mind. Your beautifully naked body riding him as the necklace he gave you glimmers in the candlelight. Your Y/H/C hair falling around your face as you tilt your head back and bite your lip as his cock inside of your depths gives you pleasure.

He has burned the whole night into his mind. He doesn’t ever want to forget this night, doesn’t ever want to forget the moment when you uttered ‘I love you’ to him. He doesn’t want to forget how much he loves you, doesn’t want you to forget he loves you as much as you love him – possibly more.

Pedro knows if things were to fizzle out, or if hell decided to come for you in any form, he’d battle whoever and whatever to get you back, to get you to stay. He had dived deep, like you had, into the deepest ravine and knew there was no chance of ever escaping.

“Pedro,” you moan as your fingers tighten against Pedro’s chest because another orgasm is cresting inside of you rapidly.

“Y/N,” Pedro moans as his fingers tighten on your hips.

You open your eyes and look down at him. You roll your hips and moan loudly as your second orgasm jumps off the cliff it had approached.

“Fu—,” you can’t complete the word as your orgasm makes your body tremble.

Pedro sits up and gathers you in his arms as he thrusts up into you and explodes, emptying himself inside of you.

You’re breathless as you loop your arms around Pedro’s neck and lean down to nuzzle his neck. You feel your pussy clench around his cock as he cums inside of you.

“Y/N,” Pedro pants as he brushes some of your hair aside and nips at your neck.

Your emotions are high. Your pleasure is high.

Pedro Pascal is your drug. You never want to come down from the highs he’s given, will continue to give.

Pedro wraps his arms around you and pulls you against him. He lies back against the blankets and holds you in his arms. His fingers travel down your back then up into your hair.

“There’s nobody like you Pedro. Will never be nobody but you,” you whisper against his neck.

“You are my one Y/N. My one and only. There is nobody but you.” Pedro whispers.

You move to your side, keeping your head in the crook of his neck. Your hand travels down his chest as Pedro grabs a free blanket and covers you both.

Pedro turns his head and looks at you. “Will you come to Brazil with me?”

You smile, knowing this was the one true question he wanted to ask you tonight. You know you can go; you want to go.

You brush your lips against his, whispering, “yes.”

Unconditionally Tags: @holyground1996, @bonkybaaarnes, @blushingwueen, @dindjarinshelmet, @stand-on-your-feet

Pedro Tags: @pascalisthepunkest, @kaelyn-lobrutto24, @jokersdoll, @knight-of-heart44, @mandadl0rian, @cosmo-bear, @caitlincat-95, @random066, @longitud-de-onda, @behindmyeyes-insidemyhead, @earl-01

#unconditionally chapter 4 #pedro pascal #pedro pascal fanfiction #pedro pascal x you #pedro pascal x reader #pedro pascal smut #mutlichapter #unconditionally #smut #when you meet your soul mate everything is calm #romance #valentine's day #pedro pascal hopeless romantic

100 notes · View notes