#support conversation analysis

[four-loose-screws]

Full Henry (Fire Emblem Awakening) Personality & Support Conversation Analysis Post - English Localization vs. Original Japanese

So a while back I stated I wouldn't be doing full character support convo analyses any more because they are very time consuming, but... well, I can't help myself. They're just too much fun. And Henry himself is just too much fun, too.

The Olivia / Henry's support chain got several translations and conversations about it in the early years of Awakening's release, but I don't think I have ever heard much about any of Henry's other support convo chains. So how do their localized versions stack up to the original Japanese? Let's walk through his entire support convo list and find out!

This post will be a discussion of select snippets of Henry's support conversations - whatever I want to point out. For balance, sometimes, that will be sections changed from the Japanese, and other times, sections translated pretty closely.

Since I will only be covering bits and pieces here, if there's any support chains you would like to see translated in full, please send a request to my inbox! Support convo translations are usually pretty easy for me, and a great way to add more activity to my blog between novel translations uploads, so I love getting them.

Henry / Robin

Henry / Robin just has minor changes. "Minor localization changes," as I define them, are when the localization team adds or takes away small bits of dialogue, in a way that does not change the overall theme, tone, chain of events, etc. of the conversation.

Discussing minor changes doesn't make for much conversation, but it's fascinating to see how localization teams "spice up" video game dialogues to make them more fun to read in English, and analyze how well the succeeded in fulfilling that goal.

(Also, when talking about Robin as a general character and not the female / male incarnation specifically, I use "they/them" pronouns.)

C Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Robin: Ugh! D-don't wave that thing in my face! I don't want it anywhere near me.

Original Japanese:

[ルフレ]いいよ！(Robin: That's fine!) 僕は遠慮しておくよ！▼ (I'll pass!)

In this example, the localization added to what Robin says. There's no indication in the Japanese that Henry waves the Risen arm in their face. But the same basic flow of events is present in the conversation: Henry is experimenting with Risen -> propositions Robin to join in his experiments -> Robin flatly refuses. This is a great example of a minor change. It follows the events and tone of the Japanese support, while further showcasing the morbid humor Henry is displaying here.

B Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: If I get it to work, we can have them all fight on our behalf! Then we can sip tea for the rest of the war and collect the accolades once it's over. Robin: Well I understand the idea in theory. It could reduce casualties on our side... But there is one slight problem... Have you given any thought to how you'll control these soulless warriors?

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]これを使えば戦いを屍兵に任せて、(Henry: If we use this, then we'll leave the battle to the Risen,) 僕たちはお茶でも飲んでいられるよ～。▼(and we can even drink tea~.) そしたら戦死者も出なくなるし、(Then, we will have no casualties, and) いろいろと���利だよね～。▼ (they'll be convenient in many ways~.) [ルフレ]うーん…いくら戦死者が出ないといっても、(Robin: Umm... even if we won't have any casualties,) 屍兵の力を借りるのは…▼ (Borrowing the Risen's powers is...) それに、召喚した屍兵を (And the summoned Risen,) 操ることができるとは限らないよね？▼ (we won't necessarily be able to control them, right?)

Here's a change that's even smaller than the previous one, really. Robin doesn't say directly that the Risen are soulless in the Japanese, just summoned.

Henry / Lissa

S Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: Hey-o! Need your human pillow again?

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]あ、リズ。こんにちは～。(Henry: Ah, Lissa! Hello~.) 今日も枕が必要？▼ (Do you need a pillow again today?)

As you will continue to see going forward, sometimes what surprises me about localization Henry is how little he was changed! What I mean is, I thought something as goofy as Henry calling himself a pillow would have been some silly fluff the localization added, but nope! He does indeed refer to himself as a pillow in the Japanese too.

Henry / Frederick

C Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: Okay, fine! Geez, careful not to twist your smallclothes there...

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]は～い。ごめんなさ～い。▼(Henry: Understooood. I'm sorrrry.)

The English changed the Japanese line here, but I think it was necessary - without the nuance of the Japanese tilde (~), I think it's not as obvious that Henry is being sarcastic. So the localization added a sarcastic joke to bridge that gap. (Also, get ready to see the tilde A LOT going forward in Henry's Japanese text!!)

that Also, this is a bit off topic, but fun to point out anyway. If you ever hear anyone say Japanese has no sarcasm, you have some good proof of the contrary now. Japanese Henry can be quite sarcastic too! It's a common claim that Japanese has no sarcasm, because they don't use it anywhere near as much as English speakers use. But in actuality, Japanese speakers just don't utilize it in the exact same ways English speakers do!!

Now back on topic! :)

B Support

Snippet No. 1:

Eng. NA Localization:

Frederick: Because I know that anything can happen on the battlefield. I do not want my dying thought to be "if only I had trained a little harder." Henry: I want my dying thought to be about blood! ...Or maybe ichor.

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]ふ～ん。▼ (Oh, really~?)

Snippet No. 2:

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: Whoa, easy there, Frederick! You're bruising my arm! ...Oooo, look at the colors!

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]ちょ、ちょっと～…▼(H-Hey~...)

We see the tilde again! I'll explain it in proper detail this time.

In short, Japanese video game dialogue uses the tilde A LOT to convey the tone of a character's speech.

I find that it can be used very broadly, and in a number of situations. Humor is the number 1 situation though, I think. It is used when characters are joking or sarcastic; or when characters are speaking in a lighthearted, happy, or whimsical tone. You'll also see it when a character is speaking in a sing-song voice, or just actually singing (See: a character like Engage's Timerra!).

In the case of Henry, we can understand in the Japanese thanks to the tilde that he is always joking around, being sarcastic, having fun with everything, lighthearted and never serious, etc. etc..

However... there's no singular symbol that can cover all of that tone in English! I mean, I do think dialogue could use the ~ and some people would get it, but I certainly don't think it is standardized enough to rely on in a video game released to a mass audience.

So what was the English localization to do? Well, a lot of the time, word choice and laughter alone can get Henry's meaning across just as well on its own. ...But it can't always be that straightforward. This is where I think it was obsoletely necessary for the localization to add jokes to Henry's dialogue to maintain the same meaning and tone as the Japanese. The above two samples I pulled from the Henry / Frederick supports are great examples of that. They help get the point across about just how much Henry jokes around, and how sarcastic he is.

That's all I have to say about the tilde for now, as I'm sure it won't be the last time I point one out in Henry's conversations. :)

Henry / Sully

B Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: That's 'cause you WERE! ...You totally still had five or six solid minutes left, though.

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]そうだね～。あと数刻もすれば (Henry: It was, wasn't it? After a bit longer,) 死んじゃってたと思うよ～。▼ (you would have died, I think~.)

Again, wow, it really surprises me what lines are very direct from the Japanese sometimes! Henry really just is that morbid, and candid about death!

A Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: I can't remember BEING upset. Folks here are so nice, and even bad guys are pretty great when they splatter. When life gives ya lemons, use 'em to ward off scurvy. That's what I say!

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]僕は怒らないよ～。▼ (I don't get mad~.) 怒るほど嫌なことを (And something so bad it makes me mad) 人にされることも滅多に無いし～。▼ (people hardly ever do to me~.) 大抵のことは笑って済ませられるよ～。▼ (I end most things with a laugh~.)

Even in a case like this, where the localization was a bit more liberal, Henry's tone still didn't change much. "When life gives you lemons" and "I end most things with a laugh~" can boil down to a same sort of connotation. Again, the localization is playing up Henry's humor and morbid optimism to fully get it across, in the absence of the Japanese tilde.

Henry / Miriel

C Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: You always have to know exactly how things work, huh? Want a demonstration? I could turn Robin into a toad or something. Miriel: No. The experiment is not of such import that our comrades need be imperiled. Henry: But it wouldn't be forever! Just a few days at the most. Miriel: If we were suddenly called to battle, a toad tactician would be most disadvantageous. Henry: Oh yeah. I hadn't thought about that. Well, maybe I could cast a different kind of hex. Miriel: So long as the risk is within acceptable parameters.

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]仕組み？　あはは、(Henry: How they work? Ah ha ha, 勉強熱心だな～、ミリエルは。▼ (you're so passionate about your studies, Miriel~!) じゃあちょっと見本を見せるから (In that case, I'll show you a small example, so) そのへんの誰かを呪ってみるね～？▼ (I'll try cursing someone around here, alright~?) [ミリエル]その辺の誰か･･･？ (Miriel: Someone around here...?) 味方を呪い殺すおつもりですか？▼ (Do you intend to cast a deadly curse on an ally?) [ヘンリー]あ、ダメだった～？▼ (Henry: Oh, would you not like that~?) [ミリエル]えぇ･･･。戦力が減るのは (Miriel: Um... A decrease in our forces) 軍にとって良くないことですから･･･。▼ (would not be good for our army...) [ヘンリー]そっか～。じゃあ死なない呪いにするよ。(Henry: I see~. Then I'll pick a curse that won't kill them!) それならいいでしょ～？▼ (That will be okay, right~?) [ミリエル]はい、そういうことなら･･･ (Miriel: Yes. If that is the case,) じっくりと観察させていただきます。▼ (then allow me to observe carefully.)

Henry decides to target poor Robin specifically in the localization, but otherwise, the support chain has no significant changes.

Henry / Sumia

C Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: Nya ha ha! Looked at all the smashed crockery! That's hilarious!

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]ほんとだ、すご～い。全部粉々だね～。▼ (Henry: You're right, woooow! They're all in pieces, aren't they?)

Another example of how the English made up for the lack of the tilde's Japanese connotation - Henry just outright says he finds the current situation hilarious.

Henry / Ricken

B Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: Oh! And Campari used to make little birdhouses for homeless—

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]あと、ポモドーロ様はね…▼ (Henry: After them there was Campari...)

In another one of Henry's stand-out support conversations, in the Japanese, he stops before sharing what made Campari such a great guy, but otherwise the conversation is overwhelmingly the same as in JP.

A Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: Judging by your expression, I'd say it's a serious one. Nya ha ha!

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]うん、いいよ～。(Henry: Yeah, that's fine~.) そんなに真剣な顔してどうしたの～？▼ (Why are you making such a serious face?)

Another great little example of how the localization made up for the lack of tilde - in place of the tilde, to convey that he is joking around, the localization has Henry laugh out loud.

Henry / Maribelle

C Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: I'm not feigning anything. I'm just really in touch with the natural world. I can talk to any living thing you want. Trees. Flowers. Maggots. Ooooooh... Maaaggots... Maribelle: That is a remarkable talent, if a shade disturbing.

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]合わせてなんかないよ～。▼ (I'm not feigning, or anything of the sort~.) 僕はねぇ、自然に満ちている あらゆるものと会話できるんだよ～。▼ (You see, I can talk to all things filled with nature~.) [マリアベル]そ、そうですの…。(Maribelle: C-Can you...) 本当なら、すごいことですわね…。▼ (If that's true, then it is remarkable, indeed...)

The localization added in Henry's little pause on the word "maggots," (and added in the word "maggot" to begin with) but otherwise, this is another rather directly translated support chain.

Henry / Panne

C Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Panne: THAT was your reason?!

Original Japanese:

[ベルベット]…呆れたわ。(Panne: ...I'm astounded.) そんな理由なの…？▼ (Your reason was one such as that...?) 人間は理解しがたいけど、(Humans are difficult to understand, but) あなたは中でも極めつけよ。▼ (you are especially so.)

This exchange from Panne at the end of the C Support was actually longer in the Japanese. I don't see any particular stand-out reason why this is. Perhaps it was even an error, and the localization accidentally left out some of the text.

S Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Panne: We're too alike, you and I. We both lost our families and lived alone too long. But no more. I accept your ring. From now on, we are each other's family.

Original Japanese:

[ベルベット]あなたは似てるの。(Panne: You are like him.) 人間に殺された、私の弟に…▼ (My younger brother, who was killed by humans.) いいわ、受け取らせてもらう。(I will accept your ring.) あなたのそばにいてあげる、ヘンリー。▼ (I will be by your side, Henry.) これからは、私たちは家族よ。▼ (From now on, we are family.)

In the Japanese, Panne does not compare Henry to herself, but to her brother. Her brother is removed entirely in the localization, which at first seems like a pretty big deal. Perhaps it is because he is never mentioned again? It is odd that her sibling (who would seem important to her) is such a throwaway character in this one line of her supports with Henry.

Henry / Cordelia

C Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooh. Say, what if the wife was dead? Could you give it to him then?

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]ふーん…よくわかんないなあ。(Henry: Huh... I don't really get it.) 奥様がいると襟巻きが渡せないんだ。▼ (He has a wife, so you can't give him the scarf.) じゃあ、奥様が死んじゃったら (So, if his wife was dead,) 渡せるようになるの？▼ (would you be able to give it to him then?)

Here's another example I included not because it's changed from the Japanese - but because I was surprised to see this confirmation that Henry really is this morbid in the Japanese as well!

A Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: I asked Lissa for advice, and she told me to take you on a big shopping trip. She said a few hours trying on dresses and armor would fix that broken heart, pronto! (skip a few lines) Henry: Then how about some comfort food? Fruit pies and cream? Candy apples? Macaroni and cheese with fried boar crisps and crumbled horse—

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]リズから聞いたんだ～。(Henry: I asked Lissa~.) 女の子の胸が苦しい時は、▼ (When a girl's heart hurts,) 買い物したりやけ食いしたりすると (things like shopping, or eating a lot) 治るんだって～。▼ (will cure it!) (skip a few lines) [ヘンリー]そうなんだ～。(Henry: I understand~.) じゃあ、やけ食いの方が好き？▼ (So you like overeating more?)

In the Japanese, Lissa's advice to Henry includes not only retail therapy, but also... overeating / binge eating. That's an understandably sensitive topic for the localization team to dodge.

It's true the localization does have Henry propose some comfort food food at the end of the convo... but I think Henry asking if Cordelia wants to eat a treat or two is different than proposing she full-on binge eats.

Henry / Nowi

C Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Nowi: No! I'm an adult woman who's more than a thousand years older than you! Henry: Oh, right! Nya ha ha! Sorry, short stuff!

Original Japanese:

[ノノ]ノノは子どもじゃないもん。(Nowi: Nowi's not a child!) 千年以上生きてる大人の女なんだから！▼ (Because Nowi is an adult woman who's lived for over 1,000 years!) [ヘンリー]あ、そうだったね。(Henry: Oh, that's right!) あはは、ごめんなさい、お姉さん。▼ (Ah ha ha, sorry, big sister!)

Ah, the 1,000 year old child-looking adult dragon. An FE classic.

But actually, the Japanese line was the same in this case! A young-looking character reiterating that they are totally an adult, isn't always an addition of the localization. (I say this because it was so in the main Fates script with Elise).

B Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: Yep! They're probably quivering in fear under their beds and crying like babies. But no worries! There'll be more victim—er, that is, village kids—at our next camp. (skip a few lines) Henry: If they exchanged fire breath with you, they'd end up as little clumps of charcoal.

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]うん、たぶん無理だと思うよ～。▼(Henry: Yeah, I think it's probably no use~!) でも、いいじゃない。ほかの土��にも (But that's okay, isn't it? Because in other areas) 子どもはたくさんいるんだから。▼ (there's also lots of children.) (skip a few lines) [ヘンリー]うーん…僕には空を飛んだり (Henry: Hmm... I can't fly in the sky) ブレスを吹いたりできないしなぁ。▼ (or blow fire breath, or anything like that.)

Here, the localization added a bit to Henry's morbidity. In the Japanese, he didn't joke around and start to call the children he and Nowi played with victims, or go so far as to describe that her fire breath would turn them to charcoal.

While Henry is morbid and sarcastic in the Japanese, this is further proof that the localization did add in some extra. Which again, makes up for some of the gap left without the tilde ~ in English.

Henry / Tharja

C Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: Sure! You want me to cast a death curse on someone? Tharja: Someone in camp? Mmm... No. That could be problematic. Henry: Hee hee! Yeah, I guess. Too bad, though. See, 'cause I've got one that makes blood come out your—

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]そうなんだ～。(Henry: Did you now~?) じゃ、ちょっと呪いあってみる～？▼ (Then shall I try casting a teensy-weensy curse on them?) [サーリャ]結構よ…。仲間同士で (Tharja: You don't have to...) 潰し合っても、不毛なだけだから…。▼ (For allies to kill each other, would be meaningless...) [ヘンリー]あはは、それは残念だな～。▼ (Henry: Ah ha ha, that's too bad~.)

The morbid joke about exactly what kind of curse Henry wants to try out - one that involves making blood come out from... somewhere - was a small add-on in the localization. This chunk of the exchange otherwise follows the Japanese.

Eng. NA Localization:

Tharja: Ugh... Hale? Hearty? Have you no respect for our ancient profession? We're supposed to be harbingers of pestilence and famine and doom! Henry: Mm... I love doom.

Original Japanese:

[サーリャ]健全で純真ですって…？(Tharja: Healthy...? Pure...?) …呪いを使う者が、よく言う…。▼(...Well said for a spellcaster of curses...) …まぁいいわ…くれぐれも (...Whatever... don't keep) おかしな真似はしないことね。▼ (acting weird, alright?) [ヘンリー]は～い。▼ (Henry: Okaaaaaay.)

The exact ending of the C Support is ever so slightly different. In both, Tharja basically says to Henry to act more like a dark mage, but the little joke about "doom" was added.

B Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: Hello, Tharja! Tharja: *Mumble, mumble* *hiss* Henry: Heey! Did you just put a curse on me? Tharja: Yes, Now, if you do not speak the truth, you will DIE! Answer me clearly and without hesitation. Are you a foreign spy? Henry: Nope! Not me! Although I do own a cloak and a couple daggers. Tharja: Who do you serve? Ylisse or Plegia? Henry: Aw, I don't get into politics. I just want to toss fireballs at bad guys.

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]…あれ？　これ��て…。▼ (Henry: ...Huh? This is...) [サーリャ]…思ったよりあっさりかかったわね。▼ (Tharja: ...That was much easier than I thought it would be.) [ヘンリー]あ、やっぱりサーリャだ。(Henry: Ah, I knew it, it's you Tharja!) 僕に呪いをかけたね～？▼ (You cast a curse on me, didn't you?) [サーリャ]えぇ…これで私の前では (Tharja: Yes... Now, before me) 嘘や隠しごとはできないわよ…。▼ (you cannot lie or hide anything...) 正直に答えなさい… (Answer me honestly...) 貴方、誰かのスパイじゃないでしょうね…？▼ (You aren't anyone's spy, are you?) [ヘンリー]うん、スパイじゃないよ～。▼ (Henry: Nope, I'm not a spy~!) [サーリャ]じゃあ、貴方は…ペレジアと (Tharja: So you... between Plegia) イーリスと、どっちの味方…？▼ (And Ylisse, which are you an ally of...) [ヘンリー]ん～…味方とか、よくわかんないな～。(Henry: Hm~... I don't really know who's ally I am~.) 悪いと思った奴と戦うだけじゃダメなの？▼ (Is it wrong to just fight whoever I think is bad?)

A few little tweaks here. Tharja is in the middle of casting her curse in her first line in the localization, whereas in the Japanese, it was already over, and she was making a comment as to how easy it was to do. And then, Henry's quips were added onto a bit in localization.

A Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: Hecka-necka, jimma-jamma, woozle-wazzle! Aaand presto! Curse dispelled! Actually not dispelled. I tossed it back at the original sender. Hee hee!

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]あ、それなら大丈夫だよ～。(Henry: Ah, if it's that, that's fine~.) 僕がもうはね返しておいたから～。▼ (Because I already bounced it back~.)

Henry's "chant" was added in localization. In the Japanese, by the time Henry says his line, he's already sent the curse back to its caster.

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: Well, usually I disarm foes by removing their arms. But your way sounds impressive, too!

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]あはは、だから最初に言ったじゃない～。(Henry: Ah ha ha, that's what I said in the beginning, isn't it~?) 僕は健全で純真な心の持ち主だって。▼ (I have a healthy and pure heart.) でも、嬉しいなぁ～、(But I'm happy~.) サーリャに褒めてもらえて～。▼ (I was complemented by you~.)

And the localization was just taking advantage of an opportunity to make a disarming pun here, it was not already in the Japanese.

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: Wizard fight! Wizard fight! Yaaaaaay!

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]わぁ～。サーリャ、こわ～い。▼(Henry: Eeeeek~! Tharja is scaaaary~!)

In the Japanese, Henry doesn't get excited to have a wizard fight with Tharja, but he still does act pretty goofy by pretending to be scared of her.

S Support

Somehow, I don't have anything to add to this one! Henry really does run off to have an engagement ring made after Tharja says she will accept his proposal if he agrees to protect Robin.

Henry / Cherche

C Support

The C Support adds a number of little bits to Henry's dialogue, again just to play up his goofiness more, because English lacks a symbol like the Japanese tilde ~.

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: Sure have! She's as cute as a button, that one. ...Well, if buttons were cute. We had wyverns in Plegia, you know, and also the occasional fell beast. But we didn't have a single wyvern that was as pretty as Minerva.

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]うん！(Henry: Yeah!) かわいいよね～、ミネルヴァ！▼ (Minerva sure is cute~!) ペレジアにも (In Plegia too,) ドラゴンナイトはいたけど、▼ (there were wyvern knights, but) この子くらいかわいい 飛竜はいなかったよ～！！▼ (There weren't any as cute as this wyvern~!)

There was no mention of buttons in the Japanese version, Henry just says Minerva is cute.

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: Yep! I make four-legged friends wherever I go! And even some two-legged ones. I'm also pals with a three-legged bear, but that's a story for another time.

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]僕は自然と友達だから (Henry: I'm friends with nature, so) みんなと仲良しなんだよ～。▼ (I get along with all of them~.)

No mention of a three-legged bear friend in Japanese. Not that Japanese Henry wouldn't be excited to befriend a three-legged bear.

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: Yowza! Sh-she tried to bite me! Look, I'm bleeding! Mmm, blood...

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]ひゃあっ！　噛まないで～！▼ (Henry: Hyaaah! Don't bite me~!)

And the localization added in the fact that Henry was bleeding, and excited to see it.

B Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: Aw, it's fine. I bet I just give off some kind of animal aura. Or maybe she thought I was a big ham? I do smell kind of ham-like.

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]あはは、僕って (Henry: Ah ha ha, I) 獣っぽい気配がするみたい～。▼ (it seems I have an animal-like aura~.) だから獲物だと 勘違いしたのかもしれないね～。▼ (So maybe she mistook me for prey~.)

Henry doesn't propose that maybe he smells like ham, rather, in the Japanese, he thought that maybe Minerva mistook him for prey.

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: Well, when I was young, my best friend in the entire world was a giant wolf. My parents ignored me most of the time, so that wolf became my whole family. Then one day she came to visit me, and some hunters in the village... They shot her full of arrows. Killed her on the spot.

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]うん！　実は、昔仲良しの狼がいたんだ。(Henry: Yeah! Actually, long ago, there was a wolf I was friends with.) 僕、親に放ったらかしにされてたから、▼ (I was neglected by my parents, so) 小さい頃の親友と言うか、(You could call them a friend I had when I was young,) ほとんど家族みたいなものだったんだけど～▼ (or something like family, but~) ある日その狼が僕に会いに来たとき、(One day, when they came to see me,) 周りにいた大人たちに殺されちゃって…。▼ (they were killed by the adults around us...)

In the Japanese, Henry doesn't refer to the wolf's killers as "hunters," but "adults."

Also, the Japanese doesn't hint at whether the wolf was male or female, so I went with neutral pronouns.

A Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Cherche: I'm very happy that you like Minerva and you two get along so well. But I think you need to spend more time with human friends—namely, me. So I'm going to carry out my patrol on foot, and you're coming with me.

Original Japanese:

[セルジュ]ミネルヴァちゃんと仲良くなってくれるのは (Cherche:) とっても嬉しいんだけど、▼ (I'm very happy that you've become friends with Minerva-chan, but) あなたは本当の意味で人と接することを もっと重ねるべきだと思う。▼ (I think you should have more experiences getting truly close to people.) 偵察は私たちふたりで行きましょう。(Let's go on patrol together.) 私、あなたともっと仲良くなりたいわ。▼ (I want to become better friends with you.)

The localization of the A support was a pretty straightforward translation of the Japanese for the most part, but this bit of Cherche's dialogue from near the end is subtly different.

I think the localization subtracts a little from the real meaning of what Cherche is trying to get across to Henry - it's not that he doesn't spend time with people, its that when he does, he doesn't form meaningful relationships with them. The exact nuance is different.

S Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: I figured the old dogs would be barking, so I brought a homemade bunion salve. Cherche: Why, thank you, Henry! But how did you know? Henry: We've been on so many patrols together, I've memorized your whole routine. After this, you'll put a cold towel on your head and drink a cup of hot elderberry tea.

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]はい、これ。(Henry: This is for you.) 薬に漬けた湿布だよ～。▼ (A wet compress soaked in medicine~.) [セルジュ]あら、ありがとう。(Cherche: Oh my, thank you.) 脚が張っていたの、気づいてたの？▼ (You noticed that my legs are swollen?) [ヘンリー]うん。だって、あれから毎日 (Henry: Yup! After all, since then, every day) 二人で偵察に行ってたんだもん。▼ (we've gone on patrol together!) もうセルジュのことなら (If it's about you) なんでもわかるようになっちゃったよ～。▼ (then I already know everything there is to know~.)

Henry's treatments for Cherche after their patrol together were a bit different in Japanese.

The localization even added in elderberry tea when no mention of drinks was made before. Who on the team was such a fan of elderberry tea that it's the only tea anyone on the Awakening cast drinks? I'll always wonder.

Eng. NA Localization:

Cherche: Goodness, Henry, but this is sudden. However, I have found myself...thinking about you a lot lately. Ever since we met, I've wanted to know the real man behind that jolly facade. And this would be a chance to do just that. Very well, Henry, I accept your proposal!

Original Japanese:

[セルジュ]ふふ…やっとその笑顔を (Cherche: Tee hee...) 私にも向けてくれるようになったのね。▼ (You're finally in a place where you make that smile at me!) …私も、あなたが好きよ。(...I love you too.) 友達になりたいっていうのは嘘。▼ (It was a lie when I said that I wanted to be friends with you.) 本当はずっと、あなたの心が知りたい、(To be honest, I've always wanted to know your heart,) 誰よりも近くにいたいって思ってた。▼ (and to become closer to you than anyone else.) 毎日変わっていくあなたを… (You've been changing bit by bit every day...) これからも一番傍で見ていたいわ。▼ (I want to continue to see you at my side more than anyone else is.)

The localization left out the full extent of what Cherche was saying - that she's had romantic feelings for Henry for quite a long time before this conversation.

Henry / Olivia

So I saved Henry / Olivia for last and went a little out of recruitment order, because I remembered this conversation being pretty different in localization vs the Japanese. So I wanted to save "the big one" for last.

First, I want to point out that I did a full translation of this support chain several years ago now (*Checks post history* Wait... EIGHT years ago?! Dang!), so I don't really need to talk about specific lines. You can read and compare for yourself! I also posted the localized version below the Japanese in each post, so you you can save yourself an internet search.

C Support - B Support - A Support - S Support

Instead of discussing specifics, I'll just wrote some of my general thoughts in a few paragraphs.

In the C support, I think it's unfortunate that the localization downplayed Henry's original intentions for choosing to kill the dog. He does not try to fight the dog's death, if it is the only way to relieve its pain. If death is its fate, he accepts it. It's great nuance for his character, that I think was the highlight of the convo.

In the B support, I remembered thinking that the localization really changed this one, but that's not as true as I thought it was. In summary, Olivia thinks that Henry's sense of humor is a coping mechanism and his smiles aren't genuine. But Henry rejects that interpretation and says he just is who he is. That's same in both versions. The biggest change is to Henry's backstory at the "wizarding" school. Now that I look back on it, I actually see a good possibility as to why the localization chose to make this change. Saying that Henry experienced brutal pain and injuries because of "experiments gone wrong" still conveys that his teachers were terribly abusive - because healthy teachers would not be assigning magic training that could be so easily dangerous - but it isn't as graphic as "bad children were beaten senseless!" Child abuse is a pretty common trigger, so I get why the localization team would want to tweak this part of the convo a bit.

For the A and S supports, I don't have anything major to mention.

Also, throughout the entire support chain, Henry calls Olivia "crazy lady." I don't know exactly how I feel about this, because it feels a little out of place with the rest of his sense of morbid humor. But he does get a little sarcastic and sassy with people when they get on his nerves in any way - which Olivia very much is doing, by trying to say his outward personality is trauma coping and not genuine. So the more I think about it, the more I think it fits his personality fine.

So as my final conclusion, I can say that Henry / Olivia is the most changed of all Henry's supports in localization, but even then, that's only saying so much.

-----------------------------

And so, that's that! Generally speaking, Henry's conversations were pretty faithfully translated; with minor changes here and there, mostly to convey his sense of humor due to English's lack of the ~ tilde symbol used in dialogue. I only found a couple of more major changes, none of them particularly conversation-altering.

Henry's such a fun character to begin with that the localization team only had to make some subtle changes here and there to get his exact sense of humor and personality across, wherever it might have otherwise been lost in translation. And they did a pretty good job with that! Only a small selection of changes made me scratch my head a bit. Overall, good work all around.

Thanks for reading! :)

[violexides]

online arguments with zionists is pointless and is a waste of your valuable time. your words, if principled & used well, are a gift and do not have to be wasted on zionists. one of the most clarifying parts of talking to people online-- like on tumblr, for instance-- is that they typically can be assumed to possess the bare-bones level of information required to understand a situation of such global magnitude as the genocide in Palestine (something that, regardless of where you are in the world, has likely been publicized to such a degree through in-country protests or news coverage that you cannot be unaware of it). and if you have any understanding of what is going on at all, and any moral integrity, you would recognize that the US & israel are conducting a genocide in Palestine after decades of occupation. anyone who would come online to argue against the idea that a genocide is occurring, to argue that the US isn't involved, to argue that Palestine/Yemen/Iran has no justification to retaliate, to argue that zionism is justified-- is someone who has no moral integrity and can only possibly possess malice. at this point there is no nuance of not understanding the conflict if you are talking to someone online, to be online is to be exposed to this and there's zero way to avoid it anymore. so don't waste your time arguing with zionists, because you have walks to take. and friends to call. and food to cook, maybe, or order-- whatever you'd like to do. your rage is important to feel, but fuel it into something that destroys empire or builds up liberation. some asshole on tumblr who is still going "what genocide? i've never HEARD of this genocide!" is just someone you can block and move on from. channel your education into the people in your real-world community-- THAT is where you can educate and resist best.

[always-a-joyful-note]

Anyway I'm crying because Tsumugi is trying so hard to help her idols grow into the people they want to be. She wants to protect them and their happiness and bond so much but she also wants to let them be free. She's not struggling on how to lead them but how to guide them, and she is thinking so much about them but what about thinking about herself? It's so fascinating to me that she's kind of made Idolish7 herself, which is I think why we see her struggling so much with the fact of letting them go....but at the same time, she's not wrong about how their terrifying growth is starting to fracture them in a different way than before. And and and -

[precallai]

Integrating AI Call Transcription into Your VoIP or CRM System

In today’s hyper-connected business environment, customer communication is one of the most valuable assets a company possesses. Every sales call, support ticket, or service request contains rich data that can improve business processes—if captured and analyzed properly. This is where AI call transcription becomes a game changer. By converting voice conversations into searchable, structured text, businesses can unlock powerful insights. The real value, however, comes when these capabilities are integrated directly into VoIP and CRM systems, streamlining operations and enhancing customer experiences.

Why AI Call Transcription Matters

AI call transcription leverages advanced technologies such as Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) to convert real-time or recorded voice conversations into text. These transcripts can then be used for:

Compliance and auditing

Agent performance evaluation

Customer sentiment analysis

CRM data enrichment

Automated note-taking

Keyword tracking and lead scoring

Traditionally, analyzing calls was a manual and time-consuming task. AI makes this process scalable and real-time.

Key Components of AI Call Transcription Systems

Before diving into integration, it’s essential to understand the key components of an AI transcription pipeline:

Speech-to-Text Engine (ASR): Converts audio to raw text.

Speaker Diarization: Identifies and separates different speakers.

Timestamping: Tags text with time information for playback syncing.

Language Modeling: Uses NLP to enhance context, punctuation, and accuracy.

Post-processing Modules: Cleans up the transcript for readability.

APIs/SDKs: Interface for integration with external systems like CRMs or VoIP platforms.

Common Use Cases for VoIP + CRM + AI Transcription

The integration of AI transcription with VoIP and CRM platforms opens up a wide range of operational enhancements:

Sales teams: Automatically log conversations, extract deal-related data, and trigger follow-up tasks.

Customer support: Analyze tone, keywords, and escalation patterns for better agent training.

Compliance teams: Use searchable transcripts to verify adherence to legal and regulatory requirements.

Marketing teams: Mine conversation data for campaign insights, objections, and buying signals.

Step-by-Step: Integrating AI Call Transcription into VoIP Systems

Step 1: Capture the Audio Stream

Most modern VoIP systems like Twilio, RingCentral, Zoom Phone, or Aircall provide APIs or webhooks that allow you to:

Record calls in real time

Access audio streams post-call

Configure cloud storage for call files (MP3, WAV)

Ensure that you're adhering to legal and privacy regulations such as GDPR or HIPAA when capturing and storing call data.

Step 2: Choose an AI Transcription Provider

Several commercial and open-source options exist, including:

Google Speech-to-Text

AWS Transcribe

Microsoft Azure Speech

AssemblyAI

Deepgram

Whisper by OpenAI (open-source)

When selecting a provider, evaluate:

Language support

Real-time vs. batch processing capabilities

Accuracy in noisy environments

Speaker diarization support

API response latency

Security/compliance features

Step 3: Transcribe the Audio

Using the API of your chosen ASR provider, submit the call recording. Many platforms allow streaming input for real-time use cases, or you can upload an audio file for asynchronous transcription.

Here’s a basic flow using an API:

python

CopyEdit

import requests

response = requests.post(

    "https://api.transcriptionprovider.com/v1/transcribe",

    headers={"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"},

    json={"audio_url": "https://storage.yourvoip.com/call123.wav"}

)

transcript = response.json()

The returned transcript typically includes speaker turns, timestamps, and a confidence score.

Step-by-Step: Integrating Transcription with CRM Systems

Once you’ve obtained the transcription, you can inject it into your CRM platform (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho, GoHighLevel) using their APIs.

Step 4: Map Transcripts to CRM Records

You’ll need to determine where and how transcripts should appear in your CRM:

Contact record timeline

Activity or task notes

Custom transcription field

Opportunity or deal notes

For example, in HubSpot:

python

CopyEdit

requests.post(

    "https://api.hubapi.com/engagements/v1/engagements",

    headers={"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_HUBSPOT_TOKEN"},

    json={

        "engagement": {"active": True, "type": "NOTE"},

        "associations": {"contactIds": [contact_id]},

        "metadata": {"body": transcript_text}

    }

)

Step 5: Automate Trigger-Based Actions

You can automate workflows based on keywords or intent in the transcript, such as:

Create follow-up tasks if "schedule demo" is mentioned

Alert a manager if "cancel account" is detected

Move deal stage if certain intent phrases are spoken

This is where NLP tagging or intent classification models can add value.

Advanced Features and Enhancements

1. Sentiment Analysis

Apply sentiment models to gauge caller mood and flag negative experiences for review.

2. Custom Vocabulary

Teach the transcription engine brand-specific terms, product names, or industry jargon for better accuracy.

3. Voice Biometrics

Authenticate speakers based on voiceprints for added security.

4. Real-Time Transcription

Show live captions during calls or video meetings for accessibility and note-taking.

Challenges to Consider

Privacy & Consent: Ensure callers are aware that calls are recorded and transcribed.

Data Storage: Securely store transcripts, especially when handling sensitive data.

Accuracy Limitations: Background noise, accents, or low-quality audio can degrade results.

System Compatibility: Some CRMs may require custom middleware or third-party plugins for integration.

Tools That Make It Easy

Zapier/Integromat: For non-developers to connect transcription services with CRMs.

Webhooks: Trigger events based on call status or new transcriptions.

CRM Plugins: Some platforms offer native transcription integrations.

Final Thoughts

Integrating AI call transcription into your VoIP and CRM systems can significantly boost your team’s productivity, improve customer relationships, and offer new layers of business intelligence. As the technology matures and becomes more accessible, now is the right time to embrace it.

With the right strategy and tools in place, what used to be fleeting conversations can now become a core part of your data-driven decision-making process.

[gf2bellamy]

hii i absolutely LOVE your writing,, its just so perfect🤭

may i please request a story with spencer realizing he has a crush on reader and so he starts getting nervous and stutter-y around reader. so then reader gets a little upset thinking she did something wrong and they end up talking about what’s happening and it leads to a confession + kiss

thank you!!💖💖

crush — spencer reid

pairing: spencer reid x fem!reader ( no use of y/n ) content warnings: a tiny bit of angst bc reader thinks she did something wrong a/n: hii !! this request is so cute <3 i hope you like this <333

Spencer had it bad. 

Like, really bad. 

It wasn’t even up for debate anymore. He was completely, undeniably, and overwhelmingly crushing on you.

Right now, he was sitting at his desk, staring at you as you leaned casually against it, deep in conversation with Emily at her desk across from his. You were animated, gesturing with your hands as you made a passionate argument. 

“No, look, the movie sucks,” you insisted, pointing a finger at Emily. “You have to read the book. It’s so much better.” 

Emily rolled her eyes but smirked, clearly enjoying the debate. “I don’t know, I think the movie has its moments—” 

“Absolutely not.” You cut her off, shaking your head. “The book has so much more depth. The movie just—” You let out a dramatic sigh, exasperated. “It butchers it.” 

Spencer wasn’t even listening to Emily. He was too busy watching you, completely entranced. 

Two days ago, he’d come to a life-altering realization.  He liked you.  Not in the casual, oh-she’s-nice-to-be-around kind of way. No. This was the heart-racing, brain-melting, can’t-think-straight-when-you-smile-at-him kind of way. 

And it had all started with a cup of coffee. You had placed it in front of him, your fingers brushing his for a fleeting moment as he reached for it. A harmless, everyday interaction, except that it wasn’t harmless. Because then, you had smiled at him. Soft and warm. 

“New tie?” you had asked, tilting your head slightly as you pointed at the green tie he was wearing. 

Spencer had looked down at it, momentarily forgetting how words worked. “Oh, uh, yeah. Yeah, I got it yesterday.” 

You had grinned. “Looks good on you. I like it.” 

And then, as if your words hadn’t already short-circuited his brain, you had reached out, just for a second, adjusting the fabric between your fingers before turning away and heading back to your desk. 

That was the moment. The exact second Spencer knew he was doomed. And now, two days later, he was struggling. 

Struggling to focus. Struggling to act normal. Struggling to not stare at you like you were the most fascinating thing in the entire world, which, let’s be honest, you were. 

“Spence.” Your voice pulled him from his thoughts, and he blinked, suddenly hyper-aware of how close you were. You had turned to him now, one hand resting lightly on his arm as you smiled. 

“Tell her the book is better than the movie,” you said, tilting your head toward Emily. “Back me up here.” 

Spencer knew, logically, that he had said those exact words to you a few weeks ago. He agreed with you. He had data, facts, and literary analysis to support the claim. It was an easy argument. 

And yet, he was completely, entirely tongue-tied. 

You were looking at him expectantly, your touch burning through the fabric of his sleeve like a brand. 

“I, uhm, I think—” He swallowed, feeling his face heat up. You frowned slightly, confused by his sudden inability to form a coherent sentence. 

He needed to get it together. “Yes,” he finally forced out, clearing his throat. “Uh, the book is—definitely better. Than the movie.” 

You grinned, triumphant. “See? Told you.” 

Emily just smirked at Spencer, amusement flickering in her eyes. You, then , watched as Spencer quickly withdrew his hand from your touch, avoiding your eyes like it physically pained him to look at you. 

And over the next day, it kept happening. It was subtle at first, small moments that could’ve easily been brushed off as coincidences. But then they started piling up. 

Like when you were working on the geographical profile together. You had been standing close to him, pointing at a section of the map, asking for his input. But instead of responding immediately, Spencer had frozen. Completely. You had glanced up, expecting one of his usual rapid-fire responses. But nothing came. Instead, he stood there, his jaw slightly clenched, his fingers gripping the edge of the table. You had frowned, waiting. 

A long, awkward silence stretched between you until someone else had walked by, snapping him out of it. He mumbled a quick, barely audible response before abruptly walking away. Then there was the night the team went out for drinks. You had slid into a booth at the bar, expecting Spencer to take the seat beside you, like he always did. It was a habit. Something that just was. 

Except this time, he didn’t. 

He sat at the far end of the table, wedging himself between JJ and Rossi, not even acknowledging you. 

That was when the doubts started creeping in. Had you done something wrong? Had you said something to upset him? 

You replayed the past week in your mind, searching for anything that might have caused this shift. But there was nothing. At least, nothing you could think of. Still, it didn’t stop the sinking feeling in your chest every time Spencer avoided your gaze, every time he hesitated before answering you, every time he refused to sit near you. 

And now, back at Quantico, the case closed, reports needing to be filed, you sat at your desk, watching him.  The office was quieter than usual, most of the team had taken the morning off to rest, leaving only you and Spencer to handle the paperwork, just as you always did. Except this time, Spencer wasn’t talking to you. 

He sat across the room, his eyes fixed on his files, his pen moving rapidly across the paper. And still, not once, did he look up at you. Your fingers curled slightly against the report in front of you, a dull ache settling in your chest. 

The silence between you was suffocating. 

Hours passed, the only sounds filling the room were the scratch of pens against paper and the occasional shuffle of files. It was unnatural, terribly unnatural. The two of you were never this quiet around each other. Spencer wanted to talk to you. He always wanted to talk to you. But every time he opened his mouth, he managed to embarrass himself.

So, he just stopped trying. 

And then there was the other problem, his newfound hyper-awareness of you.  Every touch, no matter how small, felt like an electric current running through his skin. Like when the two of you were sitting in the back of the SUV on the way back from a case, and your knee had accidentally brushed against his. It had been nothing to you, a completely normal, casual thing. But to him? To him, it had set his entire body on fire. Or when you touched his arm , casually, the way you always did, except now, it wasn’t just casual to him. Now, it was overwhelming. Too much. 

So he did what he thought was best, he avoided it. Avoided you. 

It was time to leave, and coincidentally, both of you started packing your bags at the same time. 

Somehow, despite everything, you still moved in sync. 

It was a habit at this point. You always left work together, falling into step beside one another like second nature. Some nights, you’d end up at the movies, where Spencer would hesitantly share his food with you. Something he never did with anyone else. Not with his germophobia. Not even with the team. But with you it had never been a problem. 

Other nights, you’d wind up at his apartment, curled up on his couch, just hanging out. Just you and him. And in hindsight, Spencer supposed he should’ve seen this coming. 

Should’ve realized that whatever this was, whatever you were to him, wasn’t just friendship. 

Maybe he’d been crushing on you all along. 

The two of you walked to the elevator, the air thick with awkwardness. You exchanged shy smiles, unsure of what to say or do. Finally, you both spoke at the same time. 

"Are you okay?" The words tumbled out of your mouths in perfect unison, and for a moment, you both froze, staring at each other. Then you both chuckled awkwardly, the sound breaking the tension, just for a second. 

“Go ahead,” Spencer nodded at you, pressing the button to call the elevator.  

“You—just... I feel like I haven’t talked to you properly in ages,” you admitted, a nervous laugh escaping as you fiddled with the strap of your bag. 

Spencer looked away quickly, a guilty blush creeping up his neck. Oh god, why couldn’t he just act normal around you? 

“Did I do something wrong?” You blurted out, suddenly worried. "Because I—I’m not entirely sure what it was, but you haven’t been looking at me, or talking to me, and I’m just—” 

Before you could ramble on any longer, Spencer cut you off. His voice was a little too loud, too eager. 

“No, no, you didn’t do anything wrong!” He shook his head quickly, almost desperately. His wide eyes met yours, and there was a softness in them. “I promise.” 

The elevator doors slid open, and the two of you stepped inside. You pressed the button to the ground floor, still watching him, trying to make sense of everything. 

“So, what is it then?” you asked, your voice more hesitant now, as the elevator began its descent. 

Spencer bit his lip, his fingers nervously tapping against the strap of his bag. What was he supposed to say? That he had a huge crush on you, but he couldn’t even stand to be near you without fumbling through his words and avoiding your gaze? It sounded so stupid when he thought about it. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, staring at the doors in front of him as the elevator descended slowly. His mouth opened, but no words came out. 

“See? That’s exactly what I’m talking about,” you pointed at him, a hint of teasing in your voice, but the concern still lingered. “You’re acting like this because something’s going on, and I’m just—I don’t know what it is.” 

Spencer’s heart raced.

The doors finally opened, and you both headed towards the exit , where you stepped out into the chilly night air. You instinctively pulled your jacket tighter around yourself, waiting for him to speak. Spencer hesitated again. His mind was spinning.

“No, I swear it’s not you,” Spencer muttered, tugging on the strap of his satchel, trying to buy himself some time. “It’s just I—I…” 

You waited, eyes fixed on him, your breath fogging in the cold air. You were getting impatient, and the more time passed, the more you started to worry that whatever had been going on was something you had no control over. Something that was maybe your fault.  You were now standing by your car, watching him. Spencer looked torn, his fingers gripping the strap of his satchel tightly, his body tense like he was debating whether to run or stay. His lips parted slightly, and then, as if he couldn’t hold it in anymore, the words tumbled out. 

“I like you.” His voice was quiet.

For a moment, you just stared at him, confusion flickering across your face. 

“I… didn’t realize you disliked me until now?” You frowned slightly, your voice uncertain, trying to make sense of what he was saying. 

Spencer’s eyes widened in panic. “Wait—no!” He rushed to correct himself, shaking his head frantically. “That’s not what I meant—I didn’t mean that.” 

His breath came out in a nervous puff of air, his cheeks burning red as he struggled to find the right words. 

“I mean—I like you. Like, like like you.” His voice dropped to a mumble, the last part barely above a whisper. “Like, I have a crush on you.” 

He swallowed hard, his heart hammering in his chest as he finally said it. And then, silence. His eyes darted to you hesitantly, searching your face for a reaction, his stomach twisting with anticipation. 

You stood frozen. Did he just say what you think he said? 

“I… what?” you blinked, your breath hitching. 

Spencer’s face was already bright red, his hands fidgeting nervously at his sides. He looked like he wanted to disappear into the pavement, like he regretted saying anything at all. His voice had been so quiet at the end, barely above a whisper, but you heard him. 

He liked you. Like liked you. 

“I have a crush on you,” he repeated, this time slightly louder, but his voice was still laced with hesitation. His eyes flickered between yours and the ground, as if he was trying to gauge your reaction but couldn’t bear to look for too long. “That’s… that’s why I’ve been acting so weird.” 

A rush of emotions hit you all at once. You let out a small breathy laugh, shaking your head in disbelief. “Spencer, you’ve been avoiding me for days because you have a crush on me?” 

He winced slightly. “Yes?” 

A smile tugged at your lips. The pieces started falling into place, the nervous stammering, the awkward silences, the way he’d flinched at even the smallest touches. You had spent the entire week wondering if you’d somehow upset him when, in reality, he was just flustered. 

Over you. 

It was almost funny. No, it was funny. 

Spencer watched you carefully, his anxiety spiking at your silence. He had just spilled his feelings to you in the most awkward way possible, and now you were just standing there, staring at him with this unreadable look. He braced himself for rejection, for you to awkwardly brush it off, for you to tell him that you didn’t feel the same way.

Instead, you smiled. And then you laughed. 

Spencer blinked. “Are you—are you laughing at me?” He sounded both confused and slightly horrified. 

You quickly shook your head, even though you were still grinning. “No! No, I swear, I’m not laughing at you.” You bit your lip to stifle another giggle, but it wasn’t working. “It’s just—you’ve been torturing yourself over this ?” 

Spencer huffed, looking away. “I wouldn’t call it torture—” 

“You literally stopped making eye contact with me.” 

“That’s—okay, that’s fair.” He sighed. “I just… I didn’t know how to act. Every time I tried to talk to you, I ended up embarrassing myself, and I figured it would be easier if I just… didn’t.” 

You softened at that. 

“Spence,” you said gently, reaching for his hand before he could overthink it. The second your fingers brushed his, you felt him stiffen. But he didn’t pull away. “You know you could’ve just told me, right?” 

He let out a breath, finally meeting your eyes. “I was afraid that if I told you… things would change.” 

You squeezed his hand lightly, feeling a rush of fondness for him. His brain was the most brilliant one you’d ever known, but sometimes he made things so complicated. 

“Well, things are going to change,” you admitted, watching his expression closely. 

His heart stuttered. “Oh.” A flicker of panic flashed across his face, and you quickly squeezed his hand again before he spiraled. 

“Not in a bad way,” you reassured him, stepping a little closer. You tilted your head, smiling softly. “I like you too, Spencer.” 

Spencer’s breath caught. “You…?” 

“Mhm.” 

He blinked rapidly, like he was trying to process your words, as if he hadn’t even considered the possibility that you might feel the same way. 

And then, oh. 

Oh. 

His entire body relaxed, the tension melting from his shoulders. He let out a breathy laugh, running his free hand through his hair as he shook his head. You smiled as you leaned back against your car, watching the relief wash over Spencer. He stared at you, his eyes flickering between your own and your lips, and you could practically see the thoughts racing through his mind.

Spencer swallowed, his hands fidgeting at his sides. And then, as if the rush of confidence from his confession hadn’t completely worn off yet, he asked, “Can—can I kiss you?” 

Your stomach flipped at his words, your smile widening. “Thought you’d never ask.” 

Spencer exhaled something that sounded like half a laugh, half a breath of relief, before you reached for him, your fingers curling gently around the fabric of his cardigan as you tugged him toward you.He let out a shaky breath, his hands hovering for only a second before settling on your cheeks. His fingers were warm despite the cold air. His thumbs brushed your cheeks, and for a second, he just looked at you, like he wanted to take his time, like he wanted to remember everything about this moment before it even happened.

Then, finally, he leaned in. 

The first touch of his lips was soft, as if he was giving you a chance to pull away. But when you didn’t, when you kissed him back just as eagerly, he let himself relax. His hands cupped your face more firmly, his body leaning just slightly into yours. You sighed against him, your hands sliding up to rest against his shoulders, your fingers gently threading into the curls at the nape of his neck. That was all it took. You felt him shiver slightly under your touch, a quiet hum of contentment vibrating in his chest.When you finally pulled away for air, your foreheads rested together, both of you breathless but smiling.

Spencer opened his eyes, his pupils slightly blown, a soft, dazed smile tugging at his lips.

“I can’t believe that just happened,” he murmured.

You chuckled, your hands still resting against his neck. “You really thought I didn’t like you back?”

He huffed out a small laugh, shaking his head. “I don’t know. I guess I just didn’t want to get my hopes up.”

You brushed your thumb along his cheek, tilting your head playfully. “Well, you should’ve. Because I really like you, Spencer.”

His smile widened, something utterly adorable in the way his entire face lit up at your words.

“I like you too,” he said again, as if he still couldn’t believe he was allowed to say it out loud.

You grinned. “Yeah, I think I got that part.”

[toruro]

— ✧ guilty as sin

pairing: mingyu x reader

genre: smut (18+ / mdni), non-idol au, open ending ... (pt 2 perhaps?)

word count: 8k

description: the thought crosses your mind that this is something you definitely shouldn't be doing. that what you're just about to do will be a terribly wrong move for you and your freshly broken heart.

warnings: alcohol & (mentions of) marijuana consumption

tags: mingyu and reader went to same high school, y/n and mingyu both are freshly out of relationships, blowjobs, sex, dirty talk, idk they banter a lot i think theyre cute so believe me

a/n: so this is a fun little piece ... i do have a plot outline for a part 2 and 3 but totally depends on if u guys want to see more of them ... anyways i know i have been mia with my writing but i really like this piece so i hope u all enjoy >_< tysm to the lovely @gyuswhore who beta read this for me bc everyone knows i don't proofread anything

“He’s single.”

You ignore Nayeon’s statement, pretending to scroll through a cafe’s website on your phone.

“He’s single,” she repeated, clearing her throat for a moment before. She’s unsure if you heard her.

Still no response. You try bopping your head to music, hoping Nayeon will think you’re extremely engrossed in the faint music from the radio.

She doesn’t.

“Mingyu’s single, damnit!” Nayeon yells out this time, and you obviously are caught off guard by the way you nearly jump out of your seat.

You crane your neck at her and frown. “I know Mingyu’s single! I know he’s single, Nayeon, but that doesn’t explain why he never replied to my message!” you cry out, throwing your hands in the air. “If anything, this makes things worse—that means he’s available and plain doesn’t want anything to do with me.”

Nayeon shakes her head at you, turning her eyes back to the road. “That’s not true. I heard he only broke up with his ex recently. Maybe he’s just taking a break from … well, you know: other girls. I think that’s fair.” You don’t say anything, but you know she’s right. “And I think …” Nayeon follows, while you mentally prepare for what you know she’ll say, “I think you should learn to do that too.”

“Nayeon!” you whine.

“What? You also just broke up with Taehyun—there should be a waiting period, don’t you think? At least like—four months.”

“Four months?!” you screech. It’s a passing thought that she’s right. Deep down, you know that space is just what you need—a vacation from boys—all of them.

“Yes, four months. Seriously, do you think you’re even emotionally over Taehyun?”

You frown at her question, because you both know the answer to that. For god’s sake, you’d called her crying over how you fucked up by breaking up with him. “I mean—”

“You know, I don’t even think four months would be long enough for you. You’re so far gone, I think you might need at least a year before you can emotionally commit to someone.”

“Wow,” you say dryly. “Didn’t know you knew me better than myself.”

Nayeon smirks at you. “I mean, I think we both know that’s true.”

You huff, crossing your arms over your shoulder, looking at the window. Even with her rather annoying (albeit correct) analysis of your feelings, you’re grateful for her emotional support, and her offer to pick you up from the airport.

“How have you and Cheol been,” you ask her a few moments later, hopefully diverting the conversation. Nayeon huffs at your persistence on not talking about this, but she finally lets up.

“We’ve been good. Long distance has been easier than we expected,” she replies honestly.

“That’s good, I’m glad,” you say, trying to ignore the way your heart pangs just a little. It’s unfortunate that you and Taehyun weren’t so lucky. You two lasted ten months of long distance before things began to crumble.

You push the thought of you and Taehyun to the back of your mind. Just even hearing his name is enough for your stomach to turning into ugly knots, memories flooding back to you about just how badly you fucked up.

You try to remind yourself that mistakes happen to be learned from.

You can only hope that you don’t let anything like that happen again. Ever again.

It’s the next night when Nayeon climbs into your car as you park out in front of her place. “Coming home for break never really gets old, huh,” she says, buckling up over her lacy top.

“Cute top,” you compliment as you pull out of her driveway and make your way back onto the road.

“Thanks. Cheol got it for me,” she replies with a grin. “You ready for the night?” she asks with a slightly sarcastic laugh.

“Rhetorical question?” you shoot back with a raised brow. “Honestly, I’m not sure. It might be nice to see everyone together again, but also I’m glad that we left a lot of those people in the past.”

“Ooh, what do you mean by that?” Nayeon coos, and you both laugh together.

“As if you don’t know what I mean. I can’t imagine you’re exactly looking forward to seeing Renjun again.”

Nayeon grimaces deeply when you say that. “Why would you say that?” she whines. “Just had to go and remind me about him …”

“Nayeon, I love you but I’m not apologizing because you’re literally going to see him in ten minutes.”

“Whatever. Anyways, I know I told you to take time away from guys, but you’ve been pretty mopey about this whole thing with Taehyun and—”

“Hey! You said it was okay if I talked about him.”

“Before you rudely cut me off,” Nayeon snaps, “I was going to say that it’s okay to be upset about him. I just think maybe it’s also okay to let him out of your system, y’know? Deep clean sorta thing.”

You cock an eyebrow at her. “And how do you suggest I do that?”

“Well I was getting to that! You know who’s going to be there tonight?” she says excitedly.

“Oh let me guess,” you say flatly, pausing for an intentional five seconds before deadpanning, “oh my gosh, Mingyu?”

“Yeah! Come on, be more excited about it!” Nayeon cheers you on.

You sigh dramatically. “You know, I would be a lot more excited about seeing him if he didn’t air me when I messaged him a month ago.” You physically cringe whenever the image of your lone message in the chat with Mingyu pops into your head.

are you going to be home for the break?

He never responded, casually on brand for Mingyu and his nonchalance.

“The others haven’t talked to him since high school right?” you confirm with Nayeon. “None of you guys were really friends with him, if I remember correctly.”

“Yeah, I mean all of them don’t like him,” Nayeon says, referring to her other group of friends. You furrow your eyebrows.

“I guess he was kinda mean in high school …” you reply with a sigh. It’s true. Mingyu was kinda mean. Nayeon gives you a questionable look.

“No—well yeah—but they all don’t like him because they liked him and he didn’t give a shit. Hell, even I thought Mingyu was cute, but he would like never do anything with any of us.”

You purse your lips. You didn’t know that. “Oh really,” you say dryly.

“Yeah,” Nayeon says with a half laugh, and then shoots you a smirk. “That’s kinda why at the beginning of senior year Seoyeon was kinda, well, you know—”

“Bitchy,” you finished off for her. “I guess it makes sense,” you continue with a little sparkle in your eyes. You feel a wave of giddiness wash over you as you let yourself smile when you say, “I mean, I did get to kiss him.”

When you were with Taehyun, you always tried to avoid thinking about what happened that one night in senior year. Drunk for the first time ever, sharing a few puffs of weed with Mingyu, and there you and him were, cuddling on Nayeon’s friend’s couch in the living room in front of all of your friends. And then eventually the couch turned into a bed, and you weren’t surrounded by your friends, you were surrounded by four walls and a locked door, and of course you weren’t cuddling—damn it—you were on Mingyu’s lap and kissing him.

But of course, it was no perfect evening, because then the ruckus that follows 10 shots of alcohol began to crawl up your throat, and Nayeon was banging on the door (god, who’s room even was this?); so you flung yourself out of the room and hurled into the toilet across the hall.

That’s all you remember from the night, but unfortunately your friends reminded you of your rather poor alcohol decisions when you were sober the next morning.

“You kissed Mingyu!” they had said. “That’s fucking crazy. Didn’t you like him like two years ago?”

You had grimaced at them. Shrugged, trying to act like that wasn’t all that was running through your head because yeah, you did like Mingyu two years ago and it might’ve been a silly little hallway crush but god, if he didn’t have your stomach doing twists and turns for no damn reason and—

Eyes on the road, you remind yourself when you feel like you’re getting too caught up in your thoughts. Clearing your mind as you near the parking lot of the bar, you and Nayeon chat up on the latest gossip about all the people you’re about to see.

Soon, you make it into the bar, and you’re met with a myriad of familiar faces. They greet you with polite small talk and it’s a little bit funny. You have seen these people at quite possibly the most embarrassing era of their lives; and they had seen you at yours. It’s funny how you now exchange awkward smiles and unfamiliar handshakes with these same people.

You say hi to them slowly, one by one, checking them off in your head. Renjun … Joshua … Wonwoo … Seungkwan … Soonyoung … and the list goes on. Silently, you brace yourself for the last person of the lot.

Everyone’s conversing among themselves, so you’re confident that no one’s going to watch the horribly awkward interaction you and Mingyu have when your eyes meet as you approach him. You both might have agreed to pretend nothing ever happened between you two, but there’s something uneasy in the air right now. You haven’t seen each other in over a year.

You’ve been watching him from the corner of your vision. He’s got on a black button up, casually unbuttoned, shiny watch glinting against the dim bar lights, dark wash jeans that make his butt look really nice and—

God, you need to stop getting so ahead of yourself. You find yourself almost faltering in your step, getting caught up in your thoughts when you approach him.

“Hi,” you say to Mingyu once you finally find yourself in front of him. You try and distract yourself from the way heat is rushing to your face as you remember that he’s probably read the message you sent him, but you hope he won’t bring it up.

“Long time no see,” Mingyu responds with a smile you can’t quite read. You two stand in a bit of an awkward silence before you get the feeling that you don’t really want to be in this situation anymore. You clear your throat and straighten your back upon the realization.

“Well,” you say, letting your eyes wander elsewhere in the bar. “It was nice seeing you. I’m gonna just—” you point at Nayeon with a few of your other friends by the barstools, “—get going, you know, and—” you almost find yourself rambling before you choose to shut yourself up and walk away.

As you’re turning away, you hear Mingyu call your name for god knows what reason.

“We should catch up,” he says casually.

There it is. That’s it.

You turn back to him for just a moment, flashing a smile and a nod, before going back to spend some time with your other friends.

It’s about an hour and a half later, and you and your girl friends are past the pleasantries and now knee-deep into sharing the raunchy details of the past few semesters at college.

At some point, the drinks everyone had gotten at the beginning seemed to be running dry, so Seoyeon says, “Hey ladies, anyone ready for another few rounds of drinks, or—”

“Or even better!” Sakura squeals. “Shots! Who wants shots?!”

All of your friends cheer, and you smile along with them. “You guys go ahead,” you tell them when they start picking their stuff from where you’re seated to the bar area. “I’m driving tonight, so I’ll pass,” you explain, patting Nayeon on the shoulder.

She hugs you from the side, murmuring, “Ugh, you’re the best,” before joining the others as they head for their new round of drinks—or shots, was it—or maybe both—who knows? As they start walking away, you see a tall figure walking toward you, and once you recognize just who it’s about to be, your stomach does a flip.

“Hey,” Mingyu greets you once again, after the others all leave, and you’re scared to look him in the eye. You can see it from the corner of your vision: that gleam in his eyes. It’s mischievous, almost, but mixed with something else you can’t quite figure out.

He’s an enigma, you remind yourself again, and you don’t think you’ll ever quite figure him out.

“Hey,” you say softly, unsure what to follow with. You grip your mocktail from earlier a little tighter, using your other hand to stir it round with the thin straw.

“So, how’ve you been?” Mingyu asks you with a smile, raising both his eyebrows in a way that almost makes you want to call him cute. He leans against a wall beside you both, and gosh—it’s sexy too, and it’s driving you ‘cause he’s cute and he’s sexy at the same damn time, and you just can’t wrap your mi—

The question. You need to answer his question.

“I’ve been … alright,” you tell him, finally lifting your gaze to look up at his eyes. They’re staring right back at you, and you may not be under the influence, but you’re definitely under his. “Pretty good, recently actually,” you decide to add, some rush of excitement flooding over you. “You?”

Mingyu smiles at your near chirpiness, still holding eye contact. “Guess I could say the same. I’ve been better,” he says, and you both chuckle. “But I’ve been doing good, especially back here at home,” he says.

“Yeah,” you agree, “Something about this place, huh?”

“Something about this place …” Mingyu repeats, “Yeah. Well that’s fuckin’ true. It makes me feel a certain way.”

“Brings back the memories for me,” you say.

“The good?” Mingyu asks with a bit of an open-mouthed smile. “Or the bad?”

You look up at the ceiling, holding a finger to your chin while pretending to think intensely. “Both!” you conclude after a few seconds. Mingyu lets out a small laugh at your display, and then you find yourself thinking about that stupid four letter word. Cute.

“Cheers to that,” he chuckles, holding his bottle of beer up to you. You hold your mocktail glass up as well, clicking the glass with Mingyu and smiling together.

“Hey,” he continues, “can I get you another drink? Not sure how long you’ve been holding onto that one, but it seems like it’s no good now anyways.”

“Oh, no, no, no! I’m not drinking tonight—gotta get Nayeon and myself home safely. This is so I still look like I’m having a drink. Mocktail,” you tell him.

“Oh really? That’s funny. I never took you as a DD kinda girl—I’m much more familiar with the version of you that … well, you know.”

Yeah, yeah you did fucking know.

“What can I say, I’m a changed woman,” you claim coolly, aiming to act unbothered by what he just brought up. You take this as your chance to lean into him a little closer, holding your drink up to his nose. “What? Don’t believe me? Smell it.”

This time, Mingyu leans in even closer to you, hardly a foot of space between you two. You can only hope no one sees you two like this. Luckily for you and Mingyu, everyone seems to be a bit preoccupied with their own shenanigans elsewhere.

“Guess I believe you,” he finally concludes, lifting his head back up and settling back in his previous position. “So how’s school? Heard you’re running with that—what is it—math degree?”

“Yeah,” you reply with a smile. The thought of Mingyu hearing about you and remembering the details has you feeling some kind of way. “Got a few more courses left and then I can graduate! I’m assuming the same for you—only two more semesters, yeah?”

“Yeah, pretty much. I might go abroad this next semester actually,” he tells you.

“Oh really. Where’re you headed?”

“Spain, hopefully. Still waiting to see if I’ll be able to graduate on time if I go.”

“Wow,” you say in a breath. The image of Mingyu walking the roads of Spain under the sun, his tan skin glowing from the— “Wow, yeah. Spain is really cool. I’ve never been.”

“You should stop by,” Mingyu says with a shrug, almost too casually. You narrow your eyebrows at him.

Just as you’re about to respond, Nayeon drapes herself over you from behind, a little more than tipsy to add. You’re a bit startled, eyes wide and facing Mingyu as you both take a few steps, backing away from each other.

“Hey,” Nayeon greets with a faint slur, pointing a lazy finger at Mingyu. “This,” she says exaggeratedly, this time moving her finger to point at you, “is my lovely DD for the night, so I’d appreciate it if you don’t take her out for a puff.”

Mingyu gives her a flat look. “Wasn’t planning on it,” he says dryly, clearly bothered by Nayeon’s interruption.

Nayeon shrugs and you’re a little bit confused as to why she’s suddenly acting with this edge of hostility towards Mingyu. (Last you checked, their families were friends, and Nayeon was one of the only girls here who didn’t truly dislike him.)

“Wouldn’t count on it, you know, given what happened the last time,” Nayeon bites back, and this time you’re the one to be slightly irritated.

You shrug her off your back, saying, “Nayeon, don’t worry, I’m not gonna smoke or anything—trust me.” You think thoughtfully, glancing between her and Mingyu who has an indecipherable look on his face, and then you add, “And Mingyu wouldn’t anyways. I already told him I’m driving home. Why don’t you go hang out with Sakura? Looks like she’s calling you over.”

“Really?” Nayeon squeals, and just as quickly as she showed up, she’s gone again.

You chuckle as she hurries off, turning back to Mingyu. “Sorry about that,” you tell him sheepishly when you catch the way his lips are pursed tightly.

“Your friends will never let that up, huh?” he says, and you think he almost sounds annoyed as he takes a sip of his drink.

You raise a brow. “Have your friends let it up? Probably not, huh?” you bite back, a little mischievously. You’re both teetering around the topic—not exactly talking about what happened that night years ago, but at the same time, you’re both definitely talking about just exactly that.

Mingyu chuckles. “Touche.”

You’re unsure of what to say next. You can’t quite tell where this conversation is headed—if it’ll lead you to another dead end—another few years of shoving your lust for Mingyu to the back of your mind before he pops up again and makes you start all over again. There’s always going to be a little spark though, kindling somewhere inside you, ready to plunge yourself into this man you hardly know.

“Senior year was kinda crazy, wasn’t it?” you say with a sly smile.

When Mingyu mirrors the look on your face, you swear you feel the spark turn into a small flame. “Yeah, you could put it like that.”

You’re surely not intoxicated, but when you sense him shuffling a little closer to you, running his hands through his thick dark hair, a wave of boldness courses through you. “Do you miss it?” you ask, almost innocently, with your big pretty eyes staring up at him.

Mingyu smirks. “I probably should say no … but that would be lying. And I am no longer a liar.”

“Oh, has the Kim Mingyu retired from his title of pathological liar?”

Mingyu laughs this time, and it’s hearty. “I have, but just for tonight.”

“Does that mean I’m never going to see this truthful, honest version of yourself again?” you whine with a fake pout. You’re treading unfamiliar waters here, but you can’t remember the last time you had this much fun single.

Mingyu gives you a warning look, but then smiles. He opens his mouth, ready to respond, when Joshua calls out his name.

“Yo Mingyu! Check this out!” he yells from across the bar.

“Give me a second,” Mingyu calls back, but just as he’s about to turn back to you, Wonwoo speaks up.

“Nah Mingyu, you gotta come over now. Soonyoung’s doing this weird ass thing and—hurry up! He’s not gonna do it again and—” You hear a series of unintelligible shouts come from that area, and Mingyu gives an apologetic look before tending to his friends.

There’s something in his eyes that told you, this isn’t finished yet, but before you know it your friends scoop you up from the table area and pull you over to where they’re playing pool. Soon, any hopes you had of talking to Mingyu again were slim to none, both of you two involved with whatever your friends were doing, but also conscious about how it would look if you guys talked alone for any longer.

You can’t handle the speculation.

You’re pretty confident Mingyu wouldn’t be a fan either.

Later that night, you drop Nayeon off at her house, and then make your way back to your own home. After doing your nightly routine, you slip into the soft covers of your bed when you hear a soft buzz come from your phone.

You’re not exactly sure who’d be texting you at this hour, but as you reach for your device, something in your stomach just knows.

You’re smiling before you even tap your screen.

You’re grinning by the time you see the name pop up brightly.

mingyu: my fault for not responding earlier mingyu: so boba tomorrow at 8?

“Can’t remember the last time I had boba past 6 pm, to be honest. Weird choice,” you remark, tapping on the kiosk to adjust your order to your liking.

“You gonna be sassy about every decision I make?” Mingyu huffs, standing right by you in the empty little boba shop. You hum, as you continue to finalize your order.

“Mm, that depends.”

“On?”

“On what kinda decisions you make.”

Mingyu scoffs. “You’re impossible.”

“Yeah, that’s kinda my thing, you know?” you reply cheekily, clicking on the ‘Ready to Pay’ option on the screen. Just as you’re about to pull out your card, a firm hand is on your shoulder. You look up at Mingyu as he gently pushes you to the side and replaces your spot in front of the kiosk.

You don’t say anything as he punches in his own order, pulls out his credit card, and pays for both of your drinks. As the machine outputs the receipt, you show him a small smile. “Thanks. You didn’t have to.”

Mingyu gives you a look. “Yeah, I did.” There’s a bit of an awkward silence. Mingyu paying for your drink isn’t too weird—your guy friends in college buy you food all the time! Albeit you do occasionally return the favor, it never feels anything more than platonic.

So why does it give you butterflies when Mingyu so casually puts you under his tab?

You choose not to care. You’re not expecting anything out of this, after all. This is just for all good fun—reminiscing, if you wanted to put it like that.

“What’d you get?” you ask him, breaking the silence, as you peer over his arm to glance at the receipt. The action has your cheek brushing against his shoulder, and something tells you the both of you are thinking about it just as much as the other.

“Passionfruit green tea,” he says, holding the receipt closer to you so you can read it more clearly.

“Mmm, yummy,” you say gleefully, giving Mingyu a cheeky smile.

“Hey,” he scoffs. “I didn’t say I’d let you try my drink! Don’t get ahead of yourself now,” he teases.

You pout and furrow your eyebrows. “What the hell, Mingyu? Why not?” you cry out overdramatically. “Oh come on, I was gonna share my toffee caramel tea with you!”

Mingyu rolls his eyes playfully. “I don’t like toffee.”

“I didn’t know that! I would have ordered something else then.”

“Too bad you didn’t,” Mingyu replies with a carefree shrug.

You glare at him, stomach fluttering with something youthful—you’re having fun with Mingyu. “That’s not fair!” you whine.

“Must suck,” he says indifferently, watching you cross your arms over your chest from the corner of his vision. Something sparks inside Mingyu in the moment, watching you look up at him through your thick lashes. “Maybe I can give you a sip or two …”

Your eyes glow. “Really?”

Mingyu grins. “Yeah, but you’re going to have to repay me.”

Your eyes meet, and there’s something electric in the way you look at each other. The thought crosses your mind that this is something you definitely shouldn’t be doing. That what you're just about to do will be a terribly wrong move for you and your freshly broken heart.

But Mingyu’s eyes are glimmering, and there’s something in your stomach that is yelling at you to stop thinking so damn much and slam on the accelerator. You beam up at him with a challenging gaze.

“How do you want me to do that?”

An hour later you’re in Mingyu’s room, stumbling through his door with your hands already all over each other. His lips are soft against yours, peppering short but hot kisses all over you, your face, your neck and—god, fuck, how does he know about that one spot on your neck?

“Ah, Mingyu,” you moan quietly when his hands palm at your hip, fingers sliding under your shirt and brushing over your skin. His hands are warm, but still you shiver at the touch—just knowing it’s Mingyu and you, alone in this moment, is enough to have your eyes rolling to the back of your head.

Well, that, and the way he’s got his tongue tracing over your collarbone. He’s too good at this, you think to yourself for a moment, before getting lost in the feeling. Soon, he brings his lips back to yours, and you kiss fervently as you stumble backwards into his bed.

With the back of your knees hitting the mattress, you both go tumbling onto the sheets, and suddenly everything feels all too familiar. Mingyu’s hands in your hair. Your lips glossy and swollen as you start to press kisses into his neck. The growing heat between the two of you.

You and Mingyu twist around in the sheets for a blissful moment, clothes and hair going awry as your limbs intertwine in this hot, messy mess of a hook-up. At some point, Mingyu ends up underneath you, back propped up against the mattress so that he’s sitting up straight, your legs straddling him as you nestle in his lap.

With your hands all over each other, he’s got his grip on your hips, pushing them up and forward in a curved motion that has you grinding against him. “Fuck,” you whimper when you feel his painfully hard length brush against your throbbing heat.

Your tummy tumbles at the prospects of what’s to come. Pulling back from Mingyu’s hot lips, you get to see him in a way you never thought you’d get to again—cheeks flushed, eyes fluttered shutted, and swollen lips partially open and panting for breath. His dark wisps of hair come down over his forehead, sticking to the thin layer of sweat that coats his tan skin.

Slowly Mingyu begins to open high eyes, laughing lightly. The sound makes you want to grin into eternity. Gently, he cups your face and pulls you in for a kiss, this one much softer, much lighter than the ones before.

Mingyu kisses you with what—dare you say it—care. He kisses you with care, he holds your chin as if it were made of glass, he brushes his tongue against yours in a way that tells you he wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but here and—

The thoughts have you reeling. Has being sexless for the past few months made you this vulnerable? you think to yourself in a passing moment; has the lack of male physical contact been this detrimental to your ability to have sex without feelings?

The moment passes, and you choose to push your thoughts to the back of your mind, pushing your lips harder into Mingyu’s to fuel a more fiery, more aggressive kiss. He groans into it, and the burning heat you feel every time you grind down on it makes it impossible for you to wait longer.

Slowly, you pull away from him and scoot down the bed between his legs. For a moment, Mingyu is still in a daze, eyes half open as he still imagines the feeling of his lips on yours. You inch down further, bringing your hands closer and closer to the waistband of his jeans.

Right as your fingers brush over the little bit of skin that peeks between his shirt and his belt, Mingyu lets out a soft gasp. Looking up at him, you’re met with the sight of his blown out eyes as he reaches down to hold your face again.

“I-I know I said you gotta repay me, but you know, you don’t really have to—not like this at least. I mean you can, but not if you don—” Mingyu rambles for a moment, and you almost want to use that god-forsaken word. Cute.

“Hey,” you say quietly, pressing your index finger to his lip. “Lemme do this—I want to.” You feel him relax under you, the finger that was on his lips slowly tracing down his jaw and then his neck, inching to his collar and—

Oh, he’s already gotten started on unbuttoning his shirt. You almost forget to get back at it, with the way you’re staring him down right now. Mingyu chuckles a little, watching the way your eyes dilate as you gaze over him.

“Like what you see?” He says it in a way like he knows what he’s doing to you. Like he knows you’ve got a puddle between the crest of your thighs.

You’re not shameful enough to stop yourself from grinning and nodding, “I do.”

Mingyu’s eyes flame with that hunger you’ve seen before. He likes the way you’re doing this. “You’re the fuckin’ devil aren’t you?” he coos, as you start to unbuckle his belt, pulling down the waistband of his pants. He lifts his hips as you pull them further down, patiently waiting for your response.

“The devil … you must think red suits me then,” you say it like a question. The way you smile tells Mingyu you’ve got something hidden up your sleeve. While he shrugs off his unbuttoned shirt, you sit nestled between his legs still fully clothed.

Mingyu watches you as you tug at the hem of your shirt before gently pulling it over your head, revealing a deep red lacy bra underneath.

“Speak of the devil herself,” Mingyu breathes out with a small smile, continuing to watch as you shimmy off your bottoms and reveal matching red panties. You admit: it’s doing a lot for a first boba date, but you can’t help but think it fits the scene perfectly.

Mingyu leans forward, pressing kissing on the bare skin of your chest as you play with the waistband of his briefs before finally pushing them down to reveal his length. Looking down, it’s long and it’s pretty and it’s thick, with veins pushing up against the sides.

With a soft gasp, you pull away from Mingyu and slowly settle yourself lower in the bed so that you’re laying stomach side down right in between his legs. Mingyu watches you from his view above; he watches the ways your eyes slowly gaze over his dick, fingers inching toward it before finally wrapping around the base.

He nearly gasps when you do—and Kim Mingyu is no virgin—but something about the warmth in your fingertips and the softness in your touch has him feeling electric. So when you bring your tongue to his shiny tip and lap, he straight up moans.

The sound alone has you opening your mouth wider, taking him fully into your mouth and down. Immediately, Mingyu’s hands shoot to your head, scooping up bundles of your hair and holding it behind your head. Slowly, you find yourself in a pattern of moving your head up and down, except there’s just one problem.

Mingyu is far too big and he’s far too gentle—you can’t fit enough of him in your mouth and he’s not exactly pushing you down so you think it’s time to take some action.

So as gently as you can, you begin to hollow out your cheeks and push yourself further down his length, eyes shutting when he hits the back of your throat. At once, you hear a loud groan and if you could move your lips right now, you’d be grinning.

And so you do it again. You pull your head back up and just as your lips are about to leave his tip you come back down and push as far as you can go, each time going a bit further down than the last. You do it a few more times before your jaw begins to ache for a break, and you pull yourself off of him completely.

You’re met with Mingyu’s dazed eyes as you look up. “You’re crazy,” he pants, fingers still tangled in your hair. “Holy fuck, you’re crazy.”

You grin up at him. “Sorry,” you say cheekily, watching as he throws his head back, taking deep breaths of air. His firm chest rises up and down heavily, and the heat between your legs grows at the realization that you’re the one to have him like this.

“Don’t apologize—shit—that was so—d-do that again,” he says, eyes darkening when he looks back down at you. His hands gingerly wipe some tears from your cheeks, going back up to hold your hair all the way back again. “That was so fucking hot.”

Your stomach churns as you part your lips again, wrapping them around his tip which now adorns a pretty stream of pre. He groans again when you envelop him in your mouth, hollowing out your cheeks as you start to move down again.

To be honest, you’re not usually this good at giving head, but with Mingyu, he’s got this—oh, there it is—the way your name rolls of his lips in a deep, guttural tone that has you gushing in your panties, and then you can’t help but press down more.

So you do it again, and again, until Mingyu’s practically thrusting his hips up as you take him into your mouth, his handsome face glistening with sweat from restraining himself. You don’t know how much time goes by but at some point you feel a tug; you look up and it’s Mingyu’s hands guiding your head off of him and pulling you into his mouth.

He kisses you messily, tongues licking into each others’ mouths as you shift so that you’re back at straddling him. With Mingyu fully naked, your bare stomach presses against his skin when his arms wrap around your waist, pulling you close.

Instinctively, your arms wrap around Mingyu’s neck as you continue to kiss into him, bodies melting into one. You ease back to your previous movement of grinding into him, but with such little fabric between the two of you this time, it’s getting harder and harder to wait.

It doesn’t take long for his hand to make its way to your panties, rubbing your heat over the soaked fabric for a moment before lifting it and pushing it to the side.

Mingyu pulls away now, watching your face slowly contort into expressions of pleasure as he runs his fingers up and down between your sopping hole and clit.

“Mingyu,” you manage to whimper through heavy breaths.

“Yeah baby?” The nickname itself nearly has your eyes rolling to the back of your head. He probably doesn’t have a clue about what he does to you.

“Can’t wait,” you tell him quickly, hands already grabbing for his glistening length. Mingyu, a little startled by your forwardness, falters back into the headboard a bit, relaxing for hardly a second before he feels your fingers guiding his dick toward your hole.

He thought he’d sit there and finger you first—give you a good eating out because if anything, Mingyu’s always really wanted a taste of you first—but something about the way you look at him with these eyes that look like you’d give him the world and more has him bending to your needy wishes/

So, when his tip is finally at your entrance, you both moan loudly. Your fingers make your way up to Mingyu’s neck, playing with the soft and short hairs that sit at the nape of his neck. “Oh,” you say in a sigh when his hips gently push you down to envelope his tip.

Even having him in your mouth couldn’t prepare you for taking Mingyu’s length inside of you. His tip, thick and bulbous, presses into you, and inch by inch you begin to let out small gasps.

“You’re—holy shit, you’re so big, M’ngyu,” you whimper.

You say it so cutely, Mingyu can’t help but groan under his breath. “Yeah?” he manages out, trying to hide the extent to which you’ve got him in a daze. “Can’t take it?” he coos.

Mingyu is, at the very least, extremely pleased when you—you, in your lustful, hazy state—still manage to cock an eyebrow at him and retort, “Of course I can.”

“Atta girl,” Mingyu murmurs, smiling with pride as he reaches for hips. Lowering your body over his dick, he watches you carefully while you continue to take him all in.

The way your chest heaves up and down in short breaths as you try to control yourself. The way your eyebrows pinch together every few seconds when you let out a small moan. The way your stomach twitches and turns when he brushes a finger over your clit.

You’re beautiful. You’re so beautiful to Mingyu, he doesn’t think anyone can comprehend all the ways he wants to fuck you right now. Well, that is, anyone but you, because as soon as your bottom is pressed against Mingyu’s legs and you’ve gone as far down as you can go, you bring yourself back up and grind back down on his dick.

“Fuck, do that again,” Mingyu demands, but it comes out as nothing more than a pleading gasp as you both get used to the feeling of each other—it’s overwhelming, yet in the best way possible. “You’re so damn hot,” he murmurs when you repeat the motion, pressing wet kisses into your neck.

Each roll of your hips is punctuated with a quiet moan from your lips, the two of your lips meeting every few moments in a fiery but fleeting kiss. Mingyu fills you up so deeply, in a way that leaves you wanting more and more.

Your body is on fire and you can’t seem to stop now. It’s just—Mingyu’s got his dick pressing all the spots inside of you that have you biting down on your bottom lip, that have you digging your fingers into the hard muscle of his shoulder, that have you moaning into his mouth.

But even your own body has limits, because while the feeling of you bouncing back down on his length every time is nothing short of euphoric, your legs only have so much strength. Gradually, your legs begin to get sore.

Within seconds Mingyu notices the falter in your movements, and suddenly his hands are under your thighs, picking you up, and flipping you onto your back. Your back is now against the mattress, head resting on a soft pillow as Mingyu readjusts above you.

“Getting tired?” Mingyu chuckles, as he reaches down for his dick, aligning it at your entrance once more. A needy whine escapes your throat when he finally is inside of you again, his length filling up what felt far too empty in those passing moments before.

“Didn’t—ah! D-Didn’t take you as the type to make the girl do a-all the work,” you bite back.

Mingyu cocks his eyebrow at you, and you almost want to grin at the way his eyes darken at your challenging comment. “You got a bad bad mouth, huh? Let’s see if you can talk much anymore soon.” You open your mouth to respond, but at the last moment, Mingyu pushes that last bit of his length inside of you, effectively rendering you speechless as you see stars and try to quiet the rush in your ears. Mingyu just laughs. “Didn’t think so.”

He pauses for a few seconds inside of you, and you take this chance to admire him in a way you didn’t get to before. His skin is flushed all over, pink blooming over his cheeks as he swipes a tongue over his lips. As your gaze travels down, you catch sight of his abs once again, and you can’t help but grin at just the idea of getting to see him like this.

Now, Mingyu starts out with his first thrust. It’s deep, and unforgiving might you add. You shriek loudly, not expecting to fill you up even more than before, yet somehow it’s both equally overwhelming and infinitely more euphoric.

Based on the volume of your response to the first, he follows with another thrust, this one nearly as moving. Your responses mimic the last, and soon, Mingyu enjoys the pleasure of seeing you become a moaning mess beneath him.

So there Mingyu is, fucking the daylights out of you, one his palm cupping your cheek. And now here he goes, jotting his thumb out and pushing against your lips. It doesn’t even take a second for you to part your lips, his thumb slipping inside.

“Good fucking girl,” he grunts under his breath where you roll your tongue over the pad of his finger tip. Faintly, Mingyu recalls the way you swiped your tongue over his dick and there he goes with a particularly hard thrust at the thought.

Your legs are folded up completely, thighs pressing into your chest deeply every time Mingyu pounds into you. A moan stifles up one after another, muffled by his thumb in your mouth, but somehow not getting any quieter.

It’s around this point when Mingyu starts to feel it, the way you squirm a bit more after each deep, pointed thrust. The way your mouth starts to widen more and more, moans getting louder by the moment. The way you’re tightening around him—and there goes his queue.

His thumb in your mouth is pulled out and quickly moved down your stomach between your legs and right on your clit. That’s when you move from moaning to downright whimpering—whining—into Mingyu’s shoulders.

Your toes begin to tighten as he continues to slam into you, every muscle in your body beginning to go limp as you rake your fingers into his back, trying to hold on to something to ground you.

“I know baby,” Mingyu moans, his hands holding onto your hips with such a tightness you know you’ll be left with bruises.

“I’m s’close,” you manage to gasp out, hips meekly pushing up as well to meet Mingyu’s half way. You’re trying your best to keep to it together but fuck, it all feels so good—his skin is so hot but somehow your core feels even hotter.

You feel tears of pleasure roll down your cheeks when you finally feel it—Mingyu’s length so deep inside of you, pressing up against your walls in all the right places—and so you crash.

Moaning and whimpering and writhing beneath him, you cry out when you finish, “Mingyu, fuck! I’m—’m coming.”

To which Mingyu gently kisses your neck while roughly pounding into you harder, now trying to meet his own end in deep fervor. “I know baby, I know jus’—fuck,” he nearly cuts himself off with his own moan when he feels your tight pussy squeeze around him. “Just’ hold on for me a little longer s—oh.”

You’ve got some spell on him. That’s got to be it. A damn spell has got to be the reason Mingyu’s finding himself way quicker than he’s ever before.

You’re brain is a bit too fucked to register the beautiful mix of shock and pleasure that crosses over Mingyu’s face when he begins to paint your soft walls white. “Fuck,” Mingyu groans loudly, pressing his dick so deep into you that you think you’d be able to feel it through your belly.

You squeal softly at the feeling—your pussy is now a hot, sopping, sensitive mess, and Mingyu’s cock is just far too long and far too fat for you to handle. However, the feeling of his seed fill you up has a warmth that overtakes the slight feeling of discomfort.

The air in his room begins to grow quiet and still as Mingyu finally slips his softening length out of you. You still lay with your back against the sheets, Mingyu pulling himself off without a word and flopping down on the bed next to you.

This silence is new.

It’s not uncomfortable, but there still seems to be some unspoken words that fill the space between you and Mingyu. Only the sound of your heavy breaths fills the room, the erratic patterns steadily starting to even out.

“Was that enough repayment for you?” you finally ask casually, breaking the silence. Mingyu chuckles softly.

“It was … pretty nice, I guess,” he responds, pushing himself up into a sitting position to fix the covers more comfortably over the both of you.

You narrow your eyebrows up at him. “Pretty nice? I’m gonna kill you!”

This time Mingyu laughs. “What do you want me to say? Yeah, it was fucking amazing?”

You try to ignore the butterflies in your stomach. “Well, would that be the truth?” you challenge him, a smirk making its way onto your lips.

“Of course it would be,” Mingyu scoffs—something about his shameless admission of praise has your cheeks burning and eyes lighting up. “But if I say that, then it means you’ve fully repaid me, and that means that we don’t have to do this again.”

“Ah I get it, so you’re lying to me so you can fuck me again,” you reply. Mingyu rolls his eyes at you.

“If that’s what you want to call it,” he pauses, and looks like he’s contemplating something before continuing. “But I mean, you can totally say no. Because with the way you’re talking, it seems like you aren’t interested so why don’t I save you the pain of having to reject me and—” As he turns away to grab something from his night stand, you cut him off.

“Hey, I didn’t say that!” you exclaim once you catch where he’s going. You say it so brazenly it startles Mingyu a little, and he turns around to face you.

Your eyes meet and oh—there it is again. That feeling in your stomach, a warm knot that tumbles around. You’re not sure what it means. You’re not sure what this means—this being you laying in Mingyu’s bed.

Something in the way Mingyu looks at you tells you you’re not going to have an answer for a while.

Something in the way Mingyu smiles at you tells you that you’re at least going to have some fun trying to find out.

a/n: hopeeeee u guys liked it! btw reader is a self insert so if u don't like her GET AWWWT. anywho i was rly nervous about posting this but here we go ... wait can u guys believe it took me literally 3 months to write this smut. i had the entire fic + more follow up stuff but all i had to write was this chunk of smut in the middle and i didn't do it literally just because i didn't want to. i don't like writing smut in full lenth fics anymore (ramble time. pls ignore me) because i have to write the entire scene. like i enjoy smut drabbles because it's fun i get to experiment but unless it's a full length fic related to a sex relate concept then it's fun (aka crybaby). i personally don't really enjoy most of the other smuts i write for things like this fic + flight of the stars, etc, because it's just the same kind of smut scene rewritten in different ways. i feel i'm not even doing it in different ways atp—I FEEL I AM LITERALLY WRITING THE SAME SCENES I HAVE WRITTEN BEFORE. how many different ways can one write "oh my god that feels so good" like sorry. okay i'm done with my rant and for clarity i actually do not care this much. i just think it's funny but i get it because i like little smuts like this when i read it's just a pain to write because at some point it's hard to get creative and i feel like i'm being a lazy writer :/ i write all this and complain and blah blah but i do really enjoy it like OK yeah i spent 3 months writing this smut but it ended up being way longer than i anticipated so ummm whose fault is that?! (everyone look away from tumblr user toruru) ok sorry if u stayed til the end of this author's note actually please let me know and i will be sending u virtual kisses. anywhp pls feel free to leave comments/reblogs they mean the absolute world to me

[puc-puggy]

the transandrophobia discourse is poisoned by separatist feminist theory that terfs and radfems have been maliciously injecting into feminist conversations, so here's The Will To Change excerpts by bell hooks again.

libratory feminism sees no difference between men and women except those manufactured by patriarchy. misogyny is a symptom of patriarchy the system, not a structure by which to interpret patriarchy the system. replacing "sexism" with "misogyny" does not change the nature of the analysis, which is a weak one. patriarchy the system can induce the symptom of misogyny in any person subjected to that system. using sexism/misogyny/male chauvinism is not a useful lens of analysis when looking at patriarchy because women are misogynists too. let's not move backward on that. women are misogynists too and men are allies.

the recent "trans men are misogynists" allegations I've seen lodged against trans men are:

unprepared to be treated like a predator, may cry about it

asked that only trans men attend a trans mens' support group

discussed male loneliness instead of talking about violence against women

all of these are actually feminist discussions. so the backlash seems like angry feminist reactions to Men Having Feelings, which is not a new thing. in fact, hooks addresses it directly.

i see men being mocked for having their feelings hurt, men being mocked for wanting to discuss their feelings, and men being mocked because they're thinking about men and manhood in new and complex ways. exactly what the doctor ordered.

i am not seeing challenges to patriarchy here. I am seeing reinforcement of patriarchal expectations of masculinity on trans men who do not want to perform those expectations. i am seeing separatist radfem bullshit in the assumption that trans men have lost or never had a valuable perspective on misogyny or gender or sexism and cannot tell when the shape of discrimination they're facing has changed. i am seeing toxic separatist radfem bullshit shut down liberatory feminist discussion because one of the speakers is trans in the wrong direction.

[four-loose-screws]

Would you say Tharja is more abrasive in English than Japan? I don't see people talk about it but everytime I see Japanese tharja she just seems more chill? I dunno if it's cherry picked lines or something. Like she says she loves noire versus English where she adds that "don't make me say it again."

I know Rhajat in English is more abrasive but I'm wondering if the same was true of Tharja.

This question was a bit harder to answer than I thought it would be! How a character’s lines come off actually depends a lot on the person reading the support. What feels abrasive to one person, might not to another.

In short - Overall, Tharja is abrasive, and sometimes just downright cruel, in the Japanese version as well. That being said, there’s definitely examples of the localization playing it up as well, and those examples do have some impact on her overall character.

This post got very long as I found more and more things I wanted to point out in Tharja’s supports, so I broke it down into several parts! Consider it a general analysis of Tharja’s character at some points, just as much as it is an answer to the initial question from Anon.

Part 1: The Tharja / Noire support

Since it’s the one direct example Anon gave in their Ask, let’s talk about the Tharja / Noire A support first. First, I’ll translate the last chunk of it.

From Tharja / Noire A:

Japanese:

[サーリャ] (Tharja)

…未来の…私の気持ちが、

…わかってしまったからよ。▼ (...Because I know… my future self’s feelings.)

[ノワール]  (Noire)

未来の…母さんの気持ち？▼ (Your future self… Mother’s feelings?)

[サーリャ] (Tharja)

…母親のことを信じて疑わない

無垢な我が子に…▼ (Her innocent daughter, who trusted her mother and did not doubt her..)

呪術なんて覚えさせたくない… (She did not want you to learn hexes.)

呪いは…とても危険なものだから。▼ (Because hexes are… very dangerous things.)

き��と未来の私も… (Surely my future self also…)

同じだったんだと思うわ。▼ (was the same, I think.)

[ノワール] (Noire)

私…愛されてたの…？ 母さんに…ちゃんと…▼ (She… loved me…? Mother… really…?)

[サーリャ] (Tharja)

…そうなんじゃない？ (...She did, didn’t she?)

今の私が…そうであるように。▼ (Just like… the present me does.)

[ノワール] (Noire)

うぅ…母さん…▼ (Waaah… Mother…)

[サーリャ] (Tharja)

つ、つまらないことを言ったわ。▼ (I-I said something so absurd!)

それより…呪術は教えたくないけど (More importantly… I don’t want to teach you hexes, but)

ほかに仕込むことがたくさんあるわ。▼ (There are many other things for you to learn.)

しっかりと…ついてきなさい。▼ (Come with me… and don’t fall behind.)

[ノワール] (Noire)

は、はい！　母さん！▼ (Y-Yes! Mother!)

Localization:

Tharja: ...I think I've come to understand the motives of my future self.

Noire: What?

Tharja: I don't want you dealing in hexes. The dark arts carry with them tremendous risks. My future self knew as much...

Noire: You think that she was worried for my safety? That...she loved me?

Tharja: Can't say. Not about her, at least. ...But I love you, if that helps.

Noire: Mother...

Tharja: Just don't expect to me to say it often! ...Or maybe ever again. And just because hexes are off the table doesn't mean I have nothing to teach you. There are more ways than hexing to skin a cat. ...Or other things. Heh. So pay attention, and try to follow along.

Noire: Oh yes, ma'am!

The localization changed what Tharja says after she tells Noire she loves her. Let’s see how each version measures up to the other! 

I actually think the Japanese might be even more abrasive than the localization.

This is partially because Anon remembered the localized line a bit incorrectly - Tharja doesn’t say “don’t make me say it again,” she says “don’t expect me to say it often … or ever again.” The connotation difference between “make” and “expect” is pretty big. Saying “I love you” rarely, or not at all, doesn’t make someone a worse parent necessarily, so long as a secure bond is made in other ways. Some people think less is more when it comes to expressing love. Sometimes people are not openly affectionate parents because that’s just not their local culture. Tharja’s tone in this context does still feel a bit harsh, but it’s not inherently a bad thing to not express love often. 

So what about the Japanese? Tharja describes her declaration of love as “tsumaranai.” I translated it to “absurd” in my translation above, but “tsumaranai” can have some other connotations depending on the context. I see it most commonly used to mean something is “boring.” It can also mean “useless” or “unimportant.” So it was tough to pick one word to use in my translation, but no matter which definition of “tsumaranai” we apply to Tharja’s line in this support, she is dismissing her expression of love as something not meaningful. I’ve got no alternate reading for that, like I did for her localized line.

So I think deciding which version comes off as more abrasive, really depends on how each person reacts to Tharja’s Japanese vs. localized line. 

Part 2: Lines that I think summarize Tharja’s personality the best, and how they differ in Japanese vs. localization

While I was reading all of Tharja’s supports in Japanese, I found a few snippets of dialogue that I thought described her personality very well in a nutshell. Did the localization translate these lines more directly, or change the meaning a bit too much in my opinion? Let’s find out!

This is from Tharja / Ricken A:

Japanese:

[リヒト] (Ricken)

サーリャさんも誤解されがちだけど、(People just tend to misunderstand you, but,)

意外といい人だよね。▼ (you’re actually a surprisingly good person!)

不気味に見える行動にも理由があるし (And you have reasons for your actions that seem creepy,)

体を張って呪術を教えてくれるし…▼ (And you put yourself at risk to teach me hexes…)

笑うとすごく綺麗だし…▼ (And when you smile, it’s really pretty…)

もっとサーリャさんのいいところを (More of your good side)

みんなに見せればいいのに。▼ (you should show it to everyone!)

[サーリャ] (Tharja)

ふふっ…理解は求めていないわ。(Fu fu… I do not seek understanding.)

私は私のしたいようにするだけ…▼(I merely do as I want…)

Localization:

Ricken: People are all wrong about you, Tharja. You're actually really nice! I mean, even though you seem creepy, you let me practice on you. Maybe you should show more of that side instead of the doom and gloom. I mean, your smile is pretty, you know? You should show it more.

Tharja: I like the way I am.

I think the exact meaning of the Japanese was lost from Tharja’s dialogue here, and it’s unfortunate in my opinion. In the Japanese, Tharja doesn’t respond to Ricken by saying she likes herself the way she is, but that she does simply as she wants/ pleases. I think this describes her very well in a nutshell. Sometimes she’s a cruel dark mage who has no qualms about hurting others if it means she can master a new hex, but other times she will go out of her way to help people. How can the same person act so differently from one situation to the next? Well, that’s an easy answer! She simply does whatever she wants, and the feelings of others are secondary to how she feels. Even when she’s helping someone else, her own feelings are her primary motivation. I think that nuance that I picked up on is totally lost in the localized line, and it’s unfortunate.

This line in the localization also portrays Tharja differently from the Japanese. The idea that Tharja is protecting her reputation as a dark mage was newly added. In Japanese, she only says that she wanted to repay Donnel’s favors.

From Tharja / Donnel A:

Japanese:

[サーリャ] (Tharja)

…勘違いをされては困るからよ。▼ (...It would be a nuisance if people got the wrong idea.)

[ドニ] (Donnel)

勘違い、誰にだべ？▼ (Who would get the wrong idea?)

[サーリャ] (Tharja)

貴方にも、他の連中にも…よ。▼ (You, and the others in the army…)

私は貴方が願ったから

儀式を行っただけ…▼ (I only performed the ritual… Because I asked you for favors.)

連中を助けたいという善意で… 

やったわけじゃないわ…▼ (Not at all because of the goodness of my heart wanting to help them…)

Localization:

Tharja: People might get the wrong idea.

Donnel: Whatcha mean?

Tharja: They might think I did it for some kind of...common good... Or out of the goodness of my heart. *shudder* I only did it to thank you for the help you've given me. If people think I've gone soft, I'm finished as a dark mage...

While those two examples are different in localization vs. Japanese, this little line that gives insight into Tharja’s personality (and Henry’s) is pretty much the same in both Japanese and localization. 

From Tharja / Henry B:

Japanese:

[ヘンリー] (Henry)

ん～…味方とか、よくわかんないな～。(Hmm~… I don’t really get this stuff about “allies” and whatnot~.)

悪いと思った奴と戦うだけじゃダメなの？▼ (Is it bad for me to just fight guys I think are bad?)

[サーリャ] (Tharja)

…別に、駄目とは思わないわ…。(...I don’t think it’s bad, not really…)

私も、そうやってこの軍に来たのだから…。▼ (Because that’s the same reason I came to this army…)

Localization:

Henry: Aw, I don't get into politics. I just want to toss fireballs at bad guys.

Tharja: Interesting. That's the same reason I joined up.

Part 3: Examples of the Japanese and localized supports portraying Tharja the same

Here’s some examples where I think Tharja is equally abrasive in Japanese and localization.

S Support w/ Frederick: When she gets annoyed with Frederick, Tharja has no issue with telling him right off.

Japanese:

[サーリャ] (Tharja)

その確認…もう五回目よ…。(I’ve confirmed that to you… Five times already…)

ちゃんと出るって言ってるじゃない…。▼ (I told you for certain that I am coming, didn’t I…?)

本当に、どういうつもりなの…。(What are you really planning…?)

貴方が去らないのなら、私が去るわ…。▼ (If you do not leave, I will leave…)

Localization:

Tharja: I've promised you five times already! Surely that's enough. Look, what do you really want? If you're not going to leave, I will.

C Support w/ Virion: Tharja minces no words in ordering Virion around, whether in Japanese or localization.

Japanese:

[サーリャ] (Tharja)

…くだらないことを言ってないで (...Do not say foolish things, and)

向こうの小川に橋でも架けなさい…▼ (go build a bridge over that stream over there…)

Localization:

Tharja: Enough chatter. You've got chores to do. Sputter and spidge... Build me a BRIDGE!

C Support w/ Stahl: Stahl’s reaction is so flustered in this example, that it shows just how curt and abrasive Tharja was being with him. 

Japanese:

[サーリャ] (Tharja)

ひとつでじゅうぶんよ…▼ (One is enough…)

[ソール] (Stahl)

そ、そっか。ごめん、もしかしたら (G-Got it. Sorry, I thought maybe,)

君が遠慮してるんじゃないかと思って。▼ (you were holding back.)

窮屈に思うことがあったら (If you ever think you’re in a tough spot,)

なんでも相談してね。▼ (talk to me about anything, okay?)

Localization:

Tharja: One is enough.

Stahl: Right. Got it. Well, I guess I'd better, um... Yeah. Just let me know if I can do anything else for you, all right?

B Support with Kellam: In Japanese as well, Tharja threatens to curse Kellam for the mere act of accidentally sneaking up on her. And she also gets creeped out that he was worried about her family - which seems to me like a pretty normal thing for Kellam to do.

Japanese:

[サーリャ] (Tharja)

きゃっ！？▼ (Kya!?)

あなた…今度いきなり話しかけたら (You… If you suddenly start talking to me next time)

呪うわよ…！▼ (I’ll curse you…!)

(skip a few lines)

[サーリャ] (Tharja)

…まだいたの？(...You’re still here?)

人の顔をじろじろ見て…悪趣味ね。▼ (Staring at a person’s face… is disturbing.)

[カラム] (Kellam)

ご、ごめん… (S-Sorry…)

僕も、気になってたから…つい。▼ (I was worried about them too… It was an accident.)

[サーリャ] (Tharja)

どうしてあなたが私の家族を (Why are you, about my family)

心配するの…？　おかしな人…。▼ (worried…? What a strange person…)

でも、まぁ…そうね。(But, whatever… I’ll tell you.)

みんな元気でやっているみたい。▼(They all seem to be doing well.)

あなたの家族はどうなの…？(How about your family…?)

返事はちゃんと届いた…？▼ (Did you receive a response from them…?)

Localization:

Tharja: Agh! What did I say about sneaking up on me like that? Next time, I'll turn you into a newt.

(skip a few lines)

Tharja: ...Are you still here?

Kellam: I was just anxious to know the news.

Tharja: Why do you care about my family? It's kind of creepy. But if you must know, it's from my parents and everyone is just fine. ...And your family?

C Support with Gaius: Tharja has no qualms about threatening to curse Gaius just for refusing her request, then proceeds to use him as a test subject throughout the rest of their supports. Though the wording is a bit different between Japanese and localization, the core of what Tharja does is not any different.

Japanese:

[ガイア] (Gaius)

なにやら怪しげだな。(Something seems weird about it.)

よしておいた方がよさそうだ。▼ (Seems best if I sit this one out.)

[サーリャ] (Tharja)

ふぅん…やってくれないの？▼ (Hmm… So you’re not going to do it?)

[ガイア] (Gaius)

ま、そういうことだ。▼ (Yeah, that’s what I said.)

[サーリャ] (Tharja)

だったら…貴方から呪うけど、(In that case… I will hex you,)

それでいい？▼ (if you don’t mind?)

Localization:

Gaius: Um, yeah. I don't usually take sinister chuckles as an answer. Sorry, kid. Go find someone else to help with your weird hobbies.

Tharja: This is not a negotiable request.

Gaius: Oh? And what are you going to do about it, Sunshine? Curse me?

Tharja: Yes.

C Support with Libra: Tharja is about as blunt as can be in both versions when she tells Libra that she would not like to be bothered while preparing to cast her latest hex.

Japanese:

[リベラ] (Libra)

記憶を操る…そんなことが (To control memories… Such a thing)

本当にできるのですか？▼ (can you really do it?)

[サーリャ] (Tharja)

わからないから…研究してるのよ。(I don’t know, that’s why… I am researching it.)

…邪魔だから、向こうへ行きなさい。▼ (...You’re bothering me, so please go over there.)

Localization:

Libra: Is such a thing even possible?

Tharja: Well, I'll never know if you stand there and bother me, will I?

B Support with Lon’qu: Tharja is not suspicious of Lon’qu, because she is more curious about the possibility that a curse is causing his fear of women. She still can be pretty sassy with him though. While the localization and Japanese lines are a bit different, I think she’s pretty equally sassy with him in both accounts.

Japanese:

[ロンクー] (Lon’qu)

サーリャ。▼ (Tharja.)

[サーリャ] (Tharja)

あら…女嫌いの貴方が (Oh…? You, who hates women)

私になんの用…？▼ (what business do you have with me…?)

[ロンクー] (Lon’qu)

…………▼ (............)

[サーリャ] (Tharja)

黙っていたらわからないわ… (If you remain silent, I won’t know…)

と言いたいところだけど…うふふ。▼ (Is what I want to say, but… Ufufu.)

察しはつくわよ… (If I had to guess…)

呪いを解いて欲しいんでしょう？▼ (you want me to dispel the curse, yes?)

Localization:

Lon'qu: Tharja.

Tharja: I'm not going to move across the room, if that's what you want.

Lon'qu: ......

Tharja: Okay, I have better things to do than watch you stand there with your mouth agape. You want me to dispel your fear, right?

C Support with Gregor: Tharja’s directness in saying that she does not want to talk to Gregor at first, is equally blunt in both Japanese and localization. 

Japanese:

[グレゴ] Gregor

よーう、サーリャ。(Yooo, Tharja!)

ちょっと訊いていいかい？▼ (Can I ask you something?)

[サーリャ] (Tharja)

…お断りよ。私は今、忙しいの。▼ (...I refuse to answer. I’m busy right now.

[グレゴ] (Gregor)

つれないねぇ。おじさんの相手は (How cold! To an old man)

してられないってか。▼ (you cannot stand to make company?)

[サーリャ] (Tharja)

年齢なんて…どうでもいいわ。(Age… does not matter.)

単にあなたの相手をしたくないだけよ。▼ (I simply do not want to make company with you.)

[グレゴ] (Gregor:

おーっと、こいつぁきついねぇ。(Oh my, you are so harsh!)

加齢臭を理由にしてくれたほうが (If old person smell is the reason)

まだ救いがあるってもんだ。▼ (that will still save you.)

[サーリャ] (Tharja)

異臭には…慣れているわ。(Strange smells… I am used to them.)

でも、あなたの相手はしない…▼ (But I will not make company with you…)

Localization:

Gregor: Ah-ha! There is Tharja! Gregor is needing to ask question. Is all right, yes?

Tharja: I'm busy.

Gregor: Ah! You are not wanting be seen talking to old man like Gregor.

Tharja: Age has nothing to do with it. I'm just not interested in talking.

Gregor: Oy, little girl have tongue like snake. Very full of evil. Tharja could pretend to not liking old-man smell at least. Then Gregor is less insulted.

Tharja: You could smell like roses and fresh-cut grass. It wouldn't matter.

C Support with Donnel: Tharja mostly treats Donnel the same in both versions, taking full advantage of his willingness to help her. 

The S support is very directly translated as well, with Tharja asking Donnel to become her lifelong servant in both Japanese and localization.

Japanese:

[ドニ] (Donnel)

コウモリなら (If it’s a bat, then)

洞窟の中にいるだべさ。▼(they’re in the caves.)

サーリャさん、(Tharja,)

コウモリがほしいんだべか？▼(do you want a bat?)

[サーリャ] (Tharja)

ええ…呪術の儀式に (Yes… for this curse’s ritual)

どうしても必要だから…▼(it’s absolutely essential…)

[ドニ] (Donnel)

なら、おら�� (Then I’ll)

ひとっ走りつかまえてくるだ。▼ (rush to go catch one.)

[サーリャ] (Tharja)

ふふふ…私が儀式に使うと言えば (Fu fu fu… If I say I will use it in a ritual)

ドニはどんなものでも手に入れてくる…▼ (Donnel will go get anything at all…)

なにか望みがあるんだろうけど… (I wonder what he wants from me, but…)

ずいぶんと役に立つこと…▼ (he is quite useful…)

望みはそのうち聞いてあげるとして… (As I will ask what he wants sometime later…)

しばらくは利用させてもらおうかしら…▼ (I shall use him for a while yet…)

Localization:

Donnel: Shucks, they mostly live in caves down by the ol' fishin— Er, beg pardon, ma'am, but...did you just order me to go fetch a bat?

Tharja: Yes, I did. Sometime today, please.

Donnel: Well, all right then! I'll just toodle on down to the caves and flush one out!

Tharja: ...I can't imagine why that hayseed keeps following my orders. I haven't even had a chance to place a curse of servitude on him yet...

Part 4: Examples of the localization making Tharja more abrasive

Next, here’s some examples where I think the localization makes Tharja more abrasive.

C Support w/ Kellam: In Japanese, Tharja did not imply that she did not kill or turn into an animal the last person who snuck up on her. Nor is she sarcastic when Kellam offers to help mail her letter. In fact, she takes him up on the offer, if he doesn’t mind that it is going to Plegia.

Japanese:

[サーリャ] (Tharja)

きゃっ！？▼ (Kya!?)

まったく気配に気づかなかったわ… (I didn’t notice your presense at all…)

あなた、呪いでもかかってるの…？▼ (Are you under a curse…?)

(skip a few lines)

[サーリャ] (Tharja)

ペレジアに届けて欲しいんだけど、(I want it delivered to Plegia, but)

だいじょうぶかしら？▼(Is that OK?)

Localization:

Tharja: ...! The last person who snuck up on me like that isn't a person anymore. How do you stay so quiet? Is it a spell of some kind?

(skip a few lines)

Tharja:

...I know how to mail a letter. I just hope the postmen are still going to Plegia.

A Support w/ Kellam: While the B Support threat of Tharja cursing Kellam for sneaking up on her is in the Japanese as well, the A Support continuation of it was not.

Japanese:

[カラム] (Kellam)

サーリャ…。▼ (Tharja…)

[サーリャ] (Tharja)

…！▼ (...!)

[カラム] (Kellam)

ご、ごめん…。(S-Sorry…)

なるべくそっと呼んだんだけど…。▼(I called out to you as gently as I could, but…)

Localization:

Kellam: Hey, Tharja?

Tharja: Argh! ...That's it. Newt time for you.

Kellam: I'm sorry! I tried not to startle you! I clanked two pots together and everything! P-please don't turn me into a newt.... 

B Support w/ Vaike: While their Japanese support chain is also about Tharja telling Vaike to leave her alone as she stalks Robin, the localization plays up how aggressive she is towards him. In the Japanese B Support, she threatens to curse him for spying on her, but she certainly does far less than consider killing him, like the localization implies.

Japanese:

[サーリャ] (Tharja)

…いい気分に浸っていたのに… (...I was just getting into a bood mood…)

なんなのよ、突然。▼ (What do you want all of a sudden?)

まだ…私がルフレに (Do you still think… I’m)

なにかすると思ってるの…？▼ (doing something to Robin…?)

[ヴェイク] (Vaike)

いいや。今まで見張らせてもらったが (Not anymore. I was watching over you until now, but)

お前は悪い奴じゃなさそうだ。▼ (you don’t seem to be a bad gal.)

もう心配はしてねぇよ。(I ain’t worried anymore.)

…疑って悪かったな。▼ (...It’s my bad for doubting you.)

[サーリャ] (Tharja)

そう…これ以上じろじろ (I see… if you were going to stare at me any further,)

見られていたら呪っていたわ。▼(I was going to curse you.)

Localization:

Tharja: ...Or perhaps I'll end my day by killing a man. What do you want, you great sack of suet? Are you spying on me again?

Vaike: Nope! Well, I mean, I WAS for a while, but I trust ya now. I had to make sure ya weren't up to any witchy business with my pal, Robin.

Tharja: If I catch you spying on me again, I'll turn you into a toad.

A Support w/ Vaike: At the beginning of their A Support, Tharja is dismissive towards Vaike, but the insult to his intelligence by implying that he throws his food waste on the ground was added in localization.

Japanese:

[サーリャ] (Tharja)

どうして…こんなところにいるの。(Why… are you in a place like this?)

食事の時間でしょう？▼ (It’s mealtime, isn’t it?)

Localization:

Tharja: Shouldn't you be off eating dinner with the others? I hear they're having lamb. You can throw the bones on the ground and everything.

C Support with Ricken: Tharja has very good reason for rejecting Ricken’s request to teach him dark magic, and she has to be aggressive about it, because he won’t take her first no for an answer. But the Japanese didn’t have her condescendingly tell him to go practice something else, so the localization is a bit more aggressive than the Japanese I think.

Japanese

[リヒト] (Ricken)

興味だけじゃないよ！ (It’s not just a whim!)

僕は真剣なんだ！▼ (I’m serious!)

僕、もっともっと (I, more and more,)

みんなの役に立ちたいんだ。▼ (want to help everyone out.)

そのためには、もっと成長しないと… (To be able to, I must grow more…)

広く、深く、もっともっと！▼ (I must learn more things, learn more about what I do know… more and more!)

[サーリャ] (Tharja)

…貴方が真剣なのはわかったわ。 (...I know you’re serious.)

でも…あきらめてちょうだい。▼ (But… give it up.)

Localization:

Ricken: I know! This is serious business! Super-deadly serious business! I'm trying to get as strong as possible so I can be a key part of Chrom's army. I'm studying fencing, wyvern riding, and even butter sculpting! ...You know. Just in case.

Tharja: Hexes and curses are a different animal. A wild, untamable beast. Now forget we had this conversation, and go practice your butter sculpture.

Part 5: How Tharja’s voice acting affects her portrayal

In addition to her dialogue itself, Tharja’s tone and voice type can also come off very differently in Japanese vs. localization. Her JP voice is soft, quiet, creepy, and trails off in an unsetting way (This is represented in text by her sentences nearly always ending in ‘…’ ). Her ENG voice is deeper, and unsettling in a dark villainess kind of way. I think both her voice types fit a dark mage like her perfectly, just in different ways. But without the soft and quiet aspects of her Japanese voice, her English voice type comes off much harsher.

I think that contributes a lot to how abrasive Tharja is in English vs. Japanese. Granted Awakening has limited voice acting, so the impact isn’t as big as in the fully voice-acted FE Warriors for example, but even the few words and sounds she does have in Awakening set Tharja’s tone a lot.

Part 6: Conclusion

And that’s all I have to say! 

As you can see, the localization did write Tharja to act more abrasive in select conversations. With her being abrasive in general, the overall change to her character is not very significant, but the change is definitely there.

If anyone has any follow-up questions, or questions about other FE characters in Japanese vs. localization, feel free to send me an Ask! I’ve gotten a lot of Asks so far this year, so I’m pretty backlogged, but I always get such interesting questions that I’m happy to answer them in time!

[shivunin]

Rook Codex Writing Prompts

A list of 30 writing prompts inspired by other DA codex prompt lists. Contains no plot spoilers for Veilguard.

A letter to Rook about their exile

An entry from Rook’s journal

A letter from Rook to someone in their faction

A note from a companion to Rook about the Lighthouse

A conversation overheard between Rook and a companion

Healer’s summary of treatment for Rook’s wounds

Something written by a character from a previous game about Rook

A future historian’s analysis of Rook’s actions (Bonus: featuring a relevant primary source)

Rook’s shopping list 

Note found in Rook’s pocket

Report summarizing what is known about Rook by an allied or enemy faction

Rook’s daily schedule

A message between two companions about Rook

A letter from a faction leader to a companion about Rook’s actions

Rook’s packing list for travel to a quest location

Letter from Rook to their love interest

Rook’s notes on the Lighthouse/Caretaker

Notes between a companion and Rook regarding a personal quest

Inventory of personal belongings Rook left behind when they left their faction

Something written about Rook on a historical plaque

A letter from an enemy regarding Rook

An entry from an encyclopedia/travel guide about an aspect of Rook’s background (Bonus: followed by a note from Rook supporting or refuting its accuracy)

Excerpt from a play dramatizing Rook’s actions (Bonus: include a review of this play)

A letter from Rook to a faction leader

Notes taken by Rook when they were young/in training

A letter to Rook from a family member or close friend

Analysis of a piece of art created for/about Rook

Propaganda for or against Rook

Something written to Rook post-game

A note/letter that Rook never sent

[prokopetz]

I'm curious for your thoughts on the most left field take I've heard on d&d 4e - specifically, that it is best dusted off if you want to play as magical girls.

I'm aware there are far better ttrpgs for such a goal, but it was such an odd analysis of 4e that it stuck in my head for years since.

Basically, the problem with tabletop RPGs that a. expect a non-trivial amount of system mastery when it comes to building characters, and b. support multiple distinct modes of play is that people who enjoy throwing big numbers around are going to be tempted to spec heavily into one of those modes of play at the expense of sucking at all of the others. You see this issue in many flavours of D&D, where characters who spec heavily into combat end up with no cool toys to play with in exploration mode, and characters who spec heavily into exploration struggle to contribute in combat. It creates a perverse incentive to make yourself bored at the table because you're constantly spending 50% of each session twiddling your thumbs.

One approach to solving this problem is to institute some form of game-mechanical siloing: player characters are given distinct, non-competing sets of rules toys for each supported mode of play, so it's not desirable – perhaps not even possible – to favour one by short-changing the others. This is the approach that D&D4E tried, largely successfully. However, some players found it counterintuitive, because it didn't provide a good narrative rationale for why your character's rules toys should be siloed in this fashion. You ended up with players squinting at the flavour text of their combat moves and arguing that a strict reading suggested their rogue ought to be able to double-jump, or trying to drop into exploration mode in the middle of a combat round in order to take advantage of one of their exploration mode rules toys, both of which tended to break the game in interesting ways.

Conversely, when there is a good narrative rationale for why player characters aren't allowed to cross the streams in a game which supports multiple distinct modes of play, such siloing can be an easier sell. Take Tumblr's favourite indie game Lancer, for example; Lancer has a great deal of D&D4E's DNA in it, except its two mechanically distinct modes of play aren't "combat" and "exploration": they're "piloting a giant robot" and "not piloting a giant robot". There's typically very little narrative ambiguity regarding whether or not you are, in fact, currently piloting a giant robot, so D&D4E style siloing of player-facing rules toys rarely creates situations that are difficult to reason about.

And what's another popular genre of media which will handily furnish any tabletop RPG based on with a built-in narrative rationale for having two mechanically distinct modes of play?

Yep: magical girls.

[minswriting]

BIKINIS AND MARTINIS - A.H x READER

About: Reader is chilling by the pool in a tiny bikini and when she goes inside, they bump into one another and they have sex.

Warnings: NSFW, MDNI, dad’s best friend hotch, dad bod hotch, fingering (f), unprotected sex, daddy kink, OOC hotch but that’s why fanfiction is great, slight size kink

Word Count: 2.9k

A/N: Hello! Border is made by @cafekitsune here on tumblr!! This one shot may suck a bit because I struggled writing it for some reason lol. If you don’t like it, don’t read it! Please comment and reblog to support your creators ❤️

Your father was a hard and diligent worker, working as a higher-up in the FBI. He was technically the boss of many people, and hardly ever had to work in the field. There were many perks to your father being in the FBI: you get to see your dad often and don’t have to worry about him not always being home. Or how you didn’t have to worry about your college tuition because he paid for all of it. But the best perk? Getting to see the man that your father hung out with quite often when the man wasn’t out on cases.

Aaron Hotchner, the Unit Chief of the Behavior Analysis Unit, was an intriguing man, to say the least. With his short black hair, piercing brown eyes, and stoic demeanor, he was the embodiment of attractiveness. Always dressed to the nines even when going out on a case. He and your father began a friendship a few years back. It started off as just a meeting, Hotchner congratulating your father on his promotion, which then led to the realization of how much they had in common. From golfing to cooking, and enjoying what they do for work, their friendship was pretty solid.

It was a bright and sunny day in the middle of July, perfect for a cookout near the pool. Your father had a rare day off, not having to deal with bureaucracy bullshit for once. He invited a few of his friends over for a barbecue and to spend time at the pool. And of course, you weren’t going to miss out on delicious food and a chance to see Aaron Hotchner in swim trunks.

Your relationship, if you could even really call it that, with Aaron Hotchner was a weird one. As soon as he walked into a room, you would notice him. His presence was radiating, one that exuded dominance and yet something soft at the same time. It was intoxicating, to say the least. And you were sure he noticed you as well. On the rare occasions when you joined your father at the golf course, Aaron’s eyes were always on you. Or the times when you’d visit your father at his office, Aaron would glance your way. The two of you have had your conversations, ones that tread the line between flirtatious and nothing more than a simple conversation. Everything between the two of you was subtle but it was there.

You lay on a pool chair, sunglasses on and eyes closed as you faced the sky, dressed in a gorgeous red and white cherry printed bikini, with a blueberry lemon martini in one hand. You sipped the drink leisurely as you listened to the conversations happening around you. Men with their wives, conversing with your dad while he barbecues on the grill. You didn’t pay much mind to it, off in your own world as you basked in the sun.

“You look like you’re enjoying yourself,” came the familiar deep voice that you adored so much.

You turned your head, opening your eyes as you glanced at the man who sat on the pool chair next to you. Aaron Hotchner was indeed wearing a pair of swim trunks and nothing else. You probably could’ve died right then and there but luckily, you kept your cool.

“Trying to enjoy the heat before it all goes away in two months,” you replied, turning your head back to face the sky.

Aaron simply hummed in response, allowing silence to overcome the two of you for a few moments before speaking. “You look good, by the way,” He said, his tone holding a lightness to it that was only noticeable if you were attentive.

You felt your heart flutter, unable to help the small smile that graced your lips. “You don’t look too bad yourself, Hotchner,” You retorted before taking a sip of your martini.

It was true. Aaron looked amazing with his toned muscles in his arms and legs, his chest nice and toned as well, and his stomach, though a bit soft, still held the athletic build he maintains due to his work in the BAU. And god, you were ridiculously attracted to this man.

“Well, I certainly try not to look bad,” Aaron retorted before taking a sip of the cocktail he had. He wasn’t much of a cocktail sort of guy but your dad made a mean martini. Aaron couldn’t help but look at you. You looked radiating in that bikini. With your tits practically spilling out of the top and how your hips looked in the bottoms, it took everything in him to not get a boner right then and there. It was wrong of him to be so attracted to you. You were his boss’ daughter and twenty years younger than him. He was forty-four years old and you were twenty-four. And yet, here he was. The amount of times he had gotten off to the idea of fucking his boss’ daughter was more than he’d ever be willing to admit.

“I think you look handsome all of the time,” You said, turning your head to look at Aaron.

Whether it was from the heat or your words, you were unsure but you noticed the way Aaron’s cheeks redden just a bit and felt yourself smirking once more.

Aaron cleared his throat, looking away from you and at the pool. “Thank you,” He replied before standing up. “I-uh am going to go swim now,” and with that, he walked away from you and made his way to the pool.

You watched Aaron as he walked to the deep end. You certainly made him flustered but that didn’t matter when he was about to dive in. You watched carefully, seeing the way Aaron got into position. You bit your lip and clenched your thighs subtly, practically gawking at Aaron with the way he moved. And when he jumped in, swam underneath the water, and came back up, you almost audibly moaned with the way he looked. He was like your own porno, the man you will be fingering yourself to later. He swam for a little while before he got out and walked over to your father, grabbing the towel that was in one of the chairs next to him.

After another martini and sitting out in the sun for some time, you decided to finally get up. You stretched out your muscles, pushing your chest out slightly in a small show for Aaron, who you knew was already watching you. You glanced at him, seeing how his eyes were already on you. He was in the midst of a conversation with your father, likely something related to the Bureau. And yet, Aaron looked as though he could hardly care.

You gave him a small smirk before walking towards the house and making your way inside and to the bathroom. When you finished your business and washed your hands, you walked out of the bathroom and into the hallway, only to bump into something, or rather someone, hard, almost getting knocked over in the process. You felt a pair of hands land on your hips, holding you upright as you looked up to see Aaron.

At that moment, it was as though the world had stopped as you and Aaron met each other’s gaze, his hands firmly resting on your hips. And just like that, it was as though all the attraction you two had for one another increased tenfold. “You’re driving me crazy,” Aaron said hoarsely as he looked you up and down. “Especially with wearing that.”

You licked your lips, tilting your head ever-so-slightly. “Oh yeah?” You whispered back. “Crazy how?”

Aaron looked at you with a raised eyebrow as if it weren’t obvious how you were driving him crazy. He simply pressed himself against you, allowing you to feel just how hard he was in his swim trunks. You gasped, the soft noise escaping your lips before you could have a chance to stop it.

“All because of you,” He murmured, leaning in. His breath was fanning your face, tempting you to just move in that extra moment. “And that bathing suit of yours.”

“I bought it knowing you’d be seeing me in it,” You breathed out, glancing at Aaron’s lips.

“Naughty girl,” Aaron smirked, putting his fingers underneath your chin, bringing your faces closer together. Aaron’s lips lightly brushed against yours, giving you a moment to pull away, to stop this whole endeavor before you both were in too deep. You responded by kissing him firmly, showing you wanted him just as much as he wanted you.

The two of you moved in sync, kissing one another with a hunger that had been building between you both since the day you met him. You knew it should be wrong. Aaron was much older than you and was a good friend of your father's. You should stop this before anything else could happen. But in retrospect, Aaron was the first person you’d ever felt a strong pull towards. And you knew he would treat you so well.

Aaron’s hand moved from your hip to your naval, moving slowly to the waistline of your bikini bottoms. He pulled away from the kiss to look at you, an unspoken question of whether this was alright or not.

“Please,” You whispered, looking at Aaron with pleading eyes.

And that was all he needed before he dipped his head, kissing your jawline as his fingers trailed underneath the waistband of your bottoms. He ran a finger along your slit, feeling just how wet you were. “You’re soaked,” Aaron murmured against your skin.

“You have that effect on me,” You replied, trying to sound cool but ultimately failing when your voice hitched as Aaron brushed against your clit.

Aaron let out a low chuckle, nipping at your pulse point. “I can feel that,” He said, using his index finger to rub at your clit gently. You let out a soft noise as Aaron started to move his finger and suck on your pulse point. After a few moments, his finger dipped from your clit to your hole, teasing the entrance as he spread around your wetness. “Had I known you were this wet for me, perhaps I would’ve taken care of you sooner, sweetheart,” He breathed out, pulling away from your neck to look at you.

You shivered at the feeling of Aaron’s finger teasing your entrance, clenching around nothing in anticipation. “Well, what better way to live than in the present?” You said a bit shakily. Thank god everyone was outside. The idea that someone could walk into the hallway at any given moment frightened you and yet excited you at the same time.

Aaron hummed, nodding his head in agreement as he dipped his finger inside of you. Your breath hitched at the feeling, eyes fluttering shut. His finger was much bigger than yours and filled you much more than yours ever could. He moved his finger in and out of you slowly, rather teasingly as he got you worked up.

He eventually added a second finger, curling them up to hit your g-spot dead on. The action made you moan loudly and throw your head back against the wall with a small thud. “Oh my god,” you moaned.

Aaron’s free hand came up to your neck, gently wrapping his fingers around it as he guided your face to look at him. “Eyes on me, sweetheart,” he said, his tone soft and velvety and yet also commanding.

The action made your brain short-circuit. The truth of the matter is that you’ve never had anyone do something such as wrap their hand around your neck before. And you can’t say you hated it. The only word to escape your lips as you looked into Aaron’s dark eyes was “daddy.”

Aaron groaned at the word, immediately capturing your lips into a hungry kiss as he moved his fingers faster inside of you. He pulled away from the kiss, breathing heavily as he rested his forehead against yours. “Daddy, huh?” He breathed out. “How would your father feel knowing you called another man daddy?”

“Good thing I don’t call my father that,” You said, biting your lip as you relished in the feeling of Aaron fingering you.

All of a sudden, Aaron removed his fingers from your cunt, causing you to whine at the loss of contact. “Shh, baby,” Aaron said, kissing your lips. “Daddy’s going to fuck you now,” He said as he lowered his swim trunks just enough to let his cock breathe.

You looked down at Aaron’s cock, eyes widening as you saw how big he was. “Is it going to fit?” You asked, looking at Aaron with a faux innocence.

Aaron chuckled, nodding his head. “We’ll make it fit, sweetheart,” He replied, grabbing himself. “We have to be quick though, okay?”

You nodded your head, licking your lips in anticipation. “Yes, daddy.”

“Good girl,” He said before using his other hand to turn you around. You bend over slightly as you face the wall, giving Aaron better access. He grabbed your bikini bottoms, pulling them to the side before lining himself up at your cunt. He moved the tip of his cock up and down your folds, spreading your slick on his cock. He slowly eased himself inside of you, causing you to tense at the intrusion. “Relax, sweetheart.” He murmured, pressing a small kiss onto your shoulder blades.

The feeling of Aaron’s cock stretching you out was both painful and pleasurable. You’ve, of course, had sex before but you’ve never had sex with anyone as big as Aaron was and it was certainly new territory for you. He might ruin sex with anyone else for you forever. And part of you was okay knowing that information.

“Oh my god,” You moaned, putting your hand on the wall to ground yourself. When Aaron was fully inside of you, he paused for a few moments, giving you time to adjust to his size. “You’re so big, daddy,” You whined.

“I know, baby,” Aaron cooed, keeping himself still. “You can take it though, yeah?” He asked as he put his hands on your hips.

You nodded your head. “Yes, daddy,” you replied. After a few minutes, you had finally adjusted to Aaron’s size, relaxing a bit. “You can move.”

Aaron didn’t need to be told twice. He began moving his hips slowly, groaning at the feeling of how tight you were. “Fuck, baby,” he said. “Clenching around me so nicely.”

You let out a choked moan, your eyes fluttering shut as Aaron moved his hips. “F-feels so good, daddy,” you gasped, reaching your other hand around you to your hip and grabbing Aaron’s, bringing his hand to your chest. He instinctively began massaging your flesh through your bikini top.

“You’re so perfect,” He breathed out, leaning down to kiss the back of your neck. His hips began moving faster. “So beautiful.”

The feeling of his cock moving inside of you plus the praises leaving Aaron’s lips sent a shiver down your spine. “Daddy,” you whined, breathing heavily.

Aaron’s pace quickened, gaining a rhythm as he pounded into you. You are still entirely grateful that no one else was in the house and that everyone was outside as the sounds of skin slapping together filled the hallway upstairs, mixed with your moans as well.

“O-oh fuck,” you moaned as Aaron moved faster. His cock grazed your sweet spot repeatedly, making that familiar heat build up inside of you. “I-I’m so close, daddy.” You whimpered.

Aaron let out his own moan, holding you tighter. “Me too, princess,” he replied, his breathing shaky as he continued to pound into you.

It wasn’t long before you were clenching around Aaron’s cock with a loud moan of “daddy” as you came, legs shaking with the most mind-blowing orgasm you have had. Aaron followed, cumming with a groan as he filled you up with his load.

Just as you two finished, you heard the back door from downstairs opening, signaling that someone had entered the house. Aaron quickly pulled out, putting your bikini bottoms back in place as you both pulled away from one another. You fixed your bikini top, taking a second to gather yourself. Footsteps began to go up the stairs. With a small kiss to your forehead, Aaron made his way into the bathroom, closing the door behind him so as to not draw attention to either of you.

And just as he closed the door, your father appeared in the hallway. “Hey, cupcake,” your father greeted, giving you a smile. “Just wondering if you’ve seen Hotch? We’re moving the pool table from the game room outside so that we can play a game of pool by the pool.”

You shrugged your shoulders, pretending as though you didn’t just have Aaron’s cock buried inside your pussy. “Haven’t seen him,” you said to your father.

“Alrighty, well if you do, just tell him to come play pool,” Your father smiled before walking away. When he made his way back down the stairs, you let out a breath of relief.

You heard the sink in the bathroom turn on for a few seconds before turning off as Aaron opened the door. The two of you grinned at one another, feeling giddy about what had just happened.

Because you just fucked your dad’s best friend.

[reginyani]

Lessons | s.reid x fem!bau!reader

summary: You take it upon yourself to help Spencer Reid, your genius FBI co-worker develop confidence and social skills— especially in flirting. As you continue to give Spencer casual lessons in flirting, you both begin to realize this isn't just 'casual'. This leads Spencer into overthinking, and making a rash decision which ends in with him in your apartment half-naked.

cw: smut, 18+, mdni, flirty!reader, mentions of being in bar and drinking, use of y/n, clueless!spencer, sub!spencer, softdom!reader, p in v, unprotected sex, reader rides spencer, spencer comes inside reader

wc: 2.7k

a/n: please like and reblog if you enjoyed! support is always appreciated<3 (i listened to smarty while writing this and im absolutely screaming.)

Spencer Reid had many strengths. He could recite the periodic table in under a minute, read 20,000 words per minute, and could quite literally remember every single word ever said to him in perfect detail. But when it came to social interactions?

Well.. He was a work in progress.

You had noticed it early on— how he hesitated before speaking, how he fumbled over his words when confronted with casual banter, how he shrank away from physical contact as if it burned him. It wasn't that he lacked intelligence, in fact, he quite literally was the definition of intelligence. The guy could outthink just about anyone. But social nuance? The art of casual confidence? That was definitely not his forte.

Which is why, one evening after work, you decided it was time to do something about it.

"You really are hopeless sometimes, you know that?" You said, leaning back against your desk as Spencer furrowed his eyebrows at you in confusion.

"I don't— what do you mean?"

You smirk, pointing toward the break corner, where a young woman from accounting had just left from, looking vaguely disappointed. "That girl was flirting with you, Genius."

Spencer blinked. "No she wasn't."

"Yes, she was."

"She asked if I liked tea," he said while rolling his eyes, as if that was somehow an airtight defense.

You groaned, shaking your head. "Spencer, she was looking for an excuse to speak to you. She was touching her hair, laughing at everything you said— even the things you said that weren't funny."

Spencer frowned. "I wasn't exactly trying to be funny."

"Exactly," you say, crossing your arms. "Which means she wasn't laughing at the joke. She was laughing because she liked you."

For a moment, Spencer just stared at her, eyes narrowing in thought as if he was cataloging this information for a further study and analysis. Then he suddenly sighed loudly. "Even if that were true, it's not like it matters. I'm not.. great at that kind of thing."

You tilted your head. "At what?"

"Flirting. Making conversation that isn't strictly informational. Even as a profiler I struggle reading people." He gave an awkward shrug. "Flirting isn't really a skill I ever needed."

You studied him for a moment before pushing off your desk. "Alright, that settles it. I'm making you my new project."

Spencers eyes widened slightly. "What does that mean?"

"It means I'm gonna teach you how to be more confident," you said with a smirk. "How to read body language of a person who isn't a serial killer, and how to hold a conversation without sounding like a Wikipedia page, and maybe even know how to throw a decent punch while we're at it."

He scoffed, though there was a faint blush creeping up his neck. "I don't need—"

"Yes, you do," you interrupted, grabbing your coat from the back of your chair. "Come on, Boy Genius. We're getting drinks."

Spencer hesitated. "I don't really—"

"It's a lesson, not a date," you teased. "Unless you're scared."

That did it. He straightened his back, squaring his shoulders slightly. "I'm not scared."

"Good," you said, patting his arm. "Let's go then."

When you both arrived at the bar, it was quieter than most. It was a small spot near your apartment that you go to occasionally to decompress. Spencer had never been here before— not surprising, given that he rarely went anywhere that wasn't work related.

"You do realize I don't drink, right?" he asked as they slid into the booth.

"Yeah, yeah, I got that memo," you said, crossing your arms. "You can have water if you want, alcohol isn't exactly the point, it's the atmosphere around us."

He folded his arms together, looking skeptical at your words. "And what exactly am I supposed to learn here anyway?"

"Confidence, Reid. Social ease. You spend way too much time in your own head that you forget to live in the moment. So, here's your first ever lesson: stop overanalyzing."

He opened his mouth to argue, but you raise your finger to stop him. "Nope. Don't say anything. Just trust me on this."

Spencer exhaled heavily, looking vaguely pained in annoyance, but he nodded anyway. "Fine. What do I do then?"

You gestured to the bar. "Pick someone in the room and tell me what their body language says. C'mon, use those profiling skills to good use."

He listened, scanning the room, until they landed on a man at the bar nursing a whisky glass. "That guy is probably going through some kind of personal issue. His posture is slightly slouched, and his fingers are tense around his glass, and he hasn't checked his phone once, which most likely means he's avoiding calls or texts from someone or possibly has no one to even reach out to."

You raised an eyebrow, impressed. "Damn. Alright, expert profiler. Now, please do it with someone less miserable."

Spencers gaze shifted to a couple laughing together in a nearby table. "Well, the woman there is interested in the man, but he's clearly not picking it up that well. She's leaning towards him, angling her body to fully face him, but he keeps glancing away, distracted. Either he's oblivious, or not interested in the conversation at all."

You grin. "See? you're better at this than I thought."

Spencer huffed out a small laugh. "Observing is one thing. Applying it in real time is another."

"Okay, well then let's practice." you say, leaning froward slightly. "Tell me what my body language is saying."

Spencer hesitated for a moment. "You're.. teasing me."

"Obviously, Genius. What else?"

He studied you, his eyes darting over your posture, the way you rested your chin in your hand, and the slight smirk playing at your lips. "You're comfortable. Your body language is opened, relaxed. But you're also amused, probably at the fact you know I'm over thinking this."

You laughed. "Bingo!"

Something flickered in his eyes, something victorious, straightening a bit as he smiled.

"Alright," you said, finishing your martini. "Lesson one complete. Next up is casual confidence!"

Spencer groaned. "This is going to be painful."

"Excruciating," you said with a grin. "But trust me, Spencer. You will thank me later."

Over the next few weeks, your lessons continued on.

You taught Spencer how to hold eye contact without looking away in embarrassment, corrected his posture when he hunched over too much. Much to his horror, you even demonstrated how to casually brush someone's hand without making it completely awkward.

But somewhere throughout these lessons, things started to shift between the two of you.

It started out subtle at first. A glance that lasted a little too long. A touch that lingered a second past appropriate. The way you started to notice how his eyes crinkled when he was smiling, and how his voice softened just enough when he spoke to you.

It wasn't supposed to mean anything, but it did.

Another normal evening, after a round of drinks, you both found yourselves outside of your apartment complex. It had surprisingly been a good night— Spencer had successfully navigated himself through a conversation with a stranger without stammering, and you were so damn proud of him.

"You're getting better at this," you nudged his arm as you both walked up the steps of your apartment building.

Spencer smiled, small but real. "You're a good teacher." he said as you both made it to your apartment door.

Something in the atmosphere changed in that very moment, the air charged with clear unspoken tension.

You weren't sure who moved first, but suddenly, you were closer, looking up into his unreadable expression.

For a second, just a second, you wondered.

Then Spencer cleared his throat awkwardly, stepping back. "I should go."

You nodded quickly, shoving your hands into your pockets. "Yeah, yeah.. of course." you said disappointingly.

Neither of you said what you were thinking, and it was quite clear you didn't have to.

The were both wrong about this 'just being a 'lesson', and you both knew it.

As you heard his footsteps fade away, you quickly fumbled through your purse to find your keys. When you did, your hands shakily inserted the key into the keyhole as you unlocked the door.

When you finally entered, you let out a heavy sigh, removing your shoes at the entrance and putting them on a rack.

The door had just barely clicked shut before a loud knock echoed throughout your seemingly empty apartment.

You immediately froze, already knowing who was on the other side of the door.

Your heart thudded against your chest, your fingers curling around the doorknob. He didn't even enter, theres no way he left something behind— he never did anyway. He definitely didn't just come back to say goodnight either.

No, there was only one clear reason he was standing on the other side of your door.

Swallowing hard, you reached for the handle of your door, hesitating for a fraction of a second before pulling it open.

Spencer stood there, his expression unreadable, his breathing uneven and as if he had walked down the stairs and immediately ran back up. His hands were curled at his sides, and for once, he wasn't overthinking— he was only acting on his emotions.

Before you could speak or process anything, he leaped forward.

His hands found your face, fingers threading into your hair as his lips crashed against yours.

A startled gasp escaped your lips before you melted into his touch, your own hands gripping at his jacket to pull him in closer. It was desperate and certainly messy, all the built up tension from the past few weeks of lessons spilling over in one perfect, and reckless moment.

Spencer Reid —your best work partner and friend— was here, kissing you like he had been holding himself back from it far too long. And honestly, maybe he had.

He wasn't being shy now. There was no hesitation on either of your ends, no second guessing. His lips moved against yours like he had been studying the movement for years, like he memorized every possible way to make you feel like your knees could give out beneath you at any moment.

Your back hit the doorframe as he pressed closer, and eventually he pushed you inside, shutting the door. His hands slid from your face down to your waist, gripping your hips like he was afraid you might disappear if he were to let go.

But God, no, you were definitely not going anywhere.

You tilted your head, deepening the kiss, your fingers tugging at the soft curls that hung at the nape of his neck. He made a quiet, shuddering sounds at your contact, and you grinned against his lips before pulling back just enough for both your eyes to meet.

His pupils were completely wide, his chest rising and falling unevenly as he caught his breath.

"Spencer," you whispered softly, still catching your own breath.

His hands continued to tighten on your waist, like he wasn't ready to let go of you just yet.

"I was completely wrong," he admitted, his voice low, almost dazed.

You arched one of your brows in confusion. "About what?"

"About not having feelings for you." His thumb traced against your waist, tapping in nervousness. "About this just being a lesson."

You let out a breathless laugh. "Took you long enough, Genius."

He huffed, half exasperated and half relieved. "You knew?" he asked in confusion.

"Of course I knew. I was just waiting to see if you were gonna figure it out."

He shook his head while letting a soft chuckle escape his lips. He finally let himself lean back, being able to fully take you in now. "And what now?"

You smirked, reaching up to brush your thumb against his soft pink bottom lip, swollen from the kiss.

"Now," you said, tugging him back toward you. "I teach you everything else you haven't learned in lessons yet." you say, grinning as you start to pull him away from your door and onto your couch.

Spencer is at a complete loss, unsure of what to do as you straddle his lap. He gulps, his eyes glued to you as you remove your shirt, throwing it somewhere across the room.

As if he were just following your lead, he removes his own shirt, completely unsure of what to be doing. His stomach seems to be twisting in knots, the heat rising in his chest.

Your lips crash into his once again, sucking on his bottom lip as your hips move against his lap, your skirt lying against your thighs. You pull away, the friction overwhelming and just enough on its own. Your hands grip onto his shoulders, feeling his erection through his pants.

Spencer bites his lip, holding himself back from letting out a loud whine, or saying something embarrassing like 'holyfuckpleasejusttouchmealready'. Although, as hard as he tried, of course he was unsuccessful.

"I.. need you, Y/N.." he whimpers, panting heavily as you move.

"That's all I needed to hear, baby." you tease, your hands quickly making their way to the clasp of his belt, quickly unbuckling it. You then unzip his pants, but instead of immediately pulling his boxers down, you rub his cock through them.

This drives him nuts, making him let out a loud moan.

"Please, just.." he mumbles, throwing his head back in pleasure.

"Please.. what?" you smirk, raising an eyebrow as you continue to move your hand, watching him as eyebrows furrow and his slick lips part.

"Just fuck me already!" Spencer begs, at this point almost screaming.

Although you wanted to tease him more, you could feel your own pussy throbbing as it quietly begged for the touch of the man beneath you. So instead, you smirk, allowing him to pull his boxers and pants down to his thighs.

You quickly scrapped your skirt, leaving you in just a pair of pink laced underwear. You look down at him, your own lips parted as you move your underwear to the side.

Suddenly, your hand takes his cock, slowly stroking it, before quickly speeding it up, making him moan in pleasure. "Holy— shit, Y/N.. Ah!—" he manages to sputter out, practically melting in your touch.

"Ready?" you ask, smirking down at him. He nods rapidly, not wanting to wait any longer.

At his approval, you lift yourself from his lap and position yourself above his cock, allowing it to hit your wet entrance. You groan in pleasure, feeling his tip slowly enter your pussy.

Eventually, his cock is all the way inside you, and you're bouncing up and down, feeling the warmth of him inside you as both your moans and slap of skin on skin filled your apartment.

"Fuck, Spencer... you feel— so good." you moan, stuttering as you continue to bounce on his cock, feeling him pulse inside you.

He rocks his hips, sliding in and out of you as you both begin to chase your high, sending Spencers mind reeling as he gasps.

"Is this okay?—" he asks, continuing to rock at a decent pace.

"Fuck, yes.. So good, Spence.." you answer, allowing the noises that are escaping your lips be the answer. "Shit.." you breathe out, "You're so fucking incredible, darling."

Spencer squints his eyes shut, feeling himself get driven closer and closer to the edge.

"Y/N.. 'M close.." he warns, beads of sweat rolling down from his forehead as he gets closer to coming.

"You gonna come for me Spencer?" you say with watery eyes, close yourself. "Look me in the eyes, baby." you demand him.

He looks up, his eyes meeting yours as you continue to fuck yourself into him, moaning in pleasure. You throw your head back, now your practically yelling out.

"Yes! Right there, Spencer! Come inside me!" you wail, your bodies now moving in synchronized motions.

This finally sends him through, jolts of electricity shooting through his body as he comes, legs shaking heavily as he fills you up with his sweet liquids.

You come soon after, moaning as the warmth of him inside you makes your own orgasm feel even better.

Eventually he pulls out, and your body finally gives out as collapse next to him, feeling empty without him inside you now.

"You better take me out after this." you tease, still catching your breath.

"Aw, do I have to? I wasn't planning on it." he jokes, chuckling as you smack his arm playfully.

"So, do you think my amazing lessons payed off then?" you ask, raising an eyebrow as you smile.

"Eh, I guess they were alright." he answers, zipping up his pants as he shrugs.

"Oh, c'mon!" you whine, defeated.

tags:

[riversenchanted]

Where your mercury is placed is where you have intelligence at in your birth chart

Mercury 1st house/ Aries: Intelligent about knowing how to express themselves/fashion geniuses. These people are typically multi talented and able to be highly skilled at anything they pursue. They are like sponges for information!

Mercury 2nd house/Taurus: Intelligent about money,investing, and material possessions. These people are likely to own their own businesses or be investors of some kind. They may have multiple streams of income. A highly abundant placement to have!

Mercury 3rd house/ Gemini: The jack of all trades! Intelligent speakers, communicators, learners, teachers. People can learn a lot just by being in their presence. Their brains move just a little bit faster than the world around them. Sometimes this placement is prone to adhd.

Mercury 4th house/ Cancer: intelligent about family, emotions, counsel, cooking, home life. These people are commonly psychic/claircognizant. They always know the right thing to say. These are the people you go to when you need advice snd support.

Mercury 5th house/ Leo: intelligent about the arts, romance, children, self expression. These people bring light into the room. They have a creative genius like no other and a magic in the way they think and operate. They have a strong creative intelligence.

Mercury 6th house/ Virgo: intelligent about analysis, health, structure, and logic. These people make excellent doctors, judges, and politicians. They have a strong memory and interest in bettering others lives and keeping things balanced and fair. They analyze things deeply and are always looking for ways to help and improve any situation they face. They’re always calculating and taking in information.

Mercury 7th house/ Libra: Intelligent about relationships, justice, counsel, influence. These people are strong communicators and have the power to influence others and bring people together. They are diplomatic and fair. Always looking for the gray area and middle ground in any situation.

Mercury 8th house/Scorpio: intelligent about solving mysteries, uncovering truth, emotional depth. These people make good investigators. This placement shows a strong desire to uncover truth and have a deeper understanding of why things are the way they are. They tend to see through peoples facades easily. These people can be psychic or empathic.

Mercury 9th house/ Sagittarius: intelligent about philosophy, religion, travel, culture. These people have a wide variety of knowledge. They are the type of people who will have random facts about everything. They will spark conversation with anyone. Always eager to learn and very tactile in the way that they learn as well.

Mercury 10th house/ Capricorn: intelligent in business, work, legacy, and reputation. These people are extremely detail oriented. They have sharp minds and don’t forget anything to easily. These placements are adaptable and flexible. Willing to face challenges head on and grow from them. May have remarkable careers and be well known for their skills in the work field.

Mercury 11th house/ Aquarius: intelligent in networking, community, problem solving, innovation, technology. These people think 10 steps ahead at all times. These are the visionary’s. Their minds always at work and looking to the future. An inventors mind. These people bring others together to solve a common issue and work efficiently with others.

Mercury 12th house/ Pisces: intelligent in creativity, psychology, intuition, spirituality. These people have rich inner worlds but may have difficulty expressing it fully. They spend a lot of time in deep contemplation and are highly observant. They have a talent for compassion and deeply understanding others. They see things from multiple points of view and therefore have the ability to problem solve from multiple angles.

[precallai]

How AI Is Revolutionizing Contact Centers in 2025

As contact centers evolve from reactive customer service hubs to proactive experience engines, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as the cornerstone of this transformation. In 2025, modern contact center architectures are being redefined through AI-based technologies that streamline operations, enhance customer satisfaction, and drive measurable business outcomes.

This article takes a technical deep dive into the AI-powered components transforming contact centers—from natural language models and intelligent routing to real-time analytics and automation frameworks.

1. AI Architecture in Modern Contact Centers

At the core of today’s AI-based contact centers is a modular, cloud-native architecture. This typically consists of:

NLP and ASR engines (e.g., Google Dialogflow, AWS Lex, OpenAI Whisper)

Real-time data pipelines for event streaming (e.g., Apache Kafka, Amazon Kinesis)

Machine Learning Models for intent classification, sentiment analysis, and next-best-action

RPA (Robotic Process Automation) for back-office task automation

CDP/CRM Integration to access customer profiles and journey data

Omnichannel orchestration layer that ensures consistent CX across chat, voice, email, and social

These components are containerized (via Kubernetes) and deployed via CI/CD pipelines, enabling rapid iteration and scalability.

2. Conversational AI and Natural Language Understanding

The most visible face of AI in contact centers is the conversational interface—delivered via AI-powered voice bots and chatbots.

Key Technologies:

Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR): Converts spoken input to text in real time. Example: OpenAI Whisper, Deepgram, Google Cloud Speech-to-Text.

Natural Language Understanding (NLU): Determines intent and entities from user input. Typically fine-tuned BERT or LLaMA models power these layers.

Dialog Management: Manages context-aware conversations using finite state machines or transformer-based dialog engines.

Natural Language Generation (NLG): Generates dynamic responses based on context. GPT-based models (e.g., GPT-4) are increasingly embedded for open-ended interactions.

Architecture Snapshot:

plaintext

CopyEdit

Customer Input (Voice/Text)

       ↓

ASR Engine (if voice)

       ↓

NLU Engine → Intent Classification + Entity Recognition

       ↓

Dialog Manager → Context State

       ↓

NLG Engine → Response Generation

       ↓

Omnichannel Delivery Layer

These AI systems are often deployed on low-latency, edge-compute infrastructure to minimize delay and improve UX.

3. AI-Augmented Agent Assist

AI doesn’t only serve customers—it empowers human agents as well.

Features:

Real-Time Transcription: Streaming STT pipelines provide transcripts as the customer speaks.

Sentiment Analysis: Transformers and CNNs trained on customer service data flag negative sentiment or stress cues.

Contextual Suggestions: Based on historical data, ML models suggest actions or FAQ snippets.

Auto-Summarization: Post-call summaries are generated using abstractive summarization models (e.g., PEGASUS, BART).

Technical Workflow:

Voice input transcribed → parsed by NLP engine

Real-time context is compared with knowledge base (vector similarity via FAISS or Pinecone)

Agent UI receives predictive suggestions via API push

4. Intelligent Call Routing and Queuing

AI-based routing uses predictive analytics and reinforcement learning (RL) to dynamically assign incoming interactions.

Routing Criteria:

Customer intent + sentiment

Agent skill level and availability

Predicted handle time (via regression models)

Customer lifetime value (CLV)

Model Stack:

Intent Detection: Multi-label classifiers (e.g., fine-tuned RoBERTa)

Queue Prediction: Time-series forecasting (e.g., Prophet, LSTM)

RL-based Routing: Models trained via Q-learning or Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO) to optimize wait time vs. resolution rate

5. Knowledge Mining and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)

Large contact centers manage thousands of documents, SOPs, and product manuals. AI facilitates rapid knowledge access through:

Vector Embedding of documents (e.g., using OpenAI, Cohere, or Hugging Face models)

Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG): Combines dense retrieval with LLMs for grounded responses

Semantic Search: Replaces keyword-based search with intent-aware queries

This enables agents and bots to answer complex questions with dynamic, accurate information.

6. Customer Journey Analytics and Predictive Modeling

AI enables real-time customer journey mapping and predictive support.

Key ML Models:

Churn Prediction: Gradient Boosted Trees (XGBoost, LightGBM)

Propensity Modeling: Logistic regression and deep neural networks to predict upsell potential

Anomaly Detection: Autoencoders flag unusual user behavior or possible fraud

Streaming Frameworks:

Apache Kafka / Flink / Spark Streaming for ingesting and processing customer signals (page views, clicks, call events) in real time

These insights are visualized through BI dashboards or fed back into orchestration engines to trigger proactive interventions.

7. Automation & RPA Integration

Routine post-call processes like updating CRMs, issuing refunds, or sending emails are handled via AI + RPA integration.

Tools:

UiPath, Automation Anywhere, Microsoft Power Automate

Workflows triggered via APIs or event listeners (e.g., on call disposition)

AI models can determine intent, then trigger the appropriate bot to complete the action in backend systems (ERP, CRM, databases)

8. Security, Compliance, and Ethical AI

As AI handles more sensitive data, contact centers embed security at multiple levels:

Voice biometrics for authentication (e.g., Nuance, Pindrop)

PII Redaction via entity recognition models

Audit Trails of AI decisions for compliance (especially in finance/healthcare)

Bias Monitoring Pipelines to detect model drift or demographic skew

Data governance frameworks like ISO 27001, GDPR, and SOC 2 compliance are standard in enterprise AI deployments.

Final Thoughts

AI in 2025 has moved far beyond simple automation. It now orchestrates entire contact center ecosystems—powering conversational agents, augmenting human reps, automating back-office workflows, and delivering predictive intelligence in real time.

The technical stack is increasingly cloud-native, model-driven, and infused with real-time analytics. For engineering teams, the focus is now on building scalable, secure, and ethical AI infrastructures that deliver measurable impact across customer satisfaction, cost savings, and employee productivity.

As AI models continue to advance, contact centers will evolve into fully adaptive systems, capable of learning, optimizing, and personalizing in real time. The revolution is already here—and it's deeply technical.

[autumnmobile12]

Natsuo is more like his father than he wants to admit...and it is both tragic and unsettling.

Disclaimer: Not a criticism of Natsuo. I actually like this character. It is just a comparison study and a commentary of actions vs reactions. Natsuo is NOT a bad person for any of his choices.

He does what he wants without regard for what the people around him want.

Sure, he'll go along with certain requests, like going to the family dinner because Fuyumi asked him to.

However, rather than be a polite host, he decides he'd rather embarrass his sister by being angry at their father all through said dinner and making things awkward for their guests. He didn't have to be there. Whoever he's talking to on the phone after the fact, maybe the girlfriend, he apologizes for bailing on their plans. He didn't even have to white-lie to Fuyumi. He straight up had other plans that night. So there are two ways you could look at this:

He conceded to a request to support his sister...then half-assed it.

Or he canceled his plans and went out of his way to be a prick.

He's not wrong for hating his father, that is 100% a normal reaction to an abusive parent, but he is wrong for not establishing his own concrete boundaries or respecting Fuyumi's.

Like Endeavor, Natsuo is pretty isolated within the family.

Mom’s out of the picture and contact with her is limited.

We all know what his relationship with his father is like.

His closest sibling 'died' when they were kids, but even then, Touya and Natsuo's relationship wasn't a good one. We know Touya spent years trauma-dumping on Natsuo, and little bro took it like a champ. Supporting one's siblings like that is admirable, but it does highlight a key difference between the brothers. Touya has memories of a happy childhood with their father. Natsuo does not. So he had to listen to his older brother crying for a past he knows nothing about, which had to have brought on a little resentment. "At least Dad loved you once. I never even got that much."

As stated above, Natsuo doesn't see eye to eye with Fuyumi. At least not enough that he respects her decision to forgive their father. Whether he supports that decision or not, he should love his sister more than he hates their father, and starting shit unprovoked over a dinner she asked him to be at is not a supportive decision.

His relationship with Shouto is hard to gauge. They were raised apart, sure, but they lived in the same house. So the fact that he didn't know Shouto's favorite food until he was fifteen is...odd. Natsuo never tried to have a conversation with him in passing? But I have a theory about that. With how Shouto behaved in the very beginning of the series, the mirror-image of their arrogant father, I think Natsuo had a, “Fuck, now there’s two of them," moment and actively avoided association with his younger brother. This may have contributed to him moving out even though he attends a college that's close enough that that he can casually stop by for dinner.

He Actually Does Get Violent.

Not with other people, thankfully, but he does slam his fist against the door in this scene, which is an act of aggression.

This makes for an intense moment in animation, sure, but if you saw a person do this in real life, you’d be nervous about where that fist is going next.

I already went over this in the Endeavor analysis that I made a few months back, but the gist of it is taking out your anger on inanimate objects is unhealthy because you're training your brain to associate anger with violence, which has the potential to make it harder to dissociate in the long run.

In his own way, he did abandon his family.

Fuyumi tells him to leave the family circumstances to her....and he just left her to it? She went to college to become a teacher and made a career work in spite of living in a volatile home. The series doesn't say where Natsuo is a student at, but he clearly lives close enough to home that he can drop by for a visit, so it's not like he went to some prestigious university out of town.

So yeah. Left his remaining brother and sister to their father.

The other point, though, is he's canonically studying medical welfare.

Medical welfare is the consideration of patient wellbeing, preserving individual dignity, promoting quality of life, and taking a holistic approach to healthcare that applies mental and emotional care to a patient, not just physical.

So it's ironic this is where his brother ends up and he says absolutely nothing about it. Nothing about promising to come see him, nothing about asking the staff if this really the best arrangement they could come up with, no promises to Touya that he'll figure something out. He just ghosts and, like their father, that is really hypocritical.

In the end, he puts his own hate and feelings above everyone else’s.

This one's pretty closely related to my first point, but it does bear reiterating for the finale. Natsuo's decision to never see his father again is ultimately going to hurt his family more than it's going to spite Endeavor.  Going no-contact is a healthy choice and I don’t fault him for it at all.  But if he sticks to it, it’s going to lead to some serious ramifications down the road.

If he's strict enough to refuse to be in the same vicinity as Endeavor:

He won’t attend Touya’s funeral and support his grieving mother and siblings if Endeavor will be there.

Since we see in the epilogue Rei stays with Endeavor, Natsuo visiting her is going to be complicated.

If Fuyumi gets married, she might want her father at the wedding. Is Natsuo going to skip his sister’s wedding out of spite?

If Shouto gets married and decides to let their father be there, same story.

If Endeavor outlives Rei, will Natsuo miss her funeral?

And finally, Natsuo might have to come to terms with the fact his own children may want to meet their grandfather, which is a decision he can only control until they’re legal adults.  He can tell them how much of a monster Endeavor was all he wants, but those kids may still be curious about meeting the man in person, especially if they hear stories from other family members and know the former No. 2 and No. 1 is their grandfather.

I’m not saying Natsuo should forgive Endeavor, or even stop being angry with him because he has every right to his anger. But if he still wants a relationship with the rest of the family, he is going to have to exercise some form of compromise.  Especially with his children because he unfortunately has all the hallmarks to become the next Kotaro Shimura. This is a society where kids want to be heroes, and then there's Natsuo who has a history with the dark side of hero society, no matter the good Shouto does.

[kleopatra45]

Mercury in the Houses of D9 Chart

1st House

When Mercury is in the first house of your D9 chart, communication is at the core of your relationships. You express yourself easily and may rely on humor, intellect, or charm to connect with others. Your future spouse is likely to be witty, articulate, and youthful in spirit, bringing a lively energy to your life. They’ll appreciate meaningful conversations and will often challenge you to think more critically or creatively. Together, you’ll value open dialogue and problem-solving, keeping your relationship dynamic and full of intellectual stimulation.

2nd House

With Mercury in the second house, you value intellectual stability in relationships. Communication about finances, shared values, and material goals will be a key part of your connection. Your future spouse is likely to be practical, resourceful, and detail-oriented, with a talent for managing resources wisely. They might work in a field requiring precision and thoughtfulness, and their analytical mind will be an asset in building a secure life together. This placement suggests a relationship where clear communication about material and emotional needs creates a strong foundation.

3rd House

Mercury in the third house signifies a strong focus on communication and mental agility in your relationships. You and your future spouse may share a love for learning, writing, or even teaching. Your partner is likely to be curious, sociable, and intellectually stimulating, with an ability to keep conversations engaging and varied. This placement often indicates a relationship based on shared ideas, lively discussions, and mutual curiosity about the world. Together, you’ll thrive in environments that encourage growth, connection, and intellectual pursuits.

4th House

With Mercury in the fourth house, intellectual and emotional connections often come together in your relationships. Your future spouse is likely to have a calm, nurturing presence, prioritizing deep and meaningful communication within the home. They may be someone who enjoys discussing personal matters, family, or shared memories, helping to create a warm and harmonious domestic life. This placement indicates a relationship where communication serves as a tool for emotional bonding, and your spouse’s thoughtful nature will help you feel secure and understood.

5th House

Mercury in the fifth house suggests that creativity, humor, and intellectual engagement play a major role in your relationships. Your future spouse may be someone with a playful spirit, artistic talent, or a sharp wit that keeps you entertained and inspired. This placement points to shared interests in hobbies, art, or games, and your partner will likely encourage your creative side. Together, you’ll enjoy lighthearted moments and passionate discussions, finding joy in each other’s intellectual and imaginative energy.

6th House

When Mercury is in the sixth house, communication about daily routines, responsibilities, and problem-solving becomes important in your relationships. Your future spouse is likely to be practical, hardworking, and analytical, often helping you organize your life more effectively. They may work in a field involving service, health, or detailed analysis, and their methodical approach to life will complement your own. Together, you’ll build a partnership based on mutual support, where clear communication ensures that tasks are shared and challenges are tackled efficiently.

7th House

Mercury in the seventh house emphasizes intellectual compatibility and harmony in communication with your partner. Your future spouse is likely to be articulate, charming, and skilled at diplomacy, making them a great listener and conversationalist. This placement indicates a marriage where mutual respect and understanding are maintained through open dialogue. Your spouse may work in a field involving negotiation, counseling, or law, reflecting their ability to mediate and bring balance to challenging situations. Together, you’ll create a relationship where communication is the foundation of trust and partnership.

8th House

With Mercury in the eighth house, your relationships are marked by profound, transformative conversations. You’re drawn to a partner who has a deep and curious mind, someone interested in uncovering life’s mysteries or exploring topics like psychology, spirituality, or finance. Your future spouse may be intuitive and analytical, helping you navigate complex emotional and intellectual terrain. This placement suggests a relationship where shared secrets, deep conversations, and intellectual intimacy strengthen your bond. Together, you’ll find growth through mutual exploration of life’s depths.

9th House

When Mercury is in the ninth house, your relationships thrive on shared intellectual growth and philosophical exploration. Your future spouse is likely to be open-minded, adventurous, and deeply curious about the world. They may be well-traveled, academically inclined, or spiritually oriented, inspiring you to broaden your perspectives. This placement suggests a relationship where communication revolves around big ideas, cultural exchange, and the pursuit of wisdom. Together, you’ll enjoy exploring new horizons, both literally and intellectually, finding fulfillment in shared discoveries.

10th House

With Mercury in the tenth house, communication about career goals and ambitions becomes a cornerstone of your relationship. Your future spouse is likely to be ambitious, strategic, and focused on achieving long-term success. They may work in a field that involves public speaking, planning, or leadership, and their sharp mind will inspire you to pursue your own goals. This placement suggests a relationship where shared aspirations and intellectual collaboration help you both rise to new heights. Together, you’ll create a partnership built on mutual encouragement and a shared vision for the future.

11th House

Mercury in the eleventh house points to a relationship based on shared dreams, social connections, and intellectual innovation. Your future spouse is likely to be progressive, forward-thinking, and socially engaged, often introducing you to new ideas and communities. This placement suggests a relationship where communication revolves around shared goals, humanitarian efforts, or group projects. Together, you’ll thrive in social or intellectual circles, using your combined talents to make a positive impact. Your spouse’s innovative ideas and collaborative nature will keep the relationship exciting and meaningful.

12th House

When Mercury is in the twelfth house, communication takes on a subtle, intuitive quality in your relationships. Your future spouse may be introspective, spiritual, or artistic, with a knack for understanding what’s left unsaid. They may work in a field involving healing, creativity, or research, bringing a compassionate and empathetic energy to your connection. This placement suggests a relationship where deep, intuitive communication fosters emotional intimacy. Together, you’ll explore life’s mysteries, finding fulfillment in quiet moments of reflection and shared spiritual understanding.

©️kleopatra45