#I intended to quickly write some silly dialogue again | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

distortedmoondisc · 7 months

Note

hiiai for the ask game thing 🥺👉👈

Hi!! Thank you so much for asking for my otp vi 🥹💖💖💖

So! I hope I don't get too rambly with it ahdhfj

1. What made you ship it?: oh boy, the first and second chapters of the !! Main Story made me become so obsessed with them it wasn't even normal. I went into ensemble stars without any idea or notion about the franchise or the writing beforehand and I was absolutely confused with the way the characters talked to each other (the enstars writing is definitely an acquired taste imo lmao). So you must imagine how insane I felt when I, who wasn't used to male characters having such blatant, shameless and obviously deliberately flirty/romantic/shippy intended dialogue with each other such as.... This:

This was!!!! On their first meeting!!! They have known each other for less than 5 minutes and Aira has already fondled Hiiro's bicep!!!! Are these two normal??? (If you've been into enstars long enough you'll know that the answer is !!! No !!!)

And what's funnier is that after Aira does the (rub, rub), the next dialogue is literally this:

so like.... Akira (writer of all of the !! Main story) here had to force a switch on the conversation so these two could focus again on the topic they were discussing before (about whether or not they're underachievers and about Ensemble Square) from that fondling muscles scene. This means Akira didn't have any need to write that scene between these two, it wasn't necessary for the plot. The madlad just added that scene in there out of nowhere. Just for the funsies. For a silly little laugh. Because there's nothing more fun than making your OCs flirt with each other this shamelessly in your own story. He really gets the assignment.

Listing a few honorable mentions for hiiai interactions from the first and second episodes of the !! MS that made me imprint on them so hard that they became my biggest otp since july of last year and has taken hold of my heart ever since 🫶

Hiiro fawning over Aira's beautiful name 🥺🥺🥺

Hiiro here was really like yeah you're my soulmate, my soulmate bestie (no but seriously do you ever think about how hiiro became so attached to aira so quickly and wanted to become his friend so bad, and how he also saw their meeting as fate....)

He is so dramatic, he didn't even get directly rejected here

This is a personal favorite. I can't stress how mentally ill I was when I read Hiiro saying "I'll do my best to destroy the future where you'll feel sad" DO YOU HEAR YOURSELF???? this should be added to the "is this Russian literature or enstars" online quiz

If you are observant enough you'll see that Hiiro is the one shamelessly flirting all the time AHDJF but Aira himself (mostly in later chapters) also says some questionable stuff about Hiiro in some parts that makes you go... Huh (Aira saying to Hiiro "Aira-kun's route is no longer available for you!" Aira why are you equating yourself and Hiiro as the protagonist and romantic interest of a dating sim game? Do you have anything to share with the class?)

But yeah... them (vaguely gestures with hand). They give a very strong first impression to say the least, so it's not hard to imagine how I came to ship them as quickly and as strongly as I did ahdjf

2. What are your favorite things about the ship?: God, there's so many things I like about hiiai I don't think I can ever list them or rank them, but I'll try ahdjf

For starters, I just really like their dynamic (very basic answer, I know). A thing I really love about their dynamic is how Hiiro is so openly affectionate with Aira, and I think it's cute how Aira is so tsun about his care and affection for hiro-kun, but he just can't leave him alone and thinks of him so often (he mentions him all the time in the game's home lines wwww).

Another thing I love is the way their relationship develops throughout the !! main story. How Aira stuck to him and to Alkaloid due to obligation (in order to survive as an idol in ES) but actually became attached to Hiiro and formed the unique dynamic with him where Aira feels like he can't leave Hiiro alone to prevent him from getting into trouble (and while there is truth to that, there's also the fact that just genuinely Aira loves Hiiro because the first friend he's had in a long time, and a very loyal and loving one at that). In Hiiro's case, he also got attached to Aira very quickly since he was also his very first friend on the city 🥺

In general, I love that hiiai are each other's first friends in ES when they were completely alone, and that by finding each other they found the solution to their chronic loneliness (because Aira and Hiiro both suffer a lot from severe loneliness ever since their childhoods. Aira has never been able to keep lasting friendships and Hiiro's only company in his hometown was Rinne. So them finding each other and hitting it off so quickly and easily means a lot for the both of them, and they both try their best to make the friendship work because they want to keep it and make it last, yk?)

Another facet of hiiai that I like... how Aira always teaches Hiiro new things and helps him understand the world around him. I like to think about how Aira is, literally and metaphorically, the reason Hiiro loves the city, and how that is what leads him to stay there instead of going back to his hometown with his brother (and I just sit here and wonder if the rinniki parallels were intentional from Akira's part?)

I mean literally because Aira is the one who taught Hiiro what idols are, and that was what made Hiiro realize that yes, this is something he likes and a thing he wants to do with his life. And metaphorically, because I believe that for Hiiro, Aira is a representation of the city. Aira is a city boy, he has an upbringing and worldview completely different from his. Aira grew up in a world that is completely unknown and new to Hiiro, a world in which Hiiro didn't plan on staying for long in the first place, a world that Hiiro didn't plan on getting attached to, but that he still came to like at the end — so Hiiro, by loving and accepting Aira, is metaphorically loving and embracing the city and coming to understand it*. And we know that Hiiro deciding to stay in the city and becoming an idol for real is one of the most important parts of his arc of independence and self discovery, so this gives Hiiro's relationship with Aira another layer of depth that makes their bond more important and essential for each of their characters and arcs.

*I almost forgot to clarify why I think that Hiiro coming to like the city is such a big deal (and note, this is a personal interpretation). Basically, because Hiiro was so dead set on bringing his brother back to their hometown so he could become the monarch, he was still close minded about the outside world and stuck with the old arbitrary rules taught by his hometown. But just as Rinne predicted and hoped, Hiiro ended up being marveled by the city and all the things it offers and so many things he's never seen before (and you can extrapolate that marvel he feels for the city as the marvel and interest he feels for Aira when they first meet). So just as Rinne left his hometown in favor of the city—which was a thing Hiiro didn't understand before because he didn't know what even made the city so good in the first place to make his brother want to leave—Hiiro ended up liking the city as well and choosing to stay there instead of going back home, therefore chosing his own path like Rinne.

But then again, this is just my personal interpretation of the text ahdjf

3. Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?: I probably do, but I can't really think of one at the moment ahdjfj I guess one unpopular opinion is that I think that Aira isn't as stereotypically tsundere as people tend to depict him as in fanworks.

Don't get me wrong, Aira def is very tsun (and he is deliberately written as a stereotypical tsundere sometimes for the comedy bits and/or to make his feelings about others obvious. It might seem paradoxical, but the more tsun the acts—the biggest reaction he gets out of one of Hiiro's actions, for example—the more obvious his true feelings come across), but I also think it is often overlooked his character development in the !! MS where he grows to become more honest about his feelings and doesn't reject Hiiro's displays of affection as much and is even openly happy about them (like when he was happy that Hiiro held his hand and said it made him feel reassured). But this characterization isn't the most consistent throughout stories (and that is a thing that bothers me a little but talking about enstars' lore inconsistency is a story for another day ahdjf), so this is something very personal 😅

And that's all... thank goodness it was only 3 questions AHDJF I was hoping I'd write a short post, but it seems I *did* end up rambling about hiiai after all 😔🤙 what bring prompted to talk about the otp does to a person.

#thank you so much for the ask! I had fun doing this #there's probably stuff I forgot to mention or things I wish I had delved more into after I post this #but fuck it we ball #hiiai my beloveds its crazy how obsessed i am with them #i dont talk about them as much as i wish i did #and i have tons of thoughts about them #so it was nice letting some of them out with this ahdjd #asks #ship ask game

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your-nanas-house · 2 years

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Guardian angel AU for Jeremiah?

💕🤗

Of course! Sorry if it took me so long to write it and thank you! 💓

My Guardian Angel

Pairing: Jeremiah Valeska X Guardian Angel!Reader

Warnings: fall, fluff

Words: 928

Summary: Jeremiah meets his guardian angel.

Note: Sorry for the mistakes and the English.

.................................................................................

It had been a stroke of luck, or so he thought, he was in his office, sitting in front of the camera monitor, when he saw something fall from above and land just near his bunker.

At first Jeremiah thought it was just an animal that had fallen from a tree, but when he looked at the camera video again and zoomed on the figure he was surprised, definitely surprised, to see a person dressed in white with y/h/c hair falling from who knows where and landing badly on the forest ground.

It took him several minutes to decide what to do, sending Ecco, instead of going himself, to see if that person was still alive or what was going on; his nerves were on edge as he waited praying it wasn't some sort of trap, getting up quickly as he heard footsteps approaching and saw Ecco carrying the person in her arms.

From then on he took care of them, too intrigued by their appearance and manner of dress, they seemed so familiar but at the same time foreign to him, it was a strange feeling and he wanted nothing more than for the person to wake up so he could ask questions that needed to be answered.

But he had to wait until the next evening since there was no sign of improvement.

Jeremiah was back in front of the cameras checking on them when he saw them slowly waking up and sitting up on the bed, rubbing their eyes cutely and then looking around, lingering at the door that was slowly opening "Jeremiah?" the person asked in a so melodious and angelic voice that it made the man freeze for a moment and soon walk inside into the room "how do you know my name? Who are you?" they simply looked at him, beginning to smile vaguely amused "I know it because I've been your guardian angel since you were born, silly...but you're right, we've never really seen each other or introduced ourselves which shouldn't have happened..but here I am".

Jeremiah's eyes were fixed on the person's bodies as it slowly healing all the wounds itself that they had sustained from the fall "impossible, angels doesn't exist and certainly no guardian angels" he stated confidently, meeting the angelic eyes of the person in front of him who continued to smile "so you're telling me you don't remember anything at all? All your lies are making you so blind, Jeremiah?" the angel asked, causing the engineer in front of them to frown "you don't know anything about me-" "and that's where you're wrong, I know everything about you, I've lived with you all these years, I know when you were born, what time it was, who you were born with, everything that happened to you in life, what you did in life...the good and...the bad things, because you did some bad things too but I always stayed with you, doing my job".

The ginger with glasses did not believe a word the supposed angel was saying, soon ending up having to watch a demonstration that made him relive all the moments in his life when his guardian angel had intervened, remembering now where he had seen them before.

The dialogue that took place after a long pause of silence was something Jeremiah would never have imagined, he had so many questions in his head and he intended to ask them all, starting with the most important one "what is your name?" he said adjusting his glasses, the angel only looked at him smiling amused "close your eyes" the man frowned confused, doing as he was told "sit still now calm your mind and ask your higheself...the name will then be placed in your head. If no name comes, it's because your guardian angel is inviting you to name them yourself".

These instructions reminded him once again of the past, remembering when he was still in the circus and was only six years old, he had started reading and had found a book on the subject, deciding to try out what was written there even if it seemed stupid to him trying it anyway, receiving no name in his head and deciding to give one himself.

He slowly opened his eyes to meet the angel's gaze murmuring in a low and insecure voice "Y/n?" the angel nodded continuing to smile "you gave me the name yourself, when you were 6 years old…hiding in the circus tent with the book on your lap, you were sceptical but you did it anyway and I'm glad you did, so I have a name too" he nodded slowly still shaken and surprised, moving on to the next question "why don't you have wings? I thought all angels had them" they sighed slightly as they shrugged "I have wings, but I have the ability to hide them and they are wounded...yes they are white as you expect, I preferred them in another colour but I'm not complaining, I like them that way too...for the halo, it's angel jewellery, I don't wear jewellery that often it's more for...special occasions now".

The questions continued throughout the time the angel stayed there with him in the bunker, making something grow inside him that he hadn't quite identified what it was yet but giving him a need to have to keep Y/n with him in there, keep them close and never let them go for fear of abandonment...something he slowly began to plan.

Taglist:

@gabile18

@mrsfullbuster500

@trainer--taylor

@ellabxrnes

@eovjjj

@animefan3223

@jeremiah-va1eska

@gothamchic

@rabbiteggz

@dieg0brandos-wife

@rottenecstasy

@lazyexuseforausername

@teh-vampire-bunny

#gotham #gotham x reader #gotham tv #jeremiah valeska #jeremiah valeska x you #jeremiah valeska x reader #jeremiah valeska imagine

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mysticdragon3md3 · 3 years

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Ranma ½ is GENIUS. Here’s Why by Bonsai Pop

The thing I really appreciated about Ranma �� when I was younger, was that it was a discussion about gender without getting sidetracked by sex, the way most “sex comedies” did, especially at the time. At the time, publishers tried to market Ranma ½ as a “sex comedy” in the vein of raunchy college-setting Hollywood movies or fanservicy Male Gaze series (compare “Futaba-kun Change” or the proceeding “harem genre” that Ranma ½ started). But Ranma ½ felt more like a discussion about gender more than sex, or even more than sexuality. And being an AroAce kid, who didn’t know what AroAce was at the time, but was very confused about my gender, I really appreciated Ranma ½’s focus on gender over sex, fanservice, and heterosexuals navigating (sexual) relationships—which, I *cannot* express enough, was the saturated majority of all anime/manga, that even came close to discussing gender, at the time. I just wanted a discussion about gender, gender roles, complaining about presumed traditional ideas about gender, and how to define one’s own gender despite society’s pressures about gender. I wanted a discussion about Strength, that the martial arts genre did so often, without an advocation for sexist ideals, toxic masculinity, stereotypes about “feminine” being weaker (even as warriors), fixated only on romance, or any number of female stereotypes, etc. I feel like I can’t remind people enough of how it was back then, when not only were these toxic mysoginist ideas portrayed frequently, but they were also portrayed as good, true, “right”, or unquestioned. At least when Ranma Saotome was being a sexist jerk, he was punished for that terrible thinking or eventually had to reconcile with his dissonance. And Akane Tendo was revolutionary at that time too. It used to be that on the Shonen genre side, we had only hyper fem, passive, romance-fixated, love interests, OR nagging, cold female characters that really felt like the author was conveying all their horrible views on women in general, OR sexy eye-candy that had close-ups on their boobs or butt so frequently, that it completely made their lack of focus on romance or anything else in their personalities, secondary. Then on the Shoujo genre side, we had girls who were fixated on nothing but romance, constantly jealous and possessive—and often over guys who hadn’t even proven themselves worthwhile to pursue romantically. Let’s face it: A lot of Shoujo leading men were often jerks, treated their female love interests badly, and for some reason, she was just supposed to play the devoted “Lady Murasaki” and be totally “in love” with him. Whyyyyyyyyyy????????????? Even worse on the Shonen genre side too, because he treats her badly, it doesn’t get portrayed as bad treatment, he doesn’t understand why she’s angry, so she just looks like a volatile nag all the time, often existing only to be objectified or serve as a flimsy motive for his character arcs and actions. It was a pretty bad time. Not that now has eliminated those problems, but when Ranma ½ and Akane Tendo seem like the shining lights of something different, maybe then you can understand how much I sorely needed Ranma ½ and Akane Tendo at that time.

Really surprised that this video essay didn’t mention Jackie Chan. The thing that differentiated Ranma ½ from so many martial arts battle anime/manga at the time, was that Ranma ½’s style of martial arts was inspired by Jackie Chan. Meanwhile, all the other Shonen martial arts manga/anime were so serious and based more on “cool”, “action” genre toned martial arts movies.

I’m intrigued by this video essay’s idea that Ranma ½ the series isn’t sexist, but rather, characters within the series are sexist, and are so in order to make a point about how them being like that is messed up. I need to grapple with this because one of my problems in looking back at Ranma ½ is that it can be a little transphobic and/or homophobic at times. Like, I’ll never forget when Tsubasa Kurenai was introduced and, Akane, this character that we’re supposed to completely sympathize with during this series, just keeps screaming in Tsubasa’s face that they are a “pervert”, simply because it’s revealed that Tsubasa identifies as a boy but dresses as a girl. I think the episode just ended like that, and that was supposed to be a joke, but I don’t know whether the reveal’s shock intended on the audience was supposed to be conveyed through Akane and we were expected to have the same reactions as her, or if we were supposed to be shocked at Akane’s reactions and her reactions being ridiculous were the joke. I dunno; it was a long time ago, I don’t remember much context, and I really should look it back up. But frankly, there’s a lot of Ranma ½ to sift through and that’s more time than I have, writing this post. Akane does seem to repeatedly have instances of being perfectly nice to characters, but when she discovers they’re actually guys, she spends a lot of time yelling “pervert” in their faces. Sometimes I don’t know if we’re meant to see how ridiculous Akane is being or if we’re meant to agree with her. Again, I watched/read the series a long time ago, and maybe if I re-watched/re-read it now, it would be clear to older me. Because, when it happens between Akane and Ranma, Ranma has a specific line, grummbling about how Akane was perfectly nice to him, up until she found out he was actually a boy. And Ranma was a bit nice in his characterization up until that early line of dialogue, so maybe we were supposed to be on his side in that thought. So maybe Akane spending the rest of the series yelling “pervert” at Ranma (repeated so often it’s essentially their running gag), is supposed to be a joke laughing at how irrational Akane is being. o.o? I’d hate to think we’re supposed to be on Akane’s side, repeatedly calling Ranma a “pervert” over a curse that he had no control over getting, and early on was portrayed as a misfortune that the audience was supposed to sympathize and pity him over. Maybe the whole thing is supposed to point out Akane’s flaws, since everyone in the series is pretty messed up. (Even Kasumi unsettled me a bit when I was younger, in that she dropped her entire life, to replace her mother’s role when she died. For me, being a young girl who didn’t buy into those traditional female roles, that were still at the time, strongly pushed onto girls in society, that was a little unsettling. Still love Kasumi as a person though.) Akane did have reason to “hate boys”, as the series specifically states early on, but I’d like to think that she was given this flaw as a point to grow away from. Just as this video essay calls to attention Ranma being sexist and, over the series, eventually growing out of it. But back when I was young and initially into Ranma ½, I feared that some of these sexist or even homophobic ideas in Ranma ½ were actually reflective of thoughts that Rumiko Takahashi advocated. After all, there’s a point in Maison Ikkoku where Kyoko berates herself by saying all women are fools. Maybe I was too young to see the nuance in a character berating her own mistakes in her love live, vs the implication that all women are “properly” stereotyped into being obsessed with love and end up acting foolish for it. Nowadays, I can see how we can berate ourselves whenever our specific actions can slot us into generalized stereotypes, and we curse ourselves for falling into proving stereotypes true on occaision. But back then, when I was younger and watching Ranma ½ for the first time and reading Maison Ikkoku for the first time, I was afraid that such lines were reflective of Takahashi believing such stereotypes as truth. Which is why I was so happy when sometime after Ranma ½, Inuyasha had a canonically gay character, and instead of Inuyasha calling him a pervert the entire time, he just got exasperated with his non-stop flirting, the way that all the female characters from Ranma ½ are tired of guys who won’t take “no” for an answer. At the time, I thought, “Yay! Takahashi has evolved to a less homophobic stance!” But maybe, all this time, she was always against such things, and merely portraying them, even through characters we were supposed to sympathize with, merely to show how messed up such ideas are. I really like that thought which this video essay presented.

But I will disagree with this video essay on 1 thing: The manga is better. I’m not trying to be elitist. I realize that comedy has a very subjective sensibilities, and the anime leans into awkward silence type comedy, whereas I am sick of that type of comedy. But so many visual gags and jokes in the manga, and Rumiko Takahashi’s style in general, involve panels that are almost completely re-drawn, with only 1 element changed—the gag element—suggesting that the eye is supposed to read from panel to panel quickly (since the human eyes/brain filters out a lack of change, and is hard-wired to focus on changes from previous conditions). To me, this suggests quick punchlines, whose sudden oddity is supposed to shock, implying an intended fast pacing to the jokes. And yeah, Takahashi will draw seemingly normal scenes, detailed with all the normalcies of a commonly recognizable environment, then suddenly the next panel is exactly the same except a character is contorted into a silly pose or an absolutely ridiculous creature with an intentionally nonsensical facial expression has suddenly appeared, amid that completely “normal” scene, with all its “normal” details _redrawn_. It’s why the “evil oni” episode in Ranma ½ had a ridiculous face, despite its supposedly ominous background. In fact, anywhere Takahashi can fit a gag face, especially if it contradicts the surrounding scene’s/story’s serious tone, she will do it. She has even said in interviews that if scenes are too serious, she will try to put in a gag in the corner. I remember reading Maison Ikkoku during a depressive episode (for both me and Godai) and suddenly Yotsuya had poked his head through a hole in the wall, into the scene, shining a flashlight onto his own face, like a kid telling a ghost story, all while he made funny faces and Takahashi’s typical gag with the sign language “I love you” gesture. The woman cannot let things stay serious (except for Mermaid Saga, parts of Inuyasha, and some short stories), and I love her for it! ^o^ But the way she suddenly injects ridiculousness into scenes and character designs, suggest, at least to me, an intended fast paced delivery with the jokes. That sudden shock when you notice Yotsuya making faces in the corner of a depressing scene. That sudden shock, when Ranma is hiding from his mother, and is clinging to the ceiling or futons like Spiderman, and Akane is just supposed to act natural so Ranma’s mom won’t notice where he’s hiding. To me, this suggests the punchline is supposed to come at you like a sudden punch, unlike awkwardness that hangs in the air. So when the anime tries to make the joke linger, I just don’t enjoy it as much as when my brain can dictate the faster pacing I want (and believe better fits) while reading the Ranma ½ manga.

Also, the manga is better because those manga filler episodes were not as well written as the manga. Rumiko Takahashi is a master of short stories. And that shows when you run into the less-effective filler anime episodes–even when you don’t know they’re filler episodes! I remember watching the Ranma ½ anime before reading the manga, before there was even internet lists of which were the filler episodes, and coincidentally, all the filler episodes did not make me laugh out loud, whereas every episode up until that point, had made me uncontrollably laugh. I feel like the anime thought that because Ranma ½ was an episodic, very silly series, they could just insert anything and it would fit. But clearly, only the manga-based episodes—and even individual scenes!—had the nuance of Takahashi’s writing and pacing, to make even an episodic, ridiculous series work.

Also, I love how this video essay just lavishes the love on Rumiko Takahashi. ^o^

Another thing this video essay pointed out that I appreciate about Ranma ½ is how indifferent Ranma is to all the advances of his suitors or even accidental fanservice. All the consequential “harem genre” series that tried to emulate Ranma ½ always seemed to include male protagonists who were surrogates for the audiences’ intended horny reactions. But Ranma was neither turned on, enticed, nor tantalized by even accidental fanservice falling into his lap. (As Mother’s Basement has noted, harem genre protagonist have a penchant for accidentally falling and grabbing a girls’ boobs, or their face falling into her boobs, or accidentally put into a position to forcibly see up her skirt, etc.) If anything, he’s more embarassed that he accidentally walked in on girls in undress, rather than enjoying the view OR reacting so long, that the scene drags on, fixating on the accidental nudity/groping/fanserivce. And I was about to postulate that maybe because most harem genre and fanservice series are usually made by straight men for an audience with a Male Gaze. But Takahashi wrote Maison Ikkoku’s Godai, right before she created Ranma ½, and he very much enjoyed the view, took peeks, and fixated on any accidental fanservice. So it’s actually Ranma himself who had reactions and a perspective that were very agreeable to this asexual.

I hadn’t noticed before this video essay said it, but Happosai really is condemned much more for being the “pervy old man” archetype, whereas other series are very permissive towards that same archetype, even when they’re being sexual predators. I’d like to attribute this to Takahashi bringing a woman’s perspective, but Sailormoon was also written by a woman and (if I remember correctly) Rei’s grandpa’s pervy ways were reprimanded in only 1 episode then permitted as a running gag in the rest of the series (thankfully, not often). Then again, lots of the Shoujo genre also advocated for many toxic traditional ideas about gender (like girls picking romantic partners who don’t respect them, and girls being fully devoted/invested in such guys, because they “once” meet the bare minimum for human decency by being nice to them once). So maybe it was uniquely Takahashi’s prerogative to not let the “pervy old man” archetype slide as supposedly “endearing” silliness.

#ranma 1/2 #ranma1half #rumiko takahashi #video essay #analysis #gender #manga #anime #nostalgia #old otaku #martial arts genre #shonen genre #reactions #reminicing

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jmalkki · 3 years

Photo

From head canon to on-screen reality

Episode 6 of Season 3. You, guys.

My. Goodness.

What oddly specific joy.

One has secretly hoped a scene of this nature to eventually make it onto the show, and the promo images promised it was coming now. So, one went in expecting to finally see on screen the sweet sweet scene of the couple all domestic, chilling on their bed, sharing thoughts; the one one has imagined so many times in various forms, be it in text or in illustrations. Seemingly topped with a kiss, as well - gorgeous for the unremarkable mundanity of itself, without any story points or grand gestures tied to it.

Though the promo image promised kiss was not to be seen, what the domestically set scene itself delivered in substance was such a validating treat one could not feel one bit amiss; something one couldn’t have expected, hoped for, or imagined to come worth.

The end scenes of the episode made some major personal head canons true on screen! Namely the fact of Paul immediately recognizing the nature of one talking by oneself as if to a lost loved one, and admitting carrying Hugh similarly with him after Dear Doctor’s death. And, the fact, that both of the men hate the augmentations on Paul’s arms.

Seemingly tiny things perhaps, but these have both been some of the most persistent themes in my past writing of these two. And much as I abhor to go back to my past scribbles, I felt compelled to quickly go through whole of the Honey Mushroom series, and collect below all of the narratives focused on Paul talking to Hugh in his mind, and the instances mentioning the shared bother of the spore drive augmentations.

Which now suddenly as if offer possible context for the on-screen dialogue:

“God, I hated those things.” “I hated them more.”

I realize this is quite individual a glee, specific to curious personal head canon nuggets (and perhaps to those who might’ve enjoyed the nuggets / nursed any similar own ideas), but I am beyond ecstatic for those nuggets to have now made it on screen and/or fit into the canon, complementary to the narrative!

How ever coincidental, I think one must thank at least Anne Cofell Saunders, the writer of the episode, for including these specific allusions / plot directions, and in doing so making reality of one’s particular head canons. And, that gratitude must also be extended to anyone else, who might’ve been involved in what ever capacity in the process of bringing these into the show’s in-universe reality.

Feels like such an immense affirmation of one’s year(s) spent passionately imagining these unmentioned-in-canon dimensions (regardless how ever fumblingly). Such joy to see these once dearly envisioned behind-the-scenes aspects brought on screen, and into the canon.

More small, but notable glees: Paul’s PADD on the nightstand. And the men sleeping on the ‘correct’ sides of the bed, which has also been a theme in exploring the character of Paul. (And, in fact, Paul scratching the augmentations/residuals, too *heehee*).

Okay. Let’s go.

Passages of the augmentations being a bother:

From my second ever narrative, and the first to mention the augmentations, if not yet for the precise shared discomfort factor. Also the first to feature Paul talking to Hugh after the death:

[He shifted on the chair and reached for his forearm. Feeling out the hard plastic augmentation with his fingers. Rubbing it in a circular motion on top of his muscles, letting the gentle pressure push against his bones.

They were another reason - the augmentations - why he had felt so bare at the gym dressing rooms. He had only ever really bared them in the engineering for their designed purpose, and with Hugh around in the sickbay or in the confinements of their quarters. He had showed them to few others of course on occasion, but on his own discretion. He wasn’t comfortable letting them ‘hang out’ like he had just done. It too left him feeling exposed.

“They keep insisting I go in for a medical examination”, Paul muttered out quietly, while skimming through his calendar, like he was expecting Hugh - his resident consultant on all things medical - to actually answer.]

- We Are Undone, But Soldier On

From my only ‘alternative future’ story, with the first ever allusion to the shared discomfort with the apparatus. Also the narrative, which solidified the idea of Paul harboring Hugh ‘alive’ in his mind well after the death:

[ Paul smiled. He put his hand in his hair again, mussed it around a bit, adjusting it from side to side, observing it closely from the mirror. “And you won’t mind this either?” He asked with a faint look of apprehension on his face, “it’s still getting thinner and thinner each year.” “You know I always loved that”, Hugh spoke to him with most affectionate tone, as Paul could feel fingers play with the little swirl of thinning hair on the back of his head, “it makes you look irresistibly manly.”

“Like these”, Hugh continued, as Paul raised his arms in front of himself, displaying the thick, fluffy white hair covering his forearms, “I love falling asleep into this softness.” “Well, you’re in luck then. They sure aren’t thinning any”, Paul snickered, “I think the hair on my head might be migrating there in fact”. He could hear Hugh chuckle and felt a light encouraging pat on his hips.

Paul turned away from the mirror and walked slowly to the small kitchen cabin in the corner of the room. “Always hated shaving any of that off for those spore drive ports, just so you know.” he could hear Hugh’s voice commenting back at him. Paul was replicating his morning drink. “You won’t mind me saying then, how glad I was to get those off eventually”, Paul conversed in his head as he watched the replicator form a cup of tea.

“Of course not, Mushroom”, Hugh sounded to respond from the bed, “we’ve been through this many times. You don’t need to feel sorry for getting rid of those.”

“Yeah…” Paul muttered as he walked back to the room with a fresh cup of tea in his hands, “it just felt then like I was throwing something of you away”, he thought sitting down on the bed, “I know it’s silly.”

“It is. You know I wasn’t too keen on those things ‘hogging’ your arms either”, Hugh let out a little laugh, “and you really haven’t thrown any of me away.”

Paul looked sheepishly down to his tea. He knew what was coming.

“Don’t you think you should?” Hugh asked with a slight hint of worry in his voice.]

- Becalmed

A short, based solely on the premise of the discomfort of the augmentations:

[ Hugh wakes up to it again. To Paul’s arm wrapping around him. Dang, it used to be one of the best feelings in the mornings to wake in the safety of his Honey Mushroom’s manly arms. Now, there’s often this unforeseen complication. And Hugh has in part himself to blame for it too.

“Mushroom”, Hugh tries to carefully arouse the sleeping man’s attention by shaking him a little. He gets no response.

“Honey, can you move your arm a bit”, Hugh tries a little louder and attempts to wiggle himself from the man’s grip, but Paul just mumbles something in his sleep and won’t move. The arm wants to hold on to Hugh. Dammit. He loves it, but just not like this.

“Paul!” Hugh makes no attempt to discretion anymore, “will you let go of me!”

“What!?” Paul wakes up shouting irately at the abrupt wake-up call.

“Your damn augmentation is boring into my hip again”, Hugh lets the understandably agitated response get to him and snaps back in equal tone, which is far more harsh than necessary.

“Well, who the fuck’s fault is it, it’s there!?” Paul huffs back, fiercely as only provoked Paul would - even when half asleep, like he is right now.

“I know, I know. And you’re very welcome, by the way”, Hugh sneers, “just move it”.

“Fine!” Paul scoffs and yanks his arm to his own side of the bed, turning his back to Hugh as he does so. Hugh turns back to face his side as well.

The doctor then immediately feels regret for having gotten so agitated. He’s upset for the situation - lamenting over losing those comfy arms for the good of this ship -, not mad at the man.

How difficult for the man himself it must be to adjust? And Paul hasn’t once complained. Oddly so.

Hugh had just let his own less than satisfactory wake-up ruin Mushroom’s morning as well, hadn’t he?

“I’m sorry, Paul”, Hugh turns to look at the man over his shoulder, "I didn’t mean to yell. I’m not upset with you".

“I know”, Paul’s sleepy voice sounds faintly somewhere behind the man’s back. He’s not turning back around.

Hugh worries his outburst might scare Paul to thinking twice before embracing him again. And he loves his cuddly Paul.

“Of course you’re still welcome to snuggle”, Hugh assures Paul, letting the regret sound in his voice.

But the man doesn’t hear him, he’s fast asleep again. And Hugh’s bed feels that much emptier without the safety of his man’s arms around him.]

- Losing Your Arms

From one, which references events referenced on screen, namely the introduction of the (preliminary) augmentations by revealing them installed on Paul’s arms:

[ Maybe it had indeed been but a dream after all. Like all of this. Perhaps like all the other times he remembers too. Those instances when they had been somewhere quite surprising - and admittedly quite exciting -, getting distracted by each other from their intended tasks.

Like, when at the Medbay, setting up these brand new spore drive ports on his arms, for a brief stolen moment before the evening shift had arrived to relief Hugh.

Indeed, occasionally he had been back as they were in the middle of hurriedly moving that task to their quarters to follow up on those distractions. Like they must have done just now, judging from the state in which their clothes lay scattered around the room and by the selection of tools haphazardly laid on the coffee table next to them. Like they ever really had any intention to use those once here on this couch.

Paul regards the augmentations on his forearms.

He’s getting a lot of extra orientation practice to the devices through these repeats however, Paul muses. Would Hugh notice anything? Will Mushroom have hard time explaining to the doctor after all of this, how he’s so well adjusted to these things so soon after installation?

He realizes this right now as he catches himself cursing them, positioning his arms so that the ports wouldn’t chafe against their bare skins. Is it too late to rethink these apparatus?]

- Come Again

From one, where Paul regards the augmentations at Hugh’s wake:

[ Paul remembers wrapping his arms around that waist each and every night.

He shifts his arms. The spore drive ports on his forearms, beneath the layers of sleeves, suddenly feel so alien again right then.

It’s not his first time in civilian clothing with them (thanks to his insistence on own comfort wear out of the uniform), but it is the first time with them off duty, since he’s off the ship. And they feel grossly out of place in these Earthly settings.

Hugh too had come to dislike them - his own invention - as soon as it had become apparent how they were an obstruction between their embraces.

Paul should get them removed, if they’ll no longer serve a purpose.

He takes his hands out of the pockets, folds his arms over his chest and goes back to staring across the room with what must appear quite a stern look.]

- Honoring One’s Heart

There was also one about the conceiving of the idea of the augmentations, where, however, the bother factor was not yet in sight:

Doctor, Not an Engineer

And this one, which doesn’t technically count for similar 'shared bother’ reasons either, perhaps, but is a whole narrative very much build around the inconvenience of the augmentations:

Performance Issues

Plus, couple saucy ones, which I won’t list here, lest I actually ever want to share this post *ha* More below:

While at it, (and, perhaps more importantly) here are the narratives build around the idea fact (!!) of Paul living with Hugh ‘alive’ in his mind after the death - in narrative order (some already featured above, too). Hardly captured by a single quote, but for a taste:

[ He had finally heard it. The voice. Hugh’s voice trying to calm him down, “Paul. You need to let yourself be upset. You need to let the tears come.” ]

- We Are Undone, But Soldier On

[ ‘Honey? Are you drunk?’

A delightful, relieved curiosity filled Paul’s mind momentarily as he peered into the darkness of the room wide-eyed, to see where the gentle, familiar voice calling him out was coming from.

Then he remembered, and with a loud, derisive scoff sank back into his darkened state of mind, slumping back down on the couch.

“So fucking what!? If I am.” ]

- A Better Man

[ None of this should matter. Not the suit, not the event, not the crowd. Paul is not here, and Hugh is not gone. Not yet anyway. They are still very much together, and just about to leave somewhere off by themselves, once done with this circus. To enjoy each others’ company somewhere away from all of this dreary pretend. Such a presentation, and for whose sake? “You don’t mind, if I’m not honoring you in accordance to the Fleet standards, do you?” He still gets no response. Hugh hasn’t talked to him since Paul disembarked that cursed ship. He’s still here though, isn’t he? Paul would surely feel it, if the man left.]

- Honoring One’s Heart

[ “Yes. We are too damn young to be thinking about retiring yet.” Paul said and turned to look by his side instinctively, only to see there was really no-one there, of course. He let out a little huff and smiled to himself. Then turned back to face the beach in front of him, and paused to think again. “It will surely be painful to be near it all on the Discovery”, his mind went on, “but I’m not quite ready yet to let go of what we had there either”. “Our only home together?” Hugh came back beside him. “Our first home together”, Paul specified, “so far…"]

- First Home

[ “Dear, I’m home”. He can just imagine himself standing there at the door of their cabin, staring into the empty, cold room that used to be. All the pleasant memories now tainted. How exactly will this be helping him to get over? “But please, do remind me again”, Paul whispers to himself, and hears a heavy, sympathetic sigh in reply, as if preparing itself for telling him of all the ways he’s doing the right thing to move on, and how it’s proud of him for not giving up, and how it supports him, and all that fucking sentimental nonsense, it’s had to tell him already, over and over. And which yet Paul needs to hear. To keep faith. To not forget. ]

- Watching Over You

[ “Hmh”, Paul shrugs, taking in the thought, suddenly a slight twinkle in his eyes, “…but I have too much ‘unbridled passion’ you say?” he then yields, disregarding his persistent gravity, as he apprehensively turns his playful smirk at Hugh, readying himself for this blessed dream to end short. But the man stays here. Startlingly, staring right back at Paul’s surprised gaze with almost haunting clarity. Paul’s grip on the newly corporeal man tightens in a moment of incredulity. For the first time in weeks - but which feels like a year - Paul is able to see the man, to look into those loving eyes again, bathe in that radiant smile, and respond to all of the emotions he now thirstily reads from the man’s beautiful face. And fuck, if there aren’t tears on Paul’s own. The man really is right here.]

- Passion of a Vulcan Like Mind

[ He could feel Hugh’s gaze on himself. “You realize, you actually wanted me gone today?”, he heard Hugh speak out gently, “I got in your way”.

Paul’s smile turned to an anguished frown. The tone of understanding in Hugh’s voice hurt him. “Never”, he attested firmly. He lay there as still as possible, staring at the ceiling, afraid to move too much, or turn to glance at his side, lest it chased away this sensation of Hugh beside him.

“You are being stubborn again, Mushroom”, Hugh whispered with a hint of worry in his voice, “why do you still cling on so desperately?”. He was so close Paul could almost feel the breath on him - or was that the sea breeze perhaps - “You said you’d be okay, if I left - why won’t you let me then?”]

- Becalmed (alt)

#star trek discovery #culmets #paul stamets #hugh culber #space boos #spaceboos #star trek #head canon

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dwellordream · 3 years

Text

A Six of Crows Review: Joost and Inej I

This marks the beginning of my review of Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. Before I go any further, I want to provide context for my experience/knowledge of the book and its fandom. Six of Crows was published in 2015 when I was 16. I picked it up in a bookstore and read the first few chapters idly while shopping, before putting it back down.

At the time, my dislike of what I’d read was probably primarily fueled by the realization that it was by the same author as Shadow and Bone, which I had tried to read a few years before and disliked, and because at the time I was aging out of the YA genre in general and had very little patience for many of its familiar tropes.

In recent years, Six of Crows and its companion and predecessor series, the Grisha Trilogy, have become one of the most popular YA series online. The avid fan response and promotion of it on social media no doubt led to the Netflix series being greenlit and it is obviously trending at present due to the success of the series. With all that in mind, I’ve decided to try Six of Crows again and see for myself what all the hype is about.

Some more caveats: I am 22 years old. I am aware Six of Crows is YA literature intended for a middle and high school audience. I will not be holding it to the standards I would hold an adult grade fantasy book, in terms of prose, themes, or content. I am aware that I am not necessarily the target audience for the book and these reviews are in no way intended to shame or disparage anyone who enjoys the book.

Criticism is a healthy part of any fandom and does not necessarily constitute hate. I will likely critique elements of the book in my write up. That does not mean I have a personal vendetta against the author, publishers, or the TV show. Please do not take this as a personal attack if you’ve enjoyed the book. This is just intended to promote discussion and to gather my own thoughts.

If you follow me, I am tagging this as ‘in review’ so you know what to block if you don’t want to see my posts on your dash. I will be going through 1-2 chapters per weekend. This weekend I will be looking at the prologue, aka Joost, and the first Inej chapter.

Jumping into things, here is Joost:

The prologue is our introduction to Ketterdam, the setting of Six of Crows. It’s been a very long time since I read Shadow and Bone and so all I really know is that Ketterdam is a city in an island known as Kerch, based off the map. The major countries or kingdoms of the mainland to the east appear to be Fjerda, Ravka, and Shu Han, though it is unclear how they differ from one another at this point.

Ketterdam through Joost’s eyes is a sinister and dreary place, a city under a grimy night sky and full of dangers. Joost works as a hired guard for a very wealthy man named Hoede, who keeps grishas, powerful magic users, as indentured servants. Joost is infatuated with one of them, Anya, a healer, though he knows she is not likely to return his affections and furthermore cannot wed without the permission of her owner. We also learn that grishas are at risk for being kidnapped and sold by slavers due to their value. However, the indentured servant system of Ketterdam thus far doesn’t seem to be much better than slavery, given how little freedom the grisha have.

Overall, the prologue is supposed to give us a sense for the setting of Ketterdam and interest us in the main hook of the novel, which seems to be a mysterious substance that grisha can ingest to heighten their powers for the benefit of their masters, though it has the risks of making them uncontrollable. How well is this done?

Through Joost’s perspective we can glean several things; Ketterdam is a dirty city with rampant income inequality, full of crime and corruption. Magic is an established system within Ketterdam, but the magic users do not seem to be at the type of the hierarchy despite their powers, which suggests they are a minority to the extent of which they can still be controlled by the elite class of non magic users, if they have enough money and power.

It is also very obvious through the references in the prologue that Ketterdam is heavily based off the Netherlands during the Golden Age, which was Amsterdam’s (Ketterdam… Amsterdam… not subtle) economic and cultural boom during the 17th century, aka the 1600s. Notably the world’s first stock exchange began in Amsterdam in 1602, and it was a major port and trading hub for the Dutch East and Dutch West India Companies.

It is not clear if Ketterdam is also intended to be a 1600s-esque society, timeline wise, but we know that rifles are common place and there is a thriving merchant class who rule as opposed to old aristocracy, which seems to indicate a Renaissance style setting, as well as the urban environment in general. (That said, from the advertisements for the Netflix show, they seem to have updated it to a more Victorian-era 1800s society, in terms of fashion and general aesthetics).

Overall, the prologue does its job. It gives us a vague idea of what Ketterdam is like, how the society is structured, and who holds the power. It also ends on a suspenseful cliffhanger, leaving Joost’s fate unclear. Where it falls flat is that I think a little more time could have been spent fleshing out Joost as a narrator, even if this is his only showing in the book.

His internal monologue comes across as a bit dry and mechanical, as if the author is aware he is just a means to an end to start the book off with a bang, and he quickly turns into a walking camera (just there to report events to the reader, with no internal input from him), for the second half of the prologue, as we switch to just watching Anya and Hoede through his eyes. That said, it’s not a major problem, as Joost is clearly not intended to be a main character, and his narration still effectively conveys what is happening and sets the dark tone of the novel.

What I would have liked to see from the prologue is perhaps the POV of Anya herself, or the small child she is being forced to experiment on, as that might have been a more compelling and immerse introduction to Ketterdam and its dangers rather than the fairly bland and neutral Joost, who doesn’t really feel like a character so much as a bland stand-in for the reader. If we were put in the shoes of Anya, suddenly called upon by her power hungry employer to participate in this unethical test, or in the shoes of the small boy caught up in the middle of this, it might have been both more thrilling to read and given a more gritty sense of what it’s like to be on the lowest rungs of Ketterdam’s society, at the mercy of the most powerful.

Moving onto Inej, we run into some similar problems. After Inej’s first chapter, I couldn’t tell you a single thing about her, other than that she was an acrobat as a child, that she is part of the street gang known as the Dregs, and that she intensely values loyalty. This isn’t a problem, per say, but while that’s all good to know, it doesn’t give me any sense of Inej’s actual personality, which doesn’t exactly bode well. Like Joost, she comes across more as a walking camera and occasional tourist guide as opposed to a human character with her own worries, hopes, and fears.

I think this may become a recurring problem with Bardugo’s writing - ie all tell, no show. Inej is good at telling things. She tells us where we are as we follow her to the location of a stand-off between rival gangs, she tells us that Kaz, their leader ‘doesn’t need a reason’, though she never exactly explains what that means other than that he is widely feared, she tells us that she is very fond of her knives.

But in terms of writing, we shouldn’t have to be force fed all this information via her internal monologue, which, again, entirely cuts out once the action picks up, just like Joost’s. While I don’t need her thoughts on every threat or gunshot, it would be nice to feel as if she hadn’t just vanished from the story completely as soon as the dialogue starts.

We also meet Kaz and Jesper, though I couldn’t tell you much about them utter than that Inej clearly admires, even venerates Kaz as an accomplished intimidator and chess master, and that Jesper is clearly the joker of the group.

It also feels incredibly weird that this parley between gangs in happening in front of the city’s stock exchange. Inej tells us this is because the Exchange is one of the few remaining neutral territories, but it’s also heavily guarded, which means every time a gang wants to parley, they have to pay out the cash to bribe all the guards to very pointedly ignore a meeting between rambunctious and trigger happy street gangsters on their literal doorstep.

I understand why Bardugo chose this location, wanting to contrast the violence of the gang members with the economic injustice that the Exchange and its merchant rulers represents, but it just seems a bit silly. They couldn’t meet at the docks? In an alley way? This is like picturing the American Mafia hosting a public meeting at the New York Stock Exchange with a bunch of cops twiddling their thumbs nearby.

The foreshadowing that Bollinger is the traitor (‘I’m not going to bet on my own death’) also seems very heavy handed and a little much, but I’ll let it slide.

It’s also not really clear while Inej is present at this meeting in the first place. Kaz commands her to keep watch from above, but he has also put a contingency plan in place that doesn’t even involve her, having bought out some of Geels’ men from under him. Why put Inej looking down from above if you’re not involving her in this plan? Her only role seems to be to watch, and she doesn’t even have a gun she could play sniper with. It just seems like a hamfisted way of getting Inej out of the danger zone so the author can have her as a passive spectator to the violence that follows.

This is my main problem with this chapter. It’s supposed to introduce us to Inej, but really, it’s introducing us to Kaz. Which is fine, but as he also has a POV in this book, it seems a bit lame that her own chapter is completely overtaken by showing off A. his smarts and B. how dangerous he is, despite being dismissed as a young ‘cripple’ by the likes of Geels.

Geels is also… not a greatly done villain. I get that he’s supposed to be small fry and is just a precursor to much more threatening opponents, but his every line of dialogue feels designed to show off how cool and Machiavellian Kaz is in comparison. He doesn’t seem like an actual hardened criminal who has underestimated his opponent, but a somewhat cheesy cartoon thug who unironically says things like “How are you going to wriggle your way out of this one?” with his full chest. The effect is comical, and not in a good way.

This chapter also shows off Kaz’s sadistic side in full display, which is probably one of the only interesting things about it, though it would be nice if we got any input at all from Inej on this… instead she completely vanishes from her own narration, to the point where she might as well not be present at all. Kaz has no qualms about tracking down his enemies’ weakness, such as lovers and family, and threatening them.

But the open horror and shock Geels reacts with seems incongruent, as if Kaz were the first up and coming gangster to actually consider threatening someone’s family or girlfriend. That seems pretty par for the course for violent criminals trying to claim territory and unnerve their rivals, yet Inej and Geels himself react as if no one had ever thought of sinking to the level of ‘do what I want or I’ll kill your loved ones’ until Kaz invented it. It just feels a bit silly and on the nose.

Really, my overarching issue with this chapter is that it’s not about Inej at all, it’s just an introduction to the Kaz Brekker fan club. I don’t automatically hate Kaz as a character, but his introduction is heavyhanded and comes at the cost of any establishing character moments for Inej. The most we get out of her is her brief pangs of sympathy for Bollinger despite his treachery, and her brief reference to her childhood. Maybe future Inej chapters will totally change this, but right now, it’s not a great sign of what’s to come.

I can think of about a hundred things Inej could have done or said this chapter to develop or establish her personality at all, but all we got was her briefly holding a knife to someone, and her briefly saying a prayer for Bollinger. I think it would have worked much better had this plan to catch Geels with his pants down been Inej’s invention or at least worked out between her and Kaz, rather than her just there to play lookout and admire how cool Kaz is.

Or at the very least, we could have seen the scene referenced where she searches the crime scene of the assassination, instead of that getting two lines and an entire chapter being devoted to what boils down to a pissing contest over which gangs gets rights to a certain neighborhood.

Next week, we will look at Kaz I.

#in review #six of crows #ya lit #inej ghafa

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limerental · 3 years

Text

First Line

I was tagged by @etcorsolus and I don't usually do these but this one actually seems interesting because I love analyzing my own writing lol.

List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favorite opening line. Then tag 10 of your favorite authors!

1. He's been waiting for this his whole life.

2. The ascending path to Tor Lara is lit by a pale sliver of moon, the grass so chilled with dew that the bones of her feet burn.

3. In the dark beneath the blindfold, Geralt flexed each sense like a separate limb as he stepped into the banquet hall.

4. Under a sky bruised by evening with the smoke from the war beyond the hills scattering ash across serene farmland, a scarecrow in a harrowed field dissolved into the shape of a woman, lithe and lean.

5. The apartment was dark and silent when Geralt returned from work.

6. Yennefer appears in the doorway to their study, leaning sensually, the apparent “something special” she had promised Geralt this evening swinging from a crooked finger.

7. The first time anyone took her to bed, there was no approximation of a bed, only a knit blanket laid out in a hollow of stone, and she was not taken so much as led with gentle hands and whispering kisses.

8. Afterward, it pours seeping rain for a steady week, a deluge that cannot quite rival the monsoons back home.

9. It is fortunate that the Witcher is brought into the throne room on a day when the young Empress is occupied with other courtly tasks and her court mage alone is minding the daily chore of taking audience with the public.

10. There is a rogue mage making quite a stink in Rinde, said the Council as he stood at the cusp of their circle.

11. “It’s temporary,” said a gravelly, low voice he had never heard carrying that level of nonchalance.

12. In the infant days of their strange relationship, it had taken months of Yennefer’s coaxing and prodding in bed to encourage Geralt to make full use of that mutated strength of his.

13. “You don’t have to fight anymore,” says the calm voice in the haze of the battleground.

14. “Ah, cock,” said Jaskier dazedly as he lay in a pile of smoking rubble on the stone floor of the laboratory.

15. That year, she is late heading north and then later still, cursing the grey swell of snowbank clouds and the ragged tear of a wyvern’s claw that throbs with telltale infection beneath her ribs.

16. Lambert’s silhouette haloed in the glow of the hospital lobby, still and bright and sterile behind him and leaving the little body that folded into itself on the curb featureless in the answering darkness, Eskel’s eyes straining to look at him through the glare.

17. “Oh Regis,” croons the poet who meets him in the entryway, ushering him out of his coat with little tuts and sighs, “oh, you’ve arrived just in time! Just in time. Something’s gone wrong. Just dreadful. Good thing you’ve gotten here.”

18. Yennefer does not intend to kill him.

19. Yennefer was fourteen when she first looked at herself in the bathroom mirror, flecks of toothpaste grimed around the beveled edge, and thought what would I look like with breasts.

20. Her blood remained in the street for a week and a day, a swollen black tar-stain in the dust that boots hallowed and did not touch, and then on the eighth day, the villagers woke to a blue haze of rain that licked the stain red again in rivulets.

analysis

Looking at this, my first lines tend to immediately establish a setting, focused on sense details of the landscape or environment or I also pretty often start on a line of dialogue that drops you right into a scene. There is usually a character name or reference in the first line or first paragraph so pov is established right away. It's also interesting because you can see how much I write in different tenses.

I usually don't... think too much about opening lines but the old writing adage is to start as close to the end of the story as possible. I was taught to lop off the front half of a story with too much exposition but idk that I have actually done that in years. Looking at these though there are definitely some I would edit.

I'm weirdly fond of #17 because it so quickly establishes the silly vibe and because Jaskier is an idiot. I like #16 but the more i read it, the more it is way too wordy and I could have cut that sentence in half.

I will be actually tagging people for once in my life but I've forgotten everyone I've ever known who writes anything aw beans aw nuts please feel free to do this yourself and claim i tagged you (also WIPs or ficlets count i just didn't count mine). @witchertrashbag @stillmadaboutpetra @some-stars @handwrittenhello @penny-anna

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byakuyasdarling · 3 years

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For the self shipping alphabet, how about D, O and R? I hope these are alright!! <33

Yes these are perfect <<333 !! Have a wonderful day, and make sure you take care of yourself <<333

All under the cut!

———————————————————————

O - Object what’s something they have that reminds them of the other?

Both of their objects are presents they received from each other for their respective birthdays in their final year at Green Hills!

S/I’s object that reminds her of Byakuya is the golden heart earring charm she wears on her right ear seen in her sprite artwork. But it was first mentioned in this sketch here, however, that was before it was intended as a pre-relationship gift so the slight dialogue was off.

Byakuya’s object is the bookmark she made for him. It’s a dark brown, leather bookmark. His initials are carved into the top of the bookmark with a little braided leather string attached to it. There’s a black and white painting of a cat on the bookmark. When she isn’t around, he strokes it a little with his thumb when he goes to slot it into his book — gently reminiscing on the fact he misses her.

R - Routine what’s something they do together like clockwork?

Their night time routine is peak consistent (Byakuya kinda demands it be that way — he’s so routine focused after all). 6:00pm is where all activities must cease and dinner will be on the table (she definitely prefers staying with Byakuya, so it will be cooked for them).

By the time dinner and desert are eaten, teeth are brushed, and they both shower again (SEPARATELY, OH MY GOD SEPARATELY — THEY DON’T SHOWER TOGETHER), it’s around 7:15pm.

They lay down and watch true crime documentaries until Byakuya manages to coax S/I into rest. He’s good with kisses all day (provided they’re alone), however, he’s not very good with hugs. When it’s this late though, he does end up indulging himself in the privacy of his room and is much more privvy to spooning her. Additionally, cuddling her like that is a surefire way to get her to sleep — as having him wrapped around her makes her feel so, so safe.

Despite the fact he doesn’t vocalise it, he is also reassured by having her in his arm: knowing she won’t go anywhere.

They always end up doing this when S/I is over for the night and it’s kinda funny. There can be roadblocks (like S/I having an emotional breakdown or something) but it always ends the same.

D - Danger how do they react to finding out the other person is in trouble?

Definitely depends on what type of danger. Byakuya is the one who tends to overanalyse everything and think that a lot of things are too dangerous for S/I to do.

Even with silly things, like S/I being invited to a beach party that he won’t be present for — he won’t allow her to go in the ocean (S/I isn’t a good swimmer and she is scared of the ocean, but she enjoys some activities). Although, if she does really want to go in the ocean, Byakuya promises he’ll take her himself — he doesn’t want to limit her life experiences. He just doesn’t trust her with anyone but himself. He doesn’t want to loose her just because of other people’s ‘incompetence’.

He has noticed that she tends to bump into the walls of his house constantly when she’s sleepy, catalysing the slight bruises all over her limbs. So in turn, he always walks behind her and guides her with his hands on her shoulders. Sometimes he’ll just pick her up and carry her off to bed — he wouldn’t want to make her walk and disturb her since she’s so close to sleeping (and she has many troubles with resting).

In danger from a person? I’m not quite sure. I know that Byakuya would get S/I behind him, despite her objections. But honestly, I’m a bit stumped on what else they would do. Like, Byakuya doesn’t tend to come across as a guy who gets his hands dirty — even if he is physically strong (thanks new DGR game, I was in desperate need to know about Byakuya having abs /s (not complaining though)) *Ahem* anyway, I do know a lot of verbal slander from Byakuya would be incurred as an act of intimidation.

S/I’s turn! She is nowhere near as intense as Byakuya. He’s only really like that because of how he was brought up (with the whole “I battled my 15 half-brothers who were exiled due to their supposed ‘incompetence’” thing). Anyway, Byakuya is very composed and purposeful with his movements at all times — and is more than strong and intelligent enough to hold his own.

S/I tends to still worry if he is putting himself in ‘danger’ though. For example: with the ocean, she warns him of riptides. A lot of the time she remarks “Take care of yourself... I love you.” If it is a direct threat she is more than willing to put herself in front of him and start yelling threats at the opposing party. Byakuya doesn’t tolerate the fact she’s putting herself into danger though, and quickly puts himself back in front.

———————————————————————

Anyway, thank you so much for the ask <<333 It’s really nice to write to just take my mind of things. I’m very, very grateful. Have an amazing day <<333 I hope all is well with your final days of school!!

Take care 💙💙

#ship tag: book lovers ♡#Freya Answers | 🎶#tw caps #caps tw #Andreagami

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smalltowndetective · 3 years

Note

27 with Mason from the dialogue prompt list plz? :)

Hello! Thank you for the request! I always love getting them from you! :)

And speaking of requests, I am still taking them! I have this list with lists that I take requests from, but if you just have a headcannon or just some small idea of dialogue for any member of Unit Bravo (Or Falk maybe? Haven’t written anything for him yet), send it to me! I’d love to write something for it!

27- “Tell me again.”

Ao3 Link

Title: Made you Mine

Pairing: Mason and Mariana “Mari”

Words: 1.5k

Summary: This is my first attempt at writing deep relationship Mason, and it was a bit tricky, but I think I really liked how it turned out! But don’t worry, we’ll be back to our normally scheduled programming of these two ignoring their feelings soon enough ;)

Tags: @lilyoffandoms @lividlyinlove @anotherbeingsworld

If you told Mariana a year and a half ago that the brooding man with the steely gray eyes who lit a cigarette in her office even with the obvious no smoking sign would become her boyfriend, without a doubt, she would have laughed in your face.

Boyfriend.

It still feels weird to even call him that.

A lifetime of avoiding attachments had crumbled when she had met him, whether she had realized it then or not. It was like, right then, she knew that she was never going to get rid of him, and he was never going to get rid of her.

She did not regret that it all came down, as much as it had scared her at first.

And as the walls that she had been building over the course of her life were pulled down, it left her with a realization.

We already had loyalty to each other, something that I think surprised both of us.

At least, for me he did.

Part of her did regret taking so long to actually realize what she was feeling, but the other part was perfectly fine with how it had turned out in the end. It had all come together just like it was intended to, and she never wanted to take that away from it. Time had just made it sweeter.

The fire was mean to last after all.

And oh, how it is burning so bright now, with nothing that can quench it.

It was a strange feeling to feel for her, but she never had felt just unexplainably elated before. There was always something that dragged her back down, keeping her in the here and now. But she felt like she was in the clouds, and for the first time, she did not care just how long the fall to earth was.

She did not know what the hell to expect when they made it “official”, never having had a relationship get to that level and neither did Mason, and it almost seemed silly to ask other people what to expect with that switch. For some reason, she almost believed that everything would change once that happened, and part of her was fearful that would happen, but it did not. It was the same as it always was, just something more solid about it. Like an added security, even if she did not truly understand that, it still feeling new to her.

That was not to say it was not grounded in something before, because it was. More subtle, but it was always there. But the finality of making it true, that the two of them had finally stopped dancing around the issue and admitted it to each other.

It was a promise even, the promise to stick by each other until the end.

Whenever that end may be.

But you’re not going on if there will be an end now, focus on the beginning.

Mariana laughed at the memory of the rest of the team finding out about it, and even though she knew they had noticed that something was going on, something deeper, it was not enough to wipe the surprise of their faces, something that she still treasured, since she could remember a similar look on her face when both her and Mason had finally figured out what they were.

I think they were all as surprised as we were.

Felix had not been able to stop teasing Mason about it ever since it had happened, and she did not think that Nate’s knowing smile, that little, I told you so, would ever quite wipe off at his face at the two of them, which she supposed that she deserved after everything she did to avoid her own feelings in the first place. And well, Adam, seemed to care less about it, from the surface at least, but she still treasured the ways his eyes widened when he realized, which she had made sure to make fun of him for.

He just makes it so damn easy.

I have never met someone easier to make fun of, it’s quite an accomplishment really.

But today, was not going to be about the team.

Instead, it was about hanging around her room with Mason at the warehouse, avoiding work for as long as possible. The past year had been a whirlwind ever since finding out about the supernatural, which still felt like the most unbelievable thing that she had ever heard, but it was the truth, and with everything that she had seen there was no denying that.

And as much as it still overwhelmed her at times, she was starting to get better at dealing with it. Yes, the supernatural may be out there, and apparently forever after her blood, but she had found a stronger semblance of family with the Unit then she had ever had before, and no one, supernatural or otherwise, was going to take that away. She would fight tooth and nail to keep that safe.

She looked over her room, it decorated just as darkly as the one back at her apartment, the only light coming from the small lamp on her nightstand, and it was crazy to her how comfortable that she felt here, as if she had lived here her entire life.

It feels like home.

Mariana turned over to look over at Mason, who had his arm wrapped around her shoulders, and her hand on his thigh, how they typically ended up. It was pure closeness, almost pure, even though she knew that would never be used to describe either of them, it was something that she would never want to give up, as much as that still surprised her after so long of shying away from committed relationships, and getting close to people in general.

They may not have anything to say to each other as they spent these moments together, but she hardly cared. Let the comfortable silence come, soothing like a blanket in the middle of winter. Him being there was enough.

Being with him feels like home.

She moved her head to fit into the crook on his neck, savoring the added closeness, and she could feel him give a low chuckle.

“What?”, she muttered, moving her head to meet his eyes, “You have an issue, sunshine?”

But the sarcasm of as said her pet name for him had died off, being left with only truth, genuine truth. Because in a strange way, he did light up her life, in a way that no one else had, which still surprised her, especially considering how she would never thought so just a year ago.

I don’t anyone else would say that he does so.

But I don’t care.

He does for me.

“No”, he muttered simply, with the smallest raise of his eyebrow, and Mariana could feel a devilish grin slide across her face.

She moved closer till she was mere inches away from his face, her eyes gleaming in challenge, “Then what is this about then?”

Not seeming to have an answer for that, he brought them the two of them together in a kiss. And even as it was full of passion as it normally was, there was something different as well. Almost a sweetness that was quite there yet, something deeper than either of them knew what to do with, and were both still figuring that out.

But she was more then prepared to figure out what that was, with this man at her side.

With whatever that entails.

“Good answer”, she almost purred as they moved apart, and Mason gave a smirk in return.

“I would think so, sweetheart”, he replied, his eyes almost seeming to glimmer, and she smiled at it.

“It was you the whole time, you know”, she said suddenly, not really sure why she was doing so, but it felt right. A small truth that they both knew, but needed someone to finally say. And she was more then okay then being the one to do so. She was no longer afraid anymore.

“Tell me again”, he scarcely whispered, and at first Mariana thought it was because he did not believe her, but the almost full smile said otherwise, and while it looked slightly strange on his face, something she had never seen before, she would never do anything to get rid of it.

“It was you the whole time”, she whispered in return, meeting his lips in another kiss.

The two had never outwardly said that they loved each other, but it was implied in everything that they did, and the small statement was pretty much a declaration of it, even if they may not act like it was.

We’ve got a long way to go to figure out this whole relationship thing.

And I’m fully for figuring it out.

Time seemed to pass quickly and slowly at the same time as they stayed there together, neither ever wanting it to end.

#the wayhaven chronicles #wayhaven chronicles #twc #detective mariana gonzales #twc mason #mason x detective #agent m #request

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real-espanadrid · 4 years

Text

Please Call Me Again

Pairings: wangxian, background xuanli, xiyao, chengqing

Tags: modern setting, college au, fluff, silly, mutual pining, no courtesy names, single dad/physics student wwx, music/literature student lwj

Summary: Lan Zhan prank calls Wei Ying pretending to be a scam caller. It’s supposed to be a one-time thing. (Spoiler alert: it isn’t.)

Author’s Note: i decided on a whim to delve into the world of cql fic-writing...here’s my first attempt! enjoy!

Lan Zhan glares at the figures of Nie Huaisang and Jin Zixuan blatantly laughing at him as he lifts his phone to his ear, furiously contemplating the pros and cons of committing homicide against the two people who he grudgingly accepts as his friends. While he waits for the person on the other end to pick up, he asks himself why he keeps accompanying his brother to these Lan-Jin-Nie family get-togethers when he knows Nie Huaisang always has some ridiculous scheme planned that both he and Jin Zixuan always, without fail, end up getting roped into.

This time, Nie Huaisang has apparently decided that today is a good day for prank calls. Jin Zixuan has already been dared to call Jiang Yanli using Jin Guangyao’s work phone, which Nie Huaisang had stolen while Jin Guangyao was greeting Lan Huan with the usual single-minded focus that characterizes all his interactions with Lan Zhan’s brother.

The task had been to pretend to be a volunteer with a generic charity organization, but Jiang Yanli, in a twist that wasn’t really a twist at all, considering the enormous crush she has on the man, had recognized Jin Zixuan’s voice immediately. Lan Zhan had been forced to watch Jin Zixuan stutter his way through an explanation while Jiang Yanli’s gentle laughter filtered through the phone’s speaker and Nie Huaisang smiled knowingly behind his ever-present hand-painted fan.

The intention behind the dare is obvious, in Jin Zixuan’s case, because he’s been pining after Jiang Yanli for months now and hasn’t done a thing about it, despite her equally evident interest in him. It does, however, make Lan Zhan a little concerned about whose phone number Nie Huaisang has made him dial, because for him, the end goal is less clear.

Lan Zhan isn’t given the chance to fully mull over his apprehension, though, because the phone finally stops ringing as someone picks up.

“Hello?” It’s the voice of a man, fairly young-sounding. He seems totally unfazed.

“Hello,” Lan Zhan says stiffly. “How are you today?”

“I’m great!” says the man brightly.

Lan Zhan blinks, taken aback by the unexpected enthusiasm of the reply. “...Good,” he says, unsure of what an appropriate response to that would be. “I am calling because – your IP address has been compromised.” Making up dialogue on the spot is horrible, he discovers. He fixes Nie Huaisang with a look that he hopes will haunt his friend’s dreams for the next few nights. “I will need you to – get in front of your computer so we can fix your account.” It feels unlikely, but maybe the man on the other end hasn’t noticed Lan Zhan’s hesitation as he fabricates a reason for his call.

“Okay!” the man agrees, still unsettlingly excited. Lan Zhan wonders who this man is and why Nie Huaisang thought Lan Zhan, of all people, should prank call him. “There’s one thing I’m wondering, though.”

“What?” Lan Zhan finds that he actually is somewhat curious.

The man laughs a bit. It’s a distractingly pleasant sound. “You really couldn’t think of a better lie? Like, my ‘IP address has been compromised.’ How, exactly, does an IP address become ‘compromised?’”

There’s a long pause following the question. Maybe the man is waiting for Lan Zhan to reply. If he is, he’s going to be disappointed, because Lan Zhan has no idea what to say to this. He suddenly feels a pang of sympathy for any real scam callers who have called this number before.

The man seems to realize he isn’t going to get a response because he cheerfully continues talking. “I was just wondering, that’s all!”

This is a logical point in the call to hang up. Lan Zhan has technically already carried out Nie Huaisang’s stupid dare – he’s impersonated a scam caller and spoken to this man for long enough. But for whatever reason, he hears himself speak again. “Why did you answer?”

It’s the man’s turn to fall silent. Lan Zhan lets himself feel a little smug at being able to leave this man speechless for a few moments. “What?” the man finally asks.

“If you knew this was not a legitimate call, then why did you answer?” Lan Zhan presses. He wants to know the answer, he realizes. He’s intrigued by this man, wants to know why he’s still talking to Lan Zhan despite believing he has possibly malicious intentions.

“Oh!” the man says, and he sounds a little awkward now. “I just thought I would, uh, you know, have some fun at your expense!”

Lan Zhan frowns in confusion. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Nie Huaisang and Jin Zixuan watching him with poorly-hidden amusement. “What expense? Talking is no expense to me.”

The man lets out a hum. “Well, you’re currently not accomplishing your goal.”

“My goal?” Lan Zhan asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Your goal of scamming Granny,” the man says matter-of-factly, like Lan Zhan should have already been aware that the number he called is not, in fact, the man’s number – and Lan Zhan is decidedly not disappointed about that – but his grandmother’s. “You’re not accomplishing that! I’d call that an expense.”

Lan Zhan can’t help himself – he improvises a new question. “Well, can I scam you?” Jin Zixuan’s eyes widen in surprise, and Nie Huaisang looks faintly impressed.

The man is silent once again. “Did you –” he breaks off, sounding bewildered, which for some reason feels like a victory.“Did you just ask if you can scam me?”

“Yes,” Lan Zhan confirms, and then just to be clear, he asks again. “Can I scam you?”

“Uh – um, sure, you can try,” the man says, and for the first time in this call, he sounds a little flustered.

Lan Zhan can’t believe that worked. He quickly cycles back to the start of the conversation and his original request. “You need to be in front of your computer.”

The man lets out a huff of laughter. “Yeah, that’s still a problem. I didn’t sleep last night and I’m eating tater tots right now and I don’t really feel like getting up.”

“Okay,” Lan Zhan says, and he isn’t sure what makes him do it, but he continues, “I will call you tomorrow morning, then.” Jin Zixuan and Nie Huaisang’s jaws both drop at that.

“I...I might not answer,” the man says after a moment of hesitation. Lan Zhan wonders if he came on a little too strong. “Granny definitely won’t.”

“You answered today,” Lan Zhan points out.

“Ahaha,” the man says, his laughter coming across as slightly nervous. “Touché?”

Lan Zhan nods, before he remembers the man can’t see him. “Mn. I will call you tomorrow. Get some sleep tonight. Have a good day.” He hangs up before he can hear the man’s response.

“Lan Zhan,” Nie Huaisang says the second Lan Zhan pockets his phone. “That was insane.”

“I completed the dare as you asked,” Lan Zhan says, perfectly aware that he went way beyond what was necessary, and that both Nie Huaisang and Jin Zixuan know it too.

“You are way too good at scam calling,” Jin Zixuan says in a vaguely accusatory way. “Who were you even talking to, anyway?”

At that, Nie Huaisang’s smile becomes a little more amused. “Well, since Lan Zhan is going to be calling him again tomorrow morning, why doesn’t he just ask then?”

“I do not intend to call him,” Lan Zhan says, even though lying is forbidden.

Nie Huaisang gives him a look that’s somehow both sympathetic and condescending. “Sure you don’t.”

Lan Zhan and Jin Zixuan eventually get back at Nie Huaisang later in the day by “accidentally” revealing to Jin Guangyao that they know where his work phone has disappeared to, but Lan Zhan doesn’t get his usual momentary satisfaction from watching Nie Huaisang unsuccessfully try to convince Nie Mingjue that he doesn’t know anything about the missing phone. Instead, his mind is stuck on a bright, cheerful voice and the sound of sweet laughter.

~~~

Wei Ying has been having a weird couple of days. On Wednesday, he experienced the high of finishing his solar spectroscopy lab two days early, which has never happened before in this entire semester. On Thursday, things quickly deteriorated when Wei Yuan threw a tantrum because he wanted to spend an extra ten minutes watching TV instead of going for his bath, and then got even worse when Wei Ying realized that in his eagerness to finish the lab early, he forgot to do his Quantum Field Theory problem set for the week and had to pull an emergency all-nighter.

Then yesterday, in his sleep-deprived state, he had a bizarre conversation with the strangest scam caller he’s ever interacted with – not that he’s interacted with many to begin with, but still – and now, here he is again, picking up Granny’s landline because somehow, the scam caller has made good on his promise to call again.

“Hello,” Mr. Scam Caller says, and his deep, calm voice is somehow even more attractive than it was yesterday.

“Mr. Scam Caller!” Wei Ying says happily, and he’s a little surprised by how genuine the emotion in his own voice is. “You called again! I wasn’t expecting you to actually do it.”

Mr. Scam Caller doesn’t say anything for a few moments. “I said I would,” he finally says.

Wei Ying can’t help laughing at that. “I guess you did.” Mr. Scam Caller is silent again, but that’s fine with Wei Ying – he can do enough talking for both of them. “I’m Wei Ying, by the way. Since you were good enough to call me back, I think you deserve my name, even though you’re trying to scam me.”

“You should not give out your name to random people,” Mr. Scam Caller says, like he doesn’t collect sensitive information from people for a living. “Especially scam callers.”

“Ah, but you’re not just any scam caller,” Wei Ying says. “You’re my scam caller. You even told me to get some sleep last night, and I did! I slept for almost five hours, aren’t you proud of me?” He wants the answer to be yes, he realizes as he asks, but he isn’t quite sure why.

“Mn,” Mr. Scam Caller says. There isn’t much inflection in his tone, but it’s clearly supposed to be a noise of agreement, and Wei Ying flushes.

“Ahahaha, Mr. Scam Caller,” he says, trying not to sound too affected by this very basic form of praise. “Don’t you think you should share your name with me too? It’s only fair since you already know mine, after all.”

Mr. Scam Caller is silent for so long that Wei Ying is about to take it back and laugh the request off, but then he speaks again. “Lan Zhan.”

“Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying repeats, testing out the name. It sounds familiar, somehow, but he can’t figure out why that is. “Lan Zhan! What a good name! I could say your name all day, Lan Zhan.”

“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan says, and Wei Ying is not prepared for hearing his name coming out of Lan Zhan’s mouth. “Do not joke.”

“I’m not joking, Lan Zhan, I promise!” Wei Ying says intently, holding up three fingers before remembering that Lan Zhan can’t see him. “Lan Zhan is a great name.”

“Mn,” Lan Zhan says. This ”Mn,” is different from the one before, Wei Ying thinks, more noncommittal, like he’s neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

There’s a lull in the conversation, and Wei Ying is suddenly desperate to keep it going. “So, Lan Zhan,” he says. “How are you going to try to scam me today?”

“You need to be in front of your computer,” Lan Zhan says, and Wei Ying is startled by the brief flash of disappointment he feels that Lan Zhan didn’t just call simply to talk to him again. He brushes the thought away a second later – of course Lan Zhan only called because he’s a scam caller and it’s his job.

“Ah, Lan Zhan, I can’t,” Wei Ying says. “A-Yuan is using it to play games right now. How can I disturb him when he’s so clearly enjoying himself?”

“A-Yuan?” Lan Zhan asks.

Wei Ying grins. “My son!” he says, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice as he talks about the little boy who stole his heart the moment they met.

Lan Zhan is quiet for several long moments. “I see,” he finally says, sounding more stiff than he had before. “I will stop imposing on you, then.”

“Huh?” Wei Ying says, his smile vanishing. “What do you mean?”

“I have been disturbing you and your family,” Lan Zhan says, his voice still cold compared to how it had sounded previously. “I apologize for intruding on your time. Goodbye, Wei Ying.”

“Lan Zhan, wait!” Wei Ying blurts out. He holds his breath, straining his ears to hear whether Lan Zhan is still on the other end. When he hears the steady sound of breathing, he exhales shakily. “You aren’t intruding, Lan Zhan,” he explains in a rush. “You’ve been really great all two times I’ve talked to you, you know? And you didn’t have to look out for my sleep schedule but you did, and now you’re trying to protect me and my son from yourself, and I know you’re a scam caller, but I – I mean, talking to you is...nice?”

Lan Zhan stays quiet for a long time, and Wei Ying worries that he’s scared him off. “It is nice speaking to you as well, Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan says after several long moments that feel like forever to Wei Ying.

“Good,” Wei Ying says, and he truly has no idea why he’s so overwhelmingly relieved. “Good, then don’t hang up on me yet, Lan Zhan. You haven’t even tried to get any sensitive information from me!”

“Do you want me to try to get sensitive information from you?” Lan Zhan asks, which is an incredibly baffling question to hear from a scammer.

“Yes,” Wei Ying says, before he considers the question more carefully. “No? I don’t know, Lan Zhan, now you’re confusing me! What kind of scam caller makes their customer confused by asking odd questions instead of going on with their scamming?”

“I apologize,” Lan Zhan says. “I will refrain from asking confusing questions and focus on scamming you in the future.”

Wei Ying bursts into laughter. “Lan Zhan!” he says delightedly. “Has anyone ever told you how funny you are?”

“No,” Lan Zhan says, and Wei Ying can’t see his face but he imagines that Lan Zhan looks a bit puzzled, which is adorable. “People generally tell me I am not particularly funny.”

“They’re all wrong,” Wei Ying declares confidently. “You’re very funny, Lan Zhan! And a great conversation partner. Even while you’re in the middle of scamming someone.” Though, he belatedly notices, there have been very few attempts on Lan Zhan’s part to actually commit any kind of scam. “You’ll have to call me every day from now on, so you can have someone to remind you how funny you are!”

It sounds like Lan Zhan says something along the lines of “Mark your words,” but Wei Yuan suddenly runs into the living room, distracting Wei Ying. “Baba, Baba!” he says, practically vibrating with enthusiasm as he launches himself into Wei Ying’s arms.

Wei Ying manages to tuck the phone between his ear and his shoulder as he sweeps Wei Yuan onto his lap. “What’s the matter, kiddo?”

Lan Zhan makes an inquisitorial noise on the other end of the phone as Wei Yuan beams up at Wei Ying proudly. “I got the best, most highest score!” Wei Yuan reveals. “All by myself!”

“The best, most highest score?” Wei Ying repeats, grinning down at Wei Yuan. “That’s extremely impressive!” He’s speaking into the phone before he can think better of it. “Lan Zhan, did you hear? A-Yuan got the best, most highest score on his game all by himself, he must be even better than me now!”

“Mn,” Lan Zhan says. “Congratulations, A-Yuan. You did well.” He says it so solemnly that Wei Ying can’t help laughing again.

“Lan Zhan, you’re so serious,” he says playfully, before addressing Wei Yuan again. “A-Yuan, Lan Zhan said you did well.”

“Lan Zhan?” Wei Yuan asks, peering up at Wei Ying curiously. “Who?”

Wei Ying is on the verge of offering the phone to Wei Yuan when he belatedly realizes that Wen Qing probably wouldn’t be too thrilled if he let the son he adopted from her family speak to a scam caller, no matter how sweet and pleasant to talk to said scam caller is. “He’s my, uh, my phone call buddy,” Wei Ying explains hastily.

Wei Yuan nods. “Thank you, Phone Call-gege!” he says with a toothy smile.

“You made him smile, Lan Zhan!” Wei Ying says, clutching his heart with the arm that isn’t keeping Wei Yuan in place on his lap. “How can you be so good? Even before meeting him, you already won him over.”

“I am glad I could make him happy,” Lan Zhan says in that unaffected voice of his. It makes Wei Ying want to do something to make him lose his composure.

“Do you want to make me happy too?” Wei Ying asks, and even though Wei Yuan is in the room, he lowers his voice enough for it to unmistakably be an attempt at flirting. “I can think of a few ways you could do that.”

Lan Zhan audibly inhales sharply, and Wei Ying mentally celebrates. “I...must go,” Lan Zhan says a second later, and Wei Ying’s mental celebration is halted in its tracks.

“Will you call tomorrow?” Wei Ying asks quickly, trying to stall him, trying to do anything he can to ensure he can talk to this strange, fascinating scam caller again. “After all, you didn’t manage to scam me yet.”

There’s a beat, before Lan Zhan speaks. “Mn,” he says, and Wei Ying can’t stop smiling. “I will call you tomorrow. Goodbye to you and A-Yuan.”

Like he did yesterday, Lan Zhan hangs up before Wei Ying has the chance to reply, but Wei Ying doesn’t care too much. He pulls Wei Yuan into a hug and sighs happily.

Wei Yuan looks at Wei Ying. “Baba is happy that Phone Call-gege will call him tomorrow?”

“Yeah, kiddo,” Wei Ying says, patting Wei Yuan’s back contentedly. “I am happy.”

~~~

Lan Zhan isn’t sure how things got to this point. He had called Wei Ying back the day after his prank call with the intention of explaining the truth – that he is not, in fact, a scam caller but simply a fourth-year music and literature student – but the conversation had gotten away from him and he missed his chance.

Now, a month later, having called Wei Ying every day since then, Lan Zhan wonders why, in all that time, he still hasn’t tried to correct Wei Ying’s perception of him. Maybe, he thinks, it has something to do with the fact that when he’s talking to Wei Ying, he’s helpless to do anything but go along with whatever conversation Wei Ying feels like having. He now knows that Wei Ying’s son, Wei Yuan, was adopted a year ago, and that Wei Ying lives with Wei Yuan’s grandmother and two cousins. He knows all about Wei Ying’s perfect sister – coincidentally, she turns out to be none other than Jiang Yanli – and his angry brother. And over the course of a month, Lan Zhan has somehow become Wei Ying’s scam caller, and the highlight of his day is always making that call.

Nie Huaisang and Jin Zixuan, traitors that they are, had decided that it would be a good idea to inform Lan Huan of Lan Zhan’s daily conversations with Wei Ying. Predictably, Lan Huan had been delighted to hear about Lan Zhan’s first real display of interest in another person, which is why Lan Zhan is currently in a coffee shop, listening to Lan Huan try to convince him for at least the tenth time to arrange a meeting in person with Wei Ying.

“Didi, you clearly like this Wei Ying quite a lot,” Lan Huan says reasonably. “I don’t understand why you wouldn’t want to try meeting him in person. Imagine if I hadn’t gone to meet A-Yao when Mingjue-ge mentioned him for the first time.”

Lan Zhan graciously does not point out that, had Lan Huan not met Jin Guangyao, Lan Zhan would not have to wake up at odd hours to strange noises coming from the other bedroom in their shared apartment. “He has an obligation to his son,” he says instead, just like he always does every time they have this conversation. “I do not wish to pull him away from that duty by imposing my feelings.”

“You know Huaisang is friends with him,” Lan Huan points out. “Surely he would have told you by now if Wei Ying is not interested in pursuing any relationships.”

There’s nothing “sure” about anything when it comes to Nie Huaisang, Lan Zhan thinks, but he doesn’t say it out loud, not wanting to be rude to his brother who, ultimately, is only pushing the matter because he has Lan Zhan’s best interests at heart. “Regardless,” Lan Zhan says, “it is unnecessary to meet Wei Ying in person.”

The barista calls out their order, and Lan Zhan gets up to retrieve their drinks before Lan Huan can say anything else. As he’s making his way back to the table, though, drinks in hand, he’s stopped in his tracks by the appearance of a small weight clinging tightly to his leg. “Gege!” says the weight. It is, Lan Zhan finds when he looks down, a small boy, no older than three or four.

“Hello,” Lan Zhan says, trying not to let his panic show. As a rule, he tries to avoid interacting with children he doesn't know when their guardians aren’t present. “Where is your caretaker?”

“Baba is sitting over there with Auntie Qing and Angry Uncle!” the boy says, pointing to a table in the far corner of the shop.

Lan Zhan looks in the direction the boy is pointing and blinks a few times. Sitting at the table are two men Lan Zhan recognizes from Nie Huaisang's alternate friend group, the one he spends time with outside of Lan-Jin-Nie gatherings, and an unfamiliar woman who bears a slight resemblance to the boy still holding Lan Zhan's leg. “You must go back to your Baba,” Lan Zhan says carefully. “He will wonder where you went, otherwise.”

“But,” the boy says, a pout forming on his face, “Baba said that you were a very pretty gege and he wished he could talk to you.”

Lan Zhan wonders what kind of parent lets their child go off to talk to random strangers they find attractive. The last thing Lan Zhan wants is for this boy to start crying, though, so he nods. “I will accompany you back to your table. You should not worry your Baba by leaving him to talk to unknown people.”

The boy’s unhappy expression vanishes instantaneously, replaced by a bright smile. “Okay, Pretty-gege!” he agrees. “Come meet my Baba!”

Lan Zhan belatedly realizes he’s still holding the two cups of tea, but it’s too late to do anything about it, because he and the boy have already reached their destination.

“Baba!” the boy exclaims happily, climbing into the lap of the man who, presumably, is his father.

“A-Yuan!” the man says, sounding equally excited, and Lan Zhan freezes, both at the voice and the name. “Where did you run off to, huh, kiddo?”

“I found Pretty-gege for Baba,” A-Yuan says seriously, and his father looks at Lan Zhan for the first time. “Now Baba can talk to him.” Then, apparently deciding that his work is finished, A-Yuan promptly unlocks his father’s phone and starts playing a game.

Lan Zhan is still unable to move as he stares into the man’s sparkling grey eyes. “Wei Ying,” he says, because it feels like the only thing he can say.

The man – Wei Ying, Lan Zhan is certain it has to be him – gapes at him, his eyes widening in shock and what can only be recognition. “Lan Zhan?” Somehow, the sound of his own name rolling off Wei Ying’s tongue is even more appealing to Lan Zhan in person than it is over the phone. “You’re Huaisang’s gorgeous friend that I’ve been begging him to introduce me to for literally years? Huaisang is friends with a scam caller?”

The man sitting next to Wei Ying slams his hand against the table. “This is your stupid scam caller boyfriend?” he demands. “You haven’t shut up about wanting to meet him for weeks, and he was easily accessible in person this entire time?”

“A-Cheng,” the woman at the table reprimands, rolling her eyes as she lays a hand on the man’s arm. She shoots a pointed look at Wei Ying as she continues, “Relax. We already knew Wei Ying is an idiot.”

“He is not,” Lan Zhan says reflexively, somewhat irritated that these people are insulting Wei Ying for no discernible reason. “Wei Ying is very intelligent.”

“Ah, Lan Zhan, it’s okay,” Wei Ying says with a laugh, though his cheeks have turned a soft shade of pink. “Jiang Cheng and Qing-jie are just like that. I always say they’re the grumpiest couple in the world. It’s like they really were made for each other!”

“Shut the hell up,” Jiang Cheng says, making an aborted movement towards Wei Ying before apparently remembering the child in Wei Ying’s lap and settling for clenching his hand in a fist instead.

“Language,” Wei Ying says with a sunny smile. “A-Yuan is a growing little boy who doesn’t need to hear words like that.” He turns to Lan Zhan and his smile somehow grows even bigger. Lan Zhan is torn between looking away to avoid being blinded by its intensity and being absolutely transfixed by how lovely it looks on Wei Ying’s face. “But enough of that. Lan Zhan, I can’t believe I’m finally meeting you, and it turns out you’re actually the same person I wanted to get to know anyway!”

“Mn,” Lan Zhan says. “I recognized you as well, from Nie Huaisang’s friend group.”

Wei Ying looks momentarily annoyed. “I’ve been asking him to introduce you to me for so long.” The displeasure seems to pass a moment later, when Wei Ying beams up at Lan Zhan again, and Lan Zhan has to remember how to breathe. “Of course, I should have guessed that Lan Zhan would find a way to introduce himself to me first!”

“Wei Ying was the first to introduce himself,” Lan Zhan reminds him, recalling their second phone call.

“You have such a good memory, Lan Zhan!” Wei Ying says with an almost dreamy sigh, his eyes shining. “I bet you remember all our phone calls.”

“He’s a scam caller,” the woman Wei Ying had addressed as Qing-jie – which means she must be Wen Qing, one of Wei Yuan’s cousins – interrupts. “It’s unlikely that he remembers everyone he calls, let alone what he says when he calls them.” She narrows her eyes at Lan Zhan. “So why, exactly, have you continued to call our home?”

“I am not a scam caller,” Lan Zhan says firmly, relieved to be telling the truth at last. “I am a student of music and literature.”

“Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying says, shaking his head. “What do you mean you’re not a scam caller? The first time you called the house, you were trying to scam Granny.”

“I was not,” Lan Zhan says. “I was dared to make a prank call, and you made assumptions.”

Everyone is silent for a moment, and the only sounds come from the background chatter in the cafe. Lan Zhan is reminded of his brother, who’s still waiting for his tea, and sends a silent apology to him in his mind. “A...prank call?” Wei Ying finally asks. “So you were never really trying to steal our sensitive information?”

Lan Zhan nods. “Mn. Nie Huaisang provided the dare and the number.”

“Of course it was him,” Wei Ying mutters, seemingly to himself. “When I get my hands on him...” He trails off, before a new thought appears to strike him. “But Lan Zhan, that means he did kind of introduce us to each other after all! If it weren’t for him, then who knows if we ever would have met each other?” He pauses, his head cocked to the side. “You know, I always thought you didn’t try very hard to scam me. I thought maybe it was because we were so close, but now it all makes sense!”

“We are close,” Lan Zhan feels the need to clarify. “If I were truly a scam caller, I would not have tried to scam you after speaking with you as we have been.”

Wei Ying’s entire face flushes as Jiang Cheng snorts and Wen Qing looks simultaneously exasperated and amused. “Lan Zhan! How can you say something like that so easily?”

“Lying is forbidden,” Lan Zhan says matter-of-factly, which doesn’t quite answer the question, but reveals enough of his reasoning to have Wei Ying burying his face in his hands with a moan.

The noise must distract Wei Yuan from his game, because he looks up at Wei Ying and asks, “Baba, okay?”

“Yeah, kiddo, I’m okay,” Wei Ying says, smiling reassuringly at the boy. “Lan-gege here was just saying some very sweet things.” It’s Lan Zhan’s turn to get flustered by the sudden nickname, his ears heating up as Wei Ying grins innocently at him.

“Pretty-gege is Phone Call-gege?” Wei Yuan asks, and Lan Zhan is mildly impressed that such a young child was able to piece together a conversation he was only half listening to. He nods, and Wei Yuan claps his hands happily. “Good! Baba likes Phone Call-gege and Pretty-gege and it would be hard to pick but now those geges are the same!” He looks at Lan Zhan intently. “Gege will stay with us?”

“A-Yuan,” Wei Ying says hurriedly, “you shouldn’t – ahaha, Lan Zhan, don’t take him too seriously, I’ll explain to him later –”

“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan cuts him off pointedly. “A-Yuan. I must return to my brother for now.” Both father and son look visibly deflated, so Lan Zhan takes a deep breath and continues. “But I would like to see you again.”

“O-oh,” Wei Ying says, looking both hopeful and more stunned than he really should. Really, how could he possibly think that Lan Zhan wouldn’t want to see him again? “Well, of course you can see us again! Just give us a call any time, you already have our number, after all.”

“I would like your cell phone number,” Lan Zhan says before he can chicken out. “For convenience.”

“Yes, of course!” We Ying squeaks. Lan Zhan can relate – he had no idea he had it in him to be so bold. Wei Ying holds out his phone with the “New Contact” screen open, and Lan Zhan saves his name as “My Scam Caller” before sending a text to himself. “Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying says breathlessly when he takes his phone back and sees the contact name. He stares at Lan Zhan with starry eyes. “You’re so funny. I like you so much.”

“I like you so much too,” Lan Zhan says automatically, and the corners of his mouth pull upward into a soft smile. Wei Ying gasps and smiles so radiantly that Lan Zhan doesn’t even care that they aren’t alone, that at least four sets of eyes are fixed on them right now – he’s under no illusion that his brother hasn’t been watching him this whole time.

They reluctantly say goodbye after Lan Zhan promises that he’ll meet Wei Ying and Wei Yuan tomorrow after his classes end. Lan Zhan feels light as he returns to his brother’s table, the tea in his hands completely cold by now.

Lan Huan smiles knowingly at him as he sits down. “So,” he says, “you were saying that meeting Wei Ying in person was unnecessary?”

Lan Zhan takes a sip of cold tea to avoid speaking, but he doesn’t need to – he knows that to his brother, his happiness level is at the point where he might as well be fully grinning. But he’s allowed to be this elated, he thinks. He’s allowed to not care about Nie Huaisang’s meddling or Lan Huan’s amused expression or Jiang Cheng’s attitude.

After all, he has Wei Ying’s number in his phone, a date planned for tomorrow, and a whole future together, just waiting for him to reach out and take it.

#wangxian #the untamed #writing

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harlot-of-oblivion · 5 years

Text

A Rose Among the Briars (Part 1)

After a month of quiet encounters with Vergil at the local book cafe, you finally decide to break the ice.

My attempt at writing a meet-cute, featuring you and Vergil. Some of the dialogue popped into head and I had to write a scene around it. So have some fluff, ya’ll. Hope you enjoy!

Ever since coming back from hell, Vergil has slowly integrated himself into the human world. His relationship with Dante has gotten better, though they still fight a lot from time to time. He and his son, Nero, have made inroads towards a family bond, but it’s still so new to him being a father that he can’t tell if he’s doing it right…and he hates uncertainty, especially within himself. On days like that, where the human world and his adjustment in it becomes too overwhelming, he escapes to a coffee and antique book shop he happen to find while walking off some steam. It was quiet, had good tea, and not very crowded. The perfect refuge while he internally relaxed and recharged away from the prying eyes his brother, his son, and the rest of the crew.

Vergil sat in his usual secluded corner, sipping his favorite black tea, and reading one of the old books that cover the walls of this shop. The day was overcast, rain was expected to fall at any moment, so the shop was desolate. This suited the older Son of Sparda just fine. He was looking forward to a peaceful afternoon alone…that is until he heard the bell chime as the door to the shop opens and you step through.

“Hello again,” you address the barista, smiling brightly as you exchange pleasantries and order your drink. There goes my seclusion, Vergil thought as he secretly watches you. Both of you frequent this little nook of a shop. He took notice of you immediately because you dared to sit in the same secluded section of the shop as he, either unaware or not caring about his presence. He tolerated you invading his privacy since you never spoke. You just sipped your beverage, read, and occasionally observed him out of the corner of your eye. He found himself also observing you in turn over time, wondering why you insist on being this close to him while everything about him instinctively says stay away. After awhile he got used to your quiet company. He sometimes looks forward to seeing you, taking note what book you were reading that day…though he would never admit that in confidence to himself.

Vergil went back to his book, but he continues to nonchalantly watch you out of his periphery vision as you wait for your order…and inevitably come over and bother his solitude. He took note that this was the first time he saw you wearing a dress. A blue chiffon summer dress with a resplendent floral pattern to be exact. At least she has elegant taste in fashion, he thought as he let his eyes wonder your form, mentally admiring your attractive form.

He quickly shifts his eyes back to his book as the barista calls your name and you retrieve your prepared beverage, thanking the barista as you made your way back to where he knew you would go…the close corner across from him. Vergil takes a deep meditative breath, falling back on his mental techniques he uses while he wields the Yamato to empty his mind of all distraction. He vowed to try his best to blend in while living here. That included playing nice while out among them. Also, he quite liked this coffee shop, and if he had to get used to the occasional stray customer to enjoy it…so be it.

You arrive at the corner across from him, grab a book, and sit down. Your eyes spare him a glance as you scan the multitude of books on the shelved walls before leaning back in your seat and start to read. Both of you sat there a while, you sip your beverage serenely and Vergil keeps reading, showing remarkable forbearance as he once again reluctantly shared his space. He felt proud of himself in that moment; he’s come a long way if he can endure this long in a stranger’s company.

Eventually, you finish your drink, rise up from your seat, and walk a few steps to inspect one of the walls of books. Your back is to him, and Vergil couldn’t help to notice your stature. He surmised that if he stood you would have to crane your neck up to meet his eyes. Your delicate fingers brush against the old books until they come to an empty spot. It seems she’s about to take her leave, he thought. His brows furrow in slight puzzlement. You usually stay a lot longer, but perhaps you have a prior engagement to get to and only had a few minutes a visit. Either way, it wasn’t his business, so he went back to his task and prepared for blessed solitude once more.

“You’re surrounded by briars.”

Your voice rang out around him. After a month of your continued frivolous company you finally speak to him. He expected you to be a simpering woman, foolishly trying to engage him in some droll conversation about the weather or some other such nonsense. Instead, your blunt and cryptic statement quickly proves him wrong.

Vergil peeks up from his book at you as his brow scrunches up in befuddlement. “I beg your pardon?”

You look over your shoulder at him as you replace the book in your hands back to its respective place on the shelf. “Briars…you know what briars are, right? The motif on your coat remind me of briars.”

“Of course I know what briars are,” he sneers and returns to his book, intending to continue his reading. “And they’re vines,” he adds. He may be annoyed, but he wouldn’t let you regard his attire incorrectly.

“Ah,” you mutter, raising your eyebrows as you nod head and turn back to the shelf. He thought that was the end of this arbitrary conversation until your voice once again rang through the room. “Well, that doesn’t suit you at all.”

“What are you prattling on about?” he snaps. Vergil didn’t bother to hide his irritation as his silver eyes glare at you, warning you that his patience was growing thin.

“Well,” you start as you turn your body to fully face him, seemingly unaware of his agitation or just out right ignoring it. You meet his gaze head on. “Vines extend themselves and…not to be rude, but you don’t seem the type that easily reaches out to people.”

Such insolence! He glowers at you and was about to put you in your place until he notices your modest posture. Your hands were clasped in front of you, arms relaxed, and legs standing straight close together. You show no sign of hostility nor fear. Your eyes, which are level with his since he was sitting down, never left his confrontational gaze. Vergil’s brow eases a bit. He decides to indulge you a bit since its not very often that people last this long under his intense stare…not because you impressed him or anything.

“Hmph…have you thought perhaps it’s not people I’m reaching for?”

You tilt your head a little as your lips curl up thoughtfully. “True.” Vergil grins smugly, thinking this one sided game of verbal sparring is over. “But I like the idea of briars for you,” came your swift reply, nodding your head as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“And why, pray tell, is that?” he queries sternly, raising an incredulous eyebrow at you. He was genuinely curious about your answer, and if he was honest with himself, curious about you. But he refuses to show you any sign of that. Instead, he marks his place in his book and closes it, still maintaining the constant eye contact with you. He awaits what silly notions you have of him so he can decisively end it and be done with you.

“Briars are prickly. Nature’s way of deterring creatures from treading on them. Most stay away from briars, but if one were patient and slowly step through the shrubbery, prying apart thorns with utmost care…then they may come upon the reason for the thorns. For among briars wild roses may grow…beautiful, delicate, and protected from the unwary passerby. And to those who risk pricks and scratches, yet still move forward…finding such a wonder is a reward in and of itself.”

Your gaze never wavers from his as your pensive words flow out in to a steady stream of thought. As he listens he can feel the usual permanent scowl that accompanies his face slowly dissipate. All of the rigid coldness that always resides within him leaves his body. For the first time in a while…Vergil was stunned.

You must have mistaken his quiet surprise as confusion because you hurriedly brushed a loose strand of hair behind ear as you clear your throat. “I guess…what I’m trying to say is…no matter how difficult it may be…you’re worth it, Vergil.”

A genuine smile lights up your face. Time stood still and his surroundings seem to fade out around him as a soft warmth spread throughout his chest. Right then and there, Vergil didn’t see just another faceless human to be ignored. Before him was a confident and eloquent woman, who somehow managed to make a miniscule crack in his taciturn shell. He wanted to be furious that you blind sided him with this stunt, but…to his surprise, he was impressed and…flattered.

You finally broke eye contact with him as you retreat to collect your things. “Well, I should go now. Sorry for distracting you from your book. I promise not to disturb you again in the future. I just needed to get that off my chest.” You give him one last glance, eyes gleaming with soft worry as you bid him farewell. As you briskly made your way to the exit, a soft rumble of thunder fills the air.

His piercing eyes follow your retreating form as he was still comprehending what exactly happened. It’s been a long time since someone paid him a genuine compliment. All this time you didn’t mean to intrude on his personal space…you were just assessing him from afar, waiting until he was comfortable enough around you to finally break the ice and start a conversation. Vergil knew he wasn’t an easy man to converse with…he knew his devilish nature makes most humans steer clear of him, but you just weathered his cold bitterness and-

Wait a moment...How did she know my name?

Just as that stray mystery presents itself he registers the light pattering of rain outside. He looks back at your corner and spots something you forgot to grab before your rushed departure. He knew that you walked here…he’s eavesdropped on your chats with the barista on occasion and you once told them that you like to take in the fresh air and the sights of the city. But your walk wouldn’t be pleasant nor dry since right there on the table was your simple black umbrella, not with you to ease the onslaught of summer rain.

Vergil snaps his book shut and quickly stood up. He put the book back in its proper place on a shelf, gathered his belongings along with your forgotten umbrella, and left the shop. As he steps outside, he opens your umbrella and let it shield him from the warm rain. He sometimes caught sight of you through the shop window and knew you always came and went in the same direction. He follows your path, hoping to come upon you and return your umbrella. He shook his head in disbelief. It’s not like him to rush ahead with no plan, besides returning what’s yours because it’s good manners. He wasn’t even sure if he would find you. It would’ve made more sense to just keep the umbrella and wait to return it to you the next time he ran into you at the shop. Or better yet, he could’ve given it to the barista for safekeeping. But he didn’t do either of those things…instead, he was out here, foolishly searching for you.

Vergil marches on for another minute and turns a corner. There she is! He spots you standing at the corner of a street. Your blue chiffon dress was swaying delicately in the breeze as the rain started to sprinkle down steadily. He heads straight for you, and as he got closer he notices that your head was leaning up towards the sky, eyes closed as your face glistens in the rain. You were the image of pure tranquility and Vergil slowed his pace until he halts just a few feet away from you. For the first time, he lets himself take in all of you. As his brazen eyes roam your body, truly realizing your beauty, he softly took a deep breath in through his nose. He thanked his demonic side for blessing him with enhanced senses because your scent was utterly intoxicating. He almost lost himself in it before shutting his eyes, chastising himself for losing his composure and reigning it back in.

He soundlessly steps up beside you and positions the umbrella to cover both you and him. Your brows furrow as the rain ceases to fall on your face. You open your eyes and they spark in recognition as they take in the underside of the umbrella. Your eyes swivel over to see who’s holding it and they widen in shock. Vergil was staring ahead, letting the moment drag on a bit before he spoke.

“You’re going to need this if you don’t want to get utterly drenched and inevitably sick,” he stated matter-of-factly.

Your mouth parts in awe as you continue to stare up at him. You blink your eyes a few times before you collect yourself and look away as you reply, “I suppose I do.” You don’t reach for the umbrella though. Vergil observes you from the corner of his eye and sees you biting your lower lip in thought. He waits patiently though, taking the opportunity to study you up close and mentally marveling at your lovely profile.

“But what about you?” you ask. “It’d be a shame if the rain ruins your nice coat and uh…hair.” You look up at him inquisitively.

Vergil peers down at you. “Why would you care about that?”

“Because I’m trying to be decent, Vergil. And perhaps you can take it as an apology for me being super blunt earlier.”

“How do you know my name?” His eyes squint in suspicion.

��The barista told me. They always take down a customer’s name for their drink order. It felt rude to refer to you as the “alluring and intimidating blue gentleman” that sits in my corner.”

“Your corner?” Vergil scoffs, leaning his face down a little towards you.

You, despite his intimidating height, stood your ground. “Yes…my corner. I came in one day and there you were…sitting in my chair. I didn’t feel like making a big deal about it though. Figured I could share the space since you fascinate me and thought perhaps after a while we could have a friendly chat…until I clearly screwed that up. Sometimes I don’t know when to shut up.” You close your eyes and sigh regretfully.

Vergil lets your words sink in. The whole reason why they’re in this situation…is because he took your spot? And you were actually trying to spark a friendly conversation…with him? She thought he was fascinating? Vergil would’ve laughed at the sheer absurdity of the whole thing if it weren’t for the sincerity of your words. He clenches his jaw for a moment as he collects this thoughts. As much as you bewilder him…he can’t deny there is a certain draw to you. He didn’t have to think long before he came to a decision. He pushes through the sudden feeling of being self-conscious as he taps into his humanity and attempts to open up to you just a bit.

“I’m not…the best…at connecting with people,” he admits, his words coming out stilted. “Nor do I express my feelings in a typical manner. But if you…still find me worth it…I’m willing to try.”

Your head snaps up and you meet his gaze. You both stood still under the shared umbrella Vergil held as the rain continued to pour down around you. After a moment your eyes soften and you smile that same smile he witnessed in the coffee shop. And once again he felt warmth form in his chest again. He wasn’t used to these feelings you give rise to…but he found in that moment that he doesn’t dislike it.

“Of course, Vergil…that’s all I ask: a small step among the briars.”

“And perhaps that small step will lead you in the direction of the wild roses you so desire,” he replies softly and for the first time since he met you…he gave you a small smile. Your eyes sparkle in wonder as a slight tinge of pink graced your cheeks. But you didn’t avert your eyes from his meekly…You held your gaze, just like he knew you would. And oh…what a daring sight to behold.

Vergil offers to escort you home since you insist that he stay under the safety of the umbrella for as long as possible. On the way, he engages in easy conversation with you about common interests. You both like books, tea, and classical music. You don’t know much about poetry, but listen intently when he recites a favorite of his for you. Afterwards, you claim that you have a new found appreciation for it and thank him for sharing. Vergil nods curtly in satisfaction. He found that you knew a lot about the ancient classics and asked for recommendations. You beam and promise to point out your favorite volumes in the coffee shop.

You eventually arrive at your home. Vergil takes note that its not to far from the office...which means you’re pretty safe from demon attacks if it should happen close by. When you get to the porch he passes your umbrella to your hand, careful that his body doesn’t invade your space, but surreptitiously lets his fingers brush against your hand. Your skin is silky smooth. You thank him and take it back, a slight hitch in your breath the only sign that you felt his touch, but daring not to pull away. Vergil couldn’t stop the pleased grin that crept on his face. He bids you farewell and begins to leave, preparing to brave the foggy rain head on. But you stop him by raising your umbrella high above his head, which requires you to stand on your tippy toes.

“Please…you need it more than I do at the moment. Just…return it to me the next time we see each other at the shop,” you state, your eyes entreating him to take it and stay dry.

Vergil regards you for a moment before giving a single nod. “Very well. See you then…soon.” He grabs the umbrella and, as you turn to go, he feels the lightest caress against his gloveless fingers. He watches you go, leaning out the frame of the front door for a second to say goodbye before heading inside.

As he makes his way back to his domicile, Vergil contemplates the events of the day. Of all the possibilities and outcomes…he honestly didn’t expect it to end with a new found flirtatious friendship. You amaze him and he can’t deny your loveliness. You said that he was worth it. He wishes you luck pulling apart his tangled briars, because despite wanting to know you, he knew it would be difficult to open up. But…he was willing to try, just to see more of your vibrancy. Perhaps, he ponders as he came to the stairs of Devil May Cry, she’s what I’m searching for within myself.

Perhaps you are a rose among his briars.

Read on my Ao3

Read Part 2 here.

My Master List if you want more. ❤

153 notes · View notes

manuelmueller · 4 years

Note

pls... do ALL OF IT FOR NUELE

oof fam ooof (jk i LOVE THEM) (i crossed out a few that i had no idea how to answer or wasn’t bothered but OTHER THAN THAT) (yes all those 300 word questions kinda became a short fic you can read on ao3 here)

–––––– I tried to put this under a cut but it kept fucking up so HERE I GUESS

1. What are things they both find funny?

Little things. Weird tweets from their teammates. Leon stumbling over his shoelaces. The way Sven gets exasperated with them so quickly. A leaf blowing straight into someone’s face. Everything can make them giggle, pretty much, cause they make each other gleeful, giggly, bubbling AHHHHHH

2. If they could each describe each other in one sentence, what would it be? “Nikki is … he’s my person.” – “Alex made me realize that love can be wonderful, and kind, and fulfilling, and everything, and I love him.”

3. If they complimented each other, what would they say? Alex would talk about Nikki’s wide smile, his enthusiasm and his unbroken optimism despite going through some shit, his kinda heart and his sunshine personality. Nikki would mention Alex’ resilience, the way how he rises above the shit people talk about him and how he came out being a great person still. Also, the way his chuckles sound in the morning and the way his hair looks like spun copper in sunlight and the freckles on his cheeks and shoulders.

4. What would be their ship name? NÜLE we did a great job pairing up two of the very few dudes who have an ü in their last name huh

5. What activities do they enjoy together? Football (duh), watching dumb TV shows they can laugh at together. Cuddling on the couch. Cooking. Accompanying the other on his respective hobby and whining about how silly it is (Alex goes fishing, Nikki plays golf) but yet loving every second they get to spend with their s/o doing what they love. Also actually another couple they’re friends with kinda drags them hiking sometimes and they actually kinda like it, too.

6. What is/are their love language(s)? Actually probably it’s Quality Time for them both tbh (you could change my mind, tho)

7. Write a ~300 word love scene for them.

READ HERE

8. What were their first impressions of each other? ‘Yeah he’s a talented goalie, I wouldn’t mind to play in his defense .... oh shit is he smiling? He’s smiling. Oh fuck he’s so cute, I’m so gay, help. heLP’ – ‘Süle? Oh yeah, I’ve heard a lot about him. I mean, how could I have not? It’s in my job description to know about the best defenders. Can’t believe it took us so long to meet in person, tho. Nikki it is, okay. Wow, I’m .... is that a spark that I’m feeling? Sure, great idea, develop a crush on your first day on a new team, well done. Is it a crush? (a month later) yep, definitely a crush’

9. Have they made each other cry? with HAPPINESS, yeah

10. Write a ~300 word argument scene for them.

READ HERE

11. What causes them to fight? Genuinely can’t picture them fighting, but probably more like jokingly arguing about chores like who should take out the trash. Also football can cause a strain too, I mean, sometimes they lose games and either of them or both are partially to blame and while they’d never blame each other even if it’s true, the unspoken dissatisfaction hovering in the air between them can cause things to be quite awkward for a few hours and one night.

12. Do they have differing political opinions?

13. Name something they would never do for the other person. Lose any kind of game – as athletes they’re quite competitive, even when it comes to board games and the like. Tho they’re not above conceding when it’s obvious they loose.

14. What would be a dealbreaker? Sharing the other’s secrets to someone the other doesn’t trust enough, and also not liking pets (luckily they do)

15. What are traits they dislike in one another? Nikki gets a bit reckless sometimes. Drinking too much, doing vaguely dangerous things cause he’s excited and hyped with his friends (why the heck would you climb on that shed when it’s too high to jump down and you don’t have a ladder?? you already have bad knees, Nikki!) and Alex Worries, ok? Alex on the other hand can get quite broody and taciturn when he’s not okay, not sharing what bothers him even when Nikki asks. Nikki just wants to help, but being stubborn is a goalkeeper thing

16. If they broke up, what would be their opinions of each other?

17. What senses (sights, smells, feelings, etc). remind them of each other? Nikki thinks of Alex on windy but bright spring days, and whenever he smells his shower gel. Alex’ rumbling laugh causes the butterflies on his stomach to flutter their wings, and his bare hands when he just pulls his glove on seem to be made to be settled on Nikki’s arms, his shoulder, his waist. Nikki to Alex is a freshly cut pitch, petrichor raising from the streets in summer, warm coca cola from a bottle left outside and forgotten. He’s a sunrise, a smile flashed over the shoulder, a laugh shared with Leon, Jo, Serge, Thomas …

18. What would be their love motto?

19. If they could each write a single line in their marriage vows, what would they be? “Alex, you taught me everything I know about love. You taught to forgive, to move on and I found a forever home in you.” – “I feel the sun rise every time I hear your laugh, bean, I feel born anew every time I reach for your hand and you take it. I would still be adrift without it.”

20. What is a promise they have made to each other? That they will never let get football between them. No jealousy if one is called up for the NT and one isn’t. If they ever played for rival clubs, they wouldn’t let it get between them. If something happens during a game, it in the end won’t be a factor in their private life. It’s hard sometimes, cause they’re only human, but a vow to try and to resolve things is the best they can do, and they always do

21. How have they changed each other for the better/for the worse? They’re each other’s first boyfriend – Nikki especially has been disappointed/rejected when confessing his feelings before, so he’s really a bit reluctant when opening up to Alex, and Alex does everything he can to make him open up more again on that level and succeeds at it too. Nikki is just a constant sunshine in Alex’ life, who after announcing his transfer didn’t have the easiest time, so it’s really great to have someone who makes him remember the light-heartedness life can have when you spend it with the right people. And well, they both grow quite chatty around each other, and have been shushed by quite a few people who just want to sleep on the bus ride … (from here)

22. If their lives were what was originally intended at birth, would they have still fallen in love? Who can even tell? Who knows if they were both supposed to end up at Bayern. Who knows if they wouldn’t have had someone else from the beginning. When they were born, neither of their families probably expected to have a son-in-law instead of a daughter in law. But they’re happy with the life they got. Happy they got each other. Cause they won’t have it any other way anymore

23. Write a ~300 scene between them with no dialogue, only body language.

READ HERE

24. What is something they have each had to forgive the other for? Again, football, when either of them fucks up during a get. pride is a difficult thing to best, sometimes, but they’re learning

25. What moves do they know work on the other? Alex knows exactly how to let his voice dip, knows how to touch Nikki’s waist to make him know, knows what to say and when only uses his voice with deliberation. Nikki is a bit more thoughtless in his approach, often just communicating his appeal unbeknownst to him, because Alex loves him most in those moments when he’s just free, simply himself, laughing and smiling and so beautiful. He doesn’t need to do anything, really, tho if he does, a look is enough.

26. What are their favorite parts about physical affection/sex? Literally just being close and warm and at home and ofc the thrill of sharing that all not with a stranger you barely know but with someone who knows you inside and out :3 (pun fully intended, in this case)

27. Do they have any kinks/fetishes that they share? Nikki is really into Alex’ voice. Like really into it. That deep yet soft voice always makes his spine tingle and his stomach hop and other …. areas interested, as well :3c He also likes Alex’ back especially when it arches so delicately Alex really like Nikki’s tattoos, he’s absolutely fascinated by them and sometimes maybe even wishes Nikki had a few more – tho that’s not a kink really, is it. But they just complete the perfect package that is his boyfriend :’3 But no, in general they keep it pretty vanilla for now, just getting comfortable with each other, learning each other, studying with eyes, hands, lips

28. Write a ~300 fantasy one of them has about the other.

READ HERE

29. What are each of their signature foreplay moves? Alex whispers hushed words into Nikki’s neck, kisses his jawline, lets his hands ran up and down Nikki’s side, skilled, gentle yet insistent and talking of what’s yet to come, teasing and nipping before finally reaching down, creating the contact that Nikki wanted for so long. Nikki lets his hands simply rest on Alex’ hips, his shoulders, his heck, warm and familiar and hot and hotter with every second as he steals kiss after kiss before sliding down, sitting before him, leaning in …

30. Write a short exchange of dirty talk between them. “Alex?” “Bean?” “You look so good. Do you have any idea how good you look?” laughs “Bean, you’re drunk” frowns “Ok, maybe a little. But I love you, you know? I wanna lick you all over.” blushes a bit “Nikki, everyone’s looking.” “Nah, they’re all busy drinking. Dancing. Probably fucking in the storage closet, in some cases” he giggles. they both know who he’s talking about. he puts his chin on Alex’ shoulder “Wanna get out of here?” “Now?” “Hmm.” he kisses his neck, licks gently behind his ear “no one will care. please. let me.” “Yeah? Well, bean, then who am I to deny you” THIS SUCKS!!!

31. What do they love to do after sex? They often just lay there face to face, noses almost touching, eyes almost falling close as they exchange light, playful pecks, hands entwined, legs a tangled mess. It’s all really cute and mushy but they wouldn’t have it any other way – also! laughing!! There’s a lot of cheerful, content giggling especially in the afterglow as they are still entangled in the sleepiness and the amazing feeling of just being together. (from here)

32. Do they enjoy morning or night sex? They both quickly wake up in the morning, ready to face the day, but yet … there’s nothing better than half-sleepy morning sex, smiling and tasting the fresh air and each other’s morning breath because of the familiarity, the comfort of gazing upon each other drenched in the first sunlight, not hidden away by shadows. This is real. This is them.

#long post #nüle #my writing #ENJOY :3 #answered

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snarkysims · 4 years

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Narrated by Shonice Armstrong

I was still fuming over my earlier conversation with Scarlett as Jin-Sang and I got ready for bed. I hadn’t shared with him what Scarlett had said, because I knew my man would catch a cab over to their apartment and have words with Andreas. Scarlett and I were close, so our boyfriends tolerated each other for our sakes...barely. Andreas said if Jin-Sang were any more animated, he’d be a cartoon character. I can’t even repeat what Jin-Sang said he’d rather do than hold a conversation with Andreas. I’ll just say it involves tweezers and hair, and he wasn’t talking about the hair on his face or head! I knew there would be no love lost between them if Jin-Sang blew up at Andreas, but I didn’t want to put a strain on my friendship with Scarlett.

Jin-Sang had been quiet the past couple of days which wasn’t like him. I love my man with all my heart, but even I feel like he needs an Off switch at times. However, this serious, focused version of him was new territory, and I missed his jovial personality. He was working on his first cases at Social Services, and he was throwing himself into them completely. He was taking calls from his clients at all hours of the day and poring over documents on standards and guidelines at night. On top of all that, he had his coursework to complete as well. He was definitely in save-the-world mode as many people are on their first job, but I was worried he was going to burn himself out. I desperately wished I could talk to him about his work in order to relieve his stress.

He, Jonathan, and I had grown accustomed to eating our meals together, and we rather enjoyed it. None of us had grown up with the traditional sit-down family meal. My parents and Jonathan’s dad had always been too busy, and of course Jin-Sang grew up without his parents at all. During our meals, we’d often discuss our days and bounce problems off each other, so it was ironic that all three of us were now in fields where confidentiality was paramount. We had agreed it was best not to discuss work at all so that we wouldn’t risk committing an ethical violation. Still, I sensed something about work had to be eating at Jin-Sang, and it was frustrating not being able to ask him about it.

My mind was conjuring up different scenarios, so I was startled when he looked over at me and said, “Baby, I need to talk to you about our marriage. It’s important."

His voice was low and flat. It completely lacked his normal boisterous inflection. I could feel my pulse quicken as my mind raced with thoughts. We had only begun seriously talking about marriage a few days ago when we went out to celebrate our third anniversary. Was he already getting cold feet? Did I do something? Was Andreas right? Was Jin-Sang having second thoughts about Ashanti? Did he want to break up with me?

I didn’t answer him, so he continued. “These cases I’m working on are effing with my mind. They’re stirring up feelings that I thought I had buried a long time ago.”

“Feelings about?”

“My parents.”

I looked over at him sharply. I had been concerned his line of work would lead him to think about his parents, but I wasn’t seeing the connection between his parents and our getting married. Jin-Sang didn’t talk about his parents much. He’d told me all about them freshman year. We were both night owls, and we would often stay up late watching TV in the common room while our dorm mates slept...or engaged in other bedroom activities, as in Jonathan and Jerilene’s case. Soon, our late night TV watching led to long conversations about ourselves. Through these conversations, I formed a connection with Jin-Sang that I didn’t have with Mark whom I was sort of seeing at the time. Jin-Sang became my best friend and eventually my soulmate.

Jin-Sang kissed my forehead and gave me a reassuring smile. “Don’t freak out, baby. I can see your wheels spinning a mile a minute. It’s all good. We’re good. There’s something I’ve been considering for a while now, and working on these cases has made it clear to me. When we get married, I want to take your last name.”

Relief washed over me. He did still want to get married! “Are you sure? Your name is your last connection to your family.”

He shook his head vehemently. “No, it’s my last connection to the people who donated their DNA to me. They threw me away, so why should I hang on to their name? You are my family, and wherever you are is my home, so I want your name.”

Jin-Sang’s voice broke near the end of his statement. He didn’t get vulnerable often. In all of the time that he’d been my friend and lover, I’d never seen him cry. Even when he had talked about his parents in the past, he’d managed to maintain a level of cold indifference towards them. Seeing this little bit of emotion from him made my heart melt. And it did things to other parts of me as well. I ran my fingers through his spiky, black hair. “Oh, baby, I can tell this is important to you.”

“It is.” He reached for the hand that had been caressing his hair and brought it to his lips. He kissed the palm and then held it to his heart. “Are you okay with this?” My heart was still melting at his tender gesture. Jin-Sang would deny it, but I could tell Jonathan’s romantic nature was rubbing off on him. I liked it. A lot.

“Well, I have to confess. I did like the sound of ‘Shonice Armstrong-Lee, Attorney at Law.’”

Jin-Sang chuckled. “It does have a nice ring to it. I’ll give you that.”

My eyes lit up. “Hey, why don’t you become Armstrong-Lee too? And our kids could have that name as well.”

I caught a hopeful glimmer in his eyes at my mention of kids, but then he looked at me with a wry smile. “Baby, think that one through for a minute.”

Realization quickly dawned on me, and I felt silly. “Sorry. I suppose having both of your names hyphenated is asking too much, isn’t it?”

“Way too much. I love you, woman, and I’d do just about anything for you.” He kissed the tip of my nose. “Except that.”

“Okay, point taken. I’d be honored for you to have my last name then. Jin-Sang Armstrong it is. Wow, that’s really going to take some getting used to.”

“You’ve got a lifetime.” He pulled me closer to him and kissed me on the temple. He held me for a few minutes, and we didn’t say anything. We just enjoyed each other’s company.

After another moment, Jin-Sang squeezed me again. “So, that was pretty romantic what I said a few minutes ago, huh?”

I gave him the side eye, so he quickly added, “I meant it, of course!”

“I know you did. And, you’re right. It was romantic.”

He waggled his eyebrows. “Romantic enough to get me laid tonight?”

I laughed in spite of myself. Only Jin-Sang could make such a crass come-on sound endearing. But that was his gift. Even when I wanted to give him a piece of my mind, he had a knack for teasing a smile or laugh out of me. I gave him a sultry look and said, “I got you.”

Jin-Sang gasped and let out a few choice words. He gazed at me reverently as he eased me down on the bed. “Damn, woman! I don’t think anything has ever gotten me as hard as hearing you say those words.” There he was. That was the Jin-Sang I knew, the man with a heart absolutely in the right place and a mouth with absolutely no filter.

My man was back.

***

I’ve been wanting to write a scene with Jin-Sang and Shonice for a while, but I’ve always struggled with writing these two together. I find it much easier to write Jin-Sang and Jonathan. They bounce off each other so well that their dialogue practically writes itself. But I’m happy with how this turned out.

I had always intended for Shonice to hyphenate her last name when she got married, so I’m gutted about losing the Lee name. However, this is a case where I need to listen to the character. The more I got into Jin-Sang’s background, the clearer he became about wanting to cut all ties to his birth family, including giving up his last name.

And while I’m on the subject of Jin-Sang’s name, I want to address the elephant in the room. Technically, the S should probably be lowercase. The name generator that I got his name from capitalized the S, so I followed suit. Also, I have a friend originally from Seoul named Hye-Yun. I’ve known Hye-Yun for over fifteen years, and she’s always capitalized the Y. I should ask her if she started doing that because we Americans were always capitalizing it. Anyway, I’ve done some reading up on Korean names, and it’s essentially at the discretion of the individual as to whether the name should be capitalized and/or hyphenated, so I will keep capitalizing Jin-Sang’s and Hye-Sook’s names the way I have been doing it.

By the way, Hye-Sook is named in honor of my friend, and Jin-Sang is named in honor of Daniel Dae Kim’s character (Jin-Soo Kwon) on LOST.

#ts2 gameplay #sapphire springs #fall 2003 #armstrong #lee

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vi-olia · 4 years

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Yuletide 2019 Letter

Dear Writer,

Hi! I am violia over on AO3 and viiolia here on tumblr.

I am so excited that you have been matched with me for this year’s Yuletide. This letter is intended to expand upon the small details that I gave you on the AO3 signup. If you’d prefer to not have any more details from me, then I understand! Good luck, thank you for writing in these small fandoms, and I can’t wait for the 25th!

On the other hand, if you’d like some more info from me, then please read on. What you’ll find here is a list of my likes and dislikes, and then a rundown of each of my requested fandoms, in which I explain why I love the characters and fandoms that I’ve chosen, so that you may get an idea of what I’d like to see in potential fics, without me just straight up telling you what to do.

ABOUT ME

Likes:

If there’s only one thing that you want to remember about me, please let it be this: at the end of the day, I will love any fic if it is driven by strong, well-thought-out characters and relationships.

Happy endings! I enjoy angst and hurt/comfort, but please let there be a happy ending for all.

Snappy dialogue.

I love canon! All these canons. I also like canon divergence and post-canon fics.

Humour, romance, mystery, sci-fi, fantasy, drama, adventure, magical realism.

I generally enjoy fandom tropes, as long as they’re adapted to suit the specific characters and relationship dynamics. Friends-to-lovers, or 5+1 things, are two tropes that immediately come to mind. The same goes for AUs: I love an AU if there’s been good thought and worldbuilding put into how the specific characters and relationships would fit into a different canonical universe.

I love slash. All my requests contain characters that I love to ship together. I love smut and romance and getting-together fics and established relationship fics. But if slash really isn’t your thing - I won’t mind a gen or pre-slash story either. Again, at the end of the day, if the fic is driven by strong, interesting, emotional characters and arcs, whether in relationships or not, I will be loving it!

In terms of smut, I really enjoy (again, I’m a broken record) when it’s informed by the characters’ emotions/dynamics/relationship at that certain point in the story. I enjoy reading more vanilla smut and more kinky smut; specific likes include praise kink, consent play/dubcon (where it’s still clear that both parties have consented to this kink), body worship, semi-public sex (preferably close calls, or without being caught), tender sex, and rough sex (not too much actual pain though). My bookmarked works on AO3 can be pretty, uh, enlightening in terms of what smut I like to read. Also, this is pedantic but I prefer the word “come” rather than “cum”.

Dislikes/DNWs:

Animal and child abuse/death.

Character death, or characters with cancer/terminal illnesses.

Unhappy endings.

Horror, zombies, cannibalism, and extreme/non-canon-typical violence.

PWP. Don’t get me wrong - I love porn. But please have some plot in there!

De-aging.

Student/teacher relationships, and any circumstances/relationships/power dynamics where a main character is taking unfair or malicious advantage of another.

Rape.

Infidelity.

First person POV.

In terms of smut, I’m really not a fan of BDSM, scat, watersports, vomit, extreme humiliation, body horror, or bestiality.

BLACKKKLANSMAN Ron Stallworth, Flip Zimmerman

This film really got me good. Everything about it struck me - the message, the characters, the plot, the cinematography, the music. I quickly fell in love with Ron and Flip and the idea of those two becoming friends (or something more).

I love Ron Stallworth for his courage and wit. I love how he approaches life and people. He’s so open, low-key and easy to get along with. He’s not quick to judge anyone. Perhaps this stems partly from the time he spent at college. But I truly feel that if someone were to come out to Ron Stallworth, he would never discriminate against them. Maybe he’d need some time to fully understand. Maybe he’s needed some time to fully come to terms with his own sexuality. But he’s not one to judge. And he’s so smart and such a quick-thinker. And probably a little kinky, which I love. Okay I’ll stop rambling about Ron now.

Time to ramble about Flip instead. Flip Zimmerman: the Gruff, Quiet Romantic. I love how Flip can seem so immovable, always unfazed. He and Ron are similar, in this way. But Ron is way more in touch with his emotions, whereas Flip is not so much. Or maybe he is in touch with his emotions, but he just doesn’t often express them. I love that Flip needs to really trust someone before he lets them get close. He’s not quick to judge others, either, but I think he can certainly hold some judgements about himself, and out of the both of them, I’d say Flip would have more trouble coming to terms with his sexuality, or admitting his feelings for Ron. But oh boy - I think Flip would be fantastic in bed. Yes ma’am. Mmm… anyway.

One thing I’m very aware of is that being gay or exploring your sexuality was not totally fun or freeing in 1970s America. It came with a lot of serious dangers. Being outed could cost you your job, your safety, your family, and more. Writer, I would appreciate it very much if you could take this historical context into account. It directly informs whatever friendship/relationship Ron and Flip have. I would find it very difficult to feel immersed in a story about two men, one Jewish and one African-American, who are coming to terms with their feelings for one another, or entering into a romantic and/or sexual relationship with one another, or forging a close friendship with one another, if the story did not take into account the serious issues of racism and homophobia which pervade the era and setting of this film. (AKA, please don’t have them sitting in a public cafe holding hands, or something else that’s unrealistic for this time period.)

My preference for these two characters is clearly skewed towards slash. I would love to read about them forging a relationship, romantic or sexual or both. Maybe they go from friends to lovers, or they do the only fun thing there is to do in Colorado Springs and hike into the wilderness for a private moment. Or maybe they’re in an established relationship, and navigating their lives as a closeted gay couple who both work for the police department. Or maybe you think of something else entirely; I can’t wait. Alternatively, maybe you’d prefer to write gen or pre-slash instead, and in that case, please feel free. I would love reading about the growth of Ron and Flip’s friendship, or more of their time working together as police officers. Ultimately, I am just so excited to potentially receive a fic from you, for me, which I think is so special.

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE RPF Colin Jost, Michael Che

Although the first year or two they spent as hosts of Weekend Update was fairly rocky at times, Colin Jost and Michael Che have really come into their own with this segment on SNL, and the hate comments I used to see on their videos a couple of years ago have almost all changed to comments of support and appreciations of their comedy. What makes them so good at this is their dynamic. They bounce off of either other constantly on the show, and they work so well together - they have to, in this job!

Michael Che is the one true trash fire that I know and love. What is he doing? I don’t know. I don’t think he knows either. And I love him for it. One thing that really stands out to me about Che is how good he is at comedy, and particularly stand-up. I can tell that he seriously puts a lot of thought and effort into his delivery. He makes it sound so effortless and off the top of his head, but in reality he is practiced and professional and knows his craft. His humour often comments on big issues like racism and gender, and I personally really enjoy this commentary-style comedy, where you can poke fun at everyone but also have a serious message to convey as well. Personality-wise, I love how Che is a selective over-thinker. He can be so overly conscious of some things, and so oblivious and apathetic about others. I think he might struggle, or has previously struggled with his sexuality; but I also think Colin makes him weak at the knees, and Che finds himself simultaneously wanting to take Colin on a date, and fuck him into the mattress, and run away and hide in another country, and fall asleep for three years, all at once.

Colin’s humour is more silly and less ‘controversial’ than Che’s. I don’t enjoy it less, just differently. Colin definitely has his life more together than Che does - or at least, is great at acting like he’s got his life together. I love that Colin is easygoing and quietly calm and confident, but beneath that, I think he struggles with some overthinking tendencies too. And sometimes he really doesn’t feel confident at all. I think he’s pretty in touch with his emotions, but when it comes to expressing them, sometimes he might just need a moment to get the right words. Especially if he’s nervous. But I love that Colin really likes Che. He finds Che so hilarious (and vice versa, of course). I love how Che can always make Colin laugh out loud, or do his cute little smile that’s a twist of his lips. I love that they can bounce off each other in progressing a joke to the point where it seems like they’re the only two people in the room.

Truly, I think they’re both trash fires in their own ways. I think it’s a minor miracle if they get together, because they’re both second-guessing themselves at some point, and they both treasure their friendship so incredibly much. But that’s why I love them so much - because of how closely tied together they are. They truly value each other in their lives. They are best friends and close confidants and they’ve gone through a lot together.

I love reading about Colin and Che and their lives working at SNL. The work week is incredibly hectic at that show - even more so now that Colin and Che are head writers, as well as managing and appearing in their own segment. I find the whole cast of SNL fascinating and hilarious, and I think a lot of people romanticise what it might be like to work in such a demanding job with such a close-knit community of people. I think who they are at this point in time is tied very closely with their jobs, especially because they work together. If you’re writing a story or some scenes that take place at SNL, I don’t mind if you include other SNL cast members in passing interactions, for the sake of verisimilitude.

Writer, I would love it if you could just pretend that Colin Jost is not engaged to Scarlett Johansson. Or if there’s another way you want to deal with that, then go for it. Please just heed my DNWs: no infidelity, and no unhappy endings. Other than that, I’m so excited about any story you have about these two guys. I clearly ship them together; I’d love to see some aspect of their relationship, maybe getting together or in an established relationship, maybe during the SNL season or something they get up to during their summer holidays. If you’re more of a gen or pre-slash writer, I totally understand - just their dynamic as it is now, as friends who bounce off one another and get on each others’ nerves but ultimately understand each other on a deeper level than anyone else around them, is so interesting and entertaining for me to watch and I’d love to read more of it.

Side note: Colin and Che did an advertisement for Red Nose Day on the Weekend Update desk in which Kate McKinnon, in an old-lady character that I think embodies all of fandom, lobbies for them to kiss. Colin kisses Che on the cheek, but Che was totally ready for a peck on the lips. THIS VIDEO IS MAYBE POSSIBLY REQUIRED VIEWING FOR THESE CHARACTERS. Search their names + Red Nose Day on Youtube to find it; requires a VPN if you’re not based in the USA.

LEGALLY BLONDE Elle Woods, Vivian Kensington

I have two words for you. LAWYER WIVES. Or law student wives. That’s more than two words, but you get the idea.

A couple of months ago, I rewatched Legally Blonde for the first time in many years. My biggest takeaway from this viewing? ELLE AND VIVIAN NEED TO DITCH THOSE GROSS GUYS AND JUST GET TOGETHER INSTEAD. Seriously! Warner is a sexist and self-absorbed asshole. Both Elle and Vivian deserve so much better… aka, each other.

The biggest thing I love about Elle Woods is her positive and caring attitude. She rarely lets things get her down, nor does she fall into self-pity. And Vivian Kensington just screams smol baby gay to me and I adore her for it. Please can someone (Elle) walk into Vivian’s life and pull her out of the humdrum of repetitive, lame, often orgasm-less intercourses with self-absorbed men and into the beautiful world of women pleasuring other women one, two, three times over. But also I do love how Vivian puts on a strong, confident face and is so dedicated to her studies and career but you can tell, beneath all that, she’s still figuring all this stuff out.

I think Vivian can learn a lot from Elle about how to let go, have fun, and most of all, how to be more considerate of others; I think Elle can learn a lot from Vivian about discipline, duty, responsibility, and the more realistic/gritty aspects of being a lawyer. I think that together, these two women could balance each other out incredibly well. They could learn and grow together and support each other.

I think Elle’s naïveté could sometimes get annoying, especially to someone like Vivian, who is incredibly knowledgeable, realistic and down-to-earth. But that’s not to say that Elle is not those things as well. And in fact, I think Vivian can be quite naive herself when it comes to emotions and relationships; this is an area she’s not totally confident in. It’s pretty clear that Vivian’s internalised some sexist and misogynistic attitudes (see: slut-shaming Elle when she was sexually harassed by Callahan). I think Vivian’s jump to conclusions here can also be attributed to her tendency to act first, and ask questions later; she’s quicker to judge others than Elle is.

I hope this whole bunch of random thoughts I have about these characters gives you some idea of why I love them so much. What I’ve written here leans more towards femslash; but please know that, if you prefer to write gen, I would of course gladly accept any gen fic that you gift me. Because it’ll be from you, to me! And that is something so special and exciting. At the end of the day, I just want to read about these two characters growing closer together, whether that be in a friendship or relationship.

Note: if you want to include Emmett and/or Warner in some capacity, I don’t mind, just as long as the main focus of the story is on Elle and Vivian. Tbh I think Elle and Emmett would be awesome best friends.

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roger1na · 5 years

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careful ch8 - john deacon x reader

summary: you are a ballet student at the royal ballet academy. To pay for your tuition, you work part-time at the celebrity gossip magazine, Seven. One fateful day you’re sent to interview a band on the rise, Queen, post-concert and fall in love with the sweetest man on the planet.

word count: 2k+

warnings: swearing, some sexual implications

author's note: yEehaw she's a little late. my adhd said fuck you and i couldn't focus on anything and also she's a little shorter than usual but honestly i had no material. however i rlly like the dialogue in this chapter. and also i think it's cute.

chapter eight

You smoothed over the red satin ribbon you had gently tied around the small blue box for the hundredth time. Your wristwatch ticked gently at the minutes going by as your taxicab sat in traffic. You wish you could've called him to say you were coming, you just might be late.

You'd stressed over a present, having no clue what John liked, really. Engineering and some disco tracks, photography and the like, but coming up with a present from all that was difficult. You were proud with what you had come up with, though.

Suddenly, the cab lurched forward and continued the route much faster than before and relief washed over you as the houses lining the street went into motion blur.

You hadn't been quite sure what to wear to your boyfriend's concert. Even that term was still up for debate. You hadn't said it aloud yet. You wondered what the fans would think. You had settled on a skirt and a Queen -hoodie, just to be supportive and to be wary of the rainy clouds gathering in the sky. You were determined to not freeze.

The venue itself was a rather small pub, especially packed with people. Some were already tipsy, even drunk, although it was early in the evening.

You slipped backstage, twisting grey hallways leading to a small backstage room with poor lighting next to the stage. Anxiety made you fret you'd gone to the wrong bar until you spotted the blonde curls of Roger.

He was turned around, hassling with his drum kit and you tapped his shoulder. He let out a small squeak and turned around fast but quickly relaxed when he realised it was only you.

"Ah you made it! Deaky's been fretting all evening."

You helped him up and smiled. "Yeah, traffic was just awful."

You tried having a polite conversation with him but your eyes kept flitting around looking for John and the rest of the band.

"Y/N?" Roger waved a thin-fingered hand over your eyes and you snapped out of your daze, feeling like you'd almost chewed through your lower lip.

"Wha-hm?" You managed to sputter.

"I asked you for your favourite Queen song, so we could add it to the program."

"Oh," you blushed sheepishly. "Sorry. I was just…"

"Looking for John?"

The blush deepened and you only managed a nod.

"He's sobering up, Freddie's holding his hair and Brian's mother henning him." Roger laughed.

"What? Is he okay?" Your eyes grew wide like saucers.

"Oh don't worry, we just gave him some champagne to loosen him up. Turns out we gave him too much. Combined with nerves he was a bit done for."

"Oh." You hummed.

"Seriously, Y/N. He's completely okay."

You went back to nibbling on your lower lip, not saying anything for a while. Roger leaned against the wall and took out a pack of Marlboro Reds which reminded you of Rose and calmed you down strangely. "My friend Rose smokes the same brand." You remarked quietly.

"Rose?" Roger's interest was piqued before you shook your hand.

"Nuh-uh, she doesn't swing that way."

"Ah, I see." He said, and then the slightly awkward silence came back, slightly heavier than before. You rubbed your arm and your hairs bristled.

Finally, he spoke up. "How come it took you two so long to, well, you know. Get together. You're practically jumping out of your skin to see him."

You looked at him slightly confused.

"I know we teased you on saturday but I know you didn't even kiss until the friday before the last," he continued.

"Hm."

"Great answer."

"I'm thinking!" You protested. "I suppose, it's always a challenge to be a woman. Especially as somebody whose identity is so strongly tied to my work. I mean, I don't really expect you to get it but I had to watch it. Make sure my relationship with John wouldn't eat me up."

"Yeah. I mean, it makes sense, doesn't it? Especially because he's a bit well known."

"Right! Do you see how magazines like The Sun or Seven write about women? We're accessories. That sort of sucks. I didn't want to get into somebody only to realise our lives didn't fit or something, and then I'd still have meddled too far for it to have no effect on my personal life." You hadn't expected to elicit such a clever response from Roger.

"I don't get it get it. But I understand. You had to make sure you had your footing on a sturdy ledge before you climbed."

"Exactly!"

"I'm glad you took the chance."

You smiled softly. A clamor of voices interrupted your conversation before you could answer.

"Brian, he's totally fine!" Came Freddie's slightly scratchy, posh, voice.

"He's turning green, Freddie." Brian insisted.

"Do I get a say? I'm okay." An east-England accentuated voice piped up.

The three men rounded the corner and you saw him, slightly pale, hair frizzed up and eyeliner ruined but still there. You locked eyes and his face split into a grin. Before you could stop yourself, you leapt into a sprint-half-jog across the room into his arms. It was clumsy, badly-orchestrated and he could barely stay upright as he caught your body in his arms and your lips in his.

"Well, hi, I'm definitely fine now."

"Hello, happy birthday!" You wished him, enjoying the warmth of his arms.

"Don't we get a hello, Y/N?" Freddie asked you as John slowly let you down.

"Hi, yes, hi," you fixed your hair before quickly giving Freddie and Brian their own slightly less intense hugs.

"We're so glad you made it," Freddie grinned. "I love what you're wearing." He added, slightly teasingly.

"Listen," you said, mock-sternly. "I had to pick something that matches the set!"

"And it's great," John took your hand, interrupting anymore comments. "Come, I'll show you the dressing room."

He lead you to a small room that was more of a supply closet.

The room measured maybe four metres by four, with graffitied band names and posters on the wall. A small table with uneven legs stood in the corner, with a bowl of bright red gummy bears on the edge.

"It's…" You paused looking for words.

"Dingy, I know," he laughed. "I'm sure we'll get better ones in November, actually."

"What's happening in November?"

"We're performing at the Rainbow again, like in march, but this time, with the new album."

"Oh that's fantastic," you grinned. "What's the new album called?" You asked.

"Sheer Heart Attack." He smiled proudly.

"Is it going to be scandalous? Will it have more than a dash of Deaky?"

"Absolutely, I wrote a whole song."

"You did? Will I get to hear it?"

Suddenly his cheeks sported a bright crimson and he shook his head. "It's silly."

"Oh come on!" You tugged at his arm slightly. "It'll be my new favourite."

"Oh, I don't think so. But Freddie's trying to get me to play it today."

"Ha, so I'll hear it anyway," you smile.

He was about to reply but Roger came to the door. "Deaks, we're starting in five, you should let Y/N to the bar." He'd lined his eyes with black kohl, probably matching with Freddie. John's was not as smudged or intense but it definitely brought their otherwise quite clashed look together as a band.

"Right then," you turned to him, smiling encouragingly. "Good luck. I'll be in the front row."

"Don't I get a good luck kiss?" He complained and you rolled your eyes, pecking his lips softly.

"Bye then."

You slipped from the dressing room and through a dimly lit hallway back to the main room, where there was loud chatter and drunken wailing.

You were brought back to the first time you'd met John. The loud people, the intenseness of the show, the participation of the crowd. It all seemed so familiar, when you elbowed your way to the front as they walked out, surrounded by cheers. John caught your eye and winked. A girl screamed in the crowd as the first notes were plucked out but you were too absorbed in the music you couldn't pay attention to anybody else.

They played various songs from their first and second album, including some of your favourites like Liar and Son and Daughter.

"Right, then," Freddie walked to the front, sweat glistening on his forehead, kohl even more smudged than intended.

"I'm glad it sounds like you're enjoying yourselves." The crowd cheered at his words and he smiled, a bit sheepish, a bit shy. "Thank you, we still have one last song for you. It's off our new album," he twirled the microphone cord in his hands. "And it's written by our very own bassist, mr. John Deacon!"

The crowd clapped and whistled and cheered loudly and John smiled to himself, leaning into his microphone. "It's an odd number, I'll give you that."

"Here is," Freddie paused for drama. "Misfire!"

A jazzy tune of guitars and bass and loud clear snares started up. The crowd was absolutely too hammered to hear the lyrics properly but you had to giggle. John caught your eye again and saw you laughing, looking away a bit bashful.

The song ended with a happy strum done by Brian and then the lights dimmed, they all bowed and it was over. You were still tingling all over from the basslines sliding over you to notice the crowd start to dissipate.

Backstage there was energy and bubble. Freddie had a cheap bottle of sparkling wine that he was trying to pop open. The cork shot out and hit the ceiling with a loud bang and the band cheered. Freddie raised his glass. "To John's birthday and first song," and tousled John's curls. You laced your fingers in his and smiled.

"Hey, I have a present for you," you whispered in his ear when the other boys had started squabbling goodnaturedly about something.

"You didn't have to," he told you, but he looked happy as you handed him the box.

The red satin ribbon came off with ease as he tugged at it gently, slightly nervous at what you had gotten him.

"It's a mixtape. And tickets to my next show for the entire band. But don't tell Freddie now, he'll lose his mind." You smiled, when he opened the box to a small cassette tape. The plastic case rattled slightly when he took it from the box and turned it to try and see a setlist. Instead of a list of songs, it was the polaroid of you two, grinning stupidly into the camera on a thunderous saturday afternoon.

"How will I know what song's coming up?" His smile was hesitant.

"Well, uh, I thought it was sweeter with the polaroid. Also I kind of forgot what songs I put in there."

"Wow."

"And I know it's not much but-"

"No, no it's great," he smiled and while you had turned away flustered he wiped one eye quickly. Freddie caught his eye and grinned mischievously as if all this was somehow his doing.

"Alright, alright then, it is John's birthday, so it is only appropriate we go get properly wasted," Freddie interrupted the moment and raised his glass. "To Shelley's!"

Shelley's was a pub Queen frequented often, whether it was performing or chatting with the aggressive but kind hearted matron. You spun around on the barstool as John ordered some strangely named Shelley's exclusive cocktails which always tasted familiar but they weren't your average Bloody Mary's.

He brought two glasses of a bright green drink, which tasted like artificial watermelon, and if you were honest, it was kind of shitty. But you were enjoying yourself.

The radio blared some old songs, couples danced to slow songs and groups of girls rocked out to the fast paced disco songs. You were taking it in, reporter eyes absorbing every detail when John took your hand.

"Did you have fun tonight?" He whispered.

"The best time. Happy birthday again. I loved the new song." You smirked a little bit.

"Well… It is pretty funny. Like you said I should make it."

"Is it truthful?" You challenged, alcohol making your filter nonexistent.

"What? Of course not!"

"Prove it."

***

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