#i really want to participate in his birthday and i might not be able to

[buwheal]

Spamton, it doesn't matter if we didn't *mean* to hurt you - we did anyway. You were hurt, and that deserves an apology. We are sorry.

[mylovelies-docx]

Love Bites (But So Do I)

🎃 HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO ALL MY SPOOKY, HORNY BITCHES 🎃

I'm finally participating in Kinktober, but it's literally the last day and it's whatever the fuck I wanted to write.

Pairing: Innocent!Vampire!Reader x Werewolf!Bucky

Plot: Reader is suffering from hunger pangs due to national blood shortage. Bucky offers a solution.

C/W: 18+ MDNI!!! (I am so for serious). Loss of virginity, age gap (Reader is late 20's), what’s the name for blood drinking?, fingering, praise kink, unprotected sex, slight dom/sub, knotting, cock-warming, fluff, resolution of mutual pining.

Vampirism is cool and all, but it also fucking sucks sometimes.

Like during a national blood shortage.

You’d been turned only a couple of years ago around the time of your 25th birthday. You can’t quite recall what happened, as everything around the event is distorted in your memories. All you know is that you were on a mission with some of the other Avengers one second, and then the next you were lying in the med bay with an intense craving for blood.

Everyone was surprisingly accepting of your new ‘condition’, with the exception of one person.

Bucky.

Bucky wasn’t on the mission where you were turned into a vampire, so he had no idea what he was walking in on when he stopped by to visit you in the med bay. You distinctly remember the look of worry and confusion on his face when he peered through the window and saw you strapped down onto the bed. You’d given him a forced, awkward smile and turned your head away, not able to look him in the eye.

You heard the door to your room click open and Bucky began to call your name, but then he inhaled sharply, unable to finish his question. You turned your head slightly and peeked back at him. You could tell immediately that Bucky’s werewolf senses had picked up on the change in your DNA, his instincts telling him that you were now his enemy.

You leaned your head back against the bed and closed your eyes, devastated that Bucky hated you before you could even have a proper conversation with him. You’d been on the team for a few months at that point, only really developing surface level friendships with everyone. They were all welcoming enough, but your anxieties prevented you from letting anyone in.

With your eyes closed, your other senses were able to accommodate for the loss of sight. The gust of wind from Bucky opening the door rushed up your nose, and a heady, intoxicating scent lit up your brain. Your eyes popped open and you stared at Bucky, noticing his heavy breathing and his pulse pounding against the arteries in his neck. Your mouth watered at the smell of him, divine and irresistible in a way that no one else had been up to that point.

A choked keening had erupted from your throat, your wrists and ankles straining against the bonds holding you down. You twisted and pulled, trying to break free and make a run for Bucky, but he’d immediately sensed your desire to drink his blood. A shutter fell into place over Bucky’s face, masking any expression that might have been there. He sucked in one final deep breath and slammed the door to your room, storming down the hallway and away from you.

As soon as you could no longer detect Bucky’s scent in the air, your mind cleared somewhat and you were able to realize just how out of control you had acted and how embarrassed you were at your actions. But you were also unable to stop imagining running after him and sinking your teeth deep into the flesh of his throat. 

Slamming your head a few times onto the bed underneath you, you cursed yourself. Bucky barely even liked you before, but now he probably despised you – not just for what you were, but for how you acted, as well. You’d gotten off on the wrong foot with him to start, but then you’d stumbled hard and crossed a line by almost ripping your arms to pieces in order to get to him.

You’d never been able to look people in the face or hold eye contact for very long, but it’s especially true when it comes to Bucky. You’re not exactly sure why it is that your heart races and butterflies fill your stomach, but the feelings bubble up and prevent you from speaking and make you uncomfortable in your own skin. This happens every time you meet someone new or are with people you don’t really know, but the sensations that flood your body when Bucky is around are 100x worse than anything you’d felt for anyone before.

You’d realized in that hospital bed that whatever you’d felt for Bucky prior to becoming a vampire had changed, had become almost unbearable. His scent never left your thoughts and your mind always drifted off to think about Bucky: what he was doing, where he was, who he was with. Your eyes would darken and turn red, fangs lengthening when you imagined him with anyone other than you. 

It’d taken you weeks to recover your sanity completely. You’d drained bag after bag after bag of blood, never feeling completely satiated, but unable to find out why. Some members of the team visited in those weeks to determine if you were safe to be around, and although the aroma of their blood wafted through the air and surrounded you, you never reacted to any of them the way you had to Bucky that first day. Dr. Cho had decided that you were no longer a threat after your successes, so she’d allowed you out of your restraints. You were finally able to walk the halls again and explore the compound. 

Though the sunlight wouldn’t kill you (discovered during Dr. Cho’s studies), your skin would prickle and start to burn after prolonged exposure, so you tended to avoid the daylight. You’d wander the halls after everyone had turned in for the night, lamenting the fact that you could really only spend the evenings with them all before they needed to sleep. 

You’d catch whiffs of Bucky as you stalked the night, your pulse racing and endorphins fizzing through your veins, but he never appeared. Bucky kept his distance from you for nearly a full year after you’d nearly attacked him. You couldn’t blame him. He’d been tortured enough in his life, he didn’t need the added stress of you trying to suck him dry every time he entered the same room as you.

It took some time, but you were finally able to cohabitate the same spaces with him again. Even though your mouth watered and your hands longed to reach out and grab him, you refrained. You kept yourself distant in order to make him more comfortable with your presence even though nature meant for your two species to hate each other.

You understood why Bucky had such a vehement reaction when he smelled you for the first time after your transition; walking the streets of New York, you’d catch of whiff of wet dog and dirty sock, immediately identifying werewolves as they prowled the streets, their stench clinging to your nostrils and turning your stomach. You’d grimace and walk away as fast as you could in search of clean air not polluted with the presence of werewolves. If grody socks and dirty mongrel was what you perceived werewolves to smell like, you can’t imagine what Bucky must smell emanating from you.

The only thing that doesn’t make sense is that you’d never found Bucky’s scent displeasing: in fact, the fresh, pine scent drove you crazy and had your body begging to be near him despite knowing that he’s a werewolf. You feel insatiable whenever he’s around, needing to consume blood soon after in order to calm the raging hunger within you.

Your mouth waters at the thought of the hot liquid filling your mouth and sliding down your throat, warming your insides and sending shivers all the way down to your toes. It’d been nearly a full day since you’d last tasted the savory red substance. 

A nation-wide disaster the Avengers had handled yesterday required the hospitals to use up most of their stores of blood, leaving you feeling guilty for even thinking about taking the life-saving liquid for your own benefit. All the Avengers were out celebrating a job well-done and the prevention of more death and destruction that would have occurred had you all not been there to help. 

The fight yesterday had taken everything out of you, and you were unable to drag yourself from the couch where you had collapsed earlier in the day. Your head is spinning and your muscles are weak from the lack of  blood in your system. Some of the others had offered you their blood to help you feel better, but you’d declined and told them to go out and donate it to one of the blood banks that were in desperate need.

You’d never drank directly from a person in the years since you’d become a vampire, choosing instead to avoid the intimacy that must come along with the action. Holding someone’s wrist in your hands as you clamp down on their radial artery, nuzzling your face into the crook of their neck and sucking a mark around the two perfect puncture holes from your fangs – it just felt overwhelming.

And besides, the only person you could even imagine suckling from was Bucky and he’d never offer you his blood, regardless of whether it was in a bag or straight from the source.

You groan as your stomach contracts in on itself, the emptiness feeling as if there’s a black hole inside of you and you’re going to be consumed from the inside out. You feel foolish for turning your friends’ offers away, but there’s no way you’d have kept them from enjoying themselves after everything they went through yesterday. You can only hope that Dr. Cho is able to procure something for you in the morning or else create some alternative to the human blood that sustains your life force.

You’re curled in the fetal position on the couch, clutching your stomach and trying to think of anything else besides this nauseating hunger you feel. Your eyes squeeze tightly shut and your face scrunches in agony. You moan once more, unable to hold it in.

All of a sudden, your senses detect the presence of another person in the compound – a door in the residential wing swishing open and the pad, pad, pad of socked feet walking towards you. The sweet, fresh smell of a pine forest after a spring shower wraps around you, easing the pain enough for you to open your eyes and witness Bucky walk into the living room and find you lying there. His face contorts momentarily, but then smooths back out.

“Y/N?” he questions. You whine at the timbre of his voice, the rich sound penetrating your eardrums and burrowing into your veins. “What’s wrong?”

You wince as another hunger pang claws through your gut.  “I’m –” you whisper hoarsely. “I’m hungry. So hungry.”

“Hungry?” he asks. “What about the blood you keep in stock?” Bucky walks over to the hospital-grade equipment in the kitchen behind you, looking for a blood bag you know isn’t there. You hear him open and close the door, quickly ascertaining that there is nothing to be found within. Bucky quickly walks back over to you and crouches a few feet from the couch. “Where did it all go?”

A red-tinted tear falls from your lower lashes, leaving a pink streak along your cheek. “The… the civilians,” you murmur quietly. Even with Bucky’s enhanced hearing, he has to lean closer to hear what you say. “They n-needed it more th-than me.”

“Shit,” Bucky mutters under his breath. A determined look comes over his face as he rolls up his sleeve. He holds his wrist in front of your mouth and barks out a command. “Drink.”

You barely find the strength to shake your head at him in refusal. “No,” you whine. “I’ve never… I can’t…”

“Yes,” he growls, “you can. And you will.” Bucky stretches his mouth wide and rolls his head on his neck, transforming his normal human teeth into the incisors of a wolf. He bites down onto the center of his wrist, tearing open his vein and shoving it back in your face. “Drink.”

Your bloodlust overtakes you at that moment. The warm, coppery blood seeps down his wrist and beads onto the sofa beside your head. Your hands move of their own accord, your mind fighting a losing battle with your instincts. You grasp Bucky’s wrist and wrap your parched lips around the gaping wound. You lick and suck where Bucky’s teeth had torn apart his own flesh. At the taste of Bucky’s blood hitting your tongue after years of craving it, a pleasured whimper crawls up your throat and forces its way between your parted lips against his flesh.

Buck’s metal arm reaches around and cups the back of your head, holding you in place as you continue to feed from him. “That’s right, doll,” he says. “Take as much as you need.” You feel the cold pressure of his hand as he strokes your hair away from your face. “Fuck. Been waiting for this. For you.”

The words send a shiver through you and you would have happily stayed right where you were for the rest of eternity, but the mouthfuls of blood have quickly turned into a trickle. You whine at the realization, running your tongue over Bucky’s wrist to confirm that his wound is healing too rapidly for you to continue drinking. You cry and raise your eyes up to Bucky’s, tasting his blood that had dribbled down your chin as you lick your lips.

“It’s –” you try. “You’re not…”

Bucky curses once again. “I heal too fast and the vein is too small for the amount of blood you need.” 

He takes a hair tie from his pocket and quickly runs his fingers through his hair, gathering it all into a bun at the back of his head. Bucky rises swiftly and picks your body up into his arms. He cradles you against his chest as he settles quickly on the couch and places you in his lap. He circles one arm around your back to hold you upright and uses his other to guide your mouth to his throat.

“Bite,” he commands.

You whimper at the authority in his voice, but shake your head. “I’m okay,” you plead. “I – I don’t know how –”

“It’s instinct,” he replies harshly. “You do know how.” He takes your head and pushes your face further into his neck. “Bite me. Now, Y/N!”

“I don’t want to hurt you,” you cry, resting your forehead against his skin and struggling to maintain the hold you have on your sanity when Bucky’s pulse is thrumming just under his skin. It’s right there. So close you can hear the blood as it rushes through his veins. This is the closest you’ve ever been to Bucky and his scent is beginning to drive you insane. You pant heavily against his throat, exhausting yourself from the effort of holding back.

Bucky releases a sigh and a sliver of tension leaves his muscles. The hand against your back strokes up and down, settling your body as it shivers against his. 

“You won’t hurt me,” he says. “If I use my claws, the cut will be too big and I'll bleed too fast. Your teeth are so small, I won’t even feel them,” he soothes.

You hesitate for a moment before saying, “... you promise?”

“I promise, baby,” he hums.

The softness of his words is all it takes to tear down your defenses. You suck in a breath and bare your fangs. They sink into the skin right above his jugular and you feel the slight pop as you pierce its wall. Blood gushes into your mouth and you feel something inside you pop open just like Bucky’s vein. 

All of the sudden, you become acutely aware of everything Bucky.

The rhythm of his heart as it pumps blood through his body and into yours, his breaths as they leave his mouth, the sounds he makes as you suckle at his neck – as if he’s enjoying every second of having your lips at his throat and sucking the blood as it floods into your mouth in time to the pulse of his heart. You can feel your own heart race to match his, beat for beat.

You moan at the sensation and pull harder against Bucky’s neck. Needing to be closer, you swing a leg over his lap to straddle him, hooking one arm around his shoulder and the other around the back of his head.  You feel Bucky’s hands grasp your hips as he holds you tight to his body. 

Involuntarily you roll your hips against him, rubbing your covered core over the bulge in his jeans. The action elicits a groan from Bucky and the contact sends an electric current through your body, forcing your hips to seek more friction. You continue to grind against Bucky’s crotch, your panties becoming soaked and leaking through your shorts and onto his jeans. 

You continue to draw from Bucky’s neck as he begins to thrust against you in response to your motions. You moan at the extra pressure against your mound and work harder to match his rhythm. 

“Fuck yeah, baby,” Bucky groans. “Using me so well to work that sweet little clit.” You whimper against his neck and brace one arm on the back of the couch, gaining leverage and moving your hips faster against him. “You gonna cum like this, darlin’?” He pants into your ear. “Gonna cum when I haven’t even touched you yet?”

At his words, you release your fangs from his throat and take big, heaving breaths. You pull away and stare down into Bucky’s eyes, his pupils dilated and staring deep into your own. You lean down quickly, capturing his lips with your own like you’ve dreamed of doing for so long. Bucky returns the kiss feverishly, working his tongue between your lips and delving into your mouth. You continue to grind yourself against Bucky until you’re nearly delirious with lust and feel a tight knot forming between your legs.

Bucky’s fingers snake between your bodies and pull the fabric of your shorts and panties aside so that he can run his fingers along your soaking slit.

“What a good girl,” he growls. “Already so wet for me.”

He nudges one finger at your entrance and you keen at the pressure of his thick finger trying to enter you. You huff against his mouth, trying to relax and allow his finger entry.

“’s okay, sweetheart,” he breathes against your throat as he trails wet kisses from your lips down to your shoulders. “’m not gonna hurt ya.”

You nod your head feverishly and lean backwards, changing the angle of your hips so that his finger has more access. It slips inside and your pussy clenches hard around it, not used to anything filling you so full. You cry out in pleasure as he crooks his finger against your walls with what little room he has.

“Goddamn, you’re so tight,” he huffs. “Have you not done this before?” Bucky questions you, using his free hand to pull your face back towards his so that he can kiss you once before letting you respond. 

You shake your head no and cry out again as he withdraws his finger and plunges it back into you. He continues to massage your walls while he pulls his finger in and out, in and out.

“Then is this okay, baby? Do you like this?”

“Yes! Yes, Bucky! I – I love this.” 

He sucks your bottom lips between his teeth and holds it there for a second before letting go. “Let me see how much you love it, Y/N. Come on, cum for me.”

“Uh, ah, I’ve never –” you half confess before stopping yourself by biting your lip and throwing your head backwards.

“You tellin’ me you’ve never let yourself orgasm, pretty girl?” he asks you. “What a tragedy,” he growls against your neck, finger still working between your legs as he slowly tries to fit another one inside you.

“Unh,” you whine in time with his finger thrusts, feeling the stretch of your hole as the slick from your core coats his hand and allows his second finger entry. You gasp at the sensation of his two thick fingers inside of you and the heel of his hand against your clit. The knot in your stomach feels as if it’s stretching as tight as it can go, pulling and straining to be undone. You work your hips in time with Bucky’s hand, trying to get him deeper inside you where your body screams for more.

“But don’t worry,” he whispers against your ear. “I’ll take care of that right now.”

Bucky’s other hand comes up and pinches your erect nippled through your shirt. The sharp sizzle of pain morphs into pleasure as he surges through your nerves and rips the knot in your core apart. Your hips freeze and your knees lock tight against Bucky’s hips, every muscle in your abdomen clenching and your walls bearing down on Bucky’s fingers. 

“That’s a good girl,” he breathes. “Look at you cumming all over my hand.” His words send another blade of pleasure to your core and you squeeze his fingers tighter. “You like when I talk to you, baby?” Bucky asks. “You like when I tell you you’re a good girl?” Bucky chuckles at the realization that his words cause your pussy to work his fingers harder.

“Does my sweet, pretty girl want to cum on my cock?” He wonders, tracing a finger down the side of your face and then slipping it into your mouth. You instinctively suck on his digit, lathing your tongue around the tip. Bucky sucks in a sharp breath when you nip at his finger with one of your fangs.

“Dirty girl,” he teases as he takes his finger from your mouth. He grabs your chin and looks into your eyes again. “Will you let me fuck that tight little pussy of yours?”

You moan and nod your head. “Yes! Yes, Bucky – please!” you cry out.

With a wolfish grin, Bucky grabs the back of your thighs and holds you up as he carries you out of the living room and towards his bedroom. You notice two little pinpricks of blood where your fangs had been earlier, the skin already healing over. You lower your mouth back to Bucky’s throat and lick his skin clean. Bucky bounces you in his arms and kisses your lips forcefully as he finally arrives at his room.

He crawls with you up the bed until your head is nestled on his pillows and his body covers yours completely. The warmth of him encompasses you and his scent surrounds you where it pours from his sheets and clothing scattered around the room. Bucky’s bedroom smells just like him, like being sheltered by a grove of pine trees as the sun rises in the sky after a long, dark night. 

 Bucky slides his hands under your shirt and pushes it up your chest, kissing your breasts as they’re exposed. You hum at the warm, wet kisses he places on your nipples before he pulls the shirt over your head and up your arms. Next, he kisses your lips and slowly makes his way down your body, leaving a trail of warmth in the wake of his lips as he reaches the waistband of your shorts.

His fingers curl around the elastic and tug them down, down, down, your legs. Bucky sits back on his haunches, your shorts and panties dangling from the end of his fingers. You reach to cover yourself with your hands, never having had anyone look at your naked body before. 

His glacier blue eyes lock onto yours and freeze you in place. Bucky shakes his head once, telling you to stop hiding yourself from him. You slowly pull your hands away, not exactly sure what to do with them now that they don’t have a purpose.

Bucky hums in content at seeing your naked body lying on his bed, wet and ready for him. He slides backwards off the bed, keeping his eyes on you the entire time. Your face heats as he whips his shirt over his head, exposing his solid chest and torso. He reaches for the button of his jeans and slowly undoes the fastenings. He watches your eyes widen when his cock springs free, finally relieved of its confinement. 

You can’t take your eyes away from Bucky’s dick as it stands at attention, the pink tip weeping liquid. You quickly glance up at Bucky’s face, and see amusement flicker in his eyes.

“I don’t th-think…” you stammer.

“Oh,” Bucky rumbles. “It’ll fit.”

Bucky positions himself on top of your body again, pulling your legs apart so that he can nestle his hips between yours. You feel as his warm, hard length rests between your lower lips and up onto your mound. He’s so big that you could wrap both hands around him and there would still be leftovers. You swallow hard and look up into Bucky’s eyes as he hovers over you. 

“Are you sure?”

He leans down and presses a hard kiss to your lips. “I’m sure.”

Bucky guides his tip to your entrance, coating the head with your juices. He slides it up and down your slit, notching it against your clit and sending shocks to your core. You slowly bring your knees up and wrap your feet around the small of Bucky’s back, reaching your hands to grab onto Bucky’s metal wrist where he has it placed above your head. You look into his eyes as a smile graces his lips.

“Good girl,” he praises. Your body shivers at the compliment and you smile shyly back at him. Bucky takes the head of his cock and slowly notches it into you, pausing at your gasp of air. “Relax, doll,” he says as he leans down to kiss you. You melt into the kiss, allowing your legs to relax slightly and your walls to open enough for Bucky to slide in a couple of inches.

His cock is thicker and longer than his fingers and your body is unsure what to do with so much of it inside you. You whine against Bucky’s lips, the stretch and pressure unfamiliar. 

“It’s okay, baby; you can take me.”

You nod and consciously relax your pelvic floor, imaging the muscles loosening up and allowing Bucky inside. You can feel the effects immediately, Bucky’s hips closing the gap and the tip of his cock lodging deep inside you, the notched head putting pressure against a point inside you that forces all the air to leave your lungs. You suck in a sharp breath as Bucky fully sheaths himself inside you, barely believing that his entire length rests within your walls.

“That’s it, doll,” Bucky commends your efforts. “Told you you could do it.”

You smile at him earnestly, proud of yourself for taking all of him inside of you at once. He brings his flesh hand up to your face and pulls your bottom lip down with his thumb. “I’m gonna move now, okay? You ready?”

“Yes,” you breathe. Your heart pounds in your chest as Bucky slowly slides from you until he’s almost completely out. Then, in one smooth motion, he presses back inside, the head rubbing against the spot that made you lose your breath when he entered the first time. You stare into each other’s eyes as Bucky continues to rock into you, his hips meeting yours with every press forward.

You can’t help but sigh at the sweet pleasure that builds from Bucky’s measured pace. You unwind one hand from Bucky’s metal wrist and reach for his face, closing your eyes and capturing his lips in an ardent kiss. The feeling of him moving inside you is nice, the coil from earlier returning to its place inside your core.

You cry out suddenly when Bucky’s next thrust enters you with more force than his previous ones. He opens his eyes and looks down at you, seeing the heat of your cheeks spread down your neck. He smirks and slams into you again, harder. Your eyes widen and your breath rushes out with the thrusts, your walls constricting around him with the repeated motion.

“You like that?” he questions, thrusting hard into you again. You gasp when he picks up speed and force, slamming into you over and over again. “I said: do you like that? Answer me.”

“Uh”-thrust-“huh”-thrust- you answer, your affirmation being knocked out of you as Bucky slams into your core. The rapid, harsh thrusts have the ridges and veins of Bucky’s cock sliding against your walls, and you can feel every single one of them tightening the coil inside of you until it is stretched tight once again. Bucky continues to thrust, taking you higher and higher and higher until there’s no room left inside of  you that your emotions seep from your eyes, your pink-tinged tears from pleasure rather than pain this time.

You gasp for breath repeatedly, listening to the wet sounds of Bucky thrusting in and out of you, the moans and muttered praises falling from his lips. 

“So good for me.”

“You take me so well.” 

“Look at you, crying over my cock because it’s making a mess of your sweet little cunt.”

The praise sends you soaring, you can’t help but whimper and sob into Bucky’s mouth as he keeps his face close to yours, making sure that you like everything he does to your body, monitoring your cries of pleasure to make sure he’s doing the best he can.

The coil begins to fray and snap. You begin to tense up, the sensations becoming too much.

“I think,” you moan, “I’m gonna…!”

Before your body completely lets go, you feel Bucky snarl into your neck and bite down hard with his incisors. You feel a flood of endorphins rush from Bucky’s mouth and travel through your body, pooling in your core and lighting the coil on fire. You cum hard on Bucky’s cock, liquid gushing from you. Your mind goes completely blank as your body shudders and shakes against Bucky’s, your pussy sucking him in as if it will never let him go. Buck retracts his teeth from the mark on your neck, licking his tongue over the puncture wounds. 

“Oh, fuck yes, baby girl. Look what I did to you – no one else will ever make you squirt like I do. No one will ever touch you. You’re mine, baby. No one else’s. I’m never letting you go.”

You stare down in enraptured surprise as you feel Bucky’s cock suddenly swelling inside you, locking him in place. He’s buried to the hilt and you feel a bulging just inside your entrance, preventing him from thrusting any more. Bucky groans loudly in your ear and you feel warmth and extra pressure against your walls, filling you to the brim with Bucky’s cum.

 Bucky leans down and nuzzles into your neck, placing tired kisses against where he’d bitten you. “Mine,” he growls. “Say it. Tell me you’re mine,” he commands.

Your eyes drift closed as the after effects of your orgasms and Bucky’s mark leave you breathless and blissed out. “Yours,” you murmur. “Always.”

Bucky flips you both over, his knot keeping you firmly locked together, unable to separate even if you wanted to (which you don’t). He lays you gently on his chest and holds your face in both of his hands. He wants you to look at him, but your eyes are so heavy that you can barely lift them.

You hear Bucky’s low voice as you drift off to sleep, but the words don’t make any sense.

“My mate.”

***

Your eyes snap open at the feel of soft lips against your forehead, then your nose, then eyelids and cheeks, and finally against your own lips.

You pull away immediately, hands covering your mouth in absolute horror. The previous night comes rushing back to you when you sense the heaviness of a mark on your neck and the aching pulse between your legs. Bucky looks up from where he lays beneath you, his expression turning puzzled and then quickly alarmed at your words.

“I’m sorry,” you say. “I’m sorry, Bucky. I didn’t mean to. I can’t believe –” you gasp out, placing your hands over your entire face and scrambling away in embarrassment. “I don’t know what came over me. I told you. I’ve never done that before, I didn’t know that would happen. I – I must have hypnotized you or something!” you cry out. “I didn’t know that was something I could do! I'm so sorry. I never should have –”

“Hey, hey, hey,” he calls, rushing to sit up and pull your hands away from your face, tilting your chin up until you’re looking at him. There’s a tender look on his face that you’ve never seen before, as if he’s dropped all of his walls with you. Your heart shatters at the realization that you’ve made him do things he never wanted to.  

His eyes soften, almost as if he could understand your thoughts just by looking into your eyes. He tries to get you to calm down, to regulate your breathing by taking in deep breaths of his own, but you’re too full of anxiety and self-loathing for it to work.

“It’s okay,” he consoles you. “We didn’t do anything I didn’t want to do.”

“How is that possible?” you sob helplessly, trying your best to divert your gaze from his. “You don’t even like me. You’ve never liked me and especially not after I became a vampire. I mean, you’re a werewolf! You hate me. You couldn’t even stand to be in the same room as me for a year.” 

“Shhh,” Bucky soothes. “When did I ever say I hated you?”

Your brows furrow in confusion, your breaths continuing to heave in and out of your chest, but your heart somehow calms of its own accord. You feel its beat echoing around you and you realize that Bucky’s heartbeat is working to calm yours, his eyes peering into your own while his hands rub up and down your arms in a soothing motion. “I – we’re enemies,” you say quietly. “Vampires and werewolves have always hated each other.”

“Do you hate me?” he questions, turning your face so that you’re looking at him once again.

You hesitate for a moment before shaking your head softly. “No.”

“And I don’t hate you,” he states, raising a hand and softly stroking your hair.

“But you…?” You try to make sense of what Bucky’s saying. “You can’t stand me. You avoided me after – after I…”

“Because I didn’t want to scare you,” Bucky murmurs. “I knew that if I was around you, I would do something I would regret.”

“...like kill me?” you wonder.

Bucky’s lip quirk into a small smile and he chuckles at your question. “No, Y/N. Not kill you.”

“Then what…?”

“After you were turned,” Bucky begins. He pulls his hand from you and clasps your hands within his, gently stroking your skin with his thumbs. You watch, entranced, as his fingers move over your skin. “I realized something as soon as I walked into your room in the med bay and scented you for the first time.” He tugs on your hands until you look up into his face. He smiles softly down at you with a look of pure adoration and love. “You’re my mate, Y/N.”

You stare at him in confusion. There’s no way – that’s not possible. “How… How is that possible? Are you sure I didn’t hypnotize you into thinking that?”

Bucky rolls his eyes and laughs. “You didn’t hypnotize me – that’s not real, and you know it.” He moves one hand to your throat, where he caresses his bite mark on your skin with his thumb.  “I don’t know how it happened or why the universe saw fit to bind us together, but it did.” Bucky bends his head and smiles ruefully at you as he continues. “I knew you were going to be special to me the first time we ever met, but you were so quiet and you avoided me like the plague, so I thought you were afraid of me.” 

You feel the anguish coming from Bucky as he thinks back on how you treated him these last couple of years. How your inability to meet his eyes or hold a conversation with him led him to believe that you were frightened to be near him, frightened of him. 

You pull your knees to your chest and rest your chin on your folded arms. You glance away and say softly, “I’m… I’m not good with people. Sometimes it’s okay, but others… it’s like I forget how to talk to people.” You flicker your eyes to his quickly, but look away just as fast. You raise your fingers to your lips and rub back and forth, a nervous habit you’ve had for years. “If…if I… like someone. It makes it worse.”

“And that’s why you wouldn’t talk to me?” Bucky questions, pulling your hand from your mouth and placing a kiss on the center of your palm.Your face flushes and a small smile flits to your face. You nod your head while looking down at your knees.

“Well,” he says, “I like you,too.” You raise your eyes to see a smile lighting up his face and brightening his eyes. “I always have.”

“You do?” you ask, checking to be sure that Bucky isn’t just saying these things because you slept together after feeding from him. “It’s not because of what I did last night?”

“No, sugar,” he replies. “I’ve wanted to be with you this whole time.” You watch his eyes scan your face, watching your reactions and feeling your emotions through your new bond. “Do you want to be with me? I wasn’t going to mark you without asking first, but my instincts wouldn’t allow you to be so close without claiming you.”

You shyly pull your hair over your shoulder where Bucky’s mark resides. You worry a strand between your hands and look up into his eyes. “I… I like it,” you confess, feeling your heart beat faster in your chest at your bold words.

“Good,” Bucky states. He leans into you and brushes your hair back away from your shoulder, exposing your mark and placing a tender peck against the raised edges. “Because you’re mine.”

You nod and tilt your head to the side, allowing Bucky to trail his lips up and down your throat before he makes his way to your lips. He kisses you deeply, his tongue sliding into your mouth and meeting with yours. You hum and unfurl your body, climbing into his lap as his hands guide you into straddling his waist.

“I’m yours,” you agree.

“And I’m yours,” he echoes.

________________________________________

So I didn't have time to make the part 2 I was thinking about for this, but it was never a direct continuation anyway.

Hope you enjoyed! 🎃

[yuri-is-online]

Happy Holidays! I’ve been on a bit of an angst fix lately, so if you don’t mind, I’m going to brainrot in your inbox about it.

I’ve been thinking about a scenario where Yuu just finally snaps. I mean, an entire school year of being trapped in a foreign world with no certain hope of seeing your family again, being forced to contend with (at least) 7 life-or-death scenarios, the massive egos these teenage boys have, and probably at least a little bullying from the NRC students for being magicless. I mean come on, I love our boys and all, but a lot of them are kind of awful people. There’s no way a regular person’s mental health survives that.

And maybe Yuu, tired of it all, packs up what little they have and leaves. Surely their prospects couldn’t get any worse than at NRC. Maybe Yuu tries their luck at RSA in finding someone to help them go home. Maybe Yuu just wanders until they find somewhere where they can be something. Would they even leave a letter behind explaining what happened to them, or would they just assume no one would care anyway?

I just want some more Yuu angst lol

Do you have any thoughts on this?

Happy Holidays to you too annon! Everyone is welcome to brainrot in my inbox, especially about Yuu. And I do have some ｢(ｰﾍー;) but I might be a bit nicer to the NRC boys than they deserve.

notes: they/them used for Yuu, more fleshed out fic can be found on my masterlist here. SPOILERS FOR UNRELEASED CH 7 CONTENT. CW for abandonment issues, ptsd, bullying, and just general ignorance on the part of the OB boys. Heavy on the angst, this is a mega oof tm of a post.

I want to start off by saying that, in my personal opinion based off of the in game voicelines and vignettes, that the various NRC boys do like Yuu and enjoy having them around. They think of them as the same of any other freshmen student at NRC, which is sort of the problem.

The average NRC freshmen has magic, a dormitory with a housewarden responsible for "guiding" them, and a family they can fall back on if things get rough. The average student has a basic understanding of the history of the world they live in, of it's pop culture, it's food, it's clothes, and a bunch of other things that they might not think about because of how ingrained it is in their very being. Yuu has none of those things. They don't even have a cannon club which I think is more meant to allow players to have head cannons, but since we are talking angst I have wondered if since Yuu and Grim are one student, any club Yuu wanted to join would have to take Grim as well and no one wanted to deal with that. So Grim started his own "club" and Yuu just takes pictures of birthday celebrations and events they aren't able to fully participate in for the school at Crowley's request.

Ace's first reaction to Yuu is to bully them for not having magic. Deuce admits to having done the same thing as when he was a child, and is very embarrassed by it. We don't really see Yuu getting outright bullied outside of this, but given how the faceless students reacted to Deuce being excited for Starsending, yeah I think Yuu has had to deal with some bullying. And while I do think Adeuce (and the rest of Heartslabyul really) would stick up for them, it wouldn't make it stop. If anything it just gets sneakier and Yuu, not wanting to cause any problems, does their best to cover it up. Something about keeping a stiff upper lip or a smile better suiting a hero and all that.

The overblots is a whole separate issue. We get two real apologies, one from Riddle and one from Vil, who again do not take Yuu being magicless in to much thought. They think of Yuu highly! They are a housewarden of their own little dorm! And they take such good care of Grim and the others, not to mention all those overblots you survived! Not many mages can claim that but you can! What could you possibly have to be stressed about?

As if that isn't the entire problem. As if anyone understands where Yuu is coming from. As if they even would care if they did.

They might be just as capable as any other freshmen, but when school ends, hell even when it goes on a break, they have no where to go. They were stripped from their friends, family, and especially their belongings, including money and autonomy! I have some thoughts about my own Yuu wanting to be nurse in her world, but given how much of even basic medical care seems to rely on magic in Twisted Wonderland I wonder if that would even be a career path any magicless person could take. We know a lot of them work at Styx because they don't risk blot accumulation, but even cooking is done with magic (if it can be) in Twisted Wonderland! How would you feel if you had your heart set on being a doctor, worked really hard to get good grades and took up a part time job to save for college/university only to be transported to a different world with different laws of physics completely against your will. A world where all that hard work is meaningless and you might not be able to accomplish those dreams of yours. And! AND AND! If you get upset about it, that will be seen as a weakness on your part and no one will care.

Because hey, they had to work for what they have. Why can't you? They didn't ask to be born with magic (even though they would have probably) so there is no use crying about things you can't change. Ruggie and Jamil do seem to feel a bit of sympathy to Yuu's plight, but neither of them think twice about exploiting Yuu for their own gain. Sure it might be unfair, but life is in general! It's not their fault, they aren't to blame. And that's really how all of NRC sees it, they aren't to blame for Yuu's circumstances, so they aren't owed any special treatment.

How Yuu snaps and what they do because of it would really come down to how you hc your Yuu to be. My own personal thoughts come back to personal autonomy a lot; I don't think Yuu has much of it and that would grate on me constantly. I could see Yuu hearing their friends talk about their plans for the future, and though Ace and especially Deuce try to include them in the conversation they can't add much. Ace applauds them, says "we need to take things easy! We're still freshmen..." and drones on about how he just wants to enjoy school life. And maybe Yuu does too, but they have no concrete answer about whether or not they can get home. They don't have the support system that their classmates do, so there really isn't anything waiting for them after the school year ends. Yuu feels so helpless, and they don't have the words to explain how they feel, because how could they?

If Malleus's overblot ends without any real repercussions (which I doubt it will but hey, I am like 65/35 on whether or not he apologizes to Yuu specifically for almost killing them I will be so pissed if he doesn't) I could see everyone else making fun of Malleus for loosing while Yuu just. Stares off into the distance, trying really hard not to cry in front of people they are convinced will make fun of them. This has all been scary, things like this just aren't possible in their world and they aren't mentally prepared to face death again.

And they are convinced they will. You can say overblots are rare all you like, but Yuu has practically seen one once a month ever since they arrived in this world. It is normal to them, and who should they trust? The lying headmaster or their lying eyes and ears?

If Yuu decides to run away, I think that the Ramshackle ghosts might try to stop them. Sure the headmaster sucks, but your ghost buddies really love you! And want to support you in anyway they can, so does Grim! He wants to be together for the next 100 years, and while he does really want to stay at NRC so he can be the world's greatest mage... I think he might love Yuu more. Just a tiny bit. He would play it off as him being too good for the school, or that he and Yuu are only one student after all so he will be expelled... but really he wants to come with because he will be worried about Yuu.

While going to RSA does sound nice on paper, Yuu doesn't really have a reason to go there. They aren't exactly on first name basis with any of the students we've met so far, and there is always the risk of Che'nya snitching to Riddle and Trey. Better to try and find a place where they can be something and maybe send letters to all the magical academies they can get contact information for to see if they can help. And also, to see if they will accept Grim as a full student, got to make sure he isn't sacrificing his dream for nothing!

The ghosts, realizing they can't convince Yuu not to leave decide to help. They already sell things at the markets downtown, so maybe they chat with some of their clients and convince them to let Yuu rent a room for a while. You have the option in Portfest to mention you have been to Craneport before, and I like the thought of Yuu having a part time job there. Maybe the ghosts explain that Yuu has no real family to go back to and Yuu's part time employer agrees to give them a full time job while Yuu figures out where they want to go.

Another thing related to personal autonomy, Yuu wouldn't have government documents if they just got isekaid out of the blue. I could see that being a huge issue for traveling to different countries and trying to establish a life. I also wonder if Crowley even did anything about that... but assuming he did since he (allegedly) talked to the school board about what to do with Yuu I think the ghosts would get them for Yuu on the condition they still come visit sometimes.

As for the note, I think Yuu would leave one simply because they feel like they didn't have the words to explain themselves out loud. And because they don't want to face the fight they know will come where everyone tells them to just suck it up and get on with it. These are teenage boys they are dealing with, their brains just can't fully comprehend the situation Yuu is in and they have given up expecting them to.

Just so we're clear, I think this would devastate Ace and Deuce, maybe to the point of destroying their friendship, at least for a while. Ace does think about Yuu not having magic, he wants to protect them. He says so when you level him to max, that protecting you will be easy, but clearly it wasn't. Clearly he failed you, and what does Ace do when he feels bad? He takes it out on everyone else and in this case especially Deuce. Deuce just feels stupid, which he already does a lot, but he really saw you as being around for the rest of his life. And now you aren't, and not for a happy reason like you got to go home. You aren't there because they failed you.

The others are a bit of a mixed bag I could do a separate post about but to hit the other big one...

I have no real idea how Malleus would react. I can see him thinking this means Yuu is afraid of him now, which I don't think he would react well to, but assuming this is post ob then he might be willing to take responsibility for it. It would certainly make him think, but how that thought would manifest? Outside of the obvious weather changes I do not know. I could see him being slightly resentful to his mother for cursing him to be hated by humans and loved only by fae when he so desperately wanted to be loved by one specific human. They were his first real friend, and he didn't treasure them in a way they found meaningful.

idk Yuu dropping off the grid isn't something I can see Crowley letting happen, but I can see why Yuu would want to try.

[allysunny]

Hi Ally!! (Can I call you that?)

First of all,

*ahem*

CONGRATS ON 200 FOLLOWERS WOOOOOO✨️🩷🎉

I know that every single one is deserved, and I'm proud to be one as well 😌

I saw that you were doing a lil event to celebrate, so don't mind if I do!! 👀

I'd love it if you could write some much needed luv with Brucey! I picked 25+1 + g!

Imagine that Bruce and reader are just watching the stars, maybe either in the gardens of Wayne Manor or on top of Wayne Enterprises, and all Bruce can think is how beautiful reader looks under the shinning stars 🥹

Basically, Bruce is infatuated and he's smiling like an idiot!

You can add, take away stuff as you please, of course!

I'll wait as long as you need, so no pressure!

I'm excited to see what you come up with!!!

Much love,~ Fi 🐝

"You look stunning" / "You don't look so bad yourself" + "I love you" + Stargazing x Bale!Bruce Wayne

Words: 4k words

Warnings: Tooth-rotting fluff, friends-to-lovers, Bruce is a big sap and he's very much in love, stargazing and talks of stars (nothing too technical). This is extremely sweet, very corny and sappy and I live for it! Written with a female reader in mind, I'm sorry but I don't yet write for GN!Reader.

A/N: First of all, thank you very very much for the kind words!! YES, you can absolutely call me Ally! Everyone can! I agree that we need some love with Bruce because this man needs happiness pleasepleaseplease...

This was my first 200 Followers Celebration entry (which is still open and you can participate!), and I'm so happy that I got to write this scenario! We don't often get to see Bale!Batman being happy, so I hope I did him justice, and I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Took me some time because I had to sort out some uni stuff, but it's done and I really had fun with it!

I hope it is to your liking!

⁽ᵃˡˢᵒ, ˢᵐᵃˡˡ ᶠᵘⁿ ᶠᵃᶜᵗ, ⁱ ʲᵘˢᵗ ᵈᵒⁿ'ᵗ ᵍᵒ ᵃˡᵒⁿᵍ ʷⁱᵗʰ ᵐᵃᵍᵍⁱᵉ ᵍʸˡˡᵉⁿʰᵃᵃˡ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵃᶜᵗᵘᵃˡˡʸ ʳᵉᵃˡˡʸ ᵈⁱˢˡⁱᵏᵉ ʰᵉʳ ⁱⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ᵐᵒᵛⁱᵉ ˢᵒ ᵉᵛᵉʳʸ ᵗⁱᵐᵉ ⁱ ʷʳⁱᵗᵉ ᵃᵇᵒᵘᵗ ʳᵃᶜʰᵉˡ, ⁱ ᵃˡʷᵃʸˢ ᵖⁱᶜᵗᵘʳᵉ ᵏᵃᵗⁱᵉ ʰᵒˡᵐᵉˢ 😭⁾

Parties at Wayne Manor could be oh so dreadfully boring.

Bruce didn’t particularly enjoy them, nor did he even want to throw them, but he knew it was necessary to keep up appearances. Tonight, he celebrated his birthday.

The evening had been filled with fake smiles, polite nods, firm handshakes. “Happy birthday, Mr. Wayne”s here, “You’re looking more and more like your father each day”s there, “What a spendind party this is, Mr. Wayne!”s in the corner, and, if he was feeling particularly unlucky, a few “Ah, what a lovely Manor you have, Mr. Wayne. Such a shame you’ve been keeping its beauty from the world…”s somewhere.

He’d downed one or two glasses of champagne in a few gulps, finding it harder and harder to stand the people all around him, fake leeches who hung on his every word and command, enthralled by the promises of what his money and wealth might mean to him.

Well, all except for one.

You.

You’d been friends for a while. Bruce can’t pinpoint exactly what made him think of you as his best friend other than just a regular acquaintance, but he knew he would never give you up. You were the only person who saw him for he really was, who refused to kiss his ass and baby him, who told him things as they were instead of coddling him simply because his name implied he was to be so.

He felt disarmed when he was with you, able to say anything that went on his mind. He could be himself. Could crack terrible jokes that would have you throw pillows at his face, could drop the eccentric billionaire façade and be an annoying nerd (as you so often put it), just looking for some friendship. He could talk to you for hours on end about topics that weren’t his last name, his family, his money, or his status. He could ask you for book recommendations and be told he’d enjoy this one silly adventure book about spaceships and planes, as opposed to the boring non-fiction and autobiographies usually gifted to him, “a man of culture”.

He could ask you for good restaurants and you’d take him to small, barely noticeable cafes and places that served homemade food, instead of being offered reservations at Michelin worthy restaurants. He could be a regular person.

Every time he felt himself loose grasp of his identity when adorning the black suit, he was reminded by you of who he was. You didn’t know of his secret identity but could sense when he was particularly tired or trained and were always able to put a smile on his face and return his grip on reality.

He needed you by his side. You calmed him down. You cheered him up whenever he felt upset. You made him laugh whenever all he wanted to do was cry. You didn’t question him whenever he told you he needed space, instead providing him with just that. And as days went by, Bruce Wayne was not sure if he saw you as a mere friend anymore.

After all, friends don’t linger their gazes on each other’s lips for more time than deemed appropriate. Just friends don’t make up fake problems or fake dilemmas just to get the one to visit them (let’s be honest – “I don’t know where I put my remote” was a pretty pathetic excuse and Alfred mocked the hell out of him after you’d left).

In conclusion, he needed you. By his side, to cheer him up, to get him out of boring situations, close, smiling, laughing, happy, to hug him, to be with him, etc. He needed you.

Which was why he’d invited you to celebrate a date as important as his birthday.

Bruce never really minded his birthday. He usually spent it at work during the day, politely accepting the nice words people gave him, then got home, ate his favourite dish cooked by Alfred, and left right after to protect the city of Gotham.

But unfortunately, he just had to celebrate his birthday this year. He’d been cornered by a few Wayne Enterprises associates and tricked into throwing a hell of a party in his Manor. He just sighed and filled Alfred in on the conversation he’d had at work, instructing the older man to take care of the preparations.

And of course, he’d invited you. If there was anyone that could make this dreadful celebration just a bit more bearable, it’d be you. He invited his childhood friend Rachel Dawes as well, but she’s just announced her engagement to District Attorney Harvey Dent, and while they remained friends, he did not expect her to dedicate him all of her time (especially when everyone kept asking to see her ring and tell the wonderful story of how they met).

But the problem was, you were nowhere to be found.

He knew you had arrived, Alfred had told him so, but just as he was about to chase you down the huge area that served as a ballroom, he was interrupted by a few family friends. Seeing as these were some of the few families that were in genuine good terms with his parents, and not simply greedy leeches, he decided to chat with them, smiling genuinely at their compliments and quips.

But now it’d been a few hours, and he couldn’t find you. And the combination of all of the unwanted people, the general chatter, and the lack of the one person he wanted by his side were getting to his head. And perhaps the champagne as well, even though he hadn’t drunk nearly enough to be the slightest of tipsy. What if Gotham needed him?

“Ma’am, I’m sure your quest for the very much secret next Fabergé Egg is quite intriguing, but I have a few guests I need to tend to. Everyone wants a piece of the host, what can I say? Birthday boy privileges.” He charmed the woman with one of his most dazzling smiles and pried away from her gloved grip, looking around for his knight in black and white armour.

Quickly replying to every guest that throwed a comment his way, he reached Alfred, who was standing in the corner of the room, silently accessing the party.

“Another useless conversation with any of these bloodsucking idiots and I’m killing myself,” he muttered, grabbing a champagne flute from a passing maid, and chugging the whole thing in one go.

“And here I was thinking you’d probably die at the hands of some unruly criminal, wearing the cape and cowl. All that training and fighting in some remote location only for you to die at the hands of Gotham’s wealthiest?” Alfred said, his voice laced with sarcasm and brow quirked up.

“Well Alfred, get me out of this and I might just be able to die the way you envisioned me doing so.”

“By my hand, Master Wayne?”

“Exactly.”

The two men chuckled, and Bruce took another look around the room, before turning to his butler.

“Have you seen – “

“In the gardens.”

Bruce was halfway across the ballroom, shouting “Thank you!” before Alfred could say anything else.

It took a while for him to find you.

After all, the gardens were filled with people talking, catching up, and the occasional couple slobbering all over each other’s mouths, apologizing profusely once they saw the Manor’s owner stride past them.

“Bruce?”

He turned around and was met with Rachel’s smiling face.

“Running off so soon?” she asked, Harvey Dent’s unmistakable figure walking up next to her right after.

“Yes, well, one can only get so much attention before they start getting bored of it.”

Rachel gave him a sympathetic look, and shook her head, nudging it towards Harvey.

“You don’t have to pretend with us.”

With these words, a weight was lifted off Bruce’s shoulders. His posture wasn’t perfect anymore, and the charming, cocky smile left his lips.

“If I have to talk to one more person who wishes to know who the hell decorated the living room…” Bruce sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his fingers.

“I get it,” Harvey said, shaking his head. “If only people were interested in something other than how much I spent on Rachel’s ring, I’d feel more inclined to interact with them.”

Bruce nodded and smiled in understanding, before looking around. He thought he’d glanced at a very familiar face, but unfortunately, it wasn’t you.

“Looking for someone?” Rachel asked with a knowing smile.

“Yeah, actually, have you seen – “

“She was near the apple tree in the back.”

“Thank you.” Bruce nodded and all but sprinted towards the place, leaving Rachel to giggle with a rather confused Harvey.

“Who’s he talking about?” he asked.

“A “friend” of his,” Rachel replied nonchalantly.

“He seemed rather eager to see this friend of his. Surely that’s not all there is to her.” He chuckled; brow quirked up.

“And that, Harvey, is what everyone else but the two of them have figured out.”

Bruce did not hear what his friend had said, but if he did, he’d have gently corrected her.

Because he had, in fact, figured out whatever he felt about you.

Mostly.

He knew he liked you, that’s for sure.

He liked your smile. He liked your personality. He liked how your nose wrinkled up whenever you were cooking. He liked how your eyes sparkled whenever he gifted you a new volume of a book series you’d been collecting, or the way your laughter resonated across the Manor whenever you beat him at videogames. He liked how you always stopped to pet cats and dogs on the street, and how you made funny faces at babies in the supermarket.

He liked how his Manor, although big and empty, seemed full of life with you in it. Even if you were cuddled up on one of his couches, watching a movie, he always thought of it was warmer and more inviting just from your mere presence. He liked it when you massaged his head, thumbs circling his forehead so gently that he often found himself falling asleep in your lap. He liked your touch – found it addictive. Pulling you close to him on the street to protect you from traffic, hugging you every time he saw you, having you throw fake punches at him whenever he told a terrible joke.

He likes you. That much is clear.

But why was it so damn hard admitting that to you?

His steps slowed down as he approached a very familiar apple tree. Wayne Manor had plenty of beautiful plants and trees, much more so than this one. But there was something about it that always caught your eye. Not to mention, it was near a secluded area of the gardens, and you had always been fond of hiding in there. “It makes me feel at peace”, you told him.

Sure enough, that’s where he found you. Staring at the night sky, pretty locks of hair carefully styled with a few flower clips, hands resting one on top of the other behind your back.

You turned to him, shaken up by the sound of footsteps, and he took you in.

And, wow.

To say you looked beautiful would’ve been a crime - such a word couldn’t do you justice.

You wore a sparkly silver gown that pooled softly at your feet, your form modestly accentuated. Two silver straps held it at the front, coming together in a flattering cleavage. Your back was on display, and Bruce had to control himself not to touch it with his bare hands. You looked lovely, your silhouette shining beneath the stars. Their gentle glow was casting a perfect light on you, making you look even more like the celestial bodies you were admiring.

“Bruce?” you asked, tilting your head slightly.

Bruce shook his head, grounding himself.

“Yes. Hey – hey.”

“Cat got your tongue? I said happy birthday,” you smiled and walked up to him, silver dress twinkling with each step you took.

It was as if all of you were made of pure, sheer, dazzling starlight.

“Won’t your guests miss you?”

Bruce approached you halfway and gave you a shrug.

“Probably. Doesn’t mean I’m going to miss them.” This earned a smile from you, and Bruce found himself smiling too. His gaze lingered on your face for a while, before descending once more and taking your lovely figure in again.

“You look stunning,” he said, and you seemed to blossom at his praise.

“Thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself.” And he didn’t. With his black tux and matching bow, he was the picture of elegance and charm. And that disarmingly charismatic smile of his was helping him a long way. There was a reason of course, women fawned over his good looks.

“What are you doing out here?” Bruce asked nodding his head towards the night sky, the one you had been looking at.

“I couldn’t take it in there anymore. It was way too loud, and everyone was way too fake,” you rolled your eyes and sighed. “And the sky is looking far too beautiful tonight. At least here I won’t be disturbed.”

“Well, I did just disturb you, so I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

“I wouldn’t call it disturbing. Your presence is always welcome.”

For a while, the two of you stood side by side, just watching as the sky glittered above. It was peaceful and quiet, and everything Bruce had wanted for his birthday. A nice, uneventful evening with you by his side.

“I can’t believe you can actually see the stars tonight,” Bruce mumbled, genuinely impressed. Usually, as the industrial and active city it was, one never got to see the stars thanks to smoke, lights, or other manmade obstacles. But tonight, the sky was clear and bright, and no clouds were in sight.

“Right?” you smiled, pointing at the sky above you. “Look over there – see that one?”

“Which?” Bruce squinted.

“That one – the kyte.”

“Ah. Yes. I do.”

“That’s the Big Dipper.”

“And the other one next to it?”

“That’s the Small Dipper. Can you see that bright star at the end of it?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s Polaris, the Polar Star. It’s supposedly the brightest star in the night sky.”

“I can think of something brighter,” he muttered stealing a glance at you.

You leaned against him and spoke of constellations and stars to him. Told him the myths that surrounded each one, how far they were from the Earth, how they’d come to be discovered. The party had been long forgotten by the two of you, and after a few minutes of discussing each constellation and their origin, you fell into a comfortable silence, just happy to listen to the happy sounds of crickets and the soft wind brushing against the trees.

“I got you something,” you said, breaking the silence after a while.

He turned to you as you opened your purse and pulled out a small, rectangular object carefully wrapped in golden wrapping paper.

“I know it’s not much – “

“[Y/N]”

“Shush! I know it’s not much, but I worked hard to find it.”

You handed him the small package and he was careful to not rip the whole thing open. Bruce carefully removed a book from inside, and his eyes widened.

“The Great Gatsby?”

“Open it.”

He did, and his eyebrows nearly rose to his hairline.

“Is this?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you sure?”

“Mhm.”

Bruce carefully touched the inked paper, eyes going over F. Scott Fitzgerald’s words over and over again.

“Where’d you find this?” he asked with a smile.

“That’s a secret. But it’s been quality checked a few times, and I can guarantee it’s the real deal.”

“So, with “It’s not much”, you meant you were giving me a signed copy of The Great Gatsby?”

“You deserve more than that, Bruce.”

In a heartbeat, he had embraced you tightly. You rested your head in the crook of his neck, standing on your tiptoes to wrap your arms around him. Overcome with joy, Bruce spun you around once your twice, and you laughed loudly, holding onto him for dear life.

“Be careful Bruce – shit, don’t drop me!” You protested in between giggles.

Bruce came to a stop, and looked right into your eyes, the world’s biggest grin playing on his lips. It’d been a while since you’ve seen him laugh so freely. Such occurrences were rare – Bruce wasn’t one to smile, not really. But when he did, it was a lovely thing. Not one of his fake smiles, the ones practiced in front of a mirror to impress rich folks and Gotham socialites – the real ones, the ones he gave you in special, true moments like these.

You’d do anything to see him smile like this more often.

“I’d never drop you,” his voice dropped to a whisper, and he swore he could see one hundred stars in the spark of your eyes. In fact, the stars in the sky did not hold a candle to your beauty, no celestial body would ever be more fascinating than your eyes. He was sure astronauts had to be wrong – how did they want to explore the galaxy, when there was one right here, staring into him?

“I know,” you whispered back, hands still on his chest. “I trust you.”

He waited for a minute, eyeing the contours of your face, memorising the way your mouth parted and how soft strands of hair fell on top of your forehead. You stood still, still observing the smile that never left his lips.

“Do you?” He broke the silence.

“Hm?”

“Trust me.”

“Of course I do. I’ll always trust you.”

“Promise?”

“Promise, Bruce. Always.”

“Please remember those words after I do what I’m about to do.” He chuckled and leaned in, brushing his lips against yours in a silent request. Your breath hitched and you looked up at him, to find his eyes closed. You were inches away from him, and yet, he refused to move any further.

“Tell me it’s not just me,” he whispered. You could feel his warm breath on your skin, and it sent goosebumps all over your body. “Tell me the way I feel about you is not one-sided. But if it is – “ and you swore you felt him tense, “I’ll leave it alone. We’ll forget this ever happened; we’ll go back to being friends. But please, just tell me.”

You took shaky breaths, still feeling dazed from being so close to him.

Bruce remained with his eyes closed – he didn’t have it in himself to look at you, not right now. He was far too scared of what he might find in your eyes. Regret, disgust, hate. He couldn’t deal with it.

But the worst thing was the silence. Weren’t you going to say something? Were you going to taunt him forever? He could feel your body against his hands, soft skin sending shivers down his spine, so he knew you hadn’t left yet. Why weren’t you replying?

He got his answer when you pressed closer against him, and he felt your lips on his.

Bruce had fantasised about how his first kiss with you would be, but nothing prepared him for this moment. It was as if you were made for him, slotting perfectly against your body, hands on the small of your back, bringing you closer while your hands rested on his cheeks. Your lips moved in unison, as if speaking a language of their own, and Bruce felt slightly lightheaded.

You tasted sweet – probably from the chocolate covered strawberries you’d no doubt been stealing inside, and wanted to savour them, savour you, for as long as he could.

When you two parted for air, he pressed his forehead against yours, finally opening his eyes. The view was breathtaking; your lips were puffy and parted, your eyes were big and wide, pupils dilated and sparkling in the moonlight. Bruce swore you’d never been so beautiful.

And then he smiled, widely, and burst into chuckles like a lovesick teenager.

“You look beautiful. Have I told you this yet?”

“You have,” you replied, caressing the skin of his cheek. He leaned into your touch, pressing a tender kiss on your palm. “You do too. I love to see you smiling. You should smile more often.”

“Like this?” he asked, pointing at his grin.

“Yes – exactly like that. I could see you smiling more often. And I bet Alfred could too.”

Bruce grinned and kissed your forehead. After, he kissed each of your cheeks, and then the palm of your hand, and then the back.

“As long as you’re by my side, I’m sure I’ll smile much more often.” He confesses.

“Well,” you brought his body closer to you, and all Bruce could think of was how stunning you were, how beautiful you looked, how lucky he was to hold a star in his hands. “I don’t plan on leaving, Birthday Boy.”

It was so uncharacteristic of him. He never smiled this often, and certainly, never for this long, but Bruce couldn’t help it. He was happy. He had you, right there and then with him. Everything was well – more than well, everything was perfect. So why wouldn’t he smile?

His heart was getting fuller and fuller, and he blurted out the next words, without giving them much thought.

“I love you.”

You stared at him, eyes wide, surprise written all over your face.

And Bruce kept speaking, because for once, he was not at a loss for words, he knew exactly what to say.

“I think I’ve loved you ever since I first saw you. I love you and the way you brighten my days and make me feel like something when I can barely get out of bed. I love how you always manage to pick up the pieces whenever I’m shattered and never make me feel responsible for it. I love you. I love your beautiful face, your bright mind, your kind soul, your feisty spirit. I love you – I think I have for a long time, but I’ve never had the courage to tell you. But tonight – this party – you – it's made me realise something. This is Gotham. I could wake up tomorrow, and you’d be gone. I’d be gone. Anything could happen in this city. And I can’t let them happen without you knowing how I feel about you. I’m not expecting an answer back; I know this is a lot of information. And I know I come with a lot of baggage. There’s a lot about me you don’t know, and I haven’t told people to keep them away and keep them safe. But, if you’ll have me, I promise to spend the rest of my days making it all worth it. I will love you and take care of you forever, I promise. I love you, [Y/N].”

You looked at him, and Bruce saw your eyes sparkle with unshed tears. Had he scared you off? Were you upset? He reached out to hold your face, ready to wipe the tears away should they fall.

“I’m sorry. That was too much, wasn’t it?”

“I… I think I love you too.” You replied. The tears did not roll very far down your face, because Bruce was there to wipe them away. And in that moment, you knew he would always be there, be it to catch you, or wipe away your tears, or hold you close. “I really do.”

Bruce’s smile only widened, and he picked you up once again, spinning you around in the darkness of the garden. Your dress floated around you, like a shooting star’s trail, and he laughed loudly. He hadn’t felt this happy, truly happy in a big while. You joined him in laughter, and he put you down carefully.

“Thank you.”

You raised an eyebrow.

“For what?”

“For the perfect birthday gift.” Bruce bent down to capture your lips once more, and stare into your eyes. “You look like starlight tonight. You look perfect. And I’m the luckiest man in the world.” He smiled and kissed you again, because the stars were shining, and you looked beautiful, and his heart was full.

Bruce Wayne didn’t smile very often. But how could he not, when you rivalled the stars up above, and were his, and made his heart burst with joy?

A/N: And that's it! I hope you guys liked it! I'm afraid it was a tiny bit rushed - please do tell if it was. I hope it lived up to the expectations!

Thank you very much for reading, and I hope you have an amazing day ahead!

[xiao-come-home]

How Genshin men hold your hand;

┏━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━┓

✰ Characters: Diluc, Kaeya, Xiao, Zhongli, Ayato, Itto, Alhaitham, Cyno.

✰ Words: 1,6k.

✰ SFW blurbs, fluff; no reader pronouns or gender specified.

Warnings: diluc implies some su//gg//estive stuff, slight angst in xiaos part, itto cant stop talking therefore is the longest, cynos bad jokes

A/N: i fell into the csm imagines rabbithole and one post inspired me so much I had to do it for genshin men too!! i hope this is readable, i stayed up to 5am writing this and my brain just exploded. also shout out to lady gagas songs that helped me write this lol

┗━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━┛

Diluc:

Most of the time, you only feel the smoothness of his glove wrapped around your hand - which still, is quite rare for him; generally, Diluc doesn't hold hands with you that much. Not that he doesn't like it, but simply, he'd rather save it for special occasions - such as a particularly rougher mission, feeling more emotional than usual, or perhaps there's a big event coming for both of you, like birthday or anniversary. Diluc's hands are rough and veiny - and due to battles, calloused - the aforementioned might be the cause of his unwillingness as well, but you don't mind - it's what makes you want to feel him. It's what makes him... him. However, Diluc always reciprocates whenever you want to hold hands.

When you're both panting heavily, sprawled on the bed and recovering after previous activities, Diluc's bare hand slips slowly to intertwine itself with yours; his grip is tight, thumb gently stroking your soft skin, but he doesn't dare to look - the crimson haired man wants to savor the moment by just feeling you squeeze his hand in response, that causes him to involuntarily smile.

Kaeya:

Another man, another pair of gloves. Kaeya is very fond of hand holding, no matter where - be it public, or private; he loves strolling through the city of Mondstadt and walking hand in hand, showing off his precious significant other. When you're off to festivals, his hand NEVER leaves yours - "I don't want to lose you, silly," he always says. If his eyes catch a special wine or tavern, his hands signals it by playfully squeezing yours.

In private, Kaeya's bony and slender hands always want to be interlocked - as long as one of his hands is free, the hand automatically searches for yours, craving for the warmth no one else is able to replicate. One of his guilty pleasures is gently pressing a kiss to your intertwined hands. Kaeya doesn't seem to realize it, but his eyes often wander to observe your hands - it makes him feel alive, to see you're just as willing to participate. Every day, it makes him happier that he's made the right choice, even if his past will one day remind him of itself.

Zhongli:

Absolutely relishes in holding hands and is not afraid to show it. Always asks whether you want to hold him through the gloves or bare - he really doesn't mind, but secretly prefers (and hopes) you'll want him to take them off. The feeling of both of your hands pressing against each other just so perfectly, especially during colder days, is what makes Zhongli truly experience the passion of life. His hands are permanently on the warmer side as well, no matter what season it might be.

The former archon's hands are, expectedly, thick and way bigger than yours - moreover, they possess great strength, yet... they also look very delicate, because all of his scars heal quite quickly. He often compares the sizes of your hands - almost as if he couldn't believe this is real; every time you catch him doing it, Zhongli just kisses your cheek softly and smiles. Seeing his hand engulf yours entirely makes him want to protect you at all costs, even if it means crossing weapons with entities beyond this world.

Xiao:

Poor thing, he absolutely loves holding hands, but most of the time, he just... restrains himself from doing it. He's so afraid of tainting you with his karma, losing yet another person who he cares about so deeply- he doesn't voice it though, making it seem like he's just not very into it - but it hurts. It hurts to want it so badly, after watching you sleep beside him and your hand laying there before him, begging to be held. He extends his arm, wanting to touch, to feel, to love - but seeing you shift your position makes him flinch and not dare to continue.

Xiao's hands are cold, thin, and... shy. He holds your hand so softly, afraid to break you; after a while, with enough consolidation, he isn't as strict and scared as he used to. His favorite time to hold hands is whenever you don't really see it (much to your dismay) - usually in your sleep, even if you can't hold his hand back. Xiao caresses your hand ever so slightly with his gloved fingers, melting slightly as he feels the overwhelming happiness flowing within him. Rarely, he takes off his gloves, and both of his hands envelope one of yours - letting the bittersweet tears fall free.

Ayato:

Welcome to the gloves club at this point. Ayato holds a bit of restraint when it comes to the public - he doesn't want to appear too obnoxious, as he has a reputation to maintain. This does not mean, however, that he doesn't hold hands with you in public - he does! and hopes that one day, he won't have to worry about people's opinions this much. During Inazuma festivals, he always finds a slightly secluded area, where he can freely snake his hand around yours; seeing you hold back the giddiness, he can't help but give you a loving peck on the temple.

Ayato's slightly scarred hands with long fingers often enjoy the company of yours; in his free time, behind closed doors, when your boyfriend is finally free - he listens to your ramblings while gently holding your hand underneath the kotatsu. He's also very fond of drawing adorable patterns on your palm!

Itto:

"Behold people, the Aratakis have arrived!" Itto raises your interlaced hands in the air.

He yells that by the way, yeah.

Even though more people roll their eyes at him than cheer (and that you aren't married just yet), Itto makes sure every single soul sees you. He boasts about it everywhere, to everyone, at every hour. He's finally learned how to properly hold hands and the ideal amount of strength, so it can't just go to waste, right? The oni loves to swing your hands while walking if the day goes juuust right, but will tone down the extraness if you don't like it. Whenever he falls asleep on your lap, he always wants to hold your hand - he claims that this way, your love transfers to his dreams and wards off nightmares (please go along with it, he really took his time making up the possible best excuse).

Similarly to Zhongli, he also compares his hands to yours - except he just can't c o m p r e h e n d how small and cute they are compared to his massive, veiny ones, with excessive talking. "Babe, sugar, listen. We ARE the perfect match. Do you see this? My handsome hand fits just right against yours. This can't be a coincidence, I'm telling you. No, no, no, but seriously, lil bug, have you ever wondered why your hands are this small? That's right - they've been made just for me, Arataki "numero uno boyfriend" Itto, haha!"

"But for real this time, I've never, ever, EVER, seen such a tiny wittle, hand in my ENTIRE life. It's so, so adorable, like, you might be actually the only one hand I've seen up close, but you know what? Recently I kinda, you know, wanted to see if there's anyone that can match your absolute beauty, so I tried it on Shinobu. And as you might guess, you're still the cutest...! By the way, mind givin' me a massage on the head?"

Alhaitham:

The scribe doesn't really like PDA, therefore hand holding in public happens only if there's a very small group of people he isn't concerned about, or you really, really need it. He's also worried about your safety and the Akademiya, so he doesn't want to endanger you, since he's messed with them, more or less. But deep down, Alhaitham enjoys the warmth of your hand and how it always takes you off guard when he suddenly intertwines your hands together; the rose blush that spreads on your face makes him chuckle and fight the urge to plant a sweet kiss on your lips (which he usually loses and caves in).

Alhaitham's hands are neat, soft, and slightly bony; if you crave his touch so much, the best way to feel his smooth hands is by taking him on a late-night stroll. When there's just the two of you, enjoying the cold breeze and silence on the usually busy streets, the radiating warmth from the scribe's tight grip is more than enough to send another wave of butterflies in your stomach. If you can't go out or simply prefer not to, Alhaitham is at all times willing to read you a book while cuddling and gently squeezing your hands together from time to time.

Cyno:

Good luck, this man has a DEATH GRIP on you for a while. He really thinks it's fine, but sometimes it causes you some funny tingling in your hand... Cyno only realizes the amount of force he's been using after seeing you frown and ordering you to mimic his grip. Long story short, Cyno quickly demanded some "handholding practice", which was.. actually going really well. Except for having to listen to hand jokes he's learned just for you, for this very special occasion.

"Love, what tree can fit in one's hand? A palm tree."

"How many bones do you think a human hand would have?

...a handful."

That was tough, but hey, your bones are finally safe now! Cyno's hands are skinny, but skillful and slightly stiff. When there are no enemies around, the General Mahamatra guides you through the desert hand in hand; even though his grasp is still on the heavier side, this time... it feels comforting. It gives you a confirmation, that he's here to protect you. To Cyno, the world of dating seems a bit strange - but even he can't deny the calmness within his soul while merely feeling your fingers between his.

[hotchfiles]

From your new prompt list I’m thinking 5 and James ♡

thank youu

xoxo

send me one of my boys + a prompt

james + reader ⋆ crouching to your eye level while they cup your chin, wiping your tears, "tell me what i can do for you." "stay."

the problem with perfectionism wasn't really the fact that perfection is unachievable, something completely impossible to achieve would be easy to drop, surely, the problem with perfection is the almost. almost getting to it, reaching so close you might as well touch it and still not attaining it, and then forcing yourself to reach for it again and again. because when you're an almost person, you have to believe you're capable of perfection. that you're equipped for it. you just have to keep reaching.

sadly for you, you were an almost person, almost straight Os, with too many E.Es and a few As that did more than just keep you on your toes. when your mother said you needed to get into quidditch like her and your father, you only obliged, like you always did, she wanted you to participate in everything hogwarts could provide you, and to strive for perfection like she always did. you got into the team, sure, but was benched from the get-go, probably being able to get on the field during actual matches a couple times only during your whole time in hogwarts. and you so wanted to make your mother proud, you wanted her to see your efforts, to relish in the fact you tried, tried to be the perfect student, tried to be a good quidditch player, tried to be an auror like she wanted. your mum wasn't a tried person though, she was a perfection achieved person. when you dropped out of auror training you knew your relationship with your mother would be strained, and you knew the type of treatment you would have to endure from her, what you didn't know is how much it would hurt when she couldn't even send you a letter for your birthday, or to ask about the small bakery you had started at the kitchen of your own apartment. that's why when james comes to your apartment to watch movies and fill up on pastries like you both always do on your birthday, he finds you on your bed, eating a cupcake, sobbing like a child. and he doesn't have to ask, because this has happened before, since you were just kids back in hogwarts, he would catch you crying about your grades, or your hair, or your skin, or anything that somehow made you feel less than perfect. and it has been an unspoken agreement to leave you alone, maybe get you something to eat, maybe come back later with a blanket, but to not be there, to not watch you in such a humiliating circumstance. and he respected it every time, even though it hurt him as your best friend. and on your birthday of all days, james can feel a snatch on his heart as he goes over to your bed. you're sitting down, mascara awfully runny, lips still collecting chocolate from the cupcakes you've been eating. he crouches to your eye level while cupping your chin, wiping your tears as delicately as he could, trying not to make you feel exposed or disturbed, "tell me what i can do for you, honey." and truly, he fully expects you to ask him to go away, to come back tomorrow, but instead your hands grip to his shoulder and ask him what he's been waiting for you to ask all those times and he didn't even know. "stay. please." and he does, nodding softly just before you gave him room by your side in your bed, and you both laid down, face to face, as james rubbed your arm so softly it made you feel warm and cozy. and before you can even think of falling asleep to the calming sound of his breathing, his hand goes back to your face, holding you still as he tentatively pulls himself closer, first by brushing his lips to your forehead, and then to your lips, you keep your eyes closed, just in case this is a dream, but you kiss him back, it's slow and loving as your tongues twirl around. james pulls away first, not only for air, but because he has so much to say to you, and he realizes you both have time, but you have to know it, "you're perfect for me, always, in everything you do or don't do. to me, perfection means you." the choice of words only he could master, because only james knew how much those haunted you every single day. and you knew believing him meant the whole concept of perfection wasn't as strict as you were taught, but as you looked in his eyes, and your fingers went through his curly dark hair, and his lips turned into that stupid smug grin that he gave you every time he was able to make you admit you were wrong about something... you believed him, because to you, right now, perfection meant him.

[yuurei20]

Hi! I saw how some of your more recent posts discussed TWST more on the production side of the game and I was wondering if you knew anything about the artists who work on the game? Like the people behind the cards, backgrounds, and the models. I really love the art in the game and I've always wanted to know who the people behind it were.

I've been especially curious about the artist or artists behind the Broomquet cards regular and groovy art, but I wasn't sure where to find that out.

Hello!

Yes! If you visit the credits page in-game, there is a list of the names/aliases used by Yana's five creative assistants!

・Hioki Jun

Information: "Affiliated with creative studio D-6th. Responsible for writing/supervising event scenarios and vignettes for the game app 'Disney Twisted Wonderland.'" (ref: hmv.co.jp )

Hioki is also the author of the two Twisted Wonderland novels.

A search for "Hioki Jun" does not turn up any other work that they've done outside of D-6th, so this might be a pen name.

・Hazuki Wakana and Kowono Sumire

Information: Yana explains that Hazuki and Kowono "...are staff members involved in art production for background settings, cards, and more in the Twisted Wonderland app," in addition to being the illustrator and designer of the Heartslabyul and Octavinelle arcs of the ongoing manga series.

There do not seem to be any SNS accounts or other published works associated with the names "Hazuki Wakana" or "Kowono Sumire," so they might be aliases for use in their work with D-6th.

Yana says that they are both also staff members that have been working with her on her manga, Black Butler, for many years, and Hazuki is listed (along with Hioki Jun and Sorano Tsuki) in the credits of that manga. (There is a reason why "Hazuki" is being spelled "Haduki," but that would get into a looot of language talk.)

The two artists will sometimes have messages to fans posted through Yana's Twitter account, like at the conclusion of the Heartslabyu arc and the start of Octavinelle.

・7

Information: Was not able to find any information on the creative assistant using the pen name "7."

・Sorano Tsuki

Information: In addition to being a Black Butler collaborator and filling an unspecified role in the Twst game, Sorano is also one of the artists in the second anthology manga (far right, the story featuring Stargazer Trey and Deuce). I was not able to find anything else published under the name "Sorano Tsuki."

The Bloom/Broom Series

Yana says that she participated in concept design, costume design, and card art direction of the Bloom/Broom series, but the flowers used were special bouquets designed specifically for each character by a professional flower artist.

It is not specified that the flower artist was someone on the D-6th team, so it might have been someone that they brought on specifically for that one project.

In an episode of Twisted Radio Station it was explained that each bouquet is physically crafted and then reference photos are taken. They said that the illustrations are very detailed, with every petal and leaf individually drawn.

Bonus - Osakabe Wataru

Twst's logo designer / user interface designer / emblem designer / icon designer (etc) Osakabe Wataru designed the characters' personal emblems and club emblems that can be seen on their letterman jackets in the Birthday Jacket series.

They also contribute to the novels and manga (both serialized and the anthologies), other published works such as all three visual books and the Design Note, designed the logo for Twst Channel and anniversaries, the logo and emblem for the Night Ravens music group and do the monthly rotating advertisements in Tokyo Station.

Osakabe is a prolific graphic designer and, unlike Yana's assistants, their other work is very easy to find. Their website and portfolio are here:

[undeadgayboynes]

Jeffrey Combs characters datability tier list

With explanations; A to D, left to right

-Anton Mordrid

Pros: Literally the perfect man. Intelligent, honest, respects you, owns a bird. Communicative.

Cons: A landlord

-The guy from Cyclone (I don't care)

Pros: Very smart, respects your intelligence, will participate in your hobbies even if they don't align with his interests. Charismatic and flirty

Cons: Might die and leave you with the task of protecting a super weapon from the shadow government

-Crawford Tillingast

Pros: Earnest, hardworking, very sweet, intelligent. Will probably remember your birthday. Wears oversized sweaters you can steal

Cons: A pushover, really bad luck, probably not fully emotionally ready for a relationship

-Chaz

Pros: A dork and seemingly a wimp, but will actually surprisingly brave when necessary. Well dressed. Objectively very cute

Cons: Is named Chaz. Complains a good bit, kinda snippy. Infectious anxiety

-Andrew Paris

Pros: Fine as fuck yet highkey a dork, will tell you interesting facts about things. Does his best to be a gentleman

Cons: Kind of incompetent, impulsive. Won't set up boundaries with people trying to hit on him. Seems experienced, but I don't think he's ever touched a boob.

-Dr. Haggis

Pros: Strong morals and will do what he can to uphold them, able to keep a level head in difficult situations. Takes care of those around him. Respects you and takes what you say into serious consideration.

Cons: Lack of confidence, won't say what he means. Alcoholic and smoker with no sign of wanting to change, used as coping mechanism. Pessimistic

-John Riley

Pros: Puts on a brave face, optimistic, hard worker. Loves his family very deeply. Genuinely trying to fix his issues. Will make the right decision when push comes to shove.

Cons: Alcoholic in a way that endangers those around him. Wants conflict to resolve on its own, uncommunicative, will lie to you. When he slips, he slips hard. Has potential to be unfaithful

-Dinosaur Bob

Pros: Fun and carefree, will take you on the ride of your life. Cool mustache. Sees you as an equal

Cons: A bit TOO carefree, irresponsible and impulsive. Does a LOT of drugs and will probably try to get you to do them. Sociopathic and violent tendencies. No morals.

-Francisco

Pros: Confident. Will accept when he is genuinely wrong. Impartial party, focused on facts.

Cons: Literally no opinions of his own, will let awful things happen because an authority says it's fine. That haircut and those glasses. Extremely desensitized to violence. "Facts over feelings" motherfucker

-Shepard Lambrick

Pros: Sugar daddy, will buy you a lot of nice things and you'll definitely get in the will. Cool mustache. Doesn't let people disrespect you.

Cons: Sociopathic and violent tendencies, enjoys other's suffering. Manipulative. One percenter and proud of it. Pushes boundaries.

-Herbert West

Pros: Intelligent, passionate. Will give you gifts. Includes you in his hobbies. Does the 🥺 face

Cons: Will not listen to you nor respect your boundaries. Grand gestures instead of communication, love-bombing. Extremely jealous. Manipulative. Sociopathic and violent tendencies. Condescending, thinks he's better than everyone else, no respect for anything or anyone. Impulsive. Does the 🥺 face

-Milton Dammers

Pros: Passionate and hard working. Speaks his mind.

Cons: Will not listen to you, no ability to compromise. Probably smells bad, greasy hair. Aware of his faults and has no want to change. Obsessive. Probably into some weird shit

-John

Pros: Ridiculously hot, will rock your world. Will break rules with you, in a hot way. Makes you feel appreciated

Cons: Will suicide bait you, ridiculously manipulative. Will ghost you. Kisses a rat on the mouth. Your boundaries? Never heard of them. Will love bomb you and hold that above your head.

[lovingseventeen]

my random thought just suddenly wondering how it feels to have seventeen as your older brother 🥺 personally, i think seungcheol, jeonghan, woozi, hoshi, eisa and vernon radiates big bro energy jsjdhdhshsjs btw i love your writings 😻

svt as older brothers

a/n: this is totally independent from the members and their siblings irl/where they are in their actual sibling lineages lol

seungcheol:

✰ literally an additional guardian

✰ when you come home late he’s in the living room like “where were you” -_-

✰ little tough, but he’s also the person you trust the most

jeonghan:

✰ always always teases you

✰ but still manages to be sweet in the end

✰ if he annoys you too much he'll try to make it up to you by giving you a small gift

✰ sometimes it’s a bag of your favorite chips or maybe it’s a new pack of nice pens because he knows you like them

joshua:

✰ easy going and doesn’t really bother you

✰ also quite responsible so you can rely on him to help you with homework or general responsibilities

✰ although he will (lovingly) post a very cringe (in his opinion, cute) picture of you from your childhood for your birthday greetings

✰ i can’t believe y/n is so grown now, i might just cry 🥰✨🫶 *used ironically*

jun:

✰ unspoken understanding type of close

✰ he’s pretty responsible too but it’s disguised with how weird he is LMAO

✰ will make a controversial snack and always ask if you want some ???

✰ the best bro to watch stupid comedies with

hoshi:

✰ the kind of sibling that you'd bicker with a lot because of the tiger agenda and general small annoying instances

✰ the kind of menace in the sense that he’ll ruffle and mess up your hair or hang out in your room for no reason

✰ but he's also simultaneously your number one defender

✰ someone's interested in you? ohoho get ready to face the older brother interrogation

✰ expect to not be able to easily flirt with anyone, he's gonna ruin it

✰ “oh is this the guy you were giggling about last night-” right before you push him out of your conversation

✰ your s/o broke your heart? NOBODY give him their location

wonwoo:

✰ the perfect sibling to participate in parallel play LMAOO

✰ the two of you are in the same room doing completely different things and honestly, it’s a comfort

✰ the kind to send you a meme instead of just showing it to you on his phone even if you’re on the same couch

woozi:

✰ also a very responsible big bro

✰ i feel like he’d be the best to go to for any advice

✰ maybe more on the serious side but he’s always welcoming to you and sincerely listens

dokyeom:

✰ honestly the kind of sibling that will definitely do stupid shit with you

✰ the kind of brother you’d make a tiktok about bc he’s doing something equally funny and weird

✰ quite literally the most entertaining family member during karaoke sessions on holidays bc he has the voice of an angel but also the energy of a thousand suns when he feels like it

✰ even if you guys ever jokingly bicker i can't imagine him ever really getting mean so y'all don't really argue

mingyu:

✰ always prepares extra food for you

✰ if he gets up earlier than everyone and has to make breakfast for himself, best believe he's making more than one serving so you have something when you wake up too

minghao:

✰ still slightly babies you even if you’re grown

✰ in his mind you’re still his baby sibling and that he has to take care of you regardless of your age

✰ even as adults he might text you on a day that it’s raining and ask “did you bring an umbrella with you to work today?”

✰ puts in the effort for a chance to hang out with you when he can 🥺

seungkwan:

✰ why is arguing with him so funny LMAOAO

✰ go into his room to knock something small over and leave without saying anything and he's ready to throw hands

✰ will jokingly fight you but immediately apologize if he accidentally hits you too hard or he thinks he might’ve hurt you

✰ “what. is. your. problem- oh shit i’m sorry i didn’t mean that-”

vernon:

✰ the chillest older brother omg

✰ reliable in the sense that he'd probably accompany you in your shenanigans - literally goes with the flow

✰ you don't have someone to go with you to this late concert? sure he'll tell your parents he'll go with you

✰ “you wanna go see this band with me?” you ask, showing a poster on your phone

✰ “sure?”

✰ you need someone to drive you somewhere? yeah he can spare an hour, just text him when you need him to pick you up

dino:

✰ also another fun sibling to argue with

✰ it’s fun to tease him by saying he’s your little brother even when he literally isn’t

✰ “y/n i’m literally *insert the exact number of days he was born before you* days older than you”

[lumberwoof]

the final duel between Guel and Suletta and why I really love it actually

it's a final test of Suletta's resolve - it's "you understand what the game is now, are you still willing to throw yourself back into it?" and "this is your last chance to free yourself of all of this, you can turn back now"

it represents a true crossing of the Rubicon - Suletta isn't an oblivious player in someone else's game anymore, she's fully aware of what's happening in the world around her, and she's choosing to participate

it's also Guel selfishly still trying to shield Suletta

I think it's important to remember that Guel and Miorine both consider Suletta as their precious person. it's why they came up with the plan they did, why they entered their sham of an engagement to protect Suletta. so Guel is making a last ditch attempt to protect Suletta (by forcing her to give up on Miorine if she loses the duel, the way they forced her to give up Aerial), but Suletta is single-mindedly determined and defeats him easily

(Guel is someone who always rushes forward, who was inspired by Suletta's "move forward, gain two" adage, and in this duel, just like the others, he surges forward and his haste to move forward, to press, is what causes him to lose (but he doesn't run away, he moves forward even if he gains nothing, which is the true lesson here))

"What a fool I am" he says, for thinking that he could stop Suletta, for that tiny bit of pride that still seeped through and told him that, in a fair fight, he might actually stand a chance (the double meaning of standing a chance, too, not just as a victor of the duel, but in romance as well)

and the symbolism of Suletta at Miorine's door in her Holder uniform. it doesn't matter anymore, Miorine's birthday has already come to pass, the game is technically over, but that's the point, isn't it? the game is over and Suletta still chooses to be Miorine's groom.

without words Suletta says, pick me, choose me, rely on me, I want to be here. I didn't understand and you knew that and you pushed me away to save me, but I understand now and I'm choosing to be here, I'm choosing to be at your side, like I promised to be

I'm here, all you have to do is let me in

(and god, they're already married tbh)

it's also proof of Suletta's new resolve, to move forward even if she gains nothing, she's going to do this thing - to pilot Calibarn and speak with Ericht and her mother - where she might not gain anything from doing it might lose everything doing it. it's the same for her in that moment at Miorine's door. she's talking to Miorine because she wants to, because she has to, to move forward, even if it doesn't actually get her Miorine (the game is over, remember, being the Holder doesn't have to mean anything to Miorine) but Miorine responds, lets her in, because she wants Suletta to be there

(the game is over, and Suletta still chooses to be Miorine's groom. the game is over, and Miorine still chooses to be her bride)

-

post script: I still think about Suletta getting ready to pilot Calibarn, and Guel trying to protest because Gundams kill their pilots, but Miorine just ice cold stares him down because Suletta is making her own decisions now and we will not fuck that up, Guel! even if those decisions are absolutely fucking terrifying to Miorine, she will support them because it's Suletta who's making them

and god, that bit where Miorine is so matter-of-fact running the callback test with Suletta and Calibarn to make sure she can reach a high enough score to break through Quiet Zero's data storm and doesn't appear affected at all, but the second Suletta makes it to Score 5, Miorine just crumbles in tears and prayer

(how much of Miorine was silently hoping that Suletta wouldn't be able to make it to Score 5 so someone else could take on the burden for once, but this is what it means to be the hero's lover in fiction, they will always be the one, there is never anyone else)

[laxmiree]

[CN] 2023 MLQC Lucien's Birthday Party Translation

⚠️ SPOILER ALERT!! ⚠️

This post contains a detailed spoiler for a story that has not been released in EN yet! Feel free to notify me if there are any mistakes in the translation~

Lucien’s 2023 CN Birthday Event (The New World)✧ Birthday Story | Birthday Prologue | Birthday Date | ASMR | Birthday Party (You're here!)

Translation under the cut!

Gentle drizzling rain falls silently, making the air outside the window seem filled with a misty moisture.

I take the last few balloons that Lucien handed me, stand on my tiptoes, and carefully rehang them above the edge of the bed.

MC: Is this position okay? Do we need to make any more adjustments?

The response to my question is a surge of strength around my waist, and by the time I realize it, Lucien has already lifted and carried me to the ground.

He rests his chin on top of my head, guiding me to follow his gaze as we sweep around the entire room.

The balloon ribbons sway, creating beautiful halos of light under the lamps, sprinkling in every corner. I have a vague feeling that we've filled more than just this small world.

Lucien: I think it's just perfect the way it is now. It looks great, and I really like it.

MC: Hehe, that's good to hear. But it's just that I had to trouble the birthday boy to set it up together, so it lacked a bit of surprise factor.

Lucien: [chuckles] Not at all, being able to participate in the surprise is even more precious than the surprise itself.

What do you want to do with him at this moment?

[BLOW OUT THE CANDLE]

Lucien: It seems like I have more and more wishes... Maybe because I know you'll indulge my greediness.

Lucien: While I know that they will eventually come true in the future, I can't help but look forward to those unexpected things that are born because of you.

-

[SING BIRTHDAY SONG]

Lucien: If I say that I want to hear you sing it again, would you satisfy me?

-

[EAT LONGEVITY NOODLES]

I carefully place the meticulously cooked longevity noodles in front of Lucien, then grandly lay a napkin for him and arrange the tableware.

MC: Mr. Birthday Boy, please enjoy your special birthday dish — MC-style longevity noodles~

Under my unwavering gaze, Lucien raises the corners of his lips, gently blowing the steam off the noodles, taking a sip of the soup, and then having a bite of the noodles.

Lucien: This bowl of noodles seems...

MC: What's wrong? Is it too bland? Or too salty?

Seeing this person intentionally elongating the tail of his words as if lost in thought, I can't resist interrupting him, and sure enough, I catch a hint of smile in those narrow eyes.

Lucien: (laughs softly) None of that. It's just that I seem to have tasted something special in this bowl of noodles.

MC: Oh? Professor Lucien's tasting skills are quite on point. Care to elaborate?

Lucien: I can taste the love and blessings that the cook poured into it.

He continues eating, as if in the next moment, a real miracle might be born from this bowl of noodles.

Suddenly, my heart softens, and I can't help but smile as I watch him chew and savor each bite.

MC: (smiles) I think it's time to invite my program consultant to become the resident guest of our food show.

Lucien: In that case, will the Great Producer have to pay me double my salary?

MC: It doesn’t matter how many times it is~ I’ll give it all to you.

Time flows quietly, and everything seems to have slowed down. I don't know since when the rain falls a bit harder, falling drop by drop into my heart.

I'm just looking at him and it feels like I've already posses the most beautiful thing in the world.

Unknowingly, Lucien finishes the last bite of noodles and wipes his lips.

MC: It's rare to see you so well-behaved, you've finished all of it.

Lucien: Perhaps because in my opinion, this is the most direct way to express "I really like it".

Lucien: Moreover, my Miss Supervisor has been watching me attentively from beginning to end, so I have to perform well.

Lucien says and leans closer to me.

Lucien: (gently) I've already accepted all the feelings and thoughts contained in it.

Lucien: As for my understanding and insights about this... I'll have to trouble MC to teach me more in the future.

He said it so naturally that I couldn't help but laugh. I reach out and interlace my fingers with his, gently resting our intertwined hands on his chin.

MC: Lucien, happy birthday.

MC: More than happiness, I hope for your safety, overall well-being, and everything to go smoothly.

MC: Always stay firm in your choices, and always keep your curiosity alive.

MC: May you always walk the path of exploring the unknown just as you wish, unraveling the mysteries that the world presents to you.

MC: I have made these wishes to the gods before*, and now I want to personally convey them to you.

[T/N: a reference to Sacred Mountain date 🥹]

I gaze earnestly into those eyes that are looking at me, delivering my words with utmost care, as if doing so will convey all the blessings to him.

MC: Lucien, happy birthday. I hope all your wishes will come true.

A warm kiss lands on my lips.

Lucien: (tenderly) Then hold my hand tightly and let's make them come true together.

[nutty1005]

Xiao Zhan: About Sheng Yang, I have some questions

Original Article: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/OCkDuZW1tVMamPrWn__SYw Original Author: 肉英 Translator’s note: The original author is part of Yuli Studio, this article is published in Yuli Studio’s Weixin Official Account on 14 Sep 2023 as a part of “Behind the Screens” Volume 1107.

At the end of 2019, Xiao Zhan had just celebrated his 28th birthday. He had received the script of “Sunshine By My Side” and met the 26-year-old Sheng Yang in the script.

Around the same age and having similar work experiences, there seemed to be some wonderful connection between Sheng Yang and Xiao Zhan. Coupled with the lively and lovable characters in the script, it seemed to be an obvious choice to take on the drama “Sunshine By My Side”.

In Xiao Zhan’s work resume, he had portrayed the roles of a lonely and cold prince, a young man with infinite passion and sincerity, a soldier who strove to breakthrough himself, a doctor who was cold on the surface but passionate inside, etc. These roles had given Xiao Zhan different life experiences, but he still seemed to be missing a slice of life work – after Sheng Yang met the audience, this role filled the gap.

The script of “Sunshine By My Side” took more than three years to create, and during these three years, Xiao Zhan had also experienced some of his own growth, and this gave him some doubts about his previously firm choice of Sheng Yang, “I’m already 31 years old, how can I play the role of a younger man who is new and has no experience in the society? Can I convince the audience?” In his heart, Xiao Zhan asked himself repeatedly.

All of these questions, Xiao Zhan told screenwriter Li Xiao.

01

The original Sheng Yang was lively and innocent, his body was filled with endless energy. In Li Xiao’s words, “He was a sunny and light character.” This was also Xiao Zhan’s initial feelings about Sheng Yang, but soon, such a character experienced a round of challenges.

After writing more than 20 episodes of the script, Li Xiao’s emotional life had changed, and she had a deeper understanding of the love story between this younger man and older lady. “The younger man who really wants to properly fall in love must have a very mature temperament and thoughts.” Li Xiao said.

The 26-year-old Sheng Yang actually already had several years of work experience, should he still be a naive big boy? Is it possible that for him to admire Jian Bing for 10 years because of an advertisement 10 years ago, and should Sheng Yang be a completely straightforward and passionate character? Could he fall in love with the older lady Jian Bing just based on pure love?

These questions seemed to have different answers in Li Xiao’s mind, and it was also at this time, Xiao Zhan met Li Xiao for the first time at the script planning meeting.

Xiao Zhan’s doubts and Li Xiao’s thoughts collided at the same time, “Sister Li Xiao and I have met each other too late.” In Xiao Zhan’s eyes, Li Xiao is a person who is very serious about work, both of their thoughts about Sheng Yang hit it off right away at the first script meeting.

The “image of a fledgling, inexperienced younger man”, which Xiao Zhan was worried that he might not be able to interpret well, was almost overthrown by Li Xiao, and he was transformed into a more resolute character, a bit obstinate, and a more serious Sheng Yang. He was no longer a novice in the workplace, but a character with strong personal abilities, inner aspirations, and some sense of maturity.

When encountering difficulties, Sheng Yang was responsible; he also had his own persistence when Jian Bing offered her assistance after losing his job; his choice to start a business was not a decision of a youthful impulse and a hotheadedness, “We want the audience to believe that everything Sheng Yang has gone through, believe in the decisions he made,” Xiao Zhan said.

Xiao Zhan participated in such script meetings three times in total. The communication with Li Xiao also extended from the script itself to the two persons’ tastes in art. “We would talk about some of the works we have watched recently, and she would recommend many interesting movies, drama series, and even radio and audio books, and I saw a lot of good works that I had never seen before.”

It was in this atmosphere that Sheng Yang’s image becomes more and more rounded — in Xiao Zhan’s heart, Sheng Yang was no longer just a cold description of words, but there was an outline of a complete character portrait, all of the motivations behind Sheng Yang’s choices became clear. Only after oneself is convinced then the audience have the possibility to believe, Sheng Yang’s changes finally gave Xiao Zhan the confidence to perform.

“The Sheng Yang now has a clear growth path, and the family atmosphere is also clearer, his sense of responsibility presented, as well as his ability to withstand stress, have all improved. His relationship with Jian Bing has also became more grounded and more believable.” In the three years of script creation, Sheng Yang, like Xiao Zhan, had grown up.

02

“Sunshine By My Side” chose its filming location in Chongqing, a city where Xiao Zhan had lived before and could give him a sense of security. It might have been easier to find the “sense of life” desired in the drama in such a city.

Even so, Xiao Zhan was still a little nervous before joining the drama, “What I’m particularly worried about is actually that I want to interpret the character of Sheng Yang in a very life-like and natural way, if I can make everyone feel that Xiao Zhan is not acting, and he is Sheng Yang, then it will be successful.”

How to interpret a life-like character was a lesson that Xiao Zhan must complete.

Director Song Xiaofei once took Xiao Zhan to Sheng Yang’s home, and after entering Sheng Yang’s room, Xiao Zhan first stopped and looked around to familiarize himself with the environment, then he went to tidy up the quilts and pillows he was going to sleep on. He sat on the sofa again, then got up, came beside the desk, and adjusted all the ornaments on the desk to where he could easily reach them.

“I particularly like the Sheng Yang’s home. The art directors in “Sunshine By My Side” were very good. They made the Sheng Yang’s home very life-like. So when I walked in, I didn’t feel like I was acting at all. Instead, it felt like I had already lived here for a very long time.”

In Sheng Yang’s room, Xiao Zhan seemed to see the house where he lived in as a child. Whether it was the living atmosphere or the environment, everything was too similar.

With such an atmosphere, Xiao Zhan wants to do even better in showing the character of Sheng Yang. Therefore, he is always a little nervous, “I had never acted in such a life-oriented drama, and I was a little uneasy.” From the first day of filming, Xiao Zhan would send the director a message every day.

“Director, do you feel there are any adjustments today?”

“Director, do you think this segment is alright?”

“How do you feel?”

“How about the scene tomorrow?”

Xiao Zhan liked the feeling of being Sheng Yang on the set of “Sunshine By My Side”. He communicated, discussed, and created with the director every day. For Xiao Zhan, this was a way to for him to progress.

On the first day after joining the drama, Xiao Zhan’s first scene was the scene where Sheng Yang met Jian Bing in a restaurant 10 years later. Song Xiaofei deliberately put this important scene on the first day of filming in order to retain that feeling where Xiao Zhan and Bai Baihe just knew each other, and this was also the condition the characters needed.

Recalling the first day of filming, Xiao Zhan thought it was “quite fun”, and on the second day, when filming the scene where Jian Bing was drunk and Sheng Yang took care of her in the hotel, Bai Baihe’s acting skills touched him.

“The plot of that part was that Jian Bing asked for a song and Sheng Yang asked what the title of the song was, then Jian Bing looked at Sheng Yang and said, ‘I really love you’. I had a very deep impression of the look in Bai Baihe’s gaze when she raised her head, it was very stunning to me at that time, I saw the light in her eyes and her whole state directly and closely, and I really learned a lot.”

The excellent performance of the partnering actress also inspired Xiao Zhan’s energy. In the subsequent scenes where Sheng Yang muttered to himself, Xiao Zhan’s performance was more refined than when he was rehearsing.

Director Song Xiaofei was always good at capturing the impromptu reactions of actors under the camera, and that reaction was the most real and the most touching to the audience. Xiao Zhan said: “In the drama ‘Sunshine By My Side’, I just do subtractions, don’t think too much about the plan or anything else, it’s enough to just immerse yourself in the character.”

03

Sheng Yang’s lines were life-like, but they also conveyed viewpoints. To be able to express those views without preaching was a test of the screenwriter’s creative ability, and it was also a test of the actor’s lines performance.

Director Song Xiaofei didnot ask the actors to say their lines exactly according to the script, which made them seem a bit rigid. Most of them did not deviate from the original settings of the script, and the actors could handle it as they felt comfortable. “There were still some differences from the costume dramas I have filmed previously. For costume dramas, there was its own way of segmenting lines and saying words within.” Xiao Zhan said.

In addition to family, love and other story lines, Sheng Yang’s work scenes were also very important. When walking into Shengyang’s office, Xiao Zhan, who had also been a designer, even felt like he time traveled. “Those workstations, drawing pads, pens, and even the office and design software in the computer were all too familiar.” Sitting at Sheng Yang’s workstation, Xiao Zhan would feel relaxed.

“Although these software were not used frequently now, and my skills have degraded a little, it was still possible to photoshop some pictures and edit some short clips when filming.” While waiting for the scene on the set, Xiao Zhan would occasionally make randomly sketch on the draft paper, this sense of atmosphere created an inexplicable connection between him and the character Sheng Yang.

In “Sunshine By My Side”, there was a scene that moved the audience and they exclaimed it as the reality: Sheng Yang had lost his job due to a certain project accident, but he did not complain to his parents. Instead, he behaved as usual every day and went out to find a job on time, going home on time to accompany his parents.

Xiao Zhan fully understood Sheng Yang, who only reported good news but not bad news, because the way he got along with his family was similar to Sheng Yang. Xiao Zhan liked the family of three’s noisy but harmonious way of getting along with one another in the drama, “The parents would bicker and have arguments, but they loved each other very much, were very happy, and were very wonderful.” During the filming of “Sunshine By My Side”, Xiao Zhan’s parents visited him twice and to Xiao Zhan, this is also a kind of happiness.

The audience said that “Sheng Yang is Xiao Zhan in the parallel world.” Sheng Yang, a Chongqing native and designer, has a high degree of similarity with Xiao Zhan. Xiao Zhan himself also felt that “in the process of portraying Sheng Yang, I would subconsciously immerse myself.” For example, Sheng Yang and Xiao Zhan would scratch their heads when they were shy.

“But I’m also afraid that everyone will feel this way.” Xiao Zhan said, “I’m afraid that the audience will project their feelings and emotions towards Xiao Zhan onto this character. Although Sheng Yang and I had the same profession, our personalities are still quite different, Xiao Zhan may be quieter and more stable, whereas Sheng Yang is more outgoing.”

There would definitely be some connection between the character and the actor himself, the real reactions given during the filming might have merged Xiao Zhan’s own temperament in some of Sheng Yang’s scenes, but this did not mean that Sheng Yang is Xiao Zhan.

If the audience felt that Sheng Yang seemed to be truly living in a certain time and space, it might also mean that Xiao Zhan’s interpretation of this character had achieved a realized effect . The “sense of life” he wants to show had been acknowledged by the audiences.

Broadcasting three television drama series in one year is a very rare achievement for an actor and Xiao Zhan also that knows clearly, “The value of an actor lies in using his works to speak, and having a very real feedback connection with the audience.” In the future, television drama series will still be Xiao Zhan’s main development direction, so what will be his next work?

[pumpkincarriage3]

Idia Character Analysis

Fair warning, a good portion of this has spoilers for chapter six. Or at least spoilers are severely hinted at in most parts of this. If you don't mind reading things regarding chapter six, feel free to continue, otherwise I would suggest reading this analysis after you have the chance to read chapter six if you are still interested in this analysis by then.

We don't really get to see a whole lot of Idia within the game's canonical timeline until chapter six. We see more of the Diasomnia characters then we see of Idia and Ortho.

Of course, Idia's character isn't purely defined by what happened in chapter six. And neither is Ortho's. (I might update Ortho's character analysis on a later date since I focused on one aspect of his character and not much else.)

So, let's first address what we know about Idia before chapter six, this including other cards vignettes. (I don't have any of the Birthday cards, except for Jack's that I just recently got. So, if there's any important information in those that I don't mention, that's why.)

We can assume that Idia has a form of anxiety, borderline crippling anxiety. If his anxiety isn't already considered crippling anxiety. Though as I'm not a professional psychiatrist, I can't say for certain, but it's how it comes off. 

Most of the time, Idia can't even bring himself to verbal talk to people one on one, unless he's familiar with them. And if it is just one on one and he isn't familiar with them, he's still prone to stuttering. Not to say there's anything wrong with stuttering, but Idia doesn't stutter when he's in an environment that he's comfortable in, so it's safe to say the stuttering is probably caused by nerves. And that's just one on one. When he's in a group, even one on the smaller scale, though? He usually can't even bring himself to do that and will instead use a tablet to talk for him instead.

He's incredibly nervous around people. Considering what we know from chapter six, this isn't entirely surprising. Idia would have already been secluded by those of his age group by his parents because they want him to one day lead their organization. Then he loses Ortho, his parents don't even come to check on him and provide emotional support (instead they send their employees to eventually check on Idia). So on top of being isolated from his peers, he's exposed to a major traumatic event from a young age without ever seeing a proper therapist. It's no wonder his anxiety is so bad.

That anxiety leads to him isolating himself further, which just makes his anxiety worse in the long run. A vicious cycle. And he was so isolated when he was young, and probably didn't have the opportunity to have any type of fun, add in with his anxiety, he throws himself into his gaming. Ortho himself mentions in Endless Halloween that Idia has said that those that don't participate in normal kid activities when they are younger are more likely to become addicted to such hobbies when they're older. At first it comes off as an excuse for Idia to just play games, but what if it wasn't an excuse at all and was rather Idia being very self-aware of where his habits are coming from?

And he just throws himself into such habits even more because he knows one day he probably won't be given the opportunity. That one day he's probably going to have to take up his parents organization. An organization he can't stand, because all he can really think about when it's mentioned is three key things that would put anyone in a foul mood: He's cursed, something he has to deal with anytime he sees his own hair; Ortho died there and Idia failed to save him even if he managed to save everyone else; And he was never going to be able to get away from it. From the moment he was born, he's path had already been planned.

Not to mention, has anyone ever thought of the implications of Idia being so good with technology? Sure, it's obvious now that its something that he enjoys, but I doubt he was taught such things. Because even though S.T.Y.X. is clearly an organization with advanced technology, it doesn't mean that Idia would have been taught anything about it. If anything, if learning how to make and program technology had been a requirement, Idia would have grown to hate it just as much because it would have been another reminder. So what if the entire reason Idia became so good at technology was so he could build the current Ortho? This is pure speculation of course, and Idia could have honestly always had an innocent curiosity in it.

Though with all of this said, Idia's personal woes and his anxiety isn't all that makes up his character. (Neither is him being an Otaku.) Idia can be just as much as a smug bastard as the rest of the cast. In some cases, he's even worse. Because he knows he's intelligent. He knows he's a genius. Which can lead to him being very haughty and having a superiority complex. It's not seen very often, but Idia can and will insult people with absolutely no shame regardless of if they can hear him because his that much of a snarky bastard.

There's also the fact that when he really get's worked up about something, either it be something he's upset or passionate about, people are going to here about it because he'll just start talking a mile a minute. Which has nothing to do with his anxiety, if anything its these moments that his anxiety doesn't affect him at all. And that's simple because he is so passionate about the things he cares about.

Idia is a smug, snarky, intelligent pessimistic person that really doesn't want to deal with anyone else. And he's also very passionate about things. Either that be in liking them or hating them, he'll still feel very passionate about it at the end of the day. Because Idia isn't just an Otaku.

[moon-struck-net]

Yahoo Japan/Josei Jishin Interview July 4th 2023

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/1d9cf92309815982cc6fa71684362c64fc9763ea

Up until now, the impression I had of age 50 was "the end of your life". I was conscious of Oda Nobunaga's saying that "life has 50 years". But now I understand that "life has 50 years" doesn't mean you can only live for 50 years, it’s about how much can you get done before you're 50. You can't go back to being in your 30s or 40s. I came to feel that what's most important in life is how much you were able to run at full speed up to that point. 

Previously I had been wondering internally how much I could get done by age 30, and I thought that it would be downhill from there and end at 50. So honestly what I'm thinking now is "Somehow I'm still alive," and "I've made it this far," that kind of thing. 

GACKT had his 50th birthday on July 4th. The release of the long-awaited movie that he is starring in- "Fly Me To The Saitama: From Lake Biwa With Love" has been announced for November 23rd. GACKT had previously kept his age secret from the public, and first announced it in 2009 along with the production of the play Nemuri Kyoshiro Burai Hikae, which he was starring in. We asked his honest thoughts. 

The question of whether to announce my age or not wasn’t really on my mind. But at the time, I wondered if it might be time to say it. My fans didn't know either.

The producer I had back then happened to suggest that I tell people my age, so I said "Ok". It wasn't something I particularly wanted to hide. So then I think there were a lot of people who thought "Wait, he's younger than me? He acted like he was older (laughs)."

[Translator’s note: GACKT is talking about how in Japanese culture, younger people usually defer to people older than them, but GACKT was behaving as though he were the one with more seniority]

There was only one reason that I concealed my age. When I was 20 and I moved to Tokyo and started doing music, everyone around me was senior to me. So if I said how old I was I'd immediately be treated as a junior and they'd walk all over me. The roles of senpai (senior) and kouhai (junior) are just decided by age, right? If I said my age, people older than me disrespected me, so I never told anyone my age, outside of my band members at the time. So I made up that I was 448 years old.

If someone was like "You're definitely younger than me. If you're going to have a disrespectful attitude toward me, then I'll crush you," I'd be like "You wanna go then?" Back when I was in a band it was like that all the time.

Most years, GACKT celebrates his birthday with a private party

On July 4th I usually have a concert or a birthday event, and when that's all over and I'm tired out I have a private party. 300 to 400 people attend, so I prepare a large amount of alcohol. In the beginning it was wine, but for the last 12-13 years it's been tequila. Even if each person speaks for one minute, if 400 people are there it takes 400 minutes, 7 hours. It's tough to keep drinking wine for that long, right?

So I thought I'd make it a "tequila survival challenge" party for everyone to participate in. I contact people and tell them that only those who are always in a state of readiness should come. I make them sign a contract at the door too. Saying no matter what happens here it's their own responsibility.

When my birthday party begins, my friends come on stage and immediately drink 10 shots of tequila, so it's tough (laughs). So everyone rapidly fades. At the end only about 30 people remain. At the end everyone staggers home.

I'm all alone when everyone leaves. But I'm totally hyped up and can't sleep, so from morning I start texting everyone. Of course no one replies. When it gets to the afternoon, finally people gradually start to reply "Are you okay?" I reply "I've been texting people all morning. I'm lonely."

At those times I think, "Maybe this is what the battlefield is like." They say people who survived the war and came home, go back to the battlefield. They can't psychologically accept everyday life and feel a sense of emptiness. No one wants to drink any more, and it's not that I want to drink either, but I understand the feeling of wanting to return to an extreme situation. Though people will probably call me strange for thinking things like that (laughs)"

But, when I went on hiatus due to my health issues, I became unable to handle alcohol. I couldn’t drink 5 or 6 bottles of tequila like I used to. On my previous birthday, I only drank about 3.

At the end of last year, in an interview with this magazine, GACKT spoke of writing a will during his one year hiatus. It seems that ahead of turning 50 he had an opportunity to think about his end-of-life plans.

I wrote about 20 wills. Saying things like, "Divide my fortune like this, sell my cars". I wrote about leaving my pet dogs in the care of my sister and my staff, that kind of thing.

I've also told my sister about my burial. I said, "Scatter my ashes in the sea in Okinawa." I don't need a grave. I've never wanted one. I don't want people to visit my grave. It's enough if people will look at the sea and clasp their hands in prayer. I thought about this when buying graves for relatives and things like that. I don't want to be in a grave.

Every year I go back to Okinawa and clean my family's tomb. That's become my role now. I bring at least 20 to 30 staff and clean the graves.

I've been helping clean the graves since my late 20s, but everyone else in my family got old and couldn't do it any more.

Okinawan tombs are big in the first place. Ours is in the mountains, and was rebuilt because it was old, but it's still the size of this studio (where today's photo was taken).

It used to be bigger. I remember when I was 6. We'd go through the sugar cane fields in a car, and then walk the paths between the fields into the mountains, so it was a hard time even getting there. Moss and weeds would grow on the big tomb, and we had to clean off all the dirt too. We tried to go at times when habu (Okinawan pit vipers) wouldn’t come out.

There was an altar as well as the tomb, and the altar and the tomb are in different parts of Okinawa. My ancestors originated in the southern part of Okinawa. So the tomb is in the south, and because my great grandfather founded a town up north, the altar is in the north. So it's not possible to clean the tomb and the altar on a day trip. At the very beginning I went in a group of 6 people, but we couldn't finish and it took two and a half days just to clean the tomb.

I don't want the generation after me to have to do unpleasant things like that. If people have to keep organizing things every year after I die, that will be tough on them, right?

So scatter my ashes. I'll be happy if people come to the sea and I can say "I'm here". And if eventually people stop coming, it won't cause trouble for anyone.

[tobiasdrake]

After much chasing, what do we have for a boss?

Is the lifesaver Wentworth? I want Wentworth to like me. I want so bad for Wentworth to like me. He's so cool. ._. And I would like for the Warrior Cook's efforts in taming him to not end in stabbing.

Oh, that will be a piece of cake, then. I'm good at stabbing fireballs.

Uh. H... Heeeeeeey buddy... Uh... Are we... are we cool?

WENTWORTH NO I NEED THAT FOR STANDING

Dragon fighting pro-tip: DO NOT DO WHATEVER I'M FUCKING DOING RIGHT NOW HOLY SHIT THIS IS A TERRIBLE IDEA

Oh so this is what he meant by "attack the fireballs". Easy enough to forge a path via twirly-doos!

Gotta remember to write that down. "A dragon's greatest weakness: Excessive twirly-doos".

IF YOU'D STOP GETTING BACK UP I WOULDN'T HAVE TO KEEP DOING IT

This hurts me a lot more than it hurts you, Wentworth. So, so much more. You've killed me three times.

OH FUCK ME Did I just kill him?

It's okay. I don't think Luana cares as much about you as the Artificer so I should be in--

...or I uncursed him by hitting him really hard. Huh. Guess that's all you needed to do.

That the Warrior Cook was able to tame him without actually breaking his curse in the process honestly makes that accomplishment even more impressive.

Ago. You were watching me a long time ago. It's been Ambiguous Length of Time since the halcyon days of you stabbing me in the junk.

Things are different now. I have a cool hat. Care to try your luck?

...disguise?

<.< >.> Do I... Do I know... anybody? Monkshroom? Necromancer?

Are you the Shopkeeper? Him and Quarble are the only people I have a close, personal relationship with. Have you been popping out of the shop to stab me in the junk periodically?

Because that... does sound like something he'd do. Between you and me, I don't think he likes me very much. But it's okay because he might be an assclown.

...

Aephorul? Are you Aephorul? Because if you are, you've seriously let yourself go if you're having a hard time throwing hands with me. Did Luana, Solen, and the Warrior Cook beat you so hard that you're still broken and battered to this day?

Oh. Butt gravy. No, uh... *finger snap snap snap* Bug raver. You were an inspiration to Luana until you ruined her birthday party. You were basically Erlina's +1, more than a significant participant in events yourself. Kinda like Solen; At least, according to Luana's telling of the story.

Vaguely? Honestly, I don't know why you bothered disguising yourself, man. All of you demons blur together. And it's not like we've been doing anything different from what we would be doing if you'd come after me openly.

Wait a minute, you said you're "now certain" that you can take me. Does that mean you were on the fence before? I know I might be ninja trained and all that but I cannot stress enough how just some guy I am.

I actually had you quaking in your cloven hooves, that day at the ninja village? You needed all this time to work up the nerve to fight me for real? Because man, that does not speak well of your abilities. Luana wrote that you two traded down when you became demons and I'm starting to see it now.

In any case, you made mistakes. You should have come at me full throttle when you had the chance. But now, I'm more than some guy. I'm some guy with a hat. And I'm going to carve out your throat you miserable piece of--

FUCK. Gravity. My hat is powerless against its iron grip!

Okay, I was in freefall for about 2-3 minutes and I'm still not sure how I managed to go straight from the stratosphere to Hell without running into anything, land or ocean, between.

...I'm sure this is fine.

[fumikomiyasaki]

Happy Birthday Carol

Interview below, feel free to drop her and me wishes in the ask box if you want to. ^^

Lennox: A Miss Tutor, a happy birthday to you. Actually your Bunny friend was supposed to do this interview but you might know what happens to him in April

Carol: Its Carol and... Right... its sad Fabio can’t join this... But at least I can tell him a bit after the month... you are one of his dorm members right?

Lennox: Lennox Riverway at your service. I do also brought a little gift for you, I only took notice from the former woman I loved and what she would like so sorry if my taste is a little rusted.

Carol: Its sweet you have a gift but... A seashell bikini... is a bit of an odd gift... how did you get my size even...

Lennox: Ah my bad... maybe next year I can give something better. So Miss Tutor, I heard you are not from this world... is it bad to be celebrating your Birthday without your family?

Carol: I do miss them and wish they could be here to see me but... I also am glad to be for once independant without them... if one thing was true about them, my family is very overprotective... to a point I worry more about them than they worry about me. But I do really wish... I could at least see them.

Lennox: I wish I could help but even as Demi-god I can’t detect this dimension you came from, but I know even if they are not here they would still be with you in heart.

Carol: That is oddly sweet to say... I believe as much... and I do am happy about all the people that stopped by the celebrations.

Lennox: Despite not having Magic they still gave you a broom, how do you survive magic classes?

Carol: I ... did ask my tutoring students at HSA to get me a technological solution, since then I just use this to fly... even if its still a little scary.

Lennox: True for someone that didn’t know magic since the beginning it probably is odd to adopt. Its like eating Ice cream for the first time. But hey at least you can still participate.

Carol: True... I may not be able to tutor everything here but... I want to do my all to help people as much as I can.

Lennox: How Admirable! Humans are always so facinating to me. Anyways I think I bothered you enough with Question, Miss Carol I hope you celebrate well and stay a beacon of hope for the masses.

Carol: A beacon of hope? What an odd guy...