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fizzyxcustard · 5 months

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Heaven and Hell (2)

Part 1

Fandom: Pilgrimage (2017)

Pairings: Raymond de Merville x Fem!Reader, Fem!Reader x Original male character

Word count: 2791

Warnings: Language, angst, arranged marriage, sexual references, slight religious/spiritual symbols and references.

Summary: From the imagine “Raymond has lost all hope of love and completely shut his heart down after losing everyone he has ever loved. Until he meets you.”

Comments: Requested by @linasofia and @sazzlep

As always, if you wish to be added to my tag lists, please let me know.

You woke the next morning with your mind still full of Raymond. He had visited you in your dreams, kissing you again, and this time you reciprocated, bearing your all to him.

The light was breaking through a thin layer of cloud which was on the horizon, and you could see the gold and orange hues beginning to seep from behind the trees. For a few moments you lay on your bed and looked out of the window, with only your breath and the twittering of birds being the source of any sound.

A tightness had begun to twist in your chest as you thought on Raymond’s words. Was he truly offering a life of love and companionship? Or was it just an act to help you become ensnared by his lustful want of you?

The day began like so many others; you ate breakfast alongside your mother and father, and then moved off into the main sewing room with your mother, to finish a gown which had been requested by Baron de Merville’s younger sister, Marie.

Your mother and you remained in silence for most of the morning, until she spoke. “I received word this morning that you were seen in the company of the Baron’s son.” She looked at you with dark eyes. Accusation and anger sat behind them.

“Y…yes, I was,” you replied. Lying as to your whereabouts would only cause more problems for you, so you decided to tell the truth.

“But you are to be wed next month.”

“I know, Mother. But Raymond has become a friend to me.”

Your mother leaned closer to you and dropped her needle. “You have no idea what that man is capable of. He is a friend to no one but himself and his own wants.” Her eyes were wide in anger and desperation.

“You do not know him personally…”

“I do not need to know him personally. His reputation has been formed from reliable sources, and I will not have you partaking in his company any more, do you understand me?”

Raymond spat commands at his men, feeling that fire burn in his chest and stomach. His ice-blue eyes focused on Henri, and the longer he glared, the more vivid Raymond’s imaginations became. All he could see in his mind’s eyes was bludgeoning the bastard to death, and then pulling you before the body, where the two of you made love in an act of defiance.

Just as Raymond’s men were disbanding to have lunch, Raymond stood next to Henri and grabbed his arm. “Off to see your whore?” Raymond snarled.

“What of it?” Henri replied, his voice shaking as he looked up at his commander.

“Raymond?” a gentle voice came.

That voice made a flutter rise in Raymond’s gut. He recognised that sweet voice, and instantly spun on his heel to see you. In your hands was more food, covered in cloth. “Leave us be, Henri. Raymond is right, you have a whore to satisfy.” Your words were cold, and as you spoke, your gaze never left Raymond’s.

Henri disappeared in silence with a sigh and gentle shrug of his shoulders.

Raymond sat opposite you and watched as you opened the cloth and began taking food out to hand to him. His eyes were red hot, and all you could feel as intense heat taking control of your body.

“My mother knows about us, Raymond, and has forbid me from seeing you. She believes you to be dangerous,” you told him, handing him a piece of freshly baked fruit bread.

Raymond smirked. “Yet here you are.”

“Here I am,” you said, eating a grape slowly. “Maybe I’m too curious for my own good.”

You held your head low for a few seconds, and Raymond noticed this. He frowned and leaned in. “Something bothers you.”

You lifted your gaze back to him and sighed, narrowing your eyes.

“Your mother’s words have made you question me, have they not?”

You saw the sadness swell in his eyes, which then became dark with a flash of anger. You reached across and touched his hand, brushing your fingertips across his tanned skin. “I know I must make up my own mind about you, but I cannot stop the doubts rising when my own mother warns me about you.”

“She wishes for you to marry Henri, so of course she will tell you of how evil a man I am. It is true, that I can be an evil man, but you help curb that side of me, Cheri. I am guessing that she is aware of our interest in each other.”

The way he said ‘interest’ made a shiver of excitement race up your spine. It was deep, and his eyes smouldered now in want. The sadness had disappeared, leaving lust in its wake.

Before the two of you parted that lunch time, Raymond reached for your hand and lifted it to his lips and kissed it. “Will you meet me again this evening? I wish to show you something. Do not worry about your attire as I shall be taking you for a stroll.”

You couldn’t help but grin and giggle. “Where shall we meet and at what time?”

“Just as the sun sets. On the bank of the river at the entrance to the forest road.”

It wasn’t long before sunset and you paced your room, knowing that your mother would ask questions. You glanced at your window, watching the colours of the sky turn to gold and orange. The window! With a smile, you put on your cloak and hood, then climbed out of the window. It was only a small house, with no upstairs. You plopped down into the grass and waited for a second, checking left and right to make sure no one was around to see you.

As you tiptoed away, hoping no one would appear and catch you, it made you think how all of your life you had followed the rules. Your parents had organised every aspect of your life; your marriage to Henri, your work alongside your mother, even the friends you had as a child. It was all orchestrated by them. For once, you were making a choice of your own, following your own heart in search of something you desperately wanted.

Raymond waited at the river, watching it flow. As the darkness descended, the water became ripples of navy blue and silver. The swish of the water was calming, until he heard footfall and snapped his head around.

Immediately you saw his lips curl into a smile. And a flutter hit your stomach, moving up so it felt as though it were about to consume your chest. Despite the dusk taking over the land, you could see his long nose and the twinkle of his eyes.

Raymond reached out and took your hand in his, guiding you along the riverbank. His hand was warm and calloused beneath yours. It was large, swallowing yours, but it felt so right. You felt protected, cared for.

The two of you walked for a few minutes, remaining silent. Dusk was moving in, growing heavy around you. The first stars began to twinkle.

You came to a small clearing, and beneath an old oak tree, was a stone cross which had been placed into the ground. Beneath the cross was an oval shape, made with various rocks. Raymond continued holding your hand and the two of you stopped in front of the cross. Inscribed into the stone was the name Sophie de Merville.

“My father first met my mother here. He always said that as soon as he saw her, he knew she was destined to be his wife. But it was being my father’s wife that caused her death.” Raymond sighed and looked down at his feet. He swallowed hard over the lump on his throat while you gripped his hand tight. “I vowed I would never become him, but slowly I did. War broke him, as it has me.”

Raymond’s silver blue gaze met yours. There was so much sadness in his face, mixed with pain. “You are not your father, Raymond. You see the kind of man he is, and avoid walking that path.”

“But I did. I went to war for him, followed him, the very man who brought destruction on our family through his own wrongdoings. He owed money, and those he owned money to took my mother’s life as payment. The first day I met you, all I could see was my mother. No woman has ever showed me kindness of their own want, only my mother and you. You may be betrothed to Henri, but I can’t let you go.”

You whispered his name again and inched closer to him. He was head and shoulders above you, and kissed your head softly. “We always want to please our mothers and fathers, yet they do not deserve our loyalty,” you said. “No one has ever considered what I’ve wanted, until I met you. I’ve always been led by my family, meeting their demands and needs. My happiness has never been a consideration.”

Raymond kissed you, and together you both sank into each other. You no longer cared that you had known each other merely a week; what you felt for this man was beyond anything you had ever felt for anyone else. Time meant nothing.

“I am the son of the Baron,” Raymond said, his forehead brushing yours. “I have enough power to stop your wedding and claim you for my bride instead.”

“The dowry has been paid,” you replied. “You would need to take that money back from Henri.”

“He can keep the fucking money!” Raymond hissed. “I want you above anything else.”

***

The next morning and you woke to the sound of raised voices. It was Sunday, meaning that it was your day off from duties. You slipped out of bed, still in your nightgown and opened your door in apprehension.

Was that Raymond’s voice?

“She is already to be married to Henri. This was arranged between our families when she was but a girl. Circumstance meant they were not able to wed sooner.”

You finally caught sight of Raymond, and immediately he made you gasp for breath. Tall, broad, powerful. The man was a beautiful sight to behold.

“Henri is already fucking his whore on a daily basis, while your daughter still shows him kindness and loyalty.”

“Loyalty?” your mother scoffed. “While she’s off being serenaded by you?”

Raymond glared at your mother, towering above her. “You will learn to hold your tongue in a discussion that does not concern you. This is between your husband and I.”

“Raymond…” you said softly.

Your father immediately noticed the set of Raymond’s face change. His clenched jaw slacked and his gaze grew soft at the sight of you. “I will take this to my father,” Raymond said, smiling at you and then turning his attention back to your enraged parents. “As the Baron, he has the final word on affairs of this village.”

Your mother dashed at you, her face livid. “You have got a lot to answer for, my girl. You ungrateful wretch!” A sudden slap came to your face, which knocked you backward, and then a second later, pain swelled in your cheek. “After everything that we have done for you; kept you for many years past what is normal of societal standards. At your age, you’re already considered a spinster.”

Raymond took a step toward your mother, his eyes wide. “You raise your hand to her one more time and I will make sure you are thrown into stocks. You should be ashamed of yourself for saying such things to your own daughter.”

“You do not scare me, Raymond,” your mother hissed. “You come in here and act all high and mighty when I know of all the atrocity you have committed. Henri is a good man for her, and one that will no doubt teach her manners and how to be grateful for what she has. There is no way in this world or the next, that I would ever allow her to marry you.”

Raymond edged closer to your mother, a smirk curling his lips upward. “Then I am fortunate that my father’s word outweighs yours.”

“You cannot…!”

“Oh, I can, and I will. And just for your disgusting treatment of her, I will take her to stay with me at the chateau.” Raymond’s gaze drifted toward you. “Pack your belongings. I will not have you staying here.”

“Sir Raymond, please, see sense,” your father interjected.

“I am seeing sense! You wish to wed your daughter to a man who is not worthy of her. And in her defence, before she met me, she was still attending to that bastard’s every whim while he was away fucking his whore in the barn. And you callher ungrateful? She was ready to see that marriage through, but I’m the one who is putting a stop to it.”

“And when did you grow a heart?” your mother countered. “Surely she can’t have changed your mind on your view of women.”

Raymond scoffed. “Consider yourself a mother? Come now, get your belongings.”

You did as Raymond insisted and began to pack clothing, along with a wooden cross that once belonged to your grandmother. Your chest was swelling with so many unfamiliar emotions, all of them being aimed at your mother and Raymond.

Footsteps alerted you that someone was behind you. And as you turned, you were shocked to see Raymond standing in the doorway. Both of you smiled at each other, with silence lingering in the physical space that kept you apart. Raymond’s smiles now reached his eyes, causing the silver blue depths to sparkle in happiness and joy. Upon first meeting him and they were always dark, a sign of his loneliness and the oppression of a heavy heart.

You walked to Raymond slowly and wound your arm around his neck, stepping up onto tip toes. Immediately and he pulled you into a hot kiss, his tongue becoming so hungry in search for yours.

As you both parted, he kept his intense gaze locked on yours. “Will you be my wife?” he asked.

“Yes. I would be honoured.”

***

Once you and Raymond had arrived at the chateau, which was a short horse ride from your home, both of you were summoned to the Baron’s main study. Word must have somehow reached him of Raymond’s actions earlier that day.

Together you walked down the long hallway, passing the dining room and library, until you made it to a grand room at the very end. As you stepped inside, you were greeted by the Baron, who was sat at a large desk. He was glaring at the two of you.

“I did not think that I would be waking this morning to question my son’s motives behind objecting to an arranged marriage,” he hissed. “These marriages build strength in alliances. But I have no need for your father’s allegiance. He has need for your future husband’s, I assume?”

“Henri and I have been friends since we were children, so the allegiance has always been there, my Lord. I do not believe my father finds any necessity in my marriage to Henri.”

“I will not be the reason that this marriage is objected to.”

“I will marry her, father, whether you give us your blessing or not,” Raymond growled.

The Baron chuckled. “Oh, Raymond. My dearest son, who has survived war by torturing other men. Who has raped women, been a drunkard, publicly denounced God, and suddenly you develop feelings for another human being? There is no love or ounce of kindness inside you, Raymond. Your mother always knew it.”

“Don’t you dare speak of her!” Raymond roared, banging his hand down on the desk. “You sit there and act as though you are holier than thou and have committed no sin, when you bathe in it. You stink of your sins, father. It would take far more than repentance for you to enter the gates of heaven. Fucking hypocrite.”

The intensity of the exchange between the two men was causing you to shake. Terror had wrapped around you and took hold, keeping you prisoner. The freedom that Raymond had promised you was an impossible future; no one was going to let you be wed. Everything was futile.

“Raymond, let it be,” you said, defeat strong in your voice. “No one will let us be together.”

“I will not let this lie!” Raymond exclaimed, his eyes wide in shock at your change of heart. His throat quivered

“Mon amour, let it go,” you said again.

Follow Forever tag list: @lathalea @knittastically @linasofia @xxbyimm @asgardianhobbit98 @middleearthpixie @luna-xial @meganlpie @rachel1959 @mrsdurin @quiall321 @missihart23 @lemond57 @evenstaredits @catthefearless @glassgulls @sazzlep @aliasauthor @solairewisteria @littlebird-99 @court-jobi @heilith @absentmindeduniverse @albionscastle @for-fuck-sake-im-alive @bookworm-with-coffee @danzalladaggers @ourlonelymountain @phantomessangel @estethell @windb3ll

Raymond de Merville tag list: @littlesweetdressmaker @dumbassunderthemountain

Heaven & Hell tag list: @bird-with-pencils

#Richard Armitage #Fanfiction #Raymond de Merville #Pilgrimage (2017)#Pilgrimage movie #Raymond de Merville x Fem!Reader #Raymond de Merville x You

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sai-of-the-7-stars · 6 months

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Silly Our Life AU Stuff: My Girlfriend is a Witch But I’m Just a Marine Biologist!!!

So, since my beloved husband @factionfighter dropped some very cute art of Cove using magic on Twitter (in addition to the mock cover he already did for this totally off-the-cuff AU we’ve been playing around with), I thought I’d indulge us both–and anyone who is interested–with some quick snapshots and vignettes.

I may make this a little series. We’ll see.

[NEXT POST]

How Sai and Cove Met

Instead of growing up with Sai across the street as his favorite neighbor, he had Kana instead. He and Kana always maintained a tight brother-sister relationship, and Kana had finally pinned down Derek to be her boyfriend (and drill into Derek’s thick skull that really had loved him for a decade). Shortly after Kana and Derek officially became a couple, he moved in with Cove and Kana into their rather large apartment.

By contrast: Cove had dated a little bit during college–more out of a curiosity than any deep longing. Having a companion was nice but things tended to fizzle when the other person would ramp things up and want more sensuous meetups. Despite his best efforts, Cove couldn’t quite manage going all the way–because no matter how much he liked his partner, he wasn’t as deeply connected to them as he was to, say, Kana or any of his other friends. He wished he could, but knowing how his brain worked and how demisexuality really did suit him, he couldn’t fully give in.

But that didn’t mean Cove didn’t have a fulfilling life otherwise. At 26, life was pretty good! He was a marine biologist at ORCA, he taught surfing classes during the summer (usually on the weekends), and he had a good group of friends and family.

Then one day in late May, just as spring winds were turning summery and warm, Sai moved into the apartment across the hall. Cove, Derek, and Kana had spotted her as they were coming home from a food run to In-N-Out.

In addition to wearing jean shorts, strappy flat sandals, and a halter-style tank top, Sai wore silver jewelry on her wrists and ankles, rings on her fingers, multiple earrings, and a single silver star necklace. The jewelry made a perfect complement to her white hair and gray eyes. It also made her impossible to miss.

While Kana and Derek exchanged comments about the beautiful new neighbor, Cove found himself studying her like she had just walked out of the ocean. She was fascinating.

And then Sai turned to the three of them and smiled. When they were in reach, she juggled a small cardboard box onto her hip as movers hefted heavier items into her apartment, and held out her hand—to Cove first.

“Hi there. I’m Sai Aiza, and it looks like we’re going to be neighbors. I hope we can get along.”

Cove found himself gripping her small hand and gently shaking it, and then saying, “Hi, I’m Cove,” before his brain had caught up with the rest of his body and had a chance to process and panic.

Kana and Derek gave their cheerful greetings, and Sai shook their hands in turn. Sai was friendly, warm, and held something of a mysterious air to her. But at first, nothing seemed to be too different about her from any other human being.

Although, in Cove’s eyes, she seemed to shimmer. Just a little. But he kept that observation to himself.

#silly au #just writer things #cove holden #sai aiza #our life: beginnings & always #olba mc #olba cove #AU #my girlfriend’s a witch but I’m just a marine biologist #fanfic

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momtaku · 1 year

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Whenever you get the chance you gotta tell us all about your experience at Anime NYC! Did you get to talk to Isayama or ask him questions? We're all wishing we could have been there too ❤

I promise I am going to write a post as soon as this work week is over! Also Luna and I are recording a podcast tomorrow about my experience (because she wants all the deets too). So if you or anyone else has any specific questions, you can drop them in the comments section here, or else in the twitter thread.

To answer your question, no one was able to ask questions or interact with Isayama. The questions were chosen in advance and read to him by a moderator and translator

But I’ll drop a few photos here.

The blue line is me and my friend :) We were about 5 rows back

The #aotmemories board was amazing. People were so lovely

Below is a real life couple who were just killing it. For real though, I haven’t seen this many aot cosplayers since 2016. It was amazing.

This is part of the original art Isayama drew for the event that was on display. If you look closely, you can see where he fixed his lines. It’s ink, and he used white out to fine tune things.

My view at the panel.

Isayama being adorable. I still can’t believe I was there. Also photos do not do this man justice. He was surprisingly handsome.

I saw someone on twitter (or maybe it was reddit) say that the best of the AOT fandom was there, and I have to agree. Everyone was respectful and excited and you could feel the love in the room. I’m so happy I got to be a part of Isayama’s first US appearance and that I was able to contribute to that love by cheering.

I have so many videos and photos. Some are on twitter. Some I still need to sort through. I also have an instagram that I will share if I’ve known you a hundred years so dm me about that if you are interested.

Thanks for the ask! I am so excited to talk about this <3

#chatting with friends #anime nyc #hajime isayama

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tiredjams · 2 years

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More T4T Alenoah since people actually seemed to like the last one! :3

Okay so when I said Alejandro had been pretty sure Noah was also trans from the beginning I mean apart from just ; ✨vibes✨, this happened on the way to Japan ;

Noah desperately hiding behind his teammates to avoid Harold and more of their plane facts (Harold thinks they’re friends. Noah does not.) and he’s like ; “THANKGOD they’re gone. Harold’s actually so fucking annoying I will literally kill myself if I have to so much as breathe the same air as them again.” And then Izzy was like ; “oh haha yeah no that guys actually so weird and ! I’m like- so surprised he hasn’t gotten thrown out of the plane yet!”

And then Noah just looks at her super weird and is like ; “Izzy, Harold actually made a twitter post last month saying they prefer they/them pronouns and are more comfortable with androgynous language, at least when we’re not filming, or when talking to the producers” (Harold is non binary and definitely writes think pieces on gender and why we need to break free from these concepts I DARE YOU TO FIGHT ME ON THIS IM PREPARED)

And Izzy is just like ; “oh haha okay theyre so quirky! Anyways like I said; you literally hate them, im surprised they haven’t gotten thrown out of the plane already lol”

And then Noah immediately went back to talking shit (while using Harold’s correct pronouns). And like when Tyler asked Noah’s just like ; “oh, no I don’t respect Harold remotely, I despise them and wish them misery and misfortune and if I never had to hear their voice again it would be too soon. …. But I’ll still respect their pronouns, duh.”

Alejandro was just in the corner like ; 😳. (When he’s a sarcastic know it all but understands disliking someone is no excuse to misgender them >>)

Also cause alenoah friendship REALLY started when they were leaving Egypt and Gwen made a bi joke (which Cody’s obnoxious bisexual ass ADORED btw) Sierra was like ; “oh haha I personally am ✨🥰cOdYsExuAl😚✨” and then Noah from the corner was just like ;

“More like embarrassing. And a lesbian suffering from comp het. But whatever, you’re not ready for THAT conversation.”

And when everyone else was frozen in shock you already KNOW Alejandro was stifling CACKLES. He was also the only reason Sierra didn’t beat Noah up for saying that (he used his big muscles as a shield Les gooo) and whispered to Noah so no one could hear ;

“They hated him, for he spoke the truth 😌” Noah choked.

And then they were friends! C’mon. We see them in the background talking and laughing with each other WAAAY too much for me to buy that they weren’t friendly.

Personally I’m convinced the reason we didn’t get more alenoah interaction was because they were talking a lot about trans solidarity and being obviously in love with eachother, and this queer phobic show just couldn’t handle that smh

(Yes I am insufferable about them thanks for asking!) okay so Noah was taking his testosterone pills one day after he dropped the singing comment and confirmed it, when Alejandro was just like ; oh yeah! I actually used to take the shots lol, switched to patches while on the show” and Noah was like ; “BRO WHY????”

Cause WHY WOULD YOU PUT YOURSELF THROUGH THAT??? (The answer is because Alejandro has issues) but anyways it lead to Noah bringing Heather into the argument so she could help him tell Alejandro ; ?!? No I don’t take my hormones through shots??! I’m waaaay too hot to suffer like that”

Anyways Alejandro and Noah totally just spent that first half of the season bonding over trans masc stuff.

Like Alejandro spent SO much time complaining about how his sweat used to smell like flowers, and how he definetly doesn’t miss the dysphoria but he does miss that.

Noah’s like ; yeah I actually kept some of my skirts because they’re waaaaay more comfortable than pants, but I don’t wear them outside cause then people wanna be queerphobic! Like yeah I’m a guy in a skirt, deal with it.

And they bonded over how they understand misogyny and rape culture in a way cis men really NEED to. And talk about all the male privledge they’ve noticed they’ve gotten (they got overheard and caused several debates on gender theory and politics between contestants that was pretty eye opening for some of them)

Anyways London happens and Alejandro has to get his trans homie eliminated cause he knows too much yeah yeah. So these two were still being petty and bitter, but this definitely happened after the wedding challenge ;

Alejandro and Courtney were debating about which dress had been the best, which then sparked a debate between all remaining contestants on masculinity and stuff:

And in the end Alejandro gets fed up; leaves, AND THEN COMES BACK IN THE V NECK WEDDING DRESS, looking hot AF (just look at slipper slopes fanart if you want a visual) and turns to Duncan, strokijg his soul patch and smirking like ; really chico? dresses make me any less of a man?? then why am i still far more one than YOU.

duncan contemplated on his actions and sexuality a lot that day. And then came away from the experience causing far less micro aggressions :3

And Noah totally saw because Chris definetly rehired him after his elimination (personally I believe he makes a point of firing Noah at least twice a week, it’s a thing at that point) and so he was helping the poor poor overworked (starved crazed desperate) interns in the editing room and was just like ;

Dammit you’re still a slimy eel who got me eliminated and I’m mad at you… but I would REALLY like to make out with you rn unfortunately , this sucks.

Oki! So I have more, and just more trans TD headcannons in general; but this is already a lot TwT lemme know if anyone else wants more.

#total drama #alenoah #total drama world tour #td alejandro #td noah #td heather #td duncan #td harold #td izzy #trans headcanon #td sierra

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bleureiverswrites · 1 year

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On the 3rd Day of Ficmas, I give thee: 3 thousand words! (plus 2k more)

A/N: This is a supplementary chapter that takes place after the conclusion of my college au, Come On, Collide. If you didn't read that in its entirety and do not wish to be spoiled on anything, please don't read this yet! This is also in celebration of 1000 followers on my twitter account, and as such this was picked by my twitter followers (though they didn't entirely know what they voted for).

ENJOY!

Zoro blew into his hands and rubbed them together, trying to keep them warm as he watched Sanji on the phone a few steps away. He couldn’t quite hear what was being said, but judging by the smile on his face it was all good news. After a moment he hung up and joined Zoro once more, not even flinching as he plunged his hands deep into Sanji’s pockets and buried his face in his boyfriend’s neck.

“Fucking cold out here,” he grumbled.

Sanji laughed. “I told you you didn’t have to come with me.”

“I just don’t understand why those idiots would wanna live somewhere that gets so cold.”

“They like snow,” Sanji said, still chuckling. “That was Yonji, by the way, they got to the resort alright.” He looked around. “Where’s Tora?” Zoro nodded over Sanji’s shoulder and he turned as much as he could, easily spotting the black labrador against the snowy backdrop. Her nose was to the ground as she hastily searched something out, her ears perked up on high alert. “Tora! Come on, girl, time to go home!”

The dog raised her head sharply at the sound of her name, cocked it to one side, and - finally recognizing Sanji - took off running toward the couple at full speed.

“Here she comes,” Zoro said, deftly extracting his hands from Sanji’s pockets so he could drop to one knee and receive the brunt of her energy, which he did easily. Sanji watched as Zoro and Tora played around a bit, a small smile on his face.

“Come on,” he said, nudging Zoro with his foot. “Let’s go home.”

“Alright girl, let’s go home.” Zoro clipped her leash on, handed it to Sanji, and once more crowded his space and shoved his hands in Sanji’s pockets. “Come on, come on, let’s go.” Sanji laughed again and obliged, letting Tora lead the way home. Once they were inside and Tora was freed from her leash, Zoro set about making a fire as Sanji dropped onto the couch. He watched Zoro a bit before his eyes began to roam the room, taking in the various pictures and decorations that were so very much Sabo and Yonji. He felt a slight tug on his heart as he remembered the previous night and how happy his baby brother looked to finally share a name with the love of his life. It was a bit bittersweet; since they’d graduated, gotten their own place, and opened their business, Sabo and Yonji made appearances at hangouts less and less, and no one could blame them. They were busy, everyone was. They were all getting older, starting their own lives but…it still sucked a bit. And now that they were married…Sanji knew that brothers went their separate ways eventually, it was just hard to let go of his, especially Yonji, because he’d missed out on so much of their childhood.

A soft kiss was pressed to his cheek, pulling Sanji back to the present to see Zoro smiling at him, seated comfortably beside him on the couch. Sanji didn’t hesitate to curl into his side and get comfortable as well, sighing as he nestled into his boyfriend’s warmth. “I don’t know why you’re always cold,” he said quietly, “you’re like a personal heater.”

“What are you upset about this time?” Zoro asked, ignoring the comment.

“I’m not upset.”

“Yes you are, you had that face when you were lost in thought. Talk to me.”

“I just miss my brother.”

“Ah.” Zoro thought for a moment. “Maybe we should get a dog.”

Sanji sat up slightly. “What? Where did that come from?”

Zoro shrugged. “It might make you feel less lonely.”

“We can’t get a dog just because I’m feeling lonely.”

“No,” Zoro smirked, “but it did get you to admit that you’re also feeling lonely.”

Sanji slumped against Zoro and hid his face. “I hate you.”

“I don’t know why you don’t just tell me things like this, I’m not gonna make fun of you.”

“It’s just…tedious. I’ve been gloomy about this for months, I’m sure it’s exhausting.”

Zoro pulled Sanji a little closer and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “I will never tire of being the person you confide in. Ever.” He kissed him again, this time aiming for his temple. “And honestly, it makes sense. You had to give your brothers up when you were little and you finally got them back. Now it feels like you’re losing them again.”

“Yeah. And I guess…I don’t know. I feel like I’m stalling out.”

“You’re not stalling out, we’re just in a weird place cuz we’re graduated and your job doesn’t start for a couple months. You’re probably stressed from the wedding and stressed about the move and stressed about your new job…it’s a lot. You’re allowed to feel overwhelmed and emotional. And it is my job as your most special and most important and most handsome person to support you when you feel that way. So let me do my job, ok?”

Sanji settle back into his embrace with a contented sigh. “Yeah…yeah. Ok.” They sat in silence then, entranced by the crackling of the fire and the sound of Tora chewing on one of her toys. He smiled at the dog absently, impressed - as he always was - by just how well behaved she was.

If he was being honest, Sanji was glad for the short break from everything going on in their life. Zoro was right, it was all overwhelming, and it had been a while since he felt like his head was above water. If it wasn’t for Zoro, constantly dragging him to bed and making sure he ate and yelling things like “hydrate!” and “posture check!” through the house randomly, Sanji was certain he’d be lying lifeless under a pile of paperwork and moving boxes by now. And even time with Zoro felt rare; the fact that he was shouldering 100% of the effort in their relationship was not missed by Sanji, and that fact only served to make him feel worse. So when Sabo and Yonji asked them to house & dog sit while they were on their honeymoon, Sanji jumped at then opportunity. They’d already be in town for the wedding, why not stay a few more days and just…unwind?

After nearly 3 weeks away from all the chaos, Sanji was already feeling like he didn’t want to go back home. Yonji constantly talked about how much he loved their little town, how it felt so cozy and welcoming, but Sanji didn’t understand it until a few days prior. He wondered if their new place would feel like that. Certainly it would be more warm, but would they feel welcome? Would they be able to describe it as cozy?

“Awful lotta sighing happening over there, love. Wanna talk to me?”

“Just thinking about the move.”

“Hmm.”

Sanji sighed again. “What?”

“What about the move?”

“Just…all of it.”

“Sanji.”

“Zoro.”

“I’m fine with the move.”

Sanji snuggled closer, hiding his face slightly.

“I wouldn’t have told you I was ok with it if I wasn’t. I don’t mind the move.”

“Weren’t you the one who said you wouldn’t know what you’d do if you couldn’t see your sister every day?”

Zoro laughed. “I didn’t mean I could never do anything if she wasn’t glued to me. I’ll be fine. I’m not just gonna send you off and hope all is well.” He caught Sanji under the chin and tilted his head up so he could speak directly to him. “I want to start this new chapter with you. Is that so hard to believe?”

Sanji frowned. “I’m asking you to leave everything behind for me.”

“Well…” Zoro smiled softly. “Not everything. I’ll still have you.”

“How can you be sure that’ll be enough?”

Zoro shrugged. “Always been enough in the past, it’s enough right now. No reason to think that won’t continue to be the case.”

“Sometimes…” Sanji dropped his gaze as he tried to choose his words carefully. “Sometimes I’m jealous of Sabo and Yonji, of this nice comfortable life they have. They just seem so content. No stress. No feelings of being overwhelmed. Just…this. A gorgeous house, a dog, each other…what if we move and we don’t feel welcomed? What if we hate it there?”

“Then we go somewhere else.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

“But—“

“Let me make this easier for you. This?” Zoro said, gesturing between the two of them. “This is it for me. There’s no version of my future where I’m not by your side. Making this move with you wasn’t even a question in my mind. It still isn’t. If you’ll have me, I’ll be there because that’s what I want. That’s my content.”

“I just worry you’ll be miserable and it’ll be all my fault.”

“If I don’t like the new place you can just walk around in some of that lingerie, problem solved.”

Sanji barked out a laugh. “You’re an idiot.”

“It’s weird, I thought I hated it here but there are thighs warming my ears so that can’t be right.”

“Shut up!” Sanji yelled, playfully slapping Zoro’s chest as he laughed harder.

“Just real hard to complain when you can’t breathe, that’s all I’m saying.”

Sanji buried his face in the crook of Zoro’s neck and held him close, his shoulders shaking as he continued to laugh. “I love you,” he said quietly, more as a reminder to himself than anything.

Zoro once more kissed the top of his head. “I love you, too.” Then, lowering his voice slightly, he added, “you know this.”

“I know, I know, I just…”

“Think too much.”

“Yeah.” Sanji scrunched up his nose. “Sorry.”

“You don’t have to be sorry, I know you can’t exactly help it. But hey, we’ll have our version of,” he gestured to the surrounding house, “this, just give it time. We’ll start our new jobs, get settled in the new place, decorate it a bit, christen it a lot, and it’ll feel like home in no time.”

Sanji took a deep, calming breath and smiled at Zoro. “You’re right. I know you’re right. I’m just...” He gently but firmly patted his cheeks a couple times. “You know?”

“Surprisingly? Yes.” Zoro kissed him and Sanji wasted no time crawling fully into his lap, straddling him and burying his hands in Zoro’s hair. “Sanji!” Zoro gasped, feigning shock. “On your brother’s couch? In front of their dog?”

Sanji threw his head back and laughed, his earlier worries seeming so small and insignificant, he wondered why he let them loom so big at all. His laughter quickly gave way to a low, satisfied moan as Zoro took advantage of his exposed neck, sucking and biting and licking the flesh there until Sanji made the noises Zoro loved oh so much.

“Zoro hurry up, we’re going to be late!” Sanji pounded on the bathroom door, pausing just long enough to check the time on his phone. “The reservation is at seven!”

“I know what time the reservation is at, I made the damn thing!” Zoro yelled. “Just…gimme a second, ok? I’m almost ready.”

“You’ve been almost ready for half an hour. What’s the hold up?”

“I’m just…just gimme a minute!”

Sanji paused. He could hear the frustration in Zoro’s voice, but something told him it was directed at him. He leaned against the door, folding his arms across his chest. “What’s up?” He asked, his voice notably softer. “Anything I can help with?”

There was a beat of silence, followed by a sigh. “Yeah, actually…can you tie my tie?”

Sanji nearly fell over in surprise. “Your what?”

The door swung open, revealing a very well put together, very embarrassed, Zoro. “My tie.” He held the strip of fabric out to Sanji. “I can’t tie the damn thing.”

Sanji smiled softly. “Is that what you’ve been trying to do this whole time?” Zoro nodded and Sanji’s smile grew. He took the tie and closed the distance between them as his hands went to work. “Why didn’t you ask me sooner?”

“Wanted to surprise you,” Zoro mumbled.

“Well, I am surprised. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear a tie. Even at the wedding you just wore a really nice shirt.” Sanji narrowed his gaze playfully as he tightened the knot into place. “What’s the occasion?”

“Takin’ you to dinner.”

“You’ve done that plenty of times. Never with a tie.”

“Wanted to look good for you.”

“You always look good.”

“Yeah, but…” Zoro took a step back, straightened his jacket, and opened his arms a bit. “Have I ever looked this good?”

Sanji wanted to say something smart or sarcastic or biting, banter with Zoro a bit like they normally did but…he couldn’t. Anything he wanted to say disappeared from his mind as he really took Zoro in. His suit was a deep green, almost black, and was very clearly tailored. Zoro in a suit was trouble enough on its own, but the way this one hugged his body? Fuck, Sanji was in trouble. Zoro’d also gone as far as slicking his hair back, and for the first time in his life Sanji felt like he was under dressed. “Fuck,” he finally said, the word sounding more like a breath than a statement. “No, never. You…shit.”

Zoro caught Sanji by the hips and pulled him against him, smiling wickedly. “Put your tongue away, our reservation’s at seven.”

“I could not care less right now.”

Zoro laughed hard. “Well, as much as I’d love to throw you on the bed and fuck the life outta you–”

“With the suit on, I hope.”

“Yes, of course. As much as I’d love to do that, I’ve also been dying to take you to dinner for months, I’m not missing this.”

Sanji frowned. “That’s why you got so dressed up? Cuz we haven’t had a date in a while?”

“I got dressed up cuz I wanted to see your reaction. But it has been a while and I’d really like to spoil you tonight. That starts with a fancy dinner that you don’t have to cook.” Zoro took Sanji’s hand and pressed a kiss just below his knuckles. “But that you may judge to your heart’s content.”

Sanji’s face turned bright red in a second. “I don’t judge the food when we’re on dates!”

“You do and it’s adorable. Now,” he tightened his grip on Sanji’s hand, “let’s get going before they give our table away.”

The drive to the restaurant was uneventful. The radio played quietly and the two talked about whatever popped into their minds and Zoro held tightly to Sanji’s hand, pressing kisses into his knuckles periodically. He let go only long enough to open Sanji’s car door, then they were once more hand in hand. Even once they were seated across from each other at their table, Zoro’s hand found Sanji’s, his thumb gliding gently over the blonde’s fingers as they talked. Maybe it was the romantic atmosphere, maybe it was because they hadn’t been on a date in a while, or maybe it was just the tailored suit…regardless, something about the evening was making Sanji’s insides feel like warm goo. Every time their eyes met, Sanji’s face would heat up and it would take everything inside of him to not look away. Zoro would just smile and kiss Sanji’s hand, never once breaking eye contact.

Holy shit, Sanji was so in love it wasn’t funny.

Zoro surprised him further when, after dinner, he asked Sanji if he wanted to go for a walk. The night was still, but there was also fresh snow on the ground and Zoro wasn’t dressed nearly warm enough to walk around in it given how cold he normally got. But when asked, he said he was sure and simply held out his arm for Sanji to take. He did so happily.

The walk led them to a small enclosed ice patch, atop which a few couples were skating. Fairy lights hung about the space, illuminating everything with a warm yellow glow. Sanji’s eyes lit up at the sight and squeezed Zoro’s arm, nuzzling his cheek against his bicep. “One of these days, I’m gonna get you all bundled up and make you go ice skating with me.”

“Why not tonight?”

Sanji looked at him, surprised. “What?”

“Let’s go skating tonight.”

“We don’t…” Sanji trailed off as Zoro pointed at something across the ice. He looked closely and noticed a man, bundled against the cold, with a sign beside him that said simply, SKATES.

“We can rent some. Come on.”

Sanji stayed put. When Zoro realized he wasn’t budging, he gave his boyfriend a warm smile.

“You don’t want to?”

“What are you up to?” Sanji asked, suddenly feeling like he was being watched.

“You always talk about going ice skating, and Sabo told me about this spot in case I wanted to do something romantic while we were here. And I wanted to.”

“So you expect me to believe you got a tailored suit, made a reservation at an amazing restaurant, wore a tie, and now you want to go ice skating?”

“Yes.”

“But you’re not up to something?”

“Nope.”

“Sounds fake.”

Zoro chuckled. “Is it so outlandish to think that I’ve missed you?” He gently cupped Sanji’s cheeks and kissed him softly. “I understand you’ve been busy, I understand it’s been necessary, and you know I’m not mad about any of it. But I’ve missed the fuck outta you. I’ve been planning this night for a while, weeks really. Maybe even months. I wanna sweep you off your feet, make you feel like you’re flying even after you’re back on the ground. Like I said, I wanna spoil you. So yes, I bought a suit just for tonight. Yes, I got us a reservation at a nice restaurant. Yes, I want to go ice skating. Yes, I wanna take you home and fuck you so, so good. I want to give you the best night of your life, is that so hard to believe?”

Grinning ear to ear, Sanji threw his arms around Zoro’s shoulders and hugged him tight. “I don’t fucking deserve you.”

“Well you’re stuck with me, so learn to deal with it.”

Zoro insisted on putting Sanji’s skates on for him, taking great care to remove his shoes and even greater care to slip the skates on. Once he’d fastened his own, he took Sanji’s hand and shakily led the way to the ice, Sanji giggling the whole way. “You’ve never skated before, have you?”

“Nope.”

“Ok. Here.” Sanji stepped out onto the ice like it was as natural as walking. He spun to face Zoro and, smiling wide, offered both his hands. “Come with me, I won’t let you fall.”

Zoro gladly took the outstretched hands and gave Sanji his full weight as he slowly, little by little, made his way onto the ice. “This is so dangerous,” Zoro said, his eyes glued to his feet. “If you feel me start to fall just let me go, don’t let me take you down with me.”

“Have a little more faith in me,” Sanji said. “I’ll keep you up, I promise.”

Zoro raised an eyebrow.

“Shut up. You know what I mean.” Sanji tightened his grip on Zoro’s hands. “Ok…do you trust me?”

“With my life.”

“Then let’s go.” Sanji began to glide backwards slowly, pulling a wobbly Zoro with him. “Shift your weight between your feet, hold your balance with your core…good…good…you’re getting it…”

“Like hell I am!” Zoro said, laughing as he continued to wobble after his lover. “I look ridiculous!”

“Because you’re too stiff! You have to move your feet!”

They carried on like that a while longer, until Zoro was able to slowly and mostly smoothly skate beside Sanji, rather than behind him. He apologized a few times about how bad he was, but Sanji just laughed and told him he had nothing to apologize about. He was just glad Zoro had tried, and that they could do even this much together. They were skating back to the entrance when it happened; someone caught Sanji’s eye, someone who looked a lot like Yonji, and while he was distracted, Zoro lost his balance and took a spill. He let out a small yelp and Sanji turned just in time to see his knees hit the ice, and then he was beside him in a flash.

“Oh, shit, I’m sorry!”

“Not your fault,” Zoro said, dusting off his hands. He lifted one knee up so he could brush some of the ice shavings off when Sanji offered his hand.

“Yeah, but I said I wouldn’t let you fall. I’m really sorry.”

“It’s really not a big deal, don’t be too upset about it.”

“At least let me help you up. Are your knees alright?”

“Knees are fine. And so, thankfully, is this.” Zoro pulled something out of his pocket and held it out to Sanji, and suddenly everything made sense. The suit. The tie. The dinner. The walk. The ice skating. The knee. Sanji took a step back, his hand reflexively moving to cover his mouth as his eyes filled with tears.

“I knew it,” was all he could say. “I knew it, I knew it, I told you you were up to something!”

“I know you’re nervous about asking your boyfriend to move across the world with you,” Zoro said, his voice soft and calming. “So…what about asking your fiance to do it?”

“That…you…idiot!”

Zoro laughed. “I meant it when I said you were it for me, Sanji. I feel like I’ll pop if I love you anymore than I do, but I know that how much I love you today has nothing on how much I’m going to love you tomorrow, and the day after that, and so on and so forth until I stop waking up, and even then, who’s to say? Even with eternity stretched out before me I know my love for you will only grow with each setting of the sun. You are everything I could ever hope to want, you are the only person I need by my side, and I would be so fucking happy if you’d do me the honor of letting me marry you.”

“Did you fall on purpose?”

Zoro blinked. “What?”

“You fell on purpose. Oh my god, I felt so bad for a second!”

“Sanji, love, focus.”

“On?”

“What do you mean on? On the question!”

“In what reality would my answer be no?”

“You could still say it!”

“Say no?”

“SAY YES!”

“Well if you’re gonna demand it…”

“Oh my god.”

Sanji dropped to his knees as well, tears streaking his cheeks. “Of course you can marry me, Zoro. Nothing would make me happier.”

Zoro slipped the ring on his finger before pulling him into a searing kiss, paying absolutely no mind to the various onlookers who started applauding and cheering.

One particular cheer caught Sanji’s attention and he turned toward the sound. It was one thing to think he’d seen Yonji, but hearing him, too? That’s when he saw them, not just Sabo and Yonji, but everyone: his brothers, Zoro’s sisters, both their parents and all their friends were gathered at one end of the little ice rink.

To Sanji’s surprise, Zoro got to his feet easily and offered a hand to Sanji, once more hauling him into a kiss once he took it. “You fucking liar,” Sanji said with a playful glare, before turning on the small crowd. “You’re all fucking liars!”

They reconvened at the house, where everyone toasted the newly engaged couple with champagne and various desserts. Sanji stayed by Zoro’s side most of the night, the feeling of his arm around Sanji’s waist sending little shivers up his spine. Zoro’s fingers tapped against Sanji’s hip, each one seeming to echo the same word: mine mine mine mine mine.

It took all Sanji had to keep his hands to himself.

“So…no honey moon?”

Yonji turned, smiling when he saw his brother. “We leave tomorrow,” he said, turning back to the balcony railing as Sanji joined him. “We weren’t about to miss this. Can I see it?”

Sanji held out his hand, showing off the simple blue metallic band. Yonji whistled. “Yeah,” Sanji said. “He did good. So all that shit about getting to the resort safe…?”

Yonji chuckled. “Zoro called us a few days before you guys got here, explained what he wanted to do and asked if we’d be willing to stay around another day.”

Sanji looked slightly uncomfortable. “So were you…home last night?”

“Why? You do something in our house you don’t want us to know about?”

“We…uh…well…”

Yonji laughed loudly and clapped his brother on the back. “Relax, I’m just fuckin’ with you. We’re not expecting you to be celebate, and no, we weren’t home last night. We got a hotel room.” Sanji opened his mouth to object, but Yonji held up a hand. “Which Zoro offered to pay for, but we were fine covering it ourselves. And it was nice to feel like we were stepping away while still being able to be here tonight.”

“Well, I’m glad you were. That was my one worry when I realized what he was doing; ah crap, my family’s not here.”

“He knows you too well to let that happen.”

“Yeah.”

Yonji studied his brother for a minute. “Something wrong?”

“Just…I’ve been freaking out about asking him to move with me. You don’t think he did this just because of that, do you? Like…I didn’t force him to propose, right?”

“Absolutely not.”

“But—“

“No, Sanji…Zoro started planning this a year ago. You hadn’t even gotten the job offer yet. You didn’t force anything.” Yonji clapped him on the back again, this time with a lot more force. “Hate to break it to ya, bro, but I think he’s just in love with you.”

“Are we talking about my stupid brother?” Nami sidled up beside Sanji leaned over the railing slightly. “If so, yeah, idiot’s so in love. Never thought he’d actually find a good one but here we are.” She smiled at him. “Did he surprise you?”

“Yup. Had an answer for everything.”

“I’m surprised his brain cells cooperated long enough to pull this off, honestly. He’s never been a good liar.” Nami shrugged. “Guess you really do bring out the best in him.”

“I try.”

“Now everyone say thank you, Yonji.”

Nami made a face. “What? Why?”

“Yeah,” Sanji said, “why?”

Yonji looked unimpressed. “Uh, cuz if I hadn’t insisted Zoro join us that weekend, you two may not have made up? You’re welcome.”

“Made up?” Nami asked, her eyes darting between the two. “Did something happen?”

“Sa—“

“NO NOTHING!” Sanji said quickly, pinching his brother to help him read the room. “Nothing happened! We just had a slight misunderstanding, that’s all. Fixed it in no time.”

A darkness passed over Nami’s features that had both Sanji and Yonji taking a step back. “A misunderstanding, huh?” She cracked her knuckles one by one, first the right hand, then the left. “This misunderstanding, did it happen to hurt his feelings?”

“I think feelings got hurt on both sides,” Yonji said, scrambling to diffuse the tension.

“Nami, listen, it was just a stupid misunderstanding, he and I worked it out. I’ve made it up to him a thousand times over!”

“You also made my baby brother cry.”

Sanji took another step back, yelping slightly when his back hit the wall. Panic rose in him quickly, until the wall…wrapped its arms around his waist?

“Almost cry,” Zoro corrected, dropping his chin onto Sanji’s shoulder. He smiled at his fiance, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. “I was wondering where you’d wandered off to.”

“Help,” was all Sanji could manage, his eyes still glued to a fuming Nami.

“It’s fine, sis, ease up. Wouldn’ta proposed if any real damage had been done. Like Curly said, just a stupid misunderstanding. And he’s made it up to me so many times.”

The suggestive tone Zoro used seemed to do the trick, because Nami instantly dropped the look of anger in favor of pretending to gag. “Spare me the messy details,” she said with an eye roll.

“Oh, they’re definitely messy,” Zoro said. He laughed when Nami punched his arm, deeming him disgusting and threatening to absolve their siblinghood. “Come on,” he said, directing his attention to Sanji. “Let’s go mingle some more.”

“You get him for the rest of your lives, let us have some time with him!” Nami protested.

“You were about to kill him,” Yonji said.

Nami smiled sweetly. “And my wedding gift is not doing the same to you.”

“It has been received with gratitude.” Yonji bowed slightly. “Thank you for your contribution.”

“Keep acting like that and I’m taking it back.”

“You two have fun by—e!” Zoro steered Sanji back toward the house, his hands squeezing his hips as they went, causing Sanji to shiver slightly. When they were still a ways away from everyone, Zoro nibbled on Sanji’s earlobe, before pressing his lips to his ear and lowering his voice. “Gonna fuck you so good tonight,” he whispered, laughing as Sanji attempted to hide his redened face. “I can’t wait, either.”

“Stop! Our parents are here!” Sanji hissed.

Zoro’s arms encircled Sanji’s waist, pulling him closer. “I’m aware.”

Sanji laughed quietly, the sound shifting to a hum as Zoro kissed him properly. They remained like that for the rest of the party; Zoro, draping himself over Sanji, who was happy to lean back into the embrace. They laughed plenty and kissed too much, equally excited to be celebrating something that meant so much to both of them. And when they’d said their last goodbyes and retired for the evening, Zoro was certain to make good on his promise.

All in all, it truly was the best night of Sanji’s life.

#ZoSan #Roronoa Zoro #Vinsmoke Sanji #Roronoa Zoro/Vinsmoke Sanji #Modern au #Sanji is a Marine Biologist #Zoro is a personal trainer #fluff #fluff with a little bit of angst #no smut #but it's very suggestive at times #MDNI #12 days of ficmas #Day 3

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saffronapplemanga · 1 year

Text

Requiem of the Rose King - 薔薇王の葬列

DRAMA, HISTORICAL

Requiem of the Rose King by Kanno Aya

(17 volumes, complete)

Available in English (it's a great localization!)

It has an anime but I heard fans were really mad at the adaption. I haven’t seen it so I can’t comment.

Links to my other manga posts here

I’ll be the first to admit that I normally wouldn’t go for something like this, but at the same time I’m open to trying anything and I’ve been in the mood to shake things up. And boy, does this manga constantly have me screaming... IT’S WILD

I’m surprised by how much fun I’m having that I just had to make this a manga rec. The shoujo community has mad taste.

We love to see it

I don’t like to say too much about plots but I’ll vaguely mention some things this series has:

Our mc is a noble that was born intersex which causes them problems. We have lots of people crushing on other people. Then we got people playing chess, a tangled relationship chart, and a battle for the throne of England.

Honestly, the first two volumes were kinda losing me. I guess I was confused? But I powered on and I’m glad I did. The first two volumes are basically set up and once you get to volume three, things get MESSY, the good kind of messy. And I’m very picky about my messy dramas because I tend to get annoyed pretty quick depending on how it’s done.

I’m not afraid to drop series if they’re not clicking with me, but fortunately, I was having a grand time with this one!

Oh hey, literal chess!

I started constantly texting my friend screaming about what was happening even though she had no plans to read the series. She also was like “That’s so wild!!!” from what I was telling her, and indeed it was wild.

Apparently, the story is based on Shakespeare’s Henry VI and Richard III. I know squat about Shakespeare so I can’t comment on that. It does somewhat remind me of Game of Thrones, though.

Anytime this kid is on the page, he usually has me hollering, I can’t with him. He really said, “Being ignored is a turn on” 😭

Having just finished a particularly intense volume, I’m looking forward to making my way through the rest of the story. I wish I could ignore my responsibilities and just fly through the remaining volumes. It’s a real page-turner!

This is the face of someone who’s playing chess and winning. Actual chills... Seriously, Kanno-sensei’s art slaps.

On my Twitter, I sometimes tweet my reactions when I feel like it. But I would maybe avoid it if you want to go in fresh with no risk of spoilers. I also talk about other stuff I’m reading, and about localization and translation!

View on Twitter

#manga recs #薔薇王の葬列 #requiem of the rose king #漫画 #おすすめ #manga #shoujo #manga recommendation #shoujo manga #manga discussion

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blossominghunnie · 10 months

Text

Jinwoo parked her car outside of YG, literally the second Mina sent the message to the groupchat. Not longer after, Yeji comes out of the glass doors. Looking pretty tired but happy to see her friends.

“Hi, girlsss.”

“Hi, Ji!” Both said at the same time as they give the younger a big hug.

“How was class?” Jinwoo asked as they entered the car, again. She was on the driver’s seat while Mina on the passenger seat and Yeji got comfortable on the backseat.

“Ugh, so tiring. I feel like Mr. Kang wants to kill us or something.” She rolled her eyes. “We literally dance till we drop.”

“That old man hag should just retire. I’ve heard so many awful stories about him that even I hate him and I’ve never met him.” Mina commented.

“Me too. He sounds horrible.”

“He is. But enough about that excuse of a man.” Yeji rolled her eyes. “How was the presentation? I could only see clips on Twitter.”

“It went pretty well, actually.” Jinwoo answered while keeping her eyes on the road. “Better than I expected.”

“Yeah! There was a lot of cheering, so I guess that’s a good sign.” Mina continued.

“I’m pretty sure it is.” Yeji laughed. “I’m so proud of you, guys!”

“Aw, thanks Ji!”

After a few minutes they finally arrived at their destination.

“Okaaay, we’re here.” Jinwoo parked outside McDonald’s.

The girls exited the car and walked into the restaurant, where they usually went after a busy and tiring day.

Jinwoo and Yeji went to sit down while Mina ordered their usual. They were chatting when the pink haired felt her phone vibrate. She grabbed her phone and was surprised by the text.

She just smiled and made a mental reminder to text him back later that night.

“Why are you smiling?” Yeji asked after seeing the other girl blushing.

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Yeji raised her eyebrow. “Okayy, Jake texted me.”

“Aww, what did he say?”

“I’m not sure, I’ll open it once I’m home.”

“You better tell us when you do, I wanna know the tea.” The younger smiled.

“Yeah, sure.” Jinwoo rolled her eyes playfully.

Mina came right after with their food.

“Here you go.” She gave each of them their order.

“Thanks.”

They started eating when Yeji spoke.

“Min, guess what! Prince Charming sent our dear Woo a text.”

“Oooh. And what did he say? That he’s in love with you?” Mina teased the pink haired.

“I wish.” She laughed. “I don’t know, I haven’t opened it yet.”

“She promised that when she does she’ll spill the tea.” Yeji smiled playfully.

“I promise I will.”

“You better.” Jinwoo put her arms up in defense making them laugh.

Oh, how she loved times like this. She loved her friends so much.

Synopsis: Jinwoo was a professional dancer that was recently hired by Hybe to be a backup dancer for Enhypen's comeback. Everything was going smoothly until she started developing feelings for a certain member.

Will she hide them or act on them?

Note: I didn’t know how to end it, lmao.

Taglist: @woncoree

Prev - Next

Masterlist

#cyberpunksunwoo #bite me #jake sim x reader #jake sim x fem!reader #enhypen #enhypen fic #enhypen smau #jake sim smau #jake sim fanfic #jake sim #shim jaeyoon #engene #jake smau #enhypen jake

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daisysmalia · 1 year

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tbh i wish i had your confidence. I just wouldn't be surprised if Natalia ends up being the couch buck has been searching for if the finale ends with buck deciding to pursue a relationship with her and then there's Eddie who likely isgoing to go on another date soon and that's probably gonna be how he finds his endgame cause Tia found her next husband that way so I just don't know. Then Chim could pay it forward in the next episode could be about convincing Eddie to give the women he went on a date wiht the chance though that doesn't make any sense because how coulld Eddie love her so fast? These writers are not that bad.IDK I just don't trust that the resolution of the couch metaphor from the premiere and the result of buck's happiness arc is gonnaa be him realizing the diaz's are his happiness and that's his couch. would i love it yes but idk I still have doubts. Also how do we know Natalia is gone by the finale, for all we know the finale could solidify her as buck's endgame.I'm sorry I'm just unnecessarily freaking out. I go through these confident and doubtful phases.

Hi anon!

I really hope my message won’t come across as rude because I understand being stressed but please just trust the process and the story that’s playing out.

I understand not fully trusting the writers but the 9-1-1 writers have never been that incompetent before to drop something completely different to the story that they’re telling. Natalia will not be Buck’s couch, it has been clear from the start and still is that it is linked to the Diaz’s and 6x15 just further reinforced that. I really also don’t think Eddie will get a love interest (I’m not even on the Marisol train- I think she’s Athena’s grief victim for 6x17 and thats why they reshot her ambulance scene with the brother to emphasise their bond). And as far the other girl he met, they had Tia Pepa say ‘you will never see her again’ that’s to also tell the audience he won’t.

Natalia is clearly also not interested in Buck for romantic reasons and I think Buck is misconstruing his interest in her too- they’re both using each other for the wrong reasons and I believe they’ll realise before it’s too late. I also saw someone on twitter post a post from the actress instagram where a hairstylist from the show commented saying that they miss her- and it was posted during early filming for the finale, so I think she may be gone by 6x17.

Finally I trust the writers. I trust JCC who has written and directed loads of great episodes and posted the 3x03 Buddie scene after 6x15 ep aired- where Eddie is shown to see Buck (I doubt it was a coincidence). Gets me really intrigued for his ep (6x17.) And I also trust Oliver when he says that the characters are left in a good place in the finale, that the couch goes to Buck’s final scene and that the audience will really respond to the final. Yes it’s PR talk but I don’t think he’d mislead too much- he never did when Buck was with Taylor.

Sorry this is really long, ultimately we can never fully know how it will play out but if we’re following storylines and themes and arcs, it does seem to point in one direction and we’re not delusional to see that. Buck and Eddie have had so much screen time separately and together in 6B, there’s been a Buddie scene in basically every ep so far and they’re the only couple/friendship to have that. I’m inclined to say it all means something (and hope the trend continues).

I hope this helps and if not you can always PM me!

#Leah answers #911 stuff #basically this isn’t subtext it’s text

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qdebode · 1 year

Text

5 Must Have Chrome Extensions for 2023

Look, we all have cool and impressive Chrome extensions. But from time to time, you come accross hidden gems that will leave you thinking “where have you been all my life?!”. I had the pleasure to discover those by reading about them, so now it’s only fair to return the favor and share five extensions that I absolutely adore.

Momentum

Momentum makes your ‘New Tab’ page look calm and pretty. A new beautiful nature picture every day, it greets you personally (or shares some wisdom), tells the time, a small daily mantra and… That’s it. No noise, no links, nothing but calm.

There are more options to add, such as taking notes, include weather updates, a search function, bookmarks, to do lists and more. I prefer to keep it clean and simple. It’s a more enjoyable experience than the standard ‘New Tab’ page from Chrome and something I have been using for years and years now.

Find it here: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/momentum/laookkfknpbbblfpciffpaejjkokdgca

Wikiwand

Could be just me but the old design of Wikipedia is disaster. Yes, it’s about the information and not how pretty that information is being delivered, yet a bit of freshing up would be welcome. Introducing: Wikiwand.

The extension basically brings Wikipedia into the modern era of webdesign. It doesn’t do much more than that, but this simple idea is brilliant. A sidebar to easily navigate between the chapters, a cleaner design, modern day fonts and no information gets lost. A must have for anyone who is tired of the old looking Wikipedia and needs a refreshing look for the site.

Find it here: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/wikiwand-wikipedia-modern/emffkefkbkpkgpdeeooapgaicgmcbolj

Simplify Twitter Web UI

I personally used to love Twitter. However, today it’s an absolute mess. I’m not going to go into that side of the topic but will instead give you a way to make it more fun and less exhausting.

See, I find that the trending topics are mostly at the source of my Twitter misery. Solution: A Chrome extension that removes the trending topics list from your feed page. No longer will you see triggering topics that will make you click to see the dumbest takes on certain topics, no. It’s just a feed of the people you follow, nothing more. Simple, but effective!

Find it here: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/simplify-twitter-web-ui/pobjlebhmdjbgfjhfdhblilmpjkegbfd

Return YouTube Dislike

YouTube dislikes have been removed over a year ago. Personally, I wasn’t a fan of that decision. Admittedly, there were issues with the dislike button being used in online harassment, but it also had the potential to be something useful.

With a quick glance at the like-dislike ratio, you could see if a video had actual content or if it’s a clickbait situation. (Loads of dislikes compared to likes? Don’t waste your time, move on.) So, a Chrome extension that brings that back? Sign me up!

Find it here: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/return-youtube-dislike/gebbhagfogifgggkldgodflihgfeippi

Colorzilla

Ever saw an image and you were like “that’s a wonderful color, I wish I knew the colorcode of it” — Look no further than Colorzilla. It’s basically the Eye Dropper tool from Photoshop, but then in Chrome!

Simply open the tool, click on the color with your Eye Dropper tool and it shows you the colorcode for that color. It’s also immediately copied, so you can easily copy and paste it somewhere. Bonus: there’s a log of all the colors you’ve selected, so you never lose any pretty colors you’ve selected over the years.

Find it here: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/colorzilla/bhlhnicpbhignbdhedgjhgdocnmhomnp

Your turn!

Got a great Chrome Extension to share? Drop them in the comments!

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erodasfishtacos · 3 years

Text

HSLOT WASHINGTON D.C.

Like, comment, share, and come talk if you enjoyed the fic.

*inspired by this *

I write for free - so if you would like to support my work, you can donate here. (plus my bday is coming up in a week 😌)

Despite Harry being less than active on social media, it doesn’t mean that he didn’t creep through Instagram and Twitter after the shows.

He used a fake account to scroll, constantly liking pictures and videos of his wife dancing or funny fan signs to his phone.

Tonight, after the Philly show, YN was already fast asleep in their tour bus bed - she had curled into Harry with her leg between his and her head on his bicep.

Harry was trending on Twitter for his show, however, he scrolled a bit further and noticed that a hashtag called #JusticeforYN was trending.

When he clicked on the link, it took him down a rabbit hole of screenshots and videos from the concert.

It doesn’t take long to see what had happened, it was a girl recording herself on Snapchat from the pit during the concert.

The ‘fan’ held up her phone enough that you could see her but also YN, Jeff, Harry Lambert, and Tommy in the background behind the pit.

Adore You started blasting through his AirPod and the girl recorded his wife dancing with their friends - he gets distracted for a moment, watching her have fun and sing along.

He loved her so fucking much.

But then, it’s the next clip, and the captioned text on the video said ‘Harry’s Whore.’

The small smile on his face disappears instantly when he sees where this is going.

In the next few segments, the girl is screaming things at YN who can’t even hear them because of the music but it’s still completely disrespectful.

“Hi, Harry’s Whore!”

“Get the fuck outta here, nobody wants you here!”

“Fuck you!”

It makes Harry rage, even from the comfort of his bunk with his perfect love, and then he digs deeper to find his real fans defending YN.

YN was pretty loved by the fans. She was always kind, posted pictures of Harry (because he rarely did), and made really kickass merch.

He finds the Twitter account of the girl who harassed his wife, her name was Gina, and he read through her tweets.

She was going to three more of the concerts - following them from Philly to Detroit.

One of her tweets said…

‘If you guys are mad about what I said during the last concert, just wait what I have to say to her next time.’

And he also finds out that she had won a meet and greet for the DC show through the record label and Harry already knew what he was gonna do.

YN wakes up before Harry, sitting in the small living area of the bus - watching a cooking show on the television and still slightly dozing in and out of sleep.

“Hi bun,” She mumbles, opening her arms and legs to let Harry flop between them. Chest to chest and he was a bit to heavy for this but he liked laying like this.

“Mornin’, my love,” Harry rasps, peppering kisses all over her jaw and the smooth column of her neck until she giggles.

“Shouldn’t you be saying good morning to your whore on tour?” YN replies, her voice is light and unbothered - obviously found out the online drama.

Harry tenses up, looks up at her seriously, and tells her, “M’gonna take care of it.”

“Don’t, it’s fine, bubs,” YN assures him, she’s smiling softly and Harry just…he is so obsessed with the woman below him that he has to kiss her for a long moment.

“No, it’s not. I’m not going t’let someone treat m’wife like that. She won tha’ meet and greet. I’m gonna have a talk w’her when she comes backstage,” Harry tells her, lips brushing on every word and he can help but grind his hips forward against her.

“Always so horny in the morning,” Yn teases but still lets her thighs fall open a little bit more so that the only barrier is their underwear.

“Can y’blame me? Look wha’ I wake up to,” He rumbles, voice getting illogically deeper and raspier when he speaks.

It’s not long before he tugs his briefs down just enough and her panties to the side to get inside her with his lips glued to hers.

He’s whispering things that would make him blush with embarrassment if anyone heard him.

“Can’t believe y’mine after all this time.”

“Y’my perfect match, on m’knees for you whenever you ask.”

“Arena full of people and all I see is you, baby.”

“Feel like heaven.”

“Only y’make me feel like this.”

“Come on, stubborn girl. Show me y’love me.”

Harry looks insanely stunning in his purple outfit but honestly - YN always steals the show (without even trying). ***

They’re in a common area, waiting for the meet and greet with the fans - it’s comical how Gina’s face drops when she arrives to see Harry facing away from everyone with YN giggle as he crowds her up against a wall.

They can hear Harry murmur, “Y’alway showin’ me up. Only gonna be able to look at y’during the show, bug.”

“Harry,” Jeff calls to his client, making him turn around and his eyes instantly search the small groups of fans until his eyes land on a girl dressed in a bright pink fishnet dress and boa.

“You,” Harry points at her, his face isn’t giving away any emotion, “Can I have a chat w’you?”

“S-sure,” She stutters, eyes wide and excited - oblivious that Harry actually knows what she had been posted on social media.

The singer takes her off to the side, YN’s eyes keep darting to them as she chats with the friendly fans who are complimenting her dress and her merch designs.

Frank is standing near Harry, prepared to escort the girl out after the conversation.

“Can we get a selfie?” Gina asks, pulling out her cellphone.

“No,” Harry replies seriously, “You also are going to get escorted out of this arena and banned from any of my future concerts.”

“Wh-what?” The girl stumbles, eyes watering as she looks at him in confusion and dismay.

“I need to make this a safe space for everyone who comes to my concerts. That especially includes m’wife. And I don’t feel comfortable havin’ someone scream at m’wife and posting nasty things on social media attending my concert.”

Realization flashes across Gina’s face, “I’m so so sorry. I can apologize. I really didn’t mean-“

“No. I don’t think my whore of a wife would want to hear it,” Harry chuckles with a nasty edge, “Y’can fuck off now. Go find a new artist to harass ‘cause if I see y’face at one of m’concerts - y’getting kicked out immediately.”

Frank appears beside them, gently guiding the hysterical girl out of the room while the fans look back in confusion.

They forget all about it once Harry saunters up to them and gives them a crooked smile, “Hi, m’Harry. How are y’guys?”

The fans don’t miss his hand moving quickly to squeeze his wife’s hip in reassurance before starting to sign things and take pictures.

Later that night, the disgruntled ‘fan’ sends out a nasty few tweets where real fans go after her and defend YN.

Also, the true fans are cooing over the fact that Harry is such a good husband.

haleyhs22: omg, could you imagine being called out by the nicest guy on this earth

tpwkjess_young: okay but I wish I had the luck that @ynstyles has to get a manz like that 😩

UsWeekly: Harry Styles bans ignorant fan from tour after nasty videos were leaked attacking his wife

strawberriesinsummer: harry is such a VIBE. Like he deadass kicked that girl out and then spent the whole night trying to seduce his wife with his shimmies and winks - he’s the hoe 🍑

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theundercoversquid · 2 years

Text

Telling the world

Pairing: Pierre Gasly x Reader

Summary: Some things can’t stay secret

Warnings: Fluff

Masterlist

Baby Masterlist

You and Pierre had never really thought about how you would tell the world. You knew that with Pierre's job. You were constantly under scrutiny.

You had both agreed that you should tell the world soon. So you could say to them on your own terms and not have it come from a gossip site. And the answer seemed to just follow your gut.

You were at one of Pierre's races. You were showing. Something that was hidden under Pierre's jumper. But if someone paid too much attention to your bump. They could notice.

You stood in Pierre's garage as you cheered him on. Waiting for him to win. And win. he did. As soon as Pierre parked his car in the right place. He jumped out. Running into all the engines and people who had helped him win. He dived into the melee. Frantically celebrating.

When Pierre turned to you. he could see the grin that broke your face in two. Opening your arms. You felt your husband collide with you. Wrapping you up in a big which was simultaneously bone-crushing and careful of your precious cargo. "Thank you for believing in me," Pierre told you.

When Pierre parted from you. He dropped to his knees in front of you. And completely ignoring all the people and the camera's watching you. Pierre pulled the hoodie up. And the world went wild. When he had drooped to his knees in front of you. Some people were convinced it meant you were pregnant. And some needed further proof. But this was all the proof that they needed. The sight of number 10. Pierre Gasly with his helmet-clad head resting on what was clearly his wives pregnant bump.

But at that moment. You and Pierre could not care less. Happy and content in your own bubble. Your only concerns were that your bump was getting a bit cold. And Pierre needed to go to the podium ceremony.

When Pierre stood up. Wrapping you in his arms for another hug. You finally took notice of all the people and cameras watching you. Suddenly you realised that everybody was staring at you and Pierre. You felt your cheeks grow warm. Dropping your face into your husband's shoulder. You felt one of his arms wrapping around you reassuringly.

"Well. That's one way to tell the world, love." You laughed into Pierre's shoulder.

"It certainly was. mon amour." Pierre laughed as you watched your Alphatauri family break out of their shock. Rushing to congratulate you and Pierre.

The two of you celebrated that night. Everybody congratulates Pierre on his podium and on your little one.

That night as you got to the hotel. You posted a few pictures that you and Pierre had taken. Starting with the test. Followed by your first ultrasound. Your pregnant bump. Your most recent ultrasound and ends with a shot of Pierre's heading resting against your bump.

Your comment section was flooded with congratulations and well wishes from your friends, the driver's and all Pierre's fans.

When you went to Twitter. You could see that your husband's name was trending. Smiling, you clicked on the icon and looked at what people had to say.

Your heart warmed at the genuine heartfelt congratulations. Everybody wished Pierre congratulations on his podium and your pregnancy.

Pierre came out of the shower to see you sleepily scrolling. Smiling, he snuggled up against you. Placing a kiss on his head, you put your phone on charge and snuggled into Pierre.

"That was certainly one way to tell everybody I'm expecting." You teased quietly.

"I kind of forgot everybody was there, mon amour." Pierre admitted quietly. "I was buzzing off the podium, and then I saw you. You looked so angelic just standing there. All I could think about was thanking you for your support and little one."

"I don't mind." You assured Pierre. "I thought it was adorable. A good way to tell the world. And I think that everybody would agree if Twitter is any indication." You assured him.

"I'm just glad you are happy." Pierre smiled. Placing a delicate kiss on your face.

You could tell that Pierre was rapidly coming down off his adrenaline high as you placed a kiss on his head.

"Good night love." You whispered.

"I love you. mon amour." Pierre told you. Yawning loudly before snuggling into you as the two of you drifted to sleep.

Leaving the rest of the F1 world to explode over all that had happened in one day.

#f1 #f1 imagine #f1 fanfic #pierre gasly #pierre gasly fanfic #pierre gasly imagine #pierre gasly fanfiction #f1 x reader #f!reader #x reader #pg10 #instagram imagine #Imagine

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nachoscheesy · 3 years

Text

Tumblr Revival

Tl;dr

Tumblr has a large interconnected community of artists and content creators, and should focus on its strengths and what it does right. Instead of trying to compete for space against Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Tumblr should focus on empowering its community and giving that community the tools to develop the site's unparalleled uniqueness.

Tumblr is the crossroads of the internet, with a monthly user traffic of 300 million it is the perfect space for artists, content creators, and small businesses to grow their following without having to fight for a seat at the table against companies with huge budgets.

Hi, I go by Nacho here on tumblr, and I'm sure as many of us on tumblr have noticed, the (hell)site is kinda going downhill. Tumblr was bought by Automattic in fall of 2019, and I am sure they have the best intentions to help tumblr stay afloat. However, I think it's time the community took a more deliberate approach to how tumblr is handled, and hopefully Automattic and @staff will hear us out. I think I have a solid solution to tumblrs money issues, that will help both the site and empower its online communities.

First and foremost, I am not involved with Tumblr or Automattic. I am just a simple blog trying to help out a place that I've been on since 2010, and I would hate to see it die here around 2023.

So, let's get to the root of the problem on tumblr right now. That being money, tumblr is currently costing more money that it produces, as we've seen with its 97% drop in value from 1.1 billion dollar sale to being sold at around 3 million dollars.

So the first thing that must be improved before anything else can be improved on tumblr is how much money they're bringing in a month. I don't think folks on tumblr hate monetization as much as we all collectively say we do, I think the issue is that most advertisers are completely disconnected from the groups they are trying to advertise to on here. Tumblr comprises roughly 65% millennials and 30% gen-z, the two generations that advertisers seem to have the hardest time advertising to for a myriad of reasons. The main one being that they don't fully understand what we want, and sometimes just don't listen to what we are saying.

Lets look at how tumblr makes its money, Tumblr has four main revenue sources,

Ads by sponsored posts

Display ads through video posts

Sponsored Day ads or banner ads

“Premium Themes”

I'll go into depth on all of these and how tumblr could make potential changes to improve their revenue anywhere from three to six months after it implements some or ideally all of these changes.

First tumblr ads and sponsored posts, these changes are going to be contingent on tumblr allowing its users to share, like, and comment on ads much like all other media sites currently allow. Or at least giving advertisers the ability to turn that on or off as a function.

The average tumblr post gets reblogged 14 times, that number increases significantly if the ad is engaging and actually caters to the communities wants and needs. My reasoning for giving users the ability to reblog ads is to increase user engagement while maintaining their current ad vetting process and all of the nonsensical ads that are run on tumblr 90% of the time.

The other reason for allowing tumblr users to share and comment on ads, or have it be an option for advertisers to turn on or off as they'd like, is that the appeal of tumblr is the ability to propagate and obsess over the most niche things (i.e OSHA.)

All the while allowing content that gets shared all over the internet bubble up to the top through the collective hand of the tumblr community. Along with this tumblr has no way for small users to share their own products or services, every single major site has a way for users to advertise their pages or products through the site.

Tumblr is a content machine that creates imagery and memes that get shared all the time across the internet, so the ability to share and curate its own ads is paramount to improving advertising and user engagement on tumblr.

My proposal here is for tumblr to expand its advertising capabilities to all users, while charging a flat rate fee to advertise on tumblr, with additional charges for popular tags or trending tags. Tumblr currently has no self service advertising system much like Facebook does for example. Where facebook charges a daily rate on cost-per-click(CPC) or cost-per-thousand(CPM)

Charging a flat rate fee at a rate of a day, week, month, or quarterly basis with variances in prices based on the lease term and what the advertisers would want to have their ads show up on certain tags. This would open up the doors for small businesses that don't want to advertise on places like facebook, twitter, or google with their complicated CPM and CPC models. Also bringing in more small locally owned businesses with the added value of less competition for ad space on tumblr.

This would also take some of the weight from tumblrs own advertising staff from having to explain a convoluted system to potential advertisers. Creating a simplified model with the the advent of tumblrs own infrastructure able to get a single post to a large variety of users. Where the current ad model uses a “shotgun” method to hit as many people as possible, the tumblr model could encourage advertisers to curate a more personalized and intimate experience that tumblr users would love.

Why not just advertise elsewhere? Tumblr still in fact gets over 300 million views a month as of June 2021 (Statosta), and the added benefit for users to be able to like, share, and interact with ads would allow ads that the community enjoys to be talked about more. Giving advertisers more honest feedback about their ads while increasing their SEO’s.

Also small businesses that can't compete with the vetting processes that are used on other sites, would have a better chance of developing their business and increasing their clientele on tumblr whose core demographics are approximately 60% millennial and 35% gen-z. This core demographic does in fact care about being able to shop at local stores, or even a store across the US that is trying to drum up its own online sales.

These ads could be placed inline on the tumblr dash while moving other sponsored ads to the right of the site on desktop, but making them alternate on mobile between user ads and sponsored ads.

Second, the display ads should be changed to allow tumblr users to share and further interact with ads to generate more user engagement, incentivizing more businesses and companies to build their brand status on tumblr. Tumblr has a good model for creating short diaries or daily vlogs for companies that wish to show off their products on social media. This includes smaller businesses and vlogers that want to post videos or tutorials of themselves on their blog.

Tumblr is a good site for user engagement with a pool of creative potential for anyone wanting to gauge the desire for a particular subject or piece of media, maybe even an upcoming show. Having the ability to share and comment on sponsored ads would also help advertisers by allowing them to get more bang for their buck with a considerable uptick on how users engage with that content.

Third, tumblrs sponsor day ads and banner ads are inexpensive and should be highlighted as a selling point over their competitors. Tumblr 24-hour banner ads are considerably more affordable for businesses when compared to places like twitter with their 200k price point. For the same amount of money on tumblr a business could have their company at the top of the dashboard or app for 8 whole days. Much longer and much better than the competition.

Keeping this price fixed, with a change in the price CPC is still a much more lucrative and attractive selling point than any of the competition on the internet today. I know this might not be exactly what tumblr wants to hear when it is hemorrhaging money right now, but let's look at the cost for these 24 hour daily ads and banner ads. If tumblr hypes up the price point on these ads they could see a significant rise in advertisers considering the lack of competition on tumblr and past success stories of companies who did advertise on tumblr.

At the same time larger advertisers should be encouraged to make engaging ads and blogs on tumblr that will make people want to actually go to their blogs, that then link to an external site or page. Not ads that instantly try to force you to go to some other site, by rewarding or offering special discounts for people who find a special code or something off of the actual blog. Or even for giving the same code to everyone who reblogs a certain post made by the advertiser.

Seems too good to be true? Look at “Asos” back in 2015 when they held a shirt design competition on their tumblr blog. Where they had 900 submissions, four of which were picked, and were sold out of the user generated shirts in 10 hours.

This is not the only case however, but FX ran their own campaign for the show “Man Seeking Woman” where they saw a 2.8% increase in user engagement, 86% increase in their tumblr followers, and they actually saved money through advertising on tumblr.

All this leads me to believe that tumblr actually was and continues to be the best place for brands, small businesses, and artists to develop themselves through genuine user engagement.

Finally, the “premium themes” that are available on tumblr that allow for unparalleled customizations that you hardly find elsewhere on the internet anymore. Tumblrs ability to take a variety of media sources, as well as having an unparalleled level of customization, user interconnectivity, and a vibrant artistic scene shows that it is ripe with potential.

Tumblr could still use its post+ feature, but in the same way that Discord uses its subscription service. For cosmetic changes that can be added modularly to the site or individual blogs for an additional monthly fee. In conjunction with partnering with community artists to bring small cosmetic additions to individual blogs, while paying the content creator and tumblr taking a small portion of the profits over a certain amount.

To be completely honest this is probably the hardest portion of this entire pitch to make changes to in a shorter period of time, considering all the testing and “under the hood” changes that must be made. However, I think that implementing this as well as the other changes I have proposed will bring back more foot traffic to tumblr as well as increase its revenue and profitability.

In closing, I am simply working with whatever information I was able to find online and a good amount of time invested on my part to do this. I think tumblr has a ton of potential still to return as a force for good for the communities that exist and want a change from what the internet has become. Time and time again when any company or public entity dies it was because it did not change and refused to adapt and innovate, oftentimes not at the hands of the people working everyday to keep the site running. Instead at the hands of people who dont see the value in what has fallen in their laps.

If you agree and think this is something that can be done, please reblog this post and follow me for more updates. If I don't hear back or this does not gain any traction by the end of the year, then tumblr can go to its inevitable end. I will be here sinking with the ship.

@support @engineering @music @wip @changes @photomatt

#tumblr plus #tumblr post plus #tumblr staff #advertising #marketing strategy #changes #tumblr premium #post plus protest #community #automattic

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lilysdaydreams · 3 years

Text

Praise Bingus (No fucking way)

→ I do not claim to know corpse- therefore please don't think that this is what he would actually act like, or that any details about his life are actually true. this is fiction.

→ Pairing: Corpse Husband X Fem!Reader

→ Genre: Angst and fluff. (FLUFF IS COMING I SWEAR)

→ Words: 3.9k

→ In a world where everyone is born with a mark on their wrist, two souls come together over the power of bingus.

→ (this isnt crack lol)

→ Warnings: Lots of swearing, um self-depreciation? rejection (kinda) and negative thoughts overall. Sorry im new to warnings.

→ Authors Note: this is the first time im doing like angst so please tell me if I did well? Um also, I’ve already started on the part 2 so keep your eyes out for that. If you wanna be tagged for part two please comment and lemme know. Also check out my other fics if you want!

→ Buy me a coffee

Part two →

~~~

Soulmates were a phenomenon. They'd been there for ages, drawn into the Egyptian tomb paintings, seen in the cave paintings from millions of years ago, talked about in stories passed down from generation to generation. They could be matching drawings, first words, names; all black before the soulmates met and turning gold the moment they talked to each other. There wasn't a scientist in the world who could explain the phenomenon.

You'd received your mark at birth just like everyone else, a sentence running around your wrist,

"No fucking way."

Your parents weren't that happy when you asked at the age of 4 what "fucking" meant but it wasn't that bad. You were happy that you had something unique, something other than the "Hi," or "Excuse me," that was on every other arm.

When you were 13, a little girl on the train pointed to your wrist and asked her mom what it meant. Ever since then, you'd taken to wearing bracelets over it. This had turned out to be a good idea because a few years later you started making Youtube videos. At the age of 16, you started a Youtube channel where you focused on a variety of things; makeup, fashion, games, art, skits and a whole lot more.

At the age of 20, you had a steady following of a little more than a million subscribers, and you had moved to LA to be closer to all your Youtube friends. You hadn't just grown on Youtube, you'd also started a lot of side projects. You were known for the art that you did on the side, along with the makeup palette you'd come out with a year ago. Soon you were planning to release a merch collection, one that you had been working on for a whole year now.

You hadn't met your soulmate at this point but honestly, you didn't really mind. Balancing Youtube and study (along with all your other side projects) was hard. There was no need to add the struggle of love into it... Or that's what you told yourself anyways.

There were days though, days where you wished you had someone to hug, someone to cuddle in bed with, someone to go on long walks with. You didn't let yourself wallow on it that long though. Crying about it was gonna do absolutely nothing.

It started on a rainy day. The story of you and him. You were editing your soon to be uploaded video, an e-girl outfits lookbook, which had been requested by your followers. Your personal style was all over the place and your previous soft girl and cottage care look books had done well, so you decided to continue the series.

You eyes blurred as you looked at the same point of the video, and you sighed, removing your glasses and rubbing your eyes. Your editor was sick and had let you know that they wouldn't be able to edit it by the deadline so here you were, editing it yourself. You stretched in your chair letting out a yawn. You were contemplating on whether to make coffee or not when your phone pinged.

"Nooooo" you whined when you noticed it was on the coffee table that was just a little out of your reach. Stretching your foot out, you tried to grab it between your toes and then sighed when the phone fell.

"I have zero luck, I swear" you muttered to yourself, bending to pick up the phone.

The text was from Rae, asking you to join a game of Among Us. You and Rae had been friends for a bit now, which all started when she came across your art and decided to order something from you. You had chatted and clicked immediately, immediately becoming fast friends. Ever since the lockdown started, she often asked you to join in on Among us games and your friendship had really grown over these past few months.

You sent a quick "sure!" and then went to your table, waiting for the PC to turn on. Quickly tweeting out that you were streaming, you opened up Youtube and turned on the stream, saying a quick hello and letting them know what you'd be doing.

"Rae just invited me guys, I don't really know who's there," you mumbled, replying to a comment asking you who you were playing with.

You squinted your eyes, joining the voice chat and then opening your phone camera to quickly check that you didn't look horrible. Sure you didn't really care about how you looked but it was always good to check that you didn't have anything stuck between your teeth before you turned on the camera.

There was already a conversation going on, between who you thought was Corpse and Sykkuno, judging by their voices.

"Yeah I could totally do that. Get a cat and name it Bingus. I wonder if th-"

You gasped when you heard what they were talking about and unmuted yourself immediately yelling "PRAISE LORD BINGUS" and effectively shocking everyone in the chat.

A moment of silence and then Rae yelled: "OH MY FUCKING GOD Y/N, YOU SCARED THE CRAP OUT OF ME."

You giggled as everyone groaned and whined, saying hi as they realised who it was. You had played with Sykkuno and the others a few times before but you'd never met Corpse before. You'd heard his voice though, as he was trending on twitter constantly over the past few weeks. Once they all quietened down, you realised Corpse hadn't said anything. Since you knew everyone else in the lobby, you introduced yourself, wondering if you'd scared him a bit too hard.

"Hey Corpse, I'm Y/N from Y/C/N, its so nice to finally meet you," you said gritting your teeth at you awkward introduction. For a second there was no response and then three words were said that made your jaw drop to the floor.

"No fucking way"

He had whispered it, obviously still in shock, and your eyes widened in surprise as a tingle spread all over your body. So this was what everyone meant by "you'll just know," when you asked them about how you would recognize your soulmate.

"Holy shit" you thought frozen in your seat.

Never had you been more glad that you hadn't turned the camera on yet.

"Uhhhh-" you started, but stopped now knowing what to say.

What the fuck were you supposed to do now.

"Wha- Whats wrong?" Rae asked after a moment passed.

Corpse cleared his throat and started "Its um, shes my -" and you cut him off, heart beating in your chest.

"Nothing. Its nothing." you said talking over him. "Who else are we waiting for Rae?" you asked joining the lobby quickly and choosing red as your colour.

"Uh one more person," she said slowly, still a bit confused.

"Oh awesome!" you said fake enthusiasm prevalent in your voice. "So Sykkuno," you started, wanting to keep the conversation going. "How's Bimbus doing?"

Sykkuno launched into a story of Bimbus and you blew out a sigh of relief, mind still numb over the revelation.

Corpse was your soulmate.

The guy who had literally went viral the past few weeks was your soulmate.

You'd finally found him.

You heard Rae cut Sykkuno off, telling everyone she was starting the game and muttered a "Thank god" when the words "CREWMATE" appeared on your screen. You would not have been able to play imposter at the moment, your mind pretty much stuck on the fact that Corpse was your fucking soulmate.

Heading down to admin, you realised you hadn't said anything yet to the stream so you quickly turned on your cam, saying a quick sorry to the viewers.

"Sorry guys, I forgot to put the camera on," you smiled focusing on card swipe.

"I hope everyone's been okay, I know this was quite sudden, but Rae invited me and I was like why not you know," you said rambling as you moved to comms and did the task there.

Lights were called and you moved to electrical, arriving there just as Leslie fixed them. You moved into the back of electrical doing the three tasks you had there when Sykkuno suddenly came in and went straight to standing on top of the vent.

You giggled already knowing his trick.

"Okay guys," you mumbled watching Sykkuno wiggle on the vent. "do we trust Sykkuno or not?"

"You know what," you said making a split second decision. "Its the first game, we might as well."

Joining him on the vent, you stilled for a second and then breathed a sigh of relief when he didn't automatically kill you.

"See, what did I tell you guys huh?" you question smiling straight at the camera. "I knew Sykkuno could be trusted."

You decided to follow Sykkuno going into reactor with him and starting 'Simon says' and just as you were on the last part, a body was found making you let a whine out.

"Guysss," you whined to the camera as Rae started talking about how she had found Daves body in admin.

"Um, I havent been in admin since the start of the game," you said, "also I can clear Sykkuno, for the last part of the round, he's been with me since lights went out."

Sykkuno confirmed it, "Yup that's right, also I can hard clear Y/N cuz guess what? She stood on the vent with me and none of us died."

Everyone chuckled as he said "Thats good enough for me."

"Uh, I was in navigation mostly." said Lily.

"Poki, can I just ask what you were doing?" said Sean, an undercurrent of mirth present.

"Me?" asked Poki speaking for the first time. "What was I doing?"

"You weren't doing any tasks, you were literally just walking from one side of medbay to the other when I peeked in."

Poki started laughing, trying to get her words out at the same time.

"Okay so-" a giggle. "okay okay- I was just, I was trying to um do the beep test," she said finally breaking down and making everyone else laugh as well.

"What the fuck?" you said, laughing at the image in your mind.

"My chat told me to do it last game so I decided to do it now, I was literally just playing around," she said finally, adding "I swear I'm not imposter" at the end.

"Hmmm," you hummed, bringing a hand up to stroke your chin. "Are you sure it was last game Poki... hm...."

Giggling at Poki indignant "YES it was last game", you quickly skipped voting like everyone else as the timer went into the last ten seconds.

Humming a tune under your breath, you went back to reactor, taking a minute to carefully do Simon says and then moved to the other task counting out one two three as you pressed on the numbers. Humming, you moved out of reactor, only to come face to face with Corpse. You paused for a second, and then moved ahead, refusing to show anything on camera. For some reason he followed you as you went to storage, looking at you while you did the trash.

"Why is he just staring?" you mumbled, biting your lip. God, you really didn't wanna think of him right now. You started walking to shields, him still walking with you when lights were called and not a second later a body was reported.

Suddenly there was screaming your ears as Toast and Rae both started accusing each other.

"Wait- Wait WAIT" yelled Poki trying to get them to stop. "What happened?"

"I'll explain" declared Rae, not letting toast get a word in. "We were in navigation okay, me, Toast and Leslie. Lights went out, and suddenly a report buttons there. It's either Toast or someone came in just as lights went out and killed but that doesn't seem likely because I didn't see anyone anywhere near us at all. Anyways I'm fucking telling the truth guys, its Toast, he's the one who did it."

"Toast, do you have anything to say for yourself?" asked Corpse, his voice making your insides shiver.

"Holy shit, this is my soulmate", you thought for the fiftieth time.

"Uh yeah," replied toast. "I didn't do it."

Everyone laughed as he continued.

"Like seriously, I wouldn't do anything like this because it'd be a stupid move from my own part, and I think Raes smart enough to not do this as well. I think someone else came in just as lights went down and killed immediately, which to be honest, was pretty smart of them."

"Okay so I can clear Corpse," you cut in noticing the timer was close. "he was with me in weapons when it happened, he wouldn't have had time to go all the way up, or even vent there because we were literally walking in."

"Yup that's right," confirmed corpse.

"I'm in cafeteria" said Poki.

"Yeah, I saw her on my way to weapons," said Sykkuno, "and I'm in weapons right now,"

"I'm in lower engine" said Sean, and Lily said she was in reactor.

"I think it's Toast," you mumbled and then rose your voice to talk over everyone. "Look okay fine, maybe he said it was a stupid move and he wouldn't do it but maybe he did it for that exact reason. He thought he could get away with it because no one would expect him to do something like that."

As the timer started going down by 10, you voted for Toast and it turned out 3 had skipped the vote while five had voted for him.

damn.

"Guys you actually voted for him?" you said in a high voice, re-enacting one of Sykkunos most said lines.

You heard a "oh for gods sake" from Rae before everyone went silent and you giggled as you moved back down to weapons to do your tasks.

You finished all your tasks and decided to go to security to check where everyone is. Humming as you moved through the electrical hallway, you narrowed your eyes as Corpse came out of electrical and went towards storage. Quickly ducking in you didn't see a body so you headed back out, going into cams and gasping as you saw the body. Reporting immediately you were shocked to see the four kills that had happened. Now only you, Corpse, Sean and Rae were left.

"Oh my god," you mumbled confused. Either there were still two imposters, and Toast wasn't the imposter or the imposter literally killed and did nothing else. Now either that could mean that its definitely Rae if Toast wasn't the imposter, or that it was Corpse as the only imposter left. That was a bit weird though becuase he could have totally killed you at the start of the game. You didn't suspect Sean at all.

"What the fuck?" mumbled Corpse, and Rae made her animal noises expressing her shock.

"Okay," you said taking charge and relaying the kill and your theory to everyone. "So either it was Toast and there's only one other imposter, who is Corpse. Or Toast wasn't an imposter and there's two of them left. I-" you took a deep breath in at the end, very confused. " I don't know anymore,"

"I think its Corpse as well,"

Corpse who hadn't said anything up till this moment suddenly started stammering out "hey-hey uh let-lets not gang up on me okay. It's not-"

"No, wait, its because Y/N said you came out of electrical right, and I saw you in upper engine literally a bit ago and you went down. I went towards cafeteria so I don't know exactly where you went but its totally possible that you killed."

You voted form him after that, convinced it was Corpse, and the other followed quickly.

"Guys what the fuck, at least give me a chance to explain my self" he whined when his body was thrown off the ship seconds later. You cheered when the "VICTORY" sign was displayed across the screen, bringing up your chat and laughing at Toast as he pretended to be angry at me.

"That was a great round, good work Y/N"

"Thankyou" you mumbled staring at your chat. You were confused when you saw the absolute influx of messages on there, and you were barely able to read them because they were going so fast. You scrolled up, and read through the few of the messages;

"You've made corpse sad."

"Corpse has literally been so quite since you came in, can you leave."

"Omg stop with the hate messages, its not her fault if corpse isn't talking to you"

"are you his ex or something? What was that reaction at the start?"

"what did you do? Corpse literally hasn't said a word since you came in."

"Um..."

Corpse POV

Corpses heart stopped for a minute, his breath catching. The words on his wrist glowed gold, and he stared at the little red character standing there.

This person was the reason that he had "PRAISE BINGUS" stretched across his wrist.

They were the only reason that he had searched "Bingus" on google for all of his life. The only reason Corpse knew about the meme before anyone else was because he was constantly monitoring the word online. Ever since March, he had been waiting with bated breath, anxious that he could meet his soulmate at any moment. and here you were.

For some reason, he had never expected that he would meet you in among us, or while he was on stream. He always thought it'd be someone outside. It was a bit stupid in hindsight as all he did nowadays was play among us.

He heard you introduce yourself to him but the only thing that came out of his mouth was “No fucking way”.

Immediately after he wanted to slap himself.

“Idiot” he thought to himself. “At least try to make a good impression.”

When Rae asked what was wrong, heat sprung to his cheeks as he started revealing that they were soulmates, but Y/N cut him off, saying that it was nothing.

Corpse’s heart sank a little then.

'Maybe she’s just a private person,' he reasoned with himself.

'I shouldn’t have tried to say it on stream either. God, I’m a fucking idiot, if I said it, literally everyone would know and not only would I have hated the attention, she probabaly would have as well.'

Convincing himself that she was right, he reassured himself that it wasn’t because of him. She wasn’t revealing it because she probably didn't want all the attention.

For some reason though, his heart sank even more when Y/N didnt talk to him, instead talking to sykkuno about his dog. Like sure he could understand not wanting to reveal they were soulmates but shouldn’t she at least wanna talk to him? At this point he wouldn’t even mind if she talked about his voice like everyone else.

He groaned when the word "Imposter" came across his screen, his and Toasts character standing together. He was not in the right mindset right now to be able to be a good imposter. Breathing in deeply he continued in the game, with the first round passing by quick. The second round, he saw Y/N and stood with her for a bit wondering if he should kill her. Her red character moved to weapons and he sighed moving the mouse over the kill button. Just as he was thinking of clicking a body was found. Corpse swore as Toast flew off the ship. Deciding he needed to speed it up he killed four people in the round, hissing when the meeting was called. The moment Y/N accused him, he knew it was over. He didn't even bother defending himself much, just hoping the game would end soon.

When they were in the lobby, he quickly told everyone that he was going to leave because his internet was acting up. Turning off the stream after saying a quick thank you to everyone, he leaned back in his seat breathing through his nose.

What the fuck was his life.

Even his soulmate didnt want him. Honestly, he should have expected this. Abandoned at 12 with no one around him, why did his expect his soulmate to even give a fuck about him. Tears pricked his eyes and he blinked trying to get rid of them. He breathed in deeply, grabbing the water on the table and taking a big gulp. He had never hated himself more than he did right now. Why couldnt he have an easier life.

“Why cant I just fucking be NORMAL” he yelled throwing the empty bottle of water at the wall.

Throwing himself into bed, he scrunched up his eyes, hoping that sleep would come today, not noticing as his phone lit up with a single message.

Your POV

You stayed for another game and then ducked out apologizing and making an excuse up.

"Sorry it was such a short stream, everyone," you said pouting at the camera. "It was fun though so hopefully I get to do it again." Waving goodbye, you turned off the camera and leaned your head back staring at the ceiling.

What the actual fuck.

Grabbing your phone, you stared at it for a bit. Everything that you had pushed to the back of your mind in the game, was suddenly in the forefront.

The only thing you knew about Corpse was that he had a really deep voice, he narrated horror movies, and he maybe did music?

'Rae mentioned that once right?' you thought to yourself.

You unlocked the phone and then locked it again, too scared to actually do anything.

Unlocked.

Locked.

Unlocked.

Locked.

"Oh get a grip," you muttered to yourself, opening the phone and sending a text to Rae.

‘Hey Rae, do you have corpses number? Do you mind sending it to me, I need to tell him something.’

A reply came in a minute,

‘umm, why. he's pretty private so idk i don't rlly wanna give his number if he doesn't want someone to have it’

You sighed, and decided you might as well tell her. You knew Rae wouldn't betray your trust.

‘He's my soulmate’

Immediately a ‘AHDJHAKJKAGDAK’ came as a reply and you giggled at the string of emojis after it.

‘Don't tell anyone,’ you sent quickly, trying to calm her down.

‘Okay okay, its XXX - XXX - XXXX, ASHAGDH IM DYING OMG. GO TALK TO HIM.’

Biting your lip you added Corpse into your contacts hesitating before putting a small black heart next to his name.

"Already simping," you mumbled under your breath, hands hovering over the keyboard as you struggled to think of what to write.

You finally decided on 'Hey, its Y/N, can I call?' thinking that something short would be the best way to go. Hand hovering over the send button, you sucked in a breath and pressed it, waiting with bated breath.

A minute passed.

And then five.

And then, without you even you realising, it'd been half an hour of you just looking at your phone.

An hour later, you were slumped on your desk, eyes closed and snoring lightly, the phone still open, the message you sent lighting up the screen.

tbc.

#corpse husband #corpse x reader #corpse #corpse husband x reader #corpse x y/n #corpse husband fanfic #corpse fic #sykkuno #corpse husband imagine #corpse husband headcannons #corpse husband one shot #lilydaydreamsfics

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erieren · 3 years

Text

𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 — 𝐈𝐈𝐈

pairing: goth!mikasa x loser!eren

content warnings: smut (18+), corruption, oral sex (m receiving), deep throating, spit

summary: eren helps mikasa with her last minute prom shopping, and she returns the favor.

word count: 3.5k

note: this was supposed to come out months ago, but i didn’t have the motivation to work on it </3 also, reminder that minors and ageless blogs that interact with my nsfw content will be BLOCKED.

art credit: @Mnine5 on twitter!

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“should i go with this wine color or plum?” mikasa holds up one of the dresses to her body before switching to the other one.

eren’s standing behind her, watching as she alternates between them. “they look the same to me.”

“ugh! can’t men be more useful? the wine color is obviously more red,” mikasa sighs. the boy’s eyes widen from the insult, and soon he’s full-on panicking.

“i’m just trying to say that you look good in anything!” his comment falls on deaf ears when she moves away from the mirror to look for another dress.

he mentally face palms himself for not knowing better. it’s not like he wanted to be here in the first place; he just wanted to spend the day watching tv in his room, but mikasa had other plans for the both of them. and of course, eren would do anything for her even if it meant going on a three hour long—and counting—shopping trip.

eren doesn’t see the appeal of going to prom. what is there to enjoy about being in a crowded room full of people you couldn’t care less about, all the while having mediocre music blast through the speakers? he would much rather have a movie night with his closest friends, or something else like that.

mikasa comes back to the full length mirror with another dress that looked to be the same color as the wine dress she picked out.

“what do you think about this one? it’s mulberry. i really like the neckline,” she rambles.

“i think it looks nice,” is all eren says because in all honesty, he doesn’t know what to say. he doesn’t keep up with the latest trends, so he doesn’t know what’s hot and what’s not.

“ereeen,” she whines. “you’re not helping me at all.”

“you wanna know what i really think?” he’s starting to get fed up. “i think that jean will think you look good in anything that you wear. someone as simple-minded as him won’t even think about what you’re wearing if it’s just going to end up on the floor of his room.”

mikasa’s jaw drops at his sudden outburst, but her shocked expression quickly turns into an angry one. regret is simmering in the pit of eren’s stomach and he wishes he could take his words back.

“okay first of all, don’t fucking act out in public,” she seethes while jabbing her pointer finger into his chest. “second, when the fuck did i say i was going with jean, and why do you think i’m going to fuck him again?”

now it’s eren’s turn to be stunned. if she’s not going to prom, then who is she going with? he doesn’t recall anyone else asking her.

“you’re not going with jean…?” he manages to squeak out. mikasa can be so intimidating when she’s angry.

“no, dummy! i’m going with you,” she turns back to the mirror and holds the dress up to her body. “so what do you think?”

“huh?”

“i wanted to surprise you! so surprise, i’m taking you to prom!”

“listen, you know i don’t–” he starts.

“you don’t like large crowds and loud music. i know, eren. just please let me enjoy prom with you. we’re about to finish high school, and i just want to make it memorable,” she juts her bottom lip out and bats her lashes at him. who would he be to say no to her?

“okay, fine i guess,” he caves in.

“yay! i love you, eren. you’re the best. now let’s find a dress!”

she quickly threw her arms around the brunet before running off to the dress racks. he’s left stunned as her words replay in his mind.

mikasa just said she loves me, he thinks. this was nothing new, of course; she’s said it to him many times over the course of their friendship, but this time it seemed so different. maybe their recent activities have been getting to his head, and he was starting to have his doubts. is there any emotion behind what they were doing, or is mikasa just using him for her own pleasure? if she keeps coming back for more, then that must mean something, right? he feels conflicted, like someone is playing tug of war with his heart.

———

the next day, eren took mikasa out to go shopping for makeup. she spent a great deal of time debating which lip gloss shade—“devil’s food cake” or “cranberry pie”—matched her dress better. in the end, she settled with cranberry pie.

they’re currently in mikasa’s room; eren is lounging on her bed while she’s sitting in front of her vanity. she’s been trying to come up with a makeup look for the past—god, eren doesn’t even know how long he’s been here. he lost track of time as he endlessly scrolled through his phone. every so often, he would sneak glances at her reflection and admire her glossy lips before she wiped her face clean and started over again.

“hey, do you think i should ease up on the eyeliner?” mikasa calls out to him while steadying her hand to draw a straight line.

eren just lazily hums; he’s too focused on the art restoration video he’s watching. mikasa glares at him in the mirror before continuing to do her eyeliner. she moves on to do her blush, and then her lips for the nth time that afternoon. when she opens one of her drawers, something catches her eye; it’s a new liquid eyeliner that she had yet to test out. she’s about to wipe off her makeup again until an idea pops into her mind. a devilish smirk forms on her lips, but she hides it with a sickly-sweet smile when she turns to face him.

“hey, eren?” she attempts to grab the attention of the boy once more. “can i do your eyeliner?”

“mhm, yeah,” he mumbles as he continues watching the video. he’s completely mesmerized by the way the conservator in the video is perfectly color matching the paint that he doesn’t completely register her words in his mind.

she grabs the eyeliner from the drawer and makes her way over to the bed. eren’s eyes are still glued to his phone screen even when she stands in front of him, so she gently takes it from his hand.

“wha– hey, i wasn’t done watching,” he whines while trying to reach for his phone.

“and you just said that you’d let me do your makeup. so sit on the stool.”

eren reluctantly gets off her bed and sulks to the vanity across the room. he turns the stool around before sitting down. mikasa is right behind him, and she gives the pen a little shake before uncapping it.

“okay, so look straight for me,” she instructs as she brings the pen close to his face.

there’s just a slight problem: mikasa’s chest is right in front of eren’s face. the fact that she’s wearing a corset top doesn’t help the situation; her breasts are practically spilling out of her top as she leans forward. eren hopes that the blush on his face isn’t noticeable, but he’s sure it worsens when she nudges him.

“stop blinking so much, you’re going to make me mess up,” she mutters while taking a step closer. he wants to shut his eyes, but his imagination was running wild the way he was picturing her tits in his mouth.

“sorry,” eren squeaks out. he’s undeniably hard already.

mikasa continues working on his eyeliner, but quickly becomes frustrated when it doesn’t come out the way she wants it to. she gently wipes away her previous work before steadying her hand to try again.

“you know what? fuck it…” she takes another step forward and suddenly she’s straddling eren’s lap. he’s completely caught off guard, and his arms instinctively fly to secure her waist so that she doesn’t fall backwards.

“what are you doing?” eren whispers. now, her chest is really in his face and the plush of her thighs rests atop his.

“you have such pretty eyes,” she disregards his question and tucks a strand of hair behind his ear before continuing. through his long lashes, she admires the green hues and how his pupils have grown wide.

he doesn’t know where to look, and he’s feeling light headed from being suffocated by her tits. his dick is starting to hurt from how it’s straining against his pants, wanting to be freed.

honestly, mikasa can’t even focus on doing his eyeliner anymore because she’s distracted by the not-so-little problem below her. her cunt was just a couple inches away from making contact with his dick; maybe she should back up a little–

her thoughts are interrupted when eren abruptly pulls her closer; his face is quite literally buried in her chest, and she’s sitting right on eren’s boner.

“i-i’m sorry! i thought you were gonna fall!” eren’s words are muffled against her skin. his whole face feels like it’s on fire, but he can’t bring himself to let go of her.

she tries freeing herself from his grasp, but his death grip on her waist only causes her to involuntarily grind down on his crotch. a pathetic whimper leaves his mouth when she pushes him back by the shoulders.

“ren, let go,” mikasa says a little too calmly for his liking. “let me help you.”

eren’s not sure if he heard her correctly because the blood ringing in his ears is the only thing he can hear. nonetheless, he finds himself loosening his grip before mikasa sinks to her knees in front of him.

they’re both staring at his lap; eren hopes that it’ll just go down, but mikasa’s in awe. she feels powerful knowing that she has this much control over him. she steadily reaches a hand up to his crotch and starts palming him and his breath hitches at the newfound sensation.

“is it okay for me to take your pants off?” mikasa asks while looking up at him through her lashes. he slowly nods his head in embarrassment, but she quickly stops her movements. “use your words, eren.”

“yes, it’s okay,” he says as clearly as he can. her long acrylic nails graze his skin right above the waistband of his pants before she starts to unbutton them. she makes quick work of the zipper, and he lifts his hips to help her fully take them off. he’s wearing a light grey pair of boxer briefs which his dick is straining against, and there’s a small wet spot right where his tip is.

eren hesitantly reaches for one of her hands and guides it to the waistband of his boxers. he’s never received head before and doesn't know what to expect, but he thinks he’s ready. mikasa uses the tip of her nail to lift his waistband up before letting it snap back against his skin, much like the way he had done to her the last time they were in this situation. he has to stifle a moan now that he’s on the receiving end.

“i have three rules,” mikasa drawls while palming him again. “one, don’t push my head down; i know what i’m doing. two, you have to communicate with me so i know what you like. three, tell me to stop if it becomes too much. got it?”

“got it,” eren repeats with wavering confidence. he knows that she’s messed around with other guys before, but hearing that she has experience with this makes him feel a little insecure. “but what happens if i… if… i don’t know, what if i lose control or something?”

“i’ll pinch your thigh and that’ll be your cue to stop. and if you don’t stop, i’ll keep pinching you.”

“o-oh. okay. i think i’m ready now.”

the wet spot on his boxers had grown just a little bit as precum continued to leak from his tip. then, mikasa starts to pull the tight fabric down his hips. he sucks in a breath as the cool air hits his sensitive skin and once again lifts himself slightly off the stool to allow her to fully take his boxers off. upon finally seeing his cock in all its glory, she bites the inside of her cheek. without its confines, she’s able to see its full size. it looks to be around eight inches, and he’s definitely got some girth to him. his balls hang heavy underneath, and there’s a slight upward curve. his tip is flushed a dark shade of red as his slit drools precum. she silently thanks him for keeping his hair nice and trimmed down there.

eren’s watching her intently, too scared that if he blinks, he’ll miss something. this is a memory he’d definitely never want to forget. mikasa’s eyes are half-lidded and clouded with lust, her glossy lips are parted and god damn she looks as beautiful as ever. she finally reaches for the base of his cock and his body stiffens up. he can feel how she applies more pressure when she slides her hand up before using less pressure as she goes back down. even though he’s done the same countless times to the thought of her, nothing could compare to the way her soft hand felt on his cock—at least for now.

“oh my god,” eren chokes out when she presses her thumb right under his tip. “please do that again.”

“do what again?” she replies innocently.

he bites his lip in embarrassment; the words sound too vulgar to come out of his mouth, as if that mattered in their current situation. he can’t bring himself to say it, but he doesn’t dare to break one of her rules.

“squeeze me here,” he sighs as he guides her hand back up his cock. “fuck.”

eren’s surprised that he even managed to last this long. with the way mikasa looks at him while languidly stroking his cock, he could’ve easily blown his load all over her face. he starts to picture his cum spurting onto her skin, messing up her makeup that she’s desperately been trying to perfect for however long he’s been in her room. he’s fighting the urge to let go, but it fights back even stronger when his dick is suddenly in her mouth. his mind blanks for a moment; he’s not sure if he just came in her mouth or not, but she’s still sucking him off. her tongue expertly circles around his tip before she releases him from her mouth with a pop.

mikasa lowers her face and while working the tip of eren’s cock with her fingers, she flattens her tongue against his balls. it takes everything in him to not cum right then and there. everything feels so new and he can’t decide if it feels good to him just yet. she’s got her eyes trained on his face, searching for any signs of discomfort as she licks a broad stripe up his entire length before taking him into her mouth again. her lip gloss is smeared all over her mouth and on his cock.

eren feels like he’s dreaming. the pleasure sent him all the way to cloud nine, and he doesn’t feel like coming down any time soon. that is until mikasa starts fondling him balls while harshly sucking at his tip. with a death grip on the edge of the stool, eren lets out a loud moan and subconsciously bucks his hips into her face. she garbles out a warning along with a pinch to his thigh, and the embarrassment finally settles in.

“sorry… sorry,” he pants out. he wants to keep watching her, but he knows he won’t last much longer if he does. so he chooses to screw his eyes shut as she brings her hand to the base of his cock. mikasa relaxes her throat as she prepares to attempt to take his full length in her mouth. she doesn’t even know if it’ll fit because she’s already stuffed full, so she once again pulls her mouth off of his dick.

“how are you feeling so far, ren?” her voice is low and sultry.

“so good. you make me feel so good,” he opens his eyes again just in time to see her raise one of her hands to his face. he stares at it and quirks one of his brows up.

“spit,” is all she says, and he happily obliges. he collects a blob of saliva in the front of his mouth before letting it fall onto her open palm. she rubs his spit down his cock. “i’m going to try to deepthroat you.”

“what? hey, you don’t have to– fuck, mikasa,” he tries to stop her, but it’s too late. he cuts himself off with a moan as she pushes herself to take his whole length down her throat. her little mouth is stretched as wide as it can go, and a few garbled moans resonate from her throat. the vibrations send a chill down eren’s spine. he’s so close.

eren gazes at her in admiration as she pulls off again to breathe. her chest heaves as she brings her head to rest on his thigh.

“you’re really big,” she says with a pout on her swollen lips. eren never really thought of himself as big, but hearing mikasa say that about him gave him an extra boost of confidence. he also kind of feels bad for her, even though she chose to deepthroat him. his mind is swarmed with the thought of going down on her afterwards.

mikasa kisses his tip before taking it into her mouth again and twisting her hand around the base. she figures that he’s close by the way his core tenses. she’s got tunnel vision as she starts sucking harder, and she’s so nasty with it. some spit dribbles from the corners of her mouth and she catches it with her hand that’s jerking him off. eren is biting down on his lip so hard, he’s sure to draw blood if she doesn’t slow down.

“m-mikasa… oh fuck. shit, shit, shi— fuuuck—i’m cumming,” eren whines as he feels himself teeter over the edge. his orgasm comes so hard that he momentarily blacks out as he releases into mikasa’s mouth. thick, white ropes shoot onto her tongue, but she doesn’t let go yet. she swallows his cum down, despite it being a little too bitter, along with his cock like she’s trying to milk his balls dry. once he’s given her everything he has to offer, she gives him one last lick up his entire length.

“how was that for your first blowie?” mikasa asks while wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. her voice sounds more raw and strained, and now he really feels bad.

“is it always like that? like, does it always feel that good? i don’t think i’ve came that hard in my entire life,” he admits sheepishly. his face is beet red and his hand is cramping from how hard he gripped the stool. he feels icky watching mikasa wipe her hands on his pants.

“i mean it’s different for everyone,” she says with a laugh. suddenly, the feeling of insecurity comes back. there are other guys out there that got their dicks sucked by mikasa.

“why’d you swallow?” he blurts out.

“it’s less of a mess to clean up,” she shrugs as she finally stands back up. her knees start to ache as she stretches her legs out.

eren’s thoughts are so clouded that he doesn’t even realize that mikasa leaves her room. when she comes back, he’s still sitting pantless on her stool.

“you alright?” mikasa furrows her brows upon seeing him in the same position she left him in.

“huh? oh. yeah, i’m good,” eren says. the gears in his head are spinning again as he gets himself together. “can i kiss you?”

“i swallowed your cum.”

“i don’t care.”

mikasa becomes flustered at his statement. usually after she gave head to guys, they would refuse to kiss her even if she didn’t swallow.

she takes a couple steps closer until she’s standing right in front of him. he’s blinking his eyes as fast as his heart is beating until he lets them flutter shut as she leans down to his face. her breath fans over his lips and he grabs the sides of her face to connect their lips. her lips are just as soft as he last remembers, and he can taste himself on her tongue. he can’t help but smile into the kiss.

“put your pants back on,” mikasa playfully chides with a pat to his cheek. she climbs onto her bed and gestures for him to come beside her. after struggling to put his legs through his jeans, he lays down next to her. she throws an arm over her chest and snuggles into his side.

“stay with me. just for a little longer.”

#attack on titan #aot #eren jaeger #mikasa ackerman #eremika #eren x mikasa #eren jaeger x mikasa ackerman #eren jaeger smut #eren smut #mikasa ackerman smut #mikasa smut #eren yeager x mikasa ackerman #eremika smut #snk #shingeki no kyojin #tw: corruption #☾ ; by erieren #☾ ; not sfw

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