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sanjisboyfie · 5 months

Text

when you know, you know.

-> basketball player gojo satoru x male reader

requested!!! a rlly old req from an anon in my inbox <3 ty for the req and jm so sorry it took so long however the 6k+ word count hopefully makes up for that. + listen to margaret by lana del rey on repeat for the full affect

-> prev

warnings : satoru ooc (i do NOT agree w that warning but i GUESS I could see why someone would disagree 🙄🙄🙄), very fluffy to the point it seems angsty!!! talk about the homosexuals!!!! satoru mentions small familial conflict in the interview portion

diamond on your ring

cause when you know, you know

when you know, you know

“thank you so much for agreeing to a sit down interview, gojo-sama,” the interviewer politely bows to the tall man the second satoru walks into the room. immediately, he bows in response, finding the sudden formalities almost abnormal.

at this point, he was so used to other interviews he’d done be super quick, informal and just reporters looking for answers to their questions with little regard for things such as respect.

this was a breath of fresh air, but satoru couldn’t help but feel bad for the interviewer whose back must be hurting now with how long they’d been bowing.

“oh, please, no need for such strong formalities,” satoru chimed in, gently resting his hand on their shoulder to goad them into standing upright, “gojo is fine, too, no need for the honorifics. it’s not like i’m royalty,” he joked, hoping to lift the mood in the room.

it seemed to work as the interviewer finally cracked a smile and dropped their shoulders from being so stiffly held up to their ear.

“then, gojo-san, please take a seat and we can get you all mic’d up for the interview. it should take no longer than a half hour, longest running an hour and a half, but we really don’t want to take up too much of your time,” satoru shook his head, assuring them that it was fine and then taking his seat.

he noticed that the cameras were already filming, but didn’t think twice on it. technically, from the moment he stepped foot in the room, the interview already started. that’s what it said on paper, at least.

“erm, to just go over what we might be discussing in this interview,” the reporter said, clearing their throat as they looked over their list of questions, “since this is a very specific interview, the questions are going to mainly be centered around your romantic relationships and very personal questions,”

satoru nodded, moving in his seat to allow the staff better access in getting the microphone to stay hidden in his clothes, “yeah, my manager sent me the general idea of questions of stuff you’d be asking, it’s alright with me,” he said, taking off his sunglasses, “plus i think i’m pretty familiar with the publisher and the audience, so it’s alright. really, ask me anything, this would probably the only time i’d do something like this,” he encouraged with a friendly smile, trying to show his genuinity.

the interviewer nodded in understanding, clicking their pen and writing a note in their notepad.

satoru had done his research beforehand. the publisher that was interviewing him, or rather the person interviewing him in steed of the company, was a pretty vocal LGBTQ+ company. it was a rare occurance in japanese media, especially as a standalone party, but they proved successful. satoru knew why they were interviewing him, obviously because he was gay and very outwordly apart of the community. he also knew that they were always respectful individuals, which is why he didn’t hesitate in accepting the interview.

if he was going to be asked about his sexuality and his very much gay relationship, he’d rather it be done through a respectful, and most likely very understanding, person rather than those that would shout at him invasive questions.

“then, are you ready, gojo-san?” the interviewer snapped him out of his daydream, making him nod his head. “let’s test the mic really quick, then we can jump into it,”

“i am gojo satoru,” he recited, looking at the staff for a thumbs up on the feedback. when he got a positive thumbs up, the interviewer followed with their own test and then they were able to get into the interview.

“let’s start with introductions, i’m ishii haruto and i’ll be the one interviewing you today, gojo-san. lovely to meet you,” he bowed his head in greeting, making satoru follow suit.

a relaxed grin was on his face as he introduced himself again, “i haven’t said it before, but i’m gojo satoru,” it was a small joke that uplifted the mood of the room once more. haruto appreciated it, laughing to himself at satoru’s subtle charisma.

”well, to get right into the interview, let’s start with hard hitting questions,” satoru braced himself, clenching his fists in his pant’s pocket, “how are you?”

satoru smiled, shooting a fake warning look haruto’s way, “i’m wonderful, how are you ishii-san? i hope you’re doing well, too,”

“i’m doing very well. it’s an honor to interview you, thank you for giving us this opportunity,” haruto said, subtly bowing his head once more, “you truly don’t understand how inspiring it will be for the rest of japan to hear your story, you’re doing such a big thing for all of us in this room, and for those that will read this interview later. so, really, thank you, gojo-san,”

satoru pursed his lips at the sentimentality, realizing quickly that this interview was going to be really different than anything he’d ever experienced before. “sobering” up a little bit, he smiled at haruto and nodded his head, “i’m happy to be here, too. i hope whoever reads this learns something about themselves,”

“yes, that will be the end goal,” haruto agreed before looking down at his notepad, “well, i guess we can just start off with this one — when did you know you were gay?”

satoru hummed, “i don’t really know. for me, i guess it was always in the back of my mind? i mean, i never had a crush on a girl growing up. and i thought it was normal. my parents did as well, seeing how driven i was from a young age to be successful in basketball, i think they wrote it off as me just being determined to make my dreams come true. no time for distractions, or something like that. but deep down, i think i always knew.” he paused, crossing his legs as he decided to add one more tidbit, “and i never thought it was wrong, either. to me, having a crush on a boy wasn’t a big deal. i just thought, huh, this sucks i like someone, i might get distracted from basketball now,”

the two shared a laugh at his joking remark at the end, but until that point the interviewer was very immersed in the personal story. he was even humming in acknowledgement of everything he was saying, as if he related.

“so when you began pursuing your current boyfriend, it was not a big deal for you? even given your position as a famous basketball player?” then haruto looked at the camera men and held his hand up, a signal of some sort that satoru was cued in on, and leaned forward, “would it be alright if we refer to him with his name?”

satoru quickly nodded, understanding now that the hand gesture meant for their mics to be cut so that they wouldn’t receive any audio.

then they were back on and satoru answered the original question, “no, it wasn’t a huge deal. well, it was to everyone else, i guess. but to me and my close friends, it wasn’t. they already knew i was really into him and had a big crush on him before i did, so it really wasn’t a big shock when i made my efforts more obvious. well, as obvious as you can get with having everyone watching you. i tried to reel it in a little when my friend’s told me he may not be comfortable with all the attention, that was the only time i really was aware of it and began to calm down on my advances,”

“oh, so it wasn’t a big deal to you, but in consideration of his feelings, you kind of held back a little bit?”

“yeah, because if things ended up not working out, then all the neutral attention we were getting would have become negative. rumors could’ve started that would’ve hurt him, and i definitely didn’t want that, so yeah,” satoru said, reiterating his main point from earlier, “i just wanted him to be comfortable whenever we were in public,”

“that’s really considerate of you, gojo-san,” the interviewer complimented, making satoru laugh with a wave of his hand.

“he never asked for all the attention in the first place, i definitely didn’t want to make our already secretive position more hostile than it needed to be,” satoru explained, “so everything had to be toned down. fortunately, he was very understanding and could see where i was coming from.”

“what do you mean by that? did he ever say anything about it?”

“well, we’re just like any other couple. we just want privacy and respect, some people don’t want to give it to us. those people that just want to hurt our relationship just because we’re both guys. if i wasn't as famous as i am, i’d imagine it’d be easier to mange. not that it still wouldn’t be stressful — but at least, not the entire country would be breathing down our necks,” satoru explained, choosing his words carefully. “no matter what, though, if you’re in a relationship with someone of the same sex, it’s going to be hard.”

“that’s true, but you two have faced a lot of very hard obstacles. it’s sad how many times people have wished to see you two broken up,” haruto said, an angry look on his face, “how did you two manage to overcome those obstacles?”

“well, we had each other, loved ones, and close friends as support systems. they were really helpful and sweet, they were the most understanding. but i think, the most important one, was that we had each other. we were in it together. not to say that all the negative attention was good or even worth it, but it made our love for one another stronger,” satoru sighed, thinking about the early days when he was first officially dating [name], “i just wish they were nicer to him. he didn’t deserve any of it,”

there was a pause of respect from haruto before they continued on, “you said you had support of loved ones and close friends — were they supportive from the get-go or did it take “convincing” for them to understand?”

“most of them were really understanding and could see that my love for him was too strong to be denied, so that was nice. but there were definitely instances of family members not understanding or simply refusing to support,” satoru answered with a grim look on his face.

“how did you deal with that?”

“well, it was mainly family members, unfortunately, that rejected my lifestyle. so i had to do the best thing and cut them off. i couldn’t have them in my ear telling me that i wasn’t meant to be this way or that [name] and i’s relationship had to be put to a stop. so i cut them off completely and haven’t spoken to them since. i could afford to make that sacrifice since i had [name] and others as support. he really helped me through that and the realization that not everyone will understand or see it as we do…you just have to learn how to deal with it in each situation and circumstance,”

haruto hummed in intrigue and understanding, “was it hard? cutting them off and coming to that realization?”

“i would say it wasn’t as hard as one would think…not when i love [name] so much i’d sacrifice anything to be with him. i wasn’t going to settle for anything passive aggressive or half-assed when it came to support of my relationship with him. like i said, i wasn’t going to let anyone bad mouth him or our relationship, i wouldn’t settle for that in exchange of keeping blood relatives around. even if someone is family, if they hurt someone i love, it still counts for something. they’re still hurting him and in turn hurting me. that’s not family anymore,” satoru said definitively. he had a hard look on his face. almost the one that was only mirrored whenever he was on the court. it showed how serious of a topic it was to him.

“seeing you so be so openly protective and in love with your boyfriend has gotten you two a lot of attention over the years, most of it is praise from others since they do think it’s adorable. does affection that you show [name] come very naturally?”

“of course it does,” satoru grinned, happy to move onto more lighthearted topics. he had the widest grin on his face now, thinking of when he would go home and cuddle his boyfriend, “i’m a very affectionate person, anyway. ask suguru, he’ll tell you,” with the reference to his best friend, who plays on the same team as him, haruto grins, “but i made sure that [name] was comfortable with it first and then went on from what he was okay with, until we got to the point right now where we both don’t really care,

if i know i’m in love with my boyfriend, i want other people to know as well. there was a bad rep surrounding me, in my early days especially. everyone thought i was a playboy, for some reason,” he shyly scratched the back of his head, “so i thought that me showing that i was very loyal and very much in love with my boyfriend, people would stop thinking that of me. and it worked! so, it was a win-win situation,”

haruto nods, looking at his cue cards with a grin, “and you two have had a really long relationship-”

“almost coming on 5 years now,” satoru giggles, a blush evident on his pale cheeks, “it doesn’t feel that long, though,”

“yeah, it’s as if it was only yesterday the two of you made it public and sent everyone into a panic,” the two laugh at the memory. the headlines that day going hysterical over the basketball player’s very much gay personal life. “and since you’ve been in a relationship for so long, has it ever crossed your mind to tie the knot permanently? settle down with [name]?”

satoru paused, the smile on his face faltering ever so slightly as he repeated the question in his mind.

marriage with [name] always was the answer. but, the idea of when and where and how never crossed satoru’s mind. well, it did. in repeated passing thoughts. but, never long enough for him to commit to the idea. he’s thought of how he would do it, where, but never really when. and even then, the how and where were never set in stone. he wanted it to be romantic, definitely had to be something that the two would retell to their kids one day as the most romantic and loving gesture satoru has ever done.

but “when”…satoru never put a pin in the calendar on what date.

he hummed where he sat, resting his chin in his palms as he thought about how to answer.

“huh, well…i know i’m going to marry him someday,” satoru assures the interviewer, who was silently panicking that they had accidentally asked a question too invasive, “but, i think i’ll keep the details of that to myself, haha,” satoru played it off as a tease, but internally he was sweating bullets.

there was never going to be a right time. a right time insinuates a moment where satoru is so overwhelmed with love that a proposal would be the only verbal indicator of that feeling.

but, satoru has been so madly and deeply in love with [name] for so long already that the “right time” feels like every waking moment.

when the two moved in together, made that huge, empty house a home for themselves. when he took [name] on their first overseas trip and they learned even more about each other. when satoru takes him home for the holidays where he just so perfectly matches with his family members and comes even more out of his shell.

satoru’s been so in love with [name] for so long it feels like they’re already married. [name] knows him like the back of his hand and vice versa.

it was as if he always knew. he just knew in the back of his mind that they’d end up standing in perfectly tailored suits at the end of the aisle, saying heartfelt and cheesy vows to each other. satoru knows he’ll probably end up crying more than [name] and he knows that that day will be the happiest he’ll ever be.

the question made his head spin around as a flurry of questions of when he would propose filled his head, but it did solidify one thing. the fact that satoru just knows that one day he’ll end up being [name]’s husband and [name] his. and he wants that day to come sooner rather than later.

”well, i think the final question for our interview today that can wrap this up, will be: do you have any advice for young aspiring individuals that might read this and see this side of you?”

satoru gulped, suddenly feeling as if the temperature in the room had gone up twenty degrees. he tugged on the collar of his button up, swallowing as he spoke carefully, “just always be true to yourself and your dreams. it doesn’t matter what other people think because if you know what you want and you know that it’s your dreams on the line, there shouldn’t be anything standing between you and that goal. whether it be a person you want to pursue or if it’s your dream career, don’t give up.” he attempted a smile at haruto and it seemed to have done its work as the interviewer bowed his head deeply in gratitude.

the two finished the closing remarks of the interview with fluidity. he handed the mic back to the staff, who thanked him with their heads bowed. but before he could leave, he pulled haruto aside and lowered his voice, “uhm, could you hold off on publishing this for a while?”

haruto blinked rapidly, a nervous look coming onto his face, “well, the editing and transcription of the video will take some time, probably a little over a month…how long were you thinking of keeping it under wraps, gojo-san?”

it was a plead to not make him push the publication date back further. satoru hums, “a little over a month?”

“yes, that is what my advisor gave me as a “grace” period in editting everything,” haruto nods, the nervous look on his face not disappearing once.

“that should be alright then, sorry for worrying you. a little over a month is fine,” satoru grins, feeling his chest bloom with warmth. “thank you so much for the interview, have a lovely day,”

and with that parting farewell, satoru rushed out of the building with his mask and sunglasses on and practically jumped into his car.

in the safety confines of his car, satoru rested his head against the wheel. his breathing was rapid and his cheeks were ablaze. was he really going to do this? he looked at his phone that had the directions sent to the nearest luxury jewelry shop, his eyes flitting across the screen to take all the information in.

“seriously, satoru?” he panted to himself, leaning back to his seat and looking up at his car roof, “it took some guy interviewing you to grow the balls to do this? really?”

he cursed himself for waiting so long, setting his car into reverse and speeding his way to the shop. he had his sunglasses, hat, and mask on as he exited his car, careful to try and not attract too much attention. if the media caught light of this before he could properly do it, he would have someone’s head on a spike - he didn’t care.

no one was ruining this for him. for [name], too. satoru wasn’t going to let the stupid papparazzi tarnish this moment, as they had done for so many other intimate ones before this.

satoru grit his teeth, pushing the shop door open and breathing a sigh of relief to find that it was empty. he looked at the displays they had out, acting calm when on the inside he was sweating bullets.

“looking for anything in particular?” the attendent asked him, not at all acknowleding his appearance which meant that his disguise had worked.

he cleared his throat, still looking down as he shakily replied, “wedding rings, wedding rings for men, please,”

thank god the attendent wasn’t an asshole or else satoru might’ve really just slammed his head into the wall in frustration. because the attendent just guided him in the direction of where the men’s wedding rings were. he didn’t speak more either, just hovering around in case satoru needed help.

“fuck,” he cursed under his breath, trying his hardest to focus and think about which one [name] would like the most. “fuck, what if i get him one he doesn’t like? what the fuck does that mean for us? oh my god,” he panicked.

and it was almost funny. a 6’6 lean guy practically clutching his chest to stop his heart from jumping out of his ribs and flopping around on the floor. he was seriously getting heart palpitations, satoru swore this is the most nervous he’s ever been in his life.

what the fuck would he say when he actually proposes?

“i love you, marry me?”

fuck no. gojo satoru wasn’t going to settle for a shit proposal like that. and he certainly wasn’t going to settle for a shitting ring either, but it was so stressful thinking of whether or not his boyriend (manifest: soon to be fiance) would like the one he picked out.

satoru never was the one with good fashion or style sense in the relationship.

he was freaking out.

some of the rings on display were too loud and extravagant that he knew [name] wouldn’t enjoy it, but then going for someting super, duper plain was out of the question.

“do you have a particular agenda in mind?”

“i have nothing in my mind right now,” satoru snapped at the worker, apologizing seconds later, “i’m sorry, i’m just really stressed right now.”

“it’s alright, many are when they come in. they see the displayed rings and get self-conscious of the one that they choose. well, just go with your gut feeling on what you and your partner would like. that’s the best advice i can give you. you know them best, after all,”

this fucking attendent was right, satoru knows his own boyfriend (manifest: soon to be fiance) better than anyone. he just has to see something to spark an inspiration in him.

and he thinks he’s found it when he looks at a particular timeless piece that is cushioned on a small red velvet pillow.

“what can you tell me about that one?” satoru asked, although he’s almost completely set on just buying it right now. it was perfect. the coupled ring that pairs with it was also so effortlessly something he would love to wear as well.

”that one is in the style of an eternity ring, with the VVS diamonds cut into an emerald shape, obviously. the metal is platnium with 11 carats,” the attendent skillfully answers, “goes for about 9,871,750 yen ($70,000 USD). we offer installment plans, though-”

“no, i’ll just take it, thanks, though,” satoru said, easily sliding his card over. “i also want the paired one too,”

“that one is-”

“you don’t have to tell me about it or the price, just box them pretty for me and i’ll be on my way,” satoru grinned, looking at the bills he had in his wallet and pulling out a couple 10,000 yen notes, (adding up to about 200,000 yen - $1,417 USD). as the attendent very meticulously packaged the rings safely, satoru slid over the cash to him.

“thanks for helping,” satoru said, tapping his card and approving the transaction before walking out of the store. the hefty cash tip left on the counter for the attendent to gleam at.

and if he thought that the picking the ring part was hard, now he had to come up with how he was actually going to propose.

he always said that he wanted it to be romantic, but with [name] already waiting at home there was no way he could set something up at their own house. and, honestly, he wanted this to not be so public in fear of it leaking to the headlines. so he would have to settle with making it romantic in his home.

but, the more he thought about it, the more carefree he felt in the atmosphere. as long as [name] was just there exisisting, that was all he could ask for. satoru carefully pocketed the velvet box into his pant leg, keeping the pair safe as he drove back home completely undetected by papparazzi.

when he got home, he had to stop himself from automatically calling out to his boyfriend (manifest: soon to be fiance). the “honey, i’m home,” died in the back of his throat, thankfully, so his arrival home was still a secret. he took off his shoes and walked up the stairs to their shared bedroom where [name] was most likely resting.

it wasn’t too late, but by now his bedtime routine was probably done and he was getting comfortable in bed.

and satoru’s assumptions were right because when he gently pushed the bedroom door open, he saw [name] cuddled into a pillow and watching the TV that was set up against the wall. upon closer inspection, satoru saw that the pillow he was cuddling was actually from his side of the bed. he was cuddling his pillow as he waited for him to come home.

that, unfortunately, made satoru breakdown in tears almost right away. his eyes stung with the salty fluid breaking through his composure. [name] was too far to notice, though, simply lifting his head and waving him over with a loving smile, “you’re home! wow, you were so quiet i barely heard you come in,”

and when satoru just silently stood at the doorway, his hand covering his mouth, that made [name] get up out of bed in worry.

“hey, are you okay? what happened?” then he saw the way satoru’s broad shoulders shook, rushing over and holding him in his arms in an instant, “was it the interviewer? are you okay, satoru? talk to me,” satoru only broke down more, making [name] comfortingly rub up and down his back with “shh”s slipping from his mouth every now and then.

“satoru, are you okay?” [name] worriedly asked, gently pulling him towards the bed and urging him to sit. once the tall man was sat down, he immediately wrapped his arms around him again, hugging him as tight as he could to give him some sort of comfort, “you’re scaring me, satoru, what happened?”

satoru took a couple of seconds to collect himself, holding onto [name] in his arms as a means of grounding himself. but if anything, it made it worse. he was reminded that [name] was really real and not some figment of his imagination. he wasn’t just some “dream” guy, he was real and he was his.

[name] was sitting in their bed with him and comforting him lovingly. he was real and satoru never felt as lucky as he did than right now in this moment.

“nothing happened,” satoru breathed out, pulling [name] back from his torso so that he could properly speak to him. ��i’m okay, really,”

“satoru, you’re crying. it’s okay, you can tell me,” [name] said softly, pushing his wet bangs aside and looking into his teary blue eyes, “it’s okay,”

satoru bit his lip, admiring the features of his boyfriend for a couple more seconds. how gentle his touch was, the hand caressing his face only having the lightest featherlike feeling against his skin. how concerned his e/c eyes were, staring into him and understanding him like no one else ever has.

he is so beautiful, satoru thought to himself. he squeezed [name]’s hand that was resting in his lap, making the man look down at their joined fingers.

”satoru?”

“i just,” he took in a deep breath, “i love you so much, you know that right?”

he almost laughed at the suggestion, but [name] politely nodded instead, “of course i know that, you show me everyday. i love you, too,”

satoru nuzzled his cheek further into [name]’s touch, relishing in the way the man’s warmth fell onto his skin.

“i love you so much, i’d do anything for you,” satoru breathed out, looking past his wet white eyelashes and into [name]’s concern eyes, “i’d do anything, i mean it. i love you so, so, so much [name],”

“satoru, you’re really scaring me. what’s going on?”

“nothing bad, i promise. just, please, let me?” satoru begged, voice hoarse and tight as he pleaded with [name]. and with a patient nod coming from the man, he continued on, “you’ve made me so happy, happier than i’ve ever been, these past couple of years. you deal with me and my annoying bullshit everyday, you make sure i’m healthy and happy even when you’re so tired. you always take care of me, more than i give you credit for and i’m sorry that i’m so selfish sometimes. but, i promise i’ll do better. i’ll be better, for you. anything you want me to be, i’ll work so hard in becoming, for you. i want to make you as happy as you make me,” satoru gulps, feeling his throat closing up and his tears welling back up, “i love you so much, [name],”

taking in all of his words, [name]’s eyebrows furrowed in confliction. he still didn’t know if he should be concerned and worried or just let satoru go on. but then he felt his own eyes well up with tears when he felt how sincere satoru was being. how tight his large hand was holding his own, as if he were afraid that he’d slip away if his grip on him loosened even the slightest.

even when he tried lifting that hand up to wipe his tears away, satoru didn’t let him, keeping a steady grip on his hand. instead, his slender fingers came up to the side of his face and wiped the tears away with a calm smile on his face.

“you make me so happy, [name]. and i'm so happy to be here with you. you make everything worth it,” satoru said softly, “you love me so gently, so softly — unlike anyone else in my life has. you’re my entire world. i don’t know what i’d do without you here. i know i’m meant to stay by your side forever. i know my place in the world is wherever you are.”

there was a pause as now both of them were crying messes.

[name]’s eyes were shut as he tried to wipe his stream of tears away. so he didn’t see the way satoru dug through his pocket to take out the velvet box. and he didn’t see the way his hands shook as he propped the box to be open, didn’t see how nervous satoru looked in the moment of unveiling the ring.

what he did see though was the ring blaringly presenting itself to him and a grinning, crying satoru behind it. he heard the words leave his lips, “let’s stay together forever, okay? please, marry me, [name],”

and [name] didn't react.

not immediately. he was too shocked. his jaw had dropped and he looked between the ring and satoru, who was still happily crying. then, finally, he snapped out of it and enclosed his arms around his boyfriend’s (fiance’s?) neck and sobbed into his skin, “yes, yes, yes,” over and over.

satoru cried more, this time a smile on his face as he cried into the air. he felt the stream of wet tears go down his neck, but he didn’t pay them any mind. he only held [name] closer by his waist in a suffocating embrace.

he didn’t know if he believed in multiple universes theory, whatever that was, but he just wishes that if it were true: he’d find [name] in every single one. [name] was his one and only comfort in the hectic life that he lives, the one stable root that keeps him grounded.

the two seperated, smiling and laughing with each other as they messily kissed in celebration. when they pulled away, [name] and satoru watched as the latter shakily slipped the ring onto the former’s ring finger. and the h/c haired man had to cover his mouth once more at the sight. it was slightly loose, running on the bigger side, but it was perfect. he didn’t care. it could have been a paper ring and it would have been perfect.

“i love you satoru, so much, you don’t understand,”

“i love you more,” the other softly breathes out, staring at [name]’s ringed finger with pride, “more than you’d ever know.”

the two smiled and laughed at their confessions, joining in another hug as they were high off of their dopamine. wordlessly, satoru collapsed onto the bed with [name] laying on top of him. and as he took the other velvet box out, he tried slipping the ring onto his finger. but it didn’t even fit on his ring finger, so he had to work with it on his pinky.

“it’s kind of cute that way,” [name] says in amusement, comparing their hand size and laughing at the difference, “i like it,”

“if you like it that way, we can keep it this size, then,” satoru said simply, kissing the top of [name]’s head.

“wear it however you want to, satoru, it’s your ring,” [name] chides him, looking up to softly glare at him.

“the ring doesn’t mean anything by itself, you're the one that gives it meaning,” satoru says, squeezing [name]’s shoulders to bring him closer, “if you like it on the pinky, it stays on the pinky.”

rolling his eyes and deciding that nothing is going to get through his fiance’s head, [name] gave up on challenging satoru. instead, he cuddled closer into his side and breathed in his faint cologne and natural scent.

“i love you, satoru. my dear fiance,” he said into the fabric of his dress shirt, smiling against satoru’s ribs as he repeated the phrase in his head.

satoru didn’t bother biting back his smile as he tilted [name]’s head up to look up at him. he kissed him softly, gently moving their lips against each other in a passionate kiss. and when he pulled away, he made sure to keep eye contact as he said, “i love you more, [name], my dear fiance,”

#this is the pt. 2 from the poll i did earlier btw #since basketball player gojo satoru won....LMFOA #satoru male reader #satoru x male reader #gojo male reader #gojo x male reader #basketball player satoru gojo #basketball player gojo #gojo satoru x male reader #gojo satoru male reader #jjk male reader #jjk x male reader #basketball player satoru

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gerdy-sertorius · 2 months

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The Definitive Damsel Analysis (if I do say so myself)

(Disclaimer: I know it’s absurdly long, and for that I apologize. I apparently am more unwilling to make cuts than I am to present subpar work. I’m working on it. Only editing I do for my autistic ramblings is copyediting, baby! Whoo! I will be updating this for the Pristine Cut once it comes out and we get even *more* Damsel. Obviously, as I’m sure you can tell from the length, I really like Damsel. There will be all of the bias. It will be great.)

(Author’s Note: For the love of the most high God, it took me like twenty read throughs for me to standardize what I wanted to call the Scorched Grey. Here is a brief list of all the terms I used to refer to her: Scorched Grey, Burned Grey, Burning Grey, Fire Grey, Damsel Chapter 3. Sometimes but not always preceded by “the” or “The”.)

Alright, ladies and gentlemen. I have oft made the statement on here that Damsel is the best route in the game, and this began as me trying to definitively prove that, by microscopically going through the route, I could establish exactly why, it would seem, that Damsel has objective superiority. It sorta… evolved, though, so instead I will be going relatively chronologically throughout, and trying to point out a couple things that all of you know about and maybe a couple things you don’t about the best character in the game. With that preamble out of the way, let’s begin with the goofy stuff, the grab bag if you will.

This will certainly be more personal taste than anything else, but I do think there’s a lot of miscellaneous stuff that Damsel does better than the other chapters. For example, I am convinced that it has the third best music, behind Tower and her routes and then Thorn. I am genuinely obsessed with “It Was Always That Easy”. The basement has some *fantastic* art, and I think that really carries a chapter that is otherwise generally bland when it comes to actual visual activity. It’s really carried by its genuinely perfect dialogue.

Overall, and most importantly, this chapter is the undisputed master of the idea of positive ambience. You know elevator music? How it’s there to artificially increase the cheeriness of an otherwise dreary moment, like a hotel hallway or, yanno, an elevator? Well, this is the chapter that does it perfectly. Everything is designed to make it “nicer” than it actually is. The Narrator even takes that into account when describing the basement. The sound design is fresh and relaxing, the music is uplifting, the Princess’s voice is obviously fantastically done, but also the Voice of the Smitten plays a large role in making it feel “good”. It’s something that exists in order to communicate exactly the feelings it wants the player to feel, which is all warm and fuzzy inside. But let’s move on to the actual content, shall we?

Damsel has *the* best Chapter One and it isn’t even close. Certainly not in the horror department, where I think Beast and Nightmare shine, or even in the whole characterization bit, where the award can only go to Spectre and the masterclass that is her Chapter One. But Damsel has something else to it. Damsel has tragedy, almost Shakespearean in nature. Nobody else has it (except Witch, to some extent, but nowhere close to the same level), nobody manages to reach that connection, there and then broken, to honestly feel for both Princess and Slayer. Allow me to paint a picture of a playthrough.

You are on a path in the woods. At the end of that path is a cabin. In the basement of that cabin is a princess. You are here to slay her. But you don’t do that. That voice itching in the back of your skull, the one you quite literally call Hero, your moral compass even, raises some objections. You don’t want to kill *anybody*. That isn’t something you want to mark yourself with, especially not solely on the word of an individual you just met. For now, violence is a nonstarter.

You enter the cabin. And you hear her voice. And you see her. You even talk with her for a while. The moment is… hypnotizing. Despite the Narrator’s warning of manipulation, well, you cannot help but be manipulated. This is a genuinely nice, sweet, scared Princess who simply wants to be free. You have to save her. It is the right thing to do, it is the… only thing to do. Anything else marks you with the dirtiness of simply being unwilling to help someone in need when you had the full ability to.

You go to get a key. Unsuccessful. The door locks. Even worse. The Narrator is moving from irritating to downright malicious, clearly enjoying recounting the lock of the door. Disgust for Him has been present since you entered the cabin, but it shifts to anger very quickly. That shift continues with full force as you attempt with what little ability you have to save the Princess, even if you don’t quite know how you will get out. The question does not last long. For the shift to anger shifts once more, to a sort of incomprehensible fury.

For the Narrator has crossed a line. Not only has he taken away any semblance of choice, not only has he raised your own knife against an innocent, someone who has been nothing but kind to you, but you are the one who must bear the shame for it. You are the only one who is doing the foul deed in any eyes but your own. Speaking of, the Princess’s eyes are filled with genuine happiness at the moment, as you are finally giving her the freedom she has yearned for such a long time. Yet through no fault of your own, you raise the pristine blade, the one you refused to bring down to the basement in the first place. You scramble through the list of options, attempting to find anything that could provide a sliver of hope in the situation, anything without the grim finality of “Slay the Princess”.

At last, you find one, and are able to bark out a warning to the Princess. That happiness in her eyes is shifted to a look of fear, one directed at you alone, one condemning you with such a sorrowful betrayal that it almost hurts to see. She begs for you to stop, and then she says something that almost calms the internal storm of the player: “Please, I know this isn’t you.” She recognizes that it isn’t us that betrayed her, she understands that we aren’t trying to do this, that we are flat-out trying to stop it. But the eye of that storm is passing, and soon.

And as she takes the blade, as she prepares to do what she must to live, that same look of tragic betrayal crosses her eyes, this time not directed at us, but at herself. She hates that this is her only option, the only way that she can live is to kill another, one with every intention of freeing her and no intention of harming her. And in the end, she simultaneously underscores the tragedy of the moment while confirming our perception that she could never be a threat to the world. As she plunges the blade into our chest, she has failed to even do the bare minimum of making our death painless, something that fills her with even more guilt, tears streaming down her cheeks as she tries and fails to end our own agony. The last thing we see of her are her endless cascade of both tears and apologies, as everything goes dark.

This… is beautiful. A glorious tragedy, one with limited theming, simply two characters with emotions that feel natural. And, quite strangely, the first chapter has almost nothing to do with the second chapter. But it is still important. I’ll get to that later. Better things await now! For with the end of the tale of the Hero and the Princess, we have a new individual, everyone’s favorite buddy, the Voice of the Smitten.

I am certain I do not need to underscore just how popular Smitten is. Easily the most fan favorite of the fan favorites, especially solidifying his place within that roster with the Kiss from a Thorn. He is jovial, passionate, he is Don Quixote, complete with the unlimited self-delusion that comes with the territory. There’s a reason people love him. Romantic in a game entitled a love story, the largest of personalities in a game stuffed with them, he is the storybook hero come to life in a game that has just as much reverence for storybook heroes as the deconstructions of them. In short, he is the visage of likability itself, with all the bombast that comes with that. Yet that is only from a wholly external perspective.

For what I am certain I do need to underscore is just how sinister Smitten is. For all of his likability, the Smitten is also probably the single slimiest voice out of all of them with the possible exception of the Opportunist. This is not a new revelation – people have understood that since the beginning with his frankly disturbing behavior regarding the Princess. What is perhaps more interesting is his relationship with the player. For he is one of the two options that reflect the player at this point within the story. Either the player is trying to do the right thing and free an innocent, or they have somewhat… different motivations.

The former reflects the Hero. Somewhat naive, in many routes somewhat bumbling even, but first and foremost focused on the external. That is, “how can I make a positive impact on the world around me?” As contradictory as it may seem to how the Hero is presented, it’s something of an intellectualist approach. The Hero is trying to find the best possible world and working towards that with all of his might. It is, one could say, devoid of emotion except that determination to change the world, to make it a better place. While the goal remains the same, the path to get there is fundamentally continuously being calculated. The Hero is your conscience, and as such he must *always* work overtime for that.

The Smitten is not that. No, he has made no secret that he is the path of passion. Even when he is generally considered to be a better person, he declares that, “Whatever world would condemn two star-crossed lovers to a cycle of violence and despair isn’t a world worth saving.” His focus is internal, it is on ourself and our romance. There is no extensive study into what is the correct option, there is only what would assist in our relationship, which is somehow ordained by the universe. To put it into understandable terms, Hero is a modern hero while Smitten is a Romantic-era hero.

There’s an important line when going down the stairs that I think speaks volumes about the type of player and playthrough currently occurring. That is “We can still do right by her without all this over-the-top fawning.” *That* is the line of demarcation between the route of the Hero and the route of the Smitten. If you decide to embrace or repudiate the Smitten at that point, I think the route is sealed. I am convinced that the game will continue on in a fixed way based on that philosophy. The point where you must, internally that is, decide if you are doing this out of a desire for what is right, or an infatuation with the Princess.

Now, of course there isn’t anything wrong with taking the path of the Smitten, and it’s personally one of my top points in the game, but whether you admit it or not, you are long past morality being what decides your actions. That has come and gone. Now, the goal is to express the passion of the moment and delve into your romantic relationship with the Princess. I’ll be evaluating each of the routes differently, loosely organized with a focus on how it reacts to the player. After that, I’ll go on into theming of each route one by one and all that jazz.

The path of the Smitten first. The player embraces that he has been sent to save the Princess from her unjust and foul imprisonment above all else. So that is what he does. He marches downstairs, the blade being nothing but a passing afterthought as it is immediately dismissed out of hand. When it comes to the crucial point of “doing right by her”, the justification is made that two things can be done at once, that you can do this for her and do a little bit of fawning on the way. Doesn’t harm anyone.

And with that the basement arrives, and you see the Princess on the floor. She is perfect in all ways. There is nothing wrong with her. And that’s before you start talking to her. When you do begin talking to her, all of the kindness and innocence from Chapter 1 are magnified to the greatest degree possible. She can do no wrong. And, from a meta standpoint, there’s another thing that stands out – it is really, *really* funny. From everything the Smitten says to the “Then I didn’t end the world!” to the Narrator’s (a villain at this point) growing exasperation at your trust for the Princess, it endears you to the moment even more.

Because it’s not only that it’s funny. It’s not only that the Princess is genuinely nice to you. It’s something more than that. Something that I am loath to talk about but will anyway. The Princess is incredibly – *sigh* – **cute** within this chapter. This is objective, with science to back me up, I’m sure. But she is specifically designed to be as heartwarming as possible, and every line makes her more and more into someone who should be saved by you, into, well, a Damsel. While it isn’t explicitly stated, throughout the progression of dialogue, the need to protect her becomes more pronounced. You were already primed to like the Princess, you already internally committed to a romantic future. But after stepping into the bear trap willingly, you cannot escape.

And if you’re anything like me, you are perfectly fine with that. So you take in the moment, you rescue her from her chains and laugh at the way her hands slipped out of the chains and the Narrator’s comical anger at it. It’s all very feel-good, all cleanly written dialogue, and both the Princess and the Smitten are likable, they’re fun, and the Narrator is a fun enough villain for the Smitten and you to unite against. The Hero, if we’re being honest, barely registers, and if he does it’s usually as an extension to the Narrator, as a foil to yourself. And with her finally free, she embraces you, sealing the deal on her perfection.

And after that, something else happens. The deconstruction begins. You want to see if her dialogue has any more of that saccharine present throughout the rest of the chapter, and are immediately rewarded with the “The princess closes her eyes in deep reflection” and the follow up joke. Hungry for more, you click through some more of the dialogue, but something begins to happen. She begins to… unwind. The Smitten seems to reciprocate in turn, to a lesser extent. In fact, she really starts to return to the horror that this chapter was a nice respite from. So you cut your losses, decide to leave with her, and everything returns to normal. Bathed in the glow of your future, you immediately forget about the deconstruction.

After that, you finally get out of the basement, get a genuinely great moment opening the door alongside the Princess, never think twice about clicking “You’re not doing that.” as fast as humanly possible, and finally await the door at the end of the cabin. You finally get your fairytale ending. The princess goes out into the world together with you. You brought her out. And then she is taken by the Shifting Mound in a way reminiscent of her dying. Even if this wasn’t your first playthrough, it still comes as a shock. For the most part, you were being that Romantic hero, living in the moment with your passion. The thought of this happening was gone entirely. This wasn’t supposed to happen. And it *hurts*. And the chapter is over.

The route of the Hero has a different point of view on the whole situation. That’s not to say it’s not easy to get drawn in by the hilarious dialogue and sheer cuteness of the Princess – far from it. It is, after all, what drives the conflict within this. For the Hero, and the player that goes along his path, has one bit of information stand out. That the world ended after the Princess killed you. Now, you can naturally be skeptical of the information, but the Princess isn’t helping her case here. Entirely vague, entirely unwilling to mention anything about it. The only thing she seems to care about is getting on your good side.

Now, you still want to save her. That much is clear. You still don’t take the knife in the beginning, and you saw her Chapter 1 incarnation. She is still a good person, kind and loving. But there are questions raised, important questions. Which is why not all Hero routers get the same ending. There is a conflict between how far you’re able to go before the risk of the world ending eclipses your distrust of the Narrator and your trust of the Princess. If the whole world really does end if she’s free, is it worth it? And as such you get to the major points of the Hero ending.

The first is the Deconstructed ending. As you question the Princess, you desperately try to figure out what the best way to go forward is for you. And that starts with getting a straight answer from the Princess on what exactly she plans on doing. The operation… does not go well. As you try and push for anything, any sign that she isn’t going to end the world, the same rejoinder comes in, alongside a distorted track. “I just want to make you happy.” The Princess is not an individual anymore, and begins to change shape. But you are locked in with a horrified inability to look away, like one who sees a car accident. And with that, the Princess is a Princess no longer, and the Shifting Mound takes her away.

There’s also the option of taking the Hero’s advice when confronted with the scenario: to leave. You don’t like what’s going on and you try to do whatever you can to undo the doing. Perhaps surprisingly, it works. And then you’re forced to deal with the cognitive dissonance of the Princess and *that* being the same individual. But you, not without a healthy dose of skepticism, still head upstairs alongside the Princess. In the end, you can’t bring yourself to kill her. Throughout it all, she still has been the beautifully endearing picture of innocence, if a questionable one, and especially with regards to the knife on the table, there is no way you can take it to her chest with no warning, especially after everything you did in the first Chapter. So you leave with her, and the “end of the world” really does come in one fell swoop with the call of the Shifting Mound. You can’t help but wonder if the decision you made was the right one, not really. Like, you still believe she didn’t deserve to die, but maybe, just maybe, it would have been a better ending.

So what if you did kill her? What happens when love *truly* melts away into skepticism. After the continuous question dodging and whatever the… other thing was, this is clearly not an ordinary Princess, it is not the same Princess that you tried to save at the beginning. There is only a sliver of her, a shadow of her former self. Slaying her, well, slaying her is probably doing her a favor. It might be doing the world a favor, too. Maybe she is an individual with malicious intent. And as you take the blade and plunge it into her chest, you instantly know you made the wrong decision. She does not oppose it. She simply lets you kill her with a single tear hanging in her eye, saying “I think this is what you want.” It’s meant to feel dirty and it does, even heartbreaking in the moment, although it is immediately counterbalanced by the effect of the Smitten killing you over it.

I won’t exactly go over Scorched Grey the same way, I think there’s generally only two frames of mind going into it, and that’s either the standard “Hero-Skeptic” framework that I’ll expand on later, or simply a completionist mindset. Plus, it’s technically not The Damsel. Plus I’m lazy. But this is the point where I will try to expand on the theming of each and every route and mindset to go through within the Chapter, and that *will* include the Scorched Grey theming.

It’s made quite clear from the chapter that one of the primary themes is objectification, the making of the Princess into nothing more than a vehicle to live one’s fantasy into. The taking of an individual and making them into an it. The destruction of humanity by your own desire, and what that says about your desires in the first place. Ironically, this is merely one fourth wall away from the rest of the Princesses, each of them being a piece of fiction that many simply engage with *because* they are an object, but with the Damsel it is directly nodded to within the narrative. One meta-layer is peeled back, if you will.

Nothing hammers this more home than the entirely jarring line that escapes the Shifting Mound’s lips when you ask about the vessel she holds. Unlike the rest of the fragments, which are all given an indication that they have been fulfilled after the Shifting Mound takes them, the only note she has to say is that the Damsel has “served her purpose”. There is nothing that she wished for, as anyone who has obtained the deconstructed ending can attest to. But even in the more standard runs, she is simply a tool to be used and discarded. And there are three general reactions to this line.

The first is the hardcore Smitten route’s preferred choice, denial. “The Princess was far more than an object, she had character, she had kindness, she had motivations from the beginning! The narrative is what is wrong, there’s nothing wrong with the Princess. She. Is. Perfect. Not just from a narrative standpoint but a metanarrative one as well. She has depth, she *is* a character.” All in the hopes that if they insist on it enough, it will become true. The Damsel was not designed to be viewed in a vacuum. There are themes that run through her character, and including negative ones, and the denial of them is a far truer denial of the character than any sort of objectification could ever be.

Then the more moderate Smitten routers get a different response. A slap in the face. They did all of this, they had fun, they laughed with her, they cried when she was taken. They were connected to her, they had a real connection to what she was. One could even accuse them of… loving her. They honest to goodness cared about this Princess, they were invested in her story. Yet, in the end, they also formed her around themselves. They “molded her to love you”. As much as they loved the Princess, that was only because they cut out a piece of the Shifting Mound that they *could* love, a caricature of her true nature. They still took an individual, and despite truly loving her, made her into something that she was not so they could do that very thing. She is not a person. She is a plot device, an individual made to love and be loved with nothing beyond that. She is an object.

Lastly, those who went on the route of the Hero get that same slap in the face, that selfsame bucket of water poured over their heads, but in a different way. They didn’t try to objectify her. They didn’t want anything of the sort. All they wanted to do was the right thing. Right? Yet even in that desire to do the right thing, they still get that same chilling text from the Shifting Mound. They have built an individual just like those who went on the route of the Smitten. Just a different one. Not one who was built around your “glorious romance”, but rather one built around something of a glorious Romance. The need to be a Hero. The desire to do what was right, to save an unjustly imprisoned Princess. The Princess became a plot device in the end anyway, just one that needed to be saved rather than one who needed to be loved.

I want to continue off of that. The player is trying to do nothing more than the right thing, he is simply doing what a Hero should. And that determination to do what is right leads to him getting impacted the most by that line in the ending, the line that implies that whatever right he was doing, he was still being driven by selfishness, by that need to be a Hero. That hits the player right within where it hurts, it almost could be said to strike at the one emotional vulnerability of them. To have your hard work, your pain, your desire for what is right to be considered nothing more than the delusions of a Don Quixote tilting at windmills in order to fight giants, just as lost as Smitten, that doesn’t feel too great. It almost minimizes your struggle, and it is genius. You play as a Hero because you want to feel like a Hero, not because the morality of this world means anything to you. It is stripping that meta-layer down one by one.

But objectification is not the only theme present. While it may seem like something of a potpourri topic to throw in, earlier on the server we were talking about the Damsel in particular’s perceptiveness with regards to perception. When the door shuts and locks, it is the first and only time the Princess gets visibly **negative** in any way during the entirety of the Chapter. Even when you kill her, she still does so with nary a frown on her face. Even as a tear rolls down her cheek, she still smiles. But not at the door. The narration points out quite clearly that she frowns. This is, I reiterate, the only thing that happens. And her response is not “we’re stuck down here”, it is not “I’m unable to leave now”.

What it is happens to be “that’s not supposed to happen”. She recognizes the construct in a way very few allude to within the game. Adding onto that note, within the Scorched Grey chapter, she (correctly) determines the very nature of the construct and that inherent “cycle of violence and despair” inherent to it, even (correctly) determining that the only way to leave was to annihilate that very construct. This is shown even clearer at the other major event at the door. When you ask if the Princess can open the door, the sole question she throws back at you is “Do you think I can?”, and after a response in the affirmative, “Then I can”. In the end, it is quite clear that she is, *heavily* ironically, one of the more aware characters in the game with regards to your circumstance.

While speaking of the Scorched Grey, I think this route also exemplifies another major theme – the nature of the Princess as a being of perception. All routes exemplify one facet of the Shifting Mound: Spectre represents the gravity of her, Tower her divinity, Prisoner the very incarnation in and of itself of her within the construct, and so on. Damsel has something different, though, and that is that she’s just a slippery little fella. Far more than anybody else, Damsel changes throughout her chapters, in ways more pronounced than anybody else. The Shifting Mound declares that we “molded her to love you”, as I quoted previously. That molding takes stage front and center throughout all of our interactions with her.

The most obvious example is her deconstruction, which when her sole true motivation (to leave) is discarded, she begins to break down, unable to offer to the player anything beyond the only desire every other Princess has. With the compulsive need to love the player, etched into her core, there is nothing she can do other than try to add to that love, losing herself within the process. But that is not the only time she changes. Because she is willing to give up that freedom in, well, a heartbeat. Attempting to kill her does not lead to any sort of resistance from her. The one goal she had, staying alive and winning her freedom, is out the window despite being (questionably) willing to kill for it in the last chapter. Now, throughout the Scorched Grey, it’s made clear that she did not, in fact, want to die, that she just wanted to be free together, but the complete unwillingness to save her own life is a stark contrast to the first chapter.

In fact, that perpetually changing nature alongside her being so objectified means that it’s really, *really* hard to figure out her true character. There is very little in her that does not change and very little remaining that isn’t specifically put there by you. She is an eel, wriggling out of your grasp and impossible to pin down, in a large way like the Shifting Mound herself. But… for the most part, there are two facets to her character beyond the already listed themes. And a sharp divide between them.

Chapter One Damsel and Chapter Two Damsel are not the same person. That’s usually true for most of them, but they also usually have some semblance of similarity between their counterparts. The only exceptions I can think off the top of my head are Spectre and *maaybe* Stranger if you want to count that. The rest of them act as exaggerated versions of the existing individuals shown. Chapter One Adversary likes fights. Chapter Two Adversary likes fights. Chapter One Witch is built on the back of distrust. Chapter Two Witch is built on the back of distrust. Everything lines up nicely.

That is not the case for the Damsel. The only thing that you can say with both of them is that they are nice and do not want to hurt you. The Chapter One incarnation (henceforth Princess) is a tragedy of a character that doesn’t want to kill you but still must to secure her own life and freedom against a renegade puppeting you. The Chapter Two incarnation (henceforth Damsel) is a Horror-”Feel-Good”-Comedic-Tragic character that shows nothing about the emotional anguish she went through in chapter one. I love both of them, but they have an unmatched disconnect. And I think that sort of adds to the character. Now, there is absolutely a benefit from an emotional through-line (there’s a reason Thorn is my second-favorite chapter), but in this case, only brief touches to the beginning enhance the story.

The most striking thing is the sense of comedic horror that comes when Damsel just completely ignores any expected trauma from the Princess’s emotional destruction. It, depending on the route you take, either makes you love her character more and more as the humor begins to entrap you, or it begins the process of getting the player unnerved, exactly like the developers wanted. It is a key dividing point in the mindset of the player and the route that they have chosen. The Damsel says nothing about what happened, heck, she barely acknowledges it except to indicate that “You died!”

Secondly, it sets up Damsel as a sympathetic figure while still allowing her to begin establishing herself. Without the setup from the Princess, the player has no idea how to view Damsel, potentially even seeing her as a less on-the-nose Razor, with her comedically hiding her sinister intentions. The Princess allows the player to begin on a note that the Princess is *actually* friendly rather than simply pretending to be so. At the same time, it’s divorced enough that apart from that frame of reference at the beginning, Damsel is still allowed to shine within her own character.

Lastly, and most importantly, it sets her up for the Scorched Grey. The guilt at causing the death of an innocent and the belief that you would be unable to cause the death of an innocent yourself leads her to blame the construct and attempt to bring it down, which seals your fate in the third Damsel chapter, the only time where the two chapters meet in a beautiful climax of Passion going too far and causing pain, in attempt of running away from that very thing, morphing into something that not even the Smitten is able to remain devoted to in an awful tragedy of love being not enough in the end.

Wait, wait, wait. Did I hear “the end” being spoken? At this time of year? Localized entirely within this essay? Well then, it’s time to talk about what puts this saga at pure perfection, shall we? I probably could just use the awesome power of Ctrl + V to get the desired effect, but I still do want to offer my narration, so I’ll compromise and do a bit of both. “Your lover drives a stake into your body. And another. And another. And another. And another. Do I miss your heart because I cannot stand to see it go? But the stakes meant nothing to you. You had a desire, and you set that desire free, you lifting me and me lifting you, forever and ever and ever, consumed by true belief, there was nothing that could hold us back.”

Do I even need to explain why that’s so good? Definitively the best poem in the end, it isn’t even close, especially when coupled with Ms. Goodnight’s awe-inspiring delivery. Did I say that the Scorched Grey was the perfect synthesis of the Princess and the Damsel? I was lying. This is. Every word so lovingly placed, the language sounds like it comes from the pen of God Himself. It is emotionally resonant, the art is beautiful, I have not run into such a short piece of dialogue that outdoes it. Gonna be honest, mostly just wrote up this essay to gush about it. Even now, it is considered by most everyone to be one of the best lines of dialogue in a game filled with magnificent ones.

And the other one, that of the Scorched Grey. It’s simpler, ironically. “I kill you. You kill me. Back and forth we go, faster and faster and faster. I kill you. You kill me. Hollow eyes watch from the dry corners of a memory. A home built on all of the futures that were supposed to be, preserved until the moment of reunion. The fire of the heart sets it all ablaze. I kill you and me.”

This, this right here is one of the most slept on ending poems and it’s not even funny. So fantastic at expressing the heartbreak inherent to the Scorched Grey’s character. I don’t know how you can see the line “A home built on all the futures that were supposed to be”, especially with the Scorched Grey dead and charring in a wedding gown, and not feel *something*. It’s not as good as the standard Damsel stuff, but then again, nothing is. It’s still deserving of more praise than it currently receives, and one of my top three ending poems of all time, only edged out by Prisoner. Gosh, this game belongs in a museum.

Seems I need to debunk some stuff that happens to get a lot of traction regarding those who speculate on Damsel, too. First of all, her character motivation is not guilt nor gratitude. That sort of thing works incredibly well in fanworks, and I’m happy to see it ~~because that means I get to see Damsel in a fanwork~~. It has little to no backing within canon. Damsel is a chapter about the only motivations for the Princess being those put in place by the objectification of the player. There is nothing regarding anything beyond that, and it detracts from the existing, well-elucidated themes that are actually within the chapter. The only sort of substance to them is both Chapter 1 Princess and Scorched Grey indicating guilt for killing you, but that is almost entirely repudiated within the actual Chapter 2.

Speaking of the Scorched Grey, another thing I saw somewhat extensively is that you somehow “taught her” that killing is the way to love one another, and that’s why she kills you in Chapter 3, and I honestly do not know how that gained any traction at all. It’s pretty clear that she views all the death as a pretty terrible and messed up thing and only kills the two of you to escape the cycle of death. It’s spoken of as a means to an end, not an end in and of itself. I am genuinely confused on how this got started, because it really just… opposes the main *in-narrative* themes of the Chapter??? Like, you don’t even have to analyze it, it’s just within the text, plain and simple.

Anyway, I deeply apologize for the length of this once again, look forward to an appendix when Pristine Cut comes out. I’ve already played it because my uncle works at Black Tabby, but I don’t want to spoil it for you gents. If my opinions change massively after playing through the new update from today, I will change that too. Anyway, Damsel is the best character, literally does not do a single thing wrong within any of her chapters, has definitively the best Shifty stuff, and you should invest in her. As more people vocally become willing to throw money at anything related to Damsel, the likelier it is that we get Damsel merch. I need it so badly. Please. Anyway, if anything stands out to you or you disagree, I am begging you to tell me to get my act together and explain what I said wrong, so do that. Also please.

#slay the princess #the damsel #the princess #black tabby games #I spent an ungodly amount of time writing this up #But I honestly think this could be the be all end all work for this tiny character in a tiny game #Also #Seriously #Play Slay the Princess

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coollizzylou · 3 months

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Hey gw2 peeps I recently learned that this interview exists (it’s from late December last year)

And I think reading through it gives a lot of context for why the latest update(s) may not have hit the mark for more story inclined people.

(My own thoughts/analysis under the cut. I’ll try to be vague spoilers but it comes with the territory)

Ok first to get it out of the way: my thoughts. I like this update! I think the new part of the map is beautiful as always, and it feels a LOT livelier than the first part. The new meta is less intensive than The Road to Heitor and feels fun to drop in and to replay, which is nice. I love all of the events that focus on helping civilians. I’m glad we have a portal from the Wizard’s Tower now, too! I haven’t really dug into all of the new weapon proficiencies on all classes, but I am enjoying engineer shortbow in WvW! I think this update has a lot more than a lot of people are giving it credit for, because what’s here is more mechanical gameplay than story instance content. I’m ok with the player character being A Hero and not THE Hero, but I do wish the commander had more speaking lines because it’s the little things that make the story so immersive and fun for me.

Speaking of, I want to highlight a quote from the interview I linked above. The rest of it is really fascinating, but this part stood out as specifically relevant to the discussion being had.

We’re learning a lot about how we develop and release content on this cadence, which absolutely has a downstream effect on the player experience. The overall shape of development between expansions 4 and 5 are very similar (timelines, resourcing, etc), even if the content and features are not. This means that we’re able to focus more on refining our development processes than reinventing them. The better that we can identify production issues like undocumented dependencies, bottlenecks, resourcing issues, etc, means that we can proactively address those issues in future dev cycles.

From our experiences with Secrets of the Obscure alone, we’ve adjusted development schedules, review processes, dev resource allocations, documentation and communication practices, and more. All of these contribute, to some degree, to improving the quality of what we deliver.

So basically what I’m getting here is that SotO was a huge adjustment, and if I’m reading between the lines correctly, I would guess that the adjustment was probably a little rough (to put it mildly).

I think this is why the story instance content was weaker than what other updates have provided. It makes sense that if a speaking part had to be cut/diminished, it would be the player character’s. 10 different voice actors for each line of dialogue is a lot more difficult to plan logistics for than a single voice actor reading ten lines.

But it also makes me hopeful that the devs at Anet will continue to learn from whatever might have gone wrong, and I am really excited to see what’s next!

#SotO spoilers

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piperholmes · 1 month

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I wasn’t planning on writing anything about Chenford because I’m not trying to start an argument (not that I expected many will read this any way 🤣), but I have a lot of thoughts jumbled up. I think it would be helpful for me to just get them down, so I am better able to absorb what has been shared by others. I love a good discussion! Especially one centered around some form of literature.

(If you are reading this, then just let me preface with this is me really just free writing what’s going through my head. I definitely am not telling anyone else how to feel, react, or process this storyline—nor do I expect anyone to agree with my ramblings.)

For me, I think a major issue I have is with the breakup trope itself—particularly the “I’m not good enough for you, so I can’t be with you” trope. In my experience, this argument usually comes from the male character in a relationship. Romance novels are riddled with this set up; I’ve seen it in films and television plenty of times. It almost always comes from the guy. (And I acknowledge the majority of media I consume is M/F romance). The problem I have reconciling this concept is because it feels like this happens because the guy in the relationship feels comfortable and is willing to make the decision for both of them, and is often unwilling to listen to his partner’s thoughts or feelings. There is something inherently misogynistic in that, and it has never sat well with me.

I thought a lot about why Tim was upset about the 5 player trade, and while I don’t think the show did a particularly good job of explaining it, I think it boils down to the fact that Lucy made a decision about Tim’s life without talking to him about it. Even though it came from a sincere, caring place and had (for Tim at least) a positive outcome, it wasn’t right for her to make that decision on her own. If the argument is being made that Tim is walking away from their relationship because he feels (right or wrong) it’s best for Lucy, it just seems odd to me that Tim would choose to (essentially) do the same thing to Lucy after it was so upsetting to him.

Now, was Tim in a heightened emotional state? Absolutely. Does that impact a person’s reasoning? 100% But I think where this situation breaks with what has been established, is Tim’s choice to just walk away without discussion. Something that made me fall in love with Chenford in the first place was Tim’s willingness to listen to Lucy even when he was emotionally struggling. Outside Isabel’s apartment with the drugs, when she got on to him about being pissed over the report following the virus scare, his later acknowledgment over his behavior in the pilot with the Hispanic gentleman, and so on. To have Tim just walk away from her communicates one of two things: either he was willing to make the decision but wasn’t willing to deal with the consequences or he was so convinced he was right, he wasn’t interested in what Lucy would have to say. Neither are a particularly good look for Tim, and, again, why I just don’t really like this trope. (I would be saying the same thing about Lucy if she were the one doing this-in fact, I think she seriously mishandled her break up with Chris, but I definitely wasn’t emotionally invested in their relationship. So, sorry Chris; you don’t get a post 🤣).

Another aspect of the trope I find ridiculous is how it should essentially impact all relationships this character has; if Tim isn’t good enough to be with Lucy as a romantic partner then he should feel that way about being a friend to Lopez, a brother to Genny, an uncle to her kids, and so on. Otherwise, to isolate this feeling to specifically the romantic partner is just…weird? “I’m going to end our relationship because you deserve better, but just you. I’m going to keep all my other relationships.” Like, I don’t know, that just feels super icky. And, based on the preview for the next new episode, it definitely seems like Tim is going to spiral into pushing people away/isolating, but where is the line drawn? What if Tim had a kid? (And I know hypotheticals are probably not the best here, but I warned this would be meandering 🤪) Would he walk away from his own kid because he didn’t feel good enough? That definitely doesn’t make sense to me, but, again, it just highlights the pitfalls I run into with the trope itself and why I cringe when it is used. My view of Tim—and by extension Chenford—is now informed by what I see as the implications of the trope.

It’s incredibly off putting that now Tim and Lucy’s parents (oh, gosh, and I just realized, even Nolan) essentially fall into the same category. Do you think Lucy’s parents were so dismissive of her wants and hurtful because they hated her or didn’t love her? I am 100% sure it’s because they thought they were loving her. It doesn’t make it right or healthy, but I’m sure they thought they were doing what was best for Lucy. And John made the decision to end their relationship to “protect” Lucy, and I remember thinking the same thing about him that I think about Tim now. I really thought Tim was different and understood what Lucy had been through in her life, and, ultimately at this point, makes me question how I feel about Chenford overall.

I also want to say that I don’t begrudge Tim acknowledging something in him that wants to change and be better (openly encourage such self reflection and growth in fact). I’m also (pretty) sure this will ultimately lead back to then getting back together, and maybe even Tim being a better partner. I’m simply saying that using this particular trope in order to facilitate that doesn’t vibe with what I believe the show has established about Chenford, and it would have been very interesting (and, for me, preferable) to see how they could have told that story avoiding this cliche. That’s all.

Ok, if anybody made it this far, thanks for sticking with it. I’m always open and interested in differing perspectives and interpretations, and nothing I’ve said is my set-in-stone opinion, just my current opinion 😜.

#chenford #Tim Bradford #Lucy Chen #I guess what I’m saying is #that Lucy Chen should be protected #at all costs #I just never thought that would include #being protected from Tim Bradford #🤷🏼‍♀️

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heartbrkr · 1 year

Text

it'll last

SUMMARY Of course you fell for the playboy. Except, you didn't know he was the one everyone fell for; you didn't even know he was a player in the first place.

PAIRING fuckboy!lee haechan x gender neutral!reader

GENRE college!au, angst, hurt/comfort

WORD COUNT 1.7k

WARNINGS kind of toxic (?) relationship, mentions of drinking, sex, and castration, history of infidelity on haechan's side, lack of communication, the use of both haechan and donghyuck to address him

AUTHOR'S NOTE abe don't write hurt/comfort challenge: failed

MASTERLIST | REQUESTS: OPEN!

This wasn’t how Haechan was planning to end his Thursday night.

Your friend from your old school called him up, asking if it would be alright to drop you off at his place. He obliged, seeing nothing wrong with it, considering you’ve been inside his apartment a couple of times. But he retracted his statement as soon as another thought crossed his mind: he could pick you up instead. And somewhere among the noise on the other line, he could hear your drunken protests, letting them know that “you shouldn’t be disturbing Donghyuck! He’s probably tired.” He felt touched alongside a pang of guilt in his chest; you shouldn’t have to worry if he was tired or not, you’re also a priority.

To everyone else, he was Haechan. When he introduced himself to you as his given name and you spoke it back to him, he decided it was only for you to call. The same day, he was so sure he’d do everything to change for you.

The moment you saw the top of your boyfriend’s head getting out of his car, you ran into his arms, knocking him back very slightly. Now, you’re weeping into Haechan’s chest in the club’s parking lot and he doesn’t know why. He wants to ask you so many questions but your blubbering is getting worse by the second, you can’t hear him trying to gently console you. But through the sorrowful sea of your salty tears and muffled sobbing, he can make out the words “don’t leave” and “I can do better,” leaving Haechan visibly confused. Looking up to see your friends in the distance, he waves while giving them a reassuring smile.

“Hey, I’m not going anywhere. I’m right here.” Despite this, you shake your head and he’s sure that your fresh snot rubbed on his tee, but he doesn’t care for its condition. He can always wash it. You are the only thing that matters to him at this moment (but even outside of this situation, you grace his thoughts).

He frowns to himself, “what do you mean by that? Are you just wiping your tears?” Your head moves side to side again. Thankfully, your crying progressively weakens even if progress is slow. Haechan patiently waits for your response, no matter how nonsensical it may be.

You finally detach yourself from his quite comfortable chest and try to look at his face. It’s hazy from the several shots and mixed drinks you had, but Haechan’s beauty knows no bounds. On both sides, it seemed like a miracle that you both managed to pull each other. But in reality, you were one damn good-looking couple.

“I know— I know about your reputation around campus.” Ah, yes, the elephant in the parking lot and your relationship. Before he got into whatever your current situation is, he was a notorious playboy. He’d talk to other people behind his partners’ backs, so very openly cheated on them. And yet, people still came flocking to him, giving him the opportunity to keep this lifestyle going. That did not include you. You knew people would use the I can fix him joke, but you didn’t know that people were dead serious about it when the topic of Haechan came up.

After a month of dating on the low, you finally found out tonight. At the bar’s counter, there was a clump of people from your university gossiping about the hottest men in the batch. You rolled your eyes, not giving a flying fuck as to who was the best at sex or how long they could go for. That was until they brought up Haechan’s name and had the audacity to call him Donghyuck.

A girl in a shimmering silver dress blows wind upwards, making a strand of her hair move to the side. “Wait, wait, wait. Let’s talk about some real men: Donghyuck— or Haechan, whatever— is so fucking fine, like I’d ride his dick again, even if it means he’ll pretend not to know me the next day. Red is my favorite color, after all.” All of them laugh at that.

Hyesu, the only one you knew by name from the group, nearly slammed down her glass at the mention of him. “I know, right?! I thought I was the only one,” she opens her mouth to speak again, but not before making sure the coast was clear. She motions the circle to huddle closer, but it doesn’t do anything because the whisper comes out annoyingly loud, “you know, I heard that he turned down Karina… and I would personally dump whoever I’m dating for her!”

Another new, deeper voice makes your ears quirk up. As the conversation progressed, you learned that it was almost the whole school wanting to get a taste of him, like he was some sort of sacred food. Like two people ogling over him wasn’t enough. “God. He was so much more fun before he settled down, who is it, anyway? I haven’t gotten a taste of him, yet. He flirted with me once and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.”

As you wait for the drinks you ordered, which you wish would arrive a lot faster, you utilize your peripheral vision to get at least a glance of the people talking about your boyfriend. You hoped you were extremely hit and that you were just imagining their conversation, but you were far from it.

Another person from your course, who you know has a girlfriend, only talks to console her sad, drunk friend in purple. “Don’t worry, Mihn, I’m sure he’ll be available again in a week, or so.”

“When I talk to him again, I know I’ll have him wrapped around my finger.”

You blocked out whatever came after that sentence, welcoming the possibility of Haechan falling for someone completely new, going back to the bad habits you just found out about. Waking from your degrading self-talk, the bartender finally hands you the round of drinks, and you swore you saw a halo above his head. Tipping him two ₩10,000 bills, you thank him before rushing back to your table. When you sat down, breathing was nearly non-existent to you; it was as if you had substituted oxygen with alcohol. Your friends had asked if anything happened, but you only gave them a strained “fine!” before diving back into the variety of liquids in front of you.

How you got to your current state was self-explanatory. And it was embarrassing that you were practically begging for him not to leave you for a better person, if they ever existed. He would have received the opposite reaction if you were sober, probably interrogating him as to why he was treating you so well, like your relationship would last longer than a month. Instead, you looked pathetic, maybe even borderline obsessed. At the back of your mind, you knew you had it in you to be mad at him. But this was Donghyuck; the only man who could make you soft and vulnerable, that you would allow into your apartment without feeling any type of discomfort, who first asked if you both could take things slow, never crossing any boundaries.

“I found out… and… I— I know I should be mad that you didn’t come clean. But, maybe, you’d tell me it was obvious and should’ve listened to the people talking. I also just heard you go by Haechan, I would’ve never guessed that you were Mr. Playboy, or whatever the fuck!” You stop to breathe in deeply through your nose and out your mouth. This conversation was sobering, but not enough that you’ve completely lost all the liquid courage in your system. It would take much more than that.

You try to loosen yourself from the hands he has on your elbows, but they stay stubborn where they are. “I just— I want to know where our relationship stands, and if you’re serious. But at the same time, I’ve never felt this way with anyone else, so I want to know if I can change for you, to be the most perfect person for you to never even entertain the thought of someone else in my place. The fact that you asked to keep it low-key, too… I don’t know…”

The confident, yet sad, look Haechan has on his face provides you with a certain amount of comfort; one that reassures you that you are everything he could’ve asked for. “I’m sorry for making you doubt my intentions,” you don’t say anything, looking down at the dirty pavement, and he takes it as a sign to continue, “but the moment I met you at that party two months ago, I knew I had to change. I would never forgive myself if I let you slip away.”

If you thought your vision was bad earlier, the fact that there were now additional tears blocking your image of Haechan was even worse. You tried blinking them away, but they came out full force.

“I was the happiest when you agreed to date me; the way you smiled is forever imprinted into my mind. I’ll remind you every single day of my waking life that I am so sure about you.”

Haechan never wants to make you feel this way ever again. When he saw the defeated look on your face when you broke the news to him, it was a sight that he wishes he wasn’t the cause of. He regrets the reputation he built; he was so stupid to think he could ever hide it from you.

After absorbing his vow, you raise your hands to rub your tears, but he beats you to it. You can see a little better, and you’re thankful you can look at your lover as properly as an intoxicated person can. Your lips upturn the slightest, a witty line brewing right in front of Haechan’s eyes.

“If you ever think about doing something behind my back, I’ll castrate you.”

They’re back, Haechan thinks to himself, a smirk appearing on his mouth as well. “And that will never happen, my dear.”

You slap his arm— “don’t complain, you deserve more than that!” —before engulfing him in another loving hug. The warm, cozy scent of his mixes with the slightly gross smell of the dribbles of alcohol that stained your clothes. Somehow, it was more than enough to keep you back on the ground.

He rocks you back and forth to whatever popular song playing inside the club, both of you feeling the bass ever so slightly below your feet. A couple of minutes pass before he looks into your eyes again. “Ready to go?”

“Can we stay like this for a while?”

“Of course.” He holds you closer.

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iamsherlocked1479 · 8 months

Text

Kinktober: Day Three hate fuck

A little longer today: 1.6K words. i like this one alot and hope you do too.

Kinktober masterlist

“Seriously?! Him?” you over exaggerate

“Calm down, it's just for three days.” Natasha sighed

“Are you joking, three days with a condescending sarcastic dick.” you could almost hear the sound of Stephens eye roll from your words

“You’re not the most pleasant cup of tea sweetheart.” he said sitting down at the table

“Look, all you have to do is hide out in a cottage for three nights to get a good idea of the patrol route and we’ll pick you up in three days so we can get Bucky back.

“Fine, but only because i owe Bucky,” you sigh “ but i don’t see why i can’t just do this on my own

“Because this is too high risk and last time you had a solo mission it all-

“Went to shit.” Stephen finished Steve's sentence.

“That's not how i was going to say it but, yeah” you groaned and pushed your head into your arms “listen your new at this, you’ll get used to it, going from being a solo act to a team player can be hard.”

“I’m not in the mood for a team building speech right now cap.” you get up and purposely knock stephens shoulder as you walk past him causing his coffee to spill slightly.

Packing was easy picking comfortable yet appropriate clothing for the event of having to make a quick escape. You then pondered at the thought of bringing the useful tool that was tucked away in your drawer. You argued with yourself before throwing it in just in case it was needed. You jumped as there was a knock at the door

“Are you ready to go?” Stephen walked in “what's wrong packing your dildo?” He smirked

“What? No. Yeah, ready whenever you are.” You walked him and into the hall surprised that he didn’t follow. “Are you coming? It's a five hour drive, we gotta get moving.”

“You’re forgetting that i have a sling ring.” He popped his head around the corner and you went back into your room to see the opened portal. You huffed and stepped through the portal and carried your stuff to the room.

The rest of the evening was fine, you set up the equipment listening for any communications happening between the cabin and the base in the woods ahead of you. And as you figured, nothing, you were no closer to finding your friend.

“You know, if you keep staring at the speaker like that it might float.” Stephen said, pouring himself a glass of bourbon. “Why do you care so much anyway?”

“Because he got me out of the lab. He set me free.” You twiddling your thumbs around

“You mean from the mutant home?” He chuckled to himself

“Prison, prison is probably a better word to use.” An awkward silence spread through the room. He put his glass down on the table letting a loud bang cut through the silence

“I’m going for a walk, don’t get into any trouble.” He sighed and shut the door as he left. God you hated him, the sudden realisation that you were alone brought an excitement to your core. You remembered your toy that you had pushed into your bag, you headed to the room not realising the old wooden door hadn’t fully latched when you closed it behind you.

When Stephen got back you were gone, the room was quiet and the desk you had been sitting at was lifeless. He figured you had gone to bed and began to do the same until he heard that noise. The muffled moan coming from your room with a low buzzing sound. He smiled to himself as he peered through the door, he couldn’t help it, something else he could tease you with. But the noises you were making where not of pleasure, but frustration. He didn’t know what drove him into the room but he opened the door with the same cocky attitude he always treated you with.

“What's wrong can’t get off?”

“What the fuck, the door was closed!” You threw you covers over your lower half

“That door was not closed, what were you doing? trying to entice me?” He leant against the frame

“No i uh, why are you here?” You say frustratedly sitting up in your bed.

“Well from what it looked, and sounded like, is that you couldn’t get off.” He shuffled slightly “so what if i propose an offer?”

“What are you talking about?” You ask as he crosses his arms

“What if, just this once, I help you get off.” His brow raises

“What? Why, why would you do that.”

“Because it's better than you not being able to and me having to deal with the sulking. But hey it's just an offer.” He shrugs and walks away

“Wait” you call out “no strings attached?”

“None” he replies “just this once”

“Just this once?” You think for a moment “fine, okay”

“Okay?” He enters your room, closing the door behind you and sits on the bed “so uh”

You sigh and lean forward, pressing your lips to his, he quickly kisses back, and you lay down with him on top of you. You couldn’t lie he was a damn good kisser, he trailed them down your neck and his hand went up your tank top where he could play with your nipple. You flinch slightly,

“Easy, it’s okay, I won’t bite. Unless you want me to?” He joked and you rolled your eyes, you were going to say something but then his hand found itself under your shorts and sliding through your folds.

“Shit.” You called out as he circled your clit. He chuckled and pulled down your shorts

“No panties you dirty girl.” He watched as your eyes rolled back at the feeling of his tongue beginning to fuck you. He was good, so good you were trying not to enjoy it too much, you hated how good it was.

“Fuck don’t stop.” You were close, you were so pitifully close already. You needed this so bad and he was delivering, he spread your legs as far apart as he could giving him full access. You came so hard, over his face and he made sure to clean up every drop, your body was sweating, it was becoming hooked on him like he was a drug. And he laughed at you, he laughed at how quickly you had come.

“If you needed it so bad you could’ve told me.” He began to get up and you stopped him, grabbing his arms. “What?” His brow raised, waiting for your answer, god you hated that stupid face, you hated it so bad you kissed it, you could taste yourself on his tongue and you like it. You pushed him onto the bed, massaging the bulge growing in his crotch. He moaned at the sensation and didn’t fuss when you pulled down his trousers and boxers allowing him to be free. He didn’t complain when you took him into his mouth and began sucking like you need it. “Shit- what are you… god that's good.” He leaned back on the bed and took your hair and wrapped it around your head. You gagged as he shallowly thrusted into your mouth only causing you to swallow him down even more. You pulled him from your mouth with a pop and climbed on top of him. His hand flew to your waist as you sat just above his cock.

“Just this once?” You asked, he nodded and you aligned yourself with his cock and slowly sank down. It was good, it was so fucking good, you bounced like a needy teen and his hands pawed at you tits as he rejoyced at the way the bounced infront of him.

“God you’re so tight.” His hands shook your body up and down him picking the pace.

“God i need this” you cried out

“You like this honey? Don’t enjoy it too much'' he panted “just this once remember?” He did that stupid smirk again.

“Shut up” you pressed your lips to his again and he kissed you as you rode him so desperately. You could feel the way he scraped your insides away, his curve hitting that spot so perfectly over and over again. You hated how good it felt, you hated how you gripped his shoulders as you screamed his name. Your pace slowed and he flipped you over so that he pinned you between his arms.

“My turn” he whispered into your ears

“Oh god” you cried out as he pounded into you, he flung one of your legs over his shoulder and rattled the bed.

“God bet you’ve been thinking about this for so long huh, was that why you're so rude? Jealous that you don’t get to fuck me ever-shit, every night?” He gripped your leg and closed his eyes, his head dropping backwards, “go on tell em you wanted.” He panted

“Fuck stephen i- want it bad. Afraid i’ll get addicted, wanna see you cum, fill me up, i'm on the pill do it. Make me a mess.” You cried out gripping the bed sheets so tight they came off the corners.

“Gonna fill you up, you want that, bet you do” he dropped your leg and picked you up hitting you back against the bed frame pinning you between him and the wall. He fucked up into you, his pace becoming inconsistant and then he came, he came hard shooting his loads of thick white ropes into you and then he collapsed. You both laid there falling asleep, maybe even hating each other slightly less.

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

Taglist: @rmoonstoner @mary-johnlocked

Lmk if you want to be tagged! <3

#benedict cumberbatch #benedict cumberbatch x female!reader #doctor strange x female reader #doctor strange sorcerer supreme #doctor strange #dr stephen strange #doctor stephen strange #dr strange x fem!reader #dr strange smut #dr strange x reader #dr strange x you #marvel smut #marvel #october #kinktober 2023 #kinktober

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theflyindutchwoman · 5 months

Note

Given recent discussions in the fandom and because I’m curious to hear others’ opinion… would you want to see a Chenford breakup next season?

All right, let me start with my usual disclaimer : this is only my opinion and it has no more (or less) value than anyone else's. And this isn't meant as a personal attack either, regardless of which side of the equation you're in. I actually enjoyed reading other people's takes on this, particularly the ones who want a breakup, to see their perspective on the subject. It was truly interesting (no sarcasm).

To answer your question, dear Anon, no, I don't want a breakup. Mainly because I feel that so many shows go there, so I'm more interested in seeing Tim and Lucy navigate the ups and downs together.

One thing that attracted me to their relationship was their ability to talk to each other about everything and anything. How, despite their differences and their rocky start, they could always confide in each other… Be extremely vulnerable. And that is what I would love to see going forward. How this shorthand they've developed by working together can translate into their personal relationship. Don't get me wrong, just because they are usually good at communicating doesn't mean that it is perfect. It's not. Even before they became a couple. There are some cracks that became more and more visible as the season progressed. The theme of 'honesty' was their main thread in 5b. The storylines involving Sava & Jake or Isabel served to highlight that aspect. To emphasise how lies, deceit and miscommunication can destroy a relationship. Now it could be used as a foreshadowing… Or it could be used as a warning. Tim and Lucy already have a much stronger relationship, so I choose to believe that this could be a learning experience for them. Learn from other people's mistakes, learn from your past (in Tim's case).

Right now, those moments of dishonesty revolves around one common theme : work. Tim taking a desk job without consulting Lucy first… Lucy doing the five-player trade behind his back… Him trying to lie at first that he wasn't bored out of his mind… Her not saying anything about Primm (as far as we know)… Him not wanting to open up about his fears regarding undercover… Those are starting to pile up and they're going to need to address it. The sooner, the better. Particularly the undercover talk. This has been a long time coming. It's clear that Tim is terrified but doesn't want to burden Lucy with this. And she can sense it. That last scene in 5.21 was (for me) a step in the right direction where they started voicing their concerns. It's nowhere near sufficient. But they stopped avoiding that topic altogether. Like I said, they can be great at communicating… But they can also be their own worst enemies. They're both selfless when it comes to the other… they're both used to do things a certain way. And now, they need to learn how to do these things together. To talk about these moments that may seem insignificant to them but isn't to the other. To stop making decisions for the other. This is quite new to them : as we've seen in the past, they didn't truly open up to their boyfriends/girlfriends. That's something they are going to have to learn together. And that's okay : this is part of the journey of being in a relationship.

Another reason why I don't want to see that is related to the characters' growth. The thing is, I actually could picture Tim breaking up with Lucy because there is a pattern here. If he got it into his head that he is holding Lucy back, an idea already planted by Noah in 5.16, then yes, it wouldn't be out of character for him to break up, thinking it's the right thing to do for Lucy. Which is not that dissimilar to what he did in 5.02 : sure, they weren't together, but it still felt like a separation. Especially since the end of that scene mirrored so well another one from 1.12… when he decided to divorce Isabel. And if you remember, that was pretty much for that very same reason : he was afraid that being with him would only remind her of her time as an addict and bring her down. So he did what he thought would help her the most and decided to divorce her. So breaking that pattern would be a tremendous character development for Tim (in my opinion). Then, there's the fact that this is something they knew would be coming up at some point. This isn't a new obstacle. The episode before they got together had Lucy go undercover. And Tim, even more so than her, knew what he was getting into when he told her that it was worth the risk. He may not have explicitly said it but the implication that she was worth fighting for was right there. So breaking up for something that they could foresee kind of negates those words. And it would play right into Lucy's insecurities. She was so hesitant because she didn't want to lose what they have. She is finally letting go of the fears that prevented her before from fully committing to a relationship… Her certainty in them is absolutely amazing. So breaking up now would hurt her so much. (I focused mostly on Tim here because I struggle to see a reason for Lucy to break up. At least, not if this is related to her career, be it undercover work or her promotion).

Now, that's not to say that it can't be executed in a beautiful way. Sometimes breaking up can help strengthen a relationship, as odd as it might seem. Sometimes it gets too much and taking a step back can offer a new perspective and a fresh start on healthier grounds. Just like sticking in a relationship at all costs can be very damaging and toxic. I mean, take a look at Lucy and Tim in their last respective relationships… They stayed well past the expiration date. But I, personally, would rather see them work this out together. See them 'fight' and argue, like they've done in the past… that very same thing they didn't do with Ashley and Chris. See them all vulnerable with each other, like they've also done in the past. I honestly think the writers could pull off the angst and drama with this storyline, without having to resort to a breakup. But again, that's only my preference :)

#ask & ye shall receive #the rookie #chenford #lucy chen #tim bradford

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st4rwon · 1 year

Note

for the 300 event:

glue song x jeongin 💕💕

glue song

jeongin x reader

contains: lots and lots of fluff, light angst, friends to lovers

word count: 1k

a/n: ty so much for the request, this was extremely fun to write! sorry for how long it took i’ve had a lot going on TT hope you enjoy <33

you and jeongin have been by each other's sides since you were in diapers. you don’t think you've ever been apart from him; he was always there for you, during your greatest successes and your failures. the two of you had a special bond, something you have never felt and would never feel with anyone else.

though sometimes you wished that wasn’t the case.

you loved jeongin with your entire heart, and you know he did too; the only difference is that your love was romantic while his was platonic. but how could you stop yourself from having feelings for him? he was the funniest, kindest, and most understanding person you had ever met. but you could never dream of doing anything that would harm the friendship you had with him, so you kept your lips shut.

it was a typical friday afternoon. you and jeongin typically went to a cafe together before heading to your favorite local arcade. you both ordered your usual before sitting down at a small table by the window.

"so anything interesting happen this week?" jeongin asked, tapping his fingers on the table while waiting for your drinks to arrive.

"hm nothing much really, just the usual," you answered, trying to recall anything from your week, but the only thing you could think about was the way that the sunlight landed on jeongin’s frame perfectly.

"what about you?" "well you know that one guy i’m partnered with?" you nodded, remembering his complaints to you "well he finally decided to put in some effort towards the project, but i’m still pissed. i mean, he could’ve put some work in during the start." jeongin huffed. "well at least the project is over now, and i doubt your ever gonna see him again" you said, trying to brighten his mood. "yeah you’re right" he replied, smiling back. you always knew how to make jeongin feel better. he thought about the stressful nights where he would rant to you for hours about how upset he was, but you were always there to comfort him through it all. though you weren’t aware of it, jeongin loved you the same way you did. he had been in love with you for a while, but he only realized it recently.

the worker placed the drinks on the table, snapping jeongin out of his thoughts. he said a quick thank you to the server, pulled your drink towards him, and took a sip. "i still don’t get why you buy this drink; it tastes gross" you giggled at the look of disgust on the boy’s face. "then why do you have to take a sip every time i get it?" "i don’t know, maybe one day it’ll taste good" he answered, but he knew that the words that were coming out of his mouth were false, jeongin knew that the only reason he would even put that concoction drink near his mouth was because he loved to see the smile on your face, followed by the laughs about the expression he made.

after finishing your drinks, the two of you headed to the arcade, which was conveniently just a 3 minute walk away.

once you got there, you got a card and started playing. first, you started with basketball (where you brutally defeated jeongin), followed by some space invaders.

"jeongin what are you doing? THERE IS ONE AT THE BOTTOM!" you said, frantically trying to kill it, but it was too late. "funny how we’ve been trying to do this for years but have never been able to beat this level" jeongin chuckled.

though the communication between the two of you was great, two-player games were never something you could both do together.

you took turns picking out games to play until both of you wanted to take a break, so you both found a table to sit at.

you thought about all the days you had spent here, it brought you so much joy. "kinda random, but i really enjoy spending time with you" you said, looking up at jeongin, he moved his hands across the table, placing them over yours. "i do too, even if you suck at games" he replied, earning him a playful slap on the side. "though in all honesty, i don’t know what i would do without you, without us. what we have is really special to me" he said, making your cheeks hurt from smiling so much.

"gosh i love you so much innie" it took him a minute to process your words, there’s no way you meant it in the way he hoped you did.

"do you love me the way i love you?" he mumbled, "what?" you questioned. did you hear that right? "oh uh, never mind" he dismissed "jeongin, do you like me?" you said, tilting your head a bit, "yeah… i do. but if you don’t reciprocate my feelings that fine, i’m sorry if i ruined our relationship-" "innie shut up for two seconds" his eyes opened wide "i like you too stupid, clearly we were both too dumb to see it" you laughed as he shoved you

"you made me so scared" he frowned, you got up from your seat and walked around the table over to him, slowly moving your face towards him before finally placing your lips over his. the kiss was short but sweet, you pulled away and saw the grin on jeongin’s face, "that make you feel better?" you questioned teasingly, "hmm i don’t know" he pondered "i think your gonna have to do it again" jeongin smirked "already hooked on my kisses?" "i missed out on years of kisses, you’re gonna have to make it up now" you giggled at his response, "we’re literally in public you baby, i’ll give you kisses some other time" but before you could pull him to get up so you could both play some more games, jeongin turned you towards him and cupped your face, giving you a small peck before getting up to go find some games to play. "ooh this one looks fun!" he pointed out, still wearing a smirk on his face. you laughed and headed over to where he was.

if you were to be stuck with anyone, you would always choose jeongin.

please don’t spam like posts, repost, translate, or use my work without my permission. all work is fictional and only used for entertainment purposes. © azurez 2023

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trentsixtysix · 1 year

Text

Behind Closed Doors

Summary: Being the Liverpool Gaffer's niece certainly helped in landing you a new job as their physio, but one too many disagreements with a familiar player makes the whole experience slightly less enjoyable..

WARNINGS: This series will contain Angst, Fluff and Smut

Word Count: 4.1k

Chapter 9 - Chapter 8 here

Weeks had passed since you and Trent had spoken properly.

Aside from him being your lift to and back from work everyday, the only form of communication you both shared was when you got the dreaded text every morning telling you he was outside.

He hadn’t even been in to see you after training, to complain of sore legs or annoy you; and you couldn’t blame him because you had made it inexplicably clear that you wanted to be left alone the last time you guys spoke.

Maybe you were too harsh on him, and you were certainly beginning to feel like you should’ve handled it differently, but ultimately decided maybe it was for the best, and you and been hoping for this for a while now, to allow you to get on with your job without any distractions.

It was the weekend at last, and your plans included a birthday party later that night of your friend Alex. You weren't too close, but were in need of something to take your mind off of your busy week which is why you found yourself looking forward to it.

Your uncle and aunt were gone for the weekend again, meaning you had the house to yourself, often finding yourself feeling rather lonely recently when they weren’t here - precisely why you’d asked Joe to accompany you tonight for the party too.

The clock had struck 9, and you were getting ready at this point, frantically searching your moving boxes which were yet to be unloaded for a specific dress you wanted to wear tonight.

It was a small tight white dress, quite simple but sure to get people’s eyes wandering, which you didn’t seem to mind at the moment because maybe you needed to loosen up a little more, and even meet someone tonight.

Joe: I’m here

Joe’s ankle was doing much better, and although he was nowhere near fit to get back on the pitch yet, he was your ride and plus one tonight for the party.

You quickly got changed into your dress, letting him up to your room where he watched you rush and apply your makeup.

'You trying to get laid tonight?.' He joked, checking you out slyly.

'Is it too much?' You asked, conscious your dress may be too short.

'I mean you look good.' He laughed, as you checked your outfit in the mirror one last time.

'Ok lets go, the sooner we leave the sooner we come back.' You told him, grabbing your purse and following him to the door, right after you locked up the house securely.

'Are you not looking forward to it?' He asked, reversing out of your driveway, making you shake your head in response.

'Hardly talk to the guy, only going because I'm bored, trying to get out the house more.' You revealed, making him laugh as you continued to natter for the rest of the ride.

Eventually he had pulled up to the guy's house, who you met a few years ago at another party, where you both ended up having a brief, non-serious relationship for a few weeks, and he made sure to stay in touch with you even if you weren't into each other like that anymore. Regardless, you both would talk every once in a while, and the real reason you had showed up was to kill time.

Alex's house was nice, it was huge and the drive wasn't too far from your Uncle's, which is why there were plenty of people present at the party when you both arrived.

You stepped out in unison with Joe, who walked you inside to a loud atmosphere, and most people walking over to the birthday boy to give them their best wishes, leading you to do the same and introduce him to Joe.

You stopped in your tracks seeing him engaged in conversation with someone, and they both had their backs to you but it didn't take a microscope to figure out he was stood with Trent.

You discreetly looked around, noticing Trent's girlfriend wasn't here and were still a bit taken aback as you weren't even aware the two were friends, having had no mention of them by each other and were a little confused as to why he was present - your suspicions were only confirmed when they both turned around and spotted you guys, leading Alex to usher you both over.

'There she is!' He called, excitedly pulling you in for a hug, warranting a few faces from Trent who tried to disguise them, but you knew it was nothing serious as he had always been a flirt.

'Happy birthday!' You said, giving him a friendly air kiss and handing him a small card.

'This is Joe.' You said, gesturing to him stood next to you,

'Nice to meet you mate, you're a lucky man.' He joked, making you both blush in embarrassment.

'Nah it's not like that.' Joe rectified, laughing, as Trent stood there stone cold.

'Good, or we would've had a problem!' Joked Alex.

'You must be mates with Trent too then? If you work with them.' He asked, and Trent was about to confirm his suspicions before you cut him off.

'Nah not really.' You chuckled, watching as Trent rolled his eyes at your pettiness, leaving you to leave the three boys to chat as you walked away, in search of something to eat and keep you occupied.

As you sat scanning the table for food whilst people loudly conversed around you, you felt a presence quietly tower over you, suspecting it was Joe.

'Longtime no see?' He said, making you turn around as you recognised the voice as Trent's.

'I see you everyday.' You claimed, attempting to walk away before he grabbed your arm, pulling you back to him.

'There's people here Trent.' You whispered, noticing some people checking the two of you out.

'We haven't spoke in a while.' He observed, eyes glued to your cleavage, which was definitely made to look especially nice in the low cut dress you were wearing.

'Maybe it should stay that way.' You remarked.

'Didn't know you knew Alex?' He asked, as you just ignored him, finally freeing yourself from him and walking away.

Eventually you gathered around to where everyone was, noticing they were all involved in a game of Never have I ever, the game you always strayed away from because you hated sharing things about yourself, especially in a crowd of random people.

'Never have I ever gone skinny dipping.' Someone asked, almost making you laugh at how childish the questions were, watching everyone take a sip of their drinks regardless, only a few individuals didn't.

'Joe?!' You laughed, surprised as you watched him take a sip.

'It was once.' He replied, blushing.

They were mostly friendly questions, with some that you lied in response to, not wanting to out yourself too much, you weren't even drunk so there was no excuse.

'Ok Never have I ever slept with someone in this room.' Alex asked, and not many people sipped their drink this time, with you refraining from doing so too.

You watched as Alex took a huge sip, smirking as people around him began to cheer.

'Someone in here is a liar.' He joked, as people began to look around, wondering who the other person was.

You began to blush, hoping they couldn't see you turn red as you felt incredibly anxious from the way people began to whisper in speculation - you and Alex both knew it was you, but it was also true for you and Trent.

Trent's eyes burned into your soul, with him keeping his eyebrows raised in notion.

'Who is it then?' Trent asked, his eyes still on you however.

'A gentleman can't tell! She is looking stunning though.' Alex joked, clearly very drunk already, whilst Joe changed the subject.

'Never have I ever, slept with someone I shouldn't have.' Trent said, taking a sip of his drink after a few other people did too, not looking away from you as you took a sip too, which was exactly why he asked the question, and this time you couldn't believe his pettiness.

You decided you'd had enough of the game after a while, walking away from it as everybody else got back to what they were doing.

You were sat in the kitchen, with the only other people in there being a couple, who were there to get away from the noise, same as you presumably.

'You okay?' Joe asked, seating himself down next to you.

'I'm all good, don't worry.' You reassured him, smiling.

'What was all that about? Don't tell me you and Alex..'

'Yep.' You confirmed, seeing him gasp in amusement.

'It was a while ago, dunno why he decided to bring it up infront of everyone.' You shrugged.

'You and Trent still not speaking then?' He checked, aware the two of you had been silent with each other for weeks.

You just shook your head, and the truth was that you hated not talking to him. You were unsure why but probably because you found yourself bored ever since he'd left you alone, missing him even when all he did was annoy you - he entertained you at the end of the day when he wasn't being a dick.

You let Joe get back to everyone else, just having some more time to yourself for the time being, once again being startled when someone came and sat down next to you.

You could see it was Trent from the corner of your eye, and suddenly your heart began to beat a lot faster and louder.

He didn't even say anything, just mocked the lonely manner you were sat in and huffed, both of you staring at the kitchen tiles next to each other.

'I broke up with her.' He finally said, catching you off guard as you jumped a little, looking up to see him still lost in his thoughts.

'Oh.' You responded, unsure what he wanted you to say.

'Decided it wouldn't be fair on her, a one sided relationship.' He continued, this time looking up to look you in your eyes.

'Why are you telling me this?' You asked him, unsure if he was trying to make some sort of point by telling you he was single now.

He just shrugged, taking a deep breath before breaking eye contact with you, a first for him.

'Well I'm sorry to hear that.' You told him, studying the way he was suddenly silent.

'Well you're not though, are you?' He challenged, confusing you.

'What do you mean?' You asked.

'You're happy to hear we broke up.' He claimed, making you scoff.

'I couldn’t care less Trent.' You revealed.

'You are happy, and it's fine because so am I, it was terrible the entire time I was with her.' He told you, making you cringe as you really did not want to know.

'The 2 months?' You laughed, making him laugh too, and you both found yourself smiling at each other unknowingly..

'Dress looks good.' He observed.

'Just the dress?' You teased.

'You look good. You look gorgeous actually.' He whispered, looking you up and down repeatedly.

'That's just the drinks talking.' You said, shutting him down.

'I've only had one drink Y/n, I'm sober.' He assured you, raising his brows, and for once you were both sober and not being too passive aggressive with each other right now.

You tried to hide your blush, looking away instead as you didn't want to face him, knowing you'd find yourself entranced in his eyes and the Iines from his smile time and time again.

'You were harsh to me last time we spoke.' He teased, smirking as you both recalled your argument in the car a few weeks back.

'I was not, I was just fed up.' You defended.

'You shut me out without even hearing what I had to say.' Claimed Trent, as you just pursed your lips together.

'Why don't you believe a thing I say? You have some serious trust issues.' He joked, both of you laughing.

'Can you blame me? Been lied to a fair few times.' You replied, maintaining your smile to avoid the conversation from turning too deep.

'Ah, you're scared of getting hurt again.' He detected, and you couldn't even deny it because it was true.

'Have you ever hurt someone like that?' You asked him, out of pure curiosity, watching as he paused to jog his memory, before nodding.

'It was a long time ago, before I matured.' He said, honestly.

'You've matured?' You joked.

'Oi, I broke up with her because I didn't wanna waste her time, is that not mature?' He said, both of you chuckling.

'How generous to your fake girlfriend.' You teased, as you both fell silent again.

'I know I haven't been speaking to you, but I don't know why; I expected you to call.' You revealed, shyly.

'You told me to leave you alone, I had to fight the urge to call you late night many times.' He revealed.

'Why?' You questioned, unsure what else he'd want with you.

'Just to talk.' He said, standing his ground.

'Why? Surely you have friends for that.' You said, noticing he found your stubbornness amusing.

'But they're not you.' He said, shrugging, noticing you were pushing for more context.

'What do you mean?'

'We don't know enough about each other Y/n, that's what makes this easy for me I guess.' He told you, head down now as he feared he'd revealed too much.

'You're scared of letting people in?' You asked, seeing him nod as he tried to brush it off.

'We are more alike than we think.' You agreed.

'I didn't tell the boys about us Y/n.' He said, changing the topic now.

'It's whatever Trent, I've moved on.' You lied, knowing you felt especially betrayed he had outed you.

'But you haven't, that's your whole issue with me isn't it?' He asked.

'If you did, it would be the most insulting thing.' You complained.

'I didn't Y/n, I respect you more than that.' He guaranteed, making you laugh nervously.

'You're just being nice because you want me to sleep with you tonight I bet.' You told him, rolling your eyes to get up and leave - there was something about him being nice that was so foreign you couldn't handle it.

'No. But even if I did want sex what's the big deal? You've said yourself there's nothing between us.' He mocked, bringing up your own words.

'Yeah, you're right.' You agreed, just to make things less confrontational, before walking away and getting back to everyone else.

You were a fool for thinking you could have a nice conversation without it turning south quickly, and just wanted to leave at this moment, scanning the room for Joe to ask if you can leave.

You: Joe where are you?

You had no response from him, turning to see Alex at the door.

'Have you seen Joe?' You asked, looking around.

'He left with some girl about 20 minutes ago, sorry mate.' He informed you, making you sigh loudly in frustration.

'You can just stay the night here if you want? Like old times?' Alex asked, putting his hands on your face.

'Nah thanks.' You said, pulling his hands off of you.

'Come on since when have you said no to me? You've come here dressed like that expecting me not to want you?' He laughed, pulling you in for a hug.

'Fuck off Alex.' You said, trying to get him off of you, he was always a bigger dickhead when he was drunk.

'I'm just joking Y/n, come on it'll be like old times?' He smirked.

He was removed from you with immediate force, making you look up to see Trent listening in on the whole thing, who was currently holding Alex by his jacket, pushing him off aggressively onto the sofa.

'Come on.' Ushered Trent, dangling his keys as you both left, leaving Alex bewildered.

You were grateful for Trent at that time, and it had become a recurring theme for him to save you, aware you needed to give him more credit.

'Thank you.' You said, seating yourself into his passenger seat, buckling your seatbelt, watching as Trent remained focused on the road, thankful it was only a short drive back to yours.

'That's how you know him then? You used to be together?' He asked.

'It was never anything serious.' You confirmed, as your Adele playlist began to automatically play from Trent's phone.

‘It never is with him.’ He said.

'Wow. Huge fan of my playlist aren't you?' You joked.

'Nah, huge fan of Adele though.' He laughed, whilst you both discussed her music, with him telling you he saw her in concert recently.

You both couldn't help but sing along, mocking each others' singing voices, finding yourself at a red light, faces inches apart.

You wondered if he was going to kiss you, and you hesitated to make the first move, but ended up acting on your instinct and went for it, pulling him in for a kiss, one which lasted the entirety of the stop before you nudged him as the light turned yellow - leaving him to frustratedly pull away from your lips, turning his last few corners to get to your house.

'Are you trying to seduce me?' He asked, as you had your hand on his lap, pulling up to your drive.

'Is it working?' You asked, unbuckling your seat belt to leave his car, inviting him inside with you.

As soon as you both entered you made a run for the stairs, if you were going to sleep with him in your uncle's house you sure as hell weren't going to do it in your living room.

He followed you to your bedroom, where you instantly pushed for him to take his shirt off, revealing his toned body which towered over you as he gently placed you on the bed, all whilst remaining in a kiss.

You reached for his belt, taking your sweet time to unbuckle it and leave him to take his jeans off, watching as his length stood up as soon as you made contact with it.

You traced your hands over his boxers, lightly palming him over them, looking up occasionally to see him losing his mind already, and you hadn't even done anything yet.

Pulling your hands behind his waistband, you took his joggers off completely, allowing him to spring free and for you to work your magic, slowly taking him into your mouth.

He couldn't help but moan out in ecstasy, with a string of curse words followed by your name as you began to go faster.

'Keep doing that.' He encouraged, head back as you went to town.

You used your hands to keep yourself steady, and he slowly pushed into your mouth to help, leaving you to struggle slightly but take it happily as he came undone before you.

'You look so beautiful like that.' He observed, causing you to moan whilst he was still in your mouth, continuing to take him for some time.

'I can't hold it.' He told you, whimpering as you sucked him harder.

'I'm gonna cum Y/n.' He said, after what felt like eternity.

'Come on Trent.' You encouraged, briefly letting him out with a pop as he re entered, filling your mouth.

'You gonna let me fuck you?' He asked, getting on the bed with you as he pulled your dress off, leaving you clad in nothing but your panties.

He admired your body for a brief moment, in awe as he caressed you, kissing all over your abdomen.

He finally reached the spot, kissing over your panties, hearing you whimper from above as he hadn't even touched your skin properly yet, and you could tell it only made him cockier.

'You're already so wet over me.' He smirked, as you moaned slightly in confirmation.

Eventually he got rid of them, meeting your clit and taking it in his mouth, sucking in circles as you struggled to stay quiet.

'Please don't stop.' You begged, admiring how his tongue worked on you.

He kept going, faster this time, as you decided to forget being quiet, being fully on edge as he made you feel great, eventually allowing you to cum, which you did after moaning his name uncontrollably.

He picked you up, seating you on his lap as he encouraged you to ride him, rubbing where you were sensitive so that you could ease on to him as he entered you.

'I haven't been able to stop thinking about you like this, all worked up over me.' He smirked, watching you ride him, too caught up with how well he was stretching you out for you to reply properly, although you agreed and also couldn't stop thinking about the last time you guys did this - knowing no other guy had given it to you as well as he did.

'Just like that.' He encouraged, kissing your chest as you wailed on top of him repeatedly.

Soon he was the one unable to control himself, head tilted back as he couldn't help but groan at the way you were working him, slowly looking up mesmerised at the sight in front of him.

'You're so fucking beautiful.' He moaned, looking you up and down, his words of praise only turning you on even more.

'Trent you feel so good.' You said, eyes closed as you couldn't handle it.

'Could Alex fuck you like this?' He teased, making you shake your head repeatedly, caught off guard.

‘Could Joe?’ He added, cheekily.

‘N-no.’ You stuttered.

'Only me, you're mine.' He smirked, with both of you chasing your release again, leaning in to kiss you as you bounced before him.

'I'm almost there.' You wailed, and it was evident on his face that so was he.

'Me too baby.' He revealed, with the word baby catching you off guard, but you were too distracted to care at the moment.

'Please Trent.' You begged, at nothing in particular.

'I'm coming.' He told you, as you did too simultaneously, and one of the perks of the birth control you were taking was that you could feel him fill you from the inside.

You both stayed in that position for a while, catching your breath as you remained on top of him, looking him in his eyes before rolling over, with him quickly going to get some tissues and clean you up, before you both laid with each other a while.

'Fucking hell, that was amazing.' He said, out of breath as he lay next to you, whilst you remained silent.

'Y/n?' He asked, looking over to you.

'Yeah, yeah it was. And it's never happening again I promise.' You panted, as he chuckled.

'Yeah right.' He smirked.

'I'm serious Trent, I can't.' You said, sitting up right, handing him his jeans and his t shirt for him to change into, whilst he displayed a confused look.

'What are you doing?' He asked.

'Leave.' You ordered, standing up, leaving him still bewildered.

'Y/n..' He started, slowly putting his clothes back on.

'Just get out Trent.' You fought, tired.

'Don't be like that.'

'I'm being serious.' You mumbled, feeling bad now, aware he hadn't done anything wrong but you couldn't handle the regret you'd feel waking up next to him, no matter how right it felt going against the promise you made yourself.

'So you just brought me here to make you cum?' He scoffed, getting up to leave.

'Took a page out of your book I guess.' You said, watching as he left, only looking back once to see you, prompting you to turn away immediately, feeling too bad to look him in the eye right now.

You felt terrible, aware you were harsh and although you claimed you didn't want him to stay because you didn't want to betray yourself, you knew the real reason was so that you didn't get attached again. You couldn't handle this becoming an endless cycle where no one would win, resulting in only you hating yourself for becoming attached to someone who couldn't care less.

You lay in bed now hours later, unable to sleep, deciding to check your phone one last time, giving in when you thought about Trent again.

You: I'm sorry

Trent: Why are you still awake?

You: I can't sleep

Trent: it's not a big deal, you should get some sleep.

You: I don't want it to be like this tho

Trent: we'll talk about it tomorrow, get to bed

--------

Chapter 10 - 27/11/2022

#football imagines #footballer x reader #football fluff #football blurb #trent alexander arnold angst #trent alexander arnold fluff #trent alexander arnold imagine #trent alexander arnold imagines #trent alexander arnold x reader #trent imagine #trent x reader #football imagine #trent alexander arnold smut #england x reader #england imagines #trent alexander arnold

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bloodboundchronicles · 4 days

Text

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Diabolik Lovers: Haunted Dark Bridal - Shū (Ririe) Sakamaki - DARK [01]

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[Scene starts at the Rooftop]

Yui: (For some reason, I end up together with Shuu-san quite often…)

Shuu: … [A faint sound of music can be heard from his MP3 Player.]

Yui: (He’s always just listening to music, and doesn’t try to strike up a conversation at all…)

Shuu: …

Yui: (I feel as if he barely even notices that I’m here.

Well… I guess this is much better than having something done to me at least…

But being given the cold shoulder this whole time is rough as well…)

Uhm, Shuu?

Shuu: …What?

Yui: You guys really are… Vampires, right?

Shuu: You’re asking that question now…? Are you an idiot?

Yui: …S-Sorry.

Shuu: …

Yui: (Uhh… I can’t keep the conversation going… Guess I’ll just give up on talking with him…)

I-If you really are a Vampire, can you do things such as turn into a bat and fly through the sky?

Shuu: …Haah?

Yui: What else… You hate garlic for example, and if you’re exposed to the sunlight, you’ll turn into ash.

That’s why you’re attending a night school, right?

Shuu: …Haah. [He seems exhausted, or annoyed…?]

You… really are a fool.

Yui: A fool… When you think ‘Vampire,’ those are the things that usually come up…

Shuu: I won’t die from eating a plate of ‘peperoncino’ and I can fly even without having to turn into a bat.

Furthermore, if you were hoping to kill me, I’ll have to disappoint you because I won;t turn to ash even if I go outside in broad daylight.

We don’t die that easily, know you?

Yui: I-I don’t really want to kill you or anything…

Shuu: Hmm… Well, I don’t really care though.

Those worldly tales surrounding Vampires are nothing but worthless delusions humans came up with.

Yui: Haah…

Shuu: …Say, could you not waste my time with those stupid things?

Yui: I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bother you…

(Hmm… Communicating with this person will be difficult after all.)

[Ding Dong, Ding Dong. The bell rang.]

Ah, Shuu, late night classes are starting.

Shuu: …Zzz

Yui: H-He’s sleeping…?

Shuu, please wake up! Classes are starting!

Shuu: …Shut up. [He’s irritated.]

Yui: Ah… S-Sorry. But the second bell will ring soon.

Shuu: Not my problem. The soloist is gonna start playing soon, so don’t bother me.

Yui: Ah! You can’t sleep…!!

Y-You’ll end up repeating your year again!

Shuu: That’s none of your business. It shouldn’t concern you whether I repeat my year or get expelled.

Yui: But…

Shuu: I don’t need your hypocrisy or kindness. Can you just get out of my sight?

Yui: That’s…

(Ah… But if I prevent this guy from repeating his year, the Sakamaki Household might be grateful to me and let me go.

Okay… I should try and do them a favour to earn their gratitude…)

S-Shuu! Let’s go to class after all! I’ll drag you there, okay?

[Yui tugs on his arm, doing her best, using all of the strength she could muster.]

(Uh… As to be expected, I can’t lift up a guy…!)

Shuu: What are you doing? Are you mad?

Yui: Shuu, I’m begging you, get up please!

Shuu: Weird woman… You want me to attend class that badly?

Yui: Of course. You see… Don’t you want the people around you to try their best?

Shuu: You sure are a pain, feeling that kind of obligation.

Yui: A pain or not… skipping is out of the question.

Shuu: …Then.

Yui: Will you attend class?

Shuu: If you kiss me, I wouldn’t mind going.

Yui: [She’s taken aback by Shuu’s statement.] Excuse me?

Shuu: Did you not hear me? Don’t ask me something as bothersome as to repeat myself.

Yui: I-I heard you!

(But… A kiss…!)

Those conditions are weird!

Shuu: You’re not gonna do it?

Yui: Of course not!

Shuu: Then I won’t go.

Yui: …Please don’t be so unreasonable.

Shuu: …

Yui: (He’s gazing into the sky and spacing out… If I don’t kiss him, he’ll really just stay like this.

But… Suddenly kissing someone I don’t even like is just too…)

Shuu: If you won’t do it, then get out of my sight already. I’m gonna nap here.

Yui: Shuu…

(If I leave him alone here, he’ll definitely end up skipping class… What should I do…?)

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[OPTIONS SELECTION– SELECTION OF YOUR FATE.]

A) …Understood

B) I really just…

[You Chose— Option A ♡]

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Yui: O…Okay. If I kiss you, you’ll return to the classroom, right?

Shuu: Then hurry up.

Yui: Y…Yes.

(Now that I’ve come this far, I have no other choice but to push through and kiss…)

Shuu… Uhm, please close your eyes.

I’ll kiss you now… Okay?

Shuu: If you’re gonna do it, can you hurry up?

Yui: Y…Yes.

Shuu: …

[Yui kisses Shuu’s cheek.]

Yui: (W-Was the cheek no good after all…?)

[Shuu starts walking.]

Yui: Huh, Shuu!?

Shuu: …You suck at kissing, huh?

Yui: Eh?

[Shuu opens the door and leaves the rooftop, leaving Yui alone.]

Yui: T-There he goes…

(He did get up after I kissed him as promised but…)

Wasn’t that… a little too quickly? On top of that, he totally insulted me!

But… If he doesn’t hold too much interest in me, he might let me go quickly, so I guess this is fine.

[Ding, Dong. Ding, Dong. The bell rings again.]

[Yui suddenly becomes overwhelmed by shock and small-time panic.]

Ah! Now I might be late!

[She runs off.]

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[OPTIONS SELECTION– SELECTION OF YOUR FATE.]

A) …Understood

B) I really just…

[You Chose— Option B]

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Yui: I really just… can’t do that.

Shuu: Then don’t waste my time with pointless conversations. Leave me alone.

Yui: But Shuu...

Shuu: What is it now?

Yui: I just... I don't want you to get in trouble.

Shuu: Hmph. Whether I get in trouble or not isn't your concern.

Yui: I... I understand. But I still hope you'll come to class.

Shuu: ...

Yui: (It's no use... He's not going to listen to me.)

[The second bell rings.]

[Ding Dong, Ding Dong.]

Yui: Ah...! I have to go now, or I’ll be late.

Shuu: Good. Leave.

Yui: (I guess I'll just have to go by myself...)

[Yui reluctantly leaves the rooftop, glancing back at Shuu one last time before heading to class.]

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Translation Notes:

1) ‘Peperoncino’ is an Italian spice mix and/or pasta which includes hot peppers. garlic, hot oils, and more. (Shuu refers to this.)

2) "Shuu: I can fly even without having to turn into a bat." Shuu confirms that he can fly without using his bat form. This allows Player to assume that other vampires may do the same, specifically Imperial/High Ranking/Pure-Blooded Vampires

3) "Shuu: Those worldly tales surrounding Vampires are nothing but worthless delusions humans came up with." Shuu confirms that whatever Player may THINK about Vampires, is incorrect. All prior knowledge is false.

4) Japanese and Other schools usually have two bells after a break/lunch hour. -Bell 1: Notifies students that classes will start soon, prompting them to pack up and prepare. -Bell 2: Indicates that students should enter the classroom.

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#diabolik lovers #diabolik lovers gameplay #diabolik lovers: haunted dark bridal #diabolik lovers haunted dark bridal #dark: 01 #shuu sakamaki #bloodboundchronicles

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