#like I think it takes work and it's awkward and imperfect but they get there

[springseasonie]

Behind the Scenes | DSC (M)

Actor Sicheng x Actor fem reader

Summary: This movie is your big break and you can't afford to mess it up. Unfortunately your costar is a known manwhore and you have to do everything in your power to avoid his advances, but at the end of the day, you're just a girl.

Warnings: sexual content, oral (fem receiving), unsolicited recording, bit of a power imbalance, dubconish, blue text is Sicheng, pink text is the reader

Word count: 3,9k

A/N: took way too long to finish this. I sorta gave up at the end I'm sorry 😞

The trailer was small and sometimes you became a little claustrophobic, especially having to share it with you costar counterpart. Sicheng was his name. There was nothing wrong with him of course. He was a nice guy, very helpful, and had a great work ethic. But he was handsome and knew it. He always joked about how people would do what he wanted without being asked because he was so handsome but every joke has a truth to it. Sicheng was a very slick man, and you were an actress breaking out in her first huge film.

You were supposed to be in your own trailer, but you have to temporarily move because of some electrical issues. You've never nervous about having to share a room with a man, but something about Sicheng puts you on edge. That or the fact that you were going to film a love scene with him the next day. You couldn't sleep, mind racing with the what ifs of the next day.

You and sicheng have already been through the entire scene, having it choreographed by the intimacy coordinator. The both of you have already done so many exercises to be somewhat. more comfortable with each other. They worked for a while, but as the hours ticked by, you became even more nervous about it all. Maybe it was because you were attracted to him and attractive men make you nervous.

You sat on the stairs outside the trailer, the moon lighting up the dark ground that surrounded you. The only thing that could calm you in your moment of stress was once again reading through your lines in the best way to forget about it. Your manager was used to it, the constant mumbling and talking to walls, no matter how crazy it looks. It helped you, the nerves you had slowly melting away.

But at this moment you were just leaning back staring at the star filled sky, taking in the cool desert air. Your feet tapped on the stairs listening to the sand in the distance. Out of all your filming locations, this was definitely your favorite. You've been practically all over the world filming this movie, but this trumps every single place you've been.

Your head turns quickly, hearing the door open. Out comes Sicheng wrapped in a blanket, face scrunched and hair tossed everyone.

“What are you doing up,” he says groggily.

You crack a smile, amused at his imperfect appearance. “I'm going over my lines for tomorrow.”

“Ah..,” he said awkwardly. Sicheng didn't talk for a second, the silence taking over the space. He felt awkward with you sometimes. With other co stars in other movies, he was way able to get close with them, but you were different. You always kept things professional, always kept your distance. He thought that you were shy, but he sees the way you act with other male costars and can't help but think maybe you just didn't like him.

You watched Sicheng as he sat on the small stairs next to you, wrapped in his blanket. “Aren't you tired,” you questioned.

“I thought you would want some company and maybe some body heat,” he said, shrugging. “It's kinda cold out here.”

“Oh, okay,” you say. You let a few beats of silence pass, staring at your paper but unable to actually practice with him right next to you. You kept glancing at his face. You've kissed him dozens of times for this movie and never felt anything, but gosh was he handsome. His pretty lips, his perfect nose, deep eyes, deep voice.

“Well, would you like to practice with me,” you asked, breaking the silence.

“Wow I thought you would never ask,” he answered almost too quickly.

You laugh at his answer, nudging him softly making him chuckle. Sicheng leans over to look at your script, his face now a little close to yours, and for some reason your heart beats faster and harder. He licks his lips, reading the words on your paper. You didn't know how you would get through the intimacy scene if you were like this at the moment.

“So you're going over this scene,” he said almost blankly.

“Yeah..”

Neither of you say anything, just sit there listening to the wind as you both stare at the paper. Your mind was racing. The both of you already knew exactly what would take place the next day and how emotionless it was supposed to be so why did you all of a sudden want it to be real? Why did you want to have sex with the man you weren't supposed to?

“Do you want to practice inside,” he said a bit quietly.

“Sure… I don't mind.”

The both of you stood up, Sicheng opening the door for you quickly. You gave him a small thank you before walking into the confined space. The trailer was a bit stuffy, the air feeling thick and dusty. There wasn't much light besides the small lamp you had next to your bed. You and Sicheng sat down, shifting over to not be so close to him.

“I don't bite,” he laughed. “Unless you want me to.”

You raised your brow, chuckling softly at his remark. “Save that energy for the scene tomorrow. We're gonna need it.”

“Right..”

Glancing at him, you could've sworn you saw a quick shadow of disappointment, but decided to ignore it for the time being. He leans his body to you a bit just to read the paper, but you can see how much he's staring at you through your peripheral vision.

Sicheng is the definition of control. He can control other people and himself. But something about the way the light shines in your bare face, the way you look when you're concentrated. He really likes it. He really likes you, and he doesn't know if he could control himself tonight. He knows he has a reputation, but goodness he'd be a fool to pass this opportunity up.

“So where do you wanna start,” he asks, leaning back on his arms.

“I don't know. I usually don't really do this with anyone else,” you laugh softly, but Sicheng still gives you the same serious expression. “I'm a little nervous about tomorrow.”

“Why? The sex scene?” He tilts his head slightly, eyes darting to your neck. So pretty, smooth, soft. He hadn't even noticed you were watching him at this point, gulping as his mind raced.

“Uh..yeah,” you stuttered. You shifted on the bed, trying to forget about the tension between you two at the moment. No one has told you directly, but you've heard that everyone thinks there's tension between you two. Before, you brushed it off, not paying much attention to it. But you've felt it more than ever recently.

“Well, we already know what we have to do,” he said, pushing himself off his arms. “Did you forget?”

You set the paper down on your lap, sighing softly. “Would you hate me if I did?”

He laughs, licking his lips as he takes a quick look at yours. “No, not at all.” Sicheng took the script off your lap, reading the words carefully before putting the paper back down.

“I want to go back home.”

You gulped, nerves now making every part of your body itch. Despite being away from everyone else, he's able to lock into his character so well. Just able to focus and immediately get into character is something you struggle with sometimes, especially when nerve wracked.

“We can't, this is us now.”

Sicheng smiles, his eyes dropping to your lips as he licks his own, just like it says in the script. But for some reason in your mind it felt more real, the tension between you both rising by the second.

“I know but..”

He reaches for your face, cupping your cheek in his hand. His hands are softer than what you remember, and he's gentle unlike other co-stars you've had. Sicheng pulls you closer to him, his lips lingering above yours, the closeness making your mind reel.

“Was running worth it? Should we go back, face the world together?”

Your heart was about to beat out your chest. No wonder he had a reputation in the entertainment world, everything about the man screams sex appeal and you were very close to falling for it. But before that, you had to remember your line.

You opened your mouth to speak, but your mind went blank in the middle of his intense staring. “I-I uh… I think I forgot my line,” you stuttered. You turned from him, searching for the paper on the bed, not noticing how he didn't remove his hand from your face or take his eyes off you once.

Once you found the paper, you heard him give you a soft chuckle but you ignored it, reading the line on the paper. “Okay I got it now, we can keep going.” Before continuing, you gulped, the feeling of his thumb stroking your cheek making your stomach turn.

“I don't want that. I want this. I want to be here with you.”

Looking up at him with needy eyes, unable to differentiate whether it was real or acting, he gulped silently. He wanted you so so badly.

"Just shut up. Don't think or speak. Touch me."

Sicheng kisses you softly like you both practiced. His lips molded into yours so perfectly, nothing about the kiss was stiff like it was before.

You play the scene out in your head, from the words you memorized to the actions in the love scene and you do them in an attempt to keep this interaction between you both professional.

Hand on your face and kiss? Check.

Hand on your waist? Check.

Leaning back on the bed and he climbs on top of you? Check.

Pushes up your shirt and exposes your lace bralette? No, that wasn't part of the script.

Sicheng kisses you passionately, his hands start going places where you didn't practice, but you can't stop him. You're so attached to him, but you know you can't sleep with him, not now. Maybe when you're more established, but not now, not during your big break.

“Si-Sicheng,” you say breathlessly, feeling his lips kiss your jawline and neck softly. “This wasn't what we practiced.” Your voice was small, you felt small under him literally and figuratively.

“I know.” His breath tickles your skin, voice so deep and soothing you start to feel your body sink into the mattress. “Y/N… I have something to confess.”

“What?” You could barely speak. The feeling of his hands on your body, lips on your skin. The air felt thick around you, making it hard to breathe. Your chest moves rapidly, every single move he makes causes you to spiral.

“I like you,” he whispers. “Alot.”

You gulp, body so still he could probably have his way with you if you hadn't suddenly come to your senses. You placed your hand on his, stopping him from moving it lower. Sicheng looks at you, his pretty brown eyes reading the expression on your face.

“I can't Sicheng,” you say.” Your mouth says no, but the way your body reacts when he takes your hand and claps it with his while he kisses your neck says absolutely. “I-I can’t.”

“Why not Y/N, you scared,” he says softly, a soft chuckle gracing your ears.

“Yes,” you sigh. “I can't sleep with you, Sicheng. If people find out, I can never come back from that.”

“And who's gonna find out?” Sicheng doesn't let you answer, letting go of your hand and body as he slides down your chest and stomach. You were paralyzed, body completely still as he moved between your legs, mouth dangerously close to your clothed heat.

“Answer me honestly,” he says, deep voice making you shiver. “If it were just you and me in the desert, would you fuck me?”

Mindlessly, you nodded. He was so close, you could feel his nose pushing against your clit, his deep inhales of the space between your legs making your head spin. “Sicheng, I..”

You let out a shaky sigh, the feeling of his hands pushing your legs up enticing you more and more. Truthfully, you haven't had sex in months because of your schedule and being around an attractive man like himself wasn't making it any better. But your dry spell wasn't worth your career and reputation.

That's what you thought initially, but there was something so mind boggling about the way he kissed your core over your shorts.

“Let me help you out,” he whispered. “Relieve that stress.”

“I.. I'm not stressed,” you said slowly. You couldn't control your breathing, chest moving up and down fast, senses heightened.

Sicheng’s hands traveled to your ass, squeezing the flesh as he buried his nose between your legs once again, inhaling deeply. “Fuck,” he breathed out. Your gulp, mouth watering as you feel his fingertips graze the bottom of your back, fingers sinking into the waistband of your shorts.

You raised your hips slowly, a silent confirmation for the both of you. He pulled your shorts down, the sound of your slides hitting the floor followed.

“I know I have a… reputation,” he says, pulling your shorts and underwear off, dropping them on the floor. “I've been trying to work on it but God…” he takes his hands, parting your legs as he lays on his stomach, face close to your crotch. You could feel his ragged breathing, every small sigh that left his lips, which means he could see how wet you were. And for some reason, it was embarrassing to you. You could barely look at him, his eyes slowly sucking the life out of you.

Sicheng licks up your cunt slowly, the pad of his tongue touching every inch of you, making you shiver. His eyes are closed and so are yours as you lay flat on your back taking in every overwhelming emotion. His tongue licks you again and again, your juices on his tongue making him moan softly like he's been craving it. It feels so good, your body is reacting but for some reason you're holding back.

“Shit,” you whispered, brows furrowing.

Sicheng kissed your clit, sucking it softly. Your body shuddered by the sudden feeling, hands naturally moving to touch his hair but hesitating. His tongue flicked your clit at a steady pace, pulling a soft moan from your lips.

“You like that,” he mumbled. Sicheng continued to eat you out, tongue moving against you skillfully, lips kissing and sucking every inch of your womanhood.

“Mhm.” Your voice was so shaky and he barely did anything to you. the intensity of the situation was getting to you, managers and other staff in other trailers could be up walking by, or anyone could hear you.

Sicheng started flicking his tongue faster, making you whine softly. This time, your hands went to him with no hesitation. Fingers gently running through his blonde hair while you lay on your back, so you can't see the way he's watching you arch your back.

Sicheng takes one hand off your leg, removing his mouth from your core, replacing it with his two long fingers. A grin spread along his face watching you sit up holding yourself up on one elbow watching him with lust filled eyes. His fingers spread your pussy open, staring you in your eyes as he sucked your clit once again. His tongue licked your dripping hole in every movement making you whimpers and moan.

“Fuck, just like that,” you moan breathlessly. Your hips started moving on their own, grinding on his mouth. You looked so pretty above him like this, moaning and whimpering his name. Your pretty eyes watching him, the more you stare the more pleasure you feel.

Sicheng sucked hard on your clit over and over, your moans getting louder and louder with each passing second.

“God, I'm gonna cum,” you gasped softly, earning an eager nod from the boy below you. You felt your body begin to tremble with the feeling of his tongue flicking the bud of nerves faster and faster. The orgasm that hit you was strong, your whine being so loud you were sure other trailers could hear it, which is the last thing you wanted but Sicheng clearly had no intention of caring. Not when his mouth is still on your leaking cunt, slurping up every drop.

Chest quickly moving up and down, you stared at him as he lifted himself from between your legs. Gosh, he looked like sex personified. Heavy breathing, skin shining, hair tossed. Sicheng tossed his shirt, standing up and removing his pants. You needed him badly, eyes fogged by the lust taking over your body.

“You want my cock,” he says, voice deep and raspy.

You nod fast, not caring how desperate you look at the moment.

“Arch that pretty ass for me.”

You did as he said, moving faster than you ever have to get in position. You can't remember the last time you let a man have you so easily. You should feel embarrassed, you should want to cover your body under the blanket beneath you, but the way he slides himself into you makes all those thoughts melt away.

The stretch he's giving you is possibly everything you needed to get your mind off the movie. You were so snug around him, your arousal soaking every bit of his cock. Sicheng watched as you rested your cheek against the mattress, small whines slipping past your lips every time he pumped his cock in and out of you.

“That's a good girl Y/N,” he mumbled, hands gripping your hips. His slow thrust was tantalizing, every inch of your body wanted more, but it felt so good. “Pretty pussy taking me in so nicely. You waited for this, didn't you?”

You nodded, biting your lip as you moaned softly. Sicheng took his hand off your hip, grabbing the back of your neck, squeezing as you pushed your head further into the mattress. “Use your words.”

“Yes, yes,” you gasped, the grip on your neck making you even more wet.

He felt you squeeze around him, smirking at your loss of dignity. Hands still on your neck, he thrust in you faster and harder drawing out louder and louder whines. If this were normal circumstances, you would be in his hotel or house, but you aren't. You're in a trailer surrounded closely by other trailers, so you have to be quiet.

“Keep quiet for me baby,” he grunts. “You don't want them knocking on our door, do you?”

“N-no,” you whisper.

Sicheng starts pounding into you, jaw dropping from the sudden change in pace. You could probably guess you looked a mess, mouth open, drooling, small tears staining the sheets. Trying so hard to pull it together, your whines increasing in pitch with every thrust and movement. His groans were music to your ears, the sound of his voice mixed with the small creak of the trailer sending you into a spiral. It's like a scene from a movie.

Sicheng almost loses control when you start bouncing your ass against him, brows knitting watching your ass cheeks jiggle. Such a pretty desperate thing you are, he should've done this weeks ago.

“You like being fucked like this don't you,” he grunts, the grip on your neck getting tighter. That's when he feels your squeeze around him, moaning into the pillow underneath you as you cum.

“F-fuck,” you whined, face twisting in pleasure, ass still bouncing back on him.

“That's it Y/N, let it out. Cum all over me baby,” he mumbled, still thrusting into you. The feeling of him still going despite you almost squeezing him out was delicious, the feeling of him rubbing against your walls making your whole body shiver.

The steady rock of the structure definitely goes unnoticed, the only thing he could focus on was your soft whine slowly increasing in volume.

“Keep fucking that pussy on me,” he mumbled, thrusting deeper into you. “Use me baby, that's a good girl.”

Your stomach fluttered at the name, only encouraging you to move your hips more. He stopped thrusting, brows furrowing as he watched you from behind. That's when an idea popped in his head. Leaning back, he grabbed his phone that laid on the edge of the bed.

“Let's make a movie beautiful,” he mumbled.

Too wrapped up in pleasure, your eyes were screwed shut against the bed, moans and whines being only sounds you could make. You never noticed him begin to record you, putting on a show for him and his camera.

You jump at the hard smack on your ass, the small burn on your skin making your stomach tingle. Sicheng rests a hand on your hip, rubbing the skin softly. He's so close, groaning and grunting in the mic of his phone. And you look great on camera, not that your face is shown, but no wonder you're a movie star.

“I-Im gonna cum sicheng,” you moan, starting to bounce back on him faster. He takes you by your hair, gripping it hard as he holds your body, pounding into you hard. Every moan and whimper was ripped from your body, the only sound you were able to make was choked breaths.

“Good girl, taking my dick like a champ,” he said through gritted teeth. “Gonna make me cum soon yeah?”

The arch in your back makes his tip hit you in places you didn't know existed, your moans getting louder and louder and you approach your orgasm. At that moment you decide to open your eyes, and that's when you see the camera. A wave of dread and shock hit you, your heart immediately sinking to your stomach. But the sinking feeling didn't have time to set, your orgasm hitting you hard, making your body shake and shiver.

Sicheng lets go of your hair, pulling out of your locks quickly. The man recorded himself jerking off, low groans in the mic as he came all over your smooth back.

Nothing but heavy breaths can be heard in the silence of the room. For him, he just got the biggest relief of his life, but for you, the atmosphere felt heavy.

“Delete the video,” you said, his eyes immediately burning into your back. “Please. I shouldn't have to beg.”

“Your face isn't in it, I promise,” he says, grabbing his T-shirt to wipe his load off your back.

“That..that isn't the point,” you whine. “Delete the video, I can't afford a sex tape leak.”

“Okay, okay. Fine.” Sicheng goes on his camera roll to delete the video, but after all he is just a man and can't help himself. That's when you start to hear moans emitting from his phone.

“Oh my God, delete it please,” you say, clearly embarrassed by the events that just took place. “I sound like a dying cow.”

“You sound pretty and you look pretty.” Sicheng watches you flip over, falling on your back beneath him. At this angle, he could probably take a pretty picture of you, legs spread, sweat sticking on your skin, get you into real trouble. “God, you're beautiful,” he mumbles. “No wonder you're a movie star.”

“And I would like to keep it that way,” you said.

He chuckled, staring down at you. “Let's make a movie then. With your face in it this time.”

You were about to hit him with a hard no but the way his hands traveled up your legs spreading them apart made your brain short circuit. Your eyes follow his every move, licking your lips when he takes his semi hard cock in his hands, rubbing his tip up and down your slit.

“Fuck,” he groans quietly. “I promise no one will see it.”

“Your eyes only,” you say breathlessly, his tip rubbing your clit slowly.

“My eyes only.”

Tags; @winko-lover

[mrsevans90]

Puppy Love

Captain Syverson x OFC Emma Miller Part 8

Summary: Austin Syverson has returned to Texas after retiring from the military and starts his own contracting business. Syverson is used to being alone and thinks he prefers it that way. While at work he stumbles upon an injured and abused puppy. When he meets the new veterinarian in town, Emma Miller, he is immediately smitten with her. It turns out Emma has some baggage of her own. Will they be able to make it work? Or is it just a case of fleeting puppy love?

Pairing: Henry Cavill as Captain Austin Syverson x OFC Emma Miller 

Warnings: Smut, Sy overthinking, PTSD, meeting the grandparents (Nana is a warning herself 😜) language.

MINORS DNI! Must be 18+

I do not authorize any copying/pasting, stealing of my work, or using my words as your own. 

This story is not beta’d. All mistakes are my own.

A/N: I am an imperfect person who makes mistakes. All that I ask is to please be kind and if you enjoy it then please comment and REPOST! I appreciate any love, comments, and reposts more than you could know. Thank you for reading! 

Part 7

We head to bed later that night and I start removing my clothes.

“I normally sleep naked. I can put some boxers on if you want me too.” I say. I don’t know why it feels awkward but getting naked in front of each other just to go to sleep feels a little embarrassing all of the sudden. I’m reminded that we really haven’t known each other for more than a few days and even though I feel things for her that I haven’t felt in years this is moving awfully fast. I’m used to one-night stands that I don’t see again after we’ve had sex and I dip out.

Emma chuckles at my sudden hesitation. “Bear, I’m more than fine with you sleeping naked. Can I borrow that shirt I wore this morning to sleep in so I won’t get cold?” She asks and I immediately hand her my red DILLIGAF shirt. She has no idea how much I wore that shirt while deployed after Mark and Jenn sent it to me for my birthday one year. It’s easily my favorite and typically I’d never let a woman wear it for fear of not getting it back, but Emma looks sensational in it and I love seeing it. She removes her clothes before sliding it on and going to the bathroom to brush her teeth. The edge of the shirt rides up when she spits out her toothpaste and I’m instantly horny again. Gosh, she’s perfect. I’m feeling more confident tonight after sleeping so well with her next to me last night and hope I don’t have any nightmares. We climb into bed and she immediately snuggles against my chest while intertwining our legs together. I start playing with strands of her hair as the dogs settle in their beds on the floor.

“I’m going to have to tell my parents about Colin tomorrow. They’re going to freak. Especially my dad.”

“Why’s that? He’s arrested, won’t they feel better about him being in custody?”

“Maybe for the next day or so. When he got out of it the first time, he was angrier than he had been the night he broke in. He was going around town starting rumors about me and telling people that I was going to pay for giving him a criminal record. Unfortunately, he didn’t say it to me directly so it wasn’t considered a threat by law enforcement. My dad basically begged me to move home so that I wasn’t alone but I wasn’t going to do that. I’m a thirty-two-year-old woman with a successful job and can take care of myself. If I moved back home, the fear would overtake me and I don’t think I’d ever fully move on. I’d just be stuck there in the town that constantly gossiped and I just couldn’t live like that, you know?”

“Makes sense. Ya gotta move forward.”

“Exactly. Dad always worried that I was running away from my problems, rather than seeing it as a new beginning for me to live the life that I want too. I just worry that he’ll panic and try to convince me that moving back is the only way I’ll be safe from Colin.”

“I’ve never been a parent so I certainly can’t say what I would do in his shoes, but he loves you and just wants to protect you. Sometimes parents think sheltering us like they did when we were kids is the only way to protect us. He’ll come to the realization that you’re a grown woman who wants to make her own decisions and live the way she chooses. I can’t imagine how hard it must be to give up control over someone you’ve cared for their whole life, but I’m sure he’ll come around in time. Has he been out here to visit?”

“He came with me the week I bought the house. I had toured it the same week I applied for the veterinarian position and loved it so I brought him back before closing. We stayed at the hotel in town and basically toured the town for three days before he headed back. He wanted to help me move but I wouldn’t allow him. He’s got a bad back and I don’t need him injuring himself. I can fortunately afford movers so that’s what I did. I promised my parents they could come visit in a few weeks once I got the guest bedroom in working order. I still need to go buy a bed for that room, come to think of it.”

“Mmm, that’s real nice darlin’. I’m sure you’ll love having them come visit ya.” 

“It’ll be nice but I’m sure I’ll get an earful about Colin showing up. I still can’t figure out how he found me.” 

“I don’t know, but we’ve done all the necessary measures to keep you safe and secure. You can always call me if you’re worried and I’ll be there in ten minutes or less. Just promise me you won’t confront him again without me or police there alright?” 

“Oh, I have no plans to confront him at all, but I promise.” She says with a sleepy smile. 

“Let’s go to sleep, Sugar. It’s been a hell of a day.” 

“Mmm… Goodnight Sy.”

“Night beautiful.”

After another great night of sleep, I wake around five am and see Emma sprawled out on the bed beside me. The sky is starting to get lighter which casts just enough ambient light on to her sleeping form. Emma lays on her stomach with her arms tucked under the pillow. My navy-blue sheet is draped delicately across her bare bottom and her flawless back is exposed. At some point in her sleep, she has rucked my red t-shirt up so high that I can see the sides of her breasts poking out of it against the mattress. Her long hair is sprawled out beside her on the pillow and her lips are parted with delicate breaths escaping her soft mouth. She looks so youthful and relaxed. She is an absolute art form. This is truly the type of muse that artists create masterpieces about and I have it right here in my bed. Me, just a good old military boy who does construction for a living. I don’t feel like I even belong in her presence at times. She’s so intelligent and articulated, while I fear I sometimes sound like a hick next to her. Yet, she still looks at me as if I hung the stars and I truly don’t know how I can keep from messing this up. I want to pause this moment of pure bliss, and prolong it because I know from experience that all good things must come to an end. In my life, love is fleeting and I don’t want her to be a distant memory. I lay there staring at her and silently chuckle as I watch her scowl and scrunch her nose at what must be an unsatisfying dream. Everything she does is so endearing. I guess that’s how it’s supposed to be early on in a relationship, however, I’ve never experienced someone this perfect in my whole life. Even with my past relationships, there were little signs or red flags that I simply overlooked or placated because everyone has annoying habits. I swear, this girl could slap me in the face and I’d probably ask her to do it again. Pussy whipped. That’s what I’ve become. If only the boys could see me now, they’d never let me hear then end of it. Their no bull-shit Captain head over heels in love…LOVE!? Surely, I can’t be in love. I barely know her. It’s too soon, too fast and we each have too much baggage for things to go this smoothly. I’m just not used to spending so much time with a particular woman. Now, I guess I just enjoy my time with her until the other shoe drops. Hopefully, I won’t be completely crushed in the end. God, what was I thinking inviting her to Nana’s house? It’ll crush the ole’ folks when this goes sour.

I lay there as my mind continues to race knowing that I won’t go back to sleep. This is when I usually wake up and I’ve been more than lucky to have slept two nights in a row without having nightmares. I’d be tempting fate to try and push for anymore. My brain continues to spiral as I lay there watching her sleep. She’s so peaceful and I smirk when she suddenly flips onto her back and her arms stretch out in search for something while her eyes remain closed. Her nose scrunches once again and I realize it’s me that she’s looking for when her hand caresses my chest and goes limp again. I gaze at that sexy little belly ring and then my thoughts go further away from my worries about how much I am or will screw this up and get a bit dirtier. My arm rests behind my head as I gently turn to my side and take in her form. Her face is turned away from me now, but her breasts are just barely concealed in my shirt. Once again, I wish I was an artist because I would find a way to capture this image forever. My phone is across the room on my dresser, and I’m not sure how she would feel about me taking a photo of her so exposed. Technically, she’s covered but only barely. I’ll have to settle to committing this image to memory. Her skin looks so soft and smooth and I have to force myself not to touch her. By seven am, I’ve decided that the perfect way to wake her up and start my morning is by licking on her sweet little peach. I slowly descend under the sheet which is quite a feat for a man of my size. Luckily, her legs are naturally spread but not quite enough to accommodate my large shoulder width. I gently spread them wider thinking she’ll wake but she doesn’t. I lay on my stomach like a sniper with half of my body hanging off of the bed and gently like a stripe up her center. She doesn’t move. How can she sleep so deeply? I spread her lips with my fingers and start softly making out with her petals. Suddenly, she starts to squirm and when my lips close around her little pearl and suck, her eyes fly open and down at me. Her hands quickly reach for my head and she moans loudly.

“OH FUCK! Austin! Holy shit!” I smile against her as I continue my assault on her body. I slide my middle finger into her tight channel and she mewls as I curl it inside her. 

“Oh my god, oh my god!” She praises as her hips buck in rhythm to the pace my now two fingers have set inside her. 

“Mmm. You taste so good. Best pussy I’ve ever had.” I speak against her sensitive skin.

“That feels so good! I’m… ahhh! I’m gonna cum!” She admonishes and moments later she comes with a squeal and flourish of arousal against my face. 

I continue to softly lick her and kiss her core and her thighs as she regains control of her breathing.

“I’ve never been woken up before like that. God, that was incredible.” Emma says as. I caress my way up her body.

“You were sleeping so hard, I worried you were going to sleep through it. I hope it was okay that I did that.” I tell her starting to second guess myself.

“That was more than okay. Thank you, baby. It was incredible.” She assures me and caresses my jaw. I kiss her softly and soon our kisses become heated and rough. I groan when Emma pushes against my chest and straddles me. Her core is leaking wet arousal against my abdomen as her hands roam around my body. Emma pushes her pussy against my stiff cock and begins sliding it through her folds. I swear I could come just from this. She leans back and removes my shirt from her so that I can see her entire body in the sunlight that peaks from behind the curtains and it is the most amazing view. I reach forward and stroke her full breasts in each hand and push them together so that I can bring them towards my awaiting mouth. While sucking on her perfect tits, Emma lifts herself up, takes ahold of my dick and presses it into the opening of her pussy. We both moan aloud as she inches her way down my shaft. 

“Fuck, darlin’! You’re sucking me in so good.” I grunt. When I’m buried to the hilt, I still for only a second before she is lifting off of me and slamming back down. This is going to be rough and reckless. I concede control (something I rarely do) so that I can take in the captivating image of Emma taking over and chasing her pleasure. The way the sunlight shines above and through her hair make her look ethereal and angelic. Watching her suck her bottom lip into her mouth and softly whimper as she works herself on my rod is something I never want to forget. 

“Damn, you look so perfect riding me, Sugar.” 

“You’re the best ride I’ve ever been on, Captain Syverson.” She smirks. I notice her slowing and seemingly getting frustrated that she can’t move as fast as she wants with how wide her legs are spread to accommodate me in between them, so I decide to help her out. I trail my hands from her breasts down to her hips and hold tightly before pumping myself up into her.

“Oh!” She startles and smiles as I do it again. I slam into her from underneath and she grips onto my biceps as she hangs on for the ride. I stretch my large hands and while still holding onto her hips, I thumb her clit and she keens.

“Mmm, baby! That feels so good! You fuck me so good!” She screams and I feel her cunt flutter around me and know she’s close. I use my other hand to grab ahold of her hair and bring her down for a filthy kiss that I continue when her orgasm explodes around me. I flip her over so that I’m on top and take advantage of the absolute vice grip that she has me in to chase my own release. After maybe ten more thrusts, I’m seeing stars as I pump my load into her womb. I gently relax my weight against her, not allowing myself to fully relax so I don’t crush her and lay there for a moment to catch my breath. Emma’s fingers scratch across my back and I’m tempted to fall asleep like this. I pull out of her and flip to my back and she cuddles up against me. Before I realize it, my eyes are closed and I’m drifting off.

I wake up to the smell of coffee and… bacon? I glance and see that the side of the bed next to me is empty and my red DILLIGAF shirt is missing. I’m still laid out on top of the covers completely nude where I must’ve fallen back asleep. Damn, this woman is a magician at getting me to sleep. I shouldn’t tell her that, because I’m sure it would come out wrong and be considered an insult but I’ve never slept this well with a woman. Emma’s bag is still sitting on the chair in my bedroom. I yawn as I get up and shove on some boxers and running shorts. I notice both dogs are no longer in my bedroom so she must have them with her. I take care of my needs in the bathroom and brush my teeth before checking my phone on the dresser. It’s after nine am. I ease my way down the stairs where I find Emma wearing nothing but my t-shirt, singing softly, hands covered in flour as she uses a drinking glass to cut biscuits out of dough and lays them on a pan. The dogs are patiently begging for scraps and could care less about my arrival to the entrance of the kitchen.

“Well, ain’t this a feast for the eyes.” I say to Emma and she immediately looks up and smirks. Her hair is pulled back in one of those messy buns and tendrils are still scattered around her face and damn, if I wasn’t imagining a life with her right now. Fuck me, she is something else entirely.

“Mmm.. good morning sleepy head. I figured you’d earned yourself a nap so I’d get started making breakfast. You know that snack bag I brought last night had all the ingredients needed for my homemade biscuits. Hope you’re okay with those, with some jam or honey, bacon, and scrambled eggs. I figured I could make yourself a bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich with the leftovers for tomorrow. I also hope you don’t mind that I took over your kitchen.” She says a little embarrassed as she gestures with her hands and looks at the flour coated counter.

“Sugar, ain’t nothing you do is going to bother me. This is quite the treat, so thank ya. How can I help?” 

“Nothing for you to do. Just get yourself a cup of coffee and relax. I’m finding my way around just fine. I do need to take you to the store sometime and buy you some kitchen utensils. How in the world do you not have a whisk anywhere in this kitchen?”

“Not much for straying outside of the ten or twelve meals I’m good at cooking. Never needed one.” I tell her as I go to get my coffee. I lean down and place a kiss on her lips followed by a smack to her cute little ass that’s covered by my shirt.

“Shirt looks real good on you, Princess.” 

“Oh, Princess is new. I like that but not as much as Sugar or Darlin’.” She giggles.

“I thought you said Sugar made you feel like Mrs. Clayton’s yorkie?” I arch my brow at her.

“Not anymore. All it makes me think of now is you and your perfect eyes looking at me.” I smile at her over my cup of coffee.

I’m obsessed with every moment of this domestic bliss. I watch Emma perfectly at home in my kitchen, cooking for me and I swear I feel something akin to butterflies in my stomach. 

We eat her breakfast and I easily concede that her biscuits are the best I’ve ever tasted and I make her swear not to tell my Nana that I said that. Southern woman can be real protective of their cooking and there ain’t no sense in starting a feud. We spend the rest of the morning cuddling on the couch watching a movie.

Midday, we get ourselves ready, the dogs loaded up, and head on over to my grandparent’s house for lunch at one in the afternoon. This has become a tradition about two years ago to spend Sunday lunch at their house after they get home and settled from church. 

I typically wear my athletic lounge clothes to these lunches but Emma insists on wearing a sundress to make a good impression so I clean up a bit as well. I smile at the thought of her wanting to impress my grandparents.

We make our way up to the porch and I head on inside the unlocked door without knocking.

“Nana? PawPaw?” I holler as we enter the foyer of their home. Aika immediately heads straight for the kitchen since she knows Nana is a pushover for treats and Mills follows enthusiastically.

“Kitchen!” My PawPaw answers.

“I hope it’s alright that I brought company.” I announce as we round the corner into the entryway of the kitchen which memories fill my childhood.

“Oh my god! I’m so glad you brought her! The date must’ve gone better than you told me!” My Nana immediately begins to chirp and I brought my hand over my face as Emma giggles. 

“Hi, I’m Emma. I hope it’s okay that Austin brought me; I’ve heard so many good things about you both.” She says as she extends a hand to my PawPaw and then is forced into a hug by my overzealous grandmother.

“Oh, sweetheart! I’m so glad you’re here. Austin told me you were beautiful but you are just stunning!” Nana flutters and I shake my head in laughable exasperation.

“Nice to see you too, Nana.” I say and she puts her hands on her hips and gives me a look like she’ll scold me in front of everyone. 

“Well get over here and give me a hug then, Grumpy Butt!” I roll my eyes but then give my Nana a hug and then one to my PawPaw who discreetly smacks my shoulder and congratulates me for landing such a beautiful woman. 

“This is Mills.” I say as I scoop up the little garbage disposal who is searching desperately for any crumbs by my grandmother’s stove.

“Aren’t you just a sweetie! Now look at me little fella, here are the rules. No pottying inside the house, and no chewing on my furniture. Oh and don’t go chasing my chickens in the yard. Got that little man?” She asks as if he’ll answer and then reaches for the dog treat container she keeps on her counter for Aika.

“Nana, he’s a puppy. He’s definitely going to at least chase the chickens. Let him have a little fun.” I coax as Mills squirms in my arms in an attempt to get closer to the little grey-haired woman holding up a bacon flavored dog bone. 

“Not after I bribe him with treats! Isn’t that right, angel baby?” She coos as she gives him the treat and one to Aika who barely even chews it. I set Mills down on the floor and quickly realize I might not reach the top three favorite people for Mills after my grandparents and Emma are through with him.

“It smells delicious in here, could you use any help?” Emma offers while gesturing to the food my grandmother has been preparing for us. 

“Oh, honey that would be delightful. Would you mind setting the table? The place settings are there and the plates are in this cabinet here. Austin, why don’t you and PawPaw go take the pups out for a bathroom break before we eat?” Nana essentially shoos us out the door. I give Emma a look that says, ‘I’m sorry for her’ before I follow PawPaw out. Emma giggles and gets started setting the table as I hear Nana already telling Emma to call them Nana and PawPaw before beginning her round of twenty questions. This is going to be a long lunch.

After we make it back inside and I ensure Emma is relatively unscathed from Nana’s well-meaning yet intrusive interrogation, we sit down and relish an enjoyable meal getting to know Emma and catching up about everyone’s week. After we eat, Emma offers to help clean up the kitchen but is kindly denied by my grandmother who insists I take her on a tour of the farm.

“How bad was it?” I ask.

“It wasn’t bad! I’m kind of in love with your grandparents. Your Nana is hilarious.” Oh god, Nana must’ve not filtered herself at all. I love that about her but there is no telling what came out of that woman’s mouth.

“How embarrassed should I be then?” 

“Not at all. Unless you count the story where she told me about you ripping the butt of your new pants while helping your PawPaw repair the cow fence and she stitched them back together while you were still in them.”Jesus Christ.

“Okay, in my defense, I was ten and they didn’t have any clothes here that would fit for me to wear while she fixed them. PawPaw needed help before the rain came in that next day.” Emma laughs and grabs my hand while intertwining our fingers.

“I think it’s cute. I love how much time you spent here as a kid. Both of my grandparents passed away when I was eight, so my memories with them, while still loving and wonderful, are few.”

“Did she beg you to marry me and have my babies before I die old and alone?” I ask somewhat joking but turn serious when I look at Emma’s face.

“Not exactly. She did say that she thought we were perfect together and would make beautiful babies.” She declares with a pink tint to her cheeks.

“Can’t say I’d disagree with that, but I’m so sorry if she made you uncomfortable.” We stop at the edge of one of the fences and look out at the cows and I decide to hug her from behind. She relaxes in my embrace as I take a whiff of her floral scent.

“She didn’t. It’s clear how much she adores you and I love that she was so welcoming and kind to me.” 

“Thanks for coming with me today.” I kiss her temple.

“Thank you for inviting me… and for everything this weekend. It’s been amazing. I’m almost sad for it to end.” She whispers.

“Me too, Sugar. I’m not going anywhere though.” She nods and looks out at the cow pasture.

When we head back inside, Emma excuses herself to the restroom where Nana ambushes me. 

“Oh, Austin. We love her! She is just smitten with you and I’m so glad you both met. She didn’t tell me much about her past, but I can tell that girl has been heartbroken before but she is falling for you. The way she looked at you during lunch just made my heart flutter. Even PawPaw noticed.” She says while pointing to my very taciturn grandfather who didn’t say much even on his most talkative days.

“Don’t scare her away with all of that, Nana. It’s only been a weekend. I do like her and plan to see her again though.” 

“Well praise Jesus!” Nana says with her arms thrown dramatically in the air. I glance at PawPaw who just wears his signature smirk at her dramatics and gives me a wink. Emma returns and after we eat a slice of apple pie that Nana made, we start making our way to the front door. 

“Now Emma dear, you come back here and visit anytime. Even if my grandson doesn’t offer, you come back and have some dinner with us one day, ya hear?” Emma giggles and I can’t help but chuckle at Nana.

“Yes ma’am, I’d love that. Thank you so much for graciously welcoming me. The food was amazing and the company was even better.” Emma says with a smile and hugs Nana. I’m a bit surprised when I see PawPaw extend his arms open for a hug as he’s usually a much more reserved man and gently hugged Emma goodbye. I have no doubts this woman could turn a grizzly into a teddy bear. After hugging my grandparent’s goodbye and leaving with a doggy bag of leftovers for each of us, we load the dogs and ourselves up in my truck and head back to my house.

It’s the middle of the afternoon and Emma told me she needed to run to the grocery store and do some meal prepping for the week, so she gathered up her bag and after she kissed the dogs about four times each, we get back in my truck so I could take her home. Why am I dreading this? I usually enjoy my alone time and crave it but the thought of getting in an empty bed tonight feels strange. We get inside and I offer to carry her bag into the house for her. Mainly, I just want to look around and make sure everything is secure for my own peace of mind. I take her bag all the way to her bedroom and set it on the bench she has at the end of her bed.

“You gonna be alright this week? Feel comfortable staying here alone?” I ask her.

“Mmhmm.” She replies as she wraps her arms around my neck. 

“What do you say we have dinner again on Friday?” 

“That sounds amazing. I’d love too.” She replies with a smile.

“Alright, Sugar. Well I won’t keep you any longer but I’ll text you or call you later tonight if you’d like.”

“Yes please. Now kiss me before you leave.” Emma demands.

“Yes ma’am.” I smirk as I lean down and capture her lips with my own. We make out for a minute or two before Emma leans back to catch her breath. 

“Walk me to the door?” I ask her and she nods while holding my hand. It feels like we are both trying to prolong our time together.

“Got a lot of jobs lined up for the week?” She asks as we walk down the hallway.

“Well, we’re going to finish up the chimney and siding area of that house we were working on last week and should be done by Tuesday afternoon. Tomorrow morning, I’m going to assess some work and give out quotes on three different sites so that should be good. I’m also going to put up a privacy fence at a house a few streets over from here this week. I’ll be busy but nothing too crazy.” I tell her and she nods. Time to go, I remind myself.

“Have a good night darlin’ and be safe out running your errands.” “You too, Sy. Talk to you in a bit.” She says and kisses me before I head out to my truck and drive off. I see her wave goodbye at the door and know that I’m not going to be able to wait until Friday to see her again. 

Part 9

Taglist: Taglist: @shellyshellshell, @henryownsme, @caramariehurst, @beck07990, @mollymal, @kingliam2019, @syversonswife, @identity2212, @starfirewildheart, @hannah9921, @wa-ni, @kneelforloki, @cutedoxie, @enchantedbytomandhenry, @foxyjwls007, @geralts-yenn, @courtlynwriter, @corrie1013, @squeezyvalkyrie, @summersong69, @livisss, @mayloma, @uunotheangel, @warriormirkwood

[spin-ya-zinnia]

⋅˚₊‧ ୨ You are more ୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅

—☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆—

⚢—✮—⚢

Pairing: Velvet x FEM!reader

Genre: ANGST

Summary:

Y/N, Velvet and Veneer's chartered accountant, visits Velvet's mansion for work, but their conversation takes an unexpected turn as she notices Velvet's distress. The two delve into a discussion about perfectionism, revealing Velvet's rooted fear of imperfection.

A/N: this is my FIRST ever oneshot, I have no idea how to feel about this since I don't have any experience with writing. Let me know what you think and if I should continue (or find a different hobby💀)!

On her way to Velvet's mansion, Y/N mentally rehearsed what she would say. Just before knocking, she fixed her formal clothing and checked her appearance in a small pocket mirror. Okay, she's ready, she knocked, patiently waiting. When Velvet opened the door a minute later, her disheveled appearance spoke volumes with messy hair, dark under-eye circles, and crumpled clothes.

"Good evening," Y/N said, noting Velvet's tired look but tactfully avoiding drawing attention to it.

Velvet softly murmured a greeting and gestured for Y/N to come inside with a subtle nod of her head.

As Y/N stepped inside, she took a moment to glance around Velvet's place. The usual luxurious furniture and accessories were there, but this time, they were kind of hidden beneath clothes and a bit of a mess Velvet seemed to have just made. It was clear she had come home not too long ago, considering the mess still waiting for her servants to tidy up.

"I've got some wonderful news for you, your earnings this month have seen a significant increase compared to last month."

Y/N flashed a small smile, hoping to lighten the mood a bit. But Velvet seemed lost in her own thoughts, heading straight for a sofa and flopping down on it like she was more collapsing than sitting.

"Your recent performances and new endorsement deal contributed to a boost in income. The tour is doing exceptionally well, and the endorsement has been a hit among your fans. You should be proud of yourself."

Y/N said, forcing a wider, somewhat awkward smile and straightening her posture. She was attempting to maintain a professional demeanor, but the genuine concern for Velvet, who had barely spoken, was making it increasingly challenging.

She decided to take a shot and sat down next to Velvet on the sofa. Velvet looked up, noticing the papers Y/N held, but she didn't say anything. In that moment, Y/N recalled Veneer's comment about Velvet having a soft spot for her. At first, she brushed it off as a joke, but now it lingered in her thoughts, making her wonder if there was more to it than just humor.

"How are we doing compared to projections?" Velvet's voice unexpectedly cut through the silence.

Y/N, relieved that Velvet had spoken, responded with a tone infused with pride and happiness: "Surpassing expectations, actually. We've exceeded the projected earnings for this quarter. The new strategies we implemented seem to be paying off."

Velvet continued to look at her, like she was waiting for her to spill more. Getting this job was a real hustle for Y/N, and the fact that Velvet picked her over everyone else still felt a bit unreal. Though she couldn't deny her intense feelings for Velvet, she knew better than letting them mess with her professional game. Deep down, she cherished the fondness, but she had to keep it under wraps, not wanting it to interfere with the job she worked so hard for.

There was this unexpected sudden warmth in Velvet's gaze that caught her off guard, making her briefly look away and awkwardly clear her throat.

"As for expenses and taxes, we've been managing expenses efficiently, and there are no unexpected spikes. On the tax front, we've optimized strategies to minimize liabilities, so you're in good shape there-"

Y/N was all set to keep rambling, but Velvet cut in, shaking her head and letting out a little sigh.

"Alright, that's plenty for now. It's getting too late for me to fully absorb all of this. Do me a favor, be a gem, and put all this in an email. Send it over in the morning, okay? And simplify it." Velvet concluded with a tired yawn.

Y/N couldn't help but be entranced by Velvet, even with her beautiful long green hair tousled. Messy or not, Velvet always seemed to radiate beauty in Y/N's eyes. She silently pondered if there was ever a moment when Velvet wasn't the most beautiful person in the room.

Yet, amidst this admiration, Y/N couldn't shake the concern for Velvet's well-being. "Of course," she replied, a brief pause preceding her next words. "I know it's not really my place, but are you getting enough sleep? Lack of rest can mess with your performance," she said, her gaze wandering around the mansion, picking up on subtle details that hinted at potential issues affecting Velvet's mental health. "And it's not just about work, it can take a toll on you as a person too."

Velvet let out a chuckle. A slight bitterness behind her words. "You don't need to earn extra points for pretending to care. Spare me the act and go now."

Y/N blinked, earnestly stating, "I'm saying this for your own well-being. We need to address any potential factors that might negatively impact your performance. As a singer, you simply can't afford to make mistakes." Her gaze lingered on Velvet, who was reclined on the sofa, seemingly on the brink of drifting into sleep. Y/N chuckled softly, adding, "It must be exhausting, not being allowed to make any mistakes at all. Maintaining this image of perfection, isn't it draining?"

Velvet pouted her lips. "It's not draining when you're genuinely perfect, which, of course, I am," she declared, casting a confident smirk in Y/N's direction.

Y/N couldn't help but giggle. "As much as I genuinely believe in your awesomeness, I have to remind you that nobody is perfect, and it's okay to make mistakes," she said with a forced formal smile.

"Not me, I can't," Velvet asserted. Although her words carried a confident tone, there was a subtle shift in the air, a trace of underlying sadness that Y/N keenly picked up on.

"But Velvet, being perfect is impossible," Y/N countered gently.

"I'm either perfect or nothing!" Velvet asserted with an angry tone.

She stared at her for a while, the room enveloped in a heavy silence broken only by the ticking of the clock in the back.

"Velvet... that's... not a healthy way to see things," Y/N expressed with genuine concern.

"You don't get it! This is the only thing I have. I have to be perfect, I don't want to go back to being a nobody. I don't want my existence to be a waste of air," Velvet almost shouted, tears making their way into her eyes.

"You're not a waste of air..." Y/N tried to comfort her.

"But without my work, what am I?! It's all I've got!! It's all I am!!!" Velvet's frustration grew, each word expressing the depth of her inner problems. However, beneath the anger, Y/N sensed a layer of profound pain, hidden, creeping on her.

"First, you need to realize that you are a person, a soul, not defined by what you achieve. I'm sure you're a good person under all of this; you just have to see it," Y/N encouraged, offering Velvet a hug. Velvet stared at her for a while, contemplating, and then finally surrendered into her arms, tears streaming down as she released the weight she had been carrying.

She wrapped her arms around Velvet in a tight hug, feeling the significance of the moment. As Velvet chose to trust her with this vulnerability, she couldn't shake off a peculiar sense of protectiveness. If she could, she'd morph into a shield, guarding Velvet forever. Holding her in her arms, Y/N let Velvet cry it all out, creating a safe space for her emotions to unfold.

After Velvet's tears subsided, Y/N continued holding her for a moment longer before gently pulling away. As she glanced at Velvet's face, she noticed a certain detachment in her expression, as if she wasn't fully present, numb to the world. Y/N tenderly caressed her cheek, cupping her face, eliciting a surprised look from Velvet, who didn't resist.

"I wish you could see yourself the way I see you."

Velvet, uncertain of how to respond, looked away, her emotions swirling in a complex mix of vulnerability and uncertainty.

"I'll help you, okay? We can work on this, together. You aren't alone," Y/N reassured with a sad smile, she started caressing her shoulders.

She buried her face in Y/N's shoulder, silent, obviously thinking of what's going on to her.

Y/N gently caressed Velvet's back. "Is there anything I could do for you?"

"Can you just hold me a little longer? Everything feels better when you are here," Velvet whispered.

Y/N smiled, a slight blush gracing her cheeks. "Of course."

[beelsnack]

Imperfect - Obey Me! Boys and an MC With Scars

Continuing my trend of hyper-specific self-insert fics lol

This is me projecting a little bit, I have quite a few scars. I'm diabetic, so I don't heal very well. Also, the scenario described in Mammon's part actually happened to me, so...yeah, ya boi is projecting.

There is a part two in the works, I just don't want to make this post too long.

Content Warning: Mention of self-harm in Belphie's part.

-----

Lucifer: “Can I ask you something?”

The two of them were enjoying a rare moment of peace, sipping on hot drinks together in the early morning. Most of the occupants of the House of Lamentation were still asleep, or the ones that were awake were busy doing their own thing. For once, it felt like the world was allowing them to take a break.

Lucifer set his coffee cup down and regarded them with the soft, fond look that he seemed to reserve for them alone. “Of course, my dear.”

“If you could…” the human cleared their throat, shifting their weight around nervously. “If you could get rid of my scars, would you?”

Lucifer’s expression hardened, and for a moment they were worried they had made him angry. An apology was halfway out of their mouth when Lucifer stood, making his way over to their side and cradling their chin in his gloved hand.

“If you wished it, it would be so,” he rubbed a thumb over one of the pock-marks on their cheek. Not only had cystic acne left a constellation of marks across their face, they had always bruised easily so even the mildest of injuries left scars. 

“But you are exactly the way you need to be as you are,” Lucifer continued. “And I wouldn’t change a single thing about you.”

Mammon: “Did it hurt?”

At first the human thought that Mammon was attempting to use a cheesy and potentially blasphemous pick up line on them. But when they looked up from the TV show the two of them were watching while curled up in their bed, they realized that he was looking at the faded red-purple marks adorning their legs.

“Well, it didn’t fucking tickle.”

Mammon flushed. “I didn’t - I mean - uh, shit, um - “

They shoved him good-naturedly. “Don’t worry about it.”

Both of them sat in silence before they decided the awkward tension was too much. “You wanna know how I got these scars?” they asked, in a terrible Joker impression.

“Not if you’re gonna sound like Heath Ledger while telling me.” 

The human snorted. “It’s not even that cool, honestly. I was helping move some furniture, and the house had a pretty long set of concrete steps. I was going backwards down the steps, lost my footing and ate it from about six feet in the air.”

“Fuckin’ hell,” Mammon hissed, wincing in sympathy.

“I have one on my arm, too, but that one’s a bit more faded,” they held up their forearm. The discolored patch of skin was barely visible in the dim light from the TV, but Mammon could still tell it couldn’t have been a pleasant experience. “Had a split second to chose between bashing my head in or fucking up my arm.”

“...I’m glad you chose your arm?” Mammon shrugged.

“Me too,” they laughed.

Leviathan: He was staring.

The human was starting to get a little uncomfortable with how intensely Levi was looking at their face. They knew the scar on the left side of their face was intense - it had been a constant reminder of the house fire they had survived when they were younger. But Levi didn’t have to stare at it like he was committing it to memory.

“I’m just thinking…”

“Thinking about what?” The human wished they had a hood to hide behind or something, they were starting to get angry. 

Levi must have realized his error, because he suddenly turned bright red and looked away, hand covering the lower half of his face in embarrassment.  The human felt a little bad, but at least Levi wasn’t gawking at them anymore.

“...y’look…lrpzuko…”

“...Come again?” 

“I said you look like Prince Zuko!” Levi blurted before pressing his hand harder against his mouth. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that, I’m just gonna - “

“Wait,” the human pulled up their phone camera. “...I kind of see it, holy shit.”

Satan: “So where did this come from, anyway?”

He knew it probably was committing some sort of social faux pas to ask, but Satan was a curious creature by nature, and he figured that he and the human were close enough. Figuratively and literally, considering they were laying with their head in his lap while the two of them were reading.

When they made an inquisitive noise, he idly drew a clawed finger down the long, jagged scar decorating their forearm. He felt them stiffen against his legs, and when he looked up he saw the apprehension on their face.

“I…God, it’s so stupid…”

“Come on, it can’t be that bad,” Satan urged. They hesitated a bit before sighing.

“I was fighting with this kid in…it was either middle school or early high school. I went to walk away because I was kind of getting sick of arguing with the moron, but when I turned around they shoved me hard enough to knock me over. I kinda like…flung my arm up, to protect my face, y’know? And since it was outside it got all scraped up. Never healed fully, I guess, so now I have this.”

Satan hummed thoughtfully, tracing the outline of the scar. It was faint, barely visible in dim lighting, but it was obvious that the human wished it wasn’t there.

“You fought back, right?”

“Duh.”

Asmo: “You seem very focused there, darling. Don’t quite know your shade?”

The two of them had been standing in the foundation section of the local Dephora for a while now. Asmodeus knew the store like the back of his hand and had already scooped up all of his favorite products in addition to a couple new drops that had made their way onto Devilgram. The human, however, hadn’t moved for about 20 minutes.

“I mean…I know my shade, but…” they hesitated, hand idly drifting towards the side of their neck. “Coverage is more what I’m worried about.” 

Asmo’s brows furrowed. The human had a scar from when they got splashed with hot oil as a child, and they were notoriously self-conscious about it. Aesthetically, Asmo understood - it wasn’t pretty, it looked like it had hurt and if he could he would use every bit of his magical power to get rid of it completely. But it was part of the human, and Asmo loved it regardless.

He slipped a hand overtop of the humans, causing them to look up at him with worried eyes. Asmo’s own eyes softened, and he leaned over to press a gentle kiss to their forehead. “Darling, if you do want to cover it up to boost your confidence, I will gladly help you pick out foundation and concealer. But you know you don’t have to if you truly don’t want to, right? That I’ll love you no matter what?”

The human looked away, but Asmo still caught the shy smile they wore as they leaned into his hand. “I know.”

Beelzebub: “Can I help you?”

Admittedly, the human was a little paranoid about whether or not people were staring at them. But this time, it was very clear that Beelzebub was staring at them, and they weren’t sure how they felt about it. They were cooking dinner, after all, they might not even be the thing that Beel was staring at.

“That mark on your shoulder.” 

Immediately, the human tensed up. They had thought that the shirt they were wearing covered up the conspicuous birthmark on their right shoulder, but apparently not. “What about it?”

Beel paused for a moment. “It looks like a potato.”

They turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow. “Does it? I can’t really see it all that often.”

“Mm,” Beel nodded before unfolding himself from the stool he was sitting on and coming up to hug the human from behind. He leaned down to nuzzle affectionately against the mark, and the human felt their apprehension begin to bleed away. “I like it. It makes you, you.”

They remained silent for a moment before a small smile tugged at the corner of their lips. “Thanks, Beel.”

Belphegor: “Did you do that to yourself?”

It took a minute for the human to realize what Belphie was talking about. They had just changed into their pajamas, and they honestly had thought Belphie was asleep. But apparently he had been awake enough to notice the evenly-spaced cut marks along the insides of their thighs.

“...Yeah,” they muttered, hiding their face in his chest. So much for a peaceful night’s sleep. “A while ago.”

“Why?”

They shrugged. Honestly, thinking about that particular time in their life wasn’t something they did often, at least not consciously. Every time they did, their heart rate increased, their breathing sped up, and it suddenly felt like they were in that dark room again with nothing but their spiraling thoughts - 

“You don’t have to tell me,” Belphe muttered against their hair. “Stay with me, now, okay?”

He ran a hand up and down their back soothingly, and it would never surprise them how gentle Belphegor could be for a demon.

“You want to know what I think?” Belphie allowed his fingers to trace the marks along their thighs, but the touch was distinctly platonic. 

“Mm?”

“I think,” he pressed a kiss to the crown of their head. “That you were going through a lot, and those scars are proof that you made it through.”

The human stilled, processing, before they snuggled deeper into Belphie’s embrace. “You think so?”

“Mm-hm,” he hummed sleepily, hand stilling against the small of their back. “Not that I’m glad you have them, mind you, but nobody goes through hell completely unscathed and you shouldn’t feel ashamed of them.”

[dasher85]

Rain..

He theoretically understand the concept of love

Neuvillette x Reader | y/n | you

short story

Part 1 | Part 2

[ how can you love someone when you don't have a reason? ]

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

[ Two years ago ]

The first day of work you didn’t think to see the Chief of Justice but you did.

You were in charge of handling the new case files as well as writing specific paperworks for the court. It was your specialty so you’re confident to do a good job for those tasks.

On your way back to your desk after getting some refreshments, someone was walking ahead towards your empty desk. The first thing your eyes noticed was the man’s waist long white hair with two blue navy coloured strands. 

‘It’s just like an insect’s antenna but combed neatly’. You secretly thought after seeing those two blue navy strands of his hair. Fortunately, you didn’t laugh like a madwoman for thinking such bizarre thoughts.

His slow and calm footsteps have forced you to follow his walking pace until you could reach your desk. It was a little awkward because it feels like an eternity to you.

The sole of his shoes echoed through the place and somehow you couldn’t help but walk a little quietly. Just a few more steps he’ll pass by your table and your silent suffering will end.

Or so you thought.

Suddenly he stopped right in front of your desk and you halted as well. He turned, facing your desk and you could see his side profile from where you stood. Instinctively you feel like turning around and act as if you forgot to take something from the refreshment room.

But before you could move, the man wearing a formal navy blue attire turned his head towards you. There were other workers working on their desk accompanied with an ambience of a usual office atmosphere but to you the world suddenly fell silent.

‘Is that the Chief Justice, Neuvillette?’. You finally remembered that man whom you’ve seen before during trials in court. You’ve heard about him many times and see him from afar but never this close.

His enchantingly unnatural blue eyes met your gaze as he suddenly turned to face where you were silently standing. Reflexively, you politely bowed with a slight smile.

‘What the hell?! What the hell!’. You nervously screamed in mind repeating those words like a chant.

Unexpectedly he expressionlessly slightly bowed back in response to you. Truthfully, you didn’t know what to do after that exchange of wordless courtesy.

“Do you perhaps know the person who’s occupying this desk?”. His deep voice rings in your ears.

“I uh… that’s-”. Taken aback for a brief second your mouth didn’t seem to cooperate with your mind.

“It’s… That’s me. What can I help you Sir?”. You quickly responded professionally.

That was your first encounter with that respected and yet mysterious man. Oddly enough despite harbouring various negative thoughts towards him, you didn't think it was all a false assumption until you've had enough encounters with him during work hours. 

Most of his direct visits would be because of the wrong things you've done in your work. Imperfections or flaws, things that even your colleagues couldn't distinguish. Despite that, he never scolded you and calmly corrected or advised what needed to be changed. Those frequent corrections last for three months. At some point you even thought of quitting just because he would complain about missing punctuation marks.

Fortunately, you did get better and become an absolute particular about everything before you send those papers to him. You couldn't afford to start everything all over again every time something was written wrong.

[ One year ago ]

A lady whom her partner was responsible for a crime was sentenced to serve a few years in the fortress of Meropide. It was rather serious but at the same time can be considered a normal case that has been conducted fairly. 

As one of the workers in court, the lady turns out to be an old acquaintance of yours from your previous work. So naturally she would refer to you, asking if you could help to reduce his sentence. Obviously things like that were impossible to change once the judgment of the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale concluded the trial. Everyone should know that but perhaps you were the only person she could share such meaningless concerns with. 

For a whole week she would visit your desk and all you could do was try to repeat the same thing in a calm manner. It was a professional process but at the same time it was unnecessary. Your coworkers didn’t know what to do either since she wasn’t being violent.

When Neuvillette learned of this matter from other workers who were talking about it during their lunch break, he went to confirm it with you. However, without even asking he had already seen what was happening.

You didn't think the Chief Justice would care about trivial things nor did you expect to see him standing there in front of your desk during lunch hour. 

"Ma'am. With all due respect, it is inconvenient to question the court's staff. As the Chief Justice, I shall assist you with an appropriate solution. Please make an appointment for a meeting with me tomorrow." Neuvillette expressionlessly spoke. 

You quietly stood there feeling relieved that someone would professionally reason with this pleading woman. As of late, you only wished to have a peaceful day but you didn’t think he would be the one who’ll throw himself into that situation.

[ Present time ]

"...will you keep it?". Neuvillette implored, looking at your face with a soft smile as he leaned closer to your face.

And here it comes without warning… he has yet again placed himself in a situation that you’d never imagined he would be in. That question he spoke circulating inside your head like a spell but you wonder why…

“Why now? Why?”. That question comes out of your mouth without hesitation and yet your voice was trembling with an evident quiver.

“That’s because…”. Neuvillette gaze falters away from you, he didn’t know what to say. Did he even have a reason in the first place? 

“It’s alright. I was being impulsive… I’m sorry”. You gently spoke, cutting his word short as you quickly removed his gloved hand away from your left cheek. It was unreasonable to ask these questions that you knew he wouldn't have an answer to. 

“Look at me, y/n! Tell me exactly what you want to hear, something to enlighten those ears.” He unhesitatingly questions with a solemn frown.

You scoffed. He's making you feel so much rage and disappointment but guilty at the same time. It's infuriating to think that he's only using your emotions to understand himself but you couldn't get angry either because he's not even human to begin with. If perhaps he did understand your feelings there wasn't much he could do for you anyway. 

The difference between him and you is not something you could easily go up against just for your own selfishness.

"It's nothing". You quietly looked away in response.

"I just think… if I tell you, it'll be meaningless. I don't want you to understand me just because I want you to." You slowly added as you unwaveringly met his gaze. 

"But I…". He looked at you pleadingly.

"...I really want to understand you. I still didn't have the answer to your question and I couldn't understand myself either. It pains me so much that I kept thinking about you". He adds soulfully.

"No books could tell me about your thoughts, about your feelings, about how you perceived this world or me… I want to know these things, these little things that you've kept secret from me. Please enlighten me". He spoke slowly but a hint of desperation was clearly evident within his deep voice.

"I know you're trying to understand me… I-". You tried to belittle his reasons yet again. 

“I'm denying all the deception you speak of… it is only fair to speak out the truth”. He voiced the disconcerting things that had been kept inside his mind.

[ Eleven months ago ]

“Would you like a cup of coffee or tea?”. You questioned him with a small smile.

"A glass of water would be nice". He responded with a nod.

Unquestioningly you nodded in response, not surprised since that was what he would often request over any other drinks. After washing the glass available from the refreshment room you brought back a glass of water for him.

You would sometimes do these little gestures while he checked your documents every few times in a week. It actually felt a little awkward whenever you just stood in front of his office desk as he reviewed your work. So the idea of taking small tasks such as that was better to pass up some time.

He looked up at you and you thought you've made a mistake yet again with your paperwork.

"I've been wondering if you've been adding sugar into the water?". He suddenly asked before handing you the file of documents.

You took it already wondering if you could file in the documents into the record room. "No, it's fontaine regular filtered water".

"Is that so…" He paused, seemingly thinking of the matter.

"Yes." You want to ask him about the status of the documents but you didn't dare to cut through his words either.

He suddenly stood up, "Are there macaroons?"

You nodded, "Yes, would you like me to bring it for you?"

He nods.

"And about these documents?"

He looked at you briefly before seemingly just remembering the matter, "Leave it on my desk"

You nodded and did as told before heading out to take some macarons from the refreshment room. As you were just a few steps outside, you heard the door to his office open again. You turned your head over your shoulder only to see the chief justice walking out.

"Do you perhaps need something else?"

"I need another glass of water"

You nodded and he only walked towards you which you least expected. Despite that you didn't think much and just proceeded with your given task. Oddly enough, he ended up accompanying you to the refreshment room.

'He should've just got the macaroons himself or asked me to get the glass of water as well'. You think to yourself.

It's one of those feelings where you'd feel awkward to be in a room with your boss at work. Despite doing nothing wrong, it just wasn't that enjoyable. Perhaps seeing his face reminds you of your unfinished work.

He immediately took a glass of water and slowly drank it as if it was wine.

"I shall send this to your office room now". You informed him after arranging a few macaroons into a plate.

He looked at you, "If I may ask, where did you acquire the water?".

He spoke of that same odd question again.

"It's from here".

"Hmm…". He seems to ponder seemingly thinking about matter with a slight frown. 

"Did you perhaps forget to wash the glass before filling it up with water?"

"Of course not, I'd make sure to clean it". You started to feel worried about these odd questions.

"Forgive me, I simply wanted to know why the water you gave me tasted so different from regular Fontaine water". He explained as if sensing through your troubled facial expression. 

You couldn't help but slightly laugh, "How would… how would it taste any different?"

[ Present time ]

The truth? You sighed at his request.

"Fine." You nodded before walking towards the bench nearby. There weren't many passersby but rather than standing you'd at least minimise the odd occurrence between him and you.

It was crazy enough that he's seen outside instead of in the court. 

"This feels so awkward". You admitted as he sat down next to you.

He sighed, he already did and say all those insane things just for you to listen to him and yet you still think the whole situation is awkward. He didn't quite get it. Was he the problem here? 

"Right, so the truth…" You subconsciously placed both of your hands to cover your face. Turns out it was difficult to say these simple things.

"You know it already, why are you making me say this". You whined, trying to escape from saying it.

"Whatever it is, I'll believe you. Please, go on ahead and tell me". His eyes glistened as he blinked his eyes to gently hold his gaze onto yours, but you couldn't read his thoughts and intentions as his expression remained gentle and calm, the only thing out of the ordinary was the way he looked at you, which couldn't seem to break its connection with yours.

Without a single word he moved his head close to your cheek, before softly kissing it as a sign to reassure you once more.

Your resolute thoughts to reject him crumble down into a hazy fog of lightness, as if your soul was being pulled into a realm of fairies where the sparkling pixie dust would blind your judgments.

You gasped, your own lungs forced you to breathe. It felt like he was veiling you with an enchantment and you couldn't help but doubt your feelings for him once more.

"I…". You turned to face him with your eyes closed. Somehow, you knew that looking at him directly would only eliminate your focus.

"I love you very much. I know it's silly, maybe I'm just infatuated and to be honest I have no plausible reasons behind these feelings." You sighed.

"Before it's too late, I'd rather-" 

A wide smile crept up his lips. That was exactly what he wanted to hear. He waited for a long time. 

"You..." He suddenly spoke and you opened your eyes to look at him. 

In that instant you forgot the sentence you wanted to tell him. 'Before it's too late, I'd rather let you go' was what you wanted to say but those damn beautiful eyes have left your mind devoid of thoughts. All that was left was your lingering fondness for him. 

He stared into your eyes before he gently placed his forehead against yours. His warm breath brushed against your skin, yet he was also as silent as you were for a few seconds. 

"It was you... It has always been you."

He brushed his thumb against your cheek, his gaze unshakably focused on you.

"You're everything I've ever wanted, please don't tell me otherwise because how am I supposed to believe my own judgements when I can't even understand myself."

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

A/N: intentionally wanted them to be emotionally difficult XD and here I am having a difficult time trying to put on their shoes. I hope his story quest (which I haven't do) will give me inspo for part 3. I want to reveal some truth about him towards her. But of course, let me know if I should continue this.

The Duke's story is halfway done but then I've started another Hai's story (the regular Elucidation Duo) and I miss writing the Inexpressible Duo.

[turvi]

Hello again. It’s me the not Snape lover who is questioning their whole existence because of your fic. My whole feed is full of Snape fics now and I’m taking it as a sign from my FBI agent to lean into this new life. I don’t know if your requests are open so if not then please ignore me but if they are, would you be open to writing about the reader who is either James or Sirius’ sibling and they’re dating Snape and just the chaos it would cause? I love your work so much!!

Thanks for all the love I was planning a Snape angst. But now I am gonna save the best for the last. I hope you enjoy this.

WARNING: KISSING, GOOD OLD SIBLING CHAOS

"Come on, please, you must like someone." Sirius was determined to find out who his baby sister had a crush on. He was always prideful that Y/n preferred to open up to him rather than Regulus. Not that Regulus minded. He was happy not knowing anything about his siblings' love life drama (yet he always knew what was going on).

"I don't like anyone, Siri...gosh. Why is it hard for you to believe I am happily single?"

Sirius squinted his eyes. "Stop hanging out with Reggie. You are getting lame like him."

"You are lame."

Sirius gasped and threw a pillow at her.

"Very mature of you, Sirius Black." Y/n threw the pillow back at him, which he caught with one hand and kept hitting her. "Stop it, you dunderhead."

Sirius chuckled. "Ha, you sound like Snivellus."

Y/n froze. Sirius looked at her, concerned. "Are you ok? Did I hurt you?" He immediately threw away the pillow and rubbed her head, thinking he had hurt her, and Y/n let him. She didn't want to have an awkward conversation. Not yet.

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

Y/n walked out of her room. She had a feeling Sirius had noticed the change in her behaviour. As she was developing a brilliant plan to avoid him, she felt a pair of familiar arms around her waist.

"Hello, love." she sighed as she felt his arms tighten around her.

"Did I tell you your voice is my favourite thing about you?"

Severus pulled her chin up to make her look at him. Y/n could only wonder how her brother and friends called him ugly. But then again, people call the moon beautiful, and even the moon is imperfect.

Y/n's eyes fluttered as she felt his lips on her. She was about to pull away when she felt his hand on the nape of her neck. Her eyes widened as the kiss grew heated, and she felt his tongue on her lips when suddenly she heard a shriek.

The couple immediately pulled away when they heard it. Y/n cringed as the footsteps grew louder. Severus immediately put himself between Y/n and Sirius.

"Snivellus, how dare you even touch my sister?!"

Severus said with a smug smile. "Like this?"

He twirled Y/n and leaned her down, kissing her with so much passion Y/n forgot Sirius was standing right there.

"I am standing right here!!" Sirius' high-pitched voice echoed in the hall as he pulled Severus away from Y/n.

Severus groaned and rolled his eyes as he watched Sirius coddle Y/n. "Are you alright?" He immediately turned to Severus, fury filling his eyes. "How dare you get your grimy hands on my sister?"

"SIRIUS!" Y/n pulled him away as he was raising his hand. "Don't you dare talk to my boyfriend like that."

Sirius felt like his world was ending. He saw the smug smile spreading on Severus' face and that made it worse.

"My baby sister loves Snivellus." He stared into the void as Y/n held him. "He...Snivellous is going to be a part of my family tree!! ugh"

Y/n blushed. "Well, we didn't-

"Yes," Severus' determined tone made her blush even harder.

"Really?" Y/n left Sirius' side, not realising the pout on his face as she left her dear brother for the dungeon bat.

Severus caressed her cheek, looking into her eyes with a promise. "I will marry you." It was not a question. And Y/n felt dizzy. When Severus was so confident, it made her weak in the knees. Maybe he could dom-

"Excuse me!" Sirius shrieked again. "That's my sister."

"Really? I didn't know." Severus smirked as Sirius sat on the floor, having an existential crisis. "Snivellus is gonna be my brother-in-law." His voice cracked.

Y/n sighed. "Sirius, get up. Don't be like this. Come on."

"Y/nn, there are an uncountable number of boys in Hogwarts. Why him?"

Y/n noticed they were starting to attract a crowd. "Sirius, come on, get up."

Severus chuckled. "No, let him be. I am enjoying this."

She glared at him, and it shut him up. "He is still my brother."

"Utter shame," Severus muttered, only to immediately apologise. "Okay, mutt, get up."

"Get your grimy hands off me, Snivellus."

"Ok, enough, you two. You two are behaving like a child and creating a spectacle of yourselves."

Sirius looked at her. "You really mean it? You love him?"

"I wanna spend my life with him." She earnestly told him, hoping he adjusted to this new development.

"You better not hurt my baby sister Snivellus."

Y/n rubbed Severus' back as an apology. He wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her neck. "I am okay, darling...it was not that bad. I am sure he will accept me soon. He loves you."

Severus had a smug smile, and Y/n squinted her eyes at him. "What?"

"You want to spend your life with me? Am I that good in bed?" his voice dropped an octave that sent shivers through her spine.

Y/n scoffed. "You wish-

Severus tugged her closer, kissing her and cradling her head, holding her close, not wanting to let her go now...not ever.

A/N: I love me some smug Snape and dramatic Sirius. I hope you like this. REBLOGS AND COMMENTS ARE APPRECIATED.

[beansterpie]

ES21 japanese volumes - part 1/??

part 2 >>

Sooooo I recently got my hands on the complete Eyeshield 21 manga series in Japanese and as someone who's only ever read the story through fan-translations on dodgy websites online, I wanted to go through and "live" blog about it, so to speak. I thought it would be interesting to see the changes between the languages and where the fan-translations likely fail with mistranslations. (No shade btw, I think fan-translations are great both as a hobby and the fact that they're doing their work for free, but it's also a reality that the vast majority of fan-translators are amateurs, many of whom don't fluently speak the language they're translating, so there's bound to be mistakes!) Also, I wanna know what they're originally saying because I’m nosey <3

I know the official English translation by VIS is allegedly pretty decent, bar the toning down of some things (like Hiruma's language lol) so if you've had the chance to read the official version, feel free to chime in on differences with the fan-translation that I'll be referencing, or potential differences between the Japanese version too!

And finally, while I am half Japanese and grew up there, tragically my language skills are imperfect. I speak it, but my vocabulary isn't very robust, so I do look up the definitions for a lot of words and kanji, as well as more nuanced connotations or references that may go over my head. Bilingual problems <3 But again, it's good practice for me and I think it'll be kind of fun!

Right off the bat, this page. What it’s saying is essentially, “You better come out and play (in the) American Football match!” But because Japanese syntax is different from English, it’s structured like “American Football Match you better play!!” The translator was confused by the final line, because in Japanese a way to say ‘participating in a match’ is by using 出る which means to ‘go out’— sort of like ‘go out (into) the match’. Maybe a better option would have been ‘get the fuck out and play!!” or just “you better fucking play!!”. It still keeps the overall sentence structure which sounds awkward in English, but at least it gets the meaning across.

(I’m not gonna get into every little mistranslation btw, because that would take forever, but I felt that was a good way to explain how frequently there are little mistakes like this.)

Putting the rest under a cut because I imagine this will get long

Look at our boy <3 So as you know, we start our story with Sena Kobayakawa timidly seeing if he passed his high school entrance exam into Deimon High School, with his childhood friend/older sister figure, Mamori Anezaki lending moral support.

In the third panel, what Sena says is actually “I feel like I’ve been praised for the first time in 10 years—” (maybe they changed it because that was too pathetic 😭) Then in the fourth panel, what Mamori says is more along the lines of “And to think you were a total mess in math and English… It’s all thanks to Mamori-sensei!”

Also I want to point out that Mamori is a little cheekier in the first few chapters. Like obviously still kind and nurturing in personality (her name is literally ‘to protect’), but she teases Sena and feels more like an older sister than like, an overprotective mom lol. Miss that for her 😔

Then along comes our kind senpai to accost our clueless protag...

There’s no mistranslation, but I just wanted to mention that the way Hiruma talks in Japanese is so funny? Like in panel 1, he’s speaking with a dramatic affect, he sounds like some sort of npc in a jrpg giving the protag a quest. And then in panel 2, his ‘of course!’ is this shortened, slang version of the word that sounds almost cute and very modern after the previous line. Hiruma uses a lot of slang in general, though I can’t say if any of it is like, common or used by teenagers (of the time, anyway) or if it’s just Hiruma-isms.

(Look at Kurita doing the sign of the cross in panel 3 😂)

I can’t believe Hiruma managed to physically emulate the experience of contracting some shady internet virus…..

Something that’s done with Hiruma’s dialogue a lot (it’s done w/ other characters too, but most often with Hiruma) is where there’ll be a word/term in kanji that means one thing and pronounced in a certain way, but then the furigana (so the phonetic pronounciation, basically) next to it says something different. Now, in some stories (like Berserk for my pals out there), this is used to create poignant, layered meanings in the text. In ES21 however, it’s mostly used for sports manga flavor. For example, in the above page in Hiruma’s spam fax message, he uses the word 作戦, which means tactics or strategy, and is pronounced: “sa - ku - se - nn” さ-く-せ-ん. But the furigana next to that word reads タクティクス which is quite literally just the English word ‘tactics’ spelled phonetically in Japanese lol (aka a loanword).

He does this A LOT, most frequently with sports terminology, where the kanji are pretty dense, technical terms, and the furigana a loanword version of the same meaning. (though now that I think about it, it might also be because while パワー (power) and スピード (speed) are frequently used and well known loanwords to the average Japanese person, タクティクス (tactics) might be more obscure, so the kanji is there to like, clarify the meaning? 🤔)

Also I love all the early 2000’s tech we see in the early chapters— flip phones and fax machines galore! Even within the later segments of the series, the flip phones start to magically get more advanced, but in my heart ES21 takes place in like, 2003. If they ever do a remake of the anime (which is unlikely to say the least) I’d want them to maintain the early 00’s vibes. It just wouldn’t be the same if everyone had smart phones.

Skipping ahead a few pages, I remember this bit never really made sense, but I got enough of the general gist that I kind of shrugged and moved along. But!! the translation is just making stuff up here?

So for context: it’s Sena’s first day at Deimon, and Mamori (who’s a grade above him) advises him to make proper friends this year, since he has a history of only ‘hanging out’ with shitty bullies who used him as an errand boy.

In the English translation, Sena seems to get a text from a mystery number, telling him to pay up for a bet we never saw happening. He goes to meet up with the texter, who we assume at this point is a previous aquaintence, since he had Sena's number? Maybe one of those bullies that Sena hung out with from middle school? They make Sena go and get them an unspecified thing, but because Sena ran there and back so quickly, they don't believe that Sena actually went, and is lying when he says they were sold out. They drag Sena to a small shed to beat him up, and in the last panel of the third page, Sena says that he's been their errand boy since kindergarden?

So for a number of years I was under the impression that the Ha-ha brothers knew Sena from before the series, even though that never seemed to come up in the rest of the story.

But in the original version, Sena is actually getting a text from Mamori-- which makes sense because it was established earlier that his cell phone is brand new and he only has Mamori's number in his contacts. Mamori's text says: "If someone tries to make you run their errands, tell them 'let's decide by rock-paper-scissors!'" Sena is understandably kind of embarrassed by this, and mutters to himself that he's not a kid anymore.

Then it cuts to Sena being picked on to be an errand boy lmao. Presumably this is because Sena just looks like an easy target to bullies, not because of any previous aquaintence rip. The blond bully tells Sena to go buy them bread (which might sound weird, but Japan has a lot of tasty snack breads that they sell everywhere). In panels 2+3 of the second page, Sena timidly tries to bring up the rock-paper-scissors thing, but is intimidated into giving up and just doing what he's told.

Again, they don't believe that Sena actually went all the way to the school store and back with how quick he was, so they decide to beat him up in the shed. As he's being dragged, Sena says, "It really was sold out! I've gotten used to being an errand boy since kindergarden, so I've just gotten fast--!"

So yeah, if there were any other people who've only read fan-translations and were confused by this bit, there you go.

oh you just know it smelled like ass in here.....

(I never noticed the shotgun propped against the desk on the right before lol, idk why I'm surprised, but Hiruma really just left his Actual Guns lying around huh?)

(2nd pic - Kurita: "New club applicants!!?")

There he is!! Our boy Kurita!! I do miss when he occassionally had like, more human features lol. As much as I love his big ol' smiley face, it does rub me the wrong way when the fat characters (because Komusubi falls into this too) are the only ones with anpanman faces.

(anpanman, for the uninitiated)

(Kurita: "To literally clash with the opponent in order to pursue a goal together with everyone-- that moment is exhilerating!")

Aw look at Sena feeling inspired! Honestly I really love how Kurita is Sena's first friend he makes in the series, and that vibe in the early chapters where it's just Sena, Kurita and Hiruma is so much fun <3

(P1: Kurita: "Way to go Sena!" Imaginary Coach: "It's thanks to you that we could participate in the Christmas Bowl!" Mamori: "You're so cool Sena!"

P2: Mamori: "You have to make the first move!" Sena: "U-um!"

P3: Sena: "Can I... be the team shumu*?" Kurita: "WHAAATT!? O-OF-OF COURSE!")

*Ok soooo I don't fully understand what a shumu is lol, or how you'd translate it to English. The word itself apparently means 'person in charge' so? The fan-translation just calls it the manager, but based on something Hiruma says later, I get the impression that the shumu and the manager are technically different roles? But when Mamori becomes the manager later, she takes on a lot of what are allegedly 'shumu tasks', along with Hiruma, so idk. If anyone's read the official VIS translation, feel free to chime in on how they did it, because I'd be curious to know!

That being said, adorable of Sena to think he could have handled that responsiblity at all 😂 our boy has many talents, but being smart and organized is not among them.

Ok fun feelings are over, it's time for pain.

(Sena looking at his contact list, having just added Kurita's number, then wham D: )

The three bullies from before were waiting to get revenge. The dialogue is a bit different in the original. Juumonji (the blond one) actually says: "That fatso a friend of yours, Sena? Tell me his contact info-- if you do that, we'll let you go." To which Sena timidly and reluctantly agrees. Then Kuroki (the dark haired one) says: "But do you think one bat will be enough? With that brute strength..." In the final panel, Juumonji says: "It's better with just one, since we're gonna call the police beforehand." Togano (with the glasses): "The police?"

Juumonji: "As long as we get him wrapped up in the fight, it'll be fine. We'll say we got these wounds from being assaulted by the fatso with the bat -- We'll get him disqualified from the American Football tournament." One of the others: "Ooohh, smart!"

I guess the overall sentiment isn't that different, but knowing that the initial demand was for Sena to hand over Kurita's contact info with the promise that they would spare him if he obeyed-- and that at first he agreed-- makes his change of heart feel even more significant.

(Sena: "IF YOU'RE GONNA HIT ME, THEN HIT ME!!! I'LL NEVER TELL YOU (Kurita's info)!!!")

Tell 'em Sena!! A part of me sort of wishes the story maintained this serious story beat instead of undercutting it with humor in the next panel (not shown here) but at the same time, ES21 is overall a more lighthearted, comedic story which I love it for, so I don't think I'd like it getting too angsty. I'll always have Berserk in my corner if I want some actual angst lol.

(1st pic: various sounds of surprise or pain, and in the last panel: "Oi, don't let him get away!"

2nd pic: Sena -- "No way!!!" Hiruma: "Hm? Oh it's that guy" )

Lol I do love the little details Murata included, like Kuroki taking a swing at Sena as he's biting Juumonji's hand but then totally missing in the fourth panel because Sena's so fast. Also I'm always on the lookout for the kinds of stuff Hiruma buys, snack wise. We know he loves sugarless gum, obv, and drinks coke based on that one time he bought some for himself, Kurita & Sena, but what else are in those bags? I want to know!!

--------

And lol apparently I'm only allowed 30 images per post rip, so I guess I'll end this here. I guess I can.... reblog and continue? Or I might just make another post for the next part 🤔 Besides this got way too long, so I'll have to be more brief in future posts lol.

I'm honestly not expecting more than like, five people to interact with this lol, but if anyone is interested in specific points of the story they want me to look at, please feel free to ask!

[sitp-recs]

any drarry fics with injured!harry?

Sure! You know, adding a “please and thank you” in your message wouldn’t hurt ;)

Just Stay by @nv-md (M, 2.7k)

Harry's been injured yet again, and Draco has to stay the night to take care of him. Which shouldn't be a problem, except Draco's in love and Harry's half-naked.

Operative by @shealwaysreads (M, 3.4k)

After the war, Draco finds himself in the familiar position of not getting what he wanted. But sometimes, what you need finds its own way to you.

Ceremonials by @jackvbriefs (NR, 4k)

“What are you doing here?” Harry said. This Malfoy blinked up at him, then lifted the bottle of tequila. “I’m teaching you how to make a drink.”

A Noir Cliche by @shiftylinguini (T, 4k)

Draco is not a Healer. Harry doesn’t get hurt on purpose. They really have to stop meeting like this.

Soot and Mirrors by jalesidor (E, 6k)

Late at night in the DMLE locker rooms, Draco finds an injured Harry Potter requiring medical assistance.

Settle in in my slow-burning heart, orphaned (NR, 10k)

Five years after the war Draco is working a tech developer job in the Auror Office, and it's all great except this one thing: Harry Potter works there, too. Things only become stranger when Harry starts bringing Draco ugly souvenirs back from his work travels. When Harry then shows up injured in Draco's flat, Draco considers the possibility that he's going insane.

Unkissed Kisses and Songs Never Sung by Femme (M, 12k)

I sit silently in the shadows, staring at the tiny, pulsing ball of light that tells me my Harry's still alive.

the space between (what you want and what you need) by disapparater (M, 13k)

As a specialist Healer in dark magic, Draco has had his fair share of difficult cases and awkward patients. Still, nothing has prepared him for a curse-paralysed Harry Potter.

Match Fit by ravenclawsquill (E, 25k)

After picking up a groin injury just two weeks before the Quidditch World Cup Final, star Seeker Harry Potter reluctantly agrees to seek help from world-renowned Magi-Physiotherapist, Draco Malfoy.

Potential Gravity by @lol-zeitgeistic (E, 32k)

Draco is not good at Cards Against Humanity, but Harry’s not good at being human, so it all works out. Except for the explosions. And Harry’s inability to live when Draco’s not around.

God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen by oldenuf2nb (G, 41k)

Chief Auror Harry Potter is seriously injured while on loan to the Americans, and there's only one specialist in the world who might be able to help. Unfortunately...

Merlin Works in Mysterious Ways by lordhellebore (M, 82k)

When Harry is forced to form a Blood Bond with Draco Malfoy under threat of death, he thinks his future will consist of a cold home and sexual frustration. But when a group of left-over Death Eaters decides to stir trouble, their lives change completely – and it takes them both some years to figure out whether it’s for better or for worse. Cw: major permanent disability

Balance, Imperfect by @bixgirl1 (E, 91k)

When Harry sustains an injury in the line of work, he no longer knows how to navigate the life he loved, and finds help and solace from the most unexpected source.

Any Instrument by @dictacontrion (E, 131k)

Draco Malfoy wouldn't go back to England for anything less than an exceptional case. Being asked to figure out why Harry Potter can't control his magic might be exceptional enough to qualify.

[kandisheek]

FIC REC WEEK 14 – AUTHOR WEEK

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: RayShippouUchiha

There are many amazing things about RayShippouUchiha's writing, but what always stands out to me is the way they write people being enamored with Tony. I have a soft spot for female Tony, and Ray writes some of the best fem!Tony fics I've found in this fandom. Some of their fics read like straight up poetry, and they're a master of both the angsty and the fluffy. I have a lot of their fics lined up to rec them in other weeks, so if you don't see your favorites in this list, don't worry, they're probably coming up at some other point this year.

Here's some of their work that I think you should check out:

Fearful Symmetry

Pairing: Bucky/Tony Rating: T Words: 5,684 Tags: Shapeshifters, Kidnapping, Team as Family

Summary: He’s obviously in the warehouse district near the docks, probably in one of the abandoned packing plants or something of the like. Honestly at this point this kidnapping couldn’t get more cliché if it actively tried. “Service sucks and the wait staff stole my clothes,” Tony whispers, unable to help himself as he slinks down the hall, “Zero stars, would not come again.”

Reasons why I love it: BAMF Tony getting himself out of tough scrapes will never not be an instant win for me. Couple that with a worried-sick team and pining Bucky who just wants to keep Tony safe, and there's a perfect recipe for Kandi-bait. Also, there's shifters, so, you know, what's not to love? Especially when Tony's true nature is revealed - it fits him so well, and I really love the mental images I got from that scene. I love this fic, and I bet you will too!

Grip. Chamber. Sights.

Pairing: Bucky/fem!Tony Rating: T Words: 14,824 Tags: Longing, Awkward Flirting, Recovery

Summary: He thinks maybe he should be unsettled by the impact she’s had on him. Thinks maybe it should chafe. That maybe it should remind him of HYDRA and having his choices, his will, ripped away from him. It doesn’t. She doesn’t. It, she, the memory of her, feels like choice.

Reasons why I love it: God, Bucky's devotion to Toni in this one is so pure and right. Their first meeting is perfect, and I love how Toni is the one to get Bucky to really reflect on his life and the choices he has. Plus, Bucky's attempts at flirting are both hilarious and adorable. This fic is amazing, and I highly encourage you to read it!

The Beat We Drum

Pairing: Bucky/Tony Rating: T Words: 1,510 Tags: Honeymoon, Trans Tony, Comfort No Hurt

Summary: Tony isn’t sure what he wouldn’t be willing to suffer to have this, to have this sun-drenched morning where he feels safe and whole. To have years stretching out in front of him with the possibility of so many more of these mornings yet to come.

Reasons why I love it: Newlywed Winteriron is just - gah, I love it so much. They're both snarky assholes, and they fit together like the imperfect puzzle pieces that they are. I really love the banter in this one, and the promise of future sexytime is really hot. I hope you give this one a shot, because it's fantastic!

Monday In A Cafe (All You Did Was Look My Way)

Pairing: Bucky/Tony Rating: T Words: 6,301 Tags: Meet-cute, Coffee Shop, Love at First Sight

Summary: Then Gorgeous, as Bucky abruptly names him in his head, slides a bit further down the counter and reaches for his wallet. He pulls out what Bucky’s pretty sure is a crisp hundred and stuffs it into the tip jar Clint decorated to look like a bulls-eye. And then he turns and looks directly at Bucky. Staring into big doe eyes from across the way Bucky resists the urge to bring his hand up to grip at his chest. Because that split second is all it takes. One look and Bucky is officially gone.

Reasons why I love it: They're such idiots in love, I live! Bucky is so cute when he fawns over Tony like a lovesick fool, and the exasperation of everyone around him just makes it even funnier. And the identity porn is hilarious, oblivious Bucky is my favorite. This fic is like a cup of hot chocolate with extra marshmallow fluff, so go ahead and enjoy it!

The Straight Path (Until The End Of My Days)

Pairing: Steve/Tony, Steve/Bucky/Tony Rating: T Words: 5,389 Tags: Fix-it, Angst with a Happy Ending, Murder

Summary: ��Buck,” Steve whispers then, voice low like a secret, “I don’t … I don’t think I want to live in a world without him. I don’t think I can.” “Ah hell Stevie,” Bucky laughs, soft and fond and just a bit sad. “I always knew that.”

Reasons why I love it: This is such a beautiful fix-it. Ray does a fantastic job of presenting the original timeline in a way that feels viscerally awful, enough so to make Steve want a do-over. And the things he does - even though they're super dark, holy fuck - actually make sense for his character. I love this fic so much, and I really hope you decide to read it for yourself, because it's amazing!

[mikeyforreal]

Hi there, Mikey! I was wondering if you have some headcanons about Robin Buckley? Because I love Robin so much!

dating robin buckley head cannons !

a/n: thanks so much for requesting! here ya go :) also this is intended for afab

cw: fluff, robin being a little nerd

you're always going to her band performances ✰

robin invites you to all of them, big and the little ones

the first time she did, she did it think you were gonna show 😭

but ofc you did !!! how could you miss something like that? it was so important to her and you knew it

as soon as she saw you on the bleachers, her face lit up and she couldn't stop smiling the whole time :)

to the point where the other trumpets thought there was something wrong lmao

and if you're on the cheer team or any sports teams it's even better because then you never miss them, even if robin forgets to tell you

different dates ✰

robin is a little clueless romantically, so she usually asks steve or nancy for their thoughts or ideas

usually nancy gives better ideas in the end

one of your favorite dates was when you two went to get ice cream and walked around hawkins together

speaking of ice cream !

i think she'd really like sherbet in a waffle cone because she swears they taste better

and she always has ice cream at her house

but anyway back to the dates

steve is always third wheeling when she needs a lift to get you or when you're going somewhere that's too far for walking

he swears he hates it but secretly it makes him super happy to see robin get so excited talking about you or seeing the two of you interact, even if its awkward (he's so sweet to both of you)

sleepovers !! it's easy and comforting for her to know that you're safe with her all night :)

some random head cannons ✰

say it with me now,

PHOTO SHOOTS !!

she loves loves loves taking pictures of/with you

if you're on the cheer team or sports team, she has a pic of you in your uniform in her wallet

she has tons of pictures of you everywhere; her room, in a little locket she wears 24/7, on the mirror of steven's cars passenger seat (it's officially her spot fight me)

she loves hugging you from behind :)

always wanting to hang out at your house or vice versa

she learned how to make mixtapes for you

robin is always picking up random rocks that remind her of you

she's always watching whatever movies you want to (and letting you rent them for free)

she def wants to teach you to play trumpet

always helping you with homework

basically whatever it is you need she'll do it, no questions asked

idk why but robin reminds me of the song josie by blink-182 😭 (go listen to it, it's a masterpiece)

i think her love language is quality time or touch

robin is definitely a fast talker, especially when she's excited or worked up

so sometimes you just gotta take her hands in yours and look her in the eyes and politely tell her to slow down

she nods, takes a few breaths and then tells you what happened

if you're on the cheer team, she thinks you look absolutely adorable and beautiful in your cute little skirt and zip up with your name embroidered in cursive

and if you play on a sports team she is in awe whenever she sees your absolutely KILLING IT on the field or court

sometimes she hugs a biiit too tight and you can't breathe but she doesn't mean to hurt you !!! she just loves being close to you and pour it out in her hugs

she loves holding hands ! and she loves kissing your hand, very gentlewoman of her 🧐

she literally loves you sososo much, regardless of any "flaws" or "imperfections"

a/n: i had a lot of fun making this ! thanks again for the request :)

[eltramuffinz]

Just some Itto x Reader fluffy brainrot, 2nd person POV

~

You were just working on something at your table when a suspiciously loving sigh floated to your ears.

Turning your head, you noticed the large oni also sitting at your table, gazing at you.

He had his elbows on the darkened wood, his broad palms cupping his cheeks.

If he was in the right position, he’d probably be swinging his legs back and forth too like the kids he loved to win candy from.

He appeared tremendously happy to just be sitting there and looking at you.

A smile crept onto your lips as you halted the motion of your hands, spotting how wide his diamond pupils were against his crimson irises.

“What are you doing, Itto?”

He blinked, and a bright smile appeared on his face as his expression lit up like a Naganohara Fireworks show.

“Just thinking about how perfect you areee~”

You coughed and pursed your lips at his honesty, inhaling to speak but Itto beat you to it, just compelled to voice his train of thought.

“I mean I know I say I’m a perfect oni and all, ahah,” he cleared his throat, eyes darting to the side and making sheepish sound, “but y’know I’m just hyping myself up…”

He nibbled his lip, one of his little fangs digging into the flesh as he turned his head to look back at you.

Taking his hands from his cheeks, he then put his palms on the table, his sharp black nails making faint tapping noises against the surface and then he was leaning subtly forward.

“… But when I look at you, I believe a person really can be perfect. Like you’re just… just… wow…”

Your heart skipped a beat and you shifted in your seat. You were always the more rational of your pair, though with the crimson oni in your presence, that wasn’t too hard a feat.

“I’m not perfect. Everyone’s got imperfections, including me.“

The quiet atmosphere of your humble cottage on the outskirts of Hanamizaka was broken only by the chirping of crickets outside, and the faint, serene churning of the village’s waterwheel nearby.

Itto didn’t hesitate to then beam and wiggle his eyebrows, almost revelling in the opportunity to challenge you.

“Weeell you’re still perfect to me! Don’t fight me on this!”

You blinked as he suddenly got out of the humorously small chair opposite you and idly popping his collar, his long coat swishing behind him as he circled around to your end.

You had no time to get up yourself before strong, thick arms were encircling you, almost pinning you to the chair as Itto bent down and captured you.

Somehow he made it work between his chunky and spiky arm bracers and the awkward position with you being seated and him semi-standing.

He was always so careful to not let his black nails scratch you or the shining red horns on his head poke you as he nuzzled his head against yours.

“Itto-”

When he spoke again, his voice was positively dripping with gleeful wonder and dreamy adoration.

“You’re the most perfect imperfect person I’ve ever met, Sunshine!”

You couldn’t hold back the heat in your face as you were ruthlessly attacked with a barrage of cute kisses to your temples and top of your head.

With your limbs practically stuck to your sides in the tight hug, you could only crack a smile and reach a hand to pat his arm, where some of his crimson oni markings ran along his skin.

Puffing a breath of air from your lips to try and dispel various crimson-tipped silver strands of hair hanging down against your face, you huffed.

“… You’re a dummy, Itto.”

He snorted, peeking an eye open to look down at your form he was still holding captive in the chair.

“You know you love me, my lil’ onika-boo-boo-to~”

It was your turn to make a sound of exasperation that turned into a laugh, nuzzling your head back against his which made rumbles of happiness echo within his chest.

“Hah… yeah. I do.”

You closed your eyes as bliss washed over you even with the position and how your various parts of you were going numb from his tight squeezing.

“Love you, my perfect oni.”

~

(Screaming at these cuties) I couldn’t hold back from writing a little bit of brainrot and I’m so desperate for Itto fluff istg… anyway, just like… disgustingly in love Itto fluff… hskddjHHH

[eternalfarnham]

The core of Aigis's crisis, in The Answer, is that she has exactly two invested human relationships, one of which only half-counts because it's with a dog, and the other just died.

Note that in the post-Nyx "epilogue" month, where relationships formed via SEES kinda-sorta persist (MC-Yukari-Junpei trio, Ken and Shinjiro, etc.), no one remembers Aigis besides the protagonist, or even mentions her unless she's right there. She's some girl in their dorm. This influences her self-perception and indecision in the Abyss – Metis is the way she is, fixated on a single person and incapable of caring about anyone else, because Aigis was that way.

Compare/contrast Yukari – she ends up putting herself back into the position of "enemy of SEES," contesting them for the sake of achieving (the truth behind her father's death/the MC's resurrection), failing to acknowledge her relationship with Mitsuru (who takes her side partly due to the history between them, and who reminds her of that fact).

Aigis... just genuinely doesn't have anyone in the way she had the MC, not like Yukari does. The question of suicide via sacrifice is a real and legitimate one for her; it's why she gets Metis in the first place! Metis is both her capacity to care (the part of her that wasn't mechanical and rote) and her fatal flaw, her failure to recognize that there are other people to care about in her life, represented pretty directly by Metis insisting on being Aigis's "sister" and living exclusively to protect her. Aigis turned herself into an Arisato (complete with Wild Card!) and generated an Aigis to never, ever let her go like she wished she could've in the first place!

This is part of why I think Junpei's point, that they are nowhere near guaranteed a win in a rematch with Nyx, is so much more thematically potent than Akihiko's "respect MC's decision to sacrifice himself, because changing the past is wrong!" The world is full of people. Everyone's alive. "Accept loss" falls flat for me, considering the whole Great Seal thing and also, just, my entire understanding of life, but "there is no quantity of losing others you can experience that can make life stop mattering as a general case, because the world is full of people, and the best way to keep going is to keep caring about people and finding people to care about" works for me.

And this is absolutely not a tack any other Persona game could take about its MC! It's been noted that SEES aren't quite friends as a group, just psychodrama paramilitary coworkers, but it's that awkwardness and growing into imperfect relationships with one another that lets them live without the MC. Yu Narukami is more of a "most important person" to the Investigation Team – Yosuke, obviously, and Teddie, and arguably Rise – but they do at least have dynamics with one another, kinda, Chie-Yukiko and Naoto-Kanji.

Joker is the person who matters most to every single Phantom Thief, absent dead family members and NPCs who spend most of their time offscreen, and Royal makes it clear that they don't have the same "any cost" dedication to any of those dead family members or NPCs that Aigis and Yukari had for P3MC. Does Ryuji even hypothetically have more important dynamics with anyone? Certainly not Akechi. Not Yusuke. The Phantom Thieves would risk killing the world for Joker's sake. It isn't even really a question!

P3 was just so thematically aberrant compared to the rest of modern Persona that I can't help but admire it. I disagree with many of its takes, but by god does it have them.

[psychedelic-ink]

This is the artwork that I commissioned from the talented @mjpens🧡

Stay In Bed has truly been one of my favorite things to write, I am genuinely so emotional over this series and my own relationship with it. I'm still surprised by the feedback and the love, so I would also want to thank everyone for their undying support and enthusiasm for it 🧡🧡🧡

This is from one of the scenes I wrote for chapter 6 and I can't stop staring at it. Thank you Maia for making this come to life, this made me beyond happy 🥺🧡

(I would also like to emphasize that in the story reader does not have a physical description whatsoever. I went the self-indulgent route and asked for it to be a self-insert <3)

the written scene is below the cut for those who are curious 🤭

“How do you like your coffee?” 

“With milk,” you answer. “A lot of it, preferably.” 

“So milk with a dash of coffee,” he grins, amused. “Got it.” 

It’s been a couple of days since you moved in with Joel and Sarah. It was much easier to live with the father-daughter due than you initially had thought. Tommy came over in the mornings, dropping you off to work and Sarah to school, and the brothers went to do their own thing after that. 

With Joel’s back turned to you, you look down at your sketchbook and add another line to what is supposed to be his unruly hair. He really needs a haircut. 

Surprisingly living with him isn’t weird at all. He made you feel welcome. No awkward glances, no awkward touching. Just neighbors helping each other out. He places the steaming mug next to you and leans on his elbows. He looks at what you’re drawing and raises an eyebrow. 

Joel brings the mug to his lips. 

“You’re paintin’ me?” 

“I’m sketching you,” you answer. “You’re a lovely specimen.” 

“Is that so.” 

The scent of coffee fills your lungs. Lifting your gaze, you observe his facial structures. You see the imperfections, take in the sight of his eyes, his bushy eyebrows, and the bald patches in his beard. You want to touch the small beauty park right in the corner of his eye that’s impossible to see unless you’re an inch further away. 

 If he knew how you saw him—if he knew how big he was in your mind— Joel would be terrified. 

“Do you like art?” you ask, taking him by surprise. He takes a sip of his coffee and your gaze drops back to your sketch.  

He hums, fingers thrumming the kitchen counter. “I like your art.” 

“I should take you guys to an art gallery or something,” you say, smiling. “If you like mine, you’re going to go nuts over the things that are out there.” 

Joel pouts and you roll your eyes. “What are you looking at me like that for?” you ask.

“I like your drawings. They’re—They feel close. I don’t know how else to describe it.” 

It’s because it’s you who I think of when I create them. 

“Do you know Salvador Dali?” you ask, then quickly add. “Or Dorothea Tanning?” 

“Sweetheart, the only artist I know is Da Vinci and I’m not even a hundred percent sure he is one.” 

“He is,” you affirm him excitedly, looking back up. “I love surrealism. It’s when everything gets really weird basically. So—wait let me show you. I think I have a couple of pictures between the pages.” 

You miss the way Joel’s lips slowly curl up, adoration and fondness adorning his face, softening the edges. He comes closer. Your pulse quickens as your fingers rush to find the images, and when they do you basically rip them out from between the pages 

“Look.” 

All of them are images from Dali’s artwork. Mainly butterflies. Joel observes them carefully, touching them as if fearing he might stain them. You urge him to take a closer look by placing one between his thick fingers. It’s The Butterfly Rose. 

“Never thought you would do homework for a hobby.” 

“It’s not—” You let out an exasperated sigh, cutting yourself off mid-sentence. “Do you think I want to work at the coffee house forever? It’s not just a hobby. And of course, as an artist, I look at other art to be inspired. They make me feel things.” Seeing the startled expression on his face, you add, “Don’t you get like…shivers or something when you see a very nice wooden table?”

Oh, you made him uncomfortable. You sense that in an instant. His fingers trace the image of the painting, looking down, you notice the crease between his brows deepening with concentration. Was he concentrating on the image? In your words? You have no idea—the only thing you know is that this man concentrating on art is making your insides clench with a need. 

“Sorry,” he grumbles. “I didn’t mean it like that. I do think you’re a serious artist. It’s just…fuck that came out wrong. I just didn’t think you would put in this much effort to somethin’ I said,” he shakes his head. “Shit, I’m bad at this.” 

That undeniable need to touch him comes rushing back. You bite the inside of your bottom lip instead. “ I think I might’ve overreacted after hearing the same thing from my brother all the time. It’s all good. You might be the only one that takes me seriously so it was unfair for me to jump to conclusions like that.” 

“He don’t support you?” 

“He does…” you trail off. “In his own way, I guess.” 

“That doesn’t sound like support,” he answers, clicking his tongue. “And just FYI I like your butterflies better, sweet tea.” 

“Sweet tea?” you ask, lips curling with amusement and eyes widening with shock. 

He shrugs. “You said you liked Dorothea…somethin’---” 

“Tanning.” you quickly say. “So Sweet Tea as in…the last syllable of her name?” 

“Would you rather I call you Tea?” he asks, raising an eyebrow. 

“Nope!” you grin, your heart elevated. “Sweet Tea is perfect.” 

With a soft smile, Joel places the picture in front of you and gently taps on it. 

“Well then, Sweet Tea,” he says. “Tell me more about this surrealism thing.” 

[cinderella-ish]

furuba fanfic pet peeve: cursed animal epithets

i get that fanfic in general uses epithets ("the blonde" "the taller girl" etc...) a lot more than published works, but repeatedly referring to the fruits basket characters as their cursed animal spirits feels antithetical to so much of what the series was trying to say

when people judge you based on their perception of a label you didn't choose, they erase your humanity

kyo was only ever seen as the cursed cat by the sohmas, therefore they thought it was reasonable to blame a fucking child for his mother's suicide and lock him up for life because "tradition" and "that's his role"

yuki was seen as the blessed rat, leading to his own fucking mother selling him to an abusive cult leader and neglecting to intervene when the severity of his situation was made clear

outside of the curse, too, yuki was seen as the perfect prince and not seen as the complex, imperfect human being he actually was

it happens again and again- basically every character's arc is breaking free of the label that someone else put onto them

like... yes, they often have several traits in common with their animal, but never the traits that actually matter. sure, kyo has red hair and eyes with slits for pupils and he likes drinking milk and startles easily and takes a while to warm up to strangers, but he's also deeply kind, good at reading people, adorably awkward, and wears his heart on his sleeve. he's full of self-hatred and survivor's guilt from a lifetime of abuse and trauma to the point where he's basically been suicidal his whole life, yet he's still trying his best to keep living (whether he realizes this or not). tohru falls for him because of who he is, and not because he's the cat and she likes cats. he doesn't pedestalize her (another type of outside expectation that dehumanizes her) and lets her be just a girl who doesn't have to pretend everything is fine all the time. so it irritates me to see otherwise great fics keep reducing him to "the cat" over and over.

if you must use an epithet, at least don't do the same thing to these characters as the people who traumatized them

(obviously this doesn't include those rare instances when using the animal epithet makes sense, like when you're speaking from a specific character's perspective and they absolutely would see the character they're thinking/talking about as just their animal, or when an animal appears and the pov character doesn't realize it's a person, or when you're specifically talking about the spirit that possesses them. there are probably more times when it's fine but you get the point.)

[viatagrinner]

Keith Howell. Mean and awkward love for you. His POV

Mean Keith's POV.

February is not a good month for Mean Keith.

(Will there be a private meeting today after class?)

Getting a progress report from Liam, he finds MC on her way to the greenhouse.

He often sees a thick notebook in her hands lately.

Suddenly he feels a painful blow on his back.

Keith: Don't hit your master in the back with your fists.

It's Liam, asking if the prince heard him.

Keith: I was too busy watching my beloved to listen. Next time you hit me, I'll take a pay cut.

Liam sighs disappointedly, but remains silent as the prince watches MC disappear into the greenhouse.

(.....While she was walking, her head was full of Keith's birthday.)

Liam: She works with enthusiasm, doesn't she?

Keith: Yeah.

Liam: But you're not too happy about it.

Keith: .... Of course I'm happy. I never get tired of seeing my lover think about me.

Liam sighs irritably, Keith hasn't managed to fool him.

Keith doesn't like that MC is so immersed in thoughts of his birthday. But that's selfish of him. The prince can hardly contain his irritation.

(But thanks to MC, it's good that the other self can genuinely enjoy the holiday).

Liam: Are you really going to invite Lady MC to the birthday party? You know that some aristocrats still dislike the "imperfect prince."

(This guy, even though he's tough, worries.)

He pisses off the aristocrats.

(I pity the timid and gentle "me" who is looked down upon).

Keith: It doesn't matter what other people think. He became a different person.

(Because sometimes he gave up his goodness to protect MC, what's important to him.)

Keith: I know that the likelihood of some nobles doing something stupid to MC is not zero.

Keith: That's why I'm asking you to weed out the nasty guys from the party.

The prince wants the heroine to get used to life in Jade, and troubled guys get in the way.

However, he needs to talk to the girl right now. Before he leaves, Keith tells Liam that it is important that people in the castle know how devoted Keith is to MC.

(MC is kind to everyone. There are quite a few people with strange expectations.)

Liam realizes that mean Keith won't show up at the party.

━━━━━━━༻❀✿❀༺━━━━━━━

Greenhouse

Keith has been standing next to MC for several minutes now. While she is passionately reading notes in her notebook, he is trying to do her hair.

(I wonder if I'll be seen soon.)

Finally she pays attention. To her indignation, he replies that he was waiting for her to notice him.

Keith: I hope you like it? My cunning.

MC: ......I like it.

Keith: It's so nice of you to answer me honestly.

The girl asks you to stop teasing her.

(I think it's your fault that you're reacting in a way that makes me want to tease you.)

The girl's small hand closed the notebook.

When asked how much he saw, the prince replies that he wasn't looking, just playing with her "beautiful" hair.

He knew as soon as he met MC in the greenhouse that he would want to torture her.

Keith continued to play with her hair.

Keith: That way the hair on the side won't get in the way when you write.

The heroine apologizes for not noticing it right away.

Keith: I don't forgive you.

The prince gently bites MC on the back of the head. She wanted to avoid it, but the prince wouldn't let her. However, a large hand grabbed her shoulders, and many kisses fell on the heroine's skin. Just to touch her.

(I'd be happy to put a mark on her neck and show the others that she's mine, but I don't want anyone to see MC's flushed face.)

The prince had to restrain himself.

The heroine's small body trembled, and the corners of the prince's mouth naturally lifted at the sight of her trying to suppress her voice.

MC: What if someone comes?

Keith: No one will come. I don't want to be disturbed.

Liam's face flashed in the distance... But he didn't come any closer.

Keith: The punishment is over. Please don't mind me next time, okay?

There is a cake on the table. Keith realizes that she made it.

(This just keeps getting better and better.)

He's not interested in sweets, but he likes what MC does.

(Oh yes, I've been eating a lot of sweets lately.)

Keith: Are you learning how to make birthday candy?

She should learn how to make sweets better than she does now. Because everyone will notice at once that it is handmade.

The prince replies that the other Keith will only be happy about it.

MC asks not to say such nice things, because she is immediately pleased.

Keith: Don't worry about it. It's too late.

Human emotion is contagious.

The sight of her desperately pursing her lips made him feel a tickle in his heart.

However, the prince has a thing for the heroine.

(Go ahead and say that sooner....)

Keith sees that if he doesn't tell her, he will make the girl feel lonely and guilty, and he will regret it.

It's a common human emotion, but he doesn't want to experience it.

Keith: ...Sounds like you and the guys at the castle are busy getting ready for the birthday party.

When she asks about the cake, he replies that it's okay.

Keith: He loves sweets, so he'll gladly eat anything you make.

Keith: I also like what you make, regardless of the sweets.

Keith's golden eyes turn to the bright flowers in the greenhouse. His index finger tapped the table with a slight thud.

(It is strange to be uncomfortable with MC.)

Keith: I'm not going to show up on this day.

Keith: It shouldn't be that surprising. Don't worry about it. I can see you all right through him.

MC wants to know why he won't be there.

Keith: I'm glad you're putting up with it for him and me, but.. I hate being congratulated.

(I might regret saying that.)

Needless to say, his heart squeezed at the upset MC.

━━━━━━━༻❀✿❀༺━━━━━━━

Gentle Keith POV

February was a guilt-filled month for Keith.

In the hallway, the prince saw his beloved in the dress he had chosen especially for her.

Keith: You are beautiful, Miss MC.

Keith: Even though I bought this dress for the party, I don't want anyone to see you now.

Keith: It's so sweet and elegant that I think I'm going to stop blinking.

MC: Your eyes will get dry, so please blink.

Keith: Naturally. If I damage my eyes, I won't be able to see you completely.

( ..........So, I said what I wanted to say again without thinking.)

(What if she's sick of me? I don't want her to hate me.)

He felt a little embarrassed, but when he saw MC's flushed cheeks, he was relieved.

(Good you're embarrassed...... No, what do I mean, I'm glad you're embarrassed?)

(It was so embarrassing for MC, but what a cute reaction she has... I'm disgusting.)

The girl thanks the prince for the dress. She looks forward to wearing the outfit and standing next to Keith.

Keith: .... Me too.

He notices MC's anxiety.

(Is it normal to be anxious?)

He remembers the conversation between the other Keith and MC.

Wanting to respect her feelings, both Keiths don't want to give up the celebration.

(At times like this, I don't know what's right.)

Even Keith doesn't know why his other personality doesn't want to celebrate.

Keith doesn't understand why he confided in MC and told her honestly?

(I'm not a "he," but I'm still Keith.)

(If I were in his shoes, I probably would have done the same.)

Because Keith wants to cherish the girl, that's the only reason. But she won't talk about the other Keith herself.

Keith wants to take a walk with his beloved.

(.....But please forgive me for causing you a little trouble from now on.)

It was the moment the prince realized how much he simply and inexplicably loved her.

━━━━━━━༻❀✿❀༺━━━━━━━

Mean Keith POV

He wasn't going to come out, but he was pulled out by that guy who was too good-natured.

It's at times like this that gentle Keith becomes so insufferable that he forgets he's weak.

Mean Keith almost curses him for annoying him, but when he sees the relief on the heroine's face, he doesn't care.

Mean Keith admits to himself that he is very weak against MC.

She does wonder why he didn't want to celebrate.

He notices that he starts tapping his fingers on the table again.

(This habit must have been noticed by MC, too.)

Keith: I was half lying when I said I didn't like it. I figured if I told you that, you'd be convinced, no questions asked.

Keith: ........The day he was born is different from the day I was born as a person.

Keith: I was born because of his misfortune.

Keith: I don't think you want me to celebrate my birth instead of his unhappiness.

Keith: Even if my birth kept him alive.

━━━━━━━༻❀✿❀༺━━━━━━━

Flashback:

Mean Keith was born on a rainy, dank day. The rain trampled his body into the ground. And there was pain in his heart.

The tragedy in front of him made him sick with pain and anger that tore his heart apart.

Alter Keith knew the meaning of his existence from the moment he was born.

He endured and clung to life. And the first sound from him was laughter.

In that moment, he felt a slight relief in his body and knew for the first time in his life that fun was what made him feel at ease.

The flashback was over.

━━━━━━━༻❀✿❀༺━━━━━━━

That's why he loves lively places. Lively places are often fun.

(But right now I like being around MC more.)

The prince saw that the girl could hardly hold back her tears.

He likes the heroine's tears, but he hates the tears she sheds when she feels pain.

Keith: That's why I didn't want to tell you. You're going to cry.

The girl denies it.

Keith: Your cheeks aren't wet yet, so you're not crying? Stubborn and sweet.

He soothes her by stroking her cheek with the back of his finger, running his finger through her hair and rubbing her back.

He asks her not to apologize for crying, she did not see it.

MC says he cries for more than that. Even if he thinks he was born out of misfortune, the girl still wanted to celebrate the birth of the man she loves. And she wants the prince to accept it.

Keith knew in his heart that MC would say that.

(I expected that, but when you really say it, it's hard to react.)

His heart is restless. Maybe it's because he doesn't know how to accept these feelings.

━━━━━━━༻❀✿❀༺━━━━━━━

The cake was delicious. Keith couldn't get enough of his lover's happy smile every time he ate, and before he knew it, the plate was empty.

He wants MC to wish him a happy birthday. He decides that he will accept this day as the day he was born.

A little worried, the heroine congratulated him on his birthday.

Keith's heart clenched. He put the excited girl between his legs.

The prince blindfolded her. He hugs her tightly to keep her from escaping and feels the girl's body temperature.

Keith: I knew you were cuddly. You're small and soft and I want to torment you...

As Keith put his lips to the girl's cheek, the body in his hands trembled slightly.

Keith: It's fun not knowing what I'll do to you.

MC admits that instead of fun, she's even more nervous.

Keith: Then I'll take your hand.

Keith: When we hold hands, you always look happy, like a baby.

Keith kissed the back of her neck... Kissed all over and enjoyed the heroine's reaction.

Keith: Hey, MC. Let you congratulate me again.

MC: Happy birthday, Keith.

Keith: One more time.

MC: ? Happy Birthday.

The words of congratulations have accumulated in his heart over and over again.

When MC congratulates him, he doesn't feel bad.

Even though he was born out of misfortune, MC's words about wanting to celebrate may be the reason they have such an effect on him.

Keith: Keep celebrating, keep congratulating me, and keep making me happy, okay?

Keith: Really, you and that guy are both softies.

*A passionate kiss*

Keith: MC...

(I was born to protect, but MC saved me again.)

Keith and MC's intertwined fingers gently strengthened their grip, as if to express their mutual feelings.

There was no way to extinguish the flames anymore.

Now Keith is looking forward to February.

━━━━━━━༻❀✿❀༺━━━━━━━

Keith's Masterlist

[nirikeehan]

20 questions for fic writers

thank you @rowanisawriter for the tag!

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

*gulp* 60!!! HOW DID THAT HAPPEN???

2. what’s your total ao3 word count?

348,147. I repeat the question. (Almost a third is one fic, though.)

3. what fandoms do you write for?

I have written for Dragon Age, the Star Wars sequels, a teensy bit of the Witcher... and I GUESs now an obscure actual play DND podcast no one has heard of 🤷‍♀️

4. what are your top five fics by kudos?

The Force's Will (Star Wars sequels, Reylo)

Tactical Maneuvers (Dragon Age, Thalia x Cullen)

Through a Glass, Darkly (Dragon Age, Thalia x Cullen, Thalia x Samson)

Stealing the Light (Star Wars sequels, Reylo)

Forbearance (Dragon Age, Cullen & Dorian)

5. do you respond to comments?

Always!

6. what’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Bold of you to assume I finish fics. But among the one-shots Hiraeth (Cullen x Thalia) and Save Me a Dance (Blackwall x Thalia x Cullen love triangle) are sure in the running.

7. what’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Lmao idk. Maybe License to Lick (Cullen x Thalia)? It's very silly and I was deliberately trying to write fluff. (It's hard!)

8. do you get hate on fics?

Not yet, fingers crossed! I did get a spam comment once about one of my chapters of Through a Glass, Darkly supposedly being AI generated and just laughed. I was like, joke's on you, you WISH AI could come up with shit this weird. I think that was just (ironically) a bot programmed to hit any new updates at a certain point in time, though, because scores of people were getting them at once.

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind?

I guess so. The kind that's often awkward and imperfect, but hopefully still satisfying?

10. do you write crossovers? what’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I wrote a Dragon Age/Witcher crossover exchange fic once where Cassandra Pentaghast kissed Geralt of Rivia. And um, I am currently *checks notes* writing a Dragon Age OC adventure crossover with the DND campaign Curse of Strahd, also featuring at least one character from Curse of Strahd: Twice Bitten, that aforementioned obscure actual play DND podcast. Because Metrion is fucking amazing and there's nO FIC ABOUT THIS SERIES AT ALL AND IT'S MURDEIRNG ME DEAD

I had the idea while high on drugs. Sue me.

(Literally. I wish I could say they were the fun kind but I was prescribed some allergy meds that really FUCKED ME UP for awhile.)

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of!

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I know of!

13. have you ever co-written a fic before?

Sort of! Pravinquisition AU is a collaborative series between me and @monocytogenes, but we generally write different fics in the same timeline, not like, one fic together.

14. what’s your all-time favorite ship?

*blank stare* I have to pick one?

15. what’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

The Star Wars ones, currently. Once I started running a Star Wars ttrpg campaign, all my SW mojo went toward that, unfortunately.

16. what are your writing strengths?

Dialogue, plot-heavy stuff, coming up with weird af canon divergence aus, writing relatable characters and campy villains

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

Finishing literally anything

18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

hot take maybe but I think there's almost never a good reason to do so. you're basically just othering whatever culture it is you're trying to represent.

19. first fandom you wrote for?

Ironically, Star Wars.......... when I was 10. Unless you count Barbie as a fandom (which, maybe we are now?). Then I was doing that when I was like 7.

20. favorite fic you’ve ever written?

I'm a broken record when it comes to this, but it's probably A Little Grace, and Some Elegance. Cullen has a near-death experience overdosing on lyrium and then tells Thalia some key backstory between him and Samson via flashback. Started my Cullen & Samson doomed friendship obsession, and is probably some of the whumpiest whump I've ever whumped.

Tagging:  | @oxygenforthewicked | @monocytogenes | @inquisimer | @bluewren | @little--abyss | @theluckywizard | @melisusthewee