#*also this is NOT supposed to be a jab at anyone or at any characters

[mixelation]

more (a)synchronicity. the meetcute <3

ummm okay so one thing to remember is that minato has met tori TWICE and simply does not remember her because he hasn't realized she's the main character. but she remembers him. not fondly.

*****

There was a platoon of Kumo-nin squatting in a small riverside village. Minato killed them, as part of his general orders to keep enemy ninja out of the smaller countries as much as possible. He also found that getting on civilians’ good sides made his life easier. If he was lucky, they’d tell him some info and offer him food and lodging. 

He killed the first three Kumo-nin almost instantly when they came out of a home to confront him. The fourth and fifth took a couple minutes to hunt down, as all the villagers ran around and screamed and fled into their houses. The seventh had taken an old lady hostage in her own home, which was just pathetic. Minato caught the old lady as the Kumo-nin’s body fell. 

“Hey,” he said, putting her back on her feet. She was shaking, and he had no idea if that was just an old lady thing or she was upset. He smiled his most harmless and disarming smile at her. “Are you alright?”

He didn’t hear her answer— which didn’t really matter, because no one looked into his nicest smile and didn’t think they were okay— because someone stepped into the doorway. 

Like most of the homes in the village, this woman’s house was a single room. The Kumo-nin had darted in here at random and left the front door open. Minato turned, expecting to see a village leader or warrior. That’s usually who came and talked to him, before he could properly trot out his charm. Civilians were often terrified of ninja, especially in the small countries where they could be attacked or displaced by their wars at any moment. 

It wasn’t a leader or a fighter in the doorway though. It was a young woman, who watched him with curious dark eyes. Her dark hair was pulled back tightly, and the only thing that seemed slightly remarkable about her was that her frayed dress was an uncommon style to this area. 

“Hi,” Minato said brightly, friendly as can be. “Um— I just saved your grandmother here from those nasty ninja...”

“She’s not my grandmother,” the woman replied. She leaned against the doorframe, casual as could be. “But thanks, I guess. You’re not a nasty ninja too?”

“I’m a ninja,” Minato confirmed. He winked performatively at her. “But I’m not nasty. I’m from Konoha.”

She snorted, unimpressed. Well. He supposed his charm couldn’t work on everyone. 

The old lady was still shaking terribly. Minato helped her into the big plush chair she had at the foot of her bed. As he did this, an older man he’d bet was the village leader appeared at the doorway, and the woman explained, in a surprisingly bored drawl, he was Konoha and that he’d killed all seven Kumo-nin. 

The seventh one’s body was still in the middle of the room. Minato stepped over it to greet the leader. 

“Is everyone alright?” he asked first. The leader boggled back at him. The woman just raised her eyebrows. 

The leader had barely acknowledged her. Minato was drawing a blank for what her role might be. Not important, not impressed by ninja, even charming helpful ninja… Village weirdo?

“I’m Minato, a Jounin of Konoha,” he introduced himself, jabbing his thumb at his headband. “Those ninja that were harassing you were Kumo. As your ally, I’m happy to—”

“Konoha isn’t our ally,” the woman said, eyes meeting his. A tiny smirk crossed her face. “You’re on the Grass side of the river. The Kumo-nin were our allies.”

Minato had known this. He introduced himself as an ally to basically all civilians in the smaller countries, to help with his friendly persona and promote Konoha’s image. People rarely called him out, because during this war, ninja were almost uniformly horrible to civilians outside of their homelands. A lone handsome and friendly Konoha-nin was almost always anyone’s preference, even if their country was technically at war with Konoha. 

“Also— why do ninja always talk like we have no idea what their hitai-ate mean?” the woman asked.

Well. It had never occurred to Minato that people in a backwater town might be well-versed in ninja customs. 

“Reina…” the village leader said, shooting the woman a warning look. Then he turned back to Minato. “The Kumo-nin were stealing our food, disrupting our work, and harassing our women. We’re thankful you got rid of them.”

Minato smiled. Reina rolled her eyes and walked away. 

The leader went on to say that he would happily host Minato for the night as thanks, but he would have to report the attack to Kumo. He apologized that the message would likely reach the nearest administrative camp quickly, only giving Minato a few days to vacate the area before they were alerted. 

“It’s okay,” Minato said cheekily. “I’m fast.”

The village buzzed to life after that. The Kumo-nin bodies were moved, rolled in cloth and lined up in the shade of the town square in case Kumo wanted them. Villagers rushed about, checking on friends and family. The old lady’s actual grandson bowed deeply to Minato in thanks. 

Minato sat on the edge of the bone-dry fountain in the middle of the square, watching all this. The villagers seemed a little jittery around him— eyeing him in evident fear whenever one scuttled past— so he didn’t want to do anything that might scare them. It was boring, but he obediently sat still and tried not to bounce his leg too much all day long. 

The village leader’s wife came over and introduced herself, and then offered Minato with some onigiri to snack on. He asked about the old lady and was assured she was fine. 

“I wouldn’t mind,” Minato said, turning up the charm as he accepted the riceballs, “chatting with you and your husband about anything interesting going on around here.”

“Around here…?” the wife said. “The most interesting thing is you.”

She smiled bashfully. Ah, well. At least his charms were working on someone. 

“No other ninja?” Minato pressed. 

“Oh,” the wife said. “Well, I’ll ask around. My husband will surely tell you more at dinner.”

She left. 

The sun lowered in the sky, and the village calmed. Reina sauntered over to him. 

“You look bored,” she said. “Do you want to do something useful?”

“Sure?” Minato replied, half-convinced she was going to tell him to go clean something.

“Don’t worry,” she said, and finally offered him a real smile. “It’s interesting.”

Minato hopped to his feet. 

Reina led him through the village, seemingly completely unbothered to have a ninja at her back. Civilians were like that, he guessed. It was weird, but it wasn’t suspicious. He watched the bun at the back of her head loosen ever so slightly with every step as she marched down the main road. 

(Improperly tied hair… also a very weird civilian thing.)

“There’s a ninja paper down in the river,” she explained as she walked. “I noticed it a few days ago. I guess the Kumo-nin put it there, but I don’t know why.”

“Ninja paper?” Minato asked.

She turned slightly to look at him with one eye as she walked. 

“You know the… special paper.” She drew a few random circles in the air with her finger for him. “With the squiggles?”

That was, actually, potentially, extremely interesting. It could be evidence left by their mysterious fuinjutsu user. It could be the final clue Minato needed to find them. 

Or, more likely, given the mystery fuinjutsu user tended to paint or carve onto natural objects, it was just one of the Kumo-nin’s fishing traps. But it could be a clue. 

They passed the border of the village, and the cobblestone street turned to a packed dirt path. Minato quickened his step slightly to walk next to Reina. 

“Is it doing anything?” he asked. 

She gave him a look. “Doing anything…? Don’t they just explode if you step on them?”

Not doing anything then, okay. So she just thought it was a safety hazard she’d need another ninja to get rid of. 

“You said it was in the river?” he prompted instead. 

“Yeah, it’s in the water,” she said. “It’s like… um…” She made a few hand gestures which were meaningless to Minato, and then had the grace to look embarrassed. “Well, you’ll see.”

The path rose over a slight hill, and then they could see the river down below. It wasn’t very big or impressive here, but a lot of trade traffic would come through here in peace times. The banks were manmade stone walkways, to aid with the horses than sometimes lead boats. 

“It’s up there,” Rein said, pointing. She stepped off the path to make a more direct route across the grass down to the riverside. “I marked it so I could find it again.”

They walked maybe thirty minutes. Minato didn’t mind. The breeze was nice, and this area of the country was all open fields, meaning he could see down the river for what felt like miles. It would be sunset soon, and the sun was already glinting off the water in pretty ways. He still preferred the shade of Fire Country’s forests, but it was nice to be able to see so far every once in a while. 

He did try to talk to Reina, as they walked. She didn’t seem like she had much to say about the maybe-seal she was walking him to, but a good shinobi was always fishing for information. 

She seemed cagey at first, but with some light, half-joking flirtations that made her make unimpressed faces at him, he got her to open up about her life. She complained the village had nothing to do and that she had to walk to another town if she even wanted to buy a book. When he asked why she didn’t leave, she looked at him like he was stupid. 

He was almost starting to take those looks personally. 

“Because I have no money, and ninja are shooting fireballs at each other all over the place,” she said. Then she looked away, kicking a pebble down the embankment and into the river. “Plus someone has to raise my little brother.”

At some point, Reina’s bun loosened to the point where she had to take it down. 

“Ugh,” she said, pulling the tie and then shaking out her hair. “Did you know war can make hair tie shortages?”

She held up a deformed elastic tie for him, as if making some sort of point. 

“Why don’t you just… use a ribbon?” he tried. He knew Kushina liked the elastic ones because she was always complaining about snapping them, but Kotone had only ever used cloth ties. 

Reina stared at him like the thought had never occurred to her. Minato smiled uncertainly back. She was a village girl. Surely she knew about traditional hair ties? Or pins? What were hair pins for? He’d picked them out of lovers’ hair before. They must have been doing something. 

Minato suddenly felt like he’d only ever known two women in his entire life. 

“Your hair is curly,” he observed, and then immediately felt deeply stupid. 

“Oh,” Reina said, a hand resting where her hair fell over her shoulder. It was quite long too, although not as long as Kushina’s. It was also clearly tangled and unwashed. “Well, right now it’s more like a mess…”

“I think it’s pretty,” Minato said, flashing his best, most charismatic smile at her. “It suits you.”

He wasn’t even lying. It really did make her look like the village weirdo, suiting her perfectly. 

She turned away, her cheeks clearly pink. 

Ha! Gotcha, Minato thought. Finally. 

They came to the right part of the river a few minutes later. Reina had stacked up a tower of flat river stones right at the edge of the embankment. Minato stood next to the tower and peered down into the river. It was only maybe knee-deep at the edge, and the water was clear enough that he could easily make out every stone at the bottom. 

“It’s further out,” Reina said, pointing. 

Minato watched her over his shoulder as he stepped out onto the water, waiting for her look of wonder as she realized what he was doing. Instead, she just sort of smiled blithely at him and squatted next to the rock tower. Minato felt bizarrely disappointed. 

What are you expecting, Namikaze? Minato chided himself as he plodded out across the river. What had he become, that his ego needed him to be able to impress this random civilian woman? She’s just the village weirdo. Who cares if she doesn’t think you’re charming?

He spotted the “ninja paper” soon after. It was a standard tag tied to a kunai wedged in the rocks below, waving gently in the current. Minato squatted, squinting down at it. He couldn’t make out the actual seal on the tag, but it was the wrong shape for an exploding tag. 

“Well?” Reina called. “Aren’t you going to go get it?”

He turned his face to look at her. One of her hands was absentmindedly tracing a pattern over the top rock of the tower. She was watching him eagerly, more eager than she’d been all day. 

“Go on,” she said, a nearly flirtatious tease in her voice. “Dive down and get it, Konoha.”

“No,” Minato said slowly. Something was wrong. “It could be a trap. Reina, how did you see it all the way out here?”

“Hm?”

He stood fully. His hand twitched at his side, itching for a kunai. But— no— she was a civilian. He didn’t want to scare her until he was certain. He could still get info out of her village, and he’d make that job a lot harder for himself if he freaked out their weirdo. 

“The ninja tag,” he said. “How did you find it?”

“Oh,” Reina said, blinking at him in what seemed like full understanding. 

Then her little smirk was back, sure of herself in a way that almost looked dangerous. The setting sun glinted in her hair, caught in her curls and turning them almost red. She pushed the rock tower over, the stones plopping into the water. 

Minato did not react immediately, because she was just a civilian tossing some rocks in the river. But then, suddenly, he was underwater, and the water was boiling. 

The pain kept him from reacting immediately. Every inch of his skin lit up in pain. There was a force sucking him down, preventing him from moving his limbs and escaping the way his brain was demanding. He squeezed his eyes shut to protect them and grabbed mentally for any Hiraishin marker. He had no idea where the one he picked was— his brain was confused and screaming at him about the pain and he couldn’t tell which way was up or down. 

Then he was on land, cold air on his blistering skin. He took a deep, calming breath. Everything hurt, but now it hurt in a way he was more accustomed to. He could focus. He was in an empty field. The civilian woman had tricked him— had— had— he had no idea what she’d done. He didn’t know anything that could make that happen, except maybe a very creative and pissed off Kiri-nin. 

He teleported to the Konoha hospital next. Leaving a marker there had seemed like a convenient idea to him when he’d done it, but he’d left the marker in the room he’d been staying in when he’d made the decision. The nurse currently in there screamed. 

He got immediate medical treatment, though. 

Kushina came to visit him on the second day of his hospitalization, and he succeeded in not crying in front of her. She succeeded in holding back on making fun of him for being a light shade of pink. 

“Stupid,” Kushina told him from her seat by his bed. “You’re lucky you didn’t boil your eyes out of your head.”

He’d gotten out quick enough he’d done no permanent damage to himself, at least not with Konoha’s medical intervention, his medic-nin had said. He hadn’t corrected her that any damage done to his person would have been inflicted by a random civilian woman. The report he was going to have to write on this would be embarrassing enough. 

If he’d been in the water much longer, he'd have been at risk for boiling his organs, including his brain, which not even Tsunade-hime could undo. He was certain this would have happened if he’d listened to Reina and dived for the tag. If he’d floundered for a minute more, he’d be literally coked. 

“I think it was the fuinjutsu user,” Minato explained to Kushina, after he’d filled her in on the whole story. Talking hurt, because he’d damaged almost all of his skin. “The village weirdo must have… figured out how to use the seal, or they taught her how, or something.”

“All that in one little seal, though?” Kushina asked. Her brow was furrowed, like she was trying to figure out a puzzle. 

“It’s not impossible,” Minato said, but Kushina looked doubtful. 

He was inclined to believe her doubt. Jiraiya liked to brag that Minato was a fuinjutsu master, but the only thing he had on Kushina was more experience in space-time fuinjutsu. If she disagreed with him on anything else, well, she was probably right. 

“How have you been?” Minato asked. Kushina puffed up her cheeks and exhaled. 

“I spent ten hours yesterday decoding a report,” she said. “I swear to every god there is, training genin was better than this—”

Minato relaxed back into the lumpy hospital pillow to listen to her rant. Kushina had recently switched to a purely office role for a pay bump, and because she wanted a break from training “brats” up to be battlefield ready. She’d thought she’d be spending all her time on fuinjutsu development, but she was frequently being saddled with administrative odd jobs. This was, to Minato’s understanding, just something that happened now due to the war. More and more able bodied shinobi were being sent out, and so there were fewer people to do the gruntwork at home. 

“If you're bored,” Kushina said, suddenly brightening up. “You can decode reports, and I can go back to trying to figure out a water purification seal that also fits in a canteen.”

She came back later in the evening with a convenience store bento (which was vastly superior to Minato’s hospital dinner) and a stack of coded reports. 

“Have fun!” she cooed. 

Minato thought about just not doing the work, with the excuse that he had burns on over 90% of his body. But… he was bored. 

Needless to say, when he was finally released a week later, he was itching to do something, even if he’d been warned off anything but “light” exercise. Interrogating a civilian would be light, wouldn’t it?

At least one of his markers was still in the village in Grass Country, left on one of the kunai he’d used in his initial attack. He dressed in his uniform, double checked his weapons, and went in. 

He landed on a table, which groaned and shifted under his weight. A man with a Kumo hitai-ate was two feet away from him, and he let out a sad muted scream of surprise. Minato slit his throat before he could properly finish his yell. 

There were two other shinobi in the room, but they were both dead a second later. 

Minato took a moment to assess the situation. The room matched the same style of single-room home as the village, so he probably was actually there. The rickety table held all three kunai he’d left behind: one of his Hiraishin ones, and two standard issue ones. There was also a scroll unraveled, where someone had evidently taken notes on the incident where he’d killed seven Kumo-nin.

Annoying, he thought, lips thinning. If Kumo was using their brains, they’d have sent more than these shinobi. Minato spun a kunai in his fingers a couple times, preparing for a fight. This still counted as light exercise, right?

In the next ten or so minutes, he combed the village and hunted down and killed a grand total of fourteen more Kumo-nin. His heart rate was barely elevated by the end of it. No way his medic would be mad at him. 

When none of the villages came out to speak to him, he went to the house of the village leader and knocked on the door. 

“I need to speak to Reina, please,” he said. As an afterthought, he smiled. 

“She’s gone,” the leader said, clearly nervous. 

Minato raised his eyebrows. “You really don’t want to be lying to me,” he said. 

“N-no,” the leader said, putting his hands up defensively. “She really is gone. We thought she left with you.”

Minato narrowed his eyes. “A young woman just disappeared with a ninja, and you didn’t follow up?”

“I…” The leader was fidgeting now. “I apologize if she offended you. She’s not one of us. None of us know who she is or where she came from. If she did anything, it doesn’t have anything to do with us.”

Minato stared. What the fuck?

“P-please,” the leader said. “Kumo is already fining us for the other shinobi you killed. We can’t afford—”

“Tell me more about Reina,” Minato pressed. 

He didn’t care about the leader’s cowering or begging that he just leave them alone. He was done trying to charm and play nice; he’d already killed too many ninja in this village. No amount of smiling and happy words would redeem him, and he was feeling too impatient for that today anyway. 

Reina, apparently, had shown up only a few days before the Kumo-nin, claiming to be a distant relative of a recently deceased elderly man, sent to clear out his things. She’d presented his death certificate as proof. She’d been living in the man’s home and hadn’t spoken much to anyone. Everything she’d said about her life in the village to him had been a bald-faced lie. 

“Anyone can get a death certificate,” Minato said. “That’s not proof. Why did you trust her?”

The village leader was clearly upset. His voice shook as he spoke. 

“We didn’t… we didn’t think like that…” 

Oh good, so the whole town had just believed her story with zero follow up questions. 

The village leader seemed to realize how little MInato thought of him. He tried, “She was useful. She wasn’t afraid to speak to the ninja for us. We never questioned her.”

Minato asked some more questions, but the leader had nothing else to share. Minato made him show him the old man’s home. When he told the leader he no longer needed him, the man ran from him. 

Minato searched the house. For a place she was supposedly cleaning out for several weeks, there were still a lot of things left behind, to the point that it was unclear if Reina had taken anything at all. Minato found no valuables, so either she’d taken them, or the man had none to begin with. She had… eaten all of his nonperishable food?

There were a couple of items of women’s clothing tossed into a laundry basket, and a mug decorated with cutesy cartoon crabs on the table that Minato doubted had belonged to the old man. There were still a few sips of coffee in the mug. Minato poured out the coffee and stored the mug and the clothes in a scroll. 

He went down to the river next. It only took a few minutes at ninja speed, but with the stone tower now gone, it took him a while to relocate the site where she’d attempted to boil him alive. He spotted the kunai eventually, still wedged into the bed of the river and sporting a tag. 

Minato was hesitant to stick his hand back in the water, even if it was now a completely normal temperature. He’d taken a fire poker from the old man’s home, and he used it to hook the kunai and pull it up. The water wasn’t deep; he probably could have stood up if he hadn’t been busy being boiled. 

The seal on the kunai’s tag was nonsense. It literally did nothing but move chakra around inside of it. That was, it would do nothing but move chakra around if it had any chakra in it at all. 

Minato walked back to shore and sat on the stone embankment, feeling completely flummoxed. The tag was completely nonfunctional. 

So, Reina was some sort of run-of-the-mill conartist, but he didn’t understand what her goal had been, or how it connected to the mystery fuinjutsu user. Maybe the Kumo-nin occupying the town had disrupted her plan? But who had made the boiling trap, and how had she known how to activate it? The mystery fuinjutsu user had a history of helping civilians. Had they told Reina she could use it on the Kumo-nin, and instead she’d decided to use it on Minato?

He turned that last idea around in his brain for a while. Setting a death trap for ninja was pretty consistent with the mystery fuinjutsu user’s MO. But seven ninja was more than they usually went after. They did not seem to care about confronting high-ranking ninja, but they usually isolated ninja before acting; for whatever reason, they were opposed to facing multiple opponents. Besides, Minato could not see how this trap would even work on seven people. 

And how had the trap worked at all?

Minato sat cross legged on the embankment and closed his eyes, focusing on replaying the moment in his mind. 

He thought of Reina, in her out of place dress that was out of place because she was. He remembered her coaxing him to dive, and then her face when he’d asked her how she’d found it. 

She hadn’t been afraid. He thought about her eyes, wide with understanding, her lips slightly parted. That wasn’t the face of a woman realizing she’d been caught in her own trap. That was her realizing she’d won. 

She won, Minato realized. She’d won the second he hadn’t drawn a weapon, and she’d known it. She’d known exactly how the trap worked, and exactly how ninja worked. She couldn’t be as fast a ninja, but she knew how to take advantage of a moment of hesitation. 

No, she won before that, Minato decided. She’d won when she’d gotten him on the water and told him to dive. If he’d not found her suspicious, he might have dived, or he’d be distracted getting the kunai, and she would have activated the trap and maybe killed him. If he’d found her suspicious, she could choose not to activate the trap, and he would have pulled up a useless kunai and left her alone. The worst that would have happened is that he’d found out she’d made up a brother for some reason, but he’d have no reason to be personally offended over that.

But instead of any of those options, he’d found her suspicious and then hesitated like a damn fool, and she’d recognized her opening. 

He thought about her triumphant smirk, about how her curls had framed her face, how the sun had lit her eyes up a warm brown. 

Then she’d dumped her rocks in the river. 

Minato pushed down his nervousness over the water and stepped in, picking up rock after rock along the riverside. 

An hour later, he had four rocks with half-faded seals painted on them. 

This was a really creative but nasty trap, he had to say. This would have killed most ninja. 

It was... almost exciting. He hadn't lost to anyone in forever.

He got out his storage scroll to add the rocks to the things from the house. It was dangerous to seal a seal into another seal, but the chakra on the rocks was long faded. They wouldn’t be boiling anyone alive. 

He frowned at the rocks as he put them away one by one, mentally cataloging his first impressions of them. 

Even if Reina was given the trap by the mystery fuinjutsu user, why had she been so confident about how it worked? It was clear now that she was comfortable around ninja and had probably worked with them before, but… 

On a hunch, he unsealed the mug. He turned it over in his hands. Cartoon crabs marched around it in rings, and every few crabs was a heart. 

Village weirdo, Minato thought, almost affectionately. Then he flipped the mug over. 

On the bottom, drawn in a practiced hand, was a seal to keep the mug warm. 

Ah, he thought.

Reina was the mystery fuinjutsu user. 

#asynchronicity #my writing

[hulhudhonado]

Ornithophile

Synopsis: Jing Yuan is a bird magnet. As harmless as it sounds, it seems to lead to misunderstandings.

CW: Nothing

HC: Reader works under Yukong. Reader is gender-neutral.

Characters: Jing Yuan, Yukong, Fu Xuan, Mentions of Tingyun and Yanqing

Note: Genshin to Honkai pipeline is real omg. Honestly I am not that interested in Honkai Star Rail or any of the Honkai games but I do play it and let me tell you I love this man. The characters in this game do not miss. Already making drafts for a Sampo fic. My one goal is to max them out. Also anyone interested in Aeons fanfic? Just asking. Anyway, please make sure to like, comment or reblog. Interactions with the post lets it reach a wider audience. Requests are also open! Enjoy.

Jing Yuan was used to the attention given to him, it wasn’t shocking to him. An individual of his status always would draw attention amongst the crowds. However, most people tend to divert their eyes or at least make an effort to pretend they weren’t staring, especially when they weren’t supposed to. It was considered a decent thing to do. However you on the other hand clearly did not understand this concept.

The first time he had caught your eyes, he waited for you to shyly look away like most people did, however to his surprise you kept a stern gaze towards him, refusing to move. It did phase him a bit, how strange that you had no shame to look away knowing that you had been caught. He chuckled to himself, that time he gave you the benefit of the doubt. Maybe you felt it was more awkward to look away.

However, the staring continued. You stared at him whenever you had the chance. He could feel your gaze burning from the back of his head. How were you so confident? Does he not scare you? Do you not understand authority? Maybe you just didn’t have the shame to hide the fact that you adored looking at him. He tried not to crack a smile every time he did catch you staring. He didn’t want others to know why he was laughing at himself.

It wasn’t a surprise to him, having people fall for him. Tingyun was already making sales from his looks, so it was clear that many people were head over heels for him. Maybe you were just like them, an admirer who was terrible at keeping a secret. He didn’t mind, he was already used to the attention.

—

“You seem to be distracted these days. Is your age finally catching up to you?” Fu Xuan jabbed. Jing Yuan let out a chuckle “ I don’t know what you mean.” He answered, unphased. Documents were piling up and Yanqing still didn’t have a decent partner to train with, he had too many unnecessary things piling up on his head. Fu Xuan was clearly here to mess with him for letting things go on for this long.

“Don’t try to hide, you have been laughing to yourself or cracking smiles out of the blue! Have you finally lost it?” She asked once more. Honestly not what he had expected her to say. He thought she was here to clown him for not finishing his work on time, he didn’t realise he had got caught. She continued. “If so, I’m willing to take your place any day for your ‘early’ retirement.”

Jing Yuan rolled his eyes, looking back at the screen in front of him. “If you don’t have anything better to do you’re free to leave. My mental state is perfectly fine.” Fu Xuan let out a smirk. “It won’t be for long.” 

Jing Yuan turned to her, he didn’t want to give her attention especially when he was this busy, but Fu Xuan was not going to stop fishing for answers.  Raising an eyebrow he decided to take the bait.“And what makes you say that?” Fu Xuan let out an almost sinister laugh. Jing Yuan could only frown, he didn’t like the sound of that. 

“I recently foresaw a future of yours.” The room felt cold in an instant. Jing Yuan was now fully focused on Fu Xuan, who continued to smirk victoriously. It didn’t seem to be serious but it didn’t seem to be a good thing either. “What did you see?” He asked nervously, he tried his best to hide it, he didn’t need to give Fu Xuan any more openings.

Fu Xuan pretended to think, withholding the information rather than stating it at once. Jing Yuan sighed, of course, Fu Xuan would want to have the high ground. “I’ll repeat, what did you see?” He stated once more, a more serious tone plaguing his words.

Fu Xuan scoffed. “You’re no fun.”

“If it involves me then it involves Xianzhou Luofu and its people. I would rather not be left in the dark about this.” Fu Xuan shrugged. “It isn’t something serious. If it was, I would have told you about it instantly. You know I am not one to take my time.”

“Then why hide it from me?” “Because it’s funny.” Jing Yuan sighed. “Just tell me.”

“Don’t feel like it.” And with that Fu Xuan's hologram disappeared. Jing Yuan huffed, how annoying. It seemed that people around him were forgetting what respect meant.

—

Yukong never made physical trips to meet with Jing Yuan regarding any issues on the Xianzhou Luofu. It was a big ship, and it was a waste of time to constantly travel back and forth when they could communicate via holograms.

However it was always safe to bring confidential documents face to face, a third party might cause leaks. To his surprise, you tagged alongside her during one of their rare trips. However, for once, you didn’t look up to look at him. He tried his best to focus on what Yukong kept saying but his eyes kept wandering back to you. Why were you not looking up? Was it because this was the first time you had seen him face to face? However he didn’t like this, he wished you would just look up like usual.

“Tingyuan couldn’t make it?” He asked, trying to focus the shift on you. You jolted up, now nervously looking at Yukong who also was caught off guard. Yukong looked back at you, before turning back to Jing Yuan trying to seem unphased. “Yeah, she was assigned a task alongside the trailblazers. You had assigned her to them.” She asked.

“Hmm, I did? “ Jing Yuan asked in a playful tone. You still didn’t turn to look at him, now just looking down at the floor to not draw any more attention. He couldn’t hold a smile on his face anymore, he was getting annoyed. Why today of all days you decide not to look at him? 

He wanted to see your face properly, not in his hologram form. As advanced as things were in Xianzhou Luofu, when he is in his hologram form he can’t see everyone clearly. It was like being stuck behind a screen. Now that he was finally face-to-face with his ‘staring partner’ he wanted to see what you looked like.

“Well, since things in the Xianzhou Luofu are not settled yet, I would prefer if you could hand me documents face to face from now.” Yukong blinked, before realising what he had stated. “But sir, that would take some time, and I can’t always make trips here when I need to take care of my team.” Jing Yuan tilted his head, pretending to be oblivious to his schemes. “You can just ask Tingyuan, or your companion right next to you. If you trust them to accompany you then I’m certain they can help you bring me these documents. Am I wrong?”

His statement finally made you look up. He believed he was ready to face your gaze, but he was being too cocky it seemed. When he had locked eyes with you he almost looked away with how sudden it was. Your gaze was sharp and strong, just as the times you had looked at him before. You had a poker face, attentive to your work since Jing Yuan had personally entrusted you to do Yukong’s work. It seemed the hologram way of communicating had dulled down the intensity of your gaze full of determination. Jing Yuan didn’t expect to get such a whiplash.

He held his ground, he didn’t need any reason to feel shy now. Fu Xuan’s words started to replay in his head, he wasn’t sure why. You couldn’t be the reason for his downfall, could you? There was no way. 

Yukong sighed, interrupting the spiral Jing Yuan had going inside his mind. “Of course. We won’t disappoint you. “ She answered. “I’m glad to hear that.” Jing Yuan smiled, his gaze never leaving you as you did the same. 

—

It wasn’t surprising that you made most of the trips. He found out that you were new to the job, at least to Yukong’s sector. Since Tingyuan was busy with the trailblazers and Yukong had her duties to attend to, you ended up being the special courier for any confidential documents. Most of the documents were digitised so your trips weren’t common, but Jing Yuan made it his mission to make sure you somehow ended up in his office.

Was this corruption from the higher-ups? Probably, if anyone knew what he was doing they would think he was bullying you but he didn’t mean any harm. He just likes the mini-staring matches you both have. Not many people look at him with such confidence. 

It also didn’t seem to be an issue as it seemed that you liked the job. No matter how many times you were told to bring in documents, you always followed through without complaining. Tingyuan tended to ask for bargains while Yukong would straight up avoid making rounds. You on the other hand would be ready to make a delivery in an instant. It was probably due to the fact you were still new to the job, but he liked to pretend it was because you wanted to see him often.

He smiled to himself thinking about it. He didn’t like how much of a narcissist he was. He knew people loved him but having his delusions of someone liking him more than just the ruler of the Xianzhou Luofu must be his breaking point. Fu Xuan was on to something, you must be his downfall.

—

It was like any other day, you made the delivery and you were going to head back to your station. However, Jing Yuan was getting tired of this. It was any day now that the trailblazers would be done with the Stellaron attacks and he would finally have to step in to fix what was left. This means everything would return to normal and your trips wouldn’t be necessary anymore. All these trips didn’t make you both any closer either, you were keeping a distance between the two of you.

He also noticed how you reduced staring, it seems you had caught on the fact that he knew you were staring. He honestly was surprised you didn’t realise it sooner, it wasn’t like you were hiding it. But now whenever he would catch your eyes you would jolt up as if he caught you doing something horrible. If it was in the past he wouldn’t have minded, but now whenever you looked away he felt frustrated.

As the day was going to end as it usually did, Jing Yuan finally snapped. He needed to change this routine you both had created. “May I ask you a question?” He asked. He caught you so off guard you dropped the documents on the ground. Scattering them all over the floor. In an instant you dropped down, to collect the papers off the ground. He followed suit, trying to help.

“Oh, you don’t need to do that sir!” You try not to stutter. You didn’t expect him to ask you anything. You guys never spoke anymore than anything related to work, so the sudden question caught you off guard. “ Don’t mind me, I just wanted to ask a question. I didn’t think it was that shocking.” He chuckled.

You nervously laugh, continuing to gather all the materials before he could get any more. To your horror, he had already collected most of it. However, the piles of paper were now in a mess, completely unorganised from how it was originally arranged.

“You can sit with me and chat while we organise these.” He stood up smiling, mockingly shaking the documents towards you while you tried not to get embarrassed. “My apologies sir.” You mumble, standing up with the little amount you were able to get. “I’ll forgive you if you answer my questions.” The way he spoke was so calm. He was a ruler for a reason, his voice was loud in battle and comforting to his citizens. You instantly felt at ease when he didn’t seem to mind.

“I’ll take you up on that offer, sir.”

—

When he said questions, he meant a lot of questions. He asked why you chose the job, what you liked, your interests, and your hobbies. He was ticking off everything at this point. You of course answered. The way he articulated the questions and the calm sound of his voice seemed to have entranced you. You were certain if he was a lawyer he would have gotten the answers right out of you in an instant. It was no wonder he was in such a high position.

“You seem to stare a lot don’t you?” A question that you didn’t expect. He smiled, eyes closed ready for an answer. Did he catch you off guard? He hoped so, he wanted to tease you a bit, making you realise that your silly little crush on him was already discovered. Maybe it was sudden but with how truthfully you were answering his questions he didn’t expect you to lie your way out of this.

You could feel the rush of blood on your face. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to stare! It’s just…” you cut yourself off. He patiently waited for your answer. What could it be? Did you like his face? Many people did, it was the reason Tingyuan was making a fortune for so many years. Or perhaps you would be bolder and say you liked his body? His clothes and armour enhanced its appeal. Or maybe his hair? It reminded of a lion’s mane to most and Yanqing would always mention how elegant it looked, even after he had spared the entire day. He wasn’t even sure how it stayed in such luscious conditions.

He tried not to tap the table, eager for your answer. He could hear his heartbeat increase its speed, he didn’t realise how nervous he was. What was it about him that you just couldn’t help but look? He needed to know now.

“ The bird.” It was almost a whisper when you spoke. He wasn’t even sure he heard you properly. “The bird?” He repeated, a bit dumbfounded. You nodded, guilt leaving your body but suddenly feeling sheepish. You can’t believe you were going to admit this.

“ You always have a bird in your hair. It’s so unphased I always wondered whether it was tamed.” You continue to say. You watched Jing Yuan stare at you, unable to speak. You took this as a sign to continue. “Well you see, I love looking at birds. Especially since in Xianzhou Luofu, they are quite rare. But you have one always on your shoulder! So when I first saw it I was so shocked. If you don’t mind me asking, could you tell me what type it is? Is it a Zebra finch? A Waxbill? The red beak makes it a bit prominent but I couldn’t see its feather pattern so I couldn’t tell what type it was.”

As you continued to go on and on about the bird, Jing Yuan was trying his best not to show any signs of embarrassment. He couldn’t believe this. He had thought this entire time you had looked at him due to admiration. Honestly, it was his fault for making up delusions on his own but he didn’t expect this. You were staring at the birds that usually landed on his shoulder and hid around his hair. He was so used to it he completely forgot they even stuck next to him while he worked.

A sudden notification came to your phone which made you stop your little bird talk. You read it and immediately stood up an instance. “Oh no! The time!” You almost shout, your worried gaze not looking away from the phone. You look at Jing Yuan sadly, and he could feel his heart was close to bursting. Not only from his embarrassment but also how unhappy you looked knowing that you would have to depart from him.

“I’m so sorry I couldn’t organise all the documents in time. I’ll make it up to you next time sir!” You begin to gather your things and head out. As you near the door you turn back to him shouting. “I apologise if this is inappropriate, but I hope to talk to you again!” You say. You take a bow before turning back and running out the door.

All Jing Yuan could do was stare as you left. Suddenly he could feel all the emotions he had held back to save face flowing out. He slumped on the desk, hands on his face trying to cover his face which was completely red. He could not believe this had happened to him. 

He heard a little chirp near his ear. He looked to the side, to see his little bird friend peeping at him in glee. “You did this to me.” He grumbled, glaring at the bird who continued to chirp, almost as if it was laughing at him. Sighing, he slumped back on his chair, trying not to think about what just had happened.

He couldn’t help it though. It made sense now, you probably were curious about the bird, trying to figure out what kind it was. He was the one overthinking it, making up stories in his head where you profess your love to him. No wonder Fu Xuan said what she did. She knew this was going to happen.

He sighed, picking up his little friend off his shoulder onto his hand. After making a mental note on finding a way to get back at Fu Xuan, he began to think about you again. He was already too deep into this, he was going to make you like him back. He stroked the bird’s head as it peeped in delight. He looked down at it as it playfully nipped at his finger.

Another idea popped into his head. The last words you said played in his head again as he stared at the bird who danced around in the palm of his hands. He felt a smile creep on his face.

“Well, at least I can figure out what we are going to be talking about next time we meet.” He chuckled to himself, humming a tune alongside the bird. He was already too deep into this, and he was not going to let you go that easily. 

He was going to make you look at him the same way he looked at you, one way or another. Who would have thought a love of birds would lead to this?

Good luck!

#jing yuan x reader #honkai star rail x gender neutral reader #honkai star rail x reader #hsr x gender neutral reader #hsr x reader #jing yuan x gender-neutral reader

[tsukkiibaby]

voice;

feat: miya osamu

genre/warnings: sfw, fluff, royal!au (i'm trying here so don't judge), guard!osamu x princess!reader, one character looking down reader's dress

wc: 2900+

. ｡˚others may not be able to tell the difference between the miya twins, especially with their helmets on, but you can˚｡ .

~

osamu knows this is a bad idea. 

he’s at atsumu’s post, standing still at the top of steps that lead to the gardens looking straight ahead at them, atsumu himself on the other end of the lavish fields, the two watching intently for intruders, or anyone who could pose as a potential threat. if any of the palace’s staff were to walk by, they would barely spare osamu another glance - with his helmet on, no one can see his tufts of gray hair underneath, their only other determining physical feature being their eyes, and he’s sure that none of the staff would even be able to recognize the that difference between himself and his brother. 

except you.

currently out in the gardens with one of the princes from a neighboring kingdom, nohebi, he thinks, a grim expression painting your face from the moment your father whisked you towards the front entrance of the palace to greet him. osamu didn’t particularly like the smug smile plastered across the black-haired prince’s face as he exited his carriage, nor did he miss the way the man’s snake-like eyes stared down the top of your dress as you greeted him with a curtsy. from his position at the top of the steps to the palace, osamu could only watch in disgust as he sauntered by him and his twin to follow you and your parents into the palace.

while osamu still would have been able to see you from his original post that atsumu is occupying, his current spot on the outskirts of the palace gives him a higher, better view of you and the sly prince. he can see you clearly as you move throughout the gardens a few paces ahead of nohebi’s crown prince, gaining traction as you lead the man further towards osamu’s normal post. should things go wrong and someone spots them, he supposes he could just blame it on atsumu. they are twins, after all. and it was his idea, his brother jabbing at his bicep with his elbow as they watched you and the prince retreat towards the doors that led to the garden. “ya wanna take my spot on the steps?” he had whispered, leaning into his brother’s body. “might be a little easier for ya ta keep an eye on her.” 

but he knows you wouldn’t fall for the “atsumu started it!” excuse. they’ve been your guards since the age of 13, hand selected by your parents, the king and queen, to watch over you as you begin to age into your teens, wanting extra protection for their youngest daughter. their only princess.

you didn’t have any objections to it, not when both of your brothers had been assigned personal guards when they first reached double digits. you couldn’t imagine seeing your brothers without aran and kita a few paces behind them, their protective eyes always ensuring you were also safe within their line of sight. just as they protected your brothers, they protected you as you grew, right up until you reached the same age and were to be granted your own protection. enter the twins.

hailing from a small village in the vast kingdom of inarizaki, the same village that aran and kita grew up in, it seemed as though the twins were raised for the job from the second they arrived at the palace. you remember seeing them hang around with the two older boys from a young age, tirelessly training with the other guards and knights from sunrise to sunset; neither twin faltering under the intense pressure they were faced with. surely they never knew who or what they would be tasked with protecting until their assignment when they became of age, but the two were dedicated to their craft, hell bent on proving their worth to the royal family. luckily (and unbeknownst) for them, they proved their worth from the first time you saw them. 

“i hope i’m not assigned to guard the princess.” one boy groans.

someone else chuckles. “yeah, me and you both.”

from your hiding spot behind one of the many large columns lining the outskirts of the palace near the training grounds, you feel your heart drop, and you sink back to fully hide behind the massive beam. you try not to let the words of some silly guards - some silly boys, that is, bother you. it always seemed to be like this - no matter how many guards your family brings in to train as personal protection, they never seemed to have any interest in protecting you, instead choosing to help protect your brothers, parents, or simply going off to serve in the kingdom’s military. 

“why not?” another voice pipes up, his tone almost accusing? when you peer back around the column, you see one of the group of boys standing with his arms crossed, a stark contrast to the rest of them, scattered and sitting on the steps. though not facing you directly, you were able to catch a glimpse of his blonde hair before he stepped in front of one of his fellow guards in training. “ya don’t wanna be around the princess?”

another boy, sitting on the bottom step, huffs. “it’s not like she even needs the extra protection,” he laughs wryly. “at least the princes get to practice sparring and fighting! all she does is sit in the palace, attend her lessons, and play in the garden. it’s boring.” he puts emphasis on the word boring, almost spits it. 

gripping on to the ridges of the column, you push your head a bit further out to see more of the boys and their conversation, a scowl on your face. another stands quietly, moving to stand next to the blonde and mimics his actions, crossing his arms over his chest. he turns to face the the other boys who were sitting, cocking his head to the side. “it’d be an honor to protect the princess,” he says pointedly. “ya don’t know how lucky ya’d be.”

with a sharp turn, the boy begins to walk off, in your direction no less, ignoring the frantic shouts of what you assume must be his name. “samu!” the blonde boy calls, but it does him no good. the gray-haired boy ignores him, stalking past you without so much of a glance, his matching gray eyes staring straight ahead. the blonde, who looks eerily similar to the one he was calling after, comes running after him.

if only you knew that in just a few short hours, the two boys who came to your defense would soon be tasked with protecting you daily.

from his spot at the top of the steps, osamu can just quite make out the top of your head as you stroll through the gardens, a few paces ahead of the black-haired prince. no matter how quickly the man walks, he can’t seem to catch up to you, not when you spin around and speed up through the lush fields to evade his ever present hands reaching out to grasp your arm. though quite far away, osamu can see how frustrated prince daishou is getting, pausing briefly to take a deep breath before following after you. osamu chuckles to himself.

as you and the prince disappear further into the tall hedges, osamu hopes that at least atsumu or one of the other guards patrolling the lawn has an eye on you. these meetings tend to go the same way every time - your parents arrange for a prince, or duke, or nobleman from a neighboring territory to come to the palace and get to know you, to escort you through the gardens, and pitch themselves as to why they would make a suitable husband and possible future king. to secure some sort of political alliance. however it always ends with you giving your parents an indifferent smile and a shrug, much to their chagrin. too tall, talks too much, bad breath, it doesn’t matter. your excuses are endless.

osamu can’t wait to hear what you have to say about this one.

though tasked with ensuring your safety, the twins eventually found a way to weasel themselves into a more casual relationship with you. with atsumu’s overbearing and childish nature and osamu’s calm and collected one, you had almost no choice but to allow the informalities, finding yourself more and more lax in their presence. always quick to defend your status or position to outsiders, ready to help at the lift of a finger, and even popping their heads in and out of obligations that you dread, ready to whisk you away with a claim of someone important needing you, the princess, right away. and who are your guests to deny your excusal? you are the princess, after all. ever perceptive, the two seem to know exactly what you’re thinking at all times. 

almost always. 

osamu didn’t realize how much he must’ve been daydreaming. not until he feels a rush of air and the sounds of heels clicking down the marble floor of the palace invade his senses, snapping his attention back to the scene unfolding before him. his eyes fly into the palace to follow the sound of the heels, the back of your long, lavender dress swaying behind as you angrily stomp down the halls. 

“lady l/n!” 

prince suguru is quick, but osamu is quicker, stepping in front of the swift man to stop him from following after you. it’s not like you to rush out of something with no say, not without himself or his brother pulling something out of their asses. the prince sneers down at him, snake-like eyes narrowing at him. he moves to step around osamu, but he’s right there, blocking his path again. “will you get out of the way?” the prince spits.

osamu opens his mouth to speak, but atsumu is quick to beat him to it. “as the princess’s personal guards, i’m afraid we can’t do that,” he says from behind the prince, who scoffs at him. atsumu flashes them a sly grin, jutting his chin down the halls you had just passed through, eyes drifting to his twin. “you go find lady l/n and make sure she’s okay.”

the words are barely out of atsumu’s mouth before osamu is all but running down the hallway in the direction of your clicking heels, eyes darting around the palace quickly. it’s not long before he catches up with you, slowing to match your pace a few steps behind you and stands up straight, gently clearing his throat. “my lady-”

“i do not feel very well, my lord.” the words are rushed coming out of your mouth at the same time that osamu speaks, a stark contrast to your normal speech patterns, always so eloquent and concise. you stick your right hand out a bit behind you, not quite far enough to reach osamu, and your voice is shaky as you speak again. “i must ask that you allow me to retire to my room at once to rest.”

osamu’s steps quicken until he’s walking backwards in front of you, arms reaching out gently in your direction. “it is only me, princess,” he says, louder than before, letting out a soft breath when your steps slow until they stop completely. you glance up, allowing your eyes to meet for a brief moment before they dart back down to your shoes. 

“osamu,” you whisper, your eyes avoidant. you pause, your chest rising and falling at a faster rate than normal. “i need to rest.” 

you begin to walk again, passing him, and he lets you get a few steps down the hall before he’s turning and following you slowly. “i understand, my lady. but one of us must accompany you at all times.”

huffing, you glance over your shoulder with a slight pout as the two of you approach the door to your room. “at all times,” you mutter softly, before turning to the guard at your door with a blank smile. “i’m not feeling too well, so i must ask that you allow me some privacy while i rest.”

osamu smiles wryly at the guard as he passes, allowing you a few moments in your room before he steps inside. “is everything alright, my lady?” his gray eyes follow you as you pace around the room, fiddling with the decorative clip that pins up your hair. your back to him, you don’t turn, other hand reaching up to play with the strap of your day dress. he steps in further, shutting the wooden door behind him, and you whip to face him immediately, taking a tentative back. “princess, are you alright?” he repeats. “did something happen with prince suguru?”

your eyes meet his when he says the prince’s name, and osamu slowly reaches up to remove his helmet, not breaking eye contact. now given full view of his face, you glance down at your shaky hands. “one of us must accompany me at all times, huh?” you ask, repeating what you had said under your breath just outside your room. “why weren’t you at your normal post?”

he pauses, eyebrows furrowing. “what do you mean?”

you exhale through your nose, meeting his gaze once again. “my parents and the others may not be able to, but i can tell your voices apart,” you mumble, crossing your arms and looking back down at your feet. “that creep of a prince was looking down the top of my dress the whole day and the second he figured he was out of your sights he thought he’d try to stick a hand down it.” your voice increases as you speak, throwing your arms out at the end. “and when i loudly asked him to step back, it wasn’t your voice that called out to me asking if i needed assistance, it was atsumu’s.” 

osamu is frozen in front of you. sure, his normal post is stationed at the first fork in the gardens, much closer to you in proximity than atsumu’s, but he was sure that the higher ground of his twin’s post gave him a better way to keep an eye on you as you moved further into the gardens. now, he feels like a fool for going through with such a silly thought.

“i was only trying to have a clearer view on you, princess,” osamu takes a hesitant step closer to you, and another when you do not flinch or back away. with a deep breath, he continues. “i’d like to think i have better eyesight than my brother.” falling back to sit on the chaise situated at the foot of your bed, you exhale sharply through your nose, and osamu can’t tell if it’s to express amusement or distaste. though, with the way you’re still avoiding his watchful eye is having him lean towards the latter. he takes another step forward, then another, until he’s but a large stride away from your seated figure. “can i ask why you were so disheartened to hear atsumu’s voice instead of mine, princess?” he asks, not missing the way your fingers, currently lightly rubbing at your temples, freeze in their actions. “surely, he is just as capable of protecting you.”

your hands find refuge in your lap, fingers fiddling with each other as you straighten your posture. “o-of course he is.” you rebuke, turning your head slightly so that you’re staring out the window. “i was simply asking a question. you’re lucky no one noticed that you two were at different posts. you both could have gotten into trouble.”

osamu chuckles softly, taking another step towards you, finally drawing your attention back to him. your lips part slightly as you slowly glance up at him, and the corners of osamu’s perk up at the sight of your soft gaze. “well, it’s just like you said princess,” he coos, and your eyebrows furrow, cocking your head to the side. “you’re the only one who can tell us apart by just our voices.” osamu’s voice drops as the words leave his lips, stepping back towards the door as your eyes shoot back towards him.

your mouth drops fully open as if to speak, but no words come out. osamu can’t help but feel warm at the sight of your reddening cheeks, struggling to find the words “w-well, of course i c-can!” you sputter. “i’ve known you both for years! i, um, didn’t want you to get into trouble with anyone.”

the warmth in his chest spreads, and osamu hums softly to himself. “i appreciate the concern, my lady. allow me to go find atsumu and ensure that prince suguru is dealt with accordingly.” you nod quickly, eyes trained on your hands in your lap. “you should rest, princess.” you nod, but make no effort to move. “i will return once he is dealt with.”

and after personally escorting prince daishou suguru of nohebi to his carriage with atsumu, osamu does return, only to find you asleep in the same lavender dress, hair sprawled across the array of decorative pillows that you hadn’t even bothered to move before making yourself comfortable on top of your fully made bed. osamu chuckles to himself, gently pulling at the blanket that sits at the end of your bed, far enough away from your feet that it lays untouched. he drapes it over your sleeping figure, ensuring that your arms, legs, and feet are covered before a soft smile spreads across his face. hesitantly, his fingers reach out towards your face, slowly brushing away a piece of hair splayed across your cheek, breath catching in his throat when you let out a soft whine. however, you don’t move, nor do you say anything, your chest continuing to rise and fall with your even breaths, and osamu lets out a sigh of relief, a smile poking at his lips. 

“sleep well, princess.”

#haikyuu x reader #haikyuu x you #haikyuu x y/n #osamu x reader #miya osamu x reader #osamu fluff #miya osamu fluff #haikyuu fluff #hq x reader #osamu x you #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu scenarios

[devine-fem]

I wanted to talk about Damian’s sexuality.

That comes out weird, I know but this is prompted more so because I saw someone post about how he’s always been straight and op didn’t understand how people were so surprised when he started dating Nika. Then someone took a jab at Damijon + another person who said they didn’t understand the concept of Damian not understanding queerness.

I think that Damian doesn’t understand queerness but I’ll get into it toward the end of the post.

This will be put in two parts. One for Damian and how he feels about his sexuality and Damian’s internalized homophobia.

Let’s start with his canon love interest; Flatline. Flatline unlike his other attempted love interests was supposed to be taken seriously and didn’t suck. Compared to the others on this list, we should be rejoicing at Flatline.

Then this person used panels where it suggested that Damian had a sexual interest in a woman.

Almost every single person Damian has been interested in has been treated like a joke and not taken seriously. Some women are much too old for him and just awful picks.

Katana… why… stop please. Another example of them only doing it as a joke. This is so weird considering she’s much older.

Supergirl. Another joke. And much older.

Djinn… I don’t even know why…

Cassie Sandsmark… in a Earth, nice one Tom Taylor.

He has a couple more one off ones that weren’t taken seriously as well.

I know he got a cheek kiss from Emiko. He also dated Raven in an animation but I feel it was more a plot device. Also there are a lot of sexual jokes about Damian and I hate because he’s supposed to be ten by that time… there were some weird sexual impilcations when he teamed up with steph and I don’t know why writers do that instead of exploring the potential of their characters together and relationship…

Now let’s get into how Damian personally feels about his sexuality.

He jabs at romance and the concept of it a lot.

In Robin 2021 he also was very against romance but it was more as a way to sheild himself from his feelings. The only real confirmation that Damian is attracted to woman is Nika. So thank you, Nika. Anything other than that is just comphet to me at least.

This is also why he’s hc as Aro, Ace or Demi because he literally shows no interest in romance and the only times he does it feels like the writer has forgotten his personality.

TW: SEXUAL ASSAULT.

People don’t talk about that time Damian was kind of drugged/mind controlled and sexually assaulted… I’m not sure if people don’t perceive it that way but it seemed like SA to me.

She’s much older than him. He’s a ten year old. The way she’s speaking… her being naked. Damian telling her he doesn’t like it. Him not being in his right frame of mind… it reads this way to me.

Listen, I don’t understand how you can interpret Damian as any sexuality anyway when he’s so young. Only when he’s thirteen/fourteen can it truly be explored.

Although, Damian saying he won’t/can’t feel that way also proves my case.

He’s never really shown a whole bunch of interest in anyone.

—— End of trigger.

Now for the internalized homophobia.

So, the arguement is “he’s too smart not to know about queer culture…” What? What part of not knowing about queer culture makes you stupid?

Damian grew up in a very controlled environment where he was taught how to survive, taught how to lead and how to feel. What part of his schedule would fit in learning about queerness?

Internalized homophobia is in no way a bad thing and personally, as others do as well, see it as another way to queer code because its something a lot of queer people experience. This doesn’t negate the attraction to woman by the way but that doesn’t mean Damian can’t be interpreted as some other type of queer.

There’s also people who like to negate and ignore this part of Damian’s character but… why? These moments are part of important comics with his character. Damian was young and didn’t know much about well, anything. If you’re not personally queer yourself then you have no real incentive to learn about queerness.

There’s nothing really wrong with it. Even if Damian used gay as more of an insult. I doubt he knew what being queer was outside of “When boy likes boy.”

Also, he makes some comments often that come off… not the best.

I still really don’t think its bad and can be interesting if explored.

This also coupled with his culture shock, probably adds to his confusion on certain cultures.

I mean, he doesn’t know all that much. He’s not exactly mister super genius when it comes to real life things as well.

He doesn’t know what laffy taffy is… come on.

All this evidence doesn’t even matter anyway because it’s confirmed that when he does go to pride that knows literally nothing about it and has to be EXPLAINED by a friend about how it came about and how it works but people get so upset about that.

I don’t know what Damian’s sexuality could possibly be but I just don’t personally think he knows either and that has nothing to do with Damijon or any ship, but with canon.

I wanted to go more indepth to this but yeah, internalized homophobia Damian is very close to me.

#damian wayne #damian wayne meta #batfam #dc comics

[hegodamask]

Does anyone want to hear my “Uncle Harlo is Syril’s real Dad” theory?

No? Too bad.

So to begin with, I don’t think Harlo is an uncle to Syril in the traditional sense. He’s not related to the Karns by blood or marriage. From Syril’s dialogue, he seems too distant to be a close relative, with Syril implying he won’t even remember who Eedy is

I realise he’s also taking a jab at Eedy here, but even she reveals Harlo doesn’t keep in touch with them often (”he’ll respect me for having waited so long in asking and being so prudent about it.”) 

We already know Syril has grown up without a Dad. If we go by the backstory Kyle Soller and Kathryn Hunter devised, Eedy’s husband left the family in an “acrimonious, horrible way” early on in Syril’s life.

Without her husband around, Eedy tries to frame Harlo as a replacement father figure for her son, giving him the title of “uncle”, emphasising how important his favour is and his supposed interest in Syril’s career:

But to Syril, Harlo is just as absent as Mr. Karn. He doesn’t understand Syril’s career ambitions, he doesn’t make the effort to speak to Syril directly. As far as Syril’s concerned, he doesn’t know him at all:

Which leads us to wonder, why does someone as influential as Harlo have this detached investment in a guy he barely knows? To a family he’s not particularly close to? What is this “family favour” Eedy is supposedly calling on?

Idk how gospel it is, but Kyle has said in interviews that Syril’s corporate security job was a handout just like his Bureau of Standards one. If uncle Harlo facilitated that position for Syril too, then surely the favour has already been called on?

And this is the basis of my theory: Syril is the child of an affair between Harlo and Eedy. Due to Harlo’s position (and Eedy being married at the time) it’s far too scandalous for him to acknowledge his son, so he keeps his distance. Whenever Eedy calls he lends a hand time and time again, out of a sense of obligation.  

Of course, I don’t think Syril knows any of this. Eedy has always told him Harlo is an “old friend” and because they see so little of each other, he’s never questioned it. I do think Mr. Karn found out and that is why he walked out on the family (yes this sounds like a soap opera, but is Star Wars not just a soap opera in space??) 

I don’t propose any of this will actually be revealed in season 2, but if it is, it could add some very sad context to the relationship between Eedy and Syril. Maybe that’s why she pushes him to succeed so much: so the Karns can prove themselves to people like Harlo who keep them in the shadows. 

I doubt Andor is the type of show to reveal Harlo is actually some major Star Wars character we already know. But if there is any sort of twist coming with him, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was something like this.

#Star Wars #Andor #Syril Karn #Eedy Karn #Uncle Harlo #i've definitely talked about this before but i wanted to put it all in one lovely deranged post #i bring a 'uncle harlo is syril's dad' kinda vibe to the tag that andor fandom don't like #calling eedy's husband 'mr. karn' because he has no name not because i'm being weirdly polite towards a fictional character

[warabidakihime]

Tempting Twilights and Celestial Nights

Characters: Chuuya x Reader

Synopsis: Being with you is like a breath of fresh air. Even when the weight of the world is heavy on our shoulders, we find ways to make each other laugh and to enjoy the present moment.

A/N: i know what i said last time, but i couldn't help it. so here's a bonus chapter for you all. ^^

If you haven't read the first three parts, here they are with links:

Love's Melancholy Farewell

A Love Discovered in the Darkest of Times

Evermore in Your Arms

Enjoy!

--

In the months since Chuuya and you reunited and got back together, your relationship has only grown stronger. You're still as affectionate as ever, constantly finding little moments to steal kisses and exchange sweet words. But there's also a deeper sense of trust and understanding between you now, born of the trials you've faced together. You're a united front, a force to be reckoned with.

As for the mafia, things have been relatively quiet. The various factions are still jockeying for power, of course, but there haven't been any major shakeups recently. It's a delicate balance that could be upset at any moment. Chuuya and you try not to think about it too much, focusing instead on your own work within the Port Mafia.

That work has been going well, all things considered. You've taken on a number of missions together, both big and small, and you've always come out on top. There have been a few close calls, but nothing you couldn't handle. Chuuya's abilities as a skilled fighter and your strategic mind make you a formidable team.

However, despite your strong connection both at work and in your personal lives, just like any couple, you have your fair share of fights. Especially with personalities as strong as yours, your disagreements have the tendency to get very ugly and suffocating, but thankfully it rarely happens; though you do get annoyed pretty often but get mad? That’s a rarity even for you.

An example of one of your petty fights was when after a heated debate about a trivial matter, Chuuya's temper got the best of him, and he said something stupid to you. His words cut deep, and you immediately retaliated with your own biting remark.

The sun dipped below the Yokohama skyline, casting a warm orange glow over the Port Mafia headquarters. In the main hall, heated voices echoed as Chuuya and you engaged in a passionate argument, your disagreement drawing amused glances from the nearby lounging members of the Mafia.

It all began when Chuuya's temper flared, leading to a sharp exchange of words. You, never one to back down, responded with a snarky remark, teasing Chuuya about his height, an action as volatile as his temper. Pride wounded, Chuuya attempted to douse the flames, but you refused to yield. The dispute quickly intensified, both parties striving to outdo the other with their verbal jabs.

"You're always so damn stubborn, you," Chuuya snapped, arms crossed. "You never listen to anyone else."

"Easy to talk to, Chuuya? You're no better," you retorted, rolling your eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean," you shot back. "Quick to anger, never thinking before you speak. It's like you enjoy getting into fights."

"You enjoy being difficult," Chuuya spat. "Always questioning everything, pushing people's buttons. It's like you get off on it."

You raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me? I didn't start this argument."

"Not the starter, but definitely making it worse," Chuuya said, his voice rising. "Can't resist getting the last word in, can you?"

"Your height isn't the only short thing about you—so is your temper. You're insufferable," you said with a scowl.

Chuuya's temper erupted, and he snapped at you. "Shut your damn mouth, or you'll regret it."

"Why not? It's not a secret," you said with a shrug. "You're just mad because it's true."

The other Mafia members watched, engrossed, snickering at the insults traded. Koyou, stumbling upon the scene, intervened, clearing her throat to quell the commotion.

Chuuya and you turned to face her, expressions sheepish. "Just a disagreement," Chuuya said, defensively.

"A disagreement?" Koyou repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Sounded like a full-blown argument to me."

Chuuya and you glared at each other, then reluctantly backed down.

Koyou sighed, shaking her head. "You two are like children sometimes. Can't you just learn to communicate better?"

Chuuya and you exchanged glances, both feeling slightly ashamed. "We'll try to do better," Chuuya said, sincere in his tone.

After Koyou reprimanded Chuuya and you, a heavy silence settled between them, faces flushed with a mix of anger and embarrassment. They recognized that their emotions had gotten the better of them, and both felt a pang of shame for their actions.

"I can't believe you sometimes," she muttered, shaking her head.

Chuuya huffed. "And I can't believe you. You always have to have the last word."

"Well, I wouldn't have to if you weren't so damn infuriating," you shot back.

Chuuya rolled his eyes. "Me? Infuriating? That's rich, coming from you."

The other members of the Port Mafia observed as Chuuya and you locked eyes, neither willing to yield. Yet, after a few tense moments, a silent understanding seemed to pass between them. Slowly, they turned away from each other, anger dissolving as both took a deep breath.

Chuuya spoke first, his voice low and controlled. "Look, Y/N, I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't mean it."

You nodded, your own voice calm. "I'm sorry too, Chuuya. I should've known better than to fight fire with fire."

The tension in the room lifted as the two of you made amends, and the other Mafia members breathed a collective sigh of relief. It seemed the argument was finally over, and they could all return to business as usual.

-

You had just returned to your penthouse after a long day at work. The lights were dimmed, casting a warm glow over the spacious living room. It had been two to three months since Chuuya had left for his high-level mission. While you handled it well initially, the loneliness was starting to take its toll.

The communication between you two had been consistent during the initial weeks, but it had gradually become sporadic due to the demands of the mission. This was the first time you had been apart since getting back together, and the silence was driving you crazy.

As you walked through the living room, you glanced at the clock and noticed that it was already well into the night. After a quick dinner, you headed straight for the bathroom, craving the relaxation of a hot bath.

After undressing, you stepped into the tub, closing your eyes as you submerged yourself in the warm water. Despite the soothing ambiance, your thoughts kept drifting back to Chuuya and how much you missed him. You knew he was on a dangerous mission, but you couldn't help but worry about him.

As you soaked in the tub, the feeling of loneliness nagged at you. You missed the sound of his voice, his touch, and his presence. You longed for him to be back home with you, safe and sound.

As the days turned into weeks and weeks into months, your longing for Chuuya grew stronger. It wasn't just missing his presence or his company anymore; it was also the touch and intimacy that came with being together. You found yourself perpetually bored and restless, even when surrounded by people and activities.

At work, you snapped at colleagues, mainly Tachihara, who was notorious for teasing you, or got irritated over small things, as your frustration and longing took a toll on you. You missed the way Chuuya's arms would wrap around your waist, the way his fingers would gently trace circles on your skin, and the way his lips felt against yours. You were touch-deprived, and it was driving you insane.

Even in the safety of your penthouse, you couldn't help but feel a little empty and lost without Chuuya by your side. Your bed felt too big, your living room too empty, and every corner of the apartment reminded you of the moments you had shared together. You longed for the day when Chuuya would finally come back to you, and your world would feel whole again.

Surprised at yourself, you reflected on your newfound vulnerability. You had always prided yourself on being independent and capable of taking care of yourself without relying on anyone else. However, now you found yourself whining like a child about Chuuya's absence, craving his touch and his company more than anything else in the world.

It was a strange feeling, one that you weren't quite sure how to deal with. You had never been in a relationship like this before, one where you felt so completely attached to someone else. But as you thought about it more, you realized that it wasn't such a bad thing after all.

Chuuya had been so good to you, treating you with love and respect and always making you feel valued. It was no wonder that you had fallen so deeply in love with him. After making peace with that fact, you couldn't help but feel a giddy sense of joy deep in your heart.

You sank into the warm water of the bath again and let out a sigh of relief. The mission had been tough, and your body was sore from all the fighting. You stayed in the tub for a while, letting the water ease your aches and pains. After a good half hour, you got out of the bath, feeling much more relaxed.

Wrapping yourself in a fluffy towel, you walked over to your wardrobe, trying to decide what to wear. Browsing through your collection of cute pajamas, none of them seemed to appeal to you tonight. Your eyes then wandered to Chuuya's side of the closet, and a mischievous grin formed on your face.

Rummaging through his shirts, you felt the soft fabric between your fingers. Eventually, you settled on a white shirt, one of his favorites. Putting it on, you felt the oversized garment envelop you, as if you were being wrapped in his embrace.

You then spotted one of Chuuya's trench coats, and an idea popped into your head. Picking it up, you held it to your face, inhaling deeply. The scent of his cologne was intoxicating, and you couldn't resist spraying a little more onto the coat. Putting it on, you snuggled into it, feeling warm and safe.

As you tried to get some much-needed sleep after a tiring day, you found yourself tossing and turning on the bed, almost desperately trying to fall asleep. Despite your efforts, sleep seemed elusive, and you lay there slightly irritated.

Your mind drifted off to thoughts of Chuuya, wondering how he was doing and if the mission was going well. Most importantly, you hoped he was safe and sound. While you believed in him wholeheartedly, there was always that tiny possibility of things going south.

Not wanting to nosedive into negativity, you shook your head and tried to redirect your thoughts. You imagined Chuuya finally coming home to you. As you envisioned his return, your body began to heat up with desire. You imagined him entering the penthouse, seeing you in his shirt, looking up at him with longing in your eyes. He would stride over to you, pulling you into his arms, and his lips would meet yours in a passionate kiss. Your hands would reach up to tangle themselves in his hair as you deepened the kiss, the feel of his warm body against yours making your heart race.

As the fantasy continued, you imagined Chuuya taking you to your bedroom, laying you down on the bed, and removing his shirt. You felt his hands caressing your skin, and his lips trailing kisses down your neck and over your collarbone. A soft moan escaped your lips as you imagined his hands sliding under the shirt, his fingers brushing over your sensitive nipples, sending shivers down your spine. A wetness between your thighs signaled your body's response to the vivid images in your mind.

In your fantasy, Chuuya's hands continued to explore your body, his touch sending you into a frenzy of desire. You imagined him moving down your body, his lips trailing kisses over your stomach and lower, until he reached the apex of your thighs. Your breath caught in your throat as you imagined the feel of his tongue, sending you to ecstasy.

Your hand movements grew more frenzied as you imagined Chuuya's mouth on you. You could feel yourself getting closer and closer to the edge, but just as you were about to fall over, you stopped. Your body felt like it was on fire, and you were breathing heavily as you tried to calm yourself down.

Frustration engulfed you, the hunger inside raging, and you knew that even after you climaxed, it wouldn't diminish. You craved Chuuya—his touch, his kisses, everything that made you feel alive.

With a groan of frustration, you threw your head back onto the pillow, still clad in Chuuya's shirt. Every rub of your nipples against the fabric sent a rush of sensations, and the scent of his cologne intensified your ache. Thoughts of Chuuya consumed you—his movements, his voice—you wanted him desperately, and the desire was driving you to the brink of madness.

Your eyes landed on Chuuya's trench coat, and another idea crossed your mind. You grabbed it, laying it over a pile of pillows, your heart racing with anticipation. Perhaps this could help satisfy your urges.

Straddling the trench coat, you imagined it as Chuuya's lap. The moment the fabric touched your most sensitive parts, you let out a low moan followed by needy whimpers. Lost in your fantasy, you rocked your hips against the trench coat, imagining Chuuya's strong arms around you, pulling you closer.

Moving shamelessly, your mind filled with the image of Chuuya watching you with hunger in his eyes. You imagined him whispering in your ear, expressing his desires. Surrendering to pleasure, you moved with increasing urgency against the fabric. The intensity of your desire grew, the hunger almost unbearable.

In your imagination, Chuuya's hands guided your movements, his lips hot against your skin. The thought of him being with you in that moment overwhelmed you. You cried out his name, lost in passion, your body trembling with pleasure. The trench coat was soaked and soiled.

Unbeknownst to you, you had an unexpected audience. Chuuya stood frozen, watching you with a mix of shock and amusement. His eyes traced every inch of your body as you moved, lost in your need. The woman he loved, pleasuring herself in front of him—it was an unexpected sight.

As he watched, his own hunger grew, his body responding to you straddling the trench coat. A glimpse of your release trailing down your thighs further soiling his coat heightened his desire. He imagined himself in the coat's place, hands on your hips, guiding your movements. Thoughts of taking you right then and there raced through his mind, fulfilling not only your desires but his own as well.

Chuuya's breathing became shallow as he watched you, his eyes locked on the way your body moved. Lost in the moment and driven by desire, he silently stepped closer and reached out to touch you. The redhead wrapped his arms around you, his hands reaching down to help you, leaving you wide-eyed in shock.

Caged between his sturdy arms, you couldn't turn around, but you recognized Chuuya. "C-Chuuya?" you gasped, your voice shaking with a mixture of shock and desire.

Chuuya chuckled in amusement, nuzzling his face against your back, his lips trailing hot kisses along your skin, starting from your hips and working his way up to your nape, giving it a bite and a mark to match. "That's right, sweetheart," he murmured, his voice low and seductive. "I'm home."

You moaned as Chuuya's lips continued to assault your neck, your back arching, and your core aching with need. "Chuuya– oh, fuck–," you whispered, your voice filled with longing.

Chuuya pulled back slightly to look at you, his eyes filled with amusement and adoration. "I missed you, my love," he replied, his voice soft and tender. "And I see you've been keeping yourself... occupied," he added, a playful smirk crossing his lips.

You couldn't care less about Chuuya's teasing as you practically threw yourself at him the moment he gave you a chance to move. Wrapping your arms around his neck, you straddled the real deal and pulled him in for a passionate kiss. Chuuya responded eagerly, his arms tightening around your waist as he deepened the kiss. You stayed locked in the embrace for what felt like an eternity, your tongues dancing together in a fiery dance of passion.

Finally, you pulled away from each other, both panting heavily. "I want you," you whispered, your voice filled with desire.

Chuuya's eyes darkened with hunger as he looked at you. "No need to tell me twice," he replied, his voice filled with raw desire.

Chuuya dived down to give you a fiery kiss on the lips, and slowly, he began to trail his kisses down your neck, nipping and sucking on the sensitive skin. You moaned in response, arching your back and tangling your fingers in his hair.

Without breaking the kiss, Chuuya began to move down your body, trailing kisses and nibbles over your collarbone, down between your breasts, and as he reached the hem of "your" shirt, a sly grin dawned upon his face. Chuuya has always loved it when you would wear his clothes; even more so when you're not wearing anything underneath. He hooked his fingers under the hem and pulled it up, tossing it aside to reveal your bare breasts.

Chuuya's eyes darkened with lust as he took in the sight before him. "God, you're beautiful," he murmured, trailing his fingers over your breasts and eliciting a shiver from you. You couldn't help but feel exposed under his intense gaze, but at the same time, you felt desired and wanted. You reached up to tangle your fingers in his hair once more, pulling him down for another kiss.

As they made out, Chuuya began to move his hand down your body, skimming over your stomach and down to the apex of your thighs. He began to stroke you gently through the fabric of your panties, eliciting a low moan from you.

You could feel the heat pooling between your legs as Chuuya's touches grew more insistent, driving you wild with desire. "Please, Chuuya," you whispered, your voice filled with need.

Without a word, Chuuya pulled your panties aside and delved his fingers inside, eliciting a gasp from you. He began to stroke you in earnest, his fingers expertly working you towards the edge of ecstasy.

You writhed beneath him, lost in the sensations he was creating within you; drunk in hunger, your hips started to buck upwards to meet his hand as you moaned into his mouth.

Chuuya could feel the desire burning within him as he worked you towards the brink of ecstasy. He wanted you so badly; he wanted to claim you completely and utterly. But for now, he was content to simply drive you wild with desire.

As you reached the peak of ecstasy, you cried out Chuuya's name, your body shuddering with pleasure. Chuuya looked up at you, a look of pure lust on his face as he continued to pleasure you.

As the waves of pleasure receded, you pulled Chuuya up for another kiss, your body still humming with desire. "I need you, Chuuya," you whispered, your voice husky with desire.

As his own hunger reached a new peak, Chuuya didn't need to be told twice. He shed his own clothes in record time before positioning himself between your thighs, ready to claim you and take you to the heights of ecstasy. He looked down at you with an intensity that sent shivers down your spine, and you couldn't help but let out a soft moan of anticipation.

Your genuine longing for each other prevailed over your naughty desires, and you moved together in a slow, sensual rhythm. The room was filled with the sounds of your breathing, the rustling of sheets, and your soft moans of pleasure.

Your hands roamed Chuuya's body, tracing the curves of his muscles and the lines of his well-defined abs. "Chuuya," you whispered, your voice thick with emotion as you chanted his name like a holy prayer. "Chuuya–"

Chuuya's eyes met yours, and he leaned down to capture your lips in a deep, passionate kiss. "I'm here, my love. I’m back, and I'm going to make you feel so damn good tonight," he murmured against your mouth.

"I've missed you so much,” he proclaimed, “Been wanting to have you like this, but you beat me to it."

You let out a sexy chuckle, "I didn't know you were a peeping tom."

"Just this one time, I'm so glad I am one," Chuuya said with a chuckle of his own.

Your bodies moved in perfect harmony, each movement bringing you closer and closer to the edge of ecstasy. You were lost in each other, consumed by the intensity of your desire.

As you continued to move together, your words became fewer, replaced by the sounds of your pleasure. You clung to Chuuya, your fingers digging into his skin as you felt the wave of pleasure building inside you. Chuuya's breath was ragged as he approached his own release, but he held back, savoring the feeling of being inside you, of being so intimately connected to you.

Your eyes locked as you moved together, and in that moment, you were pleasantly reminded that you were meant to be together. Nothing could ever come between you. You were two halves of the same whole, and you were finally reunited.

As you both approached the pinnacle of your pleasure, you exchanged one last glance, and your eyes spoke volumes. It was a look of pure love, a silent declaration of your devotion to each other.

With a final cry of pleasure, you came together, your bodies trembling with the force of your release. And in that moment, you knew that you had made up for lost time and that you were finally where you belonged—in each other's arms.

-

The morning sun slowly crept into the room, illuminating the disheveled bed where Chuuya and you lay. The air was filled with the scent of your lovemaking (or, in Chuuya’s vocabulary, a total bang fest), a sweet, heady aroma that lingered in the air.

As the morning light continued to filter through the curtains, Chuuya and you remained entwined in each other's arms, fast asleep. Your exhausted bodies had finally given in to sleep after a night filled with passion and desire. The room was quiet except for the gentle sounds of your breathing and the occasional rustle of sheets as you shifted in your sleep.

After your lovemaking, you had spent the rest of the night cuddled up together, talking softly, and sharing tender kisses. You talked about your respective missions and how much you had missed each other. According to Chuuya, the mission went incredibly well, and that's why he was able to go home earlier than expected. Meanwhile, you got slightly hurt during your mission, but it wasn't too serious that you needed extensive medical attention. For a job well done, Mori personally gave you your prescriptions after your briefing, and then you were finally dismissed and free to go home.

Upon hearing this, Chuuya got a little worried and even scolded you for not prioritizing your health. And by that, he meant you should've rested instead of... well, he didn't quite finish that thought as the image replayed in his head, and his resolve to reprimand you dissipated almost immediately.

Walking in on a sight like that wasn't in his bingo books, but it would definitely be considered one of the best moments of his life. When you saw the look on his face, you were quick to tease him. After that, you talked about everything and nothing, simply enjoying each other's company in the peaceful quiet of the night.

As the hours slipped by, your conversation turned to whispers, and your touches became softer and more gentle. Eventually, you both drifted off to sleep, your bodies intertwined and your hearts full of love.

-

It was already the afternoon, and the two of you were still in bed. Neither of you had the energy to get up, but after a few more hours, Chuuya slowly opened his eyes, feeling the warmth of the morning sun on his skin. As he adjusted to his surroundings, he realized that he was wrapped around your body. He couldn't help but admire the way your hair was splayed across the pillow, the way your lips were slightly parted as you slept. He leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on your forehead, not wanting to wake you up just yet.

As he lay there, he couldn't help but think about the night before. It was intense, passionate, and, more than anything, filled with love.

Chuuya continued to gaze at your sleeping form. A wave of nostalgia washed over him as his mind took a trip down memory lane, specifically to the time when he first caught feelings for you. It was during the period when Dazai had left the mafia, leaving you heartbroken and vulnerable. Chuuya had offered to help you cope, and in doing so, he had grown to care for you deeply.

He smiled as he remembered the moments you had spent together, the late-night conversations, and the times when you had just enjoyed each other's company in silence. But as much as he cherished those memories, there were also painful ones that he couldn't ignore. He recalled the times when he had felt like he was only a rebound, moments when he had questioned whether you truly cared for him or were simply using him to fill the void left by Dazai.

The most memorable memory, however, was the time when you both had been heartbroken. It was the moment he had to face reality—accepting the fact that you were still hopelessly in love with that damn vagabond. Despite having a somewhat cordial breakup, it still hurt nonetheless, and it took everything in him just to get through a single day. Even with time passing, the pain in his heart at that time never eased and continued to eat him alive with each passing day. To distract himself, even just for a little while, he buried himself in countless missions. The harder the mission, the better.

Almost a year later, what seemed to be an impossible dream for him finally came true. You had finally looked at him and loved him for who he was. The moment those three words slipped out of your lips, his heart leaped with joy. He was so happy it nearly jumped out of his chest.

Pride and admiration filled his chest as he remembered how strong and capable you had become. He had seen you grow and evolve as a person, from the vulnerable girl he had met to the confident and powerful woman you were today. He had been there every step of the way, supporting and encouraging you, even when you didn't believe in yourself. Chuuya couldn’t be more proud of the person you had transformed into.

Looking at you, sleeping peacefully beside him, Chuuya couldn't help but feel grateful for the love you shared. He had never been happier, and he knew that he would do anything to protect and cherish you.

As he lay there, lost in thought, Chuuya realized that he had never loved anyone as deeply as he loved you. You were his rock, his confidante, and his partner in every sense of the word. Looking at you, he knew that he would never tire of admiring your beauty and strength. He would love you, protect you, and cherish you for as long as he lived.

-

Another day passed, and it was back to work for both of you, especially for your boyfriend. Chuuya headed for the door to go to the headquarters and report to Mori about the mission and discuss their next action plan. You walked beside him, giving him a playful pout, teasing him about leaving you all alone. He chuckled at you and promised to make it up to you later with a dinner date. You agreed and walked him to the door, ready to give him a proper send-off.

But just as Chuuya was about to leave, you grabbed him by his trench coat and pushed him against the door, your body pressed tightly against his. You leaned in close, your lips brushing against his ear as you whispered seductively, "You better make tonight worth my while, Chuuya. Whether it's in the car, the elevator, the foyer, or our bedroom."

Chuuya couldn't help but grin at your boldness, feeling a surge of excitement and arousal shoot through his body. He leaned in and captured your lips in a fiery kiss, his hands roaming over your body as you shared a passionate moment.

Your fingers trailed down Chuuya's chest, playing with the buttons on his shirt. You breathed in his scent as you made out with him, letting it fill your senses, before you whispered in his ear again. "And who knows, maybe I'll even wear that little red dress you like so much," you teased, a mischievous glint in your eyes.

Chuuya couldn't help but let out a low chuckle at your teasing words, and as he imagined you in that flimsy red dress, he couldn't help but feel a familiar tightening in his pants. He knew he was in for a wild night with you, and he couldn't wait.

"You know I never disappoint, especially when it comes to you," he replied in a very seductive whisper.

Chuuya gave you a playful wink before pecking your lips softly, savoring the taste of you one last time before pulling away.

"I gotta go; till then, don't miss me too much."

"I'll do my best," you joked, earning a hearty laugh from the redhead.

Finally, as he made his way to the door, he turned to give you one last glance, taking in your beauty and the way your eyes sparkled with mischief. "I'll see you later, Y/N; I love you," he said with a smirk, his voice filled with promise.

"I love you too."

With that, he stepped out of the door and made his way towards his car, his mind already racing with thoughts of your upcoming dinner date and the possibilities of what could happen after.

#reader insert #dazai osamu #chuuya nakahara #bungou stray dogs #dazai x reader #bungo stray dogs chuuya #bungou stray dogs dazai #port mafia dazai #port mafia!dazai x reader #chuuya x reader #bsd x reader #bsd drabble #soukoku x reader #osamu dazai #port mafia #port mafia reader #dazai x reader x chuuya #bsd chuuya #chuuya x reader x dazai #dazai x y/n #dazai x you #osamu dazai x reader #warabidakihime #wbdk bsd #HAHA SURPRISE

[chocoberry-dream]

Hello again kaisooists 🐧🐻 Little ole me has stumbled across something interesting 👀

Remember back on April 1st in 2016 when the news broke that ji and krys were dating and chahn yall posted this really odd and cryptic “headline” on his Instagram?

This randomly popped into my head the other day now that I’ve been missing kadi and thinking about them lately.

I remember at the time it was posted, everyone in the kaisoo tag was trying to decipher what he meant, if it was supposed to be an April fools joke or if it had anything to do with the dating news. If I remember correctly he’d posted it either right before or shortly after the news broke and was confirmed by Es Em.

So I decided to go over to chahn yall’s insta again to see what the comments on the post were bc it’s been so long and I was curious if anyone wrote any kaisoo related under it. But when I went to look for it, I noticed that it had either been archived or deleted.

I screen recorded for proof, the right side is hidden for privacy due to some ppl’s insta screen names being visible since I follow him. The dates of the post are magnified on the left side:

I can definitively say that it had been left up on his Instagram for months after kxk and I believe even up til they “broke up” but I’m not sure when or why it was removed.

Something that was also peculiar to me is that besides that screenshot from the tumblr above, it was INCREDIBLY difficult for me to find this post anywhere on the internet. Even chahn yall bias pages that repost his Instagram posts did not have this post anywhere to be found.

I searched for 20 minutes and was only able to find this screenshot here on tumblr and on a random Russian page:

There’s two things I want to mention here.

First I will explain the picture a bit more for those of you who may not know.

The mosaic picture in chahn y’all’s post is of KS in his role as Kang Woo for the drama “It’s Okay That’s Love”. In this drama, the main character Jae Yeol (played by Jo Insung) suffers from undiagnosed schizophrenia and befriends Kang Woo. But as his illness worsens it’s revealed that Kang Woo is not real and is a hallucination, representing Jae Yeol’s younger self. When Jae Yeol begins treatment, Kang Woo doesn’t appear to Jae Yeol anymore .

I don’t speak Korean but I think the correct translation of the headline title in the post would be “Actually, I’m hallucinating” indicating that he’s the one hallucinating and not Jae Yeol. Since his role in the drama was him as a hallucination it wouldn’t make sense to admit to being a hallucination.

At the time I initially thought “okay, maybe it’s some sort of lighthearted April fools joke and a playful jab and ks”. But as I thought about it, the joke didn’t really make much sense bc we already know after watching the drama that ks isn’t the one who was hallucinating.

Then after reading theories and thinking about it more, I thought it was weird to post that on the same day the kxk news came out. Which leads me to my second point: I do think it has something to do with kxk and here’s why.

As we all know egg sew had a concert that day, secret night. When the pictures came out ji looked like he’d been up crying all day and ks appeared to have tears in his eyes. They also were super awkward with each other and it seemed like ji looked apologetic about something and ks wouldn’t look at him. This was after a long period of not really interacting or showing skinship and of course all those pann and dispatch gay couple blind items disappearing.

So it made me think more about the insta post, how he said that actor D admits “actually, I’m hallucinating.” We all know that ks and chahn yall have a close friendship, and it seemed like the kxk scandal caught both ks and ji off guard, almost like they both found out this media play was happening on the same day, hours before the news went out. Was this post supposed to be a hint at ks’s feelings about the news breaking? Did kxk come as a surprise to him and make him feel like the entire relationship between him and ji was actually what wasn’t real to everyone else now, aka a hallucination?

It might be a reach, but I can’t think of any other reason behind why chahn yall would delete/archive that specific post but not any of the other ones. Unless you’re a kaisoo supporter the joke would seem to have no relation to the kxk scandal, so it’s really suspicious that it disappeared.

I also can’t say for sure, but I also wonder if SM has something to do with it being gone and almost no trace of it online or on fan archives. I noticed that after the kxk “break up” kaisoo went back to their own ways, but little by little different kadi blogs were deactivating and some fansites were disappearing abruptly. I’m talking hardcore kaisoo blogs and fansites that I would have never imagined would disappear (cuddlekaisoo, alvabear, kaiser-dolly, 8812 just for example, some of their posts are even hard to find here on tumblr). To this day I still am seeing things like “so-and-so-deactivated09122018” here on tumblr throughout the tag thinking to myself like “omg, this person was a super big kaisoo supporter and they deactivated? I would have never imagined..” 😶

Of course things happen, ppl move onto other things and maybe the second scandal with jinnie has something to do with it too, but it’s all just very odd to me. I’d love to know other ppl’s opinions about this too if you’re interested!🩷

#I’m writing this super late so sorry if something doesn’t make sense lol #if you need clarification or anything just lmk! #hope all my jagis are doing well haha #how are we surviving the ji drought bc let me tell you I am PARCHED ☹️ #he needs to be discharged EXPIDITIOUSLY #I think I spelled that wrong lol #I can’t wait until 2025 😔💔 #long tags are long #kaisoo #kadi #dika #beri theories

[battlekilt]

Hey Kilt, from the WIP game, can you tell me something about the Little Troopers? *___*

Since I know you love Fox, I'll talk about Fox.

Little Trooper Fox is the return of Tintin, and he reclaims his reign of terror and menacry with proper Foxy fashion.

Fox was little-fied somewhere near the Chancellor. Thus, he's imprinted on the Chancellor. He doesn't understand why, but he is supposed to be near that old man.

This is bad... because good ole Sheev reveals himself to—HATE—children. Oh, he doesn't say that he hates them. However, it is quite evident how badly he is around a tiny little bitey Fox.

Fox never had a "Jedi," so he doesn't imprint immediately on any of those who take guardianship of Clones—usually their CCs. Unfortunately, Fox has a low tolerance for being alone and feeling abandoned—it hurts him, it really, really hurts. Riyo offers to take him. However, Fox kind of has a tantrum at the suggestion of being removed from all the other little Clones.

He ends up becoming Mace Windu's problem.

Master Windu reveals himself to have known more about Commander Fox than expected because Ponds talked about his childhood friends a lot. Mace didn't talk about this with anyone because he felt like it was someone revealing something private, and he wanted to respect that. Also, what he learned felt... like something meaningful he enjoyed having to himself.

The point was that Mace knew more about Tintin than anyone expected. That didn't mean that he wasn't taken aback by how much the kid could talk and talk and talk and talk or the escapades that went on when Fox got an itch to "explore", aka, get into trouble. Dealing with someone so uniquely food-motivated is easy for Mace and helps him encourage Fox to do what he wants. That... affection and attention also get Fox to do anything opposite his usual mayhem.

That's right, folks. Fox is an affection whore. Little Fox would DENY that he wants to snug up against his Jedi like Wolffe does with his Jedi, Master Plo. But, what is a tyke to do when he is offered a reading session?

Speaking of Wolffe and Fox—two food-motivated Clones? Fox is always stealing food from other Littles, and this is one of the only ways to trigger an aggressive response out of Darling Wolffe.

This actually goes into an event I want to share that will fully show Fox's true character.

The usual band of Little CCs—Cody, Wolffe, bb Rex, Bly, and Fox—are playing in the Hall of Fountains. Their usually observant Jedi are chattering together in a circle while the kids just run around.

There is a BIG OLE SCREAM! Ever heard a small child scream from pain and fear? Ever seen what it does to any adults in the vicinity?

Instinct is strong.

The Jedi RAN towards the scream. There they find the little Clones gathered around a Fox that is on the floor, crying his little heart out, face scrunched up with all his emotions, and a hand holding the same side of his head.

Fox has fallen and hit his head.

And he is full-on acting like this is going to be the death of him. TRAGEDY, we say, tragedy.

One of the Jedi asks what happened, and the others explain that Wolffe pushed Fox... which is why Fox is making the scene that he is. Unfortunately, the scene looks kind of bad for Wolffe, which is typically out of character for him—he is one of the calmest of them, the most people-pleasing of the bunch, and very sensitive on behalf of others.

Except Fox is a master at pushing other people's buttons. Push. Push. Jab... JABjabJABjabJABjabJABjabJABjab. No matter what, someone shouldn't push.

Wolffe looks ready to burst into tears.

Now, until then, Fox hasn't really said anything. He's just sobbed for his tragedy. There might have been some blubbering about the AGONY. But, when it looks like Wolffe might actually be held responsible or even reprimanded—a reminder, Wolffe is very sensitive, and one whiff of disapproval from those in authority, especially Plo, and the guy's world is OVER—Fox says through his tears—

"He didn't MEAN to do it! He didn't push HARD. I tripped!"

This story will be significant to summarize the character of our Commander Fox, even as a tyke. He will cause mischief. He will pester and bother on purpose or not. He will talk anyone's ear off. And... he bites.

Doesn't mean that he's going to let someone take blame or condemnation for something they were not responsible for, especially if it would hurt them like it would hurt Wolffe.

Mace was mighty proud of his little menace that day. He also wasn't surprised in the least bit.

Meme Ref.

#au: little troopers #tag game: wip #clone: fox

[ro-botany]

The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far: What Heroes Tells us About Validar

I blame @the-priestess-of-dawn for this one. <3

One of Awakening’s worst dads has finally weaseled his way into the mobile game, and so, here we are. If I can make a serious analysis post about Groom!Robin of all units, then I suppose Validar deserves a post as well.

For the most part, Validar’s dialogue in Heroes is unsurprising. There’s a lot of gloating about his plans, a lot of mocking everyone else for being feeble. But there’s one very key place where that pattern falters, and when you really dig into that crack... what at first looks like a shallow villain turns instead into a hollow one.

---

I’ve talked before about how the sprites in Heroes can affect your read of a character’s tone and ultimately change the meaning of their words. Such is the case for Validar’s 5* level 40 conversation. It’s easy to read it in a snarkier tone with his sprite sneering at you, but I invite you to read it without the visuals and really take it for what it is:

Askr's future is none of my concern. I aid you only to gain power for myself. I care not for the people of Askr. The evils of this world are nothing to me. I am an agent of fate. Whatever pitiful bonds you share cannot stop the inevitable! But do go on... I will enjoy your struggling.

Notice anything?

What I immediately notice is that for 4/5 text boxes, a solid 80% of the conversation, all the condescension and insufferable confidence is gone. There’s not one linguistic flourish, not one jab at Kiran or anyone else, not even any punctuation beyond the humble period. The sentences are short and to the point. And you know what it sounds like to me?

Like he’s reassuring himself.

He’s calmly repeating things that he thinks ought to be fact, like mantras. Oh sure, he’s trying to convince Kiran that he’s an uncaring shithead who’s only here to further his nefarious plans, but it sure sounds like he’s trying to convince himself of it, too. He only switches back to his usual sneering and mockery with the very last text box, as though he suddenly remembered himself.

What’s also striking about that conversation is how similar it feels to dialogue from other Grima-adjacent characters, and hell, even Grima themselves.

If you told me those first four text boxes were dialogue from one of the fallen Morgans (Future Past edition OR Heroes edition), I would believe you. They’re in a very similar state of mind, with a lot of lines dedicated to calmly repeating they’re only tools of Grima’s will. That they help you only to further Grima’s plans.

And while the phrasing of it is different, the underlying feeling of those lines is eerily close to some of Risen King Chrom’s dialogue, too. “I am the king of corpses” vs “I am an agent of fate”; both of them characterizing themselves as little more than weapons for a god to wield or discard.

We only ever see Validar in a vacuum in Awakening, but we can’t forget that the cycles of abuse that are the story's core apply to him too. I’ve written a lot about how Grima’s agency is constantly stripped from him. I think that if we can acknowledge how much that fucked Grima up in his first life and again as Robin, and how much it fucks up Morgan and Chrom in the bad timelines... We would be hypocrites to deny that that fucked up Validar, too. It must have.

The Grimleal have been trying to resurrect Grima for a long, long time, and Validar is one of the last born of that fucked up lineage. Only unlike Robin, Validar didn’t have the luxury of being swept away from the cult at a young age. No, he grew up steeped in the knowledge that he was born for one singular purpose. The brand he bears is just barely too faint for him to be an empty shell to hold their god, and so like his parents before him, he becomes living weapon and breeding stock. Expected to lead the Grimleal, as the one with the purest fell blood. Expected to produce a warm body suitable for pouring their mad god into.

The course of his life was decided for him long before he was even conceived.

He doesn’t have a choice.

Everyone he cares about and everything he knows is relying on him.

He doesn’t have a choice.

The Exalt of Ylisse hacks and slashes and burns through their home in the name of his god, and the whole damned world must answer for this suffering.

He doesn’t have a choice.

He is an agent of fate.

Validar never got to be a person, not really. He has only ever been a tool of someone else’s will and I think that’s left him empty. He gloats and mocks and insults and laughs about how much he wants it all to burn, but the fact that it’s all he ever does doesn’t paint a very healthy picture. He has no sense of self outside of how he can be useful to the cult. By all accounts he doesn’t even really think of himself as a person.

Many of the parallels between Validar and Robin/Grima start to make a lot of sense this way. The way they both bluster and monologue at least half as a cover, the way they cling to the concept of unalterable destiny to soothe the injustice of having so many choices ripped from them, the way they view every relationship as a means of controlling or being controlled. “Agent of fate” vs “wings of despair”. And I would bet money that Validar’s father was similar, because he too would've been brought up similarly. Risen Kings, the lot of them.

#fire emblem #fe awakening #meta #validar #grimleal studies #this one goes out to dawn for making me think deep thoughts about dad of the year over here #love how we're all posting new essays right after feli made that master post. lmao. #the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.... unless the apple's friends and family show up and throw it! #why do i title all these posts like high school essays

[ace-reviews]

Assorted Thoughts on Random Premiers (Part 1, maybe)

None of these are likely to get anyone's recommendation for the season (unless nothing good that we haven't seen comes out, which would be very sad but also par for the course for winter) but I still have Thoughts and Opinions.

These aren't all the ones I've watched so far, just the ones I have more to say about than "this is fine" or "this is ass".

Tales of Wedding Rings: I enjoyed this one so much more than I expected I would based on the 'oh this is one of those isekai' OP. It's truly greater than the sum of its parts, since nothing really stands out as being particularly good or original. I liked that Our Hero voluntarily isekai'd himself and it doesn't have any of the cynical jabs at its target demographic or genre that plague the vast majority of bargain-bin isekai shlock. It does itself a lot of credit just by not being embarrassed to be exactly what it is.

The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic: Holy shit the animation is rough. There were a lot of jarring cuts and weird camera angles and having characters talking from off-screen in order to cut down on the amount of actual animating they had to do. And this is the first episode, which is one of the ones where they're supposed to showcase some of their best work. It's fucking dire, y'all. I feel so bad that the staff on this production had to work under what looks to be the god-awfulest of conditions.

As for the actual content, it's fine. I liked that the red one reacted to being kidnapped like a normal person, but he also reacted in similar fashion to the protagonist of the isekai novel I'm writing so now he's got me feeling competitive. I also like the scary lady. She's tall.

#tales of wedding rings #the wrong way to use healing magic #winter 2024 #first impressions

[xshingie]

In Which My Annette/Richter Headcanon land Intensifies

It's always so interesting to me how the more time I spend with Annette, the more things gradually evolve and build out and start to take off into spaceship away from canon land whoops. When I first conceptualized my first Richter/Annette fic, the first line that popped up in my head was "The freedom to choose love." -- in that in choosing to be with Richter would symbolizes the first choice she would ever truly make for herself, one out of happiness. And what "true" freedom really mean? What should it mean?

In completing my most recent Annette/Edouard fic, I connected the pieces that it was Edouard who said it to her.

“I believe we should fight for something deeper and more enduring. You fought for your freedom, Annette. To make a choice that my grandmother never had.” Edouard gently took her hands into his, just like how he did that day when he met her. “The freedom to choose love.” Annette gazed into Edouard’s eyes. Although his eyes were the brightest blue she had ever seen, they were veiled by a meaning whose legend could not be surmised -- or perhaps, she did not have the lens to peer through to uncover the emotion that belied underneath its clear hue. His countenance regarding her remained gentle and kind like he always maintained with her. Annette felt only the thud of her own heartbeat alone, one that thumped in an candid yet earnest expression of her own feelings held within.

And then, when the line shows up again, recontexualized. As Annette is now truly starting to grasp what it means to choose love.

But what good did any of this freedom do, if she was always left with nothing but loss and heartbreak, in whatever choice she made? Richter’s hand reached for hers, weaving his fingers between hers in a tight interlace, as if she would slip away from underneath his grasp at any time in this precious moment, as if this would be the last time he would be able to hold her like this. You fought for freedom, Annette. The freedom to choose love.

Annette did not know what path befell before her tomorrow, but knew with an instinctive certainty of one thing. This instinctive feeling, the same instinct that unconsciously knew the taste of freedom before it had a name and pursued it above all else, the same instinct that led her to Richter Belmont.

I truly did not intend to set up this complex love triangle-esque thing at all. I liked the concept of Edouard being the fundemantal springboard to jumpstart Annette's character development, and then her experiences being with Richter to complete the journey she needs to undergo.

One of the original iterations that Annette's letter writes to Edouard was going to be "What it means to choose love in our fight for freedom -- and what it means when the other person chooses you, as well." [meaning Richter] But I didn't want to shove my Richter/Annette shipping tendencies in a fic that was supposed to be about Annette/Edouard lol so I changed it to be a bit more ambiguous.

On a completely off-topic note, I had the funniest comment on my Richter/Annette fic

Me: but also, imagine the angsty juicy jealously Richter would feel, haunted by knowing how Annette's still thinking about Edouard, even while they're in bed like this ahhh Commenter: cuz he’s so used to having everyone under his spell. He’d probably pull out his whip to smack everything in the woods before going to Maria and pridefully listing all the things he’s better at than Édouard (or anyone he’s feeling threatened by)…and no shame to my boy, but that list will be short.

I'm also imagining a scenario where Richter is teaching Annette how to write and tbh… it's hard to picture (even though I wrote it in myself). I can't imagine Richter is much of a bookworm, lol. I would imagine Richter would only do it to as an excuse to spend more time with her (plus insert Alucard or Maria making a jab at him for it), but all the while probably being uber jealous that the whole reason why Annette's wanting to learn how to read/write is for Edouard.

I am suddenly in the mood to write jealous!Richter… hahaha. Dude will not be able to compete.

#castlevania nocturne #richter x annette #richette #annette #castlevania annette #annette castlevania #richter belmont #annette x richter #castlevania

[davekat-sucks]

In regards to Damara thing where people tend to make flagrant ideas on how something is racist or not, a lot of it in my opinion could come from how any media that introduces a character with strong racial or cultural ties seems to be immediately taken with hesitation. As if someone being represented as asian has to be taken with caution because it's different and oh we just don't know if that's okay to show or not :( and then half of the people who are of said culture or race are dismissed because 'opinions can vary even from people of said group!' Which, sure, but is it then that a minority group has to fully agree or disagree on a character rep for others to determine if it's good or bad??

Not sure if this is making sense but this is what I've seen, not just in HS communities. It definitely seems to be the case with Damara and people took the idea she's offensive and ran with it for years without hearing anyone of actual said race out.

She is mostly a jab at the Weeaboos in the anime community. Makes it ironic because she looks and dresses in Asian outfits. Say whatever you will about her Google Translated Japanese speech too, but it is noted she is part of the Lost Weeaboos with Rufioh. People misuse the term Weeaboo on even Japanese otaku characters, when the term Weeaboo is supposed to be used for someone that's not Japanese. Eastern Alternian is said to be like Japan, but it could also refer to Asia countries in general on Beforus. Just that Japan is popular back then and even now because of anime. I'm not sure if I'm the best to even talk about rep, even as a Pinoy. I love freaking Nene from Pico's School and happily cosplayed as her. Another character who is played straight of racist Asian stereotype, but I adore her all the same.

#homestuck #homestuck fandom #Damara Megido

[rohirric-hunter]

Actually further reflection on Azagath and the Kindred of the Coins -- just a bunch of random thoughts that sort of string together... I stopped last night just before heading into the Citadel with the water-bearers, so that's where I'm at with these thoughts.

Obviously I think Azagath is up to no good. And the game is leading me to believe Azagath is up to no good. However... I don't really have any proof of that? And the only real evidence is the fact that the water carriers think he's vanishing their friends who know too much. Harmelak doesn't trust him, but why do I trust her? I have no way of knowing she's not trying to get rid of the perfectly benign leader of the Kindred so she can be in charge herself.

As for the other members, I feel genuinely bad about killing Tathata's lions because I did those quests about Ezoti with her people and it seems like she really cares about animals, and based on some random quest text it seems like she's done some good things for people too. Her dialogue during that instance isn't too overtly threatening; even her joke about the lions eating Corudan could just be a lighthearted jab without any real threat behind it. Corudan says she argued for more freedoms for him, and she doesn't start attacking in that instance until Cruel Dancer starts threatening her. In fact, she doesn't start attacking the PC at all until after you kill her lions.

I haven't had any extended conversations with Rothog, but based on the stories about him, he seems cool. A bit violent and scary, maybe, but as the protagonist of an MMORPG, I will refrain from judging. Haven't met Belondor at all, but we have it from Sirgon's own mouth that he at least used to be a good man and was the victim in the situation that led him to become a member of the Kindred, so it's not unreasonable to assume he might still be a good man.

Of all the to-do about Kholtekh, to be entirely honest he isn't guilty of anything except looking suspicious. He might have had Hamisar lie to Aragorn about who he was, but Hamisar might also have just done that on his own. We really don't know. And there's actually a pretty compelling argument that he pretty strongly opposes the idea of Umbar going to war with Gondor: he knows that Aragorn is Thorongil. If he wanted all of Umbar up in arms against Gondor, all he would have to do would be to make that information public. But he hasn't, at least not yet. It's unclear whether or not the rest of the Kindred knows, but Harmelak does say he doesn't share all his secrets with them. So it may just be that only he knows. And why would he keep that information secret unless he knew that Aragorn posed no threat to Umbar and was happy enough to leave well enough alone?

In fact, the only member of the Kindred of the Coins that we know for a fact has done something wrong is Nakasi, and her worst crime? Is kidnapping. She hasn't even killed anyone unprovoked. Her assault on Iaphel was violent, yes, but they didn't even kill anybody. Like, I'm not excusing it. She almost certainly would have killed people if she had been allowed to continue. But she wasn't. And yeah, she dealt with the Heirs of Castamir in Linhir with extreme prejudice, but what do you expect? They'd just murdered her husband in cold blood.

Which raises the question... why do we want any of these people dead? Aren't we supposed to be specifically avoiding a war? Oh, right, those bounties in the Shield Isles. Bounties put out by... Sakalphel. Since when did Player Character LotRO support the Heirs of Castamir?

It's almost like "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" will have you working with people who are probably much worse than the people you're trying to take down.

And to circle back around to Harmelak and Azagath: so there's conflict in the Kindred of the Coins. One of these two is up to no good. But we don't actually know which one it is. One of them is supporting this Song of Waves and Wind that will apparently lead to the destruction of Gondor, and we're led to believe it's Azagath -- but we don't actually know anything about it. So picture this: what if Azagath is exactly what he presents himself as and just has very unfortunate facial hair that makes him look like a mustache-twirling villain. He's got no interest in going to war with Gondor, and is not the mastermind behind this Song of Waves and Wind as Harmelak suggests. Because again, we don't know what this is. We've just heard the name. Harmelak suggests to the PC that she doesn't know what it is, that it's suspect (they already knew this) and that Azagath is behind it. She asks them very politely to assassinate him and take a problem off her plate, suggesting that this will improve things for both Gondor and Umbar.

Except... if this plan goes off without a hitch, then what happens? Azagath is beloved by the people of Umbar. If, after you leave, Harmelak reveals that he was assassinated by agents of Gondor who snuck into the citadel for apparently no reason? What's gonna happen next? How are people gonna respond to that?

I don't know if it's the case, but if Harmelak happened to be the actual mastermind behind this Song of Waves and Wind... well that would be quite the plot twist.

That being said if everything is played straight from here on out I would also love that. There's a certain juxtaposition that's very satisfying: Rossaran reported that the people of the Lower Ward don't really trust Harmelak because of how rich and reclusive she is (and probably in no small part because of her visible support behind the previous regime), but what if she was the one who really had Umbar's best interests at heart and the beloved hero Azagath was willing to just use them for his own ends? There's also a fun parallel to draw between Galadriel starting the White Council and meaning for Gandalf to be in charge but having Saruman slip in and take charge himself. That would, I think, be a really fun tie in.

#lotro #spoilers of umbar #long post #im kind of glad im doing this in little spurts between workdays. gives me time to think about it #but i think i will probably finish sometime today or tomorrow #if the fact that im level 148 and the quests are now level 150 doesnt kill me

[beardedmrbean]

Oh about the Tolkien thing

South Park retcon the black boy character named Token Black into Tolkien Black. Though that could be a jab at how progressives love to say “This ip always been woke!”

And what with it teaching “white boys?” The South Park fandom is hella diverse vs the average progressive show fanbase.

You pointing how the supremacy vs equality thing is also good. Seriously I feel like boomers and Gen x content creators treated black characters far better than the average modern creator.

How the fuck did eras with a lot of bigotry treats minority characters better than today?

Oh that's even funnier, as for the teaching white boys let's let tumblr cover the thought process behind that

We'll let reddit finish the job for the curious

they're not polite about it.

As for why boomers and gen-x did it better it's called not walking on eggshells constantly.

You wouldn't get "all in the family" today because it would offend too many people, the difference between then and now is not that they didn't know it would offend people they knew the point was to offend people because it makes them think,

That right there ranks up there with the Kirk and Uhura kiss

Can't forget Klinger

Problem is now instead of being a funny bit to laugh about because he wanted to get booted out of the army we get

I'd take Klinger in my military any day, man 110% did not want to be there, but every day he woke up, put on his silk stockings and girdle, his pretty pretty bonnet, and he did his damn duty.

TF anyone making fun of Klinger for I do not know.

But ya they knew it was offensive, they kept it from being way over the top but ya, supposed to get an idea about what is and isn't good from our entertainment and it should be subtle enough that you don't even realize you're learning it.

On the other hand there's also

volume down or headphones when it hits around 45 seconds if you're in public.

In case you never actually knew that SNL had balls at one point

#anonymous

[sizzlingpatrolfox]

one thing that pisses me off so bad is that half the hate that j/m gets is always somehow corelated to jk. “jk doesnt like jm” “jk feels uncomfortable around jm” “jk thinks jm is ugly” and it’s like okay who fcking cares what jk thinks why are his opinions so important in regards to jm. this whole jk validation thing is so stupid like all members could post for jm’s birthday but jk not posting is the only thing that matters apparently. how can u judge a person’s whole character based on what one fcking person thinks about them. why is it so significant

RIGHT LIKEEE ????!!!!

It's something I've thought about in the past and I swear I was just thinking about this a couple of days ago, again.

Okay, them saying Jimin makes him uncomfortable IS a jab at Jimin because in their minds Jimin is doing something wrong that would make Jungkook feel uneasy. Which Jimin would not do purposefully.

But when they post those clips of Jungkook saying Jimin is ugly or """singing""" like Jimin in a funny voice, or saying Taehyung is the most attractive man he's ever seen or all the other stuff Jungkook has done and they're like "oww what are you going to do now ha even JK thinks like this of Jimin" I'm always like ????? Do I look like I care. That's Jungkook's opinion, okay great. And if you want to cling onto his opinion or anyone else's opinion and let that stranger's opinion decide what you are supposed to think about Jimin, then that's your problem too. I don't need Jungkook or any BTS member to tell me what I should think about anything.

A lot of people cling to what the members say about each other and then make their entire fandom experience and understanding of BTS around that thing that was said, like sope or vmin soulmates and they just don't let it go. I've said it and I'll keep saying it that BTS are just as much guilty of the narratives as army is. Taekookers, for people who think they're oh so radical and such rebels wow teenage angst the world against us, they're also the most sheep-minded like people in the fandom. Okay so he said this or that about Jimin, and?? That's his opinion, I have my own and it doesn't have to be the same as Jungkook's.

[carlos-tk]

hello beloved and happy nice ask week !!

i know we talked briefly in replies about buddy the vampire slayer, so i wanted to ask what you fav season, character, couple and villain from it are !! + if you wanna use this to gush about any other shows/characters you like feel free to (/nf) <3

Hi my dear Flare 💗

Thank you for giving me a chance to talk about my forever gal Buffy 👩🏼

My favourite character: Of course it has to be Buffy Summers. Strongest girl in the universe. I love everything about her. Her strength, her courage, her personality, her sarcasm and wit, her kindness, how much love she has for everyone around her 💗 She’s dynamic, she’s layered, she makes mistakes and she isn’t perfect. She just feels like a real person that you want to root for. We got to watch her go from adolescent to adult and persevere and survive it all. I could talk about her for hours!! SMG gives such a great portrayal of her and it’s hard to imagine anyone else in the role

Favourite episode god there’s so many good ones! Let me just say ‘The Body’ S5 E16 is one of if not the best episode of television ever, one that you’ll rarely ever want to watch again. It’s a beautiful, heartwrenching exploration of grief and mourning. and in a show that deals with so much death and destruction from monsters the worst loss you have is a human death by natural causes 💔 That episode is so hard to revisit so I’m gonna give you a favourite that is a fun one! ‘Tabula Rasa’ S6 E08. In the episode, a spell goes bad and every character forgets who they are and it’s just so funny. You get a lot of references to earlier episodes and funny jabs about the characters usual selves and the comedy was a nice break from how serious the rest of the season is

My fave couple obviously involves Buffy herself. Spuffy or Spike x Buffy! Vampire slayer and vampire. Literally trying to kill each other enemies to lovers excellence. There’s a lot to say about this ship but the thing I fell in love with most about this paring is the fact they just capture your attention in any phase of their relationship. They're just so interesting!! The constantly changing dynamic is just something special. You’re invested when they're enemies, when they're reluctant allies, when they're lovers, and when they're something undefinable by the final season. Their journey is a long one fraught with so many differences and similarities to become a real love story. But in saying that the ship was definitely toxic and not all that healthy at times but whatever!! and I understand people who don’t like it because the writers certainly made a choice in one particular episode that really does sour the relationship. Also sorry not sorry if you’re a Bangel fan lol 😅 I have some fave ship quotes I can share too because look at the material:

“When I say I love you, it’s not because I want you, or because I can’t have you – it has nothing to do with me. I love what you are, what you do, how you try… I’ve seen your kindness, and your strength, I’ve seen the best and the worst of you and I understand with perfect clarity exactly what you are. You’re a hell of a woman. You’re the one” LIKE they wrote that and I was supposed to be normal about it!! Impossible!!

“No you have to stay”, “You’ve got another demon fighting for you”, “That’s not why I need you here”, “Is that right? Why then?” “Because I’m not ready for you to not be here”(screaming btw!!)

“But I want you to know I did save you. Not when it counted, of course, but after that. Every night after that. I'd see it all again, do something different. Faster or more clever, you know? Dozens of times, lots of different ways. Every night I save you”

“Buffy, shame on you. Why does a man do what he musn't? For her. To be hers. To be the kind of man who would nev... To be a kind of man. And she shall look on him with forgiveness and everybody will forgive and love. And he will be loved”

“I've lived for sodding ever, Buffy. I've done everything. I've done things with you I can't spell, but I've never been close to anyone, least of all you until last night. All I did was hold you, watch you sleep and it was the best night of my life. So, yeah, I'm terrified”

This is them in the final episode btw and I cry everytime 😭❤️

Fave season has to be S3. Buffy’s last year of high school and the introduction of Faith, another slayer! The ‘big bad’ of the season Mayor Wilkins is one of the best too. It had great overarching themes, amazing character development and a satisfying conclusion. The season as a whole is probably the series most consistent and some of the best episodes are from it. It is just stacked with contenders if I sat here and named it would be the whole season 😂 ‘The Wish’ is a goodie, ‘The Prom’ is <3 ‘Helpless’ is just !!!! and the 2 part finale ‘Graduation Day’ is spectacular! It’s a fan favourite with good reason

The best villain is so hard because there’s so many great options, I’d say S3s Mayor Wilkins or S5s Glory. Mayor Wilkins is a reminder that the worst guy in the world is probably a white male politician lol!! he was also a demonic snake for anyone that doesn’t know 😂 and Glory! Buffy battled all kinds of vampires and demons and the S5 rolls around and her enemy is a legit God from a hell dimension😳 and by far the worst has to be S6s pack of complete losers ‘The Trio’ that these days we’d call incels 😂

Thank you for joining me on this journey of my og hyper fixation ❤️ and if anyone wants to ask me more about my fave shows pls do!!

#nice ask week #asked and answered #flare tag #buffy #btvs